Macedonia: You want a church, dhimmis? Then build a mosque too.

No new Church without a mosque. Wahhabi beach parties are okay. And reporters, you come around asking questions we threaten you with a gun. Got that?

Moslems are marking their territory. Or is that "terror' tory?

When government officials in Macedonia recently proposed rebuilding a church that once stood on the city’s central square, they received an abrupt warning: for the Islamic Community (IVZ), the recreation of Sveti Konstanin & Elena, destroyed in the 1963 earthquake, should guarantee them their own right to build a mosque in the prominent downtown area.

This is not the first time that Muslim officials have raised their voices on this issue; it has been a hot topic for several years now. And in interviews and public statements, the ambitions of the Islamic leadership to restore the Ottoman-era landscape have been clearly seen. The A1 article quotes an IVZ official who states that the Islamic Community had put forward the request to rebuild the Burmali Mosque “one year ago.” Communist Yugoslavia did away with other some surviving mosques, converting them into spaces for public use, as had its Royalist predecessor.
The post-Communist denationalization process has seen considerable assets and property returned to their former owners. Nevertheless, in the competition to win back as much largesse as possible from the state, Muslims are particularly resentful.

Later this year, the Macedonian Jewish Community will finish work on a new Holocaust Memorial Center, to be built over the location of Skopje’s former Jewish quarter, which adjoins the city’s main Muslim stronghold and overlooks the northeastern bank of the Vardar. “The government did everything it could for the Jews, and for the Christians,” one high IVZ official complained in early 2006. “But they don’t want to give anything back to the Muslims- they fear our power.”

Forces at work within Macedonia’s Muslim community have therefore sought to take power into their own hands. Unlike the Skopje officials who merely proposed rebuilding the central church, Muslims have simply gone ahead with the philosophy of build first, ask questions later. A Macedonian journalist interested in asking builders about a mosque that was being constructed in a Christian majority neighborhood of Skopje two years ago was threatened at gunpoint. Islamic officials controlling funds from letting properties and for building works have been associated with the radical Wahhabi movement in the past, and tend to be very secretive.

The suspicion that much of the new mosques are being built with Saudi money is evidenced in places such as the village of Saraj, just west of the capital, where one garish mosque adorned with Saudi-style double minarets stands besides the highway; another is currently under construction adjacent to it. When asked about the source of funding for the former mosque, a local imam stated that it had all been accomplished through local donations- the usual, and impossible to verify, response in such cases.

However, a currently serving European intelligence officer surveyed about the newer mosque under construction in Saraj, which will give the village a total of three, suspected a more long-term goal at work: “the location right along the highway, where all the drivers are passing on to go out of the city, is not picked by accident. It makes a statement,” he said. “This is also part of the plan to consolidate Saraj with Kondovo across the highway, eventually.”

Sprawling Kondovo, backed by wooded hills leading north toward the porous Kosovo border, is the site of the country’s main madrassah. The 40km highway from Skopje to Tetovo, flanked by these and several other Albanian Muslim villages, is one of the most heavily trafficked stretches of road in the country and the route that most tourists take when going to the tourist destination of Lake Ohrid. Stocking this span of highway with mosques, as has already partially been accomplished, is a priority for Islamists looking to ‘mark their territory’ in a way that will be visually overpowering. The IVZ’s desire to rebuild the Burmali Mosque in the center of Skopje mirrors, and even exceeds this goal, given that it will be both highly visible, audible and also frequented by observant Muslims, dramatically changing the general experience of the city center for locals and tourists alike.

That Islamic groups are not interested just in reviving Ottoman architecture has been witnessed in numerous ways. A mob of Muslim youth, officially criticized by the IVZ, protested against the Danish cartoons of Mohammed back when that controversy was playing out across Europe in February of 2006. More recently, on 10 January Muslim women petitioned successfully for the right to wear head scarves in official photographs. According to Balkan Insight, an obscure women’s association, ‘Islam and Science’ had filed a complaint in November 2007, claiming that “the ban violated the right to freely express religion.”

Further, as was witnessed in 2006, local sources in Struga, on Lake Ohrid in Macedonia’s southwest, recently stated for Balkanalysis.com that a Wahhabi ‘beach party’ in July, “twice as big as the year before,” brought around 100 bearded men and youth to the beach for a day of football, conversation and casual religion. While undercover police snapped photos, however, the bizarre occurrence was not reported in the media.

Of course not. It is the Religion of Peace after all.

Obama: When I become Prez I will hold Muslim summit

and I will kiss their ass in Macy's window.

Then I'll shut down Gitmo and end US occupation in Iraq.

Vote for me.

US presidential hopeful Barack Obama has told a French magazine he wants to organise a summit of the Muslim world if he makes it to the White House.

Muslim and Western leaders would be invited to the summit for "a discussion about how we can prevent the widening misunderstandings and gaps between the Muslim world and the West," Obama said in the interview to Paris Match.

"I will ask them to join us in battling terrorism but we should also be willing to listen in terms of some of their concerns," he said in the interview to be released Thursday.

The Maldives, the UN, Sharia law and Child Abuse

From the Dhivestan Report:
And now more misunderstanding from the court?
(Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez h/t to LabsandMead.)

"Even after 800 years of Islam, the Gaazee's in the courts may have "misunderstood" our dear Prophet Mohammed's (PBUH) views regarding sex between men and children. Something has even made them ignore international commitments and common sense. Now why would these Gaazee's educated in Islam go and do such a thing?

No. There's no misunderstanding. If you live in the Maldives it's just another case of Sharia sponsored, UN sanctioned child rape. Read it all and tell me how a brutal attack on a twelve year old girl by four men wielding axes can be anything else.

The twelve-year-old was attacked on January 31 2007 when the group of four men, aged between 19 and 25, used an axe to smash the window of the her bedroom before taking her from her bed and having sex with her.

The gang of four men cleared previously of raping a twelve-year old girl were sentenced to two years' banishment for "forceful sexual assault" in a high court appeal case today. But in defiance of previous government pledges, the court has not imposed any prison sentence.

The state had appealed following a ruling last July that the men were guilty of "consensual sex before marriage", claiming the girl had agreed to have sex because she didn't "scream out" after the men broke into her house. The men were then sentenced to eight months' exile from their home island, Lhaviyani atoll Kurendhoo, the minimum possible for sex outside marriage.

The High Court has now overruled the previous verdict, stating that sex was not necessarily consensual, and has increased the punishment. But the victim's father said he is concerned the men will be free to reoffend - echoing previous comments by local women's and children's organisations.

The four men were sentenced to a total of two years' banishment and fifteen lashings each. But the gang have already served part of their banishment sentence so face only eighteen months more in exile.

However the ruling directly contradicts a government commitment to the UN that child sex offenders would be imprisoned rather than banished. The government had also pledged to change the law, which allows sex offenders to live and work among children on any island outside their own atoll.

It's important to note:

"Under Maldivian law Sexual offences such as rape and child abuse require a confession by the alleged perpetrator, or testimony by two witnesses in order for a successful conviction to take place."

About that government commitment to the UN:

In May Deputy Home Minister Azima Shukoor promised a UN conference in Geneva, child sex offenders would be imprisoned rather than banished.

Today Justice Minister Mohamed Jameel confirmed, "there is a judicial practice to sentence such offenders to imprisonment.” He said he would look into why the judge had “departed from the prevailing practice.”

But Aminath Eenas of the Gender Ministry says the Justice Ministry has ignored demands to impose prison sentences, and hear abuse victims' evidence in private not open courts.

Velezine says Azima Shukoor deceived the UN conference. “The minister completely distorted the truth. The law clearly still permits banishment for child sexual offences, and the judiciary does not consider this a serious crime. The sentences send completely the wrong message. It tells men of all ages they can get away with rape, and it tells young women not to come forward as they will be re-victimised by the judicial system,” Velezinee added. And she called on the Gender Ministry to “condemn the decision in the strongest possible terms,” and “make sure this goes all the way to the high court.”

The Gender Minister, Aishath Didi, has refused to condemn the judgement. She told Minivan News the government "must respect the judge's decision," although she promised, "everything necessary is being done," for the appeal. Azima Shukoor has refused to discuss her statement to the UN in May, telling Minivan News "I am too busy to discuss this right now.”

Back in 2007 the UN welcomed the Maldivian AG's appeal of the case. Listen to this gobbledy-gook UN speak. I'm telling you, the roundtable discussions between the Maldivian Govt and the UN Country Team must be one big circle jerk.

Whereas the UN Country Team is of the opinion that an appropriate constitutional / institutional framework can ensure the meaningful implementation of the ongoing legal reform, it also recognizes that political leadership and determination will go a long way in removing obstacles to the elimination of all sorts of violence against women and girls in the Maldives.

Do they honestly think that Sharia law provides an appropriate constitutional / institutional framework for ongoing legal reform? They're hallucinating!

Check their Milennium Development Goals for the Maldives to see how out of touch they are. I think somebody needs to light a fire under the arse of the Maldivian UN Country team about the Maldives government's failure to live up to their committment to the UN.

You'd think with their shaky record when it comes to UN troops sexually abusing children they'd be paying a little bit more attention to this, no?

Well, let them know we're paying attention! The team is led by Mr. Patrice Coeur-Bizot. The UNICEF representative on the team is Mr. Ken Maskall. Please make sure you name and shame them in your correspondence to this address: registry.mv@undp.org

And if you're looking for other examples of misunderstanding the perverse Prophet's (Panties Be Upon Him) views to present them with...

There's this about the Imam of Goidhoo and the 5 girls aged 11-19.

Or this about the sex video made with a 9 yo girl. Evidently not her first.

(And for an excellent summary you might want to cite this article, Paradise for Pedophiles. UN staffers are quite busy you know - what with all those roundtable discussions and cocktail soirees. Feh.)

Books banned: not in line with the Malaysian version of Islam

They associate Islam with terrorism (shocka!) or say Islam mistreats women (for sure!)

La-la-la. We can't hear you! And get this. Some of the books aren't even for sale there. No matter. It's just another instance of the truth hurts, huh Moslems?

Malaysia has banned 11 books for allegedly giving a false portrayal of Islam, such as by linking the religion to terrorism and the mistreatment of women, an official said Wednesday.

The government ordered the books -- most of them released by U.S. publishers -- to be blacklisted earlier this month 'because they are not in line with what we call the Malaysian version of Islam,' said Che Din Yusoh, an official with the Internal Security Ministry's publications control unit.

'Some of them ridicule Islam as a religion, or the facts are wrong about Islam, like associating Islam with terrorism ... or saying Islam mistreats women,' he said. 'Once you mention something which is not correct, it's not proper.'

The banned books include eight English-language ones, such as 'The Two Faces of Islam: Saudi Fundamentalism and its Role in Terrorism, 'Secrets of the Quran: Revealing Insights Into Islam's Holy Book' and 'Women in Islam.' (couldn't find this one - figures.)

There are also three books written in the local Malay language.

It was not immediately clear whether the books have ever been on sale in Malaysia, but government authorities regularly review the contents of books and publications that could have sensitive material, mostly regarding religion and sex, Che Din said.

Flori-duh strikes again

Broward County Florida Election Web Site: Precinct D001 has 109% Turnout Rate (h/t Free Republic)

"I see dead people."

You gotta love Denmark

Danish Royal Library to exhibit Mohammed cartoons.

Cue the Moslem seething in 5...4...3....

Denmark's Royal Library is risking the wrath of Muslims with plans to display controversial cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed that sparked violent protest throughout the Islamic world two years ago.

The 12 caricatures of Islam's founder were published in Danish newspapers in September 2005 triggering riots and violence which claimed the lives of over 50 people.

Copenhagen's Royal Library – founded by King Frederik III in 17th century – is courting a new controversy by classifying the cartoons as “historic” objects alongside other Danish treasures, such as original manuscripts by Martin Luther.

"We hope we can secure all of the works to preserve them for the future.

The Moslem reply, which sounds more like a pout to me - "we got nothin' from the courts when we tried to sue" boo-hoo-hoo :

Kasem Said Ahmad, a spokesman for the Danish Muslim Society, which led the campaign against the cartoons said: “We will not be holding any demonstrations as we got nothing from the Danish courts when we tried to sue the newspapers. We will ignore all provocations in future.”

(until that Geert Wilders film comes out!)

Muslims lay siege to Australian Hospital

How do you solve a problem like Sharia?

There was a standoff outside the hospital doors. The siege lasted almost three hours. A flashpoint occurred at one stage and reinforcements were called: three fully laden unmarked police cars arrived. Between eight to ten undercover police faced off the Muslims assembled on the other side of the road. The police deliberately displayed their pistols without drawing them, to show they meant business. At this point in time about four to six ambulances waiting in their designated area drove off as one and didn't reappear until the Muslim crowd had dispersed some time later …

At the centre of the action was an Egyptian cab driver. He stood out as the commander of the situation as soon as he arrived. He was directing traffic. He ordered the women to surround the bed of the deceased, so as to stop the body being taken to the hospital mortuary, or whatever.

The Muslim women abused the nurses for trying to carry out their tasks. ‘You haven't any feelings like us; we have a dead man here,’ they said as sat or stood around the bed in tight formation, effectively cordoning it off.

The taxi driver was speaking in Arabic, of course. The Muslim people followed every word he said. It was like an army operation. ‘This is against the Islamic religion, they are not to interfere with the body’. He called for someone to come and pray and then the body could be taken away.
The police commander came to realise he had to negotiate through the taxi driver. The cries were incessant, they weren't listening, only to the taxi man: ‘We must have a quick burial’, shrieks of "No, you can't take him", "Many sheiks must come to take him to Genah (paradise)". Over time the assembled Muslims did quieten down a bit.

The deal accepted by the police commander correlated to Sharia law and not Australian law. It certainly wasn't a compromise position at all, it was capitulation. A family member was allowed to stay overnight with the deceased, to ensure that the blood samples or any other forensic testing would not occur.

More at the link.

Wilders postpones Koran film til March

From Brussels Journal:

The Dutch politician Geert Wilders has told De Telegraaf, the largest newspaper in the Netherlands that he has postponed the release of his “anti-Koran movie” until next March.

And ain't this the truth?

Comparing the Koran to Mein Kampf may shock the Dutch, but it will hardly shock al-Qa’eda or the Salafists. On the contrary, they might even consider it a compliment.

In answer to critics who claim that the Wilders film is nothing but a PR stunt:

To counter these rumours, Wilders sent the opening shot of the film to De Telegraaf. It shows a Koran accompanied by the text: “Waarschuwing: dit boek bevat schokkende beelden” (Warning: this book contains disturbing images), followed by a beheading in Iraq, a stoning in Iran and an execution in Saudi-Arabia.

An interesting sidenote: Gerard Spong, the famous Dutch lawyer who has offered to represent all Moslem complaints against Wilders (pro bono, too!) was not only Pim Fortuyn's lawyer as noted previously, he also represented Joran Van Der Sloot in the Natalee Holloway case.

Afghanistan: Iranian and Chinese weapons showing up. In size.

Afghanistan: Official Says Iranian Mines Found In Taliban Commander's House

An provincial police chief says authorities have discovered a weapons cache in western Afghanistan containing 130 land mines of different types that appear to have been imported from Iran. The cache, discovered in Farah Province near the Iranian border, includes about 40 sophisticated remote-controlled mines.

Farah's provincial police chief, General Khailbaz Sherzai, told RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan today that the cache was found in the house of a Taliban commander named Mullah Abdul Ghani.

"We discovered a cache containing a large collection of land mines -- antipersonnel and antitank mines -- in the Anardara district of Farah Province," Sherzai said. "They were recently brought from Iran and the man who was responsible for that has escaped. We completely destroyed the cache and the room it was contained in."

It is the latest in a series of weapons caches found in Afghanistan that the U.S. military, NATO, or the Afghan government has said were either made in Iran or transported through Iran and into the hands of Taliban militants.

Tehran has consistently denied sending weapons to the Taliban. Afghan President Hamid Karzai has said Afghan officials have no evidence linking the Iranian government to weapons shipped to the Taliban.

Independent analysts agree that it would be difficult to smuggle the volume of weapons now being found in western Afghanistan without the knowledge of some senior officials in Tehran.
Ahmed Rashid, a Pakistani journalist and author of the book "Taliban," insists he has no doubt that Iran has been involved in channeling money and weapons to various elements in Afghanistan -- including the Taliban -- for several years.

"They have long-running relations with many of the commanders and small-time warlords in western Afghanistan," Rashid told RFE/RL recently. "I think Iran is playing all sides in the Afghan conflict. If the Iranians are convinced that the Americans are undermining them through western Afghanistan, then it is very likely that these agents of theirs have been activated."

Alex Vatanka, the Washington-based Iran analyst for Jane's Information Group, says recent discoveries in Afghanistan of several large caches of Chinese and Iranian-made weapons suggests Tehran has had at least an indirect role.

Vatanka says drug traffickers and smugglers are not capable of sending to Afghanistan the volume of weapons that are turning up in the hands of Taliban fighters -- unless, he says, they have approval from at least one senior government official in Tehran.

Libya withholds support for UN draft condemning Qassam rocket fire

And it looks like it's because Syria put the arm on them...

Under pressure from Syria, Libya is withholding support for a Security Council draft declaration which includes an unprecedented condemnation of Palestinian rocket fire from Gaza into Israel. The draft presidential declaration devised by the United States gained approval of 14 out of 15 member states that comprise the Security Council. Sources at the UN told Haaretz that all 15 states were minutes from signing the non-punitive declaration which for the first time ever condemns ongoing Qassam fire at southern Israel from Gaza, when Syria pressured Libya's ambassador to the UN, Giadalla Ettalhi, who this month assumed the rotating presidency of the Security Council, to reconsider the bill at the last minute.

Kyrgyzstan: IAEA seeks answers to Radioactive Seizure. On train heading to Iran.

This is weird.

Back in December some Cesium-137 was discovered aboard a freight train bound for Iran. The seizure occured 9 days before the Kyrgyz government got around to notifying the IAEA and they haven't been exactly forthcoming since. It's troubling too, because cesium-137 is the "favored substance of terrorists seeking to build a radiological "dirty bomb" or to launch a so-called "I-cube attack," which would use the easy ingestion, inhalation, or immersion of the powdery chemical to kill on a large scale." Levels of radiation were so high that the "Emergency Situations Ministry" had to ask for VOLUNTEERS to clean it up. Also troubling: The material passed through three border checkpoints without being detected. Even more troubling: Kyrgyzstan is loaded with poorly secured radioactive waste dumps. Experts hypothesize that "negligence or incompetence" are the chief culprits - but still...

The UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has lodged a formal request with the Kyrgyz government to provide more detailed data on the troubling incident that unfolded in the last days of 2007. But an IAEA official has told RFE/RL that the Vienna-based nuclear watchdog is still awaiting an official reply from Kyrgyz officials -- a week after they announced that dangerous levels of the radioactive substance cesium-137 had been discovered aboard a freight train bound for Iran.

About the incident:

In late December, radiation detectors alerted Uzbek border guards to the presence of dangerous material. The guards then sent the train back to Kyrgyzstan, where the State Environmental Agency says it was first informed of the incident on December 29. Kyrgyz officials later seized the substance and stored it in a special holding area. In an interview with RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service on January 9, Almabek Aitikeev, a senior official with the Kyrgyz Emergency Situations Ministry, offered some details about the material. It was identified as cesium-137, a product of nuclear reactors and weapons testing that is often used in medical devices and gauges."Not quite a bucketload of radioactive waste material was there mixed in with sand, dust, and snow," Aitikeev said. "We did our work and sealed up the waste on December 31."

But details remain sketchy. The Kyrgyz National Security Service continues to decline requests for comment on the incident, as does the Kyrgyz state railway company Temir, which loaded the material in Kyrgyzstan along with nonferrous scrap metals onto the train, which belonged to a Tajik company. Kyrgyz officials confirm the train's ultimate destination was Iran, which is linked to the region via railway through Turkmenistan and regularly imports Central Asian scrap metal.

Swiss cheese borders.

"It passed through our border, the Kyrgyz border [and] it passed through two border checkpoints in Kazakhstan, entering and exiting [Kazakhstan]," Noruzbaev said. "Only on the territory of Uzbekistan was it discovered, and they [the Uzbeks] sent the train back to us."
Noruzbaev said the radioactive material should have been discovered long before the train arrived in Uzbekistan. "But how could it happen that it was not detected when it passed through special checkpoints?" Noruzbaev said. "And even more so, how could a [radioactive] source like Cesium-137 or -140 pass [without detection]?"

Volunteers?

The Kyrgyz news agency 24.kg reported on January 9 that the levels of radiation being emitted from the train car were so high that Emergency Situations Ministry asked for volunteers to go and unload the cargo. Four people wearing special protective clothing volunteered to venture into the wagon where they discovered the source of the radiation: dust and waste material on the floor, which they swept up and deposited in a bucket. The bucket was then sealed in concrete and stored in a special facility.

Reports say the material emitted 1,000 milli-roentgen per hour, which is considered a dangerous level. Most companies handling such material consider 5,000 milli-roentgen per 2,000-hour work year to be the "regulatory upper limit" for safety. "It emits radiation, radioactive waves, and they are harmful, maybe not in mediocre amounts but prolonged exposure," Noruzbaev said. "If you held it a while, depending on the dosage, you would get burns of varying degrees."

Keith Ellison: Gee, Gitmo's not so bad after all...

but wah! There's still no habeas corpus!

Ellison also told the packed auditorium that the prisoners are being properly treated, but he still has grave concerns about their legal rights.

"If you think that it's objectionable because it's a gulag, you're wrong," he said. "That's not the reason it's a problem. I didn't see thumb screws. I didn't see blood on the floor or howling and screaming. But what I did see is a whole lot of people who have no process to change that condition that they're in."

Ellison said he doesn't doubt that many of the prisoners at Guantanamo Bay are bad people. But he said they should be given a fair trial in the United States. Ellison said he will continue to push for the passage of legislation that gives legal rights to the prisoners.

Cat scratch fever in Algeria

Fluffy, the world's ugliest cat.

Cats only pure animals for Islam...
Despite the fact that cats are the only pure animals for Islam allowed even in mosques, the number of cats captured in the streets of Algiers in 2007 and then killed remains very high: some 16,000.

Thirteen teams were sent by Hurbal, the public hygiene body, with the aim to capture the thousands of cats that crowd the capital. "It is impossible to keep the cats in captivity long," explains Saidi Bendjaballa, a veterinarian of Hurbal in Algiers' eastern district, El Harrach.
"They do not eat anymore, they do not resist and after 72 they are put down,"

Bendjaballa specifies, pointing out "that the animals do not suffer from the treatment". "We cannot do otherwise. No one comes to adopt a cat," she explains. Dogs are more fortunate, although they are much less (wide) spread in Algiers: "We have had at least a dozen cases of adoptions of dogs".

(See Kafir K-9 Brigade in the sidebar.)

At this stage there is nothing to suggest the assault was racially motivated.”

I wonder, is Oldham a no-go zone?

A SHOCKED Sixth-Form College student was badly beaten-up by a gang of youths moments before he was due to sit an exam.

Nicholas Markham (17), of Royton, was outside the college when he was approached by 10 Asian men at around 1.20pm on Thursday.The teenager, who was with his three friends, was about to enter the college on Union Street West to sit his PE exam when one of the thugs shouted abuse at him.

Six members of the gang then jumped on him from behind, kicking and punching him, causing severe bleeding to his left cheek and mouth.The victim’s mother Lindsey (34) said: “My son was taken to A&E in case there were any fractures to his face. He was assaulted so badly the bleeding wouldn’t stop.

And this from the police!

A Greater Manchester Police spokesman said: “Police are investigating after a 17-year-old boy was assaulted outside Oldham Sixth Form College on Thursday.“Inquiries are continuing. At this stage there is nothing to suggest the assault was racially motivated.”

Egypt welcomes their Gazan brothers with...

Welcome, my Moslem brothers.

water cannons, unclean dogs and billy clubs.

Palis respond by throwing stones. And Hamas fired up the dozers to tear down another section of the wall. How very Moslem of them.

Egypt started to close its breached border with the Gaza Strip on Friday but Palestinian militants bulldozed a new opening in a challenge to Cairo and Israel's blockade of the Hamas-run territory.

Palestinian crowds cheered as Hamas militants used a bulldozer to flatten sections of the chain and concrete fence. In a scene broadcast live on television around the world, Egyptian riot police watched from a distance as hundreds of people poured into Egypt.

Welcome, my Moslem sister!

Wilders faces deportation in Moslem movie flap

From Klein Verzet:

Last Thursday Dutch National anti terrorism Coordinator Joustra has warned parliamentary member Geert Wilders. He told Wilders that he faces possibly deportation from the Netherlands if he releases his 10 minute Islam critical movie. Friday, a day after that, Prime minister Balkenende spoke of the crisis the country faces because of the movie. And both the ministers of domestic and foreign affairs told the parliamentary member that his movie might have consequences for his safety in and out of the country.

The English version of this story doesn't mention the "Deportation" word and makes it sound not quite as threatening...I don't know - it still sounds like the shameful way Ayaan Hirsi Ali was treated by the Dutch to me.

Infidel Bloggers Alliance by way of Poligazette (also mentioned in the comments section of the Klein Verzet piece) is reporting that Spong, a famous Netherlands lawyer (perfect name for one) has decided to take legal action against Wilders after being asked to do so by Muslim students...

and Muslims have created an organization whose goal it is to “keep an eye on everything that’s said and written about Islam and Muslims, in order to take legal action when” they feel insulted.

But it now looks like the screening date has been postponed:

Mr Wilders had promised to screen his film today, saying he would post it on the internet if no willing Dutch broadcaster could be found. But he has since been quoted as saying that the film will not debut for a couple of weeks. When contacted yesterday, his spokesman refused to confirm or deny any release date.

At least the Dutch people are standing by him: 66% of Dutch want to see Geert's film, although 40% are afraid of the consequences once it is shown.

In other Geert Wilders news: YouTube on Friday also removed a short film featuring a poster of anti-immigration MP Geert Wilders being shot five times. (Just more of the Religion of Peace in action.)

Greg Palkot of Fox News interviews Geert Wilders here.

Moderate Dutch Muslims appeal for calm in advance of the film's screening - say they are trying to "neutralize the threat". That sounds vaguely ominous to me. I hope that doesn't mean that they've got some poor Moslem schmoe lined up to take out Geert. Meanwhile, the Dutch Muslim Council labels him racist and fascist. Takes one to know one, eh, DMC?

Bad day for women. Good day for Curtain Munchers

From Islam in Europe:

EU decides not to ban headscarves.

Netherlands: Gov't decides against general burka ban.

Turkish PM calls for end to head scarf ban.

I used to love Lancelot Link and Mata Hairi.

See Mata Hairi do the Milkshake Dance here.

Mohammed Cookies - no cookies for you!

Censored! Submit Dhimmis -or this is the way the Mohammed cookie crumbles.

A national television network has decided to censor an episode of a new political show featuring self-described Christian "infidels" eating a cookie emblazoned with an image of the Muslim prophet Muhammad.

Faith TV made the decision in the wake of WND news coverage about "Flamethrower," a cutting-edge program whose latest episode originally scheduled for this week deals with "All Things Islam."

"We're not going to air it," said Jim West, president of the Florida-based, Christian network. "We feel this program just goes beyond the bounds of good taste."

"We appreciate the producer's attempt at parody and drawing attention to controversial subjects, and we embrace his right under the First Amendment to express his views," he added. "But it does violate one of our programming philosophy tenets which is not to disparage any world religions."

It does not violate tenets or standards here at Dinah Lord. Cookie eating vid can be seen here. Eaten by a "Christian" infidel ... Blasphemous...This cookie is the bomb...

Keith Ellison goes to Gitmo...

and all he got was this lousy t-shirt. I wish. Instead he will get the perfect pr opportunity that he will no doubt work to his advantage at the University of Moonbat Law School on Friday. More to follow.

Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison is visiting the Guantánamo Bay military prison in Cuba, where the U.S. holds 277 foreign terrorism suspects.

Ellison, a Democrat and the only Muslim member of the U.S. Congress, is making the trip with the U.S. Army. He plans to talk about his impressions during a speech at the University of Minnesota Law School on Friday.

In a statement from his office, Ellison said he was concerned that the U.S. was holding detainees without charging them with crimes. He also said he was concerned about the living conditions at the detention center, and hopes to meet with some of the detainees.

Ellison says he believed that some of the detainees are hardened terrorists. But he said he was also convinced that some were swept up in what he called the ''hysteria'' following the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Forget the hysteria that followed 9/11 right, Keith?

Your Muslim Bakery kidnap victim tells her story

Or as the Chronicle says: allegedly tells her story.

The alleged victim of a kidnap-torture plot that prosecutors say was engineered by the leader of Your Black Muslim Bakery in Oakland testified today that she had been beaten and threatened with a hot curling iron by men demanding to know where a friend kept his money.

The woman, identified only as Jane Doe, dabbed at her eyes with a tissue as she described what happened to her May 17 after she and her mother left an East Oakland bingo parlor. She appeared to be uncomfortable and turned away from the defendants when their attorneys cross-examined her.

She said she had been driving on Interstate 580 when a car with emergency lights flashing came up behind her. "I figured the police was pulling me over," she testified at a preliminary hearing for Yusuf Bey IV, 21, his half-brothers Joshua Bey and Yusuf Bey V, Richard Lewis and Tamon Halfin in Alameda County Superior Court in Oakland. Bey IV is the son of the late bakery leader Yusuf Bey. The car with the lights wasn't the police. Investigators say it was a decommissioned Ford Crown Victoria police cruiser, purchased at an auction in Antioch and driven that evening by Bey IV.

The whole sordid tale can be found here...

More Moslem mischief from Moslem miscreants.

George Clooney's first UN Mission as Ambassador of Peace

ends early.

Can I hear a bwa-ha-ha-ha?

George Clooney cut short his first trip as a U.N. "messenger of peace" and flew home from Darfur after falling ill, U.N. sources said on Tuesday. The Oscar-winning actor, who has been appointed by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to promote U.N. peacekeeping efforts, had been in Darfur for two days.

He was also forced to cancel a visit to neighbouring Chad, where the violence in western Sudan has spread.

"He got sick and returned to Khartoum," a source in the U.N. mission said. U.N. spokesmen declined to comment.

Clooney’s outspoken views on the conflict in Darfur, which he has called genocide, prompted the United Nations to keep his visit low-key. Interview requests were turned down and media were not allowed to film him.

Clooney came down with fever and a bad stomach, returned to Khartoum and cancelled the second part of his trip to Chad, the sources said. He flew out of Sudan on Tuesday morning.
The actor and his father travelled to Chad, now host to 240,000 Darfur refugees, in 2006.

Priceless.

I haven't forgotten John Granville, have you?

Sudanese police question witness in US diplo murder case.


Investigators have questioned a key witness whose testimony should assist in arresting suspects in the murder of a U.S. diplomat shot in Khartoum on New Year's Day, Sudan's justice minister said Monday.


A taxi driver who witnessed the killing of John Granville and his driver Abdel-Rahman Abbas has come forward to police with "valuable information", said Mohamed Ali al-Mardi. His testimony will help apprehend the man, men or organization involved in the killing,» al-Mardi said. He would not elaborate, but several Sudanese newspapers said the taxi driver had described a suspected gunman. The independent Al-Rai Al-Amm quoted unnamed judiciary officials as saying the witness had also provided police with the license plate of the killers' car.

Meanwhile, the Mexican standoff over the US Embassy continues. US Says it will not pay Sudan to admit equipment for US embassy. Are they looking for the jizya?

The Sudanese government has refused to release containers imported by the US embassy without payment of custom fees. Sabir Mohammed Hassan, governor of Sudan Central said that his government will not to give the US embassy equipments “any special consideration”.

Here's the real rub...

Hassan met last week with the visiting US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Linda Thomas Greenfield and asked that Washington return money confiscated following a ruling by U.S. court that ordered Khartoum to pay some $8 million to the families of U.S. sailors killed in the bombing of an American naval destroyer seven years ago in Yemen.

But is the US playing hardball right back?

Press reports in Sudan have quoted government officials as saying that they are growing increasingly frustrated with the impact of US sanctions on their economy which prompted their central bank to convert their reserves from dollar to Euro.

Moreover Khartoum complains that the US is using its influence on International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank to prevent them from extending credit to Sudan under favorable terms.

It looks like hardball is called for as Sudan appoints Janjaweed leader as "government adviser".

The Sudanese president Omar Hassan Al-Bashir defended his choice of a Musa Hilal a notorious Janjaweed leader, as government adviser last week...Hilal has been named by numerous eyewitnesses in Darfur as leading terror campaign against the African tribes in the war ravaged region.

To make matters worse the US and the EU aren't happy:

The Turkish Daily News quoting unidentified officials said that Ankara has ignored repeated requests by Al-Bashir to visit in the past. The driving force behind this position was “the Foreign Ministry bureaucrats, who managed to convince Gul when he was foreign minister to ignore the Sudanese leader’s requests to visit Turkey”.

According to the newspaper former Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer “had stuck to the ministry line and refused to accept al-Bashir’s request to visit Turkey”.

“Al-Bashir’s visit marks a clear departure from Turkey’s general stance of avoiding high-level contacts with Sudanese officials” the newspaper said.

Gul, who looked uncomfortable during the news conference, said he had urged Bashir and other parties to seek a peaceful end to the conflict in Darfur.

An interesting sidenote to the visit: Sudanese official violates Turkish Protocol at Ataturk mausoleum. The goofy thug kept his jacket hood up as he signed the guestbook. I don't know what they were so upset about - it looked kind of like "hijab for men" to me. For his part, the Sudanese official said "he was cold" as he signed the guest book for Sudanese president Omar Hassan Al-Bashir. (What? This guy can't sign his own name?)

Pakistan: What's happening now.

18 Clues have been collected in connection with BB's assassination. Findings to be submitted before the upcoming election.

The British detectives have so far collected around 18 clues in connection with the assassination of former Prime Minister Ms Benazir Bhutto,Interim Interior Minister Lt Gen Hamid Nawaz Khan told a private channel.Talking to Geo News, he said Scotland Yard (SY) detectives would return to Pakistan before January 27 and submit their findings before the ensuing elections.
Terms of reference of SY team were finalized by the British government and Pakistan government had accepted the same without changing even a comma, he added.

Musharraf's whirlwind European adventure continues. He schmoozed it up at business leaders at Davos, then passed the hat looking for $ to address the root causes of terrorism. Met with Condi. (She reiterated her support.) Sweet talked Sarko. Chit-chatted with the EUro-crats in Brussels and is expected to be in the UK tomorrow. The freaks at Amnesty International are planning a protest in his honor. Fools. Oh, and in the midst of all this Musharraf's official portrait was changed. Out with the army uniform, in with the civilian garb.

Cue the Islamic rage machine...Health officials want to vaccinate 30 million children for polio. Why the rage? Paki Moslems fear the vaccine will make their children impotent. You can't make this stuff up, folks.

Meanwhile, the Islamic wave of terror continues apace. A bomb is discovered along Nawaz's convoy route. It is defused by police. Who claim it weighed 400 grams, did not have a detonator and was only meant to harass people??? And people are easily harassed these days, a motorbike without a license plate caused a stir amongst the lawyers at the Lahore High Court. Hard to blame them, I guess they're a little jittery since that last motorcycle bombing on January 10. Two die in "mysterious" truck blast, is how the headline reads. They "suspect" terror related activities. Gee. Ya think? (Oh, and CD shop owners are still receiving "threats" to close up shop, or else.)

Military action continues apace in the South Waziristan Agency, Dera Ismail Khan and Wana. Good thing the US stands ready, willing and able to help Pakistan fight the scourge. A scourge that Hamid Karzai likens to a "terror wildfire". A religious terror wildfire that uses a MOSQUE to hide their weapons cache.

And I'd like to tell this crew to STFU. 8 US Senators urge steps for "genuine democracy".

The senators who signed the letter are: Russell D. Feingold, Gordon Smith, Edward M. Kennedy, Robert C. Byrd, Charles E. Schumer, Robert Menendez, Robert P. Casey Jr, and Benjamin L. Cardin.

And speaking of needing a big dose of the STFU: Supporting Musharraf hurting US - this from cricketeer-playboy turned moslem poster boy, Imran Khan. He also plans on protesting Musharraf's visit to London. Jerk.

I'm sorry - but there's a sit-com in here somewhere: 1st Women Police Station set up in Nawabshah. There's one here, too.

Kenya: Odinga and Kibaki kiss and make up

Kofi must have gotten over his flu.

The two rivals in Kenya's political crisis met on Thursday for the first time since a disputed election and pledged to seek an end to weeks of unrest that have killed nearly 700 people. President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga shook hands and smiled after the closed-door talks, brokered by former U.N. chief Kofi Annan. Both vowed to continue talks until a solution was found.

Kofi and his band of Eminent African Personalities:

Thursday's talks were facilitated by Annan's team of the AU Panel of Eminent African Personalities, which also include former Tanzanian leader Benjamin Mkapa, and the former Mozambique first lady Graca Machel.

Kibaki and Odinga met for one and a half hours, and when the opposition leader emerged, he made no reference to the December 27th vote that he claims was stolen from him. He instead called for patience."We have taken the first vital steps in resolving electoral disputes," Odinga told reporters. "I ask everyone to be patient and uphold peace in a spirit of brotherhood."

Kibaki underlined his victory in the closely-fought elections -- which drew criticism from international observers -- and called for peace."After being sworn in as your duly elected president of Kenya, I will personally lead our country in promoting unity, tolerance peace and harmony," he said.

(Look for the same type of lingo when HRC and BHO have their tawdry political reconciliation at the Democratic convention here in Denver... Feh.)

Trouble persists on the Kenyan street: I wouldn't work in Kibera again.

“When the election results were delayed tension started rising. On that Sunday when they [the Electoral Commission of Kenya] finally announced the results, the situation became really bad. People started killing each other, looting and burning property.

“Our stall at the Toy Market, which I had run with my cousin since the year 2000, was burnt down in broad daylight the next day.

"I remember that Monday; we were at the stall trying to prevent looters from destroying our hard-earned property along with other stall owners but the looters were stronger than us.

"They beat us up and then started stoning us. We had to run for our lives to seek refuge elsewhere. We were not able to save any property because we did not expect the situation to become so bad. We lost clothes worth 100,000 shillings [US$1,470].

"As a result of the violence, the once popular market was turned into a no-go zone especially for the Kikuyu [the ethnic group to which President Mwai Kibaki belongs]. My cousin, who used to live in Kibera and owned some houses there, was also threatened and forced to leave.

Who forced them to leave? The Luo, tribe of BHO.

Minnesotan paid $5mil for Moussaoui tip.

Good.

The Bush administration paid a $5 million reward to a former Minnesota flight instructor who provided authorities with information that led to the arrest and conviction of 9/11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui.

The recipient was honored Thursday at a closed-door ceremony at the State Department, although the payout was secretly authorized last fall by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and the Justice Department, U.S. officials told The Associated Press.

The reward from the State Department's "Rewards for Justice" program is the first and only one to date to a U.S. citizen related to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the officials said.

Several people who worked at the flight school Moussaoui attended in August 2001 are known to have alerted the FBI to his suspicious desire to pilot jumbo jets, including some who later testified at his trial.

They said they thought it was strange Moussaoui wanted to learn to fly a Boeing 747 at the Pan Am International Flight Academy outside Minneapolis, although he had little flying background. They then phoned the FBI about Moussaoui and agents soon after arrested him.

After his arrest, Moussaoui sat in jail for 3.5 weeks on an immigration violation, saying little to investigators before hijacked planes slammed into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon or crashed in a Pennsylvania field on Sept. 11.

The Minneapolis FBI agents who responded to the tips were unable to persuade their superiors in Washington to seek a national security warrant to search Moussaoui's belongings and laptop computer.

Gaza: Egyptians show their Moslem brethren some love.

Not.

On the frontier, guards were patrolling access roads while helmeted police with sniffer dogs used batons to beat the hoods of private cars and pickup trucks that massed at the border, trying to stop them from carrying Palestinians further into Egyptian territory.


Separated at birth twin Janice over at You heard it here... gives us CAIR's ACTION ALERT 529 where the unindicted terror co-conspirators:

CAIR is calling on "American Muslims and other people of conscience to urge their elected officials to immediately intervene to put an end to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza."

American Moslems? Hey, call upon the Egyptians about your so called humanitarian crisis? More like running out of cigarettes.

In the past two days, Gazans stocked up on supplies in Egypt, including cement, fuel, cigarettes and other staples.


And in what can only be described as the best Israeli idea of the year so far:


Israeli Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilnai, meanwhile, caused a stir when he said Israel gradually wants to relinquish responsibility for Gaza now that a border fence with Egypt has been blown open.

Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Arye Mekel struck a similar tone, saying that once Gazans are getting supplies from elsewhere, there is less need for Israel to provide for them. Privately, Israeli officials said the border breach could pave the way for increasingly disconnecting from the territory.

And isn't charity a pillar of Islam? Well, it would seem the Egyptians aren't exactly being charitable when it comes to their Pali brothers.

Egypt angrily rejected the Israeli ideas, and said it would not change border arrangements.

"The border will go back as normal," said Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hossam Zaki, adding that Egypt had not been approached by Israel about a possible change in the status of Gaza.

Egypt has not yet indicated how it plans to reseal the border, but it would not be that difficult for it to rebuild some type of physical barrier fairly quickly. Egypt is highly unlikely to leave the border town of Rafah united, instead probably aiming to re-create some type of partition in roughly the same position as the old one. For now, it appeared Egypt was moving slowly, putting its forces in the area as a first step toward later pushing Gazans back and then re-erecting a barrier.


Look for the Egyptians to wash their hands of the Palis again like they did back in 2005...

In a previous major breach, after the Israeli pullout from Gaza in 2005, Egypt closed the border after four days and issued a deadline for Gazans to return home. Troops searched for, detained and fined stragglers who were then sent to their side of the border. Egypt also lined up armored personnel carriers and riot police as a makeshift border barrier, and eventually rebuilt a small border fence.

Taking a brief time out...

Taking a tramp in the woods...ha-ha.

There's a network of trails behind El Rancho Lordo and Santa brought Dinah a new camera this year, so it seemed like the perfect time to try it out. Accompanying Dinah on this mission were the "West Highland Terrorists", Col. Boudreau Joe Ryan and PFC Bentley B Fabulous. Wearing the red jackets of the Kafir Brigade, they scoff at Mohammed and consider him to be unclean.

It's a nice little trail, I always have it to myself ...and it's so quiet. Wildlife sightings on any given day: A herd of whitetail deer, flocks of wild turkeys, a hoot owl, rabbits galore (food for the mangy pack of wily coyotes, the bobcat [huge!] and the mountain lion [neighborhood legend, not seen by DL. Yet!]

It was about 20 degrees out but the sun was warm.

Climbing up out of the canyon.

Why, it's Dinah! And she's got those terrorist boys on a leash!

The view from the top.

Home again, home again. Jiggity jog.

Malaysia: Separate lines for Men & Women in stores...

To curb social ills like "kissing" and to "protect women from being groped". (What is wrong with these people? I mean, really.)

The chief of Malaysia's only Islamic-run state has ordered stricter enforcement of laws requiring men and women to queue at separate counters in shops, a report said Tuesday.

Kelantan state chief minister Nik Aziz Nik Mat said the laws were required to curb social ills like public kissing between young couples, and to protect women from being groped while queuing up.

The New Straits Times quoted him as lamenting that the rules, which have been in place since 1996, are not being enforced by department stores, and ordered the local council to fine offenders.

-snip-

Nik Aziz is also the spiritual leader of the Pan-Malaysia Islamic party (PAS), which aims to turn Malaysia into a theocratic state under Islamic rule. The party has made headlines for initiatives like introducing fines for women wearing skimpy clothes, but in recent years has begun introducing reforms designed to tone down its hardline reputation and woo young voters.

I don't think this is going to help that effort.

Ashura right in our own Backyard.

Sick, sick, sick.

Iran weighs in on Geert Wilder's film.

And yes, veiled threats are made. Alaeddin has spoken!

WE WILL NOT TOLERATE ANY KIND OF INSULT TO ISLAM.

An Iranian parliamentarian on Monday warned the Dutch government over possible screening of an anti-Islam film. Alaeddin Borujerdi, the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee Chairman, told IRNA that if the film is screened in the Netherlands, it will trigger extensive repercussions from Muslims throughout the globe.
-snip-
Borujerdi said the Iranian people are sensitive toward desecration of the Islamic sanctities and that the Muslim world will not tolerate any kind of insult to Islam. ""We expect the Dutch government to prevent screening of such a film. Otherwise, the Majlis MPs will call on the Iranian government to review its relations with Holland,"" he reiterated.

Hearing this leaves me with an overwhelming urge to hit"Alaeddin" in the face with a cream pie. That's not going to happen so how about going over to SIOE (Stop Islamisation of Europe) and leaving them a note of encouragement.

SIOE Netherlands Demonstration -January 26, 2008.

Here we are. Here we stand. Never Surrender.

Taliban threat keeps 300000 kids out of school

No child left unbombed.

Wouldn't it be nice if the teacher's unions in the US would take up the Afghan schools as a project? As if. They're too busy bellyaching about their health care and bashing George Bush to count their blessings and reach out to the Afghanis.

KABUL: A resurgent Taliban insurgency is keeping about 300,000 children from school in southern Afghanistan, President Hamid Karzai told parliamentarians at the opening of a new legislative session Monday. This compared with 200,000 forced out of schools due to Taliban unrest last year, Karzai said at the start of the third working year of the post-Taliban parliament.

"The enemies of the country want schools to be closed in our country and our children deprived of education," Karzai said. "They do this with more force in the south and southwest.... Unfortunately, around 300,000 children can`t go to school from the fear of the terrorists," he said.

The Taliban -- in government between 1996 and 2001 -- carry out a range of attacks, including on schools and education workers, as part of an insurgency that has grown, in particular over the past two years.

In more stable areas, a million children were freshly admitted to schools this year, Karzai said. About 40 percent were girls. The president promised to intensify efforts to get children back in school.

An education official told foreign news agency in September that since 2005, more than 110 teachers, students and other education workers have been killed, most of them in southern Afghanistan and in Taliban-linked attacks.

Around Pakistan

In Swat, it looks like Maulana Fazalullah is hearing footsteps: Close aides of Fazalullah nabbed.

The security forces early Monday morning during a search operation at Chuprial area in Matta Tehsil apprehended 35 militants including a close aide of rebellious cleric Mulvi Fazallullah.

According to a press release of Mingora Media Centre, Moulvi Habib was a close companion of Maulana Fazalullah and an active supporter of the decree issued by his leader for beheading the government officials and suicide attacks.


You're next Maulana boy. (Maybe the newly reopened Geo TV will film your takedown., MF.)

Islamabad is the next stop for Bhutto's 15yo would-be assassin (he was next in line if this attack had failed) and his handler. BTW - Their next target? The US Consulate General in Karachi. Her name? Kay L. Anske. Hey, wait a minute! I thought that Moslems didn't kill women? Lucky for Kay, it was determined that her security was too tight and the Peace Loving bombers went onto the next, next target and that was an Ashura procession in Dera Ismail Khan.

Speaking of Islamabad, I wonder why a San Francisco public relations firm would travel there, don't you? Ogilvy, Public Relations Firm worldwide-San Francisco meets Election Commission Secretary.

A three-member delegation from Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide, San Francisco CA, USA called on Secretary Election Commission of Pakistan, Kanwar Dilshad here on Saturday and discussed matters relating to the conduct of General Elections, 2007-08.

Huh?

In Waziristan, Chaghlamai has been purged of miscreants. Including some "key commanders".
Speaking of key commanders - US CENTCOM chief William Fallon will be in Islamabad for "one day only" to discuss PAK-US relations, Pakistan's role in the war on terror and the situation along the Afghan-Pak border will be discussed. Which is a good thing because gunships are pounding a terrorist stronghold in Wana and the natives are in a huff about an alleged UK Koran desecration right along that border. He will meet with Musharraf's over at Army: Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Kayani.

And where in the world is Pervez Musharraf? President Musharraf takes off on 4-nation visit. And why yes, Davos IS on the schedule.

President Pervez Musharraf left here Sunday for an eight-day visit to Belgium, France, Switzerland and the United Kingdom to improve Pakistan’s image in the European countries as well as in the world and clear certain misperceptions.“I am going to meet the foreign relations committee of the European Union, which is an important international player. We want to clear certain misperceptions of all the happenings in Pakistan and the region”, the President told the mediapersons here at Chaklala Airbase, as he left for Brussels on the first leg of his four-nation visit.

Where 'Cowboy Up' meets "I have a dream...

Hope you are having an enjoyable Martin Luther King Day and are honoring Dr. King in your own way. Here's the way we're honoring him tonight in Denver: MLK Jr African American Heritage Rodeo of Champions at the National Western Stock Show.

It is produced by Lu Vason, of the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo. About BPIR:

The Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo (BPIR) a Denver based corporation that produces rodeos across the United States.

The BPIR circuit is composed of African American cowboys and cowgirls from across the nation which has acted as a feeder group for both the PRCA and IPRA organizations, with names such as Fred Whitfield, Ronnie Fields, Darnell Tipton, Jesse "slugger" Guillory, Marilyn LeBlanc and Deboraha Akin.

BPIR has also fed the PBR Association with such riders as Gary Richards, Lee Akin and Mike Moore.

The BPIR with a 24-year proven history provides educational, cultural and entertaining events around the country while promoting the heritage of African Americans in the development of the west. The BPIR has also been utilized to generate funds for local charitable organizations.

Events scheduled include: Tie-down Ropin', Bareback Ridin', Bull Ridin' and Ladies Barrel Racing. Good luck to all the contestants! A list of which can be found here.

About famous Bulldogger Bill Pickett:

William (Will, Bill) Pickett was a legendary cowboy from Taylor, Texas of black and Indian descent. He was born December 5, 1870, at the Jenks-Branch community on the Travis County line. He died April 2, 1932, near Ponca City, Oklahoma.

From 1905 to 1931, the Miller brothers' 101 Ranch Wild West Show was one of the great shows in the tradition begun by William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody in 1883. The 101 Ranch Show introduced bulldogging (steer wrestling), an exciting rodeo event invented by Bill Pickett, one of the show's stars.

Riding his horse, Spradley, Pickett came alongside a Longhorn steer, dropped to the steer's head, twisted its head toward the sky, and bit its upper lip to get full control. Cowdogs of the Bulldog breed were known to bite the lips of cattle to subdue them. That's how Pickett's technique got the name "bulldogging." As the event became more popular among rodeo cowboys, the lip biting became increasingly less popular until it disappeared from steer wrestling altogether. Bill Pickett, however, became an immortal rodeo cowboy, and his fame has grown since his death.

(I think Bill Pickett was probably one tough hombre, don't you?)