Radical Islamist Update

America is coming up on the 12th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.  It's hard to believe, but it's also hard to believe we're still fighting the war, and fighting it the way we are.   

Today we have a story about the brother of one of AQ's top two being arrested (again) in Egypt.  He was previously arrested by the Mubarak regime, then freed when the Muslim Brotherhood was elected to power, now he's back behind bars.

Mohammed Zawahiri's name should ring a bell with anyone following the back stories of the Arab Spring and the Benghazi attack because he was the one who helped organize a protest crowd outside Embassy Cairo last year with the purpose of releasing the Blind Sheikh that eventually led to black jihad flags flying over several embassies.  Does he know where his AQ brother is hiding?   Will the Egyptian military do some 'enhanced interrogation' to find out?  After all, the administration just issued a worldwide terror alert based on a conversation between Ayman and the leader of AQAP.  Or would that be cruel?   

Meanwhile, where is Morsi?  Nobody has heard a peep from him since July 3.  Nobody is even asking. As he languishes somewhere the coup leaders are on the verge of repeating history despite the Obama administration's insistence of wanting an 'inclusive' Egypt going forward.  General Al-Sissi is acting as if Obama and Kerry don't really exist.  At the same time Republicans are conflicted because they don't want the Brotherhood to win either, nor does Israel.  As the post-9/11 period shows, laws are made for the little guys. 

Here in the homeland (don't you just hate that term, but the alternative is motherland or fatherland) we have a trial going on in military court regarding Major Nidal Hasan, who, in acting as his own attorney is trying hard to prove himself guilty to the consternation of the military court.  In the process of this charade a real news story trickled out a few days ago about Spc. Frederick Greene, a soldier shot twelve times by Hasan (after he yelled Allahu Akbar and opened fire).  Experts say he was only shot twelve times because he made a charge on Hasan trying to stop him. In other words, he's a true American hero.

Doesn't such a person deserve to be the subject of national media coverage?  There have been a few stories but nothing near top billing.  And what about a posthumous medal?   Stories say the Army won't be giving out medals to those shot at Ft. Hood due to them classifying it as "workplace violence" since such awards could taint the trial.  As if they think Hasan might be innocent.  Hopefully after Hasan proves himself guilty they can rethink the medal issue. That will probably be after Obama is out of office since they clearly don't want anything that might take away from the we-killed-UBL terror legacy.

The irony is that soldiers at Ft. Hood stage for deployment to go fight crazed jihadists in foreign countries who act just like Hasan.  Had Hasan been a Taliban member there would have been no trial, but since he committed his act of war on a base it's completely different or something.  It also appears possible they don't want to offend American Muslims by calling a white Baptist soldier a hero for trying to stop Hasan.

In that same politically correct vein several organizations are organizing a "Million Muslim March" to be held on 9/11, presumably to bring attention to the injustices done to American Muslims since 9/11/01.  Doing so is their guaranteed constitutionally-protected right.  But when considering that Hasan and Abdulhakim have killed more than the total of retribution killings of Muslims after 9/11 it's a stretch to say there's any serious discrimination occurring other than nasty glares.  Such an event will only sow divide and hard feelings.   

The leaders say they also want to condemn terrorism, which is worthy, but clearly their main grievance is not terrorism or else they'd be holding the rally on May 1.   Actually, their main goal seems strangely in line with the Democrat Party's goal of riling up the conservatives.  That should surprise no one, since the war on terror has been used a political football for over a decade now.

So here almost 12 years out from the attacks one can ask, are we winning? 

Side Tracks

This ole classic by Merle Haggard was sung at a tribute at the Kennedy Center by Brad Paisley and  Vince Gill.  Notice who's in the audience--the POTUS--and notice they left out a key verse of the song...





Sure, it was probably an abridged version, but here's a studio version of the entire song performed by a great trio of Diamond Rio, Steve Wariner and Lee Roy Parnell that contains that key verse and a refrain that might not have been so popular with certain attendees.  

Reverend King

Today is the King holiday, the celebration of a religious man who spoke out for civil rights in a non-violent way using scripture to make his point.  As seen in his "Letter from the Birmingham Jail" (My Dear Fellow Clergyman), Reverend King believed that equality was very much a biblical tenet.  Indeed, Black Liberation Theology takes some of its roots from King's ideology.

Yet for some reason today he's more often referred to as "Doctor" King rather than a reverend.  Maybe that's an attempt to respect his educational achievements but it's almost as if the modern narrative seeks to reduce the faith-based aspect of his message and instead concentrate on its largely political by-product: "social justice" (not all reverends or Christians believe as King did on the definition of social justice within our system). However, the popular definition lines up much better with mainstream liberal orthodoxy, even to include projecting King's blessing of Occupy Wall St. and the like.

It's true King's use of Christianity wasn't just fodder for a sermon, it was in part an appeal to the white (predominately Christian) majority to see the plight of the Negro from a biblical perspective.  Ironically, secular humanists today see no problem celebrating King's legacy while taking no issue with his worship of an invisible sky man.  For instance, we're told that one cannot cherry-pick the Bible, ie, if referencing Matthew one must also defend the anti-homosexual passages of Leviticus, so perhaps the Reverend King would find it harder to promulgate his message in today's world.  Theoretically, at least.