The Terrorist Attack in Woolwich

A man thought to be a British soldier has been killed by Islamist terrorists in a horrific attack in broad daylight in a London street. Two men ran the victim over with a car before hacking him to death with knives and a machete, while shouting “Allahu Akbar.”

The attackers apparently filmed themselves carrying out the killing, and invited stunned bystanders to take photos and video of them posing beside their victim. Video has been aired on ITV news of one of the attackers brandishing a blood-stained machete and shouting at bystanders, as onlookers tried to help the slain man. He’s heard saying “I apologize that women had to witness this today, but in our lands women have to see the same.” Judging by the accent of the man speaking in the video, he’s either British born or has spent some years in the country, making it likely that the terrorists were “home-grown,” rather than from outside the country.

Other news outlets have reported that one of the men said, “We swear by almighty Allah we will never stop fighting you.”

When armed police arrived on the scene (British police officers are not routinely armed), the attackers confronted them with knives a handgun, and both were shot and wounded. They’re now under guard at London hospitals, and it’s not known at this stage whether they acted alone or are part of a larger plot; however, it’s clear that they had no fear of being killed or captured, and may well have intended to be “martyred.”

The attack took place in Woolwich in south-east London at 2.20 p.m. local time. The victim is believed to be a soldier based at the nearby Woolwich barracks, home to elements of the Royal Artillery; he was wearing a T-shirt from the charity Help for Heroes, which raises money for injured British soldiers.

One witness told a London radio station: “These two guys were crazed. They were just animals. They dragged him from the pavement and dumped his body in the middle of the road and left his body there.”

New Photo Caption Contest: Tear-anny at the White House Press Conference?

Image by JIM BOURG / Reuters

On Monday May 6^th the following question was posted on The Blaze, linked to Buzzfeed’s report from Reuters:

Did Obama Cry While Answering Benghazi Questions During Press Conference?

Buzzfeed reported Reuters’ description of the same photo taken by its photographer, Jim Bourg, referencing the moisture on the president’s cheek as a “tear” that came while he answered press questions about Benghazi.

“A tear runs down the face of President Barack Obama as he answers questions about the attack on the U.S. embassy in Benghazi during a joint news conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington,” Reuters’ description read.

So now you know why the above photo is deemed “worthy” of a Tatler Caption Contest along with loyal contest participants specifically asking for this photo be a contest subject.

I am not going to fault President Obama for showing emotion about the Benghazi incident which resulted in the loss of four Americans. But I do have doubts that it was the real reason for the tear Obama shed eight months after the attack while hosting a joint White House press conference with the British Prime Minister.

Since Benghazi “happened a long time ago” (as White House Press Secretary Jay Carney recently stated) than what else could spark such emotion in our normally “kool” president?

The answer is simple, “It’s the legacy stupid!”  

President Obama’s teardrop fell the moment he realized he had lost control over the shaping of his legacy. This explanation is possible because it is well known that Obama’s legacy is very important to him.

In fact, he planned on spending his entire second-term passing and implementing such legacy issues as health care, gun control, and immigration reform.

Then on Monday evening after the tearful press conference, Obama flew off to a star-studded New York City fundraiser hosted by Hollywood mogul, Harvey Weinstein.  There, Obama made a statement no president has ever felt the need to make. While reflecting on his second term, he said, “I sure want to do some governing.”

But when is there time for “governing” when his schedule is crowded with fundraising, campaigning, travel, parties, golf and vacations?

And with all the scandals currently engulfing him, even less time will be left for “governing.”  (Many readers are cheering this.)

Even more damaging is Obama can not escape the dreaded “N” word he is being associated with on a daily basis, even from his former cheerleaders in the media!

Nixon’s legacy was certainly not the one Obama planned on emulating since his Messianic presidency began with all those lofty comparisons to Lincoln, FDR, and even the real Messiah.

But enough of my theories.  Now it’s time for PJ Media readers to weigh in by either writing a caption or explaining the teardrop from the “kool guy.”

Please remember our rules, “be nice and stay classy because the media is watching.” (And obeying these rules might keep you from getting audited.)

Here again are the winners from our last contest (and only a few of them have been audited so far.)

Good luck and please note that using the “N” word (Nixon) in your caption means your entry will automatically be singled out for special attention by the IRS and yours truly!

A Historic News Week In Washington From An Eye Witness Perspective — Past, Present and Future

Last week my husband and I were back in our hometown of Washington D.C. where we both had business and events to attend. Normally I do not write about my personal travel adventures but this trip had a rather unique “historical time capsule” element that makes it worth recanting.

My husband, a retired State Department Foreign Service officer is now an executive with Cross International/Cross Catholic Alliance, both an international Christian and Catholic humanitarian organization that improves the lives of the poor in 40 countries around the world.

He also serves on the board of an advocacy group which is comprised of similar Christian faith-based organizations.

Mid-week while attending a conference of the advocacy group, my husband told me they spent an entire afternoon discussing how Christian groups are being increasingly squeezed/harassed by the Obama Administration in matters such as hiring policies, health insurance coverage and IRS audits. (Cue the foreboding music.)

Meanwhile, Thursday on Capitol Hill, I attended a luncheon held by the Republican Women’s Federal Forum, a group in which I am a long time member and where Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) was the speaker.

We all know that Senator Paul is putting out feelers as to whether he should make a run for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, but first he must increase his name identification, make some headlines and develop his brand image.

On Wednesday, the day before the Rand Paul luncheon the Congressional Benghazi “whistleblower” hearings had occurred, showering the entire town with political fall-out.  So naturally, Rand Paul saw fit to weigh in on this hot topic.

Senator Paul in his Thursday lunch speech said that Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s handling of the terrorist attack in Benghazi should “preclude her from holding higher office.”  I immediately turned to a friend sitting next to me and said, “Now that was a headline.”  It was obvious that Rand Paul had just fired his first warning shot of the 2016 presidential campaign.

Then later on, more 2016 Republican presidential campaign antics were yet to come.

In the early evening, I attended an event called POLITICO’s Playbook Cocktails with MSNBC “Morning Joe” co-hosts Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough.

The event was supposed to be about Mika’s new book called Obsessed, America’s Food Addiction – And My Own, but of course politics soon entered the discussion. Joe Scarborough said something like President Obama should have remained a U.S. Senator in order to have gained more experience, and Senator Marco Rubio was not yet ready to run for president in 2016 and should stay in the Senate. (I strongly agree with both assessments.)

As Joe was talking about the future of the Republican Party, Mika’s cell phone rang and she immediately says, “Hi Chris.”  Big surprise!  N.J. Governor Chris Christie called in to join the discussion and upstaged everyone on stage. Truly it was an entertaining moment and you can watch as it happened here.

During the call, Christie said his recent secret weight reducing LAP-BAND surgery was a difficult personal decision based on health and family issues, not future political considerations. He was referring to his assumed 2016 presidential run for the GOP nomination.

However, if this surgery is successful Christie will emerge physically smaller but politically larger with an image more suitable for a jog on the national campaign trail. Therefore, Christie feels the need to justify, re-justify and further defend his “tough personal” medical decision.

So my Thursday in DC could be summarized like this: Rand Paul vs. Chris Christie vs. Hillary in 2016.

Then it was Friday and ABC News revealed that there were 12 versions of the Benghazi talking points. I cheered this “breaking” news because finally the mainstream media (MSM) were on to Benghazi, after months of Fox News being ridiculed by the MSM for its non-stop pursuit of this unresolved story. (Kudos to PJM as well, along with Steve Hayes of the Weekly Standard who was the first to report the Obama Administration’s multiple Benghazi talking-points. But as we Conservatives know, news is only real news when the MSM reports it.)

Then over the weekend the Benghazi story had fully evolved to where Republicans want the whole truth while Democrats accuse Republicans of using Benghazi to target Hillary for 2016.  Here are two pieces I posted last week in Washington on this exact issue.

My big question is, “Why in Washington D.C. in May of 2013 does every lunch, event and hearing have to be about the 2016 presidential election?” Could it be that Washington is such a forward thinking city? (Try not to laugh.)

While my husband’s conference finished up I had a two free hours and decided to visit the American History Museum which I had not been to in years.

On my way there, news broke that the IRS had just admitted targeting Tea Party groups who were applying for perfectly legal tax-exempt status.

How timely that the group of Christian aid agencies my husband helps represent, just two days ago in their Washington meeting had discussed how their faith-based group members were being targeted for audits by the IRS. (My husband’s organization among them.)

As I entered the American History Museum my thoughts turned to Nixon and Watergate. Remember how Nixon used the IRS to harass his political enemies? In fact, that was one of Nixon’s 1974 impeachable offenses. There are, as of this writing, no direct ties to Obama, but after all, the IRS is part of his administration.

Now the American History Museum was swamped with school kids and at one point the crowd broke into a spontaneous singing of the Star Spangled Banner while unfurling a huge flag in the lobby. This outbreak of patriotism renewed my faith in the American people even as news about the IRS will undoubtedly contribute to the growing distrust Americans have towards their government.

May 10, 2013 at the Smithsonian American History Museum.

With my museum time short, I wandered into the American war exhibits and was shocked to see that WWI and the Korean War were stuffed into very small corners. Certainly these wars deserve more space than currently allotted.

However, WWII was the exact opposite with endless rooms covering all aspects of the war.  In the Home Front exhibit there were WWII posters hanging on the side of a battleship. As an owner of a small collection of WWI and WWII posters, I was delighted to see one of my own posters on display.

So now my new definition of growing old (semi-gracefully) is seeing stuff you own hanging in the Smithsonian. And to further add friends to this definition, I spotted the name of a close friend on a movie exhibit. Instantly I sent him an image of the display, exclaiming that he was “Smithsonian” famous, as opposed to just Hollywood famous. He immediately thanked me because he had not known this and was thrilled.

Finally, on Saturday we are at Reagan National heading home and in the terminal we stumble upon a group of WWII veterans arriving as part of an Honor Flight. If you are not familiar with Honor Flights they are an organization that brings WWII veterans to Washington D.C. to visit the WWII memorial.

Greeting them at the gate was a full band and much flag waving. Random passengers like us instantly formed lines in the terminal clapping and cheering as these heroes of the “Greatest Generation” got the welcome they richly deserved.

This spontaneous demonstration of patriotism and respect was a remarkable sight, especially after I had just visited all those Smithsonian exhibits dedicated to their struggles.

After arriving home, I had a good laugh on Sunday as Meet the Press moderator David Gregory, quoted Rand Paul’s controversial remark about Hillary that he repeated again in Iowa over the weekend.  It seems 2016 is looming very large.

Then I walked into our guest room and looked lovingly at my Smithsonian WWII poster hanging on the wall.  After what I consider a “time capsule” trip to Washington with so much breaking news, the poster’s slogan took on new meaning. Its stirring message is just as applicable today, whether Americans are fighting a foreign enemy or raging against their own government.

My WWII Government Printing Office poster dated 1942 says: Strong in the strength of the Lord we who fight in the people’s cause will never stop until that cause is won.

Perhaps I should send the IRS and the Obama Administration a photo of this poster? But I am sure that the poster would be outlawed today as a violation of church and state and I would be audited for even sending it.

Kerry Blames Terrorism on ‘People Who Have No Belief System’

America’s top diplomat gets so many things wrong here that it’s hard to know where to start. He’s in Brussels, and during a press conference the subject of radicalization came up. Secretary of State John Kerry gets out in front of the facts.

The question from the reporter, according to a transcript provided by the State Department, was, “Sir, with the problem we have that young people go to Syria (inaudible), does that matter also to the U.S., do you have the same problem?”

“Well, of course we have the same problem. We just had a young person who went to Russia, Chechnya, who blew people up in Boston. So he didn’t stay where he went, but he learned something where he went and he came back with a willingness to kill people,” said Kerry.

That is suspected, but not yet proven. Jihadists don’t necessarily have to travel the world to become jihadists, not when the Internet can bring bin Laden and Awlaki back from the dead to exhort them to kill. There’s still the matter of where the Boston bombers learned to build their bombs, which could also have happened on the Internet or in Chechnya or someplace else. We just don’t know yet.

From there, Kerry goes off into an odd, one-world riff.

I think the world has had enough of people who have no belief system, no policy for jobs, no policy for education, no policy for rule of law, but who just want to kill people because they don’t like what they see. There’s not room for that. That’s what we’ve been fighting against after all of the wars of the 20th century. Now we’re in the 21st century, and it’s time for a different organizational principle. And we need to, all of us, do a better job of communicating to people what the options of life are. And we’re open. Democracies are open to people participating in the democracy, not killing people. And so I hope that we can all figure out how we translate these better opportunities more effectively in our politics.

People having “no belief system” isn’t the problem. It’s what they do believe that becomes the problem. Osama bin Laden and Pol Pot both had strong and easily identifiable belief systems. They were also mass killers. Hitler, Mao, Mussolini, Stalin…they all had belief systems. The Iranian mullahs, Hizballah, Hamas…they all have belief systems. Whatever Kerry is trying to say there, he isn’t making a lick of sense. None of those people or the Tsarnaevs kill just “because they don’t like what they see.” They kill, at least in part, as a means to bring about the kind of change that they do believe in.

Treasury Dept Levies Money Laundering Charges Against Suspected Hizballah Banks

Tuesday afternoon, the US Treasury Department moved against two financial institutions suspected of money laundering for Hizballah. In a statement released on its web site, Treasury accuses the two Lebanese banks, Kassem Rmeiti & Co. For Exchange (Rmeiti Exchange) and Halawi Exchange Co. (Halawi Exchange), of engaging in primary money laundering to support the terrorist group’s activities.

According to the Treasury statement:

Today’s action reflects the Treasury Department’s continuing commitment to target illicit financial networks that launder millions of dollars in funds for narcotics traffickers and that, in the process, provide substantial financial benefits to the terrorist organization Hizballah.  This action will protect the U.S. financial system from these activities and expose entities supporting the network of designated drug kingpin Ayman Joumaa.

“Following Treasury’s action against the Lebanese Canadian Bank, the Joumaa narcotics network turned to Rmeiti Exchange and Halawi Exchange to handle its money laundering needs,” said Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence David S. Cohen.  “As our actions against the Lebanese Canadian Bank, Joumaa and the two exchange houses today make clear, the Treasury Department, working with our partners across the Federal government, will aggressively expose and disrupt sophisticated multi-national money laundering organizations that handle drug proceeds for criminal enterprises including the terrorist group Hizballah.”

The Treasury Department’s 311 action against Lebanese Canadian Bank in February 2011, as well as designations in January 2011 of Ayman Joumaa and two exchange houses, Hassan Ayash Exchange and Ellissa Exchange, exposed the Joumaa network’s money laundering scheme and forced these financial institutions out of the U.S. and international financial systems.

Rmeiti Exchange and Halawi Exchange subsequently picked up the network’s money laundering work, including the trade-based money laundering schemes involving used car dealerships in the United States and consumer goods from Asia.  Rmeiti Exchange and Halawi Exchange used their foreign money transmitter businesses to process millions of dollars on behalf of narcotics traffickers and money launderers, and attempted to obfuscate the source of illicit funds by comingling or splitting transactions across a variety of businesses, financial institutions, and continents, including in the United States.

In conjunction with today’s findings that Rmeiti Exchange and Halawi Exchange are foreign financial institutions of primary money laundering concerns, Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) also issued an order, effective immediately and with a 120-day duration, that requires U.S. financial institutions to report information on any new or attempted transactions by Rmeiti Exchange and Halawi Exchange.  Treasury also today issued a notice of proposed rulemaking that, if adopted as a final rule, would continue the reporting requirement imposed by the order and prohibit any U.S. financial institution from opening or maintaining a correspondent or payable-through account that is used to process a transaction that involves Rmeiti Exchange and Halawi Exchange, effectively cutting off these exchanges from the U.S. financial system.

Hizballah is well known for its terrorist activities, within Lebanon, against Israel, and worldwide. It’s less well known for its drug network, which the group uses to finance its global operations. Cut off the drug money, and we may be able to strangle the beast somewhat. It still receives funding from Iran.

Treasury should get a great deal of credit for pursuing the complex schemes that Hizballah sets up to hide what it’s doing and how it finances terror.

Two Supreme Ironies Of The Boston Terror Attacks

Last Tuesday, April 16th, in response to a piece I had written on the day of the Boston attack, Politico reporter Dylan Byers tweeted the following:

A right-wing blogger gambles on speculation: “Why It Is Obvious That The Boston Marathon Attack Is Islamic Terrorism” http://bit.ly/ZmGwpG

Even though my “gamble” paid off, I will not be collecting any winnings.  However, two developments connected to the Boston attack — one involving a carjacking and the other a mosque — hit the winning jackpot of supreme irony.

First up is the “COEXIST” bumper sticker on the back of the Mercedes that was carjacked by the brothers Tsarnaev last Friday night. This incident began what turned out to be a deadly shoot-out that killed big brother, Tamerlan.

Now, COEXIST bumper stickers are often found on pricey foreign-made cars in liberal conclaves and are also popular among college students and twenty-somethings.

As reported by the Daily Caller and accompanied by the screen image below:

The bumper sticker, which spells out “COEXIST” using the Islamic moon, a peace symbol, a gender symbol, the Star of David, a pagan symbol, a ying-yang and a cross, is put out by the Coexist Foundation — “a non-profit organization creating understanding across divides.”

 

Wondering whether the Coexist Foundation acknowledged the carjacking that globally showcased their bumper sticker, led me to the foundation’s web site.  There I was “shocked” to learn that the foundation had totally neglected to take advantage of all the free publicity. Surely they were missing a lucrative fundraising opportunity that would have read something like this:

Donate to the Coexist Foundation and receive the iconic bumper sticker that attracts sensitive Islamic terrorists looking for get-away wheels.

As a side note, this bumper sticker has always intrigued me, especially because my own twenty-something stepson used to have one on his car after he attended college in Massachusetts.

The second supreme irony is that the mosque where the Tsarnaev brothers worshiped was built on land that was greatly subsidized by the City of Boston.

Again from the Daily Caller:

Suspected Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev (and his older brother revealed later) attended a Massachusetts mosque that made a controversial deal with a Boston city agency that allowed it to buy land at a lower-than-market price in exchange for various token services to the Boston community, despite the mosque’s links to some radical anti-American figures.

One can only assume that new churches in Boston are also receiving similar subsidized land deals. Ya think?

So what have we learned today? Here is the re-cap:

There once was a Boston man driving a Mercedes with a COEXIST bumper sticker that told the world he was a supporter of peace, love and “kumbayah.” That same man is now lucky to be alive after Islamic terrorists took him and his car hostage, making him withdraw money from an ATM. Finally, Mercedes man’s Friday evening ended after his COEXIST themed peace-mobile was riddled with bullets.

And then, these same Islamic terrorists who attacked Boston attended a mosque that stands on prime real estate because of a subsidized land sale — approved by the city, no doubt, because of  COEXIST-themed political correctness.

For the record, the mosque’s exact role in the radicalization of the brothers Tsarnaev has yet to be specifically determined. However, once again I am willing to gamble that there could be some connection.

Political correctness makes us want to close our collective eyes to the growing threat posed by American Islamic would-be terrorists. Our response is to display feel-good bumper stickers on our cars, and watch as cities subsidize land sales for new mosques knowing full well that hate is sometimes sowed in a few of those mosques. Than occasionally, that same hate is channeled into violence against innocent Americans, as with the Boston attacks, and the Ft. Hood shootings in 2009 which resulted in the killing of 13 people and wounding dozens more.

Finally, I will conclude in a manner similar to my second terror related piece from last week, with a profound quote from then Secretary of State Condi Rice when she testified before the 9/11 Commission saying:

The terrorists were at war with us, but we were not yet at war with them.

Now 12 years after September 11, 2001,  the American domestic mindset is that we are STILL, not really at war with them.

So is it finally time to wise up?

Ellison: Don’t Be So Quick to Link Islam to Islamic Bombers Who Admitted Religious Motivation

Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) warned yesterday about jumping the gun to link Islam to the Boston bombings.

After his MSNBC admonition, federal officials said religion was a motivating factor in the attacks by the Tsarnaev brothers that left four dead and scores more wounded.

“There is some indication that this had to do with Chechnya and their dispute with Russia. And there’s not — it’s not necessarily the case that anyone should jump to the conclusion that there was any religious motivation here. I think again, you know, prudence and calm is the order of the day,” Ellison said.

The older brother went to Chechnya and Dagestan last year for six months, but the younger brother in custody, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, had not gone. Neither grew up there.

“This gentleman — well, individual — I’ll say that — he came to the attention of the FBI because of things he said and things he did. That’s appropriate,” the congressman said of Tamerlan Tsarnaev.

“What should not be cause for alarm is somebody’s status as a member of a particular religious faith, or how devout they may happen to be. You know, in all these cases where you see acts of radicalized individuals using violence, they may have a religious affiliation, but oftentimes, when they give reasons for why they did what they did, it is politics,” Ellison continued.

“So, for example, you know, Timothy McVeigh was motivated by Waco, not his religion. Faisal Shahzad happened to be Muslim, but he was motivated by his — his grievances with regard to U.S. policy in Pakistan and Afghanistan. And who knows what these individuals’ motivation may be? But it probably will have something to do more with politics than religion. So, let’s not cast a wide net and just go after, you know, a whole religious group.”

Ellision took issue with Rep. Peter King’s (R-N.Y.) assertion that “99 percent of the Muslims are outstanding Americans” and you need help from inside those communities to break up cells and find extremists. “The fact is, that’s where the threat is coming from. When the FBI was after the Westies, they went to the Irish community. When they were after the Mafia, they went to the Italian community,” King said on Fox News Sunday.

“Well over 99 percent of the Muslim community is absolutely loyal, law-abiding Americans who are as offended by what happened in Boston as any other American. That’s true, but after that, my friend, Representative King, is wrong again,” Ellison said.

“You know, the FBI did not go after all Italians or all Irish people. No one ever said let’s surveil a whole ethnic community. They went after people who were criminals and who were exhibiting criminal behavior. Now, the fact that those people happened to be of a particular ethnic origin wasn’t really the causal effect. You know, what — the issue was what they were doing. And so, again, it’s just ridiculous. I mean, to say that because of the Westies, that every Irish person was under suspect. Everyone in America knows that’s ridiculous. You know? But — but, I mean, still, he wants to cast a wide net with regard to Muslims,” he continued.

“You know, the fact is, if you were to ask American Muslims where is Chechnya on the map, most of us would never know. We’d have to find a map and look for it.”

Ellison is one of two Muslim members of Congress.

Quote of the Day: Most Compassionate Thing to Do

From Barbara O’Brian  on the about.com Buddhism page:

The most compassionate thing to do for the witnesses is to just listen to them and honor their stories without judgment. The least compassionate thing is to co-opt their stories for use in some prefabricated agenda.

Saudi King to Obama: Boston Bombers Belonged to ‘No Religion at All’

Saudi King Abdullah reached out to President Obama to express condolences for the Boston Marathon bombings and say that the attackers had “no religion,” according to the Saudi Press Agency.

“In his own name and on behalf of the people and government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the monarch expressed profound sorrow and pain for the death and injury of some innocent people as a result of the two terrorist acts in Boston, describing the perpetrators of the explosions as belonging to no religion at all and that no ethics or values ever accept this deed, and wishing the injured quick recovery and the American people steady security and stability,” the news agency said.

Prince Saud Al-Faisal, Saudi foreign minister, met briefly with Secretary of State John Kerry in Washington today in a meeting also attended by Saudi Ambassador to the U.S. Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir and Osamah bin Ahmed Nugali, head of the information department at the Foreign Ministry.

“During the meeting, they discussed bilateral relations between the two friendly countries and regional issues of mutual concern, including Middle East peace efforts and the current situation in Syria,” the SPA reported. “Prince Saud Al-Faisal also expressed his condolences on the victims and the injured in the Marathon attacks in Boston.”

Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu also condemned the bombings today, saying an “act targeting to destroy the peaceful atmosphere of a sporting event was cowardly and reprehensible.”

“He wished speedy recovery of the injured and underlined that the OIC stands with the United States Government and People in rejecting such violence,” the OIC added in the statement.

“These heinous crimes are not consistent with the provisions of any religion, violate international laws, oppose the simplest principles of humanity, aim at destabilizing security and stability of the United States of America, and terrorize its innocent people,” an official source at Kuwaiti Ministry of Foreign Affairs told the SPA.

Why It Is Obvious That The Boston Marathon Attack Is Islamic Terrorism

Being born in Boston and raised in the close-in suburb of Needham, I remember  Patriot’s Day as a holiday that meant a day off from school. When I was in high school it was also a day to head into Boston to watch the Boston Marathon (and when my friends and I tried to act mature enough to get into bars that lined the Marathon route).

Now, for those who are not familiar with Patriot’s Day, here is why I believe that an attack in Boston on this day has all the hallmarks of Islamic terrorism.

Patriot’s Day commemorates the battles of Lexington and Concord in 1775, which were two of the earliest battles in the American Revolutionary War.

Thus, Patriot’s Day marks the unofficial beginning of the American Revolution. This was the day when farmers and fisherman bearing rifles, known as Minutemen, decided they had had enough of being unjustly treated by the greatest power on earth, took matters into their own hands, and a battle ensued.

(Ironically in view of today’s gun control battles) the British were marching toward the arsenal in Concord to confiscate weapons and ammunition that were stored there.

We celebrate Independence Day on July 4, 1776 when the Second Continental Congress unanimously adopted the Declaration of Independence, announcing the colonies’ separation from Great Britain. But Patriot’s Day was the actual beginning of armed conflict between the colonies and Great Britain, and a day of which Boston is especially proud.

So with Patriot’s Day as the symbolic beginning of the American Revolution, Islamic terrorists would find it a very appealing day to launch an attack,  for we know Islamic terrorists love symbolism — with the date 9/11 being a prime example.

Now consider this premise:

Boston, a town known as the “cradle of liberty,” while celebrating its role in our nation’s drive toward independence with their iconic annual marathon, is crudely attacked by those supporting an ongoing “Islamic revolution.”

That is why it was obvious to me when I first heard the tragic news today that we now have a new 9/11, i.e., 4/15.

The “shot heard around the world” in Lexington and Concord on that fateful day in 1775 is now the blast heard around the world in 2013.

The Strange Jujitsu of the Liberal Mind

A week ago, former comedian Jim Carrey publicly advocated for restricting the law-abiding citizen’s access to firearms. He was militating against a right plainly spelled out in the Constitution.

This week, Jim Carrey has put his name to a letter advocating relaxing drug laws and clemency for drug offenders. The letter also hints at restoring voting rights to felons at the federal level, which up to now has been a state issue. These same people fight against voter ID, which protects the voting rights of Americans who have broken no laws.

Whatever you may think of the drug war, and I question the growing militarization of ordinary police forces, Carrey’s two positions are common on the left: Against the law-abiding citizen’s right to bear arms, simultaneously for the law breaker whose actions make the law-abiding citizen’s self-defense necessary. “Free Mumia” goes with universities hiring domestic terrorists goes with “gun free zones” that help killers plan massacres.

Carrey and other liberals do not see the contradiction here. Your right to bear arms, written into the Constitution, does not count. Yet they will find shadows and penumbras to create rights that are not written there.

On issues of life, liberals tend to favor the most radical policies on abortion, while they oppose the death penalty for our worst criminals. In court this week they won a victory allowing people of any age to purchase a powerful abortifacient drug, meaning children will end up buying, using, and probably being harmed by this drug. When a girl is harmed and sues the manufacturer, the same liberals will stand up and denounce “Big Pharma.” Liberals are literally turning a blind eye now to the ongoing trial in Pennsylvania, in which the details of an abortion mill/charnel house are being laid bare. Kermit Gosnell’s trial is among the most grisly in American history. But the lives of those children he and his employees callously snuffed and snipped out do not matter to liberals, at all. Their silence says all that needs to be said. Liberals who favor the death of the thousands of children killed at Gosnell’s slaughter house will oppose meting out the death penalty to the doctor who systematically killed them.

On the other hand, President Obama, Hillary Clinton and other liberals incessantly claim that their policies are — sing along if you’d like — “for the children.” MSNBC’s Melissa Harris-Perry advocates for the collective against the family in an ad, yet pushes against any collective disgust or restrictions when it comes to abortion. She says children matter to all of us, yet if a child is born while a doctor is trying to kill her, that child does not matter at all. Gosnell is free to keep her feet in a jar, as he did with many of his victims.

Liberals also claim to be be voices for the powerless against the powerful. If they really cared about the children, and were really advocates of the powerless against the powerful, would they not see in the Gosnell trial a chance to side with both? Likewise, they claim to be women’s advocates, yet women were victims at Gosnell’s horror lab. He employed a person with no medical education at all to anesthetize patients. Women were injured and died due to his unsafe and unsanitary practices, practices government ignored for years.

Liberals have nothing at all to say about any of this. Nothing.

And they apparently see no contradiction between their rhetoric and their true policies. If liberals have a conscience, even the alleged crimes of Kermit Gosnell does not sear it.

The mental jujitsu that it takes to be a modern liberal doesn’t stop there. If you’re a law-abiding Christian church leader in America, the Obama administration wants to dictate to you, tell you whom to hire and what products you will pay for through insurance. But if you’re a drug cartel operative in Mexico with designs on expanding your business in the US, liberals want to make sure your path across the border is smooth. Liberals create “free speech zones” on university campuses that explicitly restrict free speech that liberals don’t like. Liberals claim to be for education, yet always side with unions that oppose firing incompetent teachers. Liberals claim to be racially tolerant, yet routinely launch racist attacks against minorities who disagree with them, as Clarence Thomas, Ted Cruz and our own Allen West can testify. Liberals claim to be pro-woman, yet demonize women leaders like Margaret Thatcher, Sarah Palin and Condoleezza Rice. Liberals claim to be pro-science, yet ignore the science on the beginning of life and on climate and everything else that contradicts their political point of view. They claim to be lovers of reason, yet get into a discussion with one and if it doesn’t go their way, liberals tend to become the most hysterical shriekers on earth. Despite their claims to be open-minded and free-thinkers, the America that liberals are trying to create has no room at all for anyone who disagrees with them, on anything. Their America would consist of endless purges as political correctness evolves and metastasizes, a movie we’ve seen before in France and Cambodia. Liberals claim to stand for freedom, yet consistently expand the power of a less and less accountable bureaucratic state. They’re for due process for foreign terrorists, against due process for the American farmer on whose land an endangered species resides. They’re pro-choice, as long as you choose what they want you to choose. Choose to go to church, listen to Rush Limbaugh, hunt, or vote Republican and watch how tolerant and pro-choice they really are.

Take it all in, and it leaves little room for the existence of a well-meaning liberal. There must be some, but the vast majority must be either dupes who do not really understand the effects of their beliefs, they have succumbed to bullying or are liberals just to be seen as cool, or they know exactly what they’re doing, why they’re doing it, and who stands in their way and must therefore be destroyed.

Sen. Cruz: Obama Wants Power to Choose Ministers at Churches

Barack Obama claims not to be a dictator, but his government did try to seize a power worthy of King Henry VIII. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz is keeping tabs on what the Obama government is up to. He released a report this week detailing its attempts to abuse and expand its power.

Cruz points to Obama’s own Supreme Court appointees, Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor, to make his case:

“When President Obama’s own Supreme Court nominees join their colleagues in unanimously rejecting the Administration’s call for broader federal power six times in just over one year, the inescapable conclusion is that the Obama Administration’s view of federal power knows virtually no bounds,” the senator’s report said.

The Obama administration’s over-reaching includes attempts to electronically track Americans without cause and deny churches the right to choose their own ministers.

—

In one case, Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church & School v. EEOC, the Justice Department argued it “had the right to oversee a church’s choosing of ministers,” which even Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan called “amazing.”

Cruz highlights one exchange between Kagan and Leondra Kruger, a DOJ lawyer, in which Kagan asked, “Do you believe, Ms. Kruger, that a church has a right that’s grounded in the Free Exercise Clause and/or the Establishment Clause to institutional autonomy with respect to its employees?”

“We don’t see that line of church autonomy principles in the Religious Clause jurisprudence as such,” Kruger said.

Kagan, who served as Solicitor General under Obama, said it was “amazing” that DOJ believed that “neither the Free Exercise Clause nor the Establishment Clause has anything to say about a church’s relationship with its own employees.”

The court went on to unanimously reject the DOJ’s claim, saying, “We cannot accept the remarkable view that the Religion Clauses have nothing to say about a religious organization’s freedom to select its own ministers.”

It is astonishing that any American administration would attempt to seize such power.

This is a power mad, intolerant, secretive administration — among the worst in American history on established civil rights.

For his good work opposing these and other radical Obama policies, Sen. Cruz can expect to experience racist attacks like the one that a Democrat operative in Texas launched at him on Twitter Tuesday.

If Rand Paul can support #cir, why doesn’t TX Senator Rafael Eduardo Cruz?

— PhillipMartin (@PhillipMartin) April 9, 2013

In Pictures: Savage Islamic Attack on St. Mark Cathedral Allowed by Egyptian Forces

Egypt’s Coptic Christians frequently accuse State Security and police of overlooking Muslim attacks on Christians and their places of worship, especially monasteries and churches.  The Western mainstream media often ignores these accusations, or mentions them in passing as “unsubstantiated reports.” Last weekend’s assault on the St. Mark Cathedral — unprecedented in significance — was no different, except for the fact that there are many pictures demonstrating State complicity.

To recap: After last Sunday’s St. Mark Cathedral funeral service for Egypt’s most recent Christian victims of jihad — including one man set aflame — gangs of Muslims attacked the Christian mourners, resulting in the deaths of two more Copts, including one shot through the heart.   Hundreds of Christians retreated back into the cathedral — both to get out of harm’s way, and to protect their holiest site.  They were trapped there all night, enduring projectile and firebomb attacks.   State Security also opened fire on the cathedral, including through tear-gas.

Several Egyptian media outlets and newspapers, especially the popular Youm7,  have published a variety of pictures showing Muslims attacking the cathedral in front of an absolutely indifferent, possibly approving, security forces.  Three of these pictures, with my captions, follow.  To see all pictures, read on website.

Jihad Erupts on Egypt’s Christians, Again

Over the weekend, Muslims launched yet another all-out jihad, replete with cries of “Allahu Akbar,” on Egypt’s Coptic Christian minority—also known as the original, indigenous inhabitants of Egypt, before Muslims invaded in the 7^th century.   Different reports are citing different sources as prompting this latest Islamic assault: some say Muslim children drew swastikas on a mosque, which prompted the imam and others to scapegoat and attack Christians; some say the source of the conflict is a feud between a Christian family and a Muslim family (over the latter’s sexual harassment of Christian girls).

Whatever the source or pretense of this latest jihad on Egypt’s Christians, the hate has led to the deaths of several Christians—including one Copt intentionally set on fire—and the wounding of hundreds.  The next day, after the funeral of the slain Christians, Muslims again attacked and opened fire on Christians, this time in the St. Mark Cathedral, one of the most sacred spots for Copts.

Worse, various elements of Egypt’s military, police, and security, have not only failed to protect the beleaguered Christians, but, according to numerous sources, have even joined in the attack on the cathedral.

This should be unsurprising, considering the Egyptian military intentionally slaughtered some 23 Coptic Christians—including by intentionally running them over with armored vehicles—during the Maspero Massacre of October 2010, when Copts dared protest against the constant Islamic attacks on their churches.

Similarly, just as the White House issued a statement during the 2010 Maspero Massacre, saying “Now is a time for restraint on all sides”—as if to imply Egypt’s beleaguered and unarmed Christian minority needed to “restrain” itself against the nation’s military—one expects more whitewashing and relativism from the White House.  For, just as the Obama administration tried to cover up the fact that the Benghazi attack, where American diplomats were killed by the same jihadi forces that Obama helped empower, so too will it naturally try to dissemble the fact that Egypt’s Christians are being terrorized and killed by the same Islamic forces—in this case, the Muslim Brotherhood and Salafis, who routinely incite Muslims against Christians—it helped empower.

Because there is so much startling and disturbing information concerning this latest attack on Egypt’s Christians in the Arabic-language media—much of which will never make it to the English-language media—over the next few days, I will be combing through the many Arabic reports and videos to bring you the facts and details of this latest atrocity.

AP Capitulates to CAIR, Revises the Term ‘Islamist’

Two days after the AP dropped the term “illegal immigrant” it has announced also reworking the term “Islamist.”

The AP is responding to repeated requests by CAIR, the Council on American Islamic Relations, which presents itself as moderate but acts as a front for extremists. CAIR is an unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation case. Evidence also connects CAIR to Hamas, which was designated a terrorist group by the US in 1995.

According to the Investigative Project on Terrorism:

Hamas is an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, and trial exhibits show the Brotherhood created the Palestine Committee. CAIR officials adamantly deny any involvement with either Hamas or the Muslim Brotherhood. The Weich letter, however, shows that the Department of Justice has not wavered in its conclusion that the internal records it possesses prove a connection.

It echoes a letter last spring from an FBI congressional liaison explaining why Bureau policy bars communication with CAIR outside of a criminal investigation. In that letter, Richard C. Powers, an assistant director in the FBI’s office of Congressional Affairs, said evidence “demonstrated a relationship among CAIR, individual CAIR founders (including its current President Emeritus and its Executive Director) and the Palestine Committee.”

Other exhibits showed that the Palestine Committee was a fundraising and propaganda arm in the United States for Hamas, which has been a designated terrorist organization since 1995. “[U]ntil we can resolve whether there continues to be a connection between CAIR or its executives and HAMAS,” Powers wrote, “the FBI does not view CAIR as an appropriate liaison partner.”

Prior to the change, the AP’s definition of “Islamist” was:

Supporter of government in accord with the laws of Islam. Those who view the Quran as a political model encompass a wide range of Muslims, from mainstream politicians to militants known as jihadi.

It was used to describe both militant, violent actors and those who eschew violence. The AP’s definition of “Islamist” now reads:

An advocate or supporter of a political movement that favors reordering government and society in accordance with laws prescribed by Islam. Do not use as a synonym for Islamic fighters, militants, extremists or radicals, who may or may not be Islamists.

Where possible, be specific and use the name of militant affiliations: al-Qaida-linked, Hezbollah, Taliban, etc. Those who view the Quran as a political model encompass a wide range of Muslims, from mainstream politicians to militants known as jihadi.

There’s nothing wrong with getting specific, but the new definition draws distinctions between ideological and militant groups that have little bearing in the real world. The Muslim Brotherhood gave rise to al Qaeda and Hamas, and the latter gave rise to CAIR, which according to FBI evidence acts as Hamas’ fundraising and propaganda arm in the US. The Muslim Brotherhood is officially non-violent, but now that it has taken power in Egypt, Islamist violence against Christians and other Muslims is on the rise in that country.

CAIR is happy with the update, but would be less happy if the AP reported that its chairman, Ibrahim Hooper, has said that Muslims would seek to replace the US Constitution with Islamic sharia law if they ever became a majority. That comment and others he has made make him an Islamist by either of the AP’s definitions.

US Army Reserve Presentation Calls Catholics, Evangelicals ‘Extremists,’ Conflates Militias with Drug Gangs

The Catholic Archdiocese for the Military Services is raising questions about an official US Army Reserve Equal Opportunity presentation on “Extremism and Extremist Organizations.” Have a look at page 10 of the 33 page briefing.

The slide is about “neo-Nazi” and other militia groups. The photo in the corner, though, is a photo of members of MS-13, a notorious and violent gang engaged in the cross-border drug and human smuggling trade. The best that can be said about a photo of a gang accompanying material about militias, which tend to be insular and seldom engage in international drug operations, is that it’s evidence of very sloppy scholarship.

But this particular presentation gets worse. Have a look at its loose definition of “supremacist” on page 7.

By that definition, every American who adheres to the Constitution, and every Christian who takes Jesus’ words literally that He is “the way, the truth and the life,” is a “supremacist.” In fact, the definition is so loose that it ends up meaning nothing at all. If you believe any one thing is superior to all others — “Whitesnake is the best band ever!” — you’re a “supremacist.”

The US Army Reserve presentation on supremacy and extremism paints a vast number of American Christians and Jews as “religious extremists” on page 24.

The text accompanying this slide says that “Extremism is a complex phenomenon; it is defined as beliefs, attitudes, feelings, actions or strategies of a character far removed from the ‘ordinary.’”

According to Pew Research, Christians make up 78.4% of the US. Evangelical Christians make up 26.3% of the US population. Catholics number 23.9%. Defining either as “far removed from ‘ordinary’” seems to be out of the ordinary itself.

CBS: Hey, John the Baptist Attended Jesus’ Crucifixion

Maybe we should start having mandatory Sunday School lessons for mainstream media reporters.

CBS, clearly embarrassed to be No. 2 in Christian faith ignorance, ran a segment on CBS Sunday Morning in which Martha Teichner stated confidently that John THE BAPTIST stood at the foot of the cross with Mary. That should get some kind of honorable mention here.

After getting schooled by its commenters, CBS posted a correction.

EDITOR’S NOTE: An earlier version of this story mis-identified the possible “beloved disciple” as John the Baptist.

Video: ‘I Hate Christians and Am Disgusted by Them’ – Egyptian Muslim Cleric

Dr. Abdullah Badr — an Egyptian Muslim scholar, Al Azhar graduate, and professor of Islamic exegesis, who spent ten years in prison under Mubarak, but, along with any number of Islamic terrorists and agitators, was released under Morsi — recently gave an excellent summation of the second half of the highly divisive Muslim doctrine of wala’ wa bara’ (or, “Love and Hate”) — namely, that the true Muslim should love and help fellow Muslims, while hating and being disgusted by non-Muslims.

During a conference last week (see video below, with English subtitles) he explained how he is so “disgusted” by Christians, to the point that, if a Christian were to touch his cup, he would not drink from it:

[It’s] not a matter of piety, but disgust. I get grossed out.  Get that?  Disgust, I get grossed out man, I cannot stand their smell or … I don’t like them, it’s my choice.  And they gross me out; their smell, their look, everything.  I feel disgusted, disgusted.  I get disgusted not only by that, but by many things.

He kept stressing that, while Sharia law does not ban Muslims from eating food prepared by Christians, he personally is sickened by them.  Badr explained how he once entered a store in Egypt to buy food, but when he saw the crosses and Christian icons on the wall, and understood that the owner was Christian, he immediately gave the food away on the street…  Continue reading and/or to see video.

Easter March Media Madness – The Agony, The Ecstasy and The Absurd

With Easter Sunday in our rear-view mirror, now is the time to reflect on what I am calling Easter March Media Madness — The Agony, The Ecstasy and The Absurd.

Let’s first chronicle the absurd, and in this category are two entries of national and international prominence.

First up is Google with its iconic, “Google Doodle.”

If you are not familiar with the Google Doodle this is Google’s icon that tops their main search page. The Doodle graphically depicts holidays, seasons, events, or just plain fun designs. Daily it is seen globally by hundreds of millions of users as they do that thing they do on Google.

But on Easter Sunday, a holiday celebrated by over a billion people around the world, the Google Doodle had an image of someone I did not recognize, but later discovered it was farm labor leader, Cesar Chavez. As it turned out Easter Sunday would have been his 86^th birthday. (He died in 1993.)

However, as Easter morning turned into afternoon, a tsunami of controversy began to swirl across the media universe, even in mainstream media.

On PJ Media alone there were three separate posts, written by Ed Driscoll, David Swindle and Chris Salcedo.

A Google spokesperson told the Washington Post on Easter Sunday:

We enjoy celebrating holidays at Google but, as you may imagine, it’s difficult for us to choose which events to highlight on our site. Sometimes for a given date, we feature an historical event or influential figure that we haven’t in the past.

A friend of mine who works for Google responded this way to a personal outrage email I sent him:

The man (Chavez) was a devout Christian. It is utter nonsense that anyone is upset. Google does Doodles for unique and always different dates of historical significance.

Ultimately, will Google “dissing” Easter turn out to be a “Bing” deal or what? Only time will tell how much backlash Google will receive and drive users to rising competitor Bing, which displayed Easter eggs on its home page.

The absurd category continues with the New York Times and my favorite example of Easter Day “media madness.”

In an Easter piece with the headline, Pope Calls for “Peace in All the World” in First Easter Message the NYT was forced to issue a correction.  Bryan Preston, in a PJ Tatler piece asked in his headline, Best NYT Correction Ever?   My answer is, “Yes, definitely.”

For if you click on the Pope piece you will see this message at the bottom:

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:

Correction: April 1, 2013

An earlier version of this article mischaracterized the Christian holiday of Easter. It is the celebration of Jesus’s resurrection from the dead, not his resurrection into heaven.

Those who believe in Christ’s resurrection from the dead, can now rejoice that the NYT has learned the meaning of the “Christian holiday of Easter.” Is this God’s wrath on the New York Times?  To make matters even worse, this correction was headlined on the Drudge Report.  Wouldn’t you have loved to have been there when this “mischaracterization” first hit the newsroom? No doubt, some editor was throwing chocolate Easter eggs at someone.

Now let’s explore Easter March Media Madness — the ecstasy.

As Google ignored Easter and the NYT  learned its meaning, 11.7 million people watched the final two-hour episode of the hit series, The Bible on The History Channel. From Deadline Hollywood:

 History’s Mark Burnett-produced The Bible ended on Easter Sunday with 11.7 million viewers. That was up 14% from the 10.3 million who watched last week’s penultimate episode of the 10-part miniseries.  However, it is down from the series’ debut, when The Bible premiered with a two-hour episode March 3 with 13.1 million viewers.

The Bible, a five-part, 10-hour miniseries on History Channel has become the biggest cable television hit of the year. Not bad for a show based on a book nearly 2000 years old, with portions even older than that!

The second ecstasy of Easter was the non-stop mainstream media coverage paid to the Shroud of Turin. The Shroud is what millions believe is the burial cloth of Jesus and this new study dates it back to the time of Jesus. Shroud coverage was virtually unavoidable, showering more attention on the tortured and crucified “mysterious man” whose imprint appears on the Shroud.

Finally, here is the agony of Easter.

On Sunday evening, as those 11.7 million people watched Christ being nailed to a wooden cross on The Bible series, there was a real-time agony played out on another piece of wood.

During the NCAA Basketball Tournament, Louisville guard Kevin Ware suffered a horrible lower right leg injury in the game against Duke. The agony displayed by Ware was so heart wrenching to watch that CBS Sports banned replays of the injury. The Boston Herald reports:

The chairman of CBS Sports had no regrets about banning further replays of Louisville basketball player Kevin Ware’s gruesome broken leg and says if anyone wants to watch it on the Internet, that’s fine with him.

There you have it, all nicely rolled into Easter March Media Madness — The Agony, The Ecstasy and The Absurd.

Next Easter, will the Google Doodle commemorate Kevin Ware’s injury with basketballs in the Doodle’s two O’s?

WH Spokesman Carney Refuses to Condemn Obama Easter Preacher’s Racist, Political Remarks

During today’s White House press briefing, Fox News’ Ed Henry asked spokesman Jay Carney to respond to Rev. Luis Leon’s Easter sermon. President Obama was sitting in the pews at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Washington on Easter Sunday when Rev. Leon launched a racially tinged political attack on the so-called religious right.

Carney claimed ignorance, played the political equivalency card and refused to condemn Leon’s remarks at all.

ED HENRY: I want to ask about yesterday’s Easter mass. The president brought his family over to St. John’s as a lot of Republican and Democratic presidents have. Was he surprised, were you surprised that the Reverend Leon decided to get so political and attack members of the religious right, at one point saying that they want, quote, “blacks to be back in the back of the bus.” It seemed sort of odd for Easter. Were you surprised by that?

CARNEY: Well, I wasn’t there. And I have not spoken with the president, I know that he enjoys going to the Easter services with his family. And in-keeping with the tradition that dates back many presidencies, he went right across the park here to St. John’s and attended those services. I think it’s been noted that Reverend Leon has been there for quite some time. He gave the invocation at President George W. Bush’s second inaugural. So, again, I wasn’t there, I don’t have a characterization to make of his comments. The president was just attending Easter services with his family.

HENRY: He did speak at Bush’s inaugural. He also did the benediction at President Obama’s most recent inaugural and said something about loving thy neighbor, et cetera. Do you think this kind of language changes the tone in a positive way?

CARNEY: Well again, he is not a politician. This is not a senator, a member of congress, or the president. This is a sermon at a church here that has been visited by presidents of both parties for many years. I don’t have anything more on it for you.

Rev. Leon’s remarks have been the subject of public debate since Sunday afternoon. It isn’t plausible that no one in the White House is aware of them, since President Obama himself was sitting in the congregation when Rev. Leon made them. Carney could get a characterization of those remarks from none other than Barack Obama, but unfortunately Obama has cultivated a reputation for not listening in church.

Obama Finds Another Racist, Political Pastor

Most Easter church services dwell on three words: “He is risen!”

At the church that President Obama chose to attend on Easter, the three words were a bit different: “You’re a racist!”

Obama attended St. John’s Episcopal Church in DC, and according to the pool reporter, Rev. Luis Leon launched into at least one racist tirade.

“It drives me crazy when the captains of the religious right are always calling us back … for blacks to be back in the back of the bus … for women to be back in the kitchen … for immigrants to be back on their side of the border.”

It was Democrats who forced black Americans to the back of the bus during Jim Crow. No one is doing that now. No one is arguing for the second, either, and unless Rev. Walker wants all US borders erased, then there are sound reasons for respecting those borders. But facts haven’t mattered in America since 2008.

Question: Since Rev. Leon is using the pulpit in a partisan political attack, why isn’t his church’s tax-exempt status under investigation? Will the church report the sermon as an in-kind donation to the Democrats?

Obama has mostly avoided going to church during his tenure. Then he does go to church, and finds a preacher who gets political, like Obama’s 20-year mentor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, got political. What a coinkidink.

Eh, Obama probably didn’t hear Rev. Leon either.

FAU Professor In ‘Jesus Stomping’ Incident Placed On Administrative Leave

Anyone who has been following this story will be interested in a report from CBS News, Miami that is linked on Drudge:

BOCA RATON (CBS4) – The professor embroiled in a educational firestorm over his classroom practices has been placed on administrative leave.

Officials at Florida Atlantic University announced the move against Dr. Deandre Poole after receiving a complaint from student Ryan Rotella, who claims he was unfairly suspended from class for not writing the word ”Jesus” on a piece of paper and stomping on it as part of a class exercise.

The schools said removing Dr. Poole from the classroom was “for safety reasons” after the incident garnered a lot of media attention.

The controversy has even caught the attention of Governor Rick Scott, who called on University System Chancellor Frank Brogan to thoroughly investigate Rotella’s claims.

“As we enter the week memorializing the events of Christ’s passion, this incident gave me great concern over the lessons we are teaching our students,” Scott wrote in the letter.

Rotella, a deeply religious Mormon, told CBS12 that he was offended and refused to participate in the exercise.

“Anytime you stomp on something it shows that you believe that something has no value. So if you were to stomp on the word Jesus, it says that the word has no value,” said Rotella.

Rotella said he voiced his concerns to his teacher’s supervisor and later learned he was suspended from the class.

The report continues on to a second page that is available here.   Many readers who have closely followed this story have been waiting for some action regarding this professor and now it has finally happened. Of course what is not mentioned in this report is that the Professor is question is vice-chairman of the Palm Beach County Democrat Party. But that is ONLY a minor detail in the mainstream media.

President Morsi Smuggling Al-Qaeda Leader Zawahiri to Egypt?

According to a new report from the Arabic-language website Misr al-Gidida (New Egypt), during Egyptian president Muhammad Morsi’s recent visit to Islamabad, Pakistan, he secretly met with Ayman Zawahiri, the leader of the terrorist organization al-Qaeda, and promised to smuggle the Egyptian-born jihadi back home.  The Arabic report cites a Pakistani source saying that the meeting was clandestinely arranged, away from the delegation accompanying Morsi, and “facilitated by elements of Pakistani intelligence [ISI] and influential members of the international organization, the Muslim brotherhood” [all quotes translated from Arabic by author].

Morsi himself is a leader of the Muslim Brotherhood; Zawahiri is a former member who grew impatient with the Brotherhood’s tactics of non-violent patience and perseverance, eventually quitting the organization and joining the jihad, becoming its current leader.  (See “Ayman Zawahiri and Egypt: A Trip through Time” for an expose on Zawahiri and his decades-long connections to Egypt, the Salafis, and the Muslim Brotherhood.)

The Pakistani source adds that “the meeting lasted 45 minutes, during which Egyptian president Muhammad Morsi promised to make preparations for Ayman Zawahiri to return soon to Egypt, indicating that some Muslim Brotherhood members would handle the operation, by first smuggling the al-Qaeda leader to a Gulf nation, likely Qatar, and then easily transferring him to Egypt—on condition that Zawahiri disappear lest he embarrass Egypt’s ruling Muslim Brotherhood with its American ally, whose security and intelligence agencies consider Zawahiri most wanted.”…  Continue reading.

Egyptian Imam: “Islam’s flag will be raised above the White House”

A video recording from a recent Friday sermon in Egypt, where the imam swears to Allah several times that the flag of Islam will be raised above the White House of America, recently appeared on the Arabic Internet.  According to the imam preaching, all Muslims need do is be patient and continue working towards this goal.

I uploaded it and included subtitles on my YouTube account, below:

Just In Time for Easter, Burial Cloth of Jesus is Proven NOT to be a Medieval Forgery

What many believe is the burial cloth of Jesus, better known as the Shroud of Turin, is back in the news and not just because it is the start of Easter weekend.

A new book released today based on an extensive scientific study by Professor Giulio Fanti and journalist Saverio Gaeta, dates the Shroud of Turin to around the time when Jesus was crucified, which was thought to be 30 AD. These experiments were conducted at the University of Padua in Italy and debunk carbon dating experiments in 1988 that dated the Shroud to around 1500 AD.

However, the carbon dating has been questioned by many in the scientific community for decades since it was an outer piece of the Shroud that was tested — a piece that was added later after the Shroud survived a cathedral fire in the 1500’s. This same fire scorched the Shroud and left the distinctive burn marks on the outer edges as seen on the Shroud image above.

Here are scientific details about these new findings in the book as reported by the Vatican Insider:

What’s new about this book are Fanti’s recent findings, which are also about to be published in a specialist magazine and assessed by a scientific committee. The research includes three new tests, two chemical ones and one mechanical one. The first two were carried out with an FT-IR system, so using infra-red light, and the other using Raman spectroscopy. The third was a multi-parametric mechanical test based on five different mechanical parameters linked to the voltage of the wire. The machine used to examine the Shroud’s fibres and test traction, allowed researchers to examine tiny fibres alongside about twenty samples of cloth dated between 3000 BC and 2000 AD.

The new tests carried out in the Universityof Padua labs were carried out by a number of university professors from various Italian universities and agree that the Shroud dates back to the period when Jesus Christ was crucified in Jerusalem. Final results show that the Shroud fibres examined produced the following dates, all of which are 95% certain and centuries away from the medieval dating obtained with Carbon-14 testing in 1988: the dates given to the Shroud after FT-IR testing, is 300 BC ±400, 200 BC ±500 after Raman testing and 400 AD ±400 after multi-parametric mechanical testing. The average of all three dates is 33 BC  ±250 years. The book’s authors observed that the uncertainty of this date is less than the single uncertainties and the date is compatible with the historic date of Jesus’ death on the cross, which historians claim occurred in 30 AD.

Stay tuned because this could be a major breakthrough providing more proof that the Shroud of Turin really is the burial cloth of Jesus.

‘Jesus Stomp’ Story Continues With Governor Scott Applauding Student While Demanding Answers From FAU – And Some Suggested Class Lessons

Finally, Ryan Rotela the student hero of this ongoing “Jesus stomping” incident from Florida Atlantic University was vindicated as first reported by Fox News:

Florida Atlantic University (FAU) has issued a formal apology to a student that was facing academic charges after he complained about a professor who ordered the class to write the name “Jesus” on pieces of paper and then stomp on the paper.

Here in bold is my favorite part of FAU’s apology when Corey King, the university’s dean of students told Fox News:

“As a result, we feel it’s necessary to no longer offer this assignment or activity,” he said. “We did not anticipate the hurt and pain it would cause in the community.”

Well now it appears that FAU itself will continue to feel more “hurt and pain” as Florida Governor Rick Scott has reprimanded FAU and is requesting an incident report on the entire “Jesus stomping” incident from Frank Brogan, Chancellor of the Florida University System.

Governor Scott also had this to say about Ryan Rotela:

“I just spoke to Ryan Rotela and applauded him for having the courage to stand up for his faith,” Scott said in a statement. “I told him that it took great conviction and bravery to stand up and say what he was asked to do was wrong, and went against what he believed in.”

The blazing fire from this incident may be extinguished but the smoke will continue. This is because, as of this writing, Professor Poole still has his job teaching “Cultural Communications” at FAU.

So with that in mind, I recommend Professor Poole trash his existing “Cultural Communications” class lesson plans, and instead have his students study the dynamics of how this entire saga played out. Then his students might learn how “cultural communications” works in the real world. A world where just a few people have strongly held beliefs that they hold dear and are willing to stand up for, even fight and die for, if necessary.

The students would study the timeline of “hurt and pain” caused in the community by cultural insensitivity from an activist professor, who is also vice-chairman of the Palm Beach County Democratic Party.  Students would learn how the local and national community rose up to defend a brave student who was wronged, first by the professor and then by the university.

Those would-be cultural communications lessons might be worth thousands of dollars in student loans. But wait, the most meaningful and important class lessons are still to come.

In my first Tatler post on this story, I asked what if Professor Poole had requested his students stomp on the name Mohammed instead of Jesus’ name.

My new suggestion is for Poole’s students to write essays about what they think might have happened if they had been asked to do just that. Would the saga have taken a different turn?  Would their classroom have been torched?

Students must use some “cultural communications” imagination to complete this exercise.  They could also discuss the outcome if Professor Poole had asked them to stomp on the words “Torah” or “Jews” or “Gays” or “Obama” or “Martin Luther King.”

Most likely, if any of those names had been used instead of Jesus, students would have complained en mass. Then Professor Poole would have been fired immediately and that would have been the end of the story.

Finally, we have arrived at the most important class lesson.

In my second post I posed the question: “Why was there only one student in the class who found stomping on Jesus objectionable?”

The one student who did, Ryan Rotela also happens to be a devout Mormon. Rotela displayed, in the words of Governor Scott, “great conviction and bravery” when he refused the class stomp and told Professor Poole, “Never do the assignment again because it’s offensive.”

Rotela’s statement leaves one to conclude that the rest of his classmates proceeded to stomp on Jesus’ name, blindly following Professor Poole’s instructions whether they objected or not.

So now it’s time for the class to familiarize themselves with a German named Martin Niemöller (1892-1984).

Niemöller was a prominent Lutheran pastor who emerged as an outspoken public foe of Adolf Hitler and, as a result, spent seven years in Nazi concentration camps. He is best known for a series of quotations, which define for me (what has gone undefined up until this point), the class title itself, “Cultural Communications.”  Niemöller wrote:

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out–
Because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out–
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out–
Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me–and there was no one left to speak for me.

Therefore, I proclaim Ryan Rotela as the new Martin Niemoller of our time and Professor Poole’s students should remember both their names for the rest of their lives.

For now, Professor Poole’s “Jesus stomping” students should follow Governor Scott’s example and applaud Ryan Rotela. For Rotela, as the only student not afraid to speak out may in fact, be a rare breed. The sad truth is, as the dumbing down of our education system continues, there may not be anyone left who is bold enough to speak out.

FRC’s Tony Perkins on the Marriage Debate: ‘This is not about the marriage altar. It’s about fundamentally altering America.’

The Family Research Council’s Tony Perkins appeared on the Andrea Tantaros Show today. The topic: SCOTUS and same-sex marriage.

Perkins told Tantaros that the debate underway in the country and before the court is much larger than marriage.

“This ultimately not about the marriage altar,” Perkins said. “It’s about fundamentally altering America. And that’s why many people remain concerned about taking such a drastic policy change when this debate is so young, in the context of how we change policy in this country.”

Perkins outlined several ways in which the debate over same-sex marriage has already changed the rights of Christians involved in charity work and business.

“If we want to talk about rights, we can talk about rights that have been lost in those places where same-sex marriage has already been created,” Perkins said. “You’ve got the loss of religious freedom. Charities in Massachusetts that are no longer able to do the adoptions because of this. Here in DC, desperately needed social no longer provided because of this issue. Churches have been sued. Parents have lost the right to determine whose values their children will be taught in schools curriculum. Small business owners have and in some cases fined for not participating in same-sex marriage ceremonies because they were bakers or photographers. So you want to talk about rights, there’s rights on both sides of this.”

“The First Amendment versus the Fourteenth Amendment,” Tantaros said, noting that the First guarantees religious liberty while the Fourteenth guarantees equal protection under the law. “Who wins?”

“We’re talking about tinkering with 5,000 years of human history, certainly 230 years of history or more in this country when it comes to marriage law and all of the ramifications,” Perkins said. “I spent a decade in office and I can tell you, legislators move too quickly, judges move even quicker when it comes to changing policy like this without thinking about the unintended consequences. And there would be a number of unintended consequences that would come from imposing a fifty-state solution or even striking down California’s law. Because that would set up a domino challenge, I believe, to the other 29 states that have placed into their constitutions these protections of natural marriage.”

Perkins is a proponent of a Tenth Amendment solution, allowing the states to set marriage policies. He noted that states have voted 30-3 in favor of maintaining marriage as a union of one man and one woman.

Perkins warned that if the court goes too far, its ruling could become a fault line in America.

“We saw this forty years ago with Roe v Wade,” Perkins said. “The court overreached and interjected itself into something that only at that time about three states had actually voted on in terms of the people. And forty years later, that issue hasn’t been resolved and in fact what you did is you energized a generation of cultural activity surrounding that issue on both sides. So I think the court has that as a backdrop to this decision that they’re going to be making.”

Listen to the entire interview here.

Dana Loesh has collected several stories about Christian churches, charities and businesses who have already lost their rights in states that have enacted same-sex marriage.

The Andrea Tantaros Show is produced for Talk Radio Network by the  Fox and Rice Experience.

Florida Will Investigate ‘Jesus Stomp’ Professor

The state of Florida will now investigate why Florida Atlantic University Prof. Deandre Poole had students performing an anti-Christian ritual in class.

BOCA RATON, Fla. – State education officials will be taking a closer look at Florida Atlantic University today after Gov. Rick Scott responded to a controversial classroom exercise.

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Gov. Rick Scott wants a detailed report from state university system Chancellor Frank Brogan regarding the incident.

“Whether the student was reprimanded or whether an apology was given is in many ways (inconsequential) to the larger issue of a professor’s poor judgment,” Scott stated in a letter to Brogan. “The professor’s lesson was offensive, and even intolerant, to Christians and those of all faiths who deserve to be respected as Americans entitled to religious freedom.”

Muslim Brotherhood Thugs Turn Mosque Into Torture Chamber for Christians

The new Egypt: Worse than the old Egypt.

Islamic hard-liners stormed a mosque in suburban Cairo, turning it into torture chamber for Christians who had been demonstrating against the ruling Muslim Brotherhood in the latest case of violent persecution that experts fear will only get worse.

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Officials at the Bilal ibn Rabah Mosque said radical militias stormed the building, in the Cairo suburb of Moqattam, after Friday prayers.

“[We] deeply regret what has happened and apologize to the people of Moqattam,” mosque officials said in a statement, adding that “they had lost control over the mosque at the time.”

The statement also “denounced and condemned the violence and involving mosques in political conflicts.”

The latest crackdown is further confirmation that the Muslim Brotherhood’s most hard-line elements are consolidating control in Egypt, according to Shaul Gabbay, a professor of international studies at the University of Denver.

So, why again is the US government sending Egypt hundreds of millions of dollars and weapons?

Islamists’ treatment of mosques doesn’t get enough scrutiny in the media. Our infidel military goes out of its way to avoid even looking at a mosque the wrong way, but Islamists will bomb them, attack them, even turn them into prisons and torture chambers like the Muslim Brotherhood did in this case.

When I was in Baghdad in 2007, on a patrol with the US Army I visited a mosque run by some very unfriendly characters. The US military’s meeting with them felt like a scene out of a mob film. The local imam conducted the entire meeting like a mafia don eyeballing the cops. He had his junior capos around him, and he treated the military officers with open contempt. But for the Army’s training, the whole scene could’ve gotten ugly, quickly. Our men handled themselves with utmost grace and professionalism. The local don may have suspected that the military was about to arrest him, though, since just the week before, a missing man turned up as a prisoner inside that very mosque. He had been kidnapped, and his kidnappers had bound him and tortured him. The infidel Americans had freed him.

As a Baptist, I cannot even imagining turning my local church into a prison and using it to torture, say, a kidnapped Methodist.

In another moment of Islamic sectarian kumbayah, forces on one side of the Tigris — Sadr City — regularly lobbed mortars in the direction of Khadamiyah on the opposite side of the Tigris. They were trying to destroy a famous mosque that belonged to the Shiites, if I remember correctly. Every night they’d lob a few mortars at it just to see if they could do any damage to it. You could stand up on the roof of one of the buildings at FOB Justice after sunset and hear the thump-thump-thump of the mortars firing. The spray and pray tactic never did hit the mosque, but did hit an awful lot of houses and businesses.

As for Muslim Brotherhood Egypt:

“It will only get worse,” said Gabbay. “This has been a longstanding conflict, but now that the Muslim Brotherhood is in power, it is moving forward to implement its ideology – which is that Christians are supposed to become Muslims.

“There is no longer anything to hold them back,” he continued. “The floodgates are open.”

Alabama School Executes the Easter Bunny

In the guise of not offending anyone, an Alabama school has singled out Christians for offending during the week leading up to Christianity’s most important day.

There’s nothing religious about big bunnies toting colorful plastic eggs, but an Alabama elementary school is doing what they can to make sure they don’t offend anyone with an upcoming “academic egg hunt.”

Teachers at Heritage Elementary School in Madison, Ala., were informed Monday (March 25) their plans to have an “academic egg hunt” with their kindergarten and second grade students would need to be scrapped, according to a report from WHNT.com.

School Principal Lydia Davenport informed staff no activities related to or centered around any religious holiday would be allowed in the interest of religious diversity among students.

Parents are upset of course.

We should all grow up and be clear about something. There is no way that you can live in a community of any size and never ever offend anyone. It’s even more impossible, if such a concept exists, to not offend anyone when some people go around constantly looking for ways to be offended.

Being offended is a path to gaining power in our screwed up society. So some people will pursue offense, because it gives them power. It’s quicker and easier than actually achieving anything.

In this case, the school sought to cater to people who are professionally and perpetually offended. In seeking to avoid offending them, it has offended parents and kids who were just minding their own business. We have competing groups here, people who get strategically offended, and people who just want to be left alone. The latter never win.

Of course, the bunny and eggs aren’t the real issue. Most Christians don’t even care much about the bunny or the eggs. They’re distractions from what Easter is really about. The real issue is that the E-word is being made taboo.

The activity will go on, but with some changes. Teachers are being asked to use other different kinds of shapes besides eggs and to not mention the word “Easter.”

“Kids love the bunny and we just make sure we don’t say ‘the Easter bunny’ so that we don’t infringe on the rights of others because people relate the Easter bunny to religion; a bunny is a bunny and a rabbit is a rabbit,” Davenport said.

How does saying the word “Easter” infringe on anyone’s rights? How?

It only offends those looking to be offended. Placating them is conditioning people to turn their backs on traditions and faith.

Update: FAU Backs Down, Apologizes to Student Who Reported ‘Jesus Stomp’ Professor

Myra Adams has been covering this story for us, and sends along this update. The student in the “Jesus Stomp” professor case, Ryan Rotela, was removed from his class and threatened with punishment by Florida Atlantic University.

The university claimed that he had violated the student code when he reported his professor, Deandre Poole, for assigning students a task that had them stomp on a piece of paper with the name of Jesus written on it. In addition to being a professor, Poole is vice chairman of the Palm Beach Democratic Party.

After FAU threatened Rotela, a national outcry ensued, and it has had a great effect: The university is backing down and has apologized to Rotela.

“There will be no punishment,” said Hiram Sasser, Rotela’s attorney. “They are wiping the record clean for Ryan. They are reinstating him for a plan to complete the course without that professor.”

Sasser, the director of litigation for the Liberty Institute, told Fox News that the university was deeply apologetic.

“The university apologized profusely,” Sasser said. “One of the university officials told us lots of people were offended by the assignment and they were very sorry about that.”

Corey King, the university’s dean of students, told Fox News they could not comment on the specifics of the Rotela incident – but reiterated their remorse for the offensive class assignment.

“First and foremost, we are deeply sorry for any hurt regarding this incident, any insensitivity that may have been seen by the community and the greater community at large,” King said. “We are deeply sorry.”

I hope they are, but I’m much too cynical to believe them. Florida Atlantic University would have punished an innocent and brave student, if it could have. Its officials would have convinced themselves they had done the right thing.

Professor Poole’s assignment is rooted in one of history’s darker chapters of discrimination against Christians.

“Have the students write the name JESUS in big letters on a piece of paper,” the lesson reads. “Ask the students to stand up and put the paper on the floor in front of them with the name facing up. Ask the students to think about it for a moment. After a brief period of silence instruct them to step on the paper. Most will hesitate. Ask why they can’t step on the paper. Discuss the importance of symbols in culture.”

A similar exercise was used against Christians in 17th century Japan. If suspected Christians failed to stomp on an image of Jesus, they were often drowned or crucified. Or both — around 1614, seventy Christians were crucified upside down on a beach, to drown as they suffered. The Tokugawa shogunate used such punishments, and the fear they inspired, to crush Christianity and close Japan off to all foreign contact. Thousands were murdered by the state in what amounted to a Christian holocaust.

I mention all of that to point out that Poole’s assignment was not some benign attempt to get students to think. It was rooted in psychological abuse that historically progressed to brutality and murder. Its place in history is simply a fact. Poole may not have been aware of that history, or maybe he was. The university needs to investigate to find out just what Poole was really up to.

Deandre Poole still has his position with the Palm Beach Democratic Party.

‘Jesus Stomping’ Professor/ FAU Story Continues With Non-Apology, Then Apology and Now Charges Filed Against Student Who Complained

Just in time for Holy Week, this “Stomp Jesus” story has developed some intriguing twists and turns. To recap, here is a quick synopsis from last week’s Tatler post titled “‘Jesus Stomping’ FAU Professor is Democrat Party Vice-Chairman in Palm Beach County, FL”

A professor at Florida Atlantic University (FAU) Davie campus named Deandre Poole teaches an “Intercultural Communication” class from a textbook by the same name.  The textbook calls for an exercise where students write the name of Jesus in large letters on a piece of paper and then stomp on it.

Enter Ryan Rotela, a student in the class who happens to be a devout Mormon. Rotela refused to stomp and complained to Professor Poole, telling him, “Never do the assignment again because it’s offensive.”  Rotela also told the professor that he was going to complain to the university.  Then, according to Rotela, FAU responded by suspending him from Poole’s class.

FAU, when asked about the incident by local television station WPEC, then issued the following statement:

Faculty and students at academic institutions pursue knowledge and engage in open discourse. While at times the topics discussed may be sensitive, a university environment is a venue for such dialogue and debate.

Shortly after, it was first reported by a local Palm Beach County website called Biz Pac Review that Professor Poole is vice-chairman of the Democratic Party of Palm Beach County.  That news was greeted by a big yawn from most in the media. One can only imagine if the professor had been vice-chairman of the Palm Beach County Republican Party and students were made to stomp on any number of prominent religious figures, but that is another story.

OK, now you are up to speed on the news from last week, so here are the latest developments.

Late on Friday, March 22nd, Fox News and the Palm Beach Post, among others, reported that FAU finally had released a statement of apology:

FAU officials issued a statement of apology, saying the exercise was optional and that no students had been disciplined as a result of it.

“This exercise will not be used again,” the statement continued. “The University holds dear its core values. We sincerely apologize for any offense this caused. Florida Atlantic University respects all religions and welcomes people of all faiths, backgrounds and beliefs.”

But the story does not end there.

More on the next page.

“Obama in Israel: A Primer for Liberals”

Here’s Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch at HuffPo today:

President Obama’s three days in Israel were historic in many ways. It is worth emphasizing the full scope of his message, not merely those sound bites and snippets that were conveyed in the media. He reminded us why liberals fell in love with Israel, and why Israel is a liberal cause.

The Rabbi appears to be stuck in 1966.

Other than that, the audacity of wrongness from Hirsch has left me speechless. Somebody want to help me out here?

Obama Passover Message: About My Groundbreaking Trip to Israel…

President Obama patted himself on the back for his trip to Israel in his annual Passover message today:

As we prepare for our fifth Seder in the White House, Michelle and I send our warmest wishes to all those celebrating Passover here in America, in the State of Israel, and around the world.

Tonight, Jewish families will gather with family and friends to celebrate with songs, wine, and food. They will read from the Haggadah, and retell the story that makes this holiday so powerful.

Last week, I visited the state of Israel for the third time, my first as President. I reaffirmed our countries’ unbreakable bonds with Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Peres. I had the chance to speak directly with young Israelis about the future they wanted for their country, their region, and the world. And I saw once again how the dream of true freedom found its full expression in those words of hope from Hatikvah, lihyot ‘am chofshi be’artzeinu, “To be a free people in our land.”

Passover is a celebration of the freedom our ancestors dreamed of, fought for, and ultimately won. But even as we give thanks, we are called to look to the future. We are reminded that responsibility does not end when we reach the promised land, it only begins. As my family and I prepare to once again take part in this ancient and powerful tradition, I am hopeful that we can draw upon the best in ourselves to find the promise in the days that lie ahead, meet the challenges that will come, and continuing the hard work of repairing the world. Chag sameach.

New Climate Data Graph ‘Shows a World Stubbornly Refusing to Warm’

This graph should change the debate over global warming forever.

Pay close attention to what happens to the black line before and after the vertical white line. Everything to the left of that line was pieced together by global warming advocates after the fact. Their predictions going forward — to the right of the white line — have been proven wrong. If they were right, the black line would track with the pink and red areas. It doesn’t.

The source of this graph is the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

The effect of publishing this graph has been swift. Global warming advocates are backtracking.

Academics are revising their views after acknowledging the miscalculation. Last night Myles Allen, Oxford University’s Professor of Geosystem Science, said that until recently he believed the world might be on course for a catastrophic temperature rise of more than five degrees this century.

But he now says: ‘The odds have come down,’ – adding that warming is likely to be significantly lower.
Prof Allen says higher estimates are now ‘looking iffy’.

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Yesterday Piers Forster, Climate Change Professor at Leeds University, said: ‘The fact that global surface temperatures haven’t risen in the last 15 years, combined with good knowledge of the terms changing climate, make the high estimates unlikely.’

And Professor Judith Curry, head of climate science at the prestigious Georgia Institute of Technology, said: ‘The models are running too hot. The flat trend in global surface temperatures may continue for another decade or two.’

James Annan, of Frontier Research For Global Change, a prominent ‘warmist’, recently said high estimates for climate sensitivity now look ‘increasingly untenable’, with the true figure likely to be about half of the IPCC prediction in its last report in 2007.

Global warming as it has been sold politically by alarmists like Al Gore is science fiction. He got rich, the rest of us have gotten stuck with the tax and energy bills. Governments including our own have invested vast sums of money imposing a “greener” economy, based on previous predictions that have now turned out flat wrong.

President Obama intends to double down on his bad green investments while he kills off the US coal industry and imposes a regime that, in his own words, will cause energy prices to “skyrocket.” He and his EPA chiefs should be hauled to Congress for hearings, using the graph above as Exhibit A against them.