Erica Lee

Erica Lee has moved. She is now over here.

Kuffar

Bush blows it (again)

Bush had a golden opportunity tonight.

I actually thought he might come out and announce something real. I thought he might acknowledge that the time may not yet be right for his "non-amnesty" amnesty program. I thought he might acknowledge that we need real enforcement now, while we start to work out the details of how we handle our domestic labor shortage.

And we do indeed have a labor shortage. Our economy needs those workers. Shutting off access to Mexican labor would have some seriously bad effects on our economy. Do we really want this? I don't think we do.

At the same time, can we live in border chaos forever? I don't think we can. There are a number of serious concerns with the open border. One is assimilation. A country of 300 million citizens is simply not capable of assimilating tens of millions of people over the course of a few years, particularly when they congregate in Spanish-dominant areas. Massive waves of foreign nationals flowing into our country will change our culture, particularly in the areas of heavy concentration. Are we prepared for that change? Are we satisfied that we can accept and live with that change? At present, the border area of Texas is a rock-solid constituency for Democrats and a dream come true for plaintiff's lawyers. Are we prepared to accept this across the state of Texas? If you haven't really though about it, let me strongly suggest to you that you do so sooner rather than later.

Bush could begin solving this problem tomorrow. He could start by going after the most egregious employers of illegal workers. It's even better if they're mistreating their workers. Show us you're serious about doing your job, Mr. President, and then we may start trusting you again. Then, and only then, will you have the political capital to start unraveling the Gordian Knot of immigration.

The Religion of Discipline?

Nihad Afroun, a six year old child, was violently beaten by her teacher at the Sidi Ahmed El Bekkal school, in Tétouan, Morocco:

"After having finished his prayer, the teacher gave a violent blow to my daughter so much so that she fell while knocking her face against the ground. No one told me for nearly two hours after the incident."

"I walked on his small carpet. He struck me and I fell to the ground," confirms small Nihad in a soft voice. ... "The doctor said to me that my daughter has serious fractures on the level of the nose", the mother adds, with anguish.

The teacher in question is the imam of a local mosque. I won't jump to conclusions as of yet. This man may be innocent. He may, however, be completely guilty. Either way, the manner in which this situation is handled will tell us a lot about the Moroccan practitioners of the Religion of Peace.

Sometimes, I think there is hope...

Big Pharoah reports:

I just came from a demonstration protesting the recent events in Alexandria and calling for a "one nation for all, Muslims and Christians." After the shock of what happened in Alex, I simply had to do something no matter how small it was.

The demonstration included the opposition movements Kifaya, Youth for Change, The Popular Campaign for Change, and Ayman Nour's party Al Ghad. People with no specific party or entity affiliation, like myself, were present as well.

Maybe there is hope. Only time will tell.

Eman to World : I Love You

I just wanted to let you know.

LGF : Mauthausen

If this letter fails to choke you up, you have no soul:

I saw the living skeletons, some of whom regardless of our medical corps work, will die and be in piles like that in the next few days. Malnutrition doesn’t stop the day that food is administered. Don’t get the idea that these people here were all derelicts, all just masses of people... some of them were doctors, authors, some of them American citizens. A scattered few were G.I.s. A Navy lieutenant still lives to tell the story. I saw where they lived; I saw where the sick died, three and four in a bed, no toilets, no nothing. I saw the look in their eyes. I shall never stop seeing the expression in the eyes of the anti-Franco former prisoners who have been given the job of guarding the S.S. men who were captured.

And how does the applause fit in? Mother, I walked through countless cell blocks filled with sick, dying people - 300 in a room twice the size of our living room as as we walked in - there was a ripple of applause and then an inspiring burst of applause and cheers, and men who could not stand up sat and whispered - though they tried to shout it - Vive L’Americansky... Vive L’Americansky... the applause, the cheers, those faces of men with legs the size and shape of rope, with ulcerated bodies, weeping with a kind of joy you and I will never, I hope, know. Vive L’Americansky... I got a cousin in Milwaukee... We thought you guys would come... Vive L’Americansky... Applause... gaunt, hopeless faces at last filled with hope. One younger man asked something in Polish which I could not understand but I did detect the word “Yit”... I asked an interpreter what he said - The interpreter blushed and finally said, “He wants to know if you are a Jew.” When I smiled and stuck out my mitt and said “yes”... he was unable to speak or show the feeling that was in his heart. As I walked away, I suddenly realized that this had been the first time I had shaken hands with my right hand. That, my dear, was Mauthausen.

And yet, the enlightened moral relativists filling our universities will tell you that there is no such thing as evil. They will tell you that right and wrong are merely a matter of your point of view.

SAMMENHOLD: The Danish Solidarity Blog

Hey, y'all, looks like there's a new kid on the blogck!

Say hello to SAMMENHOLD: The Danish Solidarity Blog, a blog dedicated to supporting the nation of Denmark against the folks around the word boycotting Denmark's products as a protest against the infamous Mohammed cartoons.

It is apparently run by a Norwegian pirate and an Athenian general. Interesting combo.

At any rate, I can only agree wholeheartedly with their fundamental message: BUY DANISH!!

Back in the Saddle

I've been away.

I'm back.

I just spent almost TWO HOURS drafting a blog post which was just eaten in just under TWO MILLISECONDS by the Blogger editing interface.

Blogger, you really suck.

Uncomfortable Questions, Indeed...

Michelle notes that Investor's Business Daily asks some extremely un-P.C. questions today about the world's fastest-growing cult:

Is Islam the only religion with a doctrine, theology and legal system that mandates warfare against unbelievers?

Is it true that 26 chapters of the Quran deal with jihad, a fight able-bodied believers are obligated to join (Surah 2:216), and that the text orders Muslims to "instill terror into the hearts of the unbeliever" and to "smite above their necks" (8:12)?

Is the "test" of loyalty to Allah not good acts or faith in general, but martyrdom that results from fighting unbelievers (47:4) — the only assurance of salvation in Islam (4:74; 9:111)?

Are the sins of any Muslim who becomes a martyr forgiven by the very act of being slain while slaying the unbelievers (4:96)?

And is it really true that martyrs are rewarded with virgins, among other carnal delights, in Paradise (38:51, 55:56; 55:76; 56:22)?

Are those unable to do jihad — such as women or the elderly — required to give "asylum and aid" to those who do fight unbelievers in the cause of Allah (8:74)?

Does Islam advocate expansion by force? And is the final command of jihad, as revealed to Muhammad in the Quran, to conquer the world in the name of Islam (9:29)?

C.A.I.R.? Over to you...

Iraqi Embassy: "Christian Peacemakers" are "willfully ignorant" dupes

Rare candor from diplomats:

The Iraqi embassy called [the Christian Peacemaker Teams] "willfully ignorant" and "outrageous," and accused the Chicago-based group of being on the side of anti-democratic forces in Iraq.

"The Christian Peacemaker Teams practises the kind of politics that automatically nominate them as dupes for jihadism and fascism," the embassy's statement said.

Government employees speaking the unvarnished truth? Heads will surely roll...

Is Hamas Just Another Political Party?

Rev Franklin Graham: Islam is Evil

Rev. Graham calls it like it is:

(AP) NEW ORLEANS The Rev. Franklin Graham, who outraged Muslims in 2001 when he said that Islam "is a very evil and wicked religion," told an interviewer for Wednesday's edition of ABC News "Nightline" that he hasn't changed his mind about the faith.

Asked by ABC correspondent John Donvan whether Muslim groups had succeeded in altering his outlook about Islam, Graham said "No."

"Do they want to indoctrinate me? Yes. I know about Islam. I don't need an education from Islam," he said. "If people think Islam is such a wonderful religion, just go to Saudi Arabia and make it your home. Just live there. If you think Islam is such a wonderful religion, I mean, go and live under the Taliban somewhere. I mean, you're free to do that."

Afghan Clerics : Abdul Rahman Must Die

More love and peace from the loving Religion of Peace:

KABUL, Afghanistan Mar 23, 2006 (AP)— Senior Muslim clerics demanded Thursday that an Afghan man on trial for converting from Islam to Christianity be executed, warning that if the government caves in to Western pressure and frees him, they will incite people to "pull him into pieces."

In an unusual move, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice telephoned President Hamid Karzai on Thursday seeking a "favorable resolution" of the case of Abdul Rahman. The 41-year-old former medical aid worker faces the death penalty under Afghanistan's Islamic laws for becoming a Christian.

His trial has fired passions in this conservative Muslim nation and highlighted a conflict of values between Afghanistan and its Western backers.

"Rejecting Islam is insulting God. We will not allow God to be humiliated. This man must die," said cleric Abdul Raoulf, who is considered a moderate and was jailed three times for opposing the Taliban before the hard-line regime was ousted in 2001.

Thanks to Michelle Malkin for the tip.

French Riots Turn Violent

The whiny brats of Paris continue with their hissy-fit:

PARIS (AP) — Demonstrators hurled chunks of concrete at police, who responded with tear gas Thursday as protest marches over a contested jobs law again erupted into violence.

Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin and union leaders, meanwhile, agreed to meet for the first time in the standoff.

The five main unions accepted an invitation from Villepin to meet today but said they would only restate their position and would not negotiate unless he withdraws the law. Unions plan a national strike Tuesday.

Meet Haifa Wehbe

Did I mention that Ken Livingstone is an Idiot?

Apparently, Red Ken's been butting heads with Iraqi businessmen David and Simon Reuben over a development project.

That doesn't make him an idiot.

Suggesting that the two Jewish men should "go back (to their own country) and see if they can do better under the ayatollahs" does, however, make him an idiot.

Of course, publicly likening journalist Oliver Finegold (also a Jew) to a Nazi concentration camp guard further confirms his idiocy.

Thanks to Volokh for the tip.

Hitchens: My Ideal War

"I shall go on keeping score about this until the last phony pacifist has been strangled with the entrails of the last suicide-murderer." - Christopher Hitchens

Out With the Old, In With the...Old??

Back when the Taliban was in charge of Afghanistan, they used to do really nasty, repressive things. They would, for example, execute people who converted from Islam to another religion. Luckily, those days are behind the free people of Afghanistan.

Or are they?

KABUL, Afghanistan - An Afghan man is being prosecuted in a Kabul court and could be sentenced to death on a charge of converting from Islam to Christianity, a crime under this country's Islamic laws, a judge said Sunday.

The trial is believed to be the first of its kind in Afghanistan and highlights a struggle between religious conservatives and reformists over what shape Islam should take here four years after the ouster of the Islamic fundamentalist Taliban regime.

The David Project: Sued But Not Silenced

The Islamic Society of Boston has sued a long list of people who have exposed their support for religiouos intolerance in Boston, including Jewish groups and at least one Muslim scholar. Their strategy seems to be to sue anyone who criticizes them with the idea of bullying the critics into silence.

Dr. Abou-Allaban, who brought [Qaradawi's] message to Boston, now sues The David Project for “defamation.”

We Jews have a special love, even a weakness, for peace and dialogue. Fortunately, there are wonderful people of the Muslim faith who truly despise hatred. We know them. They are our true brothers and sisters and we are their friends. One, Ahmed Mansour, works with Citizens for Peace and Tolerance, another group sued by Dr. Abou-Allaban. Until the ISB leadership truly reflects their values, we will keep Dr. Abou-Allaban’s letter in a special place so that when, G-d willing, our hopes and dreams come true, its wonderful words of peace can be recited with plain honesty and a clean heart.

We appreciate your support.

Thanks to Atlas Shrugs for the heads up.

The Dread Pundit: Passing the Buck at the TSA

Bluto links to this MSNBC report on the effectiveness of our nation's Transportation Safety Authority:

WASHINGTON - Imagine an explosion strong enough to blow a car's trunk apart, caused by a bomb inside a passenger plane. Government sources tell NBC News that federal investigators recently were able to carry materials needed to make a similar homemade bomb through security screening at 21 airports.

In all 21 airports tested, no machine, no swab, no screener anywhere stopped the bomb materials from getting through. Even when investigators deliberately triggered extra screening of bags, no one discovered the materials.

If this is true, this is yet another example of our President being asleep at the wheel in an important area. I just don't understand how these things happen. After all, W did a pretty decent job running a baseball team. Why can't he run the U.S. Government? I just don't get it.

Mexico Finds Huge New Oil Reserve

Mexican President Vicente Fox has announced the discovery of a new deep-water oil field, which is believed to contain 10bn barrels of crude.

The field is in the Gulf of Mexico, and Mexico says it could be bigger than its largest oil field, Cantarell.

This is good news, but the downside is, it'll likely bring the price of oil down, which will in turn reduce the cost-effectiveness of alternative energy sources (wind, solar, bio, etc.).

More on Muslim Porn

A Google Image search for "muslim porn" will bring up this image as one of the top hits. I kid you not.

School District Bans Patriotic Colors

You hear about this sort of politically-correct crap all the effing time. In this case, this young lady and her parents decided to take a stand:

ALBANY -- A 13-year-old Mont Pleasant Middle School student who sued Schenectady school officials for the right to wear a red, white and blue necklace can move her case forward.

U.S. District Judge Lawrence Kahn ruled Tuesday that constitutional issues in the case should be further explored and addressed later, perhaps at trial.

The student, Raven Furbert, filed the civil rights violation claim in U.S. District Court in February 2005, after school officials banned her from wearing a necklace she made to honor soldiers serving overseas, such as her uncle and three other relatives.

Amen to that!

Thanks to Michelle Malkin for the heads up.

Taslima Nasrin on the Conflict of Ideas

"Humankind is facing an uncertain future. The probability of new kinds of rivalry and conflict looms large. In particular, the conflict is between two different ideas, secularism and fundamentalism. I don't agree with those who think the conflict is between two religions, namely Christianity and Islam, or Judaism and Islam. After all there are fundamentalists in every religious community. I don't agree with those people who think that the crusades of the Middle Ages are going to be repeated soon. Nor do I think that this is a conflict between the East and the West. To me, this conflict is basically between modern, rational, logical thinking and irrational, blind faith. To me, this is a conflict between modernity and anti-modernism. While some strive to go forward, others strive to go backward. It is a conflict between the future and the past, between innovation and tradition, between those who value freedom and those who do not."

Wafa Sultan is on FIRE

Wafa Sultan: Can you explain to me the killing of a hundred thousand children, women and men in Algeria, using the most abominable killing methods? Can you explain to me the killing of 15,000 Syrian civilians? Can you explain to me the abominable crime in the military artillery school in Aleppo? Can you explain the crime in Al-Asbaqiya neighborhood of Damascus, Syria? Can you explain the attack of the terrorists on the peaceful village of Al-Kisheh in Upper Egypt, and the massacre of 21 Coptic peasants? Can you explain to me what is going on in Indonesia, Turkey, and Egypt, even though these are Islamic countries which opposed the American intervention in Iraq, and which don't have armies in Iraq, yet were not spared by the terrorists? Can you explain these phenomena, which took place in Arab countries? Was all this revenge on America or Israel? Or were they merely to satisfy bestial wild instincts aroused in them by religious teachings, which incite to rejection of the other, to the killing of the other, and to the denial of the other. When Saddam Hussein buried 300,000 Shiites and Kurds alive, we did not hear a single Muslim protesting. Your silence served to acknowledge the legitimacy of these killings, didn't it?...

What do you want from me? To speak evil of the American society? I've never said that America is the eternal city of Plato, but I did say it was the eternal city of Wafa Sultan. The idealism of American society was enough to allow me to realize my humanity. I came to this country with fear.

Arabs for Israel

To Muslims and Arabs across the globe:

Reject hate, embrace love. Bring out the best in Islam by showing your compassion, gratitude and forgiveness. Make the holy land truly holy by giving Israel and the Jewish people the respect they deserve in their tiny little country. This is not a crisis over land. It is a crisis of the soul; a crisis in our faith, judgement and self confidence. Israel should not be regarded as an enemy, but as a blessing to our neighborhood. We need not fear peace, but embrace it.

The Pirate Armada Sets Sail...

Ye olde Dread Pundit Bluto has the full scuttlebutt.