Hannukah Is Coming

Hannukah is not exactly a Jewish Holiday.  Rather, it's a festival; not as important as holidays.

I love Hannukah; not because of the exchanging of gifts.  Rather, Hannukah marks the last time the Jews won a war and nobody griped about "the injustice of it all".  

Remember where you heard that first.  OK? 

Regards,

There is NO Santa Claus (aka TINSC)  

Just In Case You Thought Pat Condell Was Kidding!

PAT CONDELL FINALLY GETS IT

On the Jewish Holiday of Yom Kippur, we are reminded that we do not pray for the demise of our adversaries.  Rather, we pray that they have a change of heart.  Sometimes, time doesn't allow us to do that, but in the case of Pat Condell, time was on my side.  He never was particularly hostile to Jews or Israel.  He just didn't have much empathy and certainly didn't know some basic, obvious facts.  But most of that is behind us now, thank Gd!  Pat seems to have finally articulated some obvious things about the War Against Israel.  This is worthy of a TINSC post and a note of thanks to the Creator that Pat doesn't (yet) believe in. 

On June 29, 2007, Pat Condell uploaded a commentary titled "What about the Jews?"  My friend Debbie Schlussel used this video to point out that Pat Condell was not a friend of Jews and Israel.  Many in the so-called "counter-jihad" are pro-Israel and supported Condell's statement about Muslims.  The 2007 commentary by Condell was a source of contention between some of my friends.  I agreed with Debbie and the 2007 video gave good reasons to support her viewpoint.

In that 2007 commentary, Condell offered several theses that were not only anti-Semitic (perhaps unintentionally) but counter-argued many of the theses Condell had proposed regarding the hostility of Islamists toward the west.  Some of these theses included:

"... the problem is it's (Israel) in the wrong place.  because if there were any justice in this world, Israel would currently occupy half of Germany."   (Author's note: this proposal was offered by King Ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia.)

"But Israel really is not really about justice. Is it!  It's really about Jerusalem which is really about scripture and prophecy, which as we know is really about insanity."  (Author's note: I find this rather insulting.  Zionism is the national liberation movement of the Jewish people in our ancestral land.  The fact that Israel is the ancestral land of the Jewish people is not merely established by scripture.  It is established by archeology and modern history.  I'm certain my Zionist friends can provide additional rebuttal to this statement.)

"... Israel has ignored so many United Nations resolutions telling them to get out of the occupied territories which they just can't bring themselves to do because of Jerusalem and the Temple and scripture and prophecy...."  (Author's note: Virtually all UN resolutions require the Arabs to negotiate territories and boundaries with Israel.  The notion that the UN has ordered Israel out of the "occupied territories" is not well supported in fact.  To the extent that any UN resolution has required Israel to vacate territory, there is no provision by the UN to ENFORCE such resolutions.  The UN enforced their resolution to remove Iraq from Kuwait.  The UN has not enforced any resolution regarding Israel and the territory they live in.) 

"You know, I think the Jews would do themselves a huge favor if they came to their senses and let go of Jerusalem.  It doesn't belong to them and they're only holding on to it because of religion which is the worst possible reason to do anything on this planet."  (Author's note: If the Jewish people thought that letting go of Jerusalem would lead to world peace, we would do it in a heartbeat.  The beauty of this statement is that Pat Condell ultimately comes to the conclusion that this statement was wrong.)

"But right now, the Jews happen to control it (Jerusalem) and, well, the Christians are really happy about it because they know how this pisses off the Muslims...."  (Author's note: Pat is saying that Jewish control of Jerusalem angers Muslims; as if this is the sole source of Muslim anger toward Jews and Israel.)

"But Jerusalem is NOT a Jewish town.  It's an Arab town and it's time we all started to acknowledge that"  (Author's note: Archaeological findings demonstrate that Jerusalem was founded by Jews.  In addition, census records from the Ottoman Empire show that Jews were a majority population in Jerusalem throughout the empire's existence.  There has been a consistent Jewish presence in Jerusalem for over 3,000 years.  At the time, Condell was obviously quite unaware of that.)

"So please Jews, do us all a favor: give it (Jerusalem) back and help put a stop to all this madness.  The whole world will thank you for it. And you know what?  You will probably end up as the most popular people on the planet."  (Author's note: The thesis that Jews and Israel are to blame for world strife is a common anti-Semitic theme.)

So OK.. if you listened to Pat Condell's latest commentary, he seems to have changed his perspective on all this.  It did not come overnight.  On May 26, 2011, Pat Condell uploaded a commentary titled "Let's blame the Jews".  The title is satirical and Condell in his articulate way, makes a passionate defense of Jews against anti-Semitism.  In this commentary, he retracted his call for Israel to relinquish Jerusalem noting in effect that no good deed goes unpunished by Muslims.  In this commentary, Condell says:

"I no longer believe that the Israelis should give back Jerusalem.  I still believe they're holding for a stupid reason: religion.  And it doesn't get any more stupid than that"  (Author's note: apparently the fact that hundreds of thousands of Jews live there hasn't occurred to him as a rationale for Israel's keeping Jerusalem.)

"But experience has taught us that the Islamic mentality would use any concession as weakness to be exploited further.  And besides, too many so-called Palestinians seem less concerned with peace and freedom  than with driving the Jews into the sea so the bombings wouldn't stop."  (Author's note: Finally, Condell realizes that Jews, Israel and the capital city of Jerusalem are NOT the source of the War Against Israel or Muslim enmity toward the West.  This was a significant change from his 2007 commentary.)

"I think Israel's in the wrong place.  I've said it before.  They couldn't be in a worse place given the hateful mentality of its neighbors but it's a bit late to do anything about that now."  (Author's note: Thanks Pat!  That's mighty gracious of you.  Hey!  I'm just glad you finally came to grips with the consequences of changing the simple fact that Jews live in Jerusalem.  As you now seem to know,  it will require a good old fashioned massacre to remove them..)

"The fact that a Jewish State needs to exist at all, and it DOES need to exist, is an indictment on all humanity and especially the Catholic Church whose centuries-long program of aggressive Jew-hatred has been ingrained right into the European psyche so that it takes almost nothing to bring it out...."  (Author's note: This is a hard thing for a European to tell fellow Europeans, even if Condell is a professed atheist.  It's a theory to be sure, but it's sound and reasonable.  History lends substantial support to it.  I'm not sure Condell had to single out the Catholic Church, but his basic thesis that the NEED for a Jewish State is an indictment on all humanity was one of the first signs that Condell was finally becoming confrontational toward anti-Semitism.  Finally, he recognizes the manner in which anti-Semitism is being used to fuel strife and tyranny.  From this point forward,  I found myself warming up to Condell.)

And now we have his latest commentary "The great Palestinian lie".  With this commentary, I can only say: 

"By George!  I think he's got it!"

This was a mighty fine commentary by Pat Condell.  The guy who had barely a clue about Israel's existence and its presence in Jerusalem appears to have evolved into someone who finally understands why Israel exists and holds its capital in Jerusalem.  I believe Pat is sincere in his articulate statement.  Above all, regardless of what he said in the past, I don't think Pat Condell's holds anti-Semitic sentiment instinctively.  Deep in his heart, he likes Jews even if he doesn't totally understand us.  After all, it's pretty hard to expect an avowed atheist to understand Jews, Israel and Jerusalem the way he does in his latest commentary.  Pat has come a long way in his understanding about Jews, Israel and Jerusalem.  In my humble opinion, this understanding  is a miracle from the Gd, even if Pat Condell doesn't (yet) believe.

Israel just wants to be loved. Unfortunately, it ain't gonna happen.

The problem with Israel in a nutshell is that the generation that wanted to live (i.e. survive) has been replaced by a generation that wants to be loved.  I made this comment some time ago on DebbieSchlussel.com in response to a column she wrote about yet another concession (of sorts) that the Israeli government was on the brink of making.  It wasn't a particularly huge concession and it won't make headlines anywhere.  Suffice it to say that this was a good enough example to compel me to offer the thesis.

The problem with this desire to be loved is that 2000 years of history says it isn't going to happen.  Moreover, outside of the United States (where we admire freedom loving people struggling to survive in a totalitarian region) there are few cultures that have any affinity for the Jewish people (or anyone for that matter) struggling for freedom.  This includes Christian cultures (i.e. Europe).  

In 1948, when Israel was born, there was little doubt what awaited the Zionists if they were defeated on the battlefield.  Israel was small.  It's armaments were few and they had to scrap for everything needed to ward off the invading armies of 5 Arab nations.  Survival came first!  It came first throughout Israel's history right up to the 1973 Yom Kippur War.

This is not the case today.  Today, Israel is militarily secure from most threats.  Even those threats (such as an Iranian nuclear weapon) that could destroy Israel carry a retaliatory counter-threat that leaves Israel confidently secure against rational enemies.  (Naturally, there's concern for whether or not Israel's enemies are rational.  That's a different subject for a different column.)

Moreover, today's Israel is rather prosperous.  The influx of Jews from the former Soviet Union brought about a talent bank the likes of which Israel's founders could only dream.  Today, Israel is one of the strongest magnets of foreign investment capital in the Middle East; more so when looked at on a per capita basis.  Now, with the discovery of significant sums of natural gas, Israel now has enough portable fossil fuel energy to meet it's needs for decades to come.

Therein lies the problem.  Few people recognize the threat to Israel's existence and therefore there is no sense that Israel is "struggling to survive in a totalitarian region".  Israel is definitely surviving in a totalitarian region against some very serious threats, but Israelis appear affluent and comfortable.

In recent years, we've seen Israel making concessions to the Arabs; most notably the PLO with no reciprocity.  Whatever reciprocity is gained from the PLO has been temporary.  Terrorism subsides for a while and begins anew complete with more calls for concessions.  In an effort to be loved by Europe and America, Israel has yielded to these calls more often than not because the threat of conventional military attack is not clearly seen.

In this vacuum of conventional military threat, a growing chorus of hatred now permeates the free-press societies of the west.  The anti-Semites of yesteryear (whether Christian, Communist or Muslim) now seethe with jealous hatred for Israel's success as never before.  No stone is left unturned; no libel is withheld.  Israel's national sins, real or imagined (mostly imagined) must be punished by permanent national destruction.  Never mind that this is a unique punishment that even the Germans and Japanese were not subjected.  We're talking about the Jews and "the Jewish State must be destroyed".

Israel just wants to be loved and it ain't gonna happen.  I know there's a lot of Evangelical Christians who love Israel.  Gd bless 'em!  Yet, standing on the moon and looking back at planet earth, that's not a lot of people. Today, the act of a Jew merely building a house in Jerusalem becomes an international frakus.  How does Israel build a Jewish homeland if it can't build homes.

I don't know what it's going to take for Israelis to get a whiff of what's slowly happening to them.  Today's assault on Israel isn't military YET.  Today's assault on Israel is a movement to make the world safe for anti-Semitic terrorism.  It seeks to give HAMAS, Hezbollah et al the right to attack Israel with impunity.  During the 2nd intifada when a Palestinian "Minister" quoted Patrick Henry's "Give me liberty or give me death!" he wasn't talking about the liberty to elect Arab leaders.  He was not talking about the liberty of a Jew to build a home in Ramallah.  He was talking about the liberty to attack Israel with impunity.  We know this because most American-style liberties are virtually absent  in the Arab League nations. 

If Israelis don't get wise to this, the generation that wants to be loved will give way to another generation that merely wants to survive.  If that happens, there might not be a whole lot of Jews left.

Three most common responses from Muslims to the 9/11/01 attacks

1.  High fives, Osama!  Way to go, baby!  That's showin' 'em!  

2.  This is terrible.  No Muslim can tolerate such a horrible act of terrorism and if America will only cease (Fill in the blanks with a whole list of grievances, real or imagined.), I'm sure such attacks will never happen again.  [Translation: The beatings will continue until moral improves.]

3.  This is terrible.  No Muslim would do such a thing.  It must have been the Israeli Mossad who did this in order to justify (Fill in the blanks with a whole list of grievances, real or imagined.).  [Translation: The U.S. and Israel aren't just bad.  They're so bad they'll murder themselves to justify beating up on Muslims.]

There is of course, a forth response rarely heard.  That response states that Islam must reform itself to adapt to modern pluralistic societies like the United States where people of all faiths enjoy equality under a common, public law separated from any particular religious institution.   These are modernist Muslims; the ones we look to lead Islam out of its imperialist, totalitarian past and into a future of freedom, peace and prosperity.

Report: Hamas detained rocket cell

Hamas security forces detained Saturday morning two members of the al-Tawhid wal-Jihad group in Gaza as they were about to fire rockets at Israel, members of the radical organization charged in a leaflet. 

More HERE

There has long been a strange cooperation between Israel and the HAMAS-led "government" in Gaza.  It's hard to explain and even harder to understand.  Yet it exists; I am sure of it.
Don't ask me "Who?  What?  When?  Where? How? or Why?

It's a rather dysfunctional relationship, but it exists nonetheless.  

Let me take a stab at speculating what this is all about.  The Israelis value life.  Because of this, they've always allowed and assisted in giving Gaza "humanitarian assistance".  HAMAS hates the Jews.  However, since Israel can demolish Gaza, HAMAS has learned "the hard way" that they cannot meet the daily needs of people in Gaza by actively waging war on Israel.    The Arabs and Muslims will not give material aid to Gaza unless it assists HAMAS' war against the Jews.  Therefore, nothing of material benefit to Gaza comes from Arabs, Muslims or others unless it passes through Israel which filters out materials capable of harming Israeli citizens.  Egypt which also borders Gaza is incapable of giving material aid of value because the Egyptians don't have the capacity or the care to do so (unless it's weapons which can be used against Israel). 
Thus, the "relationship" exists.

The news media won't report this because it does not fit their narrative on the War Against Israel.  Israelis know about this, but don't talk about it.  Israelis value life and seek peace with their neighbors.  Elements of normality seem... well... normal. 

And so it goes!  Israel meets with and negotiates with HAMAS on a daily basis to meet the basic material needs of people in Gaza.  

It's not a "peace process".  It's certainly not "THE peace process".  It's anything but!  Yet it happens every day in some manner or form. 

Most people know about it.  Nobody talks about it. 

There's something rather surreal about it all.  . 

Police in Ga. shut down girls' lemonade stand

MIDWAY, Ga. (AP) -- Police in Georgia have shut down a lemonade stand run by three girls trying to save up for a trip to a water park, saying they didn't have a business license or the required permits.

Midway Police Chief Kelly Morningstar says police also didn't know how the lemonade was made, who made it or what was in it.

The girls had been operating for one day when Morningstar and another officer cruised by.

The girls needed a business license, peddler's permit and food permit to operate, even on residential property. The permits cost $50 a day or $180 per year.

One girl, 14-year-old Casity Dixon, says the three had to listen to police and shut down.

The girls are now doing chores and yard work to make money.

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Didn't the "Arab Spring" start with a similar incident like this in Tunisia?  If I recall correctly, some poor slug was trying to make a living selling vegetables in the marketplace.  He was constantly harassed by police for a "license" (read that "bribes") and in his despair doused himself with gasoline and set himself afire to protest.  

Yet here we see the same government insanity here in America.  If these girls were in tune to current events and recent history, they would hire a sharp lawyer and make this story worth more than a few short paragraphs.  

But no!  They're doing "chores and yard work to make money".   Yah... right!  Do they have workmen's comp insurance?  Liability insurance?  Do they use all industry mandated personal protective equipment?  

Credit to KlassyLynn for the tip.

White House: US suspending $800M in Pakistan aid

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama has ordered the suspension of $800 million in aid to the Pakistani military, his chief of staff said Sunday, as part of what experts say is a tougher line with a critical U.S. partner in the fight against terrorism.

Top aide William Daley described the U.S. relationship with Pakistan as "difficult" and said it must be made "to work over time." But he added that until "we get through that difficulty, we'll hold back some of the money that the American taxpayers are committed to give" Pakistan.

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

Well wadda ya know!  Just as I pointed out down the blog several weeks ago, the unraveling of US/Pakistani relations is something the President wanted desperately to distract us from. I mentioned it HERE on this blog.

In that blog entry, I noted:

You see, the real problem is that U.S./Pakistani relations are in free-fall. A quick look at a map should tell you (or anyone) what that means to U.S. troops stationed in Afghanistan. 

You might think this problem just cropped up out of nowhere, but it's been festering for many months.  The President and Sec. of State did a good job of distracting us from this diplomatic crisis.  I wasn't distracted and if you read this blog, you weren't distracted either.

Regards,

TINSC

Justin Amash Votes AGAINST H.R. 268 -

BILL TITLE: Reaffirming the United States commitment to a negotiated settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through direct Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, and for other purposes

The roll call can be found HERE.

Our new Congressman, Justin Amash (MI-3) decided to keep company with Dennis Kucinich and Ron Paul on issues supporting Israel.  I find that deeply disturbing as our district historically supports Israel far more than that.

On this Independence Day, a Prayer for Our Country

Our Gd and Gd of our fathers: We ask Your blessings for our country, for its government, for its leader and advisers, and for all who exercise just and rightful authority. Teach them insights of Your Torah, that they may administer all affairs of state fairly, that peace and security, happiness and prosperity, justice and freedom may forever abide in our midst.

Creator of all flesh, bless all the inhabitants of our country with Your spirit. May citizens of all races and creeds forge a common bond in true harmony to banish all hatred and bigotry and to safeguard the ideals and free institutions which are the pride and glory of our country.

May this land under Your Providence be an influence for good throughout the world, uniting all people in peace and freedom and helping them to fulfill the vision of Your prophet: "Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they experience war any more." And let us say: Amen.

The Trouble With Wind

May 1, 2011 12:00 PM
By George C. Loehr, Management Consultant 

Many of you will remember the original Star Trek episode, “The Trouble With Tribbles.” The Enterprise is transporting grain to a planet with the unlikely name of Sherman's Planet, which is in dispute between the Federation and the Klingon Empire. But Kirk et al discover their ship has been invaded by thousands of cute, furry, purring little critters called tribbles. They do no harm, except they eat voraciously and reproduce prodigiously. They're so cute that no one has the heart to do them any harm, but pretty soon, they've eaten all the grain and threaten to take over the ship. (Without going into plot details, Kirk and crew escape this predicament when Scotty, ever the resourceful engineer, beams the tribbles from the Enterprise onto a Klingon ship.)

Wind turbines are a little like tribbles. They're appealing, they can displace kilowatt-hours from carbon generators, and they seem to do no harm; but they consume prodigious amounts of money, and they're reproducing all over the countryside. Everybody seems to think they're wonderful, but are they going to contribute anything to our energy requirements? And, if they do, what are the downsides, if any?

Read more here...

I fully agree with George C. Loehr's basic thesis.  In fact, I think he's too kind to the wind turbine proponents.  I encourage you read it and take Mr. Loehr's warning to heart. 

I'm a big fan of alternative energy, but wind turbines are NOT the way to go. 

Anthony Weiner - More Diversion By The Democrats And Their LIB Media Allies

The President's daily failures continue to mount.  Yemen is imploding.   Syria is torturing its citizens in broad daylight proving our diplomatic impotence.  Libya screams in agony of civil war.  The price of gas is high.  The price of food is going up.  Unemployment won't go down no matter how many "stimulus" dollars we spend.

You'd think the news media would report these things and provide some novel solutions.  You'd think the President would work longer hours.  You'd think Congress would roll up their sleeves and work with a sense of urgency... and you'd be wrong.

Having played the "Israel card" to divert our attention away from the President's overwhelming failures, we now have Anthony Weiner.  Ah!  There's nuthin' like a good old fashioned SEX SCANDAL to commandeer our attention. 

I'm still not sure what this scandal is all about, but anyone with the name of Weiner emailing pictures of his dick on the internet really should have thought of a career path other than the U.S. Congress.  I mean... it's not like I have figured out "what it all means".  The simple conclusion that has long existed is that Americans are stupid and continue to elect scoundrels to lead our country.  I really hope that's not news to you.  If it is, you're either very young or... well... you know.

In the mean time, I think you should all look past the Weiner news articles and observe what is going on in the rest of the world.  It ain't a pretty picture.  Count your blessings and don't let all these silly Weiner news stories distract you.

TTFN,

There is NO Santa Claus

I'll meet you halfway

Since Jimmy Carter was elected President, the battle cry heard from Muslim nations has been "Death to America!".  Every President from Jimmy Carter onward replied: "We're willing to negotiate.  Certainly there is a compromise to be had.  We'll meet you halfway."

Carter
Reagan (Yes!  Reagan too!)
Bush Sr.
Clinton
Bush Jr.
O'Bama
<fill in the blank>

Would a "President McCain" have been any better?

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

NOPE!

Just in case you don't believe me, Accuracy in Media notes the following in an article dated May 17, 2011:

The Arab-funded Al-Jazeera is hosting a two-day inaugural “Al Jazeera U.S. Forum” in Washington, D.C., featuring Bob Woodward of The Washington Post among the celebrity journalists. But of particular interest is Politico’s revelation that Republican Senator John McCain showed up at the opening night of the forum to praise the channel’s coverage of the Middle East.

I don't know how fair this article is.  All I know is that John McCain's passionate words of support for Israel have always come with the asterisk that comes with cooperation with the Saudi Petrochemical Lobby.  If he's showing up to praise Al-Jazeera, what does that say about his confrontation of Barack O'Bama's proposed  U.S./Israel policy when he was running for President in 2008? 

While I'm at it, let's note that Senator McCain was a loud proponent of U.S. military intervention in the Libyan Civil War.  Who benefits from that war?  Let me give you a hint.

Upon the start of U.S. Armed Forces intervention against Libya, Saudi Arabia "re-assured" the U.S. and our allies that they would "make up" any deficit in petroleum production caused by the Libyan "unrest".  This might sound like a generous offer but think about it!  With prices for petroleum skyrocketing past $100/barrel, Saudi Arabia is CASHING IN on the war against Libya.  "Such a deal I have for you!"

As the Libyan war drags on and the Saudis get richer from it, Americans continue to struggle with rising gasoline prices.  American politicians from both parties run to make kissy-face with the Saudis and their Persian Gulf OPEC conspirators.  Just to make sure you don't notice, the President offers a "bold new policy" dealing with the War Against Israel.
 

See how it works?  

*UPDATE* 

My friend Debbie Schlussel has informed me that Accuracy in Media is anything but.  I've known Debbie for a long time and I trust her judgment on this.  Debbie's views aside, the nature of the headlines on their website are too loaded to be automatically accepted as objective. That is why I made sure to qualify my column with "I don't know how fair this article is."

If someone can confirm that Sen. McCain and Nancy Pelosi attended the Al-Jazeera U.S. Forum and offered praise for that news organization, please let me know.  It certainly wouldn't surprise me, but for now, I have to question the accuracy of the claim and seek additional confirmation that Sen. McCain's participation actually occurred as it was described by Accuracy in Media.  

*UPDATE* 
In retrospect, I have to be fair so let me extend my comments a little to clarify one point that came up yesterday during a lunchtime conversation with some Friends of Israel.  While it seems likely that Sen. McCain's diplomacy would have been very similar to President O'Bama's had the former been elected, I believe there would be one significant difference.  That difference becomes clear when you go down to the column below to read my entry regarding the President O'Bama's scapegoating of Israel.

President Bush pressured Israel for political and territorial concessions.  That much was made clear by his Sec. of State Condeleeza Rice.  However, when President Bush spoke of Israel, he always presented the Jewish State in the most positive terms.  President Bush routinely acknowledged Israel's past territorial concessions and the risks it had taken for peace.  Moreover, President Bush was willing to acknowledge that these risks often failed to bring about the expected results.  President Bush routinely rallied American public support for Israel. 

In observing Sen. McCain, I can say that I've personally witnessed him doing the same thing.  Had John McCain been elected President, the policies probably would have been much the same.   The difference would be that the President's "bully pulpit" would rally public support behind Israel and avoid scapegoating Jews for his diplomatic failures throughout the Muslim world.   

I won't elaborate on how this differs from President O'Bama's public presentation of the War Against Israel.  I've already done that in a column below.   I just thought I'd take a moment to put my comments in perspective regarding Sen. McCain. 

 

Scapegoating Israel

There are some who say that President O'Bama is "pressuring Israel" for more concessions.  I disagree. The President is not pressuring Israel. He is scapegoating the Jewish State.

Any sentence the President utters that includes "Israel" and "borders" is problematic to Israel's enemies. Israel's enemies will resent it.   President O'Bama knows that.  Thus, he has incited additional enmity toward the Jewish State by its enemies.  He has not advanced the cause of peace between Israel and its enemies.  That might be a problem for Jews, but there's a bigger problem for America. 

You see, the real problem is that U.S./Pakistani relations are in free-fall. A quick look at a map should tell you (or anyone) what that means to U.S. troops stationed in Afghanistan.

Last year, the Administration gave a $500 Million aid package to Pakistan only to find Osama bin Laden (i.e. "Public Enemy Number One") enjoying safe haven there. The "Arab Spring" has resulted in Arab regimes (either existing or in-waiting) losing trust in America.  As the euphoria of the bin Laden assassination quickly wears off the U.S. public in an election season, it is only natural for the President's domestic political adversaries to criticize the Administration's handling of affairs in that region.

In order to deflect attention away from these problems, the O'Bama Administration has decided to direct attention away from their mis-management of the ongoing turmoil in Arab/Muslim nations and focused on  Israel.  This is being done with the knowledge that the news media will quickly respond in knee-jerk reaction and take the ongoing turmoil in Arab/Muslim nations off the front pages of their news reports. 

Scapegoating Israel deflects attention away from mounting problems in Pakistan (quite unrelated to the War Against Israel) and throughout the region before they bite the American public. The established governments throughout the Muslim world are being de-stabilized with little hope that any of these countries will be  more friendly toward the United States under new management.  This is all happening on President O'Bama's watch.  Many of these situations are bringing the O'Bama Administration under severe criticism from its political opponents (and even amongst its allies).  Faced with this criticism, President O'Bama has returned to his "Plan A" thesis established on day two of his Administration: "Solve the Israel-Palestinian conflict and 'all these other problems' go away." Since President Nixon resigned from office, virtually every one-term President has applied this thesis. 

President Bush's policy toward Israel was hardly any better.  However, President Bush always had the basic courtesy to mention that Israel had taken MANY risks for peace (i.e. one-sided concessions).  In doing so, President Bush avoided the stigma that he was scapegoating Israel.   

President O'Bama rarely (if ever) acknowledges past Israeli concessions in the Jewish State's search for peace.  Both Administrations demanded more concessions.  While I did not appreciate Bush Administration policy on the War Against Israel, at least I appreciated his personal statements acknowledging that Israel was making an effort to pursue peace.  President O'Bama's personal statements are void of these acknowledgments.  That is why I believe President O'Bama's statements, including his comments last week, scapegoat Israel.  

President O'Bama and his recent comments on the War Against Israel

Over the next few days, I hope to share with you some of my thoughts and comments regarding President O'Bama's policy speech last Thursday (May 19 2011) and some of the media/political frakus that has followed.  This is the first of a series of comments.

Well! Wadda ya know! The news media LIED.

Sunday morning, May 22 2011, President O’Bama addressed the AIPAC policy conference. It contained statements that were insincere and untrue, but one thing he made certain: He did not use the words “1967 borders” in his Thursday 5/19/11 policy speech. He used the words “1967 LINES” [emphasis mine] in his speech last Thursday.

I haven’t read an exact transcript of last Thursday’s speech, but I’ve listened to President O’Bama’s speech this morning to AIPAC and believe he stated his words exactly as he made them on Thursday.

OK. That’s the good news. The bad news is that President O’Bama continues to call for a Palestinian State with “contiguous borders”. I think we know what that means. This condition was unilaterally INSERTED by the Bush Administration and was never agreed to by the Israelis. Certainly, arrangements for travel between Gaza and the West Bank were discussed during the Clinton Administration, but a Palestinian State with “contiguous borders” was never an ingredient in public U.S. Policy until the Bush Administration. I believe this element has stalled peace talks more than any other American policy.

Lastly, the statement in President O’Bama’s AIPAC speech that he will prevent Israel from being “singled out at the U.N. or any other international forum” is a bold-faced LIE. Time and time again, this President has singled Israel out as the soul source of failure in peace talks. The constant harangue that “Israel must act boldly to advance a lasting peace” is the routine line. The numerous territorial and political concessions  by Israel, have been met with no reciprocation, end-of-violence, end of incitement, or even continuing negotiations.  The obvious conclusion that these calls on Israel to "act boldly to advance a lasting peace"  are demands for one-sided concessions. 

And frankly, I’ve grown tired of people who are not Israeli citizens routinely saying that “Israel should….”, or worse, “Israel must….”. 

As an American, I believe my President needs to stop making policy statements that he knows (darn well) the news media will deliberately interpret as demands on Israel, one-sided or otherwise. The news media clearly mis-reported his speech. 

Public opinion drives public policy. News reporting shapes public opinion. If the President stops making these kinds of policy statements, few will question his claim of support for Israel.

SUNDOWN!

 Passover is OVER. Time for BEER!

NEW TSA COMMERCIAL TO AIR NATIONWIDE

Watch it HERE

What the LIB Media Won't Tell You About Elizabeth Taylor

Legendary actress Elizabeth Taylor died yesterday, March 23, 2011.  In the 24 hours of eulogies that went non-stop through the day, there was one constant throughout Taylor's life that was never mentioned: Elizabeth Taylor was an ardent Zionist.

Elizabeth Taylor was a fickle woman for sure.  She fell in and out of love with men; 8 husbands.  She fell off and on the wagon.  She gained, dropped and gained back weight.  Yet the one constant throughout her life was her support of Israel and (I believe) a sincere commitment to Reform Judaism and love of Gd.

The LIB media won't tell you this.  It's an embarrassment to the Saudi petro-dollar stockholders and advertisers. 

I just thought you should know.

Sincerely,

There is NO Santa Claus (aka TINSC)

P.S.  Don't hold your breath waiting for conservative news media (i.e. FOX News) to tell you this either.   Same stockholders; same advertisers.

Japan Quake/Tsunami; Iran Nukes

If you're like me, you've probably been following the rescue effort being mounted in the wake of the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan recently.  I encourage you to donate money to the rescue effort.  The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee has established a Japan/Pacific Disaster Relief fund.  I encourage you to make a donation immediately.

I pray to Gd in heaven, the Japanese people are not further harmed by the damage done to their nuclear power plants.  So far, so good!  The containment buildings haven't been breached.  Though several Japanese nuclear plant workers have made heroic sacrifices for the public good, the likelihood of a Chernobyl scenario still looks remote in the short term.  Cleaning up the mess might take years and cost a lot of money, but so far the public appears safe.  While it can't be comfortable living in evacuation, at least those living near the effected reactors enjoy the supreme gift of life and will ultimately recover.  

Unfortunately, this is not the purpose of my column.  Moreover, I have very mixed feelings about leveraging a current event tragedy like this to make a political statement on an unrelated matter.   Japan needs our help, but something else needs to be said.

You see, in the wake of the Japan quake and tsunami, there has been a lot of discussion among all nations about the safety of their civilian nuclear power plants.  Some nations that were considering building new plants are thinking twice.  Americans are wondering if "it could happen here" and what we're doing to make certain our commercial nuclear power plants can withstand natural disasters.  Suddenly, everybody seems concerned about nuclear safety EXCEPT IRAN and that's the point of this post.

For years Iran has given mixed signals about their nuclear "program".  Frankly, I think the Iranian nuclear program is a weapons program and they do little to disguise it.  Nonetheless, there are many people in denial about this.

Now we have virtually all industrialized nations worried about the safety of their nuclear power plants.  For some strange reason, no such public discussion seems to emanate from Iran.  If Iran's nuclear research program were really for "peaceful purposes', I would think they'd be talking about increasing safety and foregoing the construction of new plants. Don't hold your breath, folks!

Iran's nuclear program is for making weapons to attack America.  If you don't believe me, you'll know soon enough.  When all the industrialized nations of the world re-examine their civilian nuclear power production facilities, I fully expect Iran to forge ahead in their nuclear research as if nothing at all has happened in Japan.  When that happens, there will be no longer any doubt as to the purpose of Iran's nuclear research program.  If my prediction is correct, all question as to the intent of Iran's nuclear research program should be evident for all to see.

So keep those Japan/Pacific donations coming in folks!  Just remember!  This won't slow down the Iranian nuclear weapons program.  For Iran, the nuclear jihad must go on.

Sincerely,

There is NO Santa Claus (aka TINSC)

What the LIB media won't tell you about Egypt

While the LIB news media blares out that "the voice of the people" in Egypt have sent some kind of message to Hosni Mubarak, there's something they haven't told you.  Cairo has 2 million homeless people. 

If a few hundred Egyptians want to protest against the Mubarak government because of poverty, there's over a million men "on call" to join.  These are not influential people, but when joined in a mass protest against poverty, the news media can give the protest any message they want.  That's what the LIB media won't tell you.  They're too caught up in their sense of self-importance to give a protest of that magnitude any other message.

So what does this mean?

In time, the protest gathering will die down.  Homeless people gotta eat too.  Life will go back to normal and hopefully the 82 year old Mubarak will get serious about finding a successor who will enjoy support of the military (i.e. someone other than his son).

We're being told that the Muslim Brotherhood is destined to take over Egypt; they're the "largest opposition group" etc.  I don't think that's true.  Most Egyptians are nationalists and while they may support Sharia law, they are still nationalists.  The Ikhwan (Muslim Brotherhood) is a pan-Islamist organization that is imperialist in nature.  When Egypt tried its hand at hegemony under Nasser, they got burned so bad that Egyptians learned (eventually) to take care of Egypt first.  As such, while the Ikhwan might have a 20% popularity in Egypt, there are likely significant numbers of Egyptians who do not share their pan-Islamic view.  This certainly includes the numerous Coptic Christians but extends well into Egypt's Muslim society as well.  

A Unique View of the Egypt "Crisis" from Israel

Having been in Israel the past week, we've all been following the Egyptian protests in the news.  While I can easily watch CNN, FOX, Sky News etc, it's far more interesting to watch the Israeli news and commentary. 

Israel is one of those countries where people rarely agree on anything.  Yet there are two things Israelis agree on this week:

 1.  They don't know where these protests are going to lead.

 2.  Whatever Israelis offer in the way of advice to Egyptians will be resented and ignored.

The mood about is one of curiosity.  Nobody seems to be too worried.  Israeli tourists, businessmen and families of diplomats bailed out of Egypt the same night we arrived here (Jan 30, 2011).  There's nobody left to worry about. 

So don't listen to those talking heads on the so-called "News Networks".  They're all rather self absorbed and don't know what they're talking about.  All they know is that it's easier to milk an old story than to find a new one.

Regards,

TINSC

Why are you protesting against Israel?

I think this video is pretty cute.  Moreover, it points out the grotesque hypocrisy employed against Israel.

If I were reincarnated, I'd want to come back in another life as Jewzilla