Reagan's Vision?

In 1983 , the Cold Warrior Ronald Reagan proposed an "anti-missile system" effectively placing a shield around the United States to protect it from incoming ballistic missiles. Although never deployed, the concert of the Strategic Defense Initiative has lived on ever since.

U.S. Navy Successfully Tests Sea-Based Missile Defense System

April 26, 2007 10:01 p.m. EST

Matthew Borghese - AHN Staff Writer

Washington, D.C. (AHN) - The U.S. Navy and Missile Defense Agency (MDA) have successfully stopped a ballistic missile, shooting it down with an interceptor missile launched at sea.

Using the Standard Missile-3 (SM-3), which was developed by Boeing and Raytheon, and the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) Weapon System, the guided missile cruiser USS Lake Erie shot down an incoming missile launched from the Navy's Pacific Missile Range Facility on Kauai, Hawaii. The kill was the eighth successful test of the Navy's short- to intermediate-range ballistic missile defense.

Debra Rub-Zenko, vice president of Boeing Integrated Missile Defense explains, "This test successfully demonstrated the modified SM-3 Kinetic Warhead's performance for the first time in an exo-atmospheric intercept. The test showed that modifications made over the last two years have been effective and the SM-3 and its Kinetic Warhead provide the system performance needed by the warfighter to defeat ballistic missile attacks."

"Boeing is proud to be a member of the industry team committed to providing this extraordinarily effective operational capability to MDA and the Navy."

According to Boeing, "once the Aegis BMD system guided the SM-3 to the right point in space, the SM-3 kinetic warhead successfully acquired the target and computed an accurate guidance and control intercept trajectory for the hit-to-kill intercept."

Saudi Arabia and Islamic World Dominance

There are many, who either out of blindness or stupidity, refuse to acknowledge that Islam is engaged in a world wide campaign of terrorism and conquest. At the core of Islam is the unrelenting need to expand. Mohammed accomplished this with the sword, not by the inherent beauty of Islam. The Koran – the verbatim words of Allah – prescribes violence against non-Muslims and Muhammad is the perfect example of the Koran in action.

Following the death of Muhammad, his 'rightly-guided' successors carried his wars to three continents, fighting, enslaving, and massacring countless Christians, Jews, Zoroastrians, Hindus, and others. Again...Islam did not spread through evangelism or through its natural appeal, but through aggressive wars of conquest.

How many Judeo-Christian prophets preached violence and world domination?
Has there been extreme violence perpetrated in the name of Christianity?
Of course there has but by doing so, they have perverted the teachings of Christianity.
That's a major difference.

We are fighting only on one front of Islamic expansion. There are many other fronts and behind most of them is Saudi Arabia..our good friends.

Nationalism and Islamic Radicalism

One reason Indonesia has come down hard, but carefully, on local Islamic radicals, is because the goal of the radicals has some disturbing political implications. The main Islamic radical group in Indonesia, Jemaah Islamiya, doesn't just want to turn Indonesia into an Islamic religious dictatorship, but also wants to create a new nation that grabs territory from neighbors (parts of the Philippines and Thailand, as well as all of Malaysia).

This bit of nationalism, for a "Greater Indonesia," has a certain popular appeal, and the Indonesian government doesn't want to do anything that would turn this fever dream into a widely publicized one.

The Indonesians are also moving carefully with the increasing amount of evidence they have about the involvement of wealthy Saudi Arabians and local Islamic terrorists. Much of the cash that Jemaah Islamiya needs to keep its key people in action, comes from these Saudi Arabians, and the Saudi government seems unable, or unwilling, to stop it. The Saudis don't see it that way, and insist that they have persuaded the wealthy, pro-Islamic radical Saudis to stop sending cash to killers.

Let's not forget where the majority of the 9/11 hijackers came from and how Saudi Arabia "officially" disavowed them. al-Taqiyya is the Muslim art of lying and they are very proficient at it.

But the Saudis won't release any details, and no one is releasing, or even has, reliable data on just how much cash is coming out of Saudi Arabia, and headed for Islamic terrorists. Indonesia, and its neighbors, have caught a few of the couriers, and the cash they were carrying. Counter-terror experts in the region also note that, before 2001, this cash was moved via Pakistan and Afghanistan. Back when the Taliban gave al Qaeda a home in Afghanistan, there was an effort to hide the origins of the Saudi cash by moving it out using couriers moving via Pakistan.

Indonesian counter-terrorism efforts have kept the local terrorists on the move, and unable to launch many attacks. Same deal in Malaysia. But in the Philippines and south Thailand, the violence is growing. What is unique in the Philippines and Thailand is the presence of non-Muslims. This makes it easier for the Islamic terrorists to kill someone and not offend the local Muslims so much. When terrorists kill people in Malaysia and Indonesia, they can't easily avoid creating lots of Muslim victims. This is very bad for their image, and recruiting prospects.

The Islamic radicals are quick to exploit the "them versus us" angle. Islam makes much of that, which is something most Muslims don't like to dwell on. The rest of the world has largely gotten beyond religious wars. But not Islam, and the core beliefs of al Qaeda, Jemaah Islamiya, and similar organizations is the need to kill and oppress non-Muslims. You can get away with this, up to a point.

But in the end, you have to confront the fact that the non-Muslims possess most of the military power, and nearly all the nukes.

Eye on the Ball

From Anna Nicole to Don Imus and now it's Cho Seung-Huiu. All of these stories warrant news attention, some more than others. Anna Nicole captured nonstop 24/7 news coverage for weeks. The 24-hour news services covered autopsy results to custody hearings but in reality, Anna Nicole was nothing more than a curiosity. Don Imus made us revisit racial stereotypes and double standards. Important topics but not anything new. The Virginia Tech tragedy will live on through our collective memory for years to come as does Columbine. Gun-control and deadly violence in our schools are significant issues that require the attention they are currently receiving...But as we wait for the next big news story that will capture the entire nations attention and imagination, the most important news of our time isn't getting the full attention it deserves.

Islamic fascism is waging a nonstop war against us but stories of Islamic insurgency do not capture the ratings of a juicy Hollywood death or even that of a radio jockey self-destructing on the airwaves. I have been just as guilty as CNN or Fox. I have lost focus on why I started blogging. Debates over gun-control and race are necessary but they are divisive and there are other venues. I need to rededicate myself to bringing attention to what I believe is the most important issue of our time. The West is not the only victim of Islamic fascism, it also targets Buddhists, Hindus and any other faith or non-faith it touches.

Islam used as 'camouflage for prison gangs'

The New South Wales Government says it will crack down on prisoners using Islam as a guise for gang activity.

The Supermax jail in Goulburn is home to 37 of the state's worst offenders.

The NSW Government says 12 of them have recently converted to Islam.

State Attorney-General John Hatzistergos says he is concerned they are instead engaging in gang activity.

"It's important when we're dealing with the worst of the worst offenders that we're not hoodwinked into thinking they've had some sort of cathartic experience because they've taken up religion," he said.

Bloomberg on Target

Again, I feel the need to reiterate my position on the Second Amendment. I am opposed to any restriction that prevents law abiding, mentally stable citizens from purchasing guns.

• Mayor Continues Fight Against Illegal Guns
• While speaking out against illegal guns Wednesday at an event in Jersey City, Mayor Bloomberg scoffed at the suggestion that students in Virginia would have been better off if they were armed.
• One gun rights advocate group says that Monday’s tragedy at Virginia Tech may have been avoided if the students were able to arm themselves on campus.
• "I can't think of anything dumber than to say lets give all students on campus a gun,” said the mayor in response. “In some senses I hate to even answer the question because it's sick."

Arming the student body is not the answer. Cho sent more than enough signals to Professors, police, mental health professionals and even to fellow students. Education that leads to identification and prevention will save more lives than having 25,000 armed college students.

Arming Students?

Let's be clear. I support the 2nd Amendment. Honest CITIZENS (not foreign nationals) should have the right to bear arms. But suggesting that students carry arms so that future tragedies such as this might be prevented borders on ridiculous.

Future tragedies? Despite the coverage campus violence gets in this country, this is not a common occurrence. I believe the saturation coverage probably does more to influence copycats than any other factor.

By far, most high school and college campuses are safe places but when events such as this occur, there will be those who call for extreme measures. Armed students are far more likely to kill themselves accidentally then they are at stopping a rampaging student.

Gun-rights advocates call for arming students

NEW YORK — A gun-rights advocate said Tuesday that if Virginia Tech students and employees had been armed they would have been able to defend themselves in the rampage.

"The only person who is responsible to defend you is you - the police are incapable of defending each and every one of us all the time," said Mike Stollenwerk, 44, co-founder of Open Carry.org, a Virginia-based gun-rights networking group.

In Virginia, anyone 21 years of age or older holding a concealed handgun permit can carry a weapon. But Virginia Tech and other colleges across the state have policies that prohibit bringing weapons onto campus.

"If there were no restrictions, then somebody might have been able to stop him," said Bradford Wiles, a Virginia Tech graduate student, referring to Cho Seung-Hui, the 23-year-old student responsible for the rampage.

This rates as one of the dumbest ideas I've ever heard. Let's keep our schools free of guns. Education, not 9 mm handguns, is the answer.

By Invitation Only

It's been a crazy week so far and it's not over yet.

The American Israeli Patriot: John Edwards Bad Hair Day

The American Israeli Patriot: John Edwards Bad Hair Day

Something light on a mournful day.

A True Hero

The word HERO is often overused in today's society...but this man is truly an American hero.

Israeli professor killed saving students at Virginia Tech

A 75-year-old Israeli professor and Holocaust survivor was killed in the massacre at Virginia Tech on Holocaust Memorial Day, Monday when he leaped between the gunner and his students. He held the classroom door shut while students escaped through the window.

According to eye witnesses the heroic action of Liviu Librescu, a lecturer in the Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics, saved the lives of an unknown number of students in his class. Asael Arad, an Israeli Virginia Tech student told Army Radio that "all the students lived -- because of him," The Jerusalem Post reported.

Librescu's wife told the NRG Web site that her husband had loved his job with "all his heart and his soul."

Librescu was a gifted scientist in Communist Romania, and the government tried to prevent him from moving to Israel. He was eventually allowed to leave the country after then Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin made a special appeal to President Nicolae Ceausescu, Ynetnews reported.

Librescu immigrated to Israel from Romania in 1978 but moved to Virginia in 1986 for his sabbatical and had remained their ever since. The professor has two sons, one named Arieh who lives in Israel, and another, Joe, who resides in the US.

Librescu was described by his colleagues as a "true gentleman."

He was one of 32 people killed in what has been described as the biggest single shooting attack in US history. The attacker, who has yet to be positively identified, but who has been described by some witnesses as a young Asian man, went on a killing spree in two attacks. It is unknown whether the gunman was a student and in investigators gave no motive for the attack.

***A Holocaust survivor who died on Holocaust Memorial Day...saving the lives of his students.

This question came to me while visiting other sites that also were covering this tragedy.
Should we allow non-American residents the right to purchase guns in this country?

White Man's Pilgrimage

I don't get it.

A white man makes a racial slur and then goes groveling to one of this country's most well-known racist? First it was Michael Richards, now it's Don Imus.

Will an apology no longer be accepted unless you prostrate yourself to the king of racism...Mr. Al Sharpton?

Don't get me wrong, Don Imus is a jerk and his statement in reference to the Rutgers women's basketball team was reprehensible and racist. He needs to apologize...but not to Al Sharpton.

Let's take a look at the black version of David Duke. His history is filled with race baiting and polarizing events. He has turned racism into a career path.

Did Imus ever go out of his way to share a stage with the likes of Khalid Muhammad -- a gay-bashing, Jew-hating, anti-Catholic racist -- or praise him as "an articulate and courageous brother?" Of course not. But Sharpton did.

Nor did Imus ever go on the radio to demand that a "white interloper" -- the Jewish owner of a Harlem clothing store -- be forced out of business, or whip up a racial protest that ended with seven people dead in a horrific arson attack. But Sharpton did.(1995)

Did Imus lead a vitriolic campaign to vilify the young white woman raped and viciously beaten in the Central Park "wilding" case in 1989 -- a campaign in which demonstrators chanted her name in public when most of the media refused to print it and accused her boyfriend of being the real assailant? Sharpton did.

Other key Sharpton missteps:
1987 Tawana Brawley hoax.
1991 Yankel Rosenbaum stabbed to death.

If Sharpton were a white skinhead, he would be a political leper, spurned everywhere but the fringe. But far from being spurned, he is shown much deference. Democrats embrace him. Politicians court him. And journalists report on his comings and goings while politely sidestepping his career as a hatemongering racial hustler.

I don't get it.

Tagged Twice!

First it was Always on Watch, who is without doubt, one of the leading voices in our blogging community and then it was Mad Zionist whose political views on Israel, I am in complete agreement with.

Thinking Blogger Award Winner






American Crusader — He focuses on those who desire to undermine Western civilization. When he took a brief hiatus last year, I missed him terribly.

American Crusader - His site is a rightwing, Christian Zionist ranting zone with a good deal of research to back up is arguments. He offers well prepared posts and is completely unafraid to say it like it is. His fearless approach, as you might suspect, is a trait MZ digs in a blogger.

• Rules of participation
• Should you choose to participate, please make sure you pass this list of rules to the blogs you are tagging. The participation rules are simple:
• 1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think.
• 2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme and know who thinks so highly of you!
• 3. Optional: Proudly display the ‘Thinking Blogger Award’ with a link to the post that you wrote.

I appreciate the recognition, but in the past, I have not participated in tagging anyone because I didn't want to make them feel pressured to continue the tag.
In this case, I need to make some compromise because I really do admire both MZ and Always on Watch.
So I will face the wrath of the blogging gods by naming 5 blogs that inspire me BUT remove any obligation to continue the tag.
Heaven help me...

OK, here goes.
1. Freedom Now for his clear analytical thought and thorough posts. If you want to get the best of him, you better be prepared to PROVE your point. Opinions will get smacked down unless you can back them up with facts.

2. NeoCon Command Center. The hits keep coming from this site. A relentless fighter against Islamofacism and Dhimmitude. Cross the line, and you might be the featured guest. Hillary, Rosie and Nancy Pelosi frequently do.

3. My Republican Blog. Gayle's weekly Wednesday's Hero is a touching tribute to those on the frontline in the War on Terror. Never one to shy away from the tough topics, if you're looking for political correctness, you need to look elsewhere.

4. Steve's Hodgepodge. Easily one of the most underrated blogs out there. Never backing down, Steve goes after our elected officials whenever they play dhimmi to CAIR or other Islamic groups. Uncompromising, he is a tireless worker and right wing strong arm. If you were on the battlefield, Steve is someone you would want to share your foxhole with.

5. Urban Infidel. Talking the talk is one thing, but this tough lady walks the walk. She is out there on the streets of New York taking the fight to the Appeasement Activist and Code Pinkos who burn the American flag and spit on our troops. Her pictures are often featured in Little Green Footballs and at her site.

There are so many other blogs that inspire me, Beaks, Woman Honor Thyself, Hellenic Reporter, Curtains, Farmers Letters, American Israeli Patriot, that I could continue this list indefinitely. Some of these sites have already been nominated and many more are deserving.

Sending The Wrong Message

Nancy Pelosi, by holding talks with the Syrian government, is emboldening enemies of the United States and sending them the message that the U.S. is divided in its support for the war on terror.
But she is also sending out a more basic message.
Wearing her scarf of female submission, US Democrat Speaker of the House entered Islamic Syria during the week prior to Easter. Personally, I was surprised that she didn't don a full burqa. Pelosi has reinforced the Islamic belief that women are the property of their fathers or husbands.

It seems that some have received the message:

Father murders daughter in new Jordan honor crime
April 10, 2007

AMMAN -- A prosecutor has charged a Jordanian man with murdering his daughter for "honor" after forcing her to undergo an abortion for a pregnancy out of wedlock, the Jordan Times reported Tuesday.

The criminal prosecutor charged the 68-year-old suspect with premeditated murder after he shot dead his 26-year-old daughter Monday "for reasons related to family honor," the daily said.

The victim was shot six times in the head and the neck and when police arrived at their home, the suspect "fired several rounds in the air, saying he was celebrating the killing of his daughter," one official said.

"I have cleared the family's name and cleansed my honor," the official quoted the suspect as saying, the newspaper said.

According to the report, the victim was allegedly involved with a married man and two weeks ago her family discovered she was pregnant.

"The family ... arranged for her to undergo an abortion and an operation to restore her virginity," and then locked her up at home before the suspect shot her dead, the source said.

The victim was the seventh woman reportedly murdered in a so-called "honor crime" in conservative Muslim Jordan since January, the daily said.

Kuwaiti father slit his daughter's throat
April 7, 2007

KUWAIT CITY -- A Kuwaiti father who killed his 13-year-old daughter by slitting her throat was Saturday ruled "not responsible for his actions" and ordered to undergo psychiatric treatment.

The court ruling, which can be appealed, was based on a report by a special medical commission which concluded that he was mentally ill.

Adnan Al Enezi, 40, blindfolded and handcuffed his daughter Asmaa in January 2005 before murdering her because he thought she was no longer a virgin.

During the killing, Enezi changed the first knife for another with a sharper blade while his daughter bled and screamed in pain and as her two brothers and a sister looked on.

Forensic examinations later proved that Asmaa was still a virgin.

Remember the Show the "Flying Nun"?

The show featured Sister Bertrill(Sally Field), the 90 lb. Nun who was picked up by any stiff breeze due to the large headgear of her Puerto Rican convent. Today we have a new perverted version of the religious comedy called the "Flying Imams". No longer a light comedy but a darker, more dangerous show. Instead of doing God's work, the "Flying Imams" are more interested in killing than life. The casting was done by CAIR, a supposedly civil rights organization that in reality is an organization dedicated to Jihad and death.

Last November, US Airways removed six Muslim clerics from a flight preparing to depart Minneapolis after several passengers - including other Muslims and Arabic speakers - noted them behaving suspiciously.

Their activities included moving between seats, praying ostentatiously and repeatedly bringing up Osama bin Laden's name in Arabic.

They were, in other words, spoiling for an incident.

They got it.

Responding to passenger concerns, the captain kept the plane on the ground and alerted the FBI. The imams were removed and questioned for several hours.

Of course, the story didn't end there.

Last month, claiming civil-rights violations, the clerics filed a federal suit against US Airways and the Minneapolis/St. Paul Metropolitan Airports Commission.

The suit also seeks to force the airline to reveal the identities of the "John Doe" passengers who reported the possible threat, so that they, too, can be sued - individually.

Such an action must be seen for what it is - rank intimidation.

If the imams are successful, what potential witness would ever want to come forward to report suspicious activity?

New York Rep. Peter King (R-Nassau) introduced legislation in the House to protect people who report suspicious behavior from legal liability.

King's amendment passed, 304-121, but faces an uncertain future in the Senate.

That such legislation is even necessary is as absurd as the fact that the suit was allowed to go forward in the first place.

But such is the power of the tort bar.

Mayor Bloomberg supports King's bill and encourages New Yorkers to feel free to step forward.

That's refreshing, given the conflicting messages that the city is inadvertently sending: On the one hand, subway stations and cars are filled with signs that say, "If you see something, SAY something."

Conversely, Omar Mohammedi, a member of the city's own Human Rights Commission, is the lead lawyer representing the imams.

But this suit is about more than just a runaway tort bar.

Its genesis comes from a key Muslim activist organization in the United States, the Council of American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) - which is paying Mohammedi.

CAIR promotes itself as a "civil rights" group - when in fact it has expressed support for such terrorist groups as Hamas and has seen several of its former officials and staffers convicted of terror-related charges. (It has also received millions in funding from Saudi sources.)

Previously, CAIR focused its intimidation strategy on media and political figures who dared to criticize the organization or any actions undertaken in the name of Islam.

With this suit, it is pretty clear CAIR is setting its sights higher - and lower.

It will score a major victory if it can intimidate everyday Americans into remaining silent if they believe they see the beginnings of a terror attack.

CAIR certainly wouldn't be the only group to benefit from such a circumstance.

Not by a long shot.

It's time to rid the American landscape of CAIR. Maybe our elected leaders will do the job, but more likely, it will be left to ordinary Americans like ourselves willing to do whatever is needed.

Dummycrats...Stupid? Dangerous? Or Both?

I had planned to take the entire week off but I couldn't let this pass without a few words.

Iran's "magnanimous" decision to release its 15 military hostages as "a gift to the British people" - along with Prime Minister/Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi's treasonous sit-down with Syrian President for Life Assad - eclipsed a significant revelation about what the Democratic takeover of Capitol Hill really means.

The Military Times newspapers disclosed yesterday that Democrats on the House Armed Services Committee have instructed staffers to stop using the phrase "global war on terror."

Instead, according to a March 27 memo obtained by the publications, the staffers were told to refer simply to "the war in Iraq" and so on.

It's as if 9/11 never happened. Let's pretend radical Islam doesn't exist. We can all put flowers in our hair and sing John Lennon songs.

Remember 9/11?

I do, but apparently the Democratic Party doesn't. Either that or their policy is the equivalent of sticking their heads in sand(or up their own ass).

As House GOP leader John Boehner noted: "How do Democrats expect America to fight and win a war they deny is even taking place?"

After all, while the Democrats may not be interested in global terror, the global terrorists are interested in America. Do the Democrats really not believe this? Were the events of 9/11 an aberration? A one-day event?

Meanwhile, it's time to consider the lessons of the concluded hostage event.

* Did Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad blink?

* Did British Prime Minister Tony Blair offer secret concessions?

* Or did Iran just decide it had milked the kidnapping for its maximum propaganda value? A strategy that has worked before.

Tehran claims that the British government apologized in a note to Iranian diplomats. Tony Blair vehemently denies any apology.

Whatever happened, it's important not to forget that Iran - a state sponsor of terror, after all - precipitated the crisis by kidnapping British military personnel.

Unfortunately it seems most Americans get their news from Bill Maher, Rosie O'Donnell or other such unbiased sources and probably believe that this was an American ploy aimed at starting war with Iran or some other loony conspiracy plot.

If Iran is rewarded for releasing the hostages, the world becomes a marginally more dangerous place. That's always the way with criminals.

Speaking of criminals, let's get back to "Prime Minister" Pelosi who had sat down with Syria's President Assad, the guy who for years now has been allowing terrorists to slip freely across his border into Iraq - the better to kill American GIs and Marines.

Assad also helps arm Hezbollah and Hamas, who use their weapons primarily against Israel. Just the person I would want to play dhimmi to.

When she emerged, everything was sweetness and light (see picture below).

"We were very pleased with the reassurances from the President that he was ready to resume the peace process; he was ready to engage in negotiations for peace with Israel," said Pelosi.

Interesting that Nancy would rather believe Assad then her own President. Maybe Cindy Sheehan has her under a spell?

And didn't she look good with her headscarf? Nice message she was sending. I wonder what her feminist constituents think about it? Maybe dhimmitude isn't on the feminist agenda.

Then Pelosi added a message from Prime Minister Olmert saying that he was ready to engage in peace talks, as well.

Too bad she delivered the wrong message according Olmert, who denied he authorized her to send any message.

It isn't easy being Prime Minister and Speaker of the House.

Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday

The Wednesday after Quinquagesima Sunday, which is the first day of the Lenten fast.

The name dies cinerum (day of ashes) which it bears in the Roman Missal is found in the earliest existing copies of the Gregorian Sacramentary and probably dates from at least the eighth century. On this day all the faithful according to ancient custom are exhorted to approach the altar before the beginning of Mass, and there the priest, dipping his thumb into ashes previously blessed, marks the forehead -- or in case of clerics upon the place of the tonsure -- of each the sign of the cross, saying the words: "Remember man that thou art dust and unto dust thou shalt return." The ashes used in this ceremony are made by burning the remains of the palms blessed on the Palm Sunday of the previous year. In the blessing of the ashes four prayers are used, all of them ancient. The ashes are sprinkled with holy water and fumigated with incense. The celebrant himself, be he bishop or cardinal, receives, either standing or seated, the ashes from some other priest, usually the highest in dignity of those present. In earlier ages a penitential procession often followed the rite of the distribution of the ashes, but this is not now prescribed.

My daughter (11 years old) is up from Atlanta for Easter so I will be back next week.