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.........