Greetings Fellow Bloggers!
With luck, health and prosperity... not to mention a little free time, I hope to post a little more on this blog in 2014.
In the meantime, are any of you following the NFL playoffs? Who's your pick to go all the way?
I know the Packers won't. They may win today's frigid game in Green Bay, but the NFC North stunk this year.
Think about it! The difference between the Packers winning the division as opposed to the Bears was having a few more brain cells on a freak play that was never whistled dead. It was only when the announcers in the TV booth mentioned that the ball hadn't been whistled dead (while already reviewing the instant replay) that the Packers' sideline erupted; somebody picked up the ball and walked into the end zone. That play was the margin of victory for the Packers.
I'm kinda thinkin' Carolina is will advance deep into the playoffs if not make the big show (Super Bowl). Ex-Bear Ron Rivera is determined to show the world he can head-coach a football team and he's really demonstrating it with results. Everybody seems so surprised. I'm not. Somebody from that 1984 Bears Super Bowl team was bound to become a successful NFL coach.
Most bets were on Mike Singletary, but Mike was handed a bad deal. Wouldn't you know it would be someone flying under the radar like Ron Rivera who would rise through the ranks.
OK. That's all for now. Gotta run.
Hope to see you more often in 2014. Keep reading the old stuff. Most of it is quite relevant.
Happy New Year,
There is NO Santa Claus (aka TINSC)
Sunday, January 05, 2014
Wednesday, June 05, 2013
Sunday, January 13, 2013
My take on the 2nd Ammendment
"A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free
state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be
infringed."
I'll keep this short and sweet. The 2nd Ammendment gives us a right AND a responsibility.
We have the right to bear arms. That means we have the individual right to own firearms and defend our homesteads. We are not limited to those arms that effectively defend our homesteads.
However, we have a COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY to follow the government's regulation of the collective population of American firearm owners to defend the state as a "well regulated militia". As such, the nation-state can regulate our collective behavior with firearms.
I dismiss the argument that the 2nd amendment gives us the right to forcibly resist "government tyranny". It's not like we don't have government tyranny. The law preventing people from crossing the street in New York City while talking on their cell phones may be a tyrannical limitation of our personal freedom. However, if a New York Policeman were to give me a ticket for doing so, it would be the height of immorality to draw a firearm and shoot the policeman who is merely doing his/her job. Americans still have the means to confront this tyranny without violence. YOUR personal definition of "government tyranny" does not give you a right to use force to confront it.
I used to ridicule the argument that the 2nd amendment gives us the right to forcibly resist "government tyranny". Proponents of this argument pointed out that some of our founding fathers commented that this was the purpose of the amendment. I don't care! If the founding fathers who proposed this thesis held a prevailing view, the 2nd amendment would would have contained such language. It doesn't. Therefore, I dismiss the argument, but I no longer ridicule it. The reason is that the 2nd Amendment is part of the BILL OF RIGHTS, a collection of amendments ratified to guarantee our freedom. Therefore, while the 2nd Amendment does NOT give us the right to resist whatever we as individuals perceive as "government tyranny", it was fully reasoned that the right to bear arms was a necessary right to insure the freedom of Americans for generations to come.
As a "well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state", it is impractical to regulate a one-man militia. The Supreme Court has limited certain types of arms available to the public. Fully automatic firearms have long been banned. Furthermore, the government does not allow individuals to own their own F-16, Abrams Tank, and other armaments that would allow an individual to function as an un-regulated one-man militia. This is a reasonable restriction under the "well regulated militia" definition
So what I'm saying is that the 2nd Amendment cannot be interpreted by commentary of one or more "founding fathers". The founding fathers who wrote the Constitution and the Bill of Rights did not agree on everything. Rather, the 2nd Amendment should be interpreted word-for-word. That is how I interpret it.
I'm a strong believer in the 2nd Amendment. It should NOT be eroded by those seeking to control firearms. Firearm ownership is a guaranteed American right; one the founding fathers found necessary to include in the Bill of Rights.
The term "assault weapon" is a loaded term. A molotov cocktail is an assault weapon. I don't see the government regulating gasoline sales anytime soon. Let us not get Orwellian about the words "assault weapon". A semi-automatic firearm is not an "assault weapon" A group of people using semi-automatic firearms to take the law into their own hands is an un-regulated militia. Street gangs and organized crime are a fine example of this. Banning semi-automatic firearms leaves the individual American powerless to defend the homestead and empowers organized criminals who would not likely comply with such a ban.
The lone crazy with a gun is an easy news item that the popular media likes to milk for weeks on end. Yet the fact remains, a competent, law-abiding citizen, on-site, with a firearm, will stop a crazy individual with a gun faster than the police. The police must be summoned and respond in a timely manner before there are numerous gunshot victims. In such a situation summoning the police is very difficult. Timely police response before there are victims, is unlikely.
Last but not least, if you want to see strangers being unusually polite toward one another, go to your local public firearms range. Everybody there has a firearm in their possession and commits themselves to lawful and safe operation of them. My personal observation is that a population of armed citizens is remarkably polite and friendly.
America needs the 2nd Amendment. We need it today as much as we needed it in 1791 when it was ratified. We just need to keep it in perspective. You may not like "guns" but that's your personal preference. One size does not fit all. The 2nd Amendment was ratified in 1791 and part of a group of amendments that were required to preserve our freedom. Without the Bill of Rights, the U.S. Constitution could not be ratified. The 2nd Amendment was ratified by 3/4 of the states; an overwhelming majority.
So let's get past these sensationalistic news stories pushed on us by advocacy journalists. The 2nd Amendment is a Constitutional freedom; the supreme law of the land. If you want to reduce crimes committed with firearms, figure another way to do it.
UPDATE
As the news media continually beats a single act of violence with a semi-automatic rifle, a few things should be kept in perspective:
1. More people are murdered (in the USA) by blunt force trauma to the head
by rifles of every type.
2. Military grade rifles have been in the possession of the American public
since the founding of the Republic.
Think about that the next time someone talks about an "assault weapons" ban.
I'll keep this short and sweet. The 2nd Ammendment gives us a right AND a responsibility.
We have the right to bear arms. That means we have the individual right to own firearms and defend our homesteads. We are not limited to those arms that effectively defend our homesteads.
However, we have a COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY to follow the government's regulation of the collective population of American firearm owners to defend the state as a "well regulated militia". As such, the nation-state can regulate our collective behavior with firearms.
I dismiss the argument that the 2nd amendment gives us the right to forcibly resist "government tyranny". It's not like we don't have government tyranny. The law preventing people from crossing the street in New York City while talking on their cell phones may be a tyrannical limitation of our personal freedom. However, if a New York Policeman were to give me a ticket for doing so, it would be the height of immorality to draw a firearm and shoot the policeman who is merely doing his/her job. Americans still have the means to confront this tyranny without violence. YOUR personal definition of "government tyranny" does not give you a right to use force to confront it.
I used to ridicule the argument that the 2nd amendment gives us the right to forcibly resist "government tyranny". Proponents of this argument pointed out that some of our founding fathers commented that this was the purpose of the amendment. I don't care! If the founding fathers who proposed this thesis held a prevailing view, the 2nd amendment would would have contained such language. It doesn't. Therefore, I dismiss the argument, but I no longer ridicule it. The reason is that the 2nd Amendment is part of the BILL OF RIGHTS, a collection of amendments ratified to guarantee our freedom. Therefore, while the 2nd Amendment does NOT give us the right to resist whatever we as individuals perceive as "government tyranny", it was fully reasoned that the right to bear arms was a necessary right to insure the freedom of Americans for generations to come.
As a "well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state", it is impractical to regulate a one-man militia. The Supreme Court has limited certain types of arms available to the public. Fully automatic firearms have long been banned. Furthermore, the government does not allow individuals to own their own F-16, Abrams Tank, and other armaments that would allow an individual to function as an un-regulated one-man militia. This is a reasonable restriction under the "well regulated militia" definition
So what I'm saying is that the 2nd Amendment cannot be interpreted by commentary of one or more "founding fathers". The founding fathers who wrote the Constitution and the Bill of Rights did not agree on everything. Rather, the 2nd Amendment should be interpreted word-for-word. That is how I interpret it.
I'm a strong believer in the 2nd Amendment. It should NOT be eroded by those seeking to control firearms. Firearm ownership is a guaranteed American right; one the founding fathers found necessary to include in the Bill of Rights.
The term "assault weapon" is a loaded term. A molotov cocktail is an assault weapon. I don't see the government regulating gasoline sales anytime soon. Let us not get Orwellian about the words "assault weapon". A semi-automatic firearm is not an "assault weapon" A group of people using semi-automatic firearms to take the law into their own hands is an un-regulated militia. Street gangs and organized crime are a fine example of this. Banning semi-automatic firearms leaves the individual American powerless to defend the homestead and empowers organized criminals who would not likely comply with such a ban.
The lone crazy with a gun is an easy news item that the popular media likes to milk for weeks on end. Yet the fact remains, a competent, law-abiding citizen, on-site, with a firearm, will stop a crazy individual with a gun faster than the police. The police must be summoned and respond in a timely manner before there are numerous gunshot victims. In such a situation summoning the police is very difficult. Timely police response before there are victims, is unlikely.
Last but not least, if you want to see strangers being unusually polite toward one another, go to your local public firearms range. Everybody there has a firearm in their possession and commits themselves to lawful and safe operation of them. My personal observation is that a population of armed citizens is remarkably polite and friendly.
America needs the 2nd Amendment. We need it today as much as we needed it in 1791 when it was ratified. We just need to keep it in perspective. You may not like "guns" but that's your personal preference. One size does not fit all. The 2nd Amendment was ratified in 1791 and part of a group of amendments that were required to preserve our freedom. Without the Bill of Rights, the U.S. Constitution could not be ratified. The 2nd Amendment was ratified by 3/4 of the states; an overwhelming majority.
So let's get past these sensationalistic news stories pushed on us by advocacy journalists. The 2nd Amendment is a Constitutional freedom; the supreme law of the land. If you want to reduce crimes committed with firearms, figure another way to do it.
UPDATE
As the news media continually beats a single act of violence with a semi-automatic rifle, a few things should be kept in perspective:
1. More people are murdered (in the USA) by blunt force trauma to the head
by rifles of every type.
2. Military grade rifles have been in the possession of the American public
since the founding of the Republic.
Think about that the next time someone talks about an "assault weapons" ban.
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Blog Update
I have added the web site Open Fuel Standard to the "My Blog List". The blog is "... the central action hub for all things concerning the vitally important legislation, The Open Fuel Standard Act.
I encourage my readers to follow this blog. - TINSC
I encourage my readers to follow this blog. - TINSC
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Monday, October 22, 2012
Your tax dollars at work
With great fanfare, President O'Bama visited Holland, Michigan to celebrate the opening of the LG battery factory; a factory built to supply batteries for the Chevy Volt. The plant was built with federal tax dollars to support a vehicle funded by federal tax dollars made by a company owned by the government. "This is a symbol of where Michigan is going, this is a symbol of where
Holland is going, and this is a symbol of where America's going,"
President Barack Obama told a crowd at the groundbreaking.
What was the result? THE FACTORY HAS YET TO SHIP A SINGLE BATTERY! Workers have so little to do, they spend hours playing board games, cards, reading magazines or watching movies. All this on your tax dollars. Here is the WOOD-TV Article on the subject. http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/target_8/Volt-no-jolt-LG-Chem-employees-idle
Where is President O'Bama now? Where is his praise for "green jobs"? Or should I tell you that studies have shown that for every green job created, 3 are lost from the high cost of electricity.
What kind of "job" is this when it creates nothing of value? Is this what the insane left enviro-whackos call "sustainable"? I have a secret for you people: if it doesn't create something of competitive value, it is not sustainable.
What is the O'Bama Administration's response to this massive waste? "We are sending this to the Inspector General, Department of Energy, for his review," said Ed Pound, spokesman for the board. The Inspector General's Office would decide whether to open an investigation. Pound refused further comment.
A review? Any fool could have told you that this was a waste before they broke ground. Why should there be "further comment" when the real goal was to BUY VOTES in an election year. Detroit and points east of US 127 can be taken for granted to vote O'Bama's way. But with economic devastation, a few thousand votes in solidly Republican West Michigan can turn the tide of the election toward O'Bama and the Democrats.
Folks! The government is spending a king's fortune just to make you feel good about yourself. It's "green". It's "new technology". It's "jobs". That's what they tell you, but none of this is sustainable because it isn't competitive and creates nothing of real value. For every Volt sold, 10,000 Chinese (and 7,500 Indians) bought their first conventionally fueled vehicle. That's because THEY are making things of competitive value while your government encourages us to make worthless batteries for worthless cars that cost too much and won't accommodate Michael Moore's fat-infested torso.
The big corporations don't have a problem because they didn't have to bear the risk. The people who built the plant have taken their money and run; the executives of those contracting firms now contemplate early retirement. LG has their O'bama bucks. They'll close the factory when there's a loss to write off to offset the immense profits they make on their own products.
And you? HA HA HA! You get to struggle to buy frozen peas at your local grocer because the O'Bama Administration is forcing electricity prices through the roof. You get to buy gasoline at $4 a gallon because the O'Bama Administration won't let us use our natural gas surplus to make methanol. It (methanol) can be blended with gasoline in any ratio with cheap ($100/car) off-the-shelf technology. Coal miners out of work. Petrochemical lobby happy. Electric cars in the junk yard. Saudi Arabia laughing all the way to the bank.
Thank you Mr. President! Thanks for hiring hundreds of workers who are now reading magazines, playing cards and watching videos. That's what you called "Hope and Change" 4 years ago, but we all knew what it really was: patronage worker creation - Chicago Style.
What was the result? THE FACTORY HAS YET TO SHIP A SINGLE BATTERY! Workers have so little to do, they spend hours playing board games, cards, reading magazines or watching movies. All this on your tax dollars. Here is the WOOD-TV Article on the subject. http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/target_8/Volt-no-jolt-LG-Chem-employees-idle
Where is President O'Bama now? Where is his praise for "green jobs"? Or should I tell you that studies have shown that for every green job created, 3 are lost from the high cost of electricity.
What kind of "job" is this when it creates nothing of value? Is this what the insane left enviro-whackos call "sustainable"? I have a secret for you people: if it doesn't create something of competitive value, it is not sustainable.
What is the O'Bama Administration's response to this massive waste? "We are sending this to the Inspector General, Department of Energy, for his review," said Ed Pound, spokesman for the board. The Inspector General's Office would decide whether to open an investigation. Pound refused further comment.
A review? Any fool could have told you that this was a waste before they broke ground. Why should there be "further comment" when the real goal was to BUY VOTES in an election year. Detroit and points east of US 127 can be taken for granted to vote O'Bama's way. But with economic devastation, a few thousand votes in solidly Republican West Michigan can turn the tide of the election toward O'Bama and the Democrats.
Folks! The government is spending a king's fortune just to make you feel good about yourself. It's "green". It's "new technology". It's "jobs". That's what they tell you, but none of this is sustainable because it isn't competitive and creates nothing of real value. For every Volt sold, 10,000 Chinese (and 7,500 Indians) bought their first conventionally fueled vehicle. That's because THEY are making things of competitive value while your government encourages us to make worthless batteries for worthless cars that cost too much and won't accommodate Michael Moore's fat-infested torso.
The big corporations don't have a problem because they didn't have to bear the risk. The people who built the plant have taken their money and run; the executives of those contracting firms now contemplate early retirement. LG has their O'bama bucks. They'll close the factory when there's a loss to write off to offset the immense profits they make on their own products.
And you? HA HA HA! You get to struggle to buy frozen peas at your local grocer because the O'Bama Administration is forcing electricity prices through the roof. You get to buy gasoline at $4 a gallon because the O'Bama Administration won't let us use our natural gas surplus to make methanol. It (methanol) can be blended with gasoline in any ratio with cheap ($100/car) off-the-shelf technology. Coal miners out of work. Petrochemical lobby happy. Electric cars in the junk yard. Saudi Arabia laughing all the way to the bank.
Thank you Mr. President! Thanks for hiring hundreds of workers who are now reading magazines, playing cards and watching videos. That's what you called "Hope and Change" 4 years ago, but we all knew what it really was: patronage worker creation - Chicago Style.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Our next President will be... (drumroll please)...
President Obamney! Or maybe it's President Rombama.
Let me put it to you this way. If you think that you have a "choice" and that either candidate will significantly alter the course of the policies of our government, I have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you.
Let me put it to you this way. If you think that you have a "choice" and that either candidate will significantly alter the course of the policies of our government, I have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you.
Sunday, October 07, 2012
President O'Bama appoints ant-Semitic State Dept. Envoy
It's rare that I would post such an article given that there's such little mainstream media coverage of the topic. Yet it is true that the O'Bama State Department has indeed appointed Salam al-Marayati to represent the United States at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
Salam Al-Marayati is the founder of the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), a manifest anti-Semitic organization.
I've never heard of the Washington Free Beacon, the source of the story, but I have enough contacts in the Anti-Defamation League and Simon Wiesenthal Center to find out if the story is true and whether their respective organizations made the comments shown in the Washington Free Beacon article.
Unfortunately, the Simon Wiesental Center weighed in and confirmed the story. I'm not going to elaborate on Salam Al-Marayati because you can read the link and see for yourself who your government chose to represent us in a European conference.
One would think that the Republicans would make an issue of this , but so far, they haven't. This is more proof that the Republicans will be no better at supporting Israel and Jews than the O'Bama Administration. Yes, I like Romney better than O'Bama but I don't have a lot of high hopes for Romney's campaign rhetoric. Campaign promises are not binding contracts. In the mean time, it would be nice if Republicans would take issue with this. I won't hold my breath waiting for that.
Last, I'd like to thank TUNDRA TABLOIDS for breaking this story.
Regards,
There is NO Santa Claus (aka TINSC)
Salam Al-Marayati is the founder of the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), a manifest anti-Semitic organization.
I've never heard of the Washington Free Beacon, the source of the story, but I have enough contacts in the Anti-Defamation League and Simon Wiesenthal Center to find out if the story is true and whether their respective organizations made the comments shown in the Washington Free Beacon article.
Unfortunately, the Simon Wiesental Center weighed in and confirmed the story. I'm not going to elaborate on Salam Al-Marayati because you can read the link and see for yourself who your government chose to represent us in a European conference.
One would think that the Republicans would make an issue of this , but so far, they haven't. This is more proof that the Republicans will be no better at supporting Israel and Jews than the O'Bama Administration. Yes, I like Romney better than O'Bama but I don't have a lot of high hopes for Romney's campaign rhetoric. Campaign promises are not binding contracts. In the mean time, it would be nice if Republicans would take issue with this. I won't hold my breath waiting for that.
Last, I'd like to thank TUNDRA TABLOIDS for breaking this story.
Regards,
There is NO Santa Claus (aka TINSC)
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Syria activists deride slow deployment of UN monitors
A Reuters report today states that Syrian opposition groups are greatly aggravated by the slow response to their plight. One activist states:
"When killing happens in Palestine, even though the United States is an ally of Israel, the whole international community presses Israel more than they have pressed the Assad regime," he said.
What a surprise! Eh?
"When killing happens in Palestine, even though the United States is an ally of Israel, the whole international community presses Israel more than they have pressed the Assad regime," he said.
What a surprise! Eh?
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
A quick note on Iran and their nuclear ambitions
If the Japanese politicians had preceded the attack on Pearl Harbor with the kind of bluster we've been hearing (in the media, pols, pundits, politicians running for office etc.) for the past 5 years, the attack never would have succeeded.
There is wide consensus that Iran should not possess nuclear weapons. Beyond that, there's no telling truth from fiction regarding this issue from the news media and political debates. That's why I ignore it.
It's not a subject worth talking about. Nobody I know is anxious for war. The scope of a military mission (by anyone, U.S., Israel, others) that could succeed is beyond the knowledge and competency of the average civilian. If you don't see much posted on this blog on the subject, now you know why.
Regards,
TINSC (aka There is NO Santa Claus)
There is wide consensus that Iran should not possess nuclear weapons. Beyond that, there's no telling truth from fiction regarding this issue from the news media and political debates. That's why I ignore it.
It's not a subject worth talking about. Nobody I know is anxious for war. The scope of a military mission (by anyone, U.S., Israel, others) that could succeed is beyond the knowledge and competency of the average civilian. If you don't see much posted on this blog on the subject, now you know why.
Regards,
TINSC (aka There is NO Santa Claus)
Thursday, December 01, 2011
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)
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".
Regards,
There is NO Santa Claus (aka TINSC)
Sunday, November 06, 2011
Sunday, October 09, 2011
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.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
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.
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.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
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.
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.
Sunday, August 07, 2011
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. .
Saturday, July 16, 2011
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.
Monday, July 11, 2011
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.
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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
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
Saturday, July 09, 2011
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.
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.
Monday, July 04, 2011
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.
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.
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