That means they'll probably fire this guy and give Ayelat Waldman her own weekly column.

Damn. You heard it here first.

The point of what the imams did in Minneapolis was to stage an incident whereby political cover could be provided for legislation being contemplated to grant Muslims special privileges in airports - specifically, to be immune from scrutiny. The issue is probed with some detail in this artice in the Investor's Business Daily:

http://www.investors.com/editorial/editorialcontent.asp?secid=1501&status=article&id=249091839930090

Here is a key passage from that article:

"They chose to make a spectacle. Why? Turns out among those attending their conference was Rep.-elect Keith Ellison, D-Minn., who will be the first Muslim sworn into Congress (with his hand on the Quran). Two days earlier, Ellison, an African-American convert who wants to criminalize Muslim profiling, spoke at a fundraiser for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the Muslim-rights group that wasted no time condemning US Airways for "prejudice and ignorance."

CAIR wants congressional hearings to investigate other incidents of "flying while Muslim." Incoming Judiciary Chairman John Con-yers, D-Mich., has already drafted a resolution, borrowing from CAIR rhetoric, that gives Muslims special civil-rights protections.

... Then there's the case of Muhammed al-Qudhaieen and Hamdan al-Shalawi, two Arizona college students removed from an America West flight after twice trying to open the cockpit. The FBI suspected it was a dry run for the 9/11 hijackings, according to the 9/11 Commission Report. One of the students had traveled to Afghanistan. Another became a material witness in the 9/11 investigation.

Even so, the pair filed racial-profiling suits against America West, now part of US Airways. Defending them was none other than the leader of the six imams kicked off the US Airways flight this week."

Pretty damning, if you ask me. I am sure that the opportunity to intimidate and frighten the passengers on the plane was a side benefit for the imams, but isn't it amazing how bold and aggressive these mainstream Muslims are? It makes one wonder just how moderate is mainstream Islam, doesn't it?

In any case, the Christians and Jews that joined in the pray-in are total dupes to the radical agenda of even mainstream Islam in America. Patrick, don't follow in their footsteps.

Posts like Golden Boy's make me cringe. I mean, really, a Muslim politician spoke to a Muslim rights group. It's clearly a conspiracy. We'd also better watch out for the Jews who speak at Anti-Defamation League conferences and the Christians featured at the Christian Coalition's meetings. (Oh, and he won't be using a Koran when he's sworn in because, as it happens, the House just has its members hold up their hands when they swear to defend the Constitution. There's even a picture of Denny Hastert getting sworn in with just his hand in the air.)

You know what? The Constitution says it's okay to be a Muslim in the U.S., and says that it's wrong to discriminate against Muslims because of their religion. I don't much care if they were trying to make a political point in the airport - it's no more improper than the lactivists (and I must admit a certain sneaking admiration for that coinage) having their say. Oh, and to boot, I've read the legislation that Conyers is supposed to be supporting, and it does nothing that remotely resembles giving Muslims special privileges.

The worst thing about this kind of unreasoning (and ill-reasoned) junk is that it wastes time and money that would be better spent on plain old police work, the kind of work that stops conspiracies before anything actually happens. For that matter, it also would be better to find an efficient way to screen all the cargo being shipped to the U.S., since that gaping hole remains open more than five years after 9/11.

Randy,

You claim that Ellison will not be sworn in on the Koran, and that Representatives merely raise their hands in the air. Perhaps you'd like to tell ABC news; they seem to think differently: http://abcnews.go.com/International/Vote2006/story?id=2646843&page=1

You claim that time and money is wasted in giving Muslims scrutiny at the airport, which could be used on real detective work. Real detective work is certainly necessary, but the whole reason that we have a TSA was to respond to Muslim violence in the United States. Remember?

In any case, here is a link to the actual bill: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/F?c109:1:./temp/~c109RDMo8F:e765:

It pleases you to call my post a rant, but I notice that you do not dispute a single fact that I posted. Instead, you hope that ad hominems and hand-waving will distract people from the undeniable reality of what happened in the Minneapolis airport.

Go read the article - I assure you many people will - and despair of your taquiyya.

You are a fucking idiot. Posts like yours make me sad to be American.

What amused me about Don Muang that seems to be rarely mentioned (I don't remember it being mentioned here, at least) is that there is a golf course right on the airport grounds, right next to the taxiway. No doubt those golfers are quite happy (presuming the course is still operational) to not be surrounded by constant jet noise and fumes.

You are awfully glib about the problems Logan causes for Bostonians who live under its flight paths.

The fact is that Logan airport is right in the middle of a densely populated city, whose residents have suffered for decades from noise and pollution caused by jets taking off and landing at Logan.

Funny how those flight paths go over poorer neighborhoods while avoiding wealthier areas (Back Bay, Brookline) whose residents benefit most from air travel. Also funny how the people in the tony areas near Hanscom airport won't allow more small jets there (which would free up runways at Logan). Guess what -- they don't want more noise and pollution!

Logan expansion was held back justly for 30 years by a protective court order, which has finally been ditched, to the benefit of wealthy fliers and the detriment of less wealthy Boston neighborhoods.

Congratulations on having to wait a few minutes less at the gate on the occasions you pass through Logan. I'll think of you as the jets roar over my home every 5 minutes, over and over, all day long.