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The War of Ideas in the Middle East
If the the Folsom family met this terrible fate just because of their self identity as Jews, would not explain why the world did not hear about the murder in 2009 of the six members of the Oshrenko family? One of the worst crimes of this sort in Israel ever. Where where the memorial services in New York? (
"Dimitry Kirilik on multiple first-degree homicide charges in the Petah Tikva District Court for the murder of six members of the Oshrenko family in Rishon Lezion..."
link to jpost.com
The Folsoms are being instrumentalized for politics. So much so that the Israeli government released snuff photos of them. What kind of government information office does that to their citizens after death????
And what is strange is that no one knows who did this, but another group is blamed. Or maybe forensics has already determined this, but not released. Primitive politics has tainted the process completely.
It would have to be a big, really big gathering and supported with lots of money flowing into the coffers of PACs. The US Congress is bought off, completely.
Get rid of the money in politics and we might have a strong government again that represents the public. Until then the welfare of the general public does not count.
And then we wind up with Romney, who is "looking good" and clueless about the real world.
He may see it , but what is happening is much larger than he is. He would be snuffed out in a minute if he got to "uppity."
shande is Yiddish/medieval German for Schande --a shame, disgrace, infamy, a disgraceful scandal to the highest order. It is MUCH more than a simple embarrassment.
And rumors of people saying "bad things" about Israel get more federal attention and tax payers resources than the execution or wounding and maiming of American citizens by the IDF or Israeli Police.
Think about that.
The Anti-Semitism industry and machine to fight the phantom has to be fed.
Years ago I read a report in the Washington Post. The reporter was writing about an older neighborhood in the area and said that the first charter stated that "Hebrews" were not allowed to purchase homes. The BS radar went off. As I was very familiar with the neighborhood, and we had original property covenants, I asked him to source that claim.
I never heard back as he could not find any support of that dig. And it is through reporting like that that these things are accepted as truth in the culture. It then became clear to me how inherent it is to to nurture the phantom ideas of Anti Semitism (Anti Jewish) as an enduring and unending threat. It supports the cause, the industry of persecution that would put resources into a claim like this.
Trivia: There were Jews in Congress before Catholics could ever be accepted by the public. The first Senator of Florida, Levy, was Jewish. Also known as the "Florida Fire Eater" for his rabid support of the Southern Cause. Sorry, I digress.
Observing Richard's history of posting here, I doubt he will ever answer you.
Your account sounds horrifying. It was painful to read.
As for the topic of this report. Filing claims to charge that any criticism of Israel is anti-Jewish and creates a hostile environment for Jews on campus is the standard tactic. This is not the first and will not be the last. But is shows how weak, pathetic and insecure the Zionist enterprise must be.
And then to label Jews who criticize Israel as "an extreme and disreputable fringe of American Jewry..." discredits Tammi Rossman-Benjamin and the phalanx behind her as reactionary dishonorable heels.
Opps .....was late and a typo....Dual Passports
You know what I mean and in answer to seafoid.
Many Israelis have duel passports -- from Europe or the US. Those with German grandparents or great grandparents will be welcome back to Germany even of they do not have a passport.
Very few Jews from Switzerland (and there are many) emigrated to Israel. There is a relatively large orthodox (and non orthodox) Jewish community in Switzerland, with family members and strong connections to Israel. So those Israelis will find a home with their relatives in Switzerland. In fact the community is growing fast in Switzerland through birth and emigration into the country.
Ireland had a small, but influential Jewish community. With the founding of Israel, the community has essentially died out. But Ireland misses their sons and daughters of the old sod.
And then there is always Brooklyn and Miami.
eee, Idolatry of blood and soil is golden calf worship.
Most Jews in Israel -- like people everywhere -- simply do not want to be inconvenienced. And really do not care about the golden calf cult.
In time, that will not be defended and most Israelis like all rational people will do what is needed to stay comfortable and get along in the world.
In about two, maybe three generations, Zionism as we know it will fade away and Israel then has a chance to become a normal state.
Agreed.
Generation "Democractic Freedom"
Generation "Liberty"
Anything other than dubbing them generation Olso. Sounds like an effort to undermine and cheat them by calling them that.
Maher is a Glen Beck in the drag of "liberal" or "progressive" cloaking.
He is worse than a Glen Beck because most all of his viewers think he is hip or progressive in his thinking. Instead he is racist, misogynistic and a dull bulb. If the conversation gets into something beyond sarcastic ridicule of others, he gets all confused.
The AJC should have ignored it and be happy that a relatively poorly written movie (with an Indian actress playing a Palestinian) is being shown and not a real documentary.
Its' press release brings attention to the movie and gives the appearance of being on the defensive against what by most accounts is not a very good film.
Next time there will be a real documentary, perhaps a very good one, one that is not a movie drama. The AJC has wasted its powder on nonsense.
Five individuals murdered, no evidence left behind. No detection of intrusion to the area. It was professional.
jon s, by all accounts that looks to be the intent of whoever carried out this well planed and professional and brutal execution of innocent children and their ideologically driven parents.
Israel just announced building 500 new settlements in revenge. But we do not know who even carried this crime out.
So looks like there is money to be made here, more land to be had and the price of a single family was paid so 500 could move in.
link to haaretz.com
Yes, this does have the marks of a black flag operation.
No credible group behind it taking claim on a act that took skill and planning. Intense security was breached and to assure success, more than a single perpetrator is likely. This was not the work of an deranged amateur.
Immediate blame onto a single group.
Immediate political advantage reaped from this terrible crime.
I could go on, but it has more marks of a classic black ops than that of a single act of terrorism.
When Dr. Hajo Meyer says:
"I wonder if there is much future for Judaism. Because one of my great fears… The Israelis—the Zionists—if they have the slightest chance to go down as a country they will take the whole world with them. They don’t give a damn about the world. The only thing they give a damn about is this Zionist state, Israel, and nothing else. And they don’t care if the Jews go down, because they have nothing to do with these Jews who live elsewhere and don’t want to come to their blessed and paradisaical country called Israel...."
And to think that this Zio state is armed to the teeth with nukes and we are told to be afraid of Iran?????
No, we do not. But we do know that for some reason security broke down long enough to allow an intruder into the protected area.
We know that there has now been many arrests of Palistinians resulting from this crime.
We know a phantom group -- no one can even confirm it's existence -- claims responsibility.
No one knows who did it.
It was a family of six children. Three escaped this hineous crime. Other than making assumptions, what is the evidence that the perpetrator is Palistinian? Reports are that no one knows who did it?
Fus, there you go again. You made a completely dishonest representation. Once again discrediting yourself.
That is not sourced from their web site. It is a re publishing of a report published in the NY Daily News.
link to nydailynews.com
Hophmi...."fatherland" is the language of that time. Today we hear "homeland" instead of "fatherland" And this language is just as distasteful.
Point is (and you know this) is that Zionism was called out in the early days for what is is: A Nationalistic Golden Calf enterprise. And this enterprise has grown and corrupted Judaism.
As Allan Brownfeld writes:
"From Israeli flags in synagogues to “Birthright Israel” trips sending young people on free visits to Israel to a host of Jewish organizations focusing on influencing U.S. Middle East policy — the center of attention within the organized American Jewish community has not been the traditional Jewish commitment to God but something far different. It should be no surprise that more and more American Jews, particularly young people, are increasingly alienated from this enterprise.
More and more thoughtful Jewish voices — in Israel, in the United States and around the world — are increasingly using the term “idolatry” to describe the elevation of the State of Israel to the “central” position in Judaism. "
link to acjna.org
eee, can you call yourself Jewish? This question is not sarcastic, but serious.
Zionism has nothing to do with Judaism. It never did. Only the well-meaning duped and brainwashed who do not even understand Judaism fell and fall for it. Remember, the Zionist leaders and founders were secular and had worldly interests and motivations.
"Prophesies Come True
Jonathan Sarna, a Brandeis University historian and author of the book American Judaism, states: “Everything they (the American Council for Judaism) prophesied — dual loyalty, nationalism being evil — has come to pass.”
It is instructive to review the response to Theodor Herzl’s plea for a Jewish state, enunciated at the First Zionist Congress held in Basel, Switzerland in August 1897.
The chief rabbi of Vienna, Moritz Gudemann, denounced the mirage of Jewish nationalism. Belief in One God was the unifying factor for Jews, he declared, and Zionism was incompatible with Judaism’s teachings. The Jewish Chronicle of London judged that the Zionist scheme’s lack of religious perspective rendered it “cold and comparatively uninviting.” The executive of the association of German rabbis denounced the “efforts of the so-called Zionists to create a Jewish National State in Palestine” as contrary to the “prophetic message of Judaism and the duty of every Jew to belong without reservation to the fatherland in which he lives.”
link to acjna.org
"I realized later that Amanpour, whose bling momentarily blinded me when her watchface turned to catch a stagelight, operates in the Establishment American bubble."
I had to read that sentence more than once. It says so much. Yes, the bubble in Washington D.C. and the MSM is a grotesque freak show and she is a main actor.
"what planetoid did you descend from????"
Fus, no need to insult, demean and ridicule any poster here. It is not discussion or debate. One completely discredits themselves with juvenile ridicule of others.
But he was not voted in for a second term. And that was not because of his faith stuff.
annie, fuster has diverted this thread.
Jews were not bothered any more or less than any other group by Carter's public Christianity. (Many found it discomforting at the time.) Carter, like GB the senior lost his second term. Both of these presidents engaged Israel.
GWB was a publicly loud christian who brought Jesus into the White House. (Little known to the US public, Ashcroft was in two weeks before he initiated morning prayer meetings at the Justice department.)
While perhaps more Jews as a group voted for Gore/Lieberman, they were not at all bothered by Bush's form of Christianity.
And to try and single out Carter as bothersome just to Jews because of his public faith professions, is a dishonest spin.
Anecdotal side point, but so many Israeli's I knew and know just loved Bush.
fuster, you are diverting the discussion. It has noting to do with what percentage of Jews voted for Carter. (And I wonder how these kinds of statistics are extrapolated in the first place.)
For wonderingjew to say, "Carter’s public profession of his Christianity has been unparalleled in modern times and it really bothered Jewish voters." is a distortion.
1. GWB plopped fundamental Christianity into the public arena more than any president ever.
2. That Carter opened that door (which has since to be closed) bothered much of the America public at the time -- it was not just a Jewish thing.
3. And while it did not matter if they voted for Bush or Gore, Jews as a group were not at all bothered by Bush's form of Christianity in the public arena. Bush's loud and public form of Christianity obviously did not bother Zionists and Israeli's. As they as a group were solidly behind Bush and felt safe with him in the White House. Remember, it was GWB who did not even bother to play the peace talk game. So he was "good for Israel." Carter will always be thought of as bad for Israel.
wonderingjew has created a distortion to demonize Carter. (As the politics of a former US President are disdained, the man must be discredited.) And you have twisted the discussion onto a diversion of voting rates.
GWB was "good for Israel.". Israeli and Zionist idealogues felt safe with him in the White House.
While most American Jews may not have voted for him, they were certaintly not bothered with his type of faith profession, which made Carter seem like an agnostic.
But they LOOOOVED Born again, bible-beating GW Bush the younger. And he made sure everyone knew he had found Jeeeezus! He was completely embraced by Zionist in the USA. Israelis loved him too!
Bibi said it right on US television to a US audience.
"the secret is that we have America..."
link to youtube.com
A supremely great and informative article, indeed.
And here is another from McConnell well worth a read.
link to amconmag.com
Yes, but the Israeli leadership gets away with it nevertheless. Until, that is, it no longer does.
And when that day comes, it will not serve Israel at all as a backlash to the ongoing abuse of process and partners takes place. And that is the looming danger to Israel, caused by failure of it's own bankrupt ideology and leadership. And Israel will have itself to blame for it's own de-legitimization.
With fairness (a seemingly foreign concept in a Zionist enterprise) Israel will be legitimate. Here is to hoping in legitimacy.
You made that leap and connection about Judaism and Zionism, not Chaos. Zionism is not Judaism. It is an enterprise and I would think that is the point Chaos4700 was making.
Conflict is an enterprise and industry as well.
The peace with Egypt and Jordan was made because Israel had no other choice at the time.
No it is not so. Christians I know from Israel (they are Palestinians) had a miserable life. Opportunities snuffed out. Marginalized.
You would not know, understand (or even want to understand) this.
Iraq after the US invasion is not the rest of the ME.
Liturgy was written in a time when people thought in large metaphors, of an oral tradition which attempted to convey even larger truths. To attempt to interpret any spiritual scripture (regardless of the theology behind it) as literal is a misunderstanding of the basis of scripture.
It was only around the time of the so-called "enlightenment" did the western culture start to take the printed word as literal -- which it never was meant to be -- nor even conceived of. I will not go on with other theological considerations as this is not the place.
Hillel had it right. The only one truth in scripture is the golden rule. "The rest is commentary; go learn!"
Fus, you obviously do not know how cable works. Even if you never watch Fox and do not want to see it, for example, you are paying for it if you get cable. There is not a choice.
And if ALJ were available over cable in most of the US, even those who do not want it are paying for it anyway in their monthly fee.
ALJ will only be available if enough cable subscribers cancel cable because there is no ALJ.
I do not see that happening as most who want their cable do not care and most of those who do have been brainwashed to think it is something evil.
Yes, very possibly.
Look, I think ALJ is absolutely terrific on many levels.
And I understand that Clinton is a politician (and cannot tell a truth) and that ALJ has been demonized as the enemy by our regime.
But if you listen carefully to Clintons words she never acknowledged that were were more informative but that listeners FELT LIKE they were getting better information. And "that Al Jazeera has been the leader in, that are literally changing people’s minds and attitudes..."
She was testifying at a hearing to get a bigger budget for more funds for propaganda. This is what State does. I know this too well.
And she painted ALJ as winning a propaganda war, not as good information, but that listeners "felt like" they were getting good information. She was praising their work as perceived propaganda instead of saying --- "here is a great broadcaster, telling us all sides and covering things very well. This is what Americans want to hear."
But yes, she acknowledge the quality of ALJ and did not demonize them. That is a breakthrough. And she inadvertently admitted that US media is a filthy and dishonest propaganda machine.
Agreed. It could take a week to get Americans to see and understand the truth. And there are too many entrenched powers that are afraid of the truth and what it might mean for their interests. That is the only reason Americans are not allowed to have information outside of Time Warner and Murdock's News Corp.
There used to be ,media laws forbidding cross ownership of media outlets to prevent exactly what had developed in the US over the last 25 years. But lobbyists successfully paid off the whores of Congress and put an end to that and look were we are now.
Clinton is not praising ALJ, she is pointing out only the failings of US media in that ALJ makes one "feel like they are getting real news" and the new problem for the State department that in the US pubic now realizes that they are not getting real news. That they are being duped by the msm.
She is not concerned about complete, honest and informative reporting for the American public. She is concerned about the propaganda wars. She admits the deceit behind US media might be failing. And that is what should be troubling to the American public.
That is what confirms to us -- from the highest levels -- that "news" in the USA is about propaganda, manipulation of perceptions and promoting agendas that have nothing to do with truth.
Clinton is acknowledging that honest, informative and interesting reporting is now getting greater attention than the doofkopf (air brain) reporters and narcissistic journalists (who make themselves the story) that predominate US media.
While Americans were glued to the stories about Anderson Cooper getting roughed up, and Laura Logan (we still do not know the complete incident) Al Jazeera, who had NO REPORTERS allowed in Egypt still was able to give us better coverage. Why? Because it was not about them. It was about the real story unfolding. They had their guys and connections in the crowds with cell phones and hand cameras. They were entrenched in spite of the ban on their presence.
They did not have teams of reporters with cameras and equipment and beautiful clothes (and even pearl necklaces) covering a revolution in a country where most people live on four dollars a day.
Think about that. That is real Journalism, not show business and entertainment. Journalism no longer exists out of the United States. We live in a media landscape reminiscent of the darkest days of the USSR.
"Wadah Khanfar, the head of Al Jazeera, shares a profoundly optimistic view of what's happening in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and beyond..."
link to ted.com
You might want to read about the Schengen Agreements. Think about the European Union, common currencies, etc.
link to en.wikipedia.org
And didn't Ghandi say something to the effect that a nation founded on religion sows the seeds of it's own destruction.
Jews were not repressed in Palistine in anyway before the European Zionist enterprise entered the scene.
That is simpy more propaganda. You know this.
Wiener and Jon Stuart were roomates in New York in their early days and remain friends. Just an interesting trivia fact.
In the next century or so, the will be no states with borders as we understand a state today. The idea of a nation state is modern and will be an anachronism in a few generations.
It is already happening in Europe.
He may be bright and he may even be a nice guy, and assuming he did not intend to lie, he shows that he is completely brainwashed.
That is what happens when generation after generation a group of people are told that some dusty place in the middle east is their land (ergo the golden calf) because the story is that a few thousand years ago "their people" lived there. And it is now their right to expel others at any cost. With this logic Americans should take Ireland, or Italy or even Great Britain.
It is completely crazy on so many levels. And just think....our foreign policy is supporting these insane fairy tales!
To think that Wiener is a US Congressman...it explains why it is not possible for the United States to have any political credibility in the ME and cannot be taken seriously.
"Does this mean that Israel no longer claims its legitimacy from the 1947 UN partition resolution? That would be a logical conclusion.
A compliment to this excellent essay is the recent TED talk given by Wadah Kahnfar, general director of Al Jazeera.
link to english.aljazeera.net
If the so-called Arab word successfully and peacefully moves beyond humiliation and suppression by both the outside and dictators within, Israel will have to give up its Schick ("everyone hates us....we are in a bad neighborhood, we are so little, remember the holocaust, we are the only democracy in a sea of crazy Arabs") to survive.
longliveisreal thinks murdering other human beings is funny and the ongoing deaths of Libyans right now is the frame of a joke.
Fus, you are reading and quoting old and retracted reports written in english. All repeat the same bad information. Listen and read the original German as it unfolds.
As the ARD reported last night " the good news is that he had no ties to any extremist groups or terrorist." Nor did he cry god is great. No one can verify that. That claim is not repeated because it apparently did not happen. ( not that matters as he is insane.)
The radical preacher was listed as a friend on his facebook page.
As this thread points out, be very careful and skeptical of news reports. Especially when agendas and emotions are in play.
Fuster, the insane attack on US airmen at the Frankfurt Flughafen was carried out by a 21 year old postal worker who lived in Frankfurt and originally from Kosovo. He is a deranged nutcase and has No ties to any group, other than a bizarre facebook page.
Your link is old and very bad reporting. Your comments intended to ridicule. Ridicule is like a boomerange.
marc,
No no, perhaps my writing is sloppy. I am not determined to undermine the credibility of the reports nor to paint them as true. Just looking for truth. The first report as presented here was incomplete. I asked some questions.
Jethro filled in the important facts --- names. With this, the validity of the original Arabic language report can easily be verified. So good enough for me.
And because there are names named, I now take the reports to very likely, indeed, be true and not libelous nonsense or propaganda.
marc, this is now what I THINK might be going on:
A truthful report -- complete and with names -- came out in the Arabic press.
This report was reported upon in fringe Israeli press. It was incomplete and reeking of the methods used to turn a real story into something that could easily be discredited. This "dis-credible" version is what is thrown out there for all pick up and to trash. Ergo, no one can say it was suppressed and the real story is killed. That is how it is done.
Now if any real reporters and editors read Mondoweiss they might have a big story in front of them, one with lots of legs.
The western press is a fearful lot and it might be too hot.
As Jethro reports above, it seems that the original Arabic version of the story was complete and gives the critical missing facts.
And, if this reporting on the chain of reporting is accurate, the Israeli press then put out an incomplete version -- that cannot hold water -- for others to run with.
If this story is true there is MUCH more to it than a former Israeli General, Yisrael Zi, contracting out mercenaries to Ghadaffi to kill people through Global CST of Israel -- just because of supposed bogey-man paranoia of "radical Islam."
Ok, that fills in the gaps and with the key facts makes it easy enough for any reporter or investigator to verify and follow up on, even if the source remains unnamed.
Why were the key facts left out of the Hebrew version citing the Arabic language report? Why would this even be published at all without key information?
Sloppy reporting? No, it is too basic -- Journalism 101. Something is not right about the handling of an extremely important story.
So if Mondoweiss has this information why isn't any reporter worth his or her salt from the MSM like all over this?
"The article states that the weapons were provided by an Israeli company that’s made up of former generals in the Israeli army."
Which firm and what former generals? It seems the original article did not say. Until those facts are known this sort of information falls into the propaganda box.
Hey fus, did you know that one of the founders of the KKK in south Carolina was Bernard Baruch's father? True. Read Baruch's autobiography.
It may have not started out as a total hate group, but they hated the change in order and really had a thing about Catholics.
We need a de nazification program here in the USA.
Repeating memes does not make the "standard way" truth, but instead stale propaganda.
"I mean, there was a killing of a US citizen by an ally with US-made goods. And we wanted a full and thorough investigation. And the attitude basically was, "Well, we'll defer to our friend and ally, Israel. We're sure they'll do the right thing, and we'll trust whatever they say."
Not the first time and not the last time.
Now if the much-touted Gallup Poll results (that Americans do, indeed, take sides in the slow snuffing out of Palestinians) hold any shred of truth, most Americans and their representative government are just fine with it. Remember, we do, indeed, live in USreal.
And we hold hands as we mutually de-legitimize ourselves into impotent weak and pathetic bullys. This seems to be what the public and government wants. We can judge by actions.
Saying that the historical accuracy is "debatable" was polite.
There is absolutely NO evidence of Jews as a group being held slaves to build the Pyramids. That is Hollywood as Egyptologists state.
"Amihai Mazar, professor at the Institute of Archaeology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, says that myth stemmed from an erroneous claim by former Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin, on a visit to Egypt in 1977, that Jews built the pyramids. “No Jews built the pyramids because Jews didn’t exist at the period when the pyramids were built,” Professor Mazar says."
link to csmonitor.com
Most all pyramids were built long before records of any "Israelite" as a people or monotheistic Judaism even existed
And while the laborers may be surely considered slaves by our standards today, we could say that they were slaves of a belief system -- thus trapped into a life of labor exalting a cult of the afterlife.
If interested in the ongoing excavations and mapping project.
link to thebanmappingproject.com
Ned, most people do not watch TV -- nor do they wish to -- over a computer. That it is essentially banned for 96% of the USA (but not at all in Canada) is an abomination.
The bigger questions is why? It would be interesting to see some honest reporting on that.
So with this reality, American mass media has turned into a modern version of state sponsored television of the former Soviet Block. Why is that?
And in Vermont, but not in the rest of the country. How many people live in D.C? Just about almost 600 thousand.
How many in Vermont? Around 621 thousand.
With over 307 million people living in the USA, that means less than 4% of the population has access to a network that has specialized in covering parts of the world that receive little coverage.
Americans are in dire need of information and not "news" shows where the "reporters" make themselves the story. Or yet another “Hot Pink and Tight Booty Girls."
We are a sad and ill-informed society.
"Results for this Gallup poll are based on telephone interviews conducted Feb. 2-5, 2011, with a random sample of 1,015 adults, aged 18 and older, living in the continental U.S., selected using random-digit-dial sampling."
But was was the question? How was it posed? Where did this random sample live? What was their education, attention to world events.
With over 275 million people over 18 living in the US, a sample of 1,015 is statistically not representative of anything because such an extremely low sampling cannot be extrapolated as there are too many factors not accounted for, let alone we do not even know the question used.
But yes, there is so much work to do. How?
Yes, revenge for living. For being alive. For simply being there.
"Germans did to Jews..."
It is not that simple. Nor were Jews the only group of people Germans did something to. Germans destroyed Germany and fellow Germans (among others) and it was Nationalism that motivated the insanity.
There is no ranking of evil and let us please not forget that many groups suffered under the Nazi's
That was the point: to distract, confuse issue and attempt to push your button to divert the issue.
When a poster attempts to divert from the truth of the hate-filled atrocities, they are complicit.
Exactly. There is no one Jewish people. Jews are of many people, universal. The idea of a Jewish homeland is a Zionist fairy tale.
And as long as J Street remains AIPAC light in a younger dress, it will remain ultimately irrelevant.
But J Street desperately strives to become relevant and to do that, it would have to evolve to become a very different organization. It is still young and there is a little bit of hope.
But yes as one poster above said, AIPAC is ten years too late and J Street is 10 weeks too late.
Taxi, you captured that beautifully. Gestalt therapy.....lol! Bring more of it on.
I noticed the surprised and puzzled faces up there, too! An amazing site to behold.
Yes, eee is not off the mark. When you look at J Street and AIPAC closely, J Street is an AIPAC light.
Ok, their meetings do not have the tone and feel of an Nurenberg Stadion AIPAC rally (mega flags, cheering masses) and J Street initiates a dialogue, but underneath this, there is little difference from AIPAC in policy.
Right, it is not about oil. Oil will become less and less important.
The world is a very different place than it was 40 years ago when the cold war still had us building our bomb shelters in hysterical fear.
Choices are: does the US continue to alienate a large part of the world and weaken itself on the world stage by enabling and supporting a Zionist enterprise --that is now contributing what? -- or does it join the world community and make "friends" with a region that will have increasing importance for all.
Or does it cling to it's "only friend" no matter what, at the cost of loosing everything?
The choice is obvious.
Interest of Zionist Israelis. Not Jews. Israel has nothing to do with Jews as much as they claim. And Zionism has zip to do with Judaism. It was hijacked.
Not all Jews identify with the Israel gig and fewer and fewer will.
Thank you thank you for this thoughtful reminiscence of your grandmother. She lives on. Thank you for sharing.
Many nations carry out assassinations in their perceived interests and always have. Israel is no different. To think that assassinations in the (delusional) interest of protecting Israel have not happened in the US is naive.
""Israel need not apologize for the assassination or destruction of those who seek to destroy it. The first order of business for any country is the protection of its people."
Washington Jewish Week
October 9, 1997
The US has carried out targeted assassinations of its own citizens. When you think about it, governments are the biggest terrorist --- creating fear, murdering citizens. The US has the largest population of incarcerated citizens in the world. If that is not state terror against its own citizens, I do not know what is.
We have 12 year old kids in penitentiaries.
Well, this has now gone off topic a bit. German is a rich language to schimpfen. (Scolding and getting angry). But none of those expressions above can possibly translate into "how dare you."
"Wagen" or dare is not really used in the context of scolding. It is simply too refined. It would sound high falutin' to say "wie kannst du es wagen .... "
But then again when I was living in Germany maybe it was my circle who did not speak a fine language, but I really doubt she said exactly that. She might have "schimfed" him though!
Haaretz knows that as well.
Right, Marr used the term in a political pamphlet to make the term Judenhass sound more scientific, ergo "anti semite." He MADE IT UP.
Marr was a wacko and projected ideas of race into all his arguments. (If you can read German you might want to go to the original source and see how completely unhinged he was.) His ideas fed pseudo race-based nationalism in Europe.
The MADE UP and false semantic of "anti-semite" is as unhinged as Marr himself and the movements his pamphlets fed.
No....that just means "unbelievable" and Germans say that loudly when they are upset at or excited about something. Das ist aber unglaublich!!!"
As to Theo's thoughts below. German politics is changing. And regardless of what one might think of Merkel, and supreme opportunist she is, (hey we are talking bout a politician!) she has shown an extraordinary ability to see which way the wind is blowing before most around her.
Well, at least we now finally have that straight.
That the term "anti semite" to refer to those who practice Judaism is just made up.
Indeed. And pathetically the Israeli leadership has no other shtick.
Hmmm, the translation "how dare you...." does not sound like anything she would or could say, let alone as really "sayable" in German.
It simply does not really translate into a way anyone would speak today. More believable would be that she might have said "how can you"...or "wie kannst du....." that is likely.
Translating her words with a tone of disdain and chiding is fodder for the press. And gives the Israeli media room to write ugly headlines like.
"A German Pig Chides Netanayhu" as one now reads on Sidekick.
Staying on topic is difficult.
Will the Knesset send us 3 billion? Will the Knesset make resolutions demanding love and support and protection for the United States? Will the Knesset work for us????
Yet another divert alert.
The commentary is NOT about their being pro-Israel, but instead illustrates the utter hypocrisy of two Congressmen.
No, no Chaos, you mean people who really are anti-Jewish or Jewishphobes. (Anti-Semitic is out as it is not a true expression, but a 19th century misnomer adopted for political false-speak. )
Call a spade a spade.
Stalag literature! I first heard about it a few years ago on a NPR radio show. They were interviewing an Israeli sociologist who explained in removed academic terms how absolutely sick and entrenched that genera was for most all Israeli boys in the 50's and 60's especially. And that it was really influential in the thinking. Although the really hard core stuff was banned, Stalag lit lived on.
You could almost feel the NPR studio wishing him gone as he was explaining what Stalag was all about and how it had influenced a generation or two of Israeli society.
Bosnia might be an example for Israel. In recent years an outside group wanted to put a memorial outside the stadium where so many girls and women were killed and raped. The Bosnian women had it removed, explaining that is not their identity and self understanding to take on, nor a desire to sow hate against perpetrators.
It is even an ongoing entertainment industry in Israel. Nazi-themed comic books, etc.
link to jewishcomics.blogspot.com
So the memory of victims (one would think it was only Jews who were victims) is commercialized and trivialized and pornoized.
Dershowitz shouts Nazi every time he is stumped ....
Like the ethnic cleansing porn is dehumanizing. So it fits that a porn producer would do his shots in sites where families, lives, were annihilated.
"Eventually the US will have to realize that its growing isolation is simply too great a price to pay for supporting an unsustainable occupation, or it will be left in the dust."
The realization is upon us, but will not change anything. The US Congress (as it is one that is purchased) is filled with the sock puppets of ideologues. And as such are not capable of realizing consequences.
The US will be swirled in dust in about 10 years, with no influence, no credibility.
It will be just the US and Israel narcissisticly sulking and talking about the good old days and how everyone "hates" us.
Jose, you must be insane or are joking.
If you are serious (and sadly delusional) something went dreadfully wrong in your upbringing and education.
Argument is rhetoric, which is speaking well with rationality and honestly....to persuade with truth. That is what wins the soul.
Attack and ad hominen, comparisons are not debate, not rhetoric. Are the principles of a lost stance, lost argument.....of a loser.
Divert alert!
The article is not about Israel being gay friendly or not.
It is about suppression of an event by under financial pressure by the porno guy Michael Lucas. And his threats to a community.
Congratulations and well wishes to a suffering people. May we all find our way home.
Meanwhile, please forgive my ignorance, but what is the Libyan Revolution Central and The Libyan Youth Movement that has suddenly sprung up with a sophisticated we site in these days of duress?
Wish I could be there.
Can these discussions mobilize enough Americans to buy Congress back for the interests of the United States and to put the right policies in place?
Never been in a Urban Outfitters, but would never buy anything from American Apparel. The founder is a misogynist to the highest degree. Dov Charney masturbated in front of a female reporter to humiliate her, has been abusive to female employees and was convicted for it. The ads are insulting. Had a sweat shot operation in South Carolina in a barn (where he first started having his rags made) and was busted for using underpaid and exploited undocumented workers. And they sell his stuff as sweat shop free?
So Ami Cohen of American Apparel feels that Urban Outfitters is in conflict with Jews because a keffiyehish scarf, but has no problem with the culture of the company she is working for?
The company is bankrupt and the stock almost zero.
That is horrifying. Think about the sick energy and hate of humanity it must take to do that. What soldiers who do that are capable of doing. The assault on Gaza had nothing to do with defense of Israel, but was a horrible crime at so many levels. The US is complicit.
I could not watch to the end.
Jose,
Why is it that about 30 min. into a conversation with many Jews they ask "are you Jewish?"
I've always wondered about that.
So you do understand that Judaism is a belief system and tradition. Jews are not a "ethnic" group.
And Israel is not a "Homeland" (to use the fascist expression) to those of the Jewish faith any more than it is to Christians around the world of the Christian faith or to Muslims of the Muslim faith.
yonira,
I think she is referring to the tragic reality that Tel Aviv is a now a global hub for trafficking in women, networked with franchises around the globe. From high end escort services (remember Elliot Spitzer was a regular customer of an Israeli owned shop) to the most depraved slave caves.
This is a hugely growing industry over the most recent two decades. Hermann strasse in Hamburg, which used to be run by the local pimps, is now completely in Russian and Israeli hands. And is now a brutal place, where the local authorities stay away. Zürich (another hub for global prostitution) is closely connected with Tel Aviv industry in both the diamond and prostitution trade.
State has detailed reports on this and detailed can be found with enough searching.
Why has Israel become a hub for the sale of women? The reasons are many: social and historical connections with the former Soviet Union, from where many of the women come; traditionally weak laws and enforcement concerning the welfare of foreigners and especially foreign women, exploding demand, globalization and the well organized network to supply the west and the world.
It is not for nothing that Sweden and the Netherlands (bastions of perceived tolerance) are attempting to put laws in place criminalizing prostitution. The industry has become really horrific, and is not a "victimless" crime. The reality is that now much of the globalization aspects of this heinous industry is connected to a few Russian and Israeli families/groups. That may change in time. Maybe in the next 20 years the trade will be in only Indian hands. Who knows?
But fortunately NGO's (such as L'Isha) in Israel act to address this. But they do not have the money and political support to even dent it. As one ex government official told me, the industry and just too big, too large in scope. (Which means it is not a priority.)
As recently as 2009, the Israeli Interior Ministry said that they could not find a single case of human trafficking or forced labor. Think about that.
That is what happens when a people always look to the other and say "the reality is much worse......blah blah blah...."
Hi, yes, Helena has an absolutely great blog. And yes it still really is. Very much so. Thanks.
I do not have a twitter account. I was an adult and it was in my late Aunt's notes she wrote many years before. And yes there were numerous "suicides" in State during those years.
The real point is this and in support of Tilley's commentary. All Institutions and States are hegemons and will do everything to protect their prosperity and survival. They are not "friends" and not moral. They will do very terrible things to destroy any perceived threat to their existence.
And Americans must realize that perceived threats to the Zionist state have been annihilated even within our own country. This is normal. This is what governments do. It is their job -- to protect the perceived interests of their country.
And that is why any Jew must thoroughly reject Zionism. It is not Judaism.
My religion belongs in my home, temple, church, mosque ....whatever. But no where else. Not in the public arena or public policy. That is a foundation of the United States and all the whores in Congress parading religion for votes and dollars are .....well, I do not use that language in public.