CNN recently did a report on Nigerian-American reaction to the Christmas Day Bomber Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab. Not surprisingly, the Nigerian-American community is strongly condemning the terrorist attack, and is deeply embarrassed and ashamed of their fellow countryman. There are over 2 million Nigerians in the US.

A Nigerian-American identified as a limousine driver interviewed by CNN said, "all the Nigerians I talk to are shocked, because we don't believe in such a thing..." But added, "I know we have radical Muslims in the north..."

While the vast majority of Christian Nigerians abhor violence, and are favorable to the United States, It's the Nigerians in the Muslim-dominated nothern part of the country, where AbdulMutallab originated from, who are causing great concern. (Nigeria's population is divided virtually equally 50/50 between Christians and Muslims).

Veteran CNN reporter John Roberts then gave some stunning poll numbers just released from the Pew Research Center:

43% of Nigerian Muslims polled believed Suicide Bombings against the West were Justified

54% of Nigerian Muslims polled said they were supportive of Osama bin Laden

While the exact number of Muslims from Nigeria living in the United States is not known, the Detroit Free Press reported on Dec. 30 in an article about the area's Muslims reactions to the Christmas Day Bomber, that "There are about 10,000 Nigerian Muslims in Michigan," alone.

See the full video segment at CNN.

Violence stems from mass immigration from Northern Africa

From Eric Dondero:

According to LaDepeche.Fr (Times) the final number of vehicles burned across France on New Year's eve totalled 1,137.

The number of burnings in Paris itself seems to have decreased, while in the "banlieues" (outskirts of the city), and other French cities, the number has held steady or increased.

Straussbourg, for instance, is seen as "hotbed for Muslim activity," with a North African immigrant population of nearly 20%. The eastern French city saw an increase in car burnings and overall violence. (Source - Blogger Dinah Lord)

USAToday reports:

Car burnings have become common in poor suburbs that ring France's big cities, such as protests last summer shown in the photo above.

But fails to identify the culprits as mostly Muslim immigrants from North Africa (Algieria, Tunisia, Morocco).

The French press is more explicit.

From NovoPress - France, Dec. 31:

The Services Department of General Information (SDIG) have listed the areas where the outburts may be particularly violent. Coincidentally, these hot spots are areas of multi-ethnic cities in Corbeil, Argenteuil, Trappes, Chanteloup-les-Vignes, Mulhouse, Strasbourg, etc.. Burning cars, defacement of public property, aggressiveness towards the French people, is particular to New Year's Eve ... this phenomenon dates back two decades.

It is registered in the logic of attacking some of the symbols of France and moments of celebration of the French people: La Marseillaise, the national holiday, the feast of music, etc.. A clash of cultures directly related to mass immigration from outside Europe in France.

Translation by Eric Dondero

No longer a Conspiracy Theory

Michigan Attorneys Kurt and Lori Haskell who were on board the infamous Flight 253 from Amsterdam, have repeatedly claimed in media interviews since the attempted Christmas Day bombing, that a second suspect had been detained by Federal authorities.

A Federal spokesman initially denied the claim. And then repeated the denial days after to a number of reporters.

A Patriot's Journal provides some background:

In the days following this failed attack, the FBI has stated that only one person was arrested despite Mr. Haskell’s eyewitness account, which has been supported by others on the flight. After going public with his story, he has been visited by the FBI.

And asks:

Why are we being lied to? What does the government have to hide? What could possibly be so damaging that they would contradict the eyewitness account of everyone on the flight? Scarier than having enemies who want to kill us is having leaders who lie boldly to cover up their actions.

Randall Smith, spokesman for the Obama administration, has now reversed himself.

From the Detroit News:

Detroit -- A federal customs and border protection official reversed himself today, admitting a passenger from Northwest Flight 253 was placed in handcuffs, searched and released after a canine alerted officers to his carry-on luggage.

Ronald G. Smith, chief U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer in the Detroit area, sent an email to The Detroit News late Thursday apologizing that the information on the passenger -- which was reported to federal investigators by a pair of Taylor attorneys who were passengers on the flight -- was not made available earlier.

Federal officials had denied the details of the incident despite repeated accounts by attorneys Kurt and Lori Haskell of Taylor who say they saw a man get questioned by federal officials and be led away from the airport baggage area in handcuffs after a sniffer dog reacted to something in the man's carry-on luggage.

Among Haskell's eyewitness accounts, he described an older Indian man being led away at the Detroit Airport. This was a different Indian man than described as the "well-dressed man," at the Amsterdam airport, who allegedly assisted Nigerian Muslim Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab onto the flight. Haskell asserted that the "well-dressed Indian man," told a ticket counter agent, yes he doesn't have a passport, but he's from the Sudan, and "we do this all the time."

A second witness named "Bo" from Tennessee, corroborated much of the account.

Continuing:

"I just want them to look into our claims," Lori Haskell said. "Our story has been the same since Day One because we are telling the truth. This is the FBI's fourth story."

Christian libertarian Blogger Mark Epstein sums up the feeling of many on the Right:

One has to wonder if the FBI lied on its own or if the Obama administration instructed this member of the DHS “team” to do so. Although it’s perfectly acceptable to withhold information during an ongoing investigation, it is unacceptable to blatantly malign eye witness accounts that are repeatedly corroborated by passengers who witnessed the events under investigation.

He goes on to assert that Kurt Haskell:

is an “officer of the court” and, as such, his reputation for honesty is inextricably linked to his “bottom line” as an attorney. Moreover, now that the Haskells have been vindicated, the public has even less reason to trust Obama and his “Idiot in Chief,” Janet Napolitano.

Going Galt

Definition: Expression for undergoing a voluntary financial strike or decrease in income. An individual might choose to do this in order to protest the amount of money going to the government, or to protest what they feel are unfair taxes (if they earn less, they will be taxed less, therefore hurting the government). The term is taken from a character in Ayn Rand's novel "Atlas Shrugged"; the main character John Galt leads a movement where the wealthiest individuals leave their jobs for low-paying jobs in order to protest the socialist economy. (Source: InvestorsWord)

Doctors and Hospital administrators in one Western State are already opting out of the government-run Health Care system, in an ominous sign for the Obama administration.

From Bloomberg, (via Memeo):

Mayo Clinic in Arizona to Stop Treating Some Medicare Patients

Dec. 31 (Bloomberg) -- The Mayo Clinic, praised by President Barack Obama as a national model for efficient health care, will stop accepting Medicare patients as of tomorrow at one of its primary-care clinics in Arizona, saying the U.S. government pays too little.

More than 3,000 patients eligible for Medicare, the government’s largest health-insurance program, will be forced to pay cash if they want to continue seeing their doctors at a Mayo family clinic in Glendale, northwest of Phoenix, said Michael Yardley, a Mayo spokesman.

Mayo’s move to drop Medicare patients may be copied by family doctors, some of whom have stopped accepting new patients from the program, said Lori Heim, president of the American Academy of Family Physicians, in a telephone interview yesterday.

“Many physicians have said, ‘I simply cannot afford to keep taking care of Medicare patients,’” said Heim, a family doctor who practices in Laurinburg, North Carolina.

The article goes on to cite $840 million lost on Medicare, just last year by the Mayo Clinic.

His name is Ibrahim Shkupolli. He is 43. He is a warehouse worker in the town of Epoos, in the south of Finland. He is also a practicing Muslim. EuroNews reports that he's a "Kosovan-born immigrant."

On New Year's eve day he went into an Epoos shopping centre and sprayed bullets into the crowd, killing 4, three men and one woman. Dressed all in black, reports are that he used a 9mm handgun. He then fled the mall and allegedly went to the nearby apartment of his ex-girlfriend and killed her. Officers later found the gunman's body, dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

In all 5 lay dead, besides the gunman himself. Some of the dead were identified as employees at the Sellos shopping centre.

A problem of Muslim Immigration and lack of Assimilation

More details are now emerging from the main Finland news service, Uutiset. Seems the gunman had once applied for Finnish citizenship but was rejected for unstated reasons.

Balder Blog, a Scandanavian site, reports that Finnish police inspector Mikko Paatero has indentified lack of assimiliation as the likely cause of the murder spree:

It is rather about integration of immigrants, and more generally about how people adjust to society, is his conclusion.

We have to be more careful about which asylum seekers can reside in Finland, Paatero says, referring to the fact that the perpetrator is not a Finnish citizen.

Stating the Obvious blog writes:

there is more to this story and I'm sure the connection with Islam's propensity towards mysogeny and polygamy will come out more in the days ahead.

Like many Muslims, he had a relationship with the woman he killed, but also had a wife whom he married after he started the relationship involved in this incident. So, a legitimate (in the eyes of Muslims) marriage

Kosovo - a hotbed for Radical Islam

As the shocking news of the Kosvoan murder spree hits European newswires, many are now looking into the gunman's native country for answers as to a possible motivation. Kosovo is a country plauged by conflict between a competing Westernized ethnic Serbian minority and the ruling Muslim majority.

Ari Rusila, an expert on Western Balkan affairs, describes how extremist Islam has combined with Mafioso-like criminal enterprises through the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA). He describes them the "chief perpetrator of drug and people smuggling, trafficking, organ sales" in the region. Rusila goes on to describe how Kosovo is home to the most extreme form of radical Islam known as Wahhabiism.

From Ari Rusila, Radical Islam:

Since the late 1990s, incidents involving Wahhabi groups have extended beyond the borders of Bosnia-Herzegovina, increasing in frequency in neighbouring states such as Serbia (including Kosovo and Serbian Sandžak), Montenegro (Montenegrin Sandžak), and Macedonia.

In Kosovo for example 24 Wahhabi mosques and 14 orphanages have been built in since 1999, along with 98 primary and secondary Wahhabi funded schools. Though the number of Wahhabis in majority secular Kosovo is small this development is cementing an al-Qaeda presence in Albanian inhabited areas, because “hard line” and intolerant Wahhabi structures are the main source for terrorist acts and operations.

Kosovo won its independence from Serbia in October of 2008. Upon independence Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference Prof. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu (Source: Jihad Watch, Oct. 2008):

"There is no doubt that the independence of Kosovo will be an asset to the Muslim world and further enhance the joint Islamic action."

Ethnic Serbians in the north of Kosovo have refused to cooperate with the Muslim-dominated government in Pristina. Many ethnic Serbians in the southern part of the country, have been forced to convert to Islam.

Amnesty International has called ethnic Serbs in Kosovo "prisoners in their own homes," and has officially designated them as "IDPs" (Internally Dispersed Persons.)

The intruder is said to be a Somalian with Al Qaeda links...

He has ties to a Somali terror organization and to Al Qaeda leaders in East Africa...

In 2008 Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden said that Europe would be punished for the
cartoons...

UPDATE!

Al-Shabaab official praises Axe-wielding Somali. More attacks to come...

From AFP:

"We appreciate the incident in which a Muslim Somali boy attacked the devil who abused our prophet Mohammed and we call upon all Muslims around the world to target the people like (him)," Shebab spokesman Sheikh Ali Muhamud Rage told AFP.

Major hat tip to Creeping Sharia and Jawa Report who are just breaking this news...

Creeping Sharia has the English translation from the Danish website Indland:

(Note - Some of the translation is rough)

Jyllands-Posten’s 74-year-old cartoonist Kurt Westergaard was Friday evening face a violent assassination attempt.

It happened in character’s private home in Viby J, near Aarhus, where a 28-year-old man with a Somali background broke into the home and tried to beat Westergaard death with a knife and hatchet.

The offender was subsequently shot by police, but survived. He is now arrested and in hospital.

Attempted murder of cartoonist Kurt Westergaard is in police intelligence assessment (PET) terrorist-related, and the offender has “close ties to the Somali terrorist organization al-Shabaab” and part of the “Al Qaeda” states PET.

The offender also suspected of having been “involved in terrorist related activities” in East Africa and to be “part of a terrorism-related network linked to Denmark”.

Kurt Westergaard apparently survived the violent attack because he hid in the bathroom, which is converted to a so-called sikringsrum (safe-room).

His granddaughter in just five years was present during the attack. A shaken Westergaard have no doubt that the perpetrator would try to kill him.

“That was close. It was really close, “he says to jp.dk.

According to PET has the man as ‘close relationship’ with the Somali terrorist organization al-Shabaab and al-Qaida leaders in East Africa, and he is “suspected” of having been involved in previous terrorist attacks in East Africa.

According to PET is the man also part of ‘a terrorist network associated with attachment to Denmark, which for a long time has been the subject of PET’s investigations, but without the context of the cartoonist Kurt Westergaard.

Note - See related article here at Libertarian Republican which ran just last week - "Al Shabaab Militants seize 5 Islands, Advance on Kenyan Border," which highlights the increasingly expansionist Jihadist actions of the terrorist group.

Just Breaking...

From Eric Dondero:

The man whose name you see at the bottom of this cartoon-graph was attacked last night by a knife-wielding Somali man, at his apartment in Copenhagen. (UPDATE: Reports now say 3 Somali men were involved). This comes one day after a gun-wielding Kosovo Muslim man stormed into a shopping centre in Finland, dressed in black and gunned down 4 Finnish citizens, and killed one more in a nearby apartment complex.

From Fox News:

COPENHAGEN — Police shot a Somali man wielding an ax and a knife after he broke into the home of an artist whose cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad with a bomb-shaped turban outraged the Muslim world, the head of Denmark's intelligence agency said Saturday.

Jakob Scharf said in a statement that a 28-year-old man with ties to Al Qaeda entered Kurt Westergaard's home in Aarhus Friday night. But Westergaard pressed an alarm and police arrived minutes later.

The attack on the artist, whose rendering was among 12 that led to the torching of Danish diplomatic offices in predominantly Muslim countries in 2006, was "terror related," Scharf said. He said the man would be charged with attempted murder.

Libertarian-conservative Michelle Malkin blogs this morning, "Muhammed Cartoon Redux":

How about kicking off the New Year with a stark reminder that jihadists don’t just hate us because of Iraq and Afghanistan? The Religion of Perpetual Outrage hates all infidels.

The attack is eerily similar to the knifing of Dutch free speech advocate, and film artist Theo van Gogh in 2005 on the streets of Amsterdam. Van Gogh was murdered by an immigrant Muslim extremist upset with his film depiction critical of Islam. (photo below)

Sudden increase in Muslim attacks around the World

Since the Christmas Day Muslim bomber attempted to blow up an American airline over the skies of Detroit, there's been a noted uptick in Islamic acts of violence around the world.

On New Years Day, a suicide bomber drove a truck onto a volleyball field in Pakistan, killing 93, mostly children. In Afghanistan, 8 CIA operatives were killed on a base in Afghanistan by a suicide bomber who they believed to be friendly.

Meanwhile Jihad Watch reports on Militant Muslim attacks in Thailand on New Year's Day:

For a jihadist, nothing says "Happy New Year" like a few drive-by shootings! "Six killed in new attacks in Thai south: police," from AFP, December 31 (thanks to Maxwell):

PATTANI, Thailand -- Suspected Islamist militants killed two soldiers and four civilians in drive-by shootings in the latest violence to rock Thailand's insurgency-hit south, police said Thursday.

More than 4,000 people have been killed and thousands more wounded

Frank Gaffney of the Center for Security Policy, asks in an editorial "Jihad 101," is this all coordinated? From Muslims Against Sharia:

The question must be asked: Are we seeing a dramatic increase in violent jihadism in America - National Public Radio reported on Saturday that there had been fourteen attempts in 2009 (compared to two or three in recent years) and that they had been increasingly "operational" in character, not just "aspirational" - because violence is now seen to be practicable here?

Specifically, could it be that jihadists have been emboldened by what they see as weakness and/or fecklessness on the part of the U.S. administration?

Liberals are Fucking Crazy! They're Killing Everything that is good

by Michael W. Dean

As we smash headlong into yet another decade, the fifth I’ve participated in during my 45 spins around this big blue ball, I reflect on the past and look toward the future. And the main thought that strikes me is ‘WHAT THE FUCK?????”

I really long for the days when I didn’t have to think about politics all the time. When I talked with friends about movies, music, art, dreams, life, love. Now most of what I think about is “THOSE LIBERALS ARE FUCKING CRAZY! THEY’RE KILLING EVERYTHING THAT’S GOOD!”

The ironic thing is, they love to call us (conservatives and libertarians) crazy. And selfish. Crazy for not wanting to regulate everything. Selfish for not wanting to be robbed at gunpoint for leftist “social justice” programs.

And it really is robbery at gunpoint. If you refuse to pay taxes, police will come to your house. If you refuse to come out, they’ll come in, point guns at your head, and take you to jail. All taxation, beyond the bare minimum outlined in the Constitution is theft. The government has no resources, and has to take my money to give you anything. And they do everything far less efficiently than the private sector.

I am a reasonable, peaceful man. And I’m happy to live in America.

And to quote Dead Kennnedy’s singer and head rabble rouser Jello Biafra:

I’m thankful I live in a place
Where I can say the things I do
Without being taken out and shot
So I’m on guard against the goons
Trying to take my rights away
We’ve got to rise above the need for cops and laws

(I love these lyrics, but I find it ironic that the guy who penned them believed in the “Hope and Change” of Obama, the “BIGGER bigger problem we’ve got now“, and is disappointed that Obama’s not the Second Coming of Christ.)

I don’t want to be taken out and shot. I shouldn’t be, I don’t break any laws, but I think that the folks in “power” now may start changing the laws. And I think Obama, Holder, Pelosi et al. may just be the “kinder, gentler” Lenins that paves way for a Stalin in a few years, if we’re not careful.

We'll Fight the Liberal Fuckers: And if we Lose, at least we can say We Tried as they're marching us off to the Camps

How do I deal with wanting to scream “THESE LIBERALS ARE CRAZY, AND THEY’RE STEALING FROM ME!”? Well…I live my life.

I also try to educate younger people, being the “hip old grandpa Simpson of punk rock” and a few of them do listen to me…sometimes. I also work with various groups…some concerned with trying to get people to vote, some who don’t think voting works. But both have agendas similar to mine: liberty.

Then I wonder if maybe being an activist isn’t trying to “change the things I can’t.” But then I realize that when they drag us all off to the camps, or more likely, when America is turned into a horrible politically correct anti-utopia resembling Brave New World (or more likely, Demolition Man), I’ll want to at least be able to say to myself “Well, I tried.”

Sociopathic Socialists

I think about the fact that 6% of all people are sociopathic, about 12% will inherently follow sociopaths, and probably 20% are narcissists. That’s not quite a majority, but it’s close enough to make it hell for those of us who are decent in a Constitutional Republic that’s been dulled down to a “democracy” where “51% of the people can tyrannize 49%.” And right now, a room full of people in Congress are ramming shit down our throat that according to a recent non-biased Rasmussen pole, 55% of the country is against.

Yet THEY (liberals, leftists, socialist Americans, statists and the uneducated children who are allowed to vote because “everyone’s voice needs to be heard“) (Thank you, Ted Kennedy, you fat, dead, commie homicidal fuck) call US (conservatives, libertarians, tea party people and Republicans) “CRAZY.” “Crazy” is the most common five-letter four-letter word I’ve heard in the past year.

SO…..Tell me…WHAT’S SO CRAZY ABOUT

Wanting “representatives” who listen to us, instead of dismissing us as crazy?

Wanting to control what we do in our homes?

Wanting to choose what we eat and what we listen to, without being nannied into compliance?

Not wanting to be taxed to death?

Not wanting to pay for crack babies and abortions if you don’t smoke crack and don’t like abortions?

Not apologizing for America at every turn?

Thinking the people who make our laws should not be above the law?

Thinking less laws is better than more laws?

Being able to do 8th grade math and knowing 10th grade history to realize that you can’t fix a recession by printing more money?

Wanting the private corporation (that pretends to be a government agency) that prints your money to be audited?

Wanting a President who calls bankers “fat cats” to quit appointing the fattest, greediest bankers in the world to his cabinet?

Wanting our President to call terrorists what they are: terrorists?

Not liking a President who wants to take away everyone’s money and rewrite the Constitution?

Saying that disliking a tyrant doesn’t make you racist?

Being upset about bribes being taken to ram something horrible down our throats?

The government will NOT fix everything. The government has a long history of fucking up and bankrupting most everything it touches. (All governments do.) I love America, but I fear my government. As we usher in the new decade, remember what Ronald Reagan said, “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help’.”

Editor's Note - Michael W. Dean is lead singer/guitarist for Right Arm of Wyoming. He also serves as State Coordinator for the Wyoming Republican Liberty Caucus. His blog is LibertarianPunk.com

From Eric Dondero:

This is a nice way to welcome the New Year, if you're a Libertarian Republican. The Manchester Union-Leader ran a lengthy piece on Dec. 31 about the outlook for GOP politics in the State for 2010. Titled - "Granite Status: 2010 Already Here." Halfway down, the RLC receives a nice mention:

THE NEW GOP. Can Sununu harness the energy building from the libertarian wing of the GOP, the tea party movement and the like?

"True Republicanism" will probably be the over-arching theme of the Senate and 2nd District U.S. House primaries, assuming former Rep. Charlie Bass, a moderate, makes his candidacy official, as expected, and goes against conservative Horn.

While New Hampshire has not been a "libertarian" state, the movement is gaining force with the rise of groups such as Citizens for Sensible Legislation and the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire.

Get involved rlc.org

From Eric Dondero:

Ron Paul appeared on Larry King Live on Monday night, along with Co-guests humorist Ben Stein and ironically Rep. Sheila Jackon-Lee of Houston. The subject: The Muslim Christmas Bomber.

Stein has been a longtime favorite of cultural libertarians ever since the iconic 1980s hit movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off, where he played the monotonous high school teacher, droning "Bueller... Bueller..."

Stein is a loyal and outspoken Republican. He's been a contributing editor to libertarian/conservative American Spectator, and a regular free enterprise advocate guest on cable business shows. He now hosts a game show on MTV.

So, it's especially ironic that libertarian-leaning Republican Stein would be chosen to go up against another individual often identified as "libertarian" Ron Paul. (Praise for Stein from Libertarian Leanings blog)

The segment quickly turned into a shouting match. Paul called the United States "occupiers," and blamed the US for Muslim attacks. Stein responded by calling Paul an "anti-Semite."

Here's the partial transcript courtesy of PoliticsUSA:

STEIN: Well, that's -- I have never heard anything quite like that in my whole life. What he's saying, basically, is we are doing something wrong by defending ourselves. Look, if these terrorists are trying to kill the government of Yemen, we've got to help defend them. They're our friends. We can't just let al Qaeda run wild. If we try to stop them --

PAUL: Why?

STEIN: Why should we stop them? Because they are terrorists and murderers and they're very anti-American.

PAUL: Why are they terrorists?

STEIN: Surely congressman --

PAUL: Why are they terrorists?

STEIN: They're terrorists and murders because they are psychos.

Paul also asserted that terrorist AbdulMutallab was motivated by American bombings of terrorist sites in Yemen two weeks ago. However, it's now being learned that AbdulMutallab and his handlers had planned the terrorist act, at least one month ago. Robert Spencer over at Jihad Watch pens this devestating rebuke of Paul's comments on CNN:

Obama believes essentially the same thing: that the jihad is a response to various actions of the West, which if we stop doing, all will be well. In line with this assumption, Paul apparently thinks that the Flight 253 jihad attack was a response to U.S. airstrikes in Yemen. However, according to an unnamed source in the White House quoted by Jake Tapper at ABC News, the Flight 253 jihadist had set his plot in motion before the airstrike. And it certainly seems that Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab had his mind on jihad for years.

Additionally, yet another terrorist attack with a virtually identical circumstance - syringe and explosive PETN in the passenger's underwear - has just been discovered by the media. It occured 3 weeks ago at the airport in Mogadishu, clearly indicating that both attacks were coordinated by Yemeni Al Qaeda.

Since the spat with Stein, Paul has been receiving a great deal of praise and support from mostly 9/11 Truther blogs, Alex Jones sites, and of course, Lew Rockwell and AntiWar.com.

One site JudeoFascism in defending Paul, said that Stein was "playing the anti-Semite card," and noted that Stein:

"is Jewish [and] under psychiatric care."

Another popular site among Truthers and Anti-Warists, IncogMan, said the following:

Ron Paul... gets hit with the usual Jew crap... neither of them will say the Jew out loud because they can’t and still get any exposure... The Jew knows the real history and the Jew Question...Phony Al Qaeda CIA/MOSSAD people may have picked-up on this particular idiot Negro [AbdulMutallab]...

why don’t we just pull all our troops back home from the Mideast? Let’s do exactly what Ron Paul says we should. And give Israel the finger while we’re at it. How does that sound, America?

To be clear, Ron Paul is not an Anti-Semite and would abhor such statements. In fact, Stein has since offered a bit of an olive branch, retracting the "Anti-Semite" accusation in a brief editorial at American Spectator. However, it's quite alarming that individuals such as the fringe bloggers mentioned above, gain inspiration from Paul's anti-intervenionist talk to use for their own racist means.

Meanwhile, other more mainstream political sites have come to Stein's defense. Blue Collar Blog comments:

At least Ben Stein had enough sense to take it to Congressman Paul.

I once was mildly enthused by Congressman Paul now I think he's gone over the deep end. He does not understand that Islam is the motivation for the attacks on the United States. And anyone who does not realize that puts our lives in danger by seeking to appease these radicals.

The Nation's #1 Right site HotAir.com hosted by Michelle Malkin and Ed Morrissey, is more succinct:

Ron Paul is a "useful idiot."

You can see the entire segment of Larry King Live at YouTube.

IMPORTANT EDITOR'S NOTE: The views expressed in this article are mine, and do not necessarily reflect the views of all LR contributors and writers.

DISCLOSURE: I worked for Ron Paul on and off for 15 years, first as his Personal Travel Aide in his 1987/88 Libertarian Presidential campaign, then again briefly in 1992, and then as his Campaign Coordinator in 1995/96 for Congress, and finally as his Senior Congressional Aide, and District Policy Advisor, from 1997 - 2003.

On Iran, if they don't let our inspecters in, we need to "just blow the place up"

Woodbury, Connecticut, Nov. 19, speaking to a local Young Republican group from YouTube video:

QUESTIONER: I take it you wouldn't have gone into Afghanistan and Iraq...

SCHIFF: I might have gone into Afghanistan to get Bin Laden, but I wouldn't have been there to occupy the country. I might have gone into Iraq, if I thought there were weapons of mass destruction. We had intelligence, and we knew where they were. I might have gone in there to take them out. Just like we think that Iran may be building nuclear weapons. If we really believe that, and we think that, and we tell the Iranians, and we tell the Iranians this is where we believe those weapons are, you need to let our inspecters in there, well, if they don't let us in there, we need to just blow the place up...

Some of his supporters from the Ron Paul faction are now threatening to pull their support for Schiff. From Sean Booth of PoliticalLore.com:

He says that if their was proof of WMDs in Iraq he would have approved of the invasion. Like so many others in Congress, unless Schiff was willing to do his homework on foreign policy, he may very well have followed his potential colleagues in the vote to invade.

The bottom line is that Schiff needs to take a principled stand on foreign policy issues, and not just economic issues if he expects the already great sums of money ($1 million plus) to continue to flow into his warchest from his legion of followers nationwide.

(Note - In contrast to Mr. Booth's views, though under-reported by the mainstream media, WMD were found in Iraq on numerous occasions, including weapons cache's found by both American and Polish troops, and most recently, 1 1/2 years ago, when 500,000 tons of yellow cake from Iraq were found.)

Other Ron Paulist candidates moving away from strict Non-intervention

Another Ron Paul-oriented candidate, Rand Paul running for US Senate recently caught flack from Paulists nationwide for issuing a press release staunchly opposed to the closure of Gitmo and transfer of Gitmo Prisoners of War to the mainland United States.

A third Ron Paul-oriented prospective candidate, Gary Johnson who's eying a Presidential run for 2012, recently stressed in a TV appearance that unlike the common view, he supports a "Strong National Defense," and "Defense of our Borders."

From a recent press release from the Johnson exloratory effort:

Governor Johnson has also been a strong advocate of the war on terror... “Our efforts should be directed towards protecting U.S. citizens and our allies from terrorism...

Political realities may be setting in for these candidates, or perhaps more likely, realities of foreign affairs stemming from recent Muslim attacks on the US, may be having an impact.

Pro-Defense Libertarians who wish to contribute to Schiff's campaign are urged to visit schiffforsenate.com

Or, show your support for RandPaul2010.com

And GaryJohnson2012.com

Was running to unseat popular "Tea Party" Republican Rep. Lynn Jenkins

From Eric Dondero:

Democrat State Senator Laura Kelly has just announced that she will end her Congressional race for the seat of Republican incumbent Rep. Lynn Jenkins (photo).

Reports the Topeka Capitol-Journal (via Memeo):

Kelly was a lock to win the Democratic nomination in the 2nd District, which includes Topeka, Manhattan, Lawrence and communities from the Oklahoma to Nebraska borders.

(Topeka, and Lawrence the only two liberal areas in the State.)

Continuing:

She said demands of conducting the U.S. House campaign and responsibilities of being a member of the Senate were incompatible. The obligation to serve her constituents proved stronger than the desire to defeat Jenkins, she said.

"I can't do this race and do the Senate," Kelly said.

Translation: She read some internal polls, and looked at the coming political climate - Tea Party movement, and generic Republican vs. Democrat numbers which now show the GOP ahead by 8, and concluded she couldn't win.

Rep. Jenkins, is closely identified with the Tea Party movement, nationally and in Kansas.

From Eric Dondero:

Late yesterday paramedics were called to Rush Limbaugh's hotel in Hawaii. It had been reported that he was suffering "chest pains." He was taken to a nearby hospital. Latest word is that he's "recovering," and that it might not have been a heart attack. Although, we caution this is not yet confirmed.

I speak on behalf of the editorial board and writers here at Libertarian Republican, and I'm sure for the Libertarian Republican movement nationwide, that we wish Rush a speedily and full recovery.

Eric Dondero, Publisher
Libertarian Republican
Founder, Republican Liberty Caucus
& Daily diehard Rush Listener

From Eric Dondero:

We've had five straight days with approximately 1,000 daily unique visitors. That's a welcomed sign. We do know, that this very blog is read on a daily basis, by a high-placed communications director for the Republican Party in DC, and a communications director for a very large state GOP. Plus, we often receive emails from congressional staffers on Capitol Hill saying the same. That's all very encouraging and quite inspiring.

But perhaps just as encouraging we appear to be increasingly influential with the mainstream media. Last week we clearly influenced one major media story, and very well might have influenced another to some degree.

San Francisco Chronicle links to Libertarian Republican blog

On Monday, you may recall, we ran a follow-up story on the Max Baucus scandal:

"Liberal Media circles the Wagons to Protect Baucus: Says he wasn't Drunk"

The story was in reaction to an editorial in the San Francisco Chronicle, SF Gate on-line.

What I hadn't realized at first, was that the SF Gate editorial actually linked our story. What's more, the editorial was largely in response to the story we originally wrote. The SF Gate piece was written by Zennie62, a well-known media host and liberal Democrat activist in the Bay Area.

He was responding to our original story: "Montana Senator Max Baucus slobbering Drunk on the Senate floor."

Here's an excerpt from Zennie's piece:

There's a video going around that claims Montana Senator Max Baucus is drunk on the floor of The Senate as he spiritedly takes on Mississippi Senator Roger Wicker in a talk about Health Care Reform.

Baucus was not "slurring" or "drunk" , or "slobbering" when he was speaking. Otherwise he could not have got off such a great blast against Wicker.

And Conservatives know it.

Rather, Baucus was just plain tired and really angry. The product of long hours of debate against Republicans who just don't play fair at all.

The link came at the word "slobbering."

Note to Mr. Zennie: While we appreciate the plug, perhaps you missed the banner on our site? We are an explicitly Libertarian blog, most assuredly not Conservatives.

What's also noteworthy, Zennie's piece received 38 comments. All 38 slammed Zennie and sided with our view. Here's a sample:

* Good god,the man is so wasted. Don't any of you democrats have the integrity to be truthful or honest in any respect these days?

* Bauchus is stone drunk and Zennie is high on something

* Of course he's drunk. He was probably whooping it up with his TRAMP, in the cloak room.

* Since zinnie is clearly a san francisco liberal I will defer to his judgement and experience in the areas of ganga, coke, crack, meth, the big H... As a recovering alcoholic ,however, I defer to no man when it comes to booze! Baucus is drunker than a frickin billy goat!

NY Times may have been inspired by Libertarian Republican piece

Then there's the New York Times. Yes, that's right. Little Libertarian Republican blog scooped the Times on using a well-known phrase that previously entered the political lexicon. Or, perhaps they've been reading LR and they simply scooped it up from us?

You may recall after the Andrew Breitbart scooped all of the major media on the ACORN hooker/pimp scandal back in September, the NY Times instituted an ongoing program to "monitor the news coming out of rightwing blogs and websites." And as you may also know, LR is often listed/rated as one of the "Right's Top 100 blogs."

Here's our headline from Sunday, Dec. 27:

Napolitano downplays Terrorist Connections: But emphasized Good Job done by Homeland Security

The sub-heading in bold:

"The System Worked..." Heck of a job Janet!

And then the intro paragraph:

Homeland Security Director Janet Napolitano may have just had a "Brownie moment." In 2005, during the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, President Bush visited Louisiana and pronounced to his own FEMA Director: "You're doing a heckuva job Brownie."

DHS Director Napolitano was interviewed on CNN by Candy Crowley on Sunday...

Now, let's switch over to the Times piece.

Peter Baker is one of two main bloggers at "The Caucus - The Politics and Government Blog of the Times." Two days after we wrote the Napolitano "Brownie" piece this appeared, dated Dec. 29:

On the White House
A Phrase Sets Off Sniping After a Crisis

HONOLULU — To the list of phrases it may be best for political leaders to avoid after a major security incident, add “the system worked” right after “Brownie, you’re doing a heck of a job.”

Just as the public did not really share President George W. Bush’s assessment of how things were going after Hurricane Katrina, so too was there a good deal of skepticism when President Obama’s homeland security secretary declared faith in a system that failed to stop a guy who tried to blow up a passenger jet on Christmas Day...

At least the Chronicle was kind enough to give Libertarian Republican a link. Nothing at all from Mr. Baker and the Times.

Note to Mr. Baker: Will you kiss me please? Why? Because I usually like to get kissed before you do sex to me.

(Line stolen from Saturday Night Live recent skit of Obama with the Chinese Premiere.)

We do like to give propery attribution here.

Special Election - Ted Kennedy seat

It's being hailed as perhaps the most brillant political TV ad ever. But is it enough to propel Republican Brown to the US Senate from deeply Democrat Massachusetts?

From Cliff Thies:

After a grand jury indictment for shooting a 22-year old man, North Carolina state Sen. R.C. Soles, a Democrat, said he will not seek re-election next year. A criminal attorney, Soles apparently maintained close relations with his former clients. He says this was to ease them back to a law-abiding life and denies it was because he was having sexual relations with them. Soles is the latest in a string of senior Democrats in the state legislature that are stepping down.

Soles, from Tabor City, is the State's longest serving legislator.

From the Raleigh News & Observer, Dec. 30:

Soles long was at the center of grumbling in his hometown of Tabor City about young men who were former legal clients and hung around his home or law office.

In the August incident, Soles shot 22-year-old Thomas Kyle Blackburn, who was allegedly trying to kick in Soles' front door.

Soles' lawyer, Joseph Cheshire of Raleigh, has said the shooting was self-defense. Cheshire and Soles repeatedly have said that Soles has been generous to former clients in hoping to ease them back to a law-abiding life. Soles has denied having sexual relations with any of the young men.

An NC political blog out of Wilmington - Clean it up Dammit - which regularly covers corrupt politics in the region has more details:

The boy, a 16 year old kid with some troubles that the good senator helped to deal with, told the senator that he would go to the news with stories that would ruin the senator's career. The Senator had the kid, Allen Strickland, arrested and the kid said, "see you in prison"

(Photo of the 16 year old accuser at the Clean it up blog.)

"I imagine how great it will be when Muslims will rule the world"

by Eric Dondero

Anti-War activists, Left-Libertarians, Paleos and even the tiny faction of Isolationist Republicans like to make the claim that the United States is an "Empire Builder." This, as we have consistently pulled out of foreign lands we've liberated, such as the Phillipines, Panama, El Salvador, Granada and now even Iraq.

We've even given away some of our long-held US Territories (5 Alaskan islands to Russia, 5 South Pacific islands to Kirabati in the 1990s, attempted giveaway of 3 Caribbean islands to Columbia and Haiti).

Turns out the real Empire Builders happen to be America's enemies: The Islamic Jihadists. They're on the rampage in Sub-Saharan Africa, expanding Islamic territory ever southward, from northern Kenya across the Continent to Nigeria. In Southeast Asia, the Thais, Malaysians and nearby in the Phillipines, they are having to beat back an ever increasing radicalized Muslim population. In Western Europe, particularly Britain, France, Sweden and the Netherlands, Islamists have set up "Muslim-only" enclaves in major cities, where even local "polezei" refuse to venture.

Now comes a curious quote from the Christmas Day Bomber Umar Abdulmutallab confirming his own Jihadist Imperial beliefs. The UK Daily Mirror looked at over 300 of his Facebook postings.

From the Mirror:

"I won't go into too much details about my fantasy, but basically they are jihad fantasies.

"I imagine how the great jihad will take place, how the muslims will win (Allah willing) and rule the whole world and establish the greatest empire once again."...

In some other Facebook postings Abdulmutallab made some teenage groans about lack of sex.

"I have no friend. Not because I do not socialise etc but because either people do not want to get too close to me... And this problem makes me want to get married to avoid getting aroused."

"As I get lonely, the natural sexual drive awakens and I struggle to control it, sometimes leading to minor sinful activities.

Luckily for America he never got to fulfill his fantasy of Worldwide Muslim domination due to a falty igniter in his explosive-lined panties.

Luckily perhaps for the fine ladies of London where he was attending college, he now will never get to fulfill his other more lustful fantasies.

Although, they say that in the afterlife 72 virgins lay in wait for those who kill the American Infidel.

(H/t Jihad Watch)

Just released poll from Rasmussen finds the Senator's popularity has plummeted since his "yea" vote on ObamaCare.

Rasmussen Nebraska 2012 Senatorial Survey

•Dave Heineman (R) 61%
•Ben Nelson (D) 30%
•Some other candidate 5%
•Not sure 4%

Rasmussen comments:

Nelson's health care vote is clearly dragging his numbers down. Just 17% of Nebraska voters approve of the deal their senator made on Medicaid in exchange for his vote in support of the plan.