9-year-old Girl Struggles to Recover 3 Years After Being Thrown into a Fire

On April 29, 2008 in Trauali Jhanauti village in Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh 6-year-old Kamlesh, a Dalit (untouchable), was walking with her mother, Manju, when she walked onto a road meant for the "upper cast". What happened next seems so horrific that it defies all semblance of humanity.

According to Gulf News a local man identified as Sunny allegedly beat Kamlesh and then threw her into a fire pit. When Manju, who was 8 months pregnant at the time, attempted to rescue her daughter she was attacked by several men and beaten unconscious. After regaining consciousness she was able to pull Kamlesh to safety but she had suffered severe burns over a large portion of her body.

Kamlesh is now 9 years old and the pain and scars serve as a constant reminder of what has been called another case of caste violence left unpunished. She lost the ability to move her right elbow and hand. She will also need extensive plastic surgery to repair the scars. According to Gulf News the family has exhausted their modest finances paying for the medical care that has been necessary over the past three years. Without outside assistance it appears unlikely that the family will be able to afford the medical care necessary for Kamlesh to regain the use of her arm or the plastic surgery that would help hide the scars of this horrid act.

Four people were named in the 2008 complaint but only Sunny was arrested. Manju was left so traumatized that she developed what is only being described as "psychiatric issues" and was unable to testify in court. Although there were other witnesses they would not testify out of fear. Sunny was released after 6 months and the charges where withdrawn.

Kamlesh's father, Saudan Singh told IBN::

“This is not the first time that this has happened. The problem is no one comes forward to speak. No one came forward to help,”

The traumatic and unthinkable acts committed against  Kamlesh on that day seems a high price to pay for a young girl not "knowing her place" in society.

Donald Trump: The Great Fraud?

For quite some time now we have listened to Donald Trump talk about the “team of investigators” he has sent to Hawaii, last night he discussed his investigation with Anderson Cooper. As do most of Donald Trumps “Birther” rants last nights interview left many of us questioning, not President Obama’s citizenship but rather Donald Trump’s honesty. Donald Trump seems quite capable of making wild allegations and fueling the “Birther” fire but producing any actual evidence or even an actual investigator seems to be a problem for him.


Trump has made the comment, "you wont believe what they (his investigators) are finding" but when he is asked to elaborate on that or any other evidence he claims to have found he provides everything except a straight answer. So far, some of the answers he does provide are "we will see what happens", "its none of your business", "I don't want to say now, but it's going to be very interesting".

The CNN team has said that they haven't found one person during the course of their investigation who have been contacted by Trumps investigators, when Cooper asked trump if he thought the he former director of the Hawaii Department of Health (one of 2 officials who have seen the Original certificate) was someone they should be talking to Trump responded:

"Well I’ve been told very recently, Anderson, that the birth certificate is missing, I’ve been told that’s it not there or it doesn’t exist.  And if that’s the case it’s a big problem."

Cooper then asked: "Who told you that?"

Trump responds:  "I just heard that two days ago from somebody."

In true Trump style he dodged the original question all together and offered up some more "inside" information from yet another nameless, faceless "somebody".

There seems to be nothing about his "investigation that seems particularly honest and his information is certainly not being backed up by evidence. I began to ask myself if there was a possible financial motivation for Trump's massive "birther" campaign". Well, it turns out that there is at least one, Trumps TV show, The Celebrity Apprentice, has enjoyed a 12% increase in the ratings do to the added publicity.

Oddly enough, a USA Today Gallop poll shows that 7% of those polled say Donald Trump was definitely or probably born in another country. Nearly three in 10 say they don’t know enough to say.

I have to ask myself if the 7% really believe Trump was born in another country or is this attempt to distance the United States from "The Donald" and save us more embarrassment in the future.

Koran-burning Pastor Sparks Inter-Faith Unity

Pastor Terry Jones Good Friday protest that was planned to be held at the Islamic Center of America in Dearborn may not of had the desired effect, in fact it seems to have produced the exact opposite response to what Jones would have liked.

Jones’s ongoing efforts to promote division, hostility and anger between the Muslims and Christians in America met with opposition from both the City of Dearborn and the The Metropolitan Detroit interfaith community.

The city dis-alaud the protest after a jury determined that it would be a breach of the peace. The potential for violence and riots are a valid concern whenever Jones and his Dove Outreach Ministry plan such an event. In response Jones is planning a protest at the city hall next week.

In a show of unity and support for freedom of religion and their disagreement with jones and his message religious leaders, both Muslim and Christian, came together to speak out against Jones.

Steve Elturk, Imam Council of Islamic org. of Mich. said that he would welcome Jones if he came in a peaceful manner and was willing to have a peaceful dialog.

It seems that Jones was so upset with the outcome that he later shot a whole in the floorboard of his own car. (accidentally of course)

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First Female Commandant of the Army's Quartermaster School is Promoted to Brigadier General

In 2005 "Trailblazer" Gwendolyn Bingham became Fort Lee's first female garrison commander. In November of 2010 she once again left her mark when she became the first female commandant of the U.S. Army Quartermaster School at Fort Lee.

In March of 2010 Col. Gwendolyn Bingham was recognized by the U.S. Army Women’s Museum at Fort Lee along with 11 others as “a trailblazer who is setting a path for others to follow”. On Friday, April 22 the path became a little longer for those following in her footsteps.

Bingham’s story began 30 years ago when she was commissioned as a second lieutenant after graduating from college on a ROTC scholarship. At the time she only planned to serve her four-year commitment and then enter the civilian work force. Her path would take her in a far different direction and she now admits that she was bitten by the “Army bug” at a young age saying:

 

“Quite honestly, I think I was hooked from the moment I walked on a parade field with my dad,”

Her father, Army first sergeant Edward McMillion, (now deceased) helped send Bingham on her path when he pinned the second lieutenant bars on her shoulder at the University of Alabama in 1981 when she was first commissioned.In 2005 Bingham made history at Fort Lee when she became the installations first female garrison commander. On November 22, 2010 she once again left her mark when she became the 51st commandant and the first female commandant of the U.S. Army Quartermaster School at Fort Lee.Bingham, originally from Troy, Ala, has spent the past 30 years of her life serving in the U.S. Army. Her career began at Fort Lee and although she has been called away on assignments she considers Fort Lee her home saying at the November ceremony:

“Today, I feel like Dorothy — there simply is no place like home,”

Bingham went on to say:

“It’s really not about me. . . . I don’t really look at it from the historical side, It’s indeed an honor for me to be the first, but I just feel privileged and honored to be a part of a team with all the men and women that have served with me in the past and continue to serve here with me at Fort Lee.”

Although she has held the position for the past six months the promotion to brigadier general makes it official, she is now the first female quartermaster general.Retired Lt. Gen. David S. Weisman described the turnout as the largest he has ever seen at a promotion ceremony. Among those in attendance where the mayors of Hopewell, Petersburg and Colonial Heights, as well as former Petersburg Mayor Annie M. Mickens and Delegate Rosalyn Dance, D-Petersburg.During the ceremony Maj. Gen. James E. Chambers compared Bingham to Lt. Gen. George Patton and Gen. Omar Bradley saying:

“Inside, she has the heart of a lion.”

And

“Don’t tell her it can’t be done.”

Bingham’s children, Phillip and Tava, participated in the ceremony by slipping off her former rank insignia and replacing it with the single star of a brigadier general. After the ceremony Bingham told reporters that she had never planned on becoming a general:

“Only about one percent of the entire Army is the general officer rank. It wasn’t something I had my sights set on.”

Brigadier General Bingham now oversees the training of more than 20,000 military personnel annually in her new role as quartermaster general.

 

Murfreesboro Anti-Mosque Campaign Resumes

Any one who watched the recent CNN special  "Unwelcome: The Muslims Next Door," with Soledad O'Brien is familiar with the ongoing debate in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. I found this story particularly interesting because local Muslims say that they always felt welcome in Murfreesboro both before and after 9-11. The local Imam recalls how in the weeks following 9-11 Murfreesboro residents would approach him on the street to offer words of reassurance.

However, the welcoming attitude of some Murfreesboro residents suddenly changed when the local Muslims purchased a plot of land and received approval to build a new Islamic center and Mosque.  The congregation soon found themselves at the center of a battle for their religious freedom, a battle that began with protest, vandalism, arson, and harassing phone calls.

When these methods failed to stop the construction a lawsuit was filed by Kevin Fisher, Lisa Moore and Henry Golczynski seeking an injunction to prevent any future building permits from being issued for the project.  They claimed that proper public notice was not given prior to approving the plans; according to the county a public hearing was not required because the land was already zoned for religious meeting use. Fear became the weapon of choice for Joe Brandon Jr. and Tom Smith, attorneys for the plaintiffs, with their entire case seemingly being based on unfounded allegations of Sharia law, Jihad and Islamic extremism invading Murphysboro. They further argued that Islam is not a religion.   The case was later dismissed with the judge informing the plaintiffs that Islam is in fact a recognized religion.

According to DNJ.com 14 new plaintiffs have joined the lawsuit and attorneys for the plaintiffs have filed an amended motion, once again attempting to halt the construction. The claims made in this motion seem to be even more ridiculous than the first.

In an effort to have most of the claims in the suit dismissed Attorneys for the county, Jim Cope and Josh McCreary, filed a motion arguing that the plaintiffs have no standing in the lawsuit.

According to dnj.com Brandon and Smith countered by arguing that all 17 plaintiffs have standing based on the following:

Fisher: Because he is an African American Christian who'd be discriminated against and subjugated as a second-class citizen under Sharia law and be denied his civil rights.

Moore: Because she's a Jewish female who's targeted in a Muslim call to kill Jews in "jihad" in support of Palestine and as a woman whose rights would be subordinate to those of men in Sharia law.

Golczynski: Because he lost a son who was killed while serving in the U.S. Marines in combat in Fallujah, Iraq, by insurgents pursuing jihad as dictated by Sharia law.

According to Brandon and Smith the remaining 14 have standing because they live in the general vicinity of where the new Mosque will be located.

A news release by Brandon says:

"The residents neighboring the property of the 52,000-square-foot Muslim Brotherhood Training Center fear for their property values, their safety, their privacy and constitutional rights," (I am not aware of any involvement by the Muslim brotherhood)

Brandon has claimed that the leadership of the Mosque has promoted anti-American sentiment and has ties to terrorist organizations, these allegations by Brandon continue despite the fact that local Muslim leaders were questioned by the FBI (as were many Muslims across the country) shortly after the attacks on 9-11. It seems apparent based on their continued freedom that no threat was found in Murfreesboro.

In a strange twist of events attorney Joe Brandon Jr is now complaining that his rights are being violated. Brandon complained that his right to privacy is being violated after it was discovered that surveillance cameras had been installed in the vicinity of the new Mosque construction site. The claims are based on the fact that he and the plaintiffs in the case use the road by the site on a daily basis. He has filed a motion demanding to know who installed the cameras and who receives the data from them.

Although it was originally claimed by Brandon that members of the mosque had placed the cameras they deny any knowledge and say that they only became aware of them after Brandon complained. Local authorities are referring all questions in this matter to the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. The FBI, who has been conducting an investigation into arson at the construction site, says they can’t comment on an ongoing investigation or the methods they may be using.

It is important to note that not all Murfreesboro residents are against the construction of the new Mosque.  Counter-protestors have turned out to support the Muslim community and their right to freedom of religion.