Ten Years Later

Well, here we are, ten years after the worst terrorist attacks of 9/11. Time sure flies. There are only two things I want to bring up today, and these two questions are asked in song.

The first is Darryl Worley's "Have You Forgotten?" everyone remebers today because today is a  ten-year mark, but did you remember seven years after 9/11? Eight? What about the years that aren't anniversaries? Do you remember it in those years? The song is dated now since bin Laden is now dead, but the question still remains, have you forgotten?



The next question is one that almost no one alive when it happens will ever forget the answer too: where were you when you heard about what happened?

Alan Jackson - Where were you (when the world stopped turning)



May the victims of 9/11, thier families, those who died trying to save them, ans those who survived, never be forgotten. May we never forget the soldiers who protect us, even now. And may we never stop trying to protect our freedom.

Never forget.

Dear Council of American-Islamic Relations: WHY DON'T YOU STICK A FORK IN IT?!?!?!

It's almost 9/11 again, the time of year where my patience for Muslims evaporates like water on a hot Middle Eastern day - not that I had much patience to start with.

So while I was waiting for the AP to run their regularly scheduled sob story about how this 9/11 will be a day like no other for the Muslims (like the story they ran last year, and the year before that,) I caught this story from Gateway Pundit.

It seems a St Louis coloring book publisher has put out a coloring book about 9/11. This coloring book was designed to help children understand 9/11. From the publisher's website:

To the American people and all others who may read this child's coloring book, We Shall Never Forget is designed to be a tool that parents can use to help teach children about the facts surrounding 9/11. This book also describes basic freedoms in America. We suggest parental guidance. As the 9/11 events are shown countless times on national media, this book will help children understand the meaning of these events. The book was created with honesty, integrity, reverence, respect and does not shy away from the truth.In this book you will see what happens to a terrorist who orders others to bomb our peace loving wonderful nation.

The September 11, 2001 attacks on America are now commonly referred to as 9/11. It was a series of coordinated attacks by a radical Islamic Muslim extremist terrorist group who call themselves Al Qaeda. They were self-proclaimed Jihadists; many American people refer to them as homicide bombers. their leader was a Saudi national named Osama Bin Laden. He and his men used hijacked U.S. airplanes as weapons. A total of 3,000+ innocent people from over 70 countries were killed. There were no survivors from any of the airplanes.

 
So the publishers tried to be respectful and honest and help children truly understand what happened on 9/11. They have succeeded. Would you like to know how I know?
 
Because CAIR, the Council of American Islamic Relations, is having a hissy fit. From St Louis CBS:

Taking heat from Muslim groups upset with a coloring book about the 9/11 Attacks, a publisher says he’s been in contact with local police and the FBI.

Wayne Bell, the Publisher of Really Big Coloring Books, Inc., says there’s been a negative backlash against the book “We Shall Never Forget 9/11: The Kids’ Book of Freedom.”

“These are people from Al-Jazeera that have called in here numerous times, people from Iranian TV, people from Palestinian Hamas TV,” Bell said, “A lot of people from the Islamic community have called in here and said increasingly negative things prior to the book being made and then after we made the book too, about the book itself.”

The book features images of Osama Bin Laden and Islamic terrorists. It also shows American citizens upset by the attacks, including a woman with a cross around her neck. But it shows no Muslim Americans mourning the attacks.

The Council on American Islamic Relations has criticized the book as one-sided, only portraying Muslims as either “extremists” or “terrorists. ”

Alright CAIR. Now explain why all those Muslims were dancing in the streets once they got word of what happened to us (not you, mind you. If you think I'll believe your taqqiya about being patriotic Americans, you've got another guess coming.)

Moving on:

Bell was asked to explain the absence of patriotic Muslim Americans in the book who were also opposed to the attacks.

“Well, I don’t know, I mean this is what our research showed us,” Bell said, “Every time we mention one of the hijackers we call them what they are. And that’s what parents wanted. Radical, Islamic, Muslim Extremists. And every time we mention one of the hijackers like the three guys that drove the plane into the Pentagon, there’s nothing else you can call them. I mean, what do think, they’re having a bad hair day?”

The good news is that despite the Muslim backlash, these books have been selling well. I hope they continue to sell well. CAIR, first you have to find a couple of patriotic 'Muslim Americans' (taqqiya again) and hope they aren't honor-killed before they can express their pro-American feelings. Assuming they have any. In the meantime, CAIR, do us a favor, alright? STICK A FORK IN IT!!! 9/11 is not about you and the liars and thieves you represent! It's about the damage that your cult caused to my country, and if you don't like it, don't let the door hit you on the way out!!!

And with that, I shall resume waiting for the regularly scheduled sob story.

Ron Paul: Lunatic

The troofers strike again. Via Gateway Pundit:

Two weeks away from the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, presidential candidate and Texas Rep. Ron Paul says that U.S. intervention in the Middle East is a main motivation behind terrorist hostilities toward America, and that Islam is not a threat to the nation.

At a campaign stop on Saturday in Winterset, one man asked Paul how terrorist groups would react if the U.S. removed its military presence in Middle Eastern nations, a move the candidate advocates.

“Which enemy are you worried that will attack our national security?” Paul asked.

“If you’re looking for specifics, I’m talking about Islam. Radical Islam,” the man answered.

“I don’t see Islam as our enemy,” Paul said. “I see that motivation is occupation and those who hate us and would like to kill us, they are motivated by our invasion of their land, the support of their dictators that they hate.”

Regarding 9/11, Paul said that attacks against the U.S. from Middle Eastern groups at home and abroad can be traced to the foreign presence of U.S. troops, as well as America’s relationships with dictator regimes.

Idiot. What middle Eastern country had we invaded during 1993, when the World Trade Center was bombed? What Middle Eastern country had we invaded before 9/11?

Why won't Ron Paul and his hoard of crackpot supporters ever go away? I think I've actually found the one Republican who scares me more at the thought of his being president than Obama getting a second term. You can't get up early enough in the morning to do that, you just have to not sleep. Ever.

Actually, I take that back. They're both equally scary, because neither will admit that Islam is a problem. Paul's stupitidty astounds me, but at least he's not a Muslim, which at this point is about the only thing running in his favor if he runs against Obama.

As to Paul's lunatic claims that somehow 9/11 is the fault of America, Let Freedom Ring had a point to make about that:

Anyone that thinks that the strain of radical Islam isn’t motivated by their thirst for ushering in a worldwide caliphate hasn’t done their homework. Fortunately, Patrick Poole did his. Read this and tell me if Ron Paul’s theory is solid thinking or insanity:

What Western intelligence authorities know about The Project begins with the raid of a luxurious villa in Campione, Switzerland on November 7, 2001. The target of the raid was Youssef Nada, director of the Al-Taqwa Bank of Lugano, who has had active association with the Muslim Brotherhood for more than 50 years and who admitted to being one of the organization’s international leaders. The Muslim Brotherhood, regarded as the oldest and one of the most important Islamist movements in the world, was founded by Hasan al-Banna in 1928 and dedicated to the credo, “Allah is our objective. The Prophet is our leader. Qur’an is our law. Jihad is our way. Dying in the way of Allah is our highest hope.”

The raid was conducted by Swiss law enforcement at the request of the White House in the initial crackdown on terrorist finances in the immediate aftermath of 9/11. US and Swiss investigators had been looking at Al- Aqwa’s involvement in money laundering and funding a wide range of Islamic terrorist groups, including Al-Qaeda, HAMAS (the Palestinian affiliate of the Muslim Brotherhood), the Algerian GIA, and the Tunisian Ennahdah.

Included in the documents seized during the raid of Nada’s Swiss villa was a 14-page plan written in Arabic and dated December 1, 1982, which outlines a 12-point strategy to “establish an Islamic government on earth”, identified as The Project. According to testimony given to Swiss authorities by Nada, the unsigned document was prepared by “Islamic researchers” associated with the Muslim Brotherhood.

Ron Paul’s theory is that al-Qa’ida plotted 9/11 as a response to the U.S. military bases in Saudi Arabia. Those with a willingness to accept verifiable truth, though, are forced to admit that 9/11 had everything to do with a “12-point strategy to ‘establish an Islamic government on earth’, identified as The Project.”
It’s time for Ron Paul to admit he’s been badly wrong about the jihadists for a very long time. If he won’t accept these planning documents as proof that the Muslim Brotherhood is determined to create a worldwide caliphate, then Ron Paul isn’t qualified to be commander-in-chief. PERIOD.

Amen. What we need in our next President is someone who understands the threat that Islam is to our freedoms and our way of life. Not soneone who is convinced that Islam is an okay cult.

The sooner this lunatic drops out of the race, the better.

Project 2,996 Tribute - Pamela Chu

It bothered me when I saw her name on the list of unclaimed victims on the website. It bothered me even more when I typed her name into Google and found nothing. The entire world at my fingertips with Google and I couldn't find a trace of this 9/11 victim anywhere.

but a bit of further looking turned up one hit for her: a profile printed by the New york Times and later reprinted in the book Portraits Of Grief.


According to this profile, Ms. Chu was born in Korea, but moved to America with her parents when she was two years old. She graduated from the University of Buffalo and went to work for Cantor Fitzgerald shortly afterward. According to a friend, she was cool under pressure and never stressed out over things. She was both the only Asian and only woman in her department.

And she was only 31 when she died.

May the victims of 9/11, their families, those who died trying to save them, and those who survived, never be forgotten. may we never forget teh soldier who protect us, even now. And may we never stop trying to defend our freedoms.

NEVER FORGET 9/11/2001

Click here for the tribute to Christopher M. Colasanti.

Koran Burning: Media Late to the Party

It's so hilarious to me that over the last four days, it's come to the media's attention that hey, someone's burning something other than an American flag! I've known this for like two weeks now.

As predicted, Muslims have proved once again that they are not a religion of peace. Where is the peace in threatening to kill people for burning a Koran? Adding to the irony is the fact that Muslims use the Bible as toilet paper. Hmm, which of those two things is less offensive again? Me personally, I'll take having a book burning.

A lot of things have happened around this story over the past few days. First, General Petraeus came out and said that having a Koran burning will make things worse for the soldiers in Afghanistan. the only thing is, NOTHING will make Afghanistan easier. The best thing to do would be to bomb the place and leave. It's a waste of taxpayer money to give those people roads and infrastructure and oh by the way, the Taliban will really appreciate all that when they come back to power. Yes, I do think they'll come back. And I think that after we waste billions of taxpayer dollars to improve roads over there, it'll be easier for the Taliban to move missiles around. Three cheers for being stupid.

Barack Obama only cares about freedom of religion/speech when it comes to Muslims building a mosque two blocks away from Ground Zero. When it comes to a church's right to burn Korans, he's against it all the way. While we're on the subject of that mosque, the Imam in charge of it said that if it isn't built Muslims will attack. A little late for that, I'm thinking. Here's what the nutjob had to say:

“If this is not handled correctly, this crisis could become much bigger than the Danish cartoon crisis, which resulted in attacks on Danish embassies in various parts of the Muslim world…. If we don’t handle this crisis correctly it could become something which could really become very, very, very dangerous indeed.”

Wow. I'm terrified. Except it doesn't take much to set Muslims off, so I'm used to this now. Gateway Pundit had this response:

Imam Rauf, in all sincerity sir, you can take your victory mosque and shove it.

Ditto.

On the 9th of September, and about four pm, the pastor of the Florida church, Terry Jones, agreed to meet with the (Florida?) Imam, who promised that the Victory mosque would be moved. After that promise, Jones called off the burning of the Korans.

About four hours later it came out that the Imam had been lying all along and wasn't going to move the mosque. (Apparently the Imam was following the principle of taqqiya, or lying to nonbelievers.) This lie, however, was soon found out, and Jones declared the Koran Burning back on.

The media, of course, is having fits over this. No one should ever the malign the "religion of peace" but of course it's okay to malign every other religion. and freedom of speech is only for Islam, as they were in favor of this mosque and against the Koran burning.

This story just gets more and more bizarre. According to at least one report, the Westboro Baptist church has threatened that if the Dove Outreach Center doesn't burn any Korans, they will, and they claim to have done it once before. (For those of you who need a refresher, the Westboro Baptist church was the one protesting outside a soldier's funeral, and they got dragged to court for it.)

In another story, Donald Trump has offered to buy out one of the mosque investors in an effort to ends the whole controversy. You can read the whole story here.

Soldiers have already shot some protesters for throwing rocks at their base. Apparently there's no word on whether or not the soldiers were American or Afghan.

This story just gets more bizarre all the time.

Muslims: We're victims too!

The AP is determined to make sure that this 9/11, you realize that Muslims are victims too!

Don't buy it. Just don't:

American Muslims are boosting security at mosques, seeking help from leaders of other faiths and airing ads underscoring their loyalty to the United States — all ahead of a 9/11 anniversary they fear could bring more trouble for their communities.

Now I can't get inside these Muslims' heads, but they are probably lying. The Koran permits Muslims to lie to unbelievers, so all those ads claiming loyalty are probably defective merchandise.

Their goal is not only to protect Muslims, but also to prevent them from retaliating if provoked.

Given how violent Muslims actually are, eh, good luck with that one.

One Sept. 11 protest in New York against the proposed mosque near ground zero is expected to feature Geert Wilders, the aggressively anti-Islam Dutch lawmaker. The same day in Gainesville, Fla., the Dove World Outreach Center plans to burn copies of the Quran.

"We can expect crazy people out there will do things, but we don't want to create a hysteria," among Muslims, said Victor Begg of the Council of Islamic Organizations of Michigan. "Americans, in general, they support pluralism. It's just that there's a lot of misinformation out there that has created confusion."

What misinformation exactly? This is a really important question to ask here. What is this misinformation about? What's in the Koran? We know the truth and now it needs to be suppressed? I wish I knew what this guy was talking about.

On Tuesday, the Islamic Society of North America will hold a summit of Christian, Muslim and Jewish leaders in Washington "to address the growing tide of fear and intolerance" in the furor over the planned New York mosque.

Islamic centers in many cities are intensifying surveillance and keeping closer contact with law enforcement. Adding to Muslim concern is a fluke of the lunar calendar: Eid al-Fitr, a joyous holiday marking the end of Ramadan, will fall around Sept. 11 this year. Muslim leaders fear festivities could be misinterpreted as celebrating the 2001 terror strikes.

I sure hope those rabbis and pastors back out of that meeting: going to that is asking for trouble. And we don't need to see that you're celebrating: we saw it when the towers destroyed: Muslims were happy.

Separately, groups are distributing ads to combat persistent suspicions about Islam. One spot, called "My Faith, My Voice," features American Muslims saying, "I don't want to take over this country."

Yes you do want to take over this country. Don't lie to me. The goal laid out in the Koran is that there will only be piece in the world when Islam is spread throughout the entire world. Don't even bother to lie.

I could keep going, but I don't feel like it; I'm really annoyed. The AP tried to pull this stunt last year too: "don't blame the Muslims! They're just as much victims as we were!" Which is simply not true. Yes, Muslims were killed when plane the planes hit the WTC, just like members of every other ethnic group, but it doesn't matter. According to the Koran it doesn't matter if "innocent" Muslims are caught in the crossfire of a suicide attack. If they were good people they'll go to heaven. (The ultra-cynical view is, "Blow up everyone around you and let Allah sort 'em out.")

And it irritates me. I am not concerned about the feelings of living, breathing, let's-build-a-mosque-near-ground-Zero Muslims. I am more concerned about remembering the people who lost their lives on 9/11.

But hey, what can you expect from the anti-American press?

9/11 Wrapup & Update

Well now, what next? The Project 2,996 poster will be up until I find a smaller one to replace it with; I think I'll keep a link to it on my blog for awhile longer. I'm working on a smaller poster, though.

Remember that song I linked to last year for 9/11 that I couldn't remember in time for this year? I remembered what it was:



The song being played in background is Hands by Jewel. There's an imstrumental version over there in my song list, and you might be able to find an actual version of the song on YouTube.

In related news, PMSNBC is whining about the effects of the attack on Muslims. Then again, this is PMSNBC; this is probably very in-character for them.

Extra special thanks to everyone who read and commented on my Project 2,996 tribute. It was the first time I'd ever done this, but I hope to do it again in the future.

Thanks for reading!

Project 2,996 - Tribute - Christopher M. Colasanti

Name: Christopher M. Colasanti

Age: 33

Home: Hoboken, New Jersey, USA

Occupation: Bond trader for Cantor Fitzgerald

Location: World Trade Center, North Tower

As I read through this article, I start to get a picture of who Christopher Colasanti was. In my mind, I can see him. He's a kind person, who loves his wife and two children, and who "enjoyed the contradictions in his personality and his life. "

...Christopher M. Colasanti smiled a lot during his 33 years, but the smile he saved for his two daughters always had something extra on it.

It was a look of quiet, contented amazement, like he couldn't believe how lucky he was.

"When he was around his girls, he just had that smile on his face all the time," said John Nulty, who grew up with Mr. Colasanti in South Orange. "You could tell he was having that perfect-moment feeling."

On Sept. 11, Mr. Colasanti kissed his wife, Kelly, and children, Cara, 4, and Lauren, 1, before catching an early train to arrive by 7:30 a.m. at Cantor Fitzgerald, where he worked as a bond trader on the 105th floor of the World Trade Center's North Tower.

His plan was to get in early so he could return early to his family in Hoboken. Every night, he gave his girls a bath, then tucked them in.

"He put us first always," Kelly Colasanti said. "He was a great father. He had such a great relationship with both the girls."

Still, he was the guy who maintained ties with the mob of kids he grew up with on West End Avenue in South Orange; the guy who married his high school sweetheart, having met Kelly when they were juniors at Columbia High; the guy who made sure his friends from Dartmouth College got together for dinner several times a year.

He enjoyed the contradictions in his personality and his life.

He was a bow-legged, skinny, bespectacled kid who grew up to be athletic and captain of the high school soccer team and later a triathlete.

He loved playing golf, even though he was lousy at it. He rooted for sports teams that were mostly terrible, like the Nets and Jets, just so he could pull for an underdog.

He gave himself the tongue-in-cheek nickname "The Dominant Force" -- or "Dom" for short -- in the seventh grade, and it stuck with him into adulthood because it was so contrary to everything he was.

"We got along because we ripped each other so well," said John Lynch, his best friend from Dartmouth. "There wasn't anything about each other we wouldn't make fun of. He was just someone you looked forward to having around for a long time."

In addition to his wife and children, Mr Colasanti is survived by his father, Anthony, and two brothers, Gregory and Andrew.

Profile by Brad Parks published in THE STAR-LEDGER.

An aquaintance of Mr. Colasanti added these thoughts as a tribute:

Chris was one of my closest friends in Jr. High and early high school. He always knew how to have fun. He loved Kelly the minute he met her and although their time together was cut short, the love they shared must have been incredible. I pray for her happiness and the ability to move forward with life.

May the victims of 9/11, thier familes, and those who died trying to rescue them never be forgetten.

Rest in Peace, Christopher.

Obama to Patriotism: Why Don't You Just Drop Dead?

Now I'm really pissed. Word comes via Gateway Pundit that Obama has passed legislation to make 9/11 an empty holiday celebrating Marxist/socialist values instead of commemorating the victims who died. From the American Spectator:

The Obama White House is behind a cynical, coldly calculated political effort to erase the meaning of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks from the American psyche and convert Sept. 11 into a day of leftist celebration and statist idolatry.

This effort to reshape the American psyche has nothing to do with healing the nation and everything to do with easing the nation along in the ongoing radical transformation of America that President Obama promised during last year's election campaign. The president signed into law a measure in April that designated Sept. 11 as a National Day of Service, but it's not likely many lawmakers thought this meant that day was going to be turned into a celebration of ethanol, carbon emission controls, and radical community organizing.

The administration's plans were outlined in an Aug. 11 White House-sponsored teleconference call run by Obama ally Lennox Yearwood, president of the Hip Hop Caucus, and Liv Havstad, the group's senior vice president of strategic partnerships and programs.

Yearwood, who uses the honorific "Reverend" before his name, has been in the news in recent years, usually for getting arrested. After Democrats took back Congress, the rowdy activist was handcuffed outside a congressional hearing in September 2007 when Gen. David Petraeus was to testify. Yearwood told the "Democracy Now" radio program that he wanted to attend the hearing to hear Petraeus give his report. "I knew that when officers lie, soldiers die," he said.

On the Aug. 11 call, Yearwood and other leaders kept saying repeatedly that they wanted 9/11 to be used for something "positive," "forward-leaning," and "productive," said a source with knowledge of the teleconference.

The plan is to turn a "day of fear" that helps Republicans into a day of activism called the National Day of Service that helps the left. In other words, nihilistic liberals are planning to drain 9/11 of all meaning.

A day of fear? How about a day when we remember the 3,000 people who died? Does that ever occur to you FREAKING IDIOTS?!?

Here's a force to blacklist, and wouldn't you know, OBAMACORN is on that list.

A coalition including the unsavory left-wing pressure group Color of Change and about 60 far-left, environmentalist, labor, and corporate shakedown groups participated in the call. Groups on the call included: ACORN, AFL-CIO, Apollo Alliance, Community Action Partnership, Deep South Center for Environmental Justice, 80 Million Strong for Young American Jobs, Friends of the Earth, Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, Mobilize.org, National Black Police Association, National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, National Council of Negro Women, National Wildlife Federation, RainbowPUSH Coalition, Urban League, and Young Democrats of America.

Color of Change is the extremist racial grievance group that isn't happy that TV's Glenn Beck did several news packages on Van Jones, the self-described "communist" and "rowdy black nationalist" who became the president's green jobs czar after jumping on the environmentalist bandwagon. The White House may be behind a push to destroy Beck by convincing advertisers to stop buying time on his show. Jones was also on the board of the Apollo Alliance, a hard-left environmentalist group that is now running large chunks of the Obama administration. The group has acknowledged that it dictated parts of the February stimulus bill to Congress.

With the help of the Obama administration, the coalition is launching a public relations campaign under the radar of the mainstream media -- which remains almost uniformly terrified of criticizing the nation's first black president -- to try to change 9/11 from a day of reflection and remembrance to a day of activism, food banks, and community gardens.

Heck no. I will not be an activist, and I will be remembering the victims!!! This load of BS could be even bigger than Spendulus.

Of course, the annual commemoration of the 2001 terrorist attacks belongs to the entire nation, but President Obama and the activist left don't see it that way. They view the nationwide remembrance of the murder of 3,000 Americans by Islamic totalitarians as an obstacle to winning over the hearts and minds of the American people.

They view Sept. 11 as a "Republican" day because it focuses the public on supposedly "Republican" issues like patriotism, national security, and terrorism. According to liberals, 9/11 was long ago hijacked by Republicans and their enablers and unfairly used to bludgeon helpless Democrats at election time.

Emphasis added. I'd ask if Obama and his cronies have forgotten, but you can bet your boots they forgot what had happened by September 12, 2001. 9/11 wasn't hijacked by Republicans. It was commemorated in 2002, and every year after then, by Patriots. But now that Obama's remaking America, patriotism is apparently a bad thing.

On Aug. 4, the White House offered a glimpse into its plans to desecrate 9/11 for political advantage. Jones appeared in a largely ignored 33-minute video posted on the official blog of the White House to discuss the administration's plan to flush 9/11 down the memory hole just as it has tried to do by rechristening the Global War on Terror the "Overseas Contingency Operations."

Of this National Day of Service, Jones says little except that it will be a great opportunity "for people to connect, to find other people in your peer group who are also passionate about repowering America but also greening up America and cleaning up America."

On the same day, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson, and Department of Energy Under Secretary Kristina Johnson and activists held a low-key press conference. At it, Yearwood said the National Day of Service will be "the first milestone" of a larger effort called Green the Block that is attempting to convince Americans that the utopian fantasy of a so-called green economy is possible without turning the U.S. into a Third World country.

"From policy creation to community implementation, the Green the Block campaign wants to see access and opportunity created for all Americans, to build prosperity and a healthier planet for future generations," Yearwood said.

At no time does anyone explain why this National Day of Service has to be held -- of all the 365 days in a year -- on Sept. 11.

What a good question. This is new low, even for you, Obama. Well, this is great. Now I get to commemorate 9/11 and do everything I can to undermine environmentalists, all on the same day.

Congratulations Mr. President, just when I thought you can't go any lower, you take another nosedive.

This is taking 9/11 Syndrome to a whole new level.

America, you okay?

Are you okay?

Are you okay America?

America you okay?

Are you okay?

Are you okay America?

America you okay?

Are you okay?

Are you okay, America?

You've been hit by,

You've struck by,

A smooth liberal.

Musings of a Numbers Symbol...

I am revamping Cynical Book. I don't know quite yet what I'm going to do with it, but I get the feeling it will no longer simply be about global warming/climate change/ whatever. I'll keep pondering what to do with it for now.

I finally got around to adding RonMossad to my Conservative Corner... and since not every blog down there is Conservative specific, I changed a few things. Read his blog. He's good.

I have now signed up for Project 2,996, and am going to be doing my best to write a tribute for at least one of the victims of 9/11.

School started again today. This year I'm taking a Keyboarding class. This should be interesting. See, I logged onto FFN back in 2007, and I've been typing ever since. The truth is that now I'm actually learning to type, and it's kind of funny because despite, I guess not being to type 'properly,' I've logged nearly 70 stories and who knows how many forum posts on FanFiction.Net, then we have the fact that between DR4I and Cynical Book I've written well over 100 blog posts and I've left probably nearly 200 comments over at There's My Two Cents ... And all without ever knowing how to type.

Speaking of 9/11, it's almost time to break out the 9/11 banner again... I didn't realize September was so close.

I've nearly gotten done watching Loose Change. This is the only version I'll watch. It has a nice, through debunking of every last shred of "evidence" Dylan Avery found.

And that's all my musings for now. Ciao!

Iraq War Hero Denied Entrance to The U.S.

Well, it wasn't Obama this time, it was the State Department. Oh, for the love of our allies:

The State Department has made a decision to make an Iraqi translator, Jasim, wait another three years for a visa. One of the reasons that the denial was issued was that, Jasim, as part of the Kurdish Peshmerga, infiltrated Uday Hussein's organization to steal data and then stole Uday's car to escape. He was captured, tortured, and then released six years later when Saddam let all the prisoners go on the eve of the Invasion in 2003.

The theft of Uday's car is looked upon as criminal and not political.

"On several occasions while our guys were putting rounds down range, Jasim put himself in harm's way to pull the wounded out and treat them," Keene said. "Jasim is a hero to everyone he has ever met."

After the invasion, Jasim became a legendary translator, assisting
above and beyond.

"I owe my life to Jasim ... hands down," said Master Sgt. Jason Krieger, who went on over 200 combat patrols with Jasim. "I consider him a brother, not only in arms, but in love as well."

For six years, Jasim has put his life on the line to help our troops. His stepbrother paid the ultimate price for Jasim's heroism.

Jasim said his stepbrother, in fact, was captured in the fall of 2007 and was tortured to death in an effort to get to him. The U.S. Army officer who received and processed the report on the murder, Major LeslieParks, told FOXNews.com that Jasim's stepbrother was tortured with an electric drill through his eyes.

So his application had letters of recommendation, awards and certifications from soldiers, and the DoD and DHS approval.

Do I smell liberal, or just error? I can't help but wonder... The most relevant bits from Fox News:

An Iraqi translator who has earned commendations for risking his life repeatedly to save the lives of many American soldiers in combat has been denied a visa to live in the United States because of nonviolent actions he took to overthrow Saddam Hussein — at the same time the U.S. government was calling for regime change in Iraq.

Jasim, whose name is being withheld for his safety, has received strong support from the U.S. military, and the Department of Homeland Security approved his application for a visa. But the State Department has denied Jasim a visa because he was arrested in 1996 for actions against the Saddam dictatorship.

Some of Jasim's supporters, however, believe the real reason he's been denied a visa is that he has become a "nuisance" to State Department personnel at the Baghdad Embassy. The State Department, citing privacy concerns, declined to discuss Jasim's case.

Because Iraqi translators are seen by jihadists and former Baathists as "traitors," Jasim's life is at greater risk the longer he stays in Iraq, according to multiple State Department and U.S. military officials. A number of translators and their families have already been tortured and/or murdered.

Wait, it gets better. Keep reading:

U.S. military officials familiar with Jasim's case believe that he will be in even greater danger after U.S. forces withdraw from most of Iraq next year.

The State Department, meanwhile, has told Jasim that he must wait three more years before he can apply for a waiver of its visa rejection.

When he applied for his visa, Jasim feared it might be denied by an overworked consular officer on the basis of his arrest, so he attached a letter explaining the full circumstances.

Jasim wrote that his hatred of Saddam was formed at a young age, as the regime murdered five of his relatives during his childhood. Barely into adulthood, Jasim joined the Peshmerga, a largely Kurdish group whose primary goal in the 1990s was to overthrow Saddam — an objective supported by the Clinton administration.

The Pehmerga assigned Jasim to obtain documents and eavesdropping equipment that were in the possession of Saddam's ruthless son, Uday, and Jasimn said that he stole Uday's car in order to retrieve the documents and equipment.

Soon after, he was arrested, and he was sentenced to life in prison. For the next six and a half years, he was routinely tortured, he said.

On the eve of the Coalition invasion in 2003, Hussein released many prisoners as a "goodwill" gesture, and Jasim was among them.

... Four experts in visa policy, including three former consular officers who reviewed Jasim's case history for FOXNews.com, said they found the official reasoning for Jasim's denial puzzling...

They said a specific provision in the law relating to "crimes of moral turpitude" should define Jasim's action of stealing Uday Hussein's car as "political," thus making him eligible for a visa. The first exception listed in the relevant law is that "purely political" actions do not qualify as "crimes of moral turpitude."

...Even if the State Department were to ignore the political motivations of Jasim's actions, each expert agreed that standard car theft likely wouldn't
disqualify an applicant with an otherwise clean record.

"It's not such a serious crime that you could say anyone who steals a
car is ineligible for a visa. Then you consider that it happened over a decade
ago, while he was young, and he has no other criminal history," explained a
former consular officer who served two tours. But, he stressed, "It certainly
seems political to me."

It's just not good enough for the State Department. I won't be emailing them becuase my family is frowning on me for even suggesting that I email, but here's what I would have written:

Dear Sir:

It has come to my attention that a man known as "Jasim" who assisted us in the war on terror, has been denied a visa to the United States. I would like to know why this is.

Thank You.

Because first, I want to know why (And car theft doesn't seem like a good reason). Then I'll take it from there. From Gateway Pundit:

Here is the link to the contact email form.The main switchboard phone number is here: 202-647-4000 The Press Office is (202) 647-2492 Contact Congress.

Be polite, be professional, be unwavering in letting them know they are going to be hearing a lot more about this bureaucratic issue that could easily be resolved.

I might ignore my family and email them yet, but I doubt it. I smell liberal at the back of this...

9/11 Syndrome

I can tell what you're thinking: "Oh come on T.A.R.N.S., September is six months away, you're not supposed to be up in arms yet."

Yeah, well, I'm archiving this now so I can get it out again when I need it. I am here to define 9/11 Syndrome.

What is 9/11 Syndrome, you ask? Well, I'm glad you asked. Let me tell you.

9/11 Syndrome: The act of denying that 9/11 was a terrorist attack on the United States perpetrated by Islamic terrorists. Usually seen by people pointing and shrieking "It's all President Bush's fault!" Also, the act of denying 9/11 ever happened.

See also: 7/7 Syndrome.

Can you tell I'm kind of sick of the conspiracy and political correctness?

Debunk 9/11 Conspiracy

According to Wiktionary, the verb debunk means to expose or discredit exaggerated claims about something.

Now I know why they call it 'debunk 9/11 conspiracy theories.'

This is going to be a hard post for me to write. It's hard to not stoop to name calling, and also to not rip people's heads off and ram the truth down their throats.

I hate 9/11 conspiracy theories. I really can't describe how much I hate those things. What strikes me as odd is the fact that so many people get sucked into this crap.

I ran into the conspiracy theory long ago during my 9/11 research. At that time, because I could only barely remember the attacks, I was mostly unbiased towards what I was learning. So when I began researching, I decided that to be fair, I'd better look at the conspiracy theory, too. So I found two websites and took a look at them.

The first was run a guy known mostly as 'Agent Smiley.' This guy freely admitted to being an anarchist. After that, any doubt I gave him got tossed out the window. I don't like anarchists.

The second moron hid behind internet annonimity to a point of stupidity. Things from his site read as 'this is the FBI agent who thinks that 9/11 needs to be investigated' and 'this is the Bush aide who thinks 9/11 was a conspiracy.' No names were ever given. And the guy who ran the site? 'A family man and a lawyer.' He didn't even get an internet name.

Good grief.

I don’t want cloak-and-dagger, morons, I want facts. None of you have been able to give me that, which is why I doubt you so badly.

Now, let's look at something some people hold up as a fact: a stupid video called "Loose Change."

(What a dumb name. Who named that thing, anyway?) . I didn’t have time to watch the whole video – it was over an hour long – but I watched the first three minutes. Here is my response to that video (those first three minutes, anyways):

You morons. You’re trying to pull a conspiracy theory out of that? Go read Out of the Blue by Richard Bernstien. I don’t doubt that this country made mistakes before and on that day, but you’ve got NOTHING.

The greatest ‘I can’t believe what I’m seeing’ moment of Loose Marbles Change?

“Dedicated to Lives that were Lost on September 11.”

Uh-huh.

Now let’s look at some comments on the YouTube version of Loose Marbles.

I couldn’t find the comment I wanted, but the gist of it was that the government can’t get rid of the morons responsible for Loose Marbles because if it does, than everyone will know that they were responsible for 9/11.

That is insane. You’re trying to convince people that Loose Marbles is true, which means that the government has enough skill to kill off nearly 3,000 people AND keep that information out of the hands of the general public, and yet they can’t get rid of the moron who concocted that piece of trash and his little website? Think about it.


If you're wondering about Loose Marbles, I suggest that before you go to YouTube, You go to this site here. It's one of the best for debunking Loose Change. The only problem with this site is that the person doesn't understand how Glenn Beck uses sarcasm. PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE COMICS AT THE TOP AND BOTTOM OF THE PAGE. Particularly the ones on the bottom of the page.


Over you can find the Loose Change guide. I like what I see, therefore, I encourage you to also check it out.



Yes, I like my large, attention-grabbing hyperlinks. Now what's left on my list... Ah yes, the sites that tell the truth.



Over here you can see the Popoular Mechanics report on 9/11.



Here is a site known as Debunking9/11.com. Be sure and read this, too.



The conspiracy theory has been debunked so many times it's quite sad people still buy into it. The irony comes from the fact that to make the conspiracy work, CTists have to contradict themselves. (The YouTube comment. Yes, I couldn't get the EXACT comment, but with over 11,000 comments to look through, it was unlikely I would.)



Well, the day is coming to close. I've spent most of the afternoon working on this thing. I'm proud of myself, since I only used names a couple of times, and I didn't rip people's heads of in the end. If you want, you can point out evidence that I haven't covered that will help prove the CT. I will do my absolute best to debunk it.



May the vitims of 9/11 never be forgotten.



L8R.

Changes

Alright, I'm in the middle of a somewhat important project, so I'll have to make this quick and get back to work.

The new banner is up (but you knew that), and if it seems slightly larger than my normal banner, that's because it is. The normal banner should be back sometime after this week.

And the song list will be back, too. It's time to be patriotic. Besides, most of theses songs were written after 9/11 anyway. Try number 1, it's one of my favorites. My favorite line is "I pledge allegiance to this flag. And if that bother you, well that's to bad."

I love that mindset.

Anyway, I'll get a couple more paragraphs done on my project, then start drafting my 9/11 post to go up here.

L8R!

But if you've got pride and you're proud you do, hey, we could use some more like me and you.Where the stars and stripes and the eagle fly.

The Funk is a Good Thing!

And I discovered this without having to pay for expensive therapy. ^.^

Alright, the deal behind this is the fact I have done alot of research about 9/11. That research would always leave me slightly irritated, depressed, and rather angry.

Last night I wanted to explain some changes I'd made around here for September. These are all results of the 9/11 research. However, even writing that simple, short post, put me in my Funk.

So, I decided to do something about it. I got out my notebook, and began to write.

Why does doing this research make me feel this way?

Because a group of terrorists had the gall to come over here, hijack some planes, and use them to attack us. That pisses me off.

Because I'm equally pissed with a number of my fellow Americans, many of whom need some common sense instilled in their heads. Of course the government is responsible for what happened on 9/11. Of course Bin laden didn't claim responsibility for what happened. Of course it's a huge multi-corporation plot. Not.

I actually looked at the conspiracy theory back when I was doing my research, and long before I became deeply biased against the conspiracy theory. These people couldn't prove diddly squat back then, and they still can't do it now. I know. I'm still looking for proof. (There I go, back into my Funk again. I'll save the rest of this rant for later.)

So I was looking over my reasons, and the a thought occurred to me: Doesn't this stuff just mean I'm Patriotic? I think I can say with much certainty that the answer is yes.

I don't need therapy. The only thing wrong with me is that I'm patriotic, and there's nothing wrong with that. I'm happy. ^^

P.S.: Funk, in my case, defines as 'mental depression', not a 'state of fear.'