Pointing the finger at CAIR and its fellows
Ted Cruz isn’t taking a vacation. Yesterday Cruz began conducting a hearing:
…investigating the willful blindness on the part of the relevant law enforcement agencies to domestic Islamic terror networks. The subject of the hearing is “Willful Blindness: Consequences of Agency Efforts To Deemphasize Radical Islam in Combating Terrorism.”…
This hearing will likely focus on which figures within the federal government worked to squelch any research connecting the dots between local Muslim Brotherhood officials, these individual terrorists, and foreign terror networks. Senators on the committee now have an opportunity to expose the Muslim Brotherhood influence within DHS and the FBI, their invidious “Countering Violent Extremism” Agenda, and their hand in covering up counter-terrorism investigations. They can demonstrate how the federal government has hamstrung local law enforcement by refusing to cooperate and share information regarding jihadists living in their communities.
Here’s an article at RedState on how the proceedings have been going, with some quotes from Cruz. And this article offers the following pearl of wisdom from Illinois Democrat Richard J. Durbin:
Durbin mocked the notion that there are Muslim bastions around the country, on par with old Irish Catholic parishes in his home state of Illinois.
“The Muslim population is not that large, per se, and they seem to be dispersed,” said the second-ranking Senate Democrat. “And when we talk about patrolling and enforcing Muslim neighborhoods, as one member of this panel has, I’m at a loss.”
“What was he trying to say?” Durbin asked. “What is a Muslim neighborhood?”
It’s gotta be “knave” for Durbin. No one’s that foolish.
You can watch the entire proceedings if you wish:
[NOTE: The GOP could have nominated Cruz this year, but it did not. Ooooooh, that awful voice, right?]
[ADDENDUM: See also this for a recent prediction by Marco Rubio.]
Neo:
“[NOTE: The GOP could have nominated Cruz this year, but it did not. Ooooooh, that awful voice, right?]”
Actually, failure (really, self-induced dearth) of competitive activism by Cruz’s core constituency, conservatives.
Eric:
Cruz’s supporters were certainly very active in terms of blogging, comments, and social media. They certainly were pretty barbed in their criticisms against Trump. But I saw WAY too many conservatives— not Trump supporters, but conservatives—who whined about Cruz’s face not being attractive and his voice being squeaky. A lot of people don’t like him for those reasons, even people who’d be predisposed to like him.
Minneapolis/St Paul would qualify as a Muslim enclave with about 140,000 Somalis.
http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2016/06/isis-in-the-twin-cities-c.php
Neo:
I agree regarding Cruz’s face and voice. I thought those traits made it more difficult for him. His opponents, for example many Trumpbots at Trumpbart would harp on that. But that is ancient history.
“But I saw WAY too many conservatives– not Trump supporters, but conservatives–who whined about Cruz’s face not being attractive and his voice being squeaky. ”
Neo speaks the truth (not that she doesn’t normally). I saw endless mileage made out of this sort of thing … the fate of the free world, literally, and you’re going on about the guy’s nose?? Sad to say, I’m afraid most of the voting populace – and not just the lefty contingent – deserves what it’s about to get.
OM:
It’s not ancient history to me for the simple reason that I am reminded of it—ironically and sadly—whenever I actually hear Cruz’s voice, which is nearly always saying intelligent, forceful things.
A phrase I first heard used in connection with Nancy Pelosi fits Dick Durbin to a “T”: so dense that light cannot escape him.
There are certain politicians–dare I single out Democrats–that should simply embarrass their supporters.
Pelosi comes to mind. Schumer. Harry Reid, to name a few. And of course, Durbin.
One of my forever favorites was Sen Harkins of Iowa, who famously said that he was not even going to read the evidence against the impeached Wee Willie Clinton, because it was just a dung heap. I wrote a letter to the Des Moines Register chiding the citizens of Iowa for inflicting that “Dungmeister” on the American people. I don’t think it was ever printed.
Eric:
Cruz, like most philosophical/constitutional conservatives, still believes in antiquated concepts like honor, integrity, ethics, principles. For many of us, if “winning” means abandoning those attributes and lowering ourselves into the cesspits with the left and their mirror image left-aping, alt-right pajama boy non-Marxist fascisti that gave us Trump, it’s not worth it. What’s the point if the future we bring about coarsens and devolves human society instead of elevating it, just in a different direction than the Collectivists?
The constitutional Republic was a noble experiment, but it couldn’t overcome the instinctual drive for dominance, power, and control at any cost that seems built into all species. We are fortunate enough to be living in an era where it almost had a chance to succeed.
Instead, we’re also unfortunately about to bear witness to a prolonged run of bad lick.
Neo:
Sorry.
Senator Cruz continues to do good, necessary work for the country. Those of us who support Cruz have been told here, not by you, that it’s “fighting the last war” and worse.
I voted for him in WA the day after the Indiana loss. Other voters may come to regret the focus on superficiality and bombast.
That’s bad “luck”.
OM:
No need to apologize.
Yes, many of the most rabid Trump supporters are happy to have defeated him by hook or by crook, and would like us to stop noticing anything he says or does. That’s another way in which they resemble the left.
We started out with more than a few excellent candidates. Walker, Fiorina, Cruz, Jindal, Rubio, and Perry. Thanks to the alt-right dunderheads and crossover democrats we ended up with the donald. Now djt is walking back on everything and proving all of us never trumpians 100% correct.
Things I noticed from the hearing:
The woman witness seems to have totally absorbed our current victim culture and isn’t willing to take any responsibility for fighting back against radicalism. CAIR is simply this woman on steroids. Can you imagine every pizza shop owner in America going off the wall because we make nasty movies about the Mafia?
No one seems to notice that radicals can take over mosques and intimidate peaceful Muslims. All of us have to fight together to stop this. The French don’t allow headscarves in schools because girls going to and from school without them were harrrassed and even raped to get their families to submit to a radical standard of conduct.
People don’t realize that the second generation, who are the ones who usually commit the attacks, have been raised by the strong-man norms of their fathers and are caught between Western standards and those of the “homeland.” It is hard when moving to a new country to learn all the subtilties of how things work, but some attention should be paid to informing immigrants of our parenting standards. Maybe we should make them watch some 50s TV shows. If the immigrants don’t like them, they can go back home.
The willful blindness of which Cruz speaks does not originate with the law enforcement agencies he’s investigating. As Cruz has to know, it originates at the direction of Obama.
But Obama is just the foremost agent of the Left. So the source of the willful blindness is the ideology of the Left.
Cruz seeks to establish a long, legal trail of connected responsibilities. Such an inquiry is necessarily pedantic and drawn out, which guarantees disinterest among the general public, enabling the MSM to ignore it. Just as has happened with Benghazi.
“It’s not ancient history to me for the simple reason that I am reminded of it–ironically and sadly–whenever I actually hear Cruz’s voice, which is nearly always saying intelligent, forceful things.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdIev12fCPs
geokstr,
Equating an admittedly coarsened and devolved society (i.e. Trump) with a Collectivist future is a grave mistake. Socialist Europe (where Hillary leads) is NOT done ‘evolving’. As all socialist societies inescapably evolve into 1984…
parker,
Trump is not about consistency of principle, he’s about results. He could care less how they’re delivered, only that they’re delivered. He ‘tacks as the wind blows’ and will change directions as often as needed, getting to his goal is all that counts. That’s NOT an endorsement, merely an observation.
expat,
Radicals are not taking over mosques from moderates. The entire Islamic canon supports the ‘radicals’ who as the most faithfully devout, naturally gravitate to the most theologically influential. 85% of American mosques have literature that calls for violence and 100% preach from the Qur’an.
GB:
Once again you are speaking in absolutes for a non-Moslem. Observation that you will vote for an authoritarian just of a different gender and hair style than hrc. Don’t bother with the guilt trip routine. I’d hate to see your endorsement of djt. And what, Carnac the Great, is djt’s “goal” this week or this hour?
vanderleun:
You’re way off base with that cartoon.
It’s this one:
OM:
It’s you that displays a tragic and profound ignorance of Islam and its adherents. Try wading into this huge aggregation of worldwide surveys of Muslims, including in the US, conducted by left-leaning orgs like Gallup, Pew, CBS, al Jazeera and lots of others: The Religion of Peace: Opinion Polls
There is an appalling percent of Muslims in favor of beliefs and practices totally antithetical to Western Civilization and democracy, like sharia law, the subjugation of women and Christians, execution of gays and heretics, clitorectomy, forced child marriage, terror attacks, suicide bombings, support for ISIS and al Qaeda, taqiyyah, genocide of the Jews, honor killings, approval of 9/11, and so much more. Sweden has become the rape capital of the world with nearly all committed by Muslim immigrants.
That’s from their own mouths. Educate yourself.
It’s about time someone got around to challenging the radical Islamic Fifth Column that has embedded itself in our government. I’m talking about the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR. More power to Ted Cruz.
GB,
Trump is about trump. In that he is consistent. Beyond that nothing else matters. Wall? Ban on muslim entry? 2nd Amendment? Abortion? Due process? 1st Amendment? Executive overreach? All out the window with the donald.
Meanwhile, we have a new grandchild born 10:23 CST. I am consistent when it comes what is best for my grandchildren. It ain’t trump.
geoskstr,
I agree with you at 11:28. But OM is correct that many muslims are not willing to support the jihad death cult. However, count me in when it comes to a few megatons on the holy rock in mecca.
I am high on the birth of a new grandson, so the fbi can find an excuse for taking me off the super secret terrorist watch list.
Parker,
Congratulations on your new grandchild.
As for The Donald, every time somebody pushes him to make some kind of policy suggestion on how to deal with a problem, what comes out is some tired, cliched, piece of reactionary conventional wisdom from the Democrats’ playbook. He is sort of Hillary-lite in terms of policy and in his indifference to the Constitution and law.
As Franklin said, the Founders proposed a republic, if we cold keep it. The majority of American voters seem hell-bent to throw that republic away. If so, dynasties of “leaders” make perfect sense. I wonder where Michelle will try for her senate seat?
Michael Lonie,
Thank you. Grandchildren are where its at. They are the future beyond my mortal life.
geoskstr:
You provide citations of opinion polls, good for you. GB doesn’t. Do you also propose genocidal solutions to Islamic terrorism as has GB?
When someone is a US citizen they have things called unalienable rights under that quaint thing called the Constitution. At least propose how to make a citizen into a non-citizen before we go down the happy road that leads to the mass graves. That kind of s**t continues to happen quite often in third world and civil war situations, and yet I’m the ignorant one?
The sinew of war is money. In that sense, Islam uses peace to create wealth, and then wealth to create successful wars and jihads. The sex slaves they capture, go back to producing jihadists and Muslims, which create peace.
SO Islam is dualistic, in that peace and war are both aims. But it doesn’t mean they are good for Western culture. Islam has been enemy number 1 of Western civilization since some time ago.
Trying to fight the entire Islamic world is short sighted. Counter Insurgency requires the splitting of the enemy into divisions, which weaken them and benefit us.
It’s one thing to take on CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood, it’s quite another to create the sea which supports the insurgency. It’s a military strategy topic now.
For people who don’t have to fight a single Muslim, let alone an organization of Muslims or a Caliphate of them, talk is cheap so they like to go along with the band wagon propaganda that they can kill all of them or eliminate them wholesale.
If Islam could be eliminated whole sale, why has the West tried and done it?
parker Says:
“geoskstr,
I agree with you at 11:28. But OM is correct that many muslims are not willing to support the jihad death cult.”
If that’s true, parker, why aren’t they stepping up and reporting the terrorists in their own midst in the countries that have opened their arms and their wallets to them? Is it because they don’t really disagree with the Islamic precepts the jihadis use to justify their violence? That’s my takeaway from all those surveys.
They may not have a regular payroll deduction to ISIS (the few who have enough marketable skills to have jobs), but they bring with them all the attitudes and beliefs that Islam has taught them, none of which are good for Western Civ, and they provide no resistance at all to the radicals and their recruiting efforts. They refuse assimilation, milk the “free” benefits to the max, and engage in lawfare to force our society to bend to their culture. In this country, they’re heavily engaged in every type of fraud imaginable – welfare fraud, insurance fraud, mortgage loan fraud, credit card fraud, Medicaid/Medicare/SSI fraud, lottery fraud, production and sale of fake Drivers Licenses, marriage and immigration documents and more.
The Obama administration and the EU members cover all this up so we remain ignorant of the magnitude of these threats. The European governments make more and more concessions, which only fuels more and more violent demands. (In Sweden, the government now advises women not to go out at night alone and not to dress “provocatively” otherwise they’re “just asking for it.”
Maybe it’s just me, but I consider Islam to be a bigger danger than Marxism, bigger even than
global warminganthropic global warmingglobal climate disruptionclimate change or whatever the hell they’re calling it this week. Muslims are responsible for 99% of the thousands of worldwide terror attacks every year, and last time I looked it up there were 71 or 72 ongoing major conflicts in the world, and in almost every one, Muslims were the belligerents.Mutual Assured Destruction only worked with the USSR because its leaders and followers didn’t want to die. Now we’re contending with a 7th century warrior religion bent on world domination in which it is the highest honor to die for Allah. Good thing they don’t have nukes, eh?
Oh, wait…
B. Hussein and Hillary just gave Iran 150 billion to keep those centrifuges spinning. Even the Marxists should be very, very afraid.
And now for the obligatory “but not all Muslims.” I have a “Muslim” friend, an immigrant from Lebanon, who is a bodybuilder, who doesn’t go to mosque, doesn’t pray 5 times a day, has a hot blonde American wife and both of them are constantly wasted on MJ. He wouldn’t hurt a fly. But he is essentially like a Jack Mormon, or a lapsed Catholic, born into a religion he doesn’t follow. To a devout Muslim, he is guilty of apostasy, punishable by death.
Yeah this whole business largely, that is “largely”, eludes me. I cannot think of how Trump’s voice, for example, is distinctly more manly than that of Cruz.
As for Cruz’ looks, when composed and formal, he looked too Joe McCarthy “black Irish” scary to Chrissy Matthews. On the other hand when snapped continually from every angle and while offering a diffident smile, he looked like a wimp to the Trumpsters.
Yet no liberal has a problem with that stump legged collapsed faced treasonous lying harridan Hillary, nor with that malevolently murmuring mannequin Harry Read. And when Obama goes bicycle riding, and he peddles along like Margaret Hamilton wearing a child’s safety helmet .. it is not even considered cringe-worthy.
They just care about how our world is shaped by politics.
Such is the disparity of judgement.
Harry REID … Geez. You see it as it goes out and there is nothing you can do.
If that’s true, parker, why aren’t they stepping up and reporting the terrorists in their own midst in the countries that have opened their arms and their wallets to them?
They did, under Bush II’s admin, when the FBi wasn’t working for CAIR. Now they do, there’s no reason for Muslims to report to the FBI, as they would just be reporting to CAIR.
“Durbin mocked the notion that there are Muslim bastions around the country, on par with old Irish Catholic parishes in his home state of Illinois.”
Like the idea of there being such a thing as boys and girls, Democrats continue to mock the idea of reality in general.
http://www.meforum.org/2686/muslim-enclaves-usa
And:
http://www.military.com/video/operations-and-strategy/domestic-terrorism/terrorist-training-camps-in-the-us/660940716001
“The Spread of Homegrown Terrorists – Islamic training camps in America’s back yard. Why are these communities left to flourish in the US? ”
Why? Easy. Little Dicky Durbin willfully turns a blind eye to them.
Perhaps some people will find my perspective useful. I was a naval intelligence officer for 20 years, 1988 to 2008. 10 years active, 10 years reserve (although for 3 of those reserve years I was mobilized). When I was mobilized after the original 9/11 it was to provide intelligence support to force protection. But anybody can say anything about anything on the internet. I don’t know why anybody would lie about being intel, because all that will get you is a ration of sh*t from the warfighters as the supposed weak sister, but consider the following and see if it makes sense.
You can’t do that unless you are allowed to know the enemy’s ideology. And in this case, the enemy’s ideology is Islam. Consider; AQ and ISIS, which from here I will refer to as IS for Islamic State, have on-line magazines. AQ’s is “Inspire.” IS’ magazine is “Dabiq.” Why Dabiq? It’s just one of many towns now conquered by IS.
It’s supposed to be the site of the battle of the apocalypse. To know that, you have to know something about Islamic eschatology (end-times theology). IS is telling Muslims two things by naming their on-line magazine “Dabiq.” First, they are fulfilling prophecy, and second that they are seeking the apocalypse.
GWB irritated the hell out of me with his talk of “Islam means peace.” No, salaam means peace in Arabic. Islam means submission, and a muslim is one who submits. But I’ll give GWB this; I was at least allowed to know about Islam. So I could read “Inspire,” for instance, and crack the code. Since it was still legal to make a connection between Islam and terrorism, I could study and therefore understand the references and allusions to the Quran, hadith, and history.
This has all changed under Obama. Analysts, trainers, and consequently LEOs and national security types are not allowed to make these connections. Islam has nothing to do with terrorism, they are told.
By whom are they told this? By Muslim Brotherhood front groups.
I’m no theologian. My main interest in Islam over the past 20 years has been to understand our enemies interpretation of it. I started out with an advantage as I took enough Islamic studies courses as an undergrad to supplement my Poli Sci major with an emphasis on Soviet Central Asia (I could use the same term papers for both courses, and spend more time on the beach) that I could have double majored with a degree in Religious Studies.
I didn’t, as I figured life would be hard enough with a Poli Sci degree and I didn’t need another albatross hanging from my neck.
But I digress. It was never my intention to figure out who was getting Islam right. But as you may imagine, I’ve come to some conclusions over the years. Which are reinforced by the reaction of groups like CAIR. The reason they need to shut the whole discussion down is because the theology of groups like IS is in fact mainstream Islamic theology. The Sharia they derive from it is in fact mainstream Sharia.
IS is not “hijacking” a religion of peace. They’re getting Islam right. CAIR knows it, and therefore is shutting down any discussion of it.
There are some Orthodox Jews, true, who think their religion entitles them to kill Palestinians. I’m Catholic, as the IRA claimed to be. But when did Jews or Catholics say discussion of our religions was out of bounds? In fact, most Jews and Christians were happy to discuss our religions to show that these heretics were getting it wrong (in 1939 the Catholics threatened to excommunicate the members of the IRA).
Groups like CAIR can not permit the same discussion because IS and AQ are not heretics. They can’t allow Americans to know that. And, this is important, they can’t allow American Muslims to know that. They truly believe that Islam is a religion of peace, that IS or AQ or the MILF or Al-Shabab or what have you is all wrong. Thank God. And if they were told that these groups aren’t all wrong they’d be horrified. So CAIR has to keep the truth from them as there would be a mass exodus of Muslims not down with the program.
“I’m no theologian. My main interest in Islam over the past 20 years has been to understand our enemies interpretation of it.”
Now it’s going on 30 years. I’ve kept my hand in and do what I can with open source information. Because I realized after Obama was elected, nobody is defending the country against the threat anymore. It’s a career killer.
We really are on our own.
Steve 57:
Orthodox Judaism does not condone terrorism, it condemns it. The very very few Jews who have felt entitled to kill Palestinians (Baruch Goldstein comes to mind as the only one I can think of, offhand) was a member of a fringe political group that was excoriated by the leaders of Orthodox Judaism and the Israeli government.
My friend, that was my point. I know that Orthodox Judaism does not condone terrorism. Neither does Catholicism.
What CAIR has to hide is this.
” Narrated Abu Huraira:
Allah’s Messenger (ï·º) said, “I have been sent with the shortest expressions bearing the widest meanings, and I have been made victorious with terror (cast in the hearts of the enemy), and while I was sleeping, the keys of the treasures of the world were brought to me and put in my hand.” Abu Huraira added: Allah’s Messenger (ï·º) has left the world and now you, people, are bringing out those treasures (i.e. the Prophet did not benefit by them).
Reference : Sahih al-Bukhari 2977
In-book reference : Book 56, Hadith 186
USC-MSA web (English) reference : Vol. 4, Book 52, Hadith 220
(deprecated numbering scheme)”
The two Sahihs, Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, are the two most sacred texts in Sunni Islam next to the Quran.
I know, I know. the ahadith are
Damn eGremlins.
I was going to say the ahadith and the Quranic verses are contradictory and you can find what you want. But the peaceful traditions and verses are in the definite minority. And the Quran itself instructs the reader how to interpret it. Later verses, the violent Medinan verses, abrogate the earlier Meccan verses.
Surah 3 Ali ‘Imran (Family of Imran), ayah 151
“ We will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve for what they have associated with Allah of which He had not sent down [any] authority. And their refuge will be the Fire, and wretched is the residence of the wrongdoers.”
It is really impossible for CAIR to make the same case for Islam that you and I can make for our religions. IS is not getting it wrong.
I suppose I should back up my statement about the Quran’s instructions on how to interpret it.
Surah 2 Al-Baqarah (The Cow) Ayah 106:
“We do not abrogate a verse or cause it to be forgotten except that We bring forth [one] better than it or similar to it. Do you not know that Allah is over all things competent?”
There are three types of abrogation in Islamic theology.
1. Abrogation of verse and command.
2. Abrogation of verse but not command.
3. Abrogation of command but not verse.
Regardless, what “Allah brings forth” later replaces what Allah brought forth earlier.
Ted Cruz has an unattractive voice, saying good things. Sarah Palin also has a terrible voice, often saying good things.
H. Clinton’s voice is often lousy, too, often saying platitudes which would be good if one believed she believed it, but I never believe her.
Trump’s voice is quite good, despite flip-flopping on issues.
Obama’s voice is fantastic — he could be a voice actor. Too bad I don’t believe his platitudes, either.
I think Trump should constantly compliment Obama on his voice, and claim that folk voted for him because of his voice, not for his terrible results.
I don’t like Trump, but strongly feel the USA will be much better off if Congress has a majority of Reps — despite the dishonest badmouthing that will come from Dem media, Dem academia, Dem think tanks; all Dem elites. That looks like supporting the Rep nominee for Pres, plus more strongly more Reps in Congress.
Bush II’s primary problem is that he wanted to work with Democrats, cooperative with them, and trust them as the Loyal Opposition.
You got the TSA and Hussein and Iraq as a result.
Just like when Washington refused to believe Arnold was a traitor.