Muslim American Society lawsuit against Joe Kauffman dismissed

There is great elation deep in the bowels of the Last Crusade bunker this afternoon. Corks are popping in celebration of Joe Kaufman's victory over the forces of Islamic hatred and intolerance. The lawsuit that was initiated against him by seven Muslim groups, including the Muslim American Society (MAS), was kicked out of court by the Texas Court of Appeals.

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Mr. Kaufman is one of the heroes in the fight against radical Islam and the proliferation of terrorist groups and organizations throughout the country. His legal problems arose when he led a small protest against Muslim Family Day at the Six Flags Over Texas amusement park. The event was sponsored by the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA), a group with ties to such terrorists groups as Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood of Pakistan. At the protest, Mr. Kaufman and ten other protestors carried signs which read "Americans against Hate," "ICNA --Bugs Bunny's Terrorist Friends," and "No Jihad in Our Backyard." This activity proved to be highly unsettling for many Muslims in attendance. And Mr. Kaufman was slapped with a restraining order. Upon returning to his office in Florida, Mr. Kaufman wrote an article about the ICNA event (which was closed to Jews and Christians) for Front Page Magazine, an on-line news publication. The article resulted in the lawsuit from MAS and the other Muslim groups. The case ended up in Texas Appellate Court, after the presiding judge refused to rule on whether or not Kaufman was a "media defendant" and to determine if the case should go to trial. In their appearance before Appellate Court, members of MAS and other Islamic groups that initiated the suit admitted under that neither Kaufman nor his group had ever threatened them in any way, shape or form. The Appellate, therefore, decided that the restraining order should be lifted. The Court also ruled that Mr. Kaufman is a "media defendant" and deserves all the rights provided to print journalists and moved to dismiss the case, on the grounds that the article written by Kaufman was not about the plaintiffs. Despite the favorable ruling, the lawsuit took a financial toll on Mr. Kaufman. A lesser man would be acquiesced to the Islamic demands by issuing an apology. But Mr. Kaufman is not a journalist with weak knees and a rubber spine. Other journalists in recent years have been sued for writing and speaking about Islamic terrorists. The list includes Mark Steyn, Rachel Ehrenfeld, Bruce Tefft, and, last but not least,