Democrats and the Franklin County Board of Commissioners are pumping the fact that a criminal background check on Abukar Arman “found no criminal or terrorist connections,” according to Franklin County Administrator Don L. Brown. This is somewhat besides the point, since Arman was not accused of any criminal activity, but rather of “praise for [US] designated terrorist organizations and individuals.” The accusations were made by Hilliard resident Patrick Poole, both on his blog and in the online FrontPage Magazine.

Here’s the Dispatch’s article on the “clearing” of Arman and here’s Patrick Poole’s response. Patrick is a bit kinder to the Dispatch than I would be. The article ignores the fact that the Democratic/county response is completely off-point.

Poole does note that the article buries what should be a significant news story in itself: that Arman, though sitting on a county board that oversees homeland security, isn’t a citizen, as all county board members are required to be. He resigned on Friday.

UPDATE: Jerid at Buckeye State Blog responds to this post:

Point blank, the county response was appropriate. They noted there was no terrorist connection. Anyone that tells you otherwise is letting their own bias get in the way of the facts. Also, these folks should be admonished for trying to tie terrorism to Democrats, even after the individual in question is cleared. Columbuser makes a nice try of this with his headline “Franklin County Democratys ‘clear’ HAMAS supporter,” and RAB previously tried to use the issue against Mayor Coleman. The issue for these folks is that they think Abukar inappropriately praised Islamic organizations they don’t approve of. I don’t have too much to weigh in on that issue, however, I would note that the investigation found that Abukar broke no law.

Not too much to weigh in on indeed. HAMAS of course is designated by the US government as a terrorist organization.

HAMAS was designated as a terrorist organization in 1995 pursuant to Executive Order 12947, and also in 1996 pursuant to the Antiterrorism Act. On November 2 of this year, it was added to the list of terrorist organizations subject to action under Executive Order 13224.

Please note: 1995! Can’t blame Bush or crazy rightwingers for that. Here’s the ADL on HAMAS:

Hamas preaches and engages in violence and terror in order to destroy the state of Israel and replace it with an Islamic state. Its virulent hatred of Jews and Judaism is deeply rooted in the anti-Semitic writings of Muslim Brotherhood theologians.

In August 1988, Hamas issued its Covenant laying down its ideological principles and goals. Replete with anti-Semitism, it echoes the notorious Protocols of the Elders of Zion and charges Jews with an international conspiracy to gain control of the world.

For those who think the US government and the ADL are not trustworthy organizations, here’s Hillary Clinton on HAMAS:

Sen. Hillary Clinton called on the international community to shun Hamas.

“No nation in the world should recognize a government” committed to its neighbor’s destruction, the Democratic senator from New York said Sunday at the annual congressional breakfast sponsored by the New York Jewish Community Relations Council.

So it’s not an issue of an Islamic organization that just I or “rightwingers” disapprove of. Now here’s Abukar Arman on HAMAS on his own blog in his own words:

Hamas Victory Is A Victory for Democracy and Peace!

Some are shocked..others are perplexed..yet, others are elated- Hamas has taken its political struggle to the ballot box!

Regardless of what camp one hails from, one fact remains self-evident: the historical event of last Wednesday is a remarkable expression of the will of a voiceless and indeed oppressed people, a triumph for democracy, and, a giant step toward lasting peace.

Therefore, it is incumbent upon the International Community and the peace-loving peoples of the world to embrace this historical development and to welcome Hamas as a bona fide representative of the Palestinian people and a partner in the peace process.

Still think there’s no issue here? Arman holds these views and yet sat on a county board that oversees Franklin County homeland security, and he wasn’t even a US citizen to boot.

But no, Arman hasn’t been shown to have broken any law. Keep repeating that until all this goes away.

UPI has the story of the hunt:

Authorities in Ohio are asking neighbors of a state intern for help finding sensitive computer information stolen from his car.

Police in Hillard, Ohio, have contacted nearly 1,000 people within a four-block radius of the apartment where the computer tape was stolen June 11 from the intern’s car, The Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch reported Saturday.

“We’re trying to develop leads,” State Patrol spokesman Lt. Tony Bradshaw said.

It would be helpful if that thing was found, but I suspect it’s in a garbage truck on it’s way to a landfill right about now. Or it could be here.

Anyway, call the tip line at 1-877-647-4683 if you’ve seen it.

From the Dispatch, news that the Hilliard Police Department has requested State Highway Patrol planes to clock drivers on their stretch of I-270:

About 2,000 feet above Tuttle Crossing Boulevard, Trooper Michael Brooks spotted Steve Maravich’s green pickup passing several cars.

Brooks recorded the time he first saw Maravich, then clicked a stopwatch as Brooks passed 4-foot pavement hash marks a quarter-mile apart.

The pickup was averaging 77 mph, so Brooks followed it to verify that Parkey, below, stopped the right one.

On the ground, Maravich, 32, a landscape architect from Grandview Heights who is looking for work, offered a mild defense: “I felt like I was keeping up with the traffic. Can I beat this?”

Parkey wouldn’t bend.

“You’ve got a trooper in a plane following you all the way down here. The evidence is pretty damning.”

So look up before you speed.

The escaped convict, Billy Jack Fitzmorris, who was expected to come to central Ohio has done so. After a couple of bank robberies earlier today, he’s currently got a hostage in a house that serves as an accounting office in Hilliard. (Google map.) Much more at ONN. Police are currently negotiating with him.

After he stormed into the house, an employee crawled out of the second floor window and slipped off the pitched roof. It was a rough fall. This was captured by NBC 4 via helicopter. She appeared to have been hurt, but did manage to crawl away.

Hopefully no one else gets hurt.

UPDATE: A minute after I posted this, NBC 4 reported that police arrested the guy. There’s video at that link.