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Written by Melanie Morgan
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Tuesday, 15 April 2008 |
Jimmy Carter Lays A Wreath at Arafat's Tomb |
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| Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter laid a wreath of red roses at the grave of Palestinian Liberation Organization leader Yasser Arafat during a visit to the West Bank City of Ramallah on Tuesday. "He and Mrs. Carter and his son Jeff wanted to pay their respects to President Arafat," Carter's trip director Rick Jasculca told Cybercast News Service.
But the former president didn't make any comments there, he said. Dubbed the "godfather of terrorism," Arafat was linked to the deaths of two American diplomats in the Sudan in 1973 -- one of many terror acts laid at his feet. (See earlier story)
Twenty years later, Arafat became the first PLO leader to sign a peace agreement with an Israeli Prime Minister -- Yitzhak Rabin -- in 1993.
He was considered Israel's peace partner (although many Israelis never believed it) until the beginning of the violent Palestinian uprising in September 2000. Arafat managed the terror war against Israel until his death in 2004.
U.S. officials have emphasized that Carter is visiting the Middle East as a private citizen and not as a representative of the U.S. government. On Tuesday, the Israeli government refused Carter's request to visit Hamas-controlled Gaza.
The former U.S. leader has angered the Israeli government over plans to meet Hamas's top leader, Khaled Mashaal, in Syria on Friday. Most visiting American dignitaries -- including President Bush -- have avoided Arafat's tomb.
Michaela Schweitzer-Bluhm, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Consulate in Jerusalem that handles Palestinian affairs, told Cybercast News Service that no active U.S. Executive Branch member had ever laid a wreath on Arafat's grave.
Carter first met Arafat in 1990, when Arafat was leader of the Palestine Liberation Organization. According to a New York Times report, Carter praised Arafat as a peacemaker.
Years later, Carter led an international team in observing the first Palestinian Authority elections that gave Arafat the presidency. (Carter also observed the 2006 elections that brought Hamas an overwhelming parliamentary majority.) Arafat was the most frequent visitor to President Bill Clinton's White House.
President Bush also dealt with Arafat at the beginning of his presidency, but after the Palestinian leader lied to Bush in early 2002 about a huge shipment of Iranian weapons bound for the P.A., he was shunned until his death in November 2004.
On Tuesday, Carter also had lunch with a dozen or so Palestinian civil society leaders and had what was described as a "wonderful round table" discussion with Palestinian youths that he and his wife enjoyed immensely, said Jasculca.
As President Carter travels around the Middle East he is "eager to hear viewpoints" about peace and the peace process. "Instead of talking, he's doing a lot of listening," said Jasculca. © 2008 CNSNews.com. All Rights Reserved. |
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Written by Melanie Morgan
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Tuesday, 15 April 2008 |
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Californians who truly care about the families of American heroes who have lost their lives in Iraq, and every other war, gathered in Sacramento to testify on two separate issues.
The first was for a Gold Star Family license plate, which 26 other states have passed.
The second was to deny Berkeley state funding because they are promoting the harassment and assaults that have been taking place by anti-American activists of CodePink.
CodePink showed up, but couldn't muster enough troops to disrupt the hearings.
The outcome from Move America Forward.
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Written by Melanie Morgan
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Monday, 14 April 2008 |
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Human Events.com is has this breaking story about the ties to CodePink, a notoriously anti-American, anti-war organization and Senator Obama's campaign.
My column at WorldNetDaily.com here.
Ben Johnson at FrontPageMag.com goes in depth here.
Sweetness And Light has more background on Jodie Evans.
(I just heard my friend Sean Hannity talk discuss our story on his radio show this afternoon.)
Let's just see if the MSM picks up on this one.
By Catherine Moy
The co-founder of the radical anti-war group Code Pink has “bundled” more than $50,000 for Sen. Barack Obama’s presidential campaign, and pro-troops groups are demanding that he return the money. Jodie Evans, a Code Pink leader, gathered at least $50,000 from friends and associates and donated it to Obama’s presidential campaign, according to information compiled by the nonpartisan watchdog group, Public Citizen.
Evans and her son, a student who lives at her Southern California address, each also gave the maximum individual allowable donation of $2,300 to Obama’s campaign.
The donations have raised questions about Obama’s association with the more radical elements of his base.
Code Pink has harassed, vandalized and impeded military recruiters across the United States in a campaign it calls “counter-recruitment.” The group also gave $600,000 to the families of Iraqi terrorists in Fallujah, whom it called “insurgents” fighting for their homes. Families United for Our Troops and Their Mission, Move America Forward, Military Families Voice of Victory, The Band of Mothers and FreeRepublic.com, issued a statement this week saying Obama should cut ties to his radical bundler.
…Obama’s campaign did not respond to repeated attempts to get comment on the latest controversy to hit his campaign
“As somebody who has stood toe-to-toe with Code Pink, I am sickened that Senator Obama would accept large donations from the leader of the hateful, anti-American group,” said Melanie Morgan, chairman of Move America Forward, the nation’s largest pro-troop group.
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Written by Melanie Morgan
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Monday, 14 April 2008 |
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Problems for Citadel Broadcasting, my former employer at KSFO in San Francisco, seem to be compounding with the breaking news today from industry reporter Brian Maloney at RadioEqualizer.
SEAN HANNITY 'FED UP' ...MAY LEAVE THE FORMER ABC NETWORK STATIONS.
From RadioEqualizer
Beyond Citadel's sagging stock price, Hannity is said to be concerned with the leftist political bent of its corporate suits, which has created some awkward moments. In particular, COO Ellis has been reluctant to even be seen near the FOX News Channel host.
 And since they took the reins of the merged company, Suleman and Ellis have made a number of peculiar decisions, including an emphasis on the 65+ audience rather than younger, more advertiser- friendly demographics. That has included a mega- deal with talk fossil Don Imus.
Also highly questionable were baffling decisions to remove Rush Limbaugh from WPRO-AM in Providence and fire nationally- known conservative morning talker Melanie Morgan from KSFO/ San Francisco.
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