MFS - The Other News

                         Afternoon Posting.

• HT:BigPeace.On Churchill’s Birthday: Why Barack is No Winston.In the midst of WWII and the struggle against the Nazis, Winston Churchill made one of his most famous pronouncements: “You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word: victory; victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory, however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival.”On Churchill’s birthday–he was born 136 years ago today–it is instructive to reflect on what that one word meant to Churchill, the British, the West, and the enemies of freedom, and what its current banishment from President Obama’s lexicon means for us today.To my mind, the most important facet of the way Churchill emphasized victory is his clear understanding of the morality of victory.And the “V” sign, in Churchill’s demonstration, represented two sides of the same coin. Here’s Rubin again:The V sign was suitably hostile: with the front of the hand toward the audience, as Churchill did it, it meant “Victory,” but by turning the back of the hand to [Britain’s antagonists] especially with an upward movement, the gesture became an obscene “Up yours!” It was also a call-and-response gesture that the crowd could use to signal their own confidence in victory. Leslie Hore-Belisha admitted of Churchill’s hats and cigars, “Perhaps such foibles call attention to himself. But,” he continued, “what of his V-sign? There we have his knack of evoking a patriotic emotion. It is a gesture of genius.”It is also a genius that is apparently missing from our current leadership. At the close of the Democratic convention in 2008, then-presidential nominee Obama promised to “restore our moral standing so that America is once more the last, best hope for all who are called to the cause of freedom.”Yet as the Washington Times pointed out in an editorial following the release of Bob Woodward’s book on the Obama administration’s war leadership thus far, Obama “studiously avoids the term ‘victory’ in discussions of Afghanistan. He’s not concerned with ‘winning’ or ‘losing’ the war, but whether the United States emerges from the conflict stronger or weaker. One problem with this approach is that the Taliban and al Qaeda (like the North Vietnamese) are very focused on winning.”To the president, to muddle is moral; to speak of victory is obscene. In this way, however, Obama is an appropriate messenger for his party.Read the full story here.

• HT:AhmadiyyaTimes.Eye on Extremism: Blasphemy!!! —Farrukh Khan Pitafi.
  I implore all those who contend that it is an Islamic law to first show us the grounds for it in the Holy Quran. If they cannot, they need to realise that it is counterproductive to the spirit and interest of Islam.Things just keep getting better and better. Now the guardians of our spiritual boundaries have selected another scapegoat. Aasia Bibi is the new victim. No, I stand corrected. The entire nation is their victim. Do you have any idea how easy it is to get you killed? All it takes is a single public address from the loudspeaker of a mosque announcing that you have indulged in blasphemy. No evidence is needed. Nor any FIR. Just rely on the public address and within minutes hordes of the faithful will start assembling at your gate with all possible weapons. No matter how much you plead your innocence, you will find yourself engulfed in scorching, burning flames.But that should be our concern if a law is needed. I do not think there is a need for any such law. First, any such law where the state expresses partiality towards any faith is counterproductive for democracy and human rights. Second, I implore all those who contend that it is an Islamic law to first show us the grounds for it in the Holy Quran. If they cannot, they need to realise that it is counterproductive to the spirit and interest of Islam too. Last, as long as there is a blasphemy law, it will keep polarising society and thereby creating new grounds for the abuse of the law.Now let me talk about the discourse too. One good thing about the discussion is that it has exposed the Taliban apologists and extremists within the media using secular excuses for their obscurantism. But let us not go there. I recently watched Mufti Muneeb claiming on television that the president cannot pardon any punishments of such nature. I sure know why this country fails to develop consensus over moon sighting and why the opposite side is declared the enemy of Islam and Pakistan. A little bit of knowledge of the law of the land would have informed the Mufti sahib that the president has this discretionary power.Let me also remind you that I am one of the few liberal writers who called Dr Aafia Siddiqui the daughter of this nation. How on earth do you even begin to think that Aasia Bibi is not? In our admirable haste to punish those we think guilty, we forget that General Zia was not the prophet of Islam, Hazrat Mohammad (PBUH) was. Maybe, those who advocate this law are the actual blasphemers.Hmmm....Well said !Read the full story here.

• HT:AtlasShrugs.WIKILEAKS: Impeachable.The buck stops at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.I received this most interesting message from an Atlas reader. While I am not sure of the accuracy of everything he asserts, he certainly raises some provocative and important questions. I hope Constitutional scholars are investigating such questions now.I realize that computer hackers are good at what they do: Mr. Assange DID NOT get his hands on literally 100's of thousands of Documents from the U S State Department, etc., without someone in upper levels of Government (with Obama's WH), and Holder's Justice Department, turning a blind eye and a deaf ear. It simply cannot be done. You will not see any serious investigations by Holder's (traitor to his core) I consider Obama, as well as Holder guilty of Treason of the highest order. Of course, I consider B. Hussein Mohamed Obama to be America's number one enemy.The damage is incalculable. Bottom line: after this, no nation will work with us. No nation will trust us. People on the ground will not put their lives and their families' lives on the line for so shabby and reckless and feckless an "ally."We all know that Obama wants control of the Internet. He wants the Kill Switch. He definitely sees the Alternative Media as his enemy. He basically controls TV News, National newspapers, etc. I definitely believe that Obama has been and continues to be well aware of WikiLeaks. He is the enemy within. He basically is in the process (moving at a lightening pace) of putting the boot to WTP throat. The hammer is coming down. Control of the Internet would be a dream come true for BHO.In closing, I called Senators J. Cornyn was well as Sessions, Coburn, Hatch, etc. pertaining to Voting For Censor of the Internet, and with one exception none of these people had heard of the FEDS seizing 75 Domain addresses this week-end.Take care, and may God continue to bless you and your family. May God bless our Country.Go and read the full story here.

• HT:Ahmadiyya Times.Indonesia: Religious intolerance ‘on the rise in Jakarta’.A survey published Monday has confirmed a widely held assumption that religious intolerance is rising in the Greater Jakarta region.The survey, conducted by human rights watchdog Setara Institute from Oct. 20 to Nov. 10, found that close to 50 percent of the respondents thought it was unacceptable for houses of worship of other religions to be constructed in their neighborhood.“This public opinion survey found that 49.5 percent of respondents in the whole Greater Jakarta area refused to have places of worship of other religions built in their neighborhood. There is potential for the outbreak of tensions between people of different faiths,” Benny Susetyo of the Setara Institute said in a press conference.In the survey, Setara Institute interviewed 1,200 respondents in Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang and Bekasi. The survey’s margin of error was said to be 2.2 percent.Individual regions showed far higher levels of intolerance.The survey found Bekasi to be the least tolerant region, with 74 percent of the respondents rejecting construction of places of worship of other religions.In recent months, Bekasi has seen a number of clashes between religious groups, including one between local Muslims and a Christian foundation accused of proselytization.Earlier this year, a local group called the Islamic Community Forum demanded the removal of a statue that it deemed symbolic of the Holy Trinity. The statue was designed by a Balinese sculptor.Central Jakarta also registered a high level of intolerance with 68 percent of respondents declining to have minorities build places of worship in their neighborhood. The figures for Depok and Tangerang were 66 percent and 62 percent.The survey also showed that 40.3 percent of the respondents deemed Ahmadiyah heretical and 28.7 percent acknowledged the rights of Ahmadiyah subscribers to perform their religious rituals.Setara Institute chairman Hendardi said the government should try to curb intolerance by adopting more religions as legitimate in the country.“In any modern constitution-based nation, there is no limitation whatsoever on what religions the citizens can subscribe to. I believe that as long as a belief does not violate other people’s rights and freedom, then such a belief can be recognized as a religion,” he said.Hmmm..... Obama: "Indonesia's religious tolerance is example to world." Read the full story here.

• Eisenkot: Missile defense – for IDF bases. IDF Northern Command chief says systems like Iron Dome designed to protect military offensive capabilities first and foremost. 'Residents shouldn't be under the illusion that someone will open an umbrella over their heads,' he adds. Northern Command Chief Major-General Gadi Eisenkot on Tuesday said that active rocket and missile interception systems – such as the Iron Dome and Arrow – are designed to protect the Israel Defense Forces' offensive capabilities, and not necessarily civilians.During a speech at the University of Haifa, Eisenkot stressed that "the residents of Israel shouldn't be under the illusion that someone will open an umbrella over their heads. "The systems are designed to protect military bases, even if this means that citizens suffer discomfort during the first days of battle," he added.Israel's aerial defense apparatus consists of various systems including the Iron Dome – meant to intercept rockets with ranges of 5-70km; David's Sling – scheduled to be operational by 2013 and designed to intercept long-range missiles; and Arrow – designed to intercept ballistic missiles at high altitudes.The newest Arrow 3 missile interception system was unveiled during an aerospace convention in Jerusalem earlier this month.The system is slated to be completed by 2015 and will include an interception system for short-range missiles as well as "Kamikaze satellites" that can blow up ballistic missiles outside of the atmosphere.Read the full story here. 

• Boehner and Cantor to Smithsonian: Pull Exhibit Featuring Ant-Covered Jesus or Else.House Speaker-to-be John Boehner (R-Ohio) is telling the Smithsonian Institution to pull an exhibit that features images of an ant-covered Jesus or else face tough scrutiny when the new Republican majority takes control of the House in January. House Majority Leader-to-be Eric Cantor (R.-Va.), meanwhile, is calling on the Smithsonian to pull the exhibit and warning the federally funded institution that it will face serious questions when Congress considers the next budget.CNSNews.com had asked both congressional leaders if the exhibit should continue or be cancelled and both indicated it should be cancelled.“American families have a right to expect better from recipients of taxpayer funds in a tough economy,” Boehner’s Spokesman Kevin Smith told CNSNews.com. “While the amount of money involved may be small, it’s symbolic of the arrogance Washington routinely applies to thousands of spending decisions involving Americans’ hard-earned money at a time when one in every 10 Americans is out of work and our children’s future is being threatened by debt.When asked to clarify what exactly Boehner meant by calling on the Smithsonian to “correct” their mistake with the exhibit, Smith responded in an email that Boehner wanted the exhibit “cancelled.”Cantor, meanwhile, said the exhibit should be “pulled.”“This is an outrageous use of tax payer money and an obvious attempt to offend Christians during the Christmas season,” said Cantor.Read the full story here.

• Obama may delay Hawaiian vacation over tax fight.President Barack Obama is considering at least a short delay to the start of his holiday vacation in Hawaii so he can try to work out a deal with congressional Republicans on the Bush tax cuts that expire December 31, CNN has learned.Two senior administration officials tell CNN the White House has been getting signals that the lame duck session of Congress could drag on past December 18, when the president is scheduled to depart for Hawaii.Obama has privately said he is willing to stay in Washington until Christmas Eve if necessary to finish the contentious debate over taxes, the officials said.While administration officials do not expect that Obama will have to stay in town until Christmas Eve, which he did last year because of health care reform, they believe there could be a delay of at least a couple of days.Last year, Obama and his family remained in Washington until the Senate finally passed health care reform legislation on Christmas Eve. They left for Obama's home state of Hawaii a few hours later.The president, first lady Michelle Obama and their two daughters are again planning to go to Hawaii for a vacation that will last until the beginning of January.Hmmmm....the "sacrifices" dear leader has to make?More on the Presidents "Christmas "vacation in our posting of yesterday Monday.Read the full story here.

• The "War" on Christian Christmas is on?Let's call it the German 'Holiday' Village.It's that season again, which means that for the third year in a row, the German Christmas Village has set up a cozy collection of wooden booths and tree vendors in Dilworth Plaza on the west side of City Hall.But a few shoppers noticed something amiss yesterday on the tall metal archways signaling the entrances to the shops. The archways had just one word on top - "Village."Sounds festive, eh?It turns out that the letters spelling "Christmas" were removed yesterday afternoon from the archways on the north and west sides of the plaza, at the request of Managing Director Richard Negrin. They will be replaced with the word "Holiday."City spokesman Mark McDonald said Negrin asked for the change after the city received complaints from workers and residents."As a city of great diversity, one shouldn't be surprised that there's a difference of views when it comes to symbols and words," McDonald said.With Nat King Cole music blasting through loudspeakers, and evergreen trees at every turn, the village is clearly focused on Dec. 25. But the ornaments and decorations for sale are largely of the secular variety, like elves, Santas and colored balls.Hmmm....is this again the "Minority" dictating the Majority?Who decided Christmas is no longer a Christian feast?Read the full story here.

• Was Barack Obama triangulating on federal employee pay freeze?The president's adoption of a GOP proposal that goes straight to the ideological divide between the parties — the size, scope and value of government — could be an early sign of White House efforts to move toward the political center in advance of the 2012 election. It infuriated union leaders, some rank-and-file Democratic lawmakers and even a handful of Republicans — few of whom saw it coming — and thus put the president squarely to the political right of liberals and other labor allies. The word "triangulation" — a reference to President Bill Clinton's practice of calibrating positions to distance him from both the political and left and the political right — floated through the corridors of Congress on Monday. "This is not sound economic policy, it's sledgehammer economics," said Gregory Junemann, the president of the International Federation of Professional & Technical Engineers."The concept is fine," said Rep. Mike Capuano (D-Mass.). "I don't think that an across-the-board freeze is fair. ... Particularly at the lower end of the scale, [workers] should be considered for an adjustment."Hmmmm....continue my lifestyle,meanwhile put the blame on the Republicans pushing me to act like this? Read the full story here.

• Senate Passes Overhaul of Food Safety Regulations.The Senate on Tuesday passed a sweeping overhaul of the nation’s food-safety system, after recalls of tainted eggs, peanut butter and spinach that sickened thousands and led major food makers to join consumer advocates in demanding stronger government oversight. The legislation, which passed by a vote of 73 to 25, would greatly strengthen the Food and Drug Administration, an agency that in recent decades focused more on policing medical products than ensuring the safety of foods. The bill is intended to get the government to crack down on unsafe foods before they harm people rather than after outbreaks occur. Despite unusual bipartisan support on Capitol Hill and a strong push from the Obama administration, the bill could still die because there might not be enough time for the usual haggling between the Senate and House of Representatives, which passed its own version last year. Top House Democrats said that they would consider simply passing the Senate version to speed approval.Both versions of the bill would grant the F.D.A. new powers to recall tainted foods, increase inspections, demand accountability from food companies and oversee farming. But neither version would consolidate overlapping functions at the Department of Agriculture and nearly a dozen other federal agencies that oversee various aspects of food safety, making coordination among the agencies a continuing challenge.Hmmm.....It's Alive ?Read the full story here.

• ‘Karzai pardons dangerous criminals, drug dealers’.Afghan President Hamid Karzai has ordered the release of numerous dangerous criminals and drug traffickers detained by U.S.-led coalition forces, leaked American diplomatic cables revealed Tuesday.American officials said they repeatedly rebuked the president and Afghan attorney general Muhammad Ishaq Alko for authorising the release of detainees over a three-year period. "Both authorize the release of detainees pre-trial and allow dangerous individuals to go free or re-enter the battlefield without ever facing an Afghan court," said a cable dated August 2009 and classified as "secret" by U.S. deputy ambassador to Afghanistan Frank Ricciardone. In July, Ricciardone nominated as ambassador to Turkey.In the August 2009 cable, American officials said that since 2009, 150 of the 629 detainees transferred from coalition to Afghan custody had been released without trial. It said Karzai had pardoned five border policemen in April 2009 who were caught with 124 kilograms of heroin in their police vehicle and had been sentenced to terms of 16 to 18 years in prison.They were pardoned "on the grounds that they were distantly related to two individuals who had been martyred during the civil war," the cable noted. The document said Karzai also intervened in a narcotics case involving the son of a wealthy businessman and one of his supporters.Hmmm.....What in heavens name are the coalition troops doing there lord?Read the full story here."Although the process was messy, I'm pleased to say that the final outcome was determined in accordance with Afghan law," said Obama, adding that the United States would continue to partner with Karzai and his government in "achieving prosperity and security in Afghanistan."

• Jeb Bush: Obama Should Take 'A Three-Month Vacation'.How can America cure its economic recession?One solution, according to former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, is for President Barack Obama to “just chill” and take “a three-month vacation.”In a wide-ranging interview at Newsmax's West Palm Beach headquarters Monday, Bush said that Obama's meddling may be causing more harm than good.Hmmm....a permanent vacation would be even better no?Read the full story here.

• Russian Missiles Fuel U.S. Worries .The U.S. believes Russia has moved short-range tactical nuclear warheads to facilities near North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies as recently as this spring, U.S. officials say, adding to questions in Congress about Russian compliance with long-standing pledges ahead of a possible vote on a new arms-control treaty.Russia's movement of the ground-based tactical weapons appeared to coincide with the deployment of U.S. and NATO missile-defense installations in countries bordering Russia. Moscow has long considered the U.S. missile defense buildup in Europe a challenge to Russian power, underlining deep-seated mistrust between U.S. and Russian armed forces despite improved relations between political leaders.The Kremlin had no immediate comment.Republican critics in the Senate say it was a mistake for President Barack Obama to agree to the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty with Russia, or New Start, without dealing with outstanding questions about Moscow's tactical nuclear weapons. New Start would cap the Russian and U.S. deployed strategic nuclear arsenals at 1,550 per side. It doesn't address tactical weapons, which are smaller and for use on a battlefield.Russia's ambassador to NATO, Dmitry Rogozin, this month reiterated the position that Russia won't withdraw all tactical nuclear weapons behind the Urals until the U.S. takes its battlefield weapons out of Europe.Read the full story here.

• Egyptian Security Used Live Ammunition on Christian Coptic Protesters, 4 Killed.Cairo: November 30, 2010. (By Mary Abdelmassih AINA) -- Christian Copts worldwide were shocked and enraged at the use of live ammunition by Egyptian state security forces against unarmed Coptic protesters, causing the death of three Coptic young men. A four-year old child suffocated from tear gas thrown inside the chapel. Rights groups inside and outside of Egybpt have condemned the use of excessive violence by security forces and the use of live ammunition against Coptic demonstrators.Efforts by State Security to hide the use of firearms on unarmed protesters were in vain, as the rising death toll, hospital reports on those admitted, and video footage and eyewitness testimony have revealed the details of the incident. Coptic activists Sherif Ramzy and Ramy Kamel have conducted interviews with witnesses."The Governor of Giza, gave instructions to modify the building services permit, issued in 2009 into a church building. But a conflicting decision was issued by the Chief of the District to halt construction and remove the irregularities."The statement added that the decision of the Chief of the District angered the people who gathered next to the building, fearing that the district might do harm to the construction, triggering the ensuing clashes.Witnesses describe how enraged the Copts became upon seeing Security forces bulldozing their equipment and wetting their cement sacks. "State security stole the church pews and the donation boxes," Father Mina Zarif told Hope-Sat TV Channel, who also confirmed the use of live ammunition on protesters.Anba Theodosius, Bishop of Giza said that just three hours before finishing the dome "someone" gave orders to security forces to attack the people at the church construction site. "No one knows until now who gave this order,".he added.Read the full story here.

• HT:IslaminEurope.Wikileaks: Assange hiding in London mosque?Julian Assange, the founder of Wikileaks, was interviewed by Israeli TV about a month ago. The clip is mostly in English, but can be a bit difficult to view on the site. What I found interesting was the location of the interview: an Islamic center in London, where Assange showed up with his bodyguards. It would be interesting to know what's the connection between Assange and this mosque.Read the full story here.

• Impeaching Ahmadinejad. Some members of Iran's ersatz parliament worry that the president is not Islamist enough.Is Mahmoud Ahmadinejad a closet Persian nationalist trying to de-Islamize Iran? Is he part of a plot to send the mullahs back to the mosques to make way for an Islamist military regime?The anti-Ahmadinejad coalition within the Khomeinist establishment is a curious coterie that includes hard-line Islamists, mullahs clinging to their wealth and power, rival politicians, and crypto-Communists posing as Muslims. Because they have to claim to be more militant than Ahmadinejad, the victory of these groups could produce an even more unpredictable and dangerous Iran. The charge that Ahmadinejad is trying to push the mullahs out of power is based on his own claim that he has a direct line of communication with the Hidden Imam, a Messiah-like figure in Shiite Islam who is supposed to emerge at the end of time to install eternal justice.Ahmadinejad constantly talks of the Hidden Imam but almost never mentions Ruhollah Khomeini, the mullah who created the present regime. Nor is Ahmadinejad keen to pay tribute to Khamenei. A man who talks to God wouldn't bother with mere saints.Several times a year, Ahmadinejad takes his entire cabinet to Jamkaran, a suburb of the "holy" city of Qom south of Tehran, to report to the Hidden Imam. In Jamkaran there is a well that is supposed to lead to the place where the Hidden Imam is in hiding. In a solemn ceremony, Ahmadinejad throws copies of his government's budget and other edicts into the well for consideration by the Hidden Imam.The message is clear: A government that is preparing for the end of times, under the command of the Hidden Imam, does not need the mullahs.Behind all this is the struggle for power between the mullahs and the rising generation of the military and their technocratic allies. An Islamist regime controlled by a military-technocratic elite rather than the clergy is not inconceivable. One example was Pakistan under General Zia ul-Haq in the 1980s. Another is Sudan today under General Omar al-Bashir. Whatever the outcome, we are sure to witness a long and bitter fight within the ruling establishment. Because neither Ahmadinejad nor his rivals within the regime have anything positive to offer Iranians, both have to maintain the country's state of permanent crisis. And because both seek support from the ever narrowing Khomeinist base, they are almost obliged to pursue a policy of growing confrontation with Western democracies. Hmmmm...and you have an American President who only has eyes on bashing Israel.Read the full story here.

• HT:Islam in Europe.Denmark: Broadcaster refuses to broadcast satire on Muslim terrorists.Danish broadcaster SBS owns the right to a satiric show about a cell of bumbling European Muslim terrorists created by Omar Marzouk, but the show has been on the shelf for the past two years.Henrik Bo Nielsen of the Danish Film Institute has seen an episode from the show and doesn't understand what's the problem with broadcasting it. It's a very funny satire series and he's seen nothing which could cause concern. The Institute granted millions to support the project.SBS first changed the name of the series from "The Terror Cell" to "The Cell". Then they moved the planned broadcast from Kanal 5 to the less viewed 6'eren. Now they've postponed broadcasting it at all.SBS spokesperson Jesper Jürgensen says that the series could annoy some viewers. The current terror threat against Denmark also played a role in the decision to drop the series.Mogens Jensen (Social Democrats), says that it looks like a type of self-censorship, and that's obviously regrettable.Creator Omar Marzouk told BT that he's furious that SBS don't dare show the series, which makes fun of extremists.Read and see the full story here.

• HT:RightlyConcerned.Bryan Fischer SPLC: Truth is now hate speech.The Southern Poverty Law Center last week added five members to its list of “hate” groups, one of which is the American Family Association.This illustrates one point and proves another. The point it illustrates is that the first and last refuge of a man without an argument is name-calling. If you can’t win on the merits of the case, call your opponent a racist or a bigot or a hater and the debate is supposed to be over at that point. So you know as a matter of fact that the moment someone stops debating and starts name-calling, they’ve lost the argument. It’s an admission of defeat.The point all this proves is that under the regime of toxic political correctness, truth has now become hate speech, by definition. If you tell the truth about homosexuality, you’re a hater and a homophobe. If you tell the truth about Islam, you’re an Islamophobe.This hatred of free speech is why Sen. Jay Rockefeller wants the federal government to yank the broadcasting license of Fox News, and why Rev. Al Sharpton and Ed Schultz are campaigning for the FCC to knock conservative talk off radio altogether.So the SPLC folks don’t want robust political debate. They want their opponents silenced and punished.Oddly, this may make them the real haters in this business. As Jesus said, “For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light lest his deeds should be exposed” (John 3:20). And if you hate the light, as the SPLC evidently does, it’s not long before you start hating the people who bear witness to the light.Read the full story here.

• Imam rapes ten-year-old girl.A ten-year-old girl was brutally raped on Saturday in Chittagong by Mohammad Moinuddin, the imam of the Chittagong Government Muslim High School. The 42-year-old man said that Satan led him to commit the deed at his shop at Yakubnagar in Firingibazar. The girl was taken to Chittagong’s Medical College Hospital for tests.Kotwali Police Chief Abul Kalam Azad told AsiaNews that around 6 pm, the imam called the girl as she walked home from school. He then took her to a quiet place where he raped her.The girl ran home bleeding and told everything to her parents. Her father ran to the place of the crime to apprehend the rapist, who was arrested right after police was informed of the incident.“My daughter is just ten-years-old,” the father said. “Every time I pray, I cannot but think about what happened. I cannot believe that an imam, a man who learnt from the holy religion of Islam, a man who teaches others, is the same man who raped by daughter. I want justice.”Read the full story here.

• Three McDonald's workers charged with hate crimes 'after branding mentally disabled Navajo man with a swastika'.Three McDonald's workers have been charged with hate crimes after allegedly carrying out a gruesome attack on a customer.Prosecutors say the three men targeted the mentally disabled Navajo man, shaped a coat hanger into a swastika, placed it on a heated stove and branded the symbol on his arm.Authorities say they then shaved a swastika on the back of the 22-year-old victim's head and used markers to scrawl messages and images on his body, including 'KKK', 'White Power', a pentagram and a graphic image of a penis.The men have become the first in the U.S. to be charged under a new law that makes it easier for the federal government to prosecute people for hate crimes.Federal prosecutors say they were able to bring the case because the 2009 law eliminated a requirement that a victim must be engaged in a federally protected activity, such as voting or attending school, for hate crime charges to be levelled.The law also expanded civil rights protections to include violence that is based on gender, disability, sexual orientation or gender identity.The swastika branding has also put the spotlight back on Farmington, a predominantly white community of about 45,000 residents near the Navajo Nation.Farmington leaders signed a historic agreement earlier this month with the Navajo Nation in which both sides pledged to work toward improving race relations.Hmmmm....sometimes one really wonders what has become of the human race.Read the full story here.The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, Here.

• SPLC: The Wolf Who Cried ‘Hate’.Prior to November's secular-socialism rollback, America's ever-shrill "progressive" machine contorted in a desperate effort to paint the Tea Party movement as a horde of hateful, inbred racists. Judging by the results, it was an epic failure.Instead, and thanks at least in part to the left's overreaching smear campaign, the grass-roots Tea Party groundswell - representing every facet of traditional American values - grew to become a political force of nature.In recent years - and with increasing abandon - the SPLC has leveraged (abused, really) its rapidly decreasing political capital and waning credibility to target and undermine organizations that, rather than dealing in the business of genuine "hate," instead pose a direct threat to the advancement of postmodern secular-socialism generally and to the Democratic Party specifically. This is what we in "the biz" call "political hackery."In sum, the SPLC has become an extremist wolf in "watchdog" clothing.Hence, beyond a self-aggrandizing liberal echo chamber, the SPLC -- and by extension the greater "progressive" movement -- has become largely, as it stews in its own radicalism, just another punch line.It's often said that the first to call the other a Nazi has lost the argument.Congratulations, conservative America: They're calling you a Nazi. Carry on.Read the full story here.

• On Iraqi television, crying out for the missing.Baghdad: For an hour every Saturday, with a short break for the evening call to prayer, a modestly dressed woman appears on television here and takes phone calls from Iraqis whose relatives have vanished. It is a show that is uniquely Iraqi, a weekly attempt to locate a few of the thousands who have disappeared, either as victims of sectarian kidnappings and or as prisoners lost in Iraq's impenetrable, sometimes brutal, justice system. The callers recount different paths to the same dead end, describing how searches of prisons and police stations, hospitals and morgues have left them with no clues.The show, called "Patron of the Oppressed," is part of Iraq's raucous, partisan media culture. It appears on Baghdad TV, a channel owned by the Sunni-dominated Iraqi Islamic Party. Although it is not overtly political, each episode offers an implicit critique of the Shiite-led government.Read the full story here.

• Councilmember Levin Speaks Out Against Hate Crime In Williamsburg.On Thanksgiving night, Joel Weinberger was viciously beaten by three assailants as he walked home from the Yeshiva in Williamsburg where he teaches.“Mr. Weinberger was brutally attacked on Thanksgiving evening. The assault is under investigation as a hate crime. Mr. Weinberger’s religious paraphernalia was destroyed during the beating and the victim even recalls the thugs uttering ‘we hate you.’ My thoughts and prayers go out to Mr. Weinberger and his family,” Councilmember Levin said.“I applaud the NYPD for assigning the case to its Hate Crimes Bureau. Mr. Weinberg, a father of four and a teacher at a Yeshiva, is an important member of the Williamsburg community and it is my hope that his attackers are brought to justice quickly.”Read the full story here and here.

• Will 'Dancing With the Stars' Feature a Same-Sex Couple?With the unprecedented media frenzy that erupted from Bristol Palin making it to the finals of "Dancing With the Stars," what will the show do for an encore next season?Hmm. How about a same-sex couple?Reports have been running rampant over recent weeks that next year’s “Dancing With the Stars” will be quite a quick-step from tradition and feature a same-sex twosome.The speculation stemmed from the announcement that the Israeli edition of the hit show would pair two ladies, at the request of a lesbian sportscaster who felt more comfortable foxtrotting with a female in the competition. Numerous names started being thrown around, including Ellen DeGeneres’s wife Portia de Rossi. "They (the producers) have approached Portia to do it. I don't think she is going to do it, but she was flattered that they asked her,” DeGeneres confirmed, although it was not clear whether they asked her to dance with a male or female partner.Insiders close to the show told Pop Tarts that a same-sex couple will “never happen” in the U.S – at least not yet.“ABC and Disney are afraid of the negative backlash from viewers after watching a same-sex couple grind on stage,” explained our snitch. “Middle America isn’t there yet".Read the full story here.

• Boss orders female staff to wear red bracelets when they are on their periods.A boss in Norway has ordered all female staff to wear red bracelets during their periods - to explain why they are using the toilet more often.The astonishing demand was revealed in report by a workers' union into 'tyrannical' toilet rules in Norwegian companies. The study claimed businesses were becoming obsessed with lost productivity due to employees spending too much time answering the call of nature.It found 66 per cent of managers made staff ask them for an electronic key card to gain access to the toilets so they could monitor breaks.Toilets in one in three companies were placed under video-surveillance, while other firms made staff sign a toilet 'visitors book', the report by the Parat union said.It added: 'But the most extreme action was taken by one manager who made women having their period wear a red bracelet to justify more frequent trips to the loo.Read the full story here.

• And now for something completely different.Chinese toddler freed from washing machine after two hour rescue operation.He made a clean break.A Chinese toddler had to be freed by rescue workers after he became trapped inside a washing machine.He climbed into the appliance during a game of hide-and-seek, got stuck and had to be cut out by an emergency team using a power saw.Read the full story here.