Free Republic

Europeans use the word "liberal" in the classical liberalism sense. Meaning support for more limited government, free trade, etc. The VVD is a classical liberal party in the Netherlands, and is thus a center-right political party.

They are rappers. They did threaten her life. She is a prominent Dutch conservative politician (opposes multiculturalism, opposes is a fiscal conservative although a social moderate, staunchly opposes the spread of Islam) and member of its governing center-right party. So yes, I'd say the headline fit.

Omar Montana, lead rapper of DHC Target of the "Hirsi Ali Diss" song Ali opposes a separate pillar in Dutch society for Muslims, takes Islam to task for its oppression of women and lack of dissent and self-critique, and opposes government foreign aid. Her critiques are so sharp ("Islam is backward") that apparently her center-right party sometimes reins her in for being "too harsh." She argues that the Dutch are basically unaware of the threat that radical Islam poses to democracy and society. As many death threats as she gets, she may not be alive by year's end. Not a joke.

It should be noted that DHC is a Moroccan-Dutch rap group. Ali also underwent female circumcision in her Islamic youth, hence some of the song's commentary. She later fled to Canada and then Holland, and is one of Europe's sharpest critics about Islam. She has gone from Muslim to agnostic, so she is now an 'apostate' to Islamists. Her life has been repeatedly threatened for her very sharp criticisms about Islam, so much so that she fled to the U.S. for a few months in 2002. She has around-the-clock protection. A few weeks ago, a guy approached her in a restaurant and said he hoped the jihadists would kill her. Her response: she handed him a knife and told him to do it himself (he backed down), so she has cajones. Among other things, she has called Mohammed a pervert for his marriage to a very young girl as one of his wives.

To some people here -- So when Bush appeals to conservative whites, it's getting the vote. When Bush appeals to conservative blacks or conservative Hispanics, it's pandering? Oh, puhleeze!

That first link didn't work. Here's the link to the "the black moderate-conservative website that analyzed Juan Williams' column today.

Your viewpoint is somewhat similiar to a viewpoint expressed on a black moderate-conservative website that I read. It has its own take about Juan Williams' commentary.Although the website goes into more detail about what Bush can do in attracting black votes in swing states like Pennsylvania, Missouri, and Wisconsin. It says that there will be a high black turnout, and Bush can either sink or swim by siphoning off some votes from Kerry by targeting black subgroups that are most open to GOP appeals. On another website, a black libertarian did a "Republican Contract With Black America," a 10-point plan inspired by a Thomas Sowell article. He says he sent it to top Republican officials in March, but got no response. Apparently even some "African-Americans like J.C. Watts and Ed Brooke are telling black media that they question the Republicans' commitment to the issue. If they're questioning it, then why should conservative-leaning black people such as myself and 80% of my family (who have voted for individual Republicans, but not yet for a Republican president) cast our votes for Bush? Not good for those of us who are trying to get people to examine the candidates. BTW, most Latinos don't live in swing states. Texas is solidly GOP. California, Illinois, and New York are solidly Democratic. However, Florida, New Mexico, and Arizona are in play.

I just whistled several rap cuts. Perhaps you're not musically inclined. Man oh man, folks are SHOWING their ignorance on this topic!

Good analysis overall. However, it's 1 IN 3 black men -- not black men on average -- who don't live to see Social Security. Black men's life expectancy is 68.6 years. You did ignore the police brutality and harassment piece though. Until Republicans address that issue head on (and many law-abiding citizens experience it, particularly harassment), many black folks won't listen to the other messages.

90% of blacks vote Democratic because 90% perceive their interests to be with the Democrats. Period. People associate Republicans as for rich white people only, and back-of-the-busism. Republicans have a HUGE image problem, and fail to address their image in media that most blacks ACTUALLY watch and listen. Thus, Dems hold free rein, and it ain't pretty. Not to mention the racist ties and rants of certain Republicans (thus reinforcing the back-of-the-busism claim) don't help the cause of those of us who want to see more swing voting take place either.

One last thing. Not stopping the massive drug flow into urban communities is another critique that I have of Reagan. People are responsible for what they imbibe, but how about also stemming the flow? It became a quasi-war zone.

I find it amusing that so many conservatives simply refuse to note one key statistic, the black poverty rate. They'll cite the absolute numbers of blacks who entered the middle class (ignoring the fact that the total number of blacks ALSO rose in that period) or America's overall poverty rate. They do this because it undermines their case, as Reagan's record for blacks is mixed. Fact is, the black poverty rate was stagnant for over two decades until the mid-1990s under President Clinton and a Republican Congress (when the black poverty rate went from 35% to an all-time low of 21%). While Reagan wasn't as bad as leftists try to portray, he also wanted a messiah for black folks as conservatives claim either.

Reagan gets big props from me for his Cold War activities (man, have I had to defend him this week), bringing democracy back to Grenada, black entrepreneurship rise, signing a Voting Rights Act extension, rise in black high school and college rates, bringing the military back from liberal hell, and overall returning optimism to America.

However, I can't forgive Reagan for starting his 1980 campaign in Philadelphia, Mississippi (where 3 civil rights workers were killed in the 1960s) talking about "states' rights," how he fought (and only under massive pressure signed) the Dr. King holiday, tried to undermine the Voting Rights Act and the Civil Rights Commission. And his support for South Africa's apartheid regime and against pro-democracy activists (go-fast on anti-communism in Europe but go-slow on freedom for South African blacks?) got my gourd even as a teenager.

Most folks here are CLEARLY not hip hop fans. For one, some folks are conflating rap with hip hop and there's a difference. Above someone read that rap is not sung (hip hop can be sung) so it's only 1/3 music. Does European classical music also get kicked to the curb, using this logic? Also, gangsta rap (though supreme right now -- bought overwhelming by WHITES by the way) is not the totality of hip hop. Learn some stuff first, because some of you are simply EMBARRASSING yourselves here. For the person above who asked for hip hop recommendations: Outkast, Missy Elliott, Kanye West, Mos Def, The Roots (hip hop band plays their own instruments), Talib Kweli, Sean Paul. And of course, any high-profile rapper pre-1992. Here are some websites done by hip hop fans, who are also libertarian or conservative. Booker Rising Stereo Describes My Scenario Where Hip Hop and Libertarianism Meet

Are there any other relatively known black conservatives in Canada (politicians or not) in Canada?

God Made Me Black, George W. Bush Made Me A Conservative (Well, Sort Of) LOL

Hey, cut me some slack here! I was too young to vote for Reagan (nor was my family AT ALL fond of him either). In my first election, I cast my ballot for Michael Dukakis. Looking back, I wonder what went through my head. Although I've always voted across parties, it wasn't until 2002 that I voted in the Republican primaries for the first time and did so again this year.

She's not African-American (unless you broadly mean within all the Americas). They're called black Canadian or African-Canadian (or just plain Canadian). While there are black communities who have been in Canada since slavery (descendants of escaped slaves), especially in Nova Scotia, Anne Cools is originally from Barbados.

Some past quotes:

“The concern is that pederasts and paedophiles will advance claims to engage in adult/child sexual relationships as a matter of human rights; that claims will be advanced on the legal grounds that pederasty and paedophilia are sexual orientations having entitlements.” (1996 Senate debate opposing adding sexual orientation inclusion to the Canadian Human Rights Act)

“Bill C-78’s clause 75 is flawed because it is stealthy; it is disingenuous. Honourable senators, sex, sexual activity, sex-like activities and all carnal actions are not a ground on which to found legal entitlements and obligations. Entitlements and obligations flow from social commitment, mutually accepted and given formally, not from carnal actions.” (1999 0Senate debate opposing pension benefits for gay couples)

“Misguided policies in social welfare law, in family law, in divorce law, in child welfare law, in abortion law have resulted in national problems, in our crises of father alienation and fatherlessness.” (2002 speech to International Fatherhood Conference in USA)

Some of her former Liberal Party peers were surprised when "as a black woman" she came out so fierce against gay rights and abortion, starting about 1996 when these issues really rose to the fore in Canada.

Canada's Conservative Party has finally gotten its act together, merged its smaller parties into this new Conservative Party, and is giving the Liberty Party a run for its money in government. Let's pray for our northernly Conservatives to turn the tide, because Canada has been a de facto one-party democracy for about 43 of the past 60 years.

Conservative or non-liberal black people are popping up, around the world. There's June Arunga in Kenya, Lord John Taylor and Adam Afriyie in Britain, and Ayaan Hirsi Ali (one of Europe's most vociferous critics about Islam) in Holland. Here in America, even liberals like Bill Cosby and various high-profile columnists are starting to promote our viewpoints (even if they refuse to give us credit for having talked about various issues for years). The tide is turning our way, I think.

More research on her, from the web.

-- "Mohammed is, judged by Western standards, a perverse man. A tyrant. If you don't do what he says, things won't go well for you. That makes me think of megalomaniac dictators in the Middle East, Osama Bin Laden, Ayatollah Khomeini and Saddam Hussein."

-- since last year, she's been waging a virtually solo campaign against Islamic schools in the Netherlands. Her center-right party leader got annoyed at her "solo runs" by discussing the issue publicly without clearance from the party (even though they support her view). They accused her of deliberately seeking confrontation by making very controversial remarks and by not sticking to the party line. However, her fellow party Parliamentarians stuck by her.

-- in 2002, 21 Islamic countries (Organisation of the Islamic Conference) complained about her comments to the Dutch parliament in a letter, demanding an apology

-- it was while she was in hiding (in USA, for a few months in 2002) that she switched political parties. I guess we can claim that our more conservative environment played a role

-- "Millions of Muslim women all around the world are oppressed in the name [of] Islam. As a woman who was brought up with the tradition of Islam, I think it's not just my right but also my obligation to call these things by the name."

-- Last year she apologized for referring to Islam as a backward religion in previous years (probably to help save her life). However, she remains one of Islam's sharpest critics in Europe.

-- "And I think that is also another horrible side of Islam - the fact that there is absolutely no toleration."

I'm surprised that European and American feminists haven't taken up her charge. Then again, she's too conservative for their taste (and she's a centrist). U.S. conservative media must support her, so she has some backup when even her own Dutch conservative party wants to rein her in.