By Debbie Schlussel
Wikio, the site which ranks blogs throughout the Internet by their incoming links in the last 120 days, ranks this site at #325 of all blogs. Not good enough (but I’ll take it . . . for now).
Here are the top 300, quite a few of which get less traffic (readers/hits/page views per day) than this site. As Maxwell Smart would say, “Missed it by that much.”
Or as Avis might say, “We’re #325. We try harder.” I would be in the top 100 politics blogs, but for some reason they have this site characterized as “other.” Gotta get that fixed.
Thanks, readers and fellow bloggers and columnists, for reading, linking to, and spreading the word about the content of this site.

By Debbie Schlussel
. . . your “counterterrorism” Prez, George W. Bush, has decided to DOUBLE the number of Saudi student visas to America. 15,000 students who do dry runs for terrorist attacks on children’s school buses in Tampa, keep, rape, and torture slaves in Colorado, and other assorted lovely forms of behavior on our soil, is simply not enough. We must have more of them . . . 30,000. More who can skip out of school and disappear into the great American abyss, never to be pursued or found by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcment).
Oh, and we have to make it easier for Saudi businessmen to get here, too. No prob that 15 Saudi “businessmen” had some interesting biz here in September of 2001 and easily got here on the same types of visas that now need “simplifying”:

Get a Room: Bush & Saudi King Abdullah
(Pics from Pro Libertate)

US Ambassador Ford Fraker said in Sakaka that his country aims to double the number of student visas issued to Saudis.
“Currently there are 15,000 Saudi students in the US,” he said during an event on Sunday with local business leaders to an audience at the Al-Jouf Chamber of Commerce and Industry. “We aim to increase their numbers to 30,000 over the next five years.”
Fraker said Saudi Arabia should bolster its English-language programs because it is generally required for Saudis seeking to pursue higher studies in the US.
Fraker also stressed the need for popularizing English teaching programs because it would overcome the language barriers for Saudi students seeking to study in the US easier.
In order to facilitate increased mutual visits, Fraker said he is working to simplify the issue of visas to Saudi businessmen.

George Bush’s Julie L. Myers a/k/a “The ICE Princess” has done nothing to track down visa violators and overstays from Saudi Arabia and myriad other Muslim countries (and Muslims from “allied” countries). We don’t know where they are, and there are hundreds of thousands of them illegally in our midst. But, I guess, to make things “better,” we must have more.
Aren’t you glad George Bush has made us “safer” since 9/11?
One other thing: These visits and college stays truly foster an “understanding” and “love” for America. Just ask Sayyid Qutb . . . .
Thanks to reader Dave for the tip.

By Debbie Schlussel
This has to be one of the greatest–if not the greatest–stories in illustrating the fast decline of America and how there is no nadir too low on which to traverse downward.
An (unmarried) couple got into a violent argument over how to raise their child. It’s not about whether the 4-year-old toddler should be raised Jewish or Catholic, or whether he should get a home or public school education. Nope. This is the case of an usual “mixed marriage” (well, they’re not married, but you get the point).
This fight is about whether the four-year-old should become a Crip or a Westside Baller (a Latino gang):

COMMERCE CITY, Colo. — A couple arguing about which gang their 4-year-old toddler should join caused a public disturbance that resulted in the father’s arrest, Commerce City police said Thursday, reported KMGH-TV in Denver.

“Natural Selection”:
Westside Ballers Gang Member Joseph Manzanares Wants Toddler to Join

On Saturday, Joseph Manzanares stormed into a video rental store where his girlfriend worked, threatened to kill her and knocked over several video displays and even a computer, Commerce City police Sgt. Joe Sandoval said.
After he ran out of the store, police were called and the 19-year-old was arrested at his home.
His girlfriend told police that they had been arguing about the upbringing of their son and which gang he should belong to. The teen mother, who is black, told authorities she is a member of the Crips, police said. Manzanares is Hispanic and belongs to the Westside Ballers gang, the woman told police.
‘They have different ideas on how the baby should be raised. Basically, she said they cannot agree on which gang the baby would ‘claim,” Sandoval said.
Manzanares was charged with disorderly conduct, harassment, and domestic violence. He was transported to the Adams County Detention Facility.
On Tuesday, he pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and was sentenced to 12 months of probation and ordered to pay $835 in court costs, according to the Denver Post. The misdemeanor harassment charge was dropped.

I can just hear the argument. He’s shouting something in Spanish about her being a “putah,” and she’s shouting, “No, you di’in’t.”
I think we’ve found the next co-winners of the Darwin Awards. Oh, and make that tri-winners. After all, as reader Duane writes:

Note no involvement by CPS [Colorado Protective Services] for concerns on this child’s future.

Whatta country! Membership (in gangs) has its privileges.

By Debbie Schlussel
The People’s Republic of the Detroit City Council–faced with few more important issues–has now outlawed discrimination in the city based on “gender identity” and “gender expression,” a politically correct way of saying, thou must hireth transsexuals and transvestites.
That means that this “guy” can now become Mayor of Detroitistan . . .

after this guy is convicted of 8 felonies, this summer . . .

Gives a whole new meaning to the term “the Hip-Hop Mayor.”

By Debbie Schlussel
If you rip me off, you may get away with it. But word will also get out.
In response to my post, today, on L.A. Times “reporter,” er . . . regurgitator Peter Wallsten’s rip-off of my work in today’s L.A. Times, the Politico agrees with my take–that he stole. On Ben Smith’s Politico blog, Reporter Avi Zenilman writes:

Debbie Schlussel sort of burns Peter Wallsten, and demands credit for (very roughly) similar passages.

Word gets out when you steal. Stop shoplifting from this site. And give credit where it’s due.
FYI, for those unfamiliar with it, Politico is an extremely successful, influential site set up by and filled with former Washington Post reporters.

By Debbie Schlussel
Many people have sent me this letter, below, and it now appears on many sites. It is an important read to remind people that anti-Semitism is all over, and that far too many key Barack Hussein Obama supporters openly hate Jews, and want you to know it. And that Obama is far too lax in looking the other way.
But the letter is also confirmation of another thing I and many of my readers and friends have known all of our lives: Foolish Jewish liberals continue to throw money at our enemies, and then they are shocked–shocked!–that those enemies tell them, “Hey, we hate Jews.” Hello . . .?

Carly Simon Look-Alike/Uber-Naive Jewish Liberal Daphna Ziman Shocked
About Eric Lee’s Anti-Semitism
While I live and grew up in a Black city, in a Black neighborhood, and graduated from a Black high school; And while I know that there are many philo-Semitic Black Americans (we have many such readers on this site and I have many such friends with whom I grew up and whom I’ve known most of my life), the fact is that the Black community has far too much tolerance for anti-Semitism. And it’s not just Farrakhan, Jackson, Sharpton, and Wright–though their popularity in Black America is symbolic, as their anti-Semitism is never rejected by the collective Black community.
In fact, regardless of the history of Jews going out of their way for Blacks and Black civil rights–several literally gave their lives and were shot as they marched for Blacks–and helped found the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Blacks comprise the only ethnic group in America (Muslims are not an ethnic group) where anti-Semitism remains high. They are also the only ethnic group in America–in poll after poll–where anti-Semitism goes up as socio-economic status (earnings, education, etc.) goes up. I have a tremendous love for Black Americans–who helped build this country–and I deplore racism. But I deplore all forms of racism, including Black-on-White racism, and I do not love the collective, tolerated hatred of Jews that is far too rampant in Black America.
That toleration and embrace of anti-Semitism is not new. That’s why, as I read this letter by Daphna Ziman–and as I watch plenty of naive, guilt-ridden Jews embrace Barack Obama despite his close ties to Wright and Farrakhan–I believe that they get what they deserve. Ms. Ziman had no business giving money to this group in the first place. She should have known this was their sentiment. It only reminds me of philantropist Mort Zuckerman buying and donating greenhouses in Gaza for HAMASniks and not easily predicting the greenhouses’ quick destruction and non-appreciation for the Jewish favor in 2005.
So, here is the letter by this very naive Jewish philanthropist Daphna Ziman, who now is shocked–shocked!–by the anti-Semitism towards her, a Jew, despite her donation to those she should have known–from a litany of media reports throughout her life about “Hymietown” and “Zionist interlopers” and “gutter religion” comments–do not wish her well:

JEWISH PHILANTHROPIST ENCOUNTERS ANTI-SEMITIC ATTACK – Letter by Daphna Ziman
by Daphna Ziman
April 8, 2008
Hi,
I have to tell you of an experience I had last night that was so anti Semitic and frightening:
Last night I was honored by Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity, for my work with Children Uniting nations with African American children who are living out of home care. I have dedicated my life to saving these children from abuse, neglect and a life of crime. We created ‘adoption day’ and “Day of the child” determined to recruit caring adults to be mentors and life savers for our at risk children in the inner cities.
The mayor was present and City council member Bernard parks, Assemblyman Mike Davis, Senator Mark Ridely Thomas etc. I was introduced as a children advocate and a leader in the Jewish community. I began my speech by talking about how I woke up in the morning and listened to Hillary Clinton’s speech, in the spirit of Dr. King from Memphis that moved me so deeply. I expressed to the crowd how grateful I was to listen to Sen. McCain apologize to the community for mistakes he has made in the past. I acknowledged Sen. Obama’s speech from the campaign trail about Dr. King’s mentorship.
After I spoke and thanked the fraternity and their members, Rev. Eric Lee, pres. and CEO of Southern Christian Leadership Conference of greater Los Angeles, was introduced as the key note speaker.
He began his speech by thanking Jesus for Obama, who is going to be the leader of the world. He continued by referring to other leaders Like Dr. King, being that this was the moment of celebrating Dr. King’s spirit on the anniversary of his death, and Malcolm X.
It was right after the mention of Malcolm X that he looked right at me and started talking about the African American children who are suffering because of the JEWS that have featured them as rapists and murderers. He spoke of a Jewish Rabbi, and then corrected himself to say “What other kind of Rabbis are there, but JEWS”. He told how this Rabbi came to him to say that he would like to bring the AA community and the Jewish community together. ” NO, NO, NO,!!!!” he shouted into the crowd, we are not going to come together. “The Jews have made money on us in the music business and we are the entertainers, and they are economically enslaving us.”
He continued as to how now the salvation has come and the gates have open for African Americans to come together behind Barack Obama, because now is the time to show them.(meaning the Jews).
He continued to speak about ‘ White supremacy’ vs the talents and visionaries in the core of African Americans. He demeaned being given freedom, by saying “To what?” to a country that kills women and children.
I could no longer be polite and sit in front of the crowd, so I walked out.
Members of the fraternity ran after me as did my staff, I was not able to contain my tears and I cried.
I cried for me and my family, who have tried so hard to help the African American community, because we adopted children from the same realities and wanted to give back to other children and people. We have been completely color blind, for us it was only helping those children in need. I cried for our beloved country and the division that Barack Obama has caused with his Rev. Wright opening the gates to ‘hate’ against the Jews and whites. I grew up so looking at America as the land of Freedom. I was honored to receive my citizenship accompanied by members of the Kennedy family. Now, I’m afraid for Israel because Barack sat there for 20 years listening and not standing up for what’s right, why would he standup for Israel?
I cried for the Jewish community who are so blind that they can’t see that there’s a movement here that will destroy us. I cried because for the first time in my life I was afraid of the future.
I cried for our world that is moving backwards and not forward. Everyday, I see children so lost, and so deserving of hope and love. I look into their eyes, knowing that it is their lives that are in our hands.
I’m crying now, so I’m going to stop writing because it is so painful. I just had to share this experience with you.

Well, I’m glad Ms. Ziman is crying now. But what took her so long? Unlike Ms. Ziman, I don’t cry at this old hat “news” that for her is a sudden, shocking revelation. I cry that there are so many extremely naive Jewish liberals like her, who look the other way at the wholesale anti-Semitism of the Black community. And constantly throw money at–and enable–them.
And continue to refuse to wake up. Why the heck was she giving them a dime in the first place?
And that’s not all to which she’s giving her dimes. Ms. Ziman claims she’s worried about Israel and anti-Semitism. Yet, she continues to give oodles of money to the anti-Israel UNICEF and to donate to the Muslim “refugees” of Kosovo, who are rife with anti-Semitism. (Check out this page detailing where her money goes.) She’s clearly quite ignorant, but for her April 8th “epiphany.”
She is the enabler of the kind of hatred which she now decries, and she seriously needs to look in the mirror.
We are going through a modern-day Dreyfus Trial all over the world. But people like Daphna Ziman are clueless and won’t face the fact that court is in session.

By Debbie Schlussel
Recently, I told you about how race merchant/shakedown king and former coke dealer, the Rev. Al Sharpton, and the NAACP defended Black rapists in Palm Beach County, Florida. They stood up for these men who raped, tortured, and forced their Black victim to perform oral sex on her own teen son. It’s despicable.
And now the NAACP and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) are defending schoolkids who plotted to murder their teacher. Not sure how you can “advance” the cause of “colored people” as is the professed name of the NAACP, when you defend rapists (of “colored people” victims)and teacher-killers.
The NAACP and SCLC claim that these kids were just going to “to throw pies” at the teacher, and that we should “investigate” their teacher/would-be murder victim–that it’s her fault. But as reader Duane says:

NAACP: National Association for the Advancement of Teacher Killers

These children brought weapons and other accessories for this attack – no pies.

Well, Duane, maybe the NAACP has a point. After all, aren’t a broken steak knife, tape, cheap handcuffs, ribbon, a crystal paperweight the ingredients for apple pie and not the equipment for tying up, stabbing, and crushing the skull of a human? Maybe this was just an episode of “Junior American Inventor”:

WAYCROSS, Ga. — NAACP leaders are calling for an expanded investigation that they believe may reveal the real reason nine Ware County third grade pupils are accused of plotting to harm their teacher.
They denied the children, three of whom have been charged with felonies, were plotting murder, as claimed by investigators.
“This whole case has been blown out of proportion,” said Edward DuBose, president of the NAACP’s Georgia State Conference.
The focus of the investigation should be on the events in the classroom that led to the investigation into the murder plot, DuBose said Tuesday during a news conference at a park across from the Ware County Board of Education offices in Waycross.
“These students were crying out for help,” he said. . . .
DuBose said the students’ teacher, Belle Carter, should be investigated for the classroom environment she created that led pupils to plot against her. [DS: ????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!]
He said the children were planning to throw pies [DS: Uh-huh–knife and crystal paperweight pies; yummy!] at the teacher and put their heads on their desks to hide who threw the pies. But there was no murder plot, he said.
Nine children were involved in the plot to harm Carter, investigators said. Carter teaches an early intervention class at Center Elementary School in Waycross to help students who have fallen behind in their class work.
A 9-year-old girl, disciplined earlier for standing on a chair, brought a broken steak knife to school and others brought tape, cheap handcuffs, ribbon, a crystal paperweight and other items they intended to use against their teacher, Waycross Police Chief Tony Tanner said earlier. The 9-year-old, who is believed to have been the mastermind, is charged with aggravated assault for brandishing the knife near another student and with possession of a weapon on school grounds and conspiracy to commit aggravated assault, police said. She is among seven students suspended for the rest of the school year.
While police haven’t identified the accused 8- 9- and 10-year-old children, Larry Lockey, president of the NAACP’s Ware County chapter, said most of the children are African-American.
DuBose called for the suspended children to return to the classroom but not with the same teacher. Counseling should also be offered to the children and their parents, he said.
“We need to meet, identify and correct the problem,” he said.
Asked about the possibility of another investigation, District Attorney Rick Currie said that is up to the police but it has been his experience that police always question everyone involved in an incident.
The Ware County Board of Education did not want to respond immediately to the NAACP’s statements but may issue a statement later, school board spokeswoman Theresa Martin said.
Lockey called the publicity surrounding the accusations against the children “disgusting.”
“The question is why would nine students come together to take some kind of action?” he said.
Lockey said Carter threw books in the classroom and forced one of her students to her knees to apologize to a classmate after an altercation.
“We’ve got to eliminate this type of abuse,” he said. The Rev. Fer-Rell Malone Sr., director of the Southeast Georgia chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, said the accused children “felt like they were backed into a corner” because school administrators have not investigated complaints about the teacher.
Malone also said the accused children were not plotting to harm their teacher.

Again, steak-knife and crystal-paper-weight pies. Why didn’t Julia Child think of that? DE-LISH!

By Debbie Schlussel
In response to my recent column on courageous Costa Mesa, California Mayor Allan Mansoor and American Hero/Medal of Honor winner Michael Anthony Monsoor and their Mid-East heritage, reader RM–also of Mid-East heritage–writes an important letter:

Debbie,
Most Middle Eastern Christians are not arabs. We trace our roots to the pre-arab, indigenous populations of the ME. We are as different from arabs as the Jews are. We Assyrians, for example, do not speak arabic, except in arab countries. We speak Aramaic as our first language. In Iran, we speak Aramaic and Farsi. In Turkey, we speak Aramaic and Turkish. Not one word of arabic is poken by Assyrians in Turkey and Iran. I myself speak only Aramaic, and not one word of arabic.

The Copts are Egypt’s indigenous, pre-arab people. The very word Egypt comes from the Greek, Ikyptos, “The Copts.” Their language is a direct descendant of Heiroglyphics. Heiroglyphic to Heiratic to Demotic and finally to Coptic, over the millenia.
It is true that some ME Christians, Chaldeans and Copts included, have been arabized. But to call them arabs because of their language is like calling the Irish, “English.”
I hope this helps.
WE ARE NOT ARABS!!!!!!!!!!!

Agreed.
One other thing to add: My friends who are Lebanese Maronite Christians also say they are not Arabs. They prefer to be called Phoenicians. The Phoenicians were the original Lebanese, and they much pre-dated the Arabs. Even a Lebanese Druze friend of mine says, “I’m an not an Arab.” In addition to it not being their heritage, it’s also because “Arab” is seen as “Muslim,” and they don’t want to be known as part of the “Religion of (non-)Peace.”

By Debbie Schlussel
**** UPDATE #2: Politico calls L.A. Times’ Wallsten to the mat for rip off of Schlussel. ****
**** UPDATE: E-mail Peter Wallsten’s L.A. Times Editor, Scott Kraft, and ask him why his reporter cannot practice proper attribution. ****
Recently, I received this e-mail from Los Angeles Times reporter Peter Wallsten, who covers the Obama campaign for the paper, regarding a column I wrote about Barack Hussein Obama:

From: Wallsten, Peter Peter.Wallsten@latimes.com
Date: Tue, Mar 25, 2008 at 3:25 PM
Subject: from Peter Wallsten, reporter for the LA Times
To: writedebbie@gmail.com
Debbie –
I’m looking into Obama’s ties to the Nation of Islam and I’m interested in what you’ve reported already. Is there any chance you’d be willing to take a few minutes to chat on the phone with me?
best,
Peter Wallsten
Los Angeles Times
Washington bureau
[DS: Phone numbers redacted]

Because I am interested in my January column, on which I spent a lot of time and worked very hard, getting wider play–regarding Obama’s Nation of Islam staff, his friendship with Palestinian activist Ali Abunimah and Abunimah’s assertions that Obama is really, secrety pro-Palestinian, Obama’s attendance at an Edward Said dinner, and Obama’s blind Jewish supporters–I called Mr. Wallsten, per his request.
I spent a lot of time with him on the phone and told him he could use anything in my column, so long as my name and/or website was mentioned somewhere in the story. He agreed to do so, and told me he appreciated my help, despite the fact that he read on this site that his colleague, L.A. Times terrorism writer Josh Meyer, tried to trick me and rip me off when he came to Detroit and called me (as I mentioned on this site earlier).
Sadly, Mr. Wallsten did not keep his word and ripped me off. Today, he has an extensive article, “Allies of Palestinians See a Friend in Obama,” that–while not identical–clearly is an expansion of all of the information he gleaned from my column (and some other writers). Again, I’m not saying his “report” is a word-for-word plagiarism of what I wrote. It is not, and using my work as his basis, he did some further interviews. But, plagiarism is not necessarily a word-for-word rip off. It is the theft of ideas. And in this case, he clearly and admittedly read my column, and took what I wrote, expanding upon it. And a few portions of it contain virtually identical information with words and phrases mildly altered, such as this one:
Schlussel:

The Senator has since “changed” his proclaimed views from those he expressed privately, in order to get Jewish donors and votes.
And he has succeeded in spades. Lee Rosenberg a top Illinois official of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the pro-Israel lobby is a big Obama donor. Ditto for former national AIPAC official Bob Asher. And Penny Pritzker of the pro-Israel family that owns Hyatt hotels.

Peter Wallsten, L.A. Times:

Even as he won support in Chicago’s Palestinian community, Obama tried to forge ties with advocates for Israel. . . . As a presidential candidate, Obama has won support from such prominent Chicago Jewish leaders as Penny Pritzker, a member of the family that owns the Hyatt hotel chain, and who is now his campaign finance chair, and from Lee Rosenberg, a board member of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.

While Mr. Wallsten’s article is well-written, raises important points about Barack Obama, and should be read, he’s clearly not a man of his word who can be trusted. And he’s also clearly not a “reporter” or the original writer of a single thing in “his” story. He’s a rip-off artist who takes and expands upon others’ original work and research without an iota of credit.
So much for the conventional wisdom that bloggers write specious claims that cannot be trusted, whereas the mainstream media is the penultimate in accuracy and original reporting. In this case, the blogger–me–was the source material for the untrustworthy thief, the Los Angeles Times reporter Peter Wallsten.
Hey, Peter, still waiting for that mention you promised for using my work. But glad I didn’t hold my breath.
That–and repeated, unchecked theft of my work, like yours–would be the death of me.
Oh, and by the way, this is only the second time, in two weeks that a mainstream media “reporter,” er . . . regurgitating rip-off artist, has done this to me. Two weeks ago, Wall Street Journal reporter Chris Cooper admitted in an e-mail to me that he took my material for his story on former Hillary fundraiser Mehmet Celebi, but that he did not want to give my site “publicity,” so he didn’t mention it. Love those mainstream “journalistic ethics.” More on Mr. Cooper and what he did, in a future post. Stay tuned.
If you rip me off, it won’t go unnoticed.
Next time you see any article with Peter Wallsten in the byline, ask yourself who wrote it first. Because clearly, it wasn’t him. Same goes for Christopher Cooper of the Journal. And, unfortunately, so many others like them.

By Debbie Schlussel
Former Flying Nun Sally Field hasn’t gotten over the overwhelming attention she garnered at last year’s Emmy Awards, when she said, “If mothers ruled the world, there would be no G-d-damned wars,” as part of her anti-war rant.
Now, she’s told Ladies Home Journal (May 2008 issue) that “mothers” are also men:

I don’t think mothers are only female. I think mothering is a quality, a character trait. Mothering is about responsibility. There are plenty of men who are great, great mothers. Nelson Mandela is a great mother.

Flying Numbskull Sally Field, Badly in Need of a Dictionary
HUH? Must get my new age double-speak decoding ring to decipher.
As far as I know, this is the only “male” mother, and according to his DNA/chromosomes, he’s not really male . . . .

Remember Sally Field’s exhortation at another awards show, “You Like Me, You Really Like Me!”? Um, no, we really don’t.
Exit Question: How does Sally Field get featured in a magazine, whose title includes the word “Ladies”?