Michelle Malkin: Alec Baldwin, please leave, and take Grover Norquist with you

Union Leader ^ | 10/23/03 | MICHELLE MALKIN

[kattracks]

ALEC “The Bloviator” Baldwin has a new bosom buddy: Beltway Republican strategist Grover Norquist.

The Bush-bashing actor-turned-activist and the Muslim vote-courting political organizer joined together at a Washington, D.C.-area conference last weekend to perpetuate bald lies about the Patriot Act and to oppose the “repressive” War on Terror (repressing terrorist suspects apparently being a bad thing).

Baldwin and Norquist’s panel, titled “Strange Bedfellows,” was sponsored by the ultraliberal group People For the American Way (PFAW). When PFAW head and panel participant Ralph Neas ranted about the lack of judicial and congressional oversight of the Justice Department’s terror investigations, the audience applauded passionately. According to National Review Online reporter Byron York, Baldwin (the “moderator”) then turned to Norquist for comment.

“Ditto,” Norquist replied. Never mind the flat-out falsity of Neas’ claim. The smarmy Baldwin looked at his panelists and proudly remarked: “Can’t you feel the love?”

Blech. Wasn’t he supposed to have left our country by now? If Alec Baldwin ever does make good on his election-year promise, he should buy an extra Louis Vuitton suitcase and pack up Grover Norquist as a carry-on companion for the one-way trip to Tora Bora. Or Riyadh. Or Paris. Wherever.

Norquist’s kissy-kissy partnership with a washed-up Hollywood Clintonite is the least of his unseemly alliances.

Consider: The conference they attended last weekend was hosted by the National Coalition to Protect Political Freedom (NCPPF), which was co-founded in 1997 by Sami Al-Arian — the former University of South Florida professor charged earlier this year as a fund-raiser and organizer for the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist group. The money Al-Arian allegedly raised went to terrorist operations overseas that killed at least two Americans. In 2001, Al-Arian’s NCPPF gave Norquist an award for his work to abolish the use of secret intelligence evidence in terrorism cases. Al-Arian was the keynote speaker. Insight investigative reporter Ken Timmerman says Norquist told the magazine he remains “proud” of the award.

Among other major participants and sponsors of the NCPPF conference was the American Muslim Council (AMC). In January, the group accused President Bush of “calling on God to kill innocent Iraqi children.” The next day, the group instructed mosque directors to block FBI counterterrorism efforts. Late last month, AMC founder Abdurahman Alamoudi was charged with illegally accepting money from Libya for his efforts to persuade the United States to lift sanctions against that nation.

Alamoudi’s arrest is part of a larger Justice Department investigation of terrorism funding focused on Saudi-backed Islamic foundations and businesses based in Herndon, Va. A so-called “moderate,” Alamoudi is on record praising the terrorist group Hezbollah and proclaiming: “We are all followers of Hamas.”

Norquist’s lobbying firm is registered as a lobbyist for Alamoudi. Alamoudi provided seed money for Norquist’s Islamic Institute, which shares space with Norquist’s Americans for Tax Reform group. The institute is run by Alamoudi deputy and former AMC government relations director Khaled Saffuri. Saffuri and Norquist have worked closely with Bush senior adviser Karl Rove to give radical Muslim activists access to the White House. No doubt because of their efforts, Alamoudi was invited to a White House prayer service after the Sept. 11 attacks.

If any Democrat activist had such shady connections, conservatives would be on him like white on rice. Instead, Norquist has gotten away with smearing his critics.

“The conservative movement cannot be associated with racism or bigotry,” Norquist lectured in a letter attacking Gaffney earlier this year. No, Mr. Norquist. The conservative movement cannot afford to be associated with race-card-playing apologists who refuse to cut their lucrative ties to terrorist sympathizers.

The Republican Party doesn’t need this Achilles’ heel. Take him away, Alec Baldwin, please.

Michelle Malkin can be reached by e-mail at malkin@comcast.net.

[Frankie Fiveangels]

so that's what a bigot looks like -- thanks.

[Frankie Fiveangels]

thank you so much for showing how bigots like you can corrupt the american political system... the constitution does not have a religious test -- why should you?

[MissAmericanPie]

Are you a worshipper at the throne of diversity or just too ignorant to recognize that you have finally ran into something so diverse as to be totally incompatible with a free society?

I don't call cultists religious, I call them fanatical and that is what Islam is. It is anything their local cleric tells them it is, peaceful or violent. And even if their cleric preaches peace, it is understood that a member is not to condemn other members of the cult for their acts of violence. American citizens have yet to hear any outright condemnation of radical islamists from the supposed "main body" of their cult, not in this country, or anywhere else in the world.

President Bush was saying in his news conference today that he was asked by muslims at a recent meeting why everyone in American thinks they are terrorists, and he stated that most Americans don't feel that way. He's wrong, most Americans are smart enough to know that those who hold to a skizoid book like the Koran and donate to terrorist organizations are terrorist enablers, and as President Bush himself said, they are therefore terrorists themselves. Muslims tore the streets up in cities all across America celebrating the death and destruction of the twin towers on 9-11, and many of us are not about to forget it.

Bush had to rush to be on tv that night, tip toeing in his stocking feet into a mosque, surrounded by the heads of terrorist charity fronts, to save their sorry rear ends from angry Americans by admonishing the populace, still reeling from the worst attack on America in it's history, that Islam is a religion of peace. And that brings up the celebrations in Mexico, with vendors hawking Ben Laden masks and t-shirts and partying in the streets, while the majority of them slip into this nation to take advantage of the U.S. governments mistreatment of it's own citizens and some of us are not about to forget that either.

Am I a bigot to recognize my enemies? If so then I wear the badge with a great deal of pride.

[JCG]

There's a reason the 911 hijackers avoided Muslim-American communities: they would not have blended in.

Hogwash. You'll have to have to produce some powerful evidence to get me to believe that.

Unfortunately there are those who, for whatever reason, hate Islam in general, and their views have gained some ground in the conservative community, to our potential electoral detriment.

Quiz time...

Q: Of the 9/11 hijackers, how many were Muslim?

A: All.

Q: Of the 9/11 hijackers, how many were Saudis?

A: 15.

Hence, we should be cracking down on white Buddists, like Richard Gere. Right?

Norquist has been fighting this, and now the Islamophobes are targetting him.

You're blowing "diversity" and "tolerance" hot air. Norquist is only fighting to keep his Saudi and Libyan funds from drying up.

Remember, the last three wars we've fought have been against Islamic forces. The overall war on terror is against Islamic forces. This is not about any phobia -- the facts are what they are.

[Sabertooth]

Late flag to this...

Michelle Malkin Growl!

Post here to the thread if you'd like to be on the Michelle Malkin list.

[putupon]

Did I ever post the I am deeply in love w/ Michelle? I know she would feel the same about me if she would only meet me. I don't know why she won't return my calls.

[mrustow]

Is it true, as I've seen reported, that Arab Americans cast a majority of their votes for Bush in 2000 -- a number that might have been the difference in his winning Florida?

You could say the same thing of any and every majority Republican-voting group in Florida. Let's try this one on for size: Is it true, as I've seen reported, that Christian Evangelicals cast a majority of their votes for Bush in 2000 -- a number that might have been the difference in his winning Florida?

And the answer is ... Yes!

Why do Republicans want to brand all Arab-Americans as terrorists or Satanists, or the like?

Because they worship the religion of terror/Satan?

Bush apparently doesn't share this desire - - and it's hard to blame him if they did indeed help put him in the White House.

Bush can't say publicly what he thinks of Islam, because he figured out immediately (no thanks to Grover Norquist or Karl Rove) that waging the War on Terror has required that we get some Muslims to help us rout other Muslims. But even in those Muslim countries that have given us some support, most of the people hate us.

If only Jewish Americans would start voting Republican in similar numbers!

True. But that is changing, because of a combination of Bush's positives (which include education, as well as support of Israel) and Dem anti-Semitism.

Bush is -- rightly -- a friend of Israel. It would be nice to see the monolothic Jewish support for left-wing Democrats start changing. But here on Freerepublic, it's not PC to say such a thing - - one can only rant and rave about Arabs.

Let's see -- who was it that attacked us on 911, and who cheered the attacks 'round the world?

[Fledermaus]

First, define "majority" of Arab Americans that supported Bush in 2000? 50%...55%?

The "rest" are probably terrorist sympathizers and conspirators that use our own kindness and stupidity to kill us.

Boy, I bet if Norquist was hanging around the KKK, people like you would have a fit. But if he's hanging around radical Islamists that help, fund and support terrorism, you want to give him an award because they have cute names like CAIR.

[Fledermaus]

Jewish vote, Catholic vote, black vote, female vote...why do any of these "groups" support Democrats that lie and stab them in the back.

I'm smart enough not to vote for Republicans that stab me in the back (which means not voting or writing my own name in).

[Fledermaus]

Norquist sees that Muslim-Americans are indeed natural allies of the GOP and conservatives. For the most part they are small entrepreneurs, more willing to work long hours than depend on handouts. They are also socially conservative.

What ridiculously broad statements. Another "monolith" group that all think alike according to you and Norquist's definition.

What about all of the Muslim-Americans that are pulling the wool over peoples eyes and are in bed with the Islamic fanatics? What about those that get support from the so-called "mainstream" mosques and groups?

Open your eyes. Go read Gaffney's article.

[Billthedrill]

Old-timers remember when she used to post on FR. Still lurks occasionally, by report.

Howdy, Michelle!

[Fledermaus]

This kind of reflexive group-hate mentality led to the internment camps, in which a lot of loyal Americans spent four years merely because they were of Japanese extraction.

What a horrible piece of illogic. Try getting your history straight before posting flat out lies.

The American people weren't SCREAMING at FDR to intern Japanese, he did that totally on his own. And not ALL Japanese Americans were interned. I'm not defending the internments, especially since I wasn't ALIVE and can't even judge the context for which it occurred (and you can't either), but your statements are way off base compared to reality.

[Fledermaus]

I've always considered both conservatism and libertarianism to be ideologies that rejected all forms of collective judgement in favor of each individual standing on his or her own merits.

Boy, you and churchiboy live in a special world, don't you? What collective judgement? Who is collectively judging ALL AMERICAN-MUSLIMS?

Answer: NO ONE! But we know a rat when we see one and Norquist is aiding and abetting the ENEMY with some of his contacts with RADICAL and PROVED groups that supply aid to TERRORIST!

What part of simple English do you not understand? I guess the imprisonment of Charles Manson would lead you to believe there was a collective judgement of hippies. Sheesh!

[Fledermaus]

and the majority of Americans of Arab descent are Christian, and not Muslim

You have no evidence to back that up.

[Fledermaus]

Great. You wait until Hillary Clinton is appointed Attorney General by the next Democrat president. Some pro-life fanatic will kill some abortionist, and she'll label it "terrorism." Before you know it, pro-lifers in prayer vigils outside of clinics will have their phones bugged by the FBI under warrants signed by Clinton-era judges.

Hooray for the Patriot Act! Hooray for RICO!

Get a grip on reality! Anyone with a limited mind can play "what if" all day long!

[Libertina]

At this point MANY people stab me in the back - even R's. :(