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Wednesday, April 30, 2003
Posted
4/30/2003 11:32:00 AM
by Ocean Guy
State Department spokeswoman Nancy Beck said Wednesday morning's terror attack in Tel Aviv wouldn't derail the peace effort, the Associated Press reported.Just who are those opposed to the restoration of dialogue? The majority of the Arabs oppose it. But we ignore that. It's not convenient to deal with them. It's much easier to ask our friends to sacrifice and pretend that the Arabs think like us. We'd rather live with our fantasy that the Arabs want the same chance at a peaceful life that we do. The sad fact is, they don't. Their view of peace begins with their freedom from Israel’s existence… They keep telling us, they keep showing us, but we ignore it. We see and hear the hatred that is spouted at Friday prayers throughout the Arab world. We ignore it. We know the violence perpetrated and supported by the Arab world against Israel, but we ignore it. We know most Arab states refuse to recognize Israel, but we ignore it. We know France, Russia, Germany, and others oppose our view of peace, and oppose our presence in the Middle East, yet we join with them as partners. We know Abu Mazen was a terrorist, but we ignore it. We know Arabs have been living as refugees for 55 years, we give them Billions of dollars to build a state and they squander it… we give them more. We know that Arab states won’t let their brothers leave the refugee camps to build lives, but we ignore it. Instead of asking more of the Arabs to solve their problem, we ask our friends to sacrifice. We ask our friends to sacrifice for our idea of peace while ignoring the vast difference in the way the Arabs imagine and define the same peace. We impute our values and ideals on the Arabs and ignore the reality that their values and ideals are not at all similar. It’s not right, under these circumstances to demand so much from Israel.. On one hand I'm encouraged by the Bush administration’s willingness to stick to what they believe is right, regardless of world opinion, as they showed us in Iraq. But I'm not at all confident that they will stand up for those principles in the face of increasing anti-Israel and anti-American pressure. My fear is we are too eager to placate the Arab world and mollify the Europeans who have no more interest in a peaceful, secure Israel than Yasser Arafat does. We’ll see. I have very little doubt that Arab violence will continue. As it continues, I’ll be watching to see how hard we pressure Israel to make even more concessions. Meanwhile I'm hoping we have said what we mean and that we meant what we said. Monday, April 28, 2003
Posted
4/28/2003 10:22:00 PM
by Ocean Guy
The Last Jew In StolinFor More, please see: The Holocaust History Project: NOTE: In 1942, the Jews of Stolin, Poland, were rounded up by the Nazis and forced, naked and shivering, to dig a pit 11 miles from town. They were then shot, their bodies buried by the Nazis in the pit. In 1945, Russian soldiers liberating Poland, dug up the bodies, searching for Jewish gold. The bodies were not reburied. Since then, the sole surviving Jew in Stolin, now in his 80s, walks every morning to the pit to cover up bones exposed by the elements, and walks back home. His journey lasts the entire day.
Posted
4/28/2003 10:16:00 PM
by Ocean Guy
Posted
4/28/2003 10:15:00 AM
by Ocean Guy
Journalist Emir Makhoul took issue with the declaration by the Arab participants in the initiative that they sought "to understand the suffering [of the Jews] and its influence on the Jewish people, which has led it to live in constant fear of the other," because, he said, it reinforces the Zionist approach that uses the Jewish victim to justify Israel's aggressive policy.And not to be missed: "We cannot abolish the historic Palestinian dream, even if we remove it from the official Palestinian rhetoric... This land was promised to us by Allah, while it was promised to the Jews by Balfour. If such a decision [about teaching the Holocaust] is carried out, it will undoubtedly ruin the Palestinian dream and aspirations.The land was promised to the Jews by Balfour… Go figure. Friday, April 25, 2003
Posted
4/25/2003 11:27:00 AM
by Ocean Guy
Islam, as Christianity before it, is evolving at a rapid pace. St. Thomas Aquinas advocated putting heretics to death and the Protestant reformer Jean Calvin had one outspoken dissident executed. And it is only a generation ago that political observers used to note that the Catholic countries of Southern Europe and Latin America were constitutionally and philosophically unable to take to democracy. But Islam is changing very fast. It is more than beginning to think about democracy. Wednesday, April 23, 2003
Posted
4/23/2003 12:25:00 PM
by Ocean Guy
Monday, April 21, 2003
Posted
4/21/2003 04:37:00 PM
by Ocean Guy
There are some parallels between the emerging Iranian-Israeli balance of deterrence and that between India and Pakistan. They are not especially reassuring. Last year, South Asia came close to a nuclear war, and was restrained only by fairly desperate American diplomatic intervention. In seriously contemplating such a war, there were cold-hearted strategists in India who doubted Pakistan’s nuclear capabilities and calculated worst-case scenarios in which, even if Pakistan could use nuclear weaponry and kill tens of millions of Indians, an Indian nuclear strike could utterly wipe out Pakistan.
Posted
4/21/2003 01:38:00 PM
by Ocean Guy
Posted
4/21/2003 08:58:00 AM
by Ocean Guy
I realize that for a person with easily injured feelings, mine is a dangerous position to take in a public forum like a newspaper column. It is, after all, decidedly pro-Jewish and pro-Israel, which means it's decidedly unpopular with most liberal thinkers, one of which I have been all of my adult life. I'm not, in fact, sure when it became right wing to support Israel and be pro-Jewish, but it definitely has, and this has thrown me out of my usual political orbit.The left has lost many, and will lose almost all of its intelligent progressive thinkers. Leftist ideology has become dogmatic in its anti-Americanism, it cannot serve their cause well. The lies the left spreads whether or not they believe them are all too common. One need only look at CNN's willingness to deliberately lie to the world so they are able to spread their anti-American, "progressive", and globalist views more efficiently. The only problem is that they are largely WRONG. Truly progressive thinkers are being driven from their ranks for non-conformity to their dogma, and labeled as NeoCons. Vilification of NeoCons has morphed into the newest lefty dogma. They ignore the truth and constantly repeat lies in support of their dogmatic ideals. They tolerate no debate within their ranks. Some of the mainstream media, are in lock-step... spouting the lies of Saddam, the lies of Arafat, the lies of Jenin, the lies of Netzarim Junction. I wonder, when did progressive thinkers in America turn their back on Jewish-Americans? Was there a seminal event? Saturday, April 19, 2003
Posted
4/19/2003 06:48:00 PM
by Ocean Guy
The Warsaw Ghetto originally contained almost 450,000 people. By January of 1943,it was down to roughly 37,000 people. The rest had already been taken away to slave labor or death camps. Word got out that the Germans were going to finish off the ghetto, clean it out. Those half-starved, disease-weakened ghetto inhabitants decided to fight. read the rest... Friday, April 18, 2003
Posted
4/18/2003 05:26:00 PM
by Ocean Guy
On page 106 of the guide, co-author Ann Pelo details an activism project she initiated at a Seattle preschool after her students spotted a Blue Angels rehearsal overhead as they played in a local park. "Those are Navy airplanes," Pelo lectured the toddlers. "They're built for war, but right now, there is no war, so the pilots learn how to do fancy tricks in their planes." The kids returned to playing, but Pelo wouldn't let it rest. The next day she pushes the children to "communicate their feelings about the Blue Angels."Truth doesn't mean what it used to.
Posted
4/18/2003 02:27:00 PM
by Ocean Guy
Posted
4/18/2003 11:42:00 AM
by Ocean Guy
As an Egyptian Jewish refugee, I celebrate Passover with special meaning. Passover is a time to commemorate the Jews' liberation from slavery in Egypt in 1300 BCE and return to freedom in Israel. At my family Seders in Cairo in the 1940s, we felt as if we represented the enduring memory of that exodus. Little did we know that we would soon experience our own exodus from Egypt as a result of racism and oppression... Thursday, April 17, 2003
Posted
4/17/2003 01:54:00 PM
by Ocean Guy
Wednesday, April 16, 2003
Posted
4/16/2003 10:07:00 AM
by Ocean Guy
Allah seems more distant in Islam than in Judaism and Christianity; there is more of an emphasis on His might and His power, His inapproachability, the fact that He has no need of His creation and says, "I have only created Jinns and men, that they may serve Me." (51:56) Note the word serve, not love. In Islam one submits to Allah; in Judaism (repeated in Christianity) the Shema says, "And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might," a concept totally lacking in Islamic prayers. Men and women are slaves of Allah in Islam; in Christianity they are children of God. Children are a source of love and worry for their parents; slaves exist merely to serve.This reminded me of Golda Meir: "We can forgive the Arabs for killing our children. We cannot forgive them for forcing us to kill their children.... We will only have peace with the Arabs when they love their children more than they hate us."I don't have much hope in that day coming any time soon.
Posted
4/16/2003 09:24:00 AM
by Ocean Guy
Tuesday, April 15, 2003
Posted
4/15/2003 06:21:00 PM
by Ocean Guy
Posted
4/15/2003 10:43:00 AM
by Ocean Guy
The Bush administration is right to be alarmed and angry about Syria. There is reason to believe that both military equipment and potential suicide bombers have been sent from Syria for use in Iraq against American troops. Now, American officials are convinced that Syria is permitting Saddam Hussein's top lieutenants to escape across its border. As the United States begins to exercise its new role as godparent of a new, freer government in Iraq, it will have to figure out how to handle many hostile neighbors, starting with Syria...So, what does make sense? I hope at least the threat of force has more meaning now than it did 3 months ago.
Posted
4/15/2003 10:36:00 AM
by Ocean Guy
Did all this put CNN in the position of colluding with murderers? Monday, April 14, 2003
Posted
4/14/2003 11:03:00 AM
by Ocean Guy
Friday, April 11, 2003
Posted
4/11/2003 04:01:00 PM
by Ocean Guy
Posted
4/11/2003 08:51:00 AM
by Ocean Guy
I came to know several Iraqi officials well enough that they confided in me that Saddam Hussein was a maniac who had to be removed. One Foreign Ministry officer told me of a colleague who, finding out his brother had been executed by the regime, was forced, as a test of loyalty, to write a letter of congratulations on the act to Saddam Hussein. An aide to Uday once told me why he had no front teeth: henchmen had ripped them out with pliers and told him never to wear dentures, so he would always remember the price to be paid for upsetting his boss. Again, we could not broadcast anything these men said to us...And they complain about Al-Jezeera??? All of the news organizations and "journalists" who prostituted themselves for the thrill should be held accountable. What other reason than the thrill of being there... they weren't there to tell the truth. It sickens me. How many more stories are they keeping from us? Where are the other lies? At least Mr. Jordan’s conscience is bothering him enough to come clean now. Things like this make scum bags like Peter Arnett even more despicable. It all makes you wonder how different things would have been if Arnett, Bob Simon et. al. had really told the truth 12 years ago Why lie to the World CNN..... deliberate lies they were not deceived, they told us deliberate lies for at least the last dozen years...... This absolutely makes me sick. And if you're not sick enough, take a look at the CNN site to see how Jordan and CNN were heroic. Heroic freaking liars. Why tell the truth now? .... they were kicked out 3 weeks ago! UPDATE: Everyone seems to be hopping on this horse and shouting out. Try Charles at lgf, and Taranto's Best of the Web, Lair give us the Amish perspective over at Kesher Talk ( some intergalactic problem at his site). Moe at Occom's Toothbrush, brings up an old related article. Michele rants so does Allison and the Command Post was on it, Bill Hobbes chips in, and Roger Simon too. Rachel Lucas agrees with Blaster that we should Flood the Zone, and don't miss the stuff at Quasipundit. I'm sure I've missed some others but this really has me upset for some reason. Even though we've known they’ve (CNN) been loose with the truth in the past, their complicity with the bloody Saddam regime is unforgivable. CNN had too much respect in the world to stoop so low. And if this is Standard Operating Procedure for our major news organizations, the truth may never be told. CNN possibly sacrificed thousands of Iraqis to protect a few of their employees. How sad.
Posted
4/11/2003 08:30:00 AM
by Ocean Guy
The whining critics of the war who predicted doom and gloom if America attacked Iraq are being proven wrong. As further evidence of Saddam's misdeeds continue to surface, those who counseled trusting in the power of the United Nations to fix the problem are similarly discredited. The job of building a democratic Iraq will be difficult, but at least most of Europe agrees with us on the goal. Effectively dealing with the Arab-Israeli situation will be much more difficult. Most of Europe and all of the Islamic world are all-too-ready to sacrifice Israel's security to appease those who want Israel to disappear. We certainly live in interesting times. Thursday, April 10, 2003
Posted
4/10/2003 11:33:00 AM
by Ocean Guy
The thought that a dozen or so yahoos in me-go-boom vests could have an effect on coalition forces is rife with pathos, a squadron of gnats buzzing across the desert to stop a herd of charging elephants, but beneath the pathos lies a critical delusion -- a delusion that, one way or another, must be dispelled if a lasting peace in the Middle East is ever to be achieved, and the war on terrorism concluded. On the Palestinians: Nevertheless, the delusion persists. Even though they have as much chance of resurrecting the extinct glories of Medieval Islam as they do of summoning up the lost continent of Atlantis, Saddam Hussein calls for a holy war against trespassing infidels on Pan-Arabist grounds, and Osama bin Laden calls for a holy war against trespassing infidels on Islamist grounds... as though such calls will deter the Anglo-European civilization which, literally, left Islam in the dust half a millennium ago. But the calls go out, and the Palestinians, always the hapless, deluded Palestinians, answer: Allahu akbar! On ending the war on terror: The war on terrorism, in other words, cannot end with a surrender treaty; it can only end by compelling vast numbers of people to change their minds, to recognize their most heartfelt aspirations as impossible fantasies and to cut them loose. The war on terrorism can only end with an outbreak of mass sanity in the Islamic world. On treating Arab delusions: So how do you convince a million or so murderous fanatics to forsake their delusions? The short answer is you don't. You deal with them as you would deal with a cancer; you cut them out of the body politic and hope to minimize collateral damage to the surrounding tissue. But this becomes problematic when the body politic refuses treatment, when indeed it curls up with the cancer in its midst. Wednesday, April 09, 2003
Posted
4/09/2003 08:25:00 PM
by Ocean Guy
Posted
4/09/2003 11:45:00 AM
by Ocean Guy
Some Arabs clustered at shop windows to watch the astounding pictures on television. Others turned off their sets in disgust at scenes from Baghdad of jubilant crowds celebrating the arrival of US troops and the apparent end of Saddam Hussein's regime. More from the Washington Post (hat tip Command Post): Read all of their links! How can some people think there is no clash of cultures? Tuesday, April 08, 2003
Posted
4/08/2003 05:05:00 PM
by Ocean Guy
"But when we examine the Arab media, [we find] that little has changed since the previous century. It seems as if today's wars are no different than those of forty years ago. At that time, the Arab media jumped ahead of the Arab armies by making false predictions. They assumed that publishing a headline about downing 100 Israeli warplanes in the war of 1967 would build self-confidence and may even come true in the future. However, those who doze off and wake up in front of Arab TV will not forgive the [Arab] media [for] its lies when the smoke clears up and the truth is seen in full... Monday, April 07, 2003
Posted
4/07/2003 09:01:00 AM
by Ocean Guy
Saturday, April 05, 2003
Posted
4/05/2003 06:24:00 PM
by Ocean Guy
While the fate of Saddam Hussein may already be sealed, there is no doubt that he is creating himself as a legend which is being lapped up by the Arab masses...That's right, Saddam and the Arabs have kept their honor by surviving for 12 days. Humiliated? Nope, they've been Saddamized again. Friday, April 04, 2003
Posted
4/04/2003 04:38:00 PM
by Ocean Guy
Thursday, April 03, 2003
Posted
4/03/2003 09:31:00 AM
by Ocean Guy
Wednesday, April 02, 2003
Posted
4/02/2003 11:37:00 AM
by Ocean Guy
"In 1975, Richard Nixon came to Egypt and the government turned out huge crowds. Some Americans made fun of Nixon for this, and Nixon defended himself by saying, `You can force people to go out and welcome a foreign leader, but you can't force them to smile.' Maybe the Iraqis will eventually stop resisting you. But that will not make this war legitimate. What the U.S. needs to do is make the Iraqis smile. If you do that, people will consider this a success."Yes, we are taking a big risk... We better do it right.
Posted
4/02/2003 10:57:00 AM
by Ocean Guy
Tuesday, April 01, 2003
Posted
4/01/2003 12:01:00 PM
by Ocean Guy
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