Quote: 

"Repeal that [welfare] law, and you will soon see a change in their manners. St. Monday and St. Tuesday, will soon cease to be holidays. Six days shalt thou labor, though one of the old commandments long treated as out of date, will again be looked upon as a respectable precept; industry will increase, and with it plenty among the lower people; their circumstances will mend, and more will be done for their happiness by inuring them to provide for themselves, than could be done by dividing all your estates among them." 

~Benjamin Franklin, letter to Collinson, 1753

Usama Bin Laden Killed in Firefight With U.S. Special Ops Team in Pakistan

Osama been Die'n

BODY IN U.S. HANDS !

May 02, 2011 | FoxNews.com 

Declaring "justice has been done," President Obama announced late Sunday that Usama bin Laden was killed by U.S. forces in Pakistan, marking the end of the worldwide manhunt that began nearly a decade ago on Sept. 11, 2001.

The president made the stunning announcement within hours of informing congressional leaders. He said bin Laden was killed Sunday, the culmination of years of intelligence gathering. The news drew a large crowd to the front of the White House, as well as in Times Square, as people chanted "USA. USA."

   Read More . . . 

The 'Murky' Details: This is How the OBL Raid Went Down

The Blaze | by Jonathon M. Seidl | Posted on May 2, 2011 at 6:47am

Fire at OBL Compound

Helicopters descended out of darkness on the most important counterterrorism mission in U.S. history. It was an operation so secret, only a select few U.S. officials knew what was about to happen.

The location was a fortified compound in an affluent Pakistani town two hours outside Islamabad. The target was Osama bin Laden.

Intelligence officials discovered the compound in August while monitoring an al-Qaida courier. The CIA had been hunting that courier for years, ever since detainees told interrogators that the courier was so trusted by bin Laden that he might very well be living with the al-Qaida leader.

   Read More . . .    

Pliladelphia: Baseball Fans React to Bin Laden News With Stadium-Rocking 'U-S-A!' Chants

The Blaze | by Scott Baker Print | Posted on May 2, 2011 at 1:09am 

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Fans at the Mets-Phillies game began chanting "U-S-A! U-S-A!" as the news of Osama bin Laden's death spread through Citizens Bank Park on Sunday night.

People could be spotted all over the ballpark checking their phones as news that the United States had killed the mastermind behind the Sept. 11 attacks was breaking.

The "U-S-A!" chants started in the top of the ninth inning of the game and picked up in intensity throughout the inning.

Phillies fans react to Bin Laden news with "USA" chant

 Inning 9, Score 1 - 1

LISTEN LIVE TO REPATRIOT RADIO

"BETTER THAN EVER"

WNJC 1360AM Shows

(all times are eastern)

Monday 3-4pm "Bordering on Insanity" - Dave Gibson

 LOYAL OPPOSITION MAY CALENDAR OF EVENTS

If you've never heard of Pamela Geller, check out her website --> http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/ .  If you can't attend the presentation, you can still get some useful information from the article below.  -- Dave

Six Suicidal Assumptions about Islam

1. Islam is about Muslims - no, Islam is about everyone. Islam has rules about everything, and that includes non-Muslims. 61% of the Koran is about non-Muslims. It has rules about whether or not Muslims should befriend non-Muslims; about how to treat non-Muslims captured in war; about whether non-Muslim women can be raped; the attitude to take towards the possessions of non-Muslims. Most of these rules are unfavourable or hostile toward non-Muslims.

 READ MORE: 

Give them another reason why Obama's GOT to go.

NO. 7.

Pick a fight with a liberal on Friedrich Hayek's birthday (May 8).

Quote him: "The basis of [the classical liberal] argument is that nobody can know who knows best and that the only way by which we can find out is through a social process in which everybody is allowed to try and see what he can do." Exactly! This shows up the rottenness at the core of all liberal arguments: built into them is the assumption that liberals know what is best for us. But they don't. If they did, how do you explain the fact that we're now being run by the Obama administration?
 

Defend Israel.

LIBERAL MYTH NO. 2:

It's an Apartheid State.

REFUTATION:

Yeah, so that'll be why Arabs serve in the Israeli parliament as MPs (known as MKs for "Members of Knesset"); why they serve in the Israeli foreign service, in the government ministries, and even-in the case of the Druze sect who are not seen as having divided loyalties-in the Israeli Defense Force. Most signs are written in Hebrew and Arabic. An Arab woman has more rights in Israel than in most countries in the Arab and Muslim world. 

RedState Morning Briefing

For May 2, 2011

1. Osama Is Dead. Don't Believe It Makes Obama Invulnerable to Defeat

The United States military and intelligence community are owed a huge round of applause for a job well done killing Osama Bin Laden.

From what we know, elements of Pakistan's government cooperated with the United States in a military operation into a mansion outside Islamabad where we shot and killed Osama Bin Laden. Military installations around the world have raised their alert level. Al Qaeda is not the same as it was back in 2001, but we should not be surprised if some group tries to do something.

As the sun rises this morning, the speculation and spin that the media will readily push out is that this now makes Barack Obama invulnerable to defeat in 2012.

It is an extraordinary accomplishment - one that defies partisanship. Because Barack Obama is President, like with upturns in the economy, he will get the credit.

But the lack of an upturn in the economy will, by 2012, be more relevant. People have short memories. Voters have short memories. The good will toward Mr. Obama will not last past one or two fill ups.

If the economy does not improve, if gas prices do not go down significantly, and if jobs are not created, Barack Obama will lose. The death of Osama Bin Laden is a good thing. But it has no staying power into 2012.

2. FDA victory in the War on Raw Milk!

Marvel at our heroic government agents as they swoop in at 5 AM to stop the pernicious practice of selling unpasteurized milk across state lines!

3. Pennsylvania's Schoolchildren To Be Used As Props At May 3rd Leftist-Union Rally

On Tuesday, across the state of Pennsylvania, unions and other Left-wing organizations will be boarding buses and heading to the state capitol in Harrisburg to engage in a mass rally to fight for economic and social justice and against budget cuts. The rally, is being organized by the Coalition for Labor Engagement and Accountable Revenues (CLEAR) which is comprised of government unions, such as AFSCME, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), PSEA (part of the NEA), SEIU, as well as the AFL-CIO, IAFF, UFCW and others.

4. Politico: Conservatives are pro-cancer!

Either that, or Politico hires some pretty sloppy writers. Personally, I'm voting for the latter.

The background: Politico decided to write an article that attempts to answer the eternal question, For just how long will George Soros keep throwing money down the rathole which is the Activist Left*? It's an interesting question in its own right - the article suggests that Soros is getting pretty darn tired of piling up his money in the policy equivalent of an empty field, then setting the pile on fire - but there was one throwaway line in the piece that made me roll my eyes at what fools these mortals be.

5. Governor Kasich on Obama: Why doesn't he do his job?

Ohio Governor John Kasich recently signed controversial Senate Bill 5, which restricted the much-abused collective bargaining power of public sector unions. The bill, similar to what passed in Wisconsin, inspired a similar level of vitriol from the unions and supporters.

Obama jumped into the conversation earlier this week saying "public employees should not be blamed for a financial crisis they had nothing to do with and sacrifices should be shared in tough economic times."

Shared by who, President Obama? Because in Ohio, the average government worker makes 24.6 percent more than their private-sector counterparts. In addition, Ohio has lost more than 600,000 private sector jobs in the last 10 years, while public sector employees are still getting pay increases.

6. On Will and Kate

Many on the right are critical of the fawning over the Royal wedding ceremony for Prince William and his bride, Kate, broadcast around the globe today. They point to the American Revolution and our endeavors to shed the tyranny of the Crown, and they mock the stodginess of the Royals while noting the irony of several failed marriages among the recent crop from the House of Windsor - most notably, William's parents.

But whatever one thinks of the Monarchy, in an increasingly pathetic MTV world - the ceremony today was extraordinary, and a good thing for the world to see. It was nothing short of impressive - timely, carried out with precision, dripping with military, christian and royal traditions. The music was magnificent - there were actual hymns rather than gaudy "praise music" rock bands, a church that looks like a church, and the participants and guests were dressed not just appropriately, but perfectly... The procession was extraordinary, with hand-sewn uniforms and white and black horses leading the carriages - the Union Jack lining the streets.

Heritage Hotsheet

Experts on the Day's Hottest News

Items for May 2, 2011 

Osama bin Laden Killed: 'Justice Is Done,' President Says
ABCNews.com
 

Afghans Fear West May See Death as the End
The New York Times
  

World Cheers Bin Laden Killing, Prepares for Strikes
The Wall Street Journal
 
Oil Prices Down After Bin Laden News

Financial Times
 

Latest Heritage Research:

Championing Liberty Abroad to Counter Islamist Extremism

Thursday, April 28, 2011

To: Friends & Supporters

From: Gary L. Bauer


Is The Economy Stalling?

The economy grew at a weak pace of just 1.8% in the first quarter of the year. The low number surprised many economists who had predicted more robust economic growth. While any positive momentum is certainly better than negative growth, it is not strong enough to create the number of new jobs needed to lower the unemployment rate and result in significantly increased tax revenues to the Treasury.

But there is more bad news... The number of new jobless claims spiked last week to 429,000. According to the Associated Press, this was the "second rise in three weeks, a sign of the slow and uneven jobs recovery."

In addition, Wal-Mart CEO Mike Duke said yesterday that the department store chain's "core consumers" were experiencing a lot of pressure from rising gas prices and not spending as much, particularly at the end of the month. With 140 million weekly shoppers, Wal-Mart, CNNMoney notes, "is considered a barometer of the health of the consumer and the economy."

While there are other, encouraging signs, it is obvious that the U.S. economy is struggling. Given recent polls finding that 57% of Americans disapprove of President Obama's handling of the economy, perhaps he should spend more time on this serious issue, rather than appearing on Oprah and attending fundraisers. Then again, the less Obama meddles with the economy, the better off we will be!


Hamas & Fatah -- Together Again

Reports from the Middle East that the Fatah leadership of the Palestinian Authority has agreed to merge with Hamas is bad news for Israel, the Palestinians and anyone who hopes for peace. The two factions split several years ago after Hamas took control of Gaza.

The Washington Post's Jackson Diehl writes, "If Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas moves forward with the reconciliation with the Islamic Hamas movement, it will mean he has written off the Obama administration and the peace process it has tried to broker, once and for all."

Some of us have always doubted Abbas' sincerity, not to mention his ability to deliver on any peace promises. But Diehl is right -- an alliance with Hamas, which advocates Israel's destruction, is more than a setback to the peace process. It is a rejection of peace.

Hoping to encourage the "moderates," America had isolated Hamas and directed tremendous amounts of foreign aid to Fatah in the West Bank. But if the reports of a merger are true, and if the deal holds up, then Congress would be obligated to cut off all funding to the Palestinian Authority, since it has joined with a terrorist organization.

Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, responded to the news with the following statement:

"The reported agreement between Fatah and Hamas means that a Foreign Terrorist Organization which has called for the destruction of Israel will be part of the Palestinian Authority government. ...According to existing U.S. law, such a hybrid government cannot be a recipient of U.S. taxpayer funds because the law stipulates that the PA government must recognize the Jewish state of Israel's right to exist... Therefore, in order to implement existing law, the U.S. must end assistance to the Palestinian Authority.

"By entering into this partnership with Hamas, [the] Palestinian leadership has shown again that it is not a partner for peace. If reports are correct, the PA would then be standing with those who want only death and destruction for Israel."

We will continue to monitor these developments very closely in the days ahead. And we will do everything we can to make sure that the Obama Administration and Congress are not funding Islamic terrorists with your tax dollars.


Guess The State

Facing crushing financial burdens, lawmakers took on the labor unions and voted to strip collective bargaining rights from teachers, police officers and government employees with the goal of saving taxpayers $100 million in the next year alone. Can you name that state?

If you said Wisconsin, Ohio, Florida or New Jersey, you'd be wrong. The latest state to tackle the fiscal mess created by the unions is ... Massachusetts! Tuesday, the Democrat-dominated state House voted 111-to-42 to roll back collective bargaining rights.

That Massachusetts liberals are following the example of conservative Republican governors would seem like news. But the liberal media have no desire to explain to you that conservative ideas actually work. They want you to think that Republicans are dysfunctional and can't run anything. The media's double standard is disgusting, and matched only by the hypocrisy of the left.

Where were the union protestors? Where were the college students and radical activists storming the state House in Boston? I guess it is okay when Democrats "assault unions" and workers' rights. By the way, where are all the anti-war protestors marching against Obama's war of choice in Libya? Did Obama go to war for Libya's oil?


At Least He Was Born

Writing at CNSNews.com, Terence Jeffrey makes an outstanding observation about the release of Obama's long form birth certificate: His teenage mom was not "punished with a baby." It is an excellent column reaffirming the sanctity and potential of each life.

It remains my prayer that the nation's first African-American president, who surely understands the injustice of the Supreme Court's Dred Scott decision finding that some Americans had no rights we were obligated to respect, will someday soon realize that the same injustice is inherent in Roe v. Wade.

 

Friday, April 29, 2011

To: Friends & Supporters

From: Gary L. Bauer


The Meaning Of Marriage Proudly Proclaimed

Earlier this week, I wrote about the effort to defend marriage in America. Sadly, one the nation's most prestigious law firms was unwilling to defend the law defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman.

While American politicians, judges, lawyers and activists debate the meaning of marriage, an estimated two billion people today tuned in to watch the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, now the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Those present in Westminster Abbey, and watching around the world, heard Dr. John Hall, Dean of Westminster Abbey, deliver the introduction to the royal wedding, explaining what all the "fuss" was about. Here is an excerpt of his remarks:

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here in the sight of God and in the face of this congregation, to join together this man and this woman in holy matrimony; which is an honourable estate, instituted of God himself, signifying unto us the mystical union that is betwixt Christ and his Church; which holy estate Christ adorned and beautified with his presence, and first miracle that he wrought, in Cana of Galilee, and is commended in Holy Writ to be honourable among all men; ...

"First, it was ordained for the increase of mankind according to the will of God, and that children might be brought up in the fear and nurture of the Lord, and to the praise of his holy name.

"Secondly, it was ordained in order that the natural instincts and affections, implanted by God, should be hallowed and directed aright; that those who are called of God to this holy estate, should continue therein in pureness of living.

"Thirdly, it was ordained for the mutual society, help, and comfort, that the one ought to have of the other, both in prosperity and adversity."

Listening to those words, I was struck by the contrast of a law firm unwilling to defend the law and a cleric boldly proclaiming the truth of God's law; the confusion of our courts versus the natural law written by the God of Abraham.

The left likes to claim that you cannot legislate morality. But all law is someone's concept of morality -- someone's decision that this is right and that is wrong. The culture war raging in America today is about who gets to decide; what concept of morality will prevail; whose values will our children and grandchildren inherit. Elections have consequences. That is why it is so important for men and women of faith to be fully engaged in the "good fight" for our values.


A Tremendous Reception

My sincere thanks and appreciation to everyone who prayed before my appearance yesterday at the American Jewish Committee's Global Forum event on Evangelical support for Israel. I received a tremendous response from the audience. The AJC's membership is very liberal, but they warmly received me and my call for a strengthened Christian-Jewish alliance to combat Islamofascism.

Many attendees came up to me after the discussion to express their gratitude to the Evangelical community for standing so strongly with Israel. It was a fantastic event that I know will lead to many more opportunities to expand our cooperation in defending Judeo-Christian civilization.

If you missed our conversation yesterday, click here to watch it online.

 

April 29, 2011


 Stopping Al-Jazeera's expansion into the U.S.!

 Cliff Kincaid to Speak at ACT! National Conference

 Accuracy in Media (AIM) Director, prolific author and frequent guest on Fox News to deliver warning on the expansion of Al-Jazeera television in the United States.

 

 

 We are pleased to announce that Cliff Kincaid, president of America's Survival, Inc. (ASI) and the director of Accuracy in Media (AIM), the oldest media watchdog group in the United States, will be a featured speaker during our upcoming National Conference in Washington, DC.

Register for the national conference here

You will no doubt recognize Cliff from his frequent visits on Fox News as he monitors and reports on examples of media bias on behalf of Accuracy in Media.

Through his work with America's Survival Inc., Cliff has conducted exhaustive investigative research on the expansion of the Middle East funded Al-Jazeera television network within the United States-research which led him to publicly speak out on the network and the danger it presents to America.

His presentation is titled "Why We Must Stop Al-Jazeera" and will no doubt both alarm and inspire you to take action.

Read an example of Cliff's research on Al-Jazeera here

ACT! for America's National Conference and Legislative briefing is June 22-24, 2011, in Washington, DC. Cliff joins a stellar lineup of speakers:

Add to this our cruise on the Potomac River, legislative briefing with key Members of Congress, our luncheon on Capitol Hill, and our gala banquet, and this promises to be an event people will be talking about for a long time!

 

Saudis give up on US - their message to Washington is that the Gulf nations are now making their own decisions.

 

(PJM Exclusive) Did Obama and Holder Scuttle Terror Finance Prosecutions?

Posted By Patrick Poole On April 14, 2011

During the House Homeland Security hearing last month on the topic of radicalization in the American Muslim community, one exchange ^[1] between L.A. County Sheriff Lee Baca and Rep. Chip Cravaack (R-MN) concerned the relationship between the L.A. County Sheriff's Department and Hamas terrorist front ^[2] the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). Sheriff Baca told the congressman ^[3]:

 SEE VIDEO HERE:

Some people may not like what Pastor Terry Jones is doing by standing up to the Islamic bullying that we have all succumbed to in the name of political correctness.  In my opinion, he's calling attention to the loss of freedom we have already experienced thanks to Islam's infiltration of our country.  Yesterday, Jones spoke lawfully from the front of Dearborn's City Hall, but was viciously shouted down and later attacked.  All that saved him was a line of riot police who pushed the hundreds of Muslim protestors back, arresting several of the most belligerent.

And surprise, surprise...nothing about this riot was reported on MSNBC News, CNN, or FOX News.  However, I did find this article entitled, "Terry Jones Endangers Us All" --> http://articles.cnn.com/2011-04-21/opinion/shourd.jones.quran_1_misguided-act-quran-josh-fattal?_s=PM:OPINION

Terry Jones endangers us all?  OH REALLY?!  Isn't it enraged Muslims who endanger us, not Terry Jones?

Dave

Hi folks,

This is a documentary made by a Brit (Robb Leach) whose stepbrother converted to Islam and became an extremist.  In his stepbrother's effort to convert him also to Islam, the two spent a lot of time together, and Robb recorded the entire indoctrination process of another recent convert. 

It's frightening to see how this brainwashing takes place: Proselytizing in certain places where people who are vulnerable to conversion are likely to be, gaining the prospects' trust through camaraderie, getting the prospect to commit themselves, and then, once the person is committed, commence with extremist training and an ever-escalating series of extremist actions.  In this case, the climax comes with a burning of the American flag outside the U.S. Embassy on the anniversary of September 11. 

This is an incredibly important video to see, but it's also nearly an hour long.  If you have to, view it in 5-minute chunks for a few days.  But please view it because it teaches us what to watch out for as well as the effects of misguided liberal policies:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsBqtILGYq0&feature=player_embedded

This is a quick summary of some of the most profound things I noticed in this story:

·         The moral relativism of the mother, which causes her to be nothing more than a bystander in her son's development.  By being completely nonjudgmental, she is also completely helpless as she watches her son convert to a religion that is clearly filled with hate.  As she watches her son engage in ever more violent activity, ultimately embracing the global jihad against all of the world's "filthy kuffar" -- that is, people like her -- all she can do is hope that he will eventually become less extreme.  By the way, she only confides this to the camera.  She would never go so far as to impose her moral judgment on her son.

·         The generous social programs of Britain make it possible for Muslims to devote all of their time to Islamic indoctrination without ever having to worry about working to put a roof over their heads and food on the table.

·         Apparently, treasonous speech has been transformed into a protected freedom.  When I think of what the Muslims in this video were able to get away with, while in Canada (still part of the British Commonwealth) portions of the Bible are now considered outlawed hate speech, I gape in shock and disbelief.

·         The way the internet is facilitating indoctrination is extremely dangerous.  The internet can and should be far more monitored and controlled than it is.  While we may not like the way the Chinese are controlling this communication medium, they at least have demonstrated that it can be done, and we need to start calling radical Islam a national threat and fight it using the same kinds of tools.

·         The sheer numbers of Muslims in parts of Britain is huge.  It's clear that they have established enclaves where they call the shots.

·         The way these Muslims only saw what was bad about Western culture, but appeared to be blind to all of the good, even as they lived on the largess of their host country apparently unaware of how bad life is in the Islamic world.

·         The contempt of these Muslims for the society in which they live is very dangerous.  They essentially see non-Muslims as not fully human and unworthy of compassion.

·         The inaccessibility of these Muslims' minds is revealed:

o   They discount any news unfavorable to Islam, calling it a falsehood propagated by kuffar who hate Islam.

o   They reject any criticism of the Koran on two grounds: (1) Any criticism based on a translation of the Koran to English is inherently invalid (2) Anyone who criticizes the Koran is inherently wrong because they approach the Koran with a hostile heart.  Only after one converts to Islam and becomes devoted to the Koran can one be qualified to comment on it.

·         The enthusiastic clarity with which they embrace their goal to take over the world, offering non-Muslims three options: (A) Convert, (B) pay the Jizya tax, or (C) die.  However, they hide this agenda with a friendly face meant to win you over to their side before they have to revert to plans (B) or (C).

This story is not only being told in Britain; it's going on all over the West.  We need to drink the lessons of this documentary in deeply, and reflect on what we can do as a country to counteract the propaganda and stop the cycle of brainwashing.

Dave

"Justice" Stephen Breyer: Incompetent and Unfit for USSC

Breyer's willingness to curtail the First Amendment underscores his lack of fitness for any position of public trust
by Bill Levinson

Stephen Breyer's recent statement that the First Amendment might not protect Koran burning is but the latest evidence of his total unfitness to serve as the custodian of the U.S. Constitution. He also thinks the Constitution allows developers like Donald Trump and Jim Komen (Komen Properties) to collude with municipal authorities to take private property for private use by the developers in question, and that foreign and international law can be used as "guidelines" for interpretation of the Constitution.

He has also defended the Supreme Court's use of foreign law and international law as persuasive (but not binding) authority in its decisions.

If we wanted foreign and/or international law to play a role in governing the United States, we would probably not have bothered to declare independence from Great Britain...

Read the whole entry »

Islam's Christian Scapegoats

Raymond Ibrahim:

... This phenomenon - attacking one set of Christians in response to another - has roots in Islamic law. The Pact of Omar, a foundational text for Islam's treatment of dhimmis (i.e., non-Muslims who refused to convert after their lands were seized by Islam) makes this clear. The consequences of breaking any of the debilitating and humiliating conditions Christians were made to accept in order to be granted a degree of surety by the Muslim state were stark: "If we in any way violate these undertakings ... we forfeit our covenant, and we become liable to the penalties for contumacy and sedition" - penalties that include enslavement, rape, and death. Moreover, the actions of the individual affect the entire group: everyone is under threat to ensure that everyone behaves. ...

Continue reading...

NJ worker fired over Quran burning gets job back

10:45 AM, Apr. 22, 2011 | http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20110422/NEWS/110422024/NJ-worker-fired-over-Quran-burning-gets-job-back?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|Local|s

Written by

Associated Press

NEWARK - The New Jersey Transit employee fired for publicly burning pages of the Quran on the ninth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks is getting his job back.

A settlement obtained by The Star-Ledger Newark shows Derek Fenton will receive $25,000 for pain and suffering when he resumes his $86,110-a-year job. He'll also receive back pay equal to $331.20 for every day since his firing on Sept. 13, 2010.

The state will also pay $25,000 in legal feesto the American Civil Liberties Union, which filed a lawsuit claiming Fenton's right to free expression was violated.

The 40-year-old was not working when he set fire to three pages of the Quran last September in Lower Manhattan to protest a planned Islamic center near the former World Trade Center site.

CBS correspondent describes Egypt mob's assault

Lara Logan plans '60 Minutes' appearance to raise awareness of sexual violence

CBS News via Reuters file

CBS correspondent Lara Logan is shown in Cairo's Tahrir Square Feb. 11 moments before she was assaulted.

By Brian Stelter

The New York Times

updated 4/28/2011 7:38:46 PM ET  http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42804908/ns/world_news-the_new_york_times/2011-04-28T23:38:46

Lara Logan thought she was going to die in Tahrir Square when she was sexually assaulted by a mob on the night that Hosni Mubarak's government fell in Cairo.

Ms. Logan, a CBS News correspondent, was in the square preparing a report for "60 Minutes" on Feb. 11 when the celebratory mood suddenly turned threatening. She was ripped away from her producer and bodyguard by a group of men who tore at her clothes and groped and beat her body. "For an extended period of time, they raped me with their hands," Ms. Logan said in an interview with The New York Times. She estimated that the attack lasted for about 40 minutes and involved 200 to 300 men.

Ms. Logan, who returned to work this month, is expected to speak at length about the assault on "60 Minutes" on Sunday night.

Her experience in Cairo underscored the fact that female journalists often face a different kind of violence. While other forms of physical violence affecting journalists are widely covered - traumatic brain injury suffered by the ABC News anchor Bob Woodruff in Iraq in 2006 was a front-page story at that time - sexual threats against women are rarely talked about within journalistic circles or in the media.

With sexual violence, "you only have your word," Ms. Logan said in the interview. "The physical wounds heal. You don't carry around the evidence the way you would if you had lost your leg or your arm in Afghanistan."

Raising awareness
 Little research has been conducted about the prevalence of sexual violence affecting journalists in conflict zones. But in the weeks following Ms. Logan's assault, other women recounted being harassed and assaulted while working overseas, and groups like the Committee to Protect Journalists said they would revise their handbooks to better address sexual assault.

Jeff Fager, the chairman of CBS News and the executive producer of "60 Minutes," said that the forthcoming segment about the assault on Ms. Logan would raise awareness of the issue. "There's a code of silence about it that I think is in Lara's interest and in our interest to break," he said.

Until now the only public comment about the assault came four days after it took place, when Ms. Logan was still in the hospital. She and Mr. Fager drafted a short statement that she had "suffered a brutal and sustained sexual assault and beating."

That statement, Ms. Logan said, "didn't leave me to carry the burden alone, like my dirty little secret, something that I had to be ashamed of."

When 'everything went wrong'
 The assault happened the day that Ms. Logan returned to Cairo, having left a week earlier after being detained and interrogated by Egyptian forces. "The city was on fire with celebration" over Mr. Mubarak's exit, she said, comparing it to a Super Bowl party. She and a camera crew traversed Tahrir Square, the epicenter of the celebrations, interviewing Egyptians and posing for photographs with people who wanted to be seen with an American journalist.

"There was a moment that everything went wrong," she recalled.

As the cameraman, Richard Butler, was swapping out a battery, Egyptian colleagues who were accompanying the camera crew heard men nearby talking about wanting to take Ms. Logan's pants off. She said: "Our local people with us said, 'We've gotta get out of here.' That was literally the moment the mob set on me."

Mr. Butler, Ms. Logan's producer, Max McClellan, and two locally hired drivers were "helpless," Mr. Fager said, "because the mob was just so powerful." A bodyguard who had been hired to accompany the team was able to stay with Ms. Logan for a brief period of time.

"For Max," the producer, "to see the bodyguard come out of the pile without her, that was one of the worst parts," Mr. Fager said. He said Ms. Logan "described how her hand was sore for days after - and then she realized it was from holding on so tight" to the bodyguard's hand.

"My clothes were torn to pieces," Ms. Logan said.

She declined to go into more detail about the assault but said: "What really struck me was how merciless they were. They really enjoyed my pain and suffering. It incited them to more violence."

After being rescued by a group of civilians and Egyptian soldiers, she was swiftly flown back to the United States. "She was quite traumatized, as you can imagine, for a period of time," Mr. Fager said. Ms. Logan said she decided almost immediately that she would speak out about sexual violence both on behalf of other journalists and on behalf of "millions of voiceless women who are subjected to attacks like this and worse."

Times reporter groped
More than a dozen journalists have been detained in Libya in the past two months, including four who were working for The Times. One of the Times journalists, Lynsey Addario, said she was repeatedly groped and harassed by her Libyan captors.

For Ms. Logan, learning about Ms. Addario's experience was a "setback" in her recovery. While Ms. Logan, CBS's chief foreign affairs correspondent, said she would definitely return to Afghanistan and other conflict zones, she said she had decided - for the moment - not to report from the Middle Eastern countries where protests were widespread. "The very nature of what we do - communicating information - is what's undoing these regimes," she said. "It makes us the enemy, whether we like it or not."

Before the assault, Ms. Logan said, she did not know about the levels of harassment and abuse that women in Egypt and other countries regularly experienced. "I would have paid more attention to it if I had had any sense of it," she said. "When women are harassed and subjected to this in society, they're denied an equal place in that society. Public spaces don't belong to them. Men control it. It reaffirms the oppressive role of men in the society."

After the "60 Minutes" segment is broadcast, though, she does not intend to give other interviews on the subject. "I don't want this to define me," she said.

She said that the kindness and support shown by Mr. Fager and others at CBS and by strangers - like the high school class in Texas and the group of women at ABC News who wrote letters to her - was a "very big part of picking myself up and restoring my dignity and my self-worth."

Among the letters she received, she said, was one from a woman who lives in Canada who was raped in the back of a taxi cab in Cairo in early February, amid the protests there. "That poor woman had to go into the airport begging people to help her," Ms. Logan recalled. When she returned home, "her family told her not to talk about it."

Ms. Logan said that as she read the letter, she started to sob. "It was a reminder to me of how fortunate I was," she said.

This article, "CBS Reporter Talks About Her Assault in Egypt," first appeared in The New York Times.

Today's Headlines:  Friday, April 29, 2011

Three Convicted in Terror-Related Cases Granted U.S. Citizenship by Obama Administration

Half of 'Highest Risk' Overseas Posts Don't Use Counter-Terror Visa Security Program

Pelosi Blamed 'Oil Men in the White House' in '08; Now Who's to Blame?

Not Spending Money Is Mortgaging America's Future, Obama Says

After 'Fun Day,' Obama Demands 'Serious' Tone While Speaking to DNC Fundraiser

Obama's Approval Remains at All-Time Low for Second Week in Row, Says Gallup

Obama's Approval Remains at All-Time Low Among Hispanics, Says Gallup

Supreme Court Justices Apparently Staying Put

COMMENTARY:

Hate Speech Makes a Comeback
By Patrick J. Buchanan

Birth Certificate
By Rich Galen
 
MTV's Crotch Profits
By L. Brent Bozell III

The Wisconsin Witch Hunt Goes National
By Michelle Malkin

Gasoline Taxes Vs. Exxon Profit, Per Gallon

By Mark Perry on April 27, 2011

The map above from API shows gasoline taxes by state (combined local, state and federal), which range from a low of 26.4 cents per gallon in Alaska to a high of of 66.1 cents per gallon in California, averaging 48.1 cents per gallon across all states.  How does that compare to oil company industry profits per gallon?

According to this post on Exxon Mobil's Perspective Blog , "For every gallon of gasoline, diesel or finished products we manufactured and sold in the United States in the last three months of 2010, we earned a little more than 2 cents per gallon. That's not a typo. Two cents."  

READ MORE: 

Attorneys General Battle NLRB Over Boeing Plant

Mexico Sues U.S. Gun Manufacturers: is Obama behind Calderon's back door attack on gun rights?

Apr 29, 2011 06:13 am | Coach Collins

By Doug Book, staff writer

Not content to pack off millions of miscreants, impoverished or labor-averse citizens to the welcoming, welfare bestowing arms of the United States government, Mexican President Felipe Calderon has decided to hold Americans responsible for his nation's crime rate as well. On November 2nd, 2010, Calderon retained the New York law firm of Reid, Collins and Tsai to sue American gun manufacturers and dealers for the reputed massive influx of weapons into the otherwise zephyr-swept, Shangri La ... Continue Reading:Mexico Sues U.S. Gun Manufacturers: is Obama behind Calderon's back door attack on gun rights?

comments | read more 

The Great Escape

Apr 30, 2011 06:13 am | Coach Collins

By Jim Emerson, staff writer

Before dawn approximately 475 Taliban fighters escaped from a large prison in Kandahar. The Prisoners opened their cell doors and left the prison through a well prepared tunnel. Like the classic movie "The Great Escape" They managed to escape without being detected. This is not be a Hollywood script but may have been influenced by one.

... Continue Reading:The Great Escape

comments |read more

Good afternoon my friends,

    Some of the items will be addressed either with the budget or right before.  The Emergency Mandate Relief bill will go hand in hand with the budget.  Welform reform is currently underway in the House.  Today the House voted to pass HB1297(which calls for drug testing welfare recipients with a criminal record of drug abuse).  The second bill HB1312also passed today, which replaces the current DPW grant program with a new loan program.  HB42 (the Freedom of Choice in Healthcare Act) is currently in appropriations and we are hopeful it will move before Fall.

    I will address a few of the items Betty put forth and these may be issues groups will want to band together to help push through:

            HB934: Rep Metcalfe has introduced this bill which requires proof of identification when voting (Voter ID at Elections).  This has been introduced and is currently in the State Government Committee (Which Metcalfe Chairs.)  This bill is not scheduled for consideration due to Congressional Redistricting meetings being held through June.  I assume this will not be moving until Fall.

        In regards to public sector union dues being collected....this is going to be addressed soon.  Please bare with me on this specific issue.  It is going to be addressed...trust me ;)

In the meantime, I know many groups are going to be joining together on this effort.  Having been in Harrisburg working with these legislators I believe reminding them we are still watching can only help the effort.  The good guys need the support of all of us.  If they have legislation which fits into the categories listed, they will know they have a friend in all of us.  They will reach out to YOU once you have extended your hand.  The good guys are excited to know that you are focusing your efforts in Harrisburg, instead of the federal level exclusively.  They have been waiting for a long time.  Let's work with them to get the good bills passed.

In regards to AFP-PA, we are working diligently to put together our rollout of legislative initiatives.  We have already announced our full support of HB42 (seen above).  More will be coming soon...very soon!  Thank you all for your continued diligence.  It truly makes me even more proud to be a Pennsylvanian.  I have more hope for my childrens future now more than ever.  You can all be rest assured that we will all be changing the face of Pennsylvania.  We will change the course.

Regards,
Katy Abram
Director of Policy
Americans for Prosperity-Pennsylvania
cell: 717-575-6093

 READ MORE:

Communist Party Predicts Huge May Day Rallies Across America - Left Exploits Immigrants

John Wojcik

Communist Party USA labor journalist John Wojcik is predicting huge labor union/immigrant rallies across America on May 1.

 

The US left wants to legalize millions of illegal immigrants, because they know that the vast majority will vote Democrat. In these times of high unemployment,  resentment among many unionized and unionized workers and the unemployed against illegal immigrants is high.

 

Therefore the left is deliberately trying to bring all these groups into an alliance behind Barack Obama and the Democrats and against the G.O.P.

 READ MORE:

More ways to share...

 

Read more on Newsmax.com: Don't Raise Debt Ceiling Without Repealing Obamacare
Important: Do You Support Pres. Obama's Re-Election? Vote Here Now! 

 

Tea Party Top Stories
for Friday, April 29th, 2011  

The new Uncommon Knowledge video from our friends at the Hoover Institution is now available.

This week's video features Andrew Ferguson, senior editor of the Weekly Standard and author of the recent book Crazy U: One Dad's Crash Course in Getting His Kid Into College. Through detailing his experiences guiding his son's recent college search, he exposes the unsustainable trend in which colleges become more expensive, yet result in less learning. He details how this trend developed, and possible ways in which the "higher education bubble" may eventually burst. .

What is the future of higher education? Watch to find outwhat Andrew Ferguson thinks!

 

Sincerely,

Human Events

Obama: We're working on gun control 'under the radar'

Posted: April 26, 2011
6:07 pm Eastern

 © 2011 

 READ MORE:

4/29/2011 

Marriage Is an Ideal, Not a Fairy Tale

As many as two billion people -- about a third of the world -- were expected to watch today's British royal wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton.

The global euphoria highlights the enduring ideal of marriage. For all the extravagance and fanfare of a future monarch's wedding, we recognize in it some of our deepest human aspirations and the shared nobility of the institution of marriage. 

Recent Entries 

Online Chat on Defense Spending

Paul Revere with a Bedside Manner

Outside the Beltway: Kiss Those Plastic Bags Goodbye, Evanston!

North Carolina County Wants to Give Parents a Better Option Than Busing

The Case for a "Greatly Reduced Federal Footprint" in Education

QUICK HITS

Dozens of tornados left nearly 300 people dead, devastating towns across six southern states over the past two days. Federal and state authorities are working to clean up the wreckage.

A bomb attack killed 16 at a tourist cafe in Marrakesh, Morocco. Al-Qaeda is among the suspects.

Some Democrats in the U.S. Senate have joined Republicans in calling for deficit reduction as a condition of any increase in the debt limit.

The space shuttle Endeavour will embark on its final journey today, launching from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Politicians are blaming big oil for the high price of gas, but the truth is a different story. Read more about it and learn why oil profits are good for Americans.

April 29, 2011 

On Friday's Program 

Yawn: There was a royal wedding today

Prince William tied the knot today with Kate Middleton. Despite the fact that no one cares about this wedding, the news is wall to wall coverage of all the pomp and circumstance. Stu reports live from 'England' with stunning details that easily put him in line for a Pulitzer. Check out the report and Glenn's reaction from radio today HERE.

Storm devastation: How do we recover?

The images of the storms that have ripped through the southeast United States have shocked Americans everywhere. The devastation is incomprehensible. How do we get back on our feet? HINT: doesn't start with government. It starts with YOU. Will you be the people of 9/12 once again? Glenn issues a challenge on radio today.

Trump: Don't raise f'n oil prices

Presidential? Donald Trump is caught on tape talking about how he would conduct foreign policy with Saudi Arabia and China. Trump may be anti war, but he clearly believes in the power of the f-bomb. Glenn plays the audio of Trump's unique foreign policy strategy that is questionable, to say the least. Hear the audio on radio today.

Must be election season: GOP are suddenly racists again

One easy way to tell an election is approaching is when charges of Republicans being racist start popping up again. The latest ridiculous charge comes from CBS newsman Bob Schieffer who says there's a whole string of racism in these attacks on Obama. Glenn has the audio and response on radio today. 

Indoctrination of our Children

Last Friday Rachel called into the radio program about an earth day rap that her six-year-old came home singing from school one day including the lyrics, 'Boycott, petition, let the big business know that if we mess it up here, there's nowhere else we can go.' Rachel and her daughter appeared on today's radio program - get their story and the plan to stop the indoctrination HERE.

Redistribution of grades? How do these students feel about giving some of their college credits to others? WATCH

What's the green economy look like? (pic)

Not only are NJ utility companies wasting hundreds of millions of dollars trying to comply with a green energy state mandate, they have drawn the ire of NJ residents. The panels are not only expensive, they are really, really ugly. One look at this picture and it's easy to see why people are angry- get the pic and details HERE.

Will Huckabee run?

There are reports out suggesting that Huck may withdraw his name from the pool of possible 2012 candidates. Probably a good idea because there is fertile ground for his opponents to mine-- like the strange (and large) list of convicts Huck decided to pardon while governor. Read this horrific tale from The Blaze and it is clear that Huck would bring a whole new (and terrifying) meaning to 'leader of the free world'...  

Peaceful democratic uprising? Lara Logan describes being raped by Egyptian 'democracy' lovers. Watch