More British Nonsense for the Holidays

Does this guy look like a criminal to you?


He will be if he shakes that can. He'll be arrested for "Religious Harassment".

After 130 years of fundraising, Sally Army told to stop rattling collecting tins because it might 'offend other religions'

[...] One collector told the Daily Mail: 'I've been doing this for more than 40 years and I fail to see how rattling a tin could cause offence. If I was shaking a tambourine I could do it all day - if I shake my tin, I could end up in court.'

The 'Silent Night' rattle ban manifested itself at the weekend in Uxbridge, West London, when musicians from two local branches performed outside a shopping mall.

(They were outside because traders complained last year they were too loud to play inside).

Tony Keywood, shopping with his wife Sheila, was among a crowd enjoying the carols and stepped forward to make a donation.

'I jokingly told them off for not shaking their tins,' said Mr Keywood, 78, a retired telecoms executive. 'They said they weren't allowed to do that in case it caused offence to other religions. They said they'd been told rattling a tin was considered to be intimidating.

'I don't know who makes up these rules but I suspect it will have something to do with human rights. I do feel Britain has lost its way on things like this.' [...]

Sheesh! Religious harassment? Where is Major Barbara when you need her?

How about this, for genuine religious harassment:

Blind man's guide dog barred from restaurant for offending Muslims

[...] Mr Elder-Brown was taking his girlfriend out to celebrate her birthday with her five year-old daughter last week when he was told he would have to leave his dog, Finn, tied up outside.

He showed a card issued by the Institute of Environmental Health Officers certifying he and his dog were allowed into any premises but an argument ensued and the owners threatened to call the police if he did not leave.

"It was humiliating and degrading, especially as there were a lot of people around me," he said.

"I was made to feel like a piece of dirt. They told me I couldn't come in because it was against their religious beliefs to have a dog in the restaurant.

"They then said I could leave Finn tied up outside. I stayed calm but when they threatened to call police I left."

He added: "It was horrible. It put a dampener on the whole celebration."

Under the Disability Discrimination Act it is illegal to refuse to serve a disabled person of give them a diminished level of service because of their disability. [...]

People are emigrating out of Great Britain in record numbers. Gee, I wonder why?
     

Is the Middle East Preparing for War?

Heck, they are always preparing for war, but I mean sometime real soon? This article from Newsmax.com seems to think there are many signs that say yes:

Source: U.S. Strike on Iran Nearing

[...] A number of signs indicate that, contrary to the belief President Bush is a lame duck who will not act before he leaves office, the U.S. is poised to strike before Iran can acquire nuclear weapons and carry out the threat of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to “wipe Israel off the map”:

According to intelligence sources, the administration now rejects the National Intelligence Estimate report issued in December that asserted Iran had halted its nuclear weapons program in late 2003.

The French daily Le Monde reported in March that newly surfaced documents show that Iran has continued developing nuclear weapons. In late 2006, U.S. intelligence reportedly intercepted a phone conversation in Iran’s Defense Ministry in which the nuclear weapons program was discussed.

The commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East, Admiral William Fallon, resigned in March amid media reports that he broke with President Bush’s strategy on Iran and did not want to be in the chain of command when the order comes down from the President to launch a strike on the Islamic Republic.

Democrats suggested he had been forced out because of his candor in opposing Bush’s Iran plans, and Esquire magazine contended that Fallon’s departure signaled that the U.S. is preparing to attack Iran.

According to a Tehran-based Iranian news network, Press TV, Saudi Arabia is taking emergency steps in preparing to counter any “radioactive hazards” that may result from an American attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities.

The Saudi newspaper Okaz disclosed that the Saudi government has approved nuclear fallout preparations, and the Iranian network reported that the approval came a day after Cheney met with the kingdom’s high-ranking officials, further stating that the U.S. “is now informing its Arab allies of a potential war.”

The American commander in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, has stepped up criticism of Iran, telling Congress last week that Iranian support for Shiite militias posed the most serious threat to Iraq’s stability. He told senators : “Iran has fueled the violence in a particularly damaging way.” Last week, the U.S. said Iran was providing insurgents with missiles that were killing Americans and hitting targets within the U.S. occupied Green Zone in Baghdad.

MSNBC Commentator Pat Buchanan said Petraeus’ remarks to Congress lay the groundwork for a U.S. attack on Iran.

President Bush said in a speech at the White House on April 10 that Iran, along with al-Qaida, are “two of the greatest threats to America.”

He said Iran “can live in peace with its neighbors,” or “continue to arm and train and fund illegal militant groups which are terrorizing the Iraqi people … If Iran makes the wrong choice, America will act to protect our interests and our troops and our Iraqi partners.” [...]

These are just some of the reasons given, there's more details in the article. I've seen articles like this before though. It's easy to speculate, but harder to predict what actually will happen. Much depends on what any of the players do. The potential is certainly there. I've also read arguments about why it won't happen, but I don't think it's a certainty either way.

Ahmadinejad has been preparing for war for years, and has many reasons for wanting it to happen, based on his strong apocalyptic religious beliefs. As long as he is in power, war seems likely sooner or later. If Iran gets Nuclear weapons, Saudi Arabia will want them too, and Turkey will feel compelled to have them as well, etc etc. If war happens THEN, it will be much worse than anything that happens now. If war is going to happen sooner or later, there may be advantages to having it sooner. It could be the lesser of two evils.
     

Dr. Wafa Sultan condemned to death...

... for speaking out and telling the truth. More death-threat fatwa crap from Islamo-fascists. Frank J. Gaffney, Jr. at Townhall.com reports:

A Truly Endangered Species

[...] Dr. Sultan is currently in hiding somewhere in this country after an appearance on March 4th on the Islamofascists’ favorite television network, Al-Jazeera. In the course of a heated debate about the Danish cartoons with an Egyptian Islamist named Tal'at Rmeih, she bravely declared:

“All religions and faiths, throughout the history of humanity, have been subject to criticism and affronts. With time, this has helped in their reform and development. Any belief that chops off the heads of its critics is doomed to turn into terrorism and tyranny. This has been the condition of Islam, from its inception to this day. Islam has sentenced [its critics] to prison, and whoever crosses the threshold of that prison meets his death. The Danish cartoons have managed to break down the first brick in the wall of that prison, and to open up a window, through which the sunrays enter, after a lengthy darkness. The Danish newspaper exercised its freedom of speech. Liberties are the holiest thing in the West, and nothing is more important. But if Islam were not the way it is, those cartoons would never have appeared.”

Dr. Sultan added: “If you want to change the course of events, you must reexamine your terrorist teachings, you must recognize and respect the right of the other to live, you must teach your children love, peace, coexistence, and productive work. When you do that, the world will respect you, will consider you in a better light, and will draw you in a better light.”

On March 16, one of the world’s preeminent Islamofascists, Sheik Yusuf al-Qaradawi took to the airwaves of Al Jazeera to denounce Wafa Sultan and provide the religious basis for her murder. [...]

As if that isn't bad enough, the Murderous Sheik and his colleagues are engaged by prominent commercial institutions to serve as “Shariah advisors” ... read the whole article for the details. Such murderous thugs do not need to be supported by Westerners, and we certainly shouldn't be supporting commercial institutions that support them.

Here are Youtube videos, excerpts of the of the Al Jazeera appearance by Dr. Sultan on March 4th:



Dr. Sultan debates an Egyptian Islamist, Tal'at Rmeih, on the current state of Western-Islamic relations against the backdrop of the Danish Cartoon Scandal. The clips are divided into two segments, each is about 6 minutes long.



Al Jazeera later issued an apology for letting her speak, and on a later show, Sheik Yusuf al-Qaradawi takes it further... see the article for more details.

Closer to home, on a related note, there is this:

CAIR Portrays "War on Terrorism" as Malicious "War on Islam"

While it is certainly true that not all Muslims are our enemies, and we are not at war with the whole of Islam, it's clear that a portion of Islam is at war with us, whether we wish it or not. Those among us who support that war need to be exposed for who they are, and treated accordingly.


Related Links:

Wafa Sultan interview: A "crack in the wall"

Wafa Sultan and Nasar Khader both endure death threats

     

Obama's Kenyan Muslim Friends burn churches

In an earlier post I had a look at some of Obama's foreign connections, including an Irish woman who advises him on foreign policy issues. A further look at Obama's foreign connections and who he supports is also quite revealing. For example, look at who he supports in Kenya:

Barak Hussein bin Obama

[...] Bin Obama's father was a Kenyan Muslim and guess which side Obama is backing. Do you remember when Atlas Shrugs posted this back in January and no one paid attention?

Raila Odinga has, in his own words, a 'close personal friendship' with Barrack Hussein Obama Junior. When Obama went to Kenya in August of 2006, he was hosted by Raila and spoke in praise of him at rallies in Nairobi: Obama's bias for his fellow Luo was so blatant that a Kenya government spokesman denounced Obama during his visit as Raila's ‘stooge.’

Guess who burned Christian churches after the election. Yep, bin Obama's buddy, Odinga. Yep, the same guy who vows to introduce sharia to Kenya. [...]

Yeah, burning Christian churches and promoting Sharia Law, two things every Democrat ought be supporting, don't you think? Obama apparently does, if we are to believe his endorsements.

And then there is the question of his connections with Columbia's FARC:

Obama and FARC

Considering Obama's position as a front runner in the Democrat Party, shouldn't we be hearing more about these things in the MSM?

Maybe we are just supposed to take Oprah's word for it that he's a good choice, because Oprah attends the same church Obama does. [CORRECTION: Oprah used to attend the church, but disassociated herself from it in recent years, according this article. But since she is familiar with the church, I can only wonder at her endorsement of Obama. See below.]

Actually, I don't see why an endorsement by Oprah Winfrey should be taken as such good thing. She has a history of being taken in by frauds and con-men... numerous guests on her talk show, the child molestation scandal at her girl's school in South Africa. Few would doubt her talents as a talk show host and Media Mogul. Yet it seems her judgment of people's character is less than perfect. I think it would be wise to view her endorsements with some skepticism.


Related Links:

OBAMA AND THE PASTOR

Jeremiah Wright’s Greatest Hits

Obama's Church: Cauldron of Division

Now we know where Michelle Obama’s resentment of America comes from
     

Why the Dutch are leaving the Netherlands

While there has been a steady rise in emigration from Western Europe, Holland is unique in that more people have been emigrating from the country than are immigrating to it. From the Brussel's Journal:

Eldorado or Home. Europeans' Flight from Europe

[...] Since 2003, emigration has exceeded immigration to the Netherlands. In 2006, the Dutch saw more than 130,000 compatriots leave. The rise in Dutch emigration peaked after the assassinations of Pim Fortuyn and Theo van Gogh. This indicates that the flight from Europe is related to a loss of confidence in the future of nations which have taken in the Trojan horse of Islamism, but which, unlike the Trojans, lack the guts to fight.

Elsewhere in Western Europe immigration currently still surpasses emigration, though emigration figures are rising fast. In Belgium the number of emigrants surged by 15 percent in the past years. In Sweden, 50,000 people packed their bags last year -- a rise of 18 percent compared to the previous year and the highest number of Swedes leaving since 1892. In the United Kingdom, almost 200,000 British citizens move out every year.

Americans who think that the European welfare state is the model to follow would do well to ponder the question why, if Europe is so wonderful, Europeans are fleeing from it. European welfare systems are redistribution mechanisms, taking money from skilled and educated Europeans in order to give it to nonskilled newcomers from the Third World. [...]

There are lots of reasons why this is happening, but in the case of the Netherlands, it may be simply that people are beginning to fear for their very lives. I'm sure many people would rather not be killed for voting for the party or politician of their choice:

“People Who Vote Wilders Must Die”

A Moroccan youth group from Delft in the Netherlands, calling themselves “Scheme 015 Delftse Samenzwering Shit,” [samenzwering means conspiracy] has posted a video clip threatening to kill voters and sympathizers of Dutch politician Geert Wilders. The clip shows a group of Moroccans youths provoking two Dutch lads on a crowded public train. The hooded Moroccans ask the lads, who are dressed in black, what the badges on their clothes mean. At first the lads do not react. When the Moroccans start pulling at the lads’ clothes the latter ask to be left alone. At this the Moroccans grab them from their seats and beat them up. [...]

The video clip is in Dutch, the first part is kinda boring, but you don't have to speak Dutch to understand the violence of the hooded thugs at the end. Try living with that. The government won't let you own guns, but they also can't protect you. In fact, the thugs are so confident, they are making videos of their attacks, their crimes, to put on-line?

Sounds like a good case for emigration to me. When more people emigrate from your country than immigrate to it, something is seriously wrong.

In the comments section, there was some speculation that the two Dutch boys who got beat up might have been Goths. The Brussels Journal also has an interesting article about the Goth movement, why it's become popular, and why many of it's adherents end up in conservative professions. It's interesting:

Goths: Fashion’s Unlikely Conservatives