By GottaLaff
Today's Quickie:
When BushCo was in power, said former counter-terrorism czar Richard Clarke on Hardball just now, Muslims wouldn't stand up and criticize Al Qaeda. They do now.
Oh, and per Clarke, the world likes us again, and hence, is more cooperative. (Yes, I just wanted to say "hence".)
Apparently, having a Kenyan Muslim commie Marxist in the White House is paying off.
By GottaLaff
Earlier, Paddy posted a ClusterFox video in which there was much fretting and finger-pointing about our obviously Muslim president trying to sneak some ultra super duper secret brainwashing propaganda into the Nuclear Security Summit logo.
But oops, our pal Joeyess stumbled upon some extra special wholesome newsy goodness: the State Flag of South Carolina:
There goes the neighborhood....
By GottaLaff
The climate of hatred and racism in this country is nauseating.
Segregation is not a thing of the past.
By GottaLaff
Via Spencer Ackerman, we get this insanity (Tennessee Tee Vee insanity, not Spencer's):
A Tennessee TV news report portrays an entire Muslim community in the state as a possible terrorist training program, despite having absolutely no evidence that the secluded community engages in any dubious activity at all. [...]Well said.
The title of the report? “Inside Islamville: Is A Local Muslim Community Tied To TERRORISM?” A better question is whether Beres and WTVF-TV, which aired the segment, are tied to journalism.
Here’s a clip of the segment:
By GottaLaff
And now the Twin Cities-based retailer is facing a boycott by commenters at the rightwing Free Republic forum. [...]Now Wonkette reports that Freepers are incensed that the company would give a holiday shout-out to members of the globe’s second-largest religion.
Aw come on, to think that people of the Freepitude ilk would ever get incensed about something so holiday cheery is preposterous! Oh, wait.
It's good to know that they only share good tidings with those who fall in line with their own narrow beliefs. That's the spirit! Way to make this a small world after all.
Yes, nothing says love thy neighbor like jamming Best Buy's customer forums, as well as their own Freeper free-for-alls. Examples:
To: UB355Time to hit the best buy weekly ad forum:
http://www.forums.bestbuy.com/t5/Weekly-Sales/bd-p/Sales
Let them know how you feel.
***
To: DataDinkI hope Drudge picks this up. Then the story will go mainstream.
Commenter “wally_bert” writes: “BB is a Mpls company. Mpls is overrun with ragheads.”Other commenters were more open-minded.
Obviously Fox is slacking at it's job. Further findings they note state the older and less educated you are, the more likely for you to be afraid. Go figger.
A new Pew survey taken shortly after the November 5 shootings at Fort Hood shows a modest uptick in concerns about Islamic extremism in the United States and internationally but no dramatic surge in such worries. Slightly more than half of Americans (52 percent) reported being "very concerned about the possible rise of Islamic extremism in the United States," up from 46 percent in April 2007.
Check out this graph comparing fears about Islamic extremism in 2007 versus today:
Interesting to note that Pew found Americans paying very close attention to the Fort Hood shooting, with more following that story closely than any other, according to the group's News Interest Index.
By GottaLaff
Extremism happens in all religions and political views. [...]I am not excusing what the shooter did by any measure.
See how reasonable and clear she is?
[A]ccording to professor of political science and professional fighter of 'teh Communistofascists' Don Douglas:How mature."And in response, Larisa Alexandrovna, who is one of the left's biggest race-baiting smear-merchants on the web - and now obviously an America-bashing terror-enabler - is excoriating those who are rightfully outraged at Obama's inappropriate nonchalance in a crisis deserving the deepest solemnity, "3, 2, 1... Attack Obama Over the Fort Hood Shooting" [...]
Yep, had to get the racist allegations in there. It's all about "race" and "hatred" with the Obama administration's apologists. Iran's going nuclear, unemployment's soaring past 10 percent, and this administration's own Department of Homeland Security -- as well as other federal officials and Army personnel -- knew of Nidal Malik Hasan's pyschological infirmities, and of his solidarity with Islamist suicide bombers. But for Larisa Alexandrovna, it's all about racist right-wing opportunism in attacking poor Obambi!"
This is pretty typical of the extreme shrillitude we have to contend with now. Larisa can easily fend for herself, but I couldn't ignore this.The reaction to condemn all Muslims for this shooting is a reaction based in bigotry, not fact. That is what I am calling racist, not people outraged over the shooting - which would include me. But Douglas does not end with simply misleading what I wrote - once again - and basically calling me a terrorist. He also seems happy to show off his homophobia in an attack on right-wing, NON-glue sniffer Charles Johnson:
"Airhead" Alexandrovna joins her gay-flame man-crush buddy Charles Johnson in the radical left's terror-enabling hall of shame. See, "Charles Johnson Silent on Jihadi Evidence in Fort Hood Murder Rampage."
Wow. Seriously, Douglas is a professor of something? I don't know if Johnson is gay or not as I don't even know Johnson. [...] No my dear Don Douglas, the hall of shame on all counts is and continues to be yours.
By GottaLaff
As our pal Wolfe Tone of A Bodenstown Perspective noted, will the media will go out of their media way to point out that this shooter is probably a Catholic?That was today's Shallow Thought. Thank you for wading in.
Pfft, nah. As Wolfe said, "He's just another crazy person, because he's NOT a Muslim."
By GottaLaff
Once again, my buddy Larisa
The drooling, knuckle-dragging racists calling themselves Americans are busy bashing Muslims and Islam over the Fort Hood shooting. It appears, however, that the shooter - who joined the military BEFORE 9/11 - right out of high school - was being harassed by the other soldiers. Indeed, we also now know that he was an American soldier, born and bred in the USA. He did not recently convert to Islam as some faux-news outlets are claiming. He was always a Muslim. So what made him suddenly go postal?
We are also now learning that he was allegedly afraid to be deployed because of the horrors of war and because he was afraid to go overseas with his harassers. The motive for the shooting seems to be that he simply went postal as a result of war and harassment. Yet the people who are busy bashing Muslims in reaction to the Fort Hood shooting are the exact type of people who harassed this man into a mental breakdown.
I am a Jew. But I have friends who are Muslim. I will always defend Muslims against this kind of hate as I would expect others to defend Jews against this type of hate. Extremism happens in all religions and political views. [...]
I am not excusing what the shooter did by any measure.
Please read the whole post here.
By GottaLaff
The U.S. government will pay $1.26 million to five Muslim men detained for months without charges after the September 11 attacks who sued for unlawful imprisonment and abuse, their lawyers said on Tuesday.The men claimed they suffered inhumane and degrading treatment in a Brooklyn detention center, including solitary confinement, severe beatings, incessant verbal abuse and a blackout on communications with their families and attorneys. [...]
The report said videotapes showed some detention center staff "misused strip searches and restraints to punish detainees and that officers improperly and illegally recorded detainees' meetings with their attorneys." [...]
The lawsuit said some of the plaintiffs, upon entering the jail, had their faces smashed into a wall where a blood-smeared American flag T-shirt was taped and told "welcome to America," according to the lawsuit.
Their pain and suffering will never go away, and yet the U.S. admits no liability. Shades of Fayiz al-Kandari's Gitmo.
Welcome to BushCoWorld.
It always kills me when Christians yabber on about religious based violence from Muslims. Yeah, no Christian based violence evah.
Nearly 3,000 people gathered on the west lawn of the Capitol on Friday for a mass Muslim prayer service that was part religion and part pep rally for the beleaguered U.S. Muslim community.
As faint shouts of "Repent!" from Christian protesters floated across the gathering, dozens of long rows of men in robes and white knit caps and women in head coverings prostrated themselves to God, gave praise and listened to sermons as part of the congregational prayer that occurs about noon Fridays.
(snip)
The service comes as the Muslim community has been rocked by verbal attacks from conservative Christians that have grown stronger since the election of President Obama and by the recent arrests in a terrorism investigation involving several Muslim men, including an imam.
"We wanted to bring people out to show you don't need to fear America," said Imam Ali Jaaber of Dar-ul-Islam mosque in Elizabeth N.J., the service's main organizer. At the same time, he said, he wanted to remind non-Muslims that "we are decent Muslims. We work; we pay taxes. We are Muslims who truly love this country."
Across the street from the service, Christian protesters gathered with banners, crosses and anti-Islamic messages. One group, which stood next to a 10-foot-tall wooden cross and two giant wooden tablets depicting the Ten Commandments, was led by the Rev. Flip Benham of Concord, N.C.
"I would suggest you convert to Christ!" Benham shouted over a megaphone. Islam "forces its dogma down your throat." A few Christian protesters gathered at the rear of the Muslim crowd, holding Bibles and praying.
At one point, organizers asked them to tone it down.
"We would never come to a prayer meeting that you have to make a disturbance," Hamad Chebli, imam of the Islamic Society of Central Jersey, said from the lectern. "Please show us some respect. This is a sacred moment. Just as your Sunday is sacred, our Friday is sacred."
By GottaLaff
A 17-year-old student is seeking counseling after her class at Pulaski County High School watched a short film that showed beheadings and other violence allegedly committed by Muslims, her father said Tuesday."Fitna", Rated G. Fun for the whole family!
Bill Cruey said his daughter Amber was horrified by images of children being injured and dead bodies interspersed with readings from the Quran while watching the film "Fitna," made by the anti-Islam and anti-immigration Dutch lawmaker Geert Wilders. The film was shown to the class on Sept. 11.Maybe Prez O should have wielded a machete while he discussed good study habits.
Eaton said the film was shown to about 10 students in the leadership class.
Since the controversy arose, he said his daughter has been ridiculed and feels like an outcast at the school.Pshyeah! Cuz, like, all the kewl kids are into beheadings.
Aly A. Farag, imam at a Louisville mosque, criticized the school for exposing students to a "very tilted and utterly hateful message about a religion.""They are blatantly and willingly participating in smearing a religion in front of kids who do not have the full picture," said Farag, a University of Louisville engineering professor.Presenting such a message can turn children into "haters, not peacemakers," he said. Farag said almost all Muslims "never showed any pride in Sept. 11, never associated with it, never wanted it to happen."
By GottaLaff
High school students in Gainesville, FL were sent home recently for wearing t-shirts emblazoned with the phrase “Islam is of the devil.” The children wearing the shirts belong to the Dove World congregation, an evangelical “New Testament Church” which urges followers to “bring Godly changes to our entire society.” Tom Wittmer, an attorney for the Gainesville school district, said the clothing was inappropriate and a violation of the dress code because it disrupts the learning process.No wonder this family's last name is Sapp.
By GottaLaff
Here is audio, courtesy of TPM, of this:
Bachmann's line about the imams can be found at the 4:30 mark in this YouTube, which also contains a wider-ranging discussion of such issues as President Obama apologizing for America, and the fierce threat of the loss of American sovereignty."The imams were actually attending Congressman Keith Ellison's victory celebration, when he won as a member of Congress," said Bachmann.For the record, the imams were in fact attending a conference that was held on November 17-19, 2006. Keith Ellison's victory party was presumably held on November 7, 2006, the night of the 2006 mid-term elections that brought both himself and Bachmann to Congress.
(Via Minnesota Independent and Dump Bachmann.)
More about the latest from this lunatic at Think Progress.
By GottaLaff
Since President Obama's interview with Al Arabiya last night, State Department public diplomacy officials have been closely monitoring reaction in the Arab media -- TV, newspapers, radio and blogs -- to get a sense for how the interview is playing.The State Department is busy preparing a report for the White House on what they've observed and, so far, the reaction has been a very positive one.
In reviewing Arab media commentary, officials say, two messages seem to have resonated: Obama's focus on listening and not dictating U.S. policy and his emphasis on the fact that he has lived in the Muslim world and has Muslim family members.
Flies. Honey. Vinegar. Imagine that.
The interview aired too late for Syria, Iran, and other places to meet newspaper deadlines, so tomorrow there will be more reaction from the enemies of the Bush administration.The U.S. Embassy in Cairo reports: "We are getting overwhelmingly positive feedback from bloggers and contacts in country. Their main points are that they were highly impressed..." that he gave his first TV interview to an Arab satellite channel.
In Saudi Arabia, a newspaper editor told the embassy, "The reader reaction that he's getting so far is astonishingly positive."
In the United Arab Emirates, the embassy said, "Anecdotal public reaction has been highly positive."
In Bahrain, one newspaper normally critical of U.S. policies commented favorably on the appointment of George Mitchell as special envoy.
By GottaLaff
Paddy linked to this story earlier. Now CNN's Rick Sanchez is reporting that the airline issued an apology and refunded the family's airfare (print story here).
By GottaLaff
We hear at TPC have not shied away from mentioning Barack Obama's middle name. In fact, the second he was declared the winner on November 4th, I proudly posted it in full. Many of us even made a point of adding it to our Comment identities (as in Gotta Hussein Laff) during the primaries.
In an L.A. Times editorial today, they agree that Obama should embrace his Husseinitude:
When George W. Bush was sworn in for his second term in 2005, he began his oath of office with the words: "I, George Walker Bush." [...]As Colin Powell said,
No controversy surrounded Bush's inclusion of his middle name in the oath. The same might not be true of a decision by Barack Obama to take his oath as "Barack Hussein Obama" -- which is precisely why he should do so. [...]
Obama is a Christian, but Hussein, his middle name, is a common Muslim name. To capitalize on anti-Muslim sentiment, detractors took to calling him "Barack Hussein Obama." [...]
Stripped of such evil intent, the "Hussein" in Obama's full name shouldn't be taboo. Nor should the idea of an openly Muslim citizen deciding to seek the presidency.
"Is there something wrong with a 7-year-old Muslim American kid believing he or she could be president?"No, there isn't.
Most Muslim Americans believe in and are pursuing the American dream, and as Powell also noted, they are sometimes dying for it.The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life released a survey. Guess what it concluded?
"Muslim Americans reject Islamic extremism by larger margins than do Muslim minorities in Western European countries." [...]That did it: Tears. And pride.
American[s] with an Islamic faith -- or an Islamic name -- [are] not a second-class citizen[s]. When the new president takes the oath, he should say, loudly and proudly: "I, Barack Hussein Obama, do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of president of the United States, and will to the best of my ability preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."
By GottaLaff
He died for you, Gramm-pa/IWRC. What did you ever do for him?First off, Powell said, Obama is a Christian. But more to the point, he said, "is there something wrong with being a Muslim?" He worried about the message the GOP was sending to a hypothetical 7-year-old Muslim American who thinks he can grow up and be president some day.
He then referenced a photograph he saw in a recent magazine photo essay -- presumably a New Yorker photo essay from the photographer Platon -- showing the mother of a fallen Muslim-American soldier clutching her son's grave. (See the photo HERE.)
The reference was to Specialist Kareem Rashad Sultan Khan (1987 - 2007) who earned the Purple Heart and a Bronze Star in Iraq, and was killed at age 20. Learn more about Khan HERE & or HERE.
"We have got to stop polarizing," Powell said.
By GottaLaff
On a conference call with reporters, John McCain surrogate Bud Day doesn't do much to endear his candidate to Muslims:
One of John McCain's fellow POW's in Vietnam defended the war in Iraq, saying, "The Muslims have said either we kneel or they're going to kill us.''...
Colonel Bud Day added: "I don't intend to kneel and I don't advocate to anybody that we kneel, and John doesn't advocate to anybody that we kneel.''
Muslim leaders have complained that they have been vilified as terrorists since the Sept. 11 attacks.
A McCain campaign spokesman declined to disavow the comments.
Bud Day is best known for his work with the Swift Boat Veterans For Truth, attacking John Kerry in the 2004 election. He's now a member of McCain's Truth Squad. The McCain campaign brought Day out recently to criticize comments made by Wesley Clark about McCain's experience.
Looks like J Sid needs a truth squad for his Truth Squad.
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