When people are treatred like vermin

Israeli army personnel express their shame at the acitons they carried out against Palestinian civilians in Gaza as reported by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz. Please see
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1072475.html

Palestinians - The endangered species

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/20/AR2009032003463.html

Help, Help, Help!!!

U.S. auto executives warned Congress on Tuesday , 18 November 2008, that their industry was teetering on the brink of disaster as they pleaded for a $25 billion aid package despite political opposition to another multibillion-dollar government bailout. This editorial cartoon, by Steve Benson of the Arizona Republic, warned the auto industry on 22 March 1981!

Truer words not spoken

Speaking about his recent participation in defying the Israeli blockade of Gaza, peace activitist and Jewish Israeli Jeff Halper said of Gaza: "It's the opposite of what the Israeli public thinks. They think that Gaza is all Hamas and they hate Israelis. But if they knew the truth, they'd have to say there is a basis for peacemaking here." Why doen't the Israeli public know the truth? because the Israeli government ensures no contact between Palestinians and Israeli citizens. It is against the law. And the Israeli government's propaganda is aimed at demonizing all Palestinians.

Couldn't say it any better....

Par for Mr. Corsi
An expert at misrepresentation takes on Barack Obama.

The Washington Post, Friday, August 15, 2008; Page A20

There's a cottage industry in books about Barack Obama; by one count, more than 20 are just out or are in the works. But few debut in the No. 1 spot on the New York Times bestseller list, as Jerome R. Corsi's "The Obama Nation" will do among nonfiction hardcover titles this week. Unfortunately but unsurprisingly, given his earlier hit job on the last Democratic nominee, Mr. Corsi's latest is rife with inaccuracies and innuendo. If the fundamental smear of "Unfit for Command" was that John F. Kerry was no war hero, the insinuation of Mr. Corsi's latest is that "The Obama Nation" -- the ungainly play on words (abomination, get it?) is "fully intended," the author tells us -- reprises the Corsi method. Mr. Corsi boasts that "I fully document all arguments and contentions I make, extensively footnoting all references" and asserts that "my fundamental opposition to Obama's presidential candidacy involves public policy differences." But footnoting to a discredited blog item does not constitute careful scholarship, and the bulk of Mr. Corsi's book has nothing to do with issues.

He gets facts wrong, from the date of Mr. Obama's marriage to whether he dedicated his autobiography to his family (he did) to whether he revealed that he took his future wife on his second trip to Kenya (he did.) He makes offensive statements: "The sexual attraction of his mother to her African husband jumps out from the page."

When facts are lacking, Mr. Corsi makes his point by suggestive questions. Noting that Life magazine could find no record of an article that Mr. Obama remembered reading as a child about a black man who tried to lighten his skin, Mr. Corsi asks, "How much more imagining, hypothetical lying, or just plain lying is Obama capable of doing?" When facts are present, he twists them to make Mr. Obama bad.

Mr. Corsi's discussion of Mr. Obama's drug use -- disclosed by Mr. Obama in his autobiography -- manages to combine a few of these techniques. "Still, Obama has yet to answer questions whether he ever dealt drugs, or if he stopped using marijuana and cocaine completely in college, or whether his drug usage extended into his law school days or beyond. Did Obama ever use drugs in his days as a community organizer in Chicago, or when he was a state senator from Illinois? How about in the U.S. Senate?" In fact, Mr. Obama has said that he stopped using drugs when he was 20. Mr. Corsi is similarly misleading about Mr. Obama's religious background, questioning his claim to be Christian. "Obama had to know that running for political office, even state office, would be much more difficult to do if voters suspected he was a Muslim," Corsi writes. "Yet once Obama became a member of Trinity, he had proof he was a Christian, as he professed to be."

Mr. Corsi has dismissed criticisms of his book as "nit-picking," an odd defense coming from an author happy to inflate any possible omission into a full-blown evasion. Mary Matalin, the Republican political strategist who heads Threshold Editions, the Simon & Schuster division that published "The Obama Nation," described the book to the New York Times as "a piece of scholarship, and a good one at that." That would not be our description.

From The Washington Post

Whose side are you on?

If one criticizes the Israeli government's actions, one is called an anti-Semite or if one is Jewish and does so, one is labeled a "self-hater." But let us be crystal clear. Let me quote Dr. Alice Rothchild, who in turn is quoting Jeff Halper, coordinator of the Israel Committee Against House Demolitions, "I am on the 'side' of Israelis and Palestinians who seek a just peace that addresses Palestinian rights of self-determination as well as Israeli concerns of security and regional integration. I am on the 'side' that stands for equality, human rights, democracy, peaceful co-existence and regional development." [Halper, Israeli Violations of Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, paper presented to the European paliament, Brussels, June 2001.]

Faux Christians

Heard on a "Christian" radio station today some commentator speaking about how "Christians" must support Israel and not allow the Israeli government to make any agreements with the Palestinians. Why? Because it was the "Christians" responsibility to ensure that Israel remained a viable nation to facilitate the Second Coming. I call them faux Christians because they believe they must help God achieve the Second Coming. Since when does God need their help? Are they not taking on the role of God? No body knows when the Christ will return. "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." [Mark 13:32]

Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid

Three things have come together which have cause me great anger. I have recently returned from Israel and the Occupied Territories, I have read Jimmy Carter's book, the title of which is the headline for this entry, and I have watched CNN's "God's Warriors." Posts from this point on will deal with that which I saw and that which I read and hear about concerning the Israeli mistreatment of the Palestinians. First, I am here to tell you that every word in Carter's book is true. Not because someone told me; not because he was once the President. No. It is because what he has written about, I saw with my own eyes.

You may doubt, and you may have swallowed the Kool-Aid dispensed by AIPAC, the Christian Zionists, and even your instructor in Hebrew school, but know that the ancient Jewish tradition has that if two people report the same thing, it must be true.

As I said, I will write more at another time. My life right now is very hectic and demanding. I write when I can. If anybody cares to read, great. If anybody dares to discuss, greater still. But the posts will not be daily. Today's take-away is: Carter tells the truth; read the book!

Memorial Day 2008

I weep for the Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and Airmen
Who have died in service of their country.
I weep for the lives cut short by another man’s bullet or bomb.
I weep for those who have been killed because of another man's folly.

While I weep for those who rescued the world
Those who fought in World War II and did survive to very old age,
I also celebrate their courage and sacrifice and the lives they led in the
years that followed.

I weep also because Patriotsm seems to be dying.
People no longer place their hand over their heart upon hearing the
National Anthem.
It's just a perfunctory item to get out of the way before the ball game.

I especially weep for all my fellow Navy men and women.
There are no little U.S. flags nor perfectly aligned white headstones
to mark at sea the final resting place of those who gave all
for their nation's freedom.

It is truly sad

It's been a while since the last posting. I've tried to make these comments a little humorous if I could. As of late I cannot.

On the tragedy at Virginia Tech: The Korean community in this country or anywhere in the world does not share in any of the blame. Period! To suggest so is as stupid as saying that the Anglo-Saxon community was responsible for Columbine. The blame lies squarely with one individual, who from this day forward, should never be identified by name.

ABC News last night, in response to the backlash against NBC for airing the shooter's "multimedia manifesto" (isn't the media's alliteration wonderful?), ended the newscast with a tribute to the 32 young men and women who were killed. The phoniness was so transparent! But I guess no more so that the somber prnouncements by the CNN crew. I'll bet that in the control room it was: "This is such great television!!."

Messed-up Media: I'm no fan of John McCain (who stood up to the North Vietnamese but has caved to the Bushies). Yet, I'm irritated by folks wanting McCain to apologize for remarks in South Carolina last night. In response to a question, he was asking if the questioner was suggesting that we bomb Iran, which led him to remember the parody of the Beach Boys' song Barbara Ann. The parody --- being continually misidentified --- is the 1981 Bomb Iran by Vince Vance and the Valiants, sung in response to the Iran Hostage incident.

Today we have the tape of Alec Baldwin getting angry with his daughter. Folks, this is none of anyone else's business. The problem is that the media and this society are now in the Gotcha mode.

Best Congress Money Can Buy

The Dems are now trying to bride their membership and GOP members to pass the resolution on Iraq by offering them pork for various projects. Once again they prove that we have the best congress that money can buy!

Right wing; wrong brain

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice yesterday did the typical Right Wing attempt to criticize Sen. Barbara Boxer's statement that because the Dragon Lady doesn't have a family member in a position to be killed in Iraq, she won't pay a personal price in the Iraq war. Twisting the clear intent of Sen. Boxer's words, Rice said "In retrospect, gee, I thought single women had come further than that, that the only question is are you making good decisions because you have kids." Rice made this remark in an interview on Fox "News." Now we all know the intent of Sen. Boxer's statement, and that was that folks who have no personal investment in a situation may be less likely to do due deligence in making decisions. Rice's attempted retort is so far off the mark you wonder how she can successfully negotiate for the U.S. as Secretary of State. Oh wait, perhaps that's why our international image is so screwed up!!!

There is a God!!

When the President announced the resignation of the Secretary of Defense this morning, the biggest cheers came from the Pentagon!!!

Deja Vu All over again

This morning, White House shill and Fox pretty face Tony Snow stood on the White House lawn and declared flatly that we are winning in Iraq. Kinda reminds me of Bagdad Bob!!

No Global Warming

Sen. James M. Inhofe (Republican, Oklahoma) has stated flatly that global warming is a sham perpeturated on the American public. This in the face of solid scientific and visual proof. I guess he's the Bagdad Bob of the environmental issues facing this country (and the world). The problem is that if you act like an ostrich and put your head in the sand, just remember what part of your anatomy is sticking up! But this is not the first time Inhofe has said something stupid. See www.counterpunch.org Another Oklahoman, Will Rogers, once said that he got his material as a humorist from reading the newspaper and seeing the actions of Congress. He'd be hilarious today!!

Tit for Tat

Gasoline prices at the pump are falling. In some cases it's 20 cents a week. Ain't it grand?! But there's a cloud behind every silver lining. The oil companies are dropping prices to buy the mid-term election for the Republicans (Bush/Cheney = oil men). But, mark my words... you'll pay in the spring if not before. Boy, will you pay!

It's the old shell game, folks

At the American Legion's national conventiion yesterday, Defense Secretary Rumsfeld attacked those who questioned the war in Iraq. He said Iraq was the "epicenter" on the war on terrorism. Hey, Dummy, er, Rummy, you guys caused the war in Iraq. You guys opened the door for the terrorists to come into Iraq to kill our troops. It was the old shell game in the beginning and now you're trying the shell game again. The administration wants link the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon to the war in Iraq. Iraq had nothing to do with 9-11. That is a proven fact!

More spin than a Maytag dryer

Bush declared Monday that Hezbollah was the loser in the month-long battle with the Israeli Army. George, do you really think that?! If so, that's more spin than a Maytag dryer. Back in the 1967 War, it was Israel that was the David to the Arab states' Goliath but now the tables have turned. And Hezbollah is still standing after a month in which Israel has decimated the land and livlihood of the Lebanese. But much more important, Israel's failure to deliver a knock-out blow to Hezbollah has given that organization greater cache in the Middle East, if not around the Muslim world. And Israel's devestation of southern Lebanon has converted thousands upon thousands of Lebanese into Hezbollah supporters. And Israel's unquestioning, unswerving supporter, the United States --- the folks who gave Israel the military hardware --- is also looked upon as a loser. George, Hezbollah is now cleaning up physically in southern Lebanon and cleaning up politically --- for the hearts and minds of the people --- everywhere in the Middle East.

The misguided sheep

The evangelical Christians -- not really Christians at all -- are supporting Israel in the conflicts in the Middle East because they believe that by supporting Israel they can affect the Second Coming. In short, they believe they can tip God's hand. They believe they know when the Second Coming will be. But I say they're not really Christians because if they were they would believe God's Word: "You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him." - Luke 12:40, "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come." Mark 13:32-33

I told you so

Israel promises to stop bombing and murdering civilians, but reneges on the promise. But then again, I told you so. See entry for June 28.