Daily archives: December 25th, 2009

Firecracker Story Was Really Terrorist Attempt to Blow Up Plane (Maybe)

The media botched this one again. First, this was just a guy who set off a firecracker on an airplane. No act of terror. I heard that on several reports.

Later, we learned more. Turns out the media was once again trying to give us the definitive report before they actually had all the facts, on the hope that they would be right.

Well, it would appear that this was an act of terror. I waited a while to blog on this because the story changed so often.

From the Chicago Tribune:

A Northwest Airlines passenger from Nigeria, who said he was acting on al-Qaida’s instructions, set off an explosive device Friday in a failed terrorist attack on the plane as it was landing in Detroit, federal officials said.

Flight 253 with 278 passengers aboard was 20 minutes from the airport when it sounded like a firecracker had exploded, witnesses said. One passenger jumped over others and tried to subdue the man. Shortly afterward, the suspect was taken to a front row seat with his pants cut off and his legs burned.

The White House said it believed it was an attempted act of terrorism and stricter security measures were quickly imposed on airline travel, but were not specified.

Law enforcement officials identified the suspect as Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab. Others had slightly different spellings.

One law enforcement source said the man claimed to have been instructed by al-Qaida to detonate the plane over U.S. soil.

In the days ahead, we’ll learn more. Please remember that the media reports before they actually know what’s going on.

I have a friend flying from Ireland to Chicago today. Glad he wasn’t on this flight. Hope he made it home all right.

(That’s for you, Mike.)


GOP’s Official Network FOXNEWS.COM Says Health Care Reform Passed Senate ‘Just Barely’

From FoxNews.com:

Congress may be gone for several weeks enjoying a winter holiday, but Republicans say they will keep up the pressure on Democrats who succeeded in getting their Senate health insurance overhaul bill passed before Christmas — if just barely.

They have got to be kidding, right? The vote in the U.S. Senate was 60-39. That’s “just barely,” a real squeaker?

Then again, the Republicans were the ones whose budgeting was so incredibly horrible that our National Debt skyrocketed under George W. Bush, and the economy nose-dived into the Great G.O.P. Recession.

Or perhaps Republicans would say the United States “just barely” ended up in recession recently?

Nod to MediaMatters.org for this.


For Muslims, Jews, a Day of Helping

Muslim and Jewish girl

I had forgotten about Mitzvah Day. A wonderful example of Jews and Christians doing good deeds on behalf of each other. Now, Muslims in

From Freep.com, with a nod to MuslimsDebate.com:

Mary Turfah bent over a box of dry goods at Gleaners Food Bank in Pontiac this morning hunting for items to include in the food box she was assembling for needy people in the region, her green hijab held firmly in place.

The 15-year-old Dearborn Heights resident was among an estimated 40 local Muslims participating in the metro-Detroit’s Jewish community’s annual Mitzvah Day, the volunteer program held every Christmas. The tradition — mitzvah means “good deed” — enables Christians to stay home and enjoy the holiday, while those not celebrating help with social-service projects in southeastern Michigan.

It was the first time Muslims joined the 18-year-old effort, invited by the Jewish Community Relations Council to create an interfaith opportunity.

“Doing a mitzvah, a good deed, is not a Jewish thing. It’s not a Muslim thing. It’s a human thing,” said Michael Benghiat of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit.

Very moving.


Family Guy Presents A Peter Griffin Christmas (Video)

I know it’s a tad juvenile, but I enjoy this silly video.

Merry Christmas to all!