BORN IN THE USA?Hawaii governor can't find Obama birth certificate

HT:WND.BORN IN THE USA?Hawaii governor can't find Obama birth certificate.Suggests controversy could hurt president's re-election chances.Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie suggested in an interview published today that a long-form, hospital-generated birth certificate for Barack Obama may not exist within the vital records maintained by the Hawaii Department of Health. Abercrombie told the Honolulu Star Advertiser he was searching within the Hawaii Department of Health to find definitive vital records that would prove Obama was born in Hawaii, because the continuing eligibility controversy could hurt the president's chances of re-election in 2012. Donalyn Dela Cruz, Abercrombie's spokeswoman in Honolulu, ignored again today another in a series of repeated requests made by WND for an interview with the governor. Toward the end of the interview, the newspaper asked Abercrombie: "You stirred up quite a controversy with your comments regarding birthers and your plan to release more information regarding President Barack Obama's birth certificate. How is that coming?" In his response, Abercrombie acknowledged the birth certificate issue will have "political implications" for the next presidential election "that we simply cannot have."Suggesting he was still intent on producing more birth records on Obama from the Hawaii Department of Health vital records vault, Abercrombie told the newspaper there was a recording of the Obama birth in the state archives that he wants to make public.Abercrombie did not report to the newspaper that he or the Hawaii Department of Health had found Obama's long-form, hospital-generated birth certificate. The governor only suggested his investigations to date had identified an unspecified listing or notation of Obama's birth that someone had made in the state archives. "It was actually written, I am told, this is what our investigation is showing, it actually exists in the archives, written down," Abercrombie said. For seemingly the first time, Abercrombie frankly acknowledged that presidential politics motivated his search for Obama birth records, implying that failure to resolve the questions that remain unanswered about the president's birth and early life may damage his chance for re-election.Hmmm......Am i the only one who remembers this:"That statement from Okubo contradicted CNN U.S. President Jon Klein, who ordered host Lou Dobbs to quit discussing Obama's birth certificate on the air. Klein insisted the issue was "dead" because Obama's original long-form birth certificate had been destroyed by the Hawaii DOH in the conversion to electronic files."Read the full story here. More here.

Arizona Democratic Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords Shot and killed at Public Event!

Breaking News!Arizona Democratic Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords Shot and killed at Public Event! Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was shot along with three of her aides by a gunman Saturday morning outside a grocery store in Tucson while holding a public event, Fox News has confirmed.Twelve others were shot as well at Giffords' first public event called "Your Corner." The gunman is in custody.Giffords was taken to a hospital but the condition of those shot was not immediately known, a senior congressional aide told Fox News.Rep. Giffords, who is 40, is married to an astronaut. Jonathan Allen of Politico says that Giffords is involved with immigration and armed services issues.Congres woman shooting Update !At least four people are dead, University Medical Center spokesman Darci Slaten said.Her husband Mark Kelly scheduled to command the Shuttle Endeavor in April...he is reportedly on his way to Tuscon w their daughter. Read the story as it develops Here,Live update here.Video report here.

.The “Lady Caliphs” (video).

HT:CreepingSharia.The “Lady Caliphs” (video).An old clip from ESPN, but the glaring omissions to sell Islam to the masses is more evident now than it was when this post 9-11 clip was aired. The Lady Caliphs of W Deen Mohammed High School in Atlanta, Ga.“Take hope” seems to be what many Muslims are taught, not just the Lady Caliphs.A little background on W Deen Mohammed that ESPN failed to mention:Born in Chicago in 1933, Wallace Deen Muhammad (WDM) is the son of Elijah Muhammad, who was the leader of the Nation of Islam (NOI) for forty years (until his death in 1975). Wallace Deen Muhammad (also known as Warith Deen Muhammad, Wallace Delaney Muhammad, and Warithuddin Muhammad) began working for NOI after his graduation from high school.What could be being taught in these Middle Eastern funded schools? The name of the team itself, Lady Caliphs, dosen’t bode well for non-Muslims. A caliph is generally used to describe the leader of the Islamic ummah, that is ruled under sharia law.Read and see the full story here.

Shia leader Al-Sadr calls on Iraqis 'to resist'the US occupiers.

Shia leader Al-Sadr calls on Iraqis 'to resist'the US occupiers.Shia leader urges peaceful resistance and a rejection of violence in his first address since returning from exile.Muqtada al-Sadr, the Iraqi Shia Muslim religious leader, has called on his followers to resist the "occupiers" of Iraq.In his first public address since returning from self-imposed exile, he called on the newly formed government to make sure all US forces left Iraq by the end of the year as planned."We are still resisting the occupation through armed, cultural and all kinds of resistance, so repeat after me: no, no to occupiers," al-Sadr told a crowd of thousands outside his ancestral home in Najaf on Saturday."Yes, yes for Muqtada! Yes, yes for the leader!" the crowd shouted, waving Iraqi flags and al-Sadr's pictures.David J. Ranz, the spokesman for the US embassy in Iraq, brushed off al-Sadr's remarks, saying the speech contained "nothing new".A security agreement between Washington and Baghdad requires all US forces to be out of Iraq by the end of the year, but officials in both countries have admitted that security forces are not yet ready to protect Iraq's borders from possible invasion.Al Jazeera's Jane Arraf in Baghdad said that al-Sadr's message specified ending the occupation as a key goal."He made clear reference to fighting them [the US forces] with all means necessary ... but he also made clear that this is a more disciplined Sadr organisation," she said."He said breaches would not be tolerated and that Iraqis would not assassinate Iraqis ... altogether a much more determined, perhaps a more disciplined Muqtada al-Sadr."Police and al-Sadr's guards were out in force in Al-Hanana, the area of Najaf where al-Sadr's home is located, and where he spoke.Al-Sadr left Iraq at the end of 2006, according to his movement, and had reportedly been pursuing religious studies in the Iranian holy city of Qom. He returned to his home city of Najaf on Wednesday.Iraq's new government, which was finally approved by parliament on December 21 after nine months of delays, includes six ministers from Sadr's bloc and the popular leader said that it must be given a chance to perform. "The government is new, so we should give it a chance to prove it is at the service of the people," Sadr said.Ali Al-Saffar, the deputy editor and Iraq analyst at the Economist Intelligence Unit, said that al-Sadr's remarks about the government were probably more significant than the rhetoric about resistance."I think Muqtada al-Sadr has realised that times have changed since he left Iraq," he told al Jazeera from London.Hmmmmm.....More important is the question "What is Turkey's (IRAN's) Role in this"?related:"Iraq's Shiite radical leader Moqtada al-Sadr on Saturday met with some 70 co-religionists in Istanbul, including members of the Iraqi parliament."He met Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan first for talks on "security in Iraq and the promotion of links between the parties," according to a Turkish diplomat who spoke on condition of anonymity."Once Again i strongly recommend "GET TURKEY OUT OF NATO!"They are the ennemy within the Western defence!And what and how much exactly does the Obama administration know about all this?Read the full story here.

China: No Need to Verify, Just Trust Us.Americans are frustrated with China.

HT:BigPeace.China: No Need to Verify, Just Trust Us.Americans are frustrated with China. Big time. The most recent leaks of State Department documents reveal Peking with explicit complicity in arming Iran with ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons technology. An article also appeared in the Washington Post calling attention to the major advancements China has made in ballistic missile technology, including rockets capable of attacking American aircraft carriers at distances up to and beyond 1000 kilometers.Americans rightfully are asking, “Were not the Chinese going to help us with sanctions against Iran? Didn’t they vote for the UN sanctions? Does such a report run counter to the conventional narrative that despite some small lapses, the PRC is really helping the US counter such proliferation?”Well, Americans are right to have doubts. Chinese “cooperation” is a pile of largely false promises. It reminds one of the story about a priest who enters the monastery and prays to God to “let me be chaste, but not yet!”What do the facts show? Let’s review just the past few years the highlights of Peking’s actions.Chinese airports are used to trans-ship North Korean armaments to Iran. For some reason, the excuse we hear is that China is unaware of such activity and is just “not looking” in the right direction. On November 30, the Wall Street Journal had a hysterical news story how China’s inspectors were just not doing an adequate interdiction job. The headline was China was looking “in the wrong direction.” What, they could not figure out which of the planes at their airports were North Korean?They even had folks at the Arms Control Association fooled. China says ACA, is only guilty of “benign neglect,” don’t you see? Nothing to worry about here. Apparently, it did not occur to them that China is helping ship missiles to Iran from North Korea deliberately.When it was revealed such rockets from North Korea have a range around 3500-4000 kilometers, we were initially told not to worry. We are assured that these new missiles could indeed allow Iran for the first time to reach Western Europe but well, the Iranians do not have the technology to build small nuclear weapons of the size that could be mated with such rockets. Oh, I really am feeling better already! What good news.But then just a few days later, Global Security Newswire reported North Korea was working on making smaller nuclear weapons capable of being mated to their current rocket inventory which of course includes the BM-25. And their current rocket inventory is being shipped to Iran. Oops!Unfortunately, there is a pattern that cannot be ignored. The Chinese regime believes it has a right to rule the world. It reacts menacingly to perceived slights and blacklists those it deems not sufficiently supportive—panda-huggers as they are known.Some analysts see their enhanced military capabilities as nothing more than part of their ocean port projects in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Burma, Cambodia and Timor. But these projects are the first installment of future Chinese hegemonic actions. China has a thirst for petroleum and natural gas that is second to none in the world. It is securing not just access to such resources but a guaranteed supply. Their military will follow the port projects and that will be the key signature on all energy deals they are now making—whether off the coast of Brazil or Cuba. The oil is theirs, period.Proliferation of the most dangerous kinds of weapons and the missiles to deliver them are part of this strategy. Arm America’s adversaries and give China a free hand as much as possible.And then add to that the following “top 25 Chinese hegemonic hits”.Read the full story here.

.IPT.Why Are American Muslim Groups So Quiet About the Assassination of Pakistani Governor?

HT:BigPeace.IPT.Why Are American Muslim Groups So Quiet About the Assassination of Pakistani Governor?American-Muslim groups were swift to issue statements condemning New Year’s Eve bombing attacks at a Nigerian army barracks and at a Coptic church in Alexandria, Egypt. But those same groups have been silent since Tuesday’s assassination of a moderate Pakistani governor over a religious dispute as Islamists rejoice and hail the killer as a hero.JeI leader Munawar Hasan blamed the victim, saying “Salman Taseer was himself responsible for his killing. Any Muslim worth the name could not tolerate blasphemy of the Prophet, as had been proved by this incident.
”Sindh Asadhullah Bhutto, head of a JeI branch, told a news conference that Qadri “is a pious man and will go directly to heaven.”Bhutto then said that Aasia Bibi, the Catholic woman Taseer defended who is facing execution for alleged blasphemy “will suffer the same fate if the punishment awarded to her by the court for using derogatory remarks against Hazrat Mohammed Mustafa (PBUH) is not implemented.”American Muslim groups which advocate interfaith dialogue can benefit from taking a stand for Taseer and Bibi.The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) called the New Year’s Eve bombings “cowardly” attacks meant “to harm long-term relations between Muslims and Christians.” But its officials have endorsed blasphemy laws as recently as 2006.During a news conference in the wake of the riots protesting the publication of cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad, then-CAIR Chairman Parvez Ahmed said Muslim outrage about the cartoons was justified, but that “Violence is not justified. Peaceful protest is justified. Harmful, destructive behavior of properties is not justified.”Still, he indicated that expanding hate-crime laws to cover speech might not be enough. Policy makers should “even contemplate about passing blasphemy laws,” he said, citing icons including the Quran and the Prophet Muhammad which have been ridiculed. “So governments, legislatures, international bodies … must contemplate about what are the ways in which an anti-blasphemy law can be passed that can protect the right to exercise freedom of religion.”CAIR officials declined an invitation to appear on the “O’Reilly Factor” last month to discuss the Bibi case.Those officials normally do not hesitate to weigh in on foreign affairs when it suits them, condemning burka bans in France and Tunisia, and issuing almost daily statements Israel’s 2009-10 fight against Hamas in Gaza. But the pattern of selective outrage is well-established. The 2004 murder of Dutch filmmaker Theo Van Gogh after he produced a short film, “Submission,” which was critical of Islam’s treatment of women, drew no condemnation. The same goes for threats that have followed Van Gogh’s partner in that project, Aayan Hirsi Ali.When CAIR national spokesman Ibrahim Hooper mentions Hirsi Ali, it is to dismiss her, saying “her message is one of bigotry, not one of mutual understanding” and calling her ‘just one more Muslim-basher on the lecture circuit.”The Muslim Public Affairs Council, which has stood up for free speech, hasn’t issued any statement on Taseer’s killing or what it means for Pakistan’s future. The same goes for the Islamic Society of North America.A looming “descent into chaos” in Pakistan will only make the challenge in the fight against terror greater. A few press releases aren’t going to change that. But a united front among Muslim communities around the world that – while they may be offended by things written or said about their faith – killing the offenders is worse. That would be an important statement for tolerance and modernity.Hmmmm.....He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it. Martin Luther King, Jr."Read the full story here.

No Burqa on the Greyhound Bus?

No Burqa on the Greyhound Bus?A Chicago woman says she was denied travel on a Greyhound bus last month while wearing a full burqa and is looking for reimbursement from the company.
Jacqueline Pasha said she's traveled by Greyhound for years and was floored when an agent wouldn't let her board an Arkansas-bound bus to visit her family for the holidays last month."She said, 'You look scary. There's too much going on in the world today for you to be dressed like that. I can't see your face,'" the 31-year-old recalled.Pasha said she offered to show her face to any female employee in private."I said, 'Ma'am, I'll show you my face, no problem.' She said, 'You might have something under there.' I said, 'You can search me in a separate room, said recounted.
Ultimately, the newly-married woman who has been a Muslim for about five years was sent home with her tickets and a suitcase full of gifts for her three children.Pasha and her husband were in Chicago to find a new home, and her husband was going to continue the search for the roughly two weeks that Pasha was with her family.Since the Dec. 20 incident, the couple has racked up bills for food and hotels. The couple wants Greyhound to reimburse them for those expenses and the unused bus ticket.A Greyhound spokesman denies Pasha's claim."The customer who contacted you had a non-refundable ticket for travel on that specific day and when the customer indicated she no longer wanted to travel that day, we reissued her ticket," said Bonnie Bastian, a Greyhound manager of media relations. "At no point did we refuse to allow her to travel on our buses."The Department of Human Rights is investigating and is expected to return a legal opinion soon.Hmmmm....Another "Milkcow" is "Discovered"?Read the full story here.

Iraq - Seats In Iraqi Parliament Sold To Highest Bidder.

Iraq - Seats In Iraqi Parliament Sold To Highest Bidder.Under the Iraqi constitution, an MP appointed as minister must relinquish his or her seat in parliament, and party leaders are then free to fill the vacancy with candidates who ran for parliament but were not elected. An Iraqi MP earns more than $100,000 a year, and is also entitled to a generous package of benefits, including a housing allowance and salaries for personal guards, often recruited from among the MP's friends and relatives. After four years of service, an MP receives a pension for life; moreover, he and his family are entitled to diplomatic passports during his term and for 10 years after that. Hence, there is fierce competition over the vacated parliamentary seats, and candidates often pay large sums to be selected.
Hmmmm......Obama ...." If We Work Hard, Afghanistan Could Be a SUCCES like Iraq".Read the full story here

Offensive Jihad Is Permissible to Secure Islam's Borders, to Extend God's Religion, and...to Remove Every Religion but Islam from the Arabian Peninsula"

HT:TranslatingJihad.IslamOnline.net: "Offensive Jihad Is Permissible to Secure Islam's Borders, to Extend God's Religion, and...to Remove Every Religion but Islam from the Arabian Peninsula".IslamOnline.net is listed as the 6th most popular Islamic website in the world. And yet, Western apologists of Islam assure us that the overwhelming majority of Muslims are peaceful, and that Islam rejects offensive jihad.Fighting Against Non-Muslims -- Legitimacy and Rulings. islamonline.net, 8 Jan 2011.

1. Q: When is it permissible to fight against non-Muslims, and when is it not permissible? Please elaborate.
2. Mufti: Dr. 'Imad Mustafa, Professor of Fiqh and Its Origins, at the Universities of al-Azhar and Umm al-Qary.In the name of God, praise be to God, and prayers and peace be upon the prophet of God, etc.:Fighting against non-Muslims is what is known in Islamic jurisprudence as Jihad in the path of God. Jihad is a prescribed duty in cases of aggression from the infidels against Muslims, for we must resist them, make jihad against them, and defend against them. This is according to the text of the Qur'an, for Almighty God has said: "Fight in the way of Allah those who fight you but do not transgress. Indeed. Allah does not like transgressors" (Qur'an 2:190). This type of jihad is known as defensive jihad, and it is a duty agreed to by all Islamic scholars and all who are wise, and is endorsed in our day by recognized international charters. However, the occupier and his associates have come to label this "terrorism."Then there is another type of fighting against the non-Muslims known as offensive jihad. Islamic scholars have differed on the issue of offensive jihad, which is to pursue the infidels into their own land without any aggression or assistance to him. Some scholars have gone as far to say that this jihad is illegitimate, while others have gone as far as to say that it is legitimate and even required.However there can be no disagreement that offensive jihad is not totally prohibited, for two schools [of Islamic jurisprudence] have ruled that offensive jihad is permissible in order to secure Islam's border, to extend God's religion to people in cases where the governments do not allow it, such as the Pharaoh did with the children of Israel, and to remove every religion but Islam from the Arabian peninsula, and to save the captive and weak. [...]Hmmmm......"However, the occupier and his associates have come to label this "terrorism."Could it be any clearer?No more "Misunderstanders of Islam but in the name of Islam!Read the full story here.

Ground Zero Mosque Imam Abdallah Adhami links to Anti-American Imam Al-Hajj Talib Abdur-Rashid and Terror Supporter Imam Siraj Wahhaj.

HT:pibillwarner.Ground Zero Mosque Imam Abdallah Adhami links to Anti-American Imam Al-Hajj Talib Abdur-Rashid and Terror Supporter Imam Siraj Wahhaj.Imam Abdallah Adhami voluntarily undertook to design the Masjid At-Taqwa where terror supporter Imam Siraj Wahhaj is the Imam. Ground Zero Mosque Imam Abdallah Adhami links to terror supporter Siraj Wahhaj.Imam Abdallah Adhami, 44, links to a series of prior address’s in the USA such as Rego Park NY near Queens Blvd., Santa Ana CA, Englewood NJ, Teaneck NJ and East Northport NY on Long Island, there is also another name linked to his Social Security Number which was issued in New York State in 1983 (appears he changed his name). There are also some legal problems Imam Abdallah Adhami encountered while in Orange County CA. From a background check of Imam Abdallah Adhami there is a phone number linked to his name that appears to be the phone number for the Queens College Muslim Students Association (MSA), see MCN Community Directory – Mosques and Islamic Centers – Jan 14 : 718-592-8126. Queens College MSA. Student Union. 65-30 Kissena Blvd. Flushing , NY 11367.Hmmmm.....The main contact for the Deen Intensive program is Nazim Baksh. By the end of 1998, Deen Intensives had already taken place in New Mexico, Toronto, New Haven, New Jersey, England, Michigan, and California.These programs are designed to attract impressionable youth yearning for knowledge and religious fulfillment. They attract young Muslims to “traditional” Islam and retreats to secluded. Some of the rihlas that were organized in the past include:1998 – Fez, Morocco that included Jamal az-Azahabi, Abdullah Adhami, Hamza Yusuf and the teacher of Hamza Yusuf from Mauritania. Last known residence Damascus, Syria, with his wife and son.Co signer of the Amman Message as quote “Islamic Missionary and Scholar”."We do not want to take over your country"?Read the full story here.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Helped ‘Plant the Seeds’ for ‘Environmental Justice Movement,’ Says Attorney General Holder.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Helped ‘Plant the Seeds’ for ‘Environmental Justice Movement,’ Says Attorney General Holder.Attorney General Eric Holder on Friday said Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. helped “plant the seeds” of the “environmental justice movement,” which Holder called a “civil rights issue” that is a “high priority” for the Justice Department.“In 2011, the burden of environmental degradation still falls disproportionately on low-income communities and communities of color, and most often on their youngest residents: our children, my children,” he told the audience at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington.“This is unacceptable. And it is unconscionable. But through the aggressive enforcement of federal environmental laws in every community, I believe that we can – and I know that we must – change the status quo.”Holder, the keynote speaker at the event which also featured EPA administrator Lisa Jackson, said “environmental justice” is also a “personal calling.”“I want you to know that – at every level of the Justice Department, just like here at the EPA – this work is a top priority,” he said, adding, “and, for me, it is also a personal calling,” he said.Hmmmm....Something tells me the Obama administration has found the Goose that lays the Golden eggs,this money will flow trough the ex Shorebank now Urban Partnership Bank and .......follow the money!$ 1 Billion is a lot of money for a re -election!The MAIN PRIORITY !Read the full story here.

Obama Eyeing Internet ID for Americans.

Obama Eyeing Internet ID for Americans.STANFORD, Calif. - President Obama is planning to hand the U.S. Commerce Department authority over a forthcoming cybersecurity effort to create an Internet ID for Americans, a White House official said here today. It's "the absolute perfect spot in the U.S. government" to centralize efforts toward creating an "identity ecosystem" for the Internet, White House Cybersecurity Coordinator Howard Schmidt said. That news, first reported by CNET, effectively pushes the department to the forefront of the issue, beating out other potential candidates including the National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security. The move also is likely to please privacy and civil liberties groups that have raised concerns in the past over the dual roles of police and intelligence agencies. The announcement came at an event today at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research, where U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke and Schmidt spoke. The Obama administration is currently drafting what it's calling the National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace, which Locke said will be released by the president in the next few months. (An early version was publicly released last summer.)"We are not talking about a national ID card," Locke said at the Stanford event. "We are not talking about a government-controlled system. What we are talking about is enhancing online security and privacy and reducing and perhaps even eliminating the need to memorize a dozen passwords, through creation and use of more trusted digital identities." The Commerce Department will be setting up a national program office to work on this project, Locke said. Details about the "trusted identity" project are unusually scarce. Last year's announcement referenced a possible forthcoming smart card or digital certificate that would prove that online users are who they say they are. These digital IDs would be offered to consumers by online vendors for financial transactions.Hmmm....The original idea of the card came from Microsoft boss Bill Gates after seeing years ago the new Belgium micro chipped identity card!With such a card logging on a public computer would still tell the Gov who's on that computer.Big Brother in overdrive?Read the full story here.

Pakistan: With Salmaan Taseer out of way, Sherry Rehman next target of Taliban.

HT:AhmadiyyaTimes.Pakistan: With Salmaan Taseer out of way, Sherry Rehman next target of Taliban.Praising the commando of Pakistan's elite force Mumtaz Qadri for assassinating Punjab Governor Salaam Taseer, the Taliban warned that all those who opposed the blasphemy law would meet a similar fate.Angered by the governor's opposition to a controversial blasphemy law, Qadri shot him in a market as Islamabad on Tuesday. The blasphemy law was introduced by Pakistani military ruler General Muhammad Zia-ul Haq in 1980s.Under the law, anyone who speaks ill of Islam and the Prophet Mohammad commits a crime and faces the death penalty but activists say the vague terminology has led to its misuse.Only recently, Pakistan People's Party leader and former information minister Sherry Rehman submitted a bill in the national assembly to amend the blasphemy law.Talking about amendment in the law TTP spokesperson Ihsanullah Ihsan said, "Our next target is Sherry Rehman who introduced the bill to the Parliament She wants to make amendments in religion. Other politicians who supported this move are also on our radar. All secular lawmakers and politicians should know that we monitor their activities and we can target them any time."Ihsan added, "Mumtaz Qadri, the killer of Salman Taseer is hero for all the Muslims. He has encouraged Muslims around the world and Taliban appreciates his efforts. He gave a message to the world that whoever insulted the Prophet would not be spared."The Taliban spokesperson criticised those who attended Taseer's funeral. "Under Islamic law no one should offer prayers at a funeral." Allama Afzal Chisti of Ulema Wing of PPP led the funeral prayers on Wednesday.Interior Minister Rehman Malik also advised Rehman, a former journalist, to leave the country for her own safety. Malik told her on phone to leave the country at the earliest because “fanatics are hell bent to take her life due to her views on blasphemy laws.”Malik cited intelligence reports that extremists were after her and advised her to go abroad for the time being. Rehman, however, refused to leave the country. She told Malik that she would not be attending the National Assembly session due to inadequate security in the federal capital. She also told Malik that she felt more secure in Karachi than in Islamabad.Pakistan's anti-blasphemy law has been in the spotlight since November when a court sentenced a Christian mother of four to death, in a case that has exposed deep rifts in the troubled Muslim nation.Hmmmm....."The Religion of Peace".Read the full story here.More here.

WikiLeaks demands Google and Facebook unseal US subpoenas

WikiLeaks demands Google and Facebook unseal US subpoenas.Call comes after it emerges that US has tried to force Twitter to release WikiLeaks members' private details.WikiLeaks has demanded that Google and Facebook unseal any US court subpoenas they have received after it emerged that a court in Virginia had ordered Twitter secretly to hand over details of accounts and use of the micro-blogging site by five figures associated with the group, including Julian Assange.Amid strong evidence that a US grand jury has begun a wideranging trawl for details of what networks and accounts WikiLeaks used to communicate with Bradley Manning, the US serviceman accused of stealing hundreds of thousands of sensitive government cables, some of those named in the subpoena said they would fight disclosure."Today, the existence of a secret US government grand jury espionage investigation into WikiLeaks was confirmed for the first time as a subpoena was brought into the public domain," WikiLeaks said in a statement today.The writ, approved by a court in Virginia in December, demands that the San Franscisco based micro-blogging site hand over all details of accounts and private messaging on Twitter – including the computers and networks – used by five individuals.Those include WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, Manning, Icelandic MP Brigitta Jonsdottir and Dutch hacker Rop Gonggrijp. Three of those – Gonggrijp, Assange and Jonsdottir – were named as "producers" of the first significant leak from the US cables cache, a video of an Apache helicopter attack that killed civilians and journalist in Baghdad.The broad-reaching legal document also targets an account held by Jacob Applebaum, a US computer programmer whose computer and phones were examined by US officials in July after he was stopped returning from Holland to the US.The court issuing the subpoena said it believed that it believed that there were "reasonable grounds" to believe Twitter held information "relevant and material to an ongoing criminal investigation."It also ordered Twitter not to notify the targets of the subpoena, which the company successfully challenged.The court order crucially demands that Twitter hand over details of source and destination Internet Protocol addresses used to access the accounts, which would help investigators identify how the named individuals communicated with each other, as well as email addresses used.The emergence of the subpoena appears to confirm for the first time the existence of a secret grand jury empanelled to investigate whether individuals associated with WikiLeaks, and Assange in particular, can be prosecuted for alleged conspiracy with Manning to steal the classified documents."I think I am being given a message, almost like someone breathing in a phone," Jonsdottir said in a Twitter message.Twitter has declined comment on the claim, saying only that its policy is to notify its users, where possible, of government requests for information.
The subpoena itself is an unusual one known as a 2703(d) which a recent Federal appeals court ruled was insufficient to order the disclosure of the contents of communication. Significantly, however, that ruling is binding in neither Virginia – where it was issued – or in San Francisco where Twitter is based.Assange has promised to fight the order, as has Jonsdottir, who said in a Twitter message that she had "no intention to hand my information over willingly".Gonggrijp praised Twitter for notifying him and others that the US had subpoenaed his details. "It appears that Twitter, as a matter of policy, does the right thing in wanting to inform their users when one of these comes in," Gonggrijp said. "Heaven knows how many places have received similar subpoenas and just quietly submitted all they had on me."Read the full story here.

Twitter Subpoenaed by U.S. Government for Wikileaks Accounts.

Twitter Subpoenaed by U.S. Government for Wikileaks Accounts.The U.S. government has asked Twitter to hand over private messages sent to and from WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and other WikiLeaks staffers. In all likelihood, it's also contacting other web services Assange may have used to get contact details and personal information about Assage's activities and supporters.
According to a report just filed by The New York Times, Twitter has been subpoenaed by the U.S. government in connection to the ongoing WikiLeaks investigation.Twitter, like most web companies, has a "spy guide," documents pertaining to compliance with request from governments and law enforcement into criminal investigations. These requests are supposed to be accompanied by subpoenas or warrants.According to Twitter's specific guide [PDF], "In accordance with our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service, non-public information about Twitter users is not released unless we have received a subpoena, court order or other legal process document." Such requests would only be valid if sent by law enforcement.In this particular case, every indication would point to the speedy release of Assange's direct messages and other data to the U.S. government.The court ordered Twitter to surrender the above information for accounts belonging to Assange, WikiLeaks, Pfc. Bradley Manning (widely suspected to be the original source responsible for transfering cables to WikiLeaks), and several WikiLeaks associates and volunteers, including Birgitta Jonsdottir, Rop Gongrijp, and San Francisco-based programmer Jacob Appelbaum.Google and other web and social media services all have the same kinds of spy guide documents governing compliance; we'd be shocked if Twitter was the only company that got a WikiLeaks-related court order to surrender information. And we're pretty sure other services have much more sensitive information on Assange et al.Hmmmmm......"A Tweet to far"?Read the full story here.

Unfortunately, Obamacare Is Not Going To Be Repealed In 2010.

HT:TheAmericanDream.Unfortunately, Obamacare Is Not Going To Be Repealed In 2010, It Is Not Going To Be Repealed In 2011 And There Is A Good Chance That It May Never Be Repealed.Right now the mainstream media is paying a lot of attention to the effort by Republicans in the House of Representatives to repeal the health care reform law that Barack Obama and the Democrats crammed down the throats of the American people during the last session of Congress. House Republicans are calling their legislation the "Repealing the Job-Killing Health Care Law Act", and the House of Representatives is expected to pass the legislation on January 12th. However, there are two huge problems. One is that Democrats control the U.S. Senate and they have declared that there is not a chance in the world that a repeal of the health care reform law will get through them. Secondly, even if a repeal of the health care law did somehow magically get to Barack Obama's desk, he has sworn that he would veto it. So unfortunately, Obamacare is not going to be repealed any time soon.So what do the American people think about all of this?Well, according to a Gallup Poll released this week, 46 percent of Americans are in favor of repealing Obamacare while 40 percent of Americans do not want it repealed.The numbers are pretty close. Republicans overwhelmingly want it repealed while Democrats overwhelmingly want to keep the new health care law.But perhaps someone should be paying attention to what doctors are saying about this new legislation. This new health care law is driving thousands upon thousands of American doctors out of the profession. In fact, according to one absolutely stunning new poll, 40 percent of all U.S. doctors plan to bail out of the profession over the next three years.Considering the fact that the U.S. was already facing a very serious shortage of doctors over the next several decades, this has the potential to be a national crisis of mammoth proportions.Today, there are nearly a million practicing physicians in the United States. So what in the world is going to happen if several hundred thousand of them actually do throw up their hands and head for the exits?Yes, this is really happening. The U.S. health care system is actually starting to come apart at the seams.Sadly, there is absolutely no chance that the new health care law is going to be repealed in the next two years. If Barack Obama wins in 2012, that will mean that we are facing at least six years until it has any chance of being repealed.Meanwhile, this new health care law is going to be savagely ripping apart our health care system and our entire economy.But this is the new Amerika - where "The American Dream" is rapidly becoming "The American Nightmare".Hmmmm......"Change you can see"?And once America is completely disintegrating who will "Controll" what is left?Read the full story here.

Mysterious Bird Deaths Mapped on Google.

Mysterious Bird Deaths Mapped on Google.The story out of Arkansas late last week that 5,000 blackbirds had fallen out of the sky over Beebe, a small town in the northwest part of the state, had people scratching their heads. What caused the mysterious deaths? Google's custom mapping features were put to use yesterday afternoon to build a map that highlights dozens of similar incidents that have taken place around the world this month. Most of the mass bird deaths have happened over the United States, but reports are also coming out of Sweden, the Philippines, Italy and many other countries.The map provides a quick read on what places have been affected, but it could also help to solve the conundrum. One reader left comments suggesting that the map could be superimposed over a current global oil exploration map to test the hypothesis that the deaths could have been caused by ground penetrating tomography.View -- and interact with -- the map here.Hmmmm....Something poisonous traveling along the Jet stream?Read the full story here.

ObamaCare Exceeds the Limits of Congressional Authority. Judge Miffed.

HT:NewsRealBlog.ObamaCare Exceeds the Limits of Congressional Authority. Judge Miffed.One of the first orders of business for the 112th Congress is for the new House to fulfill its campaign promise to pass a repeal of ObamaCare. This will be a vain effort, however, as repeal will likely die in the Senate. But even if repeal were to get through the Senate, President Obama would surely veto a repeal of ObamaCare.The better way for ObamaCare to be struck down is not by repeal, but by appeal: appeal to the courts. A Supreme Court decision on the constitutionality of ObamaCare would set huge precedents having far-reaching ramifications. The end of the first major skirmish in the legal war came December 13 with U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson’s decision in Virginia v. Sebelius. For ObamaCare, Friday the 13th came on a Monday.Created by the states, the federal government is a government of enumerated powers. The 10th Amendment makes this clear. But the Constitution does not specifically grant to the feds the power to do much of what they do. The feds therefore must find that power somewhere in the Constitution. So they invoke the Commerce Clause or the General Welfare Clause or something to justify what they do. But there must be limits to what the feds can do; otherwise America degenerates into just another totalitarian state. Where those limits are was the question before Judge Hudson, who ruled that the Minimum Essential Coverage Provision (Section 1501) of ObamaCare — better known as the “individual mandate” — is unconstitutional. Page 37 of Hudson’s decision:Congress lacked power under the Commerce Clause … to compel an individual to involuntarily engage in a private commercial transaction, as contemplated by the Minimum Essential Coverage Provision. … The unchecked expansion of congressional power to the limits suggested by the Minimum Essential Coverage Provision would invite unbridled exercise of federal police powers.Hmmmm......No to tyranny !Read the full story here.

Islamist Minister of of Religious Affairs Suryadharma Ali – ‘Religious Freedom Doesn’t Apply to Ahmadiyah Dissenters.

HT:RossRightAngle.Islamist Minister of of Religious Affairs Suryadharma Ali – ‘Religious Freedom Doesn’t Apply to Ahmadiyah Dissenters.’.But meanwhile, RRA’s ‘old friend’ Suryadharma Ali, Minister for Religious Affairs, has stirred up another row by honouring, among others, West Nusa Tenggara Governor Zainul Majdi, the man who has been hounding Ahmadiyah.As the Jakarta Globe reported 6th January, ‘critics have lashed out at the Ministry of Religious Affairs for recently handing out awards to Muslim leaders, saying it unduly favored Islam over other faiths.The ministry on Monday presented awards to six governors and 10 district heads and mayors for “explicitly including Islamic education in regional bylaws.” Recipients included the governors of Bangka-Belitung, Jakarta, Yogyakarta, East Java, West Nusa Tenggara and South Sulawesi…..Ismail Hasani, a senior researcher at the Setara Institute for Democracy and Peace, said the ministry “showed favoritism” by handing out the awards.“It’s supposed to be the Religious Affairs Ministry, not the Islamic Affairs Ministry,” Ismail said on Tuesday. “I fear that the objectivity of the country’s public officials has been compromised,” he added. “They no longer work for all groups in society, but rather they see things based on the dichotomy of majority and minority….Zainul is an Islamic cleric whose grandfather founded Nahdlatul Wathan, the biggest Islamic organization in the province,” Ismail said. “Now he has ambitions to build the country’s biggest Islamic center there, for which he’s already had two schools bulldozed. Not to mention he’s already quarantined the Ahmadiyah.”Hmmm.....Obama "Indonesia is an example of religious tolerance".Read the full story here.

Pakistan: Incitement | Man who offered reward for killing Taseer arrested.

Pakistan: Incitement | Man who offered reward for killing Taseer arrested.MULTAN: Khangarh police on Tuesday arrested a man who had announced a Rs20 million prize for whoever would kill Governor Salmaan Taseer. Sardar Ebaad Dogar had made the announcement at a rally organised last Friday against proposals to amend or reform the blasphemy laws.Talking to The Express Tribune after the rally, Dogar had said that he felt no embarrassment in making the announcement.He had said he would raise the reward to Rs30 million if someone from Khangarh would kill Taseer.Dogar had served as Khangarh’s district nazim on a Pakistan Muslim League-Q ticket. He was accused of association with banned organisation Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan before joining the PML-Q.The police have shifted him to unidentified location and started interrogation.Hmmmm.....Can they arrest the Clerics who called for the killing of the Blasphemer?Read the full story here.

Head Of Mossad ReNamed As Dr Dolittle.

Head Of Mossad ReNamed As Dr Dolittle.As my colleague Dominic Waghorn reports Saudi police have arrested a vulture suspected of spying for Israel.After searching the vulture the authorities say they found a GPS system and an identification tag bearing the words 'Tel Aviv University' and 'R65'.Agent R65, as the bird has not yet been called is still being held. The conditions R65 is being held in are unknown. However it is thought he is singing like a bird.No doubt most sensible people in the Saudi government do not believe R65 is part of the Mossad, but a lot of people in the region will because there is long, amusing, and yet sad history of media reports giving credence to stories in which animals are part of a Zionist plot.Last year, in Egypt, the regional governor of Sinai suggested that a shark which had attacked tourists may have sent there by the Israeli secret service. 'It is not out of the question. But it needs time to confirm," said Mohamed Abdel Fadil Shousha.The Iranians once caught 14 Mossad squirrels inside the Islamic Republic. All were wearing listening devices and cameras. In 2008 they arrested two spy pigeons near a nuclear site. These birds were suspected of spying for either Mossad or MI6. Etemad Melli newspaper quoted a government source - "Early this month, a black pigeon was caught bearing a blue-coated metal ring, with invisible strings," At the time a diplomatic source told me "It must be a shattering blow to our intel boys that that the 'invisible string' has been discovered, after all it's the first thing Britain has invented since the Hovercraft"Another added "It's clear there has been some sort of coo in Tehran", while a third told me, "I don't think this story has legs, but it does have wings"Also in 2008 the Palestinian newspaper WAFA printed a report claiming that jews had trained rats to distinguish between arabs and jews and released them into the Old City of Jerusalem. A year later the Israelis had trained wild boars to destroy Palestinian crops, antelope were patrolling the Lebanese border, and llamas were being trained but turned out to be too unruly and suspected of having pro Hizbollah sympathies.But squirrels wearing cameras? Sharks? Invisible strings, anti arab rats? And now Mossad vultures so stupid they forgot to take off their Tel Aviv ankle bracelets... to believe that, you have to believe that the Head of Mossad is not Tamir Pardo but in fact is...Dr Ben Dolittle.Hmmmm....Contra intelligence is now seeking desperatly to catch one of the Speaking Mossad parrots hoping to question him thoroughly.Read the full animal planet story here.

Obama mouthpiece Robert Gibbs was forced out by new henchman William Daley.

Obama mouthpiece Robert Gibbs was forced out by new henchman William Daley.I wondered yesterday whether Robert Gibbs jumped or was pushed and noted that President Barack Obama’s words indicated that it was “not an entirely voluntary departure”.It’s being reported by John King on CNN right now that Gibbs wanted to be a presidential counsellor – something he’s been putting about for quite a while – but William Daley, the new chief of staff, nixed this because he believed that too many cooks would spoil the presidential broth. So that’s why Gibbs is out.Additionally, King reports that Valerie Jarrett, whose sole qualification to being a senior counsellor seems to be that she’s a long-time Chicago buddy of Barack and Michelle Obama, will have her wings clipped. Daley, not Jarrett, will be the person speaking to the business community.So the next question is: with Gibbs and David Axelrod gone, how much longer will Valerie Jarrett last?Read the full story here.

Obama's Moment of Truth at the UN

HT:MEForum.Obama's Moment of Truth at the UN.President Obama has affirmed repeatedly that, under his leadership, America's bond with Israel is absolute, unshakeable, and rock solid. But the Israeli public is not convinced. A Jerusalem Post poll in March 2010 found that just 9 percent of Jewish Israelis think his administration is pro-Israel, against 48 percent who think it is pro-Palestinian. J Street's pollster, Jim Gerstein, looked for a different result, but even his survey found that 55 percent of Israelis do not believe that Obama supports Israel.Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas also is not convinced that Obama is necessarily in Israel's camp. Abbas sees rich opportunities to drive a wedge between Israel and its "most reliable" partner, particularly on what the Arabs consider settlements in Jerusalem. Abbas witnessed, from Obama's first day, this administration's fixation on the most divisive and vexatious issue in the U.S.-Israel relationship. He sees that Obama does not regard the Jewish presence in the parts of Jerusalem that Jordan held before 1967 to be legitimate. (One wonders: Is Obama aware that more than half the Jews in Jerusalem live in this forbidden eastern half of the capital?)Few blame Abbas for exploiting the opening that Obama created. Obama very kindly pointed a finger to his own soft underbelly, and Abbas merely accepted the invitation to target the sweet spot the president so generously exposed. Abbas told Obama that he cannot have the peace talks the president so desperately craves until Obama imposes on Israel the freeze in Jerusalem that the president promised.Secretary of State Clinton admits that the Palestinian leader's demand for a settlement freeze as a precondition for talks is unprecedented. For 17 years, Abbas did negotiate with seven Israeli prime ministers without setting a precondition for a settlements freeze. But now he says a freeze is an absolute and non-negotiable requirement before talks even can begin. Abbas says, "At first, President Obama stated ... that Israel must stop all construction activities in the settlements. Could we demand less than that?" Subtly, and without any audible objection from Obama, Abbas has abandoned the Oslo policy of negotiating with Israel and reverted to the pre-Oslo strategy that it is America's job to impose a solution. Abbas remonstrated to Obama, "You said in the United Nations ... 'A Palestinian state is in the vital national security interest of the United States' ... This is a promise and a debt around your neck."This month, Abbas is taking his campaign to the UN Security Council, where the Palestinians are circulating a draft resolution that would declare Israeli "settlements" in Jerusalem to be "illegal." The draft demands a halt to all construction in the eastern half of Israel's capital city. It's openly a maneuver to hoist Obama on his own petard. "We drafted it using the same words that Secretary Clinton is using and so we don't see why the U.S. would veto it," Abbas said.Hmmmm....."They don't trust me because of my middle name" And about a Million other things?Read the full story here.

What Obama Thinks of America

HT:AmericanThinker.What Obama Thinks of America.Sometimes the best way to find out what a person thinks about you is to find out what he tells others. That's why the report on America's human rights record filed by the Obama administration with the U.N. is particularly interesting. It's more accurate to say that this first-ever report to the U.N. Human Rights Council was from the Obama administration rather than from the United States. Its main theme is what President Obama has done in his short two years, rather than what our great country has accomplished as a beacon of human rights over 234 years.What comes through is that President Obama's crew thinks America is congenitally discriminatory, and his administration is bravely soldiering into this morass against the unwashed masses to create an equal society.As the report states, "[w]ork remains to meet our goal of ensuring equality before the law for all." Which American laws or institutions enshrine discrimination? Not mentioned. No matter -- when you're convinced that Americans are bigots, there is no need to provide proof.The administration crows in the report about passing the incredibly divisive and unconstitutional health care act. It devotes a section to the bill, with glowing aspirations of how it will end the discrimination of a racist medical system. (Remember, these people see everything through the filter of race or identity politics -- even health care.) Yet religious freedom (in which the U.S. excels in contrast to other countries) gets a few measly paragraphs with boilerplate generalities. Whereas the health care bill earned details like how many Asian-American men suffer from stomach cancer, the examples of a defense of religious freedom were a Native American primary school student's right to wear his hair in a braid and a Muslim girl's right to wear a hijab.Maybe this administration is not keen on religious freedom. The issue is so old-school...yesterday's news...Christian. And it inconveniently conflicts with one of President Obama's priorities highlighted in the report, a priority that threatens religious freedom -- privileges for those who engage in homosexual, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender behavior. The Obama administration would answer that question in a manner different from how most Americans would. Their report states, "In each era of our history," there is "a group whose experience of discrimination illustrates the continuing debate of how we can build a more fair society. In this era, one such group is LGBT Americans." Did you get that? "In each era of our history" -- that is, America is historically and inherently bigoted. Makes you wonder why they'd want to live here.In the distorted view of the Obama administration, Americans' deep respect for the sanctity of marriage is categorized as "discrimination." In their view, clinging to traditional marriage -- the fundamental building block of society -- is evidence of America's breach of human rights. Deconstructing marriage to be "whatever feels good" is considered progress.President Obama is, as he said in his inaugural address, remaking America. Too bad his image of America -- and what he wants to turn us into -- is so prejudiced.Hmmm....And so Definitely unChristian.Read the full story here.

Terror alert as two 'incendiary devices' release smoke and sulphur in Maryland government buildings.Mailrooms quarantined across the state in hunt for other packages.Two people received minor injuries after two packages about the size of small books ignited and released a sulphur-like smell when they were opened at government buildings in Maryland.The fiery devices, one found in Hanover, another in Annapolis, caused the evacuation of mailrooms at government offices across the state. One of the packages was address to Governor Martin O'Malley and concerned officials intercepted two other suspicious deliveries amid the distress, though one was found to be a toner cartridge; the other laptop batteries.The opening of the dangerous packages caused the incendiary device inside to activate, according to State Fire Marshal William Barnard.Explosive material wasn't found in either package that ignited, Barnard said. When one was opened, it produced a 'puff of smoke and a sulphur-type smell, like if you would strike a match'. State police spokesman Greg Shipley added: 'When both packages were opened there was a reaction that caused a flash of fire, a brief flash of fire, smoke and a smell.'This is not to be compared with a significant explosion that you think of when you say that word.'The Annapolis package, addressed in typeface to the recently re-elected governor adorned with holiday stamps, was opened first around 12:30 p.m. local time at the Jeffrey Building, where mail for Mr O'Malley's office is routinely checked. The building is just blocks from the governor's office, which is inside the State House in downtown.That package contained a message from a disgruntled person, a government official familiar with the investigation told The Associated Press.It had a zipper feature and when ripped open, a 'flame popped out'.Hmmm...A disgruntled person,who might bring terrorists to new ideas?Or the TSA installing scanners at every post office?Read the full story here.

The Zionist Organization of America Calls On Obama To Condemn Islamist Terror Attacks On Christians In Middle East & Africa.

HT:IMRA.The Zionist Organization of America Calls On Obama To Condemn Islamist Terror Attacks On Christians In Middle East & Africa.The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) has called upon President Barack Obama to condemn by name the Islamist terrorists who carried out attacks in Egypt, Iraq, Palestinian-controlled areas and Nigeria that have occurred in recent weeks and months. The ZOA has argued that it is inadequate that President Obama merely expresses condolences for the victims while failing to condemn the perpetrators by name or to put public pressure on the relevant governments to ensure the protection of Christians and other minorities.ZOA National President Morton A. Klein said, “The ZOA shares the anguish and concern expressed by many, including President Obama, for the victims of these attacks, which deliberately targeted Christians. However, we believe it is simply inadequate for President Obama to condemn the attacks without identifying and condemning their perpetrators and their ideology. This is as delinquent as trying to combat the Soviet Union without mentioning communism.“We should be offering more than our condolences to the victims of Islamist terrorism – we should be condemning the perpetrators by name and the jihadist cause they espouse. Unfortunately, the Obama administration refuses to do this most of the time.President Obama generally refuses to speak about the Islamist enemy. Instead, he has spoken (in Ankara, Turkey, April 6, 2009) of “rolling back the violent ideologies that people of all faiths reject,” falsely suggesting that the terrorism is entirely unrelated to Islam, a suggestion he also repeated in his June 2009 Cairo speech.“In his 2009 presidential statements on the anniversaries of the 1983 killing of 242 U.S. servicemen in Lebanon by Hizballah or the 1979 seizure of the U.S. embassy in Tehran by the Iranian regime, to name two examples, President Obama failed to even mention the perpetrators of these acts. Terrorist attacks on U.S. soil, like that of Fort Hood sniper Nidal Hassan, are described as the acts of isolated extremists. Terms like Islamists and jihad are not even used.“The U.S. should also be pressuring the governments concerned to afford better protection to Christians and other minorities. This we have not been doing.Hmmmm....."They don't trust me because of my middle name"?Read the full story here.

Nearly 50 House Republicans offer bill to block EPA climate rules.

HT:TheHill.Nearly 50 House Republicans offer bill to block EPA climate rules.Dozens of Republicans used the opening day of the new Congress on Wednesday to introduce legislation that would bar the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating greenhouse-gas emissions.Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, sponsored the bill. The measure’s 46 co-sponsors are all Republicans except for Rep. Dan Boren (D-Okla.).Co-sponsors include Oversight and Government Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.). Absent from the list at the moment: Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.), who is weighing his approach to stifling greenhouse-gas rules he alleges will burden the economy.The bill would amend the Clean Air Act to declare that greenhouse gases are not subject to the law, according to a brief description in the Congressional Record. While GOP leadership’s specific legislative approach to attacking EPA remains to be seen, the quick introduction signals that blocking climate rules is plainly on the agenda for the new GOP majority.Hmmmm...Before passing such laws look at Europe what the "Green" legislators have done there and how much damage it has caused!And how quickly they were kicked out of government ,after imposing legislation that businesses couldn't even implement.Read the full story here.

US keeps ‘dual use' manufacturers in Turkey under close surveillance.

US keeps ‘dual use' manufacturers in Turkey under close surveillance.The US has been closely monitoring 54 Turkish companies that produce materials which could potentially be used in Iran's nuclear program and the Turkish government has banned these companies from trading with Iran upon a request from the US administration, a reliable source who insisted on remaining anonymous has told Today's Zaman. US diplomatic cables published earlier by WikiLeaks made it clear that the operations of Turkish companies Durmazlar, Baykal and Ermaksan were being closely followed by the US. The three companies were listed among companies “whose loss or attack by terrorists” could have a “critical impact” on US security.Responding to questions by Today's Zaman on the issue, Trade and Industry Minister Nihat Ergün didn't want to go into details, but said: “We are not exporting products that are needed for Iran's nuclear program. Turkey has fulfilled the requirements of UN sanctions imposed on Iran so far. There is a list that lists which products are banned from being exported to Iran. Many of these products are those which can be used as part of Iran's nuclear program. Dual use technological equipment and aluminum are included in this list. The Turkish Foreign Trade Undersecretariat also has this list.”Noting that Turkey’s trade with Iran stood at around $1 billion in 2002, Tüzmen said this figure rose to $10 billion in 2010, complaining that the sanctions have cost Turkish companies nearly $1 billion.Durmazlar Machinery manufactures products for airlines and electronic industries. This company was a contractor for the Chalk River Laboratories in Canada. Chalk River is the world’s number one producer of isotopes. Another important point about Durmazlar is that it does business in Iran’s Strait of Hormuz.Hmmmm....Sanctions that "Bite" up from $ 2 Billion to $ 10 Billion?Read the full story here.

Hamas leader denies Nazi Holocaust.

Hamas leader denies Nazi Holocaust.On 2nd anniversary of Israeli airstrike on UN school, Zahar says 'this lie has crumbled with the holocaust of Beit Hanun, the holocaust of Al-Fakhura and the other countless holocausts'. A senior Hamas leader on Thursday accused Israel of carrying out "countless holocausts" against the Palestinians while saying the Nazi genocide was a "lie."Mahmoud al-Zahar made the remarks during a memorial ceremony for 43 Palestinians who were killed at a UN school in the Jabaliya refugee camp during Israel's 22-day war on Gaza that began in December 2008."The lie according to which they were a victim of a holocaust and the (Jewish) people are a victim -- this lie has crumbled with the holocaust of Beit Hanun, the holocaust of Al-Fakhura and the other countless holocausts ... committed by the Zionist enemy," he said.Hmmmm...Accepting the Holocaust would also require to recognise the role of Arafats uncle the Grand Muftiof Jerusalem Mohammad Amin al-Husayni with Nazi Germany?Read the full story here.

Republicans introduce bill to eliminate presidential 'czars'.

Republicans introduce bill to eliminate presidential 'czars'.A group of House Republicans introduced a bill on Wednesday to rein in the various "czars" in the Obama administration. Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) and 28 other House Republicans introduced legislation to do away with the informal, paid advisers President Obama has employed over the past two years. The legislation, which was introduced in the last Congress but was not allowed to advance under Democratic control, would do away with the 39 czars Obama has employed during his administration. The bill defines a czar as "a head of any task force, council, policy office within the Executive Office of the President, or similar office established by or at the direction of the President" who is appointed to a position that would otherwise require Senate confirmation.Republicans had complained about the president's use of czars to help advance his agenda in Congress. In particular, the GOP had harped about the personal history of Van Jones, the president's czar for "green jobs," over past comments Jones had made about Fox News came to light. Jones eventually resigned.Hmmmm.....It's revolution time in America?Already 39 czars that many,who are these guys?Read the full story here.

Fixed-term marriage website a hit in Iran.

Fixed-term marriage website a hit in Iran.Iran practices strict rules on sex and relationships. Porn sites and Facebook are blocked and you’re advised not to show too much affection in public, let alone kiss your lover in the streets of Tehran. However, a website that promotes temporary marriage, accepted in the Shia Islam but frowned upon by many Iranians, has gained more than 22,000 members since it was set up less than five months ago. Hafezoon, with a homepage presented in a remarkably similar style and colour to Facebook, has fewer than 1,000 female members, while the rest are men. Only a very small number of them use profile pictures.The site is essentially a matchmaking service that gives users a platform to meet and then marry for a fixed period of time. While it is free to sign up, fully-fledged members must pay to send messages to each other or see and display contact details. One month’s membership costs 50,000 rials (about three euros) and an annual subscription sets users back 120,000 rials (around seven euros).In its ‘About us’ section, the site’s creators say they want to unite men and women for whom, for financial or other reasons, permanent marriage is not practical. It allows these people, the site claims, to enter into a relationship according to the Sharia instead of forming illicit street friendships or worse, being drawn into promiscuity.When registering for Hafezoon, members are asked to provide their height, weight, marital status, skin colour, ethnicity, religion, and education. They are also required to rate their degree of “beauty” and “handsomeness” on a scale of 1 to 5. Married people are not allowed to join and the site doesn’t permit “man-seeking-man” or “woman-seeking-woman.”“The website is a virtual community and its managers do not introduce anyone for temporary marriage,” according to an e-mail from the site’s support staff in response to questions. There are other websites active in the field, but Hafezoon has attracted attention because it offers “a new quality of service”, the e-mail said. Hafezoon is an Arabic word that means ‘those who protect or guard.’ The site’s homepage displays a line from the Koran that translates as “and those who guard their chastity except from their wives.” One page presents the Ayatollahs’ advice on temporary marriage, while another is a price list for various types of membership and how the payment process works.Hmmm..........Read the full story here.HT:TROP.

Israeli Foreign Minister Says Turkey Beginning to Look Like Iran on Eve of 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Israeli Foreign Minister Says Turkey Beginning to Look Like Iran on Eve of 1979 Islamic Revolution.JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has likened Turkey to Iran on the eve of its 1979 Islamic revolution, saying Ankara's policies were to blame for the breakdown of ties with the Jewish state.Writing in Thursday's edition of the Jerusalem Post under the headline "We will not be Turkey's punching bag," Lieberman offered to meet his Turkish counterpart as part of a "frank and honest dialogue" on how their alliance might be restored.But in the latest rhetorical broadside to follow Israel's deadly interception of a Turkish-sponsored aid flotilla that tried to breach its Gaza blockade in May, far-rightist Lieberman put the onus on the Islamist-rooted government in Ankara."The completely unilateral change in the relations is not reflective of our actions; rather it is the result of Turkey's internal politics," he said."Unfortunately, recent events in Turkey are reminiscent of Iran before the Islamic Revolution led by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Like Turkey, Iran was among Israel's closest allies and the two nations held good relations between both governments and people."The Islamic Republic of Iran is Israel's arch-foe and routinely calls for its destruction. That has stoked Israeli and Western concerns over Iran's nuclear programme.To Israel's dismay, Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan urged engagement with the Iranians, chafing at U.S.-led sanctions on Tehran as well a plan by NATO -- to which Ankara belongs -- for a regional missile shield that might help Israel.Hmmm...If it were not for a majority of the army generals who are staunch defenders of Ataturk’s secular principles ,Turkey would be already a second Iran with 'Imam' Erdogan ruling the country.But more and more Islamist are joining the army so it'sonly a matter of time.Read the full story here.

He's back: Fears of sectarian violence in Iraq as radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr returns from exile .

He's back: Fears of sectarian violence in Iraq as radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr returns from exile with eyes firmly fixed on grabbing political power.Hundreds of supporters mobbed the radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr as he returned home to Iraq after nearly four years in self-imposed exile in Iran.The sight of the firebrand, once dubbed the 'single biggest threat to the U.S. in Iraq', will be a depressing one for American troops and politicians.He left Iraq in 2007 an unpredictable leader of a street-fighting organisation with huge popular support but returns a legitimate political figure likely to play a key part in Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's new government.A swarm of al-Sadr's bodyguards - dressed in black clothes and flak jackets and toting automatic rifles - deployed around his house in the al-Hanana neighborhood in central Najaf where followers were waiting to meet him.One of the youngest among those gathered outside al-Sadr's house was nine-year-old Mohammed Sadiq, who was accompanied by his uncle. 'I'd like to kiss his hands and tell him: I miss you and don't leave us again,' said Sadiq.Supporters hung banners on nearby buildings, one of which read: 'Yes, Yes to our leader. Here we are at your service our Master Muqtada.' Another banner said: 'We renew our allegiance to our leader Muqtada al-Sadr.'The cleric was believed to be meeting with Iraq's most revered Shiite figure, the Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, today.Al-Sadr's implementation of Sharia Law is also strict. In 2006 he banned the use of shorts and even executed the coach and two members of the national tennis team.He has tried to ban football, claiming sport is a Zionist plot to distract Arabs from religion, and two weeks ago banned Iraqis working with foreign companies.His fervour is likely to have been increased by his last few years studying Islam in Qom, Iran, the seat of Shiite education. The sojourn was a way for the 37-year-old cleric to burnish his theological credentials, but he also faced an arrest warrant for his alleged role in assassinating a rival Shiite cleric.Al-Sadr visited the holy shrine of Imam Ali, revered among the country's Shiite majority, wearing a black turban distinguishing him as one of the descendants of Islam's Prophet Muhammad.Hmmmm.....Obama "If We Work Hard, Afghanistan Could Be a Success...Like Iraq!" Yeah that's clear by now.Read the full story here.

Saudi parliament to debate allowing women to drive.

Saudi parliament to debate allowing women to drive.Saudi Arabia’s appointed parliament is set to debate a law to break a long-standing ban on women to drive cars after receiving a letter signed by more than 100 people, newspapers in the Gulf kingdom reported on Wednesday.The letter, signed by 128 men and women, was addressed to Shura Chairman Sheikh Abdullah bin Ibrahim Al Shaikh, asking him to open a debate on a law allowing women in the conservative Moslem nation to drive.“The Shura council agreed to discuss the issue of allowing women to drive in Saudi Arabia at its sessions in the next few weeks,” Kabar daily said.The letter noted that many Saudi women drive cars outside the kingdom, the world’s largest oil exporter, as they hold international driving licences. The signatories said the new law is needed to match the development of the Saudi society and save women from daily agonies of trying to find a taxi. “You and any Saudi national should not accept that the dignity of the Saudi woman is spilt on streets every day as she struggles to find a taxi cab to go shopping, or to go to work, hospital or school…we ask you to discuss allowing women to drive and enforce this law on a trial basis in the beginning.”The papers quoted a Shura member, Abdul Malik Khayal, as saying driving is “a natural right for women” on the grounds there are no “legal or security barriers.” Hmmmm.....Welcome to the "Normal" world where men curse women drivers?Read the full story here.

Obama Plans another Massive Land Grab

HT:RightWingNews.Obama Plans another Massive Land Grab.Nothing better sums up the Left's antidemocratic and antihuman agenda that the Obama Administration's policy of circumventing Congress to seal off our own land from use.An Obama administration directive designed to preserve more public lands as wilderness is stirring anger in the West, where ranchers, sportsmen and energy companies say they could lose access to acreage they count on for their recreation and livelihood.The regulatory change … directs the Bureau of Land Management to survey its vast holdings stretching between Alaska, Arizona, California and Colorado, in search of unspoiled back country. The agency can then designate these tracts — potentially millions of acres — as "wild lands.""Wild lands" are lands expropriated from the human race on behalf of the lizards and chipmunks. If we aren't allowed to use them, they may as well have fallen into the sea. Not only development, but drilling, mining, cattle grazing, and even recreational activities may be forbidden. Obama's latest power grab does not require legislative approval, but there is something Congress can do, in the unlikely event Republicans show some spine.House Republicans, who will hold the majority in the new Congress that arrives next week, say they plan hearings on the new policy and perhaps seek to cut funding to the BLM for identifying and managing wild lands.They had better. Like the nefarious EPA, the BLM exists to grow the government and shrink the economy.Given moonbats' disdain for cowboys and for eating the meat we require for proper nutrition, it's unsurprising that ranchers stand to take a beating.Some worry that American land is being used as collateral, and will end up being seized by the communist Chinese when it becomes clear that there is no way we can ever pay back the massive sums of money Obama has been borrowing and squandering. But if ChiComs owned the land, at least the resources wouldn't be completely wasted.Before the income tax, land sales to the private sector constituted a major source of revenue for the government. Now it works the other way; the government eats up land, growing ever larger as America grows smaller.Hmmmmm......Look at the Map "They are dividing America in two parts! WHY?Perhaps giving restitution to the Native Americans? Read and see the full story here.

Iran 'detains US woman on spying'

Iran 'detains US woman on spying'.State media says authorities arrest 55-year-old woman who entered the country without visa and with "spying equipment".An American woman has been arrested in Iran on charges of spying, the Associated Press news agency has reported.Authorities arrested the 55-year-old woman near the border town of Norduz, 600km northwest of the capital Tehran, after she entered the country without a visa, the news wire quoted the state-owned IRAN newspaper as saying on Thursday.The report said that the women was carrying hidden spying equipment, without elaborating on what that equipment was or when she was arrested.Customs police were reported to have made the arrest after the woman had travelled from neighbouring Armenia to Iran.There are already two Americans in detention in Iran for spying allegations and illegally crossing into the country from northern Iraq.Shane Bower and Josh Fattal were arrested in July 2009 with Sarah Shourd, who was released last September.They deny that they were spying and the US has cast doubt that they crossed into Iran at all.Hmmmm....Here we go again?Read the full story here.

Proposed bigger government cut of gas field revenue roils Israel.

Proposed bigger government cut of gas field revenue roils Israel.A panel reviewing Israel's policy on oil and gas resources has recommended more than doubling the government's take of profits. But Israeli and U.S. firms behind recent discoveries are fighting back.Big natural gas fields found recently off Israel's coast could be a game-changer for the small country, pumping billions of dollars into the economy. But the prospect of huge profits is igniting a battle to divide the spoils, long before drilling gets underway.A government committee appointed to review Israel's policy on oil and gas resources recommended late Monday more than doubling the government's take of production profits to as much as 62%.Committee Chairman Eytan Sheshinski, a retired Hebrew University economics professor, said the revised rate, which still must be approved by the parliament, would create a "balance between the companies' profitability and the public."But a consortium of Israeli and American companies behind the recent gas discoveries is fighting the move, warning that the higher rate could make the project unfeasible.The previous 30% rate, established in 1952, reflected a period when the young country had no funds for exploration and no known natural resources. The low rate was designed to encourage private companies to undertake risky investment.Read the full story here.

Video : Great news: TSA stealing stuff at checkpoints.

HT:IsraelMatzav. Video : Great news: TSA stealing stuff at checkpoints.Channel 7 news in New York reports that TSA employees have been stealing. No, not from your checked bags, at least according to this report. Rather, they are stealing things from people going through the checkpoints who remove jewelry, watches, laptop computers and other valuable items in order to go through the checkpoints.Hmmmm....Don't you feel safe?At least terrorists wont destroy your stuff?Read the full story here.

Wikileaks .The payroll dilemma:Who is actually receiving PA paychecks in Hamas controlled GAZA?

Wikileaks .The payroll dilemma:Who is actually receiving PA paychecks in Hamas controlled GAZA?The PA contends that Hamas, ability to pay its workers, salaries each month combined with the inability of the PA to do so causes further deterioration in support for PA/Fatah relative to Hamas . The GOI, on the other hand, believes that many of the estimated 77,000 wage earners on the PAs payroll may actually be Hamas members or affiliates. Israeli security analysts argue that a considerable portion of the civil service salaries that the PA attempts to pay each month to its Gazan employees actually find their way to Hamas or Hamas supporters.Observers speculate as to the amount of shekels circulating in Gaza. The BOI has established a history of routinely approving all requests from the Palestinian banks to exchange spoiled shekel notes from Gaza for new notes. This is not a security issue as it does not increase the total number of shekels in circulation.Unfortunately, since Gaza tends more and more towards a cash economy based upon movement of goods through its tunnels to the Sinai, it becomes increasingly difficult to estimate this amount with accuracy. Udi Levi (strictly protect), a high-ranking official in the Israeli security establishment, commented to Econcouns in October that at least 1.8 billion shekels are currently unaccounted for in Gaza.Hmmmm.....Someone is saving up in a piggybank?Read the full story here.

Could you pass a US citizenship test?

Could you pass a US citizenship test?In order to become a US citizen, immigrants must pass the Naturalization Test. American citizenship bestows the right to vote, improves the likelihood of family members living in other countries to come and live in the US, gives eligibility for federal jobs, and can be a way to demonstrate loyalty to the US. Applicants must get 6 answers out of 10 in an oral exam to pass the test. According to US Citizenship and Immigration services, 92 percent of applicants pass this test.You must get 58 or more of these test questions correct in order to pass.Read and take the test if you wish so here.

U.N. Data Notes Sharp Rise in World Food Prices.

U.N. Data Notes Sharp Rise in World Food Prices.World food prices continued to rise sharply in December, bringing them close to the crisis levels that provoked shortages and riots in poor countries three years ago, according to newly released United Nations data. Prices are expected to remain high this year, prompting concern that the world may be approaching another crisis, although economists cautioned that many factors, like adequate stockpiles of key grains, could prevent a serious problem. The United Nations data measures commodity prices on the world export market. Those are generally far removed from supermarket prices in wealthy countries like the United States. In this country, food price inflation has been relatively tame, and prices are forecast to rise only 2 to 3 percent this year. Joseph Glauber, the Agriculture Department’s chief economist, said that rising world commodity prices could be expected to have their greatest impact in this country on meat and dairy prices because they can push up the price of livestock feed. As feed prices go up, farmers often cut the size of herds, meaning less meat ultimately reaches the market. Beef, pork and dairy prices rose faster last year than overall food prices and are expected to continue that trend this year.Read the full story here.

Pakistan: Lawyers shower governor’s killer with hugs, kisses, roses.

HT:AhmadiyyaTimes.Pakistan: Lawyers shower governor’s killer with hugs, kisses, roses.LAHORE: Lawyers showered the suspected killer of a prominent Pakistani governor with rose petals when he arrived at court Wednesday and an influential Muslim scholars group praised the assassination of the outspoken opponent of laws that order death for those who insult Islam.Mumtaz Qadri made his first appearance in an Islamabad court, where a judge remanded him in custody a day after he allegedly sprayed automatic gunfire at the back of Punjab province Gov. Salman Taseer while he was supposed to be protecting him as a bodyguard.A rowdy crowd slapped him on the back and kissed his cheek as he was escorted inside. The lawyers who tossed handfuls of rose petals over him were not involved in the case.As he left the court, a crowd of about 200 sympathizers chanted ”death is acceptable for Muhammad’s slave.” The suspect stood at the back door of an armored police van with a flower necklace given to him by an admirer and repeatedly yelled ”God is great.””The supporter is as equally guilty as one who committed blasphemy,” the group warned in a statement, adding politicians, the media and others should learn ”a lesson from the exemplary death.”Jamat leader Maulana Shah Turabul Haq Qadri paid ”glorious tribute to the murderer … for his courage, bravery and religious honor and integrity.”Mumtaz Qadri told interrogators Tuesday that he shot the liberal Taseer multiple times because of the politician’s vocal opposition to the harsh blasphemy laws.Hmmmmm......Perhaps the Obama administration could give another couple of Billion Dollars to this "Sick" society?Read the full story here.

Resurgent Turkey Flexes Its Muscles Around Iraq.

HT:Aim.Resurgent Turkey Flexes Its Muscles Around Iraq.A Turkey as resurgent as at any time since its Ottoman glory is projecting influence through a turbulent Iraq, from the boomtowns of the north to the oil fields near southernmost Basra, in a show of power that illustrates its growing heft across an Arab world long suspicious of it.Its ascent here, in an arena contested by the United States and Iran, may prove its greatest success so far, as it emerges from the shadow of its alliance with the West to chart an often assertive and independent foreign policy.Turkey's influence is greater in northern Iraq and broader, though not deeper, than Iran's in the rest of the country. While the United States invaded and occupied Iraq, losing more than 4,400 troops there, Turkey now exerts what may prove a more lasting legacy -- so-called soft power, the assertion of influence through culture, education and business."This is the trick -- we are very much welcome here," said Ali Riza Ozcoskun, who heads Turkey's consulate in Basra, one of four diplomatic posts it has in Iraq.Just as the Justice and Development Party of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has reoriented politics in Turkey, it is doing so in Iraq, with repercussions for the rest of the region.While some Turkish officials recoil at the notion of neo-Ottomanism -- an orientation of Turkey away from Europe and toward an empire that once included parts of three continents -- the country's process of globalization and attention to the markets of the Middle East is upsetting assumptions that only American power is decisive. Turkey has committed itself here to economic integration, seeing its future in at least an echo of its past."No one is trying to overtake Iraq or one part of Iraq," said Aydin Selcen, who heads the consulate in Erbil, which opened this year. "But we are going to integrate with this country. Roads, railroads, airports, oil and gas pipelines -- there will be a free flow of people and goods between the two sides of the border."Posters of Turkish television serials -- from "Muhannad and Nour" to "Forbidden Love" -- sell by the tens of thousands. The action series "Valley of the Wolves" is a sensation, the lead actor lending his name to cafes. His own posters are computer-altered to show him in traditional Kurdish or Arab dress -- grist for a graduate school seminar on the adaptability of cultural symbols.Oil is still king in Iraq, and as much as anything else, underlines Turkey's interests here. The pipeline from Kirkuk, Iraq, to Ceyhan, Turkey, already carries roughly 25 percent of Iraq's oil exports.The Turks have signed on to the ambitious $11 billion Nabucco gas pipeline project, which may bypass Russia and bring Iraqi gas to Europe. Turkish companies have two stakes in oil contracts, and two more in gas projects, potentially worth billions of dollars. In a land of oil, no place has more than Basra.Hmmmm......."Outreach to Muslims"....Obama....Erdogan.The fallen soldiers thank you.Read the full story here.