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NSA Surveillance Watch: Senate Intelligence Committee Decides NOT to Pursue Investigation
The National Security Agency (NSA) logo is shown on a computer screen inside the Threat Operations Center at the NSA in Fort Meade, Maryland, January 25, 2006. U.S. President George W. Bush visited the ultra-secret National Security Agency on Wednesday to underscore the importance of his controversial order authorizing domestic surveillance without warrants.
New York Times: Senate Panel Decides Against Eavesdropping Inquiry, for Now
The Senate Intelligence Committee decided today not to investigate President Bush’s domestic surveillance program, at least for the time being.
“I believe that such an investigation is currently unwarranted and would be detrimental to this highly classified program,” Senator Pat Roberts, Republican of Kansas and chairman of the panel, said this afternoon following a closed session.
While Mr. Roberts’s announcement signaled that the administration’s eavesdropping program would not be subject to Senate scrutiny, at least for the time being, there was no guarantee that the House would not go ahead with an inquiry of its own.
Mr. Roberts said “an agreement in principle” had been reached with the administration whereby lawmakers would be given more information on the surveillance operation run by the National Security Agency.
“The details of this agreement will take some time to work out,” Mr. Roberts said.But the committee’s ranking Democrat, John D. Rockefeller IV of West Virginia, was clearly unhappy after the meeting and said it made no sense to pursue legislation when the full details of the surveillance program were not known. Mr. Roberts said Mr. Rockefeller’s proposal for an investigation would be reconsidered when the committee reconvenes on March 7.
There is NO THERE there.
Tempest in a teapot……..
Now, what about the New York Times, James Risen and the person who “leaked”……how do you spell federal grand jury?
Previous:
NSA Surveillance Watch: Congressional Probe of NSA Surveilance Is in Doubt
NSA Surveillance Watch: Specter Skeptical of Domestic Spy ProgramNSA Surveillance Leak Case Watch: Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to Testify
NSA Surveillance Watch: AP Poll- Most Say U.S. Needs Warrant to Snoop? – RECYCLEDNSA Surveillance Leak Case Watch: Vice President Cheney Strongly Defends Eavesdropping Operation
Cox & Forkum: One Man’s Whistleblower
Global War on Terror Watch: Why the NSA Monitors Communications of Al-Qaida
NSA Surveillance Leak Case Watch: President Bush Defends NSA SurveillanceNSA Leak Case Watch: New York Times’ Reporter James Risen
NSA Leak Case Watch: Justice Deptartment Probing Domestic Spying LeakNSA Surveillance Watch: President Had Legal Authority to OK Taps
NSA Surveillance Watch: Calls for Congressional Hearings
Technorati Tags: NationalSecurityAgency, NSA, AssociatedPress, NSASurveillance, NSALeakCase, NewYorkTimes, RasmussenPoll, ArlenSpecter
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Michael Ramirez on Al Gore
Previously on Flapsblog:
Al Gore Watch: United States Committed “Terrible Abuses†Against Arabs
Technorati Tags: MichaelRamirez, AlGore
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Muhmmad Caricature Watch: The Indonesian Comments
This morning Flap received these two comments which he held in moderation until a translation was obtained. Thanks I for the translation.
Hukum yang seberat beratnya pembuat kartun nabi muhammad, untuk umat muslim se dunia
“All the Muslims in the world should impose a harsh penalty on those who created the Prophet Mohammed cartoons.”
Bunuh pembuat katun nabi muhammad, agar umat muslim didunia ini damai
“Kill the one who created these cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed so people around the world will believe in peace.”
Death threats are NOT rationale with regards to the Muhammad Caricatures.
And folks wonder why there is such a FLAP…….hummmmmmmmmm
Previous:
Muhammad Caricature Watch: “Roses of the Prophet Muhammad.â€
Muhammad Caricature Watch: For the MORONS Who Defaced My Site
Muhammad Caricature Watch: Abu Ghraib Image Hypocrisy FLAP
Muhammad Caricature Watch: The FLAP Over Publication of Muhammad Caricatures on the Internet
Muhammad Caricature Watch: Thousands of Protesters Rampage in 2 Pakistani Cities
Cox & Forkum on the Muhammad Caricatures: Overboard
Muhammad Caricature Watch: Pakistan Police Gas Students Protesting CaricaturesMuhammad Caricature Watch: Condolezza Rice – Muslim Outrage Could “Spin Out of Controlâ€
Muhammad Caricature Watch: Denmark Withdraws Diplomats from Iran and Indonesia
Muhammad Caricature Watch: Thousands Protest Against Prophet Drawings
Muhammad Caricature Watch: Muslim Leaders Urge Calm
Muhammad Caricature Watch: Are Extemists Fanning Caricature Outrage?Muhammad Caricature Watch: Egypt and the Muhammad Caricatures
Muhammad Caricature Watch: Condoleezza Rice – Iran and Syria Stoking Anger – The Response
Muhammad Caricature Watch: Condoleezza Rice – Iran and Syria Stoking AngerCox & Forkum: Western Dhimmitude
Muhammad Caricature Watch: French Weekly Charlie Hebdo Reprints Muhammad Caricatures
Muhammad Caricature Watch: Demonstrators Attack Norwegian Embassy in Tehran, IranMuhammad Caricature Watch: 4 Killed In Afghanistan in Caricature Bloodshed
Muhammad Caricature Watch: A Right to Blasphemy
Muhammad Caricature Watch: New Protests Erupt Around the World
Muhammad Caricature Watch: The False Cartoons and Danish Imams
Muhammad Caricature Watch: Angry Demonstrators Set Danish Consulate in Beirut AblazeMuhammad Caricature Watch: Syrian Protesters Set Danish Embassy Ablaze Over Cartoon
Muhammad Caricature Watch: Protests Over Muhammad Drawings IntensifyMuhammad Caricature Watch: Anger Over Cartoons of Muhammad Escalates
Day by Day by Chris Muir on CNN
Day by Day by Chris Muir on Muhammad Caricatures
Cox & Forkum: Publication of Caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad by a Danish Newspaper
Technorati Tags: Jyllands-Posten, ProphetMuhammad, Islam, Muhammadcaricatures
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Global War on Terror Watch: Close Gitmo – Koffi Annan
In this image reviewed by the U.S. Military, an unidentified detainee is escorted by two military guards at Camp Delta, in this June 25, 2005 file photo, at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, in Cuba. The United States should shut down the prison for terror suspects at Guantanamo Bay and either release all detainees being held there or bring them to trial, the United Nations said in a report released Thursday, Feb. 16, 2006.
ASSociated Press: Annan Says U.S. Should Close Gitmo Prison
Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Thursday said the United States should close the prison at Guantanamo Bay for terror suspects as soon as possible, backing a key conclusion of a U.N.-appointed independent panel.
The panel’s report, released Wednesday in Geneva and leaked earlier in the week, said the United States must close the detention facility “without further delay” because it is effectively a torture camp where prisoners have no access to justice.
Annan told reporters he didn’t necessarily agree with everything in the report, but he did support its opposition to people being held “in perpetuity” without being charged and prosecuted in a public court. This is “something that is common under every legal system,” he said.
“I think sooner or later there will be a need to close the Guantanamo (camp), and I think it will be up to the government to decide, and hopefully to do it as soon as is possible,” the secretary-general told reporters.
Annan sounds like Slow Joe Biden and Jimmy Carter.
Of course, this is patently ridiculous – this is a WAR – i.e. Global War on Terror and these folks are the ENEMY.
Technorati Tags: GlobalWaronTerror, GuantanamoBay, GITMO, JoeBiden, JimmyCarter, KoffiAnnan
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Muhammad Caricature Watch: “Roses of the Prophet Muhammad.”
Persian sign of ‘Danish pastries’ right, and ‘Roses of Prophet Mohammad’ are seen in a bakers in Tehran Thursday Feb. 16, 2006. Iran is taking the fight against cartoons considered blasphamous by Muslims to a new ground: Renaming ‘Danish pastries’ into ‘Roses of Prophet Mohammad’ in the country of cake lovers.
ASSociated Press: Iran Renames Danish Pastries
Iranians love Danish pastries, but when they look for the flaky dessert at the bakery they now have to ask for “Roses of the Prophet Muhammad.”
Bakeries across the capital were covering up their ads for Danish pastries Thursday after the confectioners’ union ordered the name change in retaliation for caricatures of the Muslim prophet published in a Danish newspaper.
“Given the insults by Danish newspapers against the prophet, as of now the name of Danish pastries will give way to ‘Rose of Muhammad’ pastries,” the union said in its order.
“This is a punishment for those who started misusing freedom of expression to insult the sanctities of Islam,” said Ahmad Mahmoudi, a cake shop owner in northern Tehran.
Iranian NEWSPEAK
Michelle Malkin has more on the pastry wars.Previous:
Muhammad Caricature Watch: For the MORONS Who Defaced My Site
Muhammad Caricature Watch: Abu Ghraib Image Hypocrisy FLAP
Muhammad Caricature Watch: The FLAP Over Publication of Muhammad Caricatures on the Internet
Muhammad Caricature Watch: Thousands of Protesters Rampage in 2 Pakistani Cities
Cox & Forkum on the Muhammad Caricatures: Overboard
Muhammad Caricature Watch: Pakistan Police Gas Students Protesting CaricaturesMuhammad Caricature Watch: Condolezza Rice – Muslim Outrage Could “Spin Out of Controlâ€
Muhammad Caricature Watch: Denmark Withdraws Diplomats from Iran and Indonesia
Muhammad Caricature Watch: Thousands Protest Against Prophet Drawings
Muhammad Caricature Watch: Muslim Leaders Urge Calm
Muhammad Caricature Watch: Are Extemists Fanning Caricature Outrage?Muhammad Caricature Watch: Egypt and the Muhammad Caricatures
Muhammad Caricature Watch: Condoleezza Rice – Iran and Syria Stoking Anger – The Response
Muhammad Caricature Watch: Condoleezza Rice – Iran and Syria Stoking AngerCox & Forkum: Western Dhimmitude
Muhammad Caricature Watch: French Weekly Charlie Hebdo Reprints Muhammad Caricatures
Muhammad Caricature Watch: Demonstrators Attack Norwegian Embassy in Tehran, IranMuhammad Caricature Watch: 4 Killed In Afghanistan in Caricature Bloodshed
Muhammad Caricature Watch: A Right to Blasphemy
Muhammad Caricature Watch: New Protests Erupt Around the World
Muhammad Caricature Watch: The False Cartoons and Danish Imams
Muhammad Caricature Watch: Angry Demonstrators Set Danish Consulate in Beirut AblazeMuhammad Caricature Watch: Syrian Protesters Set Danish Embassy Ablaze Over Cartoon
Muhammad Caricature Watch: Protests Over Muhammad Drawings IntensifyMuhammad Caricature Watch: Anger Over Cartoons of Muhammad Escalates
Day by Day by Chris Muir on CNN
Day by Day by Chris Muir on Muhammad Caricatures
Cox & Forkum: Publication of Caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad by a Danish Newspaper
Technorati Tags: Jyllands-Posten, ProphetMuhammad, Islam, Muhammadcaricatures
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Michael Angelo Moreno Watch: State Agrees to Place Anesthesia Expert in Death Chamber
Sacramento Bee: State OKs anesthesia expert at execution
Trying to stay on track for an execution next week, state lawyers agreed Wednesday to place an anesthesia expert in the death chamber to verify that the condemned man, Michael Angelo Morales, has been rendered unconscious before he receives the potentially painful drugs that will kill him.
The lawyers’ decision appears to satisfy conditions set by a federal judge for permitting the execution to proceed as scheduled at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday.
Previously federal judge, Jeremy Fogel of San Jose, ruled California must alter its protocol for executions.
California must either change the way it puts condemned inmates to death, or scrap plans to execute Michael Angelo Morales next week, a federal judge ruled Tuesday.
Judge Jeremy Fogel of San Jose said the state’s logs “in at least six of 13 executions by lethal injection” raise “at least some doubt” that inmates have been rendered unconscious before being injected with chemicals that cause paralysis and pain.
Fogel said state authorities can postpone the execution that’s set for next Tuesday and defend their current procedure in a two-day court hearing, starting May 2.
Otherwise, said the judge, they have two options for proceeding: They can substitute a barbiturate or combination of barbiturates for the three-drug series they currently plan on using. Or, they can station an experienced anesthesiologist in the execution chamber to verify that Morales is unconscious when he’s supposed to be.
Fogel gave the state’s lawyers until the close of business Thursday to exercise either option. The judge said he’s prepared to stay the execution if they reject both changes in procedure.
Looks like there will be justice for Terri Lynn Winchell next Tuesday.
In a one-paragraph filing Wednesday, lawyers from the attorney general’s office said the state “will comply with the second alternative.” They told Fogel they had “obtained the services of two highly qualified, board certified anesthesiologists to monitor (Morales) throughout the execution” – one primary and the other a backup to be available as needed.
But…..Morales attorneys may have filed an objection (due to be filed a few minutes ago).
So, stay tuned……..
Michael Angelo Morales Watch: Federal Judge May Delay Execution
Michael Angelo Morales Watch: Ventura County Judge Asks California Governor Schwarzenegger for Clemency
Michael Angelo Morales Watch: Kenneth Starr to Assist Death Row Clemency Bid
Technorati Tags: MichaelAngeloMorales,, ArnoldSchwarzenegger,, California,, KennethStarr,, TerriLynnWinchell,, LethalInjection
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Iran Nuclear Watch: France Accuses Iran of Clandestine Military Nuclear Activity
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (C) and Gholamreza Aghazadeh (L), head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organisation visit the Natanz uranium enrichment facilities some 322 kms, south of the capital Tehran, 15 February. UN atomic watchdog chief Mohamed ElBaradei has warned in quiet diplomacy that it will be hard to strike a compromise on Iran’s nuclear program without letting it do small-scale enrichment work — something the West firmly rejects, diplomats told AFP.
France has for the first time explicitly accused Iran of using its nuclear programme as a cover for clandestine military nuclear activity.BBC: France steps up rhetoric on Iran
Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy told French TV no civilian programme could explain Iran’s activity.
Iran says it resumed small-scale uranium enrichment work last week, after the UN nuclear watchdog reported it to the Security Council.
But Tehran insists the programme is solely for peaceful purposes.
Right!
Why is President Ahmadinejad so adamant in protecting Iran’s right to develop its own uranium?
Why NOT accept the Russian deal for their enrichment?
Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator sharply denied the charges made by Mr Douste-Blazy.
“Contrary to all the propaganda against us, we are not seeking a nuclear bomb, since we are a signatory to (the nuclear) Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT),” he said on French radio.
“We are a responsible country – it is Western propaganda that keeps on saying that Iran is seeking a bomb, but it is not true.”
Right……isn’t that what North Korea said prior to announcing they possessed nuclear weapons?
But Mr Douste-Blazy said Iran was being disingenuous.
“No civil nuclear programme can explain the Iranian nuclear programme. It is a clandestine military nuclear programme,” he said.
“The international community has sent a very strong message to the Iranians – show reason, suspend all nuclear activities and uranium enrichment. And they’re not listening to us.”
“That is the reason why, for the first time for days, the international community is united. It’s not just the Europeans – France, Germany and the British – it’s also Russia and China.”
Stay tuned……. the Iranians and Russian will meet on February 20 on a possible uranium enrichment deal.
But, it is doubtful……..
Previous:
Iran Nuclear Watch: Iran’s Ambassador to Portugal Questions HolocaustIran Nuclear Watch: Iran OWNS Russia and China Vetoes on United Nations Security Council
Iran Nuclear Watch: Iran Begins Small Scale Uranium Enrichment While Russia and France Oppose
Iran Nuclear Watch: Talks with Russia PostponedIran Nuclear Watch: Iran Reaffirms Commitment to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty
Iran Nuclear Watch: United States Preparing Military Strikes Against Iran Nucear Sites
Iran Nuclear Watch: Natanz Uranium Processing Plant has RestartedIran Nuclear Watch: “MYTH†of the Holcaust Redux
Iran Watch: Iran Paper Holds Holocaust Cartoons ContestIran Watch: Iran Paper Plans Holocaust Cartoons
Iran Nuclear Watch: Iran Tells IAEA to Remove Surveillance Cameras and Seals From Nuclear Sites
Iran Nuclear Watch: Russia Warns Against Iran Conflict
Iran Nuclear Watch: Iran Ends Cooperation With IAEA and Resumes Uranium EnrichmentIran Nuclear Watch: IAEA Reports Iran to United Nations Security Council
Iran Nuclear Watch: Iran Threatens Full-Scale Enrichment Work
Iran Nuclear Watch: Iran Says BACK OFF Or…Iran Nuclear Watch: Bush – United States Will Defend Israel Against Iran
Iran Nuclear Watch: Iran Will Resist “Bully Nationsâ€
Iran Watch: Bush: Iran ‘Held Hostage’ by Clerical Elite
Iran Nuclear Watch: Iran Documents Point to Nuclear Warheads
Iran Nuclear Watch: Iran Threatens End of Diplomacy
Iran Nuclear Watch: Permanent Five Say IAEA Must Report Iran to U.N. Security CouncilThe Natanz uranium enrichment complex in Natanz is pictured in this January 2, 2006 satellite image.
Technorati Tags: Iran, Russia, China, SergeiLavrov, UnitedNations, UnitedNationsSecurityCouncil, ZhouWenzhong, NicholasBurns, EuropeanUnion, MahmoudAhmadinejad, ManouchehrMottaki, JacquesChirac, Chirac, France, Iran, Nuclearweapons, nuclear, AbdulQadeerKhan, AliLarijani, CondoleezzaRice, JohnBolton, RezaVaidi, GholamHosseinMohseniEjehei
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Muhammad Caricature Watch: For the MORONS Who Defaced My Site
Thanks to California Conservative, a proud member of the Bear Flag League for making Flap’s morning brighter with this H/T.
From last night:
The FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog has been HACKED and Jumbled………
*****Scroll Down for UPDATES *****
Will be back with regular programming soon!
Until then….my ten most recent posts including Muhammad Caricatures seems to be intact.
My last post on Abu Ghraib – Muhammad Caricatures Hypocristy may have been lost.
More later….
Flap
Update #1
Flap has been in touch with his hosting company and they are working on a restore. the attack occurred at 7:10 PM and jumbled posts from the last four days.
Update #2 – February 15 – 6:30 AM PSTHosting Matters and Flap are working on a restore. Three days of posts were erased from the blog but Flap has them and will be back soon.
Stay tuned……..
Everything seems to be back to NORMAL………
Technorati Tags: Jyllands-Posten,, ProphetMuhammad,, Islam,, Muhammadcaricatures
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Muhammad Caricature Watch: Abu Ghraib Image Hypocrisy FLAP
*****IMPORTANT NOTE*****
This was Flap’s last post from last night before the Cyber-Attack defaced this site. While a restore is in progress please return here and Flap’s alternate site: FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – Original Site.
This image is from video made available Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2006 by the Special Broadcasting System in Australia is said by the broadcaster to show a prisoner bent forwards towards a seated man wearing a combat-style uniform. The Australian television network said the images of prisoners were made at the Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad in late 2003, and were among photographs the American Civil Liberties Union was trying to obtain from the U.S. government under a Freedom of Information request. SBS refused to give details on the source of the photographs, and the authenticity of the images could not be verified independently.
Washington Post: Australian TV Network Airs More Abu Ghraib Photos
An Australian television channel today broadcast more photographs of abuse of Iraqi prisoners at the U.S.-run Abu Ghraib prison outside Baghdad. The graphic images, which included naked, blood-soaked prisoners, were quickly picked up by Arabic television stations and Web sites around the world.
The abuse pictures were similar to or the same as the now-infamous images that came out in April 2004, sparking public outrage, a congressional investigation and the military trials of several U.S. soldiers. But their release could be significant because it comes at a time of already heightened tension between Muslim nations and the West over European newspaper cartoons satirizing the prophet Muhammad.
So, let’s look at the coverage of the newly released (but a few years old) Abu Ghraib prison photos and the Muhammad Caricatures.
May 2004: Inside Abu Ghraib
Photo Gallery
Images obtained by The Washington Post reveal more about the treatment of Iraqi prisoners.
Exclusive Video
Video excerpt obtained by The Washington Post and edited for posting depicts prison abuse.
Documents
Official sworn statements from Iraqi detainees in Abu Ghraib describe their experiences.
Muhammad Caricature
This handout photo from SBS TV allegedly shows a hooded and bound prisoner being attacked by a dog in Iraq’s notorious Abu Ghraib jail supposedly during interrogation by US soldiers in Baghdad in 2004. The Pentagon has confirmed the authenticity of a set of photographs of prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib that were aired for the first time by Australian television, a defense official said.
Now, let’s look at the Washington Posts’ statement of the Muhammad Caricatures which they have NOT published.
From the Editor and Publisher:
“They wouldn’t meet our standards for what we publish in the paper,” said Leonard Downie, Jr., executive editor of The Washington Post, which ran a front-page story on the issue Friday, but has not published the cartoons. “We have standards about language, religious sensitivity, racial sensitivity and general good taste.”
Downie, who said the images also had not been placed on the Post Web site, compared the decision to similar choices not to run offensive photos of dead bodies or offensive language. “We described them,” he said of such images. “Just like in the case of covering the hurricanes in New Orleans or terrorist attacks in Iraq. We will describe horrific scenes.”
Hypocritical treatment of the Muhammad Caricatures?
Different publishing standards?
You betcha……..
Muhammad Caricature
This handout image from Australian public broadcaster SBS TV allegedly shows a prisoner in Iraq’s Abu Ghraib prison being displayed by US soldiers with his throat cut in Baghdad in 2004. SBS has shown what it said were previously unpublished photographs of the abuse of prisoners by US soldiers in Abu Ghraib.
The MSM are all over the “NEWLY RELEASED” (but not new) Abu Ghraib prison photos from a couple of years ago.
From Reuters: New graphic Abu Ghraib images
Yet, the Muhammad Caricatures have ONLY been published in the blogosphere and a couple of MSM newspapers?
Tell Flap why?
Previous:
Muhammad Caricature Watch: The FLAP Over Publication of Muhammad Caricatures on the InternetMuhammad Caricature Watch: Thousands of Protesters Rampage in 2 Pakistani Cities
Cox & Forkum on the Muhammad Caricatures: Overboard
Muhammad Caricature Watch: Pakistan Police Gas Students Protesting CaricaturesMuhammad Caricature Watch: Condolezza Rice – Muslim Outrage Could “Spin Out of Controlâ€
Muhammad Caricature Watch: Denmark Withdraws Diplomats from Iran and Indonesia
Muhammad Caricature Watch: Thousands Protest Against Prophet Drawings
Muhammad Caricature Watch: Muslim Leaders Urge Calm
Muhammad Caricature Watch: Are Extemists Fanning Caricature Outrage?Muhammad Caricature Watch: Egypt and the Muhammad Caricatures
Muhammad Caricature Watch: Condoleezza Rice – Iran and Syria Stoking Anger – The Response
Muhammad Caricature Watch: Condoleezza Rice – Iran and Syria Stoking AngerCox & Forkum: Western Dhimmitude
Muhammad Caricature Watch: French Weekly Charlie Hebdo Reprints Muhammad Caricatures
Muhammad Caricature Watch: Demonstrators Attack Norwegian Embassy in Tehran, IranMuhammad Caricature Watch: 4 Killed In Afghanistan in Caricature Bloodshed
Muhammad Caricature Watch: A Right to Blasphemy
Muhammad Caricature Watch: New Protests Erupt Around the World
Muhammad Caricature Watch: The False Cartoons and Danish Imams
Muhammad Caricature Watch: Angry Demonstrators Set Danish Consulate in Beirut AblazeMuhammad Caricature Watch: Syrian Protesters Set Danish Embassy Ablaze Over Cartoon
Muhammad Caricature Watch: Protests Over Muhammad Drawings IntensifyMuhammad Caricature Watch: Anger Over Cartoons of Muhammad Escalates
Day by Day by Chris Muir on CNN
Day by Day by Chris Muir on Muhammad Caricatures
Cox & Forkum: Publication of Caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad by a Danish Newspaper
Technorati Tags: Jyllands-Posten, ProphetMuhammad, Islam, Muhammadcaricatures