Saturday, October 31, 2009

Today is Halloween - not one of my favorite secular holidays because it tends (like so much else) to get overblown - see the very end of today's blog for more on this. For anyone not familiar with the event, one of its themes is scary stuff - ghost, goblins, skeletons and the like (though sometimes there are funny things - like these dog costumes).


If that is the case, then in the world today, every day is Halloween, because there is some very scary stuff indeed going on each and every day - especially regarding Iran. Below is a list, in no particular order, of some of the very scary things going on in today's world.

1. Scary Thing #1 - The Goldstone Report - like some sort of evil spirit, this will be hard to kill, even with garlic or a wooden spike....

2. Scary Thing #2 - Iran. 'Nuff said. Here are a variety of articles:

3. Scary Thing #3 - Crazy, Extreme, Ultra, Ultra, Ultra Orthodox Jews - and this is not a shot at all haredim (I have other issues with them, but I do not accuse tar them all with the brush of this article) - 'Woman who wouldn't walk on other side of street assaulted' | Israel Palestine-Gaza Conflict | Jerusalem Post

4. Scary Thing #4 - Hezbollah and Israel's northern border. Unhindered by UNIFIL and in clear contravention of Resolution 1701, Hezbollah has rearmed and then some. Now there is a rearmed crazy Iranian proxy organization sitting on Israel's northern border, with thousands of missiles and the ability and willingness to launch them at Israel's population centers. 'Every village in S. Lebanon has a Hizbullah arms depot' | Middle East Conflict


5. Scary Thing #5 - Hamas and Gaza - There is a crazy Iranian proxy organization sitting on Israel's Gaza border, with missiles and the ability and willingness to launch them at Israel's population centers.

6. Scary Thing #6 - Lousy Hasbara - Hasbara can be translated a variety of ways - I believe that its exact translation is "explanation", but it refers to propaganda, public relations, public diplomacy, advocacy - you get the idea. For a variety of reasons, Israel has always lagged behind its enemies in this area of combat. Though efforts are being made to narrow the hasbara gap, it is still a problem - American Thinker: Losing Israel.



7. Scary Thing #7 - The Useless Nations. When even Shimon Peres complains....Shimon Peres: We have no chance against UN built-in majority | Israel Palestine-Gaza Conflict | Jerusalem Post

8. Scary Thing #8 - Security At the Useless Nations Buildings in New York - Steven Edwards: Sneaking into the UN is finger-lickin' easy - Full Comment - this is actually scary funny - and the impostor (or even the dead Colonel Sanders) would probably make a good Secretary-General (or at least, not a worse one).


9. Scary Thing #9 - Hugo Chavez - Another leftist dictatorial thug who represses his own people and hates Jews - and who is loved by many of the left wing types - 'Chavez could stop anti-Semitic agitation, but won't' | Jewish News | Jerusalem Post



11. Scary Thing #11 - Arab Anti-Israelism - Peace lovers all - Report: Bahrain parliament outlaws contacts with Israel | Middle East Conflict

12. Scary Thing #12 - New Right Wing Nuts - Pajamas Media » Britain’s New Star on the Far, Far Right


13. Scary Thing #13 - CBC News - This column is doubly scary, since I think I actually agree with Rick Salutin on something - anything.



15. Scary Thing #15 - Radical Islamic Extremism - Islamist Extremism and the Murder of Daniel Pearl

16. Scary Thing #16 - The Threat of Assimilation - Straight-Talk About Assimilation: An Exchange – Forward.com


18. Scary Thing #18 - Blaming the Victim and Political Correctness - Toronto man charged for catching thief has day in court - The Globe and Mail


PS - on the subject of overdoing holidays - check out this letter to today's Halifax newspaper that sums up things quite well:

Never too early? - It is wonderful to see the Christmas decorations up on the utility poles in downtown Dartmouth before Remembrance Day, before Halloween, before the leaves have fallen, before the time change. I was starting to worry the lights wouldn’t be up for Christmas. It’s important to use as much energy as we can while it is still available. Gregg Yeadon, HRM

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Thursday, October 29, 2009 - Special Edition on Iran

On Tuesday of this week, I had the privilege to attend "Democracy in Action - Crisis in Iran" in Ottawa. As you can see, the program included first rate speakers (see full bios here) and addressed very serious and pertinent topics. In this edition of my blog, I am going to focus on this vital issue.


It is important to place the current crisis in Iran in its proper context. First, our grievances are with the radical theocratic regime, not the Iranian people as a whole.


Second, our concerns are not limited to the nuclear issue and Israel - the regime is a threat to not only Israel, but to the region and to world stability.


Third, the Iranian regime must be recognized for what it is:
  • clearly guilty of inciting genocide, as is evident in this 2009 paper from Middle East Quarterly;
  • an enthusiastic supporter of international terrorism through its proxies such as Hamas and Hezbollah;
  • brutally repressive against any Iranian minority groups such as the Kurds and the Baha'i; and
  • brutally repressive against any form of political dissent.

So in that context, I will try to briefly summarize some of what I learned at the conference.

The Honorable Irwin Cotler, an expert in international law and a member of Canada's Parliament says that while he favors engagement with Iran, there must be specific limits and goals, that engagement must also address the other issues noted above, and that the West must not abandon the Iranian people. He suggested a variety of targeted and calibrated responses ranging from sanctions against Iranian petroleum imports, the Iranian financial and banking industry, companies doing business with Iran that has the effect of supporting Iranian domestic policies, targeting the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, and targeting specific individuals, such as, for example, Iranian Defence Minister Ahmad Vahidi, for whom there is an Interpol arrest warrant in connection with the terror attacks in Buenos Aires in 1994. He also strongly supports action through the United Nations, such as a Canadian-sponsored Resolution at the UN General Assembly. Finally, he pointed out that the American Cold War strategy must be used again - not only did the US push for arms control, it also strongly the supported the cause of Russian dissidents.

A motion condemning Iran for its human rights record and its pursuit of nuclear weapons was unanimously adopted by all parties - the text of which is as follows:

The Parliament of Canada
HOUSE OF COMMONS MOTION
IRAN
Adopted Unanimously, October 27, 2009

That, in the opinion of this House,

  1. Canada supports the democratic aspirations of the people of Iran.
  2. Canada condemns the use of violence and force by Iranian authorities against their own people to suppress pro-democracy demonstrations following the Iranian presidential elections of June 12, 2009.
  3. Canada condemns the use of torture by Iranian authorities.
  4. Canada calls for the immediate release of all political prisoners held in Iran.
  5. Canada calls on Iran to fully respect all of its human rights obligations, both in law and in practice.
  6. Canada condemns Iran’s complete disregard for legally binding UN Security Council Resolutions 1696, 1737, 1747, and 1803 and International Atomic Energy Agency requirements.
  7. Canada affirms its opposition to nuclear proliferation and condemns any pursuit by Iran of nuclear weapons capability.
  8. Canada recommends to international organizations of which it is a member that a new set of targeted sanctions be implemented against Iran, in concert with allies, unless it comes into compliance with its human rights and nuclear obligations in law and in practice.
Mark Dubowitz of the Foundation for Defence of Democracies, is another expert on Iran. His comments started with a sobering quote from, of all people, Woody Allen to the effect that when faced with bad and worse options, go with the bad one. That said, he still believes that even at this late date there are options short of military action - not great ones, but options nonetheless. His concern is that the Iranian regime thinks that when they secure nuclear weaponry, they will think that they have guaranteed the stability of their regime. His strategies are similar to those advanced by Professor Cotler - "attack" the Iranian economy, blacklist the Revolutionary Guard, and target those that do business with Iran - information that is fairly readily available on the internet. He pointed out that when British Petroleum was confronted by the US Government (acting under the Iran Refined Petroleum Sanctions Act of 2009) and was faced with deciding between its business in North America or in Iran - it chose its North American business.

In Canada we have similar legislation known as the Special Economic Measures Act, and which to date has only been fully applied against Zimbabwe and Burma - two despicable regimes to be sure - but hardly in the same league as Iran. Mr. Dubowitz advised that due to Canada's wealth of natural resources, we are a significant target of Iranian investment that should be attacked through SEMA.

Ken Timmerman, of Foundation for Democracy in Iran, was the most hawkish of the speakers. In his opinion, when it comes to Iran, we are clearly at 5 minutes to midnight and have been unsuccessfully engaged in engagement with Iran since the Iranian Revolution of 1979. He does not like the continuing engagement process as it allows Iran time to dither and delay while continuing full speed ahead with their nuclear weapons program. While he does not believe that sanctions will work, they must be pursued rigorously.

He also pointed out that all the developments to date - nuclear, terrorism, incitement and human rights abuse - have occurred under so-called moderate Iranian leaders - and now we are faced with a regime that fully believes in the 12th Imam Eschatology - mix that with nuclear weapons and the outlook is grim indeed. He believes that it is a serious mistake for the West to think that the current regime is normal - or to put it in "Clintonian terms" - "It's The Regime Stupid"

Shimon Koffler Fogel, Chief Executive Officer of the Canada-Israel Committee, summed up the conference by urging people to move beyond words to action. he advocated that Canada take the lead with the ultimate goal, to be achieved by April 2010, of completely isolating Iran, listing the Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist entity and listing companies who cooperate with Iran.

Following the conference, the delegates went to Parliament Hill where we met with various parliamentarians to urge them to have Canada take the lead in the international community in taking concrete action against the Iranian regime. I had the great pleasure of meeting MP Michael Savage (Lib) of Dartmouth-Cole Harbour, who has always given a warm and attentive audience to issues that have been brought to his attention.

In closing, I would be remiss if I did not refer to the remarks of:
  • Iranian-Canadian lawyer and blogger Sayeh Hassan who spoke to the terrible repression employed in Iran and the need for regime change. Ms. Hassan maintains ongoing contacts with Iranian dissidents in order to support them in their struggle and to document the terrible reality they face daily. She has courageously put her face and name behind the campaign for regime change and
  • international human rights activist (among many other talents and activities) Nazanin Afshin-Jam, who bravely documents the horrors of human rights abuses in Iran, as well as in China, Darfur, Burma and other tyrannical regimes, and then speaks out against them (check out her web-site - http://www.nazanin.ca/). She has recorded the following fantastic video in support of the continuing struggle for human rights and democracy in Iran -

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Thursday, October 22, 2009 - Another Mini-Blog From The Road (Phillies Advance to World Series!!)

1. How Can You Trust Human Rights Watch? Not surprisingly, Human Rights Watch has not reacted well to the NYT piece by founder Robert Bernstein that I linked to yesterday. Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic reviews what he terms Blatant Dishonesty from Human Rights Watch.

So my question is - if you can't trust them to tell the truth about themselves, how can you trust them to tell the truth about anyone, especially Israel? In the meantime, here is a testament to Mr. Bernstein - Robert Bernstein's Courage - October 21, 2009 - The New York Sun.

2. Truth Or Fake? - Ron Radosh » An Onion Parody, or a UN Human Rights Report: You Decide - I mean, really! Sounds like a war crime to me! Wow......


3. Really - Are You Sure (Part I)? Solana: 'We have no time to lose' on Iran Israel Palestine-Gaza Conflict Jerusalem Post - it took this long to figure this out?



4. Really - Are You Sure (Part II)? Canada's top general: Now we see what IDF was up against Israel Palestine-Gaza Conflict Jerusalem Post. With absolutely no disrespect to the Canadian military, and I mean that sincerely, we ain't talking about the Oka Crisis here - we're talking about large numbers of heavily armed radical Islamists sworn to the destruction of Israel and sitting on Israel's borders.

Famous Picture from the Oka Crisis - 1990

Hezbollah Rockets
(not an NHL team, by the way)
- What if the Mohawks at Oka had
lobbed a few of these babies into Montreal?
What if they had launched 8,000?
What would Canada have done?

5. Here's An Important Truth - In the Middle East, talk is cheap - News Analysis - Painful Mideast Truth - Force Trumps Diplomacy - NYTimes.com.




8. Beyond Hitler's Grasp - I have just finished reading this very interesting book by Michael Bar-Zohar that details the rescue of the 50,000 Jews of Bulgaria during the Shoah. This was largely due to the efforts of King Boris III, many members of the Bulgarian legislature, the leadership of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, as well as prominent members of Bulgarian society. These people somehow faced down Hitler himself, as well as Adolf Eichmann and Theodore Dannecker and ensured that not one of the 50,000 Jews living in Bulgaria were deported. And this despite the fact that Bulgaria was a German ally.


That is not to say the record was perfect - the Jews of Thrace and Macedonia were deported and brutally murdered - though there is some argument about whether that could have been prevented because while Thrace and Macedonia ostensibly came under Bulgarian control during the war as a reward for siding with the Third Reich, the terrotories were in fact firmly controlled by the Nazis.

So while we sadly remember the murdered Jews of Thrace and Macedonia, we give thanks for the Bulgarian Jews who were not deported - almost all of whom, by the way, later emigrated to Israel.

Here is an interview with the author:


9. The Lesson Of The Holocaust - Menachem Z. Rosensaft: Holocaust overload Op-Ed Contributors Jerusalem Post. Note in particular:
"The Holocaust was the greatest carnage ever perpetrated. It looms as the epitome of all that is worst in the human condition, and led to the codification of genocide as a crime against humanity. As such, it must be studied so as to prevent future atrocities, not reduced to insensitive, throwaway punch lines."
10. Something Light - This image has been making the rounds - I have received it about 25 times from various people.

You are looking for a book. You cannot find it. You have looked everywhere - Chapters, Indigo, Coles, Amazon, Barnes & Noble - but no luck. You know why? You have been in the store below (say its name fast & you'll get it) - sorry for my "French"!

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Wednesday, October 21, 2009 - Mini-Blog from the Road

1. This Sort Of Says It All - Op-Ed Contributor - Rights Watchdog, Lost in the Mideast - NYTimes.com. The op-ed is written by the founder of Human Rights Watch and its active Chairman for 20 years. It very succinct and well worth the read, but here is the conclusion:
"Only by returning to its founding mission and the spirit of humility that animated it can Human Rights Watch resurrect itself as a moral force in the Middle East and throughout the world. If it fails to do that, its credibility will be seriously undermined and its important role in the world significantly diminished."
I sure hope someone is listening, but I rather doubt it.



2. This Is One Reason Why I Doubt Anyone Is Listening - Tom Gross: Attack an Israeli, no terrorism. Attack an Iranian storm trooper, that's different - Full Comment - people just do not get it




4. J Street, Or Should I Say Sesame Street? J Street’s Threat to Israel – by P. David Hornik FrontPage Magazine. I do not think that expressing legitimate criticism of Israel's policies is inappropriate. However, it seems to me that the relatively new J Street lobby group goes too far in this regard and is naive to the degree that most of what it says and does might as well come from a character on Sesame Street. As Hornik states:
"Genuine friends of Israel, outside and inside of government, Jewish and non-Jewish—who need not agree with all of its policies but respect its autonomy and democracy—should beware of what J Street really is and the threat it poses."

5. My Fair Lady - RubinReports: When it comes to the Middle East: The Brains in Spain (and elsewhere) Fall Mainly Down the Drain - also see Turkey: Syria Insists We Moderate Peace Talks With Israel – Forward.com.


7. Technology And The War On Terror - Pajamas Media » Inside the Predator’s War on Terror - fascinating stuff to be sure. However, while I would never be cavalier with the lives of the sons and daughters of others, air power and cutting edge technology cannot remove the need to send in ground troops to take and hold territory, root out a well-entrenched enemy and its supporting infrastructure, and deal with local non-combatants.




9. Blood Libels - This article from Hamodia reminds us that Arab blood libels against Jews are nothing new.



12. Yiddish Lesson - Clearing up the Meshugas for Maureen Dowd and William Safire – Forward.com - as an aside, I think that Maureen Dowd needs lots of other lessons as well.

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Tuesday, October 20th, 2009 (By The Way - Phillies Win, Bottom 9!!)

1. More And More Concern About Turkey - Ankara's New Foreign Policy: The Sad State of Turkish-Israeli Relations - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News - International, Strategic crisis exposed - Winnipeg Free Press and Editorial: Who lost Turkey? | Editorials | Jerusalem Post.


2. Goldstone, Goldstone, Goldstone - On Friday, I participated on a conference call and listened to Danny Taub (Director, General Law Division, Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs) discuss the Goldstone Report.

Taub described four considerations when entering a conflict: military necessity, necessary distinction, proportionality and humanity. These issues were prominent in the Gaza war with the debate focused on how to achieve a balance between upholding international law and responding to military necessity on the ground. If you link to this page, you will be able to access his powerpoint on the subject as presented to a Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs conference from June of this year.

Also of tremendous importance is this link to the remarks of retired British Army Colonel Richard Kemp - who has spoken before of the high moral conduct of the IDF. But will anyone listen?

In the meantime, here are other very important Goldstone-related links:
Finally - maybe the most important recent update on this story - Russia says won't let Goldstone Report reach Hague - Israel News, Ynetnews.

The verdict on the Goldstone Report -


3. And Let's Not Forget Iran - The only thing that might stop the Iranian nuclear program would be if the Toronto Maple Leafs won the Stanley Cup - because then the world would have already ended and hell would have frozen over. Seriously, this story is scarier every day.

And if this story plays out - China 'strongly opposes' letting Iran get nuclear weapons | Iranian - Iran News | Jerusalem Post - then I will learn to eat Chinese food.


4. Speaking Of Iran - These stories indicate that what goes around, comes around - big time. I'd feel badly, but......if this helps in any way derail the Iranian nuclear ambitions (The Revolutionary Guard have been entrusted with guarding the Iranian missile program and guards the Iranian nuclear facilities ) - Iran: US, UK behind deadly attack on Revolutionary Guard | Iranian - Iran News | Jerusalem Post and Top Iranian military officials killed in suicide attack - CNN.com.

5. Academic Problems - And I don't mean getting poor marks on midterms:

6. President Obama - I haven't forgotten about the President:
7. How Do You Like Them Apples? Steven Edwards: UN abuse investigator ignores abusers, investigates Canada - Full Comment - not so nice to be on the receiving end - maybe this will give the tiniest impression of what it is like to be in Israel's shoes.


8. If You Look In The Dictionary Under the Word "Useless", Do You See The Acronym "UNRWA"? - UNRWA stands for "United Nations Relief and Works Agency" - the Palestinians are the only people in the world who have their own such agency.
"Set up in 1949 with a temporary, three-year mandate to provide aid and jobs for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA has survived for almost 60 years, expanding its scope, budget and influence by extending refugee status to descendants of its beneficiaries. Normal refugee aid tends to focus on finding ways to resettle displaced people and integrate them back into normal, productive lives. UNRWA, by contrast, provides the main framework for ensuring that the official population of Palestinian refugees remains a swelling source of misery and mayhem--both for their neighbors and for the Palestinians themselves." (my emphasis)

So, with that in mind, here are some links on this subject:
Forget UNRWA - check this out - Humanitarian aid to Gaza during IDF operation




11. Hypocrisy, Media Style - 'Islamists can do no wrong'


13. Victor Davis Hanson - Works and Days » Confusions of the Age

14. Global Warming - I let other deal with the pros and cons of this issue, but thought I'd throw these links at you - Michael Ignatieff should think outside the green box - The Globe and Mail and BBC NEWS | Science & Environment | What happened to global warming?

15. Every Conflict Is Different - Hezbollah Isn't a Model for Afghanistan


17. Wow -What A Goal!


18. Phillies Win - In my opinion, there are few more exciting things in sports than the dramatic conclusion of a playoff game - an overtime goal, a last-minute touchdown, a winning basket at the buzzer or a game-ending hit. Add to that the fact that my wife, son and in-laws are huge Phillies fans, and the conclusion of this evening's Game 4 of the NLCS was first-rate. Check it out - it's worth it!

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