How Serious Is Iran Nuke Threat?

Libya: Gaddafi’s Forces Using Rape As A Weapon; Carry Viagra

MFS - The Other News

                        Afternoon Posting.

• Live broadcast info from Japan directly ! Here.

• Libya Live Blog - April 08. Here .(Al-Jazeera).

• Middle East Live Blog here .(Al-Jazeera)

• Updated !Earthquakes in the last 24 hours in the world seismic activity in Japan between 5.1 and 6.0 today. More info here.

• Japan - Latest official Situation Update No. 76.

• HT:The Blaze.Live Blog: Will the government shut down tonight? Read and see everything here.

• HT:AmericanThinker.What Wisconsin's Judicial Election Means.The ballots in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race show a relatively small difference between Justice David Prosser, the "conservative" incumbent, and JoAnne Kloppenburg, the leftist challenger. Yesterday, previously uncounted votes in Waukesha County swung the victory to Prosser by over 7,000 votes (out of almost a million and a half cast), though Kloppenburg earlier claimed victory by a much smaller margin.In this case, of course, the term "conservative"means an impartial jurist who follows the rule of law without political bias. As for the "liberal" candidate, Ann Althouse, a University of Wisconsin law professor, noted Kloppenburg's lawn signs indicating that the latter had made up her mind about the state's new collective bargaining law.Regardless of the ultimate result, there are vital lessons we should take from the race. We grasp what is happening. We have stopped listening to the chatterbox phonies of the leftist establishment media. We see the inner workings of the left and its minions. We know now that a senator who votes for cloture on a bad bill but votes against the bill on the Senate floor (where it passes easily) is trying to trick us -- but we will no longer be tricked. We comprehend that the dreaded "government shutdown" means nothing when Congress and the White House before the election never even passed a budget. We see from our children's textbooks and the unruly behavior of their teachers that the regime of public school reeducation must be defeated and reformed.The left has been winning because we have not fought the battles which we must fight. Now, we are fighting back. That ultimately is the key. We were unwilling soldiers at first, preferring to live in a civil society in which we could live in friendly peace. The Wisconsin judicial election, which forces the highest notions of impartiality -- judges -- into the war of ideology, and our response to players like Kloppenburg show that we are now fighting the war that we must fight, and the fight which we shall win.Hmmm.....Never forget that everything Hitler did in Germany was legal.
  Martin Luther King, Jr.Read the full story here.

• Want to know the 2012 election result?Here's a sneak preview!High-profile lawyers retained for possible Supreme Court recount.Twenty-four hours ago challenger JoAnne Kloppenburg was looking at an all but certain recount of her razor-thin victory over incumbent Justice David Prosser in the Supreme Court race. Now that it's come to light that Prosser might take a thin but substantial lead due to a computer error in Waukesha County, Kloppenburg could be the one to trigger a recount. But one thing hasn't changed: both camps are lawyering up and have brought in the big guns.Kloppenburg's campaign is working with Marc Elias, an attorney with Perkins Coie, a Washington D.C.-based firm with an office in downtown Madison. Elias is the same attorney who represented Democratic challenger Al Franken in his eight-month epic recount battle with incumbent Republican Norm Coleman. Franken eventually prevailed, winning his U.S. Senate seat by 312 votes.Prosser has hired Ben Ginsberg, a Washington-D.C. attorney who played a prominent role in the 2000 Bush-Gore presidential recount effort in Florida. He was also part of the team that represented Coleman in his recount effort. Prosser has also retained Madison attorney Jim Troupis, and Dan Kelly, who is based in Milwaukee.Melissa Mulliken, Kloppenburg's campaign manager, said the campaign first hired Perkins Coie months ago to file an amicus brief in a suit lodged by Wisconsin Right to Life over the state's new judicial campaign public financing law, which Right to Life says stifles free speech. Mulliken said Thursday the campaign "plans to continue to work with him (Elias)."Hmmmm....A computer is only as smart as the one who 'programs' it!Read the full story here.

• HT:TheFoundry.Morning Bell: Commander-in-Chief Turns His Back on America’s Military.The American military is engaged in multiple conflicts and humanitarian missions around the world, yet President Obama promised to veto legislation funding the troops for the remainder of 2011. This is a reprehensible political stunt, and it comes at the expense of our servicemen and women and the families they support.Yesterday, as efforts to resolve the debate on 2011 government funding continued, House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) introduced yet another temporary bill designed to keep the government operating for one more week during negotiations, and in this case, ensure the military portion of the budget is appropriated to eliminate the economic uncertainty facing our troops.Before a vote was even taken, President Obama issued a Statement of Administration Policy that offered no policy, and merely called Speaker Boehner’s efforts a “distraction”, with the promise to veto the legislation. In fact, Speaker Boehner’s goal was to aid our armed forces by removing the distraction of a looming government shutdown for our troops. The House went on to pass the bill 247-181 with 15 Democrats joining nearly all Republicans.The American public has clearly spoken that it is demanding budget cuts, but so far nothing has happened in the Senate—not one serious alternative to the budget with $61 billion in cuts the House passed nearly two months ago. That Harry Reid is even allowed at the negotiating table before completing the prerequisites is a mystery, and this latest episode of defense funding angst by he and Obama continues the drama.United States military personnel are actively supporting the Libyan rebellion. Navy sailors and Marines are providing humanitarian relief to our ally Japan. American soldiers are still working to rebuild Iraq often in hostile conditions. They are engaged in active combat in Afghanistan. Some are being wounded daily; some maimed; some even killed. Others are doing their jobs around the globe keeping sea lanes open, on patrol, standing a post, and training for whatever conflicts lie ahead. Yet incredibly, their Commander-in-Chief vows to veto their paychecks.The House-passed bill is essential to ensure military forces deployed around the world will get the equipment they need to succeed. Even it will fund defense at levels significantly below President Obama’s request, unfortunately, which is causing strain across the military right now.The drawn-out budget fight to fund the government for 2011 is reaching a crescendo with a potential government shutdown now hours away. President Obama chose to finally engage the negotiations this week, yet still deflected leadership saying: “I shouldn’t have to oversee a process in which Congress deals with last year’s budget…”Absent a deal today, President Obama should actively press Congress to fund the troops, and withdraw his threat to veto their funding. Let our soldiers get back to work without threats to their safety and their families’ finances. It’s time for President Obama and Senator Reid to show that kind of leadership.Hmmmm...Sadly dictators hardly ever show leadership qualities.Read the full story here.

• HT:WhitehouseDossier.Is Michelle Planning Some Pricey Shopping in Williamsburg?It appears the Obamas may be headed down to Colonial Williamsburg this weekend for more than a history lesson. Mrs. Obama, it seems, wants something much more up to date.According to the Daily Press, which covers southeastern Virginia, the first lady has shopping on the brain. And we’re not talking about the Williamsburg Walmart.Rather, Mrs. Obama has been quietly investigating from afar the wares at Binns of Williamsburg, an upscale shop for uptown gals who want to look fabulous.Indeed, Mrs. Obama has been looking into the lifestyle, ordering catalogues and dispatching envoys to the store itself to see what’s good for the gettin’. Perhaps the first lady can also pick up another $1,000 handbag when she’s there.According to Tom Smith, assistant CEO of Binns of Williamsburg, the First Lady has expressed interest in his store in the past.“We have been contacted by different assistants of the family,” he says.Representatives have visited the store in the past, and Smith knows that Michelle has brochures from his store. He also has sent some accessories to the White House for her consideration.“Our gown department is a big area that she would probably end up looking at,” he says.Well, now we know better what the White House means by a “long planned” vacation that the Obamas might be loathe to cancel.If there is a government shutdown, the president will almost certainly have to stay at the White House. But Michelle has shown in the past she doesn’t mind traveling without him.If the White House communications team allows her to be seen browsing he bins at Binns while government workers are getting furloughed, they need to be impeached on charges of PR malpractice.Thanks to Nelly, one of our readers, who alerted me to this and who also noted that Mrs. Obama probably is seeking some stunning new items for her trip to Europe next month!Hmmmm......"Let them eat K Rations"?Read the full story here.

• UN: Scores of bodies found in Cote d'Ivoire. UN reports that more than 100 bodies, some burned alive, have been found over the past 24 hours across the country. More than 100 bodies, some burned alive and others thrown down a well, have been found in the past 24 hours by United Nations staff in Cote d'Ivoire.Rupert Colville, the UN human rights spokesperson, told a news briefing in Geneva on Friday that about 60 bodies were found in Guiglo, 15 bodies in the western town of Duekoue and about 40 in Bloloquin.The announcement comes as Allasane Ouattara, the claimant president, said in a speech late on Thursday that he would seek to restore security and basic public services in the country following fierce fighting between his forces and those of Laurent Gbagbo, the incumbent president."I have asked that European Union sanctions on the ports of Abidjan and San Pedro and certain public entities, be lifted," Ouattara said in the speech broadcast on French television."I have also asked the central bank BCEAO to reopen its branches in Ivory Coast, to ensure a resumption of operations in all banks so as to enable the payment of salaries and arrears in the shortest possible time," he said on television channel LCI.In Brussels, the European Commission said it hoped to be able to begin easing sanctions soon.Diplomatic and military efforts to oust Gbagbo this week were met with fierce resistance and Ouattara said his rival's residence had been sealed off to protect the area.The Reuters news agency reported on Friday that as a direct response to Ouattara's request, the EU planned on lifting the sanctions on all Ivorian port authorities and exports by Tuesday next week.A commander for the French military force in Cote d'Ivoire, Licorne (Unicorn), also said on Friday its troops would carry out mixed patrols with police and gendarmes loyal to Ouattara to restore security and rebuild infrastructure.Gbagbo remained defiant on Thursday, even after air strikes hammered his military bases and the palace, where he is holed up with his wife inside a subterranean tunnel.Ouattara won the November presidential poll by eight percentage points, according to UN certified results, but Gbagbo rejected the outcome citing fraud, and accused the United Nations of meddling in Ivorian affairs.The poll was meant to draw a line under Ivory Coast's 2002-3 civil war, but the dispute over results rekindled it, turning Abidjan into a war zone.Via a spokesman in Europe, the ruler continued to insist he'd won last November's election and stressed he would never leave the country he has ruled for the past 10 years."I reached the head of state and his wife less than an hour ago and no - he will not surrender. President Gbagbo will not cede," said his adviser Toussaint Alain by telephone from Paris. "It's a question of principle. President Gbagbo is not a monarch. He is not a king. He is not an emperor. He is a president elected by his people."Gbagbo has refused to accept defeat even though he was declared the loser of the November election both by his country's electoral body and by international observers including the United Nations.Hmmmm.....Read the full story here.

• Missile From Gaza that Hit School Bus was deliberatly aimed at the bus!JERUSALEM — A 16-year-old Israeli boy was critically wounded on Thursday when an antitank missile fired out of Gaza struck a school bus in southern Israel, according to military officials, setting off a new round of hostilities along the Israel-Gaza border. This was the first time that an antitank missile had hit a civilian target in southern Israel, sharply raising the stakes for residents of the area. It also prompted one of the most intensive Israeli retaliatory bombardments of Gaza in the past two years, killing five. The military wing of Hamas, the Islamic militant group that controls Gaza, claimed responsibility for the attack on the bus, saying it had specifically aimed at the target as a response to Israel’s killing of three Hamas commanders last Saturday. Israel said the three had been planning to kidnap Israelis.“This is an initial response to the occupation’s crimes,” Hamas said in a statement on Thursday, referring to Israel, “the latest of which was the assassination of the three holy fighters.” In the hours after the strike on the bus, Gaza militants fired 45 rockets and mortars at southern Israel, hitting one house but causing no more injuries. Hmmmm....What kind of 'poor excuses for a human being' target a schoolbus?Read the full story here.

• Obama Admin Training Thousands of Arab “Activists” to Evade Security Forces.The United States is training thousands of cell phone and Internet pro-democracy campaigners worldwide to evade security forces in what it calls a “cat-and-mouse game” with authoritarian governments.The US government is sponsoring efforts to help activists in Arab and other countries gain access to technology that circumvents government firewalls, secures telephone text and voice messages, and prevents attacks on websites.“This is sort of a cat-and-mouse game and governments are constantly developing new techniques to go after critics, to go after dissenters,” said Michael Posner, the assistant US secretary of state for human rights and labor.“We are trying to stay ahead of the curve and trying to basically provide both technology, training, and diplomatic support to allow people to freely express their views.”Posner told a small group of reporters that the theme of Internet freedom will be “peppered” throughout the State Department’s annual report on human rights for 194 countries that is scheduled for release on Friday.Hmmm....Arab 'activists' is this the new term for Al-Qaida?Read the full story here.

• Holder Declares Obama’s Libyan Adventure is Completely Legal.President Obama had the constitutional power to lawfully launch military strikes in Libya without permission from Congress because he “could reasonably determine that such use of force was in the national interest,” the Justice Department concluded in an internal memorandum released on Thursday.The 14-page document, addressed to Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr., was signed by Caroline D. Krass, the principal deputy assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel, which advises the executive branch about whether proposed actions are lawful.The memorandum laid out in detail the thinking of the administration’s legal team about the scope of Mr. Obama’s power to initiate hostilities unilaterally under his authority as commander in chief – confirming, as The New York Times has reported, that the administration’s argument centers on the idea that hostilities of limited nature, scope and duration do not rise to the level of a “war” that would trigger Congress’s powers under the Constitution.Much of the memorandum recites the facts of the lead-up to the Libyan strikes and Mr. Obama’s statements about them, as well as precedents involving other unilateral military interventions by recent presidents of both parties – and quotations from previous Justice Department memorandums approving of such deployments.Hmmmmm...... Louis XIV "L'Etat c'est moi"?Read the full story here.

• Turkey 'world leader' in imprisoned journalists, IPI report says.Turkey has more journalists in prison than any other country in the world, including China and Iran, according to a press release issued Monday by the International Press Institute.The group based its release on a report published by the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, or OSCE, that said 57 journalists are currently in prison in Turkey. As of December, Iran and China each had 34 journalists behind bars.“While Iran and China topped lists in December by reportedly jailing some 34 journalists each, Turkey, a candidate for membership in the European Union, has nearly doubled that number five months later, raising questions about the country’s commitment to freedom of the press and the legitimacy of its democratic image,” IPI Press Freedom Adviser Steven M. Ellis wrote in an article featured on the institute’s website.“These journalists are in jail because of Turkey’s anti-terror Law. This law threatens the freedom of press, and investigative journalists live under its menace. We find this unacceptable. We made a request to the government to change this law, but unfortunately the government does not lend an ear to professional journalist associations,” said Ferai Tınç, the chair of IPI’s Turkey National Committee and an IPI board member.“Turkey, at the crossroads between East and West, is a major regional power with an ancient cultural heritage. The country is also often held up as an example of a healthy Muslim democracy,” said IPI director Alison Bethel McKenzie, who warned that moving away from this history and imprisoning more journalists than any other country is damaging.McKenzie also called on the Turkish government to respect press freedom and release all journalists who have been detained because of their work.Hmmmm....Get Turkey out of NATO NOW!Read the full story here.

• HT:JudicialWatch.Terrorists Slip By TSA Behavior Detection Officers on at least 23 occasions.Years after implementing a costly passenger screening program, the Homeland Security agency responsible for protecting the nation’s transportation system failed to detect terrorists at U.S. airports on nearly two dozen occasions. As a result the terrorists slipped right through “security” checkpoints and boarded commercial airplanes, according to a government report that's difficult to swallow nearly a decade after the worst terrorist attacks in U.S. history. Unfortunately, it’s true and, not surprisingly, it involves the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), which was created after 9/11 mainly to prevent terrorists from using planes as weapons of mass destruction.

The agency’s perpetual blunders have been well documented by Judicial Watch over the years, but this seems to be the icing on the cake for an agency with unlimited resources and unconditional support from Congress and the White House. A heavily-touted and quite expensive TSA program that targets terrorists by observing their behavior has failed miserably, according to a congressional probe conducted by the Government Accountability Office (GAO). Known as Screening of Passengers by Observation Techniques (SPOT), the innovative project was implemented with great fanfare to enhance aviation security after Islamic terrorist slammed commercial jets into the World Trade Center and Pentagon. In 2010 SPOT cost taxpayers nearly $212 million and the Obama Administration wants $232 million for it this year.

But on at least 23 occasions its highly specialized Behavior Detection Officers failed to stop terrorists from boarding planes, investigators found. At least 16 people who were later charged or pleaded guilty to terrorism charges slipped through eight different U.S. airports with SPOT programs, according to the GAO’s findings.It gets better. Most of the airports where terrorists boarded planes rank among the top 10 highest risk on the TSA’s Airport Threat Assessment list. For instance, an individual who subsequently pleaded guilty to providing material support to Somali terrorists boarded a plane at the Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport en route to Somalia an another who later admitted providing Al Qaeda with material support took a plane at Newark Liberty International Airport to participate in a terrorist training camp in Pakistan.Before pouring more taxpayer dollars into this dubious security program perhaps the Obama Administration should consider a point made by congressional investigators in their report; “the TSA deployed its behavior detection program nationwide before first determining whether there was a scientifically valid basis for the program.”Hmmmm.....It's all about control?Read the full story here.

• Netherlands to vote on law banning slaughter of meat by halal and kosher methods.One of Europe's first countries to allow Jews to practice their religion openly could pass a law banning centuries-old traditions on the ritual slaughter of animals.An unlikely alliance of an animal rights party and the Freedom Party is behind a ban on kosher and halal slaughter methods in the Netherlands.They claims the practices inflict unacceptable suffering on animals.The far right's support of the bill, which is expected to go to a parliamentary vote this month, is based on its strident hostility towards the Dutch Muslim population.The Party of Animals, the world's first such party to be elected to parliament, said humane treatment of animals overrode traditions of tolerance.But Jewish and Muslim groups have called the bill an affront to freedom of religion.Most Dutch are believed to favour a ban.If the bill is passed, the Netherlands will join New Zealand, Scandinavian countries and Switzerland which have had bans for decades.The Netherlands has a proud history of tolerance and was one of the first countries in Europe to allow Jews to live openly with their religion in the 17th century.The country has around one million Muslims out of a total population of around 16 million. There are estimated to be around 50,000 Jews after 70 per cent of their community died in Nazi concentration camps in World War Two.Read the full story here.

• Hamas: Commander killed in Gaza.'Our aim is to get message across to Hamas,' says IDF official, adding retaliatory strikes in Gaza could increase. Meanwhile army kills two gunmen belonging to Hamas's military wing, who fired rockets at Ashkelon.The IDF continued Friday evening to bomb targets in the Gaza Strip in response to unceasing projectile fire by terror groups.Air Force craft attacked a rocket-launching cell that fired four rockets at Ashkelon, three of which were intercepted by Iron Dome. Izz a-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas's military wing, announced that one of its commanders was killed in the strike along with an additional gunman. In addition, Palestinian sources reported two killed and 10 injured from IDF tank fire on Sajaiya neighborhood. The commander killed by the IDF was 27-year old Rayid Shehadeh, Hamas said. The IDF had announced after the strike that it had identified a direct hit. More than 24 hours after beginning to bomb Gaza heavily, IDF officials said the army has no plans of stopping, and that the intensity of the strikes may be intensified until terror organizations understand the message. "Our aim is to get a message across to Hamas, to clarify that we will not accept incidents the likes of which occurred yesterday," one official said, referring to an attack on a school bus that critically wounded a 16-year old boy. "They understand their situation and are thinking on it," one official said. "They are beginning to understand that the anti-tank fire (at the school bus) wasn't worth it. "They don't want to cause an increased Israeli response, but we are determined to continue operating against targets as well as rocket-launching cells. We will not hesitate to increase (military action). This operation will end when Hamas understands the price of its actions." Hmmmm....Sigh.....This isn't a 'game' to get a message through.The only way to dictate peace is through victory!Read the full story here.

• HT:TheJawaReport.Looming Budget Showdown: Feck the Troops but Dems Saved Google!It pays to be Google CEO Eric Schmidt, now serving on Obama’s President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST).Update: Hey, who says the federal government isn’t efficient? The deal got announced a few minutes ago : The Justice Department said on Friday it has approved Google’s $700 million acquisition of ITA, an online travel company specializing in airline ticketing software, with several conditions.Eric Schmidt must be proud!Whew! Never mind that military families will have to do without pay; at least they’ve taken care of Eric Schmidt. Our long national nightmare is over.Now, about Google's JihadTube, where does Obi One admin stand? Do they approve of terrorist propaganda and stuff? I mean, there are thousands and thousands of terrorist supporters videos.Inquiring minds wanna know..Hmmmm.....Is there anything the Obama regime doesn't control?Read the full story here.

• 'Massacre' at Camp Ashraf: Iranians call for international help as Iraqi soldiers run down refugees in armoured trucks, killing 25.Iranian refugees have called for international help to prevent a massacre at Camp Ashraf after Iraqi forces invaded the compound and killed at least 25 people. A full state of alert has been declared by the Iranian group after 65 Iraqi vehicles carrying soldiers entered Ashraf late yesterday, with reports that they are running down and shooting the refugees. Videos have emerged seemingly showing Iraqi troops firing on Iranian refugees and one instance appears to show an Iraqi vehicle ramming a resident and trapping him under its wheels.Muzzle flashes of gunshots are also visible as the vehicles chase residents around the compound at speed. Another six-minute video posted on YouTube that the exiles claim was taken of the offensive, shows Humvees flying the Iraqi flag chasing down around 100 stone-throwing masked people in an open area. At least one Iraqi soldier was seen firing from his AK-47 machine gun, but his target was not clear. The video also shows at least six people lying on a the ground, and a dozen of blood-soaked men being treated by doctors. Camp Ashraf resident Shahriar Kia said the dead include six women and said 325 had been wounded in the violence. Behzad Saffari, who has lived at Ashraf for nine years and acts as the camp's legal adviser, said: 'This is a massacre, a catastrophe. 'They came inside the camp and attacked people with grenades and tear gas, and then they started to shoot people.'When people saw the attack was about to begin, they lined up to defend their homes.'Neither his claims or the videos could be immediately be verified because access to the camp is restricted.A hospital in Baqouba has reported three dead and treated 13 wounded, and treated five injured Iraqi soldiers. However, a memo from the Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran called on 'American forces in Iraq and the United Nation to immediately intervene to prevent the killings of Ashraf residents.'Iraqi Lt. General Ali Ghaidan confirmed a conflict took place overnight at Camp Ashraf but denied anyone was killed and said his men did not use live rounds. He acknowledged that there were people injured but said he did not know how many. Iraqi forces have reported their own casualties.Ghaidan said his troops were responding to two days of provocation by exiles who, armed with shovels, have been throwing stones at Iraqi guard positions.He also claimed the refugees had been throwing themselves in front of soldiers' trucks over the last few days.'One hundred members of the People's Mujahedeen Organization of Iran attacked our security and military forces,' said al-Dabbagh. 'Our forces did not use weapons. The situation is calm now. Our forces are trying to redeploy themselves inside and outside the camp. 'The Iraqi government is warning of violating the Iraqi laws in that area.'However, Ashraf residents and their supporters are calling the event a 'massacre'.The UN mission in Baghdad, the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and the U.S. military in Iraq all declined immediate comment.Hmmmmm......Iraq.....Turkey......Iran...Follow the dots.Read the full story here.

• Witnesses: 13 killed in Syria.Thousands protests Baath Party's rule in several Kurdish regions. Security forces said to be using live ammunition on masses.Syrian security forces opened fire Friday on thousands of protesters in the southern city of Daraa, killing at least 13 people and wounding dozens, witnesses said. Mass protests against autocratic Baath Party rule erupted on Friday in several Kurdish regions in eastern Syria, a Kurdish activist said, a day after President Bashar Assad offered Kurds Syrian nationality. Protest organizers called for demonstrations against the government of President Bashar al-Assad in several provinces in what they called a “Friday of Steadfastness.” "The citizenship gesture only helped fuel the street (protests). The Kurdish cause is one for democracy, freedom and cultural identity," Hassan Kamel, a high-level member of the Kurdish Democratic Party, said. SANA said a police officer and an ambulance driver were killed Friday in Daraa. The report blamed "armed men" for the violence. The government has blamed much of the unrest in recent weeks on armed thugs. It was not clear if the state-run agency and the eyewitness were counting the same people. One witness said he helped ferry the dead and wounded to the city's hospital, where he counted 13 corpses. "My clothes are soaked with blood," he said by telephone from Daraa, adding that he was among thousands of people at the protest and he witnessed security forces shooting live ammunition. Read the full story here.

• HT:JudicialWatch.Special Parole Pushed For Illegal Immigrants With Kids.The Illinois congressman charged with crafting President Obama’s amnesty bill has embarked on a national tour to promote a special program that allows illegal immigrants with children to remain in the United States.Launched by Democrat Luis Gutierrez, the "Campaign For American Children and Families” aims to grant a special parole to illegal aliens who have relatives in the U.S. so that families can remain together in the land of opportunity. The measure is essential to help those “whose lives are being turned upside down by deportation,” according to the veteran lawmaker who authored a bill to give the nation’s estimated 12 million illegal immigrants amnesty.Gutierrez estimates that around 4 million U.S. citizen children (“anchor babies”) have a deportable mother or father and all live in fear that they’ll lose a parent at any moment. His national tour will visit at least 20 cities and feature heartbreaking testimony from illegal immigrant families torn apart by deportation. Children and spouses of removed illegal aliens will take the microphone to tell their sob stories at the various rallies, Gutierrez promises.The goal is to pressure Obama into using his executive power to halt deportations while a broader amnesty bill is being considered by Congress. Immigration reform is necessary in the long run, Gutierrez says, but in the meantime the government must ensure that it doesn’t “needlessly deport” those who are working, raising families and “contributing to our nation and economic recovery.” Obama must “provide relief” from deportation, the congressman asserts.Hmmmm.......Read the full story here.

• Ban on Skype, Hotmail and Gmail proposed.Federal Security Service says their "uncontrolled use" could threaten security.The Federal Security Service (FSB) is "increasingly concerned" by the mass use of these services, which use foreign-made encryption technology, said head of the FSB's information and special communication centre Alexander Andreyechkin, RIA Novosti agency reported."Uncontrolled usage of these services may lead to massive threat to Russia's security," he said at a meeting of the government's communication and technology committee.Control of Internet traffic through these services is done from servers outside Russia, and so they are often used by extremist organizations, Andreyechkin was reported as saying before the meeting continued without the press.Deputy Minister of Communications Ilya Massukh later said that recommendations regarding regulation of mass usage of encryption technology will be given to the government by October 1.The FSB would like to ban these services in Russia because "security authorities cannot access them," Massukh was reported as saying.The secretive FSB, which is a successor to the Soviet KGB, has denounced the popular non-Russian services in the past.Read the full story here.

• HT:TheRightScoop.Video : Levin blasts Obama for not funding troops. Obama is pledging to veto a one week CR, offered by Boehner since they can’t agree on the current CR, that would fund defense for the rest of the year. Even Mike Pence, who is frustrated at another short-term CR, said that the troops must come first and therefore he will support this one week CR. Obama feels differently and Levin has a few words for him.Levin : “This Is What Saul Alinsky Marxists Do”.Hmmm....Exactly:"How does this 'man' looks at himself in the mirror?Napoleon said "an army marches on its stomach" he valued his troops!You can't have a dialog with an dictator!Read and see the full story here.

• HT:InfidelBloggers.FDR opposed repealing anti-Jewish Vichy laws in North Africa.I came upon a shocking article in the Jewish Journal (via Point of No Return and Emet m'Tsiyon) revealing some very telling details about FDR.Among the more remarkable documents of the Holocaust is a scroll, created in North Africa in 1943, called “Megillat Hitler.” Written in the style of Megillat Esther and the Purim story, it celebrates the Allies’ liberation of Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, which saved the local Jewish communities from the Nazis. What the scroll’s author did not realize, however, was that at the very moment he was setting quill to parchment, those same American authorities were actually trying to keep in place the anti-Jewish legislation imposed in North Africa by the Nazis.Read the full story here.

• And now for something completely different!'Huge Asteroid' to Pass Near Earth in November.Mark your calendars for an impressive and upcoming flyby of an asteroid that’s one of the larger potentially perilous space rocks in the heavens – in terms of smacking the Earth in the future.It’s the case of asteroid 2005 YU55, a round mini-world that is about 1,300 feet (400 meters) in diameter. In early November, this asteroid will approach Earth within a scant 0.85 lunar distances.Due the object’s size and whisking by so close to Earth, an extensive campaign of radar, visual and infrared observations are being planned.Asteroid 2005 YU55 was discovered by Spacewatch at the University of Arizona, Tucson’s Lunar and Planetary Laboratory on Dec. 28, 2005.En route and headed our way, the cosmic wanderer is another reminder about life here on our sitting duck of a planet.“The close Earth approach of 2005 YU55 on Nov. 8, is unusual since it is close and big. On average, one wouldn’t expect an object this big to pass this close but every 30 years,” said Don Yeomans, manager of NASA’s Near-Earth Object Program Office and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.Asteroid 2005 YU55 is a slow rotator. Because of its size and proximity to Earth, the Minor Planet Center in Cambridge, Mass., has designated the space rock as a “potentially hazardous asteroid.”Hmmmm......Read the full story here.

Bastawisi Calls to Renegotiate the Camp David Accord, Linking It to the Palestinian Cause

Egyptian Presidential Candidate Judge Hisham Al-Bastawisi Calls to Renegotiate the Camp David Accord, Linking It to the Palestinian Cause

Rendezvous with White Knight and Spaceship 2: Virgin Galactic and Virgin America

MFS - The Other News

                          Morning Posting.

• Live broadcast info from Japan directly ! Here.

• Libya Live Blog - April 08. Here .(Al-Jazeera).

• Middle East Live Blog here .(Al-Jazeera)

• Updated !Earthquakes in the last 24 hours in the world seismic activity in Japan between 5.1 and 6.0 today. More info here.

• Latest official Situation Update No. 76.

Fukushima Nuclear Accident Update Log   here .

Onagawa Nuclear Power Plant.All reactors have been in cold shutdown since the 11 March earthquake.NISA has confirmed that two out of the three lines supplying off-site power to the site were lost following the 7 April earthquake. Off-site power continues to be supplied through the third line. Cooling of the spent fuel pool was temporarily lost, but has subsequently been restored.

• HT:The Blaze.Live Blog: Will the government shut down tonight? Read and see everything here.

• Breaking News: Officer shot dead and another is fighting for life after sailor opens fire as mayor visits nuclear sub HMS Astute.An officer was killed and another is fighting for his life after a shooting spree by a sailor on board the Royal Navy's flagship nuclear submarine.Police arrested an armed guard after the incident today which is said to have happened on the HMS Astute in Southampton docks as guards were changed over at midday.The shooting occurred as local dignitaries, including the city's mayor and city's chief executive were touring the £1.2 billion boat, which had docked on Wednesday after 46 days at sea.Four police cars, an unmarked police car and an ambulance have all been seen heading to Eastern Docks, where the gunman had opened fire with a 9mm pistol.Hampshire Police confirmed two-and-a-half hours after the incident that one person had been killed and another suffered life-threatening injuries.Reports also suggested the man arrested over the shooting is 'current service personnel', though police also refused to confirm or deny those claims as they liaised with officers at Southampton docks on Friday afternoon.A 50m exclusion zone around the submarine is patrolled by MoD police officers 24 hours a day.The submarine arrived on Wednesday, following 46 days at sea for the 98-strong crew, for a five day visit.A police spokesman said: 'Hampshire police were called by their Ministry of Defence colleagues at 12.12pm today and are currently liaising with them to establish the exact circumstances of the incident.'We can confirm that there has been one fatality and another person is in a life-threatening condition.'In both cases next-of-kin have not yet been notified, but officers are in the process of informing the families.'People should be reassured there is no risk to public safety.'Hampshire Constabulary and the MoD are keen to stress this incident is not terrorist related.Read the full story here , more here

• HT:HumanEvents.The Muslim Brotherhood in America: Deputy National Security Advisor McDonough Meets with Hamas Support Entity.It is being reported that on Sunday, March 6th, Denis McDonough, the Deputy National Security Advisor to the President of the United States attended the ADAMS Interfaith/Government Summit in Sterling, Virginia.The implications of this are frightening and shocking – and may be criminal.ADAMS (All Dulles Area Muslim Society) is led by its Executive Director, Mohammad Majid. Majid is also the President of the largest Muslim Brotherhood / Hamas support entity in North America – the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA).A significant amount of evidence has been entered into federal terrorism trials revealing ISNA is not only the largest Muslim Brotherhood entity in North America, but is a cover and support organization for Hamas (Islamic Resistance Movement). Hamas is designated as a “Foreign Terrorist Organization” (FTO) by the United States Government.

The remarks made by Deputy National Security Advisor McDonough on 3/6/11 at the ADAMS Center are on the White House website for all to read. His comments began with: “Thank you (Imam Majid), also, for being one of our nation’s leading voices for the values that make America so strong, especially religious freedom and tolerance. Whether it’s here at the ADAMS Center, or as President of the Islamic Society of North America, you’ve spoken with passion and eloquence, not only about your own Islamic faith, but for the need to build bridges of understanding and trust between faiths.”So, Mr. McDonough knows Mohammad Majid is the leader of ISNA.

His remarks further included: “Over the past two years, I—along with my White House colleagues—have benefited from the advice of many of your organizations through our Office of Public Engagement. Because, after all, your communities have the same concerns as all Americans—the economy, education, health care, the safety of our children and our country.”

Actually Mr. McDonough, the Muslim Brotherhood is only concerned with its objectives, which are the same as Al Qaeda’s – the re-establishment of the global Islamic State (Caliphate), under which Shariah (Islamic Law) is enforced. The HLF related rulings and all the evidence are available to the public via the Northern District of Texas’ own website, so the information is readily accessible.Again, we must ask the same tired question – why are those charged with our national security, violating their Constitutional oaths to do so and taking actions which appear to support our enemies?Hmmmm....Can we start impeachment now?Read the full story here.

• HT:CreepingSharia.UK: Muslims seek 100ft minaret on mosque overlooking Sandhurst military college.Building a mosque with 100ft minarets overlooking Sandhurst military college would cause needless and drastic changes to an historic town, it was claimed yesterday.A planning inquiry into the scheme was told the design would mean demolishing a former Victorian school and obliterate the view of a wood.The local Bengali Welfare Association wants to build the mosque with minarets, classrooms and a morgue on the site of the former school in Camberley, Surrey.But Ministry of Defence officials raised concerns that the minarets would overlook Sandhurst Royal Military Academy parade ground – used by every new officer recruit in the Army.Local historians and residents also argue that the town’s heritage should be protected.John Pugh-Smith, a barrister representing a local pressure group, claimed that the mosque’s features were not required by Islamic tradition.He said evidence from Dr Taj Hargey, chairman of the Muslim Educational Centre of Oxford and Imam of Oxford Islamic Congregation, will also show a sexist bias in the plans.The local Bengali Welfare Association wants to build the mosque with minarets, classrooms and a morgue“He will explain that neither the large dome nor the two minarets, features that would dominate the surrounding street scene, are required aspects of Islam.“Dr Hargey also draws attention to the fact that the proposed development would promote gender inequality by keeping women separate from the body of the prayer hall and only allocating approximately 15 per cent of the available space for their needs.“This manifest imbalance in space and facilities for women is in defiance of and not in conformity with Islam. It is also contrary to current UK government gender equality initiatives.”The inquiry is considering Surrey Heath Borough Council’s decision to reject the plans. Christopher Lockhart-Mummery QC, for the Bengali group, rejected claims that the mosque would pose a security risk or overlook the college.Read the full story here.

• Gates Explains Military Pay During Shutdown to Troops in Baghdad During What Is Likely his Last Visit to Iraq.Speaking to a group of 200 soldiers in Baghdad, Defense Secretary Gates drew Army cheers of “Hooah” from the crowd when he eased their concerns about the government shutdown and said “first of all, let me say you will be paid.” Gates’s comment came during a question and answer session when one of the soldiers about how the government shutdown might affect them. He then joked, “as a historian it always occurred to me the smart thing for government was always to pay the guys with guns first.”Turning serious he explained to them how if there is a government shutdown, days the troops in the field would get half a paycheck for this pay period, but get back pay in the future.“But in all seriousness, based on some stuff I read this morning, if the government shuts down starts on the 8th and goes for a week, you’d get a half a check. If it goes from the 15th to the 30th, you wouldn’t get a pay check on the 30th but you would be back paid for all of it. So that’s the deal and I’m, you know, frankly, I remember when I was your age I did a lot of living from pay check to pay check and so I hope this thing doesn’t happen.”

Later speaking to reporters Gates explained that if the shutdown goes through the 30th then they’d miss a paycheck. But he explained how a shutdown would affect their families at home more than it would those serving in the field.“Now they get paid in rear, obviously, so over time they won’t lose anything, but you all know as well as I do, a lot of these young troops live pretty much paycheck to paycheck. And I start to think about the inconvenience that its going to cause these kids and a lot of their families, even half a paycheck delayed can be a problem for them so I hope they work this whole thing out.”Gates also told the group of soldiers this would likely be his last trip to Iraq, another indicator that his timetable for stepping down from his post might be this summer.“I don’t know how many trips I’ve made to Iraq and this will probably be my last one. I just wanted to come and say thank you," Gates said, adding that “working with you all has been the greatest privilege and the greatest honor of my life.”Hmmmm.....Only difference it's Obama who choose not to pay them!During the last government shutdown, in 1995, troops continued to receive their paychecks.Read the full story here.

• HT:BigGovernment.Obama: I’ll Shut Down the Government and Suspend Military Pay.Rather than accept a few billion in budget cuts (read rounding error), President Obama has signaled his willingness to shut down the federal government. (Yah!) For those keeping score at home, any government shutdown that happens is on Obama’s plate. He is the President. All on him.The worst part of this whole debate is the Obama Administration’s decision to hold military pay hostage to the budget debate. For the last few decades, government shutdowns have been guided by an OMB directive issued during the Reagan Administration. Under this directive, military personnel would continue to receive the paychecks while politicians argued about the budget. The Clinton Administration, during the last government shutdown, kept the paychecks flowing.But, not Obama.The Obama Administration has overturned the old OMB directive and has decided to suspend military paychecks if there is a government shutdown. No reason to do it…but they have decided to. Reprehensible.Hmmmm....A 'Commander-in-chief' who despises his men&women?Read the full story here.

• Government Shutdown Disgrace: Soldiers Will Have To Rely On Charities For Food.The Obama Administration pushed hard to make sure that unemployment compensation was extended a few months back. But thus far they have resisted attempts to make sure that our soldiers get paid in the event of a government shutdown. As a result, charities are getting ready to make food and money for gas available for our soldiers and their families. Handouts for servicemembers doing their jobs? Disgraceful.The Marine Corps Times reports: “Military relief societies are poised to help service members and their families in the event of a government shutdown that interrupts military pay.Officials for the relief societies stress that they aren’t able to “backfill the entire payroll,” but they can help with quick loans for emergency necessities such as food and gasoline until pay resumes.The societies remind service members and families who are not near an installation — or who can’t get in touch with their installation’s relief society — to contact their local chapter of the American Red Cross, which has reciprocal agreements with all the military relief societies. The societies also have reciprocal agreements with each other, too, so that soldiers who are near a Navy base can seek help from the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society, for example.”Hmmmm......Thank you 'Commander-in-Chief'?Read the full story here.

• HT:HotAir.Obama: I’ll veto funding for the troops.Consider this a trap well set and sprung. Frustrated that the Senate won’t pass any budget bill while the House continues to negotiate to the brink of a government shutdown, John Boehner proposed a one-week CR to keep government open for a week and to secure defense funding through the end of the year. A few minutes ago, the White House stated categorically that it would veto the one-week CR if it passes the Senate in an e-mail blast.Really? Will Obama really argue that he can’t abide a one-week CR so much that he’s willing to shut down the government and leave the troops without income for an indeterminate amount of time? This statement concedes that this bill takes the troops out of the line of fire in the budget debate. Kirsten Powers recognized the obvious, remarking on Twitter: “Can’t believe Obama fell for the “funding the troops” trick. He’ll have to change position on veto threat.”One source on the Hill thinks that Harry Reid has a weak hand on this, not for the least of reasons that a number of Democrats are already facing tough re-election campaigns in 2012. Do they want a shutdown fight over abortion? Not likely. Moreover, the source points out that the White House statement is nothing than a process argument. The White House doesn’t offer one specific substantive point in opposition to HR1363. This might be a big bluff, but the President may be looking for a way to rally his dispirited base.Meanwhile, there’s hope for those about to find themselves with lots of free time. Are you a federal worker anxious about government shutdowns? Feeling oddly ambitious lately, and perhaps slightly productive? Consult with your AFSCME or SEIU representative and see if DisplacetraTM is right for you! Laura Ingraham provides some government-shutdown comedy relief today in this mockutisement for relief from the notion that the days of whine and moroses may be ending after all.Read and see it all here.

• HT:AceofSpades.Story Correction: Clinton Did Pay Military in 1995 Shutdown, But...Corrected: This story was wrong as written. It's below, but here's the scoop.First, the Air Force Times did get this wrong, leading to the confusion, which got picked up by Mike Flynn.But like I said-- that story gets it wrong. Here's why the troops got paid on time in 1995.Read the full story here.

• HT:TheAmericanDream.Government Shutdown 2011? – 16 Things You Need To Know.Is it actually going to happen? Are we actually going to see "Government Shutdown 2011"? Will the streets of Washington D.C. soon be eerily quiet as hundreds of thousands of federal workers are temporarily sent home? Right now Barack Obama, Harry Reid and John Boehner all say that they want to reach a deal and avoid a government shutdown, but the deadline is coming up fast. The current spending bill that the government is operating under expires at the end of Friday. If the Republicans and the Democrats do not come to an agreement before then, the U.S. government will "shut down" at 12:01 AM Saturday morning. The Republicans have proposed a plan to extend government funding for one more week so that negotiations may continue, but the Democrats have rejected it. Obama has summoned Reid and Boehner to the White House tonight in an attempt to hash out a deal, but most observers are not particularly optimistic. Sadly, government debt is going to expand at a mind blowing pace this year no matter who wins this battle.

Both sides are attempting to play political hardball. During the 2010 campaign, the Republicans promised to cut $100 billion from the budget for 2011 and they know that Tea Party activists are going to hold them accountable. The Democrats control the Senate and the presidency and they probably figure that when push comes to shove that many of the new, inexperienced Republicans in the House can be intimidated into giving in.But in the end it really doesn't matter that much who wins this battle. The Republicans are proposing $61 billion in budget cuts which would cut the budget deficit for 2011 by only 3.8 percent. The Democrats are proposing $33 billion in budget cuts which would cut the budget deficit for 2011 by just 2.1 percent.Is that extra 1.7 percent really going to make a massive difference over the long run?Of course not.But right now Republicans and Democrats are both in the mood for a fight, so we really might actually see a government shutdown.If the government does shut down, it probably won't be for too long. The longest government shutdown of all time ended in early January 1996 and it lasted just 21 days.So exactly what would happen if there is a government shutdown in 2011? If it does actually happen, the following are 16 things you will need to know....Read the full story here.

• HT:DougRoss.In between soirees, President Obama vows to cut off funding for the troops even as top General says they could get sent to Libya.Is this the schedule of a man worried about anything?I have a busier damn schedule on the weekends -- and I'm a nobody!Oh, but the President did have time for another fancy dinner party last night with master race-baiter Al Sharpton.Is this a man worried about a government shutdown, or coming up with a budget, or even working on plans to reduce unemployment? Eh, that was a rhetorical question.As for the troops?The White House blasted the GOP's Continuing Resolution (CR) designed to fund the troops until the end of the fiscal year.The Administration strongly opposes House passage of H.R. 1363, making appropriations for the Department of Defense for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2011, and for other purposes. As the President stated on April 5, 2011, if negotiations are making significant progress, the Administration would support a short-term, clean Continuing Resolution to allow for enactment of a final bill.In other words, for this president, the troops come last. They are just another political chit to be used to advance the radical Left's agenda.Oh, and one more bit of good news: "General: U.S. may consider troops in Libya."This was not the change you were promised, drones.Hmmmm....Sounds more like a dictator enjoying himself on the misery of others.Read the full 'story' here.

• The new Obama 2012 banner ads are here!See the full thing here.

• HT:JoelC.Rosenberg'sBlog.Dangerous momentum building for unilateral declaration of Palestinian state in September: Bible warns nations not to divide the land of Israel.On Tuesday, Israeli President Shimon Peres met with President Obama at the White House. Initial reports suggest they discuss the stalled peace process and how to proceed. I hope that behind closed doors Peres was very clear and direct with Obama about what a dangerous road the Palestinians are on. Indeed, Prime Minister Netanyahu has continually offered direct negotiations with the Palestinians, yet the Palestinians keep refusing to sit down and talk face to face. They claim Netanyahu isn’t serious about making peace or new concessions. Yet Netanyahu was the first Israeli leader ever to give land to Yasser Arafat when he gave away Hebron in 1997. I pray that Peres conveyed to the American President what Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said last month: “We are facing a diplomatic-political tsunami that the majority of the public is unaware of and that will peak in September. It is a very dangerous situation, one that requires action….Paralysis, rhetoric, inaction will deepen the isolation of Israel.” An isolated Israel is not likely to feel secure enough to make peace with the Palestinians. What’s more, when Israel’s enemies (like Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas) see Israel increasingly isolated, they are more likely to launch a new war.

Publicly, the Obama administration says it opposes the Palestinian plan to unilaterally declare. But there is growing concern among pro-Israel leaders in Washington that should the issue come before the U.N. Security Council, Obama might direct his U.N. ambassador to abstain rather than to veto such a resolution.Jesus Christ said, “Blessed are the peacemakers.” (Matthew 5:9) Those who truly seek peace will encourage diplomacy, not rash, arrogant, unilateral actions on either side. Sadly, there are far too many leaders in the epicenter who do not seek true peace, and too many leaders around the world who are encouraging reckless behavior.

Bible prophecy makes it clear that the nations of the world will, in the last days, divide up the land of Israel. But the Scriptures are also crystal clear that the nations will face the judgment of Almighty God for doing so. “For behold, in those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather all the nations and bring them to the Valley of Jehoshaphat ["the Lord judges"]. Then I will enter into judgment with them there on behalf of My people and My inheritance, Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations; and they have divided up My land.” (Joel 3:1-2).Let the nations be warned by the God of Israel: they are on a dangerous and disastrous road. I pray they will turn around before it is too late.Read the full story here.

• HT:Politico.GOP lawyer drafts Obama impeachment.A prominent libertarian constitutional lawyer and civil libertarian has drafted an article of impeachment against President Obama over his attack on Libya, throwing down a legal gauntlet that could be picked up by some Congressional RepublicansBruce Fein, a former Reagan administration official in the Department of Justice and chairman of American Freedom Agenda writes in his 15-page argument of Obama's course that "Barack Hussein Obama has mocked the rule of law, endangered the very existence of the Republic and the liberties of the people, and perpetrated an impeachable high crime and misdemeanor."Fein is a small-government conservative who worked on the impeachment of President Bill Clinton and also called for the impeachment of President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, and his work doesn't represent the Republican Party line. But it comes as some Republicans on the Hill, led by Senator Rand Paul, object vociferously to Obama's decision to strike targets in Libya without Congressional authorization."He's been more bold than any other president," said Fein, who said Obama has failed to secure congressional approval for his military action in a much more brazen way than previous administrations. "If he can wipe out the war powers authorization, why can't he wipe out Congress's authority to spend?" asked Fein. " If we're going to be a government of laws, and not descend into empire, this is Caesar crossing the Rubicon.".Fein said a number of Congressional offices have expressed interest in his proposal.Hmmmm....Finally an honest politician and patriot?Read the full story here.

• What unites and divides Turkey and Iran – on Israel.By Burak Bekdil.
  Karim Sadjadpour, an associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, recently recalled what an Arab Shiite friend of his reminded him: “Iran wants to fight America and Israel down to the last Palestinian, Lebanese and Iraqi.” In contrast, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s Turkey, most probably, wants to fight America and Israel down to the last Palestinian, Lebanese, Iraqi and Iranian.Since the spectacular ascension to power in late 2002 of Erdoğan’s Justice and Development Party, or AKP, secularist Turks have accused Turkey’s new elite of having a hidden agenda to turn Turkey into Iran. This column, however, has invariably argued that Iran would be the last role model for Turkey’s Islamist rulers. No, it was not only the unbridgeable sectarian difference; it was far more complex than that.True, Iranian petrodollars are used to finance Islamic radicals like Khaled Meshaal in Syria, Moktada al-Sadr in Iraq and Hassan Nasrallah in Lebanon. True, the same petrodollars may have been used to finance less radical Turks through lucrative energy deals in Iran for the power center’s most beloved in Turkey.True, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s Iran and Erdoğan’s Turkey may be sharing a lot not necessarily in terms of love but of hate – hatred for the damned infidels. It is also true that the two neighbors have enjoyed a war-less history since 1639, despite long periods of hostility, rivalry, deep hostility, near-war, almost-war and cold war. But their differences are by nature divided and often mutually exclusive despite their common unnamed foreign policy doctrine in favor of “neo-Third Worldism.”Erdoğan and his men, for the Shiite mullahs in Tehran, are too Western, too little Muslim, too Sunni and too shrewd (for a Turk); they are probably a modern-day Trojan Horse in the eyes of their Shiite neighbors. And Ahmadinejad’s Iran, for the Sunni mullahs in Ankara, is too Shiite, discreetly too hostile/rivaling, too ambitious and possibly too unreliable. As one AKP “foreign policy connoisseur” recently told me: “We know they are suspicious about us despite all the polish on the outset. And they know we know.” Sounds like a challenging chess game.And the confirmation for Ankara’s suspicion that Tehran is probably too unreliable did not come too late when Iran touched a raw Turkish nerve. The mullahs have permitted the screening of Rigran Khzmalyan’s “Armin Wegner – Genocide Photographer” film which Tehran will host on April 24, adding flavor to the political meaning. The film on the Armenian genocide may also be broadcast on one of Iranian TV channels, newspapers reported. So, the show has been not much different across the Turkish-Iranian border since 1639.And then fast forward to 2011, the fundamental – though not fundamental enough to block opportunist deals – differences between the makers and traders of fine Iranian carpets – Iranians and Turks – are still there: Muslim Turks want “smaller Israel,” whereas Muslim Iranians want “no Israel.”The trouble is that the mullahs think they are smarter than all evil foreign men. They may be right. But they should not underestimate the Sunni mullahs, be they in Ankara or in Pennsylvania.Read the full story here.

• HT:AstuteBloggers.Jihad slaughter in Brazil.A Muslim convert in Rio de Janeiro butchered at least 11 people.At least 11 people, mostly children, died Thursday and more that 15 were wounded when an armed man attacked a school in Realengo in the poor suburbs of Rio de Janeiro.According to a preliminary police report, the attacker - a 24- year-old former student at the school - was among the dead after shooting himself in the head. He attacked Tasso da Silveira school, where some 400 students ages 9-14 were in classes. [...]Beltrami described the letter as 'the words of a person who no longer believes in anything, full of sentences that made no sense and references to Islamic fundamentalism.'Beltrami said the attacker was friendly as he went into the school, chatting with administrators and teachers and asking for permission to address the children. When he reached the third floor of the building, the suspect entered one of the classrooms and started to shoot at students, killing nine girls and one boy.The attacker apparently committed suicide upon being chased by a police officer who had been called in by a student who managed to escape the building.Roselane de Oliveira, a sister of the attacker, told Rio de Janeiro radio station Band News that the young man 'was very strange.''He had no friends, and he spent all his time on the Internet,' she said.In recent months, she said, he appeared to have got closer to Islam.Police stressed, however, that there was no concrete evidence that the attack had either a religious or a political motive.Read the full story here.

• HT:BigPeace.Microsoft Reaches Out to the Muslim Brotherhood.Yesterday, Grover Norquist’s weekly Americans for Tax Reform conclave was the venue for an announcement by Suhail Khan that he was becoming director for external affairs for Microsoft. Khan’s transformation into a corporate lobbyist comes amidst rising concerns in conservative circles about his longstanding family and personal ties to the Muslim Brotherhood (MB or Ikhwan) in America and his positions in favor of such MB priorities as building the Ground Zero mosque, closing Guantanamo Bay, prohibiting “secret evidence,” repealing the Patriot Act, dissembling about shariah, etc.An interesting question is why Microsoft would recruit such an individual at this moment? Perhaps it is seeking to position itself for good relations with the Muslim Brotherhood as that shariah-adherent movement becomes ascendant in the Middle East. After all, an Egyptian executive of rival Google, Wael Ghonim was seen by some as the face of a hip, secular, democratic new order destined to emerge from the ashes of Mubarak’s autocracy. Ghonim, however, has been literally shunted aside by the increasingly emboldened Brothers: On February 18, 2011, he was physically precluded from getting on stage when the Ikhwan’s spiritual leader, Yusef al-Qaradawi led a crowd (estimated to have been over a million strong) that had been convened in the revolution’s famed Tahrir Square to welcome him home – a la Khomeini’s triumphal return to Iran in 1979 –in calls for the “conquest of the al-Aqsa mosque [in Jerusalem].”The good news is that Khan’s service as a lobbyist means an end to the pretense that he is a “conservative leader” – a vehicle for facilitating his influence operations within the movement. His “Inclusion Coalition” – which was revealed during a panel Khan convened on the margins of the 2011 Conservative Political Action Conference as a vehicle for promoting “inclusion” of such toxic and anti-conservative groups as Louis Farakhan’s Nation of Islam and La Raza inside the conservative tent – will hopefully disappear, too.Read the full story here.

• "The War on Christianity'.Seattle School Renames Easter Eggs “Spring Spheres”.A sophomore at a local private high school thinks an effort to make Easter politically correct is ridiculous.Jessica, 16, told KIRO Radio’s Dori Monson Show that a week before spring break, the students commit to a week-long community service project. She decided to volunteer in a third grade class at a public school, which she would like to remain nameless.“At the end of the week I had an idea to fill little plastic eggs with treats and jelly beans and other candy, but I was kind of unsure how the teacher would feel about that,” Jessica said.She was concerned how the teacher might react to the eggs after of a meeting earlier in the week where she learned about “their abstract behavior rules.”“I went to the teacher to get her approval and she wanted to ask the administration to see if it was okay,” Jessica explained. “She said that I could do it as long as I called this treat ‘spring spheres.’ I couldn’t call them Easter eggs.”Hmmmm......Spring Spheres $$ for short?Read the full story here.