Arab "tolerance": More hypocrisy

The Zionist Conspiracy - Joe Schick: King Abdullah's Facade.

In general, the very idea of a "tolerance award" is rather dubious. Since when do I have to thank you for "tolerating" me? Only my agreeing, expressly or implicitly, that I am in truth a scum not worth being tolerated, can I thank someone for going "beyond the call of duty". With this kind of a "Galut outlook", it is but natural that bigots and racist countries ala Jordan should also be considered "tolerant".

This is what Alan Dershowitz is good for. Alan, make your voice heard!

Democrats are winning on National Security

Add to the jokes about the best golfer being black and the best rapper being white, this beautiful snippet from Rasmussen Reports:

For the first time ever, Americans have a slight preference for Democrats in Congress over the President on national security issues. Forty-three percent (43%) say they trust the Democrats more on this issue today while 41% prefer the President.
The preference for the opposition party is small, but the fact that Democrats are even competitive on the national security front is startling.

Just in case you thought that there was a natural way to get through this world...

Dershowitz is doing something good?

Jewish World Review: All praise Professor Alan Dershowitz.

Tony Blankley reviews Preemption, Alan Dershowitz's new book on the realities of civil liberties in a post-9/11 world:

Next week a vastly important book will be published: "Preemption, A Knife That Cuts Both Ways" by Alan Dershowitz. Yes, that Alan Dershowitz: the very liberal civil libertarian, anti-capital punishment Harvard Law School professor. And but for my lack of his legal scholarship, there is nary a sentence in the book that I — a very conservative editor of the Washington Times, and former press secretary to Newt Gingrich — couldn't have written.

Innovative Punishment

NWITimes.com: Teen's now 'poster boy' for better conduct

A boy who had used vulgar language was made to stand outside for a day on a street corner picketing against his own behaviour.

You can judge a book by its cover

Try and contrast the visual image projected by Hamas's Arabic homepage and its' English one.

Talk about hypocrisy

New York Post: A securiy guard at the UN busted drawing swastikas on a log sheet "was issued a letter of reprimand and asked to attend sensitivity training". His name and nationality were not released.

A far cry from the UN's reactions to the cartoons, wouldn't you say?

"Rastalubab" - Oxymoron?

Melody Maker: The true story of a White Plains boy who found both God and reggae.

(via 770EasternParkway.com)

"There are actually a number of similarities between Rastafarianism and the Lubavitch, including strict adherence to the Old Testament, dietary laws that shun pork and shellfish, a proscription that women keep their head covered, and a fervent Messianic belief—for the Rastas in Haile Selassie, who claimed to be a direct descendant of King David; for some Lubavitch, in Menachem Schneerson. One Rasta sect considers itself the Lost Tribe of Israel, and another early Rasta proselytizer wrote that 'A Rastafarian is a Jew by nature, being a righteous one of principles, dignity and love for God.'"

Never Forget

Reuters: Austria sentences Irving to jail for Holocaust denial.

Chilul Hashem.com

Via Vos Is Naies:

Being a judge for anyone unlucky enough to have presided over the recent court wrangles between two rival factions of Satmar Hasidim has probably never felt more like contemplating a new career.

When our warmongers said "To ---- with the Rabbonim, let's go to court", we thought that was bad. (And it is. Very, very bad. In fact, on one of the sides - which clearly has a rabbinical council to which all who suscribe to that side agree - two of Lubavitch's head honchos have gone to court against each other too).

But, as it turns out, not entrusting right and wrong to Rabbonim isn't the end of it.
Hashem Yishmreinu.

Freedom takes some hard work

Washington Post: Glasnost hitting China.

And on mentalblog.com: Likkutei Maysim and Rudderless.

I was just enlightened as to the meaning of red pill and blue pill. A profound concept, and enjoyable reading.

Hamas beginning facelift

JPost.com: Hamas working on "new charter".

A charter is supposed to be the guiding document of a movement. Under normal circumstances, if a charter needs to be changed, it means one of two things: 1) Something has fundamentally changed in the surrounding world. 2) Something has been acknowledged to have been very wrong until now.

But I'm trying to approach the Arabs logically again. Silly me.

Late Post: Yud Shvat

I have been mulling this post for a while, namely whether it should at all be posted. There are sites that have been set up to bash Lubavitch, and some others that consider it their business to express their disappointment with the movement. So technically, there's no real need to add my two cents.

But if I am calling attention to relatively meaningless, obscure bits of nothing, then surely I ought to focus some of my attention to what I feel is not just an isolated occurence, but a disturbing trend.

Without going into history, it has been awhile since I last set foot in the "Rosa Hall" on one of the major days on the Lubavitcher calendar. I came this past Yud Shvat hoping, if nothing else, to hear some inspiring words. Whether it was to be called a Farbrengen or "conference", the dais was filled with scholars and Chassidim of no ordinary caliber, and regardless of whether or not I agree with their general approaches or even what they would be saying tonight, it promised to be interesting.

I came away sorely disappointed.

The makeover of Lubavitch into Lubavitch, Inc, is complete. The tone and atmosphere at the event was reminiscent of a corporate dinner bash more than an evening which would conceivably be the Rebbe's most emotional day of the year. From the tone and rhetoric being pushed by the emcee, to the reports given by "Netzigei HaYeshivos" (anyone remember anything remotely similar in pre-'94 days?) about Yud Shvat preparations around the world, which without exception made at least as big a point of the amount of money raised as the preparations themselves, and which culminated in a public degradation of Torah study, to the rambunctious applause thereafter; this was an evening simply not worth having happened.

To be sure, there were other speakers who spoke sincerely and eloquently about the theme of the hour and our connection to the Rebbe. There was even one who hinted at protest of some of the foregoing. But that any of this should be possible on Yud Shvat of all days, on an evening when the Rebbe would address the world, nauseated me. I wanted to puke; I am sure that the Rebbe would want to, as well.

ומסיימים בטוב.

And I thought Russians don't have spine

From NY Post - Weird but True:

Seventeen inmates at a Russian prison took drastic action when they were told they could no longer watch their favorite TV show because it was moved to a later time slot.

They slashed their wrists in protest.

But their bloody actions didn't do any good — all are fine and "The Zone" — a prison-based drama — is no longer seen at Prison Camp 2 in Yekaterinburg.

Cartoon News III

(From the ADL website)

And a jewel from the AP write-up:
"The tension has noticeably increased anti-western dialogue in the Muslim world"...

The Wicked Son

Treppenwitz: The Wicked Son
(via mentalblog.com).

Finally, someone who managed to spell out clearly that which for a while I have been unable to: that the delegitimization and isolation of the right justifies their taking drastic measures.

More on the cartoons

A brilliant perspective about the cartoons by Michelle Malkin.

And on the author's blog, the cartoons themselves.

Not all lawyers are liars

I had to speak to a traffic lawyer in Binghamton. He was a wonderful person who told me everything that had to be done, and how to do it myself. All on the phone.

If anyone in the Binghamton area needs any kind of regular law work, check out his website: http://www.binghamtonlawfirm.com.

Fight fire with fire

Ask anybody which European countries are the most sympathetic to Islam and Muslims in general and the Palestinian cause in particular, and you will be told France and Denmark. It is therefore very, very enjoyable to see what is happening now.

And these are the countries whose citizens Fatah gunmen are aiming at, because of one stupid cartoon. Beggars can't be choosers; these people have built everything you have.

But will the French and the Danish acknowledge that these people are lowlives, that is another matter...