The Treasury Department and the Obama administration didn’t have any advanced warning that federal securities regulators were preparing to file a civil lawsuit against Goldman Sachs Group, alleging fraud over mortgage securities, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said.
In an interview taped Wednesday and aired Thursday on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” Geithner, asked if anyone in Treasury or the administration had a heads-up that the lawsuit was coming, said “Absolutely not.”
“That could never happen. It should never happen. [The Securities and Exchange Commission is] a fully independent agency and they give no warnings, no notice, no heads up. And there should be no involvement by any person in the executive branch ever in those kind of investigations.
“And I’m very confident our system protects against that risk.”
Geithner declined comment on specifics of the SEC’s case against Goldman Sachs, but then said, “what you need to have is a system in which this stuff happens not in the dark — where people — some people, can make some money, but it comes at enormous risk to the system as a whole.
“But we bring derivatives out of the dark so those types of activities happen in broad daylight with full disclosure and with the cops able to police this stuff more effectively.
“We want to have a system in which the financial cops can act preemptively to deal with these kind of things, not be forced to come in after the fact and clean up the mess. And that’s the kind of system we want to build.”
Geithner, in a series of television appearances Thursday, also continued to press the Obama administration’s case for reform of the nation’s financial regulatory system.
In an interview taped Wednesday and aired Thursday on CBS’s “The Early Show,” Geithner argued the reform package, nearing action by Congress, would protect taxpayers from institutions which “manage themselves to the edge of failure,” and make shareholders “bear the costs of the crisis.”
Former CBS News president Richard Salant (1961 - 64 and 1966 - 79) explained the major media's role: "Our job is to give people not what they want, but what we decide they ought to have." ...and to this very day most Americans haven't noticed they're being brained washed! ~ N. Hooben
Saturday, April 24, 2010
There is no justice harsh enough...
The following questions were taken from a recent on-line survey. The X marks are my response. ~ Norman E. Hooben
What Price Should Obama Pay?
It's time for Americans to start thinking: What penalty shall Barack Hussein Obama pay if it's proven that he is not a natural born citizen and, illegally, he has stolen the office of President of the United States?Friday, April 23, 2010
Booing Obama Off The World's Stage ...plus bonus video just for stopping by
"When Obama wagged his finger in the face of Stephen Harper, he insulted all Canadians."
Booing Obama By Judi McLeod Thursday, April 22, 2010
In the not-so-long-ago days before the Barry Soetoro “Metrosexual”, the bad guys got roundly booed at Saturday afternoon matinees.This was back in the days before politically correct drowned out commonsense; the days before the Sean Penns and Tom Hanks came down from the silver screen as media darling political activists.
Booing was at much at home at baseball where “Kill the Umpire!” originated as it was at the movies.
Whoever would have thought back then that someday a president of the United States of America would go about the world maligning his own country and people, or that when he did, the booing would come largely from the Internet and Tea Parties, and not the mainstream media?Down through the ages, bullies, sore losers, and despots have been called out by the big “Boo!”
Anyone connected to the Web knows that President Barack Obama bows deeply to the enemy on the world stage, while he, at least figuratively speaking, continues to give the finger to the people he was elected to serve.
On home turf, Obama has been accused by House Republican leader John A. Boehner of being a “finger wagging” lecturer.
Obama’s finger-culture copycats the foul-mouthed Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel whose point is made by flipping the bird.
On the world stage, Obama has been seen poking his finger at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and during last week’s Nuclear Summit at Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
Israel is America’s strongest ally in the Middle East.
Canada is America’s number one trading partner and shares a 3,000-plus mile border with the U.S.
When Obama wagged his finger in the face of Stephen Harper, he insulted all Canadians, including the loved ones of 142 Canadian soldiers who gave their all fighting alongside American troops in Afghanistan.
When Obama canceled plans to attend the funeral of Polish Prime Minister Lech Kaczynski and played golf instead he gave the finger to grieving Poles and their relatives abroad.
Canada Free Press gives a resounding “Boo!” to Obama for Israelis, Canadians and Poles.
Meanwhile, even from an oppressed people, the boos for Obama are getting louder every day, and and history will someday record how the most powerful man earth was booed right off the world stage.
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Bonus Video: Thanks for stopping by.
To Settle The Question Once And For All ...Hooben suggests "Court martial Obama!"
Updated April 23, 2010 at 11:57 P.M. ~ see below
Something is definetly wrong with this picture... Here we have a decorated U.S. Army Officer asking a very simple question. "Who is our leader?" If Mr. Obama cannot verify his legal status, then why are we not all asking the same question. Who IS our leader? And irregardless of what you may have heard from some judges regarding 'standing' in attempts to bring this matter before the courts...those judges are WRONG! Every American, young or old, has standing when the Constitution For The United States is questioned. The Constitution was not written for a select few...it was written FOR all...as seen here:
Obama should release his original birth certificate and put an end to relentless speculation over whether he meets the Constitutional fitness test for the nation's highest office. Original documentation for 1961 from the hospital or Department of Health can resolve this point without in any way compromising Obama's privacy or subjecting him to the danger of identity theft.
Something is definetly wrong with this picture... Here we have a decorated U.S. Army Officer asking a very simple question. "Who is our leader?" If Mr. Obama cannot verify his legal status, then why are we not all asking the same question. Who IS our leader? And irregardless of what you may have heard from some judges regarding 'standing' in attempts to bring this matter before the courts...those judges are WRONG! Every American, young or old, has standing when the Constitution For The United States is questioned. The Constitution was not written for a select few...it was written FOR all...as seen here:
"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."It doesn't say anything about selective standing now does it! But by their arrogance those judges have in essence bastardized that part of the of the Constitution that clearly states, "We the people..." Does 'people' have some kind of a different meaning here? Here's what the dictionary states:
people plural noun: men, women, and children. Used to refer to persons in general or everyone, or informally to the group of people that you are speaking to.So getting back to the Army Officer's upcoming court trial it would mean that the United States Army would have to present evidence of Obama's Constitutionally mandated requirement to hold the office that he has illegally entered. The real smart thing to do and settle this question once and for all is to have the United States Army court martial Mr. Obama...as so-called Commander In Chief he is definetly subject to the same rules and regulations as are all the people in the military. ~ Norman E. Hooben
"If a PFC has to show a birth certificate, then it stands to reason that a CIC has the same obligation."
March 31, 2010
Exclusive: Highly Decorated Army Surgeon Lt. Col. Terry Lakin Refuses All Military Orders Until Obama Proves He Is a Natural Born Citizen
A decorated active duty Army medical officer, Lieutenant Colonel Terry Lakin (selected for promotion to Colonel), is calling upon his chain of command and his Congressional delegation to force President Obama to release his original birth certificate. He is the highest ranking officer to go public over this controversy and in late February, was notified that he is subject to near-term deployment to Afghanistan.
His military orders include a requirement that he provide "copies of his birth certificate." LTC Lakin is prepared to provide a certified copy of his certification of vital record that lists his birth hospital, physician's name and other key information. He has provided this document for many other required processes, such as his commissioning into the military as an officer, and his marriage license.
Lakin has earned the distinction of taking care of many Admirals and Generals since working at the Pentagon, where he serves as Chief of Primary Care and Flight Surgeon for the DiLorenzo TRICARE Health Clinic and is the lead Flight Surgeon charged with caring for Army Chief of Staff General Casey's pilots and air crew. LTC Lakin's numerous awards and decorations include the Army Flight Surgeon Badge, Combat Medical Badge, the Bronze Star Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, the Army Achievement Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, the National Defense Service Medal with Bronze Service Star, the Armed Forces Expedition Medal, the Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon sixth award and the NATO service medal. He has served previously in Honduras, Bosnia, Korea, and Afghanistan.
LTC Lakin, a native of Colorado whose residency is Tennessee, has explained to his superiors that he cannot understand how his Oath of Office to protect and defend the Constitution does not allow military officers to pursue proof of eligibility from the Commander-in-Chief. In fact, efforts on his part to seek affirmation of the President's constitutional eligibility have been met with legal evasions. Yet in an open and free society, and especially given Obama's governmental "transparency" initiative, many American citizens are demanding to know the truth. So when the White House launched its transparency initiative online last year, and the website was instantly swamped with emails demanding release of Obama's original birth certificate, it was significant that the website’s assurance to answer any question was quickly removed.
LTC Lakin’s refusal to obey orders (including his deployment orders) puts him at risk of court-martial. A website, SafeguardourConstitution.com, outlines his efforts to seek the truth and prepare for his legal defense. It would be wrong for an officer to be punished for asking a straightforward question merely because no one in the military hierarchy or on Capitol Hill is willing to provide a substantive answer (members of Congress have the obligation of representing constituents and also are sworn to uphold the Constitution). At least one Tennessee Congressional office (Congressman Zach Wamp) forwarded LTC Lakin’s inquiry to the Department of Defense; the Army responded by letter to Rep. Wamp indicating that LTC Lakin's Article 138 complaint (a legal avenue for redress allowed service members for grievances against commanding officers) was deficient and that "the President as Commander-in-Chief is not a commanding officer for the purposes of Article 138 and therefore, no complaint against him may be addressed through this procedure." Yet another representative from the Volunteer State (Tennessee) Marsha Blackburn, co-sponsored legislation introduced by Congressman Bill Posey to require candidates to fix the problem of the lack of a formal process for vetting candidates for “natural born” eligibility.
The Western Journalism Center released an authoritative explanation of the Obama birth controversy that helps to explain the confusion on Capitol Hill which revolves mostly around Obama's online Certification of Live Birth (COLB):
“The Certification of Live Birth is not a copy of the original birth certificate. It is a computer-generated document that the state of Hawaii issues on request to indicate that a birth certificate of some type is ‘on record in accordance with state policies and procedures.’ And there is the problem. Given the statutes in force in 1961, the Certification of Live Birth proves nothing unless we know what is on the original birth certificate. There are several legal areas (involving ethnic quotas and subsidy) for which the state of Hawaii up until June 2009 did not accept its computer-generated Certification of Live Birth as sufficient proof of birth - or parentage - in Hawaii. Why should the citizens of the United States be content with lower standards for ascertaining the qualifications of their President?”
The Obama campaign is to a large degree responsible for the birthplace controversy by at first claiming that Obama was born at Queens Hospital and, at another time, claiming that he was born at Kapioliani Hospital. These conflicting assertions, combined with reports of his paternal grandmother's insistence to an interviewer that he was born in Kenya; and the break-in to the Obama passport file at the State Department (at least one news report alleged the file was cauterized) by an employee of The Analysis Corp., a firm headed by one of Obama's top advisers (John Brennan) have all contributed to escalating demands for Obama to document his "natural born" citizenship status.
Additionally, the Ambassador to the US from Kenya (Peter Ogego) asserted in a radio interview in November 2008 that the President was born in Kenya. A Kenyan Anabaptist minister also provided an affidavit, attesting to a conversation with a civil employee of the Kenyan Government, a Principal Registrar, who confirmed Obama’s birth in Kenya on August 4, 1961, but said his file was classified.
Obama should release his original birth certificate and put an end to relentless speculation over whether he meets the Constitutional fitness test for the nation's highest office. Original documentation for 1961 from the hospital or Department of Health can resolve this point without in any way compromising Obama's privacy or subjecting him to the danger of identity theft.
Patriotic citizens serving in uniform preparing to go into harm's way deserve to be treated with respect and forthrightness - and they need to know whether the Commander in Chief is lawfully entitled to serve in this capacity, or not.
FamilySecurityMatters.org Contributing Editor Margaret Calhoun Hemenway spent 15 years on Capitol Hill, in the House and Senate, and five years as a White House appointee serving President Bush at both DoD and NASA. For further information, contact: Margaret Hemenway at (202) 448-9015
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Army Birther Terry Lakin Faces Court Martial - Political Hotsheet ...
Apr 15, 2010 ... Bronze Star Medal Recipient Believes Obama Order to Deploy to Afghanistan is Illegal Because President May not be Born in the United States ...
www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20002577-503544.html - Cached
www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20002577-503544.html - Cached
Outspoken Terry Lakin Facing Army Court-Martial
Apr 16, 2010 ... Outspoken Terry Lakin Facing Army Court-Martial. Updated: Friday, 16 Apr 2010, 11:33 AM EDT Published : Friday, 16 Apr 2010, 11:33 AM EDT ...
www.myfoxillinois.com/.../dpgoh-outspoken-terry-lakin-facing-army-court-martial-fc-20100416_7095880 - Cached
www.myfoxillinois.com/.../dpgoh-outspoken-terry-lakin-facing-army-court-
Up-Date:
The certification of constitutional qualification for the office of president
DC Knows that Obama is Ineligible for Office
By JB Williams Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Members from all three branches of the Federal government already know that Barack Hussein Obama is ineligible for the office of President. National leaders, to include members of the US Supreme Court, already know that Barack Hussein Obama is not a “natural born citizen” of the United States of America, and therefore, is ineligible for the office he currently holds. (See JB’s new article on The Bottom Line on Natural Born Citizen)
What they don’t know is how long it will take for most Americans to figure it out, or what to do about it.
The diversionary search for an authentic birth certificate is ongoing and Obama has now spent in excess of $2 million in legal fees to keep that search alive.
What they don’t know is how long it will take for most Americans to figure it out, or what to do about it.
The diversionary search for an authentic birth certificate is ongoing and Obama has now spent in excess of $2 million in legal fees to keep that search alive.
Eric Holder’s Department of Justice continues to deploy taxpayer funded attorneys around the country to file dismissals on behalf of Obama, denying all American citizens access to the courts as a peaceful remedy, which only fuels the fire of discontent and the questions about Obama persist.
Michelle Obama states that Kenya is Barack’s “home country.” She knows, after twenty years with Barack. The Ambassador or Kenya has confirmed the same His family friends all know it, and are in fact quite proud of the fact that Americans had no hesitation in electing a “black man from Kenya” as President of the United States.
The US Supreme Court knows what the constitutional condition of “natural born citizen” means. Even the most far left member of that court, Justice Ginsberg, is on record proclaiming that a “natural born citizen” is a birth child of TWO legal US citizens.
Democrat Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi knows that Barack Hussein Obama is not eligible for the office of president, which is why she refused to certify the following language when certifying Obama as the DNC candidate for president in 2008.
This is the normal language for certification of nomination for president and vice president, filed by the DNC only in the state of Hawaii…
This is the language filed by the DNC in the other 49 states, however…
Note that the language which certifies that Barack Hussein Obama meets all constitutional qualifications is missing in the DNC documents filed in 49 of the 50 states. The certification of constitutional qualification for the office of president was filed only in Hawaii. That text is missing in the DNC certification filings for all other states.
Whereas the RNC filed the exact same certification document, including the constitutional text for John McCain in all 50 states, Obama was technically certified in only one state, Hawaii. A mere inconvenient technicality, I’m sure…
The US Congress knows that Barack Hussein Obama is not constitutionally qualified for the office he holds. Although the congress passed a resolution proclaiming Senator John McCain a “natural born citizen” as the son of two US citizens, no such congressional resolution exists for Barack Hussein Obama.
The press knows that Obama is not a “natural born citizen,” having written on several occasions about the “Kenyan born” senator from Chicago. A number of citizens have already been arrested and jailed for asking these questions.
Over four-hundred law suits have been filed across the country asking the courts to force Obama to become the “transparent president” he promised to be, and all four-hundred are being dismissed before discovery, all on the basis that “no citizen has proper legal standing” to ask who and what their president really is…
Over a half-million citizens have now signed a petition demanding to see Obama’s birth records.
Numerous members of the US Military have refused deployment orders from Obama, on the basis that he refuses to evidence his constitutional qualifications to issue such orders. In most cases, the soldiers have simply been reassigned, so as to avoid any disciplinary action that could end in “defense discovery” which might finally force Obama to open up his files once and for all.
Now an eighteen year veteran flight surgeon and active Lt. Colonel faces court martial as he makes his demands for proof that Obama is constitutionally eligible to issue orders as Commander-in-Chief.
Michelle Obama states that Kenya is Barack’s “home country.” She knows, after twenty years with Barack. The Ambassador or Kenya has confirmed the same His family friends all know it, and are in fact quite proud of the fact that Americans had no hesitation in electing a “black man from Kenya” as President of the United States.
The US Supreme Court knows what the constitutional condition of “natural born citizen” means. Even the most far left member of that court, Justice Ginsberg, is on record proclaiming that a “natural born citizen” is a birth child of TWO legal US citizens.
Democrat Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi knows that Barack Hussein Obama is not eligible for the office of president, which is why she refused to certify the following language when certifying Obama as the DNC candidate for president in 2008.
This is the normal language for certification of nomination for president and vice president, filed by the DNC only in the state of Hawaii…
This is the language filed by the DNC in the other 49 states, however…
Note that the language which certifies that Barack Hussein Obama meets all constitutional qualifications is missing in the DNC documents filed in 49 of the 50 states. The certification of constitutional qualification for the office of president was filed only in Hawaii. That text is missing in the DNC certification filings for all other states.
Whereas the RNC filed the exact same certification document, including the constitutional text for John McCain in all 50 states, Obama was technically certified in only one state, Hawaii. A mere inconvenient technicality, I’m sure…
The US Congress knows that Barack Hussein Obama is not constitutionally qualified for the office he holds. Although the congress passed a resolution proclaiming Senator John McCain a “natural born citizen” as the son of two US citizens, no such congressional resolution exists for Barack Hussein Obama.
The press knows that Obama is not a “natural born citizen,” having written on several occasions about the “Kenyan born” senator from Chicago. A number of citizens have already been arrested and jailed for asking these questions.
Over four-hundred law suits have been filed across the country asking the courts to force Obama to become the “transparent president” he promised to be, and all four-hundred are being dismissed before discovery, all on the basis that “no citizen has proper legal standing” to ask who and what their president really is…
Over a half-million citizens have now signed a petition demanding to see Obama’s birth records.
Numerous members of the US Military have refused deployment orders from Obama, on the basis that he refuses to evidence his constitutional qualifications to issue such orders. In most cases, the soldiers have simply been reassigned, so as to avoid any disciplinary action that could end in “defense discovery” which might finally force Obama to open up his files once and for all.
Now an eighteen year veteran flight surgeon and active Lt. Colonel faces court martial as he makes his demands for proof that Obama is constitutionally eligible to issue orders as Commander-in-Chief.
Obama’s entire domestic, foreign and national defense agenda has proven to be wholly anti-American
Obama’s entire domestic, foreign and national defense agenda has proven to be wholly anti-American on every possible level. Still, the answers concerning who and what Barack Hussein Obama Jr. really is remain elusive in the face of unprecedented efforts to ask the right questions.
No matter who asks, how they ask or where they ask, not one single individual in Washington DC or even state government seems willing to weigh in on the most important issue of our era. Who and what is the man sitting in the people’s White House?
How in the hell did we get an overtly anti-American resident of the people’s White House without so much as a simple birth certificate to prove who this person really is?
And why won’t a single elected representative of the people engage in the effort to force an answer to this question?
The answers to these and many more questions are likely very simple and equally chilling…
No matter who asks, how they ask or where they ask, not one single individual in Washington DC or even state government seems willing to weigh in on the most important issue of our era. Who and what is the man sitting in the people’s White House?
How in the hell did we get an overtly anti-American resident of the people’s White House without so much as a simple birth certificate to prove who this person really is?
And why won’t a single elected representative of the people engage in the effort to force an answer to this question?
The answers to these and many more questions are likely very simple and equally chilling…
The Speaker of the House does not refuse to certify her candidate as “constitutionally qualified” in forty-nine of fifty states by accident
Nobody spends $2 million in legal fees to hide an authentic birth certificate. The Speaker of the House does not refuse to certify her candidate as “constitutionally qualified” in forty-nine of fifty states by accident. A press that knew he was the “first Kenyan born senator” didn’t forget that he was Kenyan born when he decided to run for president.
Most importantly, the people DO have a right (read - proper standing) to ask who and what their president really is, in any court, any time. And soldiers are court-martialed for refusing orders, unless those orders were issued by an illegitimate Commander-in-Chief.
DC knows what most Americans have yet to figure out…
Obama is NOT a natural born citizen no matter where he might have been born. Obama’s birth father was at no time an American citizen and on this basis alone, Obama cannot be a constitutionally qualified resident of the White House.
They know something else that the American people have yet to figure out…
The US Constitution no longer stands as the governing law of this land. Obama’s many unconstitutional policies, Czars, executive orders and statements provide the proof, and the fact that nobody in DC cares whether or not Obama is constitutionally qualified to be president of the United States should send a shiver down the spine of every red blooded American citizen, no matter their partisan agendas.
The people willing to ask the tough questions are deemed crackpots and conspiracy theorists, racists or bigots. But those tough questions should be obvious questions to all Americans and every president should have to answer those questions, no matter race, creed, color or party affiliation.
I fear that those questions will only be answered at the tip of pitch forks and torches one day. Sooner or later, the people will run out of patience with a system built to exclude them. When that day comes, I fear what methods will be employed and whether or not there will be a country left to save by then.
But sooner or later, one way or another, Obama will have to answer those questions. One day, the world will know who and what this man is and there will be a day of reckoning like no other in American history.
The longer it takes for that day to arrive, the more dangerous the situation will become. A man not even qualified to hold the office is using that office to destroy the greatest nation on earth. How much patience can the people be expected to display?
Obama is not eligible for the office he currently holds and everyone in a position to know - already know.
What they don’t know is how much longer they can keep it all a secret, or what will happen next.
Most importantly, the people DO have a right (read - proper standing) to ask who and what their president really is, in any court, any time. And soldiers are court-martialed for refusing orders, unless those orders were issued by an illegitimate Commander-in-Chief.
DC knows what most Americans have yet to figure out…
Obama is NOT a natural born citizen no matter where he might have been born. Obama’s birth father was at no time an American citizen and on this basis alone, Obama cannot be a constitutionally qualified resident of the White House.
They know something else that the American people have yet to figure out…
The US Constitution no longer stands as the governing law of this land. Obama’s many unconstitutional policies, Czars, executive orders and statements provide the proof, and the fact that nobody in DC cares whether or not Obama is constitutionally qualified to be president of the United States should send a shiver down the spine of every red blooded American citizen, no matter their partisan agendas.
The people willing to ask the tough questions are deemed crackpots and conspiracy theorists, racists or bigots. But those tough questions should be obvious questions to all Americans and every president should have to answer those questions, no matter race, creed, color or party affiliation.
I fear that those questions will only be answered at the tip of pitch forks and torches one day. Sooner or later, the people will run out of patience with a system built to exclude them. When that day comes, I fear what methods will be employed and whether or not there will be a country left to save by then.
But sooner or later, one way or another, Obama will have to answer those questions. One day, the world will know who and what this man is and there will be a day of reckoning like no other in American history.
The longer it takes for that day to arrive, the more dangerous the situation will become. A man not even qualified to hold the office is using that office to destroy the greatest nation on earth. How much patience can the people be expected to display?
Obama is not eligible for the office he currently holds and everyone in a position to know - already know.
What they don’t know is how much longer they can keep it all a secret, or what will happen next.
Update 24 April 2010 listen to General Vallely
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Army Gen. Vallely Sounds Off, Shares Birther Doc's Concerns
As Army Lt Col Dr. Terry Lakin waits for the Army to decide whether he'll be courtmartialed, doubts about Obama's eligibility continue to swirl and pick up steam. Retired Army Major General, national security policy expert, and CEO of Stand Up America Paul Vallely gives us some insight into the Army's legal process, and confides that he shares Lakin's concerns...
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Rig Sinks! Does the fact that it was Earth Day have any significance? Was this sabotage? naah, couldn't be...
Officials Say Burning Oil Rig in Gulf of Mexico Has Sunk
Burning Oil Rig Sinks in 5,000 Feet of Water While Seach Continues for 11 Men; One Suit Already Filed
April 22, 2010
A burning oil rig sank into 5,000 feet of water in the Gulf of Mexico today while the search by air for 11 workers still missing continued.
The U.S. Coast Guard, which is leading the search, said it will now begin to assess the pollution the disaster has caused.
Nearly 100 survivors of Tuesday's explosion -- which sent several workers diving off the 75-foot platform -- arrived in a New Orleans port early this morning, Kerver said. Seventeen others were taken to area hospitals, some with critical injuries.
Overnight two Coast Guard cutters continued the search for the 11 missing, eerily illuminated by the massive fireball on the platform that has yet to be extinguished. The Coast Guard said aircraft were scheduled to resume the search at first light. Already nearly 2,000 square miles have been scoured, the Coast Guard said.
"We have really good weather, which is fortunate in a search and rescue case," Coast Guard spokesperson Lt. Sue Kerver told "Good Morning America." "Calm seas, calm winds, good visibility."
In the meantime, the Associated Press reports that a lawsuit has been filed on behalf of one of the missing men, Shane Roshto, of Amite (Ah-mit) County, Miss. The suit claims that the companies involved in running the oil platform were negligent.
Before the rig sank, firefighting vessels struggled to contain the fire on top of the rig as plumes of smoke reportedly reaching 10,000 feet in the air.
"The best way to describe it is a big mushroom cloud, almost like a bomb went off," Coast Guard petty officer Blair Doten said.
The Coast Guard was working with BP, with which the rig is under contract, to shut down the fire's fuel source: the rig's well that can produce 13,000 gallons of raw crude oil an hour.
The U.S. Coast Guard, which is leading the search, said it will now begin to assess the pollution the disaster has caused.
Nearly 100 survivors of Tuesday's explosion -- which sent several workers diving off the 75-foot platform -- arrived in a New Orleans port early this morning, Kerver said. Seventeen others were taken to area hospitals, some with critical injuries.
Overnight two Coast Guard cutters continued the search for the 11 missing, eerily illuminated by the massive fireball on the platform that has yet to be extinguished. The Coast Guard said aircraft were scheduled to resume the search at first light. Already nearly 2,000 square miles have been scoured, the Coast Guard said.
"We have really good weather, which is fortunate in a search and rescue case," Coast Guard spokesperson Lt. Sue Kerver told "Good Morning America." "Calm seas, calm winds, good visibility."
In the meantime, the Associated Press reports that a lawsuit has been filed on behalf of one of the missing men, Shane Roshto, of Amite (Ah-mit) County, Miss. The suit claims that the companies involved in running the oil platform were negligent.
Before the rig sank, firefighting vessels struggled to contain the fire on top of the rig as plumes of smoke reportedly reaching 10,000 feet in the air.
"The best way to describe it is a big mushroom cloud, almost like a bomb went off," Coast Guard petty officer Blair Doten said.
The Coast Guard was working with BP, with which the rig is under contract, to shut down the fire's fuel source: the rig's well that can produce 13,000 gallons of raw crude oil an hour.
Will The U.S. Shoot Down Israeli Jets? I don't think the question is hypothetical nor the possibility theoretical.
Cross-post from: Monkey In The Middle
I never did trust that Jew hater Zbigniew Brzezinski nor equally, the world's crème de la crème Jew hater of all time, Barack Husein Obama. Obama is the quintessential embodiment of Jew and Christian haters. He can appear to offer an olive branch which is really hidden by a fig leaf and consumed by a venus fly trap... a pure Alinsky-ite! This notion of the U.S. taking down IAF fighter planes is not out of the question for Obama and his clan and is just one more agitation that will precede the start of World War III. ~ Norman E. Hooben
I never did trust that Jew hater Zbigniew Brzezinski nor equally, the world's crème de la crème Jew hater of all time, Barack Husein Obama. Obama is the quintessential embodiment of Jew and Christian haters. He can appear to offer an olive branch which is really hidden by a fig leaf and consumed by a venus fly trap... a pure Alinsky-ite! This notion of the U.S. taking down IAF fighter planes is not out of the question for Obama and his clan and is just one more agitation that will precede the start of World War III. ~ Norman E. Hooben
Israel Strikes, The US Stops
Hat Tip Israel Matzav
Now imagine this scenario:
feud with Israel will have escalated into full hostility.
Now imagine this scenario:
A cluster of Israeli F-15I fighter jets takes off from Israel's Palmachim air base. It quickly crosses Israel, makes its way across the Jordan River and within 20 minutes or so reaches the Iraqi border. As the squadron crosses into Iraq, it is met by American F-16 fighters, which demand that the Israeli jets turn back. The Israelis refuse. There's a dogfight. Could it happen?If what The Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen is hinting at, then the Obama Regime's
feud with Israel will have escalated into full hostility.
The Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen, evaded a question Tuesday regarding the theoretical possibility that the US would shoot down IAF jets en route to attack Iran.It would just be like Barack Hussein Obama to defend Iran, a nation that has been hostile to the US for 30 years and strike at Israel, the only nation in the Middle East who has supported the US for the last 62 years.
The Weekly Standard reported that in a town hall meeting on the campus of the University of West Virginia, a US Air Force ROTC cadet asked Mullen to respond to a hypothetical situation: if Israel decided to attack Iran, he said, its jets would need to fly through Iraqi airspace, which is considered a “no-fly” zone by the American military. Would US troops shoot down the Israeli jets, the airman asked, if they entered that zone?
Mullen evaded the question. “We have an exceptionally strong relationship with Israel,” he said. “I’ve spent a lot of time with my counterpart in Israel. So we also have a very clear understanding of where we are. And beyond that, I just wouldn’t get into the speculation of what might happen and who might do what. I don’t think it serves a purpose, frankly,” he said. “I am hopeful that this will be resolved in a way where we never have to answer a question like that.”
The cadet insisted: “Would an airman like me ever be ordered to fire on an Israeli aircraft or personnel?”
Mullen still would not answer directly. “Again, I wouldn’t move out into the future very far from here,” he said. “They’re an extraordinarily close ally, have been for a long time, and will be in the future.”
In September, former National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski urged the US to fire on Israeli jets if they try to reach Iran. “They have to fly over our airspace in Iraq. Are we just going to sit there and watch? We have to be serious about denying them that right,” he said. “If they fly over, you go up and confront them. They have the choice of turning back or not.”
US President Barack Obama called Brzezinski "one of our most outstanding thinkers" in 2007, when Brzezinski endorsed his candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination.
I know where His loyalties lie, do you?
- Zbigniew Brzezinski stated, "It's would be easier to kill a million people than to control a million people." http://normanhooben.blogspot.com/2009/09/it-is-easier-to-kill-million-people.html Do you suppose he meant by that, it would be easier to kill a million Jews?
Geithner: ‘No Warnings, No Notice’ ... Yeah right! And I got some beach front property in Arizona for sale!
I don't believe this story for a minute! Timothy Geithner was formerly the big wheel at Goldman Sachs when the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) started probing around. These probes were obviously known to others such as 'German landesbank BayernLB' as far back as November 2008 or earlier. Due to the SEC's investigation the German Bank cut ties with Goldman Sachs... Here's a partial quote from Reuters:
ps: Jim Cramer was right on when he said (about Geithner's appointment), " If Tim Geithner ... gets a top spot in Barack Obama's cabinet we are done, finished, kaput. It is that simple" CNBC commentator Jim Cramer, (BBC, November 23, 2008)
"The letter, written by BayernLB Chief Executive Gerd Haeusler, says: "Hereby we terminate the mandate from 28.11. 2008 with immediate effect."
BayernLB's action comes days after the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) accused Goldman Sachs of defrauding investors by failing to say that a prominent hedge fund manager bet against a Goldman subprime debt product that he helped design. Haeusler said in the letter that the fraud charges brought against Goldman Sachs were the reason BayernLB was cutting its ties with the bank ..."Don't tell me Geithner wasn't aware of the above action...he had to know, for he was more than likely part of the SEC's investigation. As a participant in the shenanigans at Goldman Sachs, Geithner surely must have known the SEC would eventually uncover the wrong doings and bring charges whether criminal or civil. And as with so many back room/closed door meetings in the Obama Administration their surely must have been an agreement to post denials as seen here. ~ Norman E. Hooben
ps: Jim Cramer was right on when he said (about Geithner's appointment), " If Tim Geithner ... gets a top spot in Barack Obama's cabinet we are done, finished, kaput. It is that simple" CNBC commentator Jim Cramer, (BBC, November 23, 2008)
_____________________
Geithner: ‘No Warnings, No Notice’ From SEC on Goldman
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
What's wrong with this story? Answer Below
What's wrong with this story? In the beginning you are made to think what? (hint: see caption under picture) . The next headline (from a different source) gives you the answer. ~ Norman E. Hooben
Headline #1
Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada Jr. and family stole $14 million from non-profit clinic: suit
Say hello to the Espada organization out of the Bronx.
In an astonishing civil suit unveiled Tuesday, state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo charged that Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada Jr. and 19 relatives or officials of his Soundview HealthCare Network have looted more than $14 million from the government-funded nonprofit since 2005.
If proved, the actions of Espada and his associates would mark a new low for brazenness and greed in a city that has seen its share of notorious poverty pimp operations.
No official at the White Plains Road headquarters of Soundview would talk with the press Tuesday. Espada started the center 32 years ago, turned it into this political and financial base, and is still president and CEO.
A big billboard outside shows the smiling founder surrounded by neighborhood children and is emblazoned with the slogan, "With You Every Step of the Way."
Well, not every step, Cuomo says.
It's not just that Espada paid himself $1.7 million in wages and an additional $900,000 in unjustified personal expenditures since 2005 on top of a $9 million deferred compensation deal.
Or that Soundview paid for Espada's Mercedes-Benz and car insurance, plus $2,500 a month for a Bronx apartment for him so he could claim a local residence and run for office - even though his main home is in Westchester County.
What is truly breathtaking is the sheer number of relatives Espada put on the Soundview payroll and on its rubber-stamp board of directors.
Start with his three sons.
The eldest, Pedro Gautier Espada, received $776,000 from Soundview since 2005, plus a $28,000 loan he never paid back, plus a corporate credit card. The son's salaries came from both Soundview and the private for-profit company he ran, Espada Management Co., which also happened to have a contract for nearly $400,000 annually to provide Soundview's janitorial services.
A second son, Alejandro Espada, got $430,000 from Soundview since 2005; the third, Romero Espada, received $190,000.
Then there's Jeanette Torres, the mother of Sen. Espada's grandson. She received more than $300,000 as a Soundview employee. Torres also ran another firm Sen. Espada founded, Platinum Placement Service. It got $35,000 one year to call Soundview patients and remind them of their appointments.
Meanwhile, Edwin Miranda, Espada's cousin, received $145,000; Elena Espada, the senator's cousin, brought in $250,000; Lissette Espada, his daughter-in-law, got $95,000.
Victor Feliciano, Espada's uncle, was employed by Soundview and also served on its board of directors. As did John Feliciano, another uncle.
And the list goes on.
No one will deny Pedro Espada Jr. puts family first. The problem is, Cuomo charges, he stole public money to do it. Maybe this explains how he became majority leader of the Albany rackets.
Let's see how long Espada remains head of his family.
jgonzalez@nydailynews.com
NY Senate Dem Charged With Taking Millions
The Right Perspective (blog) - Pedro Espada, Jr - 5 hours ago
Headline #1
Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada Jr. and family stole $14 million from non-profit clinic: suit
Tuesday, April 20th 2010, 10:17 PM
Kamrass/Times Union
Breakaway Democratic Senator Pedro Espada on the floor of the Senate chamber during a short Republican session, in the Capitol in Albany, NY on Monday June 29, 2009. Chu for News
Soundview Healthcare Network, whose President and CEO is Senator Pedro Espada, Jr., has been linked to the controversy. In an astonishing civil suit unveiled Tuesday, state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo charged that Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada Jr. and 19 relatives or officials of his Soundview HealthCare Network have looted more than $14 million from the government-funded nonprofit since 2005.
If proved, the actions of Espada and his associates would mark a new low for brazenness and greed in a city that has seen its share of notorious poverty pimp operations.
No official at the White Plains Road headquarters of Soundview would talk with the press Tuesday. Espada started the center 32 years ago, turned it into this political and financial base, and is still president and CEO.
A big billboard outside shows the smiling founder surrounded by neighborhood children and is emblazoned with the slogan, "With You Every Step of the Way."
Well, not every step, Cuomo says.
It's not just that Espada paid himself $1.7 million in wages and an additional $900,000 in unjustified personal expenditures since 2005 on top of a $9 million deferred compensation deal.
Or that Soundview paid for Espada's Mercedes-Benz and car insurance, plus $2,500 a month for a Bronx apartment for him so he could claim a local residence and run for office - even though his main home is in Westchester County.
What is truly breathtaking is the sheer number of relatives Espada put on the Soundview payroll and on its rubber-stamp board of directors.
Start with his three sons.
The eldest, Pedro Gautier Espada, received $776,000 from Soundview since 2005, plus a $28,000 loan he never paid back, plus a corporate credit card. The son's salaries came from both Soundview and the private for-profit company he ran, Espada Management Co., which also happened to have a contract for nearly $400,000 annually to provide Soundview's janitorial services.
A second son, Alejandro Espada, got $430,000 from Soundview since 2005; the third, Romero Espada, received $190,000.
Then there's Jeanette Torres, the mother of Sen. Espada's grandson. She received more than $300,000 as a Soundview employee. Torres also ran another firm Sen. Espada founded, Platinum Placement Service. It got $35,000 one year to call Soundview patients and remind them of their appointments.
Meanwhile, Edwin Miranda, Espada's cousin, received $145,000; Elena Espada, the senator's cousin, brought in $250,000; Lissette Espada, his daughter-in-law, got $95,000.
Victor Feliciano, Espada's uncle, was employed by Soundview and also served on its board of directors. As did John Feliciano, another uncle.
And the list goes on.
No one will deny Pedro Espada Jr. puts family first. The problem is, Cuomo charges, he stole public money to do it. Maybe this explains how he became majority leader of the Albany rackets.
Let's see how long Espada remains head of his family.
jgonzalez@nydailynews.com
Headline #2
New York State Senate Majority leader, Pedro Espada Jr., is battling charges ... Both he and fellow Democrat Hiram Monseratte jumped sides and helped the ...
Answer to above question (s):
So nowhere in the first story is Espada indentified as a Democrat but yet the writer expresses the fact that Espada was at a Republican function. Wouldn't that make the reader (you, in this case) think and/or associate Mr. Espada and the charges against him as somehow "Republican" ??? ...and no! I'm not reading too much into the story. That's what reporters do! They try to fill your brain with non-factual information by using inuendos such as was done here. However...(don't let me forget the however), If Mr. Espada was a Republican, it would have been spelled out completely!
The second headline got it almost right. Should have read, "Crooked Democrat Charged With Taking Millions"
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Things are HAPPENING in Massachusetts !!! " ...and I want to live this way 'til I die."
H-T to Cape Cod Tea Party ~ Video courtesy of All Access Cape Cod
"I am an American...and I want to be an American, and I don't want foreign countries telling me what to do. And I'll do everything to help my country because I'm ninety years old and I want to live this way 'til I die."
~ Joseph Marcone, Hyannis, Massachusetts ~
The sounds of freedom are once again echoing from where it all began so many years ago...
After what seemed like a few decades of tolerance or intolerance depending on what side of the fence you were sitting, Massachusetts has come alive with a patriotic fervor unheard of in recent memory. The election of Scott Brown earlier this year was more than a wake-up call to those who would be king. And for the king's would be peasants, they have come in from the fields to declare their independence once again. So it appears that the people of Massachusetts have come to terms with the course of current events, and out of necessity, dissolve the regime that hinders the freedom that the people are entitled. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it, and institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness. ~ Norman E. Hooben (italicized passage from The Declaration Of Independence July 4, 1776)
Monday, April 19, 2010
America! Whether you like it or not, this is some of the worst news you'll hear all year!"
Cross-posted from Pat Dollard
New York Times:
When President Obama took the stage in Cairo last June, promising a new relationship with the Islamic world, Muslims in America wondered only half-jokingly whether the overture included them. After all, Mr. Obama had kept his distance during the campaign, never visiting an American mosque and describing the false claim that he was Muslim as a “smear” on his Web site.
Nearly a year later, Mr. Obama has yet to set foot in an American mosque. And he still has not met with Muslim and Arab-American leaders. But less publicly, his administration has reached out to this politically isolated constituency in a sustained and widening effort that has left even skeptics surprised.
Muslim and Arab-American advocates have participated in policy discussions and received briefings from top White House aides and other officials on health care legislation, foreign policy, the economy, immigration and national security. They have met privately with a senior White House adviser, Valerie Jarrett, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. to discuss civil liberties concerns and counterterrorism strategy.
The impact of this continuing dialogue is difficult to measure, but White House officials cited several recent government actions that were influenced, in part, by the discussions. The meeting with Ms. Napolitano was among many factors that contributed to the government’s decision this month to end a policy subjecting passengers from 14 countries, most of them Muslim, to additional scrutiny at airports, the officials said.
That emergency directive, enacted after a failed Dec. 25 bombing plot, has been replaced with a new set of intelligence-based protocols that law enforcement officials consider more effective.
Also this month, Tariq Ramadan, a prominent Muslim academic, visited the United States for the first time in six years after Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton reversed a decision by the Bush administration, which had barred Mr. Ramadan from entering the country, initially citing the U.S.A. Patriot Act. Mrs. Clinton also cleared the way for another well-known Muslim professor, Adam Habib, who had been denied entry under similar circumstances.
Arab-American and Muslim leaders said they had yet to see substantive changes on a variety of issues, including what they describe as excessive airport screening, policies that have chilled Muslim charitable giving and invasive F.B.I. surveillance guidelines. But they are encouraged by the extent of their consultation by the White House and governmental agencies.
“For the first time in eight years, we have the opportunity to not only meet, engage, discuss, disagree, but have an impact on policy,” said James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute in Washington.
The administration’s approach has been understated. Many meetings have been private; others were publicized only after the fact. A visit to New York University in February by John O. Brennan, Mr. Obama’s chief counterterrorism adviser, drew little news coverage, but caused a stir among Muslims around the country. Speaking to Muslim students, activists and others, Mr. Brennan acknowledged many of their grievances, including “surveillance that has been excessive,” “overinclusive no-fly lists” and “an unhelpful atmosphere around many Muslim charities.”
“These are challenges we face together as Americans,” said Mr. Brennan, who momentarily showed off his Arabic to hearty applause. He and other officials have made a point of disassociating Islam from terrorism in public comments, using the phrase “violent extremism” in place of words like “jihad” and “Islamic terrorism.”
While the administration’s solicitation of Muslims and Arab-Americans has drawn little fanfare, it has not escaped criticism….research analysts, bloggers and others complain that the government is reaching out to Muslim leaders and organizations with an Islamist agenda or ties to extremist groups abroad.
They point out that Ms. Jarrett gave the keynote address at the annual convention for the Islamic Society of North America. The group was listed as an unindicted co-conspirator in a federal case against the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, a Texas-based charity whose leaders were convicted in 2008 of funneling money to Hamas. The society denies any links to terrorism.
“I think dialogue is good, but it has to be with genuine moderates,” said Steven Emerson, a terrorism analyst who advises government officials. “These are the wrong groups to legitimize.” Mr. Emerson and others have also objected to the political appointments of several American Muslims, including Rashad Hussain.
In February, the president chose Mr. Hussain, a 31-year-old White House lawyer, to become the United States’ special envoy to the Organization of the Islamic Conference. The position, a kind of ambassador at large to Muslim countries, was created by Mr. Bush. In a video address, Mr. Obama highlighted Mr. Hussain’s status as a “close and trusted member of my White House staff” and “a hafiz,” a person who has memorized the Koran.
Within days of the announcement, news reports surfaced about comments Mr. Hussain had made on a panel in 2004, while he was a student at Yale Law School, in which he referred to several domestic terrorism prosecutions as “politically motivated.” Among the cases he criticized was that of Sami Al-Arian, a former computer-science professor in Florida who pleaded guilty to aiding members of a Palestinian terrorist group.
At first, the White House said Mr. Hussain did not recall making the comments, which had been removed from the Web version of a 2004 article published by a small Washington magazine. When Politico obtained a recording of the panel, Mr. Hussain acknowledged criticizing the prosecutions but said he believed the magazine quoted him inaccurately, prompting him to ask its editor to remove the comments. On Feb. 22, The Washington Examiner ran an editorial with the headline “Obama Selects a Voice of Radical Islam.”
Muslim leaders watched carefully as the story migrated to Fox News. They had grown accustomed to close scrutiny, many said in interviews, but were nonetheless surprised. In 2008, Mr. Hussain had co-authored a paper for the Brookings Institution arguing that the government should use the peaceful teachings of Islam to fight terrorism.
“Rashad Hussain is about as squeaky clean as you get,” said Representative Keith Ellison, a Minnesota Democrat who is Muslim. Mr. Ellison and others wondered whether the administration would buckle under the pressure and were relieved when the White House press secretary, Robert Gibbs, defended Mr. Hussain.
“The fact that the president and the administration have appointed Muslims to positions and have stood by them when they’ve been attacked is the best we can hope for,” said Ingrid Mattson, president of the Islamic Society of North America.
It was notably different during Mr. Obama’s run for office. In June 2008, volunteers of his campaign barred two Muslim women in headscarves from appearing behind Mr. Obama at a rally in Detroit, eliciting widespread criticism. The campaign promptly recruited Mazen Asbahi, a 36-year-old corporate lawyer and popular Muslim activist from Chicago, to become its liaison to Muslims and Arab-Americans.
Bloggers began researching Mr. Asbahi’s background. For a brief time in 2000, he had sat on the board of an Islamic investment fund, along with Sheikh Jamal Said, a Chicago imam who was later named as an unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land case.
Shortly after his appointment to the Obama campaign, Mr. Asbahi said, a Wall Street Journal reporter began asking questions about his connection to the imam. Campaign officials became concerned that news coverage would give critics ammunition to link the imam to Mr. Obama, Mr. Asbahi recalled. On their recommendation, Mr. Asbahi agreed to resign from the campaign, he said.
He is still unsettled by the power of his detractors. “To be in the midst of this campaign of change and hope and to have it stripped away over nothing,” he said. “It hurts.”
From the moment Mr. Obama took office, he seemed eager to change the tenor of America’s relationship with Muslims worldwide. He gave his first interview to Al Arabiya, the Arabic-language television station based in Dubai. Muslims cautiously welcomed his ban on torture and his pledge to close Guantánamo within a year.
In his Cairo address, he laid out his vision for “a new beginning” with Muslims: while America would continue to fight terrorism, he said, terrorism would no longer define America’s approach to Muslims.
Back at home, Muslim and Arab-American leaders remained skeptical. But they took note when, a few weeks later, Mohamed Magid, a prominent imam from Sterling, Va., and Rami Nashashibi, a Muslim activist from Chicago, joined the president at a White-House meeting about fatherhood. Also that month, Dr. Faisal Qazi, a board member of American Muslim Health Professionals, began meeting with administration officials to discuss health care reform.
The invitations were aimed at expanding the government’s relationship with Muslims and Arab-Americans to areas beyond security, said Mr. Hussain, the White House’s special envoy. Mr. Hussain began advising the president on issues related to Islam after joining the White House counsel’s office in January 2009. He helped draft Mr. Obama’s Cairo speech and accompanied him on the trip. “The president realizes that you cannot engage one-fourth of the world’s population based on the erroneous beliefs of a fringe few,” Mr. Hussain said.
Other government offices followed the lead of the White House. In October, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke met with Arab-Americans and Muslims in Dearborn, Mich., to discuss challenges facing small-business owners. Also last fall, Farah Pandith was sworn in as the State Department’s first special representative to Muslim communities. While Ms. Pandith works mostly with Muslims abroad, she said she had also consulted with American Muslims because Mrs. Clinton believes “they can add value overseas.”
Despite this, American actions abroad — including civilian deaths from drone strikes in Pakistan and the failure to close Guantánamo — have drawn the anger of Muslims and Arab-Americans.
Even though their involvement with the administration has broadened, they remain most concerned about security-related policies. In January, when the Department of Homeland Security hosted a two-day meeting with Muslim, Arab-American, South Asian and Sikh leaders, the group expressed concern about the emergency directive subjecting passengers from a group of Muslim countries to additional screening.
Farhana Khera, executive director of Muslim Advocates, pointed out that the policy would never have caught the attempted shoe bomber Richard Reid, who is British. “It almost sends the signal that the government is going to treat nationals of powerless countries differently from countries that are powerful,” Ms. Khera recalled saying as community leaders around the table nodded their heads.
Ms. Napolitano, who sat with the group for more than an hour, committed to meeting with them more frequently. Ms. Khera said she left feeling somewhat hopeful.
“I think our message is finally starting to get through,” she said.
New York Times - Muslims Shaping War On Terror Policies!!!: Obama, Jarret, Holder, Napolitano In Clandestine Campaign To Build Islamic Power In America
New York Times:
When President Obama took the stage in Cairo last June, promising a new relationship with the Islamic world, Muslims in America wondered only half-jokingly whether the overture included them. After all, Mr. Obama had kept his distance during the campaign, never visiting an American mosque and describing the false claim that he was Muslim as a “smear” on his Web site.
Nearly a year later, Mr. Obama has yet to set foot in an American mosque. And he still has not met with Muslim and Arab-American leaders. But less publicly, his administration has reached out to this politically isolated constituency in a sustained and widening effort that has left even skeptics surprised.
Muslim and Arab-American advocates have participated in policy discussions and received briefings from top White House aides and other officials on health care legislation, foreign policy, the economy, immigration and national security. They have met privately with a senior White House adviser, Valerie Jarrett, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. to discuss civil liberties concerns and counterterrorism strategy.
The impact of this continuing dialogue is difficult to measure, but White House officials cited several recent government actions that were influenced, in part, by the discussions. The meeting with Ms. Napolitano was among many factors that contributed to the government’s decision this month to end a policy subjecting passengers from 14 countries, most of them Muslim, to additional scrutiny at airports, the officials said.
That emergency directive, enacted after a failed Dec. 25 bombing plot, has been replaced with a new set of intelligence-based protocols that law enforcement officials consider more effective.
Also this month, Tariq Ramadan, a prominent Muslim academic, visited the United States for the first time in six years after Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton reversed a decision by the Bush administration, which had barred Mr. Ramadan from entering the country, initially citing the U.S.A. Patriot Act. Mrs. Clinton also cleared the way for another well-known Muslim professor, Adam Habib, who had been denied entry under similar circumstances.
Arab-American and Muslim leaders said they had yet to see substantive changes on a variety of issues, including what they describe as excessive airport screening, policies that have chilled Muslim charitable giving and invasive F.B.I. surveillance guidelines. But they are encouraged by the extent of their consultation by the White House and governmental agencies.
“For the first time in eight years, we have the opportunity to not only meet, engage, discuss, disagree, but have an impact on policy,” said James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute in Washington.
The administration’s approach has been understated. Many meetings have been private; others were publicized only after the fact. A visit to New York University in February by John O. Brennan, Mr. Obama’s chief counterterrorism adviser, drew little news coverage, but caused a stir among Muslims around the country. Speaking to Muslim students, activists and others, Mr. Brennan acknowledged many of their grievances, including “surveillance that has been excessive,” “overinclusive no-fly lists” and “an unhelpful atmosphere around many Muslim charities.”
“These are challenges we face together as Americans,” said Mr. Brennan, who momentarily showed off his Arabic to hearty applause. He and other officials have made a point of disassociating Islam from terrorism in public comments, using the phrase “violent extremism” in place of words like “jihad” and “Islamic terrorism.”
While the administration’s solicitation of Muslims and Arab-Americans has drawn little fanfare, it has not escaped criticism….research analysts, bloggers and others complain that the government is reaching out to Muslim leaders and organizations with an Islamist agenda or ties to extremist groups abroad.
They point out that Ms. Jarrett gave the keynote address at the annual convention for the Islamic Society of North America. The group was listed as an unindicted co-conspirator in a federal case against the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, a Texas-based charity whose leaders were convicted in 2008 of funneling money to Hamas. The society denies any links to terrorism.
“I think dialogue is good, but it has to be with genuine moderates,” said Steven Emerson, a terrorism analyst who advises government officials. “These are the wrong groups to legitimize.” Mr. Emerson and others have also objected to the political appointments of several American Muslims, including Rashad Hussain.
In February, the president chose Mr. Hussain, a 31-year-old White House lawyer, to become the United States’ special envoy to the Organization of the Islamic Conference. The position, a kind of ambassador at large to Muslim countries, was created by Mr. Bush. In a video address, Mr. Obama highlighted Mr. Hussain’s status as a “close and trusted member of my White House staff” and “a hafiz,” a person who has memorized the Koran.
Within days of the announcement, news reports surfaced about comments Mr. Hussain had made on a panel in 2004, while he was a student at Yale Law School, in which he referred to several domestic terrorism prosecutions as “politically motivated.” Among the cases he criticized was that of Sami Al-Arian, a former computer-science professor in Florida who pleaded guilty to aiding members of a Palestinian terrorist group.
At first, the White House said Mr. Hussain did not recall making the comments, which had been removed from the Web version of a 2004 article published by a small Washington magazine. When Politico obtained a recording of the panel, Mr. Hussain acknowledged criticizing the prosecutions but said he believed the magazine quoted him inaccurately, prompting him to ask its editor to remove the comments. On Feb. 22, The Washington Examiner ran an editorial with the headline “Obama Selects a Voice of Radical Islam.”
Muslim leaders watched carefully as the story migrated to Fox News. They had grown accustomed to close scrutiny, many said in interviews, but were nonetheless surprised. In 2008, Mr. Hussain had co-authored a paper for the Brookings Institution arguing that the government should use the peaceful teachings of Islam to fight terrorism.
“Rashad Hussain is about as squeaky clean as you get,” said Representative Keith Ellison, a Minnesota Democrat who is Muslim. Mr. Ellison and others wondered whether the administration would buckle under the pressure and were relieved when the White House press secretary, Robert Gibbs, defended Mr. Hussain.
“The fact that the president and the administration have appointed Muslims to positions and have stood by them when they’ve been attacked is the best we can hope for,” said Ingrid Mattson, president of the Islamic Society of North America.
It was notably different during Mr. Obama’s run for office. In June 2008, volunteers of his campaign barred two Muslim women in headscarves from appearing behind Mr. Obama at a rally in Detroit, eliciting widespread criticism. The campaign promptly recruited Mazen Asbahi, a 36-year-old corporate lawyer and popular Muslim activist from Chicago, to become its liaison to Muslims and Arab-Americans.
Bloggers began researching Mr. Asbahi’s background. For a brief time in 2000, he had sat on the board of an Islamic investment fund, along with Sheikh Jamal Said, a Chicago imam who was later named as an unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land case.
Shortly after his appointment to the Obama campaign, Mr. Asbahi said, a Wall Street Journal reporter began asking questions about his connection to the imam. Campaign officials became concerned that news coverage would give critics ammunition to link the imam to Mr. Obama, Mr. Asbahi recalled. On their recommendation, Mr. Asbahi agreed to resign from the campaign, he said.
He is still unsettled by the power of his detractors. “To be in the midst of this campaign of change and hope and to have it stripped away over nothing,” he said. “It hurts.”
From the moment Mr. Obama took office, he seemed eager to change the tenor of America’s relationship with Muslims worldwide. He gave his first interview to Al Arabiya, the Arabic-language television station based in Dubai. Muslims cautiously welcomed his ban on torture and his pledge to close Guantánamo within a year.
In his Cairo address, he laid out his vision for “a new beginning” with Muslims: while America would continue to fight terrorism, he said, terrorism would no longer define America’s approach to Muslims.
Back at home, Muslim and Arab-American leaders remained skeptical. But they took note when, a few weeks later, Mohamed Magid, a prominent imam from Sterling, Va., and Rami Nashashibi, a Muslim activist from Chicago, joined the president at a White-House meeting about fatherhood. Also that month, Dr. Faisal Qazi, a board member of American Muslim Health Professionals, began meeting with administration officials to discuss health care reform.
The invitations were aimed at expanding the government’s relationship with Muslims and Arab-Americans to areas beyond security, said Mr. Hussain, the White House’s special envoy. Mr. Hussain began advising the president on issues related to Islam after joining the White House counsel’s office in January 2009. He helped draft Mr. Obama’s Cairo speech and accompanied him on the trip. “The president realizes that you cannot engage one-fourth of the world’s population based on the erroneous beliefs of a fringe few,” Mr. Hussain said.
Other government offices followed the lead of the White House. In October, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke met with Arab-Americans and Muslims in Dearborn, Mich., to discuss challenges facing small-business owners. Also last fall, Farah Pandith was sworn in as the State Department’s first special representative to Muslim communities. While Ms. Pandith works mostly with Muslims abroad, she said she had also consulted with American Muslims because Mrs. Clinton believes “they can add value overseas.”
Despite this, American actions abroad — including civilian deaths from drone strikes in Pakistan and the failure to close Guantánamo — have drawn the anger of Muslims and Arab-Americans.
Even though their involvement with the administration has broadened, they remain most concerned about security-related policies. In January, when the Department of Homeland Security hosted a two-day meeting with Muslim, Arab-American, South Asian and Sikh leaders, the group expressed concern about the emergency directive subjecting passengers from a group of Muslim countries to additional screening.
Farhana Khera, executive director of Muslim Advocates, pointed out that the policy would never have caught the attempted shoe bomber Richard Reid, who is British. “It almost sends the signal that the government is going to treat nationals of powerless countries differently from countries that are powerful,” Ms. Khera recalled saying as community leaders around the table nodded their heads.
Ms. Napolitano, who sat with the group for more than an hour, committed to meeting with them more frequently. Ms. Khera said she left feeling somewhat hopeful.
“I think our message is finally starting to get through,” she said.