Do the Palestinians deserve a state to call their own? (Aka, why I am one of the few truly Pro-Palestinian people out there)

This is a follow up to earlier posts I have written. My question of the day today is: Do Palestinians deserve a functioning state to call their own? In other words, is this a normative good? And ifso, does that mean that I am anti-Palestinian by saying they currently do not deserve their own state? Ifso, then are 'pro-Palestinians' actively helping the Palestinians by calls for an immediate Palestinian state? In short, the answers to those questions are: yes, the Palestinians deserve their own state, yes, this is a normative good, no, I am not anti-Palestinian by saying they do not deserve their own state at the moment, and no, the 'pro-Palestinian' people out there are NOT helping the Palestinians by calling for an immediately Palestinian state. In fact, they are enablers for those who wish to genocide. I wish to clarify my position on when I believe the Palestinians should get their own state. I wrote this in a comment somewhere on a blog, but I believe it should be immoralized on Culture for all on the main page. I believe that the Palestinians should get their own state only when they Walid Shoebat-ize themselves. In other words, when I see that the Palestinians have given up all desire to genocide, and have turned from hate to love, and have actively apologized for their past, then I say they deserve their own state. In other words, their entire society has to change from top to bottom before I say that they deserve their own state, and before I believe it is even in the best interests of the Palestinians to HAVE their own state. A brief summary of the Palestinian sins which MUST be apologized for and the culture disavowed prior to Palestinian statehood: a) Palestinian recruitment and support for Hitler; b) Palestinian attempted genocide of Jews prior to even Israeli statehood; c) Continuous attacks on Jews from day one of Israeli statehood (no citation necessary as this is widely known); d) A culture which teaches children to hate and genocide from age 0 onward; e) The total rewriting of history done by the Palestinians; f) Support for worldwide terrorism; g) The total degradation and ill treatment of minorities, women, and gays within the Territories; h) Calls for Islamic Fundamentalism and lack of freedom of religion within the Territories; i) The total and complete terror inflicted upon the kind, decent, and freedom loving Palestinians in the Territories by those wishing to commit genocide. This is just an abridged list of the sins committed by the Palestinians. These sins are very real and incredibly extensive. However, the Germans asked for forgiveness after WWII. They currently are one of Israel's few real allies. The Japanese asked for forgiveness after WWII. They are currently a flourishing democracy and opposed to the attempted genocide on Chinese that they committed during WWII. (totally unreported, of course) In contrast, the Turks STILL pretend as if there was no genocide of Armenians that occurred almost 100 years ago. (when about 1 million Armenians were killed) They are actively hiding their past. And as such, extremism is alive and well in Turkey, a radicalized, faux-'moderate' country. In contrast, the Bosnian Muslims have never admitted their part in the Holocaust. And Bosnia, the place Clinton 'liberated' is now a hotbed for terrorism. In short, history shows us that when a people acknowledge and apologize for the atrocities they have committed in the past, then they can be trusted to build a real and functioning country. Until and unless this happens, any Palestinian nationhood at this point in time will merely be a vehicle for terror. The proof is in the greenhouses. Remember the greenhouses that were given to Gazans by the Gates Foundation, so they would have a functioning economy? They looked like this originally: They now look like this: Citation: LGF This is what greets us if we grant the Palestinians their own state at this point in time. The Palestinians have shown that they only care about death and destruction, and hence if they have their own state, they will only use it to spread more death and destruction. Hence, those who advocate a Palestinian state prior to their apology and disavowment for the litany of wrongs they have committed will only promote the Palestinians to commit even MORE wrongs. And the sad truth is that the majority of those that the Palestinians kill are in fact moderate Palestinians. The moderate Palestinians live in terror of those within their own government. Hence, if anyone truly supported the moderate Palestinians, they would support a total reworking of the society from top to bottom. I believe that if that happens, then the Palestinians deserve their own state and there can be a peaceful cooperation between the Israelis and Palestinians. Anyone who truly supports the Palestinians would be appalled at the way they have used aid they receive as simply support to commit more terror. They would demand accountability in government. They would demand justice for all. They would demand culture for all. To truly support the Palestinians means demanding more of them than simply calls for genocide. It means treating them like real citizens of the world. It means the abandonment of the soft bigotry of low expectations, which assumes that the Palestinians somehow are lesser beings and are incapable of real democracy, non-genocide, and cultural pluralism. It means the same standards should be applies to the Palestinians, in terms of the human rights record expected of their government, that is expected of the Israelis. It means a respect for women, gays, and minorities within the Palestinian Territories, as they are people, too! Lest we forget, more Palestinians have died due to Palestinians killing them than Israelis killing them! And so I truly do support the Palestinian people. I am rooting for them to change and get their own state. I am rooting for their humanity to shine through. And I make no excuses when I see their genocidal tendancies taking over. This is the mark of someone who TRULY supports the Palestinian people. Everyone else is actively working against the REAL interests of the Palestinians. They are the worst enemies of the Palestinians.

One man's journey from hate to love

Found via Olah and Oleh, below is a wonderful video which shows Walid Shoebat's journey from hate to love, and why it is that Jews are so hated to begin with.

Jews against Jews

I just came upon one of the most shocking, disgusting articles I have read in a very long time. It details how mainstream American and British Jewry allowed a Holocaust to happen. Please read this article - we cannot repeat history! Articles 2 and 3 deal with how modern Diaspora and Israeli leaders are repeating the mistakes of their forefathers. To all this I have to say the following: While others may be perfectly okay with calmly walking to the gallows, I will NEVER be okay with it. My grandmother is a Holocaust survivor, and she has other family members who survived. I come from strong stock. I have two words for those who wish to exterminate Jews, and for the Jews who are letting it happen, and even encouraging it (such as ISM founder Adam Shapiro): Never again.

Summing up why those who support the Palestinians are actually the Palestinians' worst enemy

I wrote this on Twosret's blog, but I fear she will delete it, and hence, I am pasting it here. I know much of this is repetitive, but I feel this all cannot be said enough. (here is a link to the blog which will not add to the number of people who link to twosret: (http://cheztwosret.blogspot.com/) It started out as a follow up to my Rachel Corrie post. I wrote the following: ISM absolutely is committed to the destruction of Israel by any means necessary, including terrorism. Rachel Corrie was a member of this organization. This is a picture of Rachel Corrie that rarely gets distributed by the press.

The ISM absolutely is a pro-terrorist, anti-peace, pro-jihadist organization.

See the proof here and here.

It is clear as day for the world to see that Rachel Corrie and the ISM advocated terrorism. Twosret's support of these organizations shows she too supports terrorism. ---------------

Twosret replied with the following:

Redtulips,

Let me just point out one thing seriously wrong with Israel political structure and why we call it a terrorist, Invader, aggressor state.

When someone objects peacefully a military bulldozer in civil countries they get arrested, In Israel they get crushed under the bulldozer blade. This is how Israel started as a state. Their terrorists built it and their younger terrorist generation (including rapists, corrupt judges etc...) is ruling it. The streets of Israel are named after terrorists that killed British envoy and they claim them heros.

Crushing someone with a bulldozer is a criminal act and a horrifying, cold blood murder. I'm sure this bulldozer killed many others and we never got to hear about them because they are not American.

The current Administration should call it an act of war on Israel. Isn't Rachel Corrie an American citizen?, after all Rachel Corrie is a citizen not a soldier like Jilad and the other Prisoners of war that they are still alive.

Rachel Corrie was never a terrorist nor she was pro-Jihadi. You need to pick new terms.

Since you justify a murder next time you hear of a sucicide bomber killing innocents you should praise him because you are advocating for violence and the killings of innocent people.

Do you understand now why the owner of this blog is not a pro-terrorism and you are? Do you understand now why you promote hate and murder?

I doubt it! 12:25 PM

Twosret said... If Red tulips is an American citizen she should be on trial for treason.

--------------------

I replied to this with the following: Let me add that Rachel Corrie was not "murdered." She purposely stood in front of a bulldozer, in its blind spot. She purposely decided to die. That was her CHOICE. Anyone who stands for Hamas and the Palestinian 'cause' stands for genocide. It is written right in the Hamas charter that they seek to elliminate Israel off the face of the earth (in its entirety), and it quotes from the Protocols of Zion. This goes beyond Israel and America. Yes, Hamas has cells in the US, and yes, it is also linked to anti-US terror. So yes, supporting the Palestinian 'cause' is anti-American for that reason alone. But there is more to this.

Standing with this 'cause' means standing against all that is good and decent in the world. It means standing for genocide. It means standing for the degradation of women's rights. It means standing against minorities (as the Palestinians horribly mistreat minorities within the Territories - a dirty little secret). It means standing against gay people (who flee the Territories to live under house arrest in Israel). It means standing for Islamofascist hatred. That is what standing for the Palestinian 'cause' as defined by Hamas/Fatah/PRC/Islamic Jihad define it.

In contrast, I actually stand for Palestinian rights. I believe that the only way for peace is for them to give up terror and make a real pledge towards cooperation and egalitarianism. If the Palestinians hope to have a state, and one worth living in, they have to get their act together. Israel will NOT give up the territories at this point unless Olmert decides to be suicidally incompetant. Why? Because the Palestinian terrorism ensures they are too much of a threat to be given a state. I do not pander to the worst, most base instincts of the Palestinians. And in that way, I am pro-Palestinian, and you, Rachel Corrie, and her ilk, are the most virulently anti-Palestinian people out there.

A tale from the inside of World of Warcraft

Southpark recently had a hilarious episode about World of Warcraft, a behemouth videogame/RPG. One former gamer speaks of what life is like on the inside, and the incredible toll this game took on his personal life. From what I read, it is an addiction on par with any drug out there. Really interesting read!

Arrested for converting to Christianity

Sandmonkey covered a very important story everyone must read, of an Egyptian man who was arrested and has been rotting in jail for 18 months for converting to Christianity. THAT was his 'crime.' His name is Bahaa El Din Al Akkad, and he is a 57 year old Egyptian, ex-muslim sheikh who converted to christianity more than a year ago, and thereafter was arrested by State Security and thrown in jail. Please read this story. Culture for all readers, what do you think we can do? Another campaign, as I did for Hala Al-Masry? E-mail Egyptian ambassadors? What? How do we get the word out here?

Great Muslim of the day: Muhammad Yunus

This story actually occurred last week, but I forgot to write about it. The Nobel Peace Prize this year was awarded to a worthy individual, rather than a terrorist. (Yassir Arafat) This year, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Muhammad Yunus, and from what I read, he is doing incredible work and deserves this recognition. In fact, he is an inspiration to us all. (and also very importantly, an inspirational Muslim who shows how peace is a possibility) Mr. Yunus has been involved with "microcredit." He is an economist who has provided millions of seemingly insignificant loans to lift millions of people out of poverty. Such a loan would enable a peasant to buy a few chickens, but that purchase enables the peasant to suddenly be able to provide for his family. This has a tremendously positive ripple effect throughout Bangladesh, which is no longer the poorest country on earth. (I think, in part to him!) No collateral was needed for the loans, and repayment was based on the honor system. There has been a 99% repayment rate! The 65-year-old economist said he would use part of his share of the $1.4 million award money to create a company to make low-cost, high-nutrition food for the poor. The rest would go toward setting up an eye hospital for the poor in Bangladesh, he said. This is a man who is a true mensch. You can even seen the kindness in his eyes, in the picture posted. He started a microcredit revolution with his Grameen Bank. Go read more about him on wikipedia.

Follow up to "web rage" article

As has happened in the past, sometimes posting articles on this site causes original participants in an event in question to find the article and comment on it. Previously, I had written of a "web rage" event in a 'Yahoo, Islam' chat room, and speculated that Islam was the cause of said web rage. Well, to be surprise, a participant in the chat room found this site and commented. (or so he says he was a participant, anyway!)

I can clarify this for you guys. I am a regular in the chatroom this incident stemmed from.

Neither of these guys were muslim nor had any interest in the islamic faith beyond levelling criticism at it. As I myself was there doing.

These two developed a personal running feud over a number of months which had nothing to with islam. The final straw seemed to be when jones accused gibbons of being a paedophile.

The paedophile accusations carried on a for a number of weeks and culminated with gibbons making a threat a week before the actual assault to "fuckin kill you jones"

He went as far as to make a countdown each day. Six days to go, five days to go etc. Then he actually carried out his threat as you are all aware.

Gibbons was clearly a nutcase. He often ranted and raved like a lunatic on voice in the chatroom.I should perhaps mention before finishing off that jones actually included his full name (johnny jones) in his chatroom identity. And often made references to his rough location though not actually his address.

Gibbons was able to locate his address through electoral records using his name and the location jones openly gave in the chatroom.

Assuming this is correct, I guess Monkey Chops was right, props to him! I am always amazed at the power of the internet to uncover facts like these.

Climate change stuff

Just visted deadairspace (Radiohead's studio blog type thing) and came across Thom Yorkes entry about climate change (he is passionate about fighting it). For those in the UK who haven't signed upto the BigAsk then check the website out. And for those in america Exxon secrets. The science is in. There is no denying climate change and the impact of our carbon spewing cultures. If we all act now, then we can save the situation. If not then we will most likely see rising sea levels and climate created refugees flooding into other countries due to the sea reclaiming the land. Take a look at the scientific data, that has been peer reviewed and is not propaganda from the oil companies. And make your choice or carrying on spewing out the lovely carbon. I have taken the first steps to helping the environment. I have ordered a 330 litre composting bin to cut down on the amount of waste my family sends to the landfill sites and i will be sorting out the recycling of the rubbish that can't be composted. Don't give into the "we are screwed" mantra. We can all make a difference.

Condemned to hell

Carmen wrote an amazing, must read post explaining why many would condemn her to hell for falling in love with a Christian man. She also brought up an important and ignored question...

Why is it that the suicide bombers are not only not considered apostates, but in fact are praised, and someone who falls in love with a nonMuslim is considered an apostate? Wouldn't it do Islam a hell of a lot of good for clerics/mullahs/imams to condemn terrorists to apostacy? And yet this has not happened. The opposite has happened.

Why is a terrorist celebrated, and a peaceful person who happens to fall in love is denigrated?

Guns v. Butter: How Bush's fiscal policy has hurt it's ability to effect foreign policy

Via Andrew Sullivan, I just read an article which explains how Bush's reckless spending for fluff projects in a time of war has made us so terribly vulnerable in our foreign policy. Please read the Irving Stelzer article. He makes great points. The bottom line is that it seems that no one, either Republican or Democrat, seems to have what it takes to fight this war. The amount of money that the government is in debt for is truly staggering. And why should it be celebrated that we cut the deficit? I think the problem is people conflate the words debt and deficit. The debt is the amount of money the US owes other nations, in total. The deficit is the shortfall between the amount of revenue that comes in in any given year, and the federal budget for that year. Except in times of extreme crisis, there never should even be a $1 deficit, if Congress is committed to spending only what it has. Under Clinton, there were budget surpluses, which did not mean that America was debt free. Rather, it meant that less money went out in a given year than went out. Bush has since reversed this. Am I taking crazy pills? Why are Republicans, the party traditionally of fiscal conservatism, celebrating a deficit of even $1? (and in this case, the deficit is hundreds of billions of dollars) This directly impacts out national security. We owe untold billions to China, and we are unable to pressure them economically to act against North Korea, which is clearly the necessary step we have to take to constrain this threat. By being fiscally irresponsible, Bush and the Republicans have put America at risk. I honestly believe the only way to reign this in is to have the Dems take the House and/or Senate in November. (no matter how repugnant some of the Dem supporters may be (a recent example being the outing of a gay Republican that was cheered on by Dems). In any case, if the Dems prove to be a shonda, they will pay for it in 2008. Gosh I love any excuse to insert the word "shonda" (Yiddish for "shame") into a sentence!

Anti-Israeli police in...ISRAEL!

Today, I read a very disturbing article written by Caroline Glick. Evidently, Jewish worshippers of Simcha Torah were being pelted with rocks, stones, and crowbars outside Acre, Israel. The police sat by and did nothing, and in fact acted only to disarm a Jewish man who had a rifle for self defense. That is right, this happened in Israel. Please read the article yourself! If this sort of attitude of the police is going on in Israel, then where is there a safe haven left for Jews? It already is known that there are 10-12 attacks against Jews a day in France with the police ignoring the incidents, but I have not read of the Israeli police similarly ignoring attacks against Jews. Glick went on in her article to discuss how Jews are being denied access to the Temple Mount (a high holy site to Jews), while MORE mosques are being built on this site. THIS IS ISRAEL!!! WHAT IN BLEEDING HELL IS THE WORLD COMING TO??? Oh, and lest we forget, the lovely France has said they would fire upon IAF planes that fly over Lebanon, but they are not acting to disarm Hizballah. This is nothing new. As I have said repeatedly, the UN is a corrupt, feckless, terrorist-enabling League of Nations of our times. I hate that I was right to think the ceasefire between Israel/Hizballah was ill conceived. It is distressing to be right about these things.

Web rage

Meet Paul Gibbons and John Jones. They met in a yahoo chat room, discussing Islam. (it was yahoo, Islam chat) Evidently John Jones said something that so offended Paul Gibbons that he drove 70 miles to Jones's home, and beat him with a machete. I do not know what was said to cause such a rage, but I am guessing it was about...Islam. (given it was a yahoo Islam chatroom) This is why I do not post pictures of myself on this board, and use an alias. You can never be too safe. This case is really an eye opener. The British police said this was the first recorded case of "web rage," save for the"Magnolia fan" incident in the Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back movie.

It's all in the family

In NYS, there is only one statewide election that looks to be even slightly a race: the race for attorney general. The fight is between Andrew Cuomo, who is Mario Cuomo's son and a former housing secretary (Mario Cuomo was a three term NYS governor), and Jeanine Pirro, Westchester County DA. Experience-wise, there is no question who is more qualified: Pirro has built a career in the DA's office, and has prosecuted, successfully, some very high profile cases. She has been a rising star in the NY Republican party for quite some time, and certainly it is only a job promotion, but not a radically new job, for her to be NYS's attorney general. Ordinarily, her experience alone would make her hard to beat, despite NYS's Democrat leanings. However, in this instance, Andrew Cuomo has the Cuomo name that NYS voters like and identify with. He also has the backing of the wildly successful current attorney general, Elliot Spitzer, who is a shoe-in for governor in this election. But lastly, and probably most importantly, he is not married to someone who has gone to jail for tax evasion, and is not under federal indictment for bugging his spouse's boat to check if the spouse was cheating. Jeanine Pirro is. You have to read the fascinating article in NY Magazine about this couple. Al Pirro is a massive political liability for Jeanine. This is not exactly Ozzie and Harriet. I am not sure if Jeanine Pirro's bad marriage makes me want to vote for her, or vote in disgust against her, based on what she did within the marriage! (I place most of the blame on the husband, though bugging him, given she is a DA, was rather low) If nothing else, this race provides a wonderful source of soap opera-esque entertainment!

Iraq: should we stay or should we go?

My opinion on Iraq has evolved over the years. At first, I was avidly against the war. I was sickened by the fact that we went to war with a nation that was not a threat to us. (though was always anti-Saddam) Once we started fighting, I thought we should stay to fix the mess we imposed on the Iraqi public. Then, I thought we should stay because Iraq turned into a festering hotbed for terror, and suddenly we really WERE fighting the war against Islamofascism in Iraq. My opinion is evolving yet again. Last week I met an extraordinary human being. I met Zeyad, from Healing Iraq. He is a sweet, intelligent, and kind human being, who clearly is haunted, knowing he has family and friends over in Iraq, and that he is over in NYC, unable to help them. Zeyad also, out of all places he could move, moved to my neighborhood of Brooklyn. That is how we met! First I will describe the meeting, and then go into why I now wonder if we should be in Iraq. Zeyad and I met at a coffee/tea shop in my neighborhood, and as soon as I saw him, I was put at ease by his sweet smile. We sat in the coffee shop talking and talking, he explaining what it's like to be a grad student at CUNY School of Journalism, covering mundane local NYC politics after having covered major Iraqi events. We then went to an Indian restaurant and enjoyed a good curry. I was horrified at his telling me he could eat three big macs, no problem! I have no idea where he keeps it, as he is very lean. Then we went for a walk through the neighborhood, finally ending near where I live at close to 11:30 pm, when we bid adieu. The 3 1/2 hours wizzed by quickly. In our discussions, Zeyad spoke of how little America is really able to do to ameliorate the situation in Iraq. He spoke of an outright civil war, and American troops that do not want to take sides. He spoke of sharia law being dominant in Iraq, and a law that was passed saying it is a felony to criticize the government. (so much for free speech) He spoke of assassinations against the intelligensia, and an attempt to wipe out all shia and all sunni. And after listening to this, it all gelled to me... We are wasting our resources in Iraq. If it has gotten THIS BAD (and it's worse than you think, according to Zeyad), and we cannot do anything to stop the violence, then why are we wasting American lives, and the American military might over there? What is our purpose if we are doing nothing to prevent the lawlessness? Moreover, why are we there when there are pressing problems that it appears we CAN deal with (Sudan and North Korea), and a looming threat that we cannot be neutered when we inevitably clash? (Iran) Unless we radically change our policy in Iraq, I truly believe it's pointless to remain there. I could support us remaining in Iraq, but not under the current rules. Something has to change.

North Korea: WWIII?

As many of you are I am sure aware, North Korea now has nuclear weapons. Kim Jong Il has succeeded. The questions we must examine now are twofold: a) How did we allow Kim Jong Il to get a nuke(s), and b) where do we go from here? As far as question one goes, I believe there is blame to go around. Clinton allowed the building of nuclear power plants that were not weapon grade in exchange for some food/aid, and Kim Jong Il ignored the agreement and did what he wanted, anyway. Bush basically cut off all diplomacy and aid and ignored the problem. It is clear both approaches contributed to the problem. Clinton should never have agreed to what he did, as it was clear from day one that the agreement was a farce. And Bush never should have ignored the problem. This is instructive for Iran, because we have to examine where we went wrong with North Korea in order to examine what we should do with Iran. I believe that how we handle North Korea will be seen as a test in Tehran. The Ayatollah and Ahmedinadinnerjacket are closely watching this to see what we would do to them. Therefore, doing nothing in response to North Korea's nukes is not an answer. This brings us to the second question. Where do we go from here? Is this WWIII? I guess a part of me is not as afraid of North Korea as I am of Iran, because I don't see it as likely that North Korea would attack Israel. I see it as more likely that they would attack South Korea, a nation that is ironically dragging its feet in agreeing to sanctions!! I know this is a bias on my part, but I am more concerned about nations that are our true allies over nations that are half allies. But that does not mean that North Korea is something to sneeze at. This could seriously destablize East Asia, and it could spill over into other fights. North Korea already said that the sanctions passed are a declaration of war. Japan and South Korea have much to fear. And lest we forget, the real victims of North Korea are...North Koreans. Back in June I posted pictures of life in North Korea. It is quite evident that Kim Jong Il's egomanical rule has led to a crumbling nation and a starving populous. You should look over those photos again to remind yourself of the true victims of Kim Jong Il. So what do we do now that North Korea has declared war? We have to build global alliances and convince the world that NO ONE is safe with an armed and nuclear North Korea. The UN resolution was a start, but as we all know, the UN is a corrupt, feckless, and inept organization, and China already announced that it will not be searching every ship. So what do we do? We announce to China that if they don't cooperate in the search every ship in and out of North Korea (to ensure no nuclear material goes in or out), we will pull all our third world factories out of their nation, and remove them from the "most favored nation" trade status. We need to act tough. Bush TALKS tough, but then his policies do not bely this. We need to actually take DECISIVE action to enforce the UN resolution that was passed, and ensure that North Korea cannot build any more nukes, nor transport them. Some of the Dems have mentioned that Bush has cut off America's might by the Iraq war. Maybe. But if we cannot handle North Korea because we are in Iraq, then maybe we shouldn't be in Iraq. It's that simple. We cannot let North Korea continue to build nukes at its whim. I also see diplomacy as most likely a pie in the sky hope. Lastly, the situation with North Korea is important most of all because it is the test over how we will handle Iran. If we pussyfoot around this situation, we might as well lay down and play dead. If we defer to the UN, Iran will see we truly are a weak nation that can be fucked around with at will. And you know what? In many ways we ARE a paper tiger. Living in NYC, going to work on the subway, and working in a downtown office tower...I try to forget about things like that. It's the only way I can get through the day.

My name is Rachel Corrie

As many of you probably know, Rachel Corrie was a 23 year old American woman who joined the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) and moved to the West Bank in order to "help" Palestinians. (ie, hurt them by supporting their vile, repulsive suicide bombing) If anyone really wants to help the Palestinians, you should discourage suicide bombing, as that is setting back their cause. But anyway. Here is a picture of this vile human being, burning an American flag, with Palestinian children surrounding her.

Note that she is also wearing a hijab. I would not be surprised if she converted to radical Islam prior to her death.

Rachel Corrie died when a bulldozer ran her over, as she was trying to protect a home that allegedly had drugs and weaponry. Here is an HONEST account of her life.

So let's go over exactly what this woman was...a terror supporter...someone who aided and abetted the enemy...and someone who basically ran into a bulldozer and died. I am supposed to shed a tear for the loss of this 'fine human being'? If I saw her in person, I would probably be unable to contain my vivid disdain for this person. What a waste. She was a bright, promising human being...and decided to dedicate her life to terror.

Why am I writing about her when there are other matters going on? (which I will get to, sorry, I have been busy!) Because evidently, there is an off-broadway play in NYC titled "My Name is Rachel Corrie" that premiered on Sunday. This is a collection of her journal entries, and directed by Alan Rickman, who I will admit is wonderful as Snape in Harry Potter (probably because he is acting as himself), and Katharine Viner, an editor for The Guardian. (there's a surprise!)

You can read about the controversy surrounding this play, yourself. What caused my blood pressure to go through the roof was when I saw Viner and the actress who plays Corrie, Megan Dodd, interviewed on NY1. The interviewer started out phrasing it this way: "So, do you agree with Rachel Corrie's view of what went on in the OCCUPIED territories?" (it is not OCCUPIED, it is disputed, so that is bias #1!) Viner then proceeded to speak of the evils of occupation, and this went totally unchecked by the interviewer. He just sat there and nodded. I started to feel physically ill and had to shut off the TV. It is disgusting that this tripe, which made a "splash" on the London stage, is being seen in a New York theater. It is even more disgusting that I am sure this play will also make a splash. Yay, it makes a terror supporter look like Joan of Arc, let's go see it!

Where is the play about Israeli victims of terror? Where is the play about the other Rachels, the Israeli Rachels, who died simply because they existed?

It is all one war, people! The ISM is linked with Hamas, an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, which fuels worldwide terror. It is one war, and those who seek to destroy Israel also seek to destroy the US. Why are we lionizing these people? Do we hope to win the war against these people? How did our collective consciousness get to be so broken and dysfunctional?

The Apple Mecca

This is the funniest story about something unislamic i've seen in ages: The Register Article MEMRI Article Thats the Apple store in New York. I thought Red Tulips would get a kick out of it.

Rethinking the treatment of enemy combatants

I had a long talk with a friend last night and I realized during that talk that perhaps I was a bit off re: the detainment of enemy combatants. The right to habeus corpus, as Thomas mentioned, goes beyond the constitution. In fact, it goes all the way back to the Magna Carta. One could make a very good argument that the habeus corpus right in particular is one of the most important rights seen in Western society and actually transcends citizenship. If Western society stands for the norm that justice is a good thing, then denying habeus corpus is a bad thing. But even beyond that, I came to the conclusion that habeus corpus would actually help us win this war against the Islamofascists. (NOTE: the question as to whether these people should be on trial is a separate one from whether they should get full fourth, fifth, and sixth amendment protections, which I do not believe they are necessarily entitled to) Here is why. 1) If one views this as a battle to preserve Western civilization, then they win if we become uncivilized and lose the right to habeus corpus. Yes, there have been suspensions of habeus corpus in the past, but they were during limited times of war. This current war will probably go on for decades, has no defined battleground, and it is hard to define what a 'victory' is. And thus, the suspension of habeus corpus may go on for decades. 2) Americans and the world at large are not accutely aware of the enemy we are facing and the type of war we are involved with. The enemy is being shrouded in secrecy. We are afraid, but mostly afraid of an unknown. It would do us good as citizens to actually know the threat we are facing so we can evaluate the effectiveness of the war we are facing, and so we can perhaps choose that this is a war worth fighting for. I think support for the war would RISE if more Americans were knowledgeable as to who the enemy is. Stephen Colbert ironically (and very unintentionally) hit the nail on the head re: this in a segment of his show, 'The Word.' It is obvious what Colbert was trying to say. I just happen to believe he made an unintentionally good point. Now, I do not believe that we should seek to institute senseless fear into the hearts of Americans. I do believe, however, that knowledge as to the extent of the threat we face is something Americans should have. We are kept dumb by our leaders. Habeus corpus would hopefully lead to the exposure of the crimes that these people have committed - something we need to be aware of. We are fighting against an unknown enemy, and the only way to win is to face the enemy we are fighting squarely in the eye. And not because it's a Republican or Democrat thing. But rather, this is the right thing to do from the standpoint of justice and knowledge.

This is what i don't like about religion in general

I have heard of this Phelps Woman before. But i've never actually seen her talk before. Follow this link as it contains a video of her apperance on Foxnews (the Fox presenters got quite irate with her). This is christianity at it's worst. The religion that Nietzsche called nihilistic and the bane of modern man (can't remember his exact words at the moment). This is religion preaching something that leads to anger and people doing stupid things. That woman makes my blood boil. I did have a point, but i'm far too angry to enlighten it in writing at this point in time. Edit: My point is that religion and Christianity in pitcular brings out the worst in people by appealing to their ego's. In so much that they have a higher regard for themselves because they are following the right path and everyone else should listen to them or else because they are following the path to damnation. It's easy to dismiss the Christian loons in America, but they do have sway with Bush. I'm hoping whomever wins the next US presidential election does not have to use the Christian vote to win power. As i firmly believe that the any state should be seperate from whichever religion that dominates that state.

The corpse of habeus corpus?

Entercenter said that he is ashamed to be American because Congress elliminated the habeus corpus right of non-citizen 'enemy combatants' and because non-combatants can now be tortured. He said that he believes this is unconstitutional and a shredding of the rule of law. You can read what he wrote right here. I am wondering what you all think on this topic. I also have a related post on this, titled 'tortured about torture.' I wrote my opinion on his blog, and I would love input on this subject! (note: a year ago I thought the opposite to how I think now on this very subject)

As far as this bill goes...I do not believe that non-citizens captured outside this country have a constitutional habeus corpus right to begin with. Whether they should have a habeus corpus right at all is a different matter entirely. On the one hand, I obviously believe in justice for all. On the other hand, they are using our freedoms against us, and I do not see the same constitutional shredding you do. I do not believe torture is justified in the way that the US has tortured. Namely, I do not believe that torture outside the super strict guidelines Dershowitz set up is justified. But I also don't think torture is per se unjustified in all instances. Not when it can lead to saving a life or many lives. It also has been employed in all American wars in the history of this country. I guess I view things differently. We are at war. When at war, you cannot afford to have full trials of enemy combatants who are caught. I cannot make it any simpler. Yes, it makes me sick that this is what is required, but war is hell. How are we going to win this war by being nice?And frankly, I don't see this as the dissolution of all civil liberties for Americans. If I did, then I would rather die than give up the civil liberties. But I simply do not see this as anything more than what goes along with being at war. The problem is that are at war with ISLAMOFASCISM. It is a very real thing. We are not at war against 'terror.' By being afraid to call the war what it is, Bush has done great harm to this country and confused its citizens. We are not at war with Islam, which is a religion with many peaceful adherants. We are at war with those who INTERPRET Islam in a warring, and those who wish to elliminate our way of life. By refusing to acknowledge the true threat we face, Bush looks like a buffoon when he says he is a 'wartime president.' War with WHAT? We cannot be at war against a TACTIC. But we can win against Islamofascism, just as we won the Cold War against Communism.

This issue is being swept under the rug due to the Mark Foley stupidity, but it is one of the major issues of our times. What do you think?

Bint Alshamsa debates

Hey all, I figured you would be interested in reading the debates I have had with bint alshamsa. Go check out her blog and you will see what we have been discussing - issues of culture, religion, nationality, immigration, and of course Israel. I think you will find it very interesting. Only downside is bint alshamsa screens comments, and so sometimes it takes a few hours or longer for comments you write to appear on her blog. Anyway, great stuff. Hope to see you there, as the more input, the better.

Mother appeals decision on Potter ban in libraries

Now, as we all know, Harry Potter is evil, possessed by the devil, and your child will be possessed by the devil simply from reading his devil-ish books. In fact, I think you all should have a ritualitistic book burning to purge such evil from your minds. Why are you here? Off with you and the book burning! I mean, its main character is named Harry Potter...POT! See, the book is even advocating marijuana use! ...Say WHAT? Well, according to a Gwinnett County, Georgia mom, Harry Potter is Evil Incarnate and teaches children witchcraft. She seeks the ban the book from school libraries because it preaches Evil. Never mind that the book is whimsical and encourages imagination and reading. It is Evil because its main character is a sorcerer and the book is not the bible. We have to fight against such nonthought, people. That said, I do find such idiocy to be somewhat pathetically amusing...in a sort of scary way. I mostly feel bad for people like Laura Malloy of Georgia, because she lives her life in such ignorance. But I will fight tooth and nail against her spreading the ignorance around.

Feeling great!

I am finally feeling better, after over a week of pain. I have to tell you that when you don't have your health, you have NOTHING! And life is wonderful! :-D I figure you all will enjoy a graphic that shows my mood today. I hope life is treating you all well! Life life to the fullest, because you only live once.