My heart goes out to the folks in Italy.  Many will be celebrating an albeit humble Easter.  Chin up, Italians; the US is donating $50,000 in emergency aid.  Some pretty funny comments after the article.  I piratically like the following:

“$50,000? Is that a typo? Why don’t we just send them some DVDs or an iPod?”

“ACORN got $4.17 billion dollars in the so-called “stimulus plan”.

Meanwhile, you’ve probably already read about the $900M in aid to rebuild Gaza.  Overall pledges from over 40 countries were $5B.  Hmmm.  So 2.5% of the donors paid 18% of the aid.  Interesting.  Sounds familiar (hat tip TaxProfBlog via Brain Terminal:

“Top 1% earned 19% of Income, Paid 28% of All Federal Taxes in 2006.”

While I’m sure this isn’t the most unbiased of sources, Hamas is planning on building a military staff college.  Wonder where they got the money to do that?  Guess they didn’t get Obama’s memo and good faith efforts to achieve peace through nonproliferation.

I … uh … am not … uh … a muslim …uh. PRAISE ALLAH! I just don’t understand all the jews who keep voting for democrats; it’s like signing your own death warrant.

The Associated Press
Published: January 17, 2009
WASHINGTON: A Muslim scholar chosen to speak at President-elect Barack Obama’s inaugural prayer service Wednesday is the leader of a group that federal prosecutors say has ties to terrorists.

Ingrid Mattson, president of the Islamic Society of North America, is one of many religious leaders scheduled to speak at the prayer service at Washington’s National Cathedral.

Mattson has been the guest of honor at State Department dinners and has met with senior Pentagon officials during the Bush administration. She also spoke at a prayer service at the Democratic National Convention in Denver.

But in 2007 and as recently as last July, federal prosecutors in Dallas filed court documents linking the Hartford, Conn.-based Islamic society to the group Hamas, which the U.S. considers a terrorist organization.

Neither Mattson nor her organization have been charged. But prosecutors wrote in July that they had “a wide array of testimonial and documentary evidence expressly linking” the group to Hamas and other radical groups.

Today in Americas
Crash cause unclear, but not pilot’s heroismInaugural too big an attraction for manyStatement on U.S. torture may have unexpected falloutLinda Douglass, a spokeswoman for Obama’s inaugural committee, would not discuss the case or say whether the committee knew about it.

“She has a stellar reputation in the faith community,” Douglass said Saturday night.

The existence of the court documents was first reported by Politico.

The Islamic Society of North America, which describes itself as “the nation’s largest mainstream Muslim community-based organization,” is fighting its inclusion on a list of coconspirators in the Dallas terrorism case against the Holy Land Foundation. In court documents, the group says it does not condone terrorism.

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2009/01/17/america/Inauguration-Prayer.php

Grab that burka ladies, it’s time to be free under the Religion of Peace.

Christians warned: Accept Islamic law’
New Hamas rule means real changes,’ missionaries to be ‘dealt with harshly’

JERUSALEM – Christians can continue living safely in the Gaza Strip only if they accept Islamic law, including a ban on alcohol and on women roaming publicly without proper head coverings, an Islamist militant leader in Gaza told WND in an exclusive interview.
The militant leader said Christians in Gaza who engage in “missionary activity” will be “dealt with harshly.”
The threats come two days after a church and Christian school in Gaza was attacked following the seizure of power in the territory by the Hamas terror group.
“I expect our Christian neighbors to understand the new Hamas rule means real changes. They must be ready for Islamic rule if they want to live in peace in Gaza,” said Sheik Abu Saqer….”