BP: Human Nature at Work

When the world is watching it is better to do something than to do nothing.  Even if the “something” has little or no chance of success.  That is exactly what BP has been doing.

There is a very good chance that BP knew from the beginning they could do nothing to resolve a one mile deep blow out.  Not the robotic valve shut off, not the “top hat”, not the “top kill”, not cutting the pipe and installing a valve (which on May 30 was the next “Plan B”).  Possibly not even BP’s highly touted “relief wells”, the ultimate sure-fire solution that might be implemented by July may work.  Has that process ever been tried on well-heads one mile beneath the ocean surface?

What then?  What is the outcome when this undersea oil gusher continues for three to six months - or longer?

• When will seafood from the Gulf be marketable again?
• What happens to the commercial and charter boat fishing industries?
• What happens to the life (aerobic capacity) of the Gulf.  Might it temporarily become a “dead sea?”
• What happens to the tourism industry of Gulf Coast communities?
• What happens to the economies of these communities, the businesses dependent on tourism?
• What happens to property values when business die and people have to move away to make a living?
• What happens to local governments when revenues from taxes drop 50% or more?

Will BP pick up the tab for these losses?  Or will they find a way to declare this event an unavoidable act of God?  How much of the tab will our enabling federal government (taxpayers) feel compelled to cough up because “BP is too big to fail?"

One thing is likely:  Drilling in deep water is not likely to resume any time soon.  Can we expect government to over-react?  Yes!  Our officials have already made Fascist-sounding declarations like "We will keep our boot on their neck until the job gets done."  Our government is likely to have a noose around the neck of the entire oil industry until we are assured this sort of disaster will never occur again. 

Which brings up this question:  Why do we continue to prohibit drilling in areas of our continent like the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) where there is much less risk than in deep water drilling; where waters are shallow and a blowout can be quickly locally contained and repaired?

In the meantime, we keep feeding the coffers of middle east Islamists who are funding our destruction.  And, oh yes, expect fuel prices to skyrocket over the next year.

Counter-terror Adviser Defends Jihad as 'Legitimate Tenet of Islam'

Violent Jihad:  A 1,400 year-old doctrine of violent conquest by Orthodox Islam. 

But Obama’s top counter-terrorism advisor declares Jihad a “legitimate tenet of Islam” in one breath, and in the next  he counsels “…nor do we describe our enemy as 'jihadists' or 'Islamists' because jihad is a holy struggle, a legitimate tenet of Islam, meaning to purify oneself or one's community, and there is nothing holy or legitimate or Islamic about murdering innocent men, women and children…"  Wishful thinking, you dolt.

In others words, don’t worry about the “real” Islam, folks, nothing to see here.  Swim with the fishes. The shark-infested waters are fine.

This man is yet another example of our ignorance of Islam.  He ignores the fact that 90% of the references to
"Jihad” in the Qur’an promote VIOLENT jihad, while less than 10% describes the benign jihad he ignorantly assumes.

Islam’s “holy struggle” involves suppressing and overcoming infidels, kafirs, and people of the book by any means, including politics, finance, lying, and terror.  Have you noticed there has been a lot of terror in the name of Islam in the past few years?   And a lot of promises to annihilate Israel but Muslim countries?  That is real “jihad.”  That is the overwhelmingly prominent form of Jihad of Islam’s sacred texts.The jihadists do not shout Holy Mother of God when they detonate themselves in a crowd.  I believe they shout the Islamic injunction to their warped God, “Allahu Akbar”, an Islamic exclamation which means "Allah is the Greatest".

Wake up and educate yourselves, you gullible Washington asses!

Read the entire unbelievably ignorant declaration by our deputy national security adviser for counterterrorism and homeland security HERE. 

A question I have is did John Brennan come to his fatally flawed conclusion about jihad all on his own, or did our Muslim-inspired president tell him, “hey Brenny, work with me on this one.”

I hate to be a pessimist about Afghanistan, but…

I assume our military and state department leaders are familiar with the strategy, tactics, and Islamic ideology of the folks behind our “overseas contingency operation.”  But of course that would make me an ass. 

Would I be surprised if our strategy and tactics worked?  Let me put it this way.  I would be less surprised seeing a cow and an elephant having intercourse in my suburban back yard.

Related story:  US troops on patrol in Afghanistan required to have unchambered weapons (not ready for firing).

Related story:  US troops ordered to help Afghans harvest poppy crops that fund Taliban.

Related story: U.S. commanders struggle to describe the campaign, reaching for phrases like "a series of activities," "thickening the battlespace," "restoring order," and "a rising tide of security."

Doling out millions to Muslim tribal leaders will have an effect for how long?  No tanks rolling into the City?  Sounds nice and kum bey Yah-ish.  But how will the folks there interpret our "kinder and gentler” side?  I really doubt they will give a damn.  In fact it will feed their resolve and confidence to perpetuate their current course.

This operation sounds more and more like Obama’s Afghan bail-out plan – his continuing “millions for Muslims” campaign disguised as a “war” that he is against.

From the Washington Post…

Officials have described the offensive's blend of civilian and military operations as the first true test of the counterinsurgency doctrine adopted five years ago on the eve of the 2007 surge in Iraq, but since only imperfectly applied. As troops battle insurgent forces entrenched among the population on the outskirts of the city, the birthplace of the Taliban movement, U.S.-mentored Afghan police will establish a presence in the relatively secure center.

There will be no "tanks rolling into the city," Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said May 13, adding that care will be taken so that the effort "doesn't destroy Kandahar in the effort to save Kandahar."

U.S. civilian officials are simultaneously trying to wrest control from local power brokers and to correct imbalances that favor one tribal group. They plan to set up 10 administrative districts, each with a representative council and money to spend.

Success has been only vaguely defined, and progress will be monitored through what the military calls "atmospherics reporting," including public opinion polls and levels of commerce in the streets. A senior military official said the central question, which the administration will pose and answer for itself, is: "Are we moving toward a solution in Kandahar that the people support?"

Skeptical of success?  You betcha.  What do I think ought to be done?  See “The great right-wing divide on Afghanistan” and “Why George Will is right and Gen. McChrystal isn’t.”  We ought  not be doing what we’re doing.  We continue denying what is behind the enemy we face: Islamic ideology with morality, ethics, goals, and aspirations 180 degrees different from our own.  We are trying to sell refrigerators to Eskimos.  We have Islamic Jihad occurring in our own country that we don’t admit to.  We need to admit, understand and adjust to the enemy we face.  In the meantime we are wasting our resources.  Get us out of there!

Obama’s policies mimic Islamic practices…

I’ve often wondered what the affinity is between liberals and Islam. Why do liberals so aggressively defend Muslims and the Islamic faith? It seems so counter-intuitive that “liberals” (especially cultural liberals) would defend a “religion” that is, at its core, opposed to women’s rights, gay rights, and freedom of thought and expression. In the case of Barack Obama, the connection is clear. The priority is not cultural preservation but redistribution of wealth and power. Obama and the like-minded administration he appointed are the personification of this priority.

In the process of studying Islam, I’ve learned that the second part of the religions/political duality of Islam is the forced redistribution of wealth and power. This is the essence of the predominant form of jihad taught by Mohammad through the examples of his methods and conquests as expounded in Islamic scripture.

While Muslims will argue that jihad simply means “inner struggle”, their personal inner battle of good vs. evil, it is critical to note that such teaching in Islamic scripture constitutes 3% of the text. On the other hand, the violent jihad that has made Islam famous over the last decade constitutes 97% of Islamic scripture. This emphasis in Islamic scripture on physical jihad is a reflection of the priority of Muhammad - the example all Muslims are urged to mimic. Muhammad spent his final years leading and promoting raids across the Middle East killing pagans, Jews, and Christians under the pretext of submission to Allah. The purpose? To force the redistribution of wealth and power. Muhammad was known as a generous man. He made it a practice to redistribute the booty from his raids to those who submitted to Allah. His supporters grew in number. Ahhh, Chicago politics.

Obama is being true to the teaching of Muhammad in his mandates to force the redistribution of wealth. He is being true to both his liberal base and the Islamic ideology that shaped his younger life.

Oh, thou doth protest: But Obama is a Christian! But a Muslim can label himself a Christian. Why? Jesus Christ is a prophet in Islam, below the status of Muhammad, but still esteemed as a prophet. Couple this with the obligation of Muslims to bend the facts (aka “lie and deceive’) to protect themselves or Islam and Muslims will feel perfectly at ease in labeling themselves “Christian” in an environment suspicious of Islam.

Obama has said and done too much endorsing, promoting, and defending Islam and Islamic nations to ignore the connection. He has proposed or implemented too many policies that mimic Islamic priorities that only those ignorant about Islam or out of touch with current events would fail to grasp this reality. His personal and family background in Islam is too pervasive to have little influence.

Obama’s actions are consistent with his beliefs. He is furthering the Islamic mandates of forced redistribution of wealth and power in the United States. Short of practicing violent jihad, he is implementing Muhammadesque polices by leveraging our political system via Chicago-styled politics to accomplish his purpose.

The Visitors as Muslims: An allegory

“V” on ABC TV is one of my favorite programs.  “Visitors” is a sci-fi thriller depicting the interaction of humans on earth with alien beings that reside in space craft hovering over major world cities.  Anna, the humanoid leader of the cloaked insect species declares at her every appearance before the humans that “we are of peace – always.”  Subsequent episodes of the show reveal the ultimate intent of the V’s to take over the earth while most of the earths population and leaders remain enamored with their technology and apparent peace-loving friendliness, while remaining oblivious to their intent.

The growing number of humans who have become suspicious or aware of their intent along with a number of renegade V’s have formed a “5th column” to try to stop the V’s.  But of course, the politically correct majority consider such spoilers to be intolerant and bigoted Visitor-phoebes.  The V’s created a “live-aboard” program as an outreach to encourage humans to experience life aboard the hovering spacecraft out of gratitude for the V’s living among the humans on earth.  But what happens to the humans who agree to come aboard gradually becomes apparent and it isn’t good.

This plot line could easily be interpreted as an allegory of the intent and efforts of Muslims (the V’s) to gain dominance over the West and its infidels (the humans).  The Islamic spokesmen who claim Islam is “a religion of peace” are Anna proclaiming “we are of peace, always.”  This form of deception in Islam is called Taqiyya.  The Islamic request for infidels to convert to Islam parallels the offer to live aboard the alien space craft.  But once that offer is accepted, it is too late because once in, it is nearly impossible to get out with your life.  The ex-Muslims warning about Islam (e.g. Wafa Sultan, Nonie Darwish, Ehsan Jami and many who remain anonymous) mirror the renegade V’s who formed the 5th column against the V’s.  While the fate of remaining in Islam or on the spacecraft is unthinkable, the fate of those who remain oblivious about the intent of Islam or the intent of the V’s is just as bad.

Eric Holder: Symptom of a Larger Problem…

Eric Holder played the protector of Islam during questioning by Rep. Lamar Smith of the House Judiciary Committee.  Holder not only refuses to admit that Islam and its’ anti-western ideology is behind the several recent attacks on the US.  He goes one step further and refuses to concede that “radical Islam” is behind the attacks.

I know it isn’t ignorance or lack of CIA or FBI intelligence.  It’s not lack of keeping track of MSNBC, CNN, or Huffington Post or even FOX news.  There is something else going on.

Here are several or a combination of other possibilities.

• Islamist have effectively intimidated the US, and given that our military and economy are spread so thin, we are doing everything in our power, however unreasonable and untruthful it might be, to avoid “insulting” or provoking further attacks.  That strategy doesn’t seem to be working.  What do you think?

• The US has built up so many alliances with Islamic interests, particularly with regard to oil resources, that we are in no position to tick them off.  So our leaders believe it is in our nation’s best interest to avoid discussing the truth of the attacks and the truth of the Islamic ideology, however obvious that truth may be.

• Here’s one hot off the press:  Obama has made secret deals with the Iranian mullahcracy to facilitate the weakening of both the USA and Israel, even the planned destruction of Israel, in exchange for promises from Iran and now the Turkish leadership that ‘all they want’ – à la Munich, 1938 – is their individual MidEast Sudentenland, each of them.

  Turkey and Iran have decided to split the ME between them – East and West. Turkey will recreate a new Sunni-controlled Ottoman Empire, and Iran will be allowed its own ‘greater Iran’ hegemony…i.e. a new Shiite Caliphate stretching beyond its current borders.

  Obama, who is a Muslim, agrees with this plan and has pledged to help throw Israel – along with all American national security interests – to the wolves.

One or more of the above scenarios is likely to have some truth behind it.   None are a pleasant thought. 

Here is Mark Stein’s take on the Holder’s stab at Islamic deception.

Why Islamic Nations Prohibit Churches

You have probably heard some folks suggest that new Islamic mosques should be allowed in non-Muslim nations only when places like Saudi Arabia allow Christian Churches.  Why don’t they?  The answer is clear enough.  Islam is the only “true religion.”  All others are false. Why would an Islamic nation that believes Islam is the only true religion allow others to mess with peoples minds and faith?  This is the logical position of Islamic scholars and leaders of Islamic nations.  Makes sense if that is your view.

On the other hand, Americans are of a decidedly mixed mind.  Even Christians can’t agree that Christianity is the truest religion.  Their ecumenicalism reveals their lack of certainty and dedication to their faith.  Who wins under this scenario.  Half-hearted Christians or whole-hearted Muslims?

The following from JonathanTurley.org:

Islamic Scholar: Allowing Churches in Islamic Nations Just Doesn’t Add Up

I just came across this video of prominent Islamic scholar Dr. Zakir Naik explaining why Islamic governments like Saudi Arabia must be allowed to build mosques in other countries but correctly bans that construction of a single church or temple in its own country. The reason is simple math: allowing churches into Saudi Arabia would be like hiring teachers who cannot do simple math.

What I love about this video is the combination of arrogance and ignorance. The reason, it turns out, is that Islam is the only true religion. Therefore, it is an outrage for other countries to restrict construction of mosques but it would be an equal outrage to expect Saudi Arabia to allow a single church in the Kingdom.

Encounter with a pastor teaching about Islam

I was told to expect this, but the actual experience is a disappointing confirmation of the illness of our mainline churches.  No wonder they are in decline. 

The assistant pastor of a local mainline church is planning a series of classes on Islam.  The announcement says that the History Channel series “Inside Islam” will be the centerpiece of these classes.  The pastor indicated to one of the parishioners that he has not yet viewed the History Channel videos, yet the content announcement has already been made.

I called the pastor to offer some additional information that may be helpful to his class.  I received the quickest rejection of assistance I’ve ever received on any topic.  He proclaimed (“bloviated” I think is the operative word) that he has been studying Islam for 26 years.  He has more information on the topic then he can possibly use.  He needs a rest from his information overload.  He knows there are two sides to the issue, and he is going to present objective material and take it right down the middle.  I thought I would take one stab at conversation by mentioning Joel Richardson’s , “The Islamic Anti-Christ”, a current book that surely a Christian dedicated to teaching about Islam would remember. His reply:  I’ve read so many I don’t recall.   (His underlying message to me: “I know where your reactionary ass is coming from so go stuff a sock in it”.)  All righty then.

His dismissal of my offer was troubling on several levels.  First, I find his “middle of the road” approach troubling coming from a man who represents a religion that is totally disrespected and under siege by the religion he is teaching about.  I find it troubling that he has closed his mind to the potential of new information.  I find it troubling that he seemed so burned out by his past endeavors on this topic.  I find it troubling that he has not viewed the material he plans to show, and in fact, that he plans to show that particular material (the History Channel series on Islam) which in many ways misrepresents the traditional orthodox Islamic ideology.  For example, it portrays the God of Islam and the God of Christianity to be the same God – oh what a pity we don’t all pray to that same God together, etc.

Back to reality, that pastor is the personification of what is going on in mainline churches with regard to Islam.  “Islam is super-duper at its core if only there weren’t those pesky radicals.  And only if there weren’t these pesky non-Muslims, those darned intolerant racist bigots who try to portray Islam in a bad light.  Shucks, we need to take the middle road and avoid the extremes because we really don’t want to offend anyone.  We will take the middle road between Satan and Jesus, too, just in case one is right and one is wrong.”

From my perspective, if only we didn’t have burned out pastors in our churches attempting to teach about Islam.  If only our churches  weren’t overcome by the same politically correct, middle-of-the-road moral equivalency-loving blather as the rest of our culture.

On the positive side, here is a suggested outline for teaching about the Islamic Threat in our churches, for those who care to teach the reality:

Proposed Islamic Threat Curriculum

I. Why Islam matters:

A. History

B. Numbers

C. Actions

D. Intent

E. Consequences

II. Tendencies of our culture

A. Judging vs. vigilance and discernment

B. Political correctness vs. truth

C. Use of labels to intimidate, discredit and silence: bigot, racist, intolerant

D. Cultural diversity and morality, moral equivalency, amorality

III. World religions

A. Numbers

B. Growth rates

C. Sources and means of getting new adherents

D. Distinctions based on world region

IV. Mohammad

V. Qur’an

A. The source

B. Two sections:

• Comparison with the two parts of the Bible
• Abrogation
• Significance

VI. Allah

A. Origin

B. Nature

C. Comparison with the God of Jews and Christians

VII. Noteworthy features of Islam:

A. Merely a religion or all encompassing ideology?

• Political
• Military
• Legal - Sharia
• Social

B. Source of Islam

C. Sharia

D. Taqiyya

E. Dhimmis

F. Kafirs

G. Jihad

VIII. Moderate Islam: Questions about …

A. “religion of peace”,

B. “moderate Muslims”

C. “hijacked by a few radicals”

D. “no compulsion”

E. Jihad = “inner struggle”

F. Notable “moderate Muslims

G. “Sudden Jihad syndrome

H. How “moderate Muslims” support and promote the cause of Islam

IX. Attitudes toward west, people of the book, Jews and Christians

A. Historical events; crusades

B. Quick time line of Islamic resurgences

C. Current events

X. Comparisons and contrasts to Christianity

A. Genealogical roots of Mohammad and Jesus from biblical perspective

B. Methods of promoting:

• Teaching/indoctrination
• Evangelizing/coercion

C. Contrasts of Mohammad and Christ

D. Salvation

E. End times interpretations

• Mahdi, Antichrist, Messiah
• Polar opposites (Joel Richardson)

XI. The Islamic Threat

A. How significant?

B. What perpetuates it?

C. What if we do nothing different?

D. What are our options?

E. Action plan

Possible allocation of time in a four week series:

Session One: Sections I, II, and III.

Session Two: Sections IV, V, and VI.

Session Three: Sections VII, VIII, and IX.

Session Four: Sections X and XI.

Additional materials and suggestions will be provided upon request.  Here is a page describing the void in Christian Churches in teaching the truth about Islam.

Taleb’s Self-fulfilling Prophecy…

Nassim Taleb, the Arab author/scientist/businessman who wrote The Black Swan warned of a global banking crisis based on his models showing the consequences of excessive interconnectivity of civilized systems.  (I guess he prefers uncivilized randomness.)

A Wall Street Journal article described Taleb’s role in triggering the 1000 point drop on Wall Street last week:

Shortly after 2:15 p.m. Eastern time last Thursday, hedge fund Universa Investments LP placed a big bet in the Chicago options trading pits that stocks would continue their sharp declines.

…coming on a day when all varieties of financial markets were deeply unsettled, the trade may have played a key role in the stock-market collapse just 20 minutes later.

The trade by Universa, a hedge fund advised by Nassim Taleb, author of "Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable," led traders on the other side of the transaction—including Barclays Capital, the brokerage arm of British bank Barclays PLC—to do their own selling to offset some of the risk, according to traders in Chicago.

Then, as the market fell, those declines are likely to have forced even more "hedging" sales, creating a tsunami of pressure that spread to nearly all parts of the market.

Taleb predicted such a “global banking crisis” in his book “The Black Swan”.  Apparently the crisis didn’t occur quickly enough.  He felt he had to help it along.

In 2007, in The Black Swan^[37]

Globalization creates interlocking fragility, while reducing volatility and giving the appearance of stability. In other words it creates devastating Black Swans. We have never lived before under the threat of a global collapse. Financial Institutions have been merging into a smaller number of very large banks. Almost all banks are interrelated. So the financial ecology is swelling into gigantic, incestuous, bureaucratic banks – when one fails, they all fall. The increased concentration among banks seems to have the effect of making financial crisis less likely, but when they happen they are more global in scale and hit us very hard. We have moved from a diversified ecology of small banks, with varied lending policies, to a more homogeneous framework of firms that all resemble one another. True, we now have fewer failures, but when they occur ....I shiver at the thought.

The government-sponsored institution Fannie Mae, when I look at its risks, seems to be sitting on a barrel of dynamite, vulnerable to the slightest hiccup. But not to worry: their large staff of scientists deem these events "unlikely".

While I understand that Taleb is Greek Orthodox and not Muslim, his ideas in some respects mirror the mission of Islam: To evoke distrust toward essential elements of civilization (e.g. technological systems) and help assure that such distrust is justified by having a hand in achieving their dysfunction.

“No cyber attack on Wall Street” – huh?

True to form, before the facts are known, before the investigation is complete, the White House declares there has not been a cyber attack on Wall Street’s computerized stock exchange.  This premature response engenders more suspicion than comfort.

Knee-jerk reactions are now common practice of Prince Janet and King Hussein.  Deny the possible, or even the likely, before the facts are known.  This occurs regularly after Islamic attacks and now their idiocy has spread to Wall Street disasters.

Here is the story.

Islamic Mosque approved next to “ground zero”

Imagine if:

In 1942, the US government approved a Japanese memorial and training center at the site of the sneak attack at Pearl Harbor.

Or in 1945, the London Planning Commission approved the construction of a a Nazi memorial and training center on the site of Trafalgar Square buildings destroyed by the Blitzkrieg.

Or in 2010, the City of New York approved a $100 million Islamic mosque and training center at the site of the former World Trade Center Islamic terror attack.

All three scenarios represent projects honoring ideologies which are hostile toward and contrary to the interests of the host nation and if they were actually approved would have caused a firestorm of righteous indignation.  None of these scenarios is comprehensible.

Surreally, the third is true.  Why?  Because the out of touch powers that be feel compelled to prove that we are a tolerant nation at the request of hyper-intolerant Islam.  It does not matter that Islam is an ideology that considers this nation a Great Satan to destroy or convert.  It does not matter that such action would be a slap in the face to the sensibilities of a million New Yorkers and tens of millions of other Americans. It does not matter that what Allen West said is true:  “when tolerance becomes a one way street it leads to cultural suicide."

New York City is in the process of approving a large Islamic Mosque next to “ground zero.”  Read more about this suicidal cultural diversity on Atlas Shrugs HERE.

If Islam is rightfully defined as an all encompassing political “ideology” and not merely a “religion”, then automatic approval does not have to occur.  It should be denied because the sponsoring organization promotes the same ideology behind the multiple World Trade Center atrocities.  Why would we permit a known terrorist organization to build such a facility?  Why?

Market Glitch or Manipulation?

It was more than someone mistakenly hitting the B key versus hitting the M key selling off Procter and Gamble.  CNBC quoted Citigroup:

"At this point, we have no evidence that Citi was involved in any erroneous transaction" and the head of the NYSE said "I don't think you are looking for one bank that traded the wrong number of shares."

Other trading anomalies were also emerging: Accenture, a $40 stock, at one point dropped to one cent. ONE CENT. And 3M shares had a wild swing in afternoon trading, falling to around $68, before popping to $90 and finally settling at $84.24. 

Other stocks also inexplicably dropped precipitously to a penny.  Does the word “HACK” possibly enter into this scenario?  A hack with  a motive is either organized crime or “cyber terror.”  What would better cause people to lose trust in the market than this series of oddities being determined to be a hack job – and one for which there is no known cause or fix?  On top of all the other market vulnerabilities, this would appear to be a call to hoard the canned goods and be prepared to sell what exchange investments you have left and look for a spot under the mattress.

To CNBC it sound like “manipulation.”

The SEC is investigating.

Christianity is the “easy target”

This turn of events makes one ponder.  Christians certainly don’t want to slice off the heads of those who mock their Savior as Muslims react to mocking Mohammad.  Yet we know that  as a result of such mocking Christians and Christianity will be harmed.  What’s the harm, you ask?  The same as results from mocking in the school yard against some idea or possession another child really loves and respects.  Except now we are adults and can take it.  But what about the less mature?  What about those who might be offended, or in a sensitive stage of Christian exploration.  Or more damaging, fueling the disbelief and disrespect by non-Christians and the irreligious against Christianity.

The same can be said with regard to mocking Islam from the Muslim perspective.  The difference is that Muslims are known to act on their offense.  Christians seldom do.

The difference between tolerance and intolerance, free speech and tyranny is clearly demonstrated by these opposite reactions by Christians and Muslims to Comedy Centrals’ mocking pursuits.

From “The Live Feed”…

Comedy Central developing Jesus Christ cartoon

Comedy Central might censor every image of the Prophet Muhammad on "South Park," yet the network is developing a whole animated series around Jesus Christ.

As part of the network's upfront presentation to advertisers (full slate here), the network is set to announce "JC," a half-hour show about Christ wanting to escape the shadow of his "powerful but apathetic father" and live a regular life in New York City.

In the show, God is preoccupied with playing video games while Christ, "the ultimate fish out of water," tries to adjust to life in the big city.

"In general, comedy in purist form always makes some people uncomfortable," said Comedy Central's head of original programming Kent Alterman.

When asked if the show might draw some fire, especially coming on the heels of the network's decision to censor the Muslim faith's religious figure on "South Park," Alterman said its too early in the show's development to be concerned about such matters. 

"We don't even know what the show is yet," he said.

Like all Comedy Central executives, Alterman declined to address the recent controversy over "South Park," where the network aired a heavily redacted episode after the show's creators were threatened by an extremist Islamic Web site.

"JC" is produced by Reveille ("The Office"), Henrik Basin, Brian Boyle ("American Dad"), Jonathan Sjoberg and Andreas Ohman.

Freedom of Expression except during a racist holiday…

The headline below signifies confusion and disregard for who we are as a nation.  If you have to ask the question: “Do we choose freedom of expression or prohibit that freedom out of “respect” then the whole idea and purpose of our American culture and heritage is lost.  Anyone who thinks about that option for more than 30 seconds can come up with a few scenarios where option B is absurd.

First of all, in this instance, Cinco de Mayo Day promotes racism.  Second, many of the celebrants are illegal aliens, breaking the laws of and disrespecting their host country.  Third, citizens who desire to express their patriotism by displaying the American Flag have every right to do so – especially on Cinco de Mayo day.

If it were my kid, I would be livid.  If I was aware that he had to go home to change, I would be the one to change my shirt and join him in the school hallways with my American Flag shirt.  I would then be approached by security who would direct me to leave.  I would hold my voice recorder toward his face as he explained why I must leave.  He will explain that we are not allowed to have T-shirts displaying the American Flag.  I will ask him where that requirement is written.  He will say the requirement is not written – that the Ameican Flag is provocative.  I will ask why is an American Flag considered provocative in the United States? He will say because it is Cinco de Mayo day and we must respect that holiday.  I will ask  why do we have to respect someone else’s holiday by losing our God-given Constitutional rights.  He will then lose his patience with me, if he hadn’t before this point, and escort me off campus.

At that point I seek a good pro-bono civil rights attorney.

School administrators can be such politically-correct, knee-jerk automatons.  They don’t hesitate to stifle the rights of the majority to promote cultural diversity.  Bastards! 

Freedom of expression or cultural disrespect on Cinco de Mayo?

By GEORGE KIRIYAMA

Updated 6:26 AM PDT, Thu, May 6, 2010

On any other day at Live Oak High School in Morgan Hill, Daniel Galli and his four friends would not even be noticed for wearing T-shirts with the American flag. But Cinco de Mayo is not any typical day especially on a campus with a large Mexican American student population.

Galli says he and his friends were sitting at a table during brunch break when the vice principal asked two of the boys to remove American flag bandannas that they wearing on their heads and for the others to turn their American flag T-shirts inside out. When they refused, the boys were ordered to go to the principal's office.

"They said we could wear it on any other day," Daniel Galli said, "but today is sensitive to Mexican-Americans because it's supposed to be their holiday so we were not allowed to wear it today."

The boys said the administrators called their T-shirts "incendiary" that would lead to fights on campus.

The ill-advised administrators ought to do their jobs and make it clear to the culturally diverse students what America is all about.  They obviously did not do their part to teach their students to respect American values.  This is the same mentality that our government and media have that cause them to pander to out of control Islamists in this country.  Respect Cinco-de Mayo.  Respect Islam.  Riiiiiight.   Let those who celebrate do their own respecting.

The students were told Cinco de Mayo Is Not the Day for Patriotism.  "They said if we tried to go back to class with our shirts not taken off, they said it was defiance and we would get suspended," Dominic Maciel, Galli's friend, said.

The boys really had no choice, and went home to avoid suspension. They say they're angry they were not allowed to express their American pride. Their parents are just as upset, calling what happened to their children, "total nonsense."

"I think it's absolutely ridiculous," Julie Fagerstrom, Maciel's mom, said. "All they were doing was displaying their patriotic nature. They're expressing their individuality."

But to many Mexican-American students at Live Oak, this was a big deal. They say they were offended by the five boys and others for wearing American colors on a Mexican holiday.

"I think they should apologize cause it is a Mexican Heritage Day," Annicia Nunez, a Live Oak High student, said. "We don't deserve to be get disrespected like that. We wouldn't do that on Fourth of July."

As for an apology, the boys and their families say, "fat chance."

"I'm not going to apologize. I did nothing wrong," Galli said. "I went along with my normal day. I might have worn an American flag, but I'm an American and I'm proud to be an American."

The five boys and their families met with a Morgan Hill Unified School District official Wednesday night. The district released a statement saying it does not agree with how Live Oak High School administrators handled this incident.

I can imagine the School District Official’s conversation with the School Administrators after that meeting:  “Brownie, you did a heck of a job.  I HAD to disagree with you in pubic to avoid a backlash from those right wing fanatics.”

The boys will not be suspended and they were told they can go back to school Thursday. They may even wear their red, white, and blue colors again, but this time, the day after Cinco de Mayo, there will be no controversy. 

http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local-beat/Students-Wearing-American-Flag-Shirts-Sent-Home-92945969.html

Will Islamists check “member of terror group” on Green Card app?

From Fox News:

The suspect in the Times Square car bombing attempt is the latest in a series of U.S. citizens and green card holders to be implicated in a terror plot inside the United States, raising questions about the naturalization process that turns foreigners into Americans.

Several hurdles are in place for immigrants to attain U.S. citizenship and, in turn, its platinum-status passport. Pakistani-born suspect Faisal Shahzad, according to reports, passed clean through his security checks and became a U.S. citizen in April 2009. He first entered the United States on a student visa in the late 1990s.

While the citizenship process is rigorous and takes about four months, there are areas it can miss.

Take foreign travel.

The main citizenship form asks applicants for a five-year history of their travel outside the United States. It also asks a series of questions about the applicant's criminal and personal background, including whether they have ever been a member of a terror group; ever advocated for the overthrow of any government by force; ever been a part of the Nazi government; ever been a prostitute; ever been "a habitual drunkard"; ever been a polygamist; ever committed a crime but not arrested; or ever lied to get into the United States.

This section sounds a bit outdated.  The question, “ever been a part of the Nazi government” needs to be changed to “ever been affiliated with the Islamic religion or support the Islamic ideology?”

These questions rely a lot on the individual's honesty -- terrorists applying for citizenship probably won't check the box declaring their outlaw affiliations.

Probably not.

Similarly, if they've lied to get into the United States before, they are unlikely to admit it during the naturalization process.

A series of background checks, which apply to everyone, is meant to catch the liars. But while travel records may come up in the process, the immigration official said the process does not look in depth at foreign or domestic travel.

"It's just not something that we need to know a lot about," the official said.

And why not?  Another ignorant bureaucrat.

But as thorough as the process is, [you got to be kidding] the background checks cease once an individual gets his or her citizenship.

Peter Brookes, a senior fellow with the Heritage Foundation, said a major goal of a group like Al Qaeda is to get people inside the U.S. system, where they can move freely.

"If you get somebody inside the wires, they would say in the military ... if you can keep somebody below the radar screen, allow them to operate without suspicion, they can get into Times Square with a van filled with explosives," he said.

Sen. Joseph Lieberman, I-Conn., told Fox News that it would be going too far to re-examine naturalized U.S. citizens from select countries like Pakistan in light of this incident.

Joe, Joe, Joe.  You need to get out more.  That is a really really really ignorant comment.

"I wouldn't want to single out a group," he said, calling the majority of citizens of Pakistani descent "totally loyal to our country."

You need to start singling people out who have been here for less than a given period.  You need to single out the “frequent travelers” and those who have been here a short time. 

But he said an "old law" that allows the U.S. government to strip somebody of his or her citizenship if he is found fighting with an enemy military force should be amended to cover people found to be affiliated with foreign terror groups.

Najibullah Zazi, a Colorado shuttle driver and Afghan citizen, also was able to clear the immigration process and become a permanent U.S. resident. He pleaded guilty in a plot to bomb the New York subway system in February.

For those who come from outside the United States, the naturalization process is complicated and lengthy. 

Apparently not complicated and lengthy enough!

Click here to review the questions on the citizenship application form.

Churches blind to Islamic threat

It is understandable that Obama, a former(?) Muslim and a self-declared Islamic sympathizer, defends Islamic nations and refuses to identify Islamic terror as a component of traditional Islamic ideology.  He defends his brethren.

It is understandable that the media, most of whom are atheists or half-hearted believers raised in liberal churches, do not distinguish Islam from any other religion in terms of its destructive culture and propensity toward terror.  They appeal to the ignorant masses.

It is understandable that academicians who make their living by critiquing the evils of the status quo and the bright future of cultural diversity and alternative lifestyles defend Islam.  That makes them agents of new ideas and super tolerant of the intolerant.

What is not understandable is the silence of our Christian Churches and Jewish Synagogues regarding Islam.  A search of the websites of the major Presbyterian, Methodist, Lutheran, Baptist and Catholic denominations shows an absence of understanding of the Islamic threat.   Instead, there is typically the simplistic injunction to “love your neighbor” and “embrace all believers in God or Allah – we are all God’s children.”  A call for ecumenicalism – “discover what we hold in common” - is often the priority when churches refer to Islam.  Jews simply succumb to the Stockholm syndrome and don’t say anything just to get along through their subliminal fears from their past.

Churches fail to understand and warn about the diametrically opposite and potentially deadly doctrines of Islam.  Christianity:  Love and forgiveness;  Islam:  Intimidation and submission.   Christianity:  Tolerance;  Islam:  Intolerance.  Our churches have not grasped the concept “that  when tolerance becomes a one way street it leads to cultural suicide" as stated by Lt. Col. Allen West.  Opposites even exist in the beliefs concerning end times:  The Christian "savior" (Messiah) is the Islamic anti-Christ, and the Islamic savior (Mahdi) is the Christian anti-Christ.  God and Allah are not the same.  Their differences are striking for those who care to understand them.

When will the churches wake up?  Sure, “the meek will inherit the earth.  But the meek don’t need to remain ignorant.  Their culturally diverse political correctness will corrupt their beliefs.  At a minimum our churches need to be teaching the true nature of Islam in their Sunday School classes.  Teaching commonalities is nice.  We have things in common with Scorpions (we are all God’s creatures) but, really, the differences are very important.  Differences are essential to convey to its members.  There should be strong words from the pulpits concerning these differences.  There are numerous sermon topics that can spring from defining such differences:  God and Allah:  Are they the same?  Who is the anti-Christ: Christian and Islamic Interpretations.  Love and forgiveness: Contrasting perspectives.  And my favorite:  Terror:  Christian or Islamic?  There are countless relevant sermon topics on this subject.

Churches waste significant time and energy bashing the so-called Christian “cults” (the “big three”:  Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, and Christian Scientists) which in fact hold 95% in common and promote the same morality and culture.  When is the last time one of these groups committed an act of terror?  Which of these religions teach intolerance and anti-Semitism?  These are the wrong boogie men.  That energy needs to be reprioritized and devoted to revealing facts, motives, and actions about Islam.

The churches don’t have to “preach hate” to get the truth across.  Truth is not hate.  The facts are not hate.  The church really needs to get a spine and enhance awareness among their members of the critical distinctions between Islam and Christianity before they are subject to persecutions that make it even more difficult and painful to reveal the truth.  There is something compelling about the expression “the truth shall set you free.”  Once we are intimidated against revealing the truth we cease being free.

Muslim Immigration Grab Bag…

Here are two loosely related items I thought worthy of passing on:

***

Finally – a University resisting Muslim intimidation.

The story begins at Michigan State University with a mechanical engineering professor named Indred Wichman. 

Wichman sent an e-mail to the Muslim Student's Association.  The e-mail was in response to the students' protest of the Danish cartoons that portrayed the Prophet Muhammad as a terrorist.

The group had complained the cartoons were 'hate speech'

Enter Professor Wichman.  In his e-mail, he said the following:

Dear Muslim Association,

As a professor of Mechanical Engineering here at MSU I intend to protest your protest.

I am offended not by cartoons, but by more mundane things like beheadings of civilians, cowardly attacks on public buildings, suicide murders, murders of Catholic priests (the latest in Turkey), burnings of Christian churches, the continued persecution of Coptic Christians in Egypt, the imposition of Sharia law on non-Muslims, the rapes of Scandinavian girls and women (called 'whores' in your culture), the murder of film directors in Holland, and the rioting and looting in Paris France.

This is what offends me, a soft-spoken person and academic, and many, many of my colleagues. I counsel you dissatisfied, aggressive, brutal, and uncivilized slave-trading Muslims to be very aware of this as you proceed with your infantile 'protests.'

If you do not like the values of the West - see the 1st Amendment - you are free to leave. I hope for God's sake that most of you choose that option.

Please return to your ancestral homelands and build them up yourselves instead of troubling Americans.

Cordially,

I.. S. Wichman

Professor of Mechanical Engineering

As you can imagine, the Muslim group at the university didn't like this too well.  They're demanding that Wichman be reprimanded and the university impose mandatory diversity training for faculty and mandate a seminar on hate and discrimination for all freshmen.

Now the local chapter of CAIR has jumped into the fray.  CAIR, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, apparently doesn't believe that the good professor had the right to express his opinion.

For its part, the university is standing its ground in support of Professor Wichman, saying the e-mail was private, and they don't intend to publicly condemn his remarks.

Congratulations, Professor and Michigan State, for standing up.  This is truly inspirational.