Posted By:
MAF Blogger Danny
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Our Friends over at Gathering of Eagles GOE sent us this after-action report regarding a visit made by Code Pink to a hotel in New Jersey for some annual dinner they have with the group “New Jersey Peace Action”

Here is a flier promoting the event.

Well when the Eagles found out about this, they decided it warranted a protest, so they geared up and occupied the ground outside the Regency Hotel where the dinner was supposed to take place.

Here are some excerpts from the e-mail we received detailing the day’s events. This accounting is also posted at Free Republic

In solidarity with our friends in Berkeley , on Sunday, April 27th, The Gathering of Eagles told Susie Benjamin and her friends from Code Pink that they were not welcome in New Jersey . What a great day for Eagles!

Susie slinked into sleepy little Northern New Jersey , certain she could defile our state without comment. Imagine the surprise when “Peacers” came down Route 23 and discovered it lined with American flags and patriots there standing up for our troops! The first sign that greeted them? “Code Pink is not welcome in New Jersey !”

Eagles began arriving at 10 am, in advance of the luncheon, from all over the state of New Jersey and from New York , Connecticut , Virginia and Bev Perlson, from the Band of Mothers, came all the way from Chicago !

…

Code Pink’s actual feelings about free speech for all except themselves, came within the first 15 minutes of their typically late arrival with a call to the police to remove the Eagles from the PUBLIC street in front of the hotel.

The Eagles had been on the street for almost two hours before the Pinkos actually arrived and were without incident or disturbance. Arriving cars were not delayed one single second and no entrance was impeded. They wanted us removed simply because they did not want us to exercise our free speech….despite the platitudes they claimed when a few of them scurried up the driveway to harass us.

Three police cars arrived and, after confirming that the Eagles were legally entitled to be there and were causing no disruption and merely exercising free speech, the police bid us a friendly good-bye, much to the dismay of the “Peace” advocates.

While the police were initially assessing the situation, Susie Benjamin came down the driveway to chat with the Eagles. While I can not read her twisted little mind, I can only assume she chose that timeframe for one of two reasons (or possibly both) 1) She is so intimidated by us she needs police nearby or she is too chicken to talk 2) She hoped to provoke a situation with the police there to create a problem.

…

Bev, in her usual direct and passionate voice, stood solidly with our troops and did not give Susie one inch of wiggle room. Susie, in contrast, was a bundle of contradicting statements and nauseating “peacespeak” that was heavy on flowery language and light on substance. The baloney detector was in such overload that an 11 year old watching the exchange turned to me and said, “Mom, Susie is trying to pretend like she is a calm nice person…but the words coming out of her mouth are so hateful, she can’t hid who she really is.” That is one smart kid if I do say so myself.

I love the way this writeup in the local paper (The Star-Ledger) put it:

When peace activist Medea Benjamin stepped to the podium at the annual New Jersey Peace Action dinner yesterday, she already was known as co-founder of the human rights organization Global Exchange and the women’s anti-war group CODEPINK.

Yesterday, Benjamin received another title: terrorist.

Awesome job Eagles!!!

Posted By:
Catherine Moy
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Cindy Sheehan is ready to rumble with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Talk about clash of the lefties. Not much sunshine between the two, as far as policy. They are both cut-and-runners; they both support abortion; they both despise our military. BUT, Sheehan thinks she could force the rest of Congress to sign on to a premature pullout from Iraq just as American troops have broken downt the terrorists there. And she’s steamed that Mrs. Pelosi hasn’t stopped the war.
Before Sheehan spends another minute campaigning, she should read the Constitution. There is ONE commander in chief. The president. That would be Dubya, Cindy. So get over it.

The San Francisco Chronicle published an article on Sheehan filing her official papers:

Sheehan was at San Francisco City Hall on Friday to take out papers for her independent run for Congress, but without those signatures from voters in the district, her name won’t show up on the ballot.

“It’s an uphill battle,” said Sheehan, who vowed to run against Pelosi in July after the speaker refused to start impeachment proceedings against President George Bush. “But I’m excited about the signature-gathering process. It’s going to be an opportunity to talk to people about our campaign.”

I suppose Sheehan will get the signatures she needs. After all, San Francisco has some of the fruitiest, misisnformed, unbathed, twisted thinkers in the world. Next to Berkeley, home of the hate-Marine brigade, San Francisco really is in line for the highest concentration of America-haters in the country.

But Pelosi isn’t much bothered by this. More from the Chronicle:

Getting on the ballot will be the easy part for Sheehan. If she becomes a recognized candidate, she’ll be challenging one of the best-known and most powerful Democrats in the country in Pelosi, a 10-term incumbent who routinely collects around 80 percent of the vote in the San Francisco-only district.

Election challenges are nothing new to Pelosi, who has faced token Republican opposition in most of her November races, along with occasional primary challenges. But since she beat former San Francisco Supervisor Harry Britt in the 1987 special election to replace the late Rep. Sala Burton, Pelosi’s political resume has been short of opponents anyone other than local political junkies has ever heard of.

Sheehan’s run is sheer madness. Can you imagine the TV ads? Pictures of her coddling madman Hugo Chavez with the words “The Peace Mom says: Democracy is overrated.”

The Democracts made Sheehan everything she is today. John Kerry paid her way and the way of one of her daughters in his 2004 presidential bid. She was an election tool of Kerry. (You can read all about it in my and Melanie Morgan’s book, ”American Mourning.” We uncovered loads of information on Sheehan, who lived in Vacaville as I wrote for the hometown newspaper, The Vacaville Reporter.

Cindy left her party, and I don’t use the word “left” loosely.

But Sheehan promises to stand up for everybody.

“I’ll represent everyone in San Francisco, not just the corporate elite,” she said. “I’m working class, my family was working class, and we have struggled the same way our neighbors here in San Francisco have struggled.”

So she’s going to represent the sane folks in San Francisco who want to protect themselves from radical Muslim Jihadists? I think not. She called the terrorists who killed her son in Iraq “freedom fighters.” Hmmm. Sad commentary. Keeping promises isn’t the strong suit of politicians, which is all Sheehan has become. A simple politician. She has sold her soul after her heart was broken by the death of her son, an American hero. She left her husband for another and then set up a high-tech camp iin Crawford, Texas, where big money Bush-haters operated a slick media operation that would rival a presidential campaign. She was NOT a lone woman protesting against the president’s policies.

Sheehan tried to go back to Dixon, Calif., a small town not far from Vacaville, where Casey’s body lies in a quiet cemetery. But she missed the attention. The political limelight. And that is what she is doing now that she is challenging the most powerful woman in the House. She will lose the election, but win some limelight.

Posted By:
MAF Blogger Danny
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Recommendation: Colgate and LensCrafters!!!

News Media are now reporting on the latest video released by Al-Qaeda’s al-Zawahri who has been the almost-exclusive source of almost all communications coming from Al-Qaeda.

The video does not offer up much new information, it makes the same threats and declarations of al-Qaeda’s terrorist intentions as usual, saying over and over that someday they’re gonna get us. We’re used to seeing that of course.

AP Story CLICK HERE

Breitbart HERE

YNET News (Israeli) has the most extensive quotations

There were a couple of interesting differences however, that simply highlight a few things to keep in mind about understanding the conflict, and the very real dangers that America faces at the hands of these terrorists, as well as the importance of Iraq in that struggle (contrary to what Democrats will tell you – that the only important place to fighting terrorists is the Afghan/Pakistan border )

For one, the video highlights the bickering between Sunnis (Al-Qaeda and insurgent groups) and Shias (Mahdi Army / Iran ) that is the root of so many security problems in Iraq. Zawahri criticized the statements of some Iranian officials who claim that the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center/Pentagon were the work an Israeli Intelligence operation, not al-Qaeda.

The statements made by this Iranian Military Official sound a lot like what ‘truthers’ will try to tell you:

“The events of September 11 were ordered by U.S. [officials] and Mossad (Israeli equivalent of our own CIA) so that they could carry out their strategy of pre-emption and warmongering and unipolarisation [sic] in order to dominate the Middle East”, Major General Yahya Rahim Safavi (Supreme Commander of Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps – whatever that means) told military commanders on Tuesday. His comments were reported by the state-run news agency ISNA.

He goes on to state:

“The U.S.’s neo-conservative strategy was to dominate the vast energy resources of the Persian Gulf in order to be able to control Europe, China, and India and drive the world to a unipolar state. Therefore, it planned to change undesirable regimes such as those of Iraq, Sudan, Syria, and Afghanistan”.

Noam Chomsky couldn’t have said it better himself. I wonder if they get Starbucks together?

In his response, Zawahri takes issue with the Iranians claiming that 9-11 was an “inside job” basically whining that al-Qaeda is losing cred and reiterates that “yes, we did it and how dare you say we didn’t!”

“The purpose of this lie is clear — (to suggest) that there are no heroes among the Sunnis who can hurt America as no else did in history. Iranian media snapped up this lie and repeated it,” he said.

“Iran’s aim here is also clear — to cover up its involvement with America in invading the homes of Muslims in Afghanistan and Iraq,” he said.

So al-Qaeda is claiming that Iran is actually working with the US to extend it’s influence in Iraq. Well I am glad to see that these extremist elements still hate each other, because it is precisely their inability to stop fighting and blowing each other up that eventually caused Iraqi’s caught in the middle to finally reject AQI and JAM and support their own government.

It’s amusing, yet morbidly disturbing to see these two radical factions of two different religious sects arguing about “who REALLY hates the Jews more”

In a previous audio-only release, Zawahri reassured his droves of faithful jihaidist listeners out there they al-Qaeda is still committed to ridding the world of Jews!

“We promise our Muslim brothers that we will do the best we can to harm Jews in Israel and the world over, with Allah’s help and according to his command.”

Full Article on THAT release HERE from Jerusalem Post

Aside from the spat between Iran + Shiite Militias vs. al-Qaeda + Sunni Militants, there is another element to this story which is VERY telling about the situation in Iraq and progress of the war over the past few months.

Zawahiri says:

“I call upon the Muslim nation to fear Allah’s question (at judgement day) about its failure to support its brothers of the Mujahedeen (holy Warriors), and (urge it) not to withhold men and money, which is the mainstay of a war,”

News reports said:

Al-Qaeda number two Ayman al-Zawahiri criticised Muslims for failing to support Islamist insurgencies in Iraq and elsewhere in a new audiotape posted Tuesday on the Internet.

Osama bin Laden’s top lieutenant also blasted Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas over their reported readiness to consider a peace deal with Israel.

Sounds to me like al-Qaeda is getting more and more desperate, pleading for support as they are currently getting their butts handed to them by Iraqi Army + Iraqi National Police + Coalition Forces!

Posted By:
Catherine Moy
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“A child should not die before his parents.”

I have heard those words many times from mourning parents. Watching my parents suffer their unbearable loss when my little brother died was painful beyond words.

During the war against radical Muslim Jihadists, heroes have laid down their lives for freedom in this country. The parents and families of these American heroes forever carry a hole in their soul that aches.

Yet some beings don’t seem to care about this pain. Groups like Code Pink stage die-ins at which they write fallen troops’ names on their bodies and lie down as if they are dead. This kind of demonstration rips open the wounded souls of Gold Star families.

Cindy Sheehan, whose son gave his life for America’s safety on April 4, 2004, erected crosses during her protest in Crawford, Texas, and posted names of fallen soldiers on them. Parents begged her to remove them, but she did not until Move America Forward forced her to do so by driving to Crawford to face off with Sheehan.

Now a heartless man is profiting by making anti-war T-shirts that include the names of fallen troops on it. And he has made the hateful shirts without the permission of the troops’ families.

Robin and Michael Read of Greeneville, Tenn., are suing Dan Frazier of Flagstaff because their son Spc. Brandon Michael Read’s name is on the T-shirt with the words “Bush Lied – They died.”

Spc. Read, 21, died for his country after a roadside bomb exploded while serving in Iraq on Sept. 6, 2004.

The Associated Press has a complete report here.

The suit seeks $10 million in compensatory and punitive damages. It also asks that Frazier be permanently barred from using Brandon Read’s name.

Frazier’s free-speech rights ended when he used Brandon Read’s name for profit and any reasonable person would consider Frazier’s actions outrageous, said the lawsuit filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Tennessee.

I read through the names that can be seen in the Associated Press photo above and noticed the name of a soldier whose family support the War on Terror. I have alerted the families.

I hope that the Reads prevail and take every stinking penny from Frazier. He should live penniless for his crimes against humanity. His shameless profiteering on others’ grief should earn him a front seat on the bus to Hell.

Blogger Danny Gonzalez did a Really Good job filling in some details below:

Posted By:
MAF Blogger Danny
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Controversy over this anti-war t-shirt being sold on the net is spilling into the courts this week. 

This is United States Army Specialist Brandon M. Read

Brandon was killed by terrorists in Qayyarah West, Iraq on Sept 6, 2004 when an IED exploded near the convoy where he was riding gunner-seat. 

Brandon comes from Greenville, Tenn., was stationed in Iraq with the 125th Transportation Company (Lexington, KY.), and was 21 years old when he gave his life for his country.

According to accounts, Brandon had volunteered for the very dangerous gunner position the day he was killed. 

From Honor The Fallen:

Army officials told his mother that Read had volunteered to exchange places with another soldier while they were on a dangerous convoy mission. He was gunner on a truck when the blast occurred.
“When the Army officers came to my house, they said he had saved someone else’s life,” Kelli Read, mother of the 21-year-old soldier, told The Greeneville Sun.

Read was told that her son had manned the gunner’s post on the truck during the first half of the Monday convoy mission and had been slated to drive the truck on the return trip while his partner manned the more dangerous machine-gun position.

Brandon volunteered to act as the gunner on the return trip as well.

Brandon is remembered fondly by friends and family. His mother wrote:

The 21 years that I spent with my son, Brandon, was not long enough but I can say that the joy, happiness and love that he showed me is more than I ever deserved. I love him more and more every day. He is, and always will be, my angel and my hero. My heart is forever broken.

I love you Brandon and I thank God that you died knowing how much you were loved. Please watch over all of us....especially your beloved brother and his daughter, Alexandra Brandon.

Read the rest at Iraq War Heroes . Org

After having to deal with the loss of their son, Brandon’s mother and father later learned that their son’s name came to be used to create an Anti-War t-shirt being sold off the website www.carryabigsticker.com

The shirt shows the names of 3,734 of the soldiers who have died in the war on Iraq. There are several variations of it, all featuring the names, but with different messages in red.

“Bush Lied…They Died”,

“Support Our Remaining Troops…Bring the Rest Home Alive”, and

“If Any Question Why We Died…Tell Them Because Our Fathers Lied”

The website also features much information about the t-shirt design, it’s history and a list of links to information regarding the controversy surrounding the design. Here is one tidbit, where the creators courageously pledge to keep selling the shirts (for profit) until all the troops come home ( why would anyone buy an t-shirt to protest a war that’s over anyways? Obviously they will stop because it won’t be PROFITABLE for them anymore…disgusting ):

Five states have passed legislation aimed at outlawing the sale of these shirts (Texas, Florida, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Arizona). Similar legislation has been proposed in Michigan and Maryland. Federal legislation is also pending. We continue to sell these shirts in all 50 states and will do so until the troops come home or they throw us in jail, whichever comes first.

The site also sells a bunch of other liberal wacko junk, like those COEXIST stickers, a lot of Obama paraphernalia and just about anything you can think of that you could expect to be shocked by.

Well when they found out that this awful website was selling these horrible shirts with their son’s name on it, Brandon’s mom and dad sent a letter to LIFEWEAVER LLC (the company that owns the carryabigsticker website) asking them to take Brandon’s name off the t-shirt.

After receiving no response, they filed THIS lawsuit, which I happened to see on The Smoking Gun today.

I am sure there are plenty of other Gold Star families out there who are equally offended by this and would LOVE to be involved in a class-action to stop these opportunists from using our hero’s names to promote their own agendas and make a profit to boot!

UPDATE:
The Jawa Report has blogged about this

Posted By:
Catherine Moy
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Peace freaks and Hillary Clinton supporters struck again in a dangerous way this week. They attacked a family, beating and kicking children and a woman, who were videotaping their antics. Unbelieavable.

Gathering of Eagles has the whole story here.

It is interesting how these folks continue to hide behind the “peace” label as they assault and batter people across the United States. I have seen their rude and violent behavior over and over again. Just last week, a few members of Code Pink interrupted a press conference held by Assemlbyman Guy Houston. One growled like a rabid tasmanian devil. She/he/it also yelled and prattled on like a demented being. It would have been scary if I hadn’t heard and seen it all before.

In the most recent case, I have been told that the police are reviewing the videotape to determine what crimes occurred. No arrests were made on the spot because the police would have had to arrest everyone, including the children, and then sort it out.

We’re waiting on the sorting and the arresting of these Peace Thugs.

Posted By:
MAF Blogger Danny
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Image from American Thinker . com

Last week, April 19th the CODE PINK HOUSE in Albany, Calif. was visited by elements of the Marines Motorcycle Club who organized a rally to take the fight back to Code Pink.

Of course, as one might expect, they were not home, they were out having earth day…saving the planet as they purport.

Oh but wait…they weren’t actually saving anything according to the Grand High Priest of the Green Church of Planet Earth, his Most Revered Exalted One, Al Gore...who says in this article

“...the situation has not improved since I made the movie in 2006. Sure, awareness has grown and more people are concerned since scientists said we had just ten years to take action to halt rising sea levels. But the situation has got worse”

According to polls, “exactly 0%” of Americans are REALLY that concerned about Big Bad Global Climate Change. In fact, according to some more observant bloggers, people actually LIKE the climate change.

So Code Pink was out protesting our newfound ability to swim in November while the Marine Corps Motorcycle Club rallied at the Albany Headquarters of Code Pink. Tom Lifson from American Thinker was there to observe.

Today I attended a demonstration of Marine veterans against Code Pink, held in front of the group’s headquarters, on Solano Avenue in Albany, CA, just over the city line from Berkeley. Needless to say, it was quite a sight, and I took a few pictures, which more or less speak for themselves.

The mood was ultra-calm. A cop I spoke to was mellow as he confirmed there were no incidents. The Code Pinkos were absent, but left a couple of signs

See pictures and a full report here

Zombie Time was there to document both the Marines Motorcyclists protest, and they also tracked down Code Pink and the rest of the planeteers who were ’saving the planet’

But poor Code Pink! For the first time ever, TV crews showed up at their home office, and here they are, five miles away in Berkeley, stranded at a back corner of the Earth Day celebration. What a tragedy. All that camera time and they weren’t even on hand to take advantage of it.

More Pictures

Image Courtesy of ZombieTime

ABC news also tracked down Code Pink, because they just HAD to get a statement. As you can see it was well worth their time (I like seeing the juxtaposition of both their statements, it really highlights the difference in the depth of thinking that Code Pinkers have versus our people.... as you can see the Marines tend to enlist people who can think):

“Since they’re in our house, the Marines Recruiting Center, we’re coming to their house which is here in Albany,” said George Newkirk, Marines Motorcycle Club.

“But they’re not here today,” said ABC7’s Pamela Tom.

“Yeah, I look at that as the enemy always runs when the Marines have landed,” said Newkirk.

“That’s pretty funny,” said Zanne Joi of Code Pink.

Zanne Joi

Posted By:
Catherine Moy
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Mainstream media over the past few days have written ominous stories about the disgusting, hateful Muslim Cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and his thugs called the Mahdi army. Al-Sadr is a Shiite with close ties to the Iranian Mullahs, who helps supply him with deadly weapons for use against the Iraqi government and American troops.

His militia has raised a lot of hell and killed a lot of people, including Cindy Sheehan’s son, Casey, and Casey’s good friend, Justin Johnson. He fights like cowardly terrorist. But this week the Iraqi Army took it to al-Sadr’s killers.

Michelle Malkin has the story here.

The Iraqis and Americans need to stop acting like al-Sadr is a reasonable politician. He is a two-bit thug.

I recently spoke with an American contractor who worked around Sadr City. The United States is paying for work inside the sprawling slum, yet we have no oversight there. Americans are not allowed inside Sadr City, so our contractors hire Sadr residents to do the work. Americans have no idea if the work is being finished inside the walls of al-Sadr’s fiefdom, or if the money is being used for other items, according to this contractor.

Posted By:
Catherine Moy
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This is Bev Perlson:

This is the thug whose PUBLIC office tossed Bev out on her ear:

Bev Perlson, a selfless Blue Star mother who founded The Band of Mothers, recently visited Jack “The ex-Marine” Murtha’s office to speak to him about our troops. This was only after Murtha refused to meet with American veterans. Well, Bev is no pushover and she was not going to stand for the slight. So she marched into Murtha’s office.

Here’s how she described the event:

I had seen an absolute enough disappointed Marines walk by and tell me that John Murtha did not see them and could not see them. When I asked how did it go, they all reported pretty much the same answer, “Didn’t have time for us.” Could this be the same John Murtha who had all kinds of time to badmouth these Marines even before he was officially briefed on what occurred in Haditha?!!! The mother and protector in me could not let this disrespect go by. I believe these Heroes need someone to speak up for them because they cannot and I can no longer sit and be silent. I headed down to John Murtha’s office with two mothers of Soldiers, one whose Son currently serves and one whose Son has served proudly. We entered the office and I asked to see Murtha.
“Do I have an appointment?” a young man asked. I gave him my card and told him I was outraged that several Marines had been in to see Mr. Murtha and were refused. This young man stood up and told me that “people” cannot just come in there and expect to see the Congressman without an appointment. I was outraged by his pompous attitude and insulted that he didn’t seem to understand that these brave Warriors are not just “people!” I clearly saw the problem here and was so deeply offended that he didn’t seem to understand, and I informed him that these fine Marines are not just people, THEY ARE SOLDIERS, THEY ARE HEROES, and MR. Murtha needs to show them respect and further, he needs to apologize to everyone of them. The last thing I said was “He is a Coward” because I believe that he is. A white haired lady asked us to leave and we did, and as we walked down the hall, the white haired lady called us “Cowards.”

But Murtha’s office wasn’t done with Bev. They called out the police. Go to Gathering of Eagles to read the entire report on the Coward Murtha and his cowardly staff.

Posted By:
Catherine Moy
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The Kurds in Northern Iraq are making safe haven for Christians who are suffering elsewhere in Iraq. At the same time, the Kurds feel blessed that the Americans have freed them from tyranny.
Middle Eastern Expert Kennth Timmerman wrote about the Kurds at NewsMax.com.

The Kurdish regional government in Northern Iraq is providing a safe haven to several thousand Iraqi Christians who have fled persecution in other parts of the country, government officials and local pastors told Newsmax.
Unlike refugee camps set up for some 100,000 Shia Muslims fleeing attacks from Sunnis, which are closely monitored by Kurdish security forces, Christians have been encouraged to live anywhere.
“Christians in Iraq need special attention, because they’ve been suffering because they are Christians,” Deputy Prime Minister Omar Fattah told Newsmax in an exclusive interview in Erbil. “Maybe we give some instructions to others where they can go, but to Christians, never, because we are not afraid they will be terrorists.”

The terrorist thugs threaten to murder Christians who don’t pay a special tax just to exist.

Since U.S.-led forces toppled Saddam Hussein’s regime in April 2003, around 2,000 Christian families have moved into Ainkawa, a historic Christian town on the outskirts of the Kurdish capital, Erbil.
“Most people came when the terrorists told them they must pay the jizya or they will be killed,” Ainkawa mayor, Fahmi Mehti Soltaqi, told Newsmax, referring to a “protection tax” levied on non-Muslims according to Shari’a law.
Scores of refugees interviewed by Newsmax here and in Amman, Jordan, told harrowing stories of receiving death threats from al-Qaida thugs delivered to their homes in Baghdad.
The terrorists told them that as Christians, they had no right to remain in a Muslim land without submitting to Muslim rule. To escape the jizya, some Christian refugees said they were told they must marry one of their daughters to a Muslim. Instead, when they could, they fled.

Despite the pain they see in those who are still threatened by Al Qaeda, the Kurds feel like they are closer to Heaven since Americans and our allies have liberated Iraq.

For all the problems and the tenuous security situation, no one here in the Kurdish north has any regrets about the U.S.-led invasion. “I’ve never been to paradise,” said Deputy Prime Minister Fattah Fattah, “but the difference between today and Saddam’s time is heaven and hell.”
Fattah’s only fear is that American troops will leave too early, before the work is done. “Mr. Bush has not only helped Iraq, he has helped the American people as well,” he said. “He took the fight against terrorism from inside America, to outside the country. If he hadn’t done that, terrorist attacks would have continued inside America.”
U.S. troops must stay in Iraq until they reach the goal of helping Iraqis achieve a democratic federal state. “We believe Iraq can become a base for democracy in the region,” he said.
In Washington and in much of the U.S. media, such dreams are derided as the fantasies of neo-conservatives.
But here on the ground in Kurdistan, which even today commemorates the 21st anniversary of a chemical weapons attack by Saddam Hussein that massacred thousands of Kurds, this hope remains alive.