Clinton: No to swapping U.S. hikers for Iranians

From Jill Dougherty, CNN Foreign Affairs Correspondent

February 3, 2010 9:33 p.m. EST

An undated family photo shows Sarah Shourd, one of three
U.S. hikers detained in Iran since July 31

Washington (CNN) -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Wednesday "there are no negotiations taking place" between Washington and Iran on the idea of exchanging three U.S. hikers held in Iran for Iranians being held in the U.S.

The idea was floated by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in a television interview, but Clinton said: "It is hard to know what the Iranian president meant" by his remark.

The three Americans -- Shane Bauer, Sarah Shourd, and Josh Fattal -- were detained on July 31 when, according to their families, they accidentally strayed across an unmarked border into Iran while on a hiking trip. They are being held on espionage charges.

"As we have said repeatedly, we call on Iran to release all of the American citizens that they have currently detained," Clinton said. "We believe they're being unjustly detained and that they should be released without further delay. We also are very committed ... to making it clear to the Iranians that they should do so on humanitarian grounds since the detention of our citizens is baseless."

In his televised interview, the Iranian president also said he could accept an international proposal to ship most of Iran's low-enriched uranium out of the country for enrichment.

Clinton, however, said Ahmadinejad should make his proposal official: "The IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) made a good-faith offer. Iran initially accepted it but has not followed through ... The deal is still on the table.

"If Iran wishes to accept it, we look forward to hearing about it from the IAEA because that's the appropriate venue for them to file an official response," Clinton said.

The U.S. is lobbying for tougher international sanctions on Iran for its nuclear program. Clinton said Washington "has worked with our partners in the Gulf and through the U.N. with other countries to offer Iran a clear choice between isolation and meeting its international obligations.

"Iran's response to our efforts has been inadequate and we have begun considering further appropriate measures that might convince Iran to reconsider its nuclear program and engage with the international community," Clinton said.

Note: Iran's response to every deadline issued it has been "inadequate"!! France has called for strong sanctions; the United States is "lobbying" and will no doubt ignore the mid-Feb. deadline for yet another response from Iran. Call in the "jesters" - !! BeeSting

Obama’s “pro-terror” Security Plan

By JB Williams Friday, January 8, 2010

Obama: Soft on Islamic terrorists, tough on domestic terrorists

So as not to offend any of his Muslim brethren who paid for his college education and much of his presidential campaign, Obama rejects “terror profiling” the very common traits of Middle Eastern men most likely to travel with a bomb in their shorts in favor of the TSA treating everyone at an airport like a potential terrorist.

And although the intelligence community did its job, and the fact is, it was Hillary Clinton’s State Department, which sat on the knowledge that a Yemen member of Al Qaeda was about to board a commercial flight for Detroit with a bomb in his underwear, Obama uses the Christmas Bomber opportunity to take another swipe at the CIA – a swipe that Leon Panetta was fast to rebuff.

Despite the fact that Abdulmutallab climbed aboard a US bound plane at a foreign airport, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano sees placing 300 new imaging machines at US airports as the solution. 300 imaging machines at US airports would not have stopped Abdulmutallab, who didn’t climb aboard that plane at a US airport. But Janet’s agency is far more concerned with “potential domestic terrorist” (aka, those opposed to Obama’s Marxism) than folks like Abdulmutallab. Hence, 300 new scanners for US airports.

Meanwhile, Eric Holder has assured the Fruit of the Loom bomber his day in a US criminal court, complete with US civil rights and a taxpayer-funded dream team of lawyers that will surely get his charges reduced to jay-walking before this circus is over.

The clear increase in potential terror attacks from “the religion of peace” has given no pause to Obama’s intentions to release his friends from Club Gitmo, and bring them to US soil where US lawyers paid for by US taxpayers can make certain that America, the DOD and the CIA, pay for their crimes against the terrorists who have allegedly been abused (water-boarded) during their “unconstitutional” detention.

But just in case you think that Obama isn’t tough on terror, just look at how he is going after “domestic terrorists” caught doing their job within the US Military. Military courts are fine for our soldiers, but not for terrorists, if your last name is Obama or your first name is Osama.

That’s because according to Janet Napolitano, American soldiers (aka, potential domestic terrorists) present a greater threat to the Marxist agenda underway in DC. Foreign terrorists actually help the agenda by keeping the average citizen focused on the foreign enemy so that they hardly notice the enemy within…

Those who might “resist” Obamunism are far more dangerous than those willing to help Obamunism by keeping the American people engaged in self-defense, while the people responsible for providing a common defense train their guns upon “resisters of the revolution.”

What a country these days…huh!

Not too long ago, a white paper was declassified which contains the following warnings –

“Al Qida (misspelled in the briefing) is not some narrow, little terrorist issue that needs to be included in broader regional policy. Rather, several of our regional policies need to address centrally the transnational challenge to the US and our interests posed by the Al Qida network.

Al Qida is the active, organized, major force that is using a distorted version of Islam as its vehicle to achieve two goals; 1) to drive the US out of countries from Morocco to Indonesia; 2) to replace moderate western regimes with extremist theocracies along the lines of the Taliban.”

This white paper was not written by the “warmongering” Bush Administration to an incoming Obama administration. It was written on January 25, 2001 for the incoming Bush Administration, by none other than Clinton official, leftist anti-Bush hero, Richard A. Clarke.

Yet here we are in 2010, with an administration that refuses to recognize the very real fact that walking away from the “transnational” war on Islamic terror will not end the war on terror, it will only bring that war to our own planes and streets.

Clark’s report went on to say – “Al Qida affects centrally our policies on Pakistan, Afghanistan, Central Asia, North Africa and the GCC. Leaders in Jordan and Saudi Arabia see Al Qida as a direct threat to them.”

Less than nine months after this report was written, 3000 American citizens died on September 11, 2001. Like it or not, the Bush administration national security adjustments made in the wake of 9/11/01 kept the nation safe from further attack through the end of their term in office.

Nine years later, under a new “terror friendly” Obama regime, we find average American citizens having to risk life and limb to thwart terror attacks on US planes, under an administration that is more concerned with anti-Obama resisters than well-known Islamic terrorists.

Treating American soldiers and Tea Party goers like “enemies of the state” while affording known enemies of the state common criminal benefits of the doubt, is no accident. Even Obama, Pelosi and Reid are not that ignorant of reality. Even common leftists know that turning the other cheek with Islamic terrorists will simply get more innocent civilians killed.

So, we are left to ponder what the real purpose of a pro-terror security plan is really all about – what purpose it serves – who benefits from a spineless US security policy which lets terrorists roam free while keeping a close eye on domestic resisters of the Obama regime?

Rather than making any assumptions myself, I leave the answer to this question up to you.

But one thing is certain – Obama’s policy decisions will get more American citizens killed and when they do, Obama won’t be able to blame that on the Bush administration. It’s the Obama administration now and Obama will own the results of his policy decisions, all by himself.

Obama is a big boy playing a big boy’s game in a big boy world. Whatever happens from this moment forward, it is Obama’s legacy being written. Where’s Richard Clarke now?

JB Williams Most recent columns

JB Williams is a business man, a husband, a father, and a writer. A no nonsense commentator on American politics, American history, and American philosophy. He is published nationwide and in many countries around the world. JB Williams’ website is jb-williams.com/

JB Williams can be reached at: letters@canadafreepress.com

US provides Massive Foreign Assistance to Her Enemies

September 5, 2009

by D. L. Gary-Pandol, Strategic Solutions for a new Middle East

Did you know that there has never been a time in American history that a president has chosen to sign into law, legislation that contributes $960 million in foreign assistance to the enemies of the United States, within a 12 month period, and at a time of deep economic crisis?

The first public announcement came on July 24, when Secretary of State Clinton, declared she wanted to “personally announce the delivery of $200 million” for the budget needs of the Palestinian Authority, (PA), under the present leadership of Mahmoud Abbas. By directing these contributions to the PA, the President may be in direct contravention of the 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act, (P.L. 111-8), Sec. 7039, (b) and (c).

Section 7039 (b) of the federal statute prohibits the funding and economic support of any “individual, private, or government entity, or educational institution . . . [that] advocates, plans, sponsors, engages in, or has engaged in, terrorist activity . . . .” Furthermore, Section 7039, (c) (1) notes, that funds cannot be granted to the West Bank and Gaza that “. . . may be made available for the purpose of recognizing or otherwise honoring individuals who commit, or have committed acts of terrorism.”

To circumvent these important stipulations in Sec. 7039, in a Whitehouse memorandum, Presidential Determination, No. 2009-23, Obama signed a waiver of restriction on providing funds to the Palestinian Authority stating it was in the national security interests of the United States to do so. Is funding groups like the PA in the national security interests of the American people?

Just what is the Palestinian Authority and who is Mahmoud Abbas? The PA is the political offshoot of the Palestine Liberation Organization, (PLO), a terrorist group, known to have murdered several Americans and Israelis and has a history of working with and supporting other radical organizations. Mahmoud Abbas has been the Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization since November 11, 2004, following the death of Yasser Arafat. In their early years, Abbas and Arafat were active inside Egypt with the Muslim Brotherhood until Egypt expelled both men in 1950. The Muslim Brotherhood, a radical Islamic terrorist group, even by Egypt’s standards, has been around since the early part of the last century and considered a forerunner of HAMAS, the Islamic Resistance Movement, and another major Palestinian terrorist organization that now controls Gaza following Israel’s disengagement from the area.

Yasser Arafat, referred to as the Father of modern terrorism, soon founded Fatah, also a terrorist organization, and in 1961, recruited Abbas into its ranks. During the late 1950s, early1960s, many wealthy Palestinians were enlisted into the movement from several Persian Gulf countries including Qatar and Kuwait and it was later suggested that Abbas provided the funding for the Munich Massacre in which 11 innocent Israeli athletes were murdered at the Olympic Games in Munich, Germany in 1972. Later on 23 November 2008, the PLO’s Central Council chose Mahmoud Abbas as their President. He ran on the Fatah ticket and he remains the PA President, Chairman and Fatah chief. On a personal note, Abbas chose to name one of his three sons after Yasser Arafat, a man who stood for the use of terror over the course of a lifetime.

Both within the PA and the PLO, Fatah remains the largest Palestinian political and military faction and espouses a leftist, socialist agenda, maintaining a number of terrorist groups such as Force 17, Black September, Fatah Hawks, Tanzim, and Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades. While doing research for this piece there was another Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade attack, Wednesday, August 12th in Binyamin, Israel. While Abbas has stated publicly that the group had been disbanded, the group in fact remains actively engaged. Moreover, at Fatah’s Conference in August, Fatah reaffirmed its endorsement of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade and announced that it would serve as Fatah’s military wing.

On the State Department’s list of terrorist organizations prior to 1989 and designated a terrorist group under Israeli law, Fatah decided to publicly renounce terrorism in 1988. Fatah was subsequently removed from the State Department’s list, but never ended calls for violence nor did they stop terrorizing Israeli citizens. Their strategies and objectives have remained unchanged. For example, this summer, during the PA’s Fatah General Conference, Fatah’s internal charter, Section 17 was left unabridged. It states: “Popular armed revolution is the imperative and the only way to liberate Palestine.” [See Middle East Media Research Institute, Inquiry and Analysis, No. 541, August 13, 2009, at memri@memri.org., for an in-depth examination of Conference results].

Furthermore, both the print and electronic media have been and continue to be under the control of the Palestinian Authority. Their themes remain the same i.e., for all Palestinians to initiate “violence and terror” as it is “capable” . . . that the goal of the Palestinians has never been peace, rather “. . . peace is a means; the goal is Palestine,” the total elimination of a Jewish state in Israel. For extensive coverage of PA television programming and interviews of PA and Fatah officials, other news publications and broadcasts, please see Palestinian Media Watch at www.pmw.org.il.

The Palestinian Authority, the ruling entity over Palestinians living in Judea and Samaria, (the West Bank), has named schools, street names, city squares, soccer fields and even soccer tournaments after terrorists to honor and glorify their deeds. Even through television programming, special broadcasts air to venerate terrorism. In March of 2009, there was a “television special” to celebrate a terror attack and pay tribute to Mughrabi, a terrorist who murdered 37 people. The broadcast referred to Mughrabi as a “hero”. [www.pmw.org.il/Bulletins_May2009.htm].

So while the United States government continues to fund the Palestinians, one of the largest per capita recipients of foreign aid worldwide, the American people must challenge the U.S. government with the question? Has this massive welfare system of huge cash donations or incentives, stopped terrorism against Jews and Americans around the world over the last 60+ years? No, indeed!

Next question: Then why does Washington embrace a foreign policy approach that provides massive amounts of foreign aid to the Palestinians and in particular, the PA, in the belief that this will bring stability between the West and the Islamic world? Answer: The conventional wisdom in Washington from the “experts” purports that vast sums of money will buy influence and thus, modify and moderate behavior.

However, contributions have never stabilized and/or moderated Palestinian behavior. The PA together with Palestinian terrorist groups continue their strategies unabated and with widespread support from the local population. Moreover, Palestinians still manage to cling ideologically to America’s enemies such as North Korea, Chavez’s Venezuela, Iran, Cuba, Syria, and Hezbollah.[info@pmw.org.il]

What the Whitehouse and Congress have not been telling the American people is that the PA/Fatah and the PLO have not been representative governing bodies, but corrupt, political and military machines that continue to work with militant forces using terrorism to achieve their goals and silence their opposition.

Perhaps now is a good time to open an investigation into the merits of President Obama’s Presidential Determination No. 2009-23 indicating that support for the PA is in the national security interests of the United States?

Consider the historical record as well. After conducting research at the National Archives, records indicated that during the first quarter of the last century monies had been solicited by Muslim Arabs who came to live in an area the League of Nations called Palestine under the British Mandate. Likewise, donations poured in from around the Muslim Arab world, years before the rebirth of Israel in 1948. Donations to the Muslim Arabs with the new “Palestinian” identity and passport were needed to wage a war of terror against the non-Muslim, Jewish population, a people who had lived there since time immemorial. How extraordinary that a century later contributions still go to the Palestinian movement and into the coffers of militants who still terrorize the Jewish people.

In summary, many Israelis believe that they will remain in a state of war, a war of attrition waged by the Palestinians, as the Obama administration and this Congress fund terror groups through governing entities like the PA.

The incitement to hate and kill Jews and Christians continues among the Palestinian people and their leadership, the PA and Fatah. The electronic and print media, schools and mosques, summer camps for children, in point of fact, every aspect of the life of a Palestinian is socialized to hate Israel, the Jews, and the American people. (Recall the scenes of street celebrations as the Palestinians danced and passed out candy to celebrate the deaths of over 3,000 people on 9/11).

Does the American taxpayer want their dollars spent on Palestinians and the terrorist groups they continue to support and maintain? Are the national security interests of the United States and Israel served by prolonging a massive welfare system for people that remain committed to war against the West?

In reality, no nation can purchase stability and peace with a people brought up in an environment of hate and determined to wage war and destruction.

It is a time for action. According to the Congressional Research Service, Congress is currently considering FY2010 appropriations legislation (H.R. 3081 and S. 1434). These bills will give an additional $500 million in assistance to the Palestinians.

Let your United States’ Representatives and Senators know your views. And email the President at President@Whitehouse.com.

Note: I have quoted on USA TODAY comments from this article on numerous occasions! I have posted this article on my profile page of USA TODAY! It is the best demonstration and example of President Obama's intentions towards both Israel and for the Palestinians. The liberals usually go silent when this information is posted - they are simply unaware of how dangerous Obama's foreign policies and aid to our enemies is to the United States and our ally, Israel. BeeSting