The Watcher's Council is a group of some of the most incisive blogs in the`sphere. Every week, the members nominate two posts each, one of their own and one from outside the group for consideration by the whole Council.
So, let's see what we have this week.... oh, and by the way, the Watcher has assembled a compelling list of Year End Weasel Watching dates in history that's most interesting, and will reward your attention.
Happy New Year!
COUNCIL
Joshuapundit - Gaza:A Tale Of Selective Morality and Tribal Warfare - My submission this week concerns several aspects of the war in Gaza. There's the usual hypocritical and hysterical attacks on Israel's right to defend itself by the usual suspects, as opposed to a real crime against humanity none of them saw fit to mention....and of course, the reason why it wasn't mentioned, which is a signpost to the actual nature of the war in Gaza as many of these people see it, something many of us in the West refuse to acknowledge.
And then, there's the ambiguity of the Israelis themselves, as they attempt to contort themselves according to rules according to 'rules' set by the so-called international community that apply to Israel and no other nation on earth and fight a kinder and gentler war against a genocidal adversary, something that's impossible by definition.
Believe it or not, there's a solution to what's happening in Gaza and the problems with the Palestinians...and one that would actually provide a real incentive to the Palestinians to embrace peace towards Israel, provided the Israelis have the nerve to implement it and change the facts on the ground towards their own self-interest for a change.
The Provocateur - A Liberal’s View of Patriotism - I had thought I was one of the few people that had written about this. Mike notes a singular piece by Joel Stein that appeared in the LA Times in which he admitted that conservatives love the US more than liberals like himself do...because conservatives are stoo-pid, racist and easily led. Mike disabuses what Stein had to say in a somewhat different way than I did.
Cheat-Seeking Missiles - The Most Ridiculous Story of the Year - Part 7 This week, Laer continues his quest for the silliest news story of 2008 with a last minute nominee, a puff piece on Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg.
The Glittering Eye - Trust - Dave Schuler ends the year by reflecting on a major casualty of 2008 - the quality of trust. I certainly believe he's correct that certain aspects of our society have suffered immensely in this regard, particularly when it comes to government, stocks and investments.
Bookworm Room - Hamas’ “Heroes” — and the need for total victory over evil - La Bookworm writes along the same lines as I do this week in her submission, proof that great minds think alike.
Ms. Bookworm embraces the idea that Hamas deserves to be defeated because they're evil and not cossetted because they're not as competent in killing their enemies as Israel is. She also cites Rabbi Joseph Telushkin's fine book Biblical Literacy, (which I've also read) and opines that the Torah provides a precedent for the current situation in the Canaanite wars, which also called for total victory over the enemy.
It may be of interest to mention that the Israelites were instructed not to mix with the Canaanites not just because they weren't Israelites but because they were a rather unsavory group of people who practiced child sacrifice, ritual temple prostitution and a whole host of other practices that were contrary to what the Bible refers to as the Noahcide laws, which are basic laws of morality that are supposed to apply to all humanity as opposed to just the Jews.
Right Truth - WANTED: Politician to Represent Me -Debbie Hamilton has a wish list of qualifications for the kind of politician she wants to represent her in the future. I agree with her to an extent, but I would point out to her that the Republican Party had the opportunity to nominate a superb Reagan-esque conservative along the lines she prefers in 2008 and refused to even consider him seriously. Oh, and by the way, he refused to vote for the initial $700 billion raid on the US treasury the 'conservative' the GOP elected in 2000 and 2004 shilled for so desperately.
The real problem remains the preponderance of money and fund raising in politics and its ability to buy media attention and thus elections. I've written about this before and I'll have more on this later, I promise.
The Colossus of Rhodey - The bar has been lowered SOOO far … - Hube writes about the controversy surrounding a racially tinged song parody about Barack Obama circulated by RNC head candidate Chip Saltsman. I agree with him both that the brew-ha-ha over this is vastly overblown, and that is was a really dumb idea in the first place.
Soccer Dad - Talkin’ turki - The 'turki' Soccer Dad speaks about is Former Saudi ambassador to the United States, Prince Turki al-Faisal, and Soccer Dad does a fine job in unmasking his efforts to shill for the continuation of the Saudi `peace 'ultimatum into the next administration the same way Condi Rice and the Bush Administration did.
As he points out, the Saudis and their Arab friends are giving absolutely nothing away for territory they were unable to steal outright by destroying Israel on the battlefield except ill-defined 'normal relations' and 'an end to hostilities.'
In exchange for that, they expect Israel to redivide Jerusalem and retreat to indefensible borders by ceding all of Judea and Samaria, make thousands of it's own citizens into refugees and swamp what's left of Israel with thousands of genocidal Arab 'refugees'.
Unfortunately, there are a number of advisers in the Obama administration who think this is a superb deal for Israel..especially since they won't have to live with the consequences and can feign surprise at the carnage if the Israelis are stupid enough to allow themselves to be pressured into national suicide.
The Razor - Walking In Israel’s Shoes - Scott likewise writes about the Gaza War, and from a unique perspective...he extrapolates the area of Israel subjected to attacks and the number of casualties, multiplies them to encompass a comparable percentage of the US population and area that would be subject to attack from say, the Mexican border and provides a good look at what Israel has been putting up with in terms Americans can readily visualize.
Mere Rhetoric - Anti-Israel Partisans Set New Record For Decades-Old Trick Of Brazenly Rewriting History, Blaming Israel - Omri quite correctly points out a few facts: one, that people that oppose Israel's existence have a long history of the most blatant revisionism, two , that it's gotten even worse and and three, that security guarantees given to Israel by other countries proven worthless and have a way of melting when expedient. (A recent example of this was the Bush Administration conveniently disavowing 14 revisions in the Road map they accepted in a letter from Ariel Sharon as part of Israel's signing on to it).
One thing Omri doesn't mention but is no doubt aware of is the Saudi role in mainstreaming this kind of revisionism, especially in academia and government. Truly a soft jihad in our country, funded by millions in petro-dollars.
Rhymes With Right - What It’s All About - Greg's take on the Gaza War, which again is along the lines of mine and Ms. Bookworm's...symmetry indeed! It's about time these barbarians paid a heavy price, and there is no substitute for victory.
NON-COUNCIL
Submitted By: The Provocateur - Forbes - A Nation of Wussies
Submitted By: Joshuapundit - David Keyes/Commentary - Sderot under Seige
Submitted By: Cheat-Seeking Missiles - Belmont Club - The People of the Shadows
Submitted By: The Glittering Eye - Sippican Cottage - The Greater Fool Theory of Housing
Submitted By: Bookworm Room - Melanie Phillips - Groundhog day for the fifth column of malice
Submitted By: Right Truth - Front Page Magazine - A Caliphate ‘From the Red Sea to the Caspian’?
Submitted By: The Colossus of Rhodey - Daled Amos - Notes on Today’s Conference Call on Gaza
Submitted By: Soccer Dad - Yourish - Talkin’ Turki Part two
Submitted By: The Razor - Weasel Zippers - Assorted Articles on Gaza Attacks
Submitted By: Mere Rhetoric - Counterterrorism Blog - Jihad by the Shoe: Who Was Behind it and why?
Submitted By: Rhymes With Right - The Anchoress - Workouts: Bush creepy; Obama a godling
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