Fatwa Against Terrorists, Chalabi Is Scum, The Moonbeam Party

David Brooks

Ezra Klein
Eric Alterman

"In our political system, if Democrats and Republicans are yelling at each other over something, then for the media, that is, by definition, controversy" - Ezra Klein

"A president who sets out to engineer large-scale changes in basic economic, social and legal structures at the same time he is fighting two wars and dealing with the fallout from a fiscal calamity is risking defeat. Obama has courted that risk knowingly because he thinks — as I do — the nation really is in peril. His party in Congress and its leadership are too often more narrow-minded and parochial than the president. And the Republicans have chosen the easy path of near-unanimous opposition." - David Broder

One of the most emailed news article being sent around the Mid East is a 600 page fatwa, which is a written moral opinion by an established cleric. It would be similar to an opinion written by a member of our Supreme Court: "Muhammad Tahir ul-Qadri, head of the Minhaj ul-Quran religious and educational organisation, said suicide bombers were destined for hell as he released his 600-page edict in London on Tuesday.


"They can't claim that their suicide bombings are martyrdom operations and that they become the heroes of the Muslim Umma [the wider Muslim community], no, they become heroes of hellfire, and they are leading towards hellfire. There is no place for any martyrdom and their act is never, ever to be considered Jihad," he said."

Mr ul-Qadri has written over 350 books on Islam and heads an organization that promotes peaceful dialogue throughout the Mid Eastern region. Since he is about my age, I could think of him as an ex-hippie, but he is also recognizes as a top Sufi. It's about time that someone had the cojones to step up and formally say what most people on the street have been saying, hopefully this will have some influence and effect on young potential recruits who look to interpretations of the Koran to justify killing. If nothing else, here's hoping that it serves as a deterrent for those living in Western countries, who lately have been volunteering to commit mayhem on their host countries...

"Terrorism is terrorism, violence is violence and it has no place in Islamic teaching and no justification can be provided for it, or any kind of excuses or ifs or buts,"

Speaking of fatwas, will someone please issue one against that old gonif, Ahmed Chalabi? I am amazed that this man is still living, much less trying to become the power behind the peacock throne, or even the eventual Saddam mini-me. the Christian Science Monitor reports on his latest machinations: "Mr. Chalabi, a member of a slate of electoral candidates mostly drawn from Islamist Shiite parties, was deeply involved in a de-Baathification committee that disqualified about 500 secular candidates from running in the election and briefly had some Sunni politicians inside Iraq considering a boycott.


While the boycott won't happen, Chalabi's role in the disqualification of candidates from rival parties – even as he runs on a slate the includes men alleged to have participated in the sectarian violence of Iraq's civil war – increases the sectarian tension around Sunday's election. It's also a symbol of the gains Iran has made thanks to the removal of Saddam Hussein, Iraq's secular Sunni dictator and an avowed enemy of the regime in Tehran. Chalabi has cordial relations with the leaders of the Shiite theocracy next door, as do most of the senior crop of Shiite politicians in Iraq." That's putting it mildly. When Chalabi was receiving money from the State Department and the CIA, he planted evidence from the Iranian intelligence service that Iraq had, what is now called weapons of mass destruction hidden away or buried in the sand somewhere. Further, if Bush would invade Iraq, he could build a democracy that would be friendly towards Israel. Yeah, like that happened... He did this because he is a Shia Muslim andis enamored with the Shia dominated nation of Iran, and he has nothing but contempt for the stupid Americans who even made up more evidence to strengthen the lies he spoon fed them. He had an office in Tehran, and a housing compound in a more rural area, where he keeps his expensive cars, flat tv screens, and other toys.

Ahmed Chalabi wanted the US to install himself as the leader of Iraq after the invasion, but his cloth of lies began to unravel, with the US military invading his Iraqi headquarters in 2004. Since then he has tried to insinuate his family back into Iraqi politics, most notably on the election certification committee who came up with the BS excuse to get rid of Sunni candidates and others who were considered a threat to Nuri al-Malicki. He is on a slate of candidates to be elected to Parliament, his next political goal is to become The Scum Who Would Be King... Anyway, his influence has proven that the real winner of this Iraq adventure has been Iran, who had the US get rid of their arch-enemy for them, and within the next few years may unite with Iraq as one Shia state. If you are a Sunni, be afraid, be very afraid...

"The one thing you can say for sure about Chalabi is that you can never count him out"

I certainly will be glad when the health bill gets to a vote in Congress. Then so many people can get on with their lives. The right wing conservatives would like to delay it so they can use it to get votes in the upcoming election. Once the hysteria dies down, many of the candidates will be seen not to have any clothes, much less a platform. To me, it's pathetic running around campaigning with talking points you cribbed off of a web site. Once the insurance industry stops funding the various groups and websites, will the tea parties then go away? Will they have any substance behind their mean spirited rhetoric and ugly signs, that they also copied off of web sites?

I'm hoping that all this calling Obama a socialist will stop. It's such nonsense, trying to make it into a negative connotation. They really mean to brand him a Communist, with all of the associations of military coups, dictatorial power, running over the people's desires in the name of the people, which is closer to the managerial style of the RNC and the way that Congressional Republicans ruled when they were in control of Congress. Anyway, what's so scary about socialism? I think that Sweden is a wonderful country and I don't see them invading anybody else in the name of anti-terror and democracy any time soon. In fact, that could be my next bumpersticker:

Socialism -

More Saunas, Less Terror

What I am hoping for, are more viable political parties to emerge and organize. The Democrats are inept, the Republicans are too right wing, evidently not right wing enough for many others, but those people are really marginal despite the media attention. Moderates need to form a party of their own to promote balanced, well thought out ideals. Most normal people are a mixture of liberal and conservative thoughts, and don't need a written text to tell them what to think. I don't see anyone in public life right now, besides, believe it or not, ex-Governor Moonbeam Jerry Brown, who might be able to pull it off. I'll have to come up with another bumpersticker by tomorrow for that thought, I know the campaign song would be Sinatra singing How Would You Like To Swing On A Star...