Obama makes it worse

Political Punch reported In Muncie, Ind., he [Obama] said, per ABC News' Sunlen Miller, "There are a whole bunch of folks in small towns ... who are bitter. They are angry.

Because Obama is looking down on them.

They feel like they’ve been left behind. They feel like nobody's paying attention to what they're going through.

And are they just sitting there waiting for Obama to save them, or are they trying to see what they can do to take care of themselves.

So I said, well you know, when you're bitter, you turn to what you can count on. So people, you know, they vote about guns

Because if the government takes them away, they will have nothing to use to protect themselves.

or they take comfort from their faith,

If a person really has faith, they will take comfort from it in good times and in bad times.

and their family,

Family is very important

and their community,

As is community

and they get mad about illegal immigrants who are coming over to this country,

As well they should. Why should their taxes pay for free services for people that don't pay taxes, ad who are here illegally?

or they get frustrated about how things are changing.

They should do somethig to change them.

That’s a natural response. Now, I didn’t say it as well as I should have,

Either tis time or last time.

because the truth is, is that these traditions that are passed on from generation to generation -- those are important. That’s what sustains us. But what is absolutely true is that people don’t feel like they're being listened to."

It is Obama that is not listening to the people, and who just assumes he knows what is best for them.

Ed Morrissey blogged It’s understandable. Had he just stopped there, he would have had an arguable point. Unfortunately, he didn’t stop there — and he revealed the snobby, elitist view of middle America that is held by the hard Left. Perhaps more media outlets allow him this defense because they also don’t understand the offensive and snobbish nature of the remarks that follow.

Sister Toldjah blogged Is this guy a spinmaestro or what?

Pamela Leavey blogged Now, knee deep in the controversy over his “bitter” remarks, Barack Obama is telling voters he understands that he “didn’t say it as well as” he “should have.” But he’s still not getting it right. What happened when Barack Obama’s statements were exposed was a gap in his thinking was also exposed. He simply doesn’t get the “Heartland.”

Both Hillary's camp and Republicans are beating Obama up for saying what he did, but he thought he was safe talking in private to a bunch of Rich Californians

Ever wonder how he is raising so much money? It is not all coming from the masses.

and he was burned by a blogger from the Huffington Post. And as Glenn Reynolds noted from a commenter on Ann Althouse Hey, let's not blame Obama. His most substantial, direct exposure to religion has been Trinity United, so it's perfectly natural for him to believe that religious belief is motivated by being bitter.

IMAO had some very funny posts on this

• What was the Founding Father's intent behind the 2nd Amendment? To express their bitter frustration and being jobless.
• Why did God send His only son to die for our sins?
• If bitter people are clinging to guns, don't we need a president whose smart enough not to upset them?
• Possible Acronym of the Year WORM - What Obama Really Meant

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Freedom of thought (and colored underwear)

David Thompson blogged Behold the wisdom of the Saudi cleric, Muhammad al-Munajid, aired on Al-Majd TV, March 30, 2008.

If you missed the money quote, here it is.

The problem is that they want to open a debate on whether Islam is true or not,

It isn't

and on whether Judaism and Christianity are false or not.

They aren't.

In other words, they want to open up everything for debate. Now they want to open up all issues for debate. That’s it. It begins with freedom of thought, it continues with freedom of speech, and it ends up with freedom of belief.

And Muhammad al-Munajid want's you to think what he thinks, speak what he speaks, and believe what he believes.

So where's the conspiracy? They say: Let’s have freedom of thought in Islam... They say: I think, therefore I want to express my thoughts. I want to express myself, I want to talk and say, for example, that there are loopholes in Islam, or that Christianity is the truth. Then they will talk about freedom of belief, and say that anyone is entitled to believe in whatever he wants

hee is, otherwise it is not a matter of belief.

... If you want to become an apostate – go ahead. Fancy Buddhism? Leave Islam, and join Buddhism. No problem. That’s what freedom of belief is all about.

And it is a good thing.

They want freedom of everything. What they want is very dangerous.

I’m almost tempted to admire the frankness. The chutzpah, if you will. But if such things are a dangerous “conspiracy,” an obvious question springs to mind. Dangerous for whom?

For those that want power.

What’s most interesting about the extract above, and the worldview it illustrates, is that al-Munajid doesn’t seem terribly concerned with the numinous per se, or even with an erratic and spiteful deity named Allah; instead the object of worship is Islam itself – the institution, the power, the license to control.

There’s more, of course. Al-Munajid also shares his insight regarding the use of colored underwear and how to urinate piously.

This is amazing. They have almost 70 rules about how to urinate and defecate, including which foot you should enter the bathroom with, and which foot you should exit with. And of course you should not have colored underwear.

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Exploding Mosque

The Daily Star reported Iranian officials on Sunday ruled out an attack as the cause of an explosion that killed 11 people inside a mosque in the southern city of Shiraz.

They don't want to admit anyone could have breached the total control they have on the country.

The explosion ripped through the mosque packed with hundreds of worshipers late Saturday as a cleric delivered his weekly speech against extremist Wahabi beliefs and the outlawed Baha'i faith, the semiofficial Fars news agency said.

It is not the extremism he preached about, but the fact that Wahabis are Sunnis.

Authorities said besides the 11 killed, 191 people were wounded, some of them critically, the state IRNA news agency reported. On Sunday, the deputy interior minister in charge of security, Abbas Mohtaj, said the explosion was "the result of an accident." He didn't elaborate.

You mean they don't intentionally blow up mosques?

The police chief of the southern Fars Province, Gen. Ali Moayyedi, said he "rejects" the possibility of an intentional bombing and "any sort of insurgency" in the blast. Moayyedi, in comments carried by state IRNA news agency, said the initial investigation found remnants of ammunition from a military exhibition that was held recently at the mosque.

I thought Islam was supposed to be a Religion of Peace. I have not seen military exhibitions at churches or synagogues.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini said Sunday that no group has claimed responsibility for the explosion.

It was a small group, and they can't find any piece that can talk.

Earlier, the Fars agency quoted a local police official as saying a homemade bomb had caused the explosion and indicated the attack could been religiously motivated. But the agency backed off those speculations on Sunday.

Of course not. It was a military exhibition in the Religion of Peace.

A witness to the blast, Mostafa Nazari, told The Associated Press that some 1,000 worshipers had gathered at the mosque grounds to hear a cleric speak. He said it was fortunate the blast happened at a part of the building far from the podium,

Make a note: Hold the bomb making classes in a remote part of the mosque, perhaps near the store room where they keep the military exhibits.

around which most of the audience had crowded.

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To the rescue

Don Surber blogged Al Gore and Jimmy Carter may team up to shove Democratic Sen. Hillary Clinton out of the way. And of course, I have to rely on an overseas newspaper to break the story. Thank you, Chris Stephen of the Scotsman. Unable to put her away easy — and tripping over his tongue (as well as the tongues of Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Democratic Sen. Jay Rockefeller, Jane Fonda and Michelle Obama, to name a few) — the big guns may try to rescue Democratic Sen. Barack Obama from Hillary.

And from himself, beforemhe shoots the other foot off trying to dig himself out of the bitter hole he just dug himself.

Big guns? Pea shooters. It would be like a Republican being rescued by Thomas Dewey, Herbert Hoover and Harold Stassen. But you go to war with the army you have. Hillary won’t go away.

And she is doing a pretty good job taking advantage of what he said.

Hillary is actually doing a pretty good job training him for what he will face in November. Fortunately he is so green that even with all of that money, I think McCain will still take him in the fall, but I would like to see Hillary stay in and train him some more, and help uncover additional things that Republican 527s can use to shoot him down in November.

And considering Obama just threw away the votes of all the church-goers and gun owners, I can see why she hangs in there. And I can see why the Gores and Carters are taking vapors over this. Stephen of the Scotsman quoted a Carter confidante: “They’re in discussions. Carter has been talking to Gore. They will act, possibly together, or in sequence.” Of course, both men are jealous of Bill Clinton who served two full terms — the most of any Democrat since Franklin Roosevelt. Stephens reported, “Gore blames his loss to George Bush in the 2000 presidential election on the impeachment of Clinton triggered by his White House affair with Monica Lewinsky.” Yes, had Gore stood up to Bill in 1998 and told him either resign or I will, he would have either become president then or had been elected in 2000. By not being a man then, Gore is forced to live vicariously through Obama. I think a rescue will be attempted. Pass the popcorn. Unsalted without butter please. I’m gaining weight from all this popcorn.

It is because of all of the carboydrates. Eat some more red meat.

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Pope Benedict’s baptism of a Muslim-born journalist

Gulf Times Sheikh Yousuf al-Qaradawi has denounced Pope Benedict’s baptism of a Muslim-born journalist during the last Easter Mass at the Vatican as a “provocative and hostile act against Muslims”.
Sheikh Qaradawi, who is the head of the International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS) and the European Council for Fatwa and Research, said the public baptism of Majdi Allam has provoked Muslims around the world. “We do not feel regret over the conversion of that person. He has been a Catholic for more than five years. He was always attacking Islam, the Qur’an and me. The problem is that he was baptised by the Pope in public and in front of satellite TV cameras. This is a hostile act against Islam,” he told Doha-based Al Jazeera television.

If you are not mad that he left Islam, why are you upset the Pope baptised him? That is what Catholics do. The Pope is not mad that you pray with your head beating the floor, and with you ass sticking up.

"It is not strange that Allam, who betrayed his country and supported Israel, left his religion. We know that he is an agent of Israel. He would not contribute to Islam if he were a Muslim,” he said.

He might contribute a little sanit, and Islam clearly needs it.

Qaradawi said the public baptism has worsened relations between the Vatican and IUMS. “We were looking for a different approach from the Pope after his anti-Islam remarks two years ago.

What were you looking for? Should the Pope bow and scrape like a good little Dhimmi? That ain't gonna happen.

But the Pope’s baptism of a person who was known for his enmity to Islam and the Qur’an made us stick to our previous decision to suspend the IUMS relationship with the Vatican,”

It is just as well. You really didn't mean it, and I don't thin the Pope really understood taqqiyah.

he told Al Jazeera.

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Obama sticks his foot in his mouth

The Jawa Report blogged The something about Barack Obama is that he just doesn't get it when he tries to relate to people whose American experience is different from his. Obama on rural Americans:

And they fell through the Clinton administration, and the Bush administration, and each successive administration has said that somehow these communities are gonna regenerate and they have not. And it’s not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns

People cling to guns to protect themselves, because they know the government is incapable of doing it.

or religion

People cling to religion because they know that God will be with them, when government will not.

or antipathy to people who aren’t like them

The shuld respect, or at least tolerate, people who are not like them, but what solice can they get from them, i.e. why should they cling to them

or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment

You and Hillary are bringing the anti-trade sentiment, to placate the labor unions

as a way to explain their frustrations.

Look Barack, you and Michelle grew up in primarily urban environments, and it seems that silver spoons were never far from your mouths. The rural American experience is alien to you. Now, you're trying to relate, and I give you some credit for that, though trying to pound the round peg of country life into the square hole of the nanny state isn't the way to do it.

Let's take that clinging to guns thing, for instance. Now, I grew up in a rural hamlet in upstate New York. A hamlet is a place so small that it has a name, but the only local "government" is maybe a volunteer fire department, if that. Apart from the fact that we use our guns to hunt game, both big and small, there's another issue. Something that might not occur to you high-falutin' city folk. Let's say that you, Barry, suddenly find yourself in need of assistance from the police. A typical white, born-again, drunken, anti-trade bigot who hates illegal immigrants is banging on the door to your mansion and you're afraid for the safety of your family. Why, I'll bet the Chicago police are there inside of five minutes with bells on and whistles blowing. And it probably will be quicker than that; it'll just seem like five minutes to you. Back in the sticks, where us rubes hang out swilling beer, ogling cousins, and shooting up road signs, it's a different story.... since the sheriff is located in the county seat on the other side of the county, it's going to be at least a half hour before help shows up at her not-a-mansion door. Maybe she'll get lucky and a deputy will be on road patrol somewhere closer, say, only twenty minutes away, or so. Mr. Obama, sir, can you see why this poor woman might need an equalizer?

The Page quotes Obama saying So, it depends on where you are, but I think it’s fair to say that the places where we are going to have to do the most work are the places where people are most cynical about government. The people are mis-appre…

Oops, almost said what you mean. And what should they be appreciating?

they’re misunderstanding why the demographics in our, in this contest have broken out as they are. Because everybody just ascribes it to ‘white working-class don’t wanna work — don’t wanna vote for the black guy.’

I don't know what your pastor drummed into you for 20 years, but most white working-class people I know want to work, as do the yellow, red, brown, and black working-class people.

That’s…there were intimations of that in an article in the Sunday New York Times today - kind of implies that it’s sort of a race thing.

You should know better than t read the New York Times, especially the Sunday edition.

Here’s how it is: in a lot of these communities in big industrial states like Ohio and Pennsylvania, people have been beaten down so long. They feel so betrayed by government that when they hear a pitch that is premised on not being cynical about government, then a part of them just doesn’t buy it. And when it’s delivered by — it’s true that when it’s delivered by a 46-year-old black man named Barack Obama, then that adds another layer of skepticism. But — so the questions you’re most likely to get about me, ‘Well, what is this guy going to do for me?

No the question is what is he going to do to me. How much is he going to raise my taxes, while pretending to only tax the rich, and how badly is he going to hurt the health care system, by taking services some people now pay to get, and spreading them so that all illegal aliens get the same services nut we just have to pay for it.

What is the concrete thing?’ What they wanna hear is so we’ll give you talking points about what we’re proposing — to close tax loopholes, uh you know uh roll back the tax cuts for the top 1%, Obama’s gonna give tax breaks to uh middle-class folks and we’re gonna provide healthcare for every American.

And illegal alien tat can get across the border that we will leave open.

John Hinderaker asks Is Obama's Campaign Over? It may be. I don't see how anyone known to have uttered these words can be elected President

James Joyner blogged The more we learn about Obama, the less saintly he appears. That was inevitable, of course; he’s just a man. But he’s had a huge advantage coming into this race as simultaneously a superstar and a virtual unknown. He’s been able to inspire people with his rhetoric while being sufficiently vague that those who “hope” for “change” could paint their own picture and have him be just the change they were hoping for. As the long campaign forces him to reveal more of himself, though, it’ll be far easier to campaign against him.

Ed Morrissey blogged Only a rookie would make a colossal blunder like calling Midwestern, small-town voters a bunch of bigoted, overly religious gun nuts.... That’s the risk of running for the highest office without garnering the necessary experience beforehand. Unfortunately for the Democrats, they had already put most of their eggs in his basket before he got properly vetted. No matter what they do now, they’ve handicapped themselves heavily for the November election.

StopTheACLU blogged Wow! I go out on one Friday night and the gaffe of the election season takes place! Here is the transcript via Huffington Post…they also have the audio in Obama’s own voice.

Michael Goldfarb blogged it isn't a gaffe, just a revealing slip of the tongue. Orthodox, secular liberals like Obama tend to explain religious fervor as a symptom of fear and bitterness. Likewise the irrational racism, xenophobia, and attachment to firearms of the "typical white person."

Marc Ambinder blogged We're dealing tonight with a classic Kinsleyian "gaffe," where a candidate says what he means and then is forced to account for it. Let's separate, for the moment, the politics of Obama's words from the argument he is making.

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Baghdadi Baby

Blackfive reported Soldiers recently watched as a car pulled up to an entry control point at Forward Operating Base Callahan in northern Baghdad. They continued to watch as a woman stepped out of the car holding a bag. Once the woman dropped the bag near the gate, internal alarms were ringing and a careful search was called for and conducted. That search yielded a newborn baby wrapped tightly in several cloths. Soldiers raced to the bag, retrieved the child and brought him to the aid station to be examined. “We unwrapped it to make sure he was alive – and he wasn’t sick, he wasn’t dead, he wasn’t injured,” said Staff Sgt. Paul Briscoe, the aid station non-commissioned officer in charge at FOB Callahan. “He was a perfectly healthy baby. I’m guessing three to seven days old. He was in perfect health. There wasn’t a scratch on him.”

And now he is in the hands of someone that can take care of him.

... The baby is to be adopted by the brother of a local national, who works at the base. The brother, and his wife, have been married five years and have been unable to have a baby of their own.
Michael Ledeen blogged In Naples, for centuries, churches had doors with revolving platforms, through which unwanted babies were delivered to the sisters within. There's a considerable literature on these abandoned children, who were known as "esposti" or "exposed," and that is the origin of one of the most common Neapolitan names, "esposito." Now you know.

Mothers with children they could not care for loved them enough to take them to the nuns who they knew would take care of them. In Bagdad, they know they can trust our military to take care of them.

In Baghdad they're called "Callahan." I'm sure Clint Eastwood is smiling.

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Parents Fight Over Which Gang Toddler Should Join

KMGH Denver reported A couple fighting about which gang their 4-year-old toddler

The father is 19, and the mother 18, and the cile is four. This means the father was 14 and the mother 13 when it was conceived. Does anyone see a problem here?

should join caused a public disturbance that resulted in the father's arrest, Commerce City police said Thursday.

Let it grow up and decide for himself. Maybe if he is lucky he will decide to avoid gangs altogether.

... His girlfriend told police that they had been arguing about the upbringing of their son and which gang he should belong to. The teen mother, who is black, is a member of the Crips. Manzanares is Hispanic and belongs to the Westside Ballers gang, the woman said. "They have different ideas on how the baby should be raised.

Deciding which church to take a child to is raising him. Picking a gang for him to join is not raising him, especially if he is 4 years old.

Basically, she said they cannot agree on which gang the baby would 'claim,'" Sandoval said.

Why not let him decide when he grows up, say when he enters third grade.

Manzanares was charged with disorderly conduct, harassment, and domestic violence. He was transported to the Adams County Detention Facility.

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8-year-old girl asks for divorce in court

Yemen Times reported An eight-year-old girl decided last week to go the Sana’a West Court to prosecute her father, who forced her to marry a 30-year-old man. Nojoud Muhammed Nasser arrived at court by herself on Wednesday, April 2, looking for a judge to handle her case against her father, Muhammed Nasser, who forced her two months ago to marry Faez Ali Thamer, a man 22 years her senior. The child also asked for a divorce, accusing her husband of sexual and domestic abuse.

I know they cut off the hands of thieves. Does Islamic Law permit castration?

According to Yemeni law, Nojoud cannot prosecute, as she is underage. However, court judge Muhammed Al-Qathi heard her complaint and subsequently ordered the arrests of both her father and husband.

Good for them.

“My father beat me and told me that I must marry this man, and if I did not, I would be raped and no law and no sheikh in this country would help me. I refused but I couldn’t stop the marriage,” Nojoud Nasser told the Yemen Times. “I asked and begged my mother, father, and aunt to help me to get divorced. They answered, ‘We can do nothing. If you want you can go to court by yourself.’ So this is what I have done,” she said.

Good for you.

Nasser said that she was exposed to sexual abuse and domestic violence by her husband. “He used to do bad things to me, and I had no idea as to what a marriage is. I would run from one room to another in order to escape, but in the end he would catch me and beat me and then continued to do what he wanted. I cried so much but no one listened to me. One day I ran away from him and came to the court and talked to them.”

“Whenever I wanted to play in the yard he beat me and asked me to go to the bedroom with him. This lasted for two months," added Nasser. "He was too tough with me, and whenever I asked him for mercy, he beat me and slapped me and then used me. I just want to have a respectful life and divorce him.”

If you want a respectful life you need to get out of an Islamic Country, but I wish you the best.

Nasser’s uncle, who does not want to reveal his name, is following the case now as her guardian. According to her uncle, after Muhammed Nasser, the girl's father, lost his job as a garbage truck driver in Hajjah, he became a beggar, and soon after suffered from mental problems.

I suspect he was suffering from mental problems a lot longer if he does things like this.

Thamer is in jail now. “Yes I was intimate with her, but I have done nothing wrong, as she is my wife and I have the right and no one can stop me," he said.

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Jesus

As Michelle Malkin noted, American Idol charity special on Wednesday night, eight finalists performed Darlene Zschech’s Christian-pop crossover hit “Shout to the Lord.” The first line of the song is “My Jesus, My Savior, Lord there is none like You.” But instead of “Jesus,” the show substituted the word “Shepherd.” What the h-e-double-hockey-sticks was that all about?


As Colorado Springs Gazette noted Everyone knows the lyrics to “Shout to the Lord.” It’s a song about Jesus. If that’s no good for you, pick another song. Removing Jesus from a song about Jesus? That’s not cool, Idol. Pick another song, or have the guts to say “Jesus.”

Someone must have had a come-to-Jesus moment. (Ohh, can I use that word?) Because last night, after Fox’s message boards lit up with complaints from Christian viewers, the same song was featured again–and this time, “Jesus” was allowed to be sung.


If they sang a Muslim song, would they have removed Allah, and if so would they have kept their heads???

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Schism

A Muslim (Saudi) blogger made his own version of “Fitna” — about Christianity

Hat tip Allahpundit
He references four Bible quotes

• 1 samuel 15:3 which directed the Jews to attach the Amalekites. Are there any Amalekites around today? If so they should be concerned. But it is not the same thing as Surah 47:4 says So when you meet in battle those who disbelieve, then smite the necks [cut off their heads] until when you have overcome them, then make (them) prisoners, and afterwards either set them free as a favor or let them ransom (themselves) until the war terminates. That (shall be so); and if Allah had pleased He would certainly have exacted what is due from them, but that He may try some of you by means of others; and (as for) those who are slain in the way of Allah, He will by no means allow their deeds to perish.
• Numbers 31:17-18 which discussed vengeance on the Midianites. Are there any Midianites around today? If so they should be concerned. But that is not the same as 9:29 Fight those who do not believe in God and the Last Day and do not forbid what God and his Messenger have forbidden — such men as practice not the religion of truth, being of those who have been given the Book [i.e., Christians and Jews] – until they pay the tribute out of hand and have been humbled.
• Deuteronomy 20:16 which discussed going to war with the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. Are there any Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites around today? If so they should be concerned. But that is not the same as "Whoever changes his religion, kill him" which is called for in Bukhari, Abu Dawud, and many other Haddith that are not online, including Muslim, Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, An-Nasai, the Muwatta of Imam Malik, Tayalisi, Ibn Hanbal, Ibn Hibban, the Sunan al-Kubraa, Bayhaqi, Abu Ya'laa, Humaidi, Abd al-Razzaq, and Ibn Abi Shaybah.
• Psalm 75 which says But it is God who judges: He brings one down, he exalts another.

Let us contrast it with Fitna

And all of his quotes were from the Old Testament. I suggest he read The New Testament as The Qur'an says (10:94, 16:43, 5:44, 2:213, 29:46, 6:4390)

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Obama Says Real-Life Experience Trumps Rivals’ Foreign Policy Credits

New York Times reported To counter opponents’ accusations that he lacks experience in foreign policy, Senator Barack Obama of Illinois often cites his ties to relatives in poor villages in Kenya and the years he spent growing up in Indonesia.

Before puberty, which is why he claims not to be a Muslim

Now he has added a new personal detail to that résumé: a trip to Pakistan

Did he attend a terrorist training camp while in Pakistan?

while a college student.

Karl blogged Obama is going to bring an understanding of the complexity of things that he gained between the ages of six and ten.

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Offensive Door

Inside Higher Ed reported Getting one’s own office can be a rite of passage right up there with defending a dissertation or receiving tenure — and many professors’ lairs are reflections of their own attitudes and beliefs. Usually, it takes just a quick glance at the door, as anyone who’s taken a stroll down the hall of an academic building can attest: What a professor finds amusing, outrageous or just plain interesting is there for all to see. At a public university, such common displays of individual preference would presumably fall under the protections of the First Amendment. But not when such displays are offensive to others,

What is there in the first amendment that says protected speech cannot be offensive to others?

according to officials at Lake Superior State University, which threatened to reprimand a tenured professor whose door boasted cartoons and other images of a conservative political bent. In a March 26 letter to the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, which had been monitoring the case and publicized it on Wednesday, an outside lawyer representing the university reiterated its argument that because the professor “acted in an unprofessional and insubordinate manner, his actions cannot be considered protected speech.”

He is insubordinate because he said something we did not want said? So the speech is not protected? Who rewrote the First Amendment.

The first complaints date back to 2005, and the professor, Richard Crandall, was ordered to remove the materials from his door in 2007 (he eventually complied). Items included a photo of Ronald Reagan, pictures mocking Hillary Clinton,

Apparently before the Queen's inauguration ran into Obama.

a sign posting a “Notice of the Weekly Meeting of the White, Male, Heterosexual Faculty and Staff Association (WMHFSA),” and various cartoons about abortion, Islamic terrorism and other topics. One depicts two hooded women looking over a photo album. One says, “And that’s my youngest son, Hakim. He’ll be martyring in the fall.” The other replies, “They blow up so fast.”

You can't offend Muslims, but is it ok to offend Christians and Jews?

The university argues that the postings contribute to a hostile environment

The University is the one creating the hostile work environment.

and therefore do not fall under First Amendment protections, although such arguments have not fared well historically in the courts. No lawsuit has been filed, but in the past some professors whose cases have been publicized by FIRE have pursued legal action. The university did not respond to requests for comment.

FIRE and Crandall, who could not be reached for comment, point out that other professors at the university are able to post politically charged pictures and phrases on their doors without consequence, presumably because their perspective is liberal or leftist rather than conservative or right-wing. (The university appeared to argue that it wasn’t the political perspective but the denigration of religious minorities that was the problem.)

Art only Muslims protected? What about Christians and Jews? And does the Muslim's [rotection stem fro the fact that they threaten violence?

In photographs provided to FIRE, one Lake Superior State professor’s door features an “Exxpose Exxon” slogan and an “Honor Veterans: No More War” bumper sticker, while another door bears a sign asking if the Bush administration works for “Big Oil and Gas.”

“We really think this is a case that’s amenable to public pressure because the double standard here is so transparent,” said Robert L. Shibley, FIRE’s vice president. “The fact is that clearly other professors are allowed to express their political views on their door, which is very common ... it seems only Professor Crandall is the one who’s the problem.”

Ed Morrissey blogged In truth, the Crandall case does involve religion — the Religion of Liberal Thought. Academia apparently cannot abide any dissent from their received Wisdom, and so must strong-arm people with whom they disagree to prevent disagreement. In this way, they can convince themselves that they exist in a strange sort of artificial political consensus that has a lot more relation to 1984 than the First Amendment.

Hyscience blogged As Jeff Jacoby wrote at The Boston Globe, campus leftism today is not merely prevalent - it is radical, aggressive, and deeply intolerant. And just think, he said that back in 2004; you don't have to do much thinking to realize how very serious it has become as of April 2008.

King blogged One of them had the slogan "Bush is a dumbass". As I wondered then: The first thought through your head is:

1. "Ah, here's a place for reasoned discussion, just why I came to SCSU."
2. "I guess I don't have to watch what I say in here."
3. "So that's how you spell that! I thought it was two words."
4. "Better hide my Bush/Cheney button."

Reason Magazine blogged Take a look at the images and I think there's a strong implicit case that Crandall is a tool. Some are funny (IMO), some are not, but if I were an undergrad, they'd definitely kind of freak my shit—as did any number of door and office postings by lefty profs back in the day. But general freakage of shit does not seem not to be the issue here, as it really does appear to be the specific content—right-wing, and heavy on the pro-gun, anti-abortion themes—that is cause for complaint.

FIRE has always made a consistent argument (and has defended scholars and the right and the left) that public universities, precisely because they are government-sponsored, are totally bound by the First Amendment in ways that private universities are not necessarily (yeah, yeah, I understand that the line between public and private is totally nebulous given various funding issues ranging from federal research grants to Pell grants, etc).

I agree with that argument, and think that Crandall and all profs should be allowed to put whatever they want on their doors. Indeed, the whole point of going to college may be to expose kids to hostile environments—or, rather, intellectual environments in which they are exposed to all sorts of perspectives and taught to think critically about every aspect of their lives.

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Jimmy Carter to Meet With Hamas Leader in Syria

FOXNews reported Former President Jimmy Carter is reportedly preparing an unprecedented meeting with the leader of Hamas,

Can a former president be charged with treason?

an organization that the U.S. government considers one of the leading terrorist threats in the world.

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If you can't win in an argument, sue

five feet of fury reports Canada's busiest litigant, serial "human rights" complainant and -- the guy Mark Steyn has called "Canada’s most sensitive man" -- Richard Warman is now suing his most vocal critics

• Ezra Levant (famous for his stirring YouTube video of his confrontation with the Canadian Human Rights tribunal after he published the “Mohammed Cartoons”)
• FreeDominion.ca (Canada’s answer to FreeRepublic.com)
• Kate McMillan of SmallDeadAnimals.com
• Jonathan Kay of the National Post daily newspaper and its in-house blog
• and me, Kathy Shaidle of FiveFeetOfFury.com

.... Richard Warman also wants to ban international websites he doesn’t like from being seen by Canadians.

If you can't defeat them in a debate, sue them. This man must be stopped.

The folks named in his new law suit are the very bloggers who have been most outspoken in their criticism of Warman’s methods.

NoseOnYourFace has reopened the Ezra Levant T-shirt store, with profits going to their collective defense fund.

Ed Morrissey blogged These bloggers and free-speech advocates can use your help. First, be sure to read their entire posts on the controversy. Next, link back to them, showing them support for their efforts to keep political and social criticism from falling victim to government-imposed speech codes. If you can, hit their tip jars to provide some financial support — because brother, they’re going to need it for the attorneys they will have to hire.

Michelle Malkin blogged As I said when I wrote about the coming attack last month, their fight is our fight. Time to put our money where are mouths/hearts/blogs are.

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Olympic torch relay may be abandoned

Telegraph reported The International Olympic Committee met in Beijing to discuss the crisis even as demonstrators in San Francisco, where the torch for the Beijing Games is due to be paraded tomorrow, flew flags from the Golden Gate bridge to herald a new round of protests. Genially Lindbergh, a vice president, said a “full review” of the relay for this and future Games was needed.

Maybe what is really needed it a revuew of the decision to hold it in a country with a human rights record people would want to protest.

... "It must provide a proper forum for the peaceful expression of opinions and dissent,” said the head of the US Olympic Committee.

That is exactly what China does not want.

“And it must safely and respectfully welcome the flame and honour the U.S. athletes and other participants who will carry the torch.”

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New McCain Ad

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Not a Coronation

FOXNews reported Hillary Clinton delivered an impassioned defense of her continued candidacy in Eugene, Oregon — telling a young Obama supporter who asked whether she really wanted to help the Democratic party or was merely being “self serving” that the race “is not a coronation. It is a contest.”

When did Queen Hillary discover that?

“Election are about choices. You’re supposed to present your case and you’re supposed to critique the other case. That’s what you do in an election,” she said. “This country is worth fighting for, and I’m going to fight for it.” The crowd erupted in a standing ovation.

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Writers Blog Till They Drop

New York Times reported They work long hours, often to exhaustion. Many are paid by the piece — not garments, but blog posts. This is the digital-era sweatshop. You may know it by a different name: home.

And no newspaperman have ever died in the newsoom?

A growing work force of home-office laborers and entrepreneurs, armed with computers and smartphones and wired to the hilt, are toiling under great physical and emotional stress created by the around-the-clock Internet economy that demands a constant stream of news and comment.

And is no other job stressful?

Of course, the bloggers can work elsewhere,

But would it be less stressful than in their homes, with their families, and where they can eat when they want, sleep when they are tired, don't have to commute to work, etc.

and they profess a love of the nonstop action and perhaps the chance to create a global media outlet without a major up-front investment.

Something the NYT fears.

At the same time, some are starting to wonder if something has gone very wrong. In the last few months, two among their ranks have died suddenly.

James Joyner blogged There’s no doubt that blogging can be stressful, especially for those trying to make a living at it. Then again, most white collar jobs are stressful. Indeed, life itself is rather stressful.

Karl blogged Normally, this is where I would add some commentary, probably something about this becoming the pretext for the nanny state to regulate blogging. But I have already commented here a bit today and I am trying to lose weight.

See-dubya blogged Have you ever seen such shameless traffic-baiting from the failing New York Times?

Rjjago blogged In order to determine this I’ve made a questionnaire. Answer ‘yes’ to even half of these - and you are definitely a blogging addict and you’re probably in danger of deep vein thrombosis and/or fatal fat-assitude

Doug Mataconis blogged I tend to fall into the blogging as therapeutic category as well. For me, blogging is really just a 21st Century extension of something that I’ve enjoyed since high school — keeping up with politics and world events and talking about them. Today, instead of an audience of one or two people, the whole world is watching.

Classical Values blogged Wow! That sounds even worse than cigarette smoking, gay sex, or even Global Warming! Seriously, I had no idea that I'm shortening my life with every post.

Bill Jempty blogged Maybe the NYT can do an article on how working for the print media is stressful. Telling about the writers and staff on newspapers who either closed up recently or possibly in the near future or face job uncertainty because of newsroom jobs being reduced. I'd think that type of career has to be stressful also.

AJStrata blogged My home is not a sweatshop, my life is not stressful. And that is more than likely due to the fact I don’t work for a decrepit place like the NY Times.

Swaraaj Chauhan blogged To me blogging is a pure joy. I have been a working journalist for most of my life but now find that the mainstream media has undergone a sea change, and those who learnt the professional nuances in the pre-1980 era have little opportunity to contribute.

Scott blogged “Some write for fun.” I think, realistically, this might say, “Most write for fun.” The emphasis now suggests that “a limited number write for fun, but THOUSANDS write for publishers…” To me even “thousands” seems exaggerated — does the pro blogosphere really employ that many?

Marc Andreessen blogged Future New York Times headline submissions from yours truly:

Blogging Causes Herpes
Bloggers Shorter than Normal People
Want To Contract Malaria? Try Blogging
Bloggers Have Bad Breath
Leprosy and Blogging May Be Connected
Hitler Probably Blogged
Now Bloggers Aren't Even Wearing Pajamas
Blogging Fad Almost Over

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Beyond Fitna

Fars News Agencyi The Iranian organization called 'NGO Islam and Christianity' started production of the documentary after the Dutch lawmaker displayed his movie which urges Muslims to tear out "hate-filled" verses from the Qoran and starts and finishes with an insulting cartoon of Prophet Mohammad (Peace Be Upon Him). The NGO's documentary called 'Beyond Fitna' deals with incitement of violence in the Bible. Muslims believe that the book deemed holy by Christians today is a distorted version of the original Bible.

But strangle they do not have a copy of the original one. Could that be because what we have today was written before Mohammad was even born?

'Beyond Fitna' focuses on the orders given to worldwide Christians in the (distorted version of) Bible for stoking violence, committing genocide, attacking others, beheading and burning women and children who have been taken into captivity.

I hope they will cite the people commtting the violence and the bible verses they say told them to do it. I will feature that film on my blog beside Fitna, and we will see which is more accurate.

The documentary recycles film clips from crimes committed by extremist Christians under the inspirations of the said Bible teachings, and aims to provide a response to the allegations made by Pope Benedict XVI, who called Islam a religion of violence after misunderstanding certain Organic verses.

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