Quote: 

"It is surely time for men to think for themselves, and to throw off the authority of names so artificially magnified."   

Obama: A disaster for civil liberties

He may prove the most disastrous president in our history in terms of civil liberties.

President Obama failed to close Guantanamo Bay, continued warrantless surveillance and military tribunals and asserted the right to kill U.S. citizens he views as terrorists. Photographed: The president speaks at the Libya Contact Group Meeting Sept. 20. (Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP Photo)

By Jonathan Turley

September 29, 2011

With the 2012 presidential election before us, the country is again caught up in debating national security issues, our ongoing wars and the threat of terrorism. There is one related subject, however, that is rarely mentioned: civil liberties.

Protecting individual rights and liberties - apart from the right to be tax-free - seems barely relevant to candidates or voters. One man is primarily responsible for the disappearance of civil liberties from the national debate, and he is Barack Obama. While many are reluctant to admit it, Obama has proved a disaster not just for specific civil liberties but the civil liberties cause in the United States.

Civil libertarians have long had a dysfunctional relationship with the Democratic Party, which treats them as a captive voting bloc with nowhere else to turn in elections. Not even this history, however, prepared civil libertarians for Obama. After the George W. Bush years, they were ready to fight to regain ground lost after Sept. 11. Historically, this country has tended to correct periods of heightened police powers with a pendulum swing back toward greater individual rights. Many were questioning the extreme measures taken by the Bush administration, especially after the disclosure of abuses and illegalities. Candidate Obama capitalized on this swing and portrayed himself as the champion of civil liberties.

If you see a story that you believe would be useful and important to our readers, simply respond to this email with a link and a brief description of why it is important.  (Even if it may be obvious)

Southern NH 9.12 Project 

& Temple University Students for Intellectual Freedom (TUSIF)

This is a really good chart with all the candidates positions on issues....note especially, please, those that support agenda 21   

Get the PDF Document Here . . .   

Nullify Now! Philadelphia

THE INTERFAITH TASKFORCE FOR AMERICA AND ISRAEL (ITAI)

123 S. Broad Street, Suite 1832, Philadelphia, PA 19109

HOLD THE DATE

ITAI is pleased to invite you to attend our program titled "Christians in the Middle East: Endangered Species."

With Samir Asad (an Egyptian Coptic-Christian), Wafa Mikhail, and Joseph Puder, and Charles Kahn Jr.,

Our panel will discuss the current situation in Egypt, the Palestinian Authority and Gaza, and more...

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2012, 7:30PM

At

St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church

1989 Rt. 70 East, Cherry Hill, NJ

Admission is free, tax-deductible contributions to ITAI are encouraged.

LISTEN LIVE TO REPATRIOT RADIO

"BETTER THAN EVER"

(all times are eastern)

Monday 3-4pm "Bordering on Insanity" - Sue Payne and Frosty Wooldridge

Wednesday 3-4pm "Patriots Watch" - Billy Baer and Dan Haggerty

Thursday 3-4pm "America's Black Shield" - Ted Hayes and Terrance Lang

Friday 10-11pm "Veterans' Weekly Forum" - Rich Davis and David Bellavia   

Remember January 3rd, 2007 The Day The Democrats Took Over!

The Case Against Obamacare: Health Care Policy Series for the 112th Congress

For Tea Parties, this can be used as basic ammunition for letters to the editor, columns for your local news outlet, handouts at public events, emailing the pdf to our elected reps as well as to members, friends and neighbors.

This appears to be an excellent resource; let's make use of it.

Lou Flanagan

The General Wayne Tea Party

RedState Morning Briefing

For December 21, 2011

1. Commending the Perry Campaign

I risk being accused of endorsing Rick Perry by saying nice things about his campaign two days in a row, but this is genuinely worth commenting on and is not an endorsement.

Yesterday, I wrote a post that started with Perry as one of the best candidates to beat Barack Obama, but commented on what I perceive to be one of the flaws in his campaign. I wrote, "Of all the candidates running, I think he has one of the best shots, though his internal campaign situation has badly served him and he never should have left Ray Sullivan in his position."

My issue with Ray Sullivan is not personal, nor (as some have speculated) does it derive from his wife assisting the Romney campaign. He is the communications director and, having worked both inside and outside campaigns, it has struck me that the Perry campaign's messaging is erratic - much improved, but still erratic.

But I have to tip my hat to Ray Sullivan and the Perry campaign. Despite my criticisms of Ray, he sent out my post yesterday from the Perry campaign leaving my criticisms in tact.

An amateur campaign does not do that. It takes a lot of testicular fortitude to be willing to do that as a candidate and as a communications shop within a campaign.

This is precisely why I think Iowans and others would be out of their minds if they did not take a look again at Rick Perry before settling. After the MIchigan debate disaster, Perry has retooled, refocused, and executed a very solid game plan. Rick Perry has finally found his voice and Iowa tracking polls suggest the voters there like what they are hearing.

Please click here for the rest of the post.

2. New Gang of Five Coalesce Around McConnell's Excrement Sandwich

If I had voted for a bill that not only screwed my party, but also screwed the country, I would keep a low profile. If I had passed a bill that was unworkable for businesses and helped preserve the entities that precipitated the housing crisis, I wouldn't show my face in public for a while. Evidently, there are five GOP senators, some of which have flirted with "No Labels," who are unfazed by their vote for McConnell's pathetic extenders package. Worse, they are demanding that the House join them in helping their own reelection prospects at the expense of the rest of the country.

Please click here for the rest of the post.

3. Yes, Virginia, Ron Paul is a 9/11 Truther (and a Coddler of Racists)

A few days ago, some folks took exception with my last post about Ron Paul, claiming that the video wherein Paul stated that there was "glee" in the White House after 9/11 did not establish that Ron Paul was a truther. Silly me, I assumed that people remembered all the material from 2008 which had already pretty much proved the point, but it appears that some have forgotten. Let us review, then, some small portion of the evidence.

Much of the raw evidence, gleamed from raw footage/audio of Paul on certified nutjob and avowed 9/11 truther Alex Jones' radio show (and other private meetings which were recorded) has since been pulled down, but this nugget remains.

Please click here for the rest of the post.

4. Gary Johnson for Senate

Apparently, Gary Johnson is continuing to mull a completely fruitless third-party run for the Presidency. His specific beef is that he performed so poorly because he was unjustifiably excluded from most of the television debates, which he apparently blames on the GOP. I really don't know how much merit this complaint has - I am under the impression that the media/sponsoring organizations for the debate decide who is included and who is not. Certainly you could have made the case that for much of the race, if you were going to include Santorum and Huntsman, you should have also included Johnson. I just don't know if he's taking out his frustration on the right folks here.

I don't know very much about Gary Johnson. I gather that he is more of a hard-boiled libertarian in the style of Ron Paul, only with much less crazy. Although I don't necessarily agree with where those sorts of people stand, I'm glad to have them around in the party, especially in the Senate where they can really muck up the works to some good effect. I do know that Johnson remains popular in New Mexico and according to at least one poll, does substantially better than the rest of the GOP field in polling of the upcoming New Mexico Senate race.

I hope that Johnson reconsiders this third party run nonsense. If attention is what he wants, I think he will find that running as the Libertarian party's candidate for President doesn't really provide a whole lot of that. On the other hand, I could really get behind more crazy honey badger libertarians in the Senate making Mitch McConnell's life unbearable. The solution here is clear: Gary Johnson for Senate. Sour grapes never do anything but set your teeth on edge.

Please click here for the rest of the post.

5. A great gift idea for that special someone in your life

But alas - unfortunately, you won't be able to buy this one for Christmas this year. It seems that the latest in the Tom Clancy Rainbow Six series may have adopted a new villain: Occupy Wall Street. MRC TV has the story here.

Now I'm not all that convinced that it's OWS that they're going after - I don't see any stringy hair or torn clothes...but they may be smelly (can't tell here...)

As the good folk at MRC point out, the Left is none too happy to see their allies getting blown up. If the OWS kids really are the target of this game's ridicule, it's really too bad the creators weren't even MORE explicit about it. After all, the Left didn't seem all that broken up when another game creator decided that "Tea Party Zombies Must Die". I suppose the lesson here is that I can look at that example of liberal silliness and chuckle about it, whereas the Left, as usual, is indignant about one of their causes being mocked.

So - for anyone except maybe Ron Paul fans (who might be reminded too much of the Great Satan going after Iran), this one should be on your short list for next Christmas!

Heritage Hotsheet

Experts on the Day's Hottest News

Items for December 21, 2011

Holiday Showdown Over Payroll Tax Tests Obama, GOP  ABC News

Mike Franc

Alison Fraser

Mike Needham

Tim Chapman

China Hackers Hit U.S. Chamber  The Wall Street Journal

Dean Cheng

James Carafano

Paul Rosenzweig

  Cue the tears: Loss, fear, coercion and self interest drive North Korea's mass grief over Kim     

The Washington Post

Bruce Klingner

Walter Lohman

Peter Brookes

Romney: Obama Making 'Entitlement Society'  Fox News

Matthew Spalding

Julia Shaw

Foreign carriers must pay EU Carbon fees  Financial Times

Nicolas Loris

Nile Gardiner

James Gattuso

Latest Heritage Research:

Flashback: Ron Paul defends Hamas, says Israeli blockade an act of war  

This clip that we posted last year demonstrates quite well the insanity of Ron Paul's foreign policies. This interview took place back June of 2010, just days after the infamous flotilla incident in which Ron Paul came out against Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip saying that embargoes were an act of war, and charging that Israel was not permitting humanitarian aid in to the people that he described were "almost like in concentration camps":

I think sanctions, embargoes and boycotts, preventing goods from going in, is actually an act of war. ...

I think it's absolutely wrong to prevent people that are starving and having problems that are almost like in concentration camps and saying "yes we endorse this whole concept that we can't allow ships to go in there in a humanitarian way".

I think it's just terrible and I don't think we should be part of it. Even though if we weren't involved I would say nothing. So I think this would be a perfect opportunity to argue the case that, you know, "Israel, if you want to do this, you're on your own. We're not backing you up!"

What has he been reading, Palestinian propaganda? He's not even educated on what is actually going on in the Middle East!

Then, when confronted with the truth that they were allowing humanitarian aid in, but were simply trying to prevent weapons from falling into the hands of Hamas, he defended Hamas as a legitimate government as though they should be allowed to get whatever weapons they want. Unbelievable!

Here's a partial transcript and video:

Go here: 

 ALSO:

Congressman Ron Paul calls Wikileaks & Bradely Manning Heros 

Congressman Ron Paul calls Wikileaks & Bradely Manning Heros

December 20, 2011
  Group protesting Lowe's with petition
  Please sign our petition of SUPPORT today!  

According to a Charlotte Observer news report, a coalition of "interfaith" organizations is planning on delivering a petition to Lowe's protesting its decision to stop advertising on the TV show "All-American Muslim."

The coalition is claiming to have 200,000 signers on its petition, which we have been unable to verify.

As far as we know, we are the only national organization coming to the defense of Lowe's with a petition. This week we are delivering the first round of petition signers to the company, and thus far we have over 31,000 signers.

But we can do better than this. We need to do better than this!

Why? Because we believe we represent the "silent majority" in America who agree that Lowe's has every right to decide when and where to advertise-but aren't activists and don't take the time to sign petitions like this. Our petition not only speaks for us, but for them.

So if you haven't yet added your name to our petition, please do so today! It only takes a minute or two. Lowe's needs to hear from more of us than 31,000 people!
 

CHRISTIANS IN IMMINENT DANGER ACROSS THE WORLD ARE REFUSED REFUGEE STATUS WHILE MUSLIM REFUGEE IMMIGRATION GOES UNIMPEDED

Monday, November 21, 2011  http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/refugee_resettlement_the_quiet_jihad_tsunami/

US policy regarding the refugee resettlement program would shock most Americans if they only knew. The UN picks who becomes US refugees. Christians are being refused refugee status and face persecution and many times certain death for their religious beliefs under the sharia, while whole Muslim communities are entering the US by the tens of thousands per month despite the fact that they face no religious persecution.

It is horrifying that Afghan Christians are being refused refugee status by the UN and many Western nations, including Britain. The UN claims that Afghan Christians do not meet the criteria for refugees under Statute 6B of the UN High Commission of Refugees (UNHCR), which requires refugees to have "a well founded fear of persecution by reason of his race, religion, nationality or political opinion." 

Since 1976, millions of new citizens have entered America as legal humanitarian refugees, according to reports of the US State Department. The Somalis are certified as "humanitarian refugees" under our State Department rules. Whole Muslim communities are imported into the United States, and they are supported by social services provided by the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) of the U.S. Department ofHealth and Human Services. The cities who receive these huge numbers are determined by Refugee Councils. And yet back in October 2008,  Muslim UN employees were "discouraging" applications for resettlement from the desperate Christian Iraqis. The Christian Iraqi population has since been decimated. By buying into the argument that Islam is a religion of peace and ignoring the penalties for apostasy, we are sentencing thousands of Christians to martyrdom and forcing others to live in the shadows in dire poverty.  We need to demand that our government provide protection and asylum for Christian apostates.

Humanitarian refugees have literally won the proverbial lottery. Typically, they receive green cards as resident aliens within a year of arrival and are eligible to become full US citizens within five years, unless they violate our immigration laws, commit a felony or are deported. In the process they are provided with cash stipend and social services assistance from federal, state, NGO's and voluntary agency contractors.

The irony is the mandate of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) determines which of the world's huddled masses comes to the US as humanitarian refugees. UNHCR trends for 2006 indicate that worldwide there were more than 32.9 million 'persons of concern' with approximately one third defined as 'refugees'. Major refugee 'hot spots' include the Horn of Africa with Somalia, Darfur in the Sudan and Ethiopia, Iraq, Pakistan and Myanmar. The US is the third highest ranked country in terms of hosting refugees. The annual budget for the UNHCR is over $1.7 billion derived from government contributions, foundationgrants and donations. A veritable cottage industry of federal and state alphabet soup agencies, NGO's and voluntary agencies or VOLAG contractors has sprung up to facilitate absorption of humanitarian refugees. (more here) 

This is no accident. We know that the UN is driven largely by the largest bloc of countries, the OIC (Organization of Islamic Cooperation). The OIC is one of the largest intergovernmental organizations in the world. 

 The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) is a religious and political organization. Close to the Muslim World League of the Muslim Brotherhood, it shares the Brotherhood's strategic and cultural vision: that of a universal religious community, the Ummah, based upon the Koran, the Sunna, and the canonical orthodoxy of shari'a. The OIC represents 56 countries and the Palestinian Authority (considered a state), the whole constituting the universal Ummah with a community of more than one billion three to six hundred million Muslims.

The OIC has a unique structure among nations and human societies. The Vatican and the various churches are de facto devoid of political power, even if they take part in politics, because in Christianity, as in Judaism, the religious and political functions have to be separated. Asian religions, too, do not represent systems that bring together religion, strategy, politics, and law within a single organizational structure. (More from Bat Yeor) 

The OIC is a unique organization - one that has no equivalent in the world. It unites the religious, economic, military, and political strength of 56 states. By contrast, the European Union represents half as many states and is a secular body only, and the Vatican - which speaks for the world's 1.1 billion Catholics - is devoid of any political power. Many Muslims in the West resist the OIC's tutelage and oppose its efforts to supplant Western law with sharia. But the OIC's resources are formidable. 

The organization has numerous subsidiary institutions collaborating at the highest levels with international organizations in order to implement its political objectives worldwide. Its main working bodies are the Islamic Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ISESCO), which seeks to impose on the West the Islamic perception of history and civilization; the Observatory of Islamophobia, which puts pressure on Western governments and international bodies to adopt laws punishing "Islamophobia" and blasphemy; and the newly created Islamic International Court of Justice. As stated in its 1990 Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam, the OIC is strictly tied to the principles of the Koran, the Sunnah, and the sharia. In a word, the OIC seeks to become the reincarnation of the Caliphate.

Is this why we expended incalcuable blood and treasure in Afghanistan? So that Christians would face persecution and slaughter? What was the objective? Sharia?

Afghan Christians in Danger at Home and Abroad
By Aidan Clay (hat tip Diane)

November 16 (ICC) - The following urgent message from Obaid S. Christ, an Afghan Christian living in New Delhi, arrived in my inbox two weeks ago:

"I just received a warning call from a person who introduced himself as an [official at the Afghan embassy]... If I don't go to the embassy in two hours to meet him, he will arrest [me] and present me to the embassy through the Indian police... Please pray and be in contact, and if in case something happens, my wife will contact you. He was claiming that I convert people from Islam to Christianity."

The calls continued throughout the day. "They were very angry and saying that they will hit me by knife and kill me," the exile, who changed his name after fleeing Afghanistan in 2007 when an Islamic court issued an arrest warrant for his conversion, told me in reference to the third call he received late that night.

Threats against Afghan converts to Christianity should not be taken lightly. Conversion is viewed as a serious crime in Afghanistan and Christians are frequently targeted by both the government and extremists. Earlier this year, a video was released of the beheading of an Afghan man, Abdul Latif, by four Islamist militants near Herat. The militants, who claim to be the Taliban, read a passage from the Hadiths before executing the victim: "Mohammad (peace be upon him) says, 'Whoever changes his religion should be executed.'"

Neither are Afghan Christians safe outside their homeland. In September, an Afghan convert was scalded with boiling water and acid at a refugee processing center in Norway. "If you do not return to Islam, we will kill you," his attackers reportedly told him.

For Obaid, the menacing calls were not the first time he felt threatened since arriving in India. "Our community is a persecuted and rejected community," he told me last April. "We left behind all our belongings in Afghanistan just to save our lives by leaving Afghanistan. Here in India, we are receiving no legal and physical protection from the UNHCR Office or Indian government. We are harassed, attacked, insulted and persecuted by Indian Muslims and Afghan Muslim refugees in this city."

The persecution of Afghan Christian refugees is sometimes ignored by the very agencies that are mandated to protect them. Aman Ali and his family fled Afghanistan in June 2010 following a television broadcast showing footage of Afghans being baptized. Though Aman's conversion was already known in his community, the broadcast stirred animosity towards Christians which led to nationwide protests and the arrests of several converts.

"Someone had reported my activities to the secret police of Afghanistan and they were looking for evidence to arrest me, but I was so careful and had to stop my work," Aman told ICC. "After the television showed pictures from a baptism ceremony, the Afghan government started arresting believers from different parts of Kabul... Most Afghan believers were scared... and left the country. So did me and my family."

Aman immediately applied for refugee status with the United Nations High Commission of Refugees (UNHCR) upon arrival in New Delhi, but was rejected and told that he failed to meet the criteria set forth in Article 6B of the UNHCR Statute which states that in order to receive refugee status, one must have a "well-founded fear of persecution by reason of his race, religion, nationality or political opinion." It was clear to Aman that the UNHCR did not consider his conversion as a legitimate threat to his life.

Ratimullah from Mazar-i-Sharif fled at the same time as Aman and for the same reasons. Like Aman, Ratimullah's application for refugee status was also rejected along with seven other applicants. The applicants have spent months in hiding, fearful that if caught by the Indian police they will be deported back to Afghanistan. "I cannot return to my country because I will be arrested and executed by the Afghan government," Ratimullah wrote in an appeal to the UNHCR. "A definite death is waiting for me in my homeland."

Afghan Christian refugees in India are not alone. Similar requests have been denied by the UNHCR in other countries as well, including Britain. The Guardian reported an Afghan Christian asylum seeker, Ahmed Faizi, as saying, "If the Taliban don't execute me for being a Christian, my family will," just before his deportation last April.

"They will kill me for being Christian," Ali Hussani, another deportee, said. "There are only Muslims there."

Their predictions are ringing true amidst renewed threats by the Taliban to purge Christians - both foreign and national - from the country. A statement posted on an official website on October 18 warned that "special plans" have been made to "destroy all (Christian) centers one by one." A translation of the notice declares:

"Under the name of this shameful and corrupt democracy, there are all kinds of pagans entering into our country. Thousands of Christian missionaries have also entered our country under the name and cover of aid societies and NGOs (organizations). They are busy with their activities (evangelizing) and have the support of foreign and Afghan forces, claiming that they are giving humanitarian and social help to people...

"According to our reports, these Christian evangelists and social organizations are directly inviting Afghans to Christianity... These infidels, enemies of Islam under the name of corrupt democracy and their lords, need to know that the Afghan Islamic Emirate is seriously taking your activities into consideration... The Afghan Islamic Emirate will take practical measures and has already made special plans to destroy all [their] centers one by one; the centers where plans are made that destroy the holy religion of Islam and Afghan culture."

Taken straight form the Islamic law and "the Cairo Declaration of Human Rights in Islam," adopted by the UN  in 1990.

The warning should not be ignored, Obaid told me. "The centers' activities are being observed, Afghan converts are identified, and it is planned to destroy the centers. This is serious!" Some foreign aid workers in the country, however, have heard similar declarations in the past and view the threat as merely Taliban propaganda.

Hundreds of Afghan Christians, like Obaid, remain on the run from religious-based persecution that targets them at home and abroad. "In the modern world, where we have NATO, the UN, human rights commissions, and governments which claim they fight for democracy and give protection for those who are persecuted, I cannot find a place in this world where I am protected," Obaid lamented.

The Cairo Declaration of Human Rights in Islam 

3. On 5 August 1990, the then 45 member states of the OIC adopted The Cairo Declaration of Human Rights in Islam5. In this document all rights are seen as derived from God. The preamble states that "no one as a matter of principle has the right to suspend them in whole or in part or violate or ignore them in as much as they are binding divine commandments".

4. At the 1993 World Conference on Human Rights in Vienna, Iran, supported by several other Islamic States, pressed for the acceptance of the Cairo Declaration as an alternative to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This objective was partly achieved in 1997 when the Cairo Declaration was included by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights as the last document in Human Rights: A Compilation of International Instruments: Volume II: Regional Instruments

[...]
15. The Cairo Declaration goes further however in making this freedom subject to the Shari'ah. Under Article 22 of the Cairo Declaration a person may only express their opinion in a manner "as would not be contrary to the principles of the Shari'ah", and freedom of expression may not be used to "weaken faith". 16. On 18 December 2007, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution "Combating Defamation of Religions" by 108 votes to 51 with 25 abstentions. Similar resolutions had been adopted since 1999 by the Commission for Human Rights and by the new Council. This was the first time however that such a resolution had been passed by the General Assembly. The resolution expresses once again "deep concern about the negative stereotyping of religions and manifestations of intolerance and discrimination in matters of religion or belief". But the only religion mentioned by name is Islam. The resolution emphasizes that whilst everyone has the right to freedom of expression, this should be exercised with responsibility - and may therefore be subject to limitations, inter alia, "for respect for religions and beliefs". 17. Many delegations, however, opposed the resolution. The Portuguese delegate, speaking for the European Union, explained clearly why:

"The European Union does not see the concept of 'defamation of religions' as a valid one in a human rights discourse. From a human rights perspective, members of religious or belief communities should not be viewed as parts of homogenous entities. International human rights law protects primarily individuals in the exercise of their freedom of religion or belief, rather than the religions as such." 18. Notwithstanding these objections, those opposing the resolution found themselves on the losing side of a two-to-one majority in favor.

How the Shari'ah limits Human Rights   9. Under Shari'ah law, Muslim women and non-Muslims are not accorded equal treatment with Muslim men. The Shari'ah, therefore, fails to honour the right to equality guaranteed under the UDHR and the international covenants, and thus denies the full enjoyment of their human rights to those living in States which follow Shari'ah law. 10. By limiting rights to those permitted by the Shari'ah the Cairo Declaration, rather than complementing the UDHR and the international covenants, undermines many of the rights they are supposed to guarantee. (See references 6 7 8 for additional documentation on this issue.)

Limiting Religious Freedom

11. Religious freedom is limited under the Cairo Declaration. Article 10 states: "Islam is the religion of unspoiled nature. It is prohibited to exercise any form of compulsion on man or to exploit his poverty or ignorance in order to convert him to another religion or to atheism."

Since it is a generally accepted view in the Islamic world that only compulsion or ignorance would lead anyone to abandon Islam, conversion from Islam is thus effectively forbidden.

12. It is notable that under Shari'ah law in many countries apostasy and any actions or statements considered blasphemous are harshly punished, in some States by death. 13. At the 6th session of the Human Rights Council in December 2007, the European Union tabled a resolution on the elimination of discrimination based on religion or belief.

On December 14, the Pakistani delegate, again speaking for the OIC, said that differences remained in the wording of this resolution on, inter alia, respect for all religions and beliefs, and respect for national laws and religious norms about the right to change one's religion. "Hence, we dissociate ourselves from operative paragraph 9 (a) because of its phrase 'including the right to change one's religion or belief'". Yet this fundamental human right is clearly guaranteed under Article 18 of the UDHR and Article 18 of the ICCPR.

Unlimited Muslim Entitlement

In addition to being exempt from satirical cartoons, airline security procedures and human rights-- the chattering media classes in all their wisdom have decided that Muslims should also be exempt from the laws of economics.

 

Forget welfare, Muslims are now entitled to media welfare. When normal religions want to put on a show promoting their religion, they build themselves a cable channel. Sadly Bridges TV, the Muslim cable channel dedicated to challenging stereotypes, hating Jews and promoting Islam ran into some trouble when its founder and president beheaded its co-founder, who also happened to be his wife.

Muzzammil Hassan, turned out not just to be the president and founder of Bridges TV, but also a member of the Muslim Club for Men, and is now challenging stereotypes about Islam at Clinton Correctional Facility. But TLC stepped into the breach to provide Americans with more of that programming challenging stereotypes about Islam that they never asked for.

All-American Muslim was founded dedicated to the proposition that Muslims are just like the rest of us. They put on their Hijabs one head at a time just like the rest of us and promote wearing them more often than the Geico reptile comes on to sell insurance. After a media blitz for the launch of the series, the Americans, being the Islamophobic bastards that they are, turned the channel to watch something else.

In Orwell's 1984 the television sets were always turned on and only leading party members were allowed to turn down the volume. Sadly for the left that kind of programming is beyond them, though if they could you can bet there would be an Al Gore, Chris Matthews or Stephen Colbert looking back at you through your television.

While the left can't penalize viewers for choosing The Walking Dead over The Jersey Shore Goes Jihad, they can penalize advertisers, as Lowe's Home Improvement is finding out. Muslim groups have decided to play their losing hand by going after the advertisers who jumped ship in search of television shows that have actual viewers.
 

  VIDEOS * TODAY'S HOT PICKS 

♦ CHECK OUT FSM'S NEW HOT PICKS' FEATURE: "WHAT DOES PAM THINK? "♦ 

1. VIDEO: Lt. Col. Steve Russell (Ret.),Who Captured Saddam: Iraq Is A Success Story  2. VIDEO: Neil Cavuto's Annual Christmas Shopping Tips for Men  3. VIDEO: Barney Frank took to the floor to speak about bank failures.
4. VIDEO: This Is How Occupy D.C. Protesters Reacted to a Live Nativity Scene
5. VIDEO: Flashback: CNN Gushes Over North Korea  6. Supply-Side Whiff in Iowa by Larry Kudlow
7. VIDEO: ABC's Jake Tapper Presses WH on Biden's 'Taliban Is Not Our Enemy' Remark
8. VIDEO: Despite Loss, Broncos Tebow Scores Big with Fans
9. VIDEO: The weeping North Koreans  10. December 20, 2011 Congressmen move to overturn House's 'Merry Christmas' ban

The U.S. Counterterrorism Advisory Team Celebrates Second Birthday

W. Thomas Smith, Jr. 

Raising Money for "Lady Al-Qaida"

Steve Emerson 

Congressman Steve King Supports Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio
Dec 20, 2011 12:56 pm

Ron Paul Next To Be "Creamed" By GOP
Dec 20, 2011 11:51 am

Columnist in Daily Close to Hamas: 'We Are All Martyrdom-Seekers'
Dec 19, 2011 11:25 pm

Homosexuals Support Gay Soldier in Treason Trial
Dec 19, 2011 09:27 pm

Raising Money for "Lady Al-Qaida"
Dec 19, 2011 06:22 pm

U. S. Legislative Immigration Update December 19, 2011
Dec 19, 2011 05:42 pm

CBP Highlights Top Seizures of 2011
Dec 19, 2011 05:16 pm

FREEPOLLARDNOW.ORG is running a phone campaign to call the White House Comments line and tell President Obama to Free Jonathan Pollard Now!

Ron Paul's Foreign Policy Exposed

By Daren Jonescu, AMERICAN THINKER 

Much has been said against Ron Paul's foreign policy. He has been accused of antisemitism, of living in a pre-technological past, and of using moral equivalency arguments to critique America's unwillingness to "mind its own business," in effect blaming the U.S. for September 11th. Whatever truth there may be in some of these criticisms of Paul's position - and I have previously expressed sympathy with one or two of them (though not the antisemitism) - the December 15 debate in Iowa exposed a deeper concern with Paul's foreign policy: an unbelievable ignorance.

Herman Cain took a lot of heat from conservatives who thought he showed too little knowledge of international issues for someone of his age and political aspirations. I thought this criticism unfair, in that it played into the hands of the politics-as-usual types, who think Romney and Gingrich sound strong on foreign policy because, over...

Read the whole entry »

The George Soros Plot to Destroy Israel

by Sam Blumenfeld, The New American  

If you're wondering who's funding the network of left-wing, non-government organizations in Israel, which aim to topple Netanyahu's government and turn Israel into an Arab majority state, it turns out to be the same man who's funding the Occupy Wall Street mobs: George Soros. Tel Aviv has had to contend with the same left-wing protests, tents and all, obviously all coordinated by one central global puppeteer.

That is why the Israeli Knesset passed the NGO Funding Transparency Bill by 40 to 34 in February. It was a hard-fought battle. But despite its neutered state, the bill survived and was enacted. It is a declaration of war by the conservative Likud Party against the shadow NGO empire being used by George Soros to shape the future of Israel. Its liberal opponents called it a "threat to democracy."

Dan Greenfield writes in FrontPage Magazine, 9/22/2011:

While the bill was no longer able to empower the lifting of tax exempt...

Are the Republican aristocracy afraid of winning, or just content with losing?

Dec 20, 2011 05:13 am | Coach Collins

By Doug Book,  staff writer

 Northeastern, milquetoast Republican "moderates" who toil long and hard to avoid the social embarrassment of association with uncivilized, conservative inhabitants of flyover country must understand that we in the Party base are NOT willing to graciously lose the 2012 election.

If Karl Rove, George Will and Peggy Noonan wish to escape the disapproving gaze of haughty Hamptons friends by mocking every Republican candidate who vaguely appeals to conservatives, let them. This time around, we who actually appreciate living and working in a free, prosperous United States are not going to surrender our ideals to the "wise counsel" of RINO elites for the sake of "party unity."

In mid November, David Frum-that eager ambassador of feigned conservative values-submitted to New York Magazine a primer on the dangers posed to the Republican Party by the "radical right."  

In it, he expresses amazement that anyone in "his Party" can "...[denounce] the construction ... Continue Reading:Are the Republican aristocracy afraid of winning, or just content with losing?

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American Minute for December 19th

Dec 19, 2011 03:13 pm | Coach Collins

Coachisright.com is pleased have American history scholar; nationally known speaker and best selling author William J Federer's  American Minute column as a part of CiR's team.

 Bill Federer is a tireless and meticulous researcher whose daily history lessons reflect the relationship between God and our nation. Bill is a regular guest on radio and television shows when getting American history right is essential.

 We're sure you will enjoy Bill's daily columns and want to share them with your friends and families. Bill Federer is an American patriot whose message needs to be heard by all.

By Bill Federer, staff writer

   Driven into Pennsylvania by the British, the Continental Army set up camp at Valley Forge, DECEMBER 19, 1777, just 25 miles from British occupied Philadelphia. Lacking food and supplies, soldiers died at the rate of twelve per day. Of 11,000 soldiers, 2,500 died of cold, hunger and disease. A Committee from Congress reported "feet and ... Continue Reading:American Minute for December 19th

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Random thoughts on the Republican presidential primary process

Dec 19, 2011 12:13 pm | Coach Collins

By Kevin "Coach" Collins

In Iowa a guy named Mitchell who goes by Molotov instead of his real name has put out a video attacking Newt Gingrich as untrustworthy for being married three times. Mitchell is a former untrustworthy drug addict who believes he has been forgiven by God - he told me these things personally. Now that Mitchell has entered the Lord's house of forgiveness he, a former drug addict, wants to slam the door on Gingrich because HE is untrustworthy? Kind of stinks of hypocrisy doesn't it?

My website's small poll showed 29% would skip the top line if Willard Romney is the GOP candidate. Tokyo Rove is concerned about holding the House and gaining the Senate.  At that rate Willard is the only serious candidate who could actually lose all three prizes.  

Nikki Haley's endorsement of Willard sets up an opportunity for the T.E.A. party movement to teach the Republican establishment a lesson about trying ... Continue Reading:Random thoughts on the Republican presidential primary process

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News from The Hill:

House votes down Senate payroll tax bill, calls for conference
By Pete Kasperowicz

The House voted Tuesday to disagree with the Senate-passed payroll tax bill, and to call for a House-Senate conference to sort out differences between the bills.

The move is intended to put pressure on Senate Democrats to reconvene and meet with the House over the bill, even as Democrats say the Senate is done for the year.

As predicted by Republican leaders on Sunday, the motion to disagree with the Senate was approved with the support of nearly every Republican. The motion was passed 229-193, and only 7 Republicans voting against it.

Read the story here.

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

To: Friends & Supporters

From: Gary L. Bauer


COUNTDOWN TO VICTORY: 322 DAYS TO THE 2012 ELECTIONS


Will Iowa Matter -- Part II?

I asked that question yesterday after new polling data indicated that Ron Paul had taken the lead in the Iowa caucuses. Today Politico takes up the issue. Veteran activists are warning that a Paul victory could be a "mortal" threat to Iowa's first in the nation status.

Iowa Governor Terry Branstad admits that if Paul finishes first, "People are going to look at who comes in second and who comes in third." Worse, others fear that Paul will run as a third party candidate if he loses the nomination. He's done it before. Rep. Steve King (R-IA), a stalwart conservative champion, warned, "If we empower somebody who turns around and elects Obama, then that's a major problem for the caucuses."


Now It's Paul's Turn

Now that he has taken the lead in the Iowa polling, Paul is starting to experience the same kind of scrutiny that has torpedoed previous front-runners. Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity are making the effort to demonstrate just how far out of the mainstream Paul is on many issues.

For example, the latest edition of The Weekly Standard examines Paul's relationship with several newsletters published under Paul's name when he was out of Congress during the late 80s and early 90s.

While Paul has denied writing the articles, they were filled with anti-Semitic and racial bigotry, were written in the first person, contained no bylines and published under such names as "Ron Paul's Freedom Report" or the "Ron Paul Political Report." Readers were clearly left with the impression that Paul himself had in written the columns.

Even if you take Paul at his word and grant that he did not write the columns, there is still the issue of his frequent appearances on conspiracy-oriented talk shows, including some with hosts who promote the obscenity that George W. Bush and/or the Israeli Mossad attacked America on 9/11.

Here's one last point to consider. I've noticed that many people, including those on the far-left, are rallying to Paul as the "anti-war candidate." I could not disagree more.

Paul's foreign policy would have countless dictators and tyrants salivating as America retreated. Like pacifist appeasers of past generations, Paul's policies would guarantee a war -- and one we would likely lose after he lost all of our allies.


"Hi, I'm From The Government, And I'm Here To Help"

Ronald Reagan once described that phrase as "the ten most dangerous words in the English language." We got another example of why that is true this morning when AT&T abandoned its plans to buyout T-Mobile.

Barack Obama has made a big deal about expanding broadband access to more Americans. He wants the government to do it with billions of your hard-earned tax dollars. Not surprisingly, it will take years to accomplish too.

The AT&T/T-Mobile deal would have allowed private enterprise to fill much of that gap more quickly. AT&T had pledged to bring thousands of jobs back to America. T-Mobile is struggling to compete and survive. But AT&T pulled the plug on the deal today after facing one government roadblock after another, from the Obama Justice Department to the Federal Communications Commission.

Every administration has a legacy. JFK stared down the Russians during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Ronald Reagan helped end the "evil empire." The epitaph of this administration is still being written, but it could well be known as the most anti-business administration in generations.

The Occupy Wall Street crowd may be happy with Obama's anti-business record and rhetoric, but they are hurting many working families. For example, as this administration has done its best to restrict domestic energy production, it comes as no surprise that gas prices are setting new record highs and consuming more and more of family budgets.


A Brother Goes Home

On Saturday morning, as Carol and I rose early to a day of last-minute Christmas preparations, we received heart-breaking news. Carol's only brother, Bill Hoke of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, had suffered a massive heart attack and had gone home to be with the Lord. Bill is survived by his wife, Shirley, and two wonderful daughters, Jennifer and Christine, his mother, Jean Hoke, and another sister, Marian.

We are all heartbroken at the loss of this good man. His passing is a reminder that our time here is fleeting. While we mourn his departure from us, we take comfort knowing that Bill has gone to "Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem," where a place has been prepared for him.

In this busy season, I would be greatly gratified if you would take a few moments to cover Bill's family and mine in prayer. Thank you.
   

In my opinion the School Choice failure was attributed to the following:

While the Unions presented a united opposition, The Tea parties consisted of a divided front. In just about every other issue the Tea Parties provided a united front and for many issues were successful, as exhibited by the 2010 elections.

In future efforts (and I am not excluding School Choice), an important issue as school choice must be agreed to and negotiated so we can represent a united effort.

What we should learn from this is that as free thinking and conscientious conservatives, we do not need organizations like Freedom Works and the Commonwealth  Foundation to coerce us to their philosophy.

Carlo G.  

PENNSYLVANIA SCHOOL CHOICE REACHES A DEAD-END

After a year of tirelessly petitioning our elected officials, educating the public about the inequities and politics surrounding SB1 and pushing for REAL REFORM, school choice has reached a dead-end.  Last week our legislators decided that they were never interested in the issue of school choice and that it was Governor Corbett's priority, not theirs.   

All efforts to push school choice have ended in the house and the senate as of last week which is very unfortunate. The whole process has been underhanded and so sloppily orchestrated that it is no surprise at the outcome.  Even efforts to increase the Educational Improvement Tax Credit Program were rejected by the Senate.  It would have increased to $200 million tripling the number of scholarship recipients.

So what have we learned; the senate and the house do not share the same priorities,  many in the General Assembly do not care what the Governor's priorities are, the unions run both parties, and most legislators could care less about the failing condition that our schools are in.  They should take a lesson from Governor Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, who has made education a priority, not entitlement programs. He has gone as far as to personally visit the highest achieving schools in the highest poverty stricken areas to find out what they are doing right.  Let's hope he does not make the same mistake as PA made by listening the special interest lobbying firms when they should have been listening to the citizens.

Our legislators have already moved on, pushing the issue to the curb as if it were never an issue to begin with.  However, UNITEPA and the Grassroots Coalition for Real School, comprised of 22 Pennsylvania grassroots groups, will continue to push for REAL SCHOOL CHOICE;  which includes rescuing ALL children from failing schools, investing in educational savings accounts, offering individual tax credits and allowing homeschoolers to access to EITC funding. 

Thank you all for your efforts and your perseverance.  

December 20, 2011
 
  O'Reilly asks mitt, 'is obama a socialist?'   Mitt Romney's latest New York media tour put him on David Letterman's Show reading a Top 10 list (posted on The Blaze). Last night he stopped by Fox News to sit down with Bill O'Reilly. Bill asked the tough questions. Watch Mitt answers HERE.
  gov cHRISTIE COMES OUT SWINGING ON MSNBC  Chris Christie waded across the Hudson River and into the turbulent currents at MSNBC's "Morning Joe." Watch as the outspoken governor gives his opinion on the GOP presidential candidates and Mika's definition of compromise HERE.
  ATHEISTS WANT SIGNAGE AT NATIVITY DISPLAY   The "war on Christmas" continues. An atheist group in Michigan is threatening to take legal action if they are not allowed to place an anti-religion sign next to the Nativity display. See the proposed sign HERE.

Musical celebration from the b.s. of a. 'glenn beck's going to texas'  "A production worthy of Broadway!" That's the way our resident theater critic has described this epic musical number celebrating Glenn's move from NYC to the Lone Star State. Watch the toe-tapping tune HERE.

U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree Pays Homage to Obama-But Not to Jesus

Federal Gov't Spending Millions in Storage Fees for 'Extra Steel' That Could Be Used to Extend SW Border Fence

Bernie Goldberg says: "The Media Research Center folks don't give the media hell; they just tell the truth and the media think it's hell." Please make a tax-deductible gift to MRC today!

U.N. Adopts 'Religious Intolerance' Resolution Championed by Obama Administration

Gov't Will Share Medicare Patients' Data With New 'Accountable Care Organizations'

North Korea Sealed Its Border With China Before Announcing Kim's Death

86 House Republicans Vote Against $1 Trillion-Plus Megabus Bill

House Republicans Rebel Against Democrat-Controlled Senate Bill, Want Year-Long Payroll Tax Cut

Report: Europe No Longer the Epicenter of Christianity

Number of Coptic Christians in Egypt Is Far Less Than Media Estimates, Report Says

COMMENTARY:

'Second Period of Islamic Power'
By Patrick J. Buchanan
If demography is destiny, the future would seem to belong to Islam.

China Trade: Myths vs. Reality
By Walter E. Williams
Republicans and Democrats, liberals as well as conservatives, have bought into anti-Chinese trade demagoguery. But let's look at the magnitude of our trade with China.

NEWSPAPER ROUNDUP:

White House stands by Biden statement that Taliban isn't U.S. enemy
Poll: Gingrich, Romney in dead heat nationally
Poll: Americans don't like what they see in 2012 race
House Republicans intent on killing Senate payroll tax cut deal
White House sticks to secrecy as the death toll in drone strikes surges
70 arrested in yearlong D.C. drug, gun sting
EPA ponders expanded regulatory power in name of 'Sustainable Development'
Pro-Keystone Senate Democrats push House to approve payroll-tax bill
Darrell Issa wants to hear more from AG Eric Holder
Another oops moment as Perry comments on N. Korea's 'Kim Jong the Second'
First permit OK'd for oil drilling in Alaska National Petroleum Reserve
After death of N. Korea's Kim Jong Il, 'it is scary how little we really know'
Denver cops clear Occupy Denver; shelters set aflame
Secret Santas paying off layaway balances at Denver Kmart
Supreme Court to hear arguments in March on healthcare law
Student gets 21 years for shooting gay classmate

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