The U.S. and Consorting with Terrorists

 

We haven’t had a major terrorist action like the 9/11 attacks in the US for good reason. Our governmental agencies still take potential attacks seriously in this country and are vigilant. My greatest concern now is that we, the public, will become complacent.

Many Islamic groups appear to be taking an increasingly public stand against efforts that protect this country; they are determined to undermine our counter-terrorism activities. And they’re making an ongoing effort to manipulate our lawmakers to help them forward their agenda. Many concerning people are also running for government positions all over the country.

One global threat that our lawmakers continue to ignore is the Muslim Brotherhood. Just last year a panel spoke to Congress about the Brotherhood, with mixed results. A former coordinator of counter-terrorism for the Obama State Department, Daniel Benjamin, tried to assure Congress that the Brotherhood was not a threat. He added “. . . that taking a hardline approach against the group could alienate non-extremist Muslims living in the U.S.”

He likely has no evidence for that concern.

Yet the Brotherhood has held onto its original manifesto, as one panelist explained:

Jonathan Schanzer, a senior vice president of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told the panel, “There’s really nothing in [the Brotherhood’s] creed, which is ultimately the dogma that they adhere to at their core, that suggests that they have given up violence as an approach or that they have embraced democracy.”

The Muslim Brotherhood has also spawned multiple organizations with radical agendas all over the world.

Another organization that has become more visible in recent years is the Coalition for Civil Freedoms. It is a Muslim lobbyist group for jihadists.

CCF affiliates with, among other Muslim organizations, the Council of American Islamic Relations. In 2014, Florida chapter members held a pro-Hamas rally outside the Israeli consulate in Miami; attendees shouted, “We are Hamas!” and “Hamas kicked your -ss!”

Even more concerning is that CCF is lobbying for new legislation, the Entrapment and Government Overreach Relief Act. Here is a summary of the legislation:

Liberty today is threatened by political encroachment and governmental overreach, in the name of National Security. At present there is no codified defense against entrapment, no check on the arbitrary expansion of security laws to include Constitutionally protected activities, and no prohibition against showing secret evidence to judges (but not the defense) in criminal trials. The government uses these legal loop holes to incarcerate political enemies rather than people who actually intended to commit crimes. The EGO Relief Act limits these abuses by:

  1. Codifying (for the first time) an Entrapment defense to limit prosecutions of targets induced by the FBI to commit crimes created by the government;
  2. Limiting material support to terrorism prosecutions to cases where there is proof that the target intends to support violence;
  3. Providing that any classified evidence shown to the judge by the prosecution must also be disclosed to security-cleared defense counsel.

This type of legislation will, in fact, compromise our national security. CCF has met with legislators, including Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, to promote this cause. Of course, we don’t know how they’ve responded, but their pro-Palestinian positions are well-known.

Finally, as of last year, over 90 Muslims, almost all of them Democrats, are running for office, ranging from local school Boards to the US Senate, and some are acknowledging that their Muslim identity is central to their campaign. One source makes the following statement about candidates, with which I concur:

There is no problem with a Muslim in the U.S. who sincerely renounces jihad and sharia, and who is working to reform Islam, and is clear about rejecting the elements of sharia that contradict American laws and principles, running for office. The problem is that all these far-left Democrat candidates will never even be asked by the mainstream media about their views of jihad and sharia, and they will be working, as the Democrat establishment does, against counter-terror efforts.

If a different ethnic and religious community were involved, I might be delighted to know that they are engaging with our American culture and want to help forward our beliefs and values. But with the ambivalence of our lawmakers about assertively managing the Islamic dangers; with, even now, Congressional representatives making statements that are anti-American and anti-Semitic; and with the organizations that are determined to discourage our efforts to act against radical Islam, I’m very concerned.

Complacency will always lose to bad actors.

Published in Islamist Terrorism
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  1. RushBabe49 Thatcher
    RushBabe49
    @RushBabe49

    People are afraid of what might happen to them if they oppose Islam.  Muslims opposed often try and sometimes succeed in murdering their opponents.  Apostates are marked for death, and don’t forget “Death to America”.

    I have been drummed out of my family for loudly opposing Islam.  My family is Jewish.  My nephew’s wife’s family has a Muslim background.

    • #1
  2. Jon1979 Inactive
    Jon1979
    @Jon1979

    In the past two months, we’ve had the first people come on legal voting age who were not born when 9/11 occurred, and that’s going to be a problem going forward, because as human nature has shown, lots of people can’t be convinced of a problem by hearing about past instances. They have to experience the problem themselves in order to take the problem seriously, and in many cases, it’s too late by then to prevent a lot of the damage.

    (You can see that in New York not simply in regards to terrorism, but to the plunge in crime from 25 years ago. Too many people either weren’t born or weren’t living in the city during the fun times between 1966 and 1993, and since the new arrivals and the young voters trend liberal, you can’t tell  them how the city slowly slipped into a situation where six murders per day was considered, if not acceptable, than intractable and unfixable by the people in charge by the early 1990s. They’re just going to have to experience the new deterioration themselves, and then decide if staying true to their ideology is more important than stopping their quality-of-life declines.)

    • #2
  3. DonG (skeptic) Coolidge
    DonG (skeptic)
    @DonG

    Susan Quinn: We haven’t had a major terrorist attack in the U.S.

    How do you define major?  We had an eco-terrorist kill 22 and wound 24 in El Paso just a few months ago.  That feels major to me.

    • #3
  4. Susan Quinn Contributor
    Susan Quinn
    @SusanQuinn

    RushBabe49 (View Comment):

    People are afraid of what might happen to them if they oppose Islam. Muslims opposed often try and sometimes succeed in murdering their opponents. Apostates are marked for death, and don’t forget “Death to America”.

    I have been drummed out of my family for loudly opposing Islam. My family is Jewish. My nephew’s wife’s family has a Muslim background.

    I know there are rumored to be death threats, but I wonder if they would follow through in this country, @rushbabe49. I’ve not heard of a murder with that purpose, but I’d sure like to know if it’s happened. So sorry about your family.

    • #4
  5. Susan Quinn Contributor
    Susan Quinn
    @SusanQuinn

    DonG (skeptic) (View Comment):

    Susan Quinn: We haven’t had a major terrorist attack in the U.S.

    How do you define major? We had an eco-terrorist kill 22 and wound 24 in El Paso just a few months ago. That feels major to me.

    Fair enough, @dong. I don’t want to minimize those attacks like El Paso and San Bernardo. I was thinking of the Twin Towers, but your are correct. Perhaps I should edit that remark.

    • #5
  6. Susan Quinn Contributor
    Susan Quinn
    @SusanQuinn

    Jon1979 (View Comment):
    They’re just going to have to experience the new deterioration themselves, and then decide if staying true to their ideology is more important than stopping their quality-of-life declines.)

    Since nobody teaches history anymore, particularly recent history, I guess they will need to know the suffering personally. It just reflects another loss for this country–the lack of information needed to make wise decisions. Thanks, @jon1979.

    • #6
  7. Stad Coolidge
    Stad
    @Stad

    Susan Quinn: But with the ambivalence of our lawmakers about assertively managing the Islamic dangers; with, even now, Congressional representatives making statements that are anti-American and anti-Semitic; and with the organizations that are determined to discourage our efforts to act against radical Islam, I’m very concerned.

    You should also be concerned about mainstream Islam as well.  It promotes barbaric punishments, FGM, and spectalcular public executions to keep the “faithful” in line.  Mainstream Islam is also trying to make inroads into this and other modern countries, the intention to yank them (and us) back to the middle ages, thus ridding us of the advances of Western Civilization.

    Sure, Western Civ has had its barbaric periods, but we’ve overcome them.  Islam has yet to take a step out of the Dark Ages . . .

    • #7
  8. DonG (skeptic) Coolidge
    DonG (skeptic)
    @DonG

    I do think the FBI entraps people.  They find some dolt with bad ideas and they offer them the means to do bad and arrest them.  I don’t think is about “political enemies”, but justifying big budgets and furthering the security theater.  We need judges and prosecutors that are willing to end entrapment cases.

    Susan Quinn:

    Government Overreach Relief Act. Here is a summary of the legislation:

    Liberty today is threatened by political encroachment and governmental overreach, in the name of National Security. At present there is no codified defense against entrapment, no check on the arbitrary expansion of security laws to include Constitutionally protected activities,

    If the Constitution protects activities, then more laws will not help.  If there is a problem, it is with judges.

    and no prohibition against showing secret evidence to judges (but not the defense) in criminal trials. The government uses these legal loop holes to incarcerate political enemies rather than people who actually intended to commit crimes. The EGO Relief Act limits these abuses by:

    • #8
  9. DonG (skeptic) Coolidge
    DonG (skeptic)
    @DonG

    RushBabe49 (View Comment):
    I have been drummed out of my family for loudly opposing Islam.

    Perhaps it would help to be more specific with your wording.  It might come across better, if you oppose those followers of Islam that violate American principles. 

    • #9
  10. DonG (skeptic) Coolidge
    DonG (skeptic)
    @DonG

    Stad (View Comment):
    and spectalcular public executions to keep the “faithful” in line. Mainstream Islam

    Public execution is a regional thing, not a religious thing.  Pakistan does not do public executions, but North Korea does. 

    • #10
  11. Kay of MT Inactive
    Kay of MT
    @KayofMT

    DonG (skeptic) (View Comment):

    RushBabe49 (View Comment):
    I have been drummed out of my family for loudly opposing Islam.

    Perhaps it would help to be more specific with your wording. It might come across better, if you oppose those followers of Islam that violate American principles.

    There is no moderate Islam. Every single person who is a muslim, and takes the oath of office in the United States has committed a lie, as they cannot take an oath to protect our laws and country over Islamic law.

    Taqiyya: Deception and Lying in Islam

    https://www.thereligionofpeace.com/pages/quran/taqiyya.aspxMuslim scholars teach that Muslims should generally be truthful to each other, unless the purpose of lying is to “smooth over differences” or “gain the upper-hand over an enemy”. There are several forms of lying to non-believers that are permitted under certain circumstances, the best known being taqiyya (the Shia name).

    • #11
  12. Buckpasser Member
    Buckpasser
    @Buckpasser

    Jon1979 (View Comment):

    In the past two months, we’ve had the first people come on legal voting age who were not born when 9/11 occurred, and that’s going to be a problem going forward, because as human nature has shown, lots of people can’t be convinced of a problem by hearing about past instances. They have to experience the problem themselves in order to take the problem seriously, and in many cases, it’s too late by then to prevent a lot of the damage.

    (You can see that in New York not simply in regards to terrorism, but to the plunge in crime from 25 years ago. Too many people either weren’t born or weren’t living in the city during the fun times between 1966 and 1993, and since the new arrivals and the young voters trend liberal, you can’t tell them how the city slowly slipped into a situation where six murders per day was considered, if not acceptable, than intractable and unfixable by the people in charge by the early 1990s. They’re just going to have to experience the new deterioration themselves, and then decide if staying true to their ideology is more important than stopping their quality-of-life declines.)

    I have said many times that “you can’t learn from mistakes that somebody else makes”.  Usually only when you make the mistake, and not always then either.

    • #12
  13. Susan Quinn Contributor
    Susan Quinn
    @SusanQuinn

    DonG (skeptic) (View Comment):

    I do think the FBI entraps people. They find some dolt with bad ideas and they offer them the means to do bad and arrest them. I don’t think is about “political enemies”, but justifying big budgets and furthering the security theater. We need judges and prosecutors that are willing to end entrapment cases.

    Susan Quinn:

    Government Overreach Relief Act. Here is a summary of the legislation:

    Liberty today is threatened by political encroachment and governmental overreach, in the name of National Security. At present there is no codified defense against entrapment, no check on the arbitrary expansion of security laws to include Constitutionally protected activities,

    If the Constitution protects activities, then more laws will not help. If there is a problem, it is with judges.

    and no prohibition against showing secret evidence to judges (but not the defense) in criminal trials. The government uses these legal loop holes to incarcerate political enemies rather than people who actually intended to commit crimes. The EGO Relief Act limits these abuses by:

    I’m sure there are people who abuse the system, @dong. But I’m skeptical about the reasons given for changing the law. Law enforcement in general uses these techniques all the time. My hope is that people won’t be lured in if they weren’t inclined to participate, but I’m sure it happens.

    • #13
  14. Susan Quinn Contributor
    Susan Quinn
    @SusanQuinn

    DonG (skeptic) (View Comment):

    Stad (View Comment):
    and spectalcular public executions to keep the “faithful” in line. Mainstream Islam

    Public execution is a regional thing, not a religious thing. Pakistan does not do public executions, but North Korea does.

    It may not be religious but it happened with the Taliban when they were in power. Beheading and stoning to death.

    • #14
  15. Susan Quinn Contributor
    Susan Quinn
    @SusanQuinn

    Buckpasser (View Comment):
    I have said many times that “you can’t learn from mistakes that somebody else makes”. Usually only when you make the mistake, and not always then either.

    I’m not sure I agree with you. I think it depends on what happens to someone else, how close you are to them, how you are affected. I can say without question that I’ve learned from others’ mistakes and was grateful for their experience and in some cases, sharing with me.

    • #15
  16. OmegaPaladin Moderator
    OmegaPaladin
    @OmegaPaladin

    RushBabe49 (View Comment):

    People are afraid of what might happen to them if they oppose Islam. Muslims opposed often try and sometimes succeed in murdering their opponents. Apostates are marked for death, and don’t forget “Death to America”.

    I have been drummed out of my family for loudly opposing Islam. My family is Jewish. My nephew’s wife’s family has a Muslim background.

    That is perfectly understandable.  I work with Muslims on a regularly basis, and if you were to say that my co-worker was a supporter of sharia law or Islamic Supremacism, I would think you were crazy.  Especially if you said all real Muslims want to cut off my head etc.  The reason is that I know said co-worker very well, and it sounds crazy to say that he is secretly plotting to establish an Islamic state based on my personal experience.   People trust their specific experience over general pronouncements.

    Surveys hold that 10% of Muslims worldwide support terrorism in the name of Islam.  That’s a lot of people who want to kill us.  Quite frankly, the only way to deal with them is either kill them first or make them believe any attack will fail.  That’s an epic task, even without us lecturing Muslims that the only way they can be true Muslims is to enslave and kill people.  If we go after the 10%, the ones on the fence will learn to behave.  (I’d also imagine there are probably 10% of Muslims worldwide who think the US is awesome – I’ve read that Wahabi clerics are treated like useless thugs in Kosovo.  Kurt Schlichter called Kosovars “party Muslims”)

    As far as CAIR and friends, screw them.  They are enemies of our country, and should take a long walk off a short pier.  I’ve had a bone to pick with these fake moderates since college.

    • #16
  17. Jon1979 Inactive
    Jon1979
    @Jon1979

    Susan Quinn (View Comment):

    Buckpasser (View Comment):
    I have said many times that “you can’t learn from mistakes that somebody else makes”. Usually only when you make the mistake, and not always then either.

    I’m not sure I agree with you. I think it depends on what happens to someone else, how close you are to them, how you are affected. I can say without question that I’ve learned from others’ mistakes and was grateful for their experience and in some cases, sharing with me.

    I think it depends on how willing a person is to check their ego. For those whose self-worth is tied up in believing they’re the Best and the Brightest, as well as more morally virtuous than both others around them today and people who lived in the past, it’s hard to tell them anything as a cautionary tale, if it doesn’t fit their world view.

    And for those with the most severe cases of it — the Bernie Sanders types — no amount of empirical evidence to the contrary will sway them from their lifetime beliefs. If their plans aren’t working, it’s not because they’re wrong, it’s because evil forces are conspiring against those plans.

    • #17
  18. Zafar Member
    Zafar
    @Zafar

    Kay of MT (View Comment):

    There is no moderate Islam. Every single person who is a muslim, and takes the oath of office in the United States has committed a lie, as they cannot take an oath to protect our laws and country over Islamic law.

    Taqiyya: Deception and Lying in Islam

    Muaaaaahahahaha!

    *strokes evil bald cat evilly*

    • #18
  19. Susan Quinn Contributor
    Susan Quinn
    @SusanQuinn

    OmegaPaladin (View Comment):

    RushBabe49 (View Comment):

    People are afraid of what might happen to them if they oppose Islam. Muslims opposed often try and sometimes succeed in murdering their opponents. Apostates are marked for death, and don’t forget “Death to America”.

    I have been drummed out of my family for loudly opposing Islam. My family is Jewish. My nephew’s wife’s family has a Muslim background.

    That is perfectly understandable. I work with Muslims on a regularly basis, and if you were to say that my co-worker was a supporter of sharia law or Islamic Supremacism, I would think you were crazy. Especially if you said all real Muslims want to cut off my head etc. The reason is that I know said co-worker very well, and it sounds crazy to say that he is secretly plotting to establish an Islamic state based on my personal experience. People trust their specific experience over general pronouncements.

    Surveys hold that 10% of Muslims worldwide support terrorism in the name of Islam. That’s a lot of people who want to kill us. Quite frankly, the only way to deal with them is either kill them first or make them believe any attack will fail. That’s an epic task, even without us lecturing Muslims that the only way they can be true Muslims is to enslave and kill people. If we go after the 10%, the ones on the fence will learn to behave. (I’d also imagine there are probably 10% of Muslims worldwide who think the US is awesome – I’ve read that Wahabi clerics are treated like useless thugs in Kosovo. Kurt Schlichter called Kosovars “party Muslims”)

    As far as CAIR and friends, screw them. They are enemies of our country, and should take a long walk off a short pier. I’ve had a bone to pick with these fake moderates since college.

    Thanks, @omegapaladin. Your comments are very similar to my own views. I still refuse to condemn all Muslims, because I know there are plenty who are good American citizens. Do they all speak out against radical Islam? I don’t know. But from those I know about, they have proved to me that they are good people and love this country. It’s that 10%, millions of people, who worry me.

    • #19
  20. Stad Coolidge
    Stad
    @Stad

    DonG (skeptic) (View Comment):

    Stad (View Comment):
    and spectalcular public executions to keep the “faithful” in line. Mainstream Islam

    Public execution is a regional thing, not a religious thing. Pakistan does not do public executions, but North Korea does.

    True.  Still, I’ll wager it mostly is a religious thing with Islam.  It keeps the faithful in line.

    • #20
  21. OmegaPaladin Moderator
    OmegaPaladin
    @OmegaPaladin

    Susan Quinn (View Comment):

    OmegaPaladin (View Comment):

    RushBabe49 (View Comment):

    People are afraid of what might happen to them if they oppose Islam. Muslims opposed often try and sometimes succeed in murdering their opponents. Apostates are marked for death, and don’t forget “Death to America”.

    I have been drummed out of my family for loudly opposing Islam. My family is Jewish. My nephew’s wife’s family has a Muslim background.

    That is perfectly understandable. I work with Muslims on a regularly basis, and if you were to say that my co-worker was a supporter of sharia law or Islamic Supremacism, I would think you were crazy. Especially if you said all real Muslims want to cut off my head etc. The reason is that I know said co-worker very well, and it sounds crazy to say that he is secretly plotting to establish an Islamic state based on my personal experience. People trust their specific experience over general pronouncements.

    Surveys hold that 10% of Muslims worldwide support terrorism in the name of Islam. That’s a lot of people who want to kill us. Quite frankly, the only way to deal with them is either kill them first or make them believe any attack will fail. That’s an epic task, even without us lecturing Muslims that the only way they can be true Muslims is to enslave and kill people. If we go after the 10%, the ones on the fence will learn to behave. (I’d also imagine there are probably 10% of Muslims worldwide who think the US is awesome – I’ve read that Wahabi clerics are treated like useless thugs in Kosovo. Kurt Schlichter called Kosovars “party Muslims”)

    As far as CAIR and friends, screw them. They are enemies of our country, and should take a long walk off a short pier. I’ve had a bone to pick with these fake moderates since college.

    Thanks, @omegapaladin. Your comments are very similar to my own views. I still refuse to condemn all Muslims, because I know there are plenty who are good American citizens. Do they all speak out against radical Islam? I don’t know. But from those I know about, they have proved to me that they are good people and love this country. It’s that 10%, millions of people, who worry me.

    Fighting the 10 percent makes it safer for moderates to speak up.   Remember, ISIS and Muslim Brotherhood groups kill more Muslims than “infidels”   Beat down the bad actors, and the good ones become ascendant.

    • #21
  22. Susan Quinn Contributor
    Susan Quinn
    @SusanQuinn

    OmegaPaladin (View Comment):
    Fighting the 10 percent makes it safer for moderates to speak up. Remember, ISIS and Muslim Brotherhood groups kill more Muslims than “infidels” Beat down the bad actors, and the good ones become ascendant.

    When we tell the moderates that we are fighting the terrorists, I hope they will continue to feel more empowered, knowing that this country backs them and want them to be safe. Of course, if we lump them all in together . . .

    • #22
  23. Randy Weivoda Moderator
    Randy Weivoda
    @RandyWeivoda

    Susan Quinn:

    Even more concerning is that CCF is lobbying for new legislation, the Entrapment and Government Overreach Relief Act. Here is a summary of the legislation:

    Liberty today is threatened by political encroachment and governmental overreach, in the name of National Security. At present there is no codified defense against entrapment, no check on the arbitrary expansion of security laws to include Constitutionally protected activities, and no prohibition against showing secret evidence to judges (but not the defense) in criminal trials. The government uses these legal loop holes to incarcerate political enemies rather than people who actually intended to commit crimes. The EGO Relief Act limits these abuses by:

    1. Codifying (for the first time) an Entrapment defense to limit prosecutions of targets induced by the FBI to commit crimes created by the government;
    2. Limiting material support to terrorism prosecutions to cases where there is proof that the target intends to support violence;
    3. Providing that any classified evidence shown to the judge by the prosecution must also be disclosed to security-cleared defense counsel.

    This type of legislation will, in fact, compromise our national security.

    Perhaps there is stuff in this legislation that is bad, but I’m not seeing it in these three examples.  Those three points seem like the kind of things that anyone who cares about civil liberties would support.  If we saw those three bullet points and were told they were in a bill being promoted by Ted Cruz or Mike Lee, I don’t think many of us would find them objectionable.

    • #23
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