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New Beginnings for the Middle East

Last week President B. Hussein Obama visited the King of Arabia prior to the now-famous Cairo speech. The King clarified for President B. Hussein what was on his mind. A settlement of the "Palestinian" problem.

King Abdullah told Obama during his visit to Riyadh last week that Arab patience was wearing thin and that a solution of the Arab-Israeli conflict would be the "magic key" to all issues in the region, al-Hayat said, quoting what it called informed sources.

"We want from you a serious participation to solve the Palestinian issue and impose the solution if necessary," the Saudi monarch told Obama, according to the paper, which is owned by a nephew of the monarch. It did not elaborate.

"...impose the solution if necessary." These five words sounded a loud alarm in head and sent me into my own archives where I found a similar quote regarding the "Palestinian" issue by an Obama advisor, Samantha Power.

Unfortunately, imposition of a solution on unwilling parties is dreadful. It's a terrible thing to do, it's fundamentally undemocratic …. And, unfortunately, it does require external intervention, which, very much like the Rwanda scenario, that thought experiment, if we had intervened early.... Any intervention is going to come under fierce criticism.

Never mind the Rwanda comparison... or the Holocaust comparison made by President B. Hussein just the other day.

Around the world, the Jewish people were persecuted for centuries, and anti-Semitism in Europe culminated in an unprecedented Holocaust... Six million Jews were killed -- more than the entire Jewish population of Israel today....On the other hand, it is also undeniable that the Palestinian people -- Muslims and Christians -- have suffered in pursuit of a homeland. For more than 60 years they've endured the pain of dislocation.

Yes, because "dislocation" and "Holocaust" sound so much alike - the murder of 6 million innocents on one hand and the "dislocation" of people who chose not to become part of Israeli society when given the choice, and left to rot by their Arab brethren in the surrounding countries on the other. Gosh, that's a close comparison when I think of it.

"Dislocation" is when 900,000 Jews are thrown out of their homes of 3000 years without a penny to their name - billions stolen from them by their Arab governments. Dislocation is when the last Jews of Yemen are forced to leave their homes due to threats on their lives and property. Dislocation is in no way comparable to mass murder. It is obnoxious and minimizes what was done to the Jews by the Nazis. It also minimizes the sacrifices that the American People made to free Europe from totalitarian rule only 65 years ago.

President B. Hussein has named his Cairo speech "A New Beginning". What kind of new "beginning" is this? A beginning without moral clarity?

When the King of Arabia starts to sound like Obama advisors... it's time for all Americans to wonder about this "new beginning" and what it means for Israel and our Middle East policies.

Government Motors, CEO Barack H. Obama

-Pic from the Toronto Star

A Good Jew is a Dead Jew

Yesterday President Obama gave a magnificent speech in Cairo directed toward the Muslim World and their sensitive sensibilities toward the United States. To "mend" our relationship with them.

His speech was quite elequent and masterful when he mentioned his next-day visit to Buchenwald and the murder of millions of Jews during the Holocaust.

America's strong bonds with Israel are well known. This bond is unbreakable. It is based upon cultural and historical ties, and the recognition that the aspiration for a Jewish homeland is rooted in a tragic history that cannot be denied.

"... a tragic history that cannot be denied." Of course, the Holocaust is the only reason why the Jews have a modern state to begin with. The guilt that the World temporarily felt after the Second World War allowed the Allied Powers to give the Jews back their homeland. This same guilt is no longer felt sixty years later. What the UN giveth... they may taketh away.

Obama's next breath went on to discuss the poor, displaced "Palestinian People" living a life under the terrible "Israeli occupation". Moral equivalency anyone? I'm sorry, did I miss something in my history class - were 6 million Muslims ever persecuted and murdered by Jews? When the modern state of Israel was created, the Arabs living there (there weren't that many) were given the opportunity to become citizens. They chose not to. They also chose not to resettle in the surrounding Arab countries as well. They chose to become refugees - the only "people" in the world whose refugee status didn't terminate after the first generation. Arab citizens even have members of the Knesset, the Israeli legislative body. I don't remember the Jews of Europe having representation in the Nazi government... or did I miss that in class too?

On the other hand, it is also undeniable that the Palestinian people – Muslims and Christians – have suffered in pursuit of a homeland. For more than sixty years they have endured the pain of dislocation. Many wait in refugee camps in the West Bank, Gaza, and neighboring lands for a life of peace and security that they have never been able to lead. They endure the daily humiliations – large and small – that come with occupation. So let there be no doubt: the situation for the Palestinian people is intolerable. America will not turn our backs on the legitimate Palestinian aspiration for dignity, opportunity, and a state of their own.

Yes, the "Palestinians" deserve a state of their own. A state where all are equal... oh, they have one already. Gaza. Not a Jew in sight. I vaguely remember a democratic election. Terrorists in Suits versus the Terrorists in Uniform. It's coming back to me now. The Terrorists in Uniform won aka. Hamas. I'm glad that worked out so well for Israel and the World at Large. Another Muslim State of Terrorists.

Oh, did the President say something about the "pain of dislocation"? Perhaps he's talking about the 900,000 Jews "dislocated" from their homes in Arab lands in which they lived for nearly 3000 years - thrown out without a penny to their name. Billions of dollars taken by the Arab World without a receipt or apology. I think not.

Today President Barack Hussein Obama (we're allowed to use his middle name now) visited the Buchenwald Concentration Camp. Buchenwald was a camp liberated by the Americans. A small camp in the scheme of things - only 56,000 Jews were murdered there - not counting the 13,000 others who were transferred to Auschwitz or other death camps.

Not to be cynical of course, but since we know that Obama's every word is scripted, and we can assume his every movement - Obama's presence at the concentration camp is a bone thrown to his Jewish Democratic supporters. After reversing the United States' strong support for Israel after 60 years, some in the Democratic camp may be concerned after hearing Obama's speech in Cairo that he may no longer be as Jew-friendly as one may have thought previously.

But not to worry, Obama is still a good friend to the Jews. Can't you see him talking to Elie Wiesel as he tours through the camp? Can't you see him furrow his forehead as he looks concerned and sad for those Jews who were murdered? Can't you see his impassioned face as he places white roses, symbolizing the German resistance, around the camp?

German resistance? Isn't that an oxymoron? It's okay for the Germans to resist a totalitarian Nazi government - but not okay for the Jews to resist those who want to wipe Israel off the map and push the Jews into the sea? It's okay for the totalitarian Nazi regime to be removed, but okay to establish a terrorist regime on Jewish land?

We must wonder who Obama thinks is the "good" Jew here. The live one who can defend himself... or the one on whose grave he can place his flower.

Our (Painfully) Clueless President

Much has been said about the speech President Obama has given today in Cairo directed toward the Muslim world at large. Amazingly enough how now is the time that Obama has deemed it permissible to use talk about his early life living in Muslim countries... while only a few months ago - it would have been racist or Islamiphobic to mention such things.

Robert Spencer has done a nice job analyzing said speech. I recommend taking a look at his analysis.

Daniel Pipes also has a good piece as well. Make sure to follow the links within the article.

Being willfully ignorant and clueless when you are a "Joe" on the street isn't a huge deal... but to be ignorant and clueless as the President of the United States - is dangerous for us all.

Every Day is Memorial Day

They Will Return

They will not come in swinging line,
They will not march along the street,
But they will see each tender sign
We make for those we long to greet.
They'll see the tears in gentle eyes
That watch the broken ranks go by,
They'll hear the mothers' sobs and sighs
And understand the reason why.
The missing brave, for whom we yearn
In victory's hour, will all return.

Because his comrades left him there
To sleep 'neath Flanders' poppy rows,
Think not that he will fail to share
In all the praise the world bestows.
Think not that he will fail to hear
The music and the shouts of joy;
He will be always hovering near.
Oh, mother of each missing boy,
He'll know across life's dusky rim,
That all your smiles are meant for him!

When they return to sound of cheers,
And all their cruel tasks are done,
The shouts the living soldier hears
Will also reach the absent one.
When all the battle flags are furled
And peace has come to every land,
The joy that reigns throughout the world
The dead will know and understand.
They will be near to hear and see
And share in victory's jubilee.

Edgar A. Guest

The Supreme Social Worker

Cue the soundtrack.

Feelings... nothing more than feelings...

Are you singing along yet? Cue Tina Turner on the second soundtrack.

What's love got to do, got to do with it
What's love but a second hand emotion...

Let's change "love" to "law" and we have the Obama pick for the next Supreme Court Justice.

What's law got to do, got to do with it
What's law but a second hand distraction...

The law is a definite distraction. We want someone with feelings. We want a person who will understand and feel for the little guy who has been taken advantage of by those big, mean conglomerate tycoons who just want to make a buck off the working class. Proles Unite!

President Obama is being urged by leading Democrat Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) to pick someone "from outside the judicial monastery - someone who has had some real-life experience". And that wonderful, articulate Democrat of the Moment Arlen Specter believes that having eight other justices on the bench is enough. I agree. We have way too many judges on that Court. Let's throw in a social worker or a psychiatrist into the mix. Let's try and understand the underlying issues that plague the system.

Justices are hearing cases about labor disputes and industry. That's an easy one for our Supreme Social Worker. Just take the company and give the union 55% ownership. Government will get another 10%.

Freedom of speech is also something that plagues our system. Those who dare to criticize the Messiah Obama gets their reputation attacked by the mainstream media and by the Messiah Himself. Remember those infamous two words "Fairness Doctrine"? Another slam dunk by our Supreme Social Worker. Repeat: It's important that everyone feels heard and their grievances understood.

"Empathy and Understanding" are the key words here spoken by the Messiah Himself. Our Supreme Social Worker must show these qualities and look past those petty laws to see the real issues at hand. I, myself, look forward to a time when I will be judged by the victimhood status I hold rather than the laws I have broken.

Cue soundtrack.

Feelings... nothing more than feelings.

Terrorists on the High Seas

Piracy has become a major issue off the coast of Somalia. This past Saturday an Italian cruise ship was attacked by pirates and was able with the help of their security crew to fight them off. There are two major issues going on here:

1 - The security crew was Israeli. A fact that only a few news sources actually mentioned.
2 - The concept of self defense was at play here.

We'll begin with the Jerusalem Post. No surprises here. The JPost article begins with this piece of information.

Israeli private security guards exchanged fire with pirates who attacked an Italian cruise ship with 1,500 people on board far off the coast of Somalia, the ship's commander said Sunday.

The Associated Press mentions the Israeli security in the third paragraph.

In a new twist to the increasing scourge of Somali pirate hijackings, the private Israeli security forces aboard the MSC Cruises ocean liner fired on the pirates Saturday with pistols and water hoses, preventing them from clambering aboard, the company's director Domenico Pellegrino said.

The New York Times even mentions this by reprinting the Associated Press article.

The BBC does not.

Capt Ciro Pinto said six pirates in a speedboat approached his Melody ship and opened fire, but then fled after security men fired in the air.

He said his crew also sprayed water on the gunmen when they tried to climb aboard using a ladder.

United Press International (UPI) gave a more detailed account of the attack but neglected this piece of information.

A group of pirates were chased away from an Italian cruise ship near the Seychelles islands in the Indian Ocean by armed guards, the vessel's captain says.

Commander Ciro Pinto of the MSC Melody said his vessel received slight damage to its port side during Saturday's incident when the pirates exchanged gunfire with the ship's security guards, The Sunday Times of London said.

"They tried to put up a ladder with hooks. They were climbing up, so we reacted. We started firing. When they saw us firing -- we even sprayed them with water with the fire hose -- they gave up and went off," Pinto said.

CNN doesn't mention the Israeli security either.

The captain of an Italian cruise ship foiled an attack by pirates off the coast of Somalia on Saturday by ordering his security crew to fire back, Italy's ANSA news agency reported.

Six armed pirates in a speedboat attacked the ship, which had about 1,500 people onboard, ANSA said. They fled after the security crew fired back.

After all is said and done, it's just an interesting thing to note.

What is more interesting in my opinion is the concept of self defense. The AP article goes on...

But analysts say the unprecedented use of weapons by the ship's security force could make things worse in the pirate-infested waters off the Horn of Africa, where over 100 ships were attacked last year by Somalia-based pirates. In nearly all the hijackings, the crews were unharmed and were let go after a ransom was paid.

"Make things worse"! How? Having armed guards should be a deterrent to the pirates. Why should we be ransoming people that shouldn't be captured to begin with? Last year shipping companies paid 80 million dollars to these terrorists. Why are we not trying to improve the situation?

The pirates are getting better and better at their job of terrorizing ships in the area.

Lt. Nathan Christensen, a spokesman for the U.S. Navy 5th Fleet, noted that the distance from the Somali coast -- 500 miles -- was a sign of the pirates' increasing skill. Until last year, the majority of pirate attacks occurred within 100 miles of the Somali shore but he said that last fall there had been a ''definite shift in their tactical capabilities.''

It's time for everyone to realize that self defense is a serious option when dealing with these terrorists on boats. The company that owns the Italian cruise ship realized this when he hired security for their ships.

Pellegrino said MSC Cruises had Israeli private security forces on all their ships because they were the best. Other companies should follow their lead.

Obama, Chavez, Ahmadinejad and Holocaust Remembrance Day

Today President Obama is planning to attend a Holocaust memorial service. All nice and good - except when you remember who he's cozying up to these days. Hugo Chavez, dictator of Venezuela and Mahmoud Ahmadinedjad, president of Iran.

Chavez is an anti-semite and the Jews of his country are becoming increasingly uncomfortable and scared. Just this year the Hebraica Jewish Center was searched by heavily armed government officers looking for weapons and "subversive activity". A Christmas Eve speech by Chavez accused Jews of killing Jesus and being responsible for taking the money of the world.

In 2004 Chavez did the inexcusable:

Chavez sent Venezuelan security forces to raid a Jewish private school in Caracas as the school day was beginning, in an incident widely regarded by Jews there as a warning to support him or else. His forces terrorized young children, holding sub—machine guns as the school was searched. Of course, no evidence was found implicating anyone in the killing of the prosecutor. But the event can also be seen as a present to Iran, since Chavez was visiting Iran at the time of the raid on the school.

Things have not improved since then and things are just getting worse.

But the atmosphere has worsened lately, first and foremost because of Chavez’s increasingly inflammatory talk about Israel and its supporters. A television program called “The Razor,” broadcast on a state-owned channel, has featured lengthy rants about the presence of Mossad agents allegedly in the country working to unseat the Chavez regime with the support of the United States and opposition forces in Venezuela. The host of the show has also questioned the loyalty of leading Jewish figures to their home country. Despite repeated complaints by CAIV [Confederation of Israelite Associations of Venezuela], the authorities have taken no action.

This brings us to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, president of Iran. We know all about him. He's a Holocaust denier and a man who would be happy in a moment - if able - to wipe Israel off the map.

Which brings us back to President Obama attending a Holocaust memorial service. How can we take his attendance seriously when he's being friendly with dictators like Chavez and Ahmadinejad. Perhaps "friendly" is a strong word - but we have to wonder what Obama is thinking when he is handed a book by Chavez and later seen giving him a friendly handshake accompanied by a smile. We also must think about his policy of "talking" with Iran. Iran is currently building nuclear missiles. Where will those missiles reach if not Israel? We must again wonder about Obama's foreign policy of "talking" with our enemies.

As Holocaust Remembrance Day passes for another year - remembering the 6,000,000+ Jews (1.5 million of those being children) who were murdered specifically because they were Jewish - we must do more than repeat the mantra "Never Again". Perhaps Jews 65 years ago didn't have political strength to make more of an impact to save their Jewish brethren... but we do now. There are no excuses to doing what is right. We must make it quite clear that political expediency is not acceptable when it comes to our brother's and sister's safety around the world. Not acceptable.

[This weeks Jewish Press has an article by Rabbi Avi Weiss who is currently visiting the Jewish community of Venezuela.]

Brave Afghani Women Reminiscent of the 1920s Suffragettes

---

Rare march on Kabul draws angry mob
BY DEXTER FILKINS
National Post
16 Apr 2009

KABUL , A F G H A N I S TA N â€� The young women stepped off the bus and moved toward the protest march just beginning on the other side of the street when they were spotted by a mob of men. “Get out of here, you whores!” the men shouted. “Get...read more...

Tech Tags: National Post newspaper Front Page

What's most amazing is the amount of courage it took for these women to protest for their rights. And what is most pathetic is the lack of support these women have from the main national women's organization in the United States.

The largest women's organization which purports to care about women's rights is the National Organization of Women. The front page of their website says nothing about these women who are putting themselves in harms way. Nothing at all. In fact you have to go searching to find anything about the protest, and when you do find the Afghan women's protest - it is only a link to a newspaper - and not a word of commentary is found.

The law the Afghan women are protesting has three parts. According to the National Post article,

One provision makes it illegal for a woman to resist her husband's sexual advances. A second provision requires a husband's permission for a woman to work outside the home or go to school. And a third makes it illegal for a woman to refuse to "make herself up" or "dress up" if that is what her husband wants.

These are basic human rights we are talking about. The right not to raped within a marriage. The right to go to work - or go to school. Rights which we all in the Western world take for granted. It is disheartening - although not altogether surprising that NOW has lost their way. They've narrowed their mission. Rather than being

...the largest, most comprehensive feminist advocacy group in the United States. Our purpose is to take action to bring women into full participation in society — sharing equal rights, responsibilities and opportunities with men, while living free from discrimination.

NOW has gone on to limit their actions to being abortion and lesbian rights advocates.

What's the point here? The point being made is that NOW, a group whose primary concern is supposed to be women's rights is in reality an extreme organization focused on their own politically liberal agenda. This is an agenda which does not include the basic human rights of women in countries where it's not "politically correct" to say that they are being oppressed.

These Afghani women who put their lives and physical safety on the line for their basic human rights are more in line with the brave women of the 1920s of the suffrage movement than NOW, Gloria Steinham or any self-glorifying academic who can walk the streets without a male escort or covered from head to foot in fear of being stoned or murdered. The Afghani women have taken their future into their own hands and thankfully are not waiting for those "feminists" around the world to come to their rescue. Otherwise they'd have a long time to wait.

This article can also be found in the New York Times. Watch the short video clip of the protest halfway down the page - it's shocking what these women faced.

I'm Back!

There are many exciting life events that sometimes derail your "normal" state of being. I just got married and moved to Canada. I'm now settling in and things are coming together nicely. It's time to get back to writing. Thank you for your patience.

Random Articles Worth Your Time

Great articles on Obama and the Economy:

Charles Krauthammer - The Great Non Sequitur

Investor's Business Daily - Let the Inquisition Start with Frank

Insulting our Allies, Always a Good Idea:

Evening Standard - Obama's Blockbuster Gift for Brown: 25 Classic Films

He Must be Joking Catagory (aka Is He Stupid?):

The Guardian - Obama Bid to Turn to Moderate Taliban 'Will Fail'

Is this REALLY Domestic Violence... or an Honor Killing? (note: her head was detached from her shoulders)

National Public Radio - Domestic Violence in Muslim America

Daniel Pipes - Bridges TV, a Wife's Beheading, and Honor Murder

I hope to be back to writing very soon. In the meantime, I'm putting out there some worthwhile articles to take a look at. All the best.