KT McFarland has been making regular appearances on Fox News Channel covering news about Iran. Check out some of the video clips on YouTube:
7-9-08 KT on FNC - The Live Desk - re: Iran
7-18-08 KT on FNC - Studio B - re: Iran
8-13-08 KT on FNC - America's Newsroom - re: Iran
8-18-08 KT on FNC - America's Election HQ - re: Musharraf
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Thursday, August 21, 2008
NY Times Interview of Brigitte Gabriel
The New York Times Interview of Brigitte Gabriel:
Political Correctness Rears Its Head Again!
This past Sunday the New York Times magazine carried an interview with Brigitte Gabriel in advance of the release of her new book They Must Be Stopped.
In what can only be described as a remarkable illustration of political correctness, Brigitte was described as a “radical Islamophobe” in the introduction.
The e-mail below was sent out by our friends at CAMERA, urging their readers to contact the New York Times in protest. We thank CAMERA for their action and encourage our members to do the same!
__________________________
In the August 17th New York Times Magazine, the author Brigitte Gabriel is unfairly and inaccurately labeled as a "radical Islamophobe" (page 6 Table of Contents blurb).
To be a radical Islamophobe means to have an irrational fear of radical Islam/Muslims, or to be prejudiced against them. (It's not clear from the Times' phrase which word "radical" is meant to describe. I presume "radical" was meant to describe the Muslims Gabriel is supposedly irrationally afraid of, rather than Gabriel herself, since Gabriel is always very clear in her speeches to differentiate between extremists and moderates.)
It's interesting that the Times' editors apparently believe that opposition to Islamic totalitarianism must by definition be irrational or arising from prejudice. Since when did it become irrational or prejudiced to oppose supremacists who scorn, harass and/or murder people for not being the "right" religion? Does the New York Times similarly label as crazy or bigoted the many Americans who oppose white supremacists?
* What oh-too-clever title did the Times use for this article about a Lebanese Christian activist who opposes the spread of Islamic totalitarianism? "The Crusader."
While normally calling an activist a "crusader" is a compliment, in the context of a Christian opposing Islamic totalitarianism, it inappropriately juxtaposes Gabriel's legitimate criticism of Muslim extremists with the Christian Crusaders who murdered thousands of Muslims (and Jews) in the Crusades.
* Furthermore, in the interview itself, reporter Deborah Solomon posed several inappropriate questions, such as:
"Are you an agent of the U.S. government?"
"Are you underwritten by the C.I.A.?"
"But I see that R. James Woolsey, a former director of the C.I.A., serves on the board of American Congress for Truth, your educational foundation."
Apparently in Deborah Solomon's world, one must be on the U.S. government payroll to want to sound the alarm about militant Muslim supremacists.
Another stunningly absurd question from Solomon:
"If you are worried about death threats, why would you put a glamorous photograph of yourself on the cover of your new book?"
Presumably Solomon feels that Brigitte Gabriel should wear a burka, or hide altogether, to appease the Islamists who want to kill her for speaking out against them? Why does Solomon feel it is somehow questionable for Gabriel to be "glamorous"?
Earlier Complaints about Solomon from Tim Russert, Ira Glass and her own editor
This is not the first time that Deborah Solomon's journalistic judgment and professionalism have been called into question. Times' Public Editor Clark Hoyt and New York Times Magazine Editor Gerald Marzorati did so themselves in a long column last year about Solomon's questionable questions and quotations. Click here to read their complaints, as well as those from Tim Russert, Ira Glass, and the current "Ann Landers."
ACTION ITEMS
Please write to the New York Times.
* Write to the corrections editor and public editor. Urge the Times to publish an apology/ correction regarding the inaccurate label of "radical Islamophobe" for Brigitte Gabriel. Urge the Times to also remove the inaccurate description from their Web site. Protest reporter Solomon's obvious lack of objectivity toward Gabriel and Solomon's often inappropriate questions, as well as the inflammatory title "The Crusader."
corrections: nytnews@nytimes.com or call 1-888-698-6397
ombudsman or "public editor": public@nytimes.com
Call NY Times Magazine editor Gerald Marzorati: 212-556-1234
* Write a letter to the magazine for publication about Brigitte Gabriel's work, militant Islam, Gabriel's description of Israel, or your thoughts on Deborah Solomon's prejudicial questions and language.
Write to: magazine@nytimes.com
(Be sure to include your name, address and daytime telephone number)
* Please send CAMERA a blind copy of your letters: letters@camera.org
The NY Times Magazine blurb and article are below.
With thanks,
Lee Green
Director, National Letter-Writing Group
http://www.camera.org/
Political Correctness Rears Its Head Again!
This past Sunday the New York Times magazine carried an interview with Brigitte Gabriel in advance of the release of her new book They Must Be Stopped.
In what can only be described as a remarkable illustration of political correctness, Brigitte was described as a “radical Islamophobe” in the introduction.
The e-mail below was sent out by our friends at CAMERA, urging their readers to contact the New York Times in protest. We thank CAMERA for their action and encourage our members to do the same!
__________________________
In the August 17th New York Times Magazine, the author Brigitte Gabriel is unfairly and inaccurately labeled as a "radical Islamophobe" (page 6 Table of Contents blurb).
To be a radical Islamophobe means to have an irrational fear of radical Islam/Muslims, or to be prejudiced against them. (It's not clear from the Times' phrase which word "radical" is meant to describe. I presume "radical" was meant to describe the Muslims Gabriel is supposedly irrationally afraid of, rather than Gabriel herself, since Gabriel is always very clear in her speeches to differentiate between extremists and moderates.)
It's interesting that the Times' editors apparently believe that opposition to Islamic totalitarianism must by definition be irrational or arising from prejudice. Since when did it become irrational or prejudiced to oppose supremacists who scorn, harass and/or murder people for not being the "right" religion? Does the New York Times similarly label as crazy or bigoted the many Americans who oppose white supremacists?
* What oh-too-clever title did the Times use for this article about a Lebanese Christian activist who opposes the spread of Islamic totalitarianism? "The Crusader."
While normally calling an activist a "crusader" is a compliment, in the context of a Christian opposing Islamic totalitarianism, it inappropriately juxtaposes Gabriel's legitimate criticism of Muslim extremists with the Christian Crusaders who murdered thousands of Muslims (and Jews) in the Crusades.
* Furthermore, in the interview itself, reporter Deborah Solomon posed several inappropriate questions, such as:
"Are you an agent of the U.S. government?"
"Are you underwritten by the C.I.A.?"
"But I see that R. James Woolsey, a former director of the C.I.A., serves on the board of American Congress for Truth, your educational foundation."
Apparently in Deborah Solomon's world, one must be on the U.S. government payroll to want to sound the alarm about militant Muslim supremacists.
Another stunningly absurd question from Solomon:
"If you are worried about death threats, why would you put a glamorous photograph of yourself on the cover of your new book?"
Presumably Solomon feels that Brigitte Gabriel should wear a burka, or hide altogether, to appease the Islamists who want to kill her for speaking out against them? Why does Solomon feel it is somehow questionable for Gabriel to be "glamorous"?
Earlier Complaints about Solomon from Tim Russert, Ira Glass and her own editor
This is not the first time that Deborah Solomon's journalistic judgment and professionalism have been called into question. Times' Public Editor Clark Hoyt and New York Times Magazine Editor Gerald Marzorati did so themselves in a long column last year about Solomon's questionable questions and quotations. Click here to read their complaints, as well as those from Tim Russert, Ira Glass, and the current "Ann Landers."
ACTION ITEMS
Please write to the New York Times.
* Write to the corrections editor and public editor. Urge the Times to publish an apology/ correction regarding the inaccurate label of "radical Islamophobe" for Brigitte Gabriel. Urge the Times to also remove the inaccurate description from their Web site. Protest reporter Solomon's obvious lack of objectivity toward Gabriel and Solomon's often inappropriate questions, as well as the inflammatory title "The Crusader."
corrections: nytnews@nytimes.com or call 1-888-698-6397
ombudsman or "public editor": public@nytimes.com
Call NY Times Magazine editor Gerald Marzorati: 212-556-1234
* Write a letter to the magazine for publication about Brigitte Gabriel's work, militant Islam, Gabriel's description of Israel, or your thoughts on Deborah Solomon's prejudicial questions and language.
Write to: magazine@nytimes.com
(Be sure to include your name, address and daytime telephone number)
* Please send CAMERA a blind copy of your letters: letters@camera.org
The NY Times Magazine blurb and article are below.
With thanks,
Lee Green
Director, National Letter-Writing Group
http://www.camera.org/
Family Security Matters Briefings
Pakistan's Musharraf Resigns - What Is His Legacy?
By Adrian Morgan
Last week, on August 14th, Pakistan celebrated its Independence Day. Exactly 61 years previously, it had become autonomous, freed from British rule. At that time, under the leadership of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Pakistan was officially secular. Jinnah died after only 13 months in power, and soon a succession of Islamist and military governments destroyed his ideal of a secular democracy. On August 14, 1947, Pakistan stretched beyond its current boundaries. What was then called West Pakistan is now modern Pakistan. East Pakistan fought a bloody battle for its own independence, in which an estimated 3 million people were killed. In 1971 it became the autonomous secular nation of Bangladesh. [more...]
The Amethyst Initiative: Your Tuition Dollars at Work
By Dr. Harvey Kushner
Presidents from some of the nation's best colleges are asking lawmakers to consider lowering the drinking age from 21 to 18, arguing that current law encourages binge drinking at their institutions. The Amethyst Initiative began more than a year ago by John McCardell, former president of Middlebury College in Vermont, who's efforts have garnered the support of approximately 100 college presidents from such well-known institutions as Duke, Ohio State, Tufts, Syracuse, Morehouse, to name a few. In the coming weeks, don't be surprised to see a well-orchestrated advertising blitz publicizing their initiative in newspapers across the country. I'm all for lobbying lawmakers for a specific end. I'm not for college presidents organizing to influence a national debate on drinking age. Their efforts would be better spent elsewhere. [more...]
Textbook Lies about Islam
By Gilbert T. Sewall
Islam is one of the most important issues of our time, but you wouldn't know it from reading a high school textbook. What students learn makes it almost impossible to understand Islam in history or the world today, much less what fuels Islam's challenge to peace and international security. A review of leading textbooks used in New York City and nationwide reveals they deliberately misrepresent Islamic history, jihad, Islamic law (sharia), global terrorism, and more. Thinking that jihad is "holy war" is wrong, students are told. Instead textbooks insist it is merely an effort to improve oneself and society. "Muslims should fulfill jihad with the heart, tongue, and hand. Muslims use the heart in their struggle to resist evil. The tongue may convince others to take up worthy causes, such as funding medical research. Hands may perform good works and correct wrongs," chimes one popular California textbook called "History Alive!" [more...]
Harvey Kushner "Worst Person in the World"
harveykushner.com is proud to announce that Countdown with Keith Olbermann (MSNBC) selected Harvey Kushner last night as the "Worst Person in the World." You can watch the clip at any number of liberal blogs such as http://liberaldoomsayer.blogspot.com/2008/08/tuesday-stuff_19.html or go directly to http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/#26279318 [more...]
Is Obama's Attitude about Nuclear Attack Dangerous to National Security?
By Joel Himelfarb
When it comes to a nuclear attack on the United States, Americans usually think of two possible scenarios: 1) an attack using ballistic missiles armed with nuclear warheads, or 2) a terrorist strike using nuclear materials smuggled into a big city and detonated there. But there is a third possibility that needs to be considered: an atomic-generated electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack that could destroy electric systems and power grids - shutting off most televisions and radios, traffic signals and computers, to name only a few of the things that would be damaged. Asked how many Americans could die in such an attack, Dr. William Graham, chairman of "The Commission to Assess the Threat to the United States from Electromagnetnic Pulse Attack," created by Congress in 2001, put it this way: "Within a week or two of an attack, people would begin dying. People in hospitals would be in the worst jeopardy because many of them depend on power to stay alive," he said. [more...]
Will Livni's Bubble Burst First?
By Clare M. Lopez
While the U.S. media focuses on dueling celebrity ads, there is another election at least as critical as the one between the senators. It is the contest for the next Prime Minister of Israel. With Prime Minister Olmert's late July announcement that he will step down shortly, attention has shifted to Kadima Party internal elections, now scheduled for 17 September 2008. The leading contenders to succeed Olmert as Kadima Party leader and likely next Prime Minister of Israel are current Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Deputy Prime Minister Shaul Mofaz, who is a former Defense Minister and Chief of Staff of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). The outcome of this internal party vote could hardly be more important, not just for the future of the State of Israel, but for American national security as well. [more...]
Russia and Iran - Energy Rules
By KT McFarland
All of a sudden it's a dangerous world out there. Russia is reclaiming its former empire and Iran is ramping up its nuclear weapons program and supporting terrorists. At first glance these two seem unrelated, but they're actually different chapters in the same book, entitled "Energy Rules." It's an epic saga that began decades ago, in the 1970s. After the 1973 Yom Kippur war, the oil-producing Arab world realized it could band together and use its exports as a weapon to punish the West for supporting Israel. It slowed the oil pumps, constricted supply, drove up the price of oil and thus gasoline, and Americans stood in line at the gas pumps. Suddenly, oil-exporting countries were rich and their ambitions grew. Iran used its petrodollars to build a formidable military arsenal under the Shah and later, under the Ayatollah, waged a 10-year war with Iraq. Other Gulf countries built their military arsenals, acquired portfolios and their princes lived like playboys. [more...]
The Russian Bear Returns to Africa
By J.Peter Pham, PhD
As the Russian forces rumbling over the borders of Georgia brusquely reminded the international community that, as Sen. John McCain noted, a lot of what was thought to have been left behind at the end of the 20th century is now "rearing its ugly head in the twenty-first," including an aggressively expansive foreign policy, not only in Moscow's self-declared "Near Abroad," but wherever the Kremlin can find a opening to exploit. While considerable attention has been paid to the strategic implications of the recent Africa engagements by the United States, China, India, and Japan, very little attention has been paid to important moves being made by a resurgent Russia on an African continent whose geopolitical significance is increasingly acknowledged. [more...]
Shia Hizballah's and Sunni Salafists' Deal or No Deal
By W. Thomas Smith, Jr.
Hizballah - the Lebanon-based Shia terrorist group, which U.S. Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff says "makes Al Qaeda look like a minor league team" - has forged a seemingly unlikely alliance with a group of Sunni Salafist factions in Lebanon. The alliance, signed Monday, was temporarily frozen Tuesday. But sources say the deal still may be on. I say "unlikely alliance" because Salafism is the root-ideology of Sunni Al Qaeda and its affiliates, and Shia and Sunni extremists are commonly believed to be irreconcilable enemies. Nevertheless, on Monday, leaders from Hizballah and the Salafist Belief and Justice Movement met at Beirut's Al Safir Metropolitan Hotel and signed a "memorandum of understanding" aimed at preventing further bloodshed between the Shia and Sunni in Lebanon, and a more focused effort against the United States. [more...]
By Adrian Morgan
Last week, on August 14th, Pakistan celebrated its Independence Day. Exactly 61 years previously, it had become autonomous, freed from British rule. At that time, under the leadership of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Pakistan was officially secular. Jinnah died after only 13 months in power, and soon a succession of Islamist and military governments destroyed his ideal of a secular democracy. On August 14, 1947, Pakistan stretched beyond its current boundaries. What was then called West Pakistan is now modern Pakistan. East Pakistan fought a bloody battle for its own independence, in which an estimated 3 million people were killed. In 1971 it became the autonomous secular nation of Bangladesh. [more...]
The Amethyst Initiative: Your Tuition Dollars at Work
By Dr. Harvey Kushner
Presidents from some of the nation's best colleges are asking lawmakers to consider lowering the drinking age from 21 to 18, arguing that current law encourages binge drinking at their institutions. The Amethyst Initiative began more than a year ago by John McCardell, former president of Middlebury College in Vermont, who's efforts have garnered the support of approximately 100 college presidents from such well-known institutions as Duke, Ohio State, Tufts, Syracuse, Morehouse, to name a few. In the coming weeks, don't be surprised to see a well-orchestrated advertising blitz publicizing their initiative in newspapers across the country. I'm all for lobbying lawmakers for a specific end. I'm not for college presidents organizing to influence a national debate on drinking age. Their efforts would be better spent elsewhere. [more...]
Textbook Lies about Islam
By Gilbert T. Sewall
Islam is one of the most important issues of our time, but you wouldn't know it from reading a high school textbook. What students learn makes it almost impossible to understand Islam in history or the world today, much less what fuels Islam's challenge to peace and international security. A review of leading textbooks used in New York City and nationwide reveals they deliberately misrepresent Islamic history, jihad, Islamic law (sharia), global terrorism, and more. Thinking that jihad is "holy war" is wrong, students are told. Instead textbooks insist it is merely an effort to improve oneself and society. "Muslims should fulfill jihad with the heart, tongue, and hand. Muslims use the heart in their struggle to resist evil. The tongue may convince others to take up worthy causes, such as funding medical research. Hands may perform good works and correct wrongs," chimes one popular California textbook called "History Alive!" [more...]
Harvey Kushner "Worst Person in the World"
harveykushner.com is proud to announce that Countdown with Keith Olbermann (MSNBC) selected Harvey Kushner last night as the "Worst Person in the World." You can watch the clip at any number of liberal blogs such as http://liberaldoomsayer.blogspot.com/2008/08/tuesday-stuff_19.html or go directly to http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/#26279318 [more...]
Is Obama's Attitude about Nuclear Attack Dangerous to National Security?
By Joel Himelfarb
When it comes to a nuclear attack on the United States, Americans usually think of two possible scenarios: 1) an attack using ballistic missiles armed with nuclear warheads, or 2) a terrorist strike using nuclear materials smuggled into a big city and detonated there. But there is a third possibility that needs to be considered: an atomic-generated electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack that could destroy electric systems and power grids - shutting off most televisions and radios, traffic signals and computers, to name only a few of the things that would be damaged. Asked how many Americans could die in such an attack, Dr. William Graham, chairman of "The Commission to Assess the Threat to the United States from Electromagnetnic Pulse Attack," created by Congress in 2001, put it this way: "Within a week or two of an attack, people would begin dying. People in hospitals would be in the worst jeopardy because many of them depend on power to stay alive," he said. [more...]
Will Livni's Bubble Burst First?
By Clare M. Lopez
While the U.S. media focuses on dueling celebrity ads, there is another election at least as critical as the one between the senators. It is the contest for the next Prime Minister of Israel. With Prime Minister Olmert's late July announcement that he will step down shortly, attention has shifted to Kadima Party internal elections, now scheduled for 17 September 2008. The leading contenders to succeed Olmert as Kadima Party leader and likely next Prime Minister of Israel are current Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Deputy Prime Minister Shaul Mofaz, who is a former Defense Minister and Chief of Staff of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). The outcome of this internal party vote could hardly be more important, not just for the future of the State of Israel, but for American national security as well. [more...]
Russia and Iran - Energy Rules
By KT McFarland
All of a sudden it's a dangerous world out there. Russia is reclaiming its former empire and Iran is ramping up its nuclear weapons program and supporting terrorists. At first glance these two seem unrelated, but they're actually different chapters in the same book, entitled "Energy Rules." It's an epic saga that began decades ago, in the 1970s. After the 1973 Yom Kippur war, the oil-producing Arab world realized it could band together and use its exports as a weapon to punish the West for supporting Israel. It slowed the oil pumps, constricted supply, drove up the price of oil and thus gasoline, and Americans stood in line at the gas pumps. Suddenly, oil-exporting countries were rich and their ambitions grew. Iran used its petrodollars to build a formidable military arsenal under the Shah and later, under the Ayatollah, waged a 10-year war with Iraq. Other Gulf countries built their military arsenals, acquired portfolios and their princes lived like playboys. [more...]
The Russian Bear Returns to Africa
By J.Peter Pham, PhD
As the Russian forces rumbling over the borders of Georgia brusquely reminded the international community that, as Sen. John McCain noted, a lot of what was thought to have been left behind at the end of the 20th century is now "rearing its ugly head in the twenty-first," including an aggressively expansive foreign policy, not only in Moscow's self-declared "Near Abroad," but wherever the Kremlin can find a opening to exploit. While considerable attention has been paid to the strategic implications of the recent Africa engagements by the United States, China, India, and Japan, very little attention has been paid to important moves being made by a resurgent Russia on an African continent whose geopolitical significance is increasingly acknowledged. [more...]
Shia Hizballah's and Sunni Salafists' Deal or No Deal
By W. Thomas Smith, Jr.
Hizballah - the Lebanon-based Shia terrorist group, which U.S. Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff says "makes Al Qaeda look like a minor league team" - has forged a seemingly unlikely alliance with a group of Sunni Salafist factions in Lebanon. The alliance, signed Monday, was temporarily frozen Tuesday. But sources say the deal still may be on. I say "unlikely alliance" because Salafism is the root-ideology of Sunni Al Qaeda and its affiliates, and Shia and Sunni extremists are commonly believed to be irreconcilable enemies. Nevertheless, on Monday, leaders from Hizballah and the Salafist Belief and Justice Movement met at Beirut's Al Safir Metropolitan Hotel and signed a "memorandum of understanding" aimed at preventing further bloodshed between the Shia and Sunni in Lebanon, and a more focused effort against the United States. [more...]
Monday, August 18, 2008
Family Security Matters - Week of 8/18/08
Hezbollah and Salafists Sign Agreement
By W. Thomas Smith, Jr.
Yesterday, we broke the following story [in the Western media] at WORLD DEFENSE REVIEW:
"Shiia Hezbollah and Sunni Salafists forging an unlikely alliance?
"Lebanon's Shiia Hezbollah and Sunni Salafi extremists may be nearing an agreement of mutual respect and coordination, which could be signed-and-sealed over the next 24-to-48 hours. (Incidentally, the terrorist network Al Qaeda was born of Salafism. So when you think of Salafi extremism, think Al Qaeda and all of its affiliates.)
"Though almost nothing about this has been reported in the Western press, human intelligence and open sources are indicating the agreement could be signed in Beirut as early as Monday when Hezbollah leaders and Salafists are scheduled to meet.
"According to our sources, despite the age-old Shiia-Sunni religious opposition - as well as recent bloodshed between the two radical Islamist organizations - 'Hezbollah and Salafi leaders have been negotiating a sort of memorandum of understanding for some time.'"
"One of the catalysts for such an agreement is based on intelligence suggesting 'the Iranians have flooded the Salafists in Lebanon with money in order to undermine moderate Sunnis - even Shiias - who are attempting to move toward democracy in Lebanon; building ties with Lebanese Christians and Druze.'
"Sources say both extremist groups are issuing statements, primarily in the Arab media, such as, 'Muslims should not fight Muslims,' but should instead bring all forces to bear 'against the West which is trying to divide us.'"
Today, we learn the agreement has indeed been signed. [more...]
Obama Confirms Relationship with CPUSA Member
By Cliff Kincaid
With the release of a 40-page "Unfit for Publication" report attacking Jerome Corsi's new book, The Obama Nation, it should be obvious that the media-backed presidential candidate, Barack Obama, is terrified of having his carefully concealed communist and foreign connections exposed to public view. However, the Obama campaign's attack on Corsi's book and Corsi personally acknowledges on pages 9 and 10 of its report that the mysterious "Frank" in Obama's 1995 book, Dreams From My Father, is in fact the Communist Party USA (CPUSA) member Frank Marshall Davis. This identification by AIM and others hasn't been disputed by the media, which has desperately tried to ignore the Obama-Davis relationship, but the Obama campaign has not responded to it until now. The admission that Obama's mentor was Frank Marshall Davis, an identified CPUSA member, can only add to growing public concern about Obama's relationship with a Communist pawn of Moscow who was the subject of security investigations by the FBI and various congressional committees, which examined Soviet activities in the U.S. [more...]
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Family Security Matters Briefings - Week of 8/11/08
John's Hair Hits the Fan
By Harvey Kushner
When asked about Bill Clinton's lurid relationship with Monica Lewinsky, John Edwards flipped his hair away from his forehead and offered the following: "I think this president has shown a remarkable disrespect for his office, for the moral dimensions of leadership, for his friends, for his wife, for his precious daughter. It is breathtaking to me the level to which that disrespect has risen." Talk about medical malpractice attorneys casting stones in glass houses. If the National Enquirer broke a story about a Mitt Romney's tryst, Couric, Gibson, and Williams would have been all over it like a monkey on a cupcake. [more...]
The Democrats' Oil-Drilling Flimflam: Betting the Public is Too Dumb to Catch On
By Joel Himelfarb
The mantra from Barack Obama and congressional Democrat leaders is that they represent "change" - and when it comes to gas prices, they certainly have a point. The cost to heat and air-condition American homes is certainly "changing" in very negative ways for the American consumer, as is the cost of getting to work or taking a trip with the family. Regular readers of this column know that I have been critical of Republicans' performance on many issues. But on energy today, the GOP on Capitol Hill has shown that it understands that oil supply must be increased, and lately it has been indefatigable in working to make this a reality. Even John McCain, a longtime advocate of costly, job-destroying legislation on climate change, is supporting offshore drilling and demanding that the Democrat leadership bring Congress back to Washington right away to debate energy. The Democrat Party, by contrast, is controlled by elitists who think they can profit politically by demagoguing against oil companies and commodities traders and making empty threats to induce OPEC to produce more. In reality, their policies would ensure that Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Venezuela's Hugo Chávez and corrupt government officials and pipeline saboteurs in Nigeria cement their power to send American energy prices sky-high. [more...]
Censorship May Open Our Eyes to China
By Nancy Salvato
Reporters charged with covering the Olympics are now whining about "not knowing what they will be able to cover and not knowing how much the Chinese government will censor their online coverage." The fact that the mainstream media is even remotely surprised at a Communist Government not allowing complete freedom of the press is laughable, irrespective of the fact that China promised them complete freedom to report on the events after this one party state was awarded the honor of hosting the Olympics. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung is absolutely right when it reminds folks that the Chinese government is "only doing what authoritarian and dictatorial regimes always do." Those reporters who dominate the mainstream media are finally getting a small taste of what it feels like to navigate the barriers set up by a country that limits their liberty to speak their mind. The New Media writers have been all too aware that the continuing erosion of our own country's freedoms in the name of political correctness has been steadily subsuming our constitutional rights for years now. [more...]
By Harvey Kushner
When asked about Bill Clinton's lurid relationship with Monica Lewinsky, John Edwards flipped his hair away from his forehead and offered the following: "I think this president has shown a remarkable disrespect for his office, for the moral dimensions of leadership, for his friends, for his wife, for his precious daughter. It is breathtaking to me the level to which that disrespect has risen." Talk about medical malpractice attorneys casting stones in glass houses. If the National Enquirer broke a story about a Mitt Romney's tryst, Couric, Gibson, and Williams would have been all over it like a monkey on a cupcake. [more...]
The Democrats' Oil-Drilling Flimflam: Betting the Public is Too Dumb to Catch On
By Joel Himelfarb
The mantra from Barack Obama and congressional Democrat leaders is that they represent "change" - and when it comes to gas prices, they certainly have a point. The cost to heat and air-condition American homes is certainly "changing" in very negative ways for the American consumer, as is the cost of getting to work or taking a trip with the family. Regular readers of this column know that I have been critical of Republicans' performance on many issues. But on energy today, the GOP on Capitol Hill has shown that it understands that oil supply must be increased, and lately it has been indefatigable in working to make this a reality. Even John McCain, a longtime advocate of costly, job-destroying legislation on climate change, is supporting offshore drilling and demanding that the Democrat leadership bring Congress back to Washington right away to debate energy. The Democrat Party, by contrast, is controlled by elitists who think they can profit politically by demagoguing against oil companies and commodities traders and making empty threats to induce OPEC to produce more. In reality, their policies would ensure that Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Venezuela's Hugo Chávez and corrupt government officials and pipeline saboteurs in Nigeria cement their power to send American energy prices sky-high. [more...]
Censorship May Open Our Eyes to China
By Nancy Salvato
Reporters charged with covering the Olympics are now whining about "not knowing what they will be able to cover and not knowing how much the Chinese government will censor their online coverage." The fact that the mainstream media is even remotely surprised at a Communist Government not allowing complete freedom of the press is laughable, irrespective of the fact that China promised them complete freedom to report on the events after this one party state was awarded the honor of hosting the Olympics. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung is absolutely right when it reminds folks that the Chinese government is "only doing what authoritarian and dictatorial regimes always do." Those reporters who dominate the mainstream media are finally getting a small taste of what it feels like to navigate the barriers set up by a country that limits their liberty to speak their mind. The New Media writers have been all too aware that the continuing erosion of our own country's freedoms in the name of political correctness has been steadily subsuming our constitutional rights for years now. [more...]
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Family Security Matters Briefings - Week of 8/4/08
Obama Unfit to Hold Supreme Command of the American Military
By W. Thomas Smith, Jr.
During a recent conversation with a friend - who also is an active supporter of Barack Hussein Obama - the subject came up of Obama's lack of any substantive leadership-experience - executive or otherwise. As expected, the supporter defended Obama's lack of experience by pointing to "experienced world leaders" whom she believed had failed so miserably as heads-of-state that they had come to serve as examples of why experience and longevity don't really matter, and why freshness and ambition should. Perhaps, if the fresh, ambitious one is selling life insurance: But not if he is vying for a position as important as commander-in-chief (CIC) of the armed forces of the United States: And especially not during time of war. If we were to follow my friend's line of thinking, a colonel commanding a Marine regimental combat team in battle would - if his units failed to achieve their objectives - be better replaced by an eager albeit inexperienced boot lieutenant fresh from Quantico rather than another colonel or an experienced lieutenant colonel. Let's boil it down even simpler: If you were flying with an experienced commercial-airline pilot who poorly flew the aircraft in which you were traveling, would you next time hope to fly in the same type of aircraft with a pilot whose experience was limited to a flight-simulator? Of course not. But that is exactly the kind of thinking the O-crowd wants us to buy into. [more...]
Emboldening Terrorists: 'Moderates' Kowtow to Hezbollah
By Joel Himelfarb
Make no mistake about it: the recent prisoner exchange between Israel and Hezbollah is a victory for Iran and its allies. The crux of the deal is this: Hezbollah gained the release of five imprisoned Lebanese terrorists in exchange for the bodies of two Israeli soldiers kidnapped by Hezbollah in a July 12, 2006, cross-border raid that triggered the 2006 war with the Jewish State. The most immediate impact will be to embolden another Iranian-backed terror group: Hamas, which says it will drive a harder bargain for the return of Israel Defense Force Corporal Gilad Shalit, kidnapped by Hamas in a June 25, 2006, cross-border raid into southern Israel. As a Hamas source told the Israeli Ynet.com news service: "The deal proves that patience and fortitude will lead to us seeing celebrations here [in Gaza] similar to those in Lebanon." [more...]
Hezbollah Solidifying Its Already-Strong Position in Lebanon
By W. Thomas Smith, Jr.
Hezbollah - as I've said before, the most-dangerous Talibanesque terrorist-army on the planet - is wrangling its way into becoming a legal part of the Lebanese Defense establishment: Positioning itself in such a way as to make it nearly impossible to ever outlaw and disarm Hezbollah in Lebanon. This despite the fact that Iranian-Syrian-supported Hezbollah - which fancies itself a legitimate arm of resistance - launched multiple deadly attacks against the Lebanese government and citizenry in May and numerous isolated attacks nationwide since. In the wake of the attacks - through force and intimidation - Hezbollah has achieved unprecedented political power in Lebanon (which we have written about extensively, and analysis may be accessed here). [more...]
By W. Thomas Smith, Jr.
During a recent conversation with a friend - who also is an active supporter of Barack Hussein Obama - the subject came up of Obama's lack of any substantive leadership-experience - executive or otherwise. As expected, the supporter defended Obama's lack of experience by pointing to "experienced world leaders" whom she believed had failed so miserably as heads-of-state that they had come to serve as examples of why experience and longevity don't really matter, and why freshness and ambition should. Perhaps, if the fresh, ambitious one is selling life insurance: But not if he is vying for a position as important as commander-in-chief (CIC) of the armed forces of the United States: And especially not during time of war. If we were to follow my friend's line of thinking, a colonel commanding a Marine regimental combat team in battle would - if his units failed to achieve their objectives - be better replaced by an eager albeit inexperienced boot lieutenant fresh from Quantico rather than another colonel or an experienced lieutenant colonel. Let's boil it down even simpler: If you were flying with an experienced commercial-airline pilot who poorly flew the aircraft in which you were traveling, would you next time hope to fly in the same type of aircraft with a pilot whose experience was limited to a flight-simulator? Of course not. But that is exactly the kind of thinking the O-crowd wants us to buy into. [more...]
Emboldening Terrorists: 'Moderates' Kowtow to Hezbollah
By Joel Himelfarb
Make no mistake about it: the recent prisoner exchange between Israel and Hezbollah is a victory for Iran and its allies. The crux of the deal is this: Hezbollah gained the release of five imprisoned Lebanese terrorists in exchange for the bodies of two Israeli soldiers kidnapped by Hezbollah in a July 12, 2006, cross-border raid that triggered the 2006 war with the Jewish State. The most immediate impact will be to embolden another Iranian-backed terror group: Hamas, which says it will drive a harder bargain for the return of Israel Defense Force Corporal Gilad Shalit, kidnapped by Hamas in a June 25, 2006, cross-border raid into southern Israel. As a Hamas source told the Israeli Ynet.com news service: "The deal proves that patience and fortitude will lead to us seeing celebrations here [in Gaza] similar to those in Lebanon." [more...]
Hezbollah Solidifying Its Already-Strong Position in Lebanon
By W. Thomas Smith, Jr.
Hezbollah - as I've said before, the most-dangerous Talibanesque terrorist-army on the planet - is wrangling its way into becoming a legal part of the Lebanese Defense establishment: Positioning itself in such a way as to make it nearly impossible to ever outlaw and disarm Hezbollah in Lebanon. This despite the fact that Iranian-Syrian-supported Hezbollah - which fancies itself a legitimate arm of resistance - launched multiple deadly attacks against the Lebanese government and citizenry in May and numerous isolated attacks nationwide since. In the wake of the attacks - through force and intimidation - Hezbollah has achieved unprecedented political power in Lebanon (which we have written about extensively, and analysis may be accessed here). [more...]
Family Security Matters Briefings - Week of 8/4/08
Obama Unfit to Hold Supreme Command of the American Military
By W. Thomas Smith, Jr.
During a recent conversation with a friend - who also is an active supporter of Barack Hussein Obama - the subject came up of Obama's lack of any substantive leadership-experience - executive or otherwise. As expected, the supporter defended Obama's lack of experience by pointing to "experienced world leaders" whom she believed had failed so miserably as heads-of-state that they had come to serve as examples of why experience and longevity don't really matter, and why freshness and ambition should. Perhaps, if the fresh, ambitious one is selling life insurance: But not if he is vying for a position as important as commander-in-chief (CIC) of the armed forces of the United States: And especially not during time of war. If we were to follow my friend's line of thinking, a colonel commanding a Marine regimental combat team in battle would - if his units failed to achieve their objectives - be better replaced by an eager albeit inexperienced boot lieutenant fresh from Quantico rather than another colonel or an experienced lieutenant colonel. Let's boil it down even simpler: If you were flying with an experienced commercial-airline pilot who poorly flew the aircraft in which you were traveling, would you next time hope to fly in the same type of aircraft with a pilot whose experience was limited to a flight-simulator? Of course not. But that is exactly the kind of thinking the O-crowd wants us to buy into. [more...]
Emboldening Terrorists: 'Moderates' Kowtow to Hezbollah
By Joel Himelfarb
Make no mistake about it: the recent prisoner exchange between Israel and Hezbollah is a victory for Iran and its allies. The crux of the deal is this: Hezbollah gained the release of five imprisoned Lebanese terrorists in exchange for the bodies of two Israeli soldiers kidnapped by Hezbollah in a July 12, 2006, cross-border raid that triggered the 2006 war with the Jewish State. The most immediate impact will be to embolden another Iranian-backed terror group: Hamas, which says it will drive a harder bargain for the return of Israel Defense Force Corporal Gilad Shalit, kidnapped by Hamas in a June 25, 2006, cross-border raid into southern Israel. As a Hamas source told the Israeli Ynet.com news service: "The deal proves that patience and fortitude will lead to us seeing celebrations here [in Gaza] similar to those in Lebanon." [more...]
Hezbollah Solidifying Its Already-Strong Position in Lebanon
By W. Thomas Smith, Jr.
Hezbollah - as I've said before, the most-dangerous Talibanesque terrorist-army on the planet - is wrangling its way into becoming a legal part of the Lebanese Defense establishment: Positioning itself in such a way as to make it nearly impossible to ever outlaw and disarm Hezbollah in Lebanon. This despite the fact that Iranian-Syrian-supported Hezbollah - which fancies itself a legitimate arm of resistance - launched multiple deadly attacks against the Lebanese government and citizenry in May and numerous isolated attacks nationwide since. In the wake of the attacks - through force and intimidation - Hezbollah has achieved unprecedented political power in Lebanon (which we have written about extensively, and analysis may be accessed here). [more...]
By W. Thomas Smith, Jr.
During a recent conversation with a friend - who also is an active supporter of Barack Hussein Obama - the subject came up of Obama's lack of any substantive leadership-experience - executive or otherwise. As expected, the supporter defended Obama's lack of experience by pointing to "experienced world leaders" whom she believed had failed so miserably as heads-of-state that they had come to serve as examples of why experience and longevity don't really matter, and why freshness and ambition should. Perhaps, if the fresh, ambitious one is selling life insurance: But not if he is vying for a position as important as commander-in-chief (CIC) of the armed forces of the United States: And especially not during time of war. If we were to follow my friend's line of thinking, a colonel commanding a Marine regimental combat team in battle would - if his units failed to achieve their objectives - be better replaced by an eager albeit inexperienced boot lieutenant fresh from Quantico rather than another colonel or an experienced lieutenant colonel. Let's boil it down even simpler: If you were flying with an experienced commercial-airline pilot who poorly flew the aircraft in which you were traveling, would you next time hope to fly in the same type of aircraft with a pilot whose experience was limited to a flight-simulator? Of course not. But that is exactly the kind of thinking the O-crowd wants us to buy into. [more...]
Emboldening Terrorists: 'Moderates' Kowtow to Hezbollah
By Joel Himelfarb
Make no mistake about it: the recent prisoner exchange between Israel and Hezbollah is a victory for Iran and its allies. The crux of the deal is this: Hezbollah gained the release of five imprisoned Lebanese terrorists in exchange for the bodies of two Israeli soldiers kidnapped by Hezbollah in a July 12, 2006, cross-border raid that triggered the 2006 war with the Jewish State. The most immediate impact will be to embolden another Iranian-backed terror group: Hamas, which says it will drive a harder bargain for the return of Israel Defense Force Corporal Gilad Shalit, kidnapped by Hamas in a June 25, 2006, cross-border raid into southern Israel. As a Hamas source told the Israeli Ynet.com news service: "The deal proves that patience and fortitude will lead to us seeing celebrations here [in Gaza] similar to those in Lebanon." [more...]
Hezbollah Solidifying Its Already-Strong Position in Lebanon
By W. Thomas Smith, Jr.
Hezbollah - as I've said before, the most-dangerous Talibanesque terrorist-army on the planet - is wrangling its way into becoming a legal part of the Lebanese Defense establishment: Positioning itself in such a way as to make it nearly impossible to ever outlaw and disarm Hezbollah in Lebanon. This despite the fact that Iranian-Syrian-supported Hezbollah - which fancies itself a legitimate arm of resistance - launched multiple deadly attacks against the Lebanese government and citizenry in May and numerous isolated attacks nationwide since. In the wake of the attacks - through force and intimidation - Hezbollah has achieved unprecedented political power in Lebanon (which we have written about extensively, and analysis may be accessed here). [more...]
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