Monday, February 28, 2011

80% of Students In Catholic Schools of Marseilles Are Muslim - 26 Assaults a Day in the City of Marseilles


From Astute Bloggers:
... according to the archbishop of Marseilles Georges Pontier, some Catholic schools implanted in "working class neighborhoods" have a student body of up to 80% Muslims! For the archbishop, training through inter-religious dialogue will permit these questions to be answered: "How to announce the Gospel? How to accept Muslim holidays? What can we accept or not accept?" According to archbishop Georges Pontier, "We must not run from these questions. Even if the subject is delicate and marks a juncture of the religious dimension and identitarian issues."

Note: If 80% of the classes are Muslim there aren't many questions left to run from, except perhaps how to justify leaving the other twenty percent in this cultural cloaca.

Read the whole thing.

The Weight

Gillian Welch and Old Crow Medicine Show

Arlo

Darkest Hour



City of New Orleans

Parisians Crowded Out By Praying Muslims

Fashion Designer John Galliano: "I Love Hitler - People Like You Would Be Dead"

The Blaze:

Infamous UK Cleric Plans Thursday Sharia Rally in D.C.: ‘Rise to Implement the Shari’ah in America’

This coming Fourth of July, Muslims are planning a “Million Muslim March” in D.C. to “re-establish the feelings of brother and sisterhood among Muslim Americans“ and start the ”healing” process after 9/11. And while there is no indication that rally will dabble in Sharia law, a different D.C. march scheduled for Thursday boldly declares its goal of bringing Sharia law “directly to the doorsteps of the United States of America.”

The rally is being spearheaded by radical UK Muslim cleric Anjem Choudary, who recently told Sean Hannity Americans are “the biggest criminals in the world today,“ and in October announced ”the flag of Islam will one day fly over the White House.” His group, Islam4UK, has been outlawed in Britain.

“We hereby call upon the Muslims in the US, particularly in New York, Michigan, Chicago and Washington DC to take lessons from their Muslim brothers and sisters in North Africa and the Middle East and rise to implement the Shari’ah in America,” the group Shariah4America, seemingly modeled after Choudary’s UK organization, says on its website.

It goes on to advocate for a new U.S. constitution based on Sharia law:

On 3rd March 2011 From 1pm to 4pm (local time), at Pennsylvania Avenue, outside the White House, the Muslims will let the tyrant Barack Obama and the American people know that a new constitution beckons the US called the Shari’ah, and that this worldwide revolution will see it implemented inshaa’allah (God willing) very very soon.


In an interview with the Daily Mail, Choudary said the event will feature himself and two other radical Muslims:

Two other British extremists, Abu Izzadeen and Sayful Islam, have also been asked to speak at the demonstration.

Izzadeen is the hate preacher who caused fury last year when he called British soldiers ‘murderers’ the day he was released from jail after a three-and-a-half year sentence for inciting terrorism.

Still, it’s unclear if the three extremists will be allowed to enter the country, as even tourist visas require applicants to answer if they have ever supported terrorism. Fox News’s Gretchen Carlson asked Choudary about that possibility in an interview last week, and talked about his involvement in the rally:

Choudary told the Daily Mail that the rally is also being organized by the Islamic Thinkers Society — an American Muslim group based in New York. While the group’s website does not have specific information about the event, it does feature a visual depiction of Sharia law in America (and seems to be based on Choudary’s previous statement):

It also includes a diagram of what an Islamic caliphate would look like:

Shariah4America.com also has a picture of what the White House could look like should America come under Muslim control. The group is advocating it be turned into a Mosque:

So far, the Million Muslim March has not come out in support of Sharia. But it does have 9/11 “truther” undertones. It currently lists one of its rally goals as setting the record straight on 9/11, claiming Muslims were not responsible for the attacks:

Most of the success of the ill conceived scheme to demonize Islam resulted from the rush to judgment that took place following 9/11, and the failed 9/11 investigation which wrongly concluded that Muslims had carried out criminal terrorist attacks on the US on September 11, 2001.

“At the rally, we will also declare to the world that Muslims are innocent of the crimes committed on 9/11 and we demand a new independent investigation and an end to the illegal wars,” the group’s website says.

And while the significance of that march’s date (July 4) isn’t lost to Americans, the choice of March 3 for the Sharia rally isn’t as obvious. Sharia4America explains:

The 3rd of March is overlooked by many as an insignificant day of the year. However, this particular day should not be overlooked by the Muslims without serious contemplation.#On this day, in 1924, the Khilafah (Islamic State) was abolished by Mustafa Kamal Attaturk with the help of the British and European collaborators. It was a catastrophic day when the light of Islam was dimmed and its implementation removed from our lives, leaving the Ummah bare and defenceless against the onslaught of the Kuffar.

What’s the resolution to this action? The answer, the site says, is simple: “The Khilafah is the means to implement Islam with all of its values, outlook, culture and legislation. This is defined by Allah (swt), the Sovereign.”

“We call upon the Ummah to begin working for the re-establishment of the Khilafah so that our lands would be transformed into Dar-ul-Islam.

Today Uncle Barry Said We Should Not Villify Public Sector Employees

Personally, I think he's addressing the wrong group.

As for me I'll say I just can't help myself.

They make it so fucking easy

Especially when. to my knowledge, we haven't heard any Public workers or their leaders (you listening Mr. Trumka you ugly fat two bit thug) condemn any of this nonsense

(h/t especially to Gateway Pundit)



GORDON HINTZ: "YOU ARE F'N DEAD!"

By Charlie Sykes

Last week, we heard thatState Rep. Gordon Hintz (D-Oshkosh) had been busted in a prostitution sting.

State Rep. Gordon Hintz was issued a municipal citation in Appleton earlier this month for violating a city sexual misconduct ordinance.

Appleton police said the citation was issued Feb. 10 in conjunction with an ongoing investigation of Heavenly Touch Massage Parlor, 342 W. Wisconsin Ave., in Appleton. Police searched the business and a nearby residence in the 1300 block of North Division Street Jan. 28, after investigators had staked out the properties for several days after receiving a tip.

**

Last Friday.... after the Assembly voted to engross the Budget Repair Bill, Hintz turned to a female colleague, Rep. Michelle Litjens and said: "You are F***king dead!"

New tone, indeed. Will he be held accountable?








24 Hours of Hate… Leftists Knock Down GOP Official, Degrade Female Politicians, Threaten “A$$hole” Blogger, Raid GOP Offices, Hold Anti-Christie-Gaddafi Rally and Rage Against Republicans

Posted by Jim Hoft on Friday, February 25, 2011, 6:59 PM

They must be very proud.

In the last 24 hours leftist pro-union protesters have…
Assaulted and knocked down former Republican Congressional candidate Marty Lamb.

Degraded female politicians on the way to vote in the Kansas House chamber.

Raided Wisconsin Republican offices.

Shouted down a Wisconsin Republican state senator during a press conference.

Threatened to hit an “a$$hole white boy” in the head.

Held a rally comparing Governor Christie to tyrant Moammar Gaddafi.

And erupted in chants of “shame” after the Wisconsin Assembly passed the governor’s budget repair bill.

What awful thugs.
Of course, the state-run media will not be reporting on any of these incidents in their evening reports.

MORE UNION THUGGERY… Violent Leftists Threaten Citizen Journalist “A$$hole White Boy” “I’m Gonna Hit Your Head” (Video)

Posted by Jim Hoft on Friday, February 25, 2011, 4:43 PM

It’s been at least 8 hours since I posted the last leftist assault video. So here’s the latest display of leftist tolerance…
Enlightened St. Louis leftists threatened a conservative citizen journalist this week.

St. Louis blogger sensation Adam Sharp confronted a group of pro-union thugs outside of Senator Claire McCaskill’s office earlier this week.
They threatened to kick this a$$hole white boy’s a$$. HuffPo blogger Jeannine Molloff even joined in and smacked his camera.

The poor leftists… Adam Sharp had them completely outnumbered.

Don’t expect the state-run media to report on this racist violent display.
It’s not part of their agenda.

MORE UNION THUGGERY… NJ Leftists Hold Christie-Gaddafi Rally (Video)

Posted by Jim Hoft on Friday, February 25, 2011, 4:41 PM

New Jersey leftists hold rally and compare Governor Christie to Muammar Gaddafi and Hosni Mubarak.
Nice.

Don’t expect the leftist media to report on this.

Telegraph:

British Airways worker guilty of plotting to blow up plane
A former British Airways computer expert has been convicted of conspiring with a wanted terrorist to blow up a plane.

Rajib Karim, 31, used his position at the airline to plot an attack with Anwar al-Awlaki, a notorious radical preacher associated with al-Qaeda.

A jury at Woolwich Crown Court in south east London found him guilty of four counts of engaging in preparation for terrorist attacks.

Karim plotted to blow up an aircraft, shared information of use to al-Awlaki, offered to help financial or disruptive attacks on BA and gained a UK job to exploit terrorist purposes, the jurors ruled.

Karim was "committed to an extreme jihadist and religious cause" and was "determined to seek martyrdom", jurors were told.

The Bangladeshi national, who moved with his wife and son to Newcastle in 2006, had already admitted being involved in the production of a terrorist group's video, fundraising and volunteering for terror abroad.

Karim, a privately-educated IT expert from a middle-class family in Dhaka, was lured into becoming an avid supporter of the extremist organisation Jammat-ul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) by his younger brother, Tehzeeb.

But their plan to live in an Islamic state was put on hold when Karim moved to England in December 2006, fearing his son was dying of bowel cancer.

Karim, described as "mild-mannered, well-educated and respectful", hid his hatred for Western ways from colleagues by joining a gym, playing football and never airing extreme views.

But at the same time he was using his access to the airline's offices in Newcastle and at Heathrow to spread confidential information.

After gaining a post-graduate job at BA in 2007, Karim held "John le Carre"-style secret meetings with fellow Islamic extremists at Heathrow and, in 2009, began communicating with al-Awlaki from his home in Brunton Lane.

He also shared details of his BA contacts and communicated in code with JMB supporters in Bangladesh.

Jonathan Laidlaw QC, prosecuting, told the jury Karim was "anxious" to carry out an attack and he was determined to seek martyrdom - to die and to sacrifice himself for his cause.

"Through a terrorist's eyes" it was "just about as good a job as could be obtained", Mr Laidlaw added.

Karim became highly skilled in conducting secret communications and contacted his brother using elaborate encryptions on computer spreadsheets.

The sleeper cell terrorist "dedicated himself" to extremism, police said.

He worked hard distributing jihadist texts, audio recordings and videos across the internet for the media arm of the terrorist group.

One project included producing a series of propaganda videos aimed at gathering support, inspiring supporters and furthering the group's other aims.

But as Karim grew frustrated with JMB and the lack of terrorist opportunities, his brother and two others travelled from Bangladesh to Yemen in 2009 where they made contact with al-Awlaki.

The terrorist group had just been linked to the cargo terror bomb plot and there were reports that al-Awlaki had been killed in an air strike.

Karim's brother told al-Awlaki about his work at BA and the terrorist leader handed over a voice recording to prove he was still alive, provoking an exchange of secret messages.

In January 2010, al-Awlaki contacted Karim again with questions about airport security and his role at BA.

After hearing Karim's story, al-Awlaki emailed Karim saying: "Depending on what your role is and the amount of information you can get your hands on, you might be able to provide us with critical and urgent information and you may be able to play a crucial role ... I pray that Allah may grant us a breakthrough through you."

In February last year, the radical, who has never been caught and is believed to be hiding in the mountains of Yemen, wrote to Karim: "So the question is: with the people you have, is it possible to get a package or a person with a package on board a flight heading to the US?"

After this exchange, Karim applied for cabin crew training.

He was arrested in Newcastle on February 25.
Breitbart:

Kuwait key opposition group calls for PM ouster

A key Kuwaiti opposition group on Monday demanded the ouster of the prime minister as youth activists called for a rally on March 8 to force the premier to quit.

"The first step toward reforms is in forming a new government under a new prime minister that should be capable of running the country and reforming imbalances," said a statement by the nationalist Popular Action Bloc.

The new government should combat corruption, safeguard the constitution and public funds, guarantee public freedoms and find solutions for unemployment and housing, the statement said.

The bloc, headed by veteran former three-time parliament speaker Ahmad al-Saadun, is one of the most influential opposition groups in the oil-rich Gulf state. It only has four MPs in the 50-seat house but several backers.

Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Mohammad al-Ahmad al-Sabah, a nephew of the ruler, has been under increasing pressure to resign and in January narrowly survived a non-cooperation vote that could have ousted him.

Since being appointed to the post in early 2006, Sheikh Nasser has fought almost non-stop with the opposition in parliament and five of his six cabinets were forced to resign.

As a result of ongoing political crises, parliament was also dissolved three times.

Opposition groups in Kuwait have agreed to shelve anti-government protests in February as the country marks the 50th anniversary of its independence, the 20th anniversary of Kuwait's liberation from Iraqi occupation and the emir's ascendance to power five years ago.

A group of youth called the Fifth Fence plans to hold a protest outside parliament on March 8 to press for the ouster of the prime minister and has been urging supporters through Twitter to gather in large numbers.

Also, the newly established Kuwaiti Progressive Group, a liberal movement, called on Saturday for the prime minister to quit and for the implementation of political reforms.
Yahoo:

Oman protesters stage third day of unrest

SOHAR, Oman – Protesters set a supermarket ablaze and rallied at two places in this seaside town on Monday in a third consecutive day of unrest that has included deadly clashes in the strategic Gulf nation.

Security forces sealed off main roads to Sohar, about 120 miles (200 kilometers) northwest of the capital of Muscat, in an attempt to isolate the protesters and keep crowds from swelling.

Omar al-Abri, an official at the state-run Oman News Agency, said one person was confirmed dead Sunday after police used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse hundreds of demonstrators in Sohar.

Witnesses said a supermarket was set on fire Monday and several hundred protesters — mostly young men — were rallying in the town's main roundabout, demanding higher salaries, jobs for unemployed youth and the dismissal of some government ministers.

By late afternoon, protests spread to Oman's second largest port in Sohar. Witnesses said about 500 protesters blocked trucks from entering the port, about 8 miles (12 kilometers) away from protest's focal point at the roundabout.

Police did not respond to Monday's protest, witnesses said.

State media reported Sohar's civilian guards, including members of women's associations, repelled protesters' attempts to set fire to a health center and several commercial sites.

Oman, ruled by a powerful family dynasty, marks the latest flashpoint in the Arab world's challenges to authority and suggests that demonstrations could widen in the Gulf with protest rallies planned next month in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

Oman shares control with Iran over the Strait of Hormuz at the mouth of the Gulf — the route for about 40 percent of the world's oil tanker traffic. Oman also plays an important role as a mediator between Iran and the West because of its strong ties to Tehran and Washington.

Protests have been rare in the country, which wraps around the southeast corner of the Arabian peninsula. But Oman's ruler, Sultan Qaboos bin Said, is moving quickly to try to offer reforms to quell the demands that include more jobs and a greater public voice in the country's affairs.

On Sunday, he ordered 50,000 new state positions and a monthly stipend of 150 rials ($390) for job seekers. A day earlier, the sultan replaced six Cabinet members.

A high-level delegation planned to travel to Sohar to meet with protesters, who on Sunday set fire to cars, a police station and the governor's residence.

The Oman News Agency reported that Sultan Qaboos spoke to Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah by telephone late Sunday. The Saudi ruler is facing growing calls for reform and groups are calling for rallies on March 11.

In September, Oman helped negotiate $500,000 bail to free American Sarah Shourd from Iranian custody after being detained along the Iraqi border in July 2009 with two companions.

The other two Americans pleaded not guilty to espionage charges earlier this month. Shourd was ordered by Iran to return for the trial, but she remained in the United States.
Saudi activists eye protests, wait for new cabinet

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (Reuters) - Democracy activists in Saudi Arabia say the government is closely monitoring social media to nip in the bud any protests inspired by uprisings that swept Arab countries, toppling leaders in Egypt and Tunisia.

Activists have set up Facebook pages calling for protests on March 11 and 20, with over 17,000 supporters combined, but police managed to stymie two attempts to stage protests in the Red Sea city of Jeddah last month, highlighting the difficulties of such mobilization in the conservative kingdom.

In one case around 30 to 50 people were detained by police when they gathered on the street, eyewitnesses said. In the second, security forces flooded the location of a protest that had been advertised on Facebook, scaring protesters away.

"They are watching closely what people are saying on Facebook and Twitter," said Saudi blogger Ahmed al-Omran. "Obviously they are anxious as they are surrounded with unrest and want to make sure we don't catch the bug."

Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest oil producer, bans public protests and political parties. In 2004 Saudi security forces, carrying batons and shields thwarted protests in Riyadh and Jeddah called for by a Saudi dissident group in London.

Last week King Abdullah, a close U.S. ally, ordered wage rises for Saudi citizens along with other benefits on his return from three months abroad for medical treatment.

The handouts, valued at $37 billion, were an apparent bid to insulate the kingdom from the wave of protests hitting Arab countries, but activists want more than money.

There has been no sign that the kingdom will introduce elections to its advisory Shura Assembly, a quasi-parliament, or a new round of municipal council elections.

"They have been monitoring the Internet, Facebook and other sites for some time but now it demands more attention," said Mai Yamani, a Saudi analyst based in London. "Saudis are no different from their brothers and sisters in the region -- they are educated, connected and angry," she added.

PROTESTS SEEN AS TABOO

It is difficult to estimate how many Saudis could be prepared to stage protests.

There are three main population centers in the vast Arabian peninsula state where protests could emerge: Riyadh with a population of over 4 million, Jeddah with a population of over 2 million and the Shi'ite Muslim areas of the Eastern Province.

Shi'ites, who have long complained of second class status, are watching protests in neighboring Bahrain, where Shi'ites are demanding democratic reforms.

Around 60 percent of the native Saudi population of 18 million are thought to be under 30, most of whom grew up in the information revolution age that raised awareness of rights among Arab protesters elsewhere and helped them organize.

But clerics, allowed wide powers in society, have traditionally said that questioning the Saudi rulers is a taboo.

Activists say a widely-anticipated cabinet reshuffle could help dampen Internet activism if it brings in new faces.

"All reformers are waiting for the long-awaited cabinet reshuffle," said Mahmoud Sabbagh, a newspaper columnist. "If it turns out to be just cosmetic, then my analysis is that reformers will regroup and escalate."

In an open letter published on Sunday, around 100 Saudi intellectuals, activists and university professors called on the king to launch major political reforms and allow citizens to have a greater say in ruling the country.

Their key demand is elections to the Shura Assembly.

"The people must be the source of power and a partner in public policy through their choice of elected Shura Assembly members," it said. "That is why we look forward to a royal decree that assures clearly that the government is committed to transforming into a constitutional monarchy."

King Abdullah championed cautious political, economic and social reforms when he took power in 2005. Conservatives fear too much speed could rile the clerics.

"I think the Saudi monarchy is aware of the need for change and it is the time for it," said Turad al-Amri, a Saudi political analyst. "There will be major change soon but I'm not sure if it will meet the expectations (of activists)."
Newsmax:

Al-Qaida's No. 2 Incites Tunisians, Egyptians
Monday, 28 Feb 2011

CAIRO — Osama bin Laden's deputy sought to co-opt the uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia in a new message, urging the countries' peoples to create Islamic states and warning that the United States is trying to manipulate the events to ensure American and Israeli interests are preserved.

The message by Ayman al-Zawahri appeared to have been recorded between the Jan. 14 fall of Tunisian president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and before the Feb. 11 ouster of Egypt's Hosni Mubarak. Al-Zawahri urged Egyptians and Tunisians to keep up their protests to push out interim governments that continue in place in both nations.

The wave of popular protests in both countries was led by mainly secular youths calling for greater democracy, and their success appears to have caught Osama bin Laden's terror network off guard.

Al-Zawahri — whose al-Qaida views democracy as anathema to Islam — tried to depict the uprisings as aiming to set up Islamic governments.

"Greetings to every free, honorable individual who was exposed to the bullets of the security herds to keep Islam as the master in his own country, preserve the headscarf of the Muslim sisters, stop normalization with Israel ... and protect his society from immorality, corruption and spoilage," al-Zawahri said in the 15-minute audiotape posted on an Islamic militant website late Sunday.

The audiotape was the third in a three-part message al-Zawahri has released about the uprisings in the two countries. Al-Qaida has long called for the ouster of Mubarak, and Zawahri, an Egyptian, was part of an Islamic militant insurgency that Mubarak's regime crushed in the 1990s.

Al-Zawahri called on the Tunisians, Egyptians and all Muslims to "beware lest your sacrifices are being stolen, your suffering is being manipulated and that faces will change, but the injustice remains."

He said Mubarak and Ben Ali's regimes were "an inseparable part of the global system that is fighting Islam and Muslims, and America is at its head" — and that even when they go, Washington was working to ensure its allies remain in place.

In Tunisia, "when it (the United States) realized that its man was burned and his harm became greater than his benefit, it drove him out to the history's dustbin ... and congratulated the new government which is an extension of the gangs of Ben Ali," al-Zawahri said.

He said Washington was trying to avoid the establishment of an Islamic rule that would consider Israel as an enemy and reject aiding America in its war against Muslims under the name of the war on terrorism.

Al-Zawahri urged Tunisians to continue their "sacrifices and efforts until Tunisia returns as a fortress of Islam and jihad ... and to work to liberate Muslims lands off the armies of the contemporary Crusader campaign in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, the Arab peninsula, Somalia and the Islamic Maghreb."

Speaking before Mubarak's fall, al-Zawahri said the U.S. would do the same in Egypt. Washington is waiting to see if Mubarak fails and the "volcano turns uncontrollable, then Mubarak's mansion is ready in the ... dustbin" of exile, he said.

Al-Zawahri predicted that if Mubarak falls, the United States would try to install Nobel Peace laureate Mohamed ElBaradei, who is one of the leading secular democracy advocates in Egypt. He said ElBaradei will "give the poor some freedom ... but Egypt will stay as a base for the Crusader's' campaign and a basic partner to America's war on Islam in the name of the war against terrorism."

So far, at least that prediction by al-Zawahri appears to be wrong. There's been no sign of ElBaradei rising to a position of leadership in Egypt since Mubarak's fall. Egypt's military now runs the country, leading a transition in which the constitution is to be amended to allow free elections for parliament and president later this year.

Many protesters, however, fear the transition will not bring enough change to break the remnants of Mubarak's regime. The last government appointed by Mubarak remains in place as a caretaker, though it has been reshuffled to bring in opposition figures.

TSA Officer Admits Stealing

And his supervisor was in on it.

From CNN:
A New Jersey Transportation Security Administration officer on Thursday pleaded guilty to federal charges that he and his supervisor regularly stole from passengers during screenings at Newark Liberty International Airport, according to federal prosecutors.

Officer Al Raimi, 29, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Newark. He admitted that for nearly a year, he stole between $10,000 and $30,000 in cash from travelers as they passed through a security checkpoint at the airport.

Raimi admitted that he would "kick up" some of that money to a supervisor, who in turn allowed him to keep stealing. The supervisor, Michael Arato, pleaded guilty earlier this month to accepting kickbacks and bribes.

[...]

In one audiotaped conversation, Arato was recorded stating that he didn't feel bad stealing from foreigners because they were "leaving this county with our money," the original complaint states....
If you're traveling via airline, try to secure your possessions, particularly any cash.
Us White Folks need civilizin' and preparin' before the UFO's and mideast uprisings come to our door.

or something.


Chicago Tribune:

Farrakhan: Mideast uprisings will come to US
By Becky Schlikerman
Tribune report

Nation of Islam leader Minister Louis Farrakhan predicted on Sunday that America faces imminent uprisings that mirror those in the Middle East.

“What you are looking at in Tunisia, in Egypt … Libya, in Bahrain … what you see happening there … you’d better prepare because it will be coming to your door,” Farrakhan said in a booming voice, thousands of followers cheering in his wake.

Farrakhan also called on President Barack Obama to allow protesters to march, urging the president not to attack innocent people when they do.

The controversial minster spoke to a packed house at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont as part of the 81st annual celebration of Saviours' Day, which marks the birth of the faith’s founder, W. Fard Muhammad.

The keynote address, titled “God will send saviours,” capped a weekend of workshops focused on health, preparing for natural disasters and unidentified flying objects. The Nation of Islam believes in a UFO called “the wheel” or “the Mother Plane.”

Farrakhan has described a 1985 religious experience in which he ascended into a flying saucer and heard the voice of Elijah Muhammad predicting historical events that came to pass.

For about four hours, Farrakhan spoke and jumped from topic to topic, citing religious texts.
He praised Scientology and its founder L. Ron Hubbard.

Farrakhan extolled the virtues of Scientology and its auditing process, which is considered spiritual counseling by its members.

“L. Ron Hubbard is so exceedingly valuable to every Caucasian person on this earth,” Farrakhan said.

“… L. Ron Hubbard himself was and is trying to civilize white people and make them better human beings and take away from them their reactive minds … Mr. Hubbard recognized that his people have to be civilized,” Farrakhan said to a cheering crowd.

River Man

Nick Drake


Farrakhan: Libya's Gadhafi remains a friend

From AP:

ROSEMONT, Ill. – Nation of Islam Minister Louis Farrakhan says Moammar Gadhafi has always been a friend and he won't distance himself from the Libyan dictator.

Farrakhan spoke Sunday at the Chicago-based organization Saviours' Day convention.

Farrakhan didn't talk specifics about the deadly uprisings in Libya, but the 77-year-old said no leader has been loved by 100 percent of his people.

Farrakhan also said that if Gadhafi is persecuted for crimes against humanity, the same should apply to former President George W. Bush for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Farrakhan visited Gadhafi in the 1980s and has since considered him a friend of the Nation of Islam, which espouses black nationalism.
Joe Bonamassa
You Upset Me Baby

CIA agent gave Al Qaeda Nuclear and Biological material?



raymond davis
IF YOU THINK THAT DAVIS GUY ARRESTED IN PAKISTAN IS A RATHER SIMPLE CASE, THEN READ THIS
 
AND THEN THIS

CIA agent gave Al Qaeda Nuclear and Biological material? .

Go to Good Shit to read the rest.
Joe Zawinul & John McLaughlin
In A Silent Way

Infidel Bloggers Alliance Goes South of the Border

Another crucial point: "Americans were once proud to declare that their unalienable rights came from their Creator, the God of Judeo-Christian scripture. Today we sometimes seem embarrassed by this fundamental conceit of our founding. We prefer to trace our conceptions of liberty, equality, free will, freedom of conscience, due process, privacy, and proportional punishment to a humanist tradition, haughty enough to believe we can transcend the transcendent and arrive at a common humanity."

Many more instructive observations follow below, in an articulate analysis of the reality of the Islamic supremacist vision that still seeks to dominate the globe, and of the roots and folly of foreign policy based on wishful thinking.
Click on the title above to read the whole thing at Jihad Watch.

For my part, let me just say, I know a lot of people who are not Christians, nor Jews, nor believers in God of any kind, are offended by the idea that America is a Judeo-Christian nation.


But, think about it this way; there is no doubt that the Philosopher John Locke was an influence on our Founding Fathers. 


From Wiki:
To some degree, the Bill of Rights (and the American Revolution) incorporated the ideas of John Locke, who argued in his 1689 work Two Treatises of Government that civil society was created for the protection of property (Latin proprius, or that which is one's own, meaning "life, liberty, and estate"). Locke also advanced the notion that each individual is free and equal in the state of nature. Locke expounded on the idea of natural rights that are inherent to all individuals, a concept Madison mentioned in his speech presenting the Bill of Rights to the 1st Congress. Locke's argument for protecting economic rights against government may have been most salient to the framers of the Amendments; quartering and cruel punishments were not the current abuses of 1791.
That Wiki can assert such a thesis is not unreasonable. No one would be offended by the notion that a Philosopher would have influenced the American Bill of Rights.


But, Philosophers are merely men who propose ideas about the nature of Truth, Beauty, and Meaning. 


Religious Philosophers do the same, but they rely on notions given them by particular religious traditions and scriptures.


The history of Philosophy is replete with Thinkers who were believers; Descartes, Berkeley, Spinoza, Kant, Kierkegaard, etc., all were believers. Some of these, Kierkegaard, Spinoza and Descartes in particular, seemed intent upon using Philosophy as a means to find God.


And yet, no one would dispute these men contributed to the lineage of ideas which make up Western Civilization.


Likewise, many specifically Christian and Jewish Religious Philosophers indisputably contributed to the creation of the America Tradition. This idea ought not offend anyone any more than the idea that Locke was an influence. 

Judaism and Christianity are directly are both progenitors of the notion that man has Free Will in the realm of morality. That people who do not believe in God can also declare they believe in Moral Free Will does nothing to change the fact that the Philosophical System built around the idea of Free Will was born in Judaism, and developed further in the Rabbinical era, and throughout the history of the Christian Church. 


The notion of checks and balances is born directly from the concept of Moral Judgment and Justice. For what are Checks and Balances if they are not scales and penalties of Justice in action. The Penal System places Checks and Balances on the Individual, just as surely as a Constitution places Checks and Balances on the System which administers the lives of those Individuals.


The notion that all Individuals and groups of people are equal before the Law is likewise born of the Judeo-Christian tradition. Certainly, the Greeks (whose Philosophical ideas did not appeal to God for Justification) has an immense influence on the political thinking of Western Civilization.


But, the Greeks only granted true equality to Landowners. If a man lost his land, he lost his equal access to the Vote. In this sense it could be argued that the Greek concept of Equality was more akin to a business contract, rather than an actual acknowledgment of the worth of Individual Human Beings.


Anyway, let the arguing begin.

Sunday, February 27, 2011

There's a shocking amount of energy being found

From Ace of Spades:

Here's a linkfest for news about shale gas, oil from shale rock,tar sands and such. We keep finding more of it. It'd be nice if we were able to USE more of it in the US. They seem pretty excited about shale gas in the UK, Europe and Israel.

US proved natural gas, crude oil reserves soar

* Gas reserves rise most in U.S. history

* Technology advances, not new fields, boost reserves

U.S. natural gas reserves increased by the most in history last year, and crude reserves also rose, as companies drilled frantically into shale rock
formations with new technology...

U.S. net proved crude oil reserves rose 9 percent, or 1.8 billion barrels, to 22.3 billion barrels in 2009. Texas saw its proved oil volumes rise most, by 529 million barrels, or 11 percent.

North Dakota, home of the oil-rich Bakken Shale formation, saw its reserves jump by a whopping 83 percent, or 481 million barrels.

Continue reading

Poll indicates that 50% of British people would vote in a new anti-immigration party, 52% Agree "Muslims Create Problems"


Who woulda thunk it?

From Eye on the World:
A poll undertaken in the UK which asked the question, "would you vote for the far-right if they abandoned violence?", has revealed that 48% of the British population would do so.

According to the survey: 39% of Asian Britons, 34% of white Britons and 21% of black Britons wanted all immigration into the UK to be stopped permanently, or at least until the economy improved.

43% of Asian Britons, 63% of white Britons and 17% of black Britons agreed with the statement that "immigration into Britain has been a bad thing for the country".

Just over half of respondents – 52% – agreed with the proposition that "Muslims create problems in the UK".

The poll also identified a majority keen to be allowed to openly criticise religion, with 60% believing they "should be allowed to say whatever they believe about religion". By contrast, fewer than half – 42% – said "people should be allowed to say whatever they believe about race".

US Should Kill Ghaddafi Now

NOW!

From the Astute Bloggers:


BREAKING: MEGRAHI BLACKMAILED GADDAFI;
AN ATTACK BY THE USA AGAINST GADDAFI IS WARRANTED FOR TWO REASONS:

1 - BREAKING:
A former Libyan official says Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset al-Megrahi blackmailed Libyan strongman Muammar Qaddafi into engineering Megrahi’s release from a Scottish prison by threatening to reveal that the dictator ordered the Pan Am Flight 103 bombing, according to The Telegraph.
RTWT.

Dr. Strangelove Please Contact Your Mineshaft. . .

Huffington Post:


Could A Small Nuclear War Reverse Global Warming?
Nuclear Bomb Global Warming
Nuclear war is a bad thing.

Right?

Scientists from NASA and a number of other institutions have recently been modeling the effects of a war involving a hundred Hiroshima-level bombs, or 0.03 percent of the world's current nuclear arsenal, according to National Geographic. The research suggests five million metric tons of black carbon would be swept up into the lowest portion of the atmosphere.

The result, according to NASA climate models, could actually be global cooling.

From National Geographic:

In NASA climate models, this carbon then absorbed solar heat and, like a hot-air balloon, quickly lofted even higher, where the soot would take much longer to clear from the sky.

While the global cooling caused by superpower-on-superpower war could be catastrophic (hence the term "nuclear winter") a small scale war could have an impact on the world climate, says National Geographic. Models suggest that though the world is currently in a warming trend, small-scale war could lower global temperatures 2.25 degrees F for two-to-three years following war.

In more tropical areas temperatures could fall 5.4 to 7.2 degrees F.

But the likelihood of disaster over reversing global warming is a more imminent concern, according to TIME.

From TIME:

...even a small exchange of nuclear weapons--between 50-100 Hiroshima-sized bombs, which India and Pakistan already have their in arsenal--would produce enough soot and smoke to block out sunlight, cool the planet, and produce climate change unprecedented in recorded human history.

In addition, the extreme weather caused by even a mild nuclear winter would have a tremendous effect on crops and famines, including creating a 10 percent global decrease in precipitation, according to National Geographic. The soot could also cause tremendous harm to the ozone layer, allowing more ultraviolet rays to reach Earth.

The cons seem to outweigh the pros in the event of global cooling caused by even a small nuclear war.




Once again we see government officials complicit in the Muslim persecution of Christians, because the Muslim officials read the same Qur'an and follow the same Muhammad as do the kidnappers in this case. 

Click on the title to read the whole thing.

Louis Farrakhan: UFOs are... Islamic

(USA) The leader for life of the Nation of Islam (NOI), Louis Farrakhan, spoke last year of how in 1985 he had a vision of how he was invited aboard a UFO where he met the previous leader of the NOI (Elijah Muhammad) and they had a chat. He also claims that the US government knows about this UFO and they are covering it up.


Well, for a subject that dare not be mentioned, the Annual AGM for the NOI 'the Saviours' Day convention' currently in play in Rosemont, the NOI are hosting 'the truth is up there' symposium. Well, for a so called religious topic, this one really takes the biscuit.

Germans Should Not Hire Muslims

Muslim Shelf Stockers Can Refuse to Handle AlcoholA German court has ruled that Muslim supermarket workers don’t have to stock the alcohol shelves.

More »



I think we should give any existing Muslim store employee the job of stocking the shelves in the back with Camel Urine:
In Sunni Islam, the Sahih Bukhari, which forms one of the six major Hadith collections quotes the Prophet Muhammad advocating drinking camel's urine as a medicine in several verses.[12][13][14]
Sahih Bukhari Volume 7, Book 71, Number 590:
Narrated Anas: The climate of Medina did not suit some people, so the Prophet ordered them to follow his shepherd, i.e. his camels, and drink their milk and urine (as a medicine).[12]
Sahih Bukhari Volume 8, Book 82, Number 794:
Narrated Anas: Some people from the tribe of 'Ukl came to the Prophet and embraced Islam. The climate of Medina did not suit them, so the Prophet ordered them to go to the (herd of milch) camels of charity and to drink, their milk and urine (as a medicine). They did so, and after they had recovered from their ailment (became healthy) they turned renegades (reverted from Islam) and killed the shepherd of the camels and took the camels away. The Prophet sent (some people) in their pursuit and so they were (caught and) brought, and the Prophets ordered that their hands and legs should be cut off and that their eyes should be branded with heated pieces of iron, and that their cut hands and legs should not be cauterized, till they die.[15][16]
Miles Davis
So What

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Jim Croce
One Less Set Of Footsteps



You Don't Mess around With Jim



Roller Derby Queen


TOP STORY FOR TODAY - SCROLL DOWN FOR NEWER POSTS

SIOA, or Stop the Islamization of America, was started by Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer to fight against the proliferation of Sharia (Islamic) law.


Sharia law calls for death to apostates (those who leave Islam), gays, and adulterers. It also ranks women as second-class citizens whose persons are, legally, only worth 50% of that of a man.


Sharia law is a hateful, primitive system of law. And, the SIOA works to stop the proliferation of such law.


The SPLC is an old-line Civil Rights Organization which has outlived it's usefulness. Like Don Quixote jousting against windmills, they are still fighting battles against the ghosts of the 1960's.


The SPLC is now actively working against the Civil Rights of the people who are victimized by a system of law which calls for gays and apostates to be murdered.


Think about that. It is absolutely pathetic.

From Jihad Watch:

Human Rights Organization SIOA Vows to Fight Far-Left Propaganda Group’s “Hate Group” Designation 
NEW YORK, February 25, 2011 – A prominent national human rights and advocacy organization has vowed to fight against its designation by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), a hard-Left propaganda group, as a “hate group.”
The day after yet another deadly Islamic jihad terror plot involving weapons of mass destruction was thwarted in Texas, the SPLC issued its latest list of hate groups, including Stop Islamization of America (SIOA).
SIOA Executive Director Pamela Geller declared in a statement: "It's outrageous that the SPLC designates a group dedicated to protecting the freedom of speech, the freedom of conscience, and legal equality for all Americans as a ‘hate group.’ The SPLC, instead of standing for those freedoms, is carrying water for the real haters, the real neo-Nazi Jew-haters: the forces of Islamic supremacism and jihad.
The SPLC doesn’t even have a category for Islamic jihadi groups.
The greatest threat facing our nation, our people, our world, and they are shilling for them.”
SIOA Associate Director Robert Spencer pointed out that the Islamic supremacist hate group known as the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which the Justice Department designated an unindicted co-conspirator in a Hamas terror funding case and has had several of its officials convicted of jihad terror activity, is not listed by the SPLC as a hate group. “That the SPLC would list SIOA and not CAIR as a hate group shows the hollowness and political motivation of the SPLC’s classifications,” Spencer said.
The Washington Times reported in November 2010 that “the SPLC is a small, hard-left political activist outfit known for promoting a panoply of radical liberal causes. The Center holds itself out as an objective monitor of potentially violent or subversive hate groups such as the Ku Klux Klan, skinheads and other white supremacists. But in recent years - and with increasing abandon - the SPLC has leveraged (abused, really) its rapidly decreasing political capital and waning credibility to target and undermine organizations that, rather than dealing in the business of genuine ‘hate,’ instead pose a direct threat to the advancement of postmodern secular-socialism generally - and to the Democratic Party specifically….In sum, the SPLC has become an extremist wolf in ‘watchdog’ clothing.”
"My group is a human rights group," Geller said. "And these people are taken seriously? This is the morally inverted state of the world."
Geller added: “The SPLC is getting well-paid to defame freedom fighters. According to the SPLC's 990 Form for 2008, the SPLC's Chief Trial Counsel Morris Dees made a generous $348,420 that year. SPLC President and CEO Richard Cohen was right behind him at $344,490. General Counsel Joseph Levin made $189,166. Legal director Rhonda Brownstein brought in $179,806; CFO Teenie Hutchinson, $155,414. Potok pulled in $143,099. Former Chief Operating Officer Jeff Blancett made $159,301 -- that's right, the former COO. Who is funding this anti-America, anti-Jewish group of subversives?”
“We are going to fight this libelous designation,” Geller said, “and continue our struggle to protect human rights for all people. The SPLC has made itself the servant of the most radically intolerant ideology on earth. They’re on the wrong side of history.”
SIOA is one of America's foremost organizations defending human rights, religious liberty, and the freedom of speech against Islamic supremacist intimidation and attempts to bring elements of Sharia to the United States.
Pamela Geller has more here.

As Pamela notes, the SPLC does not even have a category for Islamic Jihadi groups. 

This is because the SPLC sees itself as fighting against "hatred" which is, for them, defined as RACE HATRED. (They have, over the years, also expanded to include gays as being victims of hate, but they are primarily concerned with racism).


RACISM IS NOT THE ONLY FORM OF HATRED.


Sharia law is hatred directed at anyone who does not conform to the narrow limitations of a religion invented by Mohammed, a warrior of the 7th century.


When all you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail or, apparently, it is deemed to be not a problem at all. Or so, it seems, is the case with the SPLC.

Sharia law is intolerant. The SPLC claims to work against intolerance. So, why do they not work to fight the proliferation of Sharia law?


Apparently, old organizations do not die. They grow fat off endowments and wind up fight against the very values they were born to protect.
Newsmax:

Desperate Gadhafi Arming Civilians in Tripoli
Saturday, 26 Feb 2011 07:07 AM

TRIPOLI, Libya – The embattled regime of Moammar Gadhafi is arming civilian supporters to set up checkpoints and roving patrols around the Libyan capital to control movement and quash dissent, residents said Saturday.

The reports came a day after protesters demanding Gadhafi's ouster came under heavy gunfire by pro-regime militiamen trying to stop the first significant anti-government marches in days in Tripoli.

Gadhafi, speaking from the ramparts of a historic Tripoli fort on Friday, told supporters to prepare to defend the nation as he faced the biggest challenge to his 42-year rule. "At the suitable time, we will open the arms depot so all Libyans and tribes become armed, so that Libya becomes red with fire," he said.

Rebels hold a long sweep of about half of Libya's 1,000-mile (1,600- kilometer) Mediterranean coastline where most of the population lives, and even captured a brigadier general and a soldier Saturday as the Libyan army tried to retake an air base east of Tripoli.

The international community stepped up its response to the bloodshed, while Americans and other foreigners were evacuated from the chaos roiling the North African nation.

The U.N. Security Council planned to meet later Saturday for a second day to consider an arms embargo against the Libyan government and a travel ban and asset freeze against Gadhafi, his relatives and key members of his government.

President Barack Obama signed an executive order Friday freezing assets held by Gadhafi and four of his children in the United States. The Treasury Department said the sanctions against Gadhafi, three of his sons and a daughter also apply to the Libyan government.

Also Friday evening, pro-Gadhafi troops with tanks attacked the Misrata Air Base east of Tripoli that had fallen into rebel hands. They succeeded in retaking part of it in battles with residents and army units who had joined the uprising against Gadhafi, said a doctor and a resident wounded in the battle on the edge of opposition-held Misrata, Libya's third-largest city, about 120 miles (200 kilometers) from the capital.

In Tripoli, most residents stayed in their homes Saturday, terrified of bands of armed men at checkpoints and patrolling the city.

A 40-year-old business owner said he had seen Gadhafi supporters enter one of the regime's Revolutionary Committee headquarters Saturday and leave with arms. He said the regime is offering a car and money to any supporters bringing three people with them to join the effort.

"Someone from the old revolutionary committees will go with them so they'll be four," the witness said when reached by telephone from Cairo. "They'll arm them to drive around the city and terrorize people."

Other residents reported seeing trucks full of civilians with automatic rifles patrolling their neighborhoods. Many were young, even teenagers, and wore green arm bands or cloths on their heads to show their affiliation to the regime, residents said. All spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.

Tripoli, home to about a third of Libya's population of 6 million, is the center of the eroding territory that Gadhafi still controls.

Pro-government forces have blocked access to Tripoli's eastern Tajoura district, one of the hotspots during previous protests. Meanwhile, residents of the district have chopped down palm trees as makeshift barricades and spread rocks and other debris on roads to protect their neighborhoods.

Dozens of people gathered in the district Saturday for the funeral of Anwar Algadi, 44. His brother, Mohammed, said he was killed a day earlier in clashes with pro-regime forces, with the cause of death listed as "receiving a live bullet to the head."

Even in the Gadhafi-held pocket of northwestern Libya around Tripoli, several cities have also fallen to the rebellion. Militiamen and pro-Gadhafi troops were repelled when they launched attacks trying to take back opposition-held territory in Zawiya and Misrata in fighting that killed at least 30 people.

Gadhafi's son, Seif al-Islam, told foreign journalists invited by the government to Tripoli that there were no casualties in Tripoli and that the capital was "calm."

"Everything is peaceful," he said. "Peace is coming back to our country."

He said the regime wants negotiations with the opposition and said there were "two minor problems" in Misrata and Zawiya. There, he said, "we are dealing with terrorist people," hut he hoped to reach a peaceful settlement with them.

Most shops in Tripoli were closed and long lines formed at bakeries as people ventured out for supplies.

In the Souq al-Jomaa neighborhood, piles of ashes stood in front of a burned-out police station. Graffiti on the walls read, "Down, down with Gadhafi." Elsewhere, shattered glass and rocks littered the streets.

A law school graduate walking to his house in the Fashloum area said he had seen many people killed by snipers in recent days.

"People are panicked, they are terrified. Few leave their houses. When it gets dark, you can't walk in the streets because anybody who walks is subject to be shot to death," he said.

He said Gadhafi's use of force against protesters had turned him against the regime.

"We Libyans cannot hear that there were other Libyans killed and remain silent," he said. "Now everything he says is a lie."

In Tripoli's Green Square, where state television has shown crowds of Gadhafi supporters in recent days, armed security men in blue uniforms were stationed around the plaza. Pro-Gadhafi billboards and posters were everywhere. A burned restaurant was the only sign of the unrest.

Supporters in about 50 cars covered with Gadhafi posters drove slowly around the square, waving green flags from the windows and honking horns. A camera crew filmed the procession.

A taxi driver, Nasser Mohammed, 25, was among those who had put a picture of Gadhafi and a green flag on his car.

"Have you heard the speech last night?" he asked. "It was great. Libyans don't want anyone but Gadhafi. He gave us loans."

Mohammed said each family received 500 Libyan dinars (about $400) after the start of the protests, plus the equivalent of about $100 credit for phone service.

Gadhafi loyalists manned a street barricade, turning away motorists trying to enter. After turning around, the drivers were then stopped at another checkpoint, manned by armed men in uniform, who searched cars and checked IDs of drivers and passengers.

In Misrata, a resident said the opposition was still in control of the city, which was calm Saturday, with many shops open and a local committee running civic affairs. But the opposition only held parts of the sprawling air base after Friday's attack by Gadhafi supporters, he added.

Three more bodies of opposition members who died in Friday's clashes near the air base were brought to the city's hospital, raising the death toll since Thursday to 25, he said.

The resident said pro-Gadhafi troops captured several members of the opposition Friday and now the two sides are talking about a possible swap since the opposition also captured the brigadier general and a soldier. Libyan state TV confirmed that an army Brig. Gen. Abu Bakr Ali was captured, although it said he was "kidnapped by terrorist gangs."

The opposition also held complete control of Sabratha, a town west of Tripoli famed for nearby ancient Roman ruins, with no police or any security forces associated with the Gadhafi regime, said Khalid Ahmed, a resident. He added that tribes were trying to organize a march on Tripoli, although a checkpoint outside the capital would stop anyone from entering.

"All of Libya is together," Ahmed said. "We are not far from toppling the regime."

Thousands of evacuees from Libya reached ports Saturday across the Mediterranean, with many more still trying to flee the North African nation by sea, air or land.

More than 2,800 Chinese workers landed in Heraklion on the Greek island of Crete aboard a Greek ship Saturday, while another 2,200 Chinese arrived in Valletta, the capital of Malta, on a ship from the eastern Libyan port of Benghazi.

Thousands of expatriates streamed out of Libya at the bustling Tunisian border, most of them Egyptians and Tunisians.

More than 20,000 have arrived since early this week, said Heinke Veit of the European Union Humanitarian Aid group.
Newsmax:

Mideast Protests at a Glance
Saturday, 26 Feb 2011 02:57 PM

A look at anti-government protests, political unrest and key developments in five Arab countries on Saturday.

___

LIBYA:

The embattled Libyan regime passes out guns to civilian supporters, sets up checkpoints and sends armed patrols roving the terrorized capital Tripoli to try to maintain control of Moammar Gadhafi's stronghold. Residents of its eastern Tajoura district set up makeshift barricades to prevent the SUVs filled with young men wielding automatic weapons from entering their neighborhood. In New York, the U.N. Security Council begins urgent deliberations to consider imposing sanctions to punish Libya for violent attacks on protesters.

___

EGYPT:

An Egyptian panel tasked with amending the constitution recommends easing restrictions on who can run for president and imposing presidential term limits. These were two key demands of the popular uprising that pushed President Hosni Mubarak from power earlier this month. The panel also says emergency laws need to be approved in a referendum if they remain in place longer than six months. Mubarak ruled for 30 years with such laws which grant the police sweeping powers and severely restrict personal freedoms. The panel was appointed by Egypt's military rulers.

___

YEMEN:

Yemen's embattled president suffered back-to-back blows: several hundreds of thousand call for his ouster in the largest anti-government rallies yet and two powerful chiefs from his own tribe abandon him. The huge turnout in towns and cities across Yemen and the defection of the tribal chiefs are the latest sign that President Ali Abdullah Saleh may be losing his grip on power.

___

BAHRAIN:

A prominent Bahraini opposition leader returns from exile and demands that the kingdom's rulers back up reform promises with action. The return of Hassan Mushaima, a senior Shiite figure, could mark a new phase for the anti-government movement. He is considered more hardline than the main Shiite bloc that has helped drive two weeks of protests. Thousands of demonstrators march on government buildings in the capital.

___

ALGERIA:

Hundreds rally in the capital of Algiers, demanding the ouster of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, with police out in far larger numbers. The protest on central Martyrs Square comes two days after the government ended a 19-year state of emergency. The restrictive measure was put in place in 1992 as Algeria embarked on an era of violence that ballooned into a deadly Islamist insurgency.

U.S. President Barack Obama praises the end of the state of emergency as a step toward responding to public concerns.