The Free Pioneer

So they're calling them the Barbie Bandits

2007-02-28T16:17:00.000-06:00

Around lunchtime today I noticed most of the MSM websites were running a story on a couple of teen looking girls that robbed a Bank of America branch inside a Kroger grocery store. The security cameras got a couple of great shots of the girls and I'm am betting by now they have already figured out who the girls are. Or have they?

Here's a picture of the actual robbers:

Ann Coulter, Daily KoS and that story About the Pot and the Kettle

2007-03-06T07:54:00.000-06:00

Let me lay this out before I get going here. I am no fan of Ann Coulter, she says some things I agree with but then she says some stuff that I don't agree with. I'm not fan of John Edwards either, he's a a little too shady for me. Plus that 1980's Alex P. Keaton look really creeps me out.

It seems Ann said some bad things about Mr. Edwards over the weekend and the Liberals are up in arms. Of course they are, atleast some of them are.

I just read on cnn.com that one of their members started posting some of the advertisers that Ann uses on her website. That's cool, do what you have to do. And quite honestly, I think Ann should feel some pain over her remarks. Normally I would be done with this, but a member of the Daily KoS? COME ON! Some of the most vile disgusting crap that is floating around on the web these days is from the Daily Kos.

Another one of John Edwards....errr...uh..."bloggers" (psst.. It's his wife) gets in on the act:

http://blog.johnedwards.com/story/2007/3/3/133240/0355

So, now a John Edwards "blogger"

So where was this "blogger" when two employee's (Amanda Marcotte and Melissa McEwan) of John's were bashing the holy crap out of Christians?

Here's an interview with Wolf Blitzer on the subject:

BLITZER: "There, there was a little bit of an uproar recently when you hired two bloggers who had written critical comments of the Catholic Church before they started to work for you. Since then, they've both resigned from your campaign. Let me read to you one of those things that Amanda Marcotte wrote. ‘The Catholic Church is not about to let something like compassion for girls get in the way of using the state as an instrument to force women to bear more tithing Catholics.’ What do you make of this, this controversy? And what, what does it say about your campaign?"

EDWARDS: "Well, I said, as soon as I found out about this, that a number of the statements that had been made by these women before they ever came to work for my campaign were statements that I rejected, strongly disagreed with. I spoke to them directly and personally. They both assured me they had no intention of denigrating anyone's faith. They apologized. They said they would not do it in the future while working for me. I took them at their word and I stood by them because of that. They made a personal decision, because of a lot of the heat they were coming under, the fire they were coming under, particularly from people on the far right of the political spectrum, that this was not something they wanted to go through. Speaking for me, I took them at their word when they said they did not mean to denigrate anyone's faith."

BECK: "So you learned a lesson from this. What is that lesson, Senator?

EDWARDS: "Well, the lesson -- you learn lessons in everything you do in life, including in political campaigns, Wolf. And the lesson is we're entering a new brave world with the net and with the blogosphere. And it's a powerful world. It's a world that's going to have a huge impact and should have a huge impact on the way we do politics in America. Because the Net and the blogosphere is grass roots politics at its best. But candidates can't control what people say. We believe in free speech in this country. And this is democracy. People have a right to express their opinions."

-from NewsBusters-

Wasn't paying attention to the time. I have to go to work!

Egyptian Blogger Sent to Prison for Speaking Out Against Extremism

2007-03-06T16:38:00.000-06:00

Arab Bloggers: Living in a Virtual World Behind Prison Bars!

An Egyptian court sentenced Blogger Abdul Karim Nabil Sulaiman, also known as Karim Amer, to a four year prison term. Three years for blasphemy and another for slandering the President.

This unprecedented sentence against the young Blogger who criticized both Egypt's religious educational institutions (of promoting extremism), and the ruling authorities in Egypt is probably a culmination of the numerous confrontation between Bloggers and the ruling and traditional institutions in our Arab world, which in the past has resulted in arrest, imprisonment, torture and sometimes death.

The last few months has seen a rise in the pursuit, arrest, and detention of Bloggers, as in the case of Amir, but that was preceded by a number of criticisms, from the conservative and hard-line establishment regarding the role of the Internet and Internet users in the Arab world, which boils down to the oversimplification that the Internet is time-wasting medium and a podium for debauchery.

To these accusations I add another, namely that the Internet has become a new weapon in the hands of hardliners, and that is a reality.

Today, as the number of Arab Bloggers increases, along with their causes and boldness, sensitivity and doubt over their role and influence have intensified.

Bloggers contributed to rising questions, issues and ideas that were not addressed as explicitly or as publicly in cyberspace as the case is now. Until very recently, Islamist-oriented groups took the lead in their presence and usage of the World Wide Web.

-more-

I normally stay away from Asharq Alawsat but this caught my attention.

Nooooooooooooo!

2007-03-07T12:46:00.000-06:00

This...This can't be. It must be some sort of a hoax. Who did this? After 60 year Roger goes out like this? Hero of America's Greatest Genteration?

One of America's most patriotic superheroes has died.

Marvel Entertainment killed off its oldest character, Captain America, in a comic book that hits stands Wednesday.

The former World War II soldier is gunned down on the steps of a courthouse in Captain America No. 25 by a sniper's bullet, a victim of a war on terror.

"We've had deaths in the Universe, but with Cap being our oldest character, it gives it a little more resonance," Dan Buckley, the president and publisher of Marvel Entertainment's publishing group, told FOXNews.com.

The decision has already angered the character's creator, Joe Simon, who told the New York Daily News that the death comes at a time when "we really need him now."

In the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Captain America embodied the ideals of the Greatest Generation, standing as a pillar of morality and honesty — doing the right thing at the right time, Buckley said.

-more-

Someone better check John Murtha's alabi.

BREAKING: Al Gore and John Kerry are shitty tippers.

2007-03-08T11:15:00.000-06:00

According to the website bitterwaitress.com.

Sen. John Kerry visited a restaurant in St. Louis and added only 2 percent to the signature line, while former Vice President Al Gore left only 8 percent at a restaurant in Alexandria, Va.

“Al and Tipper Gore were regulars in the restaurant I used to work at,” wrote one bitter waitress. “You'd think this would be cool, waiting on a former vice president. And it would be, if not for the fact that Al Gore is cheap.”

More on the craptastic tippers here - Maybe her name should be Tipless Gore?

60 Minutes - Terrorists Take Recruitment Efforts Online

2007-03-05T10:27:00.000-06:00

(CBS) Recently the Bush administration acknowledged that al Qaeda is reorganized and gaining strength. As correspondent Scott Pelley reports, that’s been possible, since the fall of Afghanistan, through the explosive growth of al Qaeda on the Internet. Last week, word spread on the web that Vice President Cheney was in Afghanistan. In hours the base where he was staying was bombed. It’s not clear the bomber was targeting the vice president, but U.S. Intelligence noted the coincidence.

It is certain that virtual reality is doing real damage with intelligence, recruiting, fund raising and the spread of Islamic extremism. This assault may start with bytes, not bullets, but American generals will tell you, it’s a hot war all the same on a battlefield called "jihad.com."

-more-

Gore: Do as I say, not as I do.

2007-02-27T13:29:00.000-06:00

A great quote from a story in USA Today:

Public records reveal that as Gore lectures Americans on excessive consumption, he and his wife Tipper live in two properties: a 10,000-square-foot, 20-room, eight-bathroom home in Nashville, and a 4,000-square-foot home in Arlington, Va. (He also has a third home in Carthage, Tenn.) For someone rallying the planet to pursue a path of extreme personal sacrifice, Gore requires little from himself.

I bet the fool that nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize felt like an ass-clown when he heard about this.

From the Tennessee Center for Policy Research:

Last night, Al Gore’s global-warming documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, collected an Oscar for best documentary feature, but the Tennessee Center for Policy Research has found that Gore deserves a gold statue for hypocrisy.

Gore’s mansion, located in the posh Belle Meade area of Nashville, consumes more electricity every month than the average American household uses in an entire year, according to the Nashville Electric Service (NES).

Standoff with student shuts down UM-Rolla campus

2007-02-27T12:06:00.000-06:00

ROLLA, Mo. (AP) -- A distraught graduate student claiming to have a bomb and anthrax sparked a police standoff in a classroom building Tuesday that shut down the University of Missouri-Rolla for several hours, officials said.

Nearly two dozen people, including a faculty member and eight other students, were being decontaminated after a white, powdery substance was found.

School officials said "possible bomb materials" were also found when the man was taken into custody. Officials described the man as a graduate student who was apparently depressed and upset about his grades.

The standoff started around 2:30 a.m. in a civil engineering building on campus.

Acting Police Chief Mark Kearse said that when police arrived, the student held up a bag and said: "This is a bomb." He was armed with a knife and also claimed to have anthrax, Kearse said.

Police used a stun gun to subdue him. They also found a four-page note in which the student threatened to destroy the building, Kearse said.

The Fort Leonard Wood Explosive Operations Division was investigating the possibility that a bomb may be in the building, and members of the Missouri National Guard were called to campus.

The man's identity and nationality were not released, though school spokesman Lance Feyh said he was an international student. The man was taken to a nearby hospital to determine if he was contaminated with anthrax, city spokesman Scott Grahl said.
Mayor William Jenks and Kearse said the student had been distraught over his grades, which may have led to the incident. Jenks said the student "had problems and was depressed."

The 5,850-student technological research and engineering school campus in south-central Missouri was shut down during the incident and classes were canceled for the day while officers investigated.

"We have no hard evidence that there's anything wrong in the building but we simply can't take a chance," Jenks said. "We're taking a very cautious approach."

Those exposed to the powder included a faculty member in whose lab the graduate student was found and eight students working nearby, said campus spokeswoman Mary Helen Stoltz. The remaining people exposed to the powder were emergency personnel who responded to the scene, she said. It wasn't yet clear what the substance was.
Stoltz reiterated Kearse's belief that the student was "using the threat of terror to get attention."

"We believe the situation is completely under control," she said. "For now everybody's safe."

-more-

The only thing I can get out of anyone is the suspect is from the "International Community" that's PC code for Middle Eastern.

Khadeeja Islamic Center: Sulejmana Talovic and Wassef Ali Hassoun. I don't know where I'm going with this.

2007-02-16T17:18:00.000-06:00

Something caught my attention in a post by Debbie Schlussel from today or yesterday aboutt he Salt Lake City Shooter Sulejman Talovic. She mentioned Khadeeja Islamic Center. I had heard that somewhere, maybe in the last two or three year but I can put my finger on it. I'm am going to keep researching until I figure this one out.

_______________________________________

It seems Marine deserter Wassef Ali Hassoun who deserted back in 2003 and fake his abduction was from Salk Lake City.

From Answers.com

Wassef Ali Hassoun (born January 1, 1980) is a United States Marine Corps Corporal who was charged with desertion for leaving his unit and apparently engaging with others in a hoax to make it appear that he had been captured by terrorists on June 19, 2004 while serving in Iraq. Originally listed as having deserted, the Lebanese-American Marine was then thought to have been taken hostage by Iraqis who were thought to have befriended him.

Here's more:

Hassoun is from West Jordan, Utah, This is south Salt Lake City. See Map:

I still don't know where I'm going with this.

_________________________________________________

Found his brother's house:

Mohammed Hassoun
8751 S 5170 W
West Jordan, UT 84088

Pretty close to the SLC Jihad Triangle. See map:

Could these two have worshopped at the same Mosque? When there's smoke there's fire.

From the Muslim Forum of Utah:

PRESS RELEASE: Trolley Square Shooting Not Related to Islam & Muslims 2/14/07 The tragic Trolley Square Shooting that happened recently was not related to Islam and Muslims. Our hearts go out to the families that were hurt in this event. The people hurt and killed could have been our own families and friends that attend the nearby Mosque, so we are happy that the perpetrator was killed before he could hurt anybody else in the community. Our Bosnian contacts in the community say that Sulejman Talovic, an 18 year old high school drop out and Bosnian immigrant, was a young man who lived a hermit type of lifestyle. Political terrorism is not a factor, given his lifestyle and lack of adherence to Islam. He was not known to have been religious, but infact secular in nature and never attended any of the local Mosques and did not associate with the community. Even if he had been religious, that does not represent the communty, because his actions were anti-Muslim and hurt Muslims more than anybody. Some say he was from a gypsy background. There are alot of American, Mexican, African-American, Bosnian, Somalian, Saudi, Arab, Afghani, Turkish, Iraqi, Lebanese, Jordanian, Palestinian Pakistani, Persian, Iranian and other youth that are secular and drink alcohol, fornicate, gamble, and go to clubs in Utah. They are not representative of the overall Muslim community within Utah or abroad. If he was from a non-Muslim background, his faith would never have been mentioned in the news and media. sltrib article>>> Also, please visit Islam Denounces Terrorism.

Let's not forget the wife beater Imam is from Khadeeja Islamic Center.

WEST VALLEY CITY - Imam Shuaib-ud Din has been terminated from his position as religious leader of the Islamic Society of Greater Salt Lake amid allegations of domestic violence.

Police said they responded to a "domestic-related incident" at Din's home a week ago, and the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office reported an attempt to serve a protective order against him on Thursday.

Contacted by phone, a relative of the imam said he was in Chicago now but would not comment on the allegations. The relative acknowledged that Din and his wife were having marital problems but said the imam was driven out of town by disgruntled members of the society's board.

Inside Duke's Hate Fest

2004-11-15T15:32:00.000-06:00

On October 15-17, in sunny North Carolina, a strategy session for radicals, anarchists, anti-Semites and communists took place in the halls of an elite institution of higher learning, while under the benevolent gaze of university administrators. Billed as an "open dialogue" on Middle East issues, the Palestinian Solidarity Movement Conference proved to be an indoctrination and tactical training session for activists dedicated to the destruction of the state of Israel and the support of Palestinian terrorists engaged in the effort to liberate the Holy Land “from the Jordan river to the sea.”

In previous solidarity gatherings at Berkeley and the University of Michigan, the organizers of these conferences have featured known (and now jailed) Islamic terrorists and led participants in chants of "Kill the Jews!" Duke's Conservative Union ran an ad detailing the organization's violent history and agendas in an effort to dissuade their university from disgracing itself by defending the charade that this event had anything to do with an academic curriculum. But despite the clear evidence as to who the solidarity movement represents and what its agendas of violence and hate may be, the Duke Administration represented by its Vice President for Governmental Affairs, John Burness, ran interference for the radicals and went out of their way to make sure the event would take place exactly as the organizers intended.

Several Jewish organizations mounted a campaign to alert the Duke administration to the conference's destructive agendas. But presented with a petition of 92,000 signatures, the Duke Administration not only refused to turn away the PSM activists, but grossly whitewashed what went on during their gathering on Duke's campus and facilitated their activist agendas. Thus Students for Academic Freedom, a 135 chapter campus organization, appealed to Duke President Richard Brodhead to insist that all sessions of the conference be open to the public and to the press to no avail.

-more-

Another Rape at Duke?

2007-02-13T14:44:00.000-06:00

You know, I said that too. I didn't hear anything about it.

The origianl rape case was all over the news. Within days it was common to hear about
this story several times a day on cnn, foxnews and many other networks.

Five days after this new case and you can bet not many people know about this case. To be fair there are a few stories here, here and here.

But if you notice, some of these stories don't mention a few key facts. The victim: white. The perp: black. It's strange, where are all the protestors? Where's Jesse Jackson? You're boy Al Sharpton? Nowhere to be found?

Mary Katharine Ham said it best

The mainstream media has bent over backward to keep race out of this. Even those who first gave a description of the alleged rapist as a “black man” later redacted that from their reports. The News & Observer never printed it at all. And none has pointed out, as the Duke Chronicle has done, that the alleged victim was white, making this a mirror image of the Duke lacrosse case.

Some maintained all along last spring that their protests were not about race but about men’s violence against women. Still others tried to fan racial and class tensions by saying that if these were black men accused of raping a white woman, the man would be in jail. Well, now we know two things: it was always about race for the pot bangers and the Group of 88 professors at Duke, and it is demonstrably true, after Sunday’s incident, that a black man can be accused of raping a white woman and still be on the street.

It was never about protecting women. I know that because I live in a neighborhood that has the dubious honor of being the namesake of at least one serial rapist. There were few candlelight vigils; there was no national media attention; there were no pot-bangers when the women of my neighborhood couldn't take their dogs for walks at dusk. And, those black-on-white rapes just didn't bring the activist out in people the way the Duke non-rape did.

When the Potbangers Were Riding High

Keith Ellison calls cops on Republican congressman for smoking cigar

2007-02-15T14:22:00.000-06:00

Ellison Sends 'Sorry' Note to Tancredo For To-Do Over Cigar Complaint

WASHINGTON — A freshman Democratic lawmaker sent a hand-written note Wednesday night to a neighboring Republican congressman to apologize for the situation that erupted after his staff complained to U.S. Capitol Police about cigar smoke.

No word yet that Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison is sorry that his staff called the cops in the first place to complain that Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo's cigar was stinking up the hallway they share in the Longworth House Office Building.

Ellison "apologizes for the situation" because "it was so blown out of proportion," Carlos Espinosa, Tancredo’s press secretary, told FOX News.

Tancredo told FOX News on Thursday that he had only read the first portion of the Ellison letter because he was in a rush to get the House floor to speak about Iraq. He said he would discuss the note once he can fully review it after he returns from attending the funeral of Rep. Charlie Norwood, R-Ga., who died earlier this week after a long battle with cancer.

News of the complaint were first reported in Wednesday editions of The Hill newspaper. Ellison's staff called the police to snuff out Tancredo's cigar. Tancredo, who often relaxes with a cigar, is allowed to smoke in his office. The police officer told Ellison's people that, but for due diligence went to check on the smoke.

-more-

Sulejmen Talovic

2007-02-14T13:42:00.000-06:00

Salt Lake City Shooter Was Sulejmen Talovic; 5 Dead 4 Wounded

Salt Lake City, UT (AHN) - Police have identified the man behind a deadly shooting at the Trolley Square mall, as 18-year-old Sulejmen Talovic, a resident of Salt Lake City.

Tavolic killed 5 people and wounded four others, but Salt Lake City police chief Chris Burbank believes the trench coat-wearing teen would have killed more people if not for the fact that he ran into an off duty Ogden police officer, who confronted him, taking his attention away from killing shoppers to what became a fatal shootout with police.

Chief Baker says the shooting "appears to be very random. There was no sense to why he was doing what he was doing. The suspect in this particular circumstance had one thing on his mind, and that was to kill a large number of people."

Random? You have got to be kidding me. Why is it that an idiot like myself can put two and two togehter and figure this out but the Chief thinks it's random? Sounds to me like he needs to be put back on the beat to brush up on his policing skills.

Moonbattery has it right.

A qucik search shows a listing for a Talovic in Salk Lake City shows the following:

Suljo Talovic
1051 W 400 N
SALT LAKE CITY, UT 84116

This address is only 3.9 miles from the Trolly Square Mall. See map below:

Could this be Sulejmen's address?

:::::::::::::Update:::::::::

This is his address, just found a link that mentions his father's name as Suljo:

Talovic's parents, Suljo and Sabira, made no public comment on their son. The young man's aunt told reporters gathered outside her slain nephew's home that she was just as confused as anyone about his acts of violence.

The Bills of Missouri Rep. Talibdin El-Amin

2007-02-04T07:20:00.000-06:00

Just an on going entry pointing out the bills Talibdin has submitted. Let's see if we can find a pattern.

1) The state would formally apologize for permitting more than 140 years of slavery under a proposal that would make Missouri one of the first in the country to make such a move.

2) Rename "Mark McGwire Highway" to honor former state Sen. John Bass, a veteran city politician and educator. (Sen. John Bass, the first African-American comptroller for the city of St. Louis)

more to come

Deadbeat Dad wants Missouri to apologize for slavery

2007-02-06T14:49:00.000-06:00

Missouri lawmaker seeks apology for slavery

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- The state would formally apologize for permitting more than 140 years of slavery under a proposal that would make Missouri one of the first in the country to make such a move.

The resolution, which details the history of Missouri slavery, states that "an apology for centuries of brutal dehumanization and injustices cannot ease the past, but confession of the wrongs can speed racial healing and reconciliation."

Rep. Talibdin El-Amin said Missouri should be one of the first states to apologize for slavery because the Dred Scott case, in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that black people in the United States cannot sue, originated in Missouri.

"That case set a legal precedent, and I'm looking for Missouri to set another precedent and be one of the first states to apologize for slavery," El-Amin, D-St. Louis, said Monday.

-from here-

It seems El-Amin needs to clean up his own back yard.

(KSDK) - A St. Louis politician, whose ads promoting his campaign for the state house describe him as a "devoted father," owes more than $7,000 past due child support payments.

Why do people vote these fools into office?

U.S. military: Iraqi lawmaker is U.S. Embassy bomber

2007-02-06T13:37:00.000-06:00

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- A man sentenced to death in Kuwait for the 1983 bombings of the U.S. and French embassies now sits in Iraq's parliament as a member of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's ruling coalition, according to U.S. military intelligence.

Jamal Jafaar Mohammed's seat in parliament gives him immunity from prosecution. Washington says he supports Shiite insurgents and acts as an Iranian agent in Iraq.

U.S. military intelligence in Iraq has approached al-Maliki's government with the allegations against Jamal Jafaar Mohammed, whom it says assists Iranian special forces in Iraq as "a conduit for weapons and political influence."

Repeated efforts by CNN to reach Jamal Jafaar Mohammed for comment through the parliament, through the ruling Shiite Muslim coalition and the Badr Organization -- the Iranian-backed paramilitary organization he once led -- have been unsuccessful. (Watch how a convicted terrorist became an Iraqi lawmaker )

A Kuwaiti court sentenced Jamal Jafaar Mohammed to death in 1984 in the car bombings of the U.S. and French embassies the previous December. Five people died in the attacks and 86 were wounded.

He had fled the country before the trial.

-more-

Frickin' LOVELY.

Do NOT buy from Discount-Mats.com

2007-01-23T14:58:00.000-06:00

Web Site Kicks Sand in Faces of GIs in Iraq Asking for Mats to Ease Hardship of Sleeping on Ground

An American GI assigned to one of the harshest posts in Iraq had a simple request last week for a Wisconsin mattress company: send some floor mats to help ease the hardship of sleeping on the cold, bug-infested ground.

What he got, instead, was a swift kick from the company's Web site, which not only refused the request but added insult to injury with the admonition, "If you were sensible, you and your troops would pull out of Iraq."

Army Sgt. Jason Hess, stationed in Taji, Iraq, with the 1st Cavalry Division, said he emailed his request to Discount-mats.com because he and his fellow soldiers sleep on the cold ground, which contains sand mites, sand flies and other disease carriers.

In his email, dated Jan. 16, 2007, he asked the Web-based company, registered to Faisal Khetani, an American Muslim of Pakistani descent:

"Do you ship to APO (military) addresses? I'm in the 1st Cavalry Division stationed in Iraq and we are trying to order some mats but we are looking for ships to APO first."

On the same day, Hess received this reply:

"SGT Hess,

We do not ship to APO addresses, and even if we did, we would NEVER ship to Iraq. If you were sensible, you and your troops would pull out of Iraq.

Bargain Suppliers
Discount-Mats.com"

Khetani on Monday told FOX News that the person responsible for the email reply had been fired. The Web site, meanwhile, has been temporarily taken down.

Hess emailed that he has since found two mat suppliers willing to ship to an APO address in Iraq.

-from-

Contact info:
Faisal Khetani
PO Box 270693
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53227

Administrative Contact:
Khetani, Faisal
sportsfitness@gmail.com
3259 S.106th Street West Allis
Wisconsin 53227
United States (414) 543-9634

Sohail Mohammed?

2007-01-19T12:03:00.000-06:00

When speaking of the new season of 24:

Sohail Mohammed, a New Jersey immigration lawyer who represented scores of detainees caught up in the post September 11, 2001 dragnet, watched the episode depicting the nuclear attack with an Associated Press reporter.

"I was shocked," he said. "Somewhere, some lunatic out there watching this will do something to an innocent American Muslim because he believes what he saw on TV."

So freedom of speech only applies if you are some radical Islamic Cleric calling for the death of Israel or the U.S.? Mr. Mohammed is a lawyer, he should be well aware of what is protected speech.

America to Blame for Illegal Aliens Turning to Crime, Latino Advocate Says

2007-01-10T17:41:00.000-06:00

Americans are to blame for some illegal immigrants becoming serial crooks because "they're picking up those bad habits of cheating, of drinking and drugs," according to an official of a prominent Latino advocacy organization.

Jesse Diaz of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) made the claim on Monday during an interview on Dallas talk radio station KRLD, and then repeated them on Tuesday to WFAA-TV.

Diaz was discussing a federal study of 100 illegal immigrants with arrest records. The study found they had each been arrested and released six times, on average.

When questioned about how living in America is responsible for them becoming serial lawbreakers, Diaz stood by his remarks, arguing that conservative Catholic values learned in Mexico start to break down once in the U.S.

Diaz pointed to an increase in teen pregnancies and broken homes in the immigrant community, and also blasted the wearing of baggy pants.

Diaz’s remarks caused shock in the Dallas area, immediately lighting up KRLD phone lines.

“My mouth just flew open,” said one listener upon hearing the comment.

KRLD DJ Jay McFarland questioned the accuracy of Diaz’s claim.

“If you have to break the laws to get here initially, what respect are you going to have for our laws,” McFarland said.

Diaz claimed the study of 100 illegal aliens with criminal records was flawed, which prompted him to speak out.

"It teaches them to hate immigrants, and the majority of these immigrants are good people," Diaz said.

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency also critiqued the study, calling it neither statistically significant nor objective. ICE however also pointed out that more than 355,000 criminal aliens have been deported since 2003.

-from-

The minute they sneak across the US/Mexico border, they are criminals. Jesse is an idiot that cannot except the facts.

Bogus Threats Against American Indian Over Chief Illiniwek Mascot

2007-01-10T10:13:00.000-06:00

Reading a bit of news this morning I found this story:

University of Illinois Probes Threats Against American Indian Over Chief Illiniwek Mascot

on foxnews.com. After reading the story, it just seemed too simple. I am sure there are people out there who would say things like that; I have no doubt in my mind. But it seems the person who these threats were targeting is one of the activists trying to get the mascot removed from the school. I am sure a bit of research will show her identity, but that's not really the issue here. The issue is who wrote the threats? Threats like:

"I say we throw a tomahawk into her face"

and

"what they don't realize is that there never was a racist problem before ... but now i hate redskins and hope all those drunk casino owning bums die."

Those statements are terrible and people should never talk about others they disagree with like that. But, did the person who wrote those comments disagree with the targeted student? If you ask me, no. These comments were written by someone who believes the same way as the targeted student. Possibly even the student herself. My guess would be someone else though; we'll get to her next.

These comments alone don't raise a red flag; the red flag is raised later in the story.

Enter stage left: professor Brenda Farnell

It looks like foxnews went to her for a comment, and she was more than happy to climb right into the fiasco. Most professors would try and distance themselves from something like this. It's bad, bad for everyone and especially bad for the school. But not professor Farnell. She jumps right in and starts throwing punches from square one.

One faculty member said the woman who was threatened is one of her students.

"She's targeted because she has been very brave and active," professor Brenda Farnell told The AP on Tuesday. "She's been the recipient of hate speech before, to her face."

Farnell, part of the university's Native American Studies program, declined to identify the woman but said she is a graduate student and a Sioux.

Hmm, it looks like the professor is part of the university's Native American Studies program. I sure would like to know what side of the Chief Illiniwek Mascot issue she is on. Of course, my guess would be that she is against the mascot, but I am going to do a bit of research before I make that conclusion.

Research done, I can tell you it seems to me that this professor Farnell is some sort of zealot when it comes to the Chief Illiniwek issue, see below:

http://www.retirethechief.org/Dialogue/farnell.html
http://www.uillinois.edu/trustees/dialogue/Farnell_letter.pdf
http://www.nativeculturelinks.com/lsa.txt
http://www.iresist.org/
http://jss.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/28/1/30?ck=nck
http://www2.uiuc.edu/unit/senate/speakers.html
http://www.illinimedia.com/di/apr_00/apr13/news/news01.shtml
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles

A quick Google search of "Brenda Farnell" + illiniwek gave me 9 pages of hits all about her views on Chief Illiniwek. You can say it's one of her pet projects. Here is a quote:

In the United States, the Euro-American practice of using stereotypical Native American imagery and dancing in association with athletic mascots continues despite vigorous protest.

Analysis of the discursive formations associated with one such local practice—the dancing Indianmascot at the University of Illinois known as Chief Illiniwek—suggests that the dominant "race-making" population, who are the mascot’s ardent supporters, create and passionately defend a "White public space" in which any contemporary Native American presence is positioned as disorderly.

Hmm, anyone thinking what I'm thinking? She sounds a bit like Ward Churchill and seems to be marching in step with the racist "blame whitey" crowd. You can read more at the links above and come to you own conclusion.

Now back to the foxnews story.

So if I were a betting man, I would say that this Brenda Farnell or one of her cohorts made these outrageous statements against this American Indian student to try and turn the tables on the discussion. In her mind once the students are in danger, maybe the University will change its opinion on the whole mascot issue and send Chief Illiniwek packing.

From the foxnews.com story:

The university's board of trustees could discourage further threats by doing away with the mascot, Farnell said.

"They've been sitting here for years and years now," she said. "They seem to be totally oblivious of that."

So, she sees the threat against the student as a good thing and will now use it as proof to have the mascot removed. If anyone should be removed it she be this shady professor.

Maybe the professor would be happy if they change the mascot to a short drunken fighting Irish man?
-The fownews story is here-

Who is Keith Ellison?

2007-01-05T10:57:00.000-06:00

Well for starters he is a U.S. Congressman. From his website's bio page:

Originally from Detroit, Michigan, he moved to Minnesota in 1987 to attend University of Minnesota Law School, where he graduated with a Juris Doctor degree in 1990. Ellison and spouse Kim, a high school mathematics teacher, have lived on the Minneapolis Northside for the past 17 years. They have four children ages 17, 15, 10, and 9.
-snip-

Keith has a long history of community service. For eight years he hosted a public affairs program on community radio. Before entering the legislature, Keith regularly testified before state congressional committees and legislators on issues including privacy, welfare reform, indigent defense, environmental justice and others. Keith has also organized citizens to address the issue of police community relations - in fact, Keith was directly involved in the effort to establish the Minneapolis Police-Civilian Review Board in the early 1990s.

Wow, he seems like a good guy. I would vote for this guy, who cares about the "D" next to his name. Who even cares about him swearing into office using the Koran. I don't, that's what America is all about. We are the melting pot after all and I believe that is what makes this country great. But there seems to be more to this story than meets the eye. Here's what we do know:

At age nineteen, while attending Wayne State University in Detroit, Ellison converted from Catholicism to Islam.
While a law student in 1989 and 1990, Ellison wrote several columns as Keith E. Hakim in the student newspaper, the Minnesota Daily.

The first article defended Louis Farrakhan against accusations of antisemitism
"[61], defended Nation of Islam spokesman Khalid Abdul Muhammad, and spoke in
the voice of a Nation of Islam advocate."
The second column "called affirmative action a 'sneaky' form of compensation for slavery, suggesting instead that white Americans pay reparations to blacks,"
The third suggested the creation of a separate state for black residents[63][64].

In 1997, when Joanne Jackson, executive director of the Minneapolis Initiative Against Racism (MIAR), allegedly said that, "Jews are among the most racist white people", Ellison, using his religious name Mohammed, read a statement supporting her on behalf of the The Minneapolis-St. Paul Study Group of the Nations of Islam: "[We] stand by Ms. Jackson. We stand by the truth contained in the remarks attributed to her, and by her right to express her view without sanction.

Campaign finance has also been an issue for Ellison. In early 2006, the Minnesota State Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board reprimanded Ellison for unreported contributions, discrepancies in cash balances, and misclassified disbursements. These transgressions occurred in the years 2002-2004. In 2005 when the board tried to get more information about the problems in Ellison's reports, they got no response from Ellison or his treasurer (his wife Kim). When the board heard nothing, they opened the investigation. Ellison was subpoenaed and fined.The board has also fined Ellison numerous times for late filings, been sued twice by the attorney general, and has been warned many times for absent or incomplete disclosure.

Early in Ellison's campaign, his driver's license was suspended for failure to pay multiple tickets and fines. When asked how many times his license has been suspended, he said, "I don't know how many prior suspensions I've had; I don't keep count." Reports indicate that he had accumulated over forty parking and traffic tickets, and that his license was suspended twice. Ellison also failed to pay all or part of his income taxes five separate years between 1992 and 2000, forcing the state and Internal Revenue Service to put liens on his home. He later paid in excess of $18,000.

SOURCES listed here.

Israel PM: 'I'm sorry if civilians injured' in raid

2007-01-04T10:07:00.000-06:00

JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Four Palestinians were killed and 25 wounded, including two journalists, Thursday during an Israeli military operation in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said he regretted any civilian casualties from the raid.

"I'm sorry if innocent civilians in Ramallah were injured, but you have to remember that Israel has to take the right precautions to prevent terrorists from hurting Israeli citizens," he said.

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported the four Palestinians killed were civilians. CNN has not confirmed this reporting.

"Today's incursions were meant to stop terrorists who killed innocent Israelis," Olmert added, speaking in Sharm-el-Sheikh, Egypt, where he was meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

"During that action there were shots aimed at Israeli soldiers, and I'm sorry that things developed in ways that were not planned ahead. It was not our intention, it was not our will."

-more-

This is the Palestinian Militants MO - Fight and kill as many Israelis as possible, including civilians. And if you get any casualties, you call them civilian non-combatants. Since none of them wear uniforms, who is to know. I say, if you go to battle and you do not wear a uniform, you are honor less and should be treated as a criminal assassin.

Olmert offers to free $100 million for Palestinians

2007-01-01T10:13:00.000-06:00

JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Israel is willing to transfer $100 million to Palestinians for humanitarian needs, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's spokeswoman said Saturday night after Olmert met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

However, Miri Eisin told CNN the money will be released only if a way is found to transfer the now-frozen funds directly to Palestinians -- without going through the Hamas-led government.

"The international community was the one that defined clearly that the money could not go through that government. We want it to arrive at hospitals -- for medical supplies, for the different things that are needed to alleviate the Palestinian suffering," Eisin said. (Watch Eisin discuss what happened in the meeting )

The $100 million is only part of the revenue from tax rebates and other sources that Israel froze after the Islamic militant group Hamas came to power in March. The European Union and the United States have designated Hamas a terrorist group for its goal to destroy Israel.

In a statement released by Olmert's office early Sunday, the summit was described as a step in reviving the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians, which broke down in September 2000.

-more-

Great - give them more money to buy rockets. I hope this money goes to the good of the Palestinian people, but somehow I doubt it. Let's keep our fingers crossed.

MIA: Sharpton and Jackson

2006-12-18T13:50:00.000-06:00

ST. CHARLES: Police officers fatally shoot armed man

12/18/2006

Police say they fatally shot a St. Charles man Sunday after he brandished a rifle at officers sent to his home.

Gregory John Brodko Jr., 24, was pronounced dead shortly after 8 p.m. at St. Joseph Hospital in St. Charles, according to a statement released Sunday by the city's Police Department.

Earlier, Police Chief Tim Swope said Brodko was shot when he pointed a rifle at police when they showed up at his home in the 100 block of South Overbrook Street.

Swope said that Brodko's mother had called police shortly before 3 p.m. and said Brodko was hallucinating and waving weapons around.

The officer who fired the shots was placed on administrative leave pending an investigation.

Report: Duke Prosecutor Dropping Rape Charges

2006-12-22T12:20:00.000-06:00

DURHAM, N.C. — Prosecutors dropped rape charges Friday against three Duke University lacrosse players accused of attacking a stripper at a team party, but the three still face kidnapping and sexual offense charges, a defense attorney said.

Joseph Cheshire and attorneys for the other players have said for months the woman told several different versions of the alleged assault.

Cheshire said Friday that the accuser now says she does not know if she was penetrated, which he said led District Attorney Mike Nifong to dismiss the rape charges.

Nifong did not immediately return calls seeking comment.

The accuser, a 28-year-old student at North Carolina Central University, has said three men raped her in a bathroom at a March 13 team party where she was hired to perform as a stripper.

The players — Dave Evans, Collin Finnerty and Reade Seligmann — all say they are innocent. Their attorneys have consistently said no sex occurred at the party and have cited a lack of DNA evidence in the case as proof of their clients' innocence. The three lacrosse players are white; their accuser is black.

-more-