ADMIRAL LYONS ON OBAMA'S STRATEGY: 'IT'S ANTI-AMERICAN...PRO-ISLAMIC, IT'S PRO-IRANIAN, AND PRO-MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD!'

By Michael W. Chapman | March 2, 2015 | 6:18 PM EST.        

Admiral James “Ace” Lyons, Jr. (Ret.), the former commander in chief of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, said that President Barack Obama does have a strategy for dealing with Islamic radicals in the Middle East and it is an “anti-American” and “pro-Islamic” strategy,” as well as “pro-Iranian” and “pro-Muslim Brotherhood” strategy.



In his remarks at a recent Defeat Jihad Summit sponsored by the Center for Security Policy, Admiral Lyons spoke of a number of failed opportunities the United States had, since the late 1970s, to deal a crippling blow to Islamic jihadism and “change the course of history.”

Towards the end of his comments, Admiral Lyons, who commanded the U.S. Pacific Fleet under President Ronald Reagan in 1985-87, said, “You know, we all say we have to identify the threat. Well, I think the one who identified it the best was [President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan from Turkey when he said, ‘Islam is Islam. There are no modifiers [e.g., Islamic extremism]. Democracy is the train we ride to our ultimate objective.’”



“He couldn’t have said it any plainer,” said Lyons. “And until you recognize that Islam is a political movement masquerading as a religion, you’re never going to come to grips with it. And as far as a strategy – let me just conclude one thing, as I just had in my latest op-ed -- the Obama Administration has a strategy.”

“It’s very simple, any thinking American should be able to grasp,” said the admiral.  “It’s anti-American, anti-Western, it’s pro-Islamic, it’s pro-Iranian, and pro-Muslim Brotherhood!”



Lyons, a Naval Academy graduate who served 36 years in the U.S. Navy,  currently is the president and CEO of Lion Associates, an international consulting firm that specializes in anti-terrorist security services. Further commenting on the threat posed by Islamists, Admiral Lyons said, “We’ve had many opportunities to change the course of history. And it hasn’t mattered whether it’s been a Republican or a Democratic or a administration, we failed every one of them, starting with Carter and the takeover of our embassy [in Iran in 1979].”



“We could have cut off [Ayatollah Ruhollah] Khomeni and Islamic fundamentalism at the knees,” said the admiral.  “We were going to take Kharg Island [in the Persian Gulf], and he [Carter] rejected it.   We could have walked in. The next time was the Marine barracks bombing [in Beiruit, Lebanon, 1983], and you all probably wonder why we never responded.”



“I won’t go into the long detail but the guy that sabotaged the strike – and I’m glad you’re all sitting down – was the Secretary of Defense [Caspar Weinberger],” said Lyons. “Not once, but twice. Reagan approved -- the French wanted to do a combined strike and Reagan approved it, and Weinberger wouldn’t issue the order.”



 “I have personally talked to [former Secretary of State] George Schultz and [former National Security Adviser] Bud McFarlane,” said Lyons. “They told me they pleaded with him and he wouldn’t do it. You have to say, who the Hell got to him or what got to him? I’ve never been able to get an answer on that.”



Lyons continued, “In the Gulf tanker war, in ’87, we were going to bring down the Khomeini regime. … The one who undercut us the most was our own chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, [Admiral James] Crowe at the time. Crowe at the time.

“If you go forward, you know we shot down [on July 3, 1988] by accident that Iranian civilian airliner [Iran Air Flight 655], a few months later,” he said. “And what did Khomeini do? He said, ‘I’m drinking from the chalice of poison.’ And he said I have to make a truce with Saddam Hussein because the Americans have shown they’re coming in on Iraq’s side.  Well, think of what the Hell we could have done had we executed the strike we wanted to do in August of ‘87.”



Speaking at the National Press Club back in January, Admiral Lyons said that “the fundamental transformation of America,” espoused by Obama, “has been in full swing ever since 2008.”



“President Obama’s no-show in Paris,” after the Islamist attack on the Charlie Hebdo office and personnel, “was an embarrassment for all Americans,” said Admiral Lyons. “But it also was a signal to the Islamic jihadis. It’s one of many signals he’s sent over the years while he’s in office.”



(Michael W. Chapman)  

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EUROPE HAS LOST THE ISLAMIC WAR

 

By Giulio Meotti, INN

The Wall Street Journal just published a shocking article revealing what Patrick Calvar, France’s director general of intelligence, has in mind.

“The confrontation is inevitable,” said Mr. Calvar. There are an estimated 15,000 Salafists among France’s seven million Muslims, “whose radical-fundamentalist creed dominates many of the predominantly Muslim housing projects at the edges of cities such as Paris, Nice or Lyon. Their preachers call for a civil war, with all Muslims tasked to wipe out the miscreants down the street”.

Yes, France is heading toward the “inevitable confrontation”. 84 adults and children have just been tortured to death in Nice by a truck whose driver told a guard he was bringing ice creams to celebrants of the French holiday of egalitarian values. An apparent gesture of mortuary hysteria, but in fact a spectacular horrendous massacre celebrated by the international Jihad and by many European Muslims.



Meanwhile, in response, Europe just renewed its show of shallow rhetoric. Take the declarations of the French leaders after the attack at Charlie Hebdo, Paris’ theatre and restaurants and now in Nice. These are always identical.

Nobody is really fighting this war. Europe just wants to be left in peace.

On the ashes of the World Trade Center, George W. Bush rose to the fight. In those years, the United States and its European allies proved themselves “the stronger horse” and the forces of the “weaker horse” of Al Qaeda began to lose heart. When Islamists were thrown on the defensive, recruits dropped off. Attacks on Western cities diminished.

After eight years of Barack Hussein Obama and Europe’s retreat from the war on terror, the West appears to be the weaker horse and the Islamists the stronger one.

A few days ago, I asked Professor Bruce Thornton of California State University what Europe should do to reverse this horrible trend. His answer was revealing:

“There is no political will for waging total war against ISIS. It would require 100,000 troops and massive bombing to eliminate as many jihadists as possible. We would have to abandon rules of engagement that privilege the enemy’s people over our own. At home, we would have to increase deportations and publicly demand that Muslim communities in the West disavow Jihadism and Sharia law”.

Of course, Europe and the West are not adopting any of these important and clearly articulated measures.

-Radical Islamists have already infiltrated Europe’s universities, mosques and cities’ outskirts.

-Institutional Islam has been able to convince Europeans that terror “has nothing to do with Islam”.

-Mainstream media is refusing even to spell the name of the enemy and it is just preparing new articles about the next victims of Jihad.

-Pope Francis is busy in preaching clemency to everybody.

-The remnant of European Jewry is fleeing the old continent.

-Europe’s armies are getting smaller by the day.

Abandon any hope: Without a major cultural revolution and shock, Europe is lost, Islamists will win! And as it goes along, we will cede more and more of our freedom and civilization to the Grand Jihad.

Giulio Meotti

The writer, a gentile Italian journalist with Il Foglio, writes a twice-weekly column for Arutz Sheva. He is the author of the book "A New Shoah", that researched the personal stories of Israel's terror victims, published by Encounter and of "J'Accuse: the Vatican Against Israel" published by Mantua Books.. His writing has appeared in publications, such as the Wall Street Journal, Frontpage and Commentary.

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Filipino BBQ Chicken

Southeast Asia is well-known for having some of the most delicious dishes due to the region’s diverse cultural influences as well as its broad array of tropical fruits and vegetables and fragrant spices. But up until recently Filipino cuisine was ignored, despite the fact that Filipino-Americans are America’s second largest Asian ethnic group behind Chinese. Filipinos, who are sometimes called the Latinos of Asia, have a rich culinary history influenced by Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Spanish and American cuisine. I was first introduced to Filipino food while living in Taipei. Every Sunday afternoon my husband and I would head down to a little neighborhood known as “Little Manila” to hang out with our Filipino migrant worker friends in the park behind the Catholic church. Most of the men were factory workers, while the women were usually maids, nannies and caregivers. Many of them worked long hours under difficult working conditions, but they would really let loose on their one day off a week.

Even though they didn’t have much money, our Filipino friends always brought a huge amount of food and drinks to share, which I’ve often tried to make myself. Many Filipino dishes are made with a few simple ingredients but are packed full of flavors.

Summer is the perfect time to share with you this oh-so-simple Filipino-style barbecue chicken.
 

You will need:

(serves 4 to 5 people)

Ingredients:

8 to 10 chicken thighs, with bone and skin

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 scallions, chopped

the juice of 1 lime

1 Tbsp. brown sugar

1 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar

¹⁄₂ tsp. black pepper

¹⁄₄ tsp. white pepper

1¹⁄₂ cup Sprite

¹⁄₂ cup soy sauce

¹⁄₂ cup ketchup

chopped scallions and lime wedges for garnish 

 

Directions:

Start by cleaning the chicken thighs and then butterfly them, leaving the bone and skin on. This will help ensure that the meat cooks evenly. You may use the boneless chicken thighs that are already butterflied, but I do think the bone and skin give it more flavor.

Mix everything in a Tupperware container or ziplock bag along with the chicken thighs. Then add the Sprite to the marinade. Although it may seem like a weird ingredient, the Sprite not only sweetens the bbq but, most importantly, it helps to break down the protein in the meat and tenderizes it while making the meat extra juicy when it’s cooked. Let the meat marinate for 8 hours to overnight in the refrigerator.

Once the meat has been marinated, it’s ready to go on the grill. Grill the chicken thighs on high heat with skin side down for five to six minutes. Then turn it over and let it cook for another five minutes until both sides are golden brown. Note: time may vary depending on the size of the meat.

Sprinkle some chopped scallions and lime juice over the cooked barbecue chicken.

Share this easy and delicious meal with your family and friends

Check out Korean BBQ recipe at http://thewayriceshouldbe.blogspot.com/2015/10/bulgogi-korean-bbq.html

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THE POLICE OFFICER’S JOB, COMPARE 1960 TO 2016.

by Marshall Frank on JULY 1, 2016 in CRIMINAL JUSTICE

     Okay, all you old-time cops…what are the biggest changes in law enforcement that have taken place in the last 30,40, 50 years?  My rookie season was 1960 in the Dade County Sheriff’s Office, which later morphed into the Public Safety Department, now known as Miami-Dade P.D. Here’s some of my observations, from the top of my head:

• The police academy was eight weeks, followed by four months of riding with a trainer. Then you were on your own. (Today, academies are more like 9 months)

• Minimum standards to be a police officer: 1) male gender, 2) Age 21-35, 3) Height 5’9” to 6’ 4”, weight proportional. Physical fitness also included ability to swim. Nearly all new hires were white and Anglo, though not a requirement. (The Cuban migration situation had not yet begun until 1961.)

• “Policewoman” was a separate county classification which did not allow promotions for females. Women were hired to handle juvenile matters and female prisoner searches.

• Cops never routinely wore bullet proof vests

• Officers used .38 revolvers, 4” to 6” barrel, purchased privately.  We also had to buy our own handcuffs. Motormen wore clam shell holsters that flipped open with a push of the button.

• We patrolled in one-man cars, even in high-crime area. One two-man unit was sent out per shift, they were primarily used for prisoner transport, violent calls and back-ups.

• No computers, they were not yet developed for the marketplace. We used radios, wired to the vehicle. All calls and notes were hand written on clipboards.

• No cameras on the dash, or anywhere.

• Uniformed cars had domed red light flashers, no visibars.

• No air conditioning in police cars. Officers patrolled with windows open which enabled them to hear everything outside.

• Drug arrests were relatively uncommon

• Alcohol arrests were very common




• Public Drunk and Vagrancy were common catch-all charges when making minor arrests.




• Dade County was strictly segregated, including residences, schools and the County Jail. If a black person was found after dark, walking or driving on the beach side of the county…without a work permit, they could be arrested for Vagrancy.

• Yes, racial discrimination existed. New officers were taught that their statistical records would improve if they looked for blacks driving jalopies, because they usually hadn’t paid a prior ticket, or had failed to show up in court, thus the open arrest warrant.

• Minority hiring, including females and Hispanics, accelerated starting in the late 1960’s through the ’70’s.




• The breathalyzer reading for legal drunkenness was .150

• No overtime pay. When officers worked 40 hours or 80, same pay. (until 1973) Night shift officers attended court on their own time.

• PBA (Police Benevolent Association) emerged as a significant bargaining entity in the early 1970s, and later evolved into a full-fledged union.

• Restaurants usually accommodated on-duty officers with half-price meals, and in some cases, free. Drive-in movies, off-duty: Free

• Salary scale in 1960 was $312 monthly (gross) payable twice a month on the 1stand 15th.  My first take-home paycheck for two-weeks, in 1960:  $110.

• Most cops smoked cigarettes.  (Most people smoked cigarettes)

• There was no tolerance for officer incompetence or laziness. Officers whose morality, energy or courage were in question often found themselves out of a job.  Rookies who performed poorly did not pass probation.

• Officers had enormous discretion in making arrests…particularly lesser offenses like first-time DWI and Disorderly.  Persons with no prior police record, and a good attitude, could be taxied home. Cops cared about attaching police records to young people.

• Police officers were shown respect by 98 percent of the people, including teens.

• To young ladies, uniformed officers were like a flame to the moth.

• Not uncommon for officers, on midnight shifts, to sneak up on parked lovers. People could not afford motel rooms.

• Alcoholism prevailed with too many officers whose private lives were wrecked.

• Suicide rates were unusually high among police officers. In my 30 year career, I knew a dozen officers that committed suicide, many of them in the 1960’s and 70’s.

These are thirty items comparing the police job (in Miami) of 50 years ago. Let’s hear from some other old timers.

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Zhong Zhi ( Celebrating The Dragon Boat Festival)

Growing up in South Africa and being the only Asian kid in class wasn’t always easy, particularly when it came to meal time. My Korean mom always lovingly packed a little tin box with her delicious Korean and Chinese lunches, but I always dreaded opening it because inevitably one of the kids would lean over my shoulder, peer at whatever exotic item I had and ask snidely, “What are you eating?!” 

The most embarrassing food she packed was zhongzi, a savory rice dumpling wrapped in bamboo leaves. Although it’s delicious, it also probably looked pretty bizarre to the other students. I so envied the white kids with their little sandwiches with the crusts cut off. And one year, to avoid being made fun of, I actually told my mom that I wasn’t hungry and didn’t want lunch. 
Surprisingly, she agreed to stop packing me a lunch, but when lunchtime came I could feel my stomach growling and began to think about my zhongzi at home. Then one day, a little girl named Abigail noticed I was hungry and started sharing her Vegimite sandwich with me for lunch. Then one day my older brother caught me eating the sandwich and accused me of lying to my mom. After he told on me, my mom called me over and said, “That’s so nice of Abigail, why don’t you bring her a zhongzi tomorrow for lunch?” 


The Dragon Boat Festival, which fell on June 9 this year, is one of the biggest holidays in the Chinese diaspora. The festival commemorates the death of the poet and government minister Qu Yuan, who lived from 340 to 278 BC during the Warring State period of the Zhou Dynasty. According to conventional history, when the Zhou king allied with the Qin state, Qu was banished to exile for opposing the alliance. Out of deep sorrow, the patriotic poet drowned himself in the Milou River. 

It was said that the people of Zhou raced out on the river in boats to find Qu's body, thus the tradition of dragon boast race was born. When they couldn't find Qu's body, they wanted him to rest in peace so the villages came together and made rice dumplings wrapped inside bamboo leaves to feed the fish in the river in order to prevent the fish to eat Qu's body. which is where the tradition of eating Zhong Zi came from. Other tales tells the Qu killed himself after his love was rejected by the the king. Whatever the real story was, The tradition of racing dragon boat and eating zhongzi are still practiced till this day and makes the Drago Boat Festival the Third biggest Chinese holiday in Asia.

Zhongzi come in different varieties but are traditionally made with glutinous rice, dried shrimp, five spice, pork belly, peanuts and cured egg yolks. There’s also a dessert version which is either made with sweet glutinous rice or tapioca with bean or fruit filling. Most people don’t make their own zhongzi anymore as it’s more convenient to buy them freshly made at the wet market. 

However, my mother has always made her own zhongzi and while it’s not the most traditional kind, it’s the most delicious zhongzi in my opinion. So this week I’d like to share with you my mother’s zhongzi recipe to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival.

Ingredients:
Directions:
You may also skip this step and just mix the pork, eggs and mushrooms in the rice. Although it would not be considered a zhongzi, it is just as delicious this way. But I do highly recommend wrapping it up in the bamboo leaves because the leaves give the rice a unique fragrance after it’s steamed. Zhongzi are often served with hot sauce. You can keep them in the refrigerator for two weeks or in the freezer up to three months. They heat up nicely in the microwave. 

(Makes 8 to 10 zhongzi)

For the braised pork:

¹⁄₂ lb. pork shoulder

³⁄₄ cup dark soy sauce

3 cups water

8 to 10 shiitake mushrooms

1 Tbsp. raw sugar

3 star anise

¹⁄₄ tsp. five spice

1 tsp. olive oil

4 to 5 hard-boiled eggs

For the rice:

2¹⁄₂ cups short-grain white rice

¹⁄₃ cup olive oil

1 cup shallots

5¹⁄₂ cup water

20 bamboo leaves (available at Asian grocery stores)

Start by cutting up the pork into one- to two-inch chunks and soak the mushrooms in warm water for five minutes. In a non-stick skillet on high heat sear the pork with olive oil for two minutes until it’s golden brown. Mix in the soy sauce and sugar and cook for another 30 seconds.

Now transfer the pork into a deep pot. Add in the mushrooms, hard-boiled eggs, star anise, five spice and water. Bring it to a boil and then turn it down to low heat. Let it cook for two hours. 

For the rice, cut shallots into small dices. Then on medium high heat, stir-fry them in ¹⁄₃ cup olive oil for two minutes until they are golden brown. 

Stir in the rice and let it cook for 1 minute.Then add in 5¹⁄₂ cups water, turn heat down to medium low, keep stirring until most of the water is reduced. This will take 10 to 12 minutes. Then turn the heat down to low, cover it up and let it cook for another 10 minutes. Once the rice is cooked, set it aside until the braised pork is ready.  

After two hours, the pork should be very tender. Ladle ²⁄₃ cup of the braised juice into the rice and mix to combine. 

Now for the assembling. Wash and soak the bamboo leaves for at least ten minutes. Stack two bamboo leaves on top of each other, fold the two ends together to create a cone, then stuff the rice, egg, pork and mushrooms into the leaves. Cover the rice up with the excess leaf, then tie up the zhongzi with butcher twine. Steam the zhongzi for ten minutes on high heat.

Enjoy!

Sponsored by The Free Press

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