What happens when an 8 year old boy draws a picture of a stick-figure Jesus on the cross? He gets suspended from school, of course. Merry Christmas!

“A Taunton father is outraged after his 8-year-old son was sent home from school and required to undergo a psychological evaluation after drawing a stick-figure picture of Jesus Christ on the cross.”

“The father said he got a call earlier this month from Maxham Elementary School informing him that his son, a second-grade student, had created a violent drawing. The image in question depicted a crucified Jesus with Xs covering his eyes to signify that he had died on the cross. The boy wrote his name above the cross.”

“As far as I’m concerned, they’re violating his religion,” the incredulous father said.”

“He requested that his name and his son’s name be withheld from publication to protect the boy.”

“The student drew the picture shortly after taking a family trip to see the Christmas display at the National Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette, a Christian retreat site in Attleboro. He made the drawing in class after his teacher asked the children to sketch something that reminded them of Christmas, the father said.”

Meanwhile, another public school in Indiana is taking a more ahem progressive view of religion in the schools. By singing about Islam. Merry Christmas!

“A battle over religion is brewing in central Indiana after a public school wanted second graders to sing a song declaring, “Allah is God.” The phrase was removed just before the performance after a national conservative group launched a protest.”

“The principal of Lantern Road Elementary School in Fishers, IN, said they were trying to teach inclusiveness through their holiday production. It included references to Christmas, Hanukkah, Ramadan, Las Posadas and Kwanzaa. However, no other deity, other than Allah, was referenced in the show.”

“It went off…without a hitch,” Danielle Thompson told the Indianapolis Star. “Several families thought it was a nice program.”

“But others did not – especially David Hogan. His daughter came home with a copy of the lyrics just days before the production. Hogan, a Christian, told the American Family Association, a conservative advocacy group, that he was deeply concerned to learn that his daughter had been singing, “Allah is God.”

Confused yet? Merry Christmas!

The British government has a new idea that sounds frighteningly familiar. They want to label Jewish goods from Israel in case, you know, anyone wants to boycott them…

“The British government has issued an official recommendation urging business owners to mark Israeli products produced in West Bank settlements so that consumers who want to boycott such items will find it easy to identify them.”

“The recommendation is not binding, but this step marks an escalation in the country’s attitude toward Israel’s settlements. “

“Foreign Ministry official Naor Gilon passed along Israel’s harsh condemnation of the move to officials at the British Embassy in Israel on Wednesday.”

In other corners of the UK, the push continues for courts based on Sharia law.

“Shaykh Siddiqi, of the tribunal, said: “What we are trying to do is help the third or fourth generation British Muslims who are growing up to give them the services necessary to make Britain their homeland, rather than saying we actually want to ghettoise ourselves.”

“We are proud of our diverse society and are committed to ensuring cohesive communities. Nothing in the law of England and Wales prevents people abiding by Sharia principles if they wish, provided their actions do not conflict with English and Welsh law.”

The American left is very effective when it comes to keeping prayer out of public schools. One has to wonder if they will use their skills to stop this…

“LEWISTON — A national Muslim civil rights organization has filed a formal request with the Lewiston School Department to allow a middle school student to pray on school property. The group also wants Lewiston to modify existing policy and provide “constitutionally protected religious accommodation,” such as a designated prayer room.”

“The group has also requested the school department institute diversity training for school staff, and to ensure the middle-schooler won’t face retaliation because of her request to pray at the Lewiston Middle School.”

“According to the Washington, D.C.,-based Council on American-Islamic Relations, seventh-grader Nasra Aden had been routinely “praying discreetly during her free time or lunch break in a corner of a school hallway.” But, on Tuesday, CAIR asserts a teacher told Aden “never to pray on school property” after Aden was seen preparing to kneel in prayer in a corner of one of the hallways.”

“CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper said Friday that if the Lewiston School Department did not address its four requests to allow prayer, modify school policy, institute training and protect Aden from retaliation, “we wouldn’t really have much choice but to take the case further” because “the student has the legal right and the constitutional right to pray in school in a manner that is not disruptive to the learning environment.”

Maine could learn a thing or two from Tennessee. Paging the ACLU…

“ASHLAND CITY, Tenn. (ABP) — Tennessee’s chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit Nov. 16 accusing the Cheatham County Board of Education of ignoring more than four decades of court decisions interpreting the separation of church and state.”

“The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, claims board members and the principals of two schools for years have endorsed and promoted religion through extracurricular activities like marching band, choir and sports; classroom instruction and related content; and graduation ceremonies and other school events.”

I sure hope the ACLU goes after CAIR for trying to provide “constitutionally protected religious accommodation” like prayer rooms in public schools. They wouldn’t want to be seen as hypocrites, would they?

The people of Maine should weigh in here, too. Will they be OK with their tax dollars being used to create “prayer rooms” for Muslims in their publicly funded schools?

Most likely, liberals will have no problem with any of this. Unless of course, Muslims in Maine suddenly want to put up Christmas Trees in the schools.

After all, that would be an outrage.

First of all, why does the President of the United States have a pro-Sharia law advisor in the White House???

Second of all, why is she appearing on British television saying things like this?

“The group believes in the non-violent destruction of Western democracy and the creation of an Islamic state under Sharia Law across the world.”

“Miss Mogahed appeared alongside Hizb ut Tahrir’s national women’s officer, Nazreen Nawaz.”

“During the 45-minute discussion, on the Islam Channel programme Muslimah Dilemma earlier this week, the two members of the group made repeated attacks on secular “man-made law” and the West’s “lethal cocktail of liberty and capitalism”.”

“They called for Sharia Law to be “the source of legislation” and said that women should not be “permitted to hold a position of leadership in government”.”

Jihad Watch points out the obvious:

“Yes, all that hand-chopping and stoning really isn’t all that bad, if you look at it from the right perspective.”

The Jawa Report has video.

Paging Glenn Beck…

Please pick up the courtesy telephone…

Funny, I don’t remember hearing anything about Attorney General Eric Holder’s visit to a Los Angeles mosque. Oh, that’s because he purposely withheld information on the visit from the media and the public.

“Atty. Gen. Eric Holder Jr. made a well-publicized visit to Los Angeles this week to announce stimulus grants to help fight drug trafficking and to help the victims of domestic violence. But in a quieter event not announced to the news media or public, Holder stopped at a mosque to meet with Muslim American youths.”

“The point was to engage the Muslim community here in Los Angeles and make sure they understand this administration’s commitment to work with that community,” Justice Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.”

So why all the secrecy? I can think of only two reasons.

1. The Obama administration is not transparent at all, despite candidate Obama’s repeated campaign trail promises to be the most transparent administration in history.

2. Eric Holder is a coward. You know, the same kind of coward that he himself accused American citizens of being.

Either way, it still seems a bit odd that the attorney general of the United States would be going out of his way to meet with “American Muslim youths” at a mosque in LA.

Will Holder be making similar visits to American Catholic youths and American Jewish youths?

If and when he does, will those visits be hidden from the public as well?

Oof. Tell us how you really feel, Charles.

He makes two excellent points.

1. Comparing the United States to Iran on foreign policy behavior is bogus.

2. Comparing America’s record on women’s rights to Saudi Arabia’s record is beyond absurd.

The most recent issue of Newsweek gleefully declares “The End of Christian America.”

“This is not to say that the Christian God is dead, but that he is less of a force in American politics and culture than at any other time in recent memory. To the surprise of liberals who fear the advent of an evangelical theocracy and to the dismay of religious conservatives who long to see their faith more fully expressed in public life, Christians are now making up a declining percentage of the American population.”

*Note that in the first sentence, the writer fails to capitalize the H in “He,” a custom respected by most writers when using the pronoun in place of the word “God.”

This article goes on and on with statistics Newsweek compiled to back up the claim made in the title, none of which are trusted by this author. The point is that Newsweek, which features Obama on its cover whenever possible and regularly publishes pieces by known political leftists, has an agenda that’s crystal clear to anyone who has been paying attention. The subtext of their article seems to be it’s no longer cool to be Christian. However, a quick search reveals that Newsweek doesn’t feel that way about all religions.

On March 21 they published a piece called “The Guard Who Found Islam.”

“Army specialist Terry Holdbrooks had been a guard at Guantanamo for about six months the night he had his life-altering conversation with detainee 590, a Moroccan also known as “the General.”

“Holdbrooks pushed a pen and an index card through the mesh, and asked Errachidi to write out the shahada in English and transliterated Arabic. He then uttered the words aloud and, there on the floor of Guantánamo’s Camp Delta, became a Muslim.”

Sounds rather sympathetic doesn’t it?

How about the March 14 piece they published called “Jihad Chic Comes to London.”

“In fact, during my three-month stay in England I met a surprising number of Muslims who shared Jan’s fascination with the Taliban. The older generation, urbane and relatively well educated, had little love for the extremists. But among some younger men, frustrated and marginalized in British society, I discovered a fury that was depressingly familiar. I met many immigrants who were blatant, vocal and unquestioning in their support for what they imagined to be “jihad.” Few seemed troubled by the brutality that characterized Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar’s reign, or by his banning of music or girls’ education. Indeed, many looked back on Omar’s rule as a kind of Islamic utopia, and they eagerly snapped up the Islamist leaflets handed out after Friday prayers at various mosques around town.”

And who could forget Newsweek’s February blockbuster “Learning to Live With Radical Islam.”

Beyond Afghanistan, too, it is crucial that we adopt a more sophisticated strategy toward radical Islam. This should come naturally to President Obama, who spoke often on the campaign trail of the need for just such a differentiated approach toward Muslim countries. Even the Washington Institute, a think tank often associated with conservatives, appears onboard. It is issuing a report this week that recommends, among other points, that the United States use more “nuanced, noncombative rhetoric” that avoids sweeping declarations like “war on terror,” “global insurgency,” even “the Muslim world.”

Note that the writer slips in “a think tank often associated with conservatives.” Talk about nuance…

The Washington Institute’s own website states its mission this way:

“The Washington Institute for Near East Policy* was established to advance a balanced and realistic understanding of American interests in the Middle East. Under the guidance of a distinguished and bipartisan board of advisors.”

The “about” page even includes two quotes, one from Charles Krauthammer and the other from Al Gore.

You can choose to read Newsweek or not. You can believe our point or not. If however, you have any doubt about Newsweek’s agenda, just remember this is the same publication which waited about one week after President Obama’s inauguration before joyfully announcing We’re All Socialists Now.

If someone had told you on September 12, 2001 that radical Islam was just “a fact of life” would you have believed them? Newsweek seems to think so. On the cover of their new issue they say just that. Radical Islam is a fact of life America so just deal with it OK? Don’t make a mountain out of a mole hill. Just deal with it.

Last month we found out we are all socialists, now we are being told we just have to “deal” with radical Islam. What will Newsweek tell us next? Please leave suggestions in the comments section.

Somehow, the “death to America” crowd missed the memo about Obama bringing the world together and restoring America’s worldwide reputation.

Yahoo UK reports:

“Iranian demonstrators have often burnt effigies or pictures of U.S. presidents in protests. This appeared to be the first time Obama’s picture had been defaced so publicly, a week before his inauguration as president.”

Hmm… Haven’t they been paying attention to the lovesick teeny-bopper American media? Don’t they know that Obama is the lightbringer super dream boat loverboy who heals all wounds?

“The demonstrators, waving Palestinian flags, some chanting “Death to Obama,” had gathered outside the Swiss embassy which handles U.S. interests because Tehran and Washington have not had diplomatic ties for nearly three decades.”

Whaaaaattt??? This makes no sense! Didn’t they see how the 2008 election of Obama made America a better place? Don’t they appreciate His brilliance and his supreme oratory skills? Haven’t they been watching MSNBC?

Don’t they know the naive one still wants to talk with them?

And why not? They’re obviously very reasonable people.

This is the Iranian version of Proposition 8:

Perhaps you have heard about Sharia law in England.

How about New England?

A Catholic School in Rhode Island recently sold a building to the Ocean State’s first Muslim School. They didn’t charge them any interest because that’s against Sharia law. How nice. Can I buy a house with no interest?

Of course there’s already a mosque in Boston, MA with terrorist connections.

And word on the street is that the Mall of America in Minnesota is installing prayer rooms for Muslims on the go.

Just don’t criticize any of this in public. After all, we wouldn’t want to offend anyone.