From a relieved CNN:

Obama resigns from controversial church

May 31, 2008

(CNN) — Barack Obama resigned Saturday from his Chicago church — where controversial sermons by his former pastor and other ministers had created repeated political headaches for the frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination — his campaign confirmed.

The resignation comes days after the Rev. Michael Pfleger, a visiting Catholic priest, mocked Obama’s Democratic rival, Sen. Hillary Clinton, for crying in New Hampshire during the runup to the primary there.

Previously, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright — former pastor at Trinity United Church of Christ and Obama’s minister for about 20 years — drew unwanted attention for the campaign when videos of several of his fiery sermons surfaced.

In them, Wright suggested the U.S. government may be responsible for the spread of AIDS in the black community and equated some American wartime activities to terrorism.

Obama has said he was not present for the controversial sermons by Wright or Pfleger and had condemned both — most recently saying he was “deeply disappointed” by Pfleger’s “divisive, backward-looking rhetoric.”

Still, one hopes Mr. Obama doesn’t regret this rash decision.

Perhaps he should wait for another twenty odd years.

 Update!

Further confirmation from the Associated Press:

Obama quits Chicago church after long controversy

ABARDEEN, S.D. (AP) — Barack Obama is resigning a 20 year membership in the Trinity United Church of Christ in the aftermath of inflammatory remarks by former pastor the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

Obama campaign communications director Robert Gibbs said Obama had submitted a letter of resignation to the church and would discuss his decision in a session with reporters later Saturday.

Comments by Wright have posed an unwanted problem for Obama, front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Behold the power of focus groups.

And (ahem) the internet.

It is perhaps all too telling that Yahoo News has categorized 17 news wire photos from our previously noted demonstration by Al-Sadr’s militia as “Anti-War Protests“:

Click photos to enlarge.

Mind you, Yahoo is labeling demonstrations called for by al-Sadr “anti-war protests” when this selfsame al-Sadr has declared “open war until the occupation is ended.”

But Yahoo doesn’t stop there.

Here are two photos from anti-US demonstrations over the “Koran shooting” incident which are also categorized as under the rubric of “Anti-War Protests”:

Click photos to enlarge.

Alas, Yahoo’s mistake is perhaps only too understandable.

The bravos featured in these photographs and our home grown “anti-war protesters” certainly share many of the same sentiments and goals.

From the terrorists’ mouthpiece, Al Jazeera:

Sadr bloc demands pact referendum

SATURDAY, MAY 31, 2008

Supporters of Muqtada al-Sadr, the Iraqi Shia leader, have demanded that the government hold a public referendum on a long-term security agreement with the US.

Politicians have until July to finalise a pact to keep US soldiers in Iraq after the current UN mandate expires at the end of the year.

Senior al-Sadr bloc members, including Falah Hassan Shanshal and Maha Adel, met in Baghdad on Saturday and issued a statement calling on the Iraqi government to stop negotiations with the US and to hold a public referendum on the issue.

Al-Sadr supporters say they “absolutely reject” the agreement and have urged Iraqis to continue peaceful demonstrations against it.

Tens of thousands of Iraqis rallied against the deal on Friday…

Al-Sadr has called for weekly protests in addition to the referendum against the security pact.

In recent days the Association of Muslim Scholars, Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim, one of Iraq’s most powerful Shia politicians, and Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, a Shia spiritual leader, have all raised concerns about the proposed security deal…

George Bush, the US president, and Nuri al-Maliki, the Iraqi prime minister, signed a statement last December on the future of US-Iraqi relations.

Iraqi and US officials began negotiations in March on a blueprint for the long-term security agreement, and a second deal, to establish the legal basis for US troops to remain in the country after a UN mandate runs out.

Widespread opposition to the deal, however, has raised doubts that the deadline will be met.

Many Iraqis say Americans are seeking permanent bases in Iraq.

US officials have declined to comment on the talks until the draft is completed…

Somehow this seems especially fitting, coming as it does on a day when the Democrats are once again trying to figure out how to handle their delegate problems.

Lest we forget, they have struggled for months over rules they themselves wrote. And they are all as alike as any number of peas in as many pods.

Yet these same Solons cannot understand what is taking Iraq so long to iron out its difficulties. A country that was artificially created out of competing tribes and religious sects who have been at each other’s throats for centuries.

It would be downright laughable if it all weren’t so important to our own nation’s security.

From her sub rosa “war room,” Hillary Is 44:

Chicago Rules Committee

The great day has arrived. Today something historic will happen.

No, we don’t expect common sense to prevail today at the Rules Committee meeting. We don’t expect the voters of Florida and Michigan will have the votes they cast, as they cast them, respected or counted.

But something else, will happen.

That something is what Nancy Pelosi, the Katherine Harris of this election cycle, fears most. That something is what Howard Dean, author of the 48 state strategy fears most. That something is what Donna Brazille fears most, That something is what Barack Obama fears most.

The Barack Obama/Howard Dean 48 State Losing Strategy

* * *

Recall the arguments that Obama used to make. “To know me is to love me” Obama would say. ‘My supporters won’t vote for Hillary but Hillary supporters will vote for me’.

Now Obama knows better.

In many quarters, to know Obama is to loathe him. In poll after poll, state after state what is clear is that Hillary supporters - women, latinos, white working class voters, rural voters, African-American Hillary supporters - will NOT vote for Obama under any circumstances.

Yet, smart people like Celinda Lake (and dummies in Big Media) continue to make the argument that Hillary Clinton supporters will “come home” to the Democratic Party no matter who the nominee is. These usually smart people are betting that Democrats will be force fed “unity” and will eventually vote for the nominee of the Democratic Party based on issues.

[We will resume our series Voting For Barack Obama, Part III early this coming week and analyze why Obama cannot be trusted on any issues and why it makes sense to reject Obama - on the issues (abortion, Supreme Court appointees, gay rights, healthcare, Iraq, NAFTA).]

The argument of these usually smart people collapses when we look at what will happen today.

The historic event today will NOT be the Rules Committee meeting.

The historic event today will be the organizing that will take place in advance of November.

In most election cycles, Democrats fall in line and fight for the nominee. In 2004 Dean, Edwards, and Clark supporters all fell in line immediately when it was apparent that Kerry would be the nominee. Kerry won the popular vote and more delegates than all his opponents by far. After March Kerry effectively won every primary by wide margins. Early in the 2004 cycle all Kerry opponents had conceded. Not so in 2008.

In 2008, Hillary will have won the popular vote. Hillary has won the most votes from Democrats. The primary elections continue into June. The candidate - Hillary Clinton - opposed by the Democratic Party establishment and Big Media continues to win, by 40% margins, late primaries. The revulsion, with the force fed on Democrats Obama, grows.

So what historic event will happen today?

The historic event is that the majority of Democrats will begin to organize 3 months before the Democratic? convention in opposition to the force fed, Big Media, candidate. 3 months before the Democratic? convention Democrats will be gathering emails and other contact information to fight against the Democratic? Party establishment.

Today networks of Hillary supporters from all parts of the United States will meet and organize and plan and build lists and circulate millions of emails day after day - 3 months before the Democratic? convention - all without costing a cent.

In late August, the Democratic? convention, 3 months before the general election, will be forced to vote to disenfranchise the voters of 2 very big and very important swing states.

Today, the Hillary Clinton army will make it clear that there will be no November “unity”, no “healing” without Hillary at the Helm.

The Rules Committee meets today, May 31, 2008 from 9:30 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. The meeting will be at the Marriott-Wardman Park Hotel, 2660 Woodley Road, NW, Washington D.C.

Hillary Supporters will rally at 7:00 a.m. (ET) until about 4:00 p.m. outside the hotel.

C-SPAN will broadcast the Rules Committee live. Broadcast starts at 9:30 a.m. (EST).

Before the Rules Committee broadcast, C-SPAN will host a call in program on Washington Journal. The call-in program will be from 7:00 a.m. until 9:30 a.m.

Washington Journal: Support Democrats (202) 737-0002,
Washington Journal: Support Pres. Bush (202) 737-0001,
Washington Journal: Support Others (202) 628-0205

Congressman Robert Wexler will represent Obama from 7:15-7:30 a.m.

From 7:30 to 8:00 a.m. Gordon Trowbridge of the Detroit News will answer questions.

From 8:00 to 8:30 a.m. Congresswoman Corrine Brown of Florida will speak on behalf of Hillary Clinton.

Alas, this is the Hillary Rodham Clinton we all know and love:

Today, the Hillary Clinton army will make it clear that there will be no November “unity”, no “healing” without Hillary at the Helm.

As the article notes, C-SPAN will be broadcasting this circus the proceedings, which can be viewed online here.

Good clean fun!

From, of all places, USA Today:

Donors among those ruling on delegates

More Than a Third of the Committee Deciding Delegate Fate Has Made Campaign Donations

By Fredreka Schouten, USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — More than a third of the Democratic Party committee charged with deciding the fate of Michigan and Florida delegates have donated to the campaigns of Hillary Rodham Clinton or Barack Obama, a USA TODAY analysis shows.

Most of the money more than $23,000 has gone to Clinton, who wants the delegates counted to boost her uphill presidential bid, the analysis shows. Obama has received nearly $6,000.

“It’s another example of the noxious mix of money and politics,” said Ellen Miller, executive director of the Sunlight Foundation watchdog group. “To the general public, it has to be a surprise that people in a position to make such a critical decision are bound by their pocketbooks to particular candidates.”

Donald Fowler, a committee member who has given $1,000 to Clinton, said it was “ridiculous” to suggest his donation would influence him. Fowler, a former party chairman, said the stakes are too high for panel members “to throw away the party’s interests or their own integrity to placate a candidate.”

The Rules and Bylaws panel of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) meets Saturday to decide how to apportion Florida’s 211 delegates and Michigan’s 157…

The 30 panel members are superdelegates. Thirteen have endorsed Clinton; eight back Obama. Nine are undeclared.

Overall, 11 have contributed campaign cash, according to the USA TODAY analysis.

Harold Ickes donated $4,600 to Clinton and serves as her campaign’s chief delegate counter. He said it is hard to expect panelists to disavow their Clinton or Obama connections. “We are a political organization,” he said. “I don’t think you can, in all of America, find 30 Democrats who have not committed to a candidate.”

Allan Katz has donated $2,300 to Obama and is one of his top fundraisers. “We are all Democrats who want to win the White House,” he said…

This is interesting of course.

But the real scandal here is not that these political creatures have given money to the candidates of their choice. That is certainly to be expected.

The real scandal is that so many of the superdelegates have received money from the candidates themselves, through their political action committees.

And, if past reports are accurate, Mr. Obama has given them more money than Mrs. Clinton.

According to that report from February, “since 2005 Obama has given 52 of the undecided superdelegates a total of at least $363,900, while Clinton has given a total of $88,000 to 15 of them.”

And lo and behold Mr. Obama is in the lead among superdelegates.

Of course that may just be a coincidence.

By the way, as we have noted before, (the aptly named) Mr. Ickes, who is now trying to change the rules for his candidate Mrs. Clinton is the selfsame man who wrote the rules to begin with.

This thread is for the busy bees of S&L to post news items themselves.

In order to make the articles as readable as possible, please try to stick to the format described in the first of these weekly editions here.

Of course articles that fit under the topic of a recent thread should be posted there. As always, remember to excerpt heavily and to provide a link to the original source.

We posted this clip Fox News (via YouTube) back in February, but it seems very timely again.

It features a portion of Mr. Obama’s address to the United Church of Christ’s 50th Anniversary General Synod in Hartford, CT, on June 23, 2007:

Barack Obama says Christian right has hijacked faith

“Somewhere along the way faith stopped being used to bring us together and started being used to drive us apart… Faith got hijacked partly because of the so-called leaders of the Christian Right, who’ve been all too eager to exploit what divides us. At every opportunity they’ve told Evangelical Christians that Democrats disrespect their values and dislike their church, while suggesting to the rest of the country that religious Americans care only about issues like abortion and gay marriage, school prayer and Intelligent Design.”

Isn’t irony ironic?

This is a repost of part of an article we first posted back in January about Obama’s church giving Louis Farrakhan its prestigious Jeremiah Wright Lifetime Achievement award.

Note who else is quoted in the November/December 2007 issue of Wright’s Trinity United Church Of Christ’s magazine:

Enlarge

The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan

by Rhoda McKinney-Jones

It’s not often that one gets to interview an icon. Someone called by a singular moniker and everyone knows of whom you speak — a person who can walk into a room and cause pause because of his physical presence and historical significance. That’s exactly what I was privileged to do a few days ago from my humble kitchen perch. I interviewed the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan by phone on everything I could think to ask in 15 fleeting minutes.

The Minister’s voice was strong, smooth and steadfast, giving no hint of the health challenges that have plagued him the last few years. He talked about the future of the Nation of Islam, his hope for the faith, his pride in African American people, his love of music and the state of Black America. Then of course, when prodded, he talked of his legacy. I asked questions in quick succession and he willingly responded, eloquently quoting biblical scripture, speaking in parables and peppering his answers with references to the Quran, Malcolm X, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. He spoke and I couldn’t help but listen and learn.

“When Minister Farrakhan speaks, Black America listens,” says the Rev. Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright, likening the Minister’s influence to the E. F. Hutton commercials of old. “Everybody may not agree with him, but they listen…His depth on analysis when it comes to the racial ills of this nation is astounding and eye opening. He brings a perspective that is helpful and honest.

“Minister Farrakhan will be remembered as one of the 20th and 21st century giants of the African American religious experience,” continues Wright. “His integrity and honesty have secured him a place in history as one of the nation’s most powerful critics. His love for Africa and African American people has made him an unforgettable force, a catalyst for change and a religious leader who is sincere about his faith and his purpose.” …

But that road has not been an easy one, as his friend Father Michael L. Pfleger of St. Sabina Church in Chicago explains.

“Minister Farrakhan is probably one of the most misunderstood and mis-defined leaders of our day,” says Pfleger. “When you don’t want to deal with someone’s truth, you try to destroy their character or redefine them …That’s what the media has sought to do with Minister Farrakhan. His truth causes America to face its racism and its hypocrisy.”

“Minister Farrakhan has been a personal friend for more than 20 years,” continues Pfleger. “His leadership has evolved, and I believe the coming days will see him as a unifying force, calling real Christians, real Jews and real Muslims to come together on principles of truth and justice… Contrary to those who want to make him anti-white and anti-Semitic, I believe Minister Farrakhan is presently building the umbrella for people of conscience to come together no matter the race or creed. I am honored to call him my brother.”

Because of the Minister’s influence in the African American community, Trumpet Newsmagazine honors him this winter at its Sounds of the Shore gala with an Empowerment Award. It seemed a fitting tribute for a storied life well lived. And as our brief interview drew to a close and he thanked me for taking the time to talk to him, I could not help but think, the Minister, the man with whom I had been so casually speaking, truly epitomized greatness.

But of course Mr. Obama didn’t know anything about Father Pfleger’s sentiments either.

[Please scroll down for the update of this article.]

An all too typical bit of mis-reporting from Jake Tapper at ABC News:

WWII Vet Fires at Conservative Bloggers Re: Obama’s Great Uncle Charlie

May 29, 2008

His name, according to the Obama campaign, was Charles T. Payne.

He was born in February 1925, and he served in the 89th Infantry Division of the Army during World War II…

An interesting side story here — the Kitchells are not particularly happy with the conservative bloggers who have set out to prove Obama was “lying” about his great uncle…

Then there’s this remarkable exchange between the conservative bloggers at Sweetness & Light and Ray Kitchell, who served with the 89th:

From: Steve Gilbert
Sent: Wednesday, May 28, 2008 6:14 AM
Subject: Any Record Of Charles W Payne?

Mr. Kitchell,

As you may have heard by now, Barack Obama has claimed that his great uncle Charlie Payne was a member of the 89th Div that liberated Buchenwald.

According to records his full name is either Charles W Payne or Charles T Payne (most likely the former), and he was born in 1924 — and he is still alive today.

He most likely was from Kansas at the time of enlistment.

Do you have any record of this gentleman?

Thank you,

Steve Gilbert
sweetness-light.com

PS - If you go to my website, you will see that I was probably the first to note the error in Mr. Obama’s first claims about his “uncle.”

**

And the response:

Please crawl back under the rock you came out from.

Good day

Raymond Kitchell, veteran 89th Inf Div

**

The response at Sweetness & Light was to compare the World War II veteran to Cindy Sheehan.

- jpt

Folks, we are witnessing the art of ‘lying by omission’ that our watchdog media practice, day in and day out.

As readers of this site know, and as anyone can see for themselves, my “Cindy Sheehan” reference was to Mr. Kitchell’s second email:

From: Mark Kitchell [mailto:markkitchell@yahoo.com]
Sent: Wednesday, May 28, 2008 10:47 AM
To: Steve Gilbert
Subject: Re: Any Record Of Charles W Payne?

I don’t claim to represent anyone. You are the one who came to my son and I asking for information.

Please spend ample time chasing down the lies fed to you by chickenhawks Bush & Co. Like 90% of this administration, they don’t have the foggiest idea what we went through or what we saw at Ohrdruf.

[Emphasis added]

The comparison still seems more than apt. For not only does Mr. Kitchell sound like Ms. Sheehan in his political views, but he uses his (highly laudable) military service to cloak himself in an unquestionable moral authority.

Lest we forget, I was simply trying to find out if Mr. Obama’s uncle served in the 89th from a site which purported to welcome queries about the 89th. What is outrageous or even slightly disrespectful about that?

But this whole ginned-up “controversy” has become surreal in the extreme.

Not only were we here at S&L among the first, if not the first, to notice Mr. Obama’s original “gaffe” about his uncle liberating Auschwitz, back when everyone else was chortling about him “seeing dead people.”

But we actually went out of our way to try to find out the facts of the case. Something obvious offensive to today’s “journalists” like Jake Tapper and those famous seekers of the truth at the Daily Kos.

Indeed, from the start I have stated that it is unlikely that the story was made up. And this site was the very first site anywhere to post any confirmation of Mr. Obama’s claim — in the very article Tapper cites.

(Of course a lot of this confusion may have been avoided if the Obama camp had actually told us his great uncle’s full name, which despite Mr. Tapper’s implications, they did not. They called him “Charlie” and gave no further information. So we were left to scour the genealogical records and other tea leaves.)

Along the way I and the other posters here have merely tried to separate the facts from the fiction and the disinformation.

Hilariously, for our efforts we are being set upon by America-hating ignoramuses from the Daily Kos and other lunatic leftwing sites that no one has ever heard about – for our shabby treatment of veterans.

Never mind that the founder of the Daily Kos is a notorious ‘blood dancer’ who wants to see our soldiers defeated in Iraq (and everywhere, for that matter), and who delighted in the brutal death of US contractors who were helping to deliver food to the people of Fallujah.

Since its inception S&L has supported and honored our military — which we have repeatedly called the greatest force for good in the history of the modern world. (And I have done so elsewhere long before beginning this site.)

This site’s membership is comprised of a disproportionate number of veterans, active service men and women, and people who are closely related to veterans or current members of the military.

S&L defended our soldiers and their mission against the (anti-Semitic) lies of Cindy Sheehan, whose bizarre claims the Daily Kos was only too happy to promote, and “reporters” like Jake Tapper were only too happy to ignore.

(Cindy Sheehan and her supporters are now effectively banned from the Daily Kos, by the way.)

Moreover, it was this site which began to turn around the story of the so-called “Haditha Massacre” while folks like Jake Tapper and the Daily Kos were eager to carry water for our nation’s enemies.

We have also done our part in exposing “phony soldiers,” such as that hero of the Daily Kos, Jesse MacBeth.

Meanwhile, S&L has whole-heartedly supported our troops and defended their mission in countless articles over the last three years.

And now we are being pilloried for not respecting veterans? By people who call us “chickenhawks” and “neo-cons” (aka Jews)? By people who claimed we have been duped by people like General Petraeus?

It is to laugh.

 Update!

I just received the following email from Mr. Tapper:

—–Original Message—–
From: Jake Tapper
Sent: Friday, May 30, 2008 12:44 PM
To: xxxxx@xxx.xxx
Subject: Steve —

Jake Tapper wrote:

As soon as someone pointed out to me that your “Cindy Sheehan” remark was in reference to his “chickenhawks” line, I edited the blog to reflect that. Please shoot me an email when you get a sec.

Jake

And, indeed, Mr. Tapper has added the following to his original column:

* It’s been pointed out to me that the Cindy Sheehan comparison was in response to the “chickenhawks” email, so I added it for better context.

Mr. Tapper has also further explained in subsequent emails that he was not trying to suggest I was disrespecting veterans. And, moreover, he thought my email to Mr. Kitchell was respectful. Which, of course, it was meant to be.

I have to admit that I am heartened to see this. Since, truth to tell, Mr. Tapper has been one of the “fair and balanced” reporters on the campaign trail. (If he will pardon the expression.)

I have also subsequently Googled and searched Lexis-Nexus for any articles by Mr. Tapper on either Cindy Sheehan or Haditha, and found none. And Mr. Tapper has subsequently assured me that he has never written on either subject, except to note her (short-lived) departure from the “peace movement” last Memorial Day.

So I apologize for painting him with such a broad roller. Though the general truth about the rest of the media’s handling of those subjects is still obviously true.

I hope all of this doesn’t put Mr. Tapper in Dutch with the leftwing lunatics.

From her diehard fans at the Associated Press:

Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., jokes with reporters on her campaign plane prior to takeoff from the airport in Rapid City, S.D., Wednesday, May 28, 2008.

Sometimes it’s almost hard to believe that the media hate her.

Except maybe all of this was just an excuse to get to the last photograph, which would seem to be the ultimate “message” here.

From France’s AFP:

Teacher punishes blind Pakistani boy to death

Friday, May 30, 2008

MULTAN, Pakistan (AFP) — A blind seven-year-old student at an Islamic school in eastern Pakistan has died after his teacher punished him for not learning the Quran, according to police on Friday.

Muhammad Atif was hung upside down from a ceiling fan and severely beaten by his teacher, Qari Ziauddin, at the seminary or madrassa (Religious school) in Vihari, near Lahore on Thursday, they said.

Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani had ordered in inquiry into the death, an official statement said.

“The prime minister has expressed his deep sorrow and concern over the tragic death of Muhammad Atif, who reportedly died as a result of corporal punishment by his teacher,” the statement said.

Police said the teacher had been arrested on charges of torturing and murdering the boy.

“Qari Ziauddin, who teaches Quran to boys in Qari Latif Islamic school, hanged Atif upside down with a ceiling fan in the school after beating him with sticks, which caused his death,” local police official Akram Niazi told AFP.

The teacher also failed to take the boy to hospital after he fell ill and his condition deteriorated, he said.

Police said a postmortem report also confirmed physical torture as the cause of death.

Pakistan’s 13,000 registered madrassas offer free schooling and board to hundreds of thousands of poor children in this devout nation, but some have also been linked to Islamic extremism.

Do tell?

But surely there will be worldwide riots over this latest outrage.

Any minute now.

From those defenders of the faith at Knight Ridder:

Iraqis: Marines Try to Convert Muslims

May 29, 2008

FALLUJAH, Iraq - At the western entrance to the Iraqi city of Fallujah on May 27, Muamar Anad handed his residence badge to the U.S. Marines guarding the city. They checked to be sure that he was a city resident, and when they were done, Anad said, a Marine slipped a coin out of his pocket and put it in his hand.

Out of fear, he accepted it, Anad said. When he was inside the city, the college student said, he looked at one side of the coin. “Where will you spend eternity?” it asked.

He flipped it over, and on the other side it read, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:16.”

“They are trying to convert us to Christianity,” said Anad, a Sunni Muslim like most residents of this city in Anbar province. At home, he told his story, and his relatives echoed their disapproval: They’d been given the coins, too, he said…

[R]esidents of the city are abuzz that some Americans whom they consider occupiers are also acting as Christian missionaries. Residents said some Marines at the western entrance to their city have been passing out the coins for two days in what they call a “humiliating” attempt to convert them to Christianity…

The head of the Sunni endowment in Fallujah, the organization that oversees Sunni places of worship and other religious establishments, demanded that the Marines stop.

“We say to the occupiers to stop this,” said Sheikh Mohammed Amin Abdel Hadi. “This can cause strife between the Iraqis and especially between Muslim and Christians . . . . Please stop these things and leave our homes because we are Muslims and we live in our homes in peace with other religions.”

“Iraq is investigating a report that U.S. military personnel in Fallujah handed-out material that is religious and evangelical in nature,” said Rear Adm. Patrick Driscoll, a U.S. military spokesman, in a statement e-mailed to McClatchy Newspapers. “Local commanders are investigating since the military prohibits proselytizing any religion, faith or practices.”

In interviews, residents of Fallujah repeated two words - “humiliation” and “weakness”.

“Because we are weak this is happening,” said a shop owner who gave his name as Abu Abdullah. “Passing Christianity this way is disrespectful.”

“The occupier is repeatedly trespassing on God and his religion,” said Omar Delli, 23. “Now the occupier is planting seeds of strife between the Muslims and Christians. We demand the government in Fallujah have a new demonstration to let the occupier know that these things are humiliating Islam and the Quran.” …

In Fallujah, Mohammed Jaber saw one of the coins and said he thought of the bullets lodged in the Quran, the torture of Iraqi men at the Abu Ghraib prison in 2004 and the rape of a 14-year-old girl and her murder and that of her family in Mahmoudiya.

“Now we have this missionary way by these coins,” he said. “We feel the Muslims are weak and we hope that we will reach a point when we are strong to let them know what is wrong and what is right.”

Gosh, this is horrible. And so “humiliating.”

Especially for those members of a faith that directs its followers to convert or kill any infidel they meet.

But do notice the absence of any real confirmation that Marines are actually passing out these dreadful coins. (I have yet to even see any photos of the hateful things.)

Wouldn’t this be a fairly easy propaganda trick for the local terrorists to accomplish?

 Update!

From those champions of the faith at the Associated Press:

US soldier grounded for proselytising in Iraq

Friday, May 30, 2008

Baghdad: A US marine handed out coins promoting Christianity to Muslims in the former insurgent stronghold of Fallujah, outraged Sunni officials said Friday. The US military responded quickly, removing the American trooper from duty pending investigation…

Photos of the coins, which were inscribed with phrases in Arabic, were widely distributed via cell phones in Fallujah and were seen by an Associated Press employee…

Sheik Abdul-Rahman al-Zubaie, an influential tribal leader in the city, spoke of his outrage over the proselytizing by American forces and warned patience was running thin.

”This event did not happen by chance, but it was planned and done intentionally,” al-Zubaie said. ”The Sunni population cannot accept such a thing. I might not be able to control people’s reactions if such incidents keep happening.”

Sunni officials and residents said a Marine distributed about 10 coins at a checkpoint controlling access to the city, scene of one of the fiercest battles of the war. Al-Zubaie said a man brought one of the coins to a mosque on Wednesday to show it to him and other Sunni leaders.

He accused the Marines of trying to do missionary work in Fallujah and said Sunni leaders had met US military officials and demanded ”the harshest punishment” for those responsible to make sure it doesn’t happen again…

A statement, which did not identify the trooper or the branch of service, said the reports about the coin’s distribution were being investigated. The U.S. promised ”appropriate action” if the allegations are confirmed…

”Such deeds will not make Muslims trust American troops any more and might create a feeling of hatred among Muslims and Christians” at a time when they’re finally living in peace, he added…

Ah, so. One unidentified soldier is alleged to have handed out ten coins? 

What a scandal.

Moreover, how did this soldier come into the possession of such coins written in Arabic? 

”This event did not happen by chance, but it was planned and done intentionally,” al-Zubaie said.

At this point we are inclined to agree with Mr. al-Zubaie.

From France’s AFP:

Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt (C) makes the opening address at the first annual review of the International Compact with Iraq in Stockholm May 29, 2008.

World praises progress in Iraq as Baghdad seeks debt relief

by Pia Ohlin

STOCKHOLM (AFP) - World leaders, including UN chief Ban Ki-moon and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, on Thursday hailed Baghdad’s progress in combatting violence and stabilising Iraq.

A declaration adopted by 100 delegations at a Stockholm conference said the participants “recognised the important efforts made by the (Iraqi) government to improve security and public order and combat terrorism and sectarian violence across Iraq.”

It also acknowledged political and economic progress made, and said that “given the difficult context, these successes are all the more remarkable.”

In a speech earlier to the conference, Ban said Iraq was “stepping back from the abyss that we feared most,” adding that with international help the war-torn country could fulfill its “vision of becoming a free, secure, stable and prosperous nation.”

He cautioned however that “the situation remains fragile.”

The one-day conference in Stockholm, hosted by Ban and Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, was attended by Rice, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki and British Foreign Secretary David Miliband among others…

Maliki stressed that great progress had been made toward creating long-term stability in all areas, and asked world leaders “to end the international sanctions that were imposed on Iraq because of the previous regime and to write off debts.”

He noted that his country was not poor thanks to its rich oil resources, but said the debt was weighing down reconstruction efforts.

According to the Iraqi government, Iraq’s total debt, excluding interest, is some 140 billion dollars, including 10 billion dollars owed to Saudi Arabia and a little less to Kuwait.

Iraq’s debt has been reduced by 66.5 billion dollars, US State Department figures show.

Rice urged the world community and especially Iraq’s Arab neighbours to re-establish diplomatic ties with Baghdad…

Of course the Democrats, especially their “leaders,” see no such progress. And never will as long as there is one lying breath left in their bodies.

They are still determined that the US must be defeated at all costs.

After all, they’ve got an election to win.

From the pulpit of Obama’s Trinity Church, via YouTube:

Obama’s Church: Hillary Cried Because White Supremacy Failed

[My transcription, starting 19 seconds into the clip:]

Rev. Moss: We are delighted — he needs no introduction. He is a friend of Trinity. He is a brother beloved. He is a preacher par excellence. He is a prophetic, powerful pulpiteer [sic]. He is our friend, he is our brother. He is none other than Michael Pfleger. We welcome him once again…

[Skipping to 1:45 in the clip:]

Rev. Pfleger: … We must be honest enough to expose white entitlement and supremacy wherever it raises its head. I’ve said before — and I really [don't] want to make this political, because you know I’m very unpolitical.

But [garbled] when Hillary was crying, and people said that was put on, I really don’t believe it was put on. I really believe that she just always thought ‘this is mine. I’m Bill’s wife. I’m white. And this is mine. I just gotta get up and step into [sic] the plate.’

And then out of nowhere came, ‘hey, I’m Barack Obama.’ And she said, ‘oh, damn, where did you come from?! I’m white! I’m entitled! There’s a black man stealing my show!’ [He mock sobs.]

She wasn’t the only one cryin’. There was a whole lot of white people cryin’!

I’m sorry, I don’t want to get you in any more trouble. The live streaming [the internet broadcast of Trinity's services] just went out again.

[Leaves stage to standing ovation.]

Rev. Moss: We thank God for the message. And we thank God for the messenger. We thank God for Father Michael Pfleger. We thank God for Father Mike.

Not Reverend Wright, but a remarkable simulacrum.

In fact, the well known crackpot Reverend Pfleger is one of the very few white faces to grace the pages of the Reverend Wright’s Trumpet magazine:

Enlarge

As his introduction indicates, he is a darling of the Trinity Congregation and the Reverend Doctor Wright. And his replacement, Rev. Otis Moss, III:

“We thank God for the message. We thank God for the messenger.”

And one can easily see why.

(Thanks to Ann for the heads up.)

From those open border lobbyists at the Associated Press:

In Miami, Spanish is becoming the primary language

By GISELA SALOMON, Associated Press Writer Thu May 29

MIAMI - Melissa Green’s mother spoke Spanish, but she never learned — her father forbid it. Today, that’s a frequent problem in this city where the English-speaking population is outnumbered.

The 49-year-old flower shop owner and Miami native said her inability to speak “espanol” makes it difficult to conduct business, seek help at stores and even ask directions. She finds it “frustrating.”

“It makes it hard for some people to find a job because they don’t speak Spanish, and I don’t think that it is right,” said Green, who sometimes calls a Spanish-speaking friend to translate for customers who don’t speak English.

“Sometimes I think they should learn it,” she said.

In many areas of Miami, Spanish has become the predominant language, replacing English in everyday life. Anyone from Latin America could feel at home on the streets, without having to pronounce a single word in English.

In stores, shopkeepers wait on their clients in Spanish. Universities offer programs for Spanish speakers. And in supermarkets, banks, restaurants — even at the post office and government offices — information is given and assistance is offered in Spanish. In Miami, doctors and nurses speak Spanish with their patients and a large portion of advertising is in Spanish. Daily newspapers and radio and television stations cater to the Hispanic public.

But this situation, so pleasing to Latin American immigrants, makes some English speakers feel marginalized. In the 1950s, it’s estimated that more than 80 percent of Miami-Dade County residents were non-Hispanic whites. But in 2006, the Census Bureau estimates that number was only 18.5 percent, and in 2015 it is forecast to be 14 percent. Hispanics now make up about 60 percent.

“The Anglo population is leaving,” said Juan Clark, a sociology professor at Miami Dade College. “One of the reactions is to emigrate toward the north. They resent the fact that (an American) has to learn Spanish in order to have advantages to work. If one doesn’t speak Spanish, it’s a disadvantage.”

According to the Census, 58.5 percent of the county’s 2.4 million residents speak Spanish — and half of those say they don’t speak English well. English-only speakers make up 27.2 percent of the county’s residents…

James McCleary, his wife and two children left Miami in 1987 for Vermont, where he is now a farmer. McCleary, 58, said his inability to speak Spanish made it difficult for him to find work — it once took seven months to get hired as a cook.

“The job market was very tough. It was very, very difficult,” he said.

His wife, Lauren, was born and raised in Miami and they visit at least twice a year, but she feels that it’s no longer her hometown.

“I don’t like being there anymore. It is very, very different,” she said. “I cannot live there anymore, I can’t speak their language.”

Nevertheless, she likes the diversity of the population of South Florida and regrets not learning Spanish in school…

Why pretend this is somehow unique to Miami?

Of course the only news here is that the Associated Press would even acknowledge this.

“Sometimes I think they should learn [English],” she said.

Obviously this woman is a racist xenophobic bigot. She needs to get with the program.

“I don’t like being there anymore. It is very, very different,” she said. “I cannot live there anymore, I can’t speak their language.” Nevertheless, she likes the diversity of the population of South Florida and regrets not learning Spanish in school.

That’s the spirit!

Who needs a job when you have “diversity”?

(Thanks to Franco for the heads up.)