VIDEO: ARPAIO ADDS VOLUNTEER POSSE #58

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is ramping up as the Feds continue trying to choke him down. Arpaio currently has 57 volunteer armed posses at his disposal and he's adding a 58th. The mission? Immigration and human smuggling law enforcement. America's sheriff is making it obvious he will not be intimidated by the Department of Justice.

Via AZ Family:

VIDEO: BAM! MICHELLE MALKIN SLAMS KARL ROVE

The best quote in this exchange between Malkin and Hannity comes at the end, when Malkin delivers the money line; it had to do with the choice between 'progressive wolves in elephants' clothing' and true conservatives. If there was a mild disappointment, it came from Hannity, who seemed to interrupt Malkin in the middle of her ripping Rove in an apparent attempt to get her to re-direct her anger toward Mike Castle. Malkin seemed to get the hint and do so. It was likely that Hannity didn't want to disparage a Fox News contributor he has a good relationship with so it's understandable.

That said, I would have liked it better if he let Michelle go. If you'd like to view more on what started the feud between Karl Rove and Tea Party conservatives, CLICK HERE.

Via Gateway Pundit

UH OH: GROUND ZERO MOSQUE IMAM SKIPS COURT DATE

This guy, Imam Abdul Rauf is going down fast. There are his prolific anti-American comments; a developer with multiple run-ins with the law; a donor who contributed to the Holy Land Foundation in 1999; and revelations that a man he co-founded a group with in the 1990's signed the same 9/11 Truth document Van Jones did. Now this! It appears Imam Rauf may have something in common with Tony Rezko and Valerie Jarrett; all seem to have been or are slum lords. An important distinction with Rauf, however, is that he missed his court date.

The New York Post reports:

While the Imam behind plans for a mosque near Ground Zero was jetting around the globe and advocating for his Downtown project, a pair of dilapidated apartment buildings he owns in New Jersey fell into such disrepair that cops have to stand watch in the event of a fire.

The fire watch, at taxpayer expense, was revealed during a court hearing today when Union City lawyers asked to have two buildings owned by Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf placed into receivership so that rent s could be used to fix dozens of violations, including inoperable alarms and sprinklers.

Rauf skipped today’s hearing as did his wife Daisy Khan. Their lawyer, Tomas Espinosa, said he didn’t know why the Imam didn’t come to court.

“There have been a lot of stress on these people,” Espinosa said when asked after the hearing to explain why Rauf was a no-show “The legal process will show that my client is an honorable man that has taken care of his property.”

So we're to believe that the reason Rauf missed his court date is that he was too stressed out over the Ground Zero mosque opposition / controversy; this guy is a master at refusing to accept responsibility.

My guess is Rauf is following the New Black Panther Party model. Ignore it and it will go away. It worked once with the Obama Justice Department. Why wouldn't it work again?

I wonder if NY Attorney General Andrew Cuomo will chime in on this one. Probably not.

h/t to Jawa

GRANDSON OF MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD FOUNDER OPPOSES GZ MOSQUE

This is an extremely interesting development with respect to the debate over the Ground Zero mosque. Tariq Ramadan (pictured) is the grandson of Muslim Brotherhood founder Hasan al-banna and son of Said Ramadan, another prominent figure in the organization. Tariq had been banned from entering the United States since 2005 for his ties to terrorism until January of 2010, when Secretary of State Hillary Clinton signed a document that lifted the ban. Ramadan has multiple ties to suspect groups tied to the Muslim Brotherhood, not the least of which being the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR).

On its face, that would seem to make his opposition to the Ground Zero mosque confusing. Another look might reveal some significant concern on the part of the stealthy Islamists that a larger agenda could be exposed earlier than what is prudent for the cause. The Ground Zero mosque controversy continues to grow and Imam Rauf's connections to people with very suspect backgrounds continue to be uncovered.

The GBMDR has more. Here is an excerpt from an op-ed authored by Ramadan:

No doubt, it is the legitimate right of Muslims to build a community center near Ground Zero. Yet, I believe it is not a wise decision, considering the collective sensitivities in American society. This is a moment to go beyond rights and reach for the common good: To build it elsewhere, if possible, would be a sensible and symbolic move. Doing so does not mean we must accept the false premise that Islam is responsible for 9/11, and it does not mean sacrificing one’s rights to the populist, neoconservative and religious fundamentalist voices that seek to transform the issue into a new clash of civilizations.

Ramadan is very adept at not tipping his hand or saying anything too overtly controversial. Many suspect he has very nefarious goals - based on the people with whom he associates - but is able to further his agenda much more subtly than most. In Islam, that is referred to as "muruna" or operating stealthily.

As GBMDR points out, Ramadan's views are held in high regard among Islamic leaders. It is suspected that Imam Rauf is taking very seriously Ramadan's position that the Mosque not be built at the proposed location. If Rauf heeds the advice, it could be a good news / bad news situation for those concerned with learning more about Rauf's connections and true intentions. If the Mosque is moved, the spotlight on such things will likely go away. The notion that this is behind Ramadan's call for moving the mosque should not be dismissed.

Conversely, regardless of why the mosque is moved, the very fact that Rauf would have caved to significant public outrage would still be a victory for Mosque opponents who view such a project as a form of desecration. Americans will need to continue to put pressure on Rauf even if he decides to move the Mosque. This controversy has revealed far too much about him to let him fade away back into obscurity.

Read the full report.