By
I’ve given so many reasons why the is bad (, , , , and ).
Now there’s another reason: Darrell Issa a/k/a “Jihad Darrell.” I’ve written about the Republican U.S. Congressman from San Diego ad nauseam (here, here, and ), and in response, he spent tax payer funds to put together and disseminate (not a very effective one).
He is an unabashed supporter of Hezbollah (called the terrorist group that murdered 300 U.S. Marines and civilians, “legitimate resistance,” “humanitarian,” and “farmers”), and–when he was still alive–Yasser Arafat (who Issa said had a “great sense of humor” and would let “you eat the food off his plate.”). Jihad Darrell also voted to condemn Israel for building a fence to keep out terrorists and opposed the Syrian Accountability Act. And, oh yeah, he .

Jihad Darrell: Pro-Hezbollah Rep. Darrell Issa Supports Ports Deal
Now, Issa is supporting the DP World deal to control 6 of our major ports, and claims the rest of us are prejudiced against Arabs. I’ve already written about that supports the Ports. Now, there’s Jihad Darrell to boot.
Paraphrasing the old adage, you can tell a lot about others by the company they keep. And so far, the company Dubai Ports World is keeping in this country tells us this deal is simply terrible for America.

By
Over the last week or so, I’ve been getting a lot of mail about Ilan Halimi, who was tortured and murdered by Muslim gang members in Paris for the crime of being a Jew. Each press account–from the Jewish and Israeli media–of how he was tortured to death is disturbing. More disturbing, however, is that we’ve seen NOTHING on this in the mainstream press. Today, was his funeral.
It needs to be noted that Halimi is an Arabic-sounding surname. That’s because Halimi was a “Sephardic” Jew whose family, like many Jewish families, emigrated from an Arab Muslim countries either because they were kicked out of their homes, were escaping anti-Semitism, or both. His family emigrated from North Africa. But unfortunately, the anti-Semitism and intolerance of the “Religion of Peace” emigrated from North Africa, too. As Islam comes to dominate the West–starting with Europe–the violence and hatred, which dominates the religion, comes with it.
For those who say, “Jews, Out of Palestine,” Ilan Halimi is the dead example that even leaving countries the Muslims perceive as “theirs” won’t stop Muslims from saying “Jews out of . . .” everywhere else. What they really mean, what they’ve always meant, is “Jews, Out of Existence.”

 

Ilan Halimi, Z”L
From Clara Beyler’s excellent account of Halimi’s murder on Israel’s YNet (website of newspaper, Yediot Achronot):

For three weeks, the “Barbarians” detained and tortured Ilan Halimi. When he was found on February 13, he was naked, handcuffed after being dumped near railway tracks in a Parisian suburb. He suffered from severe burns covering 80 percent of his body. Traces of cigarette burns, iron burns, and various cuts (made by knives and scissors) covered his body. He passed away in an ambulance before reaching the hospital.
Police arrested about a dozen suspects so far. The gang leader’s was finally arrested in the Ivory Coast where he went into hiding two days after Ilan’s death. The “baits” used to trap Ilan, three women, are also among the suspects.
However, there must have been many witnesses to the crime, which spread over weeks. The shrieks and screams brought on by torture must have been heard by some of those living in the building where the horrific scenes were taking place. Yet not one soul, not even one anonymous caller, alerted the police in the suburb of Bagneux.

Halimi’s killers had ties to HAMAS, and they’ve tried to do the same thing to other Jews:

The items found in the torture chamber included extremist Islamic literature and leaflets of a pro-Palestinian charity blacklisted by the United States and Israel. The charity, the Comite de Bienfaisance et de Soutien aux Palestiniens (CBSP), a Hamas-affiliated fund, is still active in France despite the exposure of its members and financial support tying it directly to terrorist activities in the Palestinian Authority.
What happened to Ilan is not the first attempt of this kind. The gang tried to pull off similar crimes before with four of the six previous victims being Jewish. Similar stories are only now surfacing.

If it can happen in France, it, of course, can and will happen here. Last year, a Jewish doctor in my own city was nearly killed with a knife by his Muslim patient, who called him a “dirty Jew.” The Muslim was charged with a hate crime. I, myself, have gotten for the sole reason that I am Jewish. I take those threats very seriously. It is only a matter of time for more Halimi-style violence on our own soil. It is already here.
ILAN HALIMI, Z”L–Zichrono Li’Vrachah (Blessed Be His Memory.)

By
“Charming” and HAMAS should never be in the same sentence. There’s nothing charming about any group that blows up innocent civilians and preaches the mass elimination of a country, an ethnic group, and a religion.
But tell that to Associated Press reporter Aron Heller. He’s singing the praises of HAMAS’ new “charming” media personality.
Heller is tickled pink by HAMAS member and Gaza shampoo salesman Ribhi Rantisi–nephew of the late HAMAS leader (thankfully targeted for elimination by Israel) Abdel Aziz Rantisi.
Why is Heller so fascinated? We’re not sure. Rantisi knows Hebrew, he reports. Big deal. So do many, many Palestinians who used to work in Israel. He likes soccer. Welcome to the Arab world, Mr. AP reporter. So do most Arabs.
Rantisi watches and appears on Israeli TV. Well, that’s hardly a good or suprising thing. Israeli TV is to the left of our own media, here in America. Israeli TV is so anti-Israel that it often rivals Al-Jazeera in its anti-Israel coverage. Ditto for Israeli newspapers (especially Ha’Aretz and Yedito Achronot). And Rantisi still defends homicide bombings as a “reaction to Israeli actions.”
Rantisi says one interesting thing, though:

Unlike Denmark, for example, he said Israel had respect for Islam and its traditions. “Even in prison they respected our religion,” he said.

AP is fascinated that Rantisi claims to like Israeli music and food. But he’s not buying it out of any benevolence to Jews or Israel.

“I get what is healthier for my kids. If I buy Gaza yogurt, my kid will get sick,” he said.

Someone nees to retire AP reporter Aron Heller, so he can return to reality. There’s nothing charming about HAMAS or any of its members, regardless of what they watch or what food they like.
Remember, there are plenty of Baskin Robbins, McDonald’s, etc. in Saudi Arabia. And Saudis like Levi’s, too. But while they may love these things, they still hate Baskin, Robbins, Levi Strauss, and America. Nothing charming about it.

By
I made today’s Washington Post.
In Washington Post columnist Dan Froomkin’s “White House Briefing” column about the rotten , Dan cites and quotes extensively from and his $$$$$$$ from Dubai and the United Arab Emirates.
Here’s what the Post says about my column:

President Bush has bought himself a little time to make his case that an Arab company should be allowed to take over operations at several U.S. seaports. But the port imbroglio threatens to develop real traction — and not just because of the widespread outrage generated by the basic facts of the case.
The reporters and pundits I reference below see all sorts of worrisome and problematic things lurking just below the surface. Here are some of the problems they think are being exposed:
***
Neil Bush Watch
What’s a scandal without a presidential brother?
Blogger Debbie Schlussel writes: “Neil Bush is a frequent visitor to and paid speaker in Dubai, showing up there right after 9/11 trying to get investors for his failed Ignite! educational software company. . . . Bush was in Dubai so much that he e-mailed his wife of his desire for a divorce from his Dubai hotel room. . . .
“I’m not saying the President’s brother had anything to do with this absurd deal. He probably did not. But we don’t know for sure, and even the appearance of impropriety is unacceptable in the War on Terror. Certainly, this is a huge conflict of interest. Does President Bush really want to give Michael Moore the grounds to make ‘Fahrenheit Ports 911’?”

By
You’ve heard of the “” euphemism.
Now meet the “Manwagon,” as coined in in today’s Wall Street Journal. It’s a euphemism for stationwagon, dreamed up in marketing campaigns by the big auto companies trying to make the traditional mom car appeal to masculine dads.
Reports the Journal:

Seeking to lure speed-crazy guys with kids, car makers are trying to transform the dowdy old family hauler into something new: the manwagon.
***
This melding of speed and sippy cups may seem unlikely, but car makers say their consumer research has unearthed a surprising number of family men who thought wagons could be cool, if only they had more guts.
***
Minivans may be the most practical vehicles for families, but it is a rare dad who can drive one with pride intact.
***
More manwagons are likely to emerge because they let manufacturers profit by squeezing more products from an existing “vehicle platrofrm” and selling them at a steep premium.

By
Something’s rotten in Dubai. And it’s not just the deal to control six of America’s ports.
The approval of has brought out a lot of security issues that should have been raised at least 4.5 years ago, after 9/11. But there are a lot of issues associated with this that HAVEN’T come to light.
First, there’s the President’s refusal to re-examine the deal, despite the fact that he admittedly didn’t know about it until the public furor. What you don’t know is about the President’s brother, Neil Bush, and his ties to Dubai.
I’m not saying the President’s brother had anything to do with this absurd deal. He probably did not. But we don’t know for sure, and even the appearance of impropriety is unacceptable in the War on Terror. Certainly, this is a huge conflict of interest. Does President Bush really want to give Michael Moore the grounds to make “”?

Neil Bush Speaks in Dubai to This Audience
Neil Bush with Datamatrix of Dubai’s CEO Ali Al-Kamali
Remember Billy Carter, Jimmy Carter’s brother, and his couple hundred-thousand dollars “loan” from Libya’s Muammar Ghaddafi?
If you liked Billy Carter, you’ll love Neil Bush. No beer products and advertising or redneck wit and wisdom. But the situation’s the same. Neil Bush is in bed with Dubai and its confederation, the United Arab Emirates (UAE). He’s getting money for it solely because he’s the President’s brother. And it’s disturbing.
Neil Bush is a frequent visitor to and paid speaker in Dubai, showing up there right after 9/11 trying to get investors for his failed Ignite! educational software company. While there, “[Neil] Bush held talks with Dubai’s Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid al-Maktoum [DS: who now rules Dubai] and Information Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan on the ‘world economy in light of recent events, as well as higher education in universities,” Arab American Business reported. Bush was in Dubai so much that he e-mailed his wife of his desire for a divorce from his Dubai hotel room.
(Bush’s relationship with the Dubaian and UAE royals has a lot to do with his Syrian-American Ba’athist boss, Jamal Daniel, who paid him $60,000 a year for only a few hours work. Bush’s marriage to his second wife was held at Daniel’s palatial Houston mansion.)
At a Saudi speech, he encouraged conferees to expand lobbying and PR efforts to change “perceptions” about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. One wonders if the content is similar at his meetings and speeches in the Emirates. At least Billy Carter was a lot more aw-shucks honest. (“The only thing I can say is there is a hell of a lot more Arabians than there is Jews.”)
It’s not just Bush’s paid speaking engagements courtesy of Dubai’s Datamatrix. While Neil Bush is prominently displayed on the company’s website (and listed as “Brother of US President George Bush”), so are Clintonistas Al Gore and Sandy Berger (he of document pants-stuffing fame).
It’s also Neil Bush’s paid speeches to the Zayed Center, which was funded by UAE’s President, Sheik Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahyan, who recently died. As my friend, Rachel Lea Fish of The David Project, wrote in the Wall Street Journal:

Sheik Zayed also funds the Abu Dhabi-based Zayed Center for Coordination and Follow-Up, a prominent think tank of the Arab League, founded in 1999. The Zayed Center, described on its Web site “as the fulfillment of the vision of Sheikh Zayed,” promotes Holocaust denial, anti-American conspiracy theories and hate speech in its lectures, symposiums and publications.
In August 2002, the Los Angeles Times quoted Mohammed Murar, the executive director of the Zayed Center, saying about Jews that “the truth is they are the enemies of all nations.” His comment came on the heels of a Zayed Center report stating that “the Zionists are the people who killed the Jews in Europe.”
The Zayed Center has a history of giving Holocaust deniers like David Irving a forum to promulgate their ideas. In 1998, Sheik Zayed’s wife donated $50,000 to finance the defense of infamous Holocaust denier Roger Garaudy in a French court.
In April 2002, the Zayed Center hosted Thierry Meyssan, the French author of “The Appalling Fraud,” which claims that the U.S. military staged the 9/11 attacks. The center translated Mr. Meyssan’s book into Arabic, hailed its publication and widely advertised the work. A month later, Lyndon LaRouche, the fringe political figure who has made disparaging remarks about Judaism, was an honored guest. Just last month, the center hosted Umayma Jalahma, a professor of Islamic Studies at King Faisal University, who declared: “The Jewish people must obtain human blood so that their clerics can prepare for holiday pastries.”

It’s bad enough the President’s brother took money from this organization. It’s much worse that the confederation, whose leader funded, this despicable group will be rewarded with controlling OUR ports. This is what they think, and we are going to trust them with our valuable points of entry for goods?
Then, there is the Homeland Security hype in support of this deal. Homeland Security Secretary made the rounds of the Sunday political shows praising the deal and defending it. His predecessor, Tom Ridge, also touted the deal on FOX News. Ridge is the same man who signed a Memorandum of Understanding with John Ashcroft, taking away ALL terrorism investigations away from Homeland Security and giving them to the bureaucracy that bungled 9/11, the FBI.
Finally, there is the other problem with port ship and shipment investigations associated with the creation of Homeland Security and the reorganization of the former INS and U.S. Customs Service into ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement). When two huge tasks that don’t jibe are foisted on one agency in a merger, as happened with ICE, one falls by the wayside. Since Immigration is now the primary–but far from diligently enforced–focus of ICE, former Customs investigations into smuggling from foreign countries has fallen by the way-side.
As ICE agents have pointed out, who will be investigating the ports controlled by Dubai? While Customs and Border Protection does inspections, the investigations are still supposed to be conducted by ICE. Don’t hold your breath for any degree of thoroughness for an agency already stretched to the limits and its budget for this year already spent. It doesn’t help that the unqualified , with no law enforcement experience–let alone Customs experience, is “running” ICE.
As one career ICE agent wrote,

I am at a loss to explain this administration’s blind allegiance to the Port takeover deal with a company owned by the Arab terrorist-supporting country of the United Arab Emirates. . . . I am amazed that Sec. Chertoff is blindly supporting this as well.
Doesn’t our military ships use these Ports??? For that reason alone this deal should be scrapped! Let alone the vulnerability to smuggle in weapons and contraband that will harm this country. What are they thinking????
Allowing the UAE to take over these important Ports is akin to allowing Michael Jackson to baby-sit your children, or allowing Bill Clinton to take your wife along on a business trip!!!!

Amen.

By
The to control six of our major ports is bad enough. But more information, from a secret White House deal, is even more disturbing. In the secret agreement, the White House agreed to drop legal requirements that are normally required for ALL OTHER corporations in a similar position.
The White House is not requiring DP World to maintain its records on U.S. soil. Huh? Why? I mean, after all, we’re only talking about national security and vital infrastructure at key entry points on our shores. The White House is also NOT requiring DP World to have a resident agent who is a U.S. Citizen. That is almost unheard of for any other corporation, foreign or domestic, that does business here.
This deal with Dubai is bad enough, but now they are RELAXING the standards applied for all others. So what was that the President was saying about those opposed to the deal singling out Arabs for different treatment? Looks like he needs to look in the mirror. When it comes to this rotten deal, his White House singled out Arabs for BETTER treatment than everyone else.
No wonder they chose to keep it a secret.
Here are the deals from AP:

The U.S. government chose not to impose other, routine restrictions.
In approving the $6.8 billion purchase, the administration chose not to require state-owned Dubai Ports World to keep copies of its business records on U.S. soil, where they would be subject to orders by American courts. It also did not require the company to designate an American citizen to accommodate requests by the government.
Outside legal experts said such obligations are routinely attached to U.S. approvals of foreign sales in other industries.

Read about the President’s brother’s .

By
At this time, Michelle Malkin’s site is down. She told me she thinks it is another “Denial of Service” (DOS). Extremist Muslims from around the globe have been threatening to take her site down because of her writing about the Mohammed cartoons and the Dubai Ports deal.
Looks like they succeeded. For now. Michelle vs. the Islamists. I know who my money’s on. And she lives here.

by
C’mon, is this really a sport? (Did like the old SCTV parody, “Monday Night Curling,” though.)

(Photo by Morry Gash, AP)

By
Tomorrow (Thursday) morning, at approximately 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time, I will be debating film critic Roger Ebert regarding his support of Islamic terrorist , on Howard Stern’s Sirius Satellite radio show. Roger and I have had it out over this issue (, here, and ), including in one of his syndicated movie review columns. And, don’t forget, his webmaster posted this regarding my .

Roger Ebert & His Terrorist Buddy Ibrahim Parlak