So...what's the solution?

I have been thinking long and hard about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the recent news that 64 Hamas officials were arrested. I think the solution is simply to engage in target assassinations with every Hamas/Fatah/PRC/Islamic Jihad member who plans terror. Period. Arresting them accomplishes zippo. These people will be out of jail in no time. Having trials accomplishes nothing. These people will claim it's a human right violation to even have a trial in "Infidel Israel." Meanwhile, open warfare in populated areas will lead to massive civilian death. So why not just let Mossad accomplish what it needs to accomplish? Why not just target assassinate the monsters who kill, maim, fire rockets at Israel, and engage in general unadulterated mayhem? Does it violate the Geneva Conventions? Sure. But guess what? The Palestinians have shat upon the Geneva Conventions so many times, the conventions might as well not even exist. There is no "convention" if only one side is upholding it. What do you think? I want to see if anyone can change my mind. I am willing and WANT TO listen to other solutions. Are there any other solutions???

TRUE evil.

Eliyahu Asheri, 18, of Itmer, is dead. He was shot in the head by his captors, the Popular Resistance Committee. That is right. This man, a teenager, a civilian who was NOT in the armed forces, was killed by monsters merely for existing. His crime was existing. I am shuddering right now at the eirie similarities between the hatred of Jews (yes, Jews, not just Israelis, see a recent public opinion poll of Muslims worldwide) at the moment, and the hatred during the time of the Holocaust. Why do I see such similarities? Oh, that's right, Yassir Arafat's mentor, Amin al-Husayni, the original leader of the Palestinians, assisted Hitler in his slaughter of the Jews. Let us take a minute to mourn the loss of this innocent child. UPDATE: Before I could even click "publish post," I read that another innocent Israeli civilian's body was found. The body of Noah Moscowitz, 62, of Rishon Lexion, was found today. This was a man who lived in Israel proper. When will the killing end? When will enough be enough?

Chemical Warfare

HatTip: Raccoon
YNet: Cabinet: IDF to prepare for extensive operation
YNet: Al-Aqsa Brigades: Chemical warfare if Israel invades Gaza
Reuters: Gaza militants say fired chemical-tipped warhead

Since the recent attack, in which two IDF soldiers were killed and Shalit was kidnapped, the Israeli cabinet have been discussing a suitable response.

"We will respond, and the response will be mighty. It won't be an operation of one or two days. A border has been crossed."
- Olmert

As the operation begins and the rhetoric grows, Fatah announces its recent weapon developments:

"With the help of Allah, we are pleased to say that we succeeded in developing over 20 different types of biological and chemical weapons, this after a three-year effort."
- Fatah leaflet

They continue...

"We say to (Prime Minister Ehud) Olmert and (Defense Minister Amir) Peretz: Your threats of invasion do not frighten us. We will surprise you with new weapons you have not faced until now. As soon as an IDF soldier sets foot on Gazan land, we will respond with a new weapon."

Update 01:

"A spokesman for gunmen in the Gaza Strip said they had fired a rocket tipped with a chemical warhead at Israel early on Thursday. The Israeli army had no immediate comment on the claim by the spokesman from the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, an armed wing of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah movement."

2010

In 3.5 years time there will have been major changes to the world we live in as the planet begins to be broken up into "trade regions" called "blocks".

A google search on "2010 free trade zone" brings up the following results:

1) Europe-Africa Free Trade Zone Possible by 2010 2) "China and 10 Southeast Asian countries agreed Monday in Phnom Penh to establish a free-trade zone between them by 2010" 3) "A free trade agreement between Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco was signed today in the Moroccan tourism resort Agadir. The free trade agreement is an important step in the envisaged creation of a Euro-Mediterranean free trade area by 2010, which will include close to 40 countries."

That is just for a start.

Read about the North American Super-Block at World Net Daily.

"The Task Force proposes the creation by 2010 of a North American community to enhance security, prosperity, and opportunity."

All these policies from around the world come to a head in the year 2010.

A coincidence? Just something to think about.

Informed citizenry

Do you have what it takes to be an American citizen? I found a link on MSNBC.com, which has questions asked on the citizenship exam. Will you know enough to pass? I got 95% right - only one I got wrong was the form used for immigration purposes. WOOHOO TO ME! Check it out yourself!

Gazing up at trouble!

As I reported earlier, an IDF soldier was kidnapped by Hamas, and is currently being held for ransom. In response to this act of war, the IDF has amassed a great army around Gaza, and essentially said "hand over the soldier, alive, or we will rain the gods of hellfire upon Gaza." It's a game of chicken, and it looks to be turning into all out war. To this I say...FINALLY. Rockets have been fired from Gaza for months now, and if that is not a declaration of war, I don't know what is. I am glad something is finally being done to end the violence. Debkafile lays out a detailed military strategy on its website - essential reading to anyone who is following this crisis. I will be praying (in my atheistic way) for my relatives in Israel, and all Israeli citizens, as well as Palestinian civilians. May you stay safe and god bless. Hopefully this will finally stick it to the monsters - it seems the only thing they understand is force, so force is what will be handed to them. It should be noted to those who say "Israel is acting disproportionately! One IDF soldier and a whole invasion? ISRAEL IS EVIL"O:OGT!UYF!!!" I have a few words for you... 1. Let's see you live in a world where rockets are rained upon your town daily - often up to seven times a day...then watch your government do little to nothing to stop it. 2. Kidnapping a soldier (and a teenage hitchhiker, though that was the Popular Resistance Committee based out of the West Bank, not Hamas) and firing rockets are ACTS OF WAR. 3. This is most important. Hamas has it within their power to stop the military operation. All they have to do is HAND OVER THE SOLDIER THEY KIDNAPPED. It's very simple. Any Palestinian deaths are on the bloody hands of Hamas. Period. Hopefully Hamas will learn not to fuck with Israel from this incident. And hopefully Olmert will finally grow the balls he has been lacking since he took office. EDITING NOTE: Israellycool has up to the minute blogging on the ground from Israel. It is one of the most information sites I have seen, check it out!

Statistics

Sandmonkey: We don't do statistics >
Guardian Unlimited: Ahmadinejad 'has 70% approval rating'

On June the 20th, the Guardian published a story with a major headline which claimed that Ahmadinejad, the president of the Islamic Republic of Iran, has a 70% approval rating. If this claim is accurate, it would have major implications on how we approach Iran with its nucleur program.

In order to make such a claim, clearly the Guardian carried out an extensive survey... no?

"He's more popular now than a year ago. He's on the rise," said Nasser Hadian-Jazy, a professor of political science at Tehran University. "I guess he has a 70% approval rating right now. He portrays himself as a simple man doing an honest job. He's comfortable communicating with ordinary people."

The statistics the Guardian uses in this story were the opinion from a single person. Excelent journalism!

Sandmonkey however states that regardless of the poor article from the Guardian, there is a basic truth behind it all.

"The moment he got in power, [Ahmadinejad] doubled all the salaries of the government employees. The reason why he could afford that? Well, the Iranian nuclear crisis- which he started- is causing the oil prices to go up, providing him with the cash necessary to cover those costs. It's the same technique that Chavez is using: by creating a crisis, he destabalizes the Oil prices and brings them up, thus increasing his cash inflows."

On Muslim Silence

Big Pharaoh wrote an excellent article decrying the Muslim silence in the face of terror attacks, particularly terror attacks by Muslims against other Muslims. This is a blog based out of Egypt, which had a huge vigil to free Alaa from Egyptian prison. They are foremost advocates for freedom, and have paid the price for it. Please go to their blog and show some love for what they are doing.

Terrorists want Israel to kill civilians

Alan Dershowitz, as usual, wrote an exactly on point article seen on JPost, which sums up the terrorist wish and desire above all else: they WANT Israel to kill civilians. Every time Israel unintentionally kills a civilian when aiming for the terrorists, these monsters win the propoganda battle. The greater the number of Palestinian civilian deaths, the greater the victory for the monsters. Dersh lays out the facts and analysis very clearly. ESSENTIAL reading for anyone interested in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. On a side note, I just wanted to take note of the IDF soldier, Gilad Shalit, who was recently kidnapped by Hamas. He was working in Israel proper (1967 borders), and is a sweet faced 19 year old, taken while he was severely injured. He is now being held for ransom. Bradley Burston of Haaretz says we should all tie a blue ribbon in support of him. I think we all should take note of this situation. My thoughts will be with Shalit's family tonight.

HATCHING George Clooney!

Chiefmommy owl uncovered a disturbing fact: the character George Clooney played in Syriana was actually performed by Richard Hatch! You be the judge of it yourself: Chiefmommy owl has the scoop on her blog!

TORT DEFORM!

An issue that many conservatives across the country love to latch onto is so-called "tort reform" as a way to curb medical malpractice lawsuits in this nation. They say that it is medical malpractice lawsuits that have driven up the costs of healthcare, though logically, it is clear what truly is driving up the costs of healthcare. When vast swaths of the American public have health insurance (which, the majority of Americans do, even though there are tens of millions without), doctors will of course increase their rates. They know they can charge higher fees, because the insurance companies will pay for it. Meanwhile, this squeezes out the poor who cannot afford healthcare, but are not poor enough to get Medicaid. (some 50 million people) The solution to this crisis in the nation would then be either to insure everyone, or at the very least regulate the fees doctors can charge, and regulate the way insurance companies do business. Ideally, insurance companies would simply be banned altogether, because they really are the reason for the high cost of healthcare, but we know that won't happen. Tort reform, or as my lovely friend entercenter calls it, "tort deform," is the ideal solution for conservatives. They get to cozy up to their base (insurance companies), and yet also demonize the opposition. (trial attorneys) They claim without numbers to back it up that the costs of medical malpratice suits are alone driving up the costs of healthcare, and the solution is to limit recoveries. Of course, this means that the little girl whos doctor left a scalpel in her body can only recover $350,000 for pain and suffering. Or, the tot who will be deformed for life because of a faulty delivery will get $350,000 for pain and suffering. Pain and suffering is inherently an intangible, impossible to measure, however, it seems beyond ludicrous to box everyone in together, no matter the injury. There will be individuals who will be harmed by such a bill. Entercenter's article about this all is written right here. The cost of medical malpractice insurance really stems from the cost of defending doctors in the lawsuits. The vast majority of verdicts are not in the million dollar range, but yet the vast majority of litigation is ungodly expensive. If the conservatives actually cared about "tort reform," in the vein of making medical malpractice insurance cheaper, they would hire more judges to unclog the dockets, and enact laws limiting the length of time available for discovery. (which is by far the most expensive aspect of a lawsuit) However, this would all involve thinking. And we all know how these people love to fight their never ending war on thought.

"Occupation" or not?

Many people on the internet and across the world assume that Israel is wholly occupying another people's land in the West Bank. They are aghast in horror at some perceived human rights violation - mostly due to the hugely effective propoganda campaign of the Palestinians. In fact, Israel has a very legal right to the West Bank, and history shows that unilateral withdrawal only bolsters the Palestinian terrorists. (see: rockets being fired from the Gaza strip) Indeed, logically, given history, Israel would have to be suicidal to simply give up territories in the West Bank without some assurance of peace. Israelis are smart people, and as such, a majority are against Olmert's lunatic "realignment" plan. However, the problem is that so many in the world are simply ignorant of history. The term "occupation" has become such an intrinsic part of our vocabulary, and yet we are not even aware what it means. You all should read for yourself the history of Israel's relationship to the West Bank. The Israel government produced a wonderful site explaining their powerful case. Anyone who knows the history of the region can clearly see that Israel has every right to the West Bank. As far as the Palestinians - they will get their own nation, probably in the West Bank, when they decide they care more about the lives of their children than the death of Israel's children. Until then, their human rights are hardly being abused. Indeed, the level of human rights the Palestinians have in the West Bank under Israeli control is far superior to what they had when it was under Jordian control, previously. This little ignored fact often gets swept under the rug while people scream out "ISRAEL IS A TERRORIST STATE! ZIONISM IS RACISM!" The war on thought runs quite strong when discussing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and so I thought showing some actual facts can help to clarify issues.

Pathologically pathological!

I was reading some blogs online today, when I came across a new argument that made me spit out my coffee. Evidently, there are some online people who - get this - blame the Jooooos for the Asian tsunami. It's either the JOOOOOS or America, of course. Even natural disasters have to be the fault of the JOOOOOS! Here's another "gem" of an article, saying the tsunami was the fault of New York Wall Street bankers. (hence, JOOOOOOS) Actually, come to think of it, I think I may have to shower and vomit, just contemplating the sheer level of insanity of certain "human beings." It's really mind boggling. *back from showering and vomiting* Oh, and the "perfectly non-antisemitic and totally sane" Michael Rivero of What Really Happened actually said that al qeuda is a front group for Mossad. We all know what non-thinkers like Pat Roberston has said about 9/11, Katrina, the tsunami, well, pretty much every major event to occur in the world. I am not saying he is any better. But clearly, there is utter insanity from the left and the right. WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH THE WORLD?!?! On a side note, last night I got into a debate with two communists. They actually said they yearned for the days before language, when they could eat, shit, and fuck all day long. They said any and all jobs equal servitude, and any and all managers are slave masters. The most nonsensical aspect of it all was they actually were pro-feudalism. They believed feudal times, when serfs were the property of the lords, was preferable. That's right - they were anti-written language, and pro-feudalim. I think that says it all about the way these people think.

Ann or Adolf?

Andrew Sullivan linked to a great site that quizzes readers: which are the words written by Ann Coulter, and which are written by Adolf Hitler? I got 10/13. Good luck to y'all!

Egyptian blogger FINALLY freed!

Egyptian blogger Alaa (of Manalaa.net) spent weeks in jail, for speaking out against the oppressive human rights in Egypt. Finally finally finally, Alaa was freed by the Egyptians. You can read more of Alaa's story on Sandmonkey. It seems that Alaa was tortured before he was released from prison. They attempted to break his will, but they did not succeed. Stories like Alaa's bravery give me hope for the future in the Middle East. Stories of Egypt's oppression make me all the more aware of the mountain these brave warriors for the truth are up against. (UPDATE: Big Pharoah had so identified with this cause, I somehow thought Alaa was part of Big Pharoah, but he was not! I wanted to clarify!)

Red Cross does the honorable thing!

As I stated before, the Muslim nations tried to block Israel's inclusion in the Red Cross. For 60 years, Israel was excluded from the Red Cross based on flimsy reasoning (to say the least). Thankfully, it appears that after 60 years, the Red Cross did an about face, and will include Israel. It's great to see a little bit of good news for once, even if Israel will have to use the "crystal" sign, and not the star of david.

DEMON Spawn!

Landover Baptist.org truly has topped itself with its recommendations over what to do if the horror of horrors has happened...your child was born on 6-6-06! Click here to read about the essential home remedies to ensure your child is not "Satan's Little Angel. " My favorite has to be the following:

Ladies, keep your legs crossed until after midnight. A True Christian™ lady always keeps her knees together -- and June 6 is no time to stop. As your demon child willfully pushes and kicks, causing your lady hole to dilate to the size of a drainage pipe, keep your knees locked together at all times. This will give your demanding child a wonderful, early lesson that he can't always have his way. To underscore this valuable disciplinary message, as the devil child flops around, trying to claw its way out to the human world to do Lucifer's bidding, continue to warble in a loud voice, "La la la la la la la I CAN'T FEEL YOU!"

One more thing!

I want to state that just for fairness sake, I will say something bad about Israel that I mean. I believe that Israel committed atrocities in Lebanon. This was well documented in Thomas Friedman's book From Beirut to Jerusalem. The Sabra and Shatila massacres took place in Lebanon, by the Maronite Christians, with Ariel Sharon's knowledge and the Israeli army's protection of the Maronites. This is something which will be a black mark on Israel's history, that they can never fully make up for. Ariel Sharon, frankly, was a war criminal for those actions. There also was terrorism of the Irgun Gang in the formation of Israel, though in that instance, it was terrorism that occurred while there were Palestinian terrorists doing THEIR own thing. Two wrongs, however, do NOT make a right, and the bombing of the King David Hotel is not excusable, despite what the Palestinians did in Hebron and elsewhere. (EDITED TO CLARIFY: the bombing of the King David was done against the Brits, not the Palestinians, though it occurred amidst Palestinian terrorism against Jews) I want it to be known that my eyes are open with regard to Israel. I support them despite the Lebanese massacre and the actions of the Irgun Gang, because I see that, overall, the good that Israel does and has done far outweighs the bad. I don't want it to be said that I am not balanced on my blog. UPDATE: qrswave will not write anything good about Israel or bad about the Palestinians on her blog. Here is my reply to THAT.

If you hope to be the truth shall set you free, then you in fact DO owe it to your readers to post FACTS and not propoganda. When you post "speculation" that Israel is behind 9/11, Mossad is behind suicide bombing attacks, and say on this very thread that Israel kills without thinking, you cannot hide behind the "I am not Israel's PR machine" comment. If you purport to TRUTH (and the word TRUTH is in the title of this site), then you owe it to your readers to actually post...TRUTH. You cannot hide behind the "I am not Israel's PR machine" statement and also call yourself "The Truth Shall Set You Free."

Open invitation to qrswave!

I have an open invitation to qrswave. I have stated that I believe she latently hates Jews, despite the fact that we are friends from law school, because of her website on which she asserts Israel is behind 9/11, Mossad planted most suicide bombs within Israel, and her very one sided critique of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, blaming Israel for literally any and everything that has happened, and never once, not ONCE, saying that the Palestinians may share some of the blame. She also believed that the Danish cartoons should be censored, and yet allows comments on her site which call for death to all Jews. She always says "I do not hate Jews" whenever she says such things, however, in my opinion, such a deep paranoia of ISRAEL IN PARTICULAR (the one Jewish state in the world), has to be based on at least latent hatred of the Jews. So here is my challenge to qrswave. I will issue a very public apology on my site and on your site if you are capable of saying even one (substantial) good thing that Israel has done, and one (substantial) bad thing the Palestinians have done. Name ONE THING for both sides, and do so publicly on your blog, and I will take back what I have said. That is my pledge. If you can do that, I will take back all I have said in the past about you being at least latently hateful of Jews. I will issue an apology. But you have to say something SUBSTANTIAL, and not just "Israelis eat falafel, which is yummy." You can read the public spectacle of this all on her site as well. UPDATE: Here is Qrswave's reply.

Miss R, I am not obligated to provide good press coverage for Israel. I am not a PR company. I report and comment on events as they are reported in the mainstream media that I find particularly disturbing because innocent people are killed unnecessarily and unjustifiably. I question who perpetrates attacks against Israeli civilians (attacks which I find equally horrific as those against Palestinians) when those attacks are made under questionable circumstances - I'm entitled to question. Questioning does not make me "anti-semitic." That's an absurd charge. That's like calling someone anti-American for questioning Bush's policies, or the efforts of the FBI or CIA to spy on American citizens. It's defamatory and divisive. I have nothing against Jews. I have plenty against Israeli policy as well as the policies of Bush and Co. and I am unapologetic. When I see genuine reform in Israeli policy, some end to the disproportionate killing of women and children and the endless land grabs, my opinions will change accordingly. And for the record, you and I both know that there are people, who know you personally, that know which school you attended and by extension which school I attended.

Also, I never once suggested that any Danish cartoons be censored, i.e., by the government. I repeatedly called for people to exercise their OWN good judgment when referring to others' religious beliefs. I maintain that position. So, you should restate your criticism to reflect the facts. Finally, when I question Israeli involvement in 9/11, that's all it is - QUESTIONS - suspicions based on undeniable facts that RAISE questions. What am I to do? Ignore them to be politically correct? Give me a break.Why do you care if an Israeli or a group of Israelis are involved in 9/11 anyway? Does that make you culpable by extension because you are Jewish? Absurd! You have to understand that it is YOU who are making these illogical conclusions along with other misguided individuals like Thor. I should not have to apologize for your inability to reason.

My response to her: qrswave, So you insist that Israel has done not one good policy, and the Palestinians are fully justified in their actions? Okay, just wanted to be clear. And yes, questioning American policy does not make someone "unAmerican." But engaging in conspiracy theory speculation, which you do and have done quite publicly, is quite a different story. Whenever anything happens in Israel, you question if Mossad might be responsible. Same for major American events, such as 9/11. In many ways, that is WORSE than stating outright "Israel was behind 9/11," because when someone does that, such as Mighty Thor, they are more easily branded a hater. You cloak your words in the nonsense of "I am only questioning things," when in fact no sane person would believe Israel was behind 9/11 or Mossad plants suicide bombers.I will retract what I said about the Danish cartoons on my blog, but that is it. It is interesting, of course, that you believe there should have been self censorship with respect to the Danish cartoons, but you fully allow people to post that they wish death to all Jews. (without deleting comments) One more thing. I do care about Israel. I have relatives in Israel, and I care about the continuation of Israel as a Jew and as someone who values freedom and justice. So my final comment which I have on this blog: Sorry for stating you believed the government should censor the Danish cartoons. I guess I was wrong about that. You believed individuals should have self censored. Okay, I mischaracterized your viewpoint. Sorry about that.

Solution: raze the mosques?!

As I noted extensively on this blog, there are Islamists out there who seek to destroy America and the West. This is a well documented fact. The problem is when I read comments on blogs such as Little Green Footballs, calling for the razing of all mosques and the banning of Islam as a religion. This is exactly what Saudi Arabia did to churches and synogogues. There's a solution: let's become just like the enemy in order to fight the enemy. Great idea! *sighs* The war on thought runs very strong from the right and the left.

It's the JOOOOOOS!!!

Most of you must be aware of the genocide currently being perpetuated in the Darfur. The Christians in the Darfur are being systematically killed by the Muslims. Darfurgenocide.org gives great, up-to-the-minute news and extensive links about this tragic and ongoing event. This genocide gets so little press coverage, mostly because it's an intra-African affair, in the same way the genocide in Rwanda was. But that does not make the human rights issues any less vital. What few people realize is how little the UN has done to stop the genocide in the Sudan. Hell, Sudan is a member of the UN Human Rights Commission! (yes...you read that right. I know you may now have to vomit, after you go vomit, you can come back and read more) In any case, after you have wiped the vomit from your face, I have more. It appears that Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir stated that it is those evil JEWISH ORGANIZATIONS that are pushing for peacekeeping forces. That's right. he's not responsible for the genocide HE has perpetuated. It's all the Jooooooooos! I am sure that the next words out of his mouth will be "No Christian Sudanese were killed by Muslim militias. It was all Mossad! It was Israel! It was the Jooooos!!!!" The level of psychosis displayed around the world is mind boggling.

Torture!

I post on left wing and right wing sites, attempting to open my mind as much as possible. Today, I found a post on Little Green Footballs that disturbed me. The contents of the post in question is something I agree with. I generally agree with or at least can understand where Charles Johnson, the owner of the website, comes from. This post refers to Daily Kos, and the following statement written by Markos Moulitas, the owner of DKos.

There’s a reason the Geneva Conventions exist. We’ve lost the moral high ground. What a fucking waste of a war.

I agree with Charles Johnson's perspective, that of course we have not lost the moral highground. Of course we treat the Islamists far better than they treat us - with their beheadings. Furthermore, technically, since the Islamists do not follow the Geneva Conventions, we are not obliged the follow the Conventions, either. However, we should not be measuring our morality by the yardstick of the Islamists. The yardstick we measure our morality by should be higher than the depravity of the Islamists. This is not the "soft bigotry of low expectations," because I do not believe other world agencies have the right to hold America to different standards. However, we ought to expect more of ourselves. We should not be proud to be "better than the Islamists." Any comparison with the Islamists is itself a mark of shame upon America. And so it is with a heavy heart that I read some of the comments on that Little Green Footballs thread in question, where posters will justify torture by saying "we're better than the Islamists." Since when did the bar for human rights get set so low?

Crossing off the Red Cross

And so it seems that Muslim delegates will block the Israeli attempt to join the international aid organization, the Red Cross. Their reasoning? "Israel is an apartheid state." Or something. But shouldn't Israel get the benefit of having what is supposed to be a neutral humanitarian aid organization inside their country? Of course not! The Red Cross was going to be a Red Crystal - not even a Star of David. That is how much Israel was willing to bend its principles to join the red Cross. And they still were not admitted. Next time there is a big disaster, I will not be donating to the Red Cross, which did a piss poor job in New Orleans after Katrina, anyway, and corruption concerns were raised. There is an argument to be made that Israel is better off without any affiliation to the Red Cross. Meanwhile, speaking of aid agencies, the shrapnel removed from the bodies of victims from the Gaza attack a few weeks ago was evidently removed needlessly. But this wouldn't have anything to do with covering up the evidence of Palestinians having caused the attacks, oh no. Not related in the *least.* (sarcasm added) So, let's get this straight...the Red Crescent is allowed to be affiliated with the Red Cross, even though it has transported suicide bombers and weapons in ambulence trucks in the past...and the "Red Crystal" is not allowed in Israel. The Palestinians blame Israel for Gaza beach bombings...then cover up the evidence of Israeli wrongdoing. Meanwhile, my law school classmate writes a post on her blog titled "Israel, Israel, Israel, Kill, Kill, Kill - that's all I ever read online." Replies on that post include calls for the death to all Jews. Has the world gone mad? Have I been transported to pre-Nazi Germany? Because that is what this all is increasingly starting to feel like.

NOT adding up!

I actually feel a pit of dread in my stomache, just knowing that this ad even exists. *screams in my head in total fear* Hat tip: Andrew Sullivan Just...wow. This is actually worse than the fright over the Joe Lieberman campaign ad I saw a few days ago. Whoever thinks of these ads needs serious medication for their mental illnesses. Either that, or they are already heavily medicated and need to come OFF said medication!

Freedom to LIVE!

Perusing the Jerusalem Post today, it appears that Sderot, Israel residents are going through their ninth day of hunger strikes against the Israeli government. It seems that, as I reported earlier, the IDF is still not using its full fire power to stop the Kassam rockets. Hearsay evidence suggests that they are only using 5% of their strength. Meanwhile, posters as such qrswave state (without evidence) that "Israel kills Palestinians with impunity." There is a real psy ops war going on in the world at the moment, and it is very clear who is on the losing end: Israel. Evidently, an Islam channel in London aired a "Zionist debate" which said "anti-zionism is not racism," without even bothering to present the other side of the story. Some "debate." A soccer player from Ghana (or as most of the world calls it, "football") waved an Israeli flag, and was forced to apologize for it! Egypt went on to call this very person a "Mossad agent," merely for waving an Israeli flag. This is a supposed "peace partner" with Israel. It seems that some people deserve the freedom to live, and not others. Some people are given the right to defend their right to life, and not others. Some people are given every benefit of the doubt, and not others. Sderot residents are being denied their very freedom to live without rockets being blasted constantly into their backyard, and their only crime is their Israeli circumstance of birth.

"Blowing up" sexual norms!

This is Hitch at his best. Christopher Hitchens wrote a great article on the history of the blowjob, and explains why it's "as American as apple pie." Of particular note:

The recent and highly amusing documentary Inside Deep Throat shows—by re-creating the paradoxically Nixonian times that re-baptized Deep Throat to mean source rather than donor—how America grabbed the Olympic scepter of the blowjob and held on tight. In the film, there is the preserved figure of Helen Gurley Brown, den mother of Cosmo-style journalism for young ladies and author of Sex and the Single Girl, demonstrating her application technique as she tells us how she evolved from knowing nothing about oral sex to the realization that semen could be a terrific facial cream. ("It's full of babies," she squeals, unclear on the concept to the very last.) In closing, Dick Cavett declares that we have gone from looking at a marquee that read DEEP THROAT, and hoping it didn't mean what we thought it did, to "kids who don't even consider it sex." This would leave us with only one problem. Why do we still say, of something boring or obnoxious, that "it sucks." Ought that not be a compliment?

Oh, Hitch, how I love thee when he engages in sex and religion. Truly priceless!

TRUE progressiveness!

The Jerusalem Post revealed today that a Supreme Court judge in Israel ruled that the prohibition of civil marriages violates Israelis' civil rights. This is terrific news! As it stands right now, marriages are only accepted in Israel if performed in a religious ceremony. This flatly discriminates against those who want to marry outside their faith, or are nonbelievers. Now, I do understand the fears of those within Israel that this encourages intermarriage, however, I believe that granting a couple less rights simply on account of their religion (or lack thereof) is nothing short of discrimination. So a big HUZZAH to Israel for this major step towards elliminating this form of discrimination today!

Thomas Paine: American hero

Thomas Paine, who wrote the leaflet "Common Sense," widely credited with stirring vast support for the American Revolution, is also considered a "Founding Father" of America. And yet, he was an avowed Deist, and wrote terrific writings on the subject. Deism basically is a belief that we should look at the bible as a sort of parable, and take out all references of God, and cull all the moral teachings. Some of the most important Founding Fathers were "Deists," such as Thomas Jefferson, (Paine), and Benjamin Franklin. The "Enlightenment," which was a heavy influence on the Founding Fathers, also was inextricably tied to Deism. In other words...the Founding Fathers of the United States were pro-thought. They were avowed patriots, fighting this never ending war on thought. I think we should take a moment to appreciate the wonderful signficance of how this great nation was founded, and to be thankful beyond words that the United States is a nation with a constitution, which, for all its flaws, at least is rooted in thought. Indeed, America was founded as a pluralistic nation, with most inhabitants of Christian origin. Remember Thomas Paine and Thomas Jefferson, next time someone insists that America is a "Christian nation."

COOL!

I was looking at where visitors to this site came from, and I noticed someone came here via Google. They typed into the search engine "Ann Coulter versus gays," and evidently I am the first site that pops up! I actually never wrote a post on Ann Coulter being against gays. (though she is, I never wrote about it) Still, I am amused that my site was the first that popped up. Amusing indeed.

TERROR ALERT!

I was just perusing Michael Totten's website, when I came across this post, which linked to a Milblog displaying pictures of North Korea. All I can say is...yikes! Evidently, most of the pictures were taken illegally, because freedom even to take pictures is not allowed. Money quote:

On your arrival you will be assigned to a guide and a driver. That will constantly follow you. You can't leave the hotel on your own. The daily program consists of 2-3 visits to a landmark. In the hotel you can watch BBC, NTV russian chan), and a couple of chinese channels, so you can't really complain about freedom of speech. The food is good, and you can't complain about that either. In a park he saw elder women picking up herbs, the guide said that it was for the rabbits, although it was clear that it was the kind of herb that the "owners of the rabbits" could eat.

Here is an image for you to enjoy. Note, it's in the biggest city, Pyongyang. I feel fright even looking at these photos! Update: seems that there are more pictures seen on a Russian site. The captions are in Russian, but the pictures do indeed say a thousand words... Link one, link two, three, four, and five. Truly amazing.

KNOCKDOWN!

My friend entercenter, over at One of Countless Millions, wrote a terrific post about the recent "knock and announce" decision by the Supreme Court. I encourage you all to go over there and read it. Yes, he is snarky, but his analysis is spot on. Given I have a friend who was battered by the police in the Mississippi Gulf Coast merely for sitting in a car on his very property...I would say the knock and announce rule is pretty major. It prevents people from having heart attacks when police barge in on a person's home, it prevents open gun fire from erupting, as well as making sure someone will be able to get dressed before answering the door. It's a pretty important thing, the knock and announce rule. Oh well, I guess it's a thing of the past, now...

Daily Kos engages in a WAR ON THOUGHT!

I am fuming mad over a post written on DKos, which now has over 700 responses. This post features a highly offensive cartoon of Jewish mobsters, threatening Yale's faculty over the appointment of that failed academic, Juan Cole. You will see how the majority of DKos posters have no problem with the highly offensive cartoons depicting Jews as mobsters, and yet the majority of those posters were horrified at the Danish cartoon controversy. The post in question basically says it was the Jooooos that caused Juan Cole to not get the Yale appointment. It did not once question Juan Cole's level of scholarship. It just blanketly asserted it was the Jooooos. I have had it up to my eyeballs with the rabid antisemitism that I see bubbling over in the American (and world) left. BarryAnnArbor on DKos wrote a post which details this phenomenom very well. You will see the responses on this thread - and the lack of thought that goes into them. There is a very real war going on in this world. It is a war being fought on many fronts. This war, my friends, is a WAR ON THOUGHT! The left is fighting it with its P.C./multi-culturalism/Israel and America sucks orthodoxy. The right is fighting it with its anti-science/America-centric/don't question the president/religion in the public sphere orthodoxy. Join me, brothers and sisters, and help me fight the war to end all wars. This is the battle to end all battles. The revolution to end all revolutions. Join me as a fellow soldier in the war on thought!

I couldn't have said it better myself!

...Oh wait, I did! The Jerusalem Post wrote a great article about the double standards that are applied to Israel, verus every other nation in the world. It shocks and awes my soul that the Israeli leadership does not spend more time pointing this out. But then, perhaps that is due to Ehud Olmert's "lovely" family being extreme left-wingers opposed to the State of Israel. He cannot convince his family to change, so why should we expect him to convince the world to change? I do not understand why the rest of the world is allowed to defend itself in whatever way it wants, but the residents of Sderot have to face constant onslaughts of rockets without the government stepping in to protect their citizenry's very right to survival. Oh, that's right. Here's the common lines. "I have one standard for Israel and another for the rest of the world, but I looooove the Jews, they are my BEST FRIENDS!" "I do not believe Israel, the one Jewish state, should defend itself, while I accord that right tenfold to others...but Jews rock!" "Zionism is racism, but I am totally cool with Muslim nations excluding Jews from the Middle East. And how dare you say I am antisemitic! I am totally only anti-zionist!" Riiiiiiiight. It's time for these people to be called out for what they are: antisemites. It's time for the world to apply the same standard to Israel that it applies to every other nation in the world. It's time to start believing in a little thing called universal human rights.

Shelling in Gaza likely not Israel's doing!

Let's see if this gets any mainstream press attention. But evidence out there shows Israel is not culpable. Read it for yourself!

Sderot, Israel turning into ghost town

As many of you know, there was a bombing in Gaza on Thursday. Many within the leftist community - here and in Israel, immediately condemned the bombing. On the face of it, the bombing seemed to be reprehensible. Then, looking at the videos of the event, one begins to wonder if it all is as it seems. Pumpkinlove (over at DKos) wrote excellent diaries, questioning whether or not Israel was in fact responsible for the blasts. You can read them here and here. However, as a result of the bombing, the IDF announced it would not act defensively in bombing Hamas Kassam missile launching sites. As a result, one town in particular, Sderot, Israel, has had to endure 3,000 rockets being launched at it. The town is quickly turning into a ghost town. You can read about this here. I ask you, shouldn't Israel be able to defend itself? Doesn't it have a base right to exist, free from rocket attacks? And shouldn't the story in Gaza at least be questioned, without the propoganda campaign against Israel going full throttle? For more reason to question the official line that it was Israel behind the rocket attacks, I think you should look at the video being replayed over and over on Al Jazeera. As you can see, very suspiciously, there was a video camera on the event exactly at the right time, and right place. Why there was a video camera photographing the beach is suspicious indeed. Furthermore, the Palestinians are not cooperating with the investigation into the bombing - you would think that they would look for every reason in the book to show how it was Israel's fault. Go see the story for yourself here. Meanwhile, people in Sderot have to endure round the clock shelling, and their government is doing nothing. If it was Canada or Mexico bombing us, you can be sure we would nuke the bombing sites into oblivion. Yet, Israel is not even protecting its citizens in their very right to life. Somehow, the world is convinced that Israel was at fault for the bombing of Gaza, without any proof. It seems that whatever Israel does, it is blamed, and a different standard is applied to Israel than to the rest of the world. Alan Dershowitz wrote a great article about this on Huffington Post. It seems that the Israelis are somehow undeserving of a very basic right to defend themselves that the rest of the world is accorded.