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Two seventh-grade boys were given detention and their classmates forced to miss their scheduled refreshment break when the pair refused to kneel and pray to Allah during a religious studies class.
Outraged parents called the punishment of the boys for not wanting to take part in the practical demonstration at Alsager High School near Stoke-on-Trent, UK, of how Muslims' worship Allah a breach of their human rights. ...
In the Constitution that came out of that convention, the states were prohibited from imposing any tariffs on the products of other states, thus creating the greatest common market in history, the United States of America. Second, the U.S. government was empowered to raise revenue by imposing tariffs on foreign goods, but explicitly denied the power to impose taxes on the incomes of American citizens.
And as Hamilton set the nation onto a course that would ensure economic independence, Washington took the actions and made the decisions that would assure our political independence. ...
And so we have become again a dependent nation. We borrow from Europe and Japan to defend the oil of Europe and Japan in the Persian Gulf. We borrow from China to buy the goods of China. We are as dependent on foreign borrowing as we are on foreign oil. ...
... And the questions arise: If the men of '76, who led those small and vulnerable states, were wiling to sacrifice their lives, fortunes and sacred honor for America's independence, what is the matter with us?
Do we not value independence as they did? Or is it that we are simply not the men our fathers were?
Happy Independence Day.
This is not random, but the product of years of work in human and signal intelligence, almost always hand-in-hand with U.S. counterparts. It is worth studying because it was done right. ...
As far back as Sun Tzu, military strategists have well understood the concept that victory in war does not require the destruction of one's enemy, but merely convincing that enemy that destruction is inevitable if the fight continues. Similarly, in a dictatorship, absolute control is neither necessary nor, in most cases, even possible. All that is needed for the dictator to endure is the presumption among the underlings that the leader does indeed hold a monopoly of power.
It is a point that Americans ought to seriously ponder, as the future of their nation appears to increasingly rise and fall on the basis of a single vote in the United States Supreme Court. ...
WASHINGTON - The White House said Thursday that dangerous detainees at Guantanamo Bay could end up walking Main Street U.S.A. as a result of last month's Supreme Court ruling about detainees' legal rights. Federal appeals courts, however, have indicated they have no intention of letting that happen.
The high court ruling, which gave all detainees the right to petition federal judges for immediate release, has intensified discussions within the Bush administration about what to do with the roughly 270 detainees held at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. ...
By Amir Taheri's -- NO one should feel safe without submitting to Islam, and those who refuse to submit must pay a high price. The Islamist movement must aim to turn the world into a series of "wildernesses" where only those under jihadi rule enjoy security.
These are some of the ideas developed by al Qaeda's chief theoretician, Sheik Abu-Bakar Naji, in his new book "Governance in the Wilderness" (Edarat al-Wahsh).
Middle East analysts think that the book may indicate a major change of strategy by the disparate groups that use al Qaeda as a brand name.
The Saudi police seized copies of the book last week as they arrested 700 alleged terrorists in overnight raids.
Naji's book, written in pseudo-literary Arabic, is meant as a manifesto for jihad. He divides the jihadi movement into five circles - ranging from Sunni Salafi (traditionalist) Muslims (who, though not personally violent, are prepared to give moral and material support to militants) to Islamist groups with national rather than pan-Islamist agendas (such as the Palestinian Hamas and the Filipino Moro Liberation Front).
All five circles are at an impasse, says Naji. Some accept the status quo while hoping to reform it. Others have tried to set up governments in a world dominated by "infidel" powers, and have been forced to abandon Islamic values. Still others failed because they didn't realize that the only way to win is through total war in which no one feels safe.
NAJI claims that the fall of the Ottoman Empire and the abolition of the Islamic Caliphate in 1924 marked the start of "the most dangerous phase in history." Those events put all Arab countries, the heartland of Islam, under domination by the "infidel"- who later continued to rule via native proxies.
In Naji's eyes, it is impossible to create a proper Islamic state in a single country in a world dominated by "Crusaders." He cites as example the Taliban - which, although a proper Islamic regime, didn't survive "infidel" attacks and opposition by Afghan elements.
Instead, he says, the Islamic movement must be global - fighting everywhere, all the time, and on all fronts.
SINCE 9/11, Islamist terror movements have been de bating grand strategy. Osama bin Laden had theorized that the "infidel," led by the United States, would crumble after a series of spectacular attacks, just as the Meccan "infidel" government did when the Prophet Muhammad launched deadly raids against its trade routes. Yet the 9/11 attacks didn't lead to an "infidel" retreat. On the contrary, the "Great Satan" hit back hard.
That persuaded some al Qaeda leaders that a new strategy of smaller, slower but steadier attacks was needed. Ayman al-Zawahiri, al Qaeda's No. 2, has advocated such a strategy since 2003, arguing that the jihad should first target Muslim countries where it has a chance of toppling the incumbent regimes.
Now Naji takes that analysis a step further - suggesting that low-intensity war be extended to anywhere in the world with a significant Muslim presence.
Islamists in the "wilderness" must create parallel societies alongside existing ones, Naji says - but not set up formal governments, which would be subject to economic pressure or military attack.
These parallel societies could resemble "liberated zones" set up by Marxist guerrillas in parts of Latin America in the last century. But they could also exist within cities, under the very noses of the authorities - operating as secret societies with their own rules, values and enforcement.
But they could also take shape in Western countries with large Muslim minorities: The jihadis are to begin by giving areas where Muslims live a distinctly Islamic appearance, by imposing special styles of dress for women and beards for men. Then they start imposing the shariah. In the final phase, they create a parallel system of taxation and law enforcement, effectively taking the areas out of government control.
The "wilderness" will provide the cover for bases for jihad operations. Jihad would be everywhere, rather than in just one or two countries that the "infidel" could hit with superior firepower.
IN a notable departure from past al Qaeda strategy, Naji recommends "countless small operations" that render daily life unbearable, rather than a few spectacular attacks such as 9/11: The "infidel," leaving his home every morning, should be unsure whether he'll return in the evening.
Naji recommends kidnappings, the holding of hostages, the use of women and children as human shields, exhibition killings to terrorize the enemy, suicide bombings and countless gestures that make normal life impossible for the "infidel" and Muslim collaborators.
Once parallel societies are established throughout the world, they would exert pressure on non-Muslims to submit. Naji believes that, subjected to constant intimidation and fear of death, most non-Muslims (especially in the West) would submit: "The West has no stomach for a long fight."
The only Western power still capable of resisting is the United States, he believes. But that, too, will change once President Bush is gone.
NAJI makes it clear that the United States is the chief, if not the exclusive target, of jihad at this time. He mentions Israel only once, as "America's little female idol." His only reference to Palestine is in a historical context.
Naji asks jihadis to target oilfields, sea and airports, tourist facilities and especially banking and financial services. He envisages "a very long war," at the end of which the whole world is brought under the banner of Islam.
He identifies several Muslim countries as promising for establishing "the governance of the wilderness": Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Yemen, Turkey, Jordan, Libya, Tunisia and Morocco. The implication is that "wilderness" units already exist in nations such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Egypt, Somalia and Algeria.
Naji's theory is built on the concept of terror as the main organizing principle of the mini-states he hopes to set up everywhere in preparation for the coming Caliphate. He claims that the Prophet himself practiced the tactic by making his enemies in Medina, where he ran his version of the "wilderness," pay "the maximum price" for any deviance, and through constant raids on trade caravans belonging to his enemies in Mecca.
IN a simple language, Naji offers a synthesis of the themes that appeal to different jihadi groups. With anti-imperialist sentiments, missionary dreams, ethnic and class grievances and puritanical obsessions, he mixes a deadly cocktail.
Naji's message is stark: Western civilization is doomed. Its last bastion, America, lacks the will for a long war. The "infidel" loves life and treats it as an endless feast. Jihadis have to ruin that feast and persuade the "infidel" to abandon this world in exchange for greater rewards in the next.
Amir Taheri's next book, "The Persian Night: Iran Under the Khomeinist Revolution," is due out this fall. rca
| PARIS: An attack -- or even an attempted attack -- by Islamic extremists on Saudi Arabia's oil sector would have disastrous consequences on the world market and the price per barrel, analysts warn. Of more than 700 people arrested in the course of the last six months in Saudi Arabia, dozens had been part of cells charged with preparing attacks against oil sites, according to authorities in Riyadh. .... |
The fires of freedom and liberty were ignited, but throughout our history, they would have to be defended. Today, that responsibility has been accepted by young men and women serving as soldiers, sailors, airmen, Guardsmen and Marines. They are every bit as dedicated to defending our nation's liberty as those who served before them.
Freedom Alliance was founded to carry out the spirit of those who signed our Declaration of Independence – working to protect our national sovereignty and ensuring that our government continues to derive its "just powers from the consent of the governed," and also honoring and supporting the men and women of our Armed Forces who protect our nation.
One way we honor our military heroes is through our Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund, which provides college scholarships to the sons and daughters of America’s military heroes – those who sacrifice life or limb in defense of our freedom.
Allow me to share some stories of these children of American Heroes.
On May 16, 2008 one of Monica Sherrill’s dreams came true: she graduated from Villa Julie College with a degree in Early Childhood Education, as her proud mother, sister and brother looked on.
But the achievement was bittersweet; she missed her Dad.
Monica’s father, Major Geoffrey "Doc" Sherrill, of the United States Army Special Operations Command, an American Hero, gave his life for his country when he was only 39 years old. "Doc" Sherrill was a dedicated physician who cared for his troops. Monica was just ten years old when her father was killed.
We cannot bring Monica’s father back to her and her family, but through the generosity of caring and patriotic Americans, our Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund helped to make her dad's dream of a college education for her, come true.
Today we celebrate and congratulate Monica and all our 2008 Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund graduates. You will see some of these outstanding youngsters in the “Salute to Our Scholarship Fund Graduates” – below.
I know you will be as moved by their stories as I am. Another one of our 2008 graduates, Bryce Hattamer of Michigan, received a Freedom Alliance Scholarship for all four years of college and earned his degree in Computer Science from St. Norbert College in Wisconsin.
As Bryce received his diploma, no doubt his thoughts turned to his father, Army Staff Sergeant Stephen Hattamer, who was killed in action on Christmas Day, 2003, while serving our country in Iraq. This American Hero served his country for 25 years and is the recipient of a Bronze Star and the Purple Heart.
Bryce was just 17 years old and a senior in high school when his father was killed, leaving Bryce, his brother, his sister and their mother without their beloved father and husband. Bryce wrote to me about his dad:
“My Father’s service in our military makes me proud. He had the great privilege and responsibility of protecting our freedom. What greater responsibility could there be? I am so proud of him and I know he would be proud of me.”
All of us at Freedom Alliance are proud of Bryce. We are honored that we could support his college education, because in doing so, our scholarship serves as a reminder to him, and all our scholarship students, that the parent they lost was a hero – not because of the way they died, but because of the way they lived.
“Graduation Day” for Monica and Bryce and all our bright, young scholarship recipients was made possible because generous Americans like you opened their hearts in support of the Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund, making it possible for these sons and daughters of American Heroes to have a college education.
When the dream of a college education comes true, it transforms a youngster’s life forever.
That is why my good friend, Sean Hannity, and I have worked together for many years to rally support for the Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund. Sean is a tremendous ally in this cause and I am very grateful to him. Thanks to many generous Americans, the Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund has awarded more than $1.7 million in scholarships as a way to honor their parents who have served and sacrificed for our country.
But our work is far from finished.
To date, more than 4,500 American service members have been killed in Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, leaving behind thousands of young children. These children, many of whom are young now, will be eligible for a Freedom Alliance Scholarship in the years to come.
The children who have been left behind deserve our help.
These children and their families face the everyday challenges of making a living, going to school and the many family activities each of us does on a daily basis. But these families take on these responsibilities without the help and support of a parent who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.
Today, more and more children of America’s military heroes are looking to us – the Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund – for financial assistance with the ever-mounting costs of a college education.
We are expecting a record number of new Scholarship Applications for the 2008-2009 academic year, which begins in September, but we have a record number of Freshman, Sophomores and Juniors whose scholarships are due to be renewed.
We are committed to providing scholarships to an ever-growing number of children, as together, we honor the bravery and dedication of their parents, with the Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund, which is truly a Living Memorial To America’s Military Heroes. You can help us by sharing information about the Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund with a student who you think may qualify.
When Monica’s and Bryce’s fathers sacrificed their lives for our country, Monica and Bryce sacrificed too. Sadly, there are thousands of children just like them, whose father or mother have laid down their lives for the defense of these United States. Many more fathers and mothers are permanently disabled, leaving their families in difficult financial situations.
Remember that a special way you may honor these American Heroes, who bravely served in the Armed Forces of the United States of America and who sacrificed life or limb in defense of our country, is by making a generous donation to the Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund. (GO HERE).
Please honor our military heroes by supporting the Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund with your most generous tax-deductible contribution today. Your gift to the Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund not only honors America’s military heroes, but reminds their children that their parents’ sacrifice will never be forgotten by a grateful nation.
Happy Independence Day! God bless you and God bless America.
Semper Fidelis,
Lt Col Oliver L. North, USMC (Ret.)
Founder and Honorary Chairman
FREEDOM ALLIANCE
P.S. Please open your heart to this cause which is so dear to all of us with your most generous tax-deductible gift today by GOING HERE.
P.P.S. If you know of a student who may be eligible to apply for a Freedom Alliance Scholarship, please have him or her visit our website: www.freedomalliance.org for information and an application form.
As has been infrequently reported, as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan progressed, a number of members of our military became somewhat dismayed and disturbed by the almost complete lack of positive coverage printed or aired by the U.S. media.
Now, over five years into those conflicts, they have come to accept the sad reality that for much of our media, their decisive victories against the enemy, their critically important intelligence intercepts, their comrades lost in-the-line-of-fire protecting Iraqi and Afghani civilians, and the growing trust they have painstakingly cultivated with those civilian populations, has been deemed “non-newsworthy” by their own press corps. They don’t like it, but realize that the ethics, judgment, and bias of some in the media, is beyond their control.
That said, there is one element of these conflicts that Pentagon leadership wishes the media would do a better job of covering in a more positive manner. That being the exceptional medical and psychological care being offered to our “Wounded Warriors.” ...
... Years ago, many of the wounds these soldiers suffered, would have been fatal. Today, because of improvements in armor protection, battlefield medicine and the care they receive in our military hospitals, many of these young men and women not only survived, but did return to combat and their comrades. Even, I’m told, amazingly, but not surprising when you meet these remarkable young men and women, a number of amputees.
The Pentagon has a tremendous story to tell with regard to the progress being made in the treatment of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), psychological health, and personal and professional accountability. So far, they have virtually no takers.
A letter writer, Steven Kunert, wrote, "This administration sent our soldiers into a needless war to live it, and too many have died in it" ("Military morale wounded," June 2). I am one of those who lived it.
I went into Iraq in March 2003 and was in one of the first groups to set foot on what was Saddam International Airport. Before we went into Iraq we listened to the BBC reports on the radio, and I have been told that news stations here in the States confirmed that vehicles came into Iraq and cleared out not only the weapons that were waiting to be destroyed by the United Nations but also three other sites, then went out through Iran and Syria.
Even if there was nothing there, can you tell me that stopping an evil dictator and his henchmen from raping and torturing children is wrong? I helped to free hundreds of children from torture chambers. Their bodies had electrical burns all over them and they had experienced horrors too bad to describe. After looking into their eyes, I can't believe this is a needless war.
As for the second part of that comment, what is an acceptable number of fallen soldiers?
The point of Kunert's letter was about the morale of the troops. It doesn't help morale to tell us we saw our friends die for nothing or to hear members of Congress call us names simply because we support freedom, not just for Americans but for all who can't fight for themselves. ...
Law enforcement officials say the proposed policy would help them do exactly what Congress demanded after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks: root out terrorists before they strike.
Although President Bush has disavowed targeting suspects based on their race or ethnicity, the new rules would allow the FBI to consider those factors among a number of traits that could trigger a national security investigation. ...
The couple wanted to step up from their $415,000 condo. They chose a house with six bedrooms, four fireplaces, a four-car garage and 5 1/2 baths, including a double steam shower and a marble powder room. It had a wine cellar, a music room, a library, a solarium, beveled glass doors and a granite-floored kitchen.How were the Obamas able to afford this on a Senator's $162,000 salary? They weren't, of course. ...
Monday morning, around 11:30 a.m. CDT (UTC-5) a home in Chicago suburb, Lake in the Hills, Illinois, was raided. The FBI Counterterrorism Division conducted the search of the house on the 5700 block of McKenzie Drive, while local police, hazmat team, bomb squad, and fire department were all on the scene.
Edward Bachner—who lives in the house with wife, Rebecca—was arrested earlier in the day in Algonquin, where he purchased a "small quantity" of tetrodotoxin (TTX) from an undercover agent.
The FBI says the sting operation began when Bachner tried to buy 95 milligrams of TTX over the Internet by falsely stating that he was a doctor conducting research. ...
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