Weekly Radio Show: August 31 SPECIAL SHOW!

Listen to The Gathering Storm Radio Show, which WC and I cohost. The show broadcasts live every Friday for one hour at noon, Pacific Time.

The call-in number is (646) 915-9870.

Callers welcome!

If you are unable to listen live to the radio show, you can listen to recordings of the radio broadcasts later by CLICKING HERE.

Friday, August 31:

SPECIAL SHOW!

This week's scheduled guest for the entire hour will be Robert Spencer of Jihad Watch. He is the author of two the bestsellers The Truth About Muhammad and The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (and the Crusades). Others of his books include Islam Unveiled: Disturbing Questions About the World's Fastest Growing Faith and Onward Muslim Soldiers: How Jihad Still Threatens America and the West.

The primary topic of our discussion on the August 31 show will be Mr. Spencer's just-published book Religion of Peace? Why Christianity Is and Islam Isn't. According to information at Mr. Spencer's site, the book is a refutation of moral equivalence and call to defend Judeo-Christian civilization from the global jihad. The titles of the chapters of Mr. Spencer's new book:

1. No, Virginia, All Religions Aren't Equal
2. Wars of Religion
3. We Have Met the Enemy and He Is...
4. The Real Threat
5. Cherry-Picking in the Fields of the Lord
6. The Cross and the Sword
7. Christian Anti-Semitism vs. Islamic "Apes and Pigs"
8. The West Calls for Dialogue; Islam Calls for Jihad
9. Faith and Unreason
10. Democracy, Whiskey, Sexy
11. Women in the West vs. Burqas and Beatings
12. Yes, Virginia, Western Civilization Is Worth Defending

Dr. Andrew Bostom has written an extensive review of Mr. Spencer's book [Hat-tip to Pamela Geller, at whose web site I found the review] and states the following about the book:

Robert Spencer’s sobering new book, “Religion of Peace?” reveals how the prevailing multicultural orthodoxy in the West—rooted in self-hatred, uncritical, blanket pacifism, and complacency—negates the profound differences between Judeo-Christian and Islamic civilization, obfuscating the existential threat posed by Islam’s enduring, central institution: the jihad. This corrosive mentality is disseminated by the avatars of immoral equivalence, “elite” sword swallowers for jihadism who have foisted their own self-destructive desensitization to this genocidal institution upon a general public, sadly ill-informed about Islamic doctrine and history.

In that same review, Dr. Bostom cites the following words from Mr. Spencer's book:

Christianity is a religion of peace, and it is a religion without a jihadist movement. Islam is a religion of the sword and there are, by even the most conservative estimates, more than one hundred million active jihadists seeking to impose sharia not only in the Islamic world, but in Europe and ultimately in the United States. And they will succeed, in time, if Westerners continue to delude themselves that Western civilization is uniquely responsible for the evil in the world, that Christianity is just as inherently violent as Islam, that all cultures are equal in their capacity to inspire magnanimity, nobility, generosity, and greatness of soul. This is a suicidal myth.

Whether one believes in Christianity or not, it is necessary now for all lovers of authentic freedom to acknowledge their debt to the Judeo-Christian West, to the Judeo-Christian assumptions that built Europe and the United States, and to acknowledge that this great civilization is imperiled and worth defending.

Be sure to listen, live or via the recording, to The Gathering Storm Radio Show this week!

Note: A special thanks to Pamela Geller for putting in a good word with Mr. Spencer about The Gathering Storm Radio Show. WC and I appreciate your help!
Pamela's interview with Mr. Spencer is HERE.

The Muslim Vote

(All emphases by Always On Watch)

From this August 24, 2007 article in the Washington Post:

More than 50 candidates in this fall's elections are expected to appear in Reston tomorrow [August 25] at a political picnic organized by a group of Northern Virginia mosques, and organizers say the heavy turnout underscores the growing influence of Muslim voters in local politics.

The event, the group's seventh annual "family and civic picnic," has a dual purpose, organizers say. Through a voter registration drive, they hope to persuade more Muslims to become involved in local elections. In addition, they hope to show the candidates that "we're here, we care, and we do vote," said Shirin Elkoshairi, a spokesman for the Sterling-based All Dulles Area Muslim Society, which has more than 5,000 members.

"[The turnout] definitely shows that candidates feel that Muslims are voting and are a force at the polls," Elkoshairi said.

So far, nothing remarkable in the article.

Then comes the mention of Mukit Hossain, about whom I have blogged on more than one occasion. An index to those postings is HERE.

According to the following information in my first posting on Hossain back in August of 2005,

For Hossain, helping immigrants, most from Central and South America, is a Muslim issue. Charity is one of the five pillars of Islam. So he raised money from Muslim businessmen in Herndon to buy 400 winter coats for the laborers, brought them food through another charity he started, called Food Source, and even rounded up day laborers to attend a Thanksgiving dinner at an Iraqi restaurant where falafel, not turkey, was served.

"I consider them my neighbors," said Hossain...

[...]

Hossain has not only parlayed giving food and coats to illegal migrants into a federally funded exercise in Da'wa (Islamic propagation), he has assisted those who broke the law with legal aid to help them fight to stay in the US. Hossain exploits his 'charitable' work for furthering his Islamist agenda,and openly proclaims this to be his political mission as well.... Hossain is also active in MAS, the Muslim American Society, the group which is in the forefront of campaiging for the release of jailed presidental assassin wannabe Omar Abu Ali. MAS also lauded Hossain as a 'supporter' of their organisation which is directly linked to ICNA and by extension Al Qaeda. The trustee of MAS's Islamic American University is Sheik Yusuf Qaradawi who proclaimed that Muslim women have an Islamic duty to become suicide bombers.

Apparently, Hossain is quite the advocate for immigration, and it doesn't matter to him whether those immigrants are illegal or not because he ties his advocacy with his Muslim duty.

Returning now to the first-cited link in this posting,

There are about 64,000 Muslims registered to vote in Virginia, with the vast majority of them in the outskirts of Washington, said Mukit Hossain, president of the Virginia Muslim Political Action Committee, which tracks trends and endorses candidates in many local elections.

[...]

Organizers also expect candidates from Loudoun and Prince William counties, which last month approved resolutions aimed at cracking down on illegal immigrants. Although the actions were seen as primarily affecting Hispanics, they have sparked concern among Muslims because of fears that the actions could increase racial profiling and curb civil liberties, Hossain said.

"I think since 9/11, the Muslim community has learned that any community can be attacked," he said. "When someone is attacked unfairly, we have to stand in solidarity with them."

As we approach the sixth anniversary of 9/11, here is Hossain whining about Muslims being targeted.

Excuse me, Mr. Hossain, but nearly 3000 innocent people died during those horrific attacks on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon as well as those stop-the-hijackers patriots about Flight 93, which went down in a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Have you forgotten about those who perished on 9/11? Do you consider the very few verified cases of post-9/11 persecution of Muslims to be more significant than Islamic terrorist attacks? Also, Mr. Hossain, I remind you that Muslim is not a race.

And here is a bit more from Hossain:

Hossain, who has been organizing opposition to the Loudoun and Prince William votes [against illegal immigration], said his group conducted a survey of Virginia Muslims and found that immigration was their top local concern. Education was second, he said, and respect for diversity was third.

Muslims respect diversity? Really? Oh, that's right, Saudi Arabia is one respect-for-diversity country. **snerk**

The article also states the following:

Although Muslims represent a tiny part of the electorate, candidates are beginning to see the value of courting Islamic voters, because small but motivated groups can have a big impact at the polls, he said. That's especially true for off-year elections, which tend to have lower voter turnout. Last fall, more than 86 percent of registered Muslim voters turned out to vote, he said, compared with about 53 percent of the general population.

That has not gone unnoticed among political activists, said Brian Roherty, campaign manager for Michael Firetti, who is running for chairman of the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors.

"Every single vote counts, and smart politicians know that," Roherty said.

Ah, the dhimmitude of politicians, as they cater to the whim of a "tiny part of the electorate"! Somehow, that phrase is reminiscent of another few words: "a tiny portion of extremists," often used to refer to Islamic terrorists.

Even a champion of the battle against illegal immigration in Northern Virginia, Loudoun Supervisor Eugene A. Delgaudio is attending the picnic:

Loudoun Supervisor Eugene A. Delgaudio (R-Sterling), the main sponsor of Loudoun's resolution, said he plans to attend tomorrow's event, partly because the Muslim community reflects his values of being "extremely moral and religious." His district's demographics are among the most rapidly changing in Northern Virginia. For example, Sterling's Park View High School was two-thirds white in 2000; last year, whites made up less than half the school.

"We have a lot of ethnic groups represented here," he said. "Sterling is like the United Nations. It's a very diverse neighborhood."

Oh, yes, Mr. Delgaudio, Muslims are extremely moral. Why don't you do a little reading on the topic? You can start by reading Western Resistance and Dr. Homa Darabi Foundation. Those sites might open your eyes as to certain barbaric customs in Islamic culture.

According to the August 24, 2007 Washington Post article, a good turnout is expected for the pandering to Muslim voters:

Picnic organizers are expecting a broad spectrum of candidates running for the state legislature and boards of supervisors in Loudoun, Prince William and Fairfax counties. The candidates will have a chance to speak to and field questions from the more than 1,000 attendees expected.

Fairfax County Supervisor Penelope A. Gross (D-Mason), whose diverse district in central Fairfax includes two mosques, said her research has turned up more likely voters among Arab Americans than any other minority group.

"Over the past few years we have seen a lot more interest among Arab Americans in the civic culture of our community," said Gross, adding that she tries to go to the picnic each year and plans to attend tomorrow [August 25].

I wonder if CAIR will also attend.

Islamification continues apace on the political front here in Northern Virginia and elsewhere in the United States. As the percentage of Muslims increases, now allied with immigrants legally present or not, expect more of the same types of events and political pandering. Start checking the local section of your newspaper to see what's happening in your area.

Weekly Radio Show: August 24

Listen to The Gathering Storm Radio Show, which WC and I cohost. The show broadcasts live every Friday for one hour at noon, Pacific Time.

The call-in number is (646) 915-9870.

Callers welcome!

Friday, August 24: Our guests this week are author Cassandra and blogger Jon Quixote.

(1) Cassandra will be on the air with us at the top of the hour. She is the author of Escape! From An Arab Marriage: Horror Stories of Women Who Fled From Abusive Muslim Husbands. We will be discussing how political correctness leads to dhimmitude. This is Cassandra's second time to be on the show. She is a passionate speaker and always well-sourced.

(2) At the bottom of the hour, we will interview Jon Quixote of the blog Jon Quixote World, which is dedicated to developing and publicizing under-reported and unreported stories, from a liberty-oriented perspective. A fair portion of this blog is devoted to exposing and commenting on the freedom-subverting, anti-American, Jew/Israel-bashing, jihadist-appeasing anti-philosophy that dominates the hard-left in America.

Jon Quixote World has a particularly good feature entitled "Roundup Of Western Government-Enforced Dhimmitude." Go to the top of Jon's homepage to read the latest entry for that feature; other entries can be found on the left sidebar by clicking on the month.

If you are unable to listen live to the radio show, you can listen to recordings of the radio broadcasts later by CLICKING HERE.

Inviting In The Enemy

Our State Department is playing the dhimmi and endangering all of us. Requirements for visas have been relaxed so as to allow Wahhabist-trained imams to come into the United States.

From the August 14-20, 2007 edition of Insight Magazine (subscription required):

Hundreds of Islamic fundamentalist clerics have been allowed to enter the United States to take over mosques in major cities. The clerics come from countries such as Egypt, Jordan and Pakistan and have been influenced by al Qaeda. Many are fresh graduates from Saudi-financed Wahhabi seminaries....

According to the article, hundreds of these imams with radical training are already here and teaching in mosques in our major cities, including locations in New York, New Jersey, Michigan, and the Washington, D.C. area. Several of these imams are graduates of Cairo's Al Azhar University, which has ties to Al Qaeda, and of various seminaries in Pakistan. Furthermore, despite warnings from various law-enforcement officials and the National Intelligence Estimate, our State Department continues to pursue this import-the-imams agenda.

Even our FBI is supportive of bringing in these imams:

At this point, the FBI, which has played down links between Muslim extremists and white supremacists, has not tried to stop the influx of the imams. Instead, the agency has sought to expand its public relations campaign to change Muslim perceptions of U.S. law enforcement and recruit Muslims to the FBI.

"We, within the FBI, are trying to break down a lot of barriers and create a different brand about the FBI within the Arab-American and Muslim American community," said Gwen Hubbard, chief of the FBI's National Recruitment and Marketing unit.

For at least the past three decades, Wahhabism has been funding the building and renovation of mosques throughout the West. Mosques established well before the Wahhabist push have undergone change in their direction and their leadership. A possible tip-of-the-iceberg example, buried in the local secion of the August 16, 2007 edition of the Washington Post:

For over 25 years Farzad Darui [former manager at the Islamic Center of Washington, the city's oldest mosque]...has been dedicated to preventing radical fundamentalists from taking over Washington D.C.'s Islamic Center," one of the briefs begins.

[...]

According to Darui's filings, the Saudi government was funneling money secretly to Khouj. The filings don't explicitly give a reason but assert a Saudi desire to control the influential mosque.

Photo from WhiteHouse.gov
In his June 2007 speech at the D.C. Islamic Center, President Bush took off his shoes and stated the following, which gives credence to some of the content in the Insight article:

...Today I am announcing a new initiative that will improve mutual understanding and cooperation between America and people in predominately Muslim countries.

I will appoint a special envoy to the Organization of the Islamic Conference. This is the first time a President has made such an appointment to the OIC. (Applause.) Our special envoy will listen to and learn from representatives from Muslim states and will share with them America's views and values. This is an opportunity for Americans to demonstrate to Muslim communities our interest in respectful dialogue and continued friendship....

In my own experience, when I drive around the D.C. area and travel to other areas of the United States I have noticed the proliferation and renovation of mosques and hal-al markets sprouting up all over the place. I suspect that you've noticed the same in your area and in your travels.

Not so long ago, I met with a Jordanian who told me of a mosque he had visited in our Heartland. The mosque had been built several decades ago and had recently undergone a huge renovation. And guess what was on the materials table? Books and videos of Wahhabist orientation, even though the imam at that particular mosque was clearly not a Wahhabist. Apparently the funders of the renovation attached some strings to the financing of the upgrading of the mosque.

Getting back now to the content of the first link in this posting....If indeed America is importing Wahhabist imams, then radicalization of young Muslims will pick up speed within our borders. We're already noted the progression of Europe toward Eurabia as homegrown terrorists become a significant threat to national security. Importing Wahhabists to the United States will lead to the same radicalization here.

Embezzlement At The Islamic Center Of Washington? Or Something Else?

Back in June, I posted an article about President Bush's speech at the Islamic Center of Washington. The center was in the news again this week. From this August 16, 2007 article in the Washington Post (emphases mine):

A man charged with embezzling $430,000 from a prominent Washington mosque said in court documents filed yesterday that the mosque's director was actually paying him for rent and other expenses for the director's mistresses.

The motions were part of the defense's argument in the federal government's case against Farzad Darui, a former manager at the Islamic Center of Washington, the city's oldest mosque and a landmark on Embassy Row. Darui has been indicted for allegedly taking checks that he was supposed to use to pay the mosque's regular bills and directing them instead toward his own private businesses.

Darui's motions, filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, ask that five of the seven counts against him be dismissed. The motions argue that the indictment is too vague and does not provide specific details to back up its charges, such as naming vendors and specifying which checks are being referred to.

"The indictment has been drafted in such a manner that Mr. Darui is unable intelligently to defend himself against allegations," one motion says.

The 140 pages filed by Darui's attorneys describe him as a patriot who was trying to keep extremists from seizing control of the mosque, whose board is made up largely of ambassadors from various Islamic countries. Darui says in motions that he was being pressured by Saudi funders of the center and its director, Abdullah M. Khouj, to allow in "individuals who adhered to a radical form" of Islam.

"For over 25 years Farzad Darui . . . has been dedicated to preventing radical fundamentalists from taking over Washington D.C.'s Islamic Center," one of the briefs begins.

Khouj's assistant yesterday said he declined to comment because he had not seen the new filings. A call to the center's attorney was not returned.

According to Darui's filings, the Saudi government was funneling money secretly to Khouj. The filings don't explicitly give a reason but assert a Saudi desire to control the influential mosque. The briefs say that Khouj used some of the money to pay for housing for two mistresses in apartments Darui owned and other expenses for the women, which is Darui's explanation of why checks to Darui's companies have Khouj's signature.

Calls to the Saudi Embassy went unanswered yesterday afternoon.

The center had filed a lawsuit against Darui in September, leveling similar charges of embezzlement. A federal judge dismissed that suit in December.

One could hope that the funds indeed went to support a mistress and not a Wahhabist push to control the oldest mosque in Washington, D.C. But, somehow, I doubt that outcome. After all, it is well known in counter-jihad circles that Wahhabists have funneled money into mosques throughout Western nations and, thereby, have spread Wahhabism to attendees of the mosques. Also, many imams in mosques have direct ties to Saudi and to Wahhabism. Funds supporting a mistress would be more palatable than the Wahhabist funding of mosques and would not undermine the very existence of the United States.

Convenient Amnesia

From this article in the August 14, 2007 edition of the Washington Post:

On April 19, 2005, Darrick Jackson completed an application to work as a private security guard at an entrance gate to Andrews Air Force Base.

"Have you ever used or been known by another name?" he was asked in the second of 20 queries.

"No," Jackson answered.

He got the job.

Federal prosecutors now allege that Jackson intentionally withheld his Muslim name, Abdul-Jalil Mohammad, to conceal a connection to a controversial imam in Southeast Washington....

Controversial may be an understatement:

Abdul Alim Musa, 62, is the outspoken imam at the mosque, Masjid al-Islam. In public statements, Musa has called Jews cowards, denounced the United States as the most criminal government in the world and lauded suicide bombers as heroes. He has praised Hezbollah and Hamas, the Islamic Resistance Movement, and advocated the creation of an Islamic state in the United States by 2050.

In the interview, Musa joked that two of every five men at the Benning Road mosque could be undercover FBI agents. Musa said he recently taught three sessions of "How to Punk the FBI" at his mosque. Lessons included such "counter-harassment techniques" as asking an interrogating agent if his mother bought him his shirt, according to one of his Web sites.

[...]

...At issue are two essays, though it is unclear who wrote them. An essay titled "The Politics of Suicide and Self-Sacrifice" argues that Palestinians who conduct "self-sacrifice operations" do so in the same heroic spirit as Japanese kamikaze pilots. The other, "A Thought Provoking Process," faults the United States for its historical treatment of African Americans and Native Americans and, in a more conspiratorial vein, for allegedly spreading AIDS in Africa.

Musa uses both MuslimSpace and MySpace. On one site yesterday, visitors in an audio section could hear him lauding Hezbollah for kidnapping two Israeli soldiers last year. "It shows the rest of the Arab world that these Jews ain't nothing [but a] bunch of sissies and cowards," he said.

Prosecutors want to tell jurors that Musa once said Muslims would "burn America to the ground" if the mistreatment of Muslims continued. He was speaking at a fundraiser for Jamil Al-Amin, the imam who was formerly H. Rap Brown, a once-prominent Black Panther who in the 1960s famously said: "If America don't come around, we're gonna burn it down."...

Read the entire article.

At present, Jackson a convert to Islam is free on his own recognizance until a hearing on September 4 and living with his wife and child in a house next door to the mosque.

Weekly Radio Show: August 17

Listen to The Gathering Storm Radio Show, which WC and I cohost. The show broadcasts live every Friday for one hour at noon, Pacific Time.

The call-in number is (646) 915-9870.

Callers welcome!

Friday, August 17: We have two interviewees scheduled this week: (1) Ann Corcoran of Refugee Resettlement Watch and (2) Foe Hammer of Foehammer's Anvil.

Our first guest, Ann Corcoran, exposes to the light of day information relating to the immigration of Muslims to the United States. According to "About" at Refugee Resettlement Watch, this very quiet effort is that these non-profit groups bring to the US on average each year 25,000 15,000 (FY90-FY03) Muslim refugees from the Middle East, Africa, the Balkans, etc, almost completely funded by the US Government through grants and contracts to these non-government agencies.

Our second scheduled guest, who will be with us at the bottom of the hour, is Foehammer. His state-of-the-art blog carries the header "Truth, not Islam" and just below states the following: Welcome to the Anvil. You’re about to enter the fight in a way that most are too afraid to even discuss. This is not a site for the faint-hearted infidel, so if the idea of discovering the truth about Islam and the ‘Long War’ frightens you, turn back now. Otherwise, come on in and make use of the information here, participate, learn and educate. Frequenters of Jihad Watch often see Foe Hammer's fearless comments there.

If you are unable to listen live to the radio show, you can listen to recordings of the radio broadcasts later by CLICKING HERE.

Weekly Radio Show: August 10

Listen to The Gathering Storm Radio Show, which WC and I cohost. The show broadcasts live every Friday for one hour at noon, Pacific Time.

The call-in number is (646) 915-9870.

Callers welcome!

Friday, August 10: We have two interviewees scheduled this week: (1) Christine and (2) Vito Vaccaro.

Our first guest, Christine of The Center for Vigilant Freedom's 910 Group Blog will be with us at fifteen minutes after the hour to discuss the Khalil Gibran International Academy, aka the NYC Madrassa (See this recent development about the "Infitada NYC" t-shirts) and H.R. 2265 (See Christine's FAQ's about this bill). HERE is additional information about The Center for Vigilant Freedom.

Our second scheduled guest, who will be with us at the bottom of the hour, is Vito Vaccaro of the Loyalist Party. According to this page, the goal of the Loyalist Party is to do whatever it takes to preserve the American way of life....Key to this fight is to identify the biggest threat to our country, our culture, and our way of life. The threat is Islam, and its blatant destructive and anti-American culture. This November, Vito Vaccaro is the Loyalist Party's candidate for the 26th District seat for the NY State Assembly and, at a Ground Zero rally last spring, stated that Islam is, in and of itself, an intolerant and hateful philosophy that breeds violence.

If you are unable to listen live to the radio show, you can listen to recordings of the radio broadcasts later by CLICKING HERE.

More on H.R. 2265: FAQ's

Christine of The Center for Vigilant Freedom has written an important post, which you can read in its entirety below. H.R. 2265 is being presented as a compassionate attempt to rescue Iraqi refugees. But the bill is much more than that!

Christine's article is brilliant. Make time to read it!

From this source, in its entirety, is what Christine has posted:

Here are the Frequently Asked Questions and answers for the dangerous and defeatist Democratic Iraqi refugee bill in the House - H.R. 2265 (http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c110:h2265:) (S. 1651), with Kyle Shideler’s more detailed analysis here. It’s being sold as a way to get at-risk Iraqi employees - Iraqi translators, contractors, spouses and kids - into the U.S. as “special immigrants.” But the reality is that the bill seriously undermines provisions in US immigration law, opening immigration to those identified as terrorists or supporters of terrorist groups.

As you’ll see, this bill gives refugee status to broad sections of the Iraqi population, with additional exemptions to all other aliens, and with special favorable treatment for anyone with a terrorist background. It’s as if the Bill assumes only two policy options:

(1) Surrender Iraq to al Qaeda and Iranian forces and blame the ensuing genocide on Bush OR…
(2) Surrender Iraq to al Qaeda and Iranian forces, blame the ensuing genocide on Bush, and create a program (designed to be confusing, poorly managed and dangerous) to get out as many Iraqis as possible, with a proactive effort to include Iraqis with terrorist and anti-American histories of violence.

First, here are your coordinates to track the Bill’s progress this fall. HR2265 (http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c110:h2265:) provides “special immigrant status” for some Iraqis and assists Iraqi refugees living in other countries. It was introduced in May 2007 by Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Rep. Christopher Shays (D-CT), and currently is referred to the House Judiciary and Foreign Affairs Committees.

Who gets to be a special immigrant? The “principal alien” group of “Special immigrants” are any Iraqi and his immediate family who has worked alongside the US government, contractors, U.N or U.S.-based non-governmental organizations for at least a year. Presumably this would include all contractors, most members of the Iraqi military and police in units who have fought alongside American troops, Mayors and town councilmen for every single hamlet and village, many a tribal sheikh or construction business owner, their family and employees.

Wait - who will be left to turn out the lights? Isn’t this for people who will be killed if they stay in Iraq? The Bill gets cute here in a left-wing gallows-humor fashion. It states that a principal alien has to be someone who “has a not manifestly unfounded fear of persecution, violence, or harm to the alien or the alien’s family on account of their work.” That’s clear enough…..except then it neatly states that any Iraqi who worked for a year with the U.S., contractors, U.N. or any U.S. based NGO “shall be presumed to satisfy the requirement” of having that fear of persecution. So everyone who has had any employee relationship for a year with any of those entities qualifies.

Even if they work for the U.N.? But we thought the Democrats wanted the U.N. to replace the U.S. in Iraq. Yes, even if they work for the U.N., which makes you wonder about Democratic plans for “peacekeeping” or policing after they force out a real military presence. This Bill defines any Western presence in Iraq including the U.N. as a violent threat to any Iraqis who cooperate with them. According to this bill, Iraqis will have no security of any kind.

You’re sure al Qaeda didn’t draft this Bill - that sounds like their line? No, we think it sounds more like the extreme left-wing of the Democratic party, with a compassionate pretext. But we take your point.

If the NGO they work for has a headquarters in, say, Brussels or Dubai, are their workers safe? Absolutely. This Bill says that only workers for U.S. based NGOs are at risk (plus the U.N. of course…). Al Qaeda in Iraq must have promised the Bill’s sponsors to check the location of the main office address for your NGO before you are bombed.

How many “special immigrants” will enter the U.S.? For four years, from FY 2008 - FY 2011, 15,000 immigrants (”principal aliens”) will enter the U.S. each year, for a total of 60,000 Iraqis in this category. The bill creates more categories of immigrants from Iraq too, but they are not “primary aliens.” These 60,000 principal aliens will be in addition to existing immigration quotas.

What benefits will these “special immigrants” receive? All will be eligible for the same resettlement assistance, entitlement programs, and other benefits as refugees admitted under section 207 of the Immigration and Naturalization Act. This program has serious security and management problems and coming under fire from local communities. This Bill provides “such sums as may be necessary” to accommodate the new refugees. In the private sector we call that a blank check, but this is Congress where it is compassion. The bill also states that the Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance Fund can exceed its normal legal cap of $100 million during this refugee resettlement process.

I am a principal alien with a not manifestly unfounded fear of persecution. How will you protect me? If you apply and are in imminent danger, the Secretary of State will provide you with protection that may include temporary housing on United States military bases or at provincial reconstruction team offices, or the immediate removal from Iraq of such alien.

But wait - if the Democrats withdraw from Iraq, all 60,000 of us will be in imminent danger (plus our spouses and children, religious minorities and others). That’s 60,000+ people for Secretary Rice to protect right now. How will she do this? She will put you in base housing and in team offices. It might be a little snug.

But if the Democrats withdraw from Iraq, you will not have temporary housing, military bases or provincial reconstruction team offices. They will be in the hands of al Qaeda, the way facilities in Gaza fell into the hands of Hamas when their adversaries withdrew. So how will Secretary Rice protect us? The Bill says she will immediately remove all 60,000+ of you who are in imminent danger. Perhaps she will fly you out.

From where will she fly us out? After the Democrats surrender to al Qaeda, there will not be military bases where airplanes can land. The Bill does not specify how you will be able to leave Iraq, but we remind you that carpooling and bicycling meet Al Gore’s demands for a small carbon footprint.

I have arranged my carpool to flee Iraq under Secretary Rice’s protection after the Democrats surrender the U.S. airbases. Where do I go to apply as a principal alien? The Secretary of State will set up processing facilities in two locations in Baghdad, one location in southern Iraq, and two locations in Iraqi Kurdistan. She will do things to “minimize to the greatest extent practicable security risks” to you.

But all the Iraqi police and military will also be in line with me to flee, by the definition of this Bill, and the Democrats will have removed the U.S. Military. Who will provide security as I wait in line? Secretary Rice will protect you, “to the greatest extent practicable” which under these circumstances will be not at all. The Bill is worded to set up the U.S. Government to fail in protecting former Iraqi employees, but to show the compassion of the Bill’s drafters.

Will I need a passport and visa? The Secretaries of State and Homeland Security will work with the Iraqi government to issue passports to all 60,000+ of you in imminent danger, and will waive all fees. They will do this with careful scrutiny of each of your backgrounds as well, and in cooperation with an Iraqi government that may not exist because the Democrats will have withdrawn all U.S. military support for it.

I trust Secretary Rice and the Democratic Congress to protect me, but my big worry is that this activity will not generate a government report - can you reassure me? You are in luck. “Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall submit to Congress a report on aliens described in this section who worked directly with the United States Government, the United Nations or other international organizations, certified government or international organization contractors or subcontractors, or international nongovernmental organization as a translator for a period of at least one year.”

Wait - the report will cover “other international organizations” or “international nongovernmental organizations” - and it sounds like maybe only translators can leave? You said above that it was only U.S. based NGOs, but other kinds of contractors too. This is confusing! Yes, you are confused.

What about help for other countries housing the refugees? Actually, that’s one of the few sensible sections of the Bill, and should be submitted as separate legislation, to help Iraq, Jordan, Syria, Turkey, and Lebanon with resources to support Iraqi refugees. Sadly this Bill provides no details. However, since Syria has been actively supporting al Qaeda in Iraq, in order to create the instability that has created the refugee situation (H/T Shideler), it seems they should pay the costs of their meddling themselves.

Will you be checking my background? I might have a parking ticket or two. The Department of Homeland Security will create a plan, ninety days after the Bill is enacted, to check the backgrounds of all “principal aliens” and other categories of refugees. Right now these processes are a bottleneck in bringing in the current quota of 7,000 Iraqi refugees, but good intentions and another blank check for funding will theoretically fix everything. The Arabic speaking translators needed to do background checks, who will be first in line to leave Iraq, will somehow not be needed for all the other background checks.

I am still worried there will not be enough bureaucratic reports on this compassionate program, in order to blame the Bush administration when the program fails. Can you reassure me? Yes we can! An annual report will report on the “adequacy and effectiveness of United States and United Nations programs to protect and assist Iraqi refugees and internally displaced persons.” This will provide an opportunity for hearings blaming the Bush administration for the genocide resulting from the Democratic withdrawal of U.S. military from Iraq and the chaos resulting from the provisions of this Bill.

Who else can be a “special immigrant” under this Bill? The bill states that from 2007 to 2008, no fewer than 20,000 other refugees will be admitted.

No FEWER than 20,000? Then the Bill sets no upper limit, only a floor, for other refugees leaving Iraq in 2008 alone? You are correct.

Who is included in this unlimited category? I have many relatives and friends I would like to include in my carpool. Here is the list:

(1) Female-headed households and unaccompanied children.

(2) Religious communities of antiquity, including Chaldo-Assyrian Christians, Jews, Sabean Mandeans, Yazidis, Bahais, and others.

(3) Other religious, ethnic, social, or minority groups, including gay and lesbian Iraqis, subject to violence, intimidation, or discrimination by state or non-state actors.

(4) Iraqis with family members in the United States.

Is it possible that category 3 could include the entire Iraqi population, since Sunnis are subject to violence at the hands of Shiites, and Shiites at the hands of Sunnis? Yes, category 3 provides an unlimited number of “special immigrants” and by definition includes the entire Iraq population. The politically correct drafters of the Bill did not want to leave anyone out.

My brother-in-law Hussein engaged in youthful indiscretions with IEDs this spring, but my wife will never stop nagging me if we cannot bring him. Will Secretary Rice help? Hussein is also a lucky guy. The Bill allows the Secretaries of State, Homeland Security, and the Attorney General to determine that the definition of a terrorist does not apply to an individual or a group. Even better for Hussein, that determination will be made with “unreviewable discretion.”

And this is just for Iraqis, this amendment to the Immigration and Nationality Act that allows them unreviewable discretion to let in groups formerly known as terrorists? No, our reading of Section 7 of this Bill is that it uses the Iraqi refugee issue to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to allow this discretion for all aliens, not just Iraqis. We think the Bill’s optimistic drafters are thinking ahead to a future Democratic administration where the Secretaries of State and Homeland Security, and the Attorney General, will have a politically correct and multicultural view of who constitutes a terrorist, regardless of country of origin.

My cousin Ali also did bad things but it was not his fault - he was under duress. Will you let him in? Before this Bill, Ali would have been kept out of the U.S. by the law banning those who commit an act “that the actor knows, or reasonably should know, affords material support, including a safe house, transportation, communications, funds, transfer of funds or other material financial benefit, false documentation or identification, weapons (including chemical, biological, or radiological weapons), explosives, or training.” But this Bill now adds the language “other than an act carried out under duress” to that law, so tell Ali to say he was made to do whatever he did. The drafters of the Bill trust that all applicants will tell the truth about any duress they experienced, and that the Homeland Security background checks will find any fibbers, as long as they speak English since all Arabic translators will have been evacuated.

Ali’s son and wife approved these terrorist actions by Ali, which were done within the last five years (well, last Tuesday and a few dozen times before…). Can they still be special immigrants under this bill? You bet! Before this Bill, it would have been a problem - the old language required that a spouse or child of a terrorist either be unaware, or renounce the terrorist activity, and the terrorist activity could not have been in the last five years. The Bill changes this to exempt any spouse or child of someone who committed a terrorist act in the last five years, regardless of whether they were aware or renounced the act.

The Bill calls this change a “Technical Correction,” but the change is actually substantive. The Bill’s drafters just believe in modest understatement, and were not trying to hide anything.

My cousin Abdullah applied two years ago as a U.S. immigrant and was rejected because of his youthful indiscretions with al Qaeda. Will this new law help him? Yes indeed. The amendments will apply to: “(1) removal proceedings instituted before, on, or after the date of the enactment of this section; and (2) acts and conditions constituting a ground for inadmissibility, excludability, deportation, or removal occurring or existing before, on, or after such date.” Everybody is welcome, because the Bill’s politically correct drafters do not want to exclude anyone. We also think this applies to all alien proceedings, not just Iraqi aliens.

****************

This Bill and its Senate counterpart should die in committee.

I am all for being loyal to our friends. My own extended family fled their various homelands on two continents to survive the Germans in World War II and the Iranian revolution a generation later, years in displaced person camps and then years of drifting from country to country looking for a home. I agree that granting “special immigrant” status to a selected list of Iraqis who are at genuine risk regardless of political outcomes in Iraq is worthwhile. But the best way to make Iraq secure for all Iraqis is to fight to victory over al Qaeda in Iraq, to stop the Iranian subversion of the region, and to build up Iraqis’ own capacity to maintain order among sectarian factions. That requires staying in Iraq just as we stayed in Japan, Germany and Korea.

If left-wing legislators had met this spring with CAIR and representatives of the Muslim Brotherhood to draft a bill, using the pretext of helping a defined group of “targeted” U.S. Iraqi contractors, to create an actual program that could result (no doubt completely inadvertently) in admitting terrorists into the U.S., they might have ended up with similar provisions.

Lest we forget, it has been alleged that lobbyists for this bill are “conservatives” Grover Norquist, founder of the Islamic Free Market Institute (copies of canceled checks funding it from Saudis, Kuwait, Safa Trust and Qatar here) and David Keene, lobbyist for the Carmen Group and new friend of the ACLU. We cannot confirm this information.

Perhaps they are all honorable men. So are they all, all honorable men.

Do you recognize the words in that last paragraph? They come from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, from Marc Antony's speech in which he sarcastically referred to the conspirators who, in spite of their good intentions, brought Rome to chaos by assassinating Julius Caesar on the steps of the Senate.

Weekly Radio Show: August 3 (Updated!)

Listen to The Gathering Storm Radio Show, which WC and I cohost. The show broadcasts live every Friday for one hour at noon, Pacific Time.

The call-in number is (646) 915-9870.

Callers welcome!

UPDATE BELOW! We have added a guest for the top of the hour.

Friday, August 3: Our guest at the top of the hour will be Pamela Hall of Stop the Madrassa: Protecting Our Public Schools from Islamist Curricula. Ms. Hall recently appeared on the Glenn Beck Show, to name just one of the media on which she has appeared. Information about Stop the Madrassah:

STOP THE MADRASSA is a grass roots coalition of citizen groups and individuals concerned about the NYC Department of Education’s non-responsive posture regarding the creation of a new public school to teach Arabic history, culture and language: the Khalil Gibran International Academy (KGIA).

The school is projected to open soon - in September 2007 - but Mayor Bloomberg and the NY Department of Education have refused to answer the public’s questions. The community’s concerns have been dismissed and silenced by the school bureaucrats. City and state officials who are creating this special Arabic/Middle Eastern public school have either failed to properly conduct the necessary background and preparatory work to open such a school, or they are purposefully evading their legal obligations to inform the public of the status of their work....

Read more HERE.

Our guest at the bottom of the hour will be Gayle of the Dragon Lady's Den blog. Gayle is also blogmistress of the information site Liberal Lunacy.

If you are unable to listen live to the radio show, you can listen to recordings of the radio broadcasts later by CLICKING HERE.

IMPORTANT! H.R. 2265

(All emphases by Always On Watch)

From the Center for Vigilant Freedom, on August 3, 2007:

Grover Norquist’s Wednesday Group, Congressmen Blumenauer and Shays, and Senators Kennedy and Smith are trying to destroy the laws that protect us from terrorists entering the U.S., in the guise of rewriting refugee policy for friendly Iraqi translators. Their efforts are a significant and potentially deadly effort to undercut homeland security efforts.

Actually, there are two bills, one in the House and one in the Senate (H.R. 2265 and S. 1651):

Those bills are some of the most shocking anti-homeland security legislation yet suggested by the Islamist Lobby and their friends in Congress.

[...]

H.R. 2265...[is]...[a] bill that severely damages the rules keeping known terrorists from immigrating to the US.

And Grover Norquist, about whom I wrote some time ago, is pushing hard for this legislation.

You absolutely must read the article at the Center for Vigilant Freedom. Yes, I know that the article is lengthy. Fortify yourself with a cup of coffee or a brandy. Read it! Also read related articles at Refugee Resettlement Watch, especially THIS ONE. Contact your Representative and your Senators. Take action.

Chertoff's Hunch

For some time, we've known that Secretary of Homeland Security is operating on hunch that, this summer, we're in greater danger of an attack, although with the caveat of "without a lot of specifics."

On August 1, 2007, along came this story:

A new al Qaeda propaganda ad, headlined "Wait for the Big Surprise" and featuring a digitally altered photograph of President George Bush and Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf standing in front of a burning White House, was posted on the Internet today.

The brief clip from al Qaeda's "as Sahab" propaganda arm juxtaposes the doctored photo of Bush and Musharraf along with previously seen images of al Qaeda's top leadership -- Osama bin Laden, Ayman al Zawahri and Adam Gadahn -- as well as a photo of an SUV in a motorcade.

There is no additional information provided in the ad, and it closes with the words, "Soon -- God willing," written across the screen and repeated several times.

In addition, the amount of anti-terrorism dollars has just been increased for the D.C. area. From this August 1, 2007 story in the Washington Post:

The D.C. area will use a major anti-terrorism grant to upgrade its bomb squads and provide law enforcement with new intelligence analysts and computer systems -- including one dubbed "Google for cops," authorities said yesterday.

Those were among the details released by state and local officials, who met this week to carve up a recent $61.6 million grant from the Department of Homeland Security. The funds are a 30 percent increase over last year's award to the region...

On August 4, 2007, this story appeared in the Washington Post, on the front page, above the fold:

The Senate bowed to White House pressure last night and passed a Republican plan for overhauling the federal government's terrorist surveillance laws, approving changes that would temporarily give U.S. spy agencies expanded power to eavesdrop on foreign suspects without a court order.

The 60 to 28 vote, which was quickly denounced by civil rights and privacy advocates, came after Democrats in the House failed to win support for more modest changes that would have required closer court supervision of government surveillance. Earlier in the day, President Bush threatened to hold Congress in session into its scheduled summer recess if it did not approve the changes he wanted.

The legislation, which is expected to go before the House today [August 4], would expand the government's authority to intercept without a court order the phone calls and e-mails of people in the United States who are communicating with people overseas.

[...]

Sixteen Democrats and Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (I-Conn.) joined all 43 Republicans in supporting the measure, which is nearly identical to a proposal prepared by the Bush administration. "We're at war. The enemy wants to attack us," Lieberman said during the Senate debate....

A few weeks ago, the Washington Post carried an item from a local reader, who noted a lot of extra heliocopter activity in the airspace over his home, situated near Andrews Air Force Base. He emphasized that he had noticed such activity only twice before, each time prior to the U.S. invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq.

Locals in the D.C. area have also recently noted frequent testings of the Emergency Broadcast System.

Put together all the above. Your conclusions?

John Does Still Under Threat Of Law Suit

While this posting isn't directly related to Islamic going-ons here in Northern Virginiastan, the implications could directly affect each one of us anti-dhimmis who report suspicious actions.

Via this posting at Little Green Footballs:

I’m informed by a reliable source that the Associated Press report we linked earlier today, that said CAIR and the flying imams had dropped their suits against anonymous passengers who reported the imams’ suspicious behavior, is not correct. Apparently the Associated Press got this wrong.

Repeat: CAIR has not dropped the “John Doe” lawsuits. They are still named.

Meanwhile, CAIR is trying to intimidate Young Americans for Freedom, where Robert Spencer is scheduled to speak today. According to this posting at The Center for Vigilant Freedom:

...[A]t no point does CAIR do what a responsible organization involved in an argument of political ideas would do, which is offer to take the stage with Spencer and debate his interpretation of Islamic theology....

Instead, CAIR rattles their sabres of legal jihad and makes demands. See this copy of the letter which the CAIR lawyer sent to Young Americans for Freedom.

How about this? We DEMAND that CAIR open their financial records--the real ones.