THYME Magazine Special Edition

Citizen Journalism with a Better Flavor


Volume VI, Issue XIII

A 'Best of THYMEs' Feature... 

Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning)
Alan Jackson

Where were you when the world stopped turning on that September day?
Were you in the yard with your wife and children
Or working on some stage in L.A.?
Did you stand there in shock at the sight of that black smoke
Risin' against that blue sky?
Did you shout out in anger, in fear for your neighbor
Or did you just sit down and cry?

Did you weep for the children who lost their dear loved ones
And pray for the ones who don't know?
Did you rejoice for the people who walked from the rubble
And sob for the ones left below?
Did you burst out in pride for the red, white and blue
And the heroes who died just doin' what they do?
Did you look up to heaven for some kind of answer
And look at yourself and what really matters?

I'm just a singer of simple songs
I'm not a real political man
I watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell
you the difference in Iraq and Iran
But I know Jesus and I talk to God
And I remember this from when I was young
Faith, hope and love are some good things He gave us
And the greatest is love

Where were you when the world stopped turning on that September day?
Were you teaching a class full of innocent children
Or driving down some cold interstate?
Did you feel guilty 'cause you're a survivor
In a crowded room did you feel alone?
Did you call up your mother and tell her you loved her?
Did you dust off that Bible at home?

Did you open your eyes, hope it never happened
Close your eyes and not go to sleep?
Did you notice the sunset the first time in ages
Or speak to some stranger on the street?
Did you lay down at night and think of tomorrow
Or go out and buy you a gun?
Did you turn off that violent old movie you're watchin'
And turn on "I Love Lucy" reruns?

Did you go to a church and hold hands with some strangers
Did you stand in line and give your own blood?
Did you just stay home and cling tight to your family
Thank God you had somebody to love?

I'm just a singer of simple songs
I'm not a real political man
I watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell
you the difference in Iraq and Iran
But I know Jesus and I talk to God
And I remember this from when I was young
Faith, hope and love are some good things He gave us
And the greatest is love

Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day?



Lower Manhattan, New York, New York. Photo by Detective Greg Smedinger
 

Arlington, Virginia.
 

Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

The "Land for Pieces" Scheme Exposed

History Refutes the Effectivenes of 'Land-for-peace'


'Love' in Hebrew, by Robert Indiana. This sculpture is at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. Photo by Talmoryair.

Israel willingly gave up Gaza in a good faith move designed to move the Middle East closer to peace. A visit to the Southern Israel city of Sderot is an eye-opening illustration of just how effective land-for-peace really can be.

The residents of Sderot are mostly Russian Jews. They are not rich and lack the resources to move away from Sderot. Why would they want to leave? Gaza is now the launching point for hundreds of rockets that rain death and destruction on the city on an almost daily basis.

School children playing outside in Sderot have thirty seconds to find cover when the rockets are detected. Playgrounds may include large concrete pipes for them to run into.

Israel turned Gaza over to its residents with a well established agricultural economy. Large greenhouses provided work for Jews and Arabs alike. Today the greenhouses are largely destroyed -- and rockets are fired freely across the border.

The Land-for-peace Hoax [click to read] is explored further by Caroline B. Glick in Jewish World Review.

The leader of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, Yusuf Qaradawi, in 2009 "called for the Muslim world to complete Hitler's goal of eradicating the Jewish people." -- Caroline B. Glick. It would seem that those who would promise peace in international negotiations should carry the same message home with them.

On Jumping to Conclusions

Some 'Information' is Best Left Unshared


While the sign may show insensitivity, it is not what it appears to be.

There is a reason I don't forward emails. Sometimes I feel compelled to learn a little more on my own before passing information along. This one is making the rounds now, showing a sign on the door of a 'Perfume Planet' store in Houston's Harwin Central Mall. The email states that the owner of the store is closing his business to honor one of the 09/11 hijackers.

A little research will show you that none of the hijacker/terrorists was named 'Ali.' The Imam Ali (Imam is a title for a religious leader, not a name). The Imam Ali is no modern day terorist, but rather a 7th Century cleric, a cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad.

Ali was attacked while praying in a mosque on the 19th day of Ramadan. He died two days later. A calendar coincidence placed the anniversary of his martyrdom on September 11 in 2009.

While the store's manager, Imran Chunawala, may legitimately be accused of insensitivity, the sign itself is no reference to the attacks on America in 2001. Perpetuating a slander against the man is a greater evil.

Sadly history is full of misinformation mishandled. Six million Jews died in the horror of Nazzi genocide. Misinformation fueled the campaign to exterminate them. In our own country, the extermination of Native Americans was similarly incited.

One of the saddest chapters of our National history is recorded in the book 'Trail of Tears.' The event was the extermination of a whole community of Moravian Cherokee. Befriended by the settlers of Eastern Pennsylvania and Central North Carolina, the Moravian Cherokee adapted the peaceful ways and the faith of their Moravian friends only to be slaughtered later as 'hostile savages.'

Red House Virginia's Terrorist Training Camp

Meanwhile, real threats seem to go unheeded my many in the MSM. A good example is this compound in rural Virginia. With enough real threats to consider, there is no need to create imaginary ones.

In the fight against worldwide terrorism, truth is our friend.


This is a fairly old Fox News report, but the content is still important.

Years in the Making, Minutes in Execution

The Raid to Capture Bin Ladin

"It took years for the U.S. military to track Osama bin Laden down, finding him not in a cave in the inaccessible tribal regions of Pakistan, but in a sumptuous luxury compound built just six years ago in the same city that is home to Pakistan's most prestigious military academy." -- Jonathan S. Landay


Xaver Wilhelmy's beautiful glass organ pipes form an American flag. He created them to honor the victims of the attacks of September 11, 2001.

Here are Details [click to read] from Jonathan S. Landay in Jewish World Review.

Murder of Innocents in Israel

The World Ignores the Massacre of the Fogel Family


The victims of a knife wielding terrorist.

Dennis Prager [click to read] in Jewish World Review.

"The human being does not have to learn to hate. It seems to come pretty naturally. Nor does the human being have to learn to murder, steal or rape. These, too, seem to be in the natural human repertoire of evils.

But the human being does have to learn to hate children and babies, and to regard the torture and murder of them as morally desirable acts. It takes years of work to undo normal protective human attitudes toward children.

That is precisely what the Nazis did and what significant parts of the Muslim world have done to the word "Jew." To them, the Jew is not just sub-human; the Jew — and his or her children — is sub-animal." -- Dennis Prager

Caroline B. Glick [click to read] in Jewish World Review.

Mass Murderer of 224 People 'Not Guilty'

Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani Almost Walked Free


Ahmed Khalfan Ghailanis FBI Photo.

Pat in Shreveport [click to read] has some thoughts on the almost disasterous results of Ghailani's civilian trial. The al Qaeda terrorist who conspired to blow up American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998, was acquitted of more than 280 charges, including one count of murder for each of the 224 people killed in the simultaneous attacks. The jury found Ghailani guilty of only one charge: conspiracy to destroy U.S. government buildings.

"The System Worked" -- Janet Napolitamo

TSA Ignores Reality and Creates Illusions of Security


Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab.

The "traveling public is very safe" said Janet Napolitano, even as Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab's explosive laden shorts were still cooling off after he tried to light them on Detroit-bound flight 253 on Christmas day. The fact is this guy, to use a football metaphor, was tackled inches short of the goal line. Fellow passengers saw him acting suspiciously and tackled him before he could complete his attack.

Then the news came out that this guy's father had warned authorities about him. He was close to being put on a 'no fly' list. Alhaji Umaru Mutallab, 70, former chairman of First Bank of Nigeria, warned U.S. Embassy officials that his son had become radicalized, broken ties with the family and might be in Yemen.

That put Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, 23, on the Terrorist Identities Datamark Environment [TIDE] list of more than 560,000 potential terrorist sympathizers - but not the hard-case "no fly" list of 4,000 names and the "selectee" list of 14,000.

The no-fly designation would have barred Abdulmutallab from boarding the plane. The "selectee" list would have subjected him to a body search, which likely would have found the explosives sewn into his shorts.

Contrast this with the Scotland Yard break-up of a terror group in London that planned to go to Heathrow with liquid explosives... remember the 3oz container rule? Getting the terrorists BEFORE they get to the airport is the system working. Getting them BEFORE they board the plane is a near-miss. My wife flew to Hanover, NH that morning afer we had watched London police chase terror suspects "through their gardens" on BBC. The system appeared to be working that day.

Iarael's El Al airline [1.] takes security very seriously [they HAVE to]. They employ a methodology that involves observing passengers and using common-sense reasoning to eliminate people who are potential problems. The rationale must go something like this: "People with bad intentions will tend to act in certain ways." Yes, this involves profiling, but it is very effective. I'd fly El Al over a lot of other airlines in a heartbeat.

TSA needs to learn a few things from El Al, it appears.

The full-body scanners need to be relegated to the background. When three-year-old Mandy [2.] has her teddy bear snatched away and has a breakdown, that is NOT a suspicious behavior. In fact, it is rather normal for most of the preschoolers I know. Manhandling the toddler in a way she has been carefully taught to flee from by her parents, in reaction to her reaction, amounts to child abuse.

It is an invasion into a family's dignity. Why didn't the TSA scanner operator offer 'teddy' a ride and make a game out of it? It would have been quicker? If little Mandy still refused, she's a low risk for terrorism anyway. Let her go on through. The only reason to proceed in this case is for TSA to maintain the illusion that it is in total control.

TSA ought to know better. Transportation security is important, but I'd rather risk upsetting a few Middle-Eastern men than waste my time patting down nuns and toddlers.

Update: Look Who's Already Pushing for a Special Exemption [click to read] from The Blaze. Yep, "According to CAIR, the TSA’s new “enhanced pat down” policy should be limited to searching only around Muslim women’s head and neck if they are wearing a hijab and that Muslims objecting to the enhanced full-body scans have the right to request the pat-down procedure be done in a private place." The rest of us will just have to make the best of it.

Is the TSA Story Real [click to read] from The Blaze. The potential for abuse of the new 'body scanners' is very real. On Family Talk, earlier this week, Ryan Dobson gave a very credible account of his own experience with a TSA screener when he refused to submit to the full-body scan. It was NOT pleasant. I trust Dobson's account but certainly would want to verify some of the other reported incidents. Still, the mistrust surrounding the whole issue makes the argument for El Al type security a good one.

Update: A Simple Solution [click to read] from Jewish World Review. A little common sense could go a long way!

Les Faits de la Vie

Your Tax Dollars at Work, The Nature of Man


Your tax dollars are helping to fund this $3.4 million museum honoring terrorist Yassar Arafat.

When the notion that man is basically good acts in concert with the notion that there are no absolute truths to be had [except that man is basically good, perhaps]?; strange notions abound. Today's Jewish World Review contained two must-read articles. First Caroline B. Glick [click to read] reminds us of what the Palestinian Authority is actually buying with the aid we send them. If that isn't enough evidence to begin a serious discussion on the depravity of man, Dennis Prager [click to read] points out some pretty inescapable 'facts of life.'

Prager writes: "Since the Enlightenment, the secular world has had to believe in man (or "humanity") because if you don't believe in G-d and you don't believe in humanity, you will despair." Indeed the evils that beset the world cry out for an explaination. The Bible is clear about human weakness and strongly asserts that the answer is G-d. Secularists have marginalized G-d, but need to cling to the theory that mankind can perfect itself.

Prager further explains: "I did not write that man is inherently evil. I wrote that he is not basically good. And, yes, that does make the world sad. So do disease, earthquakes, death and all the unjust suffering in the world. But sad facts remain facts."

"A distinguishing characteristic of liberals and leftists is their aversion to acknowledging sad facts." Sadly, this aversion leads to the embracing of national socialism schemes where it is believed the external catalysts for human bad behaviour will be eventually conquered after much suffering. It also leads to the lionization of 'victims' such as Arafat and the Palestinians.

But the fact remains that, other than differing world views, the only observable difference between the Palestinians and the Jews who were forced out of Baghdad in the 1950's is that the Baghdad Jews were assimilated and the Palestinians were not.

The facts of life would seem to say that the Arab nations were all too quick to exploit the dark side of human nature [by keeping the Palestinians in camps], while other solutions that involved meeting basic needs and assimilation were sucessful in promoting healing.

September 11 Remembered

Nine Years Ago Our World Was Changed Forever


Our Flag will be flying today.

Giving the Victims of 09/11 a Voice

One Man's Unique Vision to Never Forget


Xaver Wilhelmy created a unique glass organ pipe design and a plan to remember the victims of 09/11.

This is a new Milestone Monday feature.

I first met Xaver Wilhelmy in 2003 and a few days after our introduction we were standing overlooking the massive hole at Ground Zero. I had been asked to illustrate his proposal for the memorial competition.

The vision that he unfolded that day was inspiring. He wanted to create a massive organ who's 3000 some pipes would give a voice to each person who was murdered in the attacks on the United States. Xaver is a master craftsman who has made organ pipes out of every material imaginable. The instrument he envisioned would have the usual metal and wood pipes... but in addition there would be the wonderful glass pipes! They would rise around the room to capture light coming in through the windows. I could give myself goose bumps imagining something like Copland's Fanfare for the Common Man ringing through that wonderful room.

Xaver actually created a portion of the work... a series of glass pipes depicting the American flag. He showed them at two conventions of the American Guild of Organists. Alas, his inspired piece was overlooked in the 5000 some entries in the memorial competition. Still, it begs one to reconsider the non-memorial memorials so in vogue right now. Rather than reduce the victims to some monolithic repeated design, why NOT celebrate the unique character and voice of each life that was destroyed that day.

Phil's Video [click to watch] reminded me of Xaver's vision. Seeing the faces of the NYPD members who died that day prompted me to think again about the voices that were silenced that day... Fathers, Husbands, Brothers, Sisters, Friends and Colleagues. May we do the right thing and never forget them.

Read Xaver's Vision [click to read] in his own words.

Who's the Bigot Again, Ms. Pelosi?

It Cant be Feisal Abdul Rauf, Can it?

Nat Hentoff [click to read] in Jewish World Review makes a clear and concise presentation of the facts surrounding the Ground Zero Mosque and its controversial imam. I guess Ms. Pelosi will be investigating him now.

Ground Zero Mosque is More than a Mistake

The Voices that Really Matter in this Debate


ht/SWAC Girl

Extreme Irony... You Can Build a Mosque, not a Church

Phil has This Report [click to read] on the plight of St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, which stood in the shadow of the World Trade Center.

Update: AP's PC Memo:

It is a good thing that I write for THYME and not for Associated Press. Apparently I've broken AP Rules [click to read] twice in as many days.

Seen in Charlottesville

Does this Really Need a Caption?

This Photo Says It All

Protest of Planned Mosque at Ground Zero


How about some 'tolerance' from the Muslim world first?

SWAC Girl [click to read] and Phil [click to read] have more.

"Peace" Activists on the Boat to Gaza

"Artists, Intellectuals and Journalists"


Kind of reminds you of some 1960's 'peace' activists.

Remember Al Capp, the cartoonist who drew 'Lil Abner? Although he billed himself as a 'certified hillbilly cartoonist,' he lived in New England when the student protests erupted on campuses like Harvard. He created a charicature of the wild angry students he dubbed "Students Wildly Indignant about Nearly Everything," or S.W.I.N.E.

The artists, intellectuals and journalists in the Gaza boat seem remarkably similar to the angry students depicted by Capp.

By Their Fruits Ye Shall Know Them

A Prophet is Always Known Through His True Disciples



Yesterday was 'Draw Muhammad Day' and the challenge was to illustrate this bit of wisdom in a way that dealt with the simple truth that if you want to know a spiritual leader, look at his disciples.

This is a universally applicable [and painful] exercise, especially when you apply it to your own traditions. Certainly evil has been done in the name of Christianity as well. The German Socialists, while their philosophy was clearly not Biblical, where adept at using the language of believers while engaging in ethnic cleansing. Still, you had the Righteous Gentiles in the midst of this... regular people like the Dutch watchmaker who's Christian faith drove them to hide their Jewish neighbors in their homes. They risked their lives to do this and shared the same horrible fate as those they protected.

People of the Book gave us the law and compassion. They worked [and still do] to end slavery, provide for more compassionate treatment for the mentally ill and the poor. Alvin Schmidt [click to read] documents this in his book: Under the Influence.

Indeed it would be fair to say: "Study the history" to gain a real understanding of any spiritual leader one would desire to follow.

Michelle Malkin Has More [click to read].

Faisal Shahzad's U.S. Citizenship

How Jihadists are 'Gaming the System'

Michelle Malkin Has This [click to read] in Jewish World Review.

"Jihadists have been gaming the sham marriage racket with impunity for years. And immigration benefit fraud has provided invaluable cover and aid for U.S.-based Islamic plotters, including many other operatives planning attacks on New York City. As I've reported previously" -- Michelle Malkin

I Take Back Everything I Ever Said About TSA!

With Today's News I Have New Understanding...


'Jihad Jane,' AKA Colleen LaRose.

Yes, I admit it, I used to chuckle at airports when I was escorted to the wand screening area. After hours on an airplane with a day's beard growth and no access to a razor, I might look sort of terrifying. Inevitably though I would find myself waiting behind 1. A blonde lady and 2. Grandma! I laughed at the extremes of 'politically correct' screening. But I was wrong!

Colleen LaRose looks like an ordinary housewife from the suburbs of Philadelphia. Perhaps she's the descendent of some Continental Army soldier who didn't get paid, but her conversion to Islam and involvement in recruiting Jihadists has her neighbors wondering. I honestly don't see what Islam holds that is so enticing to women, especially AMERICAN women! I guess the veil is more liberating than equality feminism after all.

She was working under orders from militants to go to Sweden and kill a Swedish artist who depicted the Islamic prophet Muhammad as a dog. I guess I'd better not put his face on a groundhog, huh? Still, we live in a world where free nations are repeatedly cast as oppressors and oppressive nations are cast as the victims. Waterboarding, in that world, is more terrible than Saddam Hussein's sons throwing their enemies alive into a plastic shredder.

I guess repeating a lie long enough makes it believable. Ms. LaRose believed it.

THYME Magazine

Citizen Journalism with a Better Flavor


Volume II, Issue IX

Reluctantly The Administration Acknowledges
A Life and Death Struggle

I was listening to Bill Bennett when I heard him give as a sign of hope the observation that the POTUS was becoming more clear in defining the war we face with Islamists. There is, according to Bennett, a 'learning curve' where the President seems to be acknowledging the magnitute of the struggle. He seems to be stepping away from the 'man caused disaster' rhetoric ever so slightly, fearful perhaps that an attack on his watch would render his administration a 'man caused disaster' in the minds of the American people. It's too slow in coming, but welcome nonetheless.

A Little History:

A Terrorist War Obama Denied [click to read] by Charles Krauthammer

Obama Ponders Outreach to Elements of Taliban [click to read]

Obama, War Cabinet Meet after Taliban Capture [click to read]

THYME Magazine

Citizen Journalism with a Better Flavor


Volume II, Issue VI

Mr. Obama's War
[Its Not With the Terrorists]

This Story [click to read] in World Net Daily is consistant with a disturbing pattern:

"President Obama has picked to advise him on military actions inside the U.S. the Missouri governor whose state "Information Analysis Center" last year linked conservative organizations to domestic terrorism and said law enforcement officers should watch for suspicious individuals who may have bumper stickers from Ron Paul or Chuck Baldwin."

Military actions inside the U.S? What does Obama mean by that? Especially when foreign terrorists are being put into the civilian court system and their acts of war are being called "Man Caused Disasters."

One gets the distinct impression that Mr. Obama's war is not with the terrorists, but with the American people.

Consider the implications of government programs that are not about solving problems, such as the healthcare bill, but are all about growing government. 'Cap and Trade,' a tax on energy we can ill afford is another example. Who do these policies actually help? Who do they harm?

Indeed it is time for the President to stop lecturing us on 'bipartisanship' and actually listen to the concerns of the 'Loyal Opposition.' One gets the impression he's digging in for a long fight though.

The elections in Virginia, New Jersey and Massachussetts are a resounding mandate to change course. The well thought out proposals of Bob McDonnell, Newt Gingrich and Sarah Palin stand in stark contrast to those that promise "Hope and Change," but only if you let the government expand to unmanagable proportions to finance it.

Here is the 'companion' TIME Issue [click to read]. I was told that since many Conservatives don't bother to look at the 'Professional' weekly news magazine anymore, someone might miss the full impact of my 'cover commentary.'