Monday, July 19, 2010

“NASA’S Muslim Outreach”

“NASA’S Muslim Outreach”

Your tax dollars at work

Dear Friends,

The RealClearPolitics commentary by Mona Charen below was part of the considerable blowback against the Obama administration after NASA administrator Charles Bolden said he was told by President Obama to make Muslim outreach the “perhaps foremost” plank of NASA’s mission.

The administration quickly backpedaled, with Press Secretary Robert Gibbs maintaining Bolden must have “misspoken.”

Who do YOU believe—Charles Bolden or Robert Gibbs?

*************************
July 7, 2010

NASA's Muslim Outreach
By Mona Charen

It's not really surprising that President Obama told NASA administrator Charles Bolden that his highest priority should be "to find a way to reach out to the Muslim world and engage much more with dominantly Muslim nations to help them feel good about their historic contribution to science ... and math and engineering." It fits with so much that we already knew about the president.

It is consistent with his wildly exaggerated concept of governmental and presidential power and competence. Samuel Johnson wrote: "How small, of all that human hearts endure, that part which laws or kings can cause or cure." Obama believes the opposite -- that his presidency can be a transformative moment not just for the nation, but for the world. He will halt global warming and stop the rise of the oceans, transition America to a green energy future, prevent the "cycle of boom and bust" in the economy, provide universal health care while spending less than before, cushion "underwater" mortgage holders without rewarding profligate borrowers, increase taxes on the "rich" without harming the middle class, solve the problem of excessive public debt by amassing more public debt and so on.

How in the world would NASA help Muslim nations to "feel good" about themselves? Would NASA hold science fairs in Tripoli or Tehran? Produce and circulate propaganda films about Great Muslim Men (careful, never women) of Science? Stress our global debt to Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi, the father of algebra? (That's risky, since al-Khwarizmi reportedly learned his math from the Indians.) How would Obama's NASA chief undertake to alter the civilizational self-esteem of a billion people?

Of course, it's entirely possible (pace Bernard Lewis) that the Muslim world does not lack for self-esteem on the matter of science or anything else. Certainly, scientific know-how has not been lacking in nuclear-armed Pakistan or (would be) nuclear Iran. Besides, hasn't Obama heard? The whole self-esteem myth has been exploded. Though millions of tax dollars and God only knows how many wasted instructional hours have gone toward making American kids think they are really, really special, it turns out that there is zero correlation between such drilled self-esteem and academic performance. (See Scientific American, January 2005)

The Obama directive to NASA also revealed a mental tic common to liberals -- the tendency to universalize the African-American experience. Just as African-Americans were denied their rights and dignity, goes this reasoning, so today fill-in-the-blank are being persecuted or demeaned -- women, gays, Muslims, the handicapped, illegal immigrants, Palestinians, "people of color."

But this line of reasoning impedes rather than advances understanding. The African-American experience in America was actually very different from that of women, gays, the handicapped, illegal immigrants, or others here, to say nothing of the experience of Palestinians or "people of color" worldwide. Invoking the emotionally charged civil rights paradigm closes the door on nuance and context and encourages dogmatism.

To treat the Muslim world as a vast ocean of African-Americans in need of respect and encouragement from us is both arrogant and incredibly solipsistic. In fact, large swaths of the Muslim world feel inexpressibly superior to us -- particularly morally and spiritually. Until cold terror forced them to accept American servicemen on their soil, the Saudis kept "infidel" pollution to the barest minimum in the home of the prophet. That wasn't an expression of inferiority. Osama bin Laden boasted in 2000 that he had defeated the Soviet Empire and that it would be a small matter to defeat the American one. Again, he may have been deluded, but he was not a candidate for assertiveness training. Nearly every Muslim child is instructed that his is the true faith, superior in every way to the errors that came before: Judaism and Christianity, and infinitely above paganism or atheism. Jihadis are taught that their shining pure religion requires no less than the mass murder of infidels and unbelievers.

It might just be that Muslim self-confidence is more dangerous to us than imagined Muslim feelings of inadequacy. But in any case, solicitude about the feelings of individuals cannot comprise a foreign policy. Muslim nations, like other nations, are motivated by advantage and influenced by perceptions of strength and weakness. The president has absolutely no control over the way Muslims feel about themselves -- but he has every power over the way they perceive us.

ACT for America
P.O. Box 12765
Pensacola, FL 32591
www.actforamerica.org


ACT for America is an issues advocacy organization dedicated to effectively organizing and mobilizing the most powerful grassroots citizen action network in America, a grassroots network committed to informed and coordinated civic action that will lead to public policies that promote America’s national security and the defense of American democratic values against the assault of radical Islam. We are only as strong as our supporters, and your volunteer and financial support is essential to our success. Thank you for helping us make America safer and more secure.

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Scurrilous Lies

Dear Friends,

Here is a letter to the editor that I sent to the San Jose Mercury this morning that I thought you might be interested in reading.

What you might not know about me is that I am a huge baseball fan - season tickets at Giants games for over 30 years (at Candlestick and now AT&T). When I was a very young child, there were no major league baseball teams on the West Coast. Because of Jackie Robinson, my first life hero, I became a Brooklyn Dodger fan. I took a strong interest in the plight of a young baseball player facing prejudice and true racism while simply trying to play baseball.

It is because of this background, I find it particularly insulting that the media would allow these false charges about the Tea Party Movement to stand without editorials defending the right of individuals to speak out - even if they do not agree with the message. The media must realize that the accusation of racism is a callous effort to undermine the voice of 60% of Americans (in latest ABC/Washington Post poll) who do not trust Barack Obama.

Richard

P.S. I did switch to being a Giants fan immediately in 1958 when they moved to San Franciso.

________________________________________
HERE IS MY LETTER TO THE EDITOR:


Dear Editor.

The accusations of racism in the Tea Party Movement by the NAACP and media editorials are nothing but scurrilous lies. What do the issues that the Tea Party Movement protests have to do with race? Absolutely nothing. As someone whose first life hero was Jackie Robinson, I have never heard or seen a racist comment or poster at a tea party event.

The Tea Party Movement opposes stimulus packages, bailouts, ObamaCare, government spending, high taxation, deficit spending, and a burgeoning national debt. What do any of these issues have to do with race or racism? The charge of racism in the Tea Party Movement is a fraud perpetrated by those who are using diversionary tactics to attempt to deflect attention away from the many failures of the Obama administration.

Richard

A TRUE Survivor

Last summer of 2009, Adolek Kohn, an 89-year-old Jewish survivor of Auschwitz returned to the death camp with his daughter and three grandchildren --- and he danced. And he didn't just dance, he had his daughter Jane Korman make a video of him dancing (with her and her three children) to the rousing tune of Gloria Gaynor's hit, 'I Will Survive'.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7PtrFJtseg&feature=related

Needless to say, this video has provoked anger from many who fear it trivializes the Final Solution. That is a valid fear, especially given the fact that the groups which released this video to the Net have turned out to be Neo-Nazis. (It's obvious their intent was to mock this terrible moment in history.)

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/07/15/survive-holocaust-survivors-dance-auschwitz-sparks-controversy/

However, I am siding with Mr. Kohn in this matter. Like him, I see his dance as a victory over the Holocaust. The Final Solution destroyed its victims in one of two ways - body and soul. Obviously Auschwitz did not destroy his body - but they would have succeeded in destroying his soul if they'd reduced him to a bitter old man, incapable of ever again taking pleasure in the scent of a flower, the touch of a loving person's hand -- or the sound of music. But that didn't happen. Instead, Mr. Kohn returned to the camp, to the ovens, the showers and the trains - to everything which tried to destroy him; and in front of each and every one of them, he danced.

As I see it, Mr. Kohn has triumphed. Since the greatest triumph of the human spirit is to be able to still experience joy, Mr. Kohn's dance proves he has truly done that. God bless him. L'Chaim.


Carolyn

MORE EVIDENCE AGAINST THE U.N. AND WHY THE U.S. SHOULD GET OUT OF THE U.N.

The former PLO Terrorist, Walid Shoebat, speaks out in support of the U.S. and Israel. Click here to view the latest video, UNRWA, Lords of Misery, on the terrorist supporting activities of the U.N. in Palestine. While at this website, please do yourself a favor and educate yourself on what is really going on with the Palestinians, the Israelis, the U.N. and Hamas.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Ground Zero Mosque Imam's mask of Inclusiveness continues to be pierced with the truth

“Ground Zero Mosque” imam refuses to sign “Freedom Pledge”

But you still have time to sign our petition


Dear Friends,

The “Ground Zero Mosque” imam’s mask of inclusiveness continues to be pierced with the truth.

Cooing the words of tolerance that have duped Mayor Bloomberg and so many other leaders in New York City is no substitute for action.

One would think an imam really committed to tolerance, peace and inclusiveness would have no qualms about signing a “Freedom Pledge,” which includes a pledge to oppose any form of sharia-sanctioned punishment against “apostates” of Islam (those who have left Islam).

As the revealing commentary below notes, the “Ground Zero Mosque” imam has refused to sign this pledge. Actions do indeed speak louder than words.

So far nearly 63,000 people have signed our petition opposing the ground zero mosque. If you haven’t yet done so, please take two minutes to add your name today.


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July 13, 2010

Exclusive: Peace, Tolerance and Religious Freedom? No Way

Alyssa A. Lappen

Ground Zero mosque wanna-be developers show their true radical colors
http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/publications/id.6726/pub_detail.asp

On October 20, 2009, American Society of Muslim Advancement (ASMA) leader Feisal Abdul Rauf and his wife Daisy Khan, both received a letter from Former Muslims United (FMU) requesting that they each sign the latter's Freedom Pledge. Neither has yet signed.

Rauf and Khan both claim to be moderate Muslims. Yet they are determined to rip down a 150-year-old wrought iron building --- less than 200 feet from Ground Zero --- where a piece of jumbo jet fell through its roof on 9/11 after Saudi suicide bombers flew two loaded passenger planes into each of the World Trade Center towers. The fuselage remains in the building to date. In its place, Rauf and Khan want to build a 13-story mosque.

The Cordoba Initiative, an ASMA subsidiary, claims the building will not be a mosque but a “cultural center” open to all. However, ASMA registered itself as a “church” with the Internal Revenue Service --- not a cultural institute open to all, according to Guidestar. The building will indeed be a mosque, and open to all only so as to “invite” non-Muslims to Islam. In Malaysia the title of Rauf's 2004 book What's Right With Islam, complete with its introduction from Muslim Brotherhood devotee Karen Armstrong, translates to “The Call from the WTC Rubble.” For decades, Rauf and Khan have operated entirely in sync with global Muslim Brotherhood “flexibility” guidelines, which in North America seek to replace the U.S. Constitution with Islamic law.

Now there is new evidence that ASMA's purportedly “moderate” leaders do not support basic human rights for former Muslims: They failed to even acknowledge an October 20, 2009 invitation from Former Muslims United to sign its Freedom Pledge.

FMU initially sent the Freedom Pledge, fully named the “Muslim Pledge for Religious Freedom and Safety from Harm for Former Muslims,” to 59 major Muslim leaders at 24 Muslim organizations in time for them to have it on September 25, 2009 --- the day on which, 220 years earlier, the U.S. Congress passed the Bill of Rights. The letters to Rauf and his wife Daisy Khan were sent in a second Oct. 20, 2009 round of invitations that went to 51 Muslim leaders at 26 more organizations, including ASMA, which houses the Cordoba Initiative.

In their request that Muslim leaders sign the Freedom Pledge, FMU executive director Nonie Darwish, and her colleagues Ibn Warraq, Mohammed Asghar, Wafa Sultan, and Amil Imani wrote

“we now pledge our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor to achieve for former Muslims their unalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We claim these rights as the foundation for our right to freedom from Shariah. We urge you to join us.”

The 878- word Freedom Pledge itself outlines the principles of Islamic law under which apostates from Islam are subject to the death penalty. It notes that the four schools of Sunni Islam --- Hanafi, Miliki, Shafi'i and Hanbali --- “unanimously agree that a former Muslim male, also known as an apostate, must be executed” and that a woman, at best must be “imprisoned or beaten five times a day until she repents or dies” and at worst, like men executed outright. It then goes on to cite 1978 and 1989 religious rulings --- from the Fatwa Council at Al Azhar University, the closest Muslim equivalent to the Vatican, and the Mufti of Lebanon, each, respectively consigning a renegade Muslim to death if they “do not repent.” Perhaps “a misunderstanding on his part may have taken place, and there would thus be an opportunity to rectify it,” intones the Mufti. But he must do so within three days, or die.

“Overwhelmingly, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf and his wife Daisy Khan ... do not honor freedom to choose one’s beliefs as guaranteed under our [U.S.] First Amendment,” said Nonie Darwish in response to their dead silence since October 20, 2009. “That is the only conclusion we can draw” by their failure to acknowledge or sign the Freedom Pledge.

Rauf and Khan nevertheless hope to convince Americans that they think exactly the opposite. On July 6, 2010 at the Chautauqua Institute in New York state, Khan said

“The Quran speaks of humankind as one nation under God. We find that in America,.... The Quran speaks of one creator and the founding document says that everyone is endowed by the creator with inalienable rights.”

During the question and answer period that followed, an audience member asked Khan if the proposed Cordoba House mosque 200 feet from Ground Zero could be seen as a victory for Muslim radicals infiltrating America. She replied,

“It is a defeat to the extremists, ... because Cordoba House will celebrate the very ideology that the extremists detest, which is the ideology of inclusiveness, pluralism, and coexistence between faiths.”

Khan referred there specifically to Quran Chapter 3, verse 109, which states,

“To God belongs all that is in the heavens and in the earth, and unto Him all matters are returned.”

However, she deceptively omits the critical following verse, 3:110, clearly stating that Muslims alone --- not other human beings --- are acceptable to Allah.

“You are the best nation ever brought forth to men, bidding to honor, and forbidding dishonor, and believing in God. Had the People of the Book believed, it were better for them; some of them are believers, but the most of them are ungodly.”

The point is reiterated, moreover, in the Tafsir (commentary) on the verse by al-Jalalayn:

“You, O community of Muhammad (s), are the best community brought forth, manifested, to men, according to God’s knowledge, enjoining decency, and forbidding indecency, and believing in God. Had the People of the Scripture believed, it, their belief, would have been better for them; some of them are believers, such as ‘Abd Allah b. Salam, may God be pleased with him and his companions; but most of them, the disbelievers, are wicked.”

The Quran expresses the same revulsion for non-Muslim “disbelievers” in Chapter 98, verse 6:

“The unbelievers of the People of the Book and the idolaters shall be in the Fire of Gehenna, therein dwelling forever; those are the worst of creatures.”

The al-Jalalayn Tafsir on this verse is equally adamant about the evils of unbelievers:

“Truly the disbelievers from among the People of the Scripture and the idolaters shall be in the fire of Hell, to abide therein (khalidina: an implied circumstantial qualifier, in other words, it will be decreed for them by God, exalted be He, to abide therein) — those are the worst of creatures.”

This is not the stuff of sweetness, love and light. Rather, it reflects Rauf's genuine feelings, as he has more than once expressed in Arabic. Clearly, Rauf himself reveres sharia law and wants to impose it. On Dec. 9, 2007, Rauf told the popular Arabic newspaper Hadi el-Islam,

“Throughout my discussions with contemporary Muslim theologians, it is clear an Islamic state can be established in more than just a single form or mold. It can be established through a kingdom or a democracy. The important issue is to establish the general fundamentals of Sharia that are required to govern.

“In the period after the Prophet, peace be upon him, new laws were permitted so long of course as these laws do not contradict the Quran or the Deeds of Muhammad... so they create institutions that assure [that there are] no conflicts with sharia.

“We recommend that in the case of a breakdown in the relationship between state and religious institutions ... that the people follow the method of giving peaceful advice to governors and state institutions and use peaceful means [to convert them].

“And also [to] suggest that the rulers and political bodies consult with religious bodies and religious figures ... so that [political] decisions reflect the spirit of the [sharia] law.

In March 2010, he even denounced interfaith discussions. The article in another popular Arabic journal, Rights4All, was entitled “The Most Prominent Imam in New York: ‘I Do Not Believe in Religious Dialogue’,” according to former Muslim and native Arabic speaker Walid Shoebat. In it, Rauf spoke against both “religious dialogue” and “interweaving into the mainstream society.”

“This phrase is inaccurate. Religious dialogue as customarily understood is a set of events with discussions in large hotels that result in nothing. Religions do not dialogue and dialogue is not present in the attitudes of the followers, regardless of being Muslim or Christian.”

Given these sentiments, it is no wonder whatever that neither Rauf nor his wife Daisy Khan would sign the FMU Freedom Pledge, promising to

“renounce, repudiate and oppose any physical intimidation, or worldly and corporal punishment, of apostates from Islam, in whatever way that punishment may be determined or carried out by myself or any other Muslim including the family of the apostate, community, Mosque leaders, Shariah court or judge, and Muslim government or regime.”

In fact, only two of the 111 Muslim leaders in 50 U.S. Muslim organizations to whom FMU sent the Freedom Pledge actually signed it. Those two heroes are Zuhdi Jasser (American Islamic Forum for Democracy) and Dr. Ali Alyami (Center for Democracy and Human Rights in Saudi Arabia).

The sad facts are these:

The results of the FMU Freedom Pledge --- to date sent to 163 American Muslim leaders at 50 organizations --- show that less than 1.3% of American Muslim leaders are actually moderate.

Neither Feisal Abdul Rauf nor Daisy Khan fall into that moderate category --- despite their massive efforts to pull the wool over public and political eyes. Their silence concerning human rights for former Muslims proves it, although certainly, so do many of their other actions, not least their long history of subterfuge concerning their real intentions.

At Chautauqua on July 6, Daisy Khan should have told the truth: Yes, allowing a mosque to go up in place of an historic building at Ground Zero would be a triumph for extremist Muslims. Moreover, ASMA and the Cordoba Institute are among the heavy weight extremists leading that charge.

FamilySecurityMatters.org Contributor Alyssa A. Lappen is a U.S.-based investigative journalist focusing on the Middle East and Islam. She is a former Senior Fellow for the American Center for Democracy (2005-2008); former Senior Editor of Institutional Investor (1993-1999), Working Woman (1991-1993) and Corporate Finance (1991).

NEW VIDEO: Islam Rising, Geert Wilders' Warning to the West

http://www.shoebat.com/videos/islamRising.php

ISLAM RISING: Geert Wilders’ Warning to the West

Geert Wilders lives with a constant death threat over his head. Al-Qaeda has vowed to kill him. As a Dutch parliamentarian and outspoken critic of radical Islam, Mr. Wilders must travel with four bodyguards and sleep in a safe house, each and every night.

His short documentary film, Fitna (included in this DVD) set off a firestorm in the Middle East and Western Europe immediately upon its release. The controversial film showed how Islamic terrorists are following the literal dictations of the Quran.

That message can be seen here in this DVD, with striking clarity in film, photographs and a special message from Geert Wilders himself, who came to America with an urgent and terrifying warning: “Islam is on the verge of conquering the West.”

*Also on the same page, we are offering a special including both Islam Rising and Atomic Jihad together for one low price.

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A Government Against Its People

A Government Against Its People



Over the past several weeks, Americans have witnessed the most overt racism to date on the part of the Federal Government under Barack Obama. Racists New Black Panther thugs have been exposed for what they really are, and the Eric Holder Justice Department, with the approval of Barack Obama, has made it clear that such racism from blacks will be excused.

I am a black who came of age in the waning days of legalized segregation in the South. Occurrences of racism (black and white) are not new to me. The phenomenon itself is a human thing; it comes in all stripes. But what gravely irritates me is how today’s crop of leaders and elites respond to the scourge of racism.

Radio and talk show host Glen Beck, not someone of whom I am particularly fond, at least chronicles rabid racist behavior all around. He has begun a discussion on his television show. Beck, however, when reporting the racist rants of the New Black Panthers, goes tepid. I sense that because he is white, he thinks that he must tread lightly when discussing blacks. He was quick to call Mel Gibson, the white movie actor, a few choice derogatory names for Gibson’s latest racial rant. But the more detrimental racism of the Panthers (scaring folks away from voting places) was handled forcefully, yes, but without the derogatory names.

Even Rush Limbaugh, though not as much as Beck, tends to hold back when it comes to blacks. Recently on his radio show, he allowed a black woman to berate him mercilessly about his so-called “attacks” on Barack Obama. Yes, I can usually detect a black person’s voice if that person is not affecting speech other the dialect I grew up hearing as a child. Her slavish obeisance to Obama was also a give-away.

That hesitancy on Limbaugh’s part was not there when he encountered a Hispanic caller with a different take than his own on the Arizona illegal immigration law. He told his call-screener to stop sending him stupid calls. I frankly thought the Hispanic guy had a better argument than the black woman.

The problem with this tepidness regarding race from the media talking heads and the elite political classes in general is that everyday Americans are tired of it (I include myself in that group). This capitulation to bad-acting blacks is setting the stage for serious violence. Because Beck and company can’t bring themselves to confront more harshly behavior that threatens white people’s lives doesn’t mean that Aryan Nations won’t. And what better reason do neo-Nazis have than the fact that the Government in Washington has sided with racist blacks? A government that should be fighting racism from all quarters has chosen to take sides. If that fact doesn’t drive people into a posture of self-preservation, I ask what will? And trust me, I don’t think the Nations need much prodding.

The other sad result of Obama’s racist tactics is that everyday, decent Americans are being driven to hate their government and the people who look like the man who heads it. Those everyday, decent Americans will not sit quietly forever. And it will not matter one iota if the elites, the talking heads, and the political classes are screaming—a la Rodney King—for a one-sided “civility.” Moreover, blacks will bear the brunt of the turmoil. Some responsible body in Washington had better heed the warning before it is too late.


Sylvia Thompson

7/12/2010

Friday, July 2, 2010

Vain and Aspiring Men

"If ever a time should come, when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in Government, our country will stand in need of its experienced patriots to prevent its ruin."-Samuel Adams