Arsalan Iftikhar, an international human rights lawyer, founder of www.TheMuslimGuy.com, and contributing editor for Islamica Magazine in Washington.
Arabs are already asking Americans for money; the Elect is expected to respond.
Arsalan Iftikhar, an international human rights lawyer, founder of www.TheMuslimGuy.com, and contributing editor for Islamica Magazine in Washington.
Arabs are already asking Americans for money; the Elect is expected to respond.
Terrorism, as one Treasury official noted, is “not a rich man’s sport.”
An analysis of some of the most notable attacks show that al-Qaida and others it has inspired have spent between $5,000 and $500,000 to carry out the attacks. Although the numbers in most cases is an approximation—and may not include all costs, such as training—they serve as an indicator of how little is needed to get the world’s attention.
Michael Sheehan, the former counterterrorism director for the New York Police Department, says the department has long been guided by a “4 x 10” rule – “10 men + 10 weeks + $10,000 = 10,000-pound bomb.”
This summary bears out the rule.
— 1993 – World Trade Center, New York – approximately $31,000 to cover the costs of bomb components, rentals of the garage used to assemble the bomb and storage lockers for components, telephone calls to and from the Middle East, and plane tickets for travel to and from the United States. Six dead.
— 1998 – U.S Embassy Attacks, Nairobi, Kenya and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania – less than $50,000 on bomb parts, rooms at a seedy downtown hotel, where the bombing was planned, and on an expensive suburban villa where the bomb was put together as well as satellite phones and laptops. 241 dead.
— 2000 – USS Cole, Aden, Yemen -- $5,000 to $10,000 to cover the cost of explosives, and inflatable boats as well as a camera to record the event. 17 dead.
— 2001 – September 11 attacks, New York and Washington -- $400,000 to $500,000 spent primarily for flight training, travel, and living expenses (such as housing, food, cars, and auto insurance). 2,975 dead.
— 2002 – Nightclub bombings, Bali, Indonesia -- $75,000 to $80,000 spent on explosives and living expenses for the bombers as well as for vehicles used to transport the bombs. Al-Qaida provided the bulk of the funding. 202 dead.
— 2003 – Attacks on two Jewish synagogues, British consulate and HSBC banking offices, Istanbul, Turkey -- $50,000 again spent primarily on the bomb and bombers, but also on vehicles and training suicide bombers. Also financed primarily by al-Qaida’s central operations. 57 dead.
— 2004 – Commuter train bombings, Madrid -- $10,000 mainly to purchase bomb components, rent safe houses and purchase cell phone detonators. 191 dead.
— 2005 – Underground Attacks, London – No more than $14,000, mostly for bomb components as well as travel and training. 53 dead.
Sources: United Nations, Central Intelligence Agency, US Department of Justice, 9-11 Commission.
Cf. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27644191/
The next entangling alliance that will snag the Elect's administration is most likely to arise from Africa. In one of numerous wrong-headed moves former Secretary of Defense Rumsfield committed us to Africom and the Elect is not likely to disband the extension of an American sphere of influence.
Not surprisingly human rights groups are already clamoring for the Elect to get involved in an area that has no payback for Americans, but a great deal of potential blowback from, in Sudan's troubled Darfur region, where government forces have waged a bloody war against militias that some international critics have characterized as genocide. Either this fiasco or one very similar will plague us during the Elect's administration.
Sudan President Omar al-Bashir has agreed to al cease-fire with rebels, which could give the U.S. an opening if we would be foolish enough to take the bait.
Darfur activist John Prendergast's ENOUGH organization is a project of the Center for American Progress, a Democratic think tank run by Obama's transition co-chairman, John Podesta.
During the presidential campaign, Obama called the crisis in Darfur "a collective stain on our national and human conscience" and said he would make ending it a priority on "day one."
That sounds like a commitment to me; we are doomed to repeat mistakes of getting involved in the region as before.
There is no legitimate American interest, safety, or concern in the region.
We can do simple things that do not further entangle us in other people's issue. The Elect's administration can strengthen the current arms embargo and continue to support investigations by the International Criminal Court into war crimes by al-Bashir, leading Sudanese officials and certain members of rebel groups. Other than lead a moral effort, our duty is done to the region.
The primary responsibility should be borne by China, which has vast oil interests in Sudan. Other than unnecessarily provoking the Chinese Americans do not need the additional burden of Darfur.
Will this happen again? I doubt it.
"Since the new alignment of political power offers no real change, we will remain on the same track without even a pretense of slowing the growth of government. With the new administration we can expect things to go from bad to worse."
From time to time we hear some common sense from Congress and this is one such example. Ron Paul has noted publicly what readers have seen on this blog. The change candidate offers no change.
The Republicans strayed so far from their core values that they must earn back the trust of the American people. The Republicans were given power and instead of acting in a fiscally responsible manner they spent as much as if they were Democrats. According to Paul the core values include:
• Limited government power
• A balanced budget
• Personal liberty
• Strict adherence to the Constitution
• Sound money
• A strong defense while avoiding all undeclared wars
• No nation-building and no policing the world
The Republic will not be restored in the next four years but "the need for it will be greater than ever," said Paul.
On a hopeful note Paul added:
In the past two years, I found that when the young people heard the message of liberty, they overwhelmingly responded favorably, fully realizing the failure of the status quo and the need to once again endorse a system of self reliance, personal responsibility, sound money, and a non-interventionist foreign policy while rejecting the cradle-to-grave nanny state all based on the rule of law and the Constitution.
The alternative development is folly.
Paul said: "The march toward a dictatorial powerful state is now in double time."
Obama's Kenyan relatives, including his step-grandmother Sarah Obama (center top), party in Kogelo village, Kenya, after celebrating their victory in the U.S. elections. Kenya has reason to be proud of their achievement.
Up to 8 out of 10 West Europeans would have voted for Obama, which points to a religious rather than political phenomenon. The way they see it, George W. Bush is a one-man axis of evil, and Obama the redeemer: "Deliver us, for thine is the kingdom . . ." Europeans want to love America again, and they imagine that a simple act of exorcism (called "elections") will rid them of the curse. But politics is not about redemption. Obama is not what West Europeans dream he is: polite, social-democratic and pacific. In other words, more European than American. Will the Euroswooners still love Obama when he presses them for more troops in Afghanistan and real sanctions on Iran?
has promises from the Elect to pursue his failed foreign policy.
Graphic source: Patriot Brigade Talk Radio Network
Original wording
Graphic source: Change.gov
Revised
The newly launched official website of President-Elect Obama, Change.gov, originally announced that Obama would “require” all middle school through college students to participate in community service programs; however, after numerous objections the wording was revised, and softened, in an excellent example of a 1984-like change.
The language sparked a revival of the much-publicized video of marching Obama youth and Obama’s “civilian national security force,” which the candidate said in July would be just as powerful and well-funded as the U.S. military.
Obama, 10 November 2008
Huh? What does "time certain" mean? We have to evaluate. No kidding. We need to have "appropriate plans." Hmmm, deep. What plan did you have in mind? Oh yes, and slap them on the wrist with the law. Think that will work, eh? What arrogance, you need to personally review these cases and make a reasoned, legal argument. That, my friends, is hubris to the extreme. American law means nothing to our enemies, nor should it, since they are serving God. Man's law is chimera. Yet, the Americans persist in viewing terrorism as a law enforcement issue.
As noted in a perceptive essay:
"Liberal legalism has delegitimized tactics and brutalities that once were accepted, but this delegitimization has occurred only in context of fundamental security and dominance of Western powers."
The U.S. tried the liberal legalistic approach during the Clinton regime and we were attacked consistently. Now that we have a new player on the field the same old tactic will not work again. But, so far, what are left with? The latest indication is that we will work with the same flawed tools to ensure more legal rights for people who seek to kill Americans based on their understanding of God's higher dictates. It will not work. It did not work before, it will not work again.
I am not expecting a miracle or an FDR. We do not produce that kind of leadership in America anymore. We are producing politicians who are receiving despicably high rates of campaign contributions.
This is the first substantive conversation with a foreign entity and Obama has already been vague and unclear, thus, annoying the already aggressive Russians. Obama better learn on the job quickly before serious issues arise because of his lack of experience.
The Treasury Department has collaborated with Harvard University's Islamic Finance Project to coordinate the event.
Some speakers include Assistant Secretary of the Treasury Neel Kashkari, senior adviser to Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, Jr.; Harvard Business School professor Samuel Hayes; Mahmoud El-Gamal, chair of Islamic economics, finance and management at Rice University and Islamic finance adviser to the Treasury Department; Sarah Bell of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York; Yusuf Talal DeLorenzo, Shariah adviser and Islamic scholar; Michael McMillan, chair of the Islamic Legal Forum at the American Bar Association and professor of Islamic finance; and Rushdi Siddiqui, global director for the Dow Jones Islamic Market Indexes and vigorous advocate for Islamic finance.
Islamic finance is a system of banking consistent with the principles of Shariah, or Islamic law.
Islamic finance has reached $800 billion by mid-2007 and growing at more than 15 percent each year. Wall Street now features an Islamic mutual fund and an Islamic index. Oddly of course, though, the U.S. may be the first country that funds anti-American terrorists who are often financially supported through U.S. investments; the U.S. funds its own enemy.
In financial Jihad, America is losing the financial war on terror because Wall Street embraces a subversive enemy ideology on one hand and providing government and corporate life support to state sponsors of terrorism as well. Islamic finance, or "Shariah-Compliant Finance," is a "modern-day Trojan horse" infiltrating the U.S. Shariah is a repressive doctrine that regulates every aspect of life for Muslims, and has already been proposed in Britain, ultimately, it could change American life and laws. The three nations that rule 100% by Shariah law, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Sudan, are among the most horrific human rights abusers in the world.
views of teen boys who are in uniform and drill, shout, and profess, 'Yes we can' are ominous. It would make the
Nazis proud.
Ali Larijani, Iran's parliament speaker, has criticized President-elect Obama for saying that Iran's development of a nuclear weapon is unacceptable.
The comments came after Obama was briefed by American intelligence and contradicts what he said during his campaign for the presidency.
During the campaign, Obama stated: "I mean, think about it. Iran, Cuba, Venezuela, these countries are tiny compared to the Soviet Union. They don’t pose a serious threat to us the way the Soviet Union posed a threat to us," (Obama’s remarks in Pendelton, Oregon, on 18 May 2008).
Now, I guess the Iranian nuclear threat is of genuine importance, and he may mean "us," as in the U.S. and Israel. The U.S. should back Israel to the hilt as Bush has in the stalled Middle East Peace process
Larijani views Obama's present view along the same lines as Bush's, because he object to "the repetition of objections to Iran's nuclear program, which will be taking a step in the wrong direction."
Obama also said he would help mount an international effort to prevent it from happening.
Larijani was speaking two days after Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad congratulated Obama, the first time an Iranian leader has offered such wishes to a U.S. president-elect since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
More to follow.
But other first ladies, such as former First Lady, Hillary, have reportedly used spiritual advisers. Hussein did not mention Hillary in his insult.
The biggest contributors include:
University of California $909,283
Goldman Sachs $874,207
Goldman Sachs is one of Wall Street’s most prestigious investment banks. Like others in the securities industry, it advises and invests in nearly every industry affected by federal legislation. The firm closely monitors issues including economic policy, trade and nearly all legislation that governs the financial sector. It has been a major proponent of privatizing Social Security as well as legislation that would essentially deregulate the investment banking/securities industry. In August 2002, following months of corporate scandals, congressional investigators launched a probe into whether stock analysts at Goldman Sachs issued biased investment advice in order to protect corporate clients. The firm tends to give most of its money to Democrats. For example, in 2008 Democrats received funding 73% of the time, Republicans, 27%. Goldman Sachs' former chief executive, Jon Corzine, served in the U.S. Senate as a Democrat from New Jersey. He's now the state's governor.
Harvard University $717,230
Microsoft Corp. $714,108
Microsoft Corp is the world’s top computer software company. It is also one of the biggest campaign contributors in Washington—an astounding fact when you consider that Microsoft is a relatively new player on the political scene. Prior to 1998, the company and its employees gave virtually nothing in terms of political contributions. But when the Justice Department launched an antitrust investigation into the company’s marketing of its popular Windows software, things changed. The company opened a Washington lobbying office, founded a political action committee and soon became one of the most generous political givers in the country. The move eventually galvanized an entire industry, as computer and Internet companies quickly moved to emulate Microsoft’s political savvy.
Google Inc. $701,099
JPMorgan Chase & Co. $581,460
JP Morgan Chase & Co is one of the nation’s leading financial services firms, offering commercial and consumer banking and credit services, securities brokering and financial consulting. Through its subsidiary Chase Bank, the company is one of the top consumer credit card issuers in the country. As expected, the firm has lobbied heavily on legislation that would affect the nation’s financial industry, including bankruptcy reform and banking deregulation. In 2002, federal investigators launched a probe into the firm’s relationship with former energy giant Enron. Prior to the energy firm’s collapse, JP Morgan Chase had been one of the company’s biggest financial backers.
Citigroup Inc. $581,216
Citigroup is the world’s second largest financial services firm, with $1 trillion in assets. One of the company’s subsidiaries is brokerage firm Salomon Smith Barney, which has been plagued with lawsuits and government investigations into its financing of bankrupt Enron and ailing WorldCom. In 1998, Citigroup’s lobbying helped repeal a federal law that prevented banks from getting into other businesses, allowing the company to acquire an insurance firm. Citigroup continues to lobby on a number of issues, including financial privacy, bankruptcy reform and terrorism reinsurance.
National Amusements Inc. $543,859
Time Warner $508,148
America Online and Time Warner merged in 2001 to create one of the largest media companies in the world. The new colossus owns dozens of subsidiaries, including online services, print and broadcast news organizations, cable television companies, movie studios, music companies and publishing houses. Time Warner also owns the Atlanta Braves baseball team, as well as basketball and hockey teams. With so many business interests, the company lobbies on a number of different issues, but right now its biggest concern is over the rules governing television ownership. The company wants the government to relax the rules prohibiting cable television stations from also owning broadcast stations in the same market.
Sidley Austin LLP $492,445
Stanford University $481,199
Skadden, Arps et al $473,424
Wilmerhale Llp $466,679
UBS AG $454,795
Latham & Watkins $426,924
Columbia University $426,516
Morgan Stanley $425,102
Morgan Stanley is one of the world’s top investment banks, offering its clients everything from stock portfolio management to credit services. Like others in the securities industry, it invests in and advises virtually every industry affected by federal legislation. The company, which splits its contributions evenly between Democrats and Republicans, has been a major proponent of privatizing Social Security. Morgan Stanley also has lobbied in favor of proposals to deregulate the securities industry, so that investment firms can further extend their reach into financial services.
IBM Corp $415,196
University of Chicago $414,555
US Government $400,819
Data was accumulated by Opensecrets.org.
OpenSecrets.org is your nonpartisan guide to money’s influence on U.S. elections and public policy. Whether you’re a voter, journalist, activist, student or interested citizen, use our free site to shine light on your government. Count cash and make change.
Cf. http://www.opensecrets.org/index.php
A copy of Barry Soetoro's--President-elect Obama--school record as an Indonesian citizen also lists his religion as Islam.
I would not expect many differences between the President-elect and Bush since they are closely associated with Israel. Emanuel's father for example, is a Jerusalem-born former member of the Irgun (Irgun Zeva'i Le'ummi), a military Nationalist group treated as a terrorist organization during British rule. His father emigrated to the United States from Israel and Emanuel volunteered as a civilian volunteer in the Israel Defense Forces during the 1991 Gulf War, serving in one of Israel's northern bases, rust-proofing brakes.
I could not imagine the President-elect differing much from Bush on the unqualified support for Israel which places Americans at greater risk.
Obama adviser Robert Gibbs responded sharply by stating that "Joe Lieberman ought to be ashamed of himself for some of the things he said tonight, not as a Democrat but as an American."
This is an odd condemnation from a party source that should prize free speech. Why shouldn't a Senator be able to state his position? It is not anti-American to evaluate a politician. Lieberman rankles nerves, and does not always toe the party line, his independence makes him an effective spokesperson for many Americans.
This delightful romp through one of history's most fascinating periods is well-written and engrossing. Holland expresses himself clearly and surveys the important personages and momentous occasion of the Republic's downfall.
I think we should always bear in mind that France is out for France and France alone. They have no moral credibility objecting to U.S. plans.
The aircraft would be delivered to Iraq from 2011 to 2015; the first order is for 108 combat aircraft from the US and France, and is to be delivered in 2011.
The objective of the surge is clearly stated and has been achieved. The prospect of having an ally against Islamofascists in the Middle East would be a godsend. As much as a certain contingent of Americans were either duped by the mainstream media, or wished for an American defeat, it did not happen. The Iraqis are well on their way, making guarded progress as always, to standing up for themselves.
The top military officers appointed by Bush will remain. Admiral Mullen, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has at least one more year on his term in office.
The top U.S. military officer with direct responsibility for Iraq and Afghanistan, will also remain. The chief of U.S. Central Command, General David Petraeus, who is acknowledged with turning around the war in Iraq during the last year and a half.
It is unclear if U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates will remain but he has publicly stated he is not interested.
U.S. defense spending rose 72 percent to $671.7 billion for fiscal 2008 from $381.3 billion in 2000, after adjusting for inflation and including spending for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The new Democratic administration faces decisions on $125 billion in major weapons programs:
the purchase of additional Lockheed Martin F-22 fighter jets and Boeing Co.’s C-17 transports;
the replacement of Air Force refueling tankers and combat search and rescue helicopters;
the acquisition of a new satellite communication system;
and, a decision to curtail buying the Navy’s DDG-1000 Zumwalt class destroyer, and buy more older DDG-51 type destroyers.
“When a new president is inaugurated, these circumstances that we are talking about now are not likely to change all that much,” Lockheed Chief Executive Officer Robert Stevens stated.
The expected rate will be approximately the same, 4% of the GDP, as defense spending has been. Likewise, the Pentagon also plans to increase the Army’s troop strength by 65,000 and the Marine Corps’ by 27,000 by 2013, adding to the military budget. Obama supports the troop-strength increase. “I don’t see defense spending declining in the first years of the Obama administration,” stated Richard Danzig, Obama’s defense adviser and former Navy secretary.
“The long-term fiscal challenges confronting the United States, linked to rising health-care costs and the aging of the U.S. population, all seem to support the conclusion that the base defense budget is likely to stay relatively flat in real terms,” not counting war costs, Steve Kosiak, a defense budget analyst at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, a Washington policy group, stated in a report last month.
War is often good for business and the American economy needs a kick, jobs depend on it.
Amidst the rhetoric, the celebration, and the flourish of the phrasing, Obama can always look back and say, `I told you so.' He is lowering American expectations; he stated it in his acceptance speech. Most people will miss this key point in the joy that they feel tonight but he said it loud and clear. Obama is planning to take eight years to accomplish his plans on the scale of an FDR.
Given the seriousness of the issues confronting the next President I wonder if it is realistic to expect much at all.
Roosevelt had four months to come up with programs to address the Great Depression before he took office in 1933; Obama gets just 2 1/2 months to put a government in place.
Unemployment is at 6.1% and predicted to rise as high as 7.5% next year; worried consumers have curtailed borrowing and spending; home foreclosures are common; Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security face huge financial overdrafts; government debt is at its highest point in American history, debts are owed to Japan, China, and Middle Eastern banks flush with cash; and, 152,000 U.S. troops are in Iraq more than five years after the initial action, while an additional 32,000 are in Afghanistan in the sixth year of the war against Islamofascism.
Obama will be pulled politically from the left and from the right. He will face demands for a quicker pullout from Iraq, if he does so, the security issues remain, the sacrifices made by our military will be in vain, and Americans will be no safer, enemies of the U.S. will see this withdrawal as a huge victory as they have proclaimed in the past, and another military return, following this Iraq War, as the Coalition had to return after the First Persian Gulf War may be necessary.
From the acceptance speech, Obama reached for high aspirations, but he is really tempering Americans for lowering their expectations.
Obama certainly has not outlined how he will deal with the recession; its in his lap now.
A huge electoral victory is not change, nor does it indicate success.
LBJ won with 61% of the vote in 1964: an overwhelming Presidential victory. He enacted his Great Society programs in his first two years but his administration essentially folded with as he described it, "That damn war," the escalation of the Vietnam War.
Currently, Obama has offered few specifics on how he would govern.
The economy can certainly provide a powerful motivator. It certainly worked for Hitler.
If I recall my history correctly though, things didn't work out too well then.
Philip Berg, Democratic attorney from the Philadelphia area, has been pursuing this evidence.
The only thing worse for the U.S. is if we brought back Zbigniew Brzezinski, the U.S. Secretary of State during the Jimmy Carter fiasco of a Presidency.
Wait, it could get worse: Brzezinski has backed one of the presidential nominees, and is an important advisor to this individual, and that nominee might get elected tomorrow.
The more things change, the more things stay the same.
Hanson argues that the military dominance of the West can be attributed to the idea of dissent, consensual government, and individualism. Hanson rejects racial explanations for this military preeminence, the dominance of technology and disagrees with environmental or geographical explanations such as the thesis advanced by Jared Diamond in Guns, Germs and Steel.
According to Hanson, Western values such as freedom, rationalism, and open dissent are a particulary lethal mix as the West has engaged in warfare. Even when non-Western societies win the occasional victory when warring against the West, it is only a temporary setback and the non-Western culture is dependent of Western tactics, technology, and has no inclination to fight to totally vanquish their foe. Therefore, the "Western way of war" will ultimately prevail. Hanson is careful to point out that Western warfare is not necessarily more (or less) moral than war as practiced by other cultures; but his argument posits that the "Western way of war" is unequalled in its devastation and decisiveness.
Nine battles illustrate a particular aspect of Western culture that Hanson believes contributes to the dominance of Western warfare: the Battle of Salamis 480 BCE, where the Greeks fought as a "free citizens," the Battle of Gaugamela 331 BCE in the decisive battle of annihilation, the Battle of Cannae 216 BCE emphasizing civic militarism, the Battle of Tours/Poitiers 732 CE and the concentration of infantry, the Battle of Tenochtitlan 1521 CE where technology and reason prevailed, the Battle of Lepanto 1571 or a victory for capitalism, the Battle of Rorke's Drift 1879 where British discipline held sway, the Battle of Midway 1942 demonstrating individualism, and the Tet Offensive 1968 where American dissent rose to the fore.
One of the biggest surprises of the book is the numerical superiority of the Americans during Tet. The Americans felt as though they lost though Hanson points out that the Vietcong were really decimated in the American counter-offensive. The work is an important corrective to the current American penchant for defeatism. Not surprisingly then, Hanson argues that the current American conflicts against insurgency and terrorism can result in an American victory.
Peruvian shamans have backed Obama for President. They gathered in Lima to send good vibes to him.
Mearsheimer and Walt are wrong in retrospect about Iraq so their basic thesis is undercut by the Coalition success in that country. Nonetheless, they provide a rationale for the continuing attacks on America, which this country should consider, the increasing unimportance of Israel as a strategic ally since the collapse of the Soviet Union. They advocate "offshore balancing" which sounds like it may have worked until the necessity of increased presence, particularly ground troops, in the Middle East.
Today, Hawaii Health Department Director Dr. Chiyome Fukino stated that she and the registrar of vital statistics, Alvin Onaka, have personally verified that the health department holds Obama's original birth certificate.
Something smells in Denmark.
The U.S. also confirmed that al Qaeda operative Khalid Habib was killed in last week's strike in South Waziristan. His resonsibilities have expanded to assisting in facilitating an al Qaeda attack against the West. Habib also assisted in al Qaeda's external operations aimed at the US and Europe. There were advanced efforts in the Waziristan area by Habib and others to send terror teams to the US and Europe. Sources confirmed that a number of suspected European and American recruits have been spotted in the area. At least two Western members of al Qaeda have been killed in the recent spate of attacks. Two men carrying Canadian passports were killed in a U.S. strike on an al Qaeda safe house strike in South Waziristan on Aug. 30.
The targets were in line with the first major strike against al Qaeda's external operations network which took place in the town of Damadola in the Bajaur tribal agency on May 14. The missile strike killed Abu Sulayman Jazairi, a senior Algerian al Qaeda operatives who western intelligence sources described as the operational commander tasked with planning attacks on the West. Jazairi also was a senior trainer and an explosives expert. These skills enabled him to directly train operatives for strikes in the West.
Video source: The Real Barack Obama
On 5 October 2008, and thanks to a special edition of Hannity’s America, Sean Hannity used the full-hour program for a video presentation on Obama’s questionable relationships in “Obama & Friends: History of Radicalism.”
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
One such youngster is Leslie Wexner, 70, of The Limited; in retail there is CEO James Sinegal, 72, of Costco; 72-year-old billionaire investor Carl Icahn, who played rough with both Yahoo and Microsoft in the summer of 2008; 75-year-old Sheldon Adelson heads up The Venetian hotel in Las Vegas; 77-year-old Rupert Murdoch chairs News Corporation; Milton Cooper, 79, is at the helm of real estate developer Kimco Realty; pharmaceutical maker Forest Laboratories is led by Howard Solomon, 80; 80-year-old Si Newhouse of Condé Nast; and last but not least is Sumner Redstone, 85, who chairs National Amusements, which owns CBS, Viacom, MTV, BET, Paramount Pictures and Dreamworks.
"O God, humiliate Bush and his party, O Lord of the Worlds, degrade and defy him," the video stated. The video went on to compare Bush past tyrants in history.
Shortly the northern oil-rich but ethnically volatile region of Kirkuk and of Salaheddin, the Sunni home province of executed dictator Saddam Hussein, will also revert to Iraqi security control.
The U.S. military remains in Baghdad, Nineveh, and Diyala.
An estimated 40% of the world’s oil passes through the narrow channel between Iran and Oman.
Some 3,500 German troops are serving as part of the UN-sanctioned, NATO-led international force in Afghanistan and Berlin is planning to send 1,000 more.
Unconfirmed reports indicate that Haji Omar Khan, a senior Taliban leader in South Waziristan who has strong ties to Mullah Omar, is said to have been killed in the strike that is believed to have killed an estimated 16 to 20 people, including "foreigners." Khan has strong ties to Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud as well as the powerful Haqqani family which the U.S. has been targeting of late.
If this elimination is confirmed, it would indicate that on the same day, Coalition troops took out high-value targets (HVT) in both the Iraqi and the Afghan fronts. This is an impressive display before the next election in the U.S.
The Road to Mesopotamia is a bit clearer with the U.S. incursion into Syria. The tract was written by a jihadi named Al Muhajir Al Islami, and discovered in the summer of 2005. Al Qaeda established a network of operatives inside Syria to move foreign fighters, weapons, and cash to support its terror activities inside Iraq.
Since then, operatives and weapons moved from Syria to Iraq. Until now that is. Al Qaeda leader Abu Ghadiya and the entire senior leadership of Ghadiya's network was also killed in the raid into Syria.
Several U.S. helicopters entered Sukkariya, near Abu Kamal, in eastern Syria, just five miles from Iraq. U.S. commandos from the hunter-killer teams of Task Force 88 cleared the buildings sheltering Ghadiya and his staff.
The Syrian government has protested the attack and the government claimed eight civilians, including women and children, were killed in the strike. However, the Associated Press disputed the Syrian account, and noted that only the bodies of seven men were displayed, Ghadiya's staff.
The issue of Obama's birthplace, which he states is Honolulu in 1961, has been raised enough times that his campaign website has posted an image purporting to be of his "Certification of Live Birth" from Hawaii.
Berg said he's pursuing the issue because of "the most important document in the United States, the U.S. Constitution."
Besides Berg's lawsuit, several other court challenges also have been filed, including one in Washington state where petitioners are seeking to have the Washington secretary of state "verify Obama's eligibility" to serve prior to the election.
The claim states, "The 'certificate' that Mr. Obama has posted on his official Website is a 'Certification of Live Birth,' and not a 'Birth Certificate' from Hawaii. There is no indication on even this certificate as to specifically where the birth took place."
The Washington state case also alleges, "Wayne Madsen, Journalist with Online Journal as a contributing writer and published an article on June 9, 2008, stating that a research team went to Mombassa, Kenya, and located a Certificate Registering the birth of Barack Obama, Jr. at a Kenya Maternity Hospital, to his father, a Kenyan citizen and his mother, a U.S. citizen.
When Jerome Corsi, an investigator reporter, recently traveled to Kenya to investigate several questions about the candidate, he was told the records were sealed and would not be made available.
Berg said he believed it also was a complication that Obama's mother divorced his father, married and moved to Indonesia for several years and Obama attended school there at a time when, Berg said, only Indonesia citizens were allowed in schools. Records that are available from Indonesia revealed Obama was registered in school as Barry Soetoro, and his religion was listed as Islam.
When Obama later returned to Hawaii, within the United States, there should have been a government document affirming his citizenship, but that also cannot be found. If that was not processed properly, Berg said, Obama would be in a situation even worse than not being a natural-born citizen.
"If he didn't go through immigration, he now is illegal and has been an illegal alien. He couldn't even hold the position of senator for Illinois," Berg said.
Further, Berg said he suspected Obama's college records may indicate he received aid as a foreigner, and that's why those records have been withheld by the campaign.
"I really think it's because it probably indicates he's from Kenya, or Indonesia, or received foreign aid," Berg said.
Berg has a tape from Obama's paternal grandmother affirming that he was born in Kenya. He is not a natural-born citizen so he is constitutionally illegible to be president. Obama only has a certificate of live birth, not a valid American birth certificate. Others have begun to challenge Obama's birth as well. Most likely, Obama is actually either a Kenyan, or an Indonesian Muslim. He may be an illegal alien. Other records that could confirm his citizenship, student records, have not been released.
Gary Baumgarten interviews New York Sun correspondent Youssef Ibrahim who reported that Jihad is being advocated via Arabic TV on cable News Talk Online on Paltalk in the United States.
Is Obama a Natural Born Citizen? We do not know the answer to that question according to a filing by Democrat Philip Berg, a Philadelphia attorney.
Obama & DNC Admit All Allegations of Federal Court Lawsuit - Obama’s “Not” Qualified to be President
Obama Should Immediately Withdraw his Candidacy for President
For Immediate Release: - 10/21/08 - Complete contact details and pdfs of this press release and motions filed by plaintiff Berg today are at the end of this article
(Lafayette Hill, Pennsylvania – 10/21/08) - Philip J. Berg, Esquire, the Attorney who filed suit against Barack H. Obama challenging Senator Obama’s lack of “qualifications” to serve as President of the United States, announced today that Obama and tbe DNC “ADMITTED”, by way of failure to timely respond to Requests for Admissions, all of the numerous specific requests in the Federal lawsuit. Obama is “NOT QUALIFIED” to be President and therefore Obama must immediately withdraw his candidacy for President and the DNC shall substitute a qualified candidate. The case is Berg v. Obama, No. 08-cv-04083.
Berg stated that he filed Requests for Admissions on September 15, 2008 with a response by way of answer or objection had to be served within thirty [30] days. No response to the Requests for Admissions was served by way of response or objection. Thus, all of the Admissions directed to Obama and the DNC are deemed “ADMITTED.” Therefore, Obama must immediately withdraw his candidacy for President.
OBAMA - Admitted:
1. I was born in Kenya.2. I am a Kenya “natural born” citizen.
3. My foreign birth was registered in the State of Hawaii.4. My father, Barrack Hussein Obama, Sr. admitted Paternity of me.
5. My mother gave birth to me in Mombosa, Kenya.6. My mother’s maiden name is Stanley Ann Dunham a/k/a Ann Dunham.
7. The COLB [Certification of Live Birth] posted on the website “Fightthesmears.com” is a forgery.8. I was adopted by a Foreign Citizen.
9. I was adopted by Lolo Soetoro, M.A. a citizen of Indonesia.10. I was not born in Hawaii.
11. I was not born at the Queens Medical Center in Hawaii.12. I was not born at Kapi’olani Medical Center for Women and Children in Hawaii.
13. I was not born in a Hospital in Hawaii.14. I am a citizen of Indonesia.
15. I never took the “Oath of Allegiance” to regain my U.S. Citizenship status.16. I am not a “natural born” United States citizen.
17. My date of birth is August 4, 1961.18. I traveled to Pakistan in 1981 with my Pakistan friends.
19. In 1981, I went to Indonesia on my way to Pakistan.20. Pakistan was a no travel zone in 1981 for American Citizens.
21. In 1981, Pakistan was not allowing American Citizens to enter their country.22. I traveled on my Indonesian Passport to Pakistan.
23. I renewed my Indonesian Passport on my way to Pakistan.24. My senior campaign staff is aware I am not a “natural born” United States Citizen.
25. I am proud of my Kenya Heritage.26. My relatives have requested changes to the portion of my birth certificate that identifies my first name.
27. My relatives have requested changes to the portion of my birth certificate that identifies my last name.28. My relatives have requested changes to the portion of my birth certificate that identifies my place of birth.
29. I requested changes to the portion of my birth certificate that identifies my first name.30. I requested changes to the portion of my birth certificate that identifies my last name.
31. I requested changes to the portion of my birth certificate that identifies my place of birth.32. The document identified as my Indonesian School record from Fransiskus Assisi School in Jakarta, Indonesia is genuine.
33. I went to a Judge in Hawaii to have my name changed.34. I went to a Senator and/or Congressman or other public official in Hawaii to have my name changed.
35. I had a passport issued to me from the Government of Indonesia.36. The United States Constitution does not allow for a Person to hold the office of President of the United States unless that person is a “natural born” United States citizen.
37. I am ineligible pursuant to the United States Constitution to serve as President and/or Vice President of the United States.38. I never renounced my citizenship as it relates to my citizenship to the country of Indonesia.
39. I never renounced my citizenship as it relates to my citizenship to the country of Kenya.40. I am an Attorney who specializes in Constitutional Law.
41. Kenya was a part of the British Colonies at the time of my birth.42. Kenya did not become its own Republic until 1963.
43. I am not a “Naturalized” United States Citizen.44. I obtained $200 Million dollars in campaign funds by fraudulent means.
45. I cannot produce a “vault” (original) long version of a birth certificate showing my birth in Hawaii.46. My “vault” (original) long version birth certificate shows my birth in Kenya.
47. The only times I was to a Hospital in Hawaii was for check-ups or medical treatments for illnesses.48. Queens Medical Center in Honolulu, Hawaii does not have any record of my mother, Stanley Ann Dunham (Obama) giving birth to me.
49. Kapi’olani Medical Center for Women and Children in Honolulu, Hawaii does not have any record of my mother, Stanley Ann Dunham (Obama) giving birth to me.50. I was born in the Coast Province Hospital in Mombasa, Kenya.
51. I represented on my State Bar application in Illinois that I never used any other name other than Barack Hussein Obama.52. I went by the name Barry Soetoro in Indonesia.
53. My Indonesian school records are under the name of Barry Soetoro.54. I took an Oath to uphold the United States Constitution when admitted to the State Bar of Illinois to practice Law.
55. I took an Oath to uphold the United States Constitution when I was Sworn into my United States Senate Office.56. I hold dual citizenship with at least one other Country besides the United States of America.
DNC - Admitted:
1. The DNC nominated Barrack Hussein Obama as the Democratic Nominee for President.2. The DNC has not vetted Barrack Hussein Obama.
3. The DNC did not have a background check performed on Barrack Hussein Obama.4.The DNC did not verify Barrack Hussein Obama’s eligibility to serve as President of the United States.
5. The DNC admits Barrack Hussein Obama was born in Kenya.6. The DNC admits Barrack Hussein Obama is not a “natural born” United States citizen.
7. The DNC admits Barrack Hussein Obama was not born in Hawaii.8.The DNC admits they have not inquired into Barrack Hussein Obama’s citizenship status.
9. The DNC admits they have a duty to properly vette the Democratic Nominee for President.
10.The DNC admits Lolo Soetoro, M.A., an Indonesian citizen adopted Barrack Hussein Obama.
11. The DNC admits the Credentials Committee has been aware of this lawsuit since August 22, 2008 as the lawsuit was faxed to our Washington D.C. Office on August 22, 2008.
12. The DNC admits their Credentials Committee failed to verify and/or inquire into the credentials of Barack Hussein Obama to serve as the President of the United States.
13. The DNC admits their Credential Committee’s Report failed to address the issues of Barack Hussein Obama’s ineligibility to serve as President of the United States.14.The DNC admits Howard Dean, Chair Person has and had knowledge Barack Hussein Obama was born in Kenya and ineligible to serve as the President of the United States.
15. The DNC admits Plaintiff and all Democratic citizens of the United States have been personally injured as a result of not having a qualified Democratic Presidential Nominee to cast their votes upon.16. The DNC admits Plaintiff and all citizens of the United States have a Constitutional Right to vote for the President of the United States and to have two (2) qualified candidates of which to choose from.
17. The DNC admits Plaintiff and all citizens of the United States have a Constitutional right to have a properly vetted Democratic Presidential Nominee of which to cast their vote.18. The DNC admits an FBI background check is not performed on the Presidential or Vice Presidential Candidates.
19. The DNC admits the United States Constitution does not allow for a Person to hold the office of President of the United States unless that person is a “natural born” United States citizen.20. The DNC admits they collected donations on behalf of Barack Hussein Obama for his Presidential campaign.
21. The DNC admits Plaintiff and Democratic citizens donated money based on false representations that Barack Hussein Obama was qualified to serve as the President of the United States.22. The DNC admits if Barack Hussein Obama is elected as President and allowed to serve as President of the United States in violation of our Constitution, it will create a Constitutional crisis.
23. The DNC admits Barack Hussein Obama took an Oath to uphold the United States Constitution.24. The DNC admits allowing a person who is not a “natural born” citizen to serve as President of the United States violates Plaintiff’s rights to due process of law in violation of the United States Constitution.
25. The DNC admits allowing a person who is not a “natural born” citizen to serve as President of the United States violates Plaintiff’s rights to Equal Protection of the laws in violation of the United States Constitution.26. The DNC admits the function of the DNC is to secure a Democratic Presidential Candidate who will protect Democratic citizen’s interests, fight for their equal opportunities and fight for justice for all Americans.
27. The DNC admits the Democratic National Committee has been promoting Barack Hussein Obama’s Presidential election knowing he was ineligible to serve as President of the United States.
Philip J. Berg, Esquire
555 Andorra Glen Court, Suite 12
Lafayette Hill, PA 19444-2531
Cell (610) 662-3005
(610) 825-3134
(800) 993-PHIL [7445]
Fax (610) 834-7659
The testimony of FBI informant Larry Grathwohl appeared in the 1982 documentary No Place to Hide. He explains how the Weather Underground, led by Obama-mate, Bill Ayers, and his wife, Bernadine Dohrn, planned the extermination of 25 million fellow Americans who were capitalists but would have to be eliminated if their plans were to succeed.
AT&T
Verizon
Barack Hussein Obama
McDonald’s
Sprint PCS
T-Mobile
Obama’s campaign has spent far more money selling its candidate on television than most major brand name companies do selling their products. Obama spent $250 million the past four months-—equivalent to $750 million in a full year. McCain is projected to have spent about $110 million.
Iraqi troops seem better able to counter Iranian forces in eastern Iraq. Al Kut in Wasit province is an area of conflict and the Iraqis appear to be holding their own. Al Kut served as a strategic distribution hub for weapons smuggled into Iraq where they were employed against Iraqi and Coalition forces as well against Iraqi politicians. The Iraqi Army stood up to the Iranian-backed Mahdi Army from Al Kut during operations during the summer of 2008 while the U.S. troops were clearly out Sadr City and other places.
we need a leader for a change. This of course has all been said before, presidential candidates haven't evolved much at all once you look back, for example, this was the appeal in 1976 as well. As the U.S. slid into
1980, and sought to curry favor abroad, emphasizing our peacemaker role, the world communicated what it thought of such high-minded idealism. On November 4, 1979, a group of Iranian students stormed the American embassy in Tehran. Protesting the entry of the deposed Shah into the United States, they held 53 Americans hostage. For the next twelve months, the hostage situation was an ongoing American nightmare magnified by constant media attention. Confidence in President Carter eroded as a result of the Iran crisis, an oil shortage and resultant increase in gas prices, and eighteen-percent inflation. In earlier presidential races, even when the candidate tried to emphasize how prepared they were for military command if need be, and advocated the position that nations would reach out and touch each other, the world summarily dismissed the U.S. The world sees us as weak when we portray this image. We don't have to be warmongers to portray ourselves as ready to defend ourselves and American interests.
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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.