Life’s a Beach; If You’re a Uighur Detainee in Gitmo…
The Obama administration, namely the Department of Justice and race coward Eric Holder, announced the resettlement of 4 Uighur Gitmo detainees in Bermuda, obviously to teach them a lesson. The lesson of course being 40 spf is much safer than Banana Boat accelerator.
The government must be paying Bermuda a hefty fee to take the terrorists since I can’t even get a time share down there!
The Department of Justice today announced that four detainees, Chinese nationals of Uighur ethnicity who had been held at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility, have been resettled in Bermuda. These detainees, who were subject to release as a result of court orders, had been cleared for release by the prior administration, which determined they would no longer treat them as enemy combatants. The detainees were again cleared for release this year after review by the interagency Guantanamo Review Task Force.
As directed by the President’s January 22, 2009, Executive Order, the interagency Guantanamo Review Task Force conducted a comprehensive review of the four, including a threat evaluation, and approved them for resettlement. The detainees left Guantanamo Bay today pursuant to an arrangement between the United States and the Government of Bermuda.
The Uighurs are a Turkic Muslim minority from the Xinjiang province of far-west China. The Uighurs currently at Guantanamo Bay left China and made their way to Afghanistan, where most eventually settled in a camp with other Uighurs opposed to the Chinese government. After the United States conducted aerial strikes in the area in October 2001, the Uighurs from that camp fled to Pakistan and were later apprehended. According to available information, these individuals did not travel to Afghanistan with the intent to take any hostile action against the United States.
This marks the first time since 2006 that the U.S. government has successfully resettled any of the Guantanamo Uighur population. In 2006, five Uighurs were transferred to Albania; there have been no reports of post-resettlement engagement in criminal behavior or terrorist activities.
The detainees were unable to comment – they we were found on the beach passed out after sipping mamosas.
Europe Turns In “Right” Direction… Meanwhile, U.S. Goes Left
Many people have estimated the Europe is a few years ahead of the United States, when it comes to policies, economics, spending, and overall national health. The major backlash against left leaning political parties is being felt far and wide. Universal Health care and other socialist policies that cost billions, if not trillions, in tax payer money, have almost bankrupted many of these European nations.
If only Americans didn’t become so lazy, complacent, and gullible over the last few years, and especially during last year’s election – maybe they could have seen this train wreck coming, and rather than getting caught up in the “I hate Bush” sentiment, they could have used their heads a little more. The campaign against the Right was incredibly effective last year, and the media, by only vetting and maligning one candidate, Sarah Palin, did their job at helping elect the Manchurian candidate, currently in office.
Several co-workers of mine are scratching their heads as I type this, wondering how they were duped by Obama and the media? My job is in the biodefense industry and many here thought that the funds for our programs would be safe; that’s a big LOL! Democrats are known for cutting defense budgets over entitlement programs, and Obama is no different. He is currently lobbying to get all the funds allocated for Project Bioshield (a program that would protect us from bioterrorism, i.e., Anthrax) redistributed to the Swine Flu pandemic. Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe that the regular Flu has had more deaths worldwide than the Swine Flu…
Politics in America, as in the rest of the world, are cyclical and it’s quite disingenuous for the Democrats to boast and be sore winners, believing that the Right is through. That’s not the case as evidenced by the sweeping and decisive victory by right-leaning/conservative parties in Europe. It is true that Europe will never be as conservative as America, but it’s still very telling of the failure socialism as wrought on their society. I will await the day that we can have a Reagan/Thatcher coalition with Britain… 
Conservatives raced toward victory in some of Europe’s largest economies Sunday as initial results and exit polls showed voters punishing left-leaning parties in European parliament elections in France, Germany and elsewhere.
Some right-leaning parties said the results vindicated their reluctance to spend more on company bailouts and fiscal stimulus amid the global economic crisis.
First projections by the European Union showed center-right parties would have the most seats—between 263 and 273—in the 736-member parliament. Center-left parties were expected to get between 155 to 165 seats.
Right-leaning governments were ahead of the opposition in Germany, France, Italy and Belgium, while conservative opposition parties were leading in Britain and Spain.
Greece was the exception, where the governing conservatives were headed for defeat in the wake of corruption scandals and economic woes.
Germany’s Social Democrats headed to their worst showing in a nationwide election since World War II. Four months before Germany holds its own national election, the outcome boosted conservative Chancellor Angela Merkel’s hopes of ending the tense left-right “grand coalition” that has led the European Union’s most populous nation since 2005.
“We are the force that is acting level-headedly and correctly in this financial and economic crisis,” said Volker Kauder, the leader of Merkel’s party in the German parliament.
France’s Interior Ministry said partial results showed the governing conservatives in the lead, with the Socialists in a distant second and the Europe Ecologie environmentalist party a close third.
French Socialists said their defeat signaled a need to rethink left-wing policies if they are to have any hope of unseating President Nicolas Sarkozy.
I just hope that the GOP takes a hint from the current atmosphere in Europe and realizes that in order to win elections they need to get away from the elitist beltway and start catering to REAL AMERICA and the outside middle class. Their current snub of Sarah Palin indicates to me, that they have a very long way to go!
I feel some real CHANGE in the air and it’s time to flip things in 2010!
Obama Drops Key Clause in Jerusalem Embassy Memo
Important Docu-Drop Friday evening… To avoid the news cycles (If this wasn’t a big deal then why release this so late on a Friday when nobody watches news on the weekends?):
Late on Friday The Washington Times’ Christian Bourge obtained a copy of Presidential Determination 2009-19, latest in a series of pro forma memos to the Secretary of State entitled “Suspension of Limitations Under the Jerusalem Embassy Act.” This determination is a legally required waiver under said act to continue to delay the May 31, 1999 deadline for moving the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
Nearly identical memos like this have been issued every six months for the last decade. Standard procedure, no big deal, right? Well in the Bush years the memo contained the sentence,
“My Administration remains committed to beginning the process of moving our embassy to Jerusalem.”
The Obama team has edited that passage out. This explains the Friday evening release. Congress should revisit the Jerusalem Embassy Act and remove the loophole that has allowed this charade to continue for ten years. Meanwhile the president should explain exactly what his policy is on this issue, and why he is not committed to beginning the process of moving the embassy.
This particular memo is common place among administrations, however, the above reference paragraph, has never been omitted by any other president in history.
Angela Merkel Please Make Yourself Comfy Under the Obama Bus
After mending fences with the Muslim world in Cairo on Thursday, President Obama might want to keep his diplomatic tools handy for his stopover here, to repair his increasingly strained relationship with Chancellor Angela Merkel.
A rift has quietly opened up between Germany and the United States, marked by official statements of harmony and private grumbling. It is not an outright crisis in relations, but there are underlying tensions and disagreements on matters ranging from the global economic crisis to the future of inmates held at Guantánamo Bay.
On a more basic level, there is a sense that the Obama administration is ignoring the needs and counsel of longtime allies. Divided Germany was once at the center not only of the cold war, but of American foreign policy as well, which is no longer the case. Yet the United States can ill afford to alienate Europe’s largest economy and its most important intermediary in the strained relationship with Russia. “They’re not angry, they’re not anti-Obama or anti-American,” said John C. Kornblum, a former United States ambassador to Germany and now a business adviser in Berlin. “But they’re confused by the wave of criticism which has been sent at them by the administration and people close to the administration.
[...]
In the early stages of the Obama presidency, officials in the Merkel government were dismayed by the scarcity of staff in midlevel positions at the Treasury Department. And Germans remain surprised that an ambassador to their country has not been named more than four months after Mr. Obama’s inauguration. There is a sense that, with his focus split between domestic concerns and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the new president is taking his staunchest European allies for granted.
“There is definitely this disappointment in Europe, complaining that there’s nobody home,” said Stephen Flanagan, senior vice president of the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.
German government officials were outraged that a low-ranking American official was sent for the negotiations to find a way to keep the traditional automaker Opel going despite the bankruptcy of its parent company, General Motors, in the United States. The potential failure of an important industrial employer before parliamentary elections is no laughing matter for German politicians, including Mrs. Merkel. Still, Karsten D. Voigt, who coordinates German-American relations in the German Foreign Ministry, disputed the contention that relations between the allies were under any strain, as did Merkel advisers, who rightly point out that this is Mr. Obama’s third visit to Germany in less than a year.
Well Ms. Merkel, this is what happens when the ignorant masses elect somebody with little to no experience in government policy, or even working experience for that matter, to run an entire country. The American Idol voters will surely be surprised when prices sky-rocket due to inflation and they still can’t find jobs… But your conservative party in Germany will be doing leaps and bounds better than America in the coming years – so make yourself comfy for now under the bus, because come the end of the year, you’ll find it better to be there than riding off the cliff with him.
Blame America Tour Hits Cairo, Egypt
Obama gave a 6,000 word speech today in Cairo in which he continued to lay blame on America and pander to the Muslim world. Obama seems to think that the rest of the world poops out muffins and dumplings and everything is A-OK! Hey! Obama even grew a little mustache for the event to show the Muslim world just how much he loved them!
Some excerpts from his recent speech:
The entire speech found here.
We meet at a time of tension between the United States and Muslims around the world — tension rooted in historical forces that go beyond any current policy debate. The relationship between Islam and the West includes centuries of co-existence and cooperation, but also conflict and religious wars. More recently, tension has been fed by colonialism that denied rights and opportunities to many Muslims, and a Cold War in which Muslim-majority countries were too often treated as proxies without regard to their own aspirations. Moreover, the sweeping change brought by modernity and globalization led many Muslims to view the West as hostile to the traditions of Islam.
Here is where the blame America tour begins – it was our fault – we instigated it all – although Muslims and Islam have been around much longer than the United States… but of course the cold war started everything/sarc.
Violent extremists have exploited these tensions in a small but potent minority of Muslims. The attacks of September 11th, 2001 and the continued efforts of these extremists to engage in violence against civilians has led some in my country to view Islam as inevitably hostile not only to America and Western countries, but also to human rights. This has bred more fear and mistrust.
That “minority” seems to be growing – shucks, we even have our own home-grown terrorists now, one of which just recently killed a recruiting officer who was only 23 years old, this week in Arkansas.
How about the recent beheading of Ed Dryer, a British gentleman in Africa who was kidnapped by Al-Qaeda at a music festival. The minority is growing Obama – it’s time you wake up!
I have come here to seek a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world; one based upon mutual interest and mutual respect; and one based upon the truth that America and Islam are not exclusive, and need not be in competition. Instead, they overlap, and share common principles — principles of justice and progress; tolerance and the dignity of all human beings.
Tolerance and dignity of all human beings (let me finish the sentence) except for WOMEN! what tolerance has the Muslim world shown women who are made to cover their faces/hair and wear burkas? What tolerance does Saudi Arabia show women who are not allowed to make eye contact or drive cars? What tolerance did Afghanistan show when flogging a woman recently? What tolerance was shown by the Saudis who tried to enforce a teenage girl to marry a man over 50 years old? His entire statement, comparing the West to the Islamic culture is insane and irrational!
I do so recognizing that change cannot happen overnight. No single speech can eradicate years of mistrust, nor can I answer in the time that I have all the complex questions that brought us to this point. But I am convinced that in order to move forward, we must say openly the things we hold in our hearts, and that too often are said only behind closed doors. There must be a sustained effort to listen to each other; to learn from each other; to respect one another; and to seek common ground. As the Holy Koran tells us, “Be conscious of God and speak always the truth.” That is what I will try to do — to speak the truth as best I can, humbled by the task before us, and firm in my belief that the interests we share as human beings are far more powerful than the forces that drive us apart.
I’m glad that he can freely quote the Koran but must avoid prayer day, going to church, exclaiming we are a Judeo-christian nation, and reading quotes from the bible – in order to not deeply offend the Muslims – this man has no dignity, principles, or character – he’s a chameleon.
As a student of history, I also know civilization’s debt to Islam. It was Islam — at places like Al-AzharUniversity — that carried the light of learning through so many centuries, paving the way for Europe’s Renaissance and Enlightenment. It was innovation in Muslim communities that developed the order of algebra; our magnetic compass and tools of navigation; our mastery of pens and printing; our understanding of how disease spreads and how it can be healed. Islamic culture has given us majestic arches and soaring spires; timeless poetry and cherished music; elegant calligraphy and places of peaceful contemplation. And throughout history, Islam has demonstrated through words and deeds the possibilities of religious tolerance and racial equality.
I thought he was a law student? Not a student of history and from his statement it seems to me he didn’t do all that well in history. I’m sure the Europeans were ecstatic that the Muslims came through torturing and murdering women and children during the crusades to influence their land. I lived in Spain and actually visited Andalucia (Andalusia in English) – spending a whole day in Granada and wandering through Alhambra and learning about it and how it came to be. There is a ton of Muslim architecture in Southern Spain and believe me – it is not forgotten what occurred when they came through… I’m sure the Spanish were incredibly grateful and feel in-debted to Islam when they learned how to make candle stick holders out of baby skulls. And just to be fair here – I also visited the torture museum in Spain which showed all the utensils used during the Inquisition – that was inappropriate as well but for years religions and cultures have instigated one another. (I would also like to add that after visiting the torture museum waterboarding does not bother me in the least – it’s like eating tea and crumpets compared to what used to be done to people).
Much has been made of the fact that an African-American with the name Barack Hussein Obama could be elected President. But my personal story is not so unique. The dream of opportunity for all people has not come true for everyone in America, but its promise exists for all who come to our shores — that includes nearly seven million American Muslims in our country today who enjoy incomes and education that are higher than average.
This is where he talks about himself… AGAIN and then falsely claims that the American Dream can be reached by average citizens, however, he forgets to tell them that he has recently made that Dream much harder to realize with his interventionist/totalitarian policies.
In Ankara, I made clear that America is not — and never will be — at war with Islam. We will, however, relentlessly confront violent extremists who pose a grave threat to our security. Because we reject the same thing that people of all faiths reject: the killing of innocent men, women, and children. And it is my first duty as President to protect the American people.
What!? is that why our military has been deployed over in Iraq and more so in Afghanistan now? CAN-NOT-COMPUTE…
We also know that military power alone is not going to solve the problems in Afghanistan and Pakistan. That is why we plan to invest $1.5 billion each year over the next five years to partner with Pakistanis to build schools and hospitals, roads and businesses, and hundreds of millions to help those who have been displaced. And that is why we are providing more than $2.8 billion to help Afghans develop their economy and deliver services that people depend upon.
But, but, but I thought our country was broke Barack? That’s what you just said in your interview a couple weeks ago before your 24K+ date with Michelle Mabelle. Our country is in fact broke as evidenced by the laughing stock that Geithner was in China when he said that the U.S. was a reliable investment.
That is why we will honor our agreement with Iraq’s democratically-elected government to remove combat troops from Iraqi cities by July, and to remove all our troops from Iraq by 2012.
BWHAHAHA – anyone notice how his timeline keeps going out longer and longer? Cries from all the peacenik liberals? in 3…2…1 j/k
I know there has been controversy about the promotion of democracy in recent years, and much of this controversy is connected to the war in Iraq. So let me be clear: no system of government can or should be imposed upon one nation by any other.
I don’t think that’s what the Muslims wanted to hear and certainly not the Islamofascists who want to enforce Sharia Law onto any and all countries.
This last point is important because there are some who advocate for democracy only when they are out of power; once in power, they are ruthless in suppressing the rights of others. No matter where it takes hold, government of the people and by the people sets a single standard for all who hold power: you must maintain your power through consent, not coercion; you must respect the rights of minorities, and participate with a spirit of tolerance and compromise; you must place the interests of your people and the legitimate workings of the political process above your party. Without these ingredients, elections alone do not make true democracy.
I’m sure Hosni Mubarak was very happy about Obama discussing democracy! Then again Obama did invite 10 Muslim Brotherhood members to his speech in Cairo today.
Read the excerpt on the Muslim Brotherhood.
Ed Morrissey has a more positive take and writes: “I don’t hear anything in this speech that Bush didn’t say himself.”
Er, that’s the problem. For all the hype about fresh starts and new beginnings, Obama embraces the same blind dhimmitude that plagued the Bush administration and foggy-headed bureaucrats that infect Foggy Bottom.
Same old, same old.
***
NYPost’s Charles Hurt: Obama sure buttered them up in Cairo.
Andy McCarthy revisits Obama’s revisionism on the Founding Fathers and Islam.
***
President Obama mentioned the “trauma” of the September 11 jihadi attacks in his speech. Here’s another reality check. Flashback, September 12, 2008, The Blame America poll and the Blame America candidate:
A poll released this week of more than 16,000 people in 17 nations revealed that “majorities in only nine countries believe al Qaeda was behind the attacks on New York and Washington that killed about 3,000 people in 2001.” A mere 46% of individuals overall said they believed al Qaeda executed the attacks – despite all the back-patting, fist-pumping video productions from AQ’s media arm, as-Sahab, claiming credit.
…Seven years after Mohammed Atta, Hani Hanjour, and their Allahu Akbar-screaming team succeeded in slaughtering nearly 3,000 innocent men, women, and children, large numbers of our putative allies in the civilized world are still blaming America and Israel.
“Israel was behind the attacks, said 43 percent of people in Egypt, 31 percent in Jordan and 19 percent in the Palestinian Territories,” the survey found. “The U.S. government was blamed by 36 percent of Turks and 27 percent of Palestinians.” The pollsters noted that no prompting was necessary: “These responses were given spontaneously to an open-ended question that did not offer response options.”
Among our great friends south of the border, Mexico boasted “the second-largest number citing the US government as the perpetrator of 9/11 (30%, after Turkey at 36%). Only 33 percent name al Qaeda.” Which, of course, is no shock to those who remember when the U.S. soccer team was taunted with chants of“Osama! Osama! Osama!” after a match in Guadalajara four years ago; or when the team was booed again in 2005 and plastic bags filled with urine were reportedly tossed on American players.
They hate us. They still really, really hate us. And it is not all about Iraq. As a Mexican soccer fan told the Christian Science Monitor: “‘Every schoolboy knows about 1848. . . . When they robbed our territory,’ referring to when Texas, California and New Mexico were annexed to the U.S. as part of a peace treaty ending the war between the two countries, ‘that was the beginning.’”
Not coincidentally, another world opinion poll was released this week that dovetails with the 9/11 survey. While the global community refuses to unite against al Qaeda as a common enemy to humanity, it has decided on who should be America’s next president. The BBC-commissioned poll named Barack Obama the world’s favorite candidate by an overwhelming margin of four to one. They see in their fellow “citizen of the world” a kindred spirit:
Someone whose former spiritual mentor shares the European elite’s “chickens coming home to roost” schadenfreude. Someone who has promoted the need for “empathy” toward the head-chopping jihadists. Someone who shares their fetishizing of terrorists as poor victims of imperialism in need more “understanding” and “education.” Someone who cynically hawks “Buy American” campaign stickers while courting the “Blame America” Left at home and abroad.
Obama is their man. Never forget.
Nor should we forget his avoidance of his Muslim heritage, which he now touts to the Muslim world as common ground and a valid reason to listen to him… Why was he so afraid of it before? So take for example some of his words and compare that to what was disclosed/said during his campaign and ask yourself, how many times can a man spin and lie before you no longer trust him? I know that I never trusted him after the Jeremiah Wright business – I have no respect for those who constantly throw people under the bus and omit facts or spin them.
As Barack Obama sends his message to the Muslim world, it’s fascinating to compare his statements, and those of his staff, with things he said during the presidential campaign. In his speech this morning, he said:
I am a Christian, but my father came from a Kenyan family that includes generations of Muslims. As a boy, I spent several years in Indonesia and heard the call of the azaanat the break of dawn and the fall of dusk. As a young man, I worked in Chicago communities where many found dignity and peace in their Muslim faith.
While the president was a little vague about his father’s religion, in a briefing before the speech, national security aide Denis McDonough was a bit more explicit:
I think the fact is, that the President himself experienced Islam on three continents before he was able to — or before he’s been able to visit, really, the heart of the Islamic world — you know, growing up in Indonesia, having a Muslim father — obviously Muslim Americans [are] a key part of Illinois and Chicago.
Contrast those statements to remarks Obama made to a Jewish organization in Cleveland in February 2008:
My grandfather, who was Kenyan, converted to Christianity, then converted to Islam. My father never practiced; he was basically agnostic. So, other than my name and the fact that I lived in a populous Muslim country for four years when I was a child, I have very little connection to the Islamic religion.
If we are to heed any recent statements maybe we should be forewarned by, of all people, Hugo Chavez who stated that if he and Fidel aren’t careful, they will actually be conservative/towards he right compared to Obama. Even those two didn’t move as fast nationalizing private industry as Barack Obama has!
The Israeli’s are super-excited about Obama’s policies and his pandering to the Muslim world. To show their excitement they have created posters!
