November 23, 2006 Posts
02:33 U.S. Department of Peace 03:53 Tucker Carlson In Over His Head (Again)
U.S. Department of Peace
I just got an email from my sister-in-law that included this link to an article in the Fairmont (MN) Sentinel. Here's what's ruffling Fairmont's citizens:
Fairmont City Council members may not have known all the details last week when they endorsed a U.S. Department of Peace. They've been hitting the books since. Councilman Andy Lucas said Monday he is still researching the issue, studying online and keeping his options open when it comes to reconsidering his vote. Lucas and colleagues voted 5-0 to approve a resolution supporting a Department of Peace.When I read the phrase "U.S. Department of Peace", red flags immediately went up. Here's why:
Department of PeaceMy first reaction to Kucinich's proposal was that I hoped that bin Laden and like-minded terrorist organizations wouldn't mind unilaterally disarming themselves before joining us in singing Kumbaya around the campfire. Since I thought the chances of that happening were less than nil, I pretty much just got a laugh out of his proposal.
The United States was founded on hope, optimism, and a commitment to freedom. We can once again become a beacon of hope for the world. To do that, we must reject the current administration's policies of fear, suspicion, and preemptive war. It is time to jettison our illusions and fears and to transform age-old challenges with new thinking. This is the idea behind my proposal to establish a Department of Peace. This is the idea to make nonviolence an organizing principle at home and abroad and dedicate ourselves to peaceful coexistence, consensus building, disarmament, and respect for international treaties. Violence and war are not inevitable. Nonviolence and peace are inevitable.
I remember Kucinich touting this proposal at one of the debates during the 2004 Democratic primary season. I thought then what I'm thinking now: that Kucinich is an airhead who hasn't been in touch with reality since the Age of Aquarius. Oldtimers like Mitch Berg and myself would instantly remember that the Age of Aquarius as the Fifth Dimension's hit song back in 1969.
Anyways, here's what the Sentinel's report says about the U.S. Department of Peace:
According to the Peace Alliance, which leads the national campaign, the Department of Peace would:Those proposals are straight from the pacifist's handbook, if such a manual exists. Serious people wouldn't give that 'proposal' a split second's worth of consideration. In fact, that's being kind. Most people would rudely laugh Kucinich out of the building because he'd deserve it.
- Provide assistance to city, county and state governments in coordinating existing programs; as well as develop new programs based on best practices nationally;
- Teach violence prevention and mediation to America's school children;
- Effectively treat and dismantle gang psychology;
- Rehabilitate the prison population;
- Build peace-making efforts among conflicting cultures both here and abroad;
- Support the military with complementary approaches to peace-building;
- Create and administer a U.S. Peace Academy, acting as a sister organization to the U.S. Military Academy.
Hopefully, the councilpeople of Fairmont will strike this resolution from the books ASAP.
Posted Thursday, November 23, 2006 2:35 AM
Comment 1 by Maria at 30-Mar-07 07:11 PM
Did you hear the story on NPR on Fairmont and the Department of Peace? Go to the website, npr.org, type in Fairmont, and listen. The venom and hate (not to mention ignorance) is in over-abundance. Enjoy!
Tucker Carlson In Over His Head (Again)
I'll admit that I've thought Tucker Carlson wasn't the sharpest kife in the drawer. That sentiment's been re-inforced following this exchange with Arsalan Iftikhar, CAIR's national legal director:
Carlson: I feel sorry for these guys, sounds like they didn't do anything wrong. They got caught up in other people's concerns. They were victims. I'll concede that right from the outset. But here's what I don't understand; it's the use of this sad event as a political tool by the organized Islamic community that I suppose bothers me. Americans ought to be vigilant. They ought to be reporting things that seem out of the ordinary in airports and on airplanes. That keeps us safe. And I think groups like yours are trying to convince people they have no right to do that.The least we should expect from Carlson is that he at least have some semblance of what happened before he discusses it. That's obviously not the case here. In fact, it's obvious that he's totally bought CAIR's propaganda. These imams weren't victims, though that's what CAIR would have you believe. Far from being victims, they scared other passengers on that US Airways flight with their actions, starting with their spewing anti-American garbage. Their behavior also included one imam saying that he'd "do whatever is necessary to fulfill his commitment to the Qur'an", according to witnesses. Witnesses also said that "a couple of the imams asked for seat-belt extensions, even though it did not appear they needed them" according to Pat Hogan, spokesman for the Metropolitan Airports Commission.
IFTIKHAR: Well I think, Tucker, that this incident in Minnesota highlights the racial profiling in flying phenomenon that we've seen for the last five years , where American Muslims, who are lawful peaceful, law abiding citizens of the United States, have been disparately caught up in the fear and stereotyping that unfortunately has become pervasive in our society. And I think that, you know, just like you said, these six Imams were not guilty of anything.
Mr. Iftikhar should be ashamed for making this statement:
"This incident in Minnesota highlights the racial profiling in flying phenomenon that we've seen for the last five years, where American Muslims, who are lawful peaceful, law abiding citizens of the United States, have been disparately caught up in the fear and stereotyping that unfortunately has become pervasive in our society."If 19 Muslims hadn't hijacked 4 jets on 9/11; if those Muslims hadn't then flown those jets into the World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon, maybe then peace-loving Americans wouldn't profile Muslims.
Of course, Mr. Iftikhar doesn't mention that. He doesn't mention that it's logical for Americans to be suspicious of the 'Religion of Peace' considering that most hijackings since the 1960's were done by Muslim extremists.
Let's look at it from a different perspective. Everyone's heard of the Catholic church's problems with pedophile priests. Let's further stipulate that we understand that only a few priests are pedophiles and that most priests live up to a high moral standard. Now let's imagine yourself in a Catholic church and you saw a Catholic priest acting friendly towards a young boy. Don't tell me that you wouldn't keep a watchful eye on what happens next.
Another point worth making is that Imam Shahin isn't as pure as the wind-driven snow. Far from it. Here's what WorldNetDaily says about Shahin:
Omar Shahin, who served as a spokesman for the clerics, is a representative of the Kind Hearts Organization, which had its assets frozen by the U.S. Treasury pending an investigation, notes Islam scholar Robert Spencer on his weblog JihadWatch.If I had to bet money, I'd bet that Carlson didn't know that because he gets his information from the headlines of the NY Times and other such sources. That's hardly doing rigorous showprep and it shows. I'd further bet that Carlson doesn't know that the Holy Land Foundation (HLF) was shut down for raising money to be sent to Hamas:
Treasury spokesman Stuart Levey in February said KindHearts "is the progeny of Holy Land Foundation and Global Relief Foundation, which attempted to mask their support for terrorism behind the facade of charitable giving."
Today we are shutting down three Hamas-controlled organizations that finance terror. The Holy Land Foundation masquerades as a charity, while its primary purpose is to fund Hamas. This is not a case of one bad actor stealing from the petty cash drawer and giving those stolen monies to terrorists. This organization exists to raise money in the United States to promote terror.I don't think it's too much to ask a highly paid TV talk show host to have a command of the things he's talking about. Tucker Carlson miserably fails even that minimal threshhold.
Last year, Holy Land raised $13 million. Government agents today shut down 4 offices of the Holy Land Foundation in the United States. Innocent donors who thought they were helping someone in need deserve protection from these scam artists who prey on their benevolence.
Similarly, the al Aqsa bank and the Beit al Mal bank aren't just banks that unknowingly administer accounts for terrorists. They are direct arms of Hamas, established and used to do Hamas business.
Posted Thursday, November 23, 2006 3:53 AM
Comment 1 by jd at 23-Nov-06 08:19 PM
1 or two days later on Wed or Thur Nov 23rd 2006 Tucker slammed CAIR the best I'e seen anyone slam them:
http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=23434_Carlson_vs._CAIR_and_the_Airport_Imams&only
