"He probably has a lot to tell — and the Pakistanis will not read him his Miranda rights."
2. Iran - constantly in the news, constantly on our minds.
- Iranian defeat first
- News Analysis - U.S. Encounters Limits of Iran Engagement Policy - NYTimes.com
- Hillary Clinton warns of Revolutionary Guard's growing influence in Iran - washingtonpost.com
- The Regime's Shadow Warriors: Revolutionary Guards Keep Strangehold on Iran - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News - International
- Nobel laureate Ebadi calls for sanctions on Iran| Reuters
- Biden Expects China’s Support on Iran - NYTimes.com
- RubinReports: Saudis to Obama Administration: We’re Scared of Iran and You’re Going Too Slow
- How Iran Obtains U.S. Technology - 60 Minutes - CBS News
- Roger L. Simon » Iran: Are the Saudis in secret talks with Israel?
I think that notwithstanding Mrs. Clinton's warning, the IRGC (Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps) have been at the forefront of things for a long time. I think that there is a fair analogy to be made between the role of the IRGC in Iran to that served by the SS in Nazi Germany - protect the regime, ensure its philosophical purity, provide units to the armed forces, and be intricately involved in the economic life of the state. Someone agrees with me - The Cutting Edge News.
6. George Galloway - This amazing letter to the Editor was published in yesterday's Halifax newspaper:
Stick to news, not names
In the Feb. 8 article "Diplomat opposed banning Brit MP," the Canadian Press calls George Galloway "a rabble-rousing politician and outspoken supporter of the Palestinian people."
Merriam-Webster defines rabble-rouser as "one that stirs up (as to hatred or violence) the masses of the people." Galloway has spoken out and worked against the deadly sanctions on Iraq, the 2003 invasion of Iraq and the current blockade of Gaza, but I am not aware that he has incited hatred or violence. CP should either provide evidence in the article to back up this charge or refrain from making it.
Furthermore, juxtaposing rabble-rousing with support for rights and justice for the Palestinians is disgraceful. Past and present treatment of the Palestinians is a blight on mankind and a major obstacle to peace. Given what is at stake, this subject should be discussed in a serious and respectful manner. This piece was presented as a news article. So why are we subjected to name-calling and innuendo? I would hope for more professional journalistic standards from The Chronicle Herald in the future.
Jackie Leppard, Simms Settlement
Editor’s note: After checking 18 online dictionary sites and two print editions, I was able to find only three whose definitions of "rabble-rouser" included the words "violence" and/or "hatred." Most defined "rabble-rouser" as "a leader or speaker who stirs up the passions of the masses," or similarly, and many added "typically for political reasons."
Here is the response that I submitted and that I hope will be printed. I have since been advised that in the context of the recent organ theft blood libel, Galloway also compared Jewish doctors to Josef Mengele, the infamous "Angel of Death".
"To the Editor:
So Ms. Leppard wonders whether the characterization of George Galloway as a “rabble rouser” is fair since she is unaware that he has ever incited hatred or violence.
One can easily cite many examples, but perhaps the most loathsome thing that Galloway has said is “[t]oday the Palestinian people in Gaza are the new Warsaw Ghetto, and those who are murdering them are the equivalent of those who murdered the Jews in Warsaw in 1943.” If that ridiculously inaccurate statement does not incite hatred or violence against Israelis and Jews, I do not know what would."
9. Current Reading - An amazing book - I'm about half-way through it. It is not a light and airy read, but it supplements and cements what I have read in other recent studies of Nazi Germany such as Hitler's Beneficiaries and Richard Evans' trilogy - The Coming of the Third Reich, The Third Reich in Power and The Third Reich at War. I submit that in order to truly understand what took place in Nazi Germany, it is essential to understand not just the military side of things or the Shoah by themselves, but the economic and political side of it as well so that there is a full context - such as the unbelievable plundering of every conquered country, the voodoo theories of race, economics and other topics, the court intrigues and rivalries, the corruption, and, of course, the utter disdain for human life.
10. Bittersweet Note - Doug Fieger, the lead singer of the rock group The Knack died the other day. Hands down, the group's most famous song was "My Sharona" - here is some background on the song - 'My Sharona': the real Sharona remembers late Knack singer Doug Fieger | EW.com - as well as a video.
I agree witn the rabbi that the Western Wall must be a place that unifies and does not divide us. Feminism has its place but as a sensitive Jew it is my opinion that Judaism espouses respect between men and women, in fact women are considered holier than men because of their ability to bring forth life, but we are equals and that does not mean that we are the same. Phsically we are not the same so let us use that as a pivot point. When the Haredi's used the term Nazi's, those of us who are more liberal can express outrage or we can try to understand where these men are coming from. If one deigns to read the book of codes, and understands the mystical significance of following the rules as they have been practiced for eons, we have to evaluate that into the formula of what has held our people together for so long while other civilizations have vanished. There is a saying that he who stands for everything stands for nothing. These Hredi believe that these women are testing G-d's patience and are therefore bringing harm upon us all. In that context the feminists do not need to be so divisive during these troubling times. For every season there is a turn and now is not the time to add salt to the wound. A little more understanding on both sides is where we as Jews as a collective need to focus on. Judging each other does not move this subject forward. A.S.
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