Hamas: "The Evil Jews Planned The Holocaust"

In honor of Yom Hashoah, the day when people of conscience all over the world remember the Holocaust, Jimmy Carter's friends and Obama endorsers Hamas release their own tribute via the Palestinian media.

For those of you who wonder why peace in the Arab/Israeli conflict is so difficult to achieve, this video is a perfect vehicle toward understanding the bottom line.

It's not about territory, or 'occupation' or walls, or a Palestinian state...it's about the fact that the Jews exist at all.

And as Hitler proved, the first step in conditioning people to participate in genocide is to dehumanize the intended victims...which is exactly what this and countless other items in the Palestinian mosques, schools and media do on a routine basis. And that is by no means limited to Hamas, or even to the Palestinians.

McCain Kicks A Hezbollah Supporter To The Curb

Unlike a certain other presidential candidate I could mention, Senator John McCain appears to have an instinctive way of dealing with supporters of America's enemies when they try to latch on his campaign...even well-connected ones.

Debbie Schlussel gets full marks for a wonderfully detailed exclusive in her home state of Michigan:

Over the past week, I spent far less time writing for this website than planned. Instead, I spent hours on the phone with John McCain staffers and key supporters in Michigan to right a mistake.

And, unlike the Barack Obama who clings to anti-Semites and terrorism supporters, John McCain did the right thing: He dumped Ali Jawad--an open Hezbollah supporter and key agent of the terrorist group in the Detroit area. Jawad is also a federal insurance fraud convict.

I congratulate John McCain and his campaign because they proved that McCain truly is a maverick and independent of the Republican establishment who brought Mr. Jawad to his campaign. McCain's Michigan and national staff have shown courage in bucking what is a sad trend on the part of the Michigan Republican Party: going for pro-Hezbollah Shiite cash and support. Michigan GOPers took lots of money from Jawad

As La Schlussel reveals, Jawad has long time associations with Hezbollah and is related by his brother's marriage into the Safieddine family to both Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah and the man Iran has designated as Nasrallah's successor, Hachem Safieddine, who is a member of the Hezbollah ruling council, the Shura Al-Karar.

She then goes on to name names and connect the dots in an extraordinary story....read the whole thing.

Watcher's Council Nominations, 4/29/08

Every week, the Watcher's Council members nominate two posts each, one from the Council members and one from outside for consideration by the whole Council. The complete list of this week's Council nominations can be found at the site of our fearless leader, the infamous Watcher of Weasels

Do take the time to check out the non-Council links as well - they're always worthwhile.

So here's this week's lineup...enjoy!

The Company One Keeps
Joshuapundit -The Barack Obama campaign and his adherents in the dinosaur media are doing their very best to circle the wagons and revile people for the attention being paid to certain Disciples of the Faith.

"McCarthyism" they scream. "Racism! Guilt by association! How dare you bring that up!"

However, I can't help noticing that a number of Obama's boosters and people intimately involved with the candidate have a certain...smell...about them. And I'm not just talking about Jeremiah Wright, and Bill Ayres ....

Past Is Never Past
Done With Mirrors - Callimachus has an interesting post this week,talking about the effect of free trade and the loss of manufacturing on the basic prosperity of the country and what could best be termed increased economic concentration of wealth in the hands of fewer people.

As a point of interest, I mention that the only presidential candidate to mention this in any detail from both a strategic and economic viewpoint was my personal choice for president, Duncan Hunter...and hardly anyone gave him the time of day.

Oppressive Speech Regulation
Rhymes With Right - Greg takes umbrage at a Colorado case of excessive regulation of freedom of speech and assembly, an outgrowth of McCain-Feingold. As our former Councilmate Okie once wrote, its amazing how much less free ordinary life in our beloved Republic has become in a few short decades..

Outfoxed By Obama & The Twelve Unasked Questions
Wolf Howling - GW looks at Barack Hussein Obama's foray on Fox News, a mere two years after he was first asked and pledged not to ever go on. In his view, Chris Wallace avoided asking probing questions of the Chosen One, as GW examines the interview in detail.

Throwing Bashar a Lifeline
Soccer Dad - This week, Soccer Dad examines the execrable Ehud Olmert and his strange compulsion to toy with ceding strategic high ground in the Golan to the murderous regime of Syria's Basher Assad. I personally suspect the not-so-subtle hand of Condi Rice in the mix, still fantasizing about a great diplomatic coup that would take Syria out of Iran's orbit.

Of course, that's a mere Bek'aa Valley hashish vision on her part...but then, so is the idea of Israel giving Syria the Golan Heights because of some words on a piece of paper. Olmert's fellow countrymen would have him committed if he tried it, I think.

An Article About Islam Most Amazing for What It Doesn't Say
Bookworm Room - Ms. Bookworm does a nice job of looking at both an account by her local San Francisco Chronicle of an 'Islamophobia' conference hosted by UC Berkeley and the conference itself, and is surprised in spite of herself at the non-mention of Islamist terrorism in the Chronicle piece.

They're probably scared to death to do so.

I often wonder how Herb Caen would have fared in today's Chron...dear, dead days.

Moral Relativism Reaches a New Low
The Colossus of Rhodey - Hube likewise has a nice piece eviscerating the dinosaur media..in this case, a leftard by the name of Deborah Leavy who actually got an op-ed in the Philly Daily News equating China's human rights record with our own. Although she was savvy enough to include a lame disclaimer at the end,her basic meaning remains unaltered.

I wonder at such people, most of whom have been experienced extraordinary good fortune and tolerance in our society they would not elsewhere. In the 1930's, a number of non-Jewish Germans left the Fatherland (actress Marlene Dietrich and author Thomas Mann among them) because they refused to support a regime they considered criminal with their acquiescence, their presence and their taxes. Perhaps people like Ms. Leavy, Reverend Wright, Noam Chomsky and others of that ilk ought to consider having the courage of their convictions as well. I would respect them for it.

Rising Food Prices
The Glittering Eye - Dave Schuler examines the phenomenon of rising global food prices and opines on his reasons for the vast increases.

Obama's Exxon Valdez
Cheat Seeking Missiles - Laer has an interesting take on the Jeremiah Wright/Barack Obama situation, obviously written before Obama's press conference today. It's interesting that out of the three probable courses of action he felt that Obama had to deal with this situation, Obama chose a mixture of choices one and three....uh sort of, but not really...what was the question again...uh..hope n' change everybody??

Teacher Arrested Not Once, But Twice!
The Education Wonks - EdWonk examines the case of a 28-year-old female teacher caught in 'inappropriate behavior' with a coupla 15-year-old teenage boys. Of course it's wrong, wrong.I guess they don't make teachers like they used to...but I can only say that I would have been delighted to be victimized in that fashion at 15!

More to the point, Edwonk makes the totally correct statement that even if she's found guilty of what amounts to a sex crime, she will likely escape incarceration altogether, as has been the case with several other female teachers in this situation...and that if the teacher had been a male and his victims female, the punishment would likely be a lot harsher.

Wright's Revenge
Hillbilly White Trash - Lemuel waited a bit longer for his take on the Wright /Obama face off, and examines Newt Gingrich's view that Wirhgt was angry at Obama for distancing himself fromhim and deliberately called him out.

The Total Witlessness of Obama Apologists
Right Wing Nut House - Rick examines the wrigglings and turning of the Obama apologists as more and more of this genuinely lame candidate's flaws and questionable past comes to light. What can I say, Rick? To the Obama-ites,he's a religious figure.

Not The Wright Question

Well, Barack Obama finally got desperate enough to chop off a limb to try and staunch the bloodflow.

The only question is whether he's already lost too much blood for it to work.

I'm speaking, of course, about his reaction to his long time 'spiritual mentor' 'family member' and ex-campaign advisor Jeremiah Wright coming out of the woodwork, literally.

After keeping a low profile for a few weeks and okaying final plans for his mansion, Wright pulled off a trifecta of appearances that apparently seem designed to give Barack Hussein Obama nightmares.

First there was an interview with Uberleftist Bill Moyer on PBS that was so soft,friendly and sensitive that I wouldn't be at all surprised to find out that Moyers and Wright got a room for themselves in a motel afterwards - with Wright as top man, of course.

Then there was an absolutely disgusting triumphal address to the national convention of the NAACP in Detroit, where thegenial racist and anti-Semite was the guest of honor.

Finally, the was the Rev's appearance at the National Press Club, where his tone, demeanor and crackpot ideas proved that Obama's schtick in Philadelphia complaining about how Wright was being stereotyped by soundbites on You-Tube was nothing but pure horse manure for the Faithful. In truth, the You Tube bits were far too accurate a portrait, and The Philadelphia Speech looks either inane and silly or a major attempt at a con job - depending on how charitable you feel like being. I vote for the second one.

Of course, Obama's spiritual mentor and ex-campaign adviser isn't the issue.

The real question is, what did Obama know, and when did he know it?

Is Jesus II really going to claim that after twenty years sitting in Trinity Church, and interacting intimately with somebody he told us was 'like family' that he just noticed that foul smell in the last few days?

And expect us to believe it?

Trying to put one over on someone is one thing, but insulting their intelligence in the process is something else again.

Of course, if the Obama-ites among us buy that he was somehow oblivious to Wright's ideas, then his basic judgement is too screwed to even think of letting him anywhere near the White House.

Take your pick.

As a visual aid in making the decision, notice Obama's stumbling, off-key, embarrassed delivery. Jesus II has never been much good without his teleprompter and a lot of rehearsal, but here, he's exibiting all the signs of being caught in an obvious lie....and that became even more obvious later on, when the questions started coming at him.

Supreme Court Upholds Voter Photo ID Law

Today, by a 6-3 decision, the US Supreme Court ruled that states could demand that voters show photo identification before casting a ballot. The ruling allows the state of Indiana to require the ID's in its statewide primary next week,and gives most state legislatures time to revise their voter laws for the November general elections.

On the minority side? Breyer, Ginsberg and Souter of course...do you even need to ask?

Chief among the concerns of those opposing the Indiana law in question were that the Democratic party might be severely hampered in voter fraud utilizing illegal aliens uhh...that the poor, elderly and minorities would be adversely impacted:

Liberal activists claim such measures help Republican candidates by keeping away many voters who might be inclined to vote Democratic, a charge state and national GOP leaders strongly deny.

Lawyers presented conflicting data on just how many voters would be affected. Democrats said as many as 400,000 people in Indiana do not have the required identification to vote, while state officials countered the number was fewer than 25,000, perhaps only several thousand.

The justices were well aware of the political stakes involved. During oral arguments in January, Scalia wondered why the Democrats were the ones filing the lawsuit, saying it should have been individual voters who may have been directly harmed by the law. His questioning suggested he thought this was more about politics than the law.

Of course it is!

By the way, in case any of you were wondering, this is the real reason why so many Democrats favor giving illegal aliens driver's licenses.Remember Mr.Bill and the DMV motor-voter legislation,which mandates that anyone obtaining a driver's license be given a voter registration application?

In California,when Governor Arnold Schartznegger briefly considered allowing this provided this was an indication on the license itself that the license was notated so that people could see that it belonged to an `undocumented alien'. The bill's sponsors, legislators Gil Cedillo and Fabio Nunez promptly labeled this as 'racist'..so Ah-nold vetoed it.

I think the Democrats just lost a few congressional seats.

Jimmy Carter Lies Like A Rug- And The New York Times Prints it

Ok, no surprises....but this one is For The Record, as it were.

The Paper of Refuse published an op-ed by Cwazy Unkie Jimmie, entitled Pariah Diplomacy that's absolutely full of the kind of blatant horse manure the Saudis are paying him so well for...and as such,it's pretty revealing.

America's national embarrassment starts never found a genocidal terrorist he couldn't appreciate, so naturally he starts out by condemning US law that forbids negotiation with terrorist entities.

This waterhead starts out by citing the Carter Center's involvement in helping a Maoist terrorist group the US was boycotting gain control of the Asian country of Nepal. I admittedly know little about the ins and outs of this particular situation,but if even Cwazy Unkie Jimmie describes them as 'Maoist' and the US government wanted nothing to do with them,it does give us a ballpark frame of reference on what kind of people these are,I think.

Carter uses that as a springboard to compare and discuss his Latest Big Adventure in the Middle East with Hamas. He glosses over the unimportant little factoid that his Maoist pals never killed so much as a single US bunny rabbit,the man he met with at Hamas, Khalid Meshaal, is credited with the direct murder of twenty of his fellow Americans.

Once we get to the Middle East, there's hardly a paragraph that doesn't contain a blatant lie.

Carter begins by stating, once again, that Condi Rice and the State Department are lying when they say they cautioned him about talking to Hamas.I don't exactly give high marks to Condi Rice for honesty,but seeing as Carter's little junket was a clear violation of US law I have a feeling somebody said something to Cwazie Unkie Jimmy about this one.

He continues by bragging that he monitored three Palestinian 'elections' (only the last one which brought Hamas to power that I'll concede was an actual election)and then blames the US and Israeli declaration of Hamas as terrorists for the fact that the Fatah/Hamas unity government dissolved...rather than their own corrupt turf wars and factional infighting,which go back to the days of Arafat and the Oslo fiasco.

I guess Unkie Jimmy is suggesting that the IDF was fighting in the trenches alongside Hamas during their bloody coup d'etat against Hamas ...which he genteely refers to as `gaining control of Gaza':

Hamas had been declared a terrorist organization by the United States and Israel, and the elected Palestinian government was forced to dissolve. Eventually, Hamas gained control of Gaza, and Fatah is “governing” the Israeli-dominated West Bank. Opinion polls show Hamas steadily gaining popularity. Since there can be no peace with Palestinians divided, we at the Carter Center believed it important to explore conditions allowing Hamas to be brought peacefully back into the discussions. (A recent poll of Israelis, who are familiar with this history, showed 64 percent favored direct talks between Israel and Hamas.)

Let's take a closer look at the above paragraph. Sounds reasonable, right?

Carter's entirely correct when he says that Hamas is the rightful ruler of the Palestinians,and that the only reason Arafat II Mahmoud Abbas still has a parking space in Ramallah is because the IDF is taking care of security and preventing Hamas from taking over. Even a retarded pig can grunt on cue once in a great while.

But what does that really mean?

Hamas has never made a secret of their murderous ambition to make the Middle East - particularly Palestine - a Jew free zone. Fatah,of course has the same bloody dream,but is a bit more subtle about expressing it,so the kind of vote Hamas got in the last election (70% +), was a vote for jihad against the Jews.

Carter claims that peace is 'impossible with the Palestinians divided', but he contradicts himself - by his own admission Hamas' popularity is rising, and the only thing opposing a Hamas takeover of the Palestinian occupied areas of Judea and Samaria (the West Bank) is the IDF and a handful of Fatah gunmen who would probably be as effective as they were in Gaza.So the Palestinians simply aren't that divided. The majority want jihad and victory, not peace:

A new poll shows that an overwhelming majority of Palestinians support the attack this month on a Jewish seminary in Jerusalem that killed eight young men, most of them teenagers, an indication of the alarming level of Israeli-Palestinian tension in recent weeks.

The survey also shows unprecedented support for the shooting of rockets on Israeli towns from the Gaza Strip and for the end of the peace negotiations between Palestinian and Israeli leaders.

The pollster, Khalil Shikaki, said he was shocked because the survey, taken last week, showed greater support for violence than any other he had conducted over the past 15 years in the Palestinian areas. Never before, he said, had a majority favored an end to negotiations or the shooting of rockets at Israel.

“There is real reason to be concerned,” Mr. Shikaki said in an interview at his West Bank office. His Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, which conducts a survey every three months, is widely viewed as among the few independent and reliable gauges of Palestinian public opinion. (...)

According to the poll, of 1,270 Palestinians in face-to-face interviews, 84 percent supported the March 6 attack on the Mercaz Harav yeshiva, one of Israel’s most prominent centers of religious Zionism and ideological wellspring of the settler movement in the West Bank. Mr. Shikaki said that result was the single highest support for an act of violence in his 15 years of polling here. The poll has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points.

On negotiations between Ehud Olmert, prime minister of Israel, and Mr. Abbas of the Palestinian Authority, 75 percent said they were without benefit and should be terminated. Regarding the thousands of rockets that have been launched on Israeli towns like Sderot and Ashkelon, 64 percent support it.

Like I said...not that divided, are they?

Jimmah also throws in a little fib at the end,when he claims that 64% of the Israelis favor talks with Hamas. It all depends, you see,on what questions you ask and how you ask them.

The poll Carter is referring to comes from Israel's ideological equivalent of the New York Times,Ha'aretz, which the majority of Israelis barely look at. The Ha'aretz poll basically asked Israelis a simple yes or no if they favored talks with Hamas in general about items like freeing kidnapped Israeli Gilad Shalit. Have ever, as Carl at Israel Matzav reveals, when givin actual choices on how to deal with Hamas, the vast majority of Israelis - 71% - are against a cease-fire and favor letting the IDF end the problem once and for all...which makes them a lot smarter than their government.

Considering that Ehud Olmert's approval ratings could best be expressed in single digits, I think it's pretty obvious which poll is more accurate.

Carter goes on to lay out what he claims Hamas agreed to, but even he has to admit that he kinda misunderstood Meshaal...something Hamas was fairly quick to point out in language most of us could readily understand.

As for Cwayzy Unkie Jimmy, I'm sick and tired of this senile dingbat fouling the waters.

He was an absolute failure as president, but at least he was just a mere pimple on the body politic...unpleasant and unsightly,but bearable.Now he's turned malignant.

At the very least, he ought to be required to register as a foreign agent. If there were any justice, the US government would prosecute him under the Logan Act, revoke his passport and cart him around the country in a cage for his fellow Americans to throw peanuts at and poke at him with big sticks through the bars.

Worth Reading - Short Takes 4/28/08

Short takes is Freedom Fighter's way of cramming a lot into a small space..kind of like the young gentleman above. Here's a brief rundown of some of today's items of interest for Joshua's Army:

'An Anatomy Of Surrender': Buce Bawer - an absolute superb piece by the author of 'While Europe Slept' on how cultural jihad is making vast inroads on our culture.

My Advice for Senator Obama : Karl Rove, Newsweek - Love him or hate him Karl Rove understands American politics...and gives Barack Obama some advice he'd be well advised to consider,although I can almost guarantee he won't!

Feed Your Prius, Starve a Peasant : Mark Steyn - his usual witty take on the biofuel and global warming chickens coming home to roost...with some unexpected consequences.

Socratic Dialogue vs. Islamic Dialogue:Fjordman - A superb essay and an explanation in concrete terms on exactly why it is that Islam is a static civilization with a fundamental weakness...an inability to question or re-examine its history, sources or beliefs,and therefore an inability to create.

Two of these are fairly involved and take some proper chewing and digesting,so we'll leave today's Short Takes ummm...a little short,with just four courses to this banquet.

Enjoy!

The Sean Bell Case

New York is pretty tense today, if you believe what you read and hear.

The reason is the acquittal of three police officers for manslaughter in the shooting death of one Sean Bell and the wounding of two of his friends, Joseph Guzman and Trent Benefield outside the Kalua strip club in Queens back on November 25, 2006.

What basically appears to have happened is that after a night of drinking and general confusion, Sean Bell and two friends got into an altercation with a man outside the club and some witnesses testified that Bell and others threatened to go to their car and get their guns to settle matters.

At that point,once the trio were inside their vehicle, they apparently drove into a police van there on stakeout after which Joseph Guzman struck a police detective who got out of the vehicle, Gescard Isnora, with the car - fibers were found on the bumper, The three cops on the scene ended up fired something like fifty shots into the car, killing Bell and wounding the other two.

The prosecution's case was that Bell and his friends felt 'threatened' that the three cops - Isnora, Michael Oliver and Marc Cooper - failed to identify themselves, and that the NYPD did sloppy forensic work in the aftermath.

The defense said they clearly identified themselves,that they believed the men in the car were armed, and that they believed they were being shot at when they fired. One lawyer suggested that the real culprit was Guzman, describing him as "the catalyst of the event."

The burden of proof was on the prosecution, as it always is in these matters. With a lot of the prosecution witnesses contradicting themselves on the stand and deviating from earlier statements made to the police investigators,the judge ended up acquitting the three detectives.

Al Sharpton, of course, is on this like a fly on horse manure, stirring up the natives and threatening to shut the city down for delivering the 'wrong' verdict.

So...what have we got here? A tragedy, sure, but a rather nasty double standard too.

Sean Bell and his friends were obviously drinking and partying...and not thinking very well. I've seen drunken club altercations end up like this before, with somebody threatening to get their shooter and permanently air condition somebody,and while its not limited to black folks, it's prevalent in significant parts of black culture - because of gangsta rap and the idealization of the thug life.

A lot of the time, there might actually be no gun. It's somebody fronting, trying to show how rough and tough he is,and this sort of brew hah hah ends up without fireworks. But sometimes,people get called on it...and if there's a fresh altercation with somebody who might have good reason to believe the party in question is packing,people can get killed.

I think what might plausibly have happened here is that after the police van was hit, Isnora ID'd himself as an NYPD officer - there was no reason for him not to - and Guzman, the convicted felon who was driving panicked, knocked Isnora over with the car and tried to make a run for it. And that's probably the point at which the cops began firing ...maybe even believing, because of what had just happened, that some of the shots were coming from the guys in the car.

The other alternative,the one the Al Sharptons of the world would have us believe, is that these three racist cops deliberately decided to shoot themselves some black folks, and now the NYPD is engaged in a cover up.

Of course, the fact that two of the cops, Isnora and Cooper happen to be black has nothing to do with getting people to buy that scenario...not when there's a $50 million wrongful death suit filed against the city by the mother of Bell's two children in the mix, something Rev Al is probably counting on getting a piece of for his 'activism' if all goes according to plan.

That's usually the deal when he gets involved...a piece of the action.

Another thing that bothered me about this was what I consider a hideous disregard for justice.

In any murder or manslaughter case, the burden of proof is always on the prosecution, and I think rightfully so. There's a presumption of innocence until proven guilty in our jurisprudence, and whenever the prosecution fails to adequately make its case, the defendants are acquitted. That's exactly what happened in the OJ Simpson murder trial- and rightfully so, in my opinion.

Since the same thing happened here - the prosecution failing to make its case - what right do people have to riot or tie up traffic or obstruct others and threaten take the law into their own hands because they didn't like a verdict?

Isn't that kind of..the lynch mob mentality?

Or does that standard only apply to one kind of people?

Restricted Neighborhoods - No Jews Allowed

Used to be,back in the bad old days, that certain neighborhoods had 'restrictions' against renting or selling property to Jews. These restrictions were often part of actual grant deeds,with a codicil against conveying the property to 'a member of the Hebrew race'. I've seen some of these old grant deeds myself.

The more things change....

There seems to be a disagreement lately between Israel and the Bush Administration about the arrangements made between them when Israel agreed to the Road Map and later,to the retreat from Gaza.

When Ariel Sharon first agreed to the Road Map, a plan that was put together by the Bush Administration under the auspices of an Arab-American senator and the normally pro-Arab State Department,(but without the input of a single Jew or Israeli) Sharon agreed to abide by it after first attaching 14 reservations designed,in his mind at least, to keep the deal honest and provide for Israel's security while still helping the Bush Administration gain points with its Arab friends.

The Bush Administration effectively accepted those reservations when it put the Roadmap into play as policy, and both Sharon and Bush exchanged letters putting those understandings in writing.

However,it seems that there are agreements and then there are deals with Israel.

With Arik Sharon now a slowly rotting bit of protoplasm on life support, the Bush Administration is now claiming it `never made any such arrangement'.

The sticking point is those Jewish Communities in Judea and Samaria (AKA,the West Bank) that were established. Or should I say,more properly, re-established in places like Gush Etzion and Hebron after the Jewish inhabitants were ethnically cleansed when the Jordanian Arab Legion invaded and illegally occupied the area in 1948.

If one looks at Bush's speech of June 24th, Bush's letter ("In light of new realities on the ground, including already existing major Israeli populations centers, it is unrealistic to expect that the outcome of final status negotiations will be a full and complete return to the armistice lines of 1949, and all previous efforts to negotiate a two-state solution have reached the same conclusion.It is realistic to expect that any final status agreement will only be achieved on the basis of mutually agreed changes that reflect these realities.") and Sharon's letter, it seems clear that there obviously was an implicit understanding that most of the settled Jewish communities in the West Bank would remain part of Israel.

Of course,that was before Annapolis and the Bush Administration's embrace of the Saudi Peace Ultimatum.

Now,with Condi Rice shilling as point woman, the Bush Administration is saying there never was a deal,and they're vociferously pressuring Israel over the idea of building new homes and neighborhoods in these communities. Even in Jerusalem!

To provide a little context here,let's remember two little known facts; one, that 95% of the so-called `settlements' were deliberately built on land that was vacant, land that was legally purchased by Jews from the Arabs through the Jewish National Fund(like Gush Etzion), land that was used by the Jordanian government for things like military bases, or a combination of one or more of these categories. And two, let's remember that Israel is in desperate need of housing, and that a lot of the people forcibly removed by Israel from Gaza are still living in trailers.

Of course,when you read the letter, Bush's speeches and indeed every mention of a Palestinian state by the Bush Administration until recently, there's always a reference to the fact that the US will only support a Palestinian state that recognizes Israel and repudiates terrorism and violence...funny how that all turned out.

Of course, as Soccer Dad astutely points out,the Bush Administration was likely lying to the Israelis all along:

"National security adviser Stephen J. Hadley, at a news briefing in January, suggested that Bush's 2004 letter was aimed at helping Sharon win domestic approval for the Gaza withdrawal. "The president obviously still stands by that letter of April of 2004, but you need to look at it, obviously, in the context of which it was issued," he said."

Even without the "secret agreement," it seems pretty certain that President Bush approved of Israel building in areas it intended to keep. But Steven Hadley said that we should look at "the context." What does he mean? That a President may issue a false assurance to Israel in order to further the peace process?

What it means,of course is that Sharon got shafted, just like Yitzhak Rabin before him with Oslo. There's a famous line in Animal House about that kind of stupidity..."Hey, face it. You screwed up...you trusted us. Part of college is learning from your mistakes!"

It's part of learning as a country too.

Now countries lie to each other all the time, just like people do,and ordinarily it would just be something that could be glossed over. But it this case, we're dealing with a bunch of genocidal maniacs who not only want a state for themselves on land that the Jews have built into something worth having, they want to turn ALL of 'Palestine' into yet another restricted neighborhood where no Jews are allowed.

Just like the rest of the Middle East.

You see, it's not the communities themselves that are the problem..it's the fact that Jews live there.

Of course,the Israelis may have realized by now that Dubyah's word maybe isn't worth a whole lot, much of the time. And they may have simply decided to run out the clock, without making a major confrontation out of it.

That could explain why Arafat II Mahmoud Abbas just came back fuming from DC after meeting with the president,whining and complaining about how Bush wasn't giving him anything much, or pressuring the Israelis enough to for concessions to suit him and the rest of the Fatah mafia.

The Israelis may just not feel like being suckered again,given the consequences.Damn, stiff-necked Jooos..

Damn...She Has A BoyFriend!

She Has A Boyfriend - Watch more free videos

Do you just hate it when you lavish attention on some girl and she immediately mentions her boyfriend? Oooh,this guy does...Laugh out loud funny.

Warning: R-rated language..


Hat tip to Ace

Japanese Whisky Voted Best In The World!

Hang your head down low, Scotland.

For many years, Japanese whisky was something of a joke for serious fans. No more.

Yoichi 20 years old, which has its main distillery on the northern island of Hokkaido just became the the first whisky made outside Scotland to win the coveted single malt award in an international competition run by Whisky Magazine, the main industry publication.

It beat out dozens of other makers, including last year’s winner, Talisker 18 years old, from the Isle of Skye, and the judges reportedly raved about its aroma, flavor and finish.

The world's best blended whisky? That would be a Japanese brand as well, Suntory Hibiki.

The decision to give the top prize to Yoichi followed a blind tasting of more than 200 of the world’s finest varieties by a panel of 16 of the world’s leading whisky experts.

The judges said Japanese distillers had succeeded in producing top Scotch thanks to the variable climate in Japan, which assists maturation and creates a purer whisky with a heightened aroma.

Traditional distilling apparatus such as coal-fired pot stills, used widely in Japan but rarely seen in Scotland, was also praised for producing a superior dram.

“Japanese whiskies performed magnificently and they are really starting to make waves,” said Rob Allanson, editor of Whisky Magazine.

Nikka, the company that produces Yoichi, and Suntory, the biggest spirits company in Japan, are making inroads into the British whisky market.

Tetsuji Hisamitsu, chief blender at the Yoichi distillery, said he was “very moved” by the award.

I've never had the 20 year old, but having tried the 12 year old (which compared favorably with the equivalent Talisker and Laphroaig), I imagine it must be quite something.

At about $300 (£150 or ¥30,000)per bottle, it damn well had better be!

Iran Moves Into Central Africa

While we're sleeping, the Iranian octopus is extending it's tentacles into yet another strategic arena, this time in central Africa.

As I've noted previously, this is not the first time Iran has sought to extend its reach into Africa,using its Hezbollah proxy as a wedge. The Islamic Courts in Somalia are received assistance from Iran and Hezbollah, and Somali fighters from the Islamic Courts fought with Hezbollah against Israel in the last Lebanon War. This was part of a strategic jihad aimed at finishing off the resistance in Darfur, surrounding and marginalizing Christian Ethiopia and moving down into East Africa, where there are already substantial Islamist movements in Kenya and Tanzania.

That plan was unexpectedly held up by the courageous efforts of the Ethiopian forces and their allies, who routed the Islamist forces and fought the jihadis to a standstill in Somalia.

The new push by Iran involves a close strategic and military relationship with the jihadist regime of Omar al-Bashir in the Sudan, and an attempt to take over the neighboring country of Chad...and its oil and uranium.

Not counting the Janjiweed militias, the Sudan has a standing army of 120,000, mostly equipped with second rate Russian and Chinese arms. Because of the publicity surrounding the Darfur genocide,the Sudanese regime's backing for the Islamist insurgents trying to overthrow the regime of Chad's president Idriss Déby and China's concern over its public image with the Olympic Games coming up in August, these traditional suppliers have backed away from supplying the Sudanese army with the tools of the trade. And Iran has stepped into the vacuum.

Sudan and Iran have now concluded a comprehensive military agreement for Iran to supply arms and training for the Sudan's army, in a pact signed in Khartoum March 8th by Iranian defense minister Mustafa Mohammed Majjar and Sudanese defense minister General Abdul-rahim Hussein.

The pact involves what amounts to a mutual defense agreement, with each country agreeing to come to the other's aid in the event of foreign aggression, and the two countries agreeing to establish a joint military commission to coordinate strategy.

There's also training for the Sudanese Army ( most likely by the Republican Guard) and a massive package of Iranian-made arms, which are a natural fit for the Sudanese army since the Iranian arms are mostly knock-offs of Russian technology...and in any event, it's a simple matter for the Russians to ship arms to the Sudanese using Iran as a convenient go-between. Iran has also pledged to build factories in the Sudan to manufacture Iranian arms.

What does Iran get out of it? Plenty.

They get a base strategically located in Africa in a Muslim ruled nation, with a long seacoast on the Red Sea along a major sea route to the Persian Gulf and within spitting distance ( or should I say, missile range) of Saudi Arabia and Egypt. They get a guaranteed market for their arms and access to Sudan's oil, and remember that Iran's oil production is actually decreasing by about 7% per year.

And they can work directly with the Sudanese to destabilize Chad, and possibly get control of Chad's oil and uranium, something the mullahs find very interesting for obvious reasons. Chad's uranium deposits are in the eastern part of the country, right on the Sudan's borders. That's also the part of the country most heavily dominated by Muslims. And interestingly enough, the Sudan-backed insurgency fighting to overthrow the government of President Déby is centered in the same part of the country.

The rebels were strong enough to actually bring the fighting to Ndjamena, the capitol early this year before the French intervened and sent troops in to bolster the Déby regime, and at present there are 2,200 EU troops, more than half from former colonial power France deployed in Eastern Chad. But under the terms of their mission, they'll be leaving in a year.

Once they're gone, will the Iran/Sudan axis step up its efforts to oust Déby and take over Chad, or put together an insurgent 'government' in the Eastern part of the country?

Time will tell, but I think that's the sort of strategic thinking being done inTehran right now.

Head Of Israeli Air Force: "Israel's Air Force Is Ready For Any Threat, Especially A Nuclear Iran"

Major General Eliezer Shkedy spoke to 60 Minutes correspondent Bob Simon, in an interview on the IAF that is scheduled to air Sunday, April 27, at 7 p.m. ET/PT.

"I think it is a very serious threat to the state of Israel, but more than this, to the whole world," Shkedy says of the Iranian leader’s public animosity toward Israel. "They are talking about what they think about the state of Israel. They are talking about destroying and wiping us from the earth," he tells Simon. It reminds him of the Holocaust. "We should remember. We cannot forget. We should trust only ourselves."

The general likens ignoring Ahmadinejad today to the atmosphere that enabled the Holocaust yesterday. "In those days, people didn't believe that Hitler was serious about what he said. I suggest not to repeat this way of thinking, and to prepare ourselves for what they are planning," says Shkedy. "We should be prepared for everything."

Shkedy's views on the matter are likely affected by the fact that his family are Holocaust survivors.

I get the distinct feeling that Shkedy and his men are unlikely to go quietly. This time, the Jews are armed.....

Shout Out To Oz And The Kiwis - ANZAC Day

Here's to true friendship that never dies..may we be allies and friends forever.

The Company One Keeps

There is an extraordinary effort being made by the Barack Obama campaign and his adherents in the dinosaur media to revile people for the attention being paid to certain Disciples of the Faith.

"McCarthyism" they scream. "Racism! Guilt by association! How dare you bring that up!"

Now, I'm the last person to condemn someone because of his casual associations, or something a member of his family did that may or may not have anything to do with them personally. But I think it's perfectly legitimate to notice that a number of Obama's boosters have a certain...smell...about them.

In many cases, we're not talking about casual associations, but people Obama directly sought out by choice and has had ongoing relationships with. In other cases, we're talking about people Obama may not have had much to do with directly, or who's views Obama might claim not to be 100% in sync with, but whom are still supporting him. And it's quite proper to consider why.

If certain groups and individuals are supporting someone, it stands to reason there's a reason, if you get my drift.

And that's not guilt by association, but a legitimate piece of data to consider as we prepare to hire a Chief Executive and Commander in Chief.

These associations fit right in with Obama's pastor of choice for two decades, Jeremiah Wright and his courting of ex-WeatherMen terrorists Bill Ayres and Bernadine Dorhn when he wanted their endorsement to give him authentic radical Left cred when he was starting out in politics.

So, let's look at some of these other folks:

First, there's John Conyers, (D-MI) who is going around the country campaigning for Obama.
Conyers,who's district includes that quaint ouptpost of Islam known as Dearbornistan is beloved by CAIR and the MPAC as a congressman because of his steadfastly anti-Israel voting record, and because of a bill he introduced in Congress, HR 288 that would have singled out Islam for special treatment and opened the way to criminalize any criticism of it.

He's also the wack job that chaired the infamous mock impeachment of President Bush in the White House basement, which turned into a gutter level anti-Semitic fiesta, and his latest project is to call for reparations by the United States for slavery.

Next, we have the Reverend Eric Lee of the Southern Christian Leadership Council. His particular claim to fame was a vicious anti-Semitic diatribe aimed at a Jewish philanthropist named Daphna Ziman, who was at a charity banquet being honored for her work with at risk black children that was literally crawling with Los Angeles politicians..who of course, either conveniently left early or claimed they 'weren't paying attention.'

After opening by thanking Jesus for Barack Obama, "who is going to be the leader of the world" Lee went into a diatribe that would have done credit to Louis Farrakhan or Malcolm X,back in the day:



At first,Reverend Lee denied it.(Some people that were present and were paying attention have corroborated Ms. Ziman's story, and I personally know her repute as one not given to flights of imagination). Then, he apologized for what he first claimed to not have said. And then he claimed his remarks were 'misunderstood' by the cwazy Jew lady.

He's still proselytizing for Obama as part of the campaign, without any problems whatsoever.

Then there's some well known figures; Louis Farrakhan, head of the Nation of Islam, Harry Belafonte,who called Colin Powell and Condalezza Rice 'house servants', broadcaster Randi Rhodes of Air America, who went on the air and told US troops to desert and called for a sitting president of the United States to be whacked like Fredo in 'The GodFather', leftoid actress Susan Sarandon, and Zbigniew Brzezinski, Jimmy Carter's laughable National Security Advisor and now holding the same position in Obama's campaign.There's Barack Obama’s official campaign blogger, Sam Graham-Felsen, a hardline Marxist and a groupie of the Stalinist Socialist Worker's Party.

There's Michael Moore, who endorsed Obama just the other day, John Kerry who arguably committed treason against his own country while in uniform during wartime, George Soros, and most of the bigwigs at CAIR.

For that matter, there's Hamas.

There's Hatem El-Hady, the ex- chairman of the Toledo, Ohio-based Islamic `charity', Kindhearts, which was closed by the US government in February 2006 for terrorist fundraising. These days, he's doing fundraising for Obama, and lists Michelle Obama as a 'friend' on his Facebook page.

I could go on ad naseum, but I think you get the message.It's quite a group.

Now there are lots of other people who are mesmerized by Jesus II. Some of them just like the idea of a black man as president, regardless of why..it just seems so liberal and liberated. Others just like the fervor of the manufactured Hope and Change mantra.

But there are an awful lot of racist, radical Leftist and Islamist ideologues who wouldn't endorse somebody unless they felt that by doing so, they were furthering their objectives.

Are you beginning to see what I mean by a certain smell?

The thing about Barack Obama is that when it comes to getting into power, he could care less. He'd rather just gloss over these things and hope nobody notices the stench. As a matter of fact, he's demanding we take no notice of the stink.

He just wants to have it both ways, and eat his waffles.

(hattip to Australia's The Age for the Obama graphic)

Syria's North Korea Connection

Demolition IAF style - before .....and after


Israel has been extremely reticent about exactly what the facility was that they destroyed in Syria last September.

I had a pretty good idea at the time that what the Israelis took out was a nuclear weapons facility..especially when the Syrians made sure to get rid of the rubble and bury everything so quickly.

It's now been confirmed through official channels in a briefing of the House Intelligence Committee that what the Israelis took out was indeed a nuclear site...and that it was part of a secret deal between Syria's Basher Assad and North Korea.The site was within weeks of being functional.

Of course,regular member's of Joshua's Army who read this site already knew the details a long time ago. It could best be summed up as nukes-for-wheat.

North Korea was supposedly negotiating with Condi Rice and the Bush Administration to curtail their proliferation of nuclear weapons. It remains to be seen what effect these revelations will have on those negotiations. If you'll recall, North Korea was supposed to dismantle its nuclear program by December - a deadline they conspicuously missed.

Watcher's Council Nominations, 4/23/08

Every week, the Watcher's Council members nominate two posts each, one from the Council members and one from outside for consideration by the whole Council. The complete list of this week's Council nominations can be found at the site of our fearless leader, the infamous Watcher of Weasels

Posting the Council links this week is a bit of a challenge, because our head honcho The Watcher suffered a horrendous techno mishap and was unable to host in his normal fashion, and there will probably not be the usual voting this week. However, I see no reason for you to be deprived just because of a few rogue electrons! With the aid of my fellow Council members I am going to attempt to post this week's links as they come in, for your reading pleasure. This is a partial list, so be sure to check back for new entries as they come in, as I'll be adding them to the list. Do take the time to check out the non-Council links as well - they're always worthwhile.

So here's this week's lineup...enjoy!

COUNCIL:

J O S H U A P U N D I T: Where Hamas Gets It Right This week the Washington Post ran an editorial by none other than our old friend, Hamas foreign minister, currency smuggler and bagman Mahmoud al-Zahar.

While a number of commentators have decried the WAPO's eagerness to give this cockroach a public platform, I point out that he was correct in one major instance,and that this has major implications for US policy in the Middle East.


Cheat Seeking Missiles:Our Crumbling Civilization: Killing for Art Edition - This week Laer takes on something I frankly found too disgusting to even write about - the 'artistic' endeavor of one Aliza Shvarts, a Yale senior who claimed that she artificially inseminated herself "as often as possible" while periodically taking abortifacient drugs to induce miscarriages...in order to create an art exhibit tobe shown at Yale utilizing videos of the process as well as preserved blood from the miscarriages.

Laer quite rightly sees this as an indictment of what Yale and other modern universities have become..and I congratulate him for having the fortitude to take this subject head on.

Bookworm Room: Root causes - Ms. Bookworm uses `bittergate'as an example to expand on a common Leftist theme - that the root causes for a given social pathology lie anywhere but with the choices people themselves make.

Soccer Dad: The Damned Lies Of J Street There's a new so-called progressive organization of leftist, self-hating Jews formed with the money of George Soros and others to advocate for the Palestinians called 'J-Street'. Soccer Dad rips the cover off these sordid folks and exposes what a mounts to a suicidal disconnect from reality.

Wolf Howling:The Central Issues Of Obama's Candidacy GW does a superb job of cutting away the hyperbole and examining exactly what Barack Obama stands for and what the real issues of his campaign are.

The Colossus Of Rhodey:The Not-So Proportionate Death Penalty (Should It Be?) Hube fisks an article on the death penalty, notes the attempt by the dinosaur media to paint it as disproportionately applied because of race....and shows why the notion is utterly ridiculous.

Done With Mirrors: Documentary Callimachus writes an interesting piece on Ben Stein's new movie on Darwinism, “Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed”. While he admits to being firmly in the evolutionist's camp, he throws us a curve in classic DWM fashion and decries a hatchet job review of the film by the New York Times....especially when compared with laudatory reviews in the same paper for a very different documentary.

Right Wing Nuthouse:Defending The Pope And Other Counterintuitive Undertakings Rick Moran, a lapsed Catholic by his own admission nevertheless feels compelled to take up the cudgels to defend Pope Benedict from the asinine remarks leveled at him by Bill Maher.

And well done too I might add, Rick.

Rhymes With Right:Not Just Youthful Indescretions Greg rightly points out the absurdity of dismissing the domestic terrorism perpetrated by Obama-ites and Leftist icons Bill Ayers and his wife Bernadine Dohrn as mere 'youthful indescretions.' They deserve to spend the rest of their lives locked up for what they freely admitted doing. Or to quote Bill Ayres himself: "Guilty as hell, free as a bird; America, what a country!"

Hillbilly White Trash:Is it time to consign Reagan to the dustbin of history?Lemuel sees the ascendancy of McCain as an attempt to do exactly that....and argues against it.

The Glittering Eye: Reactions This week, Dave examines the woeful coverage by the New York Times of anti-Tibet demonstrations by Chinese students.


(the rest of the Council links and non-Council links will be posted as I receive them)


NON- COUNCIL

ShrinkWrapped: Playing With Fire

The Nose On Your Face: Transcript of Barack Obama's Meeting with Typical San Francisco Citizens

Thought You'd Never Ask:I can has freedom of speech

Yourish:Muslim schools creating new class of African beggars

Max Boot: Stop The Presses

OpenMarket.Org:Legalized Child-Stealing in Arlington County, Virginia

Zombie: Obama Visits Billionaire's Row

American Thinker: The Obama Aesthethic

Urban Grounds:Selwyn Davis and What’s Wrong with the Death Penalty in Texas

White Trash Republican:My dad the spy (redux)

Small Wars Journal:Pentagon study? Current Events? Not so fast ...

Carter: "The Ball's In Israel's Court..."

Thanks and a hat tip to the Washington Examiner and cartoonist Nate Beeler...

Petraeus To Take Over MidEast Command

General David Petraeus has been tapped by SecDef Robert Gates as the replacement for Admiral William Fallon to command CentCom:

The nomination, which must be approved by the Senate, puts Petraeus in charge of the US military's biggest challenges -- Iraq, an expanding military effort in Afghanistan, an Al-Qaeda revival in Pakistan, and challenges from Iran on various fronts.

Gates said he had recommended Petraeus, whose three-year term would extend into the next US administration, "because I'm absolutely confident that he is the best man for the job."

General Ray Odierno, Petraeus' day-to-day commander of operations during the "surge" would take over as C in C in Iraq...a great move for those familiar with this superb fighting general.

This is an interesting move,because it puts Petraeus, a man with no illusions on Iran in command of the theater directly involved with them,yet another sign that the wind may be changing.

And the Iranians may have already gotten the message, although I suspect that this new agreement with the IAEA to disclose certain aspects of their clandestine nukes program are just a device to buy some more time as the centrifuges keep spinning merrily along.

In any event, putting general Petraeus in charge of CentCom is anindication that we may finally be getting serious about confronting Iran..and that's a welcome change.

Hillary Wins Pennsylvania

Senator Hillary Clinton decisively beat Senator Barack Obama in the Pennsylvania primary today.

The final vote looks like 55% to 45%, a ten point spread.

The exit polling data was particularly revealing.

Hillary won decisively among females, 57% to 43%, while Obama finished slightly ahead in male votes, 52% to 47%. The voting population in the primary was 59% female.

Barack Obama carried the black vote, as expected by 84%..but they're only 15% of the electorate. Clinton carried the white vote decisively, 81% of the electorate, with her percentages rising to 56% by the time you hit the 30-45 age bracket and geting to something like 62% and up in the older white demographics. She also took Pennsylvania's union vote, and the Catholic vote by an astounding 74%.

So how do we translate this?

Simple really,and exactly as I discussed earlier; Obama does well in states with a large black population and in states ( mostly states that normally go for the GOP, like Idaho and Nebraska) with few blacks but concentrated small blocks of upscale white Democrats.

Hillary continues to do well among women, especially older women, Latinos, and blue collar white Democrats, especially in traditionally blue states like California and New York. Her surge among Catholic Democrats in Pennsylvania is a new trend.

Hillary's only route to the Democratic nomination is to convince the superdelegates prior to the convention that Obama is incapable of winning the general because he is unable to capture votes in those groups. A ten point win in Pennsylvania keeps her in the game and gives that line of reasoning a fair amount of credibility.

Another big factor was that this win came after Obama outspent the relatively broke Clinton campaign by a huge margin and blanketed the state with ads.

The odds are still against Lady Macbeth walking away with the Donkey crown - the Democrats need a monolithic black vote, funding by George Soros and the energy of the nutroots at places like MoveOn to win in November, and they may have problems obtaining those items unless Obama is the nominee...and on top of the ticket.

On the other hand, an Obama candidacy is likely to shed Latino, Catholic and blue collar white votes. Which could lead to problems in November in places like California,Pennsylvania and Ohio.

So..Scylla or Charibdus, the frying pan or the fire?

Should be an interesting show...

Al-Qaeda Number 2 Zawahiri Disses 9/11 `Truthers'

The 9/11 `truthers' suffered yet another body blow today when al-Qaeda's number 2, Ayman Zawahiri put another harpoon in their bizarre theories.

Speaking on a new audio tape released by al-Qaeda's propaganda arm, Al-Sahab,Zawahiri was adamant about taking credit for 9/11, and said that theories about Israel or the US pulling off 9/11 were just propaganda designed to take the glory away from al-Qaeda!

Of course,this will make little difference to the `truthers' and their ilk. Osama bin-Laden likewise claimed full 'credit' for 9/11,and it didn't change a thing for these people.

But I wanted this on record.

Hat tip to Jammie Wearing Fool.

Cwazee Unkie Jimmy's 'Integrity'

Joshua's Army member Zeb G. gets a commendation for reminding me of this golden oldie by Alan Dershowitz concerning our ex-president and national embarrassment, Jimmy Carter. It's stuff I covered here while ago, but it sounds better coming from Dershowitz...a former Carter supporter:

"I have known Jimmy Carter for more than 30 years. I first met him in the spring of 1976 when, as a relatively unknown candidate for president, he sent me a handwritten letter asking for my help in his campaign on issues of crime and justice. I had just published an article in The New York Times Magazine on sentencing reform, and he expressed interest in my ideas and asked me to come up with additional ones for his campaign. Shortly thereafter, my former student Stuart Eisenstadt, brought Carter to Harvard to meet with some faculty members, me among them. I immediately liked Jimmy Carter and saw him as a man of integrity and principle. I signed on to his campaign and worked very hard for his election. When Newsweek magazine asked his campaign for the names of people on whom Carter relied for advice, my name was among those given out. I continued to work for Carter over the years, most recently I met him in Jerusalem a year ago, and we briefly discussed the Mid-East. Though I disagreed with some of his points, I continued to believe that he was making them out of a deep commitment to principle and to human rights.

Recent disclosures of Carter's extensive financial connections to Arab oil money, particularly from Saudi Arabia, had deeply shaken my belief in his integrity. When I was first told that he received a monetary reward in the name of Shiekh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahayan, and kept the money, even after Harvard returned money from the same source because of its anti-Semitic history, I simply did not believe it. How could a man of such apparent integrity enrich himself with dirty money from so dirty a source?"

A better question I think,Mr. Dershowitz,is why a lot of Jews continue to support people like this and their party..but I have a feeling you might not like my answer to that one.

Read the rest of Dershowitz's fine piece here

The Real Banana on Politics, With Weekend Monkey,4/21/08

FF: Once again,it's time to creep through the rancid political jungle with JoshuaPundit's own political guru and former Democratic Presidential Candidate, my pal Weekend Monkey.

WM: Hideyho,Primates!Whaddup, FF!

FF: It's good,Monkey...it's all good. So let's talk politics..what did you think of the debate,and where are things going?

WM: Hee hee hee! At least this one was fun to watch...

FF: Because Obama got smacked around a little?

WM: Like I told you,FF - take away his teleprompter and his script and ask him some unpleasant questions and Obama Yo' Mama don't look so good, no. Plus,he's a doofus to think that two ex-Clintonistas weren't going to put him in the hot seat.

FF: You think Hillary put them up to it?

WM: Nah..wasn't necessary. It just made good TV. Let's face it,lately the facade on Jesus II has been crumbling like a cheap coat of lead paint on one of Tony Rezco's tenements!

FF:Heh! Good one,Monkey! But let's face it,Hillary came in for some pretty good shots too...

WM: Well,c'mon FF. One minute she's single handedly parachuting into Bosnia and killing five Serb snipers with her bare hands and a Swiss army knife,the next thing we see the video with some rug rat bringing her flowers at the airport without a shot being fired..she deserves to get slapped for that one.

FF:Y'know,Monkey, I gotta admit that until I saw the video, I had a sneaking suspicion she was telling the truth. I mean, I could see Mr. Bill sending her into a free fire zone and forgetting to mention it...

WM: Ouchie, FF!!!

FF:Like she said, I guess she was just less accurate than she's been previously...

WM: Stop FF,your killing me! When she said that,I lost a whole mouthful of Bushmills and banana extract all over the couch,no jive.

FF: It reminded me of something they used to do in some small towns..they'd have a liar's contest and offer a prize to the person who told the biggest, most outrageous whopper.

WM: You just summarized the Democrat race in a sentence,FF.

FF: Still bitter, I see. OK,so the debate didn't go so well for Obama.What does it mean in terms of the campaign? I want some numbers,Monkey.

WM: Ok...I figure that Obama shooting his mouth off in San Francisco and the debate fiasco are worth about 2 or 3 points to Shrillary in PA. I figured her as winning by between 5 and 6 points there, max, so we'll call it for Shrillary by between 7 and 9 points. Probably 7, rather than 9. If some 'tard will give you Obama and 8, it's a serious bet,but I wouldn't plunge on it. I'm laying little money in that direction and hedging by betting on Shrillary to win by 7; the payoff isn't as big as Obama Yo'Mama with points, but this way if she does 7 or better,I still get paid.It's all good.

FF: So, no double digit win for Hillary?

WM: I'd be surprised, I'll say that.

FF: Did you see the story about one of her internals being leaked and showing her up by 11?

WM: Aww, please FF. Oldest trick in the book.They maybe can fool some of the idiots in the mainstream press, but they'd have to do a lot better than that to fool this Monkey. Nah, 7 or 8 points max, Hillary is a lot more realistic. Besides, remember...Obama Yo' Mama's support is where? Philly. You think they've forgotten how to vote corpses,crack hoes and homeless people there? And the mayor's an Obama-ite, right?

FF: And after Pennsylvania?

WM: Shrillary will take Indiana by a couple or three points,Obama will win big in North Carolina.

But the key thing will be how Obama does in PA and Indiana with white people, particularly white males. It's like we were talking about last time..if Obama tanks with that group, she's got some ammo to use on the Superdelegates which is what it will all come down to in the end anyway. It'll get sorted out at the convention, FF. I give her a one in four shot,one in three if I'm wrong and she does double digits in Pennsylvania. But then,when have you ever known me to be wrong about these things?

FF: Not often, Monkey, not often.I'm still surprised you don't have your own show on cable..

WM: Sheer species-ist bigotry,FF. It makes me sad and angry.

FF: Yes, yes I know. Here's food for thought. Remember your rule of thumb on campaigns..that there's an edge to who ever needs it the most?

WM: Yeah, go on...

FF: Hillary may not need a win quite so bad as we thought. Assuming Obama gets the Donkey Crown and gets creamed in the general, McCain is likely to be a one term president. And basd on what I see ahead,it might be some tough times and he might end up not being so popular in four years....in which case Hillary is still young enough to run again in 2012.

WM:That's a lotta if's FF...but it makes a certain amount of sense. Especially since the odds are against her getting the Donkey crown anyway. The party needs a monolithic black vote, the nutroots and George Soros' money to win, and that's the bottom line. The only chance she's got is to convince the superdelegates that Obama is going to tank bigtime in the general. She'll be on them like a lapdancer at a bachelor party following a trail of benjies.

FF: Fair enough ,Monkey! Let's get together again towards the end of the week and compare notes...we'll see if your winning streak stays intact.

WM: Right-i-o, FF. Smell ya later, primates!

Polygamy - It Rings A Bell...

Polygamy is in the news today, thanks to a government sponsored raid on a group known as The Fundamentalist Church Of The Latter Day Saints (FLDS) in Texas.

The whole thing started when Texas authorities received a phone call allegedly from a sixteen year old girl who claimed she'd been 'brutalized and raped' by her 50 year husband. That call turned out to be a hoax,but the authorities swooped in en masse and literally kidnapped over 416 children, separating them from their mothers.

They made no exceptions, not even for nursing mothers, whom were separated from their babies like the rest..

Aside from the rather horrendous spectacle of governmental agents disrupting the lives of this many people over one anonymous phone call, there was something that rang a little bell for yours truly. It was this description by one Texas Child Protective Services commandante of the cult and the women in it:

"What we have here are women who are conditioned from an early age to follow orders of men and to be subservient to them,especially when it came to forced polygamist marriages. These forced marriages are cases of sexual abuse, even if the victims themselves may not be aware of it.There are women who have been trained from an early age to lie to anyone but their religious leaders."

Hmmmmm..girls controlled and brainwashed by patriarchal men based on religious teachings,illegal polygamy, forced marriages...where have we heard that before?

Why,this could almost be a description of a big chunk of Islam!

And not just Islam overseas,but here, in the United States, the UK and other bastions of western culture.

Given there are obviously a number of Islamic polygamous marriages in America, do we see government officials knocking down their doors and taking women and children into custody?

And when young Muslim girls complain about being brutalized and being pressured into forced marriages, are the authorities swooping into rescue them?

Nope.Not at all.

And that leads to an interesting question - why the double standard?

I not a fan of forced marriages, legalized polygamy, and certainly not questionable marriages of underaged girls to much older men. But here, we have a group that was essentially minding their own business,without any bizarre ambitions of taking over everyone else and forcing them to follow their beliefs. Nor were they apparently involved in welfare or mortgage fraud, something that's definitely rife in the Muslim polygamous community here in the west as Debbie Schlussel and others have documented.

So why the heavy hand on the FLDS and a nod and a wink for members of the Religion of Peace who are doing exactly the same thing, only with a lot more consequences to society?

Could there be a little fear involved?

Or is it just that one group is relatively isolated and private while the other has multi-billionaire backers who control a vital resource, fund pressure groups and buy politicians like oranges at the market?

I think the answer's obvious.