American Law for American Courts bill advances

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The Florida Family Association issued the following report:

Florida House Civil Justice Subcommittee votes 9-4 to approve bill which prohibits courts from considering certain provisions of international laws including Islamic Sharia law.

The Florida House Civil Justice Subcommittee voted on HB 351 – Application of Foreign Law in Certain Cases during the scheduled February 7, 2013 8:00 am meeting.

Application of Foreign Law in Certain Cases: Clarifies that public policies expressed in act apply to violations of natural person’s fundamental liberties, rights, & privileges guaranteed by State Constitution or U.S. Constitution; provides that act does not apply to corporation, partnership, or other form of business association, except when necessary to provide effective relief in proceedings under or relating to chs. 61 & 88, F.S.; specifies public policy of this state in applying choice of foreign law, legal code, or system in proceedings brought under or relating to chs. 61 & 88, F.S., which relate to dissolution of marriage, support, time-sharing, Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction & Enforcement Act, & Uniform Interstate Family Support Act; declares that certain decisions under such laws, codes, or systems & certain choice of venue or forum provisions in contract are void; provides for construction of waiver by natural person of person’s fundamental liberties, rights, & privileges guaranteed by State Constitution or U.S. Constitution; declares that claims of forum non conveniens or related claims must be denied; limits construction of provisions in certain circumstances.

The language of this bill has been narrowed compared to the legislation offered in the 2012 session.

Florida Family Association applauds Representative Larry Metz’s sponsorship of HB 351 – Application of Foreign Law in Certain Cases.

 

Unlike 2012 when this subcommittee voted 13-0 to approve the bill, all four Democrats voted against the legislation this year.   Here is how the Florida House Civil Justice Subcommittee voted:

Y  Boyd (R)                Y  Goodson (R)      Y  Oliva (R)       Y  Spano (R)
Y  Stone (R)              N  Clelland (D)       Y  Hager (R)     Y  Passidomo (R)
N  Stafford (D)          N  Waldman (D)     Y  Davis (R)      Y  Metz (R)
N  Rodríguez, J. (D)

 

Representative José Javier Rodríguez (Democrat representing part of Miami-Dade) led the charge against the legislation with a litany of questions and challenges.
Representative James W. “Jim” Waldman (Democrat representing part of Broward County) mocked Franklin Holder’s testimony in favor of the bill by laughing at his comments.

 

Perhaps Democrats gleamed from the 2012 elections that a certain constituency affected by this legislation voted overwhelmingly for Barack Obama.

Sadly for all Americans, these four Democrats did not see the importance of honoring only American laws in American courts but only saw the importance of votes to keep their political longevity alive.

Click here to see the video of the February 7, 2013 meeting.  The discussion on this bill began at 10:10 am.

Here is the vote from the Florida House Civil Justice Subcommittee in 2012 where a 13-0 vote was taken on January 31, 2012:

Abruzzo Y  Gaetz Y  Kiar Y  Passidomo –  Stargel Y  Bernard Y  Hager Y  Metz Y  Plakon Y  Steinberg Y  Eisnaugle –  Harrison Y  Oliva Y  Soto Y  Weinstein

SENATOR RUBIO TO OPPOSE HAGEL’S CONFIRMATION FOR SECRETARY OF DEFENSE

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Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) issued the following statement announcing his intention to vote against the confirmation of former Senator Chuck Hagel to be the next Secretary of Defense:

“After carefully reviewing Senator Hagel’s record on a number of issues, I cannot support his confirmation as our nation’s next Secretary of Defense. I oppose his confirmation because of his views on U.S. policy toward Cuba, his past opposition to tough Iran sanctions, his questionable comments in the past about U.S. support for Israel, his support for direct, bilateral negotiations with North Korea and, most importantly, my belief that he will usher in a new era of austere defense budgets that will severely impede U.S. national security by hampering readiness and radically limiting the global force projection of our military.

“Senator Hagel served his country during the Vietnam War with great distinction and has an admirable record of public service. I also appreciate him taking the time to visit with me this week. Unfortunately, his policy views are too far apart from what I believe to be the way forward for preserving America’s proper role in the world as a force for security and peace. Now more than ever, I firmly believe the U.S. needs a robust military capability that includes a renewed commitment to our shipbuilding program, a reliable nuclear deterrent to defend against rogue nations and a nimble counterterrorism force able to confront the asymmetric warfare of the 21st century.”

Senator Rubio Discusses Hagel Nomination & Middle Class Opportunity on FOX News:

Failure of the VA System: “Delay, deny, wait till I die”

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Florida is home to over 1.6 million veterans and their families. Many are part of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) healthcare system. The quality of service provided by the VA is of great importance to all veterans.

The Citrus County Florida Veterans Advisory Board has released its white paper titled Failure of the VA System: “Delay, deny, wait till I die”. The role of the Advisory Board is to inform “the Veteran’s Service Office of areas of unmet needs in the veterans’ population, advises local veterans groups of services available, provides input on office policies and procedures and assists other matters specific to veteran’s services and veteran’s groups.”

The report quotes Rep. Jeff Miller, (FL CD-1), Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, [Who] said the data confirmed the worst fears of many veterans and members of Congress. “The common refrain we hear from many veterans is, ‘Delay, deny, wait till I die,’ said Miller, who called the burgeoning backlog of benefits claims a ‘national embarrassment’.”

The white paper notes:

“They’re not interested in quality,” said attorney Gordon Erspamer. “They are interested in production and getting the decisions done, regardless of whether they are right or wrong. “The system is simply broke. We can do a lot better for our veterans.” The VA says its error rate on PERCENT OF PATIENTS RATING VA HEALTH disability claims is 14 percent. But the Center for Investigative Reporting analyzed a subset of those claims and found an error rate of 38 percent. And the Board of Veterans Appeals found the agency made mistakes in 73 percent of cases. Attorney Gordon Erspamer says errors are often the result of a well-known practice at the VA, “There’s a practice called topsheeting — a very famous term at the VA. And that is basically you take a look at the file, you look at the top pages of the file, and you write a decision.”

Watchdog Wire spoke with a VA physician who stated that working for the Veterans Administration is like “working for the Post Office”.

VA’s St Petersburg Regional Office Shortfalls Of major concern to Citrus County, Florida veterans is the status of our St. Petersburg Regional Office (RO), responsible for delivering non-medical VA benefits and services to 1.8 million veterans and their families in our State and 22,000 in our County. This is accomplished through the administration of comprehensive and diverse benefit programs established by Congress, and the RO goal is to deliver these benefits and services in a timely, accurate, and compassionate manner. Examples of the benefits and services that are supposed to be administered by the VA Regional Office are as follows:

  • Disability Compensation, Including Death Compensation Benefits to Eligible Survivors
  • Disability and Death Pensions for Veterans and Their Dependents
  • Veterans’ and Dependents’ Education and Training
  • Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Assistance
  • Guaranty and Indemnity Home Loans
  • Specially Adapted Housing Grants
  • Special Benefits for the Disabled
  • Outreach
  • Certain Burial Benefits

“The St Petersburg Regional Office has historically been one of the worst cases of veterans support in the VA,” states the white paper.

To read the entire white paper click here.

Zero Dark Thirty is a Must See Film

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If there is one film you decide to see this year it is Zero Dark Thirty. This film is the closest to the realities of steps needed to protect Americans from the threat of radical Islam.

The best analysis of the film was done by Shane Harris from the Washingtonian. Harris writes, “For a moment, put aside the important and probably irresolvable debate over torture that has been generated by the new film Zero Dark Thirty…”.

“While the film does not advocate torture, the filmmakers undoubtedly make the argument that brutal and sustained interrogations of suspected terrorists produced useful, maybe even crucial intelligence that led the CIA to Osama bin Laden’s doorstep in Pakistan. This is an assertion that the director and screenwriter have backed away from while promoting their Oscar-buzzed movie, perhaps so not to further enrage critics and a few lawmakers who say Zero Dark Thirty describes torture as the key to the CIA’s decade-long hunt,” reports Harris.

Perhaps it is time to rethink the use of enhanced interrogation techniques given the recent events in Algeria?

Watch the trailer:

“Zero Dark Thirty is one of the most accurate depictions of intelligence work that I’ve ever seen in film. And of intelligence analysis in particular. This is pain-staking stuff. Slow-going. Often frustrated by a paucity of leads, by competing priorities, and by physical exhaustion. The movie’s protagonist, Maya, who is based on a real-life CIA officer, can think of nothing else but getting bin Laden,” notes  Harris.

I must agree totally.

Hillary’s Cohesive Strategy – From Vince Foster to Benghazi

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When reading Following Orders: The Death of Vince Foster, Clinton White House Lawyer by Marinka Peschmann one is struck by the similarities between what happened in the Clinton White House upon the death of Vince Foster and what happened in the Obama White House upon the death of Ambassador Chris Stevens.

Peschmann writes, ” [The Clinton cohesive strategy] went like this: ‘Nothing here. The investigators are on a political witch hunt. So make it short and sweet and get out. They’re trying to take down the president. Don’t speculate’.”

“This strategy is also known as the Clintons’ ‘joint defense’ tactic; a tactic which became public knowledge during the Clinton-Lewinsky investigation, called the joint defense agreement strategy. Unbeknownst to most Americans, the joint defense tactic was successfully used to benefit and protect the Clintons during all the investigations. It’s where witnesses may not communicate with one another; lawyers, however, may legally share information among others lawyers ensuring that the White House was always informed on who said what,” notes Peschmann.

During the investigation of the death of Vince Foster everything was done to hinder the investigation and thereby minimize political damage to the White House. 

The Senate Whitewater Committee investigation found: “Members of the White House counsel’s office participated in the Park Police interviews of White House staffers, not to protect the legal interests of the staffers but … to report back to Mr. Nussbaum what was being said in the interviews.” Moreover, “the White House counsel’s office coached the staffers about their testimony during a meeting on ‘comportment and interrogation.’ The Park Police left with the impression that their interviews had been rehearsed.”

Fast forward to the Obama White House and Clinton Department of State and their handling of Benghazi. Just as the Park Police were hindered in their investigation of the death of Vince Foster, so too was the FBI hindered in its investigation of the death of Ambassador Stevens.

The finger prints of Hillary are on both of these deaths.

Peschmann writes, “In fact, playing the role of ‘hidden hand’ is one [Hillary] enjoys. She was extremely Machiavellian, a master of doing things that could not be traced back to her,” recalled one close colleague. “She would say, ‘Do this, but don’t leave any fingerprints.’”

Breitbart reported in its column “Greta Van Susteren: Has Justice Been Denied in Benghazi?“, “Besides these failures and frustrations regarding the Libyan government, Susteren said the public actions of the FBI in the days and months after the attack were not very reassuring either. And although she and her guest Ron Kessler granted that the Libyan government may actively be hindering the FBI, Susteren reminded viewers:

This happened on Sept 11, [20012] but reports are that the FBI didn’t get there until early October, which for any crime scene is grossly late. Then once they were there, they didn’t pick up all the documents [in the consulate]. And on October 26 journalists there found documents the FBI [hadn’t collected]. She closed her program by saying “the trail gets colder every single day.”

With Secretary Clinton scheduled to testify before Congress on Benghazi, will we see her fingerprints or have they been wiped away. Will we ever know the truth?

Rep. Buchanan (FL-16) Sends Letter to WH Opposing Hagel Appointment

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Representative Vern Buchanan, FL CD-16, sent the below letter to President Obama expressing concern over his nomination of former U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel as the next Secretary of Defense.  Buchanan stated, “I simply cannot support someone whose commitment to Israel remains a disturbing question mark.”

Mark Landler from the New York Times wrote, “Mr. Hagel, a Republican, has been skeptical about the efficacy of American sanctions against Iran, has opposed efforts to isolate militant groups like Hamas and Hezbollah, and has spoken candidly about the influence of what he once referred to as the “Jewish lobby” on Capitol Hill.”

January 07, 2012

The Honorable Barack Obama
President
1600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, DC  20500

Dear President Obama:

I am writing to express my deep concern over your selection of Chuck Hagel as your nominee for Secretary of Defense.

Mr. Hagel is an honorable man who has served his country with distinction. However, his track record on foreign policy leads me to believe he is not the best person to assume this critical post.

Specifically, Mr. Hagel’s commitment to Israel, our most trusted ally in the Middle East, remains a disturbing question mark.  As the co-chair of your intelligence advisory board, Mr. Hagel has said the U.S. should open discussions with Hamas, a terrorist group that does not recognize Israel’s right to exist.

Mr. Hagel has also repeatedly voted against sanctions on Iran, even opposing sanctions aimed at the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.  Furthermore, he wrote that “the genie of nuclear weapons is already out of the bottle, no matter what Iran does.” I find his indifference to Iran possessing nuclear capabilities alarming and dangerous.

Please remember that the Iranian regime has stated its desire to wipe Israel off the map.  Let me also remind you that Iran has armed and funded Hamas, Hezbollah, and other militant groups opposed to Israel’s existence.

We live in a dangerous world and the defense secretary is a key person to protecting Americans at home and abroad. I urge you to please reconsider your nomination.

Sincerely,

Vern Buchanan
Member of Congress

Florida: Trial opens of Imams accused of funneling money to Taliban

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“Prosecutors portray South Florida Muslim clerics as terrorist supporters in federal trial,” by Jay Weaver for the Miami Herald:

Hafiz Khan, a hunched man with a flowing white beard, was called the “Santa Claus imam” by the youngsters who attended his modest Flagler Mosque in Miami.But on Friday, a federal prosecutor portrayed the 77-year-old Muslim cleric as an evil man who spewed hateful words about his adopted country and funneled at least $50,000 to support the Pakistani Taliban terrorist organization in violent attacks against U.S. interests overseas.

His goal, Assistant U.S. Attorney John Shipley said in opening statements of Khan’s terrorism trial, was to help arm the Taliban militants with weapons for their mission to topple the Pakistan government and carry out terrorist attacks against the U.S. military abroad.

“This is no man of peace,” Shipley told the 12-person federal jury Friday. “This is not a religious leader that any of you would respect.’’

Khan and his 26-year old son, Izhar Khan, a Muslim scholar who served as imam of a mosque in Margate, are standing trial on charges of conspiracy and providing material support to terrorists. Both imams, who have been detained without bail since their arrests in 2011, say their financial support was intended not for terrorists, but for relatives, friends and school children in Pakistan who have struggled for survival. Each count carries a maximum prison sentence of 15 years.

Charges were dismissed last year against another son, Irfan Khan, because of a lack of evidence. Two other Khan family members charged in the case, Amina Khan, a daughter, and Alam Zeb, her son, are in Pakistan. Another defendant, Ali Rehman, accused of distributing Hafiz Khan’s funds to the Taliban, is also in Pakistan.

The FBI investigation, launched in early 2009, was built on recordings of Hafiz Khan’s phone conversations, a confidential informant who infiltrated Khan’s mosque, and Khan’s bank records in South Florida and Pakistan.

Hafiz Khan’s attorney, Khurrum Wahid, said in opening statements that prosecutors have created a “caricature” of his client, asserting that his words were “hyperbole” and “contrary” to the Taliban’s violent campaign. Wahid said his client was driven by a “love” for the people in the Swat Valley region of Pakistan, near the Afghanistan border, where he was born and raised before becoming a Muslim leader and founder of a madrassa religious school.

“You’re going to hear he loved helping the poor and needy,” Wahid told jurors. “You’re going to hear he’s not pro-Taliban. In fact, it’s quite the contrary. … You’re going to hearing of no evidence that the money went for guns. …You’re going to hear it was for the madrassa, the love of his life.”

Click here to read the full Miami Herald story.

Report: Hillary Injured While on Secret Mission to Iran?

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The European Union Times is reporting:

A new Foreign Military Intelligence (GRU) report circulating in the Kremlin today is saying that United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was injured, and a top US Navy Seal Commander killed when their C-12 Huron military passenger and transport aircraft crash landed nearly 3 weeks ago in the Iranian city of Ahvaz near the Iraqi border.

Iranian intelligence agents quoted in this GRU report confirm that the C-12 Huron aircraft is still in their possession in Ahvaz, but will only admit that the plane was “forced to land because of technical problems”.

Read the full report by clicking here.

Florida Veterans Oppose Kerry for Secretary of State

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Art Moore from WorldNetDaily reports, “The first documentary evidence that Vietnamese communists were directly steering John Kerry’s group Vietnam Veterans Against the War has been discovered in a U.S. archive, according to a researcher who spoke with WorldNetDaily.”

Jerome Corsi, a specialist on the Vietnam era, told WND the new discoveries are the “most remarkable documents I’ve seen in the entire history of the antiwar movement.”

“We’re not going to say he’s an agent for Vietnamese communists, but it’s the next thing to it,” he said. “Whether he was consciously carrying out their direction or naively doing what they wanted, it amounted to the same thing – he advanced their cause.”

Watchdog Wire received numerous emails from veterans and concerned citizens about the nomination of Senator John Kerry for Secretary of State. The following is one sent by Colonel Harry Riley, U.S. Army (Ret.) from Crestview, Florida:

TO: U.S. Senate Republicans

SUBJECT: Deny Senator John Kerry Secretary of State Nomination

Are there any patriots left in the United States Senate? If so read the following:

Constitutional Amendment XIV, Section 3:

“No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer on the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, To support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability”.

Senator John Kerry should not be serving as a Senator let alone rubbing insult to injury toward the United States Constitution.

Senator John Kerry, having given aid and comfort to the enemy during the Vietnam war is rejected by the United States Constitution from serving as United States Secretary of State.

It is the responsibility of the United States Senate to deny, reject, and declare Senator John Kerry as constitutional ineligible to serve as United States Secretary of State.

Harry Riley, COL, USA, Ret.

Jane Fonda on visit to Hanoi, North Vietnam

There are two names that evoke anger with Vietnam veterans – Jane Fonda and John Kerry. The Vietnam War was a watershed and divided the nation. Questions remain to this day about the influence of Communist elements in the anti-war movement. Jane Fonda went to Hanoi, North Vietnam in July 1972 and posed with NVA soldiers manning an anti-aircraft weapon emplacement.

Fonda made several radio broadcasts for the Communist North Vietnamese in which she called American military leaders “war criminals,” then when some of the POWs returned home and described mistreatment by the North Vietnamese, she said Americans should “… not hail the POWs as heroes, because they are hypocrites and liars.” From that day on she is known as “Hanoi” Jane.

John Kerry’s past associations with the Vietnam Veterans Against the War and the Winter Soldier Investigation remain problematic.

Opponents are bringing up Kerry’s past decisions to support totalitarian governments like the North Vietnamese and more recently Syria’s Assad. The Senate hearings will be most interesting and watched by many veterans, some of whom consider Kerry a traitor.

Kerry’s nomination is likened by some to “opening an old war wound”.

RELATED COLUMNS:

John Kerry at State: A Disaster for Israel

Florida braces for major job losses in 2013

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According to the Heritage Foundation, “The Budget Control Act’s $1.2 trillion automatic sequestration cuts, out of $46.3 trillion in total spending, would impose draconian cuts on defense (on top of an estimated $407 billion in cuts from its spending caps). This would slash the defense budget and jeopardize the U.S. military’s ability to defend the nation. Entitlement spending—the biggest part of the budget— would scarcely be touched by comparison.”

Florida has twenty-one military installations, and is home to U.S. Central Command at MacDill AFB in Tampa.

Florida stands to lose 79,459 jobs and $4.1 billion in labor income by the end of fiscal 2013 if $1.2 trillion in federal defense cuts take place in January as planned.  A report conducted by George Mason University economist Stephen Fuller reports Florida would suffer the sixth highest job losses of all the states.

The report measures the impact of both defense and nondefense employment reductions at federal agencies and their contractors, as well as at businesses that count them as customers.

A little more than half of Florida’s lost jobs in the next fiscal year — 41,905 — would result from Department of Defense cuts, and the rest would stem from reductions at civilian agencies. During that period, Florida would also see gross state product losses of $8 billion.

sequestercuts

The George Mason University report concludes – The magnitude of economic impacts resulting from the Budget Control Act of 2011 over the combined FY 2012-FY 2013 period have been shown to be large and their impact on the U.S. economy to be significant:

• Combined DOD and non-DOD agency spending reductions totaling $115.7 billion in FY 2013 would reduce the 2013 U.S. GDP by $215.0 billion.

• These spending reductions would result in the loss of 746,222 direct jobs including cutbacks in the federal workforce totaling 277,263 and decreases in the federal contractor workforce totaling 468,959 jobs, thus affecting all sectors of the national economy.

• The loss of these 746,222 direct jobs and 432,978 jobs of suppliers and vendors (indirect jobs) dependent on the prime contractors would reduce total labor income in the U.S. by $109.4 billion.

• The loss of this labor income and the resultant impacts of reduced consumer spending in the economy would generate an additional loss of 958,508 jobs dependent on the spending and re-spending of payroll dollars associated with the direct and indirect jobs lost as a result of BCA.

• This loss of $215.0 billion in GDP and 2.14 million jobs in 2013 would erase two-thirds of the GDP gains projected for the year and raise the national unemployment rate by 1.5 percentage points by the end of 2013.

• These economic impacts would affect every state with their respective vulnerabilities to projected DOD and non-DOD spending reductions being determined by their agency mix and relative magnitudes of federal payroll and procurement. Based on current patterns of federal spending by state, ten states account for more than half of total federal payroll and procurement outlays. This significant concentration of federal spending represents a major threat to these states’ economies in 2013. While other states may appear less vulnerable to federal spending reductions, these may also suffer significant impacts dues to their smaller sizes or more specialized economic structures.

To read more click here.

VIDEO: Rep. Buchanan wants to send lump of coal to Egypt’s Morsi

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Representative Vern Buchanan (FL-13) does not believe the American taxpayers should send their hard earned money in the form of 20 F-16 fighter jets to Egypt. According to an email Rep. Buchanan states, ” I’ve introduced legislation, H.R. 6646, to immediately suspend U.S. aid to Egypt.  We can no longer afford to buy friends across the world that don’t have our best interests in mind.  It’s time to put America first.”

Buchanan notes, “In the spirit of the holiday season, even Santa Claus would have trouble sending a stocking full of American F-16 fighter jets to an Egyptian regime that supports Hamas and is looking more and more like a dictatorship than a trustworthy democracy.  And yet, unbelievably, that is exactly what the United States government is doing.”

David French from National Review Online reports, “In an era of ballooning budget deficits, looming cuts to our own military, and tax increases for millions of Americans, it’s heartening to know that the American taxpayer still has the financial wherewithal (or good credit with China) to provide — free of charge — brand-new F-16 fighters to the Muslim Brotherhood-led Egyptian government just as its hold on power looks increasingly shaky. These new weapons will start to arrive roughly a month after the vote on Egypt’s proposed Brotherhood-supported constitution.”

Please watch this 90 second video that French and his colleagues at ACLJ created:

Florida Muslim planned jihad mass murder at New York landmark

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Jihad Watch reports, “He wanted to carry out a jihad attack in a crowded area in New York, so as to murder as many infidels as possible — perhaps a jihad-martyrdom suicide bombing, so that he could claim the Qur’an’s promise of Paradise to those who ‘kill and are killed’ for Allah (Qur’an 9:111).”

“Prosecutors: Fla. man planned NY terror bombing,” by Curt Anderson for the Associated Press, December 18 (thanks to Lookmann):

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A Pakistani-born man wanted to avenge the deaths of U.S. drone attacks in Afghanistan by blowing up a New York City landmark but lacked the money and materials to carry out the plan, a federal prosecutor said Tuesday.Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Gilbert said at a bail hearing that Raees Alam Qazi, 20, researched bomb-making techniques on Internet sites affiliated with al-Qaida, including one using Christmas tree lights, and the FBI recorded phone calls and conversations linking Qazi to a purported “lone wolf” plot.

“He fully intended to do this, and thankfully he didn’t have enough money,” Gilbert said. Referring to casualties in U.S. drone attacks, she added: “He wants to avenge those deaths and kill people.”

Qazi traveled to New York last month in hopes of getting a job to fund his terrorist plans, Gilbert said, but wound up sleeping in public transportation, a mosque and in restaurants, and riding a bicycle around the city looking for potential targets. He then decided to return home on a Greyhound bus and was arrested after arriving back in South Florida, she said.

Qazi, a naturalized U.S. citizen who attended local Florida public schools, confirmed many elements of the plot in a statement to FBI agents after his arrest in late November, Gilbert said. Investigators also found bomb-making and related components at the Qazi family home in Oakland Park, as well as explosives research evidence on a computer used by Qazi.

Qazi is charged along with his brother, 30-year-old taxi driver Sheheryar Alam Qazi, with conspiring to provide material support to terrorists and with attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction in the U.S. Both have pleaded not guilty to the charges, which carry a potential life sentence if the men are convicted of both counts….

Gilbert said Raees Qazi was the intended operative, using either a suicide attack or a remote-control device to kill people in a crowded place such as New York’s Times Square, a Broadway theater or perhaps on Wall Street. The elder Qazi supported his brother financially and logistically with the knowledge that Raees was planning a terror attack, the prosecutor said.

In one conversation recorded by the FBI, Sheheryar Qazi compared his brother to a “lone wolf, like the Times Square bomber.” Gilbert said Sheheryar Qazi was referring to Faisal Shahzad, who unsuccessfully attempted to detonate a bomb at the New York landmark in May 2010. In another recorded conversation, Sheheryar Qazi says that his brother “wasn’t going to be in this world long.”

Raees Qazi’s attorney, Daniel Ecarius, tried to persuade the judge to allow his release on bail, noting that Qazi had made money by selling bicycles on the Internet, had no criminal past and had already relinquished his passport. Ecarius suggested Qazi could be released on house arrest with electronic monitoring, but Gilbert urged the judge to keep him locked up.

“He wanted to carry out an attack. If he is released from custody, he will,” she said.

Read more at Jihad Watch.

New Army Manual Orders Soldiers Not To Criticize Taliban

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Courtesy of Judicial Watch:

Here is a strong indicator that the Obama Administration’s crusade to appease Islam has gone too far; a  new U.S. military handbook for troops deployed to the Middle East orders soldiers not to make derogatory comments about the Taliban or criticize pedophilia, among other outrageous things.

It gets better; the new manual, which is around 75 pages, suggests that Western ignorance of Afghan culture— not Taliban infiltration—is responsible for the increase in deadly attacks by Afghan soldiers against the coalition forces.

The soon-to-be-released Army handbook is still being drafted, but a mainstream newspaper got a sneak preview and published an article that should infuriate the American taxpayers funding the never-ending war on terror. The manual is being created because someone with authority bought the theory that cultural insensitivity is driving insider attacks on U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

More than three dozen insider attacks have killed 63 members of the U.S.-led coalition this year, according to the article, and some blame “American cultural ignorance.” The bottom line is that troops may experience social-cultural shock and/or discomfort when interacting with Afghan security forces, the new military handbook says. “Better situational awareness/understanding of Afghan culture will help better prepare [troops] to more effectively partner and to avoid cultural conflict that can lead toward green-on-blue violence.”

The draft leaked to the newspaper offers a list of “taboo conversation topics” that soldiers should avoid, including “making derogatory comments about the Taliban,” “advocating women’s rights,” “any criticism of pedophilia,” “directing any criticism towards Afghans,” “mentioning homosexuality and homosexual conduct” or “anything related to Islam.”

At least one high-ranking military official had the backbone to publicly criticize the new manual, albeit through a spokesperson. U.S. Marine General John Allen, the top commander in Afghanistan, doesn’t endorse it and rejected a proposed forward drafted by Army officials in his name. “He does not approve of its contents,” according to a military spokesman quoted in the story.

Earlier this year the Obama Administration changed the way federal agents are trained to combat terrorism and violent extremism by eliminating all materials that shed a negative light on Muslims. Under White House orders, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) destroyed instructional material that characterizes Muslims as prone to violence or terrorism in a government-wide call to end Islamophobia.

Under Obama practically every major federal agency has been ordered to participate in Muslim outreach initiatives, including the Justice Department with a special program to protect Islamic civil rights, Homeland Security meetings with extremist Muslim organizations and the nation’s space agency (NASA) with an unprecedented mission to focus on Muslim diplomacy.

Additionally, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton signed a special order to allow the reentry of two radical Islamic academics whose terrorist ties long banned them from the U.S. and the administration sent an America-bashing mosque leader (Feisal Abdul Rauf) who blames U.S. foreign policy for the 9/11 attacks on a Middle Eastern outreach mission. The Obama Administration even ordered a government-funded meal program for home-bound seniors to offer halal cuisine prepared according to Islamic law.

The Obama Doctrine on Terrorism – An Analysis

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As Raess Alam Qazi and Sheheryar Alam Qazi, two Muslim men from Pakistan, are indicted in Florida for plotting to carry out a terrorist attack using a weapon of mass destruction it is time to analyse the Obama Doctrine on terrorism.

On August 3, 2011 President Obama released the National Strategy on Empowering Local Partners to Prevent Violent Extremism. The strategy, now known as the Obama Doctrine, was based upon the Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) study group findings and recommendation developed in 2010 by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The CVE has become the blueprint for both domestic and foreign policy when dealing with terrorism. The Obama Doctrine redefined “terrorism” as “violent extremism”.

The DHS website states, “The threat posed by violent extremism is neither constrained by international borders nor limited to any single ideology. Groups and individuals inspired by a range of religious, political, or other ideological beliefs have promoted and used violence against the homeland.”

Who developed the Obama Doctrine?

The Obama Doctrine is based in large part upon the 2010 findings and recommendations of a Department of Homeland Security’s Advisory Council. The twenty member advisory council is unique in its composition, with eight members who are Islamists, three representing large Islamic communities and one openly supportive of Islam.

Islamist members included: Nimco Ahmed, Policy Aide, Vice-President of the Minneapolis City Council, Omar Alomari Community Engagement Officer, Ohio Homeland Security, Asli Bali Acting Professor of Law, UCLA School of Law, Mohamed Elibiary President and CEO, The Freedom and Justice Foundation, Amin Kosseim Deputy Inspector, New York City Police Department, Imam Mohamed Magid Executive Director, All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS Center), Asim Rehman President, Muslim Bar Association of New York and Dalia Mogahed Senior Analyst and Executive Director, Gallup Center for Muslim Studies

Members from predominantly Islamist communities included: Michael Downing Deputy Chief, Commanding Officer, Counter Terrorism and Criminal Intelligence Bureau, Los Angeles Police Department and Ronald Haddad Chief of Police, Dearborn Police Department. Richard Cohen President and CEO, Southern Poverty Law Center, was a pro-Islamist council member. Pro-Islamist subject matter experts advising the council included: Arif Alikhan Assistant Secretary, Policy Development, DHS and Laurie Wood Analyst, Southern Poverty Law Center/Instructor, Federal Law Enforcement Training Center.

According to Clare Lopez, former CIA Operations Officer and co-Author of the book Shariah: The Threat to America:

“Muhammad Magid is not only the head of the ADAMS center, he is the son of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) Grand Mufti of Sudan and current president of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), an MB front group named by the Department of Justice as an unindicted co-conspirator in the 2008 Holy Land Foundation – HAMAS (HLF) terror funding trial. Magid is also one of the closest advisers of the National Security Council of the USA (in particular Denis McDonough). He’s an A-list invitee at the White House. Some believe he may be the head of the North American MB Shura Council.

Mohamed Elibiary is affiliated with numerous identified MB figures who are members of the Freedom and Justice Foundation Advisory Council: they come from the Muslim American Society (MAS), CAIR, ISNA, and the Islamic Association of North Texas. He publicly criticized the HLF trial convictions and has written admiringly of Sayyed Qutb.

IIIT likewise is listed in the MB’s “Explanatory Memorandum” of 1991 as one of its ‘friends and the organizations of our friends’.”

 The Obama Doctrine states, “Government officials and the American public should not stigmatize or blame communities because of the actions of a handful of individuals.” The doctrine notes, “This type of violent extremism is a complicated challenge for the United States, not only because of the threat of attacks, but also because of its potential to divide us.” The Obama Doctrine states, “Violent extremists prey on the disenchantment and alienation that discrimination creates, and they have a vested interest in anti-Muslim sentiment.”

The Obama Doctrine is based on, “[A] paradigm of engagement with Muslim communities around the world, based on mutual respect and interest manifest in our new partnerships and programming…” To accomplish this, “The Federal Government will work to communicate clearly about al-Qa’ida’s destructive and bankrupt ideology, while dispelling myths and misperceptions that blame communities for the actions of a small number of violent extremists.”

Myths and misperceptions are other words for “Islamophobia”. The neologism “Islamophobia” did not simply emerge ex nihilo. It was invented, deliberately, by the International Institute for Islamic Thought (IIIT), which is based in Northern Virginia.

The Obama Doctrine states, “Today, as detailed in the National Security Strategy and the National Strategy for Counter-terrorism, al-Qa’ida and its affiliates and adherents represent the preeminent terrorist threat to our country.” The role of the Muslim Brotherhood in creating al-Qa’ida and its affiliates is omitted. While the Obama Doctrine targets al Qaeda it is currently materially supporting al-Qa’ida and its affiliates in both Libya and Syria.

Lopez states, “The Obama administration has had an inordinately substantive influence on the Islamic Awakening through the deliberate, selective empowerment and enrichment of the Muslim Brotherhood (both domestically and abroad) and al-Qa’eda. We would not be seeing the re-emergence of the Islamic Caliphate were it not for the full-on support of the Obama administration for the forces of jihad and shariah.”

President Obama openly embraces the Muslim Brotherhood, the organization which created al-Qa’ida, its affiliates  and adherents.

One of the key outcomes of the Obama Doctrine is to stop training by non-Muslims and former Muslims, which may offend Islam or be offensive to Muslims. This is codified in the Obama Doctrine by the statement, “Strong religious beliefs should never be confused with violent extremism.”

The oxymoron is that violent extremism in Islam is consistently preceded by strong Qur’anic religious beliefs.

A major impact of the Obama Doctrine is to blunt if not hand cuff US law enforcement, our diplomatic corps and military with “political correctness” as a national policy. This leads to issues like orders to “stand down” in the face of aggressors, such as happened in Benghazi, Libya and Afghanistan. The effort to “engage with Muslim communities around the world” causes our military not fire when fired upon, even when in self-defense.

The Obama Doctrine has had questionable impact in the Muslim Ummah and less impact with Islamic governments such as Syria, Iran, Libya and Egypt.

EDITORS NOTE: If you do a web search on Obama Targeting al Qaeda while embracing the Muslim Brotherhood you will get the results listed in this document.

RELATED COLUMN: US OFFICIAL SIGNALS END TO WAR AGAINST AL-QAEDA

SLEEPLESS SABBATH OVER THE SKY’S OF ISRAEL

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Updates from Israel courtesy of  Marc Kahlberg, Founder and Owner of MK International Security Consulting:

The Israel Air Force confirmed that they have surgically removed 85 terror targets in the Gaza Strip overnight Friday, putting a stop to the quiet usually heard in Israel over the Jewish Sabbath.

The “Code Red” early warning rocket alarm system is almost continuous in multiple communities throughout the South of Israel and many Israeli’s have opted to either move north or simply stay in sheltered areas.

Over and above the roar of Israeli air force jets throughout Friday night, the “Code Red” early warning rocket alarm system is fast becoming familiar in larger cities as far as Tel Aviv, Rishon Le Zion and Jerusalem.

An early Saturday morning barrage of Kassam rockets were fired at Sderot from the Gaza Strip Saturday morning, creating more trauma for those who are unfortunately already used to the terror attacks against them.

“Code Red” early warning rocket alarm system was sounded early Saturday morning in Beersheba jolting the city with extremely loud blasts and prompting a call from my eldest son who lives in the area; telling me that it was too close for comfort. Like others in the area he refuses to leave his home saying that this would amount to “giving in to Palestinian terror”.

Hamas deputy leader Abu Marzouq on Friday rejected the possibility of a ceasefire with Israel, according to Palestinian news agency Ma’an, saying “there are many calls for a truce but it will not be soon.” Terrorists in the Sinai Peninsula also launched rockets into Israel Friday night. The rockets fell near an Israeli village on the southern border, causing some damage, but no injuries.

Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri confirmed to the Palestinian news agency Ma’an Friday that the terror group had dismissed overtures from “several mediators” offering to broker an end to hostilities. Referring to the new Egyptian government, Yousef said that “The rules of the game have changed now. Things are different.”

Meanwhile, US President Barack Obama called Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi on Friday to commend the country’s efforts to help calm the situation in Israel and Gaza and underscored his hope of restoring stability there, the White House said. Egyptian Prime Minister Hisham Kandil, on a brief visit to the Gaza Strip on Friday, denounced Israel’s attacks on the Palestinian territory as aggression.

President Obama’s words where drowned and somewhat contradicted earlier Friday when Egyptian Prime Minister Hesham Kandil visited the Gaza Strip; (And despite Israel having agreed to a ceasefire during Kandil’s approximately three hour visit, dozens of Palestinian rockets rained down on the South of Israel while the Egyptian prime minister was still in Gaza) –

The Egyptian President Morsi then went on national Egyptian TV while visiting a Mosque in Cairo and warned Israel that “Israel would pay dearly and Egypt would not accept the Israeli aggression”: What he seemed to forget to say was that the Muslim Brotherhood of which he and his government lead in Egypt are funding and supporting the Hamas who are in fact an offspring of the Muslim Brotherhood. He also conveniently seemed to miss the fact that only this year over 1200 terror attacks have been launched at Israel from Gaza.

The Israeli cabinet approved Defense Minister Ehud Barak’s request for 75,000 reserve troops in preparation for a possible ground operation in Gaza.

The IDF said on Friday it was closing to civilian traffic three roads that lead to, or border the Gaza Strip, in an indication of a probable military build-up in the area.

In reports from several Israeli media sources, government officials have made it clear that this defensive Israeli mission should be a clear cut message to the Hezbollah and rebels in Syria that Israel will not tolerate any further aggression against Israeli civilians.

The Hamas has systematically fired over 12,000 rockets and missiles at the soft underbelly of Israeli citizens for the past 12 years and Israel’s patience has now worn thin. It should also be noted that the Muslim Brotherhood backed Hamas is also now supported by Iran and the Fajr -5 long range missile which is being fired towards Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. This shows Iran’s intentions of provoking Israel and placing over 3.5 million Israeli’s at risk.

As I write this post there are Code Red sirens in several Israeli cities and towns and Israeli air force activity heard overhead.

The Hamas terror leader Ismael Hania in Gaza has also announced that the IDF bombing of the Hamas headquarters overnight will ” spark a response not seen in Israel before and the Hamas is stronger than ever”.

In a report just released by the IDF it has become clear that Iran has established a front line base in Gaza using the Hamas and other Islamic terror groups as they use the Hezbollah in Lebanon and perhaps the rebel troops that are close to Israel’s border with Syria.

The IDF has said that that they are determined to continue targeting sites that are used to carry out terror attacks against Israeli citizens.

As commendation and praise should be extended to the IDF and Israeli government for a brilliant intelligence motivated operation which has enabled the IDF to surgically pin point and target only terror related facilities and sites, many Israeli’s are hoping that this will not be “cosmetic” surgery but surgery that will put an end to the terror for years to come.

SURGICAL STRIKES – COSMETIC SOLUTION??

In an un-thought-of Muslim Brotherhood scenario, the Egyptian leader, Morsi has found himself brokering a peace deal between the terror faction of the Brotherhood, Hamas.

This comes as Red alert warning sirens signaling rocket attacks sounded in the Sdot Negev and Sha’ar Hanegev Regional Council areas of Israel on Sunday morning.

It was not immediately clear where the rockets fell. No injuries or damage have been reported.

The sirens, which rang out just after 7:00 a.m. on Sunday morning marked the first rocket activity since just after midnight.

While people all over the world are now protesting Israel’s decision to defend itself there is little or no reporting of the genocide that is taking place in Syria. Over 180 people were killed in Syria Saturday and the death toll there stands at over 35,000 with another 25, 000 missing and tens of thousands living in tents in other countries.

The IDF has struck more than 1,000 terror targets in the Gaza Strip since Operation Pillar of Defense began on Wednesday, air strikes and attacks from naval gunships continued overnight Saturday, with Israeli forces hitting dozens of targets reducing greatly the terrorists capabilities to fire at Israel.

All of this with minimum civilian casualties in the densely populated Gaza Strip where terror groups fire from homes, outside schools and hospitals and from areas surrounding foreign journalists hotels.

In a familiar round of not only “ping pong” tactics by the terrorists in Gaza and the IDF, only on a much larger scale, there is also a new round of “ping pong” political tactics going on between Israel and the United States President.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu assured US President Barack Obama on Friday that he does not plan to launch a ground operation in the Gaza Strip unless Hamas escalates its rocket war, an America publication reported Saturday, citing two US officials briefed on the call.

The Israeli leadership at this point is leaning against a ground invasion which is politically clever but tactically a disaster all over again. With the Israeli elections scheduled for January, there is no doubt that political maneuvering is now the priority with Israel’s southern region only a distant second priority.

While no Israeli’s want a ground offensive into Gaza which will surely put lives at risk and escalate the casualties on both sides, Israeli’s feel that once again the “job” of thwarting the terror organizations capabilities and abilities to fire at will against Israeli soft targets is not complete and in only a matter of months the attacks will continue.

On another note Netanyahu has refused to give assurances that Israel would not unilaterally attack the Islamic Republic of Iran and the “softening up” of the Hamas, who have of late been the recipients of Iranian military generosity in the form of financial aid and long range missiles threatening Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, may be the first phase of a more complicated plan of action against an Iran, who is close to having a nuclear weapons capability which will be used against Israel as are their missiles.

In other related news that is not being openly reported globally, gunfire was directed at an IDF force near the border fence with Syria on Saturday night.

An IDF vehicle was damaged by bullets and an IDF artillery battery opened fire at the source of the fire. It seems that the fire may be deliberate and an attempt at “testing” the IDF reaction.

There are also reports that Hezbollah fighters have been seen training and carrying out maneuvers near a very sensitive Syrian chemical weapons depot which if correct must indeed provoke serious concern for the Israeli decision makers.