Thursday, May 21, 2009

Here the latest from me:

1. Well, it seems that at least someone in a position of power gets the whole Iran thing - Admiral Mike Mullen, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, "I'm one who believes that Iran getting a nuclear weapon is calamitous for the region and for the world."

2. A widely-covered, deeply disturbing story from New York - 4 people were arrested Thursday in connection with a plot to set off explosives near a synagogue and Jewish community center in New York, as well as to launch missiles at US military aircraft.

At a news conference outside the Riverdale Jewish Center in the Bronx, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly quoted one of the men as saying, “If Jews were killed in this attack ... that would be all right. "They stated that they wanted to commit jihad,” Kelly said. “They were disturbed about what happened in Afghanistan and Pakistan, that Muslims were being killed.”

While I unequivocally condemn the intent to attack US military aircraft, at least I can see some sort of nexus. However, apart from being the world's number one "no reason or logic required scapegoat", can someone please tell me what the Jews have to do with events in Afghanistan and Pakistan? Sounds like these guys weren't the sharpest knives in the drawer.Whatever confusion may have lurked in the minds of the "alleged" perpetrators, it is clear that they were motivated to hate and kill Jews

Here is other coverage - from Jihad Watch - article 1 and article 2.

3. While in Israel recently, I had the good fortune to meet Aryeh Green of MediaCentral over a delicious meal at Zelda Restaurant.

MediaCentral (a project of HonestReporting) provides support services for journalists based in or visiting Israel and the region. Its mandate is more fully described here. It represents a new and fresh approach to dealing with journalists who have the difficult job of trying to cover one of the most complex regions of the world.

Aryeh is a personable, intelligent and balanced individual. His CV (found on the “About Us” page linked above) reveals his impressive credentials, and includes a link to his blog. While Aryeh is also rather modest and might not say this about himself, I think it fair to say that he is an accomplished oenophile.

4. Here's an interesting article from Der Spiegel about the widespread nature of the Shoah. I do not read the article as trying to evade or shift German guilt, but rather pointing out that the Shoah simply could not have happened to the extent it did without the complicity of many other countries.

It is also important to understand that the atrocious crimes committed against the victims of the Shoah or the broader victims of Nazi Germany's racial policy were not just committed by the fanatics in the SS - there was widespread and voluntary participation by all of the German Armed Forces - especially the Wehrmact. This point is made very well in many recent works, such as "The Myth of the Eastern Front" or "The Third Reich at War".

5. Interesting opinion about the phraseology used so freely in the discussion of issues in the Middle East. I think that the title gives some indication of the author's feelings on the subject.

6. I have never understood the broken link between the political left and their seemingly unqualified love affair with radical Islam. I have ordered Jamie Glazov's book "United in Hate" and eagerly anticipate reading it for enlightenment. In the meantime, I see this article which simply serves to continue to confuse me.

7. OK - so how to end all of this on a positive note? I can see that this is going to be an ongoing challenge. One thing that always impresses me about Israel is its ability to be a major world player in so many fields - despite its tiny size, its small population, and the necessary focus on security and defense. So here's a plug for the many good reasons to invest in Israel - simply amazing!