Right Truth

Christians Under Attack by _____

Senior bishops have warned that the freedom of Christians to express their beliefs is being eroded following the introduction of equality laws.

In a letter to The Sunday Telegraph, prominent clerics, including Lord Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, argue that supporters of homosexual rights must not be allowed to "coerce silence".

Their comments centre on a landmark legal challenge by a churchgoing couple who were banned by a council from becoming foster parents because they believed homosexuality was unacceptable.

The bishops claim that the case, which is expected to begin at the High Court this week, will determine whether Christians can continue to be express their beliefs in this country.

They fear that the ruling has the potential to exclude people of faith from adopting or fostering children and enshrine the discrimination of those with traditional Biblical views.

It is the latest case to test how recently-introduced gay equality laws impinge on the rights of Christians to act according to their conscience.  (continue at The Telegraph, hat tip R.J. Godlewski)

While the above article is concerned with the political correctness forced on citizens by the gay community, the same could be said for the PC situation with Islam both in the UK and in the United States and many other Western countries.  The same useful idiots in both countries cater to Islam and to the gay society.

Iran and Al-Qaeda Source of Growing Terror in Yemen

Via Realite' EU

Yesterday,  security officials in Britain and Dubai intercepted two parcel bombs coming from Yemen on their way to the United States. The parcels were bound for "two places of Jewish worship in Chicago," US President Barack Obama said.[1] President Obama called the coordinated attacks a "credible terrorist threat".[2] Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is suspected of being behind the attempts. The group, which includes Yemenis and Saudis and is affiliated with Al-Qaeda, killed about 3000 people in the attacks on the US on September 11.[3]

Earlier, Réalité EU put out a backgrounder on terror in Yemen. This has not been updated with the breaking news but we thought you would find this helpful background in covering the news:

New evidence indicates that both Iran and al-Qaeda are exploiting Yemen as a base for increasing terror against the west and Saudi Arabia.

(continue reading and see references below the fold)

Iraqi Refugees Don't Want To Go Home, and What About The Oil?

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) -- your tax dollars at work -- conducted an survey of Iraqi refugees and approximately one-half of the ones living in Syria are reluctant to permanently return to their home, citing political uncertainty,  unstable security conditions, poor educational opportunities and housing shortages. The numbers are about the same for Iraq refugees in Jordan.  I have no information of those brought to the United States, but I bet they want to stay here.

Syria is home to the largest number of Iraqi refugees in the region, with the UNHCR office in the country having registered more than 290,000 Iraqis since the start of the war in their country.

According to Government figures, there are more than 1 million Iraqi refugees in Syria, with some 130,000 regularly receiving help from UNHCR and the UN World Food Programme (WFP).

Some of the refugees have officially been resettled and others have departed to third countries by other means. Some have returned to Iraq, in a few cases with limited UNHCR assistance. (more)

From the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services website, concerning Iraqi refugees brought to the U.S.:

As a result of this collaboration, the USRAP admitted more than 13,800 Iraqi refugees in fiscal year 2008.  Not only did this admission level exceed the U.S. government's goals to resettle 12,000 Iraqis, but it reflects a significant increase over the approximately 1,600 Iraqis admitted the prior fiscal year.

Since the inception of the program in 2007, 58,243 Iraqi nationals have been referred for resettlement to the USRAP. USCIS has interviewed 35,764 Iraqi refugee applicants; approved 27,119 for resettlement and 19,910 Iraqi refugees have arrived in the U.S. as of Feb. 4, 2009.

And what about that Iraqi oil that the George W. Bush haters said was the reason we went to war?    Seems that China is the big winner. China has three of eleven offered contracts, have finished drilling five wells and partially completed three others. Russians, the Malaysians and Angolans were given contracts with American participation in a couple of relatively minor deals.   

Iraq says it expects to raise oil production to 4 million barrels per day in 2013, up  from 2.35 million now, in its drive to rival Saudi Arabia as the world's top producer.

But that will depend greatly on the government's ability to protect the oil industry which will become more vulnerable as international oil giants move in to upgrade the long-neglected infrastructure and open new fields. [snip]

U.S., British and Australian forces have made a major effort to build up a special 7,000-strong Iraqi force dedicated to protecting an industry that provides 96 percent of the country's revenues and which will bankroll a major reconstruction program as it drives to boost production to as much as 12 million bpd in the next six years.  [snip]

Tribal militias hired by Baghdad to protect the pipelines have frequently bombed the pipelines themselves to force the government to pay them more.

Just guarding the highly vulnerable pipelines is a major task for the special oil protection force established by the Americans. The network stretches 5,400 miles, including 3,380 miles for oil and 1,086 miles for natural gas.  (more)

From December 2009:

...About half of Iraq’s oil is located in the south and southeast of Iraq, in the Shiite areas such as Rumalia, Majnoon,and Halfaya, and the other half is in Kurdistan in the north. The southern fields, because they are in Shiite territory, have never been the prize for Americans; it is the Kurdish fields that American oil companies and the government have coveted. The contracts were let on almost exclusively Shiite fields in the south and southeast where the American claim is weakest, as is likely American influence after we leave. The down side is that this is the oil easiest to access and get to market, whereas Kurdish oil is more remote and has less infrastructure supporting it. Kurdistan, however, is the part of Iraq where American interest and prestige is highest .  [snip]

... One scenario to watch involves the letting of Kurdish oil fields somewhere down the road.

Meanwhile, as Americans continue to be on the frontline of protecting everything in Iraq, including it's oil and gas, the political situation is still not secure.

Al-Maliki appears close to nailing down enough allies to begin forming a government.  [snip] 

At the moment, his most likely partners are the Kurds, who control an enclave in the north. The Kurds are taking their time, however, and it's unclear when they will make their political intentions known.

They want firm guarantees in exchange for their support, including a referendum to decide control of the oil-rich region around Kirkuk. The area lies just outside the Kurds' semiautonomous zone, but they are part of a three-way contest for influence along with ethnic Turks and central authorities in Baghdad.  (more)

We have more to worry about than what the Kurds think, everyone in the region wants a say in who leads Iraq and what the government will do and how it will relate to it's neighbors, including Iran, Turkey, Qatar and Kuwait.   The U.S. is worried that al-Maliki's partnership with the hard-line Shiite faction led by anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr would open the door for direct Iranian influence in Iraqi affairs and derail pro-Western security and commercial policies.  No kidding. 

Sadr has been a thorn in America's side throughout this war.  The fact that the U.S. was able to shuffle him off to Iran and get him out of the daily battles in Iraq is yet to be determined a good thing or simply delaying the inevitable.

 

 

 

 

Where did Time Square bomber get his money?

We know that Faisal Shahzad is the Time Square bomber;   that he is 30 years old;  that he is married to Huma Mian and at least one child;  that he lived in Shelton, Connecticut;  that he and his wife spoke limited English and kept mostly to themselves;    that he came to the United States of America from Karachi Pakistan in the 1990's as a student;  that he became a naturalized US citizen on April 17, 2009,  in Hartford, Connecticut and passed all the criminal and national security background checks required for citizenship.  

Where did he work?  Where did he get his money?

  ....  defaulted on a $200,000 mortgage on his Connecticut home and that the property is in foreclosure.

Records obtained by The Associated Press show that Chase Home Finance LLC sued Shahzad in September to foreclose on the home in Shelton.

The foreclosure records show Shahzad took out the mortgage on the property in 2004, and he co-owned the home with a woman named Huma Mian. The foreclosure case is pending in Milford Superior Court. (WCBSTV)

Shahzad took out the mortgage in 2004, he did not become a citizen until 2009.  I'm wondering what kind of job he had that would allow him to be approved for a $200,000 mortgage.  I also wonder who Huma Mian is, is that her real name, where is she from, is she a citizen, did she have a job, what allowed her to be approved for co-ownership of this home?  Is this yet another disaster provided to American citizens by politicians wanting to give people mortgages even though they could not afford them?  Should Barney Frank and Chris Dodd carry some blame?

We know that after becoming a naturalized citizen in April 2009, in May 2009 Faisal Shahzad returned to Pakistan renting a house in a middle-class neighborhood of Karachi.  A month later his wife and at least one child joined him.  They lived there for five months.  Media reports say he was staying in Peshawar.  He returned to the US on February 3, 2010 and purchased the Nissan Pathfinder from Craigslist for $1,300 cash, all one hundred dollar bills, three weeks ago.

A Pakistan government official said that "He was here at a training camp," during those five months in Pakistan and that members of Shahzad's family were arrested in Karachi on Tuesday morning. 

Where did he work?  Where did he get his money?

A neighbor in Shelton, Connecticut said:

Ms Thurman said Mr Shahzad got up early every morning to go to work and had told her that he worked on Wall Street.

"I think he caught the train to New York," she said.

Ms Thurman described the suspect as "a little bit strange".

"He didn't like to come out during the day," she said.

Another neighbor said, she thought he had worked in nearby Norwalk.  

We know Faisal Shahzad was arrested at JFK Airport late Monday night aboard Emirates Flight 202 bound for Dubai with his final destination Pakistan.  Interestingly, it was Army Intelligence planes that led to Shahzad's arrest.  Spies in the skies as Drudge calls them.

 ...  Shahzad rushed out of his Bridgeport, Conn. Home and headed for the airport. He made the reservations on the way, paying cash for his ticket.

CBS 2 obtained air traffic control recording intended to stop the pilots from taking off. The controller alerts pilots to "immediately" return to the gate.

In the end, it was secret Army intelligence planes that did him in. Armed with his cell phone number, they circled the skies over the New York area, intercepting a call to Emirates Airlines reservations, before scrambling to catch him at John F. Kennedy International Airport. (CBS2)

WSJ reports three were removed from that flight along with Shahzad.  Shahzad claims he is guilty but that he worked alone.  Latest reports say at least two of these passengers are believed to be involved with Shahzad.

Sources told CBS2 that Faisal Shahzad should have been on the United States terror watch list, and that because he wasn't, he was able to board the plane. 

He was found to have been living with a roommate in Bridgeport, a mixed-race working-class neighborhood of multi-family homes,  about 20 miles from Shelton, Connecticut.

We know that materials related to the homemade car bomb were found in Shahzad's apartment, including the boxes that contained the alarm clocks and his car which he left at the airport contained a 9mm handgun with extra clips of ammunition. Also found in the apartment and surrounding areas were bags of fertilizer, firecrackers, and other related materials.

Again, where did he get his money?  We can surmise from all the reporting that no one knows where he got his money, he apparently didn't have a regular job anywhere, yet he had cash to purchase the SUV and related bomb making materials. 

We know that he had money to buy plane tickets for himself and his family.  We know that he had money for food, rent, and at least one other vehicle, a car that was left at the airport.  We know that he could not, or would not, make payments on his mortgage.

He was getting money somewhere and I'm betting it was from his family and terror connections in Pakistan.  In this case it seems that family and terror connections may be one in the same.  Only time and investigation will uncover the truth.

While we wait for more information, we have learned that he made one big mistake:

The would-be bomber packed the car with more than 100 pounds of fertilizer, but not the kind that would explode, police said.

Had the bomber chosen the right kind of fertilizer, the bomb would have had the force of more than 100 pounds of TNT. But instead of ammonium nitrate, the kind of fertilizer used by Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh, the bomber used a harmless fertilizer, New York City Police Department spokesman Paul Browne said.  (ABC)

U.S. Attorney Eric Holder said authorities are hunting for other suspects,  ....  sources told the Daily News at least three other people were involved in buying the bomb materials found in the Pathfinder.

FOX News is reporting that authorities in Karachi, Pakistan have arrested eight people in connection with the attempted bombing in Times Square on Saturday.  Pakistan expects to arrest several others.  Several arrested in Pakistan are believed to be relatives of Shahzad.   There were meetings between these Pakistan citizens who have been arrested in Pakistan and Shahzad.

We know that investigators are looking for any links to a Connecticut-based Web site that supports the Pakistan Taliban.

A military commission is apparently out of the question.  Shahzad won't be needing money, tax dollars will be paying for his attorney unless a private attorney volunteers his services.

A military commission is not an option for trying alleged Times Square car bomber Faisal Shahzad unless the naturalized U.S. citizen can be linked to Al Qaeda.

The current Military Commissions Act as passed by Congress does not allow a U.S. citizen to be prosecuted by a military tribunal, though some lawmakers say they would like to have Shahzad and other alleged terrorists put before military commissions -- and not tried in federal civilian court.  

Shahzad claims to have no connections to terror groups in his home country of Pakistan, but we now believe that not to be true.  The arrests in Pakistan,  Shahzad's meetings with them in that region which has connections to Lashkar e-Taiba, Al Qaeda and Jaish e Mohammed, a group that supports the separatist movement in Kashmir, seem to point to terror connections of some kind.

After the press conference:  It seems that Shahzad has not been read his Miranda rights and is being questioned by the Feds under the Public Safety Exception and that he is providing valuable information, according to Fox.  Even later Fox said that he had indeed been read his Miranda rights, but was continuing to talk anyway. 

Also revealed that he was indeed put on the no fly watch list, but it was too late, he was already on the plane.

His citizenship papers are being investigated to see if he lied on any of the questions or documents.  If in fact he did lie or mislead, the question become "can his citizenship be revoked" and if so can/will he be tried differently?

From Michelle Malkin, here’s the DOJ statement.

PS:  It is important to note that the terrorist was NOT a white man, in his 40's, nor a member of the TEA party, as so many tried to make us believe and as so many wished it would be.  The terrorist was in fact a Muslim, from Pakistan, who tried to build and explode a car bomb similar to those in Glasgow Scotland and London England.  So in President Barack Hussein Obama's words, "let us be clear ...".

UPDATE:  See my latest which answers the money question here:

Related:

MSNBC's Contessa Brewer Bummed Times Sq. Bomber Was A Muslim Radical

The Left's New Times Square Meme: Dumb and Dumber

Dumb Luck Highlights Failure of the Obama Administration

Don't Fault Miranda, Fault His Citizenship

Obama Opens Mouth, Inserts Teabag

 

US not allowed to open fire on Iranian plane

US Gulf and Arabian fleets are under orders to take no action - certainly not to open fire - against Iranian naval or air units, without first obtaining permission directly from Washington, according to DEBKAfile:

The US Fifth Fleet and US aircraft carrier USS Eisenhower in the Gulf of Oman were not allowed to shoot at an Iranian Fokker F27 aircraft which on April 21 hovered for 20 minutes 900 meters over the carrier and no more than 250 meters away, even though they saw its flight crew gathering intelligence on the Eisenhower and its warship escorts.

DEBKA-Net-Weekly's military sources report that the US Persian Gulf command went public on the incident on April 28, a whole week later, only after Gulf military circles, amazed at the American naval and air units' passivity in the face of hostile surveillance, threatened to break the story to local media.

This striking restraint indicates that the US Gulf and Arabian fleets are under orders to take no action - certainly not to open fire - against Iranian naval or air units, with first obtaining permission directly from Washington. 

Military, naval and aviation sources told DEBKA-Net-Weekly that the Iranian spy plane was 10 second away from flying directly over the Eisenhower and could easily have been shot down.

To try and explain this incident away, US naval sources Wednesday, April 28, claimed the Iranian plane was unarmed and its encounter with the US carrier was not of a threatening nature, although irregular.

Admiral Gary Roughead, Chief of Naval Operations, tried to play down the importance of the incident by saying: "The Iranians (pilots) were not provocative or threatening. As long as they are professional and not threatening or reckless, it's international space."

But officials of the Gulf emirate navies think otherwise. They say it was the first time that an Iranian spy plane ventured so close to an American aircraft carrier and the USTehran to go for bolder and more provocative actions non-response will encourage .
Of late, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states, especially Oman and the United Arab Emirates, have become extra-sensitive of late to the raised US response threshold to threatening moves by Iran, after witnessing the sinking of a South Korean warship and the handling of the case by Washington.

The South Korean Cheonan, a 1,200-ton corvette, was sunk on March 26, apparently by a naval mine that was planted by the North Korean navy in the Baengnyeong Island area, whose sovereignty is in dispute between Seoul and Pyongyang. Right after the incident, in which 46 South Korean sailors were lost, the Obama administration hastened to issue a statement denying evidence of North Korean involvement - even though South Korean intelligence demonstrated that a North Korean mine, or midget submarine of a type of in the possession of the Iranian Navy, was responsible for sinking the corvette.
Undersecretary of State James Steinberg, who deals with Iranian affairs, said on March 29 that he had heard nothing to implicate any other country in the tragedy.

This was taken in Gulf capitals to show the Obama administration was ready to lean backwards to avoid military action against North Korea - even on the part of the injured party, South Korea. They see a close correlation between the provocative tactics employed by Pyongyang and Tehran, whose nuclear and missile programs are likewise coordinated. These Gulf sources, talking to debkafile, wondered out loud if the United States would also turn a blind eye to an Iranian attack that cause the sinking of a Saudi, UAE or Israeli ship sailing in the Gulf.

And another parallel is worth noting: Just as the two Koreas are at odds over the Baengnyeong Islands, so too the UAE claims the owners of three islands near the Straits of Hormuz – Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb and Abu Musa - accusing Tehran of seizing them by force for the use of Revolutionary Guard naval bases.

DEBKA-Net-Weekly's military sources say that the Iranian spy plane that flew over the USS Eisenhower on April 21 apparently took off from an Iranian military airfield on the island of Abu Musa.

Far from giving up their claim to the three islands, on April 20, UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahayan said there is no difference between the Israeli occupation of the Golan Heights, South Lebanon, the West Bank and Gaza, and Iranian occupation of these islands.  (DEBKAfile, hat tip David)

USS Eisenhower carrier

Time to Fundamentally Change Iran.

Time to Fundamentally Change Iran.

By R.J. Godlewski

© February 10, 2010, All Rights Reserved

“They have been petted and, if that policy is continued, they will furnish warriors for the next twenty years.” Gen. Nelson A. “Bear Coat” Miles

    Thirty-one years ago, the Islamic revolution in Iran set my future on a path from which I have yet to divert. The subsequent capture of our sovereign territory in Tehran infuriated me to no end. While my high school classmates had dreams of cheerleaders, I had dreams of rescuing my fellow citizens. As an impromptu class project, I thought about commando raids, helo insertions, and, most of all, absolute revenge.  When I heard about the failure at Desert One as I was getting ready for school one morning, my heart sunk deeply into my chest. Not only had Islamic thugs captured our people, government bureaucracy, mismanaged military resources, and sheer bad luck collaborated to sabotage the one chance that we had to restore American pride.

    I went on to serve within the U.S. Navy following graduation, but being an electrician’s mate did little to quench my thirst for revenge against the world’s tyrannies. When I left the service, I decided to devote my life to ridding the world of these horrible thugs. While the events in Tehran had torn my soul, the subsequent bombing of the Marine Barracks in Beirut while I was, myself, deployed overseas shattered any concept of diplomacy on my part. Revenge now became an obsession. In the real world of black and white, good versus evil, it would be either them or me. Grayness was never a virtue of mine.

    True, my personal study of terrorism did not begin with the Islamic version. I still remember following the Patty Hearst affair when I was eleven. Even then, I thought about capturing the world’s villains and bringing them to justice. Today, my thoughts of justice swirl around the concept of a bullet and shark bait. Patty Hearst was misguided; today’s Islamic terrorists are simply evil. Biblically evil, in fact. And there is no greater threat to worldwide peace and security than the morons who currently run Iran.

    You will notice that I said nothing about the actual people living within the country formerly known as Persia. They are not our enemies and were, in fact, the only Muslim people who stood silently with America as the Twin Towers came tumbling down. The rest of the Islamic world cheered audibly – and they shall receive their punishment when all is said and done. Historically, the Iranian people were the allies of both the United States and the State of Israel. It is when their Islamic overlords confiscated their freedoms did they become incapable of reaching out to our own citizens.

    Most Iranians today, no doubt, possess the same ‘buyer’s remorse’ that Americans discovered within a year of electing the Obama Administration. They, too, wanted anyone but the Shah but failed to understand that what might come next would make the past look pretty good in comparison. The rule of the despicable Ayatollah Khomeini killed more innocents and confiscated more liberties than even the Shah had dreamed about.  Now, these Islamic thugs hiding in Tehran are on the verge of going nuclear. Well, so am I.

    Having worked for an Iranian, I can understand the precise nature of the people subjected to the whims of the empyemic mullahs ruining their future. Iranians are a proud people and they deserve much more than either Ahmadinejad or any other Islamic mouthpiece. The Iranian people yearn to be free and freedom is what we must help them achieve at all costs.

    I have never been one to mince words. I would like nothing better than to see Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sliced, diced, and serving a pigsty.  Unfortunately, this is precisely what he wants. He wants our world to end so that he and other “Twelvers” could cleanse the planet. What Ahmadinejad does not want, however, is a secular transition of power back to the Iranian people.

    We in the West need to become more vocal in our support of the Iranian people. We need to patronize those global businesses that aid them and boycott those businesses that suck up to the mullahs or merely remain silent on the issue. We need to support the Israelis in doing everything humanly possible to destroy Tehran’s nuclear ambitions once and for all. Lastly, we need to embark upon a massive psychological campaign that will keep those leaders in Tehran off balance and incapable of implementing any hostile policies – including their support of Hezbollah and the insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan.

    I would like nothing better than to establish an Apollo-style program to defeat runaway Islam at every opportunity and to push back the religion into the realm of segregated ideology. Sadly, I do not see this happening anytime soon, not while Western governments are run by a bunch of PC pansies. It is time for private enterprise – people and businesses – to strike a blow for the Iranian people. We need to keep the torch of freedom alive on their behalf. We must volunteer every service and loan every technology available to spread their thoughts and share our hopes.

   To defeat Islamic Iran, we must contain, control, and conquer their leadership. This means containing them through economic and political isolation; controlling them through media-based psychological warfare and political competition; and conquering them by empowering the Iranian people with the inalienable rights granted by God to every human soul. Only then can the world breathe a collective sigh of relief – and I will know that my life’s mission is just about complete.

    My God shine down upon the great citizens of Iran – their leadership’s ass is mine… ;o)

*****

R.J. Godlewski is an independent counterterrorism consultant, the director of the private International Nuclear Emergency Response Team [INERT], and the author of several novels, commentaries, and professional articles. He is also the author and architect of the Web-based Independent Counterterrorist training program. He is currently working on his B.A. in Intelligence Studies at American Military University where his concentration includes Middle East terrorism and improvised explosive devices. He is a member of the National Military Intelligence Association, the Golden Key International Honour Society, and is a veteran of both the United States Navy and Navy Reserve. He can be reached at rjgodlewsk(at)rjgodlewski.com.

Here Come the Orphans

As food and medical supplies continue to arrive in Haiti after the 7.0 earthquake ravaged the country, we are told that fears of a mass migration have yet to materialize.  But authorities are, without a doubt, considering the possibility and have plans should there be an exodus via boat from Haiti.   More important though is the safety of the small children and many orphans in Haiti.  Here comes the rush...

Aid groups fear as many as one million children have been left without one or both parents.  One million.  That is in addition to the 380,000 children who already lost one or both parents before the quake, according to Unicef.   (Daily Mail)  

It is now estimated that 200,000 or more may be dead.   In Haiti, approximately 50 percent of the population is under the age of 18, and 38 percent is under 14 years.  Caryl Stern, president of the US fund for UNICEF, said, “It’s a reasonable expectation that about 50 percent of those affected, if not more, are children.”   (France24)

The term orphan doesn't necessarily mean the child has no parents.  It can mean a child whose father has died and the mother had no means of caring for herself and her child/children.   This presents even more problems.

In a statement quoted by The Times, JCICS said: 'Bringing children into the US, either by airlift or new adoption during a time of national emergency, can open the door for fraud, abuse and trafficking.

'Every effort must be made in a timely fashion to locate living parents and extended family members. Many children who might appear to be orphaned may in fact only be temporarily separated from their family.'

 

Yes the evil Americans who are occupying Haiti with armed soldiers on the ground (keeping the peace; distributing food, water, medical supplies;  providing large earth-moving equipment, rescue and medical personnel), the evil Americans are providing transportation from Haiti to the U.S. for orphans.

The Catholic Church in Miami is working on a proposal that would allow thousands of orphan children to come to the United States permanently.  Other groups and individuals are also involved in bringing Haitian children and orphans to the U.S. 

Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell went to Haiti and brought back 54 children.  They arrived in the U.S. today, via U.S. Air Force flight, as part of a rescue mission coordinated by the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.  The children were accompanied by Ben Avon native Ali McMutrie, who is one of their caretakers at the BRESMA orphanage in Port Au Prince.    Many orphans in the House of God's Children center have already been legally adopted by Americans and are awaiting final paperwork and an airplane.   

  The Department of Homeland Security and the State Department announced a new humanitarian parole policy which allows Haitian children to enter the US temporarily to receive care -- but we are told they will not be allowed in en masse, but will be judged on a case by case basis.  (Fox)   We will see.

An EC-130J Commando Solo, a large transport aircraft radio broadcast warns Haitians against attempting escape by boat:

A U.S. Air Force plane serving as an airborne radio station is broadcasting messages to Haitians urging them not to attempt ocean voyages to the United States, saying they will be intercepted and turned back home if they do.

The plane is broadcasting recorded messages from Raymond Joseph, Haiti's ambassador to the United States, and announcements of where earthquake victims can go for food and aid. (CNN)

Ironically, as Chuck Norris points out, Obama has no problem saving lives in Haiti while ending lives in America.

While White House press secretary Robert Gibbs was announcing Friday all that the present administration was doing to save lives in Haiti, he reported that President Barack Obama was meeting with both the House and Senate Democrats to resolve how they could provide federal funds via Obamacare to terminate more American lives in the womb. 

Also ironically, not even hundreds of thousands of rotting corpses can keep boatloads of vacationers from Haiti.   "Ship of Ghouls", New York Post:

Royal Caribbean International is still cruising to private Labadee Beech, a mere 60 miles south of the earthquake's epicenter -- where mountains of decaying bodies foul the air and traumatized residents scrounge for food.

Guests on the 3,100-passenger Navigator of the Seas yesterday lounged in hammocks, sipped rum and tooled around on Jet Skis an hour's car ride from devastated Port-au-Prince.

Changing policy:

Between 250 and 400 immigration detainees are being moved from South Florida's main detention center to clear space for any Haitians who manage to reach U.S. shores, according to the Homeland Security Department. The Navy base at Guantanamo Bay could house migrants temporarily — far from suspected terrorists also being held there — and the Catholic church is working on a plan to accept Haitian orphans.

The mass migration plan, known as "Operation Vigilant Sentry," was put in place in 2003 because of previous experiences with Caribbean migrations, said Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Chris O'Neil, spokesman for the Homeland Security Task Force Southeast that would manage any Haitian influx.

"There is no new incentive for anyone to try to enter the United States illegally by sea," O'Neil said. "The goal is to interdict them at sea and repatriate them."  [snip]

"Because, I'll be honest with you: If you think you will reach the U.S. and all the doors will be wide open to you, that's not at all the case," Joseph said, according to a transcript on America.gov, a State Department site. "And they will intercept you right on the water and send you back home where you came from."  [snip]

 The Obama administration's decision last week to grant temporary protected status to Haitians in the U.S. illegally as of Jan. 12 does not extend to those attempting to enter the U.S. after that date. (LATimes)

The outcry will be loud, pointing to the destruction in Haiti and stressing the humanitarian thing to do is to allow them into the U.S.  

From the Columbus Ohio Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration yesterday:

Mayor Michael B. Coleman talked of how both the United States and Haiti were founded in slavery and struggled with freedom, and how Africans came to both countries the same way.

"We are one slave ship away from being in Haiti today," he said.  (more, hat tip Cristy Li)

  

There is a  charter plane heading to Haiti to pick up 109 children being adopted by Dutch families, as an adoption expert warned against hastily plucking children out of the quake-shattered nation.  The French and Canadians are also opening their doors to some orphans.

There is no question that the challenges in Haiti are overwhelming, but people are good and they are giving:  

US fund for Unicef has collected 14 million dollars this week and has set a target of 127 million dollars for Haitian relief.    (France24)

Canada has committed up to $135 million to the relief efforts and is ready to deploy more police to help stabilize the increasingly volatile situation if needed.  (AP)

The United States promised $100 million additional funds for Haiti relief.

Individual groups and associations are donating. The American Society of Radiologic Technologists has made a $10,000 donation to the American Red Cross International Response Fund for earthquake relief efforts in Haiti, as just one example.  

Here is an excellent spreadsheet of funds donated to Haiti from both organizations and countries.   (via Israel Matzav, thanks to Soccer Dad.)    I cannot find a central listing of countries taking orphans from Haiti.    But as we have seen with earthquakes, tsunami, hurricanes, and other natural disasters around the world -- Americans and Western nations are ready to step up and do everything possible to care for those affected, including taking in untold numbers of children. 

Saudi Arabia, one of the wealthiest countries in the world, has given nothing, not one thin dime.  Yes Haiti is a mostly Christian country, rather than Muslim but other Middle Eastern countries are giving.  

The United Arab Emirates, for example, has launched an air bridge for getting relief supplies to Haiti. Qatar has dispatched 50 metric tons of aid to Haiti, and Kuwait has made an initial pledge of $1 million, as has Morocco. 

Earthquake-prone Turkey and Iran also are helping. Ankara has dispatched a mobile hospital to Haiti and  Tehran has donated 30 metric tons of aid.

Even some poorer Middle East countries are helping out. Jordan has sent a planeload of supplies while Lebanon has committed to taking part in relief efforts. Israel has dispatched medical rescue teams to Haiti.

Saudi King Abdullah  of Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, has sent a message of condolence to Haitian President René Préval.  -- Los Angeles Times  

Red and Yellow, Black and White,

they are precious in His sight...

Jesus loves the little children of the world.

Iranian Missile Watch and Israel

Israel is America's friend, but you wouldn't know that by listening to US President Barack Hussein Obama or his crowd.  Empty words, with no foundation or even a hint of truth, were issued to the media after Obama met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.  Apparently the Obama administration has made it clear they do not want Israel attacking Iran, they will not give permission or assistance either.

A terror cell was uncovered and four individuals who planned to attack two synagogues in New York City and shoot down American planes, were arrested the day before Obama's Guantanamo speech at the national Archives, but not one word about it from Obama.  Jewish hatred didn't register on Obama's radar apparently.  Praise for the agents who infiltrated this cell and made the arrest, thwarting the attacks also got not a mention from Obama. 

Timing is everything in politics, war, relationships.  Obama seems to be off kilter, defensive, frustrated.  Timing is everything as Iran launches its most advanced missile to date

Iran has test-fired a missile with a range of up to 2,500km, putting Eastern Europe, Israel, and US bases in the Middle East within striking distance. […] While further details are sketchy, this is said to be the longest-range missile Iran has ever launched, raising concerns about the sophistication of Tehran's missile program – and its timing.

Ahmadinejad claims Iran's new missile is capable of hitting Israel
and Ahmadinejad is correct.  U.S. and Russian experts: Iran could produce nuclear device in 1-3 years.  See link below for missile ranges, although the successfully tested a two-stage Sejil-2 missile is not included:

From Middle East Strategic Information, a great link to see the reach of Iran's ICBM, BM-25, KH-55, SHAHAB 3 ER,and SHAHAB 3:

Due to the recent successful launch of an Iranian surface-to-surface missile that could reach into Europe, it is a prudent time to look into how far Iranian missile range extends. Click on this link to see whether you are potentially in missile range

To understand more about how the Middle East affects you, click here

Italy cancels minister’s Iran visit

Italy on Wednesday canceled at the last minute a flight to Iran by Franco Frattini, foreign minister, following strong objections from European capitals and Washington and a bid by Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad, Iran’s hardline president, to make election propaganda out of his visit. Italy’s foreign ministry said it called off the two-day trip because Mr Ahmadi-Nejad, who is campaigning for re-election next month, wanted to meet Mr Frattini in the city of Semnan where the Iranian president had just announced the successful launch of a medium-range missile capable of hitting Israel.

Unfortunately, Iran Still Arming Insurgents In Iraq, Afghanistan: Pentagon.  Making every effort, but knowing nothing will come of it, Netanyahu 'ready' for peace talks with Syria, Palestinians, while Hamas seen as winner in any West Bank election.
 

With Arabs, Obama never had a honeymoon:

[…] For the first time, Iran emerges as a "threat" for a small but significant number of Arabs – particularly in Egypt and Morocco. […] On Iran, the surveys show that a majority of Arabs believe the country is pursuing nuclear weaponry, despite its claims that its program is for peaceful energy purposes. Large numbers of Arabs say Iran is being singled out by the international community because it is a Muslim country, but for the first time a significant number – again, especially in Egypt and Morocco – say Iran should be pressed to stop its nuclear program.

US government officials say Israel fails to meet criteria for tourist visa exemption

Government representatives who met with journalists this week in during a tourism fair in Miami Beach, Florida told Yedioth Ahronoth that Israel does not meet the administration's exemption criteria, and that it appears that a long time will pass before Israelis are able to enter the US without a visa.

The visa exemption program was launched in 1986 and exempted the citizens of 27 states worldwide, most of them in Western Europe. Several months ago the US government added more countries to the list, including Estonia, the Czech Republic, Latvia, Malta, Lithuania, South Korea, and Slovakia.

Despite expectations that Israel will also enjoy the exemption this time around, officials were disappointed to discover that the Jewish State is not on the list. At this time, discussions are being held on exempting more states from a US visa, including Greece, Brazil, Argentina and Poland, yet according to US government officials Israel is not on the list again.  (continue at YNET)

United States President Barack Obama approves US-UAE nuclear cooperation deal , yet here in the US we cannot go ahead with more nuclear power plants.  Somebody explain this one to me.

Back to the four terrorists in New York who wanted to kill Jews, the media is falling all over themselves to say  N.Y. Bomb Suspects Said to Have No Connections to Terror Groups , yet how do they know this, how can they be sure.  Muslims in prisons have been recruiting for years and years, many do have connections to terror groups. The New York times, via Dr. Phyllis Chesler, admits:

 ...   For example, see the New York Times coverage HERE. What starts as a bland, front page story continues on page 33 where, laughably, the Times writes “some of the men were of Arabic descent, and one is of Haitian descent.” Only the New York Post HERE mentions these important facts up front and clearly. (And, by the way: One of the arrested men is quoted as saying that his parents once lived in TypePad - Compose New PostAfghanistan; if this is true, let’s note that Afghanistan is not an Arab country. It is totally unclear whether his parents are Afghans or not).

Jew hatred knows no bounds, whether it is Afghanistan, Iran, Haiti, Gaza, or the streets of New York City.  In fact, Daniel Pipes has a list of US attacks on Jews by Muslims here.

As Frank Salvato says, "I believe we are smack-dab in the middle of a struggle for the survival of our country and Western Civilization. In the event that the former vice president and I are wrong, well, I'd rather be judged by twelve than carried to my funeral plot by six."  That goes for Iran, terrorists, personal safety here at home. 

While we wait, and wait, for the Iranian people to stand up to their government and take control,  Iranian Public Is Not Monolithic: Iranians Divide Over Their Government But Unite on Forgoing Nuclear Weapons .  Sigh.  And and tiny Israel is a target from all sides.  God bless her.

QUOTE OF THE DAY FROM FORMER VP DICK CHENEY:

"Yet for all these exacting efforts to do a hard and necessary job and to do it right, we hear from some quarters nothing but feigned outrage based on a false narrative. In my long experience in Washington, few matters have inspired so much contrived indignation and phony moralizing as the interrogation methods applied to a few captured terrorists. 

I might add that people who consistently distort the truth in this way are in no position to lecture anyone about 'values' ".

(Image via Ron Russell and the Totus Blog)

UPDATE:  Israel does have the capability to take out Iran's nuclear sites.  From DEBKA:

 ... The CSIS paper refutes this assessment and maintains there is no need to destroy dozens or hundreds of sites; the destruction of seven to nine targets would be enough to cripple the Iranian program, and lists them as follows:

1. Lashkar A'bad, site of secret uranium enrichment plants in the north near the Turkish border.

2. Tehranb, for the central laboratory for developing atomic armaments as well as more uranium enrichment facilities.

3. Arak, in central Iran, where a heavy water plant is under construction to manufacture plutonium for weapons.

4. Isfahan, in central Iran, near which a small research reactor and a cluster of laboratories for uranium enrichment, centrifuges and weapons development, are situated.

5. Natanz, the main center for uranium enrichment.

6. Ardekan, at the southern tip of Iran, where more uranium enrichment facilities are located.

7. Saghand, Iran's main uranium mining region.

8. Bushehr, on the Persian Gulf shore, Iran's biggest nuclear reactor built by Russia.

9. Gachin, near the Strait of Hormuz, the site of more uranium mines and enrichment facilities.

On Benjamin Netanyahu, StratFor says:

 ... this is Netanyahu’s second time as prime minister, and his government is as diverse and fractious as most recent Israeli governments. Israeli politics are in gridlock, with deep divisions along multiple fault lines and an electoral system designed to magnify disagreements.

US to help UAE build large, advanced nuclear reactor

It's official -- Washington has lost it mind. 

Last week, the White House quietly announced that it wants to help the United Arab Emirates (UAE) build a large, advanced nuclear reactor -- a plant critical for making either electricity or nuclear bombs. The White House claims getting the UAE to sign a U.S. nuclear-cooperation agreement next week would be a major diplomatic accomplishment, that the UAE has agreed to take several steps that would make it less likely that the UAE will ever make bombs, and that the deal would serve as a model for similar nuclear deals with Algeria, Libya, and Saudi Arabia.

All of this sounds good -- but Congress is urging Bush to punt. Why?

First, members worry that the UAE's close trade relations with Iran will undermine efforts to isolate Iran. Roughly half of the refined gasoline Iran needs to keep its economy and government -- and, therefore, its missile and nuclear programs -- running comes from India and Europe. All of this imported gasoline is transshipped through ports in the UAE. Those who want to pressure Iran to stop its dangerous nuclear weapons-related activities and its support of terrorists in Iraq, Lebanon, and Palestine, think the U.S. and its friends should threaten to block this trade.

Second, Congress is increasingly wary of the UAE transshipments of militarily useful technology to Iran. Most recently, this included computer chips used in improvised explosive devices that Iran has handed off to Iraqi insurgents who have used them against American troops. Also, recall that Pakistani nuclear-weapons proliferator A. Q. Khan used the UAE as a base of operations to transship sensitive material to Iran. A bipartisan group of Congressmen led by Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of the House Foreign Affairs Committee has already tabled legislation blocking the deal until the president can certify that militarily useful transshipments to Iran through the UAE have stopped, and that the UAE's export controls -- which were only announced last year -- are working and effective.

This, then, brings us to Congress's third worry: It is not altogether clear whether the nuclear deal explicitly blocks the UAE from making nuclear fuel -- an activity that, once completed, brings a state within days of acquiring nuclear bombs.  (By Henry Sokolski, National Review Online, continue reading at AINA)