ISIS In All 50 States?
The FBI arrested three men in Brooklyn yesterday who were attempting to join ISIS. They ranged in ages from 19 to 30. Two were citizens of Uzbekistan and one is a citizen of Kazakhstan. One is reportedly an illegal immigrant. But all three share one thing -- they are Muslims who hate America.
According to the New York Post, court documents reveal that one of the men came into contact with an FBI informant at a mosque. No doubt that revelation will lead to a new round of protests by CAIR and other Muslim grievance groups.
One man wanted to plant a bomb on Coney Island and threatened to kill President Obama. Another reportedly expressed interest in joining the military so he could act as a spy or commit another Fort Hood-style massacre.
While addressing the National Association of Attorneys General yesterday, FBI Director James Comey made this startling statement: "We have investigations of people in various stages of radicalizing in all 50 states. . . . This isn't a New York phenomenon or a Washington phenomenon. This is all 50 states and in ways that are very hard to see."
It is certainly a lot harder to see when your politically correct superiors insist on wearing blinders and refuse to identify the enemy, even when that enemy identifies itself as the ISLAMIC State.
Troubled Souls?
Comey also made other disturbing comments. He repeatedly referred to jihadi wanna-bes as "troubled souls." Maybe that was just the best he could come up with since he isn't allowed to call them Islamists.
But these troubled souls do not fit the usual meaning of the phrase. A troubled soul might be a young child with no father in the home who needs a mentor or relative to step in. The jihadists want to kill and maim people because that is what they believe Allah has commanded them to do in order to save their souls.
We are way beyond mere troubles. ISIS represents an existential threat to Judeo-Christian civilization. This threat is far more serious than the need for a jobs program or courses in self-esteem. If only we had leaders who took it that seriously, we might not be worrying about radicals in all fifty states.
Priorities
ISIS militants have reportedly seized control of 11 Christian villages in Syria and have taken more than 200 of Assyrian Christians captive.
But don't worry -- Secretary of State John Kerry is on it. In fact, he's just appointed a Special Envoy for Christian persecution. . . Whoops, that's not right.
No, in the face of all that is going wrong in the world today, Secretary Kerry announced this week the first ever Special Envoy for the Human Rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual and Transgender Persons. He moved quickly on that -- the State Department only announced the creation of the job earlier this month.
In contrast, the position of ambassador for international religious freedom was vacant for 43 out of the last 73 months!
If the Assyrian Christians hope to attract the attention of this administration, perhaps they should claim to come out of the closet.
Rule Of Law Or Policies?
The impasse over funding for the Department of Homeland Security moved toward a possible resolution yesterday. Unable to overcome a liberal filibuster, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell split the legislation into two bills -- one fully funding DHS and one that overturns Obama's executive amnesty policy.
House Speaker John Boehner blasted the stalemate today, saying, "I just think it's outrageous that Senate Democrats are using Homeland Security funding for blackmail to protect the actions of the president, where the president himself said he didn't have the authority to do this."
Members of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform heard testimony yesterday from families who have been victimized by Obama's disregard for the rule of law and his failure to secure our borders. The testimony of Mr. Jamiel Shaw was especially moving. Here are excerpts of his comments:
"My son, Jamiel Andre Shaw II, was murdered by a DREAMer, a DACA recipient, a child brought to this country by no fault of his own. . . .The illegal alien dreamer that murdered my son only served four months of an eight month sentence for assault with a deadly weapon and battery on a police officer. He was released from the county jail the day before he executed my son.
"Why was this violent illegal alien allowed to walk the streets of America instead of being deported? . . . Do black lives really matter or does it matter only if you are shot by a white person or a white policeman? . . . My son thought he . . . could depend on the government to secure our borders and keep the bad people out."
Did you hear about this during last night's news broadcasts?
Meanwhile, at an immigration town hall in Miami, President Obama threatened Border Patrol officers who continue to enforce the law. Referring to his amnesty policy, the president said, "If somebody's working for [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] . . . and they don't follow the policy, there's going to be consequences to it."
Perhaps the president should talk to Mr. Shaw about the consequences of his policies. We are a nation of laws not executive policies. If Obama followed the law, Mr. Shaw's son might still be alive.
Unfortunately, Obama's disregard for the rule of law and his amnesty policy is only enticing more illegal immigration. Texas Governor Greg Abbott told CBS's "Face The Nation Sunday, "Already this calendar year, since January 1, we have had more than 20,000 people come across the border."
And speaking of Obama's policies, his administration is forcing religious organizations and faith-based charities assisting unaccompanied minors to provide them with abortions or risk losing federal funding -- a violation of existing federal law.