David Sirota: "Let’s hope the Boston Marathon bomber is a white American"

Salon  " That’s because privilege tends to determine: 1) which groups are — and are not — collectively denigrated or targeted for the unlawful actions of individuals; and 2) how big and politically game-changing the overall reaction ends up being.
"This has been most obvious in the context of recent mass shootings. In those awful episodes, a religious or ethnic minority group lacking such privilege would likely be collectively slandered and/or targeted with surveillance or profiling (or worse) if some of its individuals comprised most of the mass shooters. However, white male privilege means white men are not collectively denigrated/targeted for those shootings — even though most come at the hands of white dudes."
 

“Innocent” Saudi has ties to several Al-Qaeda Terrorists

Walid Shoebat  Former Muslim Brotherhood Member Now Peace Activist


Photo: Atlas Shrugs

"After the bombings, a Saudi by the name of Abdul Rahman Ali Al-Harbi was hospitalized and became a ‘suspect’, then a ‘person of interest’. His apartment was searched by federal and local authorities. No confirmation has been given so far to his involvement. The Media were quick to claim his innocence, of course.
"This brings us to the Boston marathon bombings. Foreign Policy is reporting that he’s ‘no longer a person of interest’, which means he’s “innocent”, right?
Perhaps a quick look at the Arabic sources should raise the eyebrows of every American relative to the extent of the problem at hand. Many from Al-Harbi’s clan are steeped in terrorism and are members of Al-Qaeda. Out of a list of 85 terrorists listed by the Saudi government shows several of Al-Harbi clan to have been active fighters in Al-Qaeda:"

Saudi Bombing Suspect, Abdul Rahman Ali Alharbi: “If Today Really Was the Last Day, How Would You Spend It?”

That cheerful message was reposted by Abdulrahman Ali Alharbi from the Boston Muslim Community on his Facebook page last year. FOX News is reporting that Alharbi (harb = sword) is the “person of interest” being questioned. This is still preliminary information and may not pan out in the long run.

 "Alharbi’s Facebook page hasn’t been updated in a while. He is a Saudi student and poses in the photo above holding a golden gun on Saudi Day. If he turns out to be one of the perpetrators, then the timing for Obama’s new open door policy to Saudi travelers will have been a particularly bad one."

The Banality of Bias; Journalists are awfully liberal, Arendt they?

Wall Street Journal


The phrase "the banality of evil" 
 comes from Hannah Arendt's book,
 "Eichmann in Jerusalem:  A
 Report on the Banality of Evil."
 

(As an aside, the "online furor" was sparked by a Kirsten Powers op-ed in USA Today. Although USA Today is a website, it is also a newspaper with a circulation of 1.8 million, second only to The Wall Street Journal.)
....
 "Do liberal journalists really think that accusations of bias amount to a "conspiracy theory"? That seems to us a lazy assumption, and sheer laziness is surely a major element of media bias. Others are prejudice against ideological outgroups and hubris, which leads newsmen to make categorical assertions like "we never decide what to cover for ideological reasons" rather than reflect on whether that's really true.

 

"Laziness, prejudice and pride are ordinary human failings. As we've seen from the press's treatment of the Gosnell story, they can lead those whose calling is to bear witness to avert their eyes from radical evil. Call it the banality of bias."

Didn't Mr. Obama promise this transparency?

Does Rich Terrell nail it here or what?

Jay Carney: Obama ‘does not and cannot’ take position on Gosnell

Conservative Daily News   "Very interesting. Obama cannot take a position on the House of Horrors abortionist, but he has no problem inserting himself into other cases that are ongoing, such as the Trayvon Martin case.  The House of Horrors case does not fit his agenda, so he wants to be silent on the issue. Jay Carney simply calls the matter “unsettling”. Unsettling? That’s all you can conjure, Mr. Carney? Seriously? Yes, I understand, Mr. Carney. Mr. Obama is very clear where he stands on a woman’s “choice”." 

"Inspire" Al Qaeda Magazine: Jihad Propagandist Called for Attacks on Sports Events

Atlas Shrugs  "Abu Musab al-Suri, the jihadist behind this article is part of the opposition in Syria --here's  a backgrounder by Dr. Andrew Bostom: "Al-Qaeda Theorist on Targeting Americans for “Mass Slaughter” "

[p. 24] …The type of attack, which repels states and topples governments, is mass slaughter of the population. This is done by targeting human crowds in order to inflict maximum human losses. This is very easy since there are numerous such targets such as crowded sports arenas, annual social events, large international exhibitions, crowded marketplaces, sky-scrapers, crowded buildings… etc.

http://legalinsurrection.com/tag/a-f-branco/

Moral compass failure: Dr. Ben Carson, bad; Bill Ayers, good

Rich Cutter Avallone   "The Horrible tragedy in Boston brings back memories of the Weather underground. They were an American Radical Terror Group led by none other than Bill Ayers a long time friend of Obama. Of course Obama staunchly denied his association as nothing more than casual. Yet another Lie by the Liar in Chief. The other day the Left wing radical was speaking at College in Oregon; Bill Ayers, Not Obama. There Ayers confirmed that he and the president indeed had a more than casual acquaintanceship. He also confirmed they had a fund raiser at his home that Obama attended. What is troubling is that Bill Ayers, a known Anarchist, and communist has been floating in high positions in our educational system for over 30 years. While a man like Dr. Benjamin Carson had to pull out of his speaking engagement at John Hopkins...  Ayers is embraced by faculty, students and our government."
 Read more.

 

 

Blogger Kevin Jackson coins a word you just have to love:

Wackademia doesn’t want Dr. Ben Carson 

Bona fide terrorist Bill Ayers is welcomed in Wackademia with open arms, but pediatric neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson isn’t. Such is the insanity that exists these days in “education.”

Why does Johns Hopkins changing not want such an accomplished black man to speak? Because Dr. Ben Carson has an opinion on gay marriage. Exactly what that has to do with a commencement exercise at a medical school is unknown. But what isn’t unknown is that Wackademia and other Liberal institutions don’t like it when black conservatives have an opinion, particularly one that differs from the mainstream.
So what Dr. Ben Carson is not gay, and believes marriage is between a man and a woman. It’s not like he blew up a police station or was a member of a terrorist group.
The petitions began after Carson told Fox News Channel’s Sean Hannity, “My thoughts are that marriage is between a man and a woman. It’s a well-established, fundamental pillar of society and no group, be they gays, be they NAMBLA, be they people who believe in bestiality — it doesn’t matter what they are — they don’t get to change the definition.”

http://terrellaftermath.com/

 

1984 + 29; As Orwell knew, taking over the culture starts with corrupting the language.

Tony Branco

Victor Davis Hanson  Obama "helped to create, in brilliant fashion, a “hope and change,” quasi-revolutionary climate — the political cover, if you will, for the media, the universities, federal judges, state legislatures, and Congress to reinvent American popular culture and tradition in a manner rarely if ever seen in the past.
"How, then, did the Obama team do that?"

Language
"First were the necessary changes in language. In the Obama age, as in Orwell’s 1984, the natural meanings of words had to change. ....
"Running up serial trillion-dollar deficits was not profligacy, but rather making “investments” for “the children.” Irresponsible borrowing became “stimulus.” Indeed, “trillion” — not a frequently used part of most people’s vocabulary before 2009 — suddenly replaced “billion” as a familiar fiscal numerical adjective. A takeover of health care that would spike premiums and ration services, devices, and procedures was aptly named the “The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.”

Obfuscation
"Likewise, the new “comprehensive immigration reform” bill is reputed to be over 1,500 pages. As many will read that monstrosity as have read the Obamacare document.....

Silencing Debate
"No one was allowed to talk of an “un-DREAM Act” — to point out that for all the hard-working, crime-free, and long-residing illegal aliens, there must be at least some who were on public assistance, had criminal records, and or entered the country only recently in hopes of receiving amnesty. All illegal aliens were desirable newcomers; none were undesirable.
....
"To ponder whether females could meet, without adjustments, the brutal physical requirements of Special Forces training was tantamount to being anti-woman. There could be no real debate over gay marriage."

Anecdotal evidence trumps logic and reason
"Why enforce federal immigration law, when there is no nicer window washer than Herlinda, who comes to my house every Tuesday? It hailed in June here; therefore the world must be experiencing climate change. I would never shoot an AR-15, and therefore there is no need for anyone else to. My nephew is gay, and he’s a great guy; therefore gay marriage is great too. Sally yesterday lifted heavier weights than did three guys in the gym: Presto, female soldiers can do anything that male soldiers can."

You knew we would check media coverage of Boston, didn't you?

Let's begin with post sent to us by Lucianne: (as if she knows me personally)
The 10 Absolute Worst Media Reactions To The Boston Marathon Bombings 
"Oftentimes, their conjecture is based on their own political beliefs and agendas. And this can lead to some particularly ugly comments while the wounds are still fresh during major tragedies like the Newtown and Aurora massacres… and Monday’s Boston marathon bombings."

Bergen of CNN…Boston Marathon Bombing Could Be Result of Right-Wing Extremists
"In another shameful display of utter ignorance and desperation to cover over what will obviously be shown to be a Muslim Jihadist orchestrated bombing, CNN “national security” analyst Peter Bergen spewed forth the same kind of non-sense that occurs when things like the explosions at the Boston Marathon take place. He told CNN anchor Jake Tapper that it could be “right-wing extremists.” "
CNN's Wolf Blitzer suggested that hit might be some sort of super Patriot celebrating Patriot's day

Politico Reporter: Some On Right 'Thirst for Media Make a Baseless Speculation'   Hardly. I dread waiting for the baseless accusations to come and fully expect it.

Cable News: Let The Mindless Speculation Begin " When cable news anchors cover a developing story like the Boston Marathon bombing, they are forced to either constantly repeat the same, limited facts over and over again, or they choose to improvise, make it up as they go and dabble in wild, unfounded speculation just to fill the air time and to keep themselves interested in their topic."

Kristof Blames Boston Attack on Senate GOP Blocking ATF Director
Then this:
Kristof: GOP Slam 'Wasn't One of My Classier' Tweets

What Is It With the AP's Reluctance on 'Terrorism' and 'Terrorists'?

"Raised alarms that terrorists might have struck again in the U.S."? Really?

Al Sharpton's Radio Producer Tweets Speculation That 'Anti-Gov' Group Behind Boston Marathon Bombings
" "We don't know anything yet of course, but it is tax day & my first thought was all these anti-gov groups, but who knows," tweeted Khan, who immediately received a lot of blowback on Twitter for politicizing the tragedy. But rather than back down, Khan defended her speculation in subsequent tweets like these:..."

"Will be brought to justice", "held accountable"; just words from a president who "doesn't bluff"

'We are going to find out who did this.' And then what?  "How would Major Nassan have been treated if he shot up a fort in, lets say, 1944?  I venture to say the matter would have been resolved in weeks rather than years."
....

"But just as the defendant is due a speedy trial, so also it is owed to the nation when crimes against the nation occur.  Our nation awaits the resolution of the KSM, Hassan Fort Hood massacre, and now the Boston bombing."

And don't tell me we are better, more just than in 1944. More feckless, I'd say.

Bloody Boston. So this is a small bit like being an Israeli, I guess.

http://terrellaftermath.com/

 

Alan Caruba; Bloody Boston "What we have witnessed from the President and his administration has been a display of weakness in the face of threats from the Middle East and elsewhere around the world. Our current Secretary of State has said he’s willing to speak directly with North Korea’s leaders, a very major concession in the face of behavior that should have gotten a major slap-down."
Shame on this administration, but shame on the pacifists for fostering this weakness in presidents, including, yes, Presidents Bush and Clinton, who gave in to North Korea's bullying several times.

No White House envoy to Thatcher funeral?

sadhillnews

Hot Air "And the British government is apparently unhappy about it, too.  Sources within Whitehall told the Daily Mail that the Obama administration’s decision to skip sending an envoy to what has become a de facto state funeral for one of America’s staunchest Cold War allies came before the Boston terrorist attack yesterday, and that the White House had cited a “busy week” for the reason they couldn’t even spare Joe Biden for Margaret Thatcher’s funeral:"
....
"They’re too busy to pay respects to someone who stood by America as a stalwart partner in the latter years of the Cold War, when it might have been easier for her to keep her distance.  Shameful.  And it’s not being ignored in the UK, either:"....

Former defence secretary Dr Liam Fox, Lady Thatcher’s closest ally in modern-day politics, said: ‘I think it would be both surprising and disappointing if after President Obama’s fulsome tribute to Lady Thatcher, the American administration did not send a senior serving member to represent them.’
Sir Gerald Howarth, chairman of the Thatcherite Conservative Way Forward group of MPs and peers, said: ‘The bonds forged between the UK and the US through Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher was instrumental in ending the Cold War and liberating millions of people.
‘That the present administration feels unable to be represented as the world marks the extraordinary contribution Margaret Thatcher made will be a source of disappointment to those who served with her in that great endeavour.’

"Update: Just as a reminder, Congress decides separately on delegations to events such as this.  I’d expect to see both the House and Senate send small delegations to the funeral."

Obama won't attend Thatcher funeral  "The funeral of America's best friend for so long would seem to cry out for our leaders to say "to hell with protocol, I'm going." The absence of the Bush's is especially curious, although the elder Bush #41 is ailing and could probably not make the trip."

Bear in mind this administration is that of Rev. Wright, Van Jones, Bill Ayres and liberal Hollywood. We expect this from it and the real outrage is that half the American people voted for this. The Tunnel Dweller

From the UK: Obama's snub to Thatcher: President won't send envoy to funeral - and leaves it to her old allies from the Reagan era 

"Friends and allies of Baroness Thatcher expressed 'surprise and disappointment' last night as it emerged President Obama is not planning to send any serving member of his administration to her funeral.
"Whitehall sources have revealed that the US delegation at tomorrow's service in St Paul's Cathedral will be led by two Reagan era secretaries of state: James Baker and George Shultz."

Perhaps this next will shed light on Obama's actions:
"Last night police in London were under pressure to crack down on plans to insult the memory of Lady Thatcher at the funeral.
"Hundreds of protesters have pledged to turn their backs as her coffin travels through Central London."

Obama - who bowed before other world leaders-will be praised by the left for, in effect, turning this administration's back on Baroness Thatcher. More embarrassment for the US. TD