Where Did All the Christians Go?

Gary Fouse
fousesquawk
http://garyfouse.blogspot.com



Hat tip Raymond Ibrahim and Gatestone Institute



Raymond Ibrahim gives us an interesting picture of the status of Christians in the Middle East-especially with the current trials and tribulations of Egypt's Coptic Christian community.

http://www.raymondibrahim.com/muslim-persecution-of-christians/muslim-persecution-of-christians-january-2013/

So as we in the West all wring our hands over "Islamophobia", when do we stop to consider why Christianity and Judaism have all but disppeared from the very region where they were born (notable exception Israel)?

In the case of the Jews, even after the expulsion by the Romans from the Land of Israel, there continued to be Jewish communities in the Arab lands through the centuries, who lived in a dhimmi status-until 1948-49 when they were driven out of those countries after the creation of Israel. Almost one million people had to leave their homes often with nothing more than what they could carry. Nobody talks about them as they mourn the Arabs who left the newly-created Israel in 1948-most voluntarily upon the urging of the invading Arab armies who promised a quick return once they had driven the Jews out. Those refugees wound up in refugee camps in the neighboring countries, and there they remained unable-with the exception of Jordan- to become citizens and assimilate. They became known in the 1960s-yes the 1960s- as "Palestinians", useful pawns to the Arab world that cannot accept a Jewish state in the region.

As for the Christians, most notably, the Copts in Egypt, they have been increasingly marginalized and with the so-called Arab Spring, now find themselves in even more peril. Keep in mind that the Copts were in Egypt long before the Muslims and now make up about 10% in that country.

So why is it that in the region where the three monotheistic,  Abrahamaic faiths were born  Christianity and Judaism have all but disappeared-again with the notable exception of a greatly-threatened Israel? Could it be  despite all the claims that Islam is a religion of peace and tolerance that has always co-existed with and protected its religious minorities that just the opposite is true-that it is all about warfare, conquest and persecution?

Rather than launch into another discourse on that question, I suggest the reader read the history. Read the Koran. Learn how the Koran was put together, how it is organized, and how it is interpreted by Islamic scholars. Check out those scholars and the leading schools of Islamic thought. Read the Hadith. Read about the life of the Prophet Mohammed. Follow the events in the Middle East and the Islamic world as well as what is happening in Europe today. To be sure, read all sides. Evaluate the sources. Read between the lines. Attend those interfaith meetings and asked educated and pointed questions to the Muslim representatives. Carefully scrutinize what they say.

Do the research.

Happy Easter

For My Christian readers:

May the day be blessed and the weather be good.  Enjoy your time with the family.

The CSCOPE Teaching Controversy Heating Up

Gary Fouse
fousesquawk
http://garyfouse.blogspot.com



Hat tip Creeping Sharia and Atlas Shrugs

Previously, I have written posts about the influence of an agency called CSCOPE in our schools-especially in Texas. Creeping Sharia has a post on a test question your kids may have already seen and taken.

http://creepingsharia.wordpress.com/2013/03/28/texas-c-scope-tests-students-on-islamic-sharia/




I am surprised one of those choices wasn't helping little old ladies across the street.

How about these?

K  death penalty for gays
L   death penalty for those who blaspheme Islam
M  death penalty for apostasy
N  death by stoning for adulterers.

The above is also part of sharia-specifically under hudud sharia- penalty for crimes against God.

That brings us to a recent video that comes from Africa. Atlas Shrugs has posted it, and it has been picked up by other sites. It is graphic and highly disturbing. After careful thought, I have decided to post it. I will explain why below. ( I don't know what the sound track is saying or who put it in the tape.)



My dear readers, this is not about hating people who are Muslims, nor should it ever be. Surely, many Muslims in the US came here to escape this very barbarity. However, this is part and parcel of sharia law. It mandates a death sentence for acts which in our law are not even crimes. This is why so many states are trying to insure that this type of legal philosophy cannot worm its way into American law. It is not about discrimination. It is about human rights.

Our children are being indoctrinated by our public school system when it comes to the reality of this most controversial issue in the world today. This is the same public school system that systematically eliminates any references to Christianity-most recently even to mention the word, "Easter".

If you have  kids in school, you need to pay close attention to what they are being taught. It is well and good to teach tolerance. It is not good to teach misinformation and falsehoods. I am not suggesting that schools teach the darker sides of sharia law to classes that have Muslim children lest they be singled out for schoolyard taunting. Perhaps it would be better if the schools allowed the kids to learn about it the old-fashioned way-by experience as they grow up. If you can't teach the truth, it is better to teach nothing at all.

Perverted Planned Parenthood - Taxpayers Paying for More Than Abortions

Children Should Not see this video. I mention Upper Hudson only because it is mentioned as a location for Planned Parenhood’s demonic stealth inside the classroom. The video is appalling, the most graphic I’ve seen, telling you and me what Planned Parenthood is allowed to do inside our schools – unfettered access to our children, raking in government cash ($485 million) to sell them unrestrained sex. The North American Man-Boy Love Association (NAMBLA) was forced underground. In the meantime, Planned Parenthood has been the Man-Boy, Woman-Girl Love Association working inside our schools, and that’s only part of it. Watch for the documents found laying-out Planned Parenthood’s 1969 goals for population control, and most importantly look at about 1:24 in when you see the book It’s Perfectly Normal, and what it contains. We are funding this, America. Note that the photo below is mild compared to what you’ll see in the video.

Planned Parenthood Hooking Kids on Sex (video)

Posted by Maggie @ Maggie's Notebook

We Believe It Is Okay To Murder The Child If The Parent Doesn't Want It!

Is basically the statement given by Planned Parenthood's lobbyist Alisa LaPolt Snow when asked if a child is born alive during a botched abortion what should be done with it.  This goes along with the teachings of Planned Parenthood and the writings of Alberto Giubilini of Monash University in Melbourne and Francesca Minerva at the Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics at the University of Melbourn.  Professors (and I use the word loosely) Giubilni and Minerva believe that a parent has the right to murder her child until the child reaches the age of 2.  They claim the child is NOT a human and there is no soul.  Now it seems that Planned Parenthood is spouting this idea.

A representative from Planned Parenthood is raising some eyebrows for her response to questioning on Florida legislation that would require baby's born alive during a botched abortion to receive medical care.

Alisa LaPolt Snow, a lobbyist with the Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates, testified this week at a committee hearing on the bill, sparking expressions of disbelief when she underscored that such matters be left to the woman, her family and her physician.

"Planned Parenthood condemns any physician who does not follow the law or endangers a woman's or a child's health, but we don't believe that politicians should be the ones who decide what constitutes the best, medically appropriate treatment in any given situation," she said in a prepared statement.

One of the lawmakers asked her what Planned Parenthood's position would be if a baby is born as a result of a botched abortion.

"We believe that any decision that's made should be left up to the woman, her family and the physician," she said.

When another lawmaker asks her specifically what Planned Parenthood does when such a scenario happens at its clinics, she said simply, "I do not have that information."

Another lawmaker made the point that the baby born alive would become a patient as well, not just the mother.

"That's a very good question," Snow said. "I really don't know how to answer that."

She had said earlier that Planned Parenthood's primary objection to the legislation is that it doesn't include a "neutrality clause" that would make clear it does not change the legal status of a baby before being born alive.

Source

Has anyone else noticed that this debate is going from aborting children before birth to now murdering children after they are born?  And at what age do we consider the child "Human"?At what age does their murder become a crime?    2? 12?  21?  50? A week ago a pair of teens shot a 13 month old little boy in the head, killing him.  Today they are charged with murder.  If Alisa LaPolt Snow and Planned Parenthood have their way, they would be given medals and a monetary reward.

I fear this is the next "right" that the Sandra Flukes and Planned Parenthood cronies will impose upon us.  And I can just hear Satan laughing his head off.

How Many Seniors Want a Sex Change Operation Paid For By Medicare?

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is beginning down a road to new services while restricting your knee replacement. Note that Medicaid is involved as well, because as we know, not many, if any, on Medicare want a sex-change operation. Bottom line, when ObamaCare kicks in, all of us regardless of age will be on a Medicare-styled plan. This is such a big deal (and the joke is) that a special date has been set for announcing the decision tied to the passage of ObamaCare. What does that tell you? The review is a sham. It’s a done deal.

Acting on a new request, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said it is starting a new analysis that could lift the spending ban for sex-change operations with a goal of making a decision two days after Christmas and on the eve of Obamacare kicking in January 1. 

A 30-day public comment period just opened on the proposed “National Coverage Determination.” 

“Surgical Treatment for Gender Identity Disorder, formerly referred to as transsexual surgery in 140.3, is currently noncovered under the Medicare Part A and Part B programs. The existing policy, which became effective in 1981, states that transsexual surgery is considered experimental,” said the notice just posted on the CMS.gov site….
The National Center for Transgender Equality is among those pushing for the changes. 

In supporting letters to CMS, one of the proponents claims that the experimental status of sex-change operations has long passed and that studies confirm it works. “These medical procedures and treatment protocols are not experimental: decades of both clinical experience and medical research show they are essential to achieving well-being for the transsexual patient,” said the letter. Source: Washington Examiner

Find much more information here. Another interesting piece here on elective surgery. The Center for Medical and Medicare Services is not making it easy to find a link to the public comment page. If I find it, I’ll link it here. If you find it and care to share it, please drop a link in comments or send an email.

By Maggie @ Maggie's Notebook

Sound Of War Drums Grows Louder

Hat tip to Faultline USA

A Commentary by J. D. Longstreet

North Korea's bluster has been an incessant noise in the background of our lives for so long now that nobody really pays attention anymore.

That may be a mistake.

North Korea today is about as unpredictable as a two-year old with a loaded -- and cocked -- revolver in his hand. 

If the DPRK's new leader, basically a kid, is not soon gagged by North Korea's number one sponsor, China, he may well talk himself into doing something utterly stupid and bring a world of hurt down on himself and the people he holds in abject slavery.

On the other hand, he may suffer an, uh, untimely demise, (The tried and true "brain hemorrhage" ... usually caused by a 9mm round administered just behind the left ear.)  and at such a tender age.

We expect his replacement would be a more, shall we say ... moderate ... dictator.

Tensions are way high on the Korean peninsula these days and a single misstep could touch off a raging war that the US is bound to take part in. 

The US has 30,000 combat troops on the ground in South Korea today.  That is not counting those US troops taking part in the war games underway today. We have had a rather large garrison of troops there since 1953 when a cease fire was signed between the Koreas -- with the US included. 

Understand:  A state of war technically exists between North Korea and South Korea and the United States.  The agreement in 1953, was only to stop shooting at each other.  Since then we have, all three, stood at the border and glared across the 38th parallel at each other with our "war faces" on.   There have been incidents in which lives have been lost on both sides.  Almost all those incidents have been directly caused or triggered by the North Koreans.

So.  Like it or not, once again the United States is staring down the barrel of a North Korean artillery piece while the chubby kid with the bowl haircut tightens the tension on the trigger lanyard.

One has to ask how big a part Iran is playing in North Korea's bombastic diplomacy toward the US and its sister state to the south.  Is it outside the realm of possibility that Iran has offered North Korea something of value to create a disturbance and divert America's attention away for Teheran 's bomb making efforts?  We know the North Korea and Iranian nuclear experts have been colluding for some time now in a scientific-cooperation pact.  The official agreement was signed by the two rogue nations last September.  But their military cooperation dates back to the Iran/Iraq war in the 1980's.  Since then, North Korea has been the number one supplier of missile parts and technology to Iran.

Consider this:  "North Korea could provide Iran with a range of supplies for its nuclear program, including uranium ore, centrifuge machines and enriched uranium, according to these officials."   SOURCE   

Even more troubling is the possibility that North Korea might be supplying Iran with the the technology needed to place an atomic warhead on a missile.

"North Korea and Iran both have strategic reasons to mislead and conceal from the West the true status of their nuclear and missile programs. They intend that the U.S. and its allies will underestimate those programs, fail to act in time to stop them, and be strategically surprised when North Korea and Iran become nuclear super-powers, and progenitors of a dystopian new world order."  SOURCE

Then there is the strong possibility that North Korea already has the technology to lob a relatively small nuclear device and have it explode high above the continental US creating an electromagnetic pulse that would , for all intents and purposes,  completely shut down the US.  No electricity anywhere in the country, no electronic devices, including computers, no cars, no trucks, no nothing.  The US would effectively be thrown back into the 19th century where the horse will be the number one mode of transportation -- all in the twinkling of an eye.  

Look.  This is science ... not science fiction.  We have the technology and it is readily available to the North Koreans -- and the Iranians.

The US is as vulnerable, as she as ever been, maybe more so.  All the while our government is busy cutting back on our military.

As difficult as it may be to get one's mind wrapped around our vulnerability today, it is becoming clear that we Americans are one button push away from playing out the script of the movie "Red Dawn" -- in real life -- on our shores any day now.

You know, all those armed-to-the-teeth American citizens could turn out to be one hell of a partisan army in waiting.

Problem is ... that is a fantasy.  After an EMP attack,  all the enemy has to do is wait.  Science/experts tell us that within three to six months the population of the US would be decimated by hunger and disease.  Soon, our enemies could just walk in and take over.

Horrifying?  Damn right it is!  But such is the world we live in today. 

The United States finds itself at a point in its history where it is, for all intents and purposes, leaderless.  In our entire history, there has been no time in which we were as vulnerable to our enemies as we are today, this very minute. 

The last time the US came this close to baring its chest to our enemies was during the Carter years.  Reagan quickly built the US defenses and military up again as fast as was possible.  There is no Reagan on the horizon today.

Just as the barbarians gathered around Rome when they sensed she was vulnerable, so our enemies are gathering their forces.  Russia, China, North Korea, Iran, plus the terrorist armies around the globe, and every little piss ant nation with a beef against us are biding their time.

"Igitur qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum."  Translated from Latin it means:  "If you want peace, prepare for war."  Publius Flavius Vegetius Renatus  (Usually shortened to Vegetius) is given credit for having said this in his book  "Epitoma rei militaris."   The book, itself, is a plea for army reform; it vividly portrays the military decadence of the Late Roman Empire.

One would hope an insightful American writer of modern times would pen such a warning today.  Trouble is, about as many modern Americans can actually read as Romans of Vegetius' day!  One must consider, too, that apathy amongst American citizens today far exceeds that of the citizens of ancient Rome.

There is no "high note" upon which to end this commentary.   There just isn't. 

These are perilous times for America -- extremely perilous.  Even more troubling, is that an old swamp pundit finds himself compelled to direct the country's attention to the existential threat posed by a loud-mouthed, semi-sane, testosterone challenged, pip-squeak, rogue nation -- WITH NUCLEAR WEAPONS!

You have heard it said:  "Elections have consequences."  Well, it's true.  THIS is one of them!

Police State in Naugatuck Connecticut? One Veteran's Story

Naugatuck, Connecticut Police: In this video, a veteran, Dave (50), who sounds perfectly sane, tries to make a follow-up appointment with a VA spinal specialist or a pain management specialist, as he is disabled with a spinal injury. They called Dave back and told him they had a 3-hour appointment set up for him, one-half hour with a psychiatrist, a half-hour with a psychologist, a half-hour with a physical therapist and then a pain management specialist. He refused and told them he would not see a psychiatrist or psychologist for a spine injury. The hospital scheduling department did not get back with him – ever. 

Some days or weeks later he he returns home from a church service and finds a message on his answering machine from the local police department. Dave returned the call was told that his primary care doctor had called the police to perform a wellness check on him. Dave said no problem, I’ll come to see you, which he did. He talked to the receptionist, she said someone with be with him. They left him sitting there long enough that he returned home. He immediately called the Police Department to tell them he had left. They told him they had been called away for awhile and they wanted to come to his home. Dave didn’t like that. If you want to pick up this very scary story, start at 3:43 mins in.

They confiscated his car within minutes, insisted on going into his house, told him they would take his weapons if he had weapons, which he did, and which were locked inside a large gun safe. He was told if he didn’t unlock the safe, they would bust into it. They took his guns and revoked his permit. They searched everything in his house looking for contraband. He resisted nothing, knowing they would lock him away somewhere.

They didn’t have a warrant, although they told him they did.

Dave says he is an honorably discharged Navy veteran, has no criminal past and no psychiatric history. He has lived in his home for 13 years, is not married, doesn’t have a girlfriend and has no children – no one to report him for revenge.

I cannot vouch for this man and his claims. Are they true, I don’t know, but note that he is willing to give out his phone number and he gives his last name, because he says he has nothing to hide. Disarming Veterans would be a good place to start for a totalitarian government.

Do you remember when ObamaCare became a reality we were told how “wellness checks” would be a great thing for our health and our pocketbook. This isn’t about our health or our money. This is tyranny. Thanks to The Tea Party Command Center

Dave in Naugatuck, Connecticut has home searched, guns and car confiscated (video) by Maggie @ Maggie's Notebook

Universal Background Check May Not Be What You Think It Is

I’m told a majority of Americans approve of a Universal Background check but do they realize that check will undoubtedly include the name of every legal gun owner eventually, and never include the names of illegal gun owners – never as in NEVER? Wake-up America. If you are not a criminal, your name doesn’t belong on a database.

Three U.S. Senators have informed Senator Harry Reid that they may filibuster legislation slated to come to the floor of the Senate for vote.

“We, the undersigned, intend to oppose any legislation that infringe on the American people’s constitutional right to bear arms, or on their ability to exercise this right without being subjected to government surveillance,” the senators wrote in the signed letter obtained by ABC News. “We will oppose the motion to proceed to any legislation that will serve as a vehicle for any additional gun restrictions.” ~ Ted Cruz (R-TX), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Rand Paul (R-KY)
Reid announced last week plans for the Senate to consider a comprehensive gun package after the holiday recess. The bill would try to crack down on gun trafficking and include a requirement for universal background checks, a component opposed by many Republicans and moderate Democrats.Source: CBS

If your name is not on a database you cannot be “surveilled.” If your name is on a federal database, you can be surveilled, criminals will not be surveilled because their guns will be purchased from other than legal sources.

“When the universal background checks don’t work, then registration will be proposed to enforce them,” Republican Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa said as he voted against a background-check bill in a Senate committee last week. “And when that doesn’t work, because criminals won’t register their guns, we may be looking at confiscation.”…

Licensed U.S. gun dealers have been keeping sales records, on government form 4473, since passage of the Gun Control Act of 1968. The proposal by Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer of New York would require firearms dealers to maintain paper records on behalf of private gun sellers as well.

Senate talks aimed at gaining the support of Senator Tom Coburn, an Oklahoma Republican whose blessing is considered vital to bringing other Republicans on board, are bogged down over Coburn’s objections to the recordkeeping requirement. While Schumer is seeking other potential Republican sponsors from pro- gun states, so far there are no takers.

‘Forced Buybacks’

NRA President David Keene has maintained that universal background checks could lead to “forced buybacks” or door-to- door confiscation of weapons by the government.
“That’s a legitimate fear,” Keene said in a CBS News interview in January. The Fairfax, Virginia-based NRA is the nation’s biggest pro-gun lobbying group, claiming 4 million members. Source: Bloomberg 

The background check is a good thing. A federal database containing my name and yours is not a good thing.

Posted by Maggie @ Maggie's Notebook

Muslim Persecution of Christians: January, 2013

The year 2013 began with reports indicating that wherever Christians live side by side with large numbers of Muslims, the Christians are under attack. As one report said, "Africa, where Christianity spread fastest during the past century, now is the region where oppression of Christians is spreading fastest." Whether in Kenya, Nigeria, Mali, Somalia, Sudan, or Tanzania—attacks on Christians are as frequent as they are graphic.

As for the Middle East, the cradle of Christianity, a new study by the Pew Forum finds that "just 0.6 percent of the world's 2.2 billion Christians now live in the Middle East and North Africa. Christians make up only 4% of the region's inhabitants, drastically down from 20% a century ago, and marking the smallest regional Christian minority in the world. Fully 93% of the region is Muslim and 1.6% is Jewish."

How Christianity has been all but eradicated from the region where it was born is made clear in yet another report on the Middle East's largest Christian minority, Egypt's Christian Copts. Due to a "climate of fear and uncertainty," Christian families are leaving Egypt in large numbers. Along with regular church attacks, the situation has gotten to the point that, according to one Coptic priest, "Salafis meet Christian girls in the street and order them to cover their hair. Sometimes they hit them when they refuse." Another congregation leader said "With the new [Sharia-heavy] constitution, the new laws that are expected, and the majority in parliament I don't believe we can be treated on an equal basis."

Elsewhere, Christians are not allowed to flee. In eastern Syria, for example, 25,000 Christians, including Syriac Orthodox, Syriac Catholics, Chaldeans and Armenians, were prevented from fleeing due to a number of roadblocks set up by armed Islamic militia groups, who deliberately target Christians for robbery and kidnapping-for-ransom—then often slaughtering their victims.
Categorized by theme, January's batch of Muslim persecution of Christians around the world includes (but is not limited to) the following accounts, listed by theme and in country alphabetical order, not necessarily according to severity:

Arabs Pondering Apology From Netanyahu While Turks Await Their Israeli Reparations

After the Mavi Marma incident, otherwise known as the Terror Flotilla, Turkey’s Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan demanded an apology for the nine Turks onboard who died, after Israel’s IDF exercised their government’s right to board the ship and search for contraband headed for Gaza that could be used against Israel. Israel refused. But this week, Obama worked his magic voodoo and while in Israel with Netanyahu, Netanyahu picked up the phone and “apologized” to Erdogan. Reports are that he apologized for the “loss of life.” There are no reports that Erdogan apologized for the two gravely wounded IDF soldiers who were following the Oslo Accord. Today, Erdogan says there will be no normal relations between Turkey until Israel pays reparations AND the Gaza blockade must be lifted. Again, the Oslo Accord gives Israel the right to check all goods coming into Israel by air, border crossing or sea. So now the consequences of the ‘apology’ are rearing their ugly heads. AND NOW, Arabs are thinking they want apologies too.

Israeli School Bus Hit By Palestinian Anti-Tank Missile

On Friday, as U.S. President Barack Obama was about to depart Israel, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Erdogan and apologized for Israel’s actions during the May 2010 Gaza flotilla incident, during which eight Turks and one Turkish-American were killed after they attacked Israeli soldiers on board. 

Erdogan had accepted Netanyahu’s apology and told the Israeli leader that he would begin working towards full restoration of ties. 

But in a public address following the apology, Erdogan called on more concessions from Israel before full relations could be restored. The Turkish leader said “there will be no normalization” without financial compensation for the flotilla incident from Israel as well as the lifting of the Gaza blockade, the Associated Press reported. 

“Normalization will happen the moment there is an implementation. But if there is no implementation, then I am sorry,” Erdogan said. Source: The Algemeiner

Caroline Glick (read more here):

The Mavi Marmara was an eminently predictable fight. The Turkish group that hired the boat was an al-Qaeda-affiliated Turkish NGO named IHH. In 1999, the Turkish government was so wary of IHH that it barred the group from participating in relief efforts following a devastating earthquake…
By 2010, Prime Minster Erdogan had a long track record of anti-Israel actions. Indeed, by 2010, Erdogan had effectively destroyed the strategic alliance Israel had developed with Turkey since 1949. In 2006, Erdogan was the first major international leader and NATO member to host Hamas terror chief Ismail Haniyeh. The same year he allowed Iran to use Turkish territory to transfer weaponry to Hezbollah during the Second Lebanon War. 

In 2008, Erdogan openly sided with Hamas against Israel in Operation Cast Lead. In 2009, he called President Shimon Peres a murderer to his face.

By the time the flotilla to Gaza was organized, Erdogan had used Turkey’s position as a NATO member to effectively end the US-led alliance’s cooperative relationship with Israel, by refusing to participate in military exercises with Israel.

From Carl in Jerusalem, Israel Matzav:

The Turkish news agency reported that an Arab diplomat said that “Arab states are considering the possibility of demanding that Israel apologize for the killings of Palestinian territories and in Lebanon in the same way that they apologized to Turkey for the Marmara.”

All well and good but then, the Arab League, which includes most of the Arab states, in 1974 deemed the West Bank (Judea and Samaria) to belong to The Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO). Israel apologizing to Arab states – nothing more than a fly on a camel’s nose. When the Arab world came against Israel in 1948, Jordan took the West Bank from Israel. In 1967 during the Six Day War, Israel took it back, and so it remains today despite last week’s White House maps moving it into No-Man’s Land.

I caught some grief  about my post on the Netanyahu apology on a Facebook community - nothing rude or terrible, but the point my contrarian was making was that Netanyahu apologized ‘only for the lives lost’ aboard the Mavi Marma. He said I had an “agenda.” I told him I did, and that agenda was to show that the Arab world refuses to accept Israel’s right to exist, to which he replied Turks aren’t Arabs, and he was right – but they are Sunni Muslims.

Give an Arab or Middle Eastern Muslim a foot in the door and he’ll take your life, that of your family and neighbors.

Posted by Maggie @ Maggie's Notebook

Would Jew Believe This? The Story Of Passover.

For my regular readers:

I have been in the hospital for the last 5 days, missed the first Seder night, and haven't been able to post in all that time.  So I'm posting these old posts for the holiday of Passover.

*************************************************************************

A young boy returned home from Hebrew school, washed his hands and sat down to dinner.

His father asked him what he learned that day in school.

The boy replied that the Rabbi told his class the most amazing story of how the Jews were rescued from the Land of Egypt and brought to the Land of Israel.

His father smiled and asked his son to relate the story the Rabbi told them.

"Sure Dad," the boy said.  "Now this story happened a long time ago, before the time of CNN.  Before the time of computers, and cell phones.  Before even TV.  I think it was in the 1920s or so it happened.

"Egypt was ruled by this guy named Pharaoh.  I think it means "Nasty Egyptian". And we Jews were his slaves. We didn't like being slaves and prayed to G-d to set us free. G-d heard our prayers and sent us a miracle.

"G-d  sent the IDF back in time to rescue the Children of Israel (I think they rescued the parents too.).  The Commandos diverted the Egyptian Army while the Children and their parents fled to the Red Sea (It was red because G-d turned the water to blood like in Zombie Killers 3.).  There the IDF built Pontoon bridges across the Red Sea for the people to go across.  When the Egypt Army tried to follow, the IDF blew up the bridges.

"Then this guy named Moshe Dayan (He is the head of the IDF, I think. Rabbi said he was G-d's greatest profits.) lead the Children of Israel (and their parents) to Mount Sinai where Moshe lays down the law, destroys the Golden Calf and leads them to Israel.

"But it took them 40 years because nobody had a GPS and Moshe would not ask for directions."

His father had a look upon his face that was a cross between total astonishment and WTF.  "Is this what the Rabbi taught you?"

"No Dad,"  the boy said.  "But you wouldn't believe the crazy story he did tell."

***********************************************************************

Actually I'm not sure that is not the correct story.  It could be giving that a certain Time Lord, his TARDIS and a few units of the IDF could have pulled it off.

But perhaps G-d did it this way:

From Chabad

After many decades of slavery to the Egyptian pharaohs, during which time the Israelites were subjected to backbreaking labor and unbearable horrors, G‑d saw the people's distress and sent Moses to Pharaoh with a message: "Send forth My people, so that they may serve Me." But despite numerous warnings, Pharaoh refused to heed G‑d's command. G‑d then sent upon Egypt ten devastating plagues, afflicting them and destroying everything from their livestock to their crops.

At the stroke of midnight of 15 Nissan in the year 2448 from creation (1313 BCE), G‑d visited the last of the ten plagues on the Egyptians, killing all their firstborn. While doing so, G‑d spared the Children of Israel, "passing over" their homes-hence the name of the holiday. Pharaoh's resistance was broken, and he virtually chased his former slaves out of the land. The Israelites left in such a hurry, in fact, that the bread they baked as provisions for the way did not have time to rise. Six hundred thousand adult males, plus many more women and children, left Egypt on that day, and began the trek to Mount Sinai and their birth as G‑d's chosen people.

*********************************************************************

Or maybe not.  Any way that G-d performed the miracle of the Passover was the correct story. 

Passover Flashbacks and Blessings

I've just learned that findalis, the CEO, CFO and awesome blogger here at Monkey in the Middle is now home from the hospital and will some time to rest and recover, so I'm hoping she feels like participating in Passover wit her family tonight. Sending wishes for a peaceful Passover to all my Jewish friends and those in Israel who daily are dodging rockets and other obscenities. See some past Passover news below along with a Hebrew Mamita video, accompanied by my language alert. It sends an important message and is delightfully pithy and hilarious about a very serious problem.

Next Year In Jerusalem are the words that have ended each and every Passover sedar for the last 2000 years. It is in good times, a simple wish to have one sedar in ones life in the city of Jerusalem. In times of pogroms, and horror it was a prayer to The All Mighty, Blessed Be He, to redeem them to Israel, to Freedom as He did in the days of our bondage in Egypt. Source: findalis

March 23, 2010 - Obama allegedly asked Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to refrain from using the phrase "nex year in Jerusalem." Unhelpful for future peace talks.

April 18, 2011 - In Obama's annual Passover address he equated the suffering of Jews and Israel to the misery of Muslims today.

President Obama stated, “The story of Passover…instructs each generation to remember its past, while appreciating the beauty of freedom and the responsibility it entails. This year that ancient instruction is reflected in the daily headlines as we see modern stories of social transformation and liberation unfolding in the Middle East and North Africa.

March 28, 2012 - IDF Cancels All Passover Leaves

March 21, 2013 in Jerusalem:

But the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and justice must also be recognized. Put yourself in their shoes – look at the world through their eyes. It is not fair that a Palestinian child cannot grow up in a state of her own, and lives with the presence of a foreign army that controls the movements of her parents every single day. It is not just when settler violence against Palestinians goes unpunished. It is not right to prevent Palestinians from farming their lands; to restrict a student’s ability to move around the West Bank; or to displace Palestinian families from their home. Neither occupation nor expulsion is the answer. Just as Israelis built a state in their homeland, Palestinians have a right to be a free people in their own land. 

Before leaving for the Middle East, the White House put out a video with maps of the area he would visit and where those areas were situated, in his opinion. Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Golan Heights were not shown on Israel's ground: 

The original Mandate for an Israeli nation gave Israel all the land west of the Jordan River. The British who were appointed to execute the mandate whittled away at the land, in cooperation with the Mufti of Jerusalem – land mass that began with an area of 124,4466 sq. km. Two years later that land had been reduced to 28,166 sq. km. Seventy-seven percent of Israel’s mandated land was given to Saudi Arabia for the creation of Jordan. While the world talks about the territory Israel is “occupying,” it’s important to understand that their “occupation” comes only after the “occupation” of their land by others.... 

It’s my understanding that the Mandate for Israel has never legally been changed. The last legally binding documents regarding the status of the West Bank and Gaza leave the areas belonging to Israel. 

In the U.N. Partition Resolution of 1947 (U.N. Resolution 181) was never accepted by Arabs. Had they accepted, there would have been the State of Israel and the State of Palestine. When Jordan took the West Bank from Israel in 1948, the world was fine with it. The world is not fine with Israel doing the same. Get this: The 1974 Arab League Summit deemed the West Bank (Judea and Samaria) to belong to The Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO). Are you astonished that Israel thumbed their nose at the Arab League?

After speaking in Jerusalem about the peace Israel must help implement, Obama moved on to Ramallah and spoke standing under a giant poster of Yasser Arafat (refused to do stand under a symbol of Jesus Christ, twice in the U.S.).

March 25, 2013 - Obama's Passover Statement

March 25, 2013 - Obama continues Passover tradition

Passover Roundup

● Speaking of Palestinians, read The Mad Jewess today, and in case you didn't know, she was solely responsible for the EU plague in the Middle Ages, so if one of your ancestors succumbed, see if you're up to giving her a bad time (bet you're not).

● Yos at Si Vis Pacem says Chag Pesach Someach with some stunning photos of what Springtime isn't supposed to be - but beautiful nevertheless.

● Daniel Greenfield at Sultan Knish asks "What is this freedom that we gained with the fall of a Pharaoh and the last sight of his pyramids and armies?"

● Stella Paul at American Thinker: Please Deliver us From a Failed Jewish Leadership

● So I'm a little late, but Jewlicious has a round-up of some traditional Passover recipes

● For more information on Passover, Rabbi Brad Hirschfield offers 13 Things to Know about Passover 2013. Here's No. 3 (see his video here):

3. Why is Passover the Most Celebrated Jewish holiday in America?
Simply put, like America itself, Passover is about freedom.  It celebrates the eternal quest for human dignity and the freedom which is perhaps the greatest expression of that dignity.
Nowhere, and at no time, in 3,000 years of Jewish history have Jews known the kind of centuries-long freedom and security which are the American Jewish experience. The Passover story of freedom -- of the journey from oppression to opportunity -- is also the American story at its best, not just for Jews but for all people, and it rings deeply true when it is told at Seder tables across this nation.

Hebrew Mamita

Posted by Maggie @ Maggie's Notebook

Sequester Be Damned- More Money to Palestinians

Gary Fouse
fousesquawk
http://garyfouse.blogspot.com


No matter how bad our fiscal situation is at home, there will always be money for the Middle East. Not only are we giving away hundreds of millions of dollars in Egypt every time we turn around, now it's another $500 million to our friends the Palestinians-you know-the ones who danced in the streets on 9-11.


http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/03/25/administration-moves-500m-in-palestinian-aid-as-agencies-scramble-to-delay-1823258958/

Of course, so the argument goes, the Palestininians must be economically viable if they are going to make peace with the Israelis-and that's where we come in. Has anybody asked why they are not economically viable? It seems they are one big welfare case-just like their pals in Gaza.

When will we ever learn that we cannont buy friendship?

Netanyahu Apologizes to Turkey for Loss of Life on Gaza Flotilla

Several people on Facebook have told me the Netanyahu apology was 'only' for the loss of life aboard the Gaza Flotilla and Netanyahu didn't really apologize. With that in mind, here's the story: Israel has legal right to inspect all sea and air traffic into Gaza for obvious reasons - the safety of the Israeli people. In mid- 2010 when "peace" flotillas were all the rage and anti-Israel activists were stumbling over each other to hitch a ride on a flotilla to Gaza to show support for Palestine, it wasn't about aid for Gaza. Today we learn Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has apologized to Turkey's Prime Minister Erdogan for attempting to search it for weapons and jihadists, their legal right according to the Oslo Accord. Apparently Obama insisted Netanyahu apologize and he did. You may remember that Reuters cropped a critical photo of the violence that followed Israeli soldiers boarding the ship and "peace activists" holding knives that were perhaps used on the soldier you see here.

Prime Ministers Erdogan and Netanyahu

Flashback May 31, 2010:

The Muquata:

PMW reports: On the day before the Gaza flotilla confronted the Israeli navy, Al-Jazeera TV documented the pre-battle atmosphere created by men on board the flotilla, chanting a well known Islamic battle cry invoking the killing and defeat of Jews in battle:

“[Remember] Khaibar, Khaibar, oh Jews! The army of Muhammad will return!”

The flotilla’s goal:

Al-Jazeera also interviewed a woman who said that the flotilla participants’ goal was “one of two happy endings: either Martyrdom or reaching Gaza.”

Remember, the Oslo Accords grants Israel the right to blockade, and the right to stop-and-or-search ships for weapons bound for Palestine.

Flashback May 31, 2010:

A few days ago, President Obama said the War on Terror is over, and we learned that Syria has 1,000 ballistic missiles pointed at Israel, courtesy of Iran. In the same time span, Hizballah received 1,000 rockets, courtesy of Iran. Israel is the only country that will receive these rockets – intended for launch into Israel. Also a few days ago, Israel was notified that a “six boat flotilla” of ships carrying “aid” to Gaza would pass through their blockade. Israel considered the “flotilla” “an act of provocation,” and notified Turkey the “flotilla” would be searched at their port at Ashdod. In the past, numerous ships carrying supposed aid to Gaza have been stopped and found to be carrying weapons. Apparently the “flotilla” had no plans to be search. See a revealing video below – and remember, Israel had the right to board the ship, even though the ship was in international waters.

Israeli commandos boarded one of the ships and there were deaths on both sides. There is a blockade in place. This incident was not about humanitarian aid, but was about putting Israel in a terrible place in the eyes of the world. How many journalists were aboard that Turkish cruise ship?

The Israeli Navy contacted the ships and warned them they would not allowed to break the blockade, as provided by the Oslo Accords:

International law allows for countries to ask suspicious boats to identify themselves. The vessels’ passengers did not cooperate and called the move “scare tactics” on their streamed broadcasts.

The request was refused. Here’s what happened next:

The IDF searched the boats for arms immediately after the takeover. The soldiers were forced to use tear gas after they were attacked with knives, daggers and cudgels, putting their lives in danger. Unofficial reports that ten persons have been killed and another ten wounded were admitted to Rambam Hospital in Haifa were changed by the Arab television station Al Jazeera, to two killed and four wounded. An Al Jazeera reporter on one of the boats reported hearing gunshots.

Israel was set-up for a peaceful search. There was no way for Israel to discern the truth without boarding the ship.

 The preparations included a compound at the Ashdod port consisting of air conditioned tents equipped with computerized stations, metal detectors, and seating for the activists manning the ships. The IDF is preparing for the arrival of some 800 peace activists. The IDF said that they were ready to carry out the government’s decision to prevent the ships from reaching the Gaza shore.

The IDF said Thursday that much thought was put into the preparations for the convoy’s arrival. The plans include trained navy forces boarding the ships, with the aid of dogs, to search for weapons and explosives as well as wanted terrorists. The IDF said that they did not know whether the ships carried these items or people, but that they were preparing for any possible scenario to prevent potential catastrophes.

Nine activists agitators terrorists are reported dead. Seven IDF are injured, two gravely.  An Israeli IDF who boarded the ship said the activists tried to take hostages – Israeli hostages are the pride of Palestinians. This ship knew the search would be peaceful. The terrorists aboard laid-in-waiting and attacked before the Israeli’s feet hit the deck. Israel had the right to search!

He [Netanyahu] says hundreds of people on board that ship beat, clubbed and stabbed soldiers, and there was a report of gunfire. He says that forced soldiers to attack.

Considering Obama's U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice skipped the U.N. debate that followed the flotilla incident, it's laughable that Obama coerced this apology.  He joined Netanyahu on the phone call. Apparently this will "normalize" relations between Israel and Turkey which is becoming more fanatically Islamist by the minute. Oh but wait, it won't "normalize" until Israel pays-up.

Related and Background:
Al-Qaeda and Muslim Brotherhood  Members Suspected Aboard Turkish Flotilla

Small Arms Trade Treaty Stopped in Senate for Now

Senator Jim Inhofe (R-OK) inserted an amendment into the Senate budget bill,  against the U.N. Small Arms Trade Treaty (ATT). The budget passed, meaning Inhofe's amendment preventing the U.S. from signing onto the U.N.'s We'll Take Your Sovereignty and Your Weapons, Too treaty will not be ratified, at least for now. Both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton support the treaty.

Jim Inhofe

“We’re negotiating a treaty that cedes our authority to have trade agreements with our allies in terms of trading arms,” Inhofe said. “This is probably the last time this year that you’ll be able to vote for your Second Amendment rights.” Source: The Hill

From Senator Inhofe's website:

March 22, 2013

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) introduced two amendments Thursday to the Senate Budget Resolution for Fiscal Year 2014 to help protect and preserve the 2nd Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens.

Amendment 139 would establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund for the purpose of preventing the United States from entering into the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty, a treaty currently being negotiated by U.S. State Department officials.  

“The U.N. Arms Trade Treaty is another attempt by internationalists to limit and infringe upon America’s sovereignty,” said Inhofe. “Such a treaty would require the United States to implement laws as required by the treaty, instead of the national controls that are currently in place. This would also disrupt diplomatic and national security efforts by preventing our government from assisting allies like Taiwan, South Korea, or Israel when they require assistance. I will continue to mount strong opposition to any effort by Sec. Kerry and the State Department to ratify this treaty."

Amendment 360 would establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund for the purpose of preventing a federal firearm registry. Current efforts in Congress to place further restrictions on gun rights would make allowance for such a registry. 

"Ongoing efforts by my colleagues in Congress to further restrict gun rights is leading us down a slippery slope towards a national firearm registry," said Inhofe. "Criminals could care less about the law. A national firearm registry will only give Washington more power to collect information on law-abiding citizens. There is a reason such a registry is currently outlawed as it has the potential to be misused for suppressing Americans' 2nd Amendment rights." 

Inhofe spoke on the Senator floor Friday regarding amendment 139, which can be viewed by clicking here. 

As you read around the InterTubes about the United Nation's Small Arms Trade Treaty, don't be delluded into thinking the only focus is our Second Amendment, which is the big issue for the U.S. but the forerunner to deciding who can have weapons and who cannot worldwide...in the future, after the remainder of a pleathora of  U.N. plans are implemented.

The U.N. says we need this Treaty to restrict arms getting in the hands of terrorists. Remember who Homeland Security believes are terrorists? That you be you, you brutish right-winger. Never mind that the U.N. refuses to define who a terrorist is, because they would have to point the finger at their Islamic member countries and the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation - the most powerful entity inside the U.N. More information here.

Thank you Senator Inhofe.

by Maggie @ Maggie's Notebook

Hollow Points In The News Again: Congress Wants Answers

So much has been written about this. I believe the only bottom line come we have a change to get down to, is why hollow points, because the government is ignoring Congressional inquiries about quantities. Are hollow points used for target practice? A former Marine says no.  A former Army Major says 'no.' Here's the thing, hollow points are safer for everyone but the bad guy you're aiming at. A hollow point will not exit your target and hit the person behind him/her. Here's the other thing, hollow points are twice as expensive as the full metal bullet. So why would they be used for target practice, especially when the taxpayer is paying for it, and practicing with either...aiming with either, doesn't impact for accuracy of the person 'practicing?' Remember Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry was slain armed with a bean bag in his gun...shot down cold by a Mexican illegal(s) with a U.S. government provided weapon.

Hollow Points

As every gun owner knows if they are serious about developing and maintaining their shooting skills, the type of bullets used for practice at the firing range are normally different from the ammunition one would use when getting the firearm set to be used in the event of a home invasion or other situations in which one's life is in mortal danger. 

Firing range bullets are much less expensive and are not designed for the day to day use of the gun for maximum self protection. One uses the more expensive variety, such as hollow point bullets, for real-life danger. 

Thus, immediately this reporter knew that when the government claimed that its agencies had purchased multimillions of rounds of hollow point bullets for "practice and training" at the firing range, something was amiss. Most citizens are likely unaware that such ammo is not used for practice and will accept the government's explanation at face value. This is in all likelihood what the Feds are counting on. 

And when Maj. Gen. Curry [Army Ret] confirmed these suspicions in his article for The Daily Caller, it became clear that the Obama Administration has not been honest with the public concerning the current mass stockpiling of ammunition. The Examiner

In February 2013, radio talk show host, who isn't 'just' a radio talk show host; he is a Constitutional attorney and former chief of staff to President Ronald Reagan’s Attorney General, Ed Meese. Levin estimates in a ten month period, our government purchased enough ammo to supply our military at the peak of the Iraq war for - 24 years!  All this ammo - the Department of Homeland Security says it's for target practice.

A government spokeswoman says the 1.6 billion bullet contracts is known as "strategic sourcing contracts." It helps save money, she says...and they are mostly for training centers...but why hollow points for training? They cost more.

Then there's the 2700 light-armored tanks order for the U.S. Maybe it's an epidemic. Maybe Homeland Security is "granting" light armor for very blue cities?

"We're going to have our own tank." 

That's what Keene, N.H., Mayor Kendall Lane whispered to Councilman Mitch Greenwald during a December city council meeting. 

It's not quite a tank. But the quaint town of 23,000 -- scene of just two murders since 1999 -- had just accepted a $285,933 grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to purchase a Bearcat, an eight-ton armored personnel vehicle made by Lenco Industries Inc.

The IBD article says 15 members of Congress want to know what's up with billions of bullets on order. They've been told their concerns are "unfounded."