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Muhammad Cartoons “Mumbai-Style” Terror Plot Foiled by Danish Intelligence
Offices of the Jyllands-Posten Newspaper which published the Muhammed Cartoons
An imminent terrorist plot against the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten who published the infamous Muhammed Cartoons was foiled today.The Danish intelligence agency said Wednesday that it had arrested five men suspected of an “imminent” terror plot against the Danish newspaper that ran controversial cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad in 2005.
The arrests come only a couple weeks after central Stockholm was rocked by two explosions that Swedish police have deemed a terror attack. The plots in the two Scandinavian countries are unusual because the region has been largely removed, until now, from the terrorism concerns that grip much of Western Europe.
Three of the men linked to the plot in Denmark are Swedish citizens and one of the five men arrested was arrested in Sweden, the New York Times reported. The men are not connected with the attack in Sweden, in which only the bomber was killed.
he men arrested in Denmark are a 44-year-old Tunisian, a 29-year-old Swede born in Lebanon, a 30-year-old Swede, and a 26-year-old Iraqi asylum seeker. The man arrested in Sweden was a 37-year-old Swede with Tunisian roots, Agence France-Presse reported. The Copenhagen Daily reports that the arrests stem from collaboration between Danish intelligence and Swedish law enforcement in a long-term surveillance operation.
The cartoons, published in 2005 in the Danish daily Jyllands-Posten, featured caricatures of the Prophet, which are considered blasphemous by most Muslims and prompted anger and violent rioting in some Muslim countries.
The men planned to kill as many as possible in the building housing the newspaper, the Copenhagen Daily reports.
The New York Times account of the “Mumbai-style” attack is here.
This is not the first time the newspaper or Kurt Westergaard, the cartoonist who drew the Muhammed Cartoons. Remember the Somali who was linked to Radical Islamic al-Shabab and al Qaeda who tried to assassinate Westergaard with an axe?
And, the attack in Sweden may have been linked to another controversial caartoon.
…the e-mail threat connected to the attack references Lars Vilks, a Swedish cartoonist who drew caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad as a dog in 2007 in the Swedish newspaper Tidningarnas Telegrambyra, the Monitor reported.
“Now, your children — daughters and sisters — will die like our brothers and sisters and children die,” the recording said, according to the Times. “Our actions will speak for themselves. As long as you do not end your war against Islam and the insult against the prophet and your stupid support for that pig Vilks.”
Of course, there was security in the building just as Westergaard had a “panic room” installed in his residence.
The Jyllands-Posten building was already under high security before the arrests, said Lars Munch, the director of the newspaper’s corporate owner, on the newspaper’s Web site. He called the plot “appalling” and said the newspaper was cooperating with Danish police in their investigation.
Prime Minister Loekke Rasmussen of Denmark told reporters that he was “shocked” by the attack.
“Regardless of today’s event, it remains my conviction that terrorism must not lead us to change our open society and our values, especially democracy and free speech,” he said.
And, here are the cartoons that have created this “EXCUSE” for terrorist activities.
And, all of this for what?
Cartoons of Muhammad
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Election 2012, George Allen, Jim Webb, Jon Tester, Kent Conrad, National Republican Senatorial Committee
GOP NRSC Targets Montana, Virginia, Nebraska, Florida and North Dakota in 2012 Senate Races
Montana Democrat U.S. Senator Jon Tester – a GOP target in 2012
The National Republican Senatorial Committee has released its target list for 2012.The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) has its eyes on five key races that could pave the way for the GOP to take the majority in the upper chamber in 2012.
NRSC Executive Director Ron Jesmer said in an interview with CNN published Wednesday that the committee believes there is “fertile ground” for Republicans gains in Montana, Virginia, Nebraksa, Florida and North Dakota.
Jesmer said that centrist Nebraska Sen. Ben Nelson (D) is in “serious trouble and kind of in a league of his own,” and that Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) also “is in a lot of trouble.”
“There are other states where depending on if one candidate runs, there could be some other good challenges,” he added.
The official’s comments provide an early preview to the GOP’s strategy heading into the 2012 Senate campaign, when the party is expected to make gains on the Democrats and take the majority.
Montana, Nebraska and North Dakota were won by 2008 GOP presidential nominee John McCain. Florida and Virginia flipped from red to blue two years ago, but some see the states tilting back to the GOP after the party picked up a number of House seats in each state.
Barring any GOP blow up in the next year, I see a relatively easy time for the GOP to take control of the Senate in 2012 – or at least come within a few seats, but have an in effect operating majority.
Ben Nelson in Nebraska is toast as are North Dakota’s Kent Conrad and Montana’s Jon Tester.
Former Virginia Senator George Allen has a good chance to best the irascible and weird Jim Webb (if he runs).
It will be good Dem Senate hunting for the GOP in 2012.
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Video: Sarah Palin “Person of the Year” In the Pole Position for GOP Presidential Nomination
As I have said before, it is Sarah Palin’s nomination to either accept or decline. Pat Bucchanan, conservative pundit extraordinaire is RIGHT.
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Sarah Palin Faces Gloomy New Poll Numbers – But Does It Matter?
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, center, is interviewed by Fox News Channel journalist Greta Van Susteren during her visit to a cholera treatment center run by Rev. Franklin Graham’s relief organization Samaritan’s Purse in Cabaret, Haiti, Saturday Dec. 11, 2010.
A new set of poll numbers released on Tuesday reinforced the daunting challenge that former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin would face in turning the tide in her favor among both Republican primary and general election voters if she were to decide to run for president in 2012.
Perhaps the most discouraging new number as it relates to Palin’s presidential ambitions was a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll, which showed that 49 percent of Republicans said that they were now “very” or “somewhat likely” to support a Palin presidential bid.
At first glance, 49 percent may appear to be a promising slice of the GOP electorate, but it is down dramatically from the 67 percent of Republicans who said that they were likely to support a Palin run when they were asked in a previous CNN poll conducted in December of 2008.
Sixty-seven percent of Republicans in the new CNN poll said that they were somewhat or very likely to support former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee in 2012, while 59 percent said the same of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.
The CNN poll was conducted by telephone from December 17-19 and had a margin of error of plus or minus three percent.
And, looking at another survey, she does not do better.
Compounding those dour numbers for Palin was the release on Tuesday of a series of Democratically-affiliated Public Policy Polling (PPP) state surveys, which were conducted over the past couple of months. The PPP polls showed the former Alaska governor with low favorability ratings among voters in key battleground states.
In Ohio, North Carolina, Florida, Virginia, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan, Palin’s overall favorability rating ranged from 34 percent to 37 percent. Meanwhile, her unfavorable rating in those seven bellwether states ranged from 52 percent to 60 percent.
But, the real question for Sarah Palin is whether she thinks a run against President Obama is winnable in nine or ten key battleground states.
- Ohio – 20 (electoral votes): -2 after reapportionment
- Virginia – 13
- Colorado – 9
- Florida -27: +2 after reapportionment
- Nevada – 5: +1 after reapportionment
- Wisconsin -10
- New Hampshire – 4
- Indiana – 11
- North Carolina – 15
I think Palin could win a multi-way GOP primary election/caucus against Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee and/or Newt Gingrich. And, win easily and EARLY.
But, can she beat Obama in the states above?
Palin does not have to decide anytime soon (she will hold off a final decision until April 2011) and watch her political events in these states.
Sarah will be watching her polls and then it is time for deciding. If there is a chance of beating Obama, she runs.
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Day By Day December 29, 2010 – MarsVenus
Chris, a high level of audio encryption will be required for Sam’s phone sex conversations with Zed who is in Afghanistan. Yeah, Sam misses him.But, it is a war zone after all……
On the day after the day after, New Yorkers were left wondering what happened. There are still many streets that haven’t seen a plow yet.
“I’m curious as to why none of this has been plowed yet,” one person told CBS 2?s Lou Young. “All the streets around here, very few have been plowed. One was half-plowed.”
“I think they get an F-minus,” said Arlene Buonintane of Queens Village. “I think they really screwed up because, you know, this is ridiculous. You still have ambulances that have to get out. You still have police and firefighters that have to get through and none of the side streets are plowed.”
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links for 2010-12-28
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Tea party activists are targeting GOP Senator Richard Lugar of Indiana. A longtime lawmaker and former presidential candidate, he has irritated some conservatives of late with his more liberal voting record.
Recently, he voted against an earmark ban that was championed by conservatives and tea party activists and even supported by Indiana's other senator, Democrat Evan Bayh. According to the Evansville Courier, Mr. Lugar defended his vote on the grounds that restricting Congress's ability to finance pet projects back home would give "too much power" to the Obama administration. Last week, Mr. Lugar bucked the party yet again and voted for the Dream Act, which was defeated but would have allowed the children of illegal immigrants to gain citizenship if they attend college or join the military.
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Time to retire Sen. Lugar
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Mrs. Obama’s “eat your veggies” crusade is at once a remarkably shallow response and a remarkably ambitious one: She may know next to nothing about the deeper issues, but she has adamant faith that the transformative quality of political power will allow even the most ignorant politician — or politician’s wife — to ameliorate any problem, even one that has thus far proved “impervious to clinical treatment.” By the same token, Mrs. Palin’s dismissal of that conceit contains more wisdom than is understood by political entrepreneurs of the Obama variety or by their factota in the media. Advantage: Palin.
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Indeed Sarah Palin is correct but a smart POL must pick and choose important issues.
This is probably not a wise choice – even though Palin is correct.
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So as California outlaws the traditional incandescent next week, and the U.S. begins its move down this road a year later, we should ask, will forcing fluorescents on people deter them from getting timed or motion-sensor lights? If so, will the energy savings of this legislation be wiped out?
There are plenty of other unintended consequences related to the lightbulb law that will offset the gains in energy efficiency.
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Of course and to think that government is efficient. -
One key reason for the Tea Party movement is that there has been no real public debate on this most fundamental of topics for at least 30 years. I believe we do not have a common understanding today of where federal intervention in school vending machines stands in relation to political liberty. It’s true Sarah Palin often expresses the more libertarian side of this question with a populist inelegance that may be unhelpful, but that doesn’t mean that the debate is over regarding how much we should let government manage our life choices. That debate must form part of the discussion on conservative economics and morality as we advance toward 2012.
All that said, I concur with Peter’s gentle and well-considered point on mocking Michelle Obama. That’s not the way to introduce this topic. Contrarianism only goes so far: it is generosity of spirit, good humor, and courtesy that will win the day for the aspiring political leader who reclaims these fundamental issues for conservatives.
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An index of U.S. consumer confidence declined to 52.5 in December on concerns about jobs in the present and future, the Conference Board reported Tuesday. Economists polled by MarketWatch had expected confidence to rise to 56.9. "Consumers' assessment of the current state of the economy and labor market remains tepid, and their outlook remains cautious," said Lynn Franco, director of Conference Board's consumer research center, in a statement. However, she added that signs suggest a continuation next year of the economy's expansion, "but that the pace of growth will remain moderate."
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Until the Congress reins in Obama's anti-business regulations and attitude, the economy will NOT measurably improve. -
For one thing, nearly one out of three children are overweight or obese. The annual cost of treating obesity and related preventable chronic conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and orthopedic issues constitutes fully 16.5 percent of all U.S. spending on medical care ($168 billion). And if a child is overweight between ages 10 and 15, he or she has a 70 percent chance of still being overweight/obese at 25. Obesity is a leading cause of preventable death in America, second only to smoking. So the problem of childhood obesity is real. And there are entirely reasonable steps that can be taken to address it, including (to name just one) banning vending machines from schools. Does that constitute the “nanny state run amok”?
The Journal rightly compares Mrs. Obama’s effort to President Kennedy’s Presidential Fitness Award and Nancy Reagan’s “Just Say No” campaign on drugs, both of which were successes.
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But, Palin does herself a disservice for attacking everything Obama.
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Gottemeoller admitted that this block of GOP senators, which included Senate leaders Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Jon Kyl (R-AZ), John McCain (R-AZ), and Lindsey Graham (R-SC), could stay intact if the administration decides to enter into another congressional arms control debate.
"Now, clearly, there are members of the Senate who are not keen on further arms control measures. That's always been the case," she said. "There has always been a block of opponents, historically, to nuclear arms reduction and control in the Senate. That's part of a healthy debate; it's part of a healthy process. I don't see that as a major, major issue."
But it certainly could be a major issue as the 2012 presidential race approaches. The Heritage e-mail notes correctly that prospective GOP candidates Mitt Romney, Tim Pawlenty, John Thune, Newt Gingrich and Sarah Palin all were opposed to New START.
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A victory for Obama?All spin
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Big Conservative Organizations Leaving CPAC
Mark Steyn and Pamela Geller at CPAC
It was bound to happen by trying to accommodate everyone – from the John Birch Society to GOProud.Two of the nation’s premier moral issues organizations, the Family Research Council and Concerned Women for America, are refusing to attend the Conservative Political Action Conference in February because a homosexual activist group, GOProud, has been invited.
“We’ve been very involved in CPAC for over a decade and have managed a couple of popular sessions. However, we will no longer be involved with CPAC because of the organization’s financial mismanagement and movement away from conservative principles,” said Tom McClusky, senior vice president for FRC Action.
“CWA has decided not to participate in part because of GOProud,” CWA President Penny Nance told WND.
FRC and CWA join the American Principles Project, American Values, Capital Research Center, the Center for Military Readiness, Liberty Counsel, and the National Organization for Marriage in withdrawing from CPAC. In November, APP organized a boycott of CPAC over the participation of GOProud.
Besides social conservatives being upset with the inclusion of GOProud, there is also a financial scandal that is brewing within the CPAC organization.
The non-profit organization responsible for the largest annual conservative gathering in the U.S. is under investigation for embezzlement of hundreds of thousands of dollars in donor money over several years, WND has learned.
The American Conservative Union, headed by David Keene and best known for its organization of the Conservative Political Action Conference each year in the nation’s capital, has been embroiled in controversies in recent years, but this one is shaking the foundations of the Washington institution.
The American Conservative Union reported to the Internal Revenue Service last month a “material diversion of the organization’s assets” totaling over $400,000. The group has an annual operating budget of about $1.5 million.
I never found the desire to travel to D.C. in the middle of winter to cozy up to conservative pundits and leaders who would always come to California anyway. And, besides, the weather is horrendous and why pay for misery?
Also, with the advent of social media, access to the conservative movement is only a tweet or click away.
For convention junkies, there is always WCPAC. where my USC buddy, Jim Lacy is Chairman. There will NOT be a controversy there, I bet.I will probably attend WCPAC this next year.
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Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels Warns of Debt and Clarifies Social Issues “Truce” Comment
Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels (center)
In an interview, Republican Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels talks about America’s debt, the federal government and 2012 Presidential politics. He, also clarifies the “Truce” comment he made regarding social issues and a possible Presidential campaign.Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels is weighing a run for president and will make a final decision at the end of April or before. In a year-end interview with NewsChannel 15, he talked presidential politics.
Mellinger: “Do you regret now saying that we should call a truce on social issues in the interest of paying attention to the debt and fiscal matters?”
Daniels: “I never regret saying what I think. I’ve tried to make a practice of being straight and level with people and I accept if people disagree. I think some people misunderstood what I was really saying.”
Mellinger: “What did you mean by a truce?”
Daniels: “I simply meant that I think the nation faces a genuine emergency in the debt we’ve piled up. It could wreck America. It could end the American dream literally if we don’t handle it and handle it soon.”
“It’s just like if there was an army on our border. We would drop other things or we would set them aside for awhile and we would rush to the barricades and defend our country. And all I was saying was [that] if you’re facing a mortal survival threat like that, we’re going to need to get together more than just a bare majority of Americans. When you’re trying to make big change in a state or a nation, the way to do that is to have an unnaturally large consensus. And so we’re going to need people who disagree sincerely about other questions to agree about these changes.”
Mellinger: “This was not you saying ‘I’m not going to work to appoint Supreme Court justices in the Alito or Roberts or Thomas mold.’ It wasn’t anything to alarm social conservatives.”
Daniels: “First of all, it wasn’t directed to them. It was directed as much to people who, for instance, are very aggressively trying to change the definition of marriage… Stand down for awhile. Let’s save America.”
“I’ve had the first and only Indiana Supreme Court opportunity I think I’ll ever get. Anybody looking at the choice [should see] a strict constructionist, very much a person who wants to interpret law, not make law. Of course that’s my view and a very deeply held one.”
Daniels also has some kind words to say about Sarah Palin.
Mellinger: “Do you think Sarah Palin can win the presidency in a general election?”
Daniels: “I don’t know. No one knows right now. “
Mellinger: “Does she represent the best and brightest the Republican Party has to offer in 2012?”
Daniels: “[She] hasn’t been fully tested, you know. Give her a chance. Give her a chance. She’s been heard from lately on some issues for the first time and I thought she wrote about them and spoke about them pretty well.”
If Sarah Palin takes a pass on a 2012 Presidential run, look for a draft Mitch Daniels campaign popping up among establishment conservatves. A proven POL, Daniels, would be a fresh face without the baggage of Romney, Huckabee and Gingrich.
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President 2012 Poll Watch: Huckabee Leads Romney, Palin and Gingrich in GOP Likely Support
Of course, the lede from CNN is: TRENDING: CNN 2012 Poll: Obama and Palin going in different directions?As the start of the next presidential campaign nears, a new national poll suggests that President Barack Obama’s tax-cut compromise with congressional Republicans did not hurt his standing among Democrats, while former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin may be dropping in the eyes of Republicans.
But, this is misleading since President Obama has NO real primary opposition and the polling is not Obama Vs any Likely GOP nominee. But, what is important in this poll is how well Mike Huckabee and Newt Gingrich are doing with Sarah Palin in the field.
In the battle for the GOP presidential nomination, the survey suggests Palin may have some work to do if she throws her hat in the ring. Only 49 percent of Republicans say that they are likely to support Sen. John McCain’s running mate in 2008 for the Republican nomination in 2012.
“That’s a huge 18-point drop since December of 2008, when two-thirds of GOPers said they were likely to support Palin. It also puts her well behind potential rivals Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney, and a bit behind Newt Gingrich as well,” adds Holland.
Two-thirds of Republicans questioned say they would likely support Huckabee as their nominee in 2012. The former Arkansas governor and 2008 GOP presidential candidate is considering another bid for the White House. So is another candidate from the last election, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. Fifty-nine percent of Republicans say they would likely support Romney. That number drops to 54 percent for former House Speaker Newt Gingrich of Georgia, who is also contemplating a run for the White House.
This poll is most alarming for Mitt Romney since as the anti-Palin candidate he does not stand out.
If indeed, Sarah Palin does not run in 2012, I am thinking that the other three, Huckabee, Romney, or Gingrich may be slugging it out throughout the primary season – something that the GOP will not want as a prelude to an Obama face off. This may very well open the race for another candidate, backed by Sarah Palin, to run against the establishment field.
Indiana Rep. Mike Pence or Governor Mitch Daniels?
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Day By Day December 28, 2010 – Food for Thought
It is understandable that Sam is obsessing about everything that reminds her of her man, Zed.It is also understandable why President Obama is weighing into African-American pop culture/sports with his outpouring of love for NFL football player and convicted felon, Michael Vick.
On Monday, the buzz was about how the president had weighed in on the redemption of Michael Vick. Obama phoned the owner of the Philadelphia Eagles to praise the team for giving a second chance to the quarterback, who is again a National Football League star 19 months after leaving prison for his role in a horrific dogfighting ring that killed pit bulls by electrocution, hanging and drowning.
The president has not spoken publicly about the call, though aides acknowledged that it took place. But Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie told Peter King of Sports Illustrated and NBC Sports that during their conversation Obama was passionate about Vick’s comeback.
“He said, ‘So many people who serve time never get a fair second chance,’ ” said Lurie, who did not indicate when the call occurred. “He said, ‘It’s never a level playing field for prisoners when they get out of jail.’ And he was happy that we did something on such a national stage that showed our faith in giving someone a second chance after such a major downfall.”
Bill Burton, a White House spokesman, said Obama “of course condemns the crimes that Michael Vick was convicted of, but, as he’s said previously, he does think that individuals who have paid for their crimes should have an opportunity to contribute to society again.”
Burton added that Obama called Lurie in part to discuss plans for the use of alternative energy at Lincoln Financial Field, where the Eagles play.
There are ONLY nine or ten states that will be key battleground ones for the Obama re-election campaign.
- Ohio – 20 (electoral votes): -2 after reapportionment
- Virginia – 13
- Colorado – 9
- Florida -27: +2 after reapportionment
- Nevada – 5: +1 after reapportionment
- Wisconsin -10
- New Hampshire – 4
- Indiana – 11
- North Carolina – 15
And, Obama will need to turn out EVERY African-American and Hispanic voter he can in order to win (African-Americans vote 90% and Hispanics 75% for Democrats). Hence, the President in playing racial pop culture politics is simply shoring up his racial base for his re-election campaign.
Does Obama care for his obvious racial political play?
No, because if he does not overwhelmingly win his base he LOSES re-election.
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