Opuscula Perspective

This is keyed in Yavne, Israel.

Yavne is fairly close to an Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) air base.

Consequently, the noise of IDF aircraft — and occasionally a single-engine civilian high wing — is common and, for this scrivener, of no concern.

Besides, I grew up with aircraft noise of all types.

 

BUT, I WONDERED TO myself: “What must the noises I find familiar sound like to Israel’s enemies, particularly those stuck in Gaza.”

Gaza’s despotic leadership — Hamas and Islamic Jihad, both Iranian proxies — stupidly make and break cease fire agreements with Israel, fire unguided missiles at Israeli civilian centers, knowing Israel will retaliate.

Hamas and Islamic Jihad use the locals as propaganda tools, hiding war materiel under UN schools, mosques, and other public facilities.

When Israel strikes back, some public facilities are targeted; rarely, civilians — that is, people who neither are aligned with Hamas or Islamic Jihad (IJ) — sometimes are injured or killed. All this makes for great anti-Israel pr in the world’s media. (Never mind that usually only one side of the story is promulgated.)

 

Two points that need to be abundantly clear.

1. Israeli civilians include not only Jews, but Muslims, Christians, Druze, and “others.” The missiles are indiscriminate.

2. A number of Hamas/IJ missiles fall short of the Gaza-Israel border, killing Gaza citizens, children, young adults, seniors: again, indiscriminately.

 

Hamas/IJ sympathizers whine that

a. Gaza lacks Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system

b. A “disproportionate” number of Gazans are injured or killed in Israel’s retaliatory strikes. Do they want Israel to kill its own citizens for “proportional” numbers?

It is a waste of effort reminding these sympathizers that if Hamas/IJ ceased firing missiles at Israelis, Israel would not be retaliating.

The leaders of Hamas and Islamic Jihad — a few ruling from distant countries — should be glad Israel has a relatively solid missile defense. If not for Iron Dome, it is possible Israeli casualties would be far higher, prompting a massive invasion of Gaza, with all the associated “collateral damage.”

 

If there was peace

Granted, peace with Gaza’s rulers is a pipe dream, but imagine if Hamas and Islamic Jihad actually wanted to benefit the people rather than kill or enslave Jews.

Gaza could have

* A deep water seaport

* A restored airfield (https://tinyurl.com/2j4767c7)

* Fresh water

* Fuel for electricity generating plants

* Increased exports to the region and the world

* Relatively unrestricted travel to Israel (employment, medical care) and Egypt (access to Europe)

However, peace won’t happen with Hamas/IJ in control of Gaza.

Gazans who want peace and a better life need to cast off the despots, admittedly a difficult task and one requiring outside help. Unfortunately, that does not mean the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (a/k/a UNRWA). UNRWA would be out of business if Gazans made and sustained a peace agreement with Israel.

The mindset “From the river (Jordan) to the Sea (Mediterranean)” espoused by Hamas and Islamic Jihad must be replaced by one of coexistence with Israel.

Such coexistence has proven beneficial to Egypt and Jordan as well as Israel, and indications are that this also will be true for the nations of the Abraham Accord; nations brought together by former U.S. President Donald Trump.

Could Gaza survive sans the PLO. Would an independent (from Iran and its proxies) survive as part of a “Palestinian” state or even as an independent entity?

When Israel controlled Gaza — Anwar Sadat refused Menachem Begin’s plea to take back Gaza as part of the Egypt-Israel peace agreement — Gaza had a thriving export business.

With a peace agreement with Israel, Gazans would have access to Israeli technology, technology freely shared with other Muslim (and non-Muslim) states.

But peace will not, cannot, happen while Hamas/IJ are in control and in turn are under the control of Iran.

But imagine.

No more missiles flying in either direction.

No more Israelis or Gazans injured or killed in conflict.

An economy that supports a livable income.

Fresh water and reliable electricity for the Strip.

And that is just the beginning.

 

Meanwhile, the planes keep flying about my abode. I’m used to the noise.

But I feel for the ordinary folks in Gaza.

 

 

 

 

PLAGIARISM is the act of appropriating the literary composition of another, or parts or passages of his writings, or the ideas or language of the same, and passing them off as the product of one’s own mind.

Truth is an absolute defense to defamation. Defamation is a false statement of fact. If the statement was accurate, then by definition it wasn’t defamatory.

Web sites (URLs) beginning https://tinyurl.com/ are generated by the free Tiny URL utility and reduce lengthy URLs to manageable size.

 

 

 

 

Comment on Perspective

Opuscula Asad wants Golan, PLO/PFLP deal, But offers nothing

SYRIAN DICTATOR BASHAR AL-ASSAD SAID THE ONLY WAY HIS COUNTRY WOULD MAKE PEACE with Israel is if Israel gives him the strategic Golan Heights.

PLUS, Israel must cave to its enemies.

Some people never learn.

 

A far better man than Bashar Al-Assad made a peace deal with Israel following which the man — Anwar El Sadat — got back the Sinai (but “stuck” Israel with Gaza). El Sadat and his partner for peace, Menachem Begin, were two old terrorists who had suffered personal losses in the wars between the two countries.

Al-Asad is no El Sadat and there is no one in power in Israel with Begin’s good sense.

January 8th, 1980, after first El Al flight to Egypt
Dan Hadani Archive, National Library of Israel @ https://tinyurl.com/yy87wm2x)

Iranian proxy

Al-Asad is in bed with the Iranians (Persians).

The Iranians continually promise to wipe Israel off the map.

Given the close relation with Iran, it is difficult to see how Israel would give up a militarily strategic position. It cost too many Israeli lives, both civilian — due to Syrian shelling Israeli civilian settlements — and military to claim the heights following Syria’s attacks on Israel.

Unlike a growing number of Muslim-dominated countries, Al-Asad fails to realize there are more economic and other benefits to “normalization of relations” with Israel.

Continuing to demand that Israel cave to the PLO/PFLP and Hamas/Islamic Jihad is a pipe dream. Perhaps if the Democrats recapture the White House in Washington, the U.S. will once again cater to the Palestinians, but if the Republicans prevail, Ramallah can expect less support from the U.S., Europe, and even other Muslim-dominated countries.

Impossible dream

Al-Asad’s problem festers in Ramallah.

It is impossible for Israel to make peace with an enemy that refuses to negotiate.

In the past, leftist (Labor) governments caved to every demand the PLO/PFLP even BEFORE negotiations commenced.

Actually, had the PLO et al agreed to the 1947 partition plan, it would HAVE a state much larger than Israel of 1948.

The PLO/PFLP never kept any agreements with Israel.

Egypt has.

Jordan has.

Both Egypt and Jordan have benefited from the agreements, as has Israel.

The normalization with Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) already is showing signs of benefit to all concerned.

But Al-Asad?

Al-Asad has nothing to offer Israel in return for the Heights.

Israel could have, and still can, take Damascus militarily. That would be foolish and a waste of men, but it could be done. Syria cannot take Jerusalem, even with Fifth Column support.

(The same can be said for Beirut.)

If Al-Asad is serious about reclaiming the Heights, the first things (plural) he should do — but probably cannot and will not even if he could —

Get rid of Hezbollah
Settle the civil war in Syria
Disassociate Syria from Iran
Encourage the PLO/PFLP and Hamas/Islamist Jihad to (a) stop attacking Israel and (b) seriously negotiate with Israel before it looses everything.

Al-Asad and Ali Khamenei (Yousef Alhelou @ https://tinyurl.com/y2t7a2sq)

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PLAGIARISM is the act of appropriating the literary composition of another, or parts or passages of his writings, or the ideas or language of the same, and passing them off as the product of one’s own mind.

Truth is an absolute defense to defamation. Defamation is a false statement of fact. If the statement was accurate, then by definition it wasn’t defamatory.

Web sites (URLs) beginning https://tinyurl.com/ are generated by the free Tiny URL utility and reduce lengthy URLs to manageable size.

 

Comment on Al-Asad

Opuscula A few thoughts About Israel-UAE Peace agreement

With a great deal of hoopla and self-congratulations, Trump’s son-in-law is taking bows for lining up the third Muslim country in the region to make a pact with Israel.

Peace almost always is a good thing.¹

The accord between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), regardless of what it actually entails, should be a good thing for the region. 

The Sunni-dominated UAE is a winner in the deal as it, like Israel, is threatened by Shiite-dominated Iran.

The UAE military is smaller (not being threatened by an immediate neighbor is helpful) than Israel’s Defense Force.

For 2020, United Arab Emirates is ranked 45 of 138 out of the countries considered for the annual GFP review. ²

Always in a state of readiness, the nation of Israel fields one of the most capable military forces in the world - despite its size. For 2020, Israel is ranked 18 of 138 out of the countries considered for the annual GFP review. ³

The UAE is a member of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), a political and economic alliance of six Middle Eastern countries—Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman. The GCC was established in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in May 1981. The purpose of the GCC is to achieve unity among its members based on their common objectives and their similar political and cultural identities, which are rooted in Arab and Islamic cultures.⁴

 

Countries belonging to the GCC (Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc./Kenny Chmielewski @ https://tinyurl.com/y47oxzm5)

 

Because the UAE is a GCC member state, it is likely, albeit not assured, that the other member states will either follow UAE’s lead or at least use the UAE as a conduit to Israel.

Qatar currently is the main source of revenue for Hamas, until recently depositing US$15 million-a-month into the terrorists’ pockets. The funds were earmarked by the Qataris for humanitarian aid. Qatar also funds some PLO/PFLP activities.

Qatar recently sent two planeloads of medical supplies to the PLO/PFLP. Abu Mazen and friends rejected the aid since the supplies were landed in Israel sans Abu Mazen’s permission! (The PLO/PFLP lacks an airport to accommodate a modern jumbo jet.)⁵

Despite funding Hamas and the PLO/PFLP, Qatar apparently has, as do most of the GCC states, a pragmatic relationship with Israel. This is not new; as early as the 1970s Saudi were buying Israeli-made air conditioners; they worked better in Saudia’s climate than the European brands.

Israelis visit GCC states

Netanyahu visits Oman, Oct. 2018 ⁶

Communications Minister Ayoub Kara's trip to Dubai, Oct. 2018 ⁷

Sport & Culture Minister Miri Regev at UAE judo competition, Oct. 2018⁸ Regev, of Moroccan descent, also visited the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi.⁹

 

Israeli Culture and Sport Minister Miri Regev, middle, shakes hands with Mohamed Bin Tha'loob Al Derai, President of UAE Wrestling Judo & Kickboxing Federation, after one Israeli player won the bronze medal during the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Judo tournament in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Saturday, Oct. 27, 2018. (AP/Kamran Jebreili @ https://tinyurl.com/y266oxes)

 

Some concerns

The rapprochement between Israel and the GCC is not without concerns.

For example, Qatar had been at odds with other GCC members and Egypt for some time. ¹⁰

Direct Flights Emirates and Etihad already overfly Saudia to deliver aid to the PLO/PFLP. Will Israeli airlines (El Al, IsrAir) be allowed to overfly Saudia? Saudia is a GCC member.

Iran is troublesome for ALL middle eastern countries (and beyond).

Will agreements between Israel and individual GCC states include mutual military assistance? Israel has the strongest and best trained military in the region. While there is military cooperation with Egypt, a mutual assistance agreement to defend against a belligerent state (e.g., Libya) is not part of the public peace deal.

PLO/PFLP & Hamas Will the GCC states abandon the “Palestinians” and would that be good for Israel.

Both the PLO/PFLP and Hamas, with Islamic Jihad at its side, have proven their dependence on Israel, yet all are bent on Israel’s destruction. If the GCC quits funneling funds to the terrorists, if the GCC quits supporting the terrorists politically to the rest of the world (primarily the EU), will the terrorists finally be driven to abandon terrorism and make a true peace with Israel? One that does not have an “expiration date.” Or will the terrorists continue to receive support from the EU, and — like Pharaoh — “harden their hearts” and continue their sworn goal of a Jewish-free “Palestine.”

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Sources

1. Peace is not a good thing when it is faux pax^cq (see https://tinyurl.com/y4utkrv3) that allows a sworn enemy, e.g., Hamas or Hezbollah, to rearm and prepare for a new aggression.

2. UAE military: https://tinyurl.com/y45g4cy6

3. Israel military: https://tinyurl.com/ya9wppoa

4. GCC: https://tinyurl.com/y47oxzm5

5. Medical supplies to PLO/PFLP: https://tinyurl.com/y2dtsu37

6. Netanyahu in Oman: https://tinyurl.com/yd48z583

7. Ayoub Kara in Dubai: https://tinyurl.com/y6c9yput

8. Mimi Regev at judoka: https://tinyurl.com/yytd8buk

9: Miri Regev outside mosque: https://tinyurl.com/yarefvqx

10. Qatari conflicts: https://tinyurl.com/y4fd63ep

PLAGIARISM is the act of appropriating the literary composition of another, or parts or passages of his writings, or the ideas or language of the same, and passing them off as the product of one’s own mind.

Truth is an absolute defense to defamation. Defamation is a false statement of fact. If the statement was accurate, then by definition it wasn’t defamatory.

Web sites (URLs) beginning https://tinyurl.com/ are generated by the free Tiny URL utility and reduce lengthy URLs to manageable size.

 

Comment on Peace pact

Opuscula In bed with foes: U.S., Israel, China, And Iran: Foolish

RISING TO A NEW HIGH IN POLITICAL AND MILITARY STUPIDITY, three countries have climbed under the covers with China:

1. U.S.
2. Israel
3. IRAN!

While President Trump is trying, despite leftist Democrat opposition, to wean the U.S. from cheap Chinese products — somehow “goods” seems inappropriate for things from China —, Israel is surrendering its Haifa and Ashdod sea ports to the Chinese, and the Chinese are buying oil from Iran in exchange to technology — technology that may be used against the U.S. and Israel, the “Big Satan” and the “Little Satan” according to the ayatollahs.

The Chinese already own a number of companies in the U.S. and Israel, including major food processing companies.^{1, 2}

 

Enemies of Israel and U.S.: Chinese dragon, Iranian cat

 

The most prominent foreign acquisition of an American food company in the past few years was Chinese company WH Group’s 2013 purchase of Smithfield Foods for $4.7 billion. The combined company is the largest pork producer in the world. WH Group, formerly known as Shuanghui, allegedly has received subsidies from the Chinese government. The deal was the largest ever Chinese acquisition of an American company. Brazil may be an even bigger buyer of U.S. food companies.³

The Chinese are pervasive both in the U.S.⁴ and Israel,²

Is there a danger to U.S. and Israeli security from the Chinese invasion? The Rand organization seems to support this with its RAND_RR3176 report⁵.

The Chinese are known for stealing technology from any and every source.

Both Israel and the U.S. are leading technology countries; leading in defense, electronics, medicine, general science, agriculture, environmental sciences, and more.

Why would ANYONE invite a known thief into their home?

No one with an ounce of sense would do that.

Worse, why would ANYONE invite a known thief into their home when the thief is cozy with someone who wants to harm, to kill, them?

Yet, both Israel and the U.S. allow the Chinese thieves into their homes.

The old expression: “You get what you pay for,” while grammatically wrong is, still, sadly true. When you “buy cheap,” you get cheap.

People do it.

Governments do it.

The trouble with buying Chinese — or worse, letting the Chinese buy into the house — is that not only is the purchased product shoddy, but the thief in the house is stealing from his or her host.

China has proven it doesn’t care for its customers.

Despite U.S. laws to the contrary, China has sent to America

Contaminated food

Dangerous medicines

Drywall that gave off volatile chemicals and sulfurous gases

Faulty automotive parts

Flammable clothing

Toys painted with poisonous lead paint

and the list goes on.

Israel has allowed Chinese companies to dig tunnels for public transportation, and well as permitted it to build light rail systems.

Given that the Chinese are in bed with Iran, and that Iran repeatedly, almost continuously, threatens to “wipe Israel off the map,” the Iranians now know more about Israeli tunnels and infrastructure than is good for Israel.

The Chinese need Iran’s oil more than they need Israel — and America’s — money.

Common sense, a commodity the leaders of Israel in particular seem to lack, would caution against doing business with the friend of my enemy.

MEANWHILE, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said that Tehran has been negotiating a 25-year accord with China, terms of which will be announced once a deal is struck, French news agency AFP reported Sunday.⁶

There is a famous saying in the Middle east: “An enemy of my friend is my enemy.”

Israel and the U.S. would be well advised to consider the implications of an Iran-China liaison.

 

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Sources

1. China in US: https://tinyurl.com/y8tr7k32

2. China in Israel: https://tinyurl.com/y9e9pjrp

3. Foreign food companies: https://tinyurl.com/y7sujvfu

4. Chinese ownership in U.S.: https://tinyurl.com/yavhq6w6

5 Rand: https://rand.org

6. China-Iran Agreement: https://tinyurl.com/yay7dpnh

עינים להם ולא יראו * אזנים להם ולא יאזנו

PLAGIARISM is the act of appropriating the literary composition of another, or parts or passages of his writings, or the ideas or language of the same, and passing them off as the product of one’s own mind.

Truth is an absolute defense to defamation. Defamation is a false statement of fact. If the statement was accurate, then by definition it wasn’t defamatory.

Web sites (URLs) beginning https://tinyurl.com/ are generated by the free Tiny URL utility and reduce lengthy URLs to manageable size.

 

Comment on China and Iran

Opuscula Chinese may cost Israel its best ally

AS THE CHINESE FLAG begins to replace the Blue and White, Israel may find itself losing its one military and financially strong ally, the United States.

THE CHINESE, who already hold enough U.S. debt to bankrupt the country, now are buying up Israel.

Tnuva now is Chinese.

Haifa Port is Chinese.

Ashdod soon will be Chinese.

What next?

What is known is that the Chinese buy or steal when they can from any source. Israel’s intelligence community must be a prime target.

What is known is that China is in bed with Iran, the enemy of both the U.S. and Israel.

Apparently Israel’s ”king for life” cannot see the reality in front of him.

If China buys more control of Israeli industry and services, the U.S. will be more and more reluctant to share anything with Israel, and Israel may be less inclined, or able, to share with the U.S.

Will Chinese flag replace Mogan David?

China not only BUYS Israeli industry and services, it also could SELL to Israel military hardware — aircraft, surface and submersible ships, missiles — all of which is said to be “world class.” A lot of the stuff IS “copy cat,” e.g. a Chinese version of the Russian AK-47, but they may have, as the Japanese have done since WW 2, improved on the original product (transistors, being a case in point).

What would be the U.S. reaction to Israel suddenly buying Chinese military gear in lieu of U.S. goods. (Would China “give” Israel military aid on the condition that it use the yens to buy Chinese products, the same “string” the U.S. uses to bolster its own “military-industrial complex?”)

Consider: Since China and Iran are in bed together, and since Iran has its forces in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, and Gaza, what can Israel expect?

Israel should expect Chinese intelligence, a/k/a spies, to provide Iran and its proxies on Israeli defense plans, including available and “in-the-works” weapons, weapons and troop placement, and possibly plans to counter an almost certain attack from Iran and its proxies.

Buying Tnuva is one (unfortunate) thing; taking control of Haifa and Ashdod ports is another, and far more serious.

As long as China is doing business with Israel’s enemies, it should NOT be doing business in Israel.

עינים להם ולא יראו * אזנים להם ולא יאזנו

PLAGIARISM is the act of appropriating the literary composition of another, or parts or passages of his writings, or the ideas or language of the same, and passing them off as the product of one’s own mind.

Truth is an absolute defense to defamation. Defamation is a false statement of fact. If the statement was accurate, then by definition it wasn’t defamatory.

Web sites (URLs) beginning https://tinyurl.com/ are generated by the free Tiny URL utility and reduce lengthy URLs to manageable size.

 

Comment on China Buys Israel

Opuscula Gaza: How PLO, Hamas destroyed People’s prosperity

WHEN ARIEL SHARON FORCED ISRAELIS OUT OF GAZA, the Muslims — then under PLO control — destroyed the greenhouses the Israelis left behind.

The facilities were dismantled and, with that, Gaza’s opportunity to become a force in the export of flowers and vegetables to Europe and Israel.

AN ARTICLE ON SEVERAL ISRAELI news sites tells Israelis that what is left of the greenhouses is being used against them today.

World Israel News (WIN), headlines: Hamas Leader: ‘We Make Rockets from Leftover Israeli Irrigation Pipes’ (https://tinyurl.com/yx6zseqp).

According to WIN, “Yahya Sinwar recalled how a farmer took him to Gush Katif and showed him the abandoned irrigation lines left by Israeli farmers during the 2005 Gaza withdrawal.

““Then, a simple farmer approached one of the men from the Brigades. He said: ‘I heard that you’re having a problem with pipes for missile production.’ The young man told him this was true. The [farmer] said: ‘I will give you the solution for this.’ [The young man said:] ‘What is it?’ He answered: ‘Come with me,” Sinwar said.

He recalled how the farmer took him to Gush Katif and showed him the abandoned irrigation lines left by Israeli farmers during the 2005 Gaza withdrawal.”

Cutting off nose

Had the PLO encouraged Gaza’s residents to take over the hothouses when Sharon forced the Israelis out, Gaza could have assumed Israel’s export trade and, overtime expanded it.

Had the PLO, later Hamas, been wise, the Strip’s economy would be far better than it is today.

Had the PLO, later Hamas, not put attacks on Israel ahead of all else, it could have received Israeli support to expand and improve the hothouse businesses; Israelis are offering technical expertise to Arabs within Israel and, in some cases, to Arabs in occupied Israel (e.g., the so-called "West Bank”).

Had the PLO, later Hamas, not put murder of Jews as their first priority, Gaza’s Arafat International Airport could still be functional and a sea port could have been established.

Had the PLO and, later, Hamas, refrained from attacking Israeli civilians, Gaza residents could more freely access Israeli medical care — and have Israeli medical personnel help modernize Gaza medical facilities — but the PLO and Hamas and now Islamic Jihad put killing Israeli civilians ahead of advancing the people they “govern.”

Had the PLO and, later, Hamas and now Islamic Jihad, foregone attacks on Israeli civilians the border crossings would be open longer. Had Islamic Jihad foregone attacks on Egyptians, that border also would be open more often.

Sodom & Gomorrah, Dresden & Nagasaki Genesis (18 24-33) includes a discussion between God and Abraham where the latter pleads with the former to spare the town if there are 50, 40, 20, 10 decent people there. In the end, Sodom (and Gemorrah) were destroyed — there is physical evidence of this historical event.

During World War 2, the nazis bombed London and some other civilian sites. In return, English and U.S. air forces fire bombed the German city of Dresden and killed hundreds of civilians while destroying the city. (Why not Berlin?)

Ending Japan’s war on the world, President Harry Truman approved dropping two atomic bombs on two Japanese towns with minimal military value: Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Both towns and the Japanese government were warned of the impending doom. (Did the Japanese government allow people to flee from the cities?)

While those who believe in the Bible and its stories understand that in all of Sodom there were not even 10 worthy people, surely Dresden, Hiroshima and Nagasaki had at least 10 people who did not support their government’s war on the world (from the U.S., all across the Pacific Ocean, and into Indo-China and Korea).

It is reported that there are people captive in Gaza who want Hamas and Islamic Jihad — and maybe the PLO, too — out of power. (Likewise there are “civil disturbances” in Lebanon and Iran; there is civil war in Syria.)

Because there ARE people who would, given the opportunity, “choose life,” it becomes a morally difficult position to “level Gaza” (or Lebanon or Iran, or even Syria and the PLO jihadists in occupied Israel).

Mutual destruction

When the U.S. and the then Soviet Union were the only nuclear powers, we lived in a time of “cold war.” Neither country was willing to attack the other knowing that if it did, the retaliation would be swift and complete.

Now the “nuclear club” has expanded to include many nations, some less stable than others, Worse, some of these nations don’t share “western” respect for life.

China has so many people, losing a few million to a nuclear attack might be beneficial.

Iran and its proxies WANT to die so they can go to Allah and get 70 virgins. Mothers WANT their sons and daughters to grow up to be shahids (martyrs); they are taught this is their purpose in life from kindergarten on.

"When a man comes to kill you, kill him first."

But do ALL Iranians etc. WANT be to shahids?

Did ALL of the people in Dresden actively support the nazis? Did all of the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki actively support the emperor?

As an aside, when I was a kid in school, we had air raid drills; “The Russians are coming.” When I lived in Israel, my best friend was from the Ukraine and his story was the same as mine, only for him, “the Americans are coming.”

עינים להם ולא יראו * אזנים להם ולא יאזנו

PLAGIARISM is the act of appropriating the literary composition of another, or parts or passages of his writings, or the ideas or language of the same, and passing them off as the product of one’s own mind.

Truth is an absolute defense to defamation. Defamation is a false statement of fact. If the statement was accurate, then by definition it wasn’t defamatory.

Web sites (URLs) beginning https://tinyurl.com/ are generated by the free Tiny URL utility and reduce lengthy URLs to manageable size.

 

Comment on Gaza

Opuscula NATO nations Tell Israel “No help here”

APPARENTLY THE POLITICAL LEADERS of NATO’s European communities either forgot about or never heard of Martin Niemöller.

Or perhaps they are about to follow Gandhi’s advice to the Jews and to Churchill’s England.

Either way, the Europeans have once again proved cowardly in the face of a bully.

No one should be surprised.

MARTIN NIEMÖLLER¹ (1892–1984) was a prominent Protestant pastor who emerged as an outspoken public foe of Adolf Hitler and spent the last seven years of Nazi rule in concentration camps.

Niemöller is perhaps best remembered for the quotation:
First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out--
Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

Niemöller was the first name that came to mind as I read the Israel HaYom headline:

NATO chief says alliance won't aid Israel if Iran attacks²

Imagine if the U.S. had that stance in 1943. Europe and England national flags would be nazi swastikas. Hong Kong, Korea, much of China, and Shanghai flags would be Japan’s red ball.

But then I thought of Gandhi. Like NATO’s European members, Gandhi was a pacifist. He was such an extreme pacifist that:

In a 1938 essay, Mohandas ("Mahatma") Gandhi, the spiritual and political leader of the Indian independence movement, counseled Jews in Nazi Germany to neither flee nor resist but rather offer themselves up to be killed by their enemies, since their "suffering voluntarily undergone will bring them an inner strength and joy."³

To be fair to Gandhi, not satisfied with telling the Jews to go happily to the slaughter. In the spring of 1940, Gandhi wrote to the British viceroy of India⁴ and advised surrender to the Germans, whose tanks were rolling over Western Europe:

“This manslaughter must be stopped. You are losing; if you persist, it will only result in greater bloodshed. Hitler is not a bad man....”

Then, on July 4, 1940, he wrote an open letter to the British people:

“Let them take possession of your beautiful island with your many beautiful buildings. You will give all these, but neither your souls, nor your minds.”

Perhaps the European NATO members are afraid of a Muslim Fifth Column in their midst, or, perhaps, the leaders believe – albeit falsely – that BECAUSE their countries have been more or less overrun by Muslims, Iran will have mercy on therm and attack only Israel, U.S. interests, and very likely Saudi Arabia since it’s brand of Islam is not Iran’s brand of Islam.

The European heroes of NATO are correct: Israel is NOT part of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, a/k/a NATO.

Yet Turkey and Greece are members and neither has a border on the Atlantic Ocean. As the map, below, clearly shows, there are a number of member countries that lack an “Atlantic” connection. (Click on map to enlarge.)

Image from Council on Foreign Affairs (http://tinyurl.com/y7vqvj4d )

Perhaps the Eurocowards’ support is NOT unnecessary.

Israel assuredly will receive, after the first dozen of so Iranian rockets land on Israeli cities, some support from a typically slow-to-react U.S. government. It is more likely that some of Israel’s neighbors will respond with whatever limited resources they have against the Iranians.

Unlike the U.S., always concerned about “collateral damage” (read “civilian causalities”), Israel’s Muslim neighbors may not be so restrained. Certainly Israel will retaliate in a manner the UN’s and U.S. State Department’s anti-Israel personnel will declare “not proportional” as they count bodies.

Syria, with its Iranian Revolutionary Guards contingents, can expect to have more than a few attacks from Israel to assure it – and Hezbollah in Syrian Lebanon – never will threaten Israel again.

HOPEFULLY, Iran will continue to be satisfied with saber rattling and castigating the Great and Little Satans with bellicose rhetoric.

One thing the belligerents need to bear in mind: No matter WHERE a nuclear bomb falls, the radioactive particles will “dust” a considerable area populated by both friends and foe. Some people in the area – e.g., U.S. and Russian troops – have suitable clothing to protect themselves. In Israel, newer residences include rooms that can be sealed against chemical weapons; how well they will protect against a nuclear weapon remains an unknown.

Image from Conscious Lifestyles Radio (http://tinyurl.com/yay36gn8 )

A close look at the map (above) suggests that the European NATO leaders may be in more danger than they realize from the fallout.

The European NATO members who so quickly point out that Israel is NOT a NATO member and that Israel should expect zero aid from a European NATO member perhaps should re-think their attitude. Like it or not, a nuclear weapon exploding in Israel probably will scatter fallout on the European NATO members’ countries.

Sources

1. https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007392

2. http://tinyurl.com/yaxebgyf

3. http://tinyurl.com/y9leevll

4. http://tinyurl.com/y9zdb736

PLAGIARISM is the act of appropriating the literary composition of another, or parts or passages of his writings, or the ideas or language of the same, and passing them off as the product of one’s own mind.

Truth is an absolute defense to defamation. Defamation is a false statement of fact. If the statement was accurate, then by definition it wasn’t defamatory.

Comments on NATO

Opuscula Obama vs. victims Of Muslim terrorists

 

U.S. protects Iran, PA
Despite court decisions

 

Two seemingly unrelated articles caught my attention this morning.

The first, a link from the Dry Bones cartoon for Thursday, August 06, 2015, led me to an AP story titled U.S. Likely to Intervene in Palestinian Terror Case.

The second, initially seen on Israel HaYom, appears on the Business Insider web site under the heading Victims of Iran-backed attacks who won $1.5 billion in court are suing the US to keep sanctions in place.

The first item, linked from the Dry Bones editorial cartoon, tells readers that The U.S. government is moving closer to intervening in a high-stakes civil case over deadly Palestinian terror attacks as officials met Tuesday with victims' families to discuss concerns over a jury verdict worth hundreds of millions of dollars.. Pretty strong words for the AP; "deadly Palestinian terror attacks."

The AP copy continues: At issue is $218.5 million in damages awarded by a New York jury in February for attacks that killed 33 people and wounded hundreds more — a penalty that lawyers say would be automatically tripled under the U.S. Anti-Terrorism Act, but that the State Department fears could weaken the stability of the Palestinian government.

The victims, understanding that the PA only has ready cash to pay salaries to jailed terrorists, stipends to dead terrorists' survivors, and monuments honoring the terrorists' "heroism," are willing to take payments over time. (Based on the PA's payments for water and electricity provided by Israel, even token payments to the terrorists' victims seems unlikely.)

Like the first item, the second is a case of the federal government protecting a terror sponsor; this time, Iran.

The Reuters' story begins NEW YORK (Reuters) - Twenty U.S. citizens who won more than $1.5 billion in court judgments against Iran for its support of militant attacks sued the U.S. government on Wednesday to try and prevent it from lifting sanctions on Tehran under an international nuclear deal.

The lawsuit in federal court in New York said that unfreezing Iranian funds would rob the victims of the attacks in Israel and the Gaza Strip of “their last remaining opportunity to pressure Iran to satisfy their judgments."

It has been suggested that the victims of PA-sponsored attacks get their money from the funds the U.S. government provides the PA on a continuing basis (ignoring what the PA does with the money).

The same might be applied to Iran's frozen funds; take out the $1.5 billion awarded by the courts and distribute it to the victims of Iran-sponsored terrorism before lifting sanctions on Iran.

Will either suggestion win Obama's approval?

Does it snow in Key West?

Where are the Left's Voices against Egypt

 

Egypt bars Leftists from entering Aza

 

In an Associated Press (AP) article by Maggie Hyde, heded Activists heading to Gaza stuck at Egypt airport, we learn that "More than 40 women on their way to Gaza as part of a delegation for World Women's Day are staging a sit-in inside the Cairo International Airport after being refused entry into the country since Tuesday, airport officials in Egypt and activists said Thursday."

Had Israel prevented these women from entering Aza the world would be up in arms; how DARE those Jews prevent these peace loving women from visiting those equally peace-loving folks in Aza.

Where is the noise? Where is the condemnation of Egypt?

What excuse did the Egyptians offer for preventing the group's travel to the Hamas-controlled Strip? According to the article, Egyptian airport and foreign ministry officials denied that the activists had been denied entry for any reason other than security concerns.

"Foreign Ministry spokesman Badr Abdel-Attie said that the group had not been allowed to travel to Gaza through Egypt because they did not have the proper licensing.

"Abdel-Attie said that the security situation in the Northern Sinai Peninsula is too precarious for Egypt to secure the passage of the large group, due to government operations against "terrorist groups" there. He said the group had contacted the Egyptian government before traveling, and that officials told the group to delay the trip until things had quieted down."

So, the women, from the U.S., France, and Belgium, are staging a sit-in inside the Cairo International Airport

Meanwhile,

Iran sells missiles to Israel

Paid for by PA

It's a repeat of an old joke going back to the Yom Kippur War when Egypt's Third Army managed to cross the Canal.

The Third was surrounded by Israeli troops and forced to abandon its Russian-provided weaponry. Tanks quickly were repainted with Israeli colors.

Israelis joked that the Russians simply were delivering the weapons to Israel via the Egyptian army.

Now, Syria allegedly returns some medium-range rockets to its supplier, Iran and Iran forwards (resells?) the weapons to Hamas in Aza.

Since the Israelis were on to the plot, they tracked the weapons as they floated past Sudan's coast. According to the Israelis - and "confirmed" by Obama's sources - the rockets were supposed to be off-loaded in Sudan and then transported to Aza via Egypt.

To its credit, Egypt has been interdicting weapons bound got Hamas as much as it can given its resources in the areas in which smugglers operate.

Iran's crazies always are threatening to send rockets into Israel; perhaps this is what the ayatollah intended.

It would make a good Purim spiel.

Draw your own conclusion

TEHRAN (FNA)- The Iranian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday called invalid a press release by the White House alleged to be the text of the nuclear agreement struck by Iran and the Group 5+1 (the US, Russia, China, Britain and France plus Germany) in Geneva on Sunday.

The above was reported by:

Iran's FARS News Agency - http://tinyurl.com/jwu62de

Israel's Ynet in Hebrew - http://tinyurl.com/psxa46b

Israel HaYom - http://tinyurl.com/p2ma5e6

Arutz Sheva - http://tinyurl.com/qapwdwa

Washington (DC) Free Beacon - http://tinyurl.com/nyvbadr

The FARS hed reads: "Iran Strongly Rejects Text of Geneva Agreement Released by White House"

According to Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marziyeh Afkham on Tuesday, “What has been released by the website of the White House as a fact sheet is a one-sided interpretation of the agreed text in Geneva and some of the explanations and words in the sheet contradict the text of the Joint Plan of Action (the title of the Iran-powers deal), and this fact sheet has unfortunately been translated and released in the name of the Geneva agreement by certain media, which is not true."

She said that the four-page text under the name of the Joint Plan of Action (which has been released by the Iranian foreign ministry) was the result of the agreement reached during the Geneva talks and all of its sentences and words were chosen based on the considerations of all parties to the talks. In fact one of the reasons why negotiations between Iran and the G5+1 took so long pertained to the accuracy which was needed for choosing the words for the text of the agreement, Afkham said, explaining that the Iranian delegation was much^sic rigid and laid much emphasis on the need for this accuracy.

The full text of the agreement, at least as FARS has it, is displayed on the FARS website (ibid.).

GRANTED, any agreement among people having different first languages is open to some interpretation, but apparently what John Kerry told his boss and what Iran's participant told the ayatollah are two different things.

For all that, given the Moslems' respect for truth and honoring agreements, the claims by Iran's spokeswoman come as no surprise.

Many people apparently have said it: Treaties are just pieces of paper.

Certainly Oslo has no value.

Except for the most left wing and a few Jew and Israel bashers, everyone has to admit that the Muslims breeched every one of the Oslo agreement's articles.

It would appear that the U.S. Secretary of State failed to learn from recent history, or perhaps he is a Pollyanna who believes, as apparently his boss believes, that appeasement a la Neville Chamberlain will win friends for the U.S. and spare it from the Muslim goal of a global caliphate.

Of course Kerry's boss understands Muslims. Although he claims to be something other than a Muslim, he did attend a madras as a youngster and while his Chicago church is not a mosque, its preacher spews hate for all not like him; it seems safe to think POTUS does understand the Muslim mentality.

It would be nice if the Muslims could be trusted to honor agreements, but - correct me if I am wrong - doesn't the Koran permit lying to achieve a Muslim purpose? - so far there is NO indication that Muslims as a group CAN be trusted; certainly Israelis are painfully aware than a treaty with the so called Palestinian Authority is worth less than the paper on which it is printed.

TO BE FAIR, despite internal turmoil, Egypt has kept, more or less, its treaty with Israel, much to the benefit of both countries. Likewise Jordan. Turkey and Morocco are a different story if recent reports from Morocco are correct.

MEANWHILE, the Hurriyet Daily News, which bills itself as the "leading news source for Turkey and the region" ( http://tinyurl.com/lqauly7), reports under the hed "Turkey, Iran to become backbone of regional stability: Davutoğlu" that "A growing partnership between Turkey and Iran will enhance the region’s stability," Turkish Foreign Minister Davutoğlu said in Tehran, where he is attending the Economic Cooperation Organization 21st ministers’ meeting, on Nov. 26.

“In my point of view, when Turkey and join hands, this will not only benefit both countries, but also become the backbone of regional stability,” Davutoğlu said, pointing to the potential of further cooperation in energy.

“Turkey’s annual energy demand is $60 billion. Turkey is a corridor country, is a producer country. If we fuse both potentials, Turkey could become the corridor of energy provider Iran,” Davutoğlu said. He also added that closer ties would also have a major impact on the sectarian divide in the Middle East."

I'm not certain what Davutoğlu means by "sectarian divide in the Middle East." Sectarian divide as in Shia vs. Sunni or as in Muslim vs. all others, in particular the Jews of Israel.

Turkey used to have civil relations with Israel and its national airline carried many Jews to and from Israel. Naturally, the split is Israel's fault; it had the nerve to enforce a legal blockade of Aza; although it offered an alternative port (Ashdod), the organizers of the trip - including an Israeli MK ! - refused the offer.

There will be Peace in our time

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry & his European buddies are all aglow over a "no nukes" treaty with Iran.

It is the first of a two-part treaty that might mean Iran won't develop nuclear weapons IF if agrees with Part 2.

This truly must remind all thinking people who know anything about history of Britain's Neville Chamberlain and his infamous "There will be peace in our time" after his "successful" session with the nazi's leader, may his name be erased forever, that took the Sudetenland from what was then Czechoslovakia.

It might be well to note that Czechoslovakia was not invited to the meeting, just as Israel, Iran's primary target for nuclear destruction was not invited to the confab with the so called P5 + 1 ( United States, Russia, China, United Kingdom, and France, plus Germany) and Iran.

But would Iran's representative from the Supreme Ayatollah have been allowed to sit in the same room with an Israeli or even an acknowledged Jew?

Interestingly, of the P5 + 1, none of the countries has been threatened by Iran, although the U.S.,UK, France, and Germany are being overrun by Muslims many of whom would like to see the pseudo-democracies replaced by the caliphate.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Mediterranean, not only is Israel concerned with the continuing Iranian threat but likewise Saudia.

According to Arutz Sheva Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the UK has declared the kingdom would not “sit idly by” if world powers fail to halt Iran’s nuclear program," reports Al Arabiya.

Ambassador Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf bin Abdulaziz, who was speaking to the British Times, called the Obama administration’s “rush” to embrace Tehran “incomprehensible.”

“We are not going to sit idly by and receive a threat there and not think seriously how we can best defend our country and our region,” Prince Mohammed, who is Saudi King Abdullah’s nephew, said.

Meanwhile, in Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu said "For the first time, the world's leading powers have agreed to uranium enrichment in Iran while ignoring the UN Security Council decisions that they themselves led. Sanctions that required many years to put in place contain the best chance for a peaceful solution. These sanctions have been given up in exchange for cosmetic Iranian concessions that can be cancelled in weeks."

"Implications of this agreement threaten many countries - including, of course, Israel. Israel is not bound by this agreement," Netanyahu affirmed. "What we achieved last night in Geneva is not a historic agreement; it is a historic mistake."

Naftali Bennett said "We awoke this morning to a new reality. A reality in which a bad deal was signed with Iran. A very bad deal," Bennett stated on his Facebook page. "This bad deal gives Iran exactly what it wanted: a significant easing of the sanctions while retaining the most significant parts of its nuclear program

"It is important that the world knows: Israel will not be committed to a deal that endangers its very existence," Bennett concluded.

What makes Kerry & Friends think the Iranians are any different then their cousins the so-called "Palestinians" - Jordanians in Israel. Not once have the leaders of the "Palestinian Authority" kept their agreements with Israel. Not at Camp David, not at Oslo, never.

The Iranian ayatollahs have proven, time and time again, that their promises are only words; there is no worth to them.

There is more similarities between Chamberlain and his meeting the the chief nazi and the P5 + 1 meeting with Iran' representative.

In neither case did the German nor the Iranian have any intent to honor an agreement. The German and the Iranian gained time to advance their agendas - just as the "Palestinians" gain time to gain theirs -- at the expense of the fools who are party to the agreement - and that most certainly includes Netanyahu.

Peace in our time?

Not likely with enemies such as Iran and the PA.

Islamist* dance

 

According to a report in the Global Security Newswire headed Assad Sets Conditions on Relinquishing Chemical Arms, the Syrian president said his nation would give up its chemical arms “only if the United States ends any weapons deliveries to opposition forces and ceases its ‘threatening’ behavior.”

Put conditions on everything and do nothing.

Sounds like Bashar Al Assad’s buddy in Iran, Ruhollah Mostafavi Musavi Khomeini, a/k/a Grand Ayatollah and his nuclear games.

And then there is the terrorist Abu Mazen of the so called Palestinian Authority who demands that Israel make concessions and, when the Israeli prime minister du jour caves under US and leftist pressure, the terrorist adds more demands.

It’s the Islamist dance.

* Iranians are quick to tell us they are not Arabs; Muslims yes, Arabs no, hence “Islamist.”

What is particularly interesting about Assad’s two-step is that while he is pressing for to halt the weapons flow to the insurgents, he will continue to receive weapons from his allies – Iran and Russia. These weapons can be used against both the locals and Israel.

What I fail to understand is what he calls Obungler’s “threatening’ behavior.” The incumbent at 1600 Pennsylvania has emasculated the country and truly made it what the Chinese called it decades ago: a paper tiger of no consequence.

On the other hand, most Israelis – except perhaps Obungler’s alter ego in the prime minister’s office, and the left wing – now understand that they cannot depend on the United States for anything, certainly not as long as the White House and State Department are Islamist sympathizers.

Obungler managed to put his foot in his mouth and embarrassed the United States by making threats he won’t carry out.

Then he comes crawling to the Congress in hopes it will share the blame for his stupidity.

“Well,” he tells the world, “I can’t do anything until Congress gets back from its latest vacation.”

Meanwhile, one on-line poll shows that at least 91 percent of all respondents do NOT think the U.S. should attack Syria.

Is Syria a threat to the U.S.? Not hardly. Certainly it can be a jumping off point for Islamist terrorists, but the U.S. has its own homegrown Islamist terrorists (or is Islamist and terrorist redundant?).

Does Syria have anything the U.S. wants? No.

“Well,” we are told by Obungler & Friends, “the U.S. must act for humanitarian reasons.”

OK. So …

1. Why wait until now? Syria’s civil war is more than 2 years old.
2. Why didn’t Obungler threaten Sudan (see UN Human Rights Council and Darfurian Voices
3. Why doesn’t Obungler press for a Kurdish state? Kurds are victims in Syria, Turkey, and elsewhere.
4. Why doesn’t Obungler point the finger at the Muslims in Aza or in Lebanon/Syria who randomly fire rockets at Israeli civilians and Hamas in Aza who murder Egyptian policemen at their posts.
5. What about North Korea? In September 2011, the Harvard International Review published an article which argued that North Korea was violating the UN Genocide Convention in every possible way, through its systematic killing of half-Chinese babies and religious groups.[
6. And Somalia. The Social Science Research Council (2007) reported genocidal killings committed against Somalia's Bantu population and Jubba Valley dwellers from 1991 onwards noting that "Somalia is a rare case in which genocidal acts were carried out by militias in the utter absence of a governing state structure

Why is it that chemical weapons are bad, but bullets, bombs, missiles, and other killing devices are OK?

Never mind that Obungler allowed the attack on the U.S. consulate in Libya go unpunished. Shades of Jimmy (Peanut Brain) Carter.

While North Korea is not an Islamist state, it uses the Islamist delaying tactic to keep the U.S. at bay while the North threatens the South.

I am reminded of the Arpege perfume commercial: Promise her anything, but give her Arpege. Promise the U.S. anything, and like an ingénue, the U.S. will believe and will coninue to believe the promises even after they are broken time and time again.

Obungler has done somethiing right – by accident. So far he has only used his hot air against Syria. At the same time, he has made the U.S. a laughing stocvk among nations that understand only force, a heavy hand.

The Arabs and Persians and Koreans all respect only a heavy hand. Unfortunately, the day when Teddy Roosevelt could “speak softly and carry a big stick” (with the so-called “Great White Fleet”) are long gone.

America’s political fall from power didn’t start with Obungler – it goes back to charmin’ Jack and his “youth in Asia” plan (incorrectly applied to LBJ) – but the current president certainly has exasperated matters.

Turns out there is a post script to this. Since the above was cobbled together he other day, Assad has added more conditions, including that Israel must join in renouncing use of chemical weapons and allow unbiased (that's a joke) UN inspectors to review whatever chemical weapons Israel might possess. Meanwhile, Assad's stockpile gets moved around - likely to Iran.

ObunglerDamned if he does; Damned if he doesn't

The incumbent at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, probably recalling the problems Bush 1 and Bush 2 had with the populace when they invaded Iraq sans congressional approval, tells the world that he will attack Syria if the U.S. congress agrees.

It is debatable whether or not congress represents the American people who, reportedly, are against any excursions into Syria.

Obungler does not need congress' approval to lob a few rockets at Syrians; however, only congress can declare war.

Obungler is criticized by his Muslim buddies for being hesitant; these same "buddies" are pushing him to put American (read "infidel") lives on the line. There is no offer from the Arabs to put THEIR troops in harm's way or even to use any of their missiles to end the Syrian civil war - husbanding them, I suppose, to fire at Israel.

A-Sharq Al-Awsat columnist Mushari Al-Thaidy writes that “Obama continues to try and understate the strike against the Assad forces, saying it is limited, measured and quick. He further claims it is not a war and not intended to topple the regime. The only thing left for him is to inform Bashar of the coordinates of the sites being targeted so that he can vacate them and of the length of the attack so that Bashar and Maher and the other pillars of the regime can take their summer vacation as soon as it ends!”

Britain, Canada, and Germany have told Obungler that they want no part of any attack on Syria, perhaps because

(a) They lack solid proof that the chemical attacks originated with Assad's troops

(b) They understand that some of the so-called rebels are Al-Qaida terrorists

(c) They understand that no matter whose side they support, in the end, the Muslims will band together against the infidels of England, Canada, and Germany, attacking them at home.

Islamist-oriented Turkey, suddenly America's ally, is like its Muslim neighbors pushing Obungler to order an attack, but like the other Muslims, offering only noise in support of the president.

Israel, finally realizing it is on its own, is wondering why Obungler can't act; he has put himself solidly between the proverbial rock and hard spot or, in Israel, between the hammer and the anvil. He's made noises about a "red line" and the Syrians - either or both sides - have blatantly crossed it, thumbing their noses at their friend in Washington.

Like most people, I too have wondered about Obungler's words failing to match actions.

Perhaps - just perhaps - he's waiting to get sufficient naval assets in the area. When the U.S. finally - and foolishly - attacks Syria, Iran may respond, attacking Israel and, less likely, U.S. warships in the area. Since he has repeatedly promised that an attack on Israel would be an attack on the U.S., he may be planning to order missile strikes on Iran under the pretext of retaliation. Then again, what he might do is anyone's guess.

The only problem with that scenario is U.S. intelligence, or more accurately, lack of intelligence. Despite being blatantly pro-Muslim for decades, the State Department and the U.S. intelligence community lack reliable resources in the middle east (and elsewhere). This is an on-going problem for the U.S.

In order for missiles to be effective, they must hit a target rather than landing harmlessly in a field. Not only is U.S. intelligence lacking, the Syrians (both sides) are relocating assets at all times. Some of the assets are making their way into Lebanon, but there is no talk of raining rockets on that country.

From my personal perspective, the U.S. has NO business getting involved in Syria's civil war; just as it had no business in Libya's and has no business getting involved in Egypt. It will likewise have no business in the coming strife in Jordan, Turkey, and Saudia.

For the U.S., getting involved in any Muslim civil war is a lose-lose situation. Even if the Sunnis murder Shiia and Shiia slaughter Sunnis, in the end, the U.S. will be hated by both Shiia and Sunni alike. There are no advantages or benefits for the U.S.

Syrian conundrum

The Syrians say:

Speaking to an Arabic-language radio station operated by the United States, Syria's Deputy Information Minister Halaf Al-Maftah said that Israel would face not only Syria in the event that the US, Britain and France attempted to unseat Bashar al-Assad. A coalition consisting of Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, and Syria would respond to any attack against Assad with a response against Israel. In addition, terrorist groups in Syria and Lebanon would attack Israel with full force. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/171311

"The war effort lead by the United States and their allies will serve the interests of Israel and secondly Al-Nusra Front," an Al-Qaeda-linked jihadist group in Syria, said Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/171333

From Iran,

Iran will unleash a barrage of hundreds of missiles against Israel and U.S. targets in Iraq if Iran or Syria are attacked, an Iranian Web site threatened on Monday, in comments linked to an alleged Israeli air strike on a secret Syrian nuclear facility. http://cnsnews.com/news/article/iran-threatens-missile-strike-israel-us-targets-if-syria-attacked#sthash.oddzxr0O.dpuf

It is worth noting that Iran has threatened to attack Israel each of the several times the IDF has hit – usually Russian – military material in Syria. The IDF has not attacked any Russian assets, e.g., ships in port.

And in Russia, Putin warns the U.S. and its “allies” that it will act in Assad’s behalf if its proxy, Syria, is attacked.

On the other side

Several EU countries are rattling their sabers and massing as if they are preparing to attack Syria, but from Iraq experience, Obungler & Company must have to wonder “how much for how long.”

In Washington, between vacations, Obungler and his State Department secretary continue to talk; making threats against Syria and promises to protect Israel “in the event of.”

Hopefully someone in Jerusalem – despite State’s opposition, Jerusalem IS Israel’s capital – has studied U.S. history. If so. They will know not to put a lot of faith in U.S. promises. Consider Hungary and Czechoslovakia.

Afghanistan all over again

Obungler seems determined to align the U.S. with Assad’s enemies.

The U.S., before Obunger’s elevation from community organizer to the White House, aligned itself with the Taliban to oust the Russians – then a world power with which to be reckoned – from the poppy fields of Afghanistan.

The U.S. armed the Muslims. It trained them and it gave them military and financial support.

In return, when the Russians were sent packing, the U.S. proxy Taliban turned on its masters and bit the hands that had fed it while driving Afghanistan back into an Islamic dark ages.

According to a Syrian official (ibid.), the rebel “Al-Nusra Front is an Al-Qaeda-linked jihadist group in Syria.” Taliban. Al Qaeda. The connection is patently obvious. Both are Muslim terrorist groups.

My enemy’s friend is my enemy

A number of Muslim states, including Islamist-leaning Turkey, are encouraging the infidels (EU, U.S.) to attack Syria on their behalf; and if Iran should suffer “collateral damage,” for the Muslims – Saudia, the Gulf Corporation – well, so much the better. Infidels are expendable.

In south Florida:

U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-FL 27th Congressional District, has been telling the media that she is confident there will be no U.S. “boots on the ground” in Syria. As Chairman, House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Middle East and South Asia, there is some hope that her prediction is accurate. But she is, after all, a Republican.

Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-FL 24th Congressional District, apparently is concerned only with her own district’s issues. Her committees all are domestic.

Sen. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, D-FL 23rd Senate District, despite being Jewish and the Democratic party’s chair, remains silent on the middle east and all U.S. foreign intrigue.

Final question: Who used the chemicals? Where’s the proof?

The U.S. intelligence operations are often not – intelligent.

The U.S. has time and time again gathered second hand information from sources that have little, if any, direct knowledge of reality. When it does get information, the information has to be filtered by sundry organizations that pick and choose information that meets the organization’s agenda.

The bottom line for the U.S. is that, despite the fact that chemical weapons have been used – by some group against other groups, the U.S. cannot be certain who is to blame. If it targets Assad – and Obungler claims not to want “regime change” – and it was the insurgents who used the chemicals, the U.S. will be blamed for (a) interfering in Syrian domestic affairs and (b) killing innocents; collateral damage cannot be avoided.

No matter what Obungler orders, the U.S. will be excoriated by Muslims of all types.

There was, and there remains, value in the Monroe Doctrine.

Pollyannas

 

Are world “leaders” blind or stupid – or both?

 

World “leaders” – the politicians at the helms of nations – had high expectations for Iran’s new president, Hassan Rouhani, would usher in a new enlightenment in Iran.

In their pipe dreams – for they can be nothing else – the thought Rouhani would be less antagonistic to the world than his predecessor, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Iran’s president has less power and influence on Iranian politics than the queen has on England’s parliament. At least the English queen is generally popular with her subjects (excluding, of course, the Muslims in her realm).

Iran’s president has less power than even the pompous president of Israel who, like a small child, should be seen and not heard.

Rouhani, like Ahmadinejad before him, is nothing more than a puppet for the Grand Ayatollah du jour, today that’s Ali Khamenei.

Khamenei is the sole power in Iran, much as the haredi zealots’ demagogic “rabbis” are the sole power within their sects.

If an Iranian president values his life and position, he has no option but to mouth the ayatollah’s thoughts.

Until Iran reclaims its independence from the imams and ayatollahs, the vitriolic attacks on all non-believers of the grand ayatollah’s Shiite religion – that’s Sunni Muslims, Christian infidels, liberals, the Great and the Little Satans, and “the West” – will continue and, lacking any push back from those non-Shiites, most assuredly will worsen.

The Chinese were right when, decades ago, they called America a “paper tiger.” America as a power is a past tense. We still have a stick – albeit not as big as in TR’s day, perhaps a “twig” is more accurate to describe America’s military today – but we lack anyone to carry it. America is tired of the no-win wars, wars we’ve been losing since Korea’s “police action.”

Korea did not threaten the U.S. in 1950.

Vietnam did not threaten the U.S. in 1954.

Iraq did not threaten the U.S. in Bush 1's war nor in Bush 2’s war.

Afghanistan and Pakistan did not threaten the U.S. (although they provide safe haven for Muslims that DO threaten the U.S.).

Now, 2013, North Korea’s Kim Jong Un DOES threaten the U.S. with nuclear missiles.

Now, 2013, Iran’s Khamenei DOES threaten the U.S. with nuclear missiles.

We fail to fight when there is a fight to be fought, but we enter into wars that are not of our making or our concern.

Syria, for example, is NOT a U.S. concern; it is an Arab League concern. Does the Arab League do anything? In a word, NO. Does the UN do anything beside turn tail and run? No.

Russia is supplying weapons to Bashar al-Assad’s regime, knowing the material will get into Hezbollah’s hands to be used against Lebanon and Israel – and perhaps against Arab Leaguers Saudia and the Gulf states. Still, America must avoid playing “Monkey See, Monkey Do” to to Russia’s arms dealers. If the Saudis want to buy second string weaponry from the U.S., well and good, but no one in Syria – on either side – has the money to Buy American.

What America never learned – not in China, not in Vietnam, not in the Shah’s Iran, not anywhere in the Middle East, and not even in next-door Cuba – is that it cannot annoint a ruler of a country. It cannot buy friends with peaceful or military aid.

The world knows the best America can do is bluff; it can rattle its nuclear sword, but the world knows America is just talk; hot air.

North Korea and Iran threaten the U.S. on a daily basis.

North Korea and Iran have, or are developing, the weaponry to act on their threats.

FDR and his buddies KNEW the Japanese were about to attack American interests and did nothing. Obungler seems bent on doing the same, but this time the attacks could very well be nuclear, killing many times more people than died in Japan’s attacks.

America fights when it should not and fails to attack-to-win when it should.

But it’s OK, because America is sure that Rouhani is going to change the ayatolla’s vision to wipe out the Great Stan and the Little Satan, and a few other infidel states as well.

Are the politicians blind or stupid . . . or both?

 

yohanon.glenn at gmail.coM

Blind in one eye

& can’t see out of the other

The fools on the Hill:  IMO – nothing “humble” about it – U.S. politicians (a) are blind in one eye and can’t see out of the other, (b) are Polyannas, (c) they are just plain “stoo-pid,” or (d) “all of the above.”

SYRIA: The fools inside the beltway want to supply arms, albeit “small” arms, to the Syrian “rebels.”

The U.S. has no business meddling in Syria’s internal affairs; its civil war. Yes, I know Iran is sending troops and I know terrorists organizations (Hamas and Hezbollah) are sending fighters, and yes, I know Russia is promising, but apparently not yet delivering, arms to the regime.

That STILL does not justify U.S. involvement in Syria.

Does anyone remember that the U.S. outfitted the Taliban in Afghanistan? Does anyone remember what the Taliban did with the U.S.-provided weapons when the Taliban kicked the Russians out? If you forgot or never cared to know, the Taliban first turned the weapons on the Afghans and then, when the U.S. sent in troops to protect the non-Taliban Afghans, the weapons were turned on U.S. boys who really had no business in Afghanistan.

The U.S. (mostly) removed Sadam Hussein from power in Iraq. To what end? So that Iraqis, with a little help from there Iranian and Islamist friends, could plant IEDs along the roadways and so that Iraqi police and army “trainees” could murder U.S. soldiers. Does anyone really think Syria would be different? The idea that “cutting the head off the snake” would resolve all the problems obviously is a bad idea. Ben Laden is gone, but Al-Qaida carries on with renewed vigor.

U.S. politicians are living in La-La land if they think removing a strong leader – a dictator such as Syria’s Bashar Hafez al-Assad, Iraq’s Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti, or Libya’s Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi - will suddenly turn the people they controlled into Friends of America? It failed to work in North Africa. It failed to work in Iraq. It failed to work in Afghanistan and Pakistan. America has no friends in Egypt. Saudia is a false friend at best. “Palestine” – both Hamas’ “Palestine” and Hezbollah’s “Palestine” both consider the U.S. an enemy, yet Washington’s fools, of both parties, continue to support it at the expense of its lone ally in the area.

IRAN just held a free and democratic election for a new Iranian president. The winner was, according to many western sources a “moderate,” cleric Hasan Rowhani.

Unlike the U.S., Iranian politicians are elected by direct vote, in theory a true democracy.

However, in Iran “democracy” is tempered, and tampered with, by the ayatollahs and, in the end, the Shi’ite Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Hosseini Khamenei, Iran's “supreme ruler.” Rowhani, like Mahmoud Ahmadinejad before him, is only a mouthpiece for Khamenei, so no matter how “moderate” the liberal press declares Rowhani to be, he is only as “moderate” as the Shi’ite’s grand ayatollah.

Iran’s rush to nuclear weapons will go on full speed ahead, even under the “moderate” who "just happens" to be Iran’s top nuclear negotiator.

The only way Iran will see political change is if the general populace throws out the ayatollahs from political power. Given the ayatollahs control of the military, a regime change is unlikely sans outside interference.

Like Syria, Iran is – not yet – the U.S.’ problem, although it is becoming an increasing danger to the U.S.’ only reliable ally in the region. Greece, Turkey, and Jordan all have their own problems to manage, and Lebanon has been Syrian controlled for decades and is a non-state of no consequence. Egypt and North Africa are in turmoil and Iraq, for all practical purposes, is in Iran’s political pocket.

AND THEN THERE’S RUSSIA that wants to be seen as a major player, a superpower returning as the phoenix rising from the ashes. As before, for every move the fools of the Kremlin make, the fools in Washington think they must make a counter-move. Russia is supporting Assad therefore the fools along the Potomac feel they must support the anti-Assad forces. With support from both parties - at last, cross aisle cooperation, even if it IS detrimental to the nation in the long term, is in play – the politicians from Chelm are preparing to arm our future enemies to fight a war in which the U.S. has no political, geographical, financial, or other interests. The U.S. “must” counter the Russians in a game of checkers . . . forgetting that in the end the game will be Chinese checkers and both Russia and the U.S. will lose.

Mourning in Nissan

Making a mountain out of a mole hill

One of the Israeli haredi political party Shas’ sub-leaders (all of whom report to R. Ovadia Yosef), claim that "Holocaust Remembrance Day does not apply to haredi [ultra-Orthodox] Jews.”

According to an article in the Israel HaYom ( http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=8537), Shas party Co-chairman Aryeh Deri said in an interview with haredi radio station Kol Barama set to air Thursday night said that “"Personally, I don't see any sanctity or distinctiveness in this day. Israel's Chief Rabbinate has designated the 10th of Tevet [the Hebrew month corresponding to December-January] as a general mourners' day, and that is they day when, religiously speaking, we remember the victims of the Holocaust.”

The month of Nissan, in which Passover falls, traditionally allows only limited mourning (death in immediate family excepted).

While Deri’s remarks, if accurately translated by Israel HaYom, are harsh, he does have a basis for his position.

Holocaust Remembrance Day 5773 (2013) was aligned with the beginning of the Warsaw (Poland) ghetto’s uprising. Deri challenged the date choice, noting there were other uprisings in other ghettos at different times.

According to the Israel HaYom article, Deri allegedly said "No one can come and tell us about the Holocaust. The Holocaust Remembrance Day that 'they' declared because of the Warsaw ghetto doesn't apply to us as haredi Jews," he said.

From my personal perspective, and while I might agree with Deri and the haredim regarding mourning during the month of Nissan, I contend that the holocaust indeed applies to Sefardim – a group Shas purports to represent - both directly and indirectly.

The nazis destroyed Sefardi communities throughout the Mediterranean region – Rhodes and Soloniki to name but two. According to a table at http://www.holocaustchronicle.org/holocaustappendices.html, 80 percent of all Greek Jews were murdered by the nazis; in Italy, “only” 20 percent of the Jewish population was murdered.

Map by worldatlas, copyright GraphicMaps.com

Indirectly, the nazis – with the enthusiastic help of the Muslims – managed to slaughter Jews in Iran, in Israel, and elsewhere in the Muslim world. While not round-ups a la Europe, the Muslims simply murdered Jews where they found them, similar to pogroms in Russia, the Ukraine, and elsewhere in that region.

My personal “bottom line”: While I would prefer the Holocaust Remembrance Day be linked to the Hebrew calendar, as is Israel Independence Day, and that the link be to a date in a month other than Nissan, Deri and his boss need to open their eyes to the fact that the holocaust was not “just” an Ashkenazi thing; indeed, it was not “just” a Jewish thing. See the table at http://www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/NAZIS.TAB1.1.GIF for a breakdown of the nazis’ victims and how they were “eliminated.”

It’s a shame that Deri and his fellow haredim can’t pick their fights a little more sanely. If the haredim are trying to recruit people to their side, to see their point of view, Deri’s remarks are counter-productive. The remarks can only serve to drive observant Jews farther from the haredi camp and to set fast the helonim in their opinion of the haredim.

This mountain, all things and timing considered, should have been left as a mole hill.