Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Obama Plan to Destroy Israel: Two State Solution

by Maggie at Maggie's Notebook

The following offers deep insight into the world's quest for a two state solution agreement between Israel and Palestine. Put your thinking cap on and delve in.


Obama's Plan to Destroy Israel
by Sultan Knish

If there's one thing that the Carter Administration can be given credit for, it's creating the new wave of Islamist terrorism, both Sunni, operating out of Afghanistan, and Shiite, operating out of Iran. The Carter Administration cracked down on Israel and put its "faith" in Muslim terrorists, who then went on to wage war on America, even while Carter was in office.

28 years after Carter was removed from office, we're in reruns again with the Obama Administration, which is not only following the Carter line, but whose plans greatly exceed it. 28 years ago, Wahhabi Sunni and Shiite terrorists were generally an afterthought when compared to the standard USSR backed Marxist terrorist groups, such as the PLO.

Today, thanks in part to the Carter Administration, they control several countries and have designs on several more. From Pakistan to Afghanistan, from Gaza to Lebanon, from the Middle East to Southeast Asia, the threat is very real and bigger than ever particularly as the race by both Sunni and Shiite groups to build and deploy nuclear weapons continues.

Like Carter before him, Obama has chosen to cut backdoor deals with the Mullahs in Iran, offering them power over Iraq and Afghanistan, in exchange for quieting things down enough to let him hang up a Mission Accomplished banner and pull the troops out. "Peace with honor", preferably before the next election. The rape law for Shiites in Afghanistan, the push for a US funded Hamas/Fatah Unity government in the territories and the rising expansion of the Taliban are all fruits of this arrangement.

If Iran is to be our new best friend under this arrangement, Israel is to be our new best enemy.

Obama stacked the deck by deploying Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State in a position that gave her an important title, but absolutely no power to go with it, while stacking the National Security Council and even the Pentagon with oil appointees in the pockets of the Saudis or his own left wing radical friends.

Israel electing a conservative government really put the ball into play, freeing up even more resources for attacking Israel. The strategy runs something like this.

The Obama Administration has broken down the Israel problem into two subsections, Israel itself, and American Jews.

Obama's people have studied the problem and understand where Carter went wrong. Obama does not want to have the same image problems as Carter in the Jewish community. Should that happen, the Beloved Leader and his lapdog press are fully prepared to unleash a Chavez style hate-on targeting American Jews. But that would be inconvenient and messy. Even with the changing face of America, there are significant differences between the average American and European or Venezuelan, and what kind of ugliness they are willing to tolerate. So Obama's people have split their attention in handling the two factors as two different problems.

American Jews - Obama has been clever about putting his Jewish appointees front and center. Like many minorities, some American Jews suffer from self-esteem problems that are soothed when they see a seeming acceptance. Of course what they fail to realize is that exploitation is not acceptance. And that Obama's appointees are creatures of his backers, Nazi collaborators like Soros, who have nothing but contempt for Jews, individually or collectively.

While outwardly courting Jews, Obama's people have also been quietly shoving Jewish organizations and their leaders into a corner. Within the Jewish organizational world there has been a silent but deadly takeover of major Jewish groups by left wing radicals. Former alumni of the far left wing and anti-Israel groups like Breira or Coname in the 70's have been elevated to key positions in such organizations as the UJA Federation. Behind the scenes any Jewish leaders who expressed even doubts about Obama during the primaries were intimidated and silenced.

Much as with conservatives, a list has been drawn up of those figures who can be won over, and those who cannot. The ones who can be won over are described as "moderates", the ones who cannot be won over are described as "extremists".

Meanwhile a bevvy of left wing Jewish In Name Only groups have been organized to play their part. Key among them is the Soros funded J Street, a group created as an anti-Israel lobby meant to eventually replace AIPAC. Meanwhile AIPAC itself has been kept on the ropes with such things as the well timed Harman leak. The message once again is fairly clear, cooperate and keep quiet, or we'll destroy you.

The multi-layered approach to American Jews can then be summed up as follows;

1.) Co-opt existing Jewish organizations and swing them to the left using old school 70's leftists.

2.) Create new "progressive" organizations to appeal to a younger generation of ethnically Jewish youth detached from any actual identity. Have these organizations generate attacks on the Israeli government and pro-Israel Jews, while creating phony polls indicating that most American Jews are behind them and Obama.

3.) Silence and intimidate remaining Jewish organizations and leaders behind the scenes.

The overall idea is to keep a happy face pasted on American Jewry while the knives are out in the dark.

Israel - The basic understanding in the Obama Administration is that Israel Must Go. In the worldview of the more moderate Obama appointees, Israel is a destabilizing factor in the Middle East. To the more left wing Obama advisors, Israel is a Western imperialist colonialist state that must be destroyed in the name of revolutionary justice. To the Islamist mindset, Israel is a Kufir state that has no right to exist in the Dar Al Islam.

While intractably hostile to Israel, the Obama Administration wants to avoid the kind of public confrontations that marked the Carter and Bush Sr administrations. Instead they would much rather model the way that the Clinton Administration waged a quiet war against Israel, removing one government, and forcing extensive concessions to terrorists, all the while keeping a happy face pasted on the whole affair.

On the one hand that means avoiding harsh public attacks on Israel, but keeping the pressure up for Israel to make extensive far reaching one sided concessions, to accept Saudi and Arab League "peace plans", to legitimize Hamas as the new government of the Palestinian Authority, and to insure that Israel does not reply to any rocket or terrorist attacks.

There are two forms of quiet leverage that the United States has on Israel, the first is financial and the second is military.

On the financial side, the goal will be to bring down the Netanyahu government coalition by destabilizing Israel economically. This is the surest and most direct path to bringing down Israel's conservative government and replacing it with a left of center coalition. The Obama Administration has a wide variety of tactics at its disposal for doing so, from the overt, such as targeting Israeli exports and imports, to the covert, that would involve targeting the Shekel. Additionally fundraising in the US could be investigated and groups such as the Jewish National Fund, prevented from raising money in the US. All of these have been in play before at one time or another.

On the military side, Obama's people will make their non-existent efforts to stop Iran's nukes conditional on more concessions to terrorists. Since Israel will never be able to make enough concessions and since Obama is working with Iran, rather than working to stop Iran's nukes, this is a hollow charade.

Furthermore while Israel has already been locked out of the military technology pipeline for anything cutting edge, it still remains dependent on US military equipment for parts and supplies. The decades of US foreign aid have also served to create dependency. Unlike many other countries, including even Sweden, Israel does not have its own jet fighter. Israel's Air Force is heavily dependent on US weapons, parts and equipment. Cutting Israel off, would leave the Israeli military dangerously vulnerable in the case of a war. This is an effective chokehold that has been used before to prevent Israel from attacking Saddam Hussein during the Gulf War, as well as preventing Israel from carrying out a preemptive strike against its enemies before the Yom Kippur War.

The overall Obama policy will be to push Israel to the brink, using financial and military blackmail against the Netanyahu government, while maintaining control over American Jews to prevent any protests or backtalk.

The more Israel will offer, the more the Obama Administration will tighten the screws. No offer will be good enough, and Israel will be blamed for every breakdown in talks and every bit of violence that takes place. The media will portray Israel and particularly Netanyahu as extremist and intransigent. Hamas will be slowly whitewashed in the media, the same way that Arafat's goons were, (assuming that they prove more willing to cooperate in creating a positive media image of themselves than Ahmadinejad is.)

The plan is to destroy Israel, and to do it by pushing Israel to the edge of the cliff and then over the cliff. Israel's enemies will be getting top of the line US military equipment. Israel will not. Israel will be squeezed economically until the Netanyahu government collapses, leaving a weak left wing leader like Livni in charge of Israel, and in charge of acceding to the new Pharaoh's demands.

Meanwhile so-called American Jewish groups will support Obama all the way, some because they were created precisely for that purpose, e.g. J-Street, and others because they have been hijacked, cowed or subverted.

That is the game plan and some of it's coming. The rest is already here.

Luton, England Islamic Centre Fire Bombed; Lionheart's Hometown

By Maggie at Maggie's Notebook

I know many of you follow Lionheart and his hometown of Luton's efforts to abate the probing and creeping Islamic influence in that community. Lionheart has been the center of the local government's focus on behalf of the Muslim community - meaning there is a plan to silence the objections of Lionheart and others who want their town to remain British. Now, an Islamic Centre there has been fire bombed. See a video below

Luton, England Islamic Centre Fire Bombed

Many in Luton believe certain Muslims are hoodlums, drug runners and worse. Now, I need to say this: nothing I say should be used to place Lionheart in any particular light other than a good one. I'm just an on-looker who would like to help but has no way to do so, SO, DO NOT hold Lionheart responsible for anything I say.

LutonToday is reporting that The Islamic Centre in Bury Park Road was set on fire and the police believe this is a case of arson. No one was injured but a lot of damage was done to the structure. A burned-out BMW 3-series was found nearby, and police believe the vehicle is connected to the fire.

This is frightening to me because I think there could be a scenario that attempts to implicate Lionheart and others in the fire bombing. This is just a guess on my part. I have no inside information. I have not corresponded with Lionheart. I just read. You also can read through Lionheart's archives to get the complete picture. You can glimpse some of the problem in the video below, as you see Muslims protesting the return of hometown military heros. Another part of the story continues to be that Luton police will not allow Brits to peacefully gather and march in protest to the Muslim agitators. Muslims are granted a license, Brits are not. God help Great Britain.

Whatever the situation or the realities of the police investigation, I am reminded that Lionheart and Luton needs to remain in my prayers. Please join me.

It Will Take Us 11 Days "To Wipe Israel Out of Existence!


This has been the cry of the Arabs towards the State of Israel. The same old tune, this time sung by Iran.

Following are excerpts of statements by Iranian military commanders, from a TV report which aired on LBC TV on May 3, 2009. Click here to view this clip at MEMRI.

"I Do Not Think We Will Need More Than 11 Days to Wipe Israel Out Of Existence"

Voiceover: "Nothing can prevent Iranian missiles from targeting the heart of Israel, if Iran is subjected to a military strike by Israel. This was the response of the Iranian military commanders to the Israeli statements about a possible military strike against Iran, because of its insistence on obtaining nuclear energy. Yet an [Israeli] attack seems improbable to the Iranians, because Tel Aviv does not have the ability to go through a war with Tehran."

Iranian Chief-of-Staff General Hassan Firouzabadi: "We are fully prepared to confront any attack that would threaten the interests of Iran. We have sufficient means and the necessary force to defend our territory."

General Ataollah Salehi, general commander of the Iranian army: "The truth is that Israel does not have the courage to attack us. If we are subjected to any attack by Israel, I do not think we will need more than 11 days to wipe Israel out of existence."

Voiceover: "Tehran denies that its military preparations are aimed at attacking any neighboring country. Iran justifies its military preparedness as a means to defend Iran and the region, which may alleviate the fears and concerns of countries in the region."

"Our Military Capabilities Are Not Meant to Threaten the Neighboring Countries - But Only to Defend Iran"

General Yahya Rahim Safavi, Khamenei's chief advisor on military affairs: "Our military capabilities are not meant to threaten the neighboring countries, but only to defend Iran. Iran strives for peace, security, and stability with the countries in the region."

General Reza Pourdastan, commander of the Iranian army ground forces: "The neighboring countries can rest assured that by no means will we attack any country."

Voiceover: "But fears about Iran's missiles remain, especially among Western countries, concerned that Iran might arm its missiles with nuclear warheads, since the superpowers doubt that Iran's nuclear program is peaceful. This is categorically denied by Tehran, which says that according to the shari'a and the law, it is forbidden to obtain a nuclear weapon."
During operation Cast Lead it took the IDF 1 hour to destroy the top Hamas unit that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard personally trained. 1 hour!

During the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980's, the Revolutionary Guard could not destroy Iraq's military machine in years of war. The Revolutionary Guard had problems tackling Iraq's Republican Guard. It took the US military only 10 days to destroy Iraq's military machine. 10 days!

Iran has missiles that will strike Israel and cause damage. But Israel has missiles too. And of the best Air Forces in the world. Something the Iranians cannot boast of. Something else, Iran has too many out of date weapons, aircraft, and ships. While some militaries could do wonders with obsolete equipment, but not Iran.

Iran is boasting. It is acceptable behavior in Iran to threaten to wipe out Israel once a week by members of the government. I guess that it is the militarys turn that week. I expect that we will hear more of this from Iran in the coming months.


Space Weather: Meteors From Halley's Comet.


METEOR SHOWER: Earth is entering a stream of dusty debris from Halley's Comet, the source of the annual eta Aquarid meteor shower. Forecasters expect the shower to peak on Wednesday, May 6th, with as many as 85 meteors per hour over the southern hemisphere. Rates in the northern hemisphere will be less, 20 to 30 per hour. The best time to look is during the dark hour before local sunrise on Wednesday morning.

If you live in the Southern Hemisphere you will enjoy the show that will happen on Wednesday morning.

Visit SpaceWeather for more information and pictures.

Monday, May 4, 2009

Barack Obama's World View and How it Affects America

by Maggie Thornton at Maggie's Notebook

How many times have you commented that Barack Obama voters knew nothing about him when they cast their vote at the polls? I've said it often. How well do you verbally size him up? Who is he? What is he up to? Can you put it into words, or explain it to your nephew or your daughter? See photos and a video below.



Barack Obama

Remember when Tom Brokaw and Charlie Rose sat down just three days before the November 2008 election and admitted they hadn't a clue who Barack Obama really is. Rose asks about Obama's "world view," and his views on China - both say they know nothing about either. They know nothing about Obama's "universe of thinking." It doesn't get more pathetic than these two S.O.B.'s admitting how they robbed the American people of vital information about Barack Obama. Brokaw says the media must be "vigilant," but they weren't. He said a reporter needed to bring "intellectual vigor" to this election, but they didn't - they didn't dare. You can see the video of that conversation below.

When I'm trying to explain what makes Obama tick, I know plenty.

I can talk about his father, his father's philosophy, his father's connections, his father's communism, his father's writings, and the Muslim influence in both of their lives. I can talk about Obama's own admission in his book Dreams From My Father, when he said he tried to take his father's "high blown ideals" as his own. He said he sought his father's attributes in himself. He needed to "prove" himself through political organizing, as did his father.

President Obama's Father, Barak Hussein Obama, Sr.

To discount his distant father's influence, and his ardor for communism is foolish, but that's just what America did. A quote from Obama Sr.:
...there is nothing that can stop the government from taxing 100% of income so long as the people get benefits from the government commensurate with their income which is taxed.

I do not see why the government cannot tax those who have more and syphon some of these revenues into savings which can be utilized in investment for future development.
Obama Sr. believed in the communal ownership of land, and the forced confiscation of privately controlled land. He wanted the nationalization of European and Asian owned enterprises, including hotels...and writing from Kenya for the East Africa Journal, Problems Facing our Socialism, published in July 1965, he wanted these operations handed over to the indigenous black population." He attacked the economic proposals of pro-Western ideals proposed by African leader Tom Mboya. Obama sided with communist-allied leader Oginga Odinga. You can view a pdf of the original document by following the links from Sweetness and Light.

Then there's the mother who loved Muslim men, who painted with broad, vibrant strokes, the son's father...and seeded those stories in the mind of the boy. There's the mother who left her son behind in Hawaii at a certain age to pursue her own self-interests.

I know about Barack Obama's years with with the Gamaliel Foundation and his gloried community organizing in Chicago. This article sums it up succinctly and offers credible links.

So knowing all this and more, I admit that I still find it difficult to put into words who I think Barack Obama is, or what I believe his motives to be, but another blogger has found those words and put them together ingeniously. The entire article wastes not a word. Here are some snippets from The Return of Scipio.

His life has been fully marinated in the world view of those who hate capitalism, call the US the source of much of the world’s evil, believe the Jews to be the main problem of the Middle East, see themselves as most qualified to govern “the people”, equate opposition with heresy and despise traditional religions and values. They are absolute and total creatures of government and could not survive outside of it. Indeed, this is the reason why all of their proposals involve government. The greater the size of government, the more power they have. The fact that liberty is reduced for the citizenry is irrelevant, since the ruing classes will always have the freedom to do what they wish.

Obama and his sorts exist in some bounteous ether where taxes, small cars, high gas prices, reduced incomes and the toil of daily life affect only those who do the actual work of the nation. They award themselves beautiful homes, large and fancy automobiles, excellent food and citizen subsidized foreign travel. Indeed, their entire lives are subsidized by the taxes they impose upon the masses. And with the increase of government—which really is an increase of job prospects of the ruling classes and their families—the numbers of these types will increase, as will the taxes imposed to maintain such sumptuous lifestyles of these rich, famous and powerful.

[omissions....]

The grand design of all these teeming intellectuals all over the globe is to create a world system where they and their type sit at all the tables of governance, control all the levers of power and distribute all the world’s wealth. Obama sees himself at the head of this motley throng. It is obvious that these types have no particular loyalty to any particular geographic area. Obama himself has nothing particularly American about him. Search all you like but in him you will find no Jefferson or Madison. He is really a citizen of that transnational body of intellectuals that imagines the entire world as its proper stage and the rest of us as mere bit players in its grandiose drama. The members of this elite regard the entire earth as part of their rightful inheritance and desire a world government composed of themselves.
Read every word at The Return of Scipio and thanks to Jim Simpson at Truth and Consequences.





Barack Obama's World View and How it Affects America(Video)

Sunday, May 3, 2009

British Female Judge Converts to Islam - Video

by Maggie at Maggie's Notebook

A female District Judge in Britain, Marilyn Mornington, has converted to Islam. She specializes in violence against women and child abuse, and specifically abuse against women in the Muslim community. She involved herself in the lives of Muslims to learn more about it. She says as she began to read the Koran she had no choice in the matter. I believe she is saying it was inevitable that she would convert. She mentions that someone (name is inaudible) "had his eyes on me." If you know who she is talking about, please leave a comment. See the video below.

Mornington is talking to Imam Hamza Yusuf, an American. He teaches at the Zaytuna Institute in California. He was born Mark Hanson in Walla Walla, Washington, and converted to Islam at the age of 17.

One blessing is that we can choose how or if we will worship, and who we will worship. This lady has every right to convert, but I have to wonder, who will do the mediating for her when Islamic violence dogs her every step. What if she changes her mind? No chance of leaving Islam - and especially for a woman.

And, as a side note, can't you imagine how a Brit will feel standing in court in front of this woman?

Watch the two women looking on as this Judge speaks. By the way, have you ever seen a Muslim woman wearing yellow or red burqas? Perhaps these are not technically burqa's??? Have you ever seen a Muslim woman flaunting blonde bangs? Any color bangs?

Thank you to Holger Awakens

Mind That Bird!


What a strange name for a race horse, let alone the winner of the 135th Kentucky Derby. But it is true. In a stunning upset, Mind That Bird, trained by Bennie Woolley Jr. entered the race at 50 to 1 odds, and was fancied by no one to win the race. Instead, it was a resounding win, with Mind That Bird winning by nearly seven lengths, the biggest winning length since 1946.

The horse was such a long shot that before the race the experts wrote this of him:
Justin Dew's Picks:

"Too slow to be a factor."

John Asher's Picks:

"Derby is a huge step up for this Canadian champ."

Jill Byrne's Picks:

"Might as well give it a go anything can happen."

James Scully's Picks:

"Faces an extreme class hike."
Mind That Bird was bought for $9,500 when he was a colt. He was racing against horses that cost their owners in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. One of them cost a couple of million dollars. He was transported from his home in Arizona in a normal horse trailer, hitched to a pick-up truck and driven by his trainer Bennie Woolley Jr, who was hobbling around Churchill Downs with crutches (he broke his foot in a motorcycle accident a week ago).

Ridden by Calvin Borel, Mind That Bird was a 50:1 longshot. This is one time that it would have been wise to bet him to win. For that $2 bet paid out: $103.20 on the win.

For those of you who missed today's race, here it is for you to watch. Needless to say it is exciting.

Mind That Bird : Kentucky Derby 2009



View at YouTube

The first leg of the Triple Crown is completed. There are still 2 more legs to go. Will this be the year that a horse will win this prestigious title? The last winner of the Triple Crown was Affirmed in 1978. The sport and the title are long overdue.

The next leg of the Triple Crown is the Preakness Stakes. Will gold strike twice for Mind That Bird or will the dream of a Triple Crown winner end there. We will have to wait until May 16th to find out.

Saturday, May 2, 2009

Maersk Alabama's Shane Murphy Leaves Comment About Rush Limbaugh

by Maggie at Maggie's Notebook

I recently responded to a comment made by Chief Mate Shane Murphy of the Maersk Alabama, which was taken hostage by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden on April 8th, 2009. Mr. Murphy dropped by Maggie's Notebook and left a reply to my blog post.

Once back to the homeland, Murphy made some comments critical of Rush Limbaugh's coverage of the hijacking, and the emotional hours that ensued as Maersk Alabama Captain Richard Phillips was held hostage in a lifeboat with four pirates.

As background, Chief Mate Shane Murphy accused Rush of "trying to make this [hijacking] into a race issue."

Here are Mr. Murphy's comments:

"It feels great to be home," said Murphy in an interview with WCBV in Boston. "It feels like everyone around here has my back, with the exception of Rush Limbaugh, who is trying to make this into a race issue...that's disgusting."

"You gotta get with us or against us here, Rush," Murphy said. "The president did the right thing...It's a war.... It's about good versus evil. And what you said is evil. It's hate speech. I won't tolerate it."
I responded with a blog post, defending Rush's statement that included the words "Black Muslim teenagers." You can read it here.

Mr. Murphy responded back to me, with the following comment on my blog post:
This is Shane Murphy the Chief Mate from the Alabama. I know the four men that came into my home with automatic weapons were black, I don't' know what their religion is. I don't' care really. Assumptions about people are dangerous. Don't assume I'm a liberal. I love and Respect George Bush and am one of his die hard supports. I'd like to think if he gave the order to save Captain Phillips he' be viewed as a hero as well. Mr. Bush is not a racist, he's proven that throughout his life. I probably do need to grow up politically, I sail half the year and the other half I watch movies sports or play with my boys. I don't listen to Limbaugh's program. I know he has a lot of loyal followers, many of whom I consider close friends. Don't assume anything about me and where I"m from, nobody knows my soul and what I've lived or experienced. What can I say you caught me on a bad day, I just got home after being HIJACKED by PIRATES yes thats not a story that really happened to me. I just want the other hostages to be set free, and to come up with a long term solution to the problem. I'm willing to help, sign me up, but aint' it great to live in a country where I can have my opinion, and the people that really know me, know that regardless of what was said, I detected race baiting. Baiting is something I know a thing or two about, and when you're trying to catch a fish, it's all in the bait. I'm just not falling for that one. Rush needs to be more carefull with his words, he has a powerfull voice and he can sway opinion one way or another, I don't mind an open discussion but lets stick to issues, this is not about race, it's about changing the culture of fear. I could easily close my door and tell people to read the news, but thats not being reported correctly, I'll tell the world what happened, and I'll tell it my way. I'm no politician, I'm a seaman and I can walk the street anywhere in the world and find a friend. We are ambassadors of America and I'm telling as someone who spends some time outside the country our image could use a makeover. This is a good story lets keep it out of the gutter, and honor the families that lived it and be greatfull that the support and will of the American people brought this to a quick ending. God Bless America.
Mr. Murphy got it right...this is a war, and it is about good versus evil. The Huffington Post report on Murphy's comments to WCBV said Murphy was responding to this comment from Rush:
"He was worried about the order he had given to wipe out three teenagers on the high seas," Limbaugh said. "Black Muslim teenagers."
One of my points Mr. Murphy, was that President Obama DOES NOT see Somali pirate hijackings as a war - so the President would disagree with you on that. A second point was that these men were teenagers, they were Black and the chances that they are Muslim are much greater than that they are not Muslim. The CIA Factbook doesn't even bother delineating religion in Somalia by percentages. It just says that Somali's "Religions" are Sunni Muslim" - there are no other religions there, and it is interesting to note that with the failure of a central government, the Somali's may be governed by "traditional Somali customary law, or Sharia (Islamic) law."

Mr. Murphy, you stated that you do not care about the religion of the pirates, and you make the point that "assumptions about people are dangerous." I think what you are missing, Mr. Murphy, and I say this with the greatest respect, is that we can and should make assumptions about criminals and terrorists, Muslims or not, who invade your sanctity or mine. If the likelihood is that the pirates are Muslim, and we know that radical Islam is behind many piracy's, then we should identify them as Muslim. If they are Black or Caucasian or Asian or Hispanic, it is reasonable to identify them as such. The politically correct stance is that these are starving young men who only want to eat, and feed their families. While it may be that simple, it probably isn't.

Chief Mate Murphy took exception to Limbaugh's assertion that had President Bush shot these teenage Black men in the open seas,
"I guarantee there would be hell to pay and war crime trials."
Mr. Murphy, you have said you would
"like to think "if he [President Bush] gave the order to save Captain Phillips he'd be viewed as a hero as well."
That's just not reality. The Obama administration is considering hauling Bush and his administration's officials into court for supposed "torture" techniques that didn't even come close to killing those being interrogated. Does it matter that terror plots were interrupted because of the intelligence gained? No, it doesn't matter. What does matter to this administration is that America "shape up," because this is a country to be apologized for. What matters is that we respect the terrorists and take the interrogators to court. That's just one more way to make apologies to the world. Each and everyone of those interrogated enemies are Muslim - radical Islamics. They are out to destroy our way of life. They hate us. They were heeding the call of their holy book.

In August 2008, Jihad Watch reported on "monetary jihad" and Somali pirates. EVEN the always-liberal Reuters reported on an "explosion" of piracy to funneling "hefty ransom payments to Islamic rebels...." That quote came a "maritime official." There is a lot of information about jihadist ties to Somali piracy. A google search yields some 268,000 results.
The spike in attacks at sea has coincided with a rise in assaults on land by radical al-Shabaab insurgents, including the capture on Friday of Somalia's strategic southern port Kismayu.

The United States say al-Shabaab is a terrorist group with close ties to al Qaeda. Experts say some of the businessmen and warlords who command the pirates are also funding the rebels.

"The entire Somali coastline is now under control of the Islamists," Andrew Mwangura, head of the East African Seafarers' Assistance Programme, told Reuters in an interview.

"According to our information, the money they make from piracy and ransoms goes to support al-Shabaab activities onshore."

The article goes on to explain that many of the pirates are considered "local celebrities," and their new-found avenue to wealth had allowed them to live lavishly, which includes "marrying extra wives," and driving "flashy cars." The Koran explains that all of this is okay when you are abusing an infidel. In otherwords, they are heeding the call of their holy book.

You have cautioned me to not assume anything about you because I do not know your "soul" or the experiences you have lived. To be fair, I assumed little, except that you were probably liberal. I knew you were young, so that was not an assumption. I think it fair, however, to assume that you meant what you said - Limbaugh was racist and disgusting and participated in hate speech.

Rush Limbaugh can say the same back to you - don't assume that he doesn't recognize good versus evil, and certainly do not assume that he uses hate speech or is a racist. There's such a thing as "context." You've said you do not listen to him. If you did, you would know that he is among the staunchest champions of human rights you'll find, regardless of race, color or creed. Without putting words in Rush's mouth, I see him as believing each of us must be responsible, do the most that we can do, and do it the best that we can. That is the way we pursue happiness, as guaranteed in our founding documents. We are not guaranteed that we will each achieve equal success. I heard Rush pummel many, but never based solely on color or ethnicity. If you listen to him long enough, you realize that he really does want everyone to be the best they can be, and you also learn that he is not tolerant of parasites.

Rush wasn't "baiting" anyone [my opinion]. I heard his comments. He is just brave enough, and serious enough about what he is doing, to say what absolutely none of the mainstream media will say...radical Islam is coddled by the politically correct. Rush will say it because radical Islam is an enormous threat to the entire world. It is critically important that America understand the threat. We cannot get around the many Islamic terrorist attacks attacks that were practically ignored before September 11, 2001.

That's what this is about, Mr. Murphy, and from your vantage point, I understand why you can't see it. You were, as you say, in your home and you were invaded. It was criminal - and you don't care the color of their skin or their religion. I really do understand that, but from the vantage point of those of us who are out here watching, every day - intently watching, just as you intently watch the open ocean ahead of you, or the port you are pulling into - we see the pattern, over and over and over. IF your hijacking was not connected to radical Islam, that is as improbable as it is probable - and no one will ever know the complete truth. You have the right to see it how you want to see it, as do I. This was an international event. It happened to you but it affected everyone who cares about violence against the West.

I do believe that you are a mighty ambassador for America. I am not of the mind, though, that America's image needs repair. You may see hate for America, but the truth is, America is the most benevolent country in the world. We are heads and shoulders above any other country. In Africa alone, our HIV/AIDS funds have had a tremendous affect in saving lives, although not slowing down the transmission of the disease. We needn't even mention the massive food and agricultural aid we provide, the healthcare we provide, the education we support. I do believe America is a force for good in this world. Just look at the cargo you were carrying. Someone bought and paid for it - either the taxpayers through the government or private enterprise, which is also funded by the taxpayer. The best way for all of us to raise the image of America, when among American haters, is to hold our heads high and testify to her greatness by defending her - just knowing a few facts gives us plenty to testify with. The truth is, everyone in these disadvantage lands would be here if they could. The want what you have.

You've asked that we honor the families involved. America grieved for these families, and most importantly, we prayed for these families. We thought about the many hidden somewhere on the Somali coast - hijacked individuals with families of their own. As you said, your captivity was short but many are kept for months, maybe years, against their will. It is time to end that scenario once and for all. That may not happen though because it isn't politically correct, so people in your industry will have to find a way to protect yourselves.

You've asked that we stick to the issues because this is not about race. The issue is, the Maersk Alabama was hijacked, and because you and your brave crew took action, you are not hidden away in the bowels of Somalia somewhere, wondering if and when you will be ransomed-out or rescued in some unbelievable act of bravery. Many Americans are fed-up with the terrorist motivations behind the attacks on the West and our culture. Many of us want to fight back against terrorism in all of it's forms and natures. Somali pirates are one of those forms. In Somalia, Islam rules - and that's one of the natures of the terrorism behind Somali piracy.

When you made your comments, the press loved it, and they hate Rush Limbaugh. It was a gleeful moment for them. Your comments about Rush were harsh. I believe exactly as Rush does and I'm not alone, so I take it personally when one of the few among us has the courage to tell the hard truth, and then is accused of evil hate speech. I intend to do my small part in standing up for Lady Liberty's warriors.

I thank you for coming by to clarify your position. I do understand that you had many more bad days than good ones for awhile. I do understand that you were a very busy man while we were close by the radio and television to catch every bit of information available. I am grateful that you and the crew of the Maersk Alabama lived through this terrible event. I am grateful that you are free to speak out. You have every right to do so. May God bless you and your family, Shane, and keep you safe in your journeys, and may God bless America.

Sderot: Remembering the fallen and the terror continues

From the Sderot Media Center:

By Anav Silverman

At Madaim Alon Elementary School, principal Leora Fima stands before her students, marking the beginning of Memorial Day for Israel’s Fallen service held at the school on Tuesday morning.

The 160 students, from first grade to sixth grade, sit quietly in the school hall-- one of the last areas of the school that remains unprotected by rocket attacks.

When Principal Fima tells the students that the siren will go off at any moment in remembrance of Israel’s fallen, a first grader in the crowd asks if she means the Tzeva Adom, or Color Red siren warning of impending rockets. “No, a different siren,” responds Principal Fima.

“The students were badly affected by the impact of the Gaza war,” Principal Fima later tells Sderot Media Center. “It was very difficult to get the students back on track in terms of studying. It was impossible to get them to concentrate and their motivation was completely gone.”

During the Gaza war, many schools in southern Israel including Sderot remained closed.

However, through outside financial contributions, Madaim Alon was able to establish an intensive psychological therapy program for the students. “Once a week, each child in our school undergoes an hour of psychological therapy,” says Fima. “This has helped the students tremendously. Since Passover vacation there has been a significant change in their behavior. The kids are noticeably more relaxed.”

Madim Alon Elementary School is the only school in the western Negev which offers such counseling for students-- many of whom suffer from PTSD symptoms that result from sirens and rocket attacks.

“The kids here understand, perhaps better than anyone else, the meaning behind Remembrance Day for the Fallen of Israel’s Wars,” says Fima.

” One student even told me earlier in the week that from war, can we can strive for peace. The kids know that these young soldiers gave up their lives for us to live here today.”

Indeed, the hall was completely quiet as a Madaim Alon student read off the names of Sderot’s fallen soldiers during the ceremony. When the names of the Sderot residents killed by rocket attacks were called out loud, the silence among the children was almost deafening.

These kids have had to sacrifice so much already at such a young age. And yet they are not consumed by hatred or anger,” said Fima.

Last week Madaim Alon held a Peace Day for its students in light of Operation Cast Lead. The elementary school students organized sessions exploring how the recent Gaza war affected everyone including Palestinian children, Fima explained.

“There is a time for building bridges,” she says.




By Anav Silverman

Color Red Siren Sounds in Sderot on Israel's Remembrance Day for Fallen of Israel's Wars

While those living outside of Sderot may be under the impression that the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas is going well, Sderot and western Negev residents continued to experience rocket fire during the recent Passover holiday and Israel’s Memorial Day for fallen soldiers earlier this week.

On Tuesday afternoon, April 28, the Tzeva Adom or Color Red siren blared throughout Sderot, sending residents racing to shelters.

On Wednesday April 16, a Qassam rocket slammed into the western Negev, with another rocket following 24 hours later. The second rocket was fired hours after the Israel Air Force struck a booby-trapped building in central Gaza.

Both rockets landed in the Eshkol region of the western Negev, in an open an area, causing no reported injuries or damages.

Since the ceasefire began on January 19, over 180 rockets including five grad rockets supplied by Iran, were fired at southern Israel according to the IDF spokesperson's office. There has been a marked decrease in the number of rockets fired at Israeli civilians since Operation Cast Lead. According to the IDF Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi, Hamas has been deterred from firing Qassam rockets into Israel since the operation.

"It is not coincidental that there is no [Kassam] rocket fire from Gaza, but we know that terrorism or attacks along the border fence, by sea or from the Gaza Strip into the Sinai Peninsula, are still on the agenda and we are therefore preparing with all the necessary measures," Ashkenazi stated on Monday, April 16, as reported by the Jerusalem Post.

Other terrorist activities have continued in Gaza. On Thursday April 13, Egyptian officials arrested nine Sinai Beduin near the Gaza border on the suspicion of smuggling weapons, merchandise and money to Hamas. Two of the suspects were caught at the Rafah border crossing in possession of more than $90,000.

Egyptian police had discovered the day before 900 kilograms of TNT hidden in 18 sacks near the Gaza border. Egyptian authorities also arrested three Palestinians on suspicion of infiltrating into the country.

On April 13, the Israeli Navy spotted an unmanned Palestinian fishing boat off the coast of the Gaza Strip. The boat was loaded with hundred of kilograms of explosives and remotely detonated as it approached an Israeli Navy ship, which distanced itself away from it. The fishing boat exploded seconds later, injuring no one.

In the past, Palestinian have tried to detonate explosives-laden ships next to Israel Navy vessels.

According to the Jerusalem Post, four Israeli sailors were wounded in 2002 when Palestinian detonated a fishing boat next to a navy patrol off northern Gaza.

In October 2000, a small ship exploded next to the USS Cole in Yemen, which killed 17 American sailors.

Also last week, Egyptian authorities cracked a Hezbollah-run terrorist ring based in Egypt. Thanks to intelligence information provided by Israel's Mossad and other foreign intelligence services including the CIA, the crackdown led Egyptian authorities to arrest dozens of suspects on Thursday April 16.

According to Ha'aretz, the head of the ring was Lebanese citizen Sami Shihab who was in touch with a special branch of Hezbollah for some time. Egyptian security sources said that the Hezbollah agents had planned a series of terrorist attacks against tourist sites in Sinai where western and Israeli tourists frequent. Egptian sources also noted that the Suez Canal was a target of the ring.

Egypt had been hunting for 13 members of the 49 member Hezbollah ring which included Lebanese and Sudanese citizens for some time. The men had taken shelter in the central Sinal town of al-Nakhl and authorities had feared that the men might escape north into Gaza located 120 miles away through secret tunnels or head further south.

A senior Egyptian source told Haaretz that "Egypt will take active measures against anyone who threatens its national security. We will not allow anyone to do this: Hezbollah, Iran or others. They sought to strike at the national security of Egypt, but luckily we stopped them and uncovered their plot."




The world does not care that over a million people live under the daily threat of rocket attacks from an entity that has sworn to kill each and every one of them. Instead it applauds and rewards the purveyors of the terror with massive amounts of financing in the guise of aid. The Obama administration alone has pledged to give $1.1 billion to help Gaza. US taxpayer funds that will go straight into the hands of Hamas. Obama is even orchestrating the means to put it directly into Hamas' hands. Funds that will not go to the people of Gaza, but to purchase the weapons of terror.

If you feel that funding terror is against the principles that this nation was founded on, then write Congress and let them know that. Let them know that you stand tall with the people of Sderot. That you do not want your tax dollars given to a known terrorist group. That $1.1 billion could be spent better here at home. Just don't be silent!


And like always, I ask you to donate to the Sderot Media Center. Just click on the logo at the top or bottom of this post.

It is time that the sirens fall silent over Sderot!



Friday, May 1, 2009

Jewish Defamers of Israel


Jewish Sociology and Global Studies Professor William Robinson of the University of Santa Barbara in California sparked massive controversy recently after sending his students an email comparing photos of Jews in Nazi concentration camps with Palestinians in war-torn Gaza Strip.

The email, sent during Operation Cast Lead and titled "parallel photos of Nazis and Israelis", was sent to 80 students in his class and included 25 photos of Nazi victims, compared with similar photos from Gaza.

The email also included an essay stating, "Gaza in Israel's Warsaw – one big concentration camp for Palestinian… What we are witnessing is the slow process of genocide."

Two Jewish students immediately dropped the class and filed a formal complaint against Robinson with the Academic Senate’s Charges Committee. Robinson has hired an attorney and the hearing has been set for May 14.

Read the full story here.
In a perfect world this professor would have his head handed to him by the administration of his school for blatant anti-Semitism. But with the ultra-left policies of 99% of US campuses, this professor will probably get an award and the students who protested the professors actions will get expelled.

This situation of permitting anti-Semitic attacks, both verbal and physical, on the campuses of the Universities of California has been and is continuing to be documented by many members of both the student bodies of these campuses, but also from members of the staff as well. A fine example of this has been (and is continuing to be) documented by Mr. Gary Fouse of Fousequawk. His article: UC Santa Barbara Professor Compares Gaza to Holocaust speaks out best against this professor and the others who act and think like him.

America's young men and women deserve educators who can and will keep their political views out of the classroom, not those who wish to disseminate hatred and bigotry.

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Morality in a Totalitarian State: A Personal Revisionist History




Opinions, in my opinion, unlike principles, are not sacred possessions to be protected, locked away and defended from all intruders. Rather, they are, or should be, living and evolving attitudes, constantly subjected to rigorous revision and adjustment — or, when necessary, quickly abandoned for some more plausible or cogent truth.-- Wrestling With Mohammed - 12/9/0

'-- or, when necessary, quickly abandoned for some more plausible or cogent truth.'

The Third Reich. Hitler's Germany. World War Two and the good German volk. Mein Kampf. How many books have I read on this immense subject? How many documentaries have I watched? Too many to remember but enough to form an opinion. In thinking back over all these books, over all these years, perhaps one of the most influential books I have ever read on this subject -- after Mein Kampf -- was Daniel Goldhagen's blockbuster bestseller "Hitler's Willing Executioners". His research was so thorough, his arguments so compelling, that they proved irresistible. He had statistically proven, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that the 'good German people' were not only cognizant of the prosecution of the Holocaust, but had either directly or indirectly participated in its ghastly mission.
The Germans voted Hitler into power and sanctioned his every move enthusiastically. They continued in their loyal support for Der Fuhrer from the heady victories of 1940 to the horrid devastation of 1945. The idea that the German people had somehow been held hostage, that Germany had in effect been hijacked by some small fanatical gang of Nazis, was therefore ludicrous and self-serving. In short, the German people got what they had asked for in WWII. Despite our own post-war government wanting to quickly change the subject, more interested in building up a strong ally in Western Germany to offset the Communist takeover of the East than in pointing fingers -- despite all of their efforts, it was, in my opinion, the German people and not just the Nazis, who were deeply complicit in their own fate. This was perfectly obvious.

I have just come away from watching "Hitler's Germany: The People's Community 1933-1939", from the award-winning television classic "The World at War". I was riveted to the screen. I was especially moved by the personal interviews of Germans who lived under the Third Reich, people who had survived, who had made whatever accommodations were necessary. Their stories were compelling. They were straight-forward, apparently completely sincere. Could I have been wrong all these years? Was it possible that an entire nation could be held captive? Was it really possible that they just didn't know what Hitler had planned for them, and that by the time they did know, it was too late?

The German people were propagandized daily, in every conceivable form. But did the average German really live in fear? Could they really not protest? I had come to accept the theory that 'people get what they deserve' in a government. Especially if they voted that government into power, and continually ratified that power. It made sense. They loved Hitler and they loved his bloodless conquests of 1938-1940. They loved him until the bombs started falling on Berlin. Many love him still.

How easy it's been to sit here comfortably in my living room and pass judgement on a whole people, a whole generation. And how arrogant. Never having experienced all the small daily terrors of tyranny, I felt assured in the wisdom of my opinions. Assured of the veracity of the many articles I had written on this subject. The German people were guilty as hell.

But now?

Just a few days ago I wrote about longing for a strong leader. A brave, manly patriot who could save this imperilled nation from the disastrous grip of the Left. Perhaps these thoughts recurred to me while watching that powerful documentary. Perhaps my previous strongly-held opinions were shaken. Perhaps all these years I had got it wrong. Not wrong about the horrors of Nazism or the inconceivable tragedy of the Holocaust. But wrong nonetheless. Wrong in that favorite maxim -- that people get the government they deserve.

What I learned.

I believe that I seriously underestimated the trauma of the post WWI chaos in Germany. The Great Depression. The roaming street gangs and the violent and deadly clashes between political rivals. Chaos and anarchy. Getting worse every day. Perhaps it's just that I'm getting older, but today I seem to have a deeper appreciation of how desperately people would want peace and order restored. It's understandable. It's human.

'...longing for a strong leader. A brave, manly patriot who could save this imperilled nation from the disastrous grip the Left.' Isn't that what I/we are longing for? Someone to follow? Someone to finally confront and defeat these leftists who are bound and determined to ruin this great country of ours? Am I suggesting that America would welcome a Hitler, or a dictator of any stripe? No. We've already flirted with Fascism during our own Great Depression but the Union survived. Besides, we have guns and we're too damn independent.
What I am suggesting is this.

The Third Reich was a near-perfect example of a totalitarian state. Something which I think Americans have great difficulty imagining. Can we imagine a nation under the iron rule of one party? Every facet of the media tightly controlled by Goebbles' nearly impregnable propaganda juggernaut. No Internet. All newspapers tightly controlled, all radio -- to be caught listening to a foreign broadcast could mean a trip to the concentration camp -- all movies, all schools. (Aren't we dealing with some embryonic form of this oppressive propaganda right here in America today? Only this time the controllers are on the left). The infamous Gestapo, though proportionately small in number, enjoyed a vast network of spies and informers -- only to be matched by Stalin's murderous USSR.

This moving documentary told the story of a German woman who had a deep interest in spirituality, who felt that she could at times predict the future. On the day that an unsuccessful attempt was made on Hitler's life, in Munich, she commented to her ten year old daughter, 'I knew that was going to happen.' Proud of her mommy, the little girl couldn't wait to tell her friends at school. One her classmate's father was in the Nazi Party. That day the Gestapo came to the mother's house. Fortunately, this particular victim was spared. But what of those who were not? What kind of fear was this? How much more real could it get?

So how has my watching this classic documentary changed my opinion of WWII Germany and the Germans? I think it's humbled me a bit. I'm a little less sure of myself. How would I have managed my life under the iron grip of the Third Reich? Would I have been a brave member of some courageous but ultimately impotent Resistance? Or would I have played the game like everybody else? Would I find my right arm uncontrollably raised in that familiar 'Sieg Heil'!?

Still, the German people voted Hitler into power. And when Hitler finally pushed the allies into war it wasn't just the Nazis who had to be defeated: it was Germany. But considering the deadly milieu in which they lived during the Third Reich, is it fair that so many Germans had to die for the Cause?

No, of course it's not fair. It is what it is.

Finally, how is all of this history relevant to our current crises, our current threats from this ever-growing Islamic jihad?

We must, I believe, carry two thoughts in our hearts simultaneously. First and foremost the realization that Islam is indeed evil, as evil as Nazism, maybe more so, and it must be either conquered or destroyed. Not just 'radical Islam" or 'fanatical Islam', but the very core of this universal menace. Secondly, we must understand that 'All is fair in love and war'. Is it fair to destroy an enemy who is determined to destroy you? Absolutely. Is it fair that the soldiers or terrorists whom we destroy are often products of a system over which they have no control? If a child is propagandized from birth, whether it be in Germany's Hitler Youth or in a Pakistani madras, is it fair that he should pay the price for those deadly ideologies?

No, it isn't fair. It is what it is.

So how has this film changed me, changed my opinion? I think I'm a little broader now perhaps. A little more empathetic for the people of Germany, the volk who, fairly or not, ultimately paid the price for the system that they had became a part of. I hope I am a little less judgmental after today, a little more careful.

That skinny ten year old boy in the Pakistani madras, incessantly bowing up and down, like some robotic toy, endlessly reciting the Arab Mein Kampf, learning all he needs to know, who his enemies are, enemies he will most likely never meet, except perhaps in violence and in blood. He is the enemy. He is the victim. Simultaneously. And he must be conquered or destroyed. There's no other way. It's either us or them. And the sooner we understand this the better.

But is it fair? Of course not. It is what it is. - rg








61 & 100

61!

Today is Yom Ha'atzmaut! The 61st Anniversary of the founding of the State of Israel. 61 years ago David ben Gurion said in his address of independence:
ERETZ-ISRAEL [(Hebrew) - the Land of Israel, Palestine] was the birthplace of the Jewish people. Here their spiritual, religious and political identity was shaped. Here they first attained to statehood, created cultural values of national and universal significance and gave to the world the eternal Book of Books.

After being forcibly exiled from their land, the people kept faith with it throughout their Dispersion and never ceased to pray and hope for their return to it and for the restoration in it of their political freedom.

Impelled by this historic and traditional attachment, Jews strove in every successive generation to re-establish themselves in their ancient homeland. In recent decades they returned in their masses. Pioneers, ma'pilim [(Hebrew) - immigrants coming to Eretz-Israel in defiance of restrictive legislation] and defenders, they made deserts bloom, revived the Hebrew language, built villages and towns, and created a thriving community controlling its own economy and culture, loving peace but knowing how to defend itself, bringing the blessings of progress to all the country's inhabitants, and aspiring towards independent nationhood.

In the year 5657 (1897), at the summons of the spiritual father of the Jewish State, Theodore Herzl, the First Zionist Congress convened and proclaimed the right of the Jewish people to national rebirth in its own country.

This right was recognized in the Balfour Declaration of the 2nd November, 1917, and re-affirmed in the Mandate of the League of Nations which, in particular, gave international sanction to the historic connection between the Jewish people and Eretz-Israel and to the right of the Jewish people to rebuild its National Home.

The catastrophe which recently befell the Jewish people - the massacre of millions of Jews in Europe - was another clear demonstration of the urgency of solving the problem of its homelessness by re-establishing in Eretz-Israel the Jewish State, which would open the gates of the homeland wide to every Jew and confer upon the Jewish people the status of a fully privileged member of the comity of nations.

Survivors of the Nazi holocaust in Europe, as well as Jews from other parts of the world, continued to migrate to Eretz-Israel, undaunted by difficulties, restrictions and dangers, and never ceased to assert their right to a life of dignity, freedom and honest toil in their national homeland.

In the Second World War, the Jewish community of this country contributed its full share to the struggle of the freedom- and peace-loving nations against the forces of Nazi wickedness and, by the blood of its soldiers and its war effort, gained the right to be reckoned among the peoples who founded the United Nations.

On the 29th November, 1947, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution calling for the establishment of a Jewish State in Eretz-Israel; the General Assembly required the inhabitants of Eretz-Israel to take such steps as were necessary on their part for the implementation of that resolution. This recognition by the United Nations of the right of the Jewish people to establish their State is irrevocable.

This right is the natural right of the Jewish people to be masters of their own fate, like all other nations, in their own sovereign State.

ACCORDINGLY WE, MEMBERS OF THE PEOPLE'S COUNCIL, REPRESENTATIVES OF THE JEWISH COMMUNITY OF ERETZ-ISRAEL AND OF THE ZIONIST MOVEMENT, ARE HERE ASSEMBLED ON THE DAY OF THE TERMINATION OF THE BRITISH MANDATE OVER ERETZ-ISRAEL AND, BY VIRTUE OF OUR NATURAL AND HISTORIC RIGHT AND ON THE STRENGTH OF THE RESOLUTION OF THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY, HEREBY DECLARE THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A JEWISH STATE IN ERETZ-ISRAEL, TO BE KNOWN AS THE STATE OF ISRAEL.

WE DECLARE that, with effect from the moment of the termination of the Mandate being tonight, the eve of Sabbath, the 6th Iyar, 5708 (15th May, 1948), until the establishment of the elected, regular authorities of the State in accordance with the Constitution which shall be adopted by the Elected Constituent Assembly not later than the 1st October 1948, the People's Council shall act as a Provisional Council of State, and its executive organ, the People's Administration, shall be the Provisional Government of the Jewish State, to be called "Israel".

THE STATE OF ISRAEL will be open for Jewish immigration and for the Ingathering of the Exiles; it will foster the development of the country for the benefit of all its inhabitants; it will be based on freedom, justice and peace as envisaged by the prophets of Israel; it will ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex; it will guarantee freedom of religion, conscience, language, education and culture; it will safeguard the Holy Places of all religions; and it will be faithful to the principles of the Charter of the United Nations.

THE STATE OF ISRAEL is prepared to cooperate with the agencies and representatives of the United Nations in implementing the resolution of the General Assembly of the 29th November, 1947, and will take steps to bring about the economic union of the whole of Eretz-Israel.

WE APPEAL to the United Nations to assist the Jewish people in the building-up of its State and to receive the State of Israel into the comity of nations.

WE APPEAL - in the very midst of the onslaught launched against us now for months - to the Arab inhabitants of the State of Israel to preserve peace and participate in the upbuilding of the State on the basis of full and equal citizenship and due representation in all its provisional and permanent institutions.

WE EXTEND our hand to all neighbouring states and their peoples in an offer of peace and good neighbourliness, and appeal to them to establish bonds of cooperation and mutual help with the sovereign Jewish people settled in its own land. The State of Israel is prepared to do its share in a common effort for the advancement of the entire Middle East.

WE APPEAL to the Jewish people throughout the Diaspora to rally round the Jews of Eretz-Israel in the tasks of immigration and upbuilding and to stand by them in the great struggle for the realization of the age-old dream - the redemption of Israel.

PLACING OUR TRUST IN THE "ROCK OF ISRAEL", WE AFFIX OUR SIGNATURES TO THIS PROCLAMATION AT THIS SESSION OF THE PROVISIONAL COUNCIL OF STATE, ON THE SOIL OF THE HOMELAND, IN THE CITY OF TEL-AVIV, ON THIS SABBATH EVE, THE 5TH DAY OF IYAR, 5708 (14TH MAY,1948).

David Ben-Gurion
11 minutes later, President Harry S. Truman sent the following telegram:
This Government has been informed that a Jewish state has been proclaimed in Palestine, and recognition has been requested by the provisional government thereof. The United States recognizes the provisional government as the de facto authority of the State of Israel.
Then 5 Arab nations (Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq) attacked the fledgling nation. 5 nations whose combined military power had a 10 to 1 advantage over the new nation. 5 nations with the best equipped militaries in the region, compared to the new nation with a spattering of guns, no tanks, few planes, and no real artillery.

The new nation never stood a chance of survival fora more than a week, perhaps 10 days.

But the new nation had a weapon that the others didn't have. The Hand of G-d.

Today Israelis are celebrating the founding of their nation. Born in blood, yet with the promise and hope that peace will one day resound through out the land.

Israel then and now!



View at YouTube


100!

This month the city of Tel Aviv celebrates the 100th Anniversary of its founding.

Some interesting facts about Tel Aviv:
The city of Tel Aviv-Jaffa was established in 1909. Its birth coincided with the birth of modern Zionism. It is the first Hebrew-speaking city in modern times.

Tel Aviv and its outskirts consists of 2 1/2 million people, about one-third of Israel's population. Over one million people visit the city daily. Actual population within city limits is 350,000.

Incorporated into a single municipality with Tel Aviv in 1950, Jaffa is older than the city of Jerusalem, and is the oldest operating port in the world.

Tel Aviv contains the largest collection of Bauhaus Architecture in the world and was named a UNESCO world heritage site.

Tel Aviv-Jaffa is Israel's center of commerce and culture. Most major banks, insurance, and high tech companies, are headquartered in Tel Aviv. Fifty percent of all theater seats filled each day in Israel are in Tel Aviv. It is home to the only Opera House, the Israel Philharmonic, Habima, Cameri and Gesher Theatre companies. Israel's Diaspora Museum, the Museum of Art, Museum Ha'aretz, Nahum Gutman and Rubin Museums are all located in Tel Aviv. It is home to the Bat-Sheva Dance Troupe and the Cinematheque.

Tel Aviv in 1909

Tel Aviv today.

Quite a difference a century makes!

2 Anniversaries. One for the birth of a city, the other for the birth of a nation. 2 reasons to shout out in joy:


Am Yisrael Chai!

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

The Israeli Price of Freedom

Hat tip to A Soldier's Mother

Take a moment (sorry for the commercial, but it's worth it) and see this video, please:

The Price of Freedom



View the video here.

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Shane Murphy, Pirate Hostage Accuses Rush Limbaugh

by Maggie @ Maggie's Notebook

Captain Shane Murphy, the second in command on the Somali pirated Maersk Alabama, is accusing Rush Limbaugh of "evil hate speech."


Rush Limbaugh

Captain Murphy was second in command to Captain Richard Phillips until Phillips offered himself up for ransom. Phillips convinced the pirates to exit the Maersk Alabama to a lifeboat with him, in an attempt to save his crew. With Phillips gone, Captain Murphy was in charge. After the U.S.S. Bainbridge arrived on scene, Murphy piloted the Maersk Alabama to Kenya and waited-out the rescue of his superior, Captain Phillips.

Now that both Captains and crew are safely back in the U.S., the young Captain Murphy is accusing Rush Limbaugh of "trying to make this into a race issue." Rush called the pirates "black Muslim teenagers." Murphy is feeling a bit self-righteous. He said Limbaugh's words were "disgusting."
You gotta get with us or against us here, Rush,” Murphy said. “The president did the right thing…It’s a war…. It’s about good versus evil. And what you said is evil. It’s hate speech. I won’t tolerate it.
Now, I will give this young man the benefit of the doubt. I assume he lives on the East Coast and is Liberal - and then again, he is young. He doesn't know that the Obama administration certainly does not think Somali pirates are waging war against us. Obama doesn't even believe Iraq was a war.

Here's the thing Captain Murphy, the pirates were black, they were teenagers, and you must face the fact that they were probably Muslim. It's just the way things were out there when your ship was taken.

Now the Rev. Al Sharpton says the pirates "call themselves voluntary Coast Guard in Somalia, which may be more apt." Think about that Captain Murphy. Are you buying that? Sharpton is trying to sell it to the American people.

Rush Limbaugh was supportive of you, your Captain and the crew in every way. He made several points, not the least of which was that the three black Muslim pirates shot to death, supposedly on the orders of Barack Obama, was okay by the Left, but "let George Bush's Navy gun down three black teenagers out there in the open seas, and I guarantee there would be hell to pay and war crimes trials."

Here's the thing Captain Murphy - it's all true. The terrorists were teenagers, they were not voluntary coast guard, they were black and, again, it's a very good bet they are Muslim.

You need to grow up politically and see what's happening in the world of terrorism. This was a terrible event for you and your men, for your families, for your co-workers and friends - and it was a terrible event for Americans as we tuned in almost 24/7 hoping to learn that our country had rescued Captain Phillips.

You say you "won't tolerate" Rush Limbaugh's "hate speech." That's quite a statement. I doubt you listen to him with any regularity. That job you have - you know how dangerous it to tread those specific waters. You probably received extra pay for the high-risk-nature of the voyage. I don't like others putting themselves, knowingly in harm's way for the sake of a profit, especially when your country must come to your aid. I wish I didn't have to tolerate such recklessness...but guess what? I do not have a choice.

I suggest the Maersk line and all others who routinely sail this part of the world - stay out of there. Leave the emergency relief supplies in the U.S. or take them to a part of the world that does not support terrorism. Let the pirates sit on their shoreline wondering where the American riches have gone. Let the people receiving the supplies, now no longer available to them, get themselves down to the shore and beat the hell out of those who ruined the influx of American benevolence.

Space Weather: Sunset Conjunction


SUNSET CONJUNCTION: When the sun goes down on Sunday, April 26th, step outside and look west. An exquisitely-slender crescent Moon is lining up with Mercury and the Pleiades star cluster for a three-way conjunction in the sunset sky. Click here for the full story and a sky map.

UNEXPECTED SOLAR ACTIVITY: The sun produced an unexpected burst of activity on April 23rd when an enormous prominence rose over the northeastern limb and erupted. A coronal mass ejection (CME) billowed away from the blast site, but the billion-ton cloud is not heading toward Earth. Visit Spaceweather for movies of the event.