i am utterly speechless.
the palestinian mythology surrounding yasser arafat's death has met with a new, and seemingly insurmountable obstacle.
i'm not sure what to think, except that i both pity and admire the man bold enough to speak the truth on national television. arafat supporters will likely and vocally call for his death. even non-arafat supporters might wish he had kept quiet, since this more or less obliterates israel's "role" in arafat's demise.
of course, i guess they could always blame the ever popular "jewish doctors infected him with AIDS conspiracy." i've heard stranger things.
addendum: you know, stranger things like this video. just when my faith in people was rising anew...
Showing posts with label israel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label israel. Show all posts
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
i . h a t e . o p i n i o n s
well, that's not entirely true. i certainly hate it when opinions are inserted into what is ostensibly objective reporting.
case in point.
because you can be sure that no one at cnn has reported this.
case in point.
because you can be sure that no one at cnn has reported this.
Friday, June 1, 2007
b l a m e
blame has been a hot topic in my life lately, for reasons that would bore and annoy the average reader.
but, it's [blame's]* not only a searing subject in my own experience. turns out iran likes blame as well.
i find that [the idea that israel is trying to restore its perceived military prowess via defensive strikes against ammunition outposts] hysterically funny. clearly, the israeli defense forces are attacking the gaza strip not because of terrorist attack, raining qassams, or a generally offensive paradigmatic claim of, "drive them into the sea!"
no, no. israel is trying to make itself look better by beating up helpless militants.
i guess if you follow that logic, lebanon is trying to make up for its own internal strife by launching attacks on the palestinian refugee camps.
but that didn't make the news.
* i hate ambiguous pronouns.
but, it's [blame's]* not only a searing subject in my own experience. turns out iran likes blame as well.
i find that [the idea that israel is trying to restore its perceived military prowess via defensive strikes against ammunition outposts] hysterically funny. clearly, the israeli defense forces are attacking the gaza strip not because of terrorist attack, raining qassams, or a generally offensive paradigmatic claim of, "drive them into the sea!"
no, no. israel is trying to make itself look better by beating up helpless militants.
i guess if you follow that logic, lebanon is trying to make up for its own internal strife by launching attacks on the palestinian refugee camps.
but that didn't make the news.
* i hate ambiguous pronouns.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
t r o l l . h a m m e r
wow.
did some random perusing of the interwebs today, and found this. courtesy and intellectual property rights granted to poster nekama at little green footballs:
MEMO
This is an automated reply from the
Bullshit Detector at Little Green Footballs.
Your recent post contained troll-like characteristics which resembles the type of message sent by spoiled ISM members on summer holiday, college students who have recently inhaled Noam Chomsky’s foul rantings, Adam Shapiro wannabes, Nazi sympathizers, or genuine Koranimals.
In order to prevent another thread being hijacked, and to send your message to the appropriate department for response (FOAD, GAZE, Go Away Gordon, or The Bus To Rachel Corrie’s Tomb Is Leaving - Be Sure You’re Under It), kindly reply to the following questions:
1. Are you aware that the Disputed Territories never belonged to the “Palestinians” and only came into Israeli possession as a result of the 1967 six day war in which Egypt, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon all massed forces at Israel’s border in order to “push the Jews into the sea”. The Arabs lost and Israel took control of the land. Do you agree that if the Koranimals don’t want to lose territory to Israel, then they shouldn’t start wars? Do you agree that there is justice that Israel, who as far back as 1948 has always sought peace with her far larger neighbors, should live in prosperity - making the desert bloom - while the residents of 19 adjacent Arab countries who are blessed with far more land as well as oil wealth live in their own feces?
2. Did you know that the “Palestinians” could have had their own country as far back as 1948 had they accepted the UN sponsored partition plan which gave Israel AND the Palestinians a countries of their own on land which Jews had lived on for thousands of years before Mohammed ever had a wet dream about virgins? The Arabs rejected the UN offer and went to war with the infant Israeli nation. The Arabs lost and have been whining about it ever since. Do you agree this is like a murderer who kills his parents and asks for special treatment since he is now an orphan?
3. Can you tell us ANY Arab country which offers Jews the right to be citizens, vote, own property, businesses, be a part of the government or have ANY of the rights which Israeli Arabs enjoy? Any Arab country which gives those rights to Christians? How about to other Arabs? Wouldn’t you just LOVE to be a citizen of Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Iran, or Syria?
4. Since as many Jews (approximately 850,000) were kicked out of Arab countries as were Arabs who left present day Israel (despite being literally begged to stay), why should Arabs be permitted to return to Israel if Jews aren’t allowed to set foot in Arab countries? Can you explain why Arabs can worship freely in Israel but Jews would certainly be hung from street lamps after having their intestines devoured by an Arab mob if they so much as entered an Arab country?
5. Israel resettled and absorbed all of the Jews from Arab countries who wished to become Israelis. Why haven’t any Arab countries offered to resettle Arabs who were displaced from Israel, leaving them to rot for 60 years in squalid refugee camps? And why are those refugee camps still there? Could it be that the billions of dollars that the UNWRA has sent there goes to terrorist groups like Hamas, Islamic Jihad, El Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, or Hezbollah? How did Yassir Arafat achieve his $300 million in wealth? Why aren’t these funds distributed for humanitarian use?
6. Did you know that the Arabs in the disputed territories (conquered by Israel in the 1967 war which was started by Arabs) and who are not Israelis already have two countries right now? And that they are called Egypt and Jordan?
7. If your complaint is about the security fence which Israel is finally building in the Disputed Territories, are you aware that it is built solely to keep the “brave” Arab terrorists out so that they can no longer self detonate on busses, in dining halls or pizzerias and kill Jewish grandmothers and schoolchildren? Why are the Arabs so brave when they target unarmed civilians but even when they outnumber their opponents they get their sandy asses kicked all the way to Mecca when they are faced with Jewish soldiers? Why do Arab soldiers make the French look like super heroes?
8. Please explain why you are so concerned about Arabs, who possess 99% of the land in this region and are in control of the world’s greatest natural resource, which literally flows out of the ground? Can’t their brother muslims offer some of the surplus land and nature’s riches to the “Palestinians”? Or is it true that Arabs are willing to die right down to the last “Palestinian”?
9. Why do you not exhibit the same level of concern for say, people in Saudi Arabia who are beheaded, subject to amputation, stoning, honor killing etc.? What about women who are denied any semblance of basic civil rights, including the right not to be treated as property for the entertainment and abuse of her father, brothers, or husbands? What about the Muslims in Sudan and Egypt who are still enslaved, or the women there whose genitalia are barbarically cut off? How about the oppression of Shiites by Sunnis, the gassing of the Kurds by Iraq, or the massacre of “Palestinians” by Jordan (Black September)? Why doesn’t this concern you?
10. Did you ever stop to wonder how much better off everyone in the region would be if Arabs stopped trying to kill Jews and destroy Israel? What would happen if the Israelis gave up their weapons and disarmed? Would they live to see the next day? But what would happen if the Arabs completely disarmed? You know the answer: They would all be AT PEACE! And if there is no war to rile them up, the Arabs would be forced to look at their own repressive, pre-medieval societies. Why would they want to do that when there are Jews to kill?
11. Have you heard “People who define themselves primarily by what they hate, rather than who they love, are doomed to failure and misery”? Can you see the parallels to the Arabs, who are blessed with land and oil, but still gladly train their children to kill themselves in order to kill Jews? Have you heard Golda Meir’s words to the effect of “There will be peace when the Arabs love their children more than they hate ours”? Why do the Arabs hate so much?
...
Please respond to the items listed above. Based on your answers a thoughtful reply or instruction to FOAD will be provided.
Thank you for writing to Little Green Footballs.
Signed,
Troll Early Warning Detection Team
did some random perusing of the interwebs today, and found this. courtesy and intellectual property rights granted to poster nekama at little green footballs:
MEMO
This is an automated reply from the
Bullshit Detector at Little Green Footballs.
Your recent post contained troll-like characteristics which resembles the type of message sent by spoiled ISM members on summer holiday, college students who have recently inhaled Noam Chomsky’s foul rantings, Adam Shapiro wannabes, Nazi sympathizers, or genuine Koranimals.
In order to prevent another thread being hijacked, and to send your message to the appropriate department for response (FOAD, GAZE, Go Away Gordon, or The Bus To Rachel Corrie’s Tomb Is Leaving - Be Sure You’re Under It), kindly reply to the following questions:
1. Are you aware that the Disputed Territories never belonged to the “Palestinians” and only came into Israeli possession as a result of the 1967 six day war in which Egypt, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon all massed forces at Israel’s border in order to “push the Jews into the sea”. The Arabs lost and Israel took control of the land. Do you agree that if the Koranimals don’t want to lose territory to Israel, then they shouldn’t start wars? Do you agree that there is justice that Israel, who as far back as 1948 has always sought peace with her far larger neighbors, should live in prosperity - making the desert bloom - while the residents of 19 adjacent Arab countries who are blessed with far more land as well as oil wealth live in their own feces?
2. Did you know that the “Palestinians” could have had their own country as far back as 1948 had they accepted the UN sponsored partition plan which gave Israel AND the Palestinians a countries of their own on land which Jews had lived on for thousands of years before Mohammed ever had a wet dream about virgins? The Arabs rejected the UN offer and went to war with the infant Israeli nation. The Arabs lost and have been whining about it ever since. Do you agree this is like a murderer who kills his parents and asks for special treatment since he is now an orphan?
3. Can you tell us ANY Arab country which offers Jews the right to be citizens, vote, own property, businesses, be a part of the government or have ANY of the rights which Israeli Arabs enjoy? Any Arab country which gives those rights to Christians? How about to other Arabs? Wouldn’t you just LOVE to be a citizen of Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Iran, or Syria?
4. Since as many Jews (approximately 850,000) were kicked out of Arab countries as were Arabs who left present day Israel (despite being literally begged to stay), why should Arabs be permitted to return to Israel if Jews aren’t allowed to set foot in Arab countries? Can you explain why Arabs can worship freely in Israel but Jews would certainly be hung from street lamps after having their intestines devoured by an Arab mob if they so much as entered an Arab country?
5. Israel resettled and absorbed all of the Jews from Arab countries who wished to become Israelis. Why haven’t any Arab countries offered to resettle Arabs who were displaced from Israel, leaving them to rot for 60 years in squalid refugee camps? And why are those refugee camps still there? Could it be that the billions of dollars that the UNWRA has sent there goes to terrorist groups like Hamas, Islamic Jihad, El Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, or Hezbollah? How did Yassir Arafat achieve his $300 million in wealth? Why aren’t these funds distributed for humanitarian use?
6. Did you know that the Arabs in the disputed territories (conquered by Israel in the 1967 war which was started by Arabs) and who are not Israelis already have two countries right now? And that they are called Egypt and Jordan?
7. If your complaint is about the security fence which Israel is finally building in the Disputed Territories, are you aware that it is built solely to keep the “brave” Arab terrorists out so that they can no longer self detonate on busses, in dining halls or pizzerias and kill Jewish grandmothers and schoolchildren? Why are the Arabs so brave when they target unarmed civilians but even when they outnumber their opponents they get their sandy asses kicked all the way to Mecca when they are faced with Jewish soldiers? Why do Arab soldiers make the French look like super heroes?
8. Please explain why you are so concerned about Arabs, who possess 99% of the land in this region and are in control of the world’s greatest natural resource, which literally flows out of the ground? Can’t their brother muslims offer some of the surplus land and nature’s riches to the “Palestinians”? Or is it true that Arabs are willing to die right down to the last “Palestinian”?
9. Why do you not exhibit the same level of concern for say, people in Saudi Arabia who are beheaded, subject to amputation, stoning, honor killing etc.? What about women who are denied any semblance of basic civil rights, including the right not to be treated as property for the entertainment and abuse of her father, brothers, or husbands? What about the Muslims in Sudan and Egypt who are still enslaved, or the women there whose genitalia are barbarically cut off? How about the oppression of Shiites by Sunnis, the gassing of the Kurds by Iraq, or the massacre of “Palestinians” by Jordan (Black September)? Why doesn’t this concern you?
10. Did you ever stop to wonder how much better off everyone in the region would be if Arabs stopped trying to kill Jews and destroy Israel? What would happen if the Israelis gave up their weapons and disarmed? Would they live to see the next day? But what would happen if the Arabs completely disarmed? You know the answer: They would all be AT PEACE! And if there is no war to rile them up, the Arabs would be forced to look at their own repressive, pre-medieval societies. Why would they want to do that when there are Jews to kill?
11. Have you heard “People who define themselves primarily by what they hate, rather than who they love, are doomed to failure and misery”? Can you see the parallels to the Arabs, who are blessed with land and oil, but still gladly train their children to kill themselves in order to kill Jews? Have you heard Golda Meir’s words to the effect of “There will be peace when the Arabs love their children more than they hate ours”? Why do the Arabs hate so much?
...
Please respond to the items listed above. Based on your answers a thoughtful reply or instruction to FOAD will be provided.
Thank you for writing to Little Green Footballs.
Signed,
Troll Early Warning Detection Team
Friday, April 27, 2007
happiness.
happiness truly is a warm puppy. for those of you who doubt me, i present exhibit A, which for purposes of this blog, has been pre-marked and pre-admitted into evidence.
i would also like to say that my current joy is further compounded by harvard's newly released report, "the israeli-hezbollah war of 2006: the media as a weapon in asymmetrical conflict". despite the fact that numerous falsified photographs were circulated around the world, a single major news outlet [possibly with the exception of fox, but nobody watches/listens to fox that hasn't already made up their mind] has yet to pursue the issue.
i think cox & forkum's humorous interpretation of the situation is spot-on. the best part of it is, the wingnuts on the leftist side of things wouldn't dare criticize harvard, because it is, after all, a sacred institution of liberal education.
it's times like these that i smile like this.
Monday, April 23, 2007
happy birthday
yom huledet sameach, israel!
after israel observes memorial day [yom hazikaron], the country moves on to celebrate its creation. today, israel turns 59.
and through the gunsmoke, policy mishaps, religious fervor, and global disdain, i think israel, for a 59 year old nation, is doing pretty damn well.
especially since one of my friends in tel aviv sent me this.
it's nice to know that in spite of the terrorist attacks and constant derision aimed at the populace, they still manage to cultivate a fantastic sense of humor.
after israel observes memorial day [yom hazikaron], the country moves on to celebrate its creation. today, israel turns 59.
and through the gunsmoke, policy mishaps, religious fervor, and global disdain, i think israel, for a 59 year old nation, is doing pretty damn well.
especially since one of my friends in tel aviv sent me this.
it's nice to know that in spite of the terrorist attacks and constant derision aimed at the populace, they still manage to cultivate a fantastic sense of humor.
Monday, April 16, 2007
weekend update.
today is a day for remembering, since we're observing yom hashoah.
this makes me sick. for israel to fail so miserably when it comes to the very people it was founded to protect is a travesty, in my opinion. i understand that a burgeoning government budgets leaves little room for the maintenance of shoah survivor care - what i don't understand is why there has been no attempt on the part of the knesset to reconcile the budget to the needs of these citizens.
this underscores the depths of human depravity. even children are not immune to the thrill of enforcing superiority over others. in a slightly humorous bent, i find it mildly amusing that a texas school made israeli news.
and this is proof that despite all of its flaws, israel is trying. it's trying to remember. unfortunately the trials of the past are clouded, making it difficult to apply the lessons to the current middle eastern situation.
i guess hindsight isn't necessarily 20/20. and that's not to say that israel is a failure of democracy. far from it. i just hold ha'aretz [and america] to a higher standard because i can, because some sick optimistic streak in my heart tells me that we are capable of achieving and surpassing that standard.
of course, then i remember that i'm in law school, and i was supposed to check my romanticism at the door.
this makes me sick. for israel to fail so miserably when it comes to the very people it was founded to protect is a travesty, in my opinion. i understand that a burgeoning government budgets leaves little room for the maintenance of shoah survivor care - what i don't understand is why there has been no attempt on the part of the knesset to reconcile the budget to the needs of these citizens.
this underscores the depths of human depravity. even children are not immune to the thrill of enforcing superiority over others. in a slightly humorous bent, i find it mildly amusing that a texas school made israeli news.
and this is proof that despite all of its flaws, israel is trying. it's trying to remember. unfortunately the trials of the past are clouded, making it difficult to apply the lessons to the current middle eastern situation.
i guess hindsight isn't necessarily 20/20. and that's not to say that israel is a failure of democracy. far from it. i just hold ha'aretz [and america] to a higher standard because i can, because some sick optimistic streak in my heart tells me that we are capable of achieving and surpassing that standard.
of course, then i remember that i'm in law school, and i was supposed to check my romanticism at the door.
Saturday, March 31, 2007
various and sundry.
the rain has made its point. i would appreciate it if we could get a few more days of enjoyable spring weather before pollen-storm 2007 begins in earnest.
happiness really is a warm puppy. and on that note, feed your dogs raw food. or, if you don't want to feed raw food for whatever reason [ kashrut, mess, money ], find a suitable primarily natural dog food that uses meat as its first or second ingredient. the dog food recall has really underscored the bond between man and beast - and doesn't your beast deserve the best?
the german chancellor merkel has demanded that the palestinians recognize israel as a state. that's all well and good, and i'm sure the israeli public appreciates the gesture. however, support coming from germany, while strong and again much-appreciated, is undercut by this sense in the arab community that germany is only acting out of deeply-felt guilt. the whole situation has been exacerbated by the iranian hostage crisis.
we need someone like france to take a strong stand for israel. because surely the french can appreciate having the enemy in your midst. and if that fails, the french can always pretend they had no idea of their government's official "stance." they're good at that.
happiness really is a warm puppy. and on that note, feed your dogs raw food. or, if you don't want to feed raw food for whatever reason [ kashrut, mess, money ], find a suitable primarily natural dog food that uses meat as its first or second ingredient. the dog food recall has really underscored the bond between man and beast - and doesn't your beast deserve the best?
the german chancellor merkel has demanded that the palestinians recognize israel as a state. that's all well and good, and i'm sure the israeli public appreciates the gesture. however, support coming from germany, while strong and again much-appreciated, is undercut by this sense in the arab community that germany is only acting out of deeply-felt guilt. the whole situation has been exacerbated by the iranian hostage crisis.
we need someone like france to take a strong stand for israel. because surely the french can appreciate having the enemy in your midst. and if that fails, the french can always pretend they had no idea of their government's official "stance." they're good at that.
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