Dorrie's Picks, 3/13/09

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9uHpzOcJmA&NR=1
Video: On Al-Jazeera TV, Kuwaiti Prof Suggests a Biological Attack on White House

“I seem to recall about a decade ago we sent American resources and spilled American blood to free Kuwait from Iraqi plunder and conquest.”Now a Kuwaiti professor shows us islamic gratitude. Listen to how nicely he pronounces the few English words - with quite an American accent! Note his introductory remarks about Anthrax on the White House lawn!” –Allan, chapter leader, ACT! For America, NY

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/03/13/enemy.combatant/index.html
U.S. reverses policy, drops 'enemy combatant' term
. . . In a court filing in Washington, the department said it is developing a new standard for the government's authority to hold detainees at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility in Cuba.

The announcement says the Justice Department will no longer rely on the the president's authority as commander in chief, but on authority specifically granted by Congress. . . .

I have no idea from this if this is a good or bad move for those of us who want them to stay in Gitmo, but God forbid we should ever call them Muslim terrorists.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/03/11/wolf-deeply-disappointed-fbis-lack-answers-cairs-questionable-ties/
Congressman 'Deeply Disappointed' By FBI's Lack of Answers on CAIR's Questionable Ties
Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va., says he is surprised and disappointed by the FBI, which has given him no answers in his investigation of the questionable ties of the nation’s largest Islamic advocacy group.

And happily, the Congressman paid no apparent attention to CAIR's ridiculous attempt at making him look the bad guy:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/usnw/20090312/pl_usnw/gop_rep_pressures_fbi_for__payback__against_muslim_civil_rights_group
GOP Rep Pressures FBI for 'Payback' Against Muslim Civil Rights Group
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) charged today that a Virginia member of the U.S. House of Representatives has "abused his office" by seeking to pressure the FBI to produce negative information about the Muslim civil rights and advocacy group.

In a letter delivered to the FBI on Monday, Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA) said he is "deeply disappointed" in the agency's "insufficient response" to an earlier letter apparently seeking negative information based on smears against CAIR by Internet Muslim-bashers like Steven Emerson.

Emerson was recently named one of Fairness & Accuracy in Media's "dirty dozen" of Islamophobes. (http://www.smearcasting.com/) FOXNews.com articles on the controversy have been based on Emerson's online attacks on CAIR.

and, the following is Steve Emerson's response to CAIR's broadside: http://www.investigativeproject.org/

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/03/11/terrorism.recruitment/
Domestic terror threat growing, Senate committee warns
There is an increasing threat of homegrown terror stemming from segments of a deeply isolated and alienated Somali-American community, a U.S. Senate committee hearing concluded Wednesday.

The hearing highlighted the case of Shirwa Ahmed, a 27-year-old Somali-American who had been radicalized by al-Shabaab in his adopted home state of Minnesota before traveling to Somalia and blowing up himself and 29 others in October.

“And it is growing in no small part because of the abject failure of government and law enforcement to deal with the Islamic doctrines and beliefs that provide the justification for "terrorism." Instead, most policymakers and law enforcement officials have decided a priori, without a shred of evidence, that those doctrines either do not exist or have no influence on American Muslims.”—Robert Spencer

http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/article.asp?article=326250&paper=59&cat=104
Extortion, Guns and Visa Fraud:
Springfield man sentenced to 18 months for conspiracy to commit fraud, transporting illegal firearm.
A three-year FBI investigation into extortion, gun distribution and visa and marriage fraud concluded with the sentencing of a seventh and final defendant in U.S. District Court in Alexandria Friday, Feb. 27, 2009.

The FBI investigation began in 2005 when Springfield resident, Amjad Mustafa Hamed, 32, attempted to purchase six U.S. visas from an FBI source to put on six Palestinian Authority passports smuggled into the United States, according to Joseph Persichini Jr., assistant director in charge of the FBI Washington Field Office. . . .

Just pointing out that once again an American jury gets it right.

http://pajamasmedia.com/phyllischesler/2009/03/12/vindicated-by-muslims-against-sharia-law/
[Chesler] Vindicated by “Muslims Against Sharia Law.”
. . . Lo and Behold: A second honorable ally wrote to me. I want to share what he said. His name is Khalim Massoud, and he is the President of Muslims Against Sharia Law, an international organization. After reading my most recent blog HERE, he wrote me as follows:

“There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that (the) Buffalo beheading is a honorcide. We, Muslims Against Sharia, prefer this term to honor murder. Beheading is not just a murder, it’s a ritual. It’s a form of control and humiliating a family member who “stepped over the line,” in this case, wife taking out a TRO (order of protection) and planning to divorce her husband. . . .

I would suggest we all bookmark Muslims against Sharia Law, and Phyllis Chesler’s columns in Pajamas Media for the future.

http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/local/the_intelligencer/the_intelligencer_news_details/article/27/2009/march/10/school-buses-soft-targets-for-possible-terrorist-attacks/print.html
School buses "soft targets" for possible terrorist attacks
Terrorism experts say homeland security begins at the school bus stop.

It's a school security gap that most parents, police and school officials don't always see, but terrorists do.

School buses can be vulnerable to a potential attacker, but are often overlooked in a school district's security plan.

This is a sad commentary of the worries that parents have to contend with today, but it's good to know there are people aware of and working to prevent the problem.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hMT9GSjeFeuiRWPCUKflpfkvfw3QD96SOREO0
Obama official on leave after FBI raids
The charges were lodged against the two men at a federal court hearing as the FBI finished searching the city's technology office, which was led until recently by Obama's new computer chief, Vivek Kundra.

At the court hearing, Yusuf Acar (a 40-year-old native of Turkey), the acting chief security officer in the city's technology office . . . Technology consultant Sushil Bansal . . .

Yes, these could be Hindu East Indians, I suppose. . . .

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/4972554/Iranian-TV-show-scrapped-after-child-calls-toy--monkey-Ahmadinejad-live-on-air.html
Iranian TV show scrapped after child calls toy monkey Ahmadinejad live on air
When the presenter of Amoo Pourang (Uncle Pourang), a programme watched by millions of Iranian children three times a week on state TV, asked the name of the toy the boy had been given as a reward for behaving himself, the child replied: "Well, my father calls him Ahmadinejad."

The father's likely unease at his son's honesty was matched by the programme-makers after the state broadcaster, IRIB, immediately responded by removing the show from viewing schedules . . .
This struck me as funny, but it really isn’t. Lack of freedom of speech is lack of freedom of speech, which is the death-nell for everyone.