Paintball jihad trial update. Al-Timimi was just exercising his freedom of speech, you see. From AP, with thanks to JS:
ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- A federal judge indicated Monday that the defense believes First Amendment issues may play a significant role in the trial of an Islamic scholar accused of exhorting followers to fight U.S. troops in Afghanistan.While summarizing the prosecution's case, U.S. District Judge Leonie
Brinkema told prospective panelists that the defense contends much of the government's evidence against Ali al-Timimi is constitutionally protected free speech."He says that he only counseled the young men at issue to leave the United States and (migrate) to an Islamic country where they could practice their religion freely," she told a pool of 110 people who filled out long questionnaires....
The government's case against al-Timimi, a U.S. citizen born in Washington, D.C., is closely linked to its earlier prosecution of 11 men who were allegedly part of a "Virginia jihad network" _ a group of men who played paintball games in 2000 and 2001 in the woods of northern Virginia as a means of training for holy war around the globe.
Nine men were convicted and received prison sentences ranging from three years to life. Several who struck plea bargains are expected to testify against al-Timimi.
According to prosecutors, al-Timimi served as a spiritual leader to several members of the Virginia group and turned its focus against the United States.
Previously, the defendant's lawyers, Edward MacMahon and Alan Yamamoto, tried to suppress several pieces of government evidence on free-speech grounds _ including an e-mail al-Timimi sent after the Columbia space shuttle disaster, praising it as a "good omen" of the downfall of Western supremacy.
Brinkema ruled, however, it was relevant to show al-Timimi's hostility to America; he is charged with inducing others to levy war against the United States....
Yes, we agree that all this is quite relevant.
By aiding and abetting the enemies of the United States al-Timimi has committed treason and should be stripped of his citizenship and deported back to his home country. Why has no one in Congress advocated such a law yet? Why are we putting these jihadists in jail for a couple years on minor charges and then letting them out to do more mischief? And which is greater, Muzlim ingratitude and hyprocisy in gaming the laws and asylum policies of the infidel countries they wish to destroy, or our stupidity for letting them?
Free speech is not absolute. It never was. Not to Jefferson, who approved of the Alien and Sedition Acts. Not to Abraham Lincoln. Not to Holmes or Brandeis. Not to those who crafted the Brandenburg Test. Whether or not that test which requires incitement to "imminent lawless action" needs to be revised given that anti-Infidel propaganda almost never results in the "imminent" action that is feared, but rather helps, through the steady stillicide of Islamic propaganda, in the recruitment of Muslims and mentally unstable non-Muslims Looking for a Community and a Reason for Living, needs to be examined.
And so too does what is to be defined as a "speech act." Choking an adversary, or raping someone, may be a way of "expressing" one's hatred of, let's say, an Infidel who disparages Muhammad, or an Infidel girl who has chosen to wear dress deemed provocative while walking near a mosque, but no non-Muslims would define these as "speech acts" requiring protection. Training for terrorist acts cannot be protected even if they have been disguised as something else -- mere innocuous "paintball" play. Anyone familiar with Islam knows that all sports are forbidden unless they are directly connected to martial activities -- either to strengthening the body or to some kind of potential warfare. Baseball is haram; judo is halal.
Brandenburg needs to be re-examined, and revised in the light of how Muslim terrorists recruit, and then work on those they recruit, to proceed from ideology to deed. It is not the greatest leap, and does not require a misquoting of the Qur'an, the Hadith, the Sira. It requires, in fact, far more ingenuity on the part of Muslims to make the Qur'an, Hadith, and Sira seem unthreatening to Infidels -- something all these busy "reformers" with their new organizations, and their grand grant-getting plans, have carefully refrained from discussing.
Hate crime, hate speech, hate hate hate. This is Ameriphopbia. This Ameriphobe is ignorant and takes what we do out of context. This Ameriphobic rhetoric is a hate speech.
All Americans and any other person of conscience should send CAIR an e-mail asking them to explain their position of such American Hate speech, and to repudiate such hatred.
Summon the State Department and call a meeting about Ameriphobia being practiced. This type of Anti-American bias often leads to violence.
Hate Hurts America
Send polite comments to:
cair@cair-net.org
Mail polite comments to:
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, DC 20003
Or call with polite comments to:
Tel: 202-488-8787
Yes, DCWatson, you make a fine point. If denouncing radical Islam makes one Islamophobic, what do you call someone who shrieks bile and spleen, and threatening bile and spleen at that, at the US, Israel, and anyone who doesn't follow the particular form of Islam that the shrieker adheres to?
Slightly OT, but Daniel Pipes was just in Toronto to speak at the U of T. Naturally, the usual suspects, an assistant prof of history and some student "leaders" denounced Pipes as racist, sexist and Islamophobic, but offered no examples of anything he said that would give any credence to their claims. But this same bunch would probably applaud like trained seals at anyone from Noam Chomsky to Michael Moore foaming about America the Terrorist, Israel, etc.
Constitutionally-protected free speech? CAIR is blackmailing Dell, National Review, and Boeing to prevent Constitutionally protected free speech in the form of books to be offered for sale.
Hypocrisy, taqiyya and kitman!!!!
It'd hard to believe that these "things" are lurking around on sacred ground in Northern Virginia where thousands of Americans gave their lives in battles of the civil war to end the act of slavery. Radical Islam should understand that we take pride in our country's heritage and and the sacrifices of our founding fathers as much as they do of their own native countries. If you don't like us...leave!!!!!! You were'nt invited here...you came on your own fruition. "spit"
Free Speech does not apply to clear incitement to violence. That is considered under ordinances against terroristic threaten, conspiracy, creating a public nuisance, etc.
Any lawyer -or judge- who is able to zip their briefcase shut should be able to do the same with this argument and case.
But the court sentences need to be either death -for 'encouragment to terrorism during a time of national emergency', or life without parole. Because anything less (and I favor the former) merely gives these self-declared Islamic warrior maniacs a breather, where they can use prison weight rooms, prison libraries and the pliant legal system to throw Muslim monkey wrenches in the Western works until they finally get out. And start the mayhem anew, refreshed from our folly at feeding them in the interim.
I would prefer herding them into the Atlantic, at gun point, and telling them to "Start swimming!". All the way back to Arabia. And let Allah decide their fate...
(and the Coast Guard could monitor their progress... and fish out any bodies not dragged under by passing great whites...)
One of the paintball defendants is Todd Ismael Royer, he worked for CAIR, after he came back from fighting with the mujahadeen in Bosnia.
His Website is still on the net.
I have to recall the statement made by Archibishop Bernardini of Azmir Turkey as reported by Mr Spencer in Onward Muslim Soldiers.
As he reported, a prominent Muslim told him that they will use our laws to invade us and their laws (shari'a) to dominate us.
The constitution of the US is not a suicide pact.
And there are limits to "free speech".
My motto is that which you permit or condone for others shall be permitted or condoned for you.
Islam does not permit free speech, thus forfeit any claim to the right to free speech.
Free speech, civil rights, human rights only for those ideologies, cultures, religions, people that provide free speech, civil and human rights to others...
Islam excludes itself from consideration
You've got it bass ackwards, folks. Let them pass their hate speech laws, and once they're on the books, start suing every imam or untenured Marxist prof you can find for anti-Christian remarks or those which turn "anti-Zionism" into a front for abusing the Jews. The ACLU will get into a tizzy, and before we know it, the Supreme Court will declare the hate speech laws the violations of the First Amendment that they are.