Political Digest May 21, 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. It also doesn’t mean that I don’t agree with them. I have to say all this to give some of my critics the benefit of the doubt, assuming they are thick, rather than deliberately taking things the wrong way.

The OAS Firearms Convention Is Incompatible with American Liberties
http://www.heritage.org/Research/Reports/2010/05/The-OAS-Firearms-Convention-Is-Incompatible-with-American-Liberties
Come to Chicago, where only the gangbangers, police and politicians have guns. Excerpt: President Barack Obama has called on the Senate to ratify the Inter-American Convention Against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Ammunition, Explosives, and Other Related Materials.[1] President Bill Clinton signed the convention in 1997, but neither he nor President George W. Bush sent it to the Senate for advice and consent for ratification. The convention, commonly known by its Spanish acronym CIFTA,[2] was negotiated under the auspices of the Organization of American States (OAS). The convention poses serious prudential risks to liberties associated with the First and Second Amendments. Specifically, it seeks to criminalize a wide range of gun-related activities that are now legal in all states, and it would clash with the First Amendment’s protection of free speech. It would also entitle foreign governments to legal assistance from U.S. authorities when pursuing extradition requests, including requests to arrest individuals exercising their First Amendment rights. These are serious prudential risks. Finally, it would create a chilling climate for the freedom of speech of foreign nationals both in the United States and in the Western Hemisphere as a whole.

Off-duty Chicago police officer killed in robbery attempt
http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2010/05/chicago-police-officer-shot-during-possible-robbery.html
The cop was black, but probably the murders were too, so they’ll be no big deal from Al Sharpton and the SPLC. Decent black folks are murdered, because tough enforcement, including the death penalty, is considered “racist.” Excerpt: An off-duty Chicago police officer just back from Iraq was shot and killed after four people pulled up to his parents' Chatham home Wednesday night and tried to steal his new motorcycle, authorities said. Officer Thomas Wortham IV and his father, a retired Chicago police sergeant, exchanged gunfire with the robbers, sources said. One of the robbers was killed and another was critically wounded, authorities said. The two others fled in a maroon Nissan Maxima. The car was recovered but police were still searching for the suspects this morning, police said. Wortham, of the Englewood Police District, had just finished his second tour in Iraq, according to police sources and Ald. Freddrenna Lyle (6th). He was 30 and single, and had been on the force for three years, according to Supt. Jody Weis. Only five days ago, Wortham had attended a memorial at the Capitol in Washington, D.C. for police officers killed in the line of duty last year. He was active in working against crime in his neighborhood and nearby Nat King Cole Park, where he was the Cole Park advisory council president.

Anti-government? Not in Rep. Murtha's old district.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/19/AR2010051905257.html?wpisrc=nl_headline
As I said yesterday, Hooked on Pork. Sold their votes for payoffs from their grandkids’ money. But it didn’t hurt that the Democrat ran against the Obama healthcare and cap and trade policies. Of course, to get that pork for them, their Congressman has to allow the other Congressman to get pork for their districts—at the grandkids’ expense. Excerpt: The anti-Washington fervor shaking the nation's political establishment has yet to take hold in this old steel town, where residents pride themselves on self-reliance but are acutely aware of what government has done to keep their community afloat.

Some Small Businesses Feel Misled by Obama Health Care Law
http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/66338
Excerpt: Zach Hoffman was confident his small business would qualify for a new tax cut in President Barack Obama's health care overhaul law. But when he ran the numbers, Hoffman discovered that his office furniture company wouldn't get any assistance with the $79,200 it pays annually in premiums for its 24 employees. "It leaves you with this feeling of a bait-and-switch," he said. When the administration unveiled the small business tax credit earlier this week, officials touted its "broad eligibility" for companies with fewer than 25 workers and average annual wages under $50,000 that provide health coverage. Hoffman's workers earn an average of $35,000 a year, which makes it all the more difficult to understand why his company didn't qualify. Lost in the fine print: The credit drops off sharply once a company gets above 10 workers and $25,000 average annual wages.... Hoffman used an online calculator to figure his company's eligibility. At least three are available: from the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which helped write the legislation; from the progressive Center for American Progress; and from the National Federation of Independent Business, which is seeking to overturn the law in federal court. All produced the same result.

Democratic New York senator Chuck Schumer is poised to become majority leader http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/20/AR2010052000759.html?wpisrc=nl_politics
Is taking control of the senate important? You bet. Excerpt: During his three-decade legislative career, Schumer, 59, has developed a reputation as a razor-elbowed, shamelessly self-serving, media-addicted political monster. He is also arguably the single most effective lawmaker of his generation. Now, with confidant Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (Nev.) hanging on to his seat by a thread, the Brooklynite is nearing the goal line of his long game. Succeeding Reid would make Schumer the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in American history and, more important for the uber-competitive politician, the first among peers. Schumer has thrust himself into the center of issues ranging from jobs to immigration to Supreme Court hearings, but as that momentum has carried him into a more intimate arena where popularity matters, the grating architect of the current Democratic majority has become noticeably more collegial. Perhaps not coincidentally, his colleagues see him as the front-runner to be their leader.

North Korea Warns of War if Punished for Ship Sinking
http://www.aolnews.com/world/article/north-korea-warns-of-war-if-punished-for-ship-sinking/19484691
Excerpt: North Korea said Thursday that South Korea fabricated evidence implicating the North in a torpedo attack in order to pick on the North and any attempt at retaliating for the warship's sinking would be answered with "all-out war." South Korean President Lee Myung-bak vowed "stern action" for the attack after a multinational investigation issued its long-awaited results Thursday, concluding the North fired a torpedo that sank the Cheonan navy ship March 26 near the Koreas' tense sea border. "If the (South Korean) enemies try to deal any retaliation or punishment, or if they try sanctions or a strike on us .... we will answer to this with all-out war," Col. Pak In Ho of North Korea's navy told broadcaster APTN in an exclusive interview in Pyongyang.

Republicans On Track to Snatch Defeat from Jaws of Victory
http://townhall.com/columnists/AnnCoulter/2010/05/19/republicans_on_track_to_snatch_defeat_from_jaws_of_victory
Excerpt: Republican consultants are doing a wonderful job raising expectations sky-high for the November elections, so that now, even if Republicans do smashingly well, it will look like a defeat (and an across-the-board endorsement of Obama's agenda). Thanks, Republicans! That's what happened in the 1998 congressional elections, nearly foiling Clinton's impeachment. It's what happened to the Conservative Party in Britain a week ago. And that's what happened this week in the 12th Congressional District of Pennsylvania, formerly represented by Rep. John Murtha. Note to Republicans: Whenever possible, victory parties should be held after the election, not before it. The result of the election in Murtha's old district on Tuesday was that the rabidly anti-ObamaCare, pro-life, pro-gun candidate won! Yippee! But the news on Wednesday morning was that the election "dealt a blow to Republicans," as The New York Times reported. The reason the Times' description was not utter madness (in violation of New York Times' official policy) is because the anti-ObamaCare, pro-life, pro-gun candidate was a Democrat and, for the past two months, every Republican on TV has been predicting a Republican victory in Murtha's district. Thanks to all the happy talk, if the Republican actually had won, it would have been Page 16 news. But when the Democrat won, it seemed like an against-all-odds, come-from-behind Hoosiers victory! Why were Republicans predicting victory in a district where Democrats outnumber Republicans 2-1? Given a choice between two candidates who both hate ObamaCare, why would lifelong Democrats not vote for the Democrat?

The Taranto Principle Vindicated Again
http://townhall.com/columnists/EmmettTyrrell/2010/05/20/the_taranto_principle_vindicated_again
Excerpt: The exposure of Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal as a hoaxster boasting of a nonexistent record of service in the Vietnam War is a splendid example of what is known as the Taranto Principle. Someday the Taranto Principle will be taught in all the journalism schools, assuming one or two survive the present detumescence of journalism. Formulated by the inimitable Wall Street Journal editorialist James Taranto, the principle posits that when the liberal mainstream press indulges a liberal politician's deceits or fails to hold the politician accountable for his misbehavior, it encourages the politician to ascend to a higher level of misbehavior.

The U.S. Department of Blame America First
http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/66229
Excerpt: Back in 1984, when the late Jeanne J. Kirkpatrick gave her famous “Blame America First” speech to the Republican National Convention, liberals at least waited for something bad to happen before blaming America. Today, Obama Democrats have now mastered the treacherous art of the pre-emptive global apology. Foggy Bottom is crammed with so many “human rights” zealots embarrassed by the country they serve that the State Department mission statement should be replaced with a condolence card. Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Michael Posner is probably not the first Obama State Department official to badmouth America in front of foreign delegations. He was just dumb enough to get caught.... In short, Posner views our homeland security policies as unforgivable sins of discrimination. And he couldn’t wait to let China know it.

In Politics, As Good As It Gets
http://townhall.com/columnists/GeorgeWill/2010/05/19/in_politics,_as_good_as_it_gets
Excerpt: The candidate who on Tuesday won the special election in a Pennsylvania congressional district is right-to-life and pro-gun. He accused his opponent of wanting heavier taxes. He said he would have voted against Barack Obama's health care plan and promised to vote against cap-and-trade legislation, which is a tax increase supposedly somehow related to turning down the planet's thermostat. This candidate, Mark Critz, is a Democrat. And that just about exhausts the good news for Democrats on a surreal Tuesday when their presumptive candidate for the U.S. Senate in Connecticut -- the state's attorney general, Richard Blumenthal -- chose to hold a news conference at a Veterans of Foreign Wars hall to discuss why he had falsely said he fought in a foreign war. National Democrats may try to find a less damaged candidate for Connecticut, but first they may have to do that in Illinois.

Another Judicial Power Grab by Thomas Sowell
http://townhall.com/columnists/ThomasSowell/2010/05/19/another_judicial_power_grab
Excerpt: You might think that being a Supreme Court justice would be the top of the line job for someone in the legal profession. But, many Supreme Court decisions suggest that too many justices are not satisfied with their role, and seek more sweeping powers as supreme policy-makers, grand second-guessers or philosopher-kings. The latest example of this is the recent Supreme Court decision in the case of Graham versus Florida. The issue was whether the Constitution permitted a state to impose a sentence of life without the possibility of parole when the criminal was a youthful offender. The Supreme Court voted 6 to 3 that this was a violation of the Constitution. If your copy of the Constitution doesn't say anything about youthful offenders, do not worry that you have a defective copy. There is no such statement in the Constitution. What the justices cited as the alleged basis for their decision was the Eighth Amendment's prohibition against "cruel and unusual punishments." Since 37 out of the 50 states permit sentences of life without the possibility of parole, such a sentence is not unusual. How about cruel? If it is cruel, then why is it OK to impose that sentence on people who are not youthful? The case of Graham versus Florida involved a 16-year-old repeat offender, who was convicted of a home invasion robbery while on probation from a previous felony. He was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. The Supreme Court then over-ruled that decision.

Green Boom Turns To Bust
http://thegwpf.org/international-news/980-euro-crisis-green-boom-turns-to-bust.html
Excerpt: As Europe grapples with the fallout from Greece’s economic woes, at least one unexpected corner of the economy is suffering: renewable energy companies. That’s because few wind, solar, and other green power installations would be profitable without subsidies, and as governments across Europe curb spending in response to the Greek crisis, those funds are being cut back, Bloomberg BusinessWeek reports in its May 24 issue.

'Artificial life' breakthrough announced by scientists
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science_and_environment/10132762.stm
A tad scary. Excerpt: The researchers constructed a bacterium's "genetic software" and transplanted it into a host cell. The resulting microbe then looked and behaved like the species "dictated" by the synthetic DNA. The advance, published in Science, has been hailed as a scientific landmark, but critics say there are dangers posed by synthetic organisms. Dr Craig Venter says yeast, chemicals, and computers were used by scientists. The researchers hope eventually to design bacterial cells that will produce medicines and fuels and even absorb greenhouse gases.

America's Death by Professor
http://www.americanthinker.com/2010/05/americas_death_by_professor.html
Excerpt: Inside the Beltway, "Harvard know-it-allness" is a prized commodity; outside, its practitioners are largely regarded as "obnoxious and arrogant" in the classroom and "jaw-droppingly incompetent" out of it. Small wonder trust in government has hit a fifty-year low. Welcome to government by professor. Assorted faculty of Ivy League schools have come together to form an administration with the least real-world and most academic experience of any in modern times, the American Enterprise Institute notes. And so we have a government of scolds, lecturers, and bullies, arrogant academics cheered on by mainstream media when they take a "paddle" to average citizens and taxpayers.... And so they gather in Washington to "reengineer" your life according to the "abstract theories" they have taught for so many years, as political observer Michael Barone put it. Witness the latest addition to the administration's professorial ranks: Dr. Donald Berwick, the Harvard Medical School professor picked to head the Medicare program. Of course, his knowledge of senior health care is academic, having never actually treated seniors. But he has consulted for National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), the infamous British rationing board that is responsible for killing more ailing seniors through long waits and treatment denials than any single disease in the United Kingdom. Dr. Berwick shares the "social utility" philosophy of Harvard colleague Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, the ObamaCare czar who believes that seniors and the handicapped belong in the back of the usefulness bus. And Dr. Berwick is the colleague known for his thinking about the bureaucracy that will put them there. In Cambridge and Hyde Park (University of Chicago) and Berkeley, this is known as thinking transforming thoughts about "health outcomes"; in the rest of America, it is called "death panels."

Founder of Oregon Petition wins house primary race
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2010/05/19/founder-of-oregon-petition-wins-house-primary-race/#more-19722
Excerpt: There has been a lot of discussion of the election results in Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Kentucky and Arkansas by the talking head on TV and talk show pundits on the radio, not much information on the results in Oregon. Why am I interested in the results on Oregon? Glad you asked.... Wise Republican voters selected Dr. Art Robinson to represent them in the November 2010 Congressional race against Democrat Peter DeFazio.... I saw an online video by Art Robinson at the 4th International Climate Change Conference explaining why he is running. He wants to bring some scientific rationality to the discussions on issues in Congress, especially climate change. “Let’s have at least one real scientist in Congress,” he said.

Vietnam POW endorses Blumenthal opponent in Conn. Senate race
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/politics/vietnam_pow_endorses_blumenthal_5thEYi2R1BnvGAgQjxsBqM
Excerpt: Decorated Vietnam prisoner of war Orson Swindle Wednesday endorsed Republican Rob Simmons in the Connecticut Senate race. The support comes at an opportune time -- just two days after the New York Times reported that leading Democratic candidate Attorney General Richard Blumenthal had wrongly said he had served in Vietnam. Swindle was Federal Trade Commissioner (FTC) from 1997 to 2005 and he also served the Reagan administration. He retired from the Marine Corp as a Lieutenant Colonel. In a statement, Swindle praised Simmons as “my fellow Vietnam Veteran” and offered a sharp critique of Blumenthal that recalled his own days in Vietnam. Simmons is engaged in a primary battle with former World Wrestling Entertainment executive Linda McMahon.

The Technicality Generation
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/19/opinion/19pressler.html
Good article, but it repeats an old myth. Blacks made up 13% of the population then, but 12.5% of the deaths in Vietnam. Excerpt: The problems faced by Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut’s attorney general, over his depiction of his military service are indicative of a broader disease in our society. The issues of integrity in business and politics that plague us today ­ the way elites are no longer trusted ­ are rooted in the dishonesty that surrounded the Vietnam-era draft. The Vietnam War drove members of my generation in different directions. Some served because they believed in the war, others didn’t believe in the war and protested, but when drafted felt an obligation to go. Others were simply drafted. Some refused service out of principle, others out of fear, and still others because they felt that taking the time to go to Vietnam would slow their careers. Many of those who didn’t serve were helped by an inherently unfair draft. I don’t fault anyone for taking advantage of the law. Where I do find fault is among those who say they were avoiding the draft because they were idealistically opposed to the war ­ when, in fact, they mostly didn’t want to make the sacrifice. The problem is that for every person who won a deferment or a spot in a special National Guard unit, someone poorer or less educated, and usually African-American, had to serve.

Change boomerangs on President Obama
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0510/37524.html
Excerpt: Change is Barack Obama’s political calling card and the fuel that propelled his never-waste-a-crisis agenda — but change is boomeranging big time on the president in a turbulent and unpredictable 2010. For the first time since he emerged as a national political figure six years ago, Obama finds himself on the wrong side of the change equation — the status quo side — with challengers in both parties running against him, his policies or his handpicked candidates.
Obama Administration Promoting ACORN in India
http://www.newsrealblog.com/2010/05/20/obama-administration-promoting-acorn-in-india/
Excerpt: President Obama has been helping his former employer ACORN — in India, of all places. As I wrote at The Daily Caller, President Obama’s ambassador to India, Timothy J. Roemer, has lent his name and the prestige of the American government to ACORN India’s efforts to agitate among rag-pickers in Mumbai (formerly known as Bombay). Roemer used to be a Democratic congressman from Indiana. The former congressman turned ACORN-propagandist met with rag pickers in Dharavi, a Mumbai slum, to give a publicity boost to ACORN India’s local campaigns. The local U.S. consulate in also co-sponsored an event with the Indian branch of the organization for community organizers. According to ACORN India’s website the group was formed in order to assist in defending the “socialist legacy” of Jawaharlal Nehru, a leftist who served as Indian prime minister of India from 1947 to 1964. That “legacy” is “now in danger from the onslaught of the march of global corporatism,” the website says.

NATO report calls Iran a 'major Article 5 threat'
http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/WTARC/2010/me_iran0423_05_18.asp
Excerpt: The report, which outlined NATO strategy, envisioned an Iranian attack on Europe by 2020. NATO contains a principle known as Article 5 in which an attack against one member triggers a response by its colleagues. "Iran's efforts to enrich nuclear fuel, develop nuclear weapons designs, and stockpile long-range ballistic missiles could create a major Article 5 threat to the alliance in this decade," the report, titled "NATO 2020: Assured Security, Dynamic Engagement," said. The 55-page report, meant for submission to the NATO summit in November 2010, deemed the Middle East a key area for the Western alliance. NATO cited Iran, the Arab-Israel conflict and Al Qaida as leading security threats to member states, and urged cooperation with the Middle East and North Africa. "Iran’s conventional weapons programmes, especially its anti-ship cruise missiles, raise concerns about the security of critical maritime trading routes," the report said. "Given the abundant international diplomatic activity focused on Iran and the obscurity of Teheran's intentions, it is unclear whether the difficulties posed by Iran will multiply or diminish in the years ahead. NATO should do all it can to encourage the latter possibility, while preparing itself for the former."

Time to shut down the Canadian Jewish Congress
http://ezralevant.com/2010/05/time-to-shut-down-the-canadian.html
Excerpt: Iran is building a nuclear bomb. Hezbollah is rearming with long-range missiles from North Korea. The United Nations is as brutally anti-Israel as ever with the largest bloc now being the Organization of the Islamic Conference. Boycott and divestment campaigns are on a tear in Europe, and the British advertising standards council has barred Israel from using images of the Western Wall in tourism ads. Canada's postal union has condemned a stamp celebrating Canada-Israel relations. Labour unions and left wing churches regularly pass anti-Israel motions. University faculties refuse to meet their Israeli colleagues. In North America, even in Canada, some university campuses are no-go zones for kids with yarmulkes. But the Canadian Jewish Congress is in their situation room fighting back against... the Toronto police decision to list "shiksas" as a "victim group". That's muscling in on Bernie "Burny" Farber's turf, and he won't stand for it! Only Bernie can play the victim card! Time to fight!

Some US troops in Afghanistan may patrol with no rounds chambered in weapons
http://www.theusreport.com/the-us-report/some-us-troops-in-afghanistan-may-patrol-with-no-rounds-cham.html
The person who developed this policy should have to walk point—armed with a smile and a kind word. The Marine sentry at the barracks in Beirut didn’t have a round chambered, on orders. By the time he armed his rifle, it was too late, and 241 Marines and sailors died. He has had to live with that, though not his fault. Excerpt: Commanders have reportedly ordered a U.S. military unit in Afghanistan to patrol in a manner that could handicap them. Some soldiers are being ordered to conduct patrols without a round chambered in their weapons, The US Report has learned from an anonymous source at a forward operating base in Afghanistan. Our source was unsure if the order came from his unit or if it affected other units. On war correspondent Michael Yon's Facebook page, commenters stated that this is a common practice in Iraq, while others said that it is occurring in Afghanistan as well. According to military protocol, “Amber” status requires weapons to have a loaded magazine, but the safety on and no round chambered. "The idea that any combat unit would conduct any operation, including patrolling and even manning a security post -- in which direct action may-or-may not take place -- and not having weapons loaded, borders on being criminally negligent in my opinion," says Lt. Col. W. Thomas Smith Jr., a recognized expert on terrorism and military/national defense issues. "This is nothing more than infusing politically correct restrictions into already overly restrictive rules of engagement. And this PC nonsense is going to get people killed."

The Jihadist in Tehran again Outmaneuver the White House
http://planet-iran.com/index.php/news/16872
Excerpt: One would hope President Obama has, by now, learned that appeasing Jihadist will not work as he thought it would. This self-absorbed illusion to be the first president of the United States to break the ice and get Iran to shake the extended hand has got the better of our President’s judgment.... President Obama’s second track, which was to impose crippling sanctions in case Iran did not agree to his terms on their nuclear activities, now appears to be a complete failure—even as a watered-down resolution by the UN is facing difficulty with new maneuverings by the Iranian government.

Marinestan
http://townhall.com/columnists/VictorDavisHanson/2010/05/20/marinestan
Excerpt: Since WWII, the Marines have turned up almost anywhere that America finds itself in a jam against supposedly unconquerable enemies -- in bloody places like Inchon and the Chosin Reservoir in Korea, at Hue and Khe Sanh during the Vietnam War, at the two bloody sieges of Fallujah in Iraq, and now in Afghanistan. Over the last two centuries, two truths have emerged about the Marine Corps. One, they defeat the toughest of America's adversaries under the worst of conditions. And two, periodically their way of doing things -- and their eccentric culture of self-regard -- so bothers our military planners that some higher-ups try either to curb their independence or end the Corps altogether….. The U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, retired three-star Army General Karl W. Eikenberry, reportedly made a comment about there being 41 nations serving in Afghanistan -- and a 42nd composed of the Marine Corps. One unnamed Obama administration official was quoted by the Washington Post as saying, "We have better operational coherence with virtually all of our NATO allies than we have with the U.S. Marine Corps." Some officials call the new Marine enclave in Nimruz Province "Marinestan" -- as if, out of a Kipling or Conrad novel, the Marines have gone rogue to set up their own independent province of operations.

Pakistan: Thousands rally against Facebook because of Everybody Draw Muhammad Day
http://www.jihadwatch.org/2010/05/-muslim-anger-prompts-pakistan.html
Gotta love the “Religion of Peace” pictures.

Muslim Father Brutally Hacks to Death His 16-Year-Old Daughter in Muslim 'Honor' Killing
http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/2010/05/muslim-father-brutally-murders-his-16-year-old-daughter-in-muslim-honor-kiling.html
Didn’t get the “Islam is a Religion of Peace” memo. Excerpt: Svera was frank: "I'm afraid of my father. He beats me." But for the authorities it wasn't clear enough. 16 year old Svera R. from Zurich-Hongg: A strong person who wanted to live her life- without the bonds of the strict muslim faith which stood above everything for her father. On Monday he killed his fistborn child with an axe. Then he surrendered to the police.

Anti-Qaeda Sunni imams slaughtered in Iraq: military
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5i_V3p79paWgzUcNTSIX591C7iOUg
Didn’t get the memo. Excerpt: Two Sunni Arab imams were brutally killed on Monday in Iraq, including one who was decapitated and had his head planted on a power pole, in attacks blamed on Al-Qaeda, military officials said. The slayings in the province of Diyala, northeast of Baghdad, were against anti-Qaeda preachers who regularly railed against the terror network during Friday sermons. "At around 2:00 pm (1100 GMT), armed Al-Qaeda members captured Sheikh Abdullah Shakur while he was in Saadiyah market," said a Diyala military command officer who declined to be identified, referring to the central town. "They returned an hour later with his head and attached it to an electricity post."

The Administration's Re-Bombing Program
http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2010/05/the_administrations_rebombing.html
Couldn’t they give them the “Islam is a religion of peace” memo before they release them? Excerpt: An Al Qaeda thug is caught by us in 2007, released by this Administration in 2009 and goes on to kill 166 more people and planned a huge bombing at the upcoming World Cup. As Doug Ross reports: Next month's soccer World Cup in South Africa was the target of an Al Qaeda attack according to Iraqi security personnel. The mastermind was reportedly a man who had already killed 166 Iraqis in various bombings -- after his release by the Obama administration last year.

Sweden: Suspects in Vilks attack are two brothers
http://europenews.dk/en/node/32166
Bill Clinton took us to war with the Serbs to protect the peace-loving Muslims in Kosovo, but turns out not all of them got the memo. Excerpt: The 21 and 19 year old arrested on for the attempted arson attack against Lars Vilks house are brothers, reports Sydsvenskan. The 21 year old man was arrested in his mother's apartment in Landskrona. He was arrested early Saturday morning - suspected for attempted arson. "When I heard what happened, I went to the apartment. But the police didn't let me in and they took our mother to interrogation. She felt very bad," says the 21 year old's sister. The 21 year old moved from Kosovo to Sweden with his family in the early 1990s. He's a religious Muslim and regularly visits the mosque. But his sister says she has difficulty accepting that her brother is now a suspect in the attack against Lars Vilks.

Charities fear rise in acid attacks avenging slights on family honour
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/charities-fear-rise-in-acid-attacks-avenging-slights-on-family-honour-1976455.html
Britain today, the US tomorrow as more Muslims here don’t get the memo. Excerpt: The men, who included Mrs Khatoon's brother Mohammed Vakas, had come to wipe off what they believed was a stain on their family's "izzat" (honour). Beating and stabbing Mr Akram was not enough. As he lay bleeding on the floor, Vakas stepped over his victim and poured the entire bottle of drain cleaner over Mr Akram's face and body. In parts of the developing world – particularly south-east Asia, the south Asian subcontinent and east Africa – acid attacks are common. The Taliban and fellow extremists have frequently resorted to throwing acid in women's faces for even small transgressions, such as daring to go out unveiled. But there are concerns that such attacks may also be on the increase in the UK. Hospital admission figures for the past three years show a steady rise in the number of people being treated for acid attacks. According to the NHS information centre, 44 people were admitted to hospital in 2006-07 after they were "assaulted with a corrosive substance". The following year the figure jumped to 67 and last year there were 69 admissions.

Delhi CM fears trouble if Afzal is hanged
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/afzal-mercy-petition-sent-back-to-delhi-lg/115709-37-64.html?from=tn
Bowing to fear. Excerpt: Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru's mercy petition has been sent back by the Delhi government on Wednesday to Lieutenant Governor Tejinder Khanna with the Delhi government fearing ant-social elements may try and foment communal trouble in some parts of the national capital. Sources have told CNN-IBN the state government has addressed the issues raises by the Lieutenant Governor Khanna. Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit has reportedly replied that some anti-social elements can use the Afzal's hanging to their advantage in some parts of trans-Yamuna and Jamia Millia Islamia.

While we wouldn't dare say 'boo' to a Muslim here, Christians are persecuted in a Muslim country
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/cristinaodone/100040078/while-we-wouldnt-dare-say-boo-to-a-muslim-here-christians-are-persecuted-in-a-muslim-country/
Report from Londonistan. Excerpt: So far, their appeal has not moved Hillary Clinton. Here, supporters of Iraqi Christians fear that William Hague will be similarly uninterested in the issue. Iraq is very much a live issue with the electorate – especially among Muslims; and, in these paranoid times, to defend Iraqi Christians from their Muslim fellow-citizens could be misinterpreted as an attack on Islam. While Muslims in this country enjoy the benefits of a society where tolerance is not only legal but culturally ingrained, Christians in a Muslim country (in fact several Muslim countries – being a Christian in neighbouring Iran is no picnic) must withstand wave after wave of attacks. How amazing if the new Foreign Secretary were to address this thorny issue – though it would be nothing short of miraculous for Hague to get backing from his fiercely secular Lib Dem coalition partners on this one.

Blood For Oil Update: Our Blood, Their Oil
http://www.jihadwatch.org/2010/05/blood-for-oil-update-our-blood-their-oil.html
Excerpt: China and Turkey buy up Iraqi oil fields. Is this what we fought for in Iraq -- to secure an oil supply for the Chinese and rapidly-Islamizing Turkey?

Cartoons To Die For – Everybody Draw Mohammed Day
http://www.lookingattheleft.com/2010/05/cartoons-to-die-for-2/
Interesting reports and pictures.

Shariah v. Human Rights
http://www.aim.org/briefing/shariah-v.-human-rights/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+AccuracyInMedia+%28Accuracy+In+Media%29
Excerpt: Because Sharia doesn’t provide equal rights to women and non-Muslims, and contains obvious conflicts with Western law (such as its allowance for bigamy), “it would be a great mistake for provisions of Sharia to be recognized in terms of public law in the West,” said Michael Nazir-Ali, former Bishop of Rochester in the Church of England from 1994 to 2009 and the Heritage Foundation’s guest lecturer on the topic. An outspoken critic of Sharia, Nazir-Ali has not only faced criticism from the international press, but along with his family, has received death threats for his criticisms of Islamic extremism and its impact on cultural traditions and societal laws in Western nations. Nazir-Ali said there has been continuous pressure in Canada and England to allow provisions of Sharia to be recognized and applied in public law. He added that these countries have already faced legal and social conflicts when attempting to accommodate elements of Sharia in their legal systems; and that the West needs to recognize the demands that are being made on it.

Afghanistan war's headstones and milestones
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/05/19/ED2H1DGIQD.DTL#ixzz0oToZxd45
Excerpt: How is it that the New York Times reported that that the toll of U.S. troops killed in Afghanistan reached the "grim milestone" of 1,000 Tuesday, but my newspaper, The Chronicle, had not bothered to report the story? This column began as an effort to redress what I considered to be an unconscionable omission. Even before the Iraq war toll exceeded 1,000 deaths in September 2004, there was a media build-up to the milestone. The Chronicle brought together family members from Northern California whose loved ones were among the dead for front-page coverage. Why not pay similar tribute to those fallen in Operation Enduring Freedom? Is the big difference that the casualty count can't be used against President George W. Bush? As it turns out, news outlets had good reason not to report the 1,000 dead that the New York Times reported. As of Wednesday morning, the Pentagon's official count for U.S. troops deaths in the Afghanistan region was 982 - 768 killed in action and 214 nonhostile deaths (that is, from car accidents or illnesses). The official Operation Enduring Freedom count also adds 78 deaths, including eight combat fatalities, outside the region and two Defense Department civilian deaths.

Feel good video of the day—Russian video of commandos dealing with pirates
http://true-turtle.livejournal.com/85315.html
If they read them their Miranda rights before blowing them and their pirate boat up, I missed it. Maybe because I don’t speak Russian.

If it’s cheap labor, why does it cost America so much?
http://dancingczars.wordpress.com/2010/05/16/cheap-labor/#comments
700 billion seems high. But the principle is the same. If taxpayers must shell out to support illegals, why can’t illegals move into the homes of liberals and demand to be supported? No different than moving into the country, just a smaller and more personal scale. Excerpt: According to Chad Christensen, (R) Nevada Candidate for the US Senate, Nevada spends 700 billion dollars to house, feed, educate, and provide health care for illegal immigrants every year. During the last Special Session of the legislature he had to work hard to deal with a nearly 900 million dollar deficit in Nevada. Had Democrats supported either of the bills in 2007 and 2009 Nevada’s problem would have been solved.

Two Charged in Bucktown Baseball Bat Attack
http://www.myfoxchicago.com/dpp/news/crime/20100427-bucktown-baseball-bat-arrest
The Irish girl appears to have severe brain damage. Excerpt: Chicago - A man and a woman have been charged in a baseball-bat attack that put two women in the hospital last week. Heriberto Viramontes, 30, of the 2700 block of West Evergreen and Marcy Cruz, 25, of the 3100 block of North Springfield, are charged with two counts each of armed robbery and aggravated battery, according to police. Both are scheduled for a bond hearing Wednesday. Stacy Jurich, 24, and Natasha McShane, 23, were robbed of their purses and beaten at about 3:30 a.m. Friday under a railroad viaduct in the 1800 block of North Damen.

Bail denied for suspect in Bucktown bat beating
http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2010/04/bond-hearing-today-for-couple-accused-in-bucktown-beating.html
Excerpt: Viramontes, a reputed member of the Spanish Cobras street gang, has an extensive criminal background that includes dozens of arrests. He has been convicted of possession of a stolen motor vehicle, burglary and domestic battery, according to Cook County court records….. This is the 19th time he has been in Cook County Jail, Patterson said.

Baseball bat thug Viramontes adept at suing police departments
http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/arresting-tales/2010/05/baseball-bat-thug-viramontes-adept-at-suing-police-departments.html
Your tax dollars at work. Excerpt: ABC 7 reports that Heriberto Viramontes, suspect in the brutal robbery and beating of two young women in Bucktown on April 23, didn't just make a living by beating and robbing. According to this story, it seems he was also good at playing the bustout lottery: Heriberto Viramontes has received settlements of thousands of dollars from the City of Chicago and Cook County in recent years. Those settlements were reached after Viramontes claimed he was the victim of police abuse.

California law... interesting
Interesting that CA law has a section in it quite similar to the new AZ law. (see bold sections) The difference is that the CA officer is not obliged to arrest and hold the probable foreign alien for the feds. But the section on the officer being allowed to be suspicious and the section about demanding documentation are about as parallel as one could ask. So... do we accuse CA of promoting profiling? --Del
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/displaycode?section=pen&group=00001-01000&file=833-851.90
834b. (a) Every law enforcement agency in California shall fully cooperate with the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service regarding any person who is arrested if he or she is suspected of being present in the United States in violation of federal immigration laws. (b) With respect to any such person who is arrested, and suspected of being present in the United States in violation of federal immigration laws, every law enforcement agency shall do the following: (1) Attempt to verify the legal status of such person as a citizen of the United States, an alien lawfully admitted as a permanent resident, an alien lawfully admitted for a temporary period of time or as an alien who is present in the United States in violation of immigration laws. The verification process may include, but shall not be limited to, questioning the person regarding his or her date and place of birth, and entry into the United States, and demanding documentation to indicate his or her legal status. (2) Notify the person of his or her apparent status as an alien who is present in the United States in violation of federal immigration laws and inform him or her that, apart from any criminal justice proceedings, he or she must either obtain legal status or leave the United States.

A Look at Kidnapping through the Lens of Protective Intelligence
http://www.stratfor.com/weekly/20100519_look_kidnapping_through_lens_protective_intelligence?utm_source=SWeekly&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=100520&utm_content=readmore&elq=b0859a46afdf478c84f27cf1f304ea60
Excerpt: Looking at the world from a protective-intelligence perspective, the theme for the past week has not been improvised explosive devices or potential mass-casualty attacks. While there have been suicide bombings in Afghanistan, alleged threats to the World Cup and seemingly endless post-mortem discussions of the failed May 1 Times Square attack, one recurring and under-reported theme in a number of regions around the world has been kidnapping…. In the United States, it is far more common for a relatively poor person to be kidnapped for financial motives than it is for a high-net-worth individual. This is because kidnapping groups frequently target groups of illegal immigrants, who they believe are far less likely to seek help from the authorities. In some cases, the police have found dozens of immigrant hostages being held in safe-houses.

The Long Arm of the Lawless
http://www.stratfor.com/weekly/20090225_long_arm_lawless?fn=4416284434
The spillover of violence from Mexico began some time ago in border towns like Laredo and El Paso in Texas, where merchants and wealthy families face extortion and kidnapping threats from Mexican gangs, and where drug dealers who refuse to pay “taxes” to Mexican cartel bosses are gunned down. But now, the threat posed by Mexican criminals is beginning to spread north from the U.S.-Mexican border. One location that has felt this expanding threat most acutely is Phoenix, some 185 miles north of the border. Some sensational cases have highlighted the increased threat in Phoenix, such as a June 2008 armed assault in which a group of heavily armed cartel gunmen dressed like a Phoenix Police Department tactical team fired more than 100 rounds into a residence during the targeted killing of a Jamaican drug dealer who had double-crossed a Mexican cartel. We have also observed cartel-related violence in places like Dallas and Austin, Texas. But Phoenix has been the hardest hit. Narcotics smuggling and drug-related assassinations are not the only thing the Mexican criminals have brought to Phoenix. Other criminal gangs have been heavily involved in human smuggling, arms smuggling, money laundering and other crimes. Due to the confluence of these Mexican criminal gangs, Phoenix has now become the kidnapping-for-ransom capital of the United States. According to a Phoenix Police Department source, the department received 368 kidnapping reports last year. As we discussed last week, kidnapping is a highly underreported crime in places such as Mexico, making it very difficult to measure accurately. Based upon experience with kidnapping statistics in other parts of the world — specifically Latin America — it would not be unreasonable to assume that there were at least as many unreported kidnappings in Phoenix as there are reported kidnappings.

New AZ law: Firms have no legal duty to have translators
http://azstarnet.com/article_11a21e8d-bb78-5450-839a-1cdf29125f03.html?mode=story
Let’s see if we can bring Quebec’s problems to the US. If you have a legal duty to provide a Hispanic citizen services in Spanish, how about a Polish, Vietnamese or Latvian citizen? Don’t they get the same “rights”? Excerpt: A Glendale optometrist's yearlong legal fight over what services he had to provide for a Spanish-speaking customer has translated into new protections for other businesses. Gov. Jan Brewer has signed legislation affirming that nothing in state law requires businesses to provide "trained and competent" interpreters when a customer comes in speaking a language other than English. Assistant Attorney General Michael Walker said that has probably always been the law. But that didn't save John Schrolucke from having to spend time and money defending himself and his practice before Walker's office finally dismissed the case. Schrolucke told lawmakers the incident stems from a patient who spoke only Spanish. Although she did bring her 12-year-old child with her to the office, he said allowing the child to interpret for the parent would have gotten him into legal trouble. He said he faced a potential malpractice lawsuit if the child did not properly translate some of the more technical explanations being provided, so he turned the woman away, telling her through her child to come back with someone at least 18 years old. Schrolucke said he also gave the woman the option of going to one or two other optometrists who speak Spanish. Instead, he said, the woman filed a discrimination complaint with the Attorney General's Office.

Arizona Official Threatens to Cut Off Los Angeles Power as Payback for Boycott
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/05/19/arizona-official-threatens-cut-los-angeles-power-payback-boycott/
Excerpt: "If an economic boycott is truly what you desire, I will be happy to encourage Arizona utilities to renegotiate your power agreements so Los Angeles no longer receives any power from Arizona-based generation." Appearing to tap into local frustration in Arizona over the raft of boycotts and threatened boycotts from cities across the country, including Los Angeles, Pierce warned that Arizona companies are willing and ready to fight boycott with boycott. "I am confident that Arizona's utilities would be happy to take those electrons off your hands," Pierce wrote. "If, however, you find that the City Council lacks the strength of its convictions to turn off the lights in Los Angeles and boycott Arizona power, please reconsider the wisdom of attempting to harm Arizona's economy."

Arizona Solution?
Wouldn’t it be cheaper for Arizona to offer “undocumented workers” a box lunch and a bus ticket to the sanctuary city of San Francisco, no questions asked? And San Fran, not being evil like the folks in AZ, would welcome them with open arms—the more the merrier.

"Rape Trees" Found Along Southern US Border
http://www.latina.com/lifestyle/news-politics/rape-trees-found-along-southern-us-border
There have been reports and photos of “Rape Trees” on conservative or minuteman sites, but this is on a site by a Latina who seems to be supportive of immigrants. In another posts she charges Border Patrol agents also rape illegal immigrants. Excerpt: The violence in Mexico is out of control and undeniably headed north. From beheadings to kidnappings, there seems to be no limit to what the cartels are willing to do to assert their dominance. They deal not only in drugs, but also in humans. The majority of the coyotes who help illegal immigrants cross the border are affiliated with these Mexican cartels. Although many politicians would like to believe that the violence will stay to the south of the border, the reality is that it has already begun to affect South Western states. The revelation that Phoenix is now the "kidnapping capital" of the United States only affirms what many residents already knew. A new method of marking territory has crossed over into the United States. "Rape trees" are popping up in Southern Arizona and their significance is horrific and disgusting. These "rape trees" are places where cartel members and coyotes rape female border crossers and hang their clothes, specifically undergarments, to mark their conquest and territory.

Video News Report on "Rape Trees" Found in The Desert
http://www.norcalblogs.com/gate/2010/05/rape-trees-segment.php
Excerpt: What the Senate Judiciary Committee learned was that Pima and Cochise counties were seeing an alarming increase of more and more "Rape Trees". These are memorials, if you will, that are left behind by Mexican drug cartel members, and illegal male immigrants who have raped illegal female immigrants and then forced their victims to hang their clothes, usually panties or bras, on trees. With seized weapons on display, the officials described how border violence plays out in human smuggling, home invasions, rapes, auto thefts, and kidnappings.

Senators Press for National Guard Troops on Border
http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/66325
Excerpt: The Guard stalemate has festered for nearly a year, and frustrated lawmakers are demanding action to stem the spread of violence and drug trafficking that has spilled across the border into their states. The inaction raises questions about whether the White House is convinced the federally funded deployment is necessary, or whether border states will be forced to bear the costs of dispatching the Guard troops on their own.

Obama clamors for federal fix to immigration woes
http://marinepatriot.blogspot.com/2010/05/obama-clamors-for-federal-fix-to.html
Excerpt: No surprise that Obama is trashing the US again. Over 111,000 Mexicans were granted citizenship last year and they did it the right way. Obama never once talked about the significant things the US does for Mexico. Might as well blame the Republicans for failure to pass any immigration bill. Perhaps George Bush is working to undermine his efforts. I think most Americans realize you must solve the border problem before you take on the immigration issue. 70% of Americans support the Arizona legislation. I firmly believe Obama does not like this Nation unless it meets his extreme expectation, and he is doing everything possible to change it into his image.