Allen West via Weasel Zippers – If America reelects Barack Obama to a second term, we deserve all the pain and misery that will ensue.

Last night’s speech by Barack Obama was a weak plea for another four years to decimate our economy, retard our energy security future, and reduce the greatest fighting force known to the world.

It was a complete and utter failure.

In Barack Obama’s own words he stated that if he could not turn this economy around in four years he would be a one-term proposition. He also stated that he would cut the deficit in half, yet we have had four years of trillion-dollar-plus deficits.

This morning we found out, again, that we are still at 8% or higher unemployment for 43 straight months. This comes knowing that we were promised by Barack Obama unemployment never higher than 8% with the almost trillion dollar stimulus. We have the lowest workforce participation rate in 31 years…Obama will tout a decrease in unemployment from 8.3% to 8.1%, but that is a scam.

We have 368,000 people who have been dropped from the labor accountability rolls. We only added 96, 000 jobs to our economy in August. If America reelects Barack Obama to a second term, we deserve all the pain and misery that will ensue.

Sep 7, 2012 by glennbeck

Sep 7, 2012 by RightChange – Candidate Obama told us in 2008 that if you have no record, you paint your opponent as someone to run from. Instead of creating jobs and uniting the country, he has pursued his policy of “divide and conquer.” He continues to paint Romney as someone to run from when he is the one who has failed to keep all of the promises he made in 2008. Obama gave us a speech with vague goals with no specific plans to get there. He asked Americans to help him do exactly what he did four years ago. If the last four years left a bad taste in your mouth, use your common sense in November.

Eliyahu Hanavi Synagogue, in Alexandria, Egypt. Built in 1354.

gatestoneinstitute.org:

Where religious fanatics have started by persecuting minorities, it has not been long before they turned on their own, accusing them of irreligiousness, heresy and insidious betrayal. The religious freedoms of all Egyptians are in peril.

Fears for the future of religious minorities in Egypt were accentuated last week when it was announced that the last synagogue in the country would be closed down. The Eliyahu Hanavi Synagogue, which had operated in Alexandria, was the last functioning center of Jewish life in the country. It is now clear that its cavernous halls, built in the nineteenth century, will not be open to worshippers hoping to mark Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur services this year.

Traditionally, the synagogue has been managed by an Israeli rabbi of Egyptian descent who frequently returns to the country to lead services there. Although there are many synagogues around Egypt, the one in Alexandria is the only active one, the others having been turned into tourist sites.

This year, as Rabbi Avraham Dayan was making preparations for the High Holidays he was told that the Egyptian authorities could not guarantee the safety and security of those wanting to attend the synagogue. Dayan told Ynet:

“This year there have been some violent demonstrations in Alexandria, and they [sic] are afraid to take responsibility over people…We are trying to organize a quorum, but because of the security-related situation we are not really succeeding. We are still in touch with the Egyptian security organizations and are trying to make some progress.

Sectarian tensions across Egypt have been heightened ever since last year’s revolution, with Christian minorities bearing the brunt of the violence.

One of the unintended consequences of the Arab Spring is the guarantee of security – long assured by the region’s old dictators; it has been cast away by the tide of popular unrest sweeping the region.

The power vacuum and instability caused by the overthrow of Mubarak empowered Salafist and Brotherhood activists who increasingly stoke sectarian tensions. Last October, when Christian activists took to the streets of Cairo to protest their mistreatment, they were first involved in scuffles with radical Islamists before the army moved in. During the resulting crackdown, more than 25 Christian protesters were killed and more than 300 injured. It marked one of the most bloody and shameful sectarian episodes in Egypt’s recent history. A Copt protester, Alfred Younan, told Reuters:

Why didn’t they do this with the Salafists or the Muslim Brotherhood when they organized protests? This is not my country any more.

This kind of instability has meant the Jewish presence in Egypt has steadily declined over much of the last century, and has now dwindled to just a handful in Cairo and Alexandria. A study by Stanley Urman of Jews for Justice from Arab Countries has found that this exodus started with the first Nationality Code in Egypt, passed in May 1926.

The Code stipulated that an Egyptian born to a ‘foreign” father – even if the father had been born in Egypt and had been previously recognized as Egyptian – was only able to claim citizenship if the father could prove that he:

…belonged racially to the majority of the population of a country whose language is Arabic or whose religion is Islam.

This law effectively blocked Jews from claiming Egyptian citizenship and relegated them to a lesser legal status in their own country. Later, because the Jews were not officially Egyptian, the government was able to expel a number of them.

This problem was accentuated in 1947, when amendments were passed which stipulated that at least 75% of administrative employees in any company had to by Egyptian, while 90% of the overall workforce also had to be Egyptian. This, of course, struck against Jewish commerce in the country, placed stifling strictures on some of their business, and accelerated the departure of more Jews.

The news that Egypt’s last synagogue, the Eliyahu Hanavi, will now be unable to hold services effectively brings an end to any remaining semblance of Jewish life in Egypt. This is something which should concern not just Jews, but Muslims too, as it epitomises growing intolerance and persecution of a minority. Where religious fanatics have started by persecuting minorities, it has not been long before they turned on their own, accusing them of irreligiousness, heresy and insidious betrayal. The religious freedoms of all Egyptians are in peril.

Waging war on America one mosque at a time.

FILE – In a Thursday, June 21, 2012 file photo, a worker walks out of the construction site of a mosque being built in Murfreesboro, Tenn. The Islamic Center of Murfreesboro and its religious leader, Imam Ossama Bahloul, sued Rutherford County on Wednesday, July 18, 2012 and asked the federal court for an emergency order to let worshippers into the building before the holy month of Ramadan starts at sundown on Thursday. In May, a Rutherford County judge overturned the county’s approval of the mosque construction and this month he ordered the county not to issue an occupancy permit for the 12,000-square-foot building. (AP Photo/Erik Schelzig, File)

(CNSNews.com) – A survey conducted by a coalition of religious organizations shows that the number of mosques in the United States has grown by 74 percent in the past 11 years – up from 1,209 in 2001 to 2,106 in 2011.

The statistics were released earlier this year by Faith Communities Today (FACT), which is affiliated with the Hartford Seminary’s Hartford Institute for Religion Research.

The survey also reveals where those mosques exist, including the 10 states with the largest number of mosques – New York (257), California (246), Texas (166), Florida (118), Illinois (109), New Jersey (109), Pennsylvania (99), Michigan (77), Georgia (69) and Virginia (62).

Vermont has the least number of mosques, with one located in that state.

The survey also shows that most mosques are located in metropolitan areas, with Greater New York City ranked No. 1 with 192 mosques. Southern California (120), Greater Chicago (90), Greater Philadelphia (63) and Greater Detroit (63) rounded out the top five metropolitan areas for mosque population.

Keep reading…

Sep 6, 2012 by jackohoft

Sep 6, 2012 by Granny Jan Jihad Kitty

Via Legal Insurrection

Weekly Standard – The State Department today again refused to name the capital of Israel, even after being questioned by the press and even after the Democratic party (President Obama’s party) voted yesterday to add language to its platform stating that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel.

Here’s the remarkable exchange from today’s press briefing, with reporters and press secretary Patrick Ventrell:

QUESTION: On Israel?

MR. VENTRELL: Yeah.

QUESTION:Which city does the U.S. Government recognize as the capital in the – Israel?

MR. VENTRELL: Well, as you know, longstanding Administration policy, both in this Administration and in previous administrations across both parties, is that the status of Jerusalem is an issue that should be resolved in final status negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. So that’s longstanding Administration policy and continues to be so.

QUESTION: I mean, no city is recognized as a capital by the U.S. Government?

MR. VENTRELL: Again, I just stated our position, and it’s one we’ve said here many times before.

QUESTION: That means Jerusalem is not a part of Israel?

MR. VENTRELL: What it means is that the status of Jerusalem must be resolved in final status negotiations.

QUESTION: But you do have an Embassy in a city which is not Jerusalem.

MR. VENTRELL: Our Embassy is in Tel Aviv, and we have a Consulate General in Jerusalem.

QUESTION: Right. But I mean, if you have an Embassy, usually it’s in the capital; so therefore, it would appear that you believe that Tel Aviv is the capital.

MR. VENTRELL: What we believe is that the status of Jerusalem should be determined in final status negotiations between the two parties. And currently, our Embassy is in Tel Aviv.

QUESTION: Are there any other countries in the world where the U.S. doesn’t know what the capital is or won’t say what the capital of a country is?

QUESTION: What does the U.S. think the capital of Israel is? What do you –

MR. VENTRELL: As I’ve just said, we believe that the status of Jerusalem is an issue that should be resolved in final status –

QUESTION: I’m not asking you that question. I’m asking you what you think the capital is.

MR. VENTRELL: And my response is that Jerusalem is an issue that should be resolved in final status negotiations.

QUESTION: She didn’t ask about Jerusalem, though.

MR. VENTRELL: Look, this is something we’ve been through at this podium. Toria has been through it before. We’ve repeated it many times. You know that the position is. It hasn’t changed for decades.

QUESTION: Wait, I know that. And I don’t want to play the verbal game, I’m just very curious if you actually have a position about a capital of that country. And if you don’t, if – I just would like to hear you say you don’t.

MR. VENTRELL: Well, right now, Nicole –

QUESTION: Yes.

MR. VENTRELL: – the situation is that we have an Embassy in Tel Aviv that represents our interests with the Government of Israel but that the issue of Jerusalem is one that has to be resolved between the two parties. That’s all I can say on this.

Anything else? Thank you.

Sep 6, 2012 by ManhattanInst – As President Obama explains his economic policy (or explains away the consequences of that policy), City Journal’s Andrew Klavan cuts through all the spin with this very, very important primer on both Obamanomics and the truth about capitalism.

Times of Israel: – The Palestinians criticized Thursday the US Democratic Party’s decision a day earlierto return language to their party platform that affirmed Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Nabil Abu Rdeneh, an aide to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said the Democrat’s decision might just be “election propaganda.” He said a failure to recognize the Palestinian claim to East Jerusalem will “destroy the peace process” and lead to “endless war.”

On Wednesday, the Democratic Party reinstated language into its platform affirming Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, after it came under fire for removing it.

According to campaign officials for President Barack Obama, the re-addition of the statement was a result of intervention by the US president.

The language is at odds with US policy calling for the status of Jerusalem to be resolved through negotiations.

Keep reading…

Sep 6, 2012 by AllenWestForCongress – Allen West is leading the fight against the radical left’s attack on God and Israel. Join the fight by contributing $1,000, $500, $250, $100, $50 or $25 here: https://www.allenwestforcongress.com/contribute/

Via Weasel Zippers

(KCEN) — Judge Gross has ordered Hasan to be shaved.

Hasan now has the chance to appeal with the Army Court of Criminal Appeals.

The judge also said no more pretrial hearings will be held until the issue is resolved.

The government is arguing that he is using the beard to try to disguise himself so that he cannot be recognized in court.

The defense disagrees, saying Hasan has already made it clear he wants to plead guilty to the charges so there is no reason for him to disguise himself.

The prosecution is also saying that Hasan is using his beard in an attempt to affiliate himself with the Mujahideen, a group of Muslims who struggle in the path of God.

Heh.

Sep 5, 2012 by SchiffReport – Posing as an anti-business crusader, Peter Schiff found a number of DNC delegates and attendees who support explicitly outlawing profitability. We deliberately avoided speaking with the occupy protestors camping outside in tents to get a more “mainstream” Democratic perspective!

Via Gateway Pundit – Former Israeli Ambassador to the UN Dan Gillerman slammed the DNC today for dropping Jerusalem from their 2012 platform.

“It’s a very ominous sign.”

Former Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations:

“Well Martha I’m obviously, as most Americans are, very disappointed and very worried. Because this is not just forgetfulness, this is not omitting Jerusalem, this is removing Jerusalem. In a way it’s this administration’s withdrawal from Jerusalem… Removing it, to me, is a very ominous sign.”

More… The Knesset Speaker said Obama’s true face was revealed by erasing Jerusalem from DNC Platform.

The Jerusalem Post reported:

Knesset speaker says Democrats’ removal of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital from platform is a bigger problem than disagreements on Iran, may have far-reaching consequences; Ariel: Obama’s true face is revealed.

US President Barack Obama’s administration does not understand the realities of the Middle East, Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin said Wednesday, amid ongoing speculation of a rift in US-Israel relations.

“The fact that the Democrats removed a united Jerusalem as Israel’s capital from their platform is more worrying than the argument over Iran,” Rivlin told The Jerusalem Post. “The change may have far-reaching consequences.”

…According to Rivlin, anyone who thinks that dividing Jerusalem will bring peace is mistaken, and does not understand the Middle East. “A united Jerusalem will help bring peace and stability,” he stated.

Jerusalem Language Deleted To Reflect Obama Policy

U.S. debt just blew past $16 Trillion, and yet the Obama regime still has no problem flushing billions of dollars down Islamic crap-holes around the world.

Wall Street Journal- American diplomats are closing in on an agreement to dole out $1 billion in debt relief to Egypt, part of a gilded charm offensive that Washington hopes will help shore up the country’s economy and prevent its new Islamist leadership from drifting beyond America’s foreign-policy orbit.

A team of senior State Department economic officials have spent the past week in Egypt’s capital completing the terms of an aid package that President Barack Obama first announced last year after Egypt’s pro-democracy uprising rattled the country’s once-promising economic future.

The money has since sat in policy limbo as Egyptian and American diplomats disagreed over how the Egyptian government would allocate the funding and American politicians hesitated over the prospect of rewarding Egypt’s newly elected Islamist leadership.

As the recipient of $1.3 billion in annual U.S. military aid, Egypt has historically ranked among America’s top security partners in the Arab world. Its peace treaty with Israel has helped buttress regional security for more than 30 years.

But the election in June of Egypt’s new Muslim Brotherhood-backed president, Mohammed Morsi, has called the strength of the old alliance into question. However, Mr. Mr. Morsi selected Beijing last week for his first official trip outside the Middle East, followed by a trip to Iran—moves some observers saw as a deliberate snub to Egypt’s traditional Western backers.The arrival of an Islamist government followed by political upheaval and disconcerting moves on the international stage fueled questions over the reliability of Mr. Morsi as a U.S. ally. Morsi’s efforts at internal stability and his public criticism of Syria’s regime while visiting Tehran last week, which angered his hosts, have helped balance U.S. views of the new Egyptian leader.

U.S. diplomats say American funding for Egypt has been stalled by disagreements over how the government in Cairo will allocate the debt relief. The envoys currently in Cairo are negotiating over slightly less than half the money, which would be paid as a direct cash transfer to Egypt’s budget.

The larger portion, about $550 million, would be doled out in a debt-swap program in which both the U.S. and Egyptian governments would agree on how the money will be allocated.

Despite Washington’s close diplomatic relations with Cairo, the allocation of aid remains a volatile point of contention between the two countries. Even before the revolution last year, the Egyptian side has taken exception to the various conditions the U.S. government places on the funding.

Some U.S. aid has also stoked suspicions among Egyptians. U.S. funding for pro-democracy civil-society groups in Egypt led to a crisis when Egyptian security officials raided the offices of several nongovernmental organizations at the end of 2011, then arrested their staff and accused them of trying to stoke chaos to undermine the government. The seizures and arrests held up U.S. assistance and nearly prompted U.S. policy makers to cancel the annual military aid to Egypt.

Egyptian policy makers have complained that any direction assigned to economic aid—for example, assigning certain funds to a particular development project—is humiliating, diplomats involved in the negotiations said.The leadership change in Cairo has brought new faces and new political priorities. The revolution and its tumultuous aftermath trampled on Egypt’s economy, and Mr. Morsi’s new government has made fixing the country’s nearly $25 billion budget shortfall its priority. Two weeks ago, Mr. Morsi, who took office in June, asked the International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde for $4.8 billion in low-interest loans. The request followed the long-awaited first installment of a $2 billion loan from the Gulf state of Qatar last month and a promise of $1 billion in direct aid from Saudi Arabia in May.

U.S. officials have spoken positively about the IMF loan, saying it would shore up confidence among international lenders and investors. “Just as importantly, it will provide a foundation for sustained growth and inclusive economic opportunity,” said Robert Hormats, U.S. undersecretary of State for economic growth, in an address in Cairo over the weekend.

Even when not imposing concrete conditions, U.S. officials have stressed the Obama administration’s view that the Islamist government should maintain an inclusive posture toward all segments of Egyptian society. “Progress will only be possible if the talents of all citizens are drawn upon and all have a voice—men and women, all religious groups, and all parts of the country,” Mr. Hormats said.

The aid offers will still strain to meet Egypt’s estimated $12 billion in external financing needs. Last year’s revolution and the subsequent 19 months of political instability have kept tourists and foreign investors at bay.

Egypt’s Central Bank has bled through nearly two-thirds of its $36 billion foreign-currency reserves to maintain the strength of the Egyptian currency. Many economists say a currency devaluation is inevitable.

Beyond the debt forgiveness and IMF loan, U.S. officials are also promoting two financing opportunities: $375 million in financing through the U.S. Overseas Private Investment Corp., a government development finance agency,for loan guarantees for small and midsize Egyptian businesses; and $60 million to help launch such businesses through a new U.S.-Egypt Enterprise Fund. American officials say their efforts are part of a multipronged strategy aimed at glossing Egypt’s profile for international investors.

The debt-relief negotiations come as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce prepares to send a delegation of some 50 American business leaders to Egypt. The delegation, which is set to include regional Middle East heads from companies such as Boeing Co., BA -0.75% General Electric Co., GE -0.98% Google Inc. GOOG -0.59% and Citigroup Inc., C -0.03% is working in partnership with the U.S. State Department.

In Washington, some in Congress worry that the Morsi government will abandon Egypt’s peace treaty with Israel and want to carefully assess Cairo’s future plans. Of particular concern to some lawmakers has been Mr. Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood’s view toward maximal use of political power.

Mr. Morsi stunned Egyptians late last month when he abruptly fired Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, the general who had led Egypt’s post-Mubarak transition to democracy, and assumed the legislative and executive power that the army had safeguarded for itself. Egypt’s powerful military has formed the backbone of Egyptian governance since the country’s anti-colonial revolution in 1952.

That came as Mr. Morsi’s presidency was moving to assert control over the media. Brotherhood lawmakers replaced the heads of state-owned newspapers with more malleable editors-in-chief, while public prosecutors charged a popular anti-Brotherhood TV talk-show host with calling for the assassination of Mr. Morsi and a secularist newspaper editor with insulting the president.