Shame on Native Canadians.......

.............who voted to restore the rabidly anti-Semitic David Ahanakew to the Council of Chiefs because "he paid his dues" by being kicked out for five years: http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=c1c71732-1081-409b-88fb-a5188c2fcc27.

The man's a bigot. He hasn't changed. Why reinstate him?

Fatal Facebook

A Saudi woman was murdered by her father for committing the horrific, un-Islamic sin of chatting on Facebook: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/global/main.jhtml?xml=/global/2008/03/31/noindex/wsaudi131.xml&CMP=EMC-expat2008.

Yeah, that'll convince us in the West that we should all love Islam...........

The Dean of inconsistency

According to the always rational and clear-thinking Howard Dean, John McCain is a "blatant opportunist": http://www.democrats.org/a/2008/03/dean_new_ad_but.php. Dr. Dean, it appears, doesn't think much of the Senator's military record, though he was singing a diferent tune four years ago: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A23587-2004Mar25_2.html.

Unions and Israel

I've blogged quite a bit about the rabidly anti-Israel nature of the unions in Europe, and particularly those in the U.K. I am glad to write that while that anti-Israel attitude may be present in certain unions here in the U.S., that is by no means the rule: http://www.forward.com/articles/13033/.

The bottom line is that if Israel is to continue to survive, it can only do so if both the right and the left here in the U.S. support it. Given what is coming out of college campuses these days, I question wether that will continue to be the case, the good intentions of this union member notwithstanding.

Fitna to be tied

Geert Wilders' short film on Islamofascist hatred of all things western in general and all things Jewish in particular has come (titled "Fitna"), and not surprisingly, it has met with condemnations the world over from the usual suspects (The UN, EU, all Muslim States, etc., etc.). The film was available for a while on the "Liveleak" website, but that didn't work out too well for Liveleak's site administrators. Less than 12 hours after it was posted, it was removed, with the following notation (my comments are interspersed with the message):

"The Removal of Fitna: Official Liveleak Statement"

"Following threats to our staff of a very serious nature [Editor's note: Gee, I WONDER who possible could have made those threats? Presbyterians? Catholics? Hassidic Jews?], and some ill-informed reports from a certain corner of the British media [Editor's note: It HAS to be the BBC] that could directly affect the safety of certain members, Liveleak has been left with no alternative but to remove Fitna from our servers [Once again, the Religion of Peace and Tolerance has silenced a critic].

"This is a sad day for freedom of speech on the net but we have to place the safety and well being of our staff above all else [I'm disappointed, but certainly understand the site administrators' desire not to meet Theo Van Gogh's fate]. We would like to thank the thousands of people of all backgrounds and religions, who gave us their support. They realised Liveleak.com is a vehicle for many opinions and not just for the support of one [that message is certainly lost on the adherents of one particular faith, and its leftist enablers].

"Perhaps there is still hope that this situation may produce a discussion that could benefit and educate all of us as to how we can accept one another's culture [I'm certainly willing to do that, but I have a pretty good hunch that a certain segment of the population may not be willing to be so accepting].

"We stood for what we believe in, the ability to be heard, but in the end the price was too high [shame on the media that failed to support Liveleak, and the craven cowards who inhabit the UN, EU, etc., should be ashamed of their dhimmi surrender to the Islamofascists]."

I was lucky enough to download the film before it could be removed from Liveleak's website, but you can still see it at LGF's website, as well as at Atlas Shrugs and Solomonia, all of whom are on my blogroll.

UPDATE (5:30 P.M., 3/31/08): LIVELEAK HAS RESUMED SHOWING FITNA, ALONG WITH THE FOLLOWING MESSAGE:

** 30/3/2008: Liveleak Update **On the 28th of March LiveLeak.com was left with no other choice but to remove the film "fitna" from our servers following serious threats to our staff and their families. Since that time we have worked constantly on upgrading all security measures thus offering better protection for our staff and families. With these measures in place we have decided to once more make this video live on our site. We will not be pressured into censoring material which is legal and within our rules. We apologise for the removal and the delay in getting it back, but when you run a website you don't consider that some people would be insecure enough to threaten our lives simply because they do not like the content of a video we neither produced nor endorsed but merely hosted.

HERE IS THE LINK: http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=7d9_1206624103.

GOOD ON YOU, LIVELEAK!

Israel's enemies

They are vocal, and make no mistake, they are smart. Take a look at this long blog entry about how Americans can "act to stop the increasing power of Greater Israel": http://petras.lahaine.org/articulo.php?p=1661&more=1&c=1. Or how about this delightful piece of misinformed tripe, via the inimitable LGF: http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/3/28/1611/16064/892/486269. Not a shock, is it, that it came from the Obama-loving website The Daily Kos, is it?

I would call these pieces anti-Semitic, but that's fairly obvious, isn't it?

So much for free speech

The U.N. Commission on Human Rights has followed the instructions of its masters in the Organization of the Islamic Conference and passed a proclamation decrying "Religious Defamation": http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/1%2C7340%2CL-3524567%2C00.html.

Of course, we ALL know which religion is supposedly being defamed. It's come to the point where Muslims can say whatever they want about any other faith (mainly Judaism and Christianity), but NO ONE can say anything about Islam.

What a delightful situation.

Barack Obama's supporters

They include one Tony Wicher, who seems to think that if those inherently racist Israelis would just accept a "one state" solution, the Arabs would put down their weapons and everyone would get along just hunky dory: http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/tonywicher/CrPS.

I don't think that he's being naive. That would be giving him too much credit. No, he's just another rabidly anti-Israel freak, but it bears noting that he has been posting on Obama's website for a year now.

I hate it when this happens

Don't you just hate it when you're minding your own business and then, out of nowhere, a wombat comes along and rapes you, leaving you with an Australian accent? Well, this poor man hates it, too: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/global/main.jhtml?xml=/global/2008/03/28/noindex/wwombat127.xml&CMP=EMC-expat2008.

Not the image I have

Time Magazine has just done a story on how the image by Americans of British youth is that they are, in short, a bunch of violent, promiscuous drunks: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/global/main.jhtml?xml=/global/2008/03/28/noindex/ntime128.xml&CMP=EMC-expat2008.

Actually, that's not the image I have. The one in my mind is of a bunch of Islamified dhimmis who hate Israel.

Persistently anti-Israel

The proposed academic boycott by British educators of Israeli educators and institutions, which appeared to have been abandoned last year, has now raised its ugly head once again: http://education.guardian.co.uk/higher/news/story/0,,2268512,00.html. I would ask why the Brits are so consistently anti-Israel, but when your state broadcasting outlet, the BBC, is among the most virulently anti-Israeli outlets on the planet, I guess that it shouldn't be much of a surprise. And it's not just the English language Beeb that's anti-Israel--their Arabic language service is even worse: http://www.bbcwatch.co.uk/Reports/Report_6.pdf.

A good deed gets rewarded

I have had a lot to say about the relationship between the United States and my former homeland of Canada. That relationship took a decided turn for the better when Stephen Harper's Conservative Party was elected, and now we have situations such as this one, where the American Ambassador to Canada, David Wilkins, accompanies the Canadian Defense Minister to Afghanistan to personally thank Canadian troops for their valiant duty in that war-torn country: http://www.nationalpost.com/news/world/story.html?id=399262, a job also recognized by the American Ambassador to Afghanistan, William Wood: http://www.canada.com/topics/news/world/story.html?id=f890aac7-e7a9-4edc-a561-7e956e42a566&k=13927.

Canadians should be incredibly proud of the job their soldiers are doing, one of whom I might add is a long-time, close personal friend of mine. I am certainly proud of them.............

Same old, same old at the U.N.

If anything, the U.N. has become even more anti-Israel than ever. The latest farce is the appointment of two prominent Israel-haters, Richard Falk and Jean Ziegler, to prominent positions with the oxymoronically-named United Nations Human Rights Commission: http://www.unwatch.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=bdKKISNqEmG&b=1316871&ct=5137875.

Honestly, at what point does Israel just say, "You know, we don't need this anymore. We hate you as much as you hate us" and leave the organization? I can't for the life of me see why it bothers to have anything to do with this blatantly anti-Semitic organization.

Would you want this endorsement?

Hugo Chavez, the Venezuelan Generalissimo and President, has implicitly endorsed whichever Democrat wins the party's nomination for the Presidency: http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSN2540966820080325?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews&rpc=22&sp=true. He describes John McCain as a "man of war", and indicates that if McCain is elected President, relations between the two countries could deteriorate even further.

If I were either Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton, I wouldn't want this guy mentioned in the same sentence as me................

What can the Russians contribute?

Russia is apparently determined to organize a Middle East "Peace Conference": http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1206446104941&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull. I have to ask, what good will this serve? Russia holds no sway over Israel, and only a minimal influence over the Arab states. I see this as nothing but a photo-op, one which Israel would be well advised to avoid.

Barack Obama loves Israel

Well............maybe not. First it was Zbigniew Brzezinski. After him it was Samantha Power. Then came Robert Malley. Now, it's Merril McPeak, the Senator's military advisor. What do they all have in common? A shared antipathy towards Israel and a belief that those manipulative Jews are subverting American foreign policy for their own, nefarious goals: http://www.spectator.org/dsp_article.asp?art_id=12937.

These are the people who are advising Obama on foreign policy. Any questions?

Israel, saviour of the.............Muslims?

Yup, you read that right. Israel, alone in the Middle East, apparently, is taking in Darfurian refugees (who are also Muslim), and integrating them into Israeli society: http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/seth_freedman/2008/03/darfur_refugees_in_israel.html.

You don't see Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria, Syria, Jordan, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon, Iran, Malaysia, Indonesia, Senegal, Pakistan, etc., etc., doing that, do you? Yet, apart from this article in the Guardian of all places, this story has received absolutely no publicity. I guess that if it doesn't involve Israeli "atrocities" against the Palestinians, it's not worthy of discussion.............

Lynched by the facts

Jeremiah Wright's successor as the pastor of Barack Obama's church, Otis Moss, just delivered an Easter sermon in which he complained bitterly that Reverend Wright was the victim of a "lynching", apparently at the hands of the media and blogosphere: http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/03/23/in-eastor-sermon-trinity-united-pastor-compares-rev-wright-to-jesus/.

Maybe it's just me, but when a person puts their thoughts on DVD and makes them available to all, and where those thoughts contain hatred of this and at least one other country (yes, I mean Israel), maybe you shouldn't be upset when those views become public?

The type of story that makes me sick

I'm an animal lover in general and a dog lover in particular, so when I read a story about a South American "artist" who apparently feels that art can and does consist of starving a dog to death, I can get pretty worked up: http://petloverstips.com/ForTheLoveoftheDog/news-updates/a-dead-dog-as-art-petition.

I suppose that there are individuals who are MUCH more sophisticated than me who are probably sneering in contempt at how I "just don't get it". The thing is, they're right. I don't get it, and never will. Torture isn't art. Animal cruelty isn't art.

I wonder how this "artist" would feel if the same thing were done to him?

What a Dingelling

Congressman John Dingell of Michigan has proposed a 50 cent a gallon gas tax hike in an effort to curb American gas consumption, which he hopes will aid in slowing Global Warming: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,298271,00.html.

Hmm, let's see. Who would be hardest hit by this? I don't think that it would be the Hummer-driving suburbanite, who will bitch and moan but can probably afford the higher cost. No, it'll be those same poor people about whom Dingell supposedly cares so much. As well, this hike wouldn't just affect gas prices. Memo to Congressman Dingell: It's Economics 101. If you are a business--let's just say it's a chain of grocery stores--and your costs (shipping, etc.) get driven up by this, to whom are you going to pass the cost? Umm, that would be us, Mr. & Mrs. Public. So, a huge gas tax hike like this would affect not just the cost of gas, but everything that is transported by vehicles or equipment that uses gas (which is to say, virtually all food and consumer goods), airfares, public transportation (what, do you think that buses don't require fuel?) and I could go on and on.

Good idea, Congressman!

Obamamania story of the day

I have to be honest. As a sports fan, I think that it's very cool that Barack Obama has an NCAA Tournament Pool going: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080320/ap_on_el_pr/political_play_of_the_day. The thing is.............so does John McCain. The way the story is written, however, it makes it seem like McCain is just desperately trying to stay relevant by having one.

Nope, no bias there..................

Phone marriage?

Okay according to the Islamic Shariah code, even if one of the "participants" is autistic, but not according to the British Justice system: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/global/main.jhtml?xml=/global/2008/03/20/noindex/nphone119.xml&CMP=EMC-expat2008. And speaking of Shariah, the gender-apartheid Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has just witnessed the opening of the world's first "Women Only" hotel: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/global/main.jhtml?xml=/global/2008/03/20/noindex/nluthan120.xml&CMP=EMC-expat2008.

Anyone want to try to sell me on how Shariah is just a "different" way of doing things?

Farewell to a literary pioneer

Science Fiction legend Arthur C. Clarke died today at the age of 90, in his home in Sri Lanka: http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/story.html?id=12f861db-fd4b-4269-b8a2-830d131019f8&k=93378. I always loved Sci-Fi when I was a kid, and used to devour Clarke's books, along with those of Robert Heinlein, Isaac Asimov, Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle, etc., etc. I still read some Sci-Fi today, but not as much, though whenever I do, it brings me back to my teenager years.

R.I.P., Mr. Clarke.........

Canada comes up big for Israel

Ironically, Canada is now more supportive of Israel than the United States: http://www.thestar.com/printArticle/346766. Canada was the first country to announce that it is boycotting the Durban II "Anti-Racism" Conference. It was the lone voice on the U.N. Human Rights Commission to vote against a resolution condemning Israel for its "disproportionate" actions in Gaza.

At least on a temporary basis, Canada has abandoned the pro-Arab position it had held under the Liberal governments which had been in power since 1993, a rare positive development in Israel's world standing.

Ignoring a threat

We burn while Iran fiddles: http://www.meforum.org/article/1873. I have blogged in the past about the growing threat that Iran poses to the United States, and that threat is only getting more serious as the days pass. Iran has forged close ties with Latin American countries such as Venezuela, Bolivia and Nicaragua, and as the article to which I have linked points out, it is now making deep inroads into Africa.

One has to wonder; we never let the Soviet Union make these kind of moves without SOME type of response, yet the Bush 43 Administration seems strangely somnambulant about this. For the life of me, I can't figure out why, given Iran's apocalyptic rhetoric about the United States.

I'd settle for tanking

The U.S. economy is now doing much worse than just tanking, and I blame it on a Federal Reserve that seems not to understand the basic principles of economics and a Federal government (both the Executive and Legislative branches) that seems to not fully understand that the entire world has now lost confidence in our economy and our ability to (at some point) get our economic house in order. Frankly, I can't blame anyone who bails on the U.S. right now: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120571257905240327.html?mod=djemEditorialPage.

There are some basic, common-sense principles that are being ignored by the Fed and the Government. For one, you don't get yourself out of debt by creating MORE debt, which shows the stupidity of an economic "stimulus" package that will stimulate absolutely nothing. Second, cutting interest rates time and again is nothing but a series of "quick fixes" which temporarily reassure Wall Street until the cooler heads there realize that the reasons that we are in an apparent economic freefal haven't changed one bit. What those interest cuts do is drive DOWN the value of the dollar, which hits historic new lows against virtually every other currency in the world on almost a daily basis. That in turn makes it harder on us. Everything becomes more expensive. Food, transportation, clothing, you name it. It's all affected by the dollar collapse. Third--and I thought that this was a basic lesson in Economics 101--you can't keep spending more than you take in without it eventually messing up everything else. In other words, and as a corollary to my first point, until we balance our budget and endure whatever hard choices have to be made, the situation will only get worse.

How's that for a cheery way to begin the week?

Some rhetorical questions

Tibet is rising up against its Chinese masters: http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/story.html?id=b82c4a23-be86-4fec-ad89-3e722f7f9306&k=7706.

Some questions that have crossed my mind:

1) Will the U.N. Security Council even mention this, let alone condemn it?
2) Will the U.N. Human Rights Commission even mention this, let alone condemn it?
3) Will there be any accusations that the Chinese actions are "disproportionate", and unfairly penalize civilians?
4) Will there be any accusations that the Chinese--who have occuppied Tibet for longer than the Israelis have "occupied" the West Bank (or Gaza, which has been Judenrein since the summer of 2005), are engaging in "collective punishment"?

Yeah, I didn't think so, either.............

I must be missing something

These are stories that must be read together to fully appreciate their irony:
http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/politics/blog/2008/03/rice_gets_congress_give_palest.html

http://africa.reuters.com/wire/news/usnL13847252.html.

On one hand, Condoleeza Rice, who is starting to make me nostalgic for the days of James "F--- the Jews" Baker and Madeline Albright, is strongarming Congress into giving hundreds of millions of dollars in extra aid to the Palestinians, "because they really are committed to peace". On the other, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas--you remember, he's the MODERATE leader of Fatah--is screeching that Israel is committing ethnic cleansing in Jerusalem.

Yup, sure sounds moderate to me................

Laying it all out

Hamas keeps telling everyone around the world who and what it is: http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/1710.htm. We just choose not to listen. I almost get the feeling that a lot of people in the West think that if a few million Jews die because of our mistaken belief, so be it...........

Are you kidding me?

A judge in Canada has ruled that the government wrongly denied a passport to an Algerian-Canadian who was convicted and served time in a French prison for being involved in terrorism: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2008/03/13/kamel-passport.html.

Maybe it's just me, but it would seem like actually being convicted of being a terrorist would be a sufficient reason to deny someone a passport...........

An Angry Leftie in a rare moment of candor

I've blogged previously about how dishonest the "I support the troops but I'm against the war" motto of the left is. The fact of the matter is the the left supports neither, and I'll give credit to this one particular moonbat for being honest enough to admit it: http://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/issue/2008-03-11/article/29447. This particular piece is chock full of the all of the left's talking points; U.S. troops are a bunch of bloodthirsty savages; the U.S. is an imperialist, evil nation; Americans are on a par with the residents of Nazi Germany. You name it, it's in there. Read it at your own peril.

Let's see if the MSM goes anywhere near this

Barack Obama's former preacher, Jeremiah Wright, is quite the moonbat, as it turns out. He doesn't hold a very high opinion of the United States, Israel or pretty much anything else in the West: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video_log/2008/03/brian_ross_reports_on_obamas_c.html. The MSM has done everything but officially declare its allegiance to the Obama Presidential Campaign, so it would not surprise me at all if this important issue was simply ignored or glossed over. Why is it so important? For one simple reason: Obama has proclaimed to one and all that his judgment is better than that of his adversaries (on Iraq, the environment, etc.). Well, how good can that judgment be if he has voluntarily associated with a hatemonger like Wright for years?

Memo to the United States Government

As a tax-paying CITIZEN of this great country, I feel that I can say this: GET YOUR *(#$^@&#!! HOUSE IN ORDER! NOW! Cut spending, balance the budget and start paying off that national debt. If we all need to tighten our belts a little bit, and maybe that jumbo-size SUV has to wait another year (or two, or three........), so be it. Your spendthrift, profligate ways are bankrupting us all: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080313/ap_on_bi_ge/diving_dollar.

I wouldn't be allowed to run my life this way. Why should you?

Remember, HE'S the moderate

Palestinian "President" Mahmoud Abbas has accused Israel of committing a "barbaric holocaust" in Gaza and of being a terrorist state after it killed four Islamic Jihad terrorists in the West Bank: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3518471,00.html.

Let's not forget, this is the man who the MSM and the U.S. State Department keep telling us is a "moderate" who wants peace with Israel. Yeah, sure he does....................

And the English are also still, apparently, the English

On the heels of my post earlier today, we now have a situation where the U.K. is banning an Israeli politician from entering Great Britain: http://www.thejc.com/home.aspx?ParentId=m11s18&SecId=18&AId=58606&ATypeId=1. I guess that this was a case of "preventative measures", given that the politician, Moishe Feiglin, has no plans to visit Britain: http://www.thejc.com/home.aspx?ParentId=m11&SecId=11&AId=58642&ATypeId=1. It makes sense, I guess. After all, one wouldn't want to have one of those Nazi-like ZIONISTS roaming the countryside. On the other, letting Hezbollah operatives tour the country is A-Ok: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=521448&in_page_id=1770. And, I guess that we shouldn't be surprised given that this same bureaucratic functionary, a brainless nimrod by the name of Jacqui Smith, was the genius who ordered that Islamofascist terrorism is to henceforth be referred to as "Anti-Islamic Activity": http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=508901&in_page_id=1&in_page_id=1&expand=true.

I guess that it's official. The political leadership in the U.K. really HAS lost its collective mind.

The French are still the French

There are few certainties in life--Death, taxes, Philadelphia's professional sports teams will not win a title, and..............the French will always remain true to their character: http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/03/12/europe/france.php. This means, of course, that they will stick a knife in the back of the United States at each and every opportunity, and Sarkozy or no Sarkozy, they will sell Israel out at the first available opportunity (though in all fairness, Condoleeza Rice seems determined to do much the same thing).

I guess that the old cliche is true; a leopard really can't change its spots.

A change in status

Not for the blog. For me, personally. As of 3:45 this afternoon, I became an American citizen. Though some may find it hokey, and others may have sentiments which are significantly darker than that, this is one of the most emotional and proud moments of my life. The United States has given me a wonderful home for the past 16 1/2 years. I can't wait until November, to vote in my first general election.

Anti-Semitism 2.0

The Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs has a very long and detailed examination about how modern anti-Semitism is much more sophisticated than its predecessors: http://www.jcpa.org/JCPA/Templates/ShowPage.asp?DRIT=3&DBID=1&LNGID=1&TMID=111&FID=253&PID=0&IID=2054&TTL=Online_Antisemitism_2.0._%22Social_Antisemitism%22_on_the_%22Social_Web%22*.

Most fascinating to me is its discussion of such websites as YouTube and Facebook, as I am a "member" of both sites. One of the things which scares me is that the web, for all of the good that it does, enables purveyors of hate to spread their malevolence around that much more quickly. Any Jew out there, such as myself, needs to be aware of the threat that this poses to us.

I guess that this would solve the problem

A Pakistani newspaper editor has advocated that Pakistan use nuclear weapons to "free" Kashmir from Indian control: http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/6072.htm. That this would cause a nuclear conflagration which would result in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people on both sides of the border, if not millions, seems to concern him not in the least.

This speaks for itself

A so-called Arab leader in East Jerusalem has denied that there has ever been any Jewish connection to the city, and that Jews eat bread dipped in the blood of non-Jews: http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?c=JPArticle&cid=1204546446423&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull. That last comment was most likely a metaphor (a vile metaphor, mind you, but a metaphor nonetheless), but it is illustrative of the Palestinian mindset.

What the Israeli left is thinking

As it turns out, it's the same type of self-hatred that the left here in the U.S. feels: http://www.peres-center.org/Media/from%20oslo%20to%20taba.pdf. Just as is the case here, the Israeli left blames Israel exclusively for the "cycle of violence" in the Middle East. In fact, if you read carefully enough, you will realize that in its view, there is NO "cycle of violence". Rather, there is merely a series of violent acts by militaristic Israelis against (mostly) defenseless Palestinians. Period. Look at where the analysis begins--in 1996, as the author completely ignores the waves of homicide bombers unleashed by Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat agains Israel following the signing of the 1993 "Peace" Accord between 1993 and 1996.

In a way, this article is reassuring, as it confirms that the Political Left is historically ignorant (or deliberately deceitful, depending on how much of the benefit of the doubt one wishes to give it) no matter where it is.

The story of the day

The story of the day is the sex scandal involving New York Governor Elliot Spitzer. Spitzer, a Democrat, has been linked to a high-priced prostitution ring (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23561606/), and it was originally reported that he would resign, though as of the time that I am writing this (about 9:30 at night) he hasn't done so.

Do NOT count me as being among those conservatives who are gloating at Spitzer's apparent downfall. He has a wife, and he has children. Do you think that it serves them any good to see their father publicly humiliated, even if it was something he did to himself? I feel for them, and see them as the true victims of this supposedly victimless crime.

An accurate analysis

Greg Sheridan, writing in the Australian, separates the wheat from the chaff and neatly summarizes why there has been no peace between Israel and the Palestinians: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23337782-7583,00.html.

While he is fairly detailed, Sheridan does miss one central point, which is that there can never be peace where one side does not even acknowledge the other's right to exist. Until the Palestinians accept that Israel is not going to simply disappear (this qualification is subject to revision when Iran finally gets its nuclear bomb), a day I don't believe will ever occur, there cannot be peace. It's that simple.

An unhappy repetition of history

Those of us old enough to remember it can recall the "stagflation" days of the 1970s and early 1980s. A former Federal Reserve banker is pointing out that the current economic situation bears a distressingly similar echo to those days, though with one important, ominous distinction: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120511152715823437.html?mod=djemEditorialPage. That distinction is this: At least in the 1970s, we were fairly honest with ourselves about our economic indices. That is not the case now. How can you have a true measure of inflation where the cost of fuel and food is excluded? It would seem to me that strictly from a "logical" standpoint, that is where the analysis should begin. All of us, with few exceptions, have fuel costs (oil, gas, etc., to heat our homes, fuel for our cars, or fuel for the public transportation we use), and everyone without exception have to eat.

If the government won't even be honest with us about this basic fact, how can we trust it on this or any other issue?

So funny............and so unfortunately true

I've often linked to the inimitable Pat Condell, who is as forthright as he is funny. I don't share his complete contempt for all religion, but when he gets on a rant about Islamofascism, he's absolutely priceless: http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=30a_1204991129.

Watch, listen and enjoy............

Can't they keep it in their pants?

There's apparently a sex epidemic of sorts going on in the U.K.........only it's not between men and women. No, no, it's between men and various inanimate objects such as a vacuum cleaner, lamp post and bicycle: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/global/main.jhtml?xml=/global/2008/03/06/noindex/nlamppost106.xml. You have to wonder what would possesss a man to look at his mountain bike and think, "Say...........that's kind of cute! Maybe I'll get lucky with it tonight!"

There's something to be said for being consistent

Once again, an Arab state has blocked a U.N. Security Council resolution condemning the horrific Palestinian terrorist attack yesterday at the Yeshivah in Jerusalem: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jBPlt_Tm5R4AtqFpaRdXCXoYlJdgD8V8DGE80. Of course, it's not like the U.S. did so much to push for the resolution, and I'd be willing to bet that Condoleeza Rice was probably blaming Israel for the atrocity in private conversations.

Once again, the United Nations has demonstrated its utter uselessness in the face of evil. On the other hand, the Human Rights Commission did manage to find the time to once again condemn Israel: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gas24zdOxdQcBQRTEuKAHPpObsPgD8V84ELG0. You can be 100% certain that the HRC will have nothing to say about the terrorist attack on the Yeshivah.

Well, if you say so!

Susan Rice, a policy advisor to Barack Obama, is apparently quite put off by the Hillary Clinton ad which suggests strongly that Obama is not ready for prime time when it comes to dealing with major foreign affairs crises. You see, in her view, NEITHER one of them is qualified to take that midnight phone call: http://www.weeklystandard.com/weblogs/TWSFP/2008/03/is_obama_ready_for_prime_time.asp. And just for good measure, even Hillary Clinton acknowledges that John McCain is vastly more qualified to be President than Barack Obama: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMVOT-IH8sg&eurl=http://www.towleroad.com/2008/03/clinton-endorse.html.

It's rare that you see that kind of honesty in politics.

They must be so proud of themselves

Arab terrorists attacked a Jewish seminary in Jerusualem today, killing several (the exact number is not yet known) students and wounding many more: http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/03/06/mideast/index.html. Here's the line that struck me in the CNN article: "CNN's Ben Wedeman in Gaza reported celebratory shooting shortly after the attack."

Yup, nothing like dead Jews to really get one to feel good about oneself. These are the people with whom Israel is supposed to make peace, right? Sure, that's going to happen REALLY soon....................

Civilized countries do this?

It's a minor (at best) story on this continent, but talk to any Japanese national about North Korean abductions and you will get a definite reaction: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120475201742314523.html?mod=djemEditorialPage. I can't conceive of sending agents over to anoher country and simply kidnapping random civilians. What, there aren't enough people in your own country to torture?

An oldie but a goodie.........

Dan Rather, Katie Couric, and an Israeli sergeant were all captured by terrorists in Iraq. The leader of the terrorists told them that he would grant them each one last request before they were beheaded.

Dan Rather said, "Well, I'm a Texan, so I'd like one last bowlful of hot spicy chili." The leader nodded to an underling who left and returned with the chili. Rather ate it all and said, "Now I can die content."

Katie Couric said, "I'm a reporter to the end. I want to take out my tape recorder and describe the scene here and what's about to happen. Maybe someday someone will hear it and know that I was on the job till the end." The leader directed an aide to hand over the tape recorder and Couric dictated some comments. She then said, "Now I can die happy."

The leader turned and said, "And now , Mr. Israeli tough guy, what is your final wish?" "Kick me in the ass," said the soldier.""What?" asked the leader? "Will you mock us in your last hour?" "No, I'm not kidding. I want you to kick me in the ass," insisted the Israeli. So the leader shoved him into the open and kicked him in the ass. The soldier went sprawling, but rolled to his knees, pulled a 9 mm pistol from under his flack jacket, and shot the leader dead. In the resulting confusion, he jumped to his knapsack, pulled out his carbine and sprayed the terrorists with gunfire. In a flash, all terrorists were either dead or fleeing for their lives.

As the soldier was untying Rather and Couric, they asked him, "Why didn't you just shoot them in the beginning? Why did you ask them to kick you in the ass first?""What?" replied the Israeli, "And have you two assholes report that I was the aggressor?"

Obscene, even by the warped standards of The Guardian

Seamas Milne of The Guardian is well known for his hatred of the West in general, and the United States and Israel in particular. After all, this is the same guy who, just two days after 9/11, wrote a piece blaming it on the United States: http://www.alhewar.org/SEPTEMBER%2011/americans_cannot_ignore.htm. In today's edition of the paper, he has combined his hatred of both in one, all-encompassing, vile diatribe: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/mar/05/israelandthepalestinians.usa. He begins by accusing Israel of promising a "Holocaust" for the Palestinians (another blood libel which has already been debunked), goes from there to the canard that the Qassam and Katyusha rockets are "home made" (another myth), and it goes downhill from there.

He accuses Israel of occuppying Gaza, even though Gaza has been Judenrein for over 2 1/2 years, and claims that Israel controls all access to the terrorist statelet, a claim which I am sure surprises Egypt whose Gaza barricade was so famously (temporarily) destroyed by Hamas last month, and repeats his call for Israel to commit demographic suicide by admitting all "expelled refugees". At one point, his venomous poison becomes almost comical, as he accuses the BBC of being "pro-Israel".

This is what Israel is up against in the European Press. Is it any wonder why the state is hated by Western Europeans?

Primary season isn't over just yet...........

............at least not on the Democratic side. Dealing with the Republicans first, however, John McCain has now officially clinched the party's Presidential nomination, leaving as the only mystery who he will select as his running mate. We will likely have to wait several months to find that out.

On the Democratic side, the intrigue and suspense continue, as Hillary Clinton captured narrow wins in Ohio and Texas (as well as Rhode Island) to offset Barack Obama's win in Vermont: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080305/ap_on_el_pr/campaign_delegates. Given Obama's failure to put Clinton away yesterday, there is now one big primary left, Pennsylvania, which will take place in April. I'm sure that Keystone State voters did not think that they would have the option of being kingmakers, but that's exactly what's apparently going to happen. What happened yesterday in the Democratic primaries was the best possible outcome for John McCain, one would think. Now, the Democrats will continue to spend money and pound each other while he (McCain) marshals his forces and positions himself for November. As well, there exists at least a possibility that given the near dead heat between Obama and Clinton, the party will be sharply divided after the convention this coming summer. Time will tell, of course, but it certainly makes for good reading!

Here's why "civilians" get killed

So much is being made in the West (and especially in Israel-hating Europe) about the deaths of "civilians" at the hands of the Zionist/Fascist/Nazi/Imperialist Jews. There is an extremely telling line in the Haaretz story on the recent Israeli incursion into the Gaza Strip which I think is illustrative of the fact that the Western media either doesn't "get it" when it comes to the mentality of the Palestinian terrorists. The story can be found here: http://haaretz.com/hasen/spages/960855.html.

The line is as follows: "The officers said some of the Palestinian civilians were hit by "heavy and inaccurate" Palestinian fire. In one case an officer saw a boy of about 10 sent to bring a weapon from a dead gunman. The officer ordered his men not to fire and the boy delivered the weapon to other armed men."

Gee, when you send 10-year old out do deliver weapons on a battlefield, you think that there just might be a casualty or two? Now, I have no doubt that this is exactly what Hamas wants, but why does the Western media have to be so complicit in this scam?

Hypocrisy, thy middle name is "Steinem"

Yesterday, I blogged about how feminist icon Gloria Steinem trashed John McCain and said that his military service at best didn't matter and at worst was a negative. Well, turns out that four years ago, she was singing a very different tune: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,605468,00.html.

I guess that when you're a Democrat, military service IS something of which you should be proud. Then again, we all know how much more distinguished John Kerry's military record is when compared with John McCain's, don't we?

Go to another blog!

Go the Breath of the Beast (on my blogroll), and to the following link, specifically: http://breathofthebeast.blogspot.com/2008/03/think-happy-thoughts-about-people-who.html. It is one of the best outlines and discussions of "Muslim Rage" that you can ever hope to read.

When is being a genuine war hero a minus?

When you're talking to a card-carrying member of the Angry Left, of course: http://www.observer.com/2008/stumping-clinton-steinem-says-mccains-p-o-w-cred-overrated. Turns out that in the world in which Gloria Steinem lives, being a hero such as John McCain (who even his most ardent critics have--to this point--acknowledged IS a war hero) is at best overrated and at worst a detriment to his serving as the Commander-in-Chief. Yup, that war hero crap is just SO passe...................

I find it interesting that Steinem has so much to say on this subject, but she's dead silent on the issue of honour killings or the gender apartheid in Saudi Arabia...................

Is ANYONE paying attention?

I don't care if it's repetitive, I'm going to keep blogging about the sagging economy and its effect on ALL of us. Oil prices just hit a new all-time high, and much of the reason for this latest spike in prices is the continuing collapse of the U.S. Dollar: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080303/ap_on_bi_ge/oil_prices. This collapse affects virtually everything we do and buy, the price of oil just being the most obvious example. In a domino-like effect, this causes products we buy to become more expensive, as transportation costs rise. No matter what you buy, you'll pay more for it as well as more to go to the place to buy it. This higher cost is most evident in the cost of food, where such staples as milk, bread and fruit are more expensive than they were less than a year ago.

All of this ties directly into the fall of the Greenback, which itself is to a large degree based on our government's incredible state of indebtedness. People around the world (as well as here) have no faith in our economy to pull itself together. And don't get too excited about those "economic stimulus" checks that many of us are supposed to receive at some poin in the next couple of months. First of all, writing these checks will put the government is even more debt, which is the last thing we need. That will cause even further selling of U.S. Dollars, which will in turn drive oil prices up even higher, and round and round we go. Second--and this is a dirty little secret that the President, Congress and the IRS didn't share with anyone--did you all know that those checks will be considered to be taxable income? Yup, after taxing us to get our money, and then holding it, the government gives a tiny fraction of it back to us and is going to tax us on it again. Isn't that special? My advice to everyone is to NOT spend the money. Set aside a chunk of it for taxes, and then put the rest into a savings account. Believe me, you're going to need it.............

European Union condemns Israel

This headline ranks right up there with "Sun rises in the morning", "Miami found to be south of Montreal", and "Summer is warmer than winter" in terms of its surprise effect. Yet, it still bears discussing: http://www.reuters.com/article/featuredCrisis/idUSL02415205. That the EU has condemned Israel's "disproportionate" response in Gaza to the neverending series of rockets attacks is not a shock at all. Sure, the EU statement contains the mandatory "Rocket attacks are bad, too", but that's just so that the Euroweenies can make the pretense of being somewhat objective about the situation. The fact of the matter, however, is that the EU long ago picked a side in this dispute. It is an enemy of Israel, to put it even more bluntly. The sooner that Israel realizes this, the better off it will be.

Canada caves

This is the most disappointing story I read today. Canada's Conservative government has indicated that no matter what, the Canadian involvement in the NATO Afghanistan mission will end in the year 2011: http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/story.html?id=11147521-453f-478c-86ff-7a8dc9a66abb&k=16514. This represents a "victory" for the opposition Liberal Party, which ironically is the party which first sent Canadian troops to Afghanistan. So, it looks like dealing with the Taliban and al Qaeda in the country will be left to the U.S. and U.K.

Some sporting thoughts for a Sunday night

I was watching the sports earlier this evening and saw that the Phillies renewed star lefthander Cole Hamels' contract for $500,000. Now, that is their right, but it certainly does not mean that it was smart, because Hamels is no fool, and A) He knows that he is by far the best pitcher on the team, and one of the best young starters in the majors, and B) he is grossly underpaid by today's standards, and as a result, he is already bitter. So, Hamels will be a free agent in three or four years--I'm not sure exactly how long he has--and I would be willing to bet just about anything that he will be gone from the team as soon as he possibly can. Good move, Phillies....................As loathe as I am to admit it, I think that right now the Los Angeles Lakers are the best team in the NBA. Yes, I know that the Celtics still have the league's best record, and the Rockets have won 15 in a row, but after the Lakers fleeced the Grizzlies in acquiring Pau Gasol, they now have the complimentary player for Kobe Bryant that the team has needed ever since Shaquille O'Neal became a resident of South Florida. Don't be surprised if the season doesn't end with yet another title in Tinseltown................................This came as a shock to me, as a Montreal Canadiens fan. Last night, when the Habs beat the Devils 2-1 to move into first place overall in the Eastern Conference, it marked the latest the the team has been in first place in the conference since the 1992-1993 season. Now, I am holding no illusions about Montreal winning the Cup this year, as it did 15 years ago, but for the first time since that year, there are some glimmers of optimism in the form of a young, fast group of forwards and a rookie goalie whose style of play reminds a lot of people of all-world goalie Roberto Luongo. The Canadiens will not make it out of the Eastern Conference playoffs, and may very well go out in the first round, but the building blocks are there for the team to be a consistent playoff contender for a while................................It's just Manny being Manny. Manny Ramirez of the Boston Red Sox has hired the Darth Vader of the sports agent world, Scott Boras. Before Red Sox fans go searching for a cliff off of which they can throw themselves, however, it should be noted that Boras actually has a pretty good relationship with Sawx management, one of the few teams about which that can be said. So, it's not a given that ManRam will be history once his contract runs out...........................Several countries' Olympic committees are barring their athletes from doing or saying anything political while they are in China for this year's Summer Olympics. The idea is that "sports and politics aren't supposed to mix". Well, if there is anything that the 1968 (John Carlos, et al.), 1972 (Black September), 1980 (Afghanistan) and 1984 (Soviets get their revenge) Olympics taught us, it's that the Olympics are ALL about politics. Those athletes who wish to speak their minds should be allowed to do so, and if the Chinese don't like it, too bad for them.................................My Miami Hurricanes scored one of the top recruiting classes in the country in terms of young football talent. These players do not always turn out to be studs in college, but the fact that Miami finally locked down a top-level recruiting class shows that if nothing else, Coach Randy Shannon has acquired former Head Coach Butch Davis' ability to keep home a good chunk of the rich talent base in Southeast Florida. Let's just hope that Shannon can also prove that he is a good coach.................................A friend privately accused me of playing favourites by not trashing Roger Clemens the same way that I went after Barry Bonds. Frankly, at this point I am "steroided" out, but I'll say this. Clemens (in my view) is just as much of a cheater and a liar as Bonds, and his "records" are just as suspect. Neither one belongs in the Hall of Fame.

Let the anti-Israel propagandizing begin

The cowed and meek government of Ehud Olmert is finally doing something about the thousands of rockets that have rained down on Sderot and other Israeli towns since the Israeli pullout from Gaza in August of 2005, and articles like this are the result: http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/story.html?id=6018d1e9-6d47-41ae-bf2e-7aed44e2896e&k=33383.

I don't even know where to start. The article accuses Israel of indiscriminately killing "civilians", but let's not forget that Palestinians inevitably overstate both who is a civilian (for example, those launching the rockets are considered by Palestinian sources to be "civilians") as well as the number of dead. Next, and as might be expected, Israel is being condemned by Europeans for using "disproportionate force". I think that anyone with half a brain would accept that that no matter what Israel did to address the rocket attacks, it would be regarded by the EU as "disproportionate". Then again, given that the Europeans have mastered the art of killing each other off in huge numbers over the years, I guess that they know whereof they speak on this issue.

The article also refers to Israel "killing a 14-year old boy". Of course, no mention is made of what the boy may have been doing, or where he was.

I guess that I shouldn't be surprised by any of this, and I'm not. Of course, that it's not surprising doesn't make it any less upsetting.........

UPDATE (8:06 a.m., 3/3/08): The "blood libel" is already being employed as a propaganda tool by newspapers in the U.K.: http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/leading-articles/leading-article-only-a-new-president-can-end-gazas-nightmare-790494.html.

Like father, like sons

George Steinbrenner was never shy (and presumably still isn't) about speaking his mind, especially when it came to the subject of the despised Boston Red Sox. Turns out that his sons, Hank and Hal, who now run the team, don't harbour much love for the Red Sox or their fans either: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3271124&campaign=rss&source=ESPNHeadlines.

No such thing as Red Sox Nation, eh? I was at the Red Sox-Phillies games here during the 2006 season, and there were at least as many Boston fans at the games as Philadelphia fans. A good friend of mine was at an Orioles-Red Sox game in Baltimore last summer, and the poor Orioles were treated like they were the road team. Methinks the Steinbrenner boys might want to rethink their comments............