Freed Al Qaeda Sleeper Agent Ali Saleh Al-Marri Was Part of Proposed Swap for Jailed Americans

I THOUGHT IT WAS AMERICAN POLICY NOT TO NEGOTIATE WITH TERRORISTS?

From the Daily Beast:

Before he was released from a U.S. maximum-security prison last week, a confessed al Qaeda sleeper agent was offered up in a potential prisoner swap that would have freed two Americans held abroad.

The Daily Beast has learned that the proposal was floated in July 2014 to the then-U.S. ambassador in Qatar by an individual acting on behalf of that country’s attorney general. According to two individuals with direct knowledge of the case, the proposition was made shortly after the Obama administration traded five Taliban fighters for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. Those fighters were also sent to Qatar, where they’re to remain under government watch until later this year. U.S. officials have said they’re at risk of plotting further attacks against the United States.

The proposed swap involving the al Qaeda agent, Ali Saleh Al-Marri, raises troubling questions about whether the Bergdahl trade opened a kind of Pandora’s box, signaling to foreign governments that they can pressure the United States to make concessions on terrorism by trading American prisoners abroad for dangerous extremists held in the United States.

“I believe we must examine the administration’s decision in the case of Al-Marri and determine if his release is connected to negotiations of any kind,” Rep. Duncan Hunter, a frequent critic of the Obama administration’s hostage negotiations, wrote Thursday in a letter to Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX), the House Armed Services Committee chairman, obtained by The Daily Beast.

Governments’ hostage negotiations policies are once again taking center stage after ISIS released a photograph Saturday showing the apparent beheading of Haruna Yukawa, one of two Japanese men the group is holding. Unexpectedly, ISIS has now dropped an earlier demand of $200 million ransom and says it will free the remaining hostage, journalist Kenji Goto, in exchange for the release of Sajida Mubarak al-Rishawi, a failed suicide bomber who’s imprisoned in Jordan for her role in an attack on three hotels in Amman in 2005, which killed 60 people. (Read the rest HERE)

Uber-Liberal Bill Maher Calls American Sniper Chris Kyle a “Psychopath Patriot” on HBO’s ‘Real Time’

I GUESS LIBERAL BILL MAHER HAS BEEN GETTING TOO MUCH HATE MAIL FROM THE FAR LEFT TO TALK GOOD ABOUT AN AMERICAN HERO WHO KILLED RADICAL ISLAMISTS …

Bill Maher calls American hero Chris Kyle a “Psychopath Patriot”.  The only redeeming quality of far-Left comedian Bill Maher was that he got terrorism, radical Islam and the Islamo-fascist killers who would sooner cut some ones head off than say hello. Or at least we thought. During the latest episode of HBO’s ‘Real Time,’ Bill Maher came out in his condescending tone, “The Hurt Locker made 17 million because it was a little ambiguous and thoughtful, and this one [the movie America Sniper] is just American hero, he’s a ‘Psychopath Patriot’ and we love him”  Why, because that’s what liberals do, they mock American heroes because they hate the military. Even though Maher has ripped radical Islam in the past, to the horror of the radical LEFT, it would appear that Maher cannot support an actual American hero he made a difference in killing murderous Islamists.

Maher quoted Chris Kyle stating, “I hate the damn savages” and I love killing bad guys”. Maher then said, that doesn’t seem like a Christian thing to say. Wow really, an atheist like Maher is going to judge an individual it was to be a sniper, to kill the enemy, in order to protect Americans. Welcome to the hateful liberal mindset. Left Howie Dean tried to pile on and make a comparison that there is a lot of anger in the country and the people going to see the movie are angry Tea Party folk. Really Howie? This from Howie “I have a scream” Dean, you seem like a little hate-filled man yourself. Did we also say clueless? American Sniper is #1 at the box office again this week, bringing in over $200 million. Wow Howie, who knew there were that many Tea Party people out there. You better hope not.

This guy (the late Chris Kyle) basically says, ‘I’m going to fight on your side. I bet you if you looked at the cross-section of the tea party and people who see this movie there’s a lot of intersection.”

But a funny thing happened after Maher made is mocking and snarly comments regarding Chris Kyle, his guets turned against him. Two of Maher’s guests made the case that there is nuance in the movie, and that it’s not just about “killing savages.” They stated, it’s about the horror of war, the moral struggles a sniper faces and the battle with PTSD that rages on the home front.

“I can’t believe you came away with that impression of the film,” Mr. Stephens said to Mr. Maher. “What I saw was a movie that treats what veterans and soldiers go through in way that was subtle. It was not just about war it was about PTSD. It’s about what the wives of soldiers go through. And by the way the savages he’s talking about aren’t ordinary Iraqis, the savages are al Qaeda killers who put drills into children to enforce orders.”

Comedian Bill Burr backed up Mr. Stephens, telling Mr. Maher “You can’t sum up a man by one quote taken out of context.”

Bill Maher, calls Chris Kyle, American Sniper, a ‘Psychopath Patriot’

VIDEO – (content warning: strong language)

The Blaze:

Is “American Sniper” just a mindless, pro-war action movie with a “psychopath” hero?

That’s what one liberal claimed — but he was quickly contradicted by his own guests.

Bill Maher, host of HBO’s “Real Time,” came out swinging against the blockbuster “American Sniper” on his show Friday night, complaining that the film doesn’t show any nuance and merely presents sniper Chris Kyle as an American hero.

“‘He’s a psychopath patriot and we love him,’” Maher said mockingly of the thousands of Americans who flocked to see the film.

EXIT QUESTION: I wonder if the only thing that separated Bill Maher from be beheaded by a savage radical Islamist was a sniper’s bullet if he would consider that sniper a “Psychopath Patriot”?

ISIS Claims They Have Killed One of Two Japanese Hostages … VIDEO Shows Hostage Kenji Goto Holding Pic of Beheaded Body of the Second Hostage, Haruna Yukawa

SICK, THESE SAVAGES HAVE DONE IT AGAIN …

The Islamic State, ISIS, has reportedly released a new video Saturday claiming one of the two Japanese captives had been beheaded.  In the video, Japanese freelance journalist Kenji Goto holds up a photo that shows the dead body of the second hostage, Haruna Yukawa. The video has yet to be verified and there is some question as to the videos authenticity as it is different from past ISIS ones released. However, with ISIS’s record of beheading innocents, why would these savages put forth a fake?  ISIS is now issuing a new demand for the second Japanese hostage, to al Qaeda female prisoner in Jordan, , Sajida Mubarak Atrous al-Rishawi.”

Japanese Times

A purported ISIS video posted online today claims the terror group has beheaded one of two Japanese hostages and will execute the second unless an al Qaeda female prisoner is freed in Jordan.

Neither U.S. nor Japanese officials were able to immediately authenticate the video, which did not contain many of the high production techniques seen in earlier ISIS videos nor the typical branding for the terror group.

The video shows a still picture of Japanese television reporter Kenji Goto holding a photo of the beheaded body of Haruna Kuwana.

Clearly reading a message written for him, the voice says ISIS no longer is demanding a $200 million ransom but will free him if the female prisoner is released.

“They no longer want money, so you don’t need to worry about funding terrorists,” the voice says. “They are just demanding the release of their imprisoned sister, Sajida al-Rishawi. It is simple, You give them Sajida and I will be released.”

UPDATE I: Japanese hostage feared killed as government says will not give in to terrorism.

In an audio tape sent to the family of one of the hostages, Kenji Goto, he appeals for help and say that the other, his friend Haruna Yukawa, has been killed.

As he speaks, Mr Goto is shown in a still photograph, in which he holds up another photograph showing what seems to be Mr Yukawa’s decapitated body with his head lying on his back – a now standard method used by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant to display its victims.

“You have seen the photo of my cellmate Haruna slaughtered in the land of the Islamic Caliphate,” he says, addressing the Japanese prime minister, Shinzo Abe.

“You were warned. You were given a deadline and so my captors acted upon their words.

UPDATE II: White House has released a statement condemning the alleged action of the Islamic State group.

“We have seen the video purporting to show that Japanese citizen Haruna Yukawa has been murdered by the terrorist group ISIL,” Patrick Ventrell, a U.S. National Security Council representative, said in the statement. “The intelligence community is working to confirm its authenticity. The United States strongly condemns ISIL’s actions, and we call for the immediate release of all the remaining hostages. The United States is fully supportive of Japan in this matter. We stand in solidarity with Japan and are coordinating closely.”

19 Year Old Shannon Maureen Conley Sentenced to 4 Years in Prison Admitting to Trying to Join ISIS, Become a Bride and Participate in Terrorist Jihad in the Mideast

19 year old Shannon Maureen Conley was sentenced to four years in prison for her efforts in joining ISIS and intent on participating in jihad in the Middle East. Conley pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization in September. Under the plea deal, Conley agreed to divulge information that she may  know about other Americans with similar intentions. Conley spoke at her sentencing in court on Friday and said, “Even though I supported a jihad, it was never to hurt anyone. It was always in the defense of Muslims.” She apologized to the judge, saying she was embarrassed by her arrogance, “I do not believe I am a threat to society and would appreciate an opportunity to prove it.” Thankfully the court did not agree, sentencing her to 4 years as U.S. District Judge Raymond Moore said before sentencing Conley, called her “a bit of a mess. and “to me, it doesn’t seem like she gets it.”

Conley pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization in September under a deal that requires her to divulge information she may have about other Americans with similar intentions.

FBI agents say Conley wanted to marry a suitor she met online who told her he was fighting with the extremists. She repeatedly told them she wanted to fight alongside him or use her skills as a nurse’s aide to help.

CNN:

A federal judge gave a four-year prison sentence Friday to a 19-year-old Colorado woman who admitted guilt in wanting to become an ISIS bride and participate in its jihad in the Mideast.

Shannon Maureen Conley is one of the first Americans to be sentenced for conspiracy to support ISIS and received a sentence that was also recommended by prosecutors seeking to send a message of deterrence.

Though the judge initially cited how Conley needs psychiatric care, he sided with prosecutors in the end.

“What is it that will cause others to stop” in the future, Judge Raymond P. Moore said during sentencing.

Before sentencing, Conley wept as she read a statement saying, “It was after arrest that I learned the truth about the ISIS that I was taught to respect.”

UPDATE I: Statement from the Conoly family:

An Open Letter to the President and the American People

Over the last several months my wife and I have received numerous requests for a statement about our daughter Shannon’s situation. Now that she has been sentenced we would offer these thoughts.

We were told at the time of the investigation the Department of Justice (FBI and Federal Prosecutor’s Office) was trying to formulate a better response to young people being radicalized by ISIS and other groups. In doing so the local personnel went to extraordinary lengths to navigate the turbulent waters caused by these events. In our dealings with them we have been treated with respect and compassion throughout this affair. It’s unfortunate the local efforts apparently weren’t viewed as more worthwhile by their superiors.

The strategy of the terrorist is to make the enemy change behavior through the use of fear and to subjugate the enemy by making them live in fear. A tactic of asymmetric warfare is to cause the enemy to expend large amounts of resources dealing with a situation that costs little to create.

We’re told the average ISIS soldier makes roughly $150 per month. The ISIS soldier Shannon had contact with was called Yousr. His actual time on the internet with Shannon was certainly less than one month’s work. The government has now spent tens of thousands of dollars putting Shannon in prison and intends to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars more keeping her there.

We’re told the government is afraid that, even if Shannon is not a threat to the public, others may make similar choices. Those people need to be sent a message that if they do they should fear capture and prosecution. Shannon’s continued punishment is to ensure that message is understood by the American people. Additionally the, perhaps unintended, message is the government is willing to sacrifice the future of a 19 year old American citizen to drive the point home.

If these things are true then we feel the terrorists have won this particular battle in the war on terrorism. Fear has increased, behavior changed and resources expended. We also feel this disproportional governmental response simply aids the terrorist in winning his war by doing for him what he can’t do for himself: terrify the American people. (more here)

Barack Obama Said in SOTU Address that “The State of the Union is Strong” … Frank Luntz Focus Group Calls BS & Doesn’t Buy It

FOCUS GROUP CRIES BS WHEN OBAMA CLAIMS THE STATE OF THE UNION IS STRONG …

Last night during President Barack Obama’s SOTU address, Barack Obama said, “the shadow of crisis has passed, and the State of the Union is strong.” Hmm, really? What shadow of crisis has passed that Obama speaks of? Is it the economic crisis that still plagues millions of Americans who face wage stagnation, having to work multiple jobs or lesser ones than they once had? Is it the crisis of a record number of Americans on Food Stamps? Is it the crisis of record low job participation? Or is it the crisis that terrorism is over, even though radical Islam is on the march in the forms of ISIS, Al-Qaeda, Boko Haram, etc. So what the hell was Barack Obama talking about … the Frank Luntz focus group was asking the same question as none of them bought Obama’s spin and half of the group voted for Obama. Check out the 18 second mark where the focus groups both call foul.

America, for all that we’ve endured; for all the grit and hard work required to come back; for all the tasks that lie ahead, know this:

The shadow of crisis has passed, and the State of the Union is strong.

Video Hat Tip – Gateway Pundit

SOTU:

Tonight, for the first time since 9/11, our combat mission in Afghanistan is over. Six years ago, nearly 180,000 American troops served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Today, fewer than 15,000 remain. And we salute the courage and sacrifice of every man and woman in this 9/11 Generation who has served to keep us safe. We are humbled and grateful for your service.

America, for all that we’ve endured; for all the grit and hard work required to come back; for all the tasks that lie ahead, know this:

The shadow of crisis has passed, and the State of the Union is strong.