Progressives Won't Condemn Savage Massacre of Jewish Family in West Bank Settlement of Itamar

At Business Week, "Netanyahu Urges International Condemnation of West Bank Murders."

Good luck with that.

There's a Memeorandum thread now, and while hardly representative, not one progressive blog is linked there. Maybe later, although the left-wing sources I'm seeing so far are not only refusing to condemn the massacre, they're blaming the settlers for the violence, saying that:

It was the first killing of settlers since four adults were shot dead in a drive-by shooting near Hebron on the eve of direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians in September. The talks stalled after three weeks following Israel's refusal to extend a freeze on settlement expansion in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, a pivotal issue for the Palestinians.

The West Bank has seen few militant operations in recent years as the Palestinian Authority has stepped up security measures as part of its efforts to build the basis of a future state. Last month, Israel removed the infamous Hawara checkpoint, close to Itamar, in an indication of improved security in the area.

But there has been continued tension between Palestinian villagers and hardline settlers, with regular skirmishes over the destruction of olive trees. Settlers have pledged to resist the evacuation of unauthorised outposts, which Netanyahu said last week would be completed by the end of this year.

Itamar, home to around 100 families, is an intensely nationalist-religious isolated settlement deep inside the West Bank. Nationalist-religious Jews believe they have a divine right to the land irrespective of legal ownership.

Well, wouldn't want to tweak the story, eh, Al-Guardian?

And then there's the notoriously pro-terror Mondoweiss, who pooh-poohs the killings while announcing that he's for the boycott. Hello, distinction without a difference, dickwad. The same BDS types are pushing to end the blockade, which will facilitate the increased smuggling of arms into Gaza. Duh. And here's this from the comments:

Accuse supporters of justice in Palestine of having double standards for not denouncing Palestinians for responding in kind to the atrocities committed upon them by settlers? As I recall there was such a discussion on MW with several commentators quite critical of the above mentioned killing of four Jewish settlers. And didn’t human rights organizations condemn this taking of life, just as they do with settler violence against Palestinians? Yet the violence (by far mostly IDF/settler on Palestinian) continues, which suggests that condemnation alone isn’t a major deterrence. Not when settler violence includes land and water theft, house destruction, chopping down olive trees, putting up illegal walls, denying sick people access to hospitals (which kills), attacking peaceful protesters, kidnapping and imprisoning members of various political parties. If the Israelis really are serious about ending the violence, why don’t they cease and desist in perpetrating all these acts of violence? That would really give peace a chance. Instead what do they do? Squeeze, squeeze, squeeze the Palestinians, waiting for one of them to break down and commit an act of violence, so that the settlers can leap up and shout “see, told ya so, they ain’t nothing but savages.” And they use this rationalization to justify squeezing down ever more on the natives, stealing more land, putting up walls and roads that chop the West Bank into tiny disconnected Bantustans, all the while so outlandishly righteous and self-serving. How to stop all the violence? Only one way, Justice for Palestinian, that’s how.

Nowhere in all of that is a condemnation of the killings. It's all Israel's fault. And of course "Justice for Palestine" is a euphemism for the extermination of the Jewish state, so the loyalties are pretty clear.

Sickening.

Of course, it's not the settlements, and it's not the olive trees, or whatever other faux-outrage of the progressive moment. Melanie Phillips comments, "And Still Western 'Liberals' Support These People":

We don’t yet know who perpetrated this latest atrocity. What must be emphasised however is that, quite apart from the open calls to genocide of the Jews by Hamas, as Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has said the ‘wild incitement’ by the Palestinian Authority against Israelis, perpetrated without remission through its educational materials, in its mosques and on PA-controlled TV, is directly to blame for creating the incendiary atmosphere of hysterical and fanatical hatred that gives rise to such savagery. Through these channels the PA indoctrinates its people into hatred of Jews and the glorification of mass murder of Israelis. As CAMERA has noted:

The brutal attack comes only days after a West Bank Palestinian youth center announced a soccer tournament named after Wafa Idris, the first female Palestinian suicide bomber, who killed an 81-year-old man and injured over 100 other Israelis... The killer undoubtedly internalized the message, reinforced time and time again, that it’s noble and heroic to kill Jews. The same goes for the person who planned the attack, and the one who transported the killer, and any other enablers.

In the light of this, the sickeningly ambiguous response by the Holocaust-denying PA ‘President’ Mahmoud Abbas was all too telling:

In a statement released by his office, Abbas ‘stressed his rejection and condemnation of all violence directed against civilians, regardless of who was behind it or the reason for it. Abbas added that ‘violence produces violence and what is needed is to speed up a just and comprehensive solution to the conflict.’ Earlier on Saturday, the Palestinian Authority said that there was no evidence of Palestinian involvement in the terror attack in Itamar.

Of course, a ‘just and comprehensive solution’ will only arrive when the Arabs stop promoting the genocidal murder of Israelis and the conquest of their country -- and when we no longer see as a result nauseating scenes such as in the picture above, where Gazan Arabs celebrated the murder of the Fogel family by handing out sweets.

Actually, we do now know who was responsible, or at least Fatah's al-Aksa Martyrs Brigades have claimed responsibility, to the desperate denials of the leadership of the Palestinian Authority. Aaron Goldstein, at American Spectator, responds to that:

The day I believe that Abbas, Fayyad and the Palestinian Authority want to live peaceably with Israel is the day they ... remove all anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli imagery from their televisions, their schools and their mosques and replace them with messages of acceptance and respect of Jews and Israelis. Until that day, I strongly maintain that the Fatah run Palestinian Authority wants to destroy Israel every bit as much as Hamas does.

And don't miss Assaf Wohl's piece at Ynet, "Following Attack, Leftists Must Decide Whether They're 'Useful Idiots' or Anti-Semites."

Also, more background at Ynet, "Horror in Samaria: Terrorist murders family of 5," and at New York Times, "Suspecting Palestinians, Israeli Forces Search for Killers of 5 West Bank Settlers."

And at Israel National News, "Photos of Fogel Family Murder."

RELATED: There is this, FWIW, at +972, "The entire activist Left must condemn the murder of the settler family":

The sheer viciousness of this cold-blooded butchery should have provoked furious condemnation from those unequivocally opposed to the targeting of civilians – Israel’s civil society, the Left and the activist (“radical”) Left. However, at the time of writing, only two organizations spoke out: B’tselem, which has done the most extensive work of documenting the opposite sort of violence – by settlers against Palestinians – led the way late Saturday morning, announcing on Facebook and on its website that it is “appalled by the attack in Itamar and strongly condemns it. Intentional killing of civilians is a war crime and is unjustifiable. The Israeli and Palestinian authorities must work to locate and bring to justice those responsible for the attack.” About an hour later, Physicians for Human Rights joined in, announcing that the organization “strongly condemns the appalling attack in Itamar and calls the state of Israel and the Palestinian Authority to act in order to bring those responsible individuals to trial. Once again we learn that fences and security systems are not a guarantee for security. Only brave steps towards peace agreement and putting end to the conflict will bring end to these murderous acts.”

The piece is updated with the announcement that two more leftist organizations have condemned the violence. But these so-called "activist" left groups obviously aren't authentically progressive, otherwise they'd be out with the Muslims in Rafah handing out candy in celebration.

Palestinians Celebrate Horrific Murder of Jewish Family in West Bank Itamar Settlement

This is why Israel maintains the wall. And really, what does this solve? Nothing. But it proves that Israelis have overwhelming reason to fear for their lives. Among the dead is an infant, Hadas Fogel, the youngest child of Udi Fogel, 36, and his wife Ruth, 35. Also dead are Yoav, 11, and Elad, 4. Three other children were orphaned by the murders. See Jerusalem Post, "Fogel family identified as victims of Itamar terror attack."

And at Ynet, "Gaza celebrates; Fayyad condemns terror attack" (at Memeorandum). Muslims in Gaza handed out candy in celebration of the barbarity. Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad condemned the killings, which is essentially meaningless, since Hamas applauded the slaughter:

IDF and security forces have been scouring the West Bank area since late Friday night, and have arrested 20 Palestinians from the villages of Awarta, Zababdeh, Sanur and Siliya. The IAF employed unmanned aerial vehicle in an effort to search for the suspects.

The Hamas movement accused the Palestinian Authority's security apparatus of arresting three of its activists near Qalqilya and Jenin.

"The report of five murdered Israelis is not enough to punish someone," said Hamas Spokesperson Sami Abu Zuhri, adding, "However; we in Hamas completely support the resistance against settlers who murder and use crime and terror against the Palestinian people under the auspices of the Israeli occupation soldiers."

A pamphlet distributed by the Islamic group said the PA also detained activists from Nablus, who were previously imprisoned and released.

According to an unverified report, Fatah's military wing – the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades – claimed responsibility for the attack. A group spokesman told a Palestinian news agency that a terror cell infiltrated the settlement of Itamar and committed the attack.

The spokesperson stressed that the attack "came as a response to Israel's continues hostile policy toward the Palestinian people."

I first saw this at Legal Insurrection, "Palestinian Terrorist Stabs Infant and Family to Death."

See also, Blazing Cat Fur, "Peace Loving Gazans celebrate murder of 3 month old Baby," Jawa Report, "Brave 'Mujahid' Murders Israeli Family of 5 Including Infant, Hamas Celebrates," and Weasel Zippers, "Palestinian Terrorists Stab Three Israeli Children and a Baby to Death While They Sleep, Gaza Residents Celebrate by Handing out Candy and Sweets…"

Also at Pamela's, "Muslims Celebrate Mass Murder with Passing Out Candy to Children." And Bare Naked Islam, "Palestinian vermin stab to death 5 Israeli family members, including 3 children, in their sleep."

RELATED: At Los Angeles Times, "Brutal West Bank killings shock Israel, stir fears of renewed violence."

Radiation Scare as Japan Copes With Blast at Fukushima Nuclear Plant

At ABC News, "Radiation Dangers Heightened at Japanese Nuclear Plant: Nuclear Expert Recommends Emergency Distribution of Potassium Iodine to Children Within Range of Reactor":Also, update on developments at Stratfor: "Officials Claim Positive Signs on Japanese Reactor":

New developments at Japan’s earthquake-damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear reactor No. 1 may suggest positive signs for authorities’ efforts to contain the problem. But many dangers and risks remain.

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said that while an explosion did occur at the plant, it did not damage the steel container around reactor No.1, where emergency workers are still struggling to cool down the reactor core after nuclear fuel rods were damaged following the failure of cooling systems due to the earthquake damage and short power supply. Edano said the explosion did not occur within the reactor container and thus did not lead to a large leak of radioactive material. The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency claims that radiation levels support the view that there has been no breach of the container around the reactor, though they have risen as a result of actions taken to relieve pressure in the container by releasing radioactive steam.

If accurate, these would be positive developments for the attempt to avert a meltdown in the reactor core ...

Also, previously at Time's science blog, "Nuke Plant Crisis Worsens as Radiation Levels Rise."

Plus, "Nuclear Meltdown at Fukushima Power Plant in Japan!", and "Meltdown at Japan's Fukushima Nuclear Plant?"

RELATED: At New York Times, "Japan Pushes to Rescue Survivors as Quake Toll Rises" (via Memeorandum).

Nuclear Meltdown at Fukushima Power Plant in Japan!

Well, maybe it's not as bad is it sounds.

Stratfor calls it a full meltdown, although still contained: "Red Alert: Nuclear Meltdown at Quake-Damaged Japanese Plant." (Via Mememorandum.) And a roundup at POWIP, "Video of Fukushima Nuclear Plant Explosion."

See also New York Times, "Explosion Rocks Japan Nuclear Plant After Quake," and Los Angeles Times, "Japan's fears mount with nuclear plant blast":

Officials try to calm residents wary of a possible radiation leak -- or worse -- at the Fukushima power plant, which lost its cooling system in Friday's massive earthquake. Nationwide, the death toll from the quake and tsunami could top 1,700.

Reporting from Tokyo and Beijing — A day after responding to one of the worst earthquakes on record and a massive tsunami, the Japanese government sought to allay fears of a radioactive disaster at a nuclear power plant on the country's battered northeastern coast.

The outer walls of the Fukushima power plant's No. 1 reactor were blown off by a hydrogen explosion Saturday, leaving only a skeletal frame. Officials said four workers at the site received non-life-threatening injuries.

The inner container holding the reactor's fuel rods is not believed to be damaged, said Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano, and workers were cooling the facilities with seawater.

In a press conference shortly after the explosion, which left the facility shrouded in plumes of gray smoke, Edano explained that the reactor is contained within a steel chamber, which in turn is surrounded by a concrete and steel building. Although the explosion destroyed the building, it did not occur in the chamber.

"The escape of hydrogen mixed with the air between the chamber and the concrete-and-steel building and led to the explosion," Edano said.

"Tokyo Electric Power Co. has confirmed that the inner reactor is undamaged," he added. "There was no massive release of radiation."

RELATED (WITH additional links and information): "Meltdown at Japan's Fukushima Nuclear Plant?"

Progressive Politics After Wisconsin's Budget Showdown

At Milwaukee's Journal Sentinel, "Walker signs bill removing most bargaining rights from public unions."

Interestingly, sleaze-blogger E.D. Kain went way out on a limb to suggest the budget finale was the "real Republican Waterloo." Kain's views are about as stable as a weather vane, and there's even less to recommend him in the smarts and decency department. So it's good that William Jacobson smacked him upside the head a bit. And following the links there takes us to Da Tech Guy, "Yes E.D. Kain Wisconsin is the Republican Waterloo …":

…they are playing the role of Wellington.

Was it only 48 hours ago that liberals buoyed by polls and news reports were convinced that Scott Walker and the republicans were about to back down?

Now not even one day after they were proved spectacularly wrong the left has decided on a new meme to replace the old one that didn’t seem to work. Apparently now this vote is a case of political suicide for Republicans. E. D. Kain is convinced this will be their doom:

And now conservatives have chosen public-sector workers and teachers as their hill to die on. They have followed the most radical voices in the party and the movement, and elected Scott Walker, Rick Scott, and various other Tea Party candidates. Heavily funded by big campaign donors like the Koch brothers and other corporate interests, the Republican party has made a concerted effort across the country to take on unions, public pensions, and social services for the poor.

It is to laugh. Apparently E. D. hasn’t figured out that the “interest” that public unions fight against is…”the public” that is the taxpayer.

Wow. These guys are just mopping up with this idiot.

That said, while some of the recent surveys have been badly skewed (from oversampling progressives and union members), the public has been pretty consistent in accepting collective bargaining rights while asserting that public workers should concede some givebacks on pay and benefits (see Gallup, "Americans' Message to States: Cut, Don't Tax and Borrow"). A lot depends on the economy, since economic recovery over the long term will take some pressure off state benefits and give unions a leg to stand on in negotiations. But this year's budget cycle is bad all around the country, and astute GOP leaders can make this about the larger conservative agenda of restoring limited government (and basic dignity) to the people. Progressives have gone over the top and out of control this last few weeks --- they're like possessed demons --- because conservatives have leftists by jugular. It's life or death out there, and honestly, Scott Walker pounded a stake to the progressive heart in Madison. Here's to wishing good tidings on similar efforts around the statehouses. See also, "Anger brews over government workers' benefits."

Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer on Fox Business 'Follow the Money'

Robert Spencer, at the initial segment, is just on!

And Pamela writes:

You'll enjoy this. Robert Spencer and I were on Eric Bolling's show on Fox Business. This is the first time we have appeared together on the same show. Very cool. Un-indicted co-conspirator, Hamas-linked CAIR joined also and "debated" Spencer, if you can call lies, deceit and ad hominem attacks a "debate" ...

Today's CAIR spokesperson was a doozy. Going by the name "Christina Abraham" (got that? looks like she's got the Christians and the Jews covered with that name), an uncovered Western-looking woman unleashed her fury on Robert. Apparently she is a devout Muslim, because in undercover footage of her urging Muslims not to cooperate with law enforcement, she is in full Muslim garb. Muhammad said, "war is deceit." Indeed. Watch the video -- there is nothing she doesn't twist or lie about ...

More lies. Why am I not surprised? And hey, is that Thers I hear chirping somewhere?

More of the Left's 'New Tone'

From Michael Stickings at The Reaction, "Fuck You, Peter King, You Bigoted Piece of Anti-Muslim Shit" (on Twitter).

I've never really been puritanical about profanity, but what is it with progressives? Dolt-douche Thers at Whisky Fire extols the virtues the f-ety f-word, and he'd rather have that than civility --- or he'd rather have some effin' profanity over the alleged effin' conservative liars he's been rambling about. Funny thing is, though, the lies of recent days have been the exclusive domain of the left, first with the Madison protests and yesterday with Keith "Crybaby" Ellison's boo-hoo testimony on Capitol Hill. It turns out that Ellison's whiny blather about Mohammed Salman Hamdani was an effin' fat one: "Grotesque Liar Keith Ellison's Crocodile Tears Over Made-Up Tale."

I doubt the makes the slightest difference to progressives like Michael Stickings and Thers. They'll hurl the f-ety f-word at effin' conservatives for any effin' reason.

Effin' dirtbags.

400 Little Mubaraks!

From Mary Katharine Ham, "Hammertime: Moore’s National Resources":

Meltdown at Japan's Fukushima Nuclear Plant?

It's not looking good, actually.

See LAT, "Post-quake events at Japan nuclear plant raise concerns":

A portion of Japan's nuclear reactors have been shut down in the wake of the earthquake and subsequent tsunami, but officials are worried about the Fukushima plant, where the emergency cooling system is problematic.

About 18% of Japan's 33 nuclear reactors have been shut down in the wake of the magnitude 8.9 earthquake that struck offshore Friday and triggered a massive tsunami, but officials are particularly troubled by events at one of them — the 480-megawatt Fukushima No. 1 plant in Fukushima Prefecture, where the emergency cooling system has not been functioning properly.

Emergency authorities have ordered the evacuation of all civilians in a two-mile radius around the power plant, a total of about 3,000 people, and are planning to vent slightly radioactive steam from the plant, which is located about 160 miles north of Tokyo. Those within a six-mile radius were warned to stay in their homes.

See also NYT, "Quake and Tsunami Leaves Wake of Destruction Across Northern Japan." And "Japan Orders Evacuation Near 2nd Nuclear Plant" (via Memeorandum).

RELATED: At Scientific American, "How to Cool a Nuclear Reactor."

Madrid Train Bombing 7-Year Anniversary

At ABC News, "Spain Marks 7th Anniversary of Terror Attacks: Spaniards remember their dead on 7th anniversary of Islamic terror attacks on that killed 191."

Also, another grim anniversary, at Legal Insurrection, "The Coastal Road Massacre - March 11, 1978":

Last year the Palestinian Authority proposed naming a town square after the female leader of the attack, Dalal Mughrabi, but put off the decision under pressure. Al-Jazeera regularly glorifies Mughrabiin its coverage, as well.

'Islamic Radicals Programmed and Trained My Son to Kill' — Melvin Bledsoe Testimony at House Homeland Security Committee Hearings on Radicalization

Mr. Bledsoe's testimony is here: "The Extent of Radicalization in the American Muslim Community and that Community’s Response."

It's riveting. And almost heartbreaking to hear how Mr. Bledsoe pleaded with his son, at 2:40 minutes, "not to take Dr. King's picture off the wall." That of course is not in line with the progressive narrative, I'll tell you. Kinda sad, when you think about it, how lamestream Democrats hijacked the hearings and thus effectively drowned out the messages of people like Mr. Bledsoe. Truth is the new hate speech, so look for the Bledsoe family to be sold up the river by the nihilist left. LAT has the story, "Hearings on U.S. Muslims Stir Passions":

Melvin Bledsoe, speaking in his deep Tennessee accent at a long-awaited House Homeland Security Committee hearing on the domestic radicalization of U.S. Muslims, said his son Carlos "was captured by people best described as hunters" after he converted to Islam.

"He was manipulated and lied to," Bledsoe said, recalling the events that preceded his son's arrest in an attack on an Army recruiting station and the death of a soldier.

His testimony that his son was radicalized by Muslims in Tennessee bolstered assertions by committee Chairman Rep. Peter T. King (R-N.Y.) that more needs to be done to investigate radical U.S. Muslims and convince Islamic leaders they must cooperate with authorities.

But prosecutors in Little Rock, Ark., where the 2009 shooting occurred, tell a different story. They believe Carlos Bledsoe, now known as Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad, was radicalized while abroad in Yemen, where he spent time with extremists in jail, and they have not charged him with terrorism. Rather, he likely will go to trial later this year on a state charge of capital murder.

That dispute symbolized the divide at the hearing, the first in a series that critics of King — Democrats on the panel as well as leading Muslim officials — said could exacerbate the problem of homegrown terrorism rather than help end it.

A defiant King said after the hearing that he had "broken down a wall of political correctness on an issue that needs to be addressed." At the beginning, he blasted his many critics, saying they had engaged in "paroxysms of rage and hysteria."

The Times reports that prosecutors say Carlos Bledsoe was not in fact "radicalized" in the U.S., but instead in Yemen, although it's been something of a revolving door, so that sounds like a distinction without a difference. Either way, listen to the testimony. Mr. Bledsoe is acompelling figure.

RELATED: At New York Post, "Dad reveals his torment over son's 'brainwash' by Islamists: Warns House panel of recruiting by Muslim 'hunters'." And, "The mindless left still won't face the truth."

Betty Friedan famously wrote about "the problem that has no name." Decades later, domestic Islamic radicalism bids fair to become the new nameless problem, at least if the left gets its way.

The outraged reaction to Rep. Peter King's hearings into the radicalization of the domestic Muslim community was so mindless, it bordered on a collective self-lobotomy. If the congressional committee devoted to homeland security -- which held hearings on "The Future of FEMA's Grant Programs Directorate" among sundry other topics during the past two years -- can't examine why some Muslims born and raised in the United States wage war on their own country, we might as well turn off the lights on our common culture.

Bingo! Climate Change Caused Japan Earthquake!

Well, I promised I'd "update with progressive reports that climate change caused it ..." So, right on cue: "Climate Change Fanatics Blame Japan Earthquakes, Tsunamis on Global Warming" (via Memeorandum).

Crescent City Harbor Destroyed by Tsunami

That's pretty amazing.

At LAT, "Tsunami: Much of Crescent City harbor destroyed; 4 people swept into sea, 1 feared dead [Updated]," and at SF Appeal, "Man Swept Out to Sea by Tsunami Waves Near Crescent City."

And minutes ago at ABC News, "1 Missing, 4 Rescued as Tsunami Hits West Coast."

Prayers to the family members.

Hundreds Dead in Japan Earthquake and Tsunami

Dramatic headlines at Los Angeles Times, "8.9 Earthquake Kills Hundreds in Japan." Also, at New York Times, "Japan’s Strict Building Codes Saved Lives."

Also at Michelle's and Memeorandum. I'll update with progressive reports that climate change caused it, and of course, leftists are already exploiting the crisis to attack the evil GOP: "Tsunami Relief and Preparedness Cut in GOP Budget Proposal: National Weather Service."

Dr. Barry Rubin, Lecture, Children of Jewish Holocaust Survivors, Los Angeles March 10, 2010

Sometime later I'll probably post to NewsReal Blog a summary of Dr. Rubin's lecture last night in Los Angeles.

Meanwhile, Dr. Rubin spoke of "revolutionary Islamism" as the most important current challenge to U.S. national security, far outstripping the importance of al Qaeda in policy planning. More on that at Rubin Reports, from December, "Poll Reveals Frightening Popularity of Revolutionary Islamism."

Also, from yesterday at Rubin Reports, "Why Does the Media Report the Opposite of What's True in the Middle East?" That's a nice synopsis of a good bulk of Dr. Rubin's talk.

More later.

Gabrielle Giffords Plans to Attend Husband's Shuttle Launch

Some good news amid all the progressive hatred and violence. At ABC News, "Rep. Gabrielle Giffords Plans to Attend Husband Mark Kelly's Shuttle Launch: Plans Could Change Depending Upon Health and Other Factors":

Look for the Union Label: Socialism

Look, some progressive asshats continue to deny the communist takeover of the progressive left, but hey, there's some truth in advertising when these thugs slap "Socialist Worker" on the bullhorns (via Althouse):

And be sure to peruse the revolutionary agit-prop at The Socialist Worker.

I should have more blogging later tonight ...

'Redistribution Nation' — 2nd Prize in Center for Freedom and Prosperity's First Annual Free Market Video Contest

I'll post more later. Gotta love it:

Betsy Liley Contradicts Initial NPR Statement on 'Refusing' $5 million Donation From Phony Muslim Education Action Center (MEAC)

Man, the hits keep coming.

At Big Journalism, "Newest Project Veritas Video Exposes NPR’s Deception; Time For Congressional Hearings." And Daily Caller, "New video: NPR was going to accept Muslim Education Action Center donation and hide it from the government":

New video released Thursday afternoon indicates National Public Radio intended to accept a $5 million donation from fictitious Muslim Brotherhood front group Muslim Education Action Center (MEAC) Trust – and that the publicly funded radio network might have helped MEAC make the donation anonymously to protect it from a federal government audit.

When a man posing as Ibrahim Kasaam asked, “It sounded like you were saying NPR would be able to shield us from a government audit, is that correct?” NPR’s senior director of institutional giving, Betsy Liley, responded, “I think that is the case, especially if you are anonymous. I can inquire about that.” According to conservative James O’Keefe, whose Project Veritas organization conducted the NPR sting organization, the man posing as Kasaam made two follow-up phone calls to Liley after their lunch.

Liley said a $5 million donation would amount to about “10 years of support.”

It's a long tape, but after 23:00 minutes you hear talk of keeping the donation quiet ... there are firewalls between news and funding, etc., and that NPR put the hush-hush on an earlier big George Soros donation. George Soros!

Man, this is wild.

At Hot Air as well, "New O’Keefe video: Sure, says NPR exec, we can hide a donation from a Muslim Brotherhood front group from the government" (and also Memeorandum).

Allah updates there with the news that NPR denies Liley speaks for NPR, although she is "Senior Director of Institutional Giving." Postmodern denialism, or something.

Death Threats Against Wisconsin GOP Officeholders

The volume of information coming out is overwhelming, but I'd be remiss not to report on this. The Twitter messages don't faze me, although I can't ever recall anything that bad occurring on the right wing. And William Jacobson asks, "Why do these people, many of whom are professionals, feel no fear in expressing such death wishes in the open?" The short answer is that these people have no morality and they feel no restraint, given the mass thuggery that's become the norm in Wisconsin, with the blessing of the White House, the Democratic Party, and the Big Labor interest group machine. It's progressive SOP :

More at Badger 14, "VIDEO: Democrat staff engineered mob’s unlawful invasion of Wisconsin Capitol Building." And get this, at Althouse, "Everybody wants to take a photo of a man wheeling the large pile of shit that has a "Hello My Name Is Scott Walker" sign stuck in it." So yeah, when the culture's reduced to equating the Governor of Wisconsin with a large pile of excrement, those death threats don't take long in coming. Charles Sykes had the big report today. Now this fazes me:

If you and your goonies feel that it's necessary to strip the rights of 300,000 people and ruin their lives, making them unable to feed, clothe, and provide the necessities to their families and themselves then We Will "get rid of" (in which I mean kill) you.

Sounds like how Scott Eric Kaufman wanted to "end me" --- which I don't doubt for a second. Murderous progressive bastards.

Sheila Jackson Lee — Hey, Muslims Are Hovering Because Someone Might Suggest They're Eager to Do Terrorist Acts, or Something

No, we wouldn't want to suggest that Muslims were eager to do terrorists acts!

Whoa! That is whacked!

Gotta love that "living breathing Constitution," although I'm not exactly sure how that relates here, since no one's saying you can't be Muslim, and of course the hearing's not about constitutional interpretation, or whatever. The background's at Daily Caller, in any case: "VIDEO: Sheila Jackson Lee’s rant at terrorism committee hearing." Yeah, I can see where folks might have a hard time working with her:

Crybaby Keith Ellison

Jeez, maybe Barack Hussein's cold, uncaring exterior's a good thing.

Look, I cry when I go to the movie theaters. Other than that, I try to put a handle on it.

At Daily Caller, "Muslim congressman breaks down in tears during committee hearing on Islamic extremism":

Rep. Keith Ellison, one of two Muslim members of Congress, broke down in tears while delivering his testimony in defense of the Muslim community during a House Committee on Homeland Security hearing Thursday.

The Minnesota Democrat ended his testimony with the story of 23-year-old Mohammad Salman Hamdani, a Pakistani-born American who was killed in New York on Sept. 11, 2001 while trying to save victims from the World Trade Center buildings. Before his remains were found near the north tower, rumor spread that he had been involved in the killings.

Ed Morrissey responds to the allegations that the King hearings are a "witch hunt":

The problem with describing these as “witch hunts” is that there were no actual witches to be found. In this case, we’ve not only been repeatedly attacked by radical Islamists from abroad, but also from within as well. Anwar al-Awlaki has American citizenship, for instance, and has become one of the most dangerous terrorist leaders in the world. He inspired Major Nidal Hasan’s massacre at Fort Hood, Faisal Shahzad’s attempt to bomb Times Square, just to name two recent plots, and may have had a hand in the Zazi plot as well.

King and others in this hearing have gone out of their way to repeat that they are looking into radical Islam as a major problem in home-grown terrorism. Even that won’t satisfy Ellison, who seems determined to shout (or sob) down any attempt to talk about the nature of radical Islam and the threat to national security it represents as somehow an attack on all Muslims. Ruth Marcus isn’t fooled ...

Follow the link to the Marcus essay, and more.

I can only imagine the lulz we might see in an upcoming attack ad: Planes bursting into flames as they slam into the Twin Towers? Fade into Keith Ellison bawling on Capitol Hill.

Mohammad Salman Hamdani, who gave his life on 9/11, is a hero. Keith Ellison, not so much.

Wisconsin Protesters Retake Capitol!

Remember, as I noted previously, it's an occupation, not a sleepover.

So yeah, get this. At Gateway Pundit, "LEFTIST FREAK OUT!… Wisconsin Loons Lock Capitol Doors." Following the links there takes you to Ann Althouse, but she's updated with video from the scene, "Meade's video of the scene at the Capitol tonight":

I'll have updates later today.

Meanwhile, I'm still not convinced that progressive unrest is having an upside for the Democrats. We'll see? For now though, Nate Silver has this, "Wisconsin Dispute Could Mobilize Democratic Base."

Cool! Possible DDoS Attack on Little Green Footballs Forthcoming!

Barrett Brown reports that he already hit King Charles (via Diary of Daedalus). But it wasn't a full-blown denial of service attack --- yet. I communicated with Barrett by e-mail today and he said that, yeah, it was "a more precision manner in retaliation for his conduct vis a vis Anonymous. He may face a ddos simply because his failure to acknowledge why his site was down ...." The reference is to the Lizard Dork's entry, "Midday Open Thread and Server Reboot."

Pamela has more, "Back at the Psych Ward."

Great News! Firedoglake Launches Benefactor Membership Program!

Hey, act now!

In addition to the phenomenal benefits listed below, benefactors will enjoy the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own their very own 8 1/2" x 14" glossy Sarah Palin F-Me Pumps photograph dribbled with T-Bogg's spooge!

For as little as $45/year, you get:

✓ Personalized membership card

✓ Discounts from progressive partners

✓ Invitations to members-only planning sessions

✓ Access to exclusive FDL chats & discussions

And don't miss Hammering Jane Hamsher's solicitation essay, where she indicates that FDL is going after the NPR model of membership and philanthropy journalism --- and hey, Jane's definitely got a good start on catching NPR in the anti-Semitism department (yay!, no more Joe Liebermans!). So what are you waiting for?!! You too can be part of the elite club of progressives slamming "racist" tea partiers as inbred stupid f#&kety f#&ks! Go progs! Sign up today!

Eyes Wide Shut: Unbundling the Middle East — Lecture by Dr. Barry Rubin

Tonight, at the Luxe Hotel on Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles.

Full details here.

Hope to see you there!

Wisconsin Republicans Pass Collective Bargaining Bill Without Democrats

At Weekly Standard, "Breaking: Without Democrats Present, Wisconsin Senate Voting on Largely-Intact Budget Repair Bill," and New York Times, "Wisconsin Senate Limits Bargaining by Public Workers" (via Memeorandum):

CHICAGO — The bitter political standoff in Wisconsin over Gov. Scott Walker’s bid to sharply curtail collective bargaining for public-sector workers ended abruptly Wednesday night as Republican colleagues in the State Senate successfully maneuvered to adopt a bill doing just that.

After a three-week stalemate, Republican senators pushed the measure through in less than half an hour even as the Senate’s Democrats remained many miles away, trying to block the vote. Democrats in the State Assembly complained bitterly, and protesters, who had spent many days at the Capitol, continued their chants and jeers.

The Republicans control the Senate but had been blocked from voting on the issue after Senate Democrats left the state last month to prevent a quorum. But the Republicans used a procedural maneuver Wednesday to force the collective bargaining measure through: they removed elements of Governor Walker’s bill that were technically related to appropriating funds, thus lifting a requirement that 20 senators be present for a vote. In the end, the Senate’s 19 Republicans approved the measure, 18 to 1, without any debate on the floor or a single Democrat in the room.

The remaining bill, which increases health care and pension costs and cuts collective bargaining rights for public workers in the state, still needs approval from the State Assembly on Thursday morning, but that chamber approved the measure once before, and many in Wisconsin’s Capitol now consider approval a foregone conclusion.

More at Althouse, "Chaos at the Wisconsin Capitol tonight."

Progressives Mount All-Out Attack on King Hearings

I've said it before, but I'm sometimes ashamed to call progressives my fellow Americans. They simply don't represent American values, and in fact they're working to subvert them, and weaken the country. Case in point today is the despicable rationalization against Rep. Peter King's hearings on domestic radical Islam: "As King Targets Muslims, There Have Been Almost Twice As Many Plots Since 9/11 From Non-Muslim Terrorists." Domestic terrorism cases, no matter the background, are serious matters. Yet statistically, the list doesn't serve Think Progress very well. Sixty-seven of the alleged attacks cited are by "right-wing extremists" and "KKK/NeoNazi/White Supremacist." Five of the alleged plots were mounted by "unknown" assailants. Three were mounted by "Christian Extremists/Anti-Abortion" activists, and two were "by anti-immigrant extremists." Finally there was one attack by an "anti-Semitic extremist" and an anarchist, Joseph D. Konopka, who was identified by the FBI as a "lone wolf" terrorist. No doubt neo-Nazis and KKK terrorists are bad actors, but I'm not seeing much here that rivals the barbarous scale of Islamist jihad, which time after time has shown its relentless and implacable campaign to murder Americans on a scale equal or greater to September 11, 2001.

Jawa Report offers more on the absurdity of Think Progress:

Muslims are thought to be about .08% of the total US population. Cross Worshipers, pardon me I've been hanging with too many Muslims, are about 85% with Jews and heathens representing the rest (just kidding).

Of course lumped in with Christians are the "lost"who just happen to live in a Christian nation. Do you really believe that 98 percent of the French are devout? Muslims don't make that distinction. Born Muslim, you are Muslim, axe murderer or not. Kind of like being French.

So that means that one third of all incidents come from a small minority of a small minority of 8/10 of one percent of the folks out there.

And you're telling me you want to brag on these statistics? I'm all for skin head hearings, gang hearings, Mexican drug cartel hearing as well if you like.

Wait a minute? Don't we have those already? We do? So why not one about Islamic radicalization?

Think Progress updates its report with the news of today's arrest of the suspect in the Spokane bomb plot, who is alleged to be a member of the neo-Nazi National Alliance.

Of course there's no mention at the Soros-funded smear-site of Mohamed Mahmood Alessa and Carlos Eduardo Almonte, who pleaded guilty in New Jersey last week to plotting attacks on non-Muslims in the United States. The men were caught last year as they were boarding planes bound for Egypt. They admitted plans to join with al-Shabaab, a virulent al Qaeda branch in Somalia.

See Religion of Peace for more on these folks ("List of Islamic Terror Attacks For the Past 2 Months"), and at FrontPage Magazine, "King Hysteria Grips the Left."

Workforce Fairness Institute: 'Big Unions, Big Money, Big Payback'

At The Hill, "Video seizes on union leader's boast of daily contact with White House." And Gateway Pundit, "New Video Seizes on Big Union’s Daily Briefings With Obama White House":

More progressive dirtbag scumsuckers.

Ann Althouse Slams Lying Abe 'Sauerkraut' at The Awl!

No doubt THERS = DOUCHEBAG will register his outrage, considering how much he hates lying scumbags, or something.

I commented on this previously while smacking down Thers on the Wisconsin clean-up. The Awl's post is here, "Class War: Who Were Those Folks at the Madison Budget Address? Ann Althouse's Husband, For One."

And Ann responds, "Abe Sauer — blogging at The Awl — goes on a bizarre rampage about Meade getting in to see Scott Walker's budget address." Check especially the part where Sauerkraut lied about State Representative Brett Hulsey's office not providing tickets to Gov. Walker's speech:

Meade spoke to Hulsey's office yesterday, and they said they would not disclose such information about their constituents. Maybe Sauerkraut thinks it's important, newsworthy information about me and Meade. Is it? I think you'd first want to know what the procedure is for getting into a Governor's speeches and whether there's anything amiss if a legislator gives a ticket to someone outside of his district.

Sauer didn't bother to do the research before he began flinging mud shredded pickled cabbage around. Meade, however, did the research. It turns out the Governor's office controls the tickets to his speeches. That's true now, and it was true in the past when there were Democratic Governors. The Governor's office distributes some tickets directly and gives other to the majority and minority leaders of both houses, who then pass those out however they want. (If Hulsey, a freshman, didn't get any tickets, it was, I think, his own party leader's decision.) Now, the minority leader of the senate is one of the fleebaggers. So no tickets went that way. Anyway, one of the legislators who had tickets to distribute offered me 2, and I accepted the one for Meade. (I had to teach a class.)

OMFG!! WHAT A SCANDAL! I doubt that'll stop the scumbag progressives from smearing Athouse as sucking Koch.

Muzzammil Hassan Gets 25 Years-to-Life in Sensational New York Honor Killing Case

At Weasel Zippers, "Moderate Muslim Who Founded TV Network to Depict Muslims in “Everyday Real-Life Situations” Gets 25 Years for Beheading His Wife."

Violent progressive thug religion.

RELATED: At NewsReal Blog, "Inside the Mind of an Islamist: 5 Keys to the Psychology of an Honor Killer."

Vivian Schiller Fired!

James O'Keefe claims a huge prize on this one. NPR CEO Vivian Schiller has been fired at National Public Radio. The report is here: "NPR CEO Vivian Schiller Resigns" (via Memeorandum):

As we reported earlier, NPR media correspondent David Folkenflik was on Morning Edition earlier and said that he's been told Schiller was forced out.

And from yesterday, "Vivian Schiller Shocked — Shocked! — at NPR Exec's Bigoted Attack on Racists Conservatives and Zionists Jews."

O'Keefe targeted NPR in response to its treatment of Fox News analyst Juan Williams, and here's a flashback from last year:

California's Hispanic Challenge

At WSJ, "Hispanics Surge in California":

Latino children for the first time made up a majority of California's under-18 population in 2010, as Hispanics grew to 37.6% of residents in the nation's most populous state.

A new U.S. Census report showed the state's non-Hispanic white population fell 5.4% over the past decade, a continuing trend offset by a 27.8% surge in Hispanics and 30.9% increase in non-Hispanic Asians.

Though in decline, white Californians remained the state's largest demographic group at 40.1%. But demographers said Hispanics were poised to take the lead.

Underlying the demographic shifts, California grew at its slowest pace in the past decade in more than a century. The population rose 10% to 37.3 million, an increase in line with the national average.

As in California, Hispanics are gaining ground in many other states, such as North Carolina, as whites are on the verge of becoming a minority among all newborn children in the U.S.

The report released Tuesday is the latest to indicate major shifts in where Americans live. Census figures released earlier this year showed that Chicago's population fell to its lowest level in 90 years.

Other census figures showed that blacks migrated to the faster-growing South from cities in the Northeast and Midwest in the greatest numbers in decades. That boosted North Carolina, whose population rose 18.5% in the decade—compared to the nationwide rate of 9.7%.

In a first, California failed to gain a congressional seat in the latest census count. Los Angeles experienced its lowest numeric increase since the 1890-1900 Census, growing 2.6% to 3.8 million. The state's slower growth reflected tough economic times but also an exodus of Californians to less crowded Western states

"The big story for California is it's now becoming an anchor rather than a magnet in the West," said William Frey, demographer and senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. "It is still able to disperse its population and culture throughout the West."

Some of the demographic changes could reshape politics in the Golden State.

In the conservative bastion of Orange County, for example, minorities for the first time passed whites to become the majority of the population, according to the census figures. Because many minorities are Democrats, political observers say that trend could dilute the historic strength of the Republican Party there over time.

Yeah. Tell me about it. Now if we could just get a good lot of these folks speaking English.

RELATED: At the Center for Immigration Studies, "A Day in the Life of an Arizona Rancher: Border Fences, Illegal Aliens, and One Man’s Watchtower":

'Gays Getting Married Is Not Perverse. Lying About Climate Change - That's Just F#&king Disgusting'

Sick. I know.

That's a really f#&king angry THERS = DOUCHEBAG, who says f#&kety f#&k f#&k f#&k it to the "new tone." Funny, though, it's lefties who called for it in the first place, despite getting burned for blood libel on the Giffords shooting:

My argument is and has been that civility is a lesser value than truth, and that any individual or group without a demonstrable commitment to reasonable norms of discerning truth that is conceded to have a place in any discursive situation perceived to have any sort of "official" social sanction is exercising a wholly pernicious function and deserves a swift, forceful punch to the genitals.

The Public Discourse is debased when liars dominate it, not when people say "fuck."

Well, of course, I beg to differ, especially since Thers is about as dishonest as they come. And a domestic enemy, to boot:

you peer through the darkness, billy clubs aimed.
they smash ya once or twice till ya don't look the same.
ya gotta know who your enemy is.
the enemy.
ya gotta know who your enemy is.
the enemy.

they rope ya to a time clock.
to keep you on the line.
and now your losin' the pieces of your mind.
ya gotta know who your enemy is.
the enemy.
ya gotta know who your enemy is.
the enemy.

the newsmen are lying.
drawing line like black & white.
makin' you believe it's your brother you gotta fight.
ya gotta know who your enemy is.
the enemy.
ya gotta know who your enemy is.
the enemy.

Vivian Schiller Shocked — Shocked! — at NPR Exec's Bigoted Attack on Racists Conservatives and Zionists Jews

The clip below's from Big Journalism, "NPR Chief: Point to Specific Stories Where We’re Biased":

But see Kerry Picket, at Washington Times, "NPR CEO dodges questions on NPR willingness to accept donations from supporters of Muslim Brotherhood" (audio):

Following remarks to the National Press Club on Monday, NPR President Vivian Schiller refused to answer my questions about whether or not NPR would be willing to accept donations from any group that backed Sharia law or supported the Muslim Brotherhood ...

And Roger Simon nails it, "The Protocols of the Elders of NPR."

Also, some lamestream media attention at NYT, "Lawmakers’ Fire, NPR Sees New Setback":

The chief executive of NPR, Vivian Schiller, who is unrelated to Mr. Schiller, said in an interview that she was shocked by the comments.

“I consider them an affront to NPR as a news organization; those comments were really contrary to what we stand for, everything we do,” she said, declining to single out specific comments because she did not want to repeat them.

Mr. Schiller and another NPR executive who attended the lunch, Betsy Liley, were put on administrative leave, Ms. Schiller said, “while we review the situation.” Mr. [Ron] Schiller had been scheduled to leave NPR in the next several weeks for a job at the Aspen Institute, a move that officials said was unrelated to the video.

In a statement issued later Tuesday, Mr. Schiller said: “While the meeting I participated in turned out to be a ruse, I made statements during the course of the meeting that are counter to NPR’s values and also not reflective of my own beliefs. I offer my sincere apology to those I offended.”

Referring to his scheduled departure, he added, “In an effort to put this unfortunate matter behind us, NPR and I have agreed that my resignation is effective today.”

Not reflective. Right.

More at CNN, "Activist says he targeted NPR because of Juan Williams firing" (via Memeorandum).

National Palestinian Radio

Bare Naked Islam has the perfect headline, "NPR executive caught on tape bashing Christians and Jews, praising Muslims."

I read Ed Morrissey's account earlier today. He covers most of the bases and suggests that the discussion on public/private funding is the key moment of the tape. The tea party racism stuff is typically boring, although the section on the need for more progressive elites is pretty good. But by far the most damning sections are those in which Ron Schiller is shown nodding approvingly as actors Ibrahim Kasaam and Amir Malik roll off a litany of anti-Semitic statements. And not only does Schiller remain nonplussed, he laughs at NPR's designation as "National Palestinian Radio," and vigorously defends NPR as untainted by "Zionist" influence. Meryl Yourish responds:

So the Jews Zionists control the media, except at NPR, and this guy, who has a Jewish last name, is only too happy to agree with undercover citizen journalists posing as Muslims offering $5 million to NPR. So, Ron Schiller — are you Jewish? Because if you are, that makes your actions even more offensive.

Yeah. It's pretty bad, but typical for the Israel-hating left. The fact that NPR executives are meeting with a (fake) pro-Sharia outreach group claiming ties to the Muslim Brotherhood is mind-boggling, but again, par for the course. See Washington Times, "NPR seeks funding from Sharia backers."

See also The Blaze, "NPR Issues New Statement: Exec Put on ‘Leave’ & We Need Public Funding." And Memeorandum.

Updates coming ...

Cantor Rips National Public Radio: 'Taxpayer Dollars Should No Longer Be Appropriated to NPR'

I'll post the video later, but here's this from The Daily Caller, "Republicans tee off on NPR after latest O’Keefe video":

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, Virginia Republican, ripped National Public Radio (NPR) on Tuesday after NPR foundation’s nonprofit president Ron Schiller was caught on video saying the radio network and most of its member stations would survive without federal funding.

“As we continue to identify ways to cut spending and save valuable resources, this disturbing video makes clear that taxpayer dollars should no longer be appropriated to NPR,” Cantor said in an e-mail to TheDC. “Not only have top public broadcasting executives finally admitted that they do not need taxpayer dollars to survive, it is also clear that without federal funds, public broadcasting stations self-admittedly would become eligible for more private dollars on top of the multi-million dollar donations these organizations already receive.”

The NPR and public broadcasting defunding debate has heated up as of late, and the new video conservative activist James O’Keefe released emboldens their cause. Congressman Doug Lamborn, Colorado Republican, told TheDC “it’s amazing, the attitude that these guys have,” and their “arrogance and condescension” is “just amazing.”

The initial exposé is here: "NPR executives caught on tape bashing conservatives and Tea Party, touting liberals" (via Memeorandum). Also at POWIP, "Latest O’Keefe Sting: NPR Exec Ron Schiller."

Expect updates. Meanwhile, John Cole doubles down on the racist allegations.

Muslims Were Literally Threatening to Kill Blazing Cat Fur!

Muslims threatening to kill Jews? Michael Coren quips, "I don't believe that for a moment."

The key section starts around 4:00 minutes, via Blazing:

New F#&king Tone: Wisconsin Senate Democrats 'Misleading the Public' on Plans to Return to Capitol

At WaPo, "Wisconsin's Walker accuses Senate Democrats of blocking negotiations" (via Memeorandum):

A chance to end the legislative standoff that has paralyzed the Wisconsin government for weeks seemed to slip away Monday after Gov. Scott Walker (R) accused the leader of the state Senate Democrats of blocking negotiations to end the impasse ...

The governor said members of his staff seemed to be making progress in negotiations with some of the absent Democrats, only to have Senate Minority Leader Mark Miller stand in the way. He also accused Miller of being in the pocket of organized labor, whose leaders Walker blames for escalating the conflict into a national drama.

"Senator Miller is misleading the public, just like he misled us," Walker said, adding that Miller was also "misleading his own caucus."

Word.

PREVIOUSLY: "The New Tone — Mary Katharine Ham."

IMAGE CREDIT: Grandpa John's.

The New Tone — Mary Katharine Ham

"The F#&king New Tone Is Finally F#&king Here!", via Glenn Reynolds.

Perfect. Progressive douchebags. Like Thers.