Doctors Say Hospital Surge Capacity has Worsened

(Analyst's note: Troubling at best. This could certainly lead to diminished health care.) by Anthony L. Kimery

'All of these problems have eroded hospital surge capacity' Despite the more than $8 billion that’s been spent on hospital and public health preparedness between 2001 and 2008, the nation’s hospital surge capacity remains inadequate for disasters like large-scale terrorist bombings, wrote two doctors in a commentary in the August 5 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). “Disturbing signs show that [hospital] surge capacity has diminished … despite assurances from governmental and nongovernmental officials that hospitals can quickly ramp up in response to a mass casualty event,” wrote Dr. Kobi Peleg of the National Center for Trauma & Emergency Medicine Research, and Dr. Arthur Kellermann of the Department of Emergency Medicine, Emory School of Medicine. ....

Democracy in Danger: What States Can Do to Safeguard America's Election System

(Analyst's note: Absolutely must read. Please read the entire original article by clicking on the title above.)

by Hans A. von Spakovsky with The Heritage Foundation

A long-time federal prosecutor once told me that as long as elections put people into positions where they can make decisions about how much the government will spend, who will receive the money, and how the government will exercise its power, elections will be important enough to tempt some individuals to steal them. As the Supreme Court recognized when it upheld the constitutionality of Indiana's voter identification law in 2008, flagrant examples of voter fraud "have been documented throughout this Nation's history by respected historians and journalists." Those examples "demonstrate that not only is the risk of voter fraud real but that it could affect the outcome of a close election."[1]

The United States has one of the most decentralized systems of election administration for its national elections of any democracy. Unlike many other countries, we do not have a central government agency administering our federal elections. This is in accord with the Constitution, which reserves to the states the exclusive authority for most election decisions, including voter qualifications, except that Congress may alter "[t]he Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections" for Congress.[2] Even the relatively new U.S. Election Assistance Commission, created in 2002, does not have the authority to "issue any rule, promulgate any regulation, or take any other action which imposes any requirement on any State or unit of local government."[3] It can only recommend "best practices" in election administration to the states, an interesting charge given that most of the employees of this federal agency (and some of the commissioners) have absolutely no experience in actually administering elections. The states are still the chief administrators of our elections, although Congress has passed various federal laws in recent decades regulating election procedures, including the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA) and the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA).

In order to have an election process in which we can be confident that everyone who is eligible gets to vote, the vote is counted, and the vote is not diluted by fraudulent votes, we have to have security and integrity throughout the entire process, from voter registration to the casting of the actual votes and the counting of ballots. Unfortunately, because of various problems with election laws and procedures in many states, we cannot currently ensure that such security is in place. This is particularly true because of the general lack of verification by some states of the authenticity of both basic voter eligibility at registration, including citizenship, and the identity of voters who show up at the polls to vote.

State legislators can take several steps to safeguard America's election system and to improve the integrity of the election process. Based on my experience as a local county election official administering voting registration and elections in the largest county in Georgia; as a career lawyer in the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice enforcing federal voting rights laws like the NVRA and HAVA; and as a member of the Board of Advisors of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, I would recommend the following legislation or regulations. While there are some steps that only Congress and the federal government can take, these are improvements to voter registration and voting procedures that states can implement. ....

.... These are all relatively simple steps that can be taken by state legislatures, but they are very important to protecting our democracy from errors and intentional fraud that can affect the integrity and security of our election process.

Hans A. von Spakovsky is a Legal Scholar in the Center for Legal and Judicial Studies at The Heritage Foundation. He is a former Commissioner on the Federal Election Commission and former Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Justice.[24]

==============================================================

You will also want to click here for absolutely stunning and supporting information (video). Please don't miss it.

Deposition now concluded, stunning; FBI whistleblower answered 'thorough questioning'; implicated Congressmembers in criminal conspiracy, bribery, espionage, sexual blackmail; Brewster Jennings bombshell ... Long gagged under the "state secrets" privilege by the Bush Administration, the Obama Administration's DoJ chose not to re-invoke privilege, paving the way for this information to finally make its way on to the unclassified public record. ....

Wild Misrepresentation Watch: Obama lies about AARP endorsement

By Michelle Malkin

President Obama assailed “wild misrepresentations” by his opponents at the Portsmouth town hall today. Health Care

But he wildly misrepresented his position on single payer.

And he wildly misrepresented the AARP’s position on Obamacare:

…the President may have overstated support for his plan in one instance. When asked about the potential impact of the reform plan on Medicare, the President said, “The AARP would not be endorsing a bill if it was undermining Medicare.” Problem is - the AARP has not yet endorsed the plan. The New Hampshire head of the AARP chapter here told ABC’s Lisa Chinn today that the AARP hasn’t yet made up its mind as an organization whether to endorse the bill.

President Obama, meet the AARP rank-and-file:

***

Obama has a history of wild misrepresentation of companies’ positions on his bills. Remember Caterpillar?

And this?

German Islamic Convert confesses to anti-US bomb plot

US kills 14 in strike on Taliban training camp in South Waziristan Read more: http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2009/08/us_kills_12_in_strik.php

By Bill Roggio

The US has killed 12 Taliban fighters in the latest airstrike in Pakistan's lawless tribal agency of South Waziristan.

One or more Predator strike aircraft, or possibly the more advanced Reaper, targeted a Taliban training camp in the town of Zangikhel in the Kani Karam area of South Waziristan. Three or more Hellfire missiles are said to have been launched at the training camp. The camp was run by Umer Barqi, a local tribal leader.

Eight Taliban fighters were reported killed in the initial strike and four more died while being transported to the hospital, Geo News reported. Residents told Pajhwok Afghan News that 14 Taliban fighters were killed. Five more Taliban fighters were said to have been wounded.

There are no reports of senior Taliban or al Qaeda leaders killed at this time; all of those killed are reported to have been "local Taliban."

The strike took place just three miles south of the town of Ladha, where Taliban leaders say they have been meeting to discuss strategy to battle the military, which has attempted to blockade the region and has launched airstrikes against Taliban hideouts in an effort to kill Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud. ....

Orlando imam lies about Islam in Ohio custody case

from The Jawa Report

Last month, 17-year old Rafiq Bary disappeared from her New Albany, Ohio home. Now she has reappeared and stated in a Florida court yesterday that she is in fear for her life. Her crime? Converting from Islam to Christianity. Having taken shelter in Orlando with a Christian couple she met online, she's now at the center of a custody battle.

Other sites are ably covering this story, but what struck me was this quote that appears in today's Orlando Sentinel:

Imam Hatim Hamidullah, with the Islamic Society of Central Florida, said the Muslim faith does not call for a father to hurt his child, should she convert to another religion.

"It is not Islam for the father to bring harm upon his blood daughter or any other human being because of anger," he said. "Our position is to exhaust all measures that would bring peace and harmony back to the family," Hamidullah said. "Being angry and threatening the life of someone is not one of those methods."

The imam, of course, is lying through his teeth. In virtually every school of Islamic law (shariah), her death is DEMANDED for apostasy from Islam. She has every reason to be in fear for her life.

Don't take my word for it. Here's what Islam Q&A has to say on the matter: ....

Hamas-linked CAIR thugs protesting against free speech yet again

by Robert Spencer

Fresh from it successful effort at intimidating the American Library Association into dropping a panel at which truths about Islam and jihad would have been heard, the increasingly thuggish unindicted co-conspirators at the Hamas-linked Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) are trying to strong-arm the San Diego Public Library into dropping an anti-jihad presentation.

CAIR's fear and hatred of free speech about jihad and Islamic supremacism mirrors the Organization of the Islamic Conference's international efforts to muzzle those who are telling the truth about this global effort to destroy free speech and impose a legal system that would institutionalize discrimination against women and religious minorities, and make the free exercise of the conscience a crime punishable by death.

"Library lecture drawing protest: Islamic group: Talk is tied to extremists," by Helen Gao for the San Diego Union-Tribune, August 11 (thanks to James):

SAN DIEGO — An Islamic advocacy group is protesting the San Diego Public Library's hosting of a presentation on Islam, saying the event is tied to an extremist group.

“Radical Islam: Its Components and Root Causes” is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday at the downtown Central Library.

Michael Hayutin, local director of ACT! for America, will “give a slide presentation/lecture on radical Islam and describe the threat some Americans feel that it represents,” said a news release from the library.

“It's not coincidental that stoning, honor killing, suicide bombing, prosecution of women and gays is largely coming from one sector,” Hayutin said. “The reality is it's Islamic culture around the world that's producing those terrible things.”

That's simply the truth.

The San Diego chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations sent a letter yesterday to library director Deborah Barrow asking that the library drop its sponsorship of the talk so “that local taxpayers are not made unwittingly complicit in the promotion of hatred and bigotry.”

The Islamic group is not asking for the event to be canceled; it wants the library to stop publicizing it under its letterhead. The council also is proposing that the library invite a local Muslim leader to offer a “mainstream perspective” at the event.

In a letter, Edgar Hopida, director of public relations for the local chapter of the Islamic group, cited statements attributed to Brigitte Gabriel, founder of ACT!. Gabriel reportedly told , “Every practicing Muslim is radical Muslim.”

Hayutin and Kelly Cook, national field director for ACT!, said their organization's goal is to give a different perspective of Islam, which Cook said has been a “very violent geopolitical movement” throughout history.

Hayutin said he asked the library to sponsor his presentation after he attended a July 11 presentation by Hopida, “Islamophobia: Its Components, Root Causes and Remedies.”

During his talk, Hopida blamed ACT! for perpetuating Islamophobia. By his own account, he also warned the audience that books by ACT! founder Gabriel are biased.

Gabriel is the author of “Because They Hate: A Survivor of Islamic Terror Warns America” and “They Must Be Stopped: Why We Must Defeat Radical Islam and How We Can Do It.” Gabriel, who immigrated to the United States in 1989, grew up as a Christian in Lebanon, where her home was bombed and she was injured during the Lebanese civil war.

In a statement, Gabriel said the Islamic council's criticism of ACT! has no merit given that it was an unindicted co-conspirator in a trial involving an Islamic charity called the Holy Land Foundation. In 2008, the foundation and five of its former organizers were convicted of illegally funneling more than $12 million to the Palestinian militant group Hamas. The Islamic council said it does not condone terrorism....

A typically weaselly response. So does it condemn Hamas? It didn't say. Does it consider what Hamas does to be terrorism? Of course, CAIR reps were not asked this.

Head of U.S. computer emergency agency quits

from USAToday

The director of the U.S. Computer Emergency Response Team has resigned, reportedly because she was frustrated by bureaucratic obstacles and not having sufficient power to do the job in the Department of Homeland Security, Defense Tech tells us.

Mischel Kwon, the fourth U.S. CERT director in five years, quit Friday, Government Information Security first reported. A holdover from the Bush administration, she was hired in June 2008. Before that, she was the chief IT security technologist for the Department of Justice.

Today GIS writes that Kwon has been hired by RSA as vice president of public-sector security solutions.

Last week we wrote about the departure of the White House acting cybersecurity czar.

In March, Rod Beckstrom, the director the National Cybersecurity Center, also under Homeland Security, resigned, citing a lack of agency support and what he saw as a power grab by the National Security Agency.

Friday, as Kwon resigned, the director of the National Cyber Security Center at Homeland Security said the Obama administration "has made cybersecurity a top priority."

Kevin Coleman of Technolytics, which describes itself as "an independent executive think tank," writes that the departures are troubling.

"These resignations highlight a much larger problem, it shows the inability of the federal government to hire and retain qualified cyber security leaders. Two months after President Obama pledged to 'personally' select someone to be the White House's cyber security coordinator (AKA Cyber Czar), the position remains unfilled. ...

"Why not takers? What do they know that we don't? The nation's security is actually at risk and not having a cyber czar doesn't help. The continued churn has other concerning implications that point to a much bigger issue."

Here's an interview with Coleman last month.

Teenage girl, convert to Christianity from Islam, fears for her life...in Florida

Encounters with “the mob”

By Michelle Malkin

Enjoy Steve Crowder’s hilarious reportage from deep inside “the mob:”

:

Very Dangerous Concept’: Newt Defends Palin’s ‘Death Panels’ Claim

Pelosi Promises Health Care for All By Halloween – Does That Include Illegals?

Paul L. Williams, PhD

Take that, protesters – despite protests to the contrary, a large loophole would provide full medical benefits to illegal aliens.

U.S. Web-Tracking Plan Stirs Privacy Fears

The Obama administration is proposing to scale back a long-standing ban on tracking how people use government Internet sites with "cookies" and other technologies, raising alarms among privacy groups. ....

U.S. bailout panel: toxic assets may need more Treasury support

By David Lawder

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Treasury Department should consider expanding programs to cleanse troubled assets from bank balance sheets if current efforts fail to restart markets or if economic conditions worsen, a U.S. bailout watchdog panel said on Tuesday. ....

.... COMMERCIAL PROPERTY TIME BOMB

The Congressional Oversight Panel said, however, that smaller U.S. banks faced billions of dollars in losses from delinquent commercial property loans and were far less able to raise capital and absorb losses than their larger counterparts. ....

Video: Town hall protester reports retaliatory threats

(Fox News Channel) "After the incident was aired on television, we had a visit that night, a message was sent to my family" ...

Taliban waiting for reply on soldier

from The Washington Times

DERA ISMAIL KHAN | A militant commander who is holding a U.S. soldier abducted in Afghanistan said Sunday that Taliban leader Mullah Omar's council is waiting for a response to its demands before deciding the American's fate.

It was the first news of Pfc. Bowe R. Bergdahl, 23, made public since a Taliban video was released July 18.

Surviving Disaster Series Premieres On Spike TV

(Analyst's note: Absolutely must read - watch.)

from National Terror Alert

For the past few weeks I’ve had the privilege of consulting in research for an upcoming episode of an incredible new show, Surviving Disaster, scheduled to premiere on Spike TV, Tuesday, September 1 (10:00-11:00pm ET/PT). Mark this date on your calendar, it’s a show you won’t want to miss!

Surviving Disaster – Picking up a few last minute items at the mall when violent gunmen storm the store…what to do? What if, on the daily subway commute, a bio weapon is released? Or a fire is blazing in the 12th floor office and the only way out is blocked? Disasters can strike at the most unexpected times, but Spike TV’s new original series “Surviving Disaster,” led by Cade Courtley, vividly takes viewers through catastrophic scenarios and arms them with the knowledge needed to survive the unthinkable. Navy SEAL Courtley is the ideal host for this timely series, having faced imminent danger for a living, conducting clandestine missions from the sea, air and land that include counter-terrorism operations, special reconnaissance and unconventional warfare. The series premieres Tuesday, September 1 (10:00-11:00pm ET/PT) with an episode dedicated to a plane hijacking.

Each week, Navy SEAL Courtley tackles worst-case scenarios and equips viewers with the practical information needed to save their own lives and the lives of their loved ones. Whether the threat is natural or man-made or on a national or personal level, Courtley speaks directly to the viewers and guides them through a comprehensive, step-by-step process to not only survive the big picture disaster, but endure the many dangerous obstacles that may occur within each catastrophic event. While leading viewers out of danger, Courtley not only provides helpful tips and hands-on instruction, but swiftly points out common misconceptions and fatal mistakes. Unlike any other series, “Surviving Disaster” may actually save lives by providing actions that anyone can perform. ....

U.S., Mexico Probe Oil Thefts From Pemex

By SUSAN DAKER

HOUSTON -- U.S. and Mexico authorities are investigating the purchase by U.S. companies of millions of dollars worth of petroleum products stolen from Mexican national oil company Pemex.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency will host a news conference with U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Mexican officials in San Antonio to discuss the scheme. The U.S. is returning $2.4 million in funds generated from smuggling to the Mexican government, a spokeswoman for ICE said.

A Houston executive pleaded guilty in connection with investigation after admitting that he and others conspired to buy the stolen products, which were loaded onto a barge in Brownsville, Texas, said Nancy Herrera, Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney in Houston. "We're working with the Mexican authorities," Ms. Herrera said.

Donald Schroeder, the president of Trammo Petroleum, is set to be sentenced in December. Mr. Schroeder, court documents say, purchased the product knowing it to be stolen. Mr. Schroeder's attorney could not be reached for comment.

Ms. Herrera declined to identify what U.S. companies bought the stolen products from Mr. Schroeder. Court filings describe the buyers as "larger companies." ....

Jihadis thrice attacked Pakistan nuclear sites

by Chidanand Rajghatta

WASHINGTON: Pakistan's nuclear facilities have already been attacked at least thrice by its home-grown extremists and terrorists in little reported incidents over the last two years, even as the world remains divided over the safety and security of the nuclear weapons in the troubled country, according to western analysts. ( Watch )

The incidents, tracked by Shaun Gregory, a professor at Bradford University in UK, include an attack on the nuclear missile storage facility at Sargodha on November 1, 2007, an attack on Pakistan's nuclear airbase at Kamra by a suicide bomber on December 10, 2007, and perhaps most significantly the August 20, 2008 attack when Pakistani Taliban suicide bombers blew up several entry points to one of the armament complexes at the Wah cantonment, considered one of Pakistan's main nuclear weapons assembly.

These attacks have occurred even as Pakistan has taken several steps to secure and fortify its nuclear weapons against potential attacks, particularly by the United States and India, says Gregory.

In fact, the attacks have received so little attention that Peter Bergen, the eminent terrorism expert who reviewed Gregory's paper first published in West Point's Counter Terrorism Center Sentinel, said "he (Gregory) points out something that was news to me (and shouldn't have been) which is that a series of attacks on Pakistan's nuclear weapons facilities have already happened."

Pakistan insists that its nuclear weapons are fully secured and there is no chance of them falling into the hands of the extremists or terrorists.

But Gregory, while detailing the steps Islamabad has taken to protect them against Indian and US attacks, asks if the geographical location of Pakistan's principle nuclear weapons infrastructure, which is mainly in areas dominated by al-Qaida and Taliban, makes it more vulnerable to internal attacks. ....

U.S. military given approval to target Taliban-connected drug lords

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

by Marisol

No longer looking the other way from the jihadists' cash crop. Almost 8 years of warfare is certainly enough time to figure out that the "hearts and minds" angle didn't work out on the opium issue. "U.S. Military Working to 'Kill or Capture' 50 Taliban Drug Lords," by Brian Ross for ABC News, August 10:

In a dramatic change of policy ordered by the Obama administration, the U.S. military has been given approval to "kill or capture" 50 Taliban-connected drug lords whose names are on a classified "kill list" being circulated to commanders, according to a report prepared for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and obtained by ABCNews.com.

Military officials expressed anger today that the "classified program" had been revealed in the Senate report.

Click here to read the full report.

A Department of Defense spokesman, Bryan Whitman, declined to comment on the target list, but said "where terrorists do interface with drug networks that produces a security threat, a force protection threat, and is a legitimate target in those regards."

Senate investigators were told military commanders have been given, for the first time, the green light to "remove from the battlefield" the 50 drug lords on the kill list, which also includes another 317 Taliban and al Qaeda figures. [...]

The report also concludes that corruption at "district, provincial and national levels" of the Afghanistan government seriously compromises the Obama's administration's strategy to assign a higher priority to counter-narcotics efforts.

There have been recurring allegations and circumstantial evidence that the brother of Afghan President Harmad Karzai is closely linked with major heroin traffickers but the Senate report said the U.S. had yet to produce evidence that could be used in court.

An unnamed U.S. General told investigators, "We all assume that he is totally corrupt and engaged in the drug trade but when you ask for the portfolio, we don't have it."

Investigators said U.S. intelligence agencies had gathered evidence against Karzai's brother through the use of electronic intercepts but that the information could not be shared with the Afghans or used in court because the method of collection was top secret.

Also cited by U.S. authorities in Afghanistan is the case of a regional governor who was found with nine tons of opium in his office but allowed to resign and take a new position in the Afghan Senate. He was never charged with a crime.

In another example of the pervasive drug corruption, a U.S. State Department official told the Senate investigators that police chiefs in poppy growing areas "pay as much as $100,000 to get appointed to a job that pays $150 a month, with the knowledge that they will recoup far more in bribes and kickbacks."....

Audio --- Congresswoman: Obamacare to trigger layoffs

Craigslist ads recruiting 'Obamacare' lobbyists 'Help pass Obama's health care reform! Earn $325-$550 per week!'

By Chelsea Schilling

Amid accusations of insurance companies and the Republican Party deploying "Astroturf mobs" of health reform opponents, help wanted ads are appearing on Craigslist that offer to pay citizens between $9 and $16 an hour to lobby for the passage of Obama's health care.

The ads are being posted by the Fund for the Public Interest, which describes itself as "a national nonprofit organization working to increase the visibility, membership and political power of the nation's leading environmental

and progressive groups."

One Sacramento Craig's List ad declares, "Help pass Obama's health care reform! Earn $325-$550 per week!"....

Obama law tab up to $1.4 mil 'Grassroots army' contributions being used to crush eligibility lawsuits?

By Chelsea Schilling

President Obama may be using his political action committee funds to stomp out eligibility lawsuits brought by Americans, as he has paid more than $1.35 million to his top lawyer since the election.

Obama for America, Obama's 2008 political campaign, merged with the Democratic National Committee in January and is now known as Organizing for America. The grassroots army that some refer to as "Obama 2.0" is still collecting financial contributions.

Federal Election Commission records for "Obama for America" show that the lobby organization has paid international law firm Perkins Coie exactly $1,352,378.95 since the 2008 election. ....

Expert: Watch loyalty, not certificate of birth Cites Obama's references to Islam, denial of America's Christianity

By Bob Unruh

A constitutional expert says the arguments over the definition of "natural born" citizen – a constitutional requirement for any occupant of the Oval Office – should be resolved by looking at how God instituted governments and where the person's loyalties lie.

Herb Titus, a one-time vice presidential candidate considered an expert on the U.S. Constitution, says it probably was up to the electors from the 50 states or members of Congress to make certain President Obama is a "natural born" U.S. citizen.

There is available when Congress votes on the acceptance of the Electoral College results an opportunity for those with questions to object, but that process was not used in the 2008 election.

Since then, a multitude of lawsuits have challenged Obama's eligibility to hold the highest office because of concerns over his place of birth

and parentage.The U.S. Constitution requires a president to be a "natural born" citizen.

But Titus said probably the most important factor in the argument should be the president's loyalties.

"The reason for the concept of natural born citizens is so a country can't just throw you out willy-nilly," Titus told WND. "Your citizenship is in God's sovereign decision-making. You were born of certain parents.

"If you follow that kind of reasoning, Obama cannot be a natural-born citizen, even if he's born in Hawaii," because of his parents

, he said. "One was Kenyan and one American."

More important, he told WND, is where Obama's loyalties lie.

"Did he write a book about his mother?" Titus asked.....

Dig this: Media actually probed other candidates Divulged personal documents on arrests, surgeries, colleges

Iran leaders pave way for messianic 'Mahdi' 5th annual confab brings together politics, religion, apocalyptic endtimes visions

(Analyst's note: Do you ever wonder what our enemies are thinking -- what drives them?)

by WorldNetDaily

Iran last week held a multi-day conference, bringing together politicians, mullahs, students

– Shiite and Sunni alike – to plot what can be done on this earthly plane to hasten the coming of the anointed one, a messianic, endtimes personage known as the Mahdi.

It wasn't a conference covered by the western press.

But Joel Richardson, author of the new book, "The Islamic Antichrist," conducted interviews with participants of this year's conference, as well as previous conferences, which have been held for the last five years – all in a bid to lay the groundwork for an apocalyptic vision of the day Muslims will rule the world.

"For the past five years, the Iranian religious and political leaders have annually gathered together for two days in the city of Qom for what is called 'The International Conference of Mahdism Doctrine,' sponsored by the Bright Future Institute," explains Richardson in a WND commentary today. "The purpose of the Bright Future Institute is 'to introduce Imam Mahdi to the world' and 'to pave the ground for his reappearance' and as [President Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad stated at last year's conference, 'help bring all of humanity to the knowledge of the true savior of mankind, Imam al-Mahdi.'"

Each year a growing number of Sunni Muslims and Christians join the predominantly Shiite hosts. This year, 400 articles were presented and 40 were selected for presentation. After the completion of the conference each year, the conference papers are published in book form and also placed on the Bright Future website.

"The theme of the conference this year was 'the Society and government which prepares the ground for the appearance [of the Mahdi]: Missions

and Strategies,' explains Richardson, whose controversial book has skyrocketed up the best-sellers list since it debuted last week. "Each year, a special tribute is also paid to 30 key individuals who are recognized as being particular bright lights in the ongoing effort to spread the knowledge of the Mahdi worldwide. These 30 are known as 'the Helpers of the Mahdi.'"

Says Savyon and Y. Mansharof, an Iranian scholar: "From the establishment of the Islamic Regime in 1979 to Ahmadinejad's rise to power in August 2005, Mahdism had been a religious doctrine and a tradition that had no political manifestation. The political system operated independently of this messianic belief and of the anticipation of the return of the Mahdi. It was only with Ahmadinejad's presidency that this religious doctrine has become a political philosophy and taken a central place in politics."

"Mahdism is now increasingly being used as a political tool by appealing to the religious and nationalistic tendencies of various Muslims groups," says Richardson, who believes the striking similarities between Quranic and traditional Muslim depictions of the Mahdi suggest he could well be one in the same as the one known in Christian circles as "the Antichrist."

A presenter at last year's conference, Dr. Mariam Tabar, asserted that the "military capabilities of the future Mahdist state depend on Islamic governments in the here and now acquiring abilities to stand against the enemies of the imam [al-Mahdi]." Iran, of course

, is attempting to become a nuclear power. ....

Congressional jets may be scrapped

By JOHN BRESNAHAN

The new congressional jets may be getting scrapped.

After an uproar over a proposed purchase of new executive jets for use by senior government officials, including members of Congress, the top Defense appropriator in the House has offered to eliminate funding for the planes – but only if the Pentagon, which operates the jets, agrees.

“If the Department of Defense does not want these aircraft, they will be eliminated from the bill,” Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.), the chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommitee said Monday evening. .....

Obama faces tough choices on Afghanistan

.... At a time when the US president is under acute pressure to rein in a huge US fiscal deficit and when the Pentagon is severely overstretched, another hefty troop request would be hard to satisfy.

Yet it would be even harder to turn down. Having sacked David McKiernan, the previous military commander in Afghanistan, and replaced him with David McChrystal, Mr Obama is beholden to the thinking on the ground. Gen McChrystal, an expert in the troop-intensive ways of fighting counter-insurgencies, is readying a much-awaited assessment report, which is expected to include a request for at least another 10,000 troops. In fact, there are credible rumours that Gen McChrystal could even be planning to ask for as many as 20,000 to 30,000 more. Any such request would be likely to get the backing of David Petraeus, the head of Central Command, which oversees Afghanistan, and author of the counter-insurgency troop surge in Iraq.

It would also meet with the approval of most experts, who point out that the ratio of troops to population in Afghanistan is too low to guarantee success. The history of counter-insurgencies also suggests it takes 12 to 14 years to succeed. Given the shifting nature of the Bush administration’s efforts in Afghanistan, 2009 should be dated as year one of the counter-insurgency, rather than year eight.

All of which will put Mr Obama in a quandary. As the US troop presence grows, so too does the cost of America’s efforts in Afghanistan. .... There are no easy exit strategies from the policy Mr Obama has embraced. ....

Governors oppose DoD emergency powers

By Reid Wilson

A bipartisan pair of governors is opposing a new Defense Department proposal to handle natural and terrorism-related disasters, contending that a murky chain of command could lead to more problems than solutions. Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas (R), chairman of the National Governors Association, and Vice Chairman Gov. Joe Manchin (D) of West Virginia penned a letter opposing the Pentagon proposal, which they said would hinder a state's effort to respond to a disaster. Current law gives governors control over National Guard forces in their own states as well as any Guard units and Defense Department personnel imported from other states. The letter comes as the Pentagon proposes a legislative fix that would give the secretary of Defense the authority to assist in response to domestic disasters and, consequently, control over units stationed in an affected state. "We are concerned that the legislative proposal you discuss in your letter would invite confusion on critical command and control issues, complicate interagency planning, establish stove-piped response efforts, and interfere with governors’ constitutional responsibilities to ensure the safety and security of their citizens," Douglas and Manchin wrote to Paul Stockton, assistant secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense and America's Security Affairs. "One of the key lessons learned from the response to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005 was the need for clear chains of command to avoid duplication of effort and to ensure the most effective use of response resources," the governors wrote. Though the Pentagon has said the legislative fix would increase the number of Defense Department personnel available to respond to disasters, Douglas and Manchin expressed skepticism, arguing that current law already allows the Pentagon to order personnel to key areas inside the U.S. A similar fix was removed from the Defense Department appropriation measure in conference committee for fiscal 2009. A Pentagon spokesman did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment.

Alternatives for the U.S. Should Mexico Face the ‘Worst Case Scenario’ (Part One of Five)

Glynn Custred

The effect of a collapse of the nation of Mexico, or even the further weakening of the Mexican state, poses hazards for the United States that no American government could ignore.

A Page from Barack Obama’s Diary – Making My List and Checking It Twice...If You’re Naughty, Watch Out!

by Pam Meister

Many people are worried that Rahm, David and I might be creating an enemies list in order to more effectively silence my critics. To quote bitter clinger Sarah Palin, you betcha!

Air Force Used Twitter to Track NYC Flyover Controversy

from FoxNews

WASHINGTON — As the Pentagon warns of the security risks posed by social networking sites, newly released government documents show the military also uses these Internet tools to monitor and react to coverage of high-profile events.

The Air Force tracked the instant messaging service Twitter, video carrier YouTube and various blogs to assess the huge public backlash to the Air Force One flyover of the Statue of Liberty this spring, according to the documents.

And while the attempts at damage control failed — "No positive spin is possible," one PowerPoint chart reads — the episode opens a window into the tactics for operating in a boundless digital news cycle.

This new terrain has slippery slopes, though, for the military. Facebook, MySpace and other social media sites are very popular among service members, including those in Iraq and Afghanistan who want to keep in touch with friends and family. The sites are also valued by military organizations for recruiting or communicating with other federal agencies.

But posting information on these interactive links makes it vulnerable to being lost or stolen by the enemy, according to Pentagon officials. On Thursday hackers shut down Twitter for several hours, while Facebook had intermittent access problems — an indication of the shortcomings of relying on these services. ....

U.S. Commander Warns Taliban Getting Stronger

The Wall Street Journal

FOXNews.com

The U.S. commander in Afghanistan warns of rising casualties and says the U.S. must increase the number of troops in populated areas.

The Taliban have gained the upper hand in Afghanistan, the top American commander there said, forcing the U.S. to change its strategy in the eight-year-old conflict by increasing the number of troops in heavily populated areas like the volatile southern city of Kandahar, the insurgency's spiritual home.

Gen. Stanley McChrystal warned that means U.S. casualties, already running at record levels, will remain high for months to come.

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, the commander offered a preview of the strategic assessment he is to deliver to Washington later this month, saying the troop shifts are designed to better protect Afghan civilians from rising levels of Taliban violence and intimidation. The coming redeployments are the clearest manifestation to date of Gen. McChrystal's strategy for Afghanistan, which puts a premium on safeguarding the Afghan population rather than hunting down militants.

Gen. McChrystal said the Taliban are moving beyond their traditional strongholds in southern Afghanistan to threaten formerly stable areas in the north and west.

The militants are mounting sophisticated attacks that combine roadside bombs with ambushes by small teams of heavily armed militants, causing significant numbers of U.S. fatalities, he said. July was the bloodiest month of the war for American and British forces, and 12 more American troops have already been killed in August.

"It's a very aggressive enemy right now," Gen. McChrystal said in the interview Saturday at his office in a fortified NATO compound in Kabul. "We've got to stop their momentum, stop their initiative. It's hard work."

Continue reading by clicking here.

Click here for recent Fox News interview with Gen. Jim Jones (national security adviser to the Pres. Obama)

Quick! Tell Us What KUTGW Means

By STEPHANIE RAPOSO

Kate Washburn didn’t know what to make of the email a friend sent to her office with the abbreviation “NSFW” written at the bottom. ....

The confusion has given rise to a number of resources that provide English translations for terms like WRUD (“What are you doing?”) and TTYL (“Talk to you later”)—among them independent Web sites like NetLingo.com and UrbanDictionary.com and corporate ones like LG Mobile Phones’ DTXTR.com. Textapedia, a pocket guide to texting terms released last year, is sold in over 4,000 stores nationwide. NetLingo reports a 391% increase in the number of unique visitors over the past five years, while UrbanDictionary says it saw a 40% jump in its unique visitors last June from June 2008. ....

Hamas talks peace in English, promotes destruction of Israel in Arabic

by Robert Spencer

Well, war is deceit, after all. "Hamas spinning Western media, study says: Islamic group talks peace in English, promotes destruction of Israel in Arabic," by Aaron Klein for WorldNetDaily, August 9 (thanks to all who sent this in):

JERUSALEM – A new study asserts Hamas is engaging in a "spin" effort of phony rapprochement with Israel in order to continue engaging with the West, while its leaders are explaining in Arabic they are still seeking the Jewish state's destruction and denying any real accommodation with Israel.

"Hamas is conducting a 'smile spin' for the West, particularly the United States. Its main objectives are to ease its political isolation, improve its position vis-à-vis the Palestinian Authority and get funds to rebuild the Gaza Strip," concludes the study by the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center at Israel's Center for Special Studies. "For the Palestinians, [Hamas] stresses that its fundamental anti-Israeli pro-terrorism strategy remains unchanged."

The study quotes liberally from multiple recent Hamas interviews to U.S. and British news media outlets and compares those statements to Hamas rhetoric to the Palestinians during the same period.

Khaled Mashaal, the overall chief of Hamas, was interviewed in Damascus two weeks ago by the Wall Street Journal. During the interview, Meshaal told the newspaper his group is willing to agree to an immediate reciprocal cease-fire with Israel as well as a prisoner exchange for kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.

Meshaal claimed Hamas and other Palestinian organizations would be ready to cooperate with any American, international or regional effort to find a "just solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict," end so-called Israeli occupation and allow the Palestinian people their "right to self-determination."

In a separate interview with the British Economist, Ahmed Yousef, Hamas' chief political adviser in Gaza, was quoted as stating, "Hamas is very close on recognition of Israel … We show all sorts of ideological flexibility on this."

Yousef, who conducts regular interviews with WND, told the Economist that should the Palestinian people choose the so-called two-state solution, Hamas "would not object."

Yousef tried to minimize the importance of the Hamas charter, which calls for the murder of Jews and destruction of Israel. He stated, "We don't use it. Why should we change it when we never use it?"...

Ten Questions Politicians Won’t Answer

By Tom Coburn

The past week’s debate about health care has shown that in Washington the only things more stubborn than facts are politicians who evade them. In spite of a torrent of independent analyses showing that the so-called health-care “reform” bills moving through Congress will dramatically increase the deficit and cause millions of Americans to lose their health insurance, the politicians leading the effort have steadfastly refused to consider that their ideas and policies, rather than the character of their critics, may be flawed. At the same time, the politicians writing the bill still refuse to answer basic questions about how it will be paid for and how it will affect patients.

The American people have good reason to be concerned. ....

Criminal investigation into CIA treatment of detainees expected

(LA Times) - Insiders say Atty. Gen. Eric Holder is close to naming a prosecutor to look into reports of excessive waterboarding and other unauthorized methods. Convictions could be hard to get. ....

Evidence challenges claim over Obama's birth address Father in bachelor pad while mom left islands

Documents uncovered by WND strongly suggest Barack Obama Sr. and Stanley Ann Dunham, President Obama's parents, did not live at 6085 Kalanianaole Highway in Hawaii – even though birth announcements in local newspapers listed that address. ....

AP to distribute Soros-funded 'journalism' Slammed as 'lapdog on leash sworn in advance to left-wing causes'

by By Aaron Klein

The Associated Press is delivering to its subscribing 1,500 American newspapers content, it has emerged, penned by groups with financing from philanthropist George Soros and another far-leftist billionaire who not only campaigned for President Obama but also topped donor lists to groups like ACORN and MoveOn.org.

The AP announced last month it will allow its subscribers to publish free of charge work by four nonprofit groups, the Center for Public Integrity, the Investigative Reporting Workshop at American University, the Center for Investigative Reporting and ProPublica.

Controversial Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr., a friend of President Obama who was embroiled in a recent national race scandal, sits on the board of ProPublica. The group defines itself as "an independent, non-profit newsroom that produces investigative journalism in the public interest."

ProPublica was founded with a $10 million yearly grant from Herbert and Marion Sandler, the former chief executives of the Golden West Financial Corporation, which was one of the nation's largest mortgage lenders and savings and loans. The Sandlers last year sold their business to the Wachovia Corporation for about $26 billion, a deal which valued their personal shares at about $2.4 billion.

The Sandlers are major donors to the Democratic Party and are top funders of ACORN, MoveOne.org, the American Civil Liberties Union and other far-leftist groups like Human Rights Watch.

In 2008, the Sandlers were behind two controversial California Political Action Committees, Vote Hope and PowerPac.org, which spent about $5 million in pro-Obama ads in that state. The two groups were run by the Sandler's son-in-law, Steve Phillips, the former president of the San Francisco School Board.

The journalistic integrity of the Sandler-backed ProPublica, however, has been repeatedly called into question.

A report by the Capital Research Center concluded ProPublica "churns out little more than left-wing hit pieces about Sarah Palin and blames the U.S. government for giving out too little foreign aid.". ...

Video - Catastrophe - How Obama's Cap And Trade Will Destroy American Manufacturers

(Analyst's note: "Cap and Trade" is really a tax on Americans. Remember that taxes on a business is passed onto the tax payer.)

Video - Uncle Jay Explains

(Analyst's note: Got a minute for a light look at the news? The word for this segment is RETRO. As usual Uncle Jay hits the mark.)

Video - Call it a Tune-up

(Analyst's note: Absolutely must read - watch regarding recent Department of Transportation changes re. cars.gov disclaimer. This one is extremely troubling at best.)

Video -- You were warned re Socialized Medicine

(Analyst's note: Very troubling at best. Please watch this discussion.)

Guess What? Unemployment's Really at 16.3 Percent

by John Lott who is an economist and author of "Freedomnomics."

How is it possible for the unemployment rate to essentially remain unchanged when 247,000 jobs have been lost? Because the number of people who gave up and stopped looking for work rose dramatically. ....

.... If we include the normally counted number of unemployed as well as those who have recently given up looking for work and those who have taken a part-time low paying job because they can't find full-time work, the implication is that the unemployment rate for July would be at 16.3 percent These discouraged workers will again look for work once the economy starts to improve, but this 6.9 percentage point gap between publicly discussed unemployment rate and these discouraged workers is unusually large.

The changes in unemployment also mask the large drops that are still occurring in private employment -- construction, manufacturing, retail trade, and professional and business services all suffered large declines. The two of the three areas where employment has increased are government related, either education and health services or general government employment.

These changes do coincide with what is happening with GDP. During the second quarter the private sector kept on shrinking at an annual rate of 3 percent. Overall, GDP declined by "only" 1 percent at an annual rate, but that was because real federal government consumption expenditures and gross investment soared by 11 percent. Real state and local government consumption expenditures and gross investment increased, too, but by a more modest 2.4 percent. ....

Pentagon: Congressional Jets Hurt Defense

The Pentagon is criticizing the House of Representative's request to upgrade Congress' air fleet -- and charge the cost to the Defense Department.

"It forces us to take money from things we do need to fund and redirect it for things we don't need," Geoff Morrell, a spokesman for Defense Secretary Robert Gates, told the Wall Street Journal. "And in a time of war, we just can't afford that. The bottom line is, for everything that they appropriate for us above and beyond what we've asked for, it will, at some point require us to find money from programs we do need." ....

Report: Al Qaeda May Have Infiltrated British Secret Service

MI5 is facing allegations that it mistakenly recruited Al Qaeda sympathizers who were trying to infiltrate the British secret service.

Patrick Mercer, a Conservative member of Parliament, is demanding a probe into claims six Muslims were thrown out of MI5 because of concerns about their past.

Two of the six allegedly attended Al Qaeda training camps in Pakistan while the others had unexplained gaps of up to three months in their resumes.

Mercer, counter-terrorism sub-committee chairman, told Sky News that MI5 is believed to have detected two sympathizers at a "fairly early stage" of their secret service training.

The others allegedly did not make it through vetting procedures.

However, Mercer wants clarification on how successful the security services have been at detecting enemy infiltrators.

"This is exactly the sort of work that MI5, MI6 and the other security services should be up to," he said. "Of course, they should be attracting recruits from all sorts of different backgrounds, diverse backgrounds. The fact remains, it is not without risks... a subversive organization that is worth its salt will, of course, try to infiltrate."

A government spokesperson said the service "takes vetting very seriously."

"All candidates are required to undergo the most comprehensive process of security vetting in the UK."

Al Qaeda Seen as the Primary Terrorist Threat for Many Years

by Anthony L. Kimery

'We assess Al Qaeda will continue to try to acquire and employ CBRN material'

“Adaptive and highly resilient,” Al Qaeda “remains the most serious terrorist threat we face as a nation,” said former career CIA official John Brennan in a speech last Thursday at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, DC.

A former CIA analyst, Saudi Arabia station chief, the Agency's daily intelligence briefer to the White House in 1994 and 1995, deputy executive director and chief of staff to former DCI George Tenet, Brennan today is President Obama’s principal advisor on counterterrorism.

Brennan acknowledged that Al Qaeda’s “intent to carry out attacks against the United States and US interests around the world - with weapons of mass destruction if possible - remains undiminished, and another attack on the US homeland remains the top priority for the Al Qaeda senior leadership.”

Al Qaeda’s “intent to carry out attacks against the United States and US interests around the world with weapons of mass destruction, if possible, remains undiminished, and another attack on the US homeland remains the top priority for the Al Qaeda senior leadership,” Brennan stated.

And it will for decades to come, Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair earlier told the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.

“We assess that Al Qaeda and its regional affiliates will continue to plot against the US and its interests abroad over the next twenty years,” Blair stated in his written responses to questions that were posed to him pursuant to the Committee’s February 12 annual hearing on national threats.

That Al Qaeda and its fundamentalist jihadist allies will remain a persistent threat to the United States for many years to come is a point that’s been stressed by other past and present federal counterterrorism officials. ....

Why is National Guard recruiting for 'internment' cops? Ad campaign seeks workers at 'civilian resettlement facility'

By Bob Unruh

An ad campaign

featured on a U.S. Army website seeking those who would be interested in being an "Internment/Resettlement" specialist is raising alarms across the country, generating concerns that there is some truth in those theories about domestic detention camps, a roundup of dissidents and a crackdown on "threatening" conservatives.

Are you an enemy of the state? Get the bumper sticker that lets everyone know you have no apologies for being right!

The ads, at the GoArmy.com website as well as others including Monster.com, cite the need for:

"Internment/Resettlement (I/R) Specialists in the Army are primarily responsible for day-to-day operations

in a military confinement/correctional facility or detention/internment facility. I/R Specialists provide rehabilitative, health, welfare, and security to U.S. military prisoners within a confinement or correctional facility; conduct inspections; prepare written reports; and coordinate activities of prisoners/internees and staff personnel.

The campaign follows by only weeks a report from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security warning about "right-wing extremists" who could pose a danger to the country – including those who support third-party political candidates, oppose abortion and would prefer to have the U.S. immigration laws already on the books enforced. ....

Gingrich Criticizes Defense Policies, Says Country Is on 'Edge of Catastrophe'

(Analyst's note: I highly recommend you watch and listen carefully to the remarks below. Since the original posting, I have listened to Gingrich's remarks and believe them to be an absolutely must read - listen piece. See the video by clicking here. )

By Lee Ross

Government leaders are not adequately protecting America and are setting the country on a course toward catastrophe if national security policy is not dramatically changed, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said Monday.

In a speech full of dire scenarios and gloomy predictions, the former House speaker argued that no price is too high for the federal government to pay when it comes to shoring up national security.

"We are living at the edge of catastrophe," Gingrich said while laying out the flaws of the current governmental approach to security as well as his own framework for policy change.

Gingrich said the current defense budgetary approach in Washington is designed to meet an arbitrary budget goal and that over the years the government has failed to "translate the imagination (of potential attacks) into public policy."

He said terrorist attacks such as those on Sept. 11 were not inconceivable but were inadequately prepared for by a timid federal bureaucracy.

Gingrich's speech in front of several hundred people at the conservative Heritage Foundation is part of a ongoing program from the think tank called "America at Risk" advocating the government reverse budget cuts in national security programs.

"Our goals are straightforward for the country -- safety, prosperity and freedom," Gingrich said, while observing that lawmakers of both parties often fail in pushing public policies achieving those goals. "I find it very disturbing that (seven years after the Sept. 11 attacks) nobody is demanding a fundamental altering of the war strategy."

The dour speech went through scenarios in which the United States could be attacked by its enemies and how, in anticipation of these attacks, the country should aggressively pursue policies to mitigate the chances of a successful strike.

Gingrich said that if the current policy structure holds for the next 20 years the country will be fundamentally incapable of quickly producing military assets needed to respond to an immediate threat.

Among other programs, Gingrich advocated the creation of a real-time response system at the Pentagon to immediately begin counter-measures to address threats as they become known. He said quick bureaucratic reaction will be necessary in the coming years.

Napolitano pick raised funds for terror supporter

(Analyst's note: Absolutely must read item. What are we thinkings or are we? We simply must begin to hold our government accountable for OUR protection and national security. This action described below simply does not reflect common sense.)

Original source is WorldNetDaily

Napolitano pick raised funds for terror supporter
Group labeled 9/11 attacks on U.S. a legitimate operation

By Aaron Klein

TEL AVIV – An Arab politician recently appointed to a key position by Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano helped raise funds for an Islamic group that has labeled a deadly anti-U.S. terrorist attack a legitimate operation, referred to terrorists as "freedom fighters" and equated Muslim jihad with the sentiments of American statesman Patrick Henry, WND has learned.

In April, Napolitano appointed Arif Alikhan, then Los Angeles deputy mayor of homeland security and public safety, to serve as assistant secretary for the Office of Policy Development at the Department of Homeland Security. Napolitano praised Alikhan and another appointee, David Heyman, for their The Greater Los Angeles Area chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, likewise praised the appointment of Alikhan. "Congratulations to Mr. Alikhan on this well-deserved appointment," said CAIR-LA Executive Director Hussam Ayloush. "Mr. Alikhan's new position reflects his and the community's dedication to helping preserve the security of our country. The American Muslim community can be proud of him."

WND has learned that just 13 days prior to his appointment by Napolitano, Alikhan joined the Muslim Public Affairs Council, or MPAC, for a special fundraiser called "Be the Change" to support what the group calls its innovative leadership development programs. MPAC describes itself as "a public service agency working for the civil rights of American Muslims, for the integration of Islam into American pluralism, and for a positive, constructive relationship between American Muslims and their representatives." The organization has eight chapters in California and one each in Texas, Kansas, Nevada and Iowa.

According to Discover the Networks, MPAC asserts the Hezbollah terrorist organization "could be called a liberation movement" and likens Hezbollah members to American "freedom fighters hundreds of years ago whom the British regarded as terrorists."

Hezbollah distinguishes itself as second only to al-Qaida among terror groups responsible for killing the most Americans. It's responsible for such deadly attacks as the 1983 Beirut barracks bombing, which killed 299 servicemen, including 220 U.S. Marines.

Indeed, terrorism expert Steve Emerson notes that in a 1999 position paper, MPAC justified Hezbollah's bombing of the American Marine barracks as a "military operation" rather than a terrorist attack.

The group's senior adviser, Maher Hathout, explained: "Hezbollah is fighting for freedom, an organized army, limiting its operations against military people, this is a legitimate target against occupation. … this is legitimate, this is an American value – freedom and liberty."

According to Discover the Networks, Hathout has close ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, which urges the creation of an Islam-dominated world. Hathout also espouses the radical brand of Islam known as Wahhabism, Discover the Networks documents.

In a November 1997 speech at the University of Pennsylvania, MPAC Co-Founder and Executive Director Salam Al-Marayati steadfastly justified his group's refusal to call Hezbollah a terrorist organization. He also hailed the Hamas terrorist group as a political entity and a provider of social programs and "educational operations." Discover the Networks notes Marayati equated jihad with the sentiments of prominent American Revolution figure Patrick Henry, whose "Give me liberty or give me death" declaration was, according to Marayati, "a way of looking at the term jihad from an American perspective."

MPAC also has taken an anti-Israel view, particularly after the start of the Palestinian intifada in September 2000. The intifada, or terrorist war, was initiated by late Palestinian Liberation Organization leader Yasser Arafat after he turned down an Israeli offer of a Palestinian state in most of the West Bank, Gaza Strip and eastern sections of Jerusalem.

MPAC co-sponsored pro-Palestinian rallies in the fall of 2000, documents Discover the Networks, where speakers reportedly chanted, "Khaybar, Khaybar, oh Jews, the Army of Muhammad is coming for you!" The rally reportedly featured literature and placards calling for the annihilation of the Jews and Israel.

MPAC has called Israelis "the worst terrorists in the world," lamenting the Jewish state is not found on the official State Department list of terrorist groups. A few hours after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, MPAC co-founder Marayati told a Los Angeles talk radio audience: "If we're going to look at suspects, we should look at the groups that benefit the most from these kinds of incidents, and I think we should put the state of Israel on the suspect list, because I think this diverts attention from what's happening in the Palestinian territories so that they can go on with their aggression and occupation and apartheid policies."

Janelle Perez, a spokeswoman for Alikhan at Homeland Security, did not return a WND request for comment before publication.

In a telephone interview in April with India-West.com, Alikhan said he spoke to Napolitano briefly before the appointment was made. "She said she was very happy I was coming on board," he said, adding that he was "very impressed" by Napolitano and her accomplishments.

Alikhan was born in Canada and raised in California. His parents are Indian and Pakistani. Before serving as L.A.'s deputy mayor of homeland security and public safety, Alikhan worked for the U.S. Department of Justice as the overseer of a computer-hacking program. He also was the vice chairman and executive director of the Justice Department's Intellectual Property Task Force.

This is not Napolitano's first appointment with ties to terrorism supporters. WND first reported Napolitano swore in to her official advisory council the head of an Arab American organization whose officials have labeled deadly anti-U.S. jihadists as "heroes" and opposed referring to Hamas as a terrorist organization. The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, or ADC, also has close ties to anti-Israel professor Rashid Khalidi, whose association with President Obama – first exposed by WND – stirred controversy during last year's presidential campaign.

http://www.wnd.com/?pageId=104597

Savior or Saboteur? Obama in a Realistic Light

(Analyst's note: An absolutely must read and consider -- then think!!!!)

from The Plain Truth

Barack Obama is less of a person than an image -- a brand
Savior or Saboteur? Obama in a Realistic Light

By Joe Crews and Harvey Wysong Wednesday, July 8, 2009

“It is a great pity when the one who should be the head figure is a mere figure head.” -- Charles H. Spurgeon

Barack Obama is less of a person than an image— a brand. People see whatever they want as they do on a Rorschach test. But does anyone really know him?

In fact, he is:
An empty suit.
A man with no birth certificate.
A man who was deserted in childhood by his biological father.
A man whose birth records, both in the United States and Kenya, are sealed by government order.
A man whose childhood mentor, Frank Marshall Davis, spied on U.S. military installations in Hawaii for the Soviet Union, edited a communist newspaper, authored pornographic novels, and wrote poetry in praise of Joseph Stalin.
A man mentored by and still supported by radical Muslims.
A man who promised transparency in government, but has spent over a million dollars in legal fees hiding information that would determine his eligibility to be President.
A former drug user.
A man whose academic records are sealed from kindergarten through law school.
A man who arrived in New York in June of 1981 without enough money to get a hotel room, but one month later flew to Indonesia and Pakistan.
Why did he go?
Who paid his expenses?
A man who traveled to Pakistan when it was illegal for U.S. citizens to do so. So what country’s passport did he use?
A man whose Law School Admission Test scores and grades at Columbia University are known to have been mediocre, but was admitted to Harvard Law School through the intervention of a Saudi named Khalid al-Mansour.
A law review editor who never published an article in any law review.
A lawyer with no significant accomplishments in the law and no reputation in the legal community.
A former State and U.S. Senator, who never authored a piece of legislation.
A disciple of the Marxist Saul Alinsky.
A product of the Chicago political machine—the most corrupt political organization in America.
A man who selects Marxists, corrupt politicians, and criminals as his close political associates and personal friends.
A man whose presidential candidacy was endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America, the Socialist International, and the Workers International League.
A man lauded for the literary brilliance of two memoirs, both of which were ghostwritten by others.
A so-called Christian who says that knowing when human life begins is “above his pay-grade,” but somehow knows that abortion is permissible at any stage.
A man who thinks “waterboarding” is immoral, but that partial-birth abortion is moral.
A man who publicly laments slavery in America—which was abolished 150 years ago—but praises Islam, which still practices both slavery and the sexual mutilation of young girls.
A man who speaks endlessly about helping the less fortunate, but gives almost none of his sizeable income to charity—not even to his half-brother, who is living in squalor in Kenya.
A man who had the most left-wing voting record in the United State Senate, but was predicted by the press to “govern from the middle.”
A man who has never created a job, met a payroll, or even operated a lemonade stand, but wants to tell Detroit how to make cars.
A President who has never before served as an executive in either the private or the public sector.
A Commander-in-Chief who doesn’t know how to shoot a rifle, throw a hand-grenade, drive a tank, fly a plane, or con a ship.
A Commander-in-Chief who has publicly divulged some of our nation’s most important intelligence secrets.
A man who has been put in charge of the largest economic engine that ever existed, but has never invested in the stock market and admits total ignorance of it.
A President who says that science will guide his administration, but has no education in the sciences.
A man who is proficient in reading what is written for him on a teleprompter, but jerks and stammers his way through any off-the-cuff speaking.
A man whose health records are sealed from childhood to the present day.
A man whose educational records are sealed from childhood through law school.
A man who spent 20 years in a church whose pastor espouses Marxist Liberation Theology, anti-Americanism, anti-capitalism, and anti-Semitism, but claims he never heard his pastor utter anti-American, and anti-Semitic statements.
A man who added more to the National Debt in 100 days than all other Presidents did in the past 220 years, yet feels qualified to lecture Americans about “fiscal responsibility”.
A man who publicly expressed disdain for the U.S. Constitution on a Chicago radio station because it limited the government’s ability to “redistribute wealth.”
The first American President to bow before a foreign head of state—a Muslim dictator.
A man who sits and listens submissively while his country is castigated by Daniel Ortega—a Communist thug whose own daughter accused him of raping her.
A narcissist who gave the Queen of England a present from the United States --an iPod containing recordings of his own speeches.
A so-called Christian who officially declared “Pride Month” for a lifestyle that the Bible calls an abomination.
A man who wanted Americans to ignore his Muslim name during his election campaign, yet boasts of his Muslim name when he travels to Muslim countries.
A man who can name hundreds of America’s shortcomings, yet none of its great accomplishments.
A President who claims the moral high ground by closing Gitmo yet supports the transfer of terror suspects to countries where horrific torture is certain.
A President who scoffed at being called a socialist yet acted to nationalize the auto industry, the banking industry, and the insurance industry . . . and now seeks to nationalize the healthcare industry.
A President who violates private property rights, the sanctity of contracts, and the rule of law—three essential principles that go back over a thousand years in the Common Law tradition.
A man who promised 95% of all Americans a tax cut, but is increasing taxes on 100% of the population through inflation—the cruelest tax of all.
A lawyer who represented ACORN—an organization now indicted in several states for voter fraud—whose stated goal is to get as many people on welfare as possible in order to destroy our financial system.
A President who cheated GM’s bondholders by giving their property to the UAW in a political payoff.
An American President who frequently criticizes his own country when speaking in foreign countries, but never praises America’s generosity, goodness or greatness.
A President whose Secretary of the Treasury cheated on his taxes—as did several other appointees and advisors.
A President who, despite the current federal debt of 100 trillion dollars, wants to add the greatest debt ever by nationalizing healthcare.
A President who scoffs at being called a socialist, yet has appointed 28 “Czars” to circumvent constitutional government, including:
A “Science Czar” who has advocated compulsory abortions for American women and the “surrender of sovereignty” to a “comprehensive Planetary Regime.”
A self-professed communist as his “Green Jobs Czar”.
A “Pay Czar” to regulate the pay of corporate executives.
A President who swore an oath to “preserve, protect and defend the constitution from all enemies, foreign and domestic,” yet has nominated a domestic enemy of the Constitution to the Supreme Court.
A President whose Homeland Security Chief classified pro-lifers, veterans, and supporters of traditional marriage as terrorists.
A President who stood silent while the Iranian government hacked unarmed protestors to death with axes, because it was an internal matter, but freely offers his opinions about the internal affairs of Israel and Honduras.
A President who decreed that true acts of terrorism must now be described as “man-made disasters.”
A President who cracks hurtful jokes about Special Olympians.
A President who refused to intercept or inspect a North Korean ship virtually certain to be carrying Weapons of Mass Destruction toBurma.
A President who wants to cancel all missile defenses while rogue nations are developing long-range ballistic missiles.
An American President who blames the violence in Mexico on America.
A Commander in Chief who claims to have been unaware that Air Force One was taken on a terrifying, low-level photo-op over Manhattan.
A President who berates American CEO’s for flying in private planes at private expense on company business, but whose wife spends hundreds of thousands tax payer dollars flying to Paris for a shopping spree.
A President who promised a transparent administration, but requires all questions be screened before “impromptu” appearances.
A man who freely admitted that his energy policies are designed to bankrupt the American coal industry.
A President who has presided over the loss of 14.7 million jobs and whose “energy policy” will cause the loss of another 1 million jobs.
A President whose “energy policy” will increase the average American’s utility bills by over $2,000 a year in the middle of the Great Recession.
A man about whom liberal journalist Tom Brokaw said, “There’s a lot about him we don’t know.” . . .just one week before the election.

The vast majority of Americans do not know who he is, but someone surely does. Someone paid for his travel expenses to Pakistan and Indonesia. Someone engineered legal challenges to all of his election opponents for the State Senate and had them disqualified. Someone straightened and leveled his path to the U.S. Senate when a Democrat Judge made public the child custody records of his Republican opponent. When he was a candidate for the U.S. Senate, someone arranged for him to speak at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. Someone saw to it that all of his records were sealed, both at home and abroad. Someone assembled the massive organization for his run for the Presidency. Someone knows all about him.
Who?