Obama, the president who loves Islamic Madmen

Looks like Muammar is keeping his job after all. Way to go, Barack. Way to go. Shred the country but leave the crackpot leader in place. Way to go.

Libya says ready for change, Gaddafi must stay
04 Apr 2011

* Govt offers "any changes" but says Gaddafi must stay

* Denies attacks on civilians

(Adds details, quotes)

TRIPOLI, April 4 (Reuters) - Libya is ready to hold elections and reform its political system but only its own people can decide whether leader Muammar Gaddafi can stay at the helm, a government spokesman said on Monday.

"We could have any political system, any changes: constitution, election, anything, but the leader has to lead this forward. This is our belief," said Mussa Ibrahim, when asked about the content of negotiations with the West.

"Who are you to decide what Libyans should do? Why don't they (Western powers) say: we need the Libyan people to decide whether the Libyan leader should stay or go, to decide whether to have a different political system or not.

"No one can come to Libya and say: you have to lose your leader or your system or your regime. Who are you to stay that?"

He said no conditions could be imposed on Libya from abroad, even though the country was ready to discuss proposals aimed at bringing more democracy, transparency, press freedom and anti-corruption laws.

"Don't decide our future from abroad, give us a proposal for change from within," he said.

"The leader has no official position to step down from. ... He has a symbolic significance for the Libyan people. How Libya is governed is a different matter. What kind of political system is implemented in the country is a different matter. This is a question we can talk about."

He accused some Western leaders of trying to topple Gaddafi out of personal interest or for economic gain.

"We know there are some politicians in power in the West who just have a personal problem with the leader," he said. "Others have economic interests which they think would be served better if the government collapsed."

He denied allegations that government forces were involved in any attacks against civilians, adding that Libya regretted Italy's decision to back the rebels.

"We are not attacking any civilians, I assure you. We never in this crisis attacked any civilians. ... I will not stand and speak for a government that kills civilians. Who do you think we are, monsters?"

Anwar al-Awlaki Draws Cartoons of Muhammed

Even Anwar al-Awlaki got into the swing. A recent visit from the special muslim goon squad known as the Society for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice went to al-Awlaki's home and turned up some doodlings in his bedroom. Many of the doodles depicted a bomb in the turban on Muhammed's head. Others showed Muhammed's head on a dog's body. Some of the cartoons mixing man and dog showed the creature at a computer connected to the Internet. The dog/man was surfing genealogy sites, checking to see if he was part Jewish.

Cleric Anwar al-Awlaki puts 'Everybody Draw Mohammed' cartoonist Molly Norris on execution hitlist

Monday, July 12th 2010

(AP)Radical American-Yemeni Islamic cleric Imam Anwar al-Awlaki has singled out artist Molly Norris as a "prime target."

A CHARISMATIC terror leader linked to the botched Times Square car bomb has placed the Seattle cartoonist who launched "Everybody Draw Muhammed Day" on an execution hit list.

Yemeni-American cleric Anwar al-Awlaki - the radical who has also been cited as inspiring the Fort Hood, Tex., massacre and the plot by two New Jersey men to kill U.S. soldiers - singled out artist Molly Norris as a "prime target," saying her "proper abode is hellfire."

FBI officials have notified Norris and warned her they consider it a "very serious threat."

In an English-language Al Qaeda magazine that calls itself "Inspire," Awlaki damns Norris and eight others for "blasphemous caricatures" of the Prophet Muhammed. The other cartoonists, authors and journalists in Awlaki's cross hairs are Swedish, Dutch and British citizens.

The 67-page terror rag is seen by terrorism experts as a bald new attempt to reach and recruit Muslim youth in the West.

"The medicine prescribed by the Messenger of Allah is the execution of those involved," writes Awlaki, 39, a Las Cruces, N.M.-born American citizen.

"A soul that is so debased, as to enjoy the ridicule of the Messenger of Allah, the mercy to mankind; a soul that is so ungrateful towards its lord that it defames the Prophet of the religion Allah has chosen for his creation does not deserve life, does not deserve to breathe the air."

Awlaki's rant first appeared late last month in "Inspire," which was posted to the Internet by Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, a Yemeni branch linked to a Christmas Day bombing attempt on a U.S.-bound jet.

Initially, only three Web pages were accessible, leading to speculation it might be fake. But yesterday, the full edition was posted on jihadist Web forums, according to SITE Intelligence Group.

David Gomez, the FBI's assistant special agent in charge of counterterrorism in Seattle, said Norris and others were warned of the "very serious threat."

"We understand the absolute seriousness of a threat from an Al Qaeda-inspired magazine and are attempting to do everything in our power to assist the individuals on that list to effectively protect themselves and change their behavior to make themselves less of a target," Gomez said.

Norris initially grabbed headlines in April when she published a satirical cartoon on her Web site that declared May 20 "Everybody Draw Muhammed Day" as a way to mock Viacom and Comedy Central's decision to censor an episode of "South Park" that showed the Prophet Muhammed dressed in a bear suit.

Soon after, the topic erupted on the Web with the start of a Facebook support group for Norris. In response, Pakistan blocked access to the social networking site as a fiery pro-and-con debate raged worldwide.

Norris eventually backed away from her cartoon and cause.

"I regret that I made my cartoon the way I made it," she told the Seattle-based KING 5 TV.

Norris' neighbor said yesterday he's noticed an increased police presence on the street lined with modest Craftsman-style homes. No one answered the door at her home, where a blue baby swing hung from a tree outside.

Most of the "Inspire" entries are regurgitations of widely available jihadi propaganda, including translated speeches from Osama Bin Laden and tutorials on how to "Make a bomb in the kitchen of your Mom." Still, experts say the goal is clear: to reach a young, impressionable audience.

"It's like Al Qaeda's Tiger Beat," said one senior U.S. counterterrorism official.

More Cartoons Mocking Muhammad

This might become a national movement. Cartoon drawings that mock Muhammad. That will show them.

Seattle cartoonist launches "Everybody Draw Mohammed Day"

'South Park' producers say network cut fear speech

Everybody Draw Mohammed Facebook page

MyNorthwest.com

After Comedy Central cut a portion of a South Park episode following a death threat from a radical Muslim group, Seattle cartoonist Molly Norris wanted to counter the fear. She has declared May 20th "Everybody Draw Mohammed Day."

Norris told KIRO Radio's Dave Ross that cartoonists are meant to challenge the lines of political correctness. "That's a cartoonist's job, to be non-PC."

Producers of South Park said Thursday that Comedy Central removed a speech about intimidation and fear from their show after a radical Muslim group warned that they could be killed for insulting the Prophet Muhammad.

The group said it wasn't threatening South Park producers Trey Parker and Matt Stone, but it included a gruesome picture of Theo Van Gogh, a Dutch filmmaker killed by a Muslim extremist in 2004, and said the producers could meet the same fate. The website posted the addresses of Comedy Central's New York office and the California production studio where South Park is made.

"As a cartoonist I just felt so much passion about what had happened I wanted to kind of counter Comedy Central's message they sent about feeling afraid," Norris said.

Norris has asked other artists to submit drawings of any religious figure to be posted as part of Citizens Against Citizens Against Humor (CACAH) on May 20th.

On her website Norris explains this is not meant to disrespect any religion, but rather meant to protect people's right to express themselves.