Charles Johnson Attacks Pamela Geller for Defending Rifqa Bary!

Here's the screencap from Charles Johnson's post, "'No Evidence' Rifqa Bary's Parents Want to Kill Her":

Johnson writes:

The anti-Islam blogs have been hyperventilating for months over the case of Rifqa Bary — a Muslim teenager who converted to Christianity, ran away from home, and found a new home with a radical fundamentalist Christian preacher, Blake Lorenz of the “Global Revolution Church.”

People like Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer have injected themselves into this case, judged her parents, and found them guilty of intended murder — because they’re incapable of imagining that Muslim parents might not be murderous monsters. In their twisted paranoid world, all Muslims are honor killers, and that’s all there is to it. Evidence be damned. If her parents say they love her and would never hurt her ... well, that’s just what a lying Muslim would say, isn’t it?

Charles links to a CNN story on the a Florida Law Enforcement report claiming that there was "no clear evidence of criminal activity" against the parents. Yet, Rifqa Bary recorded new testimony indicating her dreadful fears for her life:

I am sixteen and I love Jesus, um... crazy how I found the Lord but, people were blown away but, my parents are Muslims, radical, radical Muslims. You guys don't know the history of Islam, it's really hostile towards Christianity and the mere word of Christian can bring such a hatred in them right. I'm a secret Christian, I've been hiding for a long time, three of four years. They can't know of my faith, because if they do know, the consequences are really hard. Just the culture and background they come from like, is so hostile towards Christianity ... the consequences are great.

Check Pamela's post as well, "Libel blogger Goes Anti-Rifqa Bary."

And isn't big ole' Charles Johnson supposed to be a firm advocate for truth and reason. Boy, look at this smear: At the screencap for LGF at top above, you can seen this sentence at the bottom of the post, in parentheses:

(I’m fairly sure that Spencer and Geller will now attack me, but that’s standard fare for them when they’re caught out espousing bigotry and inciting hatred.)

Well, call me a bigot or something, because I believe Rifqa Bary when she says she fears for her life. And her fear is certainly justified. She was threatened with death by her father and allegedly abused by her uncle. (And see Jihad Watch, "12-Year FBI Veteran Says Serious Flaws in FDLE Report Claiming Rifqa Bary Wasn't Abused.") A Facebook message from a Muslim group threatened to kill Rifqa Bary ("Rifqa Bary Facebook Fatwa: 'We Need to Kill Her'"), and the CAIR-backed Muslim community erupted in outrage in August when Florida Judge Daniel Dawson granted a stay on Rifqa's threatened return to Ohio. See a full report at Red County, "Muslim Assault against Apostates: the Rifqa Bary Case."

See Jihad Watch for additional information.

*********

UPDATE: ... I've made some adjustments to the post. Pamela did not link Charles, although Johnson routinely redirects those who link to him. See, Jihad Watch, "Charles Johnson's Latest Libels Answered."

ADDED: Saber Point, "BAN CHARLES JOHNSON: Don't Read or Link to 'Little Green Footballs'."

Marsha Blackburn, Mike Pence Interviews on 9-12 March on Washington

Here are intervews with Representatives Marsha Blackburn and Mike Pence, speaking on the 9-12 March on Washington:

More at the Washington News Observer.

Maxine Waters Wants Probe of 'Birthers' and 'Teabaggers' (AUDIO)

Maxine Waters is reallly too much some times. See, "Waters: Probe 'Birthers and the Teabaggers' at Rallies for Racist Views." Listen to her at the video:

Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) said that it's not enough for African-Americans to levy allegations of racism against the right-leaning protesters, and that the media must look into their views.

"I want those people talked to; I want them interviewed," Waters told the liberal Bill Press Radio show in a podcast. "I want journalists to be all over those rallies and the marches with the birthers and the teabaggers."

"What I'm looking for is the very people who carry the signs who are referring to the policies in very, very strange ways like 'Obamacare' and 'Bury Obamacare with Kennedy,'" she said. "What I've been interested in is hearing from those people that everybody's referring to -- everybody on the Mall, in the rally."

See also, Gateway Pundit, "Maxine Waters: Media Should Probe the "Birthers & Teabaggers" at Rallies."

Plus, from Voting Female, "Maxine Waters Calls All Tea Party Protesters Homosexuals in her Latest Attack on Free Speech: For Those Who Haven't Figured It Out Yet ...'Tea Bagger' is a 'Male Homosexual'":

Way to Go, Maxine Waters, you Socialist Racist Anti-Constitution Anti-Homosexual Anti-White ASSHAT! Show the World just how much of a BIGOT YOU REALLY ARE!

Leave it to a MOONBAT TROLL Like Rep. Maxine Waters to denigrate freedom loving rightfully dissenting Americans by calling them all Homosexuals and attacking them as Homosexuals.

While we have all witnessed the likes of Janeane Garofalo and Keith Olbermann using such personal attacks on constitutionally protected Political Dissent, these two idiots are not members of Congress and loss of respect for you, Maxine Waters, by the Greater American Public, for a Congress Man or Woman to use these tactics and these Minority Pejoratives is a WHOLE OTHER KETTLE OF FISH.

Keith Olberman has been dismissed as a Wall Eyed Manic by Mainstream America and Janeane Garofalo’s career as a professional comedian has been destroyed by her own behavior.

For the Socialist DEM Political Party Office Holders in Congress, who pretends to defends the Homosexual Community, to use Extremely Offensive Slang Terms like Tea Bagger as an insult to Tea Party Protesters is equal to calling Tea Party Protesters, Red Neck NI*GERS.

The Only Difference between calling people Tea Baggers and calling people Nig*ers is which Minority Group’s Perjorative is used for personal attacking purposes on people.

More at Memeorandum. And Weasel Zippers, "Maxine Waters (D-Gestapo) Wants "Teabaggers" Interviewed to see if They're Racists ..."

Rachel Maddow: Joe Wilson a 'Mascot for Incivil, Racist Fringe'

I've said it many times by now, but Rachel Maddow's show is simply a platform for the left's unsubstantiated smears against conservatives. Last night, she looked at comments in support of Joe Wilson as evidence that the right is "uncivil" and that the movement is "unhinged." Check at 2:45 minutes:

Maddow goes on to present a far-fetched "history" of right-wing extremism and postulates that the fate of groups like the John Birch Society is in store for today's conservative and libertarian activists. Maddow's elevation of Joseph Farah and Dick Armey to the center of the "movement" is a classic straw man fallacy.

Of course, the public's not buying the left's "racism" scare tactics. As Rassmussen points out this morning, "12% Say Most Opponents of Obama Health Care Plan Are Racist":

Twelve percent (12%) of voters nationwide believe that most opponents of President Obama’s health care reform plan are racist. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 67% of voters disagree, and 21% are not sure.

In recent days, several Democrats have suggested that racism is a factor. The most prominent to make that accusation is former President Jimmy Carter.

Eighty-eight percent (88%) of Republicans reject the notion that most of the opponents are racist. So do 78% of voters not affiliated with either major party. However, just 39% of Democrats share that view. Twenty-two percent (22%) of those in the president’s party say that most of the opposition to his plan comes from racists, and another 39% are not sure.

Okay, think about this: Two-thirds of respondents reject Rachel Maddow's hard-left claim that opposition to the president is racist. And 9 of 10 Republicans along with 8 of 10 independents reject the view as well. Maddow's appealing, in fact, to a genuine fringe element herself. Of those 39 percent, a large segment would be the same fever-swamp radicals who have burned George W. Bush in effigy.

And if you check Gallup's piece up today, "Healthcare Bill Supporters Cite Uninsured; Foes, Big Gov’t."

Basically, the common responses see ObamaCare as an unnecessary expansion of big government. And the response for "government should not be involved in healthcare" measures support for a total government takecare of health markets, not simply a government role, since we know Medicare is a traditionally popular program for the elderly.

Most importantly, there's nothing here that indicates racist sentiment. Democrats are playing the "race card" because they're desperate. If you noticed at the video, Maddow repeatedly refers to President Obama as a "relatively popular president." The only problem is that he's not relatively popular. As early as March analysts were indicating how President George W. Bush (the evil "Chimpy") was more popular than President Obama at the same stage in the presidential term. And as this essay indicates, "George W. Bush was in office 37 months with an unpopular war before he fell to the Obama historically low level according to Gallup."

See more at Cold Fury, Power Line, Protein Wisdom, QandO, Say Anything, and YID With LID.

Conservatives Find Winning Formula in ACORN Attacks

From the New York Times, "Conservatives Draw Blood From Acorn, Favored Foe":

For months during last year’s presidential race, conservatives sought to tar the Obama campaign with accusations of voter fraud and other transgressions by the national community organizing group Acorn, which had done some work for the campaign.

But it took amateur actors, posing as a prostitute and a pimp and recorded on hidden cameras in visits to Acorn offices, to send government officials scrambling in recent days to sever ties with the organization.

Conservative advocates and broadcasters were gleeful about the success of the tactics in exposing Acorn workers, who appeared to blithely encourage prostitution and tax evasion. It was, in effect, the latest scalp claimed by those on the right who have made no secret of their hope to weaken the Obama administration by attacking allies and appointees they view as leftist.

The Acorn controversy came a week after the resignation of Van Jones, a White House environmental official attacked by conservatives, led by Glenn Beck of Fox News Channel, for once signing a petition suggesting that Bush administration officials might have deliberately permitted the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Even before Mr. Jones stepped down, Mr. Beck had sent a message to supporters on Twitter urging them to “find everything you can” on three other Obama appointees.

Conservatives believe that they have hit upon a winning formula for such attacks: mobilizing people to dig up dirt, trumpeting it on talk radio and television, prompting Congress to weigh in and demanding action from the Obama administration.

At the video, Bill O'Reilly, "The Collapse of ACORN."

See also, Big Government, "The Science Behind the Acorn Sting." (Via Memeorandum.)

ACORN Prostitution Scandal Threatens Democrats' Hold on Power!

From Atlas Shrugs, "Exploding NUT CASE: ACORN Employee "names names of politicians she talks to each day, plus what bills they are lobbying heavily for (with taxpayer money). Oh, this Acorn employee is also a former hooker herself, admits to killing husband":

If you didn't think ACORN could get any worse after several of their employees (in multiple locations) tried to help a prostitute buy a house, lie to the IRS and run a brothel with underage hookers from El Salvador ... you were wrong. It gets much worse. In today’s tapes, this ACORN employee gives away the farm - she names names of politicians she talks to each day, plus what bills they are lobbying heavily for (with taxpayer money). Oh, this Acorn employee is also a former hooker herself, who (in this audio tape) admits to killing her abusive husband. Your tax dollars hard at work! ( Transcript, Insider Audio)

Also, Andrea Shea King links to FrontPage Mag's, "Valerie Jarrett: The Next Van Jones." But see, Lame Cherry, "From Little Acorn: Arrest:"

What now must be reviewed by the FBI is why ACORN was using of all the places on earth, a New Orleans based front, that was basically a house with dozens of "businesses" operating from it. The name of the front was CSI, and in interviews reported here, CSI said they had nothing to do with stage lighting and various other things ACORN was dumping money into their coffers for and yet the money was disappearing.

Valerie Jarrett is the link through her power friend, a friend she stated in Chicago Magazine had the following necessary attributes:

Quote Valerie Bowman Jarrett: “Linda has a real ability to see all sides of a situation,” Jarrett says. “And when I’ve had a horrible day, I’ll call Desirée and say, ‘Meet me for a drink.’ I need friends I can trust to keep my confidences.”

Trust to keep my confidences? That sounds a great deal like secrets in three power brokers in Chicago's black side might have a whispering push to have ACORN find its way into corrupt New Orleans at the behest of friends conducting the same push now finding the FBI arresting people.

It was Valerie Jarrett who was the womb for changeling embryo Bearick Obama who this group of communists noted and was apparently artificially inseminated into blackness by delivery artist Bill Ayers who was modeling the Barry wonder.

Valerie Jarrett would steer Obama as she is still his control. She would be the first to read his rambling Dreams of a Deadbeat. She would be the first to host Obama and be the driving force in Obama finding his presidential run voice when he was lost in the crowd.

From little ACORNS grow mighty convictions as the branches of corruption spread upon the limbs weighing down the names of those who were directing ACORN in election fraud and money laundering.

I have faith in the FBI in this job well done under Director Robert Mueller, what I have absolutely no faith in is Eric the bagman Holder who is a shill not seeing election crimes in Pennsylvania and the head of all the US Attorneys who will be prosecuting these cases in Patrick pay and play Fitzgerald, who just got his appointment at a most opportune time in somehow not being able to see Rahm Emanuel, Bearick Obama and Valerie Jarrett were guilty as Rod Blagojevich for trying to buy as Senate seat Blago was selling.

If this proceeds as it should in making the piglets squeal, the piglets in deals will roll over on the sows on top with names Pritzker, Jarrett, Plouffe, Axelrod and Obama who all benefited by what ACORN was doing illegally in stealing the presidential election.

See also, The Real Barack Obama, "Why Was Obama’s “Brain” Valerie Jarrett So Happy to Hire Communist Van Jones? Was it Fate?"

Related: Staff Report, U.S. House of Representatives, 111th Congress, Committee on Oversight and Government Reform (July 20, 2009), "Is ACORN Intentionally Structured As a Criminal Enterprise?"

Black Thugs Beat White Student on Bus in St. Louis

The American Prospect is running a despicable piece today, "Stuff Some White People Don't Like: The Right's Animosity Toward Obama Isn't About Fascism or Socialism - It's About Racism."

Actually, what whites don't like is getting beaten in unprovoked attacks by gangs of black thugs. Racism? That's bull. The real racism we've been seeing since last year's Democratic primaries is on the left. But, as is typical now on the left, basically any substantive differences conservatives have with President Obama can only be chalked up to "racism." It's a sickening indication of how down and low leftists have devolved. As Peter Wehner has argued, with reference to Maureen Dowd's allegations that Joe Wilson is racist:

... the charges of racism we are now seeing are evidence of a movement that is getting a bit desperate and more than a bit angry. The trouble is that throwing around the term racism with such promiscuity dilutes the charge and makes it less potent when it is really needed. It is yet one more example of the harmful effects of contemporary liberalism.

The fact is, the racist incidents we see these days are when when white SEIU thugs beat black conservatives or when a bus full of young black hoodlums beat a white classmate in an unprovoked racial assault. In other words, Democratic racism. There's a thread at Memeorandum.

Hat Tip: Blog Prof, "Video: White Student Beaten On School Bus To Cheering Crowd." And The Rhetorican, "I Have the Strong Urge to Blame Maureen Dowd ...": "I think it’s safe to say that Obama has not ushered in a post-racial era just yet."

Also, Michelle Malkin, "A Teachable Moment: Racial Thuggery in St. Louis."

Tea Party Update! More Fabulous Pictures from 9-12 D.C. Rally - And More!!

My good friend Matt at St. Blogustine attended the 9-12 March on Washington, and I mistakenly omitted his post from my roundup yesterday. What a beautiful picture!

I need to throw a link back over to Lynn Mitchell, who is still posting photos from her big day in the Capitol!

Also, from Charlie Martin at Pajamas Media, "March on Washington: How Big Was the Crowd?" And at the Wall Street Journal, James Freeman, "Angry, Polite 'Mob' Descends on D.C."

Plus, from Mike's America, "Largest Political Protest in History was More "Green" Than Obama Inaugural!"

Don't miss Glenn Reynolds as well, "TEA PARTY UPDATE: Okay, I was busy this weekend in Quincy and didn’t have time to cover all the tea parties going on outside of Washington, DC and, of course, Quincy. But there were a lot. Here’s a picture from El Cajon, California, sent by reader Josh Swanson ..."

And back home, from Richard McEnroe, "More Pictures from the LA 9/12 Tea Party!."

Charles Johnson Attacks Robert Stacy McCain as Racist

As of this moment, Charles Johnson has over 1,000 comments on a "private" afternoon comment thread devoted to smearing Robert Stacy McCain as racist:

Here’s a private open thread, restricted to registered LGF users, for a mind-boggling Monday as the right wing blogosphere unites to support an open racist who associates with white supremacists and neo-Nazis, Robert Stacy McCain — a man who believes Abraham Lincoln was a “war criminal” who should have been tried for treason.

Charles Johnson's free to do what he wants with his own blog, but he strains legal and moral boundaries with his libel-blogging against Robert Stacy McCain. And I am happy to disabuse Charles of the notion that R.S. McCain is an "open racist who associates with white supremacists and neo-Nazis." There is no proof for the allegation, not one shred of it. I have known R.S. McCain for two years now, and there's nothing in him that remotely reeks of racist sentiment. Indeed, R.S. McCain represents the epitome of a gentleman and a scholar, and I testify to his unimpeachable integrity on civil rights.

The sources for the common attacks on R.S. McCain as "racist" have long been discredited. Most recently by Stogie at Saber Point, a personal friend of R.S. McCain's during the period of the allegations of racism, "Robert Stacy McCain: I Know Him Better Than Charles Johnson Does." Stogie cites three posts that R.S. McCain has written:

1. "Point One: Charles Johnson doesn't know me from Adam's house cat."
2. "Point Two: Charles Johnson is prejudiced, and subscribes to stereotypes."
3. "Point Three: Charles Johnson will regret it but once, and that will be continually."

I wrote recently that Little Green Footballs "was getting pummeled from all sides." I noted at that entry that it was never personal with Charles Johnson. It's been more a fascination to watch someone who I read and linked to many times descend into cowardly incoherence and megalomaniacal infirmity. It's no longer fascinating; it's now a matter of concern, if not pity. A look at Johnson's blog over the last week shows a search for fringe elements to validate a warped theory that the GOP is taken over by extremists. Sure, the fringe is out there, and these elements include myself, if you want to be technical. It's called the conservative/libertarian base, and it's diverse. I hardly agree with the most unhinged allegations against President Obama and the Democrats. But I endorse many of the charges against them, and I'll defend my positions competently and with ease.

It gets ridiculously boring listening to people like Charles Johnson demean common folks as racists and Nazis. Such smears reveal a shallowness of character and a flickering of ideological commitment.

The "right wing blogosphere" has noticed. See:

* "Goodbye Little Green Footballs, Hello Powerline."
* "Talkin' Charles Johnson Paranoid Blues."
* "Little Green Footballs' Johnson Sinks Further Into the Abyss."

Image Credit: Saber Point, "Charles Johnson Rides Into the Sunset."

Christopher Knight on 9-12 March on Washington: Stick to Art Reviews

Christopher Knight, at the Los Angeles Times' "Culture Monster" blog, argues that Glenn Beck's 9-12 logo is based on "century-old communist, socialist and other left-wing designs."

I like Knight's work as the Times' chief art critic (see here), but the guy really should stick to reviewing the masters. After his attack on Glenn Beck's 9-12 logo, he concludes with a jab on the crowd-size estimates for Saturday:

Turnout for the 9-12 Project's Saturday march on Washington was a bust; 30,000 protesters signed up in advance (MSNBC reporter David Shuster tweeted that D.C. park police called that figure "generous"). But even if three times that many actually showed up, the number would fall far short of the hundreds of thousands (and even millions) claimed to be planning to attend. Even in that reduced crowd, however, surely someone recognized how odd the right-wing gathering's left-wing logo was.

Maybe Beck will explain. Sort of.

There's lots of good analysis on crowd size from bloggers, and the numbers are way more the 30,000 (or 70,000). For one of the better analyses I've seen, check Transterrestrial Musings, "An Impression of the Protest."

9/12 Tea Parties Galvanized by Health Care Reform

From my report on the Wilshire tea party at Pajamas Media, "9/12 Tea Parties Galvanized by Health Care Reform":

Bill Whittle of Pajamas Media.

In Los Angeles, during what I thought was the keynote address on Saturday, Bill Whittle rallied the crowd to keep the momentum going. Grassroots citizens “need to run for office themselves,” was Whittle’s exhortation. He said that the only way Americans will preserve liberty is by taking it back themselves. Go to Washington and do your “tour of duty as a citizen legislator,” Whittle exclaimed! Then “come back home to your families and communities” to let other patriots steer the ship of state for a time.

It was a dramatic and powerful message. My sense is that Whittle captured the real nature of what we’ve seen in the protests this year. Whittle noted that the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution are brief documents, but members of Congress apparently hadn’t read them. And if they had, they failed to understand the simple call to freedom found therein — manifestos of liberty, painstakingly outlined by our nation’s Founders. In contrast, legislators can parrot by rote the nationalizing principles embodied in House Bill 3200, with its 1,018 pages of proposed bureaucratic tyranny.

So, yes, while only a few thousand were on hand in Los Angeles on Saturday, it’s clear that by now activists are heartened by a triumph of democratic significance. That is, people are making a real difference. After months of being smeared as “racist teabaggers” and “right-wing political terrorists,” the movement is now an unmistakable force with which to be reckoned.

Rosslyn Smith, commenting on the Washington protest at the American Thinker, suggested that “we are witnessing a very rare phenomenon, the genuine, broad based spontaneous political movement with no visible charismatic leaders.” But Ms. Smith’s only partially right. The “visible charismatic leaders” are the real people, drawn from all walks of life, who have rallied to the cause of freedom this year in record numbers. Many have told me personally that they’d never attended a protest or a town hall event in their lives. It’s hard to find a better testament to the enduring Americans values of freedom and individualism than that.

Congratulations to marchers nationwide who are revitalizing the American democracy.

Something Going On in America! 9/12 March on Washington Roundup

I think I speak for a lot of conservatives when I confess I'm overwhelmed with information and blog links for the 9/12 March on Washington. So, I'm going to do a little roundup of friends, some of whom graciously linked to my 9/12 report yesterday.

First, here's the e-mail I received from my friend Lynn Mitchell in Virginia:

Donald,

We did it!! The 9/12 March on Washington yesterday was absolutely breath-taking, an emotional experience for many who thought they would never see that many conservatives in one place at one time. It was a sea of faces, flags, signs ... young, old, short, tall, all shapes and sizes, some on walkers or canes ... it was the face of America.

To march down Pennsylvania Avenue -- which is a wide street -- shoulder-to-shoulder with like-minded patriots took your breath away. As far ahead of us as we could see was a sea of people carrying flags and signs ... behind us as far as we could see was a sea of people carrying flags and signs. Chants would go down the street like a vocal wave ... approaching as a low roar in the distance, catching up with us as we joined in, and washing over us to continue down the street to the thousands behind us.

I am telling you ... there is something going on in America. You have seen it in California ... I have seen it in Virginia ... and we have both seen it in every state between us.

Yesterday we made history. Will conservatives continue on this quest to take back our country ... or will they quietly slip back into their complacency of the past 30 years?

Time will tell.

I am busy posting photos today -- I took 600 photos yesterday -- of the faces, the signs, the flags and banners. I'm 56 years old ... I never thought I would see this day.

Keep up the good work and the good fight on the Left Coast. We will do the same here. And thank you for being a conservative educator who is not indoctrinating our children into the culture of the Left.

Best regards,

Lynn Mitchell
SWAC Girl

Lynn's been spending the day uploading pictures and blogging the protest, so check out her blog for the fabulous photos and commentary!

Also, Darleen over at Protein Wisdom linked to my Wilshire report yesterday, "Hundreds of Thousands." Darleen makes the definitive case on the numbers in attendance in D.C. yesterday. Plus, my friend Skye at Midnight Blue attended the rally. She argued in the comments here that the crowd was over a million, for sure.

Mike at Cold Fury linked with his post, "More Tea Party Coverage." Stogie at Saber Point did so as well, "America Flips Obama the Bird: Mass Tea Party Convincingly Rejects Obamunism."

Okay, my friend The Rhetorican is like a whirlwind of blogging! He linked with, "9/12 Tea Party West." And my new friend Andrew Berman also linked with, "How Many People Attended The 9/12 March?"

And don't miss the towering figure of the blogosphere, The Blog Prof, who links with, "Thousands Turn Out At Tea Party West In LA." In addition a new towering (thundering?) figure, Thunder Pig: "9-12 March on DC and Tea Parties Across the USA."

My longtime blogging buddy Blazing Cat Fur picked up on the "Real Hope" t'-shirts, which feature the caption on the back from Matthew 12:21, "In his name the Nations will put their hope."

I think that's most who've linked, but check Dan Riehl as well, "9/12 Attendance Issues Addressed." Related: My good friend Doug's post at the Daley Gator, "9/12 Tea Party – Only Thousands? Or At Least A Million? You Decide." And the Red Hunter, "Tea Party 9-12-09 March on Washington DC," and the Astute Bloggers, "DEDUCTIVELY WE CAN PROVE THAT THE "TENS OF THOUSANDS" FIGURE THE MSM HAS BEEN USING TO DESCRIBE THE 912 NATIONAL TEA PARTY IS FALSE."

Plus, Kenneth Davenport's been doing some hot blogging of late. See, "Media Ignores D.C. Anti-Obama Protest - No Surprise." More good stuff at Carolyn's Closet, "United We Stand."

I apologize if I've missed anyone who linked to my 9/12 post. Feel free to send me an e-mail (at my Blogger profile), and I'll work on getting some more roundups posted this week.

Bonus Post: Don't miss Pat Austin's powerful essay, "Editor of HuffPo's Health Unit Mocks Death of Cornell Student."

9-12 Tea Party West: Wilshire Federal Building

Saturday, September 12th, was a special day for democratic participation in America. The nation witnessed a phenomenal display of grassroots action in defense of liberty. London's Daily Mail reports that upwards of 2 million people marched on Capitol Hill. I was unable to travel to Washington, like so many others. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to attend a great rally at the U.S. Federal Building in Los Angeles. I'd say roughly 2,000 people attended, although another estimate places turnout at 3,500.

Here's a shot of the crowd when I arrived about 2:30pm - with hundreds of people already on hand. Below, we see the Wilshire Federal Building sign, to the West side of the property, near the Eastbound offramp at Interstate 405:

Here's my first shot of demonstrators, an enthusiastic couple:

Here's the crowd shot at about the same time:

Here's a video of the event, from Richard McEnroe:

What a cool sign - can you imagine our first president saying, WTF?

I walked back over to the sidewalk at Wilshire to get some photos of demonstrators. This guy's sign sports a damning condemnation of the president:

Vendors were selling loads of t-shirts (you can see the tables set up at about 3:35 minutes at the video). I actually first noticed the "Real Hope" shirts on these two brothers. They let me take their picture:

The caption on the back of the shirt is from the Matthew 12:21, "In His Name the Nations Will Put Their Hope." This young lady, hanging out with her mom, models the shirt:

This mom below was really sweet, and eager for me to get shots of her "tea party toddlers":

I told this guy straight out that he had the best sign of the day. I've said the same thing many times at the blog, and boy does that drive the lefties batty:

The crowd was filling out pretty good by now:

Back out on Wilshire, I said hello to this fellow below. Regular readers might remember him (and his sign) from the Adam Schiff town hall:

I didn't know this gentleman, but I liked his sign:

Joe Wilson's influence reaches to the West Coast:

Back over to the podium, I thought Bill Whittle - the great host of Pajamas Media - gave the best speech of the day (or at least of the speeches that I really listened to):

An old friend of mine, Michael, from 30 years ago, gave an impassioned address. I didn't recognize him until he started speaking. We spoke afterwords for a few minutes. Love the shirt:

As I was saying my goodbyes, I noticed this pretty woman with the great Photoshopped mini-poster, "Comrade Obama Leading Us to the Glorious Future!:

Well, maybe not so glorious after all:

More photos at my good friend Mark Goluskin's," Scenes From The Los Angeles 9/12 Rally."

Whoa Nelly! Crowd Estimate Now 2 Million for 9/12 D.C. Protest!

I'm heading out in a few minutes for the 9/12 West protest. A few thousand are expected, but if it's a tiny fraction of what's happening in Washington today, I'll be in tea party heaven!

Pamela Geller has some great coverage of events, "A Failed Presidency .... And Its Only Six Months, Hundreds of Thousands On the Mall." Pics at Instapundit! And Michelle Malkin, "Update: Turnout Estimated at 2 Million."

Check also Nice Deb. And Vodkapundit has lots of pictures, with updates throughout the day (via Memeorandum). And at Newsbusters, "WaPo Presents 9-12 Event as GOP Danger, Full of 'Right-Wing Nutballs' and 'Freaks'."

The White House is trying to blow off the event. But as Jennifer Rubin notes:

The long-term consequences of this and the preceding populist gatherings are hard to predict. We may see a more libertarian Republican party. A huge turnout for 2010 may result. New, real outsiders may enter politics. And, of course, these protests may scare the dickens out of lawmakers. But while everyone is decrying the collapse of civility and the resulting harm to the country, it is worth noting that we are witnessing a grassroots outpouring of support for limited government, the rule of law, fiscal sobriety, and generational responsibility. That must be heartening to conservatives, but more than that, it is a tribute to the vitality of our democracy and the energy of its citizenry. And that is a very good thing indeed.

I'll update from L.A. with photos later tonight!

DC Police: 9/12 Protest Crowd Estimated at 1.2 Million and Growing

The New York Times reports on today's 9-12 events in Washington, with the title, "Thousands Rally in Capital to Protest Big Government." But check Doug Powers, "9/12 March on Washington Live Video Link. As he notes at the post, "Unconfirmed reports are that the DC Police are estimating the crowd at 1.2 million and growing." It turns out, naturally, that crowd size is a political football. See, "Managing Expectations: Crowd Size for D.C. Rally Sparks Fight."

No matter. Check Michelle Malkin's post here, "Celebrating the 9/12 Rallies" (with live-streaming video). Plus, the Wall Street Journal, "Conservatives Gather in Capital." (Via Memeorandum.)

Here's an interesting background clip:

Plus, Pat in Shreveport on White House cluelessness, "What Demonstrations?"

Glenn Beck: The One Thing, 9/11

This is the only YouTube I could find, so apologies about the idiotic "tearful rant" title. Thank God for him, Glenn Beck shows his emotion on his sleeve, and it's not an act. He makes the case that we as Americans have fallen down on the job in constructing new towers to replace the World Trade Centerm, and thus on that score the terrorists have won:

Beck has emerged as the cable TV's Rush Limbaugh. He's now the focus of a giant demonization campaign on the left. And the reason is because few can combine performance art, emotional sincerity, and devastating political commentary as well. And he's dangerous. First Van Jones defeated. Then Yosi Sergant at the NEA. The socialist-left rightly fears who's next. The radical infilitration and ties of corruption go to the highest levels of the White House, so it's no wonder why the long knives are out.

Beck's essay version is here, "Remember Why We Were Attacked on Sept. 11."

A diametrical response to Beck is here, in James Poniewozik's, "Don't Tell Me What 9/12 Means, Glenn Beck." (Via Memeorandum.) Poniewozik alleged that Beck, since March, has been using September 11 as his own "personal political platform." But that attack on Beck is entirely ridiculous. Poniewozik's attack is just as partisan, since he's not also taking issue with leftists currently exploiting the tragedy for political gain. Just Thursday night Professor Melissa Harris-Lacewell argued that Americans should get on board ObamaCare because September 11 is "similarly facing down our country" and it's a time to be "supporting our president regardless of ideology." The Obama administration's 9/11 commemorations, where key White House officials fanned out around the country to push the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, are just a partisan, yet diabolically ahistorical in their efforts to flush the genuine meaning of 9/11 down the memory hole. We know that this administration has long been at work to desecrate the memeory of the fallen. And when President Obama yesterday declared September 11 a "tragedy," he did a "gross disservice to both the victims of 9/11 and those who have sacrificed everything in the effort to make sure a similar “tragedy” doesn’t happen again."

So thank you Glenn Beck. Bring on the rants - good, decent freedom-loving Americans love 'em. We'll pull together once more, and we won't forget that terrorists and rogue regimes around the world are intent on America's destruction. And we vow, "Never Again"!

Communist Revolutionaries: 'The Executive Branch of the Democratic Party'

From David Horowitz, "The Manchurian Candidate":

Van Jones is the carefully groomed protégé of a network of radical organizations -- including Moveon.org -- and of Democratic sponsors like billionaire George Soros and John Podesta, former Clinton chief of staff and co-chair of the Obama transition team.

At the time of his appointment as the President’s “Green Jobs” czar – and despite a very recent 10-year history of “revolutionary” activity – Jones was a member of two key organizations at the very heart of what might be called the executive branch of the Democratic Party ....

How did John Podesta and Al Gore and Barack Obama come to be political allies of a far left radical like Van Jones, a 9/11 conspiracy “truther” and a supporter of the Hamas view that the entire state of Israel is “occupied territory?” To answer this question requires an understanding of developments within the political left that have taken place over the last two decades, and in particular the forging of a “popular front” between anti-American radicals and “mainstream liberals” in the Democratic Party.

The collapse of Communism in the early Nineties did not lead to an agonizing reappraisal of its radical agendas among many who had supported it in the West. Instead, its survivors set about creating a new socialist international which would unite “social justice” movements, radical environmental groups, leftwing trade unions, and traditional communist parties – all dedicated to the revival of utopian dreams.

The new political force made its first impression at the end of the decade when it staged global demonstrations against the World Trade Organization and the World Bank. The demonstrations erupted into large-scale violence in Seattle in 2001 when 50,000 Marxists, anarchists and environmental radicals, joined by the giant leftwing unions AFSCME and SEIU, descended on the city, smashed windows and automobiles, and set fire to buildings to protest “globalization” – the world capitalist system.

In the direct aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, the anti-globalization forces morphed into what became known as the “anti-war” movement. An already scheduled anti-globalization protest on September 29 was re-redirected (and re-named) to target America’s retaliation against al-Qaeda and the Taliban. The new “peace” movement grew to massive proportions in the lead up to the war in Iraq but it never held a single protest against Saddam’s violation of 17 UN arms control resolutions, or his expulsion of the UN arms inspectors. It did, however, mobilize 35 million people in world-wide protests against America’s “imperialist war for oil.” The orchestrators of the demonstrations were the same leaders and the same organizations, the same unions and the same “social justice” groups that had been responsible for the Seattle riots against the World Trade Organization and the international capitalist system.

A second watershed came in the run-up to the 2004 elections when billionaire George Soros decided to integrate the radicals – including their political organization ACORN -- into the structure of Democratic Party politics. Together with a group of like-minded billionaires, Soros created a “Shadow Party” (as Richard Poe and I documented in a book by that name) whose purpose was to shape the outcome of the 2004 presidential race. “America under Bush,” Soros told The Washington Post, “is a danger to the world,…” To achieve his goal, Soros created a galaxy of 527 political organizations headed by leftwing union leaders like SEIU chief Andrew Stern and Clinton operatives like Harold Ickes. As its policy brain he created the Center for American Progress.

Soros failed to achieve his goal in 2004 but he went on working to create new elements of the network, such as the Apollo Alliance. Four years later the Shadow Party was able to elect a candidate who had spent his entire political career in the bowels of this movement. Obama’s electoral success was made possible by the wide latitude he was given by the press and the public, partly because he was the first African-American with a chance to be president and partly because his campaign was deliberately crafted to convey the impression that he was a tax-cutting centrist who intended to bring Americans together to find common solutions to their problems. When confronted with his long-term associations and working partnerships with anti-American racists like Jeremiah Wright and anti-American radicals like William Ayers, he denied the obvious and successfully side-stepped its implications.

Just eight months into his presidency, however, a new Barack Obama has begun to emerge. With unseemly haste Obama has nearly bankrupted the federal government, amassing more debt in eight months than all his predecessors combined. He has appeased America’s enemies abroad and attacked America’s intelligence services at home. He has rushed forward with programs that require sweeping changes in the American economy and is now steamrolling a massive new health-care program that will give the government unprecedented control of its citizens.

Among the hallmarks of this new radical regime the appointment of Van Jones stood out for its blatant departure from political normalcy. In his White House role, the radical Jones would have represented the president in shaping a multi-billion stimulus package, which could easily function as a patronage program of particular interest to his political allies in the “Apollo Alliance,” ACORN and the leftwing unions. In the classic manual for activists on how to achieve their radical goals, Obama’s political mentor Saul Alinsky wrote: “From the moment an organizer enters a community, he lives, dreams, eats, breathes, sleeps only one thing, and that is to build the mass power base of what he calls the army.” As the president’s green jobs commissar, Van Jones had entered the trillion-dollar community of the federal government and would soon have been building his radical army. The rest of us should be wondering who his sponsors were within the White House (senior presidential advisor and long-time “progressive” Valerie Jarrett was certainly one). Then we should ask ourselves what they are planning next.

Phoenix Cabbie to Donate Kidney to Women He Drove to Dialysis For Two Months

My wife asked me to post this story from CBS News, "Cab Driver to Donate Kidney":

A Phoenix woman in need of a kidney transplant will receive a kidney from the cab driver who drove her to kidney dialysis appointments for two months. Steve Hartman reports.

Will Wilkinson: U.S. Response to 9/11 - 'An Enormous Disaster'

I don't think Will Wilkinson was getting stoned as he wrote this, "For a 9/10 America." No matter, though. He might as well be on drugs:

The United States’ government reacted to to 9/11 and that reaction has been, to my mind, an enormous disaster. Yet those responsible for this disaster have been successful in hiding behind the shock of the crumbling towers, as if support for their dangerous and deadly policies is inexorably implied by feeling deeply the full weight of 9/11’s tragedy. Those most insistent that we “never forget” 9/11 are those who need our continuing collective complicity in the erosion of our civil liberties, in the weakening of the rule of law, in the unjustified invasion of unrelated foreign countries and the murder of their people, in the policy of state-sanctioned torture. The difficulty many Americans have in separating remembrance of an act of terror from an endorsement of the war on terror may turn out be George W. Bush’s great legacy.

Notice the part about how backers of a firm stand against modern terrorism "need our continuing complicity" in the erosion of rights, blah, blah, blah. It's totally unoriginal, in any case. Glenn Greenwald, Andrew Sullivan ... these guys are a dime of dozen. They claim to be libertarian, but the result is that folks like Wilkinson end up joining with the anti-Americans on the radical left, and ultimately with our Islamist enemies who remain out there, intent to kill and maim as many regular Americans that they can. Meanwhile, these same libertarian-leftists can sit tight while railing away (stoned) at the criminal justice system and the war on drugs, using their platform attacking the Bush administration to earn special treatment as water-carriers for Barack Obama.

It's disgusting. (Via Memeorandum.)

Are We Complacent About Terrorism?

From Ryan Mauro, "Eight Years After 9/11: Are We Getting Complacent?":

The resolve of the American people to fight overseas is quickly weakening. Americans seem content to believe that our post-9/11 efforts have sufficiently weakened the enemy and therefore that their rhetoric shouldn’t be taken as seriously. Those that try to raise awareness about the threat are dismissed or even attacked, as the Christian Action Network learned after releasing its Homegrown Jihad documentary earlier this year about radical Islamic compounds in the U.S. that have been used for paramilitary training.

The government’s current attitude towards gathering threats seems to reflect a decreasing concern about terrorism and the growth of extremist networks at home. Just by being a little craftier than al-Qaeda, groups like the Muslim Brotherhood and governments like that of Khamenei and Ahmadinejad and Assad are able to appear moderate and flexible. The FBI decided to end its relationship with the Council on American-Islamic Relations following its designation as an “unindicted co-conspirator” in the Holy Land Foundation trial, only to continue ties with the Islamic Society of North America, another “unindicted co-conspirator” in the same trial.

The media and American people certainly do remember the events of 9/11 in terms of history, but the impact and lessons of 9/11 have been forgotten. On that day, we realized that enemies seeking the most horrid of goals come in different shapes and sizes, and use different strategies and tactics. By dismissing each case of terrorism and extremism as “isolated,” rather than yet another example of the reach of radical Islam in all its forms, enormous portions of the media, the government, and the American people have forgotten what 9/11 taught us. One day we will be taught again.

This video shows jumpers from the Twin Towers:

Ralph Peters has an even stronger condemnation, "Betraying Our Dead":

Eight years ago today, our homeland was attacked by fanatical Muslims inspired by Saudi Arabian bigotry. Three thousand American citizens and residents died.

We resolved that we, the People, would never forget. Then we forgot.

We've learned nothing.

Instead of cracking down on Islamist extremism, we've excused it.

Instead of killing terrorists, we free them.

Instead of relentlessly hunting Islamist madmen, we seek to appease them.

Instead of acknowledging that radical Islam is the problem, we elected a president who blames America, whose idea of freedom is the right for women to suffer in silence behind a veil -- and who counts among his mentors and friends those who damn our country or believe that our own government staged the tragedy of September 11, 2001.

Below: "Palestinians were dancing in the streets in celebration of 9/11." (via Bare Naked Islam):

See also, "CNN Poll: Terror Concerns Dropping."

Why Did Andrew Sullivan Get Special Treatment From the U.S. Attorney?

Unlike Dan Collins, I would have been tiptoeing through the tulips had Andrew Sullivan not gotten special treatment and had his pending claim for U.S. citizenship blown. The guy's a prick, and he broke the law. Since he's not an American, he could potentially face deportation. Why should he get a special deal? I'd say the same thing about a Mexican day laborer.

Gawker's got the story, "Andrew Sullivan's Federal Pot Favors." But Ron Radosh nails it, "Andrew Sullivan’s Bust: The Real Issue":

Why did Andrew Sullivan get special treatment from the U.S. Attorney? As the Collings statement makes clear, other similar offenders have regularly been hauled before the court, and forced to pay the fine if found guilty. In Sullivan’s case, there are other far more important implications.

Andrew Sullivan has moved from the stance of a fierce conservative to that of a liberal supporter of the Obama administration. When Obama met after his election with liberal journalists, Sullivan was part of their group—not among those of the conservative journalists who met the President-elect. He regularly blasts conservatives, especially those having anything to do with the Bush administration, and stands among the group constantly demanding fierce punishment for Cheney and company for authorizing torture of Gitmo detainees.

Now, more than ever, it appears that the United States Attorney is repaying a debt to Sullivan for his support to the administration. Why else would he be singled out for exclusive treatment? And doesn’t it also mean that Sullivan now will be more careful than ever to continue giving the administration his approval, at least until after he becomes a citizen? A debt paid leads to a debt owed.

More at Memeorandum.

But see the U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert B. Collings court statement, "MEMORANDUM AND ORDER ON GOVERNMENT’S REQUEST FOR LEAVE TO FILE A DISMISSAL OF VIOLATION NOTICE."

Bomb Threat at Freedom Works

UPDATE: I got Brendan Steinhauser's tweet way before the media were able to report on it, but ABC News has the story, "Bomb Threat Forces Evacuation of DC TEA Party Planners" (via Memeorandum):

The threat came when a man called the FreedomWorks main line and told the organization's female receptionist: "I put a bomb in your building, bitch."

The FreedomWorks staffer who spoke with ABC News said that the organization has received multiple threats but that for some reason, the DC Metro police thought that this one was credible enough to evacuate the building.

**********

From Brendan Steinhauser( and here, here, and here):

President George W. Bush Plans Quiet Day on 9/11

I've thought much of former President Bush today.

From the Dallas Morning News, "Bush plans Quiet Day on First 9-11 Out of Office":

President George W. Bush plans a quiet day in his Dallas office Friday in his first Sept. 11 since leaving the White House.

In a statement issued by spokesman David Sherzer, the former president said:

"Eight years ago, our nation and our freedom came under attack. On this solemn anniversary, Laura and I hold the victims and their families in our thoughts and prayers. We honor those who volunteer to keep us safe and extend the reach of freedom — including members of the armed forces, law enforcement officers, and intelligence and homeland security professionals. Their courage, service and sacrifice is a fitting tribute to all those who gave their lives on Sept. 11, 2001. On this day, let us renew our determination to prevent evil from returning to our shores."

Sherzer says the former president would make no public appearances nor give any interviews Friday.

Thank you President Bush.

And a special page on Facebook, "Thankful for President George W. Bush." (Via RightWingSparkle).

Sarah Palin Remembers 9/11: 'We Are Americans'

From Governor Palin 4 President,"Governor Palin: Remembering 9/11: We Are Americans":

It has been eight years since the United States suffered the worst attack on our soil since Pearl Harbor. As we look back, we should take stock of what has transpired since then. We have sent our nation's soldiers into battlefields far from home to defend us. These brave men and women live in treacherous conditions, facing improvised roadside bombs, suicide bombers and other attacks. Yet they fight on in their mission to defend the United States and all of us without complaint ....

As we look back to that tragic day eight years ago we take pride in the fact that we came together as a nation in the days, months and years that followed. We rose to the challenge that fateful day and we still can. And why shouldn't we believe that? We are Americans.

I thank all our servicemen and women, in and out of uniform, for keeping us safe over the last eight years in the face of enormous odds.

Please thank a veteran today. They certainly do not look for those thanks, but they have more than earned it.

- Sarah Palin

The full essay is at the link. Also, Sarah Palin's Facebook page, "Sarah Palin: Remembering 9/11: We Are Americans."