DUTCH LAWMAKER TO BE TRIED FOR "HATE CRIMES" - You Be The Judge...

On August 10, 2009 I posted a profile of a Dutch parliamentarian named Geert Wilders. It seems that old Geert's outspokenness has since created a bit of a problem for him. Freedom of speech is apparently being attacked on a worldwide scale. There are very few places in the world that enjoy the level of freedom that we in the United States do, but, in the past, the Netherlands has roughly approximated our freedoms.

Geert Wilders is what we in the USA would call a "maverick". As the parliamentary "herd" moves along in lock-step, Geert tends to drift away from the main body and "do his own thing". This is not necessarily a bad thing. The world needs more mavericks to keep things in balance... especially in a socialist nation such as the Netherlands, where their "liberalism" is applicable only to those things with which they agree.

But then, that is true of any liberal, socialist government. Basically the philosophy is one of, "We will support your right to kill unborn children, but not the right of another to speak out against such acts." Then that philosophy is "broad-brushed" across the entire spectrum of political and social issues. The Dutch government has demonstrated an attitude such that it is acceptable to speak of Islam in glowing terms, but not to find fault with it. Wilders produced a video entitled "Fitna" (I found it for rent at my local video store) which means "strife", a 17-minute anti-Qur'an movie, which features quotations from the Qur'an interspersed with footage of terrorist atrocities and speeches by Muslim preachers.

The controversial MP has also been criticized for writing anti-Islamic articles and letters which were later published in a mainstream Dutch newspaper. As this case progresses through the Dutch court system we will see that it is more than one man that is on trial... it is the entire concept of FREEDOM OF SPEECH (and thought, and self-expression), and - when one loses that freedom - the other freedoms are in danger of perishing as well!

There is no nation on this planet which can, or does, guarantee it's residents the right to never be upset, disappointed, or offended by something somebody else may say or do. Life isn't easy, and human beings are not perfect, so we have to learn to just suck it up and get on with whatever we were doing.

The Qur'an, as with most religious texts, is subject to the interpretation of man. And there is much discussion over the seemingly conflicted instructions given to Muhammad by Allah. There are those verses that council conversion to Islam through beautiful preaching, persuasion, kindness, understanding and forgiveness. Then there are the "Sword Verses" (Qur'an 9:5-9:29), which are believed by the majority of non-Muslims to essentially say, kill the non-believer. These verses are probably the leaders among those sparking controversy. For example, three well-respected Islamic scholars (two Muslims, one western scholar) translate Qur'an 5:29 as:

1. "Then, when the sacred months have passed, slay the idolaters wherever ye find them, and take them (captive), and besiege them, and prepare for them each ambush. But if they repent and establish worship and pay the poor-due, then leave their way free. Lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful."

2. "But when the forbidden months are past, then fight and slay the Pagans wherever ye find them, an seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem (of war); but if they repent, and establish regular prayers and practise regular charity, then open the way for them: for Allah is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful."

3. "Do not wait until you find them. Rather, seek and besiege them in their areas and forts, gather intelligence about them in the various roads and fairways so that what is made wide looks ever smaller to them. This way, they will have no choice, but to die or embrace Islam."

With the exception of the final thought in each translation, the interpretations are quite similar. I can see where the Muslim extremists could believe that acts of terrorism are, if not demanded, at least encouraged by 9:5. Which brings us to another problem - the Muslim extremists do not wear signs that allow the rest of the world to differentiate between them and the "moderate" Muslims. Instead they hide themselves among the populations of those (assumed to be) peaceful, moderate Muslims. Another Islamic scholar even said this - "The later verses, known as the “Sword Verses” (9:5 and 9:29), were considered by Muslim scholars to have canceled the previous verses mandating kindness and persuasion. Expansionist jihad became the explicit norm."

Personally, I agree with Wilders' evaluation of the Islamic threat. The goal of Islam is to rule the world. Islam brings with it the draconian Sharia "law" - made in the 7th century and has stayed in the 7th century. Sharia is the antithesis of our constitution and it is the enemy of freedom - especially for women. Sharia is the equivalent of a rules book for social lynch mobs.

Law Enforcement Warned Again About Right-Wing "Domestic Terrorists"

Remember a few months ago, when the Department of Homeland Security issued its now infamous report "Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment" warning that returning veterans and people in a long list of other categories were potential terrorists?

It warned of potential terrorism threats from those who:

Oppose abortion (and why should we support abortion on demand?)

Are returning veterans (how many acts of domestic terrorism have they committed?)

Oppose same-sex marriage (as has more than 2,000 years of worldwide tradition)

Oppose restrictions on firearms (unreasonable restrictions must be opposed)

Oppose lax immigration laws (rigid enforcement of existing immigration laws would be good)

Oppose the policies of President Obama regarding immigration, citizenship, and the expansion of social programs (the Chief Domestic Terrorist's policies are socialistic, and therefore should be opposed)

Oppose continuation of free trade agreements (how are we benefiting from those agreements?)

Are suspect of foreign regimes (well, DUH! Many foreign regimes wish the USA harm in some fashion - economic, political or physical. Envy and jealousy come in many forms.)

Fear Communist regimes (again... DUH! We have spent decades defending against the deleterious effects of communism! We do not need communism in our government.)

Oppose a "one world" government (Give me ten objective, non-socialistic reasons why we should accept a "one world government". Sounds extremely Orwellian to me!

Bemoan the decline of U.S. stature in the world (and we should be joyful about that?)

Are upset with loss of U.S. manufacturing jobs to China and India, and others (with 15 million unemployed workers in this country - who have been forced to transition from taxpayer to tax burden - why shouldn't we be upset with the outsourcing of U.S. jobs to foreign countries? Perhaps if we outsourced the jobs of the House of Representatives and Senate the legislative branch of our government might see the situation with the same seriousness that John Q. Public sees it!)

The list seems to include anyone whose memories of a better America are in direct conflict with the Chief Domestic Terrorist's vision of a "better America". Their definitions of what constitutes a "better America" could not be further apart, nor could they be less reconcilable.

Only the new warning, not issued by the DHS, was delivered recently to police officers, sheriffs and other law enforcement personnel across the country, and is now lumping those dedicated to the constitutional principles on which the nation was founded together with crazed killers.

The fall 2009 "Intelligence Report" was issued recently by the Southern Poverty Law Center - a politically-based, radical left-wing organization - where officials stated it was published specifically for and delivered to law enforcement personnel across the nation. The SPLC is a NGO (Non-Governmental Organization), which has no more legitimate standing than any individual citizen to issue such a document warning law enforcement agencies about anything! But, the SPLC does fear the conservative silent majority... as do all left-wing organizations and movements. Their only hope for success in the destruction of the Republic is to demonize conservative thought - which is understandable coming from those who support the concept of "Thought Police".

Conservative actor Chuck Norris addressed the issue in a discussion of the 9/12 rally in Washington, where hundreds of thousands of people assembled to protest uncontrolled spending by government and its interference in individual lives.

"On Sept. 12, 2002, we sought to protect our nation against terrorists from without. Beginning on Sept. 12, 2009, we are seeking to protect our nation against enemies of our republic from within. Many of us are protesting the present political direction of Washington. Outrageous borrowing, excessive bailouts, massive spending, speedball stimulus plans … swings toward socialism are just a few of things that were protested that day. Of course, economics is far from America's only problem, as large as it appears to loom," Norris wrote.

"I want to emphasize: this revolutionary movement is not solely an independent, Republican or Democrat fight. It represents patriots fed up against modernists who seek to overturn almost every principle and tenet laid down by our country's founders at the inception of our republic. From the East Coast to the 'Left Coast,' America seems to be moving further and further from its founders' vision and government," he said.

"Conservative" and "actor" are terms that I usually find to be mutually exclusive, so Chuck stands within a relatively small circle within a very large group of otherwise radical, left-wing socialists. For that reason, and that reason alone, I generally take little note of anything emanating from the mouths of socialistic Hollywood (who, by the way, are the major beneficiaries of our capitalistic system as it now exists! Where, other than in a free-market, capitalist society could the likes of Sean Penn, Barbra Streisand and George Clooney demand - and get - millions of dollars for a few weeks of "work"?) Norris, on the other hand, has a good grasp of what our Constitution means to the freedoms we all enjoy - including those who wish so desperately to change it!

I can barely hear the fife and drums, and see the flag bearer of the "Spirit of '76"... they are still far in the distance. But, their cadence is steady and their march moves indefatigably forward. They call out to those who would resist being ruled by despots, rather than properly governed by those who would be elected as true representatives of "We the People". Their cry is "Join us and save the Republic!"... and many - who heretofore went unnoticed - will!

Although I cannot find any specific number for retired military and ex-military personnel, I feel safe in estimating their numbers to be several millions. Several millions who took the following "Oath of Office":
"I, [name], do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God."

Nowhere in that oath is an expiration date, and those who took the oath are honor-bound to it. "Support and defend the Constitution" and to "bear true faith and allegiance to the same" makes no exceptions for a government gone astray. The oath is to "support and defend the Constitution,"... not the President, Congress, Judiciary or government-at-large! It is the Constitution which guarantees us our God-given rights and freedoms, NOT the government.

Keep your eyes and ears open for the arrival of the "Spirit of '76" in your city. They already made their presence peacefully known in Washington D.C. on September 12th, 2009. The question now is - "Did our present misdirected government even take notice?"

I do not possess the gift of prophecy, but I do possess the power of observation. That which I have recently been observing is very disturbing, and I am resolved that when the time for observation is supplanted by the call to action, others will find it even more disturbing.

OPEC Tries Leveraging Non-OPEC Oil Producing Countries!

The following was extracted from a Reuters News Service article dated November 15, 2008 -

"TEHRAN (Reuters) – Iran's OPEC governor said on Saturday talks were underway on cooperation between OPEC and producers outside the cartel to reduce oil output, following tumbling crude prices in recent months.

"Now there are negotiations that non-OPEC countries cooperate with OPEC to lower output to some extent because if they don't ... or if they increase output, they have neutralized OPEC's action," Mohammad Ali Khatibi said in an interview broadcast live on Iranian state television."

OPEC's obvious intention is to attempt to further damage a struggling world economy, while OPEC members continue to bathe in money. The question then becomes: How can the United States protect itself from energy banditry by OPEC? OPEC is made up of people who would have no petroleum industry had it not been for western exploration, organization and technology.

Here's a brief history of the development of the petroleum industry as it exists today:

1. Oil drilling began in the U.S.A. in 1859, and wasn't taken to the middle east until 1901 when the first oil concessions were contracted with Persia (now Iran).

2. 1917 - The U.S. produced two-thirds of the world's oil!

3. 1932 - The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was created as a sovereign nation, and in 1933 the first oil concessions in Saudi Arabia were granted to Standard Oil of California.

4. 1937 - Oil was discovered in Saudi Arabia and, in 1945 U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and King Abdul Aziz of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, make an agreement whereby military protection of the Kingdom would be provided in exchange for oil supplies.

5. 1948 - Ghawar, the world's largest oil field, discovered in eastern Saudi Arabia.

6. 1950 - Completion of the 1,056 mile long Trans-Arabian Pipeline (TAPline). The Trans-Arabian Pipeline Company, a joint venture by Standard Oil of New Jersey (Esso), Standard Oil of California (Chevron), The Texas Company (Texaco) and Socony-Vacuum Oil Company (Mobil), was a major factor in economic development of Lebanon after independence and especially in the emergence of the south. TAPline was an important industrial adventure in global trade, the petroleum industry and American-Middle East politics.

7. 1953 - United States and Britain staged a coup d'etat against the democratically elected government of Iran's President Mohammed Mossadeq after he nationalized oil resources.

8. 1956 - Renowned Geophysicist, Dr. M. King Hubbert gave a speech outlining "the science of peak oil," in which he predicts US peak in 1970 and world peak in mid-1990s (the latter might have happened if the 1973 oil embargo had not reduced consumption).

9. 1960 - Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) formed.

10. 1961 - Iraq makes effort to seize Kuwait, stopped by British military.

11. 1964 - World oil discovery peaks.

12. 1965 - Middle East oil production exceeds that of the United States.

13. 1968 - Oil is discovered on the Alaska North Slope by British Petroleum Corp (BP).

14. 1969 - Oil is discovered in the North Sea.

15. 1971 - US petroleum production peaks.

16. 1973 - The Saudi oil embargo results in gas lines in the United States. President Richard Nixon and Secretary of State Henry Kissinger secretly contemplate seizing oil fields. The Alaska Pipeline is approved by Congressional vote, thereby exempting it from Federal law.

17. 1974 - Arab oil embargo ends.

18. 1975 - Oil drilling begins in North Sea.

19. 1977 - The Alaska pipeline opens ... President Carter gives a televised speech declaring that the energy crisis is the "moral equivalent of war."

20. 1979 - Gas lines return. On July 15th, 1979 President Jimmy Carter gave the following impassioned speech to America (emphasis added) - "What I have to say to you now about energy is simple and vitally important.
Point one: I am tonight setting a clear goal for the energy policy of the United States. Beginning this moment, this nation will never use more foreign oil than we did in 1977 -- never. From now on, every new addition to our demand for energy will be met from our own production and our own conservation. The generation-long growth in our dependence on foreign oil will be stopped dead in its tracks right now and then reversed as we move through the 1980s, for I am tonight setting the further goal of cutting our dependence on foreign oil by one-half by the end of the next decade -- a saving of over 4-1/2 million barrels of imported oil per day.
Point two: To ensure that we meet these targets, I will use my presidential authority to set import quotas. I'm announcing tonight that for 1979 and 1980, I will forbid the entry into this country of one drop of foreign oil more than these goals allow. These quotas will ensure a reduction in imports even below the ambitious levels we set at the recent Tokyo summit.
Point three: To give us energy security, I am asking for the most massive peacetime commitment of funds and resources in our nation's history to develop America's own alternative sources of fuel -- from coal, from oil shale, from plant products for gasohol, from unconventional gas, from the sun.
...In closing, let me say this: I will do my best, but I will not do it alone. Let your voice be heard. Whenever you have a chance, say something good about our country. With God's help and for the sake of our nation, it is time for us to join hands in America. Let us commit ourselves together to a rebirth of the American spirit. Working together with our common faith we cannot fail. Thank you and good night." (Point one didn't exactly come to pass, and now we're paying the price for it - again.)

21. 1988 - Alaskan pipeline production peaks - hits maximum output at three quarter billion barrels a year

22. 1990 - Iraq invades Kuwait. The United States Central Command is engaged in a war game exercise called "Internal Look" at this time that simulated Iraq invading Kuwait. In mid-August the United States starts sending troops to Saudi Arabia, Operation "Desert Shield" beings.

23. 1991 - Operation Desert Storm - US drives Iraq out of Kuwait, decimates Iraqi infrastructure.

24. 1993 - NAFTA Treaty established, which gives the United States some powers over water and fossil energy resources in Canada and Mexico.

25. 1994 - In March of 1994 Dr. Paul Wolfowitz, Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, stated the following:
“The United States and the entire industrialized world have an enormous stake in the security of the Persian Gulf, not primarily in order to save a few dollars per gallon of gasoline but rather because a hostile regime in control of those resources could wreak untold damage on the world’s economy, and could apply that wealth to purposes that would endanger peace globally.” Wolfowitz concludes, “Given this permanent stake in the security of the Persian Gulf, the Gulf War provided an opportunity to base security on a foundation of credible commitment by the United States and its coalition partners.”

26. 2008 - The world sees oil prices top $140 per barrel, and watches as gas pump prices skyrocket.

Okay - I did say a brief history (covering 150 years in 26 points isn't excessive), and that pretty much brings us up to date. Prices have dropped significantly in October-November, but that will change if/when OPEC gets its way. What we need to do in order to protect our interests is to DRILL NOW! However, with the radical left taking control of our government in January of 2009, we undoubtedly will not do anything we need to do to insure our Nation's security - physical-, military-, economic -, or energy-security.

I could be wrong .............. and I HOPE I AM!

(but, I seriously doubt that I am ... )

Standard Liberal Voting Position

Freedom of Speech vs The "Fairness Doctrine" = The U.S. Constitution vs. Congress

Here we go again ... House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has decided we should - once again - ignore that pesky old document called the Constitution, and do things the way the loony left thinks they should be done. That damned First Amendment just keeps impeding their progress toward turning the USA into a genuine 3rd world country. Amendment I says, in part, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press ..." etc. I added the emphasis for ... emphasis! Where is the need for discussion there? Does some moron not understand the meaning of the word "abridged"? Here's the first 3 meanings shown in one 'Dictionary of The English Language':

1. to shorten by omissions while retaining the basic contents: to abridge a reference book. 2. to reduce or lessen in duration, scope, authority, etc.; diminish, curtail: to abridge a visit; to abridge one’s freedom. 3. to deprive; cut off.

I'm assuming that - if you have read that - you can, in fact, read! Comprehension is an entirely different skill though, so let me make it eve more clear: Congress cannot make into law anything that would lessen your ability to say what you wish ... other than the recently created concepts of "hate speech" and "hate crimes", anyway. (Am I wrong, or is defining hate speech, and making it illegal, creating a law that abbreviates our right to free speech? Keep in mind though, that through the exercise of hateful free speech, you may discover the meaning of "Can o' Whup-ass".) Nowhere in the Constitution does it guarantee us the right not to have our feelings hurt!

At the same time we must understand that the Constitution does not require the Government, or any other entity, to provide a platform for your free expression of thoughts. If there is no commercial support for the way you exercise your 1st Amendment rights, then you have no right to expect somebody else to pick up the tab! The so-called "Fairness Doctrine" would be more appropriately called the "Liberal Left Loser Doctrine". If the ultra-liberal NPR (National Public Radio) can't hold its own in the marketplace - even with the assistance of George Soros' millions of dollars - that should be an indication that the vast majority of American citizens don't believe in the crap that's being broadcast on NPR!

FAREWELL, AMERICA! Announcing the Destruction of a Young Democratic Republic ...

and that destruction will come from the enemy within. Those outside our 'borders' - if you can call them borders - are the least of our worries. The individual terrorist is virtually impotent from outside the USA ... BUT, that same individual from inside the United States presents a very powerful and deadly threat. He, or she, could be anybody - your friend, your neighbor, your child's second grade teacher, the clerk at Wal-Mart, your pharmacist, your physician, ad infinitum, ad nauseam. "Not anybody", you say quickly. "Mo is my best friend. We work together, we go fishing together, our kids play together, and our families picnic together." That's the "Mo" you know - the Mo of yesterday. Today's Mo may be someone entirely different. Yesterday's Mo may have gotten a one word message last night - "Insha'Allah" - and awakened this morning as Mohammed who is directed "by the will of Allah" to kill the infidels. "Who are these infidels?", you ask. They are you, your wife, your children and anybody else nearby that's not Muslim - or in really extreme cases, Muslims too, but just Muslims who do not believe exactly the same way Mo does.

We've all heard of the "sleeper cells", and we also know we have several very large concentrations of Muslims in various cities throughout our country. Middle Eastern Terrorists have a patience that the average American cannot even begin to fathom. Some have waited for generations to extract revenge - or "justice" as they see it. Could terrorist activities of the past 30 years be retribution for Muslim losses during the Crusades? I know it sounds far-fetched to us, but it's not beyond the realm of possibility for Muslims. I wouldn't give odds on it being probable, but it isn't impossible.

The term "Sleeper Cell" is a pretty accurate description of how they function. The briefing probably goes something like this: "Fit in, keep a low profile but be seen in the community. Build a reputation as a "nice person", find employment so there will be no reason to question where your money comes from. Renounce Islam in public but maintain it in your heart, for it is the will of Allah - praise be unto Him - that it be done in this fashion. Do whatever is necessary for the success of your mission, for it is required by Allah - praise Allah." What we're talking about here is recruiting people who are capable of absorbing training and using 21st century technology , but who, intellectually and emotionally, are stuck in the 14th century. People who can present themselves as your friend today, and cut your throat without a second thought tomorrow, because you are the "infidel" - not any more human than the other infidel beasts of the world. If martyrdom for Allah is so wonderful, and the rewards in Paradise are so great, why have the leaders not committed mass murder with a body bomb strapped to themselves?

There are those who would have us believe that the floods in the Midwest, and the fires in California, are retribution of a higher kind, rather than any "natural phenomena". Retribution for "falling away" from the straight and narrow ... for legalizing unnatural acts and protecting those who engage in them, for corruption in our courts and government, and for not taking an active stand against such things. I suppose that could be true ...

"UNITED WE STAND" ... however there are so many more indicators of disunity in this country than those of unity, that one must wonder - are we still united enough? We are divided along lines of race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and gang affiliations. We no longer seem to define ourselves by our positive accomplishments, but instead by our salaries, the type of automobile we drive, the school(s) from which we graduated, and the names we can drop when talking with our business associates. We are, bit by bit, selling out our country - either C.O.D. (the Arab countries have endowed prestigious U.S. universities with hundreds of millions of dollars for "special considerations" by their administrations; several U.S. toll highways have been sold to overseas interests, etc.), or to show how liberal, accepting, and humanitarian we are (foot baths in airports for Muslims? Can't they wash their feet at home like everybody else?). Do we have the will, the fortitude and the stamina to set those differences aside, present a united front, and defend this great nation "against all enemies foreign and domestic"? Our courts and government agencies are bending over backwards to satisfy the demands of any religious belief except Christianity (followed closely by Judaism). Thanks to the elimination of our steel mills, our military grade steel is now purchased from China, of all places! And, as hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens pour across our southern border each year, American corporations are "off-shore outsourcing" tens of thousands of American jobs! The looney left now wants to endow illegal aliens with all the rights to which genuine Americans (both born and naturalized) are not entitled. Citizenship within 24 hours after applying (most naturalized citizens have waited 5-15 years to be granted citizenship), even if a background investigation has not been completed. Free medical care and education, and head of the line preference in each of those as well! We are incarcerating those we charge with securing our borders (Google: Campeon and Ramos), and rewarding those who enter the country illegally to conduct trade in illegal products!

Farewell, America ... it was grand knowing you when you had good sense, and most of us will miss you!