Film Makers Start Petition for Release of Polanski

Cross-posted by Gary Fouse
fousesquawk

(Hat tip to Hot Air)


"How dare they arrest our Roman for some silly 'morals charge'?"



A petition demanding the release of convicted child-rapist (yes, convicted child-rapist) Roman Polanski has been initiated in France by an outfit called the SACD, an organization which represents performance and visual artists. It appears to be a joint French-American (Hollywood) venture. Here is the letter and names of those who have signed thus far.
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Petition for Roman Polanski

We have learned the astonishing news of Roman Polanski’s arrest by the Swiss police on September 26th, upon arrival in Zurich (Switzerland) while on his way to a film festival where he was due to receive an award for his career in filmmaking.

His arrest follows an American arrest warrant dating from 1978 against the filmmaker, in a case of morals.

Filmmakers in France, in Europe, in the United States and around the world are dismayed by this decision. It seems inadmissible to them that an international cultural event, paying homage to one of the greatest contemporary filmmakers, is used by the police to apprehend him.

By their extraterritorial nature, film festivals the world over have always permitted works to be shown and for filmmakers to present them freely and safely, even when certain States opposed this.

The arrest of Roman Polanski in a neutral country, where he assumed he could travel without hindrance, undermines this tradition: it opens the way for actions of which no one can know the effects.

Roman Polanski is a French citizen, a renown and international artist now facing extradition. This extradition, if it takes place, will be heavy in consequences and will take away his freedom.

Filmmakers, actors, producers and technicians—everyone involved in international filmmaking—want him to know that he has their support and friendship.

On September 16th, 2009, Mr. Charles Rivkin, the US Ambassador to France, received French artists and intellectuals at the embassy. He presented to them the new Minister Counselor for Public Affairs at the embassy, Ms Judith Baroody. In perfect French she lauded the Franco-American friendship and recommended the development of cultural relations between our two countries.

If only in the name of this friendship between our two countries, we demand the immediate release of Roman Polanski.



Polanski petition signatories, as of September 29th:

Fatih Akin
Stephane Allagnon
Woody Allen
Pedro Almodovar
Wes Anderson
Jean-Jacques Annaud
Alexandre Arcady
Fanny Ardant
Asia Argento
Darren Aronofsky
Olivier Assayas
Alexander Astruc
Gabriel Auer
Luc Barnier
Christophe Barratier
Xavier Beauvois
Liria Begeja
Gilles Behat
Jean-Jacques Beineix
Marco Bellochio
Monica Bellucci
Djamel Bennecib
Giuseppe Bertolucci
Patrick Bouchitey
Paul Boujenah
Jacques Bral
Patrick Braoudé
Andre Buytaers
Christian Carion
Henning Carlsen
Jean-Michel Carre
Patrice Chereau
Elie Chouraqui
Souleymane Cisse
Alain Corneau
Jerome Cornuau
Miguel Courtois
Dominique Crevecoeur
Alfonso Cuaron
Luc et Jean-Pierre Dardenne
Jonathan Demme
Alexandre Desplat
Rosalinde et Michel Deville
Georges Dybman
Jacques Fansten
Joël Farges
Gianluca Farinelli
Jacques Fansten
Etienne Faure
Michel Ferry
Scott Foundas
Stephen Frears
Thierry Fremaux
Sam Gabarski
René Gainville
Tony Gatlif
Costa Gavras
Jean-Marc Ghanassia
Terry Gilliam
Christian Gion
Marc Guidoni
Buck Henry
David Heyman
Laurent Heynemann
Robert Hossein
Jean-Loup Hubert
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu
Gilles Jacob
Just Jaeckin
Alain Jessua
Pierre Jolivet
Kent Jones
Roger Kahane,
Nelly Kaplan
Wong Kar Waï
Ladislas Kijno
Harmony Korine
Jan Kounen
Diane Kurys
Emir Kusturica
John Landis
Claude Lanzmann
André Larquié
Vinciane Lecocq
Patrice Leconte
Claude Lelouch
Gérard Lenne
David Lynch
Michael Mann
François Margolin
Jean-Pierre Marois
Tonie Marshall
Mario Martone
Nicolas Mauvernay
Radu Mihaileanu
Claude Miller
Mario Monicelli
Jeanne Moreau
Sandra Nicolier
Michel Ocelot
Alexander Payne
Richard Pena
Michele Placido
Philippe Radault
Jean-Paul Rappeneau
Raphael Rebibo
Yasmina Reza
Jacques Richard
Laurence Roulet
Walter Salles
Jean-Paul Salomé
Marc Sandberg
Jerry Schatzberg
Julian Schnabel
Barbet Schroeder
Ettore Scola
Martin Scorcese
Charlotte Silvera
Abderrahmane Sissako
Paolo Sorrentino
Guillaume Stirn
Tilda Swinton
Jean-Charles Tacchella
Radovan Tadic
Danis Tanovic
Bertrand Tavernier
Cécile Telerman
Alain Terzian
Pascal Thomas
Giuseppe Tornatore
Serge Toubiana
Nadine Trintignant
Tom Tykwer
Alexandre Tylski
Betrand Van Effenterre
Wim Wenders
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Fousesquawk comment:

"A case of morals"

First of all, the obvious conclusion is that this group of French, American and other film-makers have no concern for the fact that Polanski pled guilty to having sex with a 13-year-old girl then fled the US to escape incarceration. It is part and parcel of the coursening of western culture and the idea that children can be sexually exploited.

Secondly, it appears these people think that international film festivals are some sort of sanctuary from the law. How dare they arrest this great director en route to a film festival!

If this arrest puts the relationship between France and the US at risk then so be it. France has shown repeatedly ever since the end of World War II that they are a nation of ingrates who scorn the US and our "out of date values". If this fragile relationship should collapse over a convicted child rapist who happens to be a French citizen, who cares?

There is only one standard being used by these film makers: Polanski is a great film maker, a great artist; thus, leave him alone. It reminds me in a way of the mentality that allowed OJ Simpson to be acquitted of murder charges: "He's 'the Juice", "He's one of us", ect, etc.

I don't know the names of the great majority of these characters, though I do note the presence of Woody Allen on the list (how ironic). Yet, it seems to me that people who think like me might want to seriously consider spending their money in places other than the movie theatre. For too many years now, we have been outraged by the antics and loopy statements coming from Hollywood elites who think they should tell us ordinary folks how to live.

Now this.

In the coming days, weeks and perhaps months, we shall see how many other segments of French society will rise in defense of the child-rapist Polanski. Will President Sarkozy and/or his foreign minister attempt to intervene with President Obama and our Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, as well as with Swiss authorities? If so, then its time to stop buying French products again and make the Parisiennes wonder where all the American tourists went.

What is going on in Hardin, Montana: Military, Civil, City, Federal?

by Maggie at Maggie's Notebook

Some black Mercedes SUV's showed up in Hardin, Montana where a new, never-used detention facility is sitting empty. The SUV's had a strange decal on them. See that photo below. That's the background.

In the video below, Al Peterson, spokesman for the Two Rivers Detention in Hardin, Montana is quoted saying: "we are excited to have a military presence in a town without a police force." What does that mean? Who is American Police Force? Why would a Two Rivers spokesman refer to them as "military?" Who will be prisoners in the Two Rivers Detention facility? What do residents of Hardin, Montana think about American Police force? See video below.

Hardin, Montana - American Police Force Mercedes Vehicle Logo

Barbara Sowell at FaultlineUSA started the search for information about the situation in Hardin, Montana and posted her findings here at Maggie's Notebook. Dean Bremkamp blogging at Do the Right Thing first brought this to our attention. This post will build on their information and will be updated as new information is available and sources are found.

There are three pertinent questions for starters:

1) Is a corporation, American Police Force locating its operation in Hardin, Montana - planning to operate a training center?

2) Is a corporation contracting with the city to use or purchase the city's jail facilities to house prisoners, and if so, who will the prisoners be?

3) Will American Police Force actually be the police force in Hardin, Montana.

To begin, Kevin Flaherty, blogging in New Zealand at Cryptongon.com blogs on private military contractors. He says he "routinely" follows stories about "mercenaries." Crypton.com's [Flaherty] research about APFC is quoted in the Billings Gazette (linked below). The following will give you some food for thought:

Separate research efforts by The Billings Gazette and others turned up connections and similarities between the APF Web site and sites for other little-known defense procurement companies.

All of the Web sites share similarities in design, and some include exactly the same phrases, a red flag to Kevin Flaherty, an American blogger living in New Zealand who writes about private military contractors.

Public records show that the APF Web site, Americanpolicegroup.com, was first registered on May 15, about two weeks after an effort by the Two Rivers Authority to pursue prisoners from Guantanamo Bay made national headlines.

A section of text on the APF site refers to the company’s “U.S. Training Center,” and matches word for word text from the Web site for Xe, formerly Blackwater. That company’s U.S. Training Center is touted as the largest facility of its kind.

APF representatives have said that their company is a subsidiary of an undisclosed parent corporation founded in 1984. Blackwater was started in 1997.

Public Internet records show that the APF Web site is one of six hosted on a single Web server, including a site for Defense Product Solutions.

Both share the same double-eagle logo, and the same company, Purepoint Design, developed both Web sites. No one answered a call to Purepoint’s office in Newport Beach, Calif.

A section of text on the Defense Product Solutions Web site matches word for word text found on Web sites for Allied Defense Systems and Defense Logistic Services, all promising a similarly exhaustive range of military products and services.

Public records for those companies and others with similar Web sites – including Defense Contracting and Consulting, and Worldwide Military Exchange – all show connections to Edward Angelino, a government contractor in Huntington Beach, Calif.

There is this from an original Cryptogon.com post from Flaherty on September 14th [snippets, not continguous]:

An attorney for American Police Force, Maziar Mafi, describes the Santa Ana, Calif., company as a fledgling spin-off of a major security firm founded in 1984. But Mafi declined to name the parent firm or provide details on how the company will finance its jail operations.

On its elaborate Web site and in interviews with company representatives, American Police Force claims to sell assault rifles and other weapons in Afghanistan on behalf of the U.S. military while providing security, investigative work and other services to clients “in all 50 states and most countries.”

However, an Associated Press search of two comprehensive federal government contractor databases turned up no record of American Police Force.

American Police Force also is promising to invest $30 million in new projects for the city, including a military and law enforcement training center with a 250-bed dormitory and an expansion of the jail to 2,000 beds. The company says it will build a homeless shelter, offer free health care for city residents and even deliver meals to the needy.

The same report adds this intriguing detail. An AP reporter visited the offices of APF in Santa Ana, CA, and found "Captain Michael behind a desk there:

The man said his boss is a retired U.S. Army colonel named Richard Culver who is currently overseas. Culver’s role with the company could not be immediately verified.

The company claim of a headquarters address is just up the street from the White House.

The K Street building houses “virtual offices,” where clients pay to use the prestigious Pennsylvania Avenue address and gain access to onsite conference rooms but have no permanent presence. [APFC has an application pending]

Follow the developing story at Cryptongon.com. We all need to get into Flaherty's reporting on this.

*****

Research about The American Police Force (APF):

*) This is their website. The url reads www.americanpolicegroup.com. They do not refer to themselves as a corporation, but an "organization." Apparently, the website, since this hit the news, is not always available. AFC says this:

As part of our mission, APF plays a critical role in helping the U.S. government meet vital homeland security and national defense needs. Within the last 5 years the United States has been far and away our #1 client.

*) The American Police Force was incorporated in California in March 2009
Says they specialize in "training military and security forces oversees. Michael Hilton seems to be the spokesman for the company.

*) APF has black SUV's with a never-used Hardin logo which says "City of Hardin Police Force."

APF's Michael Hilton says they are looking for ground for "a planned tactical military training ground." They need 5000-10,000 acres.

*) Some APF representatives are staying at a bed-and-breakfast in Hardin.

*) APF plans to hire 200 locally. They have hired the company's first local employee:

On Friday, American Police Force announced its first local hire: a reporter for the Billings Gazette, Becky Shay, who has covered events surrounding the jail since its construction. She will be the company's spokeswoman for $60,000 a year.

Shay said she intended to bring new transparency to the process, but declined to directly answer the first question posed to her: Where is American Police Force getting the money to operate the jail and build the training center?

“I know enough about where the money is coming from to be confident signing on with them,” she said.

*) CBS Crimesider reports "significant obstacles" for APFC, including no signed contracts to bring in prisoners from outside Montana.

*) Hilton is reported to say that the company will begin payments to Hardin on February 1, 2010, and said their agreement with the city is worth at least $2.6 million annually.

*****

Information about Hardin, Montana and the city's interaction with APFC:

**) Hardin, Montana has a never used "detention" facility known as Two Rivers. Two Rivers Detention Center cost $27 million and the bonds have been in default since May 2008. It has never been used - no prisoners ever. Two Rivers can accommodate 464 prisoners.

**) Hardin has not had a police force in the last 30 years. The Sheriff of Big Horn Countyserves the town.

**) The city of Hardin offered the facility to house prisoners from Guantanamo Bay. Montana Governor, Brian Schweitzer, has opposed bringing in prisoners from outside the state. In 2007, the Montana Attorney General said it was illegal to bring in prisoners from outside Montana. Hardin sued the State and won.

**) The city announced an agreement with APF two weeks ago, but there appears to be no signed agreement.

*****

Information on the "logo" or decal depicted above: It appears the decals have now been removed from the Mercedes SUV's. Here are some thoughts from PrisonPlanet. Follow PrisonPlanet here:

An image on KULR’s Web site shows the insignia on the APF vehicles, which has caused some concern on the Internet as being of conspiratorial origin.

APF’s coat of arms, a clearer version of which appeared on the group’s Web site (which had been taken down at time of this writing but is viewable here), shows a double-headed eagle with a red shield and white cross borne on its breast.

The coat appears very similar to the insignia attributed to one Prince Aleksandar Karageorgevich, based on RAW STORY’s analysis of images hosted by Burke’s Peerage & Gentry International Register of Arms. The site notes the coat as hailing from the Royal crown of Serbia.

However, the significance or implied nationality of the insignia’s crown could not immediately be identified.

The double-headed eagle itself has been used repeatedly throughout history by many cultures as a symbol of empire, dominance and power.

Ending thought: Can we follow the money? Updates when available.



Hardin Montana Military presence? (video)



Logo image courtesy KULR8.com

Police State in Hardin, Montana

Story appears to be true. See all the news links below.

Here are excerpts from an e-mail I received today. I have not verified all of the allegations made in this e-mail:

" . . .We have found out that our little town of Hardin is the 'test town' for President Obama’s new law to privatize the police force of local communities. Last night, the city council voted to disband our sheriff’s department and to bring in a private security company to police the town. . .

. . .Yesterday, a convoy of twelve 'blacked out' Mercedes Benz SUV’s were brought into town. They were already painted with Hardin’s colors and ‘Hardin Police Force’ was already painted on them! Hardin’s sheriff’s department will no longer be in operation after the month of October. During October, the Sheriff’s Department is to train this new security force in all the logistics of running the town of Hardin. . .

. . .Earlier this month, in an interview in regards to this Hardin prison and the training center that they are planning to build, we were told that seventy five percent of the security officers that were to be trained would be ‘international’. . .

This private security force is already patrolling the town. They had several people stopped yesterday. Also, it appears that they are building some type of heavy duty gate at the entrances of our town.

In an interview, the American Police Force security has stated that they will stay here one month to assess the population and then they will make their permanent base here. They said they are scouting out thirty towns in the U.S. but that Hardin is the first. Also, President Obama has authorized and signed a bill for full government funding of the privatization of the police departments throughout the U.S. By the end of October, it is their plan to have all major cities locked down!

In an interview with one of the city council members, he stated that this new H1N1 shot which has not been tested will be mandatory and if a resident of our town refuses, they will be taken to our prison where they will be quarantined. A federal law has been passed that makes it mandatory that all health care workers have to take this new shot. If they do not, they will automatically loose their jobs. . .

I  (name withheld by this editor) am also told by a reliable source that today one of the managers at a local business in Hardin was visited by this new private security force which is now the new Hardin Police Department. He is an avid hunter and they came to inform him that they had a list of all fire arms that he owned; this includes all the residents of our town, and that he would need to take his guns down to have them put a marking device on them.

Also, today, one of the main streets in Hardin was completely blocked off and they have been setting up information booths where they are passing out pamphlets with information on this new H1N1 shot.

. . .I am not making up any of this information!  You can go on the internet and verify most of this information from KULR 8, MSNBC or Fox news. Things have changed so quickly in the last 24 hours! Things are not and will never be the same. . ."

Google cleanses their news links pretty fast these days for some reason, so save these news links.

American Police Force hits Hardin, Montana

Montana with Kids - Bob van der Valk - ‎2 hours ago‎

Shirley Adams is the wife of Ron Adams, the mayor of Hardin, Montana and answered questions for this article about the privatizing of the Hardin police. ...

American Police Force Examiner.com

Paramilitary Force To Boss Internment Camp In Montana Prison Planet.com

Montana's "American Police Force," The Nation's Next Great Militia? Gawker

Raw Story - San Jose Mercury News

all 44 news articles »

Mont. lawmakers want info on secretive CA company

San Jose Mercury News - Matthew Brown - ‎4 hours ago‎

BILLINGS, Mont.—Montana legislators said Tuesday they want to know more about a secretive California company that wants to take ...

American Police Force Corporation Takes Over Small Town Police ...

CBS News - Neil Katz - ‎7 hours ago‎

HARDIN, Mont. (CBS/AP) This is the strange story of how American Police Force, a little known company which claims to specialize in training military and ...

Montana's "American Police Force," The Nation's Next Great Militia?

Gawker - Andrew Belonsky - ‎1 hour ago‎

By Andrew Belonsky , 11:08 PM on Tue Sep 29 2009, 1461 views Think things in America can't get any more unsettling? Well, you're wrong. ...

American Police Force hits Hardin, Montana

Montana with Kids - Bob van der Valk - ‎2 hours ago‎

Shirley Adams is the wife of Ron Adams, the mayor of Hardin, Montana and answered questions for this article about the privatizing of the Hardin police. ...

APF's Newest Employee

KULR-TV - Sarah Gravlee - ‎4 hours ago‎

HARDIN - The California-based security company planning to take over the Hardin jail promises to hire dozens of local employees. ...

All 12 related articles »

United States

Hired security guards descend upon city in phony patrol cars

WND.com - Drew Zahn - ‎5 hours ago‎

Recent stories of a private security force descending upon a Montana town in black Mercedes SUVs with police department insignias emblazoned on ...

Reports: Mysterious, unregistered security firm policing Montana town

Raw Story - ‎7 hours ago‎

A mysterious, reportedly unregistered and almost entirely unknown private security firm by the name "American Police Force" is causing a stir in a small ...

Paramilitary Force To Boss Internment Camp In Montana

Prison Planet.com - ‎8 hours ago‎

Following our earlier report about a paramilitary security force occupying a town in Montana, it has now become clear that the purpose of American Police ...

All 12 related articles from United States »

Montana

APF Reveals Some Information

KULR-TV - Nick Lough, Katie Ussin - ‎Sep 28, 2009‎

By Nick Lough & Katie Ussin BILLINGS - Confusion and secrecy about American Police Force has grown during the last few weeks. ...

Lawmakers want details on California firm

Helena Independent Record - Matthew Brown - ‎8 minutes ago‎

BILLINGS - Montana legislators said Tuesday they want to know more about ...

Lawmakers seek information on American Police Force

Great Falls Tribune - ‎6 hours ago‎

AP • September 29, 2009 BILLINGS (AP) — Montana legislators are seeking more information on a California company that says it wants to take over an empty ...

All 6 related articles from Montana »

 

Technorati Tags: American Police Force,police state,Hardin,Montana,private security,force,gun control,H1N1,privatize,police,Militia,Obama,years of captivity,KULR 8,MSNBC

Let's Play, "Name That Conspiracy!"

Cross-posted by Gary Fouse
fousesquawk


As a follow-up to my last post on the "vast, right-wing conspiracy", bandied about by the Clintons, I thought it might be fun to play a little game identifying true conspiracies from fake ones (like the VRWC). Ready? Here we go. The answers are below. (Names and identities have been disguised to protect the innocent.)

1 One night in Mid-town Manhattan, Stanley Schemer and Dudley Nightshade are at a bar drinking straight shots of Jose Cuervo.

Along about the 43rd round, they see a news clip on TV of Moammar Ghaddafi speaking at the UN. Suddenly, they agree that the next morning, they will hijack a ship in New York Harbor, storm the UN, and take the entire General Assembly hostage, load them on the ship, sail to Haiti and dump them all on a deserted beach. The next afternoon, they wake up and cannot remember a thing.

CONSPIRACY OR NO CONSPIRACY?

2 Handsome Harvey and Marvelous Mary, both card-carrying, right-wing, rock-ribbed, knee-jerk conservatives, decide to organize a tea party to protest rising taxes, government health care and increasing government control over their lives. Harvey starts making up posters reading, "The president is a socialist" while Mary starts spreading the word on the Internet that a rally will take place the following week at a specific location.

CONSPIRACY OR NO CONSPIRACY?

3 President Schmolinsky's wife, First Lady Brunhilde Schmolinsky, is running for US Senator representing Idaho, a state she has never even visited.

Brunhilde Schmolinsky-(photo altered to protect the innocent)

In order to be elected, she needs the support of the Idaho potato-growers, who have never before voted for her party. They meet with Mrs Schmolinsky and agree to support her candidacy, but only if their director, Mr Potatohead, currently serving 20 years for embezzlement, is pardoned by the president during his final week in office. The agreement is made.

Are you still with me all you Columbia law students?

"Uhhh....yeaaaah."


In the election, Mrs Schmolinsky is elected Senator of Idaho as the potato-growers give her 99% of their vote. Subsequently, President Schmolinsky pardons Mr Potatohead.

President Schmolinsky (photo altered to protect the innocent)

CONSPIRACY OR NO CONSPIRACY?


4 Senator Louie Lickspittle (D-WY)is holding a town hall meeting in Bullsnuts, Wyoming to support government health care. About 100 members of the local Republican Party in Bullsnuts meet and decide to attend the town hall meeting to challenge the Senator. Several of the individuals purchase poster boards to carry to the town hall meeting. During the town hall meeting, several of the protesters shout, "No to government health care".

CONSPIRACY OR NO CONSPIRACY?

5 President Schmolinsky has been meeting with a voluptuous lady named Long-Legged Sally, the ex-wife of a RICH fugitive financier on the FBI's Top Ten Most Wanted list. Sally wants the president to pardon her RICH ex-husband.

Long-legged Sally-(photo altered to protect the innocent)



RICH financier (photo altered to protect the innocent)

In exchange, Sally arranges a gift of $250,000 to the president's planned presidential library. The money is given and the RICH fugitive is pardoned.

Schmolinsky Presidential Library (photo altered to protect the innocent)


CONSPIRACY OR NO CONSPIRACY?

6 Rebecca from Sunnybrook Farm, a liberal Democrat and part-time university professor at UC Santa Cruz, walks into an upscale Santa Cruz bistro, where she orders a cafe latte and poppyseed bagle with diced prunes. As she sits down at a table, she notices two conservative-looking characters at the next table who don't appear to fit in with the local surroundings. They appear to be talking in hushed tones, but she overhears one of them say, "The president is a socialist. I can't wait to vote against him in 2012." She observes the other suspect nodding in agreement.

CONSPIRACY OR NO CONSPIRACY?

7 Mo........er, Irving Schwartz and .......Frankie "the Cockroach" Gianelli meet and agree to blow up Chicago's city hall. They bring ....Louie "the Louse" Spaghettoni into the scheme as a driver of the bomb car. Little do they know that Louie is an informant for the FBI. Irving goes out and buys the dynamite under FBI surveillance. Frankie rents a truck from U-Haul. Together, under FBI surveillance, they load the dynamite into the truck and begin driving to city hall. On the way, they are arrested by the FBI.

CONSPIRACY OR NO CONSPIRACY?

8 Jose Cuervo is sitting in a bar when he is engaged in a conversation by two nearby strangers who invite him to join a conspiracy by which all three will travel to Mexico and smuggle heroin into the US. Unbeknownst to Jose, the two strangers are informants for the Federal Bureau of Conspiracy (FBC)who are wearing recording devices. FBC agents are outside in their cars listening to the conversation. Jose says that he has never broken the law and refuses. After an hour of arguing, the two snitches threaten to kill Jose's family if he refuses. Finally, Jose agrees to join the conspiracy. He then, at the direction of the two snitches, goes across the street to rent a car to be used in the smuggling venture.

CONSPIRACY OR NO CONSPIRACY?


9 Our two friends, Stanley Schemer and Dudley Nightshade, having awakened from their previous evening's binge, return to the bar and begin drinking straight shots of Jose Cuervo.

Along about the 55th round, they decide that they will buy a spaceship, fly to the moon and smuggle Limberger cheese back into the US without paying import duties. The next day, Stanley and Dudley go out and inquire to NASA about purchasing a used space ship. NASA, in turn, reports them to the FBI.

CONSPIRACY OR NO CONSPIRACY?


Answers

1 No conspiracy- Even though an agreement was made to carry out an illegal (though worthy) act, no subsequent overt act was carried out by either of our two "conspirators' in furtherence of the act. Even the agreement would never hold up in court due to the 43 Jose Cuervos.

2 No conspiracy. Neither the act agreed upon nor the overt acts are illegal. They are guaranteed under the First Amendment to the Constitution.

3 Conspiracy. Selling a pardon in exchange for cash or other favors is a form of bribery. You have the agreement to commit a criminal act. The potato-growers' actions in convincing their members to vote for Mrs Schmolinsky, though legal in and of itself, would be considered an overt act. (Overt acts do not have to be illegal in and of themselves.) The actual quid-pro-quo pardon would also be an overt act as well as the substantive crime. Of course, to prove the crime in court, you would want to have the testimony of say, one of the potato-growers who negotiated with Mrs Schmolinsky plus independent, corroborating evidence to support his/her testimony.

4 No conspiracy. The acts agreed upon are legal and guaranteed under the First Amendment to the Constitution.

5 Conspiracy. The criminal act is bribery and selling of a pardon. The agreement between President Schmolinsky and Sally, of course would have to be proven either by say, Sally testifying or other independent evidence. The overt acts would be the gift of $250,000 to the library and the pardon itself.

6 No conspiracy. Criticizing a president is not a crime.

7 Conspiracy. Frankie and Irving have agreed to commit a crime. Louie can testify as to the agreement, which hopefully would be corroborated by independent evidence, such as FBI surveillance and taped conversations. Buying the dynamite and renting the trucks are overt acts. Of course, the dynamite itself would be...."dynamite" evidence. The crime is complete-even though the objective (the bombing) was not actually carried out. (Did you Columbia law students think the FBI was supposed to let them bomb the building before a crime was committed?)

"Uhhh....yeaaaah."

8 No conspiracy. The only "co-conspirators" you have are the two informants. In fact, this is a clear case of entrapment since Jose had no pre-disposition to commit such a crime until approached by the informants who threatened his family to get him to agree. In a case like this, the federal agents should break off all connections with these two informants.

9 No conspiracy. The object of the crime must be reasonably possible to achieve.

Well, how did we do? If you got all nine correct, you have half-a brain. If you missed four or more, you are a Columbia Law School student. If you missed all nine, you are a UC Santa Cruz Community Studies major.

The Obama/Clinton Foreign Policy-Please Our Adversaries-Stick it to Our Friends

CRoss-posted by Gary Fouse
fousesquawk




The latest developments in American foreign policy being carried out by President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton can only leave me shaking my head. It makes one wonder who are friends really are and who our enemies really are. Our new administration doesn't seem to know the difference.

In Latin America, we witness tiny Honduras remove a would-be Hugo Chavez from office for trying to circumvent the Honduran constitution as it pertains to election law in order to set himself up as a dictator. The Honduran Supreme Court and Congress followed the constitution and ordered the military to remove Manuel Zelaya, who was flown to Costa Rica. Here in North America, we may not like the method, but it was done according to Honduran law. Yet, what do we do? We join hands with the likes of Chavez in supporting Zelaya. We condemn the removal of Zelaya, call it illegal, recall our ambassador, meet with Zelaya and finally, cut off all aid to Honduras. In other words, we are working to re-install Zelaya to power.

That leads me to wonder; what if the North Koreans had a coup and overthrew Kim Jong Il? Would we declare it illegal and demand that Kim be returned to power? What about the restive Iranians? Suppose they managed to rise up and overthrow Ahmadinejad and the mullahs? Would Obama and Clinton demand that they be returned to power as well? And what about Hugo Chavez? If he were thrown out by the Venezuelan military/people, would we also rush to his defense?

In the old days (meaning from the birth of the republic till today) we would be happy. Granted, if the US were involved in the overthrow, that would invite international condemnation. However, let's assume that the above three revolutions were carried out strictly by the North Koreans, Iranians and Venezuelans-without any US involvement. Normally, we would quickly recognize the new governments and re-establish normal diplomatic ties. Under this administration, who knows what we would do?

Another controversial development was the administration's decision to cancel defensive missile shields in the Czech Republic and Poland. Now I am no defense or weapons expert, and I would not deign to argue about where such defense shields should be located in the world. We are taking the position that such a defense system is not intended as a defense against Russia, rather against rogue regimes that get their hands on nuclear missiles (like Iran). Yet, it is clear that this move was done to appease Russia-for whatever agreement they may or may not have quietly made to help the US in other areas, such as Iran. Aside from mere practicality, there was a symbolic importance to having those defensive shields in the Czech Republic and Poland. In the eyes of the Czechs and Poles, the defense shield was valuable to them due to their fears of an irredentist Russia. So now we have two former East-bloc countries who were very receptive to good American relations now being slapped in the face by the US.

In the case of Libya, again, the US (and the UK) are behaving quite strangely. We still don't know if our country quietly acquiesced in the release of the Pan Am 103 bomber. It appears that our State Department has demanded that the Scottish authorities not release any correspondence between our two countries. Obviously, we know the cowardly British Government was anxious to make an oil deal and try to somehow placate its restive Muslim population. The American public has an absolute right to know what the role of our own government was in this shameful episode. To add insult to injury, at the same time that Moammar Ghaddafi is standing on US soil and addressing the UN, the administration has now announced a grant of $2.5 million dollars to Libya as well as $400,000 to foundations owned by the Ghaddafi family-all in the name of supporting democracy!

Finally, no matter how much Obama and his followers assure Israel that we are still committed to her defense, does any serious observer really believe that should Israel be overrun or hit with Iranian nukes that we would go to war to save her and her people from another Holocaust? I don't. Should that come to pass, I believe Obama, Clinton and the whole gang in Washington would stand by, wring their hands, call for peace and cry crocodile tears as that "inconvenient nation" and her "inconvenient" people (Jews) were wiped off the face of the map-just as Ahmadinejad, Hamas and Hezbollah all promise as we speak.

I'm all for using diplomacy to improve relations with our adversaries, but throwing our friends and allies overboard to appease the tyrants and terrorists of the world strikes me as abject weakness. We will pay for it down the road.

A First Amendment Hero!

By Findalis of Monkey in the Middle

Professor Indrek Wichman

He looks mild-mannered, not a man who would stand up to bullies and force them to back down. But Professor Indrek Wichman of Michagan State University, has become a Hero.

Now what would force this Professor of Mechanical Engineering to stand up for the First Amendment? Nothing less than a planned protest by the MSU chapter of the Muslim Students Union (MSU)

Members of the Muslim Student Association (MSA) at Michigan State University (MSU) didn’t know what they were getting into when they tried to suppress the free speech rights of Professor Indrek Wichman. On February 28, 2006 he read in the MSU student newspaper a call to protest the publication of the Muhammad cartoons. The article struck a raw nerve. He responded with the following:

Dear Moslem Association:

As a professor of Mechanical Engineering here at MSU I intend to protest your protest. I am offended not by cartoons, but by more mundane things like beheadings of civilians, cowardly attacks on public buildings, suicide murders, murders of Catholic priests (the latest in Turkey!), burnings of Christian churches, the continued persecution of Coptic Christians in Egypt, the imposition of Sharia law on non-Muslims, the rapes of Scandinavian girls and women (called "whores" in your culture), the murder of film directors in Holland, and the rioting and looting in Paris France.

This is what offends me, a soft-spoken person and academic, and many, many, many of my colleagues. I counsel you dissatisfied, aggressive, brutal, and uncivilized slave-trading Moslems to be very aware of this as you proceed with your infantile "protests."

If you do not like the values of the West--see the 1st Amendment--you are free to leave. I hope for God's sake that most of you choose that option. Please return to your ancestral homelands and build them up yourselves instead of troubling Americans.

Cordially,

I. S. Wichman, Professor of Mechanical Engineering.

Some may say this reaction was a tad over-heated. But in a university environment, the more important question is: Were the statements accurate? It’s tough to argue with the validity of Professor Wichman’s factual assertions. And even tougher to demand that Wichman remain morally neutral regarding the examples of Muslim misconduct he cites.

For over three weeks Professor Wichman heard nothing about his email. But behind the scenes, the MSA had called in CAIR and had three separate meetings with the MSU provost. The MSA and CAIR both demanded that Wichman be censured, disciplined, enrolled in diversity and sensitivity training, and even “re-educated” on Islam.

To his credit, the MSU Provost did not cave in to the CAIR/MSA demands. On March 20, 2006 he wrote Wichman a letter saying that he strongly disagreed with the “intemperate tone” of his email. But he added that Wichman still had rights to free speech. From there, things got worse.

The MSU Provost told Wichman that if he continued to “harass” and “intimidate” the MSU MSA - while creating a “hostile intellectual climate” - then formal charges consistent with MSU anti-discrimination policy (ADP) would be filed by MSU against him. (emphasis mine)

On April 24, 2006 Wichman realized that the issue had not quietly gone away. He began receiving telephone calls and emails from local newspapers, AP, Reuters and other national and international outlets. CAIR and MSA, frustrated by the MSU Provost, had gone over his head and published a response, organized a press conference, and made a national/international press release.

CAIR and MSA’s public call upon MSU to take “disciplinary action" against Wichman’s “Islamophobic” email was a classic example of Muslim cowardice. Michigan’s CAIR Executive Director Mr. Dawud Walid said it was “unconscionable for a professor to use his university e-mail account to foster a hostile learning environment for Muslim students.” He added, “The University needs to take appropriate disciplinary action in this case to demonstrate through its actions that anti-Muslim bigotry will not be tolerated on campus.”

It should be noted that Mr. Walid has gone to court to argue for applying Sharia law in mid-Michigan. That serves to undercut significantly his stature as an opponent of bigotry towards minorities.

I sat down for a beer - I believe it was a Danish beer – with Indrek Wichman in April. When he said he meant to “protest the protest” of the MSA he really meant it. He helped form a conservative faculty group at MSU. The group serves to protest speech codes, invite conservative speakers to campus, and represent students and faculty whose rights are trampled by the MSU administration.

Indrek Wichman is not your typical college professor. He is a true First Amendment hero.

Meanwhile, Dawud Walid is still fighting to repeal the First Amendment and keep Muslims from being offended. He wants to replace it with Sharia law so Muslims can freely beat their wives and publicly execute homosexuals.

How is it that Muslims can say the most hurtful, racially insensitive, anti-Semitic rhetoric on US campuses without the administrations of those schools saying a word no, yet one lone professor on a campus writes an e-mail in protest of the barbaric practices of Islam, he is vilified and crucified? The behavior of the MSU in regards to Free Speech and other rights is well documented on the net. One just has to read Fousesquawk by blogger Gary Fouse to see what is happening at UC Irvine.

And it is happening at every college and university in the US.

What the MSU & CAIR are trying to do is first to stiffle free speech, then to impose Shar'ia Law on the US. Their counterparts have been very successful in doing this in Europe and Great Britain. But unlike those lost lands, the US has the Free exercise of Speech firmly written into the US Constitution. And there are plenty of court cases backing the right of Free Speech.

Slowly, on campuses, faculity are speaking out against the MSU. They are challenging their claims, and forcing the 1st Amendment down their throats.

I wonder what has taken them so long.

Jordanian Places Bomb at Dallas Skyscraper

by Maggie at Maggie's Notebook

A Jordanian citizen in the U.S. illegally placed an inert "car bomb" at the base of a 60-story skyscraper in Dallas and was arrested today.

Hosam Maher Husein Smadi
Photo courtesy of Fox 4 News

Hosan Maher Husein Smadi is 19 years old and according to the arrest warrant (available in pdf) publicly pledged his loyalty to Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda, according to authorities. The arrest warrant states that three FBI agents worked undercover as members of an al-Qaeda "sleeper cell," and first made contact with Hosam Maher Husein Smadi through an "online group of extremists." In some 60 conversations with Smadi, both online and in person, he told the agents that he was in the U.S. (illegally) to "specifically" commit "Jihad for the sake of God."

On June 24th, Smadi discussed targeting military recruitment centers with undercover FBI agents. The agent who wrote the arrest affidavit said the idea was based on the Little Rock, Arkansas drive-by shooting murder of Pvt. William Long, and the wounding of Pvt. Quinton Ezeagwula. Pvt. Long's killer was Adbulhakim Mujahid Muhammad, who once-upon-a-time was simply Carlos Bledsoe of Memphis, TN. Muhammad had traveled to Yemen to train in Jihad. You'll remember this terrible murder. Muhammad tried to kill more than one, but fortunately failed. President Obama didn't mentioned Pvt. Long's death and his Attorney General, Eric Holder, was busy investigating the "right-wing radical" that killed an abortion doctor - actually sent out U.S. Marshals to protect abortion clinics. They caught the doctor's killer but seemed to have no concern about the targeting of military recruiters.

Here are some quotes directly from Hosam Maher Husein Smadi's arrest warrant:

"I truly say it that my dream is to be among God's soldiers, first for the support of Islam and my beloved Sheik Usama [Osama bin Laden], may God give him long life. I don't know what is in me, but I love him as I love my father. I don't want to add to this.

Now my brother, the point is that thousands of Muslims have been killed in Gaza a the hand of Jews-the-dogs and the silent disloyal backsliders. Those are the Arab kings and, God willing, their end will be the hanging rope and hell.

Their silence and fight against the Sheik mean that they are backsliders along with the enemy in a world plan to destroy Islam, Muslims and to seize their lands for the benefit of the Jews and for the love of infidelity.

By God who created me, there will not be a retreat at all, even if they take me to Guantanamo for the rest of my life. I will never forget Iraq, Palestine, Afghanistan, or any land where the call of 'there is no God but God, Muhammad is God's Messenger' is raised.

In the named of God, the Gracious and the Merciful, this is my vow to you, my brother, that I am ready,” Smadi allegedly told undercover FBI agents. “And if you were a lover of Jihad as I am, then, by God, I am ready for the Jihadi life.

We shall attack them in their very own homes,” Smadi said, according to the affidavit. “Brother, by God, we shall attack them in a manner that hurts, an attack that shakes the world.”

The FBI agents, as they talked of planned attacks, tried to give Smadi an opportunity to back off of the plan, telling him if he had doubts, they "would depart now as friends and brother in Islam without any anger at all," and then said "In this case, you may perform Jihad in a less dangerous way, such as Jihad using your money or in training yourself to avoid sins, indignities, and desires."

Smadi was not interested in bowing out:

"...I shall expel the Jews from the land of holy Jerusalem....We shall destroy all the Romans and all the religion's enemies. I shall kill and behead the backslider operatives in the Levant and land of Muslims."

The Jordanian wanted to go after credit card companies to cripple America's economy. He said he would do it this way:

...so if a bomb is planted, for instance, in the car, timed or to detonate remotely...a very fast operation, smart and decisive."

Something went wrong for Smadi. He wasn't so "smart." Some reports say the bomb was an "inactive car bomb," and another says he "thought" what he put "at the base of Fountain Place" was a bomb:

The FBI says it "ensured the (car bomb) contained only an inert/inactive explosive device which contained no explosive materials."

When the FBI agents communicated with Hosam Maher Husein Smadi, they spoke in Arabic. All of the conversations were in Arabic. I'm thankful for these talented agents who are willing to sacrifice their lives, even with the possible threat of the Obama administration's Department of Justice criminal investigation looming.

Shoot Down Israeli Planes if They Attack Iran

By Findalis of Monkey in the Middle

Is the advise that Zbigniew Brzezinski is giving to Barack Obama.

Zbigniew Brzezinski, who enthusiastically campaigned for U.S. President Barack Obama, has called on the president to shoot down Israeli planes if they attack Iran. “They have to fly over our airspace in Iraq. Are we just going to sit there and watch?” said the former national security advisor to former U.S. President Jimmy Carter in an interview with the Daily Beast. Brzezinski, who served in the Carter administration from 1977 to 1981, is currently a professor of American foreign policy at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies in Maryland.

“We have to be serious about denying them that right,” he said. “If they fly over, you go up and confront them. They have the choice of turning back or not. No one wishes for this but it could be a 'Liberty' in reverse.’" Israel mistakenly attacked the American Liberty ship during the Six-Day War in 1967.

Brzezinski was a top candidate to become an official advisor to President Obama, but he was downgraded after Republican and pro-Israel Democratic charges during the campaign that Brzezinski’s anti-Israel attitude would damage Obama at the polls.

President Obama’s advisors have emphasized that the former national security advisor is not playing any unofficial role as advisor to the White House.

His enthusiasm for President Obama has waned in the past several months. He recently told a London-based newspaper that the United States may be "sliding into a deeper conflict with various segments of the world of Islam.” because of the president’s failure to carry out his promises to the Muslim world.

Brzezinski said the Obama administration is "diddling around" in trying to reach an “evasive compromise” between Israel and the Arab world.

What promises did Barack Obama make to the Muslim world that would make them love us? Could it be that he promised to destroy Israel? That has been the cry from Carter, Brezezinski, Powers, Wright, Ayers, Jackson, Sharpton, and the majority of people moonbats on the left.

Perhaps that is the reason that Obama welcomes Iranian nukes?

Or is it just that like the majority of African-Americans he just hates all Jewish people and want to finish the job that his idol Adolph Hitler started.

I expect that Obama will follow this course of action. It is a shame that the US will not support the only democracy in the Middle East, and instead will try to throw Israel under the bus.

Republicans, Tea-Parties, Racists and Harvey Milk

Cross-posted by Gary Fouse
fousesquawk



Tea Party in Pittsburgh



San Francisco Supervisor Dan White



Yesterday, Nancy Pelosi spoke in front of reporters and made an "emotional" appeal for conservatives to tone down the rhetoric (in other words, shut up). In doing so, she invoked the memory of the tragic murder in San Francisco where city supervisor Dan White shot and killed Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk in 1978.

Rachel Maddow jumped all over that last night on MSNBC. She pointed out that the killer (White) was a CONSERVATIVE. She showed the film of Dianne Feinstein, then head of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, announcing the killings to a shocked audience. She then interviewed activist Cleve Jones, a friend of Milk, who was present at City Hall that day. He referred back to the present-day protests and blamed "tea-baggers" and Republicans for fanning the flames of hate and intolerance that he and Maddow agreed, are on the verge of leading to another such tragedy.

I also remember the San Francisco murders though, obviously, I was not there. However, I do recall the circumstances of the case. White was an emotionally disturbed individual who resigned his post, then tried to get it back but was rebuffed by Mayor Moscone. He then got a gun and killed Moscone and Milk at City Hall. He was later found guilty of manslaughter in the infamous "Twinkie defense" claiming that he wasn't thinking clearly because he had been subsisting on a junk food diet over a long period of time. It was an outrageous defense, an outrageous verdict and stirred outrage in San Francisco. White was released a few years later and committed suicide.

My point in recounting this incident is to point out that it had nothing to do with ideology or public policy. It concerned a disturbed politician who was lashing out against those he thought had crossed him. No one defended White on any political grounds. In short, this case has nothing to do with what is happening now in the country.

What Pelosi and Maddow are trying to do is use an unrelated event to try and get their opponents to shut up and meekly accept government health care and the massive intrusion of government into our lives. They should be ashamed at drawing such a comparison.

ACORN-What Must Be Done

Cross-posted by Gary Fouse
fousesquawk



How high does it go?


Is there any remaining doubt that ACORN is a criminal organization? Only partisans on the left and nitwits can truly believe that ACORN is an honest organization with a few bad apples. This barrel is rotten through and through, and the corruption goes right to the top. Yet, this outfit has received over 50 million dollars in public funds and is slated to receive $8.5 billion under the stimulus package. This is nothing less than a serious breach of public trust. Here is what must be done.

First, Congress, if it has any credibility left at all, needs to cut off all ties with ACORN and cut off every dime from this organization. There is nothing that can justify any tax-payer money going to this bunch. In addition, every government agency must cut off all ties to ACORN. The Census Bureau has just done that in light of the newest allegations.

The US Justice Department must launch (if it has not already) a massive investigation into ACORN and its finances. That investigation should join hands with the Treasury Department (IRS) and any other agency that would have oversight into ACORN's funding and activities, such as HUD. This should take the form of a task force operation.

Federal law enforcement already has a historical base of crimes committed by ACORN personnel. There have been some 70 voter fraud convictions in some 13 states. Those could serve as the basis for a conspiracy/RICO investigation to connect the dots and connect those defendants to higher ups.

What the two private film makers did in visiting ACORN offices should have been done long ago by federal investigators operating in an undercover capacity. During the late 1980s, while I was a DEA agent in Pittsburgh, we visited several hydroponics shops undercover trying to determine which shops were knowingly selling growing equipment to marijuana growers. This was part of a nation-wide effort. This could have been and should have been done already by federal law enforcement. If not, someone should have to answer why.

Just like a drug conspiracy case, this is an excellent opportunity for the FBI and other federal agencies to start developing informants, calling people into the grand jury and making deals in concert with the various US Attorney's offices around the country in an effort to work their way "up the ladder" to the top levels of ACORN. Title III operations (wiretaps) should also be utilized. If not, again, someone should have to answer why.

Ultimately, this conspiracy investigation has to be carried up into the political arena. It is obvious that some, if not many Democratic politicians have been compromised by ACORN. I have little doubt that several ACORN officials, if forced, could incriminate some verrrry high-level politicians.

For that very reason, I am not optimistic that a full investigation will be carried out by Eric Holder's Justice Department, nor by Tim Geithner's Treasury Department. Keep in mind the financial scandals surrounding the Clinton Administration when figures like Charlie Trie, Johnny Chung and John Huang were allowed to quietly plead guilty, pay fines, do community service-and not name their higher ups in the political realm-which would have led straight to the White House (Oval Office).

For that reason, this is a case for a truly non-partisan special prosecutor since it has clear political connections at high levels. This is not a case where justice would be served by the prosecution of some low-level ACORN employees who were caught on tape.

If these things are not done, then we will have to conclude that our top law enforcement agencies have been compromised by politics. I have no doubt that the professional investigators in these agencies are willing and eager to investigate this scandal to the fullest. The question is whether their leaders at the cabinet level have the same mindset.

Dowd: She really heard “You lie, boy!”

by Barbara Sowell

 

I have no doubt that far left New York Times columnist, Maureen Dowd, actually did hear Rep Joe Wilson say, “You lie, boy!” But not everyone agrees and so I’d like to explain why I believe Dowd.

According to NewsRealBlog, Dowd “showed herself to be delusional when she suggested that Congressman Joe Wilson is a racist for calling out the President during the latter’s healthcare speech last Wednesday night.”

Dowd claimed in her New York Times Op-Ed piece this weekend that Joe Wilson was not just saying, “You lie”, but he was actually saying, “You lied, boy!”  She went on to write:

“Some people just can’t believe a black man is president and will never accept it.”

NewsRealBlog pointed out that White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs who was interviewed on CNN’s “State of the Union,” denied that criticism of the President had anything to do with veiled racism.

“I don’t think the President believes that people are upset because of the color of his skin.”

I contend that Dowd was honestly delusional. I’m sure that Dowd was writing from her own truth, as best she knows it. And Dowd’s truth, or Freudian slip, is a masterful case study in liberal guilt.

Any first year psychology student has already learned that those who most often accuse others of some bad deed are usually acting out of a sense of their own guilt. Like most liberal elitists, Dowd can’t get the racist ringing out of her own ears. Dowd probably hears “Boy” whenever any male of color is addressed. And as much as she would deny it, she probably can’t believe a black man is president.

Liberal elites look down from their bespeckled nostrils, much like Charles Gibson upon Sarah Palin, with disdain for people below their self-perceived lofty rank. Yet, at some level, they realize that their own social snobbery is very wrong, and so they do their utmost to unmask this evil by subconsciously projecting it on to those they most despise. And they most despise conservatives – especially their cousins - White conservatives.

Most liberal elites are White and many really do live a life of privilege far removed from the working classes of every race. As a matter of fact, some of the most privileged Whites just happen to be liberals in Congress. It is simply amusing to see the lengths to which Democrats go to portray Republicans as the party of the rich Capitalists, and conservatives as blue-collar southern racists, while at the same time portraying Democrats as the party of the poor and downtrodden. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

Last September 22 RollCall provided a list of the 50 richest members of Congress. Six of the top ten richest were Democrats. Number 1: Sen. John Kerry, Democrat, Massachusetts, with $230.98 million, and number 2: Rep. Jane Harman, Democrat, California, $225.96 million. The top category is those who are worth over $50 million. There were eight members in Congress worth over $50 million. Five out of those eight richest members were Democrats!

Safely ensconced in their gated communities, ocean side compounds, or multimillion dollar vineyards, these liberal elites think that they know what is best for everyone below their rank. But what is best for the liberal elite? Maintaining their own status quo is best for the liberal elite. This is done by demonizing their political opponents through playing the race card, and by creating a sense within themselves that they really are above it all. It’s a full time job.

If they can just keep convincing the proletariat that they are the good guys by devising endless schemes of redistributive social justice - a redistributive justice they will never have to face. . . If they can just keep creating new victims of the evil right and reinforcing a sense of eternal victimization so they can play hero . . .

Unfortunately liberal guilt, like all guilt, has a way of tripping up those most unaware. The more the liberal elite plays the race card, the more those who play it are seen for what they really are. Racists unaware – the most dangerous kind of racists!

Technorati Tags: Maureen Dowd,racism,Rep Joe Wilson,You lie! Liberal guilt,race card,racist,identity politics,dowd,gibbs,New York Times,Faultline USA,Obama,Racism,White Privilege,Charles Gibson,Sarah Palin

Chuck DeVore (R-CA) Speaks at ACT for America

Cross-posted by Gary Fouse
fousesquawk



California State Assemblyman Chuck DeVore (R-CA)



Last night, I attended a speaking event at ACT for America in Southern California, in which the featured speaker was Chuck DeVore, a state Republican assemblyman from Orange County, who is now running against Barbara Boxer for US Senator. DeVore describes himself as a common sense conservative. He is a former official in the Reagan Pentagon, a special asst. for foreign affairs and a retired Lt Colonel in the Army National Guard. The topic of his talk was the Muslim Student Union at the University of California at Irvine, an issue in which he has been personally involved.

DeVore began with his year's experience as an American student at the American University of Cairo, which gave him certain insights into Islam. He then described how he became involved with the MSU at UCI (which is located in his political district). After hearing of the hateful and volatile situation at UCI, and specifically of an incident in which a student who had filmed an event was followed back to his class and harassed by MSU members, he decided to attend an MSU event. Also learning that the MSU was on its own initiative barring recording devices from its events, he decided to take along his own such device. Prior to the event, while having coffee with his family at the nearby Starbucks, he noted one of the MSU members trying to covertly film him with his cell phone.

Upon entering the lecture hall, DeVore noted that seating was arranged along gender lines, males on one side, females on the other, at which point, he sat with the females, much to the consternation of the males in the audience. He objected when the moderator announced prior to the event that recording devices were not allowed-and proceeded to record the event anyway.

DeVore further learned that UCI had been enforcing the MSU policy of no recording of its events on campus-even though it was the only UC campus doing so and even though that policy was not put into writing. The UC-Riverside campus, on the other hand, had informed its MSU that if they wanted to restrict recording of their events, they would have to hold them off-campus. (Good for UCR.)

Subsequently, DeVore has met with UCI Chancellor Michael Drake and asked why Drake does not at least condemn the hate-filled words that are spoken at MSU events. According to DeVore, Drake's response was that he would have to address the words of every speaking event held on the campus. DeVore said that he pointed out to Drake the difference between responding to a speech, say on global warming, to those of the MSU speakers who regularly use venomous language towards other people.

During the Q&A, I had a chance to thank DeVore for addressing the issue and pointed out that at UCI and other campuses across North America, many Jews were afraid to assert their Jewish identity on campus for fear of harassment or other intimidation. I also told him that we needed the voice of political figures like him, who had a larger audience than we do. I also had a chance to chat briefly with him before he left.

Of course, it goes without saying that he has my vote since he is running against Barbara Boxer. DeVore is one of the few sensible and conservative politicians in the state, and no doubt would be a great replacement for the zany Boxer. I hope if he is successful, he will continue to follow the events at UC-Irvine.

Remembering a Fallen Soldier…

by Findalis of Monkey in the Middle


From ACT for America

This moved me so much that I just had to share it with you.

Remembering What We Are Up Against and Why We Must – and Will – Prevail

by Brigitte Gabriel

I don’t believe I’ve ever written a letter quite like this to you before. Indeed, it is difficult to write this without tears welling up in my eyes.

It started as a rainy Friday morning in late August. I was flying from my presentation in Springfield, Missouri, to my next destination connecting through Atlanta. Little did I know that what I was about to experience that day was going to shake me to the depth of my soul, inflame my passion for our country (I didn't think it was possible to be more passionate) and remind me why ACT! for America is so important to our security and the future of America.

I looked out my window at gloomy Atlanta as the plane took off, closed my eyes and pictured home and my loving family meeting me at the airport with open arms, smiles and kisses, waiting to whisk me off to Outback Steak House for dinner as planned.

It was a quiet, uneventful flight. No beverage service. No announcements from the captain — until we landed at our final destination:

"Welcome to "......." . Ladies and Gentleman we have a special request to ask of you. We are carrying on this plane today a fallen soldier brought home from Afghanistan. His body is accompanied by Sgt. "......". Please kindly allow Sgt. "...." to deplane first so he can do his job in escorting the body below. We will leave the seat belt sign on until the body has been taken off the plane. Then when the seat belt sign is turned off, you can deplane."

The plane continued slowly down the runway as the captain’s shocking announcement reverberated among the passengers. As we taxied closer to our gate, tears began to flow as we saw a police car, a military hearse, and a team of Marines standing in formation waiting to carry the body.

And the saddest scene of all — his family, wife and children, all lined up against the wall waiting for him.

Burning tears were flowing down my face as my heart sank into utter pain and agony at such a sight. We always hear about this on the news and feel sad but to experience it in person is completely different.

We pulled up to our gate and Sgt. "...." stood up in all his gloriously decorated uniform, opened up the overhead compartment carrying a folded American flag and a back pack, and started walking out of the plane amid the clapping and tears of all of us on board.

No one in the plane even touched their cell phone. People were transfixed, staring out the window, sharing our respect and sorrow. At that moment we were not Democrats, Republicans or Independents. We were Americans soberly watching one of our own come home in a coffin draped with an American flag.

As they removed the body from the plane, two men holding his wife started walking towards the plane as the wife covered her face and began sobbing. She was followed by her children. The Marines walked in formation and carried his body to the hearse.

We started getting out of our seats and deplaning without a word from anyone except the sounds of crying coming from different people looking out the window as they walked out of the plane.

As I entered the airport, people were standing in lines and rows facing the window watching all this.

Some men were saluting the body. We all stood next to each other, honoring this soldier until his body was finally in the hearse and he was driven off the tarmac.

It was the most sobering, heartbreaking, and patriotic scene. As I cried for the following few hours sitting with my family at home eating Chinese take-out for dinner (I just wasn’t up to going out for dinner), I was reminded of why we need to continually remind Americans that we are at war.

Our men and women are fighting and dying overseas to protect America from an enemy who is not only fighting us across the globe but also advancing here at home.

Just because we have not been successfully attacked at home doesn't mean our enemy has forgotten about us. Their tactics have become more sophisticated. They not only wish to attack us militarily, they are moving at full speed in the advance of their cultural Jihad invading America.

Islamic foot-washing basins in airports; Shariah finance being introduced by American banks; college campuses designating Islamic prayer rooms for Muslims only; Islamic compounds practicing Shariah law springing up across America; public schools using our tax dollars to indoctrinate American students into Islam; demands by Muslim parents that their children be provided private prayer rooms in their public schools; Muslim workers demanding special workplace accommodations no other religious person would ask for; and the list goes on.

As history demonstrates, only organized resistance will stop this. Unopposed by organized resistance, the advance of cultural Jihad in Europe has proceeded to the point that many think a full-blown “Eurabia” is inevitable and irreversible.

And even if we win the war against Islamic terrorism, but lose the struggle against cultural Jihad here at home, we may protect our safety but lose our liberties and our way of life. I just don’t believe this young man who fell on the field of battle would consider that a victory.

“Freedom” is not just freedom from the physical harm our Islamist enemies want to inflict on us. It is freedom from the tyranny and oppression of shariah Islamic law and the supremacist political ideology our enemies are determined to impose upon us.

So, just as that soldier was on the front lines of this war overseas, we are on the “front lines” here at home. That soldier was part of the “organized resistance” in Afghanistan. We are part of the “organized resistance” here in America.

We cannot afford to fail in our military missions overseas. Failure would embolden and empower Islamists throughout the world.

We also cannot afford to fail here at home.

This is why I appeal to you to take heart and help me continue building ACT! for America. We are the only nationwide organized resistance to this threat. As I said, we are the front lines here at home.

Our families, our communities and our nation are depending on us, even though many do not yet realize it.

For instance, two years ago ACT helped pass the bill in Congress that protects every citizen from lawsuits when they report suspicious activity in public places.

How many Americans know this happened? Very few. Yet they are now protected from lawsuits, which means America is safer as a result.

I know there are other issues right now, such as health care and the economy, that are dominating the attention of the American people. And I understand why that is.

But for those of us, you and me, who grasp the seriousness of the threat of radical Islam, we must continue to do everything we can to make sure that the reason 9/11 occurred is not forgotten. That the reason we are fighting in Afghanistan is not forgotten.

We must continue to push forward, to inform, organize, and ring the alarm bells, even when it feels like a lot of people aren’t paying attention right now or don’t seem to “get it.”

Because there are many good Americans out there ready to respond to our message, if we can only get it to them.

Because we are the modern “Paul Revere's,” the messengers who are warning America even when a lot of America is preoccupied with other matters. It is estimated that over 2/3 of the colonists either were loyal to Britain or were indifferent to the political struggles the colonies were experiencing in 1776.

Yet, through the leadership and sacrifice of the remaining colonists, independence was declared and Britain was defeated.

How I wish I could be standing in your presence this very moment, to grasp your hands, look into your eyes, and say “be encouraged!”

We will win this struggle against radical Islam. It won’t be tomorrow, or next year, but we will, in time, prevail — so long as good, patriotic Americans like you do not lose hope and keep taking action.

We are winning victories, and we will continue to win more – and bigger – victories, so long as good, patriotic Americans like you do not lose hope and keep taking action.

Let’s remember how far we have come together. In less than two years we have built the largest grassroots organization in America dedicated to combating the threat of radical Islam, with 62,000 members and 315 local chapters.

Be encouraged!

I want to close with this. Last week, when Guy Rodgers and I were at the EMP conference in Niagara, NY, the president of a national security organization sat down with us and thanked us profusely for what ACT! for America is doing and has already accomplished.

I wish you could have seen his face and heard his words. This is a man who has served at high levels of government and been around Washington politics for decades.

His message to us – and ultimately to you – was that ACT! for America is KEY to all our efforts to defeat radical Islam. He has watched us grow, witnessed our activism, and rejoiced for our victories.

So I’ll say it again. Be encouraged!

Always devoted,

We must remain vigilant against those who would impose their religious laws and customs upon us. The idea of Multiculturalism and Political Correctness must be cut short. No one faith or culture should be given special treatment in this nation. Each faith, each culture must be equally treated, equally accomodated. Thus the statis quo is assured for all.

Let each of us rejoice in the Freedoms this nation has given to us, and continue to fight against the Islamination of America.