Wednesday's Hero: PFC Thomas Lowell Tucker

This Week's Post Is Via Gazing At The Flag



PFC Thomas Lowell Tucker
24 years old from Madras, Oregon
B Company, 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division
June 16, 2006



Flag Gazer has a great post up on the dedication of the PFC Thomas Tucker memorial.

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Playing The Race Card Georgia Style.

If he isn't attacking Jews Israelis, he attacks average, hard-working men and women. Jimmy Carter is at it again.

This time he is using the Race Card to do it.

Former President Jimmy Carter said Tuesday that racial politics played a role in South Carolina Rep. Joe Wilson's outburst during President Obama's speech to Congress last week and in some of the opposition the president has faced since taking office.

"I think an overwhelming portion of the intensely demonstrated animosity toward President Barack Obama is based on the fact that he is a black man, that he's African-American," Carter told NBC News. "I live in the South, and I've seen the South come a long way, and I've seen the rest of the country that shares the South's attitude toward minority groups at that time, particularly African-Americans."

"That racism inclination still exists, and I think it's bubbled up to the surface because of belief among many white people -- not just in the South but around the country -- that African-Americans are not qualified to lead this great country. It's an abominable circumstance, and it grieves me and concerns me very deeply," Carter said.

Carter made similar remarks at an event at his presidential center in Atlanta, Georgia, The Associated Press reported Tuesday, pointing to some protesters who have compared Obama to a Nazi. "Those kind of things are not just casual outcomes of a sincere debate on whether we should have a national program on health care," the former president said at the Carter Center, according to AP. "It's deeper than that."

He grouped Wilson's shout of "You lie!" during Obama's speech in that category, according to AP. "I think it's based on racism. There is an inherent feeling among many in this country that an African-American should not be president," he said.

"The president is not only the head of government, he is the head of state. And no matter who he is or how much we disagree with his policies, the president should be treated with respect."

First of all, the people protesting are not just white people, they are of all races and religions. They are Americans first. Their color, their heritage, their religion all come second. There is no hyphen between their designation. They are Americans! Plain and simple.

Second, it is the sacred duty of each citizen to speak out against the grievances he or she perceives that the government is doing that is wrong. Was Congressman Wilson wrong to shout out? NO! It is his right as a citizen to do so. Were the Democrats Donkeycrats right in censoring him? NO! Rep. Wilson apologized to the President and they should have left it at that.

We have a President who is black. That is a fact of life, and the vast majority of Americans don't care about the color of his skin. It is the color of his politics that concerns them more. That color is a definite PINK! That is what the anger is about. That is the true color that scares them.

Jimmy Carter had a failed Presidency. His foreign policy fizzled. His domestic policy almost brought the nation to its knees. It was under his watch:

That the Mullahs took control of Iran (a move he applauded at the time).
That 53 Americans were held hostage by the Iranian Government for 444 days.
That unemployment rose to 8.5%.
That inflation was out of control.
That government spending went haywire.

Yet he calls his Presidency a success.

Jimmy Carter is a failed man. He lost his re-election bid to Ronald Reagan by a landslide.

1980 election results.

Now all he can seem to do is to pick on Southern Baptists, Israelis, and now Middle Class America.

Carter is 85, and perhaps his age has something to do with it. If that is the case, then perhaps we should find a nice rest home for him. Somewhere quiet and peaceful. Far from the hustle and bustle of the world. Somewhere he can dream of the time he didn't lose to Ronald Reagan, and there would be no Israel or Middle Class to bother him so.

Dowd: She really heard “You lie, boy!”

by Barbara Sowell

 

I have no doubt that far left New York Times columnist, Maureen Dowd, actually did hear Rep Joe Wilson say, “You lie, boy!” But not everyone agrees and so I’d like to explain why I believe Dowd.

According to NewsRealBlog, Dowd “showed herself to be delusional when she suggested that Congressman Joe Wilson is a racist for calling out the President during the latter’s healthcare speech last Wednesday night.”

Dowd claimed in her New York Times Op-Ed piece this weekend that Joe Wilson was not just saying, “You lie”, but he was actually saying, “You lied, boy!”  She went on to write:

“Some people just can’t believe a black man is president and will never accept it.”

NewsRealBlog pointed out that White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs who was interviewed on CNN’s “State of the Union,” denied that criticism of the President had anything to do with veiled racism.

“I don’t think the President believes that people are upset because of the color of his skin.”

I contend that Dowd was honestly delusional. I’m sure that Dowd was writing from her own truth, as best she knows it. And Dowd’s truth, or Freudian slip, is a masterful case study in liberal guilt.

Any first year psychology student has already learned that those who most often accuse others of some bad deed are usually acting out of a sense of their own guilt. Like most liberal elitists, Dowd can’t get the racist ringing out of her own ears. Dowd probably hears “Boy” whenever any male of color is addressed. And as much as she would deny it, she probably can’t believe a black man is president.

Liberal elites look down from their bespeckled nostrils, much like Charles Gibson upon Sarah Palin, with disdain for people below their self-perceived lofty rank. Yet, at some level, they realize that their own social snobbery is very wrong, and so they do their utmost to unmask this evil by subconsciously projecting it on to those they most despise. And they most despise conservatives – especially their cousins - White conservatives.

Most liberal elites are White and many really do live a life of privilege far removed from the working classes of every race. As a matter of fact, some of the most privileged Whites just happen to be liberals in Congress. It is simply amusing to see the lengths to which Democrats go to portray Republicans as the party of the rich Capitalists, and conservatives as blue-collar southern racists, while at the same time portraying Democrats as the party of the poor and downtrodden. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

Last September 22 RollCall provided a list of the 50 richest members of Congress. Six of the top ten richest were Democrats. Number 1: Sen. John Kerry, Democrat, Massachusetts, with $230.98 million, and number 2: Rep. Jane Harman, Democrat, California, $225.96 million. The top category is those who are worth over $50 million. There were eight members in Congress worth over $50 million. Five out of those eight richest members were Democrats!

Safely ensconced in their gated communities, ocean side compounds, or multimillion dollar vineyards, these liberal elites think that they know what is best for everyone below their rank. But what is best for the liberal elite? Maintaining their own status quo is best for the liberal elite. This is done by demonizing their political opponents through playing the race card, and by creating a sense within themselves that they really are above it all. It’s a full time job.

If they can just keep convincing the proletariat that they are the good guys by devising endless schemes of redistributive social justice - a redistributive justice they will never have to face. . . If they can just keep creating new victims of the evil right and reinforcing a sense of eternal victimization so they can play hero . . .

Unfortunately liberal guilt, like all guilt, has a way of tripping up those most unaware. The more the liberal elite plays the race card, the more those who play it are seen for what they really are. Racists unaware – the most dangerous kind of racists!

Technorati Tags: Maureen Dowd,racism,Rep Joe Wilson,You lie! Liberal guilt,race card,racist,identity politics,dowd,gibbs,New York Times,Faultline USA,Obama,Racism,White Privilege,Charles Gibson,Sarah Palin

Remembering a Fallen Soldier…

From ACT for America

This moved me so much that I just had to share it with you.

Remembering What We Are Up Against and Why We Must – and Will – Prevail

by Brigitte Gabriel

I don’t believe I’ve ever written a letter quite like this to you before. Indeed, it is difficult to write this without tears welling up in my eyes.

It started as a rainy Friday morning in late August. I was flying from my presentation in Springfield, Missouri, to my next destination connecting through Atlanta. Little did I know that what I was about to experience that day was going to shake me to the depth of my soul, inflame my passion for our country (I didn't think it was possible to be more passionate) and remind me why ACT! for America is so important to our security and the future of America.

I looked out my window at gloomy Atlanta as the plane took off, closed my eyes and pictured home and my loving family meeting me at the airport with open arms, smiles and kisses, waiting to whisk me off to Outback Steak House for dinner as planned.

It was a quiet, uneventful flight. No beverage service. No announcements from the captain — until we landed at our final destination:

"Welcome to "......." . Ladies and Gentleman we have a special request to ask of you. We are carrying on this plane today a fallen soldier brought home from Afghanistan. His body is accompanied by Sgt. "......". Please kindly allow Sgt. "...." to deplane first so he can do his job in escorting the body below. We will leave the seat belt sign on until the body has been taken off the plane. Then when the seat belt sign is turned off, you can deplane."

The plane continued slowly down the runway as the captain’s shocking announcement reverberated among the passengers. As we taxied closer to our gate, tears began to flow as we saw a police car, a military hearse, and a team of Marines standing in formation waiting to carry the body.

And the saddest scene of all — his family, wife and children, all lined up against the wall waiting for him.

Burning tears were flowing down my face as my heart sank into utter pain and agony at such a sight. We always hear about this on the news and feel sad but to experience it in person is completely different.

We pulled up to our gate and Sgt. "...." stood up in all his gloriously decorated uniform, opened up the overhead compartment carrying a folded American flag and a back pack, and started walking out of the plane amid the clapping and tears of all of us on board.

No one in the plane even touched their cell phone. People were transfixed, staring out the window, sharing our respect and sorrow. At that moment we were not Democrats, Republicans or Independents. We were Americans soberly watching one of our own come home in a coffin draped with an American flag.

As they removed the body from the plane, two men holding his wife started walking towards the plane as the wife covered her face and began sobbing. She was followed by her children. The Marines walked in formation and carried his body to the hearse.

We started getting out of our seats and deplaning without a word from anyone except the sounds of crying coming from different people looking out the window as they walked out of the plane.

As I entered the airport, people were standing in lines and rows facing the window watching all this.

Some men were saluting the body. We all stood next to each other, honoring this soldier until his body was finally in the hearse and he was driven off the tarmac.

It was the most sobering, heartbreaking, and patriotic scene. As I cried for the following few hours sitting with my family at home eating Chinese take-out for dinner (I just wasn’t up to going out for dinner), I was reminded of why we need to continually remind Americans that we are at war.

Our men and women are fighting and dying overseas to protect America from an enemy who is not only fighting us across the globe but also advancing here at home.

Just because we have not been successfully attacked at home doesn't mean our enemy has forgotten about us. Their tactics have become more sophisticated. They not only wish to attack us militarily, they are moving at full speed in the advance of their cultural Jihad invading America.

Islamic foot-washing basins in airports; Shariah finance being introduced by American banks; college campuses designating Islamic prayer rooms for Muslims only; Islamic compounds practicing Shariah law springing up across America; public schools using our tax dollars to indoctrinate American students into Islam; demands by Muslim parents that their children be provided private prayer rooms in their public schools; Muslim workers demanding special workplace accommodations no other religious person would ask for; and the list goes on.

As history demonstrates, only organized resistance will stop this. Unopposed by organized resistance, the advance of cultural Jihad in Europe has proceeded to the point that many think a full-blown “Eurabia” is inevitable and irreversible.

And even if we win the war against Islamic terrorism, but lose the struggle against cultural Jihad here at home, we may protect our safety but lose our liberties and our way of life. I just don’t believe this young man who fell on the field of battle would consider that a victory.

“Freedom” is not just freedom from the physical harm our Islamist enemies want to inflict on us. It is freedom from the tyranny and oppression of shariah Islamic law and the supremacist political ideology our enemies are determined to impose upon us.

So, just as that soldier was on the front lines of this war overseas, we are on the “front lines” here at home. That soldier was part of the “organized resistance” in Afghanistan. We are part of the “organized resistance” here in America.

We cannot afford to fail in our military missions overseas. Failure would embolden and empower Islamists throughout the world.

We also cannot afford to fail here at home.

This is why I appeal to you to take heart and help me continue building ACT! for America. We are the only nationwide organized resistance to this threat. As I said, we are the front lines here at home.

Our families, our communities and our nation are depending on us, even though many do not yet realize it.

For instance, two years ago ACT helped pass the bill in Congress that protects every citizen from lawsuits when they report suspicious activity in public places.

How many Americans know this happened? Very few. Yet they are now protected from lawsuits, which means America is safer as a result.

I know there are other issues right now, such as health care and the economy, that are dominating the attention of the American people. And I understand why that is.

But for those of us, you and me, who grasp the seriousness of the threat of radical Islam, we must continue to do everything we can to make sure that the reason 9/11 occurred is not forgotten. That the reason we are fighting in Afghanistan is not forgotten.

We must continue to push forward, to inform, organize, and ring the alarm bells, even when it feels like a lot of people aren’t paying attention right now or don’t seem to “get it.”

Because there are many good Americans out there ready to respond to our message, if we can only get it to them.

Because we are the modern “Paul Revere's,” the messengers who are warning America even when a lot of America is preoccupied with other matters. It is estimated that over 2/3 of the colonists either were loyal to Britain or were indifferent to the political struggles the colonies were experiencing in 1776.

Yet, through the leadership and sacrifice of the remaining colonists, independence was declared and Britain was defeated.

How I wish I could be standing in your presence this very moment, to grasp your hands, look into your eyes, and say “be encouraged!”

We will win this struggle against radical Islam. It won’t be tomorrow, or next year, but we will, in time, prevail — so long as good, patriotic Americans like you do not lose hope and keep taking action.

We are winning victories, and we will continue to win more – and bigger – victories, so long as good, patriotic Americans like you do not lose hope and keep taking action.

Let’s remember how far we have come together. In less than two years we have built the largest grassroots organization in America dedicated to combating the threat of radical Islam, with 62,000 members and 315 local chapters.

Be encouraged!

I want to close with this. Last week, when Guy Rodgers and I were at the EMP conference in Niagara, NY, the president of a national security organization sat down with us and thanked us profusely for what ACT! for America is doing and has already accomplished.

I wish you could have seen his face and heard his words. This is a man who has served at high levels of government and been around Washington politics for decades.

His message to us – and ultimately to you – was that ACT! for America is KEY to all our efforts to defeat radical Islam. He has watched us grow, witnessed our activism, and rejoiced for our victories.

So I’ll say it again. Be encouraged!

Always devoted,

We must remain vigilant against those who would impose their religious laws and customs upon us. The idea of Multiculturalism and Political Correctness must be cut short. No one faith or culture should be given special treatment in this nation. Each faith, each culture must be equally treated, equally accomodated. Thus the statis quo is assured for all.

Let each of us rejoice in the Freedoms this nation has given to us, and continue to fight against the Islamination of America.

Another Tragedy For The Ramon Family

Assaf Ramon next to a picture of his father Ilan.

Some young men dream of becoming doctors. Some dream of becoming sports stars. Some young men dream of flying to the stars. And this last dream was the ambition of Lt. Assaf Ramon who was killed in a training accident on Sunday.

Assaf Ramon was the son of Colonel Ilan Ramon who was killed in the Columbia Shuttle Disaster. Assaf graduated the IAF pilot's course this last June and was the valedictorian at graduation.

The cause of the accident is under investigation. All signs are pointing to pilot error.

Israel's political and military leaders joined friends and relatives of Assaf Ramon in mourning the young pilot on Sunday evening. Ramon died Sunday when his F-16 jet crashed in the southern Hevron Hills.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu reacted to the fatal crash, saying, "This is a dreadful tragedy for Rona [Ramon], the entire Ramon family, and the entire nation.

"It is rare that a private tragedy pierces the heart of the nation with such strength,” he continued. “Today we all grieve the death of Assaf, who fell from the heavens like his father Ilan.

"There is no comfort, only tears,” the prime minister concluded.

President Shimon Peres, who himself had been discharged from the hospital earlier in the day, spoke of his personal recollections of both Assaf and his father. “They are the symbol of all that is good in the Jewish State, they were the best of the best,” he said. “What has happened today is more than a tragedy, it is shattering.”

Defense Minister Ehud Barak expressed his condolences during a joint news conference with United States special envoy George Mitchell. "This is a painful and sad day,” Barak said. “Our hearts are breaking, and we all feel for Rona and for Assaf's siblings.”

Barak went on to say that despite the tragedy, Israel must “continue to build our strength, while extending a hand to peace.”

Among the IDF commanders to assemble at the Ramon family home was Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi. Former Air Force commanders joined the family as well.

Ashkenazi recalled happier times three months earlier, when he joined the family in celebrating Assaf's completion of his pilots' course. “This is a terrible blow... Unfortunately, this is part of the price we pay for living in our beloved land.”

Air Force Deputy Commander Brigadier-General Yochanan Locker expressed sympathy as well. Asaf and Ilan were both exceptional soldiers “who served as an example for many,” he said.

Here at Monkey in the Middle we send our condolences and prayers to the Ramon Family. May G-d comfort and console you in this time.

Flight 93 Blogburst: Burnett radio interview about 9/11 and the Flight 93 memorial

Sorry this is late, I had internet troubles.



Tom Burnett Sr. and his wife Beverly did some 9/11 interviews the last couple of days, remembering their son Tom Jr., who was murdered by Islamic terrorists aboard Flight 93. Mr. Burnett has been trying for several years to stop the Park Service from planting a giant Islamic-shaped crescent on the Flight 93 crash site. In their interview with WSAU radio in Wisconsin, the Burnetts were joined half-way through the hour by Alec Rawls (the author of this blogburst post), who has written a book about the terrorist memorializing Crescent of Embrace design.

Mr. Burnett's words are always heartfelt, yet marked by a constant scrupulousness. Emotion never carries him to utter a word beyond what he actually has grounds to assert. Highly recommended listening, perhaps especially for those who are better at judging people than facts. Let's face it, show some people the Mecca-orientation of the giant crescent, and they just aren't sure what they are looking at. Point out that the central feature of every mosque is a Mecca-direction indicator, and somehow the pieces don't fall together in their brains:


What is that? Just a mysterious diagram to some.

Yet these folks can still be good judges of character. So judge the Burnetts. The WSAU interview begins with host Pat Snyder asking Mr. Burnett if America is doing enough as a nation to remember 9/11. Most of us, on being asked any question, will try to answer it, but Mr. Burnett immediately defers, and in the most polite way:

Well, I'm not a very good judge of that. We are tucked away here in the southeast corner of Minnesota...

But if he isn't interested in passing judgment on how much America should do to remember 9/11, he is very concerned that we don't honor the wrong people, and starts right in on the Flight 93 memorial (which Mr. Snyder puts off to later).

Both the Burnetts have a sophisticated understanding of American liberty. Talking about the generosity of Americans towards each other and the world, Beverly notes the change that has taken place in her lifetime, where assistance used to be all private, but now the government has gotten involved. She passes no explicit judgment on this development, but just notes what should remain constant (at 17:22):

I think about all the programs we have in the government. I come from a different generation, and my mother and father, and Tom's, that we never really looked to the government all the time. We looked to our neighbors and churches and friends for things. But our government should be there to make sure we're SAFE.

Instead, as Tom and Bev both note, our elites don't even want to acknowledge that it was Muslim terrorists who attacked us on 9/11.

It is these same elites who don't want to acknowledge the Islamic symbol-shapes in the Flight 93 memorial. To witness this symbolism would be to tie Islam to 9/11, which to these people is some unconscionable bigotry, regardless of the truth. There is the rub. As Mr. Burnett put it (at 25:16):

All we want--Alec, and the thousands of Americans who back us--we want the truth. What happened? [How did we end up with an Islamist design?] And we want to honor the 40 people. I don't want anything to do with the Islamic fanatics, anything at all.

Mr. and Mrs. Burnett are very thoughtful, careful, rational people. So who is it who is "too far out"? People like the Burnetts, who are skeptical that the architect of a memorial to Flight 93 could plant a giant crescent and star flag on the crash site by mistake? Or is it the people who somehow convince themselves that a crescent and star flag is just fine, so long as we can't prove that it is intentional?



Actually, we CAN prove that the Islamic symbolism is intentional. Architect Paul Murdoch does not want history to be able to deny his achievement, so he included extensive redundant proofs of intent, such as the following. Murdoch says the crescent comes from the terror attacks breaking the circle (leaving only the giant Islamic-shaped crescent still standing, hmmm). Remove the parts of the crescent that stick out past the point where the flight path (coming down from the upper left) symbolically breaks the circle, and what symbolically remains standing is a giant Islamic-shaped crescent pointing EXACTLY at Mecca.


The full Crescent of Embrace points 1.8° north of Mecca ± 0.1°. Remove the parts of the Entry Portal walls that extend past the flight path at the upper crescent tip and the remaining “true” or thematic crescent points exactly at Mecca, ± 0.1°.

All the supposed redesign did was add an extra arc of trees that explicitly represents a broken off part of the circle, leaving Murdoch’s circle-breaking crescent-creating theme completely intact. The unbroken part of the circle, what symbolically remains standing in the wake of 9/11, is still a precisely Mecca-oriented crescent, the centerpiece for the world’s largest mosque.

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Broward County Superintendent “Don’t Send No Tone”

by Barbara Sowell

This morning James Notter, Broward County Superintendent, was interviewed by Fox News concerning his announcement that the viewing of Obama’s nationwide broadcast to schoolchildren would be mandatory in Broward County schools. There will be no opt-outs.

While defending his stance that making the viewing mandatory was the responsible thing to do, he also offered that he would have no problem if the governor came to speak to the children.

I don’t send no tone saying that, “Do you want to opt out seeing the governor today as he comes in and speaks with our children?”

Hmmmmm???? And we wonder why our public schools are failing our children?

Perhaps the parents of Broward County Public School children should be demanding that Notter prove proficiency in English!

Parents can e-mail Notter here:

supt_notter@browardschools.com

 

Technorati Tags: Fort Lauderdale,FL,Florida,Broward County Public Schools,James Notter,Obama,Address,broadcast

Wishful Thinking And Joe Friday

I received this in an email and thought I would share it with you.

Wishful Thinking!

A driver is stuck in a traffic jam going into downtown Chicago . Nothing Is Moving north or south. Suddenly a man knocks on his window.

The driver rolls down his window and asks, 'What happened, what's the hold Up?'

'Terrorists have kidnapped Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Oprah Winfrey, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Rosie O'Donnell, Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton. They are asking for a $10 Million ransom. Otherwise, they are going to douse them with gasoline and set them on fire. We are going from car to car, taking up a collection.'

The driver asks, 'On average, how much is everyone giving?'

'About a gallon.'

Now for Joe Friday:

Joe Friday Schools Barack Obama on Healthcare



View at YouTube

Have a great day!

Job Opening for Presidential Data Collector

by Maggie at Maggie's Notebook

What would you say if you knew the White House, and specifically the "Executive Office of the President"(EOP) is planning to "capture" and "transfer" and "store" "content" on the Internet where the EOP maintains a presence, including "publicly-accessible web sites, and including social networking sites? The EOP is seeking a data-collector.

EOP Presidential Cookies

Would a presidential "cookie" qualify as an EOP presence on my blog or yours?

The government is looking for a person to run this program - an EOP data collector. The information is to be used for the "future Presidential Library." Read the full job posting and find all pertinent links at Fort Hard Knox.

From Generation To Generation.

There are rites of passage that every religion has. In Catholicism it is First Communion and Confirmation. For all Christians (regardless of their denomination) it is Baptism. In Judaism it is the Bar/Bat Mitzva. Yet for some Jewish parents with special needs children, this is not allowed in some synagogues.

By Loren Sykes

In so many ways, this was a celebration like any other synagogue celebration. There was the passing of the Torah, aliyot, blessings, the presenting of certificates and gift prayer books. Parents and friends smiled as they watched their children take the Torah and make it their own. There were "mazal tovs" and "yasher koahs" and abundant joy.

And yet nothing could be less ordinary or more special than this group of bar and bat mitzva boys and girls and their families. This is Thursday morning at Camp Yofi: Family Camp for Jewish Families with Children with Autism, and for many of these families, this ceremony marks something that some thought was impossible: public celebration of the life of a child with autism in the Jewish community.


SEVERAL YEARS ago, at the first Camp Yofi, one family told us about being asked by their rabbi not to return to the synagogue anymore. Why? Their child liked to be too close to the Torah! Can you imagine that? Isn't it the dream of every Jewish educator and leader that a child will want to be close to the Torah, physically and spiritually? And yet, this child's desire was too much for the rabbi.

The family left the synagogue. I don't know if they ever found another regular shul, but for at least that one summer they had Camp Yofi, where their child could be close to the Torah and nobody would push him away. All that the congregants would do was smile and cry.

On Thursday, multiple b'nai mitzva were celebrated and each child took the Torah, held it for a minute and then passed it on to the next child. They didn't hold a stuffed Torah or a toy Torah, and nobody gasped at the idea that a child with a special need would be given a Torah.

Some of the children not only held the Torah, they hugged the Torah - tight, loving, protective hugs - and they knew what they were doing. They cared. Two of the Yofi campers had the most incredible smiles on their faces - angelic - as though God's divine presence was hugging and loving them back.

As it was Rosh Hodesh, the celebration of the new month of Elul, there were four aliyot for the Torah reading. Four Yofi campers had aliyot. They held the tzitzit, they held the atzei haim, they said the brachot and they listened intently while one of the parents read the Torah. One of the campers led the first two lines of Shema in Hebrew and another camper sang the translation of Shema in English with the traditional melody. Finally, one camper came up to the front, standing tall, and opened the ark to reveal the Torah to the community.

At the end of the service, one of the Yofi campers with the biggest smiles holding the Torah came up as the ark was closing and asked if he could kiss the Torah one last time. As he leaned into the ark to adorn our Torah with love, tears welled up again in the eyes of everyone.

Over the years, numerous Camp Yofi families have told stories of congregational meetings where they were told that if their child with autism could not do everything that a typical child could do, if they could not "perform" at that level, then they could not have a bar or bat mitzva at that synagogue. The typical explanation was that if an exception was made for this child, then families whose children had soccer practice or ballet practice or "God-only-knows-what-else practice" which made it impossible for them to devote the time necessary to learn about their heritage would request a special exception, citing the child with autism as the basis for their request.

It seems to me that if a family ever did make such a comparison and request, the problem facing the rabbi and the congregation would not be about the exception but about the soccer family - or something far deeper. Either way, citing someone else's soccer practice as a reason to deny a child with autism the opportunity to have a modified ceremony, as though the two are in any way equal, is as abhorrent as it is absurd.

WHEN FAMILIES with autistic children are denied the opportunity to have a bar or bat mitzva modified to meet the needs and abilities of that child, when they are given an all-or-nothing option that is not realistic for a ceremony that marks a halachic transition - that happens whether or not there is a ceremony - it sends a clear message, whether or not that message is intended and explicit or completely unintended: Your child's life is somehow less valuable than the lives of other children in the community.

Moreover, your family does not deserve to publicly celebrate or be recognized by the community because your child is of lesser ability and lesser value. When we are commanded to imitate God, is this what God meant? Clearly not, and yet this message is sent over and over again to Jewish families with children with autism.

Children are being born onto the autism spectrum faster than ever and in higher percentages than any other disorder or disease. The number of Jewish children with autism will only grow, and rapidly, in the years to come. If we, the Jewish community, cannot figure out how to make a place for these incredible, angelic, divine souls in our classrooms, religious school and day school, in our youth groups, in our camps and in our synagogues, we will not only exclude the child but we'll lose the entire family as part of the Jewish people.

At a time when we all fret about the dropping Jewish numbers, when organizations and philanthropists alike are casting about trying to figure out how to interest those who are completely uninterested in Jewish involvement in investing millions of dollars in the effort, we are also actively causing the departure of families who are desperate for community and would give far more than they would receive if we would just open the doors and modify our own expectations of children instead of slamming the doors in their faces.

At the close of our Camp Yofi bnai mitzva celebration, all of the bnai mitzva stood under a hastily made huppa. Protected by the Shechina, we sang together a song by Josh Nelson, "L'dor Vador":

We are gifts and we are blessings
We are history in songs

We are hope and we are healing
We are learning to be strong

We are words we are stories
We are pictures of the past
We are carriers of wisdom, not the first and not the last.

L'dor vador nagid gadlecha, L'dor vador we protect this chain
From generation to generation l'dor vador these lips will praise Your name

Looking back on the journey that we carry in our heart

From the shadow of the mountain to the waters that would part

We are blessed, we are holy, we are children of Your way

And the words that bring us meaning, we will have the strength to say:

L'dor vador nagid gadlecha, l'dor vador we protect this chain
From generation to generation l'dor vador these lips will praise Your name.

ALL OF our children are gifts and blessings. They all deserve and need to be included in and by the Jewish community. This month of Elul is the time for us to wake up and to take a communal reckoning of what kind of people and community we want to be: Will we choose to recognize the blessings that each of our children, typical and with autism or other special needs, are in our lives and in the lives of our people? Will we choose to open our doors and our hearts to these incredible families, to welcome their wisdom and to provide the support they deserve and need? Will we recognize that one size does not fit all, or will we insist on some level of "performance" that excludes children with incredible but different gifts?

Will the houses that we build in God's name truly be for the entire Jewish people, or will they be only for those who meet our definition of typical? If the answers to the above questions are always negative, God help us.

And if the answers are affirmative , then let this year be one where we reach out to Jewish families with children with autism, welcome them and include them, moving us all one step closer to the onset of the messianic era.

The writer, a rabbi, is the founder of Camp Yofi: Family Camp for Jewish Families with Children with Autism. In 2006, he was a recipient of the Covenant Award for Excellence in Jewish Education in part for his work with Camp Yofi. He was the founding director of Camp Ramah Darom and now serves as the director of Camp Ramah in Wisconsin.

L'Dor Vador by Josh Nelson




View at YouTube

The month of Elul is the time in which Jews examine their lives. We look back and examine our actions and deeds through out the past year. We look at our spiritual actions and deeds too. And we vow that in the upcoming year to strive to be a better person.

Should we not also examine the actions and deeds of our Rabbi and Shul too? Should we not ask ourselves if our Shul is more concerned with membership, membership dues, building funds, etc... than in the needs of the Jewish community both spiritual and physical? Should we not ask ourselves if the Rabbi and Shul are not more concerned with political drivel and not with the family with the child with special needs? Is the Shul catering to the rich families and neglecting the poorer ones? Does my membership matter to the Rabbi or is it only my membership dues that matter?

If the answer to these questions is that you are not seen as a person but just as another "member", then ask yourself if you should belong to that Shul.

A Synagogue should serve the community, all members, regardless of their physical disabilities. Not just the "Beautiful People" with the "Perfect Children"!

Photo of Mortally Wounded Marine Published by AP

by Maggie at Maggie's Notebook

Joshua M. "Bernie" Bernard was a Marine who was wounded on the battlefield, and later died on an operating table in Afghanistan on August 14th. The AP published a photo taken within minutes Bernard being wounded.

Lance Cpl. Joshua M. "Bernie" Bernard

Lance Cpl. Joshua "Bernie" Bernard was from New Portland, Maine. Bernard's father, an ex-Marine, asked that the photo not be printed. According to this report, Defense Secretary Robert Gates called the CEO of "the news service," and asked him to pull the photo - this quote from Secretary Gates:

Why your organization would purposefully defy the family's wishes knowing full well that it will lead to more anguish is beyond me. Your lack of compassion and common sense in choosing to put this image of their maimed and stricken child on the front page of multiple American newspapers is appalling. ...The issue her is not law, policy or constitutional right - but judgment and common decency.

Thomas Curley, the above mentioned CEO said he would discuss the request with his staff. He reported back to Gates with this:

[his] crew had “seriously considered the secretary’s concerns and the families concerns … but ultimately decided that they wanted to proceed with pushing out this image to their clients,”...

Joshua was 21 years old. He was assigned to 2nd Batallion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, based out of Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay, in May of 2007. He joined the Marines in November 2006. According to Freedom Remembered, Joshua:

...was home-schooled from kindergarten to 12th grade b his mother, receiving his high school diploma from North Atlantic Regional High School. He was an active member of the teen youth group at his church, Crossroads Bible Church in Madison, and enjoyed gaming, hiking, snowboarding, shooting, was an avid reader and a big movie buff. ...A deeply religious young man, who felt that it was his duty to not only serve God, but his country, he was focused on his goals in life....

Joshua lived his life as a great example for Christ, earning the nickname "Holy Man' from his fellow soldiers.

Patterico's Pontifications has more. The comments there are worth a read as well. Take a look at comment No. 11 at Patterico's. I would not quote it here, of course, because this commenter is not my reader, but about the point he/she made, I'll just say this: during WWII it took a very long time for photos to reach home. News was not instantaneous. The photo of Lance Cpl. Bernard was released just after his burial.

A Labor Day Message From Monkey In The Middle

Today starts the beginning of the Labor Day Weekend. 3 days off to have fun with family and friends.

If you are going to be on the road traveling remember these simple rules:

1. Don't use your cellphone while driving. If it rings, ignore it. Don't text and drive. Don':t chat and drive. Better yet, when you get into the car, put it on Airplane Mode or this just might be your fate:

Texting while Driving



View at YouTube.

And your family won't endure this:

View at YouTube.

2. Remember not to Drink and Drive, Slow Down, and Buckle Up! Or this will happen to you:

This Will Shock You



View at YouTube

3. Have fun! Enjoy yourselves this last long weekend of the summer.

Happy Labor Day!

A Breathalyzer For Cancer.

The Breathalyzer has been used by Law Enforcement for decades to determine the Blood Alcohol Level of a driver suspected of driving while intoxicated. It is very effective and quite accurate.

Now the same technology is being applied to the detection of Lung Cancer.

INN - Scientists at the Technion in Haifa have created a device that they hope will be able to detect cancer with a simple breath test. In an initial trial, the “breathalyzer” test was able to detect lung cancer with 86 percent accuracy.

The new device was revealed this week in the journal Nature Nanotechnology.

Researchers hope the test will provide a simple, cost-effective and non-invasive method of detecting cancer. In addition, the test is capable of detecting cancers that are not yet large enough to show up on X-rays or CT scans, allowing for earlier diagnosis that could save lives.

The system works by testing for chemicals that tend to be present in lungs affected by cancer but not in healthy lungs. The Technion team decided to test for four such chemicals: ethylbenzene, decane, heptanol and trimethylbenzene.

Patients' breath is sent over a circuit made of silicon embedded with gold nanoparticles. If the breath contains the organic compounds common to cancer sufferers, the circuit's electrical resistance will change.

The research team was led by Hossam Haick. The team had developed a similar test in the past, using carbon nanotubes. The silicon-gold combination was found to be superior, they said. Unlike the device that used carbon nanotubes, the latest development is not sensitive to the water vapor found in lungs.

In addition, the latest version of the test works even on patients who have recently ingested alcohol, food, coffee or tobacco. Previous versions required patients to abstain before the test in order to avoid false results.

Haick and his team have patented their device, but will continue to work to perfect it. The device must pass further clinical trials before being put to use, at which point scientists will face the challenge of creating versions of the test that are simple and inexpensive enough to be used in day-to-day practice in hospitals and clinics.

Once again the 100th smallest nation in the world, Israel has given a life saving measure to the world.

In Israel there is no distinction between people, every citizen regardless of race, religion or sex has the ability to advance and grow. Not a definition of Apartheid, but the definition of Democracy in Action.

Just one thing a free society can accomplish when the people are given the chance to explore and grow.

Obama's Foreign Policy

Glen Beck on the Delta Smelt and DDT

By Maggie at Maggie's Notebook

Glen Beck today was talking about many things, DDT, the Delta Smelt and America's water supply, among them. I'm bringing Carrie Underwood into it.

Glen is talking about the California farmer's desperate need for water, and I have a terrific video under the terrific video from Beck today - 2 videos. Water is being denied to farmers to protect the Delta Smelt which is a minnow. There's more to that story however.

There is an ultimate motive, as there is always an ultimate motive with our current Socialist government. The motive in this case is Senate Bill 787, authored by Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI). The idea behind the bill, The Clean Water Restoration Act, is that the government grabs America's water. I wrote about this in May, and here is the introductory paragraph, which will give an example of how water - the most important resource everywhere in the world - can be used to control a people:

I was doing a post on the plight of Israel in 1967 when surrounding Arab countries were attempting to divert Israel's irrigation water. That water was a key player in the start of the 1967 War. No country can survive healthily without crop water.

Okay, that's Israel and that was 1967, but it is not a stretch that the government, our government, wants your pond.

OpenCongress.org says s.787 seeks to amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to clarify the jurisdiction of the United States over the waters of the United States - which is a change from jurisdiction over only the "navigable waters" of the United States.

The key words in the above paragraph are "water of the United States." Here is how the Clean Water Act defines these waters:

The official term "waters of the United States" means, among other things (thanks to American Daughter ):

WATERS OF THE UNITED STATES- The term ‘waters of the United States’ means all waters subject to the ebb and flow of the tide, the territorial seas, and all interstate and intrastate waters and their tributaries, including lakes, rivers, streams (including intermittent streams), mudflats, sandflats, wetlands, sloughs, prairie potholes, wet meadows, playa lakes, natural ponds, and all impoundments of the foregoing, to the fullest extent that these waters, or activities affecting these waters, are subject to the legislative power of Congress under the Constitution.:

See what I mean about your pond?

So Glen Beck today is talking about the lack of water in California and that the current focus on the "F" word, "fire," is not as important as another "F" word, "Farmer." Water is denied farmers because the Delta Smelt is protected. Here again is some of my commentary from May:

By now, you know that California farmers in the Central Valley are losing their farmland and their livelihood due to a two-inch minnow, the Delta Smelt. The government has taken the water from the farmers and given it to the minnow. What do you do when the gov'mt owns your pond - the pond your cattle drinks from and cools-off in, or the water in the fish-hatchery you own, or....

Senate Bill s.787 is not about the Delta Smelt, but the Delta Smelt is just one current and critical bit of evidence that proves what the government can do to us, if we allow it. Yes, you can put this off on the environmental "greenies" but, the governing body is "the government."

We might want to dismiss any evil intent in s. 787, but changing the designation of the original waters as set out in the original Clean Water Act of numerous years ago, from "navigable waters," to "water of the United States," which includes ALL waters, is a bit of a jump, and I just wonder why the government feels it necessary to control ALL of America's waters. There are a lot of crazy things going on, all of which have years of planning behind them by those dedicated to Socialism, redistribution of wealth, and worse. Control the water, control the health care. The Delta Smelt deprives Americans of food and livelihood - you'll see more about this in the second video below.

DDT? Well I began thinking about DDT again during the last days of this year's American Idol. Former idol, Carrie Underwood - you know that gorgeous Okie who is a role-model-exceptionale (just recently partnered in a huge donation of musical instruments to her former high school in Checotah, Oklahoma) - well, anyway, Carrie was in Africa handing out mosquito nets to African mothers to help protect them and their children from mosquito bites, which are often deadly there.

That brought to mind the fact that Rachel Carson convinced everyone that DDT was dangerous and toxic. It was banned in the U.S. in 1972. It is still legal in Africa but the use is discouraged - even thought some 3,000 people die, every day, - an African child dies every 30 seconds - in Africa from malaria alone. DDT is also considered effective in preventing typhus and typhoid fever. Nevertheless, the UN is trying to ban it worldwide.

I think it is a good bet that Rachel Carson can be attributed with killing more people in the world than any other single person. There is worldwide suffering, even though, as you'll hear Beck report, there are no reports of DDT harming humans. People are still dying today. The mission is to supply mosquito nets. Are we ignorant or what?

The first video is Glen talking about all of the above, (except Carrie Underwood), DDT, the Delta Smelt, America's water . He includes Van Jones - the Green Czar. Two important videos follow:



Glen Beck DDT, Delta Smelt, American Water (Video)



Americas Water - Delta Smelt (video)

Note: Senate Bill 787 had some action on June 17th. An amendment was added. More on this later. The co-authors are many and include all the usual suspects, including Boxer,Cantwell, Dodd, Durbin, Kerry,Leahy, Levin, Sanders, Schumer and sadly, Joe Lieberman.

The Tome Of Health

Book of Obama: Chapter 8

In the time of heat when tempers run thin, He came down from on high with His plan to solve the crises of health.

Like Moses of old, He stood upon the mountain top with the Tome of Health and said:
"I bring unto you the cure for all. Do not read it, just pass it. I command thee to do!"

The multitude of the land looked upon Him and His Tome of Health and whispered:

No we won't.

The Anointed One was not dismayed. He turned to Pelosi the Loud and Reid the Tired told them to gather the troops and force the multitude to love His plan.

So they went forth, the Democrats armed with the Sword of Union and the Shield of Acorn. They went forth to do battle with the multitudes who sat down and read the Tome of Health.

And the multitude cried:

No we won't!

This started to dismay the Democrats and they cried out to The One: "Oh Great Leader, Anointed One, help us along! For no longer is our shield and sword working. At meetings of towns and villages they are not effective. The more we call the multitude names, the louder their cries become.

They have read the Tome of Health and do not like what they have read. A single payer, public option is not what they want or desire. Yet it is Your wish, Anointed One, and Thy will be done. Though it will cost us the election in 2010.

And the multitude screamed:

No We Won't!

The Anointed One let out a sigh. "I will see to it. I will attend the towns in Hampshire the New and in the Mountains of Montana. There I will convince the multitude to accept the Tome of Health."

And there was great rejoicing amongst the Democrats.

He took up the Sword of Union and Shield of Acorn and journeyed to Hampshire the New. With His loyal follower comprising of the congregation He presented The Tome. All was working according to plan, even the young child's question brought the press to His side.

Off to the Mountains of Montana, His stride was upbeat, then came the cries of fowl for the multitude had discovered the child who spoke her question was a weed. The child's mother worked for Him, wrote out her question too. All His hard work was not going to help at all. The Sword of Union was dull and rusty. The Shield of Acorn was corrupt and coming apart at the seams.

Outside the hall the multitude was screaming:

No We Won't!

He went on to the Vineyard of Martha with His wife and two children. A happy vacation was not on the menu. All through the heat of the Summer in villages and towns, the multitude fought hard and the Democrats were on the run.

Just when things looked bleak, His Presidency a failure, a miracle occurred. Teddy the Lecher, of Camelot fame, the author of the Tome, died and became the rallying cry of them all.

For Teddy we will do it! Pelosi the Loud proclaimed. We will ram it through the Congress, and call it by his name. Teddy's bill it is now called. Soon to become law. For the Lecher they will do it, and disregard the multitude once and for all.

This will save My Presidency! The Anointed One exclaimed. Let Us exalt our dear Teddy who has saved the day.

Through out the land a rumbling was heard. From the cities, towns and villages it was felt by all.

Who cares what the multitude thinks cried the Democrats. We have the votes, the will and Teddy's Bill will pass. What can you do? You are nothing but a voice. You have no power. This is our choice.

But the rumbling did not die. For the multitude had become a great voice. They stood on the mountain tops and in a loud voice:

There is much we can do. We are not alone. We have a great voice. You have won this battle, but the war is not lost. We will organize, become stronger. Then you will have to listen to our voice.

The Democrats just laughed. You are racists, and bores. We have The Anointed One leading us, He has given us Hope and Change. You have nothing at all.

But the multitude had seen the signs. His approval ratings were dropping, they knew He couldn't last. With a loud voice they screamed so the whole world would hear:

YES WE CAN!
JUST WAIT UNTIL NOVEMBER 2010!!!

10 Truly Shocking Facts About Organ Trafficking

This was sent to me. 10 truly shocking fact about Organ Trafficking.

Its rare to find a person who hasn’t heard of the urban legend recounting some poor guy duped into a situation that leaves him awakening in a tub of ice with a message indicating he must call 911 as one of his kidneys has been taken. While that particular story is not true, sadly it is based on some very real and shocking truths about organ trafficking. The unbalanced system of too many people in need of organ transplants and high levels of poverty worldwide have contributed to create a situation that leaves many desperate people willing to do anything to sell or receive illegal organs.

Read below to learn ten shocking facts about organ trafficking.

1. People seized against their will. According to a book by UN war crimes prosecutor Carla del Ponte, members of the Kosovo Liberation Army seized hundreds of people for involuntary organ harvesting. The organs were then flown to foreign clinics for transplantation. Kosovo’s ethnic Albanian leaders have denied these allegations.
2. Organs harvested from children. An investigation was started in Mosambique after several local human rights groups and the Brazilian Mission in Nampula notified authorities that many children were missing vital organs, with several of the children believed to have died as a result of the harvesting. Most of the harvested organs are believed to be sent to nearby South Africa for both transplant and religious rites. There have also been reports of children being kidnapped and killed for their organs in South America.
3. Outrageous price of kidneys. 2003 estimates from the World Health Organization believe that the price of a trafficked kidney ranges from $700 in South Africa to over $30,000 in the US, with many other countries paying between $1,000 and $10,000 for a kidney. Recent news reports surrounding the corruption scandal in New Jersey indicate that a broker was asking $160,000 for a kidney, unknowingly to an undercover FBI agent.
4. Sellers denied money and care. Many of the black market kidneys sold worldwide are done so by poor and vulnerable people in desperate need of money. They are typically paid only a fraction of the amount for which they are sold, and sometimes are denied payment by unscrupulous brokers and receive poor or no medical care for their recovery. These donors are often left debilitated by the lack of care, often not fully recovering from the donation. Sometimes entire villages have given their kidneys, like Villivakkum in India that is sometimes referred to as "Kidneyvakkum."
5. Go in for an exam, leave without a kidney. In Egypt, one method of organ trafficking revolved around a hiring scheme. Young men were hired for a job and sent to a physician for an exam to ensure their good health. The young men would awaken in a hospital in pain and missing a kidney. Victims of this scheme have faced threats of violence when they have filed charges against those who perpetrated the crime.

Read the rest here.

I had heard about India and the practice there of the poor selling their kidneys since the early 1990's, but did not know about some of these others. The Rabbis who were arrested charged for matching donors with recipients, a practice illegal in the US and Canada, not for stealing someone's kidney. A minor difference. It is still despicable. And killing children for their organs is something too gruesome to contemplate.

While there is no truth to the rumor that Israel was kidnapping Palestinians for their organs, there is the story of Yoni Jesner.

Yoni Jesner, a 19-year-old student youth leader from Glasgow, Scotland, was killed in a suicide bomb attack on a No. 4 bus in Tel Aviv in September 2002. He was studying at a yeshiva at the time and planned to return to the UK to study medicine.

Yoni died in Ichilov Hospital the day after the bombing from shrapnel wounds to the head. His family agreed to donate one of Yoni's kidneys, which went to seven-year old Palestinian Yasmin Abu Ramila from east Jerusalem, who had waited two years for a suitable organ.

Speaking at the time, Yoni's brother Ari said: "The family is very proud that out of this tragic situation and Yoni's death that we were able and Yoni was able to give life to others. I think the most important principle here is that life was given to another human being."

"What religion, nationality, race, culture or creed is not what is important here," he added.

At the time, the girl's mother, Dina Abu Ramila, said: "I don't know how to thank the family of the victim of the attack. I feel for their pain and thank them for the organ donation that saved my daughter's life."

For religious Jews and some Christians, donating an organ is against the tenets of their faith. But I personally cannot see how this can be. For by being an Organ and Tissue donor you save lives. And isn't life the great gift that G-d has given us?

If you aren't a donor, look deep within you, and ask yourself':
"What if I needed an Organ? Who would be my donor?"

Then sign up for the registry. Give the gift of life. A gift that G-d has given us all.

Seen Around The Neighborhood This Week

It is that time of year again.

Remember: Drive Safely!

Rape, Torture Is Permitted...

...in Iran.

Here in the United States, rape and torture are illegal interrogation methods. Last week Attorney General Eric Holder appointed a Special Prosecutor to investigate the CIA in regards to torturing Gitmo detainees.

Not so in Iran. There torture and rape are standard interrogation techniques.

(IsraelNN.com) A highly influential Shi'a religious leader, with whom Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad regularly consults, apparently told followers last month that coercion by means of rape, torture and drugs is acceptable against all opponents of the Islamic regime.

Warning: The imam's question-and-answer session, partially reproduced here, contains disturbing descriptions of the sanctioned brutality.

In the wake of a series of publications worldwide regarding the rape and torture of dissident prisoners in Iran's jails, supporters of Ahmadinejad gathered with him in Jamkaran, a popular pilgrimage site for Shi'ite Muslims on the outskirts of Qom, on August 11, 2009. According to Iranian pro-democracy sources, the gathered crowd heard from Ayatollah Mohammad Taqi Mesbah-Yazdi and Ahmadinejad himself regarding the issue.

According to the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center (ITIC), an independent Israeli intelligence analysis organization, Mesbah-Yazdi is considered Ahmadinejad's personal spiritual guide. A radical totalitarian even in Iranian terms, he holds messianic views, supports increasing Islamization, calls for violent suppression of domestic political opponents, and, according to the ITIC, "declared that obeying a president supported by the Supreme Leader was tantamount to obeying God."

At the Jamkaran gathering, Mesbah-Yazdi and Ahmadinejad answered questions about the rape and torture charges. The following text is from a transcript alleged by Iranian dissidents to be a series of questions and answers exchanged between the ayatollah and some of his supporters.

Asked if a confession obtained "by applying psychological, emotional and physical pressure" was "valid and considered credible according to Islam," Mesbah-Yazdi replied: "Getting a confession from any person who is against the Velayat-e Faqih ("Guardianship of the Islamic Jurists", or the regime of Iran's mullahs) is permissible under any condition." The ayatollah gave the identical answer when asked about confessions obtained through drugging the prisoner with opiates or addictive substances. (Emphasis mine)

"Can an interrogator rape the prisoner in order to obtain a confession?" was the follow-up question posed to the Islamic cleric.

Mesbah-Yazdi answered: "The necessary precaution is for the interrogator to perform a ritual washing first and say prayers while raping the prisoner. If the prisoner is female, it is permissible to rape through the vagina or anus. It is better not to have a witness present. If it is a male prisoner, then it's acceptable for someone else to watch while the rape is committed." (Emphasis mine)

This reply, and reports of the rape of teen male prisoners in Iranian jails, may have prompted the following question: "Is the rape of men and young boys considered sodomy?"

Ayatollah Mesbah-Yazdi: "No, because it is not consensual. Of course, if the prisoner is aroused and enjoys the rape, then caution must be taken not to repeat the rape." (Emphasis mine)
A related issue, in the eyes of the questioners, was the rape of virgin female prisoners. In this instance, Mesbah-Yazdi went beyond the permissibility issue and described the Allah-sanctioned rewards accorded the rapist-in-the-name-of-Islam:

"If the judgment for the [female] prisoner is execution, then rape before execution brings the interrogator a spiritual reward equivalent to making the mandated Haj pilgrimage [to Mecca], but if there is no execution decreed, then the reward would be equivalent to making a pilgrimage to [the Shi'ite holy city of] Karbala." (Emphasis mine)

One aspect of these permitted rapes troubled certain questioners: "What if the female prisoner gets pregnant? Is the child considered illegitimate?"

Mesbah-Yazdi answered: "The child borne to any weakling [a denigrating term for women - ed.] who is against the Supreme Leader is considered illegitimate, be it a result of rape by her interrogator or through intercourse with her husband, according to the written word in the Koran. However, if the child is raised by the jailer, then the child is considered a legitimate Shi'a Muslim."

What a religion! Rape and torture permitted! Where is the outcry from the left? Why no condemnation from Barack Hussein Obama, Eric Holder, Nancy Pelosi, or any other Democrats? Why aren't those idiot college students taking to the streets over this? Why the silence?

Rape is a weapon Muslims use in war. In Somalia, Darfur, Chechnya, Rwanda, and Bosnia. It is a weapon permitted in Islam. No other religion allows rape. No other religion allows torture. It shows the inherent character flaws of Islam.

Religion of Peace? Not on this planet, not with this mindset. Religion of Repulsion? YES!

Wednesday's Hero: Third Anniversary

Today marks the third anniversary of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. Not the actual Wednesday Hero posts. Those posts were started in 2005. This marks the third year of when these posts went public for anyone to post them. And it's taken off like gangbusters. People have signed up and wanted to take part in honoring those who do what they do in the name of freedom. At one point reaching over 100 participating sites. Thank you all who have signed up and those of you who read and comment on these posts. These people, whether they're actually in the military or are just doing something to aid those in the military, deserve to be remembered.

Christopher Lee
Right-Wing & Rightminded

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.