Saturday, February 19, 2011 - motzei Shabbat

1. The Analysis Begins - the events in Egypt have started to slip from the front pages, so to speak - and the analysis of what happened and what will come begins. For all those who think that everything in Egypt is settled and that there are no worries there any longer, watch the following video and read the following links:


2. President Obama - others agree with Niall Ferguson's harsh criticism of the Obama Administration's handling of events in the Middle East. A sampling:
- more on the Obama Administration and Israel below.


3. The "Unrest" Spreads - throughout the Arab World. And to give the various protesters their due, protesting against their particular friendly neighborhood despot is not exactly like walking down Spring Garden Road in Halifax waving some signs and shouting some slogans.
By the way, here's a good question - Libya protests: Why is Qaddafi still a colonel? - By Eric Umansky - Slate Magazine - reminds me of the same question asked by the extremely funny Cape Breton comedian General John Cabot Trail - he said something to the effect that "we got colonels in Canada pluckin' chickens".



4. And No Matter What Happens - you can always blame the evil Zionist JOOS:

5. Almost Throwing Israel Under The Bus - don't worry - another opportunity will no doubt arise - an important story this week concerned the UNSC Resolution to condemn Israeli settlement activity. Perhaps the Administration should have someone read this.

In any event, after sending strong signals that it would not veto the Resolution, the US (that is to say, the Obama Administration) finally did exercise its veto power - grudgingly - the first time it has done so during the current administration.
Meanwhile - PA: We'll turn to UN General Assembly to stop settlements - of course you will - you control the whole corrupt cesspool anyway.




7. Odds and Sods - makes one wonder what planet we're on:
8. What Will The Useful Idiots Do Now? Pajamas Media » Putin Makes Solzhenitsyn Required Reading

9. Cover-Up - and critics lash out at news reporting from the right wing......

11. Hypocrisy - or NIMBY. Or "do as I say, not as I do" Belmont Club » Context Change


12. This Seems Stupid - I understand the issue, but this seems doomed to failure and criticism - Israel Considers Law to Ban Boycotts « Commentary Magazine

13. End Of The Romance - this is a very bad segue, but this isn't necessary to kill romance - Iran Outlaws Valentine’s Day - Commentary Magazine. I refer not to romance between people, but the romantic vision of war. I just finished reading "Seize The Fire", an amazing book about Lord Nelson and the overwhelming British naval victory at the Battle of Trafalgar - though it is very clear about the very bloody nature of war.


Though I have never served in the military, I pretty much always understood that war is a very ugly and nasty business - or, as was said in a quote attributed to Confederate General Robert E. Lee at the Battle of Fredericksburg in 1862 - "It is well that war is so terrible, or we should grow too fond of it."


15. What's Next? The Moon? Abbas says Armenian Quarter belongs to Palestinians - of course it does. So does the South Pole, Peru, Guam, South Korea, the Khyber Pass, the Grand Canyon, Estonia, Greenland, and 1/2 the icebergs in the world at any given time. Oh, and though you did not know it, the following people were in fact Palestinian - Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Jesus, Attila the Hun, Louis XIV, Alexander the Great, Yosemite Sam, Queen Elizabeth I, Daniel Boone, Simon Bolivar, Little Red Riding Hood, Mickey Mantle, and the Marx Brothers.

In all seriousness, the problem is that the more outright lies the PA tells, the more likely it is that some of it will stick and people will believe things for which there is no historical basis. Who needs facts - just make stuff up!


16. Nasrallah The Rat - It seems to me that it is pretty rare for someone to "win a war" then never show their face in public.....Hizballah top dog tells "holy warriors of the Islamic Resistance" to prepare to invade Israel - Jihad Watch and Bibi to Nasrallah: ‘Stay in the Bunker’ – Forward.com.

(OK - this may have been altered....)

17. I Thought Dinosaurs Were Extinct - how many more stupid things can this person say? Her feet must be past her midsection by now - Helen Thomas: Jews didn't have to leave Europe following Holocaust - Haaretz Daily Newspaper Israel News


18. Lighten Up - a variety of "lighter" things to end this edition - you pick.



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Saturday, February 12, 2011 - motzei Shabbat

1. Mubarak Is Gone - A day after saying he would remain in office until scheduled election in September, Hosni Mubarak has stepped down and transferred power to the Egyptian military.


For what it is worth, the military stated Saturday that it is committed to civilian rule, democracy and treaties - Egypt's army commits to civilian rule and treaties.


But then what comes next? Who really knows?


Professor Barry Rubin makes a number of excellent points in this article - Egypt: The Mubarak Resignation--He Did It His Way--And Its Consequences. Here are some comments from a variety of sources - some written before today's dramatic events, and some after:
One thing is for sure - it won't be dull or boring. And in my humble opinion, when it coms to international relations in the Middle East, particularly as it relates to Israel, dull and boring is good. That is not to say that I supported Mubarak or his corrupt and repressive regime, especially when he was constantly warned by President Bush (not President Obama) and the Israelis to make changes - it is that I am very concerned that for all the jubilant talk about establishing a democracy and so on, there is no precedent of Egyptian, or really, Arab democracy on which to build a "new" Egypt - and as stated in the "Terra Incognita" article above:
"Democracy isn’t about burning down the headquarters of the other party. It isn’t about paralyzing the state so that no business can be conducted and nothing can happen. Oddly, democracy isn’t about mass protests and riots. Democracy is primarily about voting and peaceful transitions of power. The other freedoms that follow from that, like the press, assembly, religion, equality and free speech, are products, hopefully, of democracy."

And anyone who thinks that the forces of evil - the radical Islamists, spurred on by Iran - are not looking to take advantage of this situation to pursue their dark agenda - is either naive, stupid, or reside in some entirely other dimension (Leftist Dupes: From the Communist Brotherhood to the Muslim Brotherhood | FrontPage Magazine). Also see: Jewel of the Nile - by Lee Smith > Tablet Magazine




3. Oh, Just Shut Up - like he's one to talk about the will of the people and so on - Ahmadinejad: "We will soon see a new Middle East materializing without America and the Zionist regime" - Jihad Watch - and the sad thing is that many people, including many of the ivory tower geniuses in the West, give credence to this waste of DNA.


4. Telling It Like It Is #1- one may not like her blunt nature or what she has to say, but I think that she is basically correct:






7. Maybe Things Under Islamic Rule Aren't So Bad After All.... - oops, forgot that Gaza is the world's largest concentration camp, or whatever......also see - Anti-Semitism and Israel Bashing? Must Be a European Parliament Paper



9. Falling Off The Bandwagon - First Germany, then Britain, now France - Multiculturalism 'clearly' a failure: Sarkozy

10. Shocker - Commentary » Blog Archive » UN Group Distances Itself from Female Terrorist Ad Campaign - even the dimwits at the UNPF could not get themselves out of this one.


11. I Don't Know.... - The silver lining





14. A Liberal Palestinian? - Cost Analysis - by Adam Kirsch > Tablet Magazine - meanwhile, the Palestinian Authority has suddenly announced it will hold elections in September - big whoop - Palestinians to hold elections by September - Forbes.com.

As stated above, holding elections, even if they are as pure as the driven snow, in and of itself will not suddenly make the PA a democracy - and as to whether it will pacify the legitimate dissenters who object to the corruption (‘Corruption will let Hamas take W. Bank') and hypocrisy of the PA (see next item), well that's another story again. Why don't you start by returning the billions of aid to the Palestinians that has found its way into the accounts of senior PA officials and using it for the good of the average Palestinian?

15. How Do You Spell Hypocrisy? Or, do as I say, not as I do - which applies pretty much to whatever the PA does or endorses - Abbas, Dahlan take out Jordanian citizenship
"According to the London-based Al-Quds Al-Arabi newspaper, a significant number of PA leaders are registered as full Jordanian citizens.

The paper pointed out that the leaders applied for Jordanian citizenship at a time when they were urging the Jordanian authorities to stop giving Palestinians Jordanian citizenship, in order to “consolidate their Palestinian identity.” The Jordanian government had justified its decision to strip Palestinians of their citizenship by using the same argument." (my emphasis)

16. I'm Clueless - and embarrassed, I had never heard of Simms Taback - Illustrious - by Marjorie Ingall > Tablet Magazine - but I wish him a refuah shleimah - a speedy return to good health.

17. Miscellaneous - just some random links on less serious topics:






which is a parody of:





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Tuesday, February 8, 2011

1. Egypt - continues to dominate the news. The demonstrations continue, the pro-Mubarak side has emerged (why they are "pro" is a good question), Mubarak himself seems to be hanging on, there are some signs of "normality" - banks open etc., and everyone has an opinion about the Muslim Brotherhood.

And whatever you think of Henry Kissinger, I think he makes a very good point to Charlie Rose:




3. Multiculturalism - gets a failing grade in the UK, as apparently it did in Germany - British PM says multiculturalism has failed, Muslims must integrate into British society - Jihad Watch. See also - Works and Days » The Middle East and the Multicultural Nightmare - what will be said soon in North America?


4. Devious - Sorry, but I do not believe that this can be taken at face value - Palestinians want Church of the Nativity recognized as UN heritage site. And on a related note - Dutch FM: Recognition of Palestinian state does no good

5. The Great Communicator - President Reagan would have turned 100 years old on February 6. 2011. The date prompted a variety of articles about his place in history. Here are a few to ponder:



9. Emptying The Vault - various links on various topics I have saved but never posted for whatever reason:

11. Super Bowl Sunday I - The Super Bowl was Sunday. In my view the "good guys" won - after overcoming all kinds of injuries not just during the regular season, but in the game itself. When the game was really on the line in the fourth quarter - especially on that late 3rd down and 10 when Aaron Rodgers fired a 31 yard strike to Greg Jennings - Green Bay came through, and Pittsburgh didn't.

Green Bay is the prototypical old school NFL team - the only one, I believe, that is community owned. Pittsburgh is a similar team, and while it is not community owned, I believe that the Rooney Family has owned it for a very long time (with 6 Super Bowl victories to show for it).


Here is a story about the AFL that came to rival the old established NFL, resulting eventually in a merger and the creation of the Super Bowl played between the winners of the National Football Conference and the American Football Conference. The Other League - by Marc Tracy Tablet Magazine - A New Read on Jewish Life - and yeah, there were Jews involved.

12. Super Bowl Sunday II - I hate the hype, I hate the way that almost every performer who sings the national anthem has to turn it into some sort of personal signature song (PS - memo to Christine Aguilera - easy on the lipstick, girlfriend), and I hate the half-time show.


I always hope for a well-played game that is close to the end and is decided by the players, not the officials. Oh, I sometimes, I love the commercials - like these ones from Sunday:






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