Renee's Big Adventure

Allan Tarasiewicz - Not Like Any Other

2006-09-11T06:16:00.000+03:00

I searched the internet looking for information on Allan Tarasiewicz so that I could attempt to create a post in his memory that would make his family smile. The one thing that kept coming into my mind was that he seemed like an ordinary guy. I mean, I knew that if I met him at the supermarket or just walking down the street, I wouldn't have known that I had just met a hero as he didn't wear an "S" on his chest. He would have seemed like a just a regular guy. But that's not true, he wasn't a regular guy. He was a hero. Not just to his family, his loving wife of almost 25 years Patricia Ann (Patty) Whitfield, not just his daughter Melissa or his son Allan T., and not just to his mother Connie, or his two brothers, Harry Joseph Jr. and Mark, and his sister, Cathy Mizzi-Gili. He was a hero to every child that looked at a fireman and said that's what I want to be when I grow up (as Allan Tarasiewicz did). He was a hero to every man, woman, or child that called for help during the most traumatic events in their lives ~ a fire. He was a hero because Allan Tarasiewicz did the opposite of what the majority of us want to do in the face of danger ~ run in the opposite direction. No, Mr. Tarasiewicz didn't run in the face of danger, he ran into danger because he loved his job, he loved helping people. He was a hero.

I can give you links to several stories that give you the stats of his life: he was 45 when he died. He was the shortest man in his firehouse so the rest of the guys in his firehouse built him a booster step so he could easily climb onto the rig. He was the prankster of the firehouse; one time serving up a meal of breaded chicken cutlets. It wasn't until someone complained about the toughness of the chicken that they found out that they were actually eating breaded and fried dirty, old sponges. He was a member of Rescue 5 (who lost 11 men on 9/11). And he loved being a fireman.

But I think his daughter said it best in her tribute to firefighters:

"Firemen, you are not like any other. You are our heroes, the men all kids dream to be. When everyone's at their weakest, you stay strong and never give up hope. If we could only have more people like you in this world, maybe, just maybe, it really could be a perfect world."

Thank you Mr. Tarasiewicz, for being our hero. May you rest in peace.

You too can own one!

2006-08-26T13:33:00.000+03:00

Some things just leave me speechless.

UK: 21 drawings attributed to Hitler to be auctioned

Drawings made when Nazi leader was a soldier serving in Flanders during World War; auctioneers say some could sell for up to USD 8,000

Associated Press Published: 08.26.06, 01:11

Twenty-one watercolors and sketches attributed to Adolf Hitler will be sold by a British auction house on September 26, officials said Friday.

The drawings were made when Hitler was a soldier serving in Flanders during World War I, said Ian Morris, auctioneer at Jefferys Auctioneers at Lostwithiel in Cornwall in southwest England.

The images, mostly pallid landscapes, are not regarded as adept, but the auctioneers say some could sell for up to 5,000 pounds (USD 8,000) a piece.

"They were painted in his formative years before he became political," Morris told British Broadcasting Corp. Television, "so you could look at the pictures and see the psychology inside the man's head, rather than what he became."

Holocaust survivor Ellen Davis said the sale was an attempt to remember Hitler as an artist, "when he is remembered as a monster. He was not an artist."

"If I had it (a painting) in my house, I think I would have my house fumigated - I would put it out on my lawn and set a match to it," she said.

Speechless, but nauseous.

The "Human Rights Watch" Watch, Installment 1

2006-08-25T19:23:00.000+03:00

This is an excellent piece written by Allen Dershowitz. The opening paragraph:

"Who will guard the guardians?" asked Roman satirist Juvenal. Now we must ask, who is watching Human Rights Watch, one of the world's best-financed and most influential human rights organizations? It turns out that they cook the books about facts, cheat on interviews, and put out pre-determined conclusions that are driven more by their ideology than by evidence.

These are serious accusations, and they are demonstrably true.

Tihs was published in today's Jerusalem Post. Unfortunately, they don't have an online version of the article so here's a link to the article on an online blog. Read the article, skip the idiotic comments after the article.

All your fakes are belong to us

2006-08-24T20:21:00.000+03:00

Pretty cool comment on the latest fauxtagraphy scandles, starring Green Helmet and Flat Fatima. Not to be missed.

The Red Cross Ambulance Incident

2006-08-24T20:08:00.000+03:00

How the Media Legitimized an Anti-Israel Hoax and Changed the Course of a War

Ok, this is pretty long. Follow the link above but try not to look at how far away the bottom of the page is from the top because then you might not read it. And it's pretty important that you do read it. It's amazing. The entire story. You see, the entire world press reported on an incident that simply never happened.

On the night of July 23, 2006, an Israeli aircraft intentionally fired missiles at and struck two Lebanese Red Cross ambulances performing rescue operations, causing huge explosions that injured everyone inside the vehicles. Or so says the global media, including Time magazine, the BBC, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times and thousands of other outlets around the world. If true, the incident would have been an egregious and indefensible violation of the Geneva Convention, and would constitute a war crime committed by the state of Israel.

But there's one problem: It never happened.

I'll give you picture as a tease and ask you to look at it closely ...... see anything fishy?

No? Ok, try this one. It's the same ambulance, different lighting.

Now I'm no expert on fauxtagraphy or ambulances or forensic evidence but if the top of that ambulance was hit by a missile, wouldn't you expect the edges of that huge whole to be jutting down into the ambulance instead of being so neatly folded over the outside????

Click the link. Read the story. Just do it!!

The sky didn't fall!

2006-08-23T13:23:00.000+03:00

We're all still standing!! That's the good news. The bad news is that Amnesty International is accusing Israel of war crimes. So what else is new?

Amnesty: Israel deliberately hit civilian targets

Rights group Amnesty International accused Israel on Wednesday of deliberately targeting civilians during its campaign against Hizbullah in Lebanon and said the Jewish state may be guilty of war crimes.

So my question for Amnesty International is whether or not Lebanon is guilty of war crimes for harboring and abating a terrorist army within their sovereignty that calls for the genocide of the Jews?

And then of course, there's the thousands of ketusha rockets aimed and directed at civilian targets by the Hezbollah, causing over 100 deaths, 100s of injuries, and a million people to either flee the north to refugee camps in the south or retreat to bomb shelters for a month. That barely got a mention in their (cough cough) report.

It's 3:00 PM

2006-08-22T15:07:00.000+03:00

And all is well. No sign of Armageddon (yet).

The Sky is Falling!

2006-08-21T19:33:00.000+03:00

Today might be our last full day on this earth. Tomorrow is August 22 and, according to Muslim legend, might have a great significance for us this year.

What is the significance of Aug. 22? This year, Aug. 22 corresponds, in the Islamic calendar, to the 27th day of the month of Rajab of the year 1427. This, by tradition, is the night when many Muslims commemorate the night flight of the prophet Muhammad on the winged horse Buraq, first to "the farthest mosque," usually identified with Jerusalem, and then to heaven and back (c.f., Koran XVII.1). This might well be deemed an appropriate date for the apocalyptic ending of Israel and if necessary of the world. It is far from certain that Mr. Ahmadinejad plans any such cataclysmic events precisely for Aug. 22. But it would be wise to bear the possibility in mind.

So tomorrow might just be our last day on earth. If it's going to be my last day on earch, gosh darn it, I'm going to enjoy. First of all, I'm not going to the gym. As a matter of fact, I don't plan on sweating at all tomorrow. I'm going to turn the air conditioning on bright and early. I'm going to go out for lunch. A good lunch. A nice, thick hamburger and definitely ice cream for dessert. The real stuff. The stuff they sell in the Italian ice cream parolor down the road ~ not the low fat, no carb stuff that currently fills my freezer. Yum!

I asked Noga (my dog) what she would like to do on her last day on earth and she's still contemplating it. I'm thinking an open field might in order for her to run a bit. She doesn't have the same no sweating rules as I do. I asked Michel what he thinks about for his last day on earth. He said he'd get back to me on Wednesday.

Cartoon of the Day

2006-08-21T08:57:00.000+03:00

Today's cartoon comes from Cox & Forkum.

I've also included a quote from their explanation of the cartoon, via the Boston Herald, in an article entitled "With doublespeaking French, honor gets lost in translation."

In recent weeks, France stepped forward to act as a broker of peace in Lebanon. “Act” is the key verb in that last sentence, as it now would seem that the only other verifiable part of the sentence is “in recent weeks.”

To correctly parse that sentence, one must understand that when France suggested it wanted to broker peace in Lebanon, it did not necessarily mean “broker” or "peace” or “Lebanon” in the way we might understand those words. The same is true when France further suggested it wanted to “lead” a “strong” “multinational” “force” there.

I don’t speak French, so I have no idea what the actual French words are for those concepts or what possible nuances there may be. I’ve been relying on news reports in English, which now inform me that the French do not intend to send any significant number of troops to what is supposed to be a force of 15,000 in Lebanon, like everyone thought they said they would.

The heady moment of peace brokering having passed, uponsober reflection, the French now say they already have a general and some staff in south Lebanon ordering about UNIFIL, the U.N. monitoring entity there. That’s plenty of leadership, the French suggested: All France needs to contribute now is another 200 combat engineers.

In tactical terms, when it comes to securing a Middle East conflict zone, that can be referred to as “squat.”

Iran military training plane crash

2006-08-20T10:12:00.000+03:00

Iran has been flexing her military muscles of late, showing the world her military strength and holding training exercises that started Saturday and could run for as long as five weeks. Ataollah Salehi, commander-in-chief of Iran's army, said: "The enemy has gone mad facing Hezbollah's strength and we should keep ourselves prepared given the history we have from our mad enemy."

And this just in from the Jerusalem Post:

A military training plane crashed outside the capital of Tehran after catching fire, state-run television reported Sunday.

The broadcast said the plane was making an emergency landing on a highway in northeast Tehran but it crashed after a wing of the plane hit a water reservior and burst into flames. The television said the only person in the plane, the pilot, parachuted safely.

I'm not sure about the "mad" part, but I am pretty happy to hear about the accident and wish them the same success for the next five weeks.

Israel disrupts arms delivery to Hezbollah

2006-08-20T09:45:00.000+03:00

And the great leader Kofi Annan condems Israel.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said an Israeli raid in Lebanon on Saturday violated the U.N.-backed truce and made him “deeply concerned.”

“The secretary-general is deeply concerned about a violation by the Israeli side of the cessation of hostilities as laid out in Security Council resolution 1701,” a spokesman for Annan said in a statement posted on the U.N. Web site. “The incident involved an Israeli raid in eastern Lebanon on Saturday.”

Israel said the commando attack on a Hizbollah stronghold in eastern Lebanon was defensive and was designed to disrupt weapons supplies to Hizbollah from Syria and Iran.

All this happened at the same time the French sent in their 50 troops to act as peacekeepers. Yeah, that should do it.

History Test

2006-08-20T09:30:00.000+03:00

Apparently, this history test has been around for at least a year but I just got a copy now and so I'm adding it here.

Do you remember?

1. In 1968 Bobby Kennedy was shot and killed by:
A. Superman
B. Jay Lenno
C. Harry Potter
D. A Muslim male extremist between the ages of 17 and 40

2. In 1972 at the Munich Olympics, athletes were kidnapped and massacred by:
A. Olga Corbett
B. Sitting Bull
C. Arnold Schwarzenegger
D. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

3. In 1979, the US embassy in Iran was taken over by:
A. Lost Norwegians
B. Elvis
C. A tour bus full of 80-year-old women
D. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

4. During the 1980's a number of Americans were kidnapped in Lebanon by:
A. John Dillinger
B. The King of Sweden
C. The Boy Scouts
D. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

5. In 1983, the US Marine barracks in Beirut was blown up by:
A. A pizza delivery boy
B. Pee Wee Herman
C. Geraldo Rivera
D. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

6. In 1985 the cruise ship Achille Lauro was hijacked and a 70 year old American passenger was murdered and thrown overboard in his wheelchair by:
A. The Smurfs
B. Davy Jones
C. The Little Mermaid
D. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

7. In 1985 TWA flight 847 was hijacked at Athens, and a US Navy diver trying to rescue passengers was murdered by:
A. Captain Kidd
B. Charles Lindberg
C. Mother Teresa
D. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

8. In 1988, Pan Am Flight 103 was bombed by:
A. Scooby Doo
B. The Tooth Fairy
C. Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid
D. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

9. In 1993 the World Trade Center was bombed the first time by:
A. Richard Simmons
B. Grandma Moses
C. Michael Jordan
D. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

10. In 1998, the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania were bombed by:
A. Mr. Rogers
B. Hillary Clinton, to distract attention from Wild Bill's women problems
C. The World Wrestling Federation
D. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

11. On 9/11/01, four airliners were hijacked; two were used as missiles to take
Out the World Trade Centers and of the remaining two, one crashed into the US Pentagon and the other was diverted and crashed by the passengers. Thousands of people were killed by:
A. Bugs Bunny, Wiley E. Coyote, Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd
B. The Supreme Court of Florida
C. Mr. Bean
D. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

12. In 2002 the United States fought a war in Afghanistan against:
A. Enron
B. The Lutheran Church
C. The NFL
D. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

13. In 2002 reporter Daniel Pearl was kidnapped and murdered by:
A. Bonnie and Clyde
B. Captain Kangaroo
C. Billy Graham
D. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

Nope, .....I really don't see a pattern here to justify profiling, do you?

So, to ensure we Americans never offend anyone, particularly fanatics intent on killing us, airport security screeners will no longer be allowed to profile certain people. They must conduct random searches of 80-year-old women, little kids, airline pilots with proper identification, secret agents who are members of the President's security detail, 85-year old Congressmen with metal hips, and Medal of Honor winning and former Governor Joe Foss, but leave Muslim males between the ages 17 and 40 alone because of profiling.

As the writer of the award winning story "Forrest Gump" so aptly put it, "stupid is as stupid does."

Photo Presentations of Haifa Destruction

2006-08-19T21:11:00.000+03:00

We've all seen the many, many photos of the destruction in Lebanon but there hasn't been too much said or shown re the damage done to the north of Israel from the over 3000 rockets fired by the Hezbollah. Vital Perspective has two very good PowerPoint presentations showing a few of the rockets that fell and the damage they did. It's a miracle that more people weren't hurt up in the north and you'll think so too when you see this.

Palestinian Journalists Protest Kidnapping

2006-08-19T20:36:00.000+03:00

Have you seen this man? This is Steve Centanni, a Fox news correspondent. He was kidnapped along with his cameraman, Olaf Wiig, last Monday and neither have been heard of since. While kidnappings of westerners has become somewhat commonplace in Gaza, more than two dozen foreigners have been abducted by Palestinian militants, usually in an attempt to settle personal scores, but this case is particularly worrisome since none of the usual characters have admitted knowledge of this incident and this is the longest foreigners have been held.

Read all about it here.

Cartoon of the Day

2006-08-19T11:11:00.000+03:00

See, the thing is that Bibi is responsible for putting Kadima in power. His overthrow of the Likud was the catalyst for the creation of Kadima. Had he not done that, the Likud party would still be in power (probably).

So now everyone is really unhappy with Olmert but where do we go from here? I'm hearing whispers of Bi-bi Bi-bi in the streets but I'm not sure I could vote for him after what he did ..... it's a tough call. But a change is definately in the air.

My Thoughts on the Cease Fire

2006-08-19T11:03:00.000+03:00

I haven't really gone into this cease fire and how I feel about it. I think I'm still in shock over the whole situation really. Did Bush and Olmert really think that anyone was going to walk up to Nasrallah and demand that he hand over their guns? How could they agree to such an agreement? So no, they had to know that the Hezbollah would never agree to disarm. And perhaps they even guessed that the cowardly Lebanese government would classify them as national heroes and refuse to even request that the Hezbollah disarm. So now what? Do we go back? If so, why are we giving the Hezbollah time to rearm themselves? Why are we giving the citizens of Lebanon a chance to repopulate the south?

And now, since the Lebanese government is now being complacent with the Hezbollah, are we considering them and the Lebanese citizens the enemy now?

I think every Israeli is asking themselves these questions and waiting to see what the answers will be. It's very much on all of our minds ~ I'm even dreaming of Hezbollah rockets landing in Kiryat Shmona now.

Cartoon of the Day

2006-08-18T17:24:00.000+03:00

Took a few days of blogging off but I'm back and here's today's cartoon of the day.

Justice in Palestine

2006-08-15T12:10:00.000+03:00

This is the story as per Reuters:

Suspected Palestinian collaborator killed in W.Bank13 Aug 2006 13:43:19 GMT
Source: Reuters
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
More JENIN, West Bank, Aug 13 (Reuters) - Gunmen from a Palestinian militant group shot dead a man suspected of collaborating with Israel in front a crowd of people in the West Bank city of Jenin on Sunday, witnesses said.

Television pictures showed the handcuffed and blindfolded man, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, being forced to kneel in front of a mound of sand before being shot several times in the chest by at least two gunmen dressed in combat uniforms.

A crowd of several dozen people cheered and shouted "Allahu Akbar" (God is Greatest) as the man fell backwards and died. Witnesses said the 25-year-old was killed by members of the Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, a militant group allied to Fatah, the party of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

They said the man had confessed to informing on members of Islamic Jihad, another militant group, to the Israelis.

The Aqsa Martyrs Brigade confirmed that some of its members had taken part in the killing. Executions have occurred in the past when suspected collaborators have been discovered.

Note that the article didn't come with any accompanying photos. It's not that the photos weren't available though, because they are.

For some reason I'm unable to upload photos at this moment and forgive me but I forget the code to do it manually. Here's the link and I'll add them later.

Do follow the link. Do look at the pictures and Do note that although Reuters says there was "a crowd of several dozen", the blurb accompanying one of the photos says:

Palestinians, some taking pictures with their mobile phones, gather around the body of an alleged 'collaborator' after gunmen, who identified themselves as members of the Islamic Jihad group, shot him and killed him in a public square in the West Bank town of Jenin Sunday Aug. 13, 2006. The man, who was executed in front of hundreds of people, was accused by the gunmen of giving information to Israeli authorities, helping them to kill two militants last week in a targeted attack, said witnesses and Islamic Jihad members. The victim was identified as Bassem Malah, 22, who worked in the Israeli Arab town of Umm al Fahm. (AP Photo/Mohammed Ballas)

According to some sources, the accused man, who was due to be married next week, confessed to his crime after being interrogated by a "truth squad."

I think it's interesting that I couldn't find ONE story online that used a picture to describe the scene and that there were clearly more than "a couple of dozen" people watching this "event."

I guess only pics of people killed by Israelis are newsworthy these days.

Unfortunately, I think BiBi Hit the Nail on the Head

2006-08-14T17:42:00.000+03:00

Netanyahu: There will be another round in this war
By JPOST.COM STAFF

Opposition leader MK Binyamin Netanyahu (Likud) told the Knesset that "unfortunately, there will be another round [in this war] because the government's just demands weren't met" by the cease-fire agreement that went into effect Monday morning.

"The [kidnapped] soldiers weren't returned home, the Hizbullah was not disarmed … Right now, we are [merely] in an interim period between wars," Netanyahu warned. "And there is no one who will prevent our enemies from rearmed and preparing for the next round."

Be Brave ~ Be Strong

2006-08-14T10:22:00.000+03:00

Grab your tissues and watch this video from Voices For Israel. If it comes through choppy then let it completely download before you play it.

Cartoon of the Day

2006-08-14T07:44:00.000+03:00

Pictures of the Day

2006-08-13T12:16:00.000+03:00

This picture was taken at a stop the war rally in San Francisco. And here's more.

Cartoon of the Day

2006-08-12T07:17:00.000+03:00

Condoleezza Rice depicted in the Palestinian Controlled Al Quds as pregnant with a monkey. The image's caption read, "Rice speaks about birth of new Middle East."

More on Fauxtography

2006-08-11T18:04:00.000+03:00

Israel vs. Hezbollah, right vs. wrong

2006-08-11T13:55:00.000+03:00

I told you I loved this man. Another great piece by Joseph Farah

How people view the conflict in Lebanon is a barometer for determining their ability to discern right from wrong.

If you hear someone fudge on this conflict, it is an indication of a moral failing, a weakness in their heart, a defect in their brain, a darkness in their very soul.

There is no better picture of evil in the world today that the terrorist organization Hezbollah. Founded by the mullahs in Iran, facilitated by two generations of dictators in Syria, it was Hezbollah that killed 241 U.S. Marines sent to Beirut to protect the Lebanese people. Collectively, its terrorist attacks – from Latin America to Asia – have probably killed more innocent people than have been murdered even by al-Qaida.

Hezbollah is bigger and better armed than al-Qaida. And it has maintained an operational alliance with Osama bin Laden's terror network for years.

Quite simply, Hezbollah seeks in the short term to kill all the Jews in the Middle East or scatter them abroad. In the long term, it seeks to impose a worldwide Shiite theocracy like the one currently enjoyed by the people of Iran.

In the other corner, we have Israel. It is hardly a flawless and perfect state. There is no such thing in the world and never has been. But it is a legitimate state founded where no other state existed by a consensus of world opinion following the murder of 6 million Jews in Germany's concentration camps. Israel served as a refuge for nearly 1 million Arab Jews persecuted throughout the Middle East – more, by the way, than even the most exaggerated claims of Arab Palestinian refugees displaced by the war of 1948.

As many other observers have pointed out, you don't need to know much about the complicated history of the Middle East to understand the difference between Israel and its enemies. If Israel's enemies – including Hezbollah – had the power to destroy Israel, it would do so in a heartbeat. Israel, however, actually possesses such awesome power and, of course, has never used it.

There is no moral murkiness here. The raw, unadulterated evil that is Hezbollah is on display for all to see. The basic decency and compassion of the Jewish state has been on display for nearly 60 years.

Yet, look around us and see how many people are still "confused." A recent Los Angeles Times poll showed most Democrats are incapable of making any distinctions between these two warring parties. Sadly, a third of Republicans are also unwilling or unable to distinguish good from evil when it comes to this conflict.

Looking outside the U.S., the picture of moral confusion is even worse. At least half the world is cheering on Hezbollah.

This has nothing to do with Israel's behavior or the behavior of the U.S. Nothing we or the Jews of Israel could do would change the opinion of those aligned with Hezbollah. Like the pharaoh in Egypt, their hearts have been hardened. It will take an act of God to get people like that to see the light – something to hope and pray for, perhaps, but not something any argument will change.

It's disturbing to me to see so many people living in moral confusion – moral darkness. It's worse to think so many Americans are falling into this abyss. It's even more shocking to see so many Israelis incapable of understanding the stakes in this conflict.

There are a lot of people getting weak in the knees right now.

It's not without precedent.

It happened before in 1939.

The dangers we face in the world today are comparable to what the world faced back then – maybe worse.

Today, the Nazis are those claiming to be the original Aryans. In fact, that's a derivation of the name of their country – Iran. They speak openly of wanting to destroy all the Jews. They are working feverishly on the development of nuclear weapons – something Hitler could only dream about.

It's not a time for going wobbly. It's not a time for moral confusion. It's not a time for myopia in distinguishing right from wrong.

Deja Vu All Over Again

2006-08-11T13:27:00.000+03:00

Think back to the year 1948. The State of Israel is created and promptly attacked by armies from Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Egypt, and a token force from Saudi Arabia. The Palestinians living in Israel were urged to flee so they wouldn't get caught up in the crossfire and were promised their homes upon the defeat of Israel. And they're still to this day living in refugee camps all over the middle east.

And here's an exerpt from Nasrallah's speech on Wednesday:

"I have a special message to the Arabs of Haifa, to your martyrs and to your wounded. I call on you to leave this city. I hope you do this. ... Please leave so we don't shed your blood, which is our blood," Nasrallah said.

The more things change, the more they stay same.

UK Foils Terror Plot ~ Analysis

2006-08-10T20:35:00.000+03:00

You've all heard about it, read about it, watched it on TV. I know I did ~ I was glued to the TV all day today as a matter of fact. The blog Vital Perspective gives an excellent analysis which I'll repeat for you below.

Lessons From Britain: GWOT Focus May Shift From al-Qaeda to Iran, Hezbollah

Here's a bit on analysis for you on the foiled terror plot as we wait for President Bush to begin his remarks on the news of the day. We believe there are four takeaway lessons from this incident:

While there obviously remains a threat from those not only sympathetic to al-Qaeda, but actually participating in planning with those in the al-Qaeda leadership, their ability to launch successful attacks outside of the Middle East is severely degraded.

If the compromised terror cell does have 50 people, 21 of which have already been detained, then al-Qaeda might have lost its ability to operate below the radar of Western -- or at least British -- intelligence agencies. The defining characteristic of al-Qaeda has always been its ability to maintain operational security. If that has been compromised, then al-Qaeda's importance as a force has diminished greatly.

Though further attacks could occur, it appears al-Qaeda has lost the ability to alter the political decision-making of its targets. The September 11 attack changed the world. The Madrid train attacks changed a government. This failed airliner attack only succeeded in closing an airport temporarily.

The vanguard of Islamic terrorism appears to have passed from Sunni/Wahhabi focused al-Qaeda to Shiite Iran and Hezbollah. It is Iran that is shaping Western policies on the Middle East, and Hezbollah who is directly engaged with Israel. In contrast, al-Qaeda appears unable to do significantly more than issue videos. This shift will obviously refocus Western -- and particularly U.S. -- foreign policy from the old threat to the new threat.

One Too Many

2006-08-10T20:15:00.000+03:00

CBS's Mike Wallace interviewed Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Tehran to be broadcast in the US this week. Here's what Mr. Wallace had to say about the President:

"He's an impressive fellow, this guy. He really is. He's obviously smart as hell."

Obviously

"You'll find him an interesting man," he said. "I expected more of a firebrand. I don't think he has the slightest doubt about how he feels ... about the American administration and the Zionist state. He comes across as more rational than I had expected."

Hey Mike, that Zionist state has a name or have you become so influenced by your new friend that you've picked up his slang?

Oh, and by the way, any chance you asked him his thoughts on the Holocaust? Last time I heard one of his lectures on the subject he denied that it happened.

Me thinks you did one interview too many friend. Definitely time to hang up your mike, Mike.

Good Luck!

2006-08-10T12:56:00.000+03:00

A message of good luck for Israeli pilots/troops on the roof of a house near the northern border. Brilliant! And of course, behatslecha.

Fair and Balanced Reporting: BBC vs. Al-Jazeeeera

2006-08-10T10:29:00.000+03:00

The article Compare and Contrast over at EU Referendum compares a recent event in the Israel vs. Hezbollah conflict ~ the way the event was covered by the BBC and the coverage of the same event by Al-Jazeeeeeeera. Guess which news organization got their nod as having the most fair and balanced report? Go ahead. Guess. I dare you.

Cartoon of the Day

2006-08-10T07:45:00.000+03:00

Cartoon of the Day

2006-08-09T19:33:00.000+03:00

Canadian Reverend & His Ethical Investments

2006-08-09T19:02:00.000+03:00

This is a fascinating email exchange between Reverend Lawrence Pushee, co-chair of the Toronto Conference of the United Church of Canada's Task Group for Ethical Investment in the Middle East and leader of the divestment campaign against Israel and a Toronto pastor (who doesn't support the United Church's agenda in any way). It appeared in the Canadian National Post newspaper.

United Church Minister: 'Israel is out of control'
National Post, Fri., Aug. 4th, p.A11

What follows are edited excerpts of an email exchange between Kenneth Wiener and Rev. Lawrence Pushee. Mr. Wiener is a Toronto lawyer. Rev. Pushee is co-chair of the Toronto Conference of the United Church of Canada's Task Group for Ethical Investment in the Middle East.

Wiener: In light of [the July 12] unprovoked attack by Hezbollah on Israel, please advise whether your task force intends to recommend that the United Church divest itself of investments connected to Lebanon, Iran and/or Syria.

Pushee: Thank you for your interest in the nonviolent/economic action of Toronto Conference of the United Church regarding Israel's destructive policies in the Middle East. I am assigned the task of answering your questions concerning our church's possible relationships to so-called "terrorist" organizations like Hezbollah and the three Arab regimes you cited.

To answer your question. Of course, we deplore any provocative action by extremists in Gaza or by Hezbollah, especially when human lives are destroyed. However, it needs to be said that Israel's disproportionate responses to any and all provocations, even when they amount to a response to the mere embarassment of tunnelling under Israeli security barriers and abducting a hapless Israeli recruit by Palestinians, not only cause the international community the gravest concern, but also the Arab world.

Is this a question of a deficiency in the intelligence quotients of those who govern Israel? We 'Wonder. This enigma causes some to wonder if, far from an intelligence deficiency amongst Israeli government leaders, there is a deeper purpose at work in Israeli governmental strategy. And that is: to take every opportunity to destroy any potential for Palestinians to ever manage to create a viable nation of their own. Accordingly, Israel military forces bomb all Palestinian infrastructure and institutions, carry out illegal assassinations in the best Mafia-style of potential Palestinian leadership, and arrest democratically elected Palestinian government leaders as terrorists.

All this to say, Mr. Wiener, that Israel is being so greedy in such a nasty and murderous way that we find ourselves very sympathetic to the Palestinian complaints. We are also working for the survival of Israel in peace and security with internationally recognized borders as much as for the same future for a Palestinian state.

We are sick and tired of the pro-Israeli government lobby in Canada telling us what to understand about the "security" issues of Israel. We are fed up with the biased press that focuses on one abducted Israel soldier. Israel is out of control.

More and more people are going to challenge the fanatically promoted conventional notions about the victimization of Israel at the hand of terrorists. If you do not care, no matter. I gain power from rehearsing the justice issues involved and I continue to hope that more Canadians will be coming on side to demand that Israel cease being a menace to peace in the Middle East

Wiener: The tenor of your e-mail diatribe is one I would expect from a second year political science, student at university, not a reverend of the United Church. Hamas, Hezbollah and their Arab state sponsors are not "out of control"? Ehud Barak was "out of control"? I note in responding to me "you gain power from rehearsing the justice issues involved." I trust you will thus be pleased when I circulate your e-mail so others can see the tenor of your response to me.

Pushee: You reveal yourself. As a definite partisan, you are prepared to share with others, without my consent, my personal comments to you. This is something that I am discovering about pro-Israeli government folk, I suppose because their position is morally bankrupt. This constitutes a moral defect in yourself.

Now we have eight Canadians dead because of Israeli military action. Are you a Canadian? Does it matter to you? Can you honestly imagine that Israel's responses on all fronts have anything to do with rescuing three Israeli abductees? Are we talking an Israeli arithmatic here? One Israeli soldier equals so many Arabs?

So, Mr. Wiener, you can publish my remarks if you like, but such intimidation and fear mongering are most ineffectual. I will defend this position with my life. Why?
Because I hear the pain of the Palestinians.

If you can't get that message, if you refuse to even consider it, I pity you.

By the way, you do have my permission to publish this statement Do you dare?

I guess he dared .

Israpundit has this reply from someone within the church:

Response from United Church moderator’s office
Filed under: Front Page, Israel
August 4, 2006

The General Council of The United Church of Canada has been made aware of recent pieces of correspondence from the Rev. Lawrence Pushee related to the current conflict in the Middle East, and to the Toronto Conference action on ethical investment in Palestine and Israel.

The Rev. Pushee does not have the authority to speak on behalf of The United Church of Canada as a national body.

As a co-chair of one of its committees, Mr. Pushee is accountable to Toronto Conference, a regional body of The United Church of Canada.

Concerns regarding Mr. Pushee’s correspondence are being forwarded to the Executive of that Conference, through its Executive Secretary, the Rev. David Allen.

Within the denomination there are widely varying views on the subject he addresses. At the national level, no policy on divestment exists. A Proposal related to the matter is presently making its way for consideration and decision by the General Council at its meeting 13 August to 19 August 2006 in Thunder Bay, Ontario.

The General Council deeply regrets the tone of Rev. Pushee’s remarks and the hurt they have caused. It is working with Toronto Conference to ensure that no further correspondence of this nature takes place.

This has been a regrettable moment in the life of our church. We are an institution that embraces vigorous differences and debate; we see both as part of our commitment to discerning Gospel values and to determining faithful action. Part of that commitment of our church is to respectful engagement rather than disparaging comment. I am very aware the present controversy is having profoundly negative consequences beyond the church as well as inside it. I assure you that we are doing everything we can to move the matter to a better place.

Rev. Dr. Jim Sinclair
General Secretary, General Council
The United Church of Canada

Interesting. They don't agree with Reverend Pushee's tone but he says nothing about the substance. Yeah, I trust these clowns to make moral investment decisions. Sure I do.

Note: The unedited version of the original email exchange can be found here.

All in the name of good PR

2006-08-08T21:06:00.000+03:00

Well, I'm still stunned by what I just read/heard here. Washington Post reporter Thomas Ricks was being interviewed on CNN and said that military analysts he's consulted with have told him that Israel is intentionally leaving pockets of katushas in the hands of the Hezbollah so that the Israeli death toll will increase, thereby increasing the Israeli sympathy PR.

He later backtracked a little but "stands by his sources."

Follow the link. Watch the video. After your mouth hits the floor, roll your tongue back in your mouth so you don't accidentally swallow any carpet lint.

Another Must See Video

2006-08-08T17:53:00.000+03:00

Civilians on both sides of the border are suffering ~ for some reason, the world tends to think that the Israelis have been living it up while the Lebanese suffer. This video will help you understand some of what the Israelis are going through.

Mr Siniora, as Chrisse would say, Stop Your Sobbing

2006-08-08T12:57:00.000+03:00

Ok, those of you that know me already know (or can guess) that I'm not a big Dalia Itzik fan. As a matter of fact, I can't even stand looking at the woman (don't shoot me, that's just how I feel). But you gotta love this, from here:

Knesset Speaker Dalia Itzik said Monday that Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora should stop crying and start acting, referring to the premier's emotional speech at an emergency meeting of Arab foreign ministers in Beirut.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

The Jenin Qana Houla Massacre

2006-08-08T08:00:00.000+03:00

BEIRUT, Lebanon (CNN) — Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora said Monday that one person was killed in an Israeli airstrike on the southern village of Houla, not 40 as he had earlier reported.

“The massacre in Houla, it turned out that there was one person killed,” Reuters quoted Siniora as saying. “They thought that the whole building smashed on the heads of about 40 people ... thank God they have been saved.”

Siniora had earlier told Arab foreign ministers in Beirut that the attack “was a horrific massacre ... in which more than 40 martyrs were victims of deliberate bombing.”

I watched as Siniora was speaking to the Arab foreign ministers and tearfully spoke of this latest massacre. I then searched the web for news/pictures and was pleasantly surprised to see that none of the mainstream media were reporting it. Maybe they're finally learning their lesson (journalism 101 I think covers the part about checking sources and facts but I could be wrong).

Lebanon Myths & Facts

2006-08-07T14:22:00.000+03:00

Media Manipulation

2006-08-07T12:10:00.000+03:00

Bad enough as it is that Reuters is accepting doctored photographs (check out the excellent reports at EUReferendum, Little Green Footballs, and this excellent showing of other possibly faked photos at Confederate Yankee), but did you realize that the even the news itself is being manipulated for your viewing pleasure? I mean, if a company like Reuters would accept doctored photographs that end up on the front pages of the world's newspapers, why wouldn't they accept doctored news events as well?

Follow the link in the title to Honest Reporting's article on how the world media is being manipulated by the Hezbollah. Here's a teaser to get you to follow the link:

"CNN senior international correspondent" Nic Robertson admitted that his anti-Israel report from Beirut on July 18 about civilian casualties in Lebanon, was stage-managed from start to finish by Hizbullah. He revealed that his story was heavily influenced by Hizbullah's "press officer" and that Hizbullah have "very, very sophisticated and slick media operations."

When pressed a few days later about his reporting on the CNN program "Reliable Sources," Robertson acknowledged that Hizbullah militants had instructed the CNN camera team where and what to film. Hizbullah "had control of the situation," Robertson said. "They designated the places that we went to, and we certainly didn't have time to go into the houses or lift up the rubble to see what was underneath."

Robertson added that Hizbullah has "very, very good control over its areas in the south of Beirut. They deny journalists access into those areas. You don't get in there without their permission. We didn't have enough time to see if perhaps there was somebody there who was, you know, a taxi driver by day, and a Hizbullah fighter by night."

And more from the same article:

Another journalist let the cat out of the bag last week. Writing on his blog while reporting from southern Lebanon, Time magazine contributor Christopher Allbritton, casually mentioned in the middle of a posting: "To the south, along the curve of the coast, Hezbollah is launching Katyushas, but I'm loathe to say too much about them. The Party of God has a copy of every journalist's passport, and they've already hassled a number of us and threatened one."

So basically, anyone reporting from Lebanon is now working for the Hezbollah Times since they are controlling all information coming out of there. Is that how you want your news reported to you?

Photoshop Fun

2006-08-07T09:09:00.000+03:00

I wish I had as much time as I would need to devote to this blog and make it really something special. Unfortunately, these little fingers need to get typing so that I can get a paycheck ~ it's feast or famine in the medical transcription world and right now I'm in the midst of a feast so I need to get to it.

I did want to share with you a photo that was sent in to Little Green Footballs since it made me laugh, something we all need to do, especially now.

It was submitted by LGF reader humblegunner and said that this was Reuters photographer Adnan Hajj’s first attempt to remove the dust from his Beirut photograph.

If a Picture Paints a Thousand Words ...

2006-08-06T19:02:00.000+03:00

Then why can't I paint you? There's been a lot going on in the blog world lately regarding the pictures coming out of Lebanon. The latest started on Little Green Footballs where they showed this picture:

and made the accusation that the smoke and some of the buildings had been photoshopped. As they put it, "Smoke simply does not contain repeating symmetrical patterns like this, and you can see the repetition in both plumes of smoke. There's really no question about it."

Well guess what? They were right. Reuters has pulled the photo and offered an apology.

Makes you wonder about the rest of the "news" coming out of Lebanon, doesn't it? It should ... (more to come on this in a later post)

Tony Blair Rocks the House!

2006-08-05T19:22:00.000+03:00

Speech to the Los Angeles World Affairs Council, August 1, 2006

In his speech, Blair called for a "complete renaissance" on foreign policy and unequivocaly stood by Israel: "The purpose of the provocation that began the conflict in Lebanon was clear. It was to create chaos and to provoke retaliation by Israel that would lead to Arab and Muslim opinion being inflamed, not against those who started the aggression but against those who responded to it."

It's Not Just About Land

2006-08-05T18:30:00.000+03:00

By Victor Davis Hanson in the Washington Post:

Despite the claims of terrorist organizations, Israel's current two-front war is not just about land. After all, Hezbollah and Hamas fired rockets from Lebanon and Gaza well after Israel had withdrawn from both places.

Indeed, if sacred Arab ground were driving the Middle East crisis, surely Syria would now be willing to risk a shooting war over the all important Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Meanwhile, Cairo is still perhaps the nexus of virulent Arab anti-Semitism, though Israel finished handing over Sinai to Egypt in 1982.
The world prayed that after the unilateral departure of Israel from Lebanon in 2000 and Gaza in 2005, and the recent elections in Beirut and the West Bank, it was witnessing an incremental evolution toward a lasting peace between rational democratic states. Gradually, Israel was returning to its 1967 borders. In response, gradually, it was hoped, Israel's Arab neighbors would vote into office reasonable statesmen who would renounce terror and get on with crafting workable economies and governments. But all that optimism presupposed a radical change in the Middle Eastern mentality that unfortunately hasn't happened.

So, if the most recent war in Lebanon and Gaza is not about land per se, whence arises the elemental desire to destroy Israel?

Read the surprising answer.

The Hezbollah Charter

2006-08-05T18:04:00.000+03:00

In case you still aren't sure why the fighting between Israel and the Hezbollah, you can find a copy of their charter here. Here's an excerpt from the section called Objectives:

Our Objectives:

Let us put it truthfully: the sons of Hizhallah know who are their major
enemies in the Middle East - the Phalanges, Israel, France and the US. The sons
of our umma are now in a state of growing confrontation with them, and will
remain so until the realization of the following three objectives:

(a) to expel the Americans. the French and their allies definitely from
Lebanon, putting an end to any colonialist entity on our land;
(b) to submit the Phalanges to a just power and bring them all to justice
for the crimes they have perpetrated against Muslims and Christians;
(c) to permit all the sons of our people to determine their future and to
choose in all the liberty the form of government they desire. We call upon all
of them to pick the option of Islamic government which, alone, is capable of
guaranteeing justice and liberty for all. Only an Islamic regime can stop any
further tentative attempts of imperialistic infiltration into our country.

And be sure not to miss the special section reserved for Israel:

The Necessity for the Destruction of Israel

We see in Israel the vanguard of the United States in our Islamic world. It is the hated enemy that must be fought until the hated ones get what they deserve. This enemy is the greatest danger to our future generations and to the destiny of our lands, particularly as it glorifies the ideas of settlement and expansion, initiated in Palestine, and yearning outward to the extension of the Great Israel, from the Euphrates to the Nile.

Our primary assumption in our fight against Israel states that the Zionist entity is aggressive from its inception, and built on lands wrested from their owners, at the expense of the rights of the Muslim people. Therefore our struggle will end only when this entity is obliterated. We recognize no treaty with it, no cease fire, and no peace agreements, whether separate or consolidated.

We vigorously condemn all plans for negotiation with Israel, and regard all negotiators as enemies, for the reason that such negotiation is nothing but the recognition of the legitimacy of the Zionist occupation of Palestine. Therefore we oppose and reject the Camp David Agreements, the proposals of King Fahd, the Fez and Reagan plan, Brezhnev's and the French-Egyptian proposals, and all other programs that include the recognition (even the implied recognition) of the Zionist entity.

Now, who is this that keeps talking about cease fires? With whom exactly? Would the US/Britain have made such an agreement with Hitler? And don't forget, Hitler wasn't out for the complete destruction of the US/Britain ~ domination maybe, but not destruction.

Olmert needs to stop pussyfooting around and stop being afraid of what the world is going to say ~ they'll say plenty since they hate us anyway. Who cares? Do what needs to be done to put down these bastards once and for all so that this region can breathe again.

Going Once, Going Twice, GONE!

2006-08-05T14:11:00.000+03:00

Ever wonder what happens to the personal clothing of dead terrorists? Well I do. Constantly. Now I no longer need wonder, thanks to the great folks of Memri. They've got a translated video clip (video #1147) of an auction that took place in Gaza back in May. Yes folks, the clever and resourceful people in Hamas held an auction to help raise some much needed funds. And what did they auction off? You guessed it, the clothing of dead terrorists.

"Oh Muslims, on the land of Gaza, on the land of Palestine, and around the world - Today we are opening the auction of a jacket which belonged to the martyred leader Sallah Shehada. Who will buy it in support of the government of Palestine? Twenty dinars. Who offers a higher bid?" The video shows the auctioneer haggling with buyers. "Five hundred dollars. Allah Akbar, praise be to Allah. Who offers a higher bid? One thousand dollars. Who offers more?"

Another man calls out: "Who wants to buy a place in heaven for a small sum in this world?"

The jacket is eventually sold for 3,000 Jordanian dinars.

"Allah Akbar, praise be to Allah. The world is listening to you, so let it hear: Allah Akbar, praise be to Allah," the auctioneer screams.

The auction ended with an exchange between the auctioneer and the crowd. "What is your goal?" asked the auctioneer. "Allah," the crowd shouted back.

Auctioneer: "Who is your leader?"

Crowd: "The prophet."

Auctioneer: "What is your constitution?"

Crowd: "The Koran."

Auctioneer: "What is your path?"

Crowd: "The Jihad."

Auctioneer: "Let all the countries of the world hear: What is your highest aspiration?"

Crowd: "Death for the sake of Allah."

Auctioneer: "What is your movement?"

Crowd: "Hamas."

I wonder if any of this stuff will make it to PBS in time for their fall pledge drive.

New York's Bravest

2006-08-05T08:51:00.000+03:00

NY firemen come to reinforce locals

Eleven New York firefighters put their lives on hold this week and paid their way to Jerusalem, where they have been volunteering in a number of understaffed stations.

Because of rocket-caused fires in the North, fire stations elsewhere started sending units to help, leaving places like Jerusalem in need of more personnel.

"It's a good feeling to know somebody's thinking about you," said Arik Nisimov, a firefighter at the Giva station. "That here are guys that will come and help, no matter how far we are between countries."

Nathan Rothschild, commissioner of the Monsey fire district in New York's Rockland County, who planned the whole trip, said 22 more firemen would be coming to Israel next week to replace firemen in other parts of the country.

He said that his relationship with the Fire and Rescue Services began when it contacted him several years ago with a request to find cheap fire trucks. He managed to get what was needed for about 20 percent of the cost.

When he heard about the Katyusha attacks on the North, he correctly assumed that fire departments throughout the country would come under severe strain. He then had the idea to gather volunteers to help, immediately got the approval of Shimon Romach, the Fire and Rescue Services commissioner, and three days later they arrived at Ben-Gurion Airport with a warm welcome and a minibus that said "New York Firefighters."

The New Yorkers have been getting to know their local counterparts while helping them respond to calls since Monday.

"We learned that Israeli 'chick-chak,'" Rothschild said. "It's amazing to see they can successfully do it as firefighters as well."

"Firefighting is the same job no matter where you go," said Evan Humphrey, one of the volunteers. "It's one big brotherhood like everybody says."

As well as working hard, the New Yorkers pray three times a day and visited the Western Wall for Tisha Be'av.

For Jacob Strauss spirituality was paramount in his decision to come and help Israel. "Religion played a big part," he said. "We mention Yerushalayim all the time in our daily prayers. To talk is one thing, but to actually act and to actually help is another."

Eli Sabo, who is also an undergraduate at Yeshiva University, agrees that there was a very Jewish feeling of duty. "We all feel a strong connection," he said. "As opposed to just sitting there watching what's going on, we wanted to help out."

The Israeli firemen interviewed, as well Ofer Shefer, the instructor officer of the fire department, were extremely grateful that the New Yorkers came to help.

"I think it's unbelievable," Ofer said. "They're full of Zionism, they're full of wanting to help. Excellent people, and we enjoy them very much - first of all because they're all professionals. They are very well trained. Secondly, they're very nice people."

"It makes us all feel very good," said Doron Moshe, a fireman at the Giva station. "It's like a big brother over there watching us. Knowing that when you need him he will come makes you feel peaceful. In Israel, at this time, the general mood is about going and helping. They have a Thanksgiving once a year, we have a war. Everybody's together helping each other."

The Four Mothers (now three)

2006-08-05T08:50:00.000+03:00

A must read.

We Will Not Capitulate

2006-08-05T08:37:00.000+03:00

Simply brilliant

Overreacting

2006-08-05T08:28:00.000+03:00

CANNIBALS

A Texan, a Frenchman and an Israeli are on a plane flying over the Pacific Ocean when the engines stop functioning. The plane crash-lands on a Pacific Island and the 3 are immediately captured by a tribe of cannibals and taken to their village. The Chief tells the 3 captives that these cannibals are civilized and they have a custom on their island that before they eat anyone, they grant that person his or her last wishes, no matter what they are.

He asks the Texan, "What is your last wish?" The Texan replies, "I want a 2 inch thick steak with all the trimmings, Cajun fries and a case of Bud." The Chief motions to some of his tribesmen who immediately run into the jungle and come back with the steak, the fries and the beer. The Texan eats his meal and he is thrown in the pot.

The Frenchman is asked, "What is your last wish?" He replies, "I'd like a case of Dom Perignon and I'd also like a big plate of escargots cooked in the French manner." The Chief motions to his tribesmen who immediately rush off into the jungle and bring back everything the Frenchman asked for. He eats and drinks his fill, and he is then thrown in the pot.

The Chief turns to the Israeli and asks, "And what is your wish?" The Israeli looks the Chief squarely in the eyes and replies, "I want you to kick me in the behind as hard as you can." The Chief is bewildered and asks the Israeli again, only to receive the same reply. "I want you to kick me in the behind as hard as you can." The Chief shrugs his shoulders, asks the Israeli to turn around, and kicks him as hard as he can.

With that the Israeli pulls out a gun and kills the Chief and all of the other cannibals. The Texan and the Frenchman get out of the pot, look at the Israeli and say, "If you had that gun why didn't you do anything sooner?"

The Israeli replies, "What? And risk being condemned by the UN, EU and the
State Department for 'overreacting' to insufficient provocation?"

Shucks! And it sounded like such fun!

2006-08-05T08:21:00.000+03:00

British Theme Park Cancels "Muslim Fun Day."

Stories You Won't See on CNN

2006-08-05T08:10:00.000+03:00

Kiryat Shmona's Finest Hour

Three weeks after the beginning of the fighting in the north, Kiryat Shmona is surviving thanks to the generosity of organizations throughout Israel, the willingness of local residents and others from near and far to volunteer their services at the risk of their lives, and the army, which is providing much needed assistance.

On Thursday, there were only about 5,000 inhabitants left in the city of 25,000. Many of those who have stayed behind do not have the financial means to escape the Katyushas and spend almost all their time in bomb shelters. These people are completely dependent on the municipality for everything from food to diapers to children's games, as well as soap, toilet paper and all the other basics of life.

In turn, the city is completely dependent on the good will of the private companies, public organizations and individuals who have showered the city with largesse. "One day," said Motti Avraham, owner of the Mor Minimarket near the southern entrance to the city, "two elderly men walked into my store. I could tell they were from Jerusalem by their accents. One of them asked me if I sold on credit. I said I did. Then he asked me whether some of my clients were poor. I said they were.

"He told me to take out my list of people who owed and mark those who were poor. After I did that, he turned to the other man and said, 'Take it out.' The other man took out a wad of crisp NIS 200 bills. He then began to give me NIS 300 for each of the people I had ticked off and told me to deduct the money from their debt. "I asked them who they were. They replied, 'What difference does that make?' Then I asked them to at least give me their phone numbers so that their beneficiaries could thank them. They replied that the greatest mitzvah is when the donor does not know whom he has given to."

The Matmid Regional Comprehensive High School in downtown Kiryat Shmona serves as one of several district headquarters responsible for meeting the needs of residents. In one of the larger rooms, boxes containing donations from businesses and public organizations are stacked high.

The head of the district, Ze'ev Glida'i, was organizing the afternoon shipment of food, water,Materna and other items destined for shelters in his district. Glida'i has expanded his services since the number of residents has dwindled; the district
now delivers packages to the homes of people who have difficulty looking after themselves.

Volunteers, escorted by IDF reservists, deliver the packages, using their own cars and paying for the gasoline themselves.

Simcha Edri arrived in Kiryat Shmona two weeks ago from Jerusalem, where she teaches at the Tali Comprehensive School in Katamon. She was born and raised in Kiryat Shmona and her parents still live there. "It was obvious to me that I would come to volunteer," she told The Jerusalem Post.

In her two weeks in the city, she has seen the best and the worst of human nature. "While our troops are embroiled in the harsh war at the front, I see people here complaining, making fun and not appreciating what is being done for them," she said. "All they want is to get more and more."

Indeed, as they are working hard to distribute the contributions, Edri, Glida'i and his deputy, Uri Seri, the principal of Hamatmid, are busy making sure that people who come for parcels have not already received them. Many individuals arrived at the headquarters on Thursday afternoon claiming they had not received what they were supposed to. Edri has no doubt that some people are exploiting the situation to stockpile goods.

In the same breath, however, she is moved by the spiritual and material generosity that so many have displayed. "This is our finest hour," she said. "These are the days when Israeli society reveals its greatness."

"The army will win the war thanks solely to the weapon of love and giving," she said.
Edri noted an unexpected side benefit from the war. While most of the soldiers working in the distribution center are secular, most of the volunteers are religious. Working in difficult circumstances at close quarters had begun to heal the wounds from last year's disengagement, at least between these particular soldiers and members of the religious community, she said. In another example of the spirit of giving that permeates Kiryat Shmona these days, two yoga teachers from the center of the country, Tzipi Monet and Ya'acov Nelkin, walk by on their way out of the building. They have spent the last day and a half giving yoga and relaxation lessons to people living in the shelters and to female soldiers who were sent to entertain children or to help out in administration.

The teachers gave nine lessons and were delighted with the results. "These people are suffering from high levels of anxiety," said Monet. "Yoga helped them dispel the energy it created."

Meanwhile, Nissim Piotrekovsky, a volunteer from Tekoa in Gush Etzion, was waiting quietly for his turn to deliver packages to the shelters. Piotrekovsky belonged to the second graduating class of the Kiryat Shmona Hesder Yeshiva. Although he left it 22 years ago, he and many of his friends have now been summoned by the yeshiva to help out.

The yeshiva has its own delivery system, headed by a 23-year-old student, Yossi Yurocharenski. In quieter days, the yeshiva students operate a regular program to help the needy. Now, they help even more. But since most of the students have been mobilized, there are not enough people to do the work.

The yeshiva has worked out a system whereby its graduates are called up for their own brand of reserve duty, and they are answering the call in droves. Piotrekovsky said he had wanted to come on Sunday but that the yeshiva told him he wasn't needed until Wednesday. He drove through the night to reach Kiryat Shmona on Wednesday morning, and has been working nonstop ever since.

"This story isn't about me," he said while driving to deliver parcels in a neighborhood that was under Katyusha fire at the time. But the fact is that, together with others like him, this is exactly what the story is about.

You Want Dead Babies? Well, we got 'em.

2006-08-05T06:07:00.000+03:00

Daled Amos: The 123 Israeli Children Killed by Palestinian Terrorists

Of course, all dead babies, children, mothers, fathers, grandparents are a terrible thing ~ nobody wants to see that. But to keep things in perspective, these 123 children were deliberately chosen as the intended victims of their killers. Israel, on the other hand, bends over backwards to save the innocents, to the point of putting themselves on the line or to the point of giving the enemy advance notice of what's about to happen when they drop leaflets or use the radio waves to warn civilians to get out of dodge. Nobody gave these 123 children a clue what was about to happen to them ...

Let's Get This Party Started

2006-08-04T16:32:00.000+03:00

I'll start my blog off with one of my all time favorite articles.

Joseph Farah
Between the Lines

Myths of
the Middle East

Posted: October 11, 20001:00 a.m. Eastern© 2000 WorldNetDaily.com

I've been quiet since Israel erupted in fighting spurred by disputes over the Temple Mount.

Until now, I haven't even bothered to say, "See, I told you so." But I can't resist any longer. I feel compelled to remind you of the column I wrote just a couple weeks before the latest uprising. Yeah, folks, I predicted it. That's OK. Hold your applause.

After all, I wish I had been wrong. More than 80 people have been killed since the current fighting in and around Jerusalem began. And for what?

If you believe what you read in most news sources, Palestinians want a homeland and Muslims want control over sites they consider holy. Simple, right?

Well, as an Arab-American journalist who has spent some time in the Middle East dodging more than my share of rocks and mortar shells, I've got to tell you that these are just phony excuses for the rioting, trouble-making and land-grabbing.

Isn't it interesting that prior to the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, there was no serious movement for a Palestinian homeland?

"Well, Farah," you might say, "that was before the Israelis seized the West Bank and Old Jerusalem."

That's true. In the Six-Day War, Israel captured Judea, Samaria and East Jerusalem. But they didn't capture these territories from Yasser Arafat. They captured them from Jordan's King Hussein. I can't help but wonder why all these Palestinians suddenly discovered their national identity after Israel won the war.

The truth is that Palestine is no more real than Never-Never Land. The first time the name was used was in 70 A.D. when the Romans committed genocide against the Jews, smashed the Temple and declared the land of Israel would be no more. From then on, the Romans promised, it would be known as Palestine. The name was derived from the Philistines, a Goliathian people conquered by the Jews centuries earlier. It was a way for the Romans to add insult to injury. They also tried to change the name of Jerusalem to Aelia Capitolina, but that had even less staying power.

Palestine has never existed -- before or since -- as an autonomous entity. It was ruled alternately by Rome, by Islamic and Christian crusaders, by the Ottoman Empire and, briefly, by the British after World War I. The British agreed to restore at least part of the land to the Jewish people as their homeland.

There is no language known as Palestinian. There is no distinct Palestinian culture. There has never been a land known as Palestine governed by Palestinians. Palestinians are Arabs, indistinguishable from Jordanians (another recent invention), Syrians, Lebanese, Iraqis, etc. Keep in mind that the Arabs control 99.9 percent of the Middle East lands. Israel represents one-tenth of 1 percent of the landmass.

But that's too much for the Arabs. They want it all. And that is ultimately what the fighting in Israel is about today. Greed. Pride. Envy. Covetousness. No matter how many land concessions the Israelis make, it will never be enough.

What about Islam's holy sites? There are none in Jerusalem.

Shocked? You should be. I don't expect you will ever hear this brutal truth from anyone else in the international media. It's just not politically correct.

I know what you're going to say: "Farah, the Al Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem represent Islam's third most holy sites."

Not true. In fact, the Koran says nothing about Jerusalem. It mentions Mecca hundreds of times. It mentions Medina countless times. It never mentions Jerusalem. With good reason. There is no historical evidence to suggest
Mohammed ever visited Jerusalem.

So how did Jerusalem become the third holiest site of Islam? Muslims today cite a vague passage in the Koran, the seventeenth Sura, entitled "The Night Journey." It relates that in a dream or a vision Mohammed was carried by night "from the sacred temple to the temple that is most remote, whose precinct we have blessed, that we might show him our signs. ..." In the seventh century, some Muslims identified the two temples mentioned in this verse as being in Mecca and Jerusalem. And that's as close as Islam's connection with Jerusalem gets -- myth, fantasy, wishful thinking. Meanwhile, Jews can trace their roots in Jerusalem back to the days of Abraham.

The latet round of violence in Israel erupted when Likud Party leader Ariel Sharon tried to visit the Temple Mount, the foundation of the Temple built by Solomon. It is the holiest site for Jews. Sharon and his entourage were met with stones and threats. I know what it's like. I've been there. Can you imagine what it is like for Jews to be threatened, stoned and physically kept out of the holiest site in Judaism?

So what's the solution to the Middle East mayhem? Well, frankly, I don't think there is a man-made solution to the violence. But, if there is one, it needs to begin with truth. Pretending will only lead to more chaos. Treating a 5,000-year-old birthright backed by overwhelming historical and archaeological evidence equally with illegitimate claims, wishes and wants gives diplomacy and peacekeeping a bad name.

I adore Joseph Farah. Visit his website at www.worldnetdaily.com