Cheney Calls Democrats ‘Soft on National Security’

Is Obama Set To Give Tomb of Jesus and Temple Mount to Forces of Allah?

by Paul L. Williams, Ph.D.

It appears the Crusades are now being conducted in reverse.

The holy war was called to free the Church of Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem from the clutches of Muslims.

Nearly one thousand years later, it’s reported that the Obama Administration is in the process of giving the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the Temple Mount, and other sacred sites back to the forces of Islam.

Militant Christianity is now in full retreat.

The surrender of the sites is advocated not only by the Vatican but by leading mainline Protestant denominations, including the Presbyterian Church (USA), the United Church of Christ, the United Methodist Church, the American Baptists, and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America.

George Mitchell, Special Envoy to the Middle East, is meeting currently in London with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to lay the foundation for the Obama Peace Plan. ....

The plan, according to Al-Uzak, calls for the creation of an independent Palestinian State with the old city of Jerusalem as its capital. It also includes the following elements:
....

WND Exclusive Look who Muslims promote as 'Antichrist' 52-part documentary, 'The Arrivals,' going viral on Internet

Guess who is being promoted as the "Antichrist" in a new 52-part video documentary making the rounds on YouTube?

The Islamic production company responsible makes the case that the endtimes global leader, also known as "the Beast of Revelation," will actually be the Christian and Jewish Messiah. ....

The author, a student of Islam, says the notions put forward in the documentary are not fringe within the Islamic community. ....

"According to the documentary, Jesus Christ as He has been worshipped by Christians throughout history is merely a Christianized version of Ra, the Egyptian Sun god. Accordingly, the video makes the following claim about Jesus (aka Ra): "The 'one-eyed' sun god was referred to as 'the son of god,' 'the light of the world' and 'the ruler of all.' Has the Church deceived its followers into worshipping a one-eyed sun god? Has there been a worldwide conspiracy that is preparing the world to accept the one-eyed dajjal as the true messiah?"

In "The Islamic Antichrist," Richardson exposes Western Christians to the Muslim traditions. He says most Christians have no idea of the stunning similarities between biblical Antichrist and the "Islamic Mahdi."

"According to Islamic tradition, under the reign of the Mahdi, the Islamic religious community will be so blessed, so wealthy, that anyone who asks from the Mahdi for anything, it will be granted," he writes.

Richardson's book stands in stark contrast to most other popular prophecy books of the last 40 years.

The student of Islam and the Middle East says that after decades of reading popular prophecy books and even best-selling fiction like the "Left Behind" series, millions of evangelical Christians around the world are expecting the Antichrist to emerge from a revived Roman Empire, which many have assumed is associated with the Roman Catholic Church and the European Union.

Not so, argues Richardson. His book makes the case that the biblical Antichrist is one and the same as the Quran's Muslim Mahdi. ....

White House czar urged 'resistance' against U.S. Main speaker at rally sponsored by organization associated with Revolutionary Communist Party

Van Jones

By Aaron Klein .... President Obama's environmental adviser, Van Jones, was the main speaker at an anti-war rally that urged "resistance" against the U.S. government, WND has learned.

The rally was sponsored by an organization associated with the Revolutionary Communist Party, which calls for the overthrow of the U.S. government and its replacement with a communist dictatorship. ....

Video - Obama radical advisers fighting for revolution

(Analyst's note: This is an absolutely must read - see.)

Israel has Iran in its sights

Unless Tehran responds by late September to international proposals on its nuclear program, history strongly suggests the Israelis will act alone. ....

Finding a Better Way to Prosecute Terrorists Glenn Sulmasy says a hybrid judicial process could convict the bad guys and make the U.S. look good

By Queenie Wong

At the center of the controversy surrounding the closing of the Guantánamo Bay detention center is what to do with the suspected terrorists once the prison camp shuts in January. Trying detainees before military commissions or in federal courts isn't the solution, argues Capt. Glenn Sulmasy, a professor of law and judge advocate at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. In The National Security Court System, Sulmasy proposes a separate, hybrid court system, overseen by civilians, with detention, trials, and hearings held on U.S. military bases. He recently spoke with U.S. News about his proposal, President Obama, and why appearances matter in the battle against al Qaeda. Excerpts: ....

Ex-Intelligence Officials Cite Low Spirits at CIA

By Walter Pincus and Joby Warrick

... A. B. "Buzzy" Krongard, the third-ranking CIA official at the time of the use of harsh interrogation practices, said that although vigorous oversight is crucial, the public airing of once-classified internal assessments and the prospect of further investigation are damaging the agency. "Morale at the agency is down to minus 50," he said.

At the same time, former inspector general John L. Helgerson, whose review of the program was largely declassified Monday, said that the release, though painful, would ensure that the agency confronts difficult issues head on, instead of ignoring or trying to bury them. ....

British Government raises prospect of holding talks with the Taliban

The Government has raised the prospect of holding political talks with the Taliban and offering an amnesty to insurgents who laid down their arms. ....

Taliban Ready if Afghan Government Fails, Analyst Warns

CANBERRA (Reuters) - Afghanistan's government must fight corruption and quickly deliver services to Afghans, because Taliban militants are filling gaps and winning support to their cause, a top counter-insurgency expert said on Monday. ....

Lack of translators hurts U.S. war on terror

By Rowan Scarborough (Contact)

U.S. national security agencies remain woefully short of foreign-language speakers and translators nearly eight years after the Sept. 11 attacks resulted in a war on an enemy that often communicates in relatively obscure dialects, current and former officials say. ....

Cheney: 'I'm Very Proud of What We Did'

By John Amick

Former Vice President Dick Cheney reiterated his claim today that enhanced interrogation techniques used on terrorism suspects in U.S. custody in the years after September 11, 2001, worked in revealing terror plots despite contrary sentiment from a CIA investigator who probed detainee interrogations.

Cheney's statements come six days after the release of a 2004 CIA Inspector General report (pdf) that documents a litany of interrogation tactics used on detainees, including waterboarding, "walling," face-slapping and at least one mock execution. Cheney's views, though, contradict those of former CIA inspector general John Helgerson, who wrote in the report that there is no proof that such techniques were responsible for reliable information that helped in foiling terror plans.

"I'm very proud of what we did in terms of defending the nation for the last eight years successfully," Cheney said of the Bush administration's post-9/11 terror strategy on "Fox News Sunday." ....

CQ Transcripts: Cheney on CIA Investigation on ‘Fox News Sunday’

How a Detainee Became An Asset

By Peter Finn, Joby Warrick and Julie Tate

After enduring the CIA's harshest interrogation methods and spending more than a year in the agency's secret prisons, Khalid Sheik Mohammed stood before U.S. intelligence officers in a makeshift lecture hall, leading what they called "terrorist tutorials." ....

Over Half of the Country Wants Congress Gone

by Sarah

Results of a new Rasmussen poll released on Sunday, August 30, 2009 show that 57% of Americans would like to see every single member of Congress replaced. Only 25% of Americans would like to see current members stay in their seats, with 18% unsure. ....

Here are some more findings from the survey:

• 59% of voters believe that Congress is overpaid.
• 74% trust their own judgment more so than that of their representatives
• Just 22% feels Congress understands the latest health care legislation.
• Only 14% of people would give Congress or a “good” or “excellent performance rating
• 75% of people feel members of Congress are more interested in their own careers vs. helping their constituents.
• 37% of people say most members of Congress have extramarital affairs
• 57% of Americans feel that big political donors get “more than their money back” in terms of favors
• 50% of voters say “rigged” election rules explain Congress’ high reelection rate

Monday morning quick hits: Gadhafi, Haditha, Dingy Harry & more

(Analyst's note: Yes, this is a must read item. It provides a little insight into the American people beginning to stand up and say enough already.)

By Michelle Malkin

Good morning, all.

Woke up early to talk about Communist-whitewashing Rep. Diane Watson on Fox and Friends.

A few quick hits while I get my kids ready for school:

*In case you missed it, make sure to watch the vid of Rep. Carol Shea-Porter ejecting a town hall protester who stood up to challenge a Purple Shirt SEIU mobster.

*I also mentioned on Fox this morning how the Las Vegas Review-Journal is talking back to Bully Harry Reid, who expressed his hope that the pesky newspaper go out of business.

*Where is Haditha Marine-smearing Jack Murtha? The LA Times reports:

The Marine Corps has decided not to seek to reinstate criminal charges against a former battalion commander at Camp Pendleton for a 2005 incident in which his troops killed 24 civilians in Haditha, Iraq.

Instead, the Marine Corps will convene a Board of Inquiry to hear testimony and recommend whether Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani should be demoted to major for purposes of retirement.

Even if such a recommendation is made and then accepted by the Secretary of the Navy, Chessani’s retirement pay would still be based on being a lieutenant colonel.

The Marine Corps had sought to try Chessani for dereliction of duty for not ordering a war-crimes investigation when his Marines killed the 24, including three women and seven children. Chessani, who was not present when the killings occurred, reported to his superiors that the deaths, while tragic, were the result of fighting between Marines and insurgents.

A court-martial judge threw out the charges after ruling that it was improper for a Marine lawyer who investigated the Haditha shootings to sit in on meetings with the general who decided to bring the charges.

The Navy-Marine Corps Court of Appeals agreed with the judge’s ruling and rejected prosecutors’ requests to reinstate the charges. The court, however, said the Marine Corps could begin a new criminal investigation into Chessani’s conduct and then bring new charges.

But Lt. Gen. George Flynn, assigned by the commandant, Gen. James Conway, to decide what course the Marine Corps should take, decided against a new investigation and a resumption of a criminal case.

*And the latest on Gadhafi’s blood-stained camping trip plans:

Community leaders in Englewood claimed victory Sunday in a battle to keep Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi from staying at a residence owned by the Libyan mission to the United Nations.

Some 200 people gathered at the home of Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, a prominent radio and television personality who lives next door to the Libyan residence on East Palisade Avenue. Speakers, including Gov. Jon Corzine, U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) and Rep. Steve Rothman (D-9th Dist.), a former Englewood mayor, repeatedly sent a clear message that Gadhafi was not welcome in Englewood — nor any other New Jersey town…

… Today, Wildes said, he will appear in Superior Court seeking an injunction on work at the Libyan residence, which has continued despite a stop-work order issued by the city for code violations.

“I don’t trust a politician from the government of Libya, their emissaries or their agents,” Wildes said. The only assurances Wildes said he will accept are from the State Department in the form of a visa restriction that keeps Gadhafi in Manhattan.

“He should be arrested if brought onto U.S. soil,” Wildes said. “He should be put in the Englewood lockup.”

Nicole DiCocco, spokeswoman for the Libyan embassy in Washington, D.C., declined to comment.

Conflict with Iran inevitable unless West moves quickly

(Wall Street Journal) Unless Obama gets serious, and soon, about stopping Iran from getting a bomb, he'll be forced to deal with the consequences of Israel acting in its own defense ...

The Worst is Yet to Come

By: Vasko Kohlmayer

"Today, we're pointed in the right direction... While we've rescued our economy from catastrophe, we've also begun to build a new foundation for growth,” said President Obama recently. bailout

Unfortunately, the president's declarations and all the talk about the green shoots by his acolytes in the media are merely wishful thinking. Far from rescuing it, the Bush/Obama stimulus has dealt a damaging blow to the economy, and one which will exert its harmful effects for years to come. We only need to take a quick look at the big picture to see why. ....

Pandemic panic: Why feds pushing flu shot? Some say agenda to incite health terror, pass Obamacare

The following report is excerpted from Jerome Corsi's Red Alert

Why is the White House trying to cause a panic over a possible H1N1 virus

that could inflict massive illness and death on the American people?

Red Alert has received numerous e-mails arguing that the goal of the Obama administration is to use the pandemic panic to create enough fear that the American public will acquiesce to the passage of Obamacare, Jerome Corsi's Red Alert reports.

The White House announced that as much as half the United States population could be infected with swine flu, or the A-H1N1 virus, this fall and winter, resulting in possibly 90,000 deaths.

Describing a "plausible scenario" for the epidemic's predicted impact in the United States, the White House report said swine flu could "produce infection of 30-50 percent of the U.S. population this fall and winter, with symptoms in approximately 20-40 percent of the population (60-120 million people), more than half of whom would need medical attention."

WND documented a massive public relations program launched by the federal Center for Disease Control aimed possibly at creating the atmosphere in which U.S. citizens could be forced to take H1N1 vaccinations against their will.

WND has also reported that in reaction to the alarmist language of the federal government, the fast-growing Constitution Party has come out strongly in opposition to any mandatory injections of H1N1 vaccine, citing the Fourth Amendment and the right of people "to be secure in their persons."

"Clearly, the hysteria being generated by the White House over a pandemic possibility appears aimed at some sort of a power grab," Corsi wrote. ....

Ridge backpedals on pressure to raise terror alert level

By Mimi Hall

WASHINGTON — Former Homeland Security secretary Tom Ridge, speaking for the first time about accusations made in his new book, says he did not mean to suggest that other top Bush administration officials were playing politics with the nation's security before the 2004 presidential election. ....

Cheney saw need for military action against Iran Former VP slams Justice probe of CIA interrogations as 'political move'

Lack of translators hurts U.S. war on terror Some attractive candidates have trouble passing review for security clearances

Czar's 'communist manifesto' scrubbed from Net Founded group with 'commitment to fundamental ideas of Marxism-Leninism'

By Aaron Klein

STORM's manifesto, 'Reclaiming Revolution'

How is this for a quick clean up job?

Last week, WND reported the official communist-oriented manifesto of a radical group founded by Obama's environmental adviser, Van Jones, was published in full on the Internet.

Just hours later, the manifesto was removed and the entire website was taken down.

It is, however, still available in web archives.

As WND previously reported, Van Jones, special adviser for green jobs, enterprise and innovation to the White House Council on Environmental Quality, is an admitted black nationalist and radical communist.

Jones was the leader and founder of a radical group, the communist revolutionary organization Standing Together to Organize a Revolutionary Movement, or STORM.

STORM's official manifesto, titled, "Reclaiming Revolution," had been published on the Internet.

A WND review of the 97-page treatise found that the manual describes Jones' organization as having a "commitment to the fundamental ideas of Marxism-Leninism."

"We agreed with Lenin's analysis of the state and the party," reads the manifesto. "And we found inspiration in the revolutionary strategies developed by Third World revolutionaries like Mao Tse-tung and Amilcar Cabral."

Cabral is the late Marxist revolutionary leader of Guinea-Bissau and the Cape Verde Islands.

WND previously reported Jones named his son after Cabral and reportedly concludes every e-mail with a quote from the communist leader. ....

U.S. commander: Afghan strategy must change

By Peter Graff and Andrew Gray

KABUL/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and its allies must change strategy and boost cooperation to turn around the war in Afghanistan, the commander of Western forces in the country said on Monday after completing a much-anticipated review.

U.S. Army General Stanley McChrystal said the situation was "serious" but the 8-year-old war could still be won. He gave no indication as to whether he would ask for more troops but is widely expected to do so in the coming weeks. ....

Celente Predicts Revolution, Food Riots, Tax Rebellions By 2012

(Analyst's note: Absolutely must read and see. My real concern here is that this man may well be right. If this is a valid prediction, you can also be sure that this will impact our national security in a major way.) bailout

Trend forecaster, renowned for being accurate in the past, says that America will cease to be a developed nation within 4 years, crisis will be “worse than the great depression”

by Paul Joseph Watson

The man who predicted the 1987 stock market crash and the fall of the Soviet Union is now forecasting revolution in America, food riots and tax rebellions – all within four years, while cautioning that putting food on the table will be a more pressing concern than buying Christmas gifts by 2012.

Gerald Celente, the CEO of Trends Research Institute, is renowned for his accuracy in predicting future world and economic events, which will send a chill down your spine considering what he told Fox News this week.

Celente says that by 2012 America will become an undeveloped nation, that there will be a revolution marked by food riots, squatter rebellions, tax revolts and job marches, and that holidays will be more about obtaining food, not gifts.

“We’re going to see the end of the retail Christmas….we’re going to see a fundamental shift take place….putting food on the table is going to be more important that putting gifts under the Christmas tree,” said Celente, adding that the situation would be “worse than the great depression”.

“America’s going to go through a transition the likes of which no one is prepared for,” said Celente, noting that people’s refusal to acknowledge that America was even in a recession highlights how big a problem denial is in being ready for the true scale of the crisis.

Watch the clip.

Celente, who successfully predicted the 1997 Asian Currency Crisis, the subprime mortgage collapse and the massive devaluation of the U.S. dollar, told UPI in November last year that the following year would be known as “The Panic of 2008,” adding that “giants (would) tumble to their deaths,” which is exactly what we have witnessed with the collapse of Lehman Brothers, Bear Stearns and others. He also said that the dollar would eventually be devalued by as much as 90 per cent.

The consequence of what we have seen unfold this year would lead to a lowering in living standards, Celente predicted a year ago, which is also being borne out by plummeting retail sales figures.

The prospect of revolution was a concept echoed by a British Ministry of Defence report last year, which predicted that within 30 years, the growing gap between the super rich and the middle class, along with an urban underclass threatening social order would mean, “The world’s middle classes might unite, using access to knowledge, resources and skills to shape transnational processes in their own class interest,” and that, “The middle classes could become a revolutionary class.”

In a separate recent interview, Celente went further on the subject of revolution in America.

“There will be a revolution in this country,” he said. “It’s not going to come yet, but it’s going to come down the line and we’re going to see a third party and this was the catalyst for it: the takeover of Washington, D. C., in broad daylight by Wall Street in this bloodless coup. And it will happen as conditions continue to worsen.”

“The first thing to do is organize with tax revolts. That’s going to be the big one because people can’t afford to pay more school tax, property tax, any kind of tax. You’re going to start seeing those kinds of protests start to develop.”

“It’s going to be very bleak. Very sad. And there is going to be a lot of homeless, the likes of which we have never seen before. Tent cities are already sprouting up around the country and we’re going to see many more.”

“We’re going to start seeing huge areas of vacant real estate and squatters living in them as well. It’s going to be a picture the likes of which Americans are not going to be used to. It’s going to come as a shock and with it, there’s going to be a lot of crime. And the crime is going to be a lot worse than it was before because in the last 1929 Depression, people’s minds weren’t wrecked on all these modern drugs – over-the-counter drugs, or crystal meth or whatever it might be. So, you have a huge underclass of very desperate people with their minds chemically blown beyond anybody’s comprehension.”

Czar: 'Spread the wealth! Change the whole system' Using White House position to push communist policies?

(Analyst's note: And this man is advising the American President? Why?)

By Aaron Klein

Van Jones

JERUSALEM – Just days before his White House appointment, Van Jones, Obama's environmental adviser, used a forum at a major youth convention

to push for what can easily be interpreted as a communist or socialist agenda.

As WND previously reported, Van Jones, special adviser for green jobs, enterprise and innovation to the White House Council on Environmental Quality, is an admitted black nationalist and radical communist.

Jones' appointment was announced on March 10.

Two weeks before he started his White House job, however, Jones delivered the keynote address at Power Shift '09, which was billed as the largest youth summit on climate change in history. A reported 12,000 young people were at the D.C. Convention Center for the event.

During his speech, available on YouTube, Jones threw around terms like "eco-apartheid" and "green for some," and preached about spreading the wealth while positing a call to "change the whole system."

In one section of his twenty-minute speech, Jones referenced "our Native American brothers and sisters" who, he claimed, were "pushed," "bullied," "mistreated" and "shoved into all the land that we didn't want."

"Guess what?" Jones continued. "Give them the wealth! Give them then wealth! No justice on stolen land ... we owe them a debt."

"We have to create a green economy, that's true, that's true. But we have to create a green economy that Dr. King would be proud of," he exclaimed.

Jones spoke about using what he termed an environmental revolution to push for other policies, including anti-war activism.

"If all you did was have a clean energy revolution, you wouldn't have done anything. ... You'll have bio-fueled bombers and we'll be fighting wars over lithium for the batteries instead of oil for the engines," he said to applause.

"This movement is deeper than solar power. ... Don't stop there! We are going to change the whole system!" he exclaimed.

The White House did not return multiple WND requests the past few weeks seeking comment on how Jones was screened for his position and whether the White House knew of his admitted radical past.

Jones on 9-11: Blame U.S. 'imperialism' ....

Raft of Deals for Failed Banks Puts U.S. on Hook for Billions

By DAMIAN PALETTA

WASHINGTON -- The biggest spur to deal-making among banks isn't private-equity cash or foreign investors. It is the federal government. bailout

To encourage banks to pick through the wreckage of their collapsed competitors, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. has agreed to assume most of the risk on $80 billion in loans and other assets. The agency expects it will eventually have to cover $14 billion in future losses on deals cut so far. The initiative amounts to a subsidy for the banking industry.

Tracking the Nation's Bank Failures

See banks, savings banks and thrifts that have failed since the beginning of 2008.

Through more than 50 deals known as "loss shares," the FDIC has agreed to absorb losses on the detritus of the financial crisis -- from loans on two log cabins in the woods of northwestern Illinois to hundreds of millions of dollars in busted condominium loans in Florida. The agency's total exposure is about six times the amount remaining in its fund that guarantees consumers' deposits, exposing taxpayers to a big, new risk.

As financial markets heal and the economy appears to be pulling out of recession, the federal government is shifting from crisis to cleanup mode. But as the loss-share deals show, its potential financial burden isn't receding. So far, the FDIC has paid out $300 million to a handful of banks under the loss-share agreements.

The practice is largely a response to the number of bank failures of the past 18 months, which has stretched the FDIC's financial and logistical resources. The FDIC had just $10.4 billion in its deposit-insurance fund at the end of June, down from more than $50 billion last year. The agency said Thursday it had 416 banks on its "problem" list at the end of the second quarter, which means the list of banks at a higher risk of insolvency has been growing.

Many of the government programs aimed at attacking the financial crisis have carried high price tags, including the Treasury Department's $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program, which includes major government investments in American International Group Inc., Citigroup Inc., Bank of America Corp., and the U.S. auto industry. But federal money isn't just going one way. Some of the emergency programs put in place last year, including TARP, have brought in billions of dollars for the government.

On a range of rescue programs run by the Federal Reserve, such as loans to investment banks and purchases of mortgage-backed securities, the Fed earned $16.4 billion through the first six months of 2009. The FDIC said earlier this year that it earned more than $7 billion on the fees it charged through a program that guaranteed debt issued by banks.

On Aug. 14, Alabama's Colonial Bank collapsed, felled by bad commercial-real-estate lending. The FDIC, assuming its traditional role, brokered a sale of the bank's deposits to BB&T Corp., ensuring that customers wouldn't see any interruption. It also agreed to help BB&T buy a $15 billion portfolio of Colonial's loans and other assets by agreeing to absorb more than 80% of future losses. Under the deal, the most BB&T can lose is $500 million, the bank says, and that is only in the unlikely event that the entire portfolio becomes worthless. The FDIC is on the hook to cover the rest.

In June, Wilshire State Bank, a division of Wilshire Bancorp Inc. in Los Angeles, agreed to buy $362 million in deposits and $449 million of assets from failed Mirae Bank, also of Los Angeles. The FDIC agreed to assume most future losses on roughly $341 million of those assets, largely commercial real estate and construction loans in Southern California.

"After we understood how [the loss-share] works, we were literally overjoyed," says Joanne Kim, chief executive of Wilshire State Bank.

Loss-share agreements made a brief appearance in the early 1990s during the savings-and-loan crisis, but haven't been used this extensively before. The FDIC sees the deals as a way to keep bank loans and other assets in the private sector. More importantly, it believes such deals mitigate the cost of cleaning up the industry.

The FDIC contends it would cost the agency considerably more to simply liquidate the assets of failed banks, especially with the current crop of troubled institutions and their portfolios of loans on misbegotten real estate.

The FDIC's premise is that banks that take on the troubled assets will work to improve their value over time. The agency estimates the loss-share deals cut will cost it $11 billion less than if the agency seized the assets and sold them at fair-market value.

"This is an issue the FDIC is grappling with because the loss rates they are estimating on these failed banks are pretty amazing," says Frederick Cannon, chief equity strategist at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Inc.

By potentially mitigating losses -- or at least stretching them out over time -- the deals provide some protection for the agency's insurance fund. "It's a great opportunity for banks," says James Wigand, deputy director of the FDIC's division of resolutions and receiverships. "It's a great opportunity for us."

US, Afghan forces strike Haqqani Network bases

'Take that thing off your head' ROTC student suspended for telling Muslim to respect flag, remove hijab

from WorldNetDaily

Mark and Heather Lawrence

Maybe it's because her dad served in the U.S. Marines ... or because her high school mascot is a fierce-looking eagle ... or because she plans to enlist in the Army next summer after graduation to defend her country ... whatever the reason, when Heather Lawrence saw a fellow student refuse to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance and recite it with the class, the 16-year-old Junior ROTC member saw a teachable moment and took it.

And for that, she's been suspended five days.

Lawrence's troubles with administrators at Springstead High School in Hernando Beach, Fla., began last Wednesday when she noticed a female Muslim student refusing to participate in the Pledge. The student was wearing a hijab, the traditional Muslim headscarf.

Later in the day, Lawrence encountered the student between periods and told her she should stand for the pledge, reported Hernando Today.

"Take that thing off your head and act like you're proud to be an American," Lawrence told her. ....

reuters Rep. Frank eyes Fed audit, emergency lending curbs

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Rep. Barney Frank, the chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Financial Services Committee, said he plans legislation to restrict the Federal Reserve's emergency lending powers and subject the central bank to a "complete audit."

At a recent town hall meeting, Frank said the House would pass a bill to use an audit to crack open the central bank's books more widely, but in a way that will not encroach on the central bank's monetary policy independence. ....

Report: U.K. Used Lockerbie Bomber as Bargaining Chip for Oil

from The Sunday Times

The British government decided it was “in the overwhelming interests of the United Kingdom” to make Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi, the Lockerbie bomber, eligible for return to Libya, leaked ministerial letters reveal.

Gordon Brown’s government made the decision after discussions between Libya and BP over a multi-million-pound oil exploration deal had hit difficulties. These were resolved soon afterwards.

The letters were sent two years ago by Jack Straw, the justice secretary, to Kenny MacAskill, his counterpart in Scotland, who has been widely critizised for taking the formal decision to permit Megrahi’s release.

The correspondence makes it plain that the key decision to include Megrahi in a deal with Libya to allow prisoners to return home was, in fact, taken in London for British national interests. ....

CIA Internal Report Hints at Impact of Harsh Interrogations on 9/11 Mastermind

(Analyst's note: A must read article.)

from FOXNews.com

Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the self-described architect of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, looms large in a declassified CIA report on the use of enhanced interrogation techniques.

The inspector general's report, released this week, says Mohammed wasn't much help before he was waterboarded but went on to become "one of the U.S. government's key sources on Al Qaeda." Such revelations have fueled the fiery debate over the effectiveness of the CIA's tactics and whether the United States should condone methods that many deem torture.

But additional details of his interactions with interrogators may raise more questions than they answer -- potentially saying more about the captive than his captors.

Intelligence officials described to the Washington Post a scene almost out of the halls of academia, with the once-resistant high-level detainee giving "terrorist tutorials" to them in a makeshift lecture hall. He even scolded one listener for poor note-taking and his inability to recall details of an earlier lecture.

The CIA report makes it clear that Mohammed wasn't willing to divulge much before interrogators resorted to the controversial tactics.

"KSM, an accomplished resistor, provided only a few intelligence reports prior to the use of the waterboard, and analysis of that information revealed that much of it was outdated, inaccurate or incomplete," the report said.

But after he was subjected to waterboarding -- or simulated drowning -- and prolonged sleep deprivation, among other harsh interrogation techniques, Mohammed began to cooperate and apparently even enjoy revealing secrets.

Mohammed "seemed to relish the opportunity, sometimes for hours on end, to discuss the inner workings of Al Qaeda and the group's plans, ideology and operatives," a person familiar with the sessions told the Washington Post. "He'd even use a chalkboard at times."

While it is impossible to know for sure whether less coercive techniques would have gained the same information, those who defend the tactics believe the results are clear.

"What do you think changed KSM's mind?" a former senior intelligence official told the newspaper after being asked about the effect of waterboarding. "Of course it began with that."

Vice President Dick Cheney has been the most vocal proponent of the techniques, arguing that they prevented another terrorist attack and exposed other terror plots.

In an interview with FOX News' Chris Wallace to air Sunday, Cheney assailed Attorney General Eric Holder and Holder's decision to appoint a federal prosecutor to investigate whether criminal charges should be brought against some CIA interrogators.

"We had a track record of eight years defending the nation against any further mass casualty attacks from Al Qaeda," Cheney said. "The approach of the Obama administration should be to come to those people who were involved in that policy and say, 'How did you do it? What were the keys to keeping this country safe over that period of time?'"

"Instead they are out there threatening to disbar the lawyers who gave us the legal opinions -- threatening contrary to what the president originally said. They're going to go out and investigate the CIA personnel who carried out those investigations," he said.

Two of the three documents Cheney claimed would show the value of the enhanced interrogation program are now declassified.

The CIA is still reviewing the third document. It is not described as a smoking gun that will definitively link specific intelligence to waterboarding.

Click here to read the Washington Post story.

Pickens: Oil Will Reach $300 a Barrel

(Analyst's note: What we see here is strategic thinking regarding some of our national infrastructure. This is an absolutely must read article.)

from MoneyNews.com

Oil legend T. Boone Pickens, now CEO of BP Capital, says oil prices will continue to rise, possibly reaching $300 per barrel.

“Look at the history,” Pickens told Dan Mangru of Moneynews. It proves oil prices will go up, as OPEC revenues increased five times over the last five years, he says.

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Supply is stuck permanently at 85 million barrels per day, and demand will keep rising over the long term, Pickens says. By 2019, demand will reach 90 million barrels a day, he predicts.

“The only way if you peak on supply that you can kill demand is with price,” Pickens says. That’s what happened when oil prices hit a high of $147 in 2007.

So, 10 years from now, “the price of oil could well be $300,” he told Mangru.

To reduce our reliance on coal, Pickens suggests a “cash for clunkers”-style plan whereby power companies would get paid to retire coal plants and build natural gas plants instead.

With 22 percent of U.S. power already coming from natural gas, “the technology is in place” for that idea, Pickens says. “It would be easy to do.”

Natural gas can easily replace foreign oil, as gas supplies are plentiful, Pickens says. “Nobody ever stands up and says, ‘Hey Boone, that’s a bad idea,’ because if they do, they’re for foreign oil.”

Switching to natural gas from diesel on 18-wheel trucks alone will cut U.S. imports from OPEC by half to about 2.25 million barrels per day in seven years, he says.

And that reduction in turn will improve national security, he says.

“We import almost 70 percent of our oil, and over half of what we import actually comes from countries that aren’t even friendly to us,” Pickens points out.

Renewable energy, including wind and solar power also is vital, he says.

“Will it work? Of course it will work. You have to get your oar in the water and get started on it and not just go: ‘We don’t want to change anything.’”

Without change, the United States will continue to rely on coal for 52 percent of its power supply. “If you want to go forward with technologies of the future, you’re going to have to get into renewable,” Pickens says.

He says wind power will become feasible when natural gas trades at $6 or $7 per thousand cubic feet. The price now stands at $3.

“You’re going to have to wait. A lot of things are waiting now for economies to recover. But as the economy recovers, prices are going to move up,” Pickens says.

In the meantime, natural gas is viable as a transportation fuel. “The cheaper natural gas is, the better deal it is for our country,” Pickens says.

New Video Shows Signs al Qaeda Fears US Closing In

from National Terror Alert

Osama bin Laden’s deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri has ordered his fighters to target Pakistan amid growing signs that its army and US drones are closing in on al-Qaeda. Military analysts and retired senior army chiefs said his call reflected growing disarray in the militant ranks following the death of Pakistan’s feared Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud earlier this month and the brutal leadership battle it has provoked. ....

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Mullen – 9/11 Plotters Still Alive And Planning More Attacks

Those who plotted the deadly attacks on World Trade Centre on September 11, 2001, are still alive and planning to carry out more terror strikes, a top US military general has said. “The people behind that deadly day are still at it. They live and plan and train in safe havens along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border,” Navy admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, said. ....

Doctors Warning of Severe Form of H1N1 Virus

from National Terror Alert

Doctors are reporting a severe form of H1N1 that goes straight to the lungs, causing severe illness in otherwise healthy young people and requiring expensive hospital treatment, the World Health Organization said Friday.

Some countries are reporting that as many as 15 percent of patients hospitalized with the new H1N1 pandemic virus need intensive care, further straining already overburdened healthcare systems, WHO said in an update on the pandemic. ....

Homeowners take to streets: 'Lower taxes now!'

(South Florida Sun-Sentinel) "They are going berserk. People are absolutely flipping out" ...

Message to Muslim World Gets a Critique

By THOM SHANKER

WASHINGTON — The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has written a searing critique of government efforts at “strategic communication” with the Muslim world, saying that no amount of public relations will establish credibility if American behavior overseas is perceived as arrogant, uncaring or insulting. ....

Gadian alleges US has camps in Mindanao

By Efren L. Danao, Senior Reporter

A retired military officer claimed Thursday that the US military has two permanent structures in Mindanao and that American servicemen were joining Filipino soldiers in combat operations.

Retired Navy Lt. Nancy Gadian told the Legislative Oversight on the Visiting Forces Agreement (LOVFA) that a permanent structure was built in Camp Navarro for the Joint Special Operations Task Force (JOSTF) Philippines after the first Balikatan exercises in 2002.

“Prior to their presence in Camp Navarro, the US military built permanent and temporary structures in the Edwin Andrews Air Base to house their personnel and equipment, which included tanks and communication equipment,” she said.

Both camps are in Zamboanga City.

The 1987 Constitution bans the establishment of permanent military facilities for foreign powers.

“Camp Navarro is guarded by US Marines. There are at least 500 American soldiers there at any given time, with or without Balikatan exercises,” Gadian added.

She said that while American servicemen could enter Philippine military camps, Filipino soldiers could enter Camp Navarro only if they were invited and only designated places. ....

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US denies troops involved in combat in Philippines

US fears Yemen next staging ground for al-Qaida

By LOLITA C. BALDOR

WASHINGTON — American authorities are pressuring Yemen to counter a rising internal al-Qaida threat more aggressively and improve intelligence-sharing amid growing worries that the country could become the next significant terrorist staging ground.

As insurgent attacks have spiked in the embattled Middle East nation over the past year, the U.S. has bolstered counterterrorism training there, including efforts to shore up Yemen's borders and combat terror financing and arms trafficking.

Al-Qaida's increased strength at organizing and training new recruits in Yemen's vast ungoverned spaces has also led the U.S. to consider boosting financial aid and sales of military equipment to Yemen's government.

Shari Villarosa, senior State Department counterterrorism adviser, said that the security situation in Yemen has "deteriorated significantly" and that the Yemeni government's political will to battle al-Qaida and other terrorist organizations has shifted at times.

"The U.S. wants to help Yemen because we do not want to see Yemen become another Afghanistan where al-Qaida can train, plan and execute terrorist actions against us," Villarosa said. ....

Dealing With The Secret Government

by Christopher Hayes

It is now clear that we are facing an implacable enemy whose avowed objective is world domination by whatever means and at whatever cost. There are no rules in such a game. Hitherto acceptable norms of human conduct do not apply. If the United States is to survive, long-standing American concepts of "fair play" must be reconsidered. ....

Colorado Springs welcomes homes the troops

Afghan MP furious NATO troops captured taliban leader in a medical facility

(Analyst's note: We have here additional insight into the enemy we are fighting.)

from the Jawa Report

On August 26th, NATO and Afghan troops captured a taliban leader, and 5 other taliban terrorists after they were fired on from a medical clinic.

Now, an Afghan member of parliament, Khalid Farooqi, a member of the Islamic Party of Afghanistan is furious that NATO troops and Afghan troops defended themselves. Foorqi claims it is an offense to fire on a medical facility. While technically true, it is also an offense to use a medical facility as launching pad for an attack, which the taliban did. But Farooqi isn't concerned about details. BBC

A member of the Afghan parliament has criticised a Nato air strike on a clinic where a Taliban leader was being treated for his injuries.[...]

Khalid Faroqi, who represents Paktika province, said it was an offence to fire on such a facility.

Nato says that troops first made sure there were no civilians inside.

It says security forces were fired upon as they approached the clinic and responded by ordering helicopter strikes.

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‘Headed Home’: Sen. Hatch Writes Song Dedicated to Sen. Kennedy

(Analyst's note: This is a must read - hear -- a very nice musical touch from a friend of Senator Kennedy that proves we really can have different base beliefs about how to succeed in this country and still remain civil toward one another. You can listen by simply clicking on the title above. Just know that the "Him" being spoken of in this tribute is really Jesus Christ.)

Islamist Terrorism Suspect Arrested as German Case Widens

By Tony Czuczka

Aug. 28 (Bloomberg) -- German federal agents arrested a 24- year-old man suspected of supporting an Islamist group that allegedly plotted attacks on U.S. citizens in Germany, the federal prosecutor’s office said. ....

Islamist Groups Threaten Free Speech Ruling

By: Jamie Glazov

FrontpageMagazine Interview's guest today is Joe Kaufman, the Chairman of Americans Against Hate and the founder of CAIR Watch.

FP: Joe Kaufman, welcome to Frontpage Interview.

A little while ago, there was a great victory for you, for the War on Terror and for freedom of speech. The Texas Court of Appeals dismissed the case that was brought against you.

But now it appears that the saga continues. The Muslim groups are pushing forward and asking the Texas Supreme Court to review the case.

What exactly is going on? Give us an update.

Kaufman: Since my legal victory in the State of Texas Court of Appeals, where the appellate agreed that I was a journalist and ruled unanimously that the case brought against me had no merit to continue, the other side has attempted to fight the ruling. First, they tried to get the appellate to reconsider its decision, but they lost that too, as the decision was upheld. Now, they are making a last gasp effort to get the Texas Supreme Court to review the matter.

FP: For some of our readers that might not know, tell us what this case is about.

Kaufman: In October 2007, I traveled to Texas to hold a demonstration against the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA), outside an event the group was sponsoring at Six Flags Over Texas. I had discovered proof that ICNA was connected to the financing of Hamas overseas – an illegal act – and I wanted to expose this information to the public. During the protest, I was served with a lawsuit and a restraining order filed by seven Dallas-area Islamist groups. The groups included the Muslim American Society (MAS) and three Islamic centers owned by the North American Islamic Trust (NAIT). They claimed that I had libeled them in an article I had written about ICNA’s event prior to arriving in Texas. The article did not mention one of the seven groups.

FP: What freedoms does this lawsuit threaten?

Kaufman: The first Constitutional right that the groups attempted to rob me of was my right to Freedom of Assembly. As I mentioned, during the demonstration I was served with a restraining order. The groups obtained it two days prior to the protest taking place. The groups were of the belief that this order would stop me from being able to conduct a protest. As stated in a press release put out by the Muslim Legal Fund of America (MLFA), the group financing the case against me, “After he was served, Mr. Kaufman ignored the Restraining Order and held a sign that said ‘SIX FLAGS OVER TERRORISTS,’ and other defamatory signs.” These groups actually thought that what I was doing, exercising my right as an American to assemble and protest, was illegal.

The second right that the groups attempted to take from me was my right to Freedom of Speech. As I have contended all along, the case brought against me was entirely frivolous. The groups were suing me for an article I had written which didn’t even mention them. They filed a restraining order against me, when I had never threatened them in any way, which they admitted under oath on the stand. The only reason why this case was brought against me was because they don’t like what I say about groups such as ICNA or MAS. They don’t want me discussing the groups’ terrorism ties, because they know that my research and writings could assist in getting the groups shut down. Their quest is to silence me – to harm me financially and silence me.

As one of the leaders of MAS, Mahdi Bray, recently stated on his radio show [with MLFA head Khalil Meek by his side], “In order to deal with these haters, these bashers, these Islamophobes, we’ve got to be willing to spend our money in a court of law. And not necessarily because we don’t look for money, but we need to be able to say we need to spend our money and make you spend your money, and you’re gonna stop doing this to us. I mean, I think we need to set the example. I think the situation with Joe Kaufman was an excellent example…”

The third Constitutional right that the groups tried to take from me was my right to Freedom of Press. As stated by the appellate court, I am a journalist. That’s what I do. That’s my life. Not only did these groups seek to obtain an injunction from the court to “remove” from my “web blog” material that I had previously written – again material that didn’t even mention them – but they sought as well to have me restrained from publishing statements in the future that they deemed “annoying” to them. The “web blog” that the groups reference is actually FrontPage Magazine, which is of course not run by me, but by David Horowitz. Yet, according to the Plaintiffs, I “founded” FrontPage.

FP: So what might happen now? What are the prospects with the Supreme Court being asked to review the case?

Kaufman: Considering that this is a case of “first impression,” meaning an interpretation of law that has not yet been heard by a given court, the Texas Supreme Court might want to visit it. However, the appellate court was very thorough in what it wrote concerning my case. Little, if anything, was left out of its decision. I’m confident that that will at least be considered.

FP: What is ultimately at stake with this case?

Kaufman: All of the freedoms that we cherish are at stake. As Mahdi Bray said, I was used as an example – an example to be duplicated many times in the future. While a court ruled in my favor, the plaintiffs’ success came in the form of extensive legal bills and time. If there is one individual out there who is fearful about speaking out against those who support terror, because of what I had to personally endure, then the other side has won. We must fight this. We cannot give in to fear. We cannot allow the enemy to destroy what so many of our countrymen died to protect.

FP: Tell us a bit about who has given you help and support.

Kaufman: Many exceptional people helped me both legally and financially, in order for me to keep the rights that I enjoy as an American. My main legal team included: Bill Becker of the Becker Law Firm; Manny Klausner of the Individual Rights Foundation; Brandon Bolling of Cummings, McClorey, Davis, & Acho PLC; Richard Thompson of the Thomas More Law Center; and my Texas attorneys Tom Brandon and Tom Harkins of Whitaker, Chalk, Swindle & Sawyer, LLP.

My support team included: David Horowitz of the David Horowitz Freedom Center; Daniel Pipes and Brooke Goldstein of the Middle East Forum; David Yerushalmi of the Society of Americans for National Existence; Steven Emerson of the Investigative Project on Terrorism; and Peter Feaman, Tom Trento and Ann Fishman of the Florida Security Council.

I’m not the type of person that likes to rely on others, but without all of these individuals I don’t know what I would have done.

FP: What can the average citizen do to help you?

Kaufman: Unfortunately, I still have legal bills that need to be paid, and depending on the Texas Supreme Court decision, they could only get higher. I would appreciate it if those who are reading about my ordeal would donate to my case. Both the Horowitz Freedom Center and the Middle East Forum’s Legal Project have legal funds set up for this purpose. Please get in touch with one of them, if you wish to help me and this cause.

And remember, it’s not just about me. It’s not just me whose freedoms are on the line. It’s all of ours.

FP: How are you feeling yourself? What are your thoughts and how are you? It’s been stressful on you no doubt?

Kaufman: I have been doing what I do every day for the past eight years. In that time, I have always been conscious of the fact that someday the groups I have devoted my life to shutting down might try to pull some stunt in order to stop me. So mentally, I’ve been ready for this.

That said, it’s not fun getting sued, especially when considering the money it takes to fight it. As well, it’s not pleasant to know that you have a restraining order hanging over your head, especially when you know that you have never threatened anyone in your life. And most importantly, it’s not good to know that the bad guys could file a bogus lawsuit and restraining order and actually have it considered by a knowledgeable judge in a court of law.

Whatever the case, I did not get involved in this field thinking that it was going to be an easy ride. I got into it, because I took the terrorist attacks against my country, the United States of America, personally, and I’m not about to let seven Dallas-area extremist groups get to me enough to quit. I am in it till the end, and I’m extremely proud of what I do and what I have accomplished.

FP: Joe Kaufman, thank you for joining Frontpage Interview.

As Mr. Kaufman mentioned, the Freedom Center is actively involved in this case; it has been providing legal assistance and has been helping pay for local counsel in Texas working on Mr. Kaufman’s defense.

Americas Freedom - Tea Party Speech

(Analyst's note: This is an absolutely must read - see video. Remember that she is 11 years old and working without a teleprompter. Just click on the title above.)

Giving China help with cyber warfare - Plan may make it easier to hand over militarily critical exports

(Analyst's note: This report is troubling.)

FROM JOSEPH FARAH'S G2 BULLETIN

The Obama administration is considering easing U.S. export controls to China even though the director for national intelligence is warning about Chinese cyber warfare threats to U.S. military information systems. In addition, there are increasing reports of Chinese military buildup to match U.S. capabilities, according to a report from Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin.

The one group jubilant over the White House decision to undertake yet another comprehensive review of U.S. export control laws toward China is the U.S. business community.

"The U.S. has one of the most robust export control systems in the world," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said last week. "But it is rooted in the Cold War era of over 50 years ago and must be updated to address the threats we face today and the changing economic and technological landscape."

Bill Reinsch, president of the National Foreign Trade Council and a former U.S. Commerce under secretary who was in charge of export controls, applauded the White House initiative. Through the NFTC, the Coalition for Security

and Competitiveness, or CSC, similarly supported the initiative.

.... The question of loosening controls, however, centers on whether rewarding Chinese behavior is appropriate or whether it is oriented more toward aiding business at a time of global economic recession. ....

Audio -- Court using 'socialization' to challenge religious beliefs

Audio -- 1 million sign petition against Obamacare

Town-hall clash! Arrest threat over Obama 'Joker' poster Officer threatens arrest: This ain't America no more

(Analyst's note: An extremely troubling report and video.)

By Drew Zahn

Editor's note: Earlier reports that Officer Wesley Cheeks Jr. is a police officer were in error. Further investigation has revealed Officer Cheeks is a trained member of the Fairfax County Public Schools' trained School Security Officer team.

A depiction of the sign banned by Officer Cheeks

"This used to be America," argued a protester outside a health-care town hall meeting in Reston, Va., after a security officer threatened him with arrest for holding up a sign with a picture critical of Barack Obama.

The officer's response?

"It ain't no more, OK?"

A video of the town hall held earlier this week by Rep. Jim Moran, D-Va., shows an unnamed protester standing on school grounds carrying a sign that read "Organizing for National Socialist Health Care – The Final Solution" and depicted Barack Obama in the Joker's makeup.

Officer Wesley Cheeks Jr. then told the protester that even though others were holding signs, his sign was unacceptable because of the depiction of Obama.

"But you got this with a picture," Cheeks said, explaining why the protester was being singled out from the others. "That's the difference. This has got a picture on it. That don't have a picture on it.

"Sir, leave the picture down," the officer said. "If you put the picture back up, you'll be charged with trespassing."

Video of the exchange can be seen below:

Federal Reserve Board fights to keep its secrets Warns disclosing where money went would cause 'irreparable harm'

By Drew Zahn

Federal Reserve

The Federal Reserve Board, despite being ordered to disclose to whom it awarded roughly $2 trillion in discount "stimulus" loans, is fighting to keep the information under wraps as a protected "trade secret."

Earlier this week, a U.S. district court judge rejected the Fed's argument that the names of borrowers are exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act and ordered the board to release the information by Monday, Aug. 31.

The Fed's board of governors, however, has now filed a motion asking the judge to delay enforcement of the order, seeking time to appeal and arguing that disclosing which banks borrowed the funds could lead to a backlash from the banks' customers and stockholders.

Demand the money managers come clean by signing the petition in support of an audit of the Federal Reserve now!

"The immediate release of these documents will destroy the board's claims of exemption and right of appellate review," the motion said. "The institutions whose names and information would be disclosed will also suffer irreparable harm."

Bloomberg LP, which sued the Fed on behalf of its Bloomberg News unit for not complying with a FOIA request last year, disagrees.

"Our argument is that the public interest in disclosure outweighs the banks' interest in secrecy," said Thomas Golden, a lawyer who represents Bloomberg.

"What has the Fed got to hide?" said Vermont's Sen. Bernie Sanders in an email reported by Bloomberg. "The time has come for the Fed to stop stonewalling and hand this information over to the public." ....

A Big Victory!

(Analyst's note: Another letter from a friend.)

From: tphillips@afp-mail.com
Date: Fri, 28 Aug 2009 00:02:37 -0400

Ever wonder if we can win tough public policy battles like health care and cap-and-trade?
Well, today we scored a big victory on a crucial issue that looked impossible just a few months ago.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced that the outrageously mis-named Employee Free Choice Act -- or Card Check -- is NOT going to be brought to a vote this year!

Card Check would effectively take the secret ballot away from American workers when it comes to deciding whether or not they want to join a union. It would take a cherished freedom away from millions of Americans, and at Americans for Prosperity we've been fighting it tooth-and-nail throughout the year.

A few months ago, President Obama, Speaker Pelosi and their Big Labor allies were confident of passing this legislation, which would dramatically expand the power of unions by giving them millions of new union members along with their "forced dues."

We launched a "Save Our Secret Ballot" effort with rallies in key states like Pennsylvania (where union organizers aggressively attacked us), North Carolina, Arkansas and Virginia. We urged grassroots activists like you to call and email your Senators and House members. AFP was one of several free-market groups who took up the fight to stop this union power grab. TO SEE PHOTOS AND COVERAGE OF OUR GRASSROOTS EVENTS CLICK HERE .

Faced with this grassroots uprising, the big-government side had to back away -- and today they did.
So, we should take heart! Yes, we face a big challenge on stopping the health care takeover. Sure, the cap-and-trade battle is not easy. But, if we fight aggressively, fight hard and remain committed we can win -- just like we won the Card Check battle.

Today, I was in Wisconsin where Americans for Prosperity Foundation hosted a series of Town Hall meetings across this great state with special guest John Stossel of ABC's "20/20". AFP Foundation provided citizens with a forum to discuss a government takeover of health care. The crowds were huge and energetic: 1,900 in Madison (last night), 500 in La Crosse today and over 1,200 earlier this evening in Wausau, which is the home district of House Appropriations Chairman David Obey, who has refused to hold town hall meetings with his constituents.

Over 1,900 packed our town hall event in Madison, Wisconsin
You could feel the electricity in the room from seniors, small business owners, young couples, students, all committed to making sure the government keeps its "hands off our health care." CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS AND COVERAGE OF THE EVENTS.
Crowd of over 1,200 in Wausau We've got a long way to go on the health care and cap-and-trade battles. Several Senators are now saying Congress will stay in session deep into December in an attempt to wear us down.
While we gird for the long road ahead, let's take a moment to savor a victory for freedom today on the Card Check issue.
Then, let's get up and back to the fight for freedom!
Sincerely,

Tim Phillips
PS: You may have seen AFP's very own Phil Kerpen on Glenn Beck's FOX News show on Monday and Tuesday as Phil exposed the influence of the Apollo Alliance of big environmental groups, labor unions, and social justice community organizers on the stimulus bill. If you missed it, you can watch it here!



Americans for Prosperity (AFP) is the nation's premier grassroots organization committed to advancing every individual's right to economic freedom and opportunity. AFP believes reducing the size and scope of government is the best safeguard to ensuring individual productivity and prosperity for all Americans. AFP educates and engages citizens in support of restraining state and federal government growth, and returning government to its constitutional limits. AFP has more than 700,000 members, including members in all 50 states, and 25 state chapters. For more information, visit www.americansforprosperity.org