Wednesday, March 31, 2010
MasterCard Offers New Interest-Free Sharia Compliant Credit Card To Muslims
The iFreedom card?...
A new interest-free credit card, the first of its kind in North America, aims to reconcile Islamic canonical law and Western consumer culture.
Click on the title to read the whole story.
Boeing Will Also Take a $150 Million Charge Because of ObamaCare
Another day, another CEO likely getting called to the carpet for just doing what they're supposed to be doing.
Democrats think that accounting is a grand conspiracy to make them look bad.
Ministry of Irony: Saudi Tank Top
That the ladies probably can't actually wear in Saudi Arabia.
Awesome, I think I'll get my wife one, and insist she wears it without a bra.
Yes!
Muslim cop goes jihad: Was attack on California school averted last year? Cop fired after FBI investigation, predictable discrimination lawsuits follow
From Jawa:
In 2006, Matthew Hernandes was a media wet-dream: an anti-war 82nd Airborne soldier who served two terms in Iraq who had converted to Islam. His story was dutifully profiled by the San Francisco Chronicle and Oakland Tribune, and Islamic organizations openly promoted his conversion and opposition to the war.
Upon his departure from the Army and a return home to the Bay area, Hernandes looked to a new career in law enforcement. After finishing the police academy, he became a police officer for the Fremont, CA police department. And here the story of the anti-war war hero Muslim convert takes a decided turn.
Last year, Officer Matthew Hernandes was the subject of a FBI investigation the details of which are still classified. And immediately after his initial interview with the FBI, he was summarily fired by the Fremont PD, required to immediately turn over his badge and gun, and a constant SWAT presence established at the police station.
Then came another revelation - just a week before his termination he had appeared at a local school making inquiries with the school's resource officer about plans and responses to active shooting scenarios. This new information prompted law enforcement authorities to contact all of the schools in the Alameda Unified School District and provide bulletins bearing Hernandes' picture and details, warning them to be on the lookout. School resource officers were advised to consider Hernandes armed and dangerous.
Had this anti-war war hero Muslim convert cop gone jihad?
Click on the title to read the whole story over at Jawa.
Teach a Girl to Shoot. She May Save Your Sorry Ass Some Day
And the boys respect NO a whole lot more when they know it's not just daddy cleaning his gun they have to worry about.
Even my eleven year old can put shots on target. . .
Washington Times:
More women may be turning to firearms
Kristin Volk and Joseph Weber
American women are buying guns and taking aim on firing ranges in growing numbers, according to a recent study and interviews with gun-shop owners.
A 2009 study found 70 percent of shop owners reported more female buyers.
The study, conducted by the National Shooting Sports Foundation and Southwick Associates, also found 80 percent of the female gun-buyers who responded said they purchased a gun for self-defense, followed by 35 percent for target practice and 24 percent for hunting.
Women and shop owners interviewed by The Washington Times offered similar, narrow-ranging explanations for the increases — largely self-defense and concerns about the possibility President Obama would further restrict gun ownership.
Erika Gonzalez, of suburban Washington, was raised as a Quaker and grew up thinking guns were unsafe — until a series of life-changing events.
Her grandmother was murdered about 15 years ago in a small town, then her marriage fell apart and she was on her own.
"I was very anti-gun for a long time … and I guess my thinking evolved on that," said Ms. Gonzalez, who owns a Glock 9mm and started a shooting club to practice and share similar interests. "I was probably motivated to buy the gun because I separated from my husband and was living alone."
Hilary Gotzh, a single 26-year-old, wants to buy a gun this year for protection and recreational uses, but, like Ms. Gonzalez, thinks ownership is a private and personal decision.
"It's not a common thing that women sit around tea and talk about their firearms," Ms. Gotzh said.
Jack Donald, a Washington-area gun dealer, said he's noticed a recent increase in female gun sales, with most women looking for protection. He also said he witnessed a surge in overall sales after President Obama was elected in 2009.
"Our gun sales volume increased dramatically after the election," he said.
Despite such observations, a recent National Opinion Research Center study shows the demographics of U.S. gun ownership have changed little during the past 29 years. Women owned roughly 10.5 percent of this country's guns in 1980, compared to 10.8 percent of the more than 200 million guns in the U.S. in 2008.
Even my eleven year old can put shots on target. . .
Washington Times:
More women may be turning to firearms
Kristin Volk and Joseph Weber
American women are buying guns and taking aim on firing ranges in growing numbers, according to a recent study and interviews with gun-shop owners.
A 2009 study found 70 percent of shop owners reported more female buyers.
The study, conducted by the National Shooting Sports Foundation and Southwick Associates, also found 80 percent of the female gun-buyers who responded said they purchased a gun for self-defense, followed by 35 percent for target practice and 24 percent for hunting.
Women and shop owners interviewed by The Washington Times offered similar, narrow-ranging explanations for the increases — largely self-defense and concerns about the possibility President Obama would further restrict gun ownership.
Erika Gonzalez, of suburban Washington, was raised as a Quaker and grew up thinking guns were unsafe — until a series of life-changing events.
Her grandmother was murdered about 15 years ago in a small town, then her marriage fell apart and she was on her own.
"I was very anti-gun for a long time … and I guess my thinking evolved on that," said Ms. Gonzalez, who owns a Glock 9mm and started a shooting club to practice and share similar interests. "I was probably motivated to buy the gun because I separated from my husband and was living alone."
Hilary Gotzh, a single 26-year-old, wants to buy a gun this year for protection and recreational uses, but, like Ms. Gonzalez, thinks ownership is a private and personal decision.
"It's not a common thing that women sit around tea and talk about their firearms," Ms. Gotzh said.
Jack Donald, a Washington-area gun dealer, said he's noticed a recent increase in female gun sales, with most women looking for protection. He also said he witnessed a surge in overall sales after President Obama was elected in 2009.
"Our gun sales volume increased dramatically after the election," he said.
Despite such observations, a recent National Opinion Research Center study shows the demographics of U.S. gun ownership have changed little during the past 29 years. Women owned roughly 10.5 percent of this country's guns in 1980, compared to 10.8 percent of the more than 200 million guns in the U.S. in 2008.
BHO Invited To Islam
(With a hat tip to Logans Warning)
Watch the video:
From Logans Warning:
Watch the video:
From Logans Warning:
NY Muslims Travel to White House to Invite Obama to IslamDid you notice the upraised index finger in Revolution Muslim's logo? Remind you of BHO's frequent raising of his index finger, a little habit he has when delivering his speeches? Heh.
The Islamic hate-mongers of RevolutionMuslim.com, have traveled to the White House, and invited Dictator Obama to Islam. At the 1:25 mark we see RevolutionMuslim spokesman Younus Abdullah Muhammad push away an elderly counter protester. He later states that if Obama were to be judged by international law he would be hanged. The rest of the video is an absolute tirade aimed at Obama.REVOLUTION MUSLIM is pleased to announce our next effort and we ask all to take time out to participate in this noble cause. We have penned a letter to Mr. Barach Obama, Pharoah of the American Empire calling him to Islam and, or to end the Wars and American aggression across the globe. This is in emulation of our noble and beloved Prophet Muhammad (saws), who sent several letters to the leaders of his time calling them to Islam and warning them in the event they did not accept of impending doom.
We ask all to sign it whether you live in the United States and stay tuned for more information about the endeavor as we use it to spread our platform over the coming months inshallah....
Little green bowels a foot long fall....
Charles Johnson is back in the news, sort of.
http://nodhimmitude.blogspot.com/2010/03/charles-johnson-finds-nazi-zombies-at.html
--
THINK GLOBO. ACT LOCO.
Yalla, Dag
http://nodhimmitude.blogspot.
--
THINK GLOBO. ACT LOCO.
Yalla, Dag
NYTIMES PUTS ITS ANTISEMITISM ON FULL DISPLAY - JUST IN TIME FOR PASSOVER!
From the Astute Bloggers:
IT'S QUITE A COLUMN BY REGULAR COLUMNIST ROGER COHEN:- COMPARING BIBI TO KHRUSHCHEV.
- PRAISING ANDREW SULLIVAN.
- PROMOTING - ONCE AGAIN - A FALSE MORAL EQUIVALENCE BETWEEN FATAH, HAMAS AND ISRAEL.
It fell to Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, to play the role Khrushchev once played in toughening a young American president.
The former Soviet leader thought he could browbeat Kennedy only to discover, in Vienna, that the Kennedy charm was not unalloyed to steel (“It will be a long, cold winter.”) Netanyahu was the first foreign leader to think he could steamroll Obama. He earned a frosty comeuppance.
The Israeli leader toyed with Obama’s unequivocal call in Cairo last June for a “stop” to Israeli settlements. He allowed the ill-timed announcement that 1,600 apartments for Jews will be built in East Jerusalem. Then, rather than scrap that, Netanyahu chose cheap cheers from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee with “Jerusalem is not a settlement.”
(I say cheap because everyone knows Jerusalem is not a settlement. That’s not the issue. The issue is that the Israeli annexation of East Jerusalem is rejected by the rest of the world and any peace agreement will involve an inventive deal on its status. To build is therefore to provoke.)
Obama was not amused. He airbrushed Netanyahu’s White House visit. The message was clear: The Middle East status quo does not serve the interests of the United States (or Israel). When Obama says “stop,” he does not mean “build a bit.”
Sometimes mistakes are needed. Through the law of unintended consequences they open new avenues.
So it is with the East Jerusalem housing fiasco. Nothing will happen in the Middle East unless the United States is seen as an honest broker able to criticize both sides when needed. Obama’s anger sped a needed clarification and freed debate.
As Andrew Sullivan has observed, a cultural shift is underway with respect to Israel: “The critics have been called ‘self-hating Jews’ if they are Jewish, or anti-Semites if they are not, but these barbs — once sufficient to end someone’s career — have failed to have an effect this time.”
Yes, indeed.
ANTI-ZIONIST LEFTIST SCUM LIKE COHEN AND SULLIVAN THINK THAT WHEN THE USA TREATS AN ALLY - ISRAEL - SHABBILY AND THE LEADERS OF FATAH WITH DEFERENCE THAT THIS IS BEING AN HONEST BROKER.
THAT SAYS IT ALL.
AFTER ALL: ISRAEL HAS BEEN BUILDING IN JERUSALEM SINCE 1968.
AND DURING BIDEN'S TRIP THE PA/FATAH DEDICATED A PUBLIC SQUARE TO A WOMAN WHO COMMITTED ONE OF THE WORST TERRORIST ATTACKS ON ISRAEL. AND NEITHER BIDEN OR OBAMA OR HILLARY SAID "BOO".
SO I GUESS THAT SILENCE ABOUT FATAH'S FAILURE TO LIVE UP TO OSLO IS OKAY TO THE OBAMA AND THE NYTIMES.
OBAMA AND THE NYTIMES ALSO THINK THAT APPEASING JIHADIST SCUM CAN ACTUALLY LEAD TO PEACE.
THIS IA AN IDIOTIC POLICY WHICH MAKES US ALL LESS SAFE --- YES ALL OF US:
NOT JUST ISRAEL, BUT THE ENTIRE WEST - GIVING IN TO TERROR REWARDS THE TERRORISTS AND ENCOURAGES THEM TO DO MORE.
THIS IS NOT SURPRISING COMING FROM FOLKS WHO LEAKED SEVERAL CLASSIFIED SECRETS AND AN ADMINISTRATION WHICH INCLUDES PEOPLE WHO WROTE AMICUS BRIEFS FOR GITMO DETAINEES.
[NOTE: COHEN AND SULLIVAN ARE ANTISEMITES: WHEN YOU HOLD ISRAEL TO A SEPARATE STANDARD FROM ALL OTHER NATIONS IS IS - BY DEFINITION - ANTISEMTISM.]
Matt Lauer's Hard-Hitting Interview With Obama: How Do You Maintain Your Awesomeness In The Face of Such Vitriolic Racist Hatred?
Click on the title to see the video.Report: Iran Nuclear Scientist Defects to US In CIA 'Intelligence Coup'
I'm thinking 'evil Joooo mind-control ray'...
Click on the title for the whole story.
Why?
Islamberg, Red House, Falls Church, Hyattsville.
All have one thing in common.
Islamic paramilitary training compounds of Jamaat ul-Fuqra established by Pakistani Cleric Sheikh Mubarak Ali Gilani. Training to bring the Jihad right here.
Unless you're muslim, you can't get into them. But there are reports of automatic gunfire and school buses having been shot up. Among other things. Right here in America.
And most Americans are ignorant about them. The Fed seems to be turning a blind eye toward them. And not just the Obama Administration. So too, it seems, did Bush.
Recently, some of these compounds suddenly emptied. No one seems to know where those training there have gone. Melted into the fabric of our society? Waiting for the Final Call to Islam to be rejected?
So Dr. Paul Williams & Michael Savage ask the same question Always on Watch and others did yesterday in our posts on Hutaree.
If the government was so worried about Hutaree they had to take them down now, whyhave they not touched Islamberg and the others, who pose a much bigger threat to our national security?
No one has done more investigative work on Islamberg than Paul Williams. Pop over to The Last Crusade and read his piece Michael Travis sent me today. You might learn about something you'll wish you hadn't.
All have one thing in common.
Islamic paramilitary training compounds of Jamaat ul-Fuqra established by Pakistani Cleric Sheikh Mubarak Ali Gilani. Training to bring the Jihad right here.
Unless you're muslim, you can't get into them. But there are reports of automatic gunfire and school buses having been shot up. Among other things. Right here in America.
And most Americans are ignorant about them. The Fed seems to be turning a blind eye toward them. And not just the Obama Administration. So too, it seems, did Bush.
Recently, some of these compounds suddenly emptied. No one seems to know where those training there have gone. Melted into the fabric of our society? Waiting for the Final Call to Islam to be rejected?
So Dr. Paul Williams & Michael Savage ask the same question Always on Watch and others did yesterday in our posts on Hutaree.
If the government was so worried about Hutaree they had to take them down now, whyhave they not touched Islamberg and the others, who pose a much bigger threat to our national security?
No one has done more investigative work on Islamberg than Paul Williams. Pop over to The Last Crusade and read his piece Michael Travis sent me today. You might learn about something you'll wish you hadn't.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Does This Surprise Anyone?
Updated and bumped again by MR --
Just got a note from our intrepid Infidel at Large Mighty Like A Rose. SHe sent a note to the artist herself and got a reply today.
They're trees.
The Note:
Hi ------,
Sorry for such a late reply. This is Farideh Lashai's assistant. We think that the year of the work is 1999, They are abstract trees. It was exhibited at tehran museum of Contemporary art, and since Farideh Lashai's works have been included in many international exhibitions, including "Iran Inside Out" at Chelsea Museum in NY. She does not sell prints of her works. Please let me know if you need any further information onher work.
Best regards,
Nazanin
UPDATED AND BUMPED
I think weazel zippers is making the wrong assumption here. I do not think it is a portrait of the World Trade Towers. I have written Mr. Krause and asked if he knew the paintings subject and title. Hopefully he will answer. Until then, based on what I have seen of Ms. Lashai's paintings, some of which are displayed on her site, I do not think this is the WTT. I will let you know if Mr. Krause can/does shed some light.
Sounds reasonable, but let us look at a couple of Farideh Lashai's other painting:
What do you think?
Just got a note from our intrepid Infidel at Large Mighty Like A Rose. SHe sent a note to the artist herself and got a reply today.
They're trees.
The Note:
Hi ------,
Sorry for such a late reply. This is Farideh Lashai's assistant. We think that the year of the work is 1999, They are abstract trees. It was exhibited at tehran museum of Contemporary art, and since Farideh Lashai's works have been included in many international exhibitions, including "Iran Inside Out" at Chelsea Museum in NY. She does not sell prints of her works. Please let me know if you need any further information onher work.
Best regards,
Nazanin
UPDATED AND BUMPED
CNN Host Christiane Amanpour's Rather Odd Choice of "Art"...Burning WTC Towers...
UPDATE -
I think weazel zippers is making the wrong assumption here. I do not think it is a portrait of the World Trade Towers. I have written Mr. Krause and asked if he knew the paintings subject and title. Hopefully he will answer. Until then, based on what I have seen of Ms. Lashai's paintings, some of which are displayed on her site, I do not think this is the WTT. I will let you know if Mr. Krause can/does shed some light.
Sounds reasonable, but let us look at a couple of Farideh Lashai's other painting:
What do you think?
Obama: 'Tea Party core thinks I am socialist, and not an american'
Wrong on the facts, and finish with a delusion.President Barack Obama says he believes the Tea Party
is built around a "core group" of people who question whether he is a
U.S. citizen and believe he is a socialist.
But beyond that, Obama tells NBC he
recognizes the movement involves "folks who have legitimate concerns"
about the national debt and whether the government is taking on too many
difficult issues simultaneously.
In an interview broadcast Tuesday on NBC's "Today" show, Obama said he feels "there's
still going to be a group at their core that question my legitimacy."
But he said he didn't want to paint Tea Party activists "in broad brushes" and he hopes
to win over members who have "mainstream, legitimate concerns."
Telling me I have to buy some product by federal law, and enforced by federal means MAKES you a socialist.
Birthers are moronic. But Mr Prez you said this core BOTH believes you are what you are AND were not born here. COMPLETELY wrong.
As for winning over people who think you are going to create a fundamentally socialist milieu here, WHAT ARE YOU REALLY SMOKING? It is AS LIKELY to see you convinced that Reagan had all the right ideas.
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Machine Guns On New York Subways
... because we get the please of living with Jihadists in our midst ...
From the New York Post:
From the New York Post:
In an unusual move, a heavily armed NYPD security battalion with enough firepower to wipe out Downtown Brooklyn descended onto the city's subway trains yesterday in response to suicide bombings in Russia that killed dozens of passengers in Moscow's subway.
Bleary-eyed New Yorkers began their work weeks with a morning rush hour that featured city cops in full military gear, including helmets, goggles, body armor, sidearms and M16 assault rifles.
The underground arsenal startled sleepy straphangers, many of whom wondered whether the extra security was overkill.
Post photos: G.N. MillerON THE M16 LINE: Members of the NYPD's elite Hercules unit patrol a subway car at Grand Central Terminal and stand watch at the 51st Street station yesterday in response to the Moscow attacks.
American Spectator:
Barry and Bibi Back-Story
By George H. Wittman on 3.30.10 @ 6:08AM
For some reason quite unclear, the Obama Administration's foreign policy establishment decided to make a major issue out of the announcement during VP Biden's visit to Israel of new settlement construction in East Jerusalem. As analysts searched for an explanation of the White House's well-publicized contest with Prime Minister Netanyahu during the latter's recent U.S. trip, more and more the focus was drawn to matters unrelated to the settlement issue.
The Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth was used by insiders in the Netanyahu entourage to be quoted as saying Obama's views were a "strategic disaster." While most people assumed the quote related to the settlement matter, it was actually aimed at a more serious and immediate concern. The settlements could have been passed off as unfortunate timing. More importantly, according to the former Israeli UN ambassador Dan Gillerman, development in East Jerusalem has never been considered by Netanyahu and Israel's right wing as part of the settlement phase of "land for peace."
Biden had been briefed on this; Obama had been briefed on this; Hillary Clinton had been briefed. The real story is that the Obama Administration is proceeding on the basis that evolving a Palestine/Israel accord will be an important element in negotiations with Iran to cease nuclear weapon development.
This fantastical idea has evolved out of the strong White House belief that Iran can be cajoled into an agreement on nuclear weapon development if only the Palestine "problem" was solved. Any action appearing to inhibit the current campaign to bring Israel and Palestine closer is perceived by President Barack Obama as contrary to his plan to prevent Iran from "going nuclear." Contrary to the oft-stated theme of keeping the military option on the table, the Obama Administration is committed to avoiding a preemptive strike on Iranian nuclear development targets.
The key to the Obama strategy (as reportedly explained to PM Netanyahu) is the expectation that there is a real possibility that the current Iranian clerical regime will be overthrown and replaced with a secular republic that that will include perhaps only a clerically dominated judiciary. All that is needed for the Obama plan to work is time, he told Netanyahu.
And here is where Obama's recent conflict with Bibi Netanyahu comes in. Netanyahu's real purpose in meeting with the U.S. president was to explain Israeli thinking on the need for and possible timing of an Israeli strike on Iran. From the Israeli standpoint the new developments in East Jerusalem were an unimportant side show, and Israeli estimates of the ability of the Iranians to have nuclear weapons is at most by the end of this year.
Obama's view was firmly anchored in the importance of the peace talks while Netanyahu was equally adamant and unmoving in disagreement. He said quite clearly that Israel has to plan on using its military power to prevent the Persian attack. Well-informed sources in the Israeli PM's camp indicated that while repeating the pledge of United States commitment to Israel's defense in perpetuity, the American leader tried to use verbal strong-arm tactics to challenge the position of Israel's American-educated, former IDF special forces officer-turned professional politician prime minister. This was definitely the wrong thing to do.
It was at this point that Obama decided to disengage and left Netanyahu cooling his heels in the White House. It was the first time Obama had been so categorically thwarted in his generally accepted "brilliant" ability to out-debate an adversary.
Netanyahu admitted differences between the U.S. and Israel "are those between allies and friends…." His response to Yedioth Ahronoth's claim that Obama's views were "a strategic disaster" was simply to refer to the newspaper's comments as "anonymous, unworthy remarks." Not quite a strong denial in any terms.
The final result of the Obama-Netanyahu talks was that the latter left convinced that the American president would not openly admit it, but he was willing to extend all aspects of negotiation and threats of sanctions with and against Iran to a point beyond where Netanyahu believed Israel could afford to go before taking preemptive action. Furthermore, the Israeli prime minister believes there would be little or no influence on Iran's nuclear plans resulting from Palestine-Israel peace talks -- contrary to Obama's firm belief to the opposite.
If Israeli news sources are to be believed, Obama's view has been effectively altered that he could make the decision for an Israeli government headed by Bibi Netanyahu regarding if and when to use a preemptive strike against Iran. As President Obama himself said in a different context, it's just a matter of time!
Barry and Bibi Back-Story
By George H. Wittman on 3.30.10 @ 6:08AM
For some reason quite unclear, the Obama Administration's foreign policy establishment decided to make a major issue out of the announcement during VP Biden's visit to Israel of new settlement construction in East Jerusalem. As analysts searched for an explanation of the White House's well-publicized contest with Prime Minister Netanyahu during the latter's recent U.S. trip, more and more the focus was drawn to matters unrelated to the settlement issue.
The Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth was used by insiders in the Netanyahu entourage to be quoted as saying Obama's views were a "strategic disaster." While most people assumed the quote related to the settlement matter, it was actually aimed at a more serious and immediate concern. The settlements could have been passed off as unfortunate timing. More importantly, according to the former Israeli UN ambassador Dan Gillerman, development in East Jerusalem has never been considered by Netanyahu and Israel's right wing as part of the settlement phase of "land for peace."
Biden had been briefed on this; Obama had been briefed on this; Hillary Clinton had been briefed. The real story is that the Obama Administration is proceeding on the basis that evolving a Palestine/Israel accord will be an important element in negotiations with Iran to cease nuclear weapon development.
This fantastical idea has evolved out of the strong White House belief that Iran can be cajoled into an agreement on nuclear weapon development if only the Palestine "problem" was solved. Any action appearing to inhibit the current campaign to bring Israel and Palestine closer is perceived by President Barack Obama as contrary to his plan to prevent Iran from "going nuclear." Contrary to the oft-stated theme of keeping the military option on the table, the Obama Administration is committed to avoiding a preemptive strike on Iranian nuclear development targets.
The key to the Obama strategy (as reportedly explained to PM Netanyahu) is the expectation that there is a real possibility that the current Iranian clerical regime will be overthrown and replaced with a secular republic that that will include perhaps only a clerically dominated judiciary. All that is needed for the Obama plan to work is time, he told Netanyahu.
And here is where Obama's recent conflict with Bibi Netanyahu comes in. Netanyahu's real purpose in meeting with the U.S. president was to explain Israeli thinking on the need for and possible timing of an Israeli strike on Iran. From the Israeli standpoint the new developments in East Jerusalem were an unimportant side show, and Israeli estimates of the ability of the Iranians to have nuclear weapons is at most by the end of this year.
Obama's view was firmly anchored in the importance of the peace talks while Netanyahu was equally adamant and unmoving in disagreement. He said quite clearly that Israel has to plan on using its military power to prevent the Persian attack. Well-informed sources in the Israeli PM's camp indicated that while repeating the pledge of United States commitment to Israel's defense in perpetuity, the American leader tried to use verbal strong-arm tactics to challenge the position of Israel's American-educated, former IDF special forces officer-turned professional politician prime minister. This was definitely the wrong thing to do.
It was at this point that Obama decided to disengage and left Netanyahu cooling his heels in the White House. It was the first time Obama had been so categorically thwarted in his generally accepted "brilliant" ability to out-debate an adversary.
Netanyahu admitted differences between the U.S. and Israel "are those between allies and friends…." His response to Yedioth Ahronoth's claim that Obama's views were "a strategic disaster" was simply to refer to the newspaper's comments as "anonymous, unworthy remarks." Not quite a strong denial in any terms.
The final result of the Obama-Netanyahu talks was that the latter left convinced that the American president would not openly admit it, but he was willing to extend all aspects of negotiation and threats of sanctions with and against Iran to a point beyond where Netanyahu believed Israel could afford to go before taking preemptive action. Furthermore, the Israeli prime minister believes there would be little or no influence on Iran's nuclear plans resulting from Palestine-Israel peace talks -- contrary to Obama's firm belief to the opposite.
If Israeli news sources are to be believed, Obama's view has been effectively altered that he could make the decision for an Israeli government headed by Bibi Netanyahu regarding if and when to use a preemptive strike against Iran. As President Obama himself said in a different context, it's just a matter of time!
ON THE FIRST DAY OF HER TRIP TO TURKEY, COURAGEOUS MERKEL TELLS ERDOGAN THAT TURKEY IS UNSUITABLE FOR EU MEMBERSHIP
From the Astute Bloggers:
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has repeated her belief that Turkey is not suitable for full EU membership, on the first day of an official Turkish visit.
Turkey should not view her offer of a "privileged partnership" - rather than full membership - negatively, she said.
Turkey, which began negotiations to become a member in 2005, has dismissed that offer as an insult.
There were also disagreements over Iran, Cyprus and educating Turkish children in Germany in Turkish.
Germany is Turkey's biggest trading partner, its biggest foreign investor, its biggest source of tourist revenue, and nearly three million Turks live in Germany.
Brava Angela! MORE:
Turkey's sometimes fraught relationship with the European Union will not be helped by this visit.
On Iran, Mrs Merkel wants Turkish support for international sanctions, which Mr Erdogan argues are counter-productive and hypocritical.
Turkey has recently strengthened its relations with Iran and opposes the tougher sanctions threatened by Western governments.
MAYBE IF TURKEY BEHAVED LIKE A DEPENDABLE ALLY OF EUROPE AND THE WEST THINGS MIGHT BE DIFFERENT VIS A VIS THEIR ASPIRATION TO JOIN THE EU.
BUT THE AKP'S ISLAMIST CORE DOESN'T REALLY PERMIT THEM TO FAVOR CHRISTIAN EUROPEANS OVER THEIR FELLOW MUSLIMS.
WHICH IS WHY - WHILE FIGHTING WW4, WHICH IS A WAR AGAINST GLOBAL JIHADISM - IT'S INSANE TO KEEP TURKEY IN NATO.
TURKEY SHOULD NO MORE BE IN NATO THAN THE EU.Code Pink-o Tries to Arrest Karl Rove
Rove, without security (or sidearm for that matter) stands his ground.
SO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!
Newsmax:
CIA: Iran Capable of Producing Nukes
Tuesday, 30 Mar 2010
By: Bill Gertz
Iran is poised to begin producing nuclear weapons after its uranium program expansion in 2009, even though it has had problems with thousands of its centrifuges, according to a newly released CIA report.
"Iran continues to develop a range of capabilities that could be applied to producing nuclear weapons, if a decision is made to do so," the annual report to Congress states.
A U.S. official involved in countering weapons proliferation said the Iranians are "keeping the door open to the possibility of building a nuclear weapon."
"That's in spite of strong international pressure not to do so, and some difficulties they themselves seem to be having with their nuclear program," the official said. "There are powerful incentives for them to close the door completely, but they are either purposefully ignoring them or are tone deaf. You almost want to shout, 'Tune in Tehran.'"
The CIA report is the latest official study expressing concern over Iran's continuing nuclear activities. The International Atomic Energy Agency on March 3 issued a report warning that continuing nuclear activities in violation of U.N. resolutions raise "concerns about the possible existence in Iran of past or current undisclosed activities related to the development of a nuclear payload for a missile."
The U.S. report was produced by the CIA Weapons Intelligence, Nonproliferation and Arms Control Center, known as WINPAC. It is called the 721 report for the section of a 1997 intelligence authorization law requiring it.
The report also says that North Korea, based on a nuclear test in May 2009, now "has the capability to produce nuclear weapons with a yield of roughly a couple of kilotons TNT equivalent." A kiloton is a measure of a nuclear bomb's power and is equal to 1,000 tons of TNT.
On Iran, the report says that it is "keeping open" its options for building nuclear arms, "though we do not know whether Tehran eventually will decide to produce nuclear weapons."
The report reflects the published conclusion of a controversial 2007 National Intelligence Estimate that stated Iran had halted work on nuclear weapons in 2003. The report, posted on the Office of the Director of National Intelligence Web site, was written before a new National Intelligence Estimate on Iran's nuclear program, which is nearing completion and is expected to revise the earlier estimate, although details have not been disclosed.
According to the report, Iran expanded nuclear infrastructure and uranium enrichment in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions that since 2006 have called on Tehran to halt the enrichment.
During the first 11 months of last year, the main uranium-enrichment facility at Natanz produced about 1.8 tons of low-enriched uranium hexafluoride, compared with about half a ton the previous year.
The number of centrifuges at Natanz increased from about 5,000 to 8,700 last year, although the number reported to be working is about 3,900, indicating the Iranians are having problems with the machines. The centrifuges enrich uranium gas by spinning it at high speeds.
Last year, Iran disclosed it is building a second gas-centrifuge plant near the city of Qom that will house an estimated 3,000 machines. U.S. officials have said the Qom facility, which was discovered in 2007, is a clear sign Iran's nuclear program is geared toward producing weapons, because the facility is too small for nonmilitary uranium enrichment.
Iran also continued work last year on a heavy water research reactor.
On missiles, the report said Iran is building more short- and medium-range ballistic missiles and stated that "producing more capable medium-range ballistic missiles remains one of its highest priorities."
Three test flights of a new 1,240-mile-range Sejil missile were conducted in 2009, the report said, noting that assistance from China, North Korea and Russia "helped move Iran toward self-sufficiency in the production of ballistic missiles."
The report also said that Iran has the capability of producing both chemical and biological weapons, and Tehran continued to seek dual-use technology for its bioweapons program.
Newsmax:
CIA: Iran Capable of Producing Nukes
Tuesday, 30 Mar 2010
By: Bill Gertz
Iran is poised to begin producing nuclear weapons after its uranium program expansion in 2009, even though it has had problems with thousands of its centrifuges, according to a newly released CIA report.
"Iran continues to develop a range of capabilities that could be applied to producing nuclear weapons, if a decision is made to do so," the annual report to Congress states.
A U.S. official involved in countering weapons proliferation said the Iranians are "keeping the door open to the possibility of building a nuclear weapon."
"That's in spite of strong international pressure not to do so, and some difficulties they themselves seem to be having with their nuclear program," the official said. "There are powerful incentives for them to close the door completely, but they are either purposefully ignoring them or are tone deaf. You almost want to shout, 'Tune in Tehran.'"
The CIA report is the latest official study expressing concern over Iran's continuing nuclear activities. The International Atomic Energy Agency on March 3 issued a report warning that continuing nuclear activities in violation of U.N. resolutions raise "concerns about the possible existence in Iran of past or current undisclosed activities related to the development of a nuclear payload for a missile."
The U.S. report was produced by the CIA Weapons Intelligence, Nonproliferation and Arms Control Center, known as WINPAC. It is called the 721 report for the section of a 1997 intelligence authorization law requiring it.
The report also says that North Korea, based on a nuclear test in May 2009, now "has the capability to produce nuclear weapons with a yield of roughly a couple of kilotons TNT equivalent." A kiloton is a measure of a nuclear bomb's power and is equal to 1,000 tons of TNT.
On Iran, the report says that it is "keeping open" its options for building nuclear arms, "though we do not know whether Tehran eventually will decide to produce nuclear weapons."
The report reflects the published conclusion of a controversial 2007 National Intelligence Estimate that stated Iran had halted work on nuclear weapons in 2003. The report, posted on the Office of the Director of National Intelligence Web site, was written before a new National Intelligence Estimate on Iran's nuclear program, which is nearing completion and is expected to revise the earlier estimate, although details have not been disclosed.
According to the report, Iran expanded nuclear infrastructure and uranium enrichment in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions that since 2006 have called on Tehran to halt the enrichment.
During the first 11 months of last year, the main uranium-enrichment facility at Natanz produced about 1.8 tons of low-enriched uranium hexafluoride, compared with about half a ton the previous year.
The number of centrifuges at Natanz increased from about 5,000 to 8,700 last year, although the number reported to be working is about 3,900, indicating the Iranians are having problems with the machines. The centrifuges enrich uranium gas by spinning it at high speeds.
Last year, Iran disclosed it is building a second gas-centrifuge plant near the city of Qom that will house an estimated 3,000 machines. U.S. officials have said the Qom facility, which was discovered in 2007, is a clear sign Iran's nuclear program is geared toward producing weapons, because the facility is too small for nonmilitary uranium enrichment.
Iran also continued work last year on a heavy water research reactor.
On missiles, the report said Iran is building more short- and medium-range ballistic missiles and stated that "producing more capable medium-range ballistic missiles remains one of its highest priorities."
Three test flights of a new 1,240-mile-range Sejil missile were conducted in 2009, the report said, noting that assistance from China, North Korea and Russia "helped move Iran toward self-sufficiency in the production of ballistic missiles."
The report also said that Iran has the capability of producing both chemical and biological weapons, and Tehran continued to seek dual-use technology for its bioweapons program.
"The mental attitude of many Americans is turning meaner"
This from the Minutemen
Newsmax:
Border-Guarding Minutemen Disband
Tuesday, 30 Mar 2010
By: Ben Conery and Jerry Seper
The Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, which posted hundreds of civilian volunteers along the U.S.-Mexico border over the past five years, has disbanded, citing what it called "rising aggression" in the country and decisions by lawmakers in Washington who have "pushed amnesty down our throats."
"The mental attitude of many Americans is turning meaner … and we are concerned that this could cause problems," MCDC President Carmen Mercer told The Washington Times on Monday. "You see aggression surfacing even at the tea party marches. We just did not want to deal with the liability anymore.
"We have to protect the ranchers as well as the volunteers," Ms. Mercer said, noting the killing on Saturday of Robert Krentz, a prominent Douglas, Ariz., rancher who was shot along with his dog on his ranch by a suspected illegal immigrant who fled into Mexico and remains a fugitive.
Born in April 2005, the MCDC — originally known as the Minuteman Project — called for the U.S. military to be assigned to protect the southwestern border from terrorists, illegal immigrants and drug smugglers; sought increased manpower for the U.S. Border Patrol; and opposed the granting of amnesty to the millions of illegals who already have entered the country.
The MCDC vowed to fight a proposal by President Obama to try to get a bipartisan immigration bill passed this year that would establish a path to legal status for the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in the country.
At one point, the organization had a roster of about 12,000 members. In May 2005, then-U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Robert C. Bonner praised the Minuteman movement, saying it was aiding the effort to prevent terrorists and terrorist weapons from entering the country by reducing the flow of illegal immigrants and disrupting smuggling operations.
Mr. Bonner said the volunteers brought significant press attention to the issue of illegal immigration and proposed that the government work with the Minutemen in patrolling the border.
Within days, the Department of Homeland Security rejected the proposal outright, saying it wasn't going to happen.
The MCDC announcement that it was dissolving came as a surprise to many in the movement, particularly in light of pronouncements by Ms. Mercer earlier this month that the organization was looking for more volunteers this year to show up on the border "locked and loaded."
"This muster will be completely different. … We return to the border locked, loaded and ready to stop each and every individual we encounter along the frontier that is now more dangerous than the frontier of Afghanistan," she said in a March 16 posting on the MCDC Web site. "This operation will not be for the faint of heart."
In that message, Ms. Mercer said MCDC volunteers would "forcefully engage, detain and defend our lives and country from the criminals who trample over our culture and laws" and would be encouraged to carry rifles — a practice that previously had been banned.
"From the surveillance videos we have gathered in the field over the past six months, it is more than evident the violators of our borders seem to have been given carte blanche permission to willfully violate our public safety," the message said.
She also said that the MCDC volunteers would be returning to the border to tell Mr. Obama that his immigration policy is wrong and to send a message to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano that she is "an unqualified buffoon who risks the lives of American citizens every day she is the head of DHS."
"This time we will not be tempered by political correctness; every single individual we encounter will be apprehended by Border Patrol with our help — even those who dare enter our country armed will be stopped and challenged," she said. "Political correctness is a fad of the past. This is for the survival of this great Republic."
On Monday, Ms. Mercer acknowledged that the response she had received to the March 16 Web site call prompted the decision to dissolve the MCDC. She said many people who had not answered e-mails for years wanted to come on board because of the "locked and loaded" edict.
Even though she said the organization's 2010 standard operating procedures were legal, she was concerned that "one bad apple" could destroy everything the organization has worked to achieve along the border over the past several years. Since its founding in April 2005, there has not been an incident along the border involving the MCDC volunteers and illegal immigrants.
Although the responses were overwhelmingly positive, she said, it was obvious that "many had decided to return to the border who had tired of the sometimes futile watch-and-observe methods. It showed me that people are not willing to be silenced anymore; it also showed me that people will be less likely to follow the rules of engagement in a desperate attempt to stop the criminals who violate our borders every day.
"That is not what we want, and we cannot take the responsibility for this," she said.
Federal border enforcement officials did not comment specifically about the disbanding of MCDC but released a statement suggesting that they will not be unhappy to see the group go.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection "does not endorse or support any private group or organization from taking matters into their own hands, as it could have disastrous personal and public safety consequences," CBP spokesman Steven Cribby said. "CBP appreciates the efforts of concerned citizens as they act as our eyes and ears, but it is important that they leave the enforcement to us."
Ms. Mercer, a Tombstone, Ariz., restaurant owner, said that although MCDC was dissolving, the organization's chapters and various offshoot groups would continue to organize border watches. She blamed Republican lawmakers such as Sens. John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina for offering to work with Mr. Obama on immigration policy and weakening border controls.
Messages left Monday seeking comment from the offices of Mr. McCain and Mr. Graham were not returned.
Newsmax:
Border-Guarding Minutemen Disband
Tuesday, 30 Mar 2010
By: Ben Conery and Jerry Seper
The Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, which posted hundreds of civilian volunteers along the U.S.-Mexico border over the past five years, has disbanded, citing what it called "rising aggression" in the country and decisions by lawmakers in Washington who have "pushed amnesty down our throats."
"The mental attitude of many Americans is turning meaner … and we are concerned that this could cause problems," MCDC President Carmen Mercer told The Washington Times on Monday. "You see aggression surfacing even at the tea party marches. We just did not want to deal with the liability anymore.
"We have to protect the ranchers as well as the volunteers," Ms. Mercer said, noting the killing on Saturday of Robert Krentz, a prominent Douglas, Ariz., rancher who was shot along with his dog on his ranch by a suspected illegal immigrant who fled into Mexico and remains a fugitive.
Born in April 2005, the MCDC — originally known as the Minuteman Project — called for the U.S. military to be assigned to protect the southwestern border from terrorists, illegal immigrants and drug smugglers; sought increased manpower for the U.S. Border Patrol; and opposed the granting of amnesty to the millions of illegals who already have entered the country.
The MCDC vowed to fight a proposal by President Obama to try to get a bipartisan immigration bill passed this year that would establish a path to legal status for the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in the country.
At one point, the organization had a roster of about 12,000 members. In May 2005, then-U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Robert C. Bonner praised the Minuteman movement, saying it was aiding the effort to prevent terrorists and terrorist weapons from entering the country by reducing the flow of illegal immigrants and disrupting smuggling operations.
Mr. Bonner said the volunteers brought significant press attention to the issue of illegal immigration and proposed that the government work with the Minutemen in patrolling the border.
Within days, the Department of Homeland Security rejected the proposal outright, saying it wasn't going to happen.
The MCDC announcement that it was dissolving came as a surprise to many in the movement, particularly in light of pronouncements by Ms. Mercer earlier this month that the organization was looking for more volunteers this year to show up on the border "locked and loaded."
"This muster will be completely different. … We return to the border locked, loaded and ready to stop each and every individual we encounter along the frontier that is now more dangerous than the frontier of Afghanistan," she said in a March 16 posting on the MCDC Web site. "This operation will not be for the faint of heart."
In that message, Ms. Mercer said MCDC volunteers would "forcefully engage, detain and defend our lives and country from the criminals who trample over our culture and laws" and would be encouraged to carry rifles — a practice that previously had been banned.
"From the surveillance videos we have gathered in the field over the past six months, it is more than evident the violators of our borders seem to have been given carte blanche permission to willfully violate our public safety," the message said.
She also said that the MCDC volunteers would be returning to the border to tell Mr. Obama that his immigration policy is wrong and to send a message to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano that she is "an unqualified buffoon who risks the lives of American citizens every day she is the head of DHS."
"This time we will not be tempered by political correctness; every single individual we encounter will be apprehended by Border Patrol with our help — even those who dare enter our country armed will be stopped and challenged," she said. "Political correctness is a fad of the past. This is for the survival of this great Republic."
On Monday, Ms. Mercer acknowledged that the response she had received to the March 16 Web site call prompted the decision to dissolve the MCDC. She said many people who had not answered e-mails for years wanted to come on board because of the "locked and loaded" edict.
Even though she said the organization's 2010 standard operating procedures were legal, she was concerned that "one bad apple" could destroy everything the organization has worked to achieve along the border over the past several years. Since its founding in April 2005, there has not been an incident along the border involving the MCDC volunteers and illegal immigrants.
Although the responses were overwhelmingly positive, she said, it was obvious that "many had decided to return to the border who had tired of the sometimes futile watch-and-observe methods. It showed me that people are not willing to be silenced anymore; it also showed me that people will be less likely to follow the rules of engagement in a desperate attempt to stop the criminals who violate our borders every day.
"That is not what we want, and we cannot take the responsibility for this," she said.
Federal border enforcement officials did not comment specifically about the disbanding of MCDC but released a statement suggesting that they will not be unhappy to see the group go.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection "does not endorse or support any private group or organization from taking matters into their own hands, as it could have disastrous personal and public safety consequences," CBP spokesman Steven Cribby said. "CBP appreciates the efforts of concerned citizens as they act as our eyes and ears, but it is important that they leave the enforcement to us."
Ms. Mercer, a Tombstone, Ariz., restaurant owner, said that although MCDC was dissolving, the organization's chapters and various offshoot groups would continue to organize border watches. She blamed Republican lawmakers such as Sens. John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina for offering to work with Mr. Obama on immigration policy and weakening border controls.
Messages left Monday seeking comment from the offices of Mr. McCain and Mr. Graham were not returned.
Tea Party
Newsmax:
Tea Party Now More Important than GOP
Monday, 29 Mar 2010
By: David A. Patten
Grass-roots tea party activists are on the verge of triggering another "Reagan revolution," and have actually begun to overshadow the GOP in importance, according to conservative historian and author Craig Shirley.
"The incredible explosion of government and the concentration of power in Washington, the money and the lobbyists, should give alarm to any traditional conservative, whether its Barry Goldwater or Bill Buckley or Ronald Reagan," Shirley says during an exclusive interview with Newsmax.TV's Kathleen Walter.
Shirley, the CEO and president of Shirley & Banister Public Affairs, has written a new book, "Rendezvous With Destiny: Ronald Reagan and the Campaign That Changed America," with a foreword by columnist George F. Will.
Shirley says eight years of governance by Republicans who veered away from conservative principles set the stage for Reagan's emergence. And during the George W. Bush years, Shirley says, the GOP repeated its mistake of transforming itself into "the second big-government party in America."
The public relations expert who worked in the Reagan campaign says he sees many parallels between the modern tea party movement and the forces that brought Reagan to power.
"That came about because conservatives were so dismayed at what had happened to the Republican Party," Shirley says of the Reagan years. "We have a natural outgrowth again with the tea party movement of populist, optimistic conservatives who have become very concerned about both political parties."
He adds that Reagan "would have been very skeptical" of President Obama's healthcare reforms and other initiatives, which are based on the notion that "government knows best."
Shirley says that in many ways the tea party movement "has overtaken the Republican Party." As evidence, he cites the grass-roots organizations' ability to draw hundreds of thousands of rally-goers to the Nation's Capital.
"You have to ask yourself one question: Could the Republican Party turn those numbers out on the Mall here in Washington? The answer, I think everybody would agree, is no," Shirley concludes. "So right now, in many ways, the tea party movement is more formidable, and more important, than the Republican Party establishment is itself."
Shirley says the GOP should focus "on mending relations with the tea party, and making amends for the mistakes of the last eight years."
Asked whether the Republican Party should embrace the Reagan mantle, or find a new way forward, Shirley says he's given that matter a great deal of thought.
"I've come to the conclusion, whether through my faith or my belief in enlightenment, that freedom is the inherent destiny of all people, especially here in this country. And that government poses the most direct threat to that freedom today," he says. "I put my faith in the American people, and the individual dignity and privacy of the American individual today, so I come down firmly on the side of the citizenry over the state."
Shirley also offered Republicans some free public relations advice for the midterm elections. Running against healthcare reform, he said, is only half of the equation needed to win big at the ballot box in November.
By way of precedent, Shirley pointed to the 1994 Contract With America.
"Opposition is never enough," he says. "You have to answer the other side of the equation, which is, 'OK, buddy when you're in power what are you going to do?' That's where the Contract was so brilliant, because it gave Republicans something to point to and say, 'If you put us into power … here's what we're going to do.' Republicans have yet to answer the other side of the equation."
Shirley says Republicans must propose ideas that are within the framework of true conservatism and that will better meet people's needs.
Human Events:
Media Misrepresents Tea Party Movement
by Christian Toto
03/30/2010
Remember when Tea Party members were racist, homophobic haters who opposed President Barack Obama for the color of his skin, not his policies?
That’s yesterday’s news. Turns out, the Tea Party is a violent militia aimed at hurting anyone who doesn’t see eye-to-eye with its warped worldview. And Republicans are guilty by association.
Just ask Democrats like Steny Hoyer and James Clyburn or read reports in the mainstream media.
Rep. Hoyer (D-Md.), the House majority leader, recently demanded Republicans speak out against the violence, which so far is seemingly non-existent. It’s as absurd as someone being told to denounce murder or other egregious acts. But in political circles such requests can be profoundly effective.
“The bottom line is we need to be very careful in public life that our rhetoric does not turn into incitement," Hoyer told CBS' "The Early Show" on March 25. Hoyer didn’t seem so worked up during President George W. Bush’s two terms in office, a time when the rhetoric couldn’t have been nastier.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also called for the GOP to reject such behavior, a great way to prolong the story and help voters forget about the Obamacare bill bullied into law. And, sure enough, several Republicans did just that.
Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) went one step further than his Democratic colleagues, saying Republicans were “aiding and abetting this kind of terrorism.”
Such accusations are commonplace in liberal circles, but some don’t pass the smell test.
Take Rep. John Lewis, who recently accused Tea Party members of using the “N” word 15 times when he and members of the Congressional Black Caucus walked through a Tea Party protest.
No video or audio currently exists to back him up. And in today’s media saturated world, every other person is wielding some sort of video camera. Even members of the Caucus’s entourage had cameras in hand to capture the event.
Where’s the proof?
Such unfair accusations against both the Tea Party and the GOP work on a number of levels. First and foremost, they help stifle dissent, and that’s crucial at a time when polling figures show a majority of Americans want to keep fighting Obamacare.
The attacks also serve as a great fundraising item, an effort already underway by lusty Democrats eager to pounce on a few random incidents as proof that their opponents care more about violence than sound fiscal policy.
The politicians get away with such flim-flam rhetoric, in part, because they have the mainstream media on their side. It’s one thing for a politician to make an outrageous claim. It’s quite another for said claim to spark a media meme.
Or, in the case of conservatives, dig up the old playbook and riff through the most dog-eared pages. The Tea Party equals violence stories have lit up the media in recent days, and only the return of Tiger Woods to the Masters threatens to dislodge it from the front pages.
CNN covered Palin’s Tea Party appearances over the weekend, complete with the banner “Inciting violence?”
Sometimes, a Tea Party member can simply exercise his 1st Amendment rights and still get tarred and feathered by biased reporters. Consider this Washington Post story lead paragraph about one Tea Party protester standing up to Obamacare:
“He had no plans to throw bricks, issue death threats, spit in faces or scream racial slurs. But Randy Millam, 52, intended to make a scene, so he woke up early Thursday morning to prepare for President Obama's visit.”
How lucky for the newspaper to find the one Tea Party member not wielding a brick, stone or racial epithet.
The mainstream media also does its level best to play down assaults at GOP members.
When Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) led the firm opposition against Obamacare, he told the press he had to unplug his phones to avoid the barrage of obscene calls directed at him. That didn’t make headlines, but when he switched his vote and sparked similar calls from those against the healthcare bill it sure did.
Back in 2008, anti-GOP protestors at the party’s convention in Minneapolis hurled bricks at store windows and dropped sand bags off of highway overpasses. Former Gov. Sarah Palin has been the target of Tweet threats. More recently, bricks crashed through the GOP headquarters near Charlottesville, Va., and shots were fired through the window of Virginia GOP Rep. Eric Cantor’s office. A Philadelphia man was arrested March 29 on charges he threatened to kill the GOP minority whip.
Did any of the above transform into a running theme the media teased for all it was worth?
Perhaps the best example of how the MSM only covers the violence it deems important came last year when a black Tea Party protestor named Kenneth Gladney was allegedly assaulted by union thugs.
Reporters avoided the story, as did black civil rights leaders like Rev. Al Sharpton. No protest marches were sparked by the incident. And when charges were formally filed in the assault case, the story still couldn’t sneak through the MSM filters.
As long as the Democrats and MSM continue to tag team against the Tea Party movement and conservative Americans, voters will struggle to remember just what the deeply flawed Obamacare legislation is all about.
Tea Party Now More Important than GOP
Monday, 29 Mar 2010
By: David A. Patten
Grass-roots tea party activists are on the verge of triggering another "Reagan revolution," and have actually begun to overshadow the GOP in importance, according to conservative historian and author Craig Shirley.
"The incredible explosion of government and the concentration of power in Washington, the money and the lobbyists, should give alarm to any traditional conservative, whether its Barry Goldwater or Bill Buckley or Ronald Reagan," Shirley says during an exclusive interview with Newsmax.TV's Kathleen Walter.
Shirley, the CEO and president of Shirley & Banister Public Affairs, has written a new book, "Rendezvous With Destiny: Ronald Reagan and the Campaign That Changed America," with a foreword by columnist George F. Will.
Shirley says eight years of governance by Republicans who veered away from conservative principles set the stage for Reagan's emergence. And during the George W. Bush years, Shirley says, the GOP repeated its mistake of transforming itself into "the second big-government party in America."
The public relations expert who worked in the Reagan campaign says he sees many parallels between the modern tea party movement and the forces that brought Reagan to power.
"That came about because conservatives were so dismayed at what had happened to the Republican Party," Shirley says of the Reagan years. "We have a natural outgrowth again with the tea party movement of populist, optimistic conservatives who have become very concerned about both political parties."
He adds that Reagan "would have been very skeptical" of President Obama's healthcare reforms and other initiatives, which are based on the notion that "government knows best."
Shirley says that in many ways the tea party movement "has overtaken the Republican Party." As evidence, he cites the grass-roots organizations' ability to draw hundreds of thousands of rally-goers to the Nation's Capital.
"You have to ask yourself one question: Could the Republican Party turn those numbers out on the Mall here in Washington? The answer, I think everybody would agree, is no," Shirley concludes. "So right now, in many ways, the tea party movement is more formidable, and more important, than the Republican Party establishment is itself."
Shirley says the GOP should focus "on mending relations with the tea party, and making amends for the mistakes of the last eight years."
Asked whether the Republican Party should embrace the Reagan mantle, or find a new way forward, Shirley says he's given that matter a great deal of thought.
"I've come to the conclusion, whether through my faith or my belief in enlightenment, that freedom is the inherent destiny of all people, especially here in this country. And that government poses the most direct threat to that freedom today," he says. "I put my faith in the American people, and the individual dignity and privacy of the American individual today, so I come down firmly on the side of the citizenry over the state."
Shirley also offered Republicans some free public relations advice for the midterm elections. Running against healthcare reform, he said, is only half of the equation needed to win big at the ballot box in November.
By way of precedent, Shirley pointed to the 1994 Contract With America.
"Opposition is never enough," he says. "You have to answer the other side of the equation, which is, 'OK, buddy when you're in power what are you going to do?' That's where the Contract was so brilliant, because it gave Republicans something to point to and say, 'If you put us into power … here's what we're going to do.' Republicans have yet to answer the other side of the equation."
Shirley says Republicans must propose ideas that are within the framework of true conservatism and that will better meet people's needs.
Human Events:
Media Misrepresents Tea Party Movement
by Christian Toto
03/30/2010
Remember when Tea Party members were racist, homophobic haters who opposed President Barack Obama for the color of his skin, not his policies?
That’s yesterday’s news. Turns out, the Tea Party is a violent militia aimed at hurting anyone who doesn’t see eye-to-eye with its warped worldview. And Republicans are guilty by association.
Just ask Democrats like Steny Hoyer and James Clyburn or read reports in the mainstream media.
Rep. Hoyer (D-Md.), the House majority leader, recently demanded Republicans speak out against the violence, which so far is seemingly non-existent. It’s as absurd as someone being told to denounce murder or other egregious acts. But in political circles such requests can be profoundly effective.
“The bottom line is we need to be very careful in public life that our rhetoric does not turn into incitement," Hoyer told CBS' "The Early Show" on March 25. Hoyer didn’t seem so worked up during President George W. Bush’s two terms in office, a time when the rhetoric couldn’t have been nastier.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also called for the GOP to reject such behavior, a great way to prolong the story and help voters forget about the Obamacare bill bullied into law. And, sure enough, several Republicans did just that.
Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) went one step further than his Democratic colleagues, saying Republicans were “aiding and abetting this kind of terrorism.”
Such accusations are commonplace in liberal circles, but some don’t pass the smell test.
Take Rep. John Lewis, who recently accused Tea Party members of using the “N” word 15 times when he and members of the Congressional Black Caucus walked through a Tea Party protest.
No video or audio currently exists to back him up. And in today’s media saturated world, every other person is wielding some sort of video camera. Even members of the Caucus’s entourage had cameras in hand to capture the event.
Where’s the proof?
Such unfair accusations against both the Tea Party and the GOP work on a number of levels. First and foremost, they help stifle dissent, and that’s crucial at a time when polling figures show a majority of Americans want to keep fighting Obamacare.
The attacks also serve as a great fundraising item, an effort already underway by lusty Democrats eager to pounce on a few random incidents as proof that their opponents care more about violence than sound fiscal policy.
The politicians get away with such flim-flam rhetoric, in part, because they have the mainstream media on their side. It’s one thing for a politician to make an outrageous claim. It’s quite another for said claim to spark a media meme.
Or, in the case of conservatives, dig up the old playbook and riff through the most dog-eared pages. The Tea Party equals violence stories have lit up the media in recent days, and only the return of Tiger Woods to the Masters threatens to dislodge it from the front pages.
CNN covered Palin’s Tea Party appearances over the weekend, complete with the banner “Inciting violence?”
Sometimes, a Tea Party member can simply exercise his 1st Amendment rights and still get tarred and feathered by biased reporters. Consider this Washington Post story lead paragraph about one Tea Party protester standing up to Obamacare:
“He had no plans to throw bricks, issue death threats, spit in faces or scream racial slurs. But Randy Millam, 52, intended to make a scene, so he woke up early Thursday morning to prepare for President Obama's visit.”
How lucky for the newspaper to find the one Tea Party member not wielding a brick, stone or racial epithet.
The mainstream media also does its level best to play down assaults at GOP members.
When Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) led the firm opposition against Obamacare, he told the press he had to unplug his phones to avoid the barrage of obscene calls directed at him. That didn’t make headlines, but when he switched his vote and sparked similar calls from those against the healthcare bill it sure did.
Back in 2008, anti-GOP protestors at the party’s convention in Minneapolis hurled bricks at store windows and dropped sand bags off of highway overpasses. Former Gov. Sarah Palin has been the target of Tweet threats. More recently, bricks crashed through the GOP headquarters near Charlottesville, Va., and shots were fired through the window of Virginia GOP Rep. Eric Cantor’s office. A Philadelphia man was arrested March 29 on charges he threatened to kill the GOP minority whip.
Did any of the above transform into a running theme the media teased for all it was worth?
Perhaps the best example of how the MSM only covers the violence it deems important came last year when a black Tea Party protestor named Kenneth Gladney was allegedly assaulted by union thugs.
Reporters avoided the story, as did black civil rights leaders like Rev. Al Sharpton. No protest marches were sparked by the incident. And when charges were formally filed in the assault case, the story still couldn’t sneak through the MSM filters.
As long as the Democrats and MSM continue to tag team against the Tea Party movement and conservative Americans, voters will struggle to remember just what the deeply flawed Obamacare legislation is all about.
The Only Proper Way to Wear a Niqab
From Planck's Constant:Yes! Nearly naked burqa gals can be viewed here (WARNING NSFW).A niqab (meaning mask in Arabic) is a veil covering the face and worn by some Muslim women as part of their hijab. The niqab is most common in the Arab countries of the Persian Gulf and in Pakistan.
Muslim girls from certain sects of Islam are advised to begin wearing the niqab as soon as pubic hairs begin to show. Now I think this is rather silly since the niqab does not hide pubic hairs. It would make more sense to require the niqab as soon as Muslim women begin to sport facial hairs.
Reader Hank Hyena (and blogger at Hedonist Futurist) sent me this photo of the only proper way to wear the niqab:
If Muslim men had this relationship with their women I would not write nasty things about burqas.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Iran believed developing S-300 variant aided by Russian contractors
Iran was believed to have been receiving Russian help to develop a variant of the advanced S-300 surface-to-air missile.Western intelligence sources said Iran was contracting with Russia for the transfer of S-300 SAM technology. The sources said the technology and expertise provided by Russian engineers would enable Teheran to develop an S-300 variant while claiming that the system was indigenous.
"Russia is under heavy U.S. and Israeli pressure not to export the S-300PMU1," a Western intelligence source said. "Instead, Moscow has quietly allowed Russian engineers connected to the S-300 program to work with Iran to develop a variant."
The sources said the purported Russian effort was believed to have begun in 2009 amid delays in transferring the S-300. They said Teheran demanded SAM technology for an Iranian variant of the S-300 interceptor.
"It is believed that Iran already has an S-300 radar," the source said.
Over the last few months, the Iranian Defense Ministry has reported the development of an indigenous air and missile defense system. Iranian Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi said the program would eliminate the need to procure Russia's S-300.
"Essentially, it is not necessary for us to produce S-300 missiles only," Vahidi said. "The Defense Ministry and Armed Forces Logistics will design and manufacture what they want."
Since 2005, Iran has sought the S-300, designed to intercept aircraft at a range of up to 120 kilometers. Teheran said the S-300 project called for the delivery of the first systems by April 2009 in an effort to counter any Israeli or U.S. air strike.
"If they do not deliver S-300 defensive system to us, we have replacements and we can supply our operational requirements through innovative techniques and different designs," Iranian Air Force Maj. Gen. Hassan Mansourian, head of the air defense base at Khatam Anbia, said.
The Western sources said Iran has used recent air and ground exercises to help determine the requirements of its planned S-300 variant. They said Iran has already acquired the capability to produce short-range mobile SAM systems based on Russian platforms.
Still, a Russian defense specialist dismissed the prospect that Iran, even with quiet help from Moscow, could quickly develop a long-range SAM system. Vladimir Yevseyev, a senior researcher at the Russian Academy of Sciences, asserted that Iranian technology and expertise fell significantly short of what was required to produce an S-300 variant.
"Iran is unable to build these complexes because of its serious technological lag," Yevseyev said. "Nor is it likely to acquire such capability in the next five years."
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Speaking of evil tea party threatening violence....
Man arrested for Eric Cantor death threat
WITH SPECIAL UPDATE FOR MEAT POPSICLE MONTANAFederal authorities have arrested a Philadelphia man and charged him with threatening to kill House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) and his family.
Norman Leboon will be charged with two federal counts: threatening to kill a member of Congress and interfering with his federal duties, and posting video online containing such threats. He is scheduled to appear in federal district court in Philadelphia on Monday afternoon.
The arrest is the most serious in a string of threats of violence against lawmakers in wake of the divisive health care vote. At least 10 Democrats along with a handful of Republicans, including Cantor, reported threats of violence during the past week.
Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0310/35152.html#ixzz0jbTvqKaq
But keep on going out there on the left ......
This is not some problem from the right, ESPECIALLY since the tea party is DEAD CENTER AMERICA.
There are whackos everywhere, supporting everything, from right to left, you know, sort of like Obama's good buddy,.. Bill Ayers. The one who helps to create national curricula.
I don't know of a parallel on the right. It would have to be someone like a KKK chief, like Robert Byrd, I suppose ...oh wait..
UPDATE ON THE ARRESTED INDIVIDUAL:
The U.S. Attorney in Philadelphia released this statement today. The text of an accompanying affidavit is also below. TPM's ongoing coverage of the story is here.
PRESS RELEASE
PHILADELPHIA - Today, a two-count complaint and warrant was filed charging Norman Leboon with threatening to kill United States Congressman Eric Cantor and his family, and threatening to kill Congressman Eric Cantor, who is an official of the United States, announced United States Attorney Michael L. Levy and FBI Special Agent in Charge Jan Fedarcyk. As set forth in the affidavit to the complaint and warrant, in or about late March, 2010, Leboon created and then transmitted a YouTube video to Google over the internet, in which he threatened to kill Congressman Cantor and his family. No harm came to the Congressman or his family as a result of Leboon's threats.
An Obama donor, and a person of a certain religious persuasion.
Does it mean anything Montana?
Does it mean the leaders of the left are boorish commanders of mindless dullards poised over their Qurans to kill the jews in congress not sufficiently progressive?
Your ideas are a farce of inexperienced wishful hate thinking
Rand Study: Health premiums could rise 17 pct for young adults
Get AP's slant on this.. they just cannot bear to deal with it:
Health insurance premiums for young adults are expected to rise about 17 percent once they're required to buy insurance four years from now. That estimate is from an analysis by Rand Health.So when more people end up on dad's insurance no cost is attached to that?Young people will need to carry more of the burden of health care under the new health overhaul law. The new law limits an industry practice of charging older customers more.
Even so, the pluses could outweigh the minuses. Some 2 million people under age 26 should qualify for coverage under their parents' health plans. And Medicaid expansion will insure 9 million more young adults.
The left CONTINUES to insist Obama is a WONDERBOY opposed only by brownshirted racists !
The 'if you oppose Obamacare you're a racist', 'tea party=storm trooper' crowd:
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Frank Rich
The Nation
Helene Cooper
Henry Porter
Peter Beinart
Stanley Crouch
The Nation
Helene Cooper
Henry Porter
Peter Beinart
Stanley Crouch
The foreign policy delusion crowd
Forget the war Islamist morons are waging...
There is a REAL still civil, CIVIL war going on here not just over politics, but over what REALITY is
There is a REAL still civil, CIVIL war going on here not just over politics, but over what REALITY is
Assploding Irony: Famed Global Warming Activist Freezes to Death in Antarctica
From Weasel Zippers:And if freezing to death wasn't enough irony, he was attempting to film the "devastation brought on by global warming"...
Famed global warming activist James Schneider and a journalist friend were both found frozen to death on Saturday, about 90 miles from South Pole Station, by the pilot of a ski plane practicing emergency evacuation procedures."I couldn't believe what I was seeing", recounted the pilot, Jimmy Dolittle. "There were two snowmobiles with cargo sleds, a tent, and a bright orange rope that had been laid out on the ice, forming the words, 'HELP-COLD'."
One friend of Prof. Schneider told ecoEnquirer that he had been planning a trip to an ice sheet to film the devastation brought on by global warming. His wife, Linda, said that she had heard him discussing the trip with his environmental activist friends, but she assumed that he was talking about the Greenland ice sheet, a much smaller ice sheet than Antarctica.
Arab League summit: Pro-Israel Berlusconi kisses Ghaddafi's hand
The fiercely pro-Israeli Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi was among the guests at the controversy-filled Arab League summit in Libya with the supposed aim of forming a unified strategy against Tel Aviv's illegal settlement plans in Palestinian territories.
At one point, according to reports, Berlusconi, whose country ruled Libya for over three decades after 1911, stooped to kiss Gaddafi's hand upon arrival at the summit.
Fourteen Arab leaders and three foreign quests attended the two-day summit, which kicked off on Saturday in the Mediterranean city of Sirte.
Italy has become a firm European supporter of Libya since a 2008 formal apology to Tripoli for the decades of colonial rule. The apology led to a number of accords which has cemented bilateral ties.
I thought that Moratinos was going to be noticeable for fooling himself.
Is this the result of old age or what?
(via).
Photo | Press.tv.
Cross-posted from T&P.
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Happy and sweet Passover in celebration of FREEDOM and as we say at the end.....
NEXT YEAR IN JERUSALEM, BARRY, YOU SCHMENDRICK
Spain: Moroccan man arrested for having his wife locked in an appartment in Viladecans
Catalan Autonomous police, Mossos d'Esquadra, have arrested a 39-year-old man as an alleged author of an illegal detention crime after having his wife locked in during more than a year, in a property in Viladecans (Barcelona), according to policial sources.
The victim, of Maghrebi origin, lived in the bottom floor of a property at Joan Fivell st. She only had access to a bedroom and a bathroom, where he leaved the wife alone and defenseless for days, according to Spanish newspaper ADN.
The Mossos received a call on Thursday informing that there was a woman who could be locked in an appartment there. Where they arrived at the scene, they discovered that the room had locks and ranges. The 27-year old woman, who was freed, told the officers, using an interpreter, that she has been locked for more than a year in that room.
The victim was evacuated to the Viladecan's Hospital because she suffered from anxiety and the social services took her to a shelter home. The Mossos arrested last Saturday night 39-years-old Mohammed K., on illegal detention charges.
via Detenido un hombre por encerrar a su mujer en casa durante más de un año - 20minutos.es.
Cross-posted from T&P.
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Moscow: Two Female Suicide Bombers Kill At Least 45 In Subway
Over 100 wounded.
I know you will be surprised when I tell you this; Muslims are the suspected attackers.
I know it's hard to believe, given the current climate of right-wing militia terror, but yes, somewhere out there, somewhere in the deepest darkest heart of Russia, there are still Islamic terrorists.
Who woulda thunk?
From Associated Press:
I know you will be surprised when I tell you this; Muslims are the suspected attackers.
I know it's hard to believe, given the current climate of right-wing militia terror, but yes, somewhere out there, somewhere in the deepest darkest heart of Russia, there are still Islamic terrorists.
Who woulda thunk?
From Associated Press:
MOSCOW – Two female suicide bombers blew themselves up Monday in twin attacks on Moscow subway stations jam-packed with rush-hour passengers, killing at least 37 people and wounding 102, officials said. They blamed the carnage on rebels from the Caucasus region.
The blasts come six years after Caucasus Islamic separatists carried out a pair of deadly Moscow subway strikes and raise concerns that the war has once again come to Russia's capital, amid militants' warnings of a renewed determination to push their fight.
Chechen rebels claimed responsibility for a deadly bombing late last year on a passenger train en route from Moscow to St. Petersburg.
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who built much of his political capital by directing a fierce war with Chechen separatists a decade ago, vowed Monday that "terrorists will be destroyed."
The first explosion took place just before 8 a.m. at the Lubyanka station in central Moscow. The station is underneath the building that houses the main offices of the Federal Security Service, or FSB, the KGB's main successor agency.
A second explosion hit the Park Kultury station about 45 minutes later.
"I heard a bang, turned my head and smoke was everywhere. People ran for the exits screaming," said 24-year-old Alexander Vakulov, who said he was on a train on the platform opposite the targeted train at Park Kultury.
"I saw a dead person for the first time in my life," said 19-year-old Valentin Popov, who had just arrived at the station from the opposite direction.
The iconic Moscow subway system is one of the world's busiest, carrying around 7 million passengers on an average workday, and is a key element in running the sprawling and traffic-choked city.
Russian police have killed several Islamic militant leaders in the North Caucasus recently, including one last week in the Kabardino-Balkariya region. The killing of Anzor Astemirov was mourned by contributors to two al-Qaida-affiliated Web sites.
The killings have raised fears of retaliatory strikes by the militants.
In February, Chechen rebel leader Doku Umarov warned in an interview on a rebel-affiliated Web site that "the zone of military operations will be extended to the territory of Russia ... the war is coming to their cities."
So I have now heard about the two main immediate benefits of the HC Bill
1) Children up to 26 can now be on daddy's insurance longer
2) Children with pre-existing conditions cannot be refused new coverage
Obama has challenged the republicans to repeal that.
They don't have to do a damned thing.
Besides the ending of write offs for Rx coverage for retirees on plans which the federal govt already just ended for corporations who fund Rx coverage for retirees (see here), Republicans should concentrate on asking what OTHER mandates the feds are going to come into the kitchen and demand you do, purchase or behave.
Maybe they think Canola oil mayo (yellow top) will have a beneficial effect that Olive oil won't (green top) and demand you purchase one jar per week and tell you the IRS will be going over receipts electronically as you SSN goes into all supermarket purchases as your healthy foods quotient is graded so that health expenses remain under control.
Reductio al absurdum?
Ok nevermind, repubs watch this.
If 1) above represents x hundred thousand - to x million 19-26 year old now suddenly covered, what happens to dad's premium?
If 2) above represents some truly UNKNOWN number, what happens to ALL premiums since there is no way to guess the true impact?
No qualitative judgment on good or bad here, JUST COSTS.
There is no point is having any unaffordable benefits. They will ultimately be a chimera.
"We pretend to work and they pretend to pay us"
Law of Nature
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Today's 2010 shocking headline:Arabs to unite against Israel at annual summit
Arab League Secretary Azzam Pasha on September 16, 1947:
The Arab world is not in a compromising mood. It's likely, Mr. Horowitz, that your plan is rational and logical, but the fate of nations is not decided by rational logic. Nations never concede; they fight. You won't get anything by peaceful means or compromise. You can, perhaps, get something, but only by the force of your arms. We shall try to defeat you. I am not sure we'll succeed, but we'll try. We were able to drive out the Crusaders, but on the other hand we lost Spain and Persia. It may be that we shall lose Palestine. But it's too late to talk of peaceful solutions
Later in 1947
The chairman of the Arab Higher Committee said the Arabs would "fight for every inch of their country. Two days later, the holy men of Al-Azhar University in Cairo called on the Muslim world to proclaim a jihad (holy war) against the Jews Jamal Husseini, the Arab Higher Committee's spokesman, had told the UN prior to the partition vote the Arabs would drench "the soil of our beloved country with the last drop of our blood . . . .
Andrei Gromyko said: The fact that no Western European State has been able to ensure the defense of the elementary rights of the Jewish people and to safeguard it against the violence of the fascist executioners explains the aspirations of the Jews to establish their own State. It would be unjust not to take this into consideration and to deny the right of the Jewish people to realize this aspiration
63 years later ...nothing is different
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