Free Republic

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been denied a request to visit the World Trade Center site of the September 11 attacks, New York police said on Wednesday. Ahmadinejad, who regularly accuses the United States of arrogance in his speeches, had asked to visit the site while in New York for the United Nations General Assembly this month. "The site is closed to visitors because of construction there," police spokesman Paul Browne said in a statement. "Requests for the Iranian president to visit the immediate area would also be opposed by the NYPD on security grounds." Police said they were unsure...

From about 1989 to 1992 we pretty much figured that we had it made. The Iron Curtain fell, peace was breaking out all over. Francis Fukiyama rather unilaterally claimed victory for Liberal Democracy in his instant classic The End of History and the Last Man. His primary thesis went as follows. "What we may be witnessing is not just the end of the Cold War, or the passing of a particular period of post-war history, but the end of history as such: that is, the end point of mankind's ideological evolution and the universalization of Western liberal democracy as the...

Please be aware!!! Investigators in Marion County, Fla., are searching for the author of nine postcards sent to different schools on the same day, with the words ‘Jihad-Boom” and cartoons drawn by hand, of a building being blown up with people inside. Investigators released the postcards with the threatening drawings on them Monday in hopes of generating leads in the case. Officials said that the postcards are made up of various and traditional themes, and each one has a distinctive hand-drawn cartoon on it. Several of the threats arrived on postcards featuring Walt Disney World. Detectives said the threat-maker crossed...

Al-Qaeda released the third 9/11 video on Islamist websites on the internet on Monday. The 26-minute video is a montage of audio and video footage showing previous messages by al-Qaeda leaders Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri on the reasons behind the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States. Al-Qaeda released Osama bin Laden's first video in three years on 9 September. A second message was then made available on the sixth annivesary of the 9/11 attacks. The second message featured a still image of bin Laden with a voice praising Waleed al-Shehri, one of the 9/11 hijackers....

James Brolin was on the Chaz & AJ Show to promote his new movie "The Hunting Party." When the radio hosts mentioned it was the sixth anniversary of 9/11, Brolin responded, "Right! Oh yeah. Oh Happy 9/11!"

The ethnic origins of General David Petraeus are apparently Dutch, which is a shame because there’s something sonorously classical about the family name of the commander of the US forces in Iraq. When you discover that his father was christened Sixtus, the fantasy really takes flight. Somewhere in the recesses of the brain, where memory mingles hazily with imagination, I fancy I can recall toiling through a schoolboy Latin textbook that documented the progress of one Petraeus Sixtus as he triumphantly extended the imperium romanum across some dusty plain in Asia Minor. The fantasy is not wholly inapt, of course....

Texas Director of Homeland Security, Steve McCraw revealed Wednesday that 6 yrs. after Sept. 11th, people have connected to Hezbollah, Hamas and al Qaeda have been arrested at the Texas border. What will it take to strengthen our border security? Maybe a Texan in the White House cares about border security? Wait! GWB is a Texan...does he care? Michael Cutler on Counterterrorism Blog alerted me to this when I finally got to read his post from yesterday afternoon: I want you to take a moment to let the significance of all of this sink in. Our nation is at war...

On the first day of school in September 2004, Beslan, Russia began a three day nightmare. Around 100 militant Muslim terrorists took control of the school and held it for three days. At the end of the seige, three hundred thirty four citizens were dead. One hundred eighty-six were children. It was the most horrific attack on schoolchildren the world had ever seen. In the months following September 11th, clues that were either missed or not understood began being understood with a new clarity. Across the nation, pundit and experts could not understand how America’s intelligence agencies failed to “connect...

Diana West brings to our attention a dismaying story from Brussels -- the brutalizing by Belgian police of peaceful demonstrators from a group called Stop the Islamization of Europe, including a member of the European parliament. It seems that European states not only increasingly accommodate Shariah (Islamic law), but are taking sides against those who exercise what (outside of Islamic law) is their right to protest this development. JOHN adds: Here's the video. The The distinguished-looking guy who gets roughed up by the police first is Luk Van Nieuwenhuysen, the Vice-President of the Flemish Parliament..... (Go to Powerline to see...

The six-year anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks came and went this month, with the expected television specials and documentaries. Stories of survivors and victims alike, new and repeated, reminded us of that horrible day when the New World War was declared. But this time something even more troubling went along with the solemn day of remembrance. A rise in conspiracy theories has occurred, each new one more disgusting than the last.

Bin Laden sidelined as al-Qaeda threat revives By Tim Shipman in Washington Last Updated: 1:29am BST 16/09/2007 Osama bin Laden's deputy has seized control of al-Qaeda and rebuilt the terror network into an organisation capable of launching complex terror attacks in Britain and America. Al-Qaeda leadership Intelligence officials have told The Sunday Telegraph that bin Laden has not chaired a meeting of al-Qaeda's ruling shura, or council, in more than two years. Instead, Ayman al-Zawahiri, bin Laden's nominal number two, is credited with rebuilding the terror network since the Afghan war in 2001. Intelligence sources in Washington have revealed that...

On Tuesday, a nation honored those whose lives were lost during the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001. But four days prior to the anniversary of the deadly terrorist attacks, a Wayne State medical student had city officials hoping that the event would not be marred by more bloodshed. Houssein Zorkot, 26, was arrested Sept. 8 after he was observed wielding an AK-47 semi-automatic assault rifle in Hemlock Park, a popular destination for many Dearborn residents. Zorkot, who is of Lebanese descent, was arraigned Tuesday in 19th District Court — the same day city officials sent out a press release...

          Back to School! By Naval Support Activity Chapel Staff A child came home from his first day of school. His mother asked, “What did you learn today?” He said, “Not enough. I have to go back tomorrow.” Going back to school is always difficult for both teachers and students. It also means more traffic with school buses back on the road, probably the only ones delighted about schools reopening are the parents. Going back to school can be a milestone. Kindergarten, sixth grade, high school and college are all significant marks of progress and...

Remember Me By Salena Zito Time punishes war. The war in Iraq is no exception; as each moment passes, public resolve, politics and passion erode its mission. Collectively, many Americans tend to remember the mistakes and politics that led us there, rather than the faces of the men and women who serve and defend us.

The Birth of al Qaedastan In the year 2016, the world may find itself gloomily marking September 6 as the tenth anniversary of the creation of the Islamic Emirate of Waziristan. The Emirate received de facto recognition when the Taliban used the name on the ceasefire agreement they signed with Pakistan on that day in 2006. If things go terribly wrong in the coming decade, they could come to rule a mountainous fragment of Pakistan and Afghanistan. The Emirate would be a nightmare state: Osama bin Laden as sultan, Ayman al Zawahiri as vizier, and Mullah Omar the spiritual...

The story of the week wasn't Gen. David Petraeus' testimony on Iraq, although it dominated the headlines. The story of the week wasn't the sixth return of September 11 since the jihad atrocity of 2001, although it inspired many public statements and ceremonies. The week's biggest story garnered little press and few comments. But, in a significant way, this overlooked story — an outrageous display of police force in Brussels on September 11, 2007 — symbolizes the missing link in our flawed comprehension of both Iraq and September 11. There, in the so-called capital of Europe, 200 people marked the...

WASHINGTON — Thousands of opponents and supporters of the U.S. presence in Iraq will converge Saturday in the nation's capital for a day of demonstrations. The anti-war ANSWER Coalition is planning a rally at Lafayette Square, followed by a march to the Capitol and "die-in," where thousands plan to risk arrest by entering areas where they're not supposed to go. Meanwhile, a groups that support the Iraq war are planning a rally of their own. Gathering of Eagles and Free Republic are set to meet on the Mall and line the protest route.

Wearing Orange For Osama by Wayne Boettcher Posted: 09/14/2007 When the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, Pentagon and Flight 93 occurred, it was a shock to many people. Yet those who follow politics and world affairs easily understood how this had been building up. We were still shocked, but with knowledge and understanding of why this happened. In Somalia, the US mission had been changed from protecting food shipments to nation building. However, not many extra forces were sent in even though they were requested. Our elite troops far surpassed others in skill and...

An Open Letter To Senator Charles Schumer Senator Schumer, I write to you to take vehement exception to a statement you recently made concerning the job our troops are doing in Iraq. Although I'm paraphrasing, you said something to the effect that violence in the Anbar province had gone down in spite of the recent surge of troops we have sent into the area. You said that due to the American forces inability to protect the citizens that the warlords had stepped in and reduced the violence. After hearing your left handed rhetoric for a while, I must say I...

"If only." Those are the verbal crutches America must discard in a post-September 11, 2001, world. If only the State Department hadn't been so sloppy in issuing visas to the September 11 hijackers. If only police and state troopers had been able to check the immigration status of the hijackers who were pulled over for speeding before the attacks. If only universities had been more diligent in monitoring the hijackers' whereabouts. If only the feds had listened to alert agents' recommendations to profile young Arab students in our flight schools. If only someone, anyone, had said something when they saw...