What this amounts to is a national television castration of the guy, something Oprah loves to do with cheating husbands. This fits nicely into her anti-male narrative. It's nothing new. A husband took vows. He cheated. Especially a politician and one with lots of money. Some of the spouses even have cancer. Mrs. Edwards isn't the first. And there's really nothing new here . . . unless Rielle Hunter becomes the new spokeswoman for "No Excuses" jeans. And that wouldn't be news either.

It's not even new for Oprah. She had on a similarly wealthy and equally low-class "my man cheated on me" ranter from Detroit. A wealthy woman, Suzy Farbman, knew her gazillionaire hubby was a serial cheater on her. But she loved the money and the parties. So, instead, she stayed and wrote a book--which no-one bought or read. And got her sister, a friend and producer for Oprah, to put her and her "repenting" husband and their two sons on national TV for all the world to see. She got her revenge. Her husband's penis is now basically gone, unable to be re-attached Bobbitt-style (no shocker or coincidence that Oprah featured a gushing interview with the castrater, Lorena Bobbitt, last week).

Sorry, but if your husband cheats on you, going on Oprah to talk about it and whine doesn't make you any better. It kinda, sorta makes you worse.

Yes, John Edwards is a lout. But not because he's a philanderer. He's a cretin because he (and Elizabeth, who certainly doesn't need the money from this book) made his money off the backs of doctors and hospitals in America, in ridiculous lawsuits in which he portrayed a fetus. That's why he's a creep. He's a leftist, blood-sucking crook and paper pusher, with a giant mansion to show for it. It's funny--on the Oprah site, it implores you to "go inside the home that John and Elizabeth Edwards built together." Um, more like the home that the soaked, sued, and screwed doctors, hospitals, and middle-class patients of America built together.

But you won't hear that on Oprah. Nope.

Instead, the cancer-stricken Mrs. Edwards is using some of her last days, not tending to her family or concerned with the more important issues of our day, like, for example, good medical treatment for less fortunate cancer patients whose insurance premiums are high or can't get full treatment because their doctors, hospitals, etc. are constantly sued by people like her husband.

It'll make a great epitaph:

Here Lies Elizabeth Edwards Who Spent Her Last Days Exposing Her Cheatin' Husband to Oprah's Housewife Viewers

Why is she doing this? What will it achieve? She doesn't need the money from the book. If this is to embarrass her husband, why not just leave? Why go on national TV in a moving, talking version of a National Enquirer? The guy isn't running for anything anymore. His political career is thankfully finished.

Sorry, but I can't see the purpose in all of this . . . other than to have the unduly moralistic finger-wagger, Oprah, and the missus, expressing their moral outrage--OUTRAGE!--that a liberal, conscience-less hubby couldn't keep his pants on.

More living, breathing evidence of the the trite old standby:

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned . . . and a sleazy, unduly-worshipped daytime talk show hostess in May ratings sweeps.

It's shameless and salacious. And not just on Oprah's part. That's the usual. But on the woman done wrong's part, too.

Here lies Elizabeth Edwards. All the money in the world didn't stop her from doing her part for the low-class cesspool of daytime talk.

Posted by Debbie at 12:20 PM

April 16, 2009

New Game: Guess the Propaganda Director's Religion--"Lemon Tree"

By Debbie Schlussel

Recently, I told you about the anti-Israel propaganda film "Waltz with Bashir" ["Vals Im Bashir"]. As I noted, that piece of high quality Bin Laden cinema was made not by HAMAS or Hezbollah's Nasrallah or the Saudi Royal Film Commission, or even madman Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. It was made by Israelis.

And as I noted then and many times on this site, the most anti-Israel, most pan-terrorist filmmakers are not in the depths of the Islamic world and the Arab street. They are in the heart of the discos of Tel Aviv and the beaches of Eilat. They make our America-hating Hollywood left look like red-blooded patriots. And unfortunately, they receive a ton of tax-funded money from the Israeli government and its film commission. Let's see if new Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has the guts to put an end to that, but don't hold your breath. It's like our PBS. No-one will kill the monster, once and for all.

As a movie critic, I recently received notice from Mark Cuban's Landmark Theaters about upcoming movies, which they periodically send me. And in that latest e-mail missive, there was word that the following movie was coming to Detroit on May 15th, to be shown at the Landmark Maple in the heart of an area largely populated by secular Jews--you know, the 78% of my fellow co-religionists who voted for Obama and eat up this propaganda.

I would ask you to guess the religion and nationality of the director/co-writer of this celluloid propaganda fiction, the latest high quality Bin Laden cinema, but I think it's too easy. The Muslims and the pan-Islamist Arabs are HAMAS-green with envy over this "cinematic splendor." And all the better that it debuts in Detroit on Israel's birthdate of May 15th. But it's been making its way around U.S. arthouse theaters for the last couple of weeks.

May 15

LEMON TREE / MAPLE / 106 Mins / IFC

Hiam Abbass (The Visitor) won the Israeli Academy Award for Best Actress for this film. She plays Salma, a Palestinian widow who stands up against her new neighbor, the Israeli Defense Minister, when he moves into his new house opposite her lemon grove, on the green line border between Israel and the West Bank. The Israeli security forces are quick to declare that Salma's trees pose a threat to the Minister's safety and issue orders to uproot them. Together with Ziad (Ali Suliman), her young Palestinian lawyer, Salma goes all the way to the Israeli Supreme Court to try and save her trees. Her struggle raises the interest of Mira (Rona Lipaz-Michael), the Defense Minister's wife, who is trapped in her new home and in an unhappy life. Despite their differences and the borders between them the two women develop an invisible bond, while forbidden ties grow stronger between Salma and Ziad. Salma's legal and personal journey lead her deep into the complex, dark and sometimes funny chaos of the ongoing struggle in the Middle East, in which all players find themselves alone in their struggle to survive. Directed and co-written by Eran Riklis (The Syrian Bride, Cup Final). (Partially subtitled)

Let's here it for Grrlpower! It's like a bad episode (redundant phrase) of Oprah where the sistaz are doin' it (America's moral and cultural destruction from within) for themselves.

It gets worse. Watch the trailer, below, for "Lemon Tree" ("Etz Limon) and its "Israelis as the new Nazis" imagery--a common theme of HAMAS, Fatah, and other Islamic anti-Israel propaganda (and, of late, of Israeli film garbage like this and "Waltz with Bashir"). The evil Zionists erect concentration camp-style guard towers in the poor, disheveled, widowed Muslim Palestinian woman's lemon tree grove. The Israeli Gestapo-like soldiers target innocent, old, poor Palestinian Muslim Arabs as they meekly walk through the lemon grove. The propaganda is so thick, you could cut it with an Islamic sword.

Do you think our government would hesitate to chop down a lemon grove if Defense Secretary Bill Gates' next-door neighbor's backyard was an entry point for Al-Qaeda terrorists out to assassinate him and kill more innocent Americans? Gimme a break. Just ask Susette Kelo, whose home wasn't taken for the noble cause of protecting us from Islamic terrorists bent on our destruction, but for the greed of New London, Connecticut driven by a proposed condo and townhouse development.

"Lemon Tree" is very tangentially based on a true story. A Palestinian woman did take a fight all the way the Israeli Supreme Court to keep her tree grove that was, indeed, a pathway for terrorists to enter Israel and attack innocent civilians. But other than that skeletal set of facts, the rest of the movie is just conjecture and slanted propaganda. The movie very apparently doesn't stress the important part: that a Palestinian Muslim woman could actually go all the way through the Israeli court system to protect her terrorist shielding backyard.

Do you think a Jew (or anyone else) could go to court in an Islamic country to protect his house, which wasn't a strategic entry point for terrorists? Fuhgedaboutit. They wouldn't live to see another day, and they'd be cut down along with the trees.

A million Jews were not only kicked out of Arab and Islamic countries, but their homes and property were seized by the governments and their Muslim countrymen, no questions asked. My friend Jeff's family members' homes in Libya and Iraq were seized from them. My friend Sherri's mother's home in Tunisia--taken, because the family were Jews. Newsflash: They didn't get to go to court to get their homes and property back. They barely escaped with their lives. Where is the Israeli movie about that?

Don't expect "Lemon Tree"'s Israeli director/co-writer Eran Riklis to make a movie about that. He's more concerned with portraying Arab Muslim terrorists and aggressors as victims and good people. Take his 1992 piece of ap-cray, "Cup Final" ("Gmar Gavi'a") about a group of Israeli soldiers who are taken captive in Lebanon and connect with their captors over a shared love of world soccer.

Do you think the horribly tortured, mutilated, disfigured Israeli soldiers captured and murdered by Hezbollah in Lebanon were thinking about their "shared love of soccer" as their lives were snuffed out and their penises were cut off and inserted into their mouths? Some of the bodies of the Israelis captured by the mutually "soccer-loving" terrorists have never been found nor returned by these Lebanese "soccer lovers." One of them, Ron Arad, is certainly dead, and his body has been missing for decades, "shared love of soccer" or not.

And it's no coincidence that "Lemon Tree"'s star, Muslim Arab Hiam Abbass, was also a star in "The Visitor" (read my brief commentary on this movie), which as I've noted on this site is a BS propaganda film about how bad we Americans are because Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents actually deport a Syrian Muslim illegal alien squatting in some guy's New York apartment. The nerve.

Yup, Ms. Abbass, has made a career of making anti-Western, Muslim victimhood movies. It's ironic (and hypocritical), since Abbass, who insists on identifying as Palestinian (she was born in Nazareth, ISRAEL), has the privilege of being an Israeli--where as a Muslim woman, she is treated far better than she (or any Jew, for that matter) would be in any Islamic country. She even won the Best Actress award from the Israeli Film Academy (Israel's Oscars). She makes a better living from Israel than most Israelis--Jew or Arab--could ever hope to make.

It's also no surprise that another anti-Israel Muslim Arab actor, Ali Suliman, stars in the film. He was one of the stars of "Paradise Now," the pro-homicide bomber, anti-Israel movie also funded by Israel. He is also from Nazareth, Israel. Like I said, the Israelis have made these two actors wealthy beyond their wildest dreams, funded by Israel, attacking Israel from within.

The bottom line, apparently not shown in this movie, is that if Palestinians--with whom Ms. Abbass now identifies after years of saying she was an Israeli Arab--stopped supporting and committing terrorism and using their land to shield and harbor cold-blooded killers on their way to blow up pizza joints and kill toddlers and babies, there would have been no need to go after this woman's lemon grove. But why dwell on that fact, when we can have critical thinking-free propaganda films against Israel?

Forget Hollywood's anti-Israel viewpoint in films. Hollywood has nothing on Israel's film industry. I await the day when I will actually see a pro-Israel--or even a balanced--film coming out of Israel.

But it's pretty likely that I'll be waiting forever. The Muslims don't need to make anti-Israel--and frankly, anti-Semitic--films. They have the Israeli Jewish left and its film industry doing it for them.

Neither Bin Laden nor Nasrallah, Ahmadinejad, Haniyeh, Abbas, Qaddafi, and the King Abdullahs need to open a studio. They already have several in Tel Aviv "Hollywood."

Posted by Debbie at 02:20 PM

April 09, 2009

Welcome to Palestinian "Fair Trade": Olive Oil Sold @ Whole Foods Funds Study @ Anti-Semitic, Pro-HAMAS Universities; Dr. Bronner's Soap, Too

By Debbie Schlussel

Not that I'm a big coffee drinker--I much prefer tea. But if you're like me, you're sick of hearing about "fair trade" coffee and other "fair trade" items.

Fair trade? Get real. The only "fair trade" is free trade. But "fair trade" is an attack on the the free market. I say, if you don't like the prices you get on the open market, tough. The term "fair trade" is just a phony euphemism to help parties who can't compete on the free market, sell their coffee beans and other items through the bullying and thuggish hippie tactics of political correctness. And it's far more expensive than coffee competitively traded on the open, free market.

Terrorist U: These Companies & Products Fund . . .

. . . Terrorist Re-Enactments Like These @ An-Najah University

The idea behind this is that some small farm coffee bean (and other crop) growers are disadvantaged by giant corporations and coffee traders, which sell mass quantities of crops, driving the prices down. Therefore, they essentially set up their own artificial "market"--in which they try to not be subject to the market--and get far higher, set prices and premiums (they call it "fair wages") for their more "morally grown and traded" beans.

Yup, it's communist coffee, basically. We've had this same concept in the past in America. It's called, "price supports." It doesn't work.

Frankly, when I hear a coffee is "fair trade," I try to stay away. Sadly, if you patronize places like Starbucks, you're held captive by this "fair trade" baloney. There is nothing "fair" about it. And you wonder why these places charge $5 a cup. You're paying extra for the "fair" in "fair trade."

Now, Palestinian pan-terrorists and are glomming on to the "fair trade" concept for their own propaganda and hate spreading purposes. Give them credit for chutzpah, though. Palestinians in terrorist hotbed Jenin--home to many homicide bomb belt assembly lines--have started this new thing called "Canaan Fair Trade," also known as the "Palestinian Fair Trade Association."

You see, the people who lived in Israel and around the area when the Jews were exiting slavery in Egypt were the Canaanites. They're extinct. They warred with the Jews, and they lost. And even though any historian with any credibility and any archeologist of any worth will acknowledge that the ancient Canaanites are long gone (as in, for centuries), some Palestinians claim they are the Canaanites. It's blatant propaganda and fodder for a good laugh, considering that Arabs were not anywhere near the area at that time. Not even close.

Now, Palestinians are pushing this myth again, along with the "fair trade" concept. Only, their "fair trade" is slightly different. You see, they want special treatment for growers who basically all support Islamic terrorists. And--this is key--they want special treatment in the marketplace against more competitive Israeli and Arab products. Welcome to "Canaan Fair Trade," products made by terrorism supporters in the shadow of the "evil Zionists." And for that, you should pay a premium.

Their biggest, newest product is Canaan Fair Trade Olive Oil. Its label re-asserts the myth of the Palestinians as Canaanites and also asserts that "Palestine" is a country. And proceeds from the sale of the olive oil funds scholarships for study at anti-Semitic, pro-HAMAS universities, including An-Najah in Nablus and the Arab American University in Jenin.

An Najah's student council is controlled by HAMAS, and it openly endorsed homicide bombings on Israeli civilians. The school staged a re-enactment of the blowing up of the Sbarro pizza restaurant in Jerusalem, as well as staged mock explosions of Israeli soldiers, to the laughing and cheering delight of students.

Sadly, Whole Foods markets are selling this pan-terrorist olive oil. If you are a patron of Whole Foods, you should ask the store why it is selling olive oil made by terrorism supporters, which funds study at anti-Semitic universities, and why Whole Foods is tacitly taking a political stand by featuring products with labels claiming Palestine is a country and that Canaan is there.

Whole Foods has already officially recognized "Palestine" on its Whole Story Whole Foods Blog, in which it features an article about how Dr. Bronner's Magical Soaps use Olive Oil from the Palestinian Fair Trade Association. (If you buy Dr. Bronner's products, you are also funding scholarships to anti-Semitic An-Najah U.) A Whole Foods customer commented on the blog:

Dolores Forge:

I love our local Whole Foods store, but especially now that I realize you stock merchandise that helps the Palestinians. I will be buying Dr Bronner products from now on, starting today.

December 16th, 2008 at 9:07 am

Also ask Whole Foods why it doesn't carry some of the many terrific brands of Olive Oil made in Israel by the "Canaan Fair Traders"' desired victims. (Again, Jenin is Fatah terrorist central.) I checked and didn't see any Israeli olive oil on the shelves. But there are so many great Israeli olive oils like Capernaum Vista Olive Farm Olive Oil (and miraculous olive oil soap--I've tried both the oil and the soap, and they are excellent), made in Israel's Golan Heights, Isroil Olive Oil, and Halutza Olive Oil, made in Israel's Negev Highlands.

I think it's hilarious that this oil, according to its website, has USDA "organic" certification. How does the USDA know? Did they actually send tax-funded officials to Jenin to see how the olives are grown and processed into oil? Don't bet on it.

Here's what the "Canaan Fair Trade" a/k/a "We support blowing up Jews" group is sending around America.

History has been made. Canaan olive oil is the first Palestinian product to be stocked nationally in food chains across the US and the UK, and Canaan is the world's first fair trade olive oil.

Canaan olive oil, under the ALTER ECO Fair Trade brand, is stocked in all 275 Whole Foods stores in the US. Our partner ALTER ECO sells both Nabali and Rumi oils under their own label as Mild and Robust extra virgin olive oils. Canaan, Palestine, is front and center on the label. The size is 375ml and the bottle is black.

This national rollout, if successful, will touch many lives in
Palestine [DS: And fund a lot more homicide belts and scholarships to institutes of hate]. Please help make the launch a success by looking for the Canaan olive oil in Whole Foods. Tell your friends how easy it is to pick up a bottle of Palestinian olive oil anywhere in the country now.

Co-op Supermarkets across the UK wanted to be the first major retailer to stock Canaan olive oil because they support ethical standards in trading as we do.
https://www.canaanfairtrade.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/arab-british-chamber-31809.pdf

Canaan Fair Trade has brought the strength of the commercial market to the network of Palestinian cooperatives that is the Palestine Fair Trade Association. Canaan markets all the products of these cooperatives. By qualifying for fair trade and organic certification of our products by independent certifiers TransFair USA (FLO) and IMO of Switzerland, and by Canaan qualifying for membership in the Fair Trade Federation of North America, we gain the credibility to enter the commercial market.

We open the world to Palestinian farmers.

This is a much needed and entirely new audience of consumers for
Palestine and Palestinian products. They have not had adequate information about Palestine in the past. This is now changing. Thanks for all you do to support Palestinian farmers, and support this new national exposure.

And it's an opportunity to fund scholarships for the teaching of more anti-Semitic hate.

Fair Trade Olive Oil? More Like "Fair" Terrorism Snake Oil.

If you're against terrorism and anti-Semitic hate, don't buy Canaan Fair Trade olive oil or Dr. Bronner's products.

Or better yet, don't shop at Whole Foods.

Posted by Debbie at 04:35 PM

March 05, 2009

"Watchmen" Fanatic Derangement Syndrome: Disease of the Pretentious Slacker Ignorami; "Watchmen" Was Anti-Reagan Rant; "Not Marketed to Kids" on "American Idol"

By Debbie Schlussel

I guess I shouldn't be amazed at the number of slacker ignoramuses who are up in arms about my frank review cutting down the absolute crap they worship a/k/a "Watchmen", coming out in theaters late tonight. The e-mails they send me and the comments they make about how "deep," "edgy" and "profound" this vile piece of trash (which is none of these) is, reminds me of the blind statements of followers of Jim Jones. And we all know what happened after they drank he purple Kool-Aid. If only this movie could achieve that result, it would be the most fantastic exercise in natural selection ever conducted in America.

But sadly, there is no instant cure or sudden death for "Watchmen" Fanatic Derangement Syndrome. You can read some of the so infected and diseased in the comments section of my review. But I've received a ton of vile, obscene, and just plain stupid and obnoxious e-mails because I dared call this trash wrapped in the guise of a high brow graphic novel what it is: pure garbage.

Oh, and by the way, to all of you slacker Watchmen defenders and fanatics--who resemble the many respondents on "Jay Walking," yet are suddenly the self-appointed intellectual lights of our world--grisly is grisly, and gratuitous, graphic violence serves no positive or useful purpose in our society, even if you read it first in a comic book. You're a bunch of dummies with no moral compass, but liking this stupid comic book which pretends violence and the depraved is "edgy" or "sophisticated," makes you feel smart. When you're actually quite stupid. But now, with this movie, you've got pretentious stupidity. You don't realize you're still just as dumb, your IQ just as low and probably lower.

And, yes, you future citizens of "Idiocracy," it's a comic book. Quit your pretentious drivel about this being important because it's a "graphic novel." Memo to the creators of Richie Rich and Archie: You missed your calling. If only you'd called your product a "graphic novel" and added scenes of Archie raping Betty and Veronica and Jughead sawing off Reggie's Arms, you'd be in businesss. Dummies.

It's frankly hilarious to read the arrogance of the ignorami, telling me I don't have "cultural literacy" because I don't like a movie based on a comic book promoting rape, torture, and brutal killing. Here's a tip to you clueless wonders: You can't have culture literacy when there ain't culture. Just like I'd be wrong to call this a clash of civilizations, because then we would be wrongly assuming that there is civilization on your end.

While most of the e-mails are vile and stupid--and simultaneously so pretentious and self-important--it's obvious they'd be best saved for open poetry reading night at the local college coffeehouse. That's the only place where your fertilizer has willing consumers (and at at the box office on Friday, where I'm sure this crap will be a huge hit for you pretentious geeky slacker losers with no life and absolutely no sense of decency or class).

You keep writing me these deranged e-mails, which include statements about how I "don't understand the background" and that it was exactly the same in "the graphic novel." Get a clue: That I didn't first look at a comic book picture of a rape scene before seeing the same in a movie is a distinction without a difference. That you did, is a distinction with merit, i.e., that you're an idiot who spends valuable time and money on idiocy and depravity. You are what you eat.

And you are no better than the lumpenproletariat lowlifes at the Coliseum who orgasmically watched and cheered when Christians were forced to fight animals. You are no different, and you are essentially chomping at the bit to go see the modern-day version, tonight. With people like you populating America and dominating pop culture offerings, I have no doubt that soon enough we will return to the days of the barbaric live human versus beast shows. You salivate at the chance to watch barbarism tonight. That's who you are.

Why not just watch "Texas Chainsaw Massacre"? At least that was honest about what it is and didn't march under this ridiculous banner of being highbrow when it's really just crap.

Poor Hitler. If only he'd made Mein Kampf into a comic book instead of an actual written screed. Then, the ovens of Auschwitz and the human lampshades would be all the rage and cool of kitsch. Silly me, for not understanding that close-ups of sawing off someone's arms and dogs chowing down on a six-year-old girl are so much high culture because they were in a comic book first. Idiocy. And, oh, it's a disgusting comic book that TIME Magazine liked. Therefore, it must be the end all, be all. Tell it to Ariel Sharon, who knew something about the "truth" and "accuracy" of TIME. Oh, wait, I'm assuming something really big here: that you "Watchmen" ignoramuses actually know who Ariel Sharon is or what his deal was with TIME. And that would be truly clueless.

And to those imbeciles who claim--blindly--that this outrageous movie is not marketed to kids, pray tell who is the target audience of "American Idol" on which several trailers ran this week. Yup, "American Idol"--no way that's a kids show or that kids who see it won't want to go see this horrible movie. Only if they market it on Sesame Street are they marketing it to kids, right?

Not that if it weren't marketed to kids, that would make this crap smell any better.

Still, I've gotten many e-mails like these from parents, who attest that they thought this was a superhero movie and that their kids have been bombarded with the marketing for this grotesque movie:

Debbie,

I cannot recall how I got pointed to your review of Watchmen, but thank you for your review! Ever since the trailers came out my son, 15 1/2 wanted to see the movie. No he has not read the novel or comics, but something about this movie made me research it more. Let's just say I had a bad feeling. I greatly appreciate your detailed review of this movie. We are not going to see this movie and it became a great teaching point.

Michael

Uh-huh, not marketed to kids, right? His son just found out about the movie and wants to go see it . . . by accident?

While I'm not surprised to find out that many of those who've written their deranged, undue outrage that I deigned to tell the truth about this trash and insult their low-class cultural sensibilities (or rather non-sensibilities), voted for Barack Obama and are liberals, I am surprised that anyone would claim this is a conservative movie.

It was originally written--per the author's own declaration--as an attack on Ronald Reagan. Reader Christopher summarizes it in this letter:

Ms Schlussel,

First THANK YOU for the article on Watchmen.

I wanted to add that you are dead right on the slant of this movie. The writer's original intention as declared by him in a 1987 interview in The Comics Journal was for this have an anti-Reaganism theme. He feared directly attacking President Reagan because he figured it would make people not want to read.

I think this is absolutely a golden opportunity to hammer home the point that mass media influences matter. People are actively ignoring even the stated goal of the author himself for the sake of "a good time'... This is how we get the fouled up pop culture.

You have a better opportunity than I to present this side of the story to people so please consider looking into what I said here and decide if you think it's worth while to write more about.

Again thank you,

Christopher

Bottom line: If you're a "Watchmen" fan, there's something sick about you. You're sick if you enjoy watching wanton rape, torture, and murder, no matter what the background for it is. I don't care if it first appeared in a warped comic book paraded with a high-brow euphemism for comic book.

I don't give a crap if it's meant to show that "the world is dark" and that "superheroes have problems and are everyday people, too," which have been among the insipid, vapid excuses I've received from empty-headed Watchmen fanatic who mindlessly repeat the phony talking points that make them feel smart.

Guess what? We know there are bad people and that people are everyday people with problems. If you don't know that, and you think a movie like this is necessary to make the point, you're even more warped and stupid than I originally diagnosed.

And maybe your sister should be fed to dogs and your mother raped and your brother should have his arms sawed off (as they do in this snuff/torture-porn movie). You know, just to make the point.

But we'll be sure to depict it in a comic book first, just to make it "high-brow." And get the money of the mindless "Watchmen" fandom sheeple.

Posted by Debbie at 12:23 PM

March 04, 2009

The "Watchmen" Lie: Hollywood Sends More Depravity Your Kids' Way Costumed as "Superhero" Flick

By Debbie Schlussel

**** UPDATE, 03/05/09: Watchmen Derangement Syndrome Takes Hold; Movie Continues to Be Marketed to Kids ****

If you take your kids to see "Watchmen," you're a moron.

If you see it yourself, you're also probably a moron and a vapid, indecent human being. The movie arrives in theaters at Midnight, Thursday Night. It's rated "R"--which should kinda sorta be a hint--but it really deserves an "NC-17," at the very least. And plenty of clueless parents brought their young kids and kept them there for the entire almost three hour "experience" at the screening I attended.

Yes, I know, it's being heavily marketed as a superhero movie, with action figures for your kids. But that--and the heroic-looking movie trailer--are a big, fat lie. And that's where real parenting comes in . . . like actually investigating the movie before you take or send your kids to see this garbage.

In fact, as a movie critic who sees most new releases, I haven't seen a more violent, depraved movie in years (not to mention a longer, more boring movie with a more preposterous and silly plot). This movie makes the graphic bloodshed of the recently released "Friday the 13th" look like "Cinderella."

This really isn't a superhero movie at all. In fact, there was little "superheroing" until after the second hour of this nearly three-hour exercise on defining deviancy down. Some on the right are claiming this is a conservative movie because it's made by some of the same people as "300" (read my review). But this is no "300." (And that wasn't for kids either, but this is far much less so.) A few lines of dialogue by the character "Rorschach" deriding "liberals and intellectuals" doesn't excuse the nearly three hours of poison here. In fact, the movie kind of has a peacenik-themed ending and "message" regarding nuclear weapons. If this move is "conservative," who the heck needs liberal?

There were so many disgusting, violent, morbid, grisly scenes and acts of killing, I had to start writing them down, lest I forget. And that's in addition to the rape scene between superheroes (complete with violent beating of a female superhero) and an explicit sex scene between two other superheroes. Oh, and don't forget another superhero's swinging computer-generated penis frequently in your face on-screen.

In just the opening credits of this mindless celluloid claptrap, there's a lesbian take-off on the famous photo of a woman kissing a sailor in Manhattan who is returning victorious from World War II. The lesbian make-out scene, featuring a "superhero," is bad enough. But then, we see cops looking over their naked, bloodied, dead bodies on a bed, with the words "LESBIAN WHORES," written in blood on the wall.

Mommy, mommy, what's a lesbian? What's a whore? And remember, this is just the opening credits.

The "plot" of this movie--if you can call it a plot--is that there were costumed superheroes in the '40s and beyond. They grew old, but some of them didn't. Then a new crop of costumed superheroes with special powers cropped up, some of whom were related to the older ones and some who still remained from the older group. But they all retired. Now, a superhero known as "The Comedian"--who is also a rapist and shot a Vietnamese woman who was pregnant with his kid (all of which we see depicted on-screen)--is murdered, and some of the superheroes, the "Watchmen," get back together to find out who did it.

At the same time, the Soviets are about to nuke America. It's 1985 and Nixon is President. We've won in Vietnam. Oh, and Henry Kissinger has a Russian accent. And Ronald Reagan is thinking of running for President in 1988. Wow, isn't that cool that they got it wrong on purpose? I'm so amazed at this "high-brow art" of deliberately getting dates and timelines wrong, you know, just to be "artistic," and get the drooling of the critics. That is sooooo genius. Like way totally cool.

Maybe if I make a movie about how Eisenhower was President in 1972, we "lost" World War II, and Bin Laden was gonna bomb the World Trade Center then, I'll be cool, too. . . so long as it's "dark" and I include a bunch of rape, torture, explicit sex scenes, and extremely graphic killings, and oh, write a "graphic novel" a/k/a comic book about it, first.

In the midst of this stupid story, we're treated to the following:

* Dogs fighting over, tearing apart, and eating a six-year-old girl--we're shown them chowing down on and tearing apart the remaining leg and leg bone, with the sock and shoe still on the bone as the dogs wrestle over it;

* A close up of man repeatedly getting an axe-blade driven through his skull while he's being butchered;

* At least two very graphic scenes of naked superhero "Dr. Manhattan" vaporizing people to just blood, limbs, and guts hanging from the ceiling or spread in the snow;

* Many scenes of Dr. Manhattan's computer generated penis swinging about;

* A kid biting a giant, bloody chunk of flesh out of another kid's face--he grows up to be "Rorschach," one of the superheroes' compatriots;

* A man's hands and arms being sawed off with an electric saw--we're shown the bloody stumps and the bloody sawed off limbs in close up shots;

* A man with vat of hot french fry oil deliberately thrown over his head--we literally see him fry, and he ultimately dies, we're told (no kidding);

* Many, many scenes of people's hands, arms, fingers being broken in half or crunched by the "superheroes";

* Cops being set on fire and burning to death by superhero compatriot "Rorschach;"

* Superhero "The Comedian" (a bad Robert Downey, Jr. look-alike) brutally beating and raping another superhero--tis movie concludes that the rape was a good thing b/c the slutty superhero had a slutty superhero daughter from him;

* Superhero "The Comedian" shooting and killing a Vietnamese woman because she's pregnant with his kid;

* Superhero "The Comedian" being thrown off a roof of a tall building--we see his body hit the ground and the blood flow out;

* Two superheroes have an explicit sex scene in a spaceship--she's on top, then he's on top, awesome--you can teach your young kids multiple sexual positions before they even reach puberty, by taking them to see this (there's a less explicit sex scene between the slutty superheroine and another superhero not long before that).

And these are just the highlights, plus superheroes hurling obscenities--great for the kiddies. There's so much more--along with horrible make-up, bad acting, and terrible computer generated images (including the penis). Not to mention, a bad, extremely slow, and boring script.

Yup, this is the garbage that Rupert Murdoch's Fox and Warner Brothers and Paramount are marketing toward your kids. All of these studios have a piece in this movie. And even thought the budget was just $100 to $125 million, because of a long legal battler between WB and Fox, the legal fees and pay-out make it such that they must recoup at least $200 or 300 million and make a profit. To do so, they are pimping the movie to all niches, especially your young kids.

But just because shameless whores and crack dealers of Hollywood deal this stuff out, doesn't mean you have to buy it and poison your kids' minds with it.

Remember the morons I told you about who took their kids to see the latest "Friday the 13th," last month? Well, they were back with their kids at a Monday Night screening of this horribly depraved, whacked out movie.

Remember the White single mother who told me her ten-year-old son could see it because "he knows it's not real and he knows the difference between right and wrong"? Well, she was back with her ten-year-old, and they waited in line for at least two hours with their free pass to get in to this screening, I'm told. I saw them walking out at the end.

Her son is going to grow up to be messed up. Don't do the same to your kid.

And do yourself a favor, too. Save the ten bucks and the three hours of your life you'll never get back. And the nightmares of some guy's bloody, sawed-off arms and hands still clinging to the doors of a jail cell.

I don't just worry that this is the new superhero movie being marketed to your kids today. I worry about the ones that will be even more depraved a decade from now.

G-d help this country (minus Hollywood).

FOUR MARXES PLUS

Posted by Debbie at 12:21 PM

March 03, 2009

Bush Was No Different: Barack & Europe's Zillions for Gaza v. Zilch for Nations Who Threw Off Communism

By Debbie Schlussel

For a couple of weeks, I've been getting e-mails from readers and others upset over the $900 million Barack Obama is giving the Palestinians, with correspondents asking me why I haven't written in protest about it.

To those readers and e-mailers I ask, where were you for the billions we gave them under Bush and Condi Clueless? This isn't new. It's more of the same. To be fair, many readers in the later Bush years (after two elections in which they voted for the guy and told me how great he was, but wasn't) did finally realize that on this issue the Republicans in the White House weren't different than the Democrats. But I notice that the cries and protests are louder now.

To those, I ask, "why"? Why was it okay to prop these people up for the last eight years? These barbarians, these savages. Why was it okay for Bush to hold Israel back from responding to the homicide bombings of 2001, while he sucked up to the Muslim compatriots here? Why was Israel pressured into giving up Gaza and many portions of Judea and Samaria? And where were your protests when Saint Sarahmessiah praised this baloney at the debate with Joe Biden? Did you hold her feet to the fire? No. Many of you blindly cheered her on and want her to become President.

And as long as you continue to do this, why do you ask more of the Democrats--ask from the Democrats that which you simply haven't demanded from the Republicans? That's one of the things I admire about American Muslims and liberals: they demand everything and whine and cajole whether it's their guy in power or "our" guy. On our side of things, we often, instead, say, "Our guy, right or wrong." I got a lot of this on Bush post-9/11, when I asked why we were in an "anti-terrorism" coalition with Sudan.

For daring to ask this, I had ignoramus Salem radio talk show host Mike Gallagher speak all day long on his show about how I'm a Jew and how I should be strapped to a missile into Afghanistan. For daring to ask this, Gallagher question my patriotism and that of my parents, whom he also stressed are Jews. Our patriotism? Mike Gallagher, who's never done anything for this country but sit at a desk, eat, and talk through a microphone, versus my dad who was drafted and served during Vietnam and for several years in the U.S. military. Right after 9/11, this Gallagher cretin urged on his website for listeners to send me death threats. And with his show-long discussions of how I'm a Jew and how I should die, I got e-mails with the same anti-Semitic death threats.

That passed, and people woke up to the real Bush, eventually, though they didn't do much to demand change from him on this issue.

For daring to ask and to criticize those on "our" side, I've now come under fire yet again with vile attacks, many of them obscene and anti-Semitic from the Sarahmessiah crowd. The same people are the ones who now ask why Obama is sending nearly $1 billion, when they didn't ask so loudly or, many of them, even at all, for the last eight years, as George W. and Condi Clueless sent several billion and brought us to this point. They had eight years and they blew it. And now they've set the standard for Barack and Hillary to continue the downward spiralling course of amputating Israel and funding the cancer being amputated. You simply can't expect from Obama that which you didn't expect from Bush (and could have gotten, had you been as vocal with "your guy").

Like George W-messiah worship passed, so too will this. But still, you must demand the same on aid to Gaza from ALL Presidents, as in "Don't send it." We gave gazillions to rebuild Gaza, and Hezbollah-conrolled South Lebanon--post-Hezbollah war, and to UNRWA . . . all under Bush, to the silence of most alleged conservatives. Do you recall the Bush corporations set up with hundreds of millions to bail out Palestinian mortgages and to help Palestinians start businesses? I complained about them here. Conservatives did . . . nothing.

Remember, Hillary and Barack didn't invent the conferences to raise money for the Palestinians and other uncivilized Muslims. That was a trend started by Condi Clueless and the even more clueless George W. We could have protested louder to stop the trend then. Now, it's too late. We are howling at the wind, a wind who campaigned on doing this and is now doing it.

And then there are the Eastern European nations who either fought or finally threw off the yoke of Communism. They are essentially our allies in the cold war and countries we should help now to avoid them being taken over by Islamic extremism (while we don't try so hard to avoid the same, ourselves).

But instead, they are getting no money, while the Republicastan of Gaza and the related fiefdom of Munich Massacrestan, headed by Mahmoud Abbas in the Palestinian Authority, are getting $5.2 billion, far more than the $2.8 billion the Great Palestinian Unwashed sought.

The contrast is stark. As the Wall Street Journal reported yeseterday, European Union leaders rejected a call by Hungary to bailout the Eastern Europe Bloc.

But Angie Merkel and her fellow Eurotrash are joining Barack and Hillary in donating gazillions to barbarians nowhere near their borders.

And that's the bottom line:

Throw off the yoke of Communism and become Westernized, zero bucks.

Throw off respective HAMAS and Fatah rivals off buildings and kill Jews and Westerners, priceless.

But we'll give you $5.2 billion--including $900 million from the Bush/Condi-primed and Barack/Hillary-ready Americans--as a start.

Reward our enemies, screw our friends. Not the kind of thinking Machievelli was exactly rooting for.

Posted by Debbie at 10:47 AM

February 20, 2009

"Waltz With Bashir": Anti-Israel Propaganda Made by Israelis; Shame on Oscar

By Debbie Schlussel

**** SCROLL DOWN FOR UPDATE ****

At Sunday's Academy Awards, "Waltz With Bashir" is nominated for Best Foreign Language Film.

And while the foreign language it is in is Hebrew, it might as well be in Arabic or Farsi. That's because while neither Ahmadinejad nor the Muslim world could possibly make something more anti-Israel . . . and, frankly, anti-Semitic, they'll simply love this movie. And that's why I'm betting on it to win the Oscar. It's high quality Bin Laden cinema.

Since we already have an annoying actress cleaning up in the movie awards biz for playing a semi-pornographic, hot SS guard as the good guy (Kate Winslet in "The Reader"--read my review) for sending Jews to the ovens, while the two Jewish Holocaust survivors who testified against her are the insensitive bitches of the movie, why not round out the Nazi anti-Semitism with a little anti-Israel anti-Semitism to keep up with the times?

This movie and "The Reader" would make for a great double feature at the next SS/Gestapo reunion.

And it's no surprise that "Waltz With Bashir" is made by Israelis--in particular, director Ari Folman doing his best Leni Riefenstahl. Goebbels would be proud. As I've often noted on this site, the Israeli left and the Israeli movie industry make our left and our Hollywood look like centrists and moderates.

I saw in this animated piece of garbage virtually every canard that HAMAS, Hezbollah, and Israel's enemies around the world have hurled.

Jews as Nazis . . . Check.

Arabs killing Arabs, but it's the Jews' fault . . . Check.

Jews as murderers of "innocent" Muslims . . . Check.

Terrorist Muslims as innocent victims of the Jews . . . Check.

Jews as the Michael Vicks of the Middle East, killing dogs and Arabian horses . . . Check.

Israelis as porn and sex addicts . . . Check.

Israelis as drug addict slackers . . . Check (well, that part is true about the Israeli left, like the scum that made this movie).

Check, Check, Check, Check, Check.

The only thing missing from this vile celluloid exercise in the sickening are the traditional blood libels of Jews cooking Arabs and using their blood in pastries. The Israeli filmmakers--nice guys that they are--want to leave at least something as the exclusive domain of the Arab world and the Protocols of the Elders of Zion.

The movie follows Folman, the director of this film, a middle-aged former Israeli soldier who served in Lebanon during the Israeli invasion in the early 1980s. Let's not forget what Folman goes to great lengths to omit from this movie: Israel entered Lebanon in the early 1980s at the invitation of the majority of the Lebanese people --both Shi'ite Muslims (the same ones who now support Hezbollah) and Maronite Christians. As I've written, most of the Lebanese people welcomed the Israelis as heroes for liberating them from Yasser Arafat and his P.L.O., who took over their houses, raped their daughters, and murdered their sons. No less than David K. Shipler, the New York Times' anti-Israel then-correspondent detailed this, and I've summarized much of it on this site, as well as given other examples from my own knowledge and research over the years.

There's a reason that much of Lebanon was known as "Fatahland" at the time. None of that exists in the vacuum of this lie-filled movie.

At the beginning of the movie, a friend and Folman are at a bar. The friend says he has nightmares about 26 dogs trying to kill him. These are the 26 dogs he shot as Israel invaded South Lebanon. The killings were necessary because the dogs would bark and alert wanted Palestinian terrorists that the Israelis were coming to capture them.

But since this is an anti-war, anti-Israel movie, the Israelis are as bad as Michael Vick. Because shooting dogs to save people from Islamic terrorists is just a vile thing to do . . . according to PETA and these Israeli self-hating filmmakers who produced this trash.

While his friend tells of his guilt over the dogs, Folman tells him he can't remember a thing about his service in Lebanon. It's "not in his system," he says. Of course, those inhuman Israelis--it's just not in their system to care about--or even remember--war.

Folman seeks out his former unit members from his time in Lebanon to remind him what happened there. The whole rest of the movie is spent rehashing and blaming Israel for the events at Sabra and Shatila--Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, where Maronite Christian Phalangist soldiers killed Palestinians, some of them terrorists (but they don't want you to know that in this movie). What Ari Folman also doesn't want you to know is that these camps were not only the subterfuges for Yasser Arafat's P.L.O., but they were the breeding and training grounds--much as all Palestinian refugee camps remain today--for Islamic terrorists.

Frankly, while--unlike the message of this movie--the Israelis (the movie also singles out Ariel Sharon and Menachem Begin, in addition to soldiers and commanders) have no blame in the Sabra and Shatila massacre, I can't blame the Phalangists for slaughtering the Palestinians there. What would you do if Sunni Muslim terrorists under the leadership of Arafat ravaged your country, took over your homes, raped your wives and daughters, and executed your sons before your eyes? Would you look the other way? Or would you seek the only justice available in the Middle East?

But the movie only shows us one group of people taking over Lebanese homes . . . Israeli soldiers. And it shows them watching vile, obscene porn, lounging in their bathtubs, and drinking their alcohol. Uh, thanks, Ari Folman, but you have the wrong ethnicity. Not that a minor detail such as that would get in your way of vilifying Israel and the Jews.

And you wouldn't know that it was the Phalangists--and not Israelis--who "massacred" these terrorist-monger Palestinians, unless you sit through the entire movie. It implies the Israelis did it, until the last third of the movie. You know, they wouldn't want you to get the wrong impression--i.e., that Israelis didn't massacre anyone, but that their Arab brethren who were forced to live with them were driven to it.

On the subject of the Phalangists, the movie is named for their dead leader, Bashir Gemayel--a charismatic, pro-Israel leader who was about to recognize Israel and, for the first time ever, create real peace in the Israeli-Lebanese relationship. Sadly, he was assassinated by the Syrians, shortly after becoming Lebanon's leader, for that very reason.

But instead of wishing he had taken over, director Ari Folman vilifies the dead Gemayel. The people in his movie describe the Phalangists' admiration of him as homo-erotic, a claim he'd never dare make about the real homo-erotic admiration actually going on in Lebanon . . . for Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah.

Unlike Mr. Folman, the dead Bashir Gemayel's family (excluding his Syrian-allied brother Amin Gemayel) continues to sacrifice its family members even in recent times, as victims for trying to free Lebanon from the puppets of foreign Islamic rule based in Iran and Syria.

And Folman does exactly what we've seen from the supporters of HAMAS and Hezbollah. In a 1.5 hour movie, I counted at least three comparisons of Israeli soldiers to Nazis and the situation to the Holocaust--that's one per half hour. They were called "Nazis." And their entrance into and activities in Lebanon were called both "Auschwitz," and the "Warsaw Ghetto." So let's compare: Innocent Jews rounded up and cooked in ovens versus Palestinians who raped, tortured and murdered the people versus Lebanon getting a tiny deserved taste of their own medicine. Hmmm ... sounds exactly the same to me. How' bout you?

In addition to being Nazis, cruel dog-killers, porn addicts, and home invaders, we're told that Israeli soldiers killed an entire field of Arabian horses. "The horses never did anything to anyone. They didn't deserve to die," Folman tells us.

Yup, that's what you want to do when you go to war against Palestinian terrorists who are shooting down on your country and using the country to your north as a base of attack: Worry about guard dogs who protect them . . . and Arabian horses who might get in the way of bombings and gunshots. The PETA plan of attack--I'm sure it works wonders . . . in the cartoon land of the vegetarians and Ari Folman.

We are also shown scenes of Israeli soldiers landing on a Lebanese beach and shooting up a car carrying a family, just for the heck of it. Oh, and then there's that porn again. We are constantly shown scenes of naked Israeli soldiers, with full-frontal penile nudity on the water off the coast of Lebanon, and full-frontal naked women who are the fantasies of pot-smoking Israeli soldiers. And then there are the scenes of Folman and one of his former unit-mates in Holland smoking pot.

Perhaps Mr. Folman should have stuck to pot-smoking instead of filmmaking, because clearly his vision of what really happened in Lebanon is drug-addled.

The only part of this movie that isn't animated is the end, during which the audience is treated to gruesome footage of Palestinians' bodies at Sabra and Shatila and piercing screaming of crying Palestinian women. Hmmm . . . too afraid to show us the crying and screaming and far more gruesome pictures of what the Palestinians living in those camps did to Lebanese Shi'ites and Christians all over the country?

Yeah, why give the complete picture when the goal is to destroy Israel from within? It was a civil war between Christians trying to save their once civilized and beautiful country and Muslims trying to savage it and wrest control. Israel had far less business interfering in this alleged "massacre" of its enemy by its ally than it did interfering--which Israel did not--in the many, far larger Palestinian massacres of Lebanese Christians and Shi'ites.

As I left the theater, a noblesse oblige ignoramus-ette said to me, "Oh, the inhumanity of those Israelis and Jews."

To her, I said,

Lady, if you had a clue, you'd know that the Lebanese people were raped and murdered by these Palestinians, that they welcomed the Israelis in to rescue them. Too bad they didn't bother to show you that in this propaganda film.

Oh the inhumanity of those Israelis and Jews that they didn't let the Maronites finish the job.

Look for Oscar gold, Sunday Night, for the new Goebbels-esque filmmaker, Ari Folman and his "Waltz with Bashir."

FOUR MARXES PLUS

***

READ "When Shi'ites Welcomed Israel Into Lebanon: P.L.O. Mass Murder, Torture & Rape in 'Fatah-land.'"

**** UPDATE, 2/22/09: Fortunately, "Waltz with Bashir" did not win the Oscar. Glad to be wrong in this case. ****

Posted by Debbie at 04:53 PM

February 16, 2009

Tennis v. The Jews: No Tears Over Israeli Tennis Star's Lack Of Golden Tix to Islamic Minstrel Show

By Debbie Schlussel

A number of readers, knowing I've followed the pandering tennis career of Israeli Jewish tennis player Shahar Pe'er (also spelled without the apostrophe, as "Shahar Peer"), have written me about Dubai's decision to deny this woman a visa to play in the Dubai Tennis Championship.

But I don't shed any tears for Shahar Pe'er, for a number of reasons.

First of all, Dubai and the rest of the United Emirates have, for decades, refused entry to Jews with Israeli passports and anyone (who isn't a Muslim) with an Israeli stamp on his/her passport.

That the Women's Tennis Association (WTA)--now, apparently, the Eva Brauns of the court--and that Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) subscribe to this tennis apartheid--which I've decried on this site for a number of years--is an outrage in and of itself. The WTA refused to host and/or sanction tennis tournaments in South Africa for many years, in opposition to apartheid. Why haven't they done the same thing in Dubai? They (WTA officials) know the visa policy there, and they don't care. This isn't the first time Pe'er couldn't play in the Dubai. And now, suddenly, the tennis world is shocked--shocked!--that the policy it endorsed (overlooking Dubai's bigoted Israeli boycott) is suddenly blowing up in its face.

It's happened before, and I've written about it. And where are all the tennis pros who decry anti-Semitism and the anti-Israel boycott? Where are they, and why isn't a single tennis pro speaking out and/or refusing to play? Judenrein in the tennis world is very acceptable.

But then there's the fact that Ms. Pe'er played in the Qatar Open. Had she gotten a visa to play in the Dubai tournament, it would be the same thing: An Islamic Minstrel Show. "Look at the little Jew we allowed to play here, so we'd look good to the world, while we continue to boycott all of her Jewish countrymen." Whether or not these Gulf States grant visas to these Jewish Israeli tennis players makes no difference because it is just for show, since they won't let any other Jews from Israel in. Until that changes, nothing has changed.

And then, there's Ms. Pe'er. As I've noted before, she's a willing minstrel in the Islamic minstrel show. Her doubles partner, Indian Muslim Sana Mirza, dumped her from a match in her native India because she didn't want to upset Muslims that she was playing with a Jew. And Pe'er took it. She continues to befriend and play doubles with this person. Like I said, Judenrein is acceptable . . . even to Israeli Jewish tennis players.

Pe'er also didn't have a problem playing in the Qatar Open, even though she knew she was a Jewish minstrel, on display for Qatar's Olympic bid, and even though her fellow Jewish countrymen aren't allowed in. Qatar put pictures of Pe'er in its native dress in USA Today and every other willing media outlet. Look at the Jew. We allowed her to set foot on our soil for our Olympic bid.

And there are other ways this tennis kapo displayed that she's not a proud Jew or a proud Israeli. When Pe'er recently played a tournament in New Zealand, she declined to defend Israel's defense against HAMAS. (At least she joined the Israeli Army, as is required of all Israelis, but she received "outstanding athlete status," so she basically played tennis instead of serving and got away with it.)

And now? Shahar Pe'er remains silent, not a word to raise the ire of the world that she dare protest the "no Jewish Israelis" policy of this shameless country that aided and abetted the 9/11 hijackers and continued to recognize the Taliban through December of 2001.

This Pe'er woman is a selfish slave to her career. She has no allegiance to her country or her people.

And that's why I cry no tears over Shahar Pe'er. She continues to make a lot of money in sponsorships and prize money as 48th in the world. And she puts up with the anti-Semitic policies of tennis tournaments her organization sanctions, never once embarrassing the tennis world into doing the right thing. Instead, she consistently enables jihadists for the sake of a tennis paycheck.

No tears over Dubai's decision to deny spoiled brat diva Shahar Pe'er a Golden Ticket to the Islamic minstrel show.

It's no shanda [Yiddish for embarrassment, scandal, shame] that there will be no Shahar in Dubai.

The scandal is that everyone just noticed they boycott Israel.

Posted by Debbie at 02:03 PM

February 13, 2009

On Valentine's Day a/k/a "Doghouse Risk Avoidance Day": Big Day for Catchin' Cheaters; White Castle Candlelight Dinners

By Debbie Schlussel

Sadly, I can't do what I really wish I could tomorrow, on Valentine's Day.

You see, I know--as hopefully you do--that it's a forced day. By forced, I mean that most men aren't buying women chocolates or flowers for their wives or girlfriends or taking them out to dinner because they want to. It's because they have to. It's an obligation, period. Not an expression of love. Don't fool yourself into naive notions otherwise.

So what did I want to do? Well, last year, Valentine's Day a/k/a "Doghouse Risk Avoidance Day" fell on a weekday, on a workday. I happened to be at a CVS near my home between 5:30 and 7:00 p.m. I laughed as I watched the steady march of a crowd of men on their way home from work, trudging through CVS--without happy looks on their faces--looking for cards and chocolate or other candy. None of 'em looked like they wanted to do it. But if they didn't, they'd be in the doghouse with their women. This was their last chance, the last outpost before a trip to man's best friend's humble, dark, cold abode.

Is that really what women want? A forced expression of obligation? Well, if you like Valentine's Day, that's basically what you're getting. There's nothing wrong with romance. But, for the most part, for men, Valentine's Day is an obligation, not romance.

And aside from that, love is not about buying chocolates and a card because Hallmark and Hershey told you, too. What these guys were doing all day long before they got to CVS--struggling to make a living, put food on the table, and, likely, to support a family--is the real love they show every day of the year. Any woman who puts any one of them in the doghouse despite all of that--because he didn't buy chocolate or a card on top of it--well, she's missing what's really happening. (And if the wife is the one earning the living, well, that's a whole different column on another serious problem--Mr. Moms; sorry, Todd Palin.)

I wanted to videotape the "Last March of the Doghouse Avoiders." At the time, I asked some of these men if they were doing this because they wanted to. "Are you kiddin' me?!" was the basic response. I laughed and told some of them: "Well, you just avoided the doghouse." They agreed. And they weren't laughing with me.

But this year, there's no steady, simultaneous rush of men after work buying candy at CVS as a last chance at ransom for a night of peace at home. Since Valentine's Day falls on a Saturday, there won't be one crush of ransom marches. And since it's the Jewish Sabbath, I can't videotape it anyway.

Ah, well. . . there's always next year.

I'm not saying that there are no men who are buying the cards and the chocolates and/or springing for dinner out because they want to and because they love their wives, girlfriends, and/or mistresses. I'm just saying most are doing this out of obligation only. The ones who would do this of their own volition, well, they don't need a special day and greeting card companies and pop culture hype to dictate to them to do it on this particular day.

And they aren't suddenly rushing the local CVS in unison on only one day a year.

Not that I'm opposed to Valentine's Day. It's great for the economy. This feeling of obligation spurs a spike in spending just a month and a half after the Christmas buying season, which is much needed especially now when consumer spending is significantly down and leading to an endless cycle of job-cuts, store-closings, and even less spending. Though, this year, Valentine's Day-related spending will be down, by $20 on average, according to some estimates. (And much of the candy bought for this manufactured "holiday" is now produced in jobs that U.S. candy makers took away from Americans and shipped to Mexico.)

But, let's be clear--the spending on Valentine's Day is done mostly by men. Every year, they do studies, and every year, men outspend women on Valentine's day by an average of something like $20.00.

Spending is down, too, on what has also become the biggest cheating and catch-a-cheater days of the year:

Flowers and chocolate aren't the only big sellers for Valentine's Day. There's also spyware.

The use of tracking devices and hiring of private investigators surge around this holiday - an opportune time to catch a cheating spouse.

"If there's anything going on, a spouse will more than likely make contact with a lover on Valentine's Day, the day before or the day after," says Ruth Houston, author of the book, Is He Cheating on You? 829 Telltale Signs.

Private investigators agree. "Valentine's Day is a day of lovers, and sometimes the lover is not a spouse," says Jimmie Mesis, editor of PI magazine. That's why, he says, investigators are often busy this time of year.

Mesis says suspicious spouses are also turning to spyware, which costs less than a detective.

"They do their own CSI work," he says.

His website's sales of GPS trackers are more than 20% higher in the three weeks before Valentine's Day than at other times of the year.

Sales of spyware to track spouses - his customer service representatives talk with buyers about how they'll use the items - were 141% higher in the past four weeks than the monthly average for the preceding six months, says Todd Morris, CEO of BrickHouse Security.

Such devices, retailing for $50 to $400, include cameras hidden in alarm clocks, light scanners to detect evidence of sexual activity and devices to monitor e-mail.

Morris says he expected more people to stay home with their spouses in a weak economy, but sales suggest otherwise. "Apparently," he says, "money troubles don't stop the philandering."

The dismal economy is making it more difficult, though, for people to afford a private investigator.

David Hill, an investigator in Tuscaloosa, Ala., says he has had lots of inquiries in recent weeks, but often callers cannot afford his $1,500 retainer.

This Valentine's Day is one of the few in the past two decades that has not triggered a surge in clients, says Kelly Riddle, owner of Kelmar & Associates in San Antonio, a firm of 39 private investigators.

And then, there's my favorite completely cheesy Valentine's day promotion. Since I keep kosher, I've never eaten one of these burgers/sliders, and if I didn't (keep kosher), I don't think I would (eat one). Still, I give this company credit for chutzpah and kitsch in marketing. It's got a certain kind of low-budget charm and humor to it.

White Castle restaurants will offer reserved candlelight dining on Saturday, February 14 from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. If you crave the steam grilled goodness of White Castle then you've found the perfect dinner destination to share with your favorite Valentine.

Not only can cravers dine with candlelight, the tables will be adorned with flowers and decorations. Customers will be presented with a special menu and will receive table side service.

"This is the fourth year we have offered reserved seating for Valentine's Day dinners. It was a huge hit last year and the year before - it always puts a smile on everyone's face. We're really looking forward to hearing more White Castle stories from our customers that evening. It seems that so many of our loyal customers either met in a White Castle or have a fond childhood memory that continues to bring them back into the restaurants time and time again," said Bob Harrison, Regional Director of Restaurant Operations in Detroit.

Reservations are filling up quickly and can still be made by calling [your local White Castle].

In the past, White Castle has also offered promotional photos to couples who took part in this Valetine's Day offering (though not this year).

Check here to find out if your White Caste is a "Love Castle."

Just hope that Harold and Kumar aren't within driving distance. Nor a doghouse.

Posted by Debbie at 05:07 PM

February 10, 2009

The End of Parenting: The Complete Morons Who Take Their Kids to "Friday the 13th"

By Debbie Schlussel

Tonight, I concluded that the decline of America is increasing with rapidity and escalation far worse than I've earlier diagnosed.

I just returned from a special critics and promotional screening of the latest installment of the "Friday The 13th" movie franchise. This latest one bears the same name as the 1980 original--simply, "Friday the 13th." And I watched parents voluntarily subject their very young children to graphic, bloody violence, from which many parents in the Third World only wish they could shield their kids.

Al-Qaeda murdered 3,000 Americans on 9/11. That was an outrage. But thousands more American parents--who are merely sperm, egg, and womb donors--are doing to this country what Al-Qaeda could never do. These American parents have voluntarily turned their kids' minds to mush--kids who will still be around, who will "grow up," and who will continue to add to America's decline.

In the past, I've complained on this site about selfish parents who take their babies to the movies, so we hear them crying instead of the movie. And I've lamented that irresponsible parents take their very young kids to violent, graphic, sex-laden, R-rated movies like this one. This latest "Friday the 13th," should have been rated NC-17 and, a few years ago, it would have been. But Hollywood is desperate to keep teens coming to these flicks and manages to get the ratings standards relaxed.

But while I blame Hollywood for creating ever trashier garbage, I blame these pseudo-parents far more.

Tonight, I saw ever more extreme examples of this--of the morons who are "raising" America's next generation.

"Friday The 13th" is what you'd expect--except that it's more graphic, bloody, and violent than ever. Posters and passes to the free screening of this movie say, "FROM THE PRODUCERS OF THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE." (There are more graphic beheadings in this movie than a dozen Al-Qaeda videos.) It also is more replete with topless, heavily-implanted women, sexual language and content, and a prolonged, very explicit sex scene.

It's NOT for kids. But fewer and fewer parents in America seem to care anymore.

Tonight, I saw--or rather, heard--at least two crying babies at the "Friday the 13th" showing. And I saw at least two parents with VERY young, impressionable kids. It was one of those times I wish I had a video camera with me. I spoke with each of these parents I saw.

First, the babies. I understand that it's "Friday The 13th." It's no masterpiece. More like the anti-masterpiece. I expected lots of laughter at supposedly scary points in the movie and lots of talking back to the screen.

But I didn't expect surround-sound baby. Two single parents--a baby mama and a baby daddy--brought their babies to the movie. They didn't think: Hmmm . . . I don't wanna or can't afford to spring for a baby sitter. So, the right thing to do would be to be a good parent and a good citizen and stay home with my kid.

Nope, they thought: I wanna see a free movie, and damn it if I have this inconvenient product of my slutty single sex life get in the way. I'm gonna go see that movie, not matter what. And I don't give a crap if the rest of the people in the theater can't enjoy the movie when my baby predictably cries or makes noises.

That was selfish enough. But, then, as you'd predict, their babies repeatedly cried, cooed, and screamed during the entire movie. Not once did they get up and leave the theater. No, that would ruin their movie-viewing experience. Who gives a crap about the rest of the people in the theater?

I asked both of the parents of these babies why they brought their crying babies to the movies. Both happened to be Black, but don't you worry that this is a race thing, because I'll get to the two moronic single White mothers who brought their young kids later on in this column.

First, there was a single Black mother with her baby. I shouted to her, "Why did you bring a baby to "Friday the 13th?" "Shut up, bitch," was the response. To another film critic's questions, she and her friends said, "Mind ya own damn bid'ness." Um, well, we would, if we wouldn't have to hear the result of your bid'ness throughout the movie, sister.

Then, there was the single Black father and his aging mother with a baby. I'd bet money his mother is raising this grandkid. They were parked next to me, and after the movie, I asked, "Why was it necessary for you to bring your baby to 'Friday the 13th'? Don't you think that's rude and irresponsible?"

His response: "He say he wanna get scared."

Me: "Huh? How old is this kid? Can he even talk?"

Baby Daddy: "He one-year-old."

Me: "A one-year-old can understand what's going on in 'Friday the 13th'? Come on . . . ."

Baby Daddy: "You'd be surprised."

Me, getting into my car: "Well, that's very irresponsible parenting and very rude to the rest of us who heard his crying."

Then, there are the two White, single mothers with their kids, who looked to be between the ages of 8 and 11.

White Single Mother #1 took two young daughters to see this disgustingly violent, explicitly sexual movie. I asked her youngest daughter how old she was. She looked at me and her mother like even she knew she wasn't old enough to be there.

White Single Mother (WSM) #1: "She's eleven."

Me: "Why would you take an eleven-year-old girl to see this movie?"

WSM #1: "Well, if I would have known it would be like this . . . ."

Me: "If you would have known?! Lady, it's 'Friday the 13th.'"

And it's R-rated. WSM #1 threw her hands up and smiled because she knew quite well what the content of "Friday the 13th." It's not like there haven't been a gazillion sequels to and incarnations of this movie over the last three decades (the first was in 1980).

Me: "Great parenting. You're a moron."

White Single Mother #2 had a teeny, tiny, young boy with her. I asked the boy how old he is. He, too, had the same look of guilt as White Single Mother #1's daughter. He knew he shouldn't be at this movie.

White Single Mother (WSM) #2: "He's ten."

Me: "Why are you taking a ten-year-old to see such a graphic, violent movie?"

WSM #2: "It's only a movie. And, yeah, I know it's violent and stuff, but he knows right from wrong. And ya know, it's only a movie and stuff."

Me: "Huh? That's Bullsh-t. He's only ten and you're taking him to a movie where people are hacked to death, burned alive, and otherwise killed in morbid, grisly ways?"

WSM #2: "I can't believe you just cussed in front of my son."

Me: "Why does that suddenly bother you, since you just dragged your ten-year-old son to a movie at eleven o-clock at night, in which they're swearing throughout the entire movie? [Every other word is sh-t, f-ck, the p-word, etc.] You're completely irresponsible."

WSM #2: "Well, that's not real. Mind your own business."

You know what? I wish Americans could mind their own business. I wish that we didn't have so many morons, so many irresponsible people raising kids in America. But that is my business, and it's yours, too. Because how they raise--or rather, don't raise--their kids is going to affect us and future generations of this country. "Deep Throat" is "just a movie," too. I wonder why this woman isn't also showing that to her 10-year-old. Or maybe she is.

Trust me--this isn't the first time White Single Mothers #1 and #2 are subjecting their kids to these kinds of movies, violence, and sex, because they, themselves, can't pass up a free movie ticket. If they have no problem with this, odds are that they have no problem with a lot of other objectionable things that come up in raising their kids. And the same goes for Black Single Mom and Father. They'll do the same. These so-called parents have no sense, no basic standard of what it means to be responsible, to raise your child with the tools to be good people and use common sense. It's, frankly, indecent. And sickeningly selfish.

And this is one of the reasons I'm not optimistic about America's future.

When I was a kid, my parents investigated the movies I saw BEFORE I saw them. They didn't let me see the movies I was too young to see. They didn't view parenting as a passive, go-through-the-motions avocation. It was their very serious vocation. (And they taught me to be a polite citizen--not to consider a movie theater my own personal living room, in which I can answer my cell phone, bring a crying baby, provide John Madden-style endless play-by-play color commentary of the obvious regarding what's happening on-screen, or otherwise disturb everyone else repeatedly.)

At first, my father wouldn't let me see "Star Wars," because he heard there were monsters and scary-looking people in it. I was seven or eight at the time and begged him to see it. He saw it on his own first to check it out and loved it, realizing that his concerns were not borne out. He couldn't wait to take us. But I'm glad--and lucky--that I had a parent who cared enough to be concerned in the first place.

When I was in high school, my dad wouldn't let me see "Risky Business" because it glorified prostitution and pimping (as a way to get into the college of your choice). But compared to the new "Friday the 13th," "Risky Business" is nothing.

Sorry, but parents who take their ten-year-olds to see "Friday the 13th" shouldn't have kids. It's child abuse of a more insidious kind.

These were just four irresponsible parents--all single parents, too. But I've seen other parents take their young kids to violent, risque movies. And there are, sadly, tens of thousands--probably hundreds of thousands and even millions--of American parents just like them who just don't give a damn.

They don't give a damn about the rest of the people in the theater. And, even worse, they don't care a whit about their own children.

And when people don't care enough about their own kids, who and what will they care about?

Certainly not the rest of their country. The stuff to which you subject your children is the stuff that they will be.

Garbage in, garbage out. And sadly, we have a lot of trash to take out in America.

Let's take out the trash before it takes us out.

Posted by Debbie at 11:30 PM

What Would Lincoln Do?: Celebrating Eternal Welfare Queen John Dingell; Anti-Israel Rep. Doesn't Live Up to the Daddy My Grandpa Knew

By Debbie Schlussel

**** SCROLL DOWN FOR UPDATE ****

While auto company jobs continue to get slashed, the big story in the Detroit area is, unfortunately, the long-running career of America's longest public welfare recipient--John Dingell. The man gets paid $140K a year by American taxpayers, but hasn't had a real job since his 20s. But, sadly, unlike so many other people in Michigan who actually produced something for a living, his job has yet to get slashed.

Dingell--one of the most anti-Israel and pan-terrorist Congressmen (remember when he said Hezbollah isn't a terrorist group, despite its murder of over 300 Americans?) has been on the public dole for well over a half-century. As of this week, he's now the longest serving member of the U.S. House of Representatives in history? Why is this cause to celebrate?

I raised this same question back in 2005, when President Bush hosted a luncheon in honor of Dingell's 50th year in Congress.

It's ironic that in this era where everything about Abraham Lincoln is hip again, one of the most important aspects of Lincoln isn't: term limits. When I worked for Republican Congressman Philip M. Crane, he asked me to research Abraham Lincoln and term limits, and I spent a lot of time on it. In fact, Lincoln believed so strongly in term limits that he self-limited his terms in the legislature.

After serving four terms in the Illinois House, Lincoln declined to be renominated and left of his own accord. After one term in Congress, he also practiced self-term-limiting and declined to be renominated. In those days, even officeholders had some class. They weren't pigs. They were true citizen legislators who served a few terms and then went back to live under the laws they made.

These days, we celebrate welfare queen John Dingell. No, America's fattest cat welfare queen is not the mythical stereotype of a Black woman in a Cadillac driving to pick up her welfare check. It's a fat, bald White guy in his seventies who doesn't know when to quit.

The celebration of Dingell's "history"-making is ironic, too. Today's Detroit Newsistan has a ridiculous, pandering, entire "news" section dedicated to John Dingell. It's as if the Newsistan became Dingell's "Glamour Shots" for the day.

My favorite part of the section is the article, "Son Strives to Measure Up to Father's Public Service" (not linking to it b/c I don't give traffic to the Newsistan unless absolutely necessary). But John Dingell, Jr. doesn't even come close to living up to John Dingell, Sr.--who was a friend of my late grandfather, Irving Wolf Schlussel.

Dingell has one of the most anti-Israel and pan-terrorist voting records in the House. His father was the complete opposite. From my 2005 column on Dingell's father and my grandfather:

[T]he Dingell apple falls far from the tree. Dingell's father, John Dingell, Sr., who preceded him in Congress, was very pro-Israel. So was the entire Michigan Democratic Party--which today is the domicile of the Islamofascists.

Below is an article from The Detroit Times, from November or December of 1948, not long after Israel became a State. It is about a pro-Israel dinner hosted by my late grandfather, Irving W. Schlussel, a lawyer, Detroit Jewish Community Council President, and President of the Jewish National Fund (which reclaims swamp and rocky land in Israel and plants trees on it). John Dingell, Sr. is one of the honorees, and he is pictured in the photo with my grandfather. Dingell, Sr. was inscribed in the JNF's "Golden Book" for his support for Israel. His statement (some of which is unfortunately cut off in the only copy in my possession) is very pro-Israel. Today, he is probably turning over in his grave, at the disgusting actions and statements of his terror-apologist son.

Also, below, is another article from The Detroit Times from 1951. It is about a dinner, also hosted by my grandfather, Irving Schlussel.The dinner was in honor of then-Michigan Governor G. Mennen "Soapy" Williams and Lt. Governor (later U.S. Senator) Phil Hart. Although he is not mentioned in the article or pictured in the photo, John Dingell Sr. was in attendance, because, again, he was a strong supporter of Israel, unlike his terror-apologist son, who has been in office 50-years too long. At this dinner, the Williams-Hart Forest in Israel was established.

Celebrating that an out-of-touch, anti-Israel welfare queen who refuses to "take sides" against a terrorist group that murdered hundreds of Marines, is still in office is mind-boggling. That's not an achievement. It's a travesty. No-one, except Hezbollah, should be celebrating that this guy served in Congress the longest.

The Detroit Newsistan headline calls John Dingell a "Crusader." But let's just call him what he really is: a hack.

John Dingell, Jr.'s retirement is several decades overdue.

**** UPDATE: Braunstein Speaks also writes about Dingell's "history-making" career of longevity in Congressional ineptitude. He writes aobut the Dingell family dynasty and compares it to the domination of the Kennedys in American politics. Braunstein and I agree: America is not a nation of royalty. Time to end the dynasties. Read Paul Braunstein's piece on Dingell-ling.

Posted by Debbie at 02:00 PM

February 03, 2009

Seven Years Later, Daniel Pearl's Father Still Doesn't Get It

By Debbie Schlussel

Seven years ago, this week, Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl was murdered by Islamic terrorists.

His slaughter was brutal. He was beheaded, and his limbs were cut off like chicken parts. Before that, he was forced by Islamic terrorists to talk about being a Jew.

We all remember this (though the mainstream media sanitized what Islamic murderers actually did to him), and it is a tragedy. But there is at least one man who still doesn't get it: Daniel Pearl's father, Judea Pearl.

For some reason, Daniel Pearl's murder has been elevated above those of 3,000 Americans murdered on 9/11, even though the 3,000 were innocent victims on American soil minding their own business. Pearl, on the other hand, was an extremely left-wing, nominal Jew whose reporting repeatedly gave exposure to and legitimization of Islamic terrorists.

Daniel Pearl was killed not minding his own business on an airplane or in an office building, but putting himself at risk chasing more Islamic terrorists to tell their story. But he was a mainstream media reporter--and for one of America's most prestigious newspapers--so his life, in the mainstream media's eyes, is far more important than common-folk Americans who conduct America's commerce and raise families.

And Judea Pearl--in the seven years since his son's death--has sought to legitimize this same legitimization and appeasement of terrorists, even if he won't admit it.

In the years since his son's death, Dr. Pearl has focused on "promoting cross-cultural understanding." That is the stated purpose of the Daniel Pearl Foundation he set up.

To that end, he raises money for the Seeds of Peace camp, founded by Yasser Arafat's favorite biographer. The whole idea of the camp is the moral equivalence of terrorism's victims and its perpetrators. Islamic terrorists' kids tell off Israeli leftists' kids for several hours, and then they go canoeing or play volleyball together. Significant numbers of graduates of the Maine camp have become Islamic terrorists and homicide bombers, who kill Jews in Israel. The camp's most famous grad, Adam Shapiro, founded ISM (International Solidarity Movement), a group which sheltered British Al-Qaeda bombers the night before they blew themselves--and many innocent victims--up at a Tel Aviv bar. (The group was also caught sheltering an Islamic Jihad terrorist.)

A Wall Street Journal reporter friend of mine was aghast, during a visit to Seeds of Peace, when he watched counselors remain silent as Palestinian Muslim campers told Jewish campers that the Holocaust never happened. The Jewish campers, since their parents are leftists and didn't teach them anything, didn't have a clue how to respond or even know for sure if the Muslims were wrong. The counselors told the WSJ reporter that they could not intervene because "all viewpoints are legitimate and there is no right and wrong" at Seeds of Peace.

Imagine Osama Bin Laden's kids and kids of some of those who died on the 9/11 planes and in the towers being sent to summer camp together and being told their causes are equal--or that the terrorists' cause is superior, and that there is no right and wrong. Raising money for this camp is just one of the many detrimental activities in which Judea Pearl has been involved, in the name of memorializing his slain son.

Would he send his grandchildren to a camp where they made arts and crafts with his son's killers' grandchildren, after his son's slaughter was legitimized in a two-hour long forced dialogue?

Then, there is the series of awards Judea Pearl gives out. Emblematic of the type of recipient, father Pearl gave the Daniel Pearl Award for Courage to Kevin Sites, a Yahoo reporter who did a series of written and video reports called "In the Hot Zone." But it might better have been called, "In the Dhimmi Zone." Sites is a vehemently anti-Israel reporter, who frequently attacked Israel for the plight of Palestinians who've been living in Lebanon for decades (and the Lebanese won't let them have the rights of citizens or live outside refugee camps). Sites work is a non-stop, one-sided attack on Israel for every malady in the Middle East. If this is Daniel Pearl Courage, who needs it?

By giving out this award, Dr. Pearl might as well have been giving aid and comfort to those of the same Islamic ideology that killed his son. In giving Sites the award, Dr. Pearl made this ignorant pronouncement telling us that "the hatred that took his son's life . . . is not between Muslims and Westerners.":

Um, no. It's Islam, stupid.

But it doesn't end there.

Dr. Pearl set up a series of "dialogue" forums, in which he and Islamic propagandist Akbar Ahmed, get paid big bucks (allegedly at least $10,000 each per appearance) to travel the country making speeches about how Islam isn't extremist and that we can all get along. For an idea of how "we can all get along," Ahmed excused honor killings when he was on Oprah, claiming they had nothing to do with Islam. Then, there is his year-long video series, "Journey Into America," in which Dr. Ahmed whitewashed extremist Hezbollah mosque Islamic Center of America, and gushed over Sheikh Hamza Yusuf. Here's some background on Hamza Yusuf, from my 2004 column on Cat Stevens/Yusuf Islam:

Yusuf was under [FBI] investigation [after 9/11] for this speech two days before the attacks: "This country is facing a terrible fate. ... This country stands condemned. It stands condemned like Europe stood condemned because of what it did - and lest people forget that Europe suffered two world wars after conquering the Muslim lands." Unfortunately, President Bush invited him to the White House, where he was when FBI agents knocked on his California door.

At a 1995 ISNA [Islamic Society of North America] conference, Yusuf delivered this speech: "The Jews would have us believe that God has this bias to this little small tribe in the Middle of the Sinai desert and all the rest of humanity is just rubbish. I mean that this is the basic doctrine of the Jewish religion and that's why it is a most racist religion."

Judea Pearl's speaking tour partner thinks this guy is just swell.

After all of this, Judea Pearl had the nerve to write in The New Republic:

Moral relativism died with Daniel Pearl, in Karachi, on January 31, 2002.

It did? Wake up, buddy. Dude, you're one of the top moral relativists. And you make good coin for doing it.

In today's Wall Street Journal, Judea Pearl wrote an op-ed that is partly completely clueless and where it is in the know, completely hypocritical.

In the piece, "Daniel Pearl and the Normalization of Evil," he claims:

Neither he, nor the millions who were shocked by his murder, could have possibly predicted that seven years later . . . this ideology of barbarism would be celebrated in European and American universities, fueling rally after rally for Hamas, Hezbollah and other heroes of "the resistance." Or that another kidnapped young man, Israeli Gilad Shalit, would spend his 950th day of captivity with no Red Cross visitation while world leaders seriously debate whether his kidnappers [DS: HAMAS] deserve international recognition.

Huh? He is shocked--shocked!--that Muslims around the world actually do what they've done for centuries and what their sheikhs tell them to do at mosques and on Islamic law shows on Al-Jazeera. Many of us--myself and many, many others--warned for years of exactly these very predictable things (I've been writing about the dangers of Islam since I was a teenager and about my undercover exploits since 1998), while Dr. Judea Pearl was busy running around the country for the last seven years regurgitating false fantasies about dialogue with and understanding of Islam (for $10K a pop), raising money for moral equivalency summer camps for kids, and giving out award to pan-jihadist internet reporters. That he thinks these things post-9/11 (not post-Daniel Pearl), which had already happened pre-9/11, are such a shock, just shows how out of touch this guy, Judea Pearl, is.

Those around the world who mourned for Danny in 2002 genuinely hoped that Danny's murder would be a turning point in the history of man's inhumanity to man, and that the targeting of innocents to transmit political messages would quickly become, like slavery and human sacrifice, an embarrassing relic of a bygone era.

Dr, Pearl, you've been watching to many Coca-Cola commercials ("I'd like to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony . . .") and Rodney King videos. Who the heck thought this guy's murder was a turning point for anything positive? It was just another announcement of Islam's evil to non-Muslims, specifically Jews and Westerners--a death knell this guy's own father just refuses to hear.

In his column, he goes on to lament that:

The media have played a major role in handing terrorism this victory of acceptability. Qatari-based Al Jazeera television, for example, is still providing Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi hours of free air time each week to spew his hateful interpretation of the Koran, authorize suicide bombing, and call for jihad against Jews and Americans.

Guess who did one of the first, most sympathetic Western media interviews with Qaradawi, declaring this extremist a "moderate" who takes the "middle path"?

I'll give you a hint: His name was Daniel Pearl and he reported for the Wall Street Journal. And he was the same guy who set out to meet Al-Qaeda terrorists to give their side of the story. Their side of the story, which he hadn't planned on, was his body chopped into several parts.

In the past, Dr. Pearl also said:

Danny was the first that was abducted and targeted not for what he wrote or what he intended to write, but for what he represented in the eyes of these extremists. And then that started a trend.

No, your son's death was not the start of a trend. It was a news-hyped blip on a long-standing trend that has gone on for centuries. He never heard of Leon Klinghoffer? Or Robert Dean Stethem? Etc. Their killers were Muslims. They were murdered for being Jewish--in Klinghoffer's case--and American.

In the pre-death video, Daniel Pearl was specifically required to say he was a Jew and a Zionist. And his killers were Muslims.

It's that simple. You don't need to be a rocket scientist--or even a computer scientist, like Judea Pearl--to figure that out.

Maybe one day, he will figure it out. But I don't share the fantasies and dreams about Dr. Pearl that he has about Islam.

Daniel Pearl's dad asks in his WSJ piece,

When will our luminaries stop making excuses for terror?

To him, I ask:

WHEN. WILL. YOU?

Posted by Debbie at 12:04 PM

January 27, 2009

Memo to Prospective Football Players: If You Don't Wanna Die, Don't Play

By Debbie Schlussel

Am I the only one who is tired of dead football players' families suing everyone but themselves when their relatives die from what is a dangerous sport?

When you suit up and get on the field, you assume the risk. But that's not the litigious American way.

Yesterday, as an NFL widow settled her lawsuit against the pro league for her husband's overheating death, a high school coach pleaded not guilty to reckless homicide for the heat-related death of one of his players.

It's ridiculous. Football is not like playing with dolls. It's rough and tough, and there are risks. That's not rocket science. Well, maybe to these families who were "clueless" (but aren't so clueless when it comes to dollar signs), it's brain science and rocket surgery. Football players play in extreme conditions, both hot and cold. Some will get hypothermia and frostbite. Others will get extremely thirsty and overheated. Still others will get paralyzed, concussions, and other conditions that will limit their lives and possibly end them early. And some players will be overweight and get maladies and early deaths related to that and pain medications they take.

None of this is news--except to litigious widows and parents who went along with it and are upset that one of these known risks was borne out.

Yesterday, Kelci Stringer, widow of late NFL player Korey Stringer, settled her wrongful death lawsuit against the NFL for his 2001 death from heatstroke at training camp. In her ridiculous suit, the golddigging Mrs. Stringer claimed the NFL didn't do enough to ensure that equipment used by players protected them from injuries or deaths caused by the heat.

But Stringer arrived to camp extremely overweight and out of shape. He should have known better. He did know better. But he went on the field in hot weather anyway, apparently to keep collecting that high dollar paycheck to keep Ms. Thang a/k/a Mrs. Stringer in the high-on-the-hog lifestyle to which she'd suddenly become accustomed. Whose fault is that? Would any equipment have prevented that? Yes--one machine, not provided by the NFL. It's called Kory Stringer's brain. He was an adult. No-one forced him on the field. No-one forced him to feast all off-season, not work out, and show up out of shape on the field.

That was all his own doing. And no lawsuit will prevent that from happening in the future. In fact, settling stupid lawsuits like this will only encourage more of this in the future.

Then, there's David Jason Stinson, football coach at Lousville's Pleasure Ridge Park High School. Yesterday, he pleaded not guilty to reckless homicide in the heat-related death of 15-year-old football player Max Gilpin, who died three days after he collapsed while running sprints during an August football practice. It's ridiculous to charge a coach unless there's proof the coach forced the player to continue when the player asked to stop, and the coach had some inkling of the consequences.

Yes, it's very hot in August in most places in the country. August--in most places in the country--is also high school football training camp time. Parents know it's hot. They know that football players are put through grueling physical workouts at football practice, particularly in August before the season starts. But Max Gilpin's parents allowed their son to attend the practices. They didn't say: It's too hot out, and you're really not in the physical condition to do this.

And even if Gilpin was in the right condition, things happen. People die because they exert themselves too much and don't know when to stop. A 15-year-old doesn't have the personal responsibility that adult Korey Stringer did. But his parents do. And they didn't have a problem sending their kid to participate.

Oh, and there's that little detail about the medications Gilpin was taking while under his "concerned" parents' roof. He was on Creatine, but stopped taking it right before the August football practices began. And he was on Adderall for ADHD. It's not a stretch to suggest that these drugs likely affected this kid's physical condition.

Yes, there were six heat-related deaths in high school and one in college in 2008. But the only solution to that is to 1) cancel football training camps and practices before the season begins, 2) move the football season to the dead of winter, so players can practice in the cooler fall and suffer frostbite in February and March, or 3) practice football indoors, where conditions aren't those on the field, and players can suffer concussions falling on the hard floors of a gym. Or they can just cancel all football. That would stop all football-related deaths for certain (except suicides).

Some athletes push themselves too far for the condition they are in. And they will die from heat or exhaustion. The only way to prevent it is external. Only they know when to say when. And if they aren't adults, their parents know what can happen. It's a tragedy that this fifteen-year-old kid died before his life was fully lived. But the tragedy isn't the fault of his football coach.

When you step onto a football field as a player, you assume the risks.

Stop blaming the failure of your brain and the rest of your inner biology on everyone else.

If you don't want to die, here's a tip: Don't play football. And don't cross the street, for that matter. Life . . . and death happen.

***

From my 2002 column, "Pro Sports' Litigation Lolitas":

Kelci Stringer is another "victim." It's lamentable her pro-football player husband, Korey Stringer, died in Minnesota Vikings training camp on a hot day. But, as a first-round draft pick and starter, he was well compensated and insured for risk of injury. Stringer was also paid his multi-million dollar salary to stay in shape. But he didn't - getting fat over the off-season, dangerously trying to lose it and get in shape just a few days before camp.

But is that his fault? Not according to Mrs. Stringer's lawyers (and Jesse Jackson, who has - surprise! - interjected himself in this shakedown). They've filed a $100 million lawsuit against the Vikings. No matter that out-of-shape Stringer was up to a bloated 335-pounds. Newspaper photos showed him doubling over, gasping for breath during drills that in-shape athletes finessed.

Mrs. Stringer is a "victim," and instead of quietly dealing with her grief, everyone else must pay for this woman "scorned" by the Vikings. Costs of the suit will be passed on to Vikings' ticket-buying fans who, unlike wealthy Mrs. Stringer, are mostly working-class stiffs.

Posted by Debbie at 11:06 AM

January 23, 2009

I Told You So: Israel's Attacks on HAMAS Were Failed, Extended Campaign Commercial

By Debbie Schlussel

I warned you. I told you over and over. A few weeks ago, when Israel began its attacks on HAMAS--allegedly in response to the rocket attacks that have been ongoing for years--I told you, "Don't believe the hype."

Just re-read my column, "Don't Get Too Excited About the Phony Baloney, Temporary Israeli 'War' vs. HAMAS," from the start of the attacks. Everything I said was true and remains so.

As I warned you, Israel would eventually retreat and the status quo would remain. And I was right. They idiotically gave Gaza away to those bent on their distruction, and they're not getting it back. Gilad Shalit, the kidnapped Israeli soldier, remains in capitivity. HAMAS--as I predicted--is still around and very strong, all the stronger because, a la Hezbollah, the mighty Israel didn't defeat it. And HAMAS baby-makers a/k/a most Palestinian women would be fast at the production line to put more replacement buns in the ovens. (It's always "time to make the donuts" in the Palestinian warrior assembly line.)

HAMAS rockets were sent upon Israel even after the faux truce started, and more rockets will come.

And--shocker!--the Palestinian tunnel smugglers in Rafah are back in bid'ness:

The tunnels linking Gaza and Egypt are back in business, despite the hundreds of tons of bombs and missiles that Israeli troops rained down on them. . . .

The smuggling is surprisingly overt on the Gaza side. Hundreds of workers were operating Thursday in a mile-long stretch of battered tents and fake greenhouses, each with a tunnel operating or being dug inside. Dozens of other tunnel entrances were open and unhidden. Amid the frantic activity, a fire broke out in a smuggled fuel shipment, although there was no immediate report of injuries.

There's even a makeshift snack shop servicing them, named "The Underground Crossings." Its owner, Mahmoud Baroud, reopened soon after the cease-fire began and expected at least 200 customers for lunch Thursday.

"We even do deliveries if they're too busy," he said, stirring fried onions.

See, I told you so. I hoped I was wrong. But Israel has a predictable track record of of empty gestures and empty, costly half-hearted attacks on terrorists in the last 2-3 decades. They pulled out of Hezbollah's South Lebanon in 2000, they did it again in 2006. Each time, their enemy got stronger, and Israel got weaker. Each time rockets continued to be sent from their northern neighbors to attaack innocent Israeli civilians. And each time, they've not gotten the remains or specific, reliable information on the whearabouts of soldier Ron Arad.

With HAMAS, it's a similar image. Again, still no Gilad Shalit. More rockets. More tunnel smuggling of terrorist weapons and material from Egypt, but ultimately from Iran. And a strengthened enemy. HAMAS' Khaled Meshaal is declaring victory over Israel, and he is correct on this count. Israel lost. HAMAS won.

I'm just waiting for the latest terrorist prisoner release for non-existent "goodwill."

Meanwhile, per usual, HAMAS and Israel's preferred Islamic terrorist group, Fatah--for whom this phony war was also perpetrated--are back at their old game of trying to reconcile. Same old, same old.

Israel is as predictable as a clock. And it's not just me who knows it. HAMAS and Hezbollah and the entire Islamic world know it, too.

And their just biding their time until time on that ever-weakening clock simply runs out.

What's that I hear? Oh, it's the sound of Ehud Barak and Tzipi Livni looking at the latest polls to see which of them was more boosted by this costly campaign commercial, for which they paid in Israeli lives, tanks, and ever-weakened reputation.

Just as I predicted. Israel never had any intention of eliminating HAMAS. The proof is in the halal pudding, ever more pungent in Gaza.

To those who told me at the beginning of this failed action against Gaza, that Israel would this time, finally, once-and-for-all, wipe out or nearly destroy HAMAS, I say now what I said in a nicer way then: Dream on , suckers.

Israel and Adam Ant have something in common: Desperate But Not Serious.

Posted by Debbie at 11:47 AM

January 21, 2009

Black Single Mothers, White Single Mothers, and Sarah Palin's Baby Mama Daughter

By Debbie Schlussel

For years, I've decried single mothers a/k/a baby mamas.

But now, I'm really not sure whether I'm allowed by the orthodox Palinmaniac division of conservativism to talk about the problem of single mothers anymore. Yes, I know I can write about Black baby mamas like Fantasia Barrino, as I did yesterday. And I can write about White celebrity liberal single mothers like Rosie O'Donnell and Sheryl Crow and others similarly selfish, as I've done over the years.

But I don't think I'm allowed to talk about Bristol Palin, who has known she's been pregnant for months, just had the baby, and--whaddya know?--she's still single. I guess it has yet to dawn on Palin supporters who claim to be conservative that their precious former Veep candidate continues to support this single motherhood figuratively and financially.

Remember how we were told during the campaign that Bristol Palin and Levi Johnston were going to get married, so we should look the other way regarding them, while we continue to decry the single motherhood of the rest of America? Well, they have yet to get married. What were they waiting for? What are they waiting for?

There's really no good reason why the Palin daughter and the father of this illegitimate kid with an enormously pretentious name haven't married yet. It's not like Levi Johnston is off to war, serving in Iraq or Afghanistan, or something like that. In fact, I'm not actually sure what this guy does, other than take online high school correspondence courses, like the mother of his kid. Perhaps they've taken the trashy, selfish tack that Bristol Palin wants to get back in shape and look thin for wedding pictures, instead of the apparently less important matter of a kid actually having married parents when it is born. Tripp Easton Mitchell Johnston--they went to so much trouble to put together such a hifalutin' name for this baby, but not too much trouble to give him parents who are husband and wife.

Why is this my business, you ask? They're kids and they're private people. Well, not actually, since they put out press releases to People magazine and everywhere else, engaged a bidding war for the photos of their bastard kid (which snagged them $300,000), and, as you'll recall, during the campaign the two said they'd get married, which they have yet to do. And above all, it's our business because the mother and chief enabler and financier of all of this is Bristol Palin's mother, a woman whom people are touting as a conservative family values person, who--with this--has demonstrated that she actually isn't one.

And don't tell me the empress-with-$150,000-clothing Sarah Palin has nothing to do with this. Again, she's the enabler, financier, housing provider, and chief cheerleader of this girl. Not to mention, she happens to be her mother. I suppose she could never at any point during her daughter's pregnancy (or now that her daughter is a single mother) have told her daughter to get married or move out and get off the teat. After all, that would look bad. And with Sarah Palin's boundless ambition in politics, it's more important to look good and not spur negative news stories, than do the right thing.

But I'm sure the same people who blindly follow Sarah Palin and think she's G-d the same way Obamaniacs think the same of him, will attack me for daring to point this out. You know, the same people who bought Ann Coulter's latest book and cheer on her chapter echoing what I and others have been saying for years--that single mothers are a national problem, not a solution. But I guess that means single mothers other than those with the surname, Palin. This is, after all, the same Ann Coulter who named Sarah Palin her conservative of the year.

I like Ann, who is usually right. But on this, she's just a hypocrite. A hypocrite laughing all the way to the bank.

She calls single mothers, "selfish," which they are. But she won't dare say it about Sarah Palin and her baby mama daughter.

Posted by Debbie at 01:11 PM

January 19, 2009

Forget the O-Nauguration: FREE Makeup & Perfume Across the US, Tomorrow (Thanks to Greedy Lawyers)

By Debbie Schlussel

Forget Barack Obama's Presidential Inauguration, tomorrow. For women (and perhaps a few gay men) across America, tomorrow is free makeup and perfume day, courtesy of greedy lawyers and nitwit class action plaintiffs.

They sued department stores and high-end makeup purveyors around the country over alleged price-fixing in the 1990s. What was the "price-fixing"? Well, the lawyers claimed that America's women were deprived and otherwise ripped off because the defendant department stores and cosmetic companies allegedly coordinated and alternated when they would offer a free gift to go along with the purchase of makeup by Estee Lauder, Clinique, etc.

Do you remember what makeup you bought at a department store in the 1990s? Do you feel "victimized" that one store offered a special free gift with purchase one week and another the next week? Me, neither. But you can thank Fatemah Azizian, Soraya Farrah (both Arabs, but every ethnicity is represented) and the other named Plaintiffs in the Fatemah Azizian et al. v. Federated Department Stores, Inc. et al. (Read the Full Lawsuit Complaint) for your free makeup windfall, tomorrow.

And even if you do feel victimized and raped by this horrible example of torture, don't worry about finding your receipt from October of 1996 for a $12 eyeliner. You don't have to prove that you actually bought anything from any of these companies in order to take part in this silly, exorbitant plunder. Since the stuff is being given away free on a first-come, first-served basis tomorrow, the true alleged "victims" in this case may not even comprise any of the swag recipients. And that's not the point of this lawsuit.

Anyone can just show up, tomorrow morning, at any of the stores listed here and get one of the cosmetics and perfumes specified free of charge. (Guys, here's an idea to please your wife or girlfriend for free--go pick up some free perfume for her, courtesy of a dumb lawsuit. Or stock up so you won't have to spring for a Valentine's Day gift, next month.)

Addressing the "injustice" of getting free gifts from Nordstrom or Macy's back in 1994 isn't the point of this class action lawsuit settlement. Nope. The point is to transfer millions in wealth to greedy lawers. Soaking Big Cosmetics--that's the point. Soaking Big Makeup for greedy lawyers. It's a transfer of wealth from those who tested substances on women's faces to those who spent three years in law school. I did a little research. Here's the payout list of approved attorney's fees from the case:

Over $24 million to lawyers who sued over women getting a free makeup gift in the 1990s. Is it just me, or is there something terribly wrong with this picture? Something that free makeup won't help other than as lipstick on a legal pig.

I can just see the salivating Gitmo inmates now. After all, if women can get hundreds of millions to settle a lawsuit for their "injury" of receiving a free makeup gift in the 1990s, imagine what a Muslim who was "forced" to listen to Christina Aguilera music, sit on a La-Z-Boy chair, read Harry Potter, will get.

Cosmetics companies and department stores are shelling out $175 million in this settlement (with the attorney's fees, it's $200 mill). And guess who'll pay the price? You, the consumer. And it won't just be women who buy cosmetics who will be paying higher prices to make up for this tremendous payout. Department stores, like Macy's and Neiman Marcus, will raise their prices on everything. Not exactly the step they want to or should take in this sour economy.

Sadly, this isn't the only ridiculous, costly class action settlement of late. I've written about plenty of them, including dumb lawsuits about bananas and another about low-carb candy. And they will never end until we tighten up rules on class action suits. And that won't happen in a lawyer-friendly Obama administration.

And it won't happen with judges like Federal Judge Saundra Brown Armstrong, who awarded the absurd amount of lawyer fees in this ludicrous lawsuit. (She was appointed to the bench by George Herbert Walker Bush.)

Questions need to be asked, which Her Dishonor Ms. Brown didn't ask. Like, how exactly did Ms. Azizian, Ms. Farrah, and the other plaintiffs in this class action lawsuit find out that they were injured in 1994 by getting a free cosmetic gift with their purchase? How did they learn of the free gift coordination between stores and cosmetic companies? How did they find a lawyer to file the suit? I think it's clear that it was the other way around--the lawyers found them. And that's called "solicitation," illegal for lawyers to do in most state in the Union. The whole thing stinks, so much so that free perfume tomorrow won't mask the stench.

The next time a trial lawyer--I call them the "Ludicrous Litigeratti" tells you how trial lawyers do important work seeking legal redress for injuries in the courts, your response should be:

Yeah, important work like Fatemah Azizian et al. v. Federated Department Stores, right?

The plaintiffs in this case aren't victims. They're perpetrators.

***

Since I posted this today, I can't miss out on saying this:

Martin Luther King, Jr. may have had a dream, but thanks to the greedy trial lawyers, we have free face cream.

Posted by Debbie at 02:05 PM

January 15, 2009

Disconnect: "Defiance" Director Zwick Not So Defiant Against Islamic Terrorists

By Debbie Schlussel

As I always say, Hollywood loves the dead Jews, but they hate the live ones.

Hollywood loves the Holocaust, but hates Israel. They love to portray Jews as victims of the Nazis, but they hate to portray the Jews as victims of the new Nazis--extremist Muslims around the world, whether it's the HAMAS terrorists in Gaza or the Muslims who demonstrate on the streets of Fort Lauderdale and openly tell Jews to "go back to the oven."

And so it goes with Writer/Director Edward Zwick, whose "Defiance" opens in nationwide release tomorrow (Friday).

"Defiance" is a great movie, one of the year's best. And it's an important movie, as it shows that Jews were not the stereotypical weaklings who meekly went to the camps to their slaughter. Those who could--with all odds against them and laws preventing them from owning firearms and weapons--did fight back. The Bielski brothers saved hundreds of Jewish lives and killed more than a few Nazis in the process. They are the good guys. And, just as it should be, there is no ambiguity about that in this film.

But Ed Zwick is trapped back in time, or perhaps he is trapped forward in time . . . in a "post-Zionist Hollywood." He fails to make the connection with Jews under siege in Israel today, with Jews under siege in greater numbers today than at any time since the Holocaust.

On Friday, I interviewed him. I solicited questions from readers (who had some great suggestions--thanks). But I already knew one question I was going to ask. And I had a pretty good idea of the answer he'd provide.

I know Dr. Jay Bielski, son of Zus Bielski, one of the brothers portrayed in this movie (by Liev Schreiber). I noted to Mr. Zwick that while Jay said that this movie captured his father perfectly, Jay--after several years as a U.S. Marine during Vietnam--served in the Israeli Defense Force and fought in the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Right now, Jay's two sons serve in the IDF. (Zwick is friends with Jay Bielski and says the Bielskis "brought him home" to Judaism and Jewish pride. But I don't see it.)

I also noted to Zwick that he produced "The Siege," the 1998 movie which showed an alleged post-9/11-style persecution against "innocent" Muslim-Americans "victims," which never happened.

I asked him why Hollywood is so anti-Israel and when would he come full circle and make a movie that shows the Jews who are now the victims of the new Nazis in the Middle East, in Israel.

Edward Zwick's squirming was so loud, I felt like I was watching worms crawl through my phone.

Zwick said he didn't know of any anti-Israel movies coming out of Hollywood. He said he couldn't see himself doing a movie about the Jews versus the Islamic terrorists in Israel because,

It's very difficult to parse morality in what's going on in the Middle East and especially in the last two weeks. It's full of moral complexity that I'm not sure I could address in a two-hour movie. What I'm loathe to do is to analogize between this [the Nazis vs. the Bielskis] and the contemporary situation. I didn't want to have a movie with an agenda.

But when I pointed out that there is clearly an agenda and clearly good guys and bad guys in "Defiance" (not to mention, "The Siege"), he responded with more psychobabble gobbledygookish squirming, that his movie

showed the difference between passivity and powerlessness [and was] a necessary historical redress.

Well, there's a "necessary historical redress" about what Islamic terrorists are doing against Jews in Israel and throughout the world. Sadly, Zwick either doesn't get it or won't admit to it, lest he be out of step with Hollywood's rigid orthodoxy on the subject.

Oh, and Zwick also said

in the Middle East, you're not talking about genocide.

When Muslims, especially those of Palestinian terrorist groups, shout how they want to "push the Jews into the sea" and "spill rivers of Jewish blood," it's quite clear that it, in fact, is genocide they wish to carry out.

Next week, "Defiance" opens in Israel, and Israeli soldiers will reportedly be shown the movie (perhaps in time for the start of the next failed "truce").

Let's hope the Israeli soldiers connect the dots that Edward Zwick--and the rest of Hollywood--won't.

They are fighting the same Nazis, the same evil the Bielskis fought.

***

Since I've invoked his name, I want to be fair and point out that Jay Bielski disagrees with my take on this. He recommends that people read this New York Times column by Zwick, in which Zwick brags about his grandfather and great-uncles who were bookies for Al Capone's mob. This is something to be proud of? Yet, he won't defend Israel.

Jay says that his friend, Zwick, is on the right side of the Israeli-Islamic terrorism issue, but can't afford to say so, in order to sell this movie. If that's the case, that's even worse because it means that you can be "Defiant" against the Nazis, but not Hollywood.

Posted by Debbie at 01:36 PM

January 14, 2009

Print Out For Future Reference: Meet HAMAS' Future American Doctors

By Debbie Schlussel

On this site, I've written in extensive detail about (and compiled a long list of) the various Muslim doctors who've headed terrorist groups, perpetrated terrorist plots, and, in at least one case, deliberately let his Jewish patient die by refusing to treat him (right here in America). And don't forget Dr. Yazeed Essa, the Palestinian Muslim doctor, who drugged and murdered his pregnant wife in a car crash, then fled to the Mid-East. Today, he was held on $75 million bail (he was finally returned to Cleveland from Cyprus to face justice, after a year and a half of Muslim Cypriot pontificating).

Now, I want you to print out this list, below, of all of America's (and some Canadian and foreign) medical students who are open supporters of HAMAS against Israel. They've all signed an anti-Israel (and let's face it--Pro-HAMAS) petition that is circulating throughout the world's medical schools and medical communities. (Since this list is constantly updating, I'll try to update it, too.) If they have no problem with Islamic terrorists brutally murdering innocent civilians, imagine what they have no prob doing to your body.

Save this list for the future, as I don't think it's in your best interest to go to any of these future doctors--you never know what politics will be entering into their treatment of you. Best advised to keep these people far away from your life and limb.

Oh, and a few other points to keep in mind:

1) America's Jews, whom these anti-Semites hate, are the biggest donors to most of these medical schools listed. How many of these anti-Semites (and some Jewish self-haters) are going to medical schools that remain open because of Jewish donors? Most of 'em.

Here's an example from from the November 14, 2008 issue of "The Michigan Difference," the University of Michigan's promotional publication capping off the school's 2008 capital campaign (which raised a record $3.116 Billion).

In the section on "Science, Technology and Environment," the front page highlighted the new Taubman Scholars program, created to enable top med school scientist to pursue promising research. The U-M hospital is named the Taubman Center and that he funded the A. Alfred Taubman Medical Research Insititute. A. Alfred Taubman is a pro-Israel Jew.

Some of these pro-HAMAS future MDs are students at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, which is a Jewish school and part of Yeshiva University. It was set-up to help Jews pursuing medicine to avoid anti-Semitism and discrimination far milder than the HAMAS version that these idiot signatories don't seem to have a prob with. Nauseating.

2) Many of these students are Muslim aliens who are here to study medicine because their places in our tax-funded medical schools (even the private medical schools with large endowments, like Harvard, get a ton of federal money for studies and in financial aid support for students). How many of these alien Muslim students are in our tax-supported medical schools in place of American students who wanted to become doctors, but their spots were given to these HAMASniks? Far too many.

3) Israel is well-known for treating and providing excellent medical care even to Islamic terrorists who attacked them and Palestinians bent on their destruction. On the other hand, HAMAS is not allowing a number of wounded Palestinians to go to hospitals to seek medical care. That these medical students would sign this, is a disgrace.

4) A significant portion of advanced medical discoveries, inventions, and technology, today, come from the Israelis. Since these future docs hate Israel, perhaps these doctors should bar themselves from using any of these advances created and developed by the "Evil Zionist Entity" and stick to the barbaric, um, "methods" of HAMAS healthcare (like beheadings, IEDs, and throwing people off buildings).

Also highlighted in "The Michigan Difference" University of Michigan publication, on page 3 of the second section, there is an article entitled, "Named Directorship and Support for Discovery at LSI [Life Science Institute]." The article features the UM/Israeli Universities Research Partnership and notes this:

The UM/Israeli Universities Research Partnership promotes a fresh model of global research. Support from donors [DS: lists all the donors]. . . enables LSI scientists and graduate students to build international collaborations with their peers from leading universities and institutes in Israel -- home to some of the world's most advanced life sciences research. The Innovation Partnership equips LSI scientists to commercialize lab discoveries that could lead to new therapies for cancer, diabetes and Alzheimer's.

Well, perhaps these anti-Israel future doctors should opt out on these "Evil Zionist Entity" medical discoveries.

Here is the list of those who signed the petition, but first there is the letter from far-left Jewish Harvard Medical School student, Simeon Kimmel, one of the petition's authors, who is circulating it:

Hi all,

A number of us from HMS with medical students at Tufts and BU have
written a letter in solidarity with the civilians in Gaza who are
suffering a health and human rights catastrophe. As a Jew, I feel
like I have a particular responsibility to speak up. We will be
submitting this to the student version of the Lancet. We invite you
to add your voices. We are working on organizing an event where
physicians who have worked on the ground in Gaza recently will share
their experiences and will keep you posted.

Best,
Sim Kimmel

HAMAS-Friendly Future Doctors Who Authored the anti-Israel Petition:

[Continue Reading, List of Many Medical Students for HAMAS Continues]

Continue reading "Print Out For Future Reference: Meet HAMAS' Future American Doctors"

Posted by Debbie at 12:35 PM

December 28, 2008

Don't Get Too Excited About the Phony Baloney, Temporary Israeli "War" vs. HAMAS

By Debbie Schlussel

I've been getting a number of e-mails from readers cheering on the current Israeli strikes on HAMAS and Gaza in response to HAMAS' katusha rocket attacks on Israel.

And to those readers, I say, Don't Get Too Excited. You're buying into the latest campaign tactic of losing candidate for Prime Minister, Tzipi Livni--a complete doompa a/k/a Olmert in a skirt and makeup. Anyone who thinks this latest "salvo" against HAMAS is of any significance whatsoever, really doesn't know much about Israel and hasn't been paying attention to goings on there for the last couple of decades, especially the last several years.

There have been many of these occasion, temporary Israeli attacks on HAMAS or temporary blockades of funds or supplies to Gaza. And they are a waste of time because Israel doesn't mean business. Eventually, Israel backs down and stops and allows HAMAS to get "refueled" with supplies, money, etc. And yet the HAMAS attacks never end.

You must ask yourself why Israel suddenly chose to strike back now after years of HAMAS sending these rockets to kill the poor, working-class Israelis of Sderot--most of them descendants of Jews expelled from their homes and property in Arab Muslim countries. Why did it not matter that HAMAS sent rockets every day to kill Jews during the faux-truce and before then? Why does it suddenly matter now? What was different about now versus two months ago or two months from now?

Well, I'll tell you what's different: The only hawk running for Israeli Prime Minister, Binyamin Netanyahu (we'll see how hawkish he ends up being once he's elected--since he wasn't nearly as hawkish in office as out of it), is whipping Livni in the polls, and the elections are just two months away. This is Livni's and Olmert's attempt--after several years of capitulation to Islamic terrorists, after practicing Judenrein in their own country and yanking Jews from their homes and businesses in Gaza and cities like Amona in the so-called West Bank--to try to look tough to Israelis with short attention spans. That's all it is.

This "war"--which is really no war at all, since there is no intent to win and no inclination to continue this with any sort of relentlessness to defeat HAMAS and its entire support network in Gaza (almost all of the Gaza population)--is show business meant for an Israeli electorate. It is no different than Bill Clinton bombing a baby formula factory the day Monica testified. It's a waste of munitions and a risk of Israeli soldiers' lives to win an election.

If Israel really meant business, it would have invaded and attacked Gaza long ago. Or rather, it would never have pulled out of there in the first place. It would have expelled the Gazans to Arab countries, the way the residents of Sderot's parents--who are once again under attack by Muslims--were kicked out by those countries. All of these things would have saved Israeli lives. But that's not what this is about.

If Israel consistently attacked HAMAS, it would be great. But that's not what the post-modern (and post-Israel) Israelis do. In a week or two, they'll be letting through "supplies" and making a new fake "truce"--either official or de facto--and releasing more Palestinian terrorists to show "good will." That's what they always do. It will make this--as it does all of their brief, temporary attacks on HAMAS--meaningless.

You do not kill cancer by occasionally going through chemo or radiation when you want to look good at a Bar Mitzvah, after the metastasis is already happening. You kill cancer through regular treatment of the attacking cells, not by self-amputating your arm and leaving the cancer cells to fester on the remaining stump. That is what this ephemeral "war" on Gaza/HAMAS is. Nothing more.

And nothing to cheer about. It may make you feel good that, for example, HAMAS has occasional, perfect aim, killing its own people, which it views as expendable collateral damage. But in the long run, they are winning.

The Muslims not only have the will to survive, but to attack relentlessly their Jewish (and Christian) enemies. Israelis only have the will to get re-elected and take a siesta on Dizengoff Street and the discos of Tel Aviv.

No "Mazel Tov" from me on this expensive, dangerous, temporary campaign commercial for the Israeli leftists and their ambitions for the Prime Minister's office.

***

And don't forget that this is all about propping up the so-called "more moderate" terrorist leader--Holocaust-denier and Munich-massacre-paymaster, Mahmoud Abbas, who really doesn't enjoy the popular Palestinian support HAMAS has. This is Israel continuing to risk Israeli lives to prop up this scumbag, just 'cuz he's the favored scumbag, but no less scummy than HAMAS.

Yes, let's hear it for those "partners for peace." And remember that, regardless of this temporary "attack" on HAMAS, America will pressure Israel into establishing a Palestinian state--right now there are two de facto such states on either side of Israel. And HAMAS will eventually take over that state.

Ah, statehood for the "deprived" Palestinians who strongly support HAMAS and live in Gaza and Ramallah mansions (which in Ramallah, are subsidized and "bailed out" by your taxes).

Posted by Debbie at 03:11 PM

December 23, 2008

EXCLUSIVE: Detroit Free Press Editor Admits Muslim Reporter Lied on Israel, Refuses to Correct; Can't Trust Anything in the Freep, WHAT YOU CAN DO

By Debbie Schlussel

There's a reason both Detroit papers are losing readers at a geometric rate and were forced to end daily home delivery for all but three days a week. And it's not just the internet and the distressed auto industry.

It's crappy journalism--or, rather, lack of any journalism at all. The Free Press, currently engaged in a lawsuit to defend a reporter's right to refuse to disclose sources in legal proceedings, is hiding behind this phony "public's right to know." But when it comes down to it, the Free Press doesn't actually care about the "public's right to know" so much as it cares about the public's right to be lied to by Free Press reporters.

Now, the newspaper is lying about Israel. The paper admits it lied, but won't correct the false info it gave readers in a front-page story in its Sunday edition, its highest circulation day of the week.

This latest incident is the Detroit Free Press' admission to me--via Free Press Senior Managing Editor Jeff Taylor--that they reported as fact an unverified tall tale against Israel, and the paper's absolute refusal to issue a correction or correct the story. The Palestinian Muslim woman who told the tale insists it's true, and therefore, they will keep it in the story as fact (not labeled as her claim or allegation).

Do you or I get the privilege of a newspaper reporting as fact anything we tell them? I mean, this is basic high school journalism class stuff here.

Resident Muslim propagandist and "reporter" Niraj Warikoo knows better, but, hey, he got away with it. In a story on Rashida Tlaib, a Muslim woman elected to the Michigan House of Representatives, Warikoo reported as fact--TWICE!--that Israeli soldiers shot Tlaib's grandfather during the 1967 war allegedly because he refused to leave their home and go to Jordan.

But the story is NOT a fact. It's her tall tale that cannot be verified, and Niraj Warikoo knows better than to report it as fact. He never tried to verify the story, and instead, deliberately chose to pass it off as true.

I did the work that some Americans--Detroit Free Press reporter-fabricators--won't do, and I actually checked. There is no record of this anti-Israel claim. And the facts--ie., that Israel told the Palestinians to stay, but they refused and left, thinking Jordan and other Arab states would quickly win--say otherwise.

Here's how this phony story ran and continues--at this time to read--online:

Rashida Tlaib is the granddaughter of a Palestinian Muslim who was once shot several times by an Israeli soldier. . . .

Tlaib's background was different. Her grandparents lived near the cities of Jerusalem and Ramallah; during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, her mother's father was shot after he refused to leave his home for Jordan.

Given all this, I contacted Detroit Free Press Senior Managing Editor Jeff Taylor, second in command at the paper, about this. He admits to me that the story wasn't verified and that the Free Press was wrong. Yet, he refuses to issue a correction or even change the online story to reflect that Tlaib's story is her claim and not fact.

It's incredible. Niraj Warikoo knew better. Yet, he chose to regurgitate this story as fact, unchallenged, and unverified, because that's his--and the Detroit Free Press'--agenda, to attack Israel.

And since the Free Press refuses to issue a correction or discipline this lying reporter, in what other stories have they lied? In what other stories have Detroit Free Press personnel reported to you as fact agenda-laden stories and claims that can't be verified? You simply can't trust anything you read in this paper.

How will you know what was actually verified (probably none of it) versus what reflects the agenda of the reporter? In this case, it's a Muslim anti-Israel regurgitator who doesn't do the most basic of fact-checking in what he "reports." In another case, it might be about something else where the reporter has a personal agenda and chooses to lie to you because he knows that Free Press Senior Managing Editor Jeff Taylor won't discipline him or even issue a correction and edit the story as it should have been edited in the first place.

This isn't the first time Warikoo has lied or engaged in unethical behavior for a supposed journalist. He helped Abed Hammoud, his openly pro-Hezbollah friend--who he was covering--write his campaign literature, when Hammoud ran for Mayor of Dearborn. That's a no-no for any journalist. But Warikoo got away with it. When I--and even Arabs from Dearborn--complained to the Free Press, they whitewashed Warikoo. Then-Free Press officials told me that they asked "people in the community"--ie., Warikoo's fellow Muslims and buddies in Dearborn--whether or not Warikoo wrote the campaign literature, and the people said no. End of "investigation."

And that's the basic reporting standard that's clearly at play at the Free Press: If Muslim Arabs tell you one thing, gosh darn it, it must be the truth, and will be reported as such.

Oh, and by the way, the story in which Warikoo wrote this anti-Israel BS, was about how a spoiled liberal Jewish State Representative, Steve Tobocman (who sits on the far-left Detroit Jewish Community Council--which famously refused to condemn Palestinian terrorism) recruited the anti-Israel, lying Rashida Tlaib to work for him and then to replace him in his seat. Before that, Tlaib worked as an advocate for and abettor of Muslim illegal aliens at Medicaid-defrauding agency ACCESS--the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services. That is, until Tobocman decided he needed to promote that kind of treason even more and hired her and then urged her to replace him after term limits ended his run.

Please also note that I contacted the unrepresentative, self-appointed Jewish Community Council of Metro Detroit, which claims to be the "voice of the Jewish community" in Detroit. Alan Gale, the Associate Director of the group, told me he was completely unaware, even though he has a paid staff. Yes, I'm doing the work that some more Americans won't do. He told me that he agreed with my concerns and at my urging he'd contact the Free Press and get back with me.

I would hope that he would insist that there would be disciplinary action against Niraj Warikoo and his editors, to insure that these serious lapses in journalism don't occur at the Free Press again. Otherwise, we are allowing the Free Press to radically alter the time-honored standards for journalism, thus allowing the Free Press to become anyone's personal platform for propaganda.

But just as Niraj Warikoo needs to be accountable to his readers and editors, so does the self-described "voice of the Jewish community" need to be held accountable to the Jewish Community to speak out on these issues and not rely on me to do their job for them. They need to read the Detroit papers more vigilantly and to respond with more of a spine than they have in the past. They told me they'd get back with me, and if they do, I'll share their response.

Below are my e-mails back and forth with Jeff Taylor and the letter to the editor I sent the paper. So much for the Freep's oft-claimed "public's right to know." More like "the public's right to know nothing about false Free Press 'reporting.'" You should note that this isn't my first run-in with Jeff Taylor on issues just like this. The last time, I complained was when the Freep "covered" a Michigan State Police raid on several Shi'ite Muslims in Dearborn who committed Bridge Card/Food Stamp fraud. The reporter, Dan Cortez, quoted Lt. Det. Marty Bugbee, who headed the investigation, as saying they believed the money may have gone to Hezbollah and were investigating it. Taylor's editors removed all reference to that. Taylor told me "it's far more complicated than you think" (whenever anyone gives you that patronizing response, it's actually very simple, not complicated at all), stood by his editors and never got back to me further. Yup, "the public's right to know." Uh-huh.

From: Debbie Schlussel

Sent: Tuesday, December 16, 2008 11:18 AM

To: jtaylor@freepress.com

Subject: Please Issue Correction for Unverified, Phony Item in Warikoo story . . .

Jeff:
Niraj Warikoo, in a front-page story, reported as fact and repeated--TWICE!--an unverified, phony story Rashida Tlaib has been telling about her grandfather allegedly being shot three times by Israeli soldiers in 1948. It's false and there is no record of it. In fact, contrary to her claim, Israel asked Palestinians to stay, but they left because Jordan asked all Palestinians to leave and promised they'd return when Israel lost the war (which Israel won). Niraj did not report in this story--he merely repeated as fact, something that is not fact, but a tale which is untrue. He did nothing to verify the story because there is no proof and it never happened. That's very sloppy. A correction and retraction needs to be issued. When will the Freep finally do fact-checking on politically correct sources and stories, the way real journalists do? No wonder your paper is in the toilet? People are tired of reading unverified propaganda and fluff being reported as fact and news.
DS

***

From: Debbie Schlussel

Sent: Sunday, December 21, 2008 5:14 PM

To: Taylor, Jeff

Subject: JEFF, 2d Notice, NO Response Yet: Please Issue Correction for Unverified, Phony Item in Warikoo story . . .

----

From: Debbie Schlussel

Sent: Tuesday, December 16, 2008 11:18 AM

To: jtaylor@freepress.com

Subject: Please Issue Correction for Unverified, Phony Item in Warikoo story . . .

Jeff:

Niraj Warikoo, in a front-page story, reported as fact and repeated--TWICE!--an unverified, phony story Rashida Tlaib has been telling about her grandfather allegedly being shot three times by Israeli soldiers in 1948. It's false and there is no record of it. In fact, contrary to her claim, Israel asked Palestinians to stay, but they left because Jordan asked all Palestinians to leave and promised they'd return when Israel lost the war (which Israel won). Niraj did not report in this story--he merely repeated as fact, something that is not fact, but a tale which is untrue. He did nothing to verify the story because there is no proof and it never happened. That's very sloppy. A correction and retraction needs to be issued. When will the Freep finally do fact-checking on politically correct sources and stories, the way real journalists do? No wonder your paper is in the toilet? People are tired of reading unverified propaganda and fluff being reported as fact and news.

DS

***

From: Taylor, Jeff mailto:jtaylor@freepress.com

Sent: Monday, December 22, 2008 8:18 PM

To: Debbie Schlussel

Subject: RE: JEFF, 2d Notice, NO Response Yet: Please Issue Correction for Unverified, Phony Item in Warikoo story . . .

Debbie:

I wanted to talk with the reporter before getting back with you. So I wasn't ignoring your initial email. Because we were relying on Tlaib's account of what happened to her grandfather, we should have attributed the description to her.

-- Jeff

***

From: Debbie Schlussel

Sent: Monday, December 22, 2008 10:17 PM

To: Taylor, Jeff

Subject: RE: JEFF, 2d Notice, NO Response Yet: Please Issue Correction for Unverified, Phony Item in Warikoo story . . .

Will there be corrections? Will Niraj Warikoo and his editors face any discipline. This is elementary stuff for a reporter. He deliberately reported it as fact and chose not to attempt to verify it or to report it as a claim. I mean I learned this stuff in high school journalism. He knew better, and so did your editors. The claim was repeated as fact TWICE. What will be the response? Will the online version be corrected?

***

From: Taylor, Jeff mailto:jtaylor@freepress.com

Sent: Tuesday, December 23, 2008 8:37 AM

To: Debbie Schlussel

Subject: RE: JEFF, 2d Notice, NO Response Yet: Please Issue Correction for Unverified, Phony Item in Warikoo story . . .

There's no correction. Ms. Tlaib obviously insists this was true, and you've made your point clear. I explained how we should have handled the information in the story, and I've talked with the people involved.

***

From: Debbie Schlussel

Sent: Tuesday, December 23, 2008 10:12 AM

To: Taylor, Jeff

Subject: RE: JEFF, 2d Notice, NO Response Yet: Please Issue Correction for Unverified, Phony Item in Warikoo story . . .

My point being made clear is not enough. This must be corrected. It is not a fact. And her insistence that it is true is completely irrelevant. It must be corrected and the online version must be changed. My point has not been made clear, since you admittedly refuse to correct a story that you admit contains false reporting. No wonder your paper's circulation is dropping. People want to read news. Not someone's tall tales that she insists are true reported as fact. That's not journalism. This is basic high school stuff, and you and Niraj know better. This is not the end of this. I'm going to be publicizing this, and how the Freep cannot be trusted. I gave you a chance.

***

From: Taylor, Jeff mailto:jtaylor@freepress.com

Sent: Tuesday, December 23, 2008 10:33 AM

To: Debbie Schlussel

Subject: RE: JEFF, 2d Notice, NO Response Yet: Please Issue Correction for Unverified, Phony Item in Warikoo story . . .

I did not admit this story contains false reporting. That's absolutely not true, and you publish that you'll be publishing a falsehood. I'll continue to try to handle correspondence with you in a civil manner.

But at this point, I'm finished with these exchanges.

***

From: Debbie Schlussel Sent: Tuesday, December 23, 2008 11:02 AM

To: Taylor, Jeff

Subject: RE: JEFF, 2d Notice, NO Response Yet: Please Issue Correction for Unverified, Phony Item in Warikoo story . . .

Jeff:
I've been entirely civil with you. But I caught you and your paper with your pants down and you don't like it. And you don't like that I won't just let it go. Sad for you, but I will continue to pursue this. You admitted the Free Press reported an unverified claim as fact. You admitted you lied to your readers, no matter how you try to give this cosmetic surgery now.

This is high school journalism stuff. If it's not verified, it's not fact. Your paper published a lie. You admit the story was NOT verified and that there is no proof that it is true. You admit that Niraj Warikoo repeated a claim as fact and reported it as fact because she "insists it's true". That's lying to your readers. You can try to worm your way out of it by parsing words like Bill Clinton on what the definition of "sex" is, but the bottom line is you reported as fact a tale that is not true and for which there is no evidence. Unless you can prove her claim--and you cannot--it must be labeled as a claim. You refuse to do so.

Now, I will publicize it. This is your bed, you made it, now you must sleep in it. You could have issued a correction and/or edited the story and noted the story has been edited. You refuse to do so and insist on continuing to lie to Free Press readers. What other stories in the Freep have contained reporters repeats of unverified claims as fact? We have to assume all of them. I guess the Free Press doesn't really care about "the public's right to know" after all. Not that this is a shocker to me.
DS

Here's my letter to the editor, to the Free(-to-Lie to Readers) Press:

To the Editor:

In its gushing, front-page puff-piece on Rashida Tlaib, the Free Press did much worse than fail to do any real reporting. The drooling was so thick that the Free Press twice reported as fact an unsubstantiated, unproven anti-Israel tale Ms. Tlaib has been telling, claiming her Palestinian Muslim grandfather was allegedly shot by an Israeli soldier for refusing to leave his house in 1967 and go to Jordan. Unlike the Free Press, I actually checked into this story, and there is absolutely no evidence to back up her claim.

Real reporting involves actual research and investigation, not regurgitation. Sadly, the Free Press did not want to let real reporting get in the way of a story that had an obvious agenda and should have been labeled commentary. But even commentary cannot claim as fact, what is merely an unsubstantiated allegation that should have been labeled as such. That the Free Press took Ms. Tlaib at her word, without solidly substantiating the claim, is blatant evidence that the Free Press cannot be trusted to report accurately on issues relating to the Mid-East or the Arab-Israeli conflict.

In fact, during both the 1948 and 1967 wars, Israel asked Palestinians to stay and not to go to Jordan. But each time, Jordan and other Arab nations told Palestinians to leave, assuring them they'd be able to come back after a swift Arab victory. Jordan lost each time, and Tlaib's family tale is likely just a sour grapes story.

While Ronald Reagan famously said, "Trust But Verify," a newspaper's job is strictly to verify. By failing to do so, the Free Press simply doesn't deserve our trust.

Debbie Schlussel

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

Since Jeff Taylor won't correct the false information on Israel in this story and/or label it as a claim and not fact, e-mail his boss who heads the Detroit Free Press, Paul Anger. Ask Anger why his paper won't correct unverified claims that were reported as fact. Ask him why his reporters don't get that basic tenet of journalism--checking and verifying facts. Ask him why he won't discipline Niraj Warikoo, whose agenda led him to deliberately report as fact this tall tale. If you are a Detroiter and/or reader of the Free Press, let him know that and how this fake news will affect your future readership of his dying paper.

Posted by Debbie at 10:14 AM

December 21, 2008

Happy Chanukah: What It Means in the Age of Mumbai Bombings, HAMAS, Hezbos; Still No Modern Maccabees

By Debbie Schlussel

As I write this, it's nightfall in Michigan, and the Jewish holiday of Chanukah began--as all Jewish holidays do--at sundown, about an hour ago.

Chanukah is the story of miracles on so many levels, miracles Jews remember during this eight-day holiday, every year. It's especially compelling, this year, as we remember the murder of several Jews at the Lubavitch Chabad House Jewish Center in Mumbai, India, at the hands of Islamic terrorists less than a month ago.

Chanukah is the story of the few against the many--the few Maccabees, led by Matthew [Matityahu, and then, after his death, Matthew's son, Judah [Yehudah], who fought against oppression by Greek-Assyrian King Antiochus Epiphanies and miraculously beat him and his army, which far outnumbered the Jews. It's the story of the one jar of olive oil which mirculously lasted eight days--the amount of time it took to make more jars--in lighting the menorah [candelabra] in the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. All other jars had been destroyed or made impure by the Greeks, and it was the one jar that miraculously survived intact. Above all, Chanukah is about the age-old, repeat fight of the Jewish people for religious freedom.

As we Jews face a bleak future with Islamic extremism and violence on the rise, we also face an enemy within, just as the Jews and their Maccabees fought in their own community back in the day. The Hellenists were Jews who wanted to forsake Judaism for the secularism of the Greeks. Today, those same Jews are the ones who've forsaken Judaism for liberalism. They're the ones who voted for Barack Obama, the ones who continue to pander and "outreach" to our avowed enemies in the Islamic community. I've written about so many of them on this site over the years, and their names need not be mentioned on this holiday. We know who they are. And their views must be crushed, just as the Maccabees crushed Jewish Hellenism.

I asked, last year, where are all the Maccabees? I still haven't found them. There are scant few among my fellow co-religionists willing to fight for the West's survival, and far too many who run like Roger Bannister to kiss the feet of Muslim extremists in our commmunities in America.

I'm not suggesting violence, as the Maccabees needed to engage in. But it must be remembered that the most bloody fights against and slaughters the Maccabees had to carry out were not those of their Greek-Assyrian enemies, but those of their fellow Jews, whose behavior could have meant the end of Judaism. The Maccabees showed no mercy toward these ignoramuses who embraced the enemy, toward these eager sell-outs.

Sadly, we have plenty of those types of Jews dominating my religion, today, and since there are no Maccabees, we see the results in the shrinking number of Jews worldwide. Jews who leave the religion and/or who bend over backward (and forward) to supporters of Islamic terrorism tend to be--with a few exceptions--very liberal Jews and/or their kids. Make no mistake, Bernard Madoff and many of his investors were of this ilk. That's why their greed ruled the day, and they lost their way (except the way to the ballot box to cast their votes for the Democrats). They would have been among the carnage necessary for the Maccabees' miraculous victory.

I also recognize that, among the Hellenists, are not just lapsed Jews, who've embraced far-left liberalism, but other actors, like the Justice Department, which just set a new policy of seeking no bail for Jewish defendants. We've become second class, because that's the status we've set for ourselves by constantly rushing to defend those who'd eliminate us. If you don't have pride in yourself, others will diss you, too. The Maccabees learned that, when they showed they had pride and bravery. They defied our modern and relatively recent stereotype, which was not typical for that time, of the Jew as weak and cowardly.

And unlike today, in the days of the Maccabees, no-one said it was verboten and impolite to say that the Jews' enemies were all Greek-Assyrians. No-one called them bigots or Antiochus-phobes for saying so.

And so I recognize and remember all of this as I light, tonight, the first of eight candles on my Channukah menorah, marking each night of this joyous holiday. Tomorrow night, I'll light two candles, marking the second night, and so on. The ninth candle, the shamash, is used to light the other eight. It is required to be elevated in height from the other eight candles, which are supposed to be uniform in height on a kosher menorah. (I spied menorahs on sale at Bed, Bath & Beyond that simply aren't kosher because they don't meet those requirements.)

A few notes on Channukah: Contrary to what Hallmark and American Greetings and Best Buy would have you believe, it is not--as I've noted here many times--a major Jewish holiday. That's why, unlike on important Jewish holidays, we Jews can work, as I'm doing on this website. I only do not work while my Channukah candles--which are required to burn for a half hour--are lit up. Channukah has only become important, here in America, because of weak, ignorant Jewish parents who cannot explain to their kids that we don't have a Christmas or a holiday at the same time of the year that is as important to us as Christmas is to Christians. This is largely a phenomenon of Jewish immigration to America.

Speaking of Hallmark, I'm often asked why the name is spelled a gazillion different ways. That's because of English transliteration from Hebrew. It begins with a "Ch" sound, which is similar to the noise you get from clearing your throat. It's not an "h" sound, but most Gentiles--and now, many Jews--are unable to pronounce the "ch" sound. As for the two "n"s or two "k"s, those are irrelevant, as it's all about transliteration and phonetics. There is no right way to spell "Channukah" in English.

We play a game with a spinning top, called a dreidel. The dreidel has a different of four Hebrew letters on each side, which are the initials for a Hebrew phrase, Nes Gadol Hayah Sham, which means, "A Big Miracle Happened There [Here, if you're in Israel]." (Ironically, Bed, Bath & Beyond sells a gold-colored dreidel, bearing a carving of the mosque on top of the Jewish Temple Mount. HUH?!)

The eight gifts thing--or even one Chanukah gift--is really not part of Chanukah, either. It's also part of the incorrect "Just like Christmas" phenomenon. In Europe, traditionally people gave gold coins--called "Channukah gelt"--and ate fried potato pancakes, called latkes. In Israel, they eat sufganiyot, jelly donuts. Jews in America tend to eat both of these on Channukah.

The bottom line is that, no matter how Channukah is celebrated by various Jews around the world, it is about Jews--with all odds against them--vanquishing their enemies, both their enemies without and within. And I note again, today that enemy is Islam and Muslims and the stupid Jewish liberals who love them. We have not chosen to fight them. They are self-appointed.

Too many self-appointed Hellenists, too. Not enough Maccabees.

On the bright side, as with all enemies of the Jewish people, with all odd against us, we defeated the Greeks and Antiochus. I'm hopeful we'll defeat Islam eventually, too.

Like I said, Chanukah is about the few beating the many. And miracles.

And finally, I'll repeat a message I posted last year from my friend Ruth S. King of Americans for a Safe Israel and a great patriot. I second her emotion:

I'm never a hundred percent sure of how to spell it, but I do know that it is a holiday of triumph of good versus evil and Jews versus their oppressors. May you and all those you love have a healthy and wonderful holiday. May we prevail over the millions of enemies we have. May America and Israel survive in strength, deterrence and determination. And, a special thanks to those not of our faith whose friendship and support are crucial and inspiring.

Amen.

To my Jewish friends and readers, I wish you a Happy Chanukah, and to my other friends and readers, I hope this explained this fun and auspicious holiday to you. Thanks to all of you for being vigilant and helping to fight the modern-day Hellenists. And thanks to all of you who sent me Chanukah greetings and good wishes. Right back at ya!

***

From Shraga Simmons and Shimon Apisdorf at Matityahu's Revolt:

The name "Maccabee" is an acronym for the [Biblical] verse "Who is compared to You among the mighty, oh Lord" (Exodus 15:11).

***

More on Chanukah from Judaism 101, Matityahu's Revolt, and the Constantia Hebrew Congregation of Capetown, South Africa.

Happy Chanukah!

Off to light my candles. . . .

Posted by Debbie at 05:46 PM

December 11, 2008

The Unity Center Mosque: Hateful American Mosques Who Hack Members' E-mail & the Lawyers and Stupid Jewish Women Who Love Them

By Debbie Schlussel

Why is a Detroit area mosque hacking the website and e-mails of its members, then suing them to cover it up, and silence them?

What's hacking, er . . . happening, at the falsely-named Unity Center Mosque should be a lesson to the few "moderate" Muslims in America about what will happen to you if you open your mouth. Your mosque will expose you, threaten your life, and sue you. Mosque members did this to stop its members from protesting their treatment and contacting me.

Those "maverick" mosque members--religious Muslims who are trying to be moderate and accepting and liberal--created a petition and a blog protesting the Wahhabi and Salafist takeover at their house of worship, a website, and a foundation empowering moderate Muslim women. They're upset that certain extremist members of the mosque, along with their Saudi-trained imam, are squeezing out and persecuting anyone with liberal viewpoints and any woman who refuses to cover her hair outside the mosque.

But the mosque didn't like their expression of this. Freedom of speech about the mosque?--We can't have that. So, some mosque members apparently got someone to illegally hack into that website and obtain e-mails those members sent me and others. During the summer, they bragged about having e-mails the distraught, persecuted mosque members sent me. (Again, not to worry--my e-mail account is safe and secure, but the sender's apparently was not.) Then, they realized that they were admitting involvement in illegal behavior--cybercrimes.

So, to cover this up and ultimately obtain the e-mails legally, the mosque hired Shereef Akeel--the lawyer for Islamic terrorists, terrorist charities, and Iraqis at Abu Ghraib suing for a big payday--to file a lawsuit against the pseudonymous members. (Read the lawsuit complaint.)

The unethical lawsuit was filed this fall to cover up the previous hacking and illegal obtainment of e-mails, which Akeel is well aware of. Upon filing suit, Akeel filed a subpoena with Google to, after the fact of the apparent crime, legally obtain the gmail account e-mails Muslims from the mosque sent to third parties. Oh, and the mosque wanted to find out the real identities of the mosque members, who posted and e-mailed under fake names, to protect their lives.

I'm very familiar with this lawyer, Mr. Akeel. He's tried to suppress my own free speech--and failed--on several occasions. Now, he's trying to silence Muslims' freedom of speech. His best friend, FBI investigatee Mohammed Alomari, the author of countless anti-Semitic, anti-American conspiracy theorist texts.

Continue reading "The Unity Center Mosque: Hateful American Mosques Who Hack Members' E-mail & the Lawyers and Stupid Jewish Women Who Love Them"

Posted by Debbie at 05:25 AM

December 04, 2008

Terrorist's Lawsuit Against Prosecutor, FBI Agent Proceeds: An Omen of What's to Come When Obama Closes Gitmo

By Debbie Schlussel

The case of Karim Koubriti v. Richard Convertino and Michael Thomas is illuminating about what will happen--what we will see a lot of--if and when Barack Obama closes the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay and releases some of the terrorists onto U.S. soil (because no other country will take them).

Koubriti was a convicted Al-Qaeda terrorists, until vengeful, jealous, politically-correct "Justice" Department officials and an unhinged federal judge, Gerald Rosen, worked in concert with Koubriti and other terrorists' lawyers to overturn the jury conviction.

Longtime readers of this site and my work elsewhere are familiar with the case of Convertino, about whom I first wrote in a 2003 New York Post column, reprinted here.

Despite everyone at the Justice Department working against him, Convertino prosecuted and convicted several Detroit Al-Qaeda terrorists who had diagrams of the take-off order of American and Israeli planes--AWACS and F-16s--at the U.S. Airforce Base in Incirlik, Turkey. They also had videotape of several U.S. sites, including Disneyland and Las Vegas, which featured some of them singing songs about jihad. They'd planned to blow up all of these places and a hospital in Jordan.

The men and their plans were discovered when FBI agents were looking for Nabil Al-Marabh, a Bin Laden right-hand man, who was in the top 10 on the FBI's Most Wanted List. Al-Marabh was not at home in the apartment at the house on Detroit's Norman Street, but Koubriti and several others were. And their plans, diagrams, and over 100 jihadist videos were discovered by agents.

Convertino, despite all odds, won convictions of most of the terrorists in the first post-9/11 jury trial for terrorists. But we can't have that.

Convertino's boss, then-U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Collins, was in bed with Islamic extremsists and terrorists to the point that he was the date of a "former" Islamic terrorist at an awards banquet. He was upset that Convertino obtained a conviction that implicated local Muslim and Arab agencies, including ACCESS (the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services), which spent thousands in your tax money to provide job training--Commercial Drivers License and HAZMAT Hauling Certificate training, no less!--to the terrorists. And Collins and Convertino's colleagues were jealous of his positive attention in the press all over the world for the convictions.

So Collins and Justice Department officials worked with the convicted terrorists' attorneys to look for ways to overturn Convertino's convictions and ruin his life. And they succeeded.

Within days, the Detroit and national media were rife with daily attack stories savaging this honest, decent, religious Catholic father of five, whose only crime was to convict Islamic terrorists for trying to attack America. A Justice Department official--believed to be Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathon Tukel--even outed a Muslim confidential informant who helped on the case and jeopardized the man's life, all to get back at Convertino. The informant's name appeared on the front page of Detroit's major newspapers. (I represented the informant in an unrelated matter.)

Next, they got the Judge to overturn the convictions of these terrorists over a red herring. And finally, they prosecuted Convertino.

Imagine this: You are a federal prosecutor who worked day and night to convict people who wanted to murder Americans. And suddenly, the feds are prosecuting you for having done so.

Convertino beat the charges. Jurors, for a second time, said that clearly these men were terrorists and that Convertino saved American lives by prosecuting them.

But, despite that, the witchhunt doesn't end there. And this is where the Al-Qaeda terrorists at Gitmo should take note.

Koubriti is suing Convertino and FBI Agent Michael Thomas. Yesterday, Judge Marianne O. Battani ruled that--despite, federal immunity rules that immunize officials from personal lawsuits over the performance of said federal duties--Koubriti's absurd lawsuit will go on. You'll remember that Battani is the judge who also declined to throw the bookat a Muslim Hezbollah supporter who threatened to rape and kill me for being a Jew and exercising my First Amendment rights.

Imagine the message this sends to all federal prosecutors and law enforcement agents. It's chilling--Don't go after terrorists, or you'll be subject to endless, baseless civil lawsuits from them.

The Battani decision is boneheaded, absurd, and--hello . . .--it's against the law which clearly provides immunity to Convertino and Agent Thomas.

This is exactly what the Gitmo detainees whose countries won't take them will do when they get to settle on U.S. soil. That's where things are heading.

And that's the future of America. Over ten years ago, I wrote about the litigation jihad. Since then, many others who've discovered America, have discovered this issue.

And it is only going to get worse.

The Koubriti lawsuit against Rick Convertino and Mike Thomas is only the beginning.

When Obama closes Gitmo, get ready for our courts to get clogged by more lawsuits from the Ahmeds, Mohammeds, and Mahmouds--former residents of a Cuban beachside resort full of video games, movies and La-Z-Boys.

Meanwhile, "former" Al-Qaeda terrorists Karim Koubriti drives a truck throughout Michigan . . . while he waits to collect his cool, former-terrorist-ambulance-chasing cash.

Muslims call this "Halal money." I call it, Al-Cha-ching. In many ways, it's more powerful and dangerous than the most explosive IED.

***

Rick Convertino isn't just sitting back and taking this lightly. He sued the federal government and his lawsuit is proceeding. One sticking point is Detroit Free Press reporter David Ashenfelter, who--despite Convertino's pleas--published the name of and outed a Muslim confidential informant in the case and jeopardized his life. Ashenfelter is repeatedly fighting his required presence and answers to questions at a deposition.

The deposition is scheduled for Monday. He must answer questions regarding all of the federal officials who leaked confidential information to him about Convertino and the Muslim informant. If he doesn't, he should get the same fate as Judith Miller. That's the law.

Posted by Debbie at 12:15 PM

November 28, 2008

"They're All Gone": Where Have We Heard That Before? Mumbai 2008 is Munich 1972 for Murdered Jewish Hostages

By Debbie Schlussel

**** SCROLL DOWN FOR UPDATE ****

Baruch Dayan Ha'Emet--Blessed is the True Judge/the Judge of Truth.

That is the phrase we Jews say when we inform others in our community that a fellow Jew has died. We say it because even though we are very sad that the person died, we know that only G-d--the True Judge/Judge of Truth--knows what is in his plan and can decide our proper, ultimate destiny.

It is very tragic and sad to read and hear reports coming out of Mumbai, India that Islamic terrorists murdered all of the Jewish hostages taken at the Lubavitch Chabad House--a center of Orthodox Jewry. Five dead bodies were found as Indian authorities finally took control of the Chabad House.

That Was Then . . .

This Is Now . . .

Just like in Munich in 1972, the Indian government let things go on too long before they made even the first (unsuccessful) attempt to storm the Chabad House. Tragically, the Jewish hostages, targeted and taken only because they were Jews, met the same fate as their co-religionists in Munich. We will never learn. Whether it is the incompetent German police then, or the incompetent Indian ones in the last couple of days, they treat Islam and terrorists with kid gloves. Yes, India is far tougher on Muslims than we are. But still not enough.

While India was tougher than anyone against Somalian Islamic terrorists a/k/a "pirates", the country was meek on its own soil. It's disappointing that a country headed by a Sikh--who must surely have learned something from decades of Muslim attacks on Sikhs (and Hindus)--does not crack down sufficiently on his country's Muslim population. At one time, Islam was a much smaller percentage of the Indian populus. Now, it is 10-15 percent and growing--so it matters not whether or not these terrorists were homegrown or snuck in from Pakistan. India has its fair share of Islamic terrorism supporters, such that tennis player Sania Mirza canceled her doubles partnership with Israeli Shahar Pe'er, lest she offend Muslims by playing alongside a Jew.

And now, it may be too late to crack down on Islam in India. But surely, there should have been swift stormtrooping on the Jewish center. Yes, some may have died. But now, all of them have been murdered.

Just like in Munich.

The Munich Olympians and the Mumbai Chabadniks had little in commmon. Most of the Israeli athletes were secular Jews. The Mumbai hostages were devout Jews. But that didn't matter to the Muslim one-drop rule. They were all Jews. And therefore, they were deemed less than human and slaughtered at the hands of Islamic murderers.

And by the same token, it makes no difference whether or not the Mumbai terrorist were from Al-Qaeda. The Munich terrorists were from Black September, a P.L.O. group. But, whether in 1972 or 2008, they all have one thing in common: Islam. So, now Black September (though not named for the month in which they did, in fact, slaughter the Jewish athletes, but the month in which the Hachemite King Hussein slaughtered Palestinian Muslims led by Arafat) is Black November.

The Bible was so right when it said, in Genesis, that Ishmael (and his descendants) would be wild asses of men and live lives of "manlike wilding." They continue to show us on a daily basis their wild savagery against innocents around the world.

And yet, the organized Jewish community continues to embrace these people and speak of them as a "religion of peace" and about how "hijackers hijacked the religion." I suppose now, we are supposed to say that "hostage takers and murderers took hostage-took and murdered the religion."

Whatever. We know that these never-ending acts of violence and bloodshed are not accidents of a few who "don't represent Islam." NO, they are the actions of those who represent the epitome of Islam and whose actions are already being cheered on the Islamic street around the world.

A word about Chabad Lubavitch, some of which repeats what I've already said on this site over the last few days. But it bears repeating.

Chabad House is a project of the Lubavitch sect of Chassidic Jews, known as Lubavitchers. They are known for their kindness and charitable works to Jews and non-Jews. They make it easier for Jews to practice our religion in the most remote of locales, such as Mumbai and other locations far more exotic and/or deadly and depressing. As I've noted before, I have a special place in my heart for the Lubavitcher Chassidim because they went out of their way to help make it easy for me to practice my religion when I was in college and grad school.

Lubavitch Chabad, over the years, has cared for AIDS-stricken homeless non-Jews and given them shelter and food. Yesterday, they provided a free (kosher) Thanksgiving dinner to almost 1,000 indigent, non-Jewish Los Angeles residents at a party for them at the Hard Rock Cafe. Since Judaism is not a proselytizing religion--in fact, we discourage conversion to our religion--there is no ulterior motive. There never is with Chabad. They really are saintly people. They epitomize the word, "mensch."

Chabadniks a/k/a Lubavitchers are not "holy rollers". Even though they are devout, they are not heavy-handed or judgmental and do not wear their religion on their sleeves. I have so many Lubavitch friends and have had several as teachers. They all have one thing in common--their eternal optimism, hearty spirit, and generosity and kindness without ever asking for anything in return. Most of them are people of little financial means. They do their work out of a sense of doing right and doing good and helping not just their fellow Jew, but their fellow American.

And one other thing: They are not "ULTRA-Orthodox Jews", the derogatory term that has been used by the mainstream media (including ABC News' Jon Berman) to describe them from the minute of the hostage-taking, and a term that is always used to describe all Orthodox Jews. There are never just "Orthodox Jews" in the media. Just "Ultra-Orthodox Jews." Hmmm . . . Why don't they ever describe the real "ultras"--Muslims--as "ultra-fundamentalist Muslims"?

In fact, Chabad Lubavitch is not only at the mainstream heart of Orthodox Jewry, because of birthrate and non-intermarriage, by the year 2076 (the TriCentennial), they will be the most dominant force in what is left of Judaism in America and many other places.

I mourn the deaths of these poor people, whose lives were untimely taken only because they were Jews. And I pray for their families.

It is ironic that, yesterday, as we were celebrating Thanksgiving, they were being murdered. Blessed be their memories, and may their souls have a special place in the next world.

Their late leader, the great Lubavitcher Rebbe (Rabbi) Menachem Mendel Schneerson, of Blessed Memory, made this 1986 speech about Thanksgiving and his respect for the Founding Fathers. I posted it yesterday, and I repeat it here:

The foundation of this nation was laid by the Founding Fathers, who after coming to this country proclaimed a holiday of Thanksgiving to G-d, Creator and Director of the world, for having saved them and bringing them to a secure land where they could live free of oppression and decrees--to live as they see fit, beginning from practicing their faith in G-d as Creator and Director of the world, in their own times, in their own lives, and their own rescues. They even established it as a law that every year on that day, it must be remembered again, to thank G-d from the depths of our hearts, for having shown them His kindness openly.

It has been established even for non-believers--who in their hearts believe as well, but for whatever reason, boast that they do not believe, or they believe that G-d is far away, somewhere in the Seventh Heaven. But even they know that when a matter affects them seriously, they pray to the Superbeing, to G-d, for help. And certainly, they participate in the Thanksgiving celebration for the founding of this nation by the first gentiles who arrived here.

. . . [A]lthough there were Jews among them, the majority, who established Thanksgiving, were non-Jews. This faith has been celebrated from generation to generation, including our own generation. . . .

[T]he Founders began their life in this country by thanking G-d. . . . This is the foundation of this country, to save the righteous from the hands of evil.

Well, we may soon be unable to save the righteous from the hands of evil, just like in India, because Islam is gaining strength here that is irreversible.

May G-d give us strength to finally recognize that our enemy is Islam. And that it will never give us peace. Only take it away, along with our lives, like it did to Jewish hostages in Mumbai in 2008 and in Munich in 1972 and at many other times and occasions before and in between those dates.

And it will continue to do so, until we stop it.

We've come full circle from the Munich Massacre to the Mumbai Massacre, with a lot more to come because we've done nothing in the West to push Islam out.

They're all gone.

--ABC sportscaster Jim McKay, announcing Islamic terrorists' murder of Israeli athletes held hostage in Munich in 1972.

Five bodies of hostages have been found inside the Chabad House. We still don't know whose bodies

--Israeli diplomate Haim Choshen, announcing Islamic terrorists' murder of Chabad Lubavitch Jews held hostage in Mumbai in 2008.

**** UPDATE: My friend Rabbi Shea Hecht, a prominent leader in the Chabad Lubavitch movement and head of the National Council for the Furtherance of Jewish Education, released this statement:

Tragedy in Mumbai

Statement by NCFJE Chair, Rabbi Shea Hecht

The leaders of the free world must strengthen their resolve to pursue and eradicate terrorist groups like the one that committed the horrible massacre in Mumbai. The world has learned from years bitter experience that a lack of resolve and organization in this fight is paid for in the lives of innocents.

As a 5th generation American, I call first upon my President, George W. Bush and to the President-Elect Barak Obama to aggressively pursue this objective.

Our communities throughout the world are experiencing a profound sense of grief. Over the past two days, we united in pouring out our prayers on behalf of Rabbi and Mrs. Holtzberg, their companions and their families. That the millions of prayers and acts of charity that were undertaken on their behalf should go unanswered is terribly painful. At the same time, we must pause to thank G-d for sparing Moshe Holtzberg.

I would like to take this opportunity to ask everyone who was touched by this tragedy to continue to increase in acts of charity in the merit of those who were murdered.

AMEN.

Posted by Debbie at 10:53 AM

November 23, 2008

Another Detroit Entity That Wants a Bailout: Should Detroit Lions Lose Thanksgiving Day Game?

By Debbie Schlussel

**** SCROLL DOWN FOR UPDATE/Correction ****

It's football Sunday in the latter third of the NFL season, and as I write this the Zero (wins) and Ten (losses) Detroit Lions are the losingest team in the NFL and on their way to becoming the most losing team in NFL history. Their likely only shot for a win is today against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

So, should the Detroit Lions lose their traditional Thanksgiving Day game? It's been a tradition for many years, and one of the least exciting football games for almost all of those years, too.

The Lions' performance over the last couple of decades--especially abysmal now--has led to talk of the Lions giving up that game in favor of more exciting, well-matched teams.

A few weeks ago, on FOX NFL Sunday, comedian Frank Caliendo joked,

Hey, Detroit Lions, the Pilgrims called, and they want their day back.

DebbieSchlussel.com Jedi Master of Photoshop David Lunde asks:

How do Detroit (Lions) football fans put up with such a lousy football team year after year? They do seem like the most loyal fans on the planet.

But that loyalty is starting to wane for the men in silver and Honolulu blue (or as I call it, "Hono-loser blue").

And it's not just the team's very bad record, this season, on top of losers most years before.

Detroit-area interest in the Lions has been affected not just by the team's historic losing status, but by the horrid depression-like economy we have here. In fact, in many ways, the history of the Lions is emblematic of the history of Detroit and the failing auto industry. It's a fitting coincidence that the team is owned by the Ford Family, which has managed and run the team the same way they did Ford Motor Company: into the ground. Lions part-owner and VP William Clay Ford was recently a failed Chairman of the company and the family--major shareholders in Ford--still calls a lot of the shots.

Until now, the Lions have maintained a stranglehold on the Turkey Day game. When Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones initially tried to wrest it away, he didn't manage to and only got an also-ran game out of it. [CORRECTION, 11/24/08: I'm wrong on this, see update, below.] But sports fans and commentators are calling for an end to the Lions Thanksgiving Day game.

We, here in Detroit, wouldn't really care much. Detroit Lions fans--the few who are left--are forsaking the games in droves. They've been blacked out by the NFL policy of not televising games that aren't sold out or mostly sold out. Our economy is very bad, and we don't have the money to waste to prop up overpaid billionaire owners (the Fords) and their multi-millionaire mercenary employees (the Lions players who mostly don't live here in the off-season and will play for whomever pays them more) in their tax-funded, Ford-owned half-a-billion castle (Ford Field), on which Michigan taxpayers got and continue to get no return, since we funded it and they own and play in it.

It's kind of funny to see the Fords struggling to sell out Ford Field, even though its capacity is significantly reduced from the Pontiac Silverdome, a move that was done so that games would more easily sell out and be televised.

The NFL is going to have to start talking tough to players and paying lower salaries with the next draft. Fans don't have the money to pay $20 for parking, $60 per person per ticket, and $12 per person for a hot dog and a Coke. I envision certain NFL teams having to resort to the common marketing tactics of minor league baseball teams and failing NHL hockey teams: packages of nosebleed section tickets coupled with a hot dog and a coke for $15 or less. With parking, that's still expensive in this economy, especially for a losing team in a boring lopsided game.

On the other hand, we Michigan taxpayers gave the Fords a free stadium, and they make so much money in NFL TV and licensing rights, they really don't care much about winning. For them, it's a toy, a place to have a cool suite to entertain their friends in on Sundays in the fall.

So will the NFL finally dump the Lions T-Day game and forgo an unearned pro football bailout for Detroit? Well, the Fords still have their claws firmly in the NFL--with their "Built Ford Tough" sponsorship of FOX's NFL Sunday pregame show--and thus, they still have a significant amount of juice to keep the game.

In fact, their reach is so strong that FOX used to do their pregame show live from here for the Thanksgiving Day game. My friend, the brilliant orchestrator Scott Ackerson, who produces the show, used to invite me to hang with him and the crew of Terry, Howie, etc. (but I always declined--I hate big traffic and big crowds, and with the Detroit Thanksgiving Day Parade, there's a lot of it). But this year, Scott told me they're not coming to town, and they didn't last year, either. With the Lions having as much talent as a WNBA team, it's simply not a game they want to helm live from the rustbelt capital. It's just a ratings loser--for both them and for the NFL.

I hear the suits at NFL HQ on Park Avenue are, at least, considering pulling it, though, again, it's not likely anytime soon because of the Ford Family pull.

So, should the Lions lose the Thanksgiving Day game? Do these turkeys still deserve a Turkey Day showcase? Or is Detroit so down in the dumps that yanking the Lions Thanksgiving Day gridiron contest of flak jackets, would be piling on?

What do you think?

**** UPDATE/Correction, 11/24/08: Reader Menachem's football knowledge trumps mine, indeed, and I stand corrected:

Dear Debbie,

I have been reading you for many years (10+) First time I had to correct you. The Cowboys Thanksgiving tradition goes back 40 + years and was the Idea of the legendary Tex Schramm, GM of the Dallas Cowboys. The Lions afternoon game has something to do with a parade / celebration a yearly tradition in Motown . I guess he wanted to replace the Lions and the game was added.

Menachem

Posted by Debbie at 01:30 PM

November 14, 2008

The ICE Princess' Last Stand; New Head of Immigration Enforcement Under Investigation; Ray Kelly Lobbying for DHS Top Job

By Debbie Schlussel

**** SCROLL DOWN FOR UPDATE on Ray Kelly ****

Today, a myriad of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents contacted me from all over to let me know that their unqualified, incompetent Bush crony-ette boss, Julie L. Myers a/k/a "The ICE Princess", stopped by ICE headquarters to say good-bye to the little people.

After months away from the office--an unearned paid vacation courtesy of your tax dollars--she decided to make an official stop in. And, surprise, it wasn't to judge a costume contest and give out awards for "originality" to employees dressed in blackface . . . or to illegally destroy evidence when she got caught.

Also, today, while she was saying good-bye, I was observing one of the many sad legacies she's left in her destructive path of incompetence, ineptitude, and selfishness.

Here are some of the many fun and appropriate ICE images I've asked David Lunde to make over the last three years . . .

Julie Myers Was Unqualified, Clueless, and an Embarrassment to ICE Agents . . .

But She Got the Job Because Her Uncle Was Retired Gen. Richard Myers and Her Bed Partner Was Chertoff Chief of Staff John Wood . . .

Prima Donna Julie Myers Liked to Be Chauffeured Around by ICE Agents, Who Were Forced to Buy Her Diet Coke (Out of Their Money) . . .

And She Liked to Give Awards to Her Employees Dressed in Blackface . . .

As I walked down the aisles of a Detroit-area kosher supermarket and saw signs all over saying there is no pastrami or buffalo meat, I thought: this is really the main legacy of "The ICE Princess"--the head of our nation's immigration enforcement for the last three years, and the woman who exacerbated the problem.

The reason there is a shortage in kosher beef across the country is that instead of tracking down illegal alien visa violators--which include many Muslim "tourists" and "students" who came here for neither purpose and are still here--Myers wasted over $10,000,000 and thousands of ICE agent man-hours to round up just 300 mostly Guatemalan illegal aliens at the nation's primary kosher meat processing plant in Postville, Iowa.

I'm all for arresting illegal alien workers, but we must set priorities. And the priorities she set dictated that several hundred Somalian Muslim extremist workers with work visas got the illegal alien Guatemalans' jobs. Don't you feel so much safer now that "Black Hawk Down" was imported to Iowa? Wow, that was really worth the $10,000,000 national photo op Julie Myers bought with your taxes.

Also, the plant and its parent company just filed for bankruptcy. It is taking the whole Postville town out of commission economically--in a time we can least afford it. The whole town will collapse.

But, hey, the hundreds of thousands of Muslim tourist and student visa violators continue to roam free. I guess they are "less dangerous" than Guatemalan Catholic meat packers.

And, of course, as I noted right after the raid, I asked an ICE agent who conducted the raid whether they'd ever raid Muslim halal meat-processing plants (many of which have been linked to terrorist money laundering), and he say, "F-ck no! The White House has to sign off on this."

Instead, Julie Myers spent her days feting "former" Islamic terrorists who commit marriage and immigration fraud and work to impede her agents from enforcing the law--an amazingly obtuse move about which I wrote in the New York Post. Yes, American has its priorities.

And the priorities under Julie L. Myers, Michael Chertoff, and George W. Bush were not immigration enforcement. Estimates say that under Myers and her two top protectors--Bush and Chertoff--hundreds of thousands to a million new illegal aliens either entered the country illegally or stayed here past the time they were legally allowed to be here.

That's the rest of her Politically Correct and incredible bankrupt legacy. Under Myers, ICE became LICE--Latino Immigration and Customs Enforcement, because that's the only ethnicity that seems to be the target of immigration enforcement in these post-9/11 years.

Finally, there's her hand-picked temporary successor, whom she promoted to Deputy Assistant Secretary of ICE, even though she knew he was and remains under investigation for promoting unqualified women to important ICE positions because they slept with him.

My sources say that John P. Torres, the proud high school graduate running ICE now that Myers is gone, is under serious investigation for that misconduct and for misusing and misspending ICE money on flights to fly his extramarital girlfriend around. Because of him, she is now Assistant Special Agent in Charge in Baltimore. And don't forget the hundreds of thousands of dollars he wasted on a weeklong ICE confab promoting . . . himself and paying $30,000-$50,000 to Tommy Lasorda to speak to ICE agents.

Nice work if you can get it.

And, apparently, at ICE, you can only get the plum jobs and get promoted if you are dishonest and incompetent.

Meanwhile, illegal aliens laugh at us, just as they laughed at Myers' brilliant plan to ask illegal aliens to self-deport. Only 9 out of hundreds of thousands took a bite.

Buh-bye, ICE Princess. And good riddance. So glad you are no longer on ICE and that your federal career is on ice.

***

Here are a couple representative examples of the many e-mails I've received from ICE agents, very glad to see Myers go, but very much captive of low morale amidst the "leadership" of John P. Torres, ICE's own unique version of a power-mad George Costanza:

Subject: JULIE MEYERS is saying GOOD-BYE Today!

Dear Debbie,

Julie Meyers will be dropping by the new ICE HQ on 500 12th Street SW, Washington, DC to say Good-Bye today!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The exclamation marks are the message--excitement that Ms. Thang is finally gone.

Subject: Meyers finally Gone!!

Debbie,

Tomorrow (read today) is Julie Meyers last day....... Now we have the wonderful (sic) Torres running ICE.......... Jeez, all we need to complete this bad nightmare is for Ray Kelly to come back to be DHS......... We are in serious kak kak...........

Note that both of these ICE agents spelled The ICE Princess' surname wrong, because they simply don't care about or respect her in the least to get it right. In fact, many ICE agents referred to her as The ICE Princess, after she was so dubbed by this site.

Yes, Ray Kelly, who heads the NYPD and was once head of U.S. Customs, is pushing to become Obama's new chief of Homeland Security. I've written about him before. ICE agents who worked for the former U.S. Customs noted his priority as head of Customs was not law enforcement, but affirmative action for minorities in hiring and promotions. He is a close friend of Hillary Clinton, so that may put him out of the running. He's not a good guy, but he's far better than Michael Chertoff, in that he at least was a cop and a high-level federal cop.

Sadly, as I've noted in the past, Kelly was tight with his former protege, Islamo-panderer Brian Moskowitz a/k/a "Abu Moskowitz", the sleazy, swinging ICE Special Agent in Charge for Michigan and Ohio, who was seeking extramarital relationships with employees of organizations engaged in immigration fraud, organizations that were under investigation by his agent, and suddenly aren't now.

And that's the latest in the ongoing comedy that is not a sitcom, but, sadly, real life for America: ICEfeld.

**** 11/15/08, UPDATE on Ray Kelly, possible new Homeland Security Chief:

One commenter, who claims his name is Tony Attansio and who says he worked in the NYPD and as a federal agent for Ray Kelly, is upset by my comments on Kelly. I have had mixed reactions about Kelly among ICE agents when I wrote about him when Hillary Clinton was the front-runner in the Presidential race.

Certainly, he'd be a vast improvement over Michael Chertoff, but why should Chertoff be the bar? If that's the case, the bar is set very low. Here's what I wrote about Ray Kelly, then. I think it's a pretty even-handed assessment, since Kelly has, indeed, done a decent job of infiltrating and stopping Muslim terrorists, to the great jealousy and disdain of the FBI, which has been incompetent in the same area. At the same time, this began under Bernard Kerik, and Kelly has been very much into "outreach" to Islamic extremists:

Then, there is Hillary Cankles Clinton--for whom I would NEVER EVER vote. She is very good friends with New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, who would likely be among Hillary's top choices to head up DHS. Legacy-Customs agents in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have mixed reviews of Kelly's performance when he ran the then-U.S. Customs Service, a job he got because of his tight friendship with Hillary Clinton.

One former Special Agent in Charge, whom I trust a great deal, told me Kelly's chief priority was not law enforcement and stopping money laundering and smuggling of goods into America. He said Kelly's chief priority and objective in Customs was the affirmative action hiring and promotion of minorities, many of whom were not competent because they were not hired or promoted based on qualifications and experience. The former Customs Agent tells me that Kelly was terrible and helped destroy Customs.

And Kelly is friends with dangerous Islamo-pandering ICE officials like Brian Moskowitz a/k/a "Abu Moskowitz," the ICE Special Agent in Charge over Michigan and Ohio. Abu Moskowitz, a former New York City cop, brown-nosed Kelly. And Kelly, in turn, repeatedly promoted and groomed Abu M (selecting him for the prestigious Customs Leadership Institute), getting him to the position where he is today. Under a Kelly DHS, Moskowitz--who panders to known Islamic terrorists and agents of the Government of Iran and refuses to investigate their illicit activity--might be as protected and unduly promoted as Julie L. Myers a/k/a "The ICE Princess" was and is. NOT a good thing.

On the other hand, as head of New York's police, Kelly has been doing a great job getting and stopping Islamic terrorists. The NYPD has done such a great job stopping Islamic terrorists in New York, the FBI is angry and jealous. (That includes NYPD counter-terrorism personnel embedded in Israel, to which the FBI strenuously objects.) Most big terrorism suspects thwarted in New York recently have been stopped by NYPD undercover operatives and informants, not those from the FBI. While Kelly has achieved a lot in the fight against terrorism in NYC, he's hugged and kissed a lot of extremist Muslims in photo ops, in the process. Not a good thing.

I asked at that time for agents to respond and comment on Kelly:

I'd love to hear more from ICE agents who've worked for Kelly. Please post your comments in this entry and/or e-mail me, and let me know what you think of him.

Read the responses. And please comment now on your reaction to Ray Kelly atop DHS.

Posted by Debbie at 03:59 PM

"Quantum of Solace" Will Leave You Barely Shaken, Only Slightly Stirred

By Debbie Schlussel

The best thing about "Quantum of Solace"--the latest James Bond flick--is that the aptly-named villain-in-chief, Dominic Greene, is an environmentalist wacko, a "green" fanatic.

And, like most of them, he's a Gulfstream eco-hypocrite, who actually rapes the land and victimizes indigenous peoples, while raising money in the name of helping them. The movie debuts today, and I was shocked that Hollywood dared go there, especially since the script is co-written by uber-leftist Paul "Crash" Harris.

Still, the villain was boring. He doesn't compare to Blofeld (full name: Ernst Stavro Blofeld)--my favorite repeat Bond villain (best played by the late Telly Savalas)--or even Jaws. Not even close.

And aside from portraying the green movement as utter hypocrisy, the movie was dull, only so-so. Note to the Broccoli family (which owns the rights to Ian Fleming's James Bond movie franchise): Stick to more glamorous locales than Bolivia (the setting for a significant chunk of this movie), which was very Bolivi-oring.

As was the case with "Casino Royale" (read my review), I continue to struggle to like Daniel Craig as the new James Bond (sadly, the first James Bond actor to have posed nude--not classy, just gross; Sean Connery came very close to doing the same) . I want to like him as Bond. He is masculine, hot, charismatic, and sexy . . . in a haggard, Vladimir-Putin-lookalike kinda way (I also try to forget his horrid role in the equally horrid pan-terrorist "Munich"). And they love to show this well-toned Bond with his shirt off, great for red-blooded women like me.

But the humorless script didn't help him much. James Bond is supposed to be fun and casual--a hail fellow well met who is a good sport and doesn't take himself too seriously, even when he's getting the bad guys. But this movie was the exact opposite. It was smothered under the weight of seriousness, revenge themes, and bitterness. Don't get me wrong--I love revenge, a motive and response which is under-rated and over-panned. But I just didn't feel it here. It was empty and stupid.

One turn-on: Fortunately, Craig's Bond wasn't girlie-manish and metrosexual in "Quantum," my chief objection to him in "Casino Royale."

I wasn't overly thrilled with Craig's debut in "Casino Royale", but I liked this one far less. I now have a better appreciation for "Royale", which really was far more Bondian in tradition, tempo, and demeanor. "Royale" had a discernible, plausible plot and heart-pounding action. This one had lots more action, but it was mostly dull and unexciting action, which left me cold. That's unless you count the scene of Bond repeatedly walking through massive flames of fire, unhurt. That's a "Come on?!" moment that's hard to believe. And while, yes, most Bond movies have stunts that are just not believable, the flamewalker stuff was just blatant in-your-face BS.

There was some great shooting and cool gun scenes. Love those guns--suave men with guns are hottt. But other than that, yaaawn.

And this one was missing even more of what Bond is all about and what makes male moviegoers want to be him and female movie fans want to "date" (euphemism) him: "shaken/not stirred" drinks, sexy women, and cool gadgets. Does our depressed economy translate into a shortage of all of those? Apparently so. While Ian Fleming's written-page Bond was actually not a womanizer, that's not the bachelor (except in "On Her Majesty's Secret Service") Bond we've come to know on-screen. But in "Quantum", Bond has only two women (who are strikingly flatter than General Motors' profits and the main course at IHOP). The cool gadgets? Well, there aren't any. Didn't you hear? Sharper Image went out of bid'ness. And the drinks? Well, "shaken, not stirred" is gone from the Bondian dialogue. I don't remember even hearing the "Bond, James Bond" line.

Especially in this sad economic state of affairs, we more than ever need more of this stuff in our escape at the movies. And they gave us less. It's like we flew coach on Northwest to Greater Bondia, and they not only took away the peanuts because of someone's allergies and the snacks to cut costs, but they ripped the cushions out of the seats, too. Plus, they lost our bags (but not the bags underneath Craig's eyes).

Oh, and remember "M," the elder Bond boss? It was bad enough when un-Bond-like women's lib transformed Bond's boss from male to female (Judi Dench). Now, it's worse. The senior citizen was supposed to be a cameo, but now she's a co-star. Too much of her, far too less of Bond women, gadgets, cars, and drinks. What is this--"AARP Magazine" on film? Apparently, Helen Thomas is doing the casting for Bond girls now and the guys writing Dench's growing share of dialogue think she's one.

Then, there's the murky, absurd "plot". It's a mess and hard to discern. The movie takes place immediately after "Casino Royale", but you needn't have seen that to understand this. Bond and M discover moles in the British Secret Service that work for this unnamed criminal organization. Apparently this same organization is responsible for killing Bond's true love (agent Vesper Lynd who is killed at the end of "Casino Royale"), and he wants revenge. Meanwhile, he meets a Bolivian woman who has her own similar motivations in trying to stop the eco-villain and his criminal organization from installing their own dictator in Bolivia, a corrupt general. Asleep yet?

And the plot isn't just weak. As with all weak plots these days, it's anti-American, the fail-safe Hollywood plot device. Two geeky, evil CIA agents are working with the eco-terrorist villain to help the corrupt general take over Bolivia, and only Bond--of course!--can stop them. Not that I love the pan-Arabist Valerie Plamesque CIA, but hey, the MI-5 and -6 guys ain't no saintly champions of Western values either. Kim Philby, anyone?

The one cool thing in the movie was ripped off from "Goldfinger". A Bond girl is found dead in Bond's hotel room covered in black oil. Remember the Bond girl found in a hotel room covered in gold paint? Been there, seen that.

Yes, there are some funny lines in the movie, but very few and far in between, unlike most Bond films. And, frankly, the best line in the movie was a serious and true-to-life one uttered by the eco-terrorist:

While America is tied up in the Middle East, Latin America is falling like dominoes to the Communists.

So true, and it's something I've been shouting from the rooftop of this site for a number of years, as President Bush did nothing to stop Daniel Ortega and other Communists from retaking power in our Southern Hemisphere neighbors.

Exit question: Will Hollywood ever have the guts to make James Bond fight Muslim terrorists the way he fought Cold War Communists? James Bond bedding scantily-clad Muslim women under the noses of Bin Laden acolytes, then rubbing their faces in it and his bullets, is exactly the excitement we need. And so does he.

Bottom line: The movie was entertaining and not objectionable. But it just wasn't what we expect from James Bond. Not only wasn't it a great Bond movie. It wasn't even an average one. It was just okay, and--as much as I hate to say it--in terms of a Bond movie, it was sort of mediocre. I love James Bond and James Bond movies. But I don't love "Quantum of Solace." It was just "eh". That's why I can only give it . . .

ONE-AND-A-HALF REAGANS

***

Read more about how this movie clashes with Ian Fleming's consistent vision of James Bond, in Allen Barra's interesting, "Will the Real James Bond Please Stand Up?"--entertaining must reading for Bond fans.

***

From a past entry on "Casino Royale" and Daniel Craig as the new fair-haired Bond, here are some of my Bond favorites:

Fave DebbieSchlussel.com James Bond flick: "On Her Majesty's Secret Service," starring George Lazenby, the one and only time he played Bond. Also liked, "From Russia With Love," "Goldfinger," and "Dr. No."

Fave DebbieSchlussel.com James Bond: George Lazenby and Sean Connery.

Fave DebbieSchlussel.com James Bond villain: Blofeld (full name: Ernst Stavro Blofeld), as played by Telly Savalas (Blofeld was also played by Donald Pleasence and Max Von Sydow).

Posted by Debbie at 12:00 AM

November 13, 2008

EXCLUSIVE: Did Next Commander-in-Chief Falsify Selective Service Registration? Never Actually Register? Obama's Draft Registration Raises Serious Questions

By Debbie Schlussel

**** Copyright 2008, Must Cite Debbie Schlussel and link to DebbieSchlussel.com ****

*** SCROLL DOWN FOR UPDATES ***

Did President-elect Barack Hussein Obama commit a federal crime in September of this year? Or did he never actually register and, instead, did friends of his in the Chicago federal records center, which maintains the official copy of his alleged Selective Service registration commit the crime for him?

It's either one or the other, as indicated by the release of Barack Obama's official Selective Service registration for the draft. A friend of mine, who is a retired federal agent, spent almost a year trying to obtain this document through a Freedom of Information Act request, and, after much stonewalling, finally received it and released it to me.

But the release of Obama's draft registration and an accompanying document, posted below, raises more questions than it answers. And it shows many signs of fraud, not to mention putting the lie to Obama's claim that he registered for the draft in June 1979, before it was required by law.

The official campaign for President may be over. But Barack Obama's Selective Service registration card and accompanying documents show that questions about him are not only NOT over, but if the signature on the document is in fact his, our next Commander-in-Chief may have committed a federal crime in 2008, well within the statute of limitations on the matter. If it is not his, then it's proof positive that our next Commander-in-Chief never registered with the Selective Service as required by law. By law, he was required to register and was legally able to do so until the age of 26.

But the Selective Service System registration ("SSS Form 1") and accompanying computer print-out ("SSS Print-out), below, released by the Selective Service show the following oddities and irregularities, all of which indicate the document was created in 2008 and backdated:

* Document Location Number Indicates Obama Selective Service Form was Created in 2008

First, there is the Document Location Number (DLN) on the form. In the upper right hand corner of the Selective Service form SSS Form 1, there is the standard Bates-stamped DLN, in this case "0897080632," which I've labeled as "A" on both the SSS Form and the computer printout document. On the form, it reflects a 2008 creation, but on the printout, an extra eight was added in front of the number to make it look like it is from 1980, when it was actually created in 2008.

As the retired federal agent notes:

Having worked for the Federal Government for several decades, I know that the standardization of DLNs have the first two digits of the DLN representing the year of issue. That would mean that this DLN was issued in 2008. The DLN on the computer screen printout is the exact same number, except an 8 has been added to make it look like it is from 1980 and give it a 1980 DLN number. And 1980 is the year Senator/President Elect Obama is said to have timely registered. So, why does the machine-stamped DLN reflect this year (2008) and the DLN in the database (which was manually input) reflect a "corrected" DLN year of 1980? Were all the DLNs issued in 1980 erroneously marked with a 2008 DLN year or does the Selective Service use a different DLN system then the rest of the Federal Government? Or was the SSS Form 1 actually processed in 2008 and not 1980?

It's quite a "coincidence" . . . that is, if you believe in coincidences, especially in this case.

Far more likely is that someone made up a fake Selective Service registration to cover Obama's lack of having done so, and that the person stamping the form forgot (or was unable to) change the year to "80" instead of the current "08". They either forgot to fake the DLN number or couldn't do so.

And guess where the Selective Service registrations are marked and recorded? Lucky for Obama, it's his native Chicago. From an article entitled, "Post Office Registration Process", on the Selective Service website:

When a young man reaches 18 he can go to any of the 35,000 post offices nationwide to register with Selective Service. There he completes a simple registration card and mails it to the Selective Service System. This begins a multi-step process which results in the man's registration.

Each week approximately 6,000 completed registration cards are sent to the Selective Service System's Data Management System (DMC) near Chicago, Ill. At the DMC these cards are grouped into manageable quantities. Each card is then microfilmed and stamped with a sequential document locator number. The processed microfilm is reviewed to account for all documents and to ensure that the film quality is within strict standards. After microfilming, the cards are keyed and then verified by a different data transcriber.

The Document Locator Number (DLN) is an automatic function (Selective Service record-keeping, specifically the DLN is described on pages 7-8 of this Federal Register document), with the first two digits comprising the year, and it was not changed to "08" in error. So if the form was filed and processed in 1980, how did it get a 2008 DLN?!

* Obama's Selective Service Registration Form is Apparently 1990 Form Altered to Appear Like 1980 Form

On the SSS Form 1, in the lower left hand corner is the form number (SSS Form 1) and the month and year version of the form, labeled as "B". On this particular Form 1, it clearly shows the month as "FEB" (February), and the year is either "80" or "90". The retired federal agent investigated further:

Magnification of the form both physically (with a 10x glass) or with different image software does not reflect a clear cut result of either a "80" or a "90".

But, checking the history of SSS Form 1 (see http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAViewICR?ref_nbr=198002-3240-001#), it's apparent that in February 1980, the Selective Service agency withdrew a "Request for a new OMB control number" for SSS Form 1 (see also, here)--meaning the agency canceled its previous request for a new form, and one was never issued in "FEB 1980".

Since under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980, Pub. L. No. 96-511, 94 Stat. 2812 (Dec. 11, 1980), codified in part at Subchapter I of Chapter 35 of Title 44 a federal agency can not use a form not approved by OMB (Office of Management and Budget), it's nearly impossible for Senator/President-Elect Obama's SSS Form 1 to be dated "Feb 1980." And since that makes it almost certainly dated "Feb 1990," then how could Barack Obama sign it and the postal clerk stamp it almost ten (10) years before its issue?! Simply not possible.

The lower right hand corner reflects that the Obama SSS form 1 was approved by OMB with an approval number of 19??0002, labeled as "C". The double question marks (??) reflect digits that are not completely clear.

* Barack Obama's Signature is Dated After Postal Stamp Certifying His Signature

Barack H. Obama signed the SSS Form 1's "Today's date" as July 30, 1980, labeled "D". But the Postal Stamp reflects the PREVIOUS day's date of July 29, 1980, labeled "E". Yes, Obama could have mistakenly written the wrong date, but it is rare and much more unlikely for someone to put a future date than a past date. (Also note how Barry made such a "cute" peace sign with the "b" inside the "O" of his signature. Touching.)

* Postal Stamp is Incorrect, Discontinued in 1970

Then, there is the question as to whether the Postal Stamp is real. The "postmark" stamp--labeled "E"--is hard to read, but it is clear that at the bottom is "USPO" which stands typically for United States Post Office. However, current "postmark" validator, registry, or round dater stamps (item 570 per the Postal Operations Manual) shows "USPS" for United States Postal Service. The change from Post Office to Postal Service occurred on August 12, 1970, when President Nixon signed into law the most comprehensive postal legislation since the founding of the Republic--Public Law 91-375. The new Postal Service officially began operations on July 1, 1971.

Why was an old, obsolete postmark round dater stamp used almost ten (10) years after the fact to validate a legal document . . . that just happened to be Barack Obama's suspicious Selective Service registration form?

* Form Shows Barack Obama didn't have ID

The SSS Form 1 states "NO ID", labeled "F". Since that's the case, then how did the Hawaiian postal clerk know that the submitter was really Barack H. Obama, who may have been on summer break from attending Occidental College in California. How would they determine whether the registrant was truly registering and not a relative, friend, or other imposter?

* The Selective Service Data Mgt. Center Stonewalled for Almost a Year on Obama Registration, Until Right Before the Election.

The retired federal agent who FOIA'd Barack Obama's Selective Service Registration Form notes:

Early this year, when I first started questioning whether Obama registered I was told:

Sir: There may be an error in his file or many other reasons why his registration cannot be confirmed on-line. However, I did confirm with our Data Management Center that he is, indeed, registered with the Selective Service System, in compliance with Federal law.

Sincerely,

Janice L. Hughes/SSS

Then, they suddenly found the record on September 9, 2008 (prior to my October 13, 2008 request), and stated that his record was filed on September 4, 1980. Did they temporarily change the date on the computer database?

On the previous FOIA response, they stated that it was filed on September 4, 1980. In my second request I mentioned that Obama could not have filed it in Hawaii on September 4, 1980 as he was attending Occidental College in California, the classes of which commenced August 24, 1980.

* Other Questions: Missing Selective Service Number, FOIA Response Dated Prior to FOIA Request, Missing Printout Page

Where is Obama's Selective Service number (61-1125539-1) on the card?

And the retired federal agent notes that the Selective Service Data Management Center prepared its response to his FOIA request prior to the request having been made:

The last transaction date is 09/04/80 [DS: labeled "G"], but the date of the printout is 09/09/08 [DS: labeled "H"]. My FOIA was dated October 13 so why did they prepare the printout BEFORE I submitted my FOIA? I gave them no "heads up" that I was sending it. In fact it was not mailed until late October--around the 25th.

Also, notice the printout was page 1 of 2 [DS: labeled "I"].

Hmmm . . . where is the other page, and what's on it?

A lot of questions here. And a lot of huge hints that this government-released, official Barack Obama Selective Service registration was faked. Either he signed the fake backdated document, or someone else faked his signature and he never registered for the draft (and lied about it).

Which is it?

It's incredible that our impending Commander-in-Chief either didn't register for the draft or did so belatedly and fraudulently.

The documents indicate it's one or the other.

*** UPDATE: Here's another irregularity that points to fraud, as spotted by reader Joyce:

My husband printed the information provided on your web site regarding Barack Obama's Selective Service registration discrepancies. I noticed that the DLN number in upper right corner (labeled "A") has only ten (10) digits with the first two being 08 , but the DLN number shown on the computer screen printout has eleven (11) digits with the first two being 80. It clearly indicates that the "8" was added at the beginning of the DLN number, in order to appear that it was issued in 1980 and wasn't simply a reversal of the first two digits as the retired federal agent noted. This in itself appears questionable. I would think there is a standard number of digits in all DLN numbers.

**** UPDATE #2, 11/14/08: Retired Federal Agent Source Reveals Himself:

The recently retired federal agent has requested that I disclose his identity so that there is no question as to the source of the information.

His name is Stephen Coffman. He retired last year from the position of the Resident Agent in Charge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Galveston, Texas office. He has over 32 years of government service and has held a Secret or higher security clearance for the majority of those years.

He filed the FOIA with Selective Service and has the original letter and the attachments. He first notified the Selective Service of his findings and they ignored the questions.

He can be reached via email at retirediceagent@sbcglobal.net.

UPDATE #3, 11/17/08: Some Obamapologists are claiming this is a fake and want to see evidence that retired agent Coffman actually got these documents from the Selective Service System Data Management Center. Below are scans of the letter and envelope that accompanied Barack Obama's fraudulent registration for the draft (I've cropped the blank white space):

Posted by Debbie at 01:56 AM

November 09, 2008

70th Anniversary of Kristallnacht: Too Many of My People Have Forgotten

By Debbie Schlussel

Today is the 70th Anniversary of Kristallnacht--the "Night of Broken Glass".

On that night, Nazis raided, vandalized, burned down, or otherwise destroyed German Jewish homes, businesses, and synagogues, while non-Jewish residents and police and fireman watched and did nothing.

On November 9-10, 1938, more than 90 Jewish people were murdered and about 30,000 Jewish men were sent to concentration camps where they, too, would mostly face death.

Anti-Semitism always dominated Europe, which is why my paternal grandfather's family left for America at the turn of the century and my paternal grandmother left not long after. But the night of November 9, 1938 marked the official start of the Holocaust--the official symbol that this European anti-Semitism had escalated to a level of even more unspeakable horrors against Jews than previously imagined.

Photos from Kristallnacht, November 9-10, 1938: Jews Arrested and Sent to Concentration Camps, Synagogues and Jewish Businesses Destroyed . . .

It was a loud disruption to the cocooned view of German Jews that they were cultured and mostly assimilated and, many of them, wealthy, and that their fellow Germans would never harm them. On that night, they finally realized that, in fact, they were not the equals in society they'd believed for centuries that they were. As many of my readers and friends have noted this week, these German Jews have their contemporaries in the liberal Jews who voted for Barack Obama and the party dominated by anti-Semitism and anti-Israel sentiment, the Democrats.

They are the same Jews who constantly do "outreach" to Muslims who openly hate them and praise Hezbollah and HAMAS and homicide bombings. They are also the same Jews who love to mindlessly utter the tired "Never Again" phrase, but gladly associate with those who will ensure that in a generation or two it very likely could happen again.

They are Jews like Jewish News owner Arthur Horwitz who, last week, endorsed Obama in his left-wing rag and this week commemorates the 70th anniversary of Kristallnacht. Through all of this, he is engaged in a commercial partnership with Hezbollah agent, Osama Siblani, owner of the Arab American News--who openly praises Farrakhan's anti-Semitic hate and HAMAS and Hezbollah terrorist attacks on Jews, prints vile anti-Semitic editorials against Detroit-area Jews, and whose brother is an executive of Al-Manar (Hezbollah's TV station). Horwitz is trying to promote Siblani's paper and make it more effective and lucrative.

Yes, the "comfortable" German Jews have been reborn (with apologies to the German Jews of those days who even themselves didn't behave like the Arthur Horwitzes of today). And they have forgotten the sounds of the breaking glass, of the 20 Jewish suicides of that night seventy years ago, of the screams of 30,000 people arrested and sent to the camps, just because they were Jewish.

While there are no Kristallnachts here right now, and Americans from the center to the right--who are not of the Pat Buchanan bent--are largely philo-Semitic, we also saw, just two weeks ago, "Hit a Jew Day" at a St. Louis public school and have seen increasing incidents of anti-Semitism all over America and violent brutal attacks against Jews all over Europe, particularly in France.

I, myself, have endured the death, rape, and torture threats from four American residents--ALL of them Muslim. Today's Nazis don't wear the swastika, they wear the crescent. And they find their most vocal supporters on the left and in the party of the left and its new President-elect. And, yes, they have far too many PC-types who are also yes-men--though to a much lesser extent--in the Republican Party.

Seventy years and many have forgotten. I haven't forgotten. I have the photos of my late maternal grandmother, Adela, and her friends in their Nazi-imposed Gold Jude star patch. And I have the memories of the many stories my late maternal grandfather, Isaac, told me over the years of his struggle to survive in the death camps and his many close calls with it as he subsisted as a bag of bones working in many camps, including Dora.

Far too many of us have forgotten. Fortunately, a few of us remember.

There are many famous pictures of what Hitler and the Nazis did to the Jews on that particularly night 70 years ago in Germany and for years to come all over Europe, while Muslims--including Haj Amin Al-Husseini, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem--begged them to speed up the Final Solution and export it to include the Middle East and North Africa.

My late father, H.L. Schlussel, MD, used to point to the picture of a Nazi SS soldier pulling a rabbi by his beard. He would juxtapose it with his favorite photo by Allan Tannenbaum, of bearded religious Jews in Israel's Judah and Shomron--the so-called "West Bank"--protecting their homes and lives with M-16s. "That Was Then, This is Now," was the slogan my father would put on the makeshift copies of the two photos he put together.

Sadly, as my dad lamented, even the "now" may soon be the "then" because my fellow co-religionists, both in Israel and here in America, do not learn from history. They ignore it.

Today, there are different architects of the Final Solution, but the plan is the same. Unfortunately, our impending President wants to hang out with them--the Ahmadinejads and Khaled Meshaals (of HAMAS) of the world--and they happily send him their congratulations and entreaties.

70 years, but that's in the past. It could never happen now . . . . Right?

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.

---Sir Edmund Burke

This Is Now, But it Could Soon Be "Then" . . .

Posted by Debbie at 12:59 PM

November 05, 2008

To Clarify: The Jews Did Not Elect Obama; 63 Milln-Plus Americans Did; Many Jews Lament Obama Win

By Debbie Schlussel

A small minority of people--actually one reader--was upset that I wrote the article I wrote yesterday on the majority of Jews who voted for Barack Obama--Jews who are mostly not religious Jews and who are mostly very liberal (Orthodox Jews are conservative and voted mostly for McCain). The reader felt that it makes the Jews look bad, blames them for the Obama win, etc. In this day of increased anti-Semitism--in which I was called a "Jewish elitist" for some of my comments about Sarah Palin--I can certainly understand that trepidation.

I wrote the piece to expose the liberal Jews in Detroit who espouse extremist Muslims and help our enemies. I have no other forum in which to do so, as the Jewish newspaper in town is in bed with them and espouses the same absurdity. Exposing them on my well-read and popular site gets word out efficiently and effectively. And I wanted to give a voice to my many frustrated fellow co-religionists who, like me, are frightened by Barack Obama's past and his future. I want you, the many gentiles who read my site, to know that many of us Jews do not approve of this crap pulled by our unelected, unrepresentative set of "leaders".

That said, I want to be clear about something: Don't blame the Obama win on America's Jews. While exit polls claim that 78% of Jews voted for Obama--and I think that's low, and probably some Jews lied to the exit pollsters--22% did not. We voted for McCain.

As American Jews, we make up only 5.2 million of the 300 million residents of America. As such, we are less than 2% of the country. And though we have a higher percentage of voter turnout than any other ethnic group, we are not the ones who elected Obama. 63,042,806 Americans voted for Obama, and Jews made up a tiny fraction of that. Since Obama got almost 8 million more votes than McCain, even if every Jew in America (and not all of us are over 18 and eligible to vote), it still wouldn't have put him over the top.

We do not control elections or their outcomes, much less anything else. As someone who is not wealthy by any stretch, I am still waiting for my supposed share of the international banking system, Hollywood, and the liberal media.

And while I understand the Jewish reader's trepidation, I believe that most of my readers are philo-Semitic and probably more pro-Israel than most Jews. I understand that conservatives and religious Christians are on my side for the most part. Yes, there are a few "paleo-conservatives" of the Pat Buchanan clan who never liked Jews or Israel, and there are others who claim to be pro-Israel, like Sean Vannity, yet are friends with Neo-Nazis like Hal Turner and constantly promote Pat Buchanan's pro-Hitler book. But most of you, I know, don't blame the election on my ethno-religious group. You blame it on a bad campaign, a bad candidate, a non-conservative President and party for the last eight years, and a confluence of events beyond our control--ie., the increasing mass stupidity and dumbing down of the American people, the mortgage crisis, the stock market crisis, etc.

Carl in Jerusalem, one of the many stalwart Jews for McCain, notes a great bumper sticker about how many of us Jews feel. Joe Gelman of Neocon Express blames the incompetent Republican Jewish Coalition, a group of which I've also been very critical.

Still, I want you to read a few of the many e-mails I've received from Jewish McCain voters from all over America, and one in Israel.

From My Friend, Karen:

Debbie,

I am so depressed, watching the election results and reading this email. The world is full of fucking idiots and they happen to be Jews. I am terrified for this country -- for us, and for Israel.

The Pied Piper, Svengali, Robin Hood and Emperor Without Clothes has them mesmerized into imbeciles.

Karen

Reader Charles:

Dear Debbie:

As another Orthodox Jew I am extremely depressed on the thought of 4 years of this anti-semite serving as President. I can't believe so many so-called Jews supported him. They would vote for Adolf if he was on the Democratic ticket. These were not real Jews. They are the liberal Jews who infest the West Side of New York. The people I learn with in Yeshiva [Jewish academy of Torah/Bible learning] all supported McCain. In my Young Israel crowd there were very few who supported, and I can hardly use the word that Rush [Limbaugh] uses, "the messiah." . . .

What a depressing evening.

My G'dson is Brett Joshpe who is an up and coming conservative. Maybe you've seen his columns and recent book "Why You're Wrong About The Right?" He asked me last week what the Jews in Germany did when Hitler came to power. I told him the Reform [Reform Jews] crowd thought they were OK since they were German. The monied people left, and the poor were left to die.
Charles

Reader Adina:

I must tell you that from my birds eye view in Israel, having just moved here this summer, I must say that the news of Obama's election is eliciting true fright. The leaders here veer dangerously leftward, but the average Jew knows the score.

Not only are people living in the US in danger, but Israel is now truly alone in its fight against the Islamists, and in particular the Iranian Hitler. We will need to strike pre-emptively,and soon.This is what I am hearing from my many contacts

We can all thank leftwing Jews who championed, shielded and now elected him, and most especially George Soros for bankrolling his machine. I hate to admit this, but even after witnessing the Holocaust, most Jews are incapable of self preservation. They worship the God of multiculturalism, and are more frightened of being branded racist, than of making rational decisions.

If people truly want to understand this Jewish dementia a good place to start is by reading Dr Kenneth Levin's trenchant book, "The Oslo Syndrome: Delusions of a People Under Siege" [DS: An EXCELLENT Book!]. A real eye opener, you might want to review it on your site, and discuss its important implications. Our lives might very well depend on it.

Adina

Reader Rob, a Medical Doctor:

Dear Debbie

I love your BLOG. You tell the truth.

I am Jewish and proud of it. I am at odds with my entire family now.

I especially liked your piece, "When Your Doctor is a Muslim: Medical Terrorism Comes to America."

I am a doctor. I treat Muslims, Jews, Whites, Blacks, and at times have even treated people with big tattoos of swastikas. Treating patients with swastika tattoos sickens me, but I use my position as a Jewish doctor to give people the chance to not hate me and not hate Jews. It has worked with White supremacists. I have been told that I was the coolest and best doctor and made it clear to guys with swastikas tattooed on them that I was indeed Jewish. That when you get a tattoo like that you never know when you will be at the mercy of a Jewish doctor. I have had guys tell me they were going to have their Swastika tattoo removed after dealing with me.

Debbie, my heart is crying. When will we as Americans learn? When we as Jews learn? I have a few Jewish patients. I was talking to one a little before election day about Sarah Palin a great American and a supporter of Judeo-Christian culture as well as a supporter of Israel. There is a small beacon of hope for America, Judeo-Christian culture, and Israel itself. And that is all he can say.

I am tired. People are so ignorant. Only a few see what is really happening. I admire your candor. Your braveness and the truth you tell.

See you in the Obama re-education camps. Jews seem to think we may somehow deserve the violence perpetrated against us.

Sincerely and Shalom

Rob

Yesterday, you read reader Scott's letter, and here's his follow-up today:

I thought you might like to know that I read your whole article on the Jewish Women's Federation at my Torah study class tonight, and a lively discussion ensued.

We were not watching election results, so it was good and positive time spent.

We have lost this election, and I have to say that I am rattled to the core.

I feel like I do not know America anymore - and I had so much faith in the people of this country!

I sing "G-d Bless America" to my ten-month-old daughter when I put her to sleep. I love this country. But what is to become of it - of us?

Hoping that somehow we may be able to find some silver lining, some light in this mess.

Thank you for all that you have done.

ROMNEY '12!

Blessing and success in all your endeavors,
Scott

My Friend Dan:

Debbie,

Oy vey, this is drek.

What do you think is going to be?

We true conservatives will be back in two years and in four years! Hopefully the country will still be viable. Keep the faith.

Dan

These are just a few of many, many e-mails I've gotten from American Jews who voted for John McCain.

There are many of us--over one in every five of us, nearly one in every four Jews, voted for John McCain.

Let's hope that number increases in four years . . . or rather, in two.

Posted by Debbie at 03:23 PM

November 04, 2008

EXCLUSIVE: Jewish Women's Federation Tells Invited Terrorism Speaker She Can't Answer Khalidi Questions; The Self-Destruction of American Jewry

By Debbie Schlussel

Why did a Jewish women's group risk its tax-exempt status by telling its invited speaker she was not allowed to answer questions about Barack Obama buddy, Rashid Khalidi?

There's an old Jewish fable of a Jewish community in a city called Helm or Chelm. The people there are extremely stupid, and those they've chosen to lead them are even more idiotic. They're known, sarcastically, as "The Wise Men of Chelm."

Well, based on lots of rightfully angry phone calls I've received since yesterday, I think we just found our modern day "Wise Women of Chelm," the Women's Department of the Jewish Federation of Detroit--dominated by Obama supporters. Yesterday, they held their "Woman 2 Woman" fundraiser at which the minimum ticket in is a $365 donation.

They refused to allow their invited fundraiser speaker, terrorism expert Rita Katz, to answer questions from the audience about Barack Obama bud, Palestinian anti-Semite and Israel hater, Arafat advisor Rashid Khalidi. Katz told the audience that she was told by her Jewish women Federation hosts and employees that she was not to answer questions about Khalidi because "it's political."

I know Rita--author of "The Terrorist Hunter"--whose father was assassinated by Saddam Hussein for being Jewish. She was born in Iraq and fled with her family to Israel. And I know that were she not suddenly censored by her fellow Jewish females on the eve of the election, she would have told the truth about Rashid Khalidi. Sadly, though, even if she had, it wouldn't have changed a single mind in the community of the blind, deaf, and dumb that is Jewish America on this election day.

This organization is the women's division of the Jewish Federation of Detroit, a group of self-appointed Jewish liberals who unfortunately decide how money is spent in the Jewish community and throughout Detroit, who purport to speak for me as a Jewish-American Detroiter, and who continue to reach out to and pander to "former" Islamic terrorists and Hezbollah members. These dumbasses--with their $400 million-plus endowment--funded a tour for Detroit Black kids of the anti-Israel Arab American National Museum and they funded an initiative to help increase Muslim immigration here and remove barriers to it. Those are just a couple of their myriad absurdly offensive expenditures.

It's a good thing this women's division of obnoxious dummies (who, through their behavior, help breed anti-Semitism) wasn't around in 1940. I can only imagine a speaker telling the women's group that she is not allowed to answer questions about Goebbels, Himmler, or Dr. Mengele, because "it's political."

And don't think that's a stretch. This progesterone-injected group of Hebrew Obama crones would likely be the kapos in the camps in those days. Or they'd be the ones who said,

Don't worry, they're just taking us away for a short weekend. In no time, we'll be back at our homes.

Except, in those days, many of those Jews really didn't know what was happening or what the Nazis were doing. Today, Jews have been sent almost two years of loud broadcasts and telegrams about Rev. Wright, Rashid Khalidi, Louis Farrakhan, and Ali Abunimah. Yet, they choose to ignore them. Also, in those days, the kapos--the Jews who helped the Nazis and turned in other Jews, both in and outside the camps--were in the minority of European Jewry, an infinitesimal fraction of a fraction. Today, the kapos for Obama dominate American Jewry, and I and my compatriots are in the minority.

The line the Jewish Women's Federation told Rita Katz to give--that she can't talk about Khalidi because "it's political"--is actually the real politics here. It's official: the Jewish Federation is an arm of Team Obama. And for this political move, Federation stands to risk its 501(c)(3) charitable status. Politics are a no-no, and restraining a speaker to help the Obama election is political activity. I've heard from several people who want to complain to the IRS and have the status revoked.

The Detroit Jewish News--the "Bible" for these Idiot-owitzes--predictably endorsed Barack Obama. As with everything this insult to birdcage liner does, it would be too much to expect a paper with the name Jewish in its title to actually do something to support the Jews and their interests. Jewish News owner, Arthur Horwitz (whom some more appropriately call, Arthur "Whore-witz"), is in a commercial partnership with Osama Siblani, whose newspaper is funded by Hezbollah, whose brother is an Al-Manar (Hezbollah TV) exec, who called Hezbollah "the martyrs" and "freedom fighters", and who was identified by a Kuwaiti newspaper as one of Hezbollah's key American agents.

Recently, the Arab American News ran one of the most vile, anti-Semitic "Jews Are Rich and Get Special Treatment" articles. The Jewish News denounced it. But that was just smoke and mirrors, since Whore-witz is in bed with the Arab American News and, like a jilted lover, keeps coming back for more. It's not just embarrassing. It's disgusting and dangerous to the survival of the Jews in the Detroit area and the rest of America.

The thing about "The Jewish News": It's not Jewish, and it's not news. As my late father once wrote Horwitz:

I would like to propose an alternative prayer, which I shall reverently call "A prayer for the Jewish News."

"May the Jewish News be granted the wisdom to realize the silliness of some of its ultra-liberal positions and how much damage they could cause to the Jewish community."

Tomorrow, the Detroit Jewish Federation is hosting Detroit News Editorial Page Editor Nolan Finley as a paid speaker. But Finley is the editor who invited anti-Semite and Hezbollah agent Imam Mohammed Ali Elahi to have a regular column on his editorial page, in which he constantly rants against the Jews and Israel. Elahi said the Jews committed 9/11 and was spiritual leader of Ayatollah Khomeini's Navy in Iran. He was sent here by Iran and Hezbollah to shore up extremism in the Detroit Shi'ite community. Yes, Nolan Finley achieved a first: the first operative of Hezbollah and Iran to have a regular column in a major newspaper. And the Jewish community in Detroit licks his tuchus for doing so. Mazel Tov.

While most Orthodox Jews are overwhelmingly for McCain--and a Harvard University study says that in the Tricentennial, 2076, only Orthodox Jews will be left in Judaism--even some of these of my fellow co-religionists display their ad absurdum ability to be myopic. A couple of close relatives of mine had their names in a "Jews for Change" add. Yes, there will be change, but not the kind that's in any Jew's--any American's--interest in the least.

Then, there is my distant cousin Katie Schlussel of Brandeis University (whom I don't know and with whom I've exchanged a couple of e-mails in the past). Here's what she told the campus newspaper of her school that was home to commie attempted-murderer Angela Davis:

Israel is important to Katie Schlussel '10.

Schlussel, president of Brandeis Orthodox Organization, cast her vote for Barack Obama (D.-Ill.) . . . .

Schlussel explained that she feels confident in Obama's goals for the Middle East, even if McCain does seem to be the better man for the task considering his significant foreign policy experience and political track record of support for Israel.

This is why I think college students should be ineligible to vote.

Again, this isn't representative of Orthodox Jewry, which is 95% for McCain. In places like New York, less so; in places like Michigan, almost 100%.

Every time I think the Jews can't do anything worse to screw themselves, I'm disappointed because this insanity keeps escalating.

I'm glad my beloved late father isn't around to see this total implosion and self-destruction of the Jewish people. Unfortunately, he saw quite enough already. And right now, he's turning over in his grave.

The proverbial saying that "The Jews are the canary in the coal mine" is no longer valid, at least not here in America. America's Jews are the idiots in the coal mine. The dead bodies who committed suicide in the coal mine.

Oh, and by the way, it doesn't help much that Republican Jewish Coalition dictator-for-life Matt Brooks is paying himself over $500K per year and instead of campaigning to Jews spent his time paying the cash entry fee for the World Series of Poker. Instead of growing the Jewish vote, he's been growing his rapidly increasing fat ass, using RJC money to live high on the hog, fly first class, stay at fancy hotels, and eat the finest shrimp.

In Judaism, we believe that G-d helps those who help themselves. Since my fellow co-religionists certainly aren't meeting that requirement, I'm hoping G-d doesn't distribute collective punishment.

It's a good thing America is still a Christian country and that evangelical and Baptist Christians--and many other similarly smart and moral Americans--support Israel and my right to exist as a Jew here in this country. My own people won't save me, but--with the help of G-d--Christian Americans will protect me from them and their complete stupidity.

I hope.

***

Call the Jewish Women's Federation and ask them why they silenced information on Rashid Khalidi and why they engage in censorship:
(248) 642-4260, ext. 183. I also suggest you contact the Jewish Federation, it's parent, at the same number, but not that extension--ask for the operator.

I contacted the Jewish Women's Federation asking for comment, and they, predictably, did not return my calls. In any event, here is a list of the organization's officers. Since these chalushes tzatzkes feel no shame in censoring Rita about Khalidi, I'm sure they won't mind a nice little mention here. If you know any of them, give them hell:

Board of Directors

President
Susie Citrin

Campaign Chair
Marcie Orley

Education Vice Presidents
Norma Dorman, Jodi Goodman, Barbara Horowitz, and Leah Ann Kleinfeldt

Corresponding Secretary
Pam Lippitt

Recording Secretary
Gail Mayer

Designates to Federation's Board of Governors
Joan Chernoff Epstein and Leah Trosch

By-Laws Chair
Karen Alpiner

Members-at-Large
Lori Garon and Jennifer Silverman

Women's Endowment Chair
Kathleen Wilson Fink

Strategic Planning Chair
Linda Lee

Nominating Committee Chair
Susie Pappas

Lisa Lis
Jewish Women's Foundation Chair

Past Presidents
Helen S. August**

Penny B. Blumenstein

Marlene Borman

Tillie Brandwine**

Ann Daniels**

Dora Erlich**

Clara Frank**

Paula Glazier

Carolyn K. Greenberg

Nancy E. Grosfeld

Diane D. Hauser**

Shirley Harris

Bernice Hopp**

Esther Jones**

Jennie Jones**

Dorothy Karbel**

Sharon Hart

Doreen Hermelin

Edythe Jackier

Diane Klein

Linda Z. Klein

Ellen S. Labes

Beverly Liss

Barbara Marcuse**

Dulcie B. Rosenfeld

Susie Pappas

Sandra R. Schwartz

Frieda Stollman**

Jane F. Sherman

Edie N. Slotkin

Shelby Tauber

Josephine Weiner**

Elected Members
Karen Alpiner

Deborah Balkin

Sue Birnholtz

Stacy Brodsky

Heidi Budaj

Shannon Dickstein

Norma Dorman

Sharon Eisenshtadt

Judy Elson

Joan Chernoff Epstein

Kathleen Wilson Fink

Linda Finkel

Elyse Foltyn

Margot Gardner

Barbara Giles

Jodi Goodman

Laura Gorosh

Fran Hack

Betsy Heuer

Barbara Horowitz

Gina H. Horowitz

Lilly Jacobson

Barbara Kappy

Judy Kepes

Sherri Ketai

Leah Ann Kleinfeldt

Nancy Kleinfeldt

Anessa Kramer

Jodie Krasnick

Sarah Krasnick

Dottie Levitsky

Pamela B. Lippitt

Lisa I. Lis

Deena Lockman

Roberta Madorsky

Cheryl Margolis

Jeanne Maxbauer

Gail K. Mayer

Anita Naftaly

Patti L Nemer

Fran Newman

Terri Farber Roth

Amy L. Schlussel [DS: married to my first cousin]

Judi Schram

Arlene Selik

Abbe B. Sherbin

Mindy Soble

Julie Sosin

Phyllis Subar

Suzi Terebelo

Carolyn Tisdale

Malka Torgow

Leah Trosch

Judy Verona

Barbara Zaltz

Appointed Members
Amy Berlin

Lisa Brody

Lisa Bronstein

Molly Chernow

Suzan Curhan

Lori Garon

Jenny Glass

Julie Goldstein

Debbie Lippitt

Beth Lutz

Cheryl Margolis

Jill Menuck

Patti Phillips

Michele Rosenblum

Jennifer Siegel

Jennifer Silverman

Karen Simmons

Nancy Stone

Sheri Wagner

Jodi Weinfeld

Marjorie Yaker

Advisory Service Council
Doris G. August

Barbara Berry

Roz Blanck

Barbara Bloom

Joyce Z. Blum

Paulette Borin

Ruth K. Broder

Harriet Colman

Barbara S. Cook

Kim Dickstein

Dolores Farber

Marcy Feldman

Carol Weintraub Fogel

Nancy Glass Kanat

Fran Gold

Marilyn Goldberg

Rose Rita Goldman

Reva Kogan Grace

Micki Grossman

Cheryl Guyer

Margot Halperin

Jan Hauser

Susie Jacob

Nancy Jacobson

Sybil Jones

Marian Kantor

Diane F. Keene

Margie Krasnick

Sally Krugel

Marjorie Kurzmann

Sissi Lapides

Linda Lee

Terran Leemis

Sharon B. Lipton

Renee Mahler

Florine Mark

Susan Marwil

Ilene Nemer

Dee dee Perlman

Beverly Peterman

Meryl C. Podolsky

Rosalie N. Rosen

Marta Rosenthal

Roz Schiff

Sheri T. Schiff

Janice Schwartz

Selma S. Schwartz

Joyce Sherman

Helen Shevin

Baylee Shulman

Evelyn Silverman

Donna Slatkin

Leah Snider

Jessie Stern

Barbara Stollman

Barbara Tukel

Jeannie Weiner

Trudy Weiss

Melba Winer

Beryl Winkelman

Linda Zlotoff

Helen Zuckerman

**Deceased

Posted by Debbie at 11:27 AM

November 03, 2008

Terrorism Trumps Party: 2 Dems I'll Vote 4, Others I Support; Obama Rout May Be Buh-Bye Hezbo Joe, Etc.

By Debbie Schlussel

Tomorrow, I'll of course be voting for John McCain and Republican for Congress and State Representative, etc.

But I'm confidently voting for two Democrats--Brenda Lawrence and Jane Boudreau in the historically Republican County of Oakland, tomorrow. I wish I could vote for Democrat Gary Peters for Congress against Hezbollah Joe a/k/a Congressman Joe Knollenberg, too, but live just south of his district. I also wish I could vote for Democrat Vicki Barnett for State Representative against Paul Welday, a Hezbollah Joe acolyte with ties to Iran.

I wish I could vote Republican in my county for these positions, but the Republicans have given me no choice. They've provided big government RINOs with pan-Islamist ties, instead of good conservatives who cut government and stand firm against Islamic extremism and crime.

The most important issue for me is the terrorist threat to America. And in these races, that choice on that is clear:

* Vote Brenda Lawrence, NOT L. Brooks Patterson

First, there is "Brooks" Patterson, against whom I'll proudly cast my vote tomorrow.

For years, Oakland County has been dominated by an alcoholic, RINO (Republican in Name Only) anti-Semite and racist by the name of Brooks Patterson. His real name is Larry Patterson, but that isn't as pretentious, and he's all about pretension. Oh, and did I mention that this liberal, Patterson, who supports gay rights and affirmative action calls conservatives, "the Taliban wing of the Republican Party"? That's opposed to his anti-Semitic, Democratic wing of the Republican Party.

And he ought to know about the Taliban, because he accepted a free, luxury trip (he stayed at the swanky Burj Al-Arab hotel) to Dubai from the Taliban's Dubaian patrons. He traveled to Dubai along with and at the invitation of open Hezbollah supporter Nasser Beydoun--who calls Hezbollah terrorists that murdered our Marines, "martyrs" and "freedom fighters". Beydoun also heads a "charity" which sends hundreds of thousands of dollars to Hezbollah-dominated South Lebanon, where his father has a mansion. The charity is tied to Hezbollah financier and fugitive Talal Chahine. Beydoun cheered when a speaker at a Hezbollah rally called the Jews "diseased".

Also accompanying Larry, er . . . "Brooks" Patterson on the trip was Ismael Ahmed, then head of ACCESS, the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services, and the man who now heads ACCESS. ACCESS had already been in the news for being raided by the FBI for Medicaid fraud--for bringing pregnant alien Muslims to Detroit to have their babies here and for providing them with phony social security numbers so they could get Medicaid coverage, in addition to U.S. citizenship for their kids. ACCESS was also well known to be an advocate for Muslim illegal aliens and a siphon of taxpayer funds for entitlements for these illegal Muslims.

Those are Larry's, um . . . "Brooks'" friends. And FYI, the purpose of the trip was to change U.S. policy in the Middle East. You know what that means.

Then, there's what L. Brooks Patterson is doing here in suburban Detroit.

As a career politician, Brooks Patterson has grown my county's government by leaps and bounds and raised its taxes and spending geometrically. Big government is his middle name, racism and bigotry is his game. Patterson has alternated his career back and forth between racism against Black people and white people. He began his career campaigning against "Eight Mile", which was well-known code for Black people, as Eight Mile road (of Eminem movie fame) is the divider between Detroit and suburbia and at the time, between Blacks and Whites. And he made all kinds of even more clearly racist statements.

But then Patterson saw many Blacks moving here and he decided to play the reverse race card. He took over the Oakland County Republican Party and mandated that all scholarship essay contests be exclusive to Black kids. If you were a White Republican and needed extra money for college, fuhgedaboutit. He also befriended and repeatedly defended until almost the very end, Hizzoner Detroit Mayor Kwame Malik Kilpatrick.

Now Patterson, desperate to keep his job in a risky election, is back to his anti-Black racism. He's running an ad, showing his Black female opponent in a Gold Leather blazer. The implied message: You know those Black people--they dress gaudy, and we can't have that. They can't be trusted.

But Brooks has shown it's him that can't be trusted. He's been a habitual drunk who's driven drunk on the job and cost taxpayers money because of it. After a liquid lunch, Mr. Tomatohead (his face is constantly bloated and red) drove his county-owned Cadillac onto train tracks in the middle of a field, causing $4,000 in damage, which taxpayers--not him--paid. Then, there was his last drunk-driving incident, where cops--not HIM--got punished for chauffeuring him home instead of arresting him. The sloshed Patterson could have had them fired. (When he was Oakland County Prosecutor he was tough on drunk drivers like the one he sees in his mirror.)

Then, there are the various anti-Semitic statements Brooks Patterson has made both to my face and behind my back since I met him when I was a Republican activist in junior high. When I attended Republican conventions in Michigan, he regularly made comments about the "kikes" and "those Jews". Then, when I ran for the Michigan House, he had the gall to tell friends of mine that I'm an anti-Semite. Next, the Pope will be telling people I'm Catholic.

The thing is, Brenda Lawrence has a good shot to beat Patterson, who is really no different than her on taxes and spending. She, however, is not an anti-Semite or racist. While Patterson was reaching out to Muslim immigration defrauders outside of his county and far away in the Arab Gulf, Brenda Lawrence reached out to the White and Orthodox Jewish population in her majority Black City of Southfield, putting members of both of those groups on her slate.

Yes, she's a tax-and-spend liberal who supported a $36 million millage for a giant new library. But he's a tax-and-spend-liberal, too. In Brooks' case, though, he's an anti-Semitic, racist, anti-conservative ("Taliban Wing of the Republican Party") 69-year-old fraud who has spent too much time in government and on the taxpayer dole. Time for him to be put out to pasture, where he can drink, curse the Jews and Blacks to his heart's content, and spend his own money, not yours.

Since I was old enough to vote, I've always voted for whatever Democrat ran against Brooks Patterson. But none of them ever had a chance. Now, with Obama's likely tidal wave in Michigan, one does. And I hope she wins. She's getting my vote.

* Vote Jane Boudreau, NOT Mike Bouchard

Then, there is Patterson crony and fellow career government salary collector, Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard. Like Patterson, he also hangs with the Muslim illegal alien enablers at ACCESS, to whom he's "outreached" many times and whose annual fundraising banquets he's repeatedly attended. Why would a Sheriff in another county patronize an enterprise in a different county that repeatedly commits crimes and enables illegal alien Medicaid defrauders? Would your Sheriff pander to an agency that got raided by the FBI for committing federal crimes? Only if he's corrupt.

The Company He Keeps . . .

Or only if he defines "returning to his Arab roots" as being a water-carrier for the Muslims who would kill his Christian ancestors if they were back in the old country. Bouchard is a Christian Arab of Lebanese descent. I generally like them. But some, like Bouchard, have chosen to become water carriers for extremist Muslims here. Sadly, Bouchard is one of those.

But, wait, there's more. Bouchard attended the annual banquet of the openly anti-Semitic, openly pro-Hezbollah/HAMAS Council of Islamic Organizations of Michigan. He took a photo with his new good friend, Imam Hassan Qazwini--a friend of Hezbollah spiritual leader Sheikh Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah, the man who issued the fatwah to murder our Marines in Beirut. Qazwini is a well-known anti-Semite and anti-Israel figure. He is openly pro-HAMAS and pro-Hezbollah and has written explicitly in the Detroit newspapers expressing these various opinions. In 1998, I wrote in the Detroit News about how his mosque hosted Louis Farrakhan and how Qazwini cheered his anti-Semitic rantings and calls for jihads against America's Jews and Christians.

And that's not to mention Bouchard's close association with "Kid Rock", ie., Bob Ritchie, who repeatedly glorifies his former drug-dealing days and federally-imprisoned drug kingpin and mass-murderer "White Boy Rick" (after whom he modeled his persona). He enlisted Ritchie to campaign for him in his failed U.S. Senate bid.

You can tell a lot about a Sheriff by the company he keeps.

That's why I'm voting for Democrat Jane Boudreau for Sheriff. I've had enough. And this is the year that a Democrat--and a real law and order cop--can beat Bouchard.

* Vote Gary Peters over Hezbollah Joe a/k/a Joe Knollenberg

I can't vote for him because, again, I don't live in his district, but I believe (and hope) that, tomorrow, Gary Peters will beat Hezbollah's (and the rest of the jihadists') biggest financial enabler in Congress.

As I've repeatedly noted on this site over the years, Hezbollah Joe a/k/a Republican Congressman Joe Knollenberg sought $268 million in USAID money for Hezbollah in South Lebanon. He got and sent them $86 million, which went to finance rocket attacks--and who knows what else?--on Israel. His then-Chief of Staff Paul Welday (see his race for State Rep., below) admitted to me that while they pretended the money was going "to rebuild (Hezbollah) infrastucture in South Lebanon destroyed by the Israelis", they were not going to follow the money and it likely would go to Hezbollah's coffers for terrorist activity, training, and weaponry. Hezbollah Joe sought the money at the instruction of Arab American Institute chief James Zogby, an open anti-Semite, hater of Israel, and supporter of Hezbollah and HAMAS.

And Hezbollah Joe was handsomely rewarded for sending your taxes to a major terrorist group. Hezbollah's American agent, Nijad Fares and his friends gave Hezbollah Joe thousands--both individually and through their pan-Hezbollah Political Action Committee. Knollenberg also received thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from Hezbollah agent and open supporter Ali Jawad, a convicted insurance fraud perpetrator.

But, wait, there's more.

Joe Knollenberg sought and obtained a federal budget earmark of about $1.2 million for the anti-Israel, Islamist Arab American National Museum. It, no doubt, went to fund myriad anti-Israel exhibits at this house of propaganda, like a video claiming Israel murdered 500 in Jenin (when less than 25 died, and most of them not even from the Israelis).

And Hezbollah Joe sought and obtained nearly $700,000 in the federal budget for "Seeds of Peace", the moral equivalency camp founded by Yasser Arafat's fave biographer. When a Wall Street Journal reporter visited, he watched as counselors refused to intervene as Muslim campers told Jewish campers that the Holocaust never happened. Several Palestinian Muslim "graduates" of Seeds of Peace have become homicide bombers and terrorists. Another grad, Adam Shapiro founded International Solidarity Movement, considered a terrorist group, which gave shelter to two British homicide bombers the night before they blew up an Israeli bar and which also hid Islamic Jihad terrorists.

Yes, Gary Peters is a tax-and-spend liberal. But he is not a Hezbollah- and jihadist propaganda-financier with millions of your tax money, the way Hezbollah Joe is.

Time for him to go. Vote for Gary Peters if you live in his district.

Read all about Hezbollah Joe.

* Vote Vicki Barnett, NOT Paul Welday

I'm urging all my friends and readers who live in Farmington and Farmington Hills to vote for Democrat Vicki Barnett over Republican hack and fat lobbyist Paul Welday. I've known the sleazebag Paul Welday for many years and this CAIR-supporter cannot be trusted.

As I noted, Welday was Hezbollah Joe's Chief of Staff when the two of them orchestrated the deal to send $86 million of your tax money to Hezbollah. I've also written about how Welday appeared at a CAIR event and praised them as the most "committed-to-democracy" group he's ever seen. At the same meeting he made the moral equivocation between Yasser Arafat's homicide bombings and other terrorism and the Israelis. That's not to mention that he's a paid lobbyist for an Iranian group that took our Americans hostage for 444 days in Iran in 1979-1981.

Oh, and don't forget the ACCESS Medicaid fraud I told you about above. Welday's brother, Doug, is Chief Financial Officer of Oakwood Hospital--where most of the Medicaid fraud is occurring with the full knowledge of Doug Welday and other hospital administrators who've enabled the fraud. They make big money from this, courtesy of you--the American taxpayer. Paul Welday sat on the selection committee for U.S. Attorney and selected now-Judge Stephen Murphy III who repaid Welday by refusing to prosecute Welday's brother and hospital for the Muslim Medicaid scam, which is ongoing.

Read all about Paul Welday. Read even more on Paul Welday.

NOT PAID FOR BY ANY CANDIDATE OR CANDIDATE COMMITTEE.

Posted by Debbie at 01:39 PM

October 31, 2008

EXCLUSIVE: Dance Troupe @ Obama-Khalidi Dinner (of Secreted Tape Fame) Simulated Beheadings in Recent Past

By Debbie Schlussel

**** Copyright 2008. Must cite Debbie Schlussel and link to DebbieSchlussel.com ****

As you all know, the Los Angeles Times is holding hostage a tape of Barack Obama at a 2003 Arab American Action Network (AAAN) dinner at which his friends, Rashid Khalidi, William Ayers, and Bernadine Dohrn were in attendance. It's the story I started when Los Angeles Times plagiarist/"reporter" Peter Wallsten ripped off my January column on Barack Obama's Nation of Islam staffers and friendship with AAAN founder Ali Abunimah.

But here's what you haven't yet heard: that a kids' dance troupe that appeared at the event has a history of simulating beheadings and stomping on American, Israeli, and British flags.

Reports of the partial guest list at the 2003 dinner include "the Sanabel Debka troupe", but the group's name is really "Sanabel AlQuds Dabka troupe." Sanabel means "grains" or "kernels" (of wheat or barley) in Arabic. AlQuds, or "The Holy", is the Muslim name for Jerusalem, which is ripped-off from the eternal Hebrew name for Jerusalem, "Ir Kadosh", or Holy City.

The Milwaukee-based Muslim kids dancing troupe purports to perform the debka, a Middle-Eastern step-dance. But this group, made up of mostly Palestinian Muslims and under the auspices of the Milwaukee Muslim American Society does far more in its "performance." And it's frightening.

In June 2004, I went undercover and attended a Dearborn fundraising dinner for Islamic Relief, the Muslim Brotherhood charity that is a front for HAMAS and Al-Qaeda. The event was MC'ed by Rayed Tayeh, who orchestrated the Starbucks Coffee boycott and who is believed to be a HAMAS operative.

Sanabel AlQuds performed to songs calling for martyrdom to "get back Palestine." The kids were young boys, some of them appearing to be no older than seven years old.

But they didn't just dance the debkah.

Suddenly the Sanabel AlQuds dancers pulled out fake swords and rifles and adorned three of their troupe respectively with an American, Isreaeli, and British flag. The others pretended to behead and/or shoot the boys wearing the flags. Then they put red scarves over the three boys heads, signifying blood and no head. Then, the flags were taken off, thrown to the ground, and trampled on by this young group of Milwaukee dancers.

This was on the Sunday that U.S. contractor Paul Johnson was found beheaded in Saudi Arabia and not long after Nicholas Berg and several other westerners were found beheaded in Iraq.

Once I saw this "performance" I realized why there were signs all over saying, "No video equipment or cameras allowed."

I wrote about this in 2004 in my review of "Fahrenheit 9/11", because it featured Obama surrogate John Conyers who was at the Sanabel AlQuds performance and just loved it:

Take the June 13 Muslim American Society fundraising dinner for Islamic Relief, a charity with links to the Muslim Brotherhood. Conyers and his wife were the guests of honor. They watched and clapped as the Sanabel AlQuds "dancing" troop from Milwaukee--featuring boys as young as seven--sang in Arabic of martyrdom and jihad for Allah and Palestine. They didn't need to understand Arabic, as the young boys used a rifle to simulate killing and pistol-whipping, simulated throat-slittings and beheadings, and dishonored the American flag.

Some pictures of Sanabel AlQuds Dabka troupe hint at some of this and show the kids dancing with swords (see above).

I also wrote about it in August 2006, because I'm sick and tired of the tens of millions the Mormon Church, the Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints, has been giving this group, Islamic Relief:

The evening's "entertainment" consisted of young boys--some apparently as young as seven--simulating beheadings and shootings of other young boys who donned the American, Israeli, and British flags. Then they put red scarves over their heads to symbolize blood . . . and no head.

While I do not know if Sanabel AlQuds performed this particular "dance" for Barack and Michelle Obama and other guests at this dinner, I know that this was their performance in the summer of 2004, just a year after the dinner that is the subject of the videotape the Los Angeles Times will not release. It may be that this same "act" was performed for the Obamas, but that it was not part of the tape, which would be why L.A. Times plagiarist/"reporter" Peter Wallsten did not write about it.

Still, why is Barack Obama hanging out with young kids who simulate beheadings of Americans and Jews on a regular basis?

Maybe they can perform their unique, halal version of the debka at an Inaugural Ball. I'm sure the Secret Service would make an allowance for the swords . . . for the sake of political correctness.

Posted by Debbie at 12:39 PM

October 30, 2008

When Your Democrat Elected Official Thinks She's a Stripper: Who is Carey Torrice?

By Debbie Schlussel

Meet Carey Torrice, who got giant breast implants and wants you to see them--and the rest of her exposed flesh--every chance she gets. That's not to mention the other plastic surgery enhancements she's reportedly had.

Did I mention she's a Democrat elected official in Michigan who is up for re-election on Tuesday and in a tight race? Celeb website TMZ named this Detroit-area queen of skankdom, "America's hottest politician." She is a County Commissioner in suburban Detroit's Macomb County.

But in the Reagan Democrat-dominated county, residents are tired of Torrice's embarrassing antics--wearing a band-aid bottom in a photo on a stripper website (blaming "the Republicans" for a photo she proudly posed for), bragging about having a stripper pole in her bedroom to all who will listen, and showing off so much of her chest even Anna Nicole Smith is blushing six feet under. And don't forget her appearances on "Maury", the daily TV sleaze-fest hosted by Mr. Connie Chung a/k/a Maury Povich.

Voters don't like sluts, or women who desperately want to play one on TV, but have chosen political office, instead. Torrice may be one of the few Michigan Democrats who won't ride the Obama wave expected to sweep Michigan, next week. In fact, judging from her behavior and low-class couture, it might be one of the only things she hasn't, um, "ridden."

Torrice's constituents long ago tired of this peroxided ditz's wardrobe that's more suited for a stripper than an elected official. On her website, she features photos of herself with most of her fake boobage exposed. In fact, so much of her breasts were on display that even television tabloid show "Inside Edition" put a photoshopped ribbon over them for a report on this woman who declares, amidst giggles, on national TV, "Bikinis are my favorite thing to wear. Heeheehee."

Watch these VERY entertaining videos:

Torrice's website features a photo of something that looks like a cross between the parlor of a brothel or strip club lounge and a Hawaiian Tropic Bikini Contest, bearing the caption, "Carey as an official Hottie at the Hottiefest." She is in the center of the photo wearing stripper shoes. Then, there is the photo of Torrice standing in front of an antique shop with the caption, "Signing autographs is a great way to meet and greet with your fans." Problem is, the only person in sight is a mother with baby strollers sitting in the distance. Fans, indeed. Girl, you're a nobody.

And here's a basic tip for Carey Torrice:

When you're an elected official, they're not fans, they're constituents.

And your district doesn't include Bimbo-ville.

It's funny to hear Torrice compare herself to Sarah Palin. PUH-LEEZE. Say what you want about Sarah Palin, but she is a natural beauty without artificial enhancement. And despite her face being photoshopped onto bikini and stripper shots, Sarah Palin is always modestly and tastefully dressed, regardless of whether it was before or after the RNC paid $150,000 for clothes. Her skirt hemlines are attractive, appropriate, and never higher than just above the knee. That's the way it's done in politics. It's the very clear difference between sex appeal and skankiness.

No-one wants their elected official to dress like a stripper . . . or their stripper to pretend she's an elected official. Carey Torrice doesn't get that there's a difference between the two professions. You might not throw her out of bed for eating crackers, but you wouldn't want her making any policy or tax-spending decisions.

When Republicans recently sent out campaign literature showing a stripper pole and asking whether Torrice has caused enough embarrassment to Macomb County, she responded by saying:

It's disgusting and I think it shows very little class.

Tell it to your mirror, Carey.

But it's not just the way she dresses in photos on her website, her stripper pole and bikinis, and the usually exposed implanted melon patch below her neck. It's that Carey Torrice is more concerned with a showbiz career than with doing the job she was elected to do and earn the $30,000-plus in salary and benefits she is paid by taxpayers for that very part-time job. Torrice skipped showing up for work and important votes so she could go to photo shoots. That included a vote she missed on possible healthcare cuts, but she had a photo shoot in Ann Arbor. Priorities, Shmiorities.

If she really wanted to be a star, she'd move to Hollywood and become an actress-waitress. But in Hollywood, silicone-valleyed women with tons of plastic surgery, heavy make-up, and sleazy clothes are a dime a dozen. And she'd never make it. But for a narcissist who craves attention, she's getting what she wants and what she would never achieve in "the Big-time"--notoriety and Michigan taxpayers subsidizing her low-rate part-time exploits in B-movies and C-list "Hottiefests." She may be a skank, but in Macomb County, she's a skanky big fish in a small pond.

The contrast between Carey Torrice and Sarah Palin isn't the only stark one. There's the contrast between Torrice and her opponent, Bill Revoir, a part-time Christian minister and financial planner. Revoir is a conservative, who is a family man and not opting to become Michigan's version of Jenna Jameson. He was the incumbent Torrice beat in 2006.

And, although both MSM newspapers in Detroit endorsed the skank for re-election (it's not a stretch to say that sex-starved men in heat make the endorsements at both papers), I predict--and hope--that, next week, Revoir will win his seat back.

So, you see, in every dark cloud there is indeed a silver lining.

I believe that one of several silver linings to the Obama Michigan tidal wave, next week, will be the overdue retirement of elected Hooters Girl Carey Torrice from politics.

Oh, and Carey, I hear Jon-Jons is hiring.

Posted by Debbie at 01:37 AM

October 28, 2008

Meet the New York Times' New Political Columnist

By Debbie Schlussel

Remember Bono? He's the guy who paid $1,700 to fly his favorite hat--yes, really, his hat!--First Class to a concert he played in Iraq in 2003.

Now, the U2 lead singer has been hired by the New York Times to lecture us in op-ed columns on topics like Africa and poverty.

Yeah, we really need a guy who wears $5,000 Chanel sunglasses, lives high on the hog, and wastes money to fly his hat First Class to lecture us about poverty. Just like we needed him to tell us--along with his stooge, fellow hypocrite, Mr. Angelina Jolie a/k/a Brad Pitt--that we, the American taxpayers are stingy and don't give enough to charity.

Just like we needed Bono to tell us that we Americans should forgive trillions of dollars in debt owed to us by countries like Terrorist State Sudan (which hosted Bin Laden for years while he planned our destruction and blew up our embassies). This is all despite the fact that financial statistics consistently show that America is the most generous country there is and that American citizens, on average are more generous than anyone in the world.

I've had more than enough of limousine, private jet liberals--especially wasteful celebrity hypocrites--telling hard-working Americans how their money must be spent.

Sadly, Bono was courted by not just the Clintons but every high-ranking member of the Bush Administration, including the star-struck President, himself. They, Jesse Helms, and pseudo-conservative Laura Ingraham--also star-struck--repeatedly slobbered and gushed over this fraud in rose-colored (in his case, literally) glasses.

Here's a quote Ingraham features on her website:

Ingraham is smart to see the value in talking about global and national issues with [U2's frontman Bono] who is, not only in the spotlight, but has the respect and admiration of so many listeners.

Bush, with Bono by his side, announced he was forgiving a good deal of American taxpayer money owed by Terrorist Sudan and other countries ruled by despots.

Yes, faux-conservatives like Bush and Ingraham--not liberals--legitimized left-wing phony Bono, which led him on the path to this new gig.

Would love to read an op-ed by Bono about how and why he doesn't pay a dime of taxes in his native Ireland (under a tax break for artists and entertainers), and why he feels people who actually do pay their share here in America should pay for him to feel good in his has-been days.

I'd love to hear in an op-ed why Bono employed a convicted IRA terrorist as his bodyguard, or why--if he's so concerned about the poor and downtrodden--right after the 9/11 attacks, he and U2 skipped a scheduled concert performance to raise money for the familes of fallen heroes' and victims' families, but then showed up to a paid gig at Madison Square Garden, lecturing concertgoers to have "empathy for Muslims. They go to church, too." Really? And I thought it was a mosque. But what do I know?

More recently, Bono shilled for Gitmo Islamic terrorist David Hicks who worked for the Taliban pleaded guilty to trying to murder American soldiers in Afghanistan.

I'd also like to know why he--if he's so concerned about the downtrodden--he pursued an extensive lawsuit against a destitute former assistant to get $5,000 in clothes he gave her twenty years ago.

Since his American concert tours are among the most successful in recent years, grossing upwards of $260 million, maybe he'll write about just how much of that he, himself, gives to charity, instead of constantly schnoring [Yiddish for "mooching"] from America and calling them "stingy" and "cheap".

Bono's "Red" campaign to raise money for debt forgiveness and AIDS relief in Africa--with all of its fanfare on Oprah, at The Gap, and elsewhere--was a huge failure, just like his wife's eco-friendly clothing line, Edun, is. I predict the third strike with his hypocrisy in print on the pages of the New York Fishwrap. Sadly, unlike in baseball, the three strikes won't mean he's out.

What's next--the New York Times inviting Elizabeth Taylor and Baba Wawa to give us tips on how to have a successful marriage? Maybe George Michael and Clay Aiken can write about what it's like to be a heterosexual on the pages of the "Newspaper of Record," too.

I have an even better idea: Jeffrey Dahmer can arise from the dead and write the New York Times food column.

I repeatedly come back to the one-time quote from Kiss' Gene Simmons a/k/a Chaim Witz, who unfortunately doesn't take his own advice:

We don't comment on whales and the rain forest. We don't try to be ambassadors to Bosnia. Duh. You need a rock star for that? Some idiot who couldn't tune a guitar six months ago is now an environmental specialist? I blame media for giving rock stars more credence than they deserve. Why don't they ask Al Gore how to play bass?

***

Read some of my previous columns and posts on Bono:

* "Bush's Absurd Rock Star Advisor"

* "Questions for Bono"

* "Not a Good Samaritan: TIME's Phony Person of the Year"

* "Pop's Bono Shills for Gitmo Terrorist"

* "Bono: Lawsuit Proves He's Stingy, Petty (When It's HIS Own Money)"

Posted by Debbie at 01:53 PM

October 24, 2008

Terry Bradshaw, "They Could Care Less", "He Do It Right" & The Liberal Media's Quote-"Polishing"

By Debbie Schlussel

Occasionally in the liberal mainstream media, you'll see a quote in which someone using ebonics or some other incorrect form of grammar and speech is quoted word for word.

It used to be a pet peeve of mine. I used to think that if a reporter quotes someone in a news story as saying, for example, "He do it," instead of "He did it", that showed that the reporter was racist and mocking the uneducated person he was quoting, usually a minority. I thought the only person who should be quoted that way is the guy from the ephemeral XFL, "He Hate Me", since it was on his jersey.

But I long ago changed my mind on this. Accuracy is important. And a reporter quoting improper English as it was uttered by the utterer is, in fact, accuracy. We get to read or hear what the person actually said in a news story and not what a liberal, agenda-laden reporter wants us to think they said.

What Do They Have in Common? . . .

That brings me to Michael Hiestand, the "Sports on TV" columnist for USA Today. Last Sunday, I was watching "FOX NFL Sunday", and I heard Terry Bradshaw--whom I like, as I find him funny and entertaining--utter one of the sayings that is another thing that gets on my nerves. In talking about the NFL raising the face value of Superbowl tickets to $1,000, he said, "They could care less" about fans.

But that's improper. It's not good English. The correct phrase is, "They couldn't care less", or "they could NOT care less". If they could care less, that makes the opposite of your point. It means that they do care a little bit--that they care more than the least amount they could care.

But I didn't think anything of it because, hey, it's a football show AND it's Terry Bradshaw. We know he didn't get into college because of his Einsteinian mind. We know he's a football legend, not a rocket scientist (or as Terry might say, a "rocket surgeon"). And in any event, it's hardly his biggest offense--his biggest offense would likely be his naked butt on my movie screen in a really bad movie, "Failure to Launch", the awful vision of which I still can't erase from my mind.

But, then, Monday came around. And I read Michael Hiestand's "Keeping Score" column in USA Today. In it, he doctored, er . . . "polished" Terry Bradshaw's quote to read correctly: "They couldn't care less." But that's not what Terry said. He clearly said, "They could care less". Cleaning it up for Terry isn't journalism. It's changing what was actually said, and it isn't accurate reporting.

Yes, I know, it's only a football pre-game show, produced by the talented (and very nice) Scott Ackerson. But I'm not nitpicking here--the problem is that this doesn't just happen on the sports pages. It happens on your news pages. Liberal mainstream media reporters change what was said to make their favored candidates and other subjects of news stories look better. They "polish" the quotes. That's fraudulent journalism, and it's unethical. But it goes on all the time, and it's yet another reason you can't believe what you read and what's "reported."

They did this with Michelle Hussein Obama when she said she'd never been proud of America before her husband looked like he'd become President. Mainstream media accounts added the word "really," as in "I've never been really proud of my country before Barack . . . .", as if she'd been proud before but not "really" proud. But that's not what she said, just like we were given a sanitized, cleaned-up version of what Terry Bradshaw said. They--the mainstream media reporters--tried to doctor it for her, but fortunately, online video didn't lie like they did.

Michael Hiestand should have quoted Terry Bradshaw, thus:

"Do you think this league cares whether fans have to pay for something overpriced in a bad economy? They could care less [sic]."

The latin "sic" term is used--or, at least, used to be--by reporters to denote improper English or an error in speech.

Sadly, instead of that, these days, liberal reporters just change the quote to make their buddies and friends look better.

I e-mailed Hiestand, asking him about this. But, predictably, he didn't respond:

Michael:

I have a question regarding your Sports on TV column, today. You quote Terry Bradshaw as saying "They couldn't care less," when actually he uttered the incorrect, "They could care less." Why did you correct his improper English and inaccurately quote him, instead of using his exact quote and the "[sic]" notation?

Debbie Schlussel

I like Michael Hiestand. His column and writing are always interesting and entertaining.

And he's not the first mainstream media journalist to doctor quotes for grammar, and in the case of far too many other reporters, an agenda.

That's the problem.

Posted by Debbie at 11:48 AM

October 23, 2008

25 Years Later, America Fails Lessons of Beirut Marine Barracks Bombing

By Debbie Schlussel

Twenty-five years ago, today, at 6:22 a.m., Hezbollah terrorists--with help from Yasser Arafat's Palestinian Liberation Organization and Hafez El-Assad's Syria--murdered 241 U.S. Marines while they slept in barracks in Beirut. A bomb more powerful than 12,000 pounds of TNT was driven into the barracks and blew the Marines to bits.

They were there as peacekeepers--to protect Palestinian Sunni Muslims who invaded Lebanon from Israeli forces who were trying to clean up Lebanon from these Palestinian terrorists, who raped Shi'ite daughters and murdered Shi'ite sons in front of their parents. The mass-murdered Marines were there to protect Muslim barbarians from Maronite Christians who were trying to hold on to their fragile majority in the country and control of its government so their country wouldn't turn into the extremist hellhole it has now become.

It was a tragic event in U.S. and Marine Corps history. But even more tragic is that 25 years later, America hasn't learned any of the lessons loudly broadcast in that and related episodes for Americans in Lebanon and in other interactions with Muslims around the world bent on our destruction.

The most basic of lessons should have been learned before President Reagan sent the Marines on this failed mission: No good deed goes unpunished. Even more basic: Why do a good deed for barbarians? We shouldn't have been there. We should have let Israel and the Maronites finish the clean-up job they began, and things would have been different in Lebanon and the Mid-East today . . . for the better.

Instead, we sent our Marines there, and made them sitting duck targets, ordering them to sit with unloaded rifles and a weak barbed wire perimeter, lest we offend the Muslims. Our Marines were ordered to keep ammunition in their belts, not their guns.

Twenty-five years later, those barbarians are here and their punishment is only beginning. The real punishment will be felt not by us, but by several generations into the future.

The Shi'ite Hezbollah terrorists working in unison with their Sunni allies are not longer confined to the streets of Beirut and South Lebanon. They control the streets of Dearborn and Dearborn Heights, Michigan and are growing like a virus in Southeastern Michigan.

Two key allies of Hezbollah spiritual leader Sheikh Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah--the man who issued the fatwah for the mass murder of those Marines--are now two of the most prominent Islamic clerics in America, being feted by American Presidents and Presidential contenders and being given regular columns in a major newspaper by an irresponsible, clueless, PC editor.

Not only did President Ronald Reagan--in the biggest misstep of his career--pull up stakes and surrender to Hezbollah after they attacked and murdered our troops in cold blood; but he and his successors surrendered portions of American soil to Hezbollah through lax immigration and rampant political correctness for two-and-a-half decades thereafter.

Where once they only marched in Lebanon's streets, now tens of thousands of Hezbollah's minions march on America's streets. Talk about reverse containment. Hezbollah is containing us, not the other way around. It is spreading.

Donald Rumsfeld, then a special envoy to Beirut, says the lesson he learned about terrorists was that we must

take the war to them, to go after them where they are, where they live.

But we did not do that to them. They did that to us. Over the last quarter-century since the attacks, that's what they did to us. Now, they live where we live. They took their war to us, where we are.

A quarter century later, Hezbollah has won and continues to spread its victories throughout the Western world. Here's the scorecard:

* In April, 1983, Hezbollah drove a van bomb into the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, killing 46, including 16 Americans. America was the intended target. But the U.S. did nothing in response.

* In October 22, 1983, the 241 U.S. Marines were murdered by Hezbollah, along with countless others injured. Consistent with the April attack, America not only did nothing to respond, but America packed up and left Lebanon. America's non-response--for which President Reagan was never called to talk--and its swift pullout were specifically cited by Osama Bin Laden as proof that America didn't have the will to make its enemies pay . . . or even to survive. He cited:

the decline of American power and the weakness of the American soldier, who is ready to wage cold wars but unprepared to fight long wars. This was proven in Beirut in 1983, when the Marines fled.

Bin Laden had the ethos right, but not the correct group. The brave American soldier did and still does have the preparation and will to fight this enemy. Sadly, the American soldier's commanders and politicians and law enforcement bureaucrats in America don't have the will. Their will is to engage in political correctness, allow Hezbollah on our shores through a "peaceful" slow invasion, and bend over backward, forward, and every which way for them.

* In 1985, Hezbollah hijacks TWA 847 and tramples and tortures to death U.S. Navy diver Robert Dean Stethem. His lifeless body is thrown off the plane for U.S. cameras to show nightly TV news audiences. America does nothing to respond.

Today, Hezbollah's chief negotiatiator, Nabih Berri of Deaborn, is speaker of the Lebanese Parliament and a figure honored with visits by and gushing from American Secretary of State Condoleeze Rice. Berri, who heads terrorist group Harakat Amal (the Shi'ite Amal Militia), brokered his alliance with Hezbollah through marriage, and is also constantly feted by top American Muslim leaders from Dearborn.

In December 2005, Germany released to freedom Mohammad Ali Hamadi, one of the Hezbollah hijackers who tortured and murdered Stethem--a story I broke on this site. Both German leader Angela Merkel and U.S. President George Bush allowed this to happen and neither did a thing to stop it.

* In 1992, Hezbollah and Iran bombed the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina, killing 22, and in 1994 Hezbollah and Iran blew up the Jewish Community Center of Buenos Aires, killing almost 100. The target was specific: Buenos Aires has the largest Jewish community in Latin America. Hezbollah was asserting its presence and establishing a base in South America. A decade-and-a-half later, America finally noticed . . . far too late. Hezbollah is already entrenched not only in U.S. soil, but elsewhere on our hemisphere. Hezbollah and Iran paid Argentinian President Carlos Menem, an Arab and "former" Muslim $5,000,000 to cover up their involvement and block any real investigation.

* In June 1998, Hezbollah and Al-Qaeda worked together to bomb and blow up the Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia. The target was U.S. servicemen living there. 19 of them were murdered. America did nothing to avenge their blood. Once again, Bin Laden was right about America's will to fight this enemy.

* In 2000, a man named "W." from Texas runs for President and wins, making his pandering to Hezbollah's tens of thousands of Shi'ites from Dearborn a centerpiece of his campaign, and garnering their Islamic endorsement. He makes ending of both "profiling of Arabs" and the use of "secret evidence" against Islamic terrorists points in a Presidential debate against Al Gore.

For this, George W. Bush is hailed by Osama Siblani, editor of the Arab American News and brother of a top executive of Al-Manar a/k/a Hezbollah TV. Bush eagerly accepts this, making many trips to fete the Hezbollah crowd of Dearborn, despite the fact that Siblani's "newspaper" has been identified as Hezbollah's key publishing house organ and Siblani one of its top agents.

* In 2001, when Bush takes office, he makes Hezbollah's top friend in the U.S. Senate, Spencer Abraham, his Energy Secretary. No biggie that the defeated U.S. Senator from Michigan just sent $86 million in U.S. taxpayer money to Hezbollah in South Lebanon.

* Also in 2001, on September 11th, America is attacked. John Chipura, who barely survived the 1983 Marine barracks attack by Hezbollah, is a New York City fireman. He is last seen on September 11th running up into the South Tower of the World Trade Center. His scheduled October 2001 wedding would never take place.

* Throughout his first term, George W. invites to his Crawford, Texas ranch, fetes at the White House, and visits in Dearborn, three of Hezbollah's top Iranian-backed imams--Hassan Qazwini, Mohammed Ali Elahi, and Husham Al-Hussainy. The President is photographedd kissing and hugging each of them at various times in his Presidency.

Despite Qazwini's frequent trips to Lebanon to hang with Hezbollah spiritual leader Fadlallah--the man who ordered the murders of the Marines 25 years ago today--Bush invites Qazwini to his ranch to help him design the American taxpayer giveaway to his mosque, via the "faith-based funding initiative."

* Also, in 2000, Republican Congressman Joe Knollenberg, his then-chief of staff Paul Welday, and then-U.S. Senator Spencer Abraham sought almost $300 million dollars in U.S. aid to Hezbollah, at the request of their non-constituent, Jim Zogby of the Arab American Institute. They got $86 million of that and sent it straight to the terrorists that murdered our Marines. Knollenberg is in a tough re-election fight and Welday is seeking a seat in the Michigan House. Remember this on election day.

* In 2002, a New York Times front page story floats the not-so-subrosa Condoleezza Rice-Colin Powell-George W. Bush plan to remove Hezbollah from the State Department Terrorist List and help aid the group in its plans to takeover Lebanon in its entirety politically. Who cares about 241 old blown up skeletons of Marines when we have a "Religion of Peace" to pander to and a Nobel Peace Prize to win?

* In 2003, Marine survivors and relatives prevail over a federal judge, who declares Iran liable for the Beirut bombing of the Marines, awarding $2.7 billion to them and against Iran.

Because of Bush Administration pandering to Iran and Bush Justice and State Department machinations, these survivors and family members have never seen a dime. The Bushies refuse to give them any Iranian assets. At the same time, the Bush Administration has increased supposedly embargoed trade with the Hezbollah patron-state from $8 million per year under the Clinton Administration to almost $150 million per year.

* Also in 2003, President Bush's hand-picked U.S. Attorney, Jeffrey Collins, discusses with the Detroit News and his friend, "former" Islamic terrorist Imad Hamad, their mutual support for the wearing of Hezbollah t-shirts in the Detroit area. Collins is Hamad's date to a Detroit News "Michiganians of the Year" banquet. The Detroit News refuses to answer questions regarding why it picked this Palestinian supporter of Islamic terrorism as a "Michiganian of the Year."

* In 2005, U.S. Attorney Stephen Murphy III joked at a Hezbollah mosque in Dearborn Heights that he doesn't know why Hezbollah is on the State Department terrorist list, that the group just does great "humanitarian work." Murphy allowed Hezbollah's top American financier, Talal Chahine, to flee the country and allowed him to run and collect profits from his American business, even after he was indicted for fleecing American taxpayers of $7 million and laundering $21 million to Hezbollah through that business. Today, Hezbollah praiser and enabler Murphy is a Bush-appointed federal judge whose major ruling has been to allow ineligible voters to cast their ballots in November.

* In 2006, during the Israel-Hezbollah war, tens of thousands of Hezbollah and HAMAS supporters march daily through the streets of Dearborn and Detroit with photos of Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah and swastikas. America pressures Israel to quickly end the war and give a de facto victory to the terrorist group, further strengthening it and its terrorist recruitment efforts.

* In 2007, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff visits Hezbollah's imams in Dearborn, feting them with his pate and blather. Not long after his protege, Julie L. Myers, fetes the rest of Hezbollah's key leaders at a banquet at Dearborn's Hezbollah Social Club, the Bint Jebail Cultural Center.

Their top official in Michigan and Ohio, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Special Agent in Charge Brian Moskowitz transformed an office that went after Hezbollah financiers and smugglers into an office that panders to Hezbollah's top operatives here and refuses to get in the way of the terrorist group's Dearborn- and Dearborn Heights-based operations. He also holds regular "apology sessions" in the few cases that there are meaningless, toothless raids on Hezbollah charities that are then allowed to remain open for business.

* In 2008, John McCain invited Hezbollah agent, key financier, and open supporter Ali Jawad to sit atop his campaign finance committee. The McCain will to denounce Hezbollah terrorists who murdered our troops is so weak that McCain wouldn't release a statement stating why he dumped Jawad, despite Jawad's declared support for Hezbollah. "We don't care about the Hezbollah stuff," declares Ambassador Ron Weiser, who heads up McCain's finance efforts in Michigan and stands to garner yet another ambassadorship from McCain.

No big deal that Dearborn police caught Jawad selling smuggled cigarettes for Hezbollah, or that he gave about $200,000 in funds to Hezbollah-backed Lebanese Member of Parliament Ali Bazzi to get him elected.

Also in 2008, Jawad is invited to a pandering hour-long interview by airhead Detroit radio talk show host Frank Beckmann, on the station that hosts Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity. Beckmann gushes over Jawad's fanciful stories and open support for Hezbollah, saying it isn't a big deal:

"So, you support Hezbollah. But anyway . . . ."

Beckmann even allows on the airwaves, unchallenged and undisputed, Jawad's claim that Hezbollah was not behind the Beirut Marine barracks bombing. Even Hezbollah admits--in fact, brags and celebrates--that it committed this dastardly act 25 years ago, today. Disgusting and irresponsible. But, today, Hezbollah gets positive play on our airwaves and even has in its corner so-called "conservative" talk show hosts like Beckmann.

Also this year, Arthur Horwitz, a far-leftist and self-hating Jew who owns the Detroit Jewish News, formed a partnership with Hezbollah's Siblani and his pro-Hezbollah/HAMAS Arab American News.

* Today, Imam Mohammed Ali Elahi--open supporter of Hezbollah, crony of Hezbollah's Fadllalah who issued the order to blow up the barracks, and former spiritual leader of Ayatollah Khomeini's Navy in Elahi's native Iran--has U.S. citizenship, despite the fact that he lied about his ties to Hezbollah on documents to get and remain here and garner citizenship. He was sent here by Iran and Hezbollah to further radicalize the Shi'ite Muslim community. He told The Washington Times that the Jews are behind the 9/11 attacks on America.

Also, today, Elahi is the only Hezbollah agent in America to have a regular column in a major newspaper for his anti-American, anti-Semitic ravings. He was given a regular column by irresponsible, pandering Detroit News Editorial Page Editor Nolan Finley, whose excuse is, "Well, he has a following." So did Hitler. So does David Duke.

Yes, Hezbollah has done quite well in taking its jihad against 241 U.S. Marines on Beirut soil in 1983 to 300 milllion Americans on U.S. soil over the two-and-a-half decades since. Their actions have been met with silence--and even reward--from a weak, pandering America, every single step of the way.

While America panders to a mass murdering terrorist group, Scherna Sutton lives alone. Her fiance, Cpl. Craig Wyche, was murdered 25 years ago in the Hezbollah attack. She has never found anyone else who measures up to him. All she has left is his letters.

All Cpl. Doug Held's family has left are audiotapes he sent his parents.

Sgt. Stephen Russell is alive. He sat at the guard booth powerless to respond as he watched the homicide bomber drive the truck through the barbed wire and toward the 1,600 sleeping Marines. As noted, he and other Marines were forced to keep their rifles unloaded.

But he blames himself for the attack and lives with the guilt and frequent nightmares. He told USA Today he can still h ear the voices of the wounded and dying in Beirut and sleeps alone on the floor at night. He hasn't spent the night in the same bed as his wife in many years.

Read this important piece from last week about what happened that morning of October 23, 1983, and what happened to some who were lucky enough to survive but unfortunate enough to suffer the consequences.

A quarter century later, America barely remembers the lives of 241 U.S. Marines murdered in cold blood by the terrorist group that now has a strong presence on U.S.

The remains of 241 brave U.S. souls are turning over in their forgotten graves.

***

From my October 23, 2006 post remembering this important anniversary:

A few of the Marines managed to escape. A trucker friend of mine from Michigan was among them. He told me that Palestinian and Syrian gunman with machine guns surrounded the perimeter of the Marine barracks, showering those few who managed to escape the fiery explosion with bullets. . . .

While I admire Ronald Reagan greatly, he made a great mistake after this attack. Not long after, he pulled up the stakes and sent our Marines home. There's an old saying from Stalin or Lenin:

And you shall probe with bayonets. If you find steel, retreat. But if you find mush, keep digging.

Islamists found mush in America, when they drove us out of Beirut. Then, in 1985, they murdered Navy Diver Robert Stethem and after him, there were the torture deaths of Colonel William R. "Rich" Higgins and CIA Attache William Buckley--actions they would not likely have perpetrated, had we shown the Hezbos who's boss. But we didn't. Then they found mush in Somalia, and a cornucopia of other places. Bin Laden and others saw this. And they don't forget. "The Marines fled after two explosions," Bin Laden once said of the U.S. in Lebanon. . . .

****

Read about Armando Ybarra, who lived but is seriously disabled in his right leg. He was awarded a Purple Heart.

Beirut Attack Survivor, Marine Armando Ybarra, Then . . .

Armando Ybarra, Now . . .

. . .

[On one of the memorials to the slain Marines,] "They Came in Peace" is carved on the wall--something you can never say about our Islamist enemies.

Posted by Debbie at 01:23 AM

October 22, 2008

Who is Cathy Shaughnessy?: Dem Far-Left Candidate's Bankruptcy Fraud Shows Blogs' Importance; End of MSM Investigative Journalism; Embodies Mortgage Bailout BS; UPDATE: Mortgage Fraud, Too?

By Debbie Schlussel

The story of Cathy Shaughnessy is important on many fronts. This far-left Democratic candidate for office demonstrates why blogs are important because some of them--like this one--actually do the investigative journalism the mainstream media won't. Shaughnessy is also Exhibit A of the kind of lowlife the mortgage bailout bill will help via your hard-earned tax money. And how far left liberals can often get away with murder. Or, at least, apparent bankruptcy fraud and/or campaign finance fraud.

Catherine Caya Shaughnessy is an unbalanced, liberal, part-time yoga teacher and Democratic Party candidate for Township Clerk in swanky, upscale Detroit suburb of West Bloomfield Township.

If elected in November--and she will be, because Republicans chose to consort with her and not to put up an opponent--Shaughnessy stands to earn over $106,000 in annual salary and $40,000-plus in benefits.

Problem is, in addition to her mental instability, it appears that Cathy Shaughnessy committed bankruptcy fraud in U.S. Bankruptcy Court.

Shaughnessy and her husband Tom filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy last year in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Michigan--Case No, 07-57455--and their bankruptcy continues. The case is not yet closed.

She and her husband claimed they couldn't pay their bills, including the $450,474 they owe to AMC Mortgage Services, while at the same time Shaughnessy donated over $16,000 to her campaign for office, money which she apparently concealed and secreted from her bankruptcy filing. Court filings don't show any report by Shaughnessy to the Bankruptcy Trustee of the possession and/or receipt of these funds.

That's generally called "bankruptcy fraud", and it's usually followed by fines of up to $500,000 and/or imprisonment for up to five years.

Chapter 7 bankruptcy means you have assets and earnings at or below the level of poverty and cannot pay your creditors back. You get to wipe the slate clean and avoid most obligations.

Cathy Shaughnessy and her husband claimed in bankruptcy filings that their only funds were $228.00 in a checking account and ZERO in savings. They also claimed that they had assets of only $0-$10,000. Yet, beginning in March, Ms. Shaughnessy began loaning a total of $16,360 to her campaign.

Where did she get the money? And why wasn't it listed in her bankruptcy filings and used to pay money to the many creditors she owed? In her campaign filings, Shaughnessy lists her "employment" as "Homemaker", so clearly she had no way of earning the mysterious money. Her bankruptcy filing also notes that she is not a wage earner.

And while her bankruptcy filing lists total household income of $24,609 in 2005, $13,159 in 2006, and $59,672 in 2007, Shaughnessy also lists monthly living expenses at $5,127. So how did she suddenly have over $16,000 to lend her campaign, unless she committed bankruptcy fraud, campaign finance fraud, or both? If the money was lent to or given to her by someone else, then that likely constitutes money laundering and campaign finance fraud, something for which attorney Geoffrey Fieger was prosecuted in federal court.

And the bankruptcy filing isn't the only apparent lie. During her primary campaign, Shaughnessy sent out a letter to West Bloomfield Township voters, claiming that her bankruptcy was due to the failure of the automotive industry and that before that her husband's defunct business was "thriving."

But Shaughnessy's bankruptcy filing tells a different story. She and her husband Tom list about $700,000 in unpaid debts, including tens of thousands of dollars in multiple credit card debts spanning almost three decades and dating back to 1980.

Yet, at the same time, while she and her husband did not pay their obligations, they owned a time share in Florida, a boat, and an expensive home in one of Michigan's most upscale suburbs. It's also well-known that their daughter was involved in very expensive dance lessons and competitions. They lived the high life. They owe almost $50,000 EACH to American Express and MBNA America for credit card bills, $5,300 in 2003 income taxes to the IRS, and $2,000 on a Macy's department store charge card, to name a few of their many debts completely blown off while Cathy Shaughnessy gave thousands to her own campaign for office.

This is how Cathy Shaughnessy managed her own, um, "budget". Imagine how she will spend the taxpayers' money as Clerk.

Shaughnessy and her husband Tom had their home in swanky West Bloomfield foreclosed on, but they are the typical beneficiaries of the mortgage bailout bail. While you pay your federal income taxes, they lived the high life and didn't pay theirs. While you will pay for bailouts of irresponsible homeowners like them, she's spending thousands on her campaign for office . . . thousands that she didn't bother to declare to Federal Bankruptcy Court.

Both Shaughnessy's and her husband's signatures are all over bankruptcy filings declaring that they are telling the truth under severe penalty of law. But apparently, they think they can get away with it. And because of the failure of Detroit's mainstream media outlets to cover this very blatant, egregious behavior, they are, indeed, getting away with it.

And you are paying the price. You will pay for the increased prices for the items they bought and chose not to pay for. I can understand and feel for anyone who is stuck in unexpected hard times in a tough national and even tougher Michigan economy.

But that's not the case here. Most people who file for Chapter Seven Bankruptcy are legitimately down on their luck with no assets and barely able to survive. On the contrary, Cathy Shaughnessy suddenly had--as a homemaker with no income--over $16,000 to lend to her campaign.

Moreover, the Shaughnessys lived their entire marriage in debt, all the time living the high life while their creditors were holding the bag. They bought an expensive home in one of Detroit's wealthiest suburbs, spent thousands on clothes and vacation destinations, and other excesses for their luxe life. At the same time, Shaughnessy did not work to pay off her debts and stayed at home while teaching a yoga class here and there.

Oh, and she spent her other free time as an environmental extremist, trying to prevent people from building or expanding their homes and businesses, as a member of the West Bloomfield Township Board's Wetland Commission.

In 2006, Shaughnessy's outlandish and lunatic behavior and rudeness were the reasons Township Board Trustees removed her from the commission. The language used was:

APPROVED removal of Catherine Shaughnessy from the Wetland Review Board for reasons of insubordination to the Township Board, inappropriate behavior to fellow board members, petitioners, public and Township professionals.

I've been a target of the crazy Shaughnessy's nutjob antics. Although I don't know her, in 1998 I was campaigning outside a polling place when I was running for the Michigan House of Representatives. Shaughnessy was campaigning for her fellow liberal Democrat--my pro-choice, incompetent trial lawyer opponent Marc Shulman--who was posing as a Republican in what was then a Republican-dominated district. As I stood there trying to hand out my campaign literature to voters, Shaughnessy yelled loudly to her then eight-year-old daughter (and voters),

You see that C-nt, Debbie Schlussel. She's a F-cking Cunt and a B-tch.

This and other hysterically screamed obscenities and abuse from Catherine Shaughnessy went on for hours, outside a community center where people took their kids for after school classes and activities. It was so offensive that the police had to be called by passers-by, who unlike Cathy Shaughnessy, didn't want their young kids to hear this stuff.

But the ultimate chutzpah is not Cathy Shaughnessy's unhinged, wacko behavior. It's her own donation of thousands to her campaign at the same time that her Chapter Seven bankruptcy is ongoing. A March 31, 2008 asset and property report filed in her bankruptcy showed only $228.00 in a checking account and ZERO in savings, while two weeks earlier, on March 17, 2008, Shaughnessy lent $2,200 to her campaign, the first of thousands of dollars she would loan herself.

Not exactly the kind of integrity-endowed person with whom you want to entrust your election ballots, which is what she'll be overseeing and "counting" for the next four years. Don't bet that she'll be able to count ballots more accurately than she counts her own money in bankruptcy filings.

By the way, this summer, while Cathy Shaughnessy was loaning her campaign thousands of dollars, the Federal Bankruptcy Trustee in the case was forced to reduce his fees from almost $2,000 to about $300, because according to her bankruptcy, she didn't have the money to pay. Indeed.

This story should be all over the Detroit newspapers and television news, but it isn't. If Shaughnessy were an arch-conservative or even a centrist instead of a far-left loon with obvious mental health issues, it would dominate the headlines.

Instead, those much derided blogs and bloggers--like this site and me--must do the work (investigative journalism) that some Americans (the mainstream media) just won't do.

***

Predictably, Cathy Shaughnessy did not respond to questions regarding her apparent fraud. Someone who didn't do anything wrong would have responded and defended herself, but she did not answer this e-mail:

From: Debbie Schlussel writedebbie@gmail.com

Date: Mon, Oct 20, 2008 at 4:50 PM

Subject: CATHY, PRESS Inquiry . . .

To: Cathy Shaughnessy

Hi, Cathy:
I have a few questions for a piece I'm writing:

You filed for bankruptcy, stating you had assets of $10,000 or less. Yet, while in bankruptcy, you suddenly had $16,000 to loan to your campaign. Where did the money come from, since you note that you are a homemaker and not employed--on your campaign forms? Also, did you report the $16,000 to the bankruptcy trustee and creditors in your case? How did you have $16,000 to give to your campaign, while the bankruptcy trustee had to waive most of his fees b/c you allegedly didn't have the money?

Please let me know the answers to these questions because I am writing about it and I want to give your side, too.
Debbie Schlussel

***

Will Cathy Shaughnessy be prosecuted for bankruptcy fraud by the Republican-dominated U.S. Attorney's office?

Don't hold your breath.

The Republicans chose not to even put up a candidate against her, insuring that she will sail into office in November. And the nutty Shaughnessy, sadly, has big government Republican supporters behind the puppet strings. Sharon Law, the Republican clerk she will be replacing, her husband, Republican officeholder Tom, and son, Republican officeholder David Law (a State Representative running for my county's prosecutor and who will probably win), are all backing this lunatic.

The Laws--career Republican politicians on the taxpayer dole--donated hundreds to Shaughnessy's campaign, out of anger against the Township, after Sharon Law cost the Township hundreds of thousands in tax money. The Township had to settle a defamation lawsuit for about $200,000 after Sharon Law defamed a person using Township e-mail, cost the person her job, and perjured herself on the stand in federal court.

Yes, clearly there's precedent for corruption in this Detroit suburb's Clerk position.

It's a great story, if only the Detroit media would bother to cover it. But their refusal to do so is why both the Detroit Newsistan and Free Press must layoff workers and are losing money, while this website's readership continues to grow.

**** UPDATE, 10/23/08: Did Far-Left Democratic candidate Cathy Shaughnessy commit Mortgage Fraud? Reader David, who is a mortgage lender, writes that it appears that Cathy Shaughnessy took out a "Liar's Loan" mortgage:

I notice that on your article dealing with Shaughnessy that the mortgage has a balance of $450,000.00, which in itself does not fit. Their [Cathy and Thomas Shaughnessy's] incomes do not support the balance of that loan.

Then, I noticed that their mortgage is with AMC as a mortgage holder. AMC took over portfolios for a lot of the subprime lenders, i.e. Indymac. The loans that AMC took over were almost only "Stated Income/Stated Asset" loans, what many are now calling "Liars Loans". It would be interesting to see the "Stated Income" that Shaughnessy "quoted" in order to get her loan, and if she committed fraud to do it.

This "Stated Income" would possibly be of interest to both the mortgage lender that granted the loan and the bankruptcy trustee in trying to substantiate what is true and what is not. If the loan was obtained under the use of fraud, then it would not be dischargable in the bankruptcy code and it will stick to her as a criminal offense. Bankruptcy chapter 7 then would "not erase" this debt.

Me being a mortgage lender, I recognize the flags.

Incredibly, one of Cathy Shaughnessy's campaign brochures bears this headline, "Who Will Protect Our Home Values in West Bloomfield?" Hmmm . . . not that a Township Clerk's job has anything to do with protecting home values, but clearly a candidate who engaged in apparent mortgage fraud and then blew off her mortgage and had her house foreclosed upon while she gave thousands to her campaign, ain't exactly the best choice to "Protect Our Home Values."

Yes, there are a lot of red flags in the Cathy Shaughnessy odyssey. Sadly, there is only one candidate running for the office she seeks: her.

Posted by Debbie at 01:30 PM

October 21, 2008

I Warned You About Judge Abu Porno: ACORN-Esque Bush Judge Enables Voter Fraud, Ineligible Voters

By Debbie Schlussel

Whenever a Bush voter cites "the judges" as the reason he/she is glad we've had eight years of the failed George W., they cite Supreme Court Justices Roberts and Alito.

Yes, those Justices are great, but remember that we were going to get Justice Miers--because she was a good Bush brown-noser and wrote him mash notes--and only got Alito because conservatives were furious and outspoken.

And, as I tell most people who cite the Bush Justices, most important decisions never even get to the Supreme Court. They're decided at the Federal District Court and Appeals levels. Remember, the Supreme Court accepts very few cases for consideration.

That takes us to the very liberal, very objectionable District Court judges Bush has appointed. Some of them are virtually indistinguishable from likely Kerry appointees.

Take U.S. District Court Judge Stephen Murphy III a/k/a "Abu Porno" . . . now Judge Abu Porno (so nicknamed for his well-known penchant for looking at and sharing online porn with co-workers all day long at the U.S. Attorney's Office--so much for Bush family values; I'm sure this porn addiction didn't stop once he entered the Courthouse).

As you'll recall, I opposed the Bush nomination of Murphy--first to the U.S. Court of Appeals and later to U.S. District Court. Aside from being a complete dummy, Murphy was comfortably in bed with the most extremist Muslims in the Detroit area. This slob and porn addict praised Hezbollah and joked about its presence on the State Department Terrorist list, saying he had no idea why the group was on the list because it does "humanitarian work". He's the one who allowed Hezbollah gazillionaire financier and tax defrauder Talal Chahine to flee the country and keep operating his Michigan restaurant chain from Lebanon even after he became a fugitive.

Murphy praised Marxist Congressman John Conyers as one of the greatest jurists he's ever met (Conyers has a law degree but doesn't practice, except when he's holding Bush impeachment hearings). And he praised Ayatollah Khomeini's Navy spiritual leader, extremist Imam Mohammed Ali Elahi, a man known for his anti-Semitic rantings and ravings and a friend of Hezbollah spiritual leader, Sheikh Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah.

And Murphy was the one who made a sleazy deal for a guilty plea and light sentence for Hezbollah's FBI/CIA spy Nada Nadim Prouty, Talal Chahine's sister-inlaw. Murphy also refused to prosecute Muslim hate crimes against Jews, notably four Muslims who sent me rape, torture, and death threats, while he threw the book at non-Muslims who sent benign e-mails to Muslim extremists. Because of Murphy's refusal to prosecute those who threatened the lives of myself and my family, your tax dollars paid extra for Department of Justice prosecutors to fly in from Washington to do his job.

Murphy made racist comments against Black people, in front of multiple witnesses, and he allowed corrupt ICE official Roy Bailey to remain on the federal payroll for four years after it was discovered that Bailey was on the take from Hezbollah and Chahine, allowing Muslim illegal aliens into the country and helping them gain citizenship.

Murphy's relationship with FBI award revokee, marriage fraud perpetrator, and "former" Islamic terrorist Imad Hamad was so tight, many angry federal agents commented that this mancrush resembled an ambiguously gay relationship, with Murphy warning Hamad about all raids by federal agents and apologizing within hours for them.

Yes, this is one of those GUH-REAT "Bush judges" I keep hearing about.

Last week, we reaped the first of many rewards of this awesome Bush Judge, Abu Porno, with his pan-ACORNist ruling about voters who should be ineligible. His ruling is rife with fraud.

Thanks, George W., for this fine judicial specimen:

A federal judge in Detroit ordered state elections officials today to halt one of two methods for purging voters from Michigan's computerized voting rolls. Advertisement

U.S. District Judge Stephen Murphy III told state officials to immediately stop canceling the registrations of newly registered voters whose voter identification cards are returned as undeliverable by the post office. Murphy said state officials must restore the names of 1,438 people who have been removed from the rolls under this method since Jan. 1.

Murphy said a second practice -- removing the names of people who apply for driver's licenses in other states -- also is illegal, but the prospects of restoring the names of about 200,000 people, only a few of whom were wrongly removed, "would risk grave harm to the public interest by permitting a large number of ineligible voters to vote."

The judge said the plaintiffs and defendants in a lawsuit must figure out how to deal with that problem as the lawsuit proceeds.

The ACLU of Michigan and a national student group sued Michigan Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land last month to halt both practices on the grounds that they violate the National Voting Rights Act.

Michael Steinberg, legal director of the Michigan ACLU, said he was pleased by the decision.

"We are thrilled that thousands of voters who were illegally removed from voter rolls will be able to vote in November's historic presidential election," Steinberg said.

Of course, the ACLU is thrilled. So is ACORN. And so is the Barack Obama team. Imagine the voter fraud Judge Abu Porno's ruling will engender.

Yes, the trial level is where most of the important decisions are made. And where Bush appointed many liberals and dummies, like Judge Abu Porno a/k/a Stephen Murphy III and Judge Marcia Cooke, a liberal public defender, whom Bush named to the federal bench because she's Black. She refused to give a tough sentence to Abdullah Al-Muhajir a/k/a Jose Padilla, the Al-Qaeda terrorist chieftain who tried to acquire and bring a dirty bomb into America. She opposed federal prosecutors in the case, every step of the way.

This is Bush's real legacy, where the difference between Bush and Kerry and Obama isn't clear at all. And it demonstrates all too clearly why it's important to have conservative candidates who are actually conservative, which Bush never was, and who aren't ignorant, like Bush and Sarah Palin. Otherwise, they are handled, managed, and molded by advisors who pick guys like Murphy and chicks like Cooke. Oh, and Secretaries of State like Powell and Rice.

Read all about Hizzoner Abu Porno a/k/a Stephen Murphy III.

***

Posted by Debbie at 03:50 PM

October 14, 2008

EXCLUSIVE: Who is Majida Mourad? Muslim-Americans/Arab-Americans for McCain Chief Committed Federal Crimes, Lied on Top Secret Clearance Forms; Right-Hand (Wo)Man to Hezbollah Bud Abraham; Plus, Who is Randa Fahmy Hudome?

By Debbie Schlussel

You've heard of Mazen Asbahi, who resigned as head of Obama's Muslim campaign after news of his ties to the Muslim Brotherhood came to light (and who is reportedly still working with Obama, anyway). You've also heard of Minha Husaini, the current head of Obama's Muslim outreach, who attended a meeting with open anti-Semites and terrorism co-conspirators.

Now, meet Majida Mourad, the beauty school grad who falsified federal employment and top secret security clearance forms and gave details of security for our nuclear weapons to Muslim nations on the State Department terrorist list.

Majida Mourad heads both Muslim-Americans for McCain and Arab-Americans for McCain, and is a lobbyist for Arab and Muslim nations.

Mourad has many former top co-workers from the Department of Energy seeing red because it is well known that she lied on federal employment and top secret security clearance forms--a federal crime--and got away with it, with the help of her friend, then-Secretary of Energy, and now partner, fellow Lebanese Arab-American Spencer Abraham. Both Abraham and Mourad are partners in The Abraham Group, which represents Arab and Muslim nations lobbying America.

When Abraham became Secretary of Energy, he enlisted the White House to appoint Mourad as one of his top Energy advisors. But upon applying for the job, Mourad lied on both her SF-171 form for federal employment and her application for Top Secret security clearance--a federal crime--claiming she had a college degree from Indiana University. In fact, after several semesters at IU, Mourad barely completed enough credits equivalent to a year at college at the time.

The only degree Mourad did in fact have at the time was a diploma from a cosmetology school. So, as a beauty school graduate, she does have one up on Frenchy, the "Beauty School Drop-out" from "Grease." Oh, and the divorced Mourad (who also went by the married name Majida Dandy), was an uncredited extra in a pool party scene on the '90s TV series "Beverly Hills 90210".

Given this information, the use of Mourad in the McCain campaign--after John McCain had to dump federal insurance fraud convict and Hezbollah agent Ali Jawad in May--raises serious questions about the McCain campaign's vetting process when it comes to Middle Easterners and about which Arabs and Muslims would get hired in a McCain administration.

Mourad who worked for pro-Hezbollah/Arafat former U.S. Senator and Energy Secretary Abraham throughout his political career, is now Abraham's partner in lobbying on behalf of various Muslim and Arab nations seeking energy contracts with America. So much for John McCain's claim that he doesn't want lobbyists on his campaign.

Sources close to Abraham also say that Majida Mourad does not do anything without the tacit approval and involvement of Abraham--who sent $86 million of your tax money to Hezbollah in South Lebanon at the request of the Arab American Institute's Jim Zogby, who blocked federal tracking of alien visa holders entering America (also at Zogby's request), and who was one of two U.S. Senators who refused to sign a letter to Bill Clinton asking him to condemn Yasser Arafat at the height of homicide bombings in Israel in 1999 and 2000. Read the complete dossier on Spencer Abraham's pan-jihadist activities.

Last week, the Detroit Free Press disclosed that Abraham has been serving as a surrogate speaker to Michigan Arab voters on behalf of John McCain. Sources close to Abraham say that Abraham is heavily tied to and closely involved with the McCain campaign and that Mourad's involvement is proof of that. So much for John McCain's claim that we must fight the terrorists over there (Iraq) so we don't have to fight them over here. Now we know that the terrorists' Senator and Energy Secretary is squarely inside the McCain campaign.

Those familiar with Mourad are outraged and alarmed that John McCain has enlisted her for more than half a year to head up his outreach efforts to Muslims and Arabs. About a dozen individuals who worked with her confirmed that Ms. Mourad claimed repeatedly on applications for both federal employment and Top Secret security clearance that she was a graduate of Indiana University.

But, in fact, while Mourad went to the school part-time, at the time she had barely completed a full year of credits at the school. I checked with Indiana University's Registrar's Office, and the school confirmed that Majida Mourad attended University of Indian's Kokomo campus and finally graduated with a 2-year Associate's Degree (the equivalent of a Community College degree) in June 2004, after four semesters of correspondence courses and just a few months before she and Spencer Abraham were dumped from the Department of Energy by an angry Bush Administration and well after Ms. Mourad lied on her federal forms.

IU says Ms. Mourad attended the school for 12 semesters over 11 years from Fall 1993 through Summer 2004. The school also confirms that Mourad "attended" online/correspondence courses from 2002 to 2004, while she was supposed to be working full-time at the Department of Energy. Yes, you the American taxpayer paid her high salary at Energy not only after she had the chutzpah to lie on and falsify forms, but also while she was "attending school" full-time.

Her former colleagues are alarmed that not only did Ms. Mourad and Spencer Abraham cover up her federal crime of lying to get Top Secret security clearance and federal employment, but this beauty school grad also frequently toured high-security federal nuclear laboratories with high security nuclear energy, technology, and weaponry. Several published schedules of then-Energy Secretary Abraham's trips to nuclear facilities confirm that "90210" extra and senior Energy advisor Mourad was with him.

In December 2001, Paul Sperry--now an editorial writer at Investor's Business Daily--reported on then-Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham's pledge of $1.2 million in additional tax dollars to a United Nations program, in which Abraham gave tours of and a course about U.S. security measures for nuclear reactors to representatives from countries including then-Saddam-controlled Iraq, Iran, Syria, Libya, Cuba, and Sudan, most of which were then on the State Department Terrorist list (and most of which remain on that list). Energy Department sources say that it was beauty school grad, federal employment/top secret security clearance form falsifier, and Abraham senior advisor Majida Mourad who allowed and oversaw this outrageous compromise of our national security.

So, how did Majida Mourad get away with lying on federal forms and not doing jailtime?

Here's how it went down, according to several Bush Administration sources. Abraham wanted the Bush Administration to appoint beauty school grad Mourad to the position of one of his top senior advisors at Energy, as a political appointee. After she filled out the forms and lied about having a degree from Indiana University, the White House did its due diligence and discovered that she, in fact, had no degree from Indiana University at the time. The White House told Abraham that Mourad was not to be hired and that she would get no political appointment. Abraham was told that Mourad had to go.

But the White House chose not to prosecute Mourad. Behind the White House's back, Abraham hired Mourad anyway. He got away with it by hiring Mourad as a contract employee and she continued to work as his senior advisor, accompanying him on all trips around the world.

When several Department of Energy employees objected to the continued employment of Mourad on the grounds that she committed a federal crime and falsified at least two federal applications, Abraham and then-Energy counsel Lee Otis (incredibly now a Justice Department attorney) fired several of them. They also required other Department of Energy employees to sign confidentiality agreements, promising not to disclose Mourad's crime, in order to retain their employment. And finally, Abraham and Otis threatened Energy employees with retaliation in the form of lawsuits and prosecution, were they to disclose Mourad's crime.

Yes, these are the people on "reformer" John McCain's campaign.

When the White House learned that Mourad remained atop Abraham's staff despite her falsification of federal forms, it was a source of anger, as was the knowledge that Abraham also covered up another crime committed by his senior staffers--an anthrax threat prank involving an envelope containing baby powder, which required the entire Department of Energy to be evacuated. Abraham also refused to fire or allow prosecution senior Energy employees involved in that crime.

Sources say that all of these things--his continued employment of application falsifier Majida Mourad and the anthrax prankers, coupled with Abraham's enormous incompetence during the 2003 Blackout (during which he refused to return to the U.S. from a tax-funded family jaunt to London) and failure to get an energy bill--were the reasons the Bush White House fired Abraham after the 2004 election.

I spoke with Congressman Tom Davis--who has held hearings on federal employees with falsified applications and fake degrees--in connection with this story. While he was not told the identity of the individual in question, he was told that it was a member of the McCain campaign team. "Anyone who lies on a federal application or form should not be hired for the job and should definitely be fired," he said.

So, why did Spencer Abraham risk his career and persecute whistleblower employees to protect fellow Lebanese Arab Majida Mourad and cover-up the federal crimes she committed?

Although there have been allegations of a personal relationship between the attractive Mourad and Spencer Abraham, sources say that is unlikely and that the more likely reason is that Abraham likes Mourad's access to celebrities and the wealthy. The 38-year-old Mourad has been squired around Washington by 69-year-old gazillionaire AOL founder Jim Kimsey. And she was rumored to have "dated" her former employer, Congressman Sonny Bono, which sources say was a likely reason she was not employed long by his successor, Congresswoman Mary Bono. Mourad bragged to third parties that Mrs. Bono gave Mourad a David Yurman bracelet with eyes on it as a parting gift, saying "No matter where you go, I will always have my eye on you." And Mourad told a Washington magazine that an ideal date of hers was when a boyfriend flew her to London to have dinner. (Very low maintenance woman.)

Mourad is also tight with pro-Hezbollah, pro-Syria, anti-Israel Republican Congressman Darrell Issa a/k/a Jihad Darrell, with whom she recently co-sponsored the showing of a Muslim movie at an Arab film festival in Washington.

Sources say that if John McCain is elected, Majida Mourad is in line for a top appointment in the McCain Administration. Question: What kind of job do you give to a beauty school grad and "90210" extra, who committed a federal crime falsifying applications, gave details of our nuclear weapon security to Muslim nations on the State Department Terrorist list, and likes to "date" rich men?

Well, maybe she could be the official consort of Guantanamo detention facility.

Not surprisingly, both Spencer Abraham and Majida Mourad refused to respond to repeated requests for interviews about Mourad's falsification of federal employment and security clearance forms and Abraham's orchestration of the ensuing cover-up.

***

Another one of Spencer Abraham's former top employees at the Department of Energy--with strong McCain campaign ties--is Randa Fahmy Hudome, a Muslim lawyer and anti-Israel lobbyist whom he hired to his Senate staff and then appointed to Associate Deputy Secretary of Energy. Ms. Fahmy, also now a lobbyist for Muslim and Arab nations, was tight with Yasser Arafat and famously posed with her daughter for a photo kissing Arafat on the cover of The Washington Times. Currently, a lobbyist for Libya, Fahmy brags on her bio that she was responsible for removing the country from the State Department Terrorist List.

Ms. Fahmy was also on the board of ANERA (American Near East Refugee Aid), a "charity" under investigation for allegedly financing HAMAS and other similar Palestinian groups. And she's been on the board of the pan-Islamist, anti-Israel Arab-American National Museum and the Muslim Women Lawyers for Human Rights. And she's a frequent Mid-East policy analyst on Al-Jazeera, the Terrorist News Network.

Fahmy's husband, Mike Hudome (who is also the father of the kid who kissingly posed with Arafat), makes the McCain campaign commercials you see on television.

From Ms. Fahmy's own bio, there's a very clear picture of what she stands for:

Prior to her executive branch experience, Randa was Foreign Policy Counselor during Senator Spencer Abraham's (R-MI) tenure in the United States Senate. During the six years she spent in the legislative branch, she was credited with shaping many pieces of legislation that affected U.S. interests abroad.

From 1992-1994, she was the congressional liaison for the National Association of Arab Americans (NAAA), the premier lobbying organization of the Arab American community which is devoted to promoting peace and stability in the Middle East through a balanced U.S. foreign policy in the region.

Translation: Whenever anyone uses the term "balanced" U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East, they don't mean balanced, at all. They mean anti-Israel.

What kind of influence will Randa Fahmy and her husband Mike have on John McCain's Mid-East policy?

Posted by Debbie at 10:40 AM

October 02, 2008

Despite Theatrics, Hezbollah Muslim Sentenced to Eight Months in Prison for Anti-Semitic Death Threats to Schlussel; Judge Gets It, Warns Against Muslim Community's Threats to Silence Free Speech; UPDATE: Detroit Free Press Story Spurs More Muslim Hate

By Debbie Schlussel

**** UPDATE: Detroit Free Press star legal reporter David Ashenfelter does a nice write up.

Note that the Freep story is accompanied by dozens of anti-Semitic comments, many by Muslims (you know, the "tolerant" "Religion of Peace"). Note also that the Detroit Newsistan and its reporter Paul Egan, who knew about this, chose NOT to cover the story. ****

A few months ago, I told you about the guilty plea of Mohamad Fouad Abdallah, a Lebanese Shi'ite resident of Dearbornistan, who sent me two e-mails on behalf of Hezbollah, threatening to rape and kill me.

I asked readers to send letter to the Federal Judge, Marianne Battani, to urge a tough sentence on Mr. Abdallah. Thanks for all of your excellent letters. I am humbled and proud by your solid displays of patriotism. Your letters helped a lot, and I think the Judge took them to heart.

I just returned from the sentencing, this afternoon, in USA v. Mohamad Fouad Abdallah, Case Number 2:08-cr-20223, at which I spoke. Despite the theatrics and bad acting job by Abdallah, Judge Battani did not disappoint. She sentenced Abdallah to eight months in federal prison, a lot of community service and probation, and lectured him that "in America, we don't do this. We don't do this here. We have the First Amendment and Freedom of Speech.

Just a reminder of Mohamad Fouad Abdallah's e-mails to me:

--- michael b mikeb1968@hotmail.com wrote:

From: "michael b" mikeb1968@hotmail.com
To: dschlussel@yahoo.com
Subject: YES I LOVE HEZBOLLAH...AND FUCK YOU..
Date: Tue, 22 Aug 2006 19:34:47 -0400

HEY WHITE BTICH JEW.FUCK YOU.HEZBOLAAH IS AWSOME.WE WILL NEVER DIE BITCH.WERE GONNA BLOW YOU UP.

***

--- michael b mikeb1968@hotmail.com wrote:

From: "michael b" mikeb1968@hotmail.com
To: dschlussel@yahoo.com
Subject: HEY WANNA SUCK MY ARAB COCK??
Date: Tue, 22 Aug 2006 19:35:33 -0400

FUCK YOU AND YOU WILL SOON BE RAPED AND WILL DIE.

While I'm disappointed that Judge Battani didn't give Abdallah the full 12-month sentence recommended under the federal sentencing guidelines (and which he solidly deserved), I'm pretty happy with this and was glad she told this proud Hezbollah Muslim off for trying to silence me and for sending me two violent rape and death threats. I was glad to hear Judge Battani repeatedly tell him how especially disturbed she was with his crime.

As I noted before, I have always thought that Judge Battani--a Clinton appointee--was one of the brighter judges on the federal bench, especially in Detroit. And today reinforced my view on that.

I also was impressed that the judge did not fall for the antics and tactics of Mr. Abdallah, who came to court with an oxygen tank and mask, stating that he needed it to breathe because of diabetes and claimed--through his sleazy attorney--that he needed to stay out of prison because of his health. I asked FBI Special Agent Mike Fitzgerald--a great, hard-working agent who worked on my case--if Abdallah had an oxygen tank when agents raided his home in 2006, after he sent me the e-mails. He said no. Clearly this was a prop.

Abdallah also talked about how he has a 9-year-old daughter and is ashamed of what he did and needs to be with her. The Judge threw that right back in his face saying that she's worried what the nine-year-old will learn from her father's e-mailing of death threats. And that she needs to see a lesson, as does the Islamic community, that this kind of threatening behavior cannot be tolerated. Right on and Bravo.

There was also the usual, "I am so remorseful" BS and "I'm sorry, I never felt that way and wouldn't do anything to her [me]" baloney. "It was totally out of character." Yeah, right. The guy, Abdallah, went to the University of Michigan-Dearborn computer center to send me these e-mails. It was planned, and he told the Federal Probation Officers he did it because he didn't like that I was exposing prominent imams and other figures in the Dearborn Muslim community regarding their illicit statements and actions during the Hezbollah-Israel war. Great justification for rape and death threats, habibi [buddy].

The only thing he was remorseful and sorry for was that he got caught and prosecuted. As for his threats to rape and kill me, he relishes the chance. And so do all those in the Dearborn Islamic community who've made Mohamad Fouad Abdallah a folk hero for his violent threats to me.

About his sleazy lawyer, Arthur Weiss. As I noted before, I've had my dealings with this scummy criminal defense attorney. But today took the cake. In his defense of his client and his attempt to get a lenient sentence, Weiss said that he's a Jew and that his religion has never been an issue with his client, and that he's always been nice. He also said that because he's Jewish, he doesn't have a problem with Mr. Abdallah, thinks he's a good guy, and doesn't think he's anti-Semitic (despite the fact that Abdallah's rape and murder threats pointed to me being a Jew).

As I noted to the Judge, Mr. Weiss doesn't care about whether his many Muslim terror-related criminal clients are anti-Semitic. He only cares if their checks clear.

And speaking of pimps, Mr. Weiss' ugly, clown-like tie looked suited for one. Very fitting.

Bottom line, there is justice in America, when you holler and scream like I did, and when you have a voice in the media, like I do. If you're just an average citizen, well then these Muslims get to prevail. And then there's Lola Elzein-Merhi, another Dearbornistan-area Muslim who sent me violent, anti-Semitic, Holocaust-denying rape, torture, and death threats. The feds still won't prosecute her, even though her e-mails were as bad as Mr. Abdallah's and even though she tried to get me to meet her for a secluded lunch . . . er, funeral.

Thanks to reasonable and bright Judge Marianne O. Battani for justice meted out, and thanks, again, to the many of you readers who sent notes to the Judge urging a tough sentence.

One other thing: Mohamad Fouad Abdallah was allowed to "self-surrender" to federal authorities to begin his prison sentence. Let's hope he doesn't take a one-way trip to Lebanon, first.

After exposing these things--the fraudulent oxygen tank and that attorney Arthur Weiss cares about cha-ching to his bank account, not whether the paying criminal defense client is anti-Semitic, here's the rest of my statement to the Judge in Court today:

Victim Impact Statement of Deborah K. Schlussel

September 26, 2008

The Honorable Marianne O. Battani
United States District Court
for the Eastern District of Michigan
Theodore Levin U.S. Courthouse
231 W. Lafayette Blvd, Room 277
Detroit, MI 48226

RE: Victim Impact Statement
United States of America v. Mohamad Fouad Abdallah
Case Number 2:08-cr-20223

Your Honor:

I am writing this in the hope that you will take this into account when you sentence Mohamad Fouad Abdallah for sending me death and rape threats to my e-mail address. I would like you to know how I have been negatively impacted and affected by Mr. Abadallah's actions. I am his victim and the object of his hate, Debbie Schlussel.

When I first opened the e-mail from Mr. Abdallah, I was shocked, outraged, and very afraid for my personal safety and that of my family members. That has not changed, to date. Mr. Abdallah's e-mail, in addition to featuring obscenities and vile language, threatened to rape me and blow me up and that I would soon die. He said he was doing this on behalf of Hezbollah, the terrorist group that murdered over 300 U.S. Marines and civilians in Beirut in 1983 and a hundred at the Jewish Community Center and Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina in the mid-1990s. It is also the group that is part of the Al-Qaeda network and partnered with Al-Qaeda in the Khobar Towers bombing. As you may know, Your Honor, Hezbollah has a huge cheerleading squad in the Detroit area, centered in Dearborn's and Dearborn Heights' Shi'ite Community. They need to be sent a message that this kind of behavior--the death and rape threats sent to me on behalf of the terrorist group by Mr. Abdallah--is completely unacceptable in the United States of America.

For over two years since I received his two e-mails, I have had horrible nightmares of having my residence broken into by the likes of Mr. Abdallah. I have woken up just as my mind was dreaming of masked men pulling out swords and getting ready to behead me--just like on the Al-Qaeda video of Daniel Pearl's murder-- or blow me up, and just like in the threats Mr. Abdallah sent me. That is a dream that haunts me now, constantly, since I've received Mohamad Fouad Abdallah's e-mails.

I have never met with nor have I ever had any contact with Mr. Abdallah, other than being the victim and recipient of his anti-Semitic, bigoted death and rape threats and hate. I never asked him to contact me, and I most certainly wish he had not. It would have saved me almost two years--so far--of nightmares and distress. Two years of headaches and anguish.

I am in a constant state of fear. My residence, which has several windows, has the shades drawn, day and night. I never get to see the sun shine in because I am afraid of snipers shooting at me. I constantly leave through back and side doors and time-consuming alternate routes and am constantly looking all around me on the rare occasions that I travel in and out of my residence. It is, as I said, a constant state of fear and hyper-awareness. And I have to limit my trips outside because I never know when someone like Mr. Abdallah or one of his associates will be looking for me. Any noise, any slight abnormal sound in the middle of the night keeps me up indefinitely because I never know if it is Mr. Abdallah or one of his friends, relatives, or allies. This will never change. Mr. Abdallah changed my life forever, for the worst.

I have had to tell my parents, including my elderly father who had a heart condition about these threats, for their personal safety as they were frequently in my presence. My father has since died of cancer, which he developed within a year of Mr. Abdallah's e-mail threats. He was not in such a condition before I told him of Mr. Abdallah's threats to my life and limb. Although there are many causes of deadly illnesses like cancer, stress like that which Mr. Abdallah has caused my family certainly contributed to the health condition of my father.

My grandparents, survived the Holocaust and Nazi-occupied Europe. My mother is an immigrant from that life, who was born in Bergen Belsen Camp in Germany. My family thought they left that life of hatred and violence against Jews behind. But now, with Mr. Abdallah uninvitedly entering our lives, we see that Nazism didn't die. It just took a new form and a new geographic location.

My experience with this whole disturbing episode that never ends has been extremely negative on the so-called "Justice" side, as well.
It is bad enough that I was a victim of Mr. Abdallah, but I was also victimized by the Justice Department. After I received Mr. Abdallah's rape and death threats, I immediately called the Detroit office of the FBI. Although agents did a swift investigation over two years ago, I was stonewalled by the Justice Department Office of Civil Rights, who took almost two years to "investigate" further, what was plain as day.

And the reason the Justice Department in Washington had to send lawyers here today, at taxpayer expense, is because a politically correct U.S. Attorney, Stephen Murphy--now one of your colleagues--did not want to upset the Islamic community. Is this what our "Justice" Department has become--an instrument of political correctness at the hands of the religion of the hijackers, the religion of the murderous beheaders of Daniel Pearl, the religion of Hezbollah mass murderers? My case would have died in the great American abyss, but for the fact that I spoke out about it on my website and in media forums. If I did not have a voice, Mr. Abdallah would remain without a criminal indictment, without a criminal record. During the over two years that I have waited for justice against Mr. Abdallah, I've watched an extremist imam, Hassan Qazwini, who is an open supporter of terrorism and proud friend of Hezbollah spiritual leader Sheikh Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah, get swift justice against two non-Muslim e-mailers who sent far more benign e-mails to him than that which Mr. Abdallah sent me. I read articles about how Mr. Qazwini's e-mailers had their homes raided by the FBI--one of them was a quadriplegic veteran--while Mr. Abdallah has been treated with kid gloves.

I watched and waited as the men who e-mailed extremist Imam Qazwini were swiftly indicted within weeks and pled guilty within months, while I had to whine and cajole and complain to deaf ears, finally getting justice years.

Mr. Abdallah, I am told, is Lebanese and I do not know of his citizenship or alien status. But I do know that he is Exhibit A that the so-called "Religion of Peace" is not so peaceful. We were told after the 9/11 attacks that those who committed them were "hijacking their religion," that this is not Islam. But, in my experience, based on Mr. Abdallah's actions, it seems that the religion is certainly populated by a disproportionate share of so-called "hijackers of a religion"--and far too many of them have one thing in common: their hatred for Jews and their desire to see them murdered--and first raped--by Hezbollah, as Mr. Abdallah quite expressly said he wants to see happen to me. He sent me that e-mail specifically because he is a Muslim and specifically because I am a Jew, as evidenced by his words in the e-mail, the reference to Hezbollah during the Israel-Hezbollah war of 2006 in its subject line, and the content of the e-mail.

Mr. Abdallah got my e-mail address from my well-read website. It was my public address. He wrote me to silence me, to get me to stop writing about Islamic terrorists and thugs like himself, who want to take away our First Amendment rights. It will not work. But since he has certainly instilled fear in me for the safety of myself and my friends and family, he has achieved part of his goal. He may have never contributed to funds for terrorism or planned a bombing--though he says he will blow me up and that I will die, after first being raped--but his e-mails to me are a different kind of terrorism. And we cannot tolerate it here in the United States of America.

Your Honor, Mr. Abdallah is not the type of citizen we want or need in the United States. He needs to be sent a message, as do all Muslims in our country and around the world: Third World bigotry and anti-Semitism is not acceptable on American soil. Islamic barbarism, like Hezbollah's wholesale murder of Americans and Jews--human beings--is not something to be cheered on and celebrated in our country. It is something to be condemned and punished to the fullest extent of the law. The same goes for Mr. Abdallah's threats to rape and blow me up and kill me. It is bad enough that he was allowed to plead to only a Misdemeanor, while the benign e-mailers to the Detroit Muslim extremist leader I cited earlier are now convicted felons. I guess when you are a Jew--as I am--and the perpetrator is a Muslim--as Mr. Abdallah is, equal punishment does not exist for the same crime. Now that he has pleaded to a Misdemeanor, please don't let Mr. Abdallah get off completely without a harsh punishment to fit his crime and the harm it has caused me and my family.

Today, I hope you send a message to Mohamad Fouad Abdallah, to his co-religionists, to the murderers of Americans and Jews in Hezbollah, to all who will learn of this case, that you strongly condemn his actions by sending him to prison and, if he is not a U.S. citizen, doing whatever is necessary so that our authorities at Citizenship and Immigration Services, at Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and at the Executive Office of Immigration Review will all know that Mr. Abdallah is not the type of potential citizen who should be welcomed and remain free on American soil. Mr. Abdallah's continued freedom makes the rest of America--especially his expressed target of rape, explosions, and murder--extremely unsafe. With me, it was two e-mails he sent, with someone else--and apparently me--he may carry out his threats.

Thank you for your time in reading this statement and considering my plight. I hope you will sentence Mohamad Fouad Abdallah to at least a year in prison per the minimum mandatory sentence under the federal sentencing guidelines, if not a much harsher punishment.

Sincerely,

Deborah K. Schlussel

Posted by Debbie at 05:50 PM

September 26, 2008

Who Is Ali Taleb?: How a Hezbollah Terrorist Wanted in Lebanon Tried to Frame My Counterterrorist Client in Court. . . And LOST; No Thanks to ICE

By Debbie Schlussel

After 9/11, America asked its resident Muslims to help us fight Islamic terrorism on our soil, but--despite their repeated claims of loyalty to America--few answered the call.

One of those who did risk his life and started informing the U.S. government on terrorist-related criminal activities within the Islamic community was a client I've represented since May. For his good work for America, my client was outed, had a death fatwa (Islamic religious decree) put on his head, and was framed for a crime he did not commit.

Wayne County (Michigan) prosecutors, based in Detroit, continued to prosecute my client despite exculpatory evidence showing he was innocent and that his accuser was lying. And the U.S. government--eager to please the most extremist, pan-terrorist Muslims in America--turned its back on my client. His Immigration and Customs Enforcement handler also turned his back on my client.

But I did not. In what would have easily been a $15,000-25,000 case, I chose to defend my indigent client--who lost everything because of the Hezbollah-backed false charges--pro bono (free of charge). I am not a wealthy person by any stretch of the imagination, but this is something I believe in. And I put my lack of money where my mouth is.

On Tuesday, after a day-and-a-half trial, my client--we'll call him "Haidar"--was acquitted in 25 minutes by a very bright and intuitive jury.

A man named Ali Taleb--a Hezbollah terrorist wanted in Lebanon for kidnapping and murder--and his fellow gang of Hezbollah thugs from and liars from Dearbornistan showed up in court to falsely accuse my client of Felony Illegal Possession of a Firearm and Felony Assault with a Firearm.

And, despite a stubborn and unprofessional judge--Judge Thomas Jackson--who did everything in his power to exclude evidence that would prove my client's innocence and who mocked, laughed at, and repeatedly ridiculed and belittled me and my client in front of the jury during the trial, we managed to overcome the frame-up job. It certainly restored my faith in our jury system. Thank G-d for it.

My client was falsely accused of driving his car by the complainant's business, pulling out a gun, and threatening to kill the complainant. A gun was never recovered because it never happened. It was all made up by a Hezbollah agent who didn't like my client's opposition to Hezbollah and the fact that my client's wife was Jewish and found out that my client was a confidential informant to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

About my client's accuser, Ali Taleb: He comes from South Lebanon, where his entire immediate family is deeply involved in Hezbollah. Ali Taleb made tapes of my client denouncing Hezbollah and Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah and sent them to Hezbollah. Because of this, my client cannot return to Lebanon and has a death fatwa (Islamic religious decree) against him.

Taleb has repeatedly threatened to murder my client and still calls him and his wife at all hours of the night with threats and heavy breathing. Because of this and Taleb's death threats, my client had to quickly close up his successful body shop business, sell his expensive equipment worth thousands for pennies, and escape to another state. Taleb and his buddies are still trying to find out where that is.

Several years ago, before all of this, it began when Taleb found out my client's wife is a Jew (she is from an Arabic country and has an Arab Muslim father). Taleb was repairing my client's wife's Jeep Liberty and sabotaged the steering column, so that it wouldn't work when she drove it. When my client discovered this, he asked Ali Taleb why he did this. Ali Taleb, in an anti-Semitic tirade against Jews, asked my client how he could marry a "dirty Jew". He then said, "Come on, let's kill her and collect the insurance money. She's a Jew. We should kill her."

One of Ali Taleb's brothers, Hussein Taleb, was a top Hezbollah terrorist, who was killed in a Hezbollah terrorist operation by rival terrorists. Hussein Taleb was originally a terrorist for Harakat Amal (the Amal Militia) terrorist group, but then switched to Hezbollah--the terrorist group that murdered hundreds of Americans and Jews--where he became a top operative. To get back at him, Harakat Amal killed Hussein Taleb while he was committing a Hezbollah terrorist act. Today, though, Amal has merged into Hezbollah, and all of the Harakat Amal members are big-time Hezbollah supporters.

Another one of Ali Taleb's brothers, Faraj Taleb, was killed in 1992 as he tried to rob a business that conducts the exchange of foreign money. A female teller shot him.

Then, there is Ali Taleb, himself. Originally, he was involved in security for Nabih Berry, head of Harakat Amal and Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament. Berry--who is on America's no-fly list--is one of Hezbollah's key men in the Lebanese government, and he served as Hezbollah's spokesman/negotiator when it hijacked TWA Flight 847 and tortured Navy diver Robert Dean Stethem to death.

Taleb, himself, admits that he was a terrorist for Harakat Amal (now part of Hezbollah), and that there was a warrant issued for his arrest in Lebanon in 1983, for masterminding the kidnapping of Hassan Ezzedine, a top Hezbollah operative and right-hand man to Imad Mughnieh--the late chief of Hezbollah's terrorist operations.

On the second day of trial, as I was about to put my client on the stand before closing arguments, the prosecutor, Assistant Wayne County Prosecutor Raj Prasad, showed me a translated Lebanese newspaper article discussing the kidnapping and the warrant for Ali Taleb's arrest--a document never served on me as required by the discovery order in this case. Prosecutor Prasad said he was going to introduce it to "prove" that Ali Taleb was not a Hezbollah terrorist. I told him to go for it. The article proved Taleb was a member of a rival terrorist group, committed kidnappings for the group, and is now part of Hezbollah, since the rival terrorist group--Harakat Amal--is now part of Hezbollah. Sadly, he did not end up using the article, and Judge Jackson refused to allow me to call Taleb as a witness or introduce the article into evidence. Yup, the judge in a criminal case refused to allow the defense to call the complainant. It's simply unheard of.

Ali Taleb is also wanted in Lebanon for the 1989 robbery murder of two people, according to Lebanese intelligence sources. He shot and killed a man and his wife in Shayah, in the Hezbollah stronghold of South Beirut, while he was robbing them.

Ali Taleb worked with the CIA. Yes, this is the kind of scum with whom the CIA worked and continues to work. Since there were arrest warrants for him in Lebanon, he fled the country and went to Sierra Leone, where many Hezbollah-allied Lebanese Arabs live and have businesses. Lebanese intelligence sources say the late Jamil Said, a pro-Hezbollah multi-millionaire who liked Taleb, got Taleb a diplomatic visa from the government of Sierra Leone, from which he traveled to Canada. Taleb also worked with a shadowy figure, Jamal Hamdan, who now lives in the U.S. and is believed to be one of the Achille Lauro hijackers who murdered wheelchair-bound American citizen Leon Klinghoffer.

In Canada, Ali Taleb sought asylum. While waiting for the Canadian government to make its decision, Taleb lived in Montreal, from which he ran an alien smuggling business. He charged Arab Muslims and others $3,000 to smuggle them over the Northern New York border into the United States. (Among those he smuggled were my client, his wife, and two daughters. After being smuggled through a forest, finding themselves on a remote, empty, snowy road, my client and his wife were picked up by Border Patrol agents and soon sought asylum because they opposed Hezbollah and my clients' wife is Jewish.)

Eventually, the Canadian government rejected Ali Taleb's request for asylum and ordered him deported. Canada was aware of the warrants for Taleb's arrest, his involvement with Harakat Amal and Hezbollah, and the kidnapping and murder charges against him.

So guess who took Ali Taleb in, when even Canada dumped him like yesterday's garbage?

Yup, Ali Taleb has been living in the United States since 1992 with his family. Although he is apparently not a U.S. citizen, he's lived here freely, despite his criminal and Hezbollah past and present.

Aren't you glad that we allow this terrorist trash--trash rejected by Lebanon and Canada--to come live in our midst?

This was my client's accuser, but the jury didn't get to hear most of this, since Judge Thomas Jackson refused to let me bring it in.

I was lucky he even let me ask a few questions about Hezbollah. Barely. Thank Heaven for small favors. But it wasn't such a favor. Every time I mentioned Hezbollah, Judge Jackson rolled his eyes, laughed, sighed, or otherwise mocked me, in full view and hearing of the jury. I felt like George Bush debating Al Gore in 2000, where know-it-all Gore was doing the same thing. It was completely improper and prejudicial to my case.

(A sidenote: Judge Jackson is an audio-separated-at-birth voice double of actor Morgan Freeman. They sound exactly alike, except that Morgan Freeman--while not wearing a robe and without college and law degrees--can actually pronounce the word "ask". No, Judge Jackson, the word is not the same as the one for a wooden shaft with a giant sharp metal blade at the end.)

Judge Jackson kept lecturing me--both in front of the jury and away from them--that Hezbollah has nothing to do with the accusations in this case. But it had everything to do with it.

From his auto body shop in Detroit, Taleb has been engaged in mass cases of insurance fraud, and my client informed authorities about it (they did nothing). As my client testified on the stand, Taleb and his Hezbollah associates have been faking crashes of cars, so they can trump up alleged repairs and collect insurance money. Some of the profits apparently go to Hezbollah.

Ali Taleb has a long history of filing false police reports and making phony criminal accusations against those with whom he disagrees. In 2006, for instance, Ali Taleb made the exact same allegations against Zein El-Abidine Charaf-Eddine, one of Taleb's alleged partners in insurance fraud. (They had a falling out when Charaf-Eddine refused to share the insurance fraud check with Taleb.)

Taleb told police that Charaf-Eddine drove by Taleb's business in his car, pulled out a gun, and threatened to kill Taleb. Same exact fact pattern. Wayne County prosecutors charged Charaf-Eddine (in Case Number 06-1317), but eventually had to drop the charges because Taleb wasn't credible. Taleb also filed, but then withdrew, a police complaint in 2005, making the same allegations against my client.

But Judge Jackson refused to allow me to bring this evidence--about the same false accusation Taleb made against another of his enemies and how the case was dropped--before the jury. And he refused to let me call the prosecutor in that case, Thomas Beadle, to testify about why he dropped the case.

Judge Jackson also refused to allow me to bring up at trial another false police report Taleb filed against my client. The day my client's preliminary exam was supposed to be held, Ali Taleb saw his client had a tough Jewish lawyer (me) and was upset that I also obtained permission for my client to move out of the State of Michigan. So, he filed a phony complaint with police that my client located him in the middle of traffic and got out of his car and threatened him. One problem: My client was at a gas station all day long waiting to get paid for a car he sold the owner, and we had a witness--actually several witnesses--who were with him. Judge Jackson barred all of this from being presented in front of the jury.

But just in case he had, the prosecution suddenly brought a new witness to testify that he saw my client threaten Taleb in the middle of traffic. That witness was not in the police report, because he was never there. It was made up. That "witness", Hussein Barakat, was also the "witness" in the false Zein Charaf-Eddine case.

This is life in America's Hezbollah 'Hood. And that life spread to the courtroom. Just before the second day of trial began, Judge Jackson informed us that one of the jurors reported that he/she had been approached by one of the witnesses regarding the case. It was apparently Ali Taleb or one of his thugs, trying to persuade them to find my client guilty.

On the stand, Ali Taleb lied through his teeth--the usual Muslim "taqiyyah" (permitted Islamic deception of infidels). He said, "I hate Hezbollah," when we know that he's one of Hezbollah's most vocal cheerleaders on the streets of Dearbornistan. He also said about Jews, "I love them. They're wonderful people."

Oh, and by the way, he had a translator, even though he spoke perfect English.

Taleb's friend, and apparent partner in insurance fraud, Ali Abdel Sater--who spells his surname in a gazillion different ways to confuse law enforcement and other authorities--was his only corroborating witness. He claimed he saw the events in question. He also claimed, under oath, that he spoke with police as Taleb's translator. But when I questioned the police who responded to the complaint and went to the scene of the alleged incident, they testified that Ali Taleb spoke to them in English and that they never spoke with anyone else or had a translator.

A little about Ali Abdel Sater: My client testified on the stand that Abdel Sater not only engages in insurance fraud with Ali Taleb, but that he helps "steal" people's leased cars so they can get out of leases. My Lebanese intelligence sources tell me that he owns a restaurant/cafeteria/ice cream parlor in the Bekaa Valley, a Hezbollah stronghold. All of the employees are Hezbollah members, and all of the profits from the eatery go straight to Hezbollah. Abdel Sater is not U.S. Citizen, and sources say he does not even have a Green Card. He did marry an American woman to try to get a Green Card.

As I said, Taleb's false police complaints and similar charges against others were barred by Judge Jackson. I was able to get some of the insurance fraud stuff in, but only because I put my client on the stand--and even then, Judge Jackson stopped me in the middle of that line of questioning.

Putting a defendant on the stand is not usually done in criminal defense cases, and it's generally a mistake. But in this case, my client was so credible, so courageous in his willingness to denounce Hezbollah and terrorism, and had so many death threats and so much persecution from Taleb, I felt his testimony would help seal the deal on my case.

Fortunately it did. Like I said, the jury took only 25 minutes after a day-and-a-half case to acquit my client. Thank G-d for this intelligent and sagacious jury. I had tears in my eyes when the jury read the verdict.

After the trial, I wanted to go outside the courtroom with my client and his family and thank the jury and ask them what sealed the acquittal. But I didn't get that chance because the smug Judge Jackson chose to keep us in the courtroom and lecture me. He was upset that we won this case. It was clear he wanted us to lose. And he was upset that in my closing argument, I shoved one of his many denigrating comments about me in his face.

During the trial, when the Judge cut off my examination of my witnesses and barely allowed me to put on a case, he said, "This is NOT the trial of the century!" in front of jurors. So, in my closing argument, I began by saying:

Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury, you heard a comment from the bench that this is not the trial of the century. But for my client, who has already lost everything because of these politically-motivated and ethnically-bigoted false charges and who stands to lose his freedom, this IS the trial of the century. For his family, who stand to lose their father and husband of four kids and one on the way, this IS the trial of the century. And if you or I were up there on the stand or at the defense table, defending ourselves against these false charges, this would be the trial of the century.

(I also asked jurors not to let Middle Eastern, old world values and thuggish charges and persecution of moderate Muslims take over America's courtrooms. And they didn't disappoint.)

Judge Jackson apparently didn't like that, and he didn't like that I tried to get the Hezbollah stuff in--and, above all, that it resulted in a win. Instead of thanking the jurors and speaking with them, I and my client were treated to a post-trial, on-the-record lecture from the Judge about how he was correct in making his inappropriate "trial of the century" comment and how I didn't try the case properly (hmmm . . . the jurors found my client not guilty of two charges in 25 minutes of deliberations; yet I didn't "try the case the right way"?!) and how "six years from now when you get more trial experience, you'll thank me." I have plenty of trial experience, and I won't be thanking you, Judge Jackson. Bet on it.

I sat there with a blank stare instead of responding with the groveling "thank you, Your Honor" that he wanted and expected. I was not going to thank this guy who sneered at and mocked me for the entire trial and did everything in his power to try to make me lose this case and make my client lose his freedom.

A few words about other goings on at the trial:

One of the biggest hindrances in this case was my client's ICE handler, Special Agent Jason Brumley. Despite my client's hard work for ICE at risk to his life and family members' lives, ICE gave "Haidar" and me the shaft. My client enabled Brumley and other ICE agents to seize hundreds of thousands of dollars in illegal drugs and break a giant international auto theft ring tied to Hezbollah.

For all of that, "Haidar" was repaid by ICE with Special Agent Brumley lying to prosecutors and dissing my client. Oh, and refusing to testify in court--ICE opposed my subpoena at the last possible minute and refused to allow Brumley to testify.

Based on my client's treatment by ICE and the rest of the U.S. government, I would advise all future Arab Muslim clients not to work with the agency as informants . . . unless they're prepared to be jammed up, lose their freedom, and have thousands for a lawyer. They treat good, decent informants (like my client) like criminals and terrorists, while top ICE officials repeatedly fete Muslims and Arabs who are terrorists and/or support them like good, decent people.

When I first called Special Agent Jason Brumley, he informed me that he knew Ali Taleb to be a bad guy and a criminal involved in insurance fraud and all kinds of other illegal activity. Brumley told me that his office knew that Taleb had been an illegal alien smuggler and that they once worked with Taleb as an informant. He said it was very brief because his office learned "how dirty" (his words) Ali Taleb was and knew he was continuing to be involved in criminal enterprises.

Agent Brumley also told me that my client, "Haidar", was a good informant and gave him information that led to ICE seizing huge illegal drug shipments. He told me he would vouch for my client and certainly wouldn't vouch for Ali Taleb. But when I relayed this to prosecutors and they called Agent Brumley, he changed his tune entirely. Brumley claimed he never said anything bad about Ali Taleb and told prosecutors that he didn't trust my client.

I told my client never to work with ICE again and certainly not Brumley. It simply wasn't worth it. Brumley called me and was very angry and changed his story yet again, saying he would call prosecutors and "repair" what he said. But it was too late. He jammed up my client, his informant, and I hope the few other Arabs and Muslims considering working with him read this and reconsider. You'll be betrayed. The guy--ICE Agent Jason Brumley--cannot be trusted. How many other ICE agents treat their informants this way? How many times does ICE fight subpoenas, preventing its agents from answering questions that would bolster their informants against trumped up charges and leaving them to fight the case alone? Meanwhile, Brumley's boss, Julie L. Myers, fetes top Hezbollah and HAMAS agents--including "former" Islamic terrorist Imad Hamad--over plates of falafel.

This is how we treat the Muslims and Arabs that help us--let their whole lives be trashed--versus our kowtowing to and Ramadan Iftar dinners for the most extremist Muslims we can find in America. It's sickening. And it's why we're losing the domestic fight against Islamic terrorism.

Outside of the courtroom, Ali Taleb, his gang of lying Hezbollah thugs, and other Muslims called me "Sharmoutah Yehudiah" (Jewish whore) and "Wooskhah" (filth). Ali Taleb shouted, "How does she know about Hezbollah?" And his lying Hezbo buddy, Ali Abdel Sater declared, "If he's acquitted, I'm leaving the country."

To that, I say, "Yaala, Zbali"--Get going, garbage. And don't let the door hit your Hezbollah-infected butt on the way out.

Then, there were the prosecutors on the case. At the several hearings before the trial, the original prosecutor was a young woman named Andrea Hutting. Even though she has been a lawyer for only three years, she treated me with extreme disdain and like I was a total dummy. I was repeatedly bitched out by this arrogant, insubstantial person, who refused to drop the case even though she was made aware of the evidence that Ali Taleb had made the same phony accusations against others, including in the Charaf-Eddine case that her own office dismissed. She also bitched me out because I didn't know the name of the secretary in the prosecutor's office. I'm supposed to know the name of someone's secretary, with whom I've never dealt? And for this, I should be repeatedly chewed out by a 20-something dummy-ette? It was absurd. Who wants to deal with a woman who consistently acts like she has an extreme case of perpetual PMS?

She apparently couldn't handle me anymore because she gave the case to another young prosecutor, Raj Prasad, also only a lawyer for about three years. He, too, treated me like a total dummy. But that worked for me, so I went with it. His opening and closing statements were so slick, glib, smug, and arrogant, along with his behavior, that the jury wasn't buying. My style in court is direct and blunt. I get to the point. I don't talk about science fiction and "CSI", like the prosecutor did. Jurors don't want to feel like they're being treated as naive rubes.

Prosecutor Prasad apologized to jurors for me putting my client's 13-year-old daughter on the stand. But he should have apologized to her for putting her father in jail for three days on false accusations, and for putting him in the position where we had to have her testify as a witness. It was chutzpah. But what really bothered him was that she was a great witness--very sincere and very credible, and she had an impact on the jury.

"Haidar" is one of the lucky ones. Lucky to keep his freedom and be there for his four children and the upcoming birth of his fifth. But not so lucky, since the death fatwa (Islamic religious decree) over his head remains. He cannot return to Lebanon to see his mother. Some of his brothers and one of his sisters told him they want to slit his throat.

And he's lost everything. Under the stress, "Haidar's" wife miscarried the child to which she was about to give birth. He had to shut down his successful auto body shop and sell thousands of dollars of equipment for pennies on the dollar, so he and his family could pick up and move to another state, while the complainant in this case, Ali Taleb, tried to continue to carry out his threats to kill my client.

For several weeks, my client and his four kids lived in a homeless shelter. Now, he and his pregnant wife work at a fast-food restaurant chain franchise for a tiny fraction of what he used to earn.

We won my client's freedom, but what we didn't win in court was the deportation of this terrorist thug and his gang. They continue to rule the roost in Dearborn and the Detroit area . . . because incompetent prosecutors and judges and federal agents continue to let them.

"Haidar's" victory in court on Tuesday is a tiny drop in a sea of poisonous waters.

We need a sea change. And, sadly, it doesn't appear in the cards.

Ali Taleb, Ali Abdel Sater, and their gang remain free in our midst--on America's streets--to make more of these charges against innocent people. And to make more inroads for Hezbollah.

I'm told that Ali Taleb and Ali Abdel Sater are now worried that, because of the trial, federal and state authorities know about their terrorist activities. They're worried and are talking of leaving the country.

Unfortunately, they have no reason to be worried. We know the feds--who've long known about them and have done nothing--will continue to do nothing.

But It would be great if they started packing. Up next, my client is considering suing them.

***

Even though I tried this case entirely on my own, I want to thank two great criminal defense attorneys whom I consulted and who gave me great advice that I used at trial: Rick Convertino/strong> and Michael Alan Schwartz.

***

Here's a special salute to Ali Taleb, Ali Abdel Sater, and all the Hezbollah thugs who showed up in court--Imad Beydoun, Hassan Barakat, etc.--to frame my client:

You are all girlie men. Oh, and you're mnyook, too.

Posted by Debbie at 04:52 AM

September 16, 2008

Enough, Walid Shoebat: Why is Sean Hannity's Fake Terrorist Harassing Me?

By Debbie Schlussel

[TO MY READERS: I originally wrote the column below in February. But I sat on it and didn't publish it because I feel bad about exposing even this fraud and creep, Walid Shoebat, despite the fact that he's plagiarized from me and harassed me under a fake name using his own e-mail address, and despite the fact that his equally shady manager, Keith Davies, fits a similar bill and has--along with Shoebat--taken to trashing me.

But now that The Jerusalem Post has also exposed the fraudulence and fakery of Mr. Shoebat, I've decided I cannot remain silent on who he really is and his behavior, any longer. After harassing me, he tried to appear with me at a 9/11 event in Dearborn, and I realized I can no longer hold back. I've thought long and hard about it, but it must be done. The record must be set straight.]

Years ago, when I first heard of Walid Shoebat--the man who claims to have been a Palestinian Islamic terrorist--I liked his story. Since then, I praised him in more than one entry on this site. That was a mistake.

In the back of my mind, I always doubted his story. It's not that I don't believe Muslim terrorists can convert to Christianity and see the error of their ways. I personally know of a scant few who have, indeed, done that. And there are several former Muslims--Ayan Hirsi Ali (never a terrorist) comes to mind--and enlightened Arabs who are great orators with an important message so many more need to hear.

It's that I simply didn't find Shoebat credible. And his behavior toward me is that of an unstable, insecure man who is upset that his shaky claims are being doubted. It's a case of trusting my instincts, and my instincts told me this man oozing arrogance, bravado, swagger, and not much else was a fraud--that this was a business for him, showmanship. And he never provided a shred of proof that he did what he said he did in his former life.

Still, I kept my doubts to myself, lest I be accused of enabling the Islamists, and because I had no beef with his message, a good one. My inclination was to ignore him and not waste my time or effort on this man. Sadly, though, that's not the way he sees things. For some reason, Walid Shoebat won't stop harassing me, despite my requests. He's annoying me and wasting my time. And he won't go away. So I can no longer look the other way.

Mr. Shoebat took it upon himself--despite my praise of him on this site--to engage in a pattern of behavior that spanned plagiarism and obscene verbal abuse to the non-stop barrage of harassing messages he sent me over the last two days under a fake name, "Sandra Medina." That's what I get for being nice and charitable to a snake. I got bitten.

All along, I figured the e-mails I got yesterday were coming from Shoebat or one of his blind believers. And, sadly, I was right. It's those instincts--when you trust them, you are right; When you don't, you regret it.

Shoebat made the mistake of e-mailing me using an e-mail he and his son had used to e-mail me before with their real names. While some real terrorists are stupid and inept (like Richard Reid, "The Shoe Bomber), most aren't--not that stupid.

And after I asked Shoebat not to e-mail me again, he did anyway--three times, so far--including a fake letter to himself, his equally unhinged chief of staff, and his friend--who else but another phony?--Sean Hannity. Shoebat and Hannity have a lot in common, including that, in addition to not selfishly plagiarizing others' words for personal gain, neither were ever Islamic terrorists.

In all of his e-mail exchanges with me as "Sandra Medina," Mr. Shoebat never once provided any proof of his "terrorist" story, which I now believe with certainty is carefully crafted fiction. His position as "Sandra" is that since there is no proof that he isn't a terrorist, he can get away with it.

And he might have, had he not stolen a column of mine, told me, "F-ck You, Bitch" (isn't he supposed to be a born-again Christian?), and--now--sent me this series of whacked-out e-mails, because he's upset over a comment I made on my site to one of my readers about Shoebat's behavior toward me. He's like a jilted lover who can't take no for an answer and move on.

It all started a couple of years ago, when Shoebat was scheduled to speak at my alma mater, The University of Michigan. He was attacked by "former" Islamic terrorist and current ADC-Midwest chief Imad Hamad in a newspaper article, in which Hamad doubted Walid's claim to having been a terrorist. Interesting couple: Hamad--a "former" Islamic terrorist who claims he never was one. Shoebat--who claims to be a "former" Islamic terrorist, but apparently never was. Each is using these charades for their own self-aggrandizement (though Hamad is also an extremist ideologue, too), and each has many dupes.

In response to Hamad's claims, Shoebat put out a press release, which plagiarized--word for word--my column on Hamad. I contacted Shoebat's PR person, Maria Sliwa (interestingly, she's also plagiarist Aaron Klein's publicist and helped him rip me off), asking why my work was ripped off. Sliwa told me that Walid Shoebat insisted my name be removed because he didn't want to be associated with "the Zionists." She agreed to change the press release and give me credit, but did not, after several phone calls. The next day, after complaining to her again, I got a call from Shoebat, after I told Sliwa I was going to write about this and Shoebat on this site.

Shoebat told me a million different stories. First, he told me he was a fan of my work and that he's upset that Ms. Sliwa took my name out of the press release and ripped off my work--that it was her decision. Then, he admitted he lied about that and that he, himself, made the decision to steal my work because "I don't want to be associated with the Right" (Hello . . . ? "The Right" is his entire audience of blind supporters). He agreed to correct the press release, but never did. Then, his chief of staff, a shady character named Keith Davies (who claims to be an Irish Jew), called to tell me that since they have been ripped off by others, it's okay to rip me off. Later in the day, Shoebat called me back and told me, "You know, I called a lawyer. And you can't sue me [DS: I never said I would], so I don't have to give you credit for your work. I can take it and use it however I want. Fuck You, Bitch!" Then, he hung up. (A tiny correction mentioning that it was my work was finally issued and appeared elsewhere, where no-one would see it. They refused to correct the actual press release.)

I thought that was the end of the abuse at the hands of this con man, Shoebat. But I was wrong. He's not only a fake terrorist and a con artist, he's nuts. Here is the e-mail exchange this egomaniac engaged me in, yesterday, pretending to be a woman named, "Sandra Medina." Mr. Shoebat, er . . . "Sandra Medina" asked me to sue him (her?) and to post these. I can't oblige the first, but since I'm tired of this--I just got another e-mail from him/her/it--I'll happily oblige the second request. Does this sound like a real "former terrorist" to you?:

From: Aga Tangola aga_tangola@yahoo.com

Date: Feb 18, 2008 7:20 PM

Subject: Walid Shoebat

To: writedebbie@gmail.com

Debbie,

Below, are you saying that Walid Shoebat is a "fraud"? Are all his claims false? He was never a terrorist? This whole time we trusted this man as he spoke in our church and he was lying to us? . . .

Can you please clarify this issue?

Sandra Medina

"AS FOR SHOEBAT, HE IS A COMPLETE CREEP AND AN APPARENT FRAUD, WHO IS IN THIS FOR THE BUSINESS ASPECT OF IT FOR HIMSELF. IN MY OWN PERSONAL ENCOUNTERS WITH HIM, HE COMPLETELY REPULSED ME AND ENTIRELY CHANGED MY VIEW ON HIM (I HAD PRAISED HIM, PREVIOUSLY, ON THIS SITE). HE STOLE A COLUMN I WROTE--WORD FOR WORD--ON IMAD HAMAD AND USED IT IN A PRESS RELEASE. WHEN I CAUGHT HIM AND PINNED HIM DOWN, HE ADMITTED TO IT, BUT STATED HE DOES NOT WANT TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH CONSERVATIVES (WHO MAKE UP HIS WHOLE BASE) AND THAT'S WHY IT WAS OKAY TO STEAL FROM ME UNATTRIBUTED. HE PROMISED TO CORRECT, BUT WHEN HE DID NOT AND I CALLED HIM. HE SAID, "F-CK YOU, BITCH," AND HUNG UP."

***

From: Aga Tangola

Date: Feb 19, 2008 1:16 AM

Subject: Re: Walid Shoebat

To: Debbie Schlussel

WOW,

I so much appreciate you responding so quickly. You are prompt.

I need to talk to my pastor about this. One more clarification if you can help me with. Daniel Pipes seem to have vouched for this "creep":

Daniel Pipes replies:

May 18, 2006 response: Walid Shoebat took the time to visit me in my office today and to show me proofs that his life story is a true one. I accept that it is.

Much appreciated for your help. Why would FOX news put this guy on their program? You need to let them know NOT to hire him any longer as an expert. You should be on yourself. Walid has 188 hits on Youtube and 108,000 hits on Google. I can't believe why he is getting all this attention. We need to stop this guy.

By the way, I was watching you on YOUTUBE and you are GREAT.

Great to hear from you.

Sandra

***

From: Debbie Schlussel writedebbie@gmail.com

Date: Feb 19, 2008 1:01 PM

Subject: Re: Walid Shoebat

To: aga_tangola@yahoo.com

I can't answer for Daniel Pipes' statement. He is his own person. Walid Shoebat is a fraud.

DS

***

From: Aga Tangola aga_tangola@yahoo.com

Date: Feb 19, 2008 1:54 PM

Subject: Re: Walid Shoebat

To: Debbie Schlussel writedebbie@gmail.com

Debbie,

I see what you are saying, but there must be evidence that this man is a fraud. He seems to have provided evidence to Daniel Pipes.

What is the evidence? Is there any? Just because you say he is a fraud is not enough to accuse him. I need evidence.

Sandra

***

From: Debbie Schlussel writedebbie@gmail.com

Date: Feb 19, 2008 2:10 PM

Subject: Re: Walid Shoebat

To: aga_tangola@yahoo.com

Um, where is the evidence that he was a former terrorist. Did you tell him, "I need evidence"? Did you ask Pipes what evidence he showed him? It is not my task to prove that he isn't something he never proved that he was.

***

From: Aga Tangola aga_tangola@yahoo.com

Date: Feb 19, 2008 2:46 PM

Subject: Re: Walid Shoebat

To: Debbie Schlussel writedebbie@gmail.com

Debbie,

That's fine. So there is no evidence that he WAS a terrorist and there is no evidence that he WAS NOT (although Pipes examined some evidence), so then this does not substantiate that he is a fraud. One can simply state that he "claims" to have been a terrorist.

Here is the summary:

No evidence that he is

No evidence that he is not.

That in itself does not constitute fraud. Does it?

You stated that he is a "fraud" and you know best since yourself are an attorney.

Is that your position?

Sandra Medina

***

From: Debbie Schlussel writedebbie@gmail.com

Date: Feb 19, 2008 3:05 PM

Subject: Re: Walid Shoebat

To: aga_tangola@yahoo.com

He lied to me several times. He is a fraud. It appears to me that you are probably working for him and sending me these e-mails on his behalf. He is a fraud, and Pipes has provided you no evidence of anything, only that the believes the guy. It is Shoebat's responsibility to provide proof, and in the many media stories and appearances, he has never once provided any because he cannot. The end. I really don't have time to engage in this with you any more. Bye.

DS

***

From: Aga Tangola aga_tangola@yahoo.com

Date: Feb 19, 2008 6:01 PM

Subject: Re: Walid Shoebat

To: Debbie Schlussel writedebbie@gmail.com

You must be a few french fries short of a happy meal.

Yup. Walid Shoebat: "Former terrorist" AND psychiatrist. Multi-talented.

***

From: Debbie Schlussel writedebbie@gmail.com

Date: Feb 19, 2008 6:23 PM

Subject: Re: Walid Shoebat

To: aga_tangola@yahoo.com

Walid:

You really need to look in the mirror. I just figured out that this is you. A real "former terrorist" would be smarter than this. Please do not e-mail me again.

DS

***

From: Aga Tangola aga_tangola@yahoo.com

Date: Feb 19, 2008 8:44 PM

Subject: Re: Walid Shoebat

To: Debbie Schlussel writedebbie@gmail.com

>Walid:

>You really need to look in the mirror. I just figured out that this is you.

So anyone who writes you is "Walid"? You really must be having a nightmare.

>Please do not e-mail me again.

>DS

I did, and I can't wait till you sue. Please sue sue sue sue sue sue sue sue me.

Oh, on second thought, please publish this email so people can see just how stupid your reasoning is. Or better then that, send me some legal action.

Would you like my name and address to serve me?

Sandra

***

Next, Walid Shoebat writes an e-mail to himself as "Sandra Medina." It's like a bad Adam Sandler movie (sorry, Adam):

From: Aga Tangola aga_tangola@yahoo.com

Date: Feb 19, 2008 9:41 PM

Subject: Debbie does smear

To: Walid@shoebat.com

To the Shoebat Foundation

Searching Walid Shoebat on the web yielded this Debbie Schlussel who posted smear were she has accused you of being a fraud. See below if you care to respond. I wrote her. Probing into her evidence I came out empty handed with nothing but circular reasoning. She not only smeared you but Sean Hannity and an array of others who wanted nothing better then to get rid of her. Maybe you would enjoy posting or circulating this around for a laugh at her logic. I will send this to Sean as well. See below.

Sandra Medina

After that, Shoebat forwarded me his nutty chief of staff's response (trashing me, of course) to his boss, Shoebat, posing as "Sandra" about me. It doesn't bear repeating here. But you get the point. The guy is harassing me and needs to get a life.

So how do I know that "Sandra Medina" a/k/a "Aga Tangola" is Walid Shoebat? Well, he and his son sent me e-mails, under their real names when they wanted me to post a well-written letter the son wrote, using the exact obscure screen name and an almost identical e-mail address three years ago. I feel bad about involving his son, who seems genuine and like a good kid (so I am redacting his first name), but enough is enough:

-----Original Message-----

From: Aga Tangola mailto:agatangola@yahoo.com

Sent: Sunday, May 28, 2006 12:50 PM

To: Rachel Neuwirth; debbieschlussel@worldnet.att.net

Subject: Re: Fw: Fw: My son's email

Debbie,

I am 15 years old. I am not Muslim, I am Christian.

Also use [REDACTED] for my first name instead of [REDACTED].

If you also can take out my teacher's name and instead say "Dear teacher".

Also change "Yet it wasn't the students response that hurt" and add "hurt the most", so the statement will say "Yet it wasn't the students response that hurt the most".

Thank you for publishing my letter.

Wow, my first article

[REDACTED] Shoebat

Rachel Neuwirth wrote:

Walid, can you answer the following questions by Debbie. thanks,

Rachel

----- Original Message -----

From: Debbie Schlussel

To: Rachel Neuwirth

Sent: Sunday, May 28, 2006 7:43 AM

Subject: Re: Fw: My son's email

Also, how old is he and in what grade?

So his name is [REDACTED] Shoebat? Is he Muslim also? I am curious.

----- Original Message -----

From: Rachel Neuwirth

To: Debbie Schlussel

Sent: Sunday, May 28, 2006 2:27 AM

Subject: Fw: Fw: My son's email

Debbie, See below. Also, go to Walid's web site http://www.shoebat.com/ you may want to refer to his site as well. thx

Rachel

----- Original Message -----

From: Aga Tangola AgaTangola@yahoo.com

To: Rachel Neuwirth

Sent: Saturday, May 27, 2006 10:53 PM

Subject: Re: Fw: My son's email

Rachel,

Sure, you can put his name and last name as well.

This will encourrage him greatly.

Thanks Rachel

Walid

Recently, Shoebat spoke at the U.S. Air Force Academy. Supposedly, they did a background check on him. But what they should have done was a psychiatric evaluation. Vouching for him was Steven Emerson, who is another similar story and a phony, sad to say (but that's a topic for another day). Birds of a feather.

Again, before all of this, my only connection with Walid Shoebat was to write a positive post about him. I didn't ask him to rip off my work, to then lie to me about it and tell a million different stories, to call me and say, "F-ck You, Bitch!" or to harass me via e-mail for the last two days posing as a woman named "Sandra."

If he had not done these things, I would likely have remained an ally and not looked further into his claims or voice my concerns.

If only this unhinged alleged "former terrorist" had left me alone.

But unlike a real terrorist, he's simply not wise enough to do so.

Enough, Walid Shoebat. ENOUGH!

Posted by Debbie at 11:34 AM

September 11, 2008

EXCLUSIVE: Who is Sandy Dubner Todaro?: On 9/11's 7th Anniversary, Top Immigration Official Connected w/Hezbollah Scam Continues Meteoric Rise

By Debbie Schlussel

At a press conference yesterday, Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff warned that Americans have become too complacent about the terrorist threat.

Tell it to your mirror, Mike.

Today, on the Seventh Anniversary of the 9/11 Islamic terrorist attacks that murdered 3,000 Americans, Chertoff's department continues to promote people connected with those who would kill us and have already murdered plenty of Americans.

That includes Sandy Dubner Todaro, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for Michigan and Ohio.

The House That Hezbollah Built . . .

If you're like me, you know that the most important national security issue is immigration. Today, we have 12-20 million illegal aliens in our midst. Many of them are Muslim aliens who do not wish us well.

And, sadly, ICE has done nothing to round up Muslim student, tourist, agricultural worker, and religious worker visa violators and overstayers. Some estimates say there are over 500,000 of these, but we don't know how many for sure.

And that's where Mrs. Todaro comes in. You see, before she married her current husband, she was Sandy Dubner, and her fellow ICE agents say she was living with Roy M. Bailey in a romantic relationship in the house pictured above on Willow Court in Romulus, Michigan. Bailey was Assistant District Director/Supervisory Deportation Officer for the INS and then Field Office Director for ICE. That means he was in charge of sending out agents to arrest illegal aliens, detain them, and then carry out the actual deportation.

I've been following the case of Roy Bailey for some time and reported when he was indicted almost a year ago. He is accused of taking hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes from illegal aliens and their representatives and $300,000 in property he stole from illegal aliens while they were being held in INS and ICE detention facilities. Bailey has received thousands of dollars in free meals and free landscaping and construction work around his house.

Todaro was around when her cohabitating boytoy Bailey was taking all kinds of pay-offs from Hezbollah financier Talal Chahine to stop deportations of his chosen Muslim illegal aliens. Chahine paid off Bailey to adjust the immigration status of Chahine's cousin and fellow Hezbollah agent, Mohammad Bazzi, and his employee, Mohamad Arzouni, based on sham marriages to American women.

Bailey and Chahine also worked together in some very disturbing and extensive bribery, blackmail, and extortion schemes. Chahine sent Bailey to extort several hundred thousand dollars and Lebanese property from several Muslim Arabs who were lawful permanent residents in Dearborn. And both Chahine and Bailey had all angles covered, since Chahine had his sister-in-law, Nada Nadim Prouty--an FBI and, later, CIA agent--scanning FBI computer files to see if the feds were investigating this and Chahine's $21 million Hezbollah financing scheme.

At the time Bailey also took pay-offs from several other Muslims and Arabs in town, not to deport their clients and employees.

In addition to Chahine, there was Samir Leon, a Christian Lebanese Arab who own's "Leon's"--a Detroit area chain of eateries. He paid off Bailey not to deport his illegal alien Muslim and Arab restaurant workers. And for some odd reason, the Justice Department only names him as an unindicted co-conspirator in Bailey's indictment, refusing to prosecute Mr. Leon.

That's even though Leon bribed Roy Bailey to knowingly allow "Hanadi H." to enter the U.S. from Syria on a false and fraudulent non-immigrant visa application and then permanently adjusted this Syrian national's status to "lawful resident" (ie., in this case, green card holder). And Bailey also transported a gun from Windsor, Canada to Detroit for Leon. When someone from Lebanon goes to that much trouble to smuggle a gun into the U.S., it might be a hint.

Then, there is Namir Daman, a Detroit area immigration lawyer of Iraqi descent. In July, he pleaded guilty in federal court to immigration fraud, admitting to setting up a sham marriage for one of his clients.

But the Roy Bailey indictment names several other illegal alien clients of his--all of them Arabs, many of them Muslims--whom Roy Bailey declined to deport and whom he released from INS/ICE custody. Who knows how many of Daman's clients are now here illegally and roaming the great Ameican abyss because Bailey looked the other way for some cool cash and gifts while he was with Sandy Dubner?

All of these individuals paid off Bailey while Todaro, then a low-level INS employee, lived with Bailey as he lived ostentatiously far beyond his means.

While many of her agents say she was well aware of Bailey's pay-off schemes, it's hard to see how she could be ignorant of it, since she vacantly looked on as her boyfriend reportedly bought and drove a Dodge Viper, a Jaguar, and several other cars and luxury accoutrements well beyond $139,900, the top salary he could earn in his position. The cars were reportedly kept at the house.

Despite the fact that Todaro had to know of all of this and was around when her boyfriend was livin' large taking bribes not to enforce immigration laws, Todaro was repeatedly promoted by ICE Michigan/Ohio Special Agent In Charge Brian Moskowitz, who promoted Todaro to the position of Assistant Special Agent in Charge--one of the top three positions overseeing investigations in ICE for all of Ohio and Michigan. Like the title of the '80s TV show, "That's Incredible."

I e-mailed Moskowitz and his spokesperson, Greg Palmore, for comments about Dubner Todaro. Neither responded. I also called Mrs. Todaro. I asked her about her relationship with Bailey and how she could get promoted when she quite apparently knew of her boyfriend's serious bribery crimes and border violations on behalf of Hezbollah's top American financier and, it seems, did nothing about it.

"I'm gonna have to say, 'No Comment!" she angrily shouted. I told her that I would write that down, and she hung up.

Surely, Todaro knew in what her boyfriend, Bailey--whose trial is scheduled to begin on October 28th--was involved. Where did she think his high-life bankroll was coming from?

But even on the odd chance she was oblivious to the whole thing--the hundreds of thousands of dollars, the free meals at Leon's and La Shish, and thousands in free landscaping and construction around the house in which she reportedly lived; If Sandy Todaro doesn't even notice hundreds of thousands of dollars in immigration fraud, right under her own nose and around the house in which she is reportedly living, how the heck can she oversee immigration fraud investigations throughout two U.S. states that cover the heart of Islamic America? And what the heck is the eternally Islamo-pandering Brian Moskowitz doing promoting her to one of his top deputies?

And Chertoff says it's Americans--not his own Department of Homeland Security minions--who are "complacent"? Looks like there's plenty of complacency to go around.

Chertoff also said yesterday that Americans are "starting to be unwilling" to make the sacrifices necessary to prevent terrorism.

Really?

It's actually the utterer of those words and his top minions who can't even bring themselves to give up a politically correct shawarmeh dinner at Ahmed's falafel hut with top supporters of Islam terrorism on our soil.

Don't tell us about sacrifices. And don't talk to us about complacency.

A fish rots from the head down, and that's where complacency and lack of sacrifice start, too.

Because of the selfishness of Chertoff and his minions--because they refused to give up incompetent pet appointments like Valley Girl Julie L. Myers as Sandy Todaro's approving ultimate boss--we are not safer than we were before 9/11.

We are far less so.

The whole reason the Department of Homeland Security was established was to fix the immigration mess. But instead, the immigration mess (along with a lot of PC pandering to Islamists) has put the Department of Homeland Security in a fix.

Seven years later, America is still . . .

Desperate But Not Serious about terrorism.

Posted by Debbie at 01:55 AM

September 08, 2008

The US Magazine Article: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Palin Bandwagon

By Debbie Schlussel

I will never vote for Obama/Biden. And I plan to hold my nose and vote for McCain/Palin in November. And while I like Sarah Palin and initially cheered the pick, I'm not the over-the-top "St. Sarah the Messiah" type so many in the lumpenconservatariat seem to be. It's the same halo the left and the media are giving the other Messiah, Barack Obama--and which the St. Sarah the Messiah crowd rightfully complains about. I'm always skeptical of hype and extreme gushing, even when it's by those on my side. And that's the case here.

Why? Well, when you closely examine her record, she ain't the conservative she's made out to be. On some things, like the Second Amendment, yes. But on many others, like taxing and spending, she's a taxer and a spender, not a cutter of either. We need only look to the giant sports center boondoggle she pushed on Wasilla, Alaska as Mayor. She raised sales taxes on everything (even food) to build it. That's regressive. And isn't a giant sports facility--especially in a city of then just over 5,000 people--something for the private sector? Isn't that what conservatives believe?

The project was a disaster and money pit, and I'll post more about it separately. It was such a bomb and was so screwed-up that Palin was forced to spend more tax money to hire a City Administrator to run the city for her. Yes, she sold the private plane and fired the cook when she became Alaska's Governor, but that's not the whole picture.

Then, there is the US Magazine cover story. Yes, I am a subscriber to US and received my copy of the controversial Palin issue on Friday. Yes, the cover and the story are very negative and biased against Palin and unfair, given the gushing way the magazine has and continues to cover the Obamas.

However, there are several things in the US Magazine piece, which we know are true and are important: She was NOT--contrary to her Republican National Convention speech--against the wasteful "Bridge to Nowhere." She first supported it, later got on the bandwagon and opposed it in response to the public outrage over it. And the piece raises questions about why a "reformer" is so closely tied to corrupt, indicted Alaska Senator Ted Stevens. That's important, just as we would question the same if Stevens was a Democrat tied to Barack Obama, just as we've asked about Obama's involvement with Tony Rezko. She hasn't addressed the issue.

Then, there's the constant mantra of "the Palins are working class" that we keep hearing. Really? The US story reports that, last year, Palin earned $125,000 and Todd Palin took in $93,000. I wouldn't exactly call $218,000, "working class." It's middle class--some would say it might even be "upper middle-class." Yes, in Alaska, things are more expensive, and yes, Todd Palin's job is "working-class." But their income isn't. And while they are entitled to every penny of it, it's somewhat inaccurate to describe them as "working class."

Before she was Governor, Palin reportedly earned more $140,000 or more as an Energy Commissioner. This isn't working class income. It's rich Congressman-level income.

It reminds me of when Michigan Democratic Governor Jennifer Granholm ran campaign ads saying she "worked to put herself through college" and that she was "an immigrant," as if she was one of the Boat People. Granholm's father was the President of a Bank in Canada.

Not in the US article, but profiled last Friday in USA Today are Palin's $700 designer Kazuo Kawasaki glasses. Working class? That's one month's rent or other utilities for many working class people. Again, I don't begrudge her nice things. But they are the accoutrements of the middle and upper middle-class, not working class.

The US article repeats other reports I've already cited here about Todd Palin being Mr. Mom:

Todd . . . frequently fills in as Mr. Mom: caring for the kids, cooking dinner, paying bills. (He took a brief leave of absence last year citing family.)

And finally, I was disappointed in the picture of Sarah Palin wearing a sleazy T-shirt (pictured above), saying,

I may be broke but I'm not flat busted.

It's low-class and looks like something more suited to a character in "Porky's" or better used as a "cover up" for a Hawaiian Tropic Bikini contestant. Yes, I know it was from 20 years ago (when she was in college at the University of Idaho), and I can't hold her tasteless manner then against her now.

But what's surprising is that the photo wasn't from some old friend telling tales out of school. Palin's own parents, the Heaths, gave Associated Press this photo of her in this unclassy t-shirt, apparently to show that Sarah Palin has a sense of humor. Haha, funny. You gotta wonder about the common sense of any family that would think this t-shirt pic helps their daughter. What were they thinking? If my dad ever caught me in a t-shirt with a slogan like that, he'd have been extremely angry and embarrassed.

It's bad enough that TMZ made the completely unfair and inane comparison between Sarah Palin and porn star Linda Lovelace. So one wonders why the family members who like her (we've heard from at least one who doesn't--in the US Magazine and elsewhere) would submit this dumb photo. The word "sexist" has been bandied about a lot in the last week or so by conservatives and the Palin Team. But if anything is sexist, it's this stupid, trashy t-shirt.

Again, yes, I will vote for McCain-Palin, but it's better to use a little critical thinking skills instead of unbridled gushing when you look at even the conservatives on the Republican ticket. Best to do it now than after November.

***

Before I get the angry e-mails, NO, I never wore any t-shirts with sleazy slogans like that while I was in college or at any other time in my entire life. It's called judgment. The closest in I got in "tasteless Ts" was a t-shirt that said, "Harvard, the Michigan of the East."

And then, there was that t-shirt with a picture of Yasser Arafat with a circle/slash on him and the slogan, "Fatah Busters." My dad told me not to wear it on campus because he felt it would incite Arab students. But I wore it, anyway. Back then as now, I wasn't going to limit my free speech so as not to offend those who would kill me.

Posted by Debbie at 03:09 PM

September 04, 2008

With Nomination of Mr. Mom as Second Lady, GOP Throws Traditional Family, Values, Masculinity Out the Window

By Debbie Schlussel

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Last night, John McCain's VP choice Sarah Palin hit it out of the ballpark with her speech at the Republican National Convention. She was tough, charming, and effective. It was a great speech.

But that's not the point.

When Palin was initially announced, last Friday, as the McCain choice, I cheered her on. What I didn't realize is that she had five kids, some of them very young. What I also didn't realize was that, for all the talk by the GOP about this "hockey mom," the real hockey mom in this picture--for the last two years, at least--has been Mr. Mom, Todd Palin.

And for the last several days, my jaw dropped to note the partisan pandering on both sides of the aisle, first as prominent liberal feminist women suddenly discover that a woman actually should stay home and raise a family, but second--and far more disappointing to me--as conservatives and Republicans suddenly endorse the fictional notions that 1) a woman can do it all and working women are good at raising a family--nix on both; and 2) it's not a problem that a man quit his job and subvert his life to raise the family in submission to the ambitions of his wife.

It's odd--and, frankly, jarring--to hear formerly traditional family values conservatives throw it all former principle out the window to adopt the lingua franca of what was once the exclusive domain of the Gloria Steinems and Betty Friedans of the world, to call "sexist," those who raise the issue of Sarah Palin's ability to mother her family and be a full-time working woman at the same time.

What is, since Friday, now "sexist" to these many conservatives-cum-lemmings, was yesterday "traditional family values."

Ditto for the issue of unwed teen mothers. While many conservatives cheer on and have adopted serial-adulterer and sexual-harasser Bill Cosby as their voice to the Black community to denounce "kids having kids", a future Vice Presidential kid having a kid is no longer objectionable to them.

I'm pro-life and glad this kid isn't having an abortion, but come on. You can't spend decades--as many conservatives, including myself, have--denouncing the ever younger age at which kids are having sex and babies, and then sweep it under the rug on a Vice Presidential nomination dime. Period. There wasn't a single word to the girls of the country--who are looking at Bristol Palin--that maybe they should wait to have sex, that maybe they're too young to conceive babies. Why not?

I criticized Nickelodeon for cheering on Jamie Lynn Spears' unwed teen pregnancy and had similar comments for another undue darling of conservatives and lefties, the movie "Juno". And the GOP and conservative movement deserve the same jeers for cheering on Bristol Palin. Cheer on the decision not to have an abortion--that's great. But remain silent on her trashy, irresponsible behavior--hell no.

If Bristol Palin had a full-time mother at home, would she be in this situation now? We'll never know.

Back to Todd Palin. The man has youthful, sexy, masculine looks, engages in masculine sports, and had physical, masculine, working-class jobs, until he gave them up to become Mr. Mom.

After the Palin pick was announced on Friday, I'd planned to compare his masculinity and manliness as Alaska's "First Dude" to the femininity of Michigan First Lady Daniel Granholm Mulhern, the girly husband of Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm, who has an effeminate voice, adopted her surname, was planning to join the priesthood, and was an AIDS fundraiser.

When Granholm was first elected, I used to mock her husband, er . . . male wife on my Detroit-based radio show. Most hilarious was a much publicized Inauguration weekend ceremony Mr. Granholm Mulhern hosted, featuring ten other men who were proud to stay home and play mommy, while their wives had careers. One man bragged how proud he was to change diapers and see the kids off to school--while his wife worked in politics (they're now divorced). Mr. Granholm also proudly attended a tea for gubernatorial first ladies, where he and the chicks were given a seminar in picking out new china, linens, and curtains for their husbands' gubernatorial mansions.

Like I said, I planned to contrast the real-man quality of Todd Palin to this woman in a man's body, who--we don't know for sure--shares the Michigan Governor's bed and the wife role in the marriage.

But that was before I learned that Todd Palin, too, assumed the position--the wife and mother role that social conservatives have long decried as an unnatural subversion and denial of the male hunter-gatherer wiring and a disastrous, feminist-imposed blurring of gender roles, which they've adopted in all the most socialist European countries with horrible results and the further degradation of the family unit.

All reports say that Todd Palin took many months leave from his job to cook, change diapers, and ferry the kids around.

An oil-field production operator on Alaska's North Slope, Mr. Palin has taken months off work to help manage a household of five children. . . .

When a Wall Street Journal reporter spent two days following Gov. Palin in June, Mr. Palin kept a low profile, mostly tending to his youngest son, Trig, as the governor attended events in the Anchorage area. Often, female bystanders asked him to pose for photos.

Is that really the new GOP archetype for a man--loyal wife, mom, and supermodel? Last night, Rudy Giuliani--never a social conservative--asked why they never ask if a man will have enough time to raise his family and be Vice President.

Well, we never asked that before in the GOP because many of us are conservatives who believe (at least, pre-Palin) that it's a mom's job--the wife's job--to do that. We didn't buy into the Michael Keaton-Teri Garr comedy template.

It's funny to hear airheaded pseudo-conservative peroxide-heads, like "The View" moron Elisabeth H