Saturday, June 28, 2014

Muslim Persecution of Christians, February 2014



The most historic and emblematic sign of Muslim persecution of Christians returned in February: Christians in Raqqa, Syria, under the occupation of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria [ISIS], which has since consolidated more territory, were given the three classic choices of Islam: 1) convert to Islam or 2) pay jizya (tribute or extortion money, as in the Koran 9:29) and uphold all the conditions stipulated in the medieval Conditions of Omar—which include heavy restrictions on Christian worship—or 3) the sword.
According to the BBC, ISIS issued a directive:
citing the Islamic concept of "dhimma", [which] requires Christians in the city to pay tax of around half an ounce (14g) of pure gold in exchange for their safety. It says Christians must not make renovations to churches, display crosses or other religious symbols outside churches, ring church bells or pray in public. Christians must not carry arms, and must follow other rules imposed by ISIS (also known as ISIL) on their daily lives. The statement said the group had met Christian representatives and offered them three choices—they could convert to Islam, accept ISIS' conditions, or reject their control and risk being killed. "If they reject, they are subject to being legitimate targets, and nothing will remain between them and ISIS other than the sword," the statement said.
A Pew study confirmed that Christians are "the most persecuted religious group in the world" and that their persecution is occurring primarily throughout the Islamic world. In the category of "Countries with Very High Government Restrictions on Religion," Pew lists 24 countries—20 of which are Islamic and precisely where the overwhelming majority of "the world's" Christians are actually being persecuted.
February's roundup of Muslim persecution of Christians around the world includes (but is not limited to) the following accounts, listed by theme and country in alphabetical order, not necessarily according to severity.

Attacks on Christian Churches

Nigeria: Among other church-related atrocities, the Islamic terror group Boko Haram attacked a church during Sunday services in the Muslim majority northeast of the nation. According to Christian Today, "They locked the doors before the end of the service and shot at the congregation, slitting the throats of those who tried to escape. They also detonated bombs before going on a four hour rampage, burning houses and taking hostages from the village."
Sudan: "In what Sudanese Christians believe is part of a campaign by Islamist President Omar al-Bashir to rid the country of Christianity," reported the Morning Star News, "bulldozers accompanied by local police and personnel from the National Intelligence and Security Services destroyed the Sudanese Church of Christ building in the Ombada area of Omdurman, across the River Nile from Khartoum." According to a local Christian: "The government has confiscated the land where the church was built—please pray for the church to get a place for worship. We had not any prior indication from the officials that the church would be destroyed; they have not even warned us." The only reason officials gave for demolishing the 300-member church was that it was located in a "Muslim area" and so "not wanted there," reported one church member. The police officer in charge of demolition reportedly said: "We have orders from above to demolish this church building. We do not want any church in this area."
Zanzibar: Several churches were attacked in the Muslim majority islands. A bomb that was remotely detonated rocked the entrance of Christ Church Cathedral on February 24. The day before, Sunday, February 23, another bomb exploded near the door of the Evangelistic Assemblies of God Zanzibar Church, just before the end of service. The bomb caused minor injuries to several worshippers. Earlier, a mob invaded the Sunday service of a Pentecostal Evangelism Fellowship of Africa church; apparently they intended to kill the senior pastor. After failing to find him, they battered a visiting clergyman. According to local activists, "Additionally at least 20 churches have been looted and either burnt or demolished by mobs in recent months."

The Slaughter of Christians

Egypt: Near Aswan in Upper Egypt, one Mahmoud Muhammad Ali went on a rampage, attacking several Christians, including employees of two Coptic-owned pharmacies and two female students who were walking nearby. A woman, stabbed in the neck, was killed, and another severely wounded. According to the brother of the slain woman, Madline, 30, "He killed her because she is a Christian. There was nothing else. He was targeting Christian pharmacies. He went and tried to attack a Christian, and when he failed, he went to the next Christian pharmacy." Human rights activists and Copts also warned that authorities and others were trying "to shift blame away from Ali and establish the groundwork for his defense." That is, they were trying to establish that he was "insane or somehow otherwise mentally incompetent to stand trial, allowing him to escape punishment. The tactic has been employed frequently in clear-cut cases of violence against Copts. Because of it, the impunity with which people can attack Christians in Egypt without punishment encourages other attacks."
Kenya: Lawrence Kazungu Kadenge, 60, a church leader in Mombasa, was killed near his church, Glory of God Ministries Church, for reportedly preaching Christianity near a mosque where jihadis [holy warriors in the cause of Islam] were being trained. During the slaying of the pastor, a witness heard one of two suspects say, "Make sure you have killed him—he has been promoting his religion near our mosque." According to another church leader, "We as the pastors in Mombasa are living in fear because pastors are being eliminated one by one. We need prayers that the church will survive these attacks as we are being targeted by the radical Muslims." According to a Mombasa police official, "This is not a mosque for prayers but a base for recruiting Muslim youths to engage in terrorist activities."
Libya: After Ansar al-Sharia—a group that appears connected to Egypt's now ousted Muslim Brotherhood—offered a reward to any Benghazi resident who helped round up and execute the nation's Coptic Christian residents, seven Copts were identified as Christians, forcibly seized from their homes by "unknown gunmen," taken out and executed some 20 miles west of Benghazi (graphic pictures appear here). A few days later, another Coptic Christian, Salama Fawzi, 24, was shot in the head -- again by several "unknown gunmen" -- while unloading food in front of his grocery stand in Benghazi. The day after that, another corpse was found, believed -- from the small cross tattooed on his wrist traditionally worn by Egyptian Christians -- to be that of a Copt.

 
Bodies of Coptic Christians lay in a field near Benghazi, Libya, after their abduction and execution by Islamists in February.


Nigeria: Chanting "Allah is great," reports the AP, "suspected Islamic militants gunned down dozens of Christian villagers and slit the throats of others" in a Saturday night raid on Izghe village in Borno state, a primarily Christian village in a Muslim-majority region. Over 100 were slaughtered in the attack, including an elderly woman. A local farmer who escaped said the attackers, whom authorities suspect are affiliated with Boko Haram, had gone door-to-door looking for those hiding in their houses: "The attackers came around 9:30 pm in six trucks and some motorcycles. They were dressed in military uniform. They asked men to assemble at a place, and began hacking and slaughtering them." Gunmen also attacked a fishing village on Lake Chad on Saturday, and killed an unspecified number of residents. A survivor said several people drowned in the lake while trying to escape the Islamic gunmen. Separately, more "suspected Islamic militants," reports the Daily Mail, "killed 43 students in a pre-dawn attack Tuesday on a northeast Nigerian college... The terrorists, thought to be from Boko Haram, set a locked hostel on fire, before shooting and slitting the throats of those who tried to climb out the windows. Some were burned alive."
Pakistan: A 24-year-old Christian husband and father of two, arrested by the police on the false charge of theft, was, during an all-night interrogation, "tortured to death" at the police station, according to Asia News. The police said that he had committed suicide by hanging himself. But autopsy results revealed that he died from "serious internal injuries." Afterwards, the Catholic Church of Pakistan and civil society groups staged a protest against police brutality, and said that while police brutality in Pakistan is widespread, if a Christian is detained, he "usually is treated worse by police or when he is in prison."

Dhimmitude

Indonesia: In South Sumatra province, hundreds of armed Muslim men, led by local Islamic leaders, stormed and forcibly occupied two acres of land owned by the small Christian community. The raid was prompted after local Muslims realized that Christians were planning to build a place of worship. Days earlier the ceremony of laying the first stone had been held, amid protests from local residents. According to Asia News, "The process for building a church in Indonesia—Catholic or Protestant—is quite complicated and may take five to ten years to obtain all permits required by law… permission must be obtained from a number of [Muslim] residents in the area where the building is to be constructed... And even if the permission is granted 'unspecified reasons' can come into play that will lead officials to block the projects. Often, this occurs after pressure from the Muslim community or radical Islamic movements."
Also, in the Indonesian province of Aceh, a new law appeared saying that Islamic laws (Sharia) be extended to non-Muslims, the majority of whom are Christian. Elements of Sharia had already been in force but were applied only to Muslims. The new by-law [Qanun Jinayat] was approved by Aceh's legislative council and signed by Governor Zaini Abdullah, who said "The qanun [law] does indeed oblige everyone in Aceh to follow sharia without exception. It would be unfair if Muslims were punished while non-Muslims were not, just because sharia violations are not stipulated in the Criminal Code." Since then, non-Muslim women have been harassed by police for not wearing veils, and men for wearing shorts. Three-time violators of the dress rules could be publicly caned.
Iraq: Reflecting the growing lack of religious freedom and pressures to convert to Islam, "the leaders of the Christian churches in Iraq," reported News VA, "hope that the right to freely choose one's own religion when they reach adulthood is guaranteed to all citizens. The Christian leaders issued a document that 'asked to explicitly guarantee, at a legal level, the right to freely choose one's religion, also modifying the existing legislation on the civil status of the child with regards to religious matters.'"
Lebanon: Foreign al-Qaeda-affiliated jihadis, recruiting among Lebanon's Palestinian camps, were "planning to start targeting Lebanese Christians with suicide bombings," said Mahmoud Abdul-Hamid Issa, the former top security official for the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in Lebanon. Since the proclamation of Lebanon's independence, the amount land belonging to Christians has been reduced by half. According to Agenzia Fides, "The drastic decrease in landed properties belonging to Christians ... is also connected with the strong emigration tendencies that characterize the Christian portion of the Lebanese population"—Christian emigration is a growing occurrence in the Islamic world in recent years. Due to several estate policies, "almost all of the lands sold during those years increased from Christian owners to Muslim owners. Several legislative proposals have been presented in parliament to try to block the erosion of the land ownership of Christians in Lebanon."
Malaysia: A Christian cemetery was attacked and desecrated in the middle of the night by unknown persons in the Muslim-majority nation. "Local witnesses said that some gravestones were completely smashed, and some crosses were broken. Flowerpots and other stone markers were also broken. It seems that perpetrators used a heavy tool to do the damage," reports Asia News: "The cemetery attack is the latest in a series of incidents against the Catholic community in Malaysia, where religious tensions have been on the rise."
Nigeria: A Muslim man kicked his wife of 16 years out of their home after he learned that she had converted to Christianity and was attending church on Sunday— the local court agreed with his actions. According to the judge, Alhaji Lawal Munir, the "Islamic legal system [Sharia] provided that a mere denouncement [or "renouncement"] of Islam by any of the parties automatically dissolved a marriage."
Pakistan: After Christians refused to sell their properties to local Muslim businessmen, the Muslims "hatched a plan to drive out Christian families residing there by alleging blasphemy." Sawan Masih, of the Christian Joseph Colony, was first to be scapegoated. The businessmen put up banners accusing him of blaspheming the Muslim prophet Muhammad, and announcements were made in local mosques that "a Christian man had committed blasphemy." According to the Christian, "They played on religious sentiments of the neighbours... registered a case against me and set the colony [including 200 houses] on fire." Masih also said the police were involved: "Police caused alarm among the Christians who were advised to leave the colony to save their lives."
Also, in a note to Agenzia Fides, the Anglican Bishop of Karachi affirmed the deteriorating condition of non-Muslim minorities in the country: "Religious minorities in Pakistan, and especially Christians, have become the constant target of masses of extremists.... Over the last few years religious minorities have been targeted, their villages burned, accused in false cases of blasphemy, victims of intimidation, forced marriages and forced conversions.... When a Christian is accused of blasphemy, the people of a neighborhood gather to punish the culprit, burning him alive or lynching him. The police and the government have never punished such acts." The Bishop also pointed to "a new, subtle form of psychological pressure: the extremists target Christians and try to extort money from them by threatening a fatwa against them, using the Islamic religion to blackmail."
Sudan: Authorities seized a Christian pastor as he was preaching during Sunday service and threatened that he would "face justice" unless he resigned his position. "They arrested me in a very shameful way and threw me in the car," said the pastor. According to Morning Star News, this move is "part of a government plan to take over properties of the church's denomination, the Sudan Presbyterian Evangelical Church (SPEC)." Earlier, for example, "plain-clothes police officials raided the offices of the SPEC in Omdurman in what church leaders called a bid to take over the property. Without permission from government authorities, the officers entered the church compound and chased SPEC pastors and others out of the offices, a Christian leader said… Since April 2012, a SPEC compound in Khartoum has been subject to attempted takeovers and attacks by Islamic extremists."
About this Series

While not all, or even most, Muslims are involved, persecution of Christians is expanding. "Muslim Persecution of Christians" was developed to collate some—by no means all—of the instances of persecution that surface each month.
It documents what the mainstream media often fails to report.
It posits that such persecution is not random but systematic, and takes place in all languages ethnicities and locations.

Friday, June 27, 2014

More Doubt Cast on IRS Story on Lerner's E-Mails

Gary Fouse
fousesquawk
http://garyfouse.blogspot.com


The story line of the IRS that Lois Lerner's missing e-mails and crashed hard drive cannot be retrieved has been further cast in doubt by industry experts.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/06/27/industry-group-irs-lost-email-story-makes-no-sense-records-should-have-been/

Of course, the issue of computer hard drives is beyond my expertise, but it sure looks like the IRS at the highest levels has destructed evidence and is engaging in a massive cover-up. At this point only a fool would believe the excuses given by the IRS and its smirking commissioner John Koskinen. Lois Lerner, the central character in this scandal,  has now twice taken the 5th before Congress. Of course, you can't put a dog in the pound for taking the 5th, but public opinion is entitled to draw the obvious conclusions.

We know that the Democrats in the House and the Senate were putting pressure on the IRS to investigate and prosecute, if possible, conservative tea party groups that were applying for tax-exempt status so they could participate in election activism. The IRS did the next best thing; they stuffed their applications in a drawer and sat on them. They also bogged the organizations down with needless and detailed questionnaires. They effectively kept them from organizing in the 2012 election. In addition, they shared private tax-payer information with people in the White House.

Ten days after the IRS received a written request from House Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp (R-MI) as to IRS monitoring of conservative groups, Lerner's computer mysteriously crashed as well as the computers of 6 other high-ranking officials. You wonder why Lerner took the 5th? And that smug Koskinen sits there before Congress with that Cheshire smirk and says there is no apology owed to anybody for this.

Just as the Obama White House has corrupted the Department of Justice, it has corrupted the IRS. An entire agency and an entire department engaging in cover ups of scandals that go right back to the White House.

So my question to all you liberals and Democrats out there is; are you happy with this? Your side is winning. But at what cost-that our government has been corrupted in this manner? Is this what our democracy has become-that whoever is in power can do whatever they want? We have had Fast and Furious and a now open border. People are still dying from the weapons that were allowed to cross unhindered into Mexico, and the death toll includes a Border Patrol agent in Arizona and possibly an ICE agent stationed in Mexico. The corrupt Eric Holder lied under oath, withheld records with the help of Obama and executive privilege, and because the Democrats are in power, nobody is held accountable. It will probably be the same with the IRS. There will not be a special prosecutor because Holder will not appoint one. At this point, the Republican House holds hearings while the Democratic Senate sits silent.

Bottom line: They will get away with it.

The Presbyterian Church

According to the New York Jewish Week: 

Misguided Presbyterian Vote

"By a 310-303 vote last week, a prominent American Protestant denomination made history. The Presbyterian Church, with about 1.8 million members, became the first major Christian group in this country to approve a resolution in favor of economic divestment from American businesses that make equipment that helps foster Israel’s occupation in the West Bank. 

The amount of money that the Presbyterians will withdraw from Caterpillar, Hewlett-Packard and Motorola Solutions, $21 million, is relatively small in the world of international finance. But the message that the Presbyterian’s General Assembly sent last week in Detroit was huge: keep away from Israel."
 I am wondering if the youth of the Presbyterian Church will now be donning brown shirts, swastikas and standing in front of Jewish shops stopping people from buying there.  For there is no difference between what this church has done and Nazis.

Future Presbyterian Youth At Work!

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Israel And The Kurds


And now, according to Bloomberg: 

Iraq Government Condemns Kurds for ‘Illegal’ Oil Sale to Israel

Iraq’s government condemned the country’s semi-autonomous Kurdish authorities for “illegally” selling crude oil to Israel for the fourth time.
The SCF Altai tanker carrying crude oil from the Kurdish region docked in Ashkelon, Israel, June 20, according to an e-mailed statement from the Iraqi Oil Ministry.

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Leftists Try to Stop Videotaping at Portland State University

Gary Fouse
fousesquawk
http://garyfouse.blogspot.com


Hat tip Campus Reform

On June 12, a small group of Socialists held an open meeting at Portland State University in order to bash Capitalism. A conservative blogger, Dan Sandini, decided to attend and videotape the event, which he was legally entitled to do given that it was an open event at a public university. The organizers of the event thought otherwise and called the campus cops. In this case, the cops rightfully told the blogger and the Socialists that videotaping was permissible as long as he didn't disrupt the event. That didn't satisfy the lefties. Campus Reform has the report and a video of what transpired. You really need to watch this video to see how the little rascals (and a couple of supposed adults) behave.

http://www.campusreform.org/?ID=5694


This, of course, brings to mind my own experiences at UC Irvine, where the Muslim Student Union has attempted to prevent me from videotaping their anti-Israel events for a couple of years now. The last time, the UCIPD backed them up, and I had to shut down my camera. When I complained after the fact, the UCIPD acknowledged I was correct, the officers had erred, and apologized.

http://garyfouse.blogspot.com/2014/05/meeting-with-uc-irvine-campus-pd.html

Since then I have sent a letter to the UC Irvine dean of student affairs and the director of  Campus Event Services suggesting that all campus organizations holding public events be advised that videotaping is permissible under UC Irvine policy and that signs be posted to that effect at the door in order to prevent any future confrontations or incidents.



I have received no reply to that letter. Oh, well.

In anticipation of future similar events at UC Irvine, which I intend to videotape, I am sending this video (in the form of this post) to the aforementioned offices at UCI. As I have said before, this should not even be an issue of this or that university's policy. It should be a matter of law, and if necessary, should be enforced by the courts. At this point, it appears that UCI is doing the right thing as is PSU. At UC San Diego, on the other hand, the administration and campus police have taken the side of the Muslim Students Association and have enforced a ban on videotaping. In my opinion, the affected persons at UCSD should get the attorneys involved the next time it happens.

Kudos to Mr Sandini. Not only did he stand his ground, he effectively exposed the far left for what it is.

Wednesday's Hero

This post was suggested by Greta

PFC. Edmond Harjo

PFC. Edmond Harjo
96 years old from Seminole, Oklahoma
195th Field Artillery Battalion
November 24, 1917 - March 31, 2014

U.S. Army

We've sadly lost yet another Code Talker. Edmond A. Harjo was the last surviving Code Talker for the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma. Back in November of 2013, 33 tribes were honored in a ceremony in Washington, D.C. with the Congressional Gold Medal for their contribution in the war, Harjo was the only living Code Talker to attend.


You can read more about PFC. Harjo here

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives just so others may get to enjoy freedom. For that I am proud to call them Hero.

Those Who Say That We're In A Time When There Are No Heroes, They Just Don't Know Where To Look.

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.


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Monday, June 16, 2014

Crazy!

From Dry Bones

In response to the unfolding "Kidnapping our Boys" affair, I decided to run this golden oldie from back in 1975! It is a cartoon that I drew one year short of 40 years ago!!!

Now for your enjoyment:

Crazy by Patsy Cline



Click here if the video fails to load.

Saturday, June 14, 2014

Happy Birthday US Army And Flag Day

Today is the 239th Birthday of the US Army.


The United States Army (USA) is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services. The modern army has its roots in the Continental Army which was formed on 14 June 1775, to meet the demands of the American Revolutionary War before the establishment of the United States. The Congress of the Confederation officially created the United States Army on 3 June 1784 after the end of the Revolutionary War to replace the disbanded Continental Army. The army considers itself to be descended from the Continental Army and thus dates its inception from the origins of that force.

From Wikipedia
The US Army has seen action in every war this nation has fought.  It is the backbone of our fighting forces.  If you are interested in joining this fighting force, then go here to the US Army website.

The Caisson Song (Original US Army Song)


Click here if the video fails to load.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



 Flag Day!

Today is Flag Day.  The day Americans honor the flag.  It is fitting it is also on the birthday of the US Army since many members of that service died defending the flag.

From Wikipedia:
In the United States, Flag Day is celebrated on June 14. It commemorates the adoption of the flag of the United States, which happened on that day in 1777 by resolution of the Second Continental Congress. The United States Army also celebrates the Army Birthday on this date; Congress adopted "the American continental army" after reaching a consensus position in the Committee of the Whole on June 14, 1775. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation that officially established June 14 as Flag Day; in August 1949, National Flag Day was established by an Act of Congress. Flag Day is not an official federal holiday. Title 36 of the United States Code, Subtitle I, Part A, CHAPTER 1, § 110[4] is the official statute on Flag Day; however, it is at the President's discretion to officially proclaim the observance. On June 14, 1937, Pennsylvania became the first (and only) U.S. state to celebrate Flag Day as a state holiday, beginning in the town of Rennerdale. New York Statutes designate the second Sunday in June as Flag Day, a state holiday.
You're A Grand Old Flag


Click here if the video fails to load.

Friday, June 13, 2014

Obama to Iraq: Solve Your Problems

Gary Fouse
fousesquawk
http://garyfouse.blogspot.com




"Good news, Davy. The president is weighing all options."

The bad guys are on the march to Baghdad. In Mosul, heads are (literally) rolling as sharia law is put in place. The Iraqi troops that we trained and armed are laying down their US-supplied arms and surrendering or running. In Washington, President Obama is huddling with James Clapper, Susan Rice, John Brennan and Chuck Hagel and weighing all options. In the meantime, Obama tells the Iraqis to fix their problems.

Oh yeah. John Kerry is telling the Iraqi government to be more inclusive.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/06/13/militants-vow-to-march-on-baghdad-as-obama-administration-mulls-response/

To be honest, one cannot totally blame Obama for telling the Iraqis to solve their problems. We gave them the chance to create a free and democratic country, and they blew it. So now we are supposed to send troops back into that country again to fight and die for Iraqi freedom? I wouldn't blame Obama one bit if he established the Fousesquawk Doctrine. Build a wall around the Middle East. You can even call it an Apartheid Wall if you want. By all means we should offer refuge to the Iraqi Christians who are fleeing for their lives and we can also send food and medicine to the civilians. However, I am sick and tired of the Middle East, and I don't think their freedom is worth one more American life. The only country that we should ever send boots on the ground to defend is Israel, and that day may not be far off. When you think about it, we could be sending in troops to fight in Syria, Libya, Sudan, Egypt, Nigeria, Mali, the Central African Republic, and the lawless provinces of Pakistan. (Which provinces are not lawless?) Is this what we want?

Yet, on the other hand, there is nothing wrong or dishonorable about providing air power against the ISIS fighters as they proceed on the road to Baghdad. Drones, highway of death, or daisy cutters, it doesn't matter. These are bad guys, and we will eventually have to face them again. When and where? How about World War III? Laugh if you want, but this is what we are bequeathing our children.

In one respect, the bad guys are doing a pretty good job of killing themselves-witness Syria. Even Iran is weighting the option of sending in the Revolutionary Guards to assist the (Shia) Iraqi government against the Sunni rebels. Imagine if both Iran and the US send in troops to fight on the side of the Iraqi government. That is just how crazy this world has become especially in the Middle East.

When and if Iraq falls, there will be plenty of time to assess blame. That will include once again debating the decision by President Bush to invade and topple Saddam Hussein from power. That is fair game. It will also be fair game to criticize Obama's decision to get all US military out of Iraq, after all that cost in lives and treasure, setting the stage for what we see now.

What we are also seeing is a world that no longer respects America or fears its power. Everybody knows that Obama is a weak and feckless leader. At a time when our adversaries are gearing up and are on the march, Obama and his stooges (Hagel) are hollowing out our military. This is a time when we need strong and sensible leadership that will restore the military and restore its morale. The idea should be peace through strength.

Instead we get "weighing all options."

And we are also going to have to face the problem of more refugees. I have no problem with doing the honorable thing and offering refuge to those Iraqis who laid it on the line for us and will face certain retribution. However, I think we should give the next priority to Iraqi Christians who are under immediate threat as well. What we don't want are more would-be Tsarnaevs who would set off bombs to kill us or people who murder their wives out of some sense of honor.  It may be harsh and it may be unfair to a lot of decent people, but until the madness and the hate emanating from Islamic countries ceases, we should call a halt to any further immigration from those countries.

If only our government would weigh that common sense option.

Thursday, June 12, 2014

The Medina Constitution

Gary Fouse
fousesquawk
http://garyfouse.blogspot.com


Hat tip Investigative Project on Terrorism and Islam Watch


On March 28, 2014, Salam Al-Marayati gave a presentation in Tarzana, California at the Reseda Islamic Center. Al Marayati is the director of the Muslim Public Affairs Council. His topic was the Constitution  of Medina, an agreement made in the time of the Prophet Mohammad. As expected, Al Marayati gives a positive spin on the Constitution of Medina and even presents it as a model for governance along the lines of the US Constitution. (The sub-title of the talk is, "Foundation for Modern Governance as a Mercy to Mankind".)

This event was taped and may be accessed at the below link. It also includes a question and answer session.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8Oww6e5Y-0&feature=youtu.be

In the below link, Louis Palme, writing in Islam Watch, has written a critical response to Al Marayati.

http://www.islam-watch.org/authors/139-louis-palme/1524-the-medina-charter--a-manifesto-of-a-band-of-robbers-no-match-for-the-us-constitution.html

The below link as provided by Palme above is an English version of the Constitution ( or Charter) of Medina. I will leave it to the reader to decide if there is any comparison to the US Constitution.

http://www.constitution.org/cons/medina/macharter.htm

My reaction?  Absurd and insulting to our Constitution.

Is This Helpful?

A short rant from Pat Condell



Click here if the video fails to load.

I do hope so.

Persecution of Baha'is in Iran
http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/434...

Iran: The last executioner of children
http://www.amnestyusa.org/research/re...

Iran executes gays
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2011...

Persecution of Christians in Iran
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/03/...

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Wednesday's Hero

This post was suggested by SJ and Michael

Rear Admiral Jeremiah Denton

Rear Admiral Jeremiah Denton
89 years old from Virginia Beach, Virginia
USS Independence (CVA-62)
July 15, 1924 - March 28, 2014

U.S. Navy

Jeremiah Andrew Denton, Jr. was a Rear Admiral and Naval Aviator in the United States Navy and, following his retirement from naval service, was a United States Senator from the state of Alabama. In 1965 he was captured in North Vietnam when his plane was shot down and he and his navigator Bill Tschudy spent eight years a POW's in the infamous "Hanoi Hilton". In 1966 he was forced to take part in a press conference by his captors in which they asked him about his support for the war. He responded: "I don't know what is happening, but whatever the position of my government is, I support it fully. Whatever the position of my government, I believe in it, yes sir. I am a member of that government, and it is my job to support it, and I will as long as I live". During that interview he was able to send a message by blinking the word "Torture" in Morse code to let the world know what the POW's were going though.


You can read more about Rear Admiral Denton here

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives just so others may get to enjoy freedom. For that I am proud to call them Hero.

Those Who Say That We're In A Time When There Are No Heroes, They Just Don't Know Where To Look.

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.


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Friday, June 6, 2014

Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Calls For Defamation Laws

Gary Fouse
fousesquawk
http://garyfouse.blogspot.com


Hat tip Jihad Watch


Saudi Arabia is a nation where it is illegal to practice any religion other than Islam. Those Muslims who choose to leave the religion are subject to the death penalty under Saudi law. Yet, in an incredible display of hypocrisy, the deputy foreign minister has called on other governments to pass legislation against those who criticize Islam.  The below article in the Arab News (Saudi Arabia) was posted this morning by Jihad Watch.

http://www.arabnews.com/news/578571

And there was this from one of the readers:






"Nobody should be allowed to insult Islam. The one who does should be beheaded in public irrespective of his nationality or religion. Saudi Arabia is center of Islam and such attitude will not be tolerated from anybody weather local or foreigner."

"Dr."?

Reading this article, I felt like I was reading one of those old Nazi newspapers from the Third Reich, the Voelkischer Beobachter or Der Stuermer. This is really scary stuff, folks because not only does this thinking prevail in Muslim countries, it is being pushed onto the rest of the world. The 56-member Organization  of Islamic Cooperation, which comprises the Islamic-majority nations of the world plus the Palestinian government is the largest voting bloc in the UN. They have been trying for years to push just such legislation through the UN and its (UN)  member states. Secretary of State Clinton met two or three times with this group in Washington and Istanbul (behind closed doors). If the West continues to prostrate itself to these countries, who knows what kind of legislation we may see someday under this current administration? Europe is on bended knee as we speak. Look how the administration in Washington is going after its enemies now. We should delude ourselves into thinking that the First Amendment is rock solid and cannot be abridged.

We are up against a Nazi-like ideology,and sooner or later, we need to stand up and say that we shall never submit to it. In case you didn't know, the very word Islam means "submission".

The Normandy Invasions: Dwight D. Eisenhower and How He Refused to Celebrate D-Day

The Normandy invasions were so long and tediously prepared for, so intricate in design, so impossible to envision in the whole, or to envision having a chance of succeeding, that now 70 years later, without careful, thoughtful consideration with study of this most important of freedom crusades, we cannot comprehend it. Even with careful consideration, comprehension must surely be dim unless you were there. Reading of the sacrifices of those who perished and those who survived, is overwhelming. In mid-May, 2014, Michael Beschloss, writing for the New York Times, gives us a glimpse of what a D-Day anniversary was like for President Dwight David Eisenhower, a Five-Star General and Supreme Commander of Allied Forces on June 6, 1944, who led the allied militaries to victory. President Eisenhower is the one president who would not participate in public celebrations of the Normandy invasion.




Had anyone dared to offer Ike such gratuitous advice, however, he would have had them expelled from the Oval Office. Pointedly he did not visit Normandy or stage a White House ceremony to extol his own leadership. Self-celebration was mostly alien to the men and women of World War II’s “greatest generation,” starting with the supreme commander. 
Eisenhower’s painful memories of soldiers dying as a direct result of his command decisions had caused him to break down in public at least once before. As this photograph demonstrates, in a little-remembered incident during the 1952 presidential campaign, when Eisenhower — who usually kept his emotions under lock and key — spoke to a World War II veterans’ audience about those soldiers, he was so overwhelmed by grief that he covered his face with a handkerchief. Read more here.
Portsmouth Harbor, England was the point of departure for many of the vessels involved in the invasions. On the day of June 6, 1944, General Eisenhower was in allied headquarters in Portsmouth.
This operation involved landing the troops on the beaches, and all other associated supporting operations required to establish a beachhead in France. Operation Neptune began on D-Day (6 June 1944) and ended on 30 June 1944. By this time, the Allies had established a firm foothold in Normandy. Operation Overlord also began on D-Day, and continued until Allied forces crossed the River Seine on 19 August 1944. The Battle of Normandy is the name given to the fighting in Normandy between D-Day and the end of August 1944.
On D-Day, the Allies landed around 156,000 troops in Normandy. The American forces landed numbered 73,000: 23,250 on Utah Beach, 34,250 on Omaha Beach, and 15,500 airborne troops. In the British and Canadian sector, 83,115 troops were landed (61,715 of them British): 24,970 on Gold Beach, 21,400 on Juno Beach, 28,845 on Sword Beach, and 7900 airborne troops. 
11,590 aircraft were available to support the landings. On D-Day, Allied aircraft flew 14,674 sorties, and 127 were lost. 
In the airborne landings on both flanks of the beaches, 2,395 aircraft and 867 gliders of the RAF and USAAF were used on D-Day. 
Operation Neptune involved huge naval forces, including 6,939 vessels: 1,213 naval combat ships, 4,126 landing ships and landing craft, 736 ancillary craft and 864 merchant vessels. Some 195,700 personnel were assigned to Operation Neptune: 52,889 US, 112,824 British, and 4,988 from other Allied countries. 
By the end of 11 June (D + 5), 326,547 troops, 54,186 vehicles and 104,428 tons of supplies had been landed on the beaches...
“Casualties” refers to all losses suffered by the armed forces: killed, wounded, missing in action (meaning that their bodies were not found) and prisoners of war. There is no "official" casualty figure for D-Day. Under the circumstances, accurate record keeping was very difficult. For example, some troops who were listed as missing may actually have landed in the wrong place, and have rejoined their parent unit only later. 
In April and May 1944, the Allied air forces lost nearly 12,000 men and over 2,000 aircraft in operations which paved the way for D-Day.
The Allied casualties figures for D-Day have generally been estimated at 10,000, including 2,500 dead. Broken down by nationality, the usual D-Day casualty figures are approximately 2,,700 British, 946 Canadians, and 6,603 Americans. However recent painstaking research by the US National D-Day Memorial Foundation has achieved a more accurate - and much higher - figure for the Allied personnel who were killed on D-Day. They have recorded the names of individual Allied personnel killed on 6 June 1944 in Operation Overlord, and so far they have verified 2,499 American D-Day fatalities and 1,914 from the other Allied nations, a total of 4,413 dead (much higher than the traditional figure of 2,500 dead)...
The breakdown of US casualties was 1,465 dead, 3,184 wounded, 1,928 missing and 26 captured. Of the total US figure, 2,499 casualties were from the US airborne troops (238 of them being deaths). The casualties at Utah Beach were relatively light: 197, including 60 missing. However, the US 1st and 29th Divisions together suffered around 2,000 casualties at Omaha Beach. 
The total German casualties on D-Day are not known, but are estimated as being between 4,000 and 9,000 men. 
Naval losses for June 1944 included 24 warships and 35 merchantmen or auxiliaries sunk, and a further 120 vessels damaged... 
Today, twenty-seven war cemeteries hold the remains of over 110,000 dead from both sides: 77,866 German, 9,386 American, 17,769 British, 5,002 Canadian and 650 Poles. 
Between 15,000 and 20,000 French civilians were killed, mainly as a result of Allied bombing. Thousands more fled their homes to escape the fighting. Read more - Source: D-Day Museum 
Note that services were held at Christ Church on the the first day of the invasion (#3 below).
1. Southwick House: Here the Allied commanders, led by US General Dwight Eisenhower - the Supreme Allied Commander - decided that D-Day would be on 6 June 1944.
2. Fort Southwick: Tunnels underneath this Victorian fort housed the Combined Operations Headquarters, which co-ordinated and monitored the progress of the D-Day invasion fleet. 
 3. Christ Church, Portsdown: On 4 June 1944, the headquarters staff of British 2nd Army (which controlled the British and Canadian troops who landed on D-Day) held a service here.
4. Queen Alexandra Hospital: “QA” played an important part in the treatment of the wounded troops who had been brought back from Normandy. 
5. Hilsea Barracks: The Barracks and the nearby Hilsea College (now City of Portsmouth Boys' School) were used by American troops. 
6. c: The factory and headquarters of the Airspeed company, which designed the Horsa glider. The Horsa was used by both American and British airborne forces on D-Day. 
7. c: Six days after D-Day, the Germans launched the first of many V-1 flying bombs against Britain. Two of these weapons fell on Portsmouth. The second landed in Newcomen Road, killing 15 people and injuring 82 others. 
8. HMS Excellent, Whale Island: This naval base played an important role in the Allied naval preparations for D-Day, particularly in preparing for the naval gunfire bombardment that preceded the landings. 
9. Portsmouth Dockyard: Many of the specialist ships and landing craft used on D-Day had been modified at the Dockyard. Parts of the Mulberry Harbours (the artificial harbours that were used by the Allies for landing troops and supplies in Normandy) were built there. It was also an embarkation point for troops. 
10. Portsmouth Harbour Station landing stage: Another site at which Allied troops boarded ships to take them to France.
11. HMS Vernon, Gunwharf: This was the base for part of Force S - the naval force that landed 3rd British Division on Sword Beach - and for Motor Torpedo Boats, which on D-Day protected the flanks of the landings against enemy naval attack. This site is now Gunwharf Quays shopping centre. 
12. Quay House, Broad Street: This was the Embarkation Area Headquarters for the Portsmouth sector. Its role was to co-ordinate the loading of troops onto the ships at the four Portsmouth embarkation sites (which included nearby Camber Quay). Until recently, this building was known as Wightlink House.
13. Commercial Buildings: This building, on what is now Lord Montgomery Way, was the headquarters of Force S, which carried 3rd British Division to Normandy. The building now has the Cafe Parisien on the ground floor. 
14. Fratton Station: Wounded troops from Normandy were transferred onto hospital trains here, to be moved to hospitals outside the city. 
15. St Mary's Hospital: This hospital had an important role in the treatment of casualties from Normandy. 
16. St James’ Hospital: This hospital was used for the treatment of more lightly wounded troops and burns cases from the fighting in France. 
17. c: The Inter-Services Training and Development Centre was established here in 1938 to conduct experiments in Combined Operations techniques (landing troops on enemy shores). 
18. Langstone Harbour entrance: The shores of Hayling Island were used as a site for the construction of components of the Mulberry Harbours. Many landing barges were moored in Langstone Harbour in the lead-up to D-Day. 
19. South Parade Pier: Temporary piers were built from scaffolding alongside South Parade Pier for use by troops embarking onto the vessels that would take them to France. 
20. HMS Dolphin, Fort Blockhouse: The “X-Craft” mini-submarines that were based here were used for directing the Allied fleet in its final approach to the British and Canadian beaches.
21. Haslar Royal Naval Hospital: Another important hospital for the treatment of wounded troops from Normandy. 
22. Beach Street, Gosport: Near today’s Gosport ferry pier, this was one of the sites in Gosport for the embarkation of troops, particularly tanks and other vehicles. 
23. Camper & Nicholson, Gosport: This yacht-building company building a variety of naval craft, including Motor Torpedo Boats, parts of landing craft and components for the Mulberry Harbours (artificial harbours).
24. Stokes Bay: This site was used both for the construction of the Mulberry Harbours (artificial harbours) and for the embarkation of troops. 
25. HMS Daedalus: A variety of Allied aircraft were based here, at Lee on Solent airfield. They supported the naval and ground forces on D-Day and afterwards. 
26. Royal Naval Armament Depot at Priddy’s Hard, and other Royal Navy supply bases in Gosport - the Royal Clarence Victualling Yard, and the RN Armament Depots at Frater and Bedenham - were all vital for supplying the Allied invasion fleet.
27. Hardway, Gosport: Many of the huge numbers of vehicles required by the Allied troops in Normandy boarded ships from Gosport. The concrete "hard" can still be seen today, now in use by the local sailing club. 
28. Vospers, Portchester: This local firm built naval craft, such as Motor Torpedo Boats (MTBs), that were involved in the naval operations for D-Day. They went ahead of the main Allied fleet as it crossed the English Channel, and protected its flanks. 
29. Movement Control Headquarters, Fareham: This headquarters controlled all movement of troops in the area around Portsmouth and Gosport, as they prepared to board ships for Normandy. 
30. Marshalling camps for troops: The area to the north of Portsmouth was covered with many temporary camps for the thousands of troops assembled locally for D-Day. 
31. RAF Thorney Island: This airfield was used by RAF Typhoon fighter-bomber aircraft, which took part in the Normandy fighting. Slightly further away, airfields around Chichester such as RAF Tangmere played vital roles. 
32. HMS Northney: Several Royal Navy bases on Hayling Island bore this name. They were used for the training of landing craft crews in the years leading up to 1944. 
33. Hayling Island seafront: In May 1944, the seafront was used for amphibious landing. Read more.
This page at the D-Day Museum website gives the beach landings, hour-by-hour. Read an interesting interview with Beschloss here.




God Bless America, the home of the free because of the brave.

Originally Posted by Maggie @ Maggie's Notebook

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

More From the "Big" Islamophobia Conference at UC Berkeley

Gary Fouse
fousesquawk
http://garyfouse.blogspot.com


Hat tip Frontpage Magazine and John Speedie for audio

                                                                                                                   






Hatem Bazian and friends


UC Berkeley Professor Hatem Bazian clearly has visions or delusions of grandeur. In this latest piece from Cinnamon Stillwell and Rima Greene in Frontpage Magazine on the recent Islamophobia conference at UC Berkeley, Bazian talks about thousands of live feeds and the "big" international Islamophobia conference in Paris (which dovetails nicely on the latest arrest of a Jihadist Jew-killer in France). Take note of the wacko left-wing terminology used in the article by the wacky left-wing activists.

 http://www.frontpagemag.com/2014/cinnamon-stillwell-and-rima-greene/islamophobia-thought-crimes-at-berkeley/

Did ya get all that?

"Yeh, I did."

There is a whole new lexicon being born in academia. It was probably inspired by "Climate Change" being substituted for Global Warming. If you can't prove global warming, scream "climate change". Likewise if you can't prove white discrimination, scream "white privilege". If you can't prove homophobia, scream "pink-washing". Now if you can't prove hatred and discrimination against Muslims, scream "latent Islamophobia"

You talk about indoctrination.

Sunday, June 1, 2014

Navy SEALs Rescue PFC Bowe Bergdahl From Taliban - Exchange for 5 Gitmo Prisoners

PFC Bowe Bergdahl, at age 23, went missing from his base in Afghanistan on July 1, 2009. Shortly after, the Taliban released a video showing Bergdahl and his i.d. tags. It is believed Bergdahl left the base willingly, for some yet unknown reason. He reportedly did not leave with a weapon. Bergdahl is in U.S. custody today, being treated in Germany. Our Special Forces retrieved him, in what is referred to as a “peaceful handoff,” from the Haqqani faction of the Taliban.

PFC Bowe Bergdah in captivityl (L)

The circumstances of Bergdahl’s capture have not been clear.
On July 2, two U.S. officials told the AP the soldier had “just walked off” his base with three Afghans after his shift. He had no body armor or weapon and they said they had no explanation for why he left. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the case.
On July 6, the Taliban claimed on their Web site that five days earlier “a drunken American soldier had come out of his garrison” and was captured by mujahadeen. 
In the video, Pfc. Bergdahl said he was lagging behind a patrol when he was captured. Source: Michelle Malkin, July 20, 2009 
ABC is reporting that, now-28-years-old PFC Bergdahl's release came after five Guantanamo Bay prisoners were released in exchange.
His freedom was secured in exchange for the release of five prisoners from the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, according to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, who said on Saturday that Bergdahl is now under the care of the U.S. military. 
At about 10:30 a.m. ET, U.S. special forces recovered Bergdahl from his captors, in a peaceful handoff in eastern Afghanistan, a senior Defense official told ABC News, recounting the operation. About 18 Taliban were preseng [sic]. Source: ABC News 
The Government of Qatar, "especially" the Amir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, played a role in getting Bergdahl out of Afghanistan (so says Secretary of State John Kerry, who didn't mention the prisoner exchange, but did mention his own service).

Originally Posted by Maggie @ Maggie's Notebook 

Obama Wants Big Bucks to Train Anti-Terrorist Forces in Muslim Countries, But No One Wanted Our $25M to Capture bin Laden

Obama's commencement speech major foreign policy speech, before graduating West Point cadets this week, called for $5 billion to train 'partners' in anti-terrorism. Should Congress pony-up the $5 bil (and it's not likely they will), we will be funding Muslims to fight Muslims. A once long-time, ongoing reward for $25 million leading to the capture or death of Osama bin Laden, yielded exactly nothing from the Muslim community, until the CIA recruited a Pakistani doctor to promote a vaccine program to gather bin Laden's DNA. There are no reports of Dr. Shakil Afridi being bribed with $25 million to locate bin Laden for us. Infidels can't bribe Muslims to kill Muslims. The point: paying Muslims to kill, or even report, Muslim terrorists doesn't work. Why do we think pouring $5 billion more into the effort will make us safer, and how many American infidel trainers will be murdered trying to make it work? And how much of the $5 billion will used to kill Christians?


Here's the snippet from the speech:
Today, as part of this effort, I am calling on Congress to support a new counterterrorism partnerships fund of up to $5 billion, which will allow us to train, build capacity and facilitate partner countries on the front lines. And these resources will give us flexibility to fulfill different missions, including training security forces in Yemen who’ve gone on the offensive against Al Qaeda, supporting a multinational force to keep the peace in Somalia, working with European allies to train a functioning security force and border patrol in Libya and facilitating French operations in Mali.
A critical focus of this effort will be the ongoing crisis in Syria... 
So with the additional resources I’m announcing today, we will step up our efforts to support Syria’s neighbors — Jordan and Lebanon, Turkey and Iraq — as they contend with refugees and confront terrorists working across Syria’s borders. I will work with Congress to ramp up support for those in the Syrian opposition who offer the best alternative to terrorists and brutal dictators. Source: New York Times 
Saudi Arabia created Jordan. Saudi Arabia can protect Jordan. Turkey has fallen off the ally radar and Iraq is lost. Lebanon needs help, but that means ridding the earth of Hezbollah. The U.S. is only about maintaining, not ridding.

The Syrian disaster is a clear example of funding Muslim rebels we knew nothing about, and who have turned out to be worse than the regime, yet we continue the charade. It's likely U.S. Ambassador to Libya, Chris Stevens, was trying to buy-back weapons stolen from Moammar Gaddafi's arsenal, to send to Syrian rebels, when he was murdered by Muslim terrorists on September 11, 2012. We cannot help them enough to garner a 'smidgen' of appreciation.

How would infidels train the anti-terrorist fighters? What Rules of Engagement will we insist upon for our $5 million, and how do we rodeo where the money goes? Yes, we can 'give' the funds to one entity and demand they sign an official paper, but we cannot make them keep the bargain, and nearly every Muslim in every Muslim country can be bought off by any "extremist" terrorist that comes along, and if he/she can't be bought off, he/she can be killed.

In these countries, we have Embassies (with the exception of those we've had to evacuate, or may have to evacuate at any time). Secretary of State John Kerry and the Pentagon will have everything to say about where the money goes, and how the infidels we send to train, are protected from the non-infidels, unless we turn that responsibility over to Muslim terrorists, as did Hillary Clinton. What will the Rules of Engagement be for our side? Do we have even a single reason to have confidence in the decisions Kerry or Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel will employ? No, we have not one.

For every Muslim soldier or police in a Muslim country, who is willing to work with our forces, there are infinite numbers of the enemy more than willing to buy the willing. This is true in Afghanistan and Libya, and we can count on "trusted" authorities to cross us, and then blackmail us, and when they do, we do nothing, and they know it. And you know darn well, we sure won't do anything to offend anyone, anywhere, on the other side of our borders.

The don't like us. They like our money and they use it to kill us. This is a bad idea.

Written by and originally posted by Maggie @ Maggie's Notebook