Talbotnotes

Retiring the Last Huey

2011-06-26T14:39:00.000-07:00

Sent to me by OBW June 26, 2011.

This is the speech given at Ft Rucker when they retired the last Huey: CW4 Lawrence Castagneto, 17 May 2011

As a Vietnam Veteran Army Aviator, I would like to thank everyone for coming to this special occasion, on this to be honest...very sad day, the end of a era. An era that has spanned over 50 years. The retirement of this grand old lady "OUR MOTHER" ... the Huey.

I would like to thank, MG Crutchfield for allowing me to speak at this event and try to convey in my own inadequate, meager way.. what this aircraft means to me and so many other Vietnam veterans.

First a few facts:
It was 48 yrs ago this month that the first Huey arrived in Vietnam with units that were to become part of the 145th and the 13th Combat Aviation Battalions; both units assigned here at Ft Rucker today. While in Vietnam, the Huey flew approximately 7,457,000 combat assault sorties; 3,952,000 attack or gunship sorties and 3,548,000 cargo supply sorties. That comes to over 15 million sorties flown over the paddies and jungles of Nam, not to include the millions of sorties flown all over the world and other combat zones since then ....what a amazing journey.... I am honored and humbled to have been a small part of that journey.

To those in the crowd that have had the honor to fly, crew, or ride this magnificent machine in combat, we are the chosen few, the lucky ones . They understand what this aircraft means, and how hard it is for me to describe my feelings about her as a Vietnam combat pilot.... for she is alive... has a life of her own, and has been a life long friend.

How do I break down in a few minutes a 42 year love affair, she is as much a part of me, and to so many others, as the blood that flows through our veins. Try to imagine all those touched over the years ...by the shadow of her blades.

Other aircraft can fly overhead and some will look up and some may not; or even recognize what they see but, when a Huey flies over everyone looks up and everyone knows who she is... young or old all over the world she connects with all.

To those that rode her into combat... the sound of those blades causes our heart beat to rise... and breaths to quicken... in anticipation of seeing that beautiful machine fly overhead and the feeling of comfort she brings. No other aircraft in the history of aviation evokes the emotional response the Huey does... combat veteran's or not... she is recognized all around the world by young and old, she is the ICON of the Vietnam war, U.S. Army Aviation, and the U.S. Army. Over 5 decades of service she carried Army Aviation on her back, from bird dogs and piston powered helicopters with a secondary support mission, to the force multiplier combat arm that Army Aviation is today.

Even the young aviators of today, that are mainly Apache pilot's, Blackhawk pilot's, etc., that have had a chance to fly her will tell you there is no greater feeling, honor, or thrill then to be blessed with the opportunity to ride her thru the sky... they may love there Apaches and Blackhawks, but they will say there is no aircraft like flying the Huey " it is special". There are two kinds of helicopter pilots: those that have flown the Huey and those that wish they could have.

The intense feelings generated for this aircraft are not just from the flight crews but, also from those who rode in back ...into and out of the "devils caldron". As paraphrased here from "Gods own lunatics", Joe Galloway's tribute to the Huey and her flight crews and other Infantry veterans comments:

Is there anyone here today who does not thrill to the sound of those Huey blades? That familiar whop-whop-whop is the soundtrack of our war...the lullaby of our younger days it is burned in to our brains and our hearts. To those who spent their time in Nam as a grunt, know that noise was always a great comfort... Even today when I hear it, I stop...catch my breath...and search the sky for a glimpse of the mighty eagle.

To the pilots and crews of that wonderful machine ...we loved you, we loved that machine.

No matter how bad things were...if we called ... you came... down through the hail of green tracers and other visible signs of a real bad day off to a bad start. I can still hear the sound of those blades churning the fiery sky ....To us you seemed beyond brave and fearless... Down you would come to us in the middle of battle in those flimsy thin skin -chariots ...into the storm of fire and hell, .....we feared for you , we were awed by you. We thought of you and that
beautiful bird as " God's own lunatics"... and wondered ...who are these men and this machine and where do they come from ...... Have to be "Gods Angels".

So with that I say to her, that beautiful lady sitting out there, from me and all my lucky brothers, that were given the honor to serve their country, and the privilege of flying this great lady in skies of Vietnam - Thank you for the memories...Thank you for always being there...Thank you for always bringing us home regardless of how beat up and shot up you were..., Thank You!!!!.

You will never be forgotten, we loved you then..... we love you now... and will love you till our last breath ...

And as the sun sets today, if you listen quietly and closely you will hear that faint wop wop wop of our mother speaking to all her children past and present who rode her into history in a blaze of glory ...she will be saying
to them: I am here... I will always be here with you. I am at peace and so should you be ... and so should you be.

One Nation Under God

2011-05-17T17:00:00.000-07:00

One Nation Under God
©2011 By David Talbot

This is going to be a history lesson. One that my liberal/progressive friends will not like or understand. In their mind, no mention of God or religion is acceptable in this modern age, as being prohibited by a clause in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, “The Establishment Clause.”

Since the mid 1950’s, atheists have sought to use this clause to eliminate prayer in schools, prayer at sporting events, any display of a religious symbol on any public property, and removal of “..under God” from the Pledge of Allegiance. And, they’ve been successful.

Most recently, these groups, mostly aided by the ACLU have sued in Federal court to remove a cross from a private-public partnership property, on a hilltop overlooking the San Diego Freeway. And they are planning to sue the Federal Government to remove any religious symbols from the graves of fallen soldiers and patriots in National Cemeteries.

From court briefs, one might get the feeling that our founding fathers had this “No Religion in Public” sentiment in mind when they formed the colonies and drafted our national documents.

You’d be wrong.

Of course we all learned about the arrival of the Puritans to America, fleeing England for religious freedom. While most of us know how important religion was in their private lives, most folks are not aware of how significant the Hebrew and Christian Bibles were in the political and legislative life of the colonists.

Ken Spiro, of AISH.Com, has put together a course on religion in colonial America that addresses, in part, the development of legal structures in early America. For example, the New Haven Colony adopted a legal code in 1655 “..which contained some 79 statutes, half of which contained biblical references.” A similar code was adopted in the Plymouth Colony.

The Massachusetts Colony, in 1641, 14 years earlier than New Haven, adopted the “so-called Capitall Lawes of New England, based almost entirely on Mosaic law.”

But did the laws of the early American Colonies have an influence on the framers of our Declaration of Independence and Constitution?

We can find a clue to their thinking by looking at the institutions of higher learning they attended. Ken Spiro notes, “So popular was the Hebrew Language in the late 16th and early 17th centuries that several students at Yale delivered their commencement orations in Hebrew. Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Brown, Princeton, Johns Hopkins, and the University of Pennsylvania taught courses in Hebrew.” More remarkable, these universities required Bible study and Hebrew and “..students had the option of delivering commencement speeches in either Hebrew, Latin or Greek.”

So, who attended these Universities? Thomas Jefferson attended William and Mary. James Madison attended Princeton. Alexander Hamilton attended King’s College (Columbia).

Of course this is just an opinion piece, not a college dissertation. So, here’s my opinion: I’m an observant Jew who went to public school. I heard prayer every day at school, said the pledge of allegiance, and suffered no brain damage or impairment of any kind. Before assembly we prayed. Before football games our players prayed. And, I believe the world was a better place for it.

In fact, ever since atheists and the ACLU began their “War on Religion” this country has become an example of everything that’s wrong with the world, and I don’t like it one darn bit.

Anyway, that’s my opinion, what’s yours?

Shalom,

David Talbot

talbotnotes@gmail.com

Miscalculations In The Middle East

2011-04-19T15:55:00.000-07:00

Miscalculations In The Middle East
©2011 By David Talbot

April 19, 2011. Egypt just announced renewed relations with Iran, accepting Iran’s newly appointed ambassador to Egypt for the first time since Egypt recognized Israel in 1979. Then, a few moments later, the Egyptian government-in-transition announced an upcoming trip to Syria, Iran’s surrogate state, the first trip of the acting Prime Minister since the fall of the Mubarak regime.

Many, including this writer, have been warning that the “Democracy Movement” in Egypt was not toward a Western style government. These two events indicate the growing influence of Iran in an area that was supposed to be friendly to the West. This can only foretell big problems in the Middle East.

Two countries directly impacted by Iran’s warming relations with Egypt are Saudi Arabia and Israel. In Israel’s case, I see ever deteriorating relations with Egypt leading up to a complete breakdown of their treaty and a return to hostilities. With Iran supplying Hezbollah in Lebanon (through Syria) and Hamas via a renewed relationship with Egypt, what are Israel’s options? And, how much additional restraint can we expect from the Israeli government?

Saudi Arabia was embarrassed recently by Wikileaks when diplomatic cables revealed in 2010 that Sunni Arab leaders singled out Iran as the greatest threat to regional stability. The cables showed that Islamic countries, including Saudi Arabia supported a military attack on Iran to stop their nuclear program.

However, Saudi leaders refuse to discuss the matter publicly. They fear upsetting their own citizens who would revolt on the thought of their country taking sides with the West (The principal customers for Saudi oil) against an Islamic nation.

While both Iran and Saudi Arabia are Islamic nations, Saudis are Sunni Arabs, and Iranians are Persians, the difference a source of conflict for centuries.

What does the miscalculation of the reality of Islamic Democracy mean for the Middle East? For the West? Only time will tell. Saudi Arabia are surrounded by potential enemies all united under the influence of Iran. Saudis have very little time to decide what course of action they will take, after their position on Iran’s nuclear program was disclosed.

If the Saudis make a deal with Israel, there will be a revolt much like Egypt. Israel will be almost totally isolated and will have to make a preemptive strike on Teheran. The U.S. oil supply will be in jeopardy.

If the Saudis make a deal with Iran, the Arabian Peninsula will be almost completely under Iranian influence. Israel will be almost totally isolated and will have to make a preemptive strike on Teheran. The U.S. oil supply will be in Jeopardy.

In my opinion the current situation in the Middle East is deteriorating quickly. I believe there will ultimately be a war in the Middle East. While we were busy backing the so-called Democracy Movements across the region, some to the detriment of long time U.S. allies, we failed to consider the most likely outcome of these regional issues, and what the impact will be on the U.S. economy and national security.

Anyway, that’s my opinion. What’s yours?

Shalom,

David Talbot

Contact me at: talbotnotes@gmail.com

Signs Of The Times

2011-04-18T15:06:00.000-07:00

Signs Of The Times
©2011 By David Talbot

A few days ago, my grandson Mason, took part in his Elementary School talent contest. Mason is 8 years old, a second grader.

Mason has been practicing his tune for several months and was ready for the tryouts to take place. My daughter got the necessary forms, told the teachers Mason would be singing again this year, and prepared him for the event with words of encouragement.

Then came the announcement, delivered by his teacher, reviewed by the principal, and reviewed again by the school district. Mason cannot sing that song in the talent show because there were inappropriate words in the song.

Actually there was only one inappropriate word, Jesus. Yes, my grandson had the audacity to want to sing a song he learned in choir practice at church.

The song was very short, only 3 paragraphs. The offending word was used only twice. He was given the option to sing another song or substitute some other word in the song. He declined saying, “I learned it this way and I’m going to sing it this way.” At 8 years he showed more intellectual honesty than his teachers.

He was not allowed to sing that afternoon.

Another group of his school mates wanted to perform a dance routine they designed at home. They were allowed to perform.

What music did they dance to? Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance,” with lyrics that made this old soldier blush, including the phrase, “I want your disease.”

Do I need to say that the school is located in California?

Meanwhile in Philadelphia, the city Health Department is publishing a website (that’s right, with tax dollars) offering condoms to children 11 to 19 years old. Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter unveiled the campaign on April 7, 2011, as he announced the winning design for the city's custom labeled condom wrapper.

But that’s not all. Here’s a quote from the site: "Figure out what position works for you. You can stand with one foot on a chair, sit on the edge of a chair, lie down, squat, or for fun, have your partner help you out." This on a website for 11 year old children.

The city defends it’s action saying the rate of STD’s like Chlamydia, gonorrhea and HIV/AIDS is skyrocketing and the age of sexual conduct is as low as 11.

No parental consent is required for the 11 year old child to order the condoms straight from the website.

As I write this piece it is the beginning of Passover and the Holy week before Easter. I pray that somebody in this country can find a way to restore sanity to our country. I feel like the inmates have taken over the asylum.

Anyway, that’s my opinion, what’s yours?

Wishing all, Jews and Christians, a blessed holiday, Shalom,

David Talbot

Send your comments to: talbotnotes@gmail.com

Facebook and The Third Intifada

2011-04-06T20:56:00.001-07:00

Facebook and The Third Intifada
©2011 By David Talbot

Facebook is amazing. Over the past 3 years I have been able to meet many new friends and renew old friendships using this “Social Networking” site. Facebook brings people together for a variety of purposes: friendship, business, reunions, sharing of information, and all manner of social interaction purposes.

Some in the social networking universe are giving credit to Facebook, and other similar sites, for the Middle East democracy movements ability to connect to thousands of protestors in very short periods of time. In effect, Facebook, Twitter, You Tube, and My Space have been more reliable sources of information for combatants on both sides of the conflicts, than any other source.

Proof of the value of these sites to the rebels was the immediate shut down of the internet by the governments in Egypt, Tunisia, Yemen, Syria, and Libya, as a first reaction to conflict. This occurred even before they shut down cell phones and put the clamps on other information sources.

Recently, a pro-Palestinian group opened a Facebook page called the Third Intifada, encouraging Palestinians to return to guerilla-terrorist tactics against Israel. Using the flawed Goldstone UN Report on Israel’s operation in Gaza as a basis for the call to arms. Within days, the site had amassed 300,000 “Friends” and growing at an astounding 25,000 new friends a day. The site was loaded with anti-Semitic and anti-Israel rhetoric and was just becoming a phenomenon when the massacre of the Fogel family occurred in Itamar in the West Bank a few weeks ago.

One example of the rhetoric posted on the site was the slogan: “From the River to the Sea.” This refers to the total annihilation of every Jew in Israel from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea.

Last week, Facebook management, gave in to international pressure and took down the offensive page saying it violated Facebook’s “Terms of Use” policy. And, was that the end of the story?

Of course not! Within an hour of the removal of the Third Intifada page, at least 100 other sites popped up, in many languages, and the call to arms continues. But now, groups like Hamas, Hezbollah, Peace Now, and the Palestinian Authority are not making overt threats.

Instead, these sponsors of terrorism are hiding their ultimate goal, the total removal of every Jew in Israel, dead or alive, behind well known messages that all understand, but are not explicit calls to terrorize Israel.

To Facebook these new sites, evil as they may be, are permitted on Facebook as political speech and do not violate it’s Terms of Use policy since no specific threat is mentioned.

From the river to the sea rhetoric continues and the number of new anti-Israel sites is expanding. It is now impossible to determine who is a terror sponsor and who is just espousing a “legitimate” political point of view.

On Monday, April 4, 2011, Judge Richard Goldstonethe of South Africa, author of the Goldstone Report, recanted almost everything in his infamous report to the United Nations. However, no where in the US liberal press, the international press, and certainly in the Arab press, is there any mention of the reversal of Goldstone. So, the lies and the outcry stemming from the lies, ares perpetuated.

In my opinion, Israel and the international community would have been better served by allowing the Third Intifada Facebook page to stay online. Knowing what’s transpiring on any particular site is better than trying to figure out what’s taking place on a thousand sites, in dozens of countries, in many languages.

Anyway, that’s my opinion, what’s yours?

Shalom,

David Talbot

You can contact me at: talbotnotes@gmail.com.

United Nation Human Right Council

2011-03-30T16:32:00.000-07:00

United Nations Human Rights Council
©2011 By David Talbot

What a strange world we live in, and nothing is more perplexing than the United Nations. A discussion of this body would take multiple volumes of books, many pages in length. So, I’ll confine my discussion to what’s bothering me today, and that’s the Human Rights Council (HRC).

The HRC was established by General Assembly Resolution 60/251 on April 3, 2006, as a replacement of the Commission on Human Rights. Among it’s charter duties were the following (for a full list see the UN Website):

“Decides that the Council shall be responsible for promoting universal
respect for the protection of all human rights and fundamental freedoms for all,
without distinction of any kind and in a fair and equal manner;”

“Decides further that the work of the Council shall be guided by the
principles of universality, impartiality, objectivity and non-selectivity, constructive international dialogue and cooperation, with a view to enhancing the promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development;”

Both of these duties, as well as all of the Charter responsibilities, are admirable goals and statements in support of universal rights of citizens of all countries across the globe.

However, a quick review of the countries who are members of the Council, and thus responsible for carrying out the implementation of the charter of the HRC, reveals the hypocrisy of the UN and it’s institutions.

There are 47 member states on the Council, with staggered five year terms. Here is a partial list of the watchdogs of human rights on the Council:

Angola
Bahrain
China
Cuba
Libya
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
Uganda

This week Libya was removed from the Council as a result of the situation on the ground there. No one wonders if their membership would have been revoked had the fighting not started a few weeks ago.

Do I need to review the human rights abuses of Angola, China, Cuba, and Uganda? Bahrain, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia are facing the same fate as Egypt, Tunisia, and Yemen.

And here’s the last straw, as if the current make-up of the Council isn’t enough. The General Assembly is set to elect Syria to the seat vacated by Libya. Syria, who murdered 20,000 of it’s citizens just a few years ago who were demonstrating for their human rights. In the past few days, reports of the Syrian Army firing on civilians have been circulating.

The mood at the UN seems to be, “Who cares?” And, U.S. Secretary of State Clinton, in comments aired on FOX News on March 30, 2011, stated that inlcuding these regimes, and meeting with them on HRC issues, has had a positive impact on their Human Rights records.

The approval of Syria to the HRC by the General Assembly seems to be a certainty. I guess that’s why Syria is shooting at it’s civilians now, so it can improve later.

Anyway, that’s my opinion, What’s yours?

Shalom,

David Talbot
Mesa, Arizona

Contact me at talbotnotes@gmail.com.

DUTY-HONOR-COUNTRY

2011-03-28T12:03:00.000-07:00

US ARMY CODE OF CONDUCT

I. I am an American, fighting in the forces which guard my country and our way of life. I am prepared to give my life in their defense.

II. I will never surrender of my own free will. If in command, I will never surrender the members of my command while they still have the means to resist.

III. If I am captured I will continue to resist by all means available. I will make every effort to escape and to aid others to escape. I will accept neither parole nor special favors from the enemy.

IV. If I become a prisoner of war, I will keep faith with my fellow prisoners. I will give no information or take part in any action which might be harmful to my comrades. If I am senior, I will take command. If not, I will obey the lawful orders of those appointed over me and will back them up in every way.

V. When questioned, should I become a prisoner of war, I am required to give name, rank, service number, and date of birth. I will evade answering further questions to the utmost of my ability. I will make no oral or written statements disloyal to my country and its allies or harmful to their cause.

VI. I will never forget that I am an American, fighting for freedom, responsible for my actions, and dedicated to the principles which made my country free. I will trust in my God and in the United States of America.

Anti Jewish Violence on the Increase World Wide

2011-03-12T17:10:00.000-08:00

Anti Jewish Violence on the Increase World Wide
©2011 By David Talbot

The disturbing trend around the world of violence specifically targeting Jews seems to be accelerating even as the democracy movements in the Middle East are forcing change in governments.

No country is immune from the anti Jewish violence. What is disturbing is the almost complete lack of coverage in the media, except from the Israeli press. It doesn’t matter that the event takes place in the United States, France, Israel, Libya, or the United Kingdom. But if an Israeli decides to refurbish one little apartment in the West Bank, that’s a cause for world wide condemnation, hand wringing at the UN, and threats of violence in the West Bank, Gaza, and even in America.

Here is a re-cap of a few recent incidents that you probably never saw on American News Outlets:

From Israel: “(Israelnationalnews.com) On Shabbat (March 5th, 2011), a group of Jewish worshipers who had just finished morning prayers at a synagogue adjacent to the Tomb of Shimon Hatzaddik in Jerusalem were savagely attacked by an Arab mob, many of them teenagers from a nearby Arab high school. The worshipers were attacked with stones and bricks.”

From the United States: March 5, 2011, A student has brought a federal civil rights lawsuit against the University of California, Berkeley, saying the university did not protect her from being attacked because she is Jewish. Her suit alleges that Husam Zakharia, a fellow student and the head of Students for Justice in Palestine, rammed into her with a metal cart because of the pro-Israel sign she was holding during a pro-Israel demonstration on the Berkeley campus on March 5, 2010.

From Australia: “Between October 1, 2008 and September 30, 2009, an unprecedented 962 reports of anti-Jewish violence, vandalism, harassment and intimidation were received by Australian Jewish organizations”.

And the latest from Israel: An attack by Palestinian Arabs, which is being aired here in the United States, murdered a family of 5 in their home yesterday (March 11th) in a West Bank settlement. Included in the dead were 3 children, one of whom was an infant, all stabbed to death. Do I need to ask how the murder of innocents can ever be justified by anyone?

Here in the United States, Peter King (R-NY), started hearings on “Home-Grown” terrorism on Thursday, March 10th. His premise is that U.S. Muslim organizations are not doing enough to assist authorities in identifying who the potential terrorists, living among us, may be. Indeed many mosques preach Sharia Law and encourage followers to take up arms against Americans, and American Institutions.

Just prior to the Senate Hearings, an article published in The Hill, and quoted in Newsmax, indicated, “Some members of U.S. Jewish organizations, backed by several congressmen, are raising questions about the Obama administration’s commitment to fighting anti-Semitism. They are raising the concerns in light of a dangerous increase in attacks on Jews and Jewish organizations around the world.”

These include violent attacks on synagogues and individuals in France, spray-painted swastikas and desecration of Jewish graves in Germany, and assertions by Venezuelan strongman Hugo Chavez's government that "Semitic banks" have been ruining the economy.” The Hill reported.

Now we are being told by the Administration, and others, including many liberal U.S. Jewish organizations, that referring to terrorists as radical Muslims is improper. That it is stereotyping or profiling. That the overwhelming majority of the U.S. Muslim community is peaceful and law-abiding.

As long as the Obama Administration, and until this “Religion of Peace” take concrete action to turn around the terrorist mentality rampant in their community, things will only get worse.

Anyway, that’s my opinion, what’s yours?

Shalom,

David Talbot

Is Israel an Apartheid State?

2011-02-27T15:35:00.000-08:00

Is Israel an Apartheid State?
©2011 David Talbot

Organizers across the globe are gearing up for the 7th annual “Week of actions in support of Palestinian Civil Society's call for Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS).” This media feeding frenzy against Israel is based on Palestinian claims that Israel is an Apartheid State. Last year 55 cities around the world participated.

What exactly is an Apartheid State, and does Israel meet the definition?

The word “Apartheid” comes from Afrikaans meaning: To keep apart. It was the system of Political, Economic, and Social segregation introduced in South Africa in 1948 to completely segregate black people from virtually all white society.

Under Apartheid in South Africa, black could not live in white areas; go to white schools and universities; work in certain jobs that were reserved for whites; or, use the same amenities such as parks, beaches, or public transit. They (black people) could not marry white people or have physical relations with them. Black people could not be appointed to the countries civil or legal institutions, stand for political office, and, most importantly, were denied the right to vote. Apartheid finally ended in 1994 after much international pressure.

Some critics, including former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, have accused Israel of being an Apartheid State. And, for 7 years, the Palestinian Authority, along with Israel’s critics, have been holding events in March designed to pressure the United Nations and other world organizations to declare Israel guilty of Human Rights violations akin to South Africa in 1948.

Is the accusation true?

In Israel, are housing areas segregated by race, religion, or national origin? No, it is prohibited by law.

In Israel, are public schools and universities segregated by race, religion, or national origin? No. Of course there are certain, private, Islamic, Christian, and Jewish religious schools in Israel.

In Israel, are certain jobs reserved by race, religion, or national origin. No. Even the IDF has Muslims, Christians, and Jewish soldiers and officers.

In Israel, are parks, beaches, or public transit segregated by race, religion, or national origin? No. There are, however, segregated beaches for men and women on specific days for purposes of modesty.

In Israel, are there any restrictions based on race, religion, or national origin for holding public office, appointment to commissions or boards, or participate in legal institutions? No. There are Muslims, Christians, and Jews at all levels of government in Israel.

Most importantly, is any Israeli citizen denied the right to vote because of race, religion, or national origin? Absolutely not.

What is the National Language of Israel? It’s a trick question because there are two: Hebrew and Arabic.

What do you call an Arab that stayed in Israel in 1948, when Israel was granted statehood by the United Nations? They are called Israelis.

What do you call Arabs that fled Israel in 1948 to live in Jordan, Syria, Egypt, & Lebanon? They are called refugees by the host countries and have no rights or citizenship in those countries, often living in disgusting refugee camps.

Israel is not an Apartheid State. It's a democratic, vibrant, participatory democracy. The only one in the Middle East.

Anyway, that’s my opinion, What’s yours?

Shalom,

David Talbot

They tried to kill us, we won, let's eat!

2011-02-19T16:26:00.000-08:00

“They tried to kill us, we won, let’s eat!”
©2011 By David Talbot

The crisis in Egypt, Libya, Jordan, Lebanon, Bahrain, Yemen, and Tunisia, really has proven what most of us have been saying for a long time: The White House and US State Department, have no idea what they are doing.

The events that unfolded in Egypt demonstrated a clear lack of knowledge by President Obama and his “experts” in the White House as, day after day, his blithering press conferences confounded Americans at home, and allies abroad.

Secretary Clinton was no better in her astounding assessments, completely reversing comments by the most senior and knowledgeable diplomats, and then reversing course within hours.

President Obama’s treatment of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was a disgrace and an example to many other allies of what the United States would do to other, so-called, friends of America. In fact, Mr. Obama toned down his rhetoric only after a stern tongue lashing by King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia.

Here’s what our representatives fail to understand. They do not understand what the “Democratic Process” means to these Arab countries. One only needs to look at Afghanistan, Pakistan, Lebanon, Gaza, and others to understand that an Islamic revolution is brewing under the guise of democracy.

There is only one true democracy in the Middle East, one that we would recognize anyway. One where there are liberals and conservatives and issues are debated with great vigor. Where all religions are accepted, including Islam, as is a persons sexual orientation. That’s the State of Israel.

Consider the reported plight of the “Palestinian people” living in democratic Gaza. When Israel turned over the land to the Palestinian Authority, it was a thriving community. Immediately, the Arabs destroyed every building, all factories, all Synagogues, and most of the infrastructure. What are the rights of women and minorities in Gaza? When was the last time you heard of a Jew destroying a Church? A Mosque? Any house of worship? This is the Arab version of democracy.

Speaking of Israel, pay careful attention to the demonstrations going on in the countries where governments are in jeopardy. While it is not being reported in the mainstream media, “Kill the Jews” and “Attack Israel” signs and slogans are becoming more and more evident as the next battle after a change to “democracy” is achieved.

I have many friends in Israel, and all of them tell me the same thing when I ask, “What does the average Israeli think about what’s going on in the Middle East?” None of them seem concerned. Hence the title of this piece (which I borrowed from a story about the holiday of Purim). They know, at some point, Israel will act, and act with terrible force, to defend the homeland.

Reaching back 3,200 years until today, the Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Crusaders, Hitler, (In the interest of space I left out many), have tried to annihilate the Jews, and here we are. And, where are they?

Anyway, that’s my opinion. What’s yours?

Shalom,

David Talbot

Political Leadership, Obama VS. Piñera

2010-10-22T10:30:00.000-07:00

Received by email--Author Unknown. If after reading this piece you can ID the author, please advise me by posting a comment.

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Watching the rescue of the 33 miners in Chile one could not help but make a comparison between the President of Chile and the President of the United States.

1. The President of Chile spent over 24 hours awake, standing in the freezing cold at night and in the extreme heat of day, waiting and cheering on the work being done by common, everyday workers to bring the miners to the surface. Never once did I hear him use the word "I", or "I've", or "Me". I heard the words "us", "we", and "Chileans" as he was speaking and his conversation was being translated on the T-V broadcast.

2. I witnessed the President of Chile who did not require two teleprompters to deliver a message, the message from the President of Chile was from the heart, tears in his eyes, emotion in his voice that was real, coupled with concern for his countrymen rather than political posturing that we witness day in and day out from our President as he reads from the twin teleprompters while dealing with a crisis.

3. I witnessed the thanks the President of Chile gave to the national leaders and all who helped and who called in support of the effort being made to bring the miners to the surface---included if you noted were the countries of Israel, England and others in Europe, and from the Americas--Canada, and all the countries of South America---only one was missing, there was no mention of a call from the President of the United States. Did our President fail to call and show concern or did our only support come from NASA and the private sector?

4. Standing side by side for hours in the cold and heat was the wife of the President of Chile--she was not in Martha's vineyard with an entourage or Europe or New York shopping as ours was during the disaster in the gulf.

5. The President of Chile was willing to spend his political capital to invite help from throughout the world to save 33 men trapped one half mile below the ground. A comparison--our president would not over-rule the Jones Act and receive foreign ships that were offered in an effort to clean and correct a disaster, the oil spill. The ship building union might be offended while thousands of citizens are unemployed in the gulf. Similar effort is lacking in the pursuit of the trial of those involved in the bombing of the Cole on the part of our President.

I saw a real leader in the President of Chile. A President that might not speak as precisely as one with a teleprompter, but with feeling for the people of that nation facing a huge problem. He spoke with emotion and commitment that was real. He put himself last and the needs of his nation and citizens first.

That man is a leader, one ours could take a lesson from.

575magazine.com v 21.0

2010-10-17T16:21:00.000-07:00

Israel’s Loyalty Crisis
©2010 By David Talbot

On October 10, 2010, the Israeli Cabinet, under the direction of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, met to discuss a proposal to require non-Jewish Israeli immigrants to take a loyalty oath to the Jewish State, as part of the immigration process. The proposal passed 22-9 and now goes to the full Knesset (Israeli Parliament) for consideration.

As one might expect, liberal groups around the world broke out in righteous indignation at the thought of requiring a loyalty oath as part of becoming a new citizen of a country, any country.

But wait a minute, my wife became a citizen of the United States in 1965 after fleeing Cuba, along with her mom and sister. I was at the ceremony where she became an American. I distinctly recall her and 60 or 70 others being told to raise their right hand and swear to support and defend…..etc.

After administering the Oath, each and every person there was required, one at a time, to state: “I do swear.” Some of the individuals taking the oath were so emotional they stated those words through tears of joy. And all of us in attendance cheered each one.

When I enlisted in the Army, I swore allegiance to the United States of America. When I was promoted to Warrant Officer, and then Commissioned Officer, I swore allegiance again, and again.

Why would liberal groups be so upset with what should be a “no-brainer”?

Here’s the answer: It’s only non-Jewish immigrants who will be required to take the oath, if it becomes law. And, being the conservative Orthodox Jew that I am, I hate to say it, but I’m on the liberal’s side of this issue.

If there are terrorists in the immigrant group, trying to get into Israel, you think a simple oath will be any deterrent to their nefarious plans? I don’t either. So why go through this exercise? It’s pure politics! Netanyahu’s coalition needs to be assured that he will be tough with Arabs, the United States, and the UN.

There is an simple solution to this problem. The Israelis should amend the legislation and require every immigrant, regardless of former nationality, to take the Loyalty Oath. The Loyalty Oath legislation as it’s currently drafted, is not in the best interests of all Israelis.

Anyway, that’s my opinion. What’s yours?

Shalom,

David Talbot

Contact David at: talbotnotes@gmail.com

www.575magazine.com v.20.0

2010-10-05T13:18:00.000-07:00

More on the “Peace Talks”
©2010 by David Talbot

This is my response to an article published in Ynet News on October 4, 2010. You can find a link to the English language version of the article on David Talbot’s Blog: http://talbotnotes.blogspot.com.

I don't know enough about the players, and the politics, in Israel. What Ido believe, however, is that a peace accord with Palestinians can never be achieved until some agency or government assumes, either by free elections or some other mechanism approved by all the parties, control of all Palestinians,and has the authority to impose civil order over the territory granted to this agency or government.

The degree to which Obama, and his agents,does not understand the Arabs is astounding. Peace is not the end game for them,it is simply a part of the process of total destruction of all Jews and the State of Israel.

Statements, many coming from individuals claiming leadership of the Palestinian people,are spoken with one meaning in English and a totally diametrically opposed meaning in Arabic,on the same day,and from the same people.

Obama seizes on the inane ramblings of terrorist governments when it seems they support his agenda, but he is totally unaware of the Arabic translation or, more accurately, the Arabic version, which is 180 degrees out of sync with the English version broadcast worldwide.

In some cases, these quasi leaders like Abbas flip opinions faster than a weather vane in a tornado, even to their own people. Leaving them totally baffled as to what their leaders think.

I believe the Foreign Minister is correct in his assumptions. So,no more freeze on settlements, no carving up Jerusalem, and if we have to go it alone, we will!

Anyway, that’s my opinion, what’s yours?

Shalom,

David Talbot

Contact David Talbot at: talbotnotes@gmail.com.

Lieberman: Obama trying to force agreement on Israel - Israel News, Ynetnews

2010-10-05T12:39:00.000-07:00

Lieberman: Obama trying to force agreement on Israel - Israel News, Ynetnews

www.575magazine.com v 19.0

2010-09-12T13:08:00.000-07:00

Debate on the Mosque At Ground Zero
©2010 By David Talbot

(This opinion is a rebuttal to a recent article by Newt Gingrich, on his website, Newt.org, July 21, 2010)

I respectfully disagree with Newt Gingrich's thesis on the subject of the mosque at Ground Zero. I do agree the mosque should be built in another location. But that's on moral, not legal grounds. And I totally disagree with his demand that until churches and synagogues are allowed to be built in Saudi Arabia, or any other country before we allow a mosque, any mosque, to be built in this country. That kind of logic will get us in trouble here in America with unintended consequences.

It is not our business to demand how other countries conduct their internal affairs. In my opinion, it is totally inappropriate to tie a religious denomination of any kind that operates within the United States, to a specific action of a religious group within another sovereign nation, operating within the scope of that nations legal structure. It is precisely this kind of arrogance and ethnocentrism, that got us where we are today. It's reminiscent of the spoiled brat with a ball demanding the team play by his rules or he's taking his ball and going home. That doesn't work with kids and it won't work with sovereign nations around the globe.

Mr. Gingrich is attempting to inflame Americans to behave exactly like those he despises. His comments about the "double standard" that allows Muslims to demand our submission and weakness, is a vailed assault on two of our most precious freedoms: Freedoms of Speech and Freedom of association. Once we slide down that slope of identifying and then isolating a specific religious organization, who's next?

When you demand to know the funding of a specific project to determine the source of the funding, you imply the information will initiate some legal course of action. Who will decide the parameters of the action and the outcome of the legal proceedings? Who determines the standards of appropriate funding sources? When has any religious organization become the target of such draconian measures in the history of this country?

It is unconstitutional for congress to pass a law that targets a specific person or group of people. If this mosque is required to divulge it's source of funds, so the donors can be identified and investigated, isn't any donor to any religious project in America, or around the world, just one tiny little step away from being investigated as well?

This is all election year politics tapping into certain American’s fear and hatred to achieve a political agenda. The consequences of following ideologues, such as Newt appears to be, could result in the United States becoming the exact duplicate of those countries he's trying to repudiate.

Anyway, that’s my opinion. What’s yours?

Shalom,

David Talbot

2010-09-02T09:45:00.000-07:00

Peace Talks
©2010 By David Talbot

September 2, 2010. Another day of Peace talks, another attack on Israeli civilians -- this time along route 60, a road that the Israeli Supreme Court and the IDF just re-opened saying they have full confidence they can control access. No one was killed today, just wounded--a miracle because the terrorists used a Kalashnikov rifle on full automatic hitting the drivers door with 9 bullets. The passenger in the car was not wounded by the gunfire but suffered minor injuries when the car rolled down an embankment.

Did you happen to notice the wild celebration in the West Bank last night? The peace loving Palestinians were celebrating the death of the 4 Jews (One of whom was pregnant), ambushed and killed in the first attack on Wednesday.

These so-called peace talks are a joke and will cause the fall of Benjamin Netanyahu and his Government. Ehud Barak, the Israeli Defense Minister, should resign now. U.S. President Obama promised no more unilateral deals, pledging an engagement with many nations in building a peace agreement between the PA and Israel. See any other European nations around the table? England? France? Germany? Italy? Anybody? And, Abbas is no longer the PA President ---not since he lost in January. So what credentials does he possess to legitimize his representation of the Palestinians?

Abbas reiterated today: no settlements, lift the Gaza blockade, all Jews out of East Jerusalem and the eventual Palestinian State.

No Settlements? Since when does the looser in a military contest get to dictate terms?

Lift the Gaza Blockade? Just what is being blocked? From the CIC Scene website: “Over one million tons of humanitarian supplies were delivered by Israel to the people of Gaza in the past 18 months – that’s equal to nearly one ton of aid for every man, woman and child in Gaza.” The most amount of aid, per capita, of any relief effort in the world. So, the only items being blocked by Israel are weapons. And, who rules Gaza? The PA? No, it’s Hamas, sworn to wipe Israel off the map.

Israel should give back Jerusalem to the PA as soon as Washington gives back New Mexico, Arizona, California & Texas to the Mexican Government; Puerto Rico to Spain; and, most of North America back to the Indians.

It makes me sick to see what Israel has become, so dependent on the American teat that they have become emasculated and, I fear, unable to fight themselves out of a wet paper bag.

Peace talks? I don't think so.

Anyway, that’s my opinion. What’s yours?

Shalom,

David Talbot

David can be reached at: talbotnotes@gmail.com
Follow him on Facebook: www.facebook.com/talbotnotes

575Magazine v16.0

2010-07-13T16:56:00.000-07:00

Religious Intolerance
©2010 By David Talbot

I thought about this subject for a long time. There is a place in this world where religious intolerance has been abolished. All faiths are accepted here, even atheists have a home. People of all faiths are free to worship as they please, and all those who seek citizenship may come in peace and earn their place in society. That is, all but Reformed or Conservative Jews.

Is it an Arab country? No, it isn’t. Is it a Communist country? No, it isn’t. It is Israel, the Jewish Homeland where Jews from the world over, regardless of level of observance, or affiliation, have had a “Right of Return-Aliyah,” fast-track to citizenship. That is, until I learned of a new law being pushed through the Israeli Knesset (Parliament) in the current session.

Keep in mind, Israel is a religious democracy. For religious purposes, in Israel, the Orthodox Chief Rabbi’s of the two main branches of Judaism (Ashkenazi and Sephardic) set the standard for who is a Jew, and other Jewish policies and observances. For immigration purposes however, the Israeli Supreme Court has ruled that anyone recognized by any of the world-wide movements (Orthodox, Conservative, or Reform) is a Jew and has a right to be an Israeli citizen. (Note: Understanding the technical differences between each movement is too lengthy for this forum.)

What is the practical consequence of this difference of opinion between the Chief Rabbi’s and the world-wide authorities? Simple. Israel has no civil marriage or divorce. The rules for marriage and divorce are left up to the Chief Rabbi’s. If a person is member of the Conservative or Reformed movements, they have two options. They can convert to Orthodox (A fairly lengthy process), or they can fly over to Cyprus, and get married, or divorced, there (Why Cyprus? It’s closest to Israel).

Now there is a second consequence of this conflict of ideologies. Immigration to Israel and the “Right of Return.” Here’s where the new law will affect many, my wife and I included.

In order to claim the “Right to Return”, one must prove they are Jewish, thus possessing a right to immediate Israeli citizenship. This new law, if passed by the entire Knesset, will change the standard defining a Jew to the Strict Orthodox standard, removing the right to return to all, except, Orthodox believers.

For most people, this is “Ho hum, who cares?” The answer is the demographics of the Jewish population in Israel and in the United States. I’d estimate that 90% of the Jewish Community in the United States is affiliated with the Reformed Movement. Imagine the effect on 5,000,000 people suddenly being told they are not Jewish enough to be Israeli’s. But, Jewish enough to support the Jewish State emotionally and financially. Of course, with a total population of 15,000,000 Jews world-wide, this internal conflict isn’t going to make front page news anywhere, except Israel, New York City, Miami, Chicago and Los Angeles.

But for this writer and his wife, one of whom is a Reform Movement convert, it shakes our belief system and not is a subtle way. All of a sudden we’re second class after nearly a lifetime of considering ourselves equal in all aspects of Judaism. I hope the Knesset fails to approve the new law on the first reading and we may continue with our plans to immigrate to Israel, this year. If it passes, our dream of a lifetime may become a nightmare.

Anyway, that’s my opinion. What’s yours? Contact me at talbotnotes@gmail.com.

Shalom,

David Talbot

Sunday, June 5th, Support Israel Rally, Phoenix

2010-06-07T10:08:00.000-07:00

Support Israel Campaign
©2010 By David Talbot
June 6, 2010

Phoenix, Arizona: A small, but vocal, group of supporters of Israel, gathered on the side of a busy intersection in Central Phoenix this morning. Their purpose was to voice their support for the Jewish State, and to counteract mounting world-wide pressure to punish Israel for the incident that occurred last week as several ships attempted to break the blockade of Gaza. The gathering was totally peaceful and was repeated around the United States and several capitols around the world.

Several speakers, including Rabbi Pinchas Allouche, Rabbi Arthur Levinsky, Devin Speer, and Farley Weiss, spoke of Israel’s right to detain and inspect cargo ships attempting to run the blockade. They detailed the rationale for the blockade and cited historical animosity of Hamas controlled Gaza. This included firing over 7,000 rockets into Israel with the specific purpose of murdering innocent men, women and children.

Rabbi Arthur Levinsky, spiritual leader of Beth El Congregation in Phoenix, called for participants to contact President Obama and members of the administration to stand up for Israel, “This is the time for us to communicate effectively; to call the White House, or to e-mail President Obama and let him now that the time has come to act unapologetically and unequivocally in Israel’s defense in the face of international condemnation. Now is the time to declare that Israel was not only justified in guarding her borders; it was imperative for her to do so. A strong message from Pennsylvania Avenue must be sent to counter the lies against Israel, and the voices of appeasement.”

The speakers debunked the theory that the blockade is illegal under international law, and that stopping vessels on the high seas, in self-defense, has been a legal tactic of many governments around the world, including the United States blockade of Cuba to keep Soviet ships from delivering weapons of war.

In speaking of the nine individuals who perished during the operation, all expressed regret for their deaths. However, they praised the Israeli soldiers for their restraint in defending themselves for 45 minutes of brutal attacks before they finally had to fire their pistols.

In ending the support rally, all speakers promoted the need to stand up, in every community around the world, to the lies and tactics of Hamas and their supporters.. They indicated that rallies like these will continue over the coming weeks and months as Jews around the world are reminded that peace cannot be attained at the point of a gun or rocket attacks coming from schools or hospitals. Until Hamas changes it’s charter and accepts Israel as a full partner there can be no peace.

David Talbot

www.575magazine.com v15.0

2010-06-07T10:04:00.000-07:00

At Last The Truth Comes Out
©June 2010, By David Talbot

I have been watching the disaster being played out in the waters off the Israeli/Gaza Coast. And, while I admit I am biased in favor of Israel, I believe the Jewish State was manipulated by Hamas, Iran, and others, into an impossible position. And finally the true mission of the flotilla bringing “desperately needed aid supplies to our suffering Palestinian brothers and sisters” has been revealed. A headline in the Jerusalem Post, June 2, 2010, says it all: “Flotilla Aid Supplies Refused By Hamas.”

While President Obama and 200 countries around the world are condemning Israel’s actions 40 miles off it’s coast, especially the death of 9 persons on board the ships, the sad truth is that the world loves to hate Israel and that’s really what it’s all about.

How else can you explain such vehement blasting of Israel, after it asked the flotilla to put into port for an inspection of the cargo? And, Israel offered to let the cargo pass to Gaza, if it proved to be humanitarian relief aid. Of course the ships turned down the offer. Why? The answer is simple, they wanted a fight. And Israel took the bait.

To prove the point of international hatred of Israel, consider what happened last week. North Korea, in a true act of war, torpedoed a South Korean ship in international waters killing 46 South Korean sailors. Did the world erupt in violent protest? No! Did President Obama call for an investigation? No! Did Secretary Clinton, traveling in the Far East rise to the defense of our traditional ally? Of course not! That kind of reaction is reserved for little Israel who fully understands the punch line: “It isn’t paranoia when they really are out to get you!”

I don’t know what the final outcome of this disaster will be, as it is being played out now, at the U.N. and in capitols around the globe. But I can guess. Israel will be forced into some accommodation of the Palestinians, by the Obama Administration, which has finally found a country in the world that will actually follow, albeit reluctantly, U.S. pressure.

Anyway, that’s my opinion, what’s yours? My contact information is posted below.

Shalom,

David Talbot

www.575magazine.com v 14.0

2010-04-27T12:13:00.000-07:00

The Sky is Falling, The Sky is Falling
©2010, By David Talbot

When traveling in Israel the past three years, we’ve observed Israeli police periodically asking individuals for Identity Papers. We notice this as we drive around the country and as casual observers from our apartment terrace over looking the very busy Allenby-Hayarkon intersection in Tel Aviv.

Without exception, these individuals promptly hand over their ID cards and follow the instructions of the police. After a minute or two of what seems like casual conversation, the police hand the documents back and everyone goes on their way.

There are no demonstrations, although Israelis are passionate demonstrators. There are no threats of lawsuits for civil rights violations. There are no Al Sharptons calling for civil disobedience. There is no fear of racial profiling. Why? Because every Israeli knows who the terrorists are and what they plan on doing.

But here in Arizona, and across the country, liberals are reacting like Chicken Little to a new law, passed by the legislature and signed by Governor Brewer, last week Exactly what is it about this new law that has created a firestorm of criticism around the nation?

The new law defines illegal entry to the United States as a crime. But wait, didn’t we all know that already? Doesn’t the very term “Illegal” mean that an activity is criminal? So, there must be something else about this law that has liberals organizing protests, letter writing campaigns, and threatening legal action to make the law null and void.

The law defines “being here illegally” as a crime and establishes penalties for this illegal conduct, including fines and jail time. Further, this law allows law enforcement to ask for proof of immigration status, when a person is suspected of being in this country illegally. This provision of the law is what so many find problematic, with the potential of leading to racial profiling. (Why profiling is bad is totally baffling to Israelis.)

However, law enforcement may only question a persons immigration status when that person is observed, or is suspected of, some other illegal activity. So, a person detained by police for some suspected infraction of the civil or criminal code, may also have his immigration status questioned. If that person cannot prove he or she is here legally, they may be arrested.

Is this a radical departure from prior police procedure? Actually no, it is exactly the same. Except, prior to enactment of this law, persons here illegally were turned over to ICE and deported or set free, pending a hearing. Now, the detained person may be jailed and fined for being here illegally. That is in addition to the civil or criminal charges that person may face from the underlying act.

The question of “legalized racial profiling” is a total fiction fabricated by those who want no restriction on immigration and in fact lobby for open borders. Or, have a need to make political points with their constituents. Truth and accuracy are not critical components in their outrageous commentaries.

This law has shined a spotlight on the real issue, the lack of a national comprehensive immigration policy. To paraphrase President Obama, in the absence of a national policy, states will make policy of their own. In fact, Texas is now considering legislation using Arizona SB1070 as a model for their act.

Although a recent poll showed 71% of Arizona residents favor the new law, we welcome new residents and visitors regardless of Race, Religion, National Origin, Political Affiliation, and all legal immigration categories. Come and stay for a day, week, month, year, or a lifetime. But if you are in this country illegally and commit a crime here in Arizona, you’re going to jail.

Anyway, that’s my opinion.

Shalom.

David Talbot

www.575magazine.com v13.0

2010-04-11T19:49:00.000-07:00

Profanity
©2010 By David Talbot

The Readers Digest is one of my favorite publications. It contains a lot of information presented in a condensed format including “How to” tips for dealing with many everyday annoying situations.

So, I’m flipping through the pages of the August 2009 issue, during a biology break today, and I come across “How to Get a Person on the Phone” on page 97.

This article is a list of little things a person can do to defeat the automated answering services of virtually every company, service, and governmental organization in this modern world. It’s what comes right after “Press 1 for English……”

I won’t repeat the entire list of suggestions, just one: “Swear. Some systems put anyone who is using profanity at the front of the line.” My mind jumped to George Carlin and his routine of the 7 dirty words you can’t use on TV. I wondered which ones the author may have contemplated? I also wondered who may have programmed profane words into the answering software so that it, a machine, would recognize the vocalizations as profanity in the first place?

We seem to be living in an angry, profanity infused world these days. I can’t go to any mall or shopping center and pass by a group of teens and not be astonished by the crude and insensitive comments I hear come out of the mouths of these kids. And that’s from the girls!

Facebook, and other social networking sites, reveal posts crammed full of four letter words that make me wonder if our society has sunk into the depths of depravity rivaling ancient Rome. Teens, boys and girls, sending text messages of themselves engaged in sexual conduct (Sexting) is the new fad. These digital recordings are posted on You Tube where they have a world wide audience.

So, I guess it shouldn’t surprise me that The Readers Digest is recommending profanity as a way to get somebody’s attention. But given the state of our society, I don’t think that anybody would really notice, not even an answering machine.

Anyway, that’s my opinion.

Shalom,

David Talbot

www.575magazine.com v12.0

2010-03-31T12:15:00.000-07:00

Is Obama Good For Israel?
©2010 By David Talbot

I’m having a running debate, a friendly discussion, with a friend about the dust up over the Israeli Government’s decision to build 1,500 homes in East Jerusalem. And, whether the treatment Prime Minister Netanyahu received was, in fact, a snub? And, if it was, was it intentional? Here’s my opinion.

After the war in 1967, Israel took control of Jerusalem from Jordan. As the Jordanians left, they destroyed the city, taking particular care to demolish all Jewish holy sites, desecrate Jewish cemeteries, and obliterate all Jewish historical monuments. Fast forward to 2009 and the Gaza Strip. The Israeli government agrees to evict all Jewish settlers and turns the strip over to the Palestinians. And what do the Palestinians do? They repeat what the Jordanians did, leaving Jerusalem.

When did East Jerusalem, and new settlements become an issue for the Palestinians? It was President Obama, during the Middle Eastern Apology Tour, who unilaterally declared, “no new settlements in Jerusalem,” as a precondition to peace talks, not the Palestinians. Palestinian PM Abbas jumped on this as yet another reason to delay peace negotiations. This is not the first time the Palestinians wrestled defeat from the jaws of success. Time after time, Israel has offered concessions, including a 2-state solution, going all the way back to the Carter Administration. And, time after time, from Arafat to Abbas, the puppet masters pulling the strings from oppressive regimes in the Middle East, yanked defeat out of the arms of success.

Now, after so many years, Israelis weary of the build up of arms along it Northern frontier with Lebanon and inside Gaza, elected a conservative government which has stated loud and clear: Jerusalem is not a settlement, it is our capitol!

Did Obama snub Netanyahu? Of course he did. Was it intentional? Of course it was. The “meeting” was scheduled past “prime time” in Israel, and Mr. Netanyahu was denied all of the usual protocol normally given to a heads of state, friend and foe alike. Mr. Obama can bow to a Saudi Prince, cuddle up to Hugo Chavez, but the only ally the United States has, and can count on, in the Middle East, is treated to the most humiliating display of a school yard bully I can remember in my lifetime, by a sitting president.

In covering the worsening relations with Israel, the world press is ignoring the 2,000 lb gorilla in the room: Iran. The United States has all but given up on Iran and Israel can’t afford to wait much longer. I believe that Israel’s stance on so-called settlements is a warning to Iran that Israel needs support from the United States, but will, when push comes to shove, take care of itself even if it has to go it alone. As late as March 30th, Obama and French President Sarkozy, meeting in Washington, continue calling for “tough sanctions” against Iran. But it’s all talk, and Iran knows it.

Other questions that American can ignore, but Israel can’t. Who speaks for Palestinians? The PA has authority only in the West Bank. It’s Hamas that controls the Gaza Strip. Hamas has no intention of making peace with Israel. What about Lebanon? Hezbollah, financed by Iran through its Syrian surrogate, has amassed over 40,000 rockets on the border with Israel. Has the Administration taken any action to diffuse the situation in Southern Lebanon?

When many Palestinians were displaced in 1948, after Palestine was partitioned by the UN, where did they go? Most went to Jordan and Egypt. The Arab world wants Israel to pay compensation to the displaced families, and repatriation to Israel. Why? Weren’t they fully integrated into the Muslim societies where they waited for the full destruction of the new State of Israel? No. The were kept as second class citizens in refugee camps with no facilities, no opportunities for work or study, and treated like prisoners.

What about the Jewish residents of Arab countries in 1948? Many were killed, and almost 100% were evicted from there homes and exiled to other countries, mostly Israel. Anybody notice any country, anywhere, calling for compensation and repatriation of these refugees?

There is still time for Israel and the Obama administration to repair the damage, but I doubt it will happen. And, as prophesized, Israel will go it alone, and that’s not in anyone’s best interest. No, Obama is not good for Israel.

Anyway, that’s my opinion.

Shalom,

David Talbot

www.575magazine.com v11.0

2010-03-26T18:11:00.000-07:00

A Real Tragedy
©2010 by David Talbot

Metro-Phoenix, Arizona. The Phoenix Jewish News, in a story published March 26th, tells of a local beloved Rabbi being arrested in the parking lot of his synagogue for the rape of a seven year old girl, in 2000. The details of the alleged rape are not revealed, and neither is the question as to why the young woman waited until 2009 to report the incident.

The Rabbi has been the spiritual leader of Temple Beth Shalom in Chandler, a few miles Southeast of Phoenix, since August 2006. The President of the synagogue, as quoted in the Phoenix Jewish News, made the following comment regarding the arrest: “We’re mortified by the allegations. It is our goal to make sure that our community stays whole. …We take very seriously the safety of our children and our members.”

Here’s what’s bothering me. If he did the crime, he’ll do the time. But I was totally shocked that the congregation didn’t give any indication of support for the Rabbi or his family. There is a concept in American Jurisprudence that everyone is innocent, until proven guilty in a court of law.

I have no sympathy for child molesters. But I do believe in fair play. Nine years is a long time for someone to recall events and places accurately, especially someone who was only 7 years old at the time the alleged incident occurred. The Rabbi was living and working using his legal name in a highly public profession. And, there has been no indication of unusual behavior, or warning signs, since 2000, reported by the authorities.

Perhaps the authorities have evidence to support the allegations, which will be presented in court. Perhaps he actually did the crime. Perhaps he may found guilty of an offense at some time in the future. If so, it (the rape) would be a real tragedy and he would deserve the max. However, until that time, I wish the congregation would consider a public addition to their statement to include something outlining all the good he has done in the Chandler Jewish Community. This would not be an acceptance of any prior bad act, but an acknowledgement of his good work. Even if he is found innocent of all charges, his reputation is all but destroyed and that too is a real tragedy.

Anyway, that is my opinion.

Shalom

David Talbot

Israel 2010, Part 6 (Final in this Series)

2010-02-23T02:37:00.000-08:00

Israel, Part 6
©2101, By David Talbot
February 23, 2010

Galillee, Israel. The Galillee is a region of Northern Israel with so many sites of interest that it’s worth the effort, if you have the time, to rent a car and spend a few days in this region alone. At the time of King Herod, almost 3,000,000 people lived here in hundreds of small towns scattered around the region. We already mentioned Nazareth, one of the largest cities in the Galillee (See part 4 in this series). In this final part of the series, I’ll describe 3 other sites of interest: Capernaum, Jordan River Baptismal Site, and Bet Shean.

Capernaum. Located on the north shore of the Kinneret (Sea of Galillee), about an hour East of Haifa, Capernaum is home to Peter’s House and Jesus’ Synagogue, making this site a “Must See” for all Christian visitors. Most non-religious tour groups also visit this site for its historical significance.

The White Synagogue, built over Jesus’ Synagogue, has been partially restored here, as is the home of Peter. From Frommer’s Israel: “Capernaum was the home of perhaps four of Jesus’ other original followers; it was the place where Jesus began to gather his disciples around him...”

Although we are Jews, we found this site to be extremely interesting and a great insight into the daily life of our ancestors. Looking at the ruins of Peter’s house, you can clearly visualize how life must have been at that time. After visiting this and other sites like it, reading the bible will never be the same.

Jordan River Baptismal Site. This site is located in Teverya (Tiberius), on the Western Shore of the Kinneret. Teverya, built in 18 CE, by King Herod’s son, was an important location for Jews taking refuge here after the Second Temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD. The Mishna and Jerusalem Talmud, critically important Jewish texts, were compiled here. This is also a good place to spend a few days to explore the Kinneret, Golan, and Galillee regions.

The original Baptism site for Jesus and his disciples was probably closer to the present day southern end of the Kinneret. Years ago, a dam was constructed on the Jordan River, and the flow was redirected by this location. Called Yardenit, it was established by Kibbutz Kinneret, sometime after its establishment in 1909. Christian pilgrims are able to safely immerse themselves to this day. A restaurant and gift shop where you can purchase containers of Jordan River Water, are also located here. This is a beautiful place to spend a few hours and contemplate the history of this region.

Bet Shean. Bet Shean is located about 45KM South of Teverya, and is described by Frommer’s Israel as, “A vast, Roman-Byzantine city with colonnaded streets and a theater that could house 5,000 at once…” To the east of the city, Inside Bet Shean National Park can be seen Tel Bet Shean. Tel is a Hebrew word meaning: a mound or hill created by successive layers of ruined cities. Artifacts from Egyptian, Jewish, Roman, Greek, Philistine, Turk, and Arab communities have been found Tel Bet Shean.

The main attraction for most visitors is the Bet Shean Archeological Park, which is still in development. The Cardo, or colonnaded Main Street of the city, takes you by bath houses, shops, and the Roman Theater.

The design of the city, with the main North-South street (Cardo) and secondary East-West cross street (Decumanus), is typical of Roman street design around the world. In the Old City of Jerusalem the Jewish Quarter is laid out over the Cardo.

Some final thoughts. Israel is a land of many contrasts. From Bedouins living in shacks in the desert to multi-million dollar mansions along the beach in Caesarea, the range is astounding. From ultra-religious Jewish communities in Jerusalem, to porno shops in Tel Aviv, you can see it all. From archeological digs 4,000 years old to 50 story modern condo complexes to dilapidated 70 year old hotels and pensions, there is a style and a reason for anyone and everyone to visit this country.

Israel is about the size of New Jersey. Yet there is more variety than larger countries in terms of history, geography, ancient sites, and modern marvels. You can go from the lowest spot on earth at the Dead Sea (1,200 feet below sea level), to the ski resort on Mt Hermon (summit at 6,630 feet above sea level), in less than 4hours. Walk the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem at 10:00AM, have a cup of coffee in Jaffa at Noon, eat dinner in Haifa at 6:00 PM, and be back for a night cap at your hotel in Jerusalem by 10:00PM. It is a place that many visit and few return home unchanged.

Here are some of our favorites (But do your homework, everybody’s taste is different):

1. Favorite Travel Guide: Frommer’s Israel.
2. Favorite Airline: Continental.
3. Favorite Apartment (Tel Aviv) (tiny rooms, but right on the ocean): info@telaviv-apartment.com.
4. Second Favorite Apartment (Tel Aviv) (2 blocks from the ocean): http://www.tel-aviv-rental.co.il/view_page_dyn.aspx?p=65 .
5. Favorite Beach Towns: Netanya, Caesarea, Ashkelon.
6. Favorite Hotel: Metropolitan (Tel Aviv) http://www.hotelmetropolitan.co.il.
7. Favorite Hotel (Jerusalem): Olive Tree http://www.olivetreehotel.com.
8. Favorite Market: Shuk Hacarmel (Tel Aviv).
9. Favorite Mode of Transportation: Sherut.
10.Least Favorite form of transportation: Taxi (Too Expensive, but they go everywhere).
11.Favorite Restaurant: Too many to pick a favorite.
12.Favorite Historical Sites: Old City of Jerusalem, Caesarea, Bet Shean, Masada, Ashkelon National Park, Old City of Akko.
13.Favorite Religious Sites: Old City of Jerusalem, Masada, Nazareth, Capernaum, Jordan River Baptismal Site (Tiberius).
14.Favorite way to get to Tel Aviv from the airport: Train from Terminal 3.
15.Favorite Rental Car: Budget (Tel Aviv or Jerusalem—not from the airport).
16.Favorite Mall: Dizengoff Mall (Tel Aviv).
17.Favorite Day for the Mall: Thursday and Friday mornings in building B—Food court days.
18.Must See One Time: Dead Sea (At the same time as Masada).
19.Favorite Day to Walk on The Beach: Saturday (Best for people watching).
20.Favorite Time to Eat: 10:00 to 16:00 Businessmen’s Specials at most restaurants—up to half off normal prices (Portions are huge anyway).
21.Most Over-Rated City: Daliyat-Al-Carmel Druze Village.
22.Most Over-Looked City: Ashkelon and its National Park and Historic Site.
23.Favorite Tour Sponsor: Gate 1 Travel (www.gate1travel.com)

There are many more towns, religious sites, and parks, that are left for us to explore here and that’s why we’ll keep coming back. I hope you have a chance to explore Israel some day. If you would like more information about this country and the “who, what, when, where, and how” of Israel, send me an email and I’ll be glad to share our experiences with you. Just remember it’s my opinion, so do your homework.

Shalom,

David Talbot

Israel 2010, Part 5

2010-02-16T07:42:00.000-08:00

Israel 2010, Part 5
©2010 By David Talbot
February 16, 2010

Tel Aviv, Israel. I was planning on writing about the Galillee Region this week, but got side-tracked by a visit to Jerusalem. So, we’ll chat about the Galillee in the next report.

Jerusalem (Getting there): There are several ways to travel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Taking a commercial tour is the best option for the first visit. There are lots of tours available through your hotel, the Israel Tourist Office, or online. If you have a car, Highway 1 is very good with excellent signage and gas stations at several points along the route. Another option is by train. Israeli trains are very comfortable, are reasonably priced, and run frequently between all major points in their system. Last, and the method we chose, you can go by Sherut (mini-bus).

The Sherut system in Israel is interesting, to say the least. In Tel Aviv, Sherut routes parallel the city bus system. So, from our apartment, we can take either the number 16 bus, or the number 16 Sherut, to the Central Bus Station. The big difference is that Sheruts only carry 8 to 10 passengers. When they’re full, they continue to the Central Station and only take on new fares as current passengers get off.

Another odd characteristic of the citywide Sherut system is the way you pay. Passengers get onboard and go directly to empty seats. They then tap the shoulder or arm of the person in front of them and pass the 5.80 shekels forward, similar to getting a hot dog at a ball game when you are sitting in the middle of a row. Everyone knows what to do. If possible, sit near the front of the Sherut and become a part of the cash going up to the driver and any change going back. It’s a hoot!

For inter-city transportation, you board Sheruts at the Central Bus Station in Tel Aviv. And then, you wait. Inter-city Sheruts only depart to the destination city when they’re full. If you’re going to Jerusalem or Haifa, it may take 10 minutes or less to fill. If you are going to a destination less traveled, it could take 30 minutes or more before you depart.

Arriving in Jerusalem you discover the reason why it’s better to let someone else do the driving. Streets choked with traffic, impossible parking, wide boulevards that become turning and twisting little alleys, and other drivers with more death wishes than Charles Bronson, is why we take the Sherut.

The Sherut from Tel Aviv drops you off at the Jerusalem Central Station where you take the number 1 bus directly to the Old City. In fact, it circles the Old City so the visitor can depart at the most convenient of the four entrance gates for your destination inside.

To return to Tel Aviv, simply reverse the process.

Tel Aviv to Jerusalem costs 22 Shekels each way (About $6.00) and takes about 45 minutes.

Jerusalem (The Old city): Jerusalem, Israel’s Capitol, is the premier destination for the majority of travelers to the Holy Land. Every step you take here is in the footsteps of the ancient ancestors of Jews, Christians, and Muslims.

The Old City is divided into four areas, all but one open to visitors: The Armenian Quarter (Closed), the Jewish Quarter, the Arab Quarter, and the Christian Quarter. Each area has a distinct flavor. Regardless of religious preference, each is a “Must See” at least once during any trip here.

Each quarter is a fully functioning city with apartments, shops, restaurants, schools, etc. There are Synagogues, Churches, and Mosques, ancient and modern, throughout the Old City.

The Church of the Holy Sepulcher, Via Dolorosa, Western Wall, and Dome of the Rock, are all within its walls, and open to visitors. All of these sites can be seen in one day, if that’s all you have. Alternatively, you could move here and spend a lifetime and still miss something.

On our current visit, we stuck with the Jewish Quarter and the Western Wall, having visited all the Christian sites, and shopped in the Arab Quarter on prior visits.

One thing we noticed on this trip: a lack of respect for the nature of the religious sites. When visiting the Western Wall, synagogues, mosques, or churches, please dress appropriately, and conduct yourself with decorum.

Most Israel tours spend 3 to 4 days in Jerusalem, with a half- day tour of the Old City included in the package. Many package tours also offer optional extended tours of the Old City, the entire Capitol, and specific sites of interest. If you are on a package tour and have a “free” day, consider a side trip to Masada (the fortress of King Herod, and the last stronghold of the zealots) and the Dead Sea (the lowest point on earth). These two are usually combined in one full day optional tour. If you are traveling on your own, you may book these tours with the concierge desk of your hotel, or online.

If you prefer, one day trips from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, Masada, The Dead Sea, and Galillee can be arranged through the Israel Tourist office.

Next report: Galillee Region and some final thoughts.

Shalom,

David Talbot

Israel 2010, Part 4

2010-02-09T07:50:00.000-08:00

Israel 2010
©2010 By David Talbot
Part 4

February 8, 2010

Netanya, Israel. High cliffs overlooking clear turquoise seas, white sandy beaches hugging the cliffs, and warm light breezes off the water; a description of some island paradise in the South Pacific? No, this is Netanya, only 25 KM north of frenetic Tel Aviv. Long an enclave of French ex-pats and absentee owners, Netanya is booming.

Along the approximately five miles of Netanya’s coastline, high-rise condominiums, apartments, villas, and hotels are being built, or are in pre-construction sales promotions. Israeli tourism in December 2009 hit 225,000, an all time record. Increases in seasonal visitors have fueled increased demand for both short and long term accommodations, here in Netanya, and in other areas of the country.

The City is bisected by Highway 2, the major North-South traffic corridor, with the industrial areas to the East of the Highway and the mostly residential West side. The city is part Tel Aviv and part Paris. The beach promenade has been improved and is equal to ocean drives we’ve experienced in California, Hawaii, Auckland, and Florida.
Accommodations and restaurants in Netanya are available for every taste and budget.

As in Tel Aviv, public transportation is available throughout the city. In addition, train service is available on the rail line that connects many of Israel’s major cities, including Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and Haifa.

While in Israel, Netanya is a perfect getaway for the ultra modern beach experience vacation before, or after, a tour of Israel’s antiquities.

Nazareth, Israel. On every secular or Christian oriented tour operator’s mandatory list of sites, is the city of Nazareth. Our group arrived here in afternoon of the first day of our tour, after lunch in Daliyat-Al-Carmel. The attraction is Mary’s Church of the Annunciation. The site is impressive to everyone, regardless of religious preference. And, it is a great example of how this “Jewish” country preserves religious sites of significance for every community that has called this land holy. This is in contrast to other nations that have not been respectful of all mankind.

Mary’s Church is beautiful inside and out, and services are conducted here daily. Appropriate dress and decorum is suggested, inside the church. Also, don’t miss the excavation in the floor of the church, where Mary’s personal Mikveh was discovered, and is preserved. A Mikveh is a place where Jewish men and women cleanse themselves at prescribed times according to the Torah. Your tour operator will point out how ancient civilizations built upon ruins, keeping them fully or partially intact to be discovered by future archeologists. Operators will also point out whether a site is “in situ” (exactly as excavated), or a replica of an ancient site, throughout the holy land.

The Galillee Region, Israel. In addition to Nazareth, most tours take travelers to the Eastern edge of the Galillee region to view Capernaum, The Jordan River Baptismal site, the Sea of Galillee, Tiberius, and Bet Shean, before continuing to Jerusalem. These sites will consume most of a day, and represent many periods of Jewish and Christian history. I recommend, Tiberius and the surrounding area as a possible place for a post tour stay of 2 or 3 days.

In the next report I’ll give you a few of the highlights of this region that have been of interest to us as we continued our tour.

More Travel Tips:

Cell phones: Confirm, in advance of your trip, that your carrier will have roaming service and telephone compatibility. On a recent trip to Israel, my T-Mobile cell phone didn’t work. There was a roaming network, but I had recently purchased a new phone which was not compatible with the Israeli network.

Water: Water is safe to drink everywhere except parts of the Dead Sea area.

Even if you stay in a hotel without cooking facilities, don’t miss the open air markets in almost every city. In Tel Aviv-Yafo, Shuk Ha Carmel, Shuk Ha Tikvah, and Shuk Ha Pish B’sheen, are great shopping opportunities for food and merchandise. Friday afternoons are very busy in preparation for the Sabbath.

Rental cars: All major rental agencies have facilities in Israel. Book your vehicle online for best rates. Renting a car at Ben Gurion Airport includes an extra “facilities” expense. Gas is expensive and public transportation is available almost everywhere. So you may not need a car for the entire duration of your trip.

Short-term apartment rentals: We have rented apartments on each visit to Israel. Off season rentals are available from December to March or April. Weekly or monthly rates are about half of hotels. We typically pay about $1,800.00 for a monthly rental, during January and February. With hotel rates running $150 to $300 a day, an apartment rental may be an attractive alternative. The closer to the sea the higher the price

Restaurants: What can I say? There are places for every taste, and every budget. But here’s a tip, look for businessmen’s specials. Most restaurants have them from 11:00 to 15:00 every day, and they are a real bargain, compared to regular meal pricing.
Shopping: There are malls and stores lining almost every major street in Tel Aviv and other cities. Modern grocery stores and a great variety of specialty shops can be found everywhere. In many smaller shops, owners expect the customer to bargain for the best price. Even if you are reluctant to bargain, simply walking away slowly may be enough of an inducement to reduce prices at some stores, especially in the open markets.

Dollar denominated transactions: Some stores may accept dollars for purchases, but a word of caution: have a general idea of the rate of exchange. Google “Currency Converter” to get an application to check world currencies. Also, if you have a bank or debit card, they will work in Israel.

Banking options: As a general rule, notify your bank, credit/debit card issuers, and other financial institutions, that you will be traveling abroad. Make sure you understand the daily limit of an ATM transaction: 500 shekels is about $135.00 (as of the date of this article). As an example, if your bank has a limit of $250.00, it may not authorize a 500 shekel withdrawal as it appears to violate the daily limit. Credit cards are accepted for payment here, as much as they are in the States. However, in addition to bank fees, most financial institutions also charge a “Currency Exchange” fee, usually 3%. To the best of my knowledge, Discover Card is not accepted anywhere.

Don’t forget to send an email if you have a question or comment.

Next Report: More on the Galillee Region.

Shalom,

David Talbot

Israel 2010, Part 3

2010-02-03T03:04:00.000-08:00

Israel 2010 Part 3
©2010 David Talbot

February 3, 2010, Akko, Israel

Akko. This ancient city is not on most tour itineraries. If you extend your stay in Israel for a few days (I recommend 2 weeks) it’s easy to get to by bus, sherut (minibus), or train. The Old City is a fortified complex of dwellings, mosques, synagogues, restaurants and shops. Entry is free and you can stroll through the city at your leisure. The Old City resembles Jerusalem, on a reduced scale. Mentioned by Pharaoh Thutmouse III about 3,500 years ago, the old city has been ruled by the Phoenicians, the biblical tribe of Asher, Kings David and Solomon, and Alexander the Great. The New Testament mentions that Saint Paul stopped here as did Julius Caesar (48 BCE). There’s more, but I think you get the idea. This is the rule here in Israel; it is an ancient land worthy of more than a casual visit.

Haifa. The city of Haifa, located about 90 miles north of Tel Aviv, is the second stop, the first day of most tours. But it’s a quick stop near the middle of Mt. Carmel, overlooking the beautiful Baha’i gardens including a panoramic view of the city. However, Haifa has many religious and secular sites of interest. It is a great place to spend a day or two if you extend your stay in Israel beyond the tour. While Haifa is not a major tourist destination, there are hotels to satisfy any taste. And, Haifa is an excellent place to serve as a base for the exploration of Northwestern Israel, including Akko, Nahariya, and the Druze villages along the edge of Mt. Carmel.

Haifa has malls, restaurants, beaches, markets, and holy sites that would take a life time to explore. In addition, Haifa is a model of diversity in that all three major, and several minor (in terms of numbers), religions are free to practice their faiths. In this city, employers ask, “can you do the work?” Religion is not an issue of employment. Public schools replicate that ethic.

Daliyat-Al-Carmel. About 25 minutes from Central Haifa along route 672, and winding around Mt. Carmel to the east, are the Druze Villages of Isfiya and Daliyat-Al-Carmel. Here’s where you’ll find all those unique souvenirs to bring back home to friends and family. At least that’s what the tour operators will tell you. My opinion? Shop carefully and keep in mind that Jerusalem markets, and the Old City, are chock full of hundreds of these shops, and competition keeps prices lower. Also, as time goes by, you’ll notice that gift shops begin to look alike and offer the same merchandise. Remember that Mexican cruise where the shops at dockside Ensenada were expensive? But in town things were much cheaper and open to negotiation? Same idea!

A few words about the Druze community, from the 4th edition of Frommers “Israel”: “The Druze are Arabic speaking people who are, however, not Muslims. …..The Druze were loyal to Israel during the 1948 war, and several of their brigades are highly respected detachments in the Israeli Army.”

More Travel Tips.
If you are planning your first trip to Israel, consider a tour. There are many tour operators available online, and in travel magazines. Prices vary considerably from one to the other, so shop around. Whether you go with a synagogue /church sponsored group, or a commercial tour, all the details are arranged in advance. The highlights of the tour are laid out and optional itineraries can be booked. The tours always include a daily Israeli Breakfast, which is reminiscent of a Roman Orgy of food, as you have never experienced. The trip from area code 575 is a long one. Having a personal representative greet you at the airport and take care of you throughout the tour is a great stress reliever.

A month or so prior to departure on our first trip, we booked an apartment, on the internet, to extend our stay in Israel Tel Aviv for 3 weeks after the tour. By then we were rested, felt comfortable in the country, and really enjoyed the city life. Most tour operators allow for extended departures.

Public transportation in Israel is safe and economical. If you extend your tour by a week or two, you do not need to rent a car. Besides the fact that parking in Israel is impossible, buses, cabs, and mini-buses (called Sheruts) are everywhere and are cheap. In addition, train service in Israel is available to most cities, and is also inexpensive. This trip we took the train from the airport to Tel Aviv. The fare was about $3.75 each (14 Shekels each). The ticket machines have an “English” option, and take Visa, MC and AMEX. A taxi from the airport is about $50.00.

Last tip this time: Continental Airlines fly’s direct to Tel Aviv from Newark, N.J. Most other air carriers have an intermediate stop in Europe. With no baggage fees for international flights, free in-flight meals for most flights over 4 hours, and lots of connections, they have become our carrier of choice to Israel. They also land at Terminal 3 in Ben Gurion Airport (TLV), where the train station is located, inside the terminal.

Next report: Netanya, Nazareth, Galillee, and more travel tips.

Shalom
David Talbot

Israel 2010, Part 2

2010-01-30T05:54:00.000-08:00

Israel 2010, Part 2
©2010 David Talbot

January 29, 2010, Or Akiva/Caesarea Israel.

The Holy Land.
For many people of faith around the world, the image of Israel is a reflection of their religious experience. And it is true; the country is of unique significance to the three major religions of the world. Jews, Christians, and Moslems all feel a special relationship to the biblical land of Canaan. However, to the first time traveler, the country could be a disappointment or a confirmation, or both, of the expectations one may have of the land of Israel.

While Israel is a very modern country, and suffers similar social problems as do all countries around the world. It is also a very ancient land with ancient cultural roots that persist even today. Here in this mystical land, religious tradition and secular non-observance co-exist, mostly peacefully throughout.

A goal of this series of reports is to describe how the cultural differences can work to make your trip to Israel more just another vacation.

Is it safe to visit Israel?
Short answer, yes it is safe to come to Israel. In fact, in almost every city and town, crime is less of a problem than in most US cities. However, most people who wonder about safety are actually thinking about terrorist activities, not common criminals. The answer is the same. It is safe. Last year over 2,000,000 tourists chose Israel as their travel destination. December ’09 saw 225,000 passengers come through ultramodern Ben Gurion Airport (TLV), an all-time record. There were two terrorist related incidents in 2009, neither of which involved visitors.

Travel Tips.
Purchase a travel guide at your local book retailer. We use “Frommers Israel.” Doing a little research and planning for sites of interest is critical here, because there is so much to see.

Bring a little cash (dollars) for an emergency. More important, bring an ATM/Debit card. They all work here and it’s safer than carrying a lot of money. US credit cards are accepted everywhere. Discover is unknown, but MC, VISA, Diners, and AMEX all ok.

Learn a few words and phrases in Hebrew. Important: Eyfo Ha Sherutim (Where are the toilets?) In order for Israeli kids to attend university, they must be fluent in English. As a result, almost everybody here speaks at least a little English. All streets, most shops, and malls, have English language sign.

Most US cell phones will work here. Calls to the States are expensive, but text messages are not, on most calling plans. There are internet cafes everywhere and they’re not expensive, so unless you need it for some reason, leave your laptop home.

Caesarea Israel
If you take a tour in Israel (More about tours in a later report), this is usually the first stop. Located about 40 KM (25 miles) north of Tel Aviv, is one of the most beautiful cities in Israel. But that’s not why the tours start here. Caesarea is, according to Frommers, “the spectacular city of Herod the Great, 37 BCE- 4 CE.” You can find many excellent reference books on the history of this community. However, here’s what you’ll see at the site: The Roman Theater, Hippodrome, Crusader City, Roman Aqueduct, and more. It is an awesome site, important to Jews, Christians, and Moslems, all of whom met their fate, at one time or another, here.

Next time: More travel tips, Akko, and Haifa.

Until then, Shalom from Israel.

David Talbot

Israel 2010

2010-01-24T04:31:00.000-08:00

Israel 2010
©2010 David Talbot

Special For www.575magazine.com Readers

Every year, my wife and I travel to Israel not so much to renew our Jewish roots, but to get a better understanding of life for the average Israeli family. This year we are sharing some of our experiences with 575 readers. We have several reasons to bring you along with us.

The primary purpose of this series is to dispel any misconceptions you may have about coming to Israel. In addition, we want to illustrate, as much as possible, the exceptional recreational, educational, and spiritual opportunities available, and in some cases only available, in this unique country.

Here are some of the things we’ll describe as we go along, through March 1, 2010: Is Israel safe to visit? Is there any reason why a non-religious person might visit Israel? I don’t speak Hebrew, will I be lost there? Is it expensive to travel to the Middle East? Should I take a tour or go it alone? Are Israelis friendly? When is the best time of the year to go? Can I rent a car, book my own hotel, rent an apartment online, use my credit cards, and in general, do all the things I do when I’m on vacation in the States, for my vacation in Israel? And there will be more, much more.

If you have ever considered traveling to the Holy Land (more about this expression in the next installment), and have questions you always wanted to ask, here’s your chance. Send me a note, and I’ll respond from here in Or Akiva or Tel Aviv. And, since I am not a travel agent or tour operator, you can be sure your name will not be on some list flooding your mail box with unwanted “Special Deals.”

When you send a question, please indicate if you wish your name to be included in the response. In any case, your email address will never be included in the discussion.

Next Installment: The Holy Land, Is it safe to travel to Israel, and Caesarea.

Shalom!

Here’s how you can contact the writer:

David Talbot
talbotnotes@gmail.com
www.facebook.com/talbotnotes

I think it’s almost time…

2010-01-18T20:02:00.000-08:00

I think it’s almost time…
©2010 David Talbot

June 1967, from www.sixdaywar.co.uk: “In 1967 Israel did not wake up one morning and decide to go to war - she woke up one morning and found she had to defend herself.” After the war ended, Jordan relinquished control of Jerusalem and, as they departed the West Bank, desecrated all Jewish and Christian, cemeteries, holy places, and many structures.

Baghdad, Iraq, March 2003. The United States and 4 allies invade Iraq to topple Sadam Hussein’s regime and eliminate weapons of mass destruction and their capability to make them. Iraq fires missiles into Tel Aviv, and the United States tells Israel not to retaliate.

Gaza Strip, September 12, 2005, from the Associated Press: (AP) “Flames shot skyward from four abandoned synagogues in the Gaza Strip on Monday, as thousands of celebrating Palestinians thronged through former Jewish settlements and headed straight for the only buildings left standing.”

Following the IDF withdrawal from Gaza on 9/12/05, a steady stream of rocket and mortar fire rains down on Israeli towns until last year when Israel finally had enough, and they went in to try and eliminate the threat.

January 11, 2010, an earthquake levels most of Haiti’s capitol city, killing and wounding many thousands of innocent civilians. And, one week later, looting and riots are escalating. One of the first assistance units on the scene? The Israeli Defense Forces, who establish a fully staffed field hospital and begins treating patients. The EU, Palestinians, and their allies condemn Israel for the effort saying the dirty little secret is Israels ignorance of the plight of the Palestinians in Gaza. From HAARETZ, January 18, 2010, “…the remarkable identification with the victims of the terrible tragedy in distant Haiti only underscores the indifference to the ongoing suffering of the people of Gaza.”

I think it’s almost time for Israel to state, in no uncertain terms: No on the division of Jerusalem.

I think it’s almost time for Israel to accept the fact that the Obama administration doesn’t have any interest in Israel, only in getting Israel to make yet another concession that will ultimately raise up and bite them.

I think it’s past time for the United States to realize that promises from the PA and/or Hamas are stalling tactics with the ultimate goal of wiping Israel off the map.

I think it’s past time for the world to admit that North Korea and Iran will have the bomb and that China and Russia are facilitators.

And, I think it’s time that Israel should say, ENOUGH…..

Anyway, that’s my opinion.

Shalom

David Talbot

A New Year's Resolution

2010-01-02T22:35:00.000-08:00

A New Year's Resolution
©2009 David Talbot

Every December, I make resolutions, all with good intentions, that nevertheless seem to get pushed into the background of mydaily life after the holidays have come and gone. Things like: I’m going to loose 10lbs this year, save a little more, travel more, etc. You’re probably familiar with this annual ritual.

This year is different. A member of my family is dying of cancer. The particulars are only important to the family. However, the current situation has caused me to make a new resolution this year. And I have already made good on my commitment.

I know, you probably expect me to say something like: I resolve to be kinder, laugh more, cry often, love deeply, say I’m sorry, worry less, enjoy life, and other things we see in countless emails throughout the year. While these are admirable suggestions, that’s not what I did.

When our relative got the diagnosis, we also learned there is no Will, no Advance Directives, no Health Care Power of Attorney, and no idea what to do next. And, my relative is not capable of doing any “end of life” planning at this late date. He’s comfortable with the notion that “everybody knows what I want.”

As the extended family met to discuss medical options and legal issues, it became clear that most of us had not done any end of life planning. That’s when I made my 2010 New Year’s resolution, to take care of my immediate family.

My wife and I sat down with an attorney and completed all the documents necessary to insure that “everybody knows what we want.” This includes physicians, hospitals, the legal authorities, and all our relatives. It didn’t take long and it didn’t cost much. It’s a comforting thought that we have taken care of all the details. Now our children won’t be burdened, at the worst possible time, and our assets will transfer to our loved ones quickly at minimum expense.

Estate Planning requires that a person face certain facts about their own mortality. However, it is a beautiful expression of how much you care for your family, not just here and now, but for a long time in the future.

So, for 2010, resolve to: be kinder, laugh more, cry often, love deeply, say your sorry, worry less, enjoy life, and take care of your family by doing a little advanced planning.

Anyway, that’s my opinion. Happy New Year.

Shalom,

David Talbot

Banning Christmas in Jerusalem

2009-12-21T11:30:00.000-08:00

Banning Christmas in Jerusalem
©2009 David Talbot

This may sound like an unlikely topic for a Jewish guy to be writing about. Especially if he happens to be an Orthodox Zionist Jew. But this news has got me riled up. Here’s the background to this story.

Rabbi Brad Hershfeld writes in his “Windows and Doors” blog, that a group called “Lobby for Jewish Values,“ is handing out fliers condemning Christmas, pushing for a ban on all public displays of Christmas trees and other "foolish" Christian symbols and asking the public to boycott restaurants and other public institutions which do so..”

In addition to the fliers, “Lobby for Jewish Values” has been printing and distributing the name and locations of restaurants as a guide, and has enlisted the help of one of the groups who grant Kashrut licenses to restaurants and stores selling food and other products. With out those licenses, observant Jews who keep kosher, can not patronize these establishments.

“Have the abused become the abusers?” asks Rabbi Hershfeld.

The issue brings up a fundamental political dilemma for Israel. “The Jewish state wants to be two things: A Jewish state and a free democratic state.” Writes Morten Berthelsen in HAARETZ.com, on December 21st. But if all Israelis were to celebrate Christmas, can it still be called a Jewish State? Or, if all Christmas celebrations and symbols are removed, can it be called a free democratic state?

Political issues aside, “Lobby for Jewish Values” ideas seem to be in direct conflict with most Jewish values as expressed in Torah, and by our sages. In more than one section of the Torah, we are told not to “mistreat the strangers among you for you were once a stranger in Egypt.” Does the removal of objects and symbols sacred to Christians equate with “mistreatment”? I think so. Have our sages not decreed that any non-Jew who follows the Noahide commandments has a place in the world to come? And have not our Torah and our sages repeatedly stated to “treat every person the way you would wish to be treated”? Yes, on both counts.

As we just finished the celebration of Chanukah, where a small army of Jews fought for the right to worship according to their beliefs, against a society determined to strip them of their symbols and customs, can we really support such a movement to do exactly to our Christian Israelis what Antiocus tried to do unto us? I can’t.

Anyway, that’s my opinion.

Shalom,

David Talbot

Compulsory Military Service?

2009-11-30T12:35:00.000-08:00

Compulsory Military Service?
©2009 David Talbot

I remember when I was a teenager, back in the 60’s. The traditional rite of passage for young men was reaching their 18th birthday, marching down to the Post Office, and registering for the draft. I was proud to register, and so were all my friends.

Somewhere in the late 60’s, serving in the military went out of fashion and the draft was discontinued. We all know the reasons: Vietnam, counter-culture, sex, drugs, and rock and roll. We lost our innocence in the 60’s and never got it back. The all-volunteer Army was born.

Since the 60’s a lot has happened to America and the spirit of serving our country. We have become a country of “What’s in it for me” instead of “What you can do for your country.” Fortunately, the US Military has been able to attract enough volunteers to man the “peacetime” service. But something is missing.

What’s missing is the spirit of service that we all had, back when I was young. And the country is suffering for it. Is there anyplace on earth that still has a system of compulsory military service?

Before I answer that question, here’s a test: What country has more companies on the Nasdaq than all of Europe, India, China, Korea, and Japan, combined? What country has global venture capital 2.5 times the United States and 30 times Europe?

According to Dan Senor’s new book[1], the answer to the above is Israel, tiny Israel, with a population of 7,400,000 residents living in a country the size of New Jersey. So, what does this have to do with compulsory military service?

In Israel, every high school graduate (with very few exceptions) are obligated to join the Israeli Military: males for 3 years and females for 2 years. These 21 year old men and women return from military service and resume their college or university educations, with real world experience and a drive to become leaders in Israeli society and business.

Israel’s corporate CEO’s, Managers, and Investors have become very astute in reading military resumes, in addition to college transcripts. They’ve become experts in finding the talent for running their firms in an environment of constant threats from Israel’s neighbors, no natural resources, and no internal energy sources.

At 25 years of age, these college graduates are individuals whose management skills were tested on the battlefield. They learned decision making skills, based on incomplete and sometimes contradictory information, and will sacrifice their current creature comforts for the success of a long term project. The talents these individuals learn in their military service carries them from the battlefield to the classroom, and from the classroom to the corporate environment.

Mr. Senor interviewed CEO’s of Ebay, Intel, Google, and Cisco (Which has purchased 9 Israeli start-ups this year), requesting a comparison of recent graduates of American and Israeli Universities. With out exception, these CEO’s replied they would select an Israeli over an American, hands down. Due in large part to the Israeli military experience.

On a recent CNBC Economic presentation, Mr. Senor was asked if the Israeli success was due, in part, to the political environment in Israel. To which he replied: “The U.S. and Israel are moving in opposite directions.” Israel , especially since 1990 has moved from a more socialist environment that was stagnant for a couple of decades, to a more entrepreneurial system encouraging a higher percentage investment of their GDP in new and innovative ventures than the United States.

In conclusion, am I recommending a resumption of the Military Draft for America? No, is the short answer. But, there are a few things we must do if we are to resume our position as the world leader in start-up, innovative business applications. “Start-Up Nation” is a good place to start.

Anyway, that’s my opinion.

Shalom

[1] Start-Up Nation, The story of Israel’s Economic Miracle.

The Jewish Calendar

2009-11-18T14:18:00.000-08:00

The Jewish Calendar
©2009 By David Talbot

Here’s something people ask me all the time: “Why do Jewish Holidays fall on different days each year?” There is a simple answer. But, like most things Jewish, I am going to make it more complicated.

The simple answer is that the Jewish calendar is based on the cycles of the moon (A lunar calendar). The Gregorian calendar is based on the cycles of the Sun (A solar calendar). Now we, here and around the world that rely on the Gregorian solar calendar, know the earth revolves around the sun every 365.25 days a year. That pesky little extra causes us to add one day to February, every four years. Why February? My guess is that in Roman times, February was the last month of the year. So it was convenient to add it at the end of February.

But the lunar calendar is totally different. The lunar cycle is about 29.5 days. And the Jewish Calendar has 12 months with 12 lunar cycles resulting in a Jewish year having 355 days. Some months have 29 days and some have 30. So, every 3 years, in stead of adding a day, Jewish calendars add an entire month, the month of Adar (more or less around February).

The Muslim calendar is also based on lunar cycles. But their approach is to simply come to the end of the year and start over, not adding days or months. The result is that any particular Muslim holiday, such as Ramadan, may occur in Winter, Spring, Fall or Summer.

So, the question is, why does the Jewish calendar require periodic resetting? The answer is in the nature of the Jewish Holidays through out the year. Many Jewish holidays are linked to agricultural events, like the planting or harvesting of crops. So these festivals need to be at specific times in the agricultural cycle. As a result, unlike the Muslim calendar, the Jewish calendar must be re-set so that Passover always occurs in the Spring and Succoth in the Fall.

The fact that Jewish holidays do not always fall on the same dates on the Gregorian calendar is simply a matter of the difference in the number of solar days vs. the number of lunar days in the respective calendars.

Of course, I always answer the question (“Why do Jewish Holidays fall on different days each year?”) with the following example: Chanukah always falls on the same day every year, the 25th of Kislev, on my calendar.

Shalom!

More Thoughts on the Middle East

2009-11-07T17:30:00.000-08:00

More Thoughts on the Middle East
©2009 David Talbot

There is an old expression, “No good deed goes unpunished!” I can’t remember the last time I heard it, but I thought about it this week as US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton praised Israeli PM Netanyahu’s concession on settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Her praise was not for what it lacked (a complete freeze) but for the easing of the Israeli position. In other words, it was a start.

Of course, any praise of Israel, no matter how feint, is cause for an immediate knee jerk reaction by the Arab world. The outcry was so great that Secretary Clinton had to “explain” her comments at her next stop in Morocco.

Unfortunately, any progress in the Arab world by President Obama’s apology tour and pronunciation that America is not a Christian nation has been squandered. The current perception in the Arab world, as seen on all the news channels last week, is that the USA has done a flip and is now back to it’s unilateral support of Israel.

Meanwhile, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, has signaled that he is not going to run for office because of the impasse in peace negotiations. Peace negotiations for the Palestinian leadership means: either the Israeli’s give in to all it’s demands, or we won’t come to the table.

The situation for the United states in the Middle East is not unique. We do not have a clearly formulated policy, that reflects our position on the goal of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. In fact, we do not have a clearly formulated policy on North Korea, Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Russia, or any other situation on earth. This lack of a cohesive foreign policy emboldens our enemies and confuses our friends.

We jump on Israel for defending themselves. Yet, we have not figured out how to deal with the unstable governments in Pyongyang and Tehran who are not only actively building nuclear armament facilities, but are also the main suppliers of terrorists around the world. Just this week Israel intercepted an Iranian vessel carrying tons of munitions to those “peaceful” Hezbollah terrorists.

If the Obama administration in Washington does not get it’s foreign policy act together, and soon, the next 3 years will be very dangerous for us, at home and abroad. At some point, the powder keg will be ignited by our only ally in the Middle East, Israel, for it’s own survival. Even Israel has come to understand: with friends like us, who needs enemies?

Anyway, that’s my opinion.

Next Week: Why do Jewish Holidays fall on different days every year?

www.575magazine.com v3.2

2009-10-21T13:42:00.000-07:00

Home Sweet Home, Part 2
©2009 David Talbot

Last week I finished Part 1 with the following: Can somebody explain why 20% of Israel’s citizens (Arabs) can live in peace in Israel, and less than 10% of the West Bank and East Jerusalem citizens can’t do the same under Palestinian rule?

Part 2
In a recent Wall Street Journal Opinion piece[1], R. James Woolsey, a former director of Central Intelligence under President Clinton, posed this very question to Salam Fayyad, acting Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority. His answer was surprising and provides the framework for a complete change in focus of the Arab-Israeli conflict over Jewish settlements in the West Bank.

For the first time in the history of the conflict, an acting Palestinian Prime Minister indicated , "I'm not someone who will say that they would or should be treated differently than Israeli Arabs are treated in Israel….[2]” This idea of Jews and Arabs living together only exists today in Israel and a few countries where a very small population of Jews live in tenuous peace with their neighbors.

The shift, if it matures into law in the West Bank, would establish a new paradigm in the “settlement” negotiations. Under a Palestinian State, the West Bank would transfer from Israeli to Palestinian authority. And, Jewish Settlements would now make up about 10% of the total population in Palestine.

The fighting between Israel and the P.A. about settlements would disappear. U.S. pressure on Israel would cease, and the only question would be the security of both Palestinians and Jews living together, just as they do now in Israel.

This solution would take a lot of soul searching on both sides. Israel would give up disputed territory, but not dismantle settlements. Palestinians would amend sections of their charter providing civil rights to all citizens, including property rights, and recognize Israel’s right to exist.

This solution could also ease tensions with other neighbors in the region, namely Jordan and Egypt. These are countries have benefited from a political relationship with Israel, but face internal pressures from communities and religious groups to support the Palestinians.

My opinion…..it could work. But given the atmosphere all over the Middle East, it would take a miracle. But, it is the Holy Land……

[1] Opinion, Wall Street Journal Online, October 11, 2009
[2] Ibid

www.575magazine.com v3.1

2009-10-16T12:51:00.000-07:00

Home Sweet Home (Part 1)
© 2009 David Talbot

Here’s something to think about: Jews hate Muslims and Muslims hate Jews, and therefore they live together in peace in the Bellevelle neighborhood, northwest of Paris, France.

Say whaaaat? They live in peace? Together? In Paris?

Actually, the Belleville section of Paris has been home to North African Muslims, Jews, and Berbers for around 50 years, more or less. In a recent article in JTA, Ilan Moss describes the neighbors of this community as, “…being fiercely proud of the climate of tolerance in their neighborhood¹” And, they complain that the press is only interested in the sensationalism of anti-Semitism.

How do they do it? Real simple, they all came from similar cultures in Tunisia, where they lived, worked, and raised families, in peace for centuries. But more than similar cultures, in North Africa and in France; these families were then, and are now, fully integrated in the community. They work together, play together, and break bread together: no separate schools, no separate governing bodies, and no separate social activities.

And in Israel, all citizens have equal rights, including the right to pray as they choose: Jews, Muslims, and Christians. But are all citizens fully integrated in mainstream Israeli society. Well, no. It is true there are isolated communities where Jews and Muslims live together in peace. But it is the exception, not the rule. Most communities in Israel are segregated with Arabs and Jews living close to each other, but not together.

However, there is hope things are changing. “In 1997, Hand in Hand Center for Jewish-Arab Education is Israel was founded to build peace between Jews and Arabs in Israel through development of bilingual and multi-cultural schools2.” Since 1997 schools have been built in Jerusalem, Galilee, Wadi Ara, and Beersheva. For a complete report and update of how this organization is building communities check out their web site at: http://www.handinhandk12.org/.

There is a second part to this story. The West Bank and East Jerusalem, where Israeli’s have built settlements following the 1967 war, is the focal point of The Palestinian Authority, Hamas, and the Obama Administration. They want no Jewish settlements, indeed, they want no Jews at all in these territories.

Can somebody explain why 20% of Israel’s citizens (Arabs) can live in peace in Israel, and less than 10% of the West Bank and East Jerusalem citizens can’t do the same under Palestinian rule? See Part 2, next week.

¹ JTA, September 22, 2009
2 http://www.handinhandk12.org

575magazine.com v2.0

2009-10-12T14:24:00.001-07:00

©2009 David Talbot

I was having a chat with my sister-in-law, 6 months ago, about the holiday season. For us it was about Chanukah, the festival of lights. We spoke of the traditional holiday dishes like latkes (potato pancakes) and lighting the Chanukah Menorah, the traditional candelabra that Jews use to remember the miracle that occurred about 2,200 years ago. Susan told me that lighting the Chanukah Menorah, was what she missed most.

In December 2000, my brother was stricken with a terrible ailment that left him totally disabled and dependant on various medications. Because of his disability, the family cannot have an open flame in his room, so it’s Chanukah without the Menorah. If you are a Christian, think of Christmas trees with out any ornaments or lights. It just wouldn’t be the same. Thus Susan’s lament.

My solution: in addition to our collection of traditional menorahs, we have an Electric Menorah. It isn’t really a substitute for candles, but at least you will have a representation of the traditional menorah--we’ll send you ours. From this conversation a project was born, the Electric Menorah Project.

The goal of the Project is to give, free of any charge, an Electric Menorah to Jews in Hospitals, Nursing Homes, Hospice facilities, or Disabled at home, where an open flame is not possible. Silvia and I took care of all expenses (not that many.) We asked our Rabbi to supervise us.

We composed an email list of about 500 old Army and National Guard buddies, relatives, friends, and friends of friends, and asked for their help. To date, we have received sufficient donated funds to provide about 20 Menorahs this Chanukah, to Arizona families. In addition, two electric Menorahs were sent to us for placement.

Here’s what I learned from the past six months. We learned that our friends were more generous that we had imagined---shame on us. We learned that very few folks resented the monthly solicitations and updates--only 2 people asked us to stop the contact. And, we learned that Christians do support “Jewish” causes as 90% of the donations came from our non-Jewish friends.

On our BLOG we encourage others to copy our project in their home towns. Two of our friends have inquired about starting projects, one in Florida, and one in Washington.

If you’d like more information about the Electric Menorah Project, you can find us at: http://electricmenorahproject.blogspot.com./ or email the project at: mailto:electricmenorahproject@gmail.com.

The Talbot Plan for National Healthcare

2009-10-05T18:50:00.000-07:00

Ya know folks, we already have mandated Health Insurance for all employers with common law employees. All employees are covered and the policy covers Health Insurance, Disability Income Insurance, and Life Insurance. And in most states there is a Government Option which competes with private insurers. Owner-employees can participate if they wish. What is this plan called? Workers Compensation. It is not federally mandated, is slightly different from state to state, and rates are based on the nature of the business risk and experience of the group. And, for the most part, employers are not liable for most work related accidents, injuries, or deaths.

Here's my suggestion for health care: Superimpose non-occupational Health, disability and Life insurance on existing Work Comp. Mandate each state to develop, with its State Department of Industrial Compensation, a formula to integrate all non-working, legal residents, within their jurisdictions, for Health, Life, and Disability Insurance. Then, invite bids from the carriers doing business in each state, with the Federal Government providing catastrophic stop-loss coverage at some predetermined level (Like $250,000). State Compensation Funds will compete with Private Insurance companies---as they do now. Employees would pay the premium for the superimposed coverage, and non-employed legal residents would pay the premium stated by the company, or the State Fund, which ever they choose, for 24 hour coverage. Insurance Companies, which are supervised by the states, are free, within reason, to set rates and still earn a profit. Individuals are free to select the Doc/Hospital of their choice. Treatment options would be determined by the insurance company, but an insured is free to shop companies. As in W/C, all are covered on day 1 and pre-existing ailments must be covered. Tort Liability would be the same as industrial compensation, as regulated by the state.

I know this may sound convoluted, but I think its workable, would provide for regional differences in risks, occupational hazards, and income levels.

575magazine.com v1.0

2009-09-29T19:07:00.000-07:00

This is my first attempt at writing a piece for an online magazine. I wish all the folks at 575Magazine.com all the best in getting an informative, useful, news source online.

I will be writing periodic articles on religion and current events from a Jewish perspective, something you probably lt won’t see in the mainstream press. While I’m not affiliated with any particular Jewish organization or movement, I plan to be as accurate as possible, and to provide you, the reader, with current interest topics from a Jewish point of view.

However, as the old saying goes, if you want three opinions on any topic, ask two Jews one question. So, I will tell you now, and probably at the end of every article, all opinions expressed here are my own. They will not, necessarily, represent the opinions of 575magazine.com. It is very possible, on any given topic, they may conflict with one Jewish Group or another.

Now, having given you all the disclaimers, let me tell you a little about me. I am 65, been married for 46 years to my highschool sweetheart, and was born into an Orthodox Jewish Family. After my Bar Mitzvah at age 13, I basically stopped believing in organized religion and simply coasted through life, until 3 years ago when I felt called to return to my roots. It has been an interesting journey, which at times has seemed impossible to regain 49 lost spiritual years….but I am catching up.

Last, for now, I’d like to know what may be on your mind. Sort of, “What you always wanted to know about Jews, Judiasm, or Israel, but didn’t know whom to ask..” No question asked will be off limits. Just be respectful and I’ll make every effort to answer you in the same way. Send your questions to me at talbotnotes@gmail.com. Please mention that you saw my article in 575magazine.com, and if you wish an email response. Unless you specifically state, in writing, that you want your name mentioned in an article, I will not publish or reveal it to anyone.

Shalom,

David Talbot

No Change: Obama Appoints Big Donors as Ambassadors

2009-05-30T11:14:00.000-07:00

Newsmax.com
Friday, May 29, 2009 8:20 AM

WASHINGTON – Despite his promises of change, President Barack Obama has kept tradition by naming top donors to plum ambassador posts, drawing fire from career US diplomats and causing dismay among some US allies.

Obama has been criticized for naming fund raisers with no diplomatic experience - and who together drummed up well over a million dollars for his record-shattering campaign - to be ambassadors to Britain, France and Japan.

"It's an 18th-century practice we are continuing which no other major democratic country does," said Ronald Neumann, a veteran ambassador and head of the American Academy of Diplomacy, a lobby of former senior diplomats. "It's not 'change you can believe in,' but it's not terribly surprising," said Neumann, referring to Obama's campaign slogan.

Obama named Louis Susman, a former Citigroup banker in Chicago once dubbed the "vacuum cleaner" for his prowess sucking up money, as ambassador to London. Obama also tapped two major California fund raisers - naming Charles Rivkin, the former producer of "The Muppets" children show, to Paris and Silicon Valley lawyer John Roos to Tokyo.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs on Thursday defended the picks, noting that Obama also
appointed respected figures such as former congressman Timothy Roemer as ambassador to India.

"It would be disingenuous for me to suggest that there are not going to be some excellent public
servants ... who haven't come through the ranks of civil service," Gibbs said.

British newspapers described Obama's appointment to London as "cronyism." Some dailies had
speculated hopefully that the US president would pick one of his more glamorous friends - Oprah Winfrey.

While US ambassador residences in London and Paris have long been retreats for presidents' wealthy friends, Tokyo has been used to heavy hitters including former vice president Walter Mondale, former Senate majority leaders Mike Mansfield and Howard Baker and ex-House speaker Tom Foley. Many Japanese are nervous that the United States will ignore its longstanding Asian ally as it builds ties with a rapidly growing China.

While Tokyo publicly welcomed Roos' appointment, one Japanese magazine worried that Obama was "Japan-passing" - opposed to US "Japan-bashing" during the 1980s trade wars.

Tokyo-based analyst Robert Dujarric said Japanese worry that Roos is "lightweight" compared with Obama's pick for Beijing, Utah Governor Jon Huntsman - a Mandarin speaker who some eye as a future president himself.

"It's a symptom of Japan's anxiety over its future, its ties with America and being overshadowed by China," said Dujarric, director of Temple University's Institute of Contemporary Japanese Studies.

"Hence the trauma of a senior politician going to Beijing compared with a guy in Tokyo who no one has ever heard of with no political or Asian expertise -- although to be fair, I assume as a Silicon Valley player he knows a thing or two about Japanese high-tech," Dujarric said.

But Dujarric said Japan put too much emphasis on the US ambassador, who has far less influence than US cabinet members who meet regularly with Japanese counterparts through the Group of Seven and other forums.

Obama worked early to show his commitment to the Japan relationship by inviting Prime Minister Taro Aso as his first foreign guest at the White House. Morton Abramowitz, a senior fellow at the Century Foundation who has served as ambassador to Thailand and Turkey, said that while it was deplorable to give positions based on money, some Obama fund raisers could make solid diplomats.

"Despite the rhetoric, this administration is no different than previous administrations, expect it looks like their appointments might be better," Abramowitz said. "Diplomacy has to be much more creative and much more dynamic these days as we're not the big power we once were. It's important to have people as good as we can get," he said.

© 2009 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved.

Bush Calls Bill Clinton 'Brother'

2009-05-30T11:09:00.000-07:00

Newsmax.com
Friday, May 29, 2009 7:55 PM

Former President George W. Bush has defended former President Bill Clinton and called him his
"brother" in their first ever appearance together on stage.

Bush said in their Friday appearance at a Toronto forum that he never liked it when previous
administration officials criticized his government but says Clinton was respectful and never did.

Bush declined to criticize the Obama administration. Former Vice President Dick Cheney has been a very vocal critic of Obama.

Bush says his mother, Barbara Bush "said president Clinton and Father (former President George W. Bush) share the stage so much, he's like a son to her." He says, "So, brother, it's good to see you."

They faced questions from moderator Frank McKenna, Canada's former ambassador to the United States.

© 2009 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

Republican Donors Hit by Chrysler Closings

2009-05-30T10:56:00.000-07:00

Newsmax.com
Wednesday, May 27, 2009 5:04 PM

By: Kenneth R. Timmerman

Increasing numbers of Chrysler dealers are disputing the bankrupt automaker’s claim that it selected dealerships for closure on purely economic grounds, and they have filed a suit against the automaker in U.S. bankruptcy court.

"My business is being stolen from me under the guise of the bankruptcy laws [and] given to another dealer down the street," Jim Anderer, owner of Island Jeep in Lindenhurst, N.Y., told Reuters.

Like many of the 789 Chrysler dealerships slated for closure, Anderer claims his retail outlet was
profitable. Many of the closed dealers were also major donors to Republican candidates and political action committees, a review of campaign finance data from the Federal Election Commission shows.

This has led to accusations, which Rush Limbaugh aired last week, that President Obama's auto task force has been playing political favorites, first by forcing Chrysler into bankruptcy, and then by targeting dealerships for closure that funded the president’s political enemies.

An attorney representing some of the dealers, Leonard Bellavia, came close to supporting those
allegations himself after deposing Chrysler President Jim Press on Tuesday. “It became clear to us that Chrysler does not see the wisdom of terminating 25 percent of its dealers," Bellavia said. "It really wasn't Chrysler's decision. They are under enormous pressure from the president's automotive task force."

Among the most prominent Republicans who stands to lose his business as a result of the Chrysler bankruptcy is Vernon G. Buchanan, owner of Venice Dodge in Venice, Fla.
Buchanan gave $2,300 to John McCain in last year’s election, and has given a whopping $5.3 million to Republicans since the 2000 election cycle, according to FEC records Newsmax examined. He spent nearly $4.5 million of that amount to get himself elected to Congress in 2006 in the 13th District of Florida, where incumbent Republican Katherine Harris resigned that year to run unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate.

Buchanan won the 2006 election with just 50 percent of the vote but came back in 2008 and won a more comfortable victory with 56 percent of the vote, and voted against Obama’s budget this year. But he has crossed aisles occasionally, notably voting in favor of an expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program that President Bush vetoed in 2007.

Other prominent Republican donors whose successful Chrysler dealerships will be shut down include Russ Darrow, owner of Darrow Chrysler Jeep of Menomenee Falls, Wis. Darrow spent $2.7 million of his own money to finance an unsuccessful challenge to incumbent Democratic Sen. Russell Feingold of Wisconsin in 2004.

Many dealers, however, gave to both political parties; some, such as Alan Spitzer, owner of Spitzer Dodge in Elyria, Ohio, gave only to Democrats.

Blogger Doug Ross (Directorblue.blogspot.com) has begun posting lists of Republican donors whose Chrysler dealerships have been targeted for closure. The most complete list of Republican victims of the Chrysler bankruptcy was compiled by an anonymous blogger at scribd.com/doc/15760333/Chrysler-Report, which identified 165 Republican donors out of 595 examined, or just over 27.7 percent.

One blogger, who claimed to work for one of the soon-to-be closed dealerships, reported on the blog Cars.com that his dealership was “in the top 125 out of the 3,500 dealerships nationwide . . . yet we are on the list. We are not small nor are we rural. We are in a large major metropolitan area. Our new vehicle inventory alone is well over $4 million.”

In addition, “Chrysler is already 'shopping' for dealers to take over the open 'points' (another name for franchise) left by closed dealership,” he added. “This is so much more than 'just business.' This is about control and power by our present administration in Washington.”

Auto-dealers as an industry tend to give more to Republican causes than to Democrats, according to an analysis done by Center for Responsive Politics, a nonprofit organization that compiles FEC data and operates the Open Secrets Web site.

During the 2008 election cycle, the center found that auto dealers and their associated political action committees made a total of $9 million in campaign contributions, giving by a 3-to-1 margin to Republicans. The automobile industry as a whole made $18.5 million in donations in 2008, also breaking roughly 3-to-1 in favor of Republican candidates and causes. But it ranked way behind lawyers, civil servants, hedge fund managers, teacher’s unions, and the entertainment industry, which were large Democrat donors.

One company that stands to benefit in a major way from the Chrysler restructuring is called RLJMcLarty-Landers, a start-up owned by Democratic Party insiders that operates six Chrysler dealerships throughout the South. Co-owners Robert L. Johnson, founder of Black Entertainment Television, and Mack McLarty, chief of staff to president Bill Clinton, provided capital and political clout to the partnership, which they formed in September 2007.

Johnson is a major donor to Democrat party causes but sharply criticized Obama during the primaries for his admitted drug use as a young man. He later apologized to Obama for the personal attack.

According to another blog, RLJ-McCarty-Landers will retain all of its six dealerships, while “eight competing dealerships [will be] totally eliminated from three of their markets.”

© 2009 Newsmax. All rights reserved.

Nader: McAuliffe Offered Me Money to Pull Out in 04

2009-05-30T10:49:00.000-07:00

From Newsmax.com
Thursday, May 28, 2009 10:26 PM

Consumer activist Ralph Nader accused Virginia gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe Thursday of trying to buy him off from running in the 2004 election.

Nader said McAuliffe, who was then chairman of the Democratic National Committee, orchestrated an elaborate effort to keep him off the ballot. McAuliffe offered him an unspecified amount of money to campaign in 31 states if Nader would agree to pull his campaign in 19 battleground states, Nader said.

"When you get a call like that, first of all it's inappropriate,'' Nader said in an interview. "The other thing is if you don't immediately say no, it's like taffy, you get stuck with it."

McAuliffe, in a hotly-contested three-way Democratic primary for governor, is facing several charges about his colorful past as a political fixer. And he isn’t denying this latest charge, according to The Washington Post.

His spokeswoman Elisabeth Smith said in a statement McAuliffe "was concerned that Ralph Nader would cost John Kerry the election as he did Al Gore in 2000 and give us another four years of George W. Bush," according to the Post.

"It looks like Ralph Nader misses seeing his name in the press,'' Smith said. "Terry's focused on talking with Virginians about jobs, not feeding Ralph Nader's ego."

The accusations are outlined in a new book, Grand Illusion, The Myth of Voter Choice in a Two-Party Tyranny, by Theresa Amato, Nader's national campaign manager in 2000 and 2004, who writes about the barriers to third-party candidates.

"This seemed to be a very undemocratic kind of thing to do,'' Amato said. "The head of the Democratic party was telling Ralph where he could or not could run."
© 2009 Newsmax. All rights reserved.

Failed 2-State Solution

2009-05-27T11:28:00.000-07:00

Israel: Yaalon: Israel Must Free Itself from Failed '2-State' Paradigm by Maayana Miskin

Minister of Strategic Affairs Moshe (Boogie) Yaalon believes that the time has come for Israel to “free itself from the failed paradigm” of the “two-state solution.”

Yaalon spoke Tuesday at a meeting of MKs dedicated to finding an alternative to the creation of a Palestinian Authority-led Arab state.

While the creation of a PA-led state in Judea, Samaria and Gaza is perceived as a necessity both in Israel and worldwide, such a state would not solve the Israel-PA conflict, said Yaalon. In fact, he said, it is doubtful that the possibility of creating such a state exists, due to Arab and Muslim reluctance to take any step that would imply recognition of Israel or compromise on Arab claims to the entire Land of Israel.

Israel's Mistakes Israel's mistake lies in accepting a-symmetrical talks with the PA, Yaalon said. From the beginning of talks, he explained, Israel has accepted the idea of a Palestinian national movement with the PA as its representative, while the PA has resolutely refused to accept the Jewish national movement of Zionism or the idea of a Jewish homeland in the land of Israel.

Furthermore, while the PA demands that Arabs and Muslims be allowed to live in Israel, Israel accepts that a PA state would not have Jewish citizens, he said. And while Israel gives in on crucial issues such as the status of Jerusalem or the borders of a PA state, the PA refuses to bend in the slightest.

Israel has also been mistaken in assuming that the Israeli presence in Judea, Samaria and Gaza is the cause of Israel-Arab tension, he said. Arab attacks on Israel began well before the 1967 Six Day War in which Israel gained control of those areas, he said, and the Arab world's real goal is not a state in those areas, but rather, on the ruins of the State of Israel.

For this reason, he said, the PA is actually uninterested in a “two-state solution.” Former PA Chairman Yasser Arafat waged war on Israel in order to avoid the creation of a PA state, he argued.

"There are those who will argue that the PA wanted to establish a state in the 1967 borders but was unable to do so,” he said. “I say the problem was not one of ability, but of desire.”

If the PA does not desire an independent state in Judea, Samaria and Gaza, and will not accept such a state as the fulfillment of its national goals, the “two-state solution” has no chance to bring peace, he concluded.

The Solution Israel must give up on seeking to fully solve its conflict with the PA and the Arab world as a whole, Yaalon said. “I believe we should not approach the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with the phrase 'solution' in the foreseeable future,” he told his audience. “Instead, we should seek 'crisis management' or long-term coping strategies.”

Israel should still seek a solution in the long term, he added. However, the process of seeking a solution should be “bottom-up,” and not “top-down.” Instead of hoping that a diplomatic agreement with the PA will lead to peace and security, the PA should prove that it is capable of self-rule prior to the signing of a diplomatic agreement, he argued.

Yaalon presented five crucial elements of the “bottom-up” process:

Educational Reform: The PA currently teaches Arab children that the entirety of Israel is an illegal colonialist entity, Yaalon said, and denies any historic Jewish connection to the Land of Israel. In addition, the PA teaches Jihad (holy war) against Israel and honors suicide bombers.

Changing the PA school system to teach the value of life, not of death, and to accurately portray Jewish history is crucial, he said.

Economic Reform: In order to create a viable economy, the PA must strengthen small businesses and create a stable middle class, Yaalon said. Attempts to create a PA economy through international aid have failed due to a corrupt PA leadership that misappropriates funds, and terrorist groups that attempt to keep PA Arabs living in poverty, he said. To avoid the problems posed by corrupt leadership, the world should focus on PA businessmen and support their initiatives.

Political Reform: Beyond creating a political entity, the PA must allow for freedom of expression, freedom of the press and protect human rights. Yaalon referred to “the American mistake” of supporting strong dictators over true democratic activists. Activists who seek true democracy and freedom should win encouragement from the West, he said.

Legal Reform: The goal should be “One authority, one law, one weapon,” Yaalon said, referring to the disarming of rogue terrorist groups and the enforcement of law throughout the PA territories.

Security Reform: The PA must begin to truly fight terrorism, Yaalon said. Among other things, the PA must rid itself of the “revolving door” by which terrorists serve only light sentences, and the sentencing of terrorists who murdered Israelis for “harming the public interest” instead of “murder.” These things encourage terrorism, he said.

The PA must be able to fight terrorism properly on multiple levels, he said, from gathering intelligence information to putting terrorists on trial.

No Guarantees: There is no guarantee that the “bottom-up” proposal can be put into effect, Yaalon said, because it relies on the Palestinian Authority to take the necessary action. In order to increase the chances that the PA will do what is necessary, Israel must make it clear that the PA has no chance of defeating Israel, he said, or of forcing further Israeli concessions and withdrawals without making concessions of its own.

"The Palestinians' extreme violence does not stem from despair over their situation, as the West tends to assume, but rather from hope – hope that the State of Israel will disappear,” he said. “Destroying the hope of defeating Israel will encourage new ideas.”

The High Ground

2009-01-15T08:12:00.000-08:00

By Robert Clark
*The High Ground*
P.O. Box 457 Neillsville, WI 54456

A couple of years ago someone asked me if I still thought about Vietnam. I nearly laughed in their face. How do you stop thinking about it?

Every day for the last twenty-four years, I wake up with it, and go to bed with it. But this is what I said. "Yea, I think about it. I can't quit thinking about it. I never will. But, I've also learned to live with it.

I'm comfortable with the memories. I've learned to stop trying to forget and learned instead to embrace it. It just doesn't scare me anymore."

A psychologist once told me that NOT being affected by the experience over there would be abnormal. When he told me that, it was like he'd just given me a pardon. It was as if he said, "Go ahead and feel something about the place, Bob. It ain't going nowhere. You're gonna wear it for the rest of your life. Might as well get to know it."A lot of my "brothers" haven't been so lucky. For them the memories are too painful, their sense of loss too great. My sister told me of a friend she has whose husband was in the Nam She asks this guy when he was there. Here's what he said, "Just last night." It took my sister a while to figure out what he was talking about. JUST LAST NIGHT.

Yeah I was in the Nam. When? JUST LAST NIGHT. During sex with my wife. And on my way to work this morning. Over my lunch hour. Yeah, I was there.

My sister says I'm not the same brother that went to Vietnam. My wife says I won't let people get close to me, not even her. They are probably both right.

Ask a vet about making friends in Nam. It was risky. Why? Because we were in the business of death, and death was with us all the time. It wasn't the death of, "If I die before I wake." This was the real thing. The kind where boys scream for their mothers. The kind that lingers in your mind and becomes more real each time you cheat it. You don't want to make a lot of friends when the possibility of dying is that real, that close. When you do, friends become a liability.

A guy named Bob Flanigan was my friend. Bob Flanigan is dead. I put him in a body bag one sunny day, April 29, 1969. We'd been talking, only a few minutes before he was shot, about what we were going to do when we got back in the world. Now, this was a guy who had come in country the same time as myself. A guy who was loveable and generous. He had blue eyes and sandy blond hair. When he talked, it was with a soft drawl. Flanigan was a hick and he knew it. That was part of his charm. He didn't care. Man, I loved this guy like the brother I never had. But, I screwed up. I got too close to him. Maybe I didn't know any better. But I broke one of the unwritten rules of war. DON'T GET CLOSE TO PEOPLE WHO ARE GOING TO DIE. Sometimes youcan't help it.

You hear vets use the term "buddy" when they refer to a guy they spent the war with. Me and this buddy a mine . . ""Friend" sounds too intimate, doesn't it. "Friend" calls up images of being close. If he's a friend, then you are going to be hurt if he dies, and war hurts enough without adding to the pain. Get close; get hurt. It's as simple as that.In war you learn to keep people at that distance my wife talks about. You become so good at it, that twenty years after the war, you still do it without thinking. You won't allow yourself to be vulnerable again.

My wife knows two people who can get into the soft spots inside me. My daughters I know it probably bothers her that they can do this. It's not that I don't love my wife, I do. She's put up with a lot from me. She'll tell you that when she signed on for better or worse she had no idea there was going to be so much of the latter. But with my daughters it's different.

My girls are mine. They'll always be my kids. Not marriage, not distance, not even death can change that. They are something on this earth that can never be taken away from me. I belong to them. Nothing can change that. I can have an ex-wife; but my girls can never have an ex-father. There's the difference.I can still see the faces, though they all seem to have the same eyes. When I think of us I always see a line of "dirty grunts" sitting on a paddy dike. We're caught in the first gray silver between darkness and light. That first moment when we know we've survived another night, and the business of staying alive for one more day is about to begin.

There was so much hope in that brief space of time. It's what we used to pray for. "One more day, God. One more day."And I can hear our conversatioins as if they'd only just been spoken I still hear the way we sounded, the hard cynical jokes, our morbid senses of humor. We were scared to death of dying, and trying our best not to show it.

I recall the smells, too. Like the way cordite hangs on the air after a fire-fight. Or the pungent odor of rice paddy mud. So different from the black dirt of Iowa. The mud of Nam smells ancient, somehow. Like it's always been there.

And I'll never forget the way blood smells, stick and drying on my hands. I spent a long night that way once. That memory isn't going anywhere.I remember how the night jungle appears almost dream like as the pilot of a Cessna buzzes overhead, dropping parachute flares until morning. That artifical sun would flicker and make shadows run through the jungle. It was worse than not being able to see what was out there sometimes.

I remember once looking at the man next to me as a flare floated overhead. The shadows around his eyes were so deep that it looked like his eyes were gone. I reached over and touched him on the arm; without looking at me he touched my hand. "I know man. I know." That's what he said. It was a human moment. Two guys a long way from home and scared sh"tless. “I know man" And at that moment he did.

God I loved those guys. I hurt every time one of them died. We all did. Despite our posturing. Despite our desire to stay disconnected, we couldn't help ourselves. I know why Tim O'Brien writes his stories. I know what gives Bruce Weigle the words to create poems so honest I cry at their horrible beauty. It's love. Love for those guys we shared the experience with.

We did our jobs like good soldiers, and we tried our best not to become as hard as our surroundings. We touched each other and said, "I know." Like a mother holding a child in the middle of a nightmare, "It's going to be all right." We tried not to lose touch with our humanity. We tried to walk that line. To be the good boys our parents had raised and not to give into that unnamed thing we knew was inside us all.

You want to know what frightening is? It's a nineteen-year-old-boy who's had a sip of that power over life and death that war gives you. It's a boy who, despite all the things he's been taught, knows that he likes it.

It's a nineteen-year-old who's just lost a friend, and is angry and scared and, determined that, "Some *@#*s gonna pay" To this day, the thought of that boy can wake me from a sound sleep and leave me staring at the ceiling.

As I write this, I have a picture in from of me. It's of two young men. On their laps are tablets. One is smoking a cigarette. Both stare without expression at the camera. They're writing letters. Staying in touch with places they would rather be. Places and eople they hope to see again.

The picture shares space in a frame with one of my wife. She doesn't mind. She knows she's been included in special company. She knows I'll always love those guys who shared thatr part of my life, a part she never can. And she understands how I feel about the ones I know are out there yet. The ones who still answer the question, "When were you in Vietnam?"

"Hey, man. I was there just last night."

Moral Clarity in Gaza

2009-01-08T19:02:00.000-08:00

Moral Clarity in Gaza
by Charles Krauthammer

Hamas has only one grievance: Israel's very existence.

Late Saturday, thousands of Gazans received Arabic-language cell-phone messages from the
Israeli military, urging them to leave homes where militants might have stashed weapons. --
Associated Press, Dec. 27

Some geopolitical conflicts are morally complicated. The Israel-Gaza war is not. It possesses a
moral clarity not only rare but excruciating. Israel is so scrupulous about civilian life that, risking the element of surprise, it contacts enemy noncombatants in advance to warn them of approaching danger. Hamas, which started this conflict with unrelenting rocket and mortar attacks on unarmed Israelis -- 6,464 launched from Gaza in the past three years -- deliberately places its weapons in and near the homes of its own people.

This has two purposes. First, counting on the moral scrupulousness of Israel, Hamas figures
civilian proximity might help protect at least part of its arsenal. Second, knowing that Israelis
have new precision weapons that may allow them to attack nonetheless, Hamas hopes that
inevitable collateral damage -- or, if it is really fortunate, an errant Israeli bomb -- will kill large
numbers of its own people for which, of course, the world will blame Israel.

For Hamas, the only thing more prized than dead Jews are dead Palestinians. The religion of
Jew-murder and self-martyrdom is ubiquitous. And deeply perverse, such as the Hamas TV
children's program in which an adorable live-action Palestinian Mickey Mouse is beaten to
death by an Israeli (then replaced by his more militant cousin, Nahoul the Bee, who vows to
continue on Mickey's path to martyrdom).

At war today in Gaza, one combatant is committed to causing the most civilian pain and
suffering on both sides. The other combatant is committed to saving as many lives as possible
-- also on both sides. It's a recurring theme. Israel gave similar warnings to Southern Lebanese
villagers before attacking Hezbollah in the Lebanon war of 2006. The Israelis did this knowing
it would lose for them the element of surprise and cost the lives of their own soldiers.

That is the asymmetry of means between Hamas and Israel. But there is equal clarity
regarding the asymmetry of ends. Israel has but a single objective in Gaza -- peace: the calm,
open, normal relations it offered Gaza when it withdrew in 2005. Doing something never done
by the Turkish, British, Egyptian and Jordanian rulers of Palestine, the Israelis gave the
Palestinians their first sovereign territory ever in Gaza.

What ensued? This is not ancient history. Did the Palestinians begin building the state that is
supposedly their great national aim? No. No roads, no industry, no courts, no civil society at
all. The flourishing greenhouses that Israel left behind for the Palestinians were destroyed and
abandoned.

Instead, Gaza's Iranian-sponsored rulers have devoted all their resources to turning it into a terror base -- importing weapons, training terrorists, building tunnels with which
to kidnap Israelis on the other side. And of course firing rockets unceasingly.

The grievance? It cannot be occupation, military control or settlers. They were all removed in
September 2005. There's only one grievance and Hamas is open about it. Israel's very
existence.

Nor does Hamas conceal its strategy. Provoke conflict. Wait for the inevitable civilian
casualties. Bring down the world's opprobrium on Israel. Force it into an untenable cease-fire --
exactly as happened in Lebanon. Then, as in Lebanon, rearm, rebuild and mobilize for the next
round. Perpetual war. Since its raison d'etre is the eradication of Israel, there are only two
possible outcomes: the defeat of Hamas or the extinction of Israel.

Israel's only response is to try to do what it failed to do after the Gaza withdrawal. The
unpardonable strategic error of its architect, Ariel Sharon, was not the withdrawal itself but the
failure to immediately establish a deterrence regime under which no violence would be
tolerated after the removal of any and all Israeli presence -- the ostensible justification for
previous Palestinian attacks. Instead, Israel allowed unceasing rocket fire, implicitly
acquiescing to a state of active war and indiscriminate terror.

Hamas's rejection of an extension of its often-violated six-month cease-fire (during which the
rockets never stopped, just were less frequent) gave Israel a rare opportunity to establish the
norm it should have insisted upon three years ago: no rockets, no mortar fire, no kidnapping,
no acts of war. As the U.S. government has officially stated: a sustainable and enduring ceasefire.
If this fighting ends with anything less than that, Israel will have lost yet another war. The
question is whether Israel still retains the nerve -- and the moral self-assurance -- to win.

This article originally appeared in the Washington Post.

This article can also be read at: http://www.aish.com/jewishissues/middleeast/Moral_Clarity_in_Gaza.asp
Copyright © 1995 - 2009 Aish.com - http://www.aish.com
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"Crash Course on the Arab Israeli Conflict."

2009-01-08T11:20:00.000-08:00

BRIEF FACTS ON THE ISRAELI CONFLICT TODAY.... ( It takes just 1.5 minutes to speed read!!!! ) It makes sense and it's not slanted. Jew and non-Jew -- it doesn't matter.

1. Nationhood and Jerusalem. Israel became a nation in 1312 BC, Two thousand years before the rise of Islam.

2. Arab refugees in Israel began identifying themselves as part of a Palestinian people in 1967, two decades after the establishment of the modern State of Israel.

3. Since the Jewish conquest in 1272 BC, the Jews have had dominion over the land for one thousand years with a continuous presence in the land forthe past 3,300 years.

4. The only Arab dominion since the conquest in 635 AD lasted no more than 22 years.

5. For over 3,300 years, Jerusalem has been the Jewish capital. Jerusalem has never been the capital of any Arab or Muslim entity. Even when the Jordanians occupied Jerusalem, they never sought to make it their capital, and Arab leaders did not come to visit.

6. Jerusalem is mentioned over 700 times in Tanach, the Jewish Holy Scriptures. Jerusalem is not mentioned once in the Koran.

7. King David founded the city of Jerusalem. Mohammed never came toJerusalem.

8. Jews pray facing Jerusalem. Muslims pray with their backs toward Jerusalem.

9. Arab and Jewish Refugees: in 1948 the Arab refugees were encouraged to leave Israel by Arab leaders promising to purge the land of Jews. Sixty-eight percent left without ever seeing an Israeli soldier.

10 The Jewish refugees were forced to flee from Arab lands due to Arab brutality, persecution and pogroms.

11. The number of Arab refugees who left Israel in 1948 is estimated to bearound 630,000. The number of Jewish refugees from Arab lands is estimated to be the same.

12. Arab refugees were INTENTIONALLY not absorbed or integrated into the Arab lands to which they fled, despite the vast Arab territory. Out of the 100,000,000 refugees since World War II, theirs is the only refugee group in the world that has never been absorbed or integrated into their own people's lands. Jewish refugees were completely absorbed into Israel, a country no larger than the state of New Jersey.

13. The Arab-Israeli Conflict: the Arabs are represented by eight separate nations, not including the Palestinians. There is only one Jewish nation. The Arab nations initiated all five wars and lost. Israel defended itself each time and won.

14. The PLO's Charter still calls for the destruction of the State of Israel. Israel has given the Palestinians most of the West Bank land, autonomy under the Palestinian Authority, and has supplied them.

15. Under Jordanian rule, Jewish holy sites were desecrated and the Jews were denied access to places of worship. Under Israeli rule, all Muslim and Christian sites have been preserved and made accessible to people of all faiths.

16. The UN Record on Israel and the Arabs: of the 175 Security Council resolutions passed before 1990, 97 were directed against Israel.

17. Of the 690 General Assembly resolutions voted on before 1990, 429 were directed against Israel.

18. The UN was silent while 58 Jerusalem Synagogues were destroyed by the Jordanians.

19. The UN was silent while the Jordanians systematically desecrated the ancient Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives.

20. The UN was silent while the Jordanians enforced an apartheid-like policy of preventing Jews from visiting the Temple Mount and the Western Wall.

These are incredible times. We have to ask what our role should be. What will we tell our grandchildren about we did when there was a turning point in Jewish destiny, an opportunity to make a difference?

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: 2009-01-03

2009-01-03T13:00:00.000-08:00

If you can't be a good example then you'll just have to be a terrible warning.

Catherine Aird

Defending Israel's Operations In Gaza

2008-12-31T10:03:00.000-08:00

HonestReporting.com
A quick guide to some of the big issues.

This week, Israeli warplanes pounded Hamas strongholds in the Gaza Strip. The goal of the operation is to strike a major blow to Hamas's terror infrastructure and the ability of Hamas and its allied organizations to launch missiles and mortar shells at Israeli citizens and execute terror attacks of various kinds, such as kidnapping Israeli civilians.

As casualties mount, media coverage of the fighting will form public opinion, ultimately determining Israel's ability to complete the necessary operation. Following is a quick guide to some of the big issues.

Why is Israel bombing Gaza when innocent civilians are being killed?
Israel never targets civilians. The death of innocent civilians is regrettable under any circumstances and every effort is made to avoid civilian casualties. That imperative must be balanced with the need to protect Israeli civilians, who suffer from ongoing attacks from Gaza. But while the Palestinians fire Kassam rockets indiscriminately into Israeli territory, Israel launches pinpoint strikes at Hamas infrastructure. Prior to launching any large-scale attacks, Israel spent many months identifying Hamas' strongholds and training facilities. The Israeli Air Force also managed to hit "secret" targets such as underground missile launchers and arms catches -- a testament to Israel's great effort to ensure that air strikes weaken Hamas without harming innocent Palestinians.

Israel does not want a humanitarian crisis, and Hamas is the cause of the suffering and distress of the population there.

Unfortunately, Hamas has never shown the same level of concern for either Israeli or Palestinian civilians. On one hand, Hamas has fired thousands of missiles into Israeli territory, killing and wounding hundreds.

On the other hand, rather than seeking the well-being of the Palestinians under its control in Gaza, Hamas has exploited its civilian population -- and Israel's reluctance to cause civilian casualties -- by placing non-combatants in and around areas likely to be targeted by Israel. Hamas brings women and children up to the roofs of buildings housing terrorist activity in an attempt to prevent air strikes; it sends civilians to the line of fire; it works out of schools and mosques; it fires rockets out of crowded population centers; and it sends Palestinian mothers to murder Israeli children in suicide attacks.

In addition, many of Hamas' arms smuggling tunnels are hidden beneath the homes of Palestinian civilians.

This cynical use of human shields is illegal under international law and the cause of many needless Palestinian deaths. Therefore, the responsibility for Palestinian civilian casualties lies with Hamas, not Israel.

The number of Palestinians casualties is much higher. Isn't that proof of Israeli wrongdoing?
The reason that Israel suffers less casualties is because it has a superior army, and has spent millions of dollars on civil defense infrastructure (neighborhood bomb shelters, reinforced concrete playgrounds for children, etc.).

Also, Israeli hospitals are well-equipped to handle the wounded. Not just Jews, but Gazans, too! In Ashkelon's Barzilai Hospital, "dozens of Gaza Arabs are being treated... at the same time terrorists are bombarding the city." ("Israeli Hospital Cares for Sick and Injured Gaza Arabs," by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu, Israel National News, December 29, 2008)

By contrast, in the Gaza hospitals, "armed Hamas militants in civilian clothes roamed the halls" where they shot and killed other Palestinians. ("No Early End Seen to 'All-Out War' on Hamas in Gaza," by Ethan Bronner and Taghreed El-Khodary, New York Times, December 29, 2008)
Shockingly, Hamas is not even allowing wounded Palestinians access to medical treatment. "We are waiting for the wounded Palestinians to cross. They are not being allowed to cross," Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit told reporters. Asked who was to blame, he said: "Ask the party in control on the ground in Gaza." ("Egypt: Hamas denying Gaza wounded treatment in Egypt," by Alaa Shahine, Reuters, December 28, 2008)

It is absurd to assign the "moral high-ground" to he who suffers the most causalities. By this yardstick, during World War Two the Axis forces would be considered the "victims" against the Allied "aggressors."

Isn't Israel's operation a violation of the Hamas truce?
Hamas is responsible for the situation, since it violated the calm, is firing against and attacking Israeli citizens, and is investing all its resources in arming itself and gathering power.

The truce brokered by Egypt was exploited by Hamas not only to employ terror against Israel's citizens, but also to gain strength and massively arm itself with the intention of increasing their capacity for terror and expanding the range of the threat against Israeli citizens. Hamas men were being smuggled out and were being trained in Iran and Syria.

Hamas shoots harmless, homemade rockets, and Israel responds with fighter jets and precision-guided missiles. Isn't that excessive force?
The Palestinians have long cultivated an image of victimhood to win world sympathy and demand Israeli restraint in the face of Palestinian aggression. In reality, the Palestinians' so-called "primitive" Kassam rocket has killed and wounded hundreds of Israeli civilians. The number of casualties would be even higher without Israeli security measures such as early-warning alarms in areas under rocket threat that allow Israelis to escape into bomb shelters. Hamas has also fired medium-range Grad-type Katyusha rockets, placing more than 250,000 Israeli civilians under direct threat of rocket fire.

Given the Palestinian fire power and their willingness to use it, it is clear that the charge of "excessive force" is simply the latest incarnation of the Palestinian strategy of "victimhood." Terror groups fire indiscriminately at innocent Israelis and then complain of excessive or disproportionate force when Israel fires back. But according to internationally accepted laws of war, Israel is permitted to respond with the force necessary to end the conflict.

It is also important to examine the intent behind the use of weapons. Palestinian terrorists do everything in their power to hurt or kill as many Israeli civilians as possible; Israel is using its advanced weaponry to protect Palestinian civilians from harm.

Isn't Hamas entitled to defend its territory against Israeli occupation?
Israel withdrew completely from the Gaza Strip in 2005, uprooting thousands of its own citizens in order to uphold internationally-recognized borders in Gaza. The Palestinians have no further territorial claims against Israel in Gaza. But instead of working to improve the quality of life for its citizens, Hamas has focused on improving the range and accuracy of its Kassam missiles and mortars and increasing its store of weapons. The Palestinian rockets, therefore, can only be seen as aggression against Israel with no moral basis.

Palestinians have fired more than 6,000 rockets and mortars into Israel since the Israeli withdrawal -- all without provocation. The rocket fire even continued during the six-months of "calm" in the Gaza area that ended last Friday. Since then, Hamas stepped up rocket fire substantially, launching 170 rockets at Israel over eight days, an average of more than 20 rockets a day.

No country in the world would allow this type of onslaught against its citizens. As President-elect Barack Obama said during his visit to the rocket-battered town of Sderot five months ago, "If someone was sending rockets into my house where my two daughters sleep at night, I would do everything to stop that, and would expect Israel to do the same thing."

Isn't Hamas the democratically-elected government in Gaza? Why is Israel trying to overthrow it?
Hamas promotes itself as the legitimate power in Gaza. In reality, Hamas is at its core a terrorist organization that refuses to renounce violence or recognize Israel's right to exist. Hamas is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union.

Hamas came to power in Gaza through a violent coup against the Palestinian Authority government. The international community continues to recognize the PA, under the leadership of Mahmoud Abbas, as the legitimate Palestinian government in the Palestinian territories. At the same time Israel is fighting terror, the government is deliberately and openly maintaining a political process with the Palestinian government Abbas. Hamas opposes these negotiations and any settlement with Israel, and constitutes an unstable element in the region.

Hamas steadfastly refuses to recognize Israel and continues to launch attacks on its neighbor. Since Hamas refuses to live in peace with Israel, the Israeli government has no choice but to seek Hamas' replacement.

View a short video on the current media coverage.

Foreign Ministry messages from Herb Keinon / Jerusalem Post

Thanksgiving--1863

2008-11-23T09:15:00.000-08:00

Lincoln's Thanksgiving Proclamation by Abraham Lincoln

I do therefore invite my fellow-citizens... to set apart... a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens.

Washington, DC, October 3, 1863

The year that is drawing toward its close has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added which are of so extraordinary a nature that they can not fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever-watchful providence of Almighty God.

In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign states to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere, except in the theater of military conflict, while that theater has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union.

Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defense have not arrested the plow, the shuttle, or the ship; the ax has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well as the iron and coal as of our precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege, and the battlefield, and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom.

No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.

It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently, and gratefully acknowledged, as with one heart and one voice, by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow-citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners, or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the imposition of the Almighty hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it, as soon as may be consistent with the divine purpose, to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility, and union.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the city of Washington, this 3d day of October, A.D. 1863, and of the Independence of the United States the eighty-eighth.

Abraham Lincoln

By the President:

William H. Seward,
Secretary of State.

Understanding Obama

2008-11-18T10:52:00.000-08:00

Understanding Obama: The Making of a Fuehrer
By Ali Sina

I must confess I was not impressed by Sen. Barack Obama from the first time I saw him. At first I was excited to see a black candidate. He looked youthful, spoke well, appeared to be confident - a wholesome presidential package. I was put off soon, not just because of his shallowness but also because there was an air of haughtiness in his demeanor that was unsettling. His posture and his body language were louder than his empty words. Obama's speeches are unlike any political speech we have heard in American history. Never has a politician in this land had such a quasi- "religious" impact on so many people. The fact that Obama is a total enigma with zero accomplishments, makes this inexplicable infatuation alarming. Obama is not an ordinary man. He is not a genius. In fact he is quite ignorant on most important subjects. Barack Obama is a narcissist. Dr. Sam Vaknin, the author of "Malignant Self Love," also believes, "Barack Obama appears to be a narcissist."

Vaknin is a world authority on narcissism. He understands narcissism and describes the inner mind of a narcissist like no other person. When he talks about narcissism everyone listens. Vaknin says that Obama's language, posture and demeanor, and the testimonies of his closest, dearest and nearest, suggest that the Senator is either a narcissist or he may have narcissistic personality disorder (NPD). Narcissists project a grandiose but false image of themselves. Jim Jones, the charismatic leader of People's Temple, the man who led over 900 of his followers to cheerfully commit mass suicide and even murder their own children was also a narcissist. David Koresh, Charles Manson, Joseph Koni, Shoko Asahara, Stalin, Saddam, Mao, Kim Jong Ill and Adolph Hitler are a few examples of narcissists of our time. All these men had a tremendous influence over their fanciers. They created a personality cult around themselves and with their blazing speeches elevated their admirers' souls, filled their hearts with enthusiasm and instilled in their minds a new zest for life. They gave them hope! They promised them the moon, but alas, invariably they brought them to their doom. When you are a victim of a cult of personality, you don't know it until it is too late.

One determining factor in the development of NPD is childhood abuse. "Obama's early life was decidedly chaotic and replete with traumatic and mentally bruising dislocations," says Vaknin. "Mixed-race marriages were even less common then. His parents went through a divorce when he was an infant (two years old). Obama saw his father only once again, before he died in a car accident. Then his mother re-married and Obama had to relocate to Indonesia, a foreign land with a radically foreign culture, to be raised by a stepfather. At the age of ten, he was whisked off to live with his maternal (white) grandparents. He saw his mother only intermittently in the following few years and then she vanished from his life in 1979. She died of cancer in 1995.

One must never underestimate the manipulative genius of pathological narcissists. They project such an imposing personality that it overwhelms those around them. Charmed by the charisma of the narcissist, people become like clay in his hands. They cheerfully do his bidding and delight to be at his service. The narcissist shapes the world around himself and reduces others in his own inverted image. He creates a cult of personality. His admirers become his co-dependents.

Narcissists have no interest in things that do not help them reach their personal objective. They are focused on one thing alone, and that is power. All other issues are meaningless to them, and they do not want to waste their precious time on trivialities. Anything that does not help them is beneath them and does not deserve their attention. If an issue raised in the Senate does not help Obama in one way or another, he has no interest in it. The "present" vote is a safe vote. No one can criticize him if things go wrong. Why should he implicate himself in issues that may become controversial when they don't help him personally? Those issues are unworthy by their very nature, because they are not about him.

Obama's election as the first black president of the Harvard Law Review led to a contract and advance to write a book about race relations. The University of Chicago Law School provided him with a fellowship and an office to work on his book. The book took him a lot longer than expected and at the end it devolved intoŠ, guess what? His own autobiography! Instead of writing a scholarly paper focusing on race relations, for which he had been paid, Obama could not resist writing about his most sublime self. He entitled the book "Dreams of My Father."

Not surprisingly, Adolph Hitler also wrote his own autobiography when he was still nobody. So did Stalin. For a narcissist, no subject is as important as his own self. Why would he waste his precious time and genius writing about insignificant things when he can write about such an august being as himself?

Narcissists are often callous and even ruthless. As the norm, they lack conscience. This is evident from Obama's lack of interest in his own brother who lives on only one dollar per month, or his aunt, who is in the U.S. illegally and lives in subsidized housing in Boston. A man who lives in luxury, who takes a private jet to vacation in Hawaii, and who has raised nearly half a billion dollars for his campaign (something unprecedented in history) has no interest in the plight of his own brother or aunt. Why? Because his neither can be used for his ascent to power. A narcissist cares for no one but himself.

This election is like no other in the history of America. The issues are insignificant compared to what is at stake. What can be more dangerous than having a man bereft of conscience, a serial liar, and one who cannot distinguish his fantasies from reality as the leader of the free world? I hate to sound alarmist, but one must be a fool if one is not alarmed. Many politicians are narcissists. They pose no threat to others. They are simply self serving and selfish. Obama evinces symptoms of pathological narcissism, which is different from the run-of-the-mill narcissism of a Richard Nixon or a Bill Clinton, for example. To him, reality and fantasy are intertwined. This is a mental health issue, not just a character flaw. Pathological narcissists are dangerous because they look normal and even intelligent. It is this disguise that makes them treacherous.

Today the Democrats have placed all their hopes in Obama. But this man could put an end to their party. The great majority of blacks have also decided to vote for Obama. Only a fool does not know that their support for him is racially driven.

Let's be honest. This is racism, pure and simple. The truth is that while everyone carries a misconceived collective guilt towards blacks for wrongs done by a bygone people to a bygone people, blacks carry a collective rancor, enmity or vendetta towards non-blacks and to this day want to "stand up" to the white man. They seem to be stuck in the last two centuries. The downside of this is that if Obama turns out to be the disaster I predict, he will cause widespread resentment among whites. Blacks are unlikely to give up their support of their man. Cultic mentality is pernicious and unrelenting. They will dig their heads deeper in the sand and blame Obama's detractors of racism. This will cause a backlash among whites. White supremacists will take advantage of the discontent and they will receive widespread support. I predict that in less than four years, racial tensions will increase to levels never seen since the turbulent 1960s. Obama will set the clock back decades.

America is the bastion of freedom. The peace of the world depends on the strength of America, and its weakness translates into the triumph of terrorism and victory of rogue nations. It is no wonder that Ahmadinejad, Hugo Chavez, the Castros, Hezbollah, Hamas, the lawyers of the Guantanamo terrorists, and virtually all sworn enemies of America are so thrilled by the prospect of their man in the White House. America is on the verge of destruction. There is no insanity greater than electing a pathological narcissist as president.

White Guilt is Dead

2008-11-12T11:24:00.000-08:00

WHITE GUILT IS DEAD

By Tom Adkins

Look at my fellow conservatives! There they go, glumly shuffling along, depressed by the election aftermath. Not me. I'm virtually euphoric. Don't get me wrong. I'm not thrilled with America's flirtation with neo socialism. But there's a massive silver lining in those magical clouds that lofted Barak Obama to the Presidency. For today, without a shred of intellectually legitimate opposition, I can loudly proclaim to America: The Era of White Guilt is over.

This seemingly impossible event occurred because the vast majority of white Americans didn't give a fluff about skin color, and enthusiastically pulled the voting lever for a black man. Not just any black man. A very liberal black man who spent his early career race-hustling banks, praying in a racist church for 20 years, and actively worked with America-hating domestic terrorists. Wow! Some resume! Yet they made Barak Obama their leader. Therefore, as of Nov 4th, 2008, white guilt is dead.

For over a century, the millstone of white guilt hung around our necks, retribution for slave-owning predecessors. In the 60s, American liberals began yanking that millstone while sticking a fork in the eye of black Americans, exacerbating the racial divide to extort a socialist solution. But if a black man can become President, exactly what significant barrier is left? The election of Barak Obama absolutely destroys the entire validation of liberal white guilt. The dragon is hereby slain.

So today, I'm feeling a little "uppity," if you will. From this day forward, my tolerance level for having my skin color hustled is now exactly ZERO. And it's time to clean house. No more Reverend Wright's "God Damn America," Al Sharpton's Church of Perpetual Victimization, or Jesse Jackson's rainbow racism. Cornell West? You're a fraud. Go home. All those "black studies" programs that taught kids to hate whitey? You must now thank Whitey. And I want that on the final.

Congressional Black Caucus? Irrelevant. Maxine Waters? Shut up. ACORN? Outlawed. Black Panthers? Go home and pet your kitty. Black separatists? Find another nation that offers better dreams. Go ahead. I'm waiting.

Gangsta rappers? Start praising America. Begin with the Pledge of Allegiance. And please…no more Ebonics. Speak English, and who knows where you might end up? Oh, yeah…pull up your pants. Your underwear is showing. You look stupid.

To those Eurosnots who forged entire careers hating America? I'm still waiting for the first black French President.

And let me offer an equal opportunity whupping. I've always despised lazy white people. Now, I can talk smack about lazy black people. You're poor because you quit school, did drugs, had three kids with three different fathers, and refuse to work. So when you plop your Colt 45-swilling, Oprah watchin' butt on the couch and complain "Da Man is keepin' me down," allow me to inform you: Da Man is now black. You have no excuses.

No more quotas. No more handouts. No more stealing my money because someone's great-great-great-great grandparents suffered actual pain and misery at the hands of people I have no relation to, and personally revile.

It's time to toss that massive, obsolete race-hustle machine upon the heap of the other stupid 60s ideas. Drag it over there, by wife swapping, next to dope-smoking. Plenty of room right between free love and cop-killing. Careful…don't trip on streaking. There ya go, don't be gentle. Just dump it. Wash your hands. They are filthy.

In fact, Obama's ascension created a gargantuan irony. How can you sell class envy and American unfairness when you and your black wife went to Ivy League schools, got high-paying jobs, became millionaires, bought a mansion, and got elected President? How unfair is that??? Now, Like a delicious O'Henry tale, Obama's spread-the-wealth campaign rendered itself moot by it's own victory! America is officially a meritocracy. Obama's election has validated American conservatism!

So, listen carefully…Wham!!!

That's the sound of my foot kicking the door shut on the era of white guilt. The rites have been muttered, the carcass lowered, dirt shoveled, and tombstone erected. White guilt is dead and buried.

However, despite my glee, there's apparently one small, rabid bastion of American racism remaining. Black Americans voted 96% for Barak Obama. Hmmm. In a color-blind world, shouldn't that be 50-50? Tonight, every black person should ask forgiveness for their apparent racism and prejudice towards white people. Maybe it's time to start spreading the guilt around.

Tom Adkins is the publisher of CommonConservative.com

Question and Answer

2008-04-25T07:13:00.000-07:00

Posted By Pat Haruff on Yahoo Group "Homeowners of Sunland Village" 4/22/08

It just keeps climbing, yesterday it was $117 a barrel.

Maybe there will be a positive result to all of this....for years there has been talk about employees being able to do their jobs from home by computers, faxes,phone, etc but mostly nothing has been done.

Maybe this crisis will force corporations to evaluate the situation and just maybe there will finally be less cars on the freeway and that would also save tax money as we would have no need to build more freeways!

What do you think????

Pat Haruff
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My Answer, Tue., April 22, 2008

This is a complex issue. The price of a barrel of oil is partly a factor of demand and partly a factor of international currency rates. The drop in the dollar is as much to blame for the price of oil as is demand (ie Consumption) and production limitations (ie OPECholding back production to create increased cost.)

The issue of telecommuting employees is also a complex issue. Many corporations already allow selected employess to telecommute, jobshare, and other alternatives to the "Drive to the Office." But only so many jobs lend themselves to the telecommute. And, if we stop Manufacturing job losses to foreign companies, on foreign soil, and those jobs come back to the USA, those jobs cannot be telecommuted.

However, Americans are in love with their cars, and their cars are big guzzlers of gas. Ever notice how empty the HOV lanes are? Well hardly anyone car pools. Lite Rail will not solve the problem either. Since Lite Rail was approved, thousands of new homes have been constructed all over the valley making lite rail a non-issue. Urban planning in the Valley has always been sideways looking to solve problems of the moment, not forward looking to solve problems of the future. Solutions to high energy prices have to have complex solutions to these complex problems. Jobs, currency values, housing, banking and finance are problem areas that can be fixed with laws and policies.

Attitudes, about cars, commuting, and work, are impossible to legislate and will require a generation, or more, to change, maybe more. Taking a few, even many cars off the road will only work if we stop the insane building of super communities like Anthem. When you take 5,000 cars off the road and build 100,000+ new homes in Florence, you end up with 200,000 new gas guzzlers to contend with even if they don't drive more than 10 miles to work or recreation.

David Talbot

Bush to Carter: Go To Hell

2008-04-18T08:20:00.000-07:00

Bush to Appoint Jimmy Carter Ambassador to Hell
By Scott Ott for ScrappleFace(2008-04-15)

As former President Jimmy Carter meets this week with Hamas leaders in the West Bank and Syria, sources at the State Department say President George Bush will soon honor Mr. Carter’s decades of freelance diplomacy by appointing him as the first U.S. Ambassador to Hell.

“Bush just wants Carter to go there,” said an unnamed State Department source, “and to set up an embassy, and try to be a good listener, open a communication channel, find common ground.”

Mr. Carter has said his discussions with prominent Hamas member Nasser al-Shaer today and with the group’s exiled leader Khaled Mashaal on Friday will seek to discover areas of flexibility on the part of the terrorist organization which exists to destroy Israel.

Mr. Bush reportedly chose Mr. Carter as U.S. Ambassador to Hell because it’s a post that will allow the aging former president “to just keep on doing what he’s been doing on the foreign relations front for many years.”

America, Then and Now

2008-03-24T16:47:00.000-07:00

I received this from a neighbor CE, and asked for comments from a group of friends and former colleagues. Here's the article, comments follow:
------------------------------------------------
Everyone has a different opinion on the war and our current President. But this article probably makes sense to some of you who remember. Read it and give it some thought.

What a difference 60 years makes..!!! President Bush did make a bad mistake in the war on terrorism. But the mistake was not his decision to go to war in Iraq. Bush's mistake came in his belief that this country is the same one his father fought for in WWII.

It is not. Back then, they had just come out of a vicious depression. The country was steeled by the hardship of that depression, but they still believed fervently in this country. They knew that the people had elected their leaders, so it was the people's duty to back those leaders. Therefore, when the war broke out the people came together, rallied behind, and stuck with their leaders, whether they had voted for them or not or whether the war was going badly or not. And war was just as distasteful and the anguish just as great then as it is today. Often there were more casualties in one day in WWII than we have had in the entire Iraq war. But that did not matter the people stuck with the President because it was their patriotic duty.

Americans put aside their differences in WWII and worked together to win that war. Everyone from every strata of society, from young to old pitched in. Small children pulled little wagons around to gather scrap metal for the war effort. Grade school students saved their pennies to buy stamps for war bonds to help the effort. Men who were too old or medically 4F lied about their age or condition trying their best to join the military. Women doubled their work to keep things going at home. Harsh rationing of everything from gasoline to soap, to butter was imposed, yet there was very little complaining. You never heard prominent people on the radio belittling the President.

Interestingly enough in those days there were no fat cat actors and entertainers who ran off to visit and fawn over dictators of hostile countries and complain to them about our President. Instead, they made up beat films and entertained our troops to help the troops' morale. And a bunch even enlisted.

And imagine this: Teachers in schools actually started the day off with a Pledge of Allegiance and with prayers for our country and our troops! Back then, no newspaper would have dared point out certain weak spots in our cities where bombs could be set off to cause the maximum damage. No newspaper would have dared complain about what we were doing to catch spies.
A newspaper would have been laughed out of existence if it had complained that German or Japanese soldiers were being 'tortured' being forced to wear women's underwear, or subjected to interrogation by a woman, or being scared by a dog or did not have air conditioning.

There were a lot of things different back then. We were not subjected to a constant bombardment of pornography, perversion and promiscuity in movies or on radio. We did not have legions of crack heads, dope pushers and armed gangs roaming our streets.

No, President Bush did not make a mistake in his handling of terrorism. He made the mistake of believing that we still had the courage and fortitude of our fathers. He believed that this was still the country that our fathers fought so dearly to preserve. It is not the same country. It is now a cross between Sodom and Gomorrah and the Land of Oz.

We did unite for a short while after 9/11, but our attitude changed when we found out that defending our country would require some sacrifices.

We are in great danger. The terrorists are fanatic Muslims. They believe that it is okay, even their duty to kill anyone who will not convert to Islam. It has been estimated that about one third or over three hundred million Muslims are sympathetic to the terrorists cause...Hitler and Tojo combined did not have nearly that many potential recruits.

So...we either win it - or lose it - and you ain't gonna like losing. America is not at war. The military is at war. America is at the mall.

Comment 1: By KL.....
I couldnt agree more David. Our country has become fat and lazy. 911 woke them up a little, but it was no time till they went back to sleep. God help us if they dont wake up soon. This war will never be over, and we need to be the ones that choose the field of battle, if we dont, they will.Communism is Micky Mouse compared to Islam. I have read their "devils book", and there is no compromise with them. My opinion.....k

Comment 2: By.....JT
When we went to war against Japan on December 8, 1941, it was in response to their attack against the U. S. Naval Base, Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, then a territory of the United States. This was a direct attack on our own naval facility, where American lives were lost, not to mention something like a third of our entire navy materiel. There was no question about who had attacked us and that it was real war.

When the United States went to war against Iraq, some people thought it was in retaliation against the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the twin towers in New York City. However, all but four of the terrorists who attacked on that day were not Iraqi's. They were Saudi Arabians! Why in the world do we wage war against a nation against whom we had practically no beef?

Then, when people began to question the president's judgement, he said the war was because the Iraqi's had weapons of mass destruction. We found that not to be true as well. Iraq is not an oil trading partner of the United States. So, I ask again...why are we sending our young people to Iraq to fight and lose their lives there - nearly 4,000 to date?

I do not have the answer to that question, unless the answer is to devastate a generation of our youth or to waste vast sums of our money. Oh, the next comment we hear is that Osama Bin Laden is hiding in Iraq. Our soldiers are fighting in Afghanistan in order to find Osama there. As far as terrorist training bases, why would we attack Iraq when Russia, Syria and Romania are far more important players in that game?

The American people are not hearing the full truth. We need to bring our troops home. When a real enemy emerges, we need to deal with him at that time. Until then, we need to defend our own borders, support our troops, train them, rebuild our defenses and defend our country. It is not the business of the United States to make war around the world for everyone else.

Bless our troops. They have given unselfishly. Let us honor their bravery.

My response to JT......
Thank you for the reply and for your comments. Very thought provoking and very well written. Your list of countries providing training bases for terrorists could also include some countries in South and Central America. Here in our house we are also confused by the administrations pursuit of relations with China, North Korea, and Vietnam and yet we continue to ignore Cuba. At this point in history, Cuba today poses about as much a military threat to the United States as Andorra, Luxemburg, or Vatican City.

While I have serious concerns about the withdrawal of troops from Iraq right away, I agree that we are in a situation that we cannot possibly win. How we extricate our forces without a major civil war is going to take a great deal of finesse that is not readily apparent in this administration.

As for the number of soldiers killed in Iraq, more than 10 times that number of civilians are murdered here in the United States every year. Is that a rationale for remaining in in Iraq? No? I worry more about the flooded VA system, the devastation by the mismanagement our Reserves and National Guard forces, and fiscal mismanagement of military appropriations for the war.

The point of the article was to describe the differences in public and press attitudes between the 1940's and today. So far no one has mentioned how much opposition there was to our entry into WWII here in this country in the late 1930's and 1940's. My impression is that the article was not accurate, but the speed of news and the access to media is what is truely different today. In 1944, it took a long time to get an article from the front lines to the front page. Today, if a camel farts in Afghanistan, it's on You Tube in 30 minutes, in an email in 5 minutes, and around the world at the speed of light. (Sorry, I don't mean to be crude.)

Comment 3: By...........BW
My take on this is: a huge part of the problem with those not involved in the fight can go about their daily activities. No one sacrifices like it says below but more important, we’ve got all these fucking people that get everything for nothing, no contribution, effort to work-nothing. As long as we keep doling it out, they’re going to have their hands out.
BW

Comment 4: By.....JF
As the author says ......."There were a lot of things different back then."

For reasons, too many to list, many Americans have become very scheptical of their politicians, the President included, and therefore find it hard to believe all that they are told by them. The same thing goes for our media. I agree with the idea that we're being forced to confront fanatic Islamists, but I think it's harder for most people to see this group of people spread around the world as our "mortal enemies" versus the relatively localized Hitler and his Nazis or Tojo and his Japs and the atrocities they performed on a daily basis until they were defeated.

Comment 5: By.....BQ
Absolutely dead on—and heavy on the dead—the fear I have is that like your people, during hitlers rise, the majority of Americans have a belief that “it will all be ok”-“god wouldn’t let this happen” We need to be reminded by to 10s of millions who were slaughtered in NON-WAR action that “Man’s Inhumanity To Man” can never be underestimated when it comes to religion or race--bq

Additional Comments by......JT
I'm sorry to sound off on you. I just get really upset when I know 4,000 of our young folks have given their lives for a cause most of us probably don't understand.

Yes, you do bring up a good thought regarding U S relations with all the asian communist countries but not recognition of Cuba. Our congressman wants to recognize Cuba, but there seems to be a lot of Washington opposition for some reason. No clue from me about why, as I am also mystified........

I am aware that during 1938, 1939, and 1940 there was much anti-war sentiment in the United States not to become involved in Europe's business. The people really believed Woodrow Wilson's WWI would be "the war to end all wars" as he promised them. I have read many, many articles telling about how Roosevelt had promised Winston Churchill that the United States would enter the European theatre of the war but he needed a really good excuse as the people didn't support it. He created a "situation" with the Japanese through trade restrictions which, as history showed, culminated in their retaliation.

Communications are a true wonder, aren't they? You are right about the camel. Do you remember when having a telephone was a luxury?

Was Moses High On Drugs

2008-03-08T20:51:00.000-08:00

The following is my letter to the editor of the Jewish New of Phoenix, following publication of an article on Moses.

Dear Editor,

The article you printed in the March 7th edition under World Roundup, entitled “Was Moses High On Sinai?”, is a piece of complete fiction and totally flawed research. Why did you feel this article was worthy of your attention, let alone publication as “news”.

As my spiritual advisor, Rabbi Laibel Blotner (Chabad Mesa) asks the question, “Why not just say Moses did not exist?”

My PIT mentor, called his research flawed, the work of an ignoramus.

Rabbi Yuval Sherlow told Israel Radio: “The Bible is trying to convey a very profound event. We have to fear not for the fate of the biblical Moses, but for the fate of Science.”

Why not deny all the miracles HaShem demonstrated in Egypt and the 40 years in the desert, the parting of the sea, manna, and the miracle of the spring water? Why target the most significant leader in Jewish history?

Does this professor think all 611,000 witnesses present at Sinai were also on drugs? He paints a picture of some biblical Woodstock with every Hebrew man over 20 years old, stoned and seeing light after ingesting substances found in two plants in the Sinai Desert. After all, if Moses was on drugs all the males gathered would have to have been intoxicated as well, or they would have repudiated Moses accounts.

What you did not print was the following line from the article in “Time and Mind.” Shannon writes that he has, “partaken of the …brew about 160 times in various localities and contexts. On such occasions, one often feels that in seeing the light, one is encountering the ground of all Being….many identify this power as G_d, Shannon says.”

Do you know what you call a researcher who admits to taking hallucinogenic drugs 160 times? We call that person a drug addict. How nice that he’s teaching our children in Jerusalem. And how ignorant of you to give him the exposure he craves for his ridiculous “Research.”

Subject: The Americans With No Abilities Act (AWNAA)

2007-12-29T07:21:00.000-08:00

Sweeping Legislation that will definitely benefit many Americans The Americans With No Abilities Act (AWNAA)

WASHINGTON , DC - Congress is considering sweeping legislation which will provide new benefits for many Americans. The Americans WithNo Abilities Act (AWNAA) is being hailed as a major legislative goal by advocates of the millions of Americans who lack any real skills or ambition.

"Roughly 50 percent of Americans do not possess the competence and drive necessary to carve out a meaningful role for themselves in society," said California Senator Barbara Boxer. "We can no longer stand by and allow People of Inability to be ridiculed and passed over. With this legislation, employers will no longer be able to grant special favors to a small group of workers, simply because they have some idea of what they are doing."

In a Capitol Hill press conference, House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid pointed to the success of the U.S. Postal Service, which has a long-standing policy of providing opportunity without regard to performance. Approximately 74 percent of postal employees lack any job skills, making this agency the single largest U.S. employer of Persons of Inability.

Private-sector industries with good records of nondiscrimination against the Inept include retail sales (72%), the airline industry(68%), and home improvement "warehouse" stores (65%). At the state government level, the Department of Motor Vehicles also has a great record of hiring Persons of Inability (63%).

Under the Americans With No Abilities Act, more than 25 million"middle man" positions will be created, with important-sounding titles but little real responsibility, thus providing an illusory sense of purpose and performance. Mandatory non-performance-based raises and promotions will be given, to guarantee upward mobility for even the most unremarkable employees. The legislation provides substantial tax breaks to corporations that promote a significant number of Persons of Inability into middle-management positions, and gives a tax credit to small and medium-sized businesses that agree to hire one clueless worker for everytwo talented hires.

Finally, the AWNA Act contains tough new measures to make it more difficult to discriminate against the Nonabled--banning, for example, discriminatory interview questions such as "Do you have anyskills or experience which relate to this job?"

"As a Non-abled person, I can't be expected to keep up with people who have something going for them," said Mary Lou Gertz, who lost her position as a lug-nut twister at the GM plant in Flint, Michigan, due to her lack of any discernible job skills. "This new law should really help people like me." With the passage of this bill, Gertz and millions of other untalented citizens will finally see a light at theend of the tunnel.

Said Senator Ted Kennedy: "As a Senator With No Abilities, I believe the same privileges that elected officials enjoy ought to be extended to every American with no abilities. It is our duty as lawmakers to provide each and every American citizen, regardless of his or her adequacy, with some sort of space to take up in this great nation."

The Cost of Illegal Immigration

2007-12-26T06:56:00.000-08:00

It's time we wake up. Listening to the Partisan "politicals ", I have been hammered with the propaganda that it is the Iraqwar and the war on terror that is bankrupting us. I now find that to be RIDICULOUS.

This is not a PRO or CON argument about the war in Iraq. It is not an argument to keep funding the war or not. It is not a discussion about the "Surge" or about whether it is appropriate to bring the troops home. It is about the COST of the lack of a reasonable, and enforceable, immigration policy in the United States.

I hope the following 14 reasons why this country is in financial trouble are forwarded over and over again until they are read so many times that the reader gets sick of reading them. I have included the URL's for verification of all the following facts.

1. $11 Billion to $22 billion is spent on welfare to illegal aliens each year. http://tinyurl.com/zob77

2. $2.2 Billion dollars a year is spent on food assistance programs such as food stamps, WIC, and free school lunches for illegal aliens. http://www.cis.org/articles/2004/fiscalexec.html

3. $2.5 Billion dollars a year is spent on Medicaid for illegal aliens. http://www.cis.org/articles/2004/fiscalexec.html

4. $12 Billion dollars a year is spent on primary and secondary school education for children here illegally who cannot speak a word of English! http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/01/ldt.0.html

5. $17 Billion dollars a year is spent for education for the American-born children of illegal aliens, known as anchor babies. http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/01/ldt.01.html

6. $3 Million Dollars a DAY is spent to incarcerate illegal aliens. http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/01/ldt.01.html

7. 30% percent of all Federal Prison inmates are illegal aliens. http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/01/ldt.01.html

8. $90 Billion Dollars a year is spent on illegal aliens for Welfare & social services by the American taxpayers. http://premium.cnn.com/TRANSCIPTS/0610/29/ldt.01.html

9. $200 Billion Dollars a year in suppressed American wages are caused by the illegal aliens. http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/01/ldt.01.html

10. The illegal aliens in the United States have a crime rate that's two and a half times that of non-illegal aliens. In particular, their children, are going to make a huge additional crime problem in the US . http://transcripts.cnncom/TRANSCRIPTS/0606/12/ldt.01.html

11. During the year of 2005 there were 4 to 10 MILLION illegal aliens that crossed our Southern Border including, as many as, 19,500 illegal aliens from Terrorist Countries. Millions of pounds of drugs, cocaine, meth, heroine and marijuana, crossed into the U. S from the Southern border. Homeland Security Report: http://tinyurl.com/t9sht

12. The National Policy Institute, "estimated that the total cost of mass deportation would be between $206 and $230 billion or an average cost of between $41 and $46 billion annually over a five year period." http://www.nationalpolicyinstitute.org/pdf/deportation.pdf

13. In 2006 illegal aliens sent home $45 BILLION in remittances back to their countries of origin. http://www.rense.com/general75/niht.htm

14. "The Dark Side of Illegal Immigration: Nearly One Million Sex Crimes Committed by Illegal Immigrants In The United States ". http://www.drdsk.com/articleshtml

The total cost is a whopping $ 338.3 BILLION DOLLARS A YEAR. Are we THAT stupid???

If this article really makes you angry, I hope you forward it to everyone in your address book, every one of your representatives in the US Congress, your representatives in your state legislature, and your city council. Tell them all to get off their collective butts and come up with some immigration policy that makes sense, and is enforceable by the Feds, the States, the Counties, and the cities.

Silence in Syria, Panic in Iran

2007-10-07T13:37:00.000-07:00

Written by Dr. Jack Wheeler Wednesday, 19 September 2007

One of India's top ranking generals assigned to liaise with the Iranian military recently returned to New Delhi from several days in Tehran- in a state of complete Amazement."

Everyone in the government and military can only talk of one thing," he reports. "No matter who I talked to, all they could do was ask me, over and over again, ˜Do you think the Americans will attack us?' ˜When will the Americans attack us?' ˜Will the Americans attack us in a joint operation with the Israelis? How massive will the attack be? on and on, endlessly. The Iranians are in a state of total panic."

And that was before September 6. Since then, it's panic-squared in Tehran. The mullahs are freaking out in fear. Why? Because of the silence in Syria.

On September 6, Israeli Air Force F-15 and F-16s conducted a devastating attack on targets deep inside Syrianear the city of Dayraz-Zawr. Israel's military censors have muzzled the Israeli media, enforcing an extraordinary silence about the identity of the targets. Massive speculation in the world press has followed, such as Brett Stephens' Osirak II? in yesterday's (9/18) Wall St. Journal.

Stephens and most everyone else have missed the real story. It is not Israel's silence that "speaks volumes" as he claims, but Syria's. Why would the Syrian government be so tight-lipped about an act of war perpetrated on their soil?

The first half of the answer lies in this story that appeared in the Israeli media last month (8/13): Syria's Antiaircraft System Most Advanced In World. Syria has gone on a profligate buying spree, spending vast sums on Russian systems, "considered the cutting edge in aircraft interception technology.

"Syria now "possesses the most crowded antiaircraft system in the world," with more than 200 antiaircraft batteries of different types," some of which are so new that they have been installed in Syria before being introduced into Russian operation service."

While you're digesting that, take a look at the map of Syria:

(No Map).

Notice how far away Dayr az-Zawr is from Israel. An F15/16 attack there is not a tiptoe across the border, but a deep, deep penetration of Syrian airspace. And guess what happened with the Russian super-hyper-sophisticated cutting edge antiaircraft missile batteries when that penetration took place on September 6th.

Nothing. El blanko. Silence. The systems didn't even light up, gave no indication whatever of any detection of enemy aircraft invading Syrian airspace, zip, zero, nada. The Israelis (with a little techie assistance from us) blinded the Russkie antiaircraft systems so completely the Syrians didn't even know they were blinded.

Now you see why the Syrians have been scared speechless. They thought they were protected - at enormous expense - only to discover they are defenseless. As in naked.

Thus the Great Iranian Freak-Out for this means Iranis just as nakedly defenseless as Syria. I can tell you that there are a lot of folks in the Kirya (IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv) and the Pentagon right now who are really enjoying the mullahs' predicament. Let's face it: scaring the terror masters in Tehran out of their wits is fun.

It's so much fun, in fact, that an attack destroying Iran's nuclear facilities and the Revolutionary Guard command/control centers has been delayed, so that France (under new management) can get in on the fun too.

On Sunday (9/16), Sarkozy's foreign minister Bernard Kouchner announced that France should prepare for the possibility of war over Iran's nuclear program.

All of this has caused Tehran to respond with maniacal threats. On Monday (9/17), a government website proclaimed that 600 Shihab-3 missiles will be fired at targets in Israel in response to an attack upon Iran by the US/Israel. This was followed by Iranian deputy air force chief Gen. Mohammad Alavi announcing today (9/19) that "we will attack their (Israeli) territory with our fighter bombers as a response to any attack."

A sure sign of panic is to make a threat that everyone knows is a bluff. So our and Tel Aviv's response to Iranian bluster is a thank-you-for-sharing yawn and a laugh. Few things rattle the mullahs' cages more than a yawn and a laugh.

Yet no matter how much fun this sport with the mullahs is, it is also deadly serious. The pressure build-up on Iran is getting enormous. Something is going to blow and soon. The hope is that the blow-up will be internal, that the regime will implode from within.

But make no mistake: an all-out full regime take-out air assault upon Iran is coming if that hope doesn't materialize within the next 60 to 90 days. The Sept. 6 attack on Syria was the shot across Iran's bow.

So - what was attacked near Dayr az-Zawr? It's possible it was North Korean "nuclear material" recently shipped to Syria, i.e., stuff to make radioactively "dirty" warheads, but nothing to make a real nuke with as the Norks don't have real nukes (see Why North Korea's Nuke Test Is Such Good News, October 2006).

Another possibility is it was to take out a stockpile of long-range Zilzal surface-to-surface missiles recently shipped from Iran for an attack on Israel.

A third is it was a hit on the stockpile of Saddam's chemical/bio weapons snuck out of Iraq and into Syria for safekeeping before the US invasion of April 2003.

But the identity of the target is not the story - for the primary point of the attack was not to destroy that target. It was to shut down Syria's Russian air defense system during the attack. Doing so made the attack an incredible success.

Syria is shamed and silent. Iran is freaking out in panic. Defenseless enemies are fun.

2007-10-07T11:04:00.000-07:00

J.D. Pendry Army Command Sergeant Major, retired..

(J.D. Pendry is a retired Army Command Sergeant Major who writes for Random House. HE IS QUITE ELOQUENT and he seldom beats around the bush!!!)

Jimmy Carter, you're the father of the Islamic Nazi movement. You threw the Shah under the bus, welcomed the Ayatollah home, and then lacked the spine to confront the terrorists when they took our embassy and our people hostage. You're the runner-in-chief.

Bill Clinton, you played ring around the Lewinsky while the terrorists were at war with us. You got us into a fight with them in Somalia, and then you ran from it. Your weak-willed responses to the U.S.S. Cole and the First Trade Center Bombing and Our Embassy Bombings emboldened the killers. Each time you failed to respond adequately they grew bolder, until 9/11.

John Kerry, dishonesty is your most prominent attribute. You lied about American Soldiers in Vietnam. Your military service, like your life, is more fiction than fact. You've accused our Soldiers of terrorizing women and children in Iraq. You called Iraq the wrong war, wrong place, wrong time, the same words you used to describe Vietnam. You're a fake. You want to run from Iraq and abandon the Iraqis to murderers just as you did the Vietnamese. Iraq, like Vietnam is another war that you were for, before you were against it.

John Murtha, you said our military was broken. You said we can't win militarily in Iraq. You accused United States Marines of cold-blooded murder without proof.And they have been proven inocent. And said we should redeploy to Okinawa. Okinawa John? And the Democrats call you their military expert. Are you sure you didn't suffer a traumatic brain injury while you were off building your war hero resume? You're a sad, pitiable, corrupt and washed up politician. You're not a Marine, sir. You wouldn't amount to a good pimple on a real Marine's ass. You're a phony and a disgrace. "Run away John".

Dick Durbin, you accused our Soldiers at Guantanamo of being Nazis, tenders of Soviet style gulags and as bad as the regime of Pol Pot, who murdered two million of his own people after your party abandoned South East Asia to the Communists. Now you want to abandon the Iraqis to the same fate. History was not a good teacher for you, was it? Lord help us!! See Dick run.

Ted Kennedy, for days on end you held poster-sized pictures from Abu Ghraib in front of any available television camera. Al Jazeera quoted you saying that Iraqi's torture chambers were open under new management. Did you see the news this week, Teddy? The Islamic Nazis demonstrate real torture for you again. If you truly supported our troops, you'd show the world poster-sized pictures of that atrocity and demand the annihilation of it. Your legislation stripping support from the South Vietnamese led to a communist victory there. You're a bloated drunken, murdering fool bent on repeating the same historical blunder that turned freedom-seeking people over to homicidal, genocidal maniacs. To paraphrase John Murtha, all while sitting on your wide, gin-soaked rear-end in Washington

Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, Carl Levine, Barbara Boxer, Diane Feinstein, Russ Feingold, Hillary Clinton, Pat Leahy, Chuck Schumer, et al ad nauseam. Every time you stand in front of television cameras and broadcast to the Islamic Nazis that we went to war because our President lied, that the war is wrong and our Soldiers are torturers, that we should leave Iraq, you give the Islamic butchers - the same ones that tortured and mutilated American Soldiers - cause to think that we'll run away again, and all they have to do is hang on a little longer.
American news media, the New York Times particularly: Each time you publish stories about national defense secrets and our intelligence gathering methods, you become one United, with the sub-human pieces of camel dung that torture and mutilate the bodies of American Soldiers. You can't strike up the courage to publish cartoons, but you can help Al Qaeda destroy my country. Actually, you are more dangerous to us than Al Qaeda is. Think about that each time you face Mecca to admire your Pulitzer.

You are America’s "AXIS OF IDIOTS". Your Collective Stupidity will destroy us. Self-serving politics and terrorist abetting news scoops are more important to you than our national security or the lives of innocent civilians and Soldiers. It bothers you that defending ourselves gets in the way of your elitist sport of politics and your ignorant editorializing. There is as much blood on your hands as is on the hands of murdering terrorists. Don't ever doubt that. Your frolics will only serve to extend this war as they extended Vietnam. If you want our Soldiers home, as you claim, knock off the crap and try supporting your country ahead of supporting your silly political aims and aiding our enemies. Yes, I'm questioning your patriotism. Your loyalty ends with self. I'm also questioning why you're stealing air that decent Americans could be breathing. You don't deserve the protection of our men and women in uniform. You need to run away from this war, this country. Leave the war to the people who have the will to see it through and the country to people who are willing to defend it.

No, Mr. President, you don't get off the hook, either. Our country has two enemies: Those who want to destroy us from the outside and those who attempt it from within. Your Soldiers are dealing with the outside force. It's your obligation to support them by confronting the AXIS OF IDIOTS. America must hear it from you that these Self-centered people are harming our country, abetting the enemy and endangering our safety. Well up a little anger, please, and channel it toward the appropriate target. You must prosecute those who leak national security secrets to the media. You must prosecute those in the media who knowingly publish those secrets. Our Soldiers need you to confront the enemy that they cannot. They need you to do it now.

AMEN

J.D. Pendry Army Command Sergeant Major, retired

FOUL-MOUTHED ENTERTAINERS

2007-07-16T07:57:00.000-07:00

From: "REAL NEWS" <thenewsman@ij.net>
By Michael Reagan, Reprinted from NewsMax.com, July 13, 2007

A CULTURE WAR OF WORDS
If anybody doubts America is engaged in a culture war and losing it they need only to take a look at the series of concerts promoting Al Gore's global warming hoax last weekend. They would have learned that the war is being waged in the sewers. America is facing an army of foul-mouthed, tattooed guttersnipes who have the gall to proclaim they want to save the planet by putting on performances laced with some of the foulest language ever heard from astage. As those who made the mistake of watching any of these concerts here or abroad discovered, the enemies of culture are unable to complete a sentence without using the "F" word at least once, along with liberal sprinklings of the "S" word.

And their foul-mouthed rhetoric was not the least of it: Theaudiences ate it up and the performers knew that when they spewed their obscene filth they were giving their decadent fans exactly what they wanted. That fact has not escaped the people who run the nation's TV networks; nowadays it's hard to find a TV drama that does not seed the dialogue with "F" words. If you have watched hit series such as"Deadwood" you quickly learned that the "F" word was among the milder epithets. That series introduced terms never before heard outside ofmen's locker rooms or prison cells.

I went to a lot of concerts years ago. I never heard Frank Sinatra or any other performer use a single obscenity during their performances. Moreover, if any of them had uttered anything as foul as the "F" word, they would have been driven off the stage. If you think I'm making too big a thing about the incredible degradation of language, keep in mind it represents the decline in the level of civility since the culture warriors declared war on decency. The widespread use of the "F" word is a symptom of the disease. The America in which I grew up had standards, and people's public behavior was judged by how well they measured up to those standards. One was expected to toe the line when it came to the way they communicated with one another. We were expected to show our respect to our fellow Americans by avoiding offensive words. Once upon a time one was expected to be a gentlemen or lady, and those terms -- now treated with scorn -- described people who had the utmost of respect for those around them and showed it in their everyday behavior. Those who deviated from the accepted standards were told to "keep a civil tongue in your mouth."

That's no longer true. Comedians vie with each other to use the most extreme obscenities and sexual innuendos. What was once called "street language" is now considered normal discourse. Things once considered sacred are now seen as common place. Sex is no longer an expression of love between a man anda woman -- today it's seen as recreation, like a game of golf, to beportrayed on stage and screen without restraint.

In any civilization that desires to survive, simple decency and courtesy are crucial elements. In a society headed for the sewer, anything goes. And when anything goes -- when the most extreme forms of language and behavior come to be seen as normal -- civilization is transformed into barbarism. That's what's at stake in the culture wars. A society bereft of standards that demand civilized behavior among its people is a societywhere the individual is deemed worthless as being anything but a consumer for the degraded wares of the smut peddlers and a source of income to pay for the schemes of those who sell Marxist snake oil such as global warming as a means of subjugating the populace. And the more addicted to slime that populace becomes, the easier it is to subjugate them.--Mike Reagan

The VT Massacre and What it Means to the War on Terror

2007-04-20T13:58:00.000-07:00

From: AmericanCongressforTruth.com

By Emilio Karim Dabul

This past Monday was, unfortunately, the perfect weather scenario for the horrible series of murders that took place at Virginia Tech: endless gray and rain. The day was funereal before the first shots rang out. But before I cast more darkness on a week that has started out worse for the US than any other since 9/11, let me say out front that there's something we can learn here if we're only willing. Namely, that far from being prepared for the next 9/11, the 32 students slain this week in a matter of 20 minutes by one crazed individual should prove beyond any doubt that we have a lot more work to do to come up to speed to protect ourselves against terrorism. If we can learn that lesson now rather than later, then we may have a chance to actually shield ourselves against much greater catastrophe when the terrorists strike again.
You can be certain that Al Qaeda has taken note of what happened Monday and has filed the information for future reference. Think of how many more students would have died if there had been a group of homicide bombers and other armed individuals who had assaulted the campus. 9/11 happened because we did not properly consider or prepare for the unthinkable. And Monday at Virginia Tech took place because we do not like to think of our college campuses, or our amusement parks, malls, and grade schools, as launching pads for massacres. Well, we need to. We're way past the point of having to debate the obvious. America has changed forever since those hijacked planes crashed against the Towers, and our security measures need to be able to meet the threats posed in this new era.

Let me put it more simply: there is no reason in the post 9/11 world that 32 students should have died Monday. Had the school been wired with high tech surveillance from end to end, text messages sent out en masse to students' cell phones after the first shootings, armed guards immediately appeared, and the campus locked down right away, lives could have been saved. What preparation had the school done in advance of this attack to prepare students, faculty, and campus police to respond appropriately? And moreover, tell me, citizens of New York, San Francisco, Chicago, etc., do you know the evacuation plans and procedures you need to follow in the event your city's hit by a dirty bomb, a chemical attack, or, God forbid, an actual nuke? No, I didn't think so. I'm a New Yorker and I don't have a clue what I'm supposed to do if and when that day happens. Why? Because for all our talk about remaining steadfast in the face of terrorism, it's largely been business as usual since 9/11.

Well, here's the problem. If we don't properly prepare for the next inevitable terrorist strike, the country may come to a standstill, business wise and otherwise, that could make 9/11's aftereffects look mild indeed. Follow the continuum here. 2001 was the follow-up from the first World Trade Center bombing in 1993. You can be certain that with the next attack they will top by far what happened a little over five years ago. That's their pattern. It's not a question of when, but how, and they are working on that as I write these words.

We must think of the maniac on Monday as the advance guard from a much greater Army, poised to destroy us if we let them. But we owe our children this much: no retreat and no surrender from the war in front of us, and no excuses from our government or ourselves not to be prepared.

Madame Traitor: An Arab-American's Perspective on Pelosi in Damascus

2007-04-05T16:19:00.000-07:00

From: American Congress for Truth

Madame Traitor: An Arab-American's Perspective on Pelosi in Damascus
By Emilio Karim Dabul:

Nancy Pelosi is to world diplomacy what Michael Jordan was to baseball: completely forgettable and unnecessary. But unlike Michael's slightly amusing foray into the Babe's world, there's nothing funny about Pelosi in Damascus. The terrorists and their supporters, who are always looking for weak links and signs that the US does not have the will or backbone to win the war we're fighting with them, just found a great ally in Madame Speaker.

Among the older members of my extended Syrian family, there was a general attitude that kindness equaled weakness. It wasn't that they didn't believe in charity, but that it must be parceled out carefully, because those of ill intent can be quick to take advantage of those they perceive to be gullible and soft. This is what Nancy Pelosi either doesn't understand, or doesn't care about: she's being used by the very people who want to destroy us in another round of window dressing, subterfuge, and deceit. I suspect that Pelosi knows this, but is more intent on trying to undermine the President than in looking at how she could best support national security.

Let's look at the record. Syria has admitted that it has financially supported Hezbollah and Hamas, but says that it doesn't supply them with arms. What's the difference? What do you think these groups buy with the money? How many Israeli and Lebanese men, women and children have been slaughtered because of Syrian backing of these groups? And who do you think Syria supports across the border in Iraq: our troops or the terrorists some blithely refer to as "insurgents"? Without the direct involvement of Syria and Iran, the current terrorism movement in Iraq would have considerably less groundswell.

Pelosi might respond that she's aware of all that, but that she's simply taking James Baker's advice to talk with your enemies. Well, here's the problem: Baker's wrong. Talking to the Syrians has never accomplished anything. They correctly read the signs a long time ago that there would be no real consequences for continuing to support Arab and Islamic terrorist groups. And Pelosi has proven them right again: bend us and we will break.

This needs to stop. Syria and Iran need to know in a very real way that if they continue to support terrorism, they will experience the full wrath of the United States. And there cannot be any negotiating when it comes to this. Moammar Gadhafi -remember that boogeyman?-backed off when we bombed his palace in Libya. Gadhafi's two-year-old adopted daughter died in that raid, which was a terrible tragedy, particularly since he was the one with blood on his hands, not her. Still, Gadhafi crawled back into his hole, and retreated even further when we invaded Iraq, making a public show of acquiescence to the US. He may be crazy, but he's not stupid.

Syria and Iran need to be given fair warning to cease and desist all support of terrorist activities, prove they're doing so, and if they don't, be held to account.

Damascus and Tehran will continue to taunt and undermine us, and the UK, until they know they can't. Assad would be a lot less likely to cut checks for terrorists if he knew it could cost him his job or his life. And the same is true of the little guy in the leisure suit over in Iran. This is what they both understand and respect: force, not treaties and tea.

And Pelosi would probably be adverse to hang out with these guys if she knew F-18s might be approaching. Charging her with treason in the meantime would be appropriate. If the Speaker of the House during the Vietnam War had broken bread with Cambodian leaders, the public would have demanded his resignation and the most severe punishment possible for such a crime. And yet when Nancy Pelosi sits down with our enemies' collaborators, she's given a pass, even praised by those who cheer on any action that goes against the President. Al Jazerra is probably her biggest fan right now, next to the New York Times.

The problem is she's not just hurting the President, she's betraying our troops, and everyone around the world at risk to terrorist attacks, which is most of us.

We should not let her get away with it. We need to hold Pelosi responsible for her actions, as well as Syria and Iran. The three of them have more than proven their status as enemies of the United States.
***
Emilio Dabul is a Contributing Editor for American Congress for Truth.com. He is a Syrian-American of Muslim heritage and a Middle East commentator.

Protecting John Doe bill passed

2007-03-30T13:15:00.000-07:00

Sent by: Brigitte Gabriel at American Congress for Truth
http://www.americancongressfortruth.com

Protecting John Doe bill passed!

Thanks to the thousands of you who acted immediately after receiving our action alert, by writing and calling your elected officials nationwide. Your calls, emails and faxes have swamped our elected officials and your action paid off. This is the power of people being informed and coming together, as one voice to take action in a timely manner. I cannot be more proud and honored to have such an active membership. Thank you for your involvement and your activism.

The language for HR1640 was put into Rep. Shuster's bill HR1401. Rep. Pearce's leadership on this issue was central to this language being put into HR1401 which passed the House overwhelmingly by a vote of 304 to121.

"This is a big victory for all Americans," Shuster said. "No American should ever be sued because they tried to stop a terrorist act. No American should be forced to second guess a decision to alert authorities that could save the lives of others."

The Republican motion to recommit H.R. 1401, the Rail and Public Transportation Security Act of 2007, provides that any person who makes a voluntary disclosure regarding suspicious activity that constitutes a possible threat to transportation security to appropriate security and law enforcement authorities shall be immune from civil liability for such disclosure.

The amendment protects any such disclosure relating to threats to transportation systems, passenger safety or security, or possible acts of terrorism.

The amendment also shields transportation systems and employees that take reasonable actions to mitigate perceived threats.

The amendment is retroactive to activities that took place on or after November 20, 2006 - the date of the Minneapolis incident involving six Islamic leaders who were removed from a U.S. Airways flight after they were observed acting suspiciously.

Finally, the motion authorizes courts to award attorneys fees to defendants with immunity. To find out the list of those who voted for the bill and against click here .

It is so vitally important that we tell our elected representatives exactly what we think about legislation that will protect America.

Without concerned citizens like you, American Congress for Truth would not be able to make a difference for our nation's security. We at ACT are dedicated to informing and empowering Americans to make a difference in protecting our country from evil and those who wish to do us harm.

Thank you for your activism and patriotism. Thank you for helping me protect America, the dream that became my address.

Let my nation rise.
Brigitte Gabriel

Americans Fighting Terrorism

2007-03-27T12:41:00.000-07:00

(Sent to me by: Brigitte Gabriel, American Congress for Truth)

Action Alert

H.R. 1640, the Protecting Americans Fighting Terrorism Act of 2007
A Bill to Protect Americans from Legal Intimidation by Islamic Jihad

The six-imam issue has taken an unexpected turn. CAIR (Council on American Islamic Relations) has demanded the names of the passengers who reported the suspicious activity at MinneapolisAirport on November 21, 2006 so they can be included in their religious discrimination lawsuit. In response to this even more aggressive attack by American Muslims on America's security, Congressman Steve Pearce, R-NM, introduced in Congress the "Protecting Americans Fighting Terrorism Act of 2007, H.R. 1640." This bill would protect Americans from being sued for reporting suspicious activities to law enforcement and security personnel. It is a very simple bill and is presented in full at the end of this Action Alert.

Please make your voice heard in support of this bill by asking your representative to co-sponsor H.R. 1640, the Protecting Americans Fighting Terrorism Act of 2007. Below is a letter you can send to your representative in Congress.

Take Action Today

Go to the American Congress for Truth CONTACT CONGRESS link at: http://www.americancongressfortruth.org/contact-congress.asp.

Email and/or fax the letter to your legislator. For much greater impact, ALSO call them at both their local offices and their Washington offices. Every phone call represents one thousand voters. They need to hear from 40 to 50 people about the same issue to make it their top priority. 40 to 50 people represent 40 to 50 thousand voters on Election Day. That can make or break an election. This is the power you have as a voter.

Email this action alert to all your friends and urge them to do the same. Ask your friends to subscribe to our emails and action alerts. It is vital that we have them on our list to be able to notify them about such important issues so they can become a voice affecting your community and our nation. If you have never called a legislator before, it is very simple. A staffer will answer, and all you need to do is tell them you have a request for your representative. Then ask them to support the bill. Since this bill was just introduced in Congress, the staffer might not know about it, so you might have to explain it. Be passionate, but polite. Get the staffer on our side. That will make our voices even louder.

Thank you for doing your part in helping me protect America, the dream that became my address.

LET MY NATION RISE
Brigitte Gabriel

Dear Representative ________,
As your constituent, I ask you to co-sponsor H.R. 1640, the Protecting Americans Fighting Terrorism Act of 2007, introduced by Congressman Steve Pearce, R-NM.
H.R. 1640 To provide liability protection for individuals who report suspicious behavior to law enforcement agencies.

"An individual shall not be liable for any injury or damages relating to such individual's qualified disclosure of suspicious behavior. A civil action for damages related to such disclosure may not be brought in any State or Federal court. For purposes of this section, the term 'qualified disclosure of suspicious behavior' means any disclosure of the allegedly suspicious behavior of another individual or individuals to a State, Federal, or local law enforcement agency or other security personnel that is made in good faith and with the reasonable belief that such behavior is suspicious."

As Americans, we must not allow ourselves to be bullied by political radical Islamic groups like the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) and other American Muslims. Whether it is an intimidation tactic or a full scale attack, Americans have the right and responsibility to protect themselves, to be vigilant, and to participate on an individual level in protecting our country. We cannot allow the advocates of political Islam to make Americans wonder if they could be sued before reporting possible terrorist activity.

As a voter I, as well as all my friends, colleagues and associates in your district, will be monitoring your vote on this issue.

Thank you.

Sincerely,
Your Name

The Truth About Walter Reed Army Medical Center

2007-03-19T08:56:00.000-07:00

From an Army Chaplain at Walter Reed Army Medical Center

I have had enough and am going to give my perspective on the news about Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Please understand that I am speaking for myself and I am responsible for my thoughts alone. The news media and politicians are making it sound like Walter Reed is a terrible place and the staff here has been abusing our brave wounded soldiers; what a bunch of bull!

I am completing my 24th year of service in the Army next month so you decide for yourself if I have the experience to write about this topic. I have been the senior clinical chaplain at Walter Reed for four years and will leave to go back to the infantry this summer. I supervise the chaplain staff inside Walter Reed that cares for the 200 inpatients, the 650+ daily outpatients from the war who come to us for medical care, the 4000+ staff, and over 3000 soldiers and their families that come for clinical appointments daily. Walter Reed has cared for over 5500 wounded from the war. I cannot count the number of sick and non-battle injured that have come through over that timeframe. The staff at this facility has done an incredible job at the largest US military medical center with the worst injured of the war. We have cared for over 400 amputees and their families. I am privileged to serve the wounded, their families, and our staff.

When the news about building 18 broke I was on leave. I was in shock when the news broke. We in the chaplains office in Walter Reed, as well as the majority of people at Walter Reed, did not know anyone was in building 18. I didn't even know we had a building 18. How can that happen? Walter Reed is over 100 acres of 66 buildings on two installations. Building 18 is not on the installation of Walter Reed and was believed to be closed years ago by our department. The fact that some leaders in the medical brigade that is in charge of the outpatients put soldiers in there is terrible. That is why the company commander, first sergeant, and a group of platoon leaders and platoon sergeants were relieved immediately. They failed their soldiers and the Army. The commanding general was later relieved (more about this) and his sergeant major has been told to move on--if he gets to. The brigade sergeant major was relieved and more relief's are sure to come and need to. As any leader knows, if you do not take care of soldiers, lie, and then try to cover it up, you are not worthy of the commission you hold and should be sent packing. I have no issue, and am actually proud, that they did relieve the leaders they found who knew of the terrible conditions some of our outpatients were enduring. The media is making it sound like these conditions are rampant at Walter Reed and nothing could be further from the truth. We need improvements and will now get them. I hate it that it took this to make it happen.

The Army and the media made MG Weightman, our CG, out to be the problem and fired him. This was a great injustice. He was only here for six months, is responsible for military medical care in the 20 Northeast states, wears four "hats" of responsibilities, and relies on his subordinate leaders to know what is happening in their areas of responsibilities. He has a colonel that runs the hospital (my hospital commander), a colonel that runs the medical brigade (where the outpatient wounded are assigned and supposedly cared for), and a colonel that is responsible to run the garrison and installation. What people don't know is that he was making many changes as he became aware of them and had requested money to fix other places on the installation. The Army did not come through until four months after he asked for the money, remember that he was here only six months, which was only days before they relieved him. His leaders responsible for outpatient care did not tell him about conditions in building 18. He has been an incredible leader who really cares about the wounded, their families, and our staff. I cannot say the same about a former commander, who was my first commander here at Walter Reed, and definitely knew about many problems and is in the position to fix them and he did not. MG Weightman also should not be held responsible for the military's unjust and inefficient medical board system and the problems in the VA system. We lost a great leader and passionate man who showed he had the guts to make changes and was doing so when he was made the scapegoat for others.

What I am furious about is that the media is making it sound like all of Walter Reed is like building 18. Nothing could be further from the truth. No system is perfect but the medical staff provides great care in this hospital. What needs to be addressed, and finally will, is the bureaucratic garbage that all soldiers are put through going into medical boards and medical retirements. Congress is finally giving the money that people have asked for at Walter Reed for years to fix places on the installations and address shortcomings. What they don't want you to know is Congress caused many problems by the BRAC process saying they were closing Walter Reed. We cannot keep nor attract all the quality people we need at Walter Reed when they know this place will close in several years and they are not promised a job at the new hospital. Then they did this thing call A76 where they fired many of the workers here for a company of contractors, IAP, to get a contract to provide care outside the hospital proper. The company, which is responsible for maintenance, only hired half the number of people as there were originally assigned to maintenance areas to save money. Walter Reed leadership fought the A76 and BRAC process for years but lost. Congress instituted the BRAC and A76 process; not the leadership of Walter Reed.

What I wish everyone would also hear is that for every horror story we are now hearing about in the media that truly needs to be addressed, you are not hearing about the hundreds of other wounded and injured soldiers who tell a story of great care they received. You are not hearing about the incredibly high morale of our troops and the fact that most of them want to go back, be with their teammates, and finish the job properly. You should be very proud of the wounded troopers we have at Walter Reed. They make me so proud to be in the Army and I will fight to get their story out.

I want you to hear the whole story because our wounded, their families, our Army, and the nation need to know that many in the media and select politicians have an agenda. Forget agendas and make the changes that have been needed for years to fix problems in every military hospital and the VA system. The poor leaders will be identified and sent packing and good riddance to them. I wish the same could be said for the politicians and media personalities who are also responsible but now want it to look like they are very concerned. Where have they been for the last four years? I am ashamed of what they all did and the pain it has caused many to think that everyone is like that. Please know that you are not hearing the whole story. Please know that there are thousands of dedicated soldiers and civilian medical staff caring for your soldiers and their families. When I leave here I will end up deploying. When soldiers in my division have to go to Walter Reed from the battlefield, I know they will get great medical care. I pray that you know the same thing. God bless all our troops and their families wherever they may be. God bless you all,

+Chaplain John L. Kallerson
Senior Chaplain Clinician
Walter Reed Army Medical Center

Northern Virginiastan

2007-03-17T12:28:00.000-07:00

Forward From: American Congress For Truth

Baileys Crossroads, Va., is teeming with Islamic radicals just as hostile to the U.S. government as their counterparts in London.

INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY

Homeland Security: Authorities across the pond now fear that even more Muslims - possibly numbering in the thousands - are plotting terror. On this end, however, U.S. officials still can't see anything in the pipeline.

Either the British have better intelligence than we do, or we don't have any radicalized Muslim communities here in America. Sanguine U.S. authorities are guessing the latter.

Responding to new alarms raised by the Brits, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff says not to worry, the threat inside America is less severe. He maintains that this country doesn't have the kind of "pockets" of concentrated radicals seen in Britain, where terrorists can find support and plot with virtual impunity.

Chertoff must not get out much.

Right across the Potomac from his office is the second-highest concentration of Muslims in the country. Baileys Crossroads, Va., is teeming with Islamic radicals just as hostile to the U.S. government as their counterparts in London.

Baileys Crossroads is the heart of the Wahhabi corridor, which includes the safe houses where the hijackers stayed and the mosque where they and dozens of other terrorists have worshipped.

Another area mosque preached to members of the Virginia Jihad Network, who plotted to kill American soldiers after 9/11 and praised the space shuttle Columbia disaster as a "good omen" for Islam.

The area also includes two luxury apartment high-rises that erupted into cheers when the World Trade Center fell on 9/11. Law enforcement has dubbed them the "Taliban Towers." Investigators routinely find posters and computer screen savers celebrating Osama bin Laden as a hero.

Down the street is a Saudi charitable front for al-Qaida once run by bin Laden's nephew. The U.S. branch of the dangerous Muslim Brotherhood is in the same office park. Farther down in Alexandria is the Saudi madrassa that's graduated several terrorists, including the al-Qaida operative who plotted to assassinate President Bush.

Agents on the ground working the inordinate number of terror cases in the area say it's no less than the base of operations for the bad guys in America - and it's right in Chertoff's backyard.
Despite raid after raid, however, none of the entities along the Wahhabi corridor has been shut down. Thanks to institutionalized political correctness and Saudi Embassy complaints, the terror-supporting infrastructure has not been dismantled.

The Brits turned a blind eye to radicalism in their backyard, but no more. They're finally cracking down.

We haven't learned our lesson for some odd reason. To suddenly decree this side of the pond a radical-free zone after what happened here just over five years ago is fatuous.

The hijackers didn't operate in isolation, like visitors from outer space. They were secreted inside the Muslim community for well over a year, and got substantial aid and comfort from dozens of facilitators at no less than seven mosques from coast to coast. Some knew the evil they planned and helped them anyway.

Assimilation? Hardly. In Baileys Crossroads, skinned goats are delivered daily to several halal butcher shops located in shopping centers where all the signs are in Arabic. Women shop in head-to-toe black abayas.

You'd never know this is a suburb of the nation's capital. Concerned longtime residents have seen it turn into "Northern Virginiastan."

The pundits who mouth pleasant platitudes about American Muslims being more "integrated" have never spent much time in Northern Virginia, or for that matter, in Bridgeview, Ill.; or Jersey City, N.J.; or Dearborn, Mich., where residents are routinely subjected to rallies and marches for Hezbollah and other terror groups, along with calls to pray blasted over mosque loudspeakers five times a day.

These places look and sound more like little Cairos than any American city, and they provide perfect cover for Muslim terrorists and their supporters.

Terror experts say there are hundreds if not thousands of potential suicide bombers already established inside the Muslim communities in America. They need to be ferreted out.

Hizbullah Representative in Iran--Comments

2007-03-15T12:47:00.000-07:00

From: American Congress For Truth March 14th, 2007

Hizbullah Rep.in Iran: Hizbullah Will Not Need a Large-Scale War, It Will Be Able to Walk into Palestine Once the Americans Leave Iraq

Hizbullah Representative in Iran Abdallah Safialdeen: Hizbullah Will Not Need a Large-Scale War, It Will Be Able to Walk into Palestine Once the Americans Leave Iraq

The following are excerpts from an address by Abdallah Safialdeen, Hizbullah's representative in Iran, which aired on Iranian Channel 4 on March 4, 2007.

Abdallah Safialdeen: The day that Hizbullah won the war shaped the future of the region. It led to what we are witnessing today: America's actions, the domestic problems of the Zionist regime, the confusion of Europe. The Europeans are very confused now, and don't know what to do. The horse that they put their money on - Israel - can no longer fulfill the role it played in the past.

America has not had any success anywhere in the region. In our opinion, the harbinger of this lack of success was the victory of Hizbullah, the bitter defeat of the Zionist regime, and its incompetence in the region. You should know that.

Do you know what an American withdrawal from Iraq will mean? It will mean that Israel will lose its support. It will mean that the Lebanese Hizbullah will not need a large-scale war in order to enter Palestine. Hizbullah will be able to simply walk into Palestine.

Rest assured that the day the American forces leave Iraq, the Israelis will leave the region along with them. What was one of the reasons for Olmert's recent visit to America? He went there in order to say to the Democrats: "Don't say that the American army will leave Iraq, because this would mean the annihilation of the Zionist regime." This is because the annihilation of the Zionist regime has begun. Like some of our friends say, Palestine is no longer a problem for us, because the Americans will be forced to leave Iraq. With or without a war against Iran, they will be forced to do so. The moment they leave Iraq, you, the Muslims of the world, can walk into Palestine, because Israel will no longer exist. It will be over and done with. Even with America's [help], Israel could not do a thing. The Americans will be kicked out of the region, without accomplishing anything. The American forces will be kicked out of the region, in disgrace, humiliation, and defeat. Therefore, this victory was very important. It was a landmark in the history of the Islamic world and the entire region.

TO VIEW THIS CLIP:

"Ex-President for Sale"-?

2007-03-07T17:34:00.000-08:00

By Alan Dershowitz

I have known Jimmy Carter for more than thirty years. I first met him in the spring of 1976 when, as a relatively unknown candidate for president, he sent me a handwritten letter asking for my help in his campaign on issues of crime and justice. I had just published an article in The New York Times Magazine on sentencing reform, and he expressed interest in my ideas and asked me to come up with additional ones for his campaign. Shortly thereafter, my former student Stuart Eisenstadt, brought Carter to Harvard to meet with some faculty members, me among them. I immediately liked Jimmy Carter and saw him as a man of integrity and principle. I signed on to his campaign and worked very hard for his election. When Newsweek magazine asked his campaign for the names of people on whom Carter relied for advice, my name was among those given out. I continued to work for Carter over the years, most recently I met him in Jerusalem a year ago, and we briefly discussed the Mid-East. Though I disagreed with some of his points, I continued to believe that he was making them out of a deep commitment to principle and to human rights.

Recent disclosures of Carter's extensive financial connections to Arab oil money, particularly from Saudi Arabia, had deeply shaken my belief in his integrity. When I was first told that he received a monetary reward in the name of Shiekh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahayan, and kept the money, even after Harvard returned money from the same source because of its anti-Semitic history, I simply did not believe it. How could a man of such apparent integrity enrich himself with dirty money from so dirty a source?

And let there be no mistake about how dirty the Zayed Foundation is. I know because I was involved, in a small way, in helping to persuade Harvard University to return more than $2 million that the financially strapped Divinity School received from this source. Initially I was reluctant to put pressure on Harvard to turn back money for the Divinity School, but then a student at the Divinity School, Rachael Lea Fish, showed me the facts.

http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=348172. They were staggering. I was amazed that in the twenty-first century there were still foundations that espoused these views. The Zayed Centre for Coordination and Follow-up "a think-tank funded by the Shiekh and run by his son" hosted speakers < http://www.adl.org/Anti_semitism/zayed_center.asp who called Jews "the enemies of all nations," attributed the assassination of John Kennedy to Israel and the Mossad and the 9/11 attacks to the United States' own military, and stated that the Holocaust was a "fable." (They also hosted a speech by Jimmy Carter.) To its credit, Harvard turned the money back. To his discredit, Carter did not.

Jimmy Carter was, of course, aware of Harvard's decision, since it was highly publicized. Yet he kept the money. Indeed, this is what he said in accepting the funds: "This award has special significance for me because it is named for my personal friend, Sheik Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahyan." Carter's personal friend, it turns out, was an unredeemable anti-Semite and all-around bigot.

In reading Carter's statements, I was reminded of the bad old Harvard of the nineteen thirties, which continued to honor Nazi academics after the anti-Semitic policies of Hitler's government became clear. Harvard of the nineteen thirties was complicit in evil.

I sadly concluded that Jimmy Carter of the twenty-first century has become complicit in evil. The extent of Carter's financial support from, and even dependence on, dirty money is still not fully known. What we do know is deeply troubling. Carter and his Center have accepted millions of dollars from suspect sources, beginning with the bail-out of the Carter family peanut business in the late 1970s by BCCI, a now-defunct and virulently anti-Israeli bank indirectly controlled by the Saudi Royal family, and among whose principal investors is Carter's friend, Sheikh Zayed. Agha Hasan Abedi, the founder of the bank, gave Carter "$500,000 to help the former president establish his center...[and] more than $10 million to Mr. Carter's different projects." < http://www.washingtontimes.com/op-ed/20061220-092736-3365r.htm Carter gladly accepted the money, though Abedi had called his bank, ostensibly the source of his funding, "the best way to fight the evil influence of the Zionists." BCCI isn't the only source: Saudi King Fahd contributed millions to the Carter Center? "in 1993 alone...$7.6 million" < http://frontpagemagazine.com/Articles/Printable.asp? ID=26045 as have other members of the Saudi Royal Family. Carter also received a million dollar pledge from the Saudi-based bin Laden family, as well as a personal $500,000 environmental award named for Sheikh Zayed, and paid for by the Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates.

It's worth noting that, despite the influx of Saudi money funding the Carter Center, and despite the Saudi Arabian government's myriad human rights abuses, the Carter Center's Human Rights program has no activity whatever in Saudi Arabia. The Saudis have apparently bought his silence for a steep price. The bought quality of the Center's activities becomes even more clear, however, when reviewing the Center's human rights activities in other countries: essentially no human rights activities in China or in North Korea, or in Iran, Iraq, the Sudan, or Syria, but activity regarding Israel and its alleged abuses, according to the Center's website. <http://www.cartercenter.org/countries/ israel_and_the_palestinian_territories.html . The Carter Center's mission statement claims that "The Center is nonpartisan and acts as a neutral party in dispute resolution activities." How can that be, given that its coffers are full of Arab money, and that its focus is away from significant Arab abuses and on Israel's far less serious ones?

No reasonable person can dispute therefore that Jimmy Carter has been and remains dependent on Arab oil money, particularly from Saudi Arabia. Does this mean that Carter has necessarily been influenced in his thinking about the Middle East by receipt of such enormous amounts of money? Ask Carter. The entire premise of his criticism of Jewish influence on American foreign policy is that money talks. It is Carter, not me, who has made the point that if politicians receive money from Jewish sources, then they are not free to decide issues regarding the Middle East for themselves. It is Carter, not me, who has argued that distinguished reporters cannot honestly report on the Middle East because they are being paid by Jewish money. So, by Carter's own standards, it would be almost economically "suicidal" for Carter "to espouse a balanced position between Israel and Palestine."

By Carter's own standards, therefore, his views on the Middle East must be discounted. It is certainly possible that he now believes them. Money, particularly large amounts of money, has a way of persuading people to a particular position. It would not surprise me if Carter, having received so much Arab money, is now honestly committed to their cause. But his failure to disclose the extent of his financial dependence on Arab money, and the absence of any self reflection on whether the receipt of this money has unduly influenced his views, is a form of deception bordering on corruption.

I have met cigarette lobbyists, who are supported by the cigarette industry, and who have come to believe honestly that cigarettes are merely a safe form of adult recreation, that cigarettes are not addicting and that the cigarette industry is really trying to persuade children not to smoke. These people are fooling themselves (or fooling us into believing that they are fooling themselves) just as Jimmy Carter is fooling himself (or persuading us to believe that he is fooling himself).

If money determines political and public views, as Carter insists "Jewish money" does, then Carter's views on the Middle East must be deemed to have been influenced by the vast sums of Arab money he has received. If he who pays the piper calls the tune, then Carter's off-key tunes have been called by his Saudi Arabian paymasters. It pains me to say this, but I now believe that there is no person in American public life today who has a lower ratio of real to apparent integrity than Jimmy Carter. The public perception of his integrity is extraordinarily high. His real integrity, it now turns out, is extraordinarily low. He is no better than so many former American politicians who, after leaving public life, sell themselves to the highest bidder and become lobbyists for despicable causes. That is now Jimmy Carter's sad legacy.

Alan Dershowitz is a professor of law at Harvard. His most recent book is Preemption: A Knife that Cuts Both Ways (Norton, 2006)

News From The Front

2007-03-04T11:51:00.000-08:00

I have no way to verify the contents of this email. However, I believe the information to be accurate. DT

E-Mail from Captain John Hunt, US Army in Afghanistan

Hi everyone. I'm still alive but freezing my tail off. We got 8 inches of snow last week and it reached 5 degrees below zero that night. That's not why I'm e-mailing though. You may have heard about a suicide car bomb attack in Kabul last Thursday. It was at one of our FOB's (Forward Observation Bases) about 27 miles from here. But the real story is why no one was killed.

We employ several thousand Afghans on our various bases. Not to mention the economy that is fed by the money these locals are making. Some are laborers and builders, but some are skilled workers. We even have one Afghan that just became OSHA qualified, the first ever. Some are skilled HVAC workers. Anyway, there is this one Afghan that we call Rambo. We have actually given him a couple of sets of the new ACU uniforms (the new Army digital camouflage) with the name tag RAMBO on it. His entire family was killed by the Taliban and his home was where our base currently resides. So this guy really had nowhere else to go. He has reached such a level of trust with US Forces that his job is to stand at the front gate and basically be the first security screening. Since he can't have a weapon, he found a big red pipe. So he stands there at the front gate in his US Army ACU uniform with his red pipe. If a vehicle approaches the gate too fast or fails to stop he slams his pipe down on their hood. Then once the gate is lifted the vehicle moves on the 2nd gate where the US Army MP's are. So he's like the first line of defense.

Last Thursday at 0930 hrs a Toyota Corolla packed with explosives and some Jack Ass that thinks he has 72 Virgins waiting for him approached the gate. When he saw Rambo he must have recognized him and known the gig was up. But he needed to get to that 2nd gate to detonate and take American lives. So he slams his foot on the gas which almost causes the metal gate to go up but mostly catches on the now broken windshield. Rambo fearlessly ran to the vehicle, reached thru the window and jerked the suicide bomber out of the vehicle before he could detonate and commenced to putting some red pipe to his heathen ass. He detained the guy until the MP got there. The vehicle only exploded when they tried to push it off base with a robot but no one was hurt.

I'm still waiting for someone to give this guy a medal or something. Nothing less than instant US citizenship or something. A hat was passed around and a lot of money was given to him in thanks by both soldiers and civilians that are working over here.

I guess I just wanted to share this because I want people to know that it's working over here. They have tasted freedom. This makes it worth it to me.

JOHN W. HUNT, CPT, US ARMY Operations Officer Bagram Afghanistan

Prescription Drug Discount Card

2007-01-04T11:47:00.000-08:00

This post has been copied from the Maricopa County Web site at www.Maricopa.gov

Welcome to the Maricopa County Discount Card ProgramProvided in partnership with the National Association of Counties (NACo)

The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors has launched a discount card program to help consumers cope with the high price of prescription drugs. Maricopa County is making free prescription drug discount cards available under a program sponsored by the National Association of Counties (NACo) offering a substantial savings off the retail price of commonly prescribed drugs. The cards may be used by all county residents, regardless of age, income, or existing health coverage, and are accepted at well over 80% of the countys pharmacies.

Maricopa County is proud to be one of the counties nationwide participating with NACo, says Supervisor Don Stapley, Chairman of the Board and Second Vice President of NACo. The NACo prescription discount card offers significant savings for the uninsured and underinsured residents of our county, and even those fortunate to have prescription coverage can use the card to save money on drugs that are not covered by their health plan. Residents do not have to be Medicare beneficiaries to be eligible for this program.

Cards are available at 35 sites county-wide, such as Maricopa County Public Libraries, and the Maricopa County Public Health Department Clinic and WIC locations. Discount Cards are also available at Maricopa County's three Animal Care & Control Pet Adoption Centers. (The card can be also be used for certain pet prescriptions available at pharmacies.) Cards are also available at Fulton Homes locations in the Valley, and at the Dolce Vita Retirement Community in the Apache Junction area. If you can't make it to one of our locations, e-mail us a request and we'll mail you a card.

County residents can call toll free 1-877-321-2652 or visit https://naco.advancerx.com/ for assistance with the program. Using the NACo prescription discount card is easy. Simply present it at a participating pharmacy. There is no enrollment form, no membership fee and no restrictions or limits on frequency of use. Cardholders and their family members may use the card any time their prescriptions are not covered by insurance.

The discount card program is administered nationally by Scottsdale, Arizona-based Caremark Rx, Inc.

The National Association of Counties (NACo) is a full-service organization that provides legislative, research, technical and public affairs assistance to county governments. Created in 1935, NACo continues to ensure that the nations 3,066 counties are heard and understood in the White House and Congress.

Jews Wake Up! by Caroline Glick

2006-12-14T19:41:00.000-08:00

Guaranteeing our survival begins with each of us deciding that we are willing to fight to survive. And today the challenge facing us is clear.

When the history of our times is written, this week will be remembered as the week that Washington decided to let the Islamic Republic of Iran go nuclear. Hopefully it will also be remembered as the moment the Jews arose and refused to allow Iran to go nuclear.

With the publication of the recommendations of the Iraq Study Group chaired by former US secretary of state James Baker III and former congressman Lee Hamilton, the debate about the war in Iraq changed. From a war for victory against Islamofascism and for democracy and freedom, the war became reduced to a conflict to be managed by appeasing the US's sworn enemies in the interests of stability, and at the expense of America's allies.

Baker and his associates claim that the US cannot win the war in Iraq and so the US must negotiate with its primary enemies in Iraq and throughout the world -- Iran and Syria -- in the hopes that they will be persuaded to hold their fire for long enough to facilitate an "honorable" American retreat from the country.

Like his unsupported assertion that the US cannot win in Iraq, Baker also asserts -- in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary -- that Iran and Syria share America's "interest in avoiding chaos in Iraq." Because of this supposed shared interest, Baker maintains that with the proper incentives, Iran and Syria can be persuaded to cooperate with a US withdrawal from Iraq ahead of the 2008 presidential primaries.

The main incentive Baker advocates offering is Israel.

Baker believes that Iran will agree to temporarily hold its fire in Iraq in exchange for US acceptance of Iran as a nuclear power and an American pledge not to topple the regime. Syria will assist the US in exchange for US pressure on Israel to hand over the Golan Heights to Syria and Judea and Samaria to Hamas.

Obviously, if implemented, the Baker-Hamilton group's recommendations will be disastrous for Israel. Just the fact that they now form the basis for the public debate on the war is a great blow. But it isn't only Israel that is harmed by their actions. The US too, will be imperiled if their views become administration policy.

Although Baker -- and incoming Secretary of Defense Robert Gates who served on his commission until Bush announced his appointment last month -- believes that there is a deal to be done that will end Iranian and Syrian aggression against the US, its vital interests and its allies, the fact of the matter is that there is no such deal. Contrary to what the Baker report argues and what Gates said in his Senate confirmation hearing Tuesday, Iran is not analogous to the Soviet Union and the war against the global jihad is not a new cold war.

Even if the US were to somehow get them to agree to certain understandings about Iraq, there is no reason to believe that the Iranians and Syrians would keep their word. Not only would the US be approaching them as a supplicant and so emboldening them, but to date the US has never credibly threatened anything either Syria or Iran value. Indeed, through supporting negotiations between the EU and Iran, empowering the UN to deal with Iran's nuclear program, and forcing Israel to accept a cease-fire with Hizbullah last summer that effectively gave victory to the Syrian and Iranian proxy, the US has consistently rewarded the two countries' aggression.

Worse than that, from a US perspective, although Gates admitted Tuesday that he cannot guarantee that Iran will not attack Israel with nuclear weapons, he ignored the fact that Iran -- whose President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad daily calls for the destruction of the US -- may also attack the US with nuclear weapons.

Gates admitted in his Senate hearing that Iran is producing many bombs -- not just one.
Since it is possible to destroy Israel with just one bomb, the Americans should be asking themselves what Iran needs all those other bombs for. There are senior military sources in the US who have been warning the administration to take into consideration that the day that Iran attacks Israel with a nuclear bomb, 10 cities in the US and Europe are liable to also be attacked with nuclear weapons. Unfortunately, no one is listening to these voices today.

It is particularly upsetting that Washington has chosen now of all times to turn its back on the war. Ahmadinejad hinted Monday that Iran has completed the nuclear fuel cycle and so has passed the point of no return on its nuclear program. He also made a statement indicating that Iran will have its nuclear arsenal up and running by March - just four months away.

Serious disagreement exists in Washington over the status of the Iranian program. Some claim that Iran is four or five years away from nuclear weapons capabilities. Others maintain that Iran has recently experienced serious technical setbacks in their uranium enrichment activities and that the North Korean nuclear bomb test in October, in which Iranian officials participated, was a failure.

But there are also engaged officials who agree with Ahmadinejad's assessment of Iran's nuclear progress. Those officials maintain first that the North Korean-Iranian test in October was successful and should be taken as a sign that Iran already has a nuclear arsenal. Second, they warn that the US and Israel have six months to act against Iran's nuclear installations and to overthrow the regime or face the prospect of the annihilation of Israel and the destruction of several US cities as a result of an Iranian nuclear offensive.

Obviously, Israel cannot risk the possibility that the last group of officials is correct. And since Washington has decided to go to sleep, it is up to Israel alone to act.

What must Israel do? First, it must plan an attack against Iran's nuclear facilities and regime command and control centers. To pave the way for such an attack, the IDF must move now to neutralize second order threats like the Palestinian rocket squads and the Syrian ballistic missile arsenals in order to limit the public's exposure to attack during the course of or in the aftermath of an Israeli attack on Iran. Second, Israel must work to topple the Iranian regime. As the Defense Minister's advisor Uri Lubrani told Ha'aretz last week, the regime in Iran is far from stable today and ripe for overthrow.

The overwhelming majority of Iranians despise the regime. There are rebellious groups in every ethnic group and province in the country - Azeris, Kurds, Ahwazi Arabs, Baluchis, Turkmen and even Persians - that are actively working to destabilize the regime. Every day there are strikes of workers, women and students. Every few weeks there are reports of violent clashes between anti-regime groups and regime forces.

Recently, oil pipelines were sabotaged in the oil-rich Khuzestan province in the south where the Ahwazi Arabs are systematically persecuted by the regime. Westerners who recently visited Iran claim that Israel operating alone could overthrow the regime by extending its assistance to these people.

Thirdly, in his testimony in the Senate on Tuesday, Gates casually mentioned that Israel has nuclear weapons. In so doing, he unceremoniously removed four decades of ambiguity over Israel's nuclear status. While his statement caused dismay in Jerusalem, perhaps Israel should see this as an opportunity.

With the threat of nuclear destruction hanging over us, it makes sense to conduct a debate about an Israeli second strike. While such a discussion will not dissuade Iran's fanatical leaders from attacking Israel with nuclear weapons, it could influence the Iranian nation to rise up against their leaders.

Moreover, such a debate could influence other regimes in the region like Saudi Arabia which today behave as if Israel's annihilation will have no adverse impact on them. Americans like Baker, Gates and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and their European friends need to understand that as goes Israel so go the Persian Gulf's oil fields. Such an understanding may influence their willingness to enable Iran to acquire nuclear weapons.

Next Thursday, Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz, Vice Chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations Malcolm Hoenlein and former ambassador to the UN Dore Gold will hold a press conference in New York where they will call for the US to indict Ahmadinejad under the International Convention Against Genocide for his call to annihilate Israel. This is doubtlessly a welcome initiative. But it is insufficient.

In a few months, Iran may well be in possession of nuclear weapons which it will use to destroy the Jewish state. With the US withdrawing from the war and Israel in the hands of incompetents, the time has come for the Jewish people to rise up.

Guaranteeing our survival begins with each of us deciding that we are willing to fight to survive. And today the challenge facing us is clear.

Either the Iranian regime is toppled and its nuclear installations are destroyed or Israel will be annihilated. The Jews in the Diaspora must launch mass demonstrations and demand that their governments take real action to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

The citizens of the State of Israel must also take to the streets. The government that led us to defeat in Lebanon this summer is leading us to a disaster of another order entirely. All citizens must demand that Olmert, his ministers and the generals in the IDF General Staff make an immediate decision. They now hold the responsibility for acting against Iran. They must either act or resign and make way for others who will.

America just abdicated its responsibility to defend itself against Iran and so left Israel high and dry. Nevertheless, the Jewish people is far from powerless. And the State of Israel also is capable of defending itself. But we must act and act immediately

(This article originally appeared in the Jerusalem Post.)

Why are Americans so unhappy?

2006-12-12T20:52:00.000-08:00

(Author Unknown)

The other day I was reading Newsweek magazine and came across some poll data I found rather hard to believe. It must be true given the source, right? Thesame magazine that employs Michael (Qurans in the toilets at Gitmo) Isikoff. Here I promised myself this week I would be nice and I start off in this way.

The Newsweek poll alleges that 67 percent of Americans are unhappy with the direction the country is headed and 69 percent of the country is unhappy with the performance of the president. In essence 2/3's of the citizenry just ain't happy and want a change. So being the knuckle dragger I am, I starting thinking, ''What we are so unhappy about?''

Is it that we have electricity and running water 24 hours a day, 7 days a week? Is our unhappiness the result of having air conditioning in the summer and heating in the winter? Could it be that 95.4 percent of these unhappy folks have a job? Maybe it is the ability to walk into a grocery store at any time and see more food in moments than Darfur has seen in the last year?

Maybe it is the ability to drive from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean without having to present identification papers as we move through each state? Or possibly the hundreds of clean and safe motels we would find along the way that can provide temporary shelter? I guess having thousands of restaurants with varying cuisine from around the world is just not good enough. Or could it be that when we wreck our car, emergency workers show up and provide services to help all involved. Whether you are rich or poor they treat your wounds and even, if necessary, send a helicopter to take you to the hospital.

Perhaps you are one of the 70 percent of Americans who own a home, you may be upset with knowing that in the unfortunate case of having a fire, a group of trained firefighters will appear in moments and use top notch equipment to extinguish the flames thus saving you, your family and your belongings. Or if, while at home watching one of your many flat screen TVs, a burglar or prowler intrudes; an officer equipped with a gun and a bullet-proof vest will come to defend you and your family against attack or loss. This all in the backdrop of a neighborhood free of bombs or militias raping and pillaging the residents.

Neighborhoods where 90 percent of teenagers own cell phones and computers. How about the complete religious, social and political freedoms we enjoy that are the envy of everyone in the world? Maybe that is what has 67 percent of you folks unhappy.

Fact is, we are the largest group of ungrateful, spoiled brats the world has ever seen. No wonder the world loves the U.S. yet has a great disdain for its citizens. They see us for what we are. The most blessed people in the world who do nothing but complain about what we don't have and what we hate about the country instead of thanking the Good Lord we live here.

I know, I know. What about the president who took us into war and has no plan to get us out? The president who has a measly 31 percent approval rating? Is this the same president who guided the nation in the dark days; after 9/11? The president that cut taxes to bring an economy out of recession? Could this be the same guy who has been called every name in the book for succeeding in keeping all the spoiled brats safe from terrorist attacks? The commander in chief of an all-volunteer army that is out there defending you and me?

Make no mistake about it. The troops in Iraq and Afghanistan have volunteered to serve, and in many cases have died for your freedom. There is currently no draft in this country. They didn't have to go. They are able to refuse to go and end up with either a ''general'' discharge, an ''other than honorable'' discharge or, worst case scenario, a ''dishonorable'' discharge after a few days in the brig.

So why then the flat out discontentment in the minds of 69 percent of Americans? Say what you want but I blame it on the media. If it bleeds it leads and they specialize in bad news. Everybody will watch a car crash with blood and guts. How many will watch kids selling lemonade at the corner? The media knows this and media outlets are for-profit corporations. They offer what sells. Just ask why they are going to allow a murderer like O.J. Simpson to write a book and do a TV special about how he didn't kill his wife but if he did. . . .Insane!

Stop buying the negative venom you are fed everyday by the media. Shut off the TV, burn Newsweek, and use the New York Times for the bottom of your bird cage. Then start being grateful for all we have as a country. There is exponentially more good than bad.

I close with one of my favorite quotes from B.C. Forbes! in 1953: ''What have Americans to be thankful for? More than any other people on the earth, we enjoy complete religious freedom, political freedom, social freedom. Our liberties are sacredly safeguarded by the Constitution of the United States, 'the most wonderful work ever struck off at a given time by the brain and purpose of man.' Yes, we Americans of today have been bequeathed a noble heritage. Let us pray that we may hand it down unsullied to our children and theirs.''

I suggest this Christmas we sit back and count our blessings for all we have. If we don't, what we have will be taken away. Then we will have to explain to future generations why we squandered such blessing and abundance. If we are not careful this generation will be known as the ''greediest and most ungrateful generation.'' A far cry from the proud Americans of the ''greatest generation'' who left us an untarnished legacy!

"CHRISTMAS" MAKES A COMEBACK IN PUBLIC SPACES,SECULARISTS LOSING THEIR "WAR ON CHRISTMAS"

2006-12-11T07:05:00.000-08:00

(From REAL NEWS 12/11/06)

By Jane Lampman, The Christian Science Monitor staff writer December 7, 2006--Who doesn't hanker for a return to a "real sense of Christmas" during the holiday season? Everyone, of course, has their own take on what that involves. Is it a happy, if rowdy, opening of presents on Christmas morning? A family tree-trimming tradition or favorite holiday concert? Perhaps it's a quiet pondering of the biblical Christmas story. Or a sharing of a meal with
the less fortunate. To some long distressed by the secularization of the holiday --and
particularly by the disappearance of the word "Christmas" and itsreligious symbols from the public domain -- there is reason for cheer in 2006.

Signs have appeared of a "return of Christmas" in the culture. Big-time retailers including Wal-Mart, Macy's, Target, and Kohl's have responded to demands to resurrect a "Merry Christmas" theme in their stores. More cities are approving the inclusion of nativity scenes inholiday displays on public property. And film studios are releasingmovies with a genuine biblical theme. "The Nativity Story," which opened in theaters across the US over the
past weekend, represents more than a follow-on to Mel Gibson's "ThePassion of the Christ," says Ted Baehr, chair of the Christian Film and Television Commission. With studios now marketing to a variety of groups,he adds, the biggest group is probably churchgoers. Dr. Baehr sees morefaith-related films in the works.

Yet the Christmas comeback goes beyond Hollywood. "We're seeing a sensitivity that was not there before to the factthat removing the Christian aspects of Christmas is offensive to themajority of Americans," says Erik Stanley, chief attorney for the LibertyCounsel, a conservative group that has taken the cause to the courts whenit deemed such action necessary. Just recently, the legal group helped Robert Wortock, a citizen of Racine, Wis., get a nativity display on the city's Monument Square afterofficials previously rejected it. Traditional Christmas decorations had disappeared from the streets, and Mr. Wortock wanted to change that. "This is a good example of how, in the last three years, we've seen agood return on this effort," says Mr. Stanley.

In recent years, several conservative Christian groups have claimed that a "war on Christmas" was being waged by secularists, and they marshaled their troops in response. The Liberty Counsel is in its fourth year of a "Friend or Foe Christmas Campaign", pledging to be a friend to"entities which do not censor Christmas and a foe to those who do" --language that makes some Christians wince.

Groups they charge with fomenting the problem, such as the American Civil Liberties Union, counter that it is a "fictional war", that they are implying an anti-Christian hostility that doesn't exist. The clash centers on a disagreement over the propriety of religious symbols of any kind on public property. Both sides agree that part of the problem is misinformation, with cities and schools often unsure about what is constitutional. (Court shave ruled that nativity displays are allowable alongside other secularand religious symbols.)

What also raised the hackles of some religious folk was a growing retail practice of opting for "Happy Holidays" instead of "MerryChristmas" on signage around stores. Some managers instructed employees not to say "Merry Christmas" to customers. Some retailers say it just makes sense to be more inclusive during a season when Hanukkah and Kwanzaa are also celebrated. Best Buy, for example, is sticking with its "Happy Holidays" theme.

But Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has responded to the clamor in a vigorous way. "We learned our lesson, and this year more than ever 'Christmas' will dominate," says spokeswoman Jami Arms. Ticking off a list of pro-Christmas changes the chain has announced, she adds, "This is what Wal-Mart does -- listen to its employees and associates. We heard themsay they wanted Christmas to be more a part of our store."

Some suggest the pressure has been drummed up by Christian advocacygroups, which maintain "Grinch" or "Scrooge" lists on their websites and sell buttons and bumper stickers with such messages as "I helped save Christmas." These groups are also responding to individual concerns. Elizabeth Sither, a septuagenarian in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., noticed that her community's Fall Activities Calendar had secular holiday activities planned as well as a Hanukkah celebration, but no mention of Christmas. "Christmas is a national holiday and a very precious time for Christians," she says. "It doesn't make sense to take the Christ out of Christmas." So she wrote to city officials. When it appeared her request wouldn't be seriously considered for a display this year, she contacted the Thomas More Law Center of AnnArbor, Mich. who had helped others in similar cases. "Their attorney stepped in," Sither says. Palm Beach Gardens officials approved a nativity scene for display at the city recreation center along with a tree, snowman, and menorah. Now she is busy planninga public Christmas celebration with caroling at the center.

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In the latest instance of decrying the "war on Christmas", Fox Newshost Bill O'Reilly claimed that "it's all part of the secular progressive agenda -- to get Christianity and spirituality and Judaism out of the public square." He then added: "Because if you look at what happened in WesternEurope and Canada, if you can get religion out, then you can pass secular progressive programs, like legalization of narcotics, euthanasia, abortion at will, gay marriage, because the objection to those things is religious-based, usually."

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For free Politically Incorrect news ignored by the American news media, send your friends' email addresses for REAL NEWS from thenewsman@ij.net.

Consumer Warning--Outdated Pancake Mix

2006-11-28T09:01:00.000-08:00

DEAR ABBY:I recently made a batch of pancakes for my healthy 14-year-old son, using a mix that was in our pantry. He said that they tasted "funny," but ate them anyway. About 10 minutes later, he began having difficulty breathing and his lips began turning purple. I gave him his allergy pill, had him sit on the sofa and told him to relax. He was wheezing while inhaling and exhaling. My husband, a volunteer firefighter and EMT, heated up some water, and we had my son lean over the water so the steam could clear his chest and sinuses. Soon, his breathing became more regular and his lips returned to a more normal color. We checked the date on the box of pancake mix and, to my dismay, found it was very outdated. As a reference librarian at an academic institution, I have the abil ity to search through many research databases I did just that, and found an article the next day that mentioned a 19-year-old male DYING after eating pancakes made with outdated mix. Apparently, the mold that forms in old pancake mix can be toxic! When we told our friends about my son's close call, we were surprised at the number of people who mentioned that they should check their own pancake mix since they don't use it often, or they had purchased it some time ago. With so many people shopping at warehouse-type stores and buying large sizes of pancake mix, I hope your readers will take the time to check the expiration date on their boxes.

Also, beware of outdated cake, brownie and cookie mixes.

You can find this true story at snopes.com. Here's the link: www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/pancake.asp Lesson learned; be sure to check dates on everything and basically, just don't eat anything outdated! PASS IT ON!!!!

‘My Country Needs Me’: Iraqi democrats haven’t given up the fight. How can we?

2006-11-27T17:12:00.000-08:00

(From: PoliticalMavins.com)

By Heather Robinson

The panic over Iraq seems more intense than ever. That country, the thinking goes, is a hopeless mess.

An immediate American withdrawal would leave the silent majority of Iraqis hostage to the most vicious extremists, abandoning those Iraqi leaders who have championed liberal democratic values. One of them is Mithal al-Alusi, a 53-year-old Sunni Arab who won a seat in parliament last December after having served as director general of the National Commission on de-Baathification. Mr. al-Alusi ran on a platform of religious pluralism, human rights, free markets and a free press. He calls for an alliance among democracies — including the U.S., Iraq, Israel and Turkey — to fight terrorism.

Not only does Mr. al-Alusi champion values many in the West hope will define the new Iraq, he has risked his life — and lost more than his life — for the cause. In September 2004 he attended a counterterrorism conference in Herzliya, Israel; after which insurgents threatened his family.

The following February assassins opened fire on Mr. al-Alusi’s car as it approached his Baghdad home. He wasn’t in the vehicle, but his sons, 30-year-old Ayman and 22-year-old Gamal, were. Both were killed as their father watched. Still, Mr. al-Alusi was unbowed. “Even if these terrorists try to kill me again, peace is the only solution,” he told reporters minutes after the attack. “Peace with Israel is the only solution for Iraq. Peace with everybody, but no peace for the terrorists.” He continued to build his Iraqi Nation Party, which his fallen sons had helped establish, and which now has 15,000 members.

He describes his views less in ideological terms than in human ones. “An Iraqi mother, she has the right to have normal feelings for her baby. It’s the same for an Israeli mother,” he told me in a phone interview from Baghdad. “This is the best way to drive the world’s politics. Not to make it complicated.”

Mr. al-Alusi is not the only Iraqi political leader to reject ethnic and sectarian separatism. Hajim al-Hasani, a former parliament speaker, testified at a September congressional hearing. When Rep. Christopher Shays referred to him as a Sunni, Mr. al-Hasani politely corrected the congressman: “I am Iraqi.” Afterwards, Mr. al-Hasani told me it is a misconception to view the violence in Iraq as the expression of popular will: “The few bad apples can rotten the rest of the apples if nobody stops them.” Many of those “bad apples” aren’t even grown in Iraq. Following Saddam Hussein’s fall, foreign jihadists such as the Jordanian Abu Musab al-Zarqawi rushed to join former Baathists in an effort to undermine the fledgling democracy. And Mr. al-Alusi told me that “Iran is fully involved in terrorist activity in Iraq.” He believes Tehran is playing both sides, backing Sunni terrorists as well as Shiite ones.

Polls suggest a majority of Americans think it was a mistake to enter Iraq. Mr. al-Alusi respectfully disagrees. “We didn’t have any kind of hope, and now, even with all our difficulty, we have hope.” Iraq today is a central front in a war against extremists who view the murder of civilians as political expression. “I will be killed — if not today, tomorrow,” Mr. al-Alusi says. “The point is not me, but children — for a child to be a child, not a killer; for a teenager to be a teenager, not an extremist.”

Mithal al-Alusi could have left Iraq for a comfortable life in exile; Mr. Shays, a friend, offered to help him relocate to the U.S. But he said no: “My country needs me.”

He has not given up the fight. How can we?

Dear Jesse Jackson

2006-11-24T16:54:00.000-08:00

FROM WORLD NEWS DAILY

Dear Rev. Jackson:
I read with interest your Sept. 12, 2006, article "Goodwill, unity, money have been squandered since Sept. 11," which appeared in the Chicago Sun-Times. I do not object, as such, to your poisonous screed directed at President Bush. I object to the substance that so freely flows from your mouth and that can best be likened unto that which is consistent with encopresis – albeit in your case, the malady can hardly be defined as involuntary.

You purport yourself to be a minister – a reverend – a so-called man of God – but a minister is a servant and a reverend is a member of the clergy, which means said individual is to be obedient unto the God he serves. If one serves the "god" of chaos, deceit, lies, whore-mongering, dysfunction, greed and resentment – then perhaps within ecclesiastical environs it can be said you serve well. Apart from same being the case, you are antithetical of everything that can remotely be identified as a biblical servant of the true "Living God." But I get ahead of myself.
In the piece you wrote, our military is "stranded … [in Iraq] with inadequate training and inadequate direction." On what did you base that premise? On what basis do you brand the finest all-volunteer military in the history of civilization as poorly trained and inept? Or was your statement an effluence based on an apriori moment designed to gain political points for the upcoming election?

You spoke of "catastrophic climate change, global pandemics and unsustainable trade deficits" – but you never make mention of the catastrophic zeitgeist that has wreaked havoc and "more economic damage" upon the community you self-servingly claim to represent. You are never heard making reference to the "pandemic" level of black on black crime, black abortion rates, black single-parent homes (albeit you contributed to those numbers) and black criminal behavior, all of which threatens the future of blacks as a whole.

You wrote that the president, "instead of asking Americans to sacrifice to meet the challenge [of 9/11] … called on them, literally, to go shopping." You condescendingly wrote, "He allowed business as usual to go on in Washington." I ask you – how much more could Americans have sacrificed than watching their innocent family members and co-citizens perish? How much more sacrifice could the president have called upon the people to make? Or by sacrifice were you saying that the president could have called upon Americans to give more pints of blood or more supplies to charity groups that were immediately besieged with donations? Perhaps you reasoned that ordinary people performing extraordinary acts of volunteerism and acts of mercy were not sacrifice enough. Or were you suggesting that President Bush should have ordered everyone to hide under their kitchen tables and quake in fear?

What part of the American spirit do you perceive wasn't grieving after those attacks? What do you believe the people of Washington and its metropolitan area experienced daily as they commuted past the final resting place of those aboard United Flight 77? What would you have done differently? How would you have displayed leadership?

In the article, you spoke of the 9/11 commission being "nonpartisan": Does that include Richard Ben-Veniste and Jamie Gorelick? You derided the very intelligence tools that have prevented terrorist attacks on our soil since 9/11. You intentionally and erroneously labeled domestic eavesdropping "warrantless wiretapping," never mentioning that it prevented Lyman Farris from blowing up the Brooklyn Bridge, was instrumental in protecting the Sears Towers and was key in uncovering the UK suicide bombers' plan to blow up 10 international passenger planes just one month ago.

You blame the president for bringing "discredit to the nation across the world." My question to you is, who brought discredit on the nation in 1979 when we had a president who betrayed a trusted ally and was unable to free Americans held hostage. Who brought "discredit" on America in the years preceding 9/11, as the mongrel followers of a pedophile and false god bombed American interests around the world? Is President Bush to blame for the 1993 World Trade Tower bombings?

You referred to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld as "ugly and dishonest." I ask you, is that not a more appropriate self-description? You are the man who rubbed the blood of a fallen hero on your clothing and then lied, saying he died in your arms. Shall we outline your financial dealings?

You claim the president's credibility is gone, when in truth it is you who has no credibility. President Bush is fulfilling the role of his office. But as a minister, can the same be said of you? Are you fulfilling God's prescripts for the priestly office you claim to hold? How many people have you personally led to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ? How many people have you preached the salvation message to?

What have you done to bring glory and honor to the name of Christ? Is that what you were doing as you paraded your pregnant mistress around the White House while supposedly ministering to a president taken with sexual sin of his own? "Goodwill, unity, money" have indeed been squandered, but not since 9/11. They have been squandered on you and your morally depraved kind. You claim a title that should offer "hope," but instead you offer fool's parsley.

My prayer for you would be, and is, that you would confess the error of your ways while there is yet time, because the "Living God" takes a dim view of those who intentionally lead his children astray.

Sincerely,

Mychal S. Massie

P.S. I am available to debate you, anywhere, on the relative principles of your ersatz theology versus true Christianity.

Anti-military bigotry by the Bay

2006-11-20T12:53:00.000-08:00

By Jeff Jacoby
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com

"In the first place God made idiots," observed Mark Twain. "This was for practice. Then he made school boards." The San Francisco Board of Education's 4-2 vote last week to abolish the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps program, which has been active in the city's high schools for 90 years, tends to support his view.

Why is JROTC being done away with? It isn't for lack of interest. More than 1,600 San Francisco students currently take part in its voluntary activities. "Kids love this program as if it's family," notes the San Francisco Chronicle. It is "a program that students and their parents wholeheartedly support."

Finances aren't the problem either. Operating JROTC costs the city less than $1 million out of an annual school budget of $356 million.

Nor is the problem bad management. The Chronicle reports that "no one has offered an alternative as coherent and well-run as JROTC."

Safety? Also not a problem. Though cadets have uniforms, they carry no weapons; the nonviolent programs emphasize leadership, self-discipline, citizenship, and teamwork. "This is where the kids feel safe," says one JROTC instructor, retired Army Lieutenant Colonel Robert Powell.

And the problem certainly isn't an absence of diversity. In a story on JROTC cadets at Galileo High School, Chronicle reporter Jill Tucker writes: "These students are 4-foot-10 to 6-foot-4. Athletic and disabled. College-bound and barely graduating. Gay and straight. White, black, and brown. Some leave school for large homes with ocean views. Others board buses for Bayview-Hunters Point." Several of the students come from immigrant families. At least one is autistic.

So what is the problem with JROTC? There isn't one. The problem is with the anti military bigotry of the school board majority and the "peace" activists who lobbied against the program on the grounds that San Francisco's schools should not be sullied by an association with the US armed forces.

"We don't want the military ruining our civilian institutions," said Sandra Schwartz of the American Friends Service Committee, a far-left pacifist organization that routinely condemns American foreign policy and opposes JROTC nationwide. "In a healthy democracy . . . you contain the military." Board member Dan Kelly, who voted with the majority, called JROTC "basically a branding program or a recruiting program for the military." In fact, it is nothing of the kind: The great majority of cadets do not end up serving in the military.

But then, facts tend not to matter to smug ideologues like Schwartz and Kelly, who are free to parade their contempt for the military because they live in a nation that affords such freedom even to idiots and ingrates. It never seems to occur to them that the liberties and security they take for granted would vanish in a heartbeat if it weren't for the young men and women who do choose to wear the uniform, willingly risking life and limb in service to their country.

According to The Chronicle, scores of JROTC students were on hand when the school board met last week; many of them burst into tears after the vote. Sad to say, they should probably have seen this coming. For in its trendy anti military animus, the school board was hardly breaking new ground.

In 1995, San Francisco's board of supervisors wiped the city's famous Army Street from the map, renaming it Cesar Chavez Street. Last year, city supervisors refused to allow the retired USS Iowa, a historic World War II battleship, to be docked in the Port of San Francisco. Like the school board vote, the spurning of the Iowa was intended as a slap at the US military and the foreign policy it supports. Supervisor Chris Daly explained his vote against accepting the battleship by announcing: "I am not proud of the history of the United States of America since the 1940s."

In 2005, San Francisco voters handily approved Measure I, a nonbinding ballot question dubbed "College Not Combat," which called for the exclusion of military recruiters from public high schools and colleges. The prevailing political attitude was summed up in a Weekly Standard headline: "San Francisco to Army: Drop Dead."

Not everyone feels that way. To his credit, Mayor Gavin Newsom excoriated the school board last week for "disrespecting the sacrifice of men and women in uniform" and warned that killing JROTC would only accelerate the flight of city residents from the public schools. "You think this is going to help keep families in San Francisco?" he asked. "No. It's going to hurt."

Going to? For 1,600 kids now faced with the death of a program that infused their lives with purpose, camaraderie, and self-respect, the hurt has already begun.

Recognizing A Stroke

2006-11-17T09:20:00.000-08:00

How to Identify a StrokeDate: 11/16/2006

A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke...totally. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough.

RECOGNIZING A STROKE

Remember the "3" steps, "STR" . (Read and Learn!Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke.)

Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:
S * Ask the individual to SMILE.
T * Ask the person to TALK to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently) (i.e. . . It is sunny out today)
R * Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.

*NOTE: Another 'sign' of a stroke is this: Ask the person to 'stick' out their tongue. If the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other, that is also an indication of a stroke.

If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call 911 immediately!! and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

Holding Islam to Account

2006-11-15T17:15:00.000-08:00

From Amil Imani: http://www.amilimani.com
Friday, 10 November 2006

Islam has spawned many sects that are master practitioners of the art of double standards. As far as Muslims are concerned, what is good for Muslims is not good for the non-Muslims; and what is bad for Muslims is good for non-Muslims.

What complicates matters is that there is no way of knowing which of the dozens of at-each-other's-throat sects is the legitimate Islam. As soon as Muhammad died, his religion of peace became a house of internal war: jockeying for power and leadership started, sects formed and splintered into sub-sects, and bloodletting began in earnest.

The internal infighting in Islam is presently playing in full color - in red - most dramatically, in the Iraqi theater. Shiite raid Sunni civilians, slaughter them like sheep, and toss their bodies like trash in the streets or the rivers. The Sunnis return the favor with just as much viciousness and savagery. Question: If this is the way these Muslims treat each other, how would they deal with the infidels if they had the chance?

Answer: These devoted followers of Muhammad would deal with the infidels exactly the way Muhammad did: behead the non-believers, take them as slaves to hold or sell, or make them pay back-breaking jizyeh - poll taxes.

Some may object that writings like this are little more than hate-mongering and fanning the fire that rages between Islam and the non-Islamic world. They may further play the Islamic apologists' few, well-worn propaganda cards as evidence for their contention that Islam is not what its detractors claim. Here are the few favorite cards:

* "There is no compulsion in religion," says the Koran. (But the full context is never shown.)* Islam means "peace," so Islam is a religion of peace.

* "For you, your religion, and for me, my religion," Muhammad reportedly said.

The Muslims and their apologists quickly run out of their few cards, and the rest of the Islamic deck is all about intolerance, hatred and violence toward the infidels, toward all others who are not true Muslims, and even toward those who consider themselves Muslims. Shiites, for instance, judge the Sunnis as traitors to Islam, and Sunnis condemn the Shiites as heretics. Each side deems the other worthy of death and hellfire.

This internecine Islamic war of the religion of peace is not confined to the Shiite-Sunni divide. There are so many internal divisions within each side that listing and describing them comprehensively would be an encyclopedic work.

So, who is right? What are the facts about Islam and how does Islam impact the ever-shrinking village Earth and its inhabitants? Admittedly, this is a huge question and cannot be answered satisfactorily in one article. However, some facts can be presented to help the reader decide.

There is no need to belabor the point that Islam is not, and has never been, a religion of peace. The word Islam is derived from taslim, which means "submission," while the term for "peace" is solh. Another derivation of the word taslim is salamat, which means "good health" and so on.

Irrespective of what the term Islam may mean, the facts on the ground conclusively demonstrate Islam's violent nature from its very inception. No need to go back to the time of Muhammad and examine the historical records. Just a few contemporary events should make the point.

Here is a partial list: the savage Shiite-Sunni bloodletting in Iraq; the barbarism of the resurgent Taliban in Afghanistan; the genocide in Sudan's Darfur region; the Somali killings; the Iranian mullahs' murder of their own people and support of mischief abroad; the cross-border attack on Israel by Lebanese Hizbullah; the incessant terrorist acts of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, and the fatwas of the Palestinians against Israel; the bombing of Shiite mosques in Pakistan, and the Shiite retaliation against soft, innocent and civilian targets.

Clearly, there is no place on the planet where Muslims reside that is in peace from the religion of peace. Spain, France, Holland, England, Thailand and Indonesia have already been attacked, while others, such as Belgium, have been threatened and sanctioned.

Stretching the benefit of the doubt beyond limits, one may believe that all these acts of horrors are committed by a small minority of thugs and radicals who happened to be Muslims. Fine, let us ignore all those "fringes" for now - those who are giving Islam a bad reputation. And never mind Saudi Arabia, the cradle of barbarism, fixed in formaldehyde since Islam's inception. Also, let us overlook the dastardly Shiite fanatics presently ruling (ruining) the great nation of Iran. Iranian Shiite Hitlerists are hell-bent on wiping Israel off the face of the planet, while viciously devastating Iran's own largest minority - the Baha'is, people universally-recognized as law-abiding and peaceful.

Would someone account for what is happening in the "civilized" Islamic country of Egypt? The world owes Egypt a debt of gratitude for giving it the Muslim Brotherhood - the lead promoter of Sunni hatred toward the infidels, with chapters and front organizations in much of the world. With typical hypocrisy, the Egyptian government claims that the Muslim Brotherhood is outlawed, when, in actuality, the Brotherhood holds twenty-five percent of the seats in the Egyptian parliament. The same country that gave the world vicious American-killers like Al-Zawahiri is the recipient of huge largess from the American taxpayer.

The latest shameful action of the Egyptian government is the issuance of identity cards that require listing of one's religion. In order to be issued an ID card, which is essential for just about any and all exercises of the rights of citizenship, the individual must list his religion as one of the three sanctioned faiths - Islam, Christianity or Judaism. No one is allowed to leave the religious affiliation blank or list any other religion. Buddhists, Hindus, Baha'is, or agnostics and atheists, have to either lie and fake a religious affiliation, or run the serious risk of having to survive as non-entities in the "crown jewel" of modern and moderate Islamic society.

These are the conditions on the ground wherever Islam rules. Violence of all forms is endemic to Islam and is not confined to any fringes. Islam itself is the fringe. A fringe that is oppressive, hateful of others and violent to the core.

The world must confront Islam and demand that it mends its ways in conformity with the Bill of Rights, according to which every man, woman and child is fully entitled to equal treatment under the law, irrespective of any and all considerations.

How Dems ‘clean house’

2006-11-15T10:12:00.000-08:00

By Michelle Malkin
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com Remember how Nancy Pelosi exploited the female card before the midterm elections? "Maybe it will take a woman to clean up the House and a new speaker to restore civility," she bragged.

Women, she implied, do a better job than men because we presumably know how to get down on our hands and knees and scrub the mold and mildew out of every corner and crevice of our own domiciles.

But from the way she's acting, Nancy Pelosi doesn't know spic from span. She's conducting Beltway business as usual, just like the good old boys she demonized throughout the campaign. (Madame Pelosi just happens to do it in an Armani aqua blue-gray pantsuit that gets thumbs-up from obsequious Washington fashion writers.)

Well, a back-scratching corruptocrat in pastel is still a back-scratching corruptocrat. Case in point: Which congressman is Mrs. Clean considering as chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence? Impeached federal judge Rep. Alcee Hastings, D-Fla., who took bribes, lied under oath and was kicked off the bench.

And which colleague is she backing for House majority leader? One of Congress's leading dirtbags: Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa.

As if his extremist cut-and-run war strategy weren't bad enough, Murtha's (un)ethical record is enough to make even liberal apologists blush.

Unfortunately, Murtha's defeated opponent, Diana Irey, couldn't get folks to pay enough attention to his Abscam past during the campaign. But now that he is poised to assume the speakership and all its attendant perks and privileges, the Abscam scandal is front and center.
In 1980, Murtha was an unindicted co-conspirator in a massive bribery probe — in which undercover FBI agents videotaped Murtha entertaining a $50,000 bribe from agents posing as emissaries for Arab sheiks trying to enter our country illegally. Democrat defenders of Murtha scoff that the story is "old news." (Liberal math: Abscam story from 1980 equals "old news." Bush National Guard story from 1973 equals "new news.")

But only recently have we been reminded of Abscam transcripts that paint an even uglier picture of Murtha than the short snippet of publicly available FBI video in which Murtha turned down the bribe. As noted by The American Spectator, an old Jack Anderson column reported these little-noticed parts of Murtha's conversation with the undercover agents:
"I want to deal with you guys awhile before I make any transactions at all, period. . . . After we've done some business, well, then I might change my mind. . . . "

. . . "I'm going to tell you this. If anybody can do it — I'm not B.S.-ing you fellows — I can get it done my way." he boasted. "There's no question about it." . . .

But the reluctant Murtha wouldn't touch the $50,000. Here on secret videotape was this all-American hero, tall and dignified in a disheveled way, explaining why he wasn't quite ready to accept the cash.

"All at once," he said, "some dumb [expletive deleted] would go start talking eight years from now about this whole thing and say [expletive deleted], this happened. Then in order to get immunity so he doesn't go to jail, he starts talking and fingering people. So the [S.O.B.] falls apart." . . .

"You give us the banks where you want the money deposited," offered one of the bagmen.
"All right," agreed Murtha. "How much money we talking about?"

"Well, you tell me."

"Well, let me find out what is a reasonable figure that will get their attention," said Murtha, "because there are a couple of banks that have really done me some favors in the past, and I'd like to put some money in. . . . ["]

So much for restoring cleanliness and civility, eh, Nancy?

Abscam isn't Murtha's only ethics cloud.

Defense industry lobbyist Paul Magliocchetti, a former colleague of Murtha's who worked as a senior staffer on the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, has reportedly funneled some $300,000 in campaign contributions to Murtha over the last three election cycles — either through his company, PMA, or its clients. They've reaped rich rewards: In 2006 alone, PMA clients received at least 60 earmarks worth some $95 million. Murtha also aided Democrat Congressman Alan Mollohan, who remains embroiled in a federal contracting corruption probe.
In 1992, Bill Clinton pledged to run the most ethical administration in history. We know how that went. Fourteen years later, Nancy Pelosi has recycled the pledge — and is now well on her way to recycling the same old soiled legacy.

A friendly woman-to-woman tip to Nancy Pelosi: To clean a house, you take the garbage out, not in.