Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Glenn Beck: Al Gore oopsie
February 24, 2009 - 13:01 ET
VOICE: The Glenn Beck program presents more truth behind America's march to socialism.
GLENN: That's right, my friends. Today our march to socialism, it is so huge, it is so fat, why am I reading -- this is Stu writing something here for me that is making fun of me. I get it, Stu, I'm a little overweight.
STU: Yes, you are.
GLENN: So huge, so fat, so overwhelming, so full of yummy goodness that we had to actually put it into our science update, Part Deux of Al Gore and the march to socialism, science update in about an hour, but here's Part One. What, Stu?
STU: I was going to say Al Gore is the fusion of science and socialism. He is really the guy for both of these.
GLENN: My gosh, you are exactly right, he is. Okay, here you go. How many times have we all heard, "We're going to create five bajillion new green jobs... and we're going to find them, we're going to create them or we're not going to lose them... or we're going to prevent them from just evaporating into space... which is something you won't be able to measure whatsoever, but that's what we're going to do. Green jobs."
Al Gore has been spreading the news that green energy jobs are the future. Not only are they the future, they are already on the rise, and the proof is in the pudding. Oh, wait a minute, pudding. Science, so to speak, is settled on that one. Al Gore was so excited about the rise in green jobs that he is shouting it to the world. Quote: More people work in wind energy industry than the entire coal industry. Wow, wait a minute. We get about 50% of our energy from coal in America. There are more people in the wind-power energy sector than all of coal? First of all, that would show that coal is more efficient, by a lot. Seeing that we get, what, maybe, what, like a toaster in Nebraska may be working on it. Anyway, more people work in the wind energy industry than any other -- than in the entire coal industry. Compelling stuff, and wind energy -- you say something like that, wind energy must be skyrocketing. Or wind energy is so inefficient that it makes more people to make one turbine than to produce similar energy yield be a little of coal. But Al is the expert on this and not me. So I'm just going to keep the old fat mouth shut, or filled with cupcakes, like a good little socialist citizen would. It's such a compelling case that Al Gore is using the "Vastly greater numbers working in wind energy" stat as proof that even more monies from the stimulus needs to go towards green energy. Here's the claim made now by Al Gore: Globally 2.3 million people employed in renewable energy sector. There are already more jobs than there are directly in the oil and gas industry. In the oil and gas industries. In the U.S. there are now more jobs in the wind industry than in the entire coal industry.
Now, I just want to make sure you understand that because you know Al Gore. He would never mislead the nation into a socialist energy system, you know, unless he has the facts on his side. He's a robot. He's nothing but facts, bzzzz, bzzzz, bzzzz. Fact One: Al Gore's facts, not really clear on this one. In fact, Fact Two, Al Gore's facts, completely wrong. 85,000 wind energy jobs cited in the report are "Varied as turbine component manufacturing, construction, and installation of wind turbines, wind turbine operations and maintenance, legal and marketing services and more." So we got the marketers, the construction people, the attorneys as the wind energy. The 81,000 coal jobs counted by the Department of Energy are the miners, just the miners, you know, the guys with the light on their hat. Not the marketers or the -- there's no attorneys involved in this. By the way, the 8100 -- or I'm sorry, 81,000 coal jobs totally also admits truckers who haul the coal from the mine. Also, it's anybody working in a power plant and, of course, all the legal and marketing jobs. But listen, America, we don't have time for honesty. Move, move, move! Everything's collapsing! Time is running out! We've got to act now before the economy collapses and everybody dies!
VOICE: That was even more overwhelming evidence that we are destined to be a bunch of socialist pigs very, very soon on the Glenn Beck program
VOICE: The Glenn Beck program presents more truth behind America's march to socialism.
GLENN: That's right, my friends. Today our march to socialism, it is so huge, it is so fat, why am I reading -- this is Stu writing something here for me that is making fun of me. I get it, Stu, I'm a little overweight.
STU: Yes, you are.
GLENN: So huge, so fat, so overwhelming, so full of yummy goodness that we had to actually put it into our science update, Part Deux of Al Gore and the march to socialism, science update in about an hour, but here's Part One. What, Stu?
STU: I was going to say Al Gore is the fusion of science and socialism. He is really the guy for both of these.
GLENN: My gosh, you are exactly right, he is. Okay, here you go. How many times have we all heard, "We're going to create five bajillion new green jobs... and we're going to find them, we're going to create them or we're not going to lose them... or we're going to prevent them from just evaporating into space... which is something you won't be able to measure whatsoever, but that's what we're going to do. Green jobs."
Al Gore has been spreading the news that green energy jobs are the future. Not only are they the future, they are already on the rise, and the proof is in the pudding. Oh, wait a minute, pudding. Science, so to speak, is settled on that one. Al Gore was so excited about the rise in green jobs that he is shouting it to the world. Quote: More people work in wind energy industry than the entire coal industry. Wow, wait a minute. We get about 50% of our energy from coal in America. There are more people in the wind-power energy sector than all of coal? First of all, that would show that coal is more efficient, by a lot. Seeing that we get, what, maybe, what, like a toaster in Nebraska may be working on it. Anyway, more people work in the wind energy industry than any other -- than in the entire coal industry. Compelling stuff, and wind energy -- you say something like that, wind energy must be skyrocketing. Or wind energy is so inefficient that it makes more people to make one turbine than to produce similar energy yield be a little of coal. But Al is the expert on this and not me. So I'm just going to keep the old fat mouth shut, or filled with cupcakes, like a good little socialist citizen would. It's such a compelling case that Al Gore is using the "Vastly greater numbers working in wind energy" stat as proof that even more monies from the stimulus needs to go towards green energy. Here's the claim made now by Al Gore: Globally 2.3 million people employed in renewable energy sector. There are already more jobs than there are directly in the oil and gas industry. In the oil and gas industries. In the U.S. there are now more jobs in the wind industry than in the entire coal industry.
Now, I just want to make sure you understand that because you know Al Gore. He would never mislead the nation into a socialist energy system, you know, unless he has the facts on his side. He's a robot. He's nothing but facts, bzzzz, bzzzz, bzzzz. Fact One: Al Gore's facts, not really clear on this one. In fact, Fact Two, Al Gore's facts, completely wrong. 85,000 wind energy jobs cited in the report are "Varied as turbine component manufacturing, construction, and installation of wind turbines, wind turbine operations and maintenance, legal and marketing services and more." So we got the marketers, the construction people, the attorneys as the wind energy. The 81,000 coal jobs counted by the Department of Energy are the miners, just the miners, you know, the guys with the light on their hat. Not the marketers or the -- there's no attorneys involved in this. By the way, the 8100 -- or I'm sorry, 81,000 coal jobs totally also admits truckers who haul the coal from the mine. Also, it's anybody working in a power plant and, of course, all the legal and marketing jobs. But listen, America, we don't have time for honesty. Move, move, move! Everything's collapsing! Time is running out! We've got to act now before the economy collapses and everybody dies!
VOICE: That was even more overwhelming evidence that we are destined to be a bunch of socialist pigs very, very soon on the Glenn Beck program
Glenn Beck: Al Gore oopsie #2
February 24, 2009 - 13:00 ET
VOICE: The Glenn Beck program presents Spotlight on Science.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: We'll restore science to its rightful place.
VOICE: A series dedicated to President Obama's passion for everything science.
GLENN: It's time for us to get on the lab coats and talk about science. We told you earlier today that Al Gore tried to shill for more government cash for green energy by falsely claiming that wind energy already employed more people than coal. Oops. Even if that were true, who would brag about needing more employees to produce less energy other than a socialist? Well, when it comes to science, we've got our lab coat on now, Al Gore is money in the bank there and the science is settled, you know, at least until it's not.
From the New York Times, quote: Former Vice President Al Gore is pulling a dramatic slide from his ever evolving global warming presentation. Wait a minute. Hold on. Why would it be -- staple that monkey tail back on! Why would it be evolving, ever evolving if science is settled? His climate slide show -- quoting again from the New York Times -- contained a startling graph showing a high ceiling spike in disasters in recent years. The data came from the Center for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters, also called CRED. Yes, I too find it ironic that CRED now says Al Gore has no cred. Quoting the times: The graph came after a sequence of images of people struggling with drought and wildfire and flooding and other weather-related calamities. Mr. Gore described the pattern as a manifestation of human-driven climate change. Now, according to the New York Times, Mr. Gore is dropping the graph, his office said today, an here's why. Still quoting from the New York Times: Two days after the talk, Mr. Gore was sharply criticized for using the data to make a point about global warming by Roger A. Pielke,. He's a political scientist focused on disaster trends and climate policy at the University of Colorado. Mr. Pielke noticed that CRED stressed in reports that -- quoting -- a host of factors unrelated to climate caused the enormous rise in reported disaster.
So let me see if I have this right. Al Gore was using a slide from an organization that specifically said that a host of factors unrelated to climate caused the enormous rise in reported disasters. Well, Mr. Scientist that doesn't exist Roger Pielke, what you don't seem to realize here is that's not the same story for Al Gore. Science doesn't really matter to Al, you see. If I may, may I repurpose the quote from the New York Times? Quoting Glenn Beck quoting and repurposing the New York Times. Quote, quote: Al is doing these slide shows for a host of factors unrelated to climate, end quote.
VOICE: You've been listening to Spotlight on Science, exclusively heard on the Glenn Beck program, America's number one source for science and science-related items.
VOICE: The Glenn Beck program presents Spotlight on Science.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: We'll restore science to its rightful place.
VOICE: A series dedicated to President Obama's passion for everything science.
GLENN: It's time for us to get on the lab coats and talk about science. We told you earlier today that Al Gore tried to shill for more government cash for green energy by falsely claiming that wind energy already employed more people than coal. Oops. Even if that were true, who would brag about needing more employees to produce less energy other than a socialist? Well, when it comes to science, we've got our lab coat on now, Al Gore is money in the bank there and the science is settled, you know, at least until it's not.
From the New York Times, quote: Former Vice President Al Gore is pulling a dramatic slide from his ever evolving global warming presentation. Wait a minute. Hold on. Why would it be -- staple that monkey tail back on! Why would it be evolving, ever evolving if science is settled? His climate slide show -- quoting again from the New York Times -- contained a startling graph showing a high ceiling spike in disasters in recent years. The data came from the Center for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters, also called CRED. Yes, I too find it ironic that CRED now says Al Gore has no cred. Quoting the times: The graph came after a sequence of images of people struggling with drought and wildfire and flooding and other weather-related calamities. Mr. Gore described the pattern as a manifestation of human-driven climate change. Now, according to the New York Times, Mr. Gore is dropping the graph, his office said today, an here's why. Still quoting from the New York Times: Two days after the talk, Mr. Gore was sharply criticized for using the data to make a point about global warming by Roger A. Pielke,. He's a political scientist focused on disaster trends and climate policy at the University of Colorado. Mr. Pielke noticed that CRED stressed in reports that -- quoting -- a host of factors unrelated to climate caused the enormous rise in reported disaster.
So let me see if I have this right. Al Gore was using a slide from an organization that specifically said that a host of factors unrelated to climate caused the enormous rise in reported disasters. Well, Mr. Scientist that doesn't exist Roger Pielke, what you don't seem to realize here is that's not the same story for Al Gore. Science doesn't really matter to Al, you see. If I may, may I repurpose the quote from the New York Times? Quoting Glenn Beck quoting and repurposing the New York Times. Quote, quote: Al is doing these slide shows for a host of factors unrelated to climate, end quote.
VOICE: You've been listening to Spotlight on Science, exclusively heard on the Glenn Beck program, America's number one source for science and science-related items.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Military’s killer robots must learn warrior code
Autonomous military robots that will fight future wars must be programmed to live by a strict warrior code or the world risks untold atrocities at their steely hands.
The stark warning – which includes discussion of a Terminator-style scenario in which robots turn on their human masters – is issued in a hefty report funded by and prepared for the US Navy’s high-tech and secretive Office of Naval Research .
The report, the first serious work of its kind on military robot ethics, envisages a fast-approaching era where robots are smart enough to make battlefield decisions that are at present the preserve of humans. Eventually, it notes, robots could come to display significant cognitive advantages over Homo sapiens soldiers.
Report: Autonomous Military Robotics - Risk, Ethics and Design
“There is a common misconception that robots will do only what we have programmed them to do,” Patrick Lin, the chief compiler of the report, said. “Unfortunately, such a belief is sorely outdated, harking back to a time when . . . programs could be written and understood by a single person.” The reality, Dr Lin said, was that modern programs included millions of lines of code and were written by teams of programmers, none of whom knew the entire program: accordingly, no individual could accurately predict how the various portions of large programs would interact without extensive testing in the field – an option that may either be unavailable or deliberately sidestepped by the designers of fighting robots.
The solution, he suggests, is to mix rules-based programming with a period of “learning” the rights and wrongs of warfare.
A rich variety of scenarios outlining the ethical, legal, social and political issues posed as robot technology improves are covered in the report. How do we protect our robot armies against terrorist hackers or software malfunction? Who is to blame if a robot goes berserk in a crowd of civilians – the robot, its programmer or the US president? Should the robots have a “suicide switch” and should they be programmed to preserve their lives?
The report, compiled by the Ethics and Emerging Technology department of California State Polytechnic University and obtained by The Times, strongly warns the US military against complacency or shortcuts as military robot designers engage in the “rush to market” and the pace of advances in artificial intelligence is increased.
Any sense of haste among designers may have been heightened by a US congressional mandate that by 2010 a third of all operational “deep-strike” aircraft must be unmanned, and that by 2015 one third of all ground combat vehicles must be unmanned.
“A rush to market increases the risk for inadequate design or programming. Worse, without a sustained and significant effort to build in ethical controls in autonomous systems . . . there is little hope that the early generations of such systems and robots will be adequate, making mistakes that may cost human lives,” the report noted.
A simple ethical code along the lines of the “Three Laws of Robotics” postulated in 1950 by Isaac Asimov, the science fiction writer, will not be sufficient to ensure the ethical behaviour of autonomous military machines.
“We are going to need a code,” Dr Lin said. “These things are military, and they can’t be pacifists, so we have to think in terms of battlefield ethics. We are going to need a warrior code.”
Isaac Asimov’s three laws of robotics
1 A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm
2 A robot must obey orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law
3 A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
FBI Cuts Off CAIR Over Hamas Questions
by Mary JacobyIPT NewsJanuary 29, 2009
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has cut off contacts with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) amid mounting concern about the Muslim advocacy group's roots in a Hamas-support network, the Investigative Project on Terrorism has learned.
The decision to end contacts with CAIR was made quietly last summer as federal prosecutors prepared for a second trial of the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (HLF), an Islamic charity accused of providing money and political support to the terrorist group Hamas, according to people with knowledge of the matter.
CAIR and its chairman emeritus, Omar Ahmad, were named un-indicted co-conspirators in the HLF case. Both Ahmad and CAIR's current national executive director, Nihad Awad, were revealed on government wiretaps as having been active participants in early Hamas-related organizational meetings in the United States. During testimony, FBI agent Lara Burns described CAIR as a front organization.
Hamas is a US-designated foreign terrorist organization, and it's been illegal since 1995 to provide support to it within the United States.
The decision to end contacts with CAIR is a significant policy change for the FBI. For years, the FBI worked with the national organization and its state chapters to address Muslim community concerns about the potential for hate crimes and other civil liberty violations in the wake of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
But critics said the FBI improperly conferred legitimacy on CAIR by meeting with its officials, even as its own investigative files contained evidence of CAIR leaders' ties to Hamas.
Last autumn, FBI field offices began notifying state CAIR chapters that bureau officials could no longer meet with them until CAIR's national leadership in Washington had addressed issues raised by the HLF trial, according to people with knowledge of the notifications.
CAIR spokesman Ibrahim Hooper declined to comment Wednesday when the IPT called for comment. Before hanging up, Hooper said "We're more than happy to cooperate with legitimate media. But we don't cooperate with those who promote anti-Muslim bigotry."
In one letter obtained by IPT News, James E. Finch, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Oklahoma City field office, canceled a meeting of the local Muslim Community Outreach Program, a state-federal program designed to enlist Muslims in terrorism prevention and investigate reports of civil liberties violations.
"Regrettably, due to circumstances beyond my control, the meeting will be postponed until further notice as a result of the planned participation by the Oklahoma chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations," Finch's Oct. 8, 2008 letter to Muslim groups in the Oklahoma outreach program said.
Finch made clear the Oklahoma office valued its relationship with local Muslims. He said the stumbling block to further outreach was CAIR's national leadership.
"[I]f CAIR wishes to pursue an outreach relationship with the FBI, certain issues must be addressed to the satisfaction of the FBI. Unfortunately, these issues cannot be addressed at the local level and must be addressed by the CAIR National Office in Washington, D.C.," the letter said.
A spokesman for the FBI's Oklahoma City office referred questions about the letter to the FBI's national press office. In Washington, FBI spokesman John Miller said, "We've certainly been in contact with CAIR chapters" about the un-indicted co-conspirator designation. "The letter speaks for itself."
Letters with similar wording were sent in other states, people with knowledge of the matter said. It is not known how many letters were issued, but the FBI has had strong working relationships with CAIR chapters in states including Ohio, Michigan, Arizona and Florida.
Hamas was formed in 1987 as the Palestinian wing of the Muslim Brotherhood, the global Islamic political movement that aims to spread the rule of Shariah, or Islamic law, throughout the world.
A North American branch of the Brotherhood supervised HLF, CAIR and other organizations to build political, financial and public relations support for Hamas, evidence at the HLF trial showed.
The U.S.-based Brotherhood formed a Palestine Committee, headed by Hamas official Mousa Abu Marzook, in 1988 during the first intifada uprising in Palestinian territories against Israel. Hamas's stated policy is for the destruction of Israel.
CAIR co-founders Ahmad and Awad were early active members of the Palestine Committee, evidence showed. Wiretaps recorded the two CAIR leaders participating in strategy meetings of the committee in the 1990s, and both were also on a phone list of its members, the evidence showed.
The first HLF trial in Texas ended in a mistrial in October 2007. In November 2008, the second trial resulted in convictions of five former HLF officials on all counts of providing material support to Hamas.
It is unclear what changed between the first and second HLF trials to make the FBI rescind its policy of outreach to CAIR. The un-indicted co-conspirator designations were made on May 27, 2007 in connection with the first HLF trial. Moreover, much of the evidence linking the CAIR officials to Hamas was aired in an earlier public trial in 2006.
CAIR, however, vigorously challenged the un-indicted co-conspirator designation as a violation of its First and Fifth Amendment rights, accusing the government of "demonization of all things Muslim" in a brief filed in the summer of 2007 with the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas.
The co-conspirator designation is "particularly insidious and ironic as CAIR is an organization dedicated to fostering acceptance of Muslims in American society and protecting the civil liberties of all Muslim Americans," CAIR's brief read.
The government filed a brief on Sept. 4, 2007 opposing CAIR's filing, arguing the group lacked standing to challenge the co-conspirator designation and that the matter was moot, as the evidence was already entered into the public record. The judge never ruled on CAIR's request.
The HLF trial showed that CAIR was formed to covertly influence US opinions of the Palestinian conflict and Islam, but without revealing its connections to Hamas.
For example, prosecutors introduced transcripts of wiretaps from a 1993 meeting in Philadelphia of the Palestine Committee, called to order by Ahmad (see page 10 of the hyperlink) and attended by Awad. In that meeting, Ahmad and others discussed the need to create a new political organization seemingly unconnected to Hamas or the Brotherhood.
In one excerpt, (see page 4 of the link) an unidentified male said: "We must form a new organization for activism which will be neutral, because we are placed in a corner, we are place in a corner. It is known who we are, we are marked and I believe there should be a new neutral organization which works on both sides."
CAIR was founded a year later, in 1994, by Ahmad and Awad. In March 1994, Awad was taped at Miami's Barry University publicly declaring his support for Hamas: "I am in support of the Hamas movement more than the PLO," Awad said.
A July 30, 1994 agenda for the Palestine Committee, seized by federal agents and introduced at trial, showed that "suggestions to develop the work" of HLF, CAIR and other organizations was on the agenda.
Under the heading "The need for trained resources in the media and political fields," the agenda said: "No doubt America is the ideal location to train the necessary resources to support the Movement worldwide."
By 1995, CAIR was conducting public relations work to counter the US detention of Mousa Abu Marzook, the Hamas official and Palestine Committee member who was also head of the Muslim Brotherhood in the US.
A transcript of an August 1995 phone call intercepted by government investigators showed HLF officials Shukri Abu Baker and Ghassan Elashi talking about CAIR's efforts (see page 12 of the link).
Days before the 2001 terrorist attacks, the FBI raided the offices of Infocom, a Texas internet company connected to HLF. CAIR's Nihad Awad appeared at a press conference outside Infocom headquarters to denounce what he called an "anti-Muslim witch hunt."
CAIR remained a vocal player in the public debate after 9/11. It developed relationships with members of Congress. FBI officials frequently attended CAIR fundraising banquets, and CAIR cited such contacts in its own literature and Web site as evidence of its good standing with the government.
For more on CAIR's roots and its history of attacking law enforcement investigations and supporting Islamic terrorists, see the IPT's dossier on the group. Check back at the IPT website tomorrow for a report on CAIR's consistent refusal to condemn terrorist organizations and its rationalization of suicide bombings.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has cut off contacts with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) amid mounting concern about the Muslim advocacy group's roots in a Hamas-support network, the Investigative Project on Terrorism has learned.
The decision to end contacts with CAIR was made quietly last summer as federal prosecutors prepared for a second trial of the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (HLF), an Islamic charity accused of providing money and political support to the terrorist group Hamas, according to people with knowledge of the matter.
CAIR and its chairman emeritus, Omar Ahmad, were named un-indicted co-conspirators in the HLF case. Both Ahmad and CAIR's current national executive director, Nihad Awad, were revealed on government wiretaps as having been active participants in early Hamas-related organizational meetings in the United States. During testimony, FBI agent Lara Burns described CAIR as a front organization.
Hamas is a US-designated foreign terrorist organization, and it's been illegal since 1995 to provide support to it within the United States.
The decision to end contacts with CAIR is a significant policy change for the FBI. For years, the FBI worked with the national organization and its state chapters to address Muslim community concerns about the potential for hate crimes and other civil liberty violations in the wake of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
But critics said the FBI improperly conferred legitimacy on CAIR by meeting with its officials, even as its own investigative files contained evidence of CAIR leaders' ties to Hamas.
Last autumn, FBI field offices began notifying state CAIR chapters that bureau officials could no longer meet with them until CAIR's national leadership in Washington had addressed issues raised by the HLF trial, according to people with knowledge of the notifications.
CAIR spokesman Ibrahim Hooper declined to comment Wednesday when the IPT called for comment. Before hanging up, Hooper said "We're more than happy to cooperate with legitimate media. But we don't cooperate with those who promote anti-Muslim bigotry."
In one letter obtained by IPT News, James E. Finch, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Oklahoma City field office, canceled a meeting of the local Muslim Community Outreach Program, a state-federal program designed to enlist Muslims in terrorism prevention and investigate reports of civil liberties violations.
"Regrettably, due to circumstances beyond my control, the meeting will be postponed until further notice as a result of the planned participation by the Oklahoma chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations," Finch's Oct. 8, 2008 letter to Muslim groups in the Oklahoma outreach program said.
Finch made clear the Oklahoma office valued its relationship with local Muslims. He said the stumbling block to further outreach was CAIR's national leadership.
"[I]f CAIR wishes to pursue an outreach relationship with the FBI, certain issues must be addressed to the satisfaction of the FBI. Unfortunately, these issues cannot be addressed at the local level and must be addressed by the CAIR National Office in Washington, D.C.," the letter said.
A spokesman for the FBI's Oklahoma City office referred questions about the letter to the FBI's national press office. In Washington, FBI spokesman John Miller said, "We've certainly been in contact with CAIR chapters" about the un-indicted co-conspirator designation. "The letter speaks for itself."
Letters with similar wording were sent in other states, people with knowledge of the matter said. It is not known how many letters were issued, but the FBI has had strong working relationships with CAIR chapters in states including Ohio, Michigan, Arizona and Florida.
Hamas was formed in 1987 as the Palestinian wing of the Muslim Brotherhood, the global Islamic political movement that aims to spread the rule of Shariah, or Islamic law, throughout the world.
A North American branch of the Brotherhood supervised HLF, CAIR and other organizations to build political, financial and public relations support for Hamas, evidence at the HLF trial showed.
The U.S.-based Brotherhood formed a Palestine Committee, headed by Hamas official Mousa Abu Marzook, in 1988 during the first intifada uprising in Palestinian territories against Israel. Hamas's stated policy is for the destruction of Israel.
CAIR co-founders Ahmad and Awad were early active members of the Palestine Committee, evidence showed. Wiretaps recorded the two CAIR leaders participating in strategy meetings of the committee in the 1990s, and both were also on a phone list of its members, the evidence showed.
The first HLF trial in Texas ended in a mistrial in October 2007. In November 2008, the second trial resulted in convictions of five former HLF officials on all counts of providing material support to Hamas.
It is unclear what changed between the first and second HLF trials to make the FBI rescind its policy of outreach to CAIR. The un-indicted co-conspirator designations were made on May 27, 2007 in connection with the first HLF trial. Moreover, much of the evidence linking the CAIR officials to Hamas was aired in an earlier public trial in 2006.
CAIR, however, vigorously challenged the un-indicted co-conspirator designation as a violation of its First and Fifth Amendment rights, accusing the government of "demonization of all things Muslim" in a brief filed in the summer of 2007 with the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas.
The co-conspirator designation is "particularly insidious and ironic as CAIR is an organization dedicated to fostering acceptance of Muslims in American society and protecting the civil liberties of all Muslim Americans," CAIR's brief read.
The government filed a brief on Sept. 4, 2007 opposing CAIR's filing, arguing the group lacked standing to challenge the co-conspirator designation and that the matter was moot, as the evidence was already entered into the public record. The judge never ruled on CAIR's request.
The HLF trial showed that CAIR was formed to covertly influence US opinions of the Palestinian conflict and Islam, but without revealing its connections to Hamas.
For example, prosecutors introduced transcripts of wiretaps from a 1993 meeting in Philadelphia of the Palestine Committee, called to order by Ahmad (see page 10 of the hyperlink) and attended by Awad. In that meeting, Ahmad and others discussed the need to create a new political organization seemingly unconnected to Hamas or the Brotherhood.
In one excerpt, (see page 4 of the link) an unidentified male said: "We must form a new organization for activism which will be neutral, because we are placed in a corner, we are place in a corner. It is known who we are, we are marked and I believe there should be a new neutral organization which works on both sides."
CAIR was founded a year later, in 1994, by Ahmad and Awad. In March 1994, Awad was taped at Miami's Barry University publicly declaring his support for Hamas: "I am in support of the Hamas movement more than the PLO," Awad said.
A July 30, 1994 agenda for the Palestine Committee, seized by federal agents and introduced at trial, showed that "suggestions to develop the work" of HLF, CAIR and other organizations was on the agenda.
Under the heading "The need for trained resources in the media and political fields," the agenda said: "No doubt America is the ideal location to train the necessary resources to support the Movement worldwide."
By 1995, CAIR was conducting public relations work to counter the US detention of Mousa Abu Marzook, the Hamas official and Palestine Committee member who was also head of the Muslim Brotherhood in the US.
A transcript of an August 1995 phone call intercepted by government investigators showed HLF officials Shukri Abu Baker and Ghassan Elashi talking about CAIR's efforts (see page 12 of the link).
Days before the 2001 terrorist attacks, the FBI raided the offices of Infocom, a Texas internet company connected to HLF. CAIR's Nihad Awad appeared at a press conference outside Infocom headquarters to denounce what he called an "anti-Muslim witch hunt."
CAIR remained a vocal player in the public debate after 9/11. It developed relationships with members of Congress. FBI officials frequently attended CAIR fundraising banquets, and CAIR cited such contacts in its own literature and Web site as evidence of its good standing with the government.
For more on CAIR's roots and its history of attacking law enforcement investigations and supporting Islamic terrorists, see the IPT's dossier on the group. Check back at the IPT website tomorrow for a report on CAIR's consistent refusal to condemn terrorist organizations and its rationalization of suicide bombings.
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