Religious Rights

Last week, MPAC expressed its outrage over the alleged plan of four men to carry out attacks against Jewish houses of worship. MPAC also applauded the FBI for foiling the group's plot to bomb New York City synagogues and use surface-to-air missiles to attack U.S. military planes.

In recent news articles, including one by the Nation Magazine, "FBI Blows It: Supposed Terror Plot Against NY Synagogues Is Bogus" (published May 23, 2009), the writer states that there is another narrative on what actually transpired between the FBI informant and the group of four people that were eventually charged with plans to carry out the attacks. Read more...

Last week’s foiled bomb plot in New York City has been widely reported and confirms that homegrown Islamist-inspired terrorism is a clear and present danger. With three of the four assailants converting to Islam in prison, no one can ignore the impact which Wahhabi Islam, the strain of Islam being promulgated in many prisons has upon the radicalization of Muslim inmates. Predictably, Islamist groups (like CAIR and MPAC) with the aid of some non-Muslim echo chambers continue to be intransigent in their blindness. This blindness is manifest in their refusal to accept the fact we in the Muslim community have an ideological cancer lying within the House of Islam which can only be treated by fellow Muslims willing to do the hard work of reform. Blaming others or trying to say that their Islam is not our Islam while bearing some truth deflects real responsibility.

Regardless of how some may try and dismiss the accused as “degenerates”, “drug addicts”, or “criminals”, the more important teachable moment here is that the opium of the minds of these inmates was pure and simply a supremacist form of Islam which depends upon the medieval Wahhabi-Islamist interpretations of our Islamic scripture and tradition. To deflect the public from this reality is to shirk our responsibility as Muslims and more importantly as Americans. Read more...

The recently proposed rule by EPA mandating the measurement of greenhouse gases would place a tremendous regulatory burden on employers in Southern Missouri and across the nation during a difficult time in our economy.  Compliance with this new rule will be costly for them.  Even worse, it is an obvious precursor to fines for American businesses who do not accurately account for their greenhouse gas emissions and taxes for those who do. Every American business which relies on an oven, product packaging, or a delivery vehicle ought to be concerned about what this rule will demand from them.

The FY 2010 budget submitted to Congress in April contains an outline for a $646 billion tax based on the measurement of the gases subject to the proposed EPA rule.  If you switch on the lights in your home or turn the key in your car, you will be bearing the cost of these new taxes.  It sets a dangerous precedent in rural communities where our lives and our economy are energy intensive. Read more...

 

I was disturbed to discover that President Obama requested the religious symbols in Gaston Hall, most notably the inscription "IHS" that symbolizes the name Jesus, at Georgetown University be covered during his economic address earlier this week.  This follows his comments in 2007 that America is "no longer a Christian nation."  While the President continues to quote the scripture and reference his faith, it seems the White House is subtly attempting to remove God from our everyday lives. 

Georgetown University is a Catholic institution, founded by the Jesuits. Their heritage, much like ours, is based in religion and on religious doctrine.  We are, after all, a nation founded on the principle that we are one nation, under God.  And I, for one, am proud of that. Georgetown University should not be forced to hide their religious beliefs in order to appease the President, just as the people of this country should not force hide their religious beliefs in order to appease liberal interest groups determined to impose their anti-religion stance on the entire country Read more...

Poor President Obama. He just can’t win with the far right.

Back when he was running for president, ultra-conservatives had a conniption because he didn’t always wear an American flag lapel pin. There were dark (untrue) hints that he wasn’t patriotic and even (untrue) accusations that he wouldn’t recite the Pledge to the Flag.

That was then. This is now.

Obama is under fire today for liking the American flag too much! When he gave a speech on the economy at Georgetown University Tuesday, his White House advance team arranged for a series of American flags and a blue drape to serve as the backdrop.

As the White House told CBN’s David Brody, “The President appreciated the gracious hosts at Georgetown University where he delivered his speech on the state of the economy. Decisions made about the backdrop for the speech were made to have a consistent background of American flags, which is standard for many presidential events.” http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/581525.aspx

Read more...

The list of those who would defend the right of children to a mother and a father was shortened recently. Rather than uphold the law and social policy of the state, all seven members of the Iowa Supreme Court ruled against the state’s marriage law, legislating instead a new definition “free from the influences” of the majority of Iowans who oppose redefinition.

And in Vermont, at least three votes changed within a few days’ time to redefine marriage to include same-sex couples. This change reflects the triumph of a short-term view of political persuasion and correctness, over a long-term view of the needs of future generations of Vermont’s children. Read more...

Nearly five years after Congress passed legislation to ensure that forensic negligence and misconduct are properly investigated, the law is largely being ignored due to a lack of federal guidance. As a result, serious problems in crime labs and other forensic facilities nationwide are not being addressed.

The Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Grant Program provides federal funds to help improve the quality and efficiency of state and local forensic facilities – as long as grant recipients have proper oversight mechanisms in place to handle forensic problems. Specifically, federal law says that applicants must designate independent, external government entities to review allegations of serious negligence or misconduct affecting the quality of forensic analysis and that those entities must have an appropriate process in place for handling such allegations. A new Innocence Project report finds that only 13% of designated oversight entities meet the federal law’s forensic oversight requirements. Read more...

How can we reform our broken immigration system when the economy is in shambles and unemployment continues to rise?  In fact, successful economic recovery requires that we fix our broken system.  The Obama Administration’s recent statements that it plans to roll up its sleeves and start making progress on this challenging issue is welcome confirmation of the views of the President.  And it is clear that the promise of reform will require a creative partnership between the Administration, Capitol Hill, grassroots communities, and businesses around the country where employers, families, communities of faith, and workers all firmly support forward-looking and comprehensive reforms that will put our nation’s immigration system back on track to meet the needs of a 21st century America.

Moving forward with comprehensive immigration reform will ensure that all workers are here legally, will punish unscrupulous employers who undercut their honest competitors, and will restore integrity to the labor market.  It will lift wages for workers, ensure all workers are paying taxes, and restore fairness to our immigration system.  It will eliminate punishing family backlogs and restore unity to divided families.  And it will create a new legal framework that will allow future temporary and permanent immigrants to meet the needs of the U.S. economy in a highly regulated and tightly controlled manner. Read more...

The news that President Obama plans to put immigration back into the political debate is very welcome. The economic crisis has made this issue even more urgent for two reasons: Read more...

The Iowa Supreme Court issued a ruling last week that overturns a state statute defining marriage as a union of one man and one woman. Once again, an activist court has run roughshod over the desires of hundreds of thousands of Iowans who supported a Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in 1998. DOMA passed by a 40-9 margin in the state Senate and an 89-10 margin in the House.

This latest decision makes it all the more urgent for Iowa to pass a constitutional amendment that will define marriage as a union of one man and one woman. The Iowa Supreme Court may be less anxious to declare a constitutional amendment unconstitutional. If the Court dares to do so, it will mean that Iowans are not self-governing, but are being ruled by a judicial oligarchy. If this ruling is permitted to stand without challenge, it will result in the persecution of Christians and anyone else who criticizes homosexual conduct.

This ruling will mean that schools will be forced to teach that homosexual marriage is normal -- and parents who object will face ridicule and possible criminal penalties against them. This ruling will be used to force pastors to conduct same-sex ceremonies or face penalties. Read more...