Politics in 2010-What Must be Done?

Cross-posted by Gary Fouse
fousesquawk



Let's keep it up!


There is growing anger in the US since President Obama entered office and began instituting his changes-with the help of a solid Democratic majority in Congress. If I were to choose a Person of the Year for 2009, it would be the men and women who turned out for the Democratic town hall meetings and tea parties across the nation to voice their outrage at the rapid socialization of America. Now with the Christmas day attempt to blow up an airliner over Detroit by a man who never should have been able to even get near a plane to begin with, the nation is reacting to the sheer incompetence and neglect shown by our national leaders in their most important responsibility-to protect the American people. In 2010, we have a mid-term election coming up. That will be the big test. Can the American people sustain their anger until next November? Given the propensity of our president and Congress to rush and shove as much down our throats as they can, I think the anger will continue.

But what to do? The most obvious answer as a conservative is to say that we must vote as many liberal Democrats out of office as possible in 2010 followed by Obama in 2012. I don't say that as a Republican because I am not a Republican. I am a (small-i) independent who votes Republican because they are the only alternative to a Democratic Party that is going progressively to the left-and beyond.

However, the long-term answer for America is not to establish the Republicans as the one party holding power for a couple of reasons. First of all, one party rule in any nation only leads to abuses of power and corruption-at the expense of the people. Remember 1994, when Newt Gingrich instituted the Contract with America and the Republicans took power? What happened? New politicians came to Washington, learned the system, which was entrenched, and liked what they saw; the power, the cameras, the public recognition, the perks, and the sex. Came next election time, the only thing that mattered was re-election. They joined the system, made the deals, and the promises were forgotten. Result? They got their punishment in 2006 and 2008, and they deserved it.

The question is; have they learned their lesson and if so, for how long?

I don't wish for the destruction of the Democratic Party, as many Democrats have been trying to put the final nails in the Republican coffin by gaming the political and electoral system to ensure their own elections-fair or not (ACORN). Obviously, I would like to see the Democrats move to the center, just as liberals want to see the Republicans move to the center.

The idea of a third party merits at least consideration. Currently, neither party is satisfying its members to any great extent. Michael Medved correctly points out that today, a third party only splits the vote and guarantees defeat for the party which suffers the defectors; thus, it is merely a case of cutting off one's nose to spite one's face. Yet, what happened in 2009 with the tea party protests raises the idea of a Tea Party in 2010. Could it be successful? Probably not unless it had access to large sums of money, prominent candidates and mass defections from the Republican Party.

The other argument against more than two parties is that it would paralyze government and lead to a situation as you see in European countries like Italy, where fragile and temporary coalitions have to be formed to accomplish this and that.

Paralyze government, you say? Actually, That may not be as bad an idea as it might seem to be on the surface. Currently in California, there is a petition going around to put a measure on the state ballot that would limit our legislators to serving only 90 days a year. Preposterous? Not really when you consider the massive damage our Democrat-controlled legislature is doing every day. I will gladly vote for this measure. To me, what is going on in America today is reinforcement for the argument that "the government that governs best governs least".

On the other hand, there are two areas in which the government must be active; that is in the areas of national defense and protecting our citizens from crime. Guess what? Those are the two main functions of our government. Our government (according to the Constitution) has no role in getting us a job, a promotion, or otherwise putting money in our pocket. Some of you may find that shocking, but it is true. All these massive government programs that have taken over our lives are an intrusion into our lives that has nothing to do with the Constitution. We need leaders who will begin the long process of drawing back from a welfare state mentality. It will take a long time, but we must begin the process.

We must also demand-now-that our government get serious about protecting the American people from an enemy that is fighting a war whose intention is to kill as many of us as possible, wipe out Western civilization, and install a theocratic system of governance called Shariah over the land.

The first step is that someone has to lead our leaders by the hand and insist they identify and openly acknowledge who that enemy is. It is fundamentalist Islamism-maybe not as a religion, per se, but as a political ideology that would strip away all the rights we enjoy as a free and Democratic nation. Yet, go to the Department of Homeland Security's own website. Click away to your heart's content, and see if you can find any mention as to who the terrorists are. It might as well be Casper the Friendly Ghost.

http://www.dhs.gov/index.shtm

(At least they are using the word, "terror".)

Does that mean we stigmatize millions of innocent Muslims in this country as the enemy? No, but we must vigorously investigate and identify those individuals who pose a threat to us. It also means we use our common sense when trying to detect terrorists as they attempt to board planes. As I have pointed out before, criminal profiling goes way beyond looking at a person's ethnicity. On the other hand, those at our security check points know exactly where the threats are coming from. Strip-searching or giving full-body X-rays to people who are obviously not terrorists is nothing more than an exercise in covering their butts from lawsuits.

So, in this day and age, would this result in thousands of innocent Muslims, particularly young Muslim men being subject to closer scrutiny before they are allowed to board a flight? Unfortunately, yes, just as innocent Colombians and Nigerians (I thought) have been subjected to increased secondary searches because of the huge amount of drugs being carried on international flights by Colombian and Nigerian couriers. If the Muslim community in America or elsewhere is offended by constantly being examined every time they fly, they should reserve their outrage for the terrorists, who are causing us all to be increasingly inconvenienced. They should remember that it for their protection as well.

In the meantime, we must keep the pressure on Obama and his administration by protesting their woeful performance. We must keep clamoring for people like Janet Napolitano to resign. Should that occur, she should be replaced not by another politician, but by someone who has a solid background in anti-terrorism, knows who the enemy is, and will not be concerned about political correctness.

And we must keep speaking out. We must not allow ourselves to go back to sleep as we did after 9-11. If we don't keep the spirit alive, we will miss our chance next November.

Obama is Clueless on Iran

Crossposted by Gary Fouse
fousesquawk



Homosexuals being hanged in Iran


The current strife under way in Iran represents a great opportunity to resolve this great issue in our favor-indeed in the favor of the world. Unfortunately, with the Obama administration in power, that opportunity will likely be squandered.

Obama, in typical Carteresque fashion, believes naively that he can negotiate with the mullahs of Teheran and come to some sort of peaceful resolution of the on-going nuclear issue. Iran not only ignores him but spits in his face. Meanwhile, the Iranian regime goes merrily along supporting terrorism by its proxies, Hamas and Hizbollah, while viciously repressing its own citizens who are being shot down in the streets, arrested, tortured and hanged.

The issue is not negotiation. The issue is not reform. The issue is regime change. Lest those of you Iraq-war weary pacifists charge me with advocating an invasion, I am not there yet. What is needed from America (and our feckless "allies" in Europe) is a number of things that could support the dissidents in Iran without rashly driving them back into the arms of the government by using military action.

First of all, Obama should have long ago condemned the oppressive action of the Iranian regime. Instead he has been dragged off his Hawaii golf course into making some sort of statement to the effect that we "stand behind the protesters".

Secondly, instead of talking about stronger sanctions, it is time for the West to apply sanctions, not gradually, but drastically. Whatever the Iranians need, make sure they don't get it. Freeze their overseas assets. We could also keep them from access to gasoline. Surprisingly, with all the oil they have, they don't have the means to refine it. If we need to start a blockade of Iran, then what are we waiting for?

Should we eventually attack Iran? The danger of that is that it could turn around all those protests in favor of the government. First of all, given what happened in 1979, I would not send US troops to Iran solely for the purpose of liberating the Iranian people. Eventually, however, the regime has to be stopped from getting and using nuclear weapons or passing them off to terrorists. Under Obama, I doubt that will happen. Israel may have to take out the reactors in their own self-defense-without US support and is sure to be condemned by the feckless "World Community" that wishes Israel would just go away so "we could all live peacefully with the Arab world" (and their oil), another naive assumption.

Finally, we should be giving the Iranian protesters whatever clandestine assistance we can to make them stronger. (We can pretend we are back in the Cold War.) One important resource they need is communications equipment to keep reporting to the outside world what the government is trying to suppress.

Now is not a time for pleas for meetings and negotiations. History tells us that you can't negotiate with evil. It is time for us to ratchet up the screws on Iran in any manner we can and let the people overthrow this odious regime. Will we get any help from the Russians and Chinese? Of course not, but we can't let that stop us.

But alas; with this administration, instead of the above, we pretty much know what we are going to get. None other than John Kerry will be going to Iran to sit down and talk with the leaders of this outlaw regime.

He'd better pack his umbrella.

(For all you UC-Santa Cruz Community Studies majors, that's a reference to Neville Chamberlain.) Who is Neville Chamberlain, you ask?

Never mind.

Like Rats Fleeing From A Burning Ship...

By Findalis of Monkey in the Middle

Ayatollah Ali Khameni (pictured above) and company are planning to flee Iran to Russia.

Hat tip to Israel Matzav

Today Planet Iran posted a letter written on the official Islamic Regime letterhead that discusses Khamenei’s possible to escape to Russia.

December 29, 2009

Iran Global website has exposed a document that discloses information on Khamenei and various authorities of the regime’s possible escape to Russia.

The document is on the National Security Agency of the Islamic regime’s letterhead addressed from the office of the High Assembly of the Islamic Republic’s National Security official [name is redacted] to an individual [name redacted] in the revolutionary guards. The letter is dated 6th of Dey (December 27th).

It reads:

Re: Response to a letter number [redacted] written on the 5th of Dey (December 26th).


Salam Aleykom


With respect, we would like to inform you of the inspection, check up and preparation of the aircraft, destination Russia, for the purpose of transporting the Supreme Leader, his esteemed family and various officials of the Revolutionary Guards. Should the commanding forces lose control, direct your attention to the attached permit, number [redacted] of the National Security Agency and the Bureau of Revolutionary Guard’s Intelligence Security in order for the necessary steps to be taken.


Va al-salam


Office of the high assembly of the Islamic Republic’s national security


Commander, Brigadier-General, Revolutionary Guard


Stamped by Secretary General of the High Assembly of the Islamic Republic’s National Security


Stamped by Dr. Saeed Jalili

CC: [redacted]

This can only mean one thing:  The Green Revolution is terrifying the Mullahs and the heads of the Revolutionary Guards.  Without the Guards the Mullahs have no power, and it it looks like the rank and file Revolutionary Guard members just could be switching sides in an attempt to save themselves.

Without the Mullahs and more importantly the Revolutionary Guard, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is dead meat.  He will have no power, no friends, no allies.  I wonder will he will run to?  Venezuela and get help from Chavez?  Maybe, but don't hold your breath.

I know one person who will take full credit for this:  Barack Hussein Obama!  He will claim that by withholding support to the people of Iran, he brought about regime change.  The people of Iran know that President Obama said nothing, did nothing, helped them in no way.  In fact he congratulated Ahmadinejad when the election results were announced and violence hit the streets.

The Freeing Of Prisoners Who Were To Be Hanged

Iran Tehran 29 Dec 09 Nightly Protest

Perhaps with a regime change Iran will give up its nuclear program and will stop sponsoring terror groups like Hezbollah and Hamas.  Or am I dreaming too much?

There is a wind of change blowing through Iran.  Let us hope it is change for the better with the elimination of the Islamic Republic, and the formation of true democracy and freedom to the people of Iran.  An ideal they have been longing for these last 30 years.

Who Failed the System in the Christmas Day Attack? NCTC? FBI?

by Maggie at Maggie's Notebook

Who failed the system in the Christmas Day attack? Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was already known as "The Nigerian" and already suspected of meeting with "terrorist elements" in Yemen at the time of his failed bombing attempt of NW Flight 253. By August 2009, the CIA knew about "The Nigerian." The CIA did not know "The Nigerian's" name was Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab. And they did not put the two together when the father went to the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria and met with a CIA agent in November 2009. Who was responsible for connecting the dots? From documents found online, it appears the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) is responsible for gathering and disseminating information to the No-Fly List and the simply failed.

Michael Leiter with President Obama

The CIA forwarded the information to the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC). The connection was still not made. What does the NCTC do? Here are two pull-out quotes, more below:

...the Director of NCTC is responsible for providing strategic CT plans and for effectively integrating CT intelligence and operations across agency boundaries, both inside and outside the US.  

...and:

The primary source for all information relating to international terrorist identities in the TSDB is the Office of the Director of National Intelligence’s National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) ...The NCTC, “serve[s] as the primary organization in the United States Government for analyzing and integrating all intelligence possessed or acquired by the United States Government pertaining to terrorism and counterterrorism,...

As we learned during the 9-11 Commission hearings, Jaime Gorlick's "Wall of Separation," specifically built to keep the intelligence community from sharing information, enabled the 9-11 bombers. How high and at what depth is today's Wall of Separation? The Wall still stands. Here is a statement from the Vice-Chairman of the 9/11 Commission, Lee Hamilton, about the Christmas Day bombing:

"We must get better at collecting these bits of information, putting them together at a central point, analyzing them and then acting," said Lee Hamilton, the vice-chair of the 9/11 Commission. 

"We're sharing information better than we did prior to 9/11, but this incident surely illustrates we've got a long ways to go," Hamilton said

CIA spokesman Paul Gimigliano said after the meeting with the father in November, they worked with the U.S. Embassy to get Abdulmutallab's name into the "government's terrorist database:"

We also forwarded key biographical information about him to the National Counterterrorism Center. This agency, like others in our government, is reviewing all data to which it had access - not just what we ourselves may have collected - to determine if more could have been done to stop Abdulmutallab."

Yet, Abdulmutallab's name didn't make it to the No-Fly List. Clearly, someone was not paying attention. Michael E. Leiter's National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) did...what?...nothing? Leiter is the Director of NCTC and the following are a few comments from his testimony to the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee in September 2009:

Despite our counterterrorism (CT) progress, al-Qa‘ida and its affiliates and allies remain resilient and adaptive enemies intent on attacking US and Western interests—with al-Qa‘ida’s core in Pakistan representing the most dangerous component of the larger al-Qa‘ida network.  We assess that this core is actively engaged in operational plotting and continues recruiting, training, and transporting operatives, to include individuals from Western Europe and North America. ...

The NCTC evolved from legislation creating "a civilian-led unified joint command" for counterterrorism. Is it nothing more than another entity which decided to do nothing?

For the first time, an organization outside the Executive Office of the President was given the responsibility for government-wide coordination of planning and integration of department and agency actions involving “all elements of national power,” including “diplomatic, financial, military, intelligence, Homeland security, and law enforcement activities within and among agencies.”

Pursuant to this authority, the Director of NCTC is responsible for providing strategic CT plans and for effectively integrating CT intelligence and operations across agency boundaries, both inside and outside the US. 

Our CIA and FBI works under a President, a State Department and a Homeland Security Secretary that believes there is no war on terror, believes there are no foreign enemy combatants and believes there is no terrorism. Who places a name on the "No-Fly" list, or the "selectee" list, which alerts airline officials of the need for further, and deeper, examination of the person? Is it the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the CIA, the State Department, Homeland Security, or all of the above? Since "the government" administers the list, is the civilian NCTC involved at all? Apparently so, and apparently the NCTC is directly responsible for the list. The following is from a declassified Homeland Security document dated July 2009, page 9:

The primary source for all information relating to international terrorist identities in the TSDB is the Office of the Director of National Intelligence’s National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) ...The NCTC, “serve[s] as the primary organization in the United States Government for analyzing and integrating all intelligence possessed or acquired by the United States Government pertaining to terrorism and counterterrorism, excepting intelligence pertaining exclusively to domestic terrorists and domestic counterterrorism.”...

This information is provided to the NCTC through nominations of individuals made by federal agencies, often with the explicit intent for the record to then be exported to the TSDB [Terrorism Screening Datebase] for watch-listing.

So how many martini lunches and conferences to exotic locations were expensed by the NCTC?

President Obama referred to the attack on NW Flight 253 as an "alleged" attack. He wasn't specifically talking about the would-be-bomber - he was talking about the attack itself. It is possible to misidentify the bomber and refer to him as allegedly "Abdulmutallab," but, please, not the attack itself. He characterized the "alleged" attack as the work of an isolated extremist, after al-Qaeda in the Saudia Arabian peninsula had already taken credit for Abdulmutallab's actions - and yet he was already known as "The Nigerian," not "a Nigerian," but specifically "The Nigerian." His Director of National Counterterrorism knew Abdulmutallab's name, and so knew that he was connected to Yemen - yet refererred to him as an "isolated extremist." Knowing all this, at no time did he mention "jihad," "Islam," "Muslims,"  or radicals."

In Obama' second statement about the attack, the President said there were failures with our intelligence community in piecing the known information together, and then distributing that information. He said it was an unacceptable "systemic failure."  Abdulmutallab allegedly paid cash for his ticket and had no luggage; the CIA and the NCTC knew about him. At the simplest level, an airline accepted his cash, and checked no luggage, yet he was not tagged for a full pat down. Still yet, the President has not said the words "jihad," "radical Islam," or "Muslim."

If you are interested in additional information on Michael Leiter and the NCTC, the following are snippets from their "implementation plan:"

[Four Pillars]
1) protect and defend against terrorists;

2) attack their capacity to operate;

3) work diligently to undermine the spread of violent extremism and retard radicalization around the world; and

4) prevent terrorists from utilizing WMD. ...

On the domestic front, NCTC enables, informs and supports federal, state and local government efforts to engage with communities across our country.  Central to this effort is NCTC’s leadership of an interagency group to coordinate engagement projects and activities conducted by the FBI, DHS, State, Justice, Treasury and others.  In particular, NCTC has worked diligently through this group with its partner agencies to enhance the level of engagement between the US.

According to The NCTC, they are partners with the CIA, the FBI, the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice, the Department of State, The Department of the Treasury, the departments of Energy, Health and Human Services, and Agriculture, as well as the U.S. Capitol Police, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency - and "foreign partners."

The Center provides a unique environment to optimize the USG's collective knowledge and formidable capabilities to identify and counter the terrorist threat to the nation.

What happened to the "formidable capabilities" of the NCTC in the Christmas Day attack?
Read NCTC Transcript   View Michael Leiter Video P.S. just listening to Catherine Herridge on FOXNews and the NCTC is spinning at warp speed.

Janet Napolitano-"The System Worked."

Cross-posted by Gary Fouse
fousesquawk


Watch this clip of Homeland Security Director Janet Napolitano telling us that in the case of the attempted plane bombing in Detroit, "the system worked." It appears that is the administration talking point of the day; "The system worked."

http://www.politico.com/blogs/politicolive/1209/Napolitano_The_system_worked.html
(Hat tip to Politico.com)






What in the world is Ms Napolitano talking about? Is she claiming the system worked because the would-be bomber was unable to set off his explosives on the plane and was overcome by civilian passengers? Is she saying the system worked because they immediately sent out nation-wide alerts? That's like saying the system worked on
9-11, when 19 hijackers were able to board planes with box-cutters and wreak their havoc, but all air traffic was grounded after the crashes.

No, Ms Napolitano. The system did not work. Here we had a man who was known to intelligence as a suspect, but he was never on a "no-fly" list. We now know that his own father reported him to the US Embassy in Nigeria. Why did this man have a US visa? How was he able to board a US airliner in Amsterdam to fly to the US in possession of this mysterious powder if the system worked.

If the system had worked, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab would not have gotten a US visa. If the system had worked, he would have been on a no-fly list. If the system had worked, the powder would have been detected either at Lagos or Amsterdam airports. The only reason a disaster was avoided was because Abdulmutallab was incompetent in detonating the device as intended and because the passengers did what they know they must do after 9-11.

No thanks to "the system".

It may be too soon to pass judgement, but I'll bet we have had another breakdown in communications between the concerned agencies that could have kept this man off the plane to begin with. If so, it would be just another example of our responsible agencies not sharing communication. I saw it all too often in my career with Customs and DEA. Prior to 1973, US Customs and the old Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs (BNDD) were competing with each other instead of cooperating fully. That led to the 1973 merger in which DEA was created. Then it became DEA vs Customs, DEA vs FBI, DEA vs CIA and FBI vs CIA. Guess who won? The traffickers. Guess who wins when our intelligence and security agencies don't work together and share intelligence? The terrorists.

It is high time for Janet Napolitano to stop worrying about those right-wingers and Iraq war veterans that she so fears and start paying attention to who our real enemies are: Islamic terrorists.

If my suspicions are correct, heads should roll. If the Department of Homeland Security is found to be at fault, Napolitano should resign or be fired.

Anti-Semitism Czar Takes Shot at....Israeli Ambassador

Cross-posted by Gary Fouse
fousesquawk




It's called "diplomatic incident."


As I predicted when she was appointed, Hannah Rosenthal is turning out to be a lousy choice to be President Obama's "Anti-Semitism Czar". What is the first thing this left-winger from J Street does in her role? She goes over to Jerusalem and takes a shot at Israeli Ambassador to the US, Michael Oren. It seems the ambassador turned down an invitation to speak to J Street, a newly formed, left-wing Jewish group that is not a big fan of Israel. Conversely, Israel is not enamored of this organization, which was formed as a counterweight to AIPAC, a solid advocate for the Jewish state.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1137296.html

Here is a subsequent statement released by an embarrassed State Department spokesman named Jeff Feltman:

"The Department of State values its close relationship with Ambassador Michael Oren and his staff at the Embassy of Israel in Washington. The United States and Israel enjoy extraordinarily close ties based on shared values, interests, and history, as well as the deep bonds between the Israeli people and the American people. Ambassador Oren plays an indispensible role in maintaining and strengthening our relationship through his day to day interaction with the Administration and Congress on issues of vital importance to both countries and his vigorous outreach to Americans of all origins and points of view."


Rosenthal is just the latest in the line of far-left worker bees that Obama is sticking into government posts to further his agenda while he poses as a moderate. No wonder Israel is worried about the Obama administration.

Christmas in Bethlehem Destroyed by Israel?

by Maggie at Maggie's Notebook

I guess I haven't been paying attention the past few years. I didn't know that Israel has destroyed life for Christians in the town of Bethlehem to the point that Christians have left in a "massive flight."

Bethlehem - Manger Square

WorldNetDaily has this story, and I found it via AmerIsrael. According to WND's Aaron Klein, Reuters, the GuardianUK and others, are in the habit of reporting, each year at this time, the terrible treatment of Christians by Jews in Bethlehem. If you do not have time to read the portions below, or time to go directly to WND to read the entire piece, read the three paragraphs in bold text below, and you will get the idea.

TEL AVIV – Like clockwork, every year at this time reporters file misleading and, in some cases, outright false reports about the state of Christmas in Bethlehem [blaming Israel for the demise of the Christian population]. 

They claim Israeli policies have wreaked havoc on the city's economy and that Israel is responsible for the massive flight of Christians from Bethlehem. Yet the news media completely ignore Muslim intimidation and get their facts wrong on documented history and the true state of affairs in this ancient town.

A widely circulated Reuters article, for example, laments "Christmas cheer hasn't spread to all of Bethlehem's residents," squarely blaming "an Israeli wall" for the town's misfortunes. Britains' Press and Journal also paints a dismal picture of Bethlehem, claiming the city is "divided by a huge wall" and that the "26ft-high security wall completes the isolation of Bethlehem and prevents it from ever expanding." The piece also wrongly states that about 2 percent of Bethlehem's population is Christian.

An opinion piece by Austen Ivereigh in the London Guardian, meanwhile, also claims Bethlehem is "shuttered and depressed" by an "Israeli separation wall."

"I don't just mean the structure itself – 30 feet high, bristling with watchtowers and formed of grey concrete slabs – but where it is built, deep into the town itself, far into the West Bank, severing Bethlehem from Jerusalem and ensuring the relentless expansion eastwards of Jewish-only settlements built on land seized from Palestinian farmers," the Guardian piece claims. Regarding the "wall" that "surrounds" Bethlehem: Israel built a fence in 2002 in the area where northern Bethlehem interfaces with Jerusalem. A tiny segment of the barrier, facing a major Israeli roadway, is a concrete wall that Israel says is meant to prevent gunmen from shooting at Israeli motorists....

Amazingly, Ivereigh's piece in the Guardian falsely claimed: "Bethlehem is shuttered and depressed not because of Koran-wielding thugs but because the wall has smashed its economy. The town has become a ghetto, severed from lands to the north and west by the wall, and to the south and east by settler-only roads and a forest of checkpoints, leaving it barely able to trade."

Simple demographic facts disprove this contention entirely. Israel built the barrier seven years ago. But Bethlehem's Christian population started to drastically decline in 1995, the very year Arafat's Palestinian Authority took over the holy Christian city in line with the U.S.-backed Oslo Accords.

Bethlehem was more than 80 percent Christian when Israel was founded in 1948. But after Arafat took control, the city's Christian population plummeted to its current 23 percent. And that statistic is considered generous since it includes the satellite towns of Beit Sahour and Beit Jala. Some estimates place Bethlehem's actual Christian population as low as 12 percent, with hundreds of Christians emigrating each year.

As soon as he took over Bethlehem, Arafat unilaterally fired the city's Christian politicians and replaced them with Muslim cronies. He appointed a Muslim governor, Muhammed Rashad A-Jabar, and deposed of Bethlehem's city council, which had nine Christians and two Muslims, reducing the number of Christians councilors to a 50-50 split.

Arafat then converted a Greek Orthodox monastery next to the Church of Nativity, the believed birthplace of Jesus, into his official Bethlehem residence.
Suddenly, after the Palestinians gained the territory, reports of Christian intimidation by Muslims began to surface.

Christian leaders and residents told this reporter they face an atmosphere of regular hostility. They said Palestinian armed groups stir tension by holding militant demonstrations and marches in the streets. They spokes of instances in which Christian shopkeepers' stores were ransacked and Christian homes attacked. 

They said in the past, Palestinian gunmen fired at Israelis from Christian hilltop communities, drawing Israeli anti-terror raids to their towns.

In 2002, dozens of terrorists holed up inside the Church of the Nativity for 39 days while fleeing a massive Israeli anti-terror operation. Israel surrounded the church area but refused to storm the structure....

Some Christian leaders said one of the most significant problems facing Christians in Bethlehem is the rampant confiscation of land by Muslim gangs.

One religious novelty store owner recently told WND that Muslim gangs regularly deface Christian property.

"We are harassed, but you wouldn't know the truth. No one says anything publicly about the Muslims. This is why Christians are running away."

 The City of the birth of Christ, the birth of King David, and the tomb of Rachel is under Palestinian governance, and has a Muslim majority population.

In 2007 the city had approximately 25,000 residents with Christians making up 20% of the citizenry. With life made difficult for Christians, and the fact that Christians propagate at a much slower rate than Muslims, the Christian presence in Bethlehem is dwindling.

Read about Christmas observances by Christians in Bethlehem here and about the Church of the Nativity and the birthplace of Christ here.

Would-be Nigerian Bomber Known as a Threat for Two Years

by Maggie at Maggie's Notebook

The Christmas Day Nigerian bomber's failed attack on Northwest's Flight 253 makes us thankful that the plot was foiled by alert passengers, but shows that security in the U.S. is also a failure at critical times. Abdul Mudallad was known to be a threat, with possible al-Qaeda ties, for at least two years, was on a federal "watch list" but not on the "no-fly list." Would anything have made a difference? Mudallad boarded the flight in Amsterdam with explosives strapped to his leg.

I can't get through airport security if my jewelry is in my purse wrapped in a dark velvet bag. How was this man allowed to board, and what is going on in the city of Amsterdam - a city with at least a population of 13% Muslims and the home to one of the most radical mosques in the country, Tawheed mosque, in the the Old-West section of the city?

In 2006, the Netherlands' Minister of Justice suggested that Islamic Shari'a law be constitutionally adopted in the country, and a poll in the same year found that 68% of the citizens felt threatened by "immigrant or Muslim young people." Almost as many feared a terrorist attack by Muslims and a very astute 47% believed that if some action was not taken, they would eventually have to live according to Islamic rule in the Netherlands. Obviously the Justice Minister's idea of a good proposal for life in the Netherlands was shouted down.

After the 2004 murder of Theo van Gogh the country conducted an inquiry into the radicalization of young Muslims. The usual findings surfaced: a feeling of alienation, disconnectedness with their first-generation immigrant parents and no shared feeling of patriotism for their own country was prevalent. Obviously, immigrant parents do a miserable job of helping their child integrate, and feel gratitude for the liberty their friends and relatives are denied in Islamic lands, and in many cases, we have seen parents who push their children into jihadist fervor - I'm just guessing, but probably to alleviate their own guilt for living among the democratic. Having said that, there are rumors that Mutallad's father's report him to U.S. authorities six months ago!!! More on that as available.

Had the bomber been successful in blowing the plane in it's descent, imagine the catastrophe. While the loss of 298 passengers would have been horrific, think of the catapulting, flame engulfed monstrosity barreling into the Detroit airport, or into nearby neighborhoods or both. If, within a city like Amsterdam, we cannot be assured that explosives will not be strapped to the leg of any traveler, what are we to do? This man, Abdul Mudallad, was granted a U.S. visa in June 2008, good through June 12th of 2010. The world is in a mess because we refuse to face our future.

Here are the details of the attempted bombing:

Delta Northwest Flight 253 landed safely in Detroit today - Christmas Day, after Abdul Mudallad  tried but failed to blow up the plane on its descent. The would-be bomber appears to have several aliases: Abdul Farouk Mudallad and Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab. White House officials have called the incident an "act of terrorism." Updates as available.

Mudallah, 23, allegedly tried to detonate explosives strapped to his leg. The device is believed be a powder and liquid mixture. The Nigerian flew KLM Flight 588 from Nigeria to Amsterdam where he boarded Flight 253, a Northwest Airbus 330 with 278 passengers.

According to ABC News, the suspect told authorities that he had explosive powder taped to his leg and used a syringe of chemicals to detonate the powder.

Syed Jafry, of Holland, Michigan, told the Detroit News that he was sitting in the 16th row when he heard “a pop and saw some smoke and fire”. Mr Jafry said that people ran out of their seats to tackle the suspect.

Dawn Griffith, from Pontiac, Michigan, who was waiting to meet a passenger, told the newspaper that she saw a “young looking” man being taken from the airport handcuffed to a stretcher with his hands bandaged.

Peter Smith, a witness describes the scene aboard the flight:

The man was "subdued immediately," Elliott said. Northwest is a wholly owned subsidiary of Delta.

"There was one guy, who sat on the other side, the right side of the wing because this was on the left side of the wing, and he jumped over the other people and he took care of it," said passenger Peter Smith.

The suspect told authorities that he had explosive powder taped to his leg and used a syringe of chemicals to mix with the powder that was to cause explosion. This is of concert because it is a method of mixing that is consistent with terror techniques.

There are unconfirmed reports that some passengers were injured. Mudallad is believed to have second degree burns. Naturally, the U.S. would be merciful to a man desperate to kill American infidels:

The Nigerian suspect suffered second-degree burns and was being treated at the University of Michigan Medical Centre, where authorities were questioning him. On landing, the Northwest flight was directed to an isolated part of the Detroit airport as police and firemen responded.

Mudallad or Abdulmutallab is believed to be an engineering student at University College London. He allegedly claimed he was following instructions from al-Qaeda, and indeed, he is on a US "watch-List" according to this report, but...not on a no-fly list!!! ABC News reports he was flying from Nigeria to the US for a "religious seminar," according to his entry visa which was issued in on June 16, 2008 - and get this, it was good until June 12, 2010.

Mourning Roger Gardner

We are mourning the loss of our friend, and Radarsite owner, Roger Gardner. Roger has been battling leukemia for a little over a year now. I received an email from his son Geoff, saying that Roger lost his battle on Thursday evening, December 17th.

Please scroll down for current posts

Merrimack Valley Hospice, 360 North Avenue in Haverhill, Massachusetts took "amazing" care of Roger, according to Geoff, and as his friends out here in his conservative blog network know, his family, who he loved so very much, were always there for him.

Please check back for our tribute posts for Roger.

Other Tributes, with the most recent listed first:
 
Roger Gardner's last interview with the Newburyport Daily News

The Brilliance of Roger Gardner by Holger at Holger Awakens

The Night Roger W. Gardner Got in my Pants by Courtney Messerschmidt

Remembering Roger W. Gardner with video and photos by Norm Hooben

A Poem for Roger by FaultlineUSA and Dean Bremkamp

Roger by Gary Fouse at Fousquawk 

In Memory by Findalis at Monkey in the Middle



Mourning Roger Gardner

In Memory of Roger Gardner

The following is a tribute to Roger by PatriotUSA at Patriot's Corner written today:

Roger Gardner of Radarsite passed away last Thursday, December 17th. I was just informed earlier today. This is in his memory and honor.

Roger wrote with a passion, love of God and country like very few that I have had the chance to know. I never met Roger but he was always very kind to me and was instrumental in pushing me to start my blog. I encourage all of you to visit Radarsite and read some of his writings. You will be changed, and it will be for the better.

  Roger Gardner

1936-2009

Thanks to Findalis of Monkey in the Middle for this picture.

For Roger Gardner

From Thomas Jefferson:

"Can the liberties of a nation be secure

when we have removed the conviction

that these liberties are the gift from God?

I tremble for my country when I reflect

 that God is just, and that his justice

cannot sleep forever." 

The above quote comes from the book:

"The Rewriting of America's History" by

Catherine Millard. Page 108.

Published 1991

Christian Publications Inc.

Rest in peace, Roger.

He has called you home.

Other Tributes, with the most recent listed first:
 
Roger Gardner's last interview with the Newburyport Daily News

The Brilliance of Roger Gardner by Holger at Holger Awakens

The Night Roger W. Gardner Got in my Pants by Courtney Messerschmidt

Remembering Roger W. Gardner with video and photos by Norm Hooben

A Poem for Roger by FaultlineUSA and Dean Bremkamp

In Memory by Findalis at Monkey in the Middle

Roger by Gary Fouse at Fousquawk

Mourning Roger Gardner

Roger Gardner's last interview with the Newburyport Daily News

 by Maggie at Maggie's Notebook

Roger did not often give his reader's a glimpse into his own personal life. As he said, "this blog isn't about me, but about America." What we knew, we knew from those passionate words and images, slashing like a swift and terrible sword at America's enemies. In an interview with the Newburyport Daily News, however, Roger gave us a bit more of himself, including a mention of his "red scooter," which prompted a surprise response from me. He emailed a great pic of that scooter but after changing computers, I can no longer find it.

Roger Gardner

Photo Credit: Ben Laing - Newportbury Daily News

By Katie Curley
Staff writer

NEWBURYPORT — Roger Gardner often feels like he is living a secret life.

From his apartment at the James Steam Mill, what once started as a small blog dedicated to politics and shedding light on the cultural aspects tied to the War on Terror, has caught the attention of government officials from around the world. Readers include President George W. Bush, top media outlets and casual readers.

"This has been consuming my life for over a year now," said Gardner, the father of three grown sons and seven grandchildren. "It's not really about politics but about culture."

Though battling what doctors tell him is likely a terminal cancer, the 71-year-old Gardner is light-hearted as he talks of his blog, "Radarsite," and Americans' understanding of the war and Muslim religion. And while he says his critics call him "bitter" and "cynical," it is untrue, he says — he is just an American speaking out for America.

"September 11 had an effect on me that was huge," Gardner said. "Within a few weeks of listening to the reports and opinions and hearing about Islam, the Koran and the Middle East, I realized I was willfully ignorant. I decided to study the Muslim religion, read the Koran and the great deal of supportive literature and not just believe, like everyone else, what was being told about Islam."

In the weeks and months that followed, Gardner, a veteran of the Cold War, was moved by the anti-American sentiments that spread throughout the United States. The belief in conspiracy theories and that the terrorist attacks were the fault of the country moved him to comment on various articles and come up with ideas for his own writings.

"The entries mainly come in anger and in response to other people's comments on stories, especially negative to the U.S.," Gardner said. "The Western culture is threatened, and people don't know it because the mainstream media doesn't talk about it."

The road to creator and publisher of Radarsite was unexpected at best, said Gardner, as he chronicled his early years living a "bohemian" lifestyle in Greenwich Village, N.Y.

"I was a knee-jerk liberal," Gardner said. "I couldn't get any more anti-establishment, but that was the pond I swam in."

The Philadelphia-area native dropped out of high school before graduation and opted to go to art school rather than college. Instead, he read. And read.

After doing odd jobs most of his life, some of which included taxi driver and real estate agent and being married and divorced twice, Gardner came to Newburyport. He was the manager of Ten Center Street in Newburyport until his retirement in 2001.

"For 35 years I studied history really obsessively," Gardner said. "I tested myself, made a program, charts and graphs and read over 600 books on the Roman Empire and corresponded with well-known historians."

Radarsite will turn one year old this week and mark a change from 10 readers to more than 10,000 readers a day.

In addition, blog entries Gardner has penned have ended up in major publications and on other blogs throughout the world, catching the attention of universities in the Middle East as well as the Pakistan Spectator.

"It's really encouraging. The blog isn't about me but about America," Gardner said. "I've studied the country long enough to know we are the finest in the world and more generous and thoughtful than any else. There are countries which don't treat their allies like we treat our enemies."

His passion for the country he served he said was the exact reason he contacted the State Department recently after receiving an offer to be the North American correspondent for the Pakistani Spectator newspaper.

"I contacted the State Department and told them I didn't want to get in over my head or say something conflicting with American policy," Gardner said, noting his lack of credentials and that he is just exercising his First Amendment rights.

"Turns out they had been following the site almost every week for a year and were watching my back. It made me proud that they are watching and are on the ball."

But Gardner now has a new battle to fight, as he was diagnosed with leukemia last month and was originally given two weeks to live. His prognosis was recently extended to three to nine months, but Gardner's energy has suffered, and he is finding he is unable to post as he had been. His diagnosis caught the attention of President Bush, who wrote a letter encouraging him during this difficult time.

"The letter signed by President Bush and Laura Bush said their thoughts and prayers were with me and that my strength and determination demonstrate the American spirit," Gardner said. "I just feel fortunate I have been able to experience all this, for somebody living on Social Security with no car but a red scooter, I feel very fortunate. At 71, I'm having the time of my life. I'm glad I lived long enough for this."

Gardner has also heard anecdotes about his articles hanging on office walls of the Pentagon, colleges and universities, and the House of Representatives.

"The average American has a voice and a place in the world," Gardner said. "Democrats and Republicans come and go, but America is what I love."

Source: Newburyport Daily News 

Other Tributes, with the most recent listed first:
 
Roger Gardner's last interview with the Newburyport Daily News

The Brilliance of Roger Gardner by Holger at Holger Awakens

The Night Roger W. Gardner Got in my Pants by Courtney Messerschmidt

Remembering Roger W. Gardner with video and photos by Norm Hooben

A Poem for Roger by FaultlineUSA and Dean Bremkamp

In Memory by Findalis at Monkey in the Middle

Roger by Gary Fouse at Fousquawk

Mourning Roger Gardner

The Brilliance of Roger Gardner

A tribute post by Holger at Holger Awakens

As was posted here earlier today, we are mourning the passing of Roger Gardner, one of the most incredible bloggers and writers that America has produced. I challenge anyone to come up with another man or woman who can rival the patriotism, spirit and genius that was Roger Gardner.

In memory of Roger, I wanted to show you folks some of his work. This is a blogpost piece put up by Roger back in January of 2008 - a full year prior to Barack Hussein Obama taking the helm as President of the United States of America. Read this piece by Roger Gardner and tell me that he had not seen Obama, at that stage of the Presidential campaign, for what he was and what he would bring to our Country. Read this piece by Roger Gardner and tell me he wasn't a year and a half ahead of everyone in the blogosphere in detailing what we Americans needed to do. Not only did Roger predict the future, he told us how to handle it. Amazing.

Here's the link to the post at RADARSITE.

A Brief Message To America

Roger Gardner

America -- it's time to stop what you're doing for a minute and take a good long look in the mirror.

You have allowed other people to delineate your image for too long now. You have uncritically accepted their skewed portraiture as truth and bought into their self-serving lies. You have been bullied by cold-hearted cynics and wrong-headed critics into believing that you are something that you are not, and never could have been.

It's time to stop all that now, America. It's time to remember who the hell you are. In the words of our late great Ambassador Jeanne Kirkpatrick, "Americans need to face up to the truth about themselves, no matter how pleasant it is.

"You seem to have forgotten that the world is weak and envious of your strength. They want what you have and deride you because they need you. But your detractors are small and petty and vicious; and you are great and beautiful.

You are nothing less than the light of the world, and the hope of all its people. Without your stalwart protection and the selfless sacrifice of your courageous fathers and sons who have fought and died on foreign soil to protect other people's liberties, the glorious achievements of this whole wondrous Western Civilization would have long ago crumbled into dust and been trampled under the feet of the barbarians.

So listen up now, America. The world needs you once again. Take a good hard look at yourself. And stand tall and be proud. You are quite simply the bravest, most noble, most generous, most high-minded and judicious nation the world has ever known.

And we love you.

Other Tributes, with the most recent listed first:
 
Roger Gardner's last interview with the Newburyport Daily News

The Brilliance of Roger Gardner by Holger at Holger Awakens

The Night Roger W. Gardner Got in my Pants by Courtney Messerschmidt

Remembering Roger W. Gardner with video and photos by Norm Hooben

A Poem for Roger by FaultlineUSA and Dean Bremkamp

In Memory by Findalis at Monkey in the Middle

Roger by Gary Fouse at Fousquawk

Mourning Roger Gardner

The Night Roger W. Gardner Got In My Pants

A tribute post by Courtney Messerschmidt, Great Satan's Girlfriend.

Roger was an older cat, with a rich life - serving Great Satan manning long watches on Early Warning Systems from back in Cold War time, art history professor, artiste' and generally a fully crunk, super savvy cat with a strong sense of history. His writing style was totally formidable and he never suffered fools gladly.


Way back in the day - Iraq was a mess - and despite seeing off two family members to pre Surge the place, "Defeat!", "Retreat!" and "Repeat!" seemed like the defeatist war cry dejour.

It was deceitfully depressing - and seemed, historically speaking - weirdly unAmerican.

Trekking about loose and unattended on the big bad web, yours truly magically collided with the one and only Roger W Gardner.

Roger had just pubbed a piece about Kasserine Pass. Essentially, even before Pearl Harbor, Great Satan kinda sat up and took notice of Deutschland's rowdy, racy Panzer Korps. And She began to bling R&D, industrial might and assembly line prowess to meet and exceed the armored spear that Germany used to blitz her enemies into defeat or drive them to the brink.

And the debut place d'armes was Kasserine Pass. And it was a disaster, a real catastrophe (unlike the fakebelieve ones today). Great Satan's own dear sons literally shot to pieces along with the best gear Detroit deployed in North Africa.

Yet less than 3 years later, American armored divisions liberated the most people, captured the most turf, killed and captured the most enemies while suffering the least casualities in the shortest amount of time ever in history.

Roger's target was that American free inquiry, willpower and firepower could be stymied now and then - but never defeated.

Another of Roger's amazing bits, hot and online at the time was the definative deconstruction of Imperial Mohammedist Sayid Qutbah - "Those Greeley Girls."

Finding both pieces online at a friends house - killing time before blitzing a party posse to the mall's cineplex - it was only a couple clicks to print both articles.

Hopping into the SUV, the five of us picked party Roddy - the guylinered rocker boi down the street. Moi earnestly reading the printed bits cashiered from Roger in the back seat. Jamming the jams loud, we ran straight into a roadblock conducted by the Highway Patrol.

Sitting behind Roddy (not his real name), engrossed in reading Roger, it was a bit of a surprise to receive an over the shoulder airborne drop of the dreaded cannabis sativa.
Whiskey Foxtrot Tango?

"Just hide it. Just hide it - I don't have any pockets" Well, great - I don't either!

So, as the patrol cat came up to the drivers window, moi stashed the stash - folded up in Roger's writings into britches so tight - they could have painted on. Flashing the best smile money can buy and sweetly answering all the questions - the HP flagged us on through - even though their k9 partners were giving us the old evil eye.

As the dirty yellow waves of panic subsided, and the cineplex in sight, the sharp pain of a secreted stash became prominent and unless some type of semi nude gymnastics were carried out - it was nigh impossible to retrieve.

Thus began a long correspondence with Roger. He took interest in a goofy kid with audacious ideas and offered killer guidance, advice and a sounding board. We often shot sparks off of each other - particularly to the concept that Mohammedism is /is not compatible with democracy and we both had to research and tighten up our debates.

Roger insisted that GrEaT sAtAn"S gIrLfRiEnD go online and NOT to mimic every other blog out there but follow Dr Wolftgang Ischinger's caveat that it is "funny, smart and tolerable in small doses."

And it all started the night Roger W Gardner got in my pants!


End Courtney's memories of Roger.


Note: Both of the articles mentioned above, Kasserine Pass and Those Notorious Greeley Girls, are linked at the top right of of this page.


Other Tributes, with the most recent listed first:
 
Roger Gardner's last interview with the Newburyport Daily News

The Brilliance of Roger Gardner by Holger at Holger Awakens

The Night Roger W. Gardner Got in my Pants by Courtney Messerschmidt

Remembering Roger W. Gardner with video and photos by Norm Hooben

A Poem for Roger by FaultlineUSA and Dean Bremkamp

In Memory by Findalis at Monkey in the Middle

Roger by Gary Fouse at Fousquawk

Mourning Roger Gardner

Remembering Roger W. Gardner (Video)

Roger Gardner, the soul and spirit of Radarsite, lost his battle with leukemia last week. Blogger Norm Hooben was one of the few among Roger's many friends who actually met him in person. Norm is sharing his memories, photos and a video of Rog.

Norm Hooben (L) and Roger Gardner (R)

I got to meet Roger on two occasions and was very impressed with his knowledge of early Roman history...he was very well read and had an array of books in his small but comfortable apartment.

Some of you may remember the video I took during one of my visits...he was also
an excellent musician (self-taught, I believe) ...

My prayers are for his family and friends...I'm speechless at the moment but I know Roger is with Our Creator...Norm

More photos from Storm'n Norm'n:

Roger Gardner

 

Roger

 

Roger Gardner

 

Norm and Roger

Roger Gardner

We will have more memories in the coming days, as well as our favorites among Roger's outstanding writings. If you have a favorite article by Roger, please leave it in the comment section and we will add it to our list.

Other Tributes, with the most recent listed first:
 
Roger Gardner's last interview with the Newburyport Daily News

The Brilliance of Roger Gardner by Holger at Holger Awakens

The Night Roger W. Gardner Got in my Pants by Courtney Messerschmidt

Remembering Roger W. Gardner with video and photos by Norm Hooben

A Poem for Roger by FaultlineUSA and Dean Bremkamp

In Memory by Findalis at Monkey in the Middle

Roger by Gary Fouse at Fousquawk

Mourning Roger Gardner

A Poem for Roger

 

There's no better tribute that I can give for my friend, Roger, than to publish (with permission) a letter from another of Roger's good friends, Dean Bremkamp.

Roger was one of a kind. When we all first met a few years ago he worried that none of us combat vets would consider him a veteran. We did though. His job was as important as any I can think of while he was in the service standing guard on that God forsaken mountain top intercepting radio transmissions and watching the Russkies or anyone else causing trouble. He was a vet in every sense of the word to me.

The death of a friend is always shocking but we have to remember him as a vibrant essential human being doing all of us and unnamed others a great service with his blog and his writing. He's in a far better place than we are now, all his pain and troubles are over. He's free. In some ways I envy him. Death is never an easy thing to get past but I think Roger would want all of us to move on and remember him as he was.

This was a poem I posted as a tribute to my oldest son who passed in February this year. I think it's fitting that it should be for Roger as well;

May the road rise up to meet you, may the wind ever be at your back,

May you find old friends waiting to greet you, there on the outside track.

We're gathered together old times to remember, 'tis but for ourselves we would grieve,

So we'll sing you a chorus and bid you farewell - fair winds and a following sea.

We'll sing of 'The Leaf' and 'The Parting Glass', we'll raise up our voices in song,

No sadness today for those who have passed, we celebrate with voices glad and strong.

A catch in the throat, a tear in the eye, but no funeral dirge will this be,

We'll roar 'Auld Lang Syne' as a victory song - fair winds and a following sea.

And those of us left here will miss a true friend, who shared with us good times and bad,

Raising a glass to your memory we'll say: “We've known you dear friend – why should we be sad?”

We honor a life that was lived to the full, we honor a spirit, now free.

You'll long be remembered, whenever we say: “Fair winds and a following sea!”

Farewell my friend and God speed.

Semper Vigilans

Dean

In Memory!

By Findalis of Monkey in the Middle

Of our dear friend Roger W. Gardner, founder of Radarsite.

Roger Gardner was diagnosed with Leukemia September of 2008.  The doctors gave him 2 weeks to live.  G-d had other plans for him.  Roger survived 2 weeks, 2 months, 1 year.  All the time fighting for his life, and this nation he loved so well.

I find it hard to write this.  Roger was a friend and mentor.  His death is a loss to the fight for justice, freedom and decency.  We will all miss him very much.

My thoughts and prayers go out to his family.  May G-d bring comfort to his family.

Roger W. Gardner

1936-2009

An True American Patriot!

Roger

Cross-posted by Gary Fouse
fousesquawk



Roger Gardner
1936-2009

(Thanks to Monkey in the Middle for the photo)


Some of my readers may know that I have regularly cross-posted some of my articles to Radarsite, a blog in Massachusetts which was operated by Roger Gardner. Roger was a true patriot, a veteran of the military who named his blog after a radar installation in Newfoundland, in which he served in the military. Last year, Roger was diagnosed with terminal leukemia and told by a doctor that he had two weeks to live. Roger, being the fighter he was, fought it for another year by way of chemotherapy. Now we have been advised by his son that Roger passed away last Thursday.

It has been a couple of years now that Roger reached out to me and asked me to cross-post onto Radarsite. He had read my writings and graciously gave me an opportunity to spread my readership through Radarsite. As a result, many of my articles found their way onto the websites of the Chicago Sun Times, Reuters and others. For that I am eternally grateful.

I never met Roger in person, but we talked from time to time over the phone. When he got sick, I would call him to see how he was doing. During the last several weeks, it became increasingly difficult to contact him, and it was obvious that he was getting weaker.

Roger Gardner was a man who loved his country deeply and cared about the traditional values that made this country great. He was fiercely opposed to the "progressive" agenda that is attempting to take over this country as well as the threat of radical Islam. It was to those principles that he dedicated his blog, Radarsite. He also gave a voice to other blogs like my own (Fousesquawk), Monkey in the Middle, Maggie's Notebook and others.

Roger was an inspiration to me, and I will miss him greatly. My condolences go out to his family, and I know that they will be comforted by the knowledge that Roger was truly a great American. I hope that I and our colleagues can continue his great tradition though our writings.

Rest in peace, old friend.

The British Arrest Warrant Fiasco-Hamas Pulling the Strings

Cross-posted by Gary Fouse
fousesquawk



From Winston Churchill....




to the Cowardly Lion


Last week's legal fiasco in which British-based lawyers were able to obtain an arrest warrant for ex-Israeli Defense Minister Tzipi Livni was apparently orchestrated by the Hamas terror group according to the below article.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article6963473.ece

It may be too late to lecture the Brits on how and why they should maintain their sovereignty, but it appears here that Hamas-through its minions in the UK- is taking advantage of British law that awards itself jurisdiction over so-called human rights violations or war crimes committed in other countries. Belgium and Spain have also involved themselves in Middle East matters in similar fashion-of course on the side of the Palestinians. The US does, in fact, have laws which can be enforced against crimes committed in other countries, but only if the crime is against a US citizen or a crime against the US itself.

These laws are not only arrogant on their face, but also allow outside forces to play on them. Apparently in this case, Hamas has used British-based lawyers acting on behalf of so-called Palestinian people residing in Britain to file charges against Israeli officials when they travel outside their own country. One can only hope that these laws would be repealed. They are unjust and not in Britain's interest.

So congratulations to the rapidly-diminishing nation of Great Britain, Your arrogance in having such a law is now allowing you to be played like a fiddle by Hamas. Winston Churchill must be turning in his grave.