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.
Paul Kengor is professor of political science at Grove City College and Executive Director of Grove City’s Center for Vision and Values.
Obama repeatedly describes Davis’ tremendous influence on him in his book “Dreams from My Father.”
Davis is mentioned 22 times in “Dreams,” at least once in every section of the book.
Despite his pivotal importance, Obama never once identifies Davis by his full name.
All references to “Frank” have been purged from “Dreams” audio excerpts.
From the 1920s, American communists attempted to recruit black Americans.
From the 1920s, the Soviet Union was sending money to American blacks.
The Soviet goal was to create a separate “Negro Republic” in the American south.
Later they would join revolution to help create “Soviet America”.
Davis joined the Communist Party in about 1943, after the Hitler/Stalin Pact was signed.
Davis founded and edited the CPUSA’s Chicago Star newspaper; regularly wrote virulently anti-American “Frank-ly Speaking” editorials.”
Davis had a “direct line to the Kremlin;” and obtained exclusive interviews for a Star reporter with Soviet Foreign Minister Molotov.
Soviet agents I.F. Stone and Lee Pressman wrote for the Star.
Star editorial writer Howard Fast was a communist Hollywood screenwriter and winner of the Stalin Prize.
Two top Obama aides are connected to Davis cronies.
Vernon Jarrett (father-in-law of top Obama advisor, Valerie Jarrett) and Robert R. Taylor (Valerie Jarrett’s grandfather) knew and worked with Davis in Chicago on a communist project, the “American Peace Mobilization.”
Communist and suspected Soviet agent David Canter worked with Davis in Chicago.
Canter later mentored Obama’s chief strategist, David Axelrod. Axelrod coined the “Hope and Change” slogan.
The Soviet Union had a strong strategic interest in Hawaii, not yet a state when Davis moved there.
The Canter family and others purchased the Chicago Star to facilitate Davis’ move and renamed it “The Progressive.”
The Communist Party founded the Honolulu Record in August 1948, just in time for Davis’ move.
Davis picked up at the Record where he left off, writing the same “Frank-ly Speaking” column until the paper’s demise in 1958.
FBI file shows that Davis was getting paid by International Longshoremen and Warehousemen’s Union, ILWU, run by CPUSA Central Committeeman Harry Bridges and was recognized as the union most penetrated by communists.
Davis used a camera with telescopic lens to photograph Hawaiian shoreline.
Davis’ editorials for both the Star and the Honolulu Record consistently followed the Soviet line.
For these and other Communist Party activities, FBI suspected Davis was working for the Soviets.
The FBI placed Davis on the Security Index. Upon outbreak of war with the USSR, Davis was subject to immediate arrest.
Davis was listed as a communist party member in a 1957 Senate Judiciary Committee report titled “Scope of Soviet Activity in the United States” which covered subversive activities in Hawaii.
Joel Gilbert is the president of Highway 61 Entertainment in Los Angeles. He is a contributing editor for the national security and foreign policy website FamilySecurityMatters.org and has appeared frequently as a foreign policy analyst on national radio shows. He is the writer and director of the notable films: Atomic Jihad: Ahmadinejad’s Coming War for Islamic Revival and Obama’s Politics of Defeat and Farewell Israel: Bush, Iran, and the Revolt of Islam.
At the Kincaid conference, he spoke about his new, groundbreaking film, “Dreams from My Real Father: A Story of Reds and Deception.”
Ryan Mauro is the national security analyst for RadicalIslam.org, the website of the Clarion Fund, the organization that produced the films, “Obsession,” “The Third Jihad” and “Iranium.” An adjunct online professor of terrorism and homeland security, he has a Bachelor’s degree in Intelligence Studies and a Master’s degree in Political Science from American Military University.
Thursday Aug 9th @ Education Commons 233 South 33rd
9:30 Skype session with teachers from South City International School Kolkata, India. In this interactive session the participants will discuss best practices for teaching about Revolution and Peace in their classrooms with teachers from one of the leading international schools in Kolkata, India.
10.30 Skype session with faculty from University of Cairo, Egypt talking about the revolution in Egypt.
**Return to LGBT Center/Carriage House 3907 Spruce
12:00 Lunch & Discussion Global Education Motivators Wayne Jacoby has been a global educator for more than 30 years. Wayne co-founded Global Education Motivators (GEM) in 1981 with two other educators when he was a high school social studies teacher for the Springfield (Montgomery County) School District in suburban Philadelphia. Wayne has been President of GEM since its creation and develops and administers the work of GEM from Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia. GEM was formed to help bring the world into the classroom at a time when few people were doing it. Under the premise that open communication is an important key to world peace, Wayne was very active with school- to-school student video letters and other early uses of communication technology that was supported by global networks such as the United Nations. In the late 1980’s he also helped develop and manage the first on-line database of the United Nations. It was called UNISER (UN Information Services). In this same ten year period he supervised the development and implementation of cultural “hands-on” study/travel programs for educators to Canada, China, Hawaii, India, Japan and Southeast Asia. These experiential learning programs for teachers helped them broaden their perspectives on the world and passed this on to their students. This type of work led to several awards including the Freedoms Foundation’s Outstanding Achievement Award and the Beyond War Foundation award for his commitment to solving global problems and various awards from schools in the tri-state area. Wayne retired from the Springfield School District in 1995 to work full-time at GEM. In 1999 he began developing international videoconferencing programs for Partners in Distance Learning, a consortium of US school districts involved in interactive video conferencing. This set the stage for the variety of distance learning programs he does today.
1:00 Panel & Discussion: Science & Technology
Ed Aguilar directs "Peace Voter Education PA" -- a project designed to inform voters, through clear and concise Voter Guides, what the issues are of peace, the rule of law, global sustainability, defense budgets, and nuclear policy in 2012. The guides are based on a standard Candidate Questionnaire, being distributed to candidates for Senate, House, and President for this fall's election. Based on responses, the guides will inform voters on what the various candidates' positions are on peace, defense, and sustainability issues. It is our view that an informed citizen is an informed voter, and that an informed voter will make the changes we need. For 22 years Aguilar worked as a Special Master in the Philadelphia Courts, enforcing consent decrees in class action cases on civil and constitutional rights. In July, 2000, he joined Business Leaders for Sensible Priorities, and became its director for six years in PA. In February of 2006, he co-founded the Project for Nuclear Awareness (PNA), which works on issues of peace, justice, and nuclear disarmament, together with Dr. Craig Eisendrath, former State Department nuclear policy specialist; John Haas, of Rohm and Haas; and Fred Heldring, ex-President of PNB Bank in Philadelphia. Agulilar is on the board of Physicians for Social Responsibility/Phila. and Envision Peace Museum, which is establishing an online and physical museum of peace issues in Philadelphia. He is an advisor to Common Cause, the electoral reform organization, and LCNP-- the Lawyers Committee on Nuclear Policy in NY, which works with the UN on nuclear disarmament, as well. He is writing a book on A New US Foreign Policy for the 21st Century.
Jacques deLisle’s research and teaching focus on contemporary Chinese law and politics, including: legal reform and its relationship to economic reform and political change in China, the international status of Taiwan and cross-Strait relations, China’s engagement with the international order, legal and political issues in Hong Kong under Chinese rule, and U.S.-China relations. His writings on these subjects appear in a variety of fora, including international relations journals, edited volumes of multidisciplinary scholarship, and Asian studies journals, as well as law reviews. DeLisle is also professor of political science and director of the Center for East Asian Studies and associate director of the Cener for the Study of Contemporary China at Penn and director of the Asia Program at the Foreign Policy Research Institute. He has served frequently as an expert witness on issues of P.R.C. law and government policies and is a consultant, lecturer and advisor to legal reform, development and education programs, primarily in China.
Wed. Aug 8th @ LGBT Center/Carriage House 3907 Spruce St.
9:30 Panel & Discussion: The Role of Faith & Spirituality
Cheikh Anta Babou joined the history department of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia in 2002. Dr. Babou teaches African History and the History of Islam in Africa. His research focuses on mystical Islam in West Africa and Senegal and on the new African diaspora. Babou has published extensively on the Muridiyya Muslim order of Senegal and the Senegalese diaspora. His book, Fighting the Greater Jihad: Amadu Bamba and the Founding of the Muridiyya of Senegal, 1853-1913 was published by Ohio University Press in 2007. Dr. Babou’s articles appeared in African Affairs, Journal of African History, International Journal of African Historical Studies, Journal of Religion in Africa, Africa Today and other scholarly journals in the United States and in France. He has presented papers in international scholarly meetings on Islam and the transnational migration of West African Muslims. He is an editor of the Journal of African History circa 2011-2016, and is also affiliated to the African Studies Center and the Center for Africana Studies. His current research project examines the experience of West African Muslim immigrants in Europe and North America.
Deven Patel joined the department of South Asia Studies in 2007, where he is an Assistant Professor. His research and teaching interests includes Sanskrit language and literature (belles-lettres, epics, and drama); the history, aesthetics, and reception of Indian literatures; Indian philosophy; theory and the intellectual history of pre-modern South Asia; contemporary literary and cultural theory; Pali, Prankrit; Hindi and Gujarati language and literature; translation and translation theory in South Asia contexts. Dr. Patel earned a B.A from Columbia University, and completed his graduate work at the University of California, Berkeley.
11:00 Teaching Peace and Revolution through the Arts
Stanford Thompson is a musician and educator who is passionate about using music education and performance for social innovation. From 2004 until 2008 he was the founding Director of Operations for the Atlanta Trumpet Festival. He also serves as the President and Artistic Director for the Reading Summer Music Institute since 2008, Program Director of the Meru (Kenya) Music Project since 2009, founding Director of Tune Up Philly in 2010, and Executive Director of the El Sistema-inspired program Play On, Philly! in 2011. For El Sistema-inspired programs he has designed and consulted, Stanford has secured over $1 million in funding which has lead to the direct impact of thousands of children around the world. In Philadelphia, specifically, his students have performed on the stages of the Kimmel Center, Mann Music Center, and the Wanamaker Building and collaborated with students during the first national convening of El Sistema-inspired programs in the United States. The network of children orchestras in Philadelphia are expanding to diverse neighborhoods and steadily proving their impact on social ills the targeted communities face. Stanford is a graduate of The Curtis Institute of Music where he holds a Bachelor’s degree in performance and the New England Conservatory’s Abreu Fellows Program. He serves on the board of the American Composers Forum Philadelphia Chapter and recognized as one of Philadelphia’s top 76 Creative Connectors. He has presented at international conferences at TED, League of American Orchestras. Sistema Canada, and El Sistema USA.
12:30 Lunch & Discussion South Asian American Digital Archive
Samip Mallick is the Executive Director of the South Asian American Digital Archive. He was formerly the Director of the Ranganathan Center for Digital Information (RCDI) at the University of Chicago Library. He holds a M.S. in Library and Information Sciences from the University of Illinois, a Bachelors degree in Computer Science from the University of Michigan College of Engineering and has done graduate work in Ancient Indian History at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, India. He was also previously the Assistant Bibliographer for the Southern Asia Collection at the University of Chicago Library and has worked for the South Asia and International Migration Programs at the Social Science Research Council (SSRC).
1:30 Teaching Peace and Revolution through the Arts cont.
Lisa Jo Epstein (Master's & Ph.D. in Theatre, University of TX at Austin) is a professional theatre director, educator, community-based teaching artist and co-founder of Gas & Electric Arts. She is the only Philadelphia-area theatre teaching artist who trained extensively with Augusto Boal, founder of the Theatre of the Oppressed (TO) in both the US and at the Center for Theatre of the Oppressed in Paris France. She also trained in directing and physical theatre at the world-renowned French theatre company, the Théâtre du Soleil. As Gas & Electric Arts' Education Director, Lisa Jo brings over two decades of facilitating experiential TO workshops with many populations around issues of identity and empowerment, community-building, diversity and social justice. She has worked with teens and adults in diverse locations --nationally and internationally-- from community centers to colleges and universities, public and private schools, from halfway homes and residential treatment centers to social service agencies. As one of Boal's "multipliers," Lisa Jo has trained countless people in TO techniques through workshops, professional development (particularly for teachers) and residencies.
Gas & Electric Arts' Theatre of the Oppressed education is a core aspect of our mission to stimulate dialogue amongst youth and adults alike. For our company, Lisa Jo also created our immersive summer TO programs that normally run for 6 weeks, 4 times per day for at least 3 hrs per day. One is called "Power gRRRls" which is exclusively for teen girls, and the other is "Teens for a Change" (mixed group). Prior to founding Gas & Electric Arts, Lisa Jo was an Assistant Professor at Tulane University where she won awards for teaching and directing, inside the university and for her work in the community. In the Philadelphia area, she has taught at Swarthmore, Temple University, Arcadia, University of the Arts and Rutgers Camden.
Tuesday Aug 7th @ Education Commons 233 South 33rd
The Education Commons is located in Weiss Pavilion and attached to Penn's stadium on 33rd street between Walnut and Spruce. The entrance to the Commons is through the Fox Fitness Center. Take the elevator or stairs up one floor to level 3, and enter through the glass doors.
9:30 Breakout Workshops (Choose either A or B)
A.1) Think, Care, Act: Hands-on Peace & Human Rights Education for Elementary and Middle School
Susan Gelber Cannon is an American educator with 30 years of experience in elementary and middleschool classrooms. Her special fields of interest are character, global, multicultural, and peace education: developing teaching methods to help children to think, care, and act honorably and globally. Trained in moral development at Harvard Graduate School of Education, she teaches history and English, as well as Model UN, peacemaking, and debate at The Episcopal Academy, near Philadelphia, PA, in the United States. Cannon has also taught middle school students and trained teachers in China and Japan. She gives presentations and workshops on peace education at conferences globally. She and her husband (the artist J. Kadir Cannon) initiated a Citizens’ Peace Tour in 2006, to Japan, China, Canada, Denmark, and Norway. Cannon created www.teachforpeace.org to give teachers, parents, and students rationales and resources to teach and work for peace locally and globally. Her blog provides updates, news, and inspirations for teaching for peace. Cannon’s book, Think, Care, Act: Teaching for a Peaceful Future, details methods to teach for peace.
A.2 ) Anti-Bias Curriculum in Elementary & Middle School: Creating classrooms in which change is empowering, work is meaningful and community is genuine
Beverly Braxton is a veteran New York State public school teacher, education consultant and adjunct professor. She has 28 years experience in Partners in Education (PIE), an alternative program she helped develop in the Warwick Valley Central School District. The PIE program is based on multi-age classroom practices, utilizes integrated curriculum, and encourages parent-teacher partnerships. Beverly values democracy, diversity, and peace education in teaching practices and has extensive experience helping teachers create community and multicultural learning environments in their classrooms. She is a graduate of the Humanistic/Multicultural Education Program at SUNY New Paltz. She also has training in mediation, conflict resolution, and NVC (non-violent communication) and incorporates these practices in her work with students and parents. She has taught preservice and in-service teachers at the college level and in several school districts. She is the recipient of numerous teaching awards, fellowships, and honors, and is currently a member of the Hudson Valley Writing Project.
B.) Peace Education & Human Rights for High School & Post-Secondary Levels
Charlotte DiBartolomeo received her Masters in Conflict Transformation with a specialty in Intercultural Service, Leadership & Management from The School for International Training in Brattleboro, Vermont. She also holds a graduate certificate in civil society building. She has studied post conflict reconstruction in Sarajevo, Bosnia, and has served as an NGO delegate to the United Nations. She has been a trainer and facilitator for seventeen years working in both the corporate and governmental sector. In addition to her training experience, Charlotte was a crisis interventionist, mediator and peace educator for senior high school students for eight years. She also developed and instructs a graduate certificate in peace education at Arcadia University. In 2008 she founded Red Kite Project, a training and consulting organization dedicated to helping people move through conflict.
Zach Stone holds a degree in Counseling and Behavioral Health from Drexel University and certificates in crisis intervention, victim/offender conferencing, addiction studies, human services, and family home interventions. He specializes in human behaviors, communications, conflict management, and violence prevention. Zach has spent the last decade as a mediator, facilitator, and corporate coach. He has worked in the Philadelphia justice system, corporate, government, and academic sectors. For the past 12 years Zach has worked with youth utilizing the Help Increase the Peace Program. He is on staff at Drexel in the behavioral health department and is a regular speaker with the Association for Conflict Resolution and the International Coaching Federation.
12:00 Lunch
1:00 Panel & Discussion: Youth Perspectives on Peace & Revolution Jamal Alsarraj is a University of Pennsylvania undergraduate alumnus, who has participated in a variety of research and international development programming since graduating. Born in the United Arab Emirates from an Iraqi background and having immigrated to the United States early in his life, Jamal has always been interested in the social and political dynamics affecting transnational and multi-ethnic populations. He has previously reported on global developments affecting various refugee populations for the United Nations Online News Center and evaluated multi-sector trends for both an urban development firm and strategy think-thank. Most recently, Jamal has started collaborating with the Philadelphia Global Water Initiative on projects related to water resource management in the Global South. He continues to grow more interested in the nexus between environmental/resource security and political conflict.
Ayuen Ajok is originally from Bor, a small village in South Sudan. In 1987, an insurgent group from North Sudan attacked his village. Like many of his friends, he fled to Ethiopia, where they stayed as refugees for 4 years. In 1991, they traveled back to Sudan where constant attacks from the North led them to leave for Kenya the following year. In 1992, he became registered as a refugee at the Kakuma Refugee Camp. Ajok and his friends often went without food or water for long periods of time. The camp was often raided, and boys were routinely kidnapped. In spite of everything, they managed to learn from teachers who used the ground as a blackboard. After spending 8 years in Kakuma, Ajok came to the U.S. in 2000. He graduated from high school, Temple University, and most recently Arcadia University, with an M.A. in International Peace and Conflict Resolution. He is described as one of the "Lost Boys of Sudan," a term used for male refugee children from South Sudan who were resettled to United States. Ajok’s daily life and professional aspirations are motivated by the challenges and hardships he endured during Sudan’s civil war.
Jessica E. Lee is a Ph.D. candidate at Bryn Mawr Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research. Her research interests include acculturation and assimilation of refugees and immigrants, health care utilization, and health policy. She received her M.S.S. from Bryn Mawr and an M.L.A. in Medical Discourse and a Certificate in Gender Studies from the University of Pennsylvania. She is an Albert Schweitzer Fellow partnering with the Nationalities Service Center as well as the Philadelphia Refugee Mental Health Collaborative. The goals of her Schweitzer project are to help refugees with high medical needs to navigate the health care system in Philadelphia and to implement a refugee mental health-screening tool at refugee health clinics.
Parangkush Subedi (PK) was born in Bhutan. He lived for 17 years in the UNHCR managed refugee camps in eastern Nepal as a refugee and came to the United States in July 2008 under a refugee resettlement program in Clarkston, Georgia. He moved to Philadelphia in 2011 for his current job as a Refugee Health Coordinator at HIAS-PA (Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society). In 2009, PK was granted permanent residency status along with his family members. He eagerly awaits the year 2013 when he can obtain U.S. citizenship. PK completed an undergraduate degree in science in India, MS in Thailand and MPH from Emory University, Atlanta, GA. PK has teaching experience as well experience working with NGOs in the refugee camps in Nepal. PK’s family and over 100,000 Nepali speaking Bhutanese nationals were evicted from their homes between 1990-1993 by the Royal Government of Bhutan. The reason behind their sudden eviction is still mysterious; however, the King and his coterie used the peoples’ demand for human rights and democracy as an excuse to justify the expulsion. Today 1/6th of the total population of Bhutan lives in exile in different parts of the world (USA, Canada, Australia, Nepal, India, Netherland, Denmark, New-Zealand, UK).
9:30 Registration & Welcome
Middle East Center, Labaron Palmer
South Asia Center, Raili Roy
African Studies Center, Anastasia Shown
Center for East Asian Studies, Melissa Jen DiFrancesco
Peace Day Philly, Lisa Parker
Teacher introductions
10:30 Major Revolutions in the Middle East, Asia and Africa
Shahana Chattaraj is a postdoctoral researcher in Global Cities at the Lauder Institute for the 2012-2013 academic year. She holds a Ph.D. in public affairs (urban planning/sociology) from Princeton University and a master’s degree in city planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Shahana’s research interests are located broadly at the intersection of globalization, economic development and urbanization in emerging economies, with a particular interest in state-business-civil society relations in globalizing cities, the informal economy, and emerging patterns of socio-economic and socio-spatial inequality in urban centers. Her dissertation compares urban restructuring in the context of globalization in Mumbai and Shanghai, with a focus on the role of the sub-national state. While at Lauder, Dr. Chattaraj will be preparing an article for publication on the political economy of Mumbai, and working on a book manuscript based on her dissertation. She will also be leading a graduate seminar on Cities in the Global Economy, and co-teaching a City and Regional Planning course on urban poverty, as well as advising Lauder students in their own research. Dr. Chattaraj is also involved in a comparative urban research project on urban governance with the Center for Policy Research, New Delhi, and is collaborating with the Penn Institute of Urban Research on two projects. Prior to her doctoral studies, Dr. Chattaraj has worked with the United Nations Population Fund and the World Bank as well as a community organization in New Delhi, where she grew up.
12:00 Lunch & Film Screening God Grew Tired of Us
1:00 Teaching Peace and Revolution
Lesley Solomon Lesley Solomon is a "master" teacher who has worked previously with the Center for East Asian Studies providing teacher-training programs throughout the year (National Consortium for Teaching About Asia). Lesley is now a retired teacher but she taught world history, international relations, Asian history, and world literature at the middle, high school and college levels. She has earned in a PhD in International Relations.
2:30 Group Work
The shooter was on the Federal government's observation list.
WASHINGTON -- Federal investigators had “looked at” Sikh temple gunman Wade Michael Page more than once because of his associations with right-wing extremists and the possibility that he was providing funding to a domestic terrorist group, but law enforcement officials at the time determined there was not enough evidence of a crime to open an investigation, a senior U.S. law enforcement official said.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, would not say Monday which law enforcement agency had considered investigating Page, or when.
"OAK CREEK - AUGUST 6: FBI special agent in charge, Teresa Carlson holds a photograph of a subject that the FBI wants to interview and is asking for any information as she speaks at a press conference on the shooting at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin where yesterday a gunman fired upon people at service August, 6, 2012 in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. At least six people were killed when the shooter identified as Wade Michael Page opened fire on congregants in the Milwaukee suburb. The suspect who was a United States Army veteran was shot dead in a shootout with police. (Credit: Getty Images)."
FoxNews reported that the person of interest was cleared of any involvement; however, there was no released information about why this non-Sikh person, on the scene, was not involved.
The shooter's mother stated "in the last 12 years I have not been in contact with him at all since his dad and I divorced."
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2184602/Wisconsin-temple-shooting-Devastated-mother-Sikh-temple-killer-Wade-Michael-Page-apologizes-sons-victims.html
The shooter was "trained in psychological warfare," had a recent break-up, and financially difficulties. He was discharged from the service because of working issues, and excessive drinking. "On July 15, Page moved to a duplex across the street. After the FBI searched that residence Sunday, Weins said he returned to the apartment and found only a computer desk, chair and an inflatable mattress." "Online records show Page had a brief criminal history in other states, including pleading guilty to misdemeanor criminal mischief after a 1994 arrest in El Paso. He received six months' probation. Page also pleaded guilty to driving under the influence in Colorado in 1999 but never completed a sentence that included alcohol treatment, records show." "The FBI was leading the investigation because the shooting was considered domestic terrorism. The agency said it had no reason to believe anyone other than Page was involved." "Page was issued five pistol-purchase permits in 2008 in North Carolina, paying a $5 fee for each. The Cumberland County Sheriff's office declined to release his application form, which requires another person to affirm the applicant is of "good moral character." The forms also typically ask about military experience of applicants, who must pass a criminal background check." "Page did not have the additional permit needed to legally carry a concealed weapon."
"Page served as a "psychological operations specialist" between April 1992 and October 1998, ending his career at the base at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, home to the US Army's airborne forces and Special Operations Command.
He was a qualified parachutist who received several good conduct awards and a National Defense Service Medal, but never won significant promotion.
He had a general discharge and was ineligible for reenlistment, Oak Creek Police Chief John Edwards told reporters."
"Tattoos on the body of the slain Sikh temple gunman and certain biographical details led the FBI to treat the attack at a Milwaukee-area temple as an act of domestic terrorism."
http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-sikh-temple-domestic-terrorism-20120805,0,6094643.story
ABC reported that "the shootings are the work of a `white supremacist' or `skinhead.'"
http://abcnews.go.com/US/sikh-temple-oak-creek-wisconsin-officials-white-supremacist/story?id=16933779#.UB8uEP2iPqI
The evidence is stated so vaguely, including no details, this easily could be made up.
The "Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007 defines homegrown terrorism as the `use, planned use, or threatened use of force or violence by a group or individual born, raised, or based and operating primarily within the United States or any possession of the United States to intimidate or coerce the United States government, the civilian population of the United States, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives.'”
Cf. GovTrack.us. H.R. 1955--110th Congress (2007): Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007, GovTrack.us (database of federal legislation) http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?tab=summary&bill=h110-1955
No details on how the investigation has determined that this was domestic terrorism so quickly.
In contrast, despite his contacts with a known international terrorist, Nidal Hasan was not considered a terrorist.
"The FBI and U.S. Army determined that Hasan acted alone and as of yet have found no evidence of links to terrorist groups. They are satisfied that his communications with Awlaki, targeted in 2010 as a dangerous Al Qaeda leader, posed no threat at the time. The decision by Attorney General Eric Holder not to charge Hasan with terrorism was controversial, and it was widely debated as to whether Hasan could be called a "terrorist".[10] One terrorism analyst believed Hasan was "acting individually because he doesn't want to deploy overseas".[11] Hasan has been charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted murder.[12][13"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nidal_Malik_Hasan
The initial incident call went out at 10:30 am according to a police spokesperson: FoxNews, 5:15 p.m.
FoxNews reported possibly multiple shooters.
The shooting started about 10 a.m.
"Someone who sent a text message to a Journal Sentinel reporter shortly before noon said that there were two shooters with children possibly as hostages."
http://www.jsonline.com/news/crime/reports-of-people-shot-at-sikh-temple-in-oak-creek-qc6cgc0-165059506.html
"There were conflicting reports about whether another gunman had taken hostages inside the temple. Local news agencies, citing text messages from people inside have reported that two or more gunmen could have been involved."
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/06/us/shooting-reported-at-temple-in-wisconsin.html
Though early reports had suggested there may have been more than one attacker, he said officers had not identified any other gunmen.
http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/05/us/wisconsin-temple-shooting/index.html
Police did not initially identify any additional gunman on scene, but did not rule out the possibility of additional shooters.
http://www.todaystmj4.com/news/local/165061026.html
One witness told Newsradio 620 WTMJ's Dan O'Donnell that at least one, possibly four gunmen were hiding inside the temple after they started shooting.
http://www.todaystmj4.com/news/local/165061026.html
Police say they don't think there is a second shooter involved.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/08/05/possible-injuries-after-shooting-at-sikh-temple-in-wisconsin/
Unidentified persons stated there were two or more shooters.
Yet, at least one source already concluded there was only one, crazed, gunman.
"Among the deceased is the gunman, who apparently acted alone."
The shooter was a white male in his 30s.
"We have no idea," one of the temple's committee members, Ven Boba Rihe, said of the motive. "It's pretty much a hate crime. It's not an insider."
How would he know the motive?
Information broadcast over a police radio frequency said one witness told law enforcement the shooter was a white male with a heavy build, bald head and wearing a sleeveless T-shirt.
http://oakcreek.patch.com/articles/several-people-reported-shot-at-sikh-temple
Numerous police agencies had responded to scene to assist Oak Creek, including the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The Joint Terrorism Task Force, a collection of federal, state and local law enforcement, was on the scene of the shooting by 1 p.m. Those task forces, several of which are situated around the country, typically work quietly to prevent terrorism attacks but also respond to mass shootings to help coordinate law enforcement. Sources said it was too early to say if this will be considered an act of terrorism.
U.S. Attorney James Santelle said he expected federal law enforcement will play a role in the investigation. Exactly what that role is remains to be seen, Santelle said.
In previous mass shootings, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives trace the gun or guns used in the shooting. FBI also may take on a general investigative role, as they have in the past, helping with search warrants or conducting out of state aspects of the investigation.
http://www.jsonline.com/news/crime/reports-of-people-shot-at-sikh-temple-in-oak-creek-qc6cgc0-165059506.html
The House Energy and Commerce Committee released its final report Thursday on the 18-month investigation of the failure of energy company Solyndra, that collapsed 2 years after receiving a $535 million loan grantee. Three subpoenas were issued in the investigation, with five hearings and the review of over 300,000 documents.
Joined Friday by Tara Setmayer, communications director for Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, the ‘Real News’ panel discussed the latest developments in the Solyndra controversy and whether the scandal is still warranting the media attention it deserves.
Previous to her working at the Department of Justice, Lema Bashir was a legal adviser with the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) in Washington, D.C. The ADC:
Opposes U.S. aid to Israel
Opposes ethnic profiling of Arab Americans
Supports Palestinian "martyrdom" campaigns in Israel
With the Justice Department, the Obama for America Campaign, the Democratic National Committee, and the Ohio Democratic Party filed suit in OH to strike down part of that state's law governing voting by members of the military. Their suit said that part of the law is "arbitrary" with "no discernible rational basis."
Rick Tedesco has always been an infallible fan of Mick Ronson, from his early days with David Bowie to his later years as a solo artist so inevitably, after Ronson passed away in 1993, Rick decided to begin his search for all things Ronson.
With the Help of his good friend Ian Hunter, and some strategic investigative skills he was able to track down Ronson's infamous Gibson Les Paul and the rest, as they say, is history.
So we hope you enjoy this video we at Guitar Hangar put together for you, as Rick takes you on a journey through his collection of gear Mick Ronson used to develop his sound.
Screenshot, 3 August 2012
Screenshot from Tedesco interview illustrating Ronno's chronically broken guitar from an earlier period and using Ian as the almost naked model.
A Houston area law enforcement agency is prepared to launch an unmanned drone that could someday carry weapons, Local 2 Investigates reported Friday.
The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office in Conroe paid $300,000 in federal homeland security grant money and Friday it received the ShadowHawk unmanned helicopter made by Vanguard Defense Industries of Spring.
A laptop computer is used to control the 50-pound unmanned chopper, and a game-like console is used to aim and zoom a powerful camera and infrared heat-seeking device mounted on the front.
"To be in on the ground floor of this is pretty exciting for us here in Montgomery County," Sheriff Tommy Gage said.
He said the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) could be used in hunting criminals who are running from police or assessing a scene where SWAT team officers are facing an active shooter.
Gage said it will also be deployed for criminal investigations such as drug shipments.
"We're not going to use it to be invading somebody's privacy. It'll be used for situations we have with criminals," Gage said.
Islamist flag often seen in various locations during the Arab Spring, "No god but God."
Armstrong and Desrosiers posit seven characteristics of revolutions for students of World History to study. They are:
1. The economic crisis immediately preceding the revolution
2. The elite and other classes
3. Spread of revolutionary ideas among the intelligentsia
4. Goals of the revolution and major revolutionaries
5. Establishment of dictatorship
6. National mobilization in response to foreign hostility
7. Main legacy of the revolution
In the concluding paragraph they state:
"Were the events of the Arab Spring the beginnings of true social revolutions in the Middle East? In America, many speak of the 1% vs. the 99%: some wonder if Marx is being validated in contemporary society? Are members of the Occupy Wall Street movement the vanguard of some new revolutionary movement?" (pp. 45-46, Armstrong and Desrosiers)
However, the authors do not attempt to apply the seven characteristics of revolution to either the Arab Spring or the Occupy movement. The application of their ideas is suggestive at best, if not argued. Nonetheless, if you do attempt to apply their ideas to the respective movements, they do not apply at all. It is possible to argue that there was a financial crisis in the U.S. in 2008, thus, point #1 may apply here; however, no one seriously contends that an economic crisis tipped off the Arab Spring; it may safely be stated that political unrest reached a bubbling over point which erupted.
In Tunisia on December 17, 2011, a street vendor named Mohamed Bouazizi protested the harassment he had suffered at the hands of police by committing suicide by setting himself ablaze. Since then, the governments of Tunisia and Egypt have been overthrown. A civil war has broken out in Libya. The king of Jordan has dismissed his cabinet and protests have taken place in Syria, Bahrain, Yemen, Iraq, and Iran.
What happened?
A revolutionary crisis seems to have gripped most of the Middle East so we may responsibly inquire into its motivating factors. The "Khilafah Conference (USA) 2011 - (Revolution in the Muslim World: From Tyranny to Triumph" Khilafah [Caliphate] Conference America 2012 - Revolution: Liberation by Revelation) more accurately identifies the motivating factors, and they are religious sensibilities, a characteristic that can be evasive when analyzing contemporary political movements.
If not a revolution in the definition of the authors, clearly there is a considerable movement afoot, one which I have identified as profoundly religious. In the Khilafah Conference video the Islamist revolution unites the Ummah. Ummah is an Arabic term denoting a grouping of individuals constituting a larger community with a single identity. The term is often translated as "community" or "people". For the community the revolution is assured with Aqeedah which refers to those matters which are believed in, with certainty and conviction, in one’s heart and soul. Opposition is to be found in non-Muslims or the Mushrikun which means polytheists, pagans, idolaters, and disbelievers in the Oneness of Allah.
A Hizb ut-Tahrir video promoting the Islamic caliphate in Europe during 2011 asserts the same point.
The Arab Spring then is a religious revolution, not based in financial or economic difficulties although clearly chaotic conditions may be exacerbated by these issues.
Any number of recent debates in Egypt have taken up the points outlined above:
Debates in Egypt center around whether Egyptians should eliminate the Jews with the Caliphate, or remain content in their own territory, Egypt.
EGYPTIAN TV PANEL DEBATES CLERIC’S CLAIM THAT JERUSALEM WILL BE CAPITAL OF THE CALIPHATE, Safwat Higazi
Egyptian Sociologist States The Muslim Brotherhood Is "the seed of an Islamic caliphate"
Saadudin Ibrahim notes: "Of course, in 2012, this sounds like sheer fantasy, but all the major enterprises in history began as an idea. Some of ideas died while still in the cradle, while others developed."
Tareq Sweidan of the Muslim Brotherhood states that first there will be the "oppressive Kingship," the Egyptian army in control, but thereafter, will be "Khilafah upon the Prophetic method." The hadith Sweidan discusses prophesies the Khilafah Rashida ("rightly guided" Cf. www.alislam.org/library/books/Khilafat-e-Rashida.pdf). Sweidan proposes an active promotion of the Khilafah Rashida.
Hassan al-Banna, the movement’s founder, “felt the grave danger overshadowing the Muslims and the urgent need and obligation which Islam places on every Muslim, man and woman, to act in order to restore the Islamic Caliphate and to reestablish the Islamic state on strong foundations.”
Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood leader Qaradawi advocates establishing a "United Muslim Nations" as a contemporary form of the caliphate.
One of our afternoon panelists commented that sometimes people tend to posit a simplistic victim-oppressor analysis. We examine the past and determine who has been victimized and who is oppressed. Some educators perform this exercise in the case of Egypt, and the Middle East generally: i.e., Mubarak, bad, what he is replaced with, good. This analysis suggests that if the Muslim Brotherhood replaces Mubarak this could be a good thing. But as I consider covering the Caliphate in my World History classes I am reminded of what is stated in, God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything by Christopher Hitchens.
Hitchens states that the Koran is a rehash of Jewish and Christian myths. Islam, with no Reformation, and no internal self-critical tradition, is the least adjusted world religion to the obvious contradictions of living in the modern world with a pre-modern mindset. Any historical example to critically examine the claims of Islam has resulted in repression (p. 125). The accounts of Muhammad (d. 632) "are hopelessly corrupted into incoherence by self-interest, rumor, and illiteracy" (p. 127). "The first full account of his life was set down a full hundred and twenty years later by Ibn Ishaq, whose original was lost and can only be consulted through its reworked form, authored by Ibn Hisham, who died in 834" (p. 129). In addition, there is no way of determining how the competing accounts and traditions were collated and edited to form the text of the Koran. We are left with conjecture and hearsay as to the actual message of Muhammad.
The chaotic manner in which the Koran was assembled gave rise to the more pressing issue of succession, a controversy characterizing Islam and one in which Muslims have never solved. Continuously Islam has strenuously opposed critical examination of the Koranic text. The apparent unity of Islam masks a great insecurity and anxiety about the text not shared by other religious traditions (p. 126). "But Islam when examined is not much more a rather obvious and ill-arranged set of of plagiarisms, helping itself from earlier books and traditions as occasion appeared to require" (p. 129). With its lack of originality Islam nonetheless demands obeisance from non-believers yet "there is nothing--absolutely nothing--in its teachings that can begin to justify such arrogance and presumption" (p. 129).
The primary issue of a critical and scholarly account of Islam based on the Koran requires a similar willingness, as Jews and Christians have allowed and benefited from, to examine the Scriptural claims to objective, scholarly examination. The consensus of religious obscurantism though has precluded "free inquiry and the emancipating consequences that it might bring" (p. 137).
Meanwhile, rogues, terrorists, mullahs, and misguided Islamists predominate and prey unmolested upon unwary victims.
As a result, the question of authority looms large since there is no program to critically examine the Koran, religion poisons everything, but an institution could politically unify Islamists.
The Caliphate
It is important to understand what the caliphate is, its place in Muslim majority societies, and its significance historically, over time.
The cornerstone of Islamic theology, the caliphate, or khilafah, is the central, authoritarian government that was implemented after the death of Muhammad by his disciples in 632 AD. It derives its authority from and governs by Shariah law, and is presided over by a “caliph,“ or ”successor” who holds both legislative and spiritual power.
Per the tenets of Islam, this “state” is not limited to encompassing only Muslims across Muslim lands, rather, the goal is to ultimately establish a global caliphate that would mandate people of all walks to embrace Islam or to at least to submit to being governed by Islamic law. The khilafah is also the form of government endorsed by the Muslim Brotherhood.
In March 1924, reformer and president of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, constitutionally destroyed the “Khilafah State.” Today, an organization dedicated to the reestablishment of a global caliphate, Khilafah.com, stated that Ataturk’s move marked the end of “an illustrious era of Islamic rule” and that, since then, “the dark shadow of the West has engulfed the world.”
Prince Orhan Aal Othman, the Grandson of Ottoman Sultan Abdulhamid II, blames Theodore Herzl, the Jewish Zionist, as the cause of the Fall of the Ottoman Empire and the Caliphate
#3250 - Prince Orhan Aal Othman, Grandson of Ottoman Sultan Abdulhamid II: Herzl Was the Cause of the Fall of the Ottoman Empire
Transcript
http://www.memritv.org/clip_transcript/en/3250.htm
To illustrate what Islamists believe regarding Islam and the caliphate, consider the following passage from one of their sources:
"We assert, without compromise, that it is only by the establishment of the Khilafah State, that the practical solutions of Islam can once again provide a real alternative for the entire world. The ‘Clash of Civilisations’ first discussed by Samuel Huntington is real and inevitable. We endorse the notion that there is a civilisational difference between Islam and the West and that the problem for the West is Islam and the problem for Islam is the West. By arguing this, we also maintain Islam, as a universal ideology, came for all of humankind, Muslim and Non-Muslims, and as such it is only Islam that serves as a Rahma (mercy) for all mankind."
Khilafah.com goes on to assert that “the only challenge” to encroaching Western dominance “must come from Islam.” Thus, to Islamists, the caliphate is vitally important in their fight against Western democracy and to ensure the adoption of Islam and the implementation of Shariah law across the world.
For example, Sheik Ahmad Abu Quddum, of the Jordanian Tahrir Party, states that jihad will spread Islam, and non-Muslims will be second-class citizens in the coming Caliphate
Those who closely follow the words and deeds of terrorist groups such as Hamas, Hezbollah, and al Qaeda will recall that establishing a global caliphate founded upon Islamic law has been among the militants’ most fervently declared goals.
Hamas MP and Cleric Yunis Al-Astal: The Jews Were Brought to Palestine for the 'Great Massacre' through which Allah Will 'Relieve Humanity of Their Evil'
Yunis al-Astal, the cleric in question, told his listeners that “Very soon, Allah willing, Rome will be conquered, just like Constantinople was, as was prophesized by our Prophet Muhammad. Today, Rome is the capital of the Catholics, or the Crusader capital, which has declared its hostility to Islam…”
Al-Astal preached in June of 2010 that it was the duty of Palestinian women to martyr themselves by becoming homicide bombers.
"When jihad becomes an individual duty, it applies to women too, because women do not differ from men when it comes to individual duties," he said in a June 23, 2007 interview. Al-Astal also called Jews "the brothers of apes and pigs" who should "taste the bitterness of death” in the interview.
The parliamentarian returned to this slur recently, saying that Rome “has planted the brothers of apes and pigs in Palestine in order to prevent the reawakening of Islam.”
Writing for the New York Sun in 2005, Daniel Pipes noted that the Islamists who assassinated former Egyptian President Anwar el-Sadat in 1981 adorned their holding cages with banners that read: “caliphate or death.” He continued:
Bin Laden spoke of ensuring that “the pious caliphate will start from Afghanistan.” His chief deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, also dreamed of re-establishing the caliphate, for then, he wrote, “history would make a new turn, God willing, in the opposite direction against the empire of the United States and the world’s Jewish government.” Another Al-Qaeda leader, Fazlur Rehman Khalil, publishes a magazine that has declared “Due to the blessings of jihad, America’s countdown has begun. It will declare defeat soon,” to be followed by the creation of a caliphate.
While some might argue that there is a difference between the Muslim Brotherhood and state-recognized terrorist organizations, consider that the Brotherhood is no innocent lamb. Founded by an Adolf Hitler admirer, the Islamic militant group is the predecessor of Hamas, Hezbollah and even al Qaeda, and is often cited as a parent to each of the terrorist groups.
One of the reasons some believe the Muslim Brotherhood is a moderate group is via its seemingly extensive community service work. It operates under the veneer of a socially-conscious organization focused on youth-outreach, school and mosque development, and even the coordination of sporting events for the “good” of the community.
Once examined under a more discerning lens, however, the true colors of the Muslim Brotherhood emerge. Of the militant Islamist group’s dual identity, scholar Martin Kramer stated: “On one level, they operated openly, as a membership organization of social and political awakening. Banna preached moral revival, and the Muslim Brethren engaged in good works. On another level, however, the Muslim Brethren created a ‘secret apparatus’ that acquired weapons and trained adepts in their use. Some of its guns were deployed against the Zionists in Palestine in 1948, but the Muslim Brethren also resorted to violence in Egypt.
Kramer goes on to explain that the Brotherhood enforced their own moral teachings “by intimidation, and they initiated attacks against Egypt’s Jews.”
My final installment as a review of this issue will be posted tomorrow; it will review contemporary analysts who react to the thought of a Caliphate.
Finally, however, for my in-class final version I will need Islamist examples akin to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Mother Teresa to present examples of peace within the Islamist tradition.
In "Egypt: How Obama Blew It," by Niall Ferguson, in Newsweek, 13-02-2011, the Egyptian revolution and the coming Caliphate was analyzed.
An army in control is not a democratic, liberal, revolution. Moreover, Obama was taken completely by surprise. The only organized organization is the Muslim Brotherhood advocating sharia law and the restoration of the Caliphate. Any appearance of a liberal, peaceful, democratic revolution is extremely unlikely. The Egyptian revolution is most similar to the Iranian Islamic Revolution in 1979. Almost all revolutions are characterized by internal chaos and foreign aggression.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gmr1uUZae6Q
In a 2011 interview Niall Ferguson spoke with The Telegraph about what he believes the world may look like in ten years.
His two key points to consider for the Middle East include:
Tiny possibility we get western-style democracies in the Middle East
More alarming to think about a "restored caliphate"
Victor Davis Hanson and Peter Berkowitz analyze the causes of Middle Eastern events (including the role of social networking), rise of the Caliphate, and discuss possible outcomes for the Middle East states enmeshed in popular unrest. They evaluate the implications for Israel and conclude with an assessment of Obama's handling of these events and how the United States should respond to the ongoing unrest.
The Arab Spring may be analyzed more correctly, according to Hanson and Berkowitz, as bereft of Western-style liberal democratic ideas in favor of Islamist characteristics. First-hand evidence on the ground confirms this impression. Abu George, a Christian resident of Aleppo's Aziza district stated: "We saw what happened to the Christians in Iraq. What is going on in Aleppo is not a popular revolution for democracy and freedom. The fighters of the so-called Free Syrian Army are radical Sunnis who want to establish an Islamic state." The prominent Middle Eastern historian Bernard Lewis has pointed out that in Egypt for example the language of Western-style democracy has only recently been translated, there are no Arabic equivalents for these words, and Islamist Middle Eastern countries have produced "zero" democracies in a thousand years. It seems unlikely that the Arab Spring will result in a Western-style democracy. The ordinary person on the street in Egypt will more likely result in a regime that is anti-Semitic, anti-American, and an Islamist motivated regime. The Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt is analogous to the Jacobins during the French Revolution.
During transitional times technology is often acclaimed as the harbinger of the revolution as Marx argued that the telegraph encouraged revolution. Today, Twitter, and social media is viewed by progressives as indicative of the one-world ideal global governance that they envision, likewise, the social media that is used by Islamists is interpreted as countering the nation-state in favor of the Caliphate.
The extent of the Abbasids Dynastic Caliphate, 750 - 1258 A.D.
Khilafah Conference Map
Iran has called for a Unified Muslim World Coalition, or a Caliphate.
The term caliphate "dominion of a caliph ('successor,')," (from the Arabic خلافة or khilāfa, Turkish: Halife ) refers to the first system of government established in Islam, and represented the political unity of the Muslim Ummah (nation).
According to Berkowitz and Hanson, American policy should re-assert the decades old, bi-partisan, Truman Doctrine affirmed through the Bush administration which was to promote a freedom agenda. Obama has abandoned the bi-partisan, historic American principled approach to Middle Eastern policy. Obama's transformation in U.S. policy will most likely promote the two examples of theocratic regimes in the Middle East: Iran and Saudi Arabia.
Perhaps not surprisingly, the Saudis invited Iran for the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation meeting, 5 August 2012.
The Caliphate is unlikely to be workable in practice but the death and destruction that will accompany the aspirations of those who favor a Caliphate will be catastrophic.
Cf. http://www.aina.org/news/20120802194350.htm
Cf. Victor Hanson and Peter Berkowitz -- Revolution in the Arab World
Monday: Introduction to Major Revolutions in the Middle East, Asia, and Africa; Teaching
Peace and Revolution in the classroom
Tuesday: Young Perspectives on Peace & Revolution; Teaching Level Breakout Sessions
Wednesday: Peace & Revolution through the Arts; The Role of Faith & Spirituality
Thursday: Science & Technology; International Video-conference
Friday: Final Group Presentations; Best Practices and Implications for the Future
A detailed finalized agenda will come in your resource binder.
Assignments:
1. Everyday participants are expected to blog about the days’ activities. An email will be sent to you inviting you to the online blog. Please accept the invitation. A gmail account is necessary to join the blog.
2. Participants will be responsible for completing a unit of lesson plans and activities which they will use in their classrooms. Groups of 3-4 will complete a “unit.” Groups will be decided on the first day and based on area of interest and/or grade level. The units should comprise of at least 3 lesson plans and two activities. Groups will present their units on the last day of the institute. Groups are encouraged to use visual aids to effectively share their ideas to the other groups. A final written version of the unit is due Friday August 17th.
Samples of earlier Lesson Plans:
http://www.ceas.sas.upenn.edu/lessonplans.shtml
"Helping Students Analyze Revolutions"
https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=gmail&attid=0.1&thid=138e91c5002bcba9&mt=application/pdf&url=https://mail.google.com/mail/?ui%3D2%26ik%3Dfd25038e49%26view%3Datt%26th%3D138e91c5002bcba9%26attid%3D0.1%26disp%3Dsafe%26realattid%3Df_h5ebjerz0%26zw&sig=AHIEtbRZQAz4Ua_OMkUSup3dDgy6QEih6w&pli=1
Bill Ayers Says Promote The Violence That Already Exists To His Revolutionaries
http://blogsmithconsulting.blogspot.com/2012/06/bill-ayers-says-promote-violence-that.html
Are We in Revolutionary Times?
http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/303037/are-we-revolutionary-times-victor-davis-hanson#
US CALIPHATE CONFERENCE AMERICA 2012 -- REVOLUTION: LIBERATION BY REVELATION
OCCUPY: AMERICAN SPRING – THE MAKING OF A REVOLUTION
‘THIS IS REVOLUTION NOT REFORM’ — OCCUPY WALL STREET ORGANIZER TO ‘EXCITED’ AL SHARPTON: WE ARE ANARCHISTS AND REVOLUTIONARIES,‘THIS IS THE BEGINNING OF A REVOLUTION IN THIS COUNTRY’
Khilafah Conference (USA) 2011 - Revolution in the Muslim World: From Tyranny to Triumph
Khilafah Conference (USA) 2011
Revolution in the Muslim World: From Tyranny to Triumph
June 26th 2011
Hizb ut-Tahrir America
http://hizb-america.org/khilafah-conference-2011
Trailer for the Khilafah Conference in the UK 9th July 2011
Trailer for the Khilafah Conference to be held in the UK on the 9th July 2011 which will present the Islamic Vision for the Ummah against the backdrop of the unfolding events in the Arab world.
The Battle of Big Ideas, Part 1: CONSTRAINED vs. UNCONSTRAINED
To keep these messages coming go to http://www.declarationentertainment.com
Before you can build a political house, you have to know what materials you have on hand. In Part 1 of The Battle of Big Ideas, Bill looks at the two visions of Mankind that Thomas Sowell has labeled "Constrained" and "Unconstrained," and the examples of their twin Revolutions: the Constrained American Revolution and the Unconstrained French Revolution.
Victor Hanson and Peter Berkowitz -- Revolution in the Arab World
Victor Davis Hanson is a classicist and military historian, professor of classics, and the Martin and Illie Anderson Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution. He is the author of numerous books, the most recent of which are Makers of Ancient Strategy: From the Persian Wars to the Fall of Rome, which Professor Hanson edited, and The Father of Us All: War and History, Ancient and Modern, a volume of his essays.
Peter Berkowitz is the Tad and Dianne Taube Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution.
He is also cofounder and director of the Israel Program on Constitutional Government, has served as a senior consultant to the President's Council on Bioethics, and is a member of the Policy Advisory Board at the Ethics and Public Policy Center.
"The Revolutionaries' Revenge" by Sally Zelikovksy
Islamism (Islam+-ism; Arabic: إسلام سياسي Islām siyāsī, "Political Islam", or الإسلامية al-Islāmīyah) is a set of ideologies holding that Islam is "as much a political ideology as a religion"[Esposito, Political Islam: Beyond the Green Menace by John Esposito, vii]. Islamism is a controversial term, and definitions of it sometimes vary (see below). Leading Islamist thinkers emphasize the enforcement of Sharia (Islamic law); of pan-Islamic political unity; and of the elimination of non-Muslim, particularly Western military, economic, political, social, or cultural influences in the Muslim world, which they believe to be incompatible with Islam.[Qutbism: An Ideology of Islamic-Fascism by DALE C. EIKMEIER From Parameters, Spring 2007, pp. 85-98. Accessed 6 February 2012].
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamist
Arab Spring
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab_Spring
The "Khilafah Conference (USA) 2011 - Revolution in the Muslim World: From Tyranny to Triumph" (http://youtu.be/KRMGhasUlWc)
Ummah is an Arabic term denoting a grouping of individuals constituting a larger community with a single identity. The term is often translated as "community" or "people" (http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G2-3424503216.html?key=01--2160D527E1B106B170F021C046F01333554354F3E34710F720F0B60651B617F1371197357)
Aqeedah which refers to those matters which are believed in, with certainty and conviction, in one’s heart and soul (http://islamqa.info/en/ref/951).
non-Muslims or the Mushrikun which means polytheists, pagans, idolaters, and disbelievers in the Oneness of Allah (http://sarasohaib.wordpress.com/2011/05/11/what-is-an-al-mushrikun/)
Islamic caliphate in Europe during 2011 asserts the revival of the Caliphate.
Rodney Brossart is charged with "felony terrorizing and theft of property charges and a misdemeanor criminal mischief charge."
The most interesting aspect of this case is the use of the word "terrorizing," as in terrorist for rather more prosaic crimes. Since the Judge characterized the infractions as terrorist activities, even when they obviously do not involve a terrorist, or terrorism, the door is wide open for American citizens to be spied upon without warrant. Brossart's lawyer argued that law enforcement's "warrantless use of [an] unmanned military-like surveillance aircraft" and "outrageous governmental conduct" warranted dismissal of the case which the Judge did not find convincing. John Villasenor, of the Washington, D.C.-based Brookings Institution, says the legality of domestic drone use likely stems from two Supreme Court cases that allow police to use "public, navigable airspace" for evidence gathering.
Adam M Smith is an Adjunct Lecturer at Eller College in Arizona and he also is the CFO of Vante, a catheter manufacturing company.
The college students that Smith sees off in the distance and speculates are getting ready to stage a sit-in, were most likely waiting to get into the movie theater they were standing in front of.
He tells the young woman working the window, “This is a horrible corporation with horrible values.”
He also goes out of his way to stress ,”I’m a nice guy, by the way… totally heterosexual. Not a gay in me, I just can’t stand the hate.”
The director, Khaled Youssef, made the explosive statements on Al-Kahera Wal-Nas TV in Egypt on Monday.
#3516 - Egyptian Film Director Khaled Youssef: The Muslim Brotherhood Might Make Us Miss the Days of Hitler Al-Kahera Wal-Nas TV (Egypt) - July 30, 2012 - 01:28
At a hearing yesterday into the Webster report into the bureau’s intelligence failures leading up to the Fort Hood massacre, in which Major Nidal Hasan was accused of killing 13 people and wounding 32 in Texas, links were made between Hasan and Al-Awlaki.
In an exchange of 19 emails Hasan told al-Awlaki that he advocated using suicide bombers and that he believed it was OK to kill civilians to which al-Awlaki replied that Hasan should keep his contact details handy.
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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