Like Johnny and June

Anthony and Cleopatra, Romeo and Juliette, Mr & Mrs Pastorius, Mr & Mrs Epaminondas, Mr & Mrs Always on Watch. . .

Heidi Newfield

Johnny and June

Johnny & June

Jackson

I don't suppose you Crazy Jihadis would understand anything like this?

No, I reckon not.

Carlos Santana & John McLaughlin

A Love Supreme

Hamas Calls Jewish State Racism

Hamas, whose official Charter calls for death to the "Jews" (not Zionists, but "Jews"), calls Israel "racist".

From the Los Angeles Examiner:

After PM Netanyahu said that peace requires that the Arabs recognize Israel as a Jewish state, not just as an independent state, Hamas called the demand “racist”  (http://www.israelnationalnews.com/ -- Arutz-7, 6/16).

Half the Arab states are called “Islamic” republic /kingdom of such-and-such.  Some bar Jews. The rest oppress Jews and other minorities.  The Palestinian Authority and Jordan impose life sentences or worse on those who sell land to Jews.  Hamas enforces strict Islamic law on Gazans.  Why shouldn’t the Jewish people have a haven from Muslim persecution in a state of their own, in which to pursue their own national destiny?  Isn’t it inconsistent of Hamas to deny another people to achieve voluntarily what it imposes upon its own people by beatings?

Hamas’ comment reflects the fundamental reason that the Arabs don’t permit peace.  They do not recognize the right of Jews to their own state, primarily for not being Muslims and secondarily for not being Arabs.  Hamas’ goal is a caliphate comprising the whole world, including the United States.  It wants to impose Islamic law upon everybody.  This is a major world problem.

To get an idea whether Palestinian Arabs sincerely want a state, click here:

London Times Says Allah Is Descendant Of Moon God

Once in awhile the truth wins out in the MSM.

From the London Times:

Hubal (Pre Islamic Arabian)

A moon god and the most powerful of the three hundred and sixty gods worshipped at Mecca in pre-Islamic times. It is believed that Hubal may have been a forerunner of al-Llah, which means The God, and may be the reason that Mosques have a moon sign over them. Hubal had three daughters. 

The devil tricked Mohamed into saying in the Koran that they should be worshipped. The lines that Mohamed wrote in the Koran about the daughters are known as the Satanic Verses.

Encroachment of Sharia in America

Hat Tip: Islam in Action

Warning - Graphic: A Video of the Complete Sequence of Events in the Mumbai Terror Attack

Hat tip to Vlad Tepes Blog:

Link:

Um, Surprise?

Newsmax:

Obama's Huge Stimulus Rewarding Democratic Strongholds
Thursday, July 9, 2009 12:58 PM
By: David A. Patten and Jim Meyers

Billions of dollars in federal stimulus money targeted to boost local economies have gone overwhelmingly to counties that supported Barack Obama in last year's presidential election.
Counties that supported the Democratic candidate have received twice as much money per person from the administration's $787 billion economic stimulus package as those that voted for Republican John McCain, according to a USA Today analysis.

Obama administration officials are denying a political motivation behind the billions flowing disproportionately to regions that supported Obama on Election Day.

"There's no politics at work when it comes to spending for the recovery," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told USA Today.

Government reports show that the 872 counties that backed Obama received about $69 per person on average, while the 2,234 counties that backed McCain received about $34 per person.
The Obama administration has so far allocated about $158 billion to various projects, and most of it has gone directly to state governments for dispersal. Washington has also distributed $17 billion directly to local communities, allowing the comparison of moneys allocated versus votes cast.

"Including the larger chunk of money given to state governments, the aid favors states that voted for Obama, which have received about 20 percent more per person," USA Today reported.

The aid includes money to repair military facilities, improve public housing, and help students pay for college.

Jake Wiens, an investigator with the non-profit Project on Government Oversight, told the newspaper it's too early to "draw meaningful conclusions" about whether the aid in the stimulus favor's Obama's constituents. But he added that "it will be important to pay close attention as the data come in to ensure that political favoritism plays no role."

The $17 billion is aimed at repairing military facilities, improving public housing, and helping students pay for college.

CATO budget analyst Tad DeHaven says it is too early to conclude there has been a pro-Obama bias in the distribution of stimulus funds. But he says the disparity raises a larger question about the inevitable politicization of massive government stimulus programs.

He points to a New York Times report on Thursday showing that transportation funds in the stimulus bill are going disproportionately to rural areas, rather than the metropolitan jurisdictions where about two-thirds of Americans now live.

Reports the Times: "The stimulus law provided $26.6 billion for highways, bridges and other transportation projects, but left the decision on how to spend most of it to the states, which have a long history of giving short shrift to major metropolitan areas when it comes to dividing federal transportation money."

That the stimulus plan has become a political football, both inside and outside the Beltway, highlights its serious limitations, DeHaven says.

"All of these formulas – Medicare, how they distribute education dollars – these formulas are all politically driven," DeHaven tells Newsmax. "And whether you want to call it back scratching or log rolling, the tendency to get things done to grease the wheel is to make sure everyone gets a piece of the cheese. So the whole process is politically driven."

"Do I think there's a concentrated effort to push stimulus money into Obama-friendly hands?" asks DeHaven. "I would say not necessarily. But supporters of all of these programs are proponents of a bigger, more activist government."

DeHaven says political distortions are important to keep in mind as talk surfaces that Congress may entertain yet another stimulus bill – an idea the White House has shied away from for the time being.

"It certainly seems like some trial balloons are being floated," DeHaven says. "And my guess is they're getting a ton of pressure from the states, especially those such as California."

Bailing out the deficit-plagued states has been the real thrust behind the massive stimulus plans, DeHaven says, which are being dressed up as economic-stimulus proposals.

"Some states still haven't gotten the message that it's time to reform their budgets," DeHaven tells Newsmax. "Certainly the dependency on Washington is alive and well."

U.S. Demand for Handguns Driving World Exports

And we're also still the most free. Go figure.

Newsmax:

U.S. Demand for Handguns Driving World Exports
Thursday, July 9, 2009 9:25 AM

GENEVA -- American demand for handguns has fueled a 28 percent jump this decade in world exports of pistols, rifles, shotguns and other small arms, a global report said Thursday.

The 2009 Small Arms Survey reported that the Untied States alone was responsible for about half of the worldwide increase in legal international gun sales between 2000 and 2006. The U.S. now accounts for over half of the world's imports of pistols and revolvers and 45 percent of shotguns, it said.

"No other country imports more than 4 percent of the global total," the 344-page report found.
It illustrated how U.S. purchases of hand guns - which averaged $173 million annually - have driven a sharp rise in exports from a number of countries.

Austria remained the world's largest seller of pistols and revolvers with a 25 percent jump since 2000. Seventy-five percent of its exports go to the United States. Croatian exports soared almost 24 times in value since the start of the decade. The U.S. accounted for 98 percent of its 2006 sales of $27 million.

Gunmakers in Brazil and Italy also have been helped by booming American demand for small arms.

"A country can become a major global player just by developing an export market in the United States," the report said.

The report, published by Geneva's Graduate Institute, uses customs data and other information supplied by 53 nations. It estimated legal trade in firearms at nearly $1.6 billion in 2006, with the actual value of all small arms, light weapons, parts, accessories and ammunition exceeding $4 billion.

"Current data shows that the global trade in small arms and light weapons is robust and even expanding, and handguns are driving it," said Keith Krause, the survey's director. "We don't know whether these weapons are destined for civilians, police or military forces."

The report found that trade in light military weapons has decreased by almost 30 percent over the same period. In that category, the U.S. dominates as the world's major supplier, with $228.5 million in exports. That amounts to 54 percent of the world total.

The study also examined the lasting effects of weapons trade on countries, even after armed conflicts end. It said disarmament, demobilization and reintegration strategies in Indonesia, Afghanistan, Lebanon and elsewhere have met with mixed success.

For some countries, accurate export information was particularly hard to obtain. The report said Switzerland, Britain, Germany, Netherlands, Serbia and the United States were among the more transparent nations. Iran, North Korea, South Africa, Russia, Israel and Taiwan were cited as
the least transparent.

No fun or laughing in Islam

One of the virtues of freedom and democracy, is our ability to have fun. Aww, such a simple concept. But, in the Islamic world, fun is banned.

And to make sure the people are stopped, from having fun, you have the moral police. Is there any wonder Muslims are so angry. Hell, it's the only emotion allowed.

They accused me of laughing in public
By KHALED ABU TOAMEH

A Palestinian female journalist complained over the weekend that Hamas policemen attempted to arrest her under the pretext that she came to a Gaza beach dressed immodestly and was seen laughing in public.

The journalist, Asma al-Ghul, said that the policemen instead confiscated her passport. Since the incident, she added, she has been afraid to leave her home, especially after receiving death threats from anonymous callers.

"They accused me of laughing loudly while swimming with my friend and failing to wear a hijab," Ghul told a human rights organization in the Gaza Strip. "They also wanted to know the identity of the people who were with me at the beach and whether they were relatives of mine."

In a phone interview with the Dubai-based Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya news Web site, the journalist said that the policemen who stopped her belonged to the Hamas government's Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice security force.

The special force reports directly to the Ministry of Waqf Affairs and is said to be a copy of units that have long been operating in Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan.

The Hamas government, according to local reporters, has refrained from publicly admitting that the force exists out of fear of being branded fundamentalist.

The Hamas force consists of dozens of plainclothes police officers who patrol beaches, public gardens, restaurants, hair salons and coffee shops to make sure that males and females are not mixing together and that the women are dressed modestly.

Ghul said that many Palestinian women have noticed the presence of the police officers at the beaches and other sites. She said that the talk in the Gaza Strip these days was about Hamas's intention to impose the hijab on all female school children from first to 12th grade.

She said she was astonished by the fact that the Hamas security forces were providing security to hotels that are frequented by women wearing miniskirts while at the same time targeting "common people" who go to the beaches and public parks.

Ghul said that Hamas has banned men in the Gaza Strip from swimming topless. "And as in my case, Hamas has banned women from laughing while swimming," she added.

She and her friends were stopped by Hamas policemen while swimming in the sea. She said that the policemen confiscated her passport and laptop after accusing her of laughing loudly and appearing in immodest clothes in a public place.

Two of her male friends were detained for questioning for three hours. They said the police officers beat them and abused them verbally before releasing them.

Hamas security commanders initially said that the journalist and her friends were stopped because they were having a mixed party at the beach. Later, one of the commanders said that Ghul was stopped because she was not wearing a hijab while swimming. Another commander claimed that the journalist and her friends were stopped because they had been seeing smoking nargilas and partying in a public place.

Islam Shahwan, spokesman for the Hamas security forces, said that policemen have been deployed at the beaches at the request of the Ministry for Waqf Affairs. He said the policemen's task is to impose law and order and prevent harassment of families picnicking and swimming at the beaches.

"We are there for the safety of the people," he said. "We operate there to prevent men from harassing women. We've received many complaints about these negative practices."

Shahwan said that Hamas does not interfere with the way women want to dress. However, he stressed, "we must preserve our Islamic culture and traditions. If there's a woman who wants to dress as she wishes, she must go to a private swimming pool and not to a public place."

How Islam tries to dictate what we read

ieligious fanatics have been jailed for an attack on the UK home of a publisher. His “crime”? He dared to want to publish a novel about Aisha, the child bride of the Islamic prophet, Muhammad.

Now, according to The Times, among others, three Islamic fundamentalists have been banged up “for an arson attack on a London publisher who planned to print an ‘offensive’ book about the Prophet Muhammad”.

The attack was on the home of Martin Rynja, and “has been compared to the campaign against the publication of Salmon Rushdie’s The Satanic Verses”.

You can see from the links below just what a fuss was made by these and other morons, who believe that historical figures don’t belong to all, and if we wish to write fiction based on them, draw cartoons of them, make sculptures of them or paint them, we should be allowed to do so.
__________
Related links:
How Muslims rule what we read
Aisha author should be compensated, says Rushdie’s QC
Cowardice condemned

Last of the Few

3 pieces from Theo

(h/t to Pasto for this one) (how come I never have range days like this?)

(How'd she get in here???)

Southern Comfort

from the movie, Cajun feast and music and a bit of impending mayhem

Humpday Blues

Janiva Magness

Good Morning Little Schoolgirl

Worse Than First Thought

Newsmax:

White House Among Targets of Sweeping Cyber Attack

Wednesday, July 8, 2009 10:55 AM

WASHINGTON – The powerful attack that overwhelmed computers at U.S. and South Korean government agencies for days was even broader than initially realized, also targeting the White House, the Pentagon and the New York Stock Exchange.

Other targets of the attack included the National Security Agency, Homeland Security Department, State Department, the Nasdaq stock market and The Washington Post, according to an early analysis of the malicious software used in the attacks. Many of the organizations appeared to successfully blunt the sustained computer assaults.

The Associated Press obtained the target list from security experts analyzing the attacks. It was not immediately clear who might be responsible or what their motives were. South Korean intelligence officials believe the attacks were carried out by North Korea or pro-Pyongyang forces.

The attack was remarkably successful in limiting public access to victim Web sites, but internal e-mail systems are typically unaffected in such attacks. Some government Web sites — such as the Treasury Department, Federal Trade Commission and Secret Service — were still reporting problems days after the attack started during the July 4 holiday. South Korean Internet sites began experiencing problems Tuesday.

South Korea's National Intelligence Service, the nation's principal spy agency, told a group of South Korean lawmakers Wednesday it believes that North Korea or North Korean sympathizers in the South were behind the attacks, according to an aide to one of the lawmakers briefed on the information.

The aide spoke on condition of anonymity, citing the sensitivity of the information. The National Intelligence Service — South Korea's main spy agency — said it couldn't immediately confirm the report, but it said it was cooperating with American authorities.

The attacks will be difficult to trace, said Professor Peter Sommer, an expert on cyberterrorism at the London School of Economics. "Even if you are right about the fact of being attacked, initial diagnoses are often wrong," he said Wednesday.

Amy Kudwa, spokeswoman for the Homeland Security Department, said the agency's U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team issued a notice to federal departments and other partner organizations about the problems and "advised them of steps to take to help mitigate against such attacks."

New York Stock Exchange spokesman Ray Pellecchia could not confirm the attack, saying the company does not comment on security issues.

Attacks on federal computer networks are common, ranging from nuisance hacking to more serious assaults, sometimes blamed on China. U.S. security officials also worry about cyber attacks from al-Qaida or other terrorists.

This time, two government officials acknowledged that the Treasury and Secret Service sites were brought down, and said the agencies were working with their Internet service provider to resolve the problem. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the matter.

Ben Rushlo, director of Internet technologies at Keynote Systems, said problems with the Transportation Department site began Saturday and continued until Monday, while the FTC site was down Sunday and Monday.

Keynote Systems is a mobile and Web site monitoring company based in San Mateo, Calif. The company publishes data detailing outages on Web sites, including 40 government sites it watches.

According to Rushlo, the Transportation Web site was "100 percent down" for two days, so that no Internet users could get through to it. The FTC site, meanwhile, started to come back online late Sunday, but even on Tuesday Internet users still were unable to get to the site 70 percent of the time.

Web sites of major South Korean government agencies, including the presidential Blue House and the Defense Ministry, and some banking sites were paralyzed Tuesday. An initial investigation found that many personal computers were infected with a virus ordering them to visit major official Web sites in South Korea and the U.S. at the same time, Korea Information Security Agency official Shin Hwa-su said.

American Intifada

Daniel Pipes has a very interesting ‘what if’ scenario on his blog that explores the consequences of an American Intifada. He does an excellent job offering the support for such a scenario but I disagree with some of his projected outcomes.

He begins his ‘what if’ scenario by describing an America that has been lulled into a false sense of security then rudely awakened by events.

The absence of large-scale terrorism prompted analysts smugly to conclude that law enforcement had prevailed; or that the Islamists had opted for non-violent means. It thus came as a great surprise in June 2008 when 51 bombs went off within a few hours in each of the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, killing over 800 people in schools, stores, and subways.

[I]dentical leaflets appeared near each of the bombings. Signed by Jihadis for Justice, a hitherto unknown group, the flyers called for replacing the Constitution with the Koran and bringing the country's foreign policy in line with Tehran's.

Building on the precedent of pro-Hamas and pro-Hezbollah demonstrations in mid-2006, Islamists and far-leftists brazenly supported the American intifada, punctuating their glorification of its "martyrs" with Ayatollah Khomeini's "Death to America" slogan. These messages echoed on Canadian campuses, especiallyConcordia University in Montreal and York in Toronto. ……The violence became daily, ubiquitous, endemic, and routine, occurring in rural towns, upscale suburbs, and metropolitan centres, targeting private houses, restaurants, university buildings, gas stations, and electricity grids…… Some terrorists avoided this ignominious fate by engaging in suicide attacks, usually accompanied by boastful Internet videos. In all, roughly 100,000 incidents meant an average 10,000 deaths and many times more injuries each year.

This is where I part with Pipes. If there were terrorist attacks in all 50 states, whether they killed 800 people of 800,000, the authorities will react by declaring a national emergency. These laws are on the books and can be initiated by the President.

New legislation signed on May 9, 2007, declares that in the event of a "catastrophic event", the President can take total control over the government and the country, bypassing all other levels of government at the state, federal, local, territorial and tribal levels, and thus ensuring total unprecedented dictatorial power.

Violence became “daily, ubiquitous, endemic, and routine”would not be tolerated in this country. Even if political authorities delayed by dragging their feet in the muck and mire of political correctness, the citizenry will most certainly demand that the authorities take control of their family and workplace security. Back to Pipes.

As its frequency increased, terrorists became less cautious, leading to many arrests and bulging prisons.

Pipes understands that arrests will be made but something more ominous will appear on the American landscape and arrests will only be a start. Muslim internment camps.

Jihadis for Justice relied on Iranian and Saudi patronage but no U.S. retaliation followed because, before acting, President Obama required proofs that would pass muster in a U.S. court of law, something the intelligence agencies could not provide.

This is not realistic. With hundreds of thousands of Americans dead and “10,000 deaths and many times more injuries each year” happening in this country, the urge will be to act first and ask questions later or the Administration would be replaced by the citizens. Inaction will not play well in Peoria.

As have been saying for some time, our political leaders will be responsible for this citizen reaction – attack someone, anyone – because they have not been told who the enemy is (the ideology of Islamism – not terrorists), who supports it (any country, organization or individual that promotes Sharia law), and a war plan explained to the citizens how we will identify multiple types of jihad the supporters of Islamism are using.

They need to properly identify the enemy and put us on a war footing immediately if we are to avoid a constitutional crisis in this country once the American Intifada begins.

And what of the rest of the world?

Drawing on the example of the Danish imams going international in 2005 with the Muhammad cartoons, American Muslim delegations travelled abroad to publicize their complaints, arousing vast emotional support by presenting themselves as an innocent but brutalized community. Majority Muslim states unanimously condemned Washington for "Islamophobia" and the U.N. General Assembly passed nearly weekly resolutions condemning U.S.practices, with only Australia, Israel, and Micronesia reliably voting with the Obama administration.

Of course, this appeasement would be expected. But I wonder if the average European will follow the dictates of their elitist leaders especially when they see the acts of terrorism committed on a daily basis in the US. They will be looking over their shoulders and demand that steps be taken against Muslims to prevent a European Intifada – or civil war. 

Pre-intifada, terrorists such as Ahmed Ressam and Ghazi Ibrahim Abu Mezer exploited Canada's less stringent security environment as a base from which to attack the United States, a pattern that now continued. Repeated closings and crossing delays of the border withCanada followed, harming the Canadian economy and provoking widespread resentment.

Again, I disagree. If Islamists use Canada as a base of operations and it seriously affects the Canadian economy, I seriously doubt that Canadian citizens will allow that to happen.

Just as a Norwegian grocery store chain urged the boycott of Israeli products in 2002, so did it initiate the 2009 international anti-U.S. economic boycott. What began by marking American products with a red-white-blue sticker ended by dropping them all together. "Mecca Cola," "Beurger King," and Barbie doll replacements Fulla and Razanne, all created years before the American intifada began, were now joined by other Muslim replacements for their better-known U.S. equivalents. Inspired by the success of Ülker, a Turkish corporation long associated with Islamist causes, to replace Coca-Cola with its Cola Turka, other Islamist-affiliated companies commercially exploited anti-American sentiments. Rumblings of an Arab oil boycott along the lines of 1973-74 led to a surge in the price of energy, causing an economic recession, but structural changes in the oil market made such an effort too difficult to sustain

.

Perhaps. But we can mount our own boycotts of goods and services. There are products and services that world needs.

Then, almost as suddenly as it had started, the terrorist campaign ended in June 2012. A combination of draconian security measures, beefed-up intelligence capabilities, and a relentless focus on the pool of Islamist suspects led to a severe drop-off in terrorist capabilities. Battered by the experience, American Islamists realized the error of their tactics and decided to forego violence. Like their counterparts in Egypt, Syria, and Algeria, they took up lawful means and worked henceforth within the system.

First, this country will not roll over and take the Intifada for 4 years. The economy and the social fabric of America would be in ruins. The end of the Intifada will come long before that and Islamists realize that as of today they are making gains in establishing Shari law or at least adherence to it through the work of their useful idiots on the Left.

Azzedine Layachi of St. John's University further explained aboutAlgeria that "The Islamist movement tried to challenge the state head on and it failed miserably. But Islamist sentiment has not been defeated. On the contrary, Islamists are now part and parcel of the political and cultural scene."] The ending of the four-year American intifada signalled, as in Algeria, the opening of a political battle over the country's future. Would the Constitution of 1787 remain in place, or would it be complemented or perhaps replaced by the Koran and the Shariah?

What do you think?

"I Want To Express My Grave Concerns About The Administration's Response"

I'm with Senator DeMint when he expresses "grave" concerns about our current Presidential Administration.

In this video, Senator DeMint reads into the Congressional record the step by step events that took place which led the Honduran military to depose President Zelaya.

The one thing I had wondered about was whether the Honduran Supreme Court and Congress had overstepped their power in their hurry to get Zelaya out of office, because of the threat he posed as the result of his using a mob to break into a military installation. In other words, I was concerned that they had skipped the Impeachment process, in their haste to get rid of what they saw as a potentially violent threat to the Constitutional processes of the government.

It turns out, however, that even before Zelaya had resorted to such "mob rule" methods, he was in violation of Article 238 in the Honduran Constitution which states that, "Any President who even proposes an extension of his tenure in office shall immediately cease performing the functions of his post."

In other words, the only thing to wonder about with regard to the Honduran situation is, why did it take so long for the Judiciary and the Legislative branches to order Zelaya removed from office.

You have to watch this video. It is a devastating denunciation of President Barack Obama.

In the end you will be left knowing that the Honduran government did the right thing,

and,

you will also be left podering one ominous (grave?) question,

Is it, in fact, true that Barack Obama is attempting to help Zelaya perform a coup against the Honduran Constitution?

DC Comics becomes Dhimmi Comics

Coming back from a vacation I was on, I've made quite a discovery indeed: DC is going to allow for a team-up between its superheroes and those of the Kuwaiti-based Teshkeel that go by the Islamic religion. The UK Guardian published the following article:

They are superheroes battling injustice and fighting evil the Islamic way, and they are teaming up with some of the west's biggest comic book icons. Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are among those joining forces with The 99, who personify the 99 attributes of Allah, according to Islamic tradition.

And I'm guessing that, in the official books published in Kuwait, the "heroes" themselves personify such traits as jihad, conquering other countries and dhimmifying those they consider infidels, condone such quranic verses as "Therefore, when ye meet the Unbelievers (in fight), smite at their necks..." (Qur'an 47:4), and even verses like “Forbidden to you are ... married women, except those whom you own as slaves” (Sura 4:23-24). That's exactly why to see these DC superheroes meeting up with a bunch whose religion and beliefs go entirely against their own will be one of the most implausible ever seen.

What will unfold on the pages of the collaboration between DC Comics in the US and Teshkeel Comics in Kuwait is yet to be seen, but the appearance of The 99 – who already appear in comics in the Muslim world – alongside archetypal American heroes would have been unlikely during the Bush years. DC Comics' president and publisher, Paul Levitz, believes the cross-cultural project is unprecedented.

Now that is hilarious. They make it sound as though most American comics actually did support the war against terror and uphold patriotic values. Sorry, but it was anything but that, and even now, they can't be counted on to offer a fully convincing portrait of superheroes fighting terrorism, even allegorically.

That aside, it's interesting to note that company president Paul Levitz has approved of this.

He said: "It is a long-standing tradition for characters to meet others in the fictional world, and over the years a lot of the superheroes have been translated into Arabic, taking on ethnic elements. But this is a nice step forward. The most difficult creative test is when you are working with the least precedent and when you're trying to reach an audience that has a different cultural bias and different interests."

It sounds like he may be subtly attacking the sensible audience if they're offended by this teaming of heroes who under better editorial would have more common sense with so-called heroes who could condone atrocities like jihadic violence and racism. If anything, this tells that Paul Levitz is clearly a bad lot himself. He was of course responsible for handing Dan DiDio the keys to the kingdom, and did nothing to stop Identity Crisis from being crafted. Once, he was a great writer, with plenty of Earth-2 and Legion of Super-Heroes stories to his credit. Now, it's clear that power and greed have consumed him, and I'm going to have to look upon him in disgrace.

Unlike their western counterparts The 99 do not wear disguises, unless you count the burka-wearing Batina The Hidden, nor are they outsiders with secret identities. They are ordinary people who develop extraordinary abilities after coming into contact with mystical gems infused with power and wisdom.

Only Batina, one of five females, is fully veiled, and although characters pray or read the Qur'an, they are meant to appeal to children of all faiths.

No kidding. Sorry, I don't buy that for a second.

But who are some of the people behind this particular "project"?

The team behind The 99 includes comic book stalwarts Fabian Nicieza, Stuart Moore, June Brigman, Dan Panosian, and John McCrea, who have all worked at DC Comics and Marvel.

And now I consider Nicieza and company as bad as leftist writers like Warren Ellis and Mark Millar, possibly even worse. Nicieza is clearly another of many burned-out comic writers who's naive to boot.

About 23 heroes have been launched and there are more to come.

Mutawa said: "We're building the brand slowly.

"It's difficult to have any kind of reading or comic book culture here because there is a lot of stuff that doesn't come in or it's censored. Certain storylines don't work and some stuff, like magic, just isn't allowed."

Really? In that case, how do they expect to craft anything fun to read? It does suggest though, that the Islamists behind The 99 despise Tales of the Arabian Nights, where plenty of magic is involved!

This is another reason why I find the big two in their current incarnation so alienating today, because they're willing to insult their own properties by involving them with others whose ideologies go completely against their own.

Update: here's an extra item on this from Jihad Watch.

Slippin' and a Slidin'

from Getting Hot and Heavy:

We Just Aren't That Into You, Barry

Wow, somehow I don't think the One saw this coming. This is good news for our nation. Yes, I know, there I go again...he didn't have enough time, he inherited a whole bunch of problems, it's not his fault, he's just misunderstood and attacked, etc, etc. In my hometown paper, after the elections and in between the shouts of “raaaacist” whenever I would voice a concern I had about the incoming Obama administration I was met with “well give him time...he’s only been president for X number of days”

Should we give him a few more days? Perhaps then, he will really hit his stride and be the great leader the mainstream media promised us. Perhaps the president should wake up from the dreams of his father and take a long hard look at the reality of the world around him, before his support slips any further. But, how can this be possible? Wasn't Barry Sotero aka Barack Hussein Obama supposed to be the One? Wasn't he supposed to be the one who was going to fix our souls as Michelle Obama pronounced? It would seem his support is slipping just a bit, down from +30 all the way to a -5 ...

But here is what I think this means, that America is finally getting wise to President's motives and they are backing away in a hurry, because by now, most Americans realize this man is spending far more money than we will create in our lifetimes and is showing no signs of slowing down. In my opinion, too many Americans just don't understand the dangers of a socialistic form of government so they tune that part out--or attribute it to more "right wing" bloviating.

However, start hitting the average American family, already struggling to pay their bills and find work, with more debt and higher taxes, that is when it appears they start to pay attention. We are stretched out over a barrel, America. Pay attention or pay more taxes...that's almost bumper sticker material.

Mr. President, you are wrong and you need to just take a time out and re-think, in my opinion. As I said yesterday:

I agree with this guy's comment at American Thinker, 100% "Evidence is mounting that Mr. Obama is a fool. This suggests that he cannot learn from his mistakes and that he will respond to negative results caused by his foolish ideas with still more and more harmful foolish ideas. He will dig deeper in the hole he has dug for himself and the rest of us. He will reinforce rather than relinquish failure. He will throw good money after bad. This, after all, is what fools do and why we call them fools. They are incorrigible.

It is unfair and misleading to single out Mr. Obama for being a fool since it is obvious he is surrounded, backed, advised and supported by equal or greater fools, people who will never learn from experience, people who will react to the failure or bad outcome of imposing their foolish ideas by redoubling their folly and like Procrustes mutilating whoever and whatever needs mutilating to fit their folly. A bad business. A very bad business."

IRAN, DAY 25 : A ROSE REVOLUTION?

Atlas has the continuing reports on the Iranian Revolution:

We should be running guns to these reformers and fighters:

11:27 am: AM ET -- Protesters urged to carry roses as weapons. The Los Angeles Times reports:

One video making its way around the Internet shows demonstrators how to make devices to disable the motorcycles used by truncheon-wielding Basiji and Ansar-e-Hezbollah militiamen. 

The marches, which are taking place amid continued political discord over the June 12 election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, are  meant to mark the 10-year anniversary of the storming of Tehran University dormitories by pro-government militias and subsequent weeks of unrest. 

The circular urges marchers to avoid wearing the green that has become the official color of the Mousavi campaign or "flashy make-up" in order to demonstrate the marchers' serious intent. 

It suggests demonstrators leave cellphones and jewelry at home and carry only an identification card and relatives' phone numbers. 

If protesters decide it's too risky to take part in the rally, the circular advises them to walk or drive around in their own neighborhoods, flashing the "victory" sign with their fingers.

Keep quiet under all circumstances, the circular advises those planning to march in Thursday's unauthorized demonstrations in Iran cities.

"The heaviest weapon to carry is one rose in the hand," it says.

There's more. Go read the whole thing.

Iran: Child-Brides Are Islam-Sanctioned Pedophilia

Wednesday Nooner!

Damn this guy was so good and lost far too soon.. Thanx Hot Air for the idea.

Jim Croce

Roller Derby Queen

Lover's Cross

Bury him only once

To be honest, I had no intentions of writing about Michael Jackson. I find myself in a group, of unknown size, who has mixed emotions about him. And writing as I do, at a blog that tends to lean to the right, I felt it was a topic to stear clear of.

But, today I wake up and find this: (More comments at the bottom)

Resolution Honoring Michael Jackson Faces Opposition

WASHINGTON – Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee may have trouble keeping the promise she made at Michael Jackson's public memorial for a House resolution that "forever" honors the late pop star.

Jackson Lee, a Texas Democrat, took the stage Tuesday at the Staples Center in Los Angeles and hoisted a framed copy of the resolution, embossed with a gold seal. The measure will be debated on the House floor, she said.

For that framed, embossed resolution to be completely legit, it must first get past some opposition.

Rep. Peter King, a New York Republican who called Jackson a "pervert, child molester, pedophile" in a video he posted on YouTube this week, vowed Tuesday to do "whatever I have to do" to oppose honoring Jackson.

Without mentioning King by name, Jackson Lee noted at the memorial that Michael Jackson was acquitted of child molestation charges. She blasted critics who "don't understand the hearts of entertainers" and "don't know how they heal the world on behalf of America."

"We understand the Constitution. We understand laws and we know people are innocent until proven otherwise. That is what the Constitution stands for," Jackson Lee said, clutching the framed resolution in front of her shiny white suit.

Her legislation, House Resolution 600, lists several charitable acts by Michael Jackson over his long career and proclaims him as an American legend, musical icon and world humanitarian. He is, Jackson Lee said, "someone who will be honored forever and forever and forever and forever and forever."

In the House, non-controversial resolutions honoring a person who has died or carried out a noteworthy accomplishment normally move quickly from committee to the House floor and then pass on a voice vote. The Michael Jackson resolution, introduced June 26, is awaiting action in the House Foreign Affairs Committee, of which Jackson Lee is a member and King is not.

An opponent could ask for a recorded vote, which then requires a two-thirds majority for passage. So far, Jackson Lee's resolution has just one co-sponsor, Rep. Diane Watson, D-Calif.

Jackson Lee hosted a 2004 meeting in her Capitol Hill office that brought Michael Jackson together with ambassadors to the U.S. from African countries. At the time, Jackson was considering a tour to raise money to fight AIDS. However, he was also facing child molestation charges and was unable to leave the country without court permission.

Even so, Jackson was greeted by screams, applause and flashing cameras.

Jackson also visited Iraq veterans at Walter Reed Hospital while in Washington.WASHINGTON – Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee may have trouble keeping the promise she made at Michael Jackson's public memorial for a House resolution that "forever" honors the late pop star.

Jackson Lee, a Texas Democrat, took the stage Tuesday at the Staples Center in Los Angeles and hoisted a framed copy of the resolution, embossed with a gold seal. The measure will be debated on the House floor, she said.

For that framed, embossed resolution to be completely legit, it must first get past some opposition.

Rep. Peter King, a New York Republican who called Jackson a "pervert, child molester, pedophile" in a video he posted on YouTube this week, vowed Tuesday to do "whatever I have to do" to oppose honoring Jackson.

Without mentioning King by name, Jackson Lee noted at the memorial that Michael Jackson was acquitted of child molestation charges. She blasted critics who "don't understand the hearts of entertainers" and "don't know how they heal the world on behalf of America."

"We understand the Constitution. We understand laws and we know people are innocent until proven otherwise. That is what the Constitution stands for," Jackson Lee said, clutching the framed resolution in front of her shiny white suit.

Her legislation, House Resolution 600, lists several charitable acts by Michael Jackson over his long career and proclaims him as an American legend, musical icon and world humanitarian. He is, Jackson Lee said, "someone who will be honored forever and forever and forever and forever and forever."

In the House, non-controversial resolutions honoring a person who has died or carried out a noteworthy accomplishment normally move quickly from committee to the House floor and then pass on a voice vote. The Michael Jackson resolution, introduced June 26, is awaiting action in the House Foreign Affairs Committee, of which Jackson Lee is a member and King is not.

An opponent could ask for a recorded vote, which then requires a two-thirds majority for passage. So far, Jackson Lee's resolution has just one co-sponsor, Rep. Diane Watson, D-Calif.

Jackson Lee hosted a 2004 meeting in her Capitol Hill office that brought Michael Jackson together with ambassadors to the U.S. from African countries. At the time, Jackson was considering a tour to raise money to fight AIDS. However, he was also facing child molestation charges and was unable to leave the country without court permission.

Even so, Jackson was greeted by screams, applause and flashing cameras.

Jackson also visited Iraq veterans at Walter Reed Hospital while in Washington.

I grew up watching Michael Jackson grow, as a talented artist and a man. He was only 2 years older than me. His video Thriller, was the very first video I ever purchased. It was a fantastic piece of work. But, then the pedophile monster creeped in. And for the first time since I was about 7, I became scared of him. You see, without going into details, that is a very touchy subject with me.

He was sued, charged and was aquitted. In the back of my mind, I believed and still do in our constitution. That a man is considered innocent, until proven guilty. But then, you have OJ. Who I honestly, deep down in my heart believe, is guilty as sin.

Hence my mixed emotions about Michael. I chose eventually to separate the man from his music. His music and dance ability, to those who appreciate it, is up there with the best. He has a fan base that covers the globe.

Congresswoman Lee, take my advice. Let the resolution and Michael, rest. He doesn't need the resolution to be remembered and his children most certainly don't need or deserve the regurgitaion of his sins, that pursuing this, will cause.

UK deports more terror threats!

From Jihad Watch:

All right. So they deported some Methodist eighth graders, but surely this time the British authorities are going after Anjem Chaudary, or Abu Qatada, or Abu Izzadeen, or any of the4,000 other jihadists in Britain?

Nope. This time they're deporting a Coptic Christian family that faces persecution once back in Egypt. Please sign the petition.

Another Absurd Britannia Alert: "Appeal to save the Mansour family from deportation," from GoPetition, July 4 (thanks to Ibrahim):

On The 1st July 2009 @ 6.30am the Mansour family were taken from their home in Moss Side and moved to a holding centre in Sussex after their legal team failed to help them.

Their legal advisers, who were paid a considerable amount by the Mansours, did not adequately represent them due to staff sickness. This has left the Mansour family in a critical situation.

The family came to England 4 years ago from Egypt because they feared for their lives. They have suffered persecution and worse from religious fundamentalist groups and the police department because of their Christian beliefs. They believe that their lives and those of their 5 young children are at risk if they return to Egypt.

Headscarf Martyr in Germany

Interested Participant h/t Jawa:

Headscarf Martyr in Germany

(Dresden, Germany) This story out of Germany is creating shock waves throughout the Muslim world while the Western mainstream media is slowly catching up.

In the summer of 2008, a 32-year-old pharmacist and native Egyptian, Marwa el-Sherbini, was insulted by an unemployed worker from Russia, 28-year-old Alex W. (aka Alex A.) for wearing the hijab. He had screamed that Sherbini was a terrorist and an Islamist whore.

In November 2008, Alex W. was found guilty of insulting and abusing Sherbini and consequently assessed a fine. Alex W. appealed the verdict.

Last week, while the case was being heard on appeal, Sherbini, now pregnant, and her husband, Elvi Ali Okaz, appeared in the Dresden court along with Alex W. While Sherbini was testifying about the incident of insult and abuse in the summer of 2008, Alex W. walked across the courtroom and plunged a knife into her 18 times. As Mr. Okaz ran to save his wife, he was shot by a police officer who mistook him for the assailant. Mr. Okaz is currently under intensive care at a Dresden hospital.

Hundreds attended Sherbini's funeral
in Alexandria, Egypt, her hometown, among them government officials, including
Egyptian Manpower Minister Aisha Abdel Hadi and Telecommunications Minister
Tariq Kamel, Egyptian media reported.

Many shouted hostile slogans against Germany and called for Egyptian
President Hosni Mubarak to take a firm stand on the incident. Egypt's grand
mufti, Mohammed Sayyed Tantawi, demanded the severest punishment to be issued against Alex A.

Berlin witnessed angry protests on Saturday, when hundreds of Arabs and
Muslims demonstrated after a funeral prayer that called her killing an
outrageous racist murder against Muslims.

In a phone call with Al Arabiya, Marwa's brother, Tariq Sherbini, said,
"Extremism has no religion. My sister was killed simply because she wore the
veil. This incident clearly shows that extremism is not limited to one religion
or another and it is not exclusively carried out by Muslims."

"We are only asking for a fair punishment," he said, adding that his sister
was not a radical. "She was a religious woman who prayed and wore her headscarf,
but she was killed because of her belief."

Anger about Sherbini's death smoldered online, as Twitterers and bloggers
pushed the cause.

It's not clear to what extent the Muslim outrage will grow but the whole episode is being compared to the situation following the publication of cartoons of Mohammad.

Spencer

at Human Events:

The Mullahs’ Washington Mouthpiece?
by Robert Spencer
07/08/2009

“Throughout the recent crisis,” the National Iranian American Council (NIAC) announced last week, “NIAC has been in contact with the White House almost daily to convey the views of our community, and policymakers have been listening.” It “strongly condemned the crackdown” in Iran “and called for new elections as the best way to end the violence.” It has also called upon the mullahs to “immediately release opposition figures, human rights defenders, and all other persons arrested for contesting the election results,” as well as “immediately halt state-sanctioned violence against the Iranian people.”

This is all to the good, especially because, as the NIAC itself puts it, “since its inception in 2002, NIAC has grown to become the largest Iranian-American grassroots organization in the country, with supporters in all 50 states.” That the largest Iranian-American advocacy group in the country would stand against the Iranian regime’s repression of the Iranian demonstrations is welcome; however, for all its apparent advocacy of freedom for Iranians, the NIAC has consistently opposed the tough measures that would truly aid genuine fighters for freedom in Iran -- and has also opposed the steps that the United States and the West must take to defend themselves against the increasingly bellicose and brutal Islamic Republic.

The NIAC has consistently followed a line indicating that while it opposes the mullahs’ excesses, it does not oppose the Islamic regime itself. For example, it recently published excerpts from an Islamic cleric and former government official under Khomeini, Haddi Ghaffari. “Khamenei,” Ghaffari wrote, addressing Iran’s Supreme Leader, “your recent actions and behavior has brought shame to us clerics….Khamenei, you are wrong, your actions are wrong.” Sounds great, right? Sure. But then Ghaffari said: “I’m not preaching these messages so that I could be associated with the West. I loathe the West and will fight to the last drop of my blood before I or my land succumbs to the West.” In other words, he will fight to the last drop of his blood to make sure that the bloody Sharia rule of the mullahs does not end.

The NIAC has also criticized journalist Kenneth Timmerman for equating “opposition to a U.S.-Iran war with support for the Iranian government. Nothing could be further from the truth,” the group proclaims. “NIAC believes that Iranian Americans are double-stakeholders in attempts to avoid war -- as Americans, they don’t want to see a single American life lost, and as Americans of Iranian descent, they don’t want to see their friends and family in Iran getting bombed.” One wonders if German-Americans complained in 1943 that they didn’t want to see their friends and family back in the old Nazi homeland getting bombed. “The images of the devastation in Iraq,” the NIAC continued, “should serve as a deterrent against prospective wars in the region. In this, NIAC agrees with the Iraq Study Group’s recommendations that diplomacy, not military confrontation should be the way to resolve U.S.-Iran tensions.”

Barack Obama couldn’t agree more, of course. He also agrees that, as NIAC’s Trita Parsi put it several weeks ago, “imposing new sanctions prior to diplomacy having begun will only decrease the chances of successful diplomacy.” Officials revealed Friday that the U.S. is set to oppose new sanctions against Iran that are scheduled to be considered at next week’s the G8 summit. This means that France is pursuing a tougher line against Iran than the United States, for French President Nicholas Sarkozy has come out in favor of new sanctions “so that Iranian leaders will really understand that the path that they have chosen will be a dead end.”

The NIAC has opposed sanctions for quite some time. Iranian dissident Hassan Daioleslam notes that “in 2008, when [the] U.S. Congress was showing some teeth to the Iranian regime,” a coalition of Islamic groups, antiwar groups, and others founded the Campaign for New American Policy on Iran to fight against new sanctions against Iran called for by the advisory resolution H.R. 362. This resolution was not passed, and “NIAC and Parsi,” says Daioleslam, “were on top of this event.”

No strike on Iran. No sanctions. Just diplomacy -- with a genocidally-inclined and fanatically intransigent regime. It is no mystery why many wonder which side the NIAC is really on. But as long as it wields such influence in Washington and holds the ear of Barack Obama, the freedom fighters on the streets of Tehran don’t stand a chance.

As Long As We're Posting Videos Of BHO...

I found the above HERE at Geeez!, in her post entitled "What Makes an American?"

I'm sick and tired of BHO's overt and implied apologies for America. He is not standing up for the principles upon which our nation was founded.

Geez, and here I thought it was because of all the attention given to that freak's funeral. . .

Newsmax:

Official: N. Korea Believed Behind Cyber Attacks
Wednesday, July 8, 2009 6:40 AM

SEOUL, South Korea -- South Korean intelligence officials believe North Korea or pro-Pyongyang forces in South Korea committed cyber attacks that paralyzed major South Korean and U.S. Web sites, a lawmaker's aide said Wednesday.

The sites of 11 South Korean organizations including the presidential Blue House and the Defense Ministry went down or had access problems since late Tuesday, according to the state-run Korea Information Security Agency. Agency spokeswoman Ahn Jeong-eun said 11 U.S. sites suffered similar problems.

On Wednesday, the National Intelligence Service told a group of South Korean lawmakers it believes that North Korea or North Korean sympathizers in the South "were behind" the attacks, according to an aide to one of the lawmakers briefed on the information.

The aide spoke on condition of anonymity citing the sensitivity of the information. He refused to allow the name of the lawmaker he works for to be published.

The National Intelligence Service _ South Korea's main spy agency _ said it couldn't immediately confirm the report.

Earlier Wednesday, the agency said in a statement that 12,000 computers in South Korea and 8,000 computers overseas had been infected and used for the cyber attack.

The agency said it believed the attack was "thoroughly" prepared and committed by hackers "at the level of a certain organization or state." It said it was cooperating with the American investigative authorities to examine the case.

South Korea's Yonhap news agency said military intelligence officers were looking at the possibility that the attack may have been committed by North Korean hackers and pro-North Korea forces in South Korea. South Korea's Defense Ministry said it could not confirm the report.
South Korean media reported in May that North Korea was running a cyber warfare unit that tries to hack into U.S. and South Korean military networks to gather confidential information and disrupt service.

An initial investigation in South Korea found that many personal computers were infected with a virus program ordering them to visit major official Web sites in South Korea and the U.S. at the same time, Korean information agency official Shin Hwa-su said. There has been no immediate reports of similar cyber attack in other Asian countries.

In the U.S., the Treasury Department, Secret Service, Federal Trade Commission and Transportation Department Web sites were all down at varying points over the U.S. Independence Day holiday weekend and into this week, according to American officials inside and outside the government.

Others familiar with the U.S. outage, which is called a denial of service attack, said that the fact that the government Web sites were still being affected three days after it began signaled an unusually lengthy and sophisticated attack. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the matter.

Yonhap said that prosecutors have found some of the cyber attacks on the South Korean sites were accessed from overseas. Yonhap, citing an unnamed prosecution official, said the cyber attack used a method common to Chinese hackers.

Prosecutors were not immediately available for comment.

Shin, the Information Security Agency official, said the initial probe had not yet uncovered evidence about where the cyber outages originated. Police also said they had not discovered where the outages originated. Police officer Jeong Seok-hwa said that could take several days.

Some of the South Korean sites remained unstable or inaccessible on Wednesday. The site of the presidential Blue House could be accessed, but those for the Defense Ministry, the ruling Grand National Party and the National Assembly could not.

Ahn said there were no immediate reports of financial damage or leaking of confidential national information. The alleged attacks appeared aimed only at paralyzing Web sites, she said.

South Korea's Defense Ministry and Blue House said Wednesday that there has been no leak of any documents.

The paralysis took place because of denial of service attacks, in which floods of computers all try to connect to a single site at the same time, overwhelming the server that handles the traffic, the South Korean agency said in a statement.

The agency is investigating the case with police and prosecutors, said spokeswoman Ahn.

Site-seeing Al Qaida Style

h/t Michael

from The Last Crusade:

OSAMA BIN LADEN’S TRIP TO L.A. REVEALED

Al Qaeda Leader Spent Weeks in USA
By
Paul L. Williams, Ph.D.
thelastcrusade.org.
After years of speculation, the rumors finally have been confirmed.

Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri and Khalid Sheikh Mohammed were not the only top al Qaeda operatives to spend some time in the U.S.A.

Osama bin Laden made the trek from Saudi Arabia to the land of the free and the home of the brave in 1978 with his first wife Najwa and his son Omar.

The account of the trip is reported by Najwa bin Laden, Osama’s first wife, in Growing Up Bin Laden, soon to be published by St. Martin’s Press.

Najwa describes towing her two babies to Indianapolis, Indiana, where she remained while her husband headed off for some shadowy business in Los Angeles with Abdullah Azzam.

Azzam, one of the founders of al Qaeda, established a recruiting office for the jihad in the al-Farooq Mosque at 512 Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn. In a 1988 videotape, Azzam can be seen and heard telling a large gathering of black Muslims that “Blood and martyrdom are the only ways to create a Muslim society.” His remarks are punctuated by rapturous cries of “Amen” and “Right On, Brother” from the audience.

Dr. Paul Williams at the Al Farooq Mosque

In the most telling section of the book, Najwa writes:

One evening he [Osama] arrived home [in Saudi Arabia] with a surprise announcement: ’Najwa, We are going to travel to the United States. Our boys are going with us.’

I was shocked, to tell you the truth…Pregnant, and busy with two babies, I remember few details of our travel, other than we passed through London before flying to a place I had never heard of, a state in America called Indiana. Osama told me that he was meeting with a man by the name of Abdullah Azzam. Since my husband’s business was not my business, I did not ask questions.

I was worried about Abdul Rahman because he had become quite ill on the trip and was even suffering with a high fever. Osama arranged for us to see a doctor in Indianapolis. I relaxed after that kindly physician assured us that Abdul Rahman would soon be fine.

…I am sometimes questioned about my personal opinion of the country and its people. This is surprisingly difficult to answer. We were there for only two weeks, and for one of those weeks, Osama was away in Los Angeles to meet with some men in that city. The boys and I were left behind in Indiana with a girlfriend whom I would rather not name…

My girlfriend was gracious and guided me on short trips…We even went into a big shopping mall in Indianapolis…

I came to believe that Americans were gentle and nice, people easy to deal with. As far as the country itself goes, my husband and I did not hate America, yet we did not love it.

There was one incident that reminded me that some Americans are unaware of other cultures. When the time came for us to leave America, Osama and I, along with our two boys, waited for our departure at the airport in Indiana. I was sitting quietly in my chair, relaxing, grateful that our boys were quiet….

I saw an American man gawking at me. I knew without asking that his unwelcome attention had been snagged by my black Saudi costume…

I took a side glance at Osama and saw that he was intently studying the curious man. I knew that my husband would never allow the man to approach me…

When my husband and I discussed the incident, we were both more amused than offended. That man gave us a good laugh, as it was clear he had no knowledge of veiled women…

We returned to Saudi Arabia none the worse for our experiences.

Whether Mr. Bin Laden made his way to Brooklyn and the al-Farooq Mosque is unknown. But the mosque came to raise more than $20 million for bin Laden and sent hundreds of recruits to al Qaeda training camps throughout the Middle East.

Mr. Bin Laden also spent considerable time in South America, where he established cells of his terrorist network in Foz do Iguacu, Brazil.

Court orders Muslims to cancel Friday prayers

h/t HRW

WAToday:

Court orders Muslims to cancel Friday prayers
Chris Thomson
July 7, 2009

A West Australian court has ordered a prominent Muslim group to stop hosting compulsory Friday prayers at an industrial estate in eastern Perth.

The Daawah Association of Western Australia is allowed to use its building in Kent Street, Cannington, as a 'Community Purpose and Educational Establishment'.

That City of Canning approval requires Daawah not to let more than 20 people into the building at a time.

However, in 2007 the managers of a building next door complained Daawah drop-ins were parking on the verge of the neighbouring building.

An investigation by the city found that on Fridays Daawah was exceeding its 20 person limit. Daahwah's subsequent application to accommodate 100 people at any given time was refused.

Adjudicating on Daawah's appeal, State Administrative Tribunal member Marie Connor found that Friday afternoon prayers conducted in the building put it in a 'Place of Public Worship' category prohibited under its 'Light Industry' zoning.

The city told Ms Connor that the building had developed the character of a mosque or masjid.
Daawah argued the city's planning policies were not well placed to deal with the complex practices of the Muslim faith.

A Ms Rahman, called as a witness by Daawah, said there were many places that provided prayer rooms - such as shopping centres, workplaces and airports, and that none of these places were mosques.

"The mere fact that Friday prayer is being held at the premises does not make that place a mosque, Islamically," Ms Rahman said.

However, the city tabled a Daawah document entitled 'Masjid Project - Appeal for help' that referred to 'Masjid As-Sunnah' operating at the premises.

The document mentioned the difficulties experienced in accommodating the large number of worshippers and that there was a need to purpose build a new masjid.

Photographs were produced showing a sign on the front window where the word 'Masjid' appeared beside an arrow indicating the location of the masjid.

Ms Rahman said the term 'masjid' meant: "basically a place of prostration or a place to pray'.
Ms Connor considered the Friday prayers involved congregational worship, thereby conferring a 'place of public worship' planning definition on the building prohibited under its 'Light Industry' zoning.

She directed the association to stop using its building for more than 20 people, and to comply with the industrial zoning which precludes congregational worship.

Under Muslim tradition, it is compulsory for all males above the age of puberty to attend Friday prayers.

Avenging Apostate comments: 

Muslim defense is so pathetic.

"The mere fact that Friday prayer is being held at the premises does not make that place a mosque, Islamically," Ms Rahman said. 

That's a lie. Friday prayer is a community thing for men hence it can only be held in designated places that are known as MOSQUES or the Arabic form of it, MASJID!! Since Muslim men are obligated to go to Friday prayer and Friday prayer for men is only valid when prayed alongside other community members and an Imam as a leader, they have to have specific designated mosques to hold Friday services and not random places. The liar Ms Rahman contradicts her statement above and agrees with me when she says:

Ms Rahman said the term 'masjid' meant: "basically a place of prostration or a place to pray'.

Its true, however, masjid is not some weird word that is different from the word mosque. Masjid is the Arabic word for the building we call "mosque". Such hypocrisy!! First they are like, "no it isn't a mosque" and now they're saying, "yeah, its not a mosque, its a masjid which means a place to pray". I am sure some liberal moron is going to fall for this crap!

Jethro Tull

Living in the Past