I wrote a column for Young Democracy!, the official magazine of the International Young Democratic Union, a global group of conservatives under 40. I wasn’t able to make it out to their meeting in London, England this week, but that didn’t stop my article on new media and how conservatives benefit from it from being distributed! It starts on page 12…enjoy!
By her father and brother.
I’ll confess to being a Harry Potter fan. I read the books as they came out. In fact, it wasn’t uncommon to see me waiting outside a bookstore before opening once or twice (then again, I also do that for Ann Coulter’s books.) Either way, I was familiar with Padma Patil, the character from the Potter books and movies played by 22-year old actress Afshan Azad.
Now, Azad has had to escape to London, England from an attempted murder by her 54-year old father Abdul (of course) and her 28-year old brother Ashraf.
The reason? Well, I’m sure it has nothing to do with her father and brother being Muslim and disapproving of her relationship with a Hindu man. Oh yeah, it does.
Azad has been fortunate enough to become a part of the most successful franchise in recent memory, launching a career in acting while still pursuing a university degree so that she can enter into journalism, and for doing nothing wrong she has to escape an honor killing? I thank God that she wasn’t one of the countless victims who haven’t been so lucky.
Amusingly, despite her brother’s interest in her being dead, he still wanted her was looking out for her:
We are going to get trouble from the community now. It is bad news for our safety, her safety. My younger brother is going to get harassed at college. All our family is going to be harassed by the community because of this. Her career could be ruined. When she goes to a premiere or something, they are going to ask her about this not about the film.
Jerk.
UPDATE: Apparently she has now issued a statement saying she doesn’t want them to go to jail. My guess? Coercion from relatives…that seems to be a pattern with these people. Fortunately, the prosecution is still proceeding.
On this special ‘24′ edition of Strictly Right, Ari and Andrew chat about Greece’s new found socialism, and the socialism that Americans have to deal with. As well, the dangers of “Conservatism Light” in the United Kingdom and radical Muslims on college campuses.
You can listen to this episode online here or subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.
I shouldn’t be surprised, but I kind of am. When I saw that the Democratic Party was running summer training camps, I was worried that this was going to be another Barney-Frank-meets-Catholic-clergy nightmare; you know, so kids could claim ObamaCare benefits for therapy sessions in a few years. More amusingly, however, it seems that Organizing for America, Obama’s PAC is running indoctrination sessions across America this summer (coming to a rented-out warehouse near you!) Remember those speeches that Hitler and Stalin used to go around Father- and Mother-land doing to tell people all the benefits of their respective governments? Now, I’m not saying that there’s a connection or anything…
From Obama’s website:
As we continue fighting for the President’s agenda and gear up for the elections in the fall, we need to make sure we’re all ready to organize as effectively as possible.
We’re holding Camp OFA training sessions across the country, to make sure that OFA supporters like you have the skills you’ll need to make it happen. You’ll hear from local community organizers, volunteers, and staff on the best ways to organize local events and build neighborhood teams, how to make the case for the President’s agenda for change, and what OFA is planning to do in the months ahead.
Don’t be afraid when you start seeing a bunch of zombies walking around this summer with blank stares on their faces repeating a carefully chosen one-liner. Basically, they’ll be like Ron Paul supporters except they’ll be saying something other than “End the Fed” (has the effect of “Hope and Change” worn off yet?)
Fortunately I was able to come across the schedule for one of these sessions:
8:00 am-9:00 am: Arrival, registration. Organizers will empty everyone’s wallets and redistribute spending money equally
9:00 am-10:00 am: How to bend over to Muslims without falling
10:00 am-11:00 am: Freedom 101 – why it’s outdated and not-relevant
11:00 am-12:00 pm: The Constitution – why everyone should write their own and follow that one
12:00 pm-1:00 pm: Sodium-free, vegan luncheon (individuals will not be permitted to purchase a better meal from a private vendor)
1:00 pm-2:00 pm: What You Didn’t Know about the UK – How to select gifts for PM’s and break royal protocol
2:00 pm-3:00 pm: How to manage Biden
3:00 pm-4:00 pm: Income Tax Tips 101 with special guest from ACORN
4:00 pm-5:00 pm: Racism in America – how to spin any statement by a conservative to indicate racism