WM: Pretty cheeky New Year's logo, FF...what gives?
FF: Well, you know what they say, Monkey..the end is near.
WM: Oh, hahhah..you think of that all by yourself?
FF: You planning to hit Time's Square tonight?
WM: Not if I can help it...it's gonna be cold enough to freeze your equipment right off, if you know what I mean.
FF: In your case, they'd call it microsurgery I think!
WM: Geez, you're in a mood....what happened, you invest some money with a Trusted Wall Street Adviser or something?
FF: Ahh ha ha ha ha!
WM: Heeheeheeheehee!
FF: Whew! Y'know, but seriously, a lot of charities got hit by Madoff and his little Ponzi scheme...
WM: Yeah, I heard..but the way I figure, Madoff was just pulling something the US government's been doing for years. And the main reason he got popped is because he couldn't turn on the presses to make more money.
FF: You get no argument from me there, Monkey. Speaking of which...underneath all the partying, do you get a sense that people are in a foul mood?
WM: Absolutely. They see what's coming, especially with Obama. I mean, it really hits people to be worried about losing their jobs and making ends meet while Congress is giving itself a fat raise and throwing checks around to bail out corporate America like there's no limit.
FF: Monkey,you should have been a Republican.
WM: Don't insult me.
FF:I just meant that with your views, you could of beaten John McCain easy and been the nominee...AND run with Sarah Palin under you as VP.
WM: Heehee! I like the sound of that position!
FF: I'll bet you do,but give your mind a bath if it's possible. I just meant that I think your populist views were a lot more of a winner than McCain's.
WM: Hey, I think the ReThugs figured it was their year to lose, so why not McCain? Though I gotta admit I never figured the media would let Obama Yo' Mama get away with half the @#$! he did.
FF: That's president elect Obama Yo' Mama to you, Monkey. And if I were you,I'd keep a low profile with the insults...remember when he threatened to have his security thugs beat you to a halal pulp?
WM: Eh, I figure that was just campaign rhetoric. At least Bush is history, and good riddance.
FF: Seriously Monkey, if I were you I'd start a little lower on the food chain,run for congress or the senate...
WM: Heehee,yeah...I could rub elbows with highly qualified public servants like Caroline Kennedy and Al Franken! You going out tonight?
FF: No...staying in. I've got plenty of joy juice here at home and I feel like just quietly drinking the New year in.
WM: OK bro...anyway, Happy New Year, FF
FF: Happy New Year, Monkey.By the way, I understand you're going to have a new article for me soon,provided you're sober and not incarcerated. And I think you should start the Real Banana column again..there's politics aplenty these days.
WM: You got that right! And yeah, look for my new thing just after the New Year.
As a number of you may remember, Dutch Politician Geert Wilder recently released a movie entitled Fitna, which juxtaposed certain portions of the Quran with certain activities of members of the Religion of Peace and led to death threats for Wilder.
Reader khany commented, quite rightly that `it is probably just as important to report what Muslims think about fitna' and directed my attention to this video response, which I'm happy to post in the interests of fairness. I applaud his efforts to discuss these things rationally, and I can appreciate how difficult that is.
After watching this I have this to say....
This critique of some parts of Fitna focuses on two main areas, that the verses used in the film were mistranslated, taken out of context and that certain parts modifying the verses highlighted were omitted. The video response to Fitna leaves out certain uncomfortable facts, and as someone who's actually read the Qu'ran in various comparative translations as well as an observer of history and current events, I feel compelled to point these out.
First of all, Khany's message was that I should report on what Muslims think of Fitna. In looking at the explanations the video response to the film gives, much is made of the harsh provisions of the verses applying to 'treaty breakers' and combatants in wartime rather than non-combatants.
The quick response to Khany is the old Biblical verse, "By their fruits ye shall know them." While the makers of this video may interpret these verses to apply only to 'treaty breakers' and combatants, it is obvious that not all Muslims agree with them - as a matter of fact, looking at recent events quite a few obviously do not.Need I cite the carnage visited against children in Beslan and Ma'alot and Afghanistan, against Muslim women in Darfur and what is now Bangladesh, against Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, against Jews in Gush Etzion who surrendered to Muslims after receiving a guarantee of safety, 9/11, London, Madrid, Mumbai...
As a matter of fact, if one reads the various Hadiths, Mohammed himself did not follow those sentiments.One need merely look at the accounts ( and there are many examples) of the Treaty of Hubidiyeh, which Mohammed broke as soon as he felt strong enough to annihilate his enemies, and Mohammed slaughtering the Jews of Medina who had taken him in as a refugee and the massacre of the Quraysh after both had surrendered to him and begged for mercy. As Islam's prophet himself stated on several occasions, "War Is deception."
One could also look at the treatment Mohammed meted out to captives and non-combatants, particularly women. There is a whole sura in the Qu'ran on how to divvy up that kind of booty.
Part of what is going on here, of course, is a major gap between what many Muslims consider peace and what many of the rest of us might consider peace.
To many Muslims, peace is another way to refer to Dar Islam, the peace that will of course follow when Islam dominates the earth and all those in it. Muslims, in fact, divide the world into Dar Islam, the places ruled by Islam and Dar Harb, literally 'the place of war' the area not ruled by Muslims.
In that sense, one can spin Mohammed's exhortation to his followers before his death in 632 CE to fight the infidels until they either became Muslims, died or paid the jirzyah ( tribute) willingly and 'felt themselves subdued' as a striving for peace!
Most of us would undoubtedly look at the matter differently, especially if we take a look at how dhimmis ( non-Muslims living under Muslim rule)actually fared in a society where they had no rights but existence at the whim of the Muslims.
However, let's put that aside and assume that Khany and the makers of this video really do see Islam as a religion of peace and regard the verses in question as truly being related to combatants and 'treaty breakers'.
Well and good...I would then expect them to agree that the Muslims who are using these verses to commit carnage on helpless noncombatants in the name of Islam are the vilest of apostates and perverters of Islam, and to be in the forefront of those condemning them and helping to destroy them.
Unfortunately, with the exception of a number of extremely brave individuals, some of whom I link to on this site, that isn't happening.
Instead, what we get is silence at best and taqiya, dissembling and attempts to justify Islamist terrorism at worst.
This video is unfortunately an example. While a number of its assertions may be technically correct, the things it doesn't address speak volumes. Fitna, on the other hand, seems to address the facts on the ground, in spite of it's sensationalism....much of which is based on the violent and murderous reaction to it by some Muslims in the name of their religion.
I appreciate Khany sharing this with me and have informed him of my response, and I look forward to hearing his. We may all learn something.
Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevitch gave a press conference and struck back at his attackers in a unique and effective way ...by nominating a political ally for Obama's vacant senate seat that his fellow Democrats are going to find almost impossible to disavow.
The appointee in question is Roland Burris, former Illinois Attorney General, who has raised money for Blagojevitch and donated his own money to the governor...and who just happens to be black.
Burris gave more than $20,000 to Blagojevich's campaign fund on his own and through his consulting and law firms, Burris' consulting company received about $290,000 in state contracts with the Illinois Department of Transportation a few years ago, and a number of the clients Burris' firm lobbied for also got state business.
What a coincidence!
To underline how the race card is being played , Blago enlisted another political ally, Congressman Bobby Rush to go postal at the press conference, daring white Democratic senators to block a black man from joining the US Senate. . He told the assembled reporters "not to hang or lynch the appointee as you try to castigate the appointer" repeatedly said that Burris would be the only black in the US Senate and then said that no senator would want "to go on record to deny one African-American from being seated in the US Senate".
He is very likely right.
Rush, by the way is a former Black Panther who defeated Barack Obama in the 2000 Democratic primary when Obama, then state senator challenged him for his seat in the US House of Representatives.
Blagojevich finished off by telling Burris "you're the senator". And as he left the room, Blagojevich echoed Rush, saying: "Feel free to castigate the appointer but don't lynch the appointee."
Now the Senate Democrats have said that they won't seat a senator appointed by Blagojevitch, but there are some um....technical difficulties.
Blago can legitimately argue that according to the Illinois State Constitution, he was legally mandated to pick a replacement for Obama. And while Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White, who has to formally approve the appointment says he won't do it,he's constitutionally mandated to do so and Burris could successfully file suit to get him to do so.
Once Burris is on his way to Washington, we could actually be treated to the spectacle of a black senatorial appointee being removed physically from the Senate chambers.
The Senate also has the option of delaying seating pending an investigation of the propriety of his appointment by the Senate Rules Committee. Those almost always have a sixty day limit, which would bring us to March 20th. If Blagojevitch has been impeached by then ( and that's no certain by any means) the Lieutenant Governor of Illinois would have to find legal grounds to rescind Burris' appointment and appoint someone in his stead...which means Burris could dispute it in court, which could take months.
My guess is that Burris will end up being seated, because of the race card and the desire of senate Democrats to put the mess behind them.
After all, what's one more crooked politician from Chicago?
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 forthesilliest 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.
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 Turkial-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.
Yesterday, in spite of their heavy losses, Hamas was able to get off a barrage of rocket attacks in southern and central Israel. Three Israelis were killed; two Israeli Arabs, Sergeant LutfiNasr e-Din from DaliatHacarmel, Hanial-Mahdi, 27, a construction worker from the Bedouin Negev village of Ar'ur at Nahal Oz, and a Jewish mother of four, IritSheetrit, who was killed as she tried to reach a shelter in Ashdod.
About 38 Israelis were also injured.
Hamas is using Iranian supplied Grad rockets, with a lot more firepower and greater range than the models they were using previously. The Israeli killed the day before in Sderot also fell victim to a Grad.
The Hamas onslaught actually reached Yavne, about 25 miles away from Tel Aviv, so the current Israeli government may actually do something about it this time.
The Israelis are continuing their air strikes. Among the recent targets was Ismail Haniyeh's office in the Hamas government compound in Gaza City, the foreign, finance and interior ministry buildings and Hamas command centers. Hamas claims that the death toll now stands at 360.
None of this is going to stop the rocket attacks. The brave jihad warriors continue to hide among women and children and launch their missiles from population centers, as you can see in theabove photo. Most of Hamas' senior operatives and commanders are in a complex known to the IDF as 'underground Gaza' - a series of tunnels and bunkers underneath Gaza City.
Of course, the Israelis could end many of the rocket attacks and make theHamas tunnels a lot less inhabitable by cutting off Gaza's electricity...but saving Israeli lives in that fashion would be a 'humanitarian disaster' to the international community, and Israel's present leadership apparently cares more about that.
That complex, like the network of fortified tunnels under the Philadelphi corridor was built on the watch and with the knowledge of the current Israeli government. Now, it's going to take armor and ground troops to dig them out...or JDAM bunker busters, which would save a lot of IDF lives but would also involve a level of civilian casualties Israel is probably not prepared to deal with.
As usual, the Tzahallokhameem on the ground will have to pay in blood for the politician's mistakes.
In any event, the rest of the week has a forecast of rainy, overcast weather which should slow Israel's air strikes down and delay any major ground assaults until the weather is better.
The major part of this war is still to come, but at least there appears to be a coordinated plan by Israel this time, unlike the amateur hour in Lebanon.
This hasn't hit the media yet, but I've already gotten the e-mails.
May Almighty G-d strengthen their hands, guide their aim and protect them from harm...and may He bring darkness, death and defeat to their enemies.
UPDATE: There are some very astute and intelligent bloggers who have discounted this story, saying that the IDF ground troops are not in Gaza yet. I'm sticking with this, having gotten info from some people at the scene who ought to know.I think what we're seeing is recon units scouting out the ground while Barak and Askhenazi make up their minds as to whether to commit to a full assault yet.
This would be in accord with standard Tzahal practice, and I'm sticking with it.
Needless to say,Israel's response to months of rocket and mortar attacks on its citizens has brought forth widespread protests across the Muslim world and its various beach heads in the West. Not to mention 'concern' in the so-called international community.
In Damascus, Syria, more than 5,000 people went out in the streets burning Israeli and American flags. In Jordan, one of the two Arab countries that has diplomatic relations with Israel, protesters called for the deportation of Israel's ambassador, lawmakers in what passes for Jordan's parliament burned an Israeli flag and US ally King Abdullah called the Israeli response “unjustified aggression against the Palestinian people in Gaza”, and said that it “should stop immediately”, according to Petra, the Jordanian news agency.
In Turkey, the Islamist Prime Minister Erdogan referred to Israel's defense of its citizens as 'a crime against humanity'.
In Iran, the AyatolahKhamenei issued a fatwa against Israel, saying it was time for Iran and the Arabs to unite and destroy Israel and that anyone who died killing Jews was a holy martyr.
There were protests throughout Iraq in Baghdad, Mosul, Samarra, and Falluja that pretty much involved all factions. The 'moderate' AyatolahSistani said condemnation didn't go far enough:
"Expressing condemnation and denunciation for what is going on against our brothers in Gaza and expressing solidarity with them by words only doesn't mean anything in the face of the big tragedy they are facing," he said in a statement released by office in Najaf.
"Now more than at any other time, both Arab and Islamic nations are required to take a practical stance for the sake of stopping this repeated aggression and to break the unfair besieging of these brave people."
The Mosul protests had an ironic twist when a Muslim suicide bomber lit himself up at the rally, killing two.The demonstration's organizer, the Sunni Iraqi Islamic Party knew whom to blame, of course. The party's Mosul spokesman, YahiyaAbidMahjoubsaid, "The ones who targeted our brothers in Gaza are the same who targeted us in Mosul today. They are agents of Israel."
Damned Jews..... they're everywhere, aren't they?
In Britain, a violent Muslim protest at the Israeli embassy resulted in ten arrests, as Britain cringed as usual, referred to ' the humanitarian crisis' and called for an immediate end to Israeli attacks on Gaza. I have no doubt that this will intensify the Brown government's desire to ramp up an economic war with Israel.
Other international voices joining in the chorus included the UN's Ban K. Moon, Spain, the EU, a whole slew of Iran friendly Latin American countries like Venezuela, Cuba and Bolivia and of course the anti-Semitic Organization of Islamic Conference ( OIC). To my knowledge, the only countries to actually voice support openly for Israel's right to defend itself are the US, Australia, and Canada.
Here in America, Muslim brotherhood front CAIR weighed in, calling Gaza 'a massacre', and there were violent pro-Hamas demonstrations in New York, in New Jersey, in Detroit and on a number of college campuses courtesy of the Muslim Student's Union and the MPAC.
Of course, none of these people were opening their mouths when Hamas rockets were slamming into Israel.
Another item that the Muslim world and their western appeaser allies were silent on was the event pictured above.
No, that didn't happen in Gaza, but on the same day in the eastern province of Khost, Afghanistan, where the Taliban targeted a bunch of 8 and 10-year-old kids as they were coming out their school..and killed 14 of them with a truck bomb. Not to mention the 58 listed as wounded.
It was the last day of the school year for the kids, and the bombing was deliberately planned to coincide with their leaving class:
Afterwards, the ground was littered with bloody textbooks and shoes.
That particular crime against humanity made the wire services - barely - but somehow never made it on to the agenda of the Muslim world or the rest of the folks busily condemning Israel for defending itself today. Nor will it.
For Muslims, the reason is a pretty simple one. They regard the war against the Jews as a jihad and a tribal war just as they always have, with all that implies. Any western-style concessions are simply a tool to be used for war. To them, a bunch of dead infidels and the dominance of Dar Islam are simply the way Allah planned it, and the sooner the better. That's why they had nothing to say about Mumbai, or Beslan, or any of the numerous butcheries committed in the name of Islam...and when the targeted victims happen to be Muslim, they are simply declared kaffir, non-believers, and thus fair game. That's how the Pakistani army was able to rape and slaughter its way through what's now Bangladesh with a clear conscience, and how the Sudan is able to do the same thing to Muslims in Darfur today.
If by this, you understand me to mean that a great many Muslims lack any sense of what we would consider justice, tolerance or simple human decency I won't contradict you.
As for the non-Muslim appeasers, their motivation is different but no less deadly.
For a number of them, it's a matter of fear. They really believe that if they give the Muslims Israel, they'll be able to live in peace and apparently have forgotten the lessons of Munich. Others, like Britain's Labour government are dependent of Muslim votes to stay in power. And still others are politicians and government officials excited by how generous people like the Saudis can be after they retire when it comes to funding things like presidential libraries, foundations, lucrative business opportunities and exorbitant fees for speeches and 'consulting' to those in government that do the Arab's bidding. And for some, it's a mixture of all three.
The truth outs itself eventually, and these western appeasers will have to relearn the lessons of history. For now, it's enough merely to note their disgusting hypocrisy and morally repugnant cowardice for the record.
The Israelis, however, can take a lesson from this.. but only provided they've finally decided that they're more concerned with the security and survival of their country than with trying to contort themselves according to 'rules' set by the so-called international community that apply to Israel and no other nation on earth.
Gaza is a perfect example.
I've already heard a great deal of verbiage about Israel's possible 'exit strategy' and 'final goals' in Gaza. TzipiLivni, Israel's foreign minister tells the media that she's 'in close connection' with Condi Rice,that according to her Israel has no plans to reoccupy Gaza, as if territory that never officially belonged to any country could be considered 'occupied'. She wasn't even clear enough to admit that destroying Hamas would be a legitimate war goal.
In fact, the current Israeli government is so concerned about cringing before world opinion that they'd prefer to have missiles launched against their country and allow Hamas' fighters and officials to hide in the tunnels underneath Gaza City and regroup to prepare to meet an Israeli ground offensive than look 'inhumane' by pulling the plug on Gaza's Israeli-supplied electricity.
It leads me to wonder exactly what's going on. Are Olmert and company merely trying to batter Hamas into another phony ceasefire that isn't one? Or is the plan for Israel to destroy Hamas and invade Gaza in order to hand it over to Abbas and Fatah?
Based on the Israeli government we're talking about, I wouldn't be surprised to find that's the plan, and if so, it was likely co-ordinated not only with the Bush Administration and Condi Rice but with Egypt's Hosni Mubarak when Livni met with him last week - which would explain Egypt's anti-Hamas stance on the matter so far.Mubarak has no real reason to have any sympathy for Hamas, an Iranian proxy and an offshoot of Egypt's radical Muslim Brotherhood.
If that indeed is what Olmert, Barak and Livni have in mind,they're tragically mistaken if they think it will be a step towards peace.
Israel will get absolutely no love from the Muslim world or from the EU for this, simply because it's Israel. As for the Palestinians, their genocidal hatred of Jews isn't going to change one iota. To them, the hated Jews will have just participated in overthrowing a democratically elected Hamas government most of them voted for to install a corrupt and despised Fatah overlord.
As for Abbas, his reaction to the gift of all this free territory will be far from any semblance of gratitude. He will simply want more, and be under even less pressure to make any compromises than he is now.
That's assuming Gaza's Arabs don't chase him and his friends out again with a new pro-Hamas revolt....a very likely scenario given the clan makeup of Palestinian society.
Nor will it end the threat to Israel's south in the long run. Even if Abbas manages to hang on for awhile, the radical elements in Fatah will insist on a military build up to prosecute the War Against the Jews if Israel refuses to give the Palestinians 100% of what they want....which would amount to national suicide for Israel. The war in Gaza will only have to be fought again in a few years.
There's an alternative to this, of course,and it would actually provide a real incentive to the Palestinians to embrace peace towards Israel.
Rather than spilling blood doing Abbas' and Condi Rice's dirty work, the IDF should eliminate the threat to Israel's south once and for all. That involves a full scale war aimed at driving Hamas out of Gaza for good by exterminating as many of its fighters and leadership as it can get its hands on,using whatever means necessary.
It also means blowing the Egyptian border fence 'by accident' or allowing Hamas to do it and facilitating as many of Gaza's inmates escaping the lunatic asylum into Egypt as you can, and then not allowing them to return.
And finally, it means transferring most of the rest of Gaza's present inhabitants off to the Palestinian occupied areas in Judea and Samaria ( AKA the West Bank), annexing Gaza to Israel permanently and moving the Jews back in.
The UN, the EU and the Arab world will of course denounce this 'theft of Arab land' but are unlikely to do anything concrete about it once the facts on the ground are in place.
And considering that's how a lot of them feel about all of Israel anyway, the Israelis actually have little to lose, and can now finally look forward to peace on its southern borders.
Not only will that be worth the temporary diplomatic fallout, but it will actually be an incentive for peace.
The reason the war against Israel's civilians continues is because the Palestinians have yet to experience any major consequences for it,and the world mostly continues to enable their horrific and brutal behavior. It's by no means certain, but losing Gaza might just make an impression on like minded jihadist Palestinians in Judea and Samaria and make them realize that peace with Israel might prevent the same thing from happening to them. Actually realizing that you have something to lose is a powerful incentive.
If nothing else, the Palestinians will understand the deterrent on a tribal level and have a motivation towards the compromises necessary for peace with the only nation in the Middle East that has ever given them so much as a square dunam of land to call their own.
As for Gaza,the Jews will change it beyond recognition. The Arabs were given Gaza outright by Israel with high tech greenhouses that produced fruits,vegetables and flowers in abundance for local consumption and export. They destroyed them. They were given ample investment capital by the World Bank in excess of any other developing region in history. The money was stolen or used to buy arms. Factories were built just over the Israeli border with the idea that the the Palestinians would be able to find employment and create a better life for themselves. The factories were bombed and rendered unusable.
Gaza today is exactly what the Arabs made of it. It is their monument.
Instead of a terrorist cesspool swimming in its own sewage, Gaza as part of Israel will become a garden, a beach resort and high tech trade center.
Granted, the present Israeli government is unlikely to do this. But they should. It's the only way to avoid having to deal with the same problem again in a few years.
And had it been done years ago, things would be very different today.
Israel apparently decided that enough was enough, and launched a series of coordinated strikes against Hamas in Gaza. As you know, I predicted back at the start of the so-called 'ceasefire that an Israel-Hamas war was just around the corner. Unfortunately,given who's in charge of Israel at the moment, I fear that it will be a half effort at best and at worst involve the Israelis expending blood and treasure merely to hand Gaza over to Mahmoud Abbas and Fatah.
Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to be wrong about this.
Operation Cast Lead, a response to the latest of a number of Hamas rocket barrages against Southern Israel involved the Israeli air force using around 150 Israeli bombers and helicopters against over 100 targets.
The strikes were aimed at Hamas military targets, and obviously caught the Green Hats by surprise.The Israeli press had previously reported that Israel's security cabinet had decided against an operation at this time.
Because of that, a number of Hamas commanders were caught out in the open. The Israelis hit a 'graduation ceremony' for Hamas fighters that had heavy attendance from Hamas brass at the parade ground at their command headquarters in Gaza City, and that proved to be a wonderfully target rich environment.
Another series of raids hit a network of Hamas tunnels near the Philadelphi corridor, between the Gaza Strip and Egypt. This is the site of a number of Hamas smuggling tunnels, and was apparently also the base for a Hamas reserve force and military supplies, including gasoline stocks.Those tunnels are now history,( along with a lot of the Hamas fighters who were stationed there) with the beneficial result of cutting off Hamas' pipeline for smuggled arms from Iran via Egyptian Sinai.
Also destroyed in a new raid this morning was one of Hamas's main security compounds in Gaza City, including Seraya prison in downtown Gaza. Apparently the local AP office also suffered some damage, which I can only refer to as poetic justice, considering how they've been shilling for Hamas for years.
Other targets in today's raids so far include the Al Aqsa TV station used by Hamas. The studio building was destroyed, but the station is apparently still on the air with a mobile unit....which leads to the question, what kind of war is Israel waging if they don't even cut off electricity to their enemies?
Not only that, but the oafish Ehud Barak, Israel's defense minister is not only allowing humanitarian aid through ( much of will be seized by Hamas for its fighters and loyalists) but actually allowing injured Gazans to come across the border to Israel for medical aid.
In contrast, a crowd of Palestinians trying to get out of Gaza via Egypt was actually subjected to machine gun fire by Egyptian troops. You certainly won't see that on CNN..but just imagine if Israel had done it.
So far, Hamas casualties stand at about 280 dead, 15 of whom are estimated to be civilians...which is not bad at all considering how Hamas hides among non-combatants and uses them as human shields.
So, where is this designed to end? I'm already hearing murmurings about an 'exit strategy' and 'final goals'.
Such questions are pure PR and simply ignore reality. Even many Israeli commentators seem prepared to ignore what's in front of their eyes.
According to Tzipi Livni, she's 'in close connection' with Condi Rice and confirms that Israelis trying to wage a kinder,gentler war..which of course is impossible. She wasn't even honest enough to admit that destroying Hamas would be a legitimate war goal and said frankly that Israel has no plans to 're-occupy' Gaza, which makes me wonder what this is all about then. Are Olmert and company merely going to destroy Hamas in order to hand Gaza over to Fatah and Abbas?
Based on the Israeli government we're talking about I think that's the plan, and it was likely co-ordinated not only with the Bush Administration but with Egypt's Hosni Mubarak when Livni met with him last week - Mubarak has no love whatsoever for Hamas, an Iranian proxy and an offshoot of Egypt's radical Muslim Brotherhood.
If I'm right and that's what the Olmert government has planned, they are beyond foolhardy.
They will get absolutely no love from the Muslim world or from the EU for this, simply because it's Israel. As for the Palestinians, their genocidal hatred of Jews isn't going to change one iota. To them, the hated Jews will have just participated in overthrowing a democratically elected Hamas government most of them voted in to install a corrupt and despised Fatah overlord...and Abbas' reaction for the free gift of all this territory he wasn't able to hang onto even with the benefit of millions of dollars of US military aid isn't going to be gratitude. He will simply want more, and a Jew-free corridor through southern Israel to connect to two halves of his lil' reichlet as well.That's assuming Gaza's Arabs don't chase him and and friends out again with a new pro-Hamas revolt....a very likely scenario given the clan makeup of Palestinian society.
Nor will it end the threat to Israel's south in the long run. Even if Abbas manages to hang on for a while ( and remember, once he's out of the picture there's no telling who will take over), the radical elements in Fatah will insist on a military build up to prosecute the War Against the Jews.
Rather than spilling blood doing Abbas' and Condi Rice's dirty work, the IDF should eliminate the threat to its south once and for all. That means driving Hamas out of Gaza for good by exterminating its fighters and leadership.
It also means blowing the Egyptian border fence 'by accident' or allowing Hamas to do it and facilitating as many of Gaza's inmates escaping the lunatic asylum into Egypt as you can...after which you reseal the area and refuse to allow them back in. Finally, you pack most of the rest off to the Palestinian occupied areas in Judea and Samaria ( AKA the West Bank), annex Gaza to Israel permanently and move the Jews back in. You don't hand it over to Fatah and Abbas 'for peace'.
The UN, the EU and the Arab world will of course denounce this 'theft of Arab land.' But considering that's how a lot of them feel about all of Israel anyway, permanent quiet on Israel's southern front is probably worth the diplomatic fallout. That's the only way to avoid having to deal with the same problem again in a few years. Frankly, it should have been done years ago.
The Jews will change Gaza into a garden again, and Gaza City from a terrorist armpit swimming in its own sewage into a beach resort and high tech trade center.
The reason the war against Israel's civilians continues is because the Palestinians have yet to experience any major consequences for it,and the world mostly continues to enable their horrific behavior. Losing Gaza might just make like minded jihadist Palestinians in Judea and Samaria take a good look at what happened to Gaza and realize that peace with Israel might prevent the same thing from happening to them.
You remember Joel Stein, don't you? The man who was honest enough to write these words:
"I don't support our troops {...} being against the war and saying you support the troops is one of the wussiest positions the pacifists have ever taken — and they're wussy by definition.
`..The truth is that people who pull triggers are ultimately responsible, whether they're following orders or not. An army of people making individual moral choices may be inefficient, but an army of people ignoring their morality is horrifying.'
`...when you volunteer for the U.S. military, you pretty much know you're not going to be fending off invasions from Mexico and Canada. So you're willingly signing up to be a fighting tool of American imperialism, for better or worse.'
Those pearls of wisdom appeared in the Los Angeles Times almost three years ago, and he caught a lot of crap for them, but not from me.I simply commended him for being honest enough to articulate the beliefs of himself and his peers...most of whom are just as unpatriotic and disloyal as he is but lacked the fortitude to admit it.
Another occasion like that arose today, as the LA Times published another piece by Stein in which he plainly admits he has no love for his country:
"I don't love America. That's what conservatives are always telling liberals like me. Their love, they insist, is truer, deeper and more complete. Then liberals, like all people who are accused of not loving something, stammer, get defensive and try to have sex with America even though America will then accuse us of wanting it for its body and not its soul. When America gets like that, there's no winning.
But I've come to believe conservatives are right. They do love America more. Sure, we liberals claim that our love is deeper because we seek to improve the United States by pointing out its flaws. But calling your wife fat isn't love. {...}
Fox News' Sean Hannity loves this country so much, he did an entire episode of "Hannity's America" titled "The Greatest Nation on Earth." In that one hour he said, several times, "the U.S. is the greatest, best country God has ever given man on the face of the Earth." One of the surest signs of love is it makes you talk stupid.
Conservatives feel personally blessed to have been born in the only country worth living in. I, on the other hand, just feel lucky to have grown up in a wealthy democracy. If it had been Australia, Britain, Ireland, Canada, Italy, Spain, France, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Japan, Israel or one of those Scandinavian countries with more relaxed attitudes toward sex, that would have been fine with me too.
When I ran the idea that liberals don't love America as much as conservatives by talk-show host Glenn Beck, who will move from CNN Headline News to Fox News next month, he totally agreed with me, which is precisely why I called him. "It's absolutely true, deep love. As a parent loves a child," he said. "But I think liberals laugh that off, the way the rest of the country laughs off the love Texans have for their state. Texans don't think, 'Oklahoma, you suck.' Well, yes they do -- but they don't think other states suck. They just have a love for the republic of Texas. I don't have disdain for other countries. Well, except for France."
I asked Beck why Democrats rarely share his overwhelming sense of American exceptionalism and Francophobia. "I think it's because in the late 1800s up until the 1930s, the progressive movement started to think the European ideals are pretty good, that it's one big world," he said. "Well, it's not. If you look at all the countries like people, there are differences between people. And I happen to like this person the best." When I look at the countries like people, I love Sweden the best."
I'll bet you do love Sweden best, Mr. Stein...although I have to wonder if you've ever actually lived there. But I admit to being curious about how long you think Sweden and the other European democracies you and you fellow Leftists adore so much would survive as free countries without the US military, those...what was it you called them? 'Fighting tools of American imperialism?'
Another aspect of this I can only characterize as Stein's sheer ingratitude.
Although I would venture to guess that Stein is hardly observant in his religion in the least, the fact remains that he's a Jew who's parents, or more likely grandparents emigrated to America from someplace like Poland, Russia or Germany. They didn't come here totally out of choice - they came here because life where they came from had become intolerable because of whom they were by birth, because their horizons were limited by law and by ingrained custom, and because they knew that whatever else awaited them in America, there was a chance for a better life for themselves and their children if they worked hard and became part of the American family.
And America accepted them, something a lot of those liberal European democracies weren't prepared to do in the least. America may not have welcome them with a red carpet, and if Jew hatred was a fact of life at least it wasn't done by government fiat. And as the Jews became part of America, it blossomed for them like a flower. Stein, with his Stanford education is a direct beneficiary of America's willingness to accept the other and allow them a shot at upward mobility and the pursuit of happiness.
That's a part of what makes America exceptional that Stein is clueless about, and it applies to Jews fleeing the ghetto, the Irish fleeing famine and oppression, and Vietnamese and Cubans fleeing regimes that people like Stein and his ideological soulmates consider the epitome of radical chic.
The other part of American exceptionalism that Stein simply has no clue about concerns our willingness to spend treasure and blood for the freedom of not only ourselves but for others. When the Nazis came for the Jews, most of Europe either willingly cooperated or turned the other way. America did not.
The USA didn't fight WWII for the Jews (sorry, Pat Buchanan) but it damned well kept Hermann Göring from washing his fat behind with Mr. Stein's parents and grandparents. And the men and woman who did that were those stupid knuckledraggers in uniform he despises so much....motivated by love of country.
The same sort people do the same today for Stein himself, someone the jihadis would murder in a heartbeat if those 'mercenary tools' weren't around to defend him.
When you see someone like Stein who's sucked up the immense gifts America has given him with parasitical impunity and still has the nerve to to remain ungrateful, callous and indifferent all one can do is despise him and pity him in his ignorance and emptiness.
But I am compelled to again commend him for his honesty, if nothing else.
In between posed 'beefcake' shots, the president-elect and his friends have apparently had some 'splainin' to do:
Obama was interviewed on Dec. 18 at his Chicago transition office by two assistant U.S. attorneys and two agents from the FBI looking into alleged attempts by Governor Rod Blagojevich of Illinois to profit from his appointment of Obama's successor to the Senate. Obama was accompanied by his personal lawyer, Robert Bauer, and an associate, but not by Gregory Craig, who has been designated the new White House counsel, Obama advisers said.
The U.S. attorney in Chicago, Patrick Fitzgerald, who is leading the investigation into Blagojevich, did not attend. The two-hour interview was not recorded or conducted under oath, although one FBI agent and Bauer's associate took copious notes, and it is a felony to lie to federal investigators even without being sworn in.
Notice that this article, from the New York Times- owned International Herald Tribune headlines the story as 'Obama testifies for federal prosecutors' when he did nothing of the sort. He was merely interviewed, and not under oath, something the article doesn't mention until you get to the part I've quoted, well below the fold. It's also interesting that the article spends almost half of page one along the lines of 'every president has had to talk to federal prosecutors at some time or another', and making subjective judgments about how the Chosen One has 'no known exposure' and is merely a witness.
Rahm Emanuel, on the other hand, doesn't come across quite so well. Obama's incoming White House Council Gregory Craig, who authored the fascinating self-generated report that he claims clears Obama of any wrongdoing has made a point of fingering Rahm Emanuel as the only member of Obama's team who had contact with Blago..which means that Obama could be preparing to toss yet another close associate and ally under the proverbial bus.
A lot depends of course, on how thorough Fitzgerald wants to be as a Federal Prosecutor. If,say, Rahm and Blago had a conversation at 11 AM and then Obama and Rahm had a phone conversation at 11:15 AM, you could interview the parties involved and look for discrepancies, especially since the calls with Blago involved were taped. If you really want to get crazy, you can even offer Blago, Emanuel or other people limited immunity in exchange for their testimony, something the Feds do all the time.
The key questions of course are these: since soliciting a bribe is a felony, what did Emanuel and Obama know and when did they know it? and even more interesting, why did Blago risk approaching Obama...unless they'd done similar business before?
Somehow I doubt that Fitzgerald will want to go deep enough to actually implicate Obama in anything. After all, he is the president-elect, and one with a lot of racial and politically charged baggage at that. Obama is simply too big to fail,no matter what.
Emanuel, on the other hand, is a prime candidate for fall guy.
As for Blagojevitch, his attorneys want to subpoena Rahm Emanuel, Valerie Jarrett and more than a dozen others, including congressman/'Candidate #5' Jesse Jackson Jr. as the Illinois state legislature begins to make its moves towards impeaching Blagojevitch. That could end up getting extremely interesting.
Especially since Blagojevitch knows where a number of bodies are buried, and doesn't strike me as the kind of guy to observe omerta and not rat out the rest of the crew if he's looking at jail time.
If I were Fitzgerald, I'd definitely be having conversations with Blago about the benefits of immunity right now. That is, if I really wanted to find out what happened in this and a lot of other little matters.
The UAE sheikdom of Dubai, as regular members of Joshua's Army know is a racist, xenophobic and anti-Semitic place.
An occasional Jewish celebrity or sports figure is allowed there, rather the way South Africa's Sun City would occasionally have black performers but for the most part Dubai is a Jew free zone the Nazis would approve of. And that especially applies to Israelis, and has even before the 1967 War, when the 'Palestinians' supposedly became an issue...not that the Sheikdom of Dubai has ever cared squat for the Palestinians.
The country also has substantial ties to terrorist financing, was a drop ship point for illegal nuclear materials to Iran from places like Pakistan, is an enthusiastic participant in an Arab boycott against Israel that's against US law and refuses to comply with UN sanctions against Iran..yet for some reason the Bush Administration, which has always made such stirring pronunciations about being with the terrorists or being with us has always had the most cordial relations with them,, looked out for their interests and looked the other way whenever anything unpleasant came up. Just good friends and bidness partners, you know?
Donald Trump, of all people, appears to have a different standard than the current occupant of the White House.
Dubai was scheduled to be the host of this year's Miss Universe pageant, which Trump is putting on. And when Dubai told Trump that a Miss Israel( it's ShunitFaragi this year, pictured above) would not be welcome in their country, he told them fuggedaboudit.And let them know he was moving the pageant.
The New York Times Co's (NYT.N) November advertising revenue fell 20 percent, the company said on Wednesday, illustrating how the financial crisis is aggravating dizzying revenue declines at U.S. newspapers.
Ad revenue at the publisher's New York Times Media Group, which includes the Times newspaper, fell 21.2 percent from a year earlier because of a drop in real estate and jobs classified advertising.
The company is also on Wall Street's list of companies most likely to go under in 2009. Couldn't happen to a more deserving bunch of folks.
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....
COUNCIL
Joshuapundit - Cheney Slaps Biden Upside The Head -With less than a month to go before he retires, Vice President Cheney decided it was time for a little response to VP elect Joe Biden's trash talking, and took the occasion of a FOX news interview summing up his White House tenure to do so. I took the occasion to reflect on Cheney's tenure as well, and to highlight a little information concerning Cheney and ex SecDef Donald Rumsfeld's strategy for our involvement in Iraq that most people are totally unaware of.
The Provocateur - Obama Engulfed By Pay to Play? - This week, Mike examines the Blagojevitch scandal and its possible impact on Obama. I could be mistaken, but I believe it's unique in American history that a president should be involved in a scandal of this nature before he's even taken office! One question I've asked that should end up having a fascinating answer - why would did Blagojevitch risk approaching Obama and his staff in this manner unless they'd done business of this sort before?
Rhymes With Right - Impeach Jerry Brown - Greg discusses the craven behavior of California's attorney general Jerry Brown, who first pledged to defend Proposition 8 from legal challenges by the gay lobby an dlater eversed himself and actually filed a brief withthe California Supreme Court calling for overturning it. As Greg points out, this is not only a violation of the state constitution and the will of the people, but Brown's oath of office.
Bookworm Room - Destruction of Property - This week Ms. Bookworm has a superb rant on th emorality of people taking th elaw into their own hands and willfully destroying someone's lawfully acquired property to make a political statement.
The Glittering Eye - How to Give a Bonus - Credit Suisse has hit upon a unique way of awarding bonuses to its officers, and Dave Schuler heartilyapproves.
The Colossus of Rhodey - *Yawn* Lincoln “parallels” for Obama - Hube takes on the media's comparisons of Obama with Lincoln and finds them a bit factually challenged. I'm confused... wasn't Obama supposed to be FDR this week? Or am I simply not up on the latest?
Cheat-Seeking Missiles - Gay Anger At Warren Unwarranted - Laer takes on the tidal wave of rage by the gay lobby sparked by President-elect Obama's choice of Saddleback Church Pastor Rick Warren to perform the inaugural invocation.
The Razor- The Symbol of Oppression -A superb bit by Scott on a major symbol of oppression in our modern history. And no, he's not talking about the swastika.
Soccer Dad - Don’t get too chummy with that flaming dummy - In the wake of the infamous shoe throwing insult to President Bush ( and trust me, that was directed at every single American as well, regardless of what you think of the current occupant of the White House) Soccer Dad excoriates the media's double standard in reporting on violent protests in the Middle East.
Right Truth - Re-evaluating America’s Biggest Threat - The threat Debbie is writing about is not external attacks but jihad directed at America from within.
