Hundreds to Protest Radical Islamic FAU Professor Tomorrow

(Boca Raton, FL) Rev. Mark D. Boykin, Senior Pastor of Church of All Nations and Mr. Joe Kaufman, Chairman of Americans Against Hate are calling on Florida Atlantic University to terminate the employment of Professor Bassem Alhalabi for his involvement with individuals and organizations that support terrorist acts against the United States and Israel. A protest and press conference will be held on:

THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2011, 11:45 a.m.
Florida Atlantic University (Main Entrance)
777 Glades Road in Boca Raton, Florida

Mr. Bassem Alhalabi was research assistant to Sami Al-Arian and wrote a number of publications with him. According to U.S. Department of Justice documents, Al-Arian, was sentenced to 57 months in prison for assisting a terrorist group. In his guilty plea, Al-Arian admitted that "he and a several of his co-conspirators were associated with the Palestian Islamic Jihad, knowing that the PIJ had been designated as a Specially Designated Terrorist and that it engaged in horrific and deadly acts of violence."

Mr. Bassem Alhalabi is also associated with the Islamic Center of Boca Raton (ICBR). It's first imam, Ibrahim Dremali, was a representative of the Southeastern Division of the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA-SE), an organization that was asking its followers to give material support to groups associated with al-Qaeda. Mr. Dremali was arrested in October 2010 on immigration related charges. The imam who replaced Dremali at ICBR was also arrested in May 2003. ICBR's spokesman was arrested in July 2005, and one of ICBR's founding directors was also the creator of the official website of al-Jamiya al-Islamia, the Gaza parent organization of Hamas. ICBR member Rafiq Sabir was also convicted of supporting al-Qaeda.

"We have an individual teaching at FAU, who supports organizations that want to destroy both the United States and Israel," said Pastor Mark D. Boykin. "He should not be allowed in this country, let alone teach at such a fine institution, and the administration at FAU must begin the necessary proceedings to terminate his employment immediately," added Pastor Boykin.

Professor Bassem Alhalabi was found guilty of shipping military equipment to Syria by the U.S. Department of Commerce in June 2003 and was arrested on March 22, 2010 for two separate charges of assault and battery.

"We are calling on the FAU administration to terminate the employment of a very dangerous professor who has ties to terrorists," said Mr. Joe Kaufman, chairman of Americans Against Hate. "There is plenty of documented evidence that shows that Professor Bassem Alhalabi does not merit employment at FAU," continued Mr. Kaufman.

"It is unconscionable, after all that we know about Mr. Bassem Alhalabi, that the administration at FAU is still allowing him to teach; he represents a national security threat; he must be terminated immediately and be deported from the United States," stated Anthony Verdugo, Founder and Executive Director, Christian Family Coalition.

Hundreds are expected to attend the protest and press conference.

Contact: info@americansagainsthate.org.

Tonight: First Evening Meeting of PBC Board of County Commissioners

Thanks to the South Florida 9-12 group for bringing this event to my attention:

When: April 5th, 2011 at 6pm

Where: Government Center, 301 N. Olive, WPB Sixth Floor in the Commission Chambers

Excuses, Excuses...over the last couple of years many of us interested in county issues have used as an excuse that we can’t speak up at the PBC Board of County Commissioners meetings because they’re held during the day. Sound familiar? There’s only so many times those of us who do attend can say ‘we represent a large group of people who are too busy earning a living to come’. So now – it’s your turn!!

The commissioners are doing this as an experiment. Up until now, evening meetings have been relegated to topics such as the two budget workshops held in September. The upcoming meeting will be a regular agenda meeting – with focus on the upcoming Charter Review.

The Agenda for the evening can be found here. Public comment will begin at 7pm – this is the monthly comment time when one can discuss any subject. A key item will be 5A1 – the upcoming Charter Review. Details and schedule are included here. As we’ve mentioned in prior South Florida 912 meetings – the Charter is our county’s constitution and the review over the next several months will be soliciting public input at meetings and online – so this does matter to YOU!

Florida Has a Right to Know

Under the category of “No Good Deed Goes Unpunished,” Florida Gov. Rick Scott can file some news accounts of his recent unveiling of the transparency web site, www.FloridaHasARighttoKnow.com.

The site includes salary information about many key state employees – including those on the Governor’s staff – as well as records from the Florida Retirement System listing every government pensioner receiving at least $100,000 a year.
Read more at Big Government's Pork Report.

Take a look at the new Florida government transparency website.

"As taxpayers, you have the right to know how every taxpayer dollar is spent," Scott wrote in a statement on the site. "We will be better if you hold us accountable."

Scott's document of six-figure pensions lists 542 retirees with annual benefits totaling more than $64 million.

Bill Mattox, a fellow at the conservative-leaning James Madison Institute who has studied proactive disclosure practices among Florida governments, said listing the largest state salaries or most expensive pension benefits can give taxpayers a sense if something is wrong.

"Comprehensive information is useful and important, but at the same time, selected information can be useful," Mattox said.

Scott's selected list enraged some Floridians on Thursday after it was published.

"This is outrageous," said William Cummins, a retired lawyer in Pensacola who called the Times/Herald Tallahassee bureau. "State employees probably ought to be paying into their pensions."

Eric Jotkoff, a spokesman for the Florida Democratic Party, said the site was aimed at "demonizing the hard-working teachers, firefighters and police officers who serve in our communities."

Read more at St. Pete Times

PBSC YAF wants to know how transparency is demonizing? Aren't they our tax dollars?

Thanks, Governor Scott. Maybe Mr. President should follow your lead with the whole transparency thing being as that it was one of his major campaign promises.

Congressman Allen West Answers A Constituents Concerns About Islam