Helen Thomas 'Retiring, Effective Immediately'

Apparently she was just a little too blatant this time, and it looked bad:

Helen Thomas, the 89-year-old veteran White House correspondent, will retire effective immediately in the wake of her offensive comments on Israel.

"Helen Thomas announced Monday that she is retiring, effective immediately. 'I deeply regret my comments,'" a Hearst Newspapers statement said.

Thomas had come under fire for her statement that Israel should "get the hell out of Palestine" and that Jews should "go home" to Germany, Poland, or the US.

I'm sure if she really needs a job, she can find one working for Hezbollah or Hamas.
The Board of the White House Correspondents Association also issued a statement today calling her comment "indefensible."

The full WHCA statement:

"Helen Thomas' comments were indefensible and the White House Correspondents Association board firmly dissociates itself from them. Many in our profession who have known Helen for years were saddened by the comments, which were especially unfortunate in light of her role as a trail blazer on the White House beat.

While Helen has not been a member of the WHCA for many years, her special status in the briefing room has helped solidify her as the dean of the White House press corps so we feel the need to speak out strongly on this matter.

We want to emphasize that the role of the WHCA is to represent the White House press corps in its dealings with the White House on coverage-related issues. We do not police the speech of our members or colleagues. We are not involved at all in issuing White House credentials, that is the purview of the White House itself.

But the incident does revive the issue of whether it is appropriate for an opinion columnist to have a front row seat in the WH briefing room. That is an issue under the jurisdiction of this board. We are actively seeking input from our association members on this important matter, and we have scheduled a special meeting of the WHCA board on Thursday to decide on the seating issue. "

Ed Chen, Bloomberg
David Jackson, USA Today
Caren Bohan, Reuters
Ed Henry, CNN
Julie Mason, DC Examiner
Don Gonyea, National Public Radio
Steve Scully, C-SPAN
Doug Mills, The New York Times

Helen Thomas' anti-Semitism has been evident for some time. The White house knew about it, her employers at Hearst knew about it and her colleagues knew about it.

This time, it was something that was public enough so it couldn't be ignored, so they pressured her to retire.

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Hamas Hearts Helen Thomas

From the official al-Qassam website:

White house correspondent Helen Thomas told Jews to get out of Palestine. In an interview with her, Jewish man named as David, asked Helen for her comment on Israel, she responded by saying: "Tell them to get the hell out of Palestine."

Turning her attention to the Palestinians, she said, "Remember, these people are occupied. And it's their land," adding the Jews should "go home" to Poland and Germany.

No doubt that Thomas Helen has told the truth that everybody in the world knows, but as American in a very important position , she was attacked by Zionists who went mad from the reality she mentioned in front of all people.

A document released yesterday on You tube, shows Thomas Helen while addressing Jews as " get out of Palestine because it does not belong toyou".

Thomas Helen directly accused by Jews and pro-Israel masses as anti-Semite Nazi.

Israelis ignore the reality, that they never belong in Palestine but belong in some other countries they know better.

Thomas when she asked by David , where Jews should go ? she replied him: "They should go home, German , Poland, America and anywhere else".

She also mentioned that "remember these people are occupied and it is their land , not German and not Poland".

This statement by Thomas Helen reflects the opinion of American majority in USA and all masses who support justice and peace in Palestine an whole world.

Moreover, her statement serves peace process in -Middle East- as they like to call it, to a very great extent.

Peace process will be successful, only when Israel get out of Arab Areas ,Golan and occupied Palestine, then we can say that peace is happily achieved, other wise, and as long Israel occupies Palestine and some Arab lands, peace will never be achieved and more headache will be brought to the world by state of terror-Israel .

Statement by Thomas Helen came as a result for the bloody massacre committed by Israeli navy in the Mediterranean sea in 31/5/2010, caused of murdering 20 civilian activists who are still having unknown fate.

If you're Helen Thomas, it's nice when your genocidal friends high five you, I suppose.

hat tip, O.G.

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Must See Satire Video: Obama At The Bat!!

Absolutely brilliant!

Hat tip and a commendation to Joshua's Army members Leilani R. and Kathy M. for sending this my way...

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Barry Rubin: Turkish Regime Changes Sides, West Averts Eyes

As many of you know, I've written a number of essays on the changes in Turkey since the Islamist Erdogan government took over. Here's an excellent commentary by an expert in the field, Barry Rubin:

Why have Israel-Turkey relations gone from alliance to what seems to be the verge of war?

The foolish think that the breakdown is due to the recent Gaza flotilla crisis. The merely naive attribute the collapse to the December 2008-January 2009 Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.

Such conclusions are totally misleading. It was already clear-and in private every Israeli expert dealing seriously with Turkey said so-well over two years ago. For example, the Justice and Development (AK) party government did not permit a single new military contract with Israel since it took office. The special relationship was over. And the cause was the election in Turkey of an Islamist government.

After all, Turkey needed Israel as an ally when a secular government in Ankara regarded Iran, Syria, and Saddam Hussein's Iraq as the main threats. Once there was a government which regarded Iran and Syria as its closest allies, Israel became a perceived enemy.

When the Turkish armed forces were an important part of the regime, they promoted the alliance because they saw Israel as a good source for military equipment and an ally against Islamists and radical Arab regimes. But once the army was to be suppressed by those who hated it because of the military's secularism and feared it as the guardian of the republican system it sought to dismantle, the generals' wishes were a matter of no concern and depriving them of foreign allies was a priority of the AK party government.

And when Turkey thought it needed Israel as a way to maintain good relations with the United States, the alliance was also valuable. But once it was clear that U.S. policy would accept the AK and was none too fond of Israel, that reason for the alliance also dissolved. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced, "It's Israel that is the principal threat to regional peace." Not Iran, Israel.

At first, this outcome was not so obvious. The AK Party won its first election by only a narrow margin. To keep the United States and EU happy, to keep the Turkish army happy, and to cover up its Islamist sympathies, the new regime was cautious over relations with Israel. Keeping them going served as "proof" of Turkey's moderation.

Yet as the AK majorities in election rose, the government became more confident. No longer did it stress that it was just a center-right party with family values. The regime steadily weakened the army, using EU demands for civilian power. As it repressed opposition and arrested hundreds of critics, bought up 40 percent of the media, and installed its people in the bureaucracy, the AK's arrogance, and thus its willingness to go further and throw off its mask, grew steadily.

And then, on top of that, the regime saw that the United States would not criticize it, not press it, not even notice what the Turkish government was doing. President Barack Obama came to Turkey and praised the regime as a model of moderate Muslim democracy. Former President Bill Clinton appeared in Istanbul and, in response to questions asked by an AK party supporter, was manipulated into virtually endorsing the regime's program without realizing it.

Earlier this year, the situation became even more absurd as Turkey moved ever closer to becoming the third state to join the Iran-Syria bloc. Syria's state-controlled newspaper and Iranian President Ahmadinejad openly referred to Turkey's membership in their alliance. And no one in Washington even noticed what was happening. Even when, in May, Turkish policy stabbed the United States in the back by helping Iran launch a sanctions-avoiding plan, the Obama Administration barely stirred in its sleep.

Then there is the theatrical demagoguery of Erdogan himself who threw a choreographed fit at the Davos conference because Israel's President Shimon Peres, the mildest and most dovish of men, "offended" him. He returned home to an excited demonstration.

Bashing Israel to gain popularity and stir nationalist and religious passions is not the oldest of such tricks. It is merely a variation of doing the same historically to Jews in general. And yes it still works. Boy, does it work!

Then there's Turkey's new foreign minister. Ahmed Davudoglu. It's a pity that his writings in Turkish haven't been translated because when he writes in English Davudoglu says Turkey wants to be everyone's friend, but in the Turkish version he makes clear that his goal is to be friends with those who hate the West. Davudoglu's appointment completes the AK party's conquest of the Foreign Ministry, another institution that hates Islamism.

And so with electoral victories; advancing control over Turkey's bureaucracy, military and society; and Western complaisance, the regime has become continually bolder.

Read the whole thing here.

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D-Day, 66 Years Later

Today is the 66th anniversary of the Normandy Invasion, which began the process of freeing Europe from Fascism. Given the times we live in, it has particular relevance today, as the members of the WWII generation fade into the sunset.

My uncle was one of the brave men who landed on Omaha beach that day. He never spoke about it much. I can only imagine what it was like to see the gates on that LST drop and have to run through the choppy waves to the beach, straight into the face of enemy fire every inch of the way.

About a dozen or so years ago, a few days after another June 6th, I ran into a grizzled but still erect old man and his friend at the bar of a local country club, where I was waiting for a lunch companion to show up. We got to chatting, the way people do in bars, and I found out from his friend that he had been one of the army rangers who performed a feat that seems superhuman to me every time I think of it..scaling the sheer cliffs of the Pointe Du Hoc, under intense enemy fire and taking out the artillery, machine guns and pill boxes at the top of the cliffs. These incredibly brave men performed this task..at a cost of a casualty rate of about 60%.

Fortunately, my lunch date was late, so I had time to hear a first hand account from him of what that had been like. I've never forgotten it...or the matter-of-fact way in which he related it.

In 1984, President Reagan traveled to Point Du Hoc, which is now a military cemetery dedicated to those who fell at Normandy. He spoke to a group of veterans and others who had traveled to be there on the 40th anniversary of the battle, and he had a few things to say to them:

".... This place, Pointe du Hoc, in itself was moving and majestic. I stood there on that windswept point with the ocean behind me. Before me were the boys who forty years before had fought their way up from the ocean. Some rested under the white crosses and Stars of David that stretched out across the landscape. Others sat right in front of me. They looked like elderly businessmen, yet these were the kids who climbed the cliffs.

We're here to mark that day in history when the Allied armies joined in battle to reclaim this continent to liberty. For four long years, much of Europe had been under a terrible shadow. Free nations had fallen, Jews cried out in the camps, millions cried out for liberation. Europe was enslaved and the world prayed for its rescue. Here, in Normandy, the rescue began. Here, the Allies stood and fought against tyranny, in a giant undertaking unparalleled in human history.

We stand on a lonely, windswept point on the northern shore of France. The air is soft, but forty years ago at this moment, the air was dense with smoke and the cries of men, and the air was filled with the crack of rifle fire and the roar of cannon. At dawn, on the morning of the 6th of June, 1944, two hundred and twenty-five Rangers jumped off the British landing craft and ran to the bottom of these cliffs.

Their mission was one of the most difficult and daring of the invasion: to climb these sheer and desolate cliffs and take out the enemy guns. The Allies had been told that some of the mightiest of these guns were here, and they would be trained on the beaches to stop the Allied advance.

The Rangers looked up and saw the enemy soldiers at the edge of the cliffs, shooting down at them with machine guns and throwing grenades. And the American Rangers began to climb. They shot rope ladders over the face of these cliffs and began to pull themselves up. When one Ranger fell, another would take his place. When one rope was cut, a Ranger would grab another and begin his climb again. They climbed, shot back, and held their footing. Soon, one by one, the Rangers pulled themselves over the top, and in seizing the firm land at the top of these cliffs, they began to seize back the continent of Europe. Two hundred and twenty-five came here. After two days of fighting, only ninety could still bear arms.

And behind me is a memorial that symbolizes the Ranger daggers that were thrust into the top of these cliffs. And before me are the men who put them there. These are the boys of Pointe du Hoc. These are the men who took the cliffs. These are the champions who helped free a continent. And these are the heroes who helped end a war. Gentlemen, I look at you and I think of the words of Stephen Spender's poem. You are men who in your "lives fought for life and left the vivid air signed with your honor." {...}

Forty summers have passed since the battle that you fought here. You were young the day you took these cliffs; some of you were hardly more than boys, with the deepest joys of life before you. Yet you risked everything here. Why? Why did you do it? What impelled you to put aside the instinct for self-preservation and risk your lives to take these cliffs? What inspired all the men of the armies that met here? We look at you, and somehow we know the answer. It was faith and belief. It was loyalty and love.

The men of Normandy had faith that what they were doing was right, faith that they fought for all humanity, faith that a just God would grant them mercy on this beachhead, or on the next. It was the deep knowledge -- and pray God we have not lost it -- that there is a profound moral difference between the use of force for liberation and the use of force for conquest. You were here to liberate, not to conquer, and so you and those others did not doubt your cause. And you were right not to doubt.

You all knew that some things are worth dying for. One's country is worth dying for, and democracy is worth dying for, because it's the most deeply honorable form of government ever devised by man. All of you loved liberty. All of you were willing to fight tyranny, and you knew the people of your countries were behind you.

The Americans who fought here that morning knew word of the invasion was spreading through the darkness back home. They fought -- or felt in their hearts, though they couldn't know in fact, that in Georgia they were filling the churches at 4:00 am. In Kansas they were kneeling on their porches and praying. And in Philadelphia they were ringing the Liberty Bell.

Something else helped the men of D-day; their rock-hard belief that Providence would have a great hand in the events that would unfold here; that God was an ally in this great cause. And so, the night before the invasion, when Colonel Wolverton asked his parachute troops to kneel with him in prayer, he told them: "Do not bow your heads, but look up so you can see God and ask His blessing in what we're about to do." Also, that night, General Matthew Ridgway on his cot, listening in the darkness for the promise God made to Joshua: "I will not fail thee nor forsake thee."

These are the things that impelled them; these are the things that shaped the unity of the Allies. {...}

We in America have learned bitter lessons from two world wars. It is better to be here ready to protect the peace, than to take blind shelter across the sea, rushing to respond only after freedom is lost. We've learned that isolationism never was and never will be an acceptable response to tyrannical governments with an expansionist intent. {...}

We will pray forever that someday that changing will come. But for now, particularly today, it is good and fitting to renew our commitment to each other, to our freedom, and to the alliance that protects it.

We're bound today by what bound us 40 years ago, the same loyalties, traditions, and beliefs. We're bound by reality. The strength of America's allies is vital to the United States, and the American security guarantee is essential to the continued freedom of Europe's democracies. We were with you then; we're with you now. Your hopes are our hopes, and your destiny is our destiny.

Here, in this place where the West held together, let us make a vow to our dead. Let us show them by our actions that we understand what they died for. Let our actions say to them the words for which Matthew Ridgway listened: "I will not fail thee nor forsake thee."

Strengthened by their courage and heartened by their value [valor] and borne by their memory, let us continue to stand for the ideals for which they lived and died.

Thank you very much, and God bless you all."


To me, it was one of President Reagan's finest speeches, and his words are as true today as they were in 1984.

We have another president now, a very different one. He speaks the language of appeasement and nuance, and has pointedly refused to confront evil when it approaches. For all his conceived gift of oratory, does anyone see Barack Hussein Obama ever making a speech like the one above?

And in fact, our post-American president chose to remember D-Day not by honoring the men who fought there in any way whatsoever, but by going to a theater party, his second White House entertainment extravaganza in a week.

This is not unexpected. In spite of the soothing rhetoric pulsing through his stereo teleprompters, Barack Obama is a man who's values are ultimately opposed to the heroism and values symbolized by the Pont Du Hoc, an accident of history that may cost America dearly.

There is this, however. When I look at the faces of the men in our military today, I see the same qualities I noticed in the faces in the photographs from 60 odd years ago, the faces of the men who saved us from Hitler. I see the same determination, the same courage and faith, and the same loyalty and love.

It is living proof etched in their faces that, deep down at the core, we are the same country we were then.

If you look at our country's history, you see that we have never failed to find leadership in the darkest of times, or to prevail. We have done so in the past and we will do so again in the future.

And knowing that, I am more convinced than ever that the West will indeed stand, and freedom will triumph, just as it did 66 years ago.

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Helen Thomas, Jew Hatred And Its Polite Acceptance

Leftist media queen and White House press corps member Helen Thomas' recent remarks supporting ethnic cleansing for Jews ( "they should all go home to Poland and Germany") created enough of a flap that she issued a pro forma, insincere apology on her website ( no link...I'm not giving her traffic, thank you):

""I deeply regret my comments I made last week regarding the Israelis and the Palestinians. They do not reflect my heartfelt belief that peace will come to the Middle East only when all parties recognize the need for mutual respect and tolerance. May that day come soon."

Here's the video again of what she had to say. Does it sound like she wants mutual respect and tolerance by the Arabs for Jews, or just for the Jews to be gone?



While a number of members of the White House press corps were happy to talk about how 'inappropriate' her remarks were, very few of them thought she should be fired and some of them attacked ex-White House press secretary Ari Fleisher when he called for exactly that.

Here's Joe Lockhart, who served as press secretary under Mr. Bill:

“I hope we are strong enough as a country to sustain voices that are wrong, voices that offend, even voices that incite.”

“The good news is Ari no longer has the weight of government behind him in intimidating voices he doesn't agree with.

Now riddle me this - let's say that we had a video of Ms. Thomas saying that all blacks need to go home to Africa? Or Muslims back to their countries of origin? How long do you think Helen Thomas would remain employed ? And would any of these good 'liberals' miss a beat in calling for her to be fired and ousted from the White House press corps then? You know they wouldn't.

Here's a little something to ponder. Helen Thomas, an Arab-American has been a raging anti-Semite for years, and it's no secret. Not to the White House press corps, not her employers at Hearst and not to President Obama , sitting there cuddling this repulsive old Jew hater.

Here's yet another example, with her engaged in a ridiculous pro-Hezbollah rant with the late Tony Snow:



And there are plenty of other examples available.

Yet in spite of being aware of this for years, the White House Press Corps honored her by voting her a seat in the front row, and apparently feel perfectly happy now with having her continue as an honored doyen in their midst.

I actually agree with them, believe it or not.She should stay right where she is.

Helen Thomas is valuable because she provides a picture perfect example of the double standard most Left- leaning journos ( and believe me, the majority are Left- leaning) have when it comes to Jew hatred. While they might not personally endorse it, they're prepared to accept it, just like Joe Lockhart, as a legitimate point of view that is subject to debate. That's something virtually none of them would do if that hatred was directed anywhere else but at Jews.

So I think it's better that Helen Thomas remains an honored part of the White House press corps, especially since few if any of them seem uncomfortable with her in their midst. It tells us a great deal about a large part of the membership of that august body. And who knows? It may actually serve as a wake up call to our society about how commonplace and acceptable in public discourse this kind of obscene anti-Semitism has become.

UPDATE: I'm hearing persistent rumors from my sources that Helen Thomas is going to be fired by Hearst. We'll see what develops.

UPDATE 2: A number of voices on the Left have predictably despicable arguments along the lines of 'why was what she said considered anti-Semitic, rather than just anti-Israel? What about freedom of speech?'

That's how bad it's gotten.

Here's a heads up; after surviving the Holocaust, the Jews of Poland and Germany ( and a lot of other areas in Europe) had nowhere else to go. As a matter of fact, the last Jews murdered in the Holocaust were killed by Poles in a pogrom in Kielce, when they tried to reclaim their stolen homes.

And aside from the continuous Jewish presence in Israel, let's not forget that half of the Jews in Israel didn't originally have former ‘homes’ in Poland or Germany. They had their origins in the Muslim world and were ethnically cleansed after 1948, and unlike a lot of the ‘Palestinians’ they had no choice in the matter. Sending them 'home' like Helen Thomas suggested is tantamount to calling for them to be murdered en masse.

Don’t tell me Helen Thomas didn’t know that. It simply didn't concern her, or those of her friends defending her now. It never has.

And yes, embracing segregation, apartheid and ethnic cleansing limited to Jews and Jews only is anti-Semitism by definition.

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IDF Commandeers Latest Terrorist Flotilla Ship Without Incident

No armed terrorist army on board planning to ambush Israeli soldiers this time:

Israeli forces seized a Gaza-bound aid vessel without meeting resistance on Saturday, preventing it from breaking an Israeli maritime blockade of the Hamas-ruled territory days after a similar effort turned bloody.

The military said its forces boarded the 1,200-ton Rachel Corrie cargo ship from the sea, not helicopters.

The takeover stood in marked contrast to a violent confrontation at sea earlier this week when Israeli commandos blocked a Turkish aid vessel trying to break the blockade. At the time, Israeli commandos rappelled from helicopters and a clash with passengers left nine pro-Palestinian activists dead.

Army spokeswoman Lt. Col. Avital Leibovich says Saturday's takeover took only a few minutes and that the vessel was being taken to Israel's Ashdod port.

At Ashdod, the cargo will be unloaded and inspected and then allowed to cross by land into the Gaza Strip.

Prior to the boarding, the Navy said it had contacted the boat four times and urged its passengers to divert to Ashdod, but that the passengers had refused.

Eleven passengers were aboard the Rachel Corrie, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mairead Maguire and Denis Halliday, a former United Nations assistant secretary-general.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu issued a statement after the boat was brought into port, saying that “we saw today the difference between a boat with peace activists, with whom we do not agree but whose right to express their different opinions we respect, and a boat of hate organized by violent extremists and terrorist supporters.”

He said that Israel would continue to maintain its right to self-defense and “not allow the establishment of an Iranian port in Gaza.”

While I understand the need to be diplomatic, frankly he was far too polite about the motivations of people who would support a genocidal terrorist organization like Hamas.

Speaking of terrorist supporters, according to the Lebanese newspaper Al-Mustaqbal, Turkish PM Tayyip Erdogan is planning to personally try to break the Gaza blockade by sailing there in a flotilla accompanied by Turkish naval vessels.

If he's serious, that would be an act of war. Although, as Erdogan made clear, as far as he's concerned Hamas is not a terrorist organization and are just fine as far as he's concerned.

We'll see what develops.

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Liz Cheney On Obama's Reaction To The Gaza Flotilla

You go girl!

“Yesterday, President Obama said the Israeli action to stop the flotilla bound for the Gaza Strip was “tragic.” What is truly tragic is that President Obama is perpetuating Israel’s enemies’ version of events.

The Israeli government has imposed a blockade around Gaza because Hamas remains committed to Israel’s destruction, refusing to recognize Israel’s right to exist and using territory under their control to launch attacks against Israeli civilians. The Israeli blockade of Gaza, in order to prevent the re-arming of Hamas, is in full compliance with international law.

Had the Turkish flotilla truly been interested in providing humanitarian aid to Gaza, they would have accepted the Israeli offer to off-load their supplies peacefully at the Israeli port of Haifa for transport into Gaza.

President Obama is contributing to the isolation of Israel, and sending a clear signal to the Turkish-Syrian-Iranian axis that their methods for ostracizing Israel will succeed, and will be met by no resistance from America. There is no middle ground here. Either the United States stands with the people of Israel in the war against radical Islamic terrorism or we are providing encouragement to Israel’s enemies—and our own.

I'd say she gets it. The Dark Lord is smiling somewhere...and it's nice to know that when he rides into the sunset, there's a member of the clan to carry on the good work.

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The Rachel Corrie Nears Gaza

The latest assault on Israel is the Rachel Corrie, a ship owned by the same Free Gaza movement that co-sponsored the last flotilla with the Turkish IHH.

At present the ship is about 100 miles away from the 25 mile line in Gaza and expected to arrive about 7 AM tomorrow, local time.

The ship is crewed by about 20 people as opposed to the huge crowd on the Marmara, and a number of them are Irish nationals who are Palestinian groupies.

Among them are Nobel Peace Laureate Mairead Maguire and Denis Halliday, a former UN assistant secretary-general...both of whom, shall we say, are noted for their anti-Israel sentiments.

Irish Foreign Minister, Dr. Michael Martin earlier reached an agreement with Israel, whereby the Rachel Corrie would proceed to the Israeli port of Ashdod, where its contents could be checked, unloaded and then shipped to Gaza under observation of representatives of the 'activists', the UN and the Irish government.

The Free Gaza people on the ship rejected this offer, insisting on sailing to Gaza to break the Israeli blockade. According to the Irish FM, they also stated b that they would not resist the IDF if it boards the ship.

I'm sure they're telling the truth, aren't you...just like the last batch.

The Israeli government has made it crystal clear that the blockade of Gaza to make sure arms aren't shipped to Hamas will remain in force.

"I want to once again deliver a message that has been delivered in both public and private channels to the Rachel Corrie ship heading toward Gaza," Foreign Ministry Director General Yossi Gal said in a statement he released to the press.

"We have no desire for a confrontation," said Gal. "We have no desire to board the ship. If the ship decides to sail the port of Ashdod, then we will ensure its safe arrival and will not board it," he said.

"Israel is prepared to receive the ship and to offload its contents. After an inspection to ensure that no weapons and war materials are on board, we are prepared to deliver all of the goods to Gaza," Gal said.

"Representative of the people on board and relevant NGOs are welcome to accompany the goods to the crossings," he said.

The Free Gaza people rejected this out of hand, and reiterated that their mission was to break the blockade.

The ship may be small enough so that its rudder can be easily disabled and then towed into Ashdod. Otherwise, the Israelis are going to have to board it.Letting it get close to th e25 milelimit would probably be a good idea,although as I've mentioned before, there's no free space for blockade runners.

We'll see what develops.

This time however,let's hope they put these people on trial for aiding and abetting terrorism.

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Mavi Mamara To Israeli Navy 'Go back to Auschwitz..Don't Forget 9/11 Guys"

A short excerpt from a recording of the ship to ship communication between the Israeli Navy and the flotilla ship Mavi Marmara...

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Turkish PM Erdogan: Hamas "Not Terrorists, A Resistance Group"

Turkey's Islamist Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan made his sympathies quite clear, as reported in the Turkish Hurriyet:

“They [Hamas] won the election. You are always talking about democracy. You’ll never let Hamas rule. What kind of democracy is this?” Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Friday at a rally held in Konya, a central Anatolian province. He addressed thousands of people gathered at the rally with very strong anti-Israel sentiments.

“I do not think that Hamas is a terrorist organization. I said the same thing to the United States. I am still of the same opinion. They are Palestinians in resistance, fighting for their own land,” he stated. Hamas is recognized as a terrorist organization by the U.S.

Criticizing the Turkish media for its critical coverage on Turkey’s pro-Hamas stance, Erdoğan said, “These columnists will report my words of today as well. We know their past, their background.”

Since he backs Hamas, I can only assume Erdogan subscribes to Hamas' genocidal stance on Jews as well.

He's correct on one thing - Hamas is the legitimate elected ruler of the Palestinians. Just like Hitler was of the Germans circa 1933.

If he truly did say this to the US, (and I have no reason to doubt him) why does President Obama still describe Turkey as an ally?

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Helen Thomas: "Jews, Get The Hell Out of Palestine, Go Home To Germany And Poland"

Another 'unbiased' ultra-Left reporter. Love the clarity, creep.

One thing though...the Jews are Israel aren't going anywhere, because they ARE home.

Deal with it.

hattip Jim at Gateway, via Soccer Dad

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Watcher's Council Results - June 4th, 2010

The Council has spoken! Here are the results of our weekly Watcher's Council contest.

This week's Council winner was Omri at Mere Rhetoric for Israel Publishes Gaza Travel Guidebook For Pro-Hamas Freedom Flotilla a hilarious piece that reveals a greta deal about the 'humanitarian crisis' in Gaza.

Our non-Council winner was Barry Rubin with Sympathy for the Devil and the Gaza Sea Confrontation: How Can Helping a Repressive Fascist, Genocide-Intending Hamas Regime be Innocent? - a superb examination of the real issues inherent in the Gaza Flotilla story.

Here are the full results:

Council Winners

• First place with 3 votes! – Mere Rhetoric – Israel Publishes Gaza Travel Guidebook For Pro-Hamas Freedom Flotilla
• Second place with 2 1/3 votes – Wolf Howling – Obama, Turkey and Israel
• Third place with 1 1/3 votes – Bookworm Room – Memorial Day Post : The Warriors Among Us
• Third place *t* with 1 1/3 votes – Joshuapundit – Israel And The West’s Dilemma – The Storm Before The Dawn
• Fourth place with 2/3 vote – The Colossus of Rhodey – The White House and Joe Sestak — so what?
• Fifth place with 1/3 vote – Right Truth – A Time to Betray – A review

Non Council Winners

• First place with 2 votes! – Rubin Reports - Sympathy for the Devil and the Gaza Sea Confrontation: How Can Helping a Repressive Fascist, Genocide-Intending Hamas Regime be Innocent? Submitted by The Watcher
• Second place with 1 2/3 votes - American Digest - Small Flags Submitted by JoshuaPundit
• Third place with 1 1/3 votes - Katie, The Pirate King – What do you do When Your Church Leaves You? Submitted by The Razor
• Fourth place with 1 vote – Zenpundit - Israel Does Not Understand 4GW Submitted on behalf of Right Truth
• Fifth place *t* with 2/3 vote - Contentions/Max Boot – Israel can win every battle but still lose the war Submitted by Bookworm Room
• Fifth place *t* with 2/3 vote - The Weekly Standard Blog – The Terror Finance Flotilla Submitted by the Colossus of Rhodey
• Fifth place *t* with 2/3 vote – The Anchoress – Pray for Nancy Pelosi Submitted by Rhymes with Right
• Fifth place *t* with 2/3 vote – EU Referendum – Deliberately Provocative Submitted by Wolf Howling
• Sixth place with 1/3 vote – Dick Morris – Issue Trifecta Driving Obama Down Submitted by The Provocateur

As always, congratulations not only to the winners but to the participants.

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Some Of Israel's Friends Make A Stand

Just a small cross section...as I wrote earlier, the division in the West on Israel reflects the division in Western society, and what's happening now is a catalyst as people are choose whom they stand with.

Sarah Palin:

The media, as usual, seems to be reporting only one side of the Israeli Flotilla incident. Don’t trust the mainstream media to give you both sides of a story fairly… you must seek out fair reporting to ensure you have all the information.

As far too many in the media, and in various governments, rush to condemn Israel, we must put the recent events off Israel’s coast into the right perspective. This “relief” convoy was not about humanitarian aid, as the liberal mainstream media keeps reporting. The whole operation was designed to provoke Israel, not to provide supplies to Palestinians held hostage by Hamas terrorists in Gaza. Anyone who sees the video of Israeli commandos being attacked as they land on that ship knows the people aboard were vicious thugs, not “peace activists.” The media insults our intelligence with their outright mischaracterization of who these enemies are.

Israel delivers thousands of tons of humanitarian supplies every week to Gaza. These ships could have offloaded their cargoes at a nearby Israeli port if they really wanted to help the people of Gaza. Instead, they chose to incite confrontation and violence. Israel has a right to prevent arms shipments to Gaza that will be used to target innocent Israelis, so they were legitimately checking the cargo on the flotilla. Turkey has chosen to condemn Israel but we should be asking some serious questions about Turkey’s role in this whole affair. Why is a fellow member of NATO sponsoring such a dangerous publicity stunt? As one expert points out: “Three ships of that six-ship pro-terror convoy flew Turkish flags and were crowded with Turkish citizens. The Ankara government – led by Islamists these days – sponsored the ‘aid’ operation in a move to position itself as the new champion of the Palestinians. And Turkish decision-makers knew Israel would have to react – and were waiting to exploit the inevitable clash. The provocation was as cynical as it was carefully orchestrated.”

We can only hope the Obama Administration does not join the anti-Israel chorus in the aftermath of this staged confrontation. Please, Mr. President, we need to let Israelis know we stand with them in their fight against terrorists and those who arm and support them. America and her ally, Israel, stand by waiting for your response.

Marco Rubio, Florida's next Senator:

I am alarmed that our long-standing solidarity with Israel has been thrown into doubt by a White House that seems to be playing a proverbial game of jump ball, whereby the world wonders on which side America will stand. Of course, we should stand with Israel. Doing otherwise sends a dangerously emboldening signal to Israel’s enemies.

Sadly, this recent flotilla event is only the latest example of the extent to which our special relationship with Israel has been diminished under the current Administration. Iran and its terrorist proxies have surely been watching approvingly as Washington continues these misguided policies.

As many in the international community use this flotilla incident to predictably rally against Israel, it is important to stand firmly behind our ally. In no way can the U.S. allow a path to be cleared that would enable the United Nations or any international body to discredit and diminish our democratic friend and partner. If Israel’s right to self-defense is undermined by misguided efforts to lift its legal and necessary blockade of Gaza, which serves to stop Hamas from arming itself with deadly weapons, there will be lasting consequences not only for Israel, but also for the U.S. and the entire world.

Make no mistake: while we await all the facts to emerge about this incident, it is clear the sponsors and participants of the Free Gaza Movement’s Flotilla have been thoroughly documented in their support of violent extremism. A far cry from being “humanitarian relief workers,” the activists on board the Mavi Marmara had a cache of bulletproof vests, night vision goggles and gas masks. This was no humanitarian mission.

Additionally, knowing that the blockade of Gaza exists for a legitimate reason and that Israel already provides avenues for true humanitarian efforts to reach the Palestinian people, this latest incident is a striking provocation by Israel’s opponents.

For the entirety of its existence, Israel has been targeted for annihilation by its enemies and we must never do anything to undermine its right to protect its people. As enemies such as Iran develop nuclear weapons that pose an existential threat to Israel, America has a responsibility to continue serving as its strongest and most steadfast ally.

Ralph Peters

Three ships of that six-ship pro-terror convoy flew Turkish flags and were crowded with Turkish citizens. The Ankara government -- led by Islamists these days -- sponsored the "aid" operation in a move to position itself as the new champion of the Palestinians.

And Turkish decision-makers knew Israel would have to react -- and were waiting to exploit the inevitable clash. The provocation was as cynical as it was carefully orchestrated.

Purely by coincidence, dozens of "peace activists" waited with sharpened iron bars, clubs, slingshots -- and rifles. Of course, the nine dead in the melee were all Israel's victims.

The first wave of Israeli commandos reportedly were armed only with paintball rounds for crowd control. Inspect those videos of maddened peaceniks assaulting the soldiers as they landed on deck. You don't see any Israelis pointing rifles -- they're fending off blows.

But the claims of pro-terrorist "peace advocates" are given instant credence.

Rush Limbaugh

Is anybody still surprised a community organizer with strong personal and political ties to anti-Israel leftists will not step up — will not organize support — for America’s best ally in the Middle East if not in the world? This whole thing with this “flotilla” is a Turkish setup designed to provoke exactly what has happened. The Israelis are out there playing by the rules. You know, what’s the old saying? “A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth puts its pants on,” and the lie on this thing got halfway around the world.

This was not some innocent bunch of people going in. This is an arms mission. Make no mistake about it. Humanitarian aid? There might be some crackers and cheese getting off that flotilla, but make no mistake: There are some armaments there. This is Turkey attempting to establish itself as the Muslim leader. Islamists have taken over Turkey. They’re in NATO, and this is all designed to make Israel provoked and to cause this kind of response, and the world is condemning Israel!

Even, over the weekend, the United Nations Security Council gets together to suggest a condemnation of Israel. The Turkish government is demanding that we condemn Israel at the same time. Egypt is going the other way. There’s also another thing happening here regarding Israel and Egypt and the Middle East, and that is Egypt’s call some months ago (maybe weeks) “nuclear-free Middle East.” The United States at the United Nations sandbagged the Israelis and is supporting this effort, which, of course, has one objective, and that is to de-nuke Israel.

Now, Israel for 60 years has not admitted that they have nukes. It’s just assumed that they have a couple hundred warheads, but they’ve never confirmed it. Everybody just assumed so. Meanwhile, we’re told the Iranians have enough plutonium now for two bombs. They are continuing to ratchet up and nobody’s doing anything about them ratcheting up and demanding that they shut it down, not nearly as seriously as they’re going to hammer Israel.

Now, Obama is demanding that Israel tell him exactly what happened. (paraphrasing) “I want those details of what happened on that flotilla and I want them now!” You know what Netanyahu ought to do? Netanyahu ought to say, “I want the details of the 32 people Chicago killed over the weekend and I want to know what you’re doing about it — and I want to know what role you’ve played, what the Chicago police did and the Chicago government.” I know it will never happen, but that’s my reaction.

Now, we haven’t even gotten to the Israeli situation yet. This is key as well. The media is not telling the truth about this, either. You remember, ladies and gentlemen, some years ago the war was going on between the Hezbollah’s militants in Lebanon launching rockets into Israel and Israel was retaliating. You remember all the Photoshopped pictures of so-called damage to civilian populations and civilian buildings, public buildings that the Israelis were responsible for? It turned out that many of those Reuters photos had been doctored and Photoshopped to make the damage look like it was five or ten mimes worse than it is, and the media couldn’t wait! They all jumped on the bandwagon to report this stuff.

It’s the same thing happening now. Not one shred of truth is being reported about this flotilla, who the people on the flotilla were or what their purpose was. Their purpose was to get this provocation. They know full well Israel is not going to respond to anything ’til they know what happened, while the Islamists have their PR campaign ready to go before the flotilla even set sail. Before the flotilla even left Turkey they knew exactly what to say, they knew exactly what was going to happen because they provoked it.

This is not about a nuclear free Middle East. We’re what looking at here is another all-out assault on an Israel-free Middle East.

John Bolton on Greta Van Susteren's Show


VAN SUSTEREN: Joining us live is former U.S. ambassador to the U.N., John Bolton. Ambassador, good evening. This event, this tragedy, this violence, catastrophe, however you want to characterize it -- an isolated event that we're going to sort of move carefully through, in a few days, it'll be over, or is this sparking a bigger problem?

JOHN BOLTON, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.: There's a lot more coming here. This is part of an overall effort to end the blockade of the Gaza Strip. I think we have to understand not just an Israeli blockade. It is an Egyptian blockade too. The Egyptians don't like Hamas any more than the Israelis do.

But In the Arab and Muslim world there's a lot of determination to break that blockade, so other ships are on the way. I'm sure more is coming.

VAN SUSTEREN: There were nine people from Turkey, Turkey is ally of Israel and quiet friendly with Israel and now that is a strained relationship. What does that mean for the whole region?

BOLTON: I think what's going on with Turkey is less the loss of Israel's sole Muslim ally than it is Turkey slipping away from the west. Even since the end of World War I and the Ottoman empire, the idea of Turkey has been a secular democratic state.

I think with the government we have in place now and have had for the last six, seven years is going in the wrong direction and I think that could be one of the most significant outcomes of this whole crisis.

VAN SUSTEREN: Now we have nine dead and international condemnation of Israel. Is this now an invitation to many of the haters of Israel to give more violence towards member, to fight them more?

BOLTON: Absolutely. But they don't need that much of an excuse. This happens in the West Bank all the time, these kinds of clashes, different circumstances. But every time I happens it is an excuse to you go and beat up Israel in the U.N. Security Council and beat them up in the U.N. Human Rights Council. I'm sure Israel's opponents will take full advantage of it.

But consider the alternative that people are calling for, including some of America's closest allies, which is to end the blockade. If you did that you would have Hamas getting weapons of the kind Hezbollah already has in Lebanon. The threat to innocent Israeli civilians would rise dramatically.

VAN SUSTEREN: How do you characterize the U.S. response?

BOLTON: Weak. The United States could have said clearly on Memorial Day we are not going to accept a statement by the Security Council critical of Israel as the one that turned out. It was watered down to be sure.

If I had been there and had my discretion, I would have said I'm not going to negotiate this. It is fundamentally unacceptable. You don't condemn something and then call for an investigation. If you want to have an investigation, that's one thing, but too many people had already made their minds up.

VAN SUSTEREN: It is clear this is a provocation, at least to me. They intended to provoke. They knew they were going to meet resistance. The Israelis weren't going to say fine, come on in. Another ship is on the way. It doesn't look like this is a good situation.

BOLTON: I don't think Israel will make the same mistake. I think they didn't put sufficient people on the ship immediately. It allowed their people to be isolated. I think the people on those six ships had different motivations. I think some were innocent, naive --

VAN SUSTEREN: How could they? You know there's a blockade. You know there's a situation. It's not like everyone heard about this yesterday. Everyone knew this was going on.

BOLTON: Some people hug trees some people get on boats like this. But there was another layer of people there, very cynical, very tough who did want to provoke the confrontation. They got what they wanted. I don't think they reckoned the cost, but others will follow them.

VAN SUSTEREN: I don't care what your thinking is getting on that ship. No matter how much you want peace, how much you want to help people, it was clear there was going to be a problem.

BOLTON: I don't think it was clear to the Israelis.

VAN SUSTEREN: There's always a risk.

BOLTON: I think in the implementation of the operation there was failure. But there was no failure on Israel's part in carrying out its strategic objective.

General Jack Kemp, former British Commander in Afghanistan:

“Israel has a democratically elected government and like every other democratically elected government in the world, Israel should carry out its own investigation.”

“I believe Israel should do it rapidly and comprehensively and should be completely up front if it has made mistakes – mistakes should be admitted by Israel, but I don’t think it should be subjected to an independent inquiry any more than other Western countries are.

“Look at what appears to have been a very serious military error made by the German army in Northern Afghanistan last year when something like 50-150 civilians were killed in an air strike.”

“Where was the independent inquiry about that? Where were the calls for an independent inquiry about that? Why is it that Israel is subjected to that kind of call when other democratic countries aren’t?”


Pastor John Hagee

No major statement...but being a man of action, he's mobilizing the troops in Christians United For Israel to descend on Washington en masse this month and hold Congress' collective feet to the fire.

Based on his past success in this area, he'll have a definite impact.

Like I said, people are choosing sides, and an event like this helps sort things out.

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Mainstream Media Doesn’t Let Facts Get In The Way Of Their Anti-Israel Narrative

My good friend Omri Ceren has a superb post over at Big Journalism:

It must be insanely frustrating to do media outreach or public diplomacy for Israel.

It’s not only that media outlets seem to have an endless supply of anti-Israel storylines that they just mix and match regardless of context, from lurid descriptions of imagined atrocities to old standbys about Palestinian dispossession. It’s also that journalists and editors seem to pick their themes with something approaching reckless abandon, throwing against the wall one thinly sourced anti-Israel libel after another. If something sticks they congratulate themselves on brave journalism. If a smear is debunked they just shrug and move on.

The problem isn’t so much a resistance to specific facts, though the BBC has indeed been conspicuously ignoring Israeli evidence that contradicts their preferred take on reality. It’s just that being wrong is a functionally costless proposition if the error works against Israel, so journalists can publish an endless stream of sensational accusations with minimal concern for their veracity. All they need is a quote, which anti-Israel partisans are more than willing to provide, and that qualifies as fact-checking.

The reports surrounding Israel’s Monday raid on the Mavi Marmara ship stands as a veritable textbook on how that coverage plays out in real time.

The flagship of the Gaza “Freedom Flotilla,” transporting ostensibly humanitarian aid to Iran’s ostensibly impoverished proxies in the Gaza Strip, was part of the ostensibly nonviolent fleet seized by Israeli naval commandos. The ship was contacted by Israel and asked to unload its cargo for inspection, the captain explicitly declared the fleet’s intention to breach Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip, and the Israelis dispatched commandos to intercept it.

That was when the gentle humanitarians on the Marmara executed a carefully planned ambush, attacking the Israeli commandos with knives and metal pipes while the soldiers waited 40 minutes for permission to use live fire. Meanwhile they tried to defend themselves with paintball rifles, while one commando after another was brutally assaulted. Several ended up in the hospital in critical condition.

Read the whole thing..and look at the videos accompanying it.

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Hilarious Vid By The Flotilla Choir:"We Con The World"

Latma strikes again..showing once more that the truth is the funniest joke of all.

(hat tip,Jack)

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It's Official: Obama Throws Israel Under The Bus

"Now that Obama's elected, the Jews are going to lose all their clout" - Jesse Jackson, 2008

Hillary Clinton may have given the opening salvo, but President Obama finally came out with a statement that left no doubt where this is heading:

President Barack Obama said Thursday that the deadly Israeli raid on an aid flotilla bound for the Gaza Strip was "tragic", but he stopped short of condemning the actions of Israeli forces.

While Obama said the deaths of nine people were unnecessary, he said the U.S. wants to wait for "an investigation of international standards" to determine the facts. Israel, he said, should agree to such an investigation.

"They recognize that this can't be good for Israel's long-term security," Obama said in an interview with CNN's Larry King airing Thursday night.{...}

Obama said the most recent incident presents an opportunity for all parties involved to break out of the current impasse and move toward a two-state solution in which Palestinians and Israelis can live peacefully side by side.

"We have been trying to do this piecemeal for decades now," Obama said. "It just doesn't work."

Note the parts of the president's statement I highlighted.

The 'investigation of international standards' Obama mentioned is already being conducted - by the infamous UN Human Rights Commission. Yesterday, the UNHRC adopted a resolution "to dispatch an independent international fact-finding mission to investigate violations of international law, including humanitarian and human rights law, resulting from the Israeli attacks on the flotilla of ships carrying humanitarian assistance."

Just to reassure paragons of human rights like Libya and Iran that the 'investigation' was going to be conducted without even a pretense of impartiality, the resolution stated: "the Human Rights Council ... condemns in the strongest terms the outrageous attack by the Israeli forces."

No sense having any suspense about the outcome,right?

True the Obama administration voted against the HRC resolution,(along with the Dutch and the Italians, while 8 other countries, including the French, the Belgians, the Japanese, the Brits, and the South Koreans abstained) but it refused to use it position on the Council to impede in any way the numerous breaches in procedure involved in ramming this through. The council has never held an "urgent debate" on any human rights issue at all until now, and the UNHRC's specific requirements for holding "special sessions" were ignored without any American objection. This special session was held in spite of UNHRC rules at the specific request of the states of the Arab League and the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC).

That's the 'investigation of international standards' Obama is insisting Israel submit itself to...another Goldstone travesty in which any semblance of justice is ignored in favor of demonizing Israel.

The second part of the President's statement is also quite illustrative of where's he going. Does anyone who can read between the lines doubt that he plans to try to impose a settlement on Israel on the Arab's terms?

The Israelis are simply going to have to say no at some point.

And the message this sends to both our friends and our enemies is unmistakable.

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Mexico opens California office to provide ID for illegals

The Mexican government has opened a new satellite consular office on Catalina Island to provide the island's illegal alien population with identification cards:

The Mexican consular office in Los Angeles issued a flier, a copy of which was obtained by The Examiner, listing the Catalina Island Country Club as the location of its satellite office. It invites Mexicans to visit the office to obtain the identification, called matricular cards, by appointment.

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, a Republican whose district includes Catalina Island, said handing out matricular cards will exacerbate an already dangerous situation.

"Handing out matricular cards to Mexicans who are not in this country legally is wrong no matter where it's done," he said. "But on Catalina it will do more damage. It's a small island but there's evidence it's being used as a portal for illegals to access mainland California."

Rohrabacher added, "If there were a large number of Americans illegally in Mexico and the U.S. consulate was making it easier for them to stay, Mexico would never permit it."

Mexican officials with the consular office in Los Angeles could not be reached immediately for comment. The matricular consular identification card, is issued by the Mexican government to Mexican nationals residing outside the country, regardless of immigration status. The purpose is to provide identification for opening bank accounts and obtaining other services. But the cards are usually used to skirt U.S. immigration laws, since Mexicans in the country legally have documents proving that status, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said.

Catalina Island is a popular resort off the California coast with a history of human trafficking and drug smuggling...and yes, a lot of illegal aliens work in the hotels, restaurants and resorts.

The Consular marticular card itself is a well known joke in Southern California. Provided you pay the fee and speak some Spanish, the consulate officials will issue one to almost anyone who applies, under whatever name you give them. They're also easily forged and duplicated. Once someone has one,they can be used as ID to open bank accounts, mail drops, rent storage facilities, PO boxes and a host of other services...even if your real name is Ahmed or Hassan rather than Armando or Jorge.

Needless to say,in Los Angeles the Mexican government in not going to have problems with this outrage.

In an interesting development, it appears that the consulate lied to the owners of the Catalina Island Country Club, claiming they were just leasing space for a 'multi-cultural festival'.

When the Club received reports of what the Consulate actually intended, they refused to allow them to use the premises - after which the Consulate moved their operation to a Catholic church, claiming sanctuary under the Geneva Convention.

Since St. Catherine’s Church is part of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles under Cardinal Roger Mahoney ( a long time proponent of amnesty for illegal aliens, among his other activities) there's no question that this is being done with the Cardinal's blessing.

Congressman Rohrbacher's reaction?


“If the Catholic Church insists on preventing immigration law from being enforced, then they should step up and pay the bill. Let the Catholic Church open up its schools for free and use their vast resources to pay for the benefits of illegals if they feel it’s such a moral issue. I don’t exactly see Cardinal Mahoney announcing the sale of Catholic church property to pay the bills for illegal immigration. This holier than thou hypocrisy has got to stop.”

For my part, I find the Catholic Church's position on sanctuary intriguing. While I'm sure the Cardinal would claim that this policy of compassion is a long time position of the Church, I find it interesting that it did not extend to Jews during the Holocaust - with the exception of some incredibly courageous individual priests and nuns.


-selah-

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Whoopsie - White House Offered CO Senate Candidate A Job To Quit Primary!

This is getting ridiculous. First Joe Sestak and now this:

The White House acknowledged Thursday that it made overtures to Colorado U.S. Senate candidate Andrew Romanoff about a possible administration job as it was trying to steer him away from a primary challenge against Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet.

The statement by Press Secretary Robert Gibbs came the day after Romanoff revealed that White House Deputy Chief of Staff Jim Messina offered to consider Romanoff for three posts as an alternative to his Senate campaign.

They're trying to spin it by claiming Romanoff had applied for a position with USAid during the presidential transition, but that has absolutely no bearing on the White House offering him a position later - after he was already in the Senate primary.

This is, quite simply a federal crime, an offer of something of value contingent on someone's political activity:

Whoever, directly or indirectly, promises any employment, position, compensation, contract, appointment, or other benefit, provided for or made possible in whole or in part by any Act of Congress, or any special consideration in obtaining any such benefit, to any person as consideration, favor, or reward for any political activity or for the support of or opposition to any candidate or any political party in connection with any general or special election to any political office, or in connection with any primary election or political convention or caucus held to select candidates for any political office, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both.

Not only did Romanoff name names, but he actually released an e-mail he got from Messina last year describing the positions they had in mind for him.

Now, here's the intriguing part.

Obviously, Rahm Emmanuel was involved, since no deputy Chief of Staff would do this on his own. And if Rahm Emmanuel was involved, it's likely he received his orders directly from Obama, just like with Sestak.

Given that there's a distinct possibility of a clear line to the president here, one has to wonder why they didn't get to Romanoff before hand and offer him an inducement to keep his mouth shut.

And I also wonder how far up the chain of command this is going to end up reaching before someone facing prison time and a fine decides not to fall on his sword and starts talking.

Unlike Gordon Liddy, these people are not particulary noted for loyalty or courage.

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Video: Netanyahu's Press Statement

A bit too apologetic for my taste, but not bad.

Hat tip Sammy

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Hamas Refusing to let 'Badly needed' Humanitarian Supplies Into Gaza

It appears the Israelis were right - not only were the supplies improperly packed and manifested in a way that would have precluded them being unloaded at any port, but they included stuff that wasn't even needed in Gaza.

At least, that's how Hamas apparently feels:

Hamas authorities on Tuesday refused to receive aid and supplies to the Gaza Strip through Israel, stressing that Israel must first free pro-Palestinian campaigners who were onboard an aid flotilla.

Israel can send aid that Gaza flotilla had carried to the coastal enclave "only if the shipments are complete and when Israel release all activists who were onboard the ships, Ziad Al- Zaza, Hamas' Minister of Economy, told Xinhua.

"The priority is to release the detained activists," Al-Zaza added.

On Monday, the Israeli navy stopped five of the vessels that were en route to Gaza to defy a three-year-old Israeli blockade, killing nine international activists and forcing the ships that carried 10,000 tons of aid into its sea ports.

Today, Israel allowed part of the aid, which originally included construction materials and medical supplies, to Gaza through one of its land crossing points, but Hamas refused to let that shipment in, witnesses told Xinhua.

Since the blockade was imposed to isolate Hamas, Israel has allowed food and medicine supplies into Gaza, but building and raw materials are banned.

Yup. They're simply starving to death, aren't they?

The part the Israelis didn't let in were banned construction material that would be used to construct fortifications and bunkers by Hamas.

The Jerusalem Post's ace reporter Khalid Abu Toamah has more here

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