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Since I was late, this year, in getting together my list of the Best and Worst Movies of 2006, I decided to post them right before the Academy Awards were given out. Better late than never. You’ll note that a number of movies that are up for Oscars, like “,” “,” and “” are on my worst list. (You can’t trust Hollywood and Academy voters to tell you what was best and worst.) FYI, I never saw Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth,” so I never reviewed it.
Last year, because 2005 had so many bad movies, I could not come up with 10 “best” or top movies from that year. This year’s crop was better AND worse. I have 11 best movies, but more than 31 worst movies–there were so many bad movies on which you never want to waste valuable minutes of your life, and on which I wasted over 60 hours of mine to spare you the inconvenience.
So here’s my list . . .
Best/Worst Movies of 2006

BEST (rent these on DVD ASAP, except “Invincible” for the Mark Wahlberg reasons noted below):
1) “”–I , well before the New York Film critics and assorted other groups did at the end of the year. And my choice stands. This movie, which truthfully showed the events of 9/11 on United Airlines Flight 93, vividly portrayed the two most important facts that can be shown on contemporary film: that we are fighting for our lives against Islamic terrorists who hate us and want us dead; that we, as brave Americans who love freedom and our great country, must fight them to our death . . . and that we are capable of doing so.
These American heroes foiled the terrorists and simultaneously gave their lives so that the White House or U.S. Capitol and lives of our leaders would be spared. They rose to the occasion of all occasions and went down fighting.
2) “”–The best mafia movie I have ever seen (except, maybe, “The Godfather”), this one is so great because it doesn’t simply glamorize the mob life. It portrays the anguish and integrity, and the moral dilemma of the decent, honest undercover cop (masterfully played by Leonardio DiCaprio) who has infiltrated the mob. Simply fantastic. Riveting, edge-of-your-seat stuff every step of the way, this is a masterpiece. Bonus for wary Italian-Americans: This one is about the Irish mob of South Boston (though it’s actually a remake of a Hong Kong film about moles in the mob and law enforcement there).
3) “”–Will Smith deserves his Oscar nomination for his emotional portrayal of real-life rags-to-riches, bootstrap-self-propelling Chris Gardner. A man’s unwavering pursuit of his dream through hard work and determination, and a father’s love for his son are the great messages that come through in this movie filled with obstacle after obstacle to both.
4) “”–Successful commoner magician Eisenheim uses illusions and tricks to win back his true love, a beautiful countess in Habsburg Empire Austria, from his enemy, her fiancee, the ruthless Crown Prince. Sounds like a chick flick but isn’t–it’s about tricks, illusions, and what’s real and isn’t. Smoke and mirrors have never been more entertaining.
5) “”–Dueling/fueding magicians at the turn of the century make for a masterful, entertaining, thrilling film that defies conventions and thrills to the end. Amazing tricks keep you guessing. David Bowie, in a minor role as amazing real-life scientist/inventor Nikolai Tesla, also delights.
6) “”–A great uplifting movie about real-life underdog, out-of-work teacher/bartender Vince Papale who tries out for and makes the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles. I am troubled recommending this because star Mark Wahlberg, an attempted murderer and thug, took out the eye of a Vietnamese immigrant with a meat hook. He is a great actor, especially in this movie and in “The Departed.” But he’s a criminal who deliberately maimed a man and admits he has no remores. Don’t support him by renting this DVD. Wait for it on TV or cable, or check the DVD out of the library, so he won’t get royalties.
7) “”–Though Sylvester Stallone likes illegal aliens, I still like his fictional, working-class alter ego, Rocky. A great trip down nostalgia lane and fitting ending to a 30-year-old franchise. Gritty, uplifting, and a classy, updated good-bye. A jog down memory lane and up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
8) “”–Most critics thought it was mediocre, but I liked this charming, entertaining, science fiction romance movie about soulmates separated by time. A chick flick worthy of seeing, and a nice imitation of “Somewhere in Time,” with a more satisfying ending.
9) “”–Gen-X slacker hero Jon Heder plays a geek in love with his beautiful neighbor. He learns the moves from a scoundrel who then competes with him for her love. Absolutely hilarious–and not for kids–the scene-stealer of this one is co-star Sarah Silverman.
10) “”–Hilarious parody of smoking lobby, based on the Christopher Buckley comedy/parody novel. Aaron Eckhart is spot-on as the engaging, droll smoking lobbyist.
11) “”–Panned by some critics, I loved this Medieval period adventure about dueling knights and kings of British nation-states fighting Irish knights and fighting for the love of a beautiful Irish princess. Romance and action adventure rolled into one. Stunning cinematography. Stars the very hot Jewish actor, James Franco.
WORST (skip most of these at all cost–they’re that bad):
1) “”–Everything is the Jews’ fault . . . and the Americans soldiers’, too. The government of Turkey funded this exercise in anti-Semitism and hatred of America, which portrays American soldiers as heartless, bloodthirsty murderers at weddings of innocents and Jewish army doctors as harvester of Muslims organs for Jews worldwide. Shame forever on Billy Zane and Gary Busey for starring in this horrible silver screen screed.
2) “”–Absolutely sickening, violent movie about a mother and her baby and their new kinship with the hitmen hired to kill her by her mob boss thug husband. Did not need to see limbs cut off up close, violent necrophilia scenes, and a frontal shot of actor Stephen Dorff’s penis in the middle of sex. Disgusting. Hard to believe Helen Mirren was nominated for the Oscars (for a different film) after her sickening presence in this even more sickening “film”. Well, that probably actually enhanced her position with “the Academy.” Shows just anyone can earn the title of “Dame.”
3) “”–Americans are evil, self-absorbed people who use and then deport sweet, loving, hard-working illegal aliens. Muslims are sweet, loving, poor people who love unappreciative American tourists, and take care of them. Muslims are also unfairly portrayed as terrorists, when actually they’d sell their souls to help Americans. Japanese deaf girls are sex-obsessed bizarros who constantly flash their crotches and assault any male within striking distance. Yup, this is what the Academy Awards has nominated for several categories. Figures Brad Pitt would jump at the chance to star in this hate-America, love-Islamists-and-illegal-aliens flick.
4) “”–Absolutely disgusting portrayal of accidents in meat plants and other alleged maladies suffered by illegal aliens who sneak into the country to steal our jobs. Horrible, sickening defamation of fast food purveyors and meat plants. Many people walked out on this movie, and I wish I would have joined them. Pure propaganda.
5) “”–Disgusting, racist Monique movie about how morbidly obese Black women are sex-obsessed and how racist White peole are. Sad.
6) “”–Of course, a Syrian Muslim would never actually be the one who assassinated President Bush. Why that would be the Black Vietnam Vet who lost his soldier son fighting in Iraq. Boring. Even billionaire producer Mark Cuban admitted to me that it “wasn’t a good movie.”
7) “”–Border Patrol agents are violent idiots who masturbate to Hustler at the border. Illegal aliens are hard-working, loving people who are far better than Americans. Police are idiots. Thanks, Tommy Lee Jones.
8) “”–Sappy, saccharine Oliver Stone portrayal 9/11 attacks whitewashes any mention of Muslims, Islam, Bin Laden, or the 19 hijackers. The only Muslims we see or hear about are the non-existent ones–Stone’s portrayal of Muslims worldwide upset about the attacks, when in reality, they were jubilant and ecstatic. The presence of America-deserved-9/11 actress Maggie Gyllenhaal in this BS is sickening. Reduces 9/11 tragedy to “Poseidon Adventure” minus Shelley Winters but with cement instead of water.
9) “”–Dirty Harry Goes Left-wing and manages to reduce one of the greatest, most heroic battles and victories in U.S. history to a disgrace. Extremely false portrayal exaggerates minor bad parts of novel with the same name and reduces the vast positive heroism of vets to embarrassment and political misuse. An abomination to the memory of those who gave their lives at Iwo Jima to beat the Japanese.
10) “”–Boring, three hour ordeal, mostly in Japanese with subtitles. Do we really need to see the Japanese side of Iwo Jima–showing Americans as brutal thugs who murder those who’ve surrendered; and Japanese as honorable, decent soldiers who did no wrong? What’s next–“Letters from United 11” in Arabic showing Mohammed Atta’s point of view?
11) “”–Terrorists are national heroes. Police and other law enforcement are Nazis and the real terrorists. Islam is beautiful and under attack by the law enforcement oppressors (if only). Pure propaganda with no basis in reality.
12) “”–Disgusting, boring, and pointless, this sequel to its vastly overrated original has scenes complete with bestiality, or as they sanitize it, “interspecies erotica.” An obnoxious waste of time about loser slackers who continue to be so, despite their claims otherwise. Who cares?
13) “”–Aging star Sharon Stone, famous only for baring her crotch in the first installment of this movie, makes another movie in her desperationg to stay relevant. Seems like the only recent she made this was to show us her new implants and nipples. Yawn. Pretentiously dumb.
14) “”–Julianne Moore plays a crazy mother whose son is found dead. And guess what? She did it. Simply awful from beginning to end.
15) “”–Drug-addicted, violent, stealing loser is a veteran soldier from the Gulf War and a Homeland Security agent recruit. Bloody, violent, and pointless. Disturbing for no purpose.
16) “”–Dumb, boring, amateurish movie shot in Appalachia using non-professional actors in producer billionaire Mark Cuban’s first attempt and “simultaneous” DVD and screen release. Basically, no plot. Depressing. Did I just waste almost two hours of my life for this?
17) “”–No, Bobby Kennedy was not G-d. This awful, boring version of “The Love Boat” at a hotel where Bobby Kennedy was assassinated by Sirhan Sirhan is no different than watching your average TV soap opera. And a whole lot less interesting–if that is possible. Glorifies draft-dodging and marrying to avoid combat during the Vietnam War. Thanks, Lindsay Lohan. Emilio Estevez wrote and directed this insipid junk. HOprah loved it–need I say more?
18) “”–Never thought I’d wish for Don Johnson’s and Philip Michael Thomas’ return. This waste of time remake of the 1980’s TV series lost all of its glamor and kitsch and replaced it with a violent, non-sensical plot and a stupid lust story with a woman whose accent makes it impossible to understand what she’s saying. Not that we care to. Apparently the purpose of this movie was Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx butt and shower shots. Again, not that we cared. Gratuitous use of an . Thanks for the brief anti-Israel propaganda. Then-Miami ICE Special Agent in Charge Jesus Torres , for this crappy movie.
19) “”–Dumb, bizarre, non-sensical movie ostensibly about the mysterious “black Dahlia” murderer in mid-20th centure Hollywood, is instead a weird mishmash about nothing.
20) “”–“Documentary” succeeds in defaming evangelical Christians who love America and have faith as complete freaks. Thanks, Mark Cuban. Where’s the movie about Muslims? Don’t hold your breath.
21) “”–Dumb Jessica Simpson vehicle couldn’t be more dumb or boring.
22) “”–Julianne Moore, David Duchovny, and Maggie Gyllenhaal waste valuable hours of our time in boring, pointless film about cheating, sexual dysfunction, and sap in a New York family. So what?
23) “”–Dumb movie about single man who lives at home and the parents who want to get him married and out of the house. Not funny.
24) “”–Possibly the worst teen flick of the decade. Teen girls get together to get back at the popular jock who cheats on all of them. Silly in the extreme.
25) “”–Spike Lee helped produce this anti-American mockumentary portraying America and Ronald Reagan as racists–if the Confederates had won. Yeah, like we’d still have slavery in 2006. Where’s the movie about real slavery–in Muslim countries–in 2006? Abraham Lincoln in blackface? Shut up and move on.
26) “”–Sean Penn manages to absolutely ruin and pervert the original movie about a fictional version of Huey Long. No, he wasn’t a decent liberal who cared about “the people.” He was a demogogue user.
27) “”–New age moview with three bizarre nonsensical plots/stories. Even one of them would have been bad enough. Next time a director writes and makes a movie for his pregnant fiancee, he should think again. We don’t care about them.
28) “”–Loser slackers don’t want to settle down and be faithful to the mothers of their kids. Gee, how exciting to go to the movies for that.
29) “”–Violent felon teen murderers and other criminals in prison are people, too. And they deserve our sympathy and the chance to play football.
30) “”–George Reeves is turning over in his grave. Dumb movie about TV’s Superman actor and his self-absorbed, loser life and a self-absorbed, loser detective looking into it. Who cares?
31) “”–Yet another movie about Truman Capote. One wasn’t enough? Sorry, the Saddam hanging video was enough. Didn’t need to see this pathetic author make out with another guy and then watch him hang. Yuck. Atrocious.
32) “”–Managed to make the founding of the OSS and CIA boring as all get out. And to turn it into a melodramatic Lifetime Movie of the Week about an angry, crying, slutty wife and a cold marriage. Ho hum. And what the heck was Joe Pesci doing in the movie? 3 long, boring hours of wasted life you’ll never get back.
33) “”–Pretentious, snooty English comedian makes fun of Red State America and portrays them as racists and fools. Anoterh message: Americans are idiots for being good-hearted and nice. Would rather see him make fun of his own countrymen who openly hate America and don’t need the ruse of a fake reporter for Kazakhstan to elicit their spewing and spouting off.

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Yesterday, I wrote about worse-than-useless Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff’s announcement in Detroit that he would poke a giant loophole in the new passport requirements for entering the U.S. I wrote that he would .
But it’s even worse than I’d earlier diagnosed. While most press reports inaccurately reported that he’d waive the passport requirement for those under 15, the truth is far worse.
In fact, Chertoff a/k/a “Mr. Burns” is waiving the passport requirement FOR EIGHTEEEN YEAR OLDS!!!! No joke. AND, it gets even worse. Chertoff says he wants to waive the requirement EVEN FOR THOSE OLDER THAN 18!!!!
Here’s the scoop:

Michael Chertoff: Doing His Best to Speed Up America’s Death

Under a policy change, people under 15 could re-enter the United States with a certified copy of their birth certificate. People from 16 to 18 traveling with sports teams and school groups, church or cultural groups and supervised by adults also will be allowed to re-enter with a birth certificate. . . .
Chertoff also said that border travelers older than 18 might be able to use some sort of pass instead of a passport.
“We’re working with the State Department to come up some type of pass card that would be less expensive,” Chertoff said.

Unbelievable. Why do we even have this law if Chertoff is going to gut it in its entirety? I mean, after all, there will never be any 18-and-under Muslim-terrorists-in-training on “sports teams and school groups, church or cultural groups and supervised by adults.” Right?
G-d help this weak, appeasing nation.

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They say, once a Marine, always a Marine. And that’s apparently the case with a heroic 70-something, unarmed American Marine touring Costa Rica. He killed an armed mugger who attacked a group of American tourists.
Read the whole incredible story:

SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA – A tour group of U.S. senior citizens killed a Costa Rican mugger by breaking his neck after he pulled a gun, a local police official said Thursday.
The cruise ship passengers told police they jumped on Wagner Segura, 20, to defend themselves when he pointed a .38-caliber revolver at them Wednesday near the Caribbean port of Limon, regional police director Luis Hernandez said.
One of the dozen tourists, a retired Marine about 70 years old, reportedly put Segura in a headlock.
“He was probably the one who broke [Segura’s] neck,” Hernandez said. “His neck was completely snapped.”
The cause of death was not clear. A statement from Carnival Cruise Lines said the assailant had apparently died of asphyxiation, and some reports identified the broken bone as the clavicle, not the neck.
No charges will be filed against the tourists because police viewed the incident as an act of self-defense.

More on the incident, in which there were also two other armed muggers who fled. The charitable Americans drove the wounded mugger to Red Cross:

The two other men fled when the 12 senior citizens started defending themselves during the Wednesday attack. Afterward, the tourists drove Segura to the Red Cross where he was declared dead. The Red Cross also treated one of the tourists for an anxiety attack, Hernandez said Thursday.

I wish someone in the press would report the 70-something Marine’s name. He’s an American hero, and his name deserves recognition.

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UPS is at it again. First, I exposed the shipping company’s of not delivering to Jews–but only to Muslims–in certain politically incorrect areas of Israel. The company , while pretending it never had such a policy.
Now, federal agents inform me that UPS is blocking a drug smuggling investigation. Read this e-mail and learn what Brown doesn’t do for you:

UPS: What Brown Won’t Do For America

Debbie,
We have been attempting to conduct a narcotics operation involving drugs that were shipped from a foreign country via UPS. The contraband was intercepted by CBP [DS: Customs and Border Protection] in another city and forwarded here because the address is located here. The general idea was to enlist the assistance of UPS to either deliver it with one of us in the van or to borrow a uniform and make the delivery. Once delivered and signed for, BAM! We have done this in the past with FedEx and DHL and they have always stepped up to the plate and helped in any way possible. Not UPS…those spineless creampuffs start whining and back-peddling, making excuses about their company policy and putting their workers in Harm’s Way, ya-da, ya-da. We went all the way to the head of security and got the same BS. As far as I’m concerned, their lack of assistance and indifference to the fact that dangerous narcotics are being smuggled into the United States by their carrier service leads me to believe they condone it. God forbid they should do their part to secure this nation. We’ll get it done without those mopes.
And, that’s “what Brown can do for you!”.

Yet another reason NOT to use UPS. Go for Fed-Ex, DHL, and the good old-fashioned U.S. Postal Service, instead.

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There is good news and bad news on America’s importation of oil.
The good news:
For the first time in 21 years, Africa topped the Middle East as a source of U.S. crude-oil imports, with a 22% share (the Mid-East is close behind also with 22%, but African oil imports exceed that from the Mid-East by 8,000 barrels).
This is the result of Africa’s rising oil output aided in part by U.S. investment. Persian Gulf oil has been pulled eastward to Asia.
Also, Canada and Mexico, respectively, remain our largest and second largest sources of oil imports. That’s good.
The bad news:
The African oil output only replaces declining oil supplies we were importing from Norway and the U.K. And much of Africa is dominated by growing Islamofascist governments, insurgents, and other forms of Banana Republicanism. Better news would be that we were importing a larger share from non-Islamic countries and more stable governments. Neither is the case.
Still, we can try to leverage our new status as a large African oil customer with African governments and try to wean ourselves completely away from Arabist ones and Iran.

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This is from a deliberately tiny, tiny blurb in today’s Detroit Free Press:

DEARBORN: Credit car scammer gets 74 months, fine, loss
The last of 17 defendants indicted in a scheme that defrauded banks and credit card companies of $3 million was sentenced Wednesday to six years in prison.
U.S. District Judge John O’Meara sentenced Ali Abdul Karim Farhat, 42, of Dearborn to 74 months in prison and ordered him to repay $669,125. Farhat also must forfeit his business and $72,621 in cash. The sentence starts immediately.

Farhat, one of three ringleaders, pleaded guilty to federal racketeering charges.

Of course, what it doesn’t say is his religion or that of the other 16 defendants. You guessed it: The “Religion of Plastic, er . . . Peace.” What it also doesn’t say is where the money went. Farhat and others defrauded credit card companies and department stores out of millions of dollars in merchandise which they charged on credit cards, never paid the card companies for, and then sold for cash on the black market.
Federal agents believe they sent some of the money “back home,” likely to Hezbollah.
Just details not important enough to publish in a cowed Detroit newspaper near Dearbornistan.

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Not that it’s important or anything, but I love to point out when I’m right–amidst all the naysaying.
Earlier this week, if I were one of Kevin Federline’s attorneys, I would subpoena a sample from the salon selling Britney Spears’ sheared-off locks. I said it would be very telling about her possible drug use.
And lo and behold, I was on to something. That’s apparently the reason, according to Extra, that she cut off the hair. So will K-Fed’s attorneys subpeona the hair sample before it’s too late?
If they’re smart, they will.

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A man who thinks he’s a rock star, but is really just a rock, is in Detroit, today.
Department of Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff a/k/a “Mr. Burns” is in town to speak at the Detroit Economic Club, where a lot of semi-important blowhards say a lot of nothing. Mr. Burns won’t be much of an exception to that rule.
Unfortunately, he’s not just saying nothing. Remember those airtight rules requiring passports for all travel in and out of our borders? Well, Chertoff has decided to start making giant loopholes. He will announce, today, that he is excusing children under age 17 from the passport law, which comes to “full” “enforcement” in 2009 (when Chertoff won’t even be around to see the damage he’s causing with the loophole).

Michael Chertoff: Loves the Loopholes; Enforcing the Law, Not so Much
The fact is that many terrorists and illegal aliens use children to do all sorts of things–as anchor babies, as ways to stay in the U.S., and even as partners in terrorist training across the border. Take Nemr Ali Rahal. A Hezbollah supporter (and member) living in Dearbornistan, he took his young son over the border to Canada for who knows what kind of terrorist training. What we do know is that alert Customs and Border Patrol agents at the Detroit end of the Ambassador Bridge from Canada detected high-grade explosive material on both Rahal’s and his son’s passports.
Is there any valid reason this child, who took part in some use of explosives, should be exempt from passport laws? NO.
Later, it was learned that Rahal was engaged in all kinds of bank and mortgage fraud against the U.S. government–apparently to support Hezbollah. He was discovered with Hezbollah recruiting materials, videos of him at Hezbollah events, photos of him and a friend burning the American flag, and a poster of Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah in his living room.
He and his wife pled guilty to minor charges for which he was sentenced to prison. Do we really want his kids exempt from passport regulations? How about other kids of people who are not U.S. citizens?
It’s just a dumb rule. Bottom line: If you want to enter our country–at ANY age–you should produce a valid passport. It doesn’t matter if you have a Barbie doll or like playing video games. You shouldn’t be allowed an exemption. Chertoff claims he’s doing this to make it easier for sports teams, youth groups, and school field trips. Sorry, that ain’t a good reason to jeopardize our security.
Just why do we have Chertoff as the head of DHS anyway? His biggest “achievements” are kowtowing to Islamofascisti, hurting the department, and lowering agents’ morale even further than we thought was possible. Add to that creating giant loopholes in border security laws–like this stupid child exemption law.
Even with his Syrian wife, his multiple affairs with Judith Regan and others, and his alleged employment of an illegal alien housekeeper/nanny, Bernard Kerik was highly preferable to this incompetent lawyer now running DHS.
At least Kerik had law enforcement experience.

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I hate armed robbery (and ) as much as the next guy (and gal). But there’s such a thing as disproportionate, inhuman punishment.
What’s wrong with Sharia (strict Islamic law)? Well this is what’s wrong with it (among many other things):

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – A Saudi court ordered the bodies of four Sri Lankans to be displayed in a public square after being beheaded for armed robbery, according to a government statement. . . .
Saudi officials would not confirm that the body display had happened but did confirm the four were executed on Monday. They also confirmed the court order issued in the case had called for the men’s bodies to be displayed after the execution.

Saudi 9/11 Flag by David Lunde/Lundesigns
Saudi Arabia follows a strict interpretation of Islam under which people convicted of murder, drug trafficking, rape and armed robbery are executed in public with a sword. . . .
The Sri Lankan government said in a media release it had appealed to King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia for clemency twice.
A report by Amnesty International said that besides the execution of the four Sri Lankans, six foreigners have been executed this year. They include three Pakistanis, two Iraqis and one Nigerian.
Seven Saudi Arabians, including one woman, have also been executed.
In 2006, 86 men and two women were executed, half of them foreign nationals, the report said.

“Religion of Peace”? FYI, “Chop-Chop Square” is the well-known nickname for the public square where most official Saudi Arabian beheadings take place.

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I’m sure their religion had nothing to do with it, but . . .
Zubair A. Ahmed, 27, of North Chicago, and his cousin, Khaleel Ahmed, 26, of Chicago, were arrested, yesterday, and indicted on charges they conspired to wage holy war against Americans overseas, including our soldiers in Iraq.
They were indicted by a federal grand jury in Cleveland, as they are connected to the plot of the previously indicted Mohammad Zaki Amawi, Marwan Othman El-Hindi and Wassim Mazloum. They were indicted a year ago on charges of gathering information on explosives and tactics, planning to send money and computers to the Middle East and recruiting others to attack American forces in Iraq.
More details on these two loyal, Muslim-American, U.S. citizens from The Chicago Tribune:

Zubair A. Ahmed, 27, of North Chicago, and his cousin, Khaleel Ahmed, 26, of Chicago, have ties to three Toledo men charged in the conspiracy last year, authorities said. Federal prosecutors said the cousins had spoken to at least one of the three about receiving training and at one point were headed to Afghanistan or Iraq.
Zubair Ahmed allegedly wanted to learn to use a .50-caliber machine gun.
“Man, we’ve been waiting for this,” he said, according to the indictment. . .
Mohammad Zaki Amawi, Marwan Othman El-Hindi and Wassim Mazloum have pleaded not guilty and are expected to go on trial in Cleveland in the spring. They were accused of gathering information on explosives and tactics, planning to send money and computers to the Middle East and recruiting others to attack American forces in Iraq.
Recruits were “to train for violent jihad against the United States and its allies in Iraq, and elsewhere, and would propose potential training sites for use in providing ongoing firearms, hand-to-hand combat, explosives, and other paramilitary training to prospective recruits,” the indictment states.
Two of those who were recruited were the Ahmeds, according to court documents. They were allegedly brought into the conspiracy by El-Hindi, who has Chicago ties. The Tribune has reported that El-Hindi, who used to live in the suburbs, ran a travel agency in the Loop near the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse that opened in the late 1990s and closed a few years ago.
El-Hindi allegedly took the cousins from Chicago to Cleveland in 2004 to meet a man described in the document as “the Trainer,” a man with military experience who was associated with the group.
“Zubair and Khaleel discussed sniper tactics with the Trainer and their desire to receive training in, among other things, firearms and counter surveillance techniques,” the indictment states. It was El-Hindi who stopped the two from going overseas because he believed they needed more training, it states.

But “loyal” U.S. citizens who are Muslims are peaceful, and we are bigots for thinking otherwise. Right?
And Muslims all over America are denouncing them and protesting in the streets over their actions . . . in my dreams.