The Obama administration has been tight lipped about this, but CBN News has learned that five Muslim soldiers were arrested shortly before Christmas.  The five Muslim men are suspected of trying to poison the food supply at Fort Jackson.  Of course this administration kept this quiet. They don’t want to be seen as being weak on terrorism despite O’Biden’s claims that they are doing a better job than the previous administration.

CBN News:

CBN News has learned exclusively that five Muslim soldiers at Fort Jackson in South Carolina were arrested just before Christmas. It is unclear whether the men are still in custody. The five were part of the Arabic Translation program at the base.

Patrick Jones, the Deputy Public Affairs Officer for Fort Jackson, confirmed for CBN News Thursday afternoon that an investigation was ongoing.

Prior to this posting, CBN News learned that these details were also confirmed by a government official with knowledge of the investigation.

The men are suspected of trying to poison the food supply at Fort Jackson.

A source with intimate knowledge of the investigation, which is ongoing, told CBN News investigators suspect the “Fort Jackson Five” may have been in contact with the group of five Washington, D.C., area Muslims that traveled to Pakistan to wage jihad against U.S. troops in December. That group was arrested by Pakistani authorities, also just before Christmas.

Coming as it does on the heels of November’s Fort Hood jihadist massacre, this news could have major implications.

Perhaps someone will tell Attorney General Eric Holder and the President that we are at war especially when are soldiers become targets.

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To think that people like this are running this country, horrifies me.  John Brennan, Obama’s top counter-terrorism advisor, said on Sunday that 20% terrorist recidivism rate isn’t bad.  If that wasn’t astonishing enough, he compared it to the recidivism rate of the common criminal.  You know, those arrested for marijuana possession, theft, etc.

Now let’s think about this, Brennan believes that 1 in 5 hardened terrorist, who are set on blowing up building and killing mass numbers of people, is better than the 1 in 2 common criminal who goes back to commit what amounts to petty crimes.  What makes this even worse is Obama’s National Security Advisor, General Jim Jones, defends Brennan’s statement.  That’s like saying, 1 out of 5 Charles Manson’s released who go back to killing isn’t a bad percentage.  Perhaps Brennan and Jones should tell that to the families who’s sons and daughters are killed in Afghanistan by one of these released terrorist.  It’s mind boggling.

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Chalk up another whopper of a lie.  If misleading the American public last year about the supposed $400 tax cut that turned out to be a tax credit, Obama’s budget includes increases in taxes on the lower and middle class.  The Obama administration is set to let the Bush tax cuts expire without extending them- this will be another “blame Bush”.

If the provisions are allowed to expire on December 31, the top-tier personal income tax rate will rise to 39.6 percent from 35 percent. But lower-income families will pay more as well: the 25 percent tax bracket will revert back to 28 percent; the 28 percent bracket will increase to 31 percent; and the 33 percent bracket will increase to 36 percent. The special 10 percent bracket is eliminated.

Investors will pay more on their earnings next year as well, with the tax on dividends jumping to 39.6 percent from 15 percent and the capital-gains tax increasing to 20 percent from 15 percent. The estate tax is eliminated this year, but it will return in 2011 — though there has been talk about reinstating the death tax sooner.

Millions of middle-class households already may be facing higher taxes in 2010 because Congress has failed to extend tax breaks that expired on January 1, most notably a “patch” that limited the impact of the alternative minimum tax. The AMT, initially designed to prevent the very rich from avoiding income taxes, was never indexed for inflation. Now the tax is affecting millions of middle-income households, but lawmakers have been reluctant to repeal it because it has become a key source of revenue.

Without annual legislation to renew the patch this year, the AMT could affect an estimated 25 million taxpayers with incomes as low as $33,750 (or $45,000 for joint filers). Even if the patch is extended to last year’s levels, the tax will hit American families that can hardly be considered wealthy — the AMT exemption for 2009 was $46,700 for singles and $70,950 for married couples filing jointly.
Middle-class families also will find fewer tax breaks available to them in 2010 if other popular tax provisions are allowed to expire.

Among them:
* Taxpayers who itemize will lose the option to deduct state sales-tax payments instead of state and local income taxes;
* The $250 teacher tax credit for classroom supplies;
* The tax deduction for up to $4,000 of college tuition and expenses;
* Individuals who don’t itemize will no longer be able to increase their standard deduction by up to $1,000 for property taxes paid;
* The first $2,400 of unemployment benefits are taxable, in 2009 that amount was tax-free.

Write this one down.  I predict that Obama and Democrats will work on a strategy that allows Obama to navigate his way out of the decision to try terrorist in civilian courts.  I imagine that that strategy will have Congress pulling funding for trying terrorist in civilian court and “forcing” Obama to move the trials to military courts.

Canadian Premier Danny Williams will undergo heart surgery later this week in the United States.  A spokesperson for the Premier said, “It was never an option offered to him to have this procedure done in this province,” refusing to answer whether the procedure could be done elsewhere in Canada.  Which leaves this blogger confused… I thought we were told by the Progressive Left that Canada had a superior health-care system.

Decorum was handed a backseat at the Grammy’s on Sunday.  No, Adam Lambert didn’t perform.  This years techy-themed Grammy gift bag contained something called the “OhMiBod” – it’s a vibrator that plugs into your iPod and works to the music of your favorite song.  Such a thoughtful gift from the Grammy committee.  I’m sure 20 year old Taylor Swift couldn’t wait to show her father her Grammy and OhMiBod.

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The cost of Obama’s policy to try the 9-11 terrorist in New York City is skyrocketing.  Latest estimates put the security cost alone at $200 million each year. Yes, that’s right, $200 million a year for security for terrorists who Obama has already declared are guilty and would be found guilty and who, regardless of the outcome of the trial, would never be released.  Yes, I’m confused too.

We know that Obama and his liberal enablers have said it was necessary to apply the Constitution of the United States that was drafted to protect American rights to these terrorist in an effort to show the world that we abide by the law.  I guess the former constitutional law “professor” forgot that these terrorist  must be presumed innocent.  Isn’t it wrong for the President to declare someone guilty and insist that they will be found guilty before they’ve been given a “fair” trial if his administration has insisted that the sole purpose of this spectacle was to show the world our “values”? And how can we keep someone indefinitely if they’ve been given a trial and they’ve been declared innocent or the case dismissed because of some legal machination?  What would the world think of us then?

Personally, I couldn’t care less.  I’ve been of the opinion that they are enemy combatants and should be held as long as they’ve declared war on us. But what do I know.  I mean, I’m not a constitutional professor and was shocked to learn that the US Constitution applied to the world’s citizens; that the Constitution stated that if your a terrorist the President has the right to presume your guilty and declare that you will be found as such and that if you’re not, that he still has the authority to imprison you indefinitely.  Who knew?

Let’s talk about the cost.  We know that the estimates is $200 million each year and you and I know that the government always spends a lot more, but lets just see what $200 million that could be spent on protecting us from terrorist could be spent on.

1.  166,667 senior citizens could have received an extra $100 per month increase in their social security for the next year rather than a freeze.

2. 5,715 Americans could have been paid $35,000 a year in salary.

3.  23,810 Homeless American families could have been provided an apartment for a year.

4.  55,556 Hungry Americans could have been fed for an entire year.

5.  11,111 Unemployed Americans could have received benefits for a year.

Let’s be frank with one another.  Trying these terrorist in civilian court has nothing to do with honoring our Constitution nor does it have anything to do with demonstrating to the world our commitment to the values of the law- military tribunals for enemy combatants would have been adherence to both.  No, these civilian trials were motivated by campaign rhetoric by a candidate who wanted to placate a base that was ignorant as to why these terrorist were held indefinitely and the process by which military tribunals work.

With $1.5 trillion in deficit spending each year, boondoggles, fancy vacations, Congressional party flights with Grey Goose and caviar… what’s a mere $200 million plus on one trial… we got money to burn.

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Did any of you catch the audio speech that Obama gave just a bit ago addressing the failed attack on an American airline over Christmas?  Obama confirmed reports that an intelligence official at the US embassy in Nigerian was informed by the father of the terrorist that his son was a threat. Obama admitted that there was a systemic failure in properly disseminating that information and connecting the dots.  But, as we all know, we can’t expect Obama to accept blame.  Instead, Obama said that procedures that were put in place “for years now is not sufficiently up to date”.  Yes, another backhanded way of blaming Bush.

Let’s be clear, if the President admits that there was a systemic failure in communicating the threat, and if all the signs were there that would set alarm bells that this guy was a risk, ie one-way ticket, paying in cash, flying the same day, no check in baggage, temporary visa, no passport… if Obama’s government did their job then the procedures that were put in place would have been sufficient.  And let’s understand something else, Obama said earlier that this guy was on a watch list that contains thousands of names, but not the no fly list– AND?  What the hell is the sense of having a watch list if you’re not going to “watch” or pay particular attention to those people on the list?

The failure lies not in the procedures themselves, but with Obama and his government.  It’s their warped way of looking at the threat that we face. We are at war.  These terrorist do not care how many times you apologize or how many times you try them in court, they are looking to kill us.  They are looking to destroy our way of life.  They do not care.

If any of you doubt that Obama’s understanding of this threat isn’t flaw, let me just share that the Obama administration has sent some of the newly released Gitmo detainees to…. YEMEN!!! Yes, in fact, it’s the Obama policy to release these suspected terrorist and send them back to Yemen if there isn’t sufficient evidence to try them in court. Because, you know, according to Obama and his liberals cohorts, it’s better to release them and risk them planning attacks against us then to hold them indefinitely.  Shhh… you probably haven’t heard this on the mainstream news, unless you watch Fox, but two of the Gitmo detainees released helped to plan this latest failed attack.

So let’s rehash the Obama policy with regard to terrorism:

1.  If we catch terrorist, we don’t treat them as Prisoner of War, but as criminals.

2.  We will provide these criminals with their Miranda Rights and provide them an attorney.

3.  We will ask them for any information they may have, but will not do anything that would remotely make them uncomfortable, like say… keeping them up for hours at a time or blowing smoke in their face.  Mustn’t do anything that would offend these terrorist criminals.

4.  We will put them in jail and try them in our courts and keep them in jail until they served their time and then release them.

5.  If we catch these terrorist criminals on the battlefield in our country plotting, but don’t have enough evidence to detain them, we must let them go.  In fact, we just send them to Yemen.  After all, we have to close Gitmo, because having Gitmo makes us look evil and mean for imprisoning those who want to kill us.  I mean, our “image” in the world to these pacifist who are just as ignorant as Obama and these liberals about what this war is about, is more important than protecting our citizens.

6. Now, instead of paying particular attention to young Muslim men buying one-way tickets with cash, we are asking passengers to close their laptops an hour prior to landing (We don’t want these terrorist criminals to know when the aircraft is about to land so that they won’t ignite a bomb… please don’t tell Secretary Napolitano that one only needs to look out their window to see the airplane is preparing to land or to feel the popping in ones ears). Also, we can no longer have blankets on one hour out– tell that to a mother with a baby.  Yes, these are the new rules that have been implemented to prevent a terrorist attack by the Obama government.   We don’t want to offend, remember.  Never mind offending the mother with the baby or the businessman with the laptop, we must not offend those who belong to a specific group that have been killing us.

Listen, I could go on with my list, but let me just sum it up– Liberals are of the ideology that we can’t offend anyone.  It’s this weakness that these TERRORIST are taking advantage of.  Screw people being offended.  This is about survival and if you don’t like it go the hell back to where you came from and tell YOUR people to stop their war, don’t get offended at the rest of us for trying to protect ourselves.

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Would it surprise you if I told you that the Obama government was warned about the terrorist charged with trying to destroy a jetliner four weeks ago.  In fact, the man’s father went to the embassy with concerns about his son and yet the Obama government did absolutely nothing.  They even determined that there wasn’t sufficient evidence to place him on the “no-fly list”.  Uh what?!!!

After 9-11 one would expect that our government would take every precaution necessary to keep the American people safe, but apparently a father’s warnings of his radical Muslim son’s behavior was not enough for Obama and Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano.  Perhaps the duo were too busy watching those evil right wing Christian former military guys that the Secretary warned us about earlier this year.  We all know how they have a propensity to engage in terrorist activity.  Did you catch sight of them at those tea parties with their signs of hate demanding less government?

Here what the Associated Press is reporting:

U.S. government officials tell The Associated Press that the Nigerian man charged with trying to destroy a jetliner came to the attention of U.S. intelligence in November when his father went to the U.S. embassy in Abuja, Nigeria, to express his concerns about his son.

A congressional official said Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a 23-year-old Nigerian, popped up in U.S. intelligence reports about four weeks ago as having a connection to both al-Qaida and Yemen.

Another government official said Abdulmutallab’s father went to the embassy in Abuja with his concerns, but did not have any specific information that would put him on the “no-fly list” or on the list for additional security checks at the airport.

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1.  Five days into Winter and record snow fall has blanketed much of the United States much to the disappointment of liberals like Al Gore who has made 100’s of millions of dollars scaring the world with his nonsense of melting ice caps.

2.  Charlie Sheen appears to have relapsed as Aspen police were called out at 8:34 Christmas Day.  Sheen was arrested for felony domestic battery after being up all night boozing. Sheen, who has been an outspoken critic of war and supporter of diplomacy,  should take some of his own advice.

3.  Apple stock hit an all-time high on Thursday as rumors are circulating that the innovative company will be announcing “iPad”– a tablet computer that is said to operate on the iPhone software and is said to be a computer, digital book reader, and portable video device all wrapped up in one.  Of interesting note, Apple is also rumored to have purchased the domain name, iSlate.com.  Looks like the Kindel will become so yesterday after the iPad is launched if the rumors prove to be true.

4.  Retailers are expecting a strong December 26th since the day after Christmas falls on a Saturday.  Best Buy and Walmart are extending their holiday discounts in an effort to lure more shopper into their stores.  Take it from me, the best deals can be found after the third week of January.

5.  Terror in the skies over the United States struck again on Christmas as a radical Muslim attempted to kill hundreds of Christians on their most holy of days.  Saved by a miracle, the plane was able to land safely and the terrorist oppressed gentleman was taken into custody where he will surely be provided his Miranda rights,  an attorney paid for by US taxpayers,  his Koran, hot cooked meals appropriate for his faith, a warm bed, and a comfortable living environment.

The Obama Intelligence agency failed to stop a terrorist who attempted to blow up Northwest flight 253 carrying 278 passengers on Christmas.  The terrorist was identified as Abdul Mudallad a Nigerian who claims to have been carrying out the orders of Al Qaeda.  Passengers subdued the man when the explosives he had mixed failed to detonate.  Passengers on board the flight were grateful for the miracle.

Questions  are being asked of the Homeland Security Secretary on how and why this incident occurred and where the breakdown in security occurred.  The Obama government has decided to end the “War on Terrorism” terminology seeing terrorism more as a legal issue and not a war issue.

Speaking to CNN, Rep. King, who sits on the House Intelligence Committee, said that Abdul Mudallad’s name did appear in the database showing terrorist connections.  ”My understanding is … that he does have al Qaeda connections, certainly extremist terrorist connections, and his name popped up pretty quickly” in a search of intelligence data bases, King said.

Blame for this near disaster will soon fall on Bush and comparisons to Bush’s past handling of a similar terrorist act will begin  in an effort to shield Obama from any criticism.  After all, this administration isn’t responsible for anything.

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After calling Republicans claims that ‘Cap and Trade’ Legislation would raise the cost of energy for the average family  by $1,700 a year “false”, an Obama Administration internal report has come to the same conclusion.  This would be the equivalent to raising personal taxes by 15%.  A copy of the report can be seen here.  Democrats insist that the legislation is necessary in order to save the environment, regardless the cost.  Some Americans would argue it would place an unnecessary financial burden on them.

In other tax increase related news, Democrat Senator Jay Rockerfeller voiced concern over the finance committee’s proposed health-care legislation. Rockerfeller stated that it would be a ‘Big Big tax on the middle class’.  In keeping with Obama’s promise to make the government run health-care plan deficit neutral, Democrat Senator Baucus is proposing a 35% exercise tax on high-cost plans.  Perhaps, the Senator didn’t listen to the rest of the speech when the President specifically stated that the plan would be funded by premiums.

USA Today is reporting that the average employer-provided health-care plan rose by 5% in 2008.  However, the Boston Globe is reporting that the most expensive health-care insurance in the country is in Massachusetts and their residents can expect to see an increase of 10%.  The paper continues to state:

The higher insurance costs undermine a key tenet of the state’s landmark health care law passed two years ago, as well as President Obama’s effort to overhaul health care. In addition to mandating insurance for most residents, the Massachusetts bill sought to rein in health care costs. With Washington looking to the Massachusetts experience, fears about higher costs have become a stumbling block to passing a national health care bill.

FBI agents are crediting the tenents of the Patriot Act for uncovering the lastest planning of a Madrid style terrorist attack reported to take place in New York.  FBI agents uncovered backpacks and cellphones in a raid on an apartment in Queens. Zazi, of Aurora, Colorado, a suspect in the case, was stopped on the George Washington Bridge and his car searched.  Agents found documents and papers on bomb-making and bombs in his vehicle.  Zazi has professed his innocence.  In keeping with the Obama Administration recent policy on prolonged detainment, Zazi and other suspects were briefly detained and then released.  Let’s hope Obama ensured that their Miranda Rights were read.  We wouldn’t want to risk our image with the rest of the world.  New York residents be damned.

And that’s your news round-up for today.

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