Captain Daniel Gade Needs Your Help

Posted By Blackfive

Captain Daniel Gade was injured on January 10, 2005 at approximately 3:53 pm Iraqi time when an Improvised Explosive Device detonated near his vehicle.

Through the heroic efforts of a great many soldiers, he is now safely back in the United States and has been at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington DC since January 13th. He is fighting hard for his life.

On Monday, doctors had to remove his leg to save his life.  The Iraqi bacterias are resistant to many anti-biotics and are causing havoc with the Captain.

Captain Gade is married to Wendy (Williams) and they have a three year old daughter, Anna-Grace.  His family is asking for your prayers (notice the fourth prayer request?).  Here is an email from a friend:

-Pray for restoration of his kidneys.
-Pray for control of his infection. He has bacteria in his blood and in his wounds.
-Pray against any blood clots.
-Pray for his men in Iraq as they continue their missions without the man who led them for the last 2 years.
-Pray for wisdom for the doctors.

Friends and warriors- I will keep you posted as I know anything- please feel free to go to a website for Daniel and leave a message for the family- the site is http://www2.caringbridge.org/dc/danielgade .

So, please check out the log book for Walter Reed and let them know you are praying/thinking of them. 

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» Capt. Glade, our prayers are with you from Marine Corps Moms
Via Blackfive, here's a wounded soldier who needs your prayer and good wishes. Capt. Daniel Glade was wounded in an IED explosion in Iraq on January 10 and arrived at Walter Reed on January 13th. His leg was amputated in... [Read More]

Comments

[Patton Gade]

Ladies and Gentlemen of the Blackfive website,

Thank you for helping get the story of my brother (CPT Daniel Gade) out to more of the world. The prayers of the American people are sustaining my brother's wife and our family during this difficult time. My brother is fighting hard still for his life. He will prevail!! He only reacts to a few things, the first is the voice of Wendy. The second is my voice, and the third is the mention of his soldiers. He still worries and cares for them so much even in his current condition! He is the best leader I have ever known. Please continue to pray. Thank you again.

[Ben Bauman]

I have and we will continue too.

VFW Post 9949

[Engima]

Blackfive,

Thanks for posting a link to this website. I signed the guestbook and added the link to my Favorites so I can keep up with CPT Gade's progress. And thanks for blogging. You may no longer wear the uniform, but you are still performing a great service for your country.

[Rosemary]

Will do.

[Leigh]

Re: Military Members have NO Constitutional Rights / VERPA.org Press Advisory/

To whom it may concern:

Many Americans, including most serving military members, are not aware that the very United States Constitution they have sworn to serve and defend does not apply to them.

There is a secret unconstitutional law that prohibits military members from seeking final redress for wrongful actions taken upon them while serving. These certain actions may include murder, reprisal, rape, human experimentation, medical malpractice, gross and criminal negligence, etc.

The shameful law is called the Feres Doctrine, named after the young Lt. Rudolph Feres, who died in a barracks fire caused by the negligence of the Army. This doctrine bars constitutional redress of wrongful acts or omissions resulting in injury or death arising from non-legitimate military necessity or decisions.

The Feres doctrine law was not created by the United States Congress, who makes laws and overseas the military, but judicially created. This law has been in existence for over 54 years, however Congress and the United States “mainstream” media refuse to address and report respectfully. Most of the tax paying public is unaware of the extreme human and constitutional abuses being silenced by this law.

For more in depth information please go to www.VERPA.org . Veterans Equal Rights Protection Advocacy is comprised of true American patriots seeking your support to ensure Military Members and Veterans are afforded equal protection of the United States Constitution. Our Feres Doctrine abolishment initiative seeks to restore constitutional rights to the men and women serving in our military.

We owe every freedom we possess to those who have fought for "US" and this Country. For more in depth information please go to www.VERPA.org . Please pass this information on to all Citizens you believe might be interested in this information.

Very truly yours,
/s/
Leigh E. Wise
VERPA Assistant Public Relations Coordinator

[Dorothy Troutman]

Dear Wendy and Anna Grace: We are praying for you with all our hearts. Stay strong dear ones - which in the strength of the Lord is yours to do.

For Dan - we are praying that the Lord will sustain, provide healing, and surround you with that peace which can only come from Him.

We love you all -- we remember the good times the wonderful memories of the brunch at the Dragon Hill Lodge. Our arms of love encourage you.

In times like these we do need our Saviour and He is there. Psalm 46:10

With more love and heart than you can ever imagine.

Dottie Troutman (Mark's Mom)

[Chuck Clay]

You don't know me but I recently had the opportunity to meet Wendy's Dad, Ron Williams, and from the brief time I spent with Ron I was able to gain an appreciation for what a wonderful person Captain Gade is. My prayers are with Capt. Gade and his family as well as with the soldiers who continue to fight for our country. Please let me know if there's anything I can do to help.
Sincerely,
Chuck Clay

[Nancy Bradfield]

Dear Daniel, Wendy, and my good friend Joyce (Daniel's mother-in-law),
I haven't received any info. on Daniel's progress for a couple days, hoping and praying there has been some good news. All the southeast U.S. is "pulling for you", Daniel, and as we know prayers move the hand of God, surely you are improving! Tomorrow in Iraq, the voters will help make the sacrifices more bearable. Joyce, here in Atlanta, it's an ice and freezing weekend, so you're not missing any sunny weather. I pray for your strength as you are doing such am important job with Wendy and Anna Grace, especially. Love and blessings, Nancy Bradfield

[Shannan Adkins]

My daughter (Anna Kate) is in Anna Grace's PDO class at Trinity and I had the priviledge of meeting Wendy and Anna at a Christmas party recently and found out that we have been living on the same street. I was shocked and saddened to hear of the accident and just want you all to know that we are all praying for Daniel's healing and praying that God will wrap his arms around the whole family and give them strength, comfort and faith. If there is anything your friends and neighbors in Birmingham can do to help, please let us know. For know we will continue to pray and gather others to pray.

[Kathy Kreeger]

My nephew is in Capt. Gade's unit. My family has been praying for him since my brother told me of his injuries.I was told of what a man of God he is.My nephew looks up to him because of his Christian testimony. My nephew misses him very much. Our prayers will continue to be with Capt.Gade and his family.

[Dave Gade (no relation?)]

You may want to look for a book- "A Table in the Presence" by Lt Carey Cash USMC- he is a chaplin with the first group to cross the Iraqi boarder back in March- powerful testamonies here- good luck and prayers

[wff]

.Looks like God kicked Allahs muslum [Oops!] with (Tsunami) big flush of dead muslums. how many 200,000 dead ragheads, so much for ALLAH you [Oops!] heads. Cut some more heads off you scumbags and see what God does to the rest of you. You hate everyone, but sure love a hand out, go burn some more flags while your at it. Muslums are the worst of liars. Yes, Islam is a religion of peace when they are not: - flying aircraft into buildings - bombing Aussies in Bali - bombing trains in Madrid - killing shoolchildren in Beslan - sending their children on suicide bombing missions to kill Jews - Beheading people in Iraq - Rioting and killing Christians in Nigeria - Burning Christian Churches in Kosovo - Murdering Film directors in Holland - Threatening Dutch politicians with murder - Gang raping women in the suburbs of France - constantly shouting 'death to America, death to Israel' - suicide bombing compounds in Saudi Arabia - bombing synagogues in Turkey Violent jihad or holy war against unbelievers. Murder, stealing, torture, slavery and rape against unbelievers is acceptable if couched in terms of jihad. Christians and Jews allowed to live in Muslim dominated lands provided they pay a special tax and accept their status as second class citizens. The status of polythiests is tenuous at best, they will eventually be eliminated either by persecution or death. My dear brother, please read Chronicles of Islamic Wisdom. Here are a few excerpts from the book of one of Islam s' supreme spiritual leader: Ayatollah Khomeini: "A man can have sexual pleasure from a child as young as a baby. However he should not penetrate, sodomising the child is OK. If the man penetrates and damages the child then he should be responsible for her subsistence all her life. This girl, however does not count as one of his four permanent wives. The man will not be eligible to marry the girls sister" - From Khomeini's book, "Tahrirolvasyleh", fourth volume, Darol Elm, Gom, Iran, 1990. "A man can have sex with animals such as sheep?s, cows, camels and so on. However he should kill the animal after he has his orgasm. He should not sell the meat to the people in his own village, however selling the meat to the next door village should be fine". From Khomeini's book, "Tahrirolvasyleh", fourth volume, Darol Elm, Gom, Iran, 1990 "If one commits the act of sodomy with a cow, a ewe, or a camel, their urine and their excrements become impure, and even their milk may no longer be consumed. The animal must then be killed and as quickly as possible and burned." The little green book, Sayings of Ayatollah Khomeini, Political, Phylosophica, Social and Religious with a special introduction by Clive Irving, ISBN number 0-553-14032-9, page 47"It is better for a girl to marry in such a time when she would begin menstruation at her husband's house rather than her father's home. Any father marrying his daughter so young will have a permanent place in heaven" - From Khomeini's book, "Tahrirolvasyleh", fourth volume, Darol Elm, Gom, Iran, 1990 REMEMBER IRAN CONTRA? Eleven things are impure: urine, excrement, sperm...non-Moslem men and women...and the sweat of an excrement-eating camel.Ayatollah Khomeini I'm so scared i have a wart on my [Oops!]. Is it a [Oops!] sucking muslim ? 93% muslim males have [Oops!] and/or genital warts. ALLAH!! Homosexuality is widely practised in Islamic countries. To please the homosexuals,Muhammad (the evil perverted prophet) promised his followers pre-pubescent boys in Paradise. So after committing plunder, loot, rape and murder in this life, the male followers of Islam get "rewarded" by untouched virginal youths who are fresh like pearls. (72 Virgins, 28 young boys and the virility of 100 men...) dead Warrios of Allah (suicide bombers and the like) believe that today. The most important information to know about Muslims,is that they will smile to your face and cut your throat from the back. Muslims are EVIL, period!!! Like Muhammad, Ayatollah Khomeini and most other Islamic clerks, Iranian Mullahs and American Catholic Priests, are perverted mentally and sexualy.(paedophiles) WAR WAR WAR WAR WAR WAR WAR WAR WAR WAR WAR WAR WAR WAR. Booooom!! You get to meet that [Oops!] wipe allah :) Evil Killers , Mass Murders, Rapist, and LIARS call themselves islamic muslims and pray to a ( moon god ) they call allah, Muslims scream (allah akbar) as they cut off heads of people who will not pray to their MOON GOD. Their lives are orchestrated by an evil book called the (qur’an). Muslims are killing thousands of Innocent Children, Women, and Men, God Have Mercy. As a group of people they are some, if not the most Evil the world as ever seen. Learn of them, fear them, OR pray to their Moon God. They teach their children that only Allah fearing muslims are worthy of life and after life. Their aim is to destroy us, they respect nothing; not even the lives of children. Every day there are bombings, every day innocent people are targeted and murdered. Unthinkable atrocities take place on daily basis. Terrorism is not an ideology, it is a tool; but the terrorists kill for an ideology. They call that ideology Islam. The entire world, both Muslims and non-Muslims claim that the terrorists have hijacked the religion of peace and Islam does not condone violence. Who is lying? Do the terrorists understand Islam better, or do those who decry them? The answer to this question is the key to our victory, and failure to find that key will result in our loss and death will be upon us. The key is in the Quran and the history of Islam. Those of us, who know Islam, know that the terrorists of Islam are doing nothing that their prophet did not do and did not encourage his followers to do. Murder, rape, assassination, beheading, massacre and sacrilege of the dead, to delight the hearts of the believers were all practiced by Muhammad, were taught by him and were observed by Muslims throughout their history. If truth has ever mattered, it matters most now! The root of Islamic terrorism is Islam. The proof of that is the Quran. No matter how painful the truth may be, only truth can set us free, Why so much denial? A nuclear disaster is upon us. This will happen. It is not a question of "if" but "when". How many more innocent lives will be lost before YOU open your eyes? A nuclear disaster is upon us. We urge the Muslims to leave Islam. Stop with excuses, justifications and rationalizations,stop dividing mankind into us vs. them and Muslims vs. Kafirs. We are One people, One mankind! Muhammad was not a messenger of God. Terrorists take their moral support and the validation for their actions from the Qu'ran. Your very adherence to the Islamic cult of death, is a nod of approval for their evil crimes against humanity. We also urge the non-Muslims to stop being politically correct, lest they hurt the sensitivities of the Muslims. To Hell with their sensitivities! Let us save their lives,and the lives of millions of innocent people. Millions, if not billions of lives will be lost if we do nothing. Time is running out! All it takes for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing. Do something! Send this message to everyone in your address book and ask them to do the same. Defeat Islam and stop terrorism, one billion dead evil muslims is not to many if it saves humanity. Together lets say to HELL WITH MUSLIMS, THE Qu'ran, an the pedofile, pervert, murderer Muhammad (as he burns in HELL),.. Allah, evil God of the Qur'an, Qur'an evil doctrine of nasty, brain dead, weak minded, not quit human muslims. ALL 9/11 terroist where muslims, all suicide bombers are muslims, all TOWELHEADS are Muslims, do not let muslims live in your towns, they will destroy your way of life and cause you much evil as they change your laws to comply to their lislamic laws of the Qu'ran. Muslims CAN NOT live in peace, even with eachother. Example: Muslims hate more that they love their childern,Muslims will tie a bomb on their own children to kill another human. God Have Mercy Direct quotes from the Quran: ANNOUNCE PAINFUL PUNISHMENT TO THOSE WHO DISBELIEVE (9:3) O Prophet! urge the believers to war; if there are twenty patient ones of you they shall overcome two hundred... (8:65) Surely the vilest of animals in Allah's sight are those who disbelieve (8:55) And fight with them until there is no more persecution and religion should be only for Allah (8:39) When the sacred months have passed away, THEN SLAY THE IDOLATERS WHEREVER YOU FIND THEM, AND TAKE THEM CAPTIVES AND BESIEGE THEM AND LIE IN WAIT FOR THEM IN EVERY AMBUSH, then if they repent and keep up prayer [become believers] and pay the poor-rate, leave their way free to them (9:5) And if they intend to act unfaithfully towards you, so indeed they acted unfaithfully towards Allah before, but He GAVE YOU MASTERY OVER THEM (8:71) FIGHT THEM: ALLAH WILL PUNISH THEM BY YOUR HANDS AND BRING THEM TO DISGRACE, AND ASSIST YOU AGAINST THEM. (9:14) FIGHT THOSE WHO DO NOT BELIEVE IN ALLAH, nor in the latter day, nor do they prohibit what Allah and His Messenger have prohibited, NOR FOLLOW THE RELIGION OF TRUTH, OUT OF THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN GIVEN THE BOOK [Christians and Jews], until they pay the tax in acknowledgment of superiority and THEY ARE IN A STATE OF SUBJECTION. (9:29) O Prophet! strive hard against the unbelievers and the hypocrites and be unyielding to them; and their abode is hell, and evil is the destination. (9:73) O you who believe! fight those of the unbelievers who are near to you and let them find in you hardness; and know that Allah is with those who guard (against evil). (9:123) I WILL CAST TERROR INTO THE HEARTS OF THOSE WHO DISBELIEVE. THEREFORE STRIKE OFF THEIR HEADS AND STRIKE OFF EVERY FINGERTIP OF THEM. THIS IS BECAUSE THEY ACTED ADVERSELY TO ALLAH AND HIS MESSENGER; AND WHOEVER ACTS ADVERSELY TO ALLAH AND HIS MESSENGER - THEN SURELY ALLAH IS SEVERE IN REQUITING (EVIL). THIS - TASTE IT, AND (KNOW) THAT FOR THE UNBELIEVERS IS THE PUNISHMENT OF FIRE. O you who believe! When you meet those who disbelieve marching for war, then turn not your backs to them. And whoever shall turn his back to them on that day - unless he turn aside for the sake of fighting or withdraws to a company - then he, indeed, becomes deserving of Allah's wrath, and his abode is hell; and an evil destination shall it be. So you did not slay them, but it was Allah Who slew them and you did not smite when you smote (the enemy) but it was Allah Who smote, and that He might confer upon the believers a good gift from Himself; (8:12-17) And that you should judge between them by what Allah has revealed, and do not follow their low desires, and be cautious of them, lest they seduce you from part of what Allah has revealed to you; but if they turn back, then know that Allah desires to afflict them on account of some of their faults; and most surely many of the people are transgressors. Is it then the judgment of the times of ignorance that they desire: and who is better than Allah to judge for a people who are sure? O YOU WHO BELIEVE! DO NOT TAKE THE JEWS AND THE CHRISTIANS FOR FRIENDS; THEY ARE FRIENDS OF EACH OTHER; AND WHOEVER AMONGST YOU TAKES THEM FOR A FRIEND, THEN SURELY HE IS ONE OF THEM; SURELY ALLAH DOES NOT GUIDE THE UNJUST PEOPLE. (5:49-51) The punishment of those who pit themselves against Allah and His Messenger and strive to make mischief in the land is only this, that they should be murdered or crucified or their hands and their feet should be cut off on opposite sides or they should be imprisoned; this shall be as a disgrace for them in this world, and in the hereafter they shall have a grievous chastisement, except those who repent before you have them in your power (5:33-34) Believe therefore in Allah and His apostles, and say not, Three. Desist, it is better for you; Allah is only one god: far be it from his glory that He should have a son. (4:171) What is the matter with you, then, that you have become two parties about the hypocrites, while Allah has made them return (to unbelief) for what they have earned? Do you wish to guide him whom Allah has caused to err? And whomsoever Allah causes to err, you shall by no means find a way for him. THEY DESIRE THAT YOU SHOULD DISBELIEVE AS THEY HAVE DISBELIEVED, SO THAT YOU MIGHT BE ALL ALIKE; THEREFORE TAKE NOT FROM AMONG THEM FRIENDS UNTIL THEY FLY THEIR HOMES IN ALLAH'S WAY; BUT IF THEY TURN BACK, THEN SEIZE THEM AND KILL THEM WHEREVER YOU FIND THEM, AND TAKE NOT FROM AMONG THEM A FRIEND OR A HELPER. (4:89) As for those who disbelieve in Our communications, We shall make them enter fire; so oft as their skins are thoroughly burned, We will change them for other skins, that they may taste the punishment (4:56) Surely they who disbelieve in the communications of Allah - they shall have a severe punishment; and Allah is Mighty, the lord of retribution. (3:4) Allah 's Apostle said, " I have been ordered to fight with the people till they say, 'None has the right to be worshipped but Allah,' and whoever says, None has the right to be worshipped but Allah,' his life and property will be saved by me except for Islamic law, and his accounts will be with Allah, (either to punish him or to forgive him.)" (Hadith 4:52:196) Allah's Apostles said, "When a slave (of Allah) commits illegal sexual intercourse, he is not a believer at the time of committing it; and if he steals, he is not a believer at the time of stealing; and if he drinks an alcoholic drink, when he is not a believer at the time of drinking it; and he is not a believer when he commits a murder," 'Ikrima said: I asked Ibn Abbas, "How is faith taken away from him?" He said, Like this," by clasping his hands and then separating them, and added, "But if he repents, faith returns to him like this, by clasping his hands again. (Hadith 8:82:800e:) [So, with the clap of a hand, they can do whatever they want?] The Prophet said, "The one who commits an illegal sexual intercourse is not a believer at the time of committing illegal sexual intercourse and a thief is not a believer at the time of committing theft and a drinker of alcoholic drink is not a believer at the time of drinking. Yet, (the gate of) repentance is open thereafter." (Hadith 8:82:801) (Isolated incident) ...then prostrated himself, and all who were with him prostrated too. But an old man took a handful of dust and touched his forehead with it saying, "This is sufficient for me." Later on I saw him killed as an infidel. (Hadith 5:59:311) [yes the Jews and Muslims are both descendents of Abraham, but here is the attitude towards descendants of Abraham through Isaac (the Jews]: "If they find you, they will be your enemies, and will stretch forth towards you their hands and their tongues with evil, and they ardently desire that you may disbelieve. Your relationship would not profit you, nor your children, on the day of resurrection; He will decide between you; and Allah sees what you do. Indeed, there is for you a good example in Abraham and those with him when they said to their people: Surely we are clear of you and of what you serve besides Allah; WE DECLARE OURSELVES TO BE CLEAR OF YOU, AND ENMITY AND HATRED HAVE APPEARED BETWEEN US AND YOU FOREVER UNTIL YOU BELIEVE IN ALLAH ALONE (60:2-4) Contrast that with what Jesus said: "But I say to you, love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. Be merciful as your Father is merciful. This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." Jesus, SON of God See What about the Old Testament? and What about the Crusades? Again, Mohammad first went to the Jews as a prophet, writing of peace; was rejected. Mohammad then went to the Christians claiming to be a prophet and wrote peace; was rejected. Mohammad went back to his own people and was rejected until he (for a short time) said Allah allowed them to worship Allah's daughters. Mohammad then began to slaughter unbelievers and masterminded over 60 massacres, and the Quran changed dramatically to hate, that is why there are so many contradictions. That is also why there are so many familiar phrases and precepts between the religions. Mohammad appeared on the scene over 600 years after Jesus was resurrected, he tried to claim to be a prophet, though illiterate, he knew the scriptures of the Bible well. But "Allah" is certainly NOT the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The characters are exactly opposite! In fact the Hebrew phonetic word Allah (aw-law) means to lament, mourn and curse. (Strong's Exhaustive Concordance #421, 422, 423) Hate Muslims? NO! Jesus would never have advocated hating anybody! But should we insist our children "assume you are a Muslim soldier" about to conquer a nation? Should they memorize the tenants of Islam, repeat the words, pray to Allah, build Mosques, imagine they are Muslim and write what they like about it? NO!!! And at the same time, school textbooks claim that the Old Testament prophets could not tell the future (yes they could when God revealed it to them countless times!). Additionally, the textbooks actually teach that the Israelites only accepted what the prophets told them so they could explain away the disasters they went through! "Across the Centuries" and "Message of Ancient Days" claim the religion of Islam is truth, (beliefs are given as fact) and that Judeo-Christian beliefs are false. Public schools INSIST our children learn this. WHERE ARE OUR RELIGIOUS FREEDOMS??? A true account of history shows that Islam repeatedly attacked Christian lands, desecrated sanctuaries and tortured Christians who fought back without desecrating Mecca in return. Yet Houghton Mifflin and modern historians would rather vilify Christians than give the truth. A Deadly Give and Take Crusaders fought many terrible battles in the Middle East, but Muslims started—and won—the war. by Paul Crawford, assistant professor of history at Alma College in Alma, Michigan. He specializes in ecclesiastical history with emphasis on the crusades and military orders. Osama bin Laden called America's response to September 11, a "new crusade and Jewish campaign led by the big crusader Bush under the flag of the cross." He clearly meant to link the military campaign to European campaigns from a millennium ago, during which, the prevailing mentality holds, Christian warriors unjustly attacked Islamic possessions in and around Palestine. By establishing this connection, though, the fugitive fanatic admits more than he alleges. In the Middle Ages, as in 2001, Islam struck first—and in such a way that the West would certainly respond. Waves of conquest Jerusalem has changed hands many times over the centuries, but the seventh century was particularly tumultuous. Pagan Persians stormed the city in 614. Eastern Christians, led by Byzantine Emperor Heraclius, reclaimed it by 630. Within a few years, though, Islamic forces had broken the Byzantine military and chased them out of Palestine. Jerusalem surrendered to a Muslim army in 638. Construction began soon afterward on a mosque at the Temple Mount. Sophronicus, the patriarch of the city, is said to have burst into tears and wailed, "Truly this is the Abomination of Desolation spoken of by Daniel the Prophet!" After capturing Jerusalem, the Muslim armies poured through the eastern and southern provinces of the reeling Byzantine Empire. In the 640s Armenia in the north and Egypt in the south fell to Islam. In 655 the Muslims won a naval battle with the Byzantines and very nearly captured the Byzantine emperor. By 711 Muslims controlled all of northern Africa, and a Muslim commander named Tariq had set foot on European soil—on a rock that took his name (Jebel al-Tariq, corrupted into Gibraltar). By 712 Muslims had penetrated deep into Christian Spain. At the battle of Toledo that year, they defeated the Spanish and killed their king. The Spanish kingdom promptly collapsed. Surviving Christians retreated into the mountains of northwestern Spain and dug in their defenses. The Muslim armies bypassed them and began raiding across the Pyrenees into France. Meanwhile, in the East, Muslims continued to push into the Byzantine Empire. By 717 they had landed in southeastern Europe, and they besieged the Byzantine capital, Constantinople. Had they taken the city, they might have conquered the entire continent. But the Byzantines resisted. Their capital would not fall to Islam until 1453. Western Christians stopped the Muslim advance into their territory in 732 at the Battle of Tours (or Poitiers), France. Charles of Heristal, Charlemagne's grandfather, led a Frankish army against a large Muslim raiding party and defeated them, though Muslim raiders would continue attacking Frankish territory for decades. For his victory, Charles became known as the Hammer—in French, Charles Martel. After regrouping, Muslim forces began to move into south central Europe, lauching invasions of Sicily, Sardinia, and Corsica in the ninth century. They mounted operations on the Italian mainland as well, sometimes at the invitation of quarrelling Christian powers. In 846 Muslim raiders attacked the outlying areas of Rome, the center of western Christianity. This act would be comparable to Christians sacking Mecca or Medina, something they have never done. Toward the end of the ninth century, Muslim pirate havens were established along the coast of southern France and northern Italy. These pirates threatened commerce, communication, and pilgrim traffic for a hundred years or more. During the tenth century, however, the tide began to turn. In the East in the 950s and 960s, the Byzantines mounted a series of counterattacks. They eventually recovered the islands of Crete and Cyprus and a good bit of territory in Asia Minor and northern Syria, including Antioch. They lacked the strength to retake Jerusalem, though they might have struggled harder had they known what terrors the city would soon face. New threats In 1000, much—perhaps even most—of the population of the Holy Land was still Christian, of one affiliation or another. This was about to change. One reason was the rise of a local Muslim ruler named Hakim, who was possibly insane and certainly not an orthodox Muslim (he claimed to be divine). Hakim persecuted Christians and Jews fiercely. In 1009 he ordered the destruction of the rebuilt Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. The Christian population of the Holy Land began to shrink under his tyrannical rule. Hakim aroused great hostility even from other Muslims, and his reign was soon over. The Byzantines, distressed by the damage to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, negotiated with the Muslims and in 1038 were allowed to begin rebuilding it again. But the losses to the local Christian (and Jewish) communities were harder to repair. Another, and perhaps more serious, cause of distress for the local populations of all faiths was the intrusion into the Middle East of the Seljuk Turks. The Seljuks, pagan nomads from the steppes of central Asia, made steady inroads into the more sophisticated world of the Muslim Arabs in the early eleventh century. In 1055, the Seljuks captured Baghdad, destroying a long-lived Muslim dynasty and seriously disrupting the stability of the Middle East. This might have provided an opportunity for the Christian Byzantines to recover their lost provinces, but even as the Seljuk Turks conquered the Arabs, they converted to Islam. The Muslim Arab overlords of the region were thus replaced by harsher, coarser Muslim Turks. Pleas from the East In 1071 Byzantine Emperor Romanus Diogenes confronted a Turkish invasion force in the far eastern provinces of the Byzantine Empire. The two armies met at the village of Manzikert, near Lake Van, and the Byzantines were utterly defeated. As a result of this disaster, the Byzantines lost all the territory that they had recovered, painstakingly, in the ninth and tenth centuries. This included the entirety of Asia Minor, the breadbasket and recruiting ground of the empire. Succeeding Byzantine emperors sent frantic calls to the West for aid, directing them primarily at the popes, who were generally seen as protectors of Western Christendom. Pope Gregory VII received these appeals first, and in 1074 he discussed leading a relief expedition to Byzantium himself. But this proved impractical, and no aid was offered. The Byzantines continued sending appeals, however, eventually finding an audience with Pope Urban II. Allah, who, according to Muhammad, orders all unbelievers to be killed torturously to strike terror in their hearts. Allah gives an open-ended invitation to KILL ALL unbelievers, infidels, Christians and Jews that do not submit to Allah. This is a standing open-ended order. The Houghton Mifflin textbook claims that all is well for those who simply pay the poor tax and remain in their own faith, but it fails to mention the rest of the verse which states one must keep up prayer to Allah. Christians and Jews WILL NOT DO THAT. So all is NOT well as fingertips, hands and feet are cut off among other grisly acts Muslims continually try to convince Christians that we believe the same thing, when in fact, beliefs are distinctly opposite. Muslims do not believe Jesus is the Son of God for the Quran states Allah has no son. The Quran states Jesus is a teacher and that Muhammad is THE prophet. The Quran curses Christians and Jews for our beliefs. Muslims claim the Bible is corrupt. This is rather hysterical since Muhammad claimed the Quran was an extension of the Bible and would never contradict it, yet because it was written by Muhammad, it flip-flops in the Quran. Muslims who claim that Islam is peaceful will point to the verses that condone the Bible. But Muhammad changed his mind. Ask any family member of dead Christians in the Sudan, slaughtered by Muslims following Muhammad's writings. The Bible is full of exact names, dates, places, whereas the Quran believes things like Noah, Moses and Jesus all lived at the same time and Mary was the sister of Moses, Miriam. Many loving peaceful verses are written in the Quran, until Muhammad was rejected as a prophet by Christians and Jews, and then the instructions are bitterly to kill us. Muhammad demonstrated this himself as he led many slaughters as a warrior against Christians and Jews. Why? Because we correctly would not accept him as prophet. When Jesus came, the new covenant began because people broke the old one, not God. (Jeremiah) God is always making provisions, extending His arms out to a rebellious people, calling to us, He even sent His only begotten Son… What about the Crusades? The Pope did not call knights to arms to gain more land as the textbooks claim. One of the "most famous speeches in history" shows that the Pope described how churches were being desecrated as Christians entrails (guts) were cut out and one end staked down. The Christian was then whipped as he tried to escape, alive, entrails hanging out until he died. Islam was conquering nations and spreading, it was only a matter of time before England would stand alone. There was no choice, the knights gave up lands and riches to defend their brothers in Jerusalem. Why the history books have chosen to write history with Christians as the bad guys is explained in the Bible. "They will hate you because they first hated Me." -Jesus I have wondered what the true calling of Western Islamic groups really is oftentimes as I read about what they are doing and what they are trying to accomplish. Groups such as CAIR, ADC, CIOCG, IAP, and others have been very proactive in trying to push out literature to the people of this nation in media and through civil activities that tell us how harmless they are and how they have no ties to terror, how peaceful they are. There have been lawsuits all over the nation that have tried to quench the Free Speech of Americans who have done little more than quote individuals and groups and question the intent of those quotes. I really have to wonder how much cash is spent in delivering this message to the public and how it could be utilized for a better purpose if Muslims truly want their religion to be seen in a different light. Did any Christian organization start lawsuits when the media attacked their faith through the acts of Jim Jones? Do we see a flurry of lawsuits by Jewish individuals and groups towards Islamic groups that have called them Monkeys and Pigs? Do I see Jews killing those who have left Judaism for another religion? I do not see this on a mass level, and no Muslims; it is not due to the Jews owning the media or the Zionist Christians who support them. It seems to those outside your bubble that is simply is inherent within Islam to fight those who disagree with you or refuse to accept your ideology as truth. We in our non-Mohammedan religions allow people to disagree or dismiss what we believe, and to the shock of Islamists worldwide we allow them to even leave our faiths without fear of brutal death and intimidation to their families. It is because in the true sense, our faiths are not those of compulsion. Though some have been aggressive in trying to proselyte, and some have done so in a manner that would even turn people from religion, we let them be. We feel that God will judge those who do not want to hear our message in the afterlife and in the end all will get their reward one way or another. We also feel that God is quite able to defend Himself from blasphemers and evildoers and has no need for us to fight His battles for Him using terror and brutal tactics. Our God has no need to blow up a school bus or a shopping mall. Our God has no need to sneak around and send His children to their death to force people into His way of life. We feel our God can fight His own battles, unlike Allah who seems to bless those who murder and dominate, if we are to believe the global acts of terror and the ranting of imams. Our God punishes those of us who do so. Even for those who believe in no afterlife, or in reincarnation. The tenets are closely tied to God Himself being judge. I wish Allah would fight his own battles. It would save the lives of so many and allow children to live and enjoy life rather than perpetuate unadulterated evil in order to enjoy some strange sexual bliss in Muslim heaven. And we do not issue fatwahs against the lives of those who make fun of our religions. So why do Islamists feel such a great need to push an agenda and use lawsuits to keep people from speaking their mind? And how much money has been spent on this huge blitz to try and make people see something they do not seem to see? Why, if Islam is so peaceful, do you have to spend millions on literature, ads, and lawsuits to convince people of something that should be self evident if what you say is true? Your proactive stance in this nation and other nations should not be to show westerners that your religion is peaceful. It should be used to protest and sue those who supposedly have hijacked your religion. It should be used to keep students in Berkeley from chanting about being martyrs during an anti-terror protest. It should be used to keep people like the Boston street gang M-13 from giving your religion a bad name. Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus are not using vast amounts of money to have to tell the world they are peaceful. Because perhaps they are inherently peaceful in spite of a few who have used religion for evil purposes, and anyone looking closely at them would see that. Why not use those funds to dismantle militant groups in America? Why not use them to extradite militant imams in the mosques you want everyone to believe are havens of goodness and peace? Why not use them to form huge protests against mosques in England, Canada, and America that are preaching violence, domination and hate? Why not use them to speak against organizations like Hamas instead of publicly claiming they are merely patriots who have a right to commit terror? Why not use them to print literature that shows them how and why your Koran and Hadiths are so peaceful in spite of the violent verses so prevalent in them? Or why not use that money to depose your own group leaders who speak in such an inflammatory and flamboyant way of desiring an entire Islamic society within these nations? Why not use those vast resources to train peaceful missionaries of Islam to go into the hundreds of militant schools in Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Syria to teach those people about the Islam you so badly want westerners to buy into? You see the daily bombings in the Middle East. You hear about clerics who spew hatred and death. You hear the inflammatory fatwahs and sermons. You know the clerics who call Jews monkeys and pigs, and call Christians Zionists. In fact, some have been right there under your nose within your organizations. Some in fact are in prison for their ties to terror. Money that has been taken from people thinking about charitable deeds has been propping terror activities against innocent people. And if these were small and isolated incidents most educated people would toss it off as just that. But it seems the events and deeds of those are seen daily throughout the world. Slavery, torture, genocide, oppression, death, a twisted form of martyrdom, kidnapping, murdering those who speak against your religion. It’s all there. It is documented, it is happening; it is being perpetuated on a global level. Why not use those funds to fight those crimes against humanity? Why not create lawsuits against those who so blatantly misuse your peaceful religion for evil? Instead, you use it to create propaganda, you use it to allow groups of people and mosques preach hate by funding them or protecting them. I have read the Koran and the writings of Islam. I see the word Jihad more than I do the word peace. Perhaps you protectors of Islam, you apologists for Mohammed, it is not the people hijacking Peaceful Islam for evil purposes. Perhaps Islam has been hijacking peaceful people for evil purposes. If you desire to show the world that Islam is peace, use your money and energy fighting those who supposedly gave you the reputation you have. Because no other religion I have seen has had to fight so strongly to convince people they are peaceful. I think you need to carry the fight to your own people, your own cultures, and your own leaders. It is not those of use who are from peaceful religions that need the convincing. It is the Islamists who need to be convinced not to do evil deeds, not those who question or fight those deeds. So drop these lawsuits against those who question your deeds and your proclamations and use it change Islam from within. Because until you do, those of us without will never take you seriously, and your words will fall in silence to the shouts of martyrdom and insults towards those who refuse to believe. I have heard on and on about how Islam is peaceful. Some of our politicians as well as pretty much all Muslims make this claim. I have looked, I have read the Quran, Hadiths, I have tried to find the peace that I am told is within the Islamic writings. And yes, there are some. But I see the more violent aspect of the religion within those writings and in the actions of those who are using them to commit atrocity. Just this week in New Jersey we see a family wiped out because they disagreed with some Muslims online. I have personally received threats and intimidation as well as other writers I know who have had to change their names due to threats. So tell me, followers of Mohammed, why are you so intolerant of those who disagree with your religion? Do you see other religions forcing their ideology onto entire populations? Do you see Christians, Jews, Buddhists, and others cutting throats? Kidnapping? Committing acts of suicide while in the midst of committing murder? Killing innocent people? Do you see over 90% of the world's conflicts and wars having any religion other than Islam involved? Do we see Christian pastors teaching to kill Muslims? To Hate Muslims? To fight daily against Muslims, as Islam does with Jews and Christians? Can you show me in the Bible where it says to slaughter those who disagree with you? Can you show me where the Bible or any other Holy Book orders to occupy and dominate lands and people and force them to submit or die to Christianity? Can you show me where any other religion is celebrating great catastrophes caused by their religion as the Imams in England do? Can you show me where Christians danced in the streets and passed out treats during the Iraq War or after the Tsunami because we see dead Muslims all over the world? Or do you see us sharing our wealth and resources with a religion that has shown only that they desire to kill us? Tell me Oh Muslim, what is more holy? To forgive your enemy and aid them when they lay dying? Or to use your mosques and Holy places to plot terror and hide munitions? To raise our children to love one another or to raise your children with rifles in their arms and a mind set that sends them into public areas with bombs strapped to their backs? You can show me all the Quranic writings you may have on peace. And you can tell me how little you think I understand on Islam. But I know what I read, and I know what I see. And I know what threats have been made to me for merely speaking my thoughts. Though I have never threatened or vowed to kill anyone in this world for blaspheming my God or my Religion. I have never had that moral authority given me through Christian Scriptures. There is nothing in the Bible that would condone my celebrating death or to order me to kill. The Christian Jesus never lifted a sword to any, nor did He defile Himself with women, nor did He rob a caravan. He lived a life without sin in order to be made a Perfect Sacrifice. If Mohamed really served the same God, he would have never claimed to be who he was, nor would the Quran and Hadiths show so much violence. Tell me, if you are a Peaceful Religion, WHAT is the meaning of Peace to you? The meaning of Peace to everyone else seems to take on a whole different meaning, a different interpretation. Most people generally think of it as non-conflicting ways. No wars, no terror, no oppression, no violence. How long will this world suffer the Sudan? How long will we suffer Chechnya, the Philippines? How long will we suffer Iran and Syria funding and sending terror worldwide? How long will we suffer Saudi Arabia financing Madrassas worldwide to instill violence against non-Muslims? How long will we watch families slaughtered for disagreeing with Islam as in New Jersey? How long will we see people murdered in the street for making fun of or disagreeing with Islam as in the Netherlands recently? How long will we watch idly by while Palestinians murder innocents on school buses? How long will we suffer Hamas and Al Qaeda? How long Oh Muslim, shall we sit and listen to how peaceful this religion is? How long shall we watch no progress from "peaceful" Muslims? And when you can truly define peace to me with your actions and bring back that peace to the nations and peoples you have slaughtered, terrorized, kidnapped, enslaved, and forced Islam upon, you can preach to me about your peaceful ways. Because when it comes down to it, we do not care about what you say. We care about what you do. So please, no more words, you followers of Mohammed. Your words have been made numb by the actions of your people. And our ears have been turned deaf to your scriptures by the loudness of the bombs that explode in our cities. And even the patience of the best can be tried before they decide to act upon your "peaceful" ways. Until this world becomes quiet enough, peaceful enough to listen to your words, we will listen to the actions of those who feed your hungry and rebuild your homes. I prefer that to the screams of "Allahu Akbar" in celebration of death.

World Hope, Freedom, Peace, Love, free speech
Lets make America safer from Muslim Killers,Rapist,and liars.
(1) Seal our borders, and ports. No illegal immigrants allowed to enter America.(2) Deport all but native born muslims to the middle east countries. (3) Out law the Islamic religion. Declare it a threat to national security. (4) Convert islamic Mosque into public recreational facilities for young people. (5) Double the sizes of our military. (two year military service mandontory after high school, Starting pay, twenty thousand a year )
(6) Remove Islamic dictators that do not promote civil rights!

(Vote World Freedom Fighter for President.)

PS> The GEN> is right.,it's a hell of a lot of fun too kill muslums.
You should try it. HO!! I forgot Muslums allready kill anyone, even other muslums. Allha!!

The words of
Samuel Adams:

"The liberties of our country, the freedom of our civil Constitution, are worth defending at all hazards;and it is our duty to defend them against all attacks. We have received them as a fair inheritance from our worthy ancestors: they purchased them for us with toil and danger and expense of treasure and blood,and transmitted them to us with care and diligence.
It will bring an ever lasting mark of infamy on the present generation, enlightened as it is, if we should suffer them to be wrested from us by violence without a struggle, or to be cheated out of them by the artifices of false and designing men."
You Muslobs hate free speech No! So sue,you fuckeads!

[dorothymiller]

My husband and I are blessed that our son went to Iraq and has returned safe and sound to his wife and children. He laughs and says he got home safely because he had so many people praying for him that God was "tired of listening to us". Ofcourse we know that is not true but there were lots of prayers being offered up for him. Now we are saying those prayers for you and your family. And we are always praying for all our soldiers at home and abroad. We appreciate all the sacrifices you and all our troops make each day for our freedom and for spreading the dream of freedom around the world. With freedom we pray that people everywhere will have the opportunity to find eternal salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Thank you again and our prayers will remain with you.

[Mary Perry]

Dear Daniel, I am a new neighbor of your brother,Patton. Julie and Patton have told me all about you. I wanted to thank you for all that you've done for our country. I don't want that to sound trite. I can't thank you and all of the other soldiers and their families enough. My dad went to West Point and he went to war when I was young. I always knew he was cool but it's not until you get older until you realize how important it is to have people who are so devoted to others who will risk their lives for this wonderful country that God gave us. I have heard that your outlook on life is wonderful and that you love God. I want you to know that we are praying for you and your family. So glad to hear that you are doing well. Take care - Praying for you throughout every day. Thank you! P.S. My husband went to the Naval Academy but I think his prayers will still count. =)

[Loretta]

I saw you today on CNN and you touched my heart. I am so proud of you and all the other mena and women in our United States Military. I know it is hard but God has used you in touching the lives of many others. Your faith and strength is such a blessing. I pray for your continuing healing and please know many of us are so proud of you and God is using you in many ways you don't even know. God Bless you and your family.

[wGRGEGW]

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all. (Applause.) Thank you all. Please be seated. (Applause.) Thank you for the warm welcome. I'm honored once again to be with the supporters of the National Endowment for Democracy. Since the day President Ronald Reagan set out the vision for this Endowment, the world has seen the swiftest advance of democratic institutions in history. And Americans are proud to have played our role in this great story.

Our nation stood guard on tense borders; we spoke for the rights of dissidents and the hopes of exile; we aided the rise of new democracies on the ruins of tyranny. And all the cost and sacrifice of that struggle has been worth it, because, from Latin America to Europe to Asia, we've gained the peace that freedom brings.

In this new century, freedom is once again assaulted by enemies determined to roll back generations of democratic progress. Once again, we're responding to a global campaign of fear with a global campaign of freedom. And once again, we will see freedom's victory. (Applause.)

Vin, I want to thank you for inviting me back. And thank you for the short introduction. (Laughter.) I appreciate Carl Gershman. I want to welcome former Congressman Dick Gephardt, who is a board member of the National Endowment for Democracy. It's good to see you, Dick. And I appreciate Chris Cox, who is the Chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, and a board member for the National Endowment of Democracy, for being here, as well. I want to thank all the other board members.

I appreciate the Secretary of State, Condi Rice, who has joined us -- alongside her, Secretary of Defense Don Rumsfeld. Thank you all for being here. I'm proud, as well, that the newly sworn-in Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, the first Marine ever to hold that position, is with us today -- General Peter Pace. (Applause.) I thank the members of the Diplomatic Corps who are here, as well.

Recently our country observed the fourth anniversary of a great evil, and looked back on a great turning point in our history. We still remember a proud city covered in smoke and ashes, a fire across the Potomac, and passengers who spent their final moments on Earth fighting the enemy. We still remember the men who rejoiced in every death, and Americans in uniform rising to duty. And we remember the calling that came to us on that day, and continues to this hour: We will confront this mortal danger to all humanity. We will not tire, or rest, until the war on terror is won. (Applause.)

The images and experience of September the 11th are unique for Americans. Yet the evil of that morning has reappeared on other days, in other places -- in Mombasa, and Casablanca, and Riyadh, and Jakarta, and Istanbul, and Madrid, and Beslan, and Taba, and Netanya, and Baghdad, and elsewhere. In the past few months, we've seen a new terror offensive with attacks on London, and Sharm el-Sheikh, and a deadly bombing in Bali once again. All these separate images of destruction and suffering that we see on the news can seem like random and isolated acts of madness; innocent men and women and children have died simply because they boarded the wrong train, or worked in the wrong building, or checked into the wrong hotel. Yet while the killers choose their victims indiscriminately, their attacks serve a clear and focused ideology, a set of beliefs and goals that are evil, but not insane.

Some call this evil Islamic radicalism; others, militant Jihadism; still others, Islamo-fascism. Whatever it's called, this ideology is very different from the religion of Islam. This form of radicalism exploits Islam to serve a violent, political vision: the establishment, by terrorism and subversion and insurgency, of a totalitarian empire that denies all political and religious freedom. These extremists distort the idea of jihad into a call for terrorist murder against Christians and Jews and Hindus -- and also against Muslims from other traditions, who they regard as heretics.

Many militants are part of global, borderless terrorist organizations like al Qaeda, which spreads propaganda, and provides financing and technical assistance to local extremists, and conducts dramatic and brutal operations like September the 11th. Other militants are found in regional groups, often associated with al Qaeda -- paramilitary insurgencies and separatist movements in places like Somalia, and the Philippines, and Pakistan, and Chechnya, and Kashmir, and Algeria. Still others spring up in local cells, inspired by Islamic radicalism, but not centrally directed. Islamic radicalism is more like a loose network with many branches than an army under a single command. Yet these operatives, fighting on scattered battlefields, share a similar ideology and vision for our world.

We know the vision of the radicals because they've openly stated it -- in videos, and audiotapes, and letters, and declarations, and websites. First, these extremists want to end American and Western influence in the broader Middle East, because we stand for democracy and peace, and stand in the way of their ambitions. Al Qaeda's leader, Osama bin Laden, has called on Muslims to dedicate, quote, their "resources, sons and money to driving the infidels out of their lands." Their tactic to meet this goal has been consistent for a quarter-century: They hit us, and expect us to run. They want us to repeat the sad history of Beirut in 1983, and Mogadishu in 1993 -- only this time on a larger scale, with greater consequences.

Second, the militant network wants to use the vacuum created by an American retreat to gain control of a country, a base from which to launch attacks and conduct their war against non-radical Muslim governments. Over the past few decades, radicals have specifically targeted Egypt, and Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan, and Jordan for potential takeover. They achieved their goal, for a time, in Afghanistan. Now they've set their sights on Iraq. Bin Laden has stated: "The whole world is watching this war and the two adversaries. It's either victory and glory, or misery and humiliation." The terrorists regard Iraq as the central front in their war against humanity. And we must recognize Iraq as the central front in our war on terror.

Third, the militants believe that controlling one country will rally the Muslim masses, enabling them to overthrow all moderate governments in the region, and establish a radical Islamic empire that spans from Spain to Indonesia. With greater economic and military and political power, the terrorists would be able to advance their stated agenda: to develop weapons of mass destruction, to destroy Israel, to intimidate Europe, to assault the American people, and to blackmail our government into isolation.

Some might be tempted to dismiss these goals as fanatical or extreme. Well, they are fanatical and extreme -- and they should not be dismissed. Our enemy is utterly committed. As Zarqawi has vowed, "We will either achieve victory over the human race or we will pass to the eternal life." And the civilized world knows very well that other fanatics in history, from Hitler to Stalin to Pol Pot, consumed whole nations in war and genocide before leaving the stage of history. Evil men, obsessed with ambition and unburdened by conscience, must be taken very seriously -- and we must stop them before their crimes can multiply.

Defeating the militant network is difficult, because it thrives, like a parasite, on the suffering and frustration of others. The radicals exploit local conflicts to build a culture of victimization, in which someone else is always to blame and violence is always the solution. They exploit resentful and disillusioned young men and women, recruiting them through radical mosques as the pawns of terror. And they exploit modern technology to multiply their destructive power. Instead of attending faraway training camps, recruits can now access online training libraries to learn how to build a roadside bomb, or fire a rocket-propelled grenade -- and this further spreads the threat of violence, even within peaceful democratic societies.

The influence of Islamic radicalism is also magnified by helpers and enablers. They have been sheltered by authoritarian regimes, allies of convenience like Syria and Iran, that share the goal of hurting America and moderate Muslim governments, and use terrorist propaganda to blame their own failures on the West and America, and on the Jews. These radicals depend on front operations, such as corrupted charities, which direct money to terrorist activity. They're strengthened by those who aggressively fund the spread of radical, intolerant versions of Islam in unstable parts of the world. The militants are aided, as well, by elements of the Arab news media that incite hatred and anti-Semitism, that feed conspiracy theories and speak of a so-called American "war on Islam" -- with seldom a word about American action to protect Muslims in Afghanistan, and Bosnia, Somalia, Kosovo, Kuwait, and Iraq.

Some have also argued that extremism has been strengthened by the actions of our coalition in Iraq, claiming that our presence in that country has somehow caused or triggered the rage of radicals. I would remind them that we were not in Iraq on September the 11th, 2001 -- and al Qaeda attacked us anyway. The hatred of the radicals existed before Iraq was an issue, and it will exist after Iraq is no longer an excuse. The government of Russia did not support Operation Iraqi Freedom, and yet the militants killed more than 180 Russian schoolchildren in Beslan.

Over the years these extremists have used a litany of excuses for violence -- the Israeli presence on the West Bank, or the U.S. military presence in Saudi Arabia, or the defeat of the Taliban, or the Crusades of a thousand years ago. In fact, we're not facing a set of grievances that can be soothed and addressed. We're facing a radical ideology with inalterable objectives: to enslave whole nations and intimidate the world. No act of ours invited the rage of the killers -- and no concession, bribe, or act of appeasement would change or limit their plans for murder.

On the contrary: They target nations whose behavior they believe they can change through violence. Against such an enemy, there is only one effective response: We will never back down, never give in, and never accept anything less than complete victory. (Applause.)

The murderous ideology of the Islamic radicals is the great challenge of our new century. Yet, in many ways, this fight resembles the struggle against communism in the last century. Like the ideology of communism, Islamic radicalism is elitist, led by a self-appointed vanguard that presumes to speak for the Muslim masses. Bin Laden says his own role is to tell Muslims, quote, "what is good for them and what is not." And what this man who grew up in wealth and privilege considers good for poor Muslims is that they become killers and suicide bombers. He assures them that his -- that this is the road to paradise -- though he never offers to go along for the ride.

Like the ideology of communism, our new enemy teaches that innocent individuals can be sacrificed to serve a political vision. And this explains their cold-blooded contempt for human life. We've seen it in the murders of Daniel Pearl, Nicholas Berg, and Margaret Hassan, and many others. In a courtroom in the Netherlands, the killer of Theo Van Gogh turned to the victim's grieving mother and said, "I do not feel your pain -- because I believe you are an infidel." And in spite of this veneer of religious rhetoric, most of the victims claimed by the militants are fellow Muslims.

When 25 Iraqi children are killed in a bombing, or Iraqi teachers are executed at their school, or hospital workers are killed caring for the wounded, this is murder, pure and simple -- the total rejection of justice and honor and morality and religion. These militants are not just the enemies of America, or the enemies of Iraq, they are the enemies of Islam and the enemies of humanity. (Applause.) We have seen this kind of shameless cruelty before, in the heartless zealotry that led to the gulags, and the Cultural Revolution, and the killing fields.

Like the ideology of communism, our new enemy pursues totalitarian aims. Its leaders pretend to be an aggrieved party, representing the powerless against imperial enemies. In truth they have endless ambitions of imperial domination, and they wish to make everyone powerless except themselves. Under their rule, they have banned books, and desecrated historical monuments, and brutalized women. They seek to end dissent in every form, and to control every aspect of life, and to rule the soul, itself. While promising a future of justice and holiness, the terrorists are preparing for a future of oppression and misery.

Like the ideology of communism, our new enemy is dismissive of free peoples, claiming that men and women who live in liberty are weak and decadent. Zarqawi has said that Americans are, quote, "the most cowardly of God's creatures." But let's be clear: It is cowardice that seeks to kill children and the elderly with car bombs, and cuts the throat of a bound captive, and targets worshipers leaving a mosque. It is courage that liberated more than 50 million people. It is courage that keeps an untiring vigil against the enemies of a rising democracy. And it is courage in the cause of freedom that once again will destroy the enemies of freedom. (Applause.)

And Islamic radicalism, like the ideology of communism, contains inherent contradictions that doom it to failure. By fearing freedom -- by distrusting human creativity, and punishing change, and limiting the contributions of half the population -- this ideology undermines the very qualities that make human progress possible, and human societies successful. The only thing modern about the militants' vision is the weapons they want to use against us. The rest of their grim vision is defined by a warped image of the past -- a declaration of war on the idea of progress, itself. And whatever lies ahead in the war against this ideology, the outcome is not in doubt: Those who despise freedom and progress have condemned themselves to isolation, decline, and collapse. Because free peoples believe in the future, free peoples will own the future. (Applause.)

We didn't ask for this global struggle, but we're answering history's call with confidence, and a comprehensive strategy. Defeating a broad and adaptive network requires patience, constant pressure, and strong partners in Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, Asia and beyond. Working with these partners, we're disrupting militant conspiracies, destroying their ability to make war, and working to give millions in a troubled region of the world a hopeful alternative to resentment and violence.

First, we're determined to prevent the attacks of terrorist networks before they occur. We're reorganizing our government to give this nation a broad and coordinated homeland defense. We're reforming our intelligence agencies for the incredibly difficult task of tracking enemy activity, based on information that often comes in small fragments from widely scattered sources, here and abroad. We're acting, along with the governments from many countries, to destroy the terrorist networks and incapacitate their leaders. Together, we've killed or captured nearly all of those directly responsible for the September the 11th attacks; as well as some of bin Laden's most senior deputies; al Qaeda managers and operatives in more than 24 countries; the mastermind of the USS Cole bombing, who was chief of al Qaeda operations in the Persian Gulf; the mastermind of the Jakarta and the first Bali bombings; a senior Zarqawi terrorist planner, who was planning attacks in Turkey; and many of al Qaeda's senior leaders in Saudi Arabia.

Overall, the United States and our partners have disrupted at least ten serious al Qaeda terrorist plots since September the 11th, including three al Qaeda plots to attack inside the United States. We've stopped at least five more al Qaeda efforts to case targets in the United States, or infiltrate operatives into our country. Because of this steady progress, the enemy is wounded -- but the enemy is still capable of global operations. Our commitment is clear: We will not relent until the organized international terror networks are exposed and broken, and their leaders held to account for their acts of murder.

Second, we're determined to deny weapons of mass destruction to outlaw regimes, and to their terrorist allies who would use them without hesitation. The United States, working with Great Britain, Pakistan, and other nations, has exposed and disrupted a major black-market operation in nuclear technology led by A.Q. Khan. Libya has abandoned its chemical and nuclear weapons programs, as well as long-range ballistic missiles. And in the last year, America and our partners in the Proliferation Security Initiative have stopped more than a dozen shipments of suspected weapons technology, including equipment for Iran's ballistic missile program.

This progress has reduced the danger to free nations, but has not removed it. Evil men who want to use horrendous weapons against us are working in deadly earnest to gain them. And we're working urgently to keep weapons of mass destruction out of their hands.

Third, we're determined to deny radical groups the support and sanctuary of outlaw regimes. State sponsors like Syria and Iran have a long history of collaboration with terrorists, and they deserve no patience from the victims of terror. The United States makes no distinction between those who commit acts of terror and those who support and harbor them, because they're equally as guilty of murder. (Applause.) Any government that chooses to be an ally of terror has also chosen to be an enemy of civilization. And the civilized world must hold those regimes to account.

Fourth, we're determined to deny the militants control of any nation, which they would use as a home base and a launching pad for terror. For this reason, we're fighting beside our Afghan partners against remnants of the Taliban and their al Qaeda allies. For this reason, we're working with President Musharraf to oppose and isolate the militants in Pakistan. And for this reason, we're fighting the regime remnants and terrorists in Iraq. The terrorist goal is to overthrow a rising democracy, claim a strategic country as a haven for terror, destabilize the Middle East, and strike America and other free nations with ever-increasing violence. Our goal is to defeat the terrorists and their allies at the heart of their power -- and so we will defeat the enemy in Iraq.

Our coalition, along with our Iraqi allies, is moving forward with a comprehensive, specific military plan. Area by area, city by city, we're conducting offensive operations to clear out enemy forces, and leaving behind Iraqi units to prevent the enemy from returning. Within these areas, we're working for tangible improvements in the lives of Iraqi citizens. And we're aiding the rise of an elected government that unites the Iraqi people against extremism and violence. This work involves great risk for Iraqis, and for Americans and coalition forces. Wars are not won without sacrifice -- and this war will require more sacrifice, more time, and more resolve.

The terrorists are as brutal an enemy as we've ever faced. They're unconstrained by any notion of our common humanity, or by the rules of warfare. No one should underestimate the difficulties ahead, nor should they overlook the advantages we bring to this fight.

Some observers look at the job ahead and adopt a self-defeating pessimism. It is not justified. With every random bombing and with every funeral of a child, it becomes more clear that the extremists are not patriots, or resistance fighters -- they are murderers at war with the Iraqi people, themselves.

In contrast, the elected leaders of Iraq are proving to be strong and steadfast. By any standard or precedent of history, Iraq has made incredible political progress -- from tyranny, to liberation, to national elections, to the writing of a constitution, in the space of two-and-a-half years. With our help, the Iraqi military is gaining new capabilities and new confidence with every passing month. At the time of our Fallujah operations 11 months ago, there were only a few Iraqi army battalions in combat. Today there are more than 80 Iraqi army battalions fighting the insurgency alongside our forces. Progress isn't easy, but it is steady. And no fair-minded person should ignore, deny, or dismiss the achievements of the Iraqi people.

Some observers question the durability of democracy in Iraq. They underestimate the power and appeal of freedom. We've heard it suggested that Iraq's democracy must be on shaky ground because Iraqis are arguing with each other. But that's the essence of democracy: making your case, debating with those who you disagree -- who disagree, building consensus by persuasion, and answering to the will of the people. We've heard it said that the Shia, Sunnis and Kurds of Iraq are too divided to form a lasting democracy. In fact, democratic federalism is the best hope for unifying a diverse population, because a federal constitutional system respects the rights and religious traditions of all citizens, while giving all minorities, including the Sunnis, a stake and a voice in the future of their country. It is true that the seeds of freedom have only recently been planted in Iraq -- but democracy, when it grows, is not a fragile flower; it is a healthy, sturdy tree. (Applause.)

As Americans, we believe that people everywhere -- everywhere -- prefer freedom to slavery, and that liberty, once chosen, improves the lives of all. And so we're confident, as our coalition and the Iraqi people each do their part, Iraqi democracy will succeed.

Some observers also claim that America would be better off by cutting our losses and leaving Iraq now. This is a dangerous illusion, refuted with a simple question: Would the United States and other free nations be more safe, or less safe, with Zarqawi and bin Laden in control of Iraq, its people, and its resources? Having removed a dictator who hated free peoples, we will not stand by as a new set of killers, dedicated to the destruction of our own country, seizes control of Iraq by violence.

There's always a temptation, in the middle of a long struggle, to seek the quiet life, to escape the duties and problems of the world, and to hope the enemy grows weary of fanaticism and tired of murder. This would be a pleasant world, but it's not the world we live in. The enemy is never tired, never sated, never content with yesterday's brutality. This enemy considers every retreat of the civilized world as an invitation to greater violence. In Iraq, there is no peace without victory. We will keep our nerve and we will win that victory. (Applause.)

The fifth element of our strategy in the war on terror is to deny the militants future recruits by replacing hatred and resentment with democracy and hope across the broader Middle East. This is a difficult and long-term project, yet there's no alternative to it. Our future and the future of that region are linked. If the broader Middle East is left to grow in bitterness, if countries remain in misery, while radicals stir the resentments of millions, then that part of the world will be a source of endless conflict and mounting danger, and for our generation and the next. If the peoples of that region are permitted to choose their own destiny, and advance by their own energy and by their participation as free men and women, then the extremists will be marginalized, and the flow of violent radicalism to the rest of the world will slow, and eventually end. By standing for the hope and freedom of others, we make our own freedom more secure.

America is making this stand in practical ways. We're encouraging our friends in the Middle East, including Egypt and Saudi Arabia, to take the path of reform, to strengthen their own societies in the fight against terror by respecting the rights and choices of their own people. We're standing with dissidents and exiles against oppressive regimes, because we know that the dissidents of today will be the democratic leaders of tomorrow. We're making our case through public diplomacy, stating clearly and confidently our belief in self-determination, and the rule of law, and religious freedom, and equal rights for women, beliefs that are right and true in every land, and in every culture. (Applause.)

As we do our part to confront radicalism, we know that the most vital work will be done within the Islamic world, itself. And this work has begun. Many Muslim scholars have already publicly condemned terrorism, often citing Chapter 5, Verse 32 of the Koran, which states that killing an innocent human being is like killing all humanity, and saving the life of one person is like saving all of humanity. After the attacks in London on July the 7th, an imam in the United Arab Emirates declared, "Whoever does such a thing is not a Muslim, nor a religious person." The time has come for all responsible Islamic leaders to join in denouncing an ideology that exploits Islam for political ends, and defiles a noble faith.

Many people of the Muslim faith are proving their commitment at great personal risk. Everywhere we have engaged the fight against extremism, Muslim allies have stood up and joined the fight, becoming partners in a vital cause. Afghan troops are in combat against Taliban remnants. Iraqi soldiers are sacrificing to defeat al Qaeda in their own country. These brave citizens know the stakes -- the survival of their own liberty, the future of their own region, the justice and humanity of their own tradition -- and that United States of America is proud to stand beside them. (Applause.)

With the rise of a deadly enemy and the unfolding of a global ideological struggle, our time in history will be remembered for new challenges and unprecedented dangers. And yet the fight we have joined is also the current expression of an ancient struggle, between those who put their faith in dictators, and those who put their faith in the people. Throughout history, tyrants and would-be tyrants have always claimed that murder is justified to serve their grand vision -- and they end up alienating decent people across the globe. Tyrants and would-be tyrants have always claimed that regimented societies are strong and pure -- until those societies collapse in corruption and decay. Tyrants and would-be tyrants have always claimed that free men and women are weak and decadent -- until the day that free men and women defeat them.

We don't know the course of our own struggle -- the course our own struggle will take -- or the sacrifices that might lie ahead. We do know, however, that the defense of freedom is worth our sacrifice. We do know the love of freedom is the mightiest force of history. And we do know the cause of freedom will once again prevail.

May God bless you.