Renowned architect Frank Gehry (who happens to be Jewish) has pulled out of the proposed Museum of Tolerance that the Simon Wiesenthal Center has planned to build. The site for the museum in Jerusalem is an old Muslim cemetery. The Wiesenthal Center's decision to proceed at the site irrespective of the sacred nature of the land has led to strong opposition from everywhere. Gehry's decision is to be applauded and appreciated. Send notes of appreciation to info@foga.com
What is most ironic in the whole story is the intolerance of the "Museum of Tolerance". On their website, the Simon Wiesenthal claims to be a "human rights organization dedicated to repairing the world one step at a time". I guess their definition of repairing the world is removing all evidence of Palestinian existence in furtherance of the Zionist state.
http://www.infocusnews.net/content/view/44272/1339/
I guess the next thing we are going to hear is that Gehry is an anti semitic self hating Jew. From one semite to another, pick a better site if you want to have any semblance of credibility.

More irony from the Jewish American front is the controversy between the Republican Jewish Coalition and the National Jewish Democratic Council.

Read the details at http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/01/25/jewish-political-groups-spar-over-anti-semitism/#more-87011

What is interesting from the story is that anti semitism is expanded beyond just beliefs or sayings that are prejudiced against semites (Note: Jews aren't the only Semites). Anti semitism is failing to repudiate abusive Holocaust comparisons and anti-Semitic remarks. So you are anti semitic if you don't automatically seek out all anti semitic statements and unacceptable holocaust comparisons and repudiate them expeditiously. It alse seems that for one to use the word holocaust in a comparison, you have to acquire the intellectual property rights.

www.occupation101.com

Israel has paid the UN for its deliberate attack on a UN Aid center in Gaza during its assault on the impoverished refugee slum last year. I hope this will be followed up by Israel owning up to its crimes against the Gazans themselves and moving out of the occupied land and paying the victims. (Dream on, right?)

The funny thing is their attempted justification - trying to prevent rocket attacks. Hmmm.... The UN Aid center, ambulances carrying injured, journalists and others were all intentionally targeted by these criminals. And as I quoted prior, Israel reassured its troops it would defend them against war crimes charges. Which should be forthcoming, in light of the Goldstone Report, which according to Israel and the US is a piece of Palestinian propoganda (too bad the respected judge Mr Goldstone is himself Jewish - I guess next he will be labeled a self hating Jew). And of course, the venerable Israeli occupying administrator of the West Bank, Mr Abbas, has declined war crimes charges in exchange for the ability to enrich himself further by putting up some more cell phone towers....

As much as I would like to say any of the above is made up or conspiracy babble, it is all fact.

Here's the news on the payment to the UN
http://us.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/meast/01/23/israel.un.gaza/index.html?hpt=T2

On the bright side, those poor Gazans have reached into their impoverished pockets, and tried to help those stricken in Haiti.

http://www.euronews.net/2010/01/18/earthquake-in-haiti-palestinians-in-gaza-donate-to-haiti/

For more on the Israeli occupation, I highly recommend Occupation 101

A former informant/agent provocateur the Feds used to implicate some alleged terrorists has sued the FBI. And his claims only further strengthen the case that the feds are not just having some agents or others go undercover and inform, they are setting up the crimes for the alleged culprits and framing them. Craig Monteih whose cover was blown a while back for his work in Southern California claims
""Assistant United States Attorney Dierdra Eliot gave Mr. Monteilh special permission, by and through a signed Federal document, to engage in jihadist rhetoric, including but not limited to conducting terrorist operations, possessing weapons and initiating conversations to further terrorist acts against the United States,""

So he was authorized to engage in rhetoric, including conducting terrorist operations, possessing weapons and initiating, not being involved in, conversations to further terrorist attacks.

What is especially ironic is the article claims that the individual implicated by Mr. Monteih is accused of jihadist rhetoric. Is that even a crime? What does it mean anyways and what happened to free speech?

Read more at http://www.ocregister.com/news/monteilh-230643-fbi-suit.html

This reminded me of a similar case in Illinois years ago, where a gentleman's business and home was raided by the anti terror task force. Years later, he was finally charged, but the alleged crime had nothing to do with terrorism. He was charged with defrauding his investors. Who was the source of the evidence and claim? An informant. And where was the informant? In jail on unrelated fraud charges. So the defendant was unable to face his accuser or counter the evidence. Even the purported victims of this crime testified in the defense of the gentleman and the prosecution presented absolutely no evidence of him being enriched by his alleged fraud. Yet he was convicted, and spent around 5 years in federal prison.

By the way, the FBI breaking or stretching the law to enforce the law has become all too common. They illegally obtained phone records by making up threats.

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/terrorism-security/2010/0119/FBI-got-2-000-phone-records-with-fake-terrorism-emergencies-report

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/18/AR2010011803982.html

Again, you could not make this up if you tried.
In Israel, a show of recovered stolen antiquities was put on. And guess what happened?

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE60K4YC20100121?feedType=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews&rpc=69

The stain of Guantanamo keeps growing and growing. The President seems to have made some strides towards closing the shameful US landmark in the Caribbean. The occupants, the majority of whom have been held 3-9 years with no formal charges or trials, have been victims moreso than we have known. Harpers Magazine has put together a story of the killing of three guantanamo inmates in one day, whose deaths attributed to suicide were referred to brilliantly in the following shameless statement:
"I believe this was not an act of desperation,” he said, “but an act of asymmetrical warfare waged against us.”

My lord please grant me wisdom and patience. If they were suicides (and there is plenty of history in Guantanamo of suicides and suicide attempts, and the attempts by the authorities to stop those), can you seriously blame the culprits/victims? Put me in a no mans land jail for years with no charges and no trial, subject me to interrogation techniques that by most definitions are regarded as torture, give me no connection to the outside world, and on top of that prevent me from taking my own life to end my most meaningful existence?

Asymmetrical warfare? What in God's name is that supposed to mean? No question its asymmetrical, in the sense that those guys have no resources, rights, power, or hope. If they are such vile criminals that we claim they are, lets follow our laws and prove it in a court of law?

Read for yourself and come to your own conclusions:

http://www.harpers.org/archive/2010/01/hbc-90006368
and
http://www.slate.com/id/2241948/pagenum/all/#p2

On a positive note, two of the occupants who were released met with their former guard in England. Its a pleasant story, and eye opening for two reasons:
1. The regret and shame felt by the guard for his limited role in their jailing and his regretful dealing with another occupant
2. The fact that these two guys were in Afghanistan to get high, and were captured and sold to the US for ransom as terrorists.

Read for yourself
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8452937.stm

On the 14th, I posted a run down of the tragic story of Imam Luqman Abdullah, and how the authorities not being forthcoming in details has deepened suspicions that his killing was more a tragedy than a "shootout" with dangerous criminals.

The Freep has enlightened us a great deal on the story. And once you read it, you, like me, will immediately wonder at the facts of this story, and the actions of the government informant, or more aptly, the provocateur. Please read it for yourself, as it is very very telling:

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100117/NEWS05/1170511/1319/Deadly-FBI-raid-of-Detroit-mosque-prompts-concern-over-informants&template=fullarticle

The alleged informant had entered the mosque as an ex con who had converted and conned the poor congregants through paying them for odd jobs. Then he allegedly asked them to help him move some things, and bailed prior to the agents dropping in to arrest the good samaritans in a place he led them to on false assumptions. The facts from the criminal complaint to solidify the identity of the government informant also shed light on some of the allegedly "criminal activities". Two of the defendants provided security for the Imam. One taught kids martial arts.

It seems the worst allegations against Imam Luqman are some of his alleged statements, and the purported criminal activity he was arrested for. Did he say some of the things he is alleged to have said? I have little doubt. When it comes to the inner city experiences of the African American community, detesting "the man", police, and the government in general are very common feelings. Why based on this, half of the rappers and singers should be arrested and charged with inciting terrorism.

The worst is the prosecutors want to protect the identities of the informants and keep everything one big secret. What happened to the right to face your accuser?

And I am not even going to touch on the constitutionality of sending informants in to mosques and other holy places.......

The truth will come out. And of course justice will prevail. All the more reason for the authorities to investigate and come clean in full now.

The Haiti disaster and Gaza blockade are crises that all of us who are blessed must stop to reflect on, and act upon, to assist those most in dire need of our wealth, prayers, and expert assistance. With the Haiti crisis in a critical situation as far as saving those survivors under the rubble, treating the injured, and feeding and attending to the needs of all the affected, the call for assistance has gone out. And it is thankfully being answered, notwithstanding the economic crisis. Millions responded to the SMS campaigns to make donations.

I am extremely proud of my Flint community, who raised over $10,000 in an impromptu fund raising campaign, and whose school children are raising money...

http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2010/01/flint_islamic_center_raises_mo.html

More needs to be done. As we are taught "If one of you sees something bad, they should change it with their hand. If they can not, with their tongue, if they can not, in their heart, and that is the weakest of faith." and "None of you truly believes unless you want from your brother what you want for yourself."

If the roles were reversed, and we were the victims, how would you want the rest of the world to respond? As such act accordingly. If you can volunteer to go there and help, GO. If you can organize a fund raising or food or medicine drive campaign, GO. If you can donate, DO IT. If all you can do is pray for them, DO IT. Don't just sit there and watch. Do something!

On October 28th, the FBI raided a warehouse where supposed criminal and terrorist activities were going on. A shootout occured, and one criminal was shot 18 times, and a police dog was shot as well. The dog was rushed to a hospital but alas didn't make it. 11 people were arrested or sought in connection with the case.

That is how the story went. Or so it was presented. And covered as such. Pictures of the police dog and stories about its valiant service were published in the media. The authorities proclaimed they had busted this ring of criminals, through the use of informants, and had prevented horrendous criminal and terrorist acts from occuring....

The story started to unravel once the "criminal" who was shot was identified. Imam Luqman Abdullah , a leader of a small mosque in inner city Detroit. Imam Luqman worked odd jobs including as a taxi driver to support himself, his family and congregation. (He was once robbed and shot in the back of the head while driving his taxi) He was also known as generous in feeding the poor, even with his limited means. He had also gotten acclaim for cleaning up neighborhoods from drug dealers and pimps. Local ministers, politicians, neighbors and congregants expressed shock at what had transpired, and at the allegations.

We are now three months later, and the autopsy of the imam has not yet been released. Additionally, everyone, from congress to the mayor of Detroit to friends and family are calling for an independent investigation into this incident.

See :
Wayne County won’t release imam's autopsy report

and

Judiciary Committee Letter to Attorney General

I personally have met Imam Luqman in the past. While I may not have agreed with some of his views, and he definitely was an outspoken individual, he was definitely not a criminal, nor was he a thief as alleged. He lived in impoverished fashion, and assisted those even more impoverished, and thus that would contradict ones being involved and enriched by such criminal activity.

The biggest question mark beyond what really happened in the incident is the source of the information and accusations. The government sent individuals to work as informants or possibly provocateurs. The term "frame up" comes to mind when this occurs.

Hiding the truth will not help in this matter. If he was truly a criminal, it should be easy to prove. And as I recall, it's "innocent until proven guilty" and not the opposite. If the authorities removed a criminal from our midst, we can all live at peace with the outcome. If the authorities killed an innocent man of God, those responsible for such transgression must be brought to justice.

A while back I posted an email forward with some of the best news headlines. Well 11 points has put together a hilarious new collection. Enjoy:
http://www.11points.com/News-Politics/11_Most_Painfully_Obvious_Newspaper_Articles_Ever