Saturday, April 30, 2011

The Dearborn Islamist Political Machine and Pastor Terry Jones

 
The non-violent actions of Terry Jones are being claimed as the cause for the threat of violence by Dearborn Michigan’s Islamist political machine. This is a clever lie. Terry Jones’ trial in Dearborn illustrates how the Dearborn Islamist community tried to blame Terry Jones for their illegal threats and potentially violent behavior. The Dearborn Chief of Police, Ron Haddad and Prosecutor Kym Worthy, did the bidding of the Islamist majority in that city, by enforcing Islamic Blasphemy laws, and negating Terry Jones’ and Wayne Sapp’s Constitutional First Amendment rights.   Jones is the victim of a direct assault on his First Amendment right to free speech by a municipality that is 46% Muslim. The Dearborn Islamist political machine should itself be on trial, for using the threat of violence to achieve a political end, by silencing Pastor Terry Jones and Rev. Wayne Sapp.
 
The Dearborn Islamist Machine
 
 
 
 
Prosecutor Kym Worthy.
 
 
Hassan Al-Qazwini.
 
 
Mayor O’Reilly.
 
During cross examination at the Pastor Terry Jones trial on April 23, 2011, Dearborn Police Chief Ron Haddad testified that Imam Al-Qazwini of the Islamic Center of America said, “that for some members of his Mosque, burning the Quran was considered a crime.” Wayne County Assistant Prosecutor Robert Moran, stated at the trial that Al-Qazwini said, “burning the Qur’an is worse than 1000 deaths. That’s what the citizens of this society believe.”  
 
Robert Spencer writes,
 
“Liaquat Ali Khan teaches commercial law, arbitration and international law at Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas. He argues that Muslims should petition Congress to outlaw the burning of the Qur'an because doing so incites violence -- in contrast to the burning of the American flag, which, he says, the Supreme Court declined to outlaw because "no disturbance of the peace actually occurred or threatened to occur." 
 
Pastor Terry Jones, according to court testimony, received 300-400 death threats related to his scheduled protest in front of the Islamic Center of America. Four of those death threats originated from the Detroit area and one of those four was traced by law enforcement officials to the South End of Dearborn Michigan. These death threats were ignored as an important element of this story, as reported by the mainstream press.
 
The only threats of violence were from the Islamist community. During cross examination by Rev. Wayne Sapp, Dearborn Police Chief Ron Haddad begrudgingly testified, that Pastor Terry Jones gave him no indication they were going to burn a Qur’an or do anything provocative or violent. Court records indicate Jones testified his intention was not to protest the Mosque but to protest Jihad and Shariah (Islamic Law).
 
Who is really guilty of inciting violence, the Muslim community with their threats, or Pastor Jones, by his actions?   Because it would be self defeating, I do not endorse the burning or desecration of the Qur’an. There are enough incriminating revelations from Allah himself in the Qur’an if anyone opens the book and reads the text.
 
Pastor Jones burned a book that was his own property. Jones, to my knowledge, has never threatened or harmed anyone. According to court testimony, Jones has a clean record and passed a government security check to obtain his concealed weapons permit. The First Amendment guarantees Jones freedom of speech and the right to peaceably assemble. How the Dearborn community responds is the sole responsibility of the community and government officials.
 
How individuals react to someone exercising their free speech falls squarely on the individual’s shoulders, regardless of race, religion, sex, creed, or national origin. Each person must take responsibility for their actions, according to the law in the USA. Al -Qazwini states Jones’ burning the Qur’an is considered a “crime” by some in his community. During court testimony Police Chief Haddad said he denied Jones’ permit for fear Muslim violence would occur. Chief Haddad came to that conclusion through discussions with Al-Qazwini and upon learning of the 300+ death threats against Terry Jones.
 
Liquat Ali Khan got it right when he implied that if you want to stop an offensive action, just threaten violence.
 
Dearborn Police Chief Haddad, Wayne County Prosecutor Moran, and Judge Somers’ responses to the Islamist communities’ threats of violence, violated Jones’ first Amendment Rights. Al-Qazwini said that what Terry Jones is doing is a crime in “our society.” Good Islamists are duty-bound to avenge a crime against Shariah Islam. Al-Qazwini accused Pastor Jones of committing a “crime” against Shariah Islamia. Judge Somers chose to acquiesce and in doing so failed to uphold American laws, which are the Supreme Law of the Land, not Shariah.  The judge also failed to acknowledge the Dearborn Muslim communities’ responsibility to observe American law.
 
The crime Al-Qazwini was referring to is blasphemy. The Dearborn Islamists claimed to be defending insults against Muhammad and Allah, by Terry Jones. They also believed he might continue to do so in the future.  The Imam or Sheikh is the supreme leader of the community in matters both civil and religious. Most all good Muslims will blindly follow their Imams’ directives to remain in good standing. The individual Muslim is under great pressure to conform or unthinkably lose their honor and standing in the eyes of their family and community. 
 
J.Mark Campbell filmed a juror who stated that the jury reached their guilty verdict by concluding that Jones’ protest, if allowed, could possibly be the spark that would ignite Dearborn’s Muslim community to violence or riot. The juror who said this was in violation of Judge Somers deliberation instructions.
 
Juror instructions by Judge Somers:
 
“Non violent expression of an unpopular or unwelcome political or religious belief, by itself, is not enough to find a Breach Of The Peace. Even if the expression of that belief causes someone else to react with anger or alarm.”
 
Judge Somers should have thrown out this case from the beginning. Judge Somers, Police Chief Haddad, Asst. Prosecutor Moran, Prosecutor Kym Worthy, should all be fired for violating their oaths of office to uphold the Constitution of the United States.
 
Terry Jones and Wayne Sapp knowingly or unknowingly exposed how far the city of Dearborn will go, to advocate on behalf of their Muslim majority. They did so by enforcing Shariah blasphemy laws because of fear, intimidation, and threats of violence. Terry Jones and Wayne Sapp challenged the Islamist machine in Dearborn, exposing how we must stand up against threats of violence to prevent a Shariah compliant outcome. Our Freedom of Speech is too precious and fragile to be disregarded and shredded by the Dearborn Islamist Political Machine.
 
The Thomas More Law Center is defending the First Amendment rights of Terry Jones and Wayne Sapp. The mainstream media and general public must demand that Islamists in Dearborn are held accountable for their threats of violence and riot. The strategic use of threatening violence by the Dearborn Islamist Political Machine to achieve a Shariah compliant political end, is the conversation we will have as this case moves forward.
 
 

Brotherhood to contest half of parliament’s seats

CAIRO — The once outlawed Muslim Brotherhood said Saturday its new political party will contest half of the seats in Egypt’s parliamentary elections in September, revealing plans to become a major force in the country’s post-revolution politics.

Egypt’s largest Islamic group and the best organized opposition movement during ousted President Hosni Mubarak’s three decades of autocratic rule sought to ease concerns that it is intent on bringing about an Islamist-dominated parliament.

( Khalil Hamra / Associated Press ) - Egyptian Secretary General of Muslim brotherhood Mahmoud Hussein, center, reads a statement in front of a banner that reads in Arabic “A press conference for the Muslim brotherhood about the decisions of the general Shura council” during a press conference in the Muslim brotherhood headquarters in Cairo, Egypt, April 30, 2011. The once outlawed Muslim Brotherhood says it will contest half of the seats in Egypt’s parliamentary elections in September, revealing plans to become a major force in the country’s post-revolution politics.
“This is not a religious party, not a theocratic party,” its newly named leader, Mahmoud Mosri, told reporters Saturday. He described the platform of his Freedom and Justice party as civil but with an Islamic background that adheres to the constitution.


read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/mubarak_to_face_death_penalty_if_convicted_of_ordering_shooting_of_protesters_says_minister/2011/04/30/AFqjHQKF_story.html?wprss=rss_homepage

Bill would ban courts from using 'foreign law'

- Staff Writer
 
RALEIGH -- A group of Republican legislators is backing a measure that would make it illegal for judges to consider "foreign law" when making rulings in North Carolina's courts.

Though the federal and state constitutions already guarantee the supremacy of U.S. law in domestic cases, primary sponsor Rep. George Cleveland said he is concerned that Shariah law could gain a foothold in American communities with sizable Muslim populations.

House Bill 640 makes no mention of the Islamic legal code. But Cleveland said Shariah would be defined as a "foreign law" under his bill, and therefore banned from North Carolina's courtrooms if the legislation he proposes is approved.


read more: http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/04/28/1159062/bill-would-ban-courts-from-using.html

Texas to consider Sharia Law ban

Shortly after the Texas Legislature convened in 2011, a bill was introduced to ban Sharia Law from consideration in the settlement of disputes. This ban will find its way to the ballot as a constitutional amendment in November, if passed by the Legislature.
Mike Williamson Sr.
Several other states in the union have passed, or are passing, similar laws to prevent the incursion of Sharia Law into our society. While the United States Constitution declares it to be the “supreme law of our land,” there have been no fewer than 11 court cases upholding Sharia Law agreements; even if the agreements were contrary to our Constitutional laws. To be fair, several of these lower court rulings were overturned on appeal, but the mere fact that any American judge would uphold Sharia Law agreements contrary to our own Constitution is cause for concern. read more: http://www.ennisdailynews.com/?p=10576

Florida pastor cuts Michigan protest short


DEARBORN, Michigan | Fri Apr 29, 2011
DEARBORN, Michigan (Reuters) - A controversial Florida pastor banned last week from protesting at a Detroit-area mosque on Friday cut short a demonstration at a city hall largely drowned out by counter-protesters.
Terry Jones, 59, had vowed to return this week, saying that his ban on demonstrating in front of the landmark Islamic Center of America in heavily muslim Dearborn had violated free speech protections of the Constitution.

"We are here today to speak out on issues that pertain to all American citizens," Jones said, using a wireless microphone at a podium set up at the top of the city hall steps.

Separate barricaded zones were created for Jones' protest on the steps of city hall and for counter-protesters across Michigan Avenue, a busy four-lane street. Jones' 75 supporters were outnumbered by about five-to-one.

Police were a visible presence on both sides of the street and on two rooftops across the street from city hall.
About an hour into his protest, Jones walked down the steps of city hall and approached Michigan Avenue, raising his arms as he continued his speech. About 150 people broke past a barrier and approached Jones and his group.

Some 30 police wearing helmets and protective gear stood shoulder-to-shoulder along the street in front of city hall and the event ended about 15 minutes later.

Dearborn Mayor John O'Reilly Jr. told reporters afterward that the event was stopped for security reasons.
"They asked him not to step toward the barricade and he did," O'Reilly said. "Our job is to serve and protect our community and that's what we did."

Three people were taken into custody and are expected to face misdemeanor charges, a Dearborn Police sergeant said.

Jones had scheduled three hours for the demonstration, but it ended after about 75 minutes and he was escorted by police to a waiting car. Dearborn Police had also picked Jones up at Detroit Metro Airport on Thursday.

Jones told reporters as he left he would return to Dearborn. He also said he had wanted the counter-protesters to join him in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.

Counter-demonstrators chanted "Terry Jones go home" and as Jones began speaking the driver of a large truck stopped in traffic on Michigan Avenue sounded its foghorn, setting off a cacophony of car horns that drowned out Jones' speech.

A largely unknown pastor until he courted publicity last year with threats to burn the Koran at his tiny fundamentalist church in Gainesville, Florida, Jones had said his planned protest last week was aimed at "radical Islam."

In March, Jones and Wayne Sapp, 42, staged and videotaped a mock "trial" for the Koran and burned a copy of the holy book, a gesture that prompted riots in Afghanistan and widespread condemnation in the U.S. and around the world.

On April 22, Jones and Sapp were jailed briefly after they refused to pay a $1 bond as ordered by District Court Judge Mark Somers. Somers also barred them from the vicinity of the Islamic Center mosque for three years.

Police in Dearborn denied Jones a permit to protest in front of the Islamic Center. He was tried under an obscure Michigan law dating to 1846 requiring people judged to present a risk to public order to post a "peace bond."

Dearborn's city hall was one of a handful of "free speech zones" where city officials indicated they would allow Jones to hold events. It is more than four miles from the Islamic Center, the largest mosque in the United States.

He has appealed the court's ruling and is represented in litigation by attorneys from the Thomas More Law Center, which is "dedicated to the defense and promotion of the religious freedom of Christians, time-honored family values, and the sanctity of human life," according to its web site.

The conservative law center has also represented Christian missionaries who were arrested in Dearborn last year.

(Additional reporting by Teri Murphy; Writing by David Bailey. Editing by Peter Bohan)


http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/30/us-protest-mosque-idUSTRE73S7MN20110430

ACLU Battles Wal-Mart Again over Medical Marijuana

Fri, Apr 29, 2011 1:21 pm





In November 2009 Joseph Casias was fired by Wal-Mart for testing positive for marijuana, which he uses legally to manage pain resulting from sinus cancer and an inoperable brain tumor.
 
Even though Casias is a legal medical marijuana patient in Michigan, Wal-Mart refused to rehire their former Associate of the Year.
 
Last summer the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) filed a suit against the company on Mr. Casias’ behalf, stating at the time, “No patient should be forced to choose between adequate pain relief and gainful employment, and no employer should be allowed to intrude upon the private medical choices made by employees in consolation with their doctors.”
 
The lawsuit against Wal-Mart stoked a debate over how employers should handle legal medical marijuana patients. However, in February, 2011, Casias’ suit was dismissed by a U.S. District Judge who ruled that Michigan’s law only protects patients from arrest, but fails to regulate private companies’ drug policies.
 
But the ACLU is not giving up. On Wednesday, The American Civil Liberties Union asked a federal appeals court to re-instate Casias’ lawsuit against Wal-Mart, stating, “The lower court’s ruling failed to uphold the will of Michigan voters, who clearly wanted to protect medical marijuana and facilitate its use by very sick people like Joseph Casias.”
 
Executive Director of ACLU Michigan Kary L. Moss believes, “This appeal is an important development for patients who use marijuana as prescribed by a doctor in the 15 states and the District of Columbia where laws provide protections for them … Patients across the country who rely on this medication for pain relief are watching this case.”
 
 
 
http://hightimes.com/news/mike_hughes/7082

Hamas leadership to relocate from Syria to Qatar

  • Published 08:59 30.04.11

  • After years in exile in Damascus, the Hamas political leadership, headed by Khaled Meshaal, will leave the Syrian capital for the Arab emirate city just days after historic Fatah-Hamas reconciliation deal.

    By Haaretz  
      Hamas' Syria-based leader, Khaled Mashaal and other senior Hamas officials are planning to relocate from Syria to the Arab emirate city of Qatar, Army Radio reported on Saturday.

    Quoting London-based Arab daily Al-Hayat, Army Radio reported that Qatar had agreed to host the leaders after Egypt and Jordan denied the request, but refused to host the party's military leaders.



    Khaled Meshal AP June 2010 Hamas' exiled political chief Khaled Meshal
    Photo by: AP


    More than 15 members of Hamas's Political Bureau have been operating in exile in Damascus since 1999.
    According to the report, Hamas' military echelon will relocate to the Gaza strip. There was no mention of a reason for the relocation, which will come just days after Hamas and the leading West Bank party Fatah signed an historic reconciliation deal.

    On Wednesday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement hammered an historic reconciliation deal with the rival Hamas group, agreeing to form an interim government and fix a date for general election within the year.

    The deal, which took many officials by surprise, was thrashed out in Egypt and followed a series of secret meetings.

    Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar insisted that Hamas was united in its move toward a unity government, however, it is still unclear how widespread that agreement is.

    Abbas has been making a heavy push for reconciliation with Hamas, with which it held a unity government that collapsed during a five-day civil war in 2007 and ended with the Islamic militant group seizing power in the Gaza Strip. Fatah had already signed the reconciliation agreement in October 2009, but Hamas had until now refused to give up on demands it had set before the rival group.

    Restoring Palestinian unity is seen as crucial to reviving any prospect for a Palestinian state based on peaceful co-existence alongside Israel. Fatah, the mainstream Palestinian movement until a 2006 election victory by Hamas, backs negotiated peace but the Islamists reject it.


    http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/report-hamas-leadership-to-relocate-from-syria-to-qatar-1.358956

    News Bulletin - 04:35GMT update

    Jihadists Worldwide Emboldened by Backdoor Sharia Successes in Britain and France

    By Christine Williams on 04/20/2011

    Osama bin Laden has threatened terror attacks on France for banning of the face veil, while Islamic extremists in Britain are threatening to kill women who do not wear a head scarf.   From the stealth Jihad perpetrated by the Muslim Brotherhood to violent Jihad, Islamists have and continue to impose Sharia law on Western soil, becoming increasingly emboldened.  Note Bin Laden’s warning to France:
    If you unjustly thought that it is your right to prevent free Muslim women from wearing the face veil, is it not our right to expel your invading men and cut their necks?”

    France is to be applauded for its stance.  Westerners that will defend the rights of women to wear the veil and defend the right of Muslims to practice their faith in contradiction to Western values have provided the fertile soil for the seeds of creeping Sharia to grow.

    Three years ago, Islamic law was officially adopted in Britain to oversee Muslim civil cases in Sharia courts which have continued to multiply, while Canada (in the province of Ontario) narrowly escaped it. Here’s how it almost happened, but failed:  In 1991, Ontario changed its Arbitration Act to include faith-based arbitration to settle family disputes, such as divorce, inheritance and custody issues, outside the court system. CAIR-CAN was pleased and in 2004, released a statement that this was “a form of accommodating the needs of religious minorities within a multicultural society”.

    Shortly after, the Islamic Institute of Civil Justice pushed the envelope by stating that it wanted this faith-based arbitration based on “Sharia Law.”  The proposal was met with stiff resistance from women’s groups and the Muslim Canadian Congress, which put an end to this drive.  The congress argued:
    [S]haria is flawed because it does not view women as equal and therefore cannot provide equal justice to all parties in a dispute especially on issues of divorce, child custody and division of property.
    Five months ago, Oklahoma passed a ballot initiative—70-30%– to forbid state courts from relying on Sharia in what was dubbed a “pre-emptive strike” by supporters. Yet Farhana Khera, executive director of Muslim Advocates, commented, “The Oklahoma ballot initiative struck us as silly and absurd — a proposed solution chasing a problem that doesn’t exist.”  He added that the initiative “underscores the deep level of misunderstanding of Muslims and Islam in America.”

    The conjoined twins of violent jihad and stealth jihad


    Update: Gaddafi refuses to leave

    Friday, April 29, 2011

    Black US Patriot Don't Take No Shit off Muslims - Telling it it like is!

    Muslims, protesters break barricades, attack Terry Jones in Dearborn (video)

    “Religion of Breaching the Peace” at it again. Peacefully chanting “fuck you, fuck you,” until they decide to bum-rush the show and attack Pastor Terry Jones. If the police weren’t there we can presume what would have happened. A veritable sharia-enforced no-go zone.


    via Crowds Bust Barricades At Pastor’s Speech In Dearborn – Detroit Local News Story – WDIV Detroit.

    DEARBORN, Mich. — Florida pastor Terry Jones was outside Dearborn’s City Hall for his planned 5 p.m. protest, drawing a crowd of hundreds.

    “We’re glad to be back,” he told reporters. “We’re going to talk about a number of issues. Of course Sharia, jihad, what happened last week and we’re even going to be talking about president Obama’s reelection.”

    Counter-protesters lined Michigan Avenue across the street from City Hall. About an hour into the protest, the crowds broke the barricades and a police line. They rushed the street but were quickly contained by riot police crews.


    Protest gets out of hand

    Wrap up of Terry Jones protest

    Riot police out in Dearborn after protesters rush Florida pastor

    April 29. 2011 6:27PM

    Oralandar Brand-Williams, Steve Pardo and Santiago Esparza / / The Detroit News

    Dearborn — Riot police are out in Dearborn after protesters of Quran-burning Pastor Terry Jones rushed past a police barricade and began throwing water bottles and shoes.

    About 6 p.m., a protest that had been mostly peaceful descended briefly into pushing and shoving. It began when Jones' supporters crossed Michigan Avenue and taunted opponents.


    From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20110429/METRO/104290435/Riot-police-out-in-Dearborn-after-protesters-rush-Florida-pastor#ixzz1KxHaz6IH

    Holder’s DOJ Scuttled More Terror-Related Prosecutions

    Patrick Poole once again, kudos. Hopefully much more to come. Share this information and Poole’s previous posts with your elected officials and those running for office. via Pajamas Media, (PJM Exclusive) Holder’s DOJ Scuttled More Terror-Related Prosecutions:

    …the DOJ has been responsible for scuttling other terror-related investigations — according to congressional investigators looking at the possible political motivations for dropping prosecutions of American Islamic leaders for terrorism support.

    According to these congressional sources, one case that was scuttled by Assistant Attorney General David Kris (who wrote the memo declining to prosecute Omar Ahmad in the Holy Land Foundation case) was a tax evasion and money laundering prosecution prepared by the U.S. attorney’s office in the eastern district of Virginia. The targets of these indictments would have been several Muslim leaders of the International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT) and the now-defunct SAAR Foundation/SAFA Group, who were investigated and raided for a wide range of activities to support foreign terrorist organizations.


    CAIR shakes down Examiner.com, terrorizes writer from covering Islam

    CAIRorism. via Hillel Zaremba, associate director of Islamist Watch, a project of the Middle East Forum.

    CAIR’s Strong-Arm Tactics in the Cradle of Liberty

    Aaron Proctor, a Philadelphia-based libertarian writer, can count himself the latest victim of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), an organization that ironically claims to work for civil rights.
    Proctor, a colorful commentator for the Philadelphia version of Examiner.com, had the temerity to investigate CAIR’s dubious background in connection with its Philadelphia branch’s planned fundraising dinner on March 12 at a municipal facility, the Springfield Country Club. CAIR-PA invited Johari Abdul-Malik to deliver one of the evening’s main addresses. Abdul-Malik works at the Dar al-Hijrah Islamic Center, which has the distinction of being the former base for an unindicted co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and for Anwar al-Awlaki, mentor to Fort Hood murderer Nidal Malik Hasan and underwear bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab


    Lara Logan: “they raped me with their hands”

    An update on those democracy wanting Egyptians, via Lara Logan of CBS Talks About Her Assault in Egypt – NYTimes.com.

    Lara Logan thought she was going to die in Tahrir Square when she was sexually assaulted by a mob on the night that Hosni Mubarak’s government fell in Cairo.

    Ms. Logan, a CBS News correspondent, was in the square preparing a report for “60 Minutes” on Feb. 11 when the celebratory mood suddenly turned threatening. She was ripped away from her producer and bodyguard by a group of men who tore at her clothes and groped and beat her body. “For an extended period of time, they raped me with their hands,” Ms. Logan said in an interview with The New York Times. She estimated that the attack involved 200 to 300 men.
    The assault happened the day that Ms. Logan returned to Cairo, having left a week earlier after being detained and interrogated by Egyptian forces. “The city was on fire with celebration” over Mr. Mubarak’s exit, she said, comparing it to a Super Bowl party. She and a camera crew traversed Tahrir Square, the epicenter of the celebrations, interviewing Egyptians and posing for photographs with people who wanted to be seen with an American journalist.


    Issa Demands Justice Dept. Answer Project Gunrunner Subpoenas

    Said Issa: "If you made a decision this felony stupid you shouldn't be making decisions any longer on behalf of the American people."
     
    April 28, 2011 - by Patrick Richardson


    Congressman Darrell Issa (R-CA), chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, stopped just short of calling for the firing of both Attorney General Eric Holder and Homeland Security Chief Janet Napolitano on a California radio program Tuesday.

    On The Roger Hedgecock Show, Issa discussed his committee’s investigation of Operation Gunrunner: an operation run by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Department of Justice which allegedly allowed thousands of firearms across the border into Mexico. The guns ended up in the hands of drug cartels and were allegedly used in the murder of at least two American law enforcement agents: “Ultimately the Justice Department has to be asking questions about how they’re run,” Issa said on the program, adding that, with a campaign preparing to start, President Barack Obama needs to question if he has the right people heading DOJ and DHS.

    According to a story originally broken by CBS News earlier this year, the operation was designed to allow “straw buyers” — who would purchase the weapons for someone else — to buy high quality weapons, including .50 caliber sniper rifles, from cooperating licensed dealers in the U.S. ATF would then track those weapons and hopefully take down the gun-running rings and perhaps the cartels as well. Said Issa:
    This was an approved program designed to get not just the straw buyers but the bigger fish. It failed to get the bigger fish.


    read more: http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/issa-demands-justice-dept-answer-project-gunrunner-subpoenas/

    Evacuation ship aids Libyan refugees

    Thursday, April 28, 2011

    Fighting at the Libyan-Tunisian border

    Iranian Website Displays Antisemitic Cartoons about the Holocaust

    Yemen: The missing link?-The Big Story-04-27-2011-(Part2)

    Holder Admits DOJ Dumped CAIR Case

    Hat tip Hyscience via NRO, With Dodging and More Dodging, Holder Admits DOJ Dumped CAIR Case:

    U.S. attorney general Eric Holder has finally confirmed that Justice Department headquarters intervened to quash the prosecution of a top official of CAIR — the Council on American-Islamic Relations. The attorney general did not identify the CAIR official by name, although, at Pajamas Media, Patrick Poole reports that he is Omar Ahmad — who was in attendance at a 1993 meeting of what the FBI described as Hamas leaders, and who later founded CAIR, an Islamist organization designated by prosecutors as an unindicted coconspirator in a Hamas financing scheme.

    (In the just released report by Steve Emerson’s Investigative Project on Terrorism, “The Case Against Omar Ahmad,” IPT notes that Ahmad actually “planned, convened and moderated an October 1993 meeting of the Palestine Committee [a Muslim Brotherhood front] in Philadelphia where members discussed ways to ‘derail’ a U.S.-led peace agreement between the Israelis and Palestinians. The group knew that their Hamas support was problematic. They agreed to reference the group as sister ‘Samah’ [Hamas spelled backward] and warned each other that the U.S. had just proposed legislation that would designate Hamas as a terror organization.”)




    The ACT! for America Show, Episode 10 - Special Guest Hal We

    Mosque denied in residential NJ neighborhood, legal jihad ensues

    An update on this previous post, via Mosque in Zone Fight – WSJ.com.

    An Islamic group sued Bridgewater, N.J., for religious discrimination after the town changed zoning rules to block a mosque from opening in a residential neighborhood.

    The Al Falah Center wanted to convert a former banquet hall located on a quiet side street into a mosque, day-care facility and community center for a diverse group of Muslim Americans who have been trying to find a home for the center more than a decade, according to the lawsuit filed on Tuesday in federal court in New Jersey.

    But when the plans were making their way through the municipal channels, hundreds turned up to oppose the mosque. Though residents said their concerns were about traffic and other mundane quality-of-life issues, some people questioned where the group’s funding was coming from, and whether it had ties to terrorist organizations.

    On March 14, the town agreed to limit houses of worship to certain main roads and other selected roads, including all areas where current churches and temples—including for Catholic, Protestant, Hindu, Sikh and Jewish congregations—were already located. Al Falah said the town deliberately jimmied with the process, pushing their planning-board application hearing until after the town changed the law, to block the mosque.

    “This conduct is discriminatory and imposes a substantial burden on plaintiffs’ right to the free exercise of their religion in violation of federal and state constitutional and statutory requirements,” the lawsuit said.

    An attorney for the town, Bill Savo, said he hadn’t yet seen the complaint. “The town always has a history of acting in good faith,” he said. “We believe we acted appropriately.”

    The flare-up over the Bridgewater mosque came in the wake of other efforts around the country to block or close mosques, including the so-called Ground Zero mosque in New York.

    But the underlying tone of the debate was different in Bridgewater. Residents said they were supportive of mosques in the town—just not on Mountain Top Road, a small, winding street, without sidewalks, where some of the many trees come practically up to the asphalt.

    “We have every religion in Bridgewater you can think of, many religions represented,” Mr. Savo said. “It’s just a concern about traffic-safety issues.”

    Attorneys from the Brennan Center at New York University and the Asian-American Legal Defense and Education Fund are among those representing Al Falah. Representatives from the Brennan Center said members of Al Falah declined to be interviewed about the issue.

    The ACT! for America Show, Episode 9 - Special Guests Andy S

    Palestinians throw another wrench in peace process

     


    Palestinians throw another wrench in peace process
    A year ago, the Palestinian Authority defeated American efforts to kick-start the peace process by refusing to sit at the negotiating table with Israel.

    Since the start of this year, the Palestinians have been laying the groundwork for a unilateral declaration of independence backed by the UN General Assembly.

    Now, the regime of so-called Palestinian "moderate" Mahmoud Abbas is determined to put the final nail in the coffin of the peace process by reconciling with blood-soaked terrorist organization Hamas.

    On Wednesday, Hamas and Abbas' own Fatah faction signed a preliminary reconciliation agreement brokered by the interim government in Egypt. The document is meant to be a first step toward a Hamas-Fatah unity government.

    If the two groups come together, the US Congress is threatening to cut off American financial aid to the Palestinians. US law forbids granting financial aid to recognized terrorist organizations.

    Israeli Prime Minister says the move will effectively kill any chances of a bilateral peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians.

    Hamas agrees.

    "Our plan does not involve negotiations with Israel or recognizing it," Hamas delegation leader Mahmoud Zahar told The Jerusalem Post. "It will be impossible for an interim government to take part in the peace process with Israel."



    read more: http://www.israeltoday.co.il/tabid/178/nid/22765/Default.aspx

    Federal judge rules terror-linked CAIR, other Muslims can’t see FBI files

    via Federal judge rules Muslims can’t see FBI files – Forbes.com.

    SANTA ANA, Calif. — A federal judge ruled Wednesday that a group of Muslim activists and organizations cannot review additional records of FBI inquiries into their activities but berated the government for misleading the court about the existence of the files.

    U.S. District Judge Cormac J. Carney said six Muslim groups and five individuals who sued in 2007 to gain access to records they believed the FBI was keeping do not have a right to much of the information because of national security concerns.

    The ruling came amid a nearly five-year battle by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Muslim activists to obtain files they believe would show the FBI has been unlawfully targeting Muslims in Southern California.

    Carney reached his decision after privately reviewing more than 100 pages of documents to ensure the government had complied with Freedom of Information laws in denying access to plaintiffs.


    Virginia judge denies Muslim inmate’s beard lawsuit

    “…he recently became convinced that his Islamic faith required him to wear a beard.” Who in the prison system convinced him of that and recommended he wage legal jihad? via In Good Faith: Judge denies Muslim inmate’s beard lawsuit – baltimoresun.com.

    Virginia’s prison system did not violate a Muslim inmate’s religious rights when it refused to allow him to grow a 1/8-inch beard, which he believes is required by his religion, a federal judge has ruled.
    William Couch, a 50-year-old Sunni Muslim, is a medium-security prisoner serving multiple life sentences for rape and other convictions. He challenged the Virginia Department of Corrections’ grooming policy, which bans long hair and beards.

    U.S. District Judge Samuel G. Wilson in Harrisonburg sided with the department in a ruling Thursday. Couch’s attorney, Jeffrey Fogel, filed an appeal Monday.

    Department spokesman Larry Traylor declined to comment on the case.


    Egypt questions ex-ministers on Israel gas deal

    The Left’s Deranged Hatred of Allen West

    Posted by Arnold Ahlert on Apr 28th, 2011



    On the list of things that make progressives gnash their teeth and foam at their mouths, little tops an African-American of the conservative persuasion. Even more horrifying to the Left is one who makes clear: “you’re not going to intimidate me,” as Congressman Allen West (R-FL) said at a Tuesday night town hall meeting where leftists, including former Air America host Nicole Sandler (who was later arrested), tried to disrupt the event. From his successful 2010 congressional campaign through today, Congressman Allen West remains unfazed by such tactics. As a result, the attacks against him by the American Left continue.

    The attacks began during West’s race for the House of Representatives against Democratic incumbent Ron Klein in what the Palm Beach Daily News characterized as “one of the nastiest campaigns of the season.” Klein’s political ads were a testament to that reality, focusing exclusively on attacking West’s character instead of on the issues. (Disclosure: I live in Florida, close to West’s district, and can personally attest to the tenor of Klein’s campaign.) According to Klein, West was “too dangerous and too extreme.” Klein also revealed that West had accumulated a tax lien and unpaid homeowner’s association dues, and claimed he was tied to the Outlaws motorcycle gang.
     
    West’s responses? The debts were incurred while he was fighting for his country in Iraq and Afghanistan, and they have been paid off. He rides motorcycles, but has no affiliation to the Outlaws. Yet when the Florida Democratic Party made West’s tax lien document public, they included his social Security number in the release to 60,000 voters in Broward and Palm Beach Counties. West characterized the release as “a new low... it is not about character assassination, it is about destruction of a family,” he said, referring to the possibility of identification theft.


    read more: http://frontpagemag.com/2011/04/28/the-lefts-deranged-war-on-allen-west/?utm_source=FrontPage+Magazine&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=36303c0b09-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_content=Yahoo%21+Mail

    Brotherhood leader: Islam is the answer to price hikes

    <p>جانب من مؤتمر الجماهيري لجماعة الإخوان المسلمين، إمبابة، الجيزة، 14 أبريل 2011. عقدت جماعة الإخوان المسلمين مؤتمراً جماهيرياً تحت عنوان: «من نحن.. وماذا نريد؟» يهدف إلى التعريف بالجماعة وأهدافها، والقضايا التي ستتبناها خلال الفترة المقبلة التي من أهمها حماية الثورة وتطوير الجماعة ومؤسساتها وهياكلها، وتحقيق مشروع النهضة للأمة بالإسلام، وصبغ الشعب بصبغة الإسلام.</p>
    Photographed by محمد كمال
     
    A Muslim Brotherhood member presented Islam as an economic solution during a conference in Daqahlia Governorate Tuesday.

    Talaat al-Shennawy, head of the Brotherhood's Daqahlia office, said Egypt could curb price increases by following God's rules.

    Shennawy said the greatness of Islam lies in it being a comprehensive religion that embraces all fields of life. He said people should apply all Islamic orders rather than just the ones they like.

    In apparent conflicting messages, the Brotherhood said during another conference in Minya that it does not want religion to govern the state.


    "The Brotherhood will opt for a civilian state and is seeking a strong parliament, as well as municipal councils free of bribery and nepotism, that can address citizens' needs," said Supreme Guide Mohamed Badie.

    Brotherhood member al-Sayyed Talaat also called on all Egyptians to participate in rebuilding the country and said the group is always ready for cooperation.

    Pastor Jones fails in his mission

    Letter From America

     
    Burhanuddin Hasan
    Pastor Terry Jones, who had the audacity to burn the pages of the Holy Quran, had another evil plan to go to Dearborn, Michigan, where the largest Muslim Arab community in the United States resides, and hold a rally in front of the biggest mosque in America and speak against radical Islam, Shariah Law, and Jihad. He reached the mosque, with another pastor; both had pistols in their possession. A large majority of Muslims had also gathered in front of the mosque, and there was likelihood of a clash.

    Luckily however, Pastor Jones, and his colleagues who were posing a threat to public safety were arrested on the orders of a jury, and one of his followers was arrested as well. The two men later posted bond, and were released from jail. The prosecutor argued that Pastor Jones and his associate, Pastor Sapp, were free to speak in one of the cities, for “free speech” zones, but both the Pastors, opposed restrictions to their First Amendment rights on free speech and free assembly. The jury reached a unanimous verdict, that the pastors were a threat to public safety. The judge said the verdict required him to set a bond of $25,000, but taking a lenient view, the Pastors post dollar one bond each. The judgment also said that both the pastors cannot go to the Islamic Center of America, or the property nearby, for the length of the bond, which was 14 years. The rally that had been scheduled for 5 p.m., never took place.

    Pastor Jones told the jurors that he and Pastor Sapp had come in peace in Dearborn, a city of 98,000 people, out of which 32,000 residents are Arab Muslims. Both pastors asserted that they didn’t intend to burn the Quran, as they had done last month in Florida. The judge said that he and the jurors were not trying to suppress the free speech rights of the pastors, but opposed the timing and the location of the planned rally. Dearborn police chief said his department was aware of 300 death threats against Pastor Jones and Sapp.


    read more: http://pakobserver.net/detailnews.asp?id=88998    

    Defense Department Shakeup

    Posted by Alan W. Dowd on Apr 28th, 2011



    With Robert Gates set to leave his post as Pentagon chief this summer, reports are circulating that President Barack Obama will soon appoint CIA Director Leon Panetta to take over as secretary of defense and Gen. David Petraeus to slide into the top spot at the CIA. Given the alternatives that Obama could have chosen—and probably would rather choose—Panetta and Petraeus are solid picks. Not only do they have proven track records and backing in Congress; they also underscore that despite all the rhetoric, Obama continues to fill key security and defense posts with people who understand the country is at war.

    A little history is in order. It pays to recall that as a candidate and in the early months of his presidency, Obama rejected the Bush administration’s characterization of America being a nation at war. For example, the Obama administration made a concerted effort to expunge the “war on terrorism” phraseology from official pronouncements, ordering the executive branch to use the banal, bland and bureaucratic “overseas contingency operations” instead. In quick succession, Obama ordered the closure of the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, sped up the pullout of troops from Iraq, put a time limit on the U.S. mission in Afghanistan and made entreaties to the thugs who run Iran. In the midst of this 180-degree turn, Obama’s secretary of homeland security even went so far as to use the Orwellian phrase “man-caused disasters” rather than call terrorism by its name.


    read more: http://frontpagemag.com/2011/04/28/defense-department-shakeup/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+FrontpageMag+%28FrontPage+Magazine+%C2%BB+FrontPage%29

    Wednesday, April 27, 2011

    Where is Egypt heading?-Africa Today-04-26-2011-(Part2)

    Update: Bahrain revolution

    Free Speech Victory: City of Coldwater Repeals Unconstitutional Resolution after Tea Party Files Lawsuit

    Wednesday, April 27, 2011

    General - Branch County Tea Party SignAs a result of a federal lawsuit filed by the Thomas More Law Center on behalf of a local Tea Party group, the City of Coldwater, Michigan has repealed its draconian restriction of free speech in its downtown city park. The restriction, in the form of a Resolution passed by the City Council last November, prohibited “the display of banners or other signs of any type or description whatsoever in the Four Corners Parks in the City of Coldwater.”

    The Thomas More Law Center (TMLC), a national conservative Christian public interest law firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, voluntarily dismissed its federal lawsuit after the City repealed the resolution at its Monday, April 25 City Council meeting and agreed to pay the Law Center its attorney fees and costs in the amount of $8,347.50.

    TMLC had filed the lawsuit alleging violations of the constitutional right to freedom of speech on behalf of the Common Sense Patriots of Branch County, Barbara Brady and Martin Lepper. 

    TMLC Senior Trial Counsel Rob Muise, who was handling the case for the Tea Party, commented: “I’m pleased that we were able to bring about a quick victory for our clients and the First Amendment.”

    The Common Sense Patriots of Branch County was established in 2009 as part of the nationwide political, grass-roots movement of American patriots known as the Tea Party. It gathered several times each year for events often held at the Four Corners Park, located in downtown Coldwater. These political assemblies and rallies would invariably involve the display of numerous political signs and banners with slogans such as “No More Taxes, ” “Give Me Liberty… Not Debt” and “Born Free…Taxed to Death.”

    As it had with other groups in the past, the City allowed the Patriots to place a sign at the park entrance announcing their meetings. However, in July 2010, the City Manager informed the Patriots that they could no longer put up their sign. The City refused to give any specific explanation other than the City had received some complaints.

    Richard Thompson, TMLC President and Chief Counsel, commented: “Clearly, the City’s ban on all signs was prompted by complaints against the Tea Party. Nevertheless, I applaud the city attorney for quickly resolving this lawsuit by acknowledging that the City’s blanket ban on signs was unconstitutional.” 

    Did a Polygamous Imam Lead Prayer in the Florida Legislature?

    Cali: Muslim on trial for killing family of Hindu girlfriend who broke off relationship

    D.A. to seek death in killings, burnings of family

    SANTA ANA – The Orange County District Attorney’s Office announced Wednesday that it will seek the death penalty against a Van Nuys man accused of murdering his ex-girlfriend’s father and sister and setting their bodies on fire.

    Iftekhar Murtaza, 25, qualified for a potential death sentence when a judge found enough evidence at a preliminary hearing in January to require that he stand trial on two counts of first-degree murder, plus the special circumstances of committing multiple murder, murders during the commission of a burglary and kidnapping, and murders for financial gain.

    He is also charged with conspiracy to commit murder and attempting to murder his ex-girlfriend’s mother in May 2007.

    Murtaza is being held without bail and is scheduled for a pretrial hearing on Friday in the Central Justice Center, Santa Ana.

    Prosecutors will seek life in prison without the possibility of parole for Murtaza’s co-defendants, Vitaliy Krasnoperov, 24, of Hollywood, and Charles Anthony Murphy, Jr., 25, of Mission Hills.
    All three men have pleaded not guilty


    Tenn. Anti-Terror Bill Advances in Legislature

    Good news, but read it to the end. It sounds like the FBI’s Nashville office has submitted to sharia and won’t even take a position on the legislation while at the same time saying they are in cahoots with the Muslim community via Tenn. Anti-Terror Bill Advances in Legislature.



    NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) A contentious proposal that would authorize the governor and attorney general to decide whether a person or group is a terrorist organization advanced in the Tennessee Legislature on Tuesday after assurances from the sponsors that the measure does not target Muslims.

    The legislation passed the Senate Judiciary Committee 6-3 a few hours after being approved 12-4 in the same committee in the House. Both measures now move on to finance committees in each chamber.

    The original proposal sought to make it a felony to follow some versions of the Islamic code known as Shariah, but the measure was later amended to strip out any reference to a specific religion.


    read more: http://creepingsharia.wordpress.com/2011/04/27/tenn-anti-terror-bill-advances-in-legislature/

    Gitmo files: Britain and its mosques a global center of terror

    via ABU HAMZA’S MOSQUE NAMED AS GLOBAL CENTRE OF TERROR

    VILE hate preachers helped turn Britain into the hub of al-Qaida’s global terror network.
    Secret Guantanamo Bay files have identified UK-based extremists Abu Hamza and Abu Qatada as key recruiters.

    American officials believe they were responsible for radicalising dozens of young men before sending them off to Pakistan and Afghanistan.

    The secret documents have disclosed how radical clerics turned London into a global terror blackspot after claiming asylum and living off state benefits.

    Secret documents weren’t need to disclose this information – it was widely reported including in a book titled Londonistan


    read more: http://creepingsharia.wordpress.com/2011/04/27/gitmo-files-britain-and-its-mosques-a-global-center-of-terror/

    Detroit Archbishop, Dearborn Police Chief Haddad, & Assistant Prosecutor Robert Moran Bow to Islam!

    April 26, 2011
     
    By admin
     
    by Christopher Logan

     

    In the wake of the recent persecution of Pastor Terry Jones, I would like to take a look at the surrounding players and their pro-Islamic, anti-American actions.
    First we will start off with another weak Christian “leader”, the Detroit Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron.
    Detroit Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron joined with a group of religious leaders in opposing a Florida pastor’s plan to hold an anti-Muslim rally during Holy Week.
    “It is possible for an interfaith community of believers to live in peace and liberty, and to do so while promoting social justice and moral values,” the archbishop said in an April 21 appearance at the Islamic Center of America in Dearborn, Michigan. “May we never let the negative voices of the few deter us from working together toward these worthy goals on behalf of the many.
    Either the Archbishop needs a history lesson, or he is in the state of deep denial. As for the history lesson, I suggest he starts with the Islamic conquests of the Coptics, Persians, and the Hindu Kush. The “moral values” of Mohammad and Jesus were not even close. Mohammad was a liar, rapist, and terrorist. Is that the message of Jesus? BTW, there are a lot more than “a few” of us. The voices of Islam are CLEARLY on the rise! We are doing the job you are afraid to do.


    read more: http://loganswarning.com/2011/04/26/detroit-archbishop-dearborn-police-chief-haddad-assistant-prosecutor-robert-moran-bow-to-islam/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Loganswarning+%28Loganswarning%29&utm_content=Yahoo%21+Mail

    Europeans Blame Israel for Murders Committed by Islamists

    8:50 AM, Apr 26, 2011 • By BENJAMIN WEINTHAL
    Berlin—Many European reactions to the recent murders by radical Islamists of pro- Palestinian Israeli filmmaker Juliano Mer-Khamis and Italian activist Vittorio Arrigoni replicate the typical recurrence of the same: Shift the blame to Israel in an a priori fashion without delving into existing empirical evidence.
    Take the example of Inge Höger, a Left Party member of the German Bundestag, who blamed both executions on the Israeli government. Relying on German taxpayer funds to pay for her Left Party website, she said:
    The question one must pose is: Who profits from this terrible crime? First of all, now two of the activists most ‘dangerous’ for Israel, because they were the most engaged, well known and noted, are eliminated. The murders of Vittorio and Juliano could also be a means of dealing a serious blow to the international solidarity movement – especially given the upcoming second flotilla and the fact that international activists still won’t let themselves be prevented from going to Palestine.


    Read more: http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/europeans-blame-israel-murders-committed-islamists_558274.html

    Torturing the Truth at Duke Divinity

    April 24, 2011
     
    By Jay Schalin
     
    Should we automatically accept -- at face value -- Duke University's first Muslim chaplain, Abdullah Antepli, as part of an emerging loyal, moderate American Islam, simply because he insists that we do so?

    Perhaps not, when all his words and associations are taken into account.  He seems eager to join hands with others -- Muslim, Christian, and secular -- who express animosity toward this country and Western societies in general.  And at one recent event, he attacked the citizens of his adopted country for their failure to blindly assume Muslim immigrants mean them well.



    Read more: http://www.americanthinker.com/2011/04/torturing_the_truth_at_duke_di.html