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


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CNN does it again

I'm done with calling CNN the Communist News Network, as many of you already know. I've begun to refer to them instead as the Caliphate News Network. Time after time they slant their stories so as not to show Jihadists in a bad light. Time after time they show us how they are so ready and willing to embrace Islam.

I wonder how many of their cutesy little anchorettes would be allowed to continue broadcasting in their mini skirts and plunging necklines under Sharia law? Not that I mind mini skirts and plunging necklines, mind you, but um, err, you get my point, I think.

Five years ago two Muslim extremists went on a killing spree in the DC area. CNN today is ignoring the fact that these two knuckleheads are Muslims. In doing so, they disregard motive of behavior, and they disregard and disrespect the victims of these two animals.

Hat tip to Jay at Stop the UCLA once again, outstanding work, amigo.

The Following is Kellie Adams, one of the victims of these two animals.



BURN that image into your minds. Radical Islam, and their friends at CNN. Our prayers and thoughts are with you, Kellie, and we wish you a speedy continued recovery.

More from NewsBusters:

CNN Ignores Radical Islam in Story of D.C. Snipers

It's been five years since John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo terrorized Washington D.C. for three weeks by randomly shooting people, killing 10 and wounding three. The news at the time avoided all mention of anything Islamic including calling Muhammad by his old name before Islamic conversion, John Allen Williams.

Investor's Business Daily reveals how CNN's one hour special, "The Minds of the D.C. Snipers," still makes no mention of the Islam connection despite the following evidence:

"The jailhouse drawings of the younger sniper, Malvo, tell it all:

• One sketch of Osama bin Laden exalts him as a "Servant of Allah."

• A self-portrait of him and Muhammad is captioned: "We will kill them all. Jihad . . . Allah Akbar!"

• A sketch of the burning Twin Towers has as its caption: "America did this. You were warned."

(...)

• The White House is drawn in cross hairs, surrounded by missiles, with the warning: "Sep. 11 we will ensure will look like a picnic to you," and "you will bleed to death little by little."

• Another warning reads: "Islam. We will Resist. We will conquer. We will win."

Somehow CNN's "special investigations unit" managed to overlook this pile of courtroom evidence. It showed only one drawing — a self portrait of Malvo shedding tears.

CNN also omitted the fact that while Muhammad and Malvo were in county jail awaiting trial, their lawyers insisted they be fed Islamic "halal" meals, such as veggie burgers, instead of ham sandwiches. They also got copies of the Quran."

And CNN doesn't see this as relevant to the story.

Take a GOOD LONG LOOK at Kellie Adams again in that video.

You decide if the Islam factor is relevant.

Call CNN and their advertisers, let them know what you think. I think wua has a link somewhere that lists their numbers. (hint hint)

Once and Always, an American Fighting Man


[Update-] Ok, I do not need a shovel to the head to get the hint. Communist News Network Part #2 has a list, provided by Tony Sutherland to the CNN advertisers, all with links to email them at. [End Update]


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The Anniversary of War - 24 Years and Counting

That's right. The title says TWENTY FOUR YEARS. One year shy of a quarter of a century.

Think this thing is going to be a short term, kick ass and win thing? We've already been doing it for TWENTY FOUR YEARS.

And that's just the anniversary of the date we mark it as having started when we were attacked in Beirut. Hat tip to Captain's Quarters, and a salute for their remembrance.

From Rick Moran:

BEIRUT BARRACKS BOMBING ANNIVERSARY

The driver of the yellow Mercedes Benz truck in Beirut that awful day 24 years ago knew precisely where to go. According to intelligence reports, two members of what was then the underground terrorist organization known as Hizbullah had mapped the layout of the Marine barracks so that the suicide bomber could carry out his mission to maximum effect. He knew the Marines pulling sentry duty had pocketed their ammo clips thanks to some ridiculous rules of engagement. And he was aware that there were no barriers protecting the structure so that his truck laden with 12,000 pounds of explosives would only have to crash through ordinary wood and plaster in order to be positioned perfectly so that detonation would have catastrophic effects on the building.

The truck had apparently been prepared with the help of Syrians and Iranians in the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon where several Revolutionary Guard units had been stationed under Syrian protection. An NSA intercept revealed at a trial that convicted the Islamic Republic of Iran of being behind the attack, stated that a message sent from Iranian intelligence headquarters in Tehran toAli-Akbar Mohtashemi, the Iranian ambassador in Damascus and directed the Iranian ambassador to get in touch with Islamic Amal which has since been identified as the military arm of Hizbullah at the time, and instruct him to “take spectacular action” against the Marines.

When the bomb detonated, it may have been the largest non-nuclear explosion in history up to that time (we used the “Daisy Cutter” in Afghanistan which weighs 15,000 lbs). The entire barracks building was lifted off its foundation and when it came down, it collapsed in a heap of cinder blocks, plaster, and dust. A few seconds after the blast, another suicide truck bomber crashed into the French military headquarters detonating a similar device. All told, 241 Americans lost their lives in the blast. Another 58 French paratroopers died in the other attack that day. It was the worst day for the Marines since the battle of Iwo Jima and the worst day for the US military since the first day of the Tet Offensive in Viet Nam.

While it is not a rock solid certainty that Hizbullah, acting on direct orders from Iran, was behind the attacks, the preponderance of evidence certainly points that way. At the time, Hizbullah was in its initial stages of formation, being trained by Revolutionary Guard units who had infiltrated Lebanon through Syria. At first, Hizbullah was not an independent actor in Lebanon, receiving its orders directly from Khomenei’s Iran. The US had just given Sadaam Hussein more than two billion dollars in aid to fight Iran and the thinking is that Khomenei wanted to get back at the US for our support of Iraq. When US forces pulled out the following February, it was simply gravy from the Iranian point of view.

And for those of you in doubt that Iran is responsible in the eyes of the judicial system in this country, this from spree earlier this year:

US court fines Iran 2.65 billion for attack on U.S. Marines

Fat chance collecting but good for the court for finding Iran responsible and fining them a 2.65 billion dollar judgment.

A US federal court on Friday ordered Iran to pay 2.65 billion dollars to the families of 241 soldiers killed in the 1983 bombing of a Marine barracks in Beirut.

"The court hopes that this extremely sizeable judgment will serve to aid in the healing process for these plaintiffs, and simultaneously sound an alarm to the defendants that their unlawful attacks on our citizens will not be tolerated," judge Royce Lamberth said in his ruling from a federal court in Washington DC.

A previous court ruling in 2003 held that Iran provided financial and logistical help for the lethal 1983 attack carried out by the militant group Hezbollah.

"It is clear from testimony presented to this court ... that intense suffering experienced on that day has had a tragically lasting effect on the plaintiffs who have brought this action," Lamberth wrote.

U.S. District Court Judge Royce C. Lamberth ruled Friday the families could pursue legal action on a state level, if appropriate.

I know that people are apprehensive about having to deal with Iran. Truth be told, we should have dealt with them long before now.

How long does the war need to last? That question is asked all too often. It's been going on, really, for twenty four years. We can NOT stop until we have taken every measure to ensure victory, and eliminate the enemy we have been fighting for these many years already.

Once and Always, an American Fighting Man


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The Media Silently Bows to Islam, Fails to Remember the Cole

I'm not going to delude myself into thinking that the majority of the American public remember that today is the anniversary of the attack by jihadists on the U.S.S. Cole. I'm not even going to delude myself into thinking that the vast masses even know what the U.S.S. Cole is.

Yes, I can be that cynical, and if you think that's bad, you ain't seen NOTHIN yet, just keep coming back, I promise I can be much, much darker in my thinking.

I'm glad to see, however, that News Busters is carrying a rememberance to the Sailors of the Cole.

HOWEVER, all that having been said, I wish to say this.

To the families who lost members in the bombing of the Cole, God bless you, each and every one. We know your loss is great, and we thank you for the service of those members of your family.

To the American Media: shame on you. ALL of you.

To the jihadists:

We ain't done with ya'll yet...

Once and Always, an American Fighting Man


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Or maybe he was upset at the end of the Harry Potter series...

Some time back, on this site as well as others, there was an ongoing debate over the conditions of the detainee's at Gitmo.

Apparently the left was upset at the ill treatment of these people, such horrible things as providing them each with a Koran of their own, time to do their daily prayers, feeding them to the point that they were gaining weight, treating their medical needs, and providing them with access to a library, where one of the librarians went on the record as saying that the most requested books where those of the Harry Potter series.

I'm constantly amazed, and it takes a lot to amaze me any more, but I am CONSTANTLY amazed at how the left JUST DOES NOT understand how that the reason these people are being detained, the reason that they are under guard, the REASON that they are isolated on our portion of Castro's little island down there is because they are TOO DAMNED DANGEROUS to be brought onto our shores where they could possibly escape and lose themselves into existing terrorist cells here already on our home shores.

Now, I'm sure Rosie O'Donnell will have plenty to say about "death being preferable to being recaptured and tortured at Gitmo." I am certain that George Soros is already working on what spin to put on this to make the U.S. the bad guys again.

Read the article for yourself, and you tell me. Do we WANT this kind of extremist being released on the streets of the U.S.? Would YOU want to have him as your neighbor?

Former Guantanamo detainee blows himself up
By Paul Willis and agencies
Last Updated: 9:01am BST 24/07/2007

A former Guantanamo Bay prisoner who took up arms alongside the Taliban after he was released from detention has blown himself up to avoid capture, Pakistani security forces said today.

Abdullah Mehsud killed himself with a hand grenade after he was cornered by troops at a house in the south-western Pakistani town of Zhob. He was wanted for the kidnapping of two Chinese engineers in 2004.

"My information is that (he) killed himself," said Atta Mohammed, the head of the police in Zhob. "Thanks be to God that only he was blown up and our men were safe."

Mehsud, 32, was released from the US detention centre in Cuba after two years in 2004 but immediately went back to violence when the Pakistani government began an offensive against the Taliban in the troubled region along the border with Afghanistan.

The one-legged militant was the leader of a group of fighters that kidnapped two Chinese engineers working on a hydroelectric dam project in South Waziristan. Pakistan was forced to apologise to China after one of the hostages died in the subsequent rescue attempt.

Mehsud escaped after the incident and has been hunted by Pakistani forces ever since.

What will it take to convince the left of the danger these extremists represent? What will it take for them to WAKE UP and realize that this isn't a game, it isn't something that is going to go away with diplomatic solutions or negotiations.

THEY WANT US DEAD.

And they are willing to sacrifice themselves to accomplish their goals.

Something to think about.

Once and Always, an American Fighting Man

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New Iran Hostage Crisis

Enough!

Let me start by saying that I’m so furious I don’t know what to say TO start.

Are we a nation of cowards? Are we a nation that would rather sit on our collective ass and “talk about it” while we’re being picked off one at a time on foreign shores? Are we so naive that we think we can trust a foreign government whose leadership has called for our destruction? Can we trust this government to release our people without harm unless we threaten to roll INTO Tehran?

I was going to do a piece today on how that we are at war against an enemy that is multinational, an enemy that belongs to a mindset that extends across national borders and boundaries. I was going to do a piece on how the media and certain members of Congress and the Senate (and yes, I mean the Democratic party and a few turncoat Republicans) are trying desperately to convince you, the American public, that our war in Iraq was unjust and “illegal.” If you can walk away from reading this without fully grasping that WE ARE AT WAR WITH A SECT OF RELIGIOUS EXTREMISTS who pay NO REGARD TO INTERNATIONAL BOUNDARIES that were imposed upon them during the occupation of the Middle East by Europeans during the last two centuries then you are beyond any hope of redemption in regards to allowing your eyes to be opened to the truth.

Our enemy is not any particular nation.

Our enemy is Radical Extremist Fascist Islam.

Iraq is, has been, but ONE FRONT in this war. Afghanistan is another one. Make NO mistake in thinking that there will not be others as time progresses and our enemies regroup themselves. WE CAN NOT ALLOW THEM TO HAVE ONE MOMENT TO CATCH THEIR BREATH AND ATTACK US ON OUR OWN SHORES AGAIN. By their own admissions, by their own words, THAT IS THEIR INTENTION.

And until we secure our borders and stop this nonsensical debate over illegal immigration, BUILD the fence on our southern border to inhibit the free flowing of illegals crossing into our country from Mexico, and start rounding up, as Eisenhower did, those who are here illegally, we are leaving ourselves WIDE OPEN to more attacks within the United States. EVEN FRANCE has come to realize this danger to their own country and has started sending THEIR illegals back home.

ENOUGH!

Hat tips to Power Line and Blue Crab Boulevard for their commentaries on columnist Mark Steyn’s article Look who's holding hostages again.

Mark Steyn: Look who's holding hostages again

How do you feel about the American hostages in Iran?

No, not the guys back in the Seventies, the ones being held right now.

What? You haven't heard about them?

Odd that, isn't it? But they're there. For example, for two months now, Haleh Esfandiari has been detained in Evin prison in Tehran. Esfandiari is a U.S. citizen and had traveled to Iran to visit her sick mother. She is the director of the Middle East program at the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars, which is the kind of gig that would impress your fellow guests at a Washington dinner party. Unfortunately, the mullahs say it's an obvious cover for a Bush spy.

Among the other Zionist-neocon agents currently held in Iranian jails are an American journalist, an American sociologist for a George Soros-funded leftie group, and an American peace activist from Irvine, Ali Shakeri, whose capture became known shortly after the United States and Iran held their first direct talks since the original hostage crisis.

Two months in an Iranian jail is no fun. Four years ago, a Montreal photo-journalist, Zahra Kazemi, was arrested by police in Tehran, taken to Evin prison, and wound up getting questioned to death. Upon her capture, the Canadian government had done as the State Department is apparently doing – kept things discreet, low-key, cards close to the chest, quiet word in the right ears. By the time Zahra Kazemi's son, frustrated by his government's ineffable equanimity, got the story out, it was too late for his mother.

Still, upon hearing of her death, then-Canadian Foreign Minister Bill Graham expressed his "sadness" and "regret," which are pretty strong words. But then, as Reuters put it, this sad regrettable incident had "marred previously harmonious relations between Iran and Canada." In his public pronouncements, Graham tended to give the impression that what he chiefly regretted and was sad about was that one of his compatriots had had the poor taste to get tortured and murdered onto the front pages of the newspapers.

With an apparently straight face, Graham passed on to reporters the official Iranian line that her death in jail was merely an "accident." The following year, Shahram Azam, a physician who'd examined Kazemi's body, fled Iran and said that she had broken fingers, a broken nose, a crushed toe, a skull fracture, severe abdominal bruising, and internal damage consistent with various forms of rape. Quite an accident.

The longer American prisoners are held in Evin, the more likely it is they'll meet with a similar accident. It would be nice to think the press has ignored these hostages out of concerns that they might inflame the situation. (To date, only National Review, Bill Bennett on his radio show and various doughty Internet wallahs have made any fuss.) Or maybe the media figure that showing American prisoners on TV will only drive Bush's ratings back up from the grave to the rude health of intensive care. Or maybe they just don't care about U.S. hostages, not compared to real news like Senate sleepovers to block unblocking a motion to vote for voting against a cloture motion on the best way to surrender in Iraq.

But I'll bet the mullahs wouldn't really care if everyone put Haleh Esfandiari on the front pages 24/7. It's only a few months since they seized a bunch of Royal Navy sailors and Royal Marines in international waters (an illegal act) and paraded them all over Iranian TV (in breach of the Geneva Conventions) and dressed up the female sailor in Islamic garb (another breach).

And the U.N. and the EU and all the other transnational arbiters of global order sent a strong message: "Whoa, you guys really need to tamp things down, de-escalate, defuse the confrontation." But, for some reason, they sent the strong message to the British government, not the Iranians. And, with the sailors' humiliation all over the media, the British public was inclined to agree. Almost to a man, they rose up and told Tony Blair: "This is all your fault for getting us into Iraq."

But outrage at Iran? There was none.

The ayatollahs figure that's how it usually goes with a plump, complacent Western world that just wants to be left alone and wishes these crazies would stop trying to catch its eye. Officially, Iran is "negotiating" with the European Union over its nuclear program. If this were a real negotiation, instead of a transnational pseudo-negotiation, the Iranians would be concerned to stop any complicating factors coming into play. Instead, every week they gaily toss new provocations into their EU chums' laps: In recent days, they've stoned to death various fellows for adultery and homosexuality, two activities to which Europeans are generally very partial.

But why let a few stonings throw your negotiations off track? And, if the Americans are so eager to get a seat at the negotiating table, why not remind them of the rules of the game? Last week, the Iranians paraded their U.S. hostages all over TV as they confessed to engaging in espionage, along the way fingering the Woodrow Wilson Center and George Soros as key elements in the plot to overthrow the ayatollahs. If only.

The week before, Iran captured 14 spies near the Iraqi border who it claimed were agents of American and British intelligence equipped with surveillance devices. The "spies" in question were squirrels – as in small furry animals very protective of their nuts (much like the Democratic Party regarding Mr. Soros). I'm prepared to believe that a crack team of rodents from NUTS (the Ninja Undercover Team of Squirrels) abseiled into key installations in Iran and garroted the Revolutionary Guards, but not that the U.S. and British governments had anything to do with it. If they have any CIA or MI6 training at all, they must be rogue squirrels from the Cold War days who've been laid off and gone feral.

In America, public opinion is in no mood for war with Iran. In Washington, Congress is focused on finding the most politically advantageous way to lose in Iraq. In Europe, they've already psychologically accepted the Iranian nuclear umbrella. In the Western world, where talks are not the means to the end but an end in themselves, we find it hard despite the evidence of 30 years to accept that Iran talks the talk and walks the walk. Once it goes nuclear, do you think there will be fewer fatwas on writers, stonings of homosexuals, kidnappings in international waters, forced confessions of American hostages and bankrolling of terror groups worldwide? These latest hostages are part of a decades-old pattern of behavior. The longer it goes without being stopped, the worse it will be.

That’s not enough? How about that they’ve put these new hostages on IRANIAN TELEVISION?

Detained American-Iranian speaks on Iranian TV

By Parisa Hafezi

TEHRAN (Reuters) - An Iranian-American detained in Iran said on state television on Thursday she had concluded that a network of research centers and universities she had helped create had aims which would weaken the Iranian government.

Haleh Esfandiari, 67-year-old director of the Middle East program at the Washington-based Woodrow Wilson International Centre for Scholars, was arrested in May when visiting Iran from the United States.

She told a documentary TV program on Thursday "Now, after nearly five months ... I have reached the conclusion that we had created a chain of research centers, foundations and universities ... the aim of such networks was to create very fundamental changes inside the Iranian regime ... which means really weakening the system."

Iran's top authority, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has warned of a U.S.-backed "velvet revolution" using intellectuals and others to bring about "regime change."

Kian Tajbakhsh, another Iranian-American, was also arrested while visiting Iran in May.

A consultant with the Open Society Institute, founded by billionaire investor George Soros, he told the same program: "The Soros centre's job in eastern Europe is nearly finished. Its main focus now is the Islamic world, Arab countries, Turkey, Pakistan, Afghanistan, etc."

State television's promotional clips of the program on Monday outraged Washington, which warned that any confessions which were broadcast would have no legitimacy. The first episode of the program was aired on Wednesday.

The Woodrow Wilson Centre's president, Lee Hamilton, said on Tuesday Esfandiari has been held in solitary confinement, adding that "any statements she may make without having had access to her lawyer would be coerced and have no legitimacy or standing."

Iran's judiciary said on Tuesday the statements made by Esfandiari and Tajbakhsh on television carried no legal weight.

BUSH SPEECHES

Their comments were broadcast in a documentary "In the Name of Democracy," which used parts of speeches by U.S. President George W. Bush about spreading democracy and images of popular uprisings in Georgia and Ukraine apparently to imply that Washington had similar plans for Iran.

The documentary also showed Ramin Jahanbeglou, an Iranian-Canadian writer detained for four months last year for endangering state security. "I am sorry for what I have done and I regret it," he said.

State television has in the past broadcast what it said were confessions by dissidents serving jail sentences for alleged attempts to undermine the Islamic Republic. Some have remained in jail even after the "confessions" were aired.

Many Iranian intellectuals say such measures are aimed at deterring any academic debate about the clerical establishment.

Rights groups and Western diplomats say Iranian authorities have increased pressure on dissidents, intellectuals and critical journalists, possibly in response to mounting international pressure over its atomic program.

The documentary made no mention of two other American-Iranians arrested this year on security-related charges, one of whom has been freed on bail.

Long-time foe Washington is leading efforts to isolate Iran over what it says are its plans to build nuclear arms. U.S. forces have detained five Iranians in Iraq on charges of backing militants there. Iran denies the charges.

The two countries will hold fresh talks in Iraq soon, following a landmark meeting in Baghdad in May.

Need more?

Iran TV shows detained American-Iranian academics

By Parisa Hafezi

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran's state television aired on Wednesday a program featuring two detained American-Iranian academics accused of endangering national security in the Islamic state.

Iranian officials have suggested Haleh Esfandiari and Kian Tajbakhsh may have been involved in a U.S.-backed plot to stage a "velvet revolution" in Iran. Rights groups and U.S. officials had deplored Iran's plans to put the pair on television.

But in the first part of a documentary entitled "In the Name of Democracy" the two dual nationals, arrested separately in May while visiting Iran, did not make explicit confessions of conspiring to topple Tehran's clerical establishment.

"My job was to identify lecturers through contacting Iranians in America or contacting Iranian intellectuals when visiting Iran," said Esfandiari, an academic at the U.S.-based Woodrow Wilson International Centre for Scholars.

"A network of these contacted speech-makers was created ... The main aim was to identify key figures ... and to connect them to the network," said Esfandiari, who wore a black headscarf.

Tajbakhsh, a consultant with the Open Society Institute, founded by billionaire investor George Soros, said: "My job was to give social, political and cultural advice to the centre about Iran."

"The fact that America's Congress financed (the) Soros (centre), shows the American government and the centre share the same views on Iran," he added, referring to a sheaf of notes.

Their comments were interspersed with images from popular uprisings in Georgia and Ukraine to imply that the United States had similar plans for Iran. The second part of the documentary will be shown on Thursday night.

Although they are being held in Tehran's notorious Evin prison, the interviews with them were conducted in comfortably furnished rooms and both appeared relaxed and healthy.

State television's promotional clips of the program on Monday outraged Washington which warned that any confessions which were broadcast would have no legitimacy.

Iran's judiciary said on Tuesday the statements made by Esfandiari and Tajbakhsh on television carried no legal weight.

PRESSURE MOUNTS

Rights groups and Western diplomats say Iranian authorities have increased pressure on dissidents, intellectuals and critical journalists, adding this may in part be a response to mounting international pressure over its atomic program.

The documentary made no mention of two other American-Iranians arrested this year on security-related charges, one of whom has been freed on bail.

The Woodrow Wilson Centre's president, Lee Hamilton, said on Tuesday Esfandiari has been held in solitary confinement, adding that "any statements she may make without having had access to her lawyer would be coerced and have no legitimacy or standing."

Iran and the United States are at odds over a range of issues, including Tehran's refusal to give up sensitive nuclear enrichment work, which it says will be used solely for power generation and not, as Washington believes, to make bombs.

Washington also accuses Tehran of backing militants in Iraq, a charge it denies, and U.S. forces have been holding five Iranians in Iraq since January.

Nevertheless, the two countries have said they expect to sit down for fresh talks about Iraq soon, following a landmark meeting in Baghdad in May.

When is our government, when are the American people, going to learn that you CAN NOT TRUST the Iranian government to keep their word about anything? How much more is it going to take before we realize, each and every one of us, that we are at war with a coalition of people from several “countries” in the Middle East, not with any particular individual nation there?

Just when I think that I can’t get any MORE disgusted, something like this finds it’s way to the light of day.

ENOUGH!

Mr. President, SECURE OUR DAMNED BORDERS! And to ALL of our governmental officials, STOP PUSSY FOOTING AROUND WITH TERRORISTS! To the main stream media, STOP LYING TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE AND STOP HIDING THE TRUTH FROM THEM.

WE don't NEED this bullshit.

Once and Always, an American Fighting Man

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Israel Endures, and so does a Paladin...

I had started this piece as a reply to a discussion on Snooper's site. However, given my condition that spree refers to as "diarrhea of the mouth," I found it to be too long to put there, and decided to put it here instead.

Let me preface this piece by stating, for the record, that I am a Zionist. I have been a Zionist long before I truly knew what the term meant, or even that there was a term for it. As a child reared in a church upbringing, I can remember many of the stories and lessons of Sunday school teachings from very early in my life. I fell in love with the nation of Israel at a very young age, have spent my life as an advocate of modern Israel, once considered immigrating TO Israel to volunteer to be a member of her armed forces after having served my OWN country in OUR armed forces.

That being said, here is the piece that started out as a reply and wound up being a personal revelation:

The "holy wars" karen refers to are most likely the wars Israel fought in ancient times against such tribes as the Philistines, the Hittites, and the Canaanites (whom they defeated when they first began settling ancient Israel), among others. The Bible and tradition teaches that Israel was to destroy her enemies utterly and completely. There was a reason for this; from day one, Israel has been fighting for her very survival.

Is Israel indeed the chosen nation of God? Let's do a brief tracking through history, looking at things in a fairly non-specific manner.

Israel has survived, over the millenia, enslavement by the Egyptians, a division of the kingdom into the Kingdoms of Israel and Judea, captivity by the Babylonians, and the Romans, who dispersed the Jews from their homeland, from which they remained in exile until they were given leave, by Britain (who did little to nothing to help them, in actuality) to return TO the area known as Palestine in the late 1940's. In the time period between the Diaspora and the Return, the Holy Land has been ravaged by Arabic occupations and wars, the Crusades, which saw western Christendom establishing kingdoms and baronies of their own via mandate of the Church, the dispelling of Christendom by Islam, and finally occupation by the British Empire until the Jews returned, finally, home.

That's roughly six thousand years stuffed VERY tightly into a nutshell.

Six thousand years. The Babylonian Empire is gone. The British Empire is no more, they are now the British Commonwealth. The Roman Empire is gone, as is the Holy Roman Empire.

Israel has not only survived being spread among the nations of the Earth, she has returned to her home. She has survived.

Now, following this to it's logical conclusion, it would appear, indeed, that there IS something wondrous and special about Israel. Something that goes beyond the mere boundaries of a land. Israel is a people, a people set aside and chosen, a people protected BY the hand of a God who not only keeps and preserves them, but, as is shown clearly throughout the Bible, a God who chastises and punishes them when they are out of his will.

But you will notice that Israel survives, DESPITE so many attempts through history to eliminate this proud people from the face of the Earth.

Who then, are the infidels? I say to you that if there are infidels, if there are unbelievers, it would be those who are hell bent on the destruction of Israel. That would be radical jihadist fascist extremist Islam, at the top of the list. True "neo-Nazi's."

My mother's uncle fought under Patton during World War II. He was very quiet regarding most of his military service. He wouldn't discuss the war much at all, other than to talk about the French and Italian countryside and how beautiful the land was, and to say that MY generation would have to face the Nazi's again, because their message of hatred had spread beyond Europe into other parts of the world. Look to the Middle East, to Radical Extremist Islam, and their message.

Ossama bin Laden fancies himself, if one looks to both history and psychology, as being the Saladin of our lifetime. Saladin was an honorable man, a true warrior, a true leader. Saladin led his forces HIMSELF, in the open, and had no fear to meet his opponents face to face in meetings of truce, and on the open battlefield. Saladin would NEVER have dishonored himself by hiding in caves, in supporting acts of dishonor and cowardice of convincing others to blow themselves to hell in crowded places to kill innocents, pronouncing them martyrs to be rewarded in heaven.

I am a Zionist, yes, and have been all of my life, for as long as I can remember. The lessons of Israel's history, not just the religious messages, but the lessons of the people, the individuals, are as rich and meaningful today as they were when they were written so many millenia ago. Yes, there are lessons to be learned by studying other cultures, other religions, other societies, but Israel endures. Sampson, Gideon, David, and Solomon were my heroes long before Superman, Batman, Richard, Charlemagne, and even Saladin. I suppose there is no surprise, all these years after my initial teachings, that the great love of my life is a daughter of Zion. However, I also have questioned God for a number of years, at times questioning his very existence, let alone his divine will and purpose in my OWN life, my individual existence. Time has brought these questions; time, observation, experience, and situation. I'm in good company, I suppose, for I share that habit with the likes of David, Moses, and Jesus of Nazareth himself. I don't equate myself in ANY way with these men OTHER than that I do have questions which have yet to be answered. Perhaps there are no answers, not in the form in which we tend to think of them. I have maintained, after much reflection through the years and no small amount of studying Zen and practicing it's meditations when I was younger, that all true answers to such questions can ultimately be found within ones self.

A student asked me once, before one of my classes, when I was teaching, about my life before teaching. It took me a bit off guard, something that high school seniors are prone to attempt with their teachers, especially the ones who come back to their home towns to take interim positions after being away and out of contact with the "locals" for some time; I was an enigma to them. That I was known as having come into the teaching field later than most, having spent time as a soldier, a fireman, and a contractor, furthered the mystery about me in their minds even more, I'm sure. Most of their teachers, from the time they began kindergarten on through the years until their final year in school had been more "traditional," having gone from high school to college and then into their own classrooms to teach. I didn't fit into that mold. I weighed her question, which was honest and sincere in it's presentation, having been the subject of much discussion amongst my classes, and considered how best to answer her, and the others who had turned their attention to me awaiting my answer.

This is the basis of what my reply to her was:

I have lived my life largely on my own terms for as long as I have been able to do so. I have been and done everything I set out to do and to be, I have seen things of incredible beauty, I have seen things of absolute horror. I've been places and done things that I can never share with anyone, but those memories, those experiences, live within me every day of my life. I have seen life come into this world, I have seen life leave this world in the most horrible of manners. I have known the fear that comes with the closeness of death. I have saved lives, I have done otherwise at least once...

I have loved greatly and fully, and I have known the agony of love lost, and the rapture of love returned and the promise of tomorrow. I have known pain of the body, pain of the soul, and joy beyond measure.

At my lowest point, I had considered my life, and had asked myself, "Is there nothing more? Have I done all that there is to do?" I very nearly decided that I had, when three simple little words found me and shook me to my foundations, urging me to begin a climb out of my own personal hell back into the light. Those three little words were something special, precious, meant just for me, and they literally saved my life. With those words I began the most difficult assent of the soul that I have ever undertaken, and I continue it still, more confidently each day as I continue on this quest that I am meant to endure.

My students were silent when I finished, I know not what their thoughts were, or even if I had answered their question. Perhaps I left them wondering even more with my reply. I do know that it was the most honest answer that I could give.

Perhaps, in retrospect, I found an answer of my own as well. Perhaps my studies did more than instill me with a love and respect of a tiny little nation forged on the shores of the Mediterranean sea so long ago. Perhaps the chastising of a nation can equate to the trials of the soul of the individual, as well. Perhaps the will of God for me is to do exactly what Israel has done through the millenia; to endure. And endure I will, for I cling fast to that promise of tomorrow, and with each day the quest draws me closer to that for which my heart and soul long and yearn for.

Questing onward...

Once and Always, an American Fighting Man

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Islamberg Update...now the death threats begin...

It seems we've touched a nerve, those of us spreading the word about this story. Is anyone surprised at this? Shouldn't be. It just goes to show, in my mind, how serious the situation is.

Know this.

Some of us may fall, some of us may be taken out. Others are still out there to spread the word, to spread the truth. The truth will not lay silent. The truth will not lay dormant. The truth will be known.

Hat tip to Heading right:

US Blogger Death Threat Over Islamberg
Remember this story about Islamberg, the Islamist paramilitary compound in New York I posted here? Well you know you’ve hit a nerve with Islam when they start issuing fatwas (death threats) against bloggers. The truth about Islam.
WTF are they training for in Islamberg? I did forward the blogger the appropriate FBI contacts. STAY ON THIS.

Blogger who posted CFP Islamberg story had life threatened
Canada Free Press, Judi McLeod


“Dear Robert, Brigette and Paul (Williams),

“Were any of you threatened in any way, specifically for carrying the Islamberg story?” asked a blogger, who copied Canada Free Press (CFP) last night.

Robert is Robert Spencer, the director of Jihad Watch, a project of the David Horowitz Freedom Center, and author of two New York Times bestsellers on Islamic Jihad.

Brigette is Brigette Gabriel, a Lebanese Christian and Middle East correspondent, who is Director of American Congress.

Paul Williams, prolific writer and author of the newly released Day of Islam, wrote a CFP cover story published May 11, detailing a radical Muslim paramilitary compound that flourishes in upper New York State.

I'll let you draw your own conclusions from that. Personally, I'm not going unarmed anymore, in one form or another...

Once and Always, an American Fighting Man

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Springtime in Islamberg

Tennesseans, you'd better wake up. That goes for the rest of the country, too, of course, but I say this particularly to Tennesseans because this is going on very literally across Kentucky Lake from me and I had no idea that it was happening until today.

Hat tip to Snooper at TownHall for this one.

Our nation is at war, something that we CAN NOT forget. What in the blue hades are we doing allowing the establishment of compounds by Radical Islamic Extremists on our own soil? Don't go throwing the First Amendment at me, either, because last time I checked, the First Amendment didn't include allowing groups intent on the destruction of our nation and the death of our people.

The fact that a Canadian media outlet had to be the one to break this story is all the MORE disturbing, in my mind. Thank you to the Canadian Free Press for showing us this story.

Springtime in Islamberg
Radical Muslim paramilitary compound flourishes in upper New York state
By Paul L. Williams Ph.D., (author of THE DAY OF ISLAM)

With the able assistance of Douglas Hagmann, Bill Krayer and Michael Travis

Friday, May 11, 2007

Situated within a dense forest at the foothills of the Catskill Mountains on the outskirts of Hancock, New York, Islamberg is not an ideal place for a summer vacation unless, of course, you are an exponent of the Jihad or a fan of Osama bin Laden.

The 70 acre complex is surrounded with "No trespassing" signs; the rocky terrain is infested with rattlesnakes; and the woods are home to black bears, coyotes, wolves, and a few bobcats.

The entrance to the community is at the bottom of a very steep hill that is difficult to navigate even on a bright sunny day in May. The road, dubbed Muslim Lane, is unpaved and marred by deep crevices that have been created by torrential downpours. On a wintry day, few, save those with all terrain vehicles, could venture forth from the remote encampment.

A sentry post has been established at the base of the hill.

The sentry, at the time of this visit, is an African American dressed in Islamic garb - - a skull cap, a prayer shawl, and a loose fitting shalwat kameez. He instructs us to turn around and leave. "Our community is not open to visitors," he says.

Behind the sentry and across a small stream stand dozens of inhabitants of the compound - - the men wearing skull caps and loose fitting tunics, the women in full burqa. They appear ready to deal with any unauthorized intruders.

The hillside is blighted by rusty trailers that appear to be without power or running water and a number of outhouses. The scent of raw sewage is in the air.

(...)

While buzzing with activity during the week, the place becomes a virtual hive on weekends. The guest includes arrivals from the inner cities of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania and, occasionally, white-robed dignitaries in Ray-Bans from the Middle East.

Venturing into the complex last summer, Douglas Hagmann, an intrepid investigator and director of the Northeast Intelligence Service, came upon a military training area at the eastern perimeter of the property. The area was equipped with ropes hanging from tall trees, wooden fences for scaling, a make-shift obstacle course, and a firing range. Hagmann said that the range appeared to have been in regular use.

Islamberg is not as benign as a Buddhist monastery or a Carmelite convent. Nearly every weekend, neighbors hear sounds of gunfire. Some, including a combat veteran of the Vietnam War, have heard the bang of small explosives. None of the neighbors wished to be identified for fear of "retaliation." "We don't even dare to slow down when we drive by," one resident said. "They own the mountain and they know it and there is nothing we can do about it but move, and we can't even do that. Who wants to buy a property near that?"

(...)

Islamberg is a branch of Muslims of the Americas Inc., a tax-exempt organization formed in 1980 by Pakistani cleric Sheikh Mubarak Ali Gilani, who refers to himself as "the sixth Sultan Ul Faqr," Gilani, has been directly linked by court documents to Jamaat ul-Fuqra or "community of the impoverished," an organization that seeks to "purify" Islam through violence.

Though primarily based in Lahore, Pakistan, Jamaat ul-Fuqra has operational headquarters in New York and openly recruits through various social service organizations in the U.S., including the prison system. Members live in hamaats or compounds, such as Islamberg, where they agree to abide by the laws of Jamaat ul-Fuqra, which are considered to be above local, state and federal authority. Additional hamaats have been established in Hyattsville, Maryland; Red House, Virginia; Falls Church, Virginia; Macon, Georgia; York, South Carolina; Dover, Tennessee; Buena Vista, Colorado; Talihina, Oklahoma; Tulane Country, California; Commerce, California; and Onalaska, Washington. Others are being built, including an expansive facility in Sherman, Pennsylvania.

Before becoming a citizen of Islamberg or any of the other Fuqra compounds, the recruits - - primarily inner city black men who became converts in prison - - are compelled to sign an oath that reads: "I shall always hear and obey, and whenever given the command, I shall readily fight for Allah's sake."

In the past, thousands of members of the U.S. branches of Jamaat ul-Fuqra traveled to Pakistan for paramilitary training, but encampments, such as Islamberg, are now capable of providing book-camp training so raw recruits are no longer required to travel abroad amidst the increased scrutiny of post 9/11.

(...)

By 2004 federal investigators uncovered evidence that linked both the DC "sniper killer" John Allen Muhammed and "Shoe Bomber" Richard Reid to the group and reports surfaced that Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl was captured and beheaded in the process of attempting to obtain an interview with Sheikh Gilani in Pakistan.

Even though Jamaat ul-Fuqra has been involved in terror attacks and sundry criminal activities, recruited thousands of members from federal and state penal systems, and appears to be operating paramilitary facilities for militant Muslims, it remains to be placed on the official US Terror Watch List. On the contrary, it continues to operate, flourish, and expand as a legitimate nonprofit, tax-deductible charity.

Take a stand, Americans. Rattle your state and federal representatives. Rattle your local law enforcement, your state law enforcement. Bombard them with demands that this be looked into. Demand that action be taken for criminal activities.

We can NOT afford to sit idle any longer on our fat, lazy, complacent asses, letting someone else do things for us.

Be a part of the solution, not a part of the problem.

THIS IS HAPPENING NOW!

And we have to make sure that it doesn't endanger us again.

Cross post this article, trackback to it, link to it, but MAKE SURE that the American public knows that this is going on.

Tennesseans, you can find email resources for both state and federal government officials here.

Once and Always, an American Fighting Man

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Can we leave peacefully?

To all you "cut and run" "surrender and retreat" people out there, I want you to consider something. Do you honestly think that al-Qaeda will just watch us if we withdraw from Iraq, leaving us to go peacefully, maybe tossing a few "we won, we won, nyah nyah nyah nyah nyaaaah nyaaaaaaah's" at out troops? How many of you have really taken into consideration what happens during demobilization operations if we were to abandon Iraq to it's own devices at this point in the game? Here is what al-Qaeda has plans for in the event that we cut and run:

Hat Tip, Miss Beth's Victory Dance via Victory Caucus.

New Tape: Al Qaeda No. 2 Wants 200,000-300,000 U.S. Dead in Iraq

Ayman al-Zawahiri Says Al Qaeda Wants to Spill More U.S. Blood Before America Withdraws

In a new video posted today on the Internet, al Qaeda's number two man, Ayman al Zawahiri, mocks the bill passed by Congress setting a timetable for the pullout of U.S. troops in Iraq.

"This bill will deprive us of the opportunity to destroy the American forces which we have caught in a historic trap," Zawahiri says in answer to a question posed to him an interviewer.


Continuing in the same tone, Zawahiri says, "We ask Allah that they only get out of it after losing 200,000 to 300,000 killed, in order that we give the spillers of blood in Washington and Europe an unforgettable lesson."


Based on the references to the bill, the tape, produced by al Qaeda's propaganda arm, as-Sahab, appears to have been made after Congress passed the legislation last week but before President Bush vetoed in on Thursday.


According to Laura Mansfield, a counter terrorism analyst with Strategic Translations, an organization that monitors al Qaeda postings, the tape was posted on the Internet this morning and covers the usual range of Zawahri's topics including Iraq, Afghanistan and Palestine.


There has been a flurry of audio and video releases featuring Zawahiri, although no new communication from Osama bin Laden since mid-2006.

How many times do the American people have to be told that these people want us all DEAD? How many times does it have to be said before it penetrates thick skulls? Will it take the deaths that this man is calling for? Will it take another incident like 9/11 before people fully realize that these people are serious?

I'm serious in asking this. WHAT is it going to take for people to undersand that these radical fascist imperialist Islamic extremist want us utterly destroyed and the survivors subjegated to them?

I'm simply and utterly confounded by the mentallity of cutting and running, MORE so the mentallity of "let's fight them over here instead." It simply amazes me. In my mind, we HAVE to keep them busy on their own turf so they can't have time to concentrate on mayhem and destruction here. Too many innocent civilians in our own population depend on it, not to mention the people in the Middle East who don't fall in lockstep behind this mindset.

Simply amazing.

Once and Always, an American Fighting Man

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"It's an illegal war..."

I haven't ranted yet on this site.

Not really.

I've not really just let go and vented yet.

That's about to change.

Buckle up, hold on, here we go.

I am sick and tired of hearing the terms "Illegal war," "Bush's war," "the war was a mistake," and the like when it comes to Iraq. We had sufficient reason to go into Iraq, we had intelligence reports showing that there was reason to go into Iraq, the Clintons BOTH supported going into Iraq, Bill Clinton said that there was evidence of weapons of mass destruction DURING his presidency, Congress supported it, ENOUGH with the back pedaling.

"The American people are tired of this war."

Big whoop. Tell me about a war that isn't tiring. THIS ISN'T A NEW THING.

Where there mistakes made? Yes. There are always mistakes made during war. At the outset of World War II (don't tell me not to compare this to WWII, I'm a history major and political science minor, god dammit, I know what I'm talking about here) we were NOT winning the war. We were in trouble. The American people rallied and we soldiered on.

Step forward to today. Who's making the American people tired of the war? Who is shoving down our throats the concept that we shouldn't be in the war with Iraq? The same people who seem to be able to find terrorists whenever they want to to interview them and show the American people our enemy in a more appealing light than what our troops see when they face them in firefights. The same people who have a clear agenda that they have shown over and over again in not only this war but in politics in general. The Democratic party and the Media. It's hard to tell any more which one is the lap dog of the other.

Ask the Kurds if they think that we've violated their nation by coming in and stopping the Saddam Hussein regime from massacring them. Ask the women who are no longer being rounded up and raped in the rape rooms if we did the wrong thing. Was the intelligence wrong about the WMD's? The jury is still out on that. The Iraqi's had PLENTY of time to move things into Syria and Lebanon while the UN pussy footed around doing their inspections. There are STILL reports of buried dumps out in the desert that the military hasn't had time to look for.

Our nation was attacked on 11SEP2001, and it wasn't the first time. Militant extremist fascist imperialist Islamic extremists don't have ANY problem in dying for their cause, and their cause is global Islam with NO room for Christianity or Judaism. IF YOU AREN'T A MUSLIM THEY WANT TO KILL YOU. Can people not wrap their minds around this? Are the American people so spoiled, so complacent, so self absorbed and in such a state of denial that they can't SEE this when car bombs are driven into shopping areas and the drivers set them off, killing themselves and others in the name of Allah?

It's one hell of a damned wake up call to realize "someone is trying to kill me" as a bullet whizzes by your head. One HELL of a wake up call. And if you're armed, you're forced to make a choice. And then you live with it.

We have GOT to stop backpedaling and pussy footing around with this thing in the Middle East. The American people have to come to terms with the fact that there are factions out there who want to see us come to an end. Have we forgotten the threat of the Soviet Union during the Cold War? Did the end of the Soviet Union mean that we had no enemies? HELL NO. It simply meant that there was someone else out there waiting in the wings to come into force to be the next to try. King of the Hill mentality.

We have become so wrapped up in political correctness, so wrapped up in not being offensive to others, so hamstringed by the UN (a body I am all FOR us ending our involvement in, by the way) that we're in danger of becoming the fabled toothless lion.

Is that the legacy we want to leave for our grandchildren?

THINK about that.

To quote Dennis Miller, "that's just my opinion, I may be wrong."

Once and Always, an American Fighting Man

[Update] See the perfect accompanying piece from Amy Proctor, with video, here.

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A very interesting letter

Hat Tip to Tanker Brothers for the email.

I'll let this one speak for itself. I for one agree completely...

Written by a housewife from New Jersey and sounds like it! This
Is one ticked off lady.

"Are we fighting a war on terror or aren't we? Was it or was it
Not started by Islamic people who brought it to our shores on
September 11, 2001?


Were people from all over the world, mostly Americans, not
Brutally murdered that day, in downtown Manhattan , across the Potomac
From our nation's capitol and in a field in Pennsylvania ? Did nearly
Three thousand men, women and children die a horrible, burning or
Crushing death that day, or didn't they?

And I'm supposed to care that a copy of the Koran was
"desecrated" when an overworked American soldier kicked it or got it
Wet?...Well, I don't. I don't care at all.

I'll start caring when Osama bin Laden turns himself in and
Repents for incinerating all those innocent people on 9/11.

I'll care about the Koran when the fanatics in the Middle East
Start caring about the Holy Bible, the mere possession of which is a
Crime in Saudi Arabia .

I'll care when these thugs tell the world they are sorry for
Hacking off Nick Berg's head while Berg screamed through his gurgling
Slashed throat.

I'll care when the cowardly so-called "insurgents" in Iraq come
Out and fight like men instead of disrespecting their own religion by
Hiding in mosques.

I'll care when the mindless zealots who blow themselves up in
Search of nirvana care about the innocent children within range of
their suicide bombs.

I'll care when the American media stops pretending that their
First Amendment liberties are somehow derived from international law
Instead of the United States Constitution's Bill of Rights.

In the meantime, when I hear a story about a brave marine
Roughing up an Iraqi terrorist to obtain information, know this: I
don't care.

When I see a fuzzy photo of a pile of naked Iraqi prisoners who
Have been Humiliated in what amounts to a college-hazing incident,
rest assured: I don't care.

When I see a wounded terrorist get shot in the head when he is
Told not to Move because he might be booby-trapped, you can take it to
the Bank: I don't care.

When I hear that a prisoner, who was issued a Koran and a prayer
Mat, and Fed "special" food that is paid for by my tax dollars, is
Complaining that his holy book is being "mishandled," you can
absolutely believe in your heart of hearts: I don't care.

And oh, by the way, I've noticed that sometimes it's spelled
"Koran" and Other times "Quran." Well, Jimmy Crack Corn and -you
guessed it -I don't care ! ! ! ! !

If you agree with this viewpoint, pass this on to all your
E-mail friends. Sooner or later, it'll get to the people responsible
for This ridiculous behavior!

If you don't agree, then by all means hit the delete button.
Should you choose the latter, then please don't complain when more
Atrocities committed by radical Muslims happen here in our great
Country! And may I add:

"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a
Difference in the world. But, the Marines don't have that problem."
-- Ronald Reagan

I have another quote that I would like to add AND.......I hope
You forward all this.

"If we ever forget that we're One Nation Under God, then we will
Be a nation gone under."

Also by.. Ronald Reagan

One last thought for the day:

In case we find ourselves starting to believe all the
Anti-American sentiment and negativity, we should remember England 's
Prime Minister Tony Blair's words during a recent interview. When
asked by one of his Parliament members why he believes so much in America ,
he said:

"A simple way to take measure of a country is to look at how
Many want in... And how many want out."

Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you:
1. Jesus Christ
2. The American G. I.

One died for your soul, the other for your freedom.

YOU MIGHT WANT TO PASS THIS ON, AS MANY SEEM TO FORGET BOTH OF THEM.
AMEN!

Can I GET an AMEN?

Once and Always, an American Fighting Man

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First Amendment vs Political Correctness update

This was forwarded to me in email, and has been checked out to be true at Snopes.com.

OUTSTANDING!

Hooray for Michigan State University


Tells Muslims to Leave Country Hooray for Michigan State University!

Well, what do we have here? Looks like a small case of some people being able to dish it out, but not take it.

Let's start at the top. The story begins at Michigan State University with a mechanical engineering professor named Indrek Wichman. Wichman sent an e-mail to the Muslim Student's Association. The e-mail was in response to the students' protest of the Danish cartoons that portrayed the Prophet Muhammad as a terrorist. The group ha d complained the cartoons were "hate speech."

Enter Professor Wichman. In his e-mail, he said the following:

Dear Moslem Association: As a professor of Mechanical Engineering here at MSU I intend to protest your protest. I am offended not by cartoons, but by more mundane things like beheadings of civilians, cowardly attacks on public buildings, suicide murders, murders of Catholic priests (the latest in Turkey), burnings of Christian churches, the continued persecution of Coptic Christians in Egypt, the imposition of Sharia law on non-Muslims, the rapes of Scandinavian girls and women (called "whores" in your culture), the murder of film directors in Holland, and the rioting and looting in Paris France. This is what offends me, a soft-spoken person and academic, and many, many of my colleagues. I counsel your dissatisfied, aggressive, brutal, and uncivilized slave-trading Moslems to be very aware of this as you proceed with your infantile "protests." If you do not like the values of the West - see the 1st Amendment - you are free to leave. I hope for God's sake that most of you choose that option. Please return to your ancestral homelands and build them up yourselves instead of troubling Americans.

Cordially, I. S. Wichman Professor of Mechanical Engineering

As you can imagine, the Muslim group at the university didn't like this too well. They're demanding that Wichman be reprimanded and mandatory diversity training for faculty and a seminar on hate and discrimination for freshman. Now the c hapter of CAIR has jumped into the fray. CAIR, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, apparently doesn't believe that the good professor had the right to express his opinion.

For its part, the university is standing its ground, saying the e-mail was private, and they don't intend to publicly condemn his remarks. That will probably change. Wichman says he never intended for his e-mail to be made public, and wouldn't have used the same strong language if he'd known it was going to get out.

How's the left going to handle this one? If you're in favor of the freedom of speech, as in the case of Ward Churchill, will the same protections be demanded for Indrek Wichman? I doubt it.

Send this to your friends, and ask them to do the same. Tell them to keep passing it around until the whole country gets it. We are in a war. This political correctness crap is getting old and killing us.

All I can say to this is HOOOWAH!

Once and Always, an American Fighting Man

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