Posts Tagged ‘Israel’

Because of the local stuff…

Posted: February 3, 2010 by datechguy in elections, internet/free speech, oddities, opinion/news
Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

…I haven’t touched the national news today.

Lucky for you the other blogs are on the ball:

Robert Stacy give the Port-Mortem on the Illinois results that were less than what might be desired:

Second-guessing campaign strategies is a fascinating sport. However, if there is any New Media takeaway from the Illinois gubernatorial primary, it is this: Campaigns would be wise to engage the blogosphere early in the election cycle, rather than to treat online outreach as an afterthought.

Mark Hemmingway touches on Excitable Andy’s latest foray into Bloggers Alzheimer’s on the subject of Sarah Palin:

At what point does Andrew Sullivan’s derangement over Sarah Palin and his bizarre conspiracy theories about how her son was really birthed by her daughter become an issue for an otherwise respectable publication such as The Atlantic? If his employers don’t take action over this blog post of his, then we’re totally through the looking glass:

RSM recommends Ace of Spades on the subject is a tad vulgar for my taste.

The lonely conservative notes that if there is one thing you can say about this administration is they are consistent.

President Obama can’t stop pointing his finger at George Bush for his troubles. It’s getting so old. Every president faces challenges, Bush did. But Bush didn’t have a filibuster proof majority to work with, the way Obama’s had for the past year.

I think the reason he might not go for a 2nd term is he will have nobody else to blame.

Dan Riehl notes that Scott Brown is a real equal opportunity employer.

“I just go — I don’t care who they are as long as they’re good people and they’ll be trustworthy and loyal and they’ll do their jobs, I don’t care. Kennedy had some of the best people in the country and I’m honored to have some of them

Well we know these guys are discreet.

The camp of the Saints crowns a new leader of the free world:

Israel has no choice: The United States and the other nations of The West will not act to protect the Free World against the threat of a nuclear Islam, so it must bear the burden. Benjamin Netanyahu IS the leader of the Free World.

I still think it might be a bluff.

Don Surber sees projection on the left:

As Obamania winds down and it inevitably was fated to do — taking with it the hopes for a Europeanized America complete with socialized medicine, leaders on the left will ratchet up their rhetoric.

It is a sign of a political moment dying.

Legal Insurrection approves:

Keep calling the majority of Americans crazy and dangerous and extremists and “teabaggers.” Every time you do it we gain votes.

They are not called the angry left for nothing.

The Libertarian Popinjay notes a pet that you don’t want to own.

Meanwhile Peg agrees declares Global Warming a religion:

Arguing with people who exhibit this sort of behavior is like arguing with those who have strong religious beliefs. Their beliefs are rooted in faith; not hard evidence.

In a free nation, they are surely entitled to believe what they wish. But, the rest of us should not be held hostage to their religious beliefs. Let’s not twist our economy and freedoms to align with faith. Let the rest of us to be free to act on what many of us believe: that the earth’s atmosphere and temperature is the result of many factors, and that it is unclear that man has more than a tiny impact on what happens to them

Where have I heard this before?

American Freedom likes Vernon Parker for Az 3rd and unlike Chris Matthews doesn’t forget his race…

You don’t need to forget with Mayor Parker you never notice the color of his skin and he shouldn’t be stereotyped by it. What you do pay attention to his belief in the American people, Love of Family and Country. His belief in a smaller government, creating jobs, reviving the economy, not raising taxes, lowing the deficit and giving those less fortunate a hand up not a handout.

Will the media even notice?

Ruby Slippers is feeling VERY optimistic:

Momentum has a way of shaking stronger candidates out of the trees. The Senate may still be a long shot but it is looking less like a long shot than it did before Massachusetts. There is a lifetime politically between now and November, but as of now, the ball is clearly in our court

What’s that line from the Patriot? Aim Small Miss Small.

And finally American Glob is sick of all the bowing by the president:

Weasel Zippers caught this photo of Obama bowing to… The mayor of Tampa, Florida.

Does President Obama have a single advisor smart enough to tell him to stop bowing to people? Can you picture Reagan doing this? Washington? Lincoln? JFK? Carter???

I don’t know looking at the picture I think it was just an excuse to check out her legs.

I think it’s safe to say the countdown is on…

Posted: December 29, 2009 by datechguy in opinion/news, war
Tags: , ,

…when you get news like this:

This is the first time a conference for all of Israel’s Heads of Missions has been held. The idea is to facilitate direct dialogue with the country’s leaders, mutual updates on major diplomatic issues, and a discussion of action plans to deal with the challenges awaiting the State of Israel in the international arena in the coming year, including the Iranian threat.

Robert Stacy is pretty sure it’s on:

That which is unprecedented is never routine and seldom insignificant. If the current unrest in Iran doesn’t overthrow the Ahmadinejad regime . . . Well, put it this way: If you’re the night watchman at an Iranian nuclear facility, make sure you don’t miss a payment on your insurance premiums.

I can’t find a peep about it on Israellycool, I would have thought this would be of interest there.

Meanwhile Meryl Yourish thinks differently:

My take: It is to unify the message that Israel wants out there. Benjamin Netanyahu is the most PR-savvy Prime Minister Israel has had since Golda Meir.

Watch for the ambassadors to come back with a unified message on Israeli issues.

As for an attack on Iran: Seriously? Do you really think that Israel would recall all of her ambassadors on the eve of an attack on Iran and tell them it was going to happen? Because, gee, that’s the first thing I’d do if I were going to launch a surprise attack—tell a whole lot more people about it so they can leak it to the press.

I think it’s a win win no matter what. What we as bloggers think doesn’t matter, it’s what Iran the US and Europe will think. It could be more of a feint. Either way this is designed to provoke a reaction.

Various nations will almost certainly read things into this and make moves based upon it, these moves may aid Israel’s intelligence.

If Iran sees this as a prelude to an attack how will they respond? Will they redeploy security that is now being used to stop the growing protests? Will they attempt to move scientists and materials vital to their program? If so will they be exposed to attack or perhaps will they become detected due to movement?

Even if Israel was not planning an immediate strike a general time frame can be disseminated from such a meeting. No matter the strike is dated, this meeting will allow a coordinated message to be sent out by the various ambassadors when the time comes, if there is any kind of time frame for an attack key info can be disseminated in person, no diplomatic pouch, no electronic message to intercept etc.

No matter what, I have no doubt that Israel will act. The Jewish state is not going to allow another Shoah in the hopes that the rest of the world will like them better. Since there is no chance that America is going to act and since Europe has no power TO act even if it wants to it falls to Israel.

Logically the outcome is not in doubt, Israel has the best security force, the most efficient military for it’s size, superior intelligence and only American troops have better technology, and more direct experience in combat.

Historically the outcome is even less in doubt as the history of the Jewish state is the history of continued success.

From a Biblical viewpoint of course the outcome has no doubt provided Moses terms from the closing chapters of Deuteronomy have been met.

The real wildcard are the protests. Iran’s as a nation’s best bet to prevent an attack by Israel is the success of the protest movement. Ideally this is the best result for the entire world and would be in the best long term interests for Israel. In fact If I’m Israel I’m putting more effort into aiding the success of these protests than planning for air strikes. Such a success would break the back of Iranian puppets in Syria, Lebanon and in Hamas.

Could that be the “strike” that Israel is planning?

Jimmy Carter Apologizes to Israel!?!? Another Festivus Miracle!

Posted: December 23, 2009 by datechguy in catholic, internet/free speech, opinion/news
Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Here is a story I never expected to be reading:

Former U.S. president Jimmy Carter has apologized to the American Jewish community for ‘stigmatizing Israel’ and asked for forgiveness for his actions, the JTA reported on Monday.

“We must recognize Israel’s achievements under difficult circumstances, even as we strive in a positive way to help Israel continue to improve its relations with its Arab populations, but we must not permit criticisms for improvement to stigmatize Israel,” Carter wrote in a letter to the JTA.

“As I would have noted at Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, but which is appropriate at any time of the year, I offer an Al Het for any words or deeds of mine that may have done so,” Carter wrote, referring to the prayer said on Yom Kippur in which Jews ask God for forgiveness for any sins.

As you know I’m a big fan of confession, but I’ve never expected this one.

Who says miracles can’t happen on this magic day of Festivus?

I guess he wanted to preempt the traditional airing of grievances but I as said last year, I have teenagers, every day is for the airing of grievances.

Happy Festivus to all who celebrate it and have a nice day to everyone else.

Update: I’m no expect of Jewish Theology but I know a bit about Christianity in general and Catholicism in particular. I’m a bit bothered by the reactions on this thread where I found the Carter story. Remember the rules:

I would remind all Christians of this little prayer that you likely pray every day:

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and do not subject us to the final test, but deliver us from the evil one. Matt 6:9-13 emphasis mine

The next two verses are even more blunt:

If you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions. Matt 6:14,15

Every time you say the Our Father (of you prefer the term The Lord’s Prayer) and you choose not to forgive you are condemning yourself. Christ was very explicit here. He meant to be. This is not an optional doctrine. These are the rules.

I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again, the presence of one’s enemies will not make hell any more bearable.

Update 2: Speaking of grievances…

Isn’t that nice. Oh, in a not-at-all related story, Jimmy Carter’s grandson is running for Congress {incorrect see update 3 DTG} in a Georgia district that has a significant (at least for Georgia) Jewish population.

“Hey, I am really sorry for all that anti-Israel stuff I have been doing for years and years. I am also really sorry that I left that Holocaust thing out of my book on Israel and all the other things. Yeah, really sorry about that. Have you met my Grandson Jason, he is running for Congress and he really likes Jews.”

That gives an interesting twist to the story.

Update 3: Jumping in Pools says he is running for state senate rather than congress, Creative Minority report’s point remains. My thanks for the heads up and the correction. He did however leave his comment informing me of this at this post on St. Joseph instead of here.

Remind me, who won World War 2?

Posted: December 11, 2009 by datechguy in opinion/news
Tags: , , , ,

Apparently not who we thought:

But sometimes a story emerges that requires outright condemnation. On this occasion, the condemnation goes to the British Government. The government – our government, supposedly representing you and me in its interaction with people abroad – wants to label goods as coming from the Jewish settlements in the West Bank, so as to help consumers boycott them.

As it happens, I have misgivings about the settlements and think that those who call for a return to old borders have a point. But only people with no sense of history could think it unobjectionable to start branding Jewish goods like this.

Haaretz has more, there is both more and less to this than meets the eye:

According to European Union law, many types of products, especially food products, that are imported from outside the Union, by law must be labeled with the country of their origin. The British government issued its recommendation after several NGOs and marketing chains asked for guidelines regarding the differentiation between settler products and Palestinian products from the West Bank.

According to the new guidelines, the British government recommends indicating whether the product was made by Palestinians or Israeli settlers on the label of every product originating from the West Bank

This is a no brainier. Nobody argued that the west bank was anything but Jordanian before 1967. Israel defeated Jordan in a legitimate war so the choice is either to recognize that conquest or not. I don’t hear anyone claiming it is part of Jordan, but instead they designate it part of a mythical state that doesn’t and never has existed.

Until or unless Israel cedes it it the products that come from the West Bank are products of Israel.

This is really more about European Bureaucracy than it is antisemitism but the self righteousness of those arguing for this differential (take a look at the comments at the linked site) reveal the motives for what they are. Let them answer this question if they dare?

Which brings us, of course, to the moral issue that has long been obscured and forgotten: why would “peace” entail the forced expulsion of at least 100,000 people, and even if a sovereign Palestinian entity were to arise in the West Bank, why would it have to be Judenrein?

Who knew that 65 years after it’s fall the Reich’s dream of Judenrien lands would be shared by so many who have such moral superiority; dare we say it; a Moral master race!


So I guess I’ll make your life easier and put it on now.

“But DaTechGuy”, say you, “you’re not Jewish, you’re Catholic and a Sicilian American, why do you wear the patch?”

My answer? I hope to follow the example of that good fictional priest Fr. William O’Malley from Lee Marvin’s last movie:

Abdul: What is your name?
Father O’Malley: William O’Malley.
Abdul: I did not call you.
Father O’Malley: You called for all the Jews. I’m Jewish, just like Jesus Christ. You take one, you gotta take us all.

That’s good enough for me.

Update: Is the irony that this story comes out on the first day of Hanukkah enough for you? Let me wish all my Jewish readers a happy and blessed Hanukkah.

For our Protestant friends who don’t include the book, the Biblical story of that first Hanukkah is here.

Older Entries
Newer Entries