Landlord

A film from Aish.com on forgiveness and the comfort it brings.




Try a bit of forgiveness today.

Passover Rhapsody

Passover begins soon and this should start getting you into the mood of this holiday.  Produce by Aish.com, and set to Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody, it is the Exodus story like you have never seen before.

I hope you enjoy watching it.


Passover Rhapsody - A Jewish Rock Opera



Written by Aish.com
Produced by Aish.com & AishConnections.com
Directed by Shoot East http://shooteast.com
Vocals by Mitch Clyman and Chanan Elias

Puppets Created by Ester Kogan-Pekar
Puppeteering by Izaak Pekar
Assistant Puppeteering by Nadia Tichonova

Camera by Yirmiyahu Vann
Assistant Cameraman: Aaron Rotenberg

Production Design by Eli Kaplan-Wildmann
Assistant Set Designer: Zoe Jurkowski
Additional Design Assistance: Sarah Gutmann, Jenny Morris, Maia Hoberman
Additional Construction and Assistance: Ariel Smith and Tehilla Zeff

Production Manager: Renana Levine

Special Thanks to
Kosher Delight
Josh Landes
Midreshet Emunah V'Omanut
and Queen

Celebrate!

You can do your part by signing the petition to force President Barack Hussein Obama to use our veto to stop this insanity.


Eli E. Hertz wrote:

A Crazy State

A Palestinian state has good chances of becoming a rogue state - the kind of polity the United States is currently grappling with in Afghanistan, Syria, Libya, Iran and elsewhere.

In 1971 Hebrew University social scientist Professor Yehezkel Dror wrote a short volume entitled Crazy States, solicited by the Rand Corporation. Decades before Mohmar Kaddafi began sending contraband by diplomatic pouch and Pol Pot "invented" the killing fields, Dror envisioned the emergence of polities that 'don't play by the rules' and therefore seem crazy to westerners. At the time he was roundly criticized as an extremist and prophet of doom - his book was labeled a brilliant intellectual exercise but off the mark in terms of reality.

The volume gained new respect after the 1991 Gulf War. Today no one denies the existence of 'crazy states', or as they are now labeled: rogue states. In a 1999 article devoted to how US foreign policy has addressed the problem of rogue states, Professor Barry Rabin of Bar-Ilan University defined the rogue state as:

"[a polity] that puts a high priority on subverting other states and sponsoring non-conventional types of violence against them. It does not react predictably to deterrence or other tools of diplomacy and statecraft."

The definition seems to fit the Palestinian Authority like a glove even in the pre-state 'test' stage prior to gaining full sovereignty.

Palestinian Arabs using non-conventional types of violence can surely take credit for "inventing" skyjackings, a political vehicle that permitted taking hostages and extorting political concessions for their release. Palestinians initiated attacks on El Al passengers and airliners at international airports and escalated the violence by blowing up civilian airliners in midair - the first, killing 47 passengers and crew aboard a Swissair flight from Zurich to Tel Aviv in February 1970.

As far as "not reacting predictably to deterrence or other tools of diplomacy," in 1974 Palestinians claimed responsibility for the first-ever Palestinian suicide-bombing, when 18 hostages near the town of Kiryat-Shmona in northern Israel were murdered by a Palestinian terrorist loaded with explosives.

Today, the battle that Israel wages against terrorism, and one the Western world must also wage, affects the entire free world.

A rogue state, said Rabin "requires special treatment and high levels of international pressure in order to prevent it from wrecking public order, setting off wars, and subverting whole areas of the world" ... "an international equivalent of incarceration or commitment to a mental institution, until there is sufficient recovery to permit reentry into the international system."

Unfortunately, the world community has been ignoring the prospect that a full-blown independent Palestinian state will become just that kind of rogue state and renegade organization the world is grappling with today.

In light of the Palestinian Arab history of violence and its poor performance coping with limited freedom or autonomy - the equivalent of a 'half-way house' to test their readiness to join the family of nations, and in light of the support (rather than pressure to 'toe the line') that Palestinians enjoy in the international arena, Palestinians independence could very well turn into a genuine nightmare.

A state with its patterns of despots, coups, assassinations, civil war, corruption, revolutions and lack of respect for human life, freedom and democracy, resembles a Crazy State that will continue to threaten Israel and world security.

A Button's Life

Everyone has a mission in life, even when you don't realize it at first.

A simple tale from Aish.com by Rabbi Yaakov Salomon

It’s not easy being a button.

For one thing, my home is a factory. It's noisy, hot and crowded. Life for me and my fellow buttons is mostly dominated by waiting for the chance to connect to a suit.

I was born several months ago in New Delhi. They say New Delhi is nice, but I wouldn’t know. I have spent 100% of my time in a huge crate, surrounded by “friends” of similar ilk. I simply wait...patiently or otherwise, to be put to use. So I don't get out much.

Some of my fellow buttons are much older than me. Many of them have already appeared on various jackets, or coats, or shirts and they guide us rookies who are still awaiting their initial foray into the World of the Garment. When the lights go dim in the factory each night and the button buzz begins, I listen to the veterans tell their “war stories”– getting lost after a painful separation, cracking, or sometimes just being summarily replaced. It's scary how one day you can be King of the Hill on a cashmere Burberry two-piece and the next day you could be kicked onto the tracks of a Brighton bound D train.

I try to stay positive. The factory is busy. Every morning the tailors and seamstresses file in and do their thing. I just sit and wait and watch and hope.

Will today be the day? When will I be chosen? How long must I wait, watching my friends being picked out, sewn on, and fulfilling their special purpose in life?

Wow! Look at that! My friend was just affixed to a gorgeous, beige, silk chiffon evening gown. She looks so proud. I am so happy for her. She’ll go to the nicest places and mingle with the ‘upscale’ crowd. That’s what she always wanted.

Me? I'm just a dark navy, natural material, genuine horn suit button. Sometimes I wish I was a shiny brass snap, or a zinc alloy or a pewter buckle, or maybe one of those adorable, hip, pink toggles. But let’s face it. I’m not. I'm just not. That doesn't mean I don't have an important role to play. Yes, one day my time will come. I'm sure of it.

ONE MONTH LATER

It was late one Wednesday afternoon. I had spent the day like most others…waiting. At least 30 buttons from my crate had been selected. That’s a lot of goodbyes for one day. To say I didn’t feel sad would be a lie. And then it happened. Whoosh! I felt myself lifted with a sudden burst of energy and cradled into the softest hand I could ever imagine.

“So this is what it’s like,” I mumbled to myself. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. I think I did both. I knew I’d miss my friends and my home, but at last I’d be somebody. I would have purpose, a mission.

Raj, the tailor, was quick but precise. He had just finished what seemed like a wool blazer for a small boy and was preparing to adorn it with three front buttons. I waited my turn next to the sewing machine without making a sound. I watched Raj carefully place the first button on. If not for the cacophony of the machinery, the whole plant would have heard my pounding heartbeat.

Raj lifted the button beside me and gently secured it in the second position – about two inches below the top button. The anticipation was overwhelming. And then…out of nowhere…it hit me! I was going to be placed in position number three! After all my waiting, after all the dreams and hopes, I was suddenly designated for the useless, barren wasteland of bottom buttonhood.

In my excitement at finally being chosen, I had totally forgotten about “the curse.” The bottom button is just there for show. It is never closed, never used, and usually never noticed. It lays dormant for the lifespan of the garment and gets tossed away when the jacket dies. What kind of life is that?

Raj ran the needle and thread through my broken heart and perfectly centered me to life imprisonment. Life had just begun and it was already over. I simply hung in place -- useless. What choice did I have in the matter?

I endured several weeks of storage and transport and eventually made my way to a rack in a small boys’ shop in Baltimore. The customers were nice enough, The prospects for finding a warm and loving home seemed reasonable. I made peace with my “position” in life, but understood that true fulfillment would, sadly, be unattainable.

One day a mother and son arrived and asked to see a blazer that totally fit my description. The lady wore fancy jewelry and expensive shoes, and the boy walked with a kind of swagger that made him look older than he probably was. I began picturing a life that might be comfortable, even lavish, albeit unrealized. I said a silent prayer, hoping that they would make me part of their family. Mom surveyed the aisle and actually took me off the hanger.

“Try this one on, David,” she offered. My heart was pounding again. I liked the name David and I was desperate to find someplace I could call home. But alas, I was the wrong size. David must like burgers and pancakes. Even buttons one and two were in danger of popping. I, of course, was never even attempted. Sadly, I returned to my perch.

Later that afternoon I noticed another mother/son tandem enter the store. This woman looked rather plain. Her clothes were neat but haphazard,and I wasn’t sure what to make of her son. His features were different than most kids. His eyes were slightly slanted upward and his nose seemed small, almost flat. His ears were small too. But his smile was beautiful. He didn’t talk much, and when he did his words were sort of garbled.

Mr. Rabinowitz steered them in my direction. Again my hopes rose, but they were filled with conflict. I wasn’t sure if this was the harbor I had always dreamed of docking my ship at.

Mom was checking the price tags on the jackets in the corner, but the boy seemed to be staring right at me.

“Stay close to Mommy, sweetheart. You’ll get lost over there,” she beckoned.

But Sweetheart paid no heed. He lumbered his way right in front of my section and with a mind very much his own, clutched me and my jacket and clumsily dropped us to the floor.

“You’re making a mess," Mom quietly said, taking him by the hand and drawing him close.

I felt bad for Sweetheart. He wasn’t trying to misbehave. He was just trying to be independent. Meanwhile I lay on the floor awaiting retrieval. Mr. Rabinowitz was nowhere in sight. I wondered how much time I’d have to stay on the cold floor, but not for long. Here was Sweetheart, breaking loose from his mother’s grasp and running towards me again. This time he successfully nestled the jacket in his soft hands and began to put his arms through the sleeves.

Having completed his mission, a huge grin appeared on his face. He looked absolutely adorable. With the pride of a foreign ambassador, Sweetheart marched himself over to a nearby mirror. Mom noticed him from across the way and with familiar resignation strode towards him. She closed buttons one and two and seemed to give the possibility some serious consideration. As usual, I simply waited.

She turned to find Mr. Rabinowitz and left us alone for just an instant. It was all he needed. Sweetheart took a confident gaze into the mirror and reached down to my neighborhood. I thought I would shriek from exhilaration. Sweetheart fumbled me in his sweaty palms. I thought he might yank me across the room. It took a few seconds, but it really happened. He closed me. Me! Button number three – the useless one!

Mr. Rabinowitz came over and tried to teach Sweetheart proper style and etiquette. He undid me once… twice… but Sweetheart was having none of it. Mom made a few attempts too, but my new friend had his mind made up. I would not be left out. Ever.

We made our way to the checkout counter, but Sweetheart and I would not part. He insisted on wearing the jacket home -- buttoned: one, two, and three.

Sweetheart loved that jacket and wore it whenever he could. And when he outgrew it... he just wore it anyway -- as long as he could.

Yes, Sweetheart loved that jacket.

And I loved Sweetheart.

An inspirational story to start off your week.

Have a good week!

Videos For A Monday Morning

Just a few videos to start off your work week. First off  Mr. Paine loudly shouts "no" to amnesty on principles, not politics.

Amnesty Madness





Next on our list is Pat Condell speaking his mind on the trial of Geert Wilders.


The crooked judges of Amsterdam



While some don't like his views on Christianity and Judaism, he still speaks the truth about Islam louder than many others.

This one I call much ado about nothing.  The Tebow commercial.


Pam &Tim Tebow in Focus On The Family Commercial



I thought this was an anti-abortion commercial?  It was more like Pat Tebow was selling Campbell's Soup.

Finally this short film from Aish.

I am Israel!




I hope you enjoyed my selection of the day.  If you did, then leave a comment below.

Have a good week!

Mumbai: Muslim and Jewish Reactions

There have been many reactions to the attacks in Mumbai over the last week. Condemnation from the Western Nations and silence on most part from the rest of the world. Reaction in the US has been one of sorrow and anger from most people, and quiet denouncements from CAIR. In the rest of the Muslim world we hear these reactions.

In TV Interview, Pakistani Security Expert Accuses Western Zionists, Hindu Zionists of Planning 11/26 Mumbai Terror Attacks

Following the Mumbai terror attacks, Pakistani security expert Zaid Hamid was interviewed by Pakistan's News One television channel; in it, he accused "Western Zionists and Hindu Zionists" of planning the 11/26 Mumbai attacks. He also warned that if the Indians attack Pakistan, the war will be fought within India, not on Pakistani soil. The interview was telecast 24 hours after the Mumbai terror attacks began. Zaid Hamid, a former mujahid who fought the Soviets in Afghanistan during the 1980s, is the founder of the Pakistani think tank BrassTacks.

Following are some excerpts from the interview:(1)

"[If] they thrust a war on us, then the war will be fought on the other side of the border, on their side [in India], not within Pakistan Insha Allah..."

"This is not the 9/11 he [George W. Bush] was talking about [recently], but the Indians have themselves always wanted to orchestrate a 9/11, to create the same drama [9/11] in which they could include Americans and Israelis. We have no doubt this was [the result of] a joint plan by Israelis, Americans and Indians – in other words, this was a joint plan by Western Zionists and Hindu Zionists; in it Israelis are directly involved, there is involvement of Mossad.

"The details that are coming up – see, if you look at the images, the terrorist they [Indian television channels] are showing firing in the hotel with machine gun in his hand, he has tied in his hand a saffron band of Hindu Zionists; Muslims do not wear this type of band [on their wrists] – their faces are like Hindus, the language in which they are speaking, this language no Pakistani uses."

"The big part of the game has slipped out of their [Indians'] hands. We have not seen a more badly planned operation than this [the commando operation in Mumbai hotels]. The 9/11 that the Americans committed, they very beautifully camouflaged that in the media; they did a better perception management of that, and the Americans created the pretext to thrust a war on Afghanistan by fooling the entire world.

"The Indians tried to repeat the same game; but [they don't] have intellect; these idiots made a complete disaster in handling this [terrorists' occupation of the hotels]. The game was exposed in the beginning itself, so that now they have lost the moral credibility. They would have probably promised to those terrorists that we will not kill you, we will arrest you, [but] now they are killing them and apparently they are resisting them.

"[With reference to] the attack on [the] Indian parliament: No one knows till today who were the attackers of the Indian parliament in 2001, what were their names, which group they belonged to, where had they come from. They use pawns, they use people, and later they kill them – whereas they would have in the beginning guaranteed to them [the militants of the Mumbai attacks] that we will arrest you alive.

"This is a drama that has gone wrong; now the Indian Army is trying to clear the mess they have created, this is too late; the world can see the game now."

Endnote:
(1) To view video, visit http://www.hotklix.com/?ref=content/152704.

And this one:

Pakistani Nuclear Scientist: 'None Of India's Cities Can Remain Safe From Our Missiles'; 'Our Missile System… Can Be Fired in Only 10 Minutes – They Are On the Launchers'

Amid growing tensions between India and Pakistan following the 11/26 Mumbai terror attacks, Pakistani nuclear scientist Dr. Samar Mubarakmand spoke of the readiness of Pakistani missiles and of their capability to target Indian cities. Dr. Mubarakmand, who has steered the Pakistani nuclear program for the past several decades alongside disgraced nuclear scientist Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan, expressed his views during a talk show. Following are excerpts from the interview, as published in the Urdu-language Pakistani newspaper Roznama Express: [1]

"Pakistan’s nuclear assets are in safe hands.

"Every Indian city is on the target of our missiles, and [Pakistan's] atomic technology is better than that of India. [We] can fire the missiles at only 10 minutes' notice...

"I am very satisfied with the defense preparedness. As long as [we] didn’t have nuclear weapons, India had a three and a half advantage [over Pakistan]. But this advantage was levelled when we conducted the nuclear testing.

"Following the nuclear testing, we tested missiles like the Shaheen, the Ghaznavi, the Shaheen II, and the Ghauri. After this, India’s tone and language [vis-à-vis Pakistan] changed...

"The nuclear tests carried out by India were of eight to 10 tons, whereas our [atomic tests] were of 25 to 30 tons, and the one we conducted in Kharan [Desert, in Baluchistan] were of 10 to 12 tons. This is why our weapons are better [than India's]...

"Our Shaheen missiles hit targets [during testing]; the world recognized their delivery system. None of India’s cities can remain safe from our missiles... Pakistan's width is less than India's, which is 1,200 to 1,400 kilometers. Therefore, no corner of India is safe from the Shaheen II...

"We have also developed cruise missiles. And Pakistan is the fourth country in the world to have cruise missiles...

"We should talk to India strongly... Even while giving the message of friendship, we should make [Indians] realize that we are not weak...

"Being a small nation, if we abandon the option... to launch a nuclear attack, then there won’t be any use of the second option. This way you end one advantage...

"Our missile system is ready, [and] can be fired in only 10 minutes - they are on the launchers..."

[1] Roznama Express (Pakistan), December 4, 2008.

And finally this:

Taliban, Lashkar-e-Taiba Leaders Declare Readiness To Fight India In Event of Indian Military Action in Pakistan
By: Tufail Ahmad *

Introduction

In the wake of the 11/26 Mumbai terror attacks, there is a growing fear in Pakistan that the Indian Air Force may attack militant hideouts inside Pakistan, in a manner similar to the U.S. missile attacks on Taliban and Al-Qaeda safe havens within Pakistan’s tribal districts on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

On December 2, 2008, the mass-circulation Urdu-language newspaper Roznama Jang reported that the Indian Air Force may attack the town of Muridke, the headquarters of banned militant organization Lashkar-e-Taiba [1]. In Muridke, which is near Lahore, Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed is operating his organization under the new name of Jamaatud Dawa.

On the other hand, the Taliban commanders, who are currently fending off U.S. missile attacks and who have been bogged down in bloody fighting with Pakistani security forces for the past several months, are seeking a new opportunity for a ceasefire with the Pakistani Army following the Mumbai attacks.

Roznama Jang: Pakistani Army Calls Taliban Commanders "Pakistani Patriots"

The Taliban’s ceasefire offer has been welcomed by hard-line Pakistani Army officers who oppose the U.S.-led War on Terror. On December 1, 2008, Roznama Jang reported that several key Taliban commanders have offered to support the Pakistani Army in the event of any likely Indian attack on Pakistan. In return, Pakistani Army officials have called the Taliban commanders "Pakistani patriots."

The Roznama Jang report added: "As a positive sign that this ceasefire offer [from the Taliban] may be accepted, the Pakistani Army has, as a first step, declared to the media some notorious militant commanders, including Baitullah Mehsud and Maulvi Fazlullah, as 'patriotic' Pakistanis [2]."

Baitullah Mehsud and Maulvi Fazlullah are the key leaders of the Taliban movement in Pakistan. Baitullah Mehsud has also been accused of plotting the assassination of former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto.

The report further noted: "These two militant commanders... have invariably been accused of terrorism against Pakistan, but the aftermath of the Mumbai carnage has suddenly turned terrorists into patriots."

Over the past few days, a number of Taliban commanders and spokesmen have contacted different Pakistani media organizations to offer their support to the Pakistani Army in its stand against India. On November 30, 2008, Wali Muhammad, a spokesman for the Taliban (Mullah Nazir group) in Pakistan’s tribal district of South Waziristan, warned of suicide attacks in India in the case of an attack on Pakistan.

Muhammad, who is also known as Shaheen, added: "Our differences with the [Pakistani] government notwithstanding, if the issue is the national security, we have 500 suicide bombers who will enter India [3]."

Urging religious and political parties to end their differences and to unite to defend the Pakistani nation, the Taliban spokesman stated that 15,000 armed Taliban fighters would fight alongside the Pakistani Army against India.

Taliban Spokesman: "[The Taliban] Understand How To Defend The Line Of Control [In Kashmir]."

On December 1, 2008, Maulvi Omar, the main spokesman for the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, also warned India that the Taliban fighters will stand side by side with the Pakistani Army and the security forces in the event of a war.

Omar added that the Indian threats following the Mumbai attacks are aimed not at the Pakistani army and security forces, but at Pakistan as a Muslim country.

Maulvi Omar also threatened that the Taliban fighters could join the Pakistani soldiers on the Line of Control in Kashmir. He added: "The Taliban have been defending the Durand Line [Pakistan-Afghanistan border] with our own weapons, and [we] understand how to defend the Line of Control [dividing Kashmir between India and Pakistan] [4]."

Another Taliban commander, Maulvi Faqir Mohammad, who is senior deputy head of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, called the Pashtu-language newspaper Wrazpanra Wahdat from an undisclosed location to say that the fighters loyal to him are ready to defend Pakistan against any likely Indian attack on Pakistan [5]. Accusing Indian intelligence agencies of planning the Mumbai terror attacks, Maulvi Faqir Mohammad added that the Mumbai attacks were an attempt to defame Pakistan, and denied any Taliban involvement in them.

Khyber Agency: Ansarul Islam, Lashkar-e-Islam Offer Support To Pakistan

In Pakistan’s tribal district of Khyber Agency, there are two dominant militant organizations: Lashkar-e-Islam and Ansarul Islam. Both the groups have offered to fight alongside the Pakistan Army against India.

On November 30, 2008, Misri Khan, a spokesman for Lashkar-e-Islam, warned that in the event of an Indian attack, hundreds of thousands of Lashkar-e-Islam fighters will give an appropriate reply to the enemies of Pakistan.

Misri Khan added: "Our ancestors offered sacrifices for the defense of Pakistan’s borders, and Lashkar-e-Islam will not hesitate to make any sacrifice for the security of the nation [6]."

Similarly, Ansarul Islam, the second dominant group in the Khyber Agency, also announced that its fighters would defend Pakistan's borders against India.

On December 1, 2008, Ansarul Islam spokesman Mubin Afridi warned that thousands of their fighters are waiting for the Pakistani government's order to wage a war against India. He urged other militant groups to end their differences and join hands against India [7].

Jamaatud Dawa: The Time Has Come for the Infidels’ Atrocities Against The Muslim Ummah to End

Yahya Mujahid, a close aide to Hafiz Muhammad Saeed and a spokesman for the Jamaatud Dawa, told Roznama Jang that any aerial Indian attack on any of the Dawa-run religious seminaries and offices across Pakistan would be treated as an assault on Pakistani sovereignty. [8]

Hafiz Abdur Rahman Makki, another official with the Jamaatud Dawa, likewise warned that the Pakistani nation would not permit external conspiracies aimed at breaking up Pakistan to succeed. Addressing a gathering in Karachi, Makki accused international powers of trying to tighten the noose around Pakistan, and added: "The Ummah should unite; the time has come for the infidels’ atrocities against the Muslim Ummah to end [9]."

He also asked his followers not to run away from jihad if they did not have the capability to wage it, adding: "Acquiring capability and power is necessary to fight against the enemy. However, it is not correct to run away from jihad on this pretext [of lacking the necessary capability to wage it.]"

*Tufail Ahmad is Director of Urdu-Pashtu Media Project at the Middle East Media Research Institute (www.memri.org ).

[1] Roznama Jang (Pakistan), December 2, 2008.
[2] Roznama Jang (Pakistan), December 1, 2008.
[3] Roznama Jasarat (Pakistan), December 1, 2008.
[4] Roznama Jasarat (Pakistan), December 2, 2008.
[5] Wrazpanra Wahdat (Pakistan), December 2, 2008.
[6] Roznama Express (Pakistan), December 1, 2008.
[7] Wrazpanra Wahdat (Pakistan), December 2, 2008.
[8] Roznama Jang (Pakistan), December 2, 2008.
[9] Roznama Express (Pakistan), December 1, 2008.

Blame the attack on Hindus, Jews, anybody but the real culprits: Pakistanis. All 10 terrorists were from Pakistan, trained by former officers of the Pakistani Army, equipped with weapons that the Pakistani Army uses, and given help by the same group of former officers. And yet Pakistan, and the larger Muslim world wants the rest of us to believe that this wasn't done by the nation of Pakistan.

I don't believe Pakistan for one minute.

Jewish response is quite different and doesn't have the venom that the Pakistani response has:








View at Aish

Will you sign the pledge?

One is a call to arms and violence, the other is a call to help others. One is a call for further violence, the other is a call for healing. One is hatred for your fellow man, the other is love thy neighbor.

Which one do you support?