Blog Smith is inspired by the myth of Hephaestus in the creation of blacksmith-like, forged materials: ideas. This blog analyzes topics that interest me: IT, politics, technology, history, education, music, and the history of religions.
An attack within the next 12-18 months is a reasonable expectation.
The Taiwan Scenario
"Although the PLA [People's Liberation Army] is contending with a growing array of missions, Taiwan remains its main strategic direction. China continued modernizing its military in 2010, with a focus on Taiwan contingencies, even as cross-Strait relations improved. The PLA seeks the capability to deter Taiwan independence and influence Taiwan to settle the dispute on Beijing’s terms. In pursuit of this objective, Beijing is developing capabilities intended to deter, delay, or deny possible U.S. support for the island in the event of conflict. The balance of cross-Strait military forces and capabilities continues to shift in the mainland’s favor."
"China is modernizing its nuclear forces by adding more survivable delivery systems. In recent years, the road mobile, solid propellant CSS-10 Mod 1 and CSS-10 Mod 2 (DF-31 and DF-31A) intercontinental-range ballistic missiles (ICBMs) have entered service. The CSS- 10 Mod 2, with a range in excess of 11,200 km, can reach most locations within the continental United States."
In 2005, top-level Chinese army officer General Zhu Chenghu threatened America with nuclear war if America interfered with Taiwan:
"If the Americans are determined to interfere [then] we will be determined to respond. We ... will prepare ourselves for the destruction of all of the cities east of Xian [a city in central China]. Of course the Americans will have to be prepared that hundreds ... of cities will be destroyed by the Chinese."
And, as reported in 2006, Sha Zukang, the Chinese ambassador to the U.N., furiously and harshly threatened the U.S. over Taiwan. I transcribed the words that he literally screamed in an interview with a BBC reporter:
"The moment that Taiwan declares independence, supported by whomever, China will have no choice but to [use] whatever means available to my government. Nobody should have any illusions on that. ...
It's not a matter of how big Taiwan is, but for China, one INCH of the territory is more valuable than the LIVES of our people."
[With regard to the U.S.'s constant criticism of China's rapid militarization:] It's better for the U.S. to shut up, keep quiet. That's much, much better. China's population is 6 times or 5 times the United States. Why blame China? No. forget it. It's high time to shut up. It's a nation's sovereign right to do what is good for them. But don't tell us what's good for China. Thank you very much."
Secrecy and deception
China's military culture is completely opposite to America's in the sense that America tries to be as open as possible, while China tries to be as secretive and deceptive as possible until it attacks. This is described in the report:
"PRC [People's Republic of China] military writings point to a working definition of strategic deception as "[luring] the other side into developing misperceptions, and [establishing for oneself] a strategically advantageous position by producing various kinds of false phenomena in an organized and planned manner with the smallest cost in manpower and materials." In addition to information operations and conventional camouflage, concealment, and denial, the PLA draws from China’s historical experience and the traditional role that stratagem and deception have played in Chinese statecraft.
There is an inherent tension in Chinese strategic culture today, pitting a deep-seated tendency to conceal military capabilities and force development against a partial acceptance that excessive secrecy inflames regional and global anxiety about China’s rising power. For over a decade PRC leaders have identified the so called .China threat theory. as a serious hazard to the country’s international standing and reputation, threatening the development of a persistent alignment of regional and global powers in opposition to China. In addition, extreme secrecy is increasingly difficult to reconcile with China’s role in the integrated global economy, which depends upon transparency and the free flow of information for success.
There is perhaps another source of tension between the emerging reality of Chinese military power and China’s tradition of secrecy, and that is the fact that many of China’s new military capabilities are difficult or impossible to hide. Examples of such capabilities include advanced aircraft, long range missiles, and modern naval assets. Furthermore, missiles, space-based, and counterspace systems must be tested and exercised before being operationally deployed with confidence. The PLA’s growing inventory of these new assets and the ranges at which they operate effectively prevents their concealment."
Former FBI special agent John Guandolo identified several other Brotherhood-connected agents of influence – all of whom are just as politically savvy and moderate sounding, as those who have infiltrated the government as identified by Muslim reformer Tarek Fatah-–who have worked their way into government positions, including:
Arif Alikhan, who was assistant Homeland Security secretary for policy development and is now a distinguished visiting professor of homeland security and counterterrorism at the National Defense University.
Syrian-born Kareem Shora, who is Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano's senior policy adviser.
Navy Cmdr. Youssef Aboul-Enein and Jocelyne Cesari, a Muslim convert who previously worked with Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, both of whom teach at colleges within the National Defense University.
Guandolo blames the advances Brotherhood figures on political correctness and lax vetting at government agencies.
Even at the FBI, he notes, an Iranian-born Muslim has taken over the agency's weapons of mass destruction program.
Stung by workplace discrimination lawsuits by Arab and Muslim employees, the FBI has come under pressure to hire more Arab and Muslim agents and language specialists and promote existing ones, while clearing them for higher security levels, according the best-selling book "Muslim Mafia: Inside the Secret Underworld That's Conspiring to Islamize America."
The book cites internal FBI records showing the agency has been sued by no fewer than 14 Arab and Muslim employees since 9/11. Some of the lawsuits have been solicited or aided by the Council on American-Islamic Relations, another Muslim Brotherhood front group. The FBI in 2008 cut off formal outreach with CAIR and its branch offices.
"This is happening as we remain silent. And I say that as a liberal Democrat who worked and campaigned for Barack Obama," said Fatah during a recent speech in Toronto, a Pakistan-born journalist and activist who founded the moderate Muslim Canadian Congress to fight the spread of "Islamofascism."
"Muslim Mafia" also has prompted a lawsuit from CAIR over the acquisition by the authors of CAIR documents.
In the lawsuit, CAIR, a self-described Muslim civil-rights group, does not defend itself against the book's claims, and the FBI has seized the CAIR material from the Washington law office of one of the attorneys for the authors. A previous filing in the case revealed a federal grand jury is investigating CAIR for possible violation of laws that ban financial dealings with terrorist groups or countries under U.S. sanctions.
As WND reported, CAIR's complaint seeks to expunge all copies of "Muslim Mafia" in an attempt, according to defense lawyers, to eliminate evidence that could lead to criminal prosecution.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The CAIR legal attack on WND's author is far from over. WND needs your help in supporting the defense of "Muslim Mafia" co-author P. David Gaubatz, as well as his investigator son Chris, against CAIR's lawsuit. The book's revelations have led to formal congressional demands for three different federal investigations of CAIR. In the meantime, however, someone has to defend these two courageous investigators who have, at great personal risk, revealed so much about this dangerous group. Although WND has procured the best First Amendment attorneys in the country for their defense, we can't do it without your help. Please donate to WND's Legal Defense Fund now.
At a time when one out of 11 Illinoisans are out of work, Illinois's state employees are protesting the fact that they didn't get their third pay raise of the year. This short video is an introduction to the report Out of Sync: Government and Private Employee Compensation in Illinois.
The average compensation for a state employee in Illinois is $69,500 which is 23% more than the private sector worker in the state. Between 1993 and 2008 state employees saw their compensation grow by nearly 18% while private sector workers saw their compensation decline by 2%. All figures inflation adjusted.
To read the report visit: www.illinoispolicy.org/outofsync
The Battle For Brooklyn: Eminent Domain Abuse Gone Wild
Should the government be able to take citizen's property through eminent domain?
The Battle For Brooklyn, a documentary about one man's fight to stop a private developer from using eminent domain to take his home, recently opened in select theaters in New York City after a successful film-festival run.
In 2003, billionaire real estate developer and New Jersey Nets owner Bruce Ratner decided to move the team to Brooklyn, with the intention of building an arena, an affordable housing project, and bringing desperately needed jobs to the borough of Brooklyn. Ratner's friend and fellow billionaire, Michael Bloomberg, enthusiastically put the weight of top-down government planning behind the project. That included using the city government's extensive powers of eminent domain, despite the fact eminent domain is supposed to be used only in cases where development is for public uses such as schools and roads. And despite the fact that the construction of what became known as the "Atlantic Yards" project would displace many thriving businesses and homes.
Graphic designer Daniel Goldstein fought for nearly seven years to keep his home out of the hands of Ratner's company, Forest City Ratner. Goldstein's quixotic struggle is the centerpiece of The Battle For Brooklyn.
Reason.tv sat down with co-directors Michael Galinsky and Suki Hawley to discuss eminent domain abuse and political perceptions of their film. Galinsky and Hawley insist their film is not a polemic, but rather an all-too-common story of a single person fighting an injustice against figures whose power and influence drawf his own.
Produced by Anthony L. Fisher. About 4.40 minutes.
However, there has been controversy over the choice of Lei Yixin, a 57-year-old master sculptor from Changsha in Hunan province, to carry out the work. Critics have openly asked why a black, or at least an American, artist was not chosen and even remarked that Dr King appears slightly Asian in Mr Lei's rendering.
More than 150 granite blocks, weighing some 1,600 tons, were then shipped from Xiamen to the port of Baltimore, and reassembled by a team of 100 workmen, including ten Chinese stone masons brought over specifically for the project.
However, Ed Dwight, a sculptor in Denver, said Dr King would be "turning over in his grave" if he knew his likeness had been conceived by someone living under a Communist regime.
"He would rise up from his grave and walk into their offices and go, 'How dare you?'"
#3083 - Footage of Egyptians Demonstrating opposite Israeli Embassy in Cairo Shows Sign with Swastika Saying "The Gas Chambers Are Ready"
Al-Jazeera TV (Qatar) - August 21, 2011 - 01:14
Black From Islam: African American Muslim Defectors (Jalila)
A Film by Layla Merritt
Throughout Pro-Black movement of the 1960's and 70's, black Americans converted in droves to Islam. Black From Islam profiles three African American women who were raised in insular, Muslim communities inside America. What they each discovered when they stepped outside led to three fascinating life stories of triumph, tragedy, wisdom, and growth.
“That man, sitting in his embassy… I don’t get it. Who does he think he is – Christopher Columbus, exploring the area here? I don’t get it. I would like to convey a message to the security forces and to the entire world. The young people of Deir Al-Zour will not let him set foot in their city. I am talking about my cousins and my tribe. If they let me down, I myself will prevent him from entering Deir Al-Zour. By Allah, over my dead body will he ever enter Deir Al-Zour.
“One of my cousins said: ‘I swear by Allah, we will blow up the ground on which he sets foot. We will turn the road into smoldering coals.’
“Another cousin of mine said to me: ‘We are known for having the best mutton in the world. For the first time, Allah willing, we will be eating American mutton. Whether his flesh is bitter or not, with salt or without salt – we will eat him up.’
“Let me issue a warning. We cannot vouch for this man’s safety if he so much as sets foot on the threshold of Deir Al-Zour.”
The news outlets CNN, MSNBC, the New York Times, and Newsweek have come under fire by Philadelphia’s incoming Archbishop, for a lack of “trustworthiness” where matters of religious faith are concerned.
According to Archbishop Charles Chaput, the media do not “provide trustworthy information about religious faith. ” His comments were made Wednesday during an address on religious freedom before some 10,000 pilgrims at the Catholic World Youth Day in Madrid, Spain.
Archbishop Chaput noted that the media gave a lot of coverage to the so-called “Arab Spring,” involving civil unrest in Egypt and other Middle Eastern countries. “But very little of that coverage has mentioned that the turmoil in Muslim countries has also created a very dangerous situation for Christians and other religious minorities across North Africa and the Middle East,” he said. “In Egypt, angry mobs have attacked Christian churches and monasteries, burning them to the ground and murdering the people inside.”
Archbishop Chaput also criticized the lack of media coverage for widespread anti-Christian violence in Iraq, Syria, Tunisia, and Pakistan.
“Christians face frequent discrimination, slander, beatings and even murder,” the Archbishop added.
The Archbishop seems to have a point. The White House has not made any public statements whatsoever denouncing the persecution of Christians and Jews during the rise of Islamism in the Middle East.
The Archbishop is pointing out how religious warfare is predominant and common across the globe. Islamism is on the rise and the Western democracies, satiated by their relative economic prosperity, or in these days weakened by economic distress, are too flaccid to respond effectively. Either they do not believe it could happen here, or are too weak intellectually to form a response as the West did during the rise of Communism throughout the Cold War.
In the West, "democracy," and calls for `this is what democracy looks like,' has been evoked to erase the Judeo-Christian heritage of those countries from the public arena. Erasing the Judeo-Christian heritage of the West, along with the intellectual tradition of the Enlightenment--tolerance and pluralism--has forced Judeo-Christian values out of our nation’s public square and out of this country’s public debates which does not serve democracy, nor the sustenance of this Republic. It does not serve real tolerance or pluralism. What it does do is impose a kind of unofficial state atheism, allied with those forces, such as Islamism, which seek to break the people of this country from their heritage. To put it another way, if we ban Christian Churches, Jewish voices, and their spokespersons from taking an active role in our nation’s civic life, we’re really just enforcing a new kind of state-sponsored intolerance — a religion without God, or something perhaps much more ominous and worse, creeping sharia or stealth jihad, at some point perhaps an imposed state religion, which works in Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, et. al.
Cf. Blind Spot: When Journalists Don't Get Religion, Paul Marshall, Oxford University Press, (2008); http://www.librarything.com/work/7517845/summary/46467036
Cf. Terror and Liberalism, Paul Berman, W. W. Norton & Company, (2004); http://www.librarything.com/work/7829/23469307
This is an original contribution to an overlooked connection between violence and the Left, along with an insightful study of terrorists amongst the Islamists.
Cf. The Flight of the Intellectuals: The Controversy Over Islamism and the Press
Paul Berman, Melville House (2010); http://www.librarything.com/work/4897258/60815999
Berman convincingly demonstrates that the Western press is not seriously considering Islamist ideas.
Electric Power and Light Company, Ad, Life Magazine, May 1947, 4. Annotated by Robert Sexty.
The lemonade stand is a widely used and recognized symbol of capitalism and in particular entrepreneurship. The selling of lemonade on the streets of New York can be traced back to when a New York youngster sold it to thirsty street car riders over 130 years ago. Its connection to youthful entrepreneurship has endured. Today it is often the first entrepreneurial venture of young people and is frequently mentioned as a summertime activity. The operation of a lemonade stand is clearly established as a learning or teaching tool and translates well into games for children, simulations and classroom exercises in most grades. The lemonade stand as a symbol lends itself to story-telling and is the basis of plot development in many children's story-books. It is featured in newspaper and magazine cartoons, media stories every summer, web sites, books and television programs. The lemonade stand as a symbol of capitalism and entrepreneurship is relevant today and endures despite changes in beverage preferences and children's activities.
GOP Rep. Allen West believes that the Democratic Party is akin to a modern-day “plantation.”
In an interview on Wednesday night’s “O’Reilly Factor,” he told guest host Laura Ingraham that he is the “modern-day Harriet Tubman“ and that he wants to lead fellow African Americans away from the the ”21st century plantation.”
West made extremely bold statements throughout the interview, apparently undeterred by any negative response he might receive from the Democratic Party or from fellow African Americans. Commenting on anger that was seen at a Congressional Black Caucus (of which West is the only GOP member) town hall meeting in Detroit this week, he said:
“The people on that plantation are upset because they’ve been disregarded, disrespected and their concerns are not cared about…I’m here as the modern-day Harriet Tubman to kind of lead people on the underground railroad away from that plantation into a sense of sensibility.”
West went on to dismiss some African American leaders as “nothing more than overseers over that plantation” and he stated his belief that white liberals have relied upon people like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton to support Democratic policies. These individuals, he claims, have failed to addresses important matters. West also discussed recent flash mobs (as per the Huffington Post):
The freshman Republican said the fact that black leaders have done nothing in response to the recent spate of flash mobs in U.S. cities is proof of their disconnect from the black community. This summer has been marked by flash mobs in several cities, including Philadelphia and Cleveland, and are thought to be fueled by growing discontent among unemployed urban youth.
He also went on to say that Republicans have not done well drawing black voters into the conservative movement. That said, he explained that there is an opportunity for conservatives to reach African Americans by connecting with them on the issues of “individual responsibility and accountability, faith and family, [and] hard work ethic.”
Watch West’s comments, below (his Harriet Tubman statement is at 2:35):
CAIR-Chicago is objecting to a curriculum used in the Chicago school district.
CAIR-Chicago’s complaint?
The worksheets in question, produced by MindSparks, a California based educational resource company, teaches students that the religion of Islam is oppressive towards women, inherently violent, and played an important role in harboring slavery.
CAIR-Chicago claims verses from the Qur’an used in this curriculum are “taken out of context.” This is a typical response from Muslim Brotherhood front organizations like CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations). The problem is, anyone who has ever read the Qur’an knows two things:
1) There is very little “context” to its writings.
2) It does contain numerous passages that make clear women hold second-class status to men, that call for violent jihad against “infidels,” and that sanction the taking of slaves in the prosecution of jihad.
Finally, we see what appears to be a factual rendering of the history of Islam. For instance, the curriculum states, accurately, that “slavery was common in Islam.” Various historians and scholars estimate that between 14 and 18 million Africans were enslaved by Muslims from the 7th century to the 12th century.
CAIR-Chicago clearly wants to rewrite history because it obviously doesn’t want Chicago high school students to be exposed to these “inconvenient truths.”
While the high school is not mentioned in the post below, you can contact the Chicago public schools office via email and thank the school for using this curriculum. Encourage them to retain the curriculum and resist the interference of CAIR-Chicago, which is part of the national CAIR organization. Make sure you mention that CAIR was an unindicted co-conspirator in the largest terrorism financing trial in America’s history and that it has been identified by the Justice Department as linked to the terrorist organization Hamas.
No school district should be paying any attention to CAIR or any of its local affiliates.
The Honorable Rick Scott
Executive Office of the Governor
The Capitol
400 South Monroe Street
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0001
Citizen Services Hotline: (850) 488-4441
Executive Office of the Governor Switchboard: (850) 488-7146
Fax: (850) 487-0801
Website: http://www.flgov.com/
Here is what I wrote: feel free to copy and paste and send to Governor Scott's office:
American Freedom Defense Initiative respectfully requests that you personally review the death of Fatima Abdallah as reported in the Tampa Police General Offense Report, Medical Examiner Report, 911 Dispatch Call Hardcopy report, Prestige Investigations, Inc. reports and Crime scene photos. All of these reports are found online at the links referenced at the bottom of the web page FatimaAbdullah.com and Florida family.org
It is difficult to comprehend how Fatima could have killed herself by repeatedly beating her nose onto a coffee table. It is also difficult to comprehend how the injuries reported in her autopsy (back of the head, broken ribs, hemorrhage around ribs, etc.) could have occurred during such “self infliction” or alleged posthumous CPR.
A private investigator and research team found numerous inconsistencies, errors and omissions with the Tampa Police General Offense Report, Medical Examiner Report and 911 Dispatch Call Hardcopy Report. These inconsistencies are itemized in the INVESTIGATION FINDINGS section below.
A member of the Medical Examiner’s staff has informed us that the medical examiner’s finding of this death as an accident caused great controversy and distress among many staff members because they could not believe that this case was ruled an accident. Information regarding this insider in your office has been posted on various sites. Here is one example: FatimaAbdullah.com
It is our opinion that given the circumstances of Fatima Abdallah’s personal life and the facts surrounding her death that there is a need to reopen this case to fully investigate Fatima Abdullah’s death to determine if her demise was truly an accident or honor killing. I look forward to your response.
The fight between the Georgetown University men's basketball team and the Bayi Rockets forced the game on Thursday night in Beijing to end early.
Reports and pictures from the basketball match showed an unidentified Bayi player pushed Georgetown's Aaron Bowen to the ground before repeatedly punching the sophomore guard while sitting on his chest. Chairs and water bottles were also thrown [from the crowd] as the Georgetown players left the court with about nine-and-a-half minutes remaining in the final quarter.
Generation Opportunity is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that seeks to both educate and organize young Americans on the challenges facing our nation. We are committed to addressing and working toward solutions on immediate challenges, such as a lack of job opportunities, as well as the broader, underlying issues that impact our economic future and sustainability.
Jihadists released video of children training with firearms at a camp in the Taliban-controlled Waziristan region in Pakistan's tribal areas.
The seven-minute-long video, which is titled 'Cubs of Waziristan,' was distributed by the Al Ansar Mailing List and recently released on jihadist websites. An edited version of the video and a translation are provided by the SITE Intelligence Group. The location of the camp and the date the video was taken were not disclosed.
At the beginning of the video, a group of 16 jihadists, including what appears to be six trainers armed with assault rifles and 10 young recruits, is seen standing in a semicircle. An older fighter, who seems to be the leader, cites a verse from the Koran that says Muslims must prepare for war against "the enemy of Allah and your enemy."
"In obedience of this divine command, we are doing this and preparing militarily and Shariah- and faith-wise," the fighter says. "In this way, we are erasing ages of humiliation that we tasted and in which we grew up. At times we were scared of match sticks, and now, thanks to Allah, here are the children of the Muslims getting trained in weapons that special forces are trained in using. This is an embodiment of the extirpation of the defeatist moral that was planted in the Islamic Ummah [community]."
The children are then seen undergoing firearms training with pistols, assault rifles, and machine guns. The boys are conducting shooting drills in lanes, with paper targets tacked up on posts. A few of the smaller kids are seen having difficulty handling the recoil of the assault rifles. The video ends with the trainers and the young recruits, who are now armed with assault rifles, standing in line, raising their weapons, and shouting "Allah is Great."
While no group has been directly linked to the video, the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan, the Islamic Jihad Group, and a jihadist alliance known as the Fedayeen-i-Islam are known to run camps in Waziristan that are used to train children.
Qari Hussain Mehsud, the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan commander who indoctrinates and trains children and others to conduct suicide attacks, ran camps in the Spinkai Ragzai area of South Waziristan for a time. But after a Pakistani Army offensive targeted his Taliban faction in an operation in South Waziristan in October 2009, he moved his camps to North Waziristan.
In the past, the Islamic Jihad Group has released videos of small children training for jihad. The IJG is currently based out of the Mir Ali area of North Waziristan.
Mir Ali also hosts at least three suicide training camps for the the Fedayeen-i-Islam, an alliance between the Pakistani Taliban, the anti-Shia Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, and Jaish-e-Mohammed. Earlier this year, a Fedayeen spokesman claimed that more than 1,000 suicide bombers, including young men, have trained at three camps. One failed suicide bomber corroborated the Fedayeen spokesman's statement, claiming that more than 350 suicide bombers trained at his camp.
Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi received your email expressing your concerns about the local investigation into the death of Fatimah Abdallah.
Attorney General Pam Bondi asked that I respond.
This office appreciates hearing from you, and we will keep your comments under advisement. However, in regard to a criminal investigation, section 16.01(3), Florida Statutes, sets forth the powers and duties of our office.
Further information about the Attorney General's Office is online at:
In Florida the local police or sheriff and the elected state attorney in each of the twenty judicial circuits investigate and prosecute crime at the local level. Those offices operate independently and are not a part of the Attorney General's Office. The investigative and prosecution decisions of a local police agency and elected state attorney are not subject to the authority of this office. Please address concerns about a criminal investigation in the Tampa area to the following:
Tampa Police Department
3818 West Tampa Bay Boulevard
Tampa, Florida 33614
Phone: (813) 354-6600
Website: http://www.tampagov.net/dept_police/contact_us/
The Honorable Mark Ober
State Attorney, Thirteenth Judicial Circuit
800 East Kennedy Boulevard
Tampa, Florida 33602
Telephone: (813) 272-5400
Website: http://www.sao13th.com/
We understand that you are requesting an investigation of "the Tampa Police Department and Hillsborough County Medical Examiner's office." If you are
requesting an outside investigation of local officials, you may wish to contact the Governor's Office. The Governor has the power to appoint what is known as a special prosecutor to investigate criminal allegations outside a state attorney's normal circuit when there are concerns about possible conflicts of interest. The Governor may also direct the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) to perform special investigations and investigations on public officials and agencies. Please see the FDLE website for more information on in that regard:
The contact information for the Governor's Office is:
The Honorable Rick Scott
Executive Office of the Governor
The Capitol
400 South Monroe Street
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0001
Citizen Services Hotline: (850) 488-4441
Executive Office of the Governor Switchboard: (850) 488-7146
Fax: (850) 487-0801
Website: http://www.flgov.com/
Again, thank you for contacting the Attorney General's Office.
Sincerely,
Office of Citizen Services
Florida Attorney General's Office
PL-01, The Capitol
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-1050
American Public Policy Alliance Spokesman Stephen Gelé Responds
to CAIR-MI Attacks on American Laws for American Courts
Washington, DC, August 16th, 2011 - Stephen Gelé, spokesperson for the American Public Policy Alliance, issued the following statement in response to the mistaken protests in Michigan against HB 4769:
Rep. Dave Agema has been unfairly attacked by the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), an organization that was identified as a Muslim Brotherhood front group and named an unindicted co-conspirator in the largest terrorism financing conviction in U.S. history. CAIR falsely characterizes Rep. Agema’s HB4769 American Laws for American Courts bill for Michigan as “unconstitutionally” targeting “Islamic principles.”
The American Laws for American Courts bill’s sole objective is to protect all U.S. citizens and residents from the application of foreign laws when the application of a foreign law will result in the violation, in the specific matter at issue, of a liberty guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States or the public policies of the state in question. Such violations would include infringements on due process, freedom of religion, speech, or press, equal protection, and any right of privacy or marriage as specifically defined by the constitution of the state.
Rep. Agema’s bill is constitutional, facially neutral and in the two years since its passage in three other state legislatures it has never been challenged in court.
Reviews of court records provide extensive evidence that foreign laws and legal doctrines have been introduced into U.S. state court cases, including, notably, Shariah law, which is applied in courts in dozens of foreign nations.
Unfortunately, because state legislatures have not been explicit about what the public policy is relative to application of foreign laws in state courts, the courts and the litigants have repeatedly failed to recognize that granting comity to a foreign judgment may be at odds with our state and federal constitutional principles in the specific matters at issue.
The American Laws for American Courts bill is carefully limited in scope, recognizing the need to balance individual liberties with other legal principles:
• The American Laws For American Courts bill does not apply to a business entity that contracts to subject itself to foreign law in a jurisdiction other than the state or the United States.
• The American Laws for American Courts bill does not interfere with the right of any individual to freely exercise his or her religion as guaranteed by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
• The American Laws for American Courts bill does not conflict with any federal treaty or international agreement to which the United States is a party.
The goal of HB 4769 is a clear and unequivocal application of what should be the goal of all state courts: No U.S. citizen or resident should be denied the liberties, rights, and privileges guaranteed in our constitutional republic.
American Laws for American Courts is needed especially to protect women and children, identified by international human rights organizations as the primary victims of discriminatory foreign laws.
Far from targeting those practicing the Islamic faith, the American Laws for American Courts legislation actually seeks to ensure that American Muslim families have the same constitutional protections and liberties as other Americans.
Opponents of the American Laws for American Courts bill exhibit indifference to American Muslim families who have already been denied equal protection and due process by American courts applying shariah law from the legal systems of foreign, oppressive regimes. Indeed, every concern raised by opponents at today’s press conference was irrelevant to the legislation.
The legislation, designed to protect American litigants from the application of foreign legal doctrines, recognizes that, for decades, through a misguided use of comity (a deference to foreign legal judgments), American courts have applied laws from nations such as Pakistan, Lebanon, Egypt and even Iran, often denying Americans their constitutional rights. These Americans, nearly all women, often came to America to escape the harsh and discriminatory doctrines of Shariah law, only to have those doctrines enforced in our state courts. A report entitled “Shariah Law and American State Courts,” addresses 50 sample cases (http://www.shariahinamericancourts.com) involving shariah law in American courts. Ten of those cases are briefly summarized below (see “Ten American Families and Shariah in American State Courts”).
Despite the completely unfounded accusation laid by CAIR, these cases enforcing shariah do not involve the exercise of religion, but issues of secular law commonly adjudicated in American courts, such as sexual assault, divorce, spousal support and child custody. Shariah rules governing issues of family law are regularly enforced by the authority of the state as a legal code in numerous foreign countries. Judgments from these courts have repeatedly reached American shores to be imposed upon Muslim families in our state courts.
Critics, such as CAIR, not only ignore the dozens of published legal cases involving the application of shariah law in American courts, but also misinform Americans regarding easily verifiable facts, such as the actual content of this protective legislation. Rather than acknowledging the relevant jurisprudence, and accurately describing the curative legislation, CAIR impugns their fellow Americans who seek to ensure constitutional equal protection, due process and civil liberties for all Americans, especially American Muslims who are denied their rights through courts imposing foreign laws contrary to our Constitution.
Below are ten cases (excerpted from “Shariah Law and American State Courts“).
In cases 1-3, the Appellate Courts upheld Shariah law; in cases 4-7, the Trial Courts upheld Shariah, but the Appellate Courts reversed (protecting the litigant’s Constitutional rights); in cases 8-10, both Trial and Appellate Courts rejected the attempts to enforce Shariah law.
Ten American Families and Shariah in American State Courts
Joohi Q. Hosain (FKA Malik) V. Anwar Malik, (http://shariahinamericancourts.com/?p=124 ), Shariah law of Pakistan, Maryland, 1996: Trial and Appellate Courts upheld foreign Shariah law and denied mother custody. She lost custody because going to custody hearing in Pakistan would have risked prison, torture or execution.
Laila Adeeb Sawaya Malak v. Abdul Latif Malak (http://shariahinamericancourts.com/?p=77 ), Shariah law of Lebanon/UAE, California, 1986: Appellate Court upheld foreign Shariah law and denied mother custody, reversing Trial Court.
Parveen Chaudry v. M. Hanif Chaudry, M.D., (http://shariahinamericancourts.com/?p=155 ), Shariah law of Pakistan, New Jersey, 1978: Appellate Court upheld foreign Shariah law, overturned Trial Court. Wife denied support and child support and division of property; prenuptial agreement signed by parents giving her only $1,500 from marriage upheld by Appellate Court.
In re the Custody Of R., minor child. Dato Paduka Noordin v. Datin Laila Abdulla, (http://shariahinamericancourts.com/?p=228 , Shariah law of Philippines, Washington, 1997: Trial Court upheld foreign Shariah law of Philippines (which has parallel Shariah court system) granting father custody; Appellate Court reverses, allowing mother to contest Philippines Shariah court custody decision.
S.D., Plaintiff-Appellant, v. M.J.R., (http://shariahinamericancourts.com/?p=197 ), Shariah law of Morocco, New Jersey, 2010: Pregnant mother is beaten and raped by her husband, Trial Court refuses restraining order citing foreign Shariah law, Appellate court reverses and grants restraining order.
Pamela Tazziz VS. Ismail Tazziz (http://shariahinamericancourts.com/?p=133 ), Shariah law of Israel, Massachusetts, 1988: Trial Court upheld foreign Shariah law of Israel (which has parallel Shariah court system ) requiring mother of four children to bring family to Shariah hearing; Appellate Court reversed.
Saida Banu Tarikonda, , v. Bade Saheb Pinjari (http://shariahinamericancourts.com/?p=139 ), Shariah law of India, Michigan, 2009: The Trial Court accepted a Talaq divorce (the husband says “I divorce you” three times, no prior notice to wife required). The Appellate Court reversed.
Irfan Aleem v. Farah Aleem (http://shariahinamericancourts.com/?p=126 ), Shariah law of Pakistan, Maryland, 2007: Trial Court rejected argument permitting a foreign Shariah law Talaq divorce to prevent community division of property; Appellate Court upheld.
Magda Sobhy Ahmed Amin v. Abdelrahman Sayed Bakhaty (http://shariahinamericancourts.com/?p=114 ), Shariah law of Egypt and Lebanon, Louisiana, 2001: Mother convicted under foreign Shariah law of Egypt for leaving Egypt with child for U.S. without husband’s permission; Under Egyptian Shariah law, father files for divorce and custody; Trial Court and Appellate court do not grant comity.
Bita Donboli, Respondent, and Nader Donboli (http://shariahinamericancourts.com/?p=236 ),Shariah law of Iran, Washington, 2005: Mother is dual citizen of U.S. and Iran, alleges beatings, not allowed to leave Iran with son without husband permission, and refuses to comply with foreign Iranian Shariah law custody decree. Trial and Appellate Courts uphold her position.
The study’s findings suggest that Shariah law has entered into state court decisions, in conflict with the Constitution and state public policy. Some commentators have said there are no more than one or two cases of Shariah law in U.S. state court cases; yet we found 50 significant cases just from the small sample of appellate published cases.
Others have asserted with certainty that state court judges will always reject any foreign law, including Shariah law, when it conflicts with the Constitution or state public policy; yet we found 15 Trial Court cases, and 12 Appellate Court cases, where Shariah was found to be applicable in these particular cases. The facts are the facts: some judges are making decisions deferring to Shariah law even when those decisions conflict with Constitutional protections.
There has been a burst in demand for the health care rationing articles written over the past year given the recent passage of the House's version of Obamacare. Here are the links:
Tarek Fatah, a moderate Muslim advocate and Liberal Democrat Marxist, told an auditorium filled with thousands of Canadians at Ideacity that “the religion of Islam is being used as a tool by a fascist force.”
Today in the White House there are three members of the Muslim Brotherhood that influence Obama’s policy.
Rashad Hussain
"One is Rashad Hussain of Indian origin who is the American Ambassador to the 52 nation organization of Islamic countries."
The first person named, Hussain, is a lawyer and the U.S. Special Envoy to the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC). In February 2010, Cal Thomas asked Who is Rashad Hussain? He stated that Hussain’s appointment to the OIC “should be of serious concern to Congress and the American public.” According to Front Page magazine, there are troubling ties about Hussain.
"The first is that in October 2000, Hussain spoke at a conference sponsored by the Association of Muslim Social Scientists, which was listed in an internal Muslim Brotherhood document as one of “our organizations and the organizations of our friends,” and the Prince Alwaleed Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding of Georgetown University, which receives Saudi funding and is directed by prominent Muslim Brotherhood," and Roman Catholic professor, John Esposito.
In 2003, Hussain was a fellow at the Paul and Daisy Soros Foundation. Paul Soros is billionaire “philanthropist” George Soros’ brother. Additionally, in the FrontPage article about troubling ties noted above, Hussain “played a role” in the Muslim Students Association’s annual conference back in 2004. This group, too, was connected to the Muslim Brotherhood (in fact, it was founded by the Brotherhood) in 1963.
It was at this conference that Hussain spoke with the daughter of Professor Sami Al-Arian. Al-Arian was convicted of being a leader of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad; he later admitted to being a Muslim Brotherhood member as well. At the event, Hussain defended Al-Arian and claimed that his legal ordeal was essentially “politically-motivated persecution.”
In addition, Hussein has been active in Muslim Brotherhood circles. In May 2009, Hussein also spoke at a conference which was allegedly sponsored by Islamic Brotherhood affiliates. Thomas writes, “it is unsettling to see someone with Hussain’s background representing the United States to nations that may harbor or fund terrorists and want to destroy Israel and America.”
According to Fatah's video statement, "Dialia Mogahed who writes his [Obama] speech who comes from the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt."
Dalia Mogahed
The second person Fatah names Mogahed, who is the Senior Analyst and Executive Director at the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies.
In 2009, Obama nominated Mogahed to sit on his Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. According to DiscovertheNetworks.org, she co-authored the book “Who Speaks for Islam?: What a Billion Muslims Really Think” with the dhimmi apologist Esposito. Here, though, is where much of the controversy surrounding her stems from:
In early October 2009, Mogahed was interviewed on a British television program hosted by Ibtihal Bsis, a member of the extremist Hizb ut Tahrir party, which seeks to facilitate the non-violent destruction of Western democracy and the creation of a worldwide Islamic state governed by Sharia law. Bsis and another guest (also a member of Hizb ut Tahrir) stated that Sharia should be “the source of legislation” for all nations in the world; they also repeatedly condemned the “man-made law” and the “lethal cocktail of liberty and capitalism” that existed in Western societies. Mogahed did not dispute any of their assertions.
Critics were upset over Mogahed’s refusal to take a stand against these claims. But, even more bizarre was her discussion during the interview of the West’s take on Sharia law (and her defense of it). DiscovertheNetworks.org notes:
Instead, Mogahed stated that the Western view of Sharia was “oversimplified,“ and that the majority of Muslim women around the world associate Islamic Law with ”gender justice.“ ”I think the reason so many women support Sharia is because they have a very different understanding of Sharia than the common perception in Western media,” she said.
Who Speaks for Islam—What Do a Billion Muslims Really Think?
Levantine Cultural Center and OneNation present an evening with Dalia Mogahed, co-author of the Gallup book "Who Speaks for Islam? What a Billion Muslims Really Think," and Obama appointee on Muslim affairs. She is joined by "24" showrunner/writer Howard Gordon in a conversation moderated by KPFK radio host Dr. Nile El Wardani.
In early 2010, Tablet Magazine called Mogahed, “The most important person shaping the Obama Administration’s Middle East message.” In the article, concern over her potential inability to distinguish between radicals and moderates is cited. The Investigative Project on Journalism has documented Mogahed's comments as well, claiming that she has been a staunch defender of both the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA).
She has claimed that it would not be fair be unfair to see these groups become “disenfranchised” because of “misinformation” that is perpetuated. She has been quoted claiming that “there is a concerted effort to silence, you know, institution building among Muslims. And the way to do it is [to] malign these groups. And it’s kind of a witch hunt.”
These individuals appear sympathetic to the causes and goals that Islamism embraces. Still, Fatah’s warning to Canadians and recent history do expose the potential for unsettling connections within the Obama regime. Earlier this year, Robert Spencer reiterated the Obama administration’s connections with the Muslim Brotherhood:
Obama first reached out to the Brotherhood when he chose the leader of a Muslim Brotherhood-linked group that had been named an unindicted co-conspirator in a Hamas terror funding case to give a prayer during his inauguration ceremonies. Ingrid Mattson, then-president of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), offered this prayer at the National Cathedral on Obama’s Inauguration Day—despite the fact that the ISNA has admitted its ties to the Brotherhood…
Obama didn’t ask Mattson to explain the ISNA’s links to the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas. On the contrary: He sent his senior adviser, Valerie Jarrett, to be the keynote speaker at the ISNA’s national convention in 2009.
These connections and highly placed nature of these two individuals is troubling according to Fatah.
According to Fatah's video statement, "Just day before yesterday, another woman, an academic, was appointed in that circle.
[I believe Fatah is referring to Azizah al-Hibri, but she was appointed in June 2011. I will clarify as soon as possible. In the meantime, Azizah al-Hibri is an Obama appointee and has participated in a seminar sponsored by the International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT), which the Muslim Brotherhood says is a "like minded" organization.]
Obama this June appointed her to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom. A Muslim professor, al-Hibri is also the granddaughter of a sheik, who claims the Saudi criminal justice system is more moral than the American one because it accepts blood money from murderers.
Al-Hibri herself has proclaimed: "Islamic fiqh (law) is deeper and better than Western codes of law."
She served on the advisory board of the American Muslim Council and made joint appearances with its leader Abdurahman Alamoudi. Now defunct, the AMC was a front group for the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood, and Alamoudi was the Brotherhood's top leader in America. He is now behind bars as one of al-Qaida's top fundraisers in America.
Al-Hibri has also made appearances at Islamic Society of North America conferences. The Justice Department says ISNA is a Brotherhood front and recently named the group an unindicted co-conspirator in a plot to provide material support to Hamas terrorists.
"This is happening while we sit silent and I say that as a Liberal Democrat, as someone who worked and campaigned for Barack Obama.
We have evidence in Canada of this penetration that’s going on.”
“I want you to focus and I hope you can talk to your families and your friends and your neighbors that when someone says that there is a penetration of Jihadi Islamists within Canadian society, do not dismiss it as some right-wing xenophobic racist rant."
“Instead of bringing victory over the fascist forces of the Muslim Brotherhood, we now recognize that their infiltration is right up to the American White House, but we can’t say that.”
“Today we are fighting another idea of Islamo-fascism that has shut our mouths and we can’t speak because we’re too scared that someone may turn around and call us a racist. And mind you, everyday as I speak, a few dozen Muslims would have been killed by now by these Jihadis.”
He says that he has seen his own “fellow travelers betray the cause of Social Justice and align themselves with the most horrendous fascists that you could ever meet.” The far-left has joined with radical Islamists and they are working together.
“Please understand that there is a distinction between Islam as a faith which, along with every other religion, has its own problems, and “Islamism,” which is an ideology, a political ideology, that says that Western Civilization has to be destroyed.”
“The books that are distributed at Eaton Centre and the Dundas Square clearly state by the founders of the Muslim Brotherhood that all Western countries have to be destroyed.”
The Muslim Brotherhood creed:
“Allah is our objective, the prophet is our leader, the Koran is our law, Jihad is our way, dying in the way of Allah is our highest hope.”
“Jihad is our way” explicitly endorses the reinstatement of a worldwide Islamic regime.
Fatah states:
“Why is it happening? Because we are not speaking out. And the dangers we face… if we do not confront them today, our children will not forgive us tomorrow.”
After all, how better to take down an opponent than to infiltrate U.S. leadership ranks? That, in fact, has been one of the Brotherhood’s plans for years. Cal Thomas writes:
In 1991, a memo written by Mohamed Akram for the Shura Council of the Muslim Brotherhood spelled out the objective of the organization. Akram said the Muslim Brotherhood “must understand that their work in America is a kind of grand Jihad in eliminating and destroying the Western civilization from within and ‘sabotaging’ its miserable house by their hands and the hands of the believers so that it is eliminated and God’s religion is made victorious over all other religions.”
Back in February of 2011, there was an uproar after James Clapper, the Director of National Intelligence, publicly stated that the Muslim Brotherhood is a “heterogeneous group“ that is ”largely secular.” His bizarre and contrary to evidential statements, which can be viewed below, were made only hours after the Brotherhood claimed that Sharia law is its ultimate goal:
Considering these bold calls to action and warnings (particularly the charge that the Muslim Brotherhood has worked its way into the White House) one wonders if there is legitimate evidence to backup these claims. And if so, then who, in particular, has infiltrated the U.S. government?
Inter faith harmony to promote Islamism:
Rashad Hussain Obama's Special Envoy to the OIC
Here is the entire transcript written by commentator Betwixt:
TAREK FATAH SPEECH TRANSCRIPTION PART I
[Mark 0:00 to 2:09]
Good afternoon, and thank you, Moses, for inviting me. I'm quite honored.
I was listening to Steven talk about death. I just wanted to share with you, before I get on to the gist of what I am saying, that I've just escaped and seen death very close. I'm a cancer survivor now. Just last week, I was informed that I have beaten cancer. Now I'm in rehab.
In the four months that I lay in bed at St. Mike's and other hospitals and got radiated and received horrendous chemotherapy, one tends to look at the ceiling, and I'm some sort of an expert now how they look like or what patches don't agree with me or not; but one does get a television set nowadays and the Internet that keeps you abreast with what is happening around the world. In those four/five months, I saw the troubles in Egypt. I saw Osama bin Laden being killed. I saw the Pakistani government double-crossing Canada and the United States, and both countries not having the guts to stand up and say, You double-crossed us. I saw the Japanese typhoons. I saw the earthquakes. But above all, I realized that as a Muslim, fate has put me in a place where I have no escape, because I'm an Indian born in Pakistan, a Muslim born in the Punjabi culture. I'm a Marxist who has seen my own fellow-travelers betray the cause of social justice and aligned themselves with the most horrendous fascists that you could ever meet.
TAREK FATAH SPEECH TRANSCRIPTION PART II
[Mark 2:09 to 4:09]
But I want you to leave today with the thought that 65 or 70 years ago when men, like Moses Znaimer, were mere infants, and I was about to be born, we defeated the most powerful army of the world. And to get in context to what happened during the second world war--just in the Soviet Union, 30 million people died. The catastrophic price that human civilization paid to defeat the Nazis has been forgotten by your generation because it was your parents and your grandparents who fought for the freedom that you inherited and now seems to be withering away.
Just in the Battle of Harkov, that's in Ukraine or slightly west of Russia, 24 thousand tanks and artillery pieces were involved in a battle in which the Red Army broke the back of the Nazis. In 1944, Canadians landed, not to save their own country, but to fight for a cause of freedom, democracy, equality, justice. But in four years, we destroyed Hitler! And in 10 years, we couldn't destroy bin Laden?
We didn't go on tours of duty. We went to fight and knew we would come back in a body bag or come back as victors or end up as POWs. Today, we have privatized our own effort to fight for the freedoms that we have inherited after 400 years of European civilization, but are more interested in the hockey game rather in the Canadian soldier that is being betrayed by the government of Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, supposedly allies, but were selling us to the Taliban. Why? Because you are silent.
TAREK FATAH SPEECH TRANSCRIPTION PART III
[Mark 4:09 to 6:14]
Let me give you the status of what happened after, what Salman Rushdie calls the Midnight Children, were born (those born in the '40s), when the jewel of the British Empire (India) was divided in two. We had the Cold War, and other than the missile crisis of Cuba, communism was destroyed in a battle of ideas. It took four decades, but by 1990 and by the year 2000, communism was wiped out. The Gulags of Solzhenitsyn and Sakharov were finished, people (Russians) felt the freedom. Today, they live under a different form of oligarchy. That's a separate story, but we destroyed communism without firing a bullet!
Today, we are fighting another idea of Islamofascism that has shut our mouths, and we can't speak because we are too scared that someone will turn around and call us a racist. And mind you everyday, as I speak, a few dozen Muslims would have been killed by now by the Jihadis. But what are we doing today? Are we not more concerned in Parliament about the ill-treatment of the Taliban at the hand of the Afghan army? But do you ever hear about the hundreds of people being slaughtered by the same Taliban right across the world? [It's] a threat they pose to this country, to the extent we have a terror trial coming up every few months. But none of us want to talk about it, because it makes us uncomfortable. The hockey game, the basketball match, the Air Canada Center--all of this is more important to us than the civilization that we've inherited.
TAREK FATAH SPEECH TRANSCRIPTION PART IV
[Mark 6:14 to 8:40]
Did you know that last week, a Canadian was convicted of terror-related charges in Chicago for involvement in two incidents in Denmark and in India? How many of you know his name? I can tell you, not more than 1% of this country's population knows about this incident, because we have forsaken our country and said we will subcontract it to some gladiator who will take care of us.
In the meantime, the forces of Islamism, and I distinguish it from the religion of Islam, which most of you are finding it very difficult. My point about communism and Hitler was that we knew them. We knew Lenin wore a suit. We knew Hitler wore a suit. We knew he listened to Wagner. We knew someone read Shakespeare. We knew who was Pushkin, and they knew what was our tradition. But in the case of the threat that worldwide Jihad poses to us, we are illiterate, and instead we are admitting that there is not a single a university course that teaches us the ABC of Islamism. We try to subcontract it to consultants who then make a profit by telling us that that is what you have to do. And instead of bringing victory over the fascist forces of the Muslim Brotherhood, we now recognize that their infiltration is right up to the American White House. But we can't say that.
We, today, have a situation where the religion of Islam is being used as a tool by a fascist force. The combination of the thought that life begins after death and the supremacy of Arab Muslims over the rest of the world is not debated. We are willing to even tolerate or discuss the Israel Apartheid Week, but we are not willing to stand up in front of the Saudi Embassy and say that you, in the name of Islam, practice an apartheid that is shameful. We have people not standing up for Air Canada but instead Emirate Airlines, a national airline of a country that practices slavery to this day.
TAREK FATAH SPEECH TRANSCRIPTION PART V
[Mark 8:40 to 10:50]
Something, brothers and sisters, has gone wrong. The sponge-like spine that we are displaying could lead us to the end of the civilization as we know it. That men and women are equal and sit in the front row of such an event is not something that was always there. It has come out of 400 years. It has come out of the Enlightenment. It has come out of Europe. It has come out of the French and American revolutions. Trust me. I'm from India. It didn't come out of the Gupta Dynasty. It didn't come from the Ming Dynasty of China. Many of these thoughts originated and crystallized into European civilization, but how dare we feel ashamed of the fact that this is a country where gay people can marry, that you cannot go against the Jews and slander them and practice antisemitism [and listen until you couch] that as solidarity with the Palestinians. And European antisemitism is now creeping into our society under the guise of showing solidarity with Muslims.
It is horrendous what is happening, but no one is speaking because nobody wishes to insult or demean the Muslim community, and that is the right thing to do. However, please understand that there is a distinction between Islam as a faith, which along with every other religion has its own problems, and Islamism, which is an ideology, a political ideology, that says that western civilization has to be destroyed. The books that are distributed at Eaton Center and the Dundas Square clearly state by the founders of the Muslim Brotherhood that all western countries have to be destroyed. They are distributed free of charge. I have never seen one Canadian stand up to the goon who distributes that. We makes noise after lost Stanley Cup games, but we don't make noise of what is happening to western civilization, of which Canada is an integral part.
TAREK FATAH SPEECH TRANSCRIPTION PART VI
[Mark 10:50 to 13:15]
We are a society and a culture that saves its best parking spaces for handicapped men, like me. We do not throw the marginalized into separate, segregated camps. We take care of them. That culture, that civilization, is superior to the one in which a thousand people can be killed and shot dead by the army of Syria, but nobody speaks about it.
In the closing time that I have, I want you to focus, and I hope you can talk to your families and your friends and your neighbors, that when someone says that there is a penetration of Jihadi Islamists within Canadian society, do not dismiss it as some right-wing, xenophobic, racist rant.
Today, in the White House, there are three members of the Muslim Brotherhood that influence Obama's policy. One is Rashad Hassan of Indian origin, who is the American ambassador to the 52-nation organization of Islamic countries. Dahlia Mujahid who writes his speech, who comes from the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. Just day before yesterday, another woman, an academic, was appointed in that circle. This is happening while we sit silent, and I say that as a liberal democrat, as someone who worked and campaigned for Barrack Obama.
We have evidence in Canada of this penetration that's going on. Our campuses are no longer the campuses where you can talk freely. You have antisemitism on the rise at University of Toronto. Just a couple of weeks ago, there was a count of Jews in the University of Toronto--in an academics class. This is happening friends. I'm not talking of Nuremberg or Heidelberg of the '30s. I'm talking 2011 University of Toronto here in the Social Work Department, where the professor said to the class, Oh, half of my peers are Jews, and it went unprotested. And when it starts with the Jews, because they are so few, trust me, it extends to other people.
TAREK FATAH SPEECH TRANSCRIPTION PART VII
[Mark 13:15-14:43]
We have sacrificed a lot to create a society where men and women are equal, where black and white can be of equal status, where citizenship is not based on inherited race or religion. Let us not sacrifice that in the name of pluralism and tolerance, and tolerate bigotry and Islamofascism as if it was something that need to be tolerated. I refer to that as "racism of lower expectations," when you say yes, the rest of us are equal human beings but those Muslims--well, maybe they are not yet fully developed as human beings, so we will put a lower threshold. If that guy beats up his wife and kills his daughter, we won't even call it honor killing. That happened in this city! When Aqsa Pervez died, there were women groups saying that's not honor killing. For crying out loud, 5000 Pakistani women die every year. If you claim you have done an honor killing, you get half a sentence than what you do with a murder. And yet, there are feminist organizations in this city that would refer to me as a right-wing lunatic or an agent of Zionism for having spoken up for the dead body of Aqsa Pervez.
Why is it happening? Because we are not speaking out. And the dangers we face, if we do not confront them today, our children will not forgive us tomorrow.
As both CNN staffers tried to question Bachmann, Lemon said he was pushed by two members of Bachmann’s staff. Lemon also said that Marcus Bachmann, the congresswoman’s husband, pushed him.
“She came out, after speaking for just a couple minutes,” Lemon said. “There were other reporters and cameras there. And I asked her very respectful questions: ‘How do you think you did in the debate last night?’ and ‘How do you think you’re going to end up in the Ames Straw Poll?’ And her two campaign aides started elbowing me.”
Lemon continued: “I told them, asked them not to elbow me. And then her husband Marcus started doing the same thing. And then he elbowed me into the cart. And I said, ‘You just pushed me into the cart.’ And he goes, ‘No, you did it yourself.’
This is not an interview situation at all; the Bachmann camp was simply moving through the crowed. If Lemon is a reporter he should arrange an interview that is not in the middle of a victorious and raucous crowd.
I guess Lemon can not take care of himself and he fell victim to those two blonde meanies from the Queen of Rage's camp. I've watched the video and in the mad crush of a crowd it looks like they were simply moving Bachmann through the crowd and I do not see anything that verifies Lemon's version. He does not seem to fall. I do not see drinks falling and of course he has not identified anyone who can corroborate his reporting of the incident in question. Bachmann has her work cut out for her; the media reporting is going to be vicious. They will Palinize Bachmann.
Really I think there is a simple solution for Bachmann; Lemon should grow a pair.
Surveillance video of Aaron Tobey going through airport security at Richmond International Airport Dec. 29, 2010 after stripping to his undershorts in protest of the TSA surveillance methods.
Just as in London, many of the attacks have been racially motivated and yet the international and national news outlets have virtually shut out notice of the racially motivated violence. It does not help the situation when the truth of the attacks are ignored. The uprising is in its earliest stages and yet the politicians are ignoring these incidents. The result will be a clampdown on the peaceful, law-abiding citizens.
Rep. West: Obama 'needs to admit' his economic policies 'have failed' America
(CNSNews.com) -- Rep. Allen West said President Obama "needs to admit" his economic policies "have failed" America. To back up his assertion, West cited the increase in the national debt since President Barack Obama took office.
Friday marked the 32-year-anniversary of Jimmy Carter’s “crisis of confidence” later pegged “malaise speech,” a nationally-televised and ill-received address trying to combat what Carter saw as apathy and doubt among Americans concerning politics and the energy crisis. In the days following the speech Carter fired cabinet members feeling that his administration failed to capitalize on a window of opportunity, which some believe was the beginning of the end for Carter and his ability to appear as a strong and significant leader.
Thirty-two years later another first term Democratic president faces a crisis of continued economic decline and failure to bridge heated political differences from Capital Hill to Main Street. Ingraham’s audio suggests that like Carter, Obama is failing to step up as a strong and believable leader in the eyes of Americans looking to him in a time of crisis.
government - Tim Hawkins - The Government Can, 3:04
politics
What is politics? - Political Podcast, 4:05
nation
Animaniacs - Nations Of The World, 1:47
sovereignty
Popular Sovereignty, 3:30
Our AP US History I Class had to do a School House Rock themed project in which we explained one of the causes of the Civil War. This was our group's result. We got a 99!
Based off of the song "Tik Tok" by Ke$ha
Lyrics:
Verse:
Popular sovereignty was a real big problem
Started with Kansas, when the congress decided to ask them
"Slavery or just free?" They put the question forth
And caused very much tension between the South and North.
I'm talking about people in Kansas fighting
Clashing like thunder and lightning
People racing in to decide
Standing like guards on the side
Southerners hiring border guards
Beating up dissent without regard
John Brown went to fight right back (back)
A pro slavery town he did attack (tack)
Chorus:
Just vote, it's OK, James B doesn't care either way
Pro slave or free soil, we just need someone to toil
If he's black or he's white we'll just let the states decide
It'll be fine, it'll be fine
Verse:
So the southern states were in a pickle
They used slavery to make every nickel
The Northern states weren't gonna let that fly
But how else was the South going to get by?
They needed to spread slavery West
Needed votes in the house lest
They wouldn't be the best
In the cotton production contest
Douglas wanted a contract
So he could build a railroad track
In order to build his company
He supported popular sovereignty
Chorus 2x
Bridge
The North and South could not agree
This compromise was not meant to be
The South cried out, 'If we secede
Our slaves won't have to be freed'
The civil war, coming quickly
Caused by popular sovereignty
Caused by popular sovereignty
right
3-3 "You have Rights; the Government has Privileges", 5:13
Liberty:
1. a. The condition of being free from restriction or control.
b. The right and power to act, believe, or express oneself in a manner of one's own choosing.
c. The condition of being physically and legally free from confinement, servitude, or forced labor.
2. Freedom from unjust or undue governmental control.
3. A right or immunity to engage in certain actions without control or interference.
Michael Badnarik sat down with me after teaching his 8 hr. Constitution class in Malvern, PA on March 15th 08. His class is very inspiring to say the least. We are in an Ideological War. Protect yourself from the constant bombardment from the misinformation army. The best tools anyone can use to defend themselves form our government are in the US Constitution.
Michael talks about the differences between rights and privileges. He explains some of the basics of the constitution that supersede any laws that the federal government may pass on a fraudulent basis. Michael does a radio show 7:00am--9:00am CST Monday thru Friday.
We The People Radio Network
http://www.WTPRN.com
privilege
American Government: Powers and Privileges, 3:33
http://www.mindbites.com/lesson/4421 for full video. Check out http://www.mindbites.com/category/28-government for other video lessons on US Government concepts.
Magna Carta
Magna Carta, 8:03
The King John and the Magna Carta edition of Mr. Zoller's social studies video podcasts.
Petition of Right
Bill of Rights (English)
The English Bill of Rights, 2:55
Fraunces Tavern Magna Carta & Bill of Rights, 4:36
Rights--From Runnymede to Today. Victoria Hughes, President of the Bill of Rights Institute, shows how many of the rights enjoyed by Americans today reach back to Magna Carta. Opening reception at Fraunces Tavern, September 14, 2009 for the exhibit, "Magna Carta and the Foundations of Freedom" which runs to December 15, 2009. For more information please visit: www.frauncestavernmuseum.org.
natural right
Video Glossary: Natural Rights, 2:50
constitution
unconstitutional
Mayflower Compact
royal colony
proprietary colony
corporate colony
Preamble
Barney Fife and the Preamble to the Constitution, 2:51
Classic Comedy bit where Don Knotts as Barney Fife demonstrates his masterful memorization of the Preamble the US Constitution.
Huntington, Samuel P., The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order;
Info World: Information Technology News, Computer Networking & Security;
Information Week: Business Innovation Powered by Technology:
Infostor: The Leading Source for Enterprise Storage Professionals;
Infrastructure Insite: Bringing IT Together;
Insurance Technology: Business Innovation Powered by Technology;
Integrated Solutions: For Enterprise Content Management;
Intel Premier IT: Sharing Best Practices with the Information Technology Community;
Irwin, Robert, Dangerous Knowledge: Orientalism and Its Discontents;
Jeffrey, Grant R., The Global-Warming Deception: How a Secret Elite Plans to Bankrupt America and Steal Your Freedom;
Jewkes, Yvonne, and Majid Yar, Handbook of Internet Crime;
Johnson, Chalmers, Blowback: The Costs and Consequences of American Empire;
Journal, The: Transforming Education Through Technology;
Judd, Denis, The Lion and the Tiger: The Rise and Fall of the British Raj, 1600-1947;
Kagan, Donald, The Peloponnesian War;
Kansas, Dave, The Wall Street Journal Guide to the End of Wall Street as We Know It: What You Need to Know About the Greatest Financial Crisis of Our Time--and How to Survive It;
Karsh, Efraim, Islamic Imperialism: A History;
Kasser, Rodolphe, The Gospel of Judas;
Katz, Solomon, The Decline of Rome and the Rise of Medieval Europe: (The Development of Western Civilization);
Keegan, John, Intelligence in War: The Value--and Limitations--of What the Military Can Learn About the Enemy;
Kenis, Leo, et. al., The Transformation of the Christian Churches in Western Europe 1945-2000 (Kadoc Studies on Religion, Culture and Society 6);
Kepel, Gilles, Jihad: The Trail of Political Islam;
Kiplinger's: Personal Finance;
Klein, Naomi, The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism;
KM World: Content, Document, and Knowledge Management;
Koestler, Arthur, Darkness at Noon: A Novel;
Kostova, Elizabeth, The Historian;
Kuttner, Robert, The Squandering of America: How the Failure of Our Politics Undermines Our Prosperity;
Lake, Kirsopp, The Text of the New Testament, Sony Reader;
Laur, Timothy M., Encyclopedia of Modern US Military Weapons ;
Leffler, Melvyn P., and Jeffrey W. Legro, To Lead the World: American Strategy After the Bush Doctrine;
Lendon, J. E., Soldiers and Ghosts: A History of Battle in Classical Antiquity;
Lenin, V. I., Imperialism the Highest Stage of Capitalism;
Lennon, John J., There is Absolutely No Reason to Pay Too Much for College!;
Lewis, Bernard, The Crisis of Islam: Holy War and Unholy Terror;
Lewis, Bernard, What Went Wrong?: The Clash Between Islam and Modernity in the Middle East;
Lifton, Robert J., Greg Mitchell, Hiroshima in America;
Limberis, Vasiliki M., Architects of Piety: The Cappadocian Fathers and the Cult of the Martyrs;
Lipsett, B. Diane, Desiring Conversion: Hermas, Thecla, Aseneth;
Livingston, Jessica, Founders At Work: Stories of Startups' Early Days;
Livy, Rome and the Mediterranean: Books XXXI-XLV of the History of Rome from its Foundation (Penguin Classics);
Louis J., Freeh, My FBI: Bringing Down the Mafia, Investigating Bill Clinton, and Fighting the War on Terror;
Mackay, Christopher S., Ancient Rome: A Military and Political History;
Majno, Guido, The Healing Hand: Man and Wound in the Ancient World;
Marcus, Greil,Invisible Republic: Bob Dylan's Basement Tapes;
Marshall-Cornwall, James, Napoleon as Military Commander;
Maughm, W. Somerset, Of Human Bondage;
McCluskey, Neal P., Feds in the Classroom: How Big Government Corrupts, Cripples, and Compromises American Education;
McCullough, David, 1776;
McCullough, David, John Adams;
McCullough, David, Mornings on Horseback: The Story of an Extraordinary Family, a Vanished Way of Life and the Unique Child Who Became Theodore Roosevelt;
McLynn, Frank, Marcus Aurelius: A Life;
McManus, John, Deadly Brotherhood, The: The American Combat Soldier in World War II ;
McMaster, H. R., Dereliction of Duty: Johnson, McNamara, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Lies That Led to Vietnam;
McNamara, Patrick, Science and the World's Religions Volume 1: Origins and Destinies (Brain, Behavior, and Evolution);
McNamara, Patrick, Science and the World's Religions Volume 2: Persons and Groups (Brain, Behavior, and Evolution);
McNamara, Patrick, Science and the World's Religions Volume 3: Religions and Controversies (Brain, Behavior, and Evolution);
Meacham, Jon, American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House;
Mearsheimer, John J., and Stephen M. Walt, The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy;
Meier, Christian, Caesar: A Biography;
Menzies, Gaven, 1421: The Year China Discovered America;
Perrett, Bryan, Cassell Military Classics: Iron Fist: Classic Armoured Warfare;
Perrottet, Tony, The Naked Olympics: The True Story of the Olympic Games;
Peters, Ralph, New Glory: Expanding America's Global Supremacy;
Phillips, Kevin, American Dynasty: Aristocracy, Fortune, and the Politics of Deceit in the House of Bush;
Pick, Bernhard; Paralipomena; Remains of Gospels and Sayings of Christ (Sony Reader);
Pimlott, John, The Elite: The Special Forces of the World Volume 1;
Pitre, Brant, Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist: Unlocking the Secrets of the Last Supper;
Plutarch's Lives, X: Agis and Cleomenes. Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus. Philopoemen and Flamininus (Loeb Classical Library®);
Podhoretz, Norman, World War IV: The Long Struggle Against Islamofascism;
Posner, Gerald, Case Closed: Lee Harvey Oswald and the Assassination of JFK;
Potter, Wendell, Deadly Spin: An Insurance Company Insider Speaks Out on How Corporate PR Is Killing Health Care and Deceiving Americans;
Pouesi, Daniel, Akua;
Premier IT Magazine: Sharing Best Practices with the Information Technology Community;
Price, Monroe E. & Daniel Dayan, eds., Owning the Olympics: Narratives of the New China;
Profit: The Executive's Guide to Oracle Applications;
Public CIO: Technology Leadership in the Public Sector;
Putnam, Robert D., Bowling Alone : The Collapse and Revival of American Community;
Quintus of Smyrna, The Fall of Troy;
Rawles, James Wesley, Patriots: A Novel of Survival in the Coming Collapse;
Red Herring: The Business of Technology;
Redmond Channel Partner: Driving Success in the Microsoft Partner Community;
Redmond Magazine: The Independent Voice of the Microsoft IT Community;
Renan, Ernest, The life of Jesus (Sony eReader);
Richler, Mordecai (editor), Writers on World War II: An Anthology;
Roberts, Ian, The Energy Glut: Climate Change and the Politics of Fatness in an Overheating World;
Rocca, Samuel, The Army of Herod the Great;
Rodgers, Nigel, A Military History of Ancient Greece: An Authoritative Account of the Politics, Armies and Wars During the Golden Age of Ancient Greece, shown in over 200 color photographs, diagrams, maps and plans;
Rodoreda, Merce, Death in Spring: A Novel;
Romerstein, Herbert and Breindel, Eric,The Venona Secrets, Exposing Soviet Espionage and America's Traitors;
Ross, Dennis, Statecraft: And How to Restore America's Standing in the World;
Roth, Jonathan P., Roman Warfare (Cambridge Introduction to Roman Civilization);
SC Magazine: For IT Security Professionals;
Scahill, Jeremy, Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army [Revised and Updated];
Schama, Simon, A History of Britain, At the Edge of the World 3500 B.C. - 1603 A.D.;
Scheuer, Michael, Imperial Hubris: Why the West Is Losing the War On Terror;
Scheuer, Michael, Marching Toward Hell: America and Islam After Iraq;
Scheuer, Michael, Osama Bin Laden;
Scheuer, Michael, Through Our Enemies Eyes: Osama Bin Laden, Radical Islam, and the Future of America;
Scholastic Instructor
Scholastic Parent & Child: The Joy of Family Living and Learning;
Schopenhauer, Arthur, The World As Will And Idea (Sony eReader);
Schug-Wille, Art of the Byzantine World;
Schulze, Hagen, Germany: A New History;
Schweizer, Peter, Architects of Ruin: How Big Government Liberals Wrecked the Global Economy---and How They Will Do It Again If No One Stops Them;
Scott, Sir Walter, Ivanhoe;
Seagren, Eric, Secure Your Network for Free: Using Nmap, Wireshark, Snort, Nessus, and MRTG;
Security Technology & Design: The Security Executive's Resource for Systems Integration and Convergence;
Seibel, Peter, Coders at Work;
Sekunda N., & S. Northwood, Early Roman Armies;
Seneca: Naturales Quaestiones, Books II (Loeb Classical Library No. 450);
Sewall, Sarah, The U.S. Army/Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Field Manual;
Sheppard, Ruth, Alexander the Great at War: His Army - His Battles - His Enemies;
Shinder, Jason, ed., The Poem That Changed America: "Howl" Fifty Years Later;
Sidebottom, Harry, Ancient Warfare: A Very Short Introduction;
Sides, Hampton, Blood and Thunder: The Epic Story of Kit Carson and the Conquest of the American West;
Simkins, Michael, The Roman Army from Caesar to Trajan;
Sinchak, Steve, Hacking Windows Vista;
Smith, RJ, The One: The Life and Music of James Brown;
Software Development Times: The Industry Newspaper for Software Development Managers;
Software Test Performance;
Solomon, Norman, War Made Easy: How Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death;
Song, Lolan, Innovation Together: Microsoft Research Asia Academic Research Collaboration;
Sophocles, The Three Theban Plays, tr. Robert Fagles;
Sound & Vision: The Consumer Electronics Authority;
Southern, Pat, The Roman Army: A Social and Institutional History;
Sri, Edward, A Biblical Walk Through the Mass: Understanding What We Say and Do In The Liturgy;
Sri, Edward, Men, Women and the Mystery of Love: Practical Insights from John Paul II's Love and Responsibility;
Stair, John Bettridge, Old Samoa; Or, Flotsam and Jetsam From the Pacific Ocean;
Starr, Chester G., The Roman Empire, 27 B.C.-A.D. 476: A Study in Survival;
Starr, John Bryan, Understanding China: A Guide to China's Economy, History, and Political Culture;
Stauffer, John, Giants: The Parallel Lives of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln;
Steyn, Mark, America Alone: The End of the World As We Know It;
Strassler, Robert B., The Landmark Herodotus: The Histories;
Strassler, Robert B., The Landmark Thucydides: A Comprehensive Guide to the Peloponnesian War;
Strassler, Robert B., The Landmark Xenophon's Hellenika;
Strategy + Business;
Streete, Gail, Redeemed Bodies: Women Martyrs in Early Christianity;
Sullivan, James, The Hardest Working Man: How James Brown Saved the Soul of America;
Sumner, Graham, Roman Military Clothing (1) 100 BC-AD 200;
Sumner, Graham, Roman Military Clothing (2) AD 200-400;
Suskind, Ron, The One Percent Doctrine: Deep Inside America's Pursuit of Its Enemies Since 9/11:
Swanston, Malcolm, Mapping History Battles and Campaigns;
Swiderski, Richard M., Quicksilver: A History of the Use, Lore, and Effects of Mercury;
Swiderski, Richard M., Quicksilver: A History of the Use, Lore, and Effects of Mercury;
Swift, Jonathan, Gulliver's Travels;
Syme, Ronald, The Roman Revolution;
Talley, Colin L., A History of Multiple Sclerosis;
Tawil, Camille, Brothers In Arms: The Story of al-Qa'ida and the Arab Jihadists;
Tech Briefs: Engineering Solutions for Design & Manufacturing;
Tech Net: The Microsoft Journal for IT Professionals;
Tech Partner: Gain a Competitive Edge Through Solutions Providers;
Technology & Learning: Ideas and Tools for Ed Tech Leaders;
Tenet, George, At the Center of the Storm: The CIA During America's Time of Crisis;
Thackeray, W. M., Vanity Fair;
Thompson, Derrick & William Martin, Have Guitars ... Will Travel: A Journey Through the Beat Music Scene in Northampton 1957-66;
Tolstoy, Leo, Anna Karenina;
Trento, Joseph J., The Secret History of the CIA;
Twain, Mark, The Gilded Age: a Tale of Today;
Ungar, Craig, House of Bush House of Saud;
Unterberger, Richie, The Unreleased Beatles Music & Film;
VAR Business: Strategic Insight for Technology Integrators:
Virgil, The Aeneid
Virtualization Review: Powering the New IT Generation;
Visual Studio: Enterprise Solutions for .Net Development;
VON Magazine: Voice, Video & Vision;
Wall Street Technology: Business Innovation Powered by Technology;
Wallace, Robert, Spycraft: The Secret History of the CIA's Spytechs, from Communism to al-Qaeda;
Wang, Wallace, Steal This Computer Book 4.0: What They Won’t Tell You About the Internet;
Ward-Perkins, The Fall of Rome and the End of Civilization;
Warren, Robert Penn, All the King's Men;
Wasik, John F., Cul-de-Sac Syndrome: Turning Around the Unsustainable American Dream;
Weber, Karl, Editor, Lincoln: A President for the Ages;
Website Magazine: The Magazine for Website Success;
Weiner, Tim, Enemies: A History of the FBI;
Weiner, Tim, Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA;
West, Bing, The Strongest Tribe: War, Politics, and the Endgame in Iraq;
Wharton, Edith, The Age of Innocence;
Wilcox, Peter, Rome's Enemies (1) Germanics and Dacians;
Wise, Terence, Armies of the Carthaginian Wars 265 - 146 BC;
Wissner-Gross, What Colleges Don't Tell You (And Other Parents Don't Want You To Know) 272 Secrets For Getting Your Kid Into the Top Schools;
Wissner-Gross, What High Schools Don't Tell You;
Wolf, Naomi, Give Me Liberty: A Handbook for American Revolutionaries;
Wolf, Naomi, The End of America: Letter of Warning to a Young Patriot;
Woodward, Bob, Plan of Attack;
Woodward, Bob, The Agenda: Inside the Clinton White House;
Wright, Lawrence, The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11;
Wright-Porto, Heather, Beginning Google Blogger;
Xenophon, The Anabasis of Cyrus;
Yergin, Daniel, The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money, & Power;
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A tax on toilet paper; I kid you not. According to the sponsor, "the Water Protection and Reinvestment Act will be financed broadly by small fees on such things as . . . products disposed of in waste water." Congress wants to tax what you do in the privacy of your bathroom.
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