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Unlike Moses Herzog, the eponymous character of Saul Bellow's novel "Herzog," I do not feverishly compose mad letters to public figures and sinister government agencies. But I often yell back at the TV set. This happened Sunday when Candy Crowley on CNN asked Rep. Pete King what his hearings into Muslim radicalism are really about. "Good luck, Candy," I yelled, having asked the same question of King's staff just the day before. Here, I am sure, is the answer: The hearings are about Pete King. King is the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee. On Thursday, he will inaugurate...

In the bookstore I run, I used to carry lectures on CD by Anwar al-Awlaki. That's the pre-radical al-Awlaki, who recorded lectures about prophets and the hereafter and Islam in general. Now, that al-Awlaki is gone and has been replaced by a terrorist who publicly justifies killing American civilians. ...I was most worried about what the public, the authorities, and other Muslims would think. On the other hand, by removing the CDs I was censoring, and censorship is, generally speaking, a bad thing. I asked a retired bookseller friend what she thought... She recalled that when her store was open...

While reading her emails, I heard my wife say, “This is so absurd, it has to be an internet hoax doctored photo”. It was a photo of a rally on MLK Day hosted by the South Carolina NAACP held at the state house. The statue of George Washington at the state house was boxed in on three sides hidden from the rallying crowd. The NAACP said they covered the statue because they “didn’t want to offend anyone”. Upon investigation, the photo was confirmed to be real. This misdirected ridiculous behavior by the NAACP epitomizes why I, a black American, will...

About a year ago, I began to commit social suicide. It was a slow process, beginning as I spoke my mind to friends about the new convictions I was forming. If I ever was A-list, pretty soon I wasn’t anymore. I never had a t-shirt of Mao or Che, but if I did, I’d burn it in defiant protest. I love America, and I have come to realize that my only hope for freedom or equality – the things my friends say they all want – is to join together with those who want to protect Her, no matter how...

Katie Couric: 'Maybe We Need a Muslim Version of The Cosby Show' By Tim Graham Created 12/30/2010 - 1:04pm By Tim Graham | December 30, 2010 | 13:04 Tim Graham's picture In her @katiecouric Web show analyzing the trends of 2010, the CBS Evening News anchor made a serious speech (in her serious, deep-thinker glasses) against the deep "seething hatred" against Muslims in America: I also think sort of the chasm, between, or the bigotry expressed against Muslims in this country has been one of the most disturbing stories to surface this year. Of course, a lot of noise was...

Last week, I attended the Marrakech Film Festival....The opening gala, complete with red carpet and paparazzi, was staged in a swanky convention hall surrounded by five-star hotels. The requisite stars made appearances.... [....] When the men awaken to discover the women missing, the entire village is mobilized to hunt them down. Their escape route, which runs along the beach, is entirely exposed, and they are brought back in a fishing boat. Watching the men of the village gather around the two women in a circle on the beach, I ought to have realized what was about to happen, but somehow...

Stop worrying about when the hard drive in your computer will die. Google wants to kill it permanently anyway. The new Google Chrome operating system, which was unveiled Tuesday, as well as hints and suggestions from Apple and Microsoft, offers us a preview of the PC of the future. And it will come without that familiar whirring disk that has been the data heart of the PC for the past 25 years. The Chrome OS will at first be available on all-black laptops from Samsung and Acer. And because the new platform stores everything -- files, applications, data bits and...

As violent drug cartels take over Mexico and expand their criminal enterprises north, the United States has signed a “trusted traveler” agreement that allows pre-screened Mexican airline passengers to bypass lengthy airport security checkpoints. The foreigners will get “trusted traveler cards” with fingerprints and other biometric data and they must answer customs declarations questions on touch-screen kiosks before leaving airport inspection areas. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano claims it’s a way to enhance information sharing and mutual security in the face of “ever-evolving, multinational threats.” About 84 million Mexicans are expected to qualify for the trusted traveler program, according to...

Counterterror experts warn of guests at 'radicalization' confab An upcoming Los Angeles conference designed to combat Islamic "radicalization" features a pair of "radical" Muslim leaders who have openly supported terrorists and advised American Muslims against cooperating with law enforcement.The Los Angeles Sheriff's Department, the FBI and LAPD will host the event next week at a resort in Pismo Beach, Calif... The controversial guest Muslim speakers...are leaders of the Muslim Public Affairs Council. Los Angeles-based MPAC says it is a "moderate" group, but critics charge it is a "propaganda arm" for the radical Muslim Brotherhood in America. ...the MPAC officials are...

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The spectre of inflation loomed over agricultural markets after the US slashed key crop forecasts and warned of shortfalls in grains. The agriculture department on Tuesday cut estimates of US corn yields for a third successive month, forecast record soyabean exports to China and warned of the slimmest cotton stocks since 1925.

Nothing like a tough, clear answer to a simple question! Here is video of President Obama in India taking a question from a young lady who asked Obama very straightforwardly, “What is your opinion of Jihad?” Obama’s answer? “Well, the phrase Jihad has a lot of meanings within Islam, and is subject to a lot of different interpretations.” He then droned on about how Islam is a peaceful religion and the vast majority of adherents are peaceful people. He did say that violence on the part of any religion against others is not justified. This young lady asked a very...

Per copyright restrictions and FR posting guidelines, can't display the article. So, here's a link: http://www.vanityfair.com/magazine/2010/12/graydon-201012

"It was like the Chilean miners, but he, being the man he is, rolled up his sleeves and said 'I am going to get us out of this hole,'" Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) said in Las Vegas on Sunday.

SAN FRANCISCO — While polls were showing her to be among the country’s most disliked politicians, Democrats were ducking her on the campaign trail and the Republican Party chairman was riding around in a “Fire Pelosi!” bus, the speaker of the House was checking out mattresses. “Wow, this is great,” said a sleep-deprived Nancy Pelosi as she stroked a plush specimen during a tour of the McRoskey Mattress Company here on Wednesday. While few politicians ever look comfortable on factory floors, Ms. Pelosi, the California Democrat, seemed particularly ill-suited, her big shiny pearls clashing with the goofy safety goggles she...

Los Angeles, CA – BACM Research/PaperlessArchives.com has published correspondences between Senator Barack Obama and the Department of Defense, dating from March 3, 2005 to February 8, 2008. These documents were released in October 2010 by the Department of Defense, after a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. These files can be downloaded for free at: http://www.paperlessarchives.com/barack_obama_department_of_def.html Topics of the letters include: Deployment of Illinois National Guard units. Request for information concerning the assigning of casualty specialists to the next of kin of soldiers killed in Afghanistan and Iraq. Questions about National Guard members being exposed to toxic substances while deployed...

So President Obama was just interviewed in Rolling Stone magazine, that thinning pamphlet for our country’s dwindling supply of pony-tailed pensioners. (AARP skews younger.) When asked about Fox News, this is what our Commander-in-chief had to say. I think Fox … is part of the tradition that has a very clear, undeniable point of view. It’s a point of view that I disagree with. It’s a point of view that I think is ultimately destructive for the long-term growth of a country that has a vibrant middle class and is competitive in the world. But as an economic enterprise, it’s...

SNIPPET: "A boat carrying human rights activists from Israel, Germany, the United States and Britain has reportedly set sail for Gaza Sunday, hoping to breach Israel's blockade there and deliver aid."

The Muslim cleric behind plans to build a mosque close to the Ground Zero site has blamed politicians such as Sarah Palin for fuelling a "growing Islamophobia" that led to the burning of Korans on the ninth anniversary of the September 11 attacks. The Reverend Terry Jones abandoned his "international burn a Koran day" in Gainesville, Florida on Saturday but there were isolated instances in Tennessee and New York of the Muslim holy book being set alight. "What has happened is that..certain politicians decided that this project would be very useful for their political ambitions," Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf said,...

SNIPPET: "SUE MYRICK, R 9th District includes parts of Gaston, Mecklenburg and Union counties. Home: Charlotte. Term: Eighth. Top committees: Intelligence, Energy and Commerce . Vote ranking: 34th most conservative member of the House, according to National Journal." SNIPPET: "The record: She's a vocal opponent of taxes, spending and illegal immigration, with a voting record to match. Last year she introduced the "10k Run for the Border Act", which would have upped penalties for employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants. This year she chided President Obama for opposing Arizona's tough immigration law. In January, the House passed her amendment to...