Max, Rupert Murdoch’s New York Post takes a different journalistic approach to the Bronx (would-be) Bombers. Its coverage starts out:
Four homegrown Muslim terrorists on a mission from hell were arrested last night as they planted what they thought were high-powered plastic explosives at two Bronx synagogues, authorities said.
The Post goes on to spell out just what this is all about:
“They [the United States military] are killing Muslim brothers and sisters in Muslim countries, so if we kill them here [in the United States] with IEDs [improvised explosive devices] and Stingers, it is equal,” one of the busted men, Onta Williams, allegedly told the informant.
Also arrested was David “Daoud” Williams and Laguerre Payen, a k a Amin or Almondo.
[. . .]
The informant — who had been cooperating with the feds on another, undisclosed case — met Cromitie at Mashjid al-Ikhlas, a mosque in Newburgh.
In their initial meeting in June 2008, Cromitie told the informant about his desire to do “something to America,” the feds charged.
“Cromitie explained to the CW [cooperating witness] that his parents lived in Afghanistan prior to his birth and that, because of his connection to Afghanistan, he was upset about the war there,” according to the legal papers filed in White Plains federal court.
The other three suspects converted to Islam after recent stints in jail, police sources said. Cromitie also has a criminal record.
“[Cromitie] was unhappy that many Muslim people were being killed in Afghanistan and Pakistan by the United States military forces,” the legal papers said. “Cromitie expressed interest in returning to Afghanistan and spoke to the CW about how if he, Cromitie, were to die a martyr, he would go to ‘paradise.’ ”
The informant told Cromitie — who, like his alleged accomplices, is a US citizen — that he was part of Jaish-e-Mohammed, a Pakistan-based terror group.
Maybe the Post should adopt a new slogan: “All the News not Fit to Print in the Times.” (This local news report also spells out the details. h/t HotAir)
I have faced seen the conflict of the Jewish “establishment” working behind the scenes vs. activists more inclined towards confrontation play out time and time again in my own political activities. Yet these experiences have taught me lessons beyond this supposed dichotomy. Notably:
(1) Regardless of how connected or effective we are, there are larger domestic and geopolitical issues being played out, with Israel and its supporters playing, at best, a nominal role (something we often hate to admit to ourselves, much less to others)
(2) That while pulling levers behind the scenes has its limitations, there is also a right and a wrong time to take our fight to the streets (especially when trying to move public opinion which tends to ignore an issue when the rhetoric around it becomes too heated)
The ultimate success of the Freedom for Soviet Jewry movement is illustrative in this regard. While the establishment had to be pushed to take a public stand on the issue by a more boisterous grass roots (the virtues of “the street”), once engaged it was able to work the corridors of power to pass legislation like Jackson-Vanik, a victory that required doggedness and patience (virtues of “the insiders”).
My personal opinion is that unity is a highly overrated concept (just ask members of the “unified” and freefalling Mainline Churches) and that the dynamic created by the pull between different types of activists is a source of our strength, even if is also the cause of endless frustration for both parties.
To keep dangerous actions of the UN (or a government, for that matter) to a minimum, various tactics have to be tried in parallel, so Jon is on track with his comment. It’s not even necessary for the groups involved to plan together—which is good, because that seldom happens, anyway.
The existence of activism independent of major groups also makes the latter somewhat less likely to wimp out.
youse jews is all right and ok by me
I trust, implicitly, and be-eimuna shleimah, Caroline Glick, Melanie Phillips, Anne Bayefsky [founding members, all, together with some other wonderful Jewish, and non-Jewish women, of the International Governing Board of the "Incredible Eishet Chayil Society" [as opposed to the "discredited", as is the case sooner or later for all unsolicited, self promoting groups using the letter "J" as a self-congratulatory confirmation of their Jewish bona fides, when,in fact, there are none]
I equally trust the motives and authenticity of “gutte yidden” like Isi Liebler, he of the straight tongue and truth-telling function to his “eigene”, even when they’d sometimes, rather not hear it.
Come to think of it, that’s exactly how I feel, also, about the good folks over at UN Watch, and in particular, Hillel Neuer, and now Leon Saltier[?] and others, as they keep their sometimes lonely vigil, on behalf of us all.
This, my own personal view, would include, also, the staff complement of the AJC, until recently the sponsors, as I understand it , and the moving force and prime supporter of the mother magazine of which Contentions is the blog -child, and who, if they also saw fit to send an observer to check out what’s afoot at the preparation sessions for Durban-2, I would feel very comfortable in having report to the larger Jewish Community on their findings in regard thereto.
In my little world, you are BOTH and ALL, the good guys………
So, go get em Tigers! We are all we have to look after us, in what looks to be shaping up into an increasingly dangerous world.
Well, Brothers Walt, Mearsheimer and Freeman, and Sisters Power, Brezenski and Carter will be relieved to see, and will now have to admit, that the once-mighty “LOBBY” has fallen!
To wit: The USA went to war in Iraq despite not hearing a peep out of Israel to do so, and yet all the screaming in the world couldn’t stop Barry’s people from “embracing” Durban II, albeit for one night!
Now THAT is a fall from grace!