Here is a terrific piece about the AFDI Free Speech Rally in Garland, Texas last Saturday. Merrill Hope writes: “The grassroots came out en masse to rally with American Freedom Defense Initiative (AFDI) president Pamela Geller, who spoke on behalf of free speech.” There is an increasingly yawning gap between the people and our “representatives.” And that is exactly so: the political and media elites are against us, but the grassroots are going to stand in defense of freedom, and never surrender.
The foes of free speech still have Pamela Geller’s site under attack. But she has established a temporary site here. Be sure to check in often there and send your contributions via Paypal to writeatlas@aol.com to help her cover the cost of restoring and rebuilding her site.
“Pamela Geller: Charlie Hebdo Butchery Motivated Dallas Protest,” by Merrill Hope, Breitbart, January 19, 2015:
The grassroots came out en masse to rally with American Freedom Defense Initiative (AFDI) president Pamela Geller, who spoke on behalf of free speech on Saturday, January 17, 2015 in the Dallas suburb of Garland. They gathered across the street from the Curtis Culwell Center, the public school-owned facility which housed the Islamic fundraiser, Stand with the Prophet, that ignited a community controversy.
Breitbart Texas spoke with Geller and asked why she decided to come out to Garland. She cited the Charlie Hebdo butchery as that impetus.
“In the wake of the slaughter of these writers and these cartoonists, you would think in America the Muslims would hold a conference in support of free speech. Instead, they’re holding a summit in support of the very ideology responsible for the slaughter of that editorial staff,” she told Breitbart Texas.
To illustrate her point, Geller handed out large inflatable yellow #2 pencils to symbolize the very tool of free speech that cost 12 French satirical magazine cartoonists their lives by the hands of radical Islam.
“This is about freedom of speech,” Geller emphasized. She pondered why, in the aftermath of the Charlie Hebdo massacre, “it’s not the Muslim world looking introspectively and asking themselves, what is it about the religious underpinnings of this ideology” that lead to such an atrocity? Instead, they go to a different place. That place, she said, “is always fear of Islamophobia.”
Breitbart Texas first reported that at the heart of the controversy was Garland Independent School District (ISD) taxpayers’ concerns that the Islamic benefit was held on public school property. The $30-plus million multi-purpose Curtis Culwell Center was funded by the property taxpayers mainly through revenue bonds in 2002. The Garland school district services the municipalities of Garland, Rowlett, and Sachse.
Geller cited this as a violation of the Establishment Clause, which prevents the US government from showing preferential treatment for one religion over another. This benefit featured Imam Sirraj Wahhaj, an unindicted co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center bombings. Geller recounted that Wahhaj had its mastermind, the “Blind Sheik” Omar Abdel Rahman, speak to his New York City congregation a number of times.
Rahman was convicted in 1995 of plotting to blow up the World Trade Center and other New York City landmarks.
Geller said that Wahhaj has called for an Islamic caliphate to replace the US government. Another prominent Stand with the Prophet speaker and event producer Malik Mujahid has advocated for Sharia or Islamic law in the United States, even though his attorneys claimed his statements were “taken out of context,” according to CBS DFW.
“This is what they are standing up for?” Geller asked. “This is what the superintendent is putting in your public schools?”
She added, ” It’s an abomination.”
Geller underscored that Garland ISD superintendent Bob Morrison had been “co-opted and should be fired” referencing his attempt to impose Arabic as a mandated language previously.
In 2011, Morrison, who was then Mansfield ISD superintendent, tried to bring in mandatory Arabic language classes into his former district through a federal grant awarded to teach the Arabic, East Texas ABC affiliate KLTV-7 reported.
The district insisted the curriculum would not be about the Islamic faith but parents stopped the program saying they should have been informed about the federal Foreign Language Assistance Program Grant that identified Arabic as a ‘language of the future.’
Garland ISD residents felt similarly disenfranchised as to what their taxpayer dollars were supporting at the Curtis Culwell Center. Stand With the Prophet was unassumingly listed on the event calendar under Sound Vision Foundation, Incorporated. These sentiments were voiced by many at the rally.
Becky Nelson, a Garland resident, has ancestral roots that run deep in the area. Her paternal family established the neighboring city of Rowlett. She was gravely concerned. “I pay taxes, I am a good citizen and I feel I have no say. No one has a say or a vote. You get to pay taxes but have no say,” she told Breitbart Texas.
Another 15-year Rowlett property taxpayer who asked to remain anonymous added to the conversation, noting the eerie parallels of “taxation without representation” that Garland ISD families feel in the handling of the matter.
This resident also referenced the recent school board meeting in which the board president seemed to give equal rights to rent the facility although it came at the expense of the people who got to pay for the facility who had no say in what their school board does.
“It’s not right. We’re paying for it; our government officials are turning a deaf ear to us,” she said.
At the recent Garland ISD Board of Trustees meeting a small handful of school property taxpayers spoke during the public forum section, voicing reservations over the district renting its multipurpose center for an Islamic fundraiser.
After hearing only the first few comments, school board president Rick Lambert said, “I’d ask that you address new issues rather than saying the same thing over.”
“Garland ISD would never allow a neo-Nazi or an Arian nation group to rent the building but they allow a group whose main speaker advocates the overthrow of the United States government and the end of our way of life?,” the resident added.
Surrounding community members like Irving’s Nancey Tresler told Breitbart Texas, “We find it ironic that the place the Muslims choose is a school where religion is banned from school. Islam is an all encompassing political and religious philosophy of government. They should not be allowed on school grounds.”…
Angemon says
Isn’t it always the case with islam and muslims? “Context” is the magic word that fixes everything. Chopping off limbs? “Context”. Killing apostates? “Context”. Having sex with children? “Context”. Drinking camel urine? “Context”. Torturing prisoners? “Context”. Killing POWs? “Context”. Robbing caravans? “Context”.
Context, context, context. Not a bad name for a brand of laundry detergent.
Alarmed Pig Farmer says
It is so good to seem Geller out there in the world alongside Spencer. They live in a lonely world, in which most of the small number of those who *do* criticize Islam do so remotely, demanding policy from before a TV camera or a word processor. Somebody to needs to take the struggle to the public on a personal level, and that is this pair.
As the Moslems kill, terrorize and displace Coptic Christians, and as they gear up to nuke Tel Aviv, few know that when those two mass murder jobs are done next they’ll come for us. Yes, it’s a cold, self-interested world in which we live. I get that.
But the full truth is that it’s a cold, self-interested world of dumbasses eager to be manipulated into oblivion. If you doubt that, take a look at the ruling elites in the U.S., the U.K., Scandinavia, France, Germany, down under, take a look all about you. The sight ain’t pretty and it’s deeply troubling.
mortimer says
The counterjihad support in North America has gone from 30% before summer 2014 to over 50% now. There is every reason to believe the counterjihad is continuing to grow since the Charlie Hebdo attacks.
One thing is for sure, Muslims will take the Charlie Hebdo attacks as a sign that Allah is helping them to defeat the disbelieving kufaar, so THE JIHADISTS WILL NOW TRY HARDER AND PLAN FURTHER ATTACKS.
These are highly delusional zealots. Their psychopathy will drive the jihadists to take more and more risks to create atrocities. These atrocities will enrage the West to take counteractions that will result in the ultimate total defeat of Islam once for all.
Alarmed Pig Farmer says
These are highly delusional zealots.
Delusional? They’re winning, and they have no delusions about that. It is the Infidels who are deluded, and that false vision, that delusion, is the key to our probable doom. They’ve already cost us trillions in money and many freedoms, but what they ultimately want is control of our land, all our money, and all of our minds. This goal is feasible, as is proved by the fact they’re making steady progress towards it.
Salah says
@ Alarmed Pig Farmer
“Delusional? They’re winning, and they have no delusions about that.”
Yes, they are winning. But rest assured, it’s a short term victory.
They’ve been winning in Egypt. Day after day, year after year, for more than eighty years, the jihadists (i.e the Muslim Brotherhood) have been winning in Egypt. Then…they’ve lost it all. In a jiffy!!!
The Power of the Free People (as opposed to the power of our dhimmi leaders):
http://crossmuslims.blogspot.com/2013/07/the-end-of-muslim-brotherhood.html
jewdog says
An interesting thing about the Charlie Hebdo attack was its scale as well as its targeting of a primarily gentile group. Up to now, the jihadis in France have mainly limited themselves to small-scale attacks on Jews. I think this reflects an attitude of increasing boldness and confidence as the Muslim population grows in France and Europe. In the Mideast, attacks regularly occur against Christians because Christians are a relatively small and defenseless minority, whereas the European Christian population is much larger and is therefore less vulnerable. We’ll have to see if this marks an ominous turning point.
Dave J says
OK, the picture with this story: First I thought it was a missile, then I had an unclean thought, and then I realized it was a pencil. Seems more harmless now.
Thank you Pamela and Robert and many others for being truthseekers and brave, eloquent warriors in this unfortunate war.
Bezelel says
(“We find it ironic that the place the Muslims choose is a school where religion is banned from school. Islam is an all encompassing political and religious philosophy of government. They should not be allowed on school grounds.”…)
The ol’e double standard trick. How did the people in charge slip through the cracks? Beheadings in Oklahoma, Now Texas. Where next? Not if but when. Bad time to be complacent.
Betty says
why is religion banned in schools? that is the problem with our children today they grow up no respect, no morals, they don’t even respect them selves. me,me,me,give it to me or I will kill you and take it any may. put prayer back in school and Bible lessons. you will see a change in the children. and they will grow up these lessons will never leave these children. mark my word. try it and see.
Brian Hoff says
The First amentment is not being broken by the school dirist at all.The common core school material does treach religions all religions as they play than major role in history. All it said the government cannot declare one religion is the state religion like the Tea Bagger party want to make chirstian the state religion in america.
Angemon says
defenderofislam posted:
“All it said the government cannot declare one religion is the state religion”
The establishment clause forbids preferring or elevating one religion over another. If you have school books with 20 pages explaining how wonderful one religion claims to be and a handful of pages barely mentioning all other religions then a case can be made that there is one religion being elevated over the rest.
You might want to work on improving your English skills before commenting on a document that’s written in English.