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Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Debbie Does Detroit - Tonight 6 PM Adat Shalom Synagogue

A Florida synagogue has cancelled a scheduled keynote appearance by Democratic National Committee Chair and Florida Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz after a quake erupted along political fault lines. Why is our Federation-funded JCRC featuring Obama’s chief Jewish campaigner tomorrow night? 
Talking Tachlis has received many emails about tonight’s appearance by Rep. Wasserman-Schultz at JCRC's annual Activist Award event questioning why the Democratic Party spokeswoman and Obama mouthpiece was the invited guest speaker for a Federation-funded council that represents itself, and collects donations, as a non-partisan entity.
In the lead-up to this historic 2012 presidential election, much attention has been devoted to the ‘Jewish vote.’  Just last month, the online Daily Beast expanded on “Obama’s Problem with Jewish Voters.” Citing the widely reported Public Religion Research Institute’s poll in early April which found that 62 percent of 1004 American Jews said they would vote for Obama, the article points out:  “We would do well to remind ourselves that Obama is having trouble with Jewish voters.”
This is against the backdrop of widely acknowledged frothy relations between the White House and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, growing  concerns about the West’s failure to check Iran’s nuclear menace to Israel, and the major upset in New York ‘s special election which saw Republican Bob Turner take the Democratic stronghold district vacated by the ‘exposed’ Congressman Anthony Weiner.  As the Huffington Post reported:
 It sounded improbable on the surface that a New York City congressional district where Democrats have a 3-1 registration edge and have held office for nearly a century could even come close to electing a Republican to the U.S. House.
But voter frustration over the sour economy and President Barack Obama's policies made the improbable a reality, as a Republican political novice, Bob Turner, scored an upset victory in a special election Tuesday over David Weprin, a Democratic assemblyman from a prominent local political family. The surprising results in the Brooklyn and Queens-area district portend a perilous national environment for Obama as he prepares to seek re-election next year.
Enter Debbie Wasserman Schultz, center stage in Detroit, to bolster Obama’s waning popularity among Jewish voters.  It will be some tour de force for this headline act from central casting to avoid political speechifying to smooth over Obama’s record on Israel and Bibi snubs like his open mic comments with Sarkozy.  Wasserman-Shultz herself has come under fire for her support of JStreet, an organization Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren has repeatedly assailed for its hostility to Israel, and for addressing a fundraiser for a radical Islamist organization. Many have also called into question the Obama camp’s support for Occupy Wall Street in light of documented antipathy to Israel, to AIPAC and anti-Semitic statements.  One only need read the Occupy statement here to see why Jews and Israel-supporters are raising concerns about the Occupy movement and wondering why the President refuses to repudiate his earlier support.
Wasserman-Shultz’s Midwest trip will also include a stop in Wisconsin to pump up Democrat voters one week before the special gubernatorial recall election. Her politicking in Wisconsin is certainly understandable, given her role as high priestess of the Democratic Party and given the high stakes in the Badger State, being called a bellwether for the November presidential election.
 But what is inexplicable is that the footlights at the gala for what is supposed to be a non-partisan Jewish “public affairs voice of the Detroit Jewish community” will be shining on Wasserman-Schultz in her cameo appearance in Detroit.  After all, the JCRC should not be a political platform advancing the interests of any politicians or parties since, as its mission statement purports:
As the umbrella body for more than 200 local Jewish organizations, Council unifies, mobilizes, represents and is responsible to the Detroit metropolitan Jewish community.”
If truly the JCRC has as its goal the purpose of “unifying” our community and is “responsible” to the entire community, why would it invite as the marquis speaker at its major annual event the head of the Democratic National Committee and Obama’s Jewish proxy?  Wasserman-Shultz blitzes the country and news shows propping up Obama and bashing GOP presumptive nominee Mitt Romney. She even took heat four days ago on CNN for the “hypocrisy” of the Obama campaign’s attack on Romney’s record at Bain Capital, as reported in Politico.
There is no attempt at even an appearance of political neutrality by the JCRC.  If there was, one could imagine that a more balanced approach that truly respects non-partisanship would have included equal time to the likes of an Eric Cantor, the Jewish Congressman from Virginia who is the Majority Leader of Congress.
Plain and simple, no matter any attempt to spin it otherwise, this is our Jewish community’s central address playing it one way to drum up support for President Obama.  This contradicts not only its ostensible objective, but it runs afoul of the IRS stipulations that organizations benefitting from tax-exempt status as 501(c) 3 charitable organizations steer clear of political partisanship.
No doubt, JCRC, the Federation and others may try to play the Jewish community for fools and feign that Wasserman Schultz is not coming to speak in her capacity as prime political operative.  But if not to advance the interests of the Democratic Party and Obama’s political fortunes, why would a key political asset like W-S take time away from her dance card to waltz before Jews in Detroit?
Yes, Rep. W-S is a cancer survivor and she is to be admired as a mother and uber-successful political figure fighting and calling attention to the disease.  But the pretense that she is coming here as a spokeswoman for breast cancer or any other health concern just won’t wash.  If the intent of the JCRC was to spotlight breast cancer or other health issues, surely there are multitudes of speakers far more expert in these matters who don’t bring the same political voltage as the head of the DNC. 
A Federation-funded and overseen-JCRC sensitive to its obligation to be politically neutral and sensitive to ‘diversity’ would never have dared to bring in a political star of W-S’s stature, unless you are committed even more to delivering Jewish votes in November.  You don’t get much more politically heavyweight than W-S.  Any attempted justification to the contrary for bringing her in is B-S.
The Federation and its JCRC have already voted, with their actions, to gin up Detroit Jewish support for Obama.   The role of the Federation and JCRC, much as the role of synagogues and all non-profit institutions, is NOT to politic for any candidate or party.  So, now, it’s up to metro Detroit Jewry to vote too – by withholding our donations.  We in Detroit could stand to learn a lesson from Jewish Floridians when our institutions fail us. 
The blowback from Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz’ political tactics that the Shark Tank first reported on last week has resulted in a unprecedented public outcry and political pressure being brought to bear on the Trustees and Rabbis of Temple Israel in Miami – pressure which may lead (did lead) to the cancellation of Wasserman Schultz’ appearance at the Temple scheduled for this Friday night.

Collective resignations and public outcry forced the cancellation of W-S’s speaking engagement at Temple Israel in Miami Beach.  Why again is she speaking in Detroit?
By: Alan Bergstein
Source: BIZPAC Review
Date: May 25, 2012
When Boca Raton's B'nai Torah refused to allow a former synagogue member to respond to a recent speech by the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice, it apparently sent tremors that reached all the way to Miami Beach's Temple Israel. Temple Israel was scheduled to host a speech by U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, on Friday. A prominent member of the Miami synagogue, Stanley Tate, requested equal time to refute whatever political points Wasserman Schultz would make. 
But the entire event was cancelled, perhaps out of concern that Temple Israel would earn the same bad rap the Boca synagogue got in the wake of Rice’s speech. And these two events may set the stage for other religious institutions to shun anything dealing with politics during the months leading up to the Nov. 6 elections. But what is it that leads Jewish institutions to risk the loss of their tax-exempt status to score political points anyway?
Tate is not just an ordinary guy. At 85 years old, he is a terrific philanthropist, having given millions of his own money to endow college scholarships for deserving kids.  His life experiences and his knowledge of government qualifies him to stand next to Wasserman Schultz to debate the benefits or liabilities of having President Obama re-elected. He is also a major financial benefactor to the synagogue. So why was Tate denied this opportunity to challenge Wasserman Schultz and even make some points of his own? You see, diversity of political opinion is not the usual practice in many Jewish institutions. For years, it was taken for granted that Jewish institutions and social agencies were run by and for those with a liberal mindset. It was naturally assumed that Jews were Democrats. In the 2008 presidential election, Obama garnered 78 percent of the Jewish vote.
But nearly four years later, things have changed. And not for the betterment of the Democratic Party. Jews are unhappy with the obvious partiality that this administration has shown to the Palestinians in their efforts to destroy Israel. And then there’s many Jews’ belief that the president is soft on terror and Iran. This has changed the whole complexion of the political scene in the crucial state of Florida. Political pundits tell us that this state is crucial to the election of the next president. The Democrats can no longer count on the knee-jerk support of the Jewish voter. So they have brought out their heavy artillery to boost their waning political support among this now-wary bunch. Former Congressman Robert Wexler, Wasserman Schultz, Vice President Joe Biden and even Barack Obama have spent valuable electioneering days giving pep talks to revive the crowd. But their usual, friendly speaking haunts may have vanished due to the militancy of some Boca protesters and the fear they may have generated in the front offices of these institutions. Talk is that B B'nai Torah had a rash of members resign as a result of their actions in threatening to arrest the peaceful protesters.
The repercussions of the actions of these two synagogues will have a terrific impact on who gets Florida's 29 electoral votes. The virtual closing down of religious institutions to Democratic-only speakers will surely resonate with fewer Jewish voters being swayed in the comfort of their own religious sanctuaries. The loss of the rabbis' endorsement of these candidates will be costly as well. Voters will have to resort to attending open debates among the candidates in public venues, and that's dangerous from the liberals' point of view. It's better to have a captive audience controlled by the rabbi than have an open forum with competing views.
We'll have to wait to see the fallout from the pressured actions of these two synagogues. You can rest assured that other religious institutions and social agencies are re-thinking their speakers' schedules. Will they go ahead as planned with their Democratic agendas and risk protests, share the podium with Republicans, or just cancel the talks completely? Those decisions may make or break the campaign strategy of the Democrats in Florida and around the country. Let's wait and see.
***Update-The temple’s president, Ben Kuehne, a Miami attorney, said the event was cancelled because of “security concerns.” He said they “certainly embrace the congresswoman’s willingness to participate in one of our programs” but decided it was “unwise to proceed with the program tomorrow.”-Miami Herald

The blowback from Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz’  political tactics that the Shark Tank first reported on last week has resulted in a unprecedented public outcry and political pressure being brought to bear on the Trustees and Rabbis of Temple Israel in Miami – pressure which may lead to the cancellation of  Wasserman Schultz’ appearance at the Temple scheduled for this Friday night.

As you may recall, the Shark Tank reported on the sanctioning of the former President and long time member of Temple Israel, Stanley Tate.  Tate was told he would not allowed to address the Temple’s congregation either before or after Wasserman Schultz spoke at the May 25th event, prompting him to send out a scathing letter to the members of the Temple in which he described what transpired between him and the Temple’s Trustees that ultimately lead to his resignation.
Mr. Tate told the Shark Tank that the oldest member of the Temple- a 94 year-old woman, along with many other members have sided with him and have collectively resigned from the Temple.  Temple Israel was constructed 90 years ago.
The President wants the Jewish people to believe that he is in favor of peace, but what he really wants is to give the Palestinians what they want, a two-state solution that  divides Jerusalem. President Obama went to Cairo, Egypt to give a speech, yet he has never been to Israel”.-  Stanley Tate
Several of South Florida’s grassroots organizations are planning to protest Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz’s May 25th appearance at Temple Israel in North Miami. Wasserman Schultz is still currently scheduled to address the congregation at 7:30pm.

 By Javier Manjarres\
DNC Chair/Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s partisan political tactics have brought an end to the 70 year-old relationship between Temple Israel of North Miami and one of its past presidents and most respected members, the honorable Stanley Tate.
Wasserman Schultz and Tate were both scheduled to address the Temple Israel congregation regarding U.S.-Israeli relations, but apparently Wasserman Schultz couldn’t handle the fact that Tate would undoubtedly contradict her partisan talking points- so much for “diversity” when it comes to Debbie allowing equal time to opposing points of view. In what can only be described as an act of political spite, Wasserman Schultz strongly voiced her objection to Tate’s scheduled address directly to the Temple’s Board of Trustees, and based on her objections and political pressure, the Trustees decided to scrap Tate’s address to the congregation.
In a recent letter sent out by Mr. Tate to the Temple’s congregation, Tate stated that he would not be speaking at the forthcoming May 25th services-
I have been told by the Temple Israel Board of Trustees, that in no uncertain terms, I am not welcome, nor am I desired to speak on the bema (dais), nor does the Temple want me in any way to address the attendees on the evening of May 25th, after the Shabbat Services, even though the other invited speaker will be giving her politically motivated remarks on the topic of “Maintaining a Strong U.S. – Israel Relationship.” – Stanley Tate
Tate also stated that the Board of Trustees held a “special” meeting on May 14th where the majority of the board decided not to let him address the congregation.
During a phone interview with Mr. Tate, the former founder of the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) said that Wasserman Schultz told board members, “Stanley cannot be allowed to speak”, and that “no other speaker can speak in opposition before or after her.”

Tate said that “they are going to try to prevent me to speak,” and also indicated that the “Temple Israel is putting its tax-exempt status at jeopardy” by permitting Wasserman Schultz to address the congregation.
Wasserman Schultz and Stanley Tate’s bumpy relationship stems back to her days in the Florida Legislature when she brought in a crying baby onto the House floor, prompting Tate to tell her that she was out of line for doing so. According to Tate, Wasserman Schultz snapped at him and said, “Its none of your G**-damn business.”
“She (DWS) is an opportunist.” – Stanley Tate

Another reason Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz could be a little upset at Tate is because Mr.Tate has openly endorsed her chief adversary and likely Republican opponent Karen Harrington.
Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun, President of the Orthodox Alliance of Florida has also expressed his dissatisfaction with Wasserman Schultz and Temple Israel-
Synagogues should not be used for political purposes, and for Mr. Stanley Tate to be told that he cannot speak in front a congregation in which his family has helped found with 70 years of dedicated service goes against the bible’s teachings of thanking people for the good that they do. The Bema (dais) is traditionally not used for any political purpose, and it is unfortunate that Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s politics has ruined the 70 year family relationship between Tate and the Temple.- Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun

Stanley Tate and his family have since resigned their membership from Temple Israel. Here is Stanley Tate’s letter to the congregation of Temple Israel-;


By: Alan Bergstein
Source: BIZPAC Review
Date: September 28, 2011
U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Weston, has recently tried to disassociate herself from the radical Jewish group, J Street. The militancy and terror of the Palestinians, whom this organization has supported as credible peace partners for Israel, prompted her to shun it for fear of Jewish voter rage. Just look at the recent election in New York City, where an age-old Democratic seat went Republican because of the Israel issue.
But recent events have suggested the congresswoman isn’t distancing herself enough. It should be noted here that Wasserman Schultz hosted the first J Street convention three years ago, the same convention that also had then-Congressman Robert Wexler as the keynote speaker. And then there’s the issue of last month’s gathering in Washington.
On Aug. 22, a delegation of J Street officials was welcomed and photographed at Wasserman Schultz’s offices in the nation’s capital. The delegation was led by Ilana Miller, founder and chairwoman of J Street's South Florida chapter, and it was received by Wasserman Schultz's legislative assistant, Danielle Gilbert. After the meeting, J Street officials delivered more than 250 signature cards to the White House calling for President Obama to support a two-state solution and the Palestinians’ efforts for U.N. statehood.
At J Street officials’ meeting with Wasserman Schultz’s staff, at least one member of the group carried a sign with Obama's 2008 campaign slogan, "Yes, we can." But the word "can" was translated into Hebrew. Despite President Obama's proven record of hostility toward Israel, Jews continue to see the use of tactics specifically designed to manipulate the Jewish compact of ethnic trust in his favor. The same poster also includes a pro-Palestinian statehood slogan in Hebrew. So, what is there about J Street that Jews should know about? What does it stand for? Where does it get its financing? Does it speak for most Jews? The big question is, why is Wasserman Schultz still supporting this group?
Michael Oren, the Israeli ambassador to the United States, blasted J Street, saying the organization was "fooling around with the lives of 7 million people (Israelis)." According to an article in The Jewish Daily Forward, Oren described the left-wing group as "a unique problem in that it not only opposes one policy of one Israel government, it opposes all positions of all Israeli governments. It's significantly out of the mainstream."
So Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Robert Wexler -- the latter having been recruited from his home in Maryland, where he lived even while he represented congressional District 19 in South Florida -- are still part and parcel of the Jewish voices for Obama and Palestine by their association with J Street. Will the voters in South Florida come to the same conclusions as those in New York’s congressional District 9: that the future of Israel should be taken out of the hands of Obama and his Democrat cohorts?
That Adat Shalom will be hosting the event is especially embarrassing since one of its benefactor families, much like the case at the synagogue in Florida, is among the state’s top GOP leadership.

Monday, May 28, 2012

Lisa! Say It Ain't So!

Despite protests from constituents and  Jewish organizations, Talking Tachlis has learned,  state lawmaker Lisa Brown representing heavily Jewish West Bloomfield, refused to back down from her public endorsement of CAIR, an Islamist group identified by the government as being linked to the terror organization Hamas and to the Muslim Brotherhood. 

In a previous post, Talking Tachlis wrote about an event two weeks ago organized and promoted by CAIR at our state capitol that Rep. Brown sponsored.  CAIR, the Council of American Islamic Relations, heavily publicized the second annual Michigan Muslim Day at the Capital with Rep. Brown’s sponsorship prominently noted in press releases and posts.

Given that the FBI has severed relations with CAIR due to its ties to the terrorist group Hamas, whose charter calls for the destruction of Israel and murder of Jews worldwide and which is responsible for the murder or maiming of hundreds of Americans, it is staggering that any American official would give their imprimatur to CAIR.  What is beyond belief, however, is that Rep. Brown is Jewish.

What would ever possess a Jewish lawmaker representing perhaps the densest population of Jews in Michigan to legitimize an organization implicated in bankrolling Hamas in the nation’s largest ever terror financing trial?  What reason does she have to discount, to defy, mountains of evidence against CAIR?  The ADL report on CAIR makes it clear: http://www.adl.org/Israel/cair/default.asp.   "evidence was produced by the Federal prosecutors demonstrating that CAIR and its founders were part of a group set up by the Muslim Brotherhood to support Hamas."

Moreover, the ADL notes:
“CAIR has participated in and endorsed many rallies where support for terrorist organizations was expressed…”

Additionally, the ADL named CAIR as one of the “Top Ten Anti-Israel Groups in America”
http://www.adl.org/main_Anti_Israel/top_ten_anti_israel_groups.htm?Multi_page_sections=sHeading_2 , noting that CAIR “has a long record of anti-Israel rhetoric, which has, at times, crossed the line into anti-Semitism.”

The constituents in Rep. Brown’s district are owed an answer.  So is the Jewish community.  Rep. Brown, a candidate for Oakland County Clerk, needs to repudiate and apologize for her gross indiscretion in countenancing CAIR. 

And why, once her office was made aware of CAIR’s terror-tied rap sheet, did the representative insist on continuing to sponsor the CAIR event?  She could have easily taken a cue from a much more senior  Democratic lawmaker, US Senator Barbara Boxer,  who rescinded an award to a California CAIR official.

Condemnation of CAIR has been come from both sides of the political aisle.  Just this month, in another move to shun CAIR as a pariah terror-tied organization, the US Congress passed a bill incorporating a recommendation that the US Justice Department  follow the FBI’s lead in cutting ties with CAIR (http://dailycaller.com/2012/05/14/house-report-urges-justice-dept-to-cut-ties-with-cair/).  The IRS  stripped CAIR of its tax-exempt status after it  failed to file required annual reports detailing revenues and expenses. A more complete compendium of CAIR’s history appears at the end of this post, courtesy of Middle East Forum. http://www.islamist-watch.org/blog/2012/04/action-alert-best-buy-tvs-computers-hamas#continued

One can only wonder why a Jewish lawmaker representing the heart of metro Detroit’s Jewish community, would want to be in league with CAIR.  One can only wonder why a Jewish candidate for Oakland County Clerk would want to be in CAIR’s back pocket as CAIR seeks to extend its sphere of influence.

CAIR, as has been reported widely in the Jewish News and local media outlets, represented the Islamic Cultural Association (ICA) at the heated meeting of the Farmington Public Schools when the school board voted to sell Eagle Elementary to the ICA. Eagle is located at 14 Mile and Middlebelt in Brown’s West Bloomfield district. The municipality has yet to schedule zoning hearings on the property, but two area residents have filed a lawsuit against Farmington Public Schools, now pending in the Appeals process, alleging improprieties in the sale of Eagle to ICA. Among the supporters listed on Rep. Brown’s website is the Michigan Association of School Administrators.

The ICA also operates the Huda Islamic Academy in the Village of Franklin, which, the Jewish News disclosed, invited in the virulently anti-Israel speaker Norman Finkelstein.

It is unlikely that Ms. Brown would have been so insensitive to host Klu Klux Clan Day at the Capitol or to bring in any other organization linked to a racist and genocidal terror organization.

It is certainly Rep. Brown’s prerogative to stand in CAIR’s corner.  Likewise, it is the prerogative of Jews and all good citizens of conscience who abhor terrorism and organizations dedicated to hate incitement and genocide of Jews to recoil at her choices and to make sure she neither gets their votes or money in the upcoming election for Oakland County clerk.
Below are some highlights of CAIR’s Dishonor Roll, as provided by Middle East Forum:
·         CAIR was named an "unindicted co-conspirator" to fund the terrorist group Hamas in America's most significant terror financing trial that resulted in 108 guilty verdicts. Also, see here.

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Rep. Lisa Brown - Shame, Shame, Shame on You

This is an outrage!  We must raise our voices and urge our communal  leaders to speak out against the sponsorship of CAIR by State Representative Lisa Brown whose district includes one of the largest concentrations of Michigan’s Jewish community.  The FBI formally severed relations with CAIR after it was named as an unindicted co-conspirator in the nation’s largest-ever terror financing trial at which it was established that CAIR, among others, was involved in a funding network for Hamas, a US designated terror organization whose charter calls not only for the destruction of Israel, but for the murder of Jews worldwide. 
Would a Michigan lawmaker, particularly one whose district covers a large concentration of black Americans,  ever be indecent enough to host at our state Capitol, or be associated with, the Klu Klux Klan?  Of course not.  CAIR should not be granted any legitimacy and find no quarter, especially not in our state legislature.   This is a dangerous affront to our community.  (see official announcement below.)
Let us hope our Jewish leadership shows meaningful leadership when it comes to the welfare and security of our own community.  Just in case they need reminding of what should be their foremost priorty – the defense of our local Jewish community – please call our Federation, the Federation-funded Jewish Community Relations Council, the ADL, AJC, ZOA, StandWithUs, your synagagoues, the Michigan Board of Rabbis and all others who put themselves out as frontline representatives of our community and Israel. In fact, every organization that supported the Israel Walk this past Sunday should be raising CAIN on this.  You can't pretend to be in solidarity with Israel while turning a blind eye to enablers of organizations like CAIR, a front for Hamas whose avowed mission it is to destroy Israel and the Jewish people.
FBI Director Robert Mueller testified before Congress on March 16 that his agency has cut ties to CAIR due to concerns over its leaders’ association with terrorism.  He confirmed that the FBI has refused to engage directly with CAIR’s national office or any of its 30-plus chapters across the country since the Justice Department in 2008 linked CAIR to terror-financing activities. In a letter to Senator John Kyl (AZ), the FBI confirmed that due to evidence submitted during United States v. Holy Land Foundation et al, it had “suspended all formal contacts between CAIR and the FBI.” 

According to a federal court ruling unsealed late last year, U.S. District Judge Jorge Solis cited “ample evidence” that CAIR participated in a “criminal conspiracy” led by the Holy Land Foundation, Hamas’ principal fundraising arm in the US.  Consequently, the judge refused CAIR’s request to have its name removed from documents listing it as an unindicted co-conspirator in the case.
If you have any doubt as to why this is such a despicable insult not only to the Jewish community but to all Americans,  read the statements below regarding CAIR:

*"Until We Can Resolve Whether There Continues To Be A Connection Between CAIR Or It's Executives And HAMAS,  The FBI Does Not View CAIR As An Appropriate Liaison Partner..."- Richard C. Powers
FBI Assistant Director Of Congressional Affairs 
There Is No Question CAIR Supports HAMAS”
- Former FBI Special Agent John Vincent

*"CAIR has been identified by the government at trial as a participant in an ongoing and ultimately unlawful conspiracy to support a designated terrorist organization, a conspiracy from which CAIR never withdrew" - U.S. Attorney James T. Jacks

*"The four pieces of evidence...create at least a prima facie case as to CAIR's involvement in a conspiracy to support HAMAS." - Judge Jorge Solis
HLF Trial Of CAIR-Texas Founder Ghassan Elashi & Others


In a 20-page order, US District Judge Jorge A. Solis cited “ample evidence” linking CAIR to Hamas. http://www.wnd.com/files/1425.pdf.  Moreover, said Judge Solis at the Holy Land Foundation trial of CAIR-Texas Founder Ghassan Elashi and others, “ You stated it was to help people, but the motive was to support HAMAS," ... "You state that you are innocent, but the evidence shows the opposite."
So concerned were members of the US Congress about CAIR, including former US Rep. Pete Hoekstra (former chair of the House Select Intelligence Committee), that they issued a “Beware of CAIR” letter to their colleagues. http://www.investigativeproject.org/documents/misc/240.pdf
Virginia Congressman Frank Wolf delivered a floor speech detailing concerns about CAIR shortly after the FBI’s decision to cut ties with CAIR.
The warnings about CAIR cross partisan lines.  Democrat Sen. Charles Schumer requested that the FBI ban on CAIR be enforced "government-wide." “Senator Charles Schumer … describes [CAIR] as an organization ‘which we know has ties to terrorism.’
In a widely-reported move, California Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer rescinded an award to the executive director of the Sacramento affiliate of CAIR,  amid criticism of CAIR’s connections to terrorism.
Democratic Senator Dick Durbin has said that CAIR is "unusual in its extreme rhetoric and its associations with groups that are suspect." 
Moreover, a number of CAIR officials have been personally involved in terrorism. Former CAIR civil rights coordinator Randall Royer, for example, is serving a 20-year jail term for his involvement with the Pakistani terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba. That's the group responsible for the Mumbai massacre and which included a heinous attack on a Jewish center in India last year, in which a rabbi and his wife were tortured and murdered.
For an exhaustive overview of CAIR, go to http://www.anti-cair-net.org/Dismissed, a blog written by Andrew Whitehead, who was sued for libel by CAIR. The $1.35 million suit against Whitehead was dismissed. 
 
HERE IS THE ANNOUNCEMENT
Michigan Muslim Capitol Day at the State Capitol
 "Michigan's Muslims for a Better Michigan"

Mackinac Room
Anderson House Office Building
Thursday May 17th, 9am-3:30pm
124 North Capitol Avenue
Lansing, MI 48909-7514
Michigan Muslim Capitol Day 2012
Join Michigan Muslims as we engage our political leadership on Thursday May 17th at 9am. Michigan Muslims from across the state will come together for a full day at the Lansing State Capitol to meet their elected officials, sit in on live State Senate and House sessions, and learn how to effectively engage the political leadership.

Michigan Muslims will attend meetings with your particular State Reps and Senators from your district attend a luncheon with the hosting State Reps., Senators and Governor (invited) and also watch the opening invocation of the House session by a local Imam.

All are encouraged to attend and take part in this effort to ensure that your elected politicians are working for you.

Sponsored by the office of State Reps. Rashida Tlaib, Lisa Brown and Senator Morris Hood Council of Islamic Organizations of Michigan,  CAIR-MI, MMDC (emphasis added)