Monday, May 4, 2015
From: Gary L. Bauer
ISIS In Texas?
Two gunmen opened fire at an event yesterday hosted by Pamela Geller’s American Freedom Defense Initiative. A security guard was shot in the leg. The gunmen were quickly killed by Garland, Texas, police officers.
Islamists who wanted to wage jihad in America and stifle free speech deliberately targeted this event. The Muhammad Art Exhibit and Cartoon Contest also featured an address by Dutch politician Geert Wilders, a leading critic of the Islamization of Europe.
ABC News reports that one of the gunmen, Elton Simpson of Phoenix, Arizona, “was well known to the FBI.” He was convicted in 2011 for lying about attempts to join terrorist groups overseas. The second gunman, Nadir Soofi, is believed to be Simpson’s roommate.
Geller’s event had drawn the attention of jihadists overseas. Mohamed Abdullahi Hassan, who left the United States in 2008 to join radical Islamists in Somalia, tweeted ten days ago, “The brothers from the Charlie hebdo [sic] attack did their part. It’s time for brothers in the #US to do their part.”
A few years ago, Rep. Peter King (R-NY) held hearings in Congress about the radicalization of Muslims in America. His hearings were mocked by the left. King was accused of McCarthyism and derided as a bigot.
But legitimate questions must be asked: How many more radical Islamists like Elton Simpson are there plotting to kill us? Are we doing everything reasonably possible to secure our homeland?
A recent study by the Heritage Foundation documented 64 terrorist plots against the U.S. homeland since 9/11. We keep hearing that the American people are weary of war. The fact is radical Islam is still at war with us and increasingly so on our own soil.
Blaming The Victim
Not surprisingly, the usual suspects on the left are blaming not the jihadists but Pamela Geller. On CNN and elsewhere, media mavens are arguing that Geller knew it is prohibited under Sharia law to produce likenesses of Muhammad. We have seen the murderous attacks in Paris and elsewhere in Europe for similar violations of Sharia law.
Don’t fall for this outrageous argument. We don’t live under Sharia — we live under the U.S. Constitution. And the First Amendment to the Constitution guarantees the freedom of religion and the freedom of speech.
In recent years major media outlets in the U.S. have refused to reproduce cartoons that depict Muhammad. By self-censoring they are legitimizing the terror attacks by radical Islamists.
Not long ago, President Obama made an extraordinary statement. He said, “The future must not belong to those who slander the prophet of Islam.” What he should have said is that the future cannot belong to jihadists who would sacrifice our freedom and take the world into another dark age.
Blue Lives Matter
Kudos to the Garland, Texas, police officers for preventing a possible slaughter yesterday. The men and women on the thin blue line risk their lives every day for our protection. The overwhelming majority of them are good and decent people who deserve our respect.
Sadly, two officers in Chicago and New York City were shot over the weekend. The Chicago officer was off duty when he was ambushed by two men in an alley behind his home. He was shot in the leg and the arm.
Officer Brian Moore of the NYPD was shot Saturday when he and his partner approached a suspect who appeared to have something in his waistband. “Yeah, I got something,” the suspect said. He pulled out a gun and fired three shots, hitting Moore in the chest and the head. Officer Moore, 25 years-old, died from his wounds today.
Over the weekend, one New York City official condemned the shooting as “a coldblooded assassination attempt.” Moore is the fifth NYPD officer shot this year.
All Lives Matter
It has been interesting to see the left embrace the slogan of “Black lives matter.” Of course, we agree. We believe that all lives matter.
I wonder if this new mantra will lead any on the left to join us in protesting Planned Parenthood’s predatory practices of placing abortion facilities in minority neighborhoods. As my friend Dr. Alveda King recently noted, “Every day, 3,000 babies’ lives, over 1,000 of them African-American, are ended in America before we can hear their cries.”
Do black babies’ lives matter?
Hear Our Cry
The 64th annual National Day of Prayer is Thursday, May 7th. This year’s theme comes from I Kings 8:28: “Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is praying in your presence this day.” From the redefinition of marriage to the state of race relations in America and the fight against radical Islam, there is certainly plenty to pray about.
My good friend Dr. James Dobson sent a powerful letter to supporters this week. Let me share this brief excerpt with you:
“I do not recall a time when the institutions of marriage and the family have faced such peril, or when the forces arrayed against them were more formidable or determined. Barring a miracle, the family that has existed since antiquity will likely crumble, presaging the fall of Western civilization itself. This is a time for concerted prayer, divine wisdom and greater courage than we have ever been called upon to exercise.”
I couldn’t agree more. Please join Carol and me in praying for our country and our values. There will be events taking place in Washington and across the country Thursday. Click here to learn more.
Three Candidates In Three Days
The field of declared GOP candidates is growing fast. Dr. Ben Carson jumped in last night, former Hewlett-Packard executive Carly Fiorina declared today and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee is expected to throw his hat into the ring tomorrow.
Have you taken our online poll yet? If not, click here to cast your vote for your favorite 2016 candidate.
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