Hamas is calling for an electronic jihad against all Jewish websites. Just remember that Jewish adjective when someone claims that Hamas is merely fighting the occupation.
Almost two simultaneous attacks on Israelis took place today in Mombasa, Kenya. First, a bomb exploded in the Paradise Hotel, killing at least 7, mostly likely Israelis, and just afterwards, two missles were fired at an Israeli charter jet heading back to Tel Aviv. Fortunately, the plane only sustained light damage and there were no casualties.
So another day, another set of dead Jews... how proud the anti-Semites must be of their brave standard bearers who target civilian tourists.
Bruce Rolston touts this Hitchens piece as a voice of sanity. While Hitchens has become the darling of the "pro-war" crowd for breaking ranks with his fellow liberals, he surely hasn't changed his anti-Zionist stripes. While doing his best to draw a distinction between al-Qaeda and Hamas, he writes
It's quite feasible to imagine Hezbollah or Hamas leaders at a conference table, and one has seen many previously "intransigent" forces of undemocratic violence, including the Nicaraguan Contras and the Salvadoran death-squads and the Irgun, make precisely that transition....One has to say sternly: If you wish martyrdom, we are here to help—within reason.
I wonder which Hamas Mr. Hitchens has been following. Surely it's not the one whose leader recently proclaimed, after his murderers blew up a bus full of women and children for Allah, virgins and glory,
"By order of Allah, the Palestinian nation must clear its soil of its occupying intruders. We must hunt the Zionists until the land is restored to the boundaries of 1948."
Given that Hamas will not stop unitl the elimination of Israel is achieved, Hitchens must have quite the imagination if he can envision Hamas sitting down with Israel at the negotiation table.
As I'm sure you know, there was a vicious suicide bombing in Israel yesterday killing 12 civilians on a bus in Jerusalem. All but one of the murdered were women or children. Look at their faces, read their stories, and never forget they were the targets of the evil Hamas.
Someone forwarded this to me today and I thought I'd share it with you:
HU'S ON FIRST
By James Sherman
(We take you now to the Oval Office. GWB is sitting at his desk. Condoleeza Rice enters)
George: Condi! Nice to see you. What's happening?
Condi: Sir, I have the report here about the new leader of China.
George: Great. Lay it on me.
Condi: Hu is the new leader of China.
George: That's what I want to know.
Condi: That's what I'm telling you.
George: That's what I'm asking you. Who is the new leader of China?
Condi: Yes.
George: I mean the fellow's name.
Condi: Hu.
George: The guy in China.
Condi: Hu.
George: The new leader of China.
Condi: Hu.
George: The Chinaman!
Condi: Hu is leading China.
George: Now whaddya' asking me for?
Condi: I'm telling you Hu is leading China.
George: Well, I'm asking you. Who is leading China?
Condi: That's the man's name.
George: That's who's name?
Condi: Yes.
George: Will you or will you not tell me the name of the new leader of China?
Condi: Yes, sir.
George: Yassir? Yassir Arafat is in China? I thought he was in the Middle East.
Condi: That's correct.
George: Then who is in China?
Condi: Yes, sir.
George: Yassir is in China?
Condi: No, sir.
George: Then who is?
Condi: Yes, sir.
George: Yassir?
Condi: No, sir.
George: Look, Condi. I need to know the name of the new leader of China. Get me the Secretary General of the U.N. on the phone.
Condi: Kofi?
George: No, thanks.
Condi: You want Kofi?
George: No.
Condi: You don't want Kofi.
George: No. But now that you mention it, I could use a glass of milk. And then get me the U.N.
Condi: Yes, sir.
George: Not Yassir! The guy at the U.N.
Condi: Kofi?
George: Milk! Will you please make the call?
Condi: And call who?
George: Who is the guy at the U.N?
Condi: Hu is the guy in China.
George: Will you stay out of China?!
Condi: Yes, sir.
George: And stay out of the Middle East! Just get me the guy at the U.N.
Condi: Kofi.
George: All right! With cream and two sugars. Now get on the phone.
(Condi picks up the phone.)
Condi: Rice, here.
George: Rice? Good idea. And a couple of egg rolls, too. Maybe we should send some to the guy in China. And the Middle East. Can you get Chinese food in the Middle East?
Abba Eban, perhaps Israel's most famous diplomat, died yesterday/a> at the age of 87.
By the time I was able to understand anything of value, Eban was already out of Israeli politics and the only memories I have of him were as the host of the PBS documentary Heritage: Civilization and the Jews. Yet from what I've read, he was a great voice for Israel, with his commanding presence and his ability to speak 10 languages.
In what is now one of her darkest hours, especially in terms of her international standing, Israel could use another Abba Eban. Unfortunately, very few members of Israel's diplomatic corps has either Eban's eloquence or his presence.
So, the intellectual know-it-all college students at Yale are dessing up as the "Yale Defense Forces" and setting up mock checkpoints to show how inhumane they are.
In order to provide the proper context for the checkpoints (isn't that what everything is about nowadays on campus, context?) some brave Yale shahids should strap on mock bombs and pretend to blow up clusters of unsuspecting Yale students. A couple of popping balloons should do the trick. Then hand out little notes to the shocked people telling them that they're dead. It will probably be the most memorable lesson they've had yet.
(link via Oxblog)
In a sudden and shocking decision, Diane E has stopped blogging and eventually will be taking down her blog. It's definitely a loss....Diane might have been combatative and at times ill tempered, but she was (is) very knowledgeable about politics and current events (more so than those who are far more well known) and was one of my daily reads. Hopefully, she will continue to visit various blogs and drop comments when appropriate.
Well, we don't know if that tape is really of Osama or not, but for those that are interested in how experts will decide whether or not it is him, here's a decent article about it. The quote of one my thesis advisors, so you know it must be good.
This spoof of the Lord of the Rings cracks me up. Unfortunately, it just shows that the professors at MIT are not oppressing their students enough.
The Arrow anti-missile battery is the result a joint American-Israeli project and is reportedly a major upgrade over the Patriot missle batteries used in the Gulf War. The arrow gives Israel some sense of security should Iraq decide lob some Scuds if and when the US invades.
Yet, while this anti-missile defense system is apparently effective, our government is still throwing billions of dollars at a nuclear missile defense system which has, so far, been less than promising. So my question is, why is it so much harder to knock down an ICBM than a Scud and why aren't the researchers on the NMD project using and modifying Arrow technology. After all, we helped pay for the Arrow, we should certainly have the right to adapt it as we see fit.
Update: Corrected for spelling mistakes. Thanks, spelling cop.
Dear Mr. Chretien,
You're right, Hezbollah isn't really a a terrorist group.
Leave it to the Guardian to condemn the liquidation of a top al-Qaeda leader and his henchmen.
The president is keen on hunting down America's foes, on the ugly old premise that the only good Injun is a dead Injun. For redskin, read al-Qaida. It is part, he says, of his anti-terrorist war-without-end. All the world's a battlefield for Mr Bush. The United States of America, 001: licensed to kill
To liken al-Qaida to Native Americans is insulting in itself, but what is wrong with the idea of the only good al-Qaeda operative is a dead one? What good has al-Qadea done anywhere in the world? And speaking of the world, it's al-Qaeda that has made this into a battle spanning the globe. Unless of course, the Guardian actually believes that blowing up a club in Bali is a legitimate American target. (And yes, now Al-Qaeda is admitting pulling that one off.
it should be said there are some problems with this approach to international peacekeeping. For a start, it is illegal. The Yemen attack violates basic rules of sovereignty. It is an act of war where no war has been declared. It killed people, some of whom who may have been criminals, but who will never now face trial. It assassinated men who may have been planning attacks. But who can tell? It is, at best, irresponsible extra-judicial killing, at worst a premeditated, cold-blooded murder of civilians
First, if the Yemenis truly felt that their sovereignty was violated, they'd have said so, especially since they'd receive sympathy from much of the world (including the Guardian, no doubt). Second, this is where we see the Guardian's true face: the US shouldn't do anything to prevent the attacks, it should wait for them to happen and then hunt the perpertrators as common criminals. No war has been declared? Obviously the message from Sept. 11, 2001 fell on deaf ears in England.
Christopher Johnson is right - Eric Alterman needs a nap.
Nevertheless, I left the following comment on his blog:
Perhaps you took your vacation too soon, judging how cranky you are following the elections. Really, tarring all Israeli settlers as the extermists of Itamar (and then claiming that their Bush's friends) is a bit over the top don't you think? After all, even in the article you link, the Yesha council distances itself from their actions as do the soldiers patrolling the West bank.But it's funny how you neglect to mention that the Itamar community is wary of olive pickers because in the recent past snipers hidden among the trees and the pickers have killed Israeli civilians. Of course, by your logic, they shouldn't have been in the first place, just as a rape victim shouldn't have worn that skimpy dress. After all, the blood of Jews living on the "wrong side" of the Green line is worth less than that of other Jews.
You also ignore the fact that the IDF has been ordered to protect the Palestinian olive pickers. I look forward to the day when the Palestinian Authority orders its security force to protect the lives of Israeli women and children in Gaza from being gunned down by the brave forces of Hamas.
Do us favor, go take another vacation, or at the very least, go take a nap.
Update Alterman posted my comment near the bottom of this entry. I admit, that I am surprised.
I can't say that I'm thrilled with what is now effectively a completely Republican controlled federal government, but the fact that it makes the "I know better than you" liberal types, go into fits of rationalization and sour grapes, is at least somewhat gratifying.
And as for those who are threatening to leave the country, please don't let the door hit you on the ass on the way out. If you don't have the temerity and resolve to fight for what you believe in, when faced with at least a temporary defeat, then I don't want you here. It's exactly this attitude which causes many to think that these liberal types don't have what it takes to see any sort of war (whether it be on Iraq or al-Qaeda) to a successful end. So please, run to your favorite "enlightened" country, where the conventional wisdom is to roll over in the face of adversity.
Despite all the hype behind No War Blog it would seem as if they still can't read. The headline for this Times article claims that Ariel Sharon wants Iran to be attacked as soon as we're done with Iraq. Alina Stefanescu as well as Bob Morris didn't bother to read further (or in Bob's case, find a more reliable news source), as what Sharon really called for, was international pressure on Iran. Given that diplomatic pressure is the only tool in the anti-war crowd's toolbox, they should be applauding Sharon for this, not condemning him.
Yes, folks, that reincarnation of the Nazi SS, the IDF, is preparing to do more evil by.... guarding Palestinian olive pickers.
As part of the groundwork, several IDF personnel approached the Palestinian population through the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories. The IDF personnel informed them that the they have every intention to allow harvesting in locations adjacent to Israeli residential areas in the area of Samara under the condition that they are coordinated beforehand in order that the Security Forces will be able to secure the harvesting.
Is there no end to the IDF's evil?
If you're an American citizen of at least 18 years old, go out there and vote! Don't let apathy run our country.
The Justice and Development Party (AK), an Islamic based party, won a resounding victory in the Turkish Elections today with 34% of the vote. The secular Republican People's Party won 19.3% of the vote, while former prime minister Ecevet's Democratic Left Party managed to secure a whopping 1.2% of the vote. How's that for a referendum on job performance?
From what I can tell so far, there hasn't been much coverage of these elections, which is quite a shame. Turkey is a key strategic Western ally in the Middle East, which is now governed by a party which ostensibly has Islamic sympathies. No doubt the Israelis are nervous.
However, from what I've read, the AK party was elected mainly because of Turkey's woeful economic situation and political courrption. (What country doens't have the latter?). The AK party leaders insist that they will remain true to Ataturk's secular vision, however, this remains to be seen.
Nevertheless, the election of the AK party appears to be what the Turkish people want, and even if we in the West do not like the results, we must respect those wishes. After all, if we are truly interested in democracy for everyone, we must accept its consquences.