A federal appeals court has denied disbarred attorney Lynne Stewart's challenge to her 2005 conviction for helping her client, Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman, relay messages from his prison cell to other terrorists.

The panel's findings rejected Stewart's claims across the board, including the length of her sentence, with the only dissent coming from a judge who felt the trial court's "breathtakingly low sentence of 2 1/3 years ... trivializes Stewart's extremely serious conduct."

James Simpson writes in the Examiner.com:

Nidal Hasan, the Muslim U.S. Army Major accused of the mass killings at Fort Hood, is listed as participant in the George Washington University Homeland Security Policy Institute's (HSPI) Presidential Transition Task Force Report. While this is not entirely surprising, given Hasan's former position in the Army, it raises significant questions about White House reluctance to release relevant records allegedly in its possession.

Days after an al Qaeda wannabe Army major went on a murderous rampage at the nation's largest military base, the Secretary of Homeland Security's biggest concern appears to be preventing a wave of anti-Muslim sentiment in the United States.

Janet Napolitano, the Obama official in charge of protecting the country's safety, is most worried about a politically incorrect backlash against Muslims after the Ft. Hood massacre and says her agency is working hard with groups across the U.S. to deflect any retaliation against Muslims for one man's fury.

On November 12, 2009, the Justice Department dealt a major blow to Iranian nuclear ambitions and terrorist financing efforts. The announcement of an amended civil forfeiture complaint against the Alavi Foundation has the potential to cut off a significant source of funding to the Iranian government-funding which is absolutely essential as Iran continues to defy international efforts at curbing nuclear proliferation.

The amended complaint in United States v. ASSA Corp., now the largest civil forfeiture claim ever filed, is the latest in a series of moves taken by the United States government aimed at closing front companies funneling money to the Iranian government.