Email Virus Alert- Greeting Card from a Classmate actually the W32/Zhelatin.gen!eml virus

Was checking out the bulk folders for several email addresses I have, today, for any legit emails that might have inadvertently been pegged as spam (which does happen), when I noticed 2 different greeting card emails. No names I recognized, so I deleted them, though I did hesitate momentarily. You know, curiosity.... blah blah blah. I receive E-Cards quite often, and usually just click on the link, although I usually delete anything with attachments unless I know the sender, and have confirmed that they actually sent it. But the fact that it wound up in the bulk folder made it suspect.

Coincidentally, I received an email from a friend, within seconds of having deleted the E-Card emails, warning of a relatively new virus, with a link to a snopes.com verifying the validity. Actually it was first reported early July, but this is the first time I have received any.

According to Mcafee Anti-Virus, the virus is W32/Zhelatin.gen!eml:

Overview -

This is a generic detection of spammed email messages used to entice users into visiting sites hosting exploits that would result in a drive-by download. A user receives an email titled “You’re received a postcard” [greeting card etc] in his inbox and is requested to open the link contained in the message body in order to view the virtual postcard. On visiting the link, a cocktail of browser and application exploits that attempts a drive-by install of malware on the users machine is performed.

A copy of the spammed message is as follows:

Symptoms -

Presence of the W32/Zhelatin.gen!eml detection is not an indication that a system has become actively infected. The from address is spoofed when sending infectious email messages and therefore, it can not be assumed that the from user address is any indication of which user may actually be infected. The following list of subject lines have been observed in the wild:

You’ve received a greeting card from a admirer!

You’ve received a greeting card from a class mate!

You’ve received a greeting card from a class-mate!

You’ve received a greeting card from a colleague!

You’ve received a greeting card from a family member!

You’ve received a greeting card from a friend!

You’ve received a greeting card from a mate!

There are many more.

Considered low risk, but it's always a pain to remove them, so better safe then sorry. Delete, delete, delete.

In my humble opinion, spammers and virus creators etc. should be drawn and quartered!

Welcoming Home the troops at DFW Airport

This is a heartwarming video. Kleenex optional.

I seem to have missed this story, but Bert Brady was named ABC's Person of the Week, in February 2007, for his dedication to Dallas/Fort Worth's 'Welcome Home a Hero' programme. Brady, a 69 year old Vet, spent 300 days last year welcoming home the troops arriving at DFW Airport, because he believes it is important that our soldiers feel appreciated and proud of their service, unlike the hostile reception the Vietnam Vets received upon their return Stateside.

He's joined by many other people including other vets, business men and women, housewives and children, all there to make our troops feel loved and supported by handing out cookies, along with warm smiles, handshakes and hugs.

What a great idea! Too bad there aren't more programmes like this at every airport in the U.S.

Hugo Chavez: Me, Tyrant? You, go home!

Tyrant-child Chavez is throwing a tantrum once again, and declaring that anyone who calls him a "tyrant" or anything else derogatory, will be thrown out of his country. I guess that's his prerogative considering, after all, it's his dang sandbox, and he can do whatever he darn well pleases. He calls it a "question of national dignity', I call it a question of undignified stupidity.

Looks like Chavezito took great offense when Mexican politician Manuel Espino (president of Mexico's conservative National Action Party)

accused Mr Chavez of seeking to extend his rule indefinitely through his proposed constitutional reforms at a recent conference on democracy and freedom of expression [in Caracas].

Not that he called him a tyrant, per se. But, it obviously touched a nerve.

Without actually naming names, Chavez lashed out, in a 6 hour televised speech [zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz], ordering

cabinet ministers to monitor statements by visitors and deport them if they "denigrated" his leadership. He then asked:"How long are we going to allow a person - from any country in the world - to come to our own house to say there's a dictatorship here, that the president is a tyrant, and nobody does anything about it?......No foreigner, whoever he may be, can come here and attack us. Whoever comes, we must remove him from the country. Here is your bag, sir, go."

Chavez has a serious problem with criticism! Maybe a little therapy would help, though I doubt it. Men like Chavez, Kim Jong-Il, Ahmadinejad and pretty much any dictator (past and present) all seem to have several things in common:

1. Major personality disorders, from narcissism to delusions of grandeur, sprinkled in with a little paranoia.

And,

2. The love of power.

No amount of therapy would help.

And this isn't the first time Chavez has threatened to give foreigners the boot. Back in April 2006, Chavez warned U.S. Ambassador William Brownfield, that he faced expulsion if he continued with his charity work in poor neighborhoods. His offense: handing out baseballs, gloves and other gear to poor kids. Yes, believe it or not, that incident prompted Information Minister Willian Lara to call Brownfield a

"bully" and trying to influence public opinion. [Lara then stated that] “William Brownfield is more active than any Venezuelan opposition leader. You don’t see the ambassadors of Norway, China, or any other country ... in an activity that has such a clear proselytizing nature.”

Hmmm. Handing out sports equipment is proselytizing? Okay. Little does he know of diplomacy. U.S. diplomats, and their families, are always encouraged to participate in charitable activities in their host countries.

And ironically, hypocrite Chavez, critical of our charitable efforts in Venezuela,

has supplied millions of gallons of discounted heating oil to poor Americans! [has the audacity to call] the ambassador’s visit “demagoguery” and an attempt by Washington to extend its influence.

Ah yes, the inability of fools to look within.

Others blogging about Chavez's recent tantrum:

Captains Quarters,
D.C. Thornton



Photo H/T Citizen Feathers

The U.S. Navy's new "Terrorist Catch and Release" program

"The US Navy today announced that it has released a senior Al Qaeda terrorist after questioning him extensively for 27 days while being held prisoner aboard a US aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea. In a humanitarian gesture, the terrorist was given $50 and a white 1962 Ford Fairlane automobile and sent on his way."

A little humour for a change.

The Compassion of Islam: Taliban kill sick S. Korean hostage

One of the South Koreans held hostage by the Taliban was found dead, in central Afghanistan, with 10 bullet wounds to his head, stomach and chest.

Per A.P. News :

The Taliban spokesman, Qari Yousef Ahmadi, said earlier that the hostage was killed because Afghan authorities hadn't met their demands to release other militants from prison. A police official who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the situation said militants told him the hostage was sick and couldn't walk and was therefore shot.

So, like a wounded animal, an innocent civilian, there to help the people of Afghanistan, was "put down"- killed, without dignity or respect for the sanctity of human life, as if he was some rabid, mangy dog. Islamic apologists claim that Islam does not advocate violence against innocents, and yet it happens all the time.

They released a few of the other South Korean hostages, but there is some indication that it might have been as a result of a large ransom paid. An Afghani official

"involved in the negotiations said earlier a large ransom would be paid to free eight of the hostages. The official spoke on condition he not be identified citing the sensitivity of the matter, and no other officials would confirm the account. Foreign governments are suspected to have paid for the release of hostages in Afghanistan in the past but have either kept it quiet or denied it outright."

So, not only are they fanatical, religious zealots, they are also common, criminal thugs. If it's true they are collecting hefty ransoms, (which is more than likely true) the kidnappings continue to finance their militant activities. Kidnapping seems to have become a cottage industry, in that region. Apparently, 26 foreigners have been abducted in Afghanistan in the past week. A Danish journalist, of Afghani origin, was almost kidnapped recently, but managed to escape.

If these people had any honour, they would leave civilians alone, but it's their way of trying to force foreign governments (through the outcries of their people) to withdraw troops from that region. Do they realize what would happen if we removed all foreign personnel from Afghanistan and Iraq? And if we remove our troops, we should remove all AID workers, etc.! Who would build their dams? Who would help rebuild their country? Their infrastructure would crumble.

Maybe we should do that, and see what happens. Perhaps they would quickly change their tune. Though, I doubt it.

Oppodepot- politics gets down and dirty

Hey folks, now you can get all the scuttlebutt on the Republican candidates on a faaaabulous website called Oppodepot.com , courtesy of the Libs! It's a website clearinghouse for all the 'dirt' on the 2008 Republican presidential candidates. It even includes Gingrich and Thompson, who have yet to announce their candidacy.

OppoDepot touts itself as "the Internet's only collaborative Web 2.0 source for negative information about the Republican presidential candidates for 2008."

claiming:

We're positive
There's negative!
The dirt on all the Republicans collaborative, easy and free.

If you click on each candidate's pic, you get what they consider to be the latest negative poop scoop, AND, if you have some dirt of your own, you can email it to oppodepot! Hey, you can even get updates on your mobile device with MyOppo!

This is gonna get down and dirty, friends! How sad that elections, inevitably, degenerate to this kind of activity, rather than focusing on the positive. But being positive in politics is virtually impossible.

So, in that case, where's the Republican version of oppodepot? Anyone know of one?

Islam: The great "Religion of Peace" and its call to Jihad against all non-believers

Jihad Will Enlighten The World With The Light of Islam

[with sword and gun, of course]

Some people call it a religion of peace, but day after bloody day, it continues to prove itself to be anything but! Not one single wretched day goes by without news of multiple suicide bombings with, more often than not, civilians as the hapless victims. The perpetrators could care less if women and children are killed in the process, and the more the merrier, it seems. And what about the kidnappings of innocent civilians? In Afghanistan, the Taliban have killed one (and possibly two) of the German civil engineers (who were there to build a dam), and are threatening to kill all 23 South Koreans currently being held hostage (including many females), if their demands are not met. Ironically, South Korea has no combat troops there, only engineers and medical personnel, and yet they, too, are the latest victims of Jihadi barbarism. People who are there to help better those countries, pawns in a game of twisted religious fanaticism.

And not only are 'non-Muslims' targets of violence, but Muslims are being massacred by fellow Muslims for being the wrong kind of Muslim. You don't hear of Baptists blowing up Catholics. They might be critical of each other, the Pope might claim the Catholic Church is the only true Church, but you don't see Baptists or other Christians retaliating against them for, forgive me, the Pope's truly stupid and un-enlightened remark. You don't see Buddhists killing Hindus, or each other because they happen to practice a different form of Buddhism. It seems that Muslims (at least the non-secular ones) are the only religious group of adherents that take issue with any religion other than their own. They have absolutely no room for religious tolerance, because what is written in the Qu'ran does not allow for that. Although there are many Christian denominations that also believe theirs is the only way, they don't feel the need to resort to violence to bring people to their fold.

So what makes Muslims (though not all) more prone to violence, as compared to people of other religions? Strict adherence to their Holy Book, the Qu'ran, and the Hadith, both of which heavily promote the concept of Jihad. Although some claim that the term "Jihad" does not mean "Holy War", but rather the "inner struggle or striving in the cause of God", others beg to differ, stressing the importance and obligation of fighting the "disbelievers" (that's you and me, folks) in the name of Allah.

It's quite an eye-opening experience to peek into the dark hearts and minds of fundamentalist Muslim bloggers, who believe the only path to peace is through violent Jihad and world domination. There are, as I mentioned in a past post, dozens of like-minded websites, all calling for Jihad against non-Muslims. And not just Jews, Christians, Buddhists or Hindus, but anyone who refuses to follow the teachings of Mohammed and Islam. These aren't the insurgents, fighting in the streets of Baghdad or from the mountain caves in the Pakistan/Afghanistan borders, blogging for Jihad. These are ordinary people living all over the world in modern, civilized countries, and yes, right here in the good old U S of A and Canada, as well. Some of the female bloggers make Housewife4Palestine look like June Cleaver. In her profile, pretty Shaheen (at least the little you can see of her) pictured in Niqab and holding a Kalashnikov, turns ugly posting the following poem on her blog:

If Only I was a Mujahid…

Since childhood, in my heart, I have had this wish, this desire, this longing,

oh! If only I was a Mujahid I would keep my trousers above my ankles

My face would be decorated with the Sunnah of Rasul Allah (SAW)

A middle parting I would have in my hair
Upon my shoulder I would carry a rocket launcher and in my hand there would be a Kalashnikov

A bomb would adorn my chest and the band of Laa Ilaaha Il Allah would be across my forehead

Then, crossing the blood-stained valley I would launch myself into the thick of battle
Shouting Allahu Akbar I would attack His enemies

Each of them I would eliminate, one by one, avenging the blood of my Shaheed brothers

I would free the weak from tyranny and oppression

Yes! This is the Mujahid I would be!
A Mujahid who would pile up the bodies of the enemy, like Khalid Bin Walid (ra)

Who would shatter the idols, like Mahmood Ghazanwi

Who would burn the ships on the seashore, like Tariq Bin Zayad

Who would battle against the crusaders like, Salaahuddin Ayyubi
And then… fighting Jihad, I would become Shaheed…
But, Alas! This cannot be! For, a lion-hearted, Mujahid warrior I am not

in fact…I am a fragile woman.
By the sister of Abu Talha Yaameen

In Jihad Fields are Calling, Mujahid calls Jihad a "divine duty" and posts the following Qu'ranic verses, Ahadith and other Islamic writings that support the call for Jihad:

1. كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الْقِتَالُ وَهُوَ كُرْهٌ لَّكُمْ وَعَسَى أَن تَكْرَهُواْ شَيْئًا وَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ وَعَسَى أَن تُحِبُّواْ شَيْئًا وَهُوَ شَرٌّ لَّكُمْ وَاللّهُ يَعْلَمُ وَأَنتُمْ لاَ تَعْلَمُونَ” البقرة
“Fighting is prescribed for you, and you dislike it. But it is possible that you dislike a thing which is good for you, and that you love a thing which is bad for you. But Allah knows, and you know not”
Soorah Al-BaqraAyah 216

2. قَاتِلُواْ الَّذِينَ لاَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللّهِ وَلاَ بِالْيَوْمِ الآخِرِ وَلاَ يُحَرِّمُونَ مَا حَرَّمَ اللّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ وَلاَ يَدِينُونَ دِينَ الْحَقِّ مِنَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُواْ الْكِتَابَ حَتَّى يُعْطُواْ الْجِزْيَةَ عَن يَدٍ وَهُمْ صَاغِرُونَ
“Fight against those people of the book (Christians & Jews) who don’t believe in Allah and the day of Judgment, and don’t forbit what is forbidden by Allah & His Prophet (SAW) and don’t accept the True Relegion (Islam) as their relegion. Fight Against them until they give capitation tax and surrender before you.”
Soorah Al-TobahVerse 29 .

2. وَقَاتِلُوهُمْ حَتَّى لاَ تَكُونَ فِتْنَةٌ وَيَكُونَ الدِّينُ كُلُّهُ لِلّه
“Fight against them until their remains no mischief and Deen will truly be for Allah”
Soorah AnfalVerse 39

3. ومالکم لا تقاتلون فی سبیل اللہ والمستضعفین من الرجال والنساء والوالدان الزین یقولون ربنا اخرنا من ہزہ القریۃ الظالم اہلہا واجعل لنا من ہزہ القریۃ الظالم اہلہا واجعل لنا من الدنک ولیا و واجعل لنا من الدنک نصیرا۔
“What is wrong with you that you don’t fight for those weak men, women and children? Who is calling that Allah bring us out from this village, whose people are oppressors and send us helper and friend from your side.”

4. يُرِيدُونَ لِيُطْفِؤُوا نُورَ اللَّهِ بِأَفْوَاهِهِمْ وَاللَّهُ مُتِمُّ نُورِهِ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ الْكَافِرُونَهُوَ الَّذِي أَرْسَلَ رَسُولَهُ بِالْهُدَى وَدِينِ الْحَقِّ لِيُظْهِرَهُ عَلَى الدِّينِ كُلِّهِ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ الْمُشْرِكُونَ
“Fain would they put out the light of Allah with their mouths, but Allah will perfect His light however much the disbelievers are averse. He it is who hath sent His messenger with the guidance and the religion of truth, that He may make it conqueror of all religion however much idolaters may be averse.”
Soorah SaffAyah 8-9

5. امرت ان اقاتل الناس حتی یشہد لا الہ الا اللہ، ان محمد رسول اللہ و یقیمو الصلواۃ و یوتو الزکواۃ فازافعلوا زالک عصموامنی دماہم واموالہم الابحق الاسلام و حوسباہم علی اللہ
“Allah ordered me to fight with people until they depose that their is no Lord except Allah and Muhammad (SAW) is his prophet, maintian Salat and give Zakat. Then when they will save their blood and property from me except the right of Islam and the responsibility of this matter is towards Allah.”
Rawi = Hazrat Abdullah Bin Umer Bin KHataab (RA)Muttafiq AlaihBook = Sahih Bukhari & Sahih Muslim

6. بعث بالسیف بین یدی الساعۃ حتی یعبر اللہ و حدہ لاشریک لہ وجعل رزقی تحت ظل رمحی۔ صجعل الزلۃ ولصغار علی من خالف امری ومن تشبہ بقوم فہو منہم
“I have been commissioned with sword till the day of Judgment until that every one will worship Allah who is “La Shareek” and my subsistence is under the shade of my arrows and he who disobey my orders, digrace and humality has made their fate and he who follow and copy other nations, his end will be with them.”
Book: Masand Ahmad

7.الجہاد ماض الی یوم القیمۃ
“Jihad will continue until the Judgment Day”
Book: Bukhari - Muslim.

8. وزروۃ سنامہ الجہاد
“The top of the Islamic building is Jihad”
Book: Sahih Bukhari

He goes on to say:

"you see how much Allah and his messenger insist for Jihad. do you think Allah don’t want peace for his creations??? do you think Prophet Muhammad (SAW) didn’t want peace for his Ummah?? yes they love peace and yet they insist to continue Fighting with Kuffar until Islam will dominate all over the world do you ever wonder why??? because Jihad is the only way to bring peace to the world. you should read my this Blog entry to get your complete answer:

Purpose, Aim & Need of Jihad

May Allah show us all the most righteous"

Another blogger discusses something Muslims call performing "Takfeer", or ruling someone to be a Kaafir (a disbeliever). There are 2 types of disbelievers: the Apostates and then the rest of us worthless Kaafirs. He calls us the:

Original disbelievers who did not enter Islam which the Prophet Muhammad came with from the beginning like the Jews, Chrisitans, Pagans, Idol worshippers…etc. From those whom Allah says about them,"Fight against those who (1) believe not in Allah, (2) nor in the Last Day, (3) nor forbid that which has been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger (4) and those who acknowledge not the religion of truth (i.e. Islam) among the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians), until they pay the Jizyahwith willing submission, and feel themselves subdued.” [9:29] {a slightly different version of the above}

Those are original disbelievers. We do not differentiate when we declare them as disbelievers between the individule or the group, between the living or the dead as it was indicated by the Quran and Sunnah. This type of disbelievers should be fought against until they enter Islam or pay the Jizyah.

So much for the so-called "Religion of Peace". Even some of their own claim it isn't. There's a Muslim blog site , called Moderate Islam Refuted (which does just that), that actually states, quite emphatically, that Islam is not a religion of peace. If there was any iota of doubt in anyone's mind, this should set them straight.

Please note: All of the above quotes etc, (spelling mistakes and all) come straight from the Muslim blogosphere.

Call to Anti-Jihadists- "Muslims Speak Out" event at On Faith

This should be very, very interesting!


At Bob McCarty Writes:

Bloggers, clear your calendars Sunday, July 22, through Friday, July 27. Some real propaganda bombshells are bound to be dropped, and you’ll want to be there when “several leading Muslim clerics and thinkers from around the globe will participate in an unprecedented online dialogue about their religion, terrorism and human rights. The “dialogue,” sponsored by The Washington Post and Newsweek Interactive and presented in conjunction with Georgetown University, has been dubbed “Muslims Speak Out” and will take place at On Faith, a blog operated as a joint effort of the Post and Newsweek.

From the news release:

Participants in the online discussion include representatives from all points in the political spectrum, discussing provocative issues of importance to Muslims and non-Muslims alike. The questions each will address in “Muslims Speak Out” include:

– What would you tell suicide bombers who invoke Islam to justify their actions?
— What are the rights of women is Islam?
— Is it permissible for a Muslim to convert to another faith?
— Does Islam’s view of male-female equality differ from the Western view?
— Under what conditions does Islam sanction the use of violence?
— How can laws against apostasy be reconciled with the Koranic injunction of “no compulsion in religion”?

All of the panel’s participants will also be able to respond to comments and questions left by readers, creating a dialogue and a bridge to mutual understanding. On Faith’s “Muslims Speak Out” will include additional original content that further explores Muslim religion and culture for the six-day event. These companion pieces will not only offer other perspectives on Muslims and Islam in our world today, but bring other voices and experiences to this multi-faceted interactive discussion. Scheduled to contribute pieces are President Jimmy
Carter; former British Prime Minister Tony Blair; former South African leader Nelson Mandela; Congressman Keith Ellison (the only Muslim member of Congress); University of Chicago professor Martin Marty; Georgetown University President John J. DeGioia; and John L. Esposito, Dr. Akbar Ahmed, Judea Pearl, and Bishop John Chane who will discuss together the relationship between Muslims, Jews, and Christians.

For a list of all 17 participants click here.



H/T: Vigilant Freedom via Conservative Beach Girl

Islam's growing ranks in the global sphere

Islam is the 2nd largest major world religion (after Christianity), with approximately 1.3 billion adherents worldwide, and steadily growing.

The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP) estimates that Islam tops the list of the 6 fastest-growing religions in the world. The largest Muslim populations, obviously, are centered in what CEIP terms as 'fast-growing' countries like Indonesia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Egypt, and Iran, but they also claim that it's the fastest-growing religion in Europe, due, in part, to the huge influx of Muslim immigrants, and their higher birth rates as opposed to the static birth rates of native populations.

Some believe that 9/11 was a major catalyst in the burgeoning interest in Islam, and that conversion rates have increased substantially since that day, but according to this 1997 CNN article interest was just as heightened back then, as was an increasing shift from moderate to conservative religiosity. Either way conversion rates have exploded worldwide.

It is also considered to be the fastest-growing religion in the U.S. with estimates of from 5 to 7 million believers nationwide. And some experts reckon that up to 25,000 people convert to Islam each year. They certainly make conversion (or "reversion" as Muslims call it) incredibly easy. To become a Muslim all you need is a few witnesses at a ceremony called Shahada, and to pledge the following: "I bear witness that there is no deity except Allah and that Muhammad is his messenger" and you're done. You can witness these Shahadas on You tube and YoutubeIslam . I have watched quite a few of these videos and was rather confused regarding the interchangeable use of "revert" and "convert", until I read the following:

'Revert' is actually a more appropriate term than 'convert', since all human beings are born pure. By embracing Islam, one returns to the original and sinless state in which God created him or her. However we
have used the term convert to avoid any possible ambiguity.

In other words, Muslims believe everyone is born Muslim and will, eventually, find their way back, either through conversion [or coercion], and it is their fervent and heartfelt desire that all mankind embrace and accept Islam. Muslims are compelled to spread the message of Islam (Da'wah): “Invite (all) to the Way of thy Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious: for thy Lord knows best, who have strayed from His Path, and who receive guidance.” (An-Nahl: 125).

'About 21% of all people on earth follow Islam. The religion is currently in a period of rapid growth. If current trends continue Islam will become the most popular world religion sometime in the mid-21st century.'
Religious Tolerance

THE FACTS:

Commonly cited estimates of the Muslim population in 2007, range from 900 million to 1.3 billion. Approximately 85% are Sunni and 15% are Shi'a, with a small minority belonging to other sects. Some 30–40
countries are Muslim-majority, and Arabs account for around 20% of all Muslims worldwide. South Asia and Southeast Asia contain the most populous Muslim countries, with Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and India having more than 100 million adherents each. According to U.S. government figures, in 2006 there were 20 million Muslims in China. In
the Middle East, the non-Arab countries of Turkey and Iran are the largest Muslim-majority countries; in Africa, Egypt and Nigeria have the most populous Muslim communities. Islam is the second largest religion after Christianity in many European countries.

Major Religions of the World
Ranked by Number of Adherents compiled by adherents.com
(Sizes shown are approximate estimates, and are here mainly for the
purpose of ordering the groups, not providing a definitive number. This list is
sociological/statistical in perspective.)
1. Christianity: 2.1 billion
2. Islam: 1.3 billion
3. Secular/Nonreligious/Agnostic/Atheist: 1.1 billion
4. Hinduism: 900 million
5. Chinese traditional religion: 394 million
6. Buddhism: 376 million
7. primal-indigenous: 300 million
8. African Traditional & Diasporic: 100 million
9. Sikhism: 23 million
10. Juche: 19 million
11. Spiritism: 15 million
12. Judaism: 14 million
13. Baha'i: 7 million
14. Jainism: 4.2 million
15. Shinto: 4 million
16. Cao Dai: 4 million
17. Zoroastrianism: 2.6 million
18. Tenrikyo: 2 million
19. Neo-Paganism: 1 million
20. Unitarian-Universalism: 800 thousand
21. Rastafarianism: 600 thousand
22. Scientology: 500 thousand

partial H/T Housewife4Palestine

Definition of a Shaheed: or, the Islamic do's and dont's of killing yourself

I stumbled upon a charming website , Caravan of Martyrs, that clinically defines what a Shaheed aka Jihadi Martyr aka killer of himself along with others who aren't Muslim, is.

Her discourse outlines the difference between just plain old suicide, which is verboten in Islam, and martyrdom, which is praiseworthy. Basically, it boils down to this:

Killing others and yourself in the process, in the name of Allah, is a very good thing, and definitely encouraged. In fact, killing yourself in a 'martyrdom operation' has greater meaning and importance than if you just so happened to be killed in some scuffle with kaafir enemies, because, well, it's far more cost effective and "detrimental to the enemy." Bigger bang for your Dinars, so to speak. One man/woman/child suicide bomber (oh, excuse me, "martyr", they don't like the term "suicide" bomber) can net up to 100s of enemy dead, so that's much better than losing a bunch of mujahideen in one fell swoop.

And, there are actually technical definitions of what a martyr is, per the various schools of Islamic jurisprudence (within Sunni Islam). I've listed the most interesting:


According to the Malikis:

“One who is killed while fighting warring unbelievers only, even if killed on Islamic land such as if the enemy attacked the Muslims, [even if he] did not fight on account of being unaware or asleep, [and even if] killed by a Muslim who mistook him for an unbeliever, or trampled by a horse, or mistakenly smitten by his own sword or arrow, or by having fallen into a well or from a cliff during the fighting.” [Dardeer’s Al-Sharh al-Kabeer, (1/425)]

According to the Shafi`is:

“One who is killed in fighting unbelievers, facing and not running away, for the raising of Allah’s word…and not for any worldly motive.” [Mughni al-Muhtaj (1/350) and see Fath al-Bari (6/129)]

According to the Hanbalis:

“One who dies in a battle with the unbelievers, whether male or female, adult or not, {isn't this just lovely! It's okay to kill women and children!} whether killed by the unbelievers, or by his own weapon in error, or by having fallen off his mount, or having been found dead with no mark, provided he was sincere.” [Kash-shaf al-Qina`, 2/113. See also Al-Mughni (2/206)]

However, killing yourself because, woe is you, you've had enough of life, is a very bad thing.

“Do not kill yourselves. Verily, Allah is merciful to you. And, whoever does that, out of animosity and , We shall burn him in a Fire. And that is easy for Allah.” [Qur’an, 4:29-30; See Tafseer al-Qurtubi, (5/156)]

COM goes on to explain:

"We have already cited the evidences for permitting a Mujahid to plunge into the enemy ranks without armour, and these exempt the Mujahid from the generality of the suicide texts. Can one then say that one who kills himself in order to lift the Word of Allah - to inflict losses on the enemy, to frighten them, and with a sincere intention - can we describe him as one committing suicide? That is a grave slander. We say that the prohibition of suicide is on account of its resulting from weakness or lack of faith, whereas the Mujahid in a martyrdom operation is killing himself on account of the strength of his faith."

All this in the name of religion! There are dozens of similar websites, promoting the same thing. I will be posting more of this, because people need to know.

And for your viewing pleasure: off to blow themselves up with a smile.

The Truth about Israel and the Arab World

Received this via email a while back. I know it's been floating around for years but there is great truth to it:

The Truth
Regardless of your feelings about the crisis between Israel and the Palestinians and Arab neighbors, the next two sentences really say it all:

* If the Arabs put down their weapons today, there would be no more violence.

* If the Jews put down their weapons today, there would be no more Israel.

And the Polls say: the GOP Nomination is: ?????

Not that I have ever put much credence into political polls, they are usually skewed and unrepresentative (I know I've never been randomly called by any of these pollsters), but the latest A.P.-Ipsos Poll is rather disturbing, if it can be trusted. It

found that nearly a quarter of Republicans are unwilling to back top-tier hopefuls Rudy Giuliani, Fred Thompson, John McCain or Mitt Romney, and no one candidate has emerged as the clear front-runner among Christian evangelicals. Such dissatisfaction underscores the volatility of the 2008 GOP nomination fight.

But if the recent contentious nature of blogging within the conservative blogosphere is any indication, then I'm forced to believe that the poll must have some credibility, and if so, the Republican Party is in huge trouble, which is exactly what the other side is hoping for.

If Republicans think that someone with little name recognition is going to, hands down, win the White House in 2008, they are deluding themselves. Winning a lead role in politics is as much about name recognition, popularity and TVQ (Television Quotient) as winning a lead part in a major Hollywood Studio movie. As much as I might think I am talented and skilled enough, I am not going to book the lead in the next major blockbuster. I could have the best agent in the country lobbying to get me that audition, and even if he/she managed to get me the interview the producers, director etc. would dismiss me immediately for lack of 'star' power. In other words, they want actors who are going to generate money for them. A candidate with little or no 'star' power, and an insignificant war chest, has as much chance of getting to the Executive Mansion as I do of booking Spielberg's next.

Without money (and lots of it) during the whole campaigning process, chances of succeeding are severely limited. As it is, the Democrats have raised approximately $30 million more than the Republicans in the 2nd quarter. Considering they outraised the Republicans in the 1st quarter, as well, this is not great news.

While the Republicans are grumbling about one thing or another with respect to each and every one of the front runners in the GOP Party, the Democrats have remained pretty steady in their support of their various Dem candidates.

"The Democratic race remains static, with Hillary Rodham Clinton holding a sizable lead over Barack Obama. The New York senator, who is white, also outpaces her Illinois counterpart, who is black, among black and Hispanic Democrats, according to a combined sample of two months of polls.

According to David Redlask, a Univ. of Iowa political scientist:

"the Democrats are reasonably comfortable with the range of choices. The Democratic attitude is that three or four of these guys would be fine. The Republicans don't have that; particularly among the conservatives there's a real split. They just don't see candidates who reflect their interests and who they also view as viable." A hefty 23 percent can't or won't say which candidate they would back, a jump from the 14 percent who took a pass in June.

I have to admit that I'm one of the 23 percent, but I do know that when push comes to shove I will vote for the Republican nominee (unless some amazing candidate from some other party rides in to save the day) because I know that the alternative is not something I want to live with, unlike many conservatives who just handed over the House to the Democrats, during the last elections, because they wanted to punish the Republican Party. Cutting your nose to spite your face gains nothing but pain.

If we don't come together as a party, put aside our differences and nominate the candidate who is most likely to win the election in 2008, we will be effectively handing the White House over to Clinton, Obama, Gore (I'm still convinced he will run) or God-forbid Edwards.

We can't be worrying about whether someone was divorced, or supported abortion in the past, or is a Mormon, or has a trophy wife (not that Thompson is officially in the running). These are truly insignificant in the grand scheme of things, when we have far more important issues to be concerned with, like the escalating threat of terrorism, and Islamic imperialism breathing down our necks. If you don't think these are far more serious problems than social issues that can be dealt with on an inidvidual or State level, then by all means let the Dems win and see what happens. At least I know I will have done my part. I hope you will too.

The show must go on: Farfur the Terror Mouse reincarnates as Nahool the Bee!

Well, well, that didn't take long! Al-Aqsa TV is at it again, promoting hatred and Jihad to their sweet little kiddies, through its programme "Tomorrow's Pioneers".

After martyring Farfur (or Farfour, not sure which is the correct spelling) the 'Jihad' Mouse, by having him bludgeoned to death by an "evil" Israeli, they've resurrected Farfur's hate-filled diatribe in the form of his cousin, Nahool the bee! Hmm. Bee - Mouse? Cousins? Doesn't quite compute, but then again, I guess kids will believe anything. Which is why it makes this kind of programming even more heinous.

So, this time, we have an actor (probably the same one) dressed in a huge Bee outfit, with an even more obnoxious higher-pitched, squeaky voice than Farfur's, telling Saraa (the young hostess) that he will continue to fight the good fight.

Hostess Saraa’: “Who are you? And where did you come from?”

Nahool: “I am Nahool [the bee], Farfur’s cousin.”

Saraa’: “And what do you want?”

Nahool: "I want to continue the path of Farfur, the path of “Islam is the solution”. The path of heroism, the path of martyrdom, the path of the Jihad warriors. Me and my friends shall continue the path of Farfur. And in his name we shall take revenge upon the enemies of Allah, the murderers of the prophets [i.e. the Jews], the murderers of innocent children, until Al-Aqsa will be liberated from their filth.”

Saraa’: “Welcome! Welcome Nahool.”

[Al Aqsa TV (Hamas), July 13, 2007] Video/Transcript Courtesy of PMW.

Islam is the solution? With its emphasis on violence, hate and death, perhaps a solution for the population explosion, but other than that, what a pitiful solution it is.

Another one bites the dust: 2 more and home free!

Today is it! Woohoo! The curtain comes down on a less than stellar show, and we are all breathing a huge sigh of relief! Actually, we've all been waiting for this day, with baited breath, since opening night. Not usual to want to close before you even open a show, but every once in a while you get a stinker that just seems like work, and this is one of those.

I filled you in on the rehearsal process, and though the performances themselves have been a cake walk in comparison, there are certain things that have made this an.... "interesting" experience. The 50 mile commute, one way, in usually hideous traffic, has not been fun, but there are some other things that made this experience feel more like community theatre rather than professional, union theatre. There are 8 of us (male and females) crammed into a very small dressing room, with nowhere to escape to. No 'green room' and only one bathroom, that I wound up cleaning before opening night, because it was just too disgusting for words, and it was obvious no-one else was going to do it. It has remained dirty ever since.

The A/C makes too much noise, so they shut it off before a performance. Factor in the stage lights, and you have a bunch of sweaty, almost suffocating actors performing in what feels like a sauna. With wigs and heavy 'period costumes', you can just imagine what that must feel like. Normally all clothes that touch the actor's skin (called skins) are to be washed after every performance. Not! I wash my own socks. The costumes are to be dry-cleaned or washed once a week. Some of the costumes can't be washed, and those never got dry cleaned. Too expensive. Febreze anyone? We've had the same semi-empty generic brand bottle that doesn't work, for the past 5 weeks.

Then we have the director's pre-show speech that drags on for 10 to 20 minutes, which is nerve-wracking when you have the first lines, but shows just how smart he is. We pretty much got panned by all 5 papers. This is the first time I have ever been involved in a show that has been universally panned, so it was a nice humbling experience for all involved. They all actually spent most of their reviews criticizing the play, which left little room for the actors etc. but still, not a good thing for ticket sales or egos, for that matter. But our audience attendance has been much better than anticipated, considering the bad reviews, and, surprisingly, they have been enjoying it! And this is where the savviness of the director comes in. He has displayed the reviews, in their entirety, outside the theatre, and during his speech he spends a lot of time discussing them, and then encourages people to go read them, and to tell him, after the show, what they think of the production, good or bad. He then tells them that he doesn't know whether people will like the play or not, but that he set out to do what he had intended to do, and whether it was worth it or not, was up to the audience. What he is doing, essentially, and which is a very clever ploy, is getting the audience on his side and setting them up to enjoy it, by lowering their expectations. I'm not sure whether he's conscious of what he's doing or not, but it certainly is working!

There are other things, but I'm too tired to get into them, and I need to go to bed. 2 more shows and the brain needs to function. But then, reprieve! We did have a great group of people, but......

Kiss another one goodbye. Until the next one.

What is wrong with our youth, today? Florida teens gang rape woman

What makes a group of young boys, from 14 to 16, turn into a pack of barbaric animals? We witness acts of barbarism in 3rd world countries almost on a daily basis, but when it happens in our own back yard, you have to question why? We live in a supposedly civilized society, all our children are privy to an education and yet some of those kids harbour, within themselves, the capacity to inflict such incomprehensible horrors on others, without any remorse, that you have to wonder what evil possesses them to do such vile things? I don't know if you read about the following absolutely horrifying act:

On the evening of June 18th, in the Dunbar Housing project in Palm Beach County, Florida a group of about 10 masked teens knocked on a woman's door and

According to police, the assailants tricked the woman into opening her door by saying her tires were flat, then forced her back into her home. They allegedly raped her repeatedly, smashed a plate over her son's head, poured household chemicals into his eyes and forced them at gunpoint to have sex with each other. Friends say both are still in physical pain from their injuries. [snip] The woman's father said the attackers poured ammonia on his daughter, a suffocating chemical whose gases alone can burn the eyes and lungs, in an attempt to destroy DNA evidence.

Avion Lawson, 14, and Nathan Walker, 16, have been arrested, and a 3rd, Jakaris Taylor, 15, was arrested on Thursday. Taylor actually smiled when reporters asked if he had participated in the gang-rape of the 35-year-old woman. As if this was something to be proud of. All the boys will be tried as adults, rightfully so, and they are still in the process of trying to find the others involved.

Mother and son have since moved out of the projects, and have been unwilling to let family and friends know where they are.

The woman is afraid because her attackers said they would find her and set her on fire if she told police what they did, her brother said.

I find it terribly sad what is happening in our poor, predominately black and Hispanic urban areas. Blacks (and Hispanics) in those areas live in constant fear, but the challenge with trying to eliminate black on black crime etc. is the whole culture of silence that pervades those communities. Like the situation with Muslims, good people are afraid of saying or doing anything for fear of retaliation. According to neighbours, who refused to be identified for obvious reasons, the raped woman kept to herself and did not allow her son to go out because of the dangers. And yet, look what happened.


West Palm Beach Mayor, Lois Frankel, invited Dunbar Village residents to discuss what might be done to prevent crime in those areas. Frankel felt there was some progress made with suggestions that residents start taking responsibility for their children and creating mentoring programmes.

But Dunbar resident Nakisha Smokes said nothing useful was discussed. "What they need to do is what they did in a community north of here: Tear it down and start over," Smokes said.

Sure, we can blame it on parents who take little or no responsibility for their children, but what about those parents who have supposedly raised their children in a loving, nurturing environment? Youth violence and crime has no color, class or creed. A rich, white kid is just as liable to rape and/or kill someone as a poor Black or Hispanic kid. Witness the Colombine Massacre and all the others that followed, the kids who kill their parents (usually white males), the date rapists. We're raising a generation of conscience-less kids, and there seems to be no rhyme or reason. Or is there?


According to Lt Col. Dave Grossman, a retired Army Ranger, West Point psychology professor, and an expert on the psychology of killing, there is a definite reason for all the violence. He has some very interesting articles on his website killology.com

In his article "Teaching Kids to Kill" A Virus of Violence he explains, in detail, how TV, Movie and Video Game violence is contributing to the increased violence in society today.

Something very similar is happening to our children through violence in the media. It begins at the age of 18 months, when a child can begin to understand and mimic what is on television. But up until they're six or seven years old they are developmentally, psychologically, physically unable to discern the difference between fantasy and reality. Thus, when a young child sees somebody on TV being shot, stabbed, raped, brutalized, degraded, or murdered, to them it is real, and some of them embrace violence and accept it as a normal and essential survival skill in a brutal new world. [snip]

Today the data linking violence in the media to violence in society is superior to that linking cancer and tobacco. The American Psychological Association (APA), the American Medical Association (AMA), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the Surgeon General, and the Attorney General have all made definitive statements about this. When I presented a paper to the American Psychiatric Association’s (APA) annual convention in May, 2000 (Grossman, 2000), the statement was made that: “The data is irrefutable. We have reached the point where we need to treat those who try to deny it, like we would treat Holocaust deniers.” Kids watch vivid images of human death and suffering and they learn to associate it with: laughter, cheers, popcorn, soda, and their girlfriend's perfume (Grossman & DeGaetano, 1999)."

After the Jonesboro shootings, one of the high school teachers told me about her students' reaction when she told them that someone had shot a bunch of their little brothers, sisters, and cousins in the middle school. "They laughed," she told me with dismay, "they laughed." We have raised a generation of barbarians who have learned to associate human death and suffering with pleasure (Grossman & DeGaetano, 1999).

Simply put, we need to work toward “legislation” which outlaws violent video games for children. In July, 2000, the city of Indianapolis passed just such an ordinance, and every other city, country or state in America has the right to do the same. There is no Constitutional “right” to teach children to blow people’s heads off at the local video arcade. And we are very close to being able to do to the media, through “litigation,” what is being done to the tobacco industry, hotting them in the only place they understand--their wallets. Most of all, the American people need to be informed. Every parent must be warned of the impact of violent visual media on children, as we would warn them of some rampant carcinogen. Violence is not a game, it is not fun, it is not something that we let children do for entertainment. Violence kills."

Another potential catalyst for violence in our children is the amount of drugs we are pumping into them: from Ritalin to Xanax.

"Psychotic episodes and violent behavior are associated with chronic Ritalin abuse. Ritalin is the amphetamine-like drug widely prescribed to children for the contrived mental disease, "Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder" (ADHD). Even Ritalin's manufacturer warns that "frank psychotic episodes can occur" with abusive use. And even the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders lists the major complication of Ritalin withdrawal is suicide.

Psychiatric drugs can cause violence; they can kill. These are facts that psychiatrists and the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) are not comfortable with. Psychiatrists for obvious reasons-- they could and should be held liable for a crime committed by their drugged out patients -- and NAMI because it "is awash in money from drug companies" -- $3.2 million per year from nine such companies -- that manufacture these often crippling drugs."

I think parents need to take a closer look at what is influencing their children. It's as important to be cognizant of what you are feeding their minds as what you are feeding their stomachs. There are many holistic alternatives to the drugs we give our children that are safe and efficacious. It just takes work and research, but it's obviously worth the effort. We are over- drugging, overfeeding, overstimulating our kids and it's going to take its toll, at some point. Our children are our future. Make sure they are raised well.

Voices condemning Terrorism

Surprisingly enough, I found this on Housewife4Palestine's blog. It says it all. Maybe there's hope for, after all.

There is a dearth of voices coming from the Islamic world condemning fanaticism and its by products: violence, destruction and death. I realize that fear is a huge deterrent, no-one wants to be at the receiving end of a Fatwa (and those are issued like parking tickets), but until enough voices from that religion resoundingly condemn what Islam is wreaking on humanity, at large, on both Muslims and non-Muslims alike, it's only going to get progressively worse.

People like to claim that a few bad apples have hijacked the religion, but if that's the case, then the majority of Muslims need to become far more vocal about their opposition to terrorism. Clerics need to issue Fatwas against it. I just have to wonder if some of that 'silence' is more a result of sympathy and agreement, as opposed to fear. The Muslim world needs to find the humanity within themselves and their religion, and take a stand, before it's too late.

Maps of War and religion

An interesting 90 second look at the imperial history of the Middle East. As you will see, that region has been ruled, throughout history, by many different conquerors: from the Egyptians to the Europeans and many others in between.




Another 90 second look at the history of the world's major religions.

UPDATE: Helpmybabylive.com con found

The face of an idiot

So, Austin CBS affiliate (CBS42) did some investigating, and tracked down the moron who created the website helpmybabylive.com. That truly tasteless ploy to scam people out of money that I blogged about, a short while back.

As expected there was no young couple "with child", and no potential baby to be aborted if they didn't receive $50,000.00 by a certain date. It turns out some hapless 25 year old idiot decided it would be fun to create debate about the abortion issue, or so he says. And who might this cretin be? None other than Matthew Schiros, owner of InvisiHosting, the webhosting company that hosts helpmybabylive.com.

After initially denying having anything to do with the creation of the site, Schiros eventually caved in (that is, after the Austin P.D. paid him a visit) and admitted that:

“…it’s a joke” designed to “…further the national debate…” about abortion in America…” In other words, this is one man’s effort to push people’s emotional buttons and strike a chord of public reaction outrage that apparently is successful. Thousands of people have commented or responded to the site and its intention and web bloggers are in a cyber frenzy."

"Politically speaking he previously considered himself a “…conservative…” but now says his views lean more towards being an “anarchist…” He also claims to support, not oppose, legal abortion although he says he strongly disagrees with the Roe-v-Wade U.S. Supreme Court decision, calling it “…stupid….”

His helpmybabylive.com website is still up and running, but the sick puppy has replaced the original appeal with revolting photos of aborted fetuses, and a message that says:

LOOK AT WHAT YOU MADE ME DO

There was never a baby, you got fooled, no money was collected. 200,000 people got pranked. Suck it. tell us what you thought.

He claims that there was no money collected, but I would venture to say there was. I would hope that he takes that money and starts therapy, post-haste, because it's obvious he desperately needs it!

H/T: Anonymous

Latest scam targets military families

It looks like scammer scum have come up with a new one. The latest phishing ploy uses the Red Cross as a ruse to scam people into divulging personal information about their soldier loved ones, in order to steal their identities. The scenario goes like this: Someone from the Red Cross calls a family member of a soldier serving abroad, claiming that their loved one has been either killed or injured, and that they need some personal information verified before any action can be taken.

In the case of a Florida woman, Maureen Rieth, someone called from the "Red Cross" to notify her that her Navy son had been killed in an ambush in Afghanistan, and that they needed his date of birth and social security number to compare to the deceased's dog tags before his body could be shipped home. Thankfully, she came from a family of soldiers and knew that this was not the usual military protocol for notifying family members of a death. So, although she was very upset, she was wary and savvy enough to not give out any information. But how many have fallen prey to this scam?

Once they became aware of the scheme, the American Red Cross and the FTC notified military personnel about the problem, including her son's wife, but she was totally unaware, and perhaps that's why they targeted the mother, knowing she might not be privy to that information.

"Identity theft on members of the military has surged in recent years, experts say, with twinning issues that put them especially at risk: long deployments away from home and their Social Security numbers, their main form of identification, tacked all over the place. "They will put it right on their bunks," said Justin Yurek, an identity theft specialist who recently testified before a congressional subcommittee."

As if our soldiers don't have enough to worry about, a bunch of reprobates, in some back office out there, are sitting hatching ways to fleece our military guys and gals out of the little they have, by stealing their identities. Totally despicable!

Sheehan threatens Pelosi: Impeach Bush or else!

Sheehan and Pelosi in better days

Did anyone really think Cindy Sheehan would fade so easily into oblivion? I knew the pull of 'fame' was far too intoxicating and addictive for her to ride off into the sunset of obscurity so quickly. Once a media ho, always a media ho. After she resigned, in a huff, from the Democratic Party and as poster-loon for the anti-war movement back in May, within a few days she jumped on the wacko 9/11 Conspiracy Theory bandwagon and now, she's baaaaaaack, even wackier than ever.

Sheehan's madder than heck and ain't gonna take it anymore. She's issued an ultimatum to Nancy Pelosi: Impeach Bush by July 23rd or she'll run against Madame Pelosi as an Independent in 2008! Says Sheehan:

"I would give her a run for her money." Although Sheehan has never held public office, she said she already has the name recognition and would not have to run against Pelosi in a primary."

Oooooooohhhhh scary, scary. Pelosi must be quaking in her boots. Then again, she could win. Stranger things have happened.Queen Sheehan and her minions will be arriving on July 23rd

"in Washington, D.C., after a 13-day caravan and walking tour starting from the group's war protest site near Bush's Crawford ranch."

If Pelosi has not filed impeachment articles by the time they arrive in D.C., she will announce her candidacy at that time.

"Sheehan, who turns 50 on Tuesday, said Bush should be impeached because she believes he misled the public about the reasons for going to war, [good grief, not this again!] violated the Geneva Convention by torturing detainees [but it's okay for the insurgents to torture, behead etc. soldiers AND civilians] and crossed the line by commuting the prison sentence of former vice presidential aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby. [as if Bush is the only President to ever pardon or commute a prison sentence] She said other grounds for impeachment are the domestic spying program and the "inadequate and tragic" response to Hurricane Katrina." [Oh yes, and Nagle and Blanco were not at fault, in any way]

She blames the Libby commutation for dragging her "kicking and screaming back in" to political activism. It doesn't take much, does it? Look, I can understand the woman's grief at losing a son, and my heart breaks for every person who has lost someone in this global war on terrorism, but her "peace-mom" motives are far from honorable. It seems Ms. Sheehan might be a tad anti-Israel, and I truly believe that it has become more about the glory of celebrity and not being validated in the way she sees fit, than a grieving mom's wish for an end to the Iraq War. She wrote a letter, in response to an episode of Nightline where she felt she was unfairly treated:

"Imagine my distress when I turned Night Line on last night and I was confronted with the gory details of my son's murder in Sadr City, Baghdad, Iraq on 04/04/04. Imagine, also, my sorrow and rage at the side of the story that you presented to the American public...........I was
on the Night Line Townhall Meeting in Washington, DC on 01/27/05. After I spoke (which I think was a fluke), Ted Koppel dismissed me as being "emotional." First of all, how can I approach this discussion without emotions, MY SON WAS KILLED, AND KILLED FOR LIES? Second of all, that show was not fair and balanced and I think the conclusion "Should we stay" was foregone."

Although she claims the person who forwarded this email to Nightline doctored her words, and denies that she ever said the following about Israel, there are leftist, anti-semitic sites that claim she did. And they would have no reason to lie.

"Am I emotional? Yes, my first born was murdered. Am I angry? Yes, he was killed for lies and for a PNAC Neo-Con agenda to benefit Israel.[huh? Guess that's another Conspiracy Theory] My son joined the Army to protect America, not Israel. Am I stupid? [yes! you are] No, I know full-well that my son, my family, this nation, and this world were betrayed by a George Bush who was influenced by the neo-con PNAC agenda after 9/11. We were told that we were attacked on 9/11 because the terrorists hate our freedoms and democracy...not for the real reason, becuase the Arab-Muslims who attacked us hate our middle-eastern foreign policy. [I assume she means our support of Israel] That hasn't changed since America invaded and occupied Iraq...in fact it has gotten worse."

So, would it have been okay if her son Casey had died had she not believed that Israel was a factor? The problem with most anti-Israel/anti-Semitic stooges is that they fail to realize that without democratic Israel in the midst of raging, Muslim-dominated territories that whole region would become an enclave of fundamentalist, hardline Islamic rule. Israel is a stabilizing force in that part of the world.

So, it looks like Cindy Sheehan is here for the long term, as I had predicted. She will always find some cause to glom onto to keep her in the media spotlight. For now, it looks like she's ready to duke it out with Pelosi. This should be fun!

The suffering children under Islam

What I find most heartbreaking and disturbing is what young children suffer through as Muslims and non-Muslims living in Muslim majority countries. Like women, children are considered chattel, with not much more importance placed on their lives as a cow or a goat. At least that's how it seems. They are offered up, at times, as human sacrifices for their parents' perverse ideological and religious beliefs. Mothers in Palestine (and elsewhere) encourage their children to aspire to Jihad rather than a University education. Like British Islamic religious leader Yassin Nassari's wife, Dutch national Bouchra El Hor , who actively encouraged her husband to embrace radicalism and offered herself and their 5-month old son for martyrdom! They were caught with missile blueprints and instructions on how to make a bomb (to be used against the West) on their way back into the UK from Amsterdam. The sad truth is that not all terrorist wannabees are uneducated, disenfranchised youth. This man was born in London and University educated, although he failed to obtain his degree because his interests turned to Islamic fanaticism instead.

Disabled children are considered even more of a disposable commodity. Insurgents, In Iraq, packed a Down Syndrome child full of explosives and sent him off, as a suicide bomber, to blow up a polling place during the elections back in 2005. He succeeded. And not long ago, U.S. soldiers discovered a group of naked, malnourished special-needs orphans in an Iraqi Orphanage tied, like animals, to their small cots. The soldiers initially thought they were dead. Surprisingly, there were cupboards full of food and new clothing that had obviously not been utilized for these young boys. 24 in total. They speculate that those items were probably being sold on the black market. The only heart warming aspect of the video is at the end where the soldiers are seen handing out stuffed toys, and stroking and touching the children's hands. Something you won't see much of in the msm. The boys were obviously starved for human affection.

Video H/T: Olbroad Not only Muslim children suffer at the hands of Islam, innocent children of other faiths are often brutally murdered for being infidels. Remember the Indonesian girls who were ambushed on their way to their private Christian school? 3 of them were beheaded (warning graphic photos), their heads found a few miles from where their bodies were found. And the children of Beslan? 1,200 people were taken hostage at a school in Beslan by Chechen Muslim rebels. 376 people were killed, 186 of those were children. Children are murdered in the name of Islam daily: collateral damage in suicide bombings, used as human shields in acts of cowardice, pawns in a deadly game of "Mohammed Says: kill the Infidels." Mothers callously bid farewell to their suicide bomber kids as if they were simply sending them off to summer camp, as opposed to their death; proud that their little Ahmed will take his own life and the lives of the many innocents they might happen to cross paths with at the time. Children want to please their parents, and those parents who instill in their child's mind that there is pride and glory in Jihad are as guilty of murder as their offspring who might end up splattered all over some street in Haifa. Teach Kids Peace has some interesting articles on child suicide bombers. Here are some quotes from parents:

  "I'm prepared to sacrifice my six children," said Mahmoud Sumara's mother, Halima. "I'm serious. I don't mind if I lose them if that brings back al-Aqsa..." (NBC News) ▪ "I pray that G-d will choose them (to be martyrs)," says the father of a 13-year-old. (New York Times) ▪ "I am happy that he [my 13-year-old son] has been martyred. I will sacrifice all my sons and daughters (12 in all) to Al-Aqsa and Jerusalem." (London Times) ▪ "If I had 20 children I would send them all down (to fight), I wouldn't spare any of them. We're not scared of death." (Associated Press) ▪ Mother on PA TV, January 2003: (view video) "He would always dream of Shahada [martyrdom]. It was his first and last goal in life. I told him: 'Dear, we all want to be Shahids.' He said: 'In this entire world, I can't think of anyone to marry. I don't think of any girls of this world to marry. I want to marry the Dark Eyed (Virgins of Paradise).' I said: 'If these are his thoughts, I wish him Shahada.' Ah yes, a mother's love. Obviously, not all mother's wish Shahada (martyrdom) for their children, but a Palestinian Psychologist, Dr. Shafiq Massalha claims that "more than half of Palestinian children aged 6 to 11 dream of becoming suicide bombers." And quotes from children: ▪ "When I wander into Jerusalem I will become a suicide bomber." proclaims a young Palestinian, age 9. (Palestinian TV children's show, "The Children's Club") ▪ "I come here to say that we will throw them to the quiet sea. Occupiers, your day is near, then we will settle our account. We will settle our claims with stones and bullets," an 8-year-old boy announces. (Palestinian TV children's show, "The Children's Club") ▪ "My heartfelt conviction is to launch a Jihad war," says a 4-year-old. (Palestinian TV children's show, "The Children's Club") ▪ "I want to die as a martyr. I will go straight to paradise if I do that," said a 12-year-old Palestinian boy. (Times of London) Dr. Massalha conducted a study that has led him to believe that within 10 years or so, with the continued indoctrination of Palestinian children with hatred and the love of Shahada, they will be unleashing upon the west a virulent army of Jihadists. Mahatma Ghandi said that "To reach real peace in this world.... we shall have to begin with children". It's obviously not going to happen with the children of Palestine.