Indianapolis resident Kathie Smith made headlines this past week when Fox News reported that she has drawn the attention of the FBI and Homeland Security after posting a YouTube video that featured her and her husband, Salahudin ibn Ja’Far, dressed in jihadist garb and glorifying a group of terrorists who had attempted to bomb a US military base in Germany.
In a recent interview on a local news channel, the 46 year-old grandmother (who now goes by the Muslim name “Zubaida”) complained about being targeted for extra scrutiny by Homeland Security agents when she is flying to and from Germany to visit her 28 year-old Muslim husband.
DUH...ya think?
Gosh, a Muslim convert who posts jihad videos on YouTube and "friends" herself with Islamic terrorists on Facebook...what possible concern could the TSA have with a passenger like that? I can only hope she has gone through an enhanced pat-down if she is ever sitting next to me on a flight!
In the eyes of an Islamic jihadist, we in America are the infidels. The United States is the "Great Satan." According to the tenets of Sharia Law, we must either convert to Islam or be subjugated and destroyed. We, along with Israel, the "Little Satan", are the primary targets of the worldwide jihad.
What it clearly boils down to is that anyone who supports jihad is advocating violent acts of war against the United States. People with common sense might reasonably classify that as treason.
Smith claims she is being hassled because she is exercising her First Amendment rights to free speech. I am the strongest supporter of the First Amendment that you will ever meet, but when it comes to treasonous speech, we have to draw a line.
Article 3, Section 3 of the Constitution states: "Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court."
Could a reasonable person conclude that associating with known terrorists and making videos sympathetic to their cause is adhering to the enemy and giving them aid and comfort?
My heritage traces back to German immigrants who came to the Midwest in the early 1900s. Indianapolis is home to multitudes of German descendants.
During World War II, you absolutely did NOT find any local German-Americans strutting about wearing swastikas and singing the praises of the Fuhrer. This is because these people were Americans first, and loved this country, and would never want to support an enemy of the USA.
Also, anyone crazy enough to have done such a thing would have been locked up, and rightfully so. We have wonderful freedoms in America, more than anywhere else in the world, but we do not have the right to betray our country.
Kathie Smith has no more right to live in Indianapolis and advocate our destruction in 2010 than my grandparents would have had to fly Nazi banners from their front porch in 1942.
Any culture that is so muddle-headed that it allows foreign enemies, or home-grown traitors, to operate with impunity is a society slowly committing suicide by stupidity. It's a kind of cultural Darwinism -- a nation too spineless to defend itself will eventually become extinct.
Our Constitution is the most magnificent political document in human history. All Americans cherish the guarantees of freedom it contains. But our liberties do not constitute a suicide pact. We all have a responsibility to defend the United States from enemies foreign and domestic. Our elected officials and military personnel declare an oath to that effect when they are sworn into service.
For the preservation of our culture -- for the sake of our children -- we have an obligation to deal swiftly with traitors.
Kathie Smith should be charged with treason and jailed, or deported to the Islamic utopia of her choice. Under no circumstances should she, or anyone else advocating jihad, be allowed to operate freely in our midst.
Such people have chosen to betray us. By supporting jihad, they are supporting the war against America.
For more information on this story:
Keeping Tabs on Granny Jihad
Fox 59 News Report
Friday, December 31, 2010
Hope You Liked That $4 Gas
I originally posted this blog in November 2009. You may have missed it. I have decided to re-post since it is now more timely than when originally written. Only now, things are even worse, since President Obama has halted new drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. I hate to say I told you so, but...
Okay, boys and girls, settle into your seats for a quick lesson in Remedial Economics from Professor Dave.
First, a little background:
You may recall that in the summer of 2008, before the last general election, gas prices passed the $4 per gallon mark. This understandably caused quite a ruckus among consumers, and we beseiged our representatives in government with demands that something be done to correct the situation.
With an election looming on the horizon, liberal Democrats (and their RINO buddies) reverted to their standard election year schtick: making whatever noises they thought the voters wanted to hear, with no intention of ever actually following through.
Suddenly, the very legislators who have continuously blocked opening up federal lands for energy exploration were all on board the "drill here, drill now" express. The voters are upset - gas prices are too high - so let's put on a show!
Everyone from House Speaker Comrade Pelosi to the lowliest junior Rust Belt congressman was suddenly barking about energy independence. Democrats brayed in loud TV sound bites about lifting the congressionally-imposed ban on offshore drilling that has been in effect for decades, and which has hampered our domestic energy production.
And we the people, being the gullible dunces we are, once again bought it. Liberals were swept into power in 2008, and given total control of the government. It reminds me of Lucy holding the football for Charlie Brown. For some reason, poor old Charlie Brown always tells himself that THIS TIME Lucy will do the right thing.
Have we heard a peep out of Democrats in Congress about increasing our energy production since they won the election? That answer would be NO! Liberal politicians never intended to follow through on those snake-oil campaign promises. Imagine that.
So, boys and girls, back to our economics lesson. Though some people say that the only sure things in life are death and taxes, I feel confident in adding a third: the law of supply and demand. If supply exceeds demand, prices fall. If demand exceeds supply, prices rise.
(This principle is too simplistic for sophisticated Ivy League Liberals to grasp, but trust Professor Dave on this one, it is a cold hard fact of life.)
Early last year, before our economy took that nose-dive into the Great Recession, we had shared in several years of robust growth in the global economy. Business was booming all over the world, and especially with the Indian and Chinese economies growing by leaps and bounds, demand for oil and refined petroleum products was at an all-time high. Supplies were being squeezed. Prices were rising accordingly.
In the U.S., demand for gasoline had grown to the point that our domestic oil refineries could not keep up, and we were forced to import gasoline from foreign refineries. (We can also thank liberals for the fact that we have been unable to construct a new oil refinery in this country in the past 25 years.) Under those circumstances, why was anyone with an IQ above room temperature surprised that prices would rise?
It's all about supply and demand. Demand was higher than supply, so we paid through the nose for our gasoline.
But as events unfolded, and the Great Recession of 2008-2009 cooled down the global economy, the world's demand for oil plummeted. Oil reserves grew while demand kept falling, and we witnessed the inevitable result: gasoline prices fell 50% in less than a year. Last spring, prices in central Indiana were down to around $2 per gallon.
So we all fell asleep at the switch. Minus the prodding of public pressure for action, liberals in Congress reverted to their default mode of stifling our domestic energy production. All of those campaign promises about energy independence were wiped off the table, and since gasoline was cheap again, most of us didn't pay much attention.
For some reason, it has not dawned on the majority of us that the only reason gasoline prices dropped was because the economy was in the toilet, and that as the economy begins to recover and global demand rises, we will be back to record high oil prices in the very near future.
The global demand for energy will keep growing, and unless the supply grows with it, we will be sending billions more of our dollars (and hundreds of thousands of energy-sector jobs) to our friends overseas like Hugo Chavez and the Mullahs of Iran.
Thanks to the inaction of our government, we are stuck in exactly the same vulnerable position that we occupied two years ago. We are constrained from developing and expanding domestic energy production, and forced to purchase the lifeblood of our economy at premium prices from unstable foreign suppliers, many of whom don't like us very much.
Unless we change direction, we'll soon be filling up with some more of that $4 gas. Shucks, if we throw in a little Obama-stimulus-induced inflation and a hiccup in the Middle East we might even get to see prices of $5 or $6 per gallon.
And since this is just a Remedial Economics lesson, we won't even begin to discuss the obvious national security dangers of depending on hostile nations to supply us with the fuel that we need to survive.
Our only hope is to move aggressively towards energy independence. We need to unleash the brains, brawn and capital of the domestic energy companies that can make that goal a reality. We need to demand that our government get on board the energy express, or at least get out of the way.
Repeat after me: "Supply and demand. Supply and demand."
Class dismissed.
Okay, boys and girls, settle into your seats for a quick lesson in Remedial Economics from Professor Dave.
First, a little background:
You may recall that in the summer of 2008, before the last general election, gas prices passed the $4 per gallon mark. This understandably caused quite a ruckus among consumers, and we beseiged our representatives in government with demands that something be done to correct the situation.
With an election looming on the horizon, liberal Democrats (and their RINO buddies) reverted to their standard election year schtick: making whatever noises they thought the voters wanted to hear, with no intention of ever actually following through.
Suddenly, the very legislators who have continuously blocked opening up federal lands for energy exploration were all on board the "drill here, drill now" express. The voters are upset - gas prices are too high - so let's put on a show!
Everyone from House Speaker Comrade Pelosi to the lowliest junior Rust Belt congressman was suddenly barking about energy independence. Democrats brayed in loud TV sound bites about lifting the congressionally-imposed ban on offshore drilling that has been in effect for decades, and which has hampered our domestic energy production.
And we the people, being the gullible dunces we are, once again bought it. Liberals were swept into power in 2008, and given total control of the government. It reminds me of Lucy holding the football for Charlie Brown. For some reason, poor old Charlie Brown always tells himself that THIS TIME Lucy will do the right thing.
Have we heard a peep out of Democrats in Congress about increasing our energy production since they won the election? That answer would be NO! Liberal politicians never intended to follow through on those snake-oil campaign promises. Imagine that.
So, boys and girls, back to our economics lesson. Though some people say that the only sure things in life are death and taxes, I feel confident in adding a third: the law of supply and demand. If supply exceeds demand, prices fall. If demand exceeds supply, prices rise.
(This principle is too simplistic for sophisticated Ivy League Liberals to grasp, but trust Professor Dave on this one, it is a cold hard fact of life.)
Early last year, before our economy took that nose-dive into the Great Recession, we had shared in several years of robust growth in the global economy. Business was booming all over the world, and especially with the Indian and Chinese economies growing by leaps and bounds, demand for oil and refined petroleum products was at an all-time high. Supplies were being squeezed. Prices were rising accordingly.
In the U.S., demand for gasoline had grown to the point that our domestic oil refineries could not keep up, and we were forced to import gasoline from foreign refineries. (We can also thank liberals for the fact that we have been unable to construct a new oil refinery in this country in the past 25 years.) Under those circumstances, why was anyone with an IQ above room temperature surprised that prices would rise?
It's all about supply and demand. Demand was higher than supply, so we paid through the nose for our gasoline.
But as events unfolded, and the Great Recession of 2008-2009 cooled down the global economy, the world's demand for oil plummeted. Oil reserves grew while demand kept falling, and we witnessed the inevitable result: gasoline prices fell 50% in less than a year. Last spring, prices in central Indiana were down to around $2 per gallon.
So we all fell asleep at the switch. Minus the prodding of public pressure for action, liberals in Congress reverted to their default mode of stifling our domestic energy production. All of those campaign promises about energy independence were wiped off the table, and since gasoline was cheap again, most of us didn't pay much attention.
For some reason, it has not dawned on the majority of us that the only reason gasoline prices dropped was because the economy was in the toilet, and that as the economy begins to recover and global demand rises, we will be back to record high oil prices in the very near future.
The global demand for energy will keep growing, and unless the supply grows with it, we will be sending billions more of our dollars (and hundreds of thousands of energy-sector jobs) to our friends overseas like Hugo Chavez and the Mullahs of Iran.
Thanks to the inaction of our government, we are stuck in exactly the same vulnerable position that we occupied two years ago. We are constrained from developing and expanding domestic energy production, and forced to purchase the lifeblood of our economy at premium prices from unstable foreign suppliers, many of whom don't like us very much.
Unless we change direction, we'll soon be filling up with some more of that $4 gas. Shucks, if we throw in a little Obama-stimulus-induced inflation and a hiccup in the Middle East we might even get to see prices of $5 or $6 per gallon.
And since this is just a Remedial Economics lesson, we won't even begin to discuss the obvious national security dangers of depending on hostile nations to supply us with the fuel that we need to survive.
Our only hope is to move aggressively towards energy independence. We need to unleash the brains, brawn and capital of the domestic energy companies that can make that goal a reality. We need to demand that our government get on board the energy express, or at least get out of the way.
Repeat after me: "Supply and demand. Supply and demand."
Class dismissed.
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Jesus Who?
I've heard about everything this Christmas season except "Merry Christmas!"
Looking over the cards we have received here at Smith Manor, I am struck by the amazing number of ways we can weasel around saying anything that has to do with baby Jesus. You remember him - the God-Man, born of a virgin, came to offer himself for the sins of the world - yeah, that's the guy I'm talking about. We used to understand that Christmas was celebrated in his honor.
But now, well, it is "Happy Holidays", "Season's Greetings", "Winter Greetings", whatever. Anything but "Merry Christmas."
The Daily Mail website recently reported that the British Red Cross has banned Christmas references from any decorations in its fund-raising shops in Britain, so as not to offend Muslims.
Another recent Daily Mail article reported on some interesting facts about Christmastime in Nazi Germany.
No surprise, Hitler was not a big fan of Christmas. The Mail article states, "Hitler believed religion had no place in his 1,000-year Reich, so he replaced the Christian figure of Saint Nicholas with the Norse god Odin and urged Germans to celebrate the season as a holiday of the ‘winter solstice’, rather than Christmas."
It is always the same with tyrants: Religion has to go. No worldview or belief system can be tolerated that might challenge the supremacy of the all-powerful state.
So when people try to tamp down public expressions of faith, or marginalize the role of Christian values in our society, or make it politically incorrect to say something as simple and beautiful as "Merry Christmas", I not only become irritated, I become alarmed.
Because whenever people feel the need to suppress faith in God, there is an agenda involved. And it never leads to anything good.
Looking over the cards we have received here at Smith Manor, I am struck by the amazing number of ways we can weasel around saying anything that has to do with baby Jesus. You remember him - the God-Man, born of a virgin, came to offer himself for the sins of the world - yeah, that's the guy I'm talking about. We used to understand that Christmas was celebrated in his honor.
But now, well, it is "Happy Holidays", "Season's Greetings", "Winter Greetings", whatever. Anything but "Merry Christmas."
The Daily Mail website recently reported that the British Red Cross has banned Christmas references from any decorations in its fund-raising shops in Britain, so as not to offend Muslims.
Another recent Daily Mail article reported on some interesting facts about Christmastime in Nazi Germany.
No surprise, Hitler was not a big fan of Christmas. The Mail article states, "Hitler believed religion had no place in his 1,000-year Reich, so he replaced the Christian figure of Saint Nicholas with the Norse god Odin and urged Germans to celebrate the season as a holiday of the ‘winter solstice’, rather than Christmas."
It is always the same with tyrants: Religion has to go. No worldview or belief system can be tolerated that might challenge the supremacy of the all-powerful state.
So when people try to tamp down public expressions of faith, or marginalize the role of Christian values in our society, or make it politically incorrect to say something as simple and beautiful as "Merry Christmas", I not only become irritated, I become alarmed.
Because whenever people feel the need to suppress faith in God, there is an agenda involved. And it never leads to anything good.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Shortcomings of the Canadian Model
Mark Steyn is the funniest prophet of doom I have ever read. Here is a link to a great piece he did for Hillsdale College concerning the Canadian economy and it's health care system. READ MORE
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