Free Republic

If you’re an LSU basketball fan, one story which might have been supremely disappointing over the past 20 years is that of former Tiger scoring machine Chris Jackson, who changed his name to Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf following a conversion to Islam and subsequently refused to stand for the national anthem while playing in the NBA, among several incidents marking him as at least somewhat unfriendly to his country. There is a story behind Jackson’s conversion, and it’s one which needs to be told in light of recent events – because Jackson/Abdul-Rauf isn’t just a guy who decided to be a Muslim.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 28, 2009 – A civilian journalist received a top Navy honor in Iraq on Jan. 24 for his heroism in saving a Marine’s life while in Afghanistan. Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Paul Lefebvre, deputy commanding general for Multinational Corps Iraq, awards cameraman Chris Jackson with the Department of the Navy Distinguished Public Service Award at Al Faw Palace on Camp Victory, outside of Baghdad, Jan. 24, 2009. He received the award for saving a Marine from a burning vehicle in Afghanistan, Aug. 3, 2008. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Joy Pariante  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image...

A FOX News cameraman helped save the life of an injured Marine in Afghanistan — and was injured himself — when the armored Humvee convoy he was traveling in was struck by a roadside bomb Sunday night in the Helmand province, a Taliban stronghold. Two U.S. Marines were badly injured when the improvised explosive device detonated near their convoy. Though FOX News cameraman Chris Jackson was injured in the blast, he went back to the burning vehicle to rescue one of the Marines. "The cabin was on fire and I jumped out," said Jackson in a report filed immediately following...