Hillary Clinton Dogged by Terrorist Ties?

Given the rich opportunity afforded to Hillary Clinton surrounding Barack Obama's documented ties to terrorist organizations, why is she not using them in her campaign? Could there be something she doesn't want us to know about her own history?

A few days ago I posted a piece outlining Barack Obama's ties to known terrorists. George Stephanopoulos addressed it in the Philadelphia debates, and the left went ballistic in the blogs and in commentaries afterward.

The question has arisen, however, in light of the Philly debates, of why Senator Clinton didn't go for Senator Obama's political jugular over the issue? There may be a very good reason for that, as a little digging and research uncovers that the Clinton's have their own connections to terrorist groups and individuals who have been known to commit acts of terrorism or governments supporting them.

In 1998, during the administration of her husband Bill, the FAA granted permission to "commercial" flights from Cuba to cross U.S. airspace en route to Canada using one East coast flight route, and one west coast. This permission was granted despite the known ties of the Cuban government to terrorist sponsoring states in the Middle East, and in despite the knowledge of the Clinton administration of Cuba's biotechnical manufacturing plants [biological warfare]. Fidel Castro, then dictator of Cuba, was also on the record with his hatred of the United States.

In a 2001 Judicial Watch report warned that the United States government was ignoring the threat of Cuba to the nation. Representative Robert Menendez of New Jersey presented the following findings at a Congressional hearing:

# Three suspected Afghans were arrested in the Cayman Islands with fake passports after transit to Cuba.

# Cuban spy Ana Belen, only recently arrested after working at the Pentagon for years, provided classified information to Cuba.

# Cuban spies recently convicted in Florida provided Castro with detailed information about the U.S. mail system. (This could cause raised eyebrows, given the recent anthrax problems at postal facilities and mailrooms in and out of government.)

# Castro recently visited Iran, following interchanges that have for years existed between scientists in Cuba and Iran and the documented cases of terrorists who have sought and achieved safe harbor on the island just 90 miles from U.S. shores.

Then Secretary of State Colin Powell stated that he was "not familiar" with most of the findings, a situation that Judicial Watch called "scary," as he had earlier announced his desire to soften the Cuban embargo.

It should be noted that Powell was Secretary of State during the first term of the Bush administration, a position currently held by Condoleeza Rice.

Then President Clinton also issued pardons to several individuals who had been involved in terrorist activities. In 2001 a pardon was issued to former Weather Underground member Susan L. Rosenberg, who had been convicted and was serving sentence after being arrested in 1984 "while unloading 740 pounds of dynamite, a submachine gun and other weapons from the back of a car." Rosenberg was being sought at the time of her arrest for suspicion of involvement in a 1981 Brinks armored car heist that left two police officers and one guard dead, a role she has denied playing any part in.

In 1999, 16 Puerto Rican nationals were pardoned by Clinton, who were responsible for the bombings of more than 100 U.S. political and military installations, upon their promise to renounce violence. These attacks had left six people dead and dozens wounded. Clinton justified the pardons by saying that none of the men had been convicted of crimes that resulted in death or injuries.

Hillary Clinton's involvement with terrorists and terrorist organizations isn't limited to her involvement with her husband Bill, however, as reported by LankaNewspapers.com, a Sri Lankan news outlet.

According to a fundraising web site for the Senator, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) activists are involved in raising funds from 100 Dollars to 2300 Dollars to help elect Senator Clinton as the next United States President.

New Jersey residents have expressed the fear, that LTTE or the Tamil Tigers could flush supporters with millions of dollars, to buy influence over the next possible President of the United States of America by infiltrating into democratic fund raising machine.

An email distributed by a female activist, Pat Pathmakumar for the group under the name `Tamils for Clinton` has appealed to contribute for the Clinton fund by sending checks to her or a man named Ram Ranjan, a man who organized the LTTE Heroes day meeting in New Jersey last year. Ranjan has publicly admitted he raised funds for LTTE front, the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO).

To be sure, Hillary Clinton has attacked Obama on a great many points and issues. Her campaign has been accused of "mud-slinging" and the use of smear tactics, but then this is what we expect from team Clinton, the use of the politics to their advantage in every way they deem necessary. Perhaps a historical look back at the Lincoln-Stevens debates is necessary, from time to time, as well as a look back at Andrew Jackson, a noted duelist of his day, in his own bids for public office, in order to give us, today, a full appreciation of the Clinton's sense of history in their conduct during political campaigns.

But this issue, this key issue that is being covered by some media sources concerning Obama, is for some reason taking it's time in coming to the forefront concerning Clinton. Even FOXNews has not to date given this the coverage that has been given to the Obama terrorist ties.

Perhaps the Obama connections having light shed on them have opened the door for the Clinton connections, as well. Only time will tell for that. In the meantime, the fact does remain that both Democrat candidates have their share of ties to terrorism.

Once and Always, an American Fighting Man


.

Barack Obama Dogged by Terrorist Ties

There is an old expression that goes, "A man is known by the company he keeps." In keeping company with Jeremiah Wright, and now with the revelation of ties to William Ayers, what does this say for the man, Barack Obama?

A short history lesson: William Ayers is a professor of education at the University of Illinois, Chicago. He is also a former member of the Weather Underground Movement, previously known as the Weathermen, a radical 1960's Maoist movement dedicated to sparking a revolutionary overthrow of the United States government. The group carried out jailbreaks of members, bombings, and incited riots during their run in the 1960's and 70's. Ayers has admitted to being involved in bombings carried out by the group, and is quoted as saying "I don't regret setting bombs; I feel we didn't do enough." He went into hiding underground after one bomb went off accidentally, destroying a Greenwich Village apartment and killing three other members of the organization, one who was Ayers girlfriend.



Ayers is linked to bombings of the United States Capital, the Pentagon, and the Harry S. Truman Building, home of the United States Department of State, along with a series of courthouses, jails, banks, and prison administrative offices. He, along with other members of the Weather Underground, turned themselves in to police in 1981, after a series of official acts of misconduct on behalf of law enforcement officials ensured that they would never be brought to trial for their activities.

And this self-confessed domestic terrorist has current ties to Presidential hopeful Barack Hussein Obama.

In a lecture to college students in North Dakota last week, Ayers said: “I was trying to go to sleep, flipping through the channels real quick, and Hannity said, ‘Stay tuned. John McCain and I will talk about William Ayers.’ And I said, damn, I will have to stay tuned for an hour.”

Ayers went on to tell the students: “People ask, ‘Do you regret anything you did against the government in those days?’ And my answer is: no, I don’t.”

In an interview in The New York Times on the day of the September 11 attacks, when he was promoting Fugitive Days, his book on the Weathermen, Ayers said: “I don’t regret setting bombs,” and added: “I feel we didn’t do enough.”

This is what we send our children to colleges and universities to be taught, right?

Obama's connection to Ayers began in 1999, when they served together on the board of the Wood Fund of Chicago, a a philanthropic foundation. Their children also have attended the same schools and Ayers is a known Obama supporter and campaign contributor.



Given his refusal to wear a United States Flag pin on his lapel, an option for United States Senators of course, coupled with his refusal to put his hand over his heart during the Pledge of Allegience, the comments about small-town Americans, his wife's remarks about never having been proud of her country until his rise as a candidate, this is another controversy that the Obama campaign doesn't need.

Larry Johnson, a former counterterrorism official at the CIA said: “They’re going to kill him with this. The guy is an unrepentant terrorist, so please, Barack Obama, explain why you aligned yourself with him. It is a fundamental question of judgment. By the time he [Obama] was hanging around with Ayers, his position was well known. He [Ayers] was not a freedom fighter; he belonged to a violent terrorist group.”

David Axelrod, Obama’s chief strategist, said earlier this year that the two were “friendly” but in the sense that “their kids attend the same school”, but Ayers' children left long ago. A campaign aide later clarified that the connection was with Bernadine Dohrn, Ayers’s wife, who was still involved with the school.

Dohrn is another former leader of the Weather Underground, who also went on the run in the 1970s and served just under a year in jail.

This is not the only connection that Obama has with known terrorist organizations. In 2001, while serving in a paid position as director for the Woods Fund, the organization issued a grant to the Arab American Action Network, a group that has ties to the PLO. His church published a very pro-Hamas newsletter, and the churches ties with the Nation of Islam, and Jeremiah Wright's award to Louis Farrakhan, as well as his visit to Libya to meet Muammer Kaddafi.

Do we really need a President, indeed a Senator or any other elected official, who seems to be on such friendly terms with terrorist and their sympathizers? Obama has been on the fast track as a politician since his entry into it. He's not "known" nationally in the same way as the other remaining candidates for the Presidency. John McCain and Hillary Clinton are both vetted and known individuals. They have long standing records and have been in the public eye, have withstood scrutiny, and the American people basically know what they are getting from either of them. We don't have, yet, the benefit of that sort of record with Obama, but the information is coming out, in droves, on a daily basis. And these are the sorts of things that are coming out.

Obama has called himself the candidate of "hope and change." In looking past the rhetoric, what sorts of change, exactly, can we expect, should he be elected President?

Once and Always, an American Fighting Man


.

Officials Reveal Documents of Toronto Terrorism Plot

Detailing plans to storm Parliament Hill, behead politicians, of drill exercises in military tactics and weapons training, and plans to purchase weapons for their assault, the report shows how a cell of Canadian Muslims planned to bring Jihad to Toronto.

The document was released in Brampton court yesterday, outlining the investigation of a group that had intended to wage an attack in Toronto that would be "much larger" than the London bombings of 2005 in which 52 people were killed.

The documentation was presented for the first time yesterday in the Crown's case against a young man charged with involvement in a terrorist group. The youth has pled not guilty of the charges, which are damning.

Along with the outlines for storming Parliament Hill and the beheading of politicians, known as Operation Badr, the Crown also revealed evidence that the group know as the "Toronto 18" had attempted to secure safe-houses, military weapons and ammunition, and places to conduct military drills in preparation for a campaign that they "should be willing to die for." There were also transcripts of wire and videotaps presented as evidence, in which members discussed their plans for waging a campaign of terror on Toronto.

The document and the evidence to be presented in the case had been kept away from the public under a court ordered ban until yesterday, with the Crown arguing that for the information to be made available to the public could taint the trials of those indicted.

While some of the allegations have already surfaced in public reports, a great deal in the factum had never been published. Some of that expected evidence includes:

* Videos of terrorist indoctrination, in which the accused are exhorted to wage battle in the new empire of "Rome" in North America, "whether we get arrested, whether we get killed."
* Wiretap surveillance in which they discuss their desire to "establish the religion of Allah and to get rid of the oppressors" and the need for funds to finance their goals of building a "team" to "go make an attack."
* The construction of a "radio frequency remote-control detonator" that needed to be improved because its range was nine metres.
* Allegations the accused attended two training camps. One was a 12-day camp near the town of Washago, Ont., where they practised military-style exercises in camouflage gear and undertook firearms training with a 9-mm firearm. The second was a two-day camp at the Rockwood Conservation Area, where they donned camouflage clothing and made a propaganda-style video of their military drills.

According to the Crown's factum, the alleged terrorists first popped onto the radar of police in August 2005, when two of the adults were stopped at the Canada-U.S. border in a rented vehicle while attempting to smuggle firearms and ammunition into the country.

After connecting the attempted smuggling incident and the car rental to certain telephone calls that investigators had intercepted, police officials managed to infiltrate the local Muslim community and had their informant make contact with two members of the terrorist cell. The cell members were eager to have what they believed was the assistance of the informer, Mubin Shaikh, whom they hoped to have help them with their military training in preparation for their planned operations. Shaikh was taken to a secluded area that the cell members had proposed to use as a training site, and reported that he was also shown "cop killer" bullets in a weapon magazine.

Over the next several months, until June, 2006, police and investigators continued to build their case against the group, recording fund raising activities for the purchase of weapons, attempts by group members to improvise radio controlled detonators for explosive devices, and the initial conducting of military training drills for the members of the group. Plans were also underway to find a site to conduct more advanced commando type operations drills at Rockwood.

On March 5, two of the adults met with a man named Talib, hoping he would help them generate funds to purchase military assault rifles and other weapons, which one of them had already paid a down payment. As they attempted to recruit Talib, one man expressed their desire to establish "the religion of Allah," adding "we're not just a bunch of young guys." The other spoke of the "global fight."

Meanwhile, a second, more advanced training camp was in the works and took place at Rockwood May 20-22, police allege. A number of the accused attended, as well a man named Shal Syed, who later voluntarily met with investigators and offered a statement about an adult's comments and the group's activities.

Syed said an adult said the purpose of the camp was to "train" and to prepare for jihad. Again, an adult led a discussion circle inside a tent discussing so-called military strategies. One of the men asked Syed if he could teach others how to use firearms and grenades and whether he had access to such weapons. He also promised to show Syed recorded lectures given by Osama bin Laden.

On 2JUN06, over 400 police officers began the round up of the suspected cell members, bringing 17 adults and older teenagers into custody. The 18th suspect was apprehended two months later.

In an Editorial in The Australian dated 5JUL07, Irshad Manji asks why there are so many terrorists who come from well-educated, more affluent backgrounds instead of being "poor and dispossessed." According to Manji, the root of this is based in religious symbolism.

Again, we must confront religious symbolism. The blade is an implement associated with 7th-century tribal conflict. Wielding it as a sword becomes a tribute to the founding moment of Islam. Even the note stabbed into van Gogh's corpse, although written in Dutch, had the unmistakable rhythms of Arabic poetry. Let's credit Bouyeri with honesty: at his trial he proudly acknowledged acting from religious conviction.

Despite integrating Muslims far more adroitly than most of Europe, North America isn't immune. Last year in Toronto, police nabbed 17 young Muslim men allegedly plotting to blow up Canada's parliament buildings and behead the Prime Minister.

They called their campaign Operation Badr, a reference to prophet Mohammed's first decisive military triumph, the Battle of Badr. Clearly the Toronto 17 drew inspiration from religious history.

Manji goes on to call for moderate Muslims to speak out in a greater voice against the violence, and calls for reformations in Islam that would do away with the mindset of religious intolerance found to be so predominant in extremist sects of the religion.

Reinterpreting doesn't mean rewriting. It means rethinking words and practices that already exist, removing them from a 7th-century tribal time warp and introducing them to a 21st-century pluralistic context. Un-Islamic? God, no. The Koran contains three times as many verses calling on Muslims to think, analyse and reflect than passages that dictate what's absolutely right or wrong. In that sense, reform-minded Muslims are as authentic as moderates and quite possibly more constructive.

Perhaps, with the rising of moderates in Islam calling for reinterpretation, the world is on the verge of witnessing, in the 21st century, a reformation movement begin in the religion, such as Christianity underwent during the time of Martin Luther nailing his 95 Theses to the doors of the Wittenberg Castle Church.

In the meantime, investigations such as the one in which the Toronto 18 are under trial for may become more common place in Western society.

Once and Always, an American Fighting Man


.