Friday, January 30, 2009

The FBI ends contact with CAIR

Fellow blogger Tsofah was kind enough to post a link to this story from Steven Emerson’s The Investigative Project on Terrorism.

It’s definitely not going to appear in any of the CAIR whine-o-grams.

From IPT; The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has cut off contacts with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) amid mounting concern about the Muslim advocacy group's roots in a Hamas-support network, the Investigative Project on Terrorism has learned.

The decision to end contacts with CAIR was made quietly last summer as federal prosecutors prepared for a second trial of the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (HLF), an Islamic charity accused of providing money and political support to the terrorist group Hamas, according to people with knowledge of the matter.


In case some of you have forgotten why CAIR is less than transparent, ITP follows up today with this article. “CAIR’s True Colors” is the most complete account of the nefarious inner workings of the self-proclaimed muslim civil rights group.

Thursday, January 29, 2009

CAIR weighs in on the Gaza cease-fire

Ahmed Rehab, CAIR’s director of strategic communications, wrote an op-ed and is shopping it around via Media Monitors Network. I’ve been Google’ing to see if it’s been picked up and as far as I can tell one has published it yet. As a public service to my readers, I’m going to post it here and pick it apart.

The recent tentative cease-fire may have halted Israel’s military thrashing of Gaza, but it does not constitute an end to its humanitarian crisis and the ongoing illegal and immoral occupation, the root causes of the conflict. Powerbrokers, the media and the public should remember that what needs to be done next is no less important than the cease-fire itself.
**CAIR has the answer to decades long conflict between Israel and the palestinians, the “root cause” is illegal and immoral occupation.

First, Egypt, the U.S., France, and Turkey must work with the Israelis and the Palestinians to ensure that the cease-fire is sustainable and not merely a prelude to future conflict. Gaza’s civilian population should not wake up each day to the terrorizing possibility of tanks in their backyards and warplanes over their homes. Palestinians should not fire rockets into Israel.
**How about a serious program to self-govern and eliminate terrorists in their midst. Then I bet palestinian civilians wouldn’t wake-up to see Israeli tanks in their backyards and warplanes flying overhead.

Second, the United Nations should launch an independent investigation into the serious allegations of war crimes committed against Gaza’s civilians during the three week offensive. Israel’s response to the allegations has been either to deflect blame or to declare that it will launch its own investigations, which typically amount to nothing. A perpetrator of war crimes cannot be entrusted to launch a fair and transparent investigation of its own violations.**I trust an Israeli investigation over any UN investigative task force.

The world has learned important lessons from the experiences of the 20th century that we cannot afford to ignore. Since World War II and the war in Bosnia, there have been awareness programs, international checks and balances, investigative agencies, and courts established to ensure that crimes against humanity are a thing of the past. **And we cannot afford to ignore the growing number of death-cult faithful who aspire to eradicate the infidels worldwide.

And yet, in the 21st century, we find ourselves still looking the other way when serious human rights violations occur. Israel is accused of killing 1300 Palestinians, most of them civilians, including some 300 children. It is also accused of using white phosphorous on civilians, which is banned under the commonly-accepted rules of war. **Palestinians deliberately target Israeli civilians, that’s a commonly accepted rule of jihad.

Allegations abound of Israel’s targeting of civilians. A grandmother claims to have waived a white flag when soldiers stormed her home, only to have them fire on her three grandchildren: four-year-old Samar was left permanently paralyzed from the waist down while her two sisters were shot dead. **Does CAIR have the figures on how many Israeli victims of palestinian terror have been paralyzed, disfigured, mutilated or murdered?

Three clearly marked UN schools were targeted with missiles, resulting in the murder of 60 civilians. Schools, mosques, and hospitals were also bombed throughout the offensive. John Ging, head of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in Gaza stated that “the Israeli air force hit infrastructure of the state of Palestine rather than the infrastructure of terror.” **The IDF have video of missiles being launched from these clearly marked UN schools. In my opinion, the "state" of palestine is a terrorist state.

Israel’s chief military rabbi distributed pamphlets urging soldiers “to show no mercy” in Gaza. **The hamas charter calls for the total destruction of the state of Israel, is that merciful?

The muted world response to those war crimes is made possible by a widespread demonization of Palestinians. It is only by projecting an image of the Palestinian as something less than human that the Israeli government can hope to justify its human rights transgressions and avert a severe backlash in public opinion. Because the anti-Semitic terror sympathizers at the UN have regulated the palestinians to permanent “refugees” and given their own UN agency. And their animalistic actions make them look less than human.

We cannot afford to let these crimes go without accountability. A third-party investigation with binding consequences is imperative. **What about crimes committed by the democratically elected terrorist organization, will they be held accountable once investigated by a neutral third party?

Third, the international community, which could not save Gaza’s besieged civilian population from the massacres, should now dispense generous humanitarian aid to help alleviate the ongoing suffering. Gazans continue to face unlivable conditions. They have courageously vowed to rebuild, but they cannot realistically do much without outside help, especially given the continued Israeli blockade. **The international community, especially the United States, has given enough to the terrorists who were democratically elected to govern Gaza. MeThinks the Gazens need to produce something more than terrorists and take care of their people on their own.

Finally, and most importantly, the Obama administration must recommit the United States, which took a backseat to the pro-Israel lobby under the Bush administration, to lead a renewed international diplomatic effort that will address the root causes of the crisis and help broker a just and lasting peace. **Lasting peace can be attained if the palestinians recognize the state of Israel and her right to exist. Lasting peace could be attained if the palestinians end their quest to annihilate Israel and murder Jews. It's a very simple plan and easy to implement.

At the end of the day, the illegal occupation of Gaza and other Palestinian land must come to an end. Palestinians are entitled to choose their own destiny in a free and democratic process. Only then can both sides of the conflict aspire to peace, security, and prosperity. **Israelis have prospered in spite of their hostile neighbors. The people of Gaza however, freely and democratically chose to be ruled by a group of terrorists. Terrorists who have only one goal, the complete destruction of Israel. Terrorist who hide among the civilian population and put innocents in danger. Terrorists who teach hatred, encourage conflict and perpetuate this decades long cycle of violence, poverty and despair.

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

ACLU files suit against Tarek ibn Ziyad Academy

**Update** Someone at Tarek ibn Ziyad Academy has been reading and forwarding this blog post! Do you think I did them justice?


I first told you about the Tarek ibn Ziyad Academy, the Minnesota charter school catering to muslims on the taxpayer’s dime, in May. At the time my post, Taxpayer Funded Minnesota Madrassa, was the subject of ongoing investigative reports by Katherine Kersten and a substitute teacher Amanda Getz.

On Wednesday January 21st, after completing their own investigation, the ACLU has filed a lawsuit against the school citing clear separation of church and state violations. Named as defendants in the suit were TIZA Executive Director Asad Zaman, Islamic Relief USA, the school's sponsor, the Minnesota Department of Education and Commissioner of Education Alice Seagren.

The lawsuit said TIZA has close ties with the Muslim American Society of Minnesota, "linked by a complex interconnecting set of personal, corporate, and operational relationships," including:

1) Both of the school's campuses are leased from the sectarian organization. The Inver Grove Heights campus is in the same building and address as the Muslim American Society of Minnesota mosque and headquarters. The Muslim American Society of Minnesota's Blaine chapter has used the telephone number of the TIZA Blaine campus to conduct business.

2) An after-school Muslim studies program has been offered by the Muslim American Society at the Inver Grove Heights campus and has conducted prayer sessions at TIZA during school hours.

The lawsuit also argues that "TIZA endorses the Muslim religion by permitting a prayer to be posted prominently in the school's entryway, Muslim prayer sessions to be held during school hours and teacher-sanctioned religious material to be posted on classroom bulletin boards.The school allows students and teachers to gather every Friday during school hours for 30-minute communal prayer led by parents or volunteers." and; "TIZA also prefers Muslim clothing rules by prohibiting girls, but not boys, from wearing short sleeves and requiring them to wear skirts or trousers that are a specific length."

But there's more; according to the complaint, Asad Zaman serves as executive director, trustee and principal of TIZA and is also vice president of the Muslim American Society of Minnesota, the religious organization that leases space to the school. MeThinks there's a clear conflict of interest that should have been noticed by the Minnesota school board.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

CAIR "Return from Vegas" Whine-O-Gram Speed-Linking

The day after BHO was sworn into office, CAIR and other islamic groups penned an “open letter” to the president asking for an even-handed approach to the middle east conflict. Essentially telling the new president to abandon Israel. There’s no suggestion from CAIR, (or the other islamic groups, two fringe Jewish groups and one wacky Catholic group), to suspend aid to the palestinian terrorists who run Gaza. So much for even-handedness.


The New York (s)Times ran the full page plea on January 21, 2009 a day before President Obama signed an executive order closing the detention facility. CAIR issued “action alert” 565 to “Thank Obama for order closing Guantanamo Prisons”.

“I, Barack Hussein Obama, do solemnly swear…” CAIR and muslims worldwide are celebrating this inauguration as a giant step toward islamic inclusion. The name “Hussein” is looked at as a stepping stone toward a day when Americans will embrace a muslim or an arab as president. Oh yes, we’ve entered a new era….

Friday, January 23, 2009

We came, We played, They wed! - Vegas Style

Our holiday in Las Vegas was great. We left the sub-zero, snow-covered Columbus landscape at 7am Thursday and arrived in “sin city” around 8:30am. Gennie and Eric were due in at 1pm, although they left Columbia SC the same time we left Columbus, a 2 hour layover in Philly delayed their arrival.

We hadn’t seen each other since New Years Eve last year. Our excitement and enthusiasm couldn’t be tempered; it was going to be a fantastic 5 days.


The basis for this Vegas jaunt centered on Gennie and Eric renewing their wedding vows. Saturday the 17th was their 15th wedding anniversary and would be the day they were remarried.

Once we secured rooms next to one another and had our bags taken up, we headed off to grab a late lunch. Before the wedding on Saturday the couple had to venture downtown and apply for and receive a marriage license.

Reservations at Graceland Chapel were made last month and Elvis was going to give Gennie away. Hair, make-up and nails consumed most the morning and early afternoon. Although I did not partake in the “$500.00 day of beauty” your humble blogger sat patiently with the bride while a flurry of activity swirled about my anxious friend. I’m still not sure if it was the impending tab or the wedding that made her nervous. By the end of the 5 hour ordeal she was transformed and looked great.
We met for cocktails at 4:30, the limo arrived at 4:50, the ceremony began at 5:15 and we were out of the chapel by 6pm. Eric made an 8:30 dinner reservation for the 4 of us at “Joes Seafood Prime Steak & Stone Crab” in the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace. Very good......


The official Graceland photographer was in charge of capturing the special event; rendering my Olympus EVOLT E-410 useless. I wasn’t able to take any photos of the actual wedding or of Elvis.

After dinner, Eric was a bit tipsy and really in no condition to gamble or celebrate. About an hour later I received a call from Gennie asking if I wanted to go downstairs. I told to give me 10 minutes to change clothes and freshen up. We then proceeded to gamble (and win) for the next 36 hours. It was by far the best time we’ve ever spent together in Vegas.

Our Monday departure came way too soon.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Sharia banking on the rise...

Check out this article from AOL money.

Big financial institutions have been battered by mortgages gone bad. But a tiny Michigan bank is getting attention in the industry by turning a profit on loans without even charging interest. (The way around charging interest on islamic loans is to rename "fees")

Its specialty: financial products that comply with Islamic law. That means no collecting interest, no short selling and no contracts that are considered exceedingly risky.

It also rules out some of the activity that got Western finance in trouble - subprime mortgages, credit default swaps and the like.

"When you look at the economic crisis we're in, if you were to follow Islamic or Sharia financing, you couldn't have this crisis," said John Sickler, corporate director for the bank, University Islamic Financial Corp. in Ann Arbor.

(I’ve posted about the shenanigans of sharia and islamic banking here, here, here and here.)

A Vegas wedding....

Attention fellow bloggers;

At 7am tomorrow morning, Nick and I will be airborne.

Destination; Las Vegas!

My friend Gennie and her husband Eric are getting (re?)married on Saturday and your humble blogger and Nick were asked to “stand-up” for them. The limo will pick us up at the Flamingo Hotel and Casino, delivering us to the Graceland Chapel. The ceremony will at 5pm and presided over by the King himself. Eric is a huge Elvis fan and even had a jacket made for the special occasion.

No doubt a good time will be had by all and I plan to bring my Olympus Evolt E-410 to capture every moment on 4GB 133x compact flash elite pro. I prefer to use the antiquated compact flash instead of the Olympus DX picture card because of a sharper picture quality. But I digress.

This isn’t our first trip to “sin city” together; I’ve posted about our Vegas adventures here and here. Undoubtedly a much happier event this time around.

Nick and I will touch down at 8:30am Vegas time, Gennie and Eric will arrive at 11:00am. We have no real agenda except the wedding on Saturday and a mani/pedi spa treatment for the bride-to-be and her matron-of-honor prior to the blessed union. And in order to make this a legal union, the bride and groom will need to make a trip to Clark County Courthouse to obtain a marriage license. The courthouse is open until midnight so this little side venture won’t interfere with our gaming activities.

We’ll be returning home Monday around 11pm. So look for blogging to resume Tuesday morning. If you need the latest news on the jihad, take a look at these blogs here, here and here.

Sunday, January 11, 2009

The pro-hamas rally that wasn't....

During today’s “Radio Deli”, host Dirk Thompson mentioned a pro-hamas rally was going to be held at 5pm this afternoon. Neither website, the MSA (OSU chapter) or ANSWER, had posted details for this impromptu demonstration. Returning busloads of Washington DC rally-goers were expected to assemble at the corner of North High Street and 15th Avenue. Even though I live 15 minutes away, I didn’t want to make a senseless trip to OSU. As the clock ticked I grew anxious and figured there was no harm in taking a quick drive and if there happened to be protesters I’d snap a couple shots.

As we neared the location I really thought we were too late. But the closer we got I could see what appeared to be no more than a dozen WASP’s at the demonstration site. Not one muslim in sight.

Nick, my trusty chauffeur, pulled down a side street so we could double back enabling me to snap a photo or two.

That group of people you see there on the left is the "rally". I surely would have missed them had I not been looking.


Holding makeshift signs and shouting to passing traffic, I found it funny that no one from the ummah showed up to demonstrate with these pitiful folks.


And finally we have the last quarter of the demonstrators, all three of them.


Had I known this rally was going to be so pathetically small I would have dressed a little warmer and ventured out of our truck to get a few interviews. Even I could have fended off this angry mob, or at least ran away, had my questions irritated them.

Friday, January 09, 2009

CAIR, post birthday, whine-o-gram speed linking

Since Israel launched a retaliatory strike against palestinian terrorists, CAIR has been fast and furious with their condemnation. I wanted to post a few of the whine-o-gram headlines since Israel started to fight back.

First up we have action alert #560 “urging” President Bush to condemn the massacre at the UN school. Needless to say, CAIR didn’t mention the mortar fire coming from inside the school.

Next, CAIR pleas with SoS Rice to help American children trapped in Gaza. Didn’t CAIR pull this trick last year? Why yes they did!

CAIR action alert #562 called on congress to ensure a balanced mid-east resolution. When, A resolution passed in the U.S. Senate today failed the test of balance and peace-building”, CAIR calls on the RoP faithful to harass contact elected officials (with the helpful CAIR talking points)

  • I urge you to ensure that any congressional resolutions or statements relating to the Middle East conflict are balanced and promote peace with justice in the region.
  • Balanced statements will ensure that the international community does not perceive that the U.S. government is divided on the goal of bringing a just and durable peace.
  • As you may know, Israeli attacks on Palestinian civilians block efforts to bring peace with justice to the Middle East, harm our nation’s image and interests worldwide and strengthen voices of extremism in the region.
  • The Palestinian people must be given some hope of freedom from Israeli occupation and domination and Israel’s immoral and illegal collective punishment of the Palestinian people living in the Gaza Strip must end.
  • I also believe American taxpayer dollars should not be used to for weapons that kill civilians.

Debbie Schlussel has a post describing her experience at the Detroit pro-hamas rally. She almost didn't make out unharmed.

Thursday, January 08, 2009

What do......

**Update added**
Peter Heck (Indiana talk radio host)
Jason Giambi, David Bowie, Robby Krieger, Bob Eubanks, Stephen Hawking, R Kelly and “The King” Elvis Presley all have in common with your humble blogger?

We were all born today, January 8th!

I’m celebrating the 14th anniversary of my 29th birthday.




In honor of my birthday I’ve posted a couple pictures.


*The top photo is of an 18 month old Janice. The date was August 3rd 1968, five days after the birth of my brother, the day my parents brought Steve home from the hospital. My proud father holds the "heir apparent" as “an already forgotten” Janice sits upon the floor.


*The second picture was taken July 29th 1969, as the "heir apparent" prepares to open birthday gifts and a "still forgotten" Janice waits patiently for cake.



*Obviously the above statements are made in jest and not to be taken seriously.

Tuesday, January 06, 2009

CAIR is keeping the ummah busy with 10 steps to help terrorists

As a public service to my loyal readers, I comb through the CAIR dung so you don’t have to…..

An action alert whine-o-gram was issued yesterday evening listing “10 steps you can take to help Gaza”. These “10 steps” outlined by the unindicted terror coconspirator, were built upon the CAIR action alert #559 posted 12/29/08. That action alert urged the ummah to pester implore congress and the president to stop the Israeli massacre in Gaza.

Members of the ummah “and other people of conscience” (I wonder if that is another reference to People of the Book) need to do the following;

1) Partake in the “Let Gaza Live” national march or local peaceful rallies. Sponsored by Answer Coalition.

2) Visit your representatives during the “Day on the Hill” sponsored by a coalition of major Islamic organizations. (after a google search I came up with nothing on this group)

3) Visit local offices with this handy-dandy “legislative fact sheet” compiled by CAIR. And here’s your guide to successfully securing a few minutes with an elected official and your talking points manual for getting your issues on the table.


4) Write or call President Bush and members of congress. CAIR understands how busy the ummah is and has taken the time to assemble the addresses and phone numbers in addition to composing the talking points;


  • Israeli attacks block efforts to bring peace with justice to the Middle East, harm our nation’s image and interests worldwide and strengthen voices of extremism in the region.
  • The Palestinian people must be given some hope of freedom from Israeli occupation and domination.
  • Israel’s immoral and illegal collective punishment of the Palestinian people living in the Gaza Strip must end.
  • America must support a just and comprehensive resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that takes into account the rights and responsibilities of all parties.
  • American taxpayer dollars should not be used to for weapons that kill Palestinian civilians.
  • Ask your elected officials to adopt an even-handed Middle East policy that is in our nation’s - not Israel’s - interest.

Contact President George W. Bush: White House Comment Line: 202-456-1111, Fax: 202-456-2461, E-Mail: comments@whitehouse.gov, vice_president@whitehouse.gov

5) Contact “the one”, Barack Obama “to ask that he speak out now in favor of a more balanced and pro-American policy in the Middle East that takes the rights of all parties to the conflict into consideration.” Unlike congress and President Bush, the faithful are asked to go through the “transition team” website, change.gov, in the hopes of getting the ear of “the one”.

6) Sign the CAIR anti-Israel petition, because we all know how useful petitions are.

7) Use Friday prayers to educate members of the Muslim community about the plight of the civilian population in Gaza and the need for a balanced Mideast policy, a cease-fire and the resumption of humanitarian relief. Urge community members to take the actions outlined in this alert. Yes, over the years we’ve all seen the murderous, destructive and barbaric effect “Friday prayers” have on the ummah.

8) Monitor local media coverage of the Gaza crisis. Contact those media outlets to either praise balanced coverage or to criticize biased coverage. Call in to radio talk shows and write letters to the editor to express your views. Post comments on media websites and blogs that discuss the crisis. Begin your own blog and link to other sites that support a balanced American policy in the region. Use social media tools such as Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, Twitter, or Flickr to make your views known and to share your views with like-minded individuals and groups.

9) Organize meetings between Muslim and interfaith community leaders and members of your local newspaper’s editorial board.

CAIR's how to harass meet with a newspaper editorial board:

  • If possible, gather evidence of any media bias in the newspaper. (Also look for examples of positive, balanced coverage.) Save one-sided news articles or video clips. Record talk shows.
  • Follow a newspaper’s editorial position.
  • Build a coalition of local leaders.
  • Plan for the meeting.
  • Get together for a strategizing session and assign duties.
  • Present your case. Be clear about goals. Stick to your points.
  • Conclude with specific a request for more balanced coverage and input from those who support peace with justice in the region.
  • Follow-up. Send a letter outlining agreements reached.

10) Contact the State Department to call for action in defense of Gaza's civilian population. Call 202-647-4000 and ask for the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs or click here.

Sunday, January 04, 2009

Are you smarter than a pro-hamas protester?

The palestinian death-cult faithful are incurring the IDF wrath and I say it’s long overdue. But sadly this action will be cursed by the fickle Turtle Bay emissaries.

FNC aired the Israeli ground assault into Gaza and during “Geraldo at Large” several anti-Israel ambassadors criticized the “disproportional” response to the deliberate targeting of Israeli civilians. One after the other called for a ceasefire of course and the underlying contention was Israel’s statehood, her existence in the land forced the "resistance fighters" to fire rockets and recruit suicide bombers to murder Jews. “From the Jordan to the Sea” isn’t just a slogan but a goal; they’ll never recognize the Jewish state and they live not to prosper but to eliminate Israel.



We have to remember we’re not dealing with the most intelligent community. This priceless photo was taken in NYC during the pro-terrorist rally. I first saw this posted by Debbie Schlussel where she mocks the ummah’s obvious discontent with OJ Simpson. DS snagged the pic from this Atlas Shrugs post.

Thursday, January 01, 2009

Pro-hamas rally in Fort Lauderdale

Debbie Schlussel posted this video from a pro-hamas rally in Fort Lauderdale. The tape captures the hostile and menacing nature of islam right here in America. This is so disturbing on many levels and the lack of media coverage boggles the mind.

At one point an imam provides the videographer with the basis for the demonstration; “And we need to try harder as muslims to educate the people about what islam really is, so that they can appreciate the beauty of it, because once people really understand the real beauty of islam they will have no choice but to accept it because they’ll realize that its part of their nature.”



I think the resident rally imam just revealed the global islamic mission. I didn’t see the beauty of islam among all the repulsive and obnoxious revelers. This hateful display was far from educational and for now it is not in my nature to accept it!