[UPDATE] 12/30/06- I just ran across this piece done on Ellison and his most recent show of bad judgement, over at Sacred Scoop and I suggest people read this. This shows very clearly that Ellison is not just a perfect example of a man without judgement, but a fine example of a man with an agenda and it is NOT a peaceful one. [End Update]
The other day I wrote a piece about Virgil Goodes controversial letter in response to emails his office had received regarding Keith Ellison and Ellison's controversial decision to use the Koran at his searing in ceremony.
What is amusing is although I disagreed with quite a bit of Goode's letter in that piece, the responses I got were from people that couldn't seem to see how Keith Ellison's judgment could be called into question in that same piece.
I, the conservative, could admit to parts of Goode's letter and critique it, but the far left liberals cannot bother to admit that Ellison may have used very bad judgment on his part in starting this controversy to begin with.
I have always said, quite often in fact, that there are more, a majority of peace loving Muslims that are starting to stand up and speak out against extremists that use their religion to justify killing innocent people. There are also Radical extremists and we need to be able to see the difference in the two and confront the radicals without lumping all Muslims into that category. Not an easy feat.
With that said, I have to wonder about Keith Ellison and his association with CAIR and Nation of Islam. In my mind it is all like a puzzle with pieces that intertwine to fit into each other.
First I am going back a few years in time here to when Keith Ellison was involved with Nation of Islam, an orginization that Ellison was associated with from 1995 until at least 1998.
Questions about Ellison's involvement with the Nation of Islam arose during his 2006 campaign. After winning the Democratic party nomination in May, he wrote a letter to the local Jewish Community Relations Council where he reportedly "asserted that his involvement with the Nation of Islam had been limited to an 18-month period around the time of the Million Man March in 1995, that he had been unfamiliar with the Nation of Islam's anti-Semitic views during his involvement with the group, and that he himself had never expressed such views." He also also stated that he was never a member of the Nation of Islam, but only worked with it to organize the Minnesota contingent to the Million Man March.
In Ellison's letter, he denounced the Nation of Islam and Farrakhan, writing "I wrongly dismissed concerns that they [Farrakhan's remarks] were anti-Semitic. They were and are anti-Semitic and I should have come to that conclusion earlier than I did." He explained his previous views, saying that he, "did not adequately scrutinize the positions and statements of the Nation of Islam, Lous Farrakhan, and Khalid Muhammed". He also stated that "any kind of discrimination and hate are wrong. This has always been my position"
Notice that his letter to the Jewish Community Relations Ellison says he was only involved with Nation of Islam for an 18 month period in 1995?
Well, then how does he explain this:
In 1998, during his Minnesota State Legislature House campaign, as Keith Ellison-Muhammad he said he had an affiliation with the Nation of Islam, but "rejected anti-Jewish attitudes".
Now, perhaps Ellison simply added wrong? To be fair, it is possible I guess....but doubtful.
Jump forward to today now. Does everybody remember the Flying Imam incident? Where six Imams were removed from a plane for acting suspiciously, praying loudy (which is what CAIR focused on), asking for seat belt extensions and then placing them at their feet instead of using them, speaking in a manner than when translated showed complete anti-American, Pro Saddam Hussein rhetoric and placing themselves in a seating arrangement exactly like the 9/11 terrorists did before those fateful crashes.
Ellison also took part in "Community Night" with Imam Siraj Wahhaj, and Imam Dr. Omar Shahin. This was “for Imams to meet and interact with community members.” Some of the participants of this meeting became involved in the Flying Imams controversy after being removed from an Arizona bound plane for concerning behavior. Ellison became involved in this controversy shortly after it erupted when he attempted to arrange a meeting between parties including US Airways executives, the Metropolitan Airports Commission, and other legislators and community members.
Questions about Shahin surfaced in July 2005, when author and terrorism investigator Steven Emerson, author of "Jihad Incorporated: A Guide to Militant Islam in the U.S.," mentioned him in testimony before the U.S. Senate Banking Committee investigating the financing of terrorists.
Emerson identified Shahin as a fundraiser for KindHearts, a Toledo-based Muslim charity that has been a subject of federal scrutiny for suspected links to terror-related groups in the Mideast. Emerson also noted Shahin's work as an imam for the Islamic Center of Tucson, which, he said, "has an extensive history of terror links."
Okay, so lets give Ellison the benefit of doubt once again and chalk his connection with Shahnin and the Nation of Islam up to coincedence or bad judgment.
CAIR, the orginization that immediately started representing the Flying Imam's and calling for US Airways to come to some sort of settlement with the Imams, even though the US Airways had every legal right, and the pilot, every moral obligation to protect that flight.
A little background on CAIR here:
Since its founding in 1994, the Council on American-Islamic Relations and its employees have combined, conspired, and agreed with third parties, including, but not limited to, the Islamic Association for Palestine (“IAP”), the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (“HLF”), the Global Relief Foundation (“GRF”), and foreign nationals hostile to the interests of the United States, to provide material support to known terrorist organizations, to advance the Hamas agenda, and to propagate radical Islam. The Council on American-Islamic Relations, and certain of its officers, directors, and employees, have acted in support of, and in furtherance of, this conspiracy.
Senior CAIR employee Randall Todd Royer, a/k/a “Ismail” Royer, pled guilty and was sentenced to twenty years in prison for participating in a network of militant jihadists centered in Northern Virginia. He admitted to aiding and abetting three persons who sought training in a terrorist camp in Pakistan for the purpose of waging jihad against American troops in Afghanistan. Royer’s illegal actions occurred while he was employed with CAIR.
CAIR's Director of Community Relations, Bassem Khafagi , was arrested by the United States due to his ties with a terror-financing front group. Khafagi pled guilty to charges of visa and bank fraud, and agreed to be deported to Egypt. Khafagi’s illegal actions occurred while he was employed by CAIR.
On December 18, 2002, Ghassan Elashi, founding board member of CAIR-Texas, a founder of the Holy Land Foundation, and a brother-in-law of Musa Abu Marzook , was arrested by the United States and charged with, among other things, making false statements on export declarations, dealing in the property of a designated terrorist organization, conspiracy and money laundering. Ghassan Elashi committed his crimes while working at CAIR, and was found Guilty.
CAIR Board Member Imam Siraj Wahaj, an un-indicted co-conspirator in the first World Trade Center bombing, has called for replacing the American government with an Islamic caliphate, and warned that America will crumble unless it accepts Islam.
Consistent with Hamas ideology, CAIR has served as a conduit for the distribution of materials and funds from foreign nationals to groups and institutions within the United States for the purpose of promoting radical Islam and Hamas ideology, and attacked Islamic clerics and scholars who reject radical Islam and the Hamas agenda.
Siraj Wahaj and Omar Shahin were both part of that "community night" that Ellison took part in. Both also involved with the incident on the plane and all three involved with CAIR.
Yet another coincedence? OK, sure...lets call that a coincedence too, shall we?
Now we have two separate controversial events that happened after that "community night" meeting. One the flying Imams, then we have Ellison deciding to use the Koran for his swearing in, at a time when our country is at war with extremists that are using the Koran in a perverted way to justify killing innocent people.
Another coincedence? You decide.
What about Ellison's "association" with CAIR?
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) was an ardent supporter of Ellison’s 2006 campaign, a fact that caused some controversy (see below). Two days after the 2006 election, CAIR announced Ellison would be a keynote speaker at their annual banquet in Virginia less than two weeks later. According to a CAIR press release, this would be Ellison's first major post-election address.
On November 13, 2006 the Star Tribune reported Ellison said he “would not be the keynote speaker at the annual banquet for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)”. Acknowledging that “His appearance had already been announced by CAIR…Ellison said it [the apparently mistaken announcement] was the result of a ‘natural, normal miscommunication.’” Though Ellison was not able to attend the event in person he sent a videotaped address.
Now, to be fair, Ellison's associations with the Nation of Islam and CAIR could just be very bad judgment, his timing with his controversial decision to use the Koran at his swearing in ceremony could also be chalked up to bad judgement.
But everything together, the connection to the Imams that were removed from the plane, the CAIR invovement, the Nation of Islam involvement, the fact that two VERY controversial incidents happened after that "community night" meeting and the fact that all of the above had some form of involvement with CAIR, all together has to make one stop and say hmmmmmmmmmmmm.
Ok, bad judgment at the very least.
That isn't the only time Ellison has shown bad judgment though, nope, not at all.
We then have his campaign finance violations:
Campaign finance has also been an issue for Ellison. In early 2006, the Minnesota State Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board reprimanded Ellison for unreported contributions, discrepancies in cash balances, and misclassified disbursements. These transgressions occurred in the years 2002-2004. In 2005 when the board tried to get more information about the problems in Ellison's reports, they got no response from Ellison or his treasurer (his wife Kim). When the board heard nothing, they opened the investigation. Ellison was subpoenaed and fined. The board has also fined Ellison numerous times for late filings, been sued twice by the attorney general, and has been warned many times for absent or incomplete disclosure. (Source)
Ellison also failed to pay all or part of his income taxes five separate years between 1992 and 2000, forcing the state and Internal Revenue Service to put liens on his home. He later paid in excess of $18,000.
This man certainly has his fair share of bad judgment doesn't he? An awful lot of coincedences too.
There is much, much more out there, available at our fingertips, just by using the search engine. Makes one wonder why everyone is so quiet about this man.....are they scared that it may not be "politically correct" to bring up issues about this man, simply because he is a Muslim? Have we become so PC that justified questions are not asked simply because of a mans religion?
If this was a non-Muslim politician, Democrat OR Republican, would these things NOT have become major stumbling blocks to their career?
Legitimate questions all....anyone have any answers?
Others talking about Ellison:
Moonbattery and Infidel Blogger Alliance with Ellison's antics on Christmas Eve.
Right Truth with a perfect example of double standards when applied the Bible and the Koran.
Residual Forces showing NYT got a stocking full of idiocy.
Open Trackbacks today:
Trackposted to Pirate's Cove, Perri Nelson's Website, The Bullwinkle Blog, Don Surber, Adam's Blog, and Pursuing Holiness, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.
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