1. We Must Never Forget - Today is Remembrance Day in Canada, the UK and the rest of the British Commonwealth, and Veterans' Day in the USA. The date was chosen because World War I - the supposed war to end all wars - ended on November 11, 1918 at 11AM. Of course, since the end of World War I, there have been many more conflicts - World War II, Korea, and Vietnam - to name the better-known, and thousands of men and women have lost their lives in the service of Canada and the United States.
We must never forget the sacrifices our veterans made for us - both as citizens of Western democracies and as Jews. Who knows what would have resulted if no one stood up to the Nazis and the Japanese? And even if only the Russians had fought back and emerged victorious, how different would our world be today?
And for Jews, the question is even more important - even as the Nazis were being defeated, their murder of Jews and other Holocaust victims continued, and, if anything, quickened. What if the Nazis were actually victorious?
In today's very cynical world, I think that the notion of sacrifice for one's country is looked down upon as being an antique and out-dated concept. But despite all of the enormous sacrifices of our veterans, the world is not free of very dangerous people who are nothing more than modern-day Nazis. So the struggle must continue - with the unfortunate result that more men and women will lose their lives.
Therefore, it is the very least that we can do to take some meaningful time today to mark the day for those who have served and continue to serve that we can live in peace and freedom.
Here are a variety of articles on this very important day:
- Why is Nov. 11th blooming? - The Globe and Mail
- Let's Pause to Celebrate a Man of Action --FanHouse
- Who fights and dies for Canada?
- Pajamas Media » Why Do So Few Immigrants Wear Poppies for UK’s Remembrance Day?
- Pajamas Media » Freedom Still Isn’t Free
- Canadians, Royals observe Remembrance Day
- Lest We Forget: The Story of Canadian Soldiers Buried in Israel
2. Berlin Wall - There is a great deal of media attention about the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. The time that has passed has allowed some perspective on the historic event.
- George Jonas: Gorbachev didn't tear down that wall - Full Comment
- Roger’s Rules » The lessons of Berlin, 1989
- Communism's great fraud
- The Guard Who Opened the Berlin Wall: 'I Gave my People the Order -- Raise the Barrier' - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News - International
- Fall of the Berlin Wall ... and Rise of the EU
- Thousands cheer 20 years since fall of Berlin Wall - Yahoo! News
- BBC NEWS | Europe | Berlin remembers fall of the Wall
- Vodkapundit » Getting it Right
3. And The "Natural" Segue to Israel - You can count on the usual suspects making an immediate link from the Berlin Wall to the Israeli Security Barrier. Honest Reporting Canada reported here on the false analogies broadcast by the CBC. And sure enough, in today's Halifax newspaper, the following letter was published (followed by the response I sent to the Editor):
Worse wall still to fall
On Oct. 26, this paper published an item indicating that Saint Mary’s University would be putting four tons of the Berlin Wall on exhibit as part of a conference commemorating the 20th anniversary of the fall of that wall. Over the last few days, there have been numerous items in all of the media concerning the significance of the event.
I believe we should take this anniversary and the celebrations surrounding it as an opportunity to reflect on the existence and continued building of another wall — a wall designed not only to deprive people of their freedom, but also to facilitate the further theft of their land. I refer, of course, to the Israeli wall snaking throughout Palestine, a wall specifically aimed at making Swiss cheese out of Palestine and further disenfranchising the Palestinian people. Let’s hope we’ll some day have the opportunity to
celebrate the fall of this even more shameful wall.
Terence Rowell, Dartmouth
To The Editor:
There is considerable misunderstanding regarding the respective purposes of the Berlin Wall and the Israeli Security Barrier.
The Berlin Wall was built during the height of the Cold War by the East German authoritarian regime to perpetuate the division of the city by keeping the German citizens of East Berlin - who sought only freedom and communication with their German brethren in West Berlin - hemmed in. The Israeli Security Barrier (97% of which is actually chain link fence) was built after the Second Intifada to keep out terrorists seeking to undertake attacks against Israeli citizens.
Also, isn’t it odd that those who use the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall to call for the dismantling of the Israeli Security Barrier never call for the fall of other such walls in the world – such as those between Mexico and the US, Saudi Arabia and Yemen, India and Bangladesh, India and Pakistan and on Cyprus?
Mark David
4. More on November 9th - A Fateful Date: November 9 Marks Highs and Lows in German History - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News - International
5. Fort Hood - Lorne Gunter: Fort Hood and cultural suicide - Full Comment, RubinReports: Great Moments in "Psychologically Disturbed" Gunmen Committing Mass Murder (this is satire), Investors.com - Jihad's 5th Column and Obama runs interference for Islamic jihad at Fort Hood - Jihad Watch
6. Wonderful Guys, These Hezbollah Types - War is waged on many levels - Hizbullah removes Anne Frank book from Lebanese school | Middle East Conflict - and they brag about it - Hizballah: "Sure, we are rearming, we have even said that we have far more rockets and missiles than we did in 2006" - Jihad Watch.
8. Please - Upset The Russians! - Iranian lawmaker warns Russia over missile delay | Iranian - Iran News | Jerusalem Post. Maybe this will happen to Iran - Pajamas Media » Russia Plays Nuclear ‘War Games’ with Poland.
10. The Peace Process - Op-Ed Columnist - Call White House, Ask for Barack - NYTimes.com and Commentary » Blog Archive » Benign Neglect for the Peace Process
11. Maybe He Should Tell The Arabs - Emanuel defends US policy regarding ME peace process, Iran | International News | Jerusalem Post.
14. Arab Moderates - RubinReports: The Sad Fate of Arab Moderates and The Arab World’s Tragic Success in Not Needing Them Any More
16. Interesting & Odd Story - Lebanon's Jewish Community: Beirut Synagogue Gets a New Lease On Life - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News - International.
