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Here's some background on Mark D. Siljander, former Republican Representative from the state of Michigan. He's one righteous dude, you couldn't invent him as fiction. One of the Moral Majority's candidates, a "10 percent flat tax" Conservative Opportunity Society member, an author of "unborn children from the moment of conception" legislation, friend of Taiwan, critic of Strategic Arms Limitation. Here's a couple of cuttings for background:The Washington Post, August 5, 1986

A bitter GOP congressional primary has also stirred statewide interest, pitting Rep. Mark D. Siljander (R) against challenger Fred Upton in the 4th District in southwest Michigan. Late last week, Siljander, 35, a New Right Republican elected in 1981 to fill the seat formerly occupied by David A. Stockman, sent an eight-minute tape-recorded message to scores of Christain clergy in the district. Siljander's appeal: "In order to break this confusion, the smears, the attacks, the impugning of my integrity during this campaign coming up on Aug. 5, we need to break the back of Satan and the lies that are coming our way."

Upton, 33, who served as an aide to Stockman both in Congress and at the Office of Management and Budget, said through a spokesman that he was "shocked" at the implied connection between himself and Satan. Several members of the clergy have criticized Siljander for the remarks. The growing split between New Right Christians and traditional Republicans has been a factor in the presidential delegate contest as well.

The Washington Post, March 22, 1992

Mark D. Siljander, a former member of Congress from Michigan who lost his seat to a fellow Republican in 1986, formally kicked off a comeback attempt yesterday, this time from Northern Virginia's new 11th Congressional District. Siljander, who lost his bid for a fourth term after urging ministers to support him to "break the back of Satan," portrayed himself yesterday as a humbler, wiser man who had learned from his mistakes.

Citing both his six years in Congress and his five years away from it as advantages, he promised to restore "traditional family values" to a corrupt institution. "The image of Congress is lower than street prostitutes and street peddlers today," Siljander, who now lives in Reston, told more than 150 supporters at a Tysons Corner hotel. "We're slowly losing morality, losing character, losing integrity, and we can see it in our own United States Congress." But Siljander, who said he has learned that religion and politics don't mix, emphasized that his message was "not religious values as much as it's common-sense American traditional values."

[...] In Michigan and on Capitol Hill, Siljander was considered a favorite of the religious fundamentalists. When he first won his seat in a 1981 special election, he attributed it to the fact that "God wanted me in," and he often sported a "Jesus First" button. Later, he caught flak for signing a letter urging pastors in a neighboring district represented by a Jewish Democrat to "send another Christian to Congress." In 1986, he lost in a primary to Fred Upton after making a tape recording with the Satan comment.

and for reference as the thread progresses:United States Code 18 § 2381

Whoever, owing allegiance to the United States, levies war against them or adheres to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort within the United States or elsewhere, is guilty of treason and shall suffer death, or shall be imprisoned not less than five years and fined under this title but not less than $10,000; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States.

Here fishy fishy fishy.

It's infuriating, I baited my hook so carefully and nobody bit.A former US congressman has been charged with helping to fund "a key al-Qaeda supporter" in Afghanistan. A US grand jury indicted ex-Republican congressman from Michigan, Mark Deli Siljander, with money laundering, conspiracy and obstructing justice. It is alleged he lobbied for a charity that sent funds to al-Qaeda and Taleban supporter Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. Mr Siljander was a congressman from 1981-1987 and served one year as a US delegate to the United Nations.

The 42-count grand jury indictment alleges Mr Siljander lied about lobbying senators on behalf of the Missouri-based Islamic American Relief Agency (IARA). The indictment alleges the charity sent about $130,000 (£66,000) in 2003 and 2004 to accounts in Peshawar, Pakistan, that Gulbuddin Hekmatyar had access to. It alleges the charity paid Mr Siljander $50,000 that was stolen from a US development agency.

It says Siljander "engaged in money laundering and obstruction of a federal investigation in an effort to disguise IARA's misuse of taxpayer money that the government had provided for humanitarian purposes". Who's lower than street prostitutes and street peddlers? Who's losing morality, losing character, losing integrity? We need to break the back of Satan.

Heh ... figures he's a religious extremist :wah:

Interesting thread... I find the Christian extremists to be just as scary as the the Muslim extremists. They might as well be in cahoots... both are trying to hijack the political process of their respective countries and have a true hatred for non-radical secularism.

At the same time I wonder if the hunt for "terrorist sympathizers" is turning into something like a McCarthy witch hunt ... with "terrorism" being the operative word rather than "communism." In our town, it turned out one of my favorite Italian restaurants was owned by a Muslim man. His wife and he were having fights, and she made false charges that he was giving money to terrorist groups. He got into major legal headaches ... the business sold, then closed, and he ended up proven innocent AFAIK. But if he were found guilty, then what? Would all the patrons of the restaurants be funneling money to a terrorist organization as well? It ends up a crime that can be expanded to as many people as needed.

What seems to be illegitimate in the whole process is that the definition of "terrorist" seems to change depending on political expedience. For example, George Bush's father had no trouble funding and training Osama Bin Laden, back when he was a torn in the side of the soviets. I believe he and Reagan helped Saddam Hussein gain more power in the 80's too, IIRC.