Political Digest January 15, 2010

I post articles because I think they are of interest. Doing so doesn’t mean that I necessarily agree with every—or any—opinion in the posted article.

Places to donate to help Haiti
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/01/13/world/main6090814.shtml?tag=strip

Big donors pouring cash into Massachusetts Senate race
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2010/01/big-donors-pouring-cash-into-m.html?wprss=44
Excerpt: In a final push to keep their filibuster-proof majority, Senate Democrats turned to Edward M. Kennedy's widow for a fund-raising appeal on behalf of Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley, who is struggling to win a special election to succeed the late Democratic senator. Victoria Reggie Kennedy, in an e-mailed fund-raising pitch, framed the surprisingly close race between Coakley and state Sen. Scott Brown (R) as the defining moment of her husband's legacy, because a Brown victory in the Jan. 19 election would likely derail the massive health-care legislation now in the final stages of negotiations…..Coakley and national Democrats have been caught flat footed by Brown's late surge in the race, both politically and financially. As the winner of the Democratic primary on Dec. 8, Coakley was considered the overwhelming favorite because of the state's Democratic tilt. Fund-raising reports showed that Coakley had raised $4.2 million by late November. Brown's campaign, meanwhile, had raised just $467,000 at that point. Coakley's campaign raised an additional $1 million in the final six weeks of the year. But that's when Brown's campaign began to take off, raising more than $750,000 in that period and an additional $300,000 from large donors in the first 10 days of the new year, according to reports filed with the Federal Election Commission. With conservatives around the country smelling the chance for an upset, Brown raised $1.3 million over the Internet on Monday, his campaign announced. He is now expected to spend more money than Coakley in the final week of the race. Democrats had so taken the race for granted that Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) did not cut a check to donate to Coakley's campaign until Friday, when his political action committee sent $5,000, just 11 days before the election. Other last-minute donors to Coakley's campaign include the state's governor, Deval Patrick, who gave $2,400 last week from his own personal account. (The governor identified his occupation as "public servant" on forms filed with the Federal Election Commission.) Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.), whose own political prospects have grown more dire because of her support of the health-care legislation, gave $5,000 from her PAC last week to Coakley. She's one of 14 Senate Democrats to make donations in the last few weeks. Just three members of the state's House delegation -- Reps. Barney Frank (D), Stephen Lynch (D) and John Olver (D) -- have donated to her campaign since she won the primary.

Senate race in Massachusetts getting uglier with attack ads in final stretch
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/14/AR2010011400035.html?wpisrc=newsletter
Excerpt: Massachusetts Democrats and their allies have rolled out a series of negative TV ads over a 48-hour period, a striking departure from what has been a polite Senate campaign as polls show the contest tightening. State Attorney General Martha Coakley (D), who had been heavily favored to win next week's special election for the seat that had been held by the late Edward M. Kennedy (D), has begun running an ad that criticizes opponent Scott Brown (R) as being "in lockstep with Washington Republicans." The national committee charged with electing Senate Democrats introduced its own ad, which says that Massachusetts voters know little about Brown and implores them not to let the Republican take them "for a ride." And the Service Employees International Union went on the air with a spot that says Brown "calls himself independent, but voted with Republican leadership 96 percent of the time," opposes abortion rights and is backed by some of Sarah Palin's supporters. Republican-allied groups have gone negative as well, reaching for a long-shot upset and sensing that Brown has momentum in a difficult political environment for Democrats. "Coakley supports massive new spending and the tax increases to pay for it," says one commercial by the conservative American Future Fund.

The Fix: Democratic groups outspending GOP 2-1 in Mass. Senate special election
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/morning-fix/1-2-3.html?wprss=thefix
Excerpt: Senate Democrats and affiliated outside groups are outspending their Republican counterparts by an almost two-to-one margin on television in the final week of the tight-as-a-tubesock special election between state Sen. Scott Brown (R) and state Attorney General Martha Coakley (D). The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is now committed to nearly $1 million in television ads in support of Coakley while the Service Employees International Union ($529,000) and Citizens for Strength and Security ($278,000), a labor-backed 527 group, are also spending heavily. The National Republican Senatorial Committee is not on television in the state although the Chamber of Commerce ($443,000), American Future Fund ($375,000) and Americans for Responsible Health Care ($204,000) are combining to spend just over $1 million for Brown. The spending by outside groups affiliated with Democrats is further evidence that the party is in triage mode, trying to fix the problems of the Coakley campaign through an major influx of cash and commercials. Coakley is doing herself no favors. Her most recent eyebrow raising comment came in a conversation with Boston Globe; when asked whether she wasn't doing enough to win the race, Coakley shot back: "As opposed to standing outside Fenway Park? In the cold? Shaking hands? This is a special election." Um, OK.

Martha Coakley: The Voice for Fat Cats and Corruptocrats
http://michellemalkin.com/2010/01/13/martha-coakley-the-voice-for-fat-cats-and-corruptocrats/
Excerpt: Democrat Martha Coakley is the voice of the “little people” the way Ted Kennedy was the voice of sobriety. If Massachusetts voters want another privileged liberal who talks a good “social justice” game while ignoring public corruption, pocketing gobs of money from Beltway fat cats, and pandering to corporate special interests, Coakley’s the one. Coakley, the Bay State’s attorney general, has campaigned to replace the late Sen. Kennedy on a law-and-order platform. But she has consistently turned a blind eye to both. When a top aide to Boston Mayor Tom Menino was caught deleting thousands of e-mails in violation of public records law last fall, Coakley punted. Democrat Menino was in the middle of a re-election bid; Coakley was wrapped up in her own senatorial bid. Instead of expressing any concern about the City Hall information black hole, Coakley refused to investigate. She accused her critics of playing politics: “[W]e get lots of complaints from folks who are adversaries who have a particular agenda.” But who’s got the agenda? After undertaking Herculean technical efforts to recover the trashed e-mails, Boston city officials discovered e-mail fragments related to an ongoing federal probe of former state senator Dianne Wilkerson. Wilkerson attained national infamy as the lawmaker caught on film stuffing thousands of dollars of bribes from an FBI informant down her bra in exchange for her help securing a liquor license for a nightclub. She is currently awaiting federal trial. Coakley cut a blanket immunity deal with Wilkerson last year protecting her from prosecution for campaign finance violations. But according to the Boston Herald, the state Office of Campaign and Political Finance reported last month that Wilkerson had failed to comply or only partially complied with 11 of 51 conditions. Coakley allowed Wilkerson to pay a measly $10,000 fine to avoid any legal action. She has failed to make those payments, failed to file ordered paperwork, and failed to answer information requests from state campaign finance officials. (She’ll fit right in the “Swamp” where Democrat corruption is ignored.)

Can nationalizing the special election save Martha Coakley?
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/senate/can-nationalizing-the-special.html?wpisrc=nl_pmpolitics
Excerpt: In less than 24 hours, former President Bill Clinton -- a beloved figure within the Democratic base -- will appear with state Attorney General Martha Coakley in hopes of resurrecting her flagging bid to replace the late Ted Kennedy in a special election set for Tuesday. Clinton's appearance in the state is the latest in a series of moves by Democrats to turn the race into a referendum on the two national parties and their respective issue agendas. Ads being paid for by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee attack state Sen. Scott Brown for wanting to be "the deciding vote to kill Ted Kennedy's [health care] legislation", and a commercial paid for the Service Employees International Union seeks to link Brown to the controversial former governor of Alaska Sarah Palin (R). The strategic play by Democrats is a simple one. The Bay State is perhaps the most Democratic in the country -- President Barack Obama won it with 62 percent in 2008 -- and theoretically, in a very low turnout election, simply energizing the Democratic base should be enough to drag Coakley over the finish line. But, what if that simple strategy is wrong? Strategists on both sides of the partisan divide acknowledge that the Massachusetts electorate is mad as hell, fueling a throw-the-bums-out mentality.

Massachusetts Miracle
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nEoW-P81-0
Good video supporting Brown.

Coakley says Taliban gone from Afghanistan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nEoW-P81-0
Guess our troops are dying from boredom.

Who would vote for Obama in 2012?
Also from The Fix
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/morning-fix/1-2-3.html?wprss=thefix
Excerpt: A new National Journal/Allstate/Heartland Monitor national poll shows that just 39 percent of the sample would definitely or probably vote for President Obama in 2012 while 50 percent definitely or probably would choose someone else. Inside the question, the intensity differential between the two parties' bases is abundantly clear with 23 percent saying they would definitely reelect Obama while 37 percent said they would definitely be voting for someone else.

Massachusetts Sec. of State Has History of Playing games w. military ballots
http://yidwithlid.blogspot.com/2010/01/uh-oh-massachusetts-sec-of-state-has.html
Excerpt: The latest polls show the race for Massachusetts Senator is too close to call. Looking at the history of the state's entrenched Democratic political machine, if Republican Scott Brown wins, he better win big, as the Massachusetts Secretary of State has been known to play fast and loose with absentee ballots. In 2008 was found to have violated the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act passed in 2002, in which he failed to report and collect the number sent and the number returned of absentee ballots from overseas Military personnel registered to vote in Massachusetts. After an investigation by the US Justice Department, a settlement was reached to force Galvin to comply with the law.

Gingrich: I’m a top-tier contender for the 2012 nomination
http://hotair.com/archives/2010/01/13/gingrich-im-a-top-tier-contender-for-the-2012-nomination/
Interesting. Very bright, very experienced, good on national security. Lot of baggage. Maybe he can get the records sealed like Obama did.

A Nation of Fools
http://www.pearyperry.com/nation.htm
Excerpt: Listen to this quote by one of these school officials who is trying to defend their policy: “In 2008, state officials in Alabama, Arizona and Washington delayed the start of the exit exam requirement and lowered standards after seeing that many students, including a disproportionate number of minorities, would fail the tests. Many states have faced lawsuits over the proposed requirements amid accusations that the tests are unfair to students with disabilities, non-native speakers of English and students attending schools with fewer educational resources.” So, the new method of coping with a problem such as this is to lower the testing standards so as not to embarrass the poor student and perhaps cause a blow to his or her self esteem.

Illegal Immigration Is Not A Side Issue
http://commentarama.blogspot.com/2010/01/illegal-immigration-is-not-side-issue.html
Excerpt: As the battles over health care, cap 'n tax, additional stimulus money and the host of leftist schemes rage, we mustn't lose sight of the fact that a much longer-standing battle is being waged, and the Democrats would like you to put it on the back burner. As the electorate flees the Obama agenda, the Democrats need instant voters, and they intend to get them. That plan requires quick and immense naturalization of immigrants who are in the United States illegally. It is far too easy to fall into complacency about alien amnesty, since previous bills have gone the way of the Kyoto accords. Nevertheless, the nation is distracted with so many massive government schemes coming down the pike that an amnesty could slip through, nearly unnoticed. In addition, there are many indications that the pro-immigration crowd is much better organized for this round, and have learned how to plan their amnesty so that it slips in under the radar. On top of that, there are so many hot button issues in front of Congress that this vital issue might not produce the immediate negative reaction that the Democrats fear on most of the others.

Myth Of The Anti-Muslim Backlash
http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Article.aspx?id=518010
Excerpt: The Council on American-Islamic Relations warns that making an issue of Islamic terror incites "hate crimes" against innocent Muslims, but federal data disprove that. And commendably, the Obama administration is ignoring the Islamist pressure group's latest bluff. The White House has added top CAIR donor Saudi Arabia to a list of 14 mostly Muslim nations whose travelers will undergo extra airport-security screening in the wake of the Christmas Day airliner attack by a Muslim passenger. CAIR slammed the new policy as "across-the-board profiling" and griped "Muslims will pay the price for this one." That's standard post-Islamic-terror bluster by CAIR, which remains under a cloud of terror suspicion itself following its 2007 federal designation as an unindicted co-conspirator in the largest terror finance case in U.S. history. The group is quick to argue that increased security only serves to demonize innocent Muslims and put a bull's-eye on their backs. But it's a red herring, and one that can have the dangerous effect — designed or not — of taking authorities off the scent of radical Muslims.

Obama seizes reins in daylong House-Senate healthcare meeting
http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/75851-obama-seizes-reins-in-house-senate-healthcare-talks
I’m sure this was on C-Span, as Obama promised, but I must have missed it. Otherwise, Rep. Joe Wilson was right—Obama lies! Excerpt: President Barack Obama sought to muscle House and Senate Democrats to reach an accord on healthcare reform during a daylong White House meeting Wednesday. With an eye toward sealing a deal on his signature domestic policy initiative before he delivers his first State of the Union address in a few short weeks, Obama sat down with the top Democratic leaders from Capitol Hill at the White House for a marathon negotiating session. (Pass something, anything, with the words “Health Care Reform” at the top.)
Rangel: Democrats 'close' to agreement on paying for health bill
http://thehill.com/homenews/house/75913-rangel-democrats-close-to-agreement-on-health-bill
Excerpt: Democrats are "close" enough to an agreement on how to pay for a healthcare bill that they're shooting for sending language to congressional number-crunchers on Friday, House Ways and Means Chairman Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) said Thursday. "We're close," Rangel said about an agreement on how to raise revenue for the roughly $900 billion health reform bill. Rangel, who's been involved in bicameral discussions led by President Barack Obama, would not say what tax structure had been agreed upon, only affirming that it was a combination of various, competing House and Senate tax proposals — with the possibility that new ideas have also been worked in to offset the political and revenue tradeoffs in the dealmaking.

Behind Closed Doors, Unions Win, You Lose
http://blog.heritage.org/2010/01/14/morning-bell-behind-closed-doors-unions-win-you-lose/?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Morning%2BBell
Excerpt: Despite then-candidate Barack Obama's explicit promises to the American people, absolutely none of these meetings were open to the public or televised on C-SPAN. In fact, Politico reports: "Those involved in the talks sought to keep details of their progress under wraps." And just what deals were Big Labor, the leftist majorities in Congress and the Obama administration making behind closed doors? How to pay for President Obama's likely $1 trillion health care plan without raising taxes on one of the President's most loyal constituencies: labor unions. Specifically, Big Labor reportedly has struck a deal with health care negotiators to exempt union members from the 40% excise tax on high-priced health insurance premiums. By some estimates, the tax would hit one in four union members. Now Big Labor will get all of the big government health care spending they always wanted, but they will not have to pay for it. (I can’t believe this would be constitutional. I’m forming “The Internal Brotherhood of Working Stiffs Opposed to Big Government. As union members, we’ll be exempt too, right? Or do you have to try to fix elections for Democrats to qualify?)

White House, unions reach deal on taxing insurance coverage
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2010/01/white-house-unions-reach-deal.html?hpid=topnews
Excerpt: The White House has reached a tentative agreement with labor leaders to tax high-cost health insurance policies, sources said Thursday. The agreement clears one of the last major obstacles on the path to final passage of comprehensive health care legislation. The deal would temporarily exempt union health plans from a significant surtax on unusually generous health policies plans, giving union leaders time to negotiate new contracts, according to sources familiar with the talks. They spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid affecting ongoing negotiations. Additional details of the deal were not immediately available. The so-called Cadillac tax is a key source of financing for a proposal to dramatically expand health coverage to the uninsured. But it is also an important tool for reining in skyrocketing health care costs, and President Obama has insisted that it be included in the package. Labor leaders, nonetheless, had threatened to campaign against any health care bill that included the tax. By one analysis, as many as one in four union members could have been affected by the version of the tax approved by the Senate. (So if you negotiated a good deal on health coverage, you get taxed. But if your union negotiated the deal, you don’t.)

White House signals allegiance with centrists on major healthcare points
http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/75933-white-house-signals-allegiance-with-centrists-on-major-healthcare-points
Excerpt: White House officials have subtly steered healthcare negotiations over the most controversial disagreements between the Senate and House in favor of Democratic centrists. Through selective media leaks, White House advisers have let it be known that President Barack Obama does not support the House in some of its biggest disputes with the upper chamber. Among the most important issues, Obama’s advisers have told reporters the president made clear in a meeting with House leaders last week that he supports the Senate proposal to place a 40 percent excise tax on high-cost insurance plans. Administration officials also leaked that Obama took the same stance in a meeting with labor union presidents, who staunchly oppose the idea, during a meeting Monday.

How ObamaCare Would Keep the Poor Poor
http://www.cato-at-liberty.org/2010/01/13/how-obamacare-would-keep-the-poor-poor/
Excerpt: Suppose you’re a family of four at or near the federal poverty level. Under current law, if you earn an additional dollar, you get to keep around 60-70 cents.
Under the House and Senate health care bills, however, you would get to keep maybe 38 cents. Or 26 cents. Or maybe just 18 cents.

Omaha Healthcare “Reform” Billboard
http://tartanmarine.blogspot.com/2010/01/omaha-billboard.html

Google China cyberattack part of vast espionage campaign, experts say
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/13/AR2010011300359.html?wpisrc=newsletter
Excerpt: Computer attacks on Google that the search giant said originated in China were part of a concerted political and corporate espionage effort that exploited security flaws in e-mail attachments to sneak into the networks of major financial, defense and technology companies and research institutions in the United States, security experts said.

Climategate Junk Scientist Michael Mann Awarded Half a Million in Stimulus Cash
http://gatewaypundit.firstthings.com/2010/01/unreal-climategate-junk-scientist-and-controversial-hockey-stick-creator-michael-mann-awarded-half-a-million-in-stimulus-cash/
Who says crime doesn’t pay? Excerpt: Dr. Mann was implicated in the global warming email conspiracy. It was reported on several websites that classified emails and files prove that the junk scientists behind the global warming movement knowingly perpetrated a fraud on the global community. Mann’s name came up in several of the emails. The posted material, which includes e-mails allegedly sent by the CRU’s director Phil Jones to fellow climate researchers, including Michael Mann at Pennsylvania State University in University Park. Mann is under investigation at Penn State over this controversy. Now we find out that this same dangerous junk scientist is receiving a half million dollars in Stimulus cash.

School Kids Angry at Obama Over Letter
http://www.thefoxnation.com/culture/2010/01/14/video-school-kids-angry-obama-over-letter

Biden transparency meeting is….closed
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2010/01/joe-biden-update.html
Excerpt: In fact, today's Biden schedule highlight is a meeting with the chief of transparency for economic recovery. But, unfortunately, the transparency meeting is non-transparent, closed to the press. (See his full schedule below.) Which makes it -- what? -- secret openness? Open secrecy?

Muslim Group CAIR Sued Yet Again by Former Clients for Fraud & Breach of Fiduciary Duties
http://www.davidyerushalmi.com/Law-Offices-of-David-Yerushalmi--P-C--files-two-new-federal-lawsuits-against-CAIR-b13-p0.html
Excerpt: "The evidence has long suggested that CAIR is a criminal organization set up by the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas to further its aims of stealth Jihad in the U.S.," Mr. Yerushalmi said referring to the fact that CAIR has been named by the federal government as an unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation terror financing trial. In addition, several of CAIR’s top executives have been convicted of terror-related crimes. As a result, the FBI has publicly announced that it has terminated any outreach activities with the national organization, which bills itself as "America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization." "As it turns out, CAIR is America's largest Muslim criminal organization whose criminal activities know no bounds," Yerushalmi continued. "According to the facts as carefully laid out in both complaints," Yerushalmi explained, "CAIR has engaged in a massive criminal fraud in which literally hundreds of CAIR clients have been victimized and because of the CAIR cover-up they still don’t realize it. The fact that CAIR has victimized Muslims and non-Muslims alike demonstrates that CAIR is only looking out for CAIR and its ongoing effort to bilk donors out of millions of dollars of charitable donations thinking they are supporting a legitimate organization."

Muslim Child Brides in Britain
http://frontpagemag.com/2010/01/14/muslim-child-brides-in-britain-by-hege-storhaug/
The beauty of multiculturalism—remember, all cultures are equally valid! This is, of course based on the example of the Prophet Muhammad, who is the Uswa hasana, the perfect example of conduct for Muslims. Thus the fact that Muhammad held slaves, had sex with slaves, condoned the rape of captive women (Those whom your right hands possess. Sura 4. Take in marriage those…of your male and female slaves who are honest. Sura 24.), and had sex with one of his eleven wives, Aisha, when she was nine, according to the Hadith (the traditions of the Prophet which are sacred and illuminate the Qur’an), makes that desirable conduct for Muslims today. For example, article 1041 of the Civil Code of Iran states that girls can be engaged before the age of nine, and married at nine: “Marriage before puberty (nine full lunar years for girls) is prohibited. Marriage contracted before reaching puberty with the permission of the guardian is valid provided that the interests of the ward are duly observed.” Excerpt: It is heartbreaking, even as it is unsurprising. In Britain, the authorities are now reporting the forced marriage of girls as young as nine years old on British soil. We are not talking about one case, but several, which take place under official protection. We are not speaking, then, about parents or “husbands” who are being charged with a criminal offense. The situation, in other words, is completely unacceptable and makes clear that we have a crying need for a new approach to these matters. Government must put its foot down – and powerfully so – so that there will be no doubt as to the way in which such grotesque crimes will be addressed.

Understanding Islam: The Saudi Way
http://frontpagemag.com/2010/01/14/understanding-islam-the-saudi-way-by-rich-trzupek/
Excerpt: Any American who believes that radical Islam does not represent a clear and present danger to western civilization should be required to spend a month living under Sharia Law in a Muslim country. It would ultimately be a less expensive, and more lasting, means of energizing the nation than waiting for a terrorist to successfully complete the kind of mission of destruction that Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab came so close to executing on Christmas day. My first experience with Sharia Law occurred more than a decade ago, shortly after I had deplaned from the British Airways 777 that deposited me in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in the course of a consulting project involving the Kingdom’s oil industry. Waiting to pass through customs, I observed a Saudi soldier swinging a machete, casually decapitating a score of Kewpie dolls that an unsuspecting westerner had tried to bring into the country. The torsos were returned to the traveler and the heads were dumped in the trash, all in accordance with Sharia Law. As a “how do you do?” there are better ways to make a first impression. But Sharia Law prohibits any representation of the human form, and it is quite strict about depicting Allah’s other creations among the animal kingdom, as well. Fish seem to be exempt from this prohibition, for reasons that I still do not completely understand. In any case, Islam also assumes that portraying mythical creatures, from golden idols to Kewpie people, might tempt gullible believers away from the true path. Thus it is entirely logical – under Sharia Law – to separate the head of a Kewpie doll from its shoulders with extreme prejudice. That fact made the recent appearance of Burka Barbie all the more amusing to those westerners in the know. If Mattel were to ship a case of these dolls to a nation living under Sharia Law, Muslim girls would be allowed to play with them, or at least part of them, but only after Barbie’s cranium was separated from her shoulders. Religious police prowl the streets of Saudi Arabia, as they do in most Muslim nations, looking for those who dare to resist the will of Allah, as that will was recorded by his prophet/stenographer Muhammad. The religious police in the Kingdom come in both the official and unofficial variety, the latter mostly composed of elderly male busybodies who revel in the opportunity to harass a western woman daring to wear a dress whose sleeves leave a portion of her forearms shamelessly exposed. These amateur cops are even more fanatical about their mission than their professional counterparts. During one of my stints in Saudi Arabia, an American woman was arrested by the religious police while walking her dog, a Scotch Terrier. The Scotch Terrier is distinctive in its appearance, with a face that features a long chin beard. Long chin beards are also a requirement for Muslim males living under Sharia Law. Put these two facts together and the unavoidable Sharia legal conclusion is that the Terrier’s beard must go, lest it serve to mock the sacred traditions of Islam. Thus this unfortunate American woman was compelled to bring her pooch in for an appointment with one of Allah’s barbers.

Fatima Shrine Vandalized
http://www.zenit.org/article-28028?l=english
Excerpt: FATIMA, Portugal, JAN. 12, 2010 (Zenit.org).- The church of the Holy Trinity and four statues at the shrine of Our Lady of Fatima were vandalized early Sunday morning. In a press release Monday, officials from the shrine announced that in the early hours of Sunday morning, four statutes on the sides of the church as well as the church itself were painted with graffiti. In the John Paul II Plaza, statutes of Popes John Paul II and Paul VI were painted. In the Pius XII Plaza, statues of Pope Pius XII and Bishop José Alves Correia da Silva were painted. The graffiti includes the words "Islam," "moon," "sun," "Muslim" and "mosque."

My benefits belong to Allah: Hate preacher Choudary defends £25,000 a year payments from British taxpayers
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1242704/My-benefits-belong-Allah-Hate-preacher-Anjem-Choudary-defends-25-000-year-payments-British-taxpayers.html
You’ve heard of “welfare Queens”? Now there are “Welfare Mullahs.” Excerpt: Hate preacher Anjem Choudary has claimed he is proud to receive £25,000 a year in benefits from the British taxpayer because the money 'belongs to Allah'. The extremist cleric was speaking hours after Home Secretary Alan Johnson banned Choudary's Islam4UK group, making it a criminal offence to be a member. British-born Choudary provoked outrage earlier this month when he announced that 500 members of his group were considering marching through the Wiltshire market town carrying empty coffins to mark Muslims 'mercilessly murdered' in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Army Gen.: Ft. Hood Worst Terrorism Since 9/11
http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2009/November/Retired-Army-Gen-Ft-Hood-Was-Worst-Terrorism-Since-911/
Excerpt: One of the questions that continues to surround the Fort Hood shooting rampage is why the U.S. Army didn't recognize the potential risk of leaving Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan in his position before it was too late. CBN News put that question to retired Army three-star Gen. Jerry Boykin, who said the answer is simple. "Nobody wanted to deal with the fact that this guy was a terrorist," Boykin said. "His behavior and his rhetoric were both indications that he was subscribing to a Jihadist ideology and nobody wanted to deal with that issue. He was a terrorist. That was a terrorist act."

Shuffling Naked Into Bondage
http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=NjY5NDVjZGNlODUyOTI0MjhiMjE1N2ZkZTdlOTI4NWU=
Excerpt: From the Los Angeles Times, some thoughts on the full-body scanner — or "virtual strip search": "We don't need to look at naked 8-year-olds and grandmothers to secure airplanes," Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) said last week. Very true. Then again, making the job more appealing to folks who like to look at naked eight-year-olds and grandmothers will increase the recruiting pool for the TSA's ever vaster army of crack operatives. By the way, if you think Gitmo is a "recruiting tool" for jihad, what do you think thousands of infidel men peering at what Islamobabes look like under their burkas is likely to be? Right now, an enraged imam boarding at Newark with his four wives is the best shot at stopping this nonsense.

Wilder sounds off on Reid remark controversy
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/01/10/wilder-sounds-off-on-reid-remark-controversy/
Black Democrat breaks ranks on Reid. Excerpt: Asked about Reid’s comments, Virginia Democrat Douglas Wilder, who became the first African-American to be elected governor of a state 20 years ago, took issue with Reid’s assumptions about race relations. “We’re not where he thought we may have been a year ago,” Wilder said Sunday on CNN’s State of the Union. “We crossed that threshold 20 years ago,” Wilder said making a reference to his own historic election as Virginia’s chief executive in 1989. “The unfortunate thing, John,” Wilder told CNN Chief National Correspondent John King, “is that one snippet ... by Harry Reid illustrates the need for a more open discussion about race and put it where it belongs – into the closet. [President] Obama wasn’t elected because he was – or was not – of any color. He represented a change. He represented a fastening of the dreams and the aspirations of the American people to someone who could bring about change.” Saying he would have liked to have thought his own election as Virginia’s governor would have put to rest any concerns about an African-American candidate’s race, Wilder also said Sunday that he was “saddened … to see that 20 years later there still is that degree of apprehension on behalf of some people who are in leadership positions.”

Harry Reid’s Negro Problem
http://www.townhallmail.com/tbhfltgbffmklbfbkblhgkdccpkccbpgjjhtrlmzvhvwmv_qhpmhmwnppd.html Funny stuff.

Laugh of the Day
Coincidence? Harry Reid said that being light-skinned would help Obama get elected…and Reid’s healthcare bill taxes tanning beds!