Showing posts with label Anti-Israel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Anti-Israel. Show all posts
Sunday, March 9, 2014
You can't trust the Obama Administration on Israel
The American betrayal of Israel is continuing apace. Now, we have the announcement (done quietly, of course) that the U.S. will not insist that the Palestinians recognize that Israel as a Jewish state. So, what exactly have the Palestinians been asked to give up thus far? Near as I can tell, the answer is "absolutely nothing." Israel , on the other hand, is being asked to give up everything or face international isolation, sanctions and world opprobrium. I expect this of the feckless and inherently anti-Semitic Europeans, but am disappointed that even the Americans are seemingly now failing to have Israel's back. Sadly, it appears as though no one has Israel's back, anymore................
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
Tuesdays Stink (and other miscellaneous thoughts)
Really, they do. You don't have the "glow" of the just-completed weekend anymore, and the next weekend is still far off in the future (or so it feels, anyway). I have always hated them and I still do. I remember that as a kid, I used to routinely "get sick" and end up in the nurse's office on Tuesdays, to the point where it was a running joke at my elementary school, and my late mother threatened me that unless I was near death, I was NOT going to be allowed to come home early from school, and even then, she wanted to speak to a doctor first.
I'm still a sports fan, but as I've gotten older, my interest in it has really dropped off. Growing up, and even into my twenties and early thirties, I would often plan my life around sporting events (when my favourite teams were on tv, etc.). Now, I often don't even bother to watch when those teams are on tv. Is that typical? Don't get me wrong, I still have teams for which I cheer, and those against whom I cheer just as strongly, but the outcomes don't really affect me the way they did in the past. I remember in 1988, when I was still in my early twenties, the Montreal Canadiens lost a playoff series to the Boston Bruins, and it was the first time in 45 years that that had happened. I was devastated for weeks, and it was just as bad the next year when Montreal lost to Calgary in the Stanley Cup Finals. Now, when the Habs lose, it bothers me, but my attitude is more of a "Oh, well", a shrug of the shoulders, and life goes on.
One of the "joys" of getting older is seeing the people with whom you have interacted vanish from your life. In the past few weeks, four people (one judge, three lawyers) with whom I had dealt regularly all passed away. It really is depressing. Three of them were older, so their passing wasn't entirely unexpected, but one of them wasn't much older than me. It really makes you think. Good Lord, I'm turning into Billy Crystal's character at the beginning of the first City Slickers movie...................
I get that people aren't happy with the way President Obama has responded to the Ukraine crisis, and one thing that hasn't changed in the four years that passed during my blogging hiatus is that I continue to be a critic of his foreign policy. However, what exactly SHOULD he be doing? Do people want us to intervene militarily in the Ukraine, and if that's what they want, are they prepared for the consequences of such an intervention? We would almost certainly lose, given that Russia is right next door and we have no large numbers of military forces nearby. The world economy would tank. Oil prices would double (or worse). The Europeans will not help us, given that they are completely dependent on Russian gas to heat their houses. And, then there's that little matter of all of those Russian nukes, which a despot like Vladimir Putin might be willing to use. So, again I ask, what exactly should President Obama do? Don't give me talking points; I want specifics.
I've been asked fairly often over the years why I am such a strong supporter of Israel. Well, there are "macro" and "micro" reasons. Dealing with the "micro" reasons first, I have friends and (distant) family there. The "macro" reasons are a bit more complex. There is a total of around 14,000,000 Jews on the planet, at least as of 2012, the last year for which I could find a statistic. Over 82% of them live in Israel or the United States. Especially after the Holocaust, I view it is one of my responsibilities as a Jew to ensure that my fellow Jews will always have somewhere to go in the event of war, discrimination or intolerance. Fortunately, here in the U.S., it seems as though "our place in society" has largely been accepted. In Israel, the only Jewish-majority country on the planet, that "place in society" is under attack, both militarily and socially. No, there are no large-scale military invasions of Israel under way, nor do any appear to be imminent (the fantasies of Iran's mad mullahs notwithstanding), because the Arab world has come to realize that more insidious forms of non-military warfare such as attacking Israel in international organizations (such as the odious United Nations) and the "BDS" (Boycott, Divest and Sanctions) movement, which has successfully turned the image of Israel into that of a modern-day South Africa--even though that is simply a lie--are far more effective. Hatred of Israel is at an all-time high, and hatred of Jews in general is following suit. What does it say that the sole country in the world which is the target of such a movement is the world's only Jewish-majority state? Not China, which has oppressed Tibet and the Uighurs for closing in on 70 years. Not Russia, which has already violently taken over part of Georgia and is now occupying part of the Ukraine. Not Morocco, which has engaged in a virtual war of extermination against the native inhabitants of the Western Sahara, to the point where the natives of that region are now a minority in their own land. Not Saudi Arabia or Iran, which practice gender apartheid and still stone people to death for adultery or "religious blasphemy", and which ban other religions (in the case of Saudi Arabia). I could go on and on. Nope, only Israel is worthy of world opprobrium--and then people wonder why I am convinced that the BDS movement is by and large anti-Semitic?
I'm still a sports fan, but as I've gotten older, my interest in it has really dropped off. Growing up, and even into my twenties and early thirties, I would often plan my life around sporting events (when my favourite teams were on tv, etc.). Now, I often don't even bother to watch when those teams are on tv. Is that typical? Don't get me wrong, I still have teams for which I cheer, and those against whom I cheer just as strongly, but the outcomes don't really affect me the way they did in the past. I remember in 1988, when I was still in my early twenties, the Montreal Canadiens lost a playoff series to the Boston Bruins, and it was the first time in 45 years that that had happened. I was devastated for weeks, and it was just as bad the next year when Montreal lost to Calgary in the Stanley Cup Finals. Now, when the Habs lose, it bothers me, but my attitude is more of a "Oh, well", a shrug of the shoulders, and life goes on.
One of the "joys" of getting older is seeing the people with whom you have interacted vanish from your life. In the past few weeks, four people (one judge, three lawyers) with whom I had dealt regularly all passed away. It really is depressing. Three of them were older, so their passing wasn't entirely unexpected, but one of them wasn't much older than me. It really makes you think. Good Lord, I'm turning into Billy Crystal's character at the beginning of the first City Slickers movie...................
I get that people aren't happy with the way President Obama has responded to the Ukraine crisis, and one thing that hasn't changed in the four years that passed during my blogging hiatus is that I continue to be a critic of his foreign policy. However, what exactly SHOULD he be doing? Do people want us to intervene militarily in the Ukraine, and if that's what they want, are they prepared for the consequences of such an intervention? We would almost certainly lose, given that Russia is right next door and we have no large numbers of military forces nearby. The world economy would tank. Oil prices would double (or worse). The Europeans will not help us, given that they are completely dependent on Russian gas to heat their houses. And, then there's that little matter of all of those Russian nukes, which a despot like Vladimir Putin might be willing to use. So, again I ask, what exactly should President Obama do? Don't give me talking points; I want specifics.
I've been asked fairly often over the years why I am such a strong supporter of Israel. Well, there are "macro" and "micro" reasons. Dealing with the "micro" reasons first, I have friends and (distant) family there. The "macro" reasons are a bit more complex. There is a total of around 14,000,000 Jews on the planet, at least as of 2012, the last year for which I could find a statistic. Over 82% of them live in Israel or the United States. Especially after the Holocaust, I view it is one of my responsibilities as a Jew to ensure that my fellow Jews will always have somewhere to go in the event of war, discrimination or intolerance. Fortunately, here in the U.S., it seems as though "our place in society" has largely been accepted. In Israel, the only Jewish-majority country on the planet, that "place in society" is under attack, both militarily and socially. No, there are no large-scale military invasions of Israel under way, nor do any appear to be imminent (the fantasies of Iran's mad mullahs notwithstanding), because the Arab world has come to realize that more insidious forms of non-military warfare such as attacking Israel in international organizations (such as the odious United Nations) and the "BDS" (Boycott, Divest and Sanctions) movement, which has successfully turned the image of Israel into that of a modern-day South Africa--even though that is simply a lie--are far more effective. Hatred of Israel is at an all-time high, and hatred of Jews in general is following suit. What does it say that the sole country in the world which is the target of such a movement is the world's only Jewish-majority state? Not China, which has oppressed Tibet and the Uighurs for closing in on 70 years. Not Russia, which has already violently taken over part of Georgia and is now occupying part of the Ukraine. Not Morocco, which has engaged in a virtual war of extermination against the native inhabitants of the Western Sahara, to the point where the natives of that region are now a minority in their own land. Not Saudi Arabia or Iran, which practice gender apartheid and still stone people to death for adultery or "religious blasphemy", and which ban other religions (in the case of Saudi Arabia). I could go on and on. Nope, only Israel is worthy of world opprobrium--and then people wonder why I am convinced that the BDS movement is by and large anti-Semitic?
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Hump Day Thoughts
1) I will start off with some poetry (no, it's NOT good poetry, so you're forewarned) about my gutless weasel Habs. Without further ado, some Habs Haikus:
The Habs are a joke
Kovy quit quite long ago
No parade this year.
Plekanec floats by
Nowhere near the boards he goes
He has zero heart.
Price can be sieve-like
Halak is not much better
They let in long shots.
Carbo seems confused
Outcoached, he is constantly
Losing continues.
Schneider is so old
A high price for him they paid
They still will not win.
Habs wasted my time
Bitter about them, I still am
The team lacks courage.
2) These days there are any number of stories that transcend the sports world and cross over into what is generally considered to be "mainstream news". One of those stories involves A-Rod and the use of steroids (more about that below). Another is the barring by Dubai from its WTA-sanctioned tournament of Israeli tennis star (she is in the Top 20, amazingly enough) Shahar Peer from the tournament for no other reason other than the fact that she is Israeli. I am gratified by the reaction of the WTA and ATP, both of which have said that they will review Dubai's right to host WTA- and ATP-sanctioned events, and by the Tennis Channel's decision to not broadcast the tournament (as well as by the Wall Street Journal Europe's decision to pull out as a tournament sponsor), but I am more than a little disappointed by the fact that not one of her fellow pros, as far as I know, have said a word in her defense. Not one has said "If she doesn't play, I'm not playing". Tennis players in general have a reputation for being spoiled, self-indulgent and myopic. Of course, there are always exceptions, but the lack of response by any other tennis pro to this action on the part of Dubai certainly feeds into that stereotype.
3) I can't bring myself to look at the stock market today, which is rapidly closing in on a 50% loss in value since it peaked in October of 2007. That's my retirement, your retirement, and everyone's future income being washed away in a sea of bad business news, earnings reports, government red ink and general financial malaise. It took the stock market close to 6 1/2 years to recover from its losses after it peaked in April of 2000, but I think that the road back this time will be much longer.....if we even manage to get all the way back. The fundamentals of our economy are so weak at this point, and we are so heavily indebted as a society that we won't be out of debt for generations.
4) It's a story that has finally crossed over from the so-called "right wing blogosphere" and into the main media. Muzzammil Hassan, who founded a television station in his home of Buffalo which sought to show Americans that Muslims aren't different from them, beheaded his estranged wife, Aasiya, and though police seem to be suggesting that this is "just a case of domestic violence gone bad", it certainly appears to me that it is yet another "Honour Killing". What has struck me, however, has been the reaction of Women's rights groups, or should I say, the complete non-reaction. The head of the local chapter of NOW made it clear how abhorrent she thought that this act was, and more power to her for doing so. However, where is the national chapter? Is it too busy commenting on the activities of rappers? You never hear a thing out of NOW whenever one of these horrific killings takes place. Nothing. If NOW truly is the advocate of Women's rights that it claims to be, it will not ignore this ongoing story.
5) So, Iran has now launched a drone which can reach Israel. At the same time, the Iranian nuclear program is steaming ahead. The Iranian regime continues to propagate Holocaust denial and threats of Israeli's extinction. Gee.............you think that maybe, JUST MAYBE, there might be a small link between these three things? Only those in the West seem to not think so.
6) As I mentioned above, one of the sports stories that has become a news story is Alex Rodriguez "confessing" to using steroids while he was with the Texas Rangers. As far as I'm concerned, his numbers are now as bogus as those of Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, Rafael Palmeiro, Jose Canseco, Mark McGwire, etc., etc. There is another factor at play here, too, which is that 103 other players tested positive. Why was only A-Rod's name leaked? In the interests of "fairness", we really should see who the other 103 players are. Admit it, any Baseball fan is curious, regardless of whether or not they believe that steroid use taints the numbers of the player who used them or not.
7) I've already expressed my disgust with the Habs above. There is another team that is following a similar pattern, and that is the New York Rangers. New York got off to an incredible start, but over the last month or so, it has been awful. Really, when you think about it, the Canadiens and Rangers are mirror images of each other. They're both a collection of tin men, devoid of any heart.
8) One of the strangest stories to cross my radar over the last week is that of the transgender woman in Ohio who exercised her 73-year old husband to death. I'm not exaggerating here. A jury convicted this "woman" of Reckless Homicide and she will serve at least one year in jail. Frankly, if the reports I have heard are true (he died of a heart attack in the swimming pool and had attempted on numerous occasions to either grab the side of the pool and to get out, but she kept kicking his hands off the side of the ledges), then one year is way too little time in jail.
The Habs are a joke
Kovy quit quite long ago
No parade this year.
Plekanec floats by
Nowhere near the boards he goes
He has zero heart.
Price can be sieve-like
Halak is not much better
They let in long shots.
Carbo seems confused
Outcoached, he is constantly
Losing continues.
Schneider is so old
A high price for him they paid
They still will not win.
Habs wasted my time
Bitter about them, I still am
The team lacks courage.
2) These days there are any number of stories that transcend the sports world and cross over into what is generally considered to be "mainstream news". One of those stories involves A-Rod and the use of steroids (more about that below). Another is the barring by Dubai from its WTA-sanctioned tournament of Israeli tennis star (she is in the Top 20, amazingly enough) Shahar Peer from the tournament for no other reason other than the fact that she is Israeli. I am gratified by the reaction of the WTA and ATP, both of which have said that they will review Dubai's right to host WTA- and ATP-sanctioned events, and by the Tennis Channel's decision to not broadcast the tournament (as well as by the Wall Street Journal Europe's decision to pull out as a tournament sponsor), but I am more than a little disappointed by the fact that not one of her fellow pros, as far as I know, have said a word in her defense. Not one has said "If she doesn't play, I'm not playing". Tennis players in general have a reputation for being spoiled, self-indulgent and myopic. Of course, there are always exceptions, but the lack of response by any other tennis pro to this action on the part of Dubai certainly feeds into that stereotype.
3) I can't bring myself to look at the stock market today, which is rapidly closing in on a 50% loss in value since it peaked in October of 2007. That's my retirement, your retirement, and everyone's future income being washed away in a sea of bad business news, earnings reports, government red ink and general financial malaise. It took the stock market close to 6 1/2 years to recover from its losses after it peaked in April of 2000, but I think that the road back this time will be much longer.....if we even manage to get all the way back. The fundamentals of our economy are so weak at this point, and we are so heavily indebted as a society that we won't be out of debt for generations.
4) It's a story that has finally crossed over from the so-called "right wing blogosphere" and into the main media. Muzzammil Hassan, who founded a television station in his home of Buffalo which sought to show Americans that Muslims aren't different from them, beheaded his estranged wife, Aasiya, and though police seem to be suggesting that this is "just a case of domestic violence gone bad", it certainly appears to me that it is yet another "Honour Killing". What has struck me, however, has been the reaction of Women's rights groups, or should I say, the complete non-reaction. The head of the local chapter of NOW made it clear how abhorrent she thought that this act was, and more power to her for doing so. However, where is the national chapter? Is it too busy commenting on the activities of rappers? You never hear a thing out of NOW whenever one of these horrific killings takes place. Nothing. If NOW truly is the advocate of Women's rights that it claims to be, it will not ignore this ongoing story.
5) So, Iran has now launched a drone which can reach Israel. At the same time, the Iranian nuclear program is steaming ahead. The Iranian regime continues to propagate Holocaust denial and threats of Israeli's extinction. Gee.............you think that maybe, JUST MAYBE, there might be a small link between these three things? Only those in the West seem to not think so.
6) As I mentioned above, one of the sports stories that has become a news story is Alex Rodriguez "confessing" to using steroids while he was with the Texas Rangers. As far as I'm concerned, his numbers are now as bogus as those of Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, Rafael Palmeiro, Jose Canseco, Mark McGwire, etc., etc. There is another factor at play here, too, which is that 103 other players tested positive. Why was only A-Rod's name leaked? In the interests of "fairness", we really should see who the other 103 players are. Admit it, any Baseball fan is curious, regardless of whether or not they believe that steroid use taints the numbers of the player who used them or not.
7) I've already expressed my disgust with the Habs above. There is another team that is following a similar pattern, and that is the New York Rangers. New York got off to an incredible start, but over the last month or so, it has been awful. Really, when you think about it, the Canadiens and Rangers are mirror images of each other. They're both a collection of tin men, devoid of any heart.
8) One of the strangest stories to cross my radar over the last week is that of the transgender woman in Ohio who exercised her 73-year old husband to death. I'm not exaggerating here. A jury convicted this "woman" of Reckless Homicide and she will serve at least one year in jail. Frankly, if the reports I have heard are true (he died of a heart attack in the swimming pool and had attempted on numerous occasions to either grab the side of the pool and to get out, but she kept kicking his hands off the side of the ledges), then one year is way too little time in jail.
Monday, January 19, 2009
MLK Day, 2009
Some random brain droppings on a holiday Monday (for some, not me, unfortunately)........
1) This is kind of a double-witching hour day. First of all, today is Martin Luther King Day, so I wish the best to those who are off today and have ability to observe the holiday. And, 24 hours from now, the nation will witness the inauguration of the first African-American (or biracial, if you prefer) President. Regardless of whether you voted for the man or not, it is an historic occasion. I've said it before, but it bears repeating. I didn't voted for Obama. I don't like his proposed policies. I think that he will be the most anti-Israel President this country has seen since Eisenhower in the 1950s (yes, even more than Bush 41). That said, it is in ALL of our best interests' if he succeeds and is a good President. I hope that he does well and that my worst expectations of him are not met.
2) The Israeli offensive in Gaza seems to be winding down, and let's see if Israel met its goals:
i) Goal #1: Stopping the rocket and missile attacks. Goal NOT met. Rockets are still falling on Israel, and Israel's unilateral decision to just stop its offensive. Hamas can claim that Israel accomplished nothing except to "kill civilians" (more about that below).
ii) Goal #2: Recover Gilad Shalit. He's still a prisoner. Goal NOT met.
iii) Win the PR War: Israel is being accused by such "unbiased" observers as Human Rights Watch of using phosphorous weapons on human targets (a charge refuted by the International Red Cross, hardly a friend of Israel). Israel has once again been accused of using "Disproportionate Force" (a bogus charge, but one that resonates with the left, which feels that Israel should not be permitted to defend itself anyway). Goal NOT met.
iv) Eliminate Hamas' leadership: Goal PARTIALLY met. Even the most partisan supporter of Hamas has to admit that Hamas took a punishing blow. But, even the most ardent supporter of Israel has to admit that it was anything but a fatal blow. Ismail Haniyeh still lives. Khlaled al Meshaal still lives. While Israel took out several of Hamas' leaders, the main ones are still around.
v) Avoid "Civilian Casualties": The MSM is full of reports of dead children, dead civilians, but let's look at this realistically. The death toll on the Palestinian side after the three week offensive by Israel is between (by most counts) 1000 and 1500, of who many are Hamas terrorists, and this despite the overwhelming military superiority of the IDF and Hamas' clear strategy of launching missiles, rockets and mortars from civilian areas such as schools, hospitals, and houses. What was Israel to do, not respond (lefties out there, don't bother to respond. I already know what your answer is)? So, surprisingly, I'm going to say: Goal MET.
vi) Restore Israel's deterrence factor. In order to this, Israel needed to make Hamas understand that the price to be paid for launching rockets at Israel was too high. It didn't come remotely close to doing that. Goal NOT met.
vii) Be able to declare "victory" and avoid a repeat of the Lebanon War in 2006: As indicated above, missiles were still being launched at Israel at least as of yesterday, and Hamas will certainly keep working on missiles that will eventually be able to reach Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Israel needed to be able to achieve its goals, and I might give it credit on this had Israel just once actually told the world what those goals were. It didn't, and in a quirky war in which Hamas can declare victory merely by not losing, the public's read on what happened is going to be that Israel did not win. Goal NOT met.
So, the long and the short of this war is that while Israel fought differently than it did against Hezbollah in 2006, the end result is exactly the same, in my opinion. Israel did not restore the deterrence effect it lost back in the 1990s, and now the world sees a weakened and leaderless country which is ripe for the plucking. The way this war is ending, with Israel just doing the military equivalent of taking its ball and going home, can lead to no other impression (at least on my part).
3) The collective moaning in my area over yesterday's 32-25 loss by the Philadelphia Eagles in Arizona to the Cardinals (the Cardinals are going to the Super Bowl?????) is just beginning. After watching the game, it is pretty clear to me that the Cardinals were the better team yesterday. They were better prepared, especially in the first half, when the Cardinals raced out to a 24-6 halftime lead. The team showed some character in coming back to take a 25-24 lead, but when the chips were down and the defense needed to make a stop, it didn't. It gave up an 80-yard drive that took up half the fourth quarter. It had already blown a timeout earlier in the half (more of those same idiotic clock management issues that have plagued this team for years). So, with the team down by seven points, with a little less than three minutes left in the game, two timeouts (plus the two-minute warning) left, the ball was placed in the hands of the franchise quarterback, Donovan McNabb. He came up small--his passes were erratic and while the team got a couple of first downs, the drive stalled at midfield and the game was lost. Philadelphia has now played in five of the last eight NFC title games, and it has lost four of those games, with only the loss to the Rams in 2001 coming to a team that was arguably better than it.
4) In the AFC, the Pittsburgh Steelers showed the world how to get a job done. Their defense was fearsome and fearless, and they were deserving winners, 23-14, over the up-and-coming Baltimore Ravens. I don't think that the Pittsburgh can be stopped at this point, and in two weeks, the Steelers will collect their record sixth Super Bowl title. I don't even think that the game will be close. I can see a final score of 27-6, or something like that. As good as he is, Larry Fitzgerald will not get open against the Steelers' secondary the way he did yesterday against that of the Eagles. Kurt Warner will get snowed under by the Pittsburgh defensive line. The game has the potential to get ugly early, and the only chance I give Arizona is if it manages to generate some turnovers on defense.
1) This is kind of a double-witching hour day. First of all, today is Martin Luther King Day, so I wish the best to those who are off today and have ability to observe the holiday. And, 24 hours from now, the nation will witness the inauguration of the first African-American (or biracial, if you prefer) President. Regardless of whether you voted for the man or not, it is an historic occasion. I've said it before, but it bears repeating. I didn't voted for Obama. I don't like his proposed policies. I think that he will be the most anti-Israel President this country has seen since Eisenhower in the 1950s (yes, even more than Bush 41). That said, it is in ALL of our best interests' if he succeeds and is a good President. I hope that he does well and that my worst expectations of him are not met.
2) The Israeli offensive in Gaza seems to be winding down, and let's see if Israel met its goals:
i) Goal #1: Stopping the rocket and missile attacks. Goal NOT met. Rockets are still falling on Israel, and Israel's unilateral decision to just stop its offensive. Hamas can claim that Israel accomplished nothing except to "kill civilians" (more about that below).
ii) Goal #2: Recover Gilad Shalit. He's still a prisoner. Goal NOT met.
iii) Win the PR War: Israel is being accused by such "unbiased" observers as Human Rights Watch of using phosphorous weapons on human targets (a charge refuted by the International Red Cross, hardly a friend of Israel). Israel has once again been accused of using "Disproportionate Force" (a bogus charge, but one that resonates with the left, which feels that Israel should not be permitted to defend itself anyway). Goal NOT met.
iv) Eliminate Hamas' leadership: Goal PARTIALLY met. Even the most partisan supporter of Hamas has to admit that Hamas took a punishing blow. But, even the most ardent supporter of Israel has to admit that it was anything but a fatal blow. Ismail Haniyeh still lives. Khlaled al Meshaal still lives. While Israel took out several of Hamas' leaders, the main ones are still around.
v) Avoid "Civilian Casualties": The MSM is full of reports of dead children, dead civilians, but let's look at this realistically. The death toll on the Palestinian side after the three week offensive by Israel is between (by most counts) 1000 and 1500, of who many are Hamas terrorists, and this despite the overwhelming military superiority of the IDF and Hamas' clear strategy of launching missiles, rockets and mortars from civilian areas such as schools, hospitals, and houses. What was Israel to do, not respond (lefties out there, don't bother to respond. I already know what your answer is)? So, surprisingly, I'm going to say: Goal MET.
vi) Restore Israel's deterrence factor. In order to this, Israel needed to make Hamas understand that the price to be paid for launching rockets at Israel was too high. It didn't come remotely close to doing that. Goal NOT met.
vii) Be able to declare "victory" and avoid a repeat of the Lebanon War in 2006: As indicated above, missiles were still being launched at Israel at least as of yesterday, and Hamas will certainly keep working on missiles that will eventually be able to reach Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Israel needed to be able to achieve its goals, and I might give it credit on this had Israel just once actually told the world what those goals were. It didn't, and in a quirky war in which Hamas can declare victory merely by not losing, the public's read on what happened is going to be that Israel did not win. Goal NOT met.
So, the long and the short of this war is that while Israel fought differently than it did against Hezbollah in 2006, the end result is exactly the same, in my opinion. Israel did not restore the deterrence effect it lost back in the 1990s, and now the world sees a weakened and leaderless country which is ripe for the plucking. The way this war is ending, with Israel just doing the military equivalent of taking its ball and going home, can lead to no other impression (at least on my part).
3) The collective moaning in my area over yesterday's 32-25 loss by the Philadelphia Eagles in Arizona to the Cardinals (the Cardinals are going to the Super Bowl?????) is just beginning. After watching the game, it is pretty clear to me that the Cardinals were the better team yesterday. They were better prepared, especially in the first half, when the Cardinals raced out to a 24-6 halftime lead. The team showed some character in coming back to take a 25-24 lead, but when the chips were down and the defense needed to make a stop, it didn't. It gave up an 80-yard drive that took up half the fourth quarter. It had already blown a timeout earlier in the half (more of those same idiotic clock management issues that have plagued this team for years). So, with the team down by seven points, with a little less than three minutes left in the game, two timeouts (plus the two-minute warning) left, the ball was placed in the hands of the franchise quarterback, Donovan McNabb. He came up small--his passes were erratic and while the team got a couple of first downs, the drive stalled at midfield and the game was lost. Philadelphia has now played in five of the last eight NFC title games, and it has lost four of those games, with only the loss to the Rams in 2001 coming to a team that was arguably better than it.
4) In the AFC, the Pittsburgh Steelers showed the world how to get a job done. Their defense was fearsome and fearless, and they were deserving winners, 23-14, over the up-and-coming Baltimore Ravens. I don't think that the Pittsburgh can be stopped at this point, and in two weeks, the Steelers will collect their record sixth Super Bowl title. I don't even think that the game will be close. I can see a final score of 27-6, or something like that. As good as he is, Larry Fitzgerald will not get open against the Steelers' secondary the way he did yesterday against that of the Eagles. Kurt Warner will get snowed under by the Pittsburgh defensive line. The game has the potential to get ugly early, and the only chance I give Arizona is if it manages to generate some turnovers on defense.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
It's January
I hate January, which is by far my least favourite month of the year. The days are short and cold, it seems to go FOREVER, etc., etc. That said, at least it's one step closer to summer. With that complaint out of the way, here are some random thoughts for a cold Saturday morning:
1) Israel is continuing its military operations in Gaza, the U.N. Security Council's (UNSC) demand for an immediate halt to the attack notwithstanding. There are a couple of things worth mentioning here. First, the feckless behaviour of the United States in failing to veto the UNSC resolution was pathetic, but not entirely surprising. We have seen the State Department's Arabist influence over the Bush 43 Administration's foreign policy grow by the day, and now, as we approach the last 10 days of its life, President Bush appears to have finally capitulated entirely to the wishes of Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice to be more "balanced" (in other words, more pro-Arab). So, Israel is now truly alone. Second, Israel can't afford to stop right now. After the debacle in Lebanon in 2006, Israel MUST be seen in the Arab world as being the unquestioned winner of this conflict. The bigger question is, how does it achieve that? Obviously, zero missile/rocket/mortar launches out of Gaza would be the best case scenario, but I don't know if that's doable. The thing is, if it doesn't you will eventually see a situation where there are similar attacks out of the West Bank. That's not a question of "if", but "when". The bottom line? I don't know how Israel wins....................
2) On a similar theme, the reverberations from the Israeli operations in Gaza have been felt all over the world, whether it's protesters in Fort Lauderdale screaming "Jews to the ovens" (isn't THAT a nice sentiment?) or an Italian trade union calling for the boycott of all Jewish-owned businesses to the desecration of cemeteries across the continent and attacks on Jews in Denmark, France, the U.K., Holland, etc. (nothing like a Middle East war to get the Europeans to show their true, anti-Semitic selves). We here in the U.S. and Canada are fortunate in that we have been largely insulated from the more violent elements of the anti-Israel movement, but it's only a matter of time before similar events occur here.
3) So the University of Florida Gators are the "undisputed" national champions in NCAA Division I football after their methodical 24-14 win over Oklahoma in the BCS title game. Can we just permanently ban Oklahoma and Ohio State from the national championship game (unless they play each other)? You KNOW that if one of these two teams shows up, the team they are playing is guaranteed to win. And here's another thought: I would not have voted UF number one. My vote, if I had one, would have gone to Utah, the only undefeated team in major college football. Utah soundly beat Alabama 31-17 in the Sugar Bowl, in a stadium that was about 70-75% pro-Alabama. In fact, it never trailed in the game. As you will all recall, Florida was losing to Alabama going into the fourth quarter of the SEC title game before coming back to win 31-20. And, I don't know if Florida would have beaten USC. After watching the Rose Bowl, I don't think that there is a more skilled, faster team out there than the Men of Troy.
4) Round One of the NFL playoffs is done, and here comes Round Two. Without further ado, here is how I see the games shaking out:
i) Arizona at Carolina: The Cardinals are trying to play the "we get no respect" card, but there's a reason why they get so little respect--they don't deserve any. The Panthers will punch them in the mouth, and while the Cardinals will score their points, it won't be anywhere near enough. Carolina 38, Arizona 21.
ii) Philadelphia at NY Giants: I think that the final score of this game will be 23-17. I'm just not sure who will have the 23 and who will have the 17. I'm leaning toward the G-men, who I think want to make a statement after Philadelphia beat them in Week 13.
iii) Baltimore at Tennessee: The will be an old-fashioned slugfest. I see the Ravens playing just a little bit better than the Titans and escaping with a 17-16 win.
iv) San Diego at Pittsburgh: Arguably the most intriguing game of the weekend. The Chargers barely scraped into the playoffs at 8-8 (but they were red hot down the stretch, winning their final four games of the regular season and then edging Indianapolis in Round One of the playoffs) while Pittsburgh comes into the playoffs a bit banged up, though it did have the bye week last week. The Chargers don't have a great history in cold weather games, and it will be very cold in Steeltown this weekend. Steelers 23, Chargers 13.
5) We are almost at the All-Star break in Hockey, and here are my thoughts on the season so far:
i) San Jose is the best team in the west, for now. I'm still not sold on the Sharks in the playoffs, and Detroit is just as good as it was last year. That would be one heck of a playoff series.
ii) The Winter Classic at Wrigley Field was great. Seeing the players skate around with the famous Wrigley Field scoreboard in the background was just amazing, and viewers agreed. The NHL actually got measurable ratings on NBC for the game.
iii) The Boston Bruins are for real. I read an article that compared them to the 2006 Carolina Hurricanes team that won the Stanley Cup, and it was a very good analogy. Everybody kept waiting for those Hurricanes to fall on their faces, and they didn't. Similar predictions are being made about this year's Boston team. I don't know if the Bruins will have enough to beat either Detroit or San Jose in the Stanley Cup Finals, but I do think that Boston will get there, barring injuries.
iv) Is it possible for a team as hyped as the Montreal Canadiens to fly under the radar? Montreal is in the midst of its 100th anniversary celebration (word of advice to all hockey fans: go out and buy the DVD collection of the 10 best games in Canadiens' history: It's well worth the investment), and it has amassed an impressive point total, but because of the stellar play by Boston, it has been largely ignored. If Boston does cool off, it could be in for a dogfight atop the division.
v) Sidney Crosby is incredibly talented, but I don't know of a bigger crybaby in the sport. It is very easy to cheer against him, given his petulance and whining every time a call is not made in his favour. I wish that Mario Lemieux would sit him down and tell him how to behave properly.
1) Israel is continuing its military operations in Gaza, the U.N. Security Council's (UNSC) demand for an immediate halt to the attack notwithstanding. There are a couple of things worth mentioning here. First, the feckless behaviour of the United States in failing to veto the UNSC resolution was pathetic, but not entirely surprising. We have seen the State Department's Arabist influence over the Bush 43 Administration's foreign policy grow by the day, and now, as we approach the last 10 days of its life, President Bush appears to have finally capitulated entirely to the wishes of Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice to be more "balanced" (in other words, more pro-Arab). So, Israel is now truly alone. Second, Israel can't afford to stop right now. After the debacle in Lebanon in 2006, Israel MUST be seen in the Arab world as being the unquestioned winner of this conflict. The bigger question is, how does it achieve that? Obviously, zero missile/rocket/mortar launches out of Gaza would be the best case scenario, but I don't know if that's doable. The thing is, if it doesn't you will eventually see a situation where there are similar attacks out of the West Bank. That's not a question of "if", but "when". The bottom line? I don't know how Israel wins....................
2) On a similar theme, the reverberations from the Israeli operations in Gaza have been felt all over the world, whether it's protesters in Fort Lauderdale screaming "Jews to the ovens" (isn't THAT a nice sentiment?) or an Italian trade union calling for the boycott of all Jewish-owned businesses to the desecration of cemeteries across the continent and attacks on Jews in Denmark, France, the U.K., Holland, etc. (nothing like a Middle East war to get the Europeans to show their true, anti-Semitic selves). We here in the U.S. and Canada are fortunate in that we have been largely insulated from the more violent elements of the anti-Israel movement, but it's only a matter of time before similar events occur here.
3) So the University of Florida Gators are the "undisputed" national champions in NCAA Division I football after their methodical 24-14 win over Oklahoma in the BCS title game. Can we just permanently ban Oklahoma and Ohio State from the national championship game (unless they play each other)? You KNOW that if one of these two teams shows up, the team they are playing is guaranteed to win. And here's another thought: I would not have voted UF number one. My vote, if I had one, would have gone to Utah, the only undefeated team in major college football. Utah soundly beat Alabama 31-17 in the Sugar Bowl, in a stadium that was about 70-75% pro-Alabama. In fact, it never trailed in the game. As you will all recall, Florida was losing to Alabama going into the fourth quarter of the SEC title game before coming back to win 31-20. And, I don't know if Florida would have beaten USC. After watching the Rose Bowl, I don't think that there is a more skilled, faster team out there than the Men of Troy.
4) Round One of the NFL playoffs is done, and here comes Round Two. Without further ado, here is how I see the games shaking out:
i) Arizona at Carolina: The Cardinals are trying to play the "we get no respect" card, but there's a reason why they get so little respect--they don't deserve any. The Panthers will punch them in the mouth, and while the Cardinals will score their points, it won't be anywhere near enough. Carolina 38, Arizona 21.
ii) Philadelphia at NY Giants: I think that the final score of this game will be 23-17. I'm just not sure who will have the 23 and who will have the 17. I'm leaning toward the G-men, who I think want to make a statement after Philadelphia beat them in Week 13.
iii) Baltimore at Tennessee: The will be an old-fashioned slugfest. I see the Ravens playing just a little bit better than the Titans and escaping with a 17-16 win.
iv) San Diego at Pittsburgh: Arguably the most intriguing game of the weekend. The Chargers barely scraped into the playoffs at 8-8 (but they were red hot down the stretch, winning their final four games of the regular season and then edging Indianapolis in Round One of the playoffs) while Pittsburgh comes into the playoffs a bit banged up, though it did have the bye week last week. The Chargers don't have a great history in cold weather games, and it will be very cold in Steeltown this weekend. Steelers 23, Chargers 13.
5) We are almost at the All-Star break in Hockey, and here are my thoughts on the season so far:
i) San Jose is the best team in the west, for now. I'm still not sold on the Sharks in the playoffs, and Detroit is just as good as it was last year. That would be one heck of a playoff series.
ii) The Winter Classic at Wrigley Field was great. Seeing the players skate around with the famous Wrigley Field scoreboard in the background was just amazing, and viewers agreed. The NHL actually got measurable ratings on NBC for the game.
iii) The Boston Bruins are for real. I read an article that compared them to the 2006 Carolina Hurricanes team that won the Stanley Cup, and it was a very good analogy. Everybody kept waiting for those Hurricanes to fall on their faces, and they didn't. Similar predictions are being made about this year's Boston team. I don't know if the Bruins will have enough to beat either Detroit or San Jose in the Stanley Cup Finals, but I do think that Boston will get there, barring injuries.
iv) Is it possible for a team as hyped as the Montreal Canadiens to fly under the radar? Montreal is in the midst of its 100th anniversary celebration (word of advice to all hockey fans: go out and buy the DVD collection of the 10 best games in Canadiens' history: It's well worth the investment), and it has amassed an impressive point total, but because of the stellar play by Boston, it has been largely ignored. If Boston does cool off, it could be in for a dogfight atop the division.
v) Sidney Crosby is incredibly talented, but I don't know of a bigger crybaby in the sport. It is very easy to cheer against him, given his petulance and whining every time a call is not made in his favour. I wish that Mario Lemieux would sit him down and tell him how to behave properly.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone, and some thoughts on that and other miscellaneous subjects........
1) Happy Thanksgiving! I hope that everyone enjoys the holiday, and is able to spend it with friends and/or family about whom they care!
2) I made a big mistake the other day--I opened up my 401(k) statement. NOT a smart thing to do, as (if I had any hair) it would have caused it to fall out. I know that I have to keep repeating "I'm in it for the long haul", but it is really dispiriting to see that so much of my supposed "wealth" has vanished over the past 12 months...........
3) So far, President-Elect Barack Obama is hewing to a fairly centrist course in his cabinet nominees........with the possible exception of his selection as the head of the NSA, Admiral James Jones. Jones is no friend of Israel, and between him and presumptive Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (who is still tight with Yasser Arafat's widow, Suha), it looks fairly certain that we will see a more Arabist foreign policy out of the United States during an Obama Administration.
4) I read a column the other day from some nutcase leftist in the Detroit Free Press which called for Nancy Pelosi to start impeachment hearings for President Bush and VP Dick Cheyney immediately, "for the sake of the economy". Let's think about this for a second, shall we? President Bush is scheduled to leave office in 55 days, Does anyone REALLY think that he is going to be able to do all that much in the next eight weeks (minus one day), or is this just more delusional ranting on the part of another unhinged BDS sufferer who can't accept the fact that the Chosen One won't take power until January 20? Regardless, it isn't going to happen, and if it did, it would amount to a Coup D'Etat, making the United States look like nothing more or less than some tinpot third world dictatorship.
5) This thought just crossed my mind. Right now, the New York Giants and the New York Jets are both playing the best football in their respective conferences. The Giants look every bit as unbeatable as the Patriots did last season (which should send a chill down the spine of all Giants fans), and the Jets went into Tennessee last Sunday and absolutely crushed the previously unbeaten Titans 34-13. Let's say that the Giants make it to the NFC Championship game. No one would be surprised if that happened. But, it is not out of the question that the New York Jets will also host a title game, either if they catch Tennessee for the conference title (unlikely but not impossible, given that the Titans have a very tough schedule the rest of the way and the Jets do not), or if Tennessee gets knocked off before the AFC title game. So, my question is this: The Giants and Jets share a stadium. Both conference championship games would be on the same day--How would that work? Which team gets their logo painted in the end zones? Logistically, I just don't know how the NFL will work it.
6) The less said about my Montreal Canadiens, the better. After a hot start, Montreal can't get out of its own way, and is now staring up in the standings at the Boston Bruins, who look like they are ready to leave the Habs way behind. The Montreal power play is a complete mess, and the penalty killing is a joke. It seems as though teams have learned how to play against the Canadiens--let them make their pretty passing plays, clog up the neutral zone and force the team outside. The Canadiens can't seem to deal with this. The bottom line is this--unless things change quickly in Montreal, the 100th anniversary of the team's founding has the potential to be as disappointing a season as any in this team's history.
2) I made a big mistake the other day--I opened up my 401(k) statement. NOT a smart thing to do, as (if I had any hair) it would have caused it to fall out. I know that I have to keep repeating "I'm in it for the long haul", but it is really dispiriting to see that so much of my supposed "wealth" has vanished over the past 12 months...........
3) So far, President-Elect Barack Obama is hewing to a fairly centrist course in his cabinet nominees........with the possible exception of his selection as the head of the NSA, Admiral James Jones. Jones is no friend of Israel, and between him and presumptive Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (who is still tight with Yasser Arafat's widow, Suha), it looks fairly certain that we will see a more Arabist foreign policy out of the United States during an Obama Administration.
4) I read a column the other day from some nutcase leftist in the Detroit Free Press which called for Nancy Pelosi to start impeachment hearings for President Bush and VP Dick Cheyney immediately, "for the sake of the economy". Let's think about this for a second, shall we? President Bush is scheduled to leave office in 55 days, Does anyone REALLY think that he is going to be able to do all that much in the next eight weeks (minus one day), or is this just more delusional ranting on the part of another unhinged BDS sufferer who can't accept the fact that the Chosen One won't take power until January 20? Regardless, it isn't going to happen, and if it did, it would amount to a Coup D'Etat, making the United States look like nothing more or less than some tinpot third world dictatorship.
5) This thought just crossed my mind. Right now, the New York Giants and the New York Jets are both playing the best football in their respective conferences. The Giants look every bit as unbeatable as the Patriots did last season (which should send a chill down the spine of all Giants fans), and the Jets went into Tennessee last Sunday and absolutely crushed the previously unbeaten Titans 34-13. Let's say that the Giants make it to the NFC Championship game. No one would be surprised if that happened. But, it is not out of the question that the New York Jets will also host a title game, either if they catch Tennessee for the conference title (unlikely but not impossible, given that the Titans have a very tough schedule the rest of the way and the Jets do not), or if Tennessee gets knocked off before the AFC title game. So, my question is this: The Giants and Jets share a stadium. Both conference championship games would be on the same day--How would that work? Which team gets their logo painted in the end zones? Logistically, I just don't know how the NFL will work it.
6) The less said about my Montreal Canadiens, the better. After a hot start, Montreal can't get out of its own way, and is now staring up in the standings at the Boston Bruins, who look like they are ready to leave the Habs way behind. The Montreal power play is a complete mess, and the penalty killing is a joke. It seems as though teams have learned how to play against the Canadiens--let them make their pretty passing plays, clog up the neutral zone and force the team outside. The Canadiens can't seem to deal with this. The bottom line is this--unless things change quickly in Montreal, the 100th anniversary of the team's founding has the potential to be as disappointing a season as any in this team's history.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Where's Blackbeard?
Apparently, his heirs live on in the waters off the coast of Somalia, the prototypical failed state: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/africa/article4842684.ece. I honestly can't believe that piracy lives on in today's world, but it is a problem not only here but in the waters off the Indonesian archipelago. However, in the waters off Somalia it is taking on a far more dangerous dimension, as we see the beginnings of a union (perhaps of convenience) between the pirates and Islamofascists.
As the article reports, the pirates are now going hutning for Americans and Israelis. Isn't that reassuring?
As the article reports, the pirates are now going hutning for Americans and Israelis. Isn't that reassuring?
Friday, September 26, 2008
Angry Left, meet Angry Islamofascists. Angry Islamofascists, meet Angry Left
I'm on an Iran kick today. While he was at the United Nations delivering his anti-Semitic tirade (for more on that, read this excellent piece from Anne Bayefsky: http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=ZGUwMmE0OGY1MDViNDIwMDcyMTY5ZWVlZjViYTVjNWE), Mahmoud Admadinejad found the time to meet with CODE PINK's leaders: http://codepink4peace.org/blog/2008/09/official-release-leading-codepink-activists-and-other-peace-organizations-meet-with-iranian-president-in-new-york/.
CODE PINK's leader, Medea Benjamin, seemed to think that it was absolutely wonderful that she got the opportunity to meet the world's Anti-Semite-in-Chief. In her warped view, HE'S a man of peace. The fact that he denies the Holocaust and wants to wipe Israel off the map seems not to bother her in the least. For that matter, she may even agree with him............
CODE PINK's leader, Medea Benjamin, seemed to think that it was absolutely wonderful that she got the opportunity to meet the world's Anti-Semite-in-Chief. In her warped view, HE'S a man of peace. The fact that he denies the Holocaust and wants to wipe Israel off the map seems not to bother her in the least. For that matter, she may even agree with him............
Moonbat electioneering, Canadian-style
A Liberal Candidate runing for Parliament in a Winnipeg riding is catching justified flack after a column she wrote as a freelance journalist came to light. In the column, she claimed that the Mossad and CIA knew in advance about the 9/11 terrorist atacks, and that Jewish-owned businesses had gotten out of the Twin Towers before they were attacked: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canadavotes/story/2008/09/25/hughes-liberal.html.
I don't know what motivates these conspiracy theorist wackos, but there are far too many of them and they are far too prominent.
I don't know what motivates these conspiracy theorist wackos, but there are far too many of them and they are far too prominent.
Are they ready?
John McCain? Barack Obama? Sarah Palin? Joe Biden? Paging all comers. As John Bolton notes, the next President, whoever that may be, will HAVE to deal with either a nuclear-armed Iran or preventing the Iranians from becoming a nuclear power: http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2008/09/25/2008-09-25_a_wakeup_call_on_irans_nukes.html. Honestly, I don't know which of the candidates will have what it takes to confront the Mad Mullahs, but certainly, Barack Obama's vow to meet with the leaders of Iran "without preconditions" doesn't exactly reassure me.
I'm pretty much at the point where I'm convinced that even seeing Tel Aviv reduced to a heap of radioactive rubble won't rouse the west out of its slumber with respect to the threat posed by Iran. Hell, a good number of the people here would probably stand up and cheer........
I'm pretty much at the point where I'm convinced that even seeing Tel Aviv reduced to a heap of radioactive rubble won't rouse the west out of its slumber with respect to the threat posed by Iran. Hell, a good number of the people here would probably stand up and cheer........
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Not much of a difference
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad delivered a speech at the U.N. yesterday in which he claimed that a "small group of Zionists" were manipulating the foreign policy of the United States (and some European countries) to suit its ends: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/23/AR2008092303093.html. Hmmm.........where have I read/heard that before? Why, it was from Professors Walt & Mearsheimer (see my first post from today), who were defended by Barack Obama advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski.
Ahmadinejad may use more crude rhetoric, but I ask, what's the difference in the message?
Ahmadinejad may use more crude rhetoric, but I ask, what's the difference in the message?
Actions speak louder than words
Barack Obama claims to support Israel, but very simply, I don't trust him. Look at his foreign policy team, which originally included Samantha Power and Robert Malley, two prominent anti-Israel academics. They were forced to resign when their presence on the Obama team became a source of embarrassment to the Democratic Presidential candidate. Now, we have Zbigniew Brzezinski, a steady critic of Israel (and the former Secretary of State under President Peanut Farmer) who has recently spoken out in defense of the Walt & Mearsheimer screed claiming that those nefarious Jews were manipulating American foreign policy for their own ends: http://www.nysun.com/national/dershowitz-obama-should-repudiate-brzezinski/62439/. Funny how Brzezinski , who asserted that the Israeli military was engaging in actions that amounted to "killing hostages" in the Second Lebanon War in 2006, seems to have absolutely problem with the Saudis or other Arab states lobbying the U.S. government.
In any event, Senator Obama seems to have this unfortunate tendency of associating himself with people who don't like Israel too much (does the name Jeremiah Wright ring a bell to anyone?), so I really have to wonder how any supporter of Israel can at the same time support him?
In any event, Senator Obama seems to have this unfortunate tendency of associating himself with people who don't like Israel too much (does the name Jeremiah Wright ring a bell to anyone?), so I really have to wonder how any supporter of Israel can at the same time support him?
Friday, September 19, 2008
No wonder the U.N. loves him
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian President, is spewing his venom once again, repeating his vows that Israel will disappear and denying that the Holocaust occurred: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hNwBoRdFjRewLNm4NTuzK-0BTzeAD9397VTO0. However, what struck me most about the Associated Press article was this little nugget of information: "He might also be trying to repair damage caused by his vice president, Esfandiar Rahim Mashai, who was recently quoted as saying Iranians were "friends of all people in the world — even Israelis.""
"He might also be trying to repair damage"????? It's "damaging" to say that Iranians can be friendly even with Israelis? If that doesn't spell out the Muslim attitude vis-a-vis Israel, I don't know WHAT does............
"He might also be trying to repair damage"????? It's "damaging" to say that Iranians can be friendly even with Israelis? If that doesn't spell out the Muslim attitude vis-a-vis Israel, I don't know WHAT does............
Friday, September 12, 2008
Let the wackos unite!
Nothing brings people together like a national crisis...........or a conspiracy about a national crisis. When you factor in the Arab mentality, which blames everything and anything for problems it causes, you get nutcase theories like these: http://www.memri.org/bin/latestnews.cgi?ID=Announcement8208. 9/11 was President Bush's fault (the Angry Left in this country would go along with that one, wouldn't it?). 9/11 was Israel's fault (always a popular position in the Muslim/Arab world). 9/11 was orchestrated by the CIA, etc., etc., etc.
Funny how Arabs see eeryone as being responsible for 9/11 except for those who actually caused and took "credit" for it.
Funny how Arabs see eeryone as being responsible for 9/11 except for those who actually caused and took "credit" for it.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Redefining Chutzpah
Let's see. Lebanon's governmental partner, Hezbollah, starts a war by invading Israel and kidnapping Israeli soldiers. Israel responds militarily, as is its right. So, what is the U.N. now prepared to do? That's right; order Israel to pay Lebanon $1 billion in reparations: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/1%2C7340%2CL-3592764%2C00.html.
I'm not one given to the use of profanity, but is there a legalistic way of saying "F--- you!"?
I'm not one given to the use of profanity, but is there a legalistic way of saying "F--- you!"?
Friday, September 5, 2008
Durban II is a-coming.......
Peparations for the Durban II oxymoronically-named "Anti-Racism Conference" are proceeding full steam ahead, despite more and more indications that it (at best) will be a repeat of the 2001 Durban Conference in which Israel was villified to a degree not seen since Jews were targeted by the Nazis in the 1930s and 1940s: http://www.nysun.com/foreign/planned-conference-on-racism-raises-concerns/85251/?print=6640360221.
Good on Israel for not attending. Ditto Canada. Why hasn't the "rest of the West" followed suit and told the U.N. to go pound sand?
Good on Israel for not attending. Ditto Canada. Why hasn't the "rest of the West" followed suit and told the U.N. to go pound sand?
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Hop Scotch
A concert by Israeli artists in Edinburgh met with a planned protest by Palestinian sympathizers, but I was gratified to read that they were essentially drowned out by cheers for the Israeli classical music quartet: http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/arts?articleid=4442409. That said, it is telling that alone in the world, Israeli artists are subject to this type of persecution. You don't see it directed at anyone from Sudan, or Russia, or China, or any other country in the world, for that matter. Nope, it's only Israel. So, the next time someone tells you that they're not anti-Semitic, just anti-Zionist. give that little fact a thought.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
A sick culture
There is no other way to describe out. You have to watch this ENTIRE Palestinian news feature, which was translated by MEMRI: http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/1840.htm. In fact, it's beyond sick. I want Condoleeza Rice to be forced to watch this clip, over and over and over. Then let her babble on about the farcical "peace process". You can't have peace where only one side understands what the term means.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
It's not that they don't know........
............it's that they don't care. An Israeli writes in justifiably angry terms about the so-called "Free Gaza Boats" and the left wing, dhimmi idiots (my description, not hers) who are on them: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3584812,00.html. You see, it's not that they don't know that Israelis have suffered from non-stop terrorism for years, it's that they feel that there is no such thing as terrorism where Israelis are on the receiving end. In fact, any attack in which an Israeli is injured or killed is justified, because Israel itself is illegal and immoral, and its existence is an abomination, in their view. To kill an Israeli is merely to kill a racist, imperialist, colonialist. Their analysis begins and ends right there.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Disgusted
The U.S. State Department has denied an Israeli request to purchase military hardware which would have allowed Israel to attack Iran's nuclear facilities: http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1010938.html. A friend of mine e-mailed the article to me, and this set me off this morning, leading to my diatribe in the e-mail:
Is it official yet? Can we formally declare that the odious, Arabist U.S. State Department is now running all aspects of American foreign policy? I have been talking about this for several years now; about how the United States has been steadily distancing itself from Israel ("coincidentaly", that distancing began when Condoleeza Rice, a disciple of James "F--- the Jews" Baker, took over as Secretary of State). And this is what we're getting with a REPUBLICAN in the White House?!?! Can you imagine what it will be like if/when Obama takes over?
Here's what Bush 43 will have "accomplished" in terms of foreign policy in the last two or so years:
1) In connivance with the criminal Ehud Olmert, his government will have caused Israel to (for the first time in its history) lose a war--or at least appear to have lost a war, against Hezbollah;
2) Allowed Iran to make irreversible progress towards obtaining nuclear weapons;
3) Refused to do ANYTHING about Pakistan's not-so-subtle support of al Qaeda and the Taliban;
4) Exposed the U.S. as the most fragile of paper tigers during the Russian rape of Georgia;
5) Played footsy with North Korea as one of the world's most evil regimes spreads weapons and nuclear technology around the world to all of our enemies;
6) Demanded that Israel allow terrorists into the country, individuals that we won't even allow into the U.S.!
7) We've become the biggest funder of the corrupt terrorist entity known as the Palestinian Authority;
8) Encouraged the "Cedar Revolution" in Lebanon and then turned its back as Iranian/Syrian proxy Hezbollah took over the country.
Want some domestic failures? Sure, here's a whole bunch:
1) It took this so-called fiscal conservative SIX YEARS to veto his first bill. During that time, spending has ballooned to levels that would make even the most liberal of New Deal supporters blush;
2) He has allowed the U.S. Dollar, FORMERLY the pre-eminent international currency, to sink to unthinkable levels against virtually every other currency in the world, making it more expensive for Americans to buy everything. Thinki about this: The cost of oil began to spike six years ago, in 2002. When did the U.S. Dollar begin its freefall? I'll give you one guess as to the answer to that question;
3) He has absolutely refused to do ANYTHING about border security. If you're in bed with Ted "Open Borders" Kennedy, as Bush 43 is on the issue of illegal immigration, you KNOW that you're on the wrong side of the debate;
4) It took him until June of this year to finally propose lifting the ban on offshore drilling. Hmm. You have a far left figure in Nancy Pelosi running the show in the House. You COULD have proposed this in 2002, 2003, 2004, 200 or 2006, when there was a Republican majority in the House and as oil prices began their climb, but no, as usual you were reactive, not proactive. Good luck to you there, Dubya!
5) I'll come full circule here. Anyone checked out that national debt? It's kind of, well, HUGE. It's getting bigger, too. Again, I will remind one and all that he is SUPPOSED to be a fiscal conservative! Instead, he has been so profligate on spending that he has actually put the Democrats in a position where they can run to the right of the Republicans (!!) on the fiscal responsibility issue!
I could go on and on, but I'm too disgusted right now. Bah f---ing humbug...................
Is it official yet? Can we formally declare that the odious, Arabist U.S. State Department is now running all aspects of American foreign policy? I have been talking about this for several years now; about how the United States has been steadily distancing itself from Israel ("coincidentaly", that distancing began when Condoleeza Rice, a disciple of James "F--- the Jews" Baker, took over as Secretary of State). And this is what we're getting with a REPUBLICAN in the White House?!?! Can you imagine what it will be like if/when Obama takes over?
Here's what Bush 43 will have "accomplished" in terms of foreign policy in the last two or so years:
1) In connivance with the criminal Ehud Olmert, his government will have caused Israel to (for the first time in its history) lose a war--or at least appear to have lost a war, against Hezbollah;
2) Allowed Iran to make irreversible progress towards obtaining nuclear weapons;
3) Refused to do ANYTHING about Pakistan's not-so-subtle support of al Qaeda and the Taliban;
4) Exposed the U.S. as the most fragile of paper tigers during the Russian rape of Georgia;
5) Played footsy with North Korea as one of the world's most evil regimes spreads weapons and nuclear technology around the world to all of our enemies;
6) Demanded that Israel allow terrorists into the country, individuals that we won't even allow into the U.S.!
7) We've become the biggest funder of the corrupt terrorist entity known as the Palestinian Authority;
8) Encouraged the "Cedar Revolution" in Lebanon and then turned its back as Iranian/Syrian proxy Hezbollah took over the country.
Want some domestic failures? Sure, here's a whole bunch:
1) It took this so-called fiscal conservative SIX YEARS to veto his first bill. During that time, spending has ballooned to levels that would make even the most liberal of New Deal supporters blush;
2) He has allowed the U.S. Dollar, FORMERLY the pre-eminent international currency, to sink to unthinkable levels against virtually every other currency in the world, making it more expensive for Americans to buy everything. Thinki about this: The cost of oil began to spike six years ago, in 2002. When did the U.S. Dollar begin its freefall? I'll give you one guess as to the answer to that question;
3) He has absolutely refused to do ANYTHING about border security. If you're in bed with Ted "Open Borders" Kennedy, as Bush 43 is on the issue of illegal immigration, you KNOW that you're on the wrong side of the debate;
4) It took him until June of this year to finally propose lifting the ban on offshore drilling. Hmm. You have a far left figure in Nancy Pelosi running the show in the House. You COULD have proposed this in 2002, 2003, 2004, 200 or 2006, when there was a Republican majority in the House and as oil prices began their climb, but no, as usual you were reactive, not proactive. Good luck to you there, Dubya!
5) I'll come full circule here. Anyone checked out that national debt? It's kind of, well, HUGE. It's getting bigger, too. Again, I will remind one and all that he is SUPPOSED to be a fiscal conservative! Instead, he has been so profligate on spending that he has actually put the Democrats in a position where they can run to the right of the Republicans (!!) on the fiscal responsibility issue!
I could go on and on, but I'm too disgusted right now. Bah f---ing humbug...................
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