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By Aaron Applegate
The Virginian-Pilot
Virginia Beach
The letter Councilman Bill DeSteph sent to New York City officials last week objecting to plans for a Muslim community center near the World Trade Center site is almost identical to an online petition by a political advocacy group.
The organization, ACT! for America, is run by Brigitte Gabriel, the mother of DeSteph's girlfriend, a college student. DeSteph and his wife are separated.
Gabriel is an "expert on global terrorism" who speaks against radical Islam, according to her website.
"Brigitte helped me write the letter. The first one I drafted wasn't as clear as I wanted," DeSteph said.
DeSteph said he decided to write to New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the City Council after people in Virginia Beach complained to him about the Muslim center plan.
The June 3 letter said "the citizens of the City of Virginia Beach and the Commonwealth of Virginia" are opposed to it.
"A ton of our constituents had come to me on this," he said.
DeSteph declined Friday to name the Beach residents whose complaints prompted him to write the letter. DeSteph said he doesn't want those residents "raked over the coals."
Mayor Will Sessoms and other council members criticized DeSteph for using the city's letterhead and wording the letter so that it looked as if he were speaking for the city and its residents.
DeSteph's letter copies much of the exact language of the petition on the ACT website.
The proposed New York City center, called the Cordoba House, would include a prayer space, a 500-seat performing arts center, a culinary school and a restaurant. The center would be in an existing building two blocks from where the twin towers stood.
DeSteph said Gabriel and her daughter didn't influence his decision to speak against the center. He said it didn't occur to him to identify the source of the information in his letter.
Gabriel said DeSteph's relationship with her and her daughter was "irrelevant" to the letter he sent to New York City officials.
"I know Bill because Bill is close to my family," she said.
Gabriel is the author of "They Must Be Stopped: Why We Must Defeat Radical Islam and How We Can Do It" and "Because They Hate: A Survivor of Islamic Terror Warns America."
She said politicians regularly use her material for letters, but she could not name one who wrote a letter similar to DeSteph's. A link to DeSteph's letter and a news story about it are featured on her website.
"Whether it's Bill DeSteph in Virginia Beach or someone in Miami, the information we put out is for people to use in their letters," she said. "He asked me if he could use it, and I said yes. A lot of elected officials are interested in this topic. He's not the only one. We have a database of 88,000 elected officials, and Bill is just one of them."
The website for ACT! for America describes the group as an "advocacy organization dedicated to educating millions of uninformed citizens about the threat of radical Islam to world peace and national security."
The site says: "We should all be very grateful for the courageous stand Bill has taken. We are proud that as an ACT! for America member and public servant he has set a stellar example for fellow public servants across America."
Aaron Applegate, (757) 222-5122, aaron.applegate@pilotonline.com
Document: Letter from DeSteph to Michael Bloomberg
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Hey Bill
They say that an emotionally prompted letter should be written...and put in a desk drawer for a week or two, then reconsidered. Bet you wish you hadn't sent that letter. BTW, my real letter on what you did is in my desk drawer!!
Just another reason I won't vote for DeSteph
in a long list. His arrogance in speaking on behalf of the city and the state is apalling. He has joined Cucinelli in making us look like a bunch of ignorant zealots, although it's accurate for some. Please, let rational thought prevail this fall. Choose carefully.
Religious Hate Groups
The councilman obtained information from a webite that informs people about radical Islam. I would have supported what he did had he included all radical religious groups. Don't over look the christian hate groups that exist in this country. Christian groups such as the "Army of God", the Covenant, Promise Keepers, Phineas Priesthood and the most recent Hutaree group are just some of the hate filled American-made christian groups that exist in this country. Violence is not beyond any of these groups. And or course, we all know the hate spewing Westboro Baptist Church. The growing force of christian radicalism along with radical islam must be confronted in American society. Religion has been created by men, never women, and invariably as a result of divine intervention and mystical guidance. Inherent in most religious doctrine is inplicit fear of eternal damnation; in Christianty even a child is born into this world in a state of original sin - a mechanism to instill immediate fear of damnation, unless corrective action is taken. But most important is the belief that the divine word of any particular religion is the one and only truth, subject to no compromise. Fundamentalist
Americans living in Fear
I love it, the arrogant self-righeous americans are finally living in fear so much so that they have to violate their own beliefs. I guess its also not politically correct to say its kinda funny that 9 years after 9-11 we still didn't catch bin-laden even after investing in all those resources, SEAL, Rangers and whatever else. Its kinda funny that oil went from $29/bbl to $74/bbl. I would almost think God is on their side, polluting our Gulf with our own poison and crashing our economy while Iran's GDP went up 300%. Just not fair, the harder we hit, the stronger they get. Its kind of funny that everytime we hit some goat herder, we say it was a major blow to AQ and then they hit us back and we cry like little girls about it. Bill, keep writing your letters, lets encourage our enemies, they are winning. It was always their aim to take down our principles of tolerence and property rights. (the muslims own the property, so they should do whatever they want, if you don't like it, then offer to buy it! - isn't that the american way? The golden rule, he who has gold makes the rules....
TROUBLE OO ; READ THE BLOG AGAIN
Read my blog again; it doesn't say anything about ALL Muslims being terrorists.
You have turned a point all around the block with inflammatory emotive rhetoric the same thing CAIR does.
Muslims are NOT second class citizens but one has to wonder why this movement to build this mosque is called the CORDOBA Initiative.
By the way (maybe you already know this) Cordoba was the capital in Spain during the Middle Ages for the Caliphate.
Lets' deal with facts first; not everyone is asleep here.
What?
Please tell me what about my statement is inflammatory. I said you inotated (meaning you inferred it via the apparent intent of your letter, not by your exact words) that all Muslims were terrorists because you make no destinction b/t those madmen and the ones in New York wanting to open the center. In fact you imply they are the same. AND you seem supportive of what Bill said-which seems to inotate the same thing. I also said "IF" we treat Muslims as second class citizens what have we accomplished? By denying them the same land rights as Christians in this country you don't think that puts them into a second class status? If that does not I would like to know what would!! As for facts, you are only stating a historical event and implying that the event is applicable to what may happen in the future. That is not a factual basis-it is conjecture. So yes let us talk about facts, the REAL facts. They have the right to buy the land and place a center there, unless they have broken the law.
Bill's letter
I have to agree that Bill DeSteph shouldn't have written a letter on VB official stationary and assuming that VB citizens and council were in agreement with his opinion. He should have written it on his own and from himself. However, you have the school board and city council weenies in California and probably other city councils in other liberal states 'officially' condemning Arizona' s law to protect its borders from illegal aliens and Mexican drug cartels. Arizona has the absolute right and duty to do just that. I applaud the governor of Arizona and their state representatives from having the spine to do so. However, I don't want Mayor Michael Loonberg sticking his pinko commie nose in Virginia's business when it comes to our states' gun laws. Loonberg should mind his own businness just as our city council should mind theirs. As much as I like and respect Bill DeSteph, this was a bad move on his part. I will still vote for him for re-election to city council.
Lies, lies, and more lies.
Lies, lies, and more lies.
An elected public offical with a girlfriend and is also legally married? Now that must be something new.
I like this guy
Bill should keep writing letters and making us look like a bunch of idiots. But mostly, I hope he keeps writing so it inspires muslims to come to our area and buy up the foreclosures and near foreclosures and rent them back to the locals. I hope the muslims come to VB and build mosques and start marrying the christian girls and show them that islam is about family, sobriety and education. Virginia Beach, with all its single people, tatoos, false churces needs a shariah law so that we can feel safe when walking on the boardwalk at night that we won't be bothered by drunks, or half naked people on skateboards jeering at our wives. Bill DeSteph, keep writing louder and louder so you are heard in the middle east and inspire a wave of immigration to our town. I can't wait for a mosque to be built next to Regent university, I feel we need more than one channel for religion here anyway. I approve of his letters for sure!!!
Have you always been this
Have you always been this unintelligent?