Sunday, February 21, 2010

1. Interesting.... - Israel unveils new drone fleet that can reach Iran - Yahoo! News





4. And This As Well - VDH's Private Papers::The Tragic Truth of War - to paraphrase US General "Blood & Guts" George Patton - "...no one ever won a war by dying for his country, he won it by making the other guy die for his country." Patton's actual version was somewhat saltier.


5. Dubai Murder Mystery - More Thoughts - the story continues to unfold:
6. US Diplomacy - The latest U.S. Mideast position: lots of noise signifying nothing - The Globe and Mail. Take the time to read the comments posted by readers - very anti-Israel and often very crude - that Israel practices genocide on the Palestinians, and that sort of thing. Nasty.






10. We All Need A Laugh - you cannot be human if you watch this and fail to smile!


Saturday, February 20, 2010 - motzei Shabbat

1. Let's Start With Iran This Time - Before I get to the list of articles below, I have to single out this one - Russia will honour Iran missile deal: minister - Yahoo! News. Gee, thanks guys. Glad to see you have a concept of "honor" - honoring a commercial contract that will only enhance Iran's ability to protect its burgeoning nuclear arms ambitions and increase pressure on the West to act now before the weapons are deployed and operational. Maybe we should reach out to Poland, Ukraine, Georgia and, why not, Chechnya - the US must have lots of extra nuclear stuff just lying around. Bastards.

This picture of Ahmanutjob made me think of "Devo", pictured below


2. New Attraction - from the Canadian Federation of Jewish Students - Size Doesn't Matter - check it out - what a great initiative!
3. Criticizing Israel - Is Israel above criticism? Embassy - Canada's Foreign Policy Newspaper. I'd answer the title of that article with this crap from one of the usual suspects - Rick Salutin - And this is our foreign policy … - The Globe and Mail. I sent this letter to the Globe & Mail in response - maybe I'll get published there - will let you know:
"To the Editor:
Rick Salutin suggests that Canada's foreign policy only has one pillar - total support for whatever Israel does. It seems to me that his columns only have one basic pillar, depending on the day - total criticism of the Conservative Government, Israel, the US or capitalism - and preferably more than one at a time. Talk about the pot and the kettle!"
4. Haredim - While I am the first to admit that I am not the largest fan of the haredim, the following article is not intended simply as an attack on them, but rather for the story itself. Escape from Israel's Ultra-Orthodox: The High Price of Religious Defection - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News - International


6. More On The Dubai Hit - remember, the world now has one less despicable terrorist in its midst. And if it was a Mossad job, why is Dubai holding some Fatah people (sent back from Jordan) as suspects?


8. Human Rights Commissions - A Dangerous Evolution



10. No Reason For Concern... - Quebec "snowball" jihadist gets life in prison - Jihad Watch. Nothing happens here, right? What about the Toronto 18? What about Montreal? Or Montreal again?

11. Where's The Outrage? Is Goldstone On His Way? Where Are The Usual Suspects? Pajamas Media » Middle East Terror and Double Standards




13. Other Olympic Stories - The whole "Own The Podium" thing is out of all proportion. What is wrong with trying to win, and being honest about it? Why the world finds Canada's quest for Olympic gold strange and adorable. - By Dahlia Lithwick - Slate Magazine


15. Terrorism, Obama and Hamas - Commentary » Blog Archive » Is Barack Obama the Last Best Hope of Hamas? Meanwhile, the Hamas Thugocracy has the temerity to warn off the West - 'West will lose by helping Israel' - Hamas will confront Western nations that support Israel? Sounds like a threat to me - anyone listening?

(Happy Face!)
(can also be used as a picture for Rick Salutin)

16. UC Irvine And Free Speech - UC Irvine's free speech debate - latimes.com

17. First Israeli NBA Player - Omri Casspi of the Sacramento Kings has his own Nike ad:


18. Tiger's Apology - Not the official version. Tiger Woods Sincerely Apologizes for Sleeping with Ugly Chicks on Sports Pickle. But seriously, what justifies the major US networks breaking away from regular programming to cover this event live? I'm a Tiger fan - as a golfer - but this ain't the moon landing!


Wednesday, February 17, 2010

1. Maybe They First Should Settle Issues With Muslim Countries on Earth - Dhimmitude in space: Obama asks NASA to reach out to Muslim countries - Jihad Watch. Is lack of gravity and a beautiful view of Earth going to make some sort of difference? Oh - and it would mean the end of "Pigs In Space"!!



2. Janet Napolitano - Obviously Part Of The Obama Crowd Who Came Up With The NASA Idea - Pajamas Media » Napolitano Meets with Muslim Brotherhood Leaders (PJM Exclusive) - she also thought that the Christmas "crotchbomber" incident showed that the system "worked".


3. I'd Really Rather Blog About Something Else - Iran: We will never give up enrichment at any price - Haaretz - Israel News, AFP: Russia delays missile delivery to Iran, and What a spectacle. What do you think about the topical cartoons?

4. Goldstone - stinging criticism - Goldstone V2.

5. The Hit in Dubai - being blamed on Israel and the Mossad, of course. There has been no admission of same by Israel, nor is there any proof of it. Naturally, there is severe criticism of Israel, especially by certain quarters of the Israeli press - shouldn't they at least wait for the true story to be verified? But there is at least one good thing - the hit took out the target. Here are a variety of stories.
Good Riddance!

6. UCI Fall-Out Continues - Daily Pilot - Serving Newport Beach & Costa Mesa, California - sure, it was just some sort of a college prank. Not that it would happen, but I'd well imagine what would occur if in the upcoming IAW, some pro-Israel types tried anything similar.

7. You're Forgiven - I Was A 'Useful Idiot'


9. Hezbollah Thugs - Nasrallah threatens to attack Ben-Gurion Airport - Israel News, Ynetnews - if that ever occurred, I'd bet that Lebanon would simply disappear. You're part of the Lebanese Government now - so your actions bind the entire country.


10. Sometimes You Can Be Too Smart By Half - VDH's Private Papers::The Trouble with Elitist Theories

11. Political Correctness Rears Its Ugly Head - Language commissioner probes the Games - Inside Politics


12. The Tech Talk Guys Are Back!



Tuesday, February 16, 2010

1. Great Work - Report: Top Taliban cmdr. captured and Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar - Cliff May - The Corner on National Review Online - I like this comment:
"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.
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.


3. Meanwhile, We Have Our Own Problems - Women of Wall called ‘Nazis’. Shameful.



5. Do You Mean Morally or Financially? Al Qaeda Crippled as Money Is Cut Off - DailyFinance


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.

Monday, February 15, 2010

1. Don't Let me Be Misunderstood - Slaughter the Jews call 'misunderstood'. Yeah. Right. Kindergarten kids come up with better excuses. But don't worry - it's the UK - you'll probably get a gentle rub on your knuckles, if anything at all - I mean - look at your comrades At UCI - Salam Al Marayati: Free 11 Muslim Students Representing America's Conscience.

Note that Mr. Al Marayati, the Executive Director of the Muslim Public Affairs Council - DC had the unmitigated gall to state:
"One may disagree with the style and tactics demonstrated by the 11 students, but the central issue is not responding to the disruption by the students. Rather, the main focus should be on understanding what led to that action. The protest of Ambassador Oren's speech did not occur within a vacuum, but rather as a reaction to a string of numerous attempts to stigmatize Muslim students of UCI and squelch their free speech."
He also went on to complain about institutional harassment of Muslim students "as they engage in campus activism". Spare me. Ever been to York? When, if ever, was the last time you heard of pro-Israel activists interrupting a pro-Palestinian or pro-Arab speaker, let alone physically assaulting them? When, if ever, did you hear of a Jewish student trying to kill his fellow university students?

What a bunch of disingenuous crap.


2. There's No Fatwa Like An Old Fatwa - Rushdie death fatwa turns 21 - Jihad Watch



4. Stunner Of The Day - Corruption in the PA

5. Peace, Love & Understanding - Islamists want to prohibit non-Muslims from referring to God as Allah. - By Christopher Hitchens - Slate Magazine - complicated by the fact that in the Malay language, the word for G-d is "Allah".




8. Oh Yeah - Iran -


10. They Know The Subject Well - If Hamas, Syria and Iran know anything, it's murder - Hamas probing Dubai murder with help of Iran and Syria - Haaretz - Israel News


11. Great Song From The Olympics Opening Ceremony - I was quite moved by k d lang's version of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" - there does not seem to be a good video version of Friday night's performance available on the net - so here is her singing the song in 2004 - man, can she sing!


12. More Trouble For Toyota? Do they even make lawn mowers?