On February 1, 2002, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the mastermind of September 11, cried “allahu akbar,” seized a young American journalist by the hair, and slit his throat. The writer’s name was Daniel “Danny” Pearl, the South Asia Bureau Chief of the Wall Street Journal. This brilliant reporter and fiercely loved husband, soon to be a father for the first time, was beheaded, cut into ten pieces and flung into a shallow grave because he was an American journalist, just like you.

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed’s religious and political convictions are identical to those publically professed by Terrorist Nidal Hasan. Both believed themselves justified by their radical Islamic faith.

Many of you spent the past ten days weaving a veil of deception to conceal the true face of Hasan. Instead of exposing a brother-in-arms of Danny’s butcher, you fabricated a PTSD victim in need of Prozac and Oprah. This is perhaps a good time for you to quietly watch the video of Danny’s beheading.  It is time to consider if you want to use your talents to legitimize those who think that severing the heads of journalists is a duty of faith.

The urgent reason for this introspection is that, having done the bidding of Barack H. Obama in the matter of the Ft. Hood Attack, your next assignment is going to be to sell the American public on Danny’s murderer, Khalid Sheikh Mohammad, as he and four of his friends have been invited by the president to visit New York City where they will be tried as simple criminals, not Terrorists, provided with criminal defense attorneys, and a nice view of the New York skyline, for future reference.

Frank Gaffney, Former Secretary of Defense and President of the Center for Security Policy, expressed his outrage concerning this newest step taken by Obama to banalize the threat of Radical Islam when he spoke on Fox and Friends on November 13th:

This is a disaster…the moment Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and his co-conspirators arrive in the US, they will be imbued with a host of constitutional rights…it is almost unimaginable for most Americans that we are going to give (these) to our enemies, sworn to our destruction. They will also be lawyered up with some of the best lawyers in the country who are going to apply those rights in ways that may well get them sprung…they will walk out because a judge or the government will say, “We can’t try them in United States.” …Most Americans are saying, “What are we doing? Is anyone paying attention to what these Shari’a types have in mind for us? I’m afraid the answer is not.

The same Attorney General assuring us that the evidence against the “suspects” will lead to a conviction, was considering prosecuting those involved in extracting that very evidence. The Khalid and Co. trial will be the de facto trial of America’s self-defense, instead of the trial of Mohammad and the other Terrorists. Obama’s choice of this circus trial is insensitive and harmful to American security. It furthers the cause of those who are hunting us.

Dear Journalists, Danny Pearl’s butcher will be tried on your keyboards and by your camera angles long before and more effectively than he will be by the leftist Courts of New York City. Yehuda Bauer said,

“Thou shalt not be a perpetrator. Thou shalt not be a victim. And thou shalt never, but never be a bystander.”

Your reporting will determine which you are. Will you join the perpetrators by facilitating their release onto the streets of New York, thus preparing yourselves to be the sure victims of their Jihad? Will you be worse, will you be a bystander and miss your chance to prosecute, by ink and by words, the men who cut a fellow writer into pieces? Or will you write the truth, perhaps alone, and be mightier than the sword?

By Jenifer Dixon

Daniel Pearl was an American Jewish journalist, who was assassinated by the Afghans in 2002. I looked his name up on the Internet, and after 55 references to him, I quit. What do I bring this up? I do it because at that time, I remember hearing about Daniel Pearl 24/7 on more than one “mainstream” station. There are biographies of Daniel Pearl. There are celebrations of Daniel Pearl. There are endless stories about Daniel Pearl’s assassination. There is a Daniel Pearl Foundation. Etc. etc. etc.

Now, here is some information that was never presented on “mainstream” media. According to Palestine Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow by Dr. Tareq M. Suwaidan there were 9 Palestinian journalists killed in the Intifada between 29 September 2000 to 30 December 2003 by the IDF. That is 9 journalists killed by the Israelis and not a word mentioned.

I was listening to an Internet broadcast from Global Research on the question of Palestine. Both the interviewer and interviewee were Jewish. Nonetheless, they expressed a concern about the “Israeli Palestinian conflict.” They had on their show an interview with a Palestinian journalist from Gaza, but his accent was so thick as to be incomprehensible. They then decried the tragedy of the cycle of violence, but assured the audience that this too would end. However, I noticed that the woman being interviewed by Mr. Lendeman, a Rachel somebody, a professor at Emory University, was the author of of several blocks on “Islamic terrorism”. I also noticed that they did not go into any detail on the situation in Gaza or in Palestine. They also told the audience that the censorship of these stories from the Occupied Territories originated high up in the chain of command in a “mainstream media.”

They fail to mention that at the end of July of 2006 Israeli military forces attacked Al Manar TV in Beirut. In January of 2002, the Israeli military forces blew up a Palestinian broadcasting center in Ramallah. In April 2002, Israeli military forces inflicted devastating damage to the offices of the Palestine Monitor. In August of 2009 Israeli troops raided Radio Bethlehem and ordered the staff to stop broadcasting.

I then pulled a report that detailed, some 75 assaults from Israeli security forces on journalists working in the Occupied Territories, both Palestinian and foreign, in the year 2000 alone. Nine were attacked on the 1st day of the Intifada. 9 again? Ready for some numerology?

This obviously indicates an intended desire to squelch the truth on the ground as it happened, and the heavy-handed suppression of Palestinian press, indeed of all press.

Then to beat all, I found this item entitled “Israeli media mogul Haim Saban mulls stake in Al Jazeera.” This story dated October 8, 2009 in Ha’aretz states that the Israeli businessman is negotiating for 50% of this “beacon” of the voice of the peoples of the Middle East. Okay. What more needs to be said? Or as Washington Post promotional copy puts it “if you don’t got it, you just don’t get it”

Remember Daniel Pearl? Of course, you do

Source: Sabbah

* Jenifer Dixon is a writer and former activist who lives in the Washington, DC area. She has published in the Washington Post, Voices of Women, WomenWise, Rainbow Visions, the Palestine Chronicle and Arab-American News. The website GlobalSpin was her contribution to the Net for three years. She was also a contributing writer to the book Challenge to Genocide: Let Iraq Live. The Holy Land Unveiled is her first book.

GRADE: D

I have only one good reason for giving this movie a D grade.  And it’s not that something scared me or disgusted me.  But because something made me laugh so hard that I can’t shake the image out of my head.

After Jason makes a nearly impossible kill using a bow-and-arrow hitting a guy driving a fast speed boat, two other characters Clay and Jenna, venture into Jason’s old home and what does the camera happen to scan over–An Archery Trophy.  Brilliant way to justify his professional archery skills with his camp trophy there filmmakers. 

I’m not lying when I say I had some high hopes for this movie all week.  I didn’t see it in theaters because I thought the preview looked awful.  But the fact that Marcus Nispel directed it along with Daniel Pearl as the cinematographer, I kind of felt maybe they could make it pretty entertaining.  Especially since when these two teamed up to remake the Texas Chainsaw Massacre they didn’t do such a bad job.  I really enjoyed that film.

But this is a whole new breed of bad.  Horrible actors.  Horrible characters.  Horrible storyline.  For instance they never explain the weed farm Jason has growing on the camp property.  Maybe if Clay would have offered to roll Jason a mean blunt they could have saved themselves.  We’ll never know.  The movie stars Jared Paladecki as Clay, the older brother of a girl who went missing after camping (go figure).  He is searching for her when he comes across a group of college kids heading up to there rich friend Trent’s (Travis Van Winkle) parents lake home.  Nothing much to explain after this.  Oh and did I mention Jason keeps a hostage in this movie?  Yea.  About that. 

And actor/stuntman Dereck Mears does a good job of giving new life to a rather dull(at least in my opinion) slasher killer, but his monstrous size hurts the role alittle bit.  I liked the Jason from Friday the 13th Part II, when he looked like a normal-sized human being. 

Some positives to take out are some of the new aspects to Jason’s background.  I think introducing the underground tunnel system to show how Jason can pop up everywhere and know where everyone is made some sense.  I also liked the sleeping bag over the campfire death.  Although the imaginative death seemed very out-of-place, the shock of it made it interesting.  Also allowing Jason to break from his dramatic walk into full-blown machete hurling sprints made him a little more frightening.

 But overall this move is terrible.  No creative murders.  No suspense.  No surprises.  No shock scares.  Nothing worth keeping a viewer focused.  Every horror cliche in the book was used.  Like don’t go into that room.  Don’t wander into the dark shed with all the sharp and dangerous tools by yourself.  And most importantly don’t crack a joke when a six-foot-five inch bodybuilder in a hockey mask has you cornered around more weapons of mass destruction than was found in Iraq.  Oh and when you were a little younger and always wondered what Willa Ford looked liked topless, you’re answer is awaiting you here.  Her role as Chelsea is short lived–of course. 

What is so hard about making a Friday the 13th movie actually good?  I mean after the first 3, the franchise took a nose dive to the bottom of Crystal Lake.  And just when we thought it could be saved, we get this.  Jason is a ninja warrior robot sent back through time.  The directors might as well have put him in Afghanistan where his skills could be put to good use–and would have made for a more entertaining movie. 

Jason v. Rambo.  Now that’s a movie I’d like to see.   

Tutti ricordano le foto delle torture che circolano su Internet. Esse sono state presentate come trofei di guerra da qualche GI. Tuttavia, i media mainstream in grado di verificarne l’autenticità, non osavano riprodurle. Nel 2004 la CBS vi ha consacrato un reportage. Questo è stato il segnale del movimento generale per esporre il maltrattamento degli iracheni. La prigione di Abu Ghraib dimostrava che la presunta guerra contro la dittatura di Saddam Hussein era in realtà una guerra di occupazione come le altre, con lo stesso corteo di crimini. Non sorprende che Washington abbia assicurato che gli abusi furono perpetrati all’insaputa dei comandi, da pochi individui insignificanti descritti come “mele marce”.
Alcuni soldati sono stati arrestati e processati per esempio. Il caso è stato chiuso fino alla rivelazione successiva.
(…)
Tranne che, a un anno dall’elezione di Barack Obama, se centinaia di singoli casi sono stati risolti, non è cambiato nulla nel merito. Guantanamo è lì e non sarà chiusa immediatamente. Le associazioni di difesa dei diritti umani sono chiare: la violenza contro i detenuti sono peggiorate. Interrogato al riguardo, il vice-presidente Joe Biden ha detto che più si avanzava in questo dossier, più capiva che finora non era a conoscenza di molti aspetti. Poi, enigmatico, ha avvertito la stampa, assicurando che non si dovrebbe aprire il vaso di Pandora. Da parte sua, Greg Craig, consulente della Casa Bianca ha voluto dare le dimissioni, non perché crede di aver fallito nella sua missione di chiudere il centro, ma perché ora crede che gli sia stato affidato un compito impossibile.
Perché il Presidente degli Stati Uniti non riesce a farsi obbedire? Se uno ha già detto tutto ciò che riguarda gli abusi dell’era Bush, perché parlare di un vaso di Pandora e che se ne ha paura?
In realtà, il sistema è più vasto. Non si limita solo a pochi rapimenti e a una prigione. Soprattutto, il suo scopo è radicalmente diverso da quello che la CIA e il Pentagono fanno credere. Prima di iniziare la discesa agli inferi, si dovrebbe far piazza pulita della confusione.
(…)
La US Navy ha istituito un gruppo medico d’assalto. Che fece venire a Guantanamo il professor Seligman. Questo professionista è una star, noto per il suo lavoro sulla depressione. I suoi libri sull’ottimismo e la fiducia sono dei best seller in tutto il mondo. E lui che ha supervisionato gli esperimenti su cavie umane.
Alcuni prigionieri, sottoposti a terribili torture, finivano spontaneamente per mettersi da soli in questo stato psicologico, permettendogli di sopportare il dolore, ma privandoli di ogni resistenza. Manipolandoli così, si arriva rapidamente alla fase 3 del processo Biderman. Sempre basandosi sul lavoro di Biderman, i torturatori americani, guidati dal professor Seligman, hanno fatto esperimenti ed hanno migliorato tutte le tecniche coercitive.
Per fare questo, è stato sviluppato un protocollo scientifico che si basa sulla misurazione delle fluttuazioni ormonali. Un laboratorio medico è stato installato a Guantanamo. Campioni di saliva e del sangue vengono prelevati a intervalli regolari dalle cavie per valutarne le reazioni.
I torturatori hanno reso più sofisticati i loro crimini. Ad esempio, nel programma SERE, hanno monopolizzato con la musica stressante la percezione sensoriale, per impedire al prigioniero di dormire. Hanno ottenuto risultati migliori trasmettendo grida di bambini inconsolabili per giorni e giorni. Oppure, hanno mostrato tutta la potenza dei rapitori con i pestaggi.
A Guantanamo, hanno creato la Forza di reazione immediata. Questo è un gruppo di punizione dei prigionieri. Quando questa unità entra in azione, i suoi membri sono rivestiti di un’armatura di protezione, tipo Robocop. Estraggono il prigioniero della sua gabbia e lo mettono in una stanza le cui pareti sono imbottite e rivestite in compensato. Gettano la cavia contro il muro, per fratturarli, ma il legno compensato smorza parzialmente lo shock, così da inebetirli, ma le sue ossa non vengono rotte.
I principali progressi sono stati compiuti con la punizione della vasca. Una volta, anche la Santa Inquisizione immergeva la testa del prigioniero in una vasca da bagno e lo ritiravano poco prima della sua morte per annegamento. La sensazione di morte imminente causa la massima ansia. Ma il processo era primitivo e frequenti erano gli incidenti. Ora, il prigioniero non è più immerso in una vasca da bagno piena, ma viene fatto giacere in una vasca vuota. Lo si annega versandogli acqua sulla testa, con la possibilità di fermarsi istantaneamente.
Ogni sessione è stata codificata per determinare i limiti della sopportazione. Degli assistenti misurano la quantità di acqua utilizzata, i tempi e la durata del soffocamento. Quando ciò accade, recuperano il vomito, lo pesano e l’analizzano per valutare l’energia e la stanchezza prodotte.
(…)
Il caso più noto è quello del pseudo-Khalil Sheikh Mohammed. Questi è un individuo arrestato in Pakistan e accusato di essere un islamista del Kuwait, anche se non è chiaramente la stessa persona. Dopo essere stato torturato a lungo e, in particolare, esser stato sottoposto 183 volte al bagno mortale durante il solo mese di marzo del 2003, l’individuo ha riconosciuto di essere Mohammed Sheikh Khalil, e si è autoaccusato di 31 diversi attentati in tutto il mondo, dal WTC di New York nel 1993, alla distruzione di una discoteca di Bali e alla decapitazione del giornalista Daniel Pearl, fino a gli attentati dell’11 settembre 2001. Lo pseudo-Sheikh Mohammed ha continuato la sua confessione davanti ad una commissione militare, ma non è stato possibile, per gli avvocati e i giudici militari, interrogarlo in pubblico, poiché si temeva che, fuori dalla gabbia, si rimangiasse la confessione.
Per nascondere le attività segrete dei medici di Guantanamo, la Marina Militare ha organizzato viaggi-stampa dedicati ai giornalisti compiacenti. Così, il saggista francese Bernard Henry Levy, ha detto che ha giocato volentieri il ruolo del testimone della moralità, visitando quello che si voleva fargli vedere. Nel suo libro ‘American Vertigo’, ha assicurato che questo carcere non è diverso da altri penitenziari degli Stati Uniti, e che le prove di abusi praticati vi “erano piuttosto gonfiate.” (sic)
In definitiva, l’amministrazione Bush ha stimato che pochissimi individui sono stati condizionati a tal punto da confessare di aver commesso gli attentati dell’11 settembre. Essa ha concluso che era necessario testare un gran numero di prigionieri per selezionarne i più reattivi.
Tenuto conto della controversia che si sviluppò attorno a Guantanamo, e per essere sicura di non essere perseguita, la US Navy ha creato altre prigioni segrete, poste al di fuori di qualsiasi giurisdizione, in acque internazionali.
17 imbarcazioni a fondo piatto, del tipo usato per le truppe da sbarco, sono state trasformati in prigioni galleggianti, con gabbie come quelle di Guantanamo. Tre sono state identificate dall’associazione britannica Reprieve. Questa sono la USS Ashland, USS Bataan e USS Peleliu.
Se aggiungiamo tutte le persone che sono state fatte prigioniere in zone di guerra, o sequestrate in qualsiasi parte del mondo, e trasferite in questa serie di carceri, negli ultimi otto anni, un totale di 80.000 persone sono transitate nel sistema, di cui meno di un migliaio sarebbe stato spinto alla fase finale del processo di Biderman.
Quindi il problema dell’amministrazione Obama è il seguente: non è possibile chiudere Guantanamo senza rivelare ciò che è stato fatto. E non è possibile riconoscere quanto è stato fatto, senza ammettere che tutte le confessioni ottenute sono false e sono state deliberatamente inculcate sotto tortura, con le conseguenze politiche che ciò implica.
Alla fine della seconda guerra mondiale, dodici processi furono istruiti dal tribunale militare di Norimberga. Uno era dedicato a 23 medici nazisti. 7 furono prosciolti, 9 furono condannati a pene detentive e 7 furono condannati a morte. Dal momento che esiste un codice etico che disciplina la medicina a livello internazionale. Esso vieta proprio ciò che i medici statunitensi hanno fatto a Guantanamo e in altre prigioni segrete.

Da Il segreto di Guantanamo, di Thierry Meyssan.

This promises to be a formidable month of shows… please join me where you can and spread the word about these shows on your facebook and twitter profiles. It all starts tonight with FODfest, which celebrates the life and ideas of Daniel Pearl. I’m excited to be a part of their opening night show at Narrows Center for the Arts in Fall River, MA.

Starting next Tuesday, Oct 6th I will be on tour with Renaissance for a couple of weeks, opening for them on their 40th anniversary concert tour. There are shows between Rochester, NY and Alexandria, VA including a show at Ethical Culture’s Concert Hall in NYC on Oct 9th and the Keswick Theatre in Philadelphia on Oct 11th. I’m very excited to be a part of this tour and have become a Renaissance fan. I think you will enjoy their music if you enjoy mine.

On Oct 18th Chris and I will be playing in Beacon, New York at the annual Beacon Sloop Club Pumpkin Festival, featuring performances by Pete Seeger, Jen Clapp and many others. Back at the Sellersville Theater on Oct 24th opening for Marshall Crenshaw and then a show at the Hard Rock Cafe in Pittsburgh, PA on Oct 29th as part of Pinktober, Breast Cancer Awareness month. Lars will be with me on that one! Details for all shows below. Thank you all for coming… we appreciate it very much.

Oct 1, 2009, 7:30 PM FODfest at Narrows Center for the Arts, Fall River, MA
http://fodfest.org | http://www.ncfta.org

Oct 2, 2009, 8:00 PM Local 121 Speakeasy w/ John Fuzek, Providence, RI
http://www.local121.com

Oct 6, 2009 8:00 PM Rams Head On Stage w/ Renaissance, Annapolis, MD
http://tickets.ramsheadonstage.com

Oct 8, 2009 8:00 PM German House Theatre w/ Renaissance, Rochester, NY
http://www.ticketmaster.com/German-House-Theatre-tickets-Rochester/venue/105

Oct 9, 2009 8:00 PM The Concert Hall w/ Renaissance, New York, NY
http://www.ticketmaster.com/The-Concert-Hall-tickets-New-York/venue/290

Oct 11, 2009 7:30 PM Keswick Theatre w/ Renaissance, Glenside, PA
http://www.keswicktheatre.com

Oct 12, 2009 8:00 PM The Birchmere w/ Renaissance, Alexandria, VA
http://www.birchmere.com

Oct 13, 2009 8:00 PM The Egg – Center for the Performing Arts w/ Renaissance, Albany, NY
http://www.theegg.org

Oct 14, 2009 7:30 PM Whitaker Center w/ Renaissance, Harrisburg, PA
http://www.whitakercenter.org

Oct 16, 2009 8:00 PM South Orange Performing Arts Center w/ Renaissance, South Orange, NJ
http://www.sopacnow.org

Oct 17, 2009 8:00 PM Xanadu Theater at the Trump Taj Mahal w/ Renaissance, Atlantic City, NJ
http://www.ticketmaster.com/Trump-Taj-Mahal-tickets-Atlantic-City/venue/16396

Oct 18, 2009 3 PM Beacon Sloop Club Pumpkin Festival, Beacon, NY
http://www.beaconsloopclub.org

Oct 24, 2009 8:00 PM Sellersville Theater w/ Marshall Crenshaw, Sellersville, PA
http://www.st94.com

Oct 29, 2009 8:00 PM Hard Rock Cafe, Pittsburgh, PA
http://www.hardrock.com/pittsburgh

We’ll be back in Cambridge, Chicago and Ohio this November! Please see http://www.myspace.com/jannklose for details on those shows.

Cheers,

JK & Band

I just finished watching A Mighty Heart. This is the film accounting the life and death of Wall Street Journalist Daniel Pearl. It was horrifying and emotional.  I did not realize how affected I would become by this film.

The ending indicated that the person responsible for his actual beheading was Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. It also stated that he is currenting residing at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. I did some research and found this to be true.

This is what really has me scared for our country:

Our government wants to close Gitmo. We are talking about terrorists. They are in Gitmo for a reason…they are the worst or the worst. Charles Manson and Ted Bundy were not sent there. They chose their victims. Terrorists have absolutely zero sanctity for human life. They don’t care who you are, what you do or if you’re a child…they just kill. That’s why they are in fucking Cuba! Where are all these assholes going to go?

Everyone so easily forgets the innocent people who were so brutally murdered by these terrorists…and people are crying about waterboarding them? If waterboarding a terrorist will provide vital information to stop future attacks…then let it be done. Terrorists are trained to sustain a huge amount of torture. Why? Because they know exactly what they would do to someone in their captivity and assume the same may be done to them if captured. Don’t even think for one minute that people held by these terrorists are treated with any regard for humanity. Torture is their masterpiece….and they have painted with the blood of innocent people…like Daniel Pearl.

Right now, I am ashamed of what a pussy America is becoming. A once feared power and force to reckoned with is now turning into a society of pacifists that would rather be known for 3 hots and a cot than getting down to the business of keeping our country safe.

I did not like much of anything that George W. Bush had done in his eight years as president. Buy I will give him the utmost respect for keeping me, my family and The United States of America safe after 9/11.

What the hell has gone so wrong so very fast?

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1545441,00.html

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/04/28/despite-reports-khalid-sheikh-mohammed-waterboarded-times/

http://dir.salon.com/story/opinion/feature/2003/10/22/pearl/index1.html

Great Barrington, Mass. – Producers of the 5^th Annual FODfest today announced dates and locations for this year’s 32 day, national tour. FODfest honors the life of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, who was murdered by terrorists in Pakistan in 2002 at the age of 38.  FODfest is a featured event of Daniel Pearl World Music Days organized by the Daniel Pearl Foundation, and to date has toured to 20 cities with more than 350 participating musicians from across the country and the globe. In addition to being a journalist, Daniel Pearl was a talented musician who believed in the power of music to bring people together regardless of the differences between them. FODfest celebrates this ideal in a unique performance experience that is part concert, part song-swap, and part jam session. Musicians of all ages, backgrounds, and musical genres join together at FODfest concerts, often meeting for the first time on stage. The tour is organized by musician, songwriter, and producer Todd Mack, a former band mate and close friend of Pearl’s, to honor his friend with a legacy that reflects the ideals by which he lived rather than the tragic way in which he died. The concerts focus on building and strengthening communities through the universal language of music and are free and open to the public.

FODfest will be held at the Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival in Pittsboro, North Carolina on Thursday and Friday, October 8 and 9. Set times for performing will be announced closer to the date.  For Shakori Hills Festival information go to www.shakorihills.org or call 919.542.8142.  Interested musicians are invited to go to www.fodfest.org for more information about performing in this venue.

Now in its fifth year, FODfest has grown considerably from its beginnings as an informal backyard jam session to a multi-city, cross-country affair. The concerts are all unique and feature musicians who knew Pearl personally, many playing music with him while he was alive, and others who never knew him, but who connect with his story and share Pearl’s belief in music as a universal language of peace and tolerance. Prior year’s concerts have included such diverse artists as Chip Taylor (“Wild Thing” and “Angel of the Morning”), teenage violinist Sam Weiser (2008 Daniel Pearl Memorial Violins recipient) SONiA of disappear fear, Malcolm Holcomb, Paula Larke, Joe Crookston, Hyim, and Caroline Aiken to name a few. See clips of past performances with these artists and others at www.fodfest.org/video.html. Interested musicians are invited to go to www.fodfest.org for information about performing on the 2009 tour.

A classically trained violinist and avid fiddler & mandolin player, music was Daniel Pearl’s way of connecting with people. Wherever he lived, he was actively involved in the local music scene, and wherever he traveled he sought out local jam sessions as a way to learn about the local culture and community. FODfest’s unique performance format is modeled around Pearl’s love of these informal jam sessions. FODfest, Inc. is a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote and strengthen community through the universal language of music by producing publicly accessible live music events and multi-media projects.

FODfest 2009 Tour Schedule as of 8-25-09:
10/1 Narrows Center for the Arts, Fall River, MA
10/2 location tba, Boston, MA
10/2 Frontier Cafe, Brunswick ME
10/3 Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, Great Barrington, MA
10/4 City Winery, NY, NY
10/5 location tba, Washington, D.C.
10/6 Beit Tikvah, Baltimore MD
10/7 Yoder Barn, C.N.U., Newport News, VA
10/8* Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival, Pittsboro, NC *cost to enter Festival
10/9* Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival, Pittsboro, NC *cost to enter Festival
10/10 Candler Park Fall Festival, Atlanta, GA Danny Pearl’s Birthday!
10/10 Lake Claire Community Land Trust, Atlanta, GA Danny Pearl’s Birthday Party!
10/24 Blue Moon Coffeehouse – Illinois Wesleyan University, Bloomington, IL
10/25 Legion Arts, Cedar Rapids, IA
10/28 Village Players Performing Arts Center, Oak Park, IL
10/29 Kent Stage, Kent, OH
11/1 Infinity Music Hall & Bistro, Norfolk, CT

Submitted by FODfest

Last week, I condemned the Associated Press’ decision to release a grisly photograph of Lance Corporal Joshua Bernard. The photograph depicts, in ghastly detail, the mortally wounded Marine just after his leg had been blown off in a Taliban ambush. The AP distributed the photo despite the repeated protests of Bernard’s family. I characterized the release of the picture as an unthinkably cruel assault on the Bernards, and I excoriated the AP for ignoring the most fundamental conventions of human decency. I stand by those convictions, but many readers wrote me with opposing viewpoints, and I feel I should address them.

A reader I’ll call “Bill” insisted that the First Amendment gave the AP the right to publish the photo, and he is unquestionably correct. The AP has every right to distribute the image, but having the right to do something doesn’t necessarily obligate one to do it. I am a firm believer in the adage, “The best way to preserve our rights is to exercise them.” But I also believe that the best way to exercise them is to do so judiciously, guided always by the Golden Rule.  

I also heard from “Stephen” who insisted my statements were tantamount to a call for censorship. While I do find the sight of it personally disagreeable, my objection to the picture’s distribution was not provoked by its subject matter. If the Associated Press had an identical photograph of a mortally wounded serviceman, and if his family gave their blessing to its publication, I certainly wouldn’t have grounds to object. But the Bernards pleaded with the AP not to release the image. My suggestion is for Associated Press leadership to grow a conscience and then use it to police themselves, conducting their business responsibly and with decorum. A grieving family’s wishes should trump the AP’s dubious and self-interested defense of “the public’s right to know.”  

Finally, “Gina” sent me an emotional e-mail, championing the AP for “recognizing that, by publishing the tragic picture, they may help end the fighting by engendering American opposition to the war.” I reject this notion on its premise, because journalists aren’t supposed to influence, they are supposed to inform. Real journalists must be dispassionate, and agendas should have no place in what they do.

But the main error in Gina’s argument is her assertion that undermining American support for the war would expedite an end to the hostilities. The eighth anniversary of the Sept. 11th attacks was just last week; have we forgotten who attacked whom? Even in the unlikely event that such photographs could hasten the withdrawal of American forces, this would serve merely to restrain our own troops. Because the initial attack on us was unprovoked, it seems unlikely that a “unilateral armistice” would pacify our enemies.

But here, in my view, is all one really needs to know: Jihadists are already using the image in question to fan the flames of anti-American hatred and violence. For example, I visited an Islamic extremist Web site last week, where the photograph had been posted. The headline gleefully declared: “Death of Coward Lance Cpl. Joshua M. Bernard.” The caption reads, “In this photo taken Friday, Aug. 14, 2009, coward Lance Cpl. Joshua Bernard is tended to by fellow coward U.S. Marines after being hit by a rocket propelled grenade during a firefight against the Taliban in the U.S.-occupied village of Dahaneh in the U.S. occupied Helmand Province of Afghanistan. Bernard was transported by helicopter to Camp Leatherneck where he later died of his wounds and stupidity. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)”

The Web site’s owner, Yousef al-Khattab, is a resident of New York City. He is a devotee of Sheik Abdullah Faisal and he uses the Web site to promote the Sheik’s teachings. Faisal is the Muslim hate preacher who was convicted seven years ago of inciting the murders of Americans, Jews, and Hindus in London. British authorities say Faisal exerted extraordinary influence over Germaine Lindsey, one of four terrorists responsible for the July 7, 2005 bombings in London. Fifty-six people were killed, 700 were injured.

Now that the photograph in question is serving as a propaganda tool and morale booster for domestic jihadists, can anyone still defend the actions of the Associated Press as somehow serving the public interest?

AP CEO Thomas A. Curley can. He’s still clinging to his absurd rationalization that the “news value” of the picture somehow outweighs both the anguish its release caused the Bernard family and the aid and comfort its distribution has given to anti-American jihadists.

Keep telling yourself that, Mr. Curley. Whatever gets you through the night, right?

Just as the discussion over the publication of a dying Marine’s photo was beginning to wane, new revelations have arisen that are re-igniting the debate:  It seems Islamic jihadists have co-opted the image for use as a morale booster and propaganda tool.

The Associated Press published the grim photo despite the repeated and emphatic protests of the late Marine’s family and the Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates, and touched off a firestorm of debate.   The publication of the bloody, disturbing image of Lance Corporal Joshua Bernard, killed by RPG fire in Afghanistan in mid-August, has prompted some to question the propriety of embedding photojournalists and reporters with US combat troops; others, however, hail the picture and its printing as a example of journalistic integrity. 

But with the news that Muslim extremists have hijacked the image to ridicule and celebrate the death of LCPL Bernard, a new concern has arisen:  At what point do incidents like this one serve only to demoralize American troops and encourage the enemies of the United States?  

This screen shot was taken directly from a notorious jihadist website, www.revolutionmuslim.com.  The headline reads “Death of Coward Lance Cpl. Joshua M. Bernard.”  The caption beneath reads, “In this photo taken Friday, Aug. 14, 2009, coward Lance Cpl. Joshua Bernard is tended to by fellow coward U.S. Marines after being hit by a rocket propelled grenade during a firefight against the Taliban in the U.S.occupied village of Dahaneh in the U.S. occupied Helmand Province of Afghanistan. Bernard was transported by helicopter to Camp Leatherneck where he later died of his wounds & stupidty[sic]. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)”

Leadership at the Associated Press and those who have spoken out in support of the AP’s decision cite the perceived “news value” of the picture, and many insist that the publication of such stark battlefield images will hasten the end of the hostilities by fomenting opposition to the War on Terror. 

Those who oppose the move by the Associated Press have pointed to the anguish that the photo’s release has caused LCPL Bernard’s already-grieving family, and have speculated that the press organization is merely motivated by sensationalism and greed.  Questions of journalistic ethics and simple human decency have been raised against the Associated Press, but now that the photograph is being exploited as a means of exciting jihadist sentiment and violence, some are asking, ”Has the Associated Press unwittingly played into the hands of Islamic Terrorists by providing them with a new icon for propaganda, or even recruitment?”

This sort of thing is nothing new for the web site and its owner.  Both originate from, of all places, New York City.  Revolutionmuslim.com and the man behind it, Yousef al-Khattab, have already drawn sharp criticism for mocking other American military deaths in the War on Terror and for posting crude anti-semitic images and commentary.  al-Khattab, whose birth name was “Joseph Cohen,” describes himself as an American-born Jew who  converted to Islam after attending Orthodox rabbinical school. 

Yousef al-Khattab’s website often serves as a platform for his devotion to Sheik Abdullah Faisal, the Muslim hate preacher who was deported from the United Kingdom in 2007.  Faisal was convicted in 2003 for calling for the murder of Americans, Jews, and Hindus, and for engendering racial hatred with his rhetoric.  He served four years of a nine-year sentence and was deported.  It is widely believed that his teachings influenced Germaine Lindsey, one of four terrorists responsible for the bombing of London underground trains and a bus on July 7, 2005.  56 people, including Lindsey himself, were killed in the attack.  Another 700 people were injured.

There is no small irony in the fact that a news agency has unwittingly provided al-Khattab with his latest propaganda tool; he had already been widely condemned for posting video and commentary celebrating and ridiculing the murder of Daniel Pearl by al Qaeda terrorists in Pakistan.  Pearl was a reporter for the Wall Street Journal and was abducted, tortured, and beheaded in 2002.

My Full Length Interview with Lance Corporal Bernard’s Dad, John Bernard:

This week, my Monmouth Review-Atlas column, published every Tuesday, addresses Lance Corporal Bernard’s Story…

“A Marine, His Family, and One Gruesome Photograph”

By Jim Bennett

On Aug. 14, as his patrol was readying for a rumored Taliban ambush in Dahaneh, Afghanistan, Lance Corporal Joshua Bernard, just 21, was on point. The ambush erupted and a rocket-propelled grenade blew one of Joshua’s legs off, leaving the other leg severely injured. His comrades struggled with tourniquets and battlefield first aid while still under heavy enemy fire, but sadly, for this young, mortally wounded Marine, this attack would mean the end of his life a short time later.

For his comrades, this attack was a moment of sheer desperation as they tried to drag Bernard to safety. And for his parents, John and Sharon Bernard, back home in New Portland, Maine, this attack would come to mean the loss of their only son.

But for embedded photojournalist Julie Jacobson and her bosses at the Associated Press, this attack was a Kodak Moment. Jacobson captured a vivid and dramatic photograph of the scene: Bernard’s gruesome wound is shown in all its bloody detail, and his young face, sickly pale and blank with shock, is haunting. The article that Jacobson and AP reporter Alfred de Montesquiou filed stated that, as that young man was exsanguinating, the photographer “wrestled” with a “question”: Should she try to help save Joshua, or should she keep taking pictures?

Is this really what we have become? Have our hearts really hardened to the point that circumstances like I just described actually cause one to “wrestle” with such a “question”?       

Soon Jacobson’s bosses here in the states were “wrestling” with a “question” that should have been just as axiomatic. This Marine’s parents and sister have already been crushed by his death, just days ago. Do we take their profound grief to new depths by publishing the gory photo around the world, or do we summon that remnant of human decency that lies dormant in our icy souls and at least spare these tormented people that added trial? Just like Julie Jacobson’s “question,” the only thing more shocking than the way they answered the question was the fact that they even needed to ask it at all. And just like Julie Jacobson, they made a disgusting choice.

Joshua’s father, John Bernard, is a career Marine who retired at the rank of 1st Sergeant. He was mid-way through that career when I did my three-year stint in the Corps, and we both served in Desert Shield/Desert Storm, though we never met. I was so moved by his son’s story and so outraged by the actions of Julie Jacobson and the AP that I got in touch with John and his wife Sharon. He spoke glowingly of a son who loved Jesus, loved the Marine Corps and loved his family.

John and Sharon homeschooled Joshua and his sister Katie, and when he started talking to his Dad about enlisting, John wanted one assurance: “I needed to know that, when he did this, he was doing it for the right reasons … not just a ‘following in dad’s footsteps’ kind of thing. He was absolutely adamant that this is what he was called to do. And this was with an understanding that his testimony as a Christian would have a bearing in that environment.”

Joshua’s devotion to Jesus Christ was soon producing spiritual fruit among his brothers in arms. John told me that his son “actually was holding Bible studies…they were ongoing, he was encouraging guys, and they were wanting to learn, and they were listening.”

After his death, his unit held a memorial service for him in Afghanistan. Joshua’s remarkable impact was evident there. “The Battalion Commander called me,” John said, “and told me that during their field service, he was almost speechless. He had never witnessed anything like that, where so many Marines – and some of these guys are battle-hardened and have seen things nobody should see – they were all in tears and, to a man, they were all completely heartbroken over having lost this particular Marine. He said that they recognized in him something that was much closer to God than they had ever seen before. And so the suggestion is that God will use that.”

A few days after the funeral, an AP reporter approached John to discuss the photograph. John asked to see it and was shown what he described as fuzzy, black-and-white prints, which bore little resemblance to the bloody, clear color photo now splashed across newspapers worldwide.

“I handed them back to him and said, ‘Look: Neither my wife nor daughter needs to see this. Nobody needs to see this. So if you’re asking me for my permission, you don’t have it. You need to go back and tell them that absolutely no one needs to see this. It doesn’t honor him, it doesn’t honor the Corps, it doesn’t honor God, it doesn’t honor this country, and it doesn’t do them, as a news agency, any service whatsoever.”

Four days later, John Bernard followed up with a phone call to Associated Press leadership, emphatically reiterating his plea that they spare his family this additional, and wholly unnecessary, trauma. Not long after, the Secretary of Defense himself, Robert Gates, intervened, strongly encouraging the Associated Press not to subject the Bernard family to this torment.

They ran the picture anyway.

“I have very little use for the people who took the picture and even less for those who ran it. They had plenty of time to reflect on it, and they did it anyway,” John said.

And like many who read the story Julie Jacobson filed, John Bernard was stunned that she had to “wrestle” with a choice between helping save Joshua and continuing to ghoulishly snap away with her camera. “The fact that that would even be a dilemma for anybody … I don’t even know how to ascribe a thought to that. But the fact that she failed and went the wrong way says much, you know?

“All I can say is it comes back to Romans 1 where it says God will turn them over to a reprobate mind,” John offered. “This person [Julie Jacobson] reflects that.”

I asked John what he thought motivated the Associated Press in their compassionless assault on his grieving family, and he attributed it to greed. “There was exactly one purpose for this, and that was the bottom line, that was selling rags,” he told me. “It’s voyeurism at its worst.”

I share John Bernard’s assessment of all the principle players in this tragedy. And Jesus warned us of a day when, “because iniquity shall abound, the love of many will wax cold.”

That day, dear reader, seems quite near right now. And May God help us all.

Nós, que fazemos parte do Corpo de Cristo, nos orgulhamos do nobre Senador da República, que representa com muita honra, o povo evangélico
do Brasil. Sua seriedade e zelo pela Palavra de Deus tem se destacado naquela Casa Legislativa, e por isso, o Blog da Dilma, o maior portal da Dilma Rousseff na internet vem de público apoiar todas as suas aspirações políticas no Estado do Rio de Janeiro e no Brasil.

O Blog da Dilma ficará contente se sua Excelência for escolhido para ser vice na possível candidatura da Ministra-Chefe da Casa Civil do Governo, Dilma Rousseff, e caso não seja concretizado, estaremos ao seu lado.
Quero finalizar colocando as páginas do Blog da Dilma a sua disposição para qualquer tipo de manifestação da sua parte.
Atenciosamente,
Daniel Pearl Bezerra – editor geral do Blog da Dilma
http://dilma13.blogspot.com/

MARCELO CRIVELLA VICE DA DILMA?

ACESSE O BLOG OS AMIGOS DO CLIVELLA:

Ever noticed all the little ways that women get reminded to say in their place? Well, I have noticed A LOT lately.  And this little gem of a story about Euna Lee, the American journalist freed last week, is the most recent and angering (mainly because it is the most recent).

 The whole aim of this little article seems to be a not-so-subtle reminder to women not to go out into the big scary world or their kids might end up permanently damaged.  I don’t remember seeing an article like this when Daniel Pearl was kidnapped and later killed by mujahideen.  His wife was pregnant at the time of his murder, but no one seemed to accuse him of being derelict in his parental duties.  Not that they should have, of course.  Pearl was killed doing what journalists do:  going out and getting the story.  Lee was kidnapped the same way.  Journalism is a dangerous job but it is essential to the survival of freedom.  Shame on anyone who would condemn journalists for doing their important work.

My personal favourite of the aforementioned gem of an article above was this:

For all of us who have fantasized about escaping the drudgery of the everyday, let Lee serve as a reminder that dancing and jumping with your child is the stuff that makes for a full life.

Something tells me that the “us” of Ms. Halewicz readership at Parents Daily is of the more feminine variety.  Her closing paragraph is a very P.C., very 21^st century way of reminding women that were they belong is barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen.  Heaven forbid we should be allowed adventure and excitement.  It might upset the children. 

Well, I refuse to be shamed into the kitchen.  Ms. Halewicz I do not doubt for a minute that moments spent with one’s children and partner are among life’s sweetest moments.  But I also know this:  There is drudgery in everyday life.  Everyone, regardless of gender or parental status, deserves to seek out more than that; to serve a higher calling.  This can be dangerous, but we all must be free to choose danger.

Am Samstag wurde der pakistanische Jihadist Rao Shakir in Islamabad festgenommen, der einerseits an der Enthauptung des amerikanischen Journalisten Daniel Pearl im Jahr 2002 beteiligt war sowie ein wichtiger Akteuer des Anschlages auf das Marriot Hotel im letzten Jahr gewesen sein soll.

Rao Shakir ist ein Mitglied der Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), dem enge Verbindungen zur Al Qaida und Taliban nachgesagt werden. LeJ gilt als eine der gefährlichsten jihadistischen Bewegungen in Pakistan, weil sie nicht nur den Anschlag gegen das Marriot-Hotel  organisierten, sondern auch zwei gescheiterte Anschläge gegen den ehemaligen Präsidenten Musharraf sowie mehrere Selbstmordanschläge gegen Pakistans Nachrichtendienst ISI geplant haben sollen. Außerdem soll LeJ an der Ermordung Bhuttos beteiligt gewesen sein. Aus diesem Grund wird diese militante Gruppe in Pakistan sowie international als eine terroristische Vereinigung angesehen. 1996 startete LeJ als wahhabitische Organisation, die anfangs nur Anschläge gegen die Schiiten in Pakistan organisierte – gesponsert von Saudi-Arabien!

Weitere Informationen zur Lashkar-e-Jhangvi finden Sie in einem älteren Bericht der Jamestown Foundation unter:

http://www.jamestown.org/single/?no_cache=1&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=497

 Well atlast the culprits have come to book. But what with the small fishes if at all the Osamas and mullahs should be punished. Indian Express

Saturday , Aug 01, 2009 at 1857 hrs 

 In a major catch, Pakistani authorities nabbed a top militant suspected of beheading the Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl in 2002.

Rao Shakir, a suspected member of banned Sunni militant group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, was arrested from Bhara Kahu on the outskirts of the federal capital late last night, police said.

The militant is believed by the police to be closely linked to al-Qaeda and Taliban groups and their commanders.

Pearl was abducted from Karachi in 2002 while doing a story on militant funding. His remains were later found in a grave on outskirts of the port city.

Shakir is also linked to several terrorist strikes, including a suicide attack on a bus of a spy agency, the suicide bombing of the Marriott Hotel last year and an attack in Rawalpindi.

Officials said police had been hunting for Shakir for a long time. A police spokesman said his accomplices were arrested earlier. The arrested man also allegedly provided safe houses to militants. 

Shakir’s arrest comes as Pakistani military in continued operations maintained its pressure on the Taliban in the restive north west region killing two and capturing six other militants.

Some good news, relatively speaking of course.

Press Trust of India

Rezaul H Laskar

Islamabad, Aug 1 (PTI) In a major catch, Pakistani authorities today nabbed a top militant suspected of beheading the Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl in 2002.

Rao Shakir, a suspected member of banned Sunni militant group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, was arrested from Bhara Kahu on the outskirts of the federal capital late last night, police said.

_________________________________________________________

Of course there is still plenty of rotten news from Pakistan, including a riot between a Christian minority population and Muslims, resulting in 6 deaths.

And then there is just the weird news from Pakistan, where lawyers attacked police.  Just how corrupt are the cops if the best idea the attorneys there can think of is to beat them?

The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) is inviting entries for the Daniel Pearl Awards, named for the Wall Street Journal reporter killed in 2002 in Pakistan.

The Awards recognize and promote cross-border investigations that involve reporting in at least two countries on a topic of world importance.

The competition is open to professional journalists of any nationality, working individually or in teams, in any medium. The awards criteria require the work to have been first published or broadcast between 1 January 2008 and 31 December 2009.

Two $5,000 first prizes and five $1,000 finalist awards will be made. One of the first prizes will go to a US-based reporter or news organization, and the other will be awarded to a journalist or entity outside the United States.
The judges may also award a special citation for work that is unusually enterprising or conducted under especially difficult circumstances.

Winners will be announced at the Global Investigative Journalism Conference in Geneva, Switzerland, in April 2010.

Visit the ICIJ website: publicintegrity.org

Download the application form

Link via Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas

Also read: “I don’t think this is the business of a journalist”