http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/how-german-islamists-recruit-young-men-for-jihad-a-851393.html Young Muslim men in Germany are systematically trying to recruit their peers for jihad using sophisticated rhetoric and psychology and by targeting vulnerable youths who are searching for direction in life. Two men who have quit the scene tell their story to SPIEGEL, providing a rare look into a dangerous underground. Young Muslim men […]
THAT MUSLIM VOTE In Mitt Romney’s home state of Michigan, about 1.5 percent of the population is Arab-American. In 2008, President Obama beat opponent John McCain by 49 percentage points in Wayne County which claims to have the largest Arab-American population in the country. MUSLIM PAEDOS ON WHEELS In a triumph for disabled child molesters […]
http://sultanknish.blogspot.com/2012/08/friday-afternoon-roundup-carjackers-and.html RELEASE THE BACON-SNIFFING HOUNDS Turn on CNN or MSNBC and the topic of choice will either be how Paul Ryan intends to turn America into Afghanistan (which would be swell because Afghanistan is run by the Religion of Peace and is a very tolerant place) or how four trillion Muslims were killed by Islamophobia […]
http://pjmedia.com/blog/five-must-watch-congressional-races-for-2012/?singlepage=true
Two years ago, Republican congressional candidates overwhelmed their Democratic counterparts, winning just about everything in sight. In the end, the GOP tsunami picked up 66 seats while losing just 3 of its own, and carried a solid majority into the 112th Congress. 2010 was, at least in the House, a historic shift in the balance of power and the largest in over 60 years [1].
Now, nearly two years removed from that electoral wipeout, it’s time to look ahead to the 2012 edition of the battle for Capitol Hill. The question that usually arises first when evaluating possible House election outcomes is whether the minority party will regain control of the chamber. This year, Democrats will need to realize a net gain of 25 seats in order to accomplish that feat. The current consensus [2] is that they will probably gain a handful but not enough to tip the balance in their favor.
Enough about the big picture — what about the races themselves? All 435 seats are up for election every two years. Most of them are nothing more than formalities in which the incumbent, or incumbent party, waltzes to Washington for another term. Others feature competitive matchups whose outcomes are uncertain. These are the races that make Election Projection’s Contested House Race Summary [3].
And then there are the truly interesting, pure toss-up contests, made all the more intriguing by unusual circumstances or colorful personalities. They are the “must-watch” races for any political aficionado. Today, we’ll look at five such races you’ll want to follow closely over the next 10 weeks.
California CD-52
Brian Bilbray-inc (R) vs. Scott Peters (D)
Of all the House targets on the DCCC’s wish list, few rate higher than Brian Bilbray. In 2006, Bilbray won a controversial special election [4] against Francine Busby to fill the vacancy in CD-50 left by Randy Cunningham’s resignation and subsequent conviction on an assortment of felony counts. Bilbray followed his special election victory by winning the rematch against Busby in November that year, and then cruising to two more re-election triumphs in 2008 and 2010. Given his 18-point margin of victory in the latter election, one might wonder why this race is on this list.
Something happened on the way to Election 2012 — redistricting. California’s non-partisan redistricting commission played havoc with the former congressional district lines and landed Bilbray in a newly minted District 52. Not only is Bilbray’s seat now much bluer than two years ago (Cook Political PVI D+1), but he must also face a formidable challenger in Democrat Scott Peters.
(Note: PVI = Partisan Voting Index. Developed by political handicapper Charlie Cook, the PVI average results from the prior two presidential elections and compares them to national results. So a PVI of D+1 indicates a district that went Democratic exceeding the national average of the Democratic vote over the last two presidential elections by 1 percentage point.)
After the controversy surrounding Bilbray’s first election victories, Democrats may, at long last, have the opportunity to send Bilbray packing. This race is up for grabs.
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Illinois CD-12 (open seat)
William Enyart (D) vs. Jason Plummer (R)
Like Republicans in North Carolina, Democrats in Illinois used redistricting to carve out a substantial advantage in House elections for the next decade. Election Projection currently shows Democrats picking up 4 seats [5] in the Land of Lincoln against just one Republican pick-up, which happens to be Illinois CD-12.
Democrat Jerry Costello was supposed be an easy victor here. His seat was to be a solid hold for the blue team — until Costello decided to retire at the end of the current term. Charlie Cook reacted to the announcement by moving his rating from “Solid Democrat” to “Toss-up” in one drastic shift.
Further complicating their prospects, Brad Harriman, winner of the Democratic primary, dropped out of the race due to health concerns. Now, his replacement, William Enyart, must run double-time to catch up to Republican nominee Jason Plummer. Still, the district does sport a D+3 PVI so Plummer’s road is uncertain at best. Polls show Plummer ahead, but expect them to tighten considerably between now and November 6.
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New Hampshire CD-1 and CD-2
Frank Guinta-inc (R) vs. Carol Shea-Porter (D)
Charlie Bass-inc (R) vs. Ann McLane Kuster (D)
These two seats have so much in common and are so competitive that a package deal is in order. Besides, they have mirrored each other in recent elections. In fact, these two seats have gone to the same party in every election since 1992. Both were Democratic pick-ups in 2006, and Republicans reclaimed them both two years ago.
But the similarities don’t end there. All four of the likely nominees (likely because the Democratic primary won’t be held until September 11) were on the ballot in 2010. It’s a pair of rematches, and early polls indicate two razor-close battles are in store.
As red spots in the blue expanse of the Northeast, these two contests hold special significance for the GOP. Along with a competitive Senate race in nearby Connecticut, they represent two of very few opportunities for Republican victories in the region.
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Pennsylvania CD-12 (merged seat)
Mark Critz-inc (D) vs. Keith Rothfus (R)
An interesting phenomena of reapportionment after every 10-year census is the incumbent-vs-incumbent race. When a state loses seats to reapportionment, it is quite common for two incumbents to end up in the same district. That’s just what happened in Pennsylvania this year. Republicans used their control over the redistricting process to paint Democratic Congressmen Jason Altmire and Mark Critz into a newly configured CD-12. Critz won the primary and will face Keith Rothfus, a Tea-Party backed Republican who lost to Altmire in 2010 by just 2 percent.
This year, Rothfus may turn the tables on Critz, given the new district’s R+6 PVI, but Critz has proven a formidable challenge in the past. He won a special election to replace the late John Murtha in May 2010 and then held on to win re-election, 51-49, in November of that year, despite seeing so many of his Democratic colleagues go down to defeat.
It’ll be an exciting race in a battleground state, and the winner could be determined by the color and length of the coattails at the top of the ticket.
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Minnesota CD-8
Chris Cravaack-inc (R) vs. Richard Nolan (D)
Democrat Jim Oberstar rarely campaigned for re-election. His seat was one of those formalities I mentioned earlier. In 2010, Chris Cravaack was supposed to be just the next GOP pretender to lose big to the 19-term incumbent. But then the red wave kept rising and rising. Once Oberstar realized his race was competitive, it was too late. Cravaack’s stunning victory was one of the most surprising in recent memory.
Now, it is Cravaack who must work hard for re-election in this Democrat-leaning district (D+3 PVI). Demographic shifts may have moved his constituency rightward, but this remains difficult territory. His opponent, DFL-endorsed Richard Nolan, has been through the House election wars before — most recently in 1978. No, that’s not a typo, Nolan served three terms in Congress during the 1970s [6] and hasn’t run for office since!
This race will be another nail-biter, but if Cravaack avoids the sophomore slump, he may be set up for easier tests in future cycles.
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Overall these races won’t decide who controls the House. If the Democrats manage an unlikely takeover, all of the races on this list — and many other less competitive ones — will have to fall in their favor. If that happens, these races may not turn out to be very competitive after all. But, barring the unforeseen, we will still have a Republican majority come January, albeit a few seats smaller, and these select contests will have provided us the suspense and intrigue that keep us coming back to the elections arena cycle after cycle.
Article printed from PJ Media: http://pjmedia.com
URL to article: http://pjmedia.com/blog/five-must-watch-congressional-races-for-2012/
http://www.americanthinker.com/2012/08/south_african_bds_or_just_bs.html
The government of South Africa has defined the State of Israel as not including Beersheva, Yad Mordechai, Acco, Afula, and Nahariya. It creates an “Arab Enclave” in Jaffa not governed by Israel. It reduces the borders of Israel in two places to points on a map — one in the Galilee and one in the Negev Desert — and, for good measure, restores Jerusalem and certain of its suburbs to “corpus separatum.” Yasser Arafat didn’t have the nerve to define such borders.
South Africa has decided to label goods entering the country from certain places as “IOT” for “Israeli Occupied Territory.” The outraged Israeli government called the decision “blatant discrimination based on national and political distinction. This kind of discrimination has not been imposed — and rightly so — in any other case of national, territorial or ethnic conflict[.] … What is totally unacceptable is the use of tools which, by essence, discriminate and single out, fostering a general boycott.”
It is worse than that.
The statement by the South African cabinet “approved that a notice … be issued by the minister of Trade and Industry requiring the labeling of goods or products emanating from IOTs (Israel Occupied Territories) to prevent consumers being led to believe that such goods come from Israel. This is in line with South Africa’s stance that recognizes the 1948 borders delineated by the United Nations and does not recognize occupied territories beyond these borders as being part of the State of Israel.”
The South African Cabinet appears to insist on the 1947 U.N. Partition Plan as the parameters for an Israel with which it is morally comfortable. Aside from the historical oddity of choosing 1948 — a year in which no borders for Israel were determined — there is the question of how to react to the delicate moral sensibilities of a government that just shot and killed 34 of its own citizens and wounded more than 70 others for protesting over pay.
Sticking to history, there are three possible eastern boundary lines for the State of Israel1: the 1947 U.N. partition line, the 1949 Armistice Line (also and incorrectly known as the “pre-’67 borders”), and the Jordan River post-Six-Day War. None are recognized borders, and none were established in 1948.
http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_opinion.php?id=2457 NAM and The New York Times Comic relief can be a good temporary remedy for actual, long-term tragedy. This must be why there was such a heavy dose of it in The New York Times on Thursday. Any other explanation for the piece by former political science professor at Tehran University and former adviser […]
http://www.jewishpress.com/news/breaking-news/obama-campaign-enlisting-support-from-radical-anti-israel-rabbis/2012/08/24/ Some of the “Rabbis for Obama” group in conversation with an Ayatollah on their recent visit to Iran. Photo Credit: Shalom Rav blog According to Noah Pollak, executive director of the Emergency Committee for Israel, President Obama’s attitude towards Jewish voters is astonishing. Speaking to The Jewish Press, Pollak said, “the Rabbis for Obama […]
http://www.carolineglick.com/e/2012/08/israel-faces-the-cynical-world.php?utm_source=MadMimi&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Israel+faces+the+cynical+world&utm_campaign=20120824_m113354915_Israel+faces+the+cynical+world&utm_term=Continue+Reading This week a German doctor in Bavaria filed a criminal complaint against Rabbi David Goldberg. Rabbi Goldberg’s “crime”? He performs ritual circumcisions on Jewish male infants in accordance with Jewish law. The doctor’s complaint came shortly after a ruling by a court in Cologne outlawing the practice of male circumcision. The Austrians and the […]
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/159239
The United States is colluding with a top Israeli newspaper to stymie Israel’s efforts to strike Iran’s nuclear weapons program, and the IDF knows it, according to a leading nationalist pundit.
Writing in Friday’s edition of Makor Rishon, one of the Israel’s veteran journalists, Amnon Lord, paints a picture of intense U.S. meddling in internal Israeli political and security-oriented processes in an effort to prevent a successful Israeli strike on the weapon program meant to make it extinct.
“From a technical military point of view, Israel does not require any kind of coordination with the Americans,” writes Lord regarding the plan for a raid on Iran. “There is a concern that the Americans will learn of the date for an attack and try to prevent it in different ways. The Americans have not given the Israelis a feeling that they are true partners in the operative arena, in the past two years. On the contrary, the IDF has identified preventive American activity against an Iran operation.”
“This is particularly evident in the grave matter of the leaks regarding Azerbaijan in the past, about the Kurdish region, and recently in the publication of the flight paths to the target. All this is being produced by our ally, with the cooperation of one of the largest media platforms in Israel, which serves and assists the Obama administration against the government of Israel. The Americans are the ones who are feeding some of the arch-pundits with damaging information.”
http://www.dianawest.net/Home/tabid/36/EntryId/2217/Fire-General-Allen.aspx
One word for General John R. Allen’s recent explanation for the spate of Afghan murders of our men is despicable. Ramadan fasting, summer heat, and operational tempo, the general argues (is he breathing a little hard in the video below?), have driven Afghan “allies” to murder Americans in recent weeks. “The closer the relationship, the more secure, ultimately, our troops will be,” he concludes. Wanna go first, general?
Having cut all moorings of logic, the top commander in Afghanistan is showing signs of madness — or is that ideological moribundess? Either one is reason for Allen to be fired. During his Afghanistan posting, Allen has managed to scrape new lows in his supplication to Islam — in this most recent instance, letting elementary and emphatic Islamic exhortations to kill “infidels” off the hook as the likely spur to the spate of Afghan assassinations of Americans.
This isn’t to say Allen could have gotten where he is without the trailblazing downward spirals into dhimmitude of his predecessors Petraeus, McChrystal and Petraeus. Indeed, it is almost exactly three years ago since General Stanley McChrystal should have been fired over his Afghanistan assessment. The same goes for multiple reasons for Gen. Allen today.
Like his brothers-in-brass, Allen is all about ideology — the COIN ideology. This Leftist dogma transmuted to the battlefield is founded on the Big Lie of “universalism,” which takes in the absurd but also liberty-threatening belief that all cultures, all religions, all civilizations have interchangeable values and aspirations. The theory is easily disproven, but it remains a commandment of postmodern gospel. Such universalism is also, let’s face it, a crucial underpinning of the anti-nationhood, anti-sovereignty strategic drive of Marx, socialism, Communism, progressivism and whatever other label we trot out to describe the collectivist engine progressively destroying liberty in the West. In the spirit (purity) of such ideology, COIN’s founding myth is that the teachings of Islam are not factors in fighting a war in an Islamic land. This was made manifest, for example, in the 2009 McChrystal strategy mentioned above.
