NEWS: “Republicans simply will not make the budget case in public”
Murder by Numbers
Randall Hoven
Today’s murder rate is essentially at a low point of the past century. The murder rate in 2011 was lower than it was in 1911. More
If the Bush Tax Cuts are ELIMINATED what will happen to U.S. Families paying Federal Income Tax?
Without a deal, almost everyone in the country will get hit Tuesday with massive tax hikes, and deep federal spending cuts, mostly to the military, will go into effect. Conservative leaders have speculated that Obama is not averse to going off the fiscal cliff because he’d get the tax hikes he has championed for years.
Math Is Coming
Math is remorseless, and it will eventually balance its numbers, not caring who is hurt in the process. More: Fiscal Cliff, the 11th Hour: GOP Says Dems Can Amend House Bills If They Like
ATF: Most Guns at Mexican Crime Scenes Traced to US
Thursday, December 27, 2012 |
Borderland Beat Reporter BuggsBorderland Beat
By Diana Washington Valdez
El Paso Times
Between 2007 and 2011, Mexican law enforcement submitted 99,691requests to the ATF for tracing, and 68,161 of those firearms were determined to come from U.S. makers or were legally imported into the United States by federally licensed firearms dealers.
The ATF said it was unable to determine the source of the rest of the firearms because of missing information about the guns themselves, where they came from and how they got into Mexico.
Mexican drug cartels have waged brutal battles over turf in several areas of Mexico, including in Juárez, where firearms were used in most of estimated 11,000 homicides that police reported between 2007 and the end of November.
This is a breakdown of total firearms recovered in Mexico and traced by ATF, and the number of weapons of unknown origin:
The “ATF Mexico” report does not include information on which, or if any, of the reported firearm recoveries were traced to the agency’s Operation Fast and Furious, in which federal agents allowed guns purchased by straw buyers in the U.S. to be smuggled into Mexico in an attempt to identify and arrest high-level arms traffickers.
More than 1,000 of the 2,000 weapons connected to the Phoenix-based operation are unaccounted for, according to U.S. lawmakers, who investigated the botched ATF operation that began in late 2009.
The ATF shut down Fast and Furious after Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry was fatally shot Dec. 14, 2010, in Arizona near the Mexican border. A rifle connected to the ATF operation was found in the vicinity of Terry’s body.
Some of the weapons attributed to Operation Fast and Furious were smuggled across the border through El Paso, and they were found by Mexican law enforcement officers at crime scenes in Juárez and other places in the state of Chihuahua.
Recently, new allegations threaten the ATF with another scandal, prompting a U.S. senator to request an investigation.
U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley, who had initiated an investigation into Fast and Furious, said in a Dec. 19 letter to Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz that a former ATF official assigned to Phoenix might have purchased a gun that Mexican officials allegedly found at the scene of a November shootout between drug cartel operatives and Mexican soldiers in Sinaloa, Mexico.
Grassley’s letter said the area of the shootout reported by Mexican officials appears to coincide with a firefight that killed several people in the same area.
“The gunfight claimed five lives, including a member of the Mexican military and a Sinaloa beauty queen, Maria Susana Flores Gamez,” Grassley’s letter said. His letter also said that the weapon allegedly obtained by the ATF official was purchased Jan. 7, 2010, but Grassley had no information on how it ended up in Mexico.
“This information’s implications and its ability to undermine public confidence in the integrity of ATF operations cannot be overstated,” Grassley’s letter said. “Your (Horowitz’s) office needs to work swiftly. There must be a thorough, independent, and public explanation of these circumstances as quickly as possible.”
No one was available for comment late Wednesday at the ATF offices in Phoenix and Washington, D.C.
The ATF also reported statistics for firearm recoveries and tracings in the United States, including Texas.
Between Jan. 1, 2011, and Dec. 31, 2011, the ATF traced 15,058 firearm recoveries to Texas. The ATF said most of the tracings are for weapons found by U.S. law enforcement officers at crime scenes in Texas and in other states, but traced back to Texas sources.
The top three recovery cities in Texas were Houston, with 3,034 firearm recoveries; Dallas, with 2,463; and Corpus Christi, with 502. ATF figures for El Paso recoveries were not available.
“We use the ATF’s tracing resources to investigate gun ownership, periodically, on a case-by-case basis,” said Mike Baranyay, a detective with the El Paso Police Department. “Our investigators can also check whether a weapon is stolen through the NCIC (National Crime Information Center) system.”
The ATF’s National Tracing Center conducted 319,000 firearms tracings in 2011.
Tracing figures for 2012 will not be available until mid-2013 or later.
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It does everything.
Zetas grow stronger despite Lazca’s death
Wednesday, December 26, 2012 |
Borderland Beat Reporter un vatoEl Diario Milenio December 26, 2012
Translated by un vato for Borderland Beat
Distrito Federal– Despite the death of the absolute ruler of Los Zetas, Heriberto Lazcano Lazcano, “El Lazca“, this criminal organization was not affected. On the contrary, its cells continue in operation and are multiplying, and they are the bloodiest in the country.
Specialists
Los Zetas were organized by a former member of the military, Arturo Guzman Decena, El Z-1, who worked worked under orders of the leader of the Gulf Cartel, Osiel Cardenas Guillen. After his death, the group continued to function as the armed branch of the cartel, but under the leadership of Jose Guadalupe Rivera, El Gordo Mata. But after the capture of Guadalupe Rivera, in April 2005, El Lazca took control of Los Zetas until 2010, when he broke up with the Gulf cartel.
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15 die in Jalisco state
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Borderland Beat Reporter badanovBy Chris Covert
Rantburg.com
At least 15 unidentified individuals have been killed in gunfights and executions in Jalisco state Tuesday and Wednesday, according to Mexican press sources.
A news item published on the website of El Universal news daily said that 15 individuals including four police agents in Pihuamo have been killed since Christmas eve.
A news item posted on the website of El Diario de Coahuila news daily reported Christmas day that the bodies of four Pihuamo municipal police agents were found in he village of Los Naranjos. The victims had been abducted from a bullring in Pihuamo municipality during an public event, and led away by armed suspects dressed in military uniforms. A fifth victim was found in Los Naranjos, but the identity had not been established; only that that victim was not a police agent.
Mexican drug cartel shooters and operatives routinely don military uniforms and use falsely marked vehicles as a mean of escaping observation.
The El Universal article quoted an unidentified source with the Secretaria de Defensa Nacional (SEDENA), the controlling agency for the Mexican Army, saying that 10 others had died in armed confrontations between armed drug groups in the areas in southern Jalisco state. The source said that army units found the bodies, and that those units were not involved with any exchange of gunfire with armed suspects.
Since a scan of the website of SEDENA failed to turn up any notifications of any shootouts from any regional commands since December 23rd, the source is probably from a military zone spokesman, likely the 41st Military Zone based in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco.
Probable gangs involved in the shootout include members of the Jalisco Nueva Generacion and Caballeros Templarios.
Chris Covert writes Mexican Drug War and national political news for Rantburg.com
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Labels: Jalisco, shootings, shootouts
9 die in Sinaloa state
Tuesday, December 25, 2012 |
Borderland Beat Reporter badanovBy Chris Covert
Rantburg.com
A total of nine unidentified individuals were shot to death in Sinaloa state Christmas eve, according to Mexican news accounts.
According to a news report originating from an El Universal wire dispatch published on the website of El Porvenir news daily, the president of Concordia municipality, Eligio Medina Ríos, told the press that armed suspects entered the village of El Platanar de los Ontiveros are starting shooting at residents who were on foot.
Among the dead were the spouse of a member of the village counsel.
Medina Ríos also placed a call with Sinaloa governor Mario Lopez Valdez to ask for emergency aid to the area.
It is unclear where in Concordia municipality El Platanar de los Ontiveros is, except that it has been noted it is in a remote mountainous area of Sinaloa state.
The report also notes that many residents of the area have fled violence, including those from the villages of La Cieneguilla, El Tiro, El Llano and Zaragoza.
Concordia itself sits on Mexico Federal Highway 40, the northern most contiguous major east west road in Mexico. The highway connects the seaport of Mazatlan in Sinaloa state on the Pacific coast and Reynosa and Matamoros in Tamaulipas state.
Chris Covert writes Mexican Drug War and national political news for Rantburg.com
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Labels: shootings, sinaloa
New Concerns For President Peña Nieto: Hezbollah’s Rising Profile In Mexico – Analysis
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Borderland Beat Reporter Havana Pura
The South American drug trade has provided an opportunity for Hezbollah’s illicit activity for years, which would allow the terrorist organization to maintain financial solvency. According to U.S. security services, the majority of Hezbollah’s illegal operations have occurred along the Colombia-Venezuela border, as well as the Tri- Border Region between Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina. In these areas, a number of analysts have suggested that Hezbollah has aligned with various drug cartels to the mutual benefit of all parties involved.[4] Mexico, with its half-decade of escalating drug activity, presents similar conditions to those Latin American regions that are thought to already have ties to Hezbollah. These regions suffer from bouts of instability and are inflicted with high rates of corruption and a lucrative drug trade.
On May 5, 2012, Jamal Yousef, a former member of the Syrian Army, pleaded guilty in a U.S. Court to a conspiracy that provided weapons to a Colombian terrorist organization in exchange for cocaine. Court documents revealed that the weapons used for the transaction had been stolen from Iraq, and were being held by a Hezbollah operative in Mexico.[6]
Newly inaugurated President Peña Nieto campaigned heavily on economic development issues by means of a series of basic reforms. The president believes that his reforms will boost Mexico’s economy and in the process, transform the country into being one of the world’s most important economic drivers. Mexico has excited economic forecasters, given that its GDP is expected to grow 4 percent annually, and the unemployment rate should fall below 5 percent.[9] However, foreign investors are concerned that Mexico is too unstable to develop into a global economic power. They argue the drug trade and rampant corruption will dampen any economic reform brought forth by the government.[10] In fact, according to a 2009 report by the U.S. Joint Forces Command concerning future threats, “In terms of worst case scenarios, Mexico… bears consideration for a rapid and sudden collapse.[11]President Peña Nieto’s agenda on corruption initiatives includes a new anti-corruption commission that would have the authority to remove officials from office, hand out fines, and move ahead with prosecutions. Furthermore, the president has also proposed moving the federal police to the jurisdiction of Mexico’s Department of the Interior, among other far-reaching reforms of the country’s security forces. The departmental transfer of the country’s police force would hopefully limit the country’s potential for graft. Critics who are skeptical of these reforms have stated that in order to eliminate corruption, the president must create a functioning and improved criminal justice system and establish stronger anti-corruption measures that would automatically confiscate illegally obtained assets.[13] What these critics have failed to realize is that the Mexican government has already initiated many of these measures with little effect. Unfortunately, corruption appears to have become deeply ingrained within Mexican culture, which serves as a pessimistic indicator of real prospects for new reforms.
In 2010, Transparency International carried out a poll to determine the extent of corruption in Mexico. In the poll, 31 percent of Mexican citizens had reported paying a bribe at least once, 75 percent of Mexicans believed that corruption had increased in their country, and only 22 percent believed that the government’s efforts to fight corruption were effective.[14] The poll revealed that the people of Mexico have a contradictory perception of corruption. The majority of them appear to have become accustomed and desensitized to a system of bribery as a function of the country’s everyday life. They disagree with the fundamental nature of a corrupt government, yet they often partake in the spoils and payoffs spawned by corruption in order to accomplish tasks and increase their earnings. In order for a more effective government authority to be achieved, the people must demand greater accountability as well as a significant advance in social reforms. This may only be achieved through formidable efforts to dislodge traditional norms of corruption.
President Peña Nieto has inherited former President Felipe Calderon’s drug war; a war which has resulted in the deaths of 50,000 people, and has attracted Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) like Hezbollah within its borders. Although Hezbollah’s primary objective has been financial, it has aligned with Mexican drug cartels in order to better traffic narcotics and launder drug profits.[15] President Peña Nieto must realize that this criminal alliance could topple any gains put forth by his administration. Michael Braun of the DEA has stated that Hezbollah is “in essence, the face of twenty-first century organized crime…meaner and uglier than anything law enforcement or militaries have ever faced.” [16]
The new Mexican administration has pledged an ambitious reform of government institutions in order to alleviate certain problematic sectors of the economy. While a certain number of these reforms are legitimate, others appear to be headed for failure in their attempt to tackle core issues concerning instability. Based partly on Mexico’s deeply rooted political traditions, confronting these difficult issues will be decisive obstacles for President Peña Nieto to achieve his goals. The president must attract foreign investment, which cannot be sustained unless the remnants of the violent drug war are contained. It will be a difficult task for the new administration to accomplish such a task, but it is an initiative that his administration must confront and dispatch with success.EEOC Protected Classes
Eileen F. Toplansky
It is a “damned if you do and damned if you don’t” predicament for employers — who themselves should be considered a “protected class” given the battering they receive from the federal government. More
Climate Science vs Politics: The Road Ahead
S. Fred Singer
The good news is that science evidence has made it quite clear that the human contribution to a possible global warming is minor; in fact it cannot even be identified in the data record. The bad news is that the media and politicians pay no attention whatsoever to the science More
Wayne LaPierre: Close but Not Quite
Paul Jacobson
The NRA president’s solution to school massacres won’t work, but for a reason that will make gun control advocates apoplectic — namely, it doesn’t go far enough. More
In Defense of John Boehner
Timothy C. Daughtry
It might be worth considering the possibility that Boehner has been crazy like the proverbial fox in his dealings with Obama. More
Does Debt Actually Hurt Future Generations?
Michael Kelbaugh
The short answer is yes. The “why” requires cutting through a lot of political smoke and mirrors. More
The GOP’s Budget Problem
Greg Richards
For reasons that most of us in the American Thinker community and observers such as Thomas Sowell find inexplicable, the Republicans simply will not make the budget case in public. More
OVER THE CLIFF WE GO!
OBAMA SENDS SOS TO HILL...
House to Return Sunday...
REID: Boehner runs 'dictatorship'...
Deal 'virtually impossible' before New Year...
Geithner Moves Up Debt Limit to Dec. 31...
States May Want 'Cliff'...
STOCKS TUMBLE...
CIVIL WAR: SENATE TO GO FOR HANDGUNS
Here comes the Alinskyite Right
December 27, 2012
David Gregory and Piers Morgan have both met the Alinskyite Right, and progressives in positions of power should take note. More
Well-Born’ Students Have Armed Protection in Elite Schools
December 27, 2012
Are the lives of millionaire children worth more than the children of non-elites? More
What You Didn’t Know About Your Neighborhood
December 27, 2012
Why not publish the names and addresses of those seen at a Planned Parenthood clinic? More
VIVA! Private sector jobs jump 23% in Cuba...
CHINA TIGHTENING CONTROLS ON INTERNET...
Happy New Year! Debt limit to be reached on New Year’s Eve
December 27, 2012
Government spending money like drunken revelers. More
Supreme Court denies injunction to prevent contraception mandate
December 27, 2012
Round one to Obama. More
Slouching Toward Eloi
December 27, 2012
H.G. Wells was right. More
Here’s something you don’t see every day on CNBC
December 27, 2012
TV host relentlessly pursues a Democratic congressman’s evasions on the fiscal cliff/ More
Revealing Gun-owners Names Reveals Truth
December 27, 2012
A birdcage liner in my county of Westchester, NY, The Journal News, has made national headlines by releasing the addresses of county residents licensed to own a handgun. More
Israelis find 2,700-year-old temple...
UPDATE: WH petition to deport Piers Morgan tops 80,000...
UK PETITION: We don't want him back!
Hollywood Studios Employees Caught Pirating Films...
REPORT: GOP Sens Won't Confirm Kerry Until Clinton Testifies on Benghazi...
Feds bust ex-con who posed as uncle of Sandy Hook school shooter...
What Would Jesus Shoot?
December 27, 2012
Motivated by their unique brand of religiosity in the wake of the Sandy Hook shooting, some liberals say that the Lord would never condone gun ownership More
Outing the privacy of the editors who out others’ privacy
December 27, 2012
A counter to a newspaper’s publishing the names and addresses of gun permit owners. More
Gay Dads and The Parent Trap
December 27, 2012
Undefining marriage results in undefining children. More
America’s Daddyless Black Kids
December 27, 2012
The cancer of fatherless children, illegitimacy, and shattered, dysfunctional families is spreading and bumping up the income ladder. More
Tea plantation workers in India burn boss, wife to death...
Advanced humanoid Roboy to be 'born' in nine months...
Gun owners outed: Remember when the media once championed privacy?
Krauthammer slams Obama for ‘illegal and unconstitutional’ regulatory overreach
Bogus Benghazi (Libya) punishments? Why do the ‘Punished’ officials still have jobs?
Liberal MSNBC Co-Host Refuses to ‘Lie’ to His Children and Let Them Believe Santa Claus Is Real
Support the troops this holiday season
Neighboring Towns Relieve Newtown Police For Christmas
Newspaper sparks outrage for publishing names, addresses of gun permit holders
Sam Donaldson To Tea Partiers: ‘It’s Not Your Country Anymore – It’s Our Country’
As 2012 ends, we take a look back at the year’s 10 worst mass shootings – amid a culture of gun violence that continued to plague the U.S.
The African continent is seeing some monumental changes, and is rife with conflict and potential.
Sen. Harry Reid says the nation is headed for the cliff, but Sen. Mitch McConnell’s actions may have the final say.
| FTSE 100 | 5,954.30 | |
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| Paris CAC 40 | 3,674.26 |
| Nikkei 225 | 10,322.98 | |
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| Shanghai | 2,205.90 |
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Syria’s chemical weapons continue to cause world leaders great consternation, with leaders saying use of which would cross several red lines.
U.S. port operators and maritime shipping companies are bracing for a longshoremen’s strike of facilities from Massachusetts to Texas.
Among the top fines this year: sanctions-busting, deceiving the world on a benchmark interest rate, and even banking for drug lords.
A look back at a year and a time when a nuclear Iran was considered the greatest threat to the U.S.
From “superstorms” to mega disasters, 2012 was, by all accounts, an eventful year.
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Saudi Fundamentalist Clerics have their panties in a wad over women working in women’s lingerie shops
After protests from Saudi women, uncomfortable with having to deal with male clerks in women’s lingerie shops, King Abdullah issued a royal decree prohibiting men from staffing lingerie shops. But Islamic clerics are fighting that decision, objecting to the ‘Westernization’ of Saudi society by allowing women to work.
The Blaze A group of hardline Islamic clerics is threatening the labor minister with “deadly prayers” if he goes ahead with a plan to create more jobs for women, saying they’ll pray he gets cancer to which his predecessor succumbed two years ago. In particular, they don’t like his ideas about women selling undergarments to other women.
During a meeting at the labor ministry, about 200 religious figures accused Minister Adel Fakeih of executing a “Westernization” plan and asked him to ban women from working in lingerie shops within a month or he will face their deadly prayers asking for him to die of cancer as his predecessor did for implementing feminization policies.
But the minister defended the decision to employ women, saying that women occupied jobs during the era of the Prophet Muhammad, adding that it made more sense if women rather than men are in charge of selling women’s lingerie.
Daniel Greenfield of Front Page Magazine called this the “real War on Women,” offering this quip: “But as Obama says, ‘The future will not belong to those who slander the lingerie of Islam.’”
Earlier this month, more than 100 clerics swarmed into the Labor Ministry objecting to plans to create more jobs for women. Then they complained about rulings which would allow the mixing of genders in the workplace. Of the 1.5 million Saudis looking for work, a whopping 80 percent are women.
The religious conservatives aren’t holding back their rhetoric to fight what they consider to be the threat of working women. A Saudi cleric last month called waitresses at the local Hardee’s outlets “prostitutes.” The American chain was also subject to a boycott by hardline Islamists opposing its employment of women.
Saudi Sheikh Ali Al Mutairi posted on Twitter: “At the beginning of her shift she’s a waitress. When her shift ends she becomes a prostitute. The more she’s around men the easier it becomes to get closer to her.”
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By BareNakedIslam • Posted in Women
KYRGYZSTAN: Muslims try to ban ‘Kuffar’ (filthy Christian) New Year holiday celebrations
Well, of course they do. After all, most Muslims behave as if they were still living in the year 1434…or before!
al-Jazeera The chief Muslim muckity muck of Kyrgyzstan has issued a fatwa urging Muslims to ignore the holiday altogether. “This New Year is not a religious holiday. It is not related to Muslims at all.” He also said that Eid Al Fitr and Eid Al Adha and the Jumah (Friday prayer) are the only holidays allowed in Islam.
The Soviet Union, which Kyrgyzstan was formerly a part of, regarded New Year’s Day as the biggest holiday of the year – a tradition which is still practiced in many former Soviet countries. Kyrgyzstan Muslims are afraid people will eat non-Muslim food, get drunk, or go out to the street to light fireworks. New Year’s remains an official public holiday in Kyrgyzstan despite the fatwa.
By BareNakedIslam • Posted in Religion of Hate
AMSTERDAM Mayor says, “Muslim illegal invaders are not our problem.” Send them back!
In early December, more than 100 Muslim asylum welfare-seekers, mostly from Somalia, Eritrea and Sudan, were evicted from their temporary tent camp in Osdorp in the west of Amsterdam. By the end of the day, 96 of them were back on the streets, with nowhere to go and looking for free handouts.
Hiiraan Amsterdam’s mayor offered to give this particular group of failed asylum welfare-seekers one month’s shelter after their eviction. The refugees didn’t take him up on the offer because they feared they would disappear from the public radar if they didn’t stay together as a group. This particular aspect of the asylum problem – what to do with refugees who are not allowed to stay in the Netherlands but who cannot return to their home countries either – is a perennial problem.
Sociologist Merijn Oudenampsen is part of a group of dhimmi sympathisers who have helped find the asylum welfare-seekers from the Osdorp tent camp temporary shelter in the VluchtKerk or Sanctuary Church.
Police officers on horses face a group of protesters blocking the entrance to a makeshift camp for asylum seekers in Amsterdam November 30, 2012. A court has ordered a group of asylum seekers, whose applications for political asylum have been rejected by Dutch authorities, to leave the site. The group, who had exhausted their final options against deportation and had declined other offers for temporary accommodation, set up this camp at the end of September 2012
In general, there used to be an idea that the state has responsibility in terms of giving shelter to people with no place to go. (Muslims aren’t political refugees, they are economic parasites) The municipalities had a role in providing shelter, too. Now they’re left on the streets. There’s a new hard line policy from The Hague that’s pressing to make it illegal to give aid to undocumented people illegal aliens. So if I provide help to people who don’t have the documents to stay or go, I’m liable.
Is that policy, of criminalizing aid to undocumented people illegal aliens, already in effect? (One would hope so)
Not yet, but it is the policy hardliners realists from Geert Wilders’ Freedom Party and the VVD of Prime Minster Mark Rutte are pushing for, the policy supported by the Deputy Justice Minister Fred Teeven. And the Amsterdam city council has given in under the pressure and tried to make the asylum welfare-seekers in Osdorp disappear. For the mayor, they became a public order problem, these people were visible. But it’s strange if he thinks the problem will disappear if the asylum seekers are out of sight.
Iraqi invader set himself on fire and died last year in Amsterdam. Hey, that’s one way to get rid of them.
So the asylum welfare-seekers debate seems to have taken an ugly turn…
The problem keeps returning. Local governments now are under pressure from the national government. And the Dutch right wants to adopt laws in contradiction of international human rights treaties. There is a distorted public discourse now in the Netherlands regarding immigration and asylum welfare-seekers, and a strong political effect of these statements. They have a chilling effect on people. And official institutions, too, are under pressure to not provide help.
So what’s next?
The asylum welfare-seekers need to stay visible and press for a political solution. There needs to be a solution from the government. It’s not up to voluntary organisations to provide shelter. We don’t have the resources. They can stay in the church through the winter months. But this problem is not going to go away.
Where is Geert Wilders when you need him? Here, Dutch leftist dhimmis are whining about the Muslim parasites. Why don’t these dregs of society go beg for asylum from the rich Arab Gulf states?
Thomas Friedman and His Terrible Advice
by Ron Radosh
He supports Chuck Hagel for secretary of Defense. Because Friedman is a friend of Israel, of course. Related from Barry Rubin: The Schoolmarms Tell the Terrorists to Play Nice
‘Childish Fantasy’: Gun Control and the Victim
by Jack Dunphy
Gun control advocates refuse to properly assess human vulnerability. Related: Celebrities Launch Dumb Gun Control Campaign
Cold War Christmas Messages We Must Not Forget
In his first year in office, President Reagan presented a surprisingly potent Christmastime message aimed at both American citizens — and Soviet subjects.
Believing in Christmas from Santa to Christ
How does belief in Santa compare to belief in God?
Time for Some Common-Sense Publishing Controls
by Rand Simberg
What would Second Amendment bloviators say if we applied their logic to the First Amendment?
Our Culture and Christ: A Blog for Christmas
Here at Klavan on the Culture, we’ll be sitting by the fire these next few evenings and we’ll be thrilling once again to the immortal words of Ebenezer Scrooge: “It’s all right, it’s all true, it all happened.”
The Jihad Against Christmas
“It is not permissible to imitate the kuffaar [unbelievers] in any of their acts of worship, rituals or symbols…” — Saudi cleric Muhammad Saleh al-Munajjid
How the Program Approach Has Failed Big Education
by David Solway
Programmatic reform in education is almost always a dead end.
GREECE: Golden Dawn Party’s Christmas video is considered ‘hate speech’ by Leftist dhimmis
This Christmas Greetings video from the Greek nationalist party, Golden Dawn, has been banned by several websites as ‘hate speech.’ This re-upload, with English subtitles, is here to shed light on the truth, which has become the new hate speech.
Contrasting Athens as it was before the invasion of Muslim parasites and thugs with the dangerous trash pile that modern Athens has become due to rampant Muslim colonization, aided and abetted by the leftists/socialists is not hate speech. Love of a time past, when your country was not infected with suicidal leftism is common sense.
(If you can’t see the subtitles, click the CC button at the bottom of the screen)
H/T MrDaskva
If Youtube takes it down again, you can see it here:
More on the MUSLIM INVASION OF GREECE
By BareNakedIslam • Posted in Islamization of the West
CHRISTMAS EVE 2012: In Muslim-controlled Bethlehem, once again, there was no room for Jesus
Why does Bethlehem weep luminescent tears disguised as twinkling strings of light? Until one week ago, there was not a single place in its public square that even gave a hint of the reason for this transformation into a holy day. No manger scene, no God-incarnate baby boy. No creche, no cradle, no cross. Even the Church of the Nativity was decorated only by a single large tree.
ISRAEL TODAY Early this month Shari Khoury brought this observation to her husband’s attention. Pastor Steven Khoury took note. He examined city streets and saw for himself what he had not noticed. The Khoury’s live in Bethlehem. Steven was raised there where his father, Dr. Naim Khoury, started Holy Land Ministries in 1980. During the past 32 years Steven, his family and the ministry’s congregations have experienced opposition to the gospel of Jesus the Messiah, God’s incarnate Word made flesh.
There have been threats and muggings, fire bombs and murder. Many believers have fled the region, but the Khoury’s remain. Every Sunday, worship and teaching are broadcast from speakers atop their local church’s steeple, clashing with Islamic calls to prayer.
On December 5, Steven Khoury made a decision. He composed brief words, commissioned graphic art, hired a printer. In the middle of the night and into next day’s early morning light, workmen hung the composition on the city’s largest billboard. Across an expanse of 1200 square feet, in Arabic and English too, it reads:
And the response? Two weeks later, only days ago, Pastor Khoury received a call. Officials from the city were on the line, informing him that they were being asked to remove the sign. That same day vandals cut power to lights that illuminate the sign at night. The owner refused to repair them, fearing they would only be cut again along with an escalation of damage to his property. The print shop also received disturbing calls. Although the words were never spoken, the message was clear: take Jesus down.
Tonight the billboard is still up, lit now by portable lights from the back of a car. The cost is high. Thousands of dollars have been spent. So far individual donations to help with the expense total about $60.00.
In spite of public exposure on YouTube, radio, television and in written press, other Christian organizations in Bethlehem have reacted with resounding silence. So too Christian organizations throughout Israel.
Pastor Khoury has no regrets. “Scripture says that if we do not speak up for Jesus, for who he is and what he has done, stones will cry out. With God’s help, I will not remain silent. I will not be a quiet one rebuked by shouting rocks.”
Click Here to learn more about Holy Land Ministries and the brave work of the Khoury family.
E-mail: steven@holylandmissions.org
HolyLandMissions
By BareNakedIslam • Posted in Religion of Hate
COLORADO Jewish and Christian traitors try to combat anti-Islam ads with a ‘Love Thy Neighbor’ campaign
Colorado Christian and Jewish leaders stood together in Denver’s main Mosque and launched a “Love Thy Neighbor” campaign — starting with ads on RTD buses. They said the ad they unveiled, at a time on the calendar devoted to love and understanding (but ONLY among Christians and Jews), is meant to replace anti-Muslim ads placed on buses.
Denver Post “Our country is in the midst of a lot of divisions,” Temple Emanuel Senior Rabbi Joe Black said. “Hatred is only going to further violence and the breakdown of society.”
“Love Thy Neighbor” ads, purchased for $5,000, are expected to appear on 10 buses by the end of this week and stay on each bus for a month. The “Love Thy Neighbor” message conveys “a shared concept in the three religions,” Colorado Muslim Society Imam Karim Abuzaid said. “In Islam, we are commanded to love our neighbor, or at least act in love.” (But they mean only if the neighbor is a Muslim)
When metro-area Muslims saw the negative ads on Regional Transportation District buses in November, “we felt really hurt,” Abuzaid said. He and Jeremy Shaver, director of the Interfaith Alliance of Colorado, questioned RTD officials about the decision-making of the quasi-governmental organization.
Those ads were placed on buses for four weeks in Denver, New York and Boston. Paid for by the American Freedom Defense Initiative, the ones in Denver read: “9,757 Deadly Islamic Attacks Since 9/11/01. It’s Not Islamophobia. It’s Islamorealism.” (Actually, the ad said ’19,767′)
The Anti Defamation League challenged this as offensive and inflammatory. But RTD legal staffers had reviewed the content and found no basis for rejecting the ads. Other transit agencies that challenged bus ads in court have lost.
The religious leaders on Monday acknowledged free-speech guarantees under the First Amendment of the Constitution but emphasized community needs.
“When we see hate speech,” Shaver said, “it is incumbent on us who are in the majority to call it out.” Colorado religious leaders have collaborated before. The leaders stood together on the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.
By BareNakedIslam • Posted in EnemyWithin-American
“Brace yourselves, Muslims and Leftists,” Wild Bill for America is going to tell the truth about Islam again
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