How is CNN different from makers of anti-Muhammad video?

On September 11, 2012 attacks on U.S. embassies took place all across the Middle East, most notably in Cairo. Attackers blamed an anti-Muhammad video called Innocence of Muslims. Magically, those who laid siege were not responsible for their own actions. There was evidence of foul play in the video's production as well. In post-production editing, the words Muslims found most incendiary appeared to be dubbed in; the actors said they were duped.

We have now learned that CNN is responsible for putting forth egregious propaganda... on video. It is the kind of propaganda that, in the past, has been blamed for - you guessed it - violence in the Middle East. Like in the year 2000, it involves the exploitation of a young Palestinian boy.

In 2000, a Palestinian cameraman who was a stringer for France 2 shot what he claimed was news footage (rushes) at Netzarim Junction in the Gaza Strip. When Talal Abu Rahman sent the rushes to Charles Enderlin at France 2, he claimed to have footage of the now infamous shooting death of a young Palestinian boy named Muhamad al-Dura at the hands of Israeli forces. This news report was pointed to as being responsible for the second intifada; mass riots ensued.

Osama bin Laden pointed to the death of al-Dura as a motivating factor in the 9/11 attacks; Daniel Pearl's murderers blamed the al-Dura shooting for Pearl's murder; and two weeks after al-Dura was allegedly gunned down by Israelis, two Israeli soldiers were literally torn to pieces by an angry Palestinian mob in Ramallah.

There was one problem. The world was set on fire over a lie. The rushes captured nothing more than manufactured scenes that were passed off as news.

Boston University professor Richard Landes had a chance encounter with Enderlin in 2003 when the latter thought he had an ally in Landes after the professor was introduced to Enderlin by the Israeli ambassador to France. Upon visiting the France 2 studios, Landes was exposed to staged scene after staged scene. In 2006, he produced the first of three documentaries that would reveal the truth about a conspiratorial culture he identified as "Pallywood".

Fast forward to 2012. As Israel bears down on Gaza after having to endure rocket attack after rocket attack, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and Egypt's Prime Minister Hisham Kandil attempted to capture some of the al-Dura / Pallywood glory while Kandil was visiting Gaza. Photos of the two men holding and kissing a dead Palestinian child appeared to lay the foundation for the narrative that Israel's attacks on Gaza was responsible.

It wasn't. The child was killed by Hamas, the same group led by Haniyeh, who was all too willing to exploit the young boy over a lie. In hindsight, perhaps the propagandists wish they hadn't included Kandil in the photos; there were no Israeli rockets fired into Gaza while he was there.

CNN's Sara Sidner, in much the same way that Charles Enderlin did in 2000, produced a news report that echoed the narrative of Hamas, saying that the boy's death was the result of Israeli rocket fire. You can watch that report here.

This report from Sidner is an outright lie, Pallywood style:



That is not the only example either. Earlier, the BBC had captured video of a large man, allegedly injured, being carried away by several Palestinians. Moments later, the man was walking around as if nothing happened. During a CNN report anchored by Anderson Cooper, the footage of the man being carried away, as if injured, was used to portray Palestinian suffering at the hands of Israelis.

In a word - fraudulent.

CNN is now officially complicit in Pallywood. If, as many on the left believe, a video can spawn outrage in the Middle East, then CNN is using fraudulent footage of a boy's death that could lead to the same outcome.

Can someone please explain how CNN, Anderson Cooper, and Sara Sidner are any different from the makers of Innocence of Muslims?

If you haven't seen the 2006 Pallywood documentary, please have a look:

Pallywood is back... in Gaza

The term "Pallywood" was coined by Boston University professor Richard Landes, who by an encounter that resulted from sheer happenstance, was exposed to raw video footage (rushes) shot by a stringer for France 2 in the Gaza Strip in 2000. What Landes uncovered was jaw-dropping. He was exposed to a tactic of war used by Palestinians and captured a glimpse, via those rushes, of what goes on behind enemy lines.

In essence, Palestinians were caught staging scenes for the cameraman, who then proceeded to send the footage to France 2, who would use those scenes in a news report that ultimately favored the actors and made the Israelis look bad. What Landes subsequently discovered what that this phenomenon was actually part of the Palestinian culture. It is gross journalistic malfeasance and he blew the lid off of it with his 2006 Documentary, Pallywood: ...According to Palestinian Sources.

Now, fast forward to today. As Israelis seem to have reached their breaking point again, killing Hamas Military commander Ahmed al-Jabari. Pallywood is now back. Watch this short video, shot by the BBC. In 30 seconds, you will understand fully what Pallywood really is. This is not an isolated incident but a stratagem of war.



Unsung Davids consists of an entire chapter on Richard Landes, along with his discovery of and fight with... Pallywood.

h/t Shoebat

***UPDATE*** Warner Todd Houston over at Breitbart has noticed that CNN is using the footage from Pallywood above, in its newscast (Anderson Cooper in particular).

Hillary Clinton Overrules Congress; releases aid to... Muslim Brotherhood?

Examples of the Obama administration's never-ending sympathy for Muslim Brotherhood groups and causes just keep mounting. The latest involves the Secretary of State pulling rank over something that doesn't really come under her purview - the release of funds placed on hold by Congress. In light of the familial connections that Hillary Clinton's closest aide - Huma Abedin - has to the Muslim Brotherhood (Huma's mother is a leader with the Muslim Sisterhood), some hard questions must be asked of Clinton.

Via National Journal:

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is allowing U.S. funds to flow to the West Bank and Gaza despite a hold by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairwoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., a rare display of executive-branch authority that angered the key lawmaker concerned about protecting her congressional oversight role.

A State Department official said that a letter was delivered on Tuesday to key members of Congress informing them of Clinton's decision to move forward with the $147 million package of the fiscal year 2011 economic support funds for the Palestinian people, despite Ros-Lehtinen's hold. Administrations generally do not disburse funding over the objections of lawmakers on relevant committees.

The funds deliver "critical support to the Palestinian people and those leaders seeking to combat extremism within their society and build a more stable future. Without funding, our programs risk cancellation," the official, who was not authorized to speak about the issue, said in an e-mail. "Such an occurrence would undermine the progress that has been made in recent years in building Palestinian institutions and improving stability, security, and economic prospects, which benefits Israelis and Palestinians alike.”

Gaza is run by Hamas, a Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated group. It's long past time for an investigation into the loyalties Anthony Weiner's wife and Hillary's closest aide - Huma - to take place.

h/t GWP

2008: Ron Paul Endorsed Cynthia McKinney

Those who charge that Ron Paul is anti-Semitic get another boost with this one. I don't remember this but in 2008, after John McCain won the nomination, Ron Paul endorsed four candidates. None of them was McCain but one of them was virulent anti-Semite, Rep. Cynthia McKinney.

From CNN via Red State:

Paul, who unsuccessfully sought the Republican presidential nomination, will tell supporters he is not endorsing GOP nominee John McCain or Democratic nominee Barack Obama, and will instead give his seal of approval to four candidates: Green Party nominee Cynthia McKinney, Libertarian Party nominee Bob Barr, independent candidate Ralph Nader, and Constitution Party candidate Chuck Baldwin, according to a senior Paul aide.

Yes, you read that right. He also endorsed Ralph Nader, who is to the left of Barack Obama.

McKinney is known for her vehement support for the Palestinian cause and participated in a few flotillas intended to block the Israeli blockade of Gaza.



h/t Weasel Zippers

Report: Muslim Brotherhood Behind Gaza Flotilla

This is not shocking news but it does appear to include strong supporting evidence. We already know that former PLO operative and Obama friend Rashid Khalidi is partially behind one of the Gaza flotilla ships - the 'Audacity of Hope' - but it now looks like the flotilla is being coordinated with the direct help of the Muslim Brotherhood itself. This news would effectively tie Barack Obama to a man in Khalidi, who is collaborating with the Muslim Brotherhood. The friendship between the two men goes back a long way.

Via JCPA, h/t GMBDR:

The second flotilla is coordinated by Muhammad Sawalha, a senior UK-based Muslim Brotherhood figure connected to Hamas. Many of the participating organizations can be directly linked with the Union of Good (UoG), a coalition of European charities affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood, which in 2008 was designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. Treasury for transferring funds to Hamas. The UoG was initiated by Sheikh Yusuf Qaradawi, leader of the Muslim Brotherhood on a global scale, shortly after the outbreak of the Second Intifada in 2000.

For the Brotherhood, two chief centers of organization can be clearly seen. On the European and global scene, the centrality of its UK-based activists is once again demonstrated, while in the Middle East, its Jordanian branch is noticeable.

Other main organizers include the anti-Israel International Solidarity Movement (ISM), as well as far-left socialists from Europe and the United States. Many of the flotilla's main organizers have stated that its prime aim is to create provocations and harm Israel's image.

Following Israel's Operation Cast Lead in Gaza, which ended in January 2009, a series of international conferences was held in Turkey to restructure the struggle against Israel. A conference in February 2009 featured 200 radical Islamist scholars who came to meet with senior Hamas officials to plot a new, "third jihadi front" (in addition to Pakistan and Iraq) centered on Gaza. The conference gave birth to the infamous, pro-Hamas Istanbul Declaration, which also provided justification for attacking foreign navies which might try to prevent arms smuggling to Gaza.

In general, the same organizers stand behind the second flotilla, with several changes. The most important may be the IHH decision not to send the Mavi Marmara, the ship which brought the first flotilla its publicity following violent clashes between IHH activists and the IDF in which nine Turks were killed. Rather than take a leading role, it appears that the IHH will settle this time for sending activists to sail on other ships.

Thus, the flotilla is far from being a peaceful, humanitarian effort to support the Palestinians in Gaza. It should instead be seen as a major, pro-Hamas effort to delegitimize Israel by a "red-green alliance" of leftists and Islamists.

In light of the fact that the Obama administration is on board with the 'Arab Spring,' which is code for the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood, this is not insignificant at all.

Read it all.

Greece Arrests Gaza Flotilla Captain of 'Audacity of Hope'

Oh, the irony. A boat funded in part by Obama friend Rashid Khalidi and named 'The Audacity of Hope,' was told it could not leave Greece for Gaza. It left anyway. Greece's Coast Guard stopped the ship shortly thereafter and arrested the captain for endangering his crew. That crew, which consisted of Code Pink's Media Benjamin were so shocked that their peaceful little party of whackos wasn't allowed to proceed. Gee, does anyone remember what happened last time?

Via New York Times:

ATHENS — The American captain of a United States-flagged boat in the planned flotilla to Gaza was jailed Saturday, a day after trying to sail out of port, flotilla organizers said.

A judge contended that the boat, The Audacity of Hope, was not carrying proper safety equipment and charged the captain, John Klusmire, with “disturbing sea traffic and endangering passengers,” a felony, and with disobeying an official directive, a misdemeanor, said Ann Wright, an organizer.

The flotilla was organized to challenge the Israeli naval blockade of the Gaza Strip.

On Friday, Greece’s Ministry of Citizen Protection banned all vessels from leaving Greek ports for the “maritime area of Gaza.” The police had also ordered The Audacity of Hope to remain docked until the port authorities provided the results of an inspection. After waiting one week for the inspection results, however, organizers decided to sail without Greek authorization.

The video below is a 'must see.' It's video shot from the deck of the 'Audacity of Hope.' The only thing missing from this video is circus music in the background.

Via The Blaze:

Gaza Flotilla Part II About to Set Sail

It's being reported that the radical passengers on the second Gaza flotilla will attempt to use chemicals against Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) if the latter attempts to stop the former. In another development, members of the flotilla are crying foul, saying that one of the ships had its propeller cut. Based on the tactics used by these thugs, I have no doubt one of them cut it and is blaming the Jews. My 'Pallywood' antennae are officially up on that one.

Via Ynet:

Military elements monitoring the Gaza flotilla said that radical elements taking part in the sail have said they were planning "surprises for the IDF" and plan to kill many soldiers.

The information suggests that radicals are planning to equip some of the vessels with bags containing chemicals, possibly sulfur, which they will use against soldiers who may try to take over the ships.

It has recently been estimated that only eight ships will take part in the sail, instead of 15. Some 500 activists are expected to board the vessels, half the original estimated number. They will include several prominent Hamas members such as Amin Abu Rashad, who heads a charity in Holland and Mohammed Ahmed Hanoun.

Meanwhile, some activists claim the ships have been tampered with. "They sabotaged the ship. They cut the propeller's hinge below water while the ship was in the port of Piraeus in Athens," Israeli expat Dror Feiler told Ynet. He added that the malfunction is currently being fixed.

Just like in the first Gaza flotilla, the ships have a sufficient supply of useful idiots so the mission can be portrayed as peaceful. Why take hostages when you have willing props like Code Pink's Medea Benjamin?

One of the ships is named 'Audacity of Hope' by Obama friend and former PLO associate, Rashid Khalidi.

h/t GWP

Seven Democrat Congressmen Endorse Next Gaza Flotilla

The Progressive Democrats of America (PDA) has issued a Resolution in support of the second Gaza flotilla, which is scheduled for June 20th (originally October of 2010). Thanks to video cameras, the first flotilla - on Memorial Day weekend of 2010 - was proven to be an attack on Israel's sovereignty. Israeli soldiers had to kill nine in self-defense. Perhaps worse than the fact that one of the ships in the upcoming flotilla is named 'Audacity of Hope,' is that seven of PDA's members are members of congress.

Via Big Government, those seven members are (all Democrats):

John Conyers
Donna Edwards
Raul Grijalva
Barbara Lee
Jim McGovern
Lynn Woolsey
Dennis Kucinich

Here is the text of the Resolution that appears on PDA's website:

Resolution in Support of U.S. Aid Ship The Audacity of Hope
RESOLVED – We, the membership of Progressive Democrats of America, by democratic and representational vote, hereby affirm our support and endorsement of the U.S. aid ship The Audacity of Hope, due to set sail for Gaza in October of this year, as an expression of our insistence that Israel meet its obligation to recognize the Palestinian people’s inalienable right to self-determination and end its occupation and colonization of Palestinian lands. As peace and justice advocates, PDA considers it our obligation not only to criticize immoral and illegal acts, but to back up that criticism with action.

Check out the list of PDA's Board members in addition to seven sitting congressmen. It includes Code Pink founders, SDS founder Tom Hayden, and liberal talk show host Thom Hartmann.

More at BG

Ship Named 'Audacity of Hope' Joining This Year's Gaza Flotilla

Last year, the Gaza flotilla made news on Memorial Day weekend when Israeli soldiers boarded a ship and were ambushed by 'peace activists' armed with a wide array of various weapons (for their peace mission). This year, the flotilla looks to be setting sail this month, with one of the ships in the flotilla being named 'Audacity of Hope.' Don't worry. Obama has nothing to do with it. However, his friend Rashid Khalidi does. Khalidi, a former PLO member and Obama friend from the two's days in Chicago, has been involved in organizing the flotilla and getting AOH financially ready to go.

Via Arutz Sheva:

This year's American vessel, named The Audacity of Hope after US President Barack Obama’s best-selling book, is being organized by an American group called “US Boat to Gaza.”

Obama links to the Audacity do not end there, however. Prof. Rashid Khalidi, director of the Middle East Institute at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, and a friend from Obama’s time in Chicago, is among the supporters of an appeal launched by the group last week.

“We must raise at least $370,000 in the next month,” a statement on US Boat to Gaza’s Web site read indicating it doesn't have the money needed to sail yet.

“These funds will be used to purchase a boat large enough for 40-60 people, secure a crew, and cover the licensing and registering of the boat. Together we will contribute to the great effort to end the blockade of Gaza and the illegal occupation of Palestine.”

Khalidi had this to say in response to the PR black eye Obama could receive as a result of the boat's name:

“If the name is a problem for the administration it can simply insist publicly that Israel lift the siege: end of problem, end of embarrassment,” Khalidi wrote in the e-mail.

“That of course would require it to respond to the systematic mendacity of those in Congress and elsewhere who support the siege, and indeed whatever else the Israeli government does,” Khalidi said.

On the heels of Obama's recent speech about Israel returning to 1967 borders, a ship bearing the name of Obama's book, organized by his friend and anti-Semite is not likely going to help the president with the Jewish vote.

h/t GWP

IDF Discovers Iranian Missiles Disguised as Humanitarian Aid to Gaza

It should be more than obvious why there were those who vehemently opposed turning the Gaza Strip over to the Palestinians in 2005. Anyone with an ounce of rational thought knew that Gaza would descend into a terrorist bastion and that the concession wouldn't satiate the Palestinians; it would provide them another platform from which to attack Israel. That is precisely what's been happening ever since. We can now add the confiscation of C-704 Missiles to the list.

On March 15th, IDF forces discovered six missiles believed to have come from Iran, which had earlier announced it had begun producing models similar to those originating in China. The C-704's were part of a shipment that included 50 tons of 'sophisticated weapons' on a ship that was supposed to contain humanitarian aid. The fact that Egypt is falling to the Muslim Brotherhood only compounds a serious problem.

Via Washington Examiner:

AWWW: HAMAS IS GOING SOFT

It is beyond amazing how western civilization is able to get played. In response to Israel's claim that al-Qaeda is operating from Gaza, which is the reason why the former is conducting military operations there, Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh (pictured) is insisting that there is no al-Qaeda present in Gaza. The fact that Haniyeh even for one second believed that such a pathetic trial balloon would fly speaks more to how gullible the west is than to how absurd the statement is.

Via the AP:

Gaza's Hamas prime minister was adamant: There is no al-Qaida presence in Gaza, he said, rebuffing what he portrayed as Israeli allegations meant to justify military action against the territory.

At the same time, a new homegrown crop of zealots — even if only inspired by the global terror network — is increasingly turning into a problem for Gaza's ruling Islamic militants.

Dismissing Hamas as too tame, Muslim firebrands have challenged the Gaza government's informal truce with Israel — in place since Israel's bruising offensive against Gaza two years ago — by sporadically firing rockets at Israeli border communities. Israel says they also planned to try to cross into neighboring Egypt to use it as a springboard for attacks against Israelis and foreigners.

Gaza Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, speaking at a rare news conference for foreign reporters on Wednesday, suggested that claims of an al-Qaida foothold are part of an Israeli attempt to further discredit the group already shunned by much of the world and to perhaps justify action against Gaza in the framework of the global war against terror.

"There is no such thing as al-Qaida in Gaza," Haniyeh insisted. "The Palestinian resistance does not work outside the borders of Palestine."

This is ridiculous on so many levels. Primary among them is that Hamas IS al-Qaeda. Both groups reside cozily under the Muslim Brotherhood umbrella. Both are terrorist organizations and both insist on the complete and total eradication of the state of Israel. It's akin to saying you shouldn't shoot the dog that's about to attack you because it's not a pit bull - it's only a rottweiler.

h/t to TedLand

ISRAEL'S WITHDRAWAL FROM GAZA - FIVE YEARS LATER

Five years ago, in August of 2005, Israel began pulling completely out of Gaza in an effort to hand control over to the Palestinians; it was an attempt at peace. Here we are in August of 2010 and not only is Gaza now controlled by Hamas, which continues launching rockets into Israel but another part of the arrangement was that Israel would control the coastline. Currently, Israel is under pressure to end the blockade that does just that. That pressure is coming from many sources and the Obama administration doesn't seem the least bit interested in alleviating any of it.

Let's go back to a Washington Post article from August 10th, 2005.

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said the withdrawal was to increase security of residents of Israel, relieve pressure on the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and reduce friction between Israelis and Palestinians. Hamas, the Islamic Resistance Movement, claims that the withdrawal is the result of violent Palestinian resistance to Israeli occupation.

If Hamas operated under the assumption then that Israel was giving up Gaza because of "resistance" from Hamas, why wouldn't Hamas operate under the same assumption with respect to the Israeli blockade? Further emboldening them in this regard is that longtime Obama friend Rashid Khalidi, a man with ties to the extremely anti-Israeli PLO, is attempting to coordinate another flotilla with the sole purpose of breaking that blockade.

Aaron Klein reports at RBO:

Khalidi and other Obama associates are members of an American effort to raise $370,000 to finance the purchase of a U.S. ship in an effort to break the Israeli naval blockade of Gaza. The tentative title of the ship is “The Audacity of Hope,” the namesake of Obama’s autobiography.

So now that Obama's friends and associates are actively attempting to subvert the conditions of Israel's withdrawal from Gaza, the U.S. president as well as his Attorney General don't seem all that interested in pursuing a legal course of action.

Back to the 2005 Wapo piece:

The Israeli government expects the withdrawal will reduce Palestinian attacks on Jewish citizens. The Israeli Foreign Ministry says that the withdrawal shows that Israel is willing to make significant concessions for peace.

It's pretty safe to say that was a faulty premise. The man who knew that then, Benjamin Netanyahu, resigned in protest at the time and is now the Prime Minister. If he knew in 2005 what should be obvious to the world in 2010, then he must also know that caving to pressure to end the blockade will yield similar results.

Back to Klein's piece at RBO. Since Hamas is identified by the U.S. State Department as a terrorist organization and Obama's friend, Rashid Khalidi is attempting to provide the group support in the form of a boat named after one of Obama's books, does that not make Khalidi guilty of a crime? If it does, Holder is unlikely to pursue it, adding yet another black mark to his already disturbing record. Klein refers to a piece written by Andrew McCarthy at National Review:

McCarthy argues the Justice Department, under the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act, could investigate Khalidi and other flotilla organizers for providing material support to Hamas, which is designated by the State Department as a terrorist organization.

Jonathan Schanzer points out at the Weekly Standard that according to a Supreme Court decision in June, Holder v. Humanitarian Law Project, the prohibition against material support to terrorists can apply even when the offerings are not money or weapons.

HERE is the link to Schanzer's article.

Lastly, ain't it interesting that Bill Ayers, Bernadine Dohrn, and now ANOTHER early founder of the Weather Underground has supported the Free Gaza Movement, a group actively involved in attempts to aid Hamas in the breaking of the Blockade. Again, from Klein:

Khalidi, meanwhile, is not the only Obama associate involved in the Gaza flotilla effort.

WND found that another signatory to the American flotilla project is Naomi Esther Jaffe, who founded the Weatherman terrorist organization along with Bill Ayers and Bernadine Dohrn. Jaffe engaged in fundraising efforts for Obama’s presidential campaign, even advertising a “Yoga for Obama” event on Obama’s campaign website.

Ayers and Dorhn themselves have been leaders of efforts to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza.

It would seem that we have yet another case in which the Eric Holder led Department of Justice is selectively choosing which laws it will enforce and, as in the New Black Panther Party case, Obama's supporters and / or friends are the ones not brought to justice.

h/t to WND

OBAMA BUDDY WANTS TO NAME GAZA BOAT AUDACITY OF HOPE

Remember Rashid Khalidi, Obama's buddy from Columbia University, who wants worked for an arm of the Palestine Liberation Organization? Do you remember when the L.A. Times refused to release a video in its possession that showed Obama at a banquet with Khalidi in 2003? Yeah, that Rashid Khalidi. Now we learn that Khalidi has signed onto an appeal for funds to subsidize a boat and its crew for the purpose of breaking Israel's Gaza blockade.

The name given to the boat? Audacity of Hope.

Via the Washington Post:

Rashid Khalidi, a friend of President Obama's active in Palestinian causes, has signed an appeal for funds to send to Gaza an aid ship that would be named after the president's best-selling book, "The Audacity of Hope."

A group calling itself U.S. Boat to Gaza is seeking $370,000 in the next month to send the ship in an effort to thwart the Israeli blockade on the Palestinian enclave controlled by the militant group Hamas.

To refresh your memories on the incident before the 2008 election involving the L.A. Times suppressing the Obama / Khalidi video, click HERE.

As for the latest story, read it all.

h/t to Jawa Report

VIDEO: LIBERAL RABBI RE-EVALUATING POSITION

I am literally fascinated when I see someone make a strong ideological change. Frankly, I'm almost equally fascinated that liberals don't do more of it. I went through a similar shift when Bruce Springsteen came out of the closet as a hardcore liberal in support of John Kerry. I used to be one of his biggest fans. After 2004, I can't even stand to hear any of his songs.

The Rabbi who shot video of Helen Thomas telling Jews to "get the hell out of Palestine" appears to be going through a similar process. Watch as he tells CNN's Howard Kurtz that he basically needs to re-evaluate his entire belief system. In this video, Rabbi David Nesenoff admits to being a New York liberal who voted for Obama. He then goes on to say he's re-evaluating his positions.

It's not an easy thing to do when you've invested so much of your energy building a set of beliefs and ideological views that are all called into question at once.

Going through this process with sincere intellectual honesty is quite liberating once you come out on the other side.



h/t to Hot Air Pundit

REPORT: WHITE HOUSE CONNECTED WITH FREE GAZA FLOTILLA?

Most everyone I talk to about this as a real possibility almost shrugs while saying it wouldn't surprise them at all. That's a sad statement of our government on many levels all by itself. Deputy National Security Advisor John Brennan has said some very suspect things about the nature of America's Islamic enemies. He has also referred to Jerusalem as 'Al Quds', the Islamic name for that city.

Now this.

Jerome Corsi at WND is reporting that a reliable source very close to the Netanyahu government has made the claim that Brennan is the White House contact for the Free Gaza Movement - the group that organized the Memorial Day flotilla against the Israeli blockade of Gaza - and may have been in contact with that group during the organization phase.

The allegation raises the bizarre possibility that the Free Gaza Movement's flotilla action in the Mediterranean was being coordinated with the White House, something that would align with a shift in U.S. policy toward Israel being debated within the Obama administration.

Mike Hammer, a National Security Council spokesman, told WND flatly the report "is not true."

Does anyone feel comfortable believe anything the White House says these days? They've actually gotten to the point of lying so often, all you have to do is believe the opposite and you've got better odds of getting to the truth.

In any event, if these claims about Brennan are true and he was aware of the the flotilla before it took place, consider a few things in the context of the Joe Sestak scandal.

1.) On Friday, May 28th - the day before a three-day Memorial Day weekend, the White House performs a document dump in an attempt to bury the memo released by White House Counsel Robert Bauer that identified Bill Clinton as the man who approached Joe Sestak about a position in the Obama administration if he dropped out of his Senate race with Arlen Specter.

2.) On Monday, May 31st - Memorial Day - the day before the Sestak scandal was sure to be on the front pages, the Free Gaza Movement flotilla does its thing, attempting to break the Israeli blockade; a new lead story trumps the Sestak scandal.

3.) The Free Gaza Movement has ties with Obama friends and allies, Bill Ayers, Bernadine Dohrn, and Jodie Evans of Code Pink.

Implying or insinuating that the White House may have done something untoward would be a stretch based on the aforementioned three bullet points alone. However, if Corsi's claims are accurate, they are no such thing.

Read Corsi's entire article.

VIDEO: ISRAELI PROTESTERS WITH STOCKHOLM SYNDROME

Talk about inexplicable. Jewish leftists in Israel assembled to protest the Israeli government for the latter's perceived mistreatment of Palestinians - most recently with respect to the flotilla financed and organized by the Turkish IHH and the Free Gaza Movement. It defies any and all reason whatsoever. Yeah, I know. We've said that about the left for so long, it usually doesn't need to be stated.

This is different. Stockholm Syndrome is really the only explanation for people assembling in support of groups that want them extinguished from the face of the earth and protesting against the one entity sworn to defend them. It is beyond twisted. It's literally insane.

Via ynet News:

Thousands of leftist activists marched in Tel Aviv Saturday evening to mark "43 years of occupation," while taking the opportunity to slam recent IDF raids on Gaza-bound ships.

A smoke grenade was hurled at the protestors outside the Tel Aviv Museum. No injuries were reported in the incident. Later, right-wing protesters tried to attack leftist activist Uri Avneri, snatching signs he was carrying.

The leftist protestors, who were walking from Rabin Square to the Tel Aviv Museum, were holding up signs reading "The government is sinking all of us – we must aspire for peace." Other marchers held up signs reading "Israel, Palestine, two states for two people" and "We love the country but are ashamed of the government."

HERE is a very concise explanation of Stockholm Syndrome and these wackos exhibit all the symptoms.

Video via Gateway Pundit:

GAZA FLOTILLA GROUP HAS TIES TO BILL AYERS

As video released by Israel continues to vindicate their claims that they were attacked by the thugs on the boats in the flotilla that was attempting to storm the Gaza blockade, we're learning more about the group in that flotilla. Writer Aaron Klein, who reports from Israel and is very close to what's going on there.

Now we learn that the group behind the Flotilla, Free Gaza Movement, has had the help of Bill Ayers, Bernadine Dohrn, and Code Pink's Jodie Evans.

Klein reports:

The flotilla was organized by the Free Gaza Movement, a coalition of leftist human rights activists and pro-Palestinian groups engaged in attempts to break a blockade imposed by Israel on the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.

Ayers, Dohrn and Evans' Code Pink have led several recent Free Gaza Movement initiatives, including attempted marches into the Gaza Strip. Dorhn was in the Middle East just last month on behalf of the movement.

According to Klein, the trio also pushed for Egypt to allow protesters into Gaza several months ago from Egypt. They then relied on a letter from none other than John Kerry.

The three helped to stir riots after the Egyptian government refused to allow a large number of protesters to enter neighboring Gaza. Eventually, the protesters accepted an Egyptian offer of allowing about 100 marchers into Gaza. Once in the territory, those marchers were reportedly met on the Gaza side by Hamas' former Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh.

At the time of the march, Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., wrote a letter in support of a "humanitarian delegation from Massachusetts" to Gaza. Members of Ayers', Dohrn and Evans' group documented on their blogs how Kerry's letter was used at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo while attempting to pressure Egypt to let their group into Gaza.

It is becoming increasingly obvious that Obama's sympathies are with groups aligned against Israel.

Be sure to read the WHOLE THING.

ARIZONA GOVERNOR TELLS SCHUMER TO SHOO

Democrat Senator Chuck Schumer (NY) reached out to Arizona Governor Jan Brewer in an attempt to convince her to hold off implementation of that state's tough new immigration law, SB 1070 until the Senate is given yet another chance to act. Brewer responded with one word. That word was "no".

Via the AP:

The request by Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York was a long shot for getting a stalled Senate immigration initiative moving again. Even the White House thinks the Senate proposal is nearly dead. "There's not enough support to move forward," White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Thursday.

Still, among Democrats, there's plenty of support for trying — at least in public — to advance immigration reform during this year of midterm elections. The party's control of Congress depends in part on Hispanics, a key constituency, voting Democratic.

Obviously, Schumer has a problem with Arizona enforcing its law because he's part of the Democratic caucus that wants immigration reform. Translation? Amnesty.

Funny how Schumer has a problem with citizens in his own country securing its border and preserving their sovereignty but when it comes to Israel shutting down its border with Gaza as well as Gaza's border with Egypt, he's all for it.

In an April 22nd radio interview with Nachum Segal, Schumer said the following:

Hamas in Gaza is being squeezed and people there are doing very badly. Not only because Israel has blocked off the border and not let anything into Gaza, and I support Israel in doing that, and it may be tough on the Palestinian people, but when they vote for Hamas they are going to have to suffer the consequences.

The only possible reason Schumer could have for this glaring inconsistency is votes - votes he won't get from Palestinians that would be allowed entry into Israel vs. votes his party WOULD get from Mexicans allowed entry into the Untied States.

Click here to listen to Schumer's interview with Segal.

More on Schumer's interview with Nachum Segal here.

SCHANZER: GAZA BECOMING TALIBAN-ESQUE

In 2005, Israel handed the Gaza Strip over to the Palestinians, which were led at the time by the Palestinian Authority. In 2007, Hamas violently wrested complete control of Gaza. Hamas is a group inspired by the Muslim Brotherhood and is similarly Sunni - just like the Taliban.

Jonathan Schanzer at the Jewish Policy Center reports that Hamas is beginning to turn Gaza into something resembling a swath of land in Afghanistan.

..in the two years since the 2007 coup, the Gaza Strip has steadily exhibited the characteristics of "Talibanization" -- a process mirroring the rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan in the 1990s whereby the Islamist organization imposed strict rules on women; discouraged activities commonly associated with Western or Christian culture; oppressed non-Muslim minorities; imposed sharia law; and deployed religious police to enforce these laws. This has only served to underscore the dangers associated with the rise to power of Islamist groups in the Muslim world.

Any guesses as to how Ismael Haniyeh, Hamas leader and Gaza overloard responds to such accusations? Hint: The same way the Obama Administration responds to charges that it's spamming the American people with Health Care emails from David Axelrod:

Ismael Haniyeh, the ascendant ruler of Gaza, officially denied accusations by the PLO and some Palestinian media outlets that Hamas intended to establish an Islamic emirate.

Nothing to see here.

Schanzer continues:

The Islamization of justice in Gaza has been compounded by the emerging strength of the "Authority for the Propagation of Morality and Prohibition of Vice," aimed to "fight those who are being corrupted by Satan, and do not observe sharia law." The vice squads were not new; they had operated in Hamas-controlled neighborhoods in Gaza and the West Bank for years. Under Hamas rule, however, they began to operate in wider territory and with impunity.

Authority for the Propagation of Morality and Prohibition of Vice? Is there a Czar in charge of that department?

Be sure to read SCHANZER'S ENTIRE PIECE.

Isn't it interesting how a country like Honduras sees worldwide outrage when it removes a president from office who is found to have been laying the groundwork for keeping himself in office, which would have blatantly violated his country's Constitution yet not a peep at this insanity taking place in Gaza?