Jim is back! Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America applaud North Dakota Rep. Kevin Cramer for his powerful ad slamming Sen. Heidi Heitkamp for supporting sanctuary cities and for doing so with the right tone. They also hammer Facebook for censoring numerous Prager U videos and labeling them “hate speech” when there’s nothing hateful about them, and wonder whether Facebook’s monitors have no idea what conservatism is or whether they just give in to the liberal mob. And they shake their heads in disgust after London Mayor Sadiq Khan responds to a vehicular terrorist attack by wanting to ban vehicles in that part of the city.
Terrorism
Media Buries Terrorist Compound Story, No Death in Single Payer? Nelson Cries Russia
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Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America are baffled by the lack of media coverage about a New Mexico compound where starving children were reportedly being trained to carry out school shootings, and they find, once again, that the FBI responded slowly to compelling tips. They also continue to find entertainment in socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who is now claiming that medicare-for-all would eliminate funeral expenses. And they wonder why Florida Sen. Bill Nelson had made claims about Russian interference in the election when no state official has heard anything about it.
‘The History of Jihad:’ Fourteen Centuries of Conflict
From the response to the 9/11 attacks to the confronting of ISIS, Americans and other western leaders regularly refer to Islam as a “religion of peace,” but a new book contends the 1,400 years of Islam is a timeline awash in bloodshed and conflict.
Jihad Watch Director Robert Spencer is author of the new book “The History of Jihad: From Muhammad to ISIS.” He says there is a consistent attern of carnage since the earliest days.
“What I found is that through fourteen centuries, without any break, without any let-up, without any reformation or reconsideration, without any period of tolerance – although there are a lot of historical myths about that – Islam has been responsible for conflict between Muslims and non-Muslims for fourteen uninterrupted centuries,” said Spencer, who is quick to point out that most Muslims are not Jihadists.
“Obviously, not all Muslims are involved in this and not all of them approved of it. Nonetheless, in every century and in in every place in the world where there have been Muslims, there have been jihadis who thought that it was one of their responsibilities before Allah to wage war against and subjugate unbelievers,” said Spencer.
History books tell us that Islam was founded in 622 A.D. Mohammed died in 632. By 732, at the Battle of Tours in modern-day France, Charles Martel led a decisive Frankish victory against Muslim invaders who had already swept through North Africa and Spain.
But how did those invaders get from the Arabian Peninsula to the Atlantic coast within 100 years? Spencer says it was accomplished through violent conquest, and he contends most people who deny the violence perpetrated in the early years of Islam are arguing from a position of ignorance.
“People aren’t really aware of this history. This is one of the reasons why I wrote this book. The Islamic advance was incredibly swift. And not only did they get all the way to the Atlantic and to Spain within 100 years of the death of Mohammed, but they also went in the other direction, conquered one of the great powers of the day in Persia and went into India,” said Spencer.
Spencer says his book is the first work in the English language to detail the jihad against India, which he calls “an extraordinary and bloody story.”
In addition to those who don’t know the history, Spencer says others believe a false version of history.
“I think a lot of people take for granted the idea that there was some kind of mass conversion to Islam, that people were converting to it because they were convinced that it was true and that this is what was responsible for the Islamization of the Middle East and North Africa. That’s actually not the case. It was all done by conquest,” he said.
Spencer further asserts that ISIS is not the exception or some radical departure from Islam over the centuries. He claims ISIS looks much like jihadists throughout the past fourteen centuries.
“I show in the book there are movements like that all through Islamic history. Many of them were responsible for the conquest of Spain and its 700-year occupation by Islamic forces. Many of them have also been responsible for jihad warfare elsewhere. There was nothing new that ISIS did, nothing different. It was exactly the same in its beliefs as jihadis throughout history,” said Spencer.
Jihadists also played a key role in the first major military engagement of the United States when President Thomas Jefferson was forced to confront the Barbary Pirates off the coast of North Africa.
“They were jihadis, as I show in the book. Thomas Jefferson and John Adams wrote a report to Congress about how the Moroccan ambassador had explained that they were fighting them because it was explained in the Quran and they felt they had a divine responsibility to do so,” said Spencer.
That conflict is also how U.S. Marines became known as “leathernecks.”
“They’re leathernecks because they wore leather collars that would prevent them from being beheaded. The (Marine Corps) song with the ‘shores of Tripoli’ was all about them facing the jihadis,” said Spencer.
In multiple speeches, President Obama stated Muslims have been a vital fabric of the United States from our very beginning. Spencer says other than being our first opponent in war, Obama’s assertions do not hold up.
“In terms that Obama’s claim that Muslims were in the United States and were involved in it since the founding; that’s complete historical fiction and has no basis in fact whatsoever,” said Spencer.
Today, Spencer believes the U.S. and other western nations make a habit of whitewashing the ugly history of jihadism.
“The West in general has had a drastically wrongheaded response to this threat and that’s primarily been characterized by simple denial. They just proclaim that Islam is a religion of peace and leave it at that. The most notorious example of that is George W. Bush right after 9/11,” said Spencer.
But if jihad is historical Islam, why do most Muslims not engage in it?
“Jihad is risky. You can get killed. You can get maimed. You can have all sorts of disasters happen to you. That takes a certain amount of courage. Not everybody is going to do it. Also, there are people simply not religious enough to care,” said Spencer, who suggests others do their work more surreptitiously these days.
“There are also people waiting and biding their time, working in other ways. The Muslim Brotherhood and other groups of its kind are working to achieve the same ends as jihad terrorists, which is Islamic (Sharia) law ruling the world but through different means: through elections, through civilizational change and so on,” said Spencer.
And while a majority of Muslims do not engage in jihad and many do not even condone it, Spencer says they could do much more to condemn it. He says those who do speak out against jihadists like ISIS get a tepid following at best.
“A few years back when ISIS was in it’s heyday, every now and again we’d see Muslims against ISIS rallies. Invariably, they only attracted about 25-50 Muslims. Whereas, rallies against cartoons of Mohammed drew 800,000 people in Chechnya, hundreds of thousands in Pakistan and Iran,” said Spencer.
Spencer says the first step in the solution is to call out jihadists for what they are.
“The first thing we need to do is to speak honestly about this problem, call upon Muslim groups in the West to renounce the aspects of Islam, including jihad warfare, that are at variance with the constitutional principles of the United States and, in general, the principles of western free nations,” said Spencer.
He says the U.S. and our western allies must take a stand because the past fourteen centuries show that the problem won’t go away on its own.
“Everywhere there have been large numbers of Muslims, there has been conflict. Here again, it’s not all Muslims or every Muslim but there are always some among the Muslims who believe they need to wage jihad against unbelievers. Why do we think we’re going to be exempt from this and that it’s not going to happen to us?” said Spencer. “It is.”
Iran Decision ‘Right and Overdue’
President Trump announced Tuesday that the United States will withdraw from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal on May 12, citing the ineffectiveness of the agreement in stopping development of a nuclear weapon and announcing tough new economic sanctions to put the pressure back on the Iranian government.
In 2015, President Obama, through then-Secretary of State John Kerry, signed on to the JCPOA without consulting Congress. The stated conclusion of the deal was that the U.S. and five key allies would ease sanctions and return frozen Iranian assets in exchange for Iran allowing international inspections at its admitted nuclear sites.
By labeling the plan an executive agreement rather than a treaty, Obama and Kerry were able to bypass Congress. But they also set the stage for a future president reversing the policy unilaterally.
Obama administration veterans, the media, and America’s partners in the agreement, known formally as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or JCPOA, are very critical of Trump decision, but he is earning wide praise from most congressional Republicans and conservative policy experts.
“The thing that you’ve got to admire about President Trump is that he makes a decision. He move forward with it. We will deal with it and the rest of the world will deal with this,” said Rep. Ted Yoho, R-Fla, who chairs the House Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific.
Center for Security Policy President Frank Gaffney, who served as Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Policy in the Reagan administration, is also very happy with the move.
“I think the decision was both right and overdue. I’m thrilled he has taken this step,” said Gaffney. “It finally denies legitimacy to this heinous regime, which could just mean that the people of Iran are able to achieve freedom as well as us achieving a measure of security that would otherwise be denied us.”
Gaffney points out Iran is not only the world’s leading sponsor of terrorism but has proven it cannot be trusted to honor agreements.
“It has cheated on every agreement that it has participated in. It has pursued weapons of mass destruction. It continuously says that it seeks death to America. It has gotten an enormous amount of money (from the nuclear deal), which it has used to further endanger our interests and those of our friends and allies in the region and beyond,” said Gaffney.
Yoho also cited Iran’s bad faith on the world stage.
“Right after it was agreed to by those entities, not us in Congress, Iran fired ballistic missiles and that was against the clause of exercising good faith and Iran broke that the next day,” said Yoho.
But even if Iran had abided by the terms of the JCPOA, Yoho says there are still terrible flaws, including the gaping holes in the inspections.
“They were supposed to be able to check anywhere, anytime, any place per John Kerry. I was in the hearing when he said that. Then it turned out it was 24 hours notice and (no access) to places like military bases. Those places are off limits. Then we can only inspect those places we know. We can’t inspect places that we may hear of,” said Yoho.
Where Yoho and Gaffney strongly disagree is what should happen once the sanctions put Iran in a vulnerable spot again.
“Let those start to work. Let the dust settle. Then we’ll see how earnest and sincere Iran is, wanting to come to the table and put this nuclear business behind everybody,” said Yoho.
Gaffney believes there should never be a table to return to when it comes to Iran.
“There is clearly no point in having a deal with people who can’t be trusted – not only can’t be trusted but can be trusted to violate any obligation they make,” said Gaffney.
He says the only permanent solution to Iranian nuclear ambitions is for the Iranian people to kick the mullahs to the curb.
“I think the only solution to this is for the people of Iran to remove this regime that enslaves and brutalizes them and threatens us. And I think that is clearly the desire of the people of Iran,” said Gaffney.
“We will end the threat of an Iranian nuclear weapon by once and for all seeing this regime removed from power,” added Gaffney.
Pompeo Advances, Media & Toronto Terrorism, Save Alfie
Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America are glad to see Secretary of State nominee Mike Pompeo win the vote in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, thanks to a change of heart by Rand Paul and Democrat Chris Coons bailing out the poor leadership of Chairman Bob Corker. They also recoil at the Toronto attack carried out by a van driver, who sped a mile down city sidewalks, killing 10 and injuring 15. They marvel at how easily the media moved on to different stories since the weapon wasn’t a gun and there’s no immediate link to jihad. And they rail against the British government for trying to stop the parents of Alfie Evans from seeking additional opportunities to save their son’s life, a truly frightening result of government expansion.
Terror Attack Fizzles, CNN’s Big Mistake, ‘Christmas’ Controversy
Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America shudder at the attempted terrorist attack in New York City but are glad this particular ISIS sympathizer only injured himself. They also slam CNN for not only failing to verify the information from its sources in its supposed Wikileaks bombshell but for failing to be the first to correct its mistakes and then saying its reporters did everything right. And they roll their eyes as leftists get bent out of shape because U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley wished CNN’s Jake Tapper, who is Jewish, a Merry Christmas.
Tax Cut Bill Revealed, Trump’s Execution Tweets, Northam’s Epic Flip-Flop
Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America largely cheer the House Republican tax plan, which cuts business and individual tax rates, kills the death tax and simplifies the system. They also sigh as President Trump tweets out his desire to see this week’s Manhattan terrorist face capital punishment, a public statement many Americans agree with but could complicate federal prosecution of the murderer. And they highlight the latest development in Virginia Democrat Ralph Northam’s no good, very bad week, as the candidate for governor flip-flops and suddenly supports banning sanctuary cities in Virginia.
Horror in Vegas, Attack Quickly Turns Political, Honoring the Heroes
Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America react to the horrific attack in Las Vegas that left at least 58 people dead and more than 500 wounded. They also slam the endless politics as so many activists – and politicians themselves – immediately declare the Las Vegas shooting to reinforce their political cause long before the facts are in. And they join President Trump in applauding the heroism of the first responders, saved countless live with their rapid response.
Closing the Embassy in Cuba? Refugee Bomber in London, College Park’s Shame
Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America applaud the Trump administration for considering a full closure of the U.S. embassy in Cuba in response to the bizarre sound wave assaults on U.S. diplomats in Havana and urge officials to follow through on the idea. They also discuss the revelation that the London tube bomber was a teenage refugee just three years ago and why extreme vetting makes perfect sense. And they get a kick out of College Park, Maryland, council members having to admit they actually didn’t vote to allow illegal immigrants to vote in local elections because they didn’t know their own charter.
Berkeley Stays Calm, Harvard’s Manning Mistake, Terrorism in London
Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America are happy to see Ben Shapiro was able to give his speech at Berkeley without incident in the auditorium and minimal unrest outside, which this year counts as very good news. They also unload on Harvard for offering convicted spy Bradley Manning, who now identifies as Chelsea Manning, a position as a visiting fellow, and only rescinding the offer after the intelligence community denounces the move. And they groan as a terrorist attack on the London tube injures 22 people and suggests terrorists there might be changing their tactics.