The tactic of calling clear refutations of an opinion untruthful is the weakest one possible. It shows you understand that if they’re true, the opinion collapses.

I believe they’re true, in this case.

“Rabih Haddad, a CAIR fundraiser, was arrested in December 2001 on terrorism-related charges and deported from the United States due to his subsequent work as executive director of the Global Relief Foundation, a charity he cofounded[41] which was designated by the U.S. Treasury Department in October 2002 for financing Al-Qaeda and other terrorist organizations.[42]

Siraj Wahhaj, a CAIR advisory board member, was named in 1995 by U.S. attorney Mary Jo White as a possible unindicted coconspirator in the plot to blow up New York City landmarks led by the blind sheikh, Omar Abdul Rahman. In defense of having Wahhaj on its advisory board, CAIR described him as “one of the most respected Muslim leaders in America.”[43] In October 2004, he spoke at a CAIRdinner.”

“A founder of the Texas chapter of a highly influential U.S. Islamic lobby group (CAIR)was found guilty of supporting terrorism.

Ghassan Elashi, along with two brothers, was convicted in Dallas yesterday of channeling funds to a high-ranking official of the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, Mousa Abu Marzook.”

but wait

“Former Idaho student Bassem K. Khafagi was arrested in January in a hotel near New York City’s LaGuardia Airport and was returned to Michigan to face bank fraud charges, the FBI source told The Associated Press….At the time of his arrest, Khafagi was community affairs director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, based in Washington, D.C.”

that’s not all

“Randall (“Ismail”) Royer, an American convert to Islam, served as CAIR’s communications specialist and civil rights coordinator; today he sits in jail on terrorism-related charges. In June 2003, Royer and ten other young men, ages 23 to 35, known as the “Virginia jihad group,” were indicted on forty-one counts of “conspiracy to train for and participate in a violent jihad overseas.”

Here is to you Rep.-elect Ellison, way to stand up for your beliefs by skipping meeing. I suppose that would be a contribution to peace in the Middle East (Middle of Eastern US).

Is the Bush Administration (who passed legislation that allows them to arrest and detain ANYONE- citizen or not, who MAY have ties to terror groups as well as wiretap the shit out of us) so incompetent and weak on terror that they allow a group like CAIR to operate on American soil? Why haven’t anyone associated with them been arrested? Are they so weak that they only arrest poor terrorist?

You got a choice here. You can beleive that CAIR is a terror related group and its members are dangerous for America— Or you can stop looking for black helicopters (with a cresent on them) and try attacking Keith for his legislative priorities.

MDE and you guys are starting to sound like nuts.

So goes the announcement from Nihad Awad, described by the StarTribuen as a college acquaintance (I think “friend” would be more accurate) of Ellison’s. Now we’re supposed to believe that Ellison was never scheduled to speak at the CAIR conference, despite his friendship with Awad and fundraising efforts by Awad for Ellison (Awad donated thousands of dollars to Ellison’s campaign, and defended Ellison in a StarTrib op-ed piece).

So, let’s review some facts:

Nihad Awad, executive director of the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations, flew to Minneapolis for an Aug. 25 fundraiser for Ellison.

Ellison is STILL listed as the featured speaker at the CAIR banquet.

Cusick claims that Ellison had never accepted the group’s [CAIR] invitation and was never scheduled to appear at the banquet.

There are lies here, people. Major lies. Obvious and intentional deception on the part of Keith Ellison.

Yep, just a “natural, normal miscommunication.” Well, it has become normal, for Ellison anyway. He normally lies, so this is normal for him.

Whoops.

And another point – if CAIR is a totally benign group, as Ellison’s supporters continually insist, then why distance yourself from them at all, as Ellison seems to be doing?

Cusick seems to be trying to say “CAIR doesn’t officially support Keith Ellison” – first of all, that’s not true, and second of all, why deny that CAIR supports Ellison is CAIR is an above-the-board, moderate organization?

It’s one or the other – you can’t have your cake and eat it too, Bridget.