tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82826326610862822122024-02-20T05:37:48.664-08:00Yoel Benyamin - Am Yisrael ChaiUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8282632661086282212.post-75582397617182964782015-12-12T17:43:00.000-08:002015-12-12T17:43:01.911-08:00Let's Save the FBI a Lot of Trouble<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">December 3, 2015</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">News reports claim that the FBI is investigating whether yesterday's massacre in San Bernardino was an act of terrorism. One need only listen to the latest news updates to know that it is. To be more specific, it is another act of terrorism committed by radical Muslims in America. This should not be one of the more challenging cases for the FBI. But they should do a proper investigation. That would be in contrast to Obama and liberals who heard of a report of a shooting at a workplace and immediately and disgracefully jumped on the workplace violence and gun control bandwagon.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">This behavior from Obama is understandable. If only every terrorist would get a job at the targeted location before committing his or her violent act, Obama could claim that he totally solved the terrorism problem. Even better for him, and consistent with his liberal ideological views, he will, as he attempted to do yesterday, try to shift the blame for workplace violence to the lack of gun control in this country. So, according to his twisted, radical ideology, it is not fundamental Islamic terrorism, but rather workplace violence, which is the result of the lack of gun control laws, that is to blame. His liberal minions, as always, are championing his cause. How predictable, despicable, deceptive and troublesome.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">In immediately coming out to blame the savage killings in San Bernardino on the lack of gun control and workplace violence, Obama, true to form, outright lied to the country. His lies are becoming more and more blatant and this behavior will continue as he relentlessly pursues his radical ideologies. These mass shootings only happen in America, and a lack of gun control is to blame, according to Obama. How outrageous and blatant the lie. A harsh slap in the face to reasonable and rational people. Sadly, however, many people believe or want to believe Obama, and liberals immediately support his lies. The fact is that terrorist acts are being committed by radical Islamists every day all over the world, in places with and without strict gun control laws.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Look at what is happening in Israel on a daily basis. Thankfully, most of the the Islamic terrorists attacking innocent Israelis every day do not have access to guns, but resort to whatever weapons they can get hold of. I suppose Obama thinks Israel has a knife control problem. And that the Sinai, where the Islamic State shot down a Russian civilian plane, has an air traffic control problem.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Did Obama already forget about the mass shooting in Paris? Does pretending it did not happen mean it really did not happen? Of course not. More and more we are seeing brazen terrorist attacks committed by radical Islamists all over the world, including in the United States. But Obama cannot admit this because it conflicts with his pro-Muslim, anti-West ideology.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">As the world's spiral out of control accelerates, I have listened to experts, analysts, journalists, etc. criticize Obama and his policies. (I speak here, obviously, of those with conservative views; not liberals who still cling to Obama and his policies.) They actually have the analysis correct about Obama's failed policies. But then I enjoy listening to them try to respond to the question of why Obama is doing what he is doing. Some get frustrated, some exasperated, while others simply admit that they do not understand or have no answer. Others engage in psychoanalysis. Some go into a deep philosophical analysis. It is as if they are not capable of seeing the truth right in front of them or, more likely, they are afraid of admitting the truth for fear of being labeled politically incorrect, something they claim to loathe. So much for free speech.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">When will people wake up and see the obvious? Isn't there something wrong in that Obama still refuses to acknowledge that the terrorists, even in the United States, are radical Islamists? No, not every Muslim, no one is saying that, despite Obama and liberals always speciously making that claim in their defense. Obama is more concerned with his exaggerated Islamophobia fears than real threats to Americans.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Forget "ISIL", as Obama refers to that terrorist group. The real name of that terrorist group is the "Islamic State". But Obama cannot even call the group by its name or for what it is. We still hear him spout off about the 65 country coalition to fight the Islamic State. So 65 countries, let alone the U.S. by itself, cannot defeat the Islamic State? Countries with an air force (here many countries) should easily dispose of small groups like the Islamic State if they tried even a little. But the picture becomes clearer when you hear of reports about Obama not letting our military do its job. Of not allowing our planes, which are flying far too few sorties to begin with, drop their payloads. Then you learn that Obama did not allow strategic targets like oil fields to be hit for fear of environmental damage. And incredibly, that he gave Islamic State fighters 45 minutes of advance notice before bombing certain sites.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">People can search for all the reasons and explanations they want. Obama's pro-Muslim, anti-West ideology is the only answer that stacks up and makes sense. How else can someone, putting liberal nuts like Bernie Sanders aside, blame climate change for terrorism. So which is it, lack of gun control or climate change, or both? Funny thing is, if there were refugees who we knew for sure were good, innocent and law-abiding people who really wanted to come to America and assimilate but some had licensed guns, you could bet Obama and his liberal cohorts would prevent them from coming in because they posed too great a danger to the American people. Not so, however, with Muslim refugees who pose a legitimate threat.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Jewish organizations were recently "outraged" that Obama did not acknowledge the murder of a Jewish American citizen in Israel by Palestinian terrorists. They think they scored a major victory in pressuring the White House to issue a statement on the matter. To them I say, wake up. Obama's silence in the case of the murdered young Jewish American should not have been a surprise. The most that could have been expected were a few empty and meaningless words. Obama's real concern, which he offers unsolicitedly, is for Palestinian terrorists who are killed by Israelis in self-defense.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Obama is now, very predictably, poised to start easing sanctions on Iran, which likely will start in January. I still maintain my position--do not be fooled by the Islamic State. Sure, they can continue to grow if left unchallenged and unhindered, but the real threat to America, Israel and civilization is from Iran. The Islamic State is but a distraction. A very effective one, and one of many in Obama's toolbox of distractions.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">America has been severely divided by Obama and his radical ideologies. This has led to the rise of Presidential candidates like Donald Trump, who is very outspoken against fundamental Islamic terrorism. So much so, that he is calling for very strong measures against Muslims in America. One has to wonder which view will prevail and what that means for America. The more Obama blatantly lies to Americans and fosters the growth of radical Islamic terrorism, particularly in this country, though, the more likely his policies will be rejected.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Coming back to the radical Islamic terrorist attacks in San Bernardino, let's see how long it takes for the FBI to reach the right conclusion, assuming they are allowed to do so. I think they have enough evidence to support a conclusion now, and it is not workplace violence, gun control or climate change.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8282632661086282212.post-41381705325655252672015-11-25T08:41:00.001-08:002015-11-25T08:41:45.145-08:00The Homeowner--A Parable<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">November 24, 2015</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">There once was a good man, who lived in a good, working-class neighborhood. At least for a long time, almost everyone considered both the man and his neighborhood to be good. Then, slowly but surely, things began to change. But let's not get ahead of ourselves.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">For years, the man worked hard to support his family and contribute to his community. He cherished the few weeks of vacation he received each year as those were the real times he could truly devote to his family and also observe his religious holidays. The man did not have any life-threatening health issues, but did suffer from certain chronic pain. Yet, for years, he forced himself to work through the pain and provided for his family the best that he could. The man also realized that a significant portion of his hard-earned income went to pay various types of taxes, but he did not complain. He was lucky in that many others in this tight-knit community were like-minded and hard-working. For the most part, everyone in the community did their part, people were happy and there was only the occasional bickering, which typically was settled amicably.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">The man and his family, like many others in their community, were G-d-fearing people and wanted to do even more good for society. They realized that their tax dollars were being used to support a multitude of people who could, but did not, work or contribute to their community or society at all. With all of the routine costs and expenses the family had, which always seemed to be rising, and despite the fact that the man and his wife only had two children, money was often an issue. But that did not prevent the man and many of his similarly-situated and like-minded neighbors from giving charity and wanting to help others.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">So the man would very frequently invite guests to his house. The man and his family were wonderful hosts and, for a long time, the guests were appreciative of the family's warm hospitality.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">The man shared a bedroom in the house with his wife and his two children had their own bedrooms. That left one spare bedroom (converted from a den into a bedroom) in the modest "four-bedroom" house.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">One day, two men who traveled together and were friends with each other, but not known by the man or others in the community, were welcomed as guests in the man's house. The man and his family were their usual hospitable selves, but, to their surprise, the guests complained about having to share the spare bedroom with the two separate small beds. They argued that the man's children should share a room and that each guest should have his own room. Furthermore, they felt that they each should stay in the children's bedrooms and the children should share the spare bedroom with the two small beds. A little taken aback, the man acceded to the guests' requests.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">News of this relatively minor incident spread quickly. Not in the man's community, but rather among those in the land of would be guests.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">The man and his family next hosted two different men. These men knew each other and traveled together, but were not known by the man or others in the community. To the surprise of the man and his family, these men insisted that they be allowed to share a room in the man's house and, as they considered themselves to be esteemed guests, they demanded that it be the room of the man and his wife. Again, the man acceded to the guests' demands. This time the man discussed the matter with other members of his community. But word was spreading much faster in the land of would be guests.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Though disappointing and troubling, these events did not prevent the man and his family from hosting more guests. But it quickly became apparent that the behavior of the guests was changing, and changing rapidly at that. The next guests, aside from having their own lodging demands, complained that the food that the man served them did not meet their expectations. They felt that the man should and needed to provide better meals for them. The same thing occurred with the next guests. Not enough food and not good enough quality, they griped. Sure, the man and his family were eating the same food, but the guests argued that they were entitled to and deserved more.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">The man acquiesced and decided to take his next guests out to eat. It was a nice restaurant and actually quite popular in the town. But the guests were not happy and voiced their bitter disappointment to the man and his family. They felt the man could have done better. There were, after all, two fancier, more expensive restaurants in the town. The man reflected on the criticism. He decided to take his next guests to one of these restaurants, a fancy steakhouse, as always entirely on his dime. The guests, however, were appalled that not only was there meat on the menu, but it was the specialty of the house. They harshly berated the man and his family.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">The man was not alone. Other members of the community were having the very same experiences. Back at home, the man was facing new complaints from his guests. Some guests were upset by the colors of the paint on the walls of the man's home. You see, most of the rooms were painted in a plain white. The guests believed that this represented a lack of diversity and tolerance by the man. The man, at this point, was somewhat frustrated and perplexed. He pointed out to the guests that he invites and hosts guests of every race, gender and religion and treats them all the same. The guests refused to listen to the man's explanations and pleas to be understood. Apparently, treating everyone the same was no longer acceptable to the guests.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Despite all of this, the man continued to host guests, but very soon experienced even more complaints from them. The man's choice of music and entertainment was not to their liking. He was told that the way that his children dressed offended them and that the children would need to change their attire accordingly. Most problematic for the man though was that his guests objected to his religious beliefs and customs. They told the man that his religious books and symbols in his house would need to go. Some of the guests even expressed an open hostility and aggression toward the man and his family, who, in turn, frequently felt threatened in their own home. The man was very surprised to find out that many of his neighbors were experiencing similar problems. They felt most concerned that their freedom to practice religion was being assailed, and that there was a related threat of violence against them as well.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">The man and many of his like-minded neighbors, confused, hurt and discouraged, decided to approach their town leader. But the town leader beat them to the punch. To the surprise of the man and his like-minded neighbors, the town leader started proclaiming that the members of the community needed to step up their efforts to support and help those from the wonderful land of would be guests. In fact, demanded the leader, the townsfolk needed to start paying their fair share. He expressed disgust and contempt for the townspeople and told them that not accepting the guests with all of their demands violated the town's values and was not who they were. The man and his like-minded neighbors could not understand this. They still could not grasp what they were doing wrong. Why was the town leader so condescending and critical of them and their town, yet he consistently praised the guests and the land from which they were now abandoning and, in some cases, fleeing?</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">As time went on, there was a dramatic rise in crime in the town. The crimes, often violent, were being perpetrated by the people from the land of would be guests. Despite committing the crimes, these guests also became increasingly hostile toward the town's law enforcement. As the crime rate escalated, the town leader responded by vilifying the people in the town and, particularly, the town's law enforcement. The man and his neighbors noticed that the words, actions and policies of the town leader fostered the growing animosity.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">The town leader, in addition to ratcheting up his own demands, also was encouraging the guests to increase their demands, on the townspeople. These guests, feeling emboldened and empowered by the town leader and his cohorts, were making great strides at the expense of the townspeople. For instance, the people from the land of would be guests demanded that the names of various town institutions, such as schools, hospitals, businesses, be changed because they made the guests feel left out and discriminated against, even though they had not made any contributions to those institutions or to the town's rich and proud history.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">The man and many of his neighbors grew increasingly agitated themselves, especially when they contrasted the kind and beneficent way the leader treated the people from the land of would be guests with how he demeaned them and neglected and ignored those members of the community who had served to defend the country. Much to the astonishment and dismay of the man, however, many of his other neighbors fully supported the town leader and the increasing complaints and demands being made by the people from the land of would be guests. Many of these neighbors connected with the guests and had many of the same complaints and demands. Before long, emboldened and empowered by the town leader, these other neighbors and the people from the land of would be guests argued that it was not fair that the man and his like-minded neighbors had houses of their own, while they did not have their own homes or their homes were smaller. The man now feared that losing his house could be in the offing.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">The man and his like-minded neighbors admitted to themselves and to each other that It took them a good deal of time, way more than it should have, to wake up and see the light. They had always loved and appreciated their town and now were puzzled as to why the town leader's vow to change it had appealed to, or was so matter-of-factly accepted, by them. They kicked themselves for not at least asking what other town or country he wanted to use as his model. They realized how much they missed their old town and how much they wanted it back. They knew that getting their town back would be a major challenge as they were pitted against the town leader and his cohorts, their other neighbors and the people from the land of would be guests, whose views and positions were getting more and more entrenched. Fortunately for the man and his like-minded guests, the town had an upcoming election. It was their chance to try to fight and win their town back. And they realized that whoever was running against the town leader and his cohorts, whether an ideal candidate or not, would be the candidate of choice for them at the ballot box.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">And it came to pass that the man and his like-minded neighbors were successful in their bid to elect a new leader from the other political party. The people worked hard in their cause and eventually were able to recognize their old town. And they promised themselves that they would never again succumb to false promises, outright lies and propaganda, and would do their best to protect, preserve and continue the real ways and values of their beloved town.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8282632661086282212.post-55877454196993453612015-10-14T11:59:00.000-07:002015-10-14T11:59:04.653-07:00Intentional vs. Incompetent<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">October 12, 2015</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">As the world spirals out of control (and not from global climate change), there is increasing debate these days as to the role being played by Obama and his Administration in fueling the fire. To those who acknowledge that Obama's foreign policy has been a complete disaster for the United States and the free world, the debate is whether he is intentionally causing the global chaos and turmoil through his actions and policies, or whether the chaos and turmoil are the result of his foreign policy incompetence. (In addition to addressing this debate, I also hope to demonstrate that Obama's foreign policy is, in fact, a total failure for the United States and the free world.) Interestingly, more and more so-called experts and analysts are coming to the conclusion that Obama is intentionally and deliberately acting and using his policies to cause the global maelstrom we are witnessing and living in today. To them I say, welcome aboard.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">In my mind, I have no doubt that Obama is intentionally sabotaging America and the free world and causing much of the chaos and turmoil we are witnessing today. Do not get me wrong, I think there is more than enough foreign policy incompetence to go around among members of his Administration. Secretary of State, John Kerry, immediately comes to mind. But Obama and many others in his Administration are successfully accomplishing what they intentionally set out to do. Let me try to substantiate my claim.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">For starters, it is common knowledge that Obama vowed to fundamentally transform America and the world. These are his own words. Not mission impossible, as some people may have hoped and thought, but rather, mission accomplished. In fact, he has been extraordinarily successful and has accomplished much in a very short period of time. And, regrettably, there will be plenty more to come.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">To accomplish the transformation, Obama has consistently adhered to his radical left, anti-America and anti-Israel, and pro-Muslim ideologies domestically and internationally. He has weakened America militarily, economically and socially, and successfully divided the country. He has repeatedly apologized to the world for America and what it stands for, and increasingly shows his hate for America's past. He has used his apology tours to implement his lead from behind foreign policy strategy, which has had a direct and profound adverse impact on world affairs.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Obama supported the Arab Spring debacle, leading to much of the havoc in the world today. He supported the overthrow of more moderate and secular dictatorships, such as those of Mubarak in Egypt and Gaddafi in Libya. In Egypt, he welcomed and, unbelievably, helped fund the radical Islamic terrorist group, the Muslim Brotherhood, which replaced Mubarak. When that terrorist organization was ousted, Obama cried foul and has refused to acknowledge the current moderate leader of Egypt, el-Sisi. The same el-Sisi who courageously spoke out at the UN about the need to combat Muslim fanaticism and extremists. Obama's actions and policies here seem much more calculated than incompetent.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">On Obama's watch, we are on the verge of not one Islamic caliphate, but two. Fortunately, the two potential Islamic caliphates, Iran and the Islamic State, are competing against each other. My money is on Iran, especially as it has now strengthened its friendship with Russia. This despite the fact that Obama and his 62 country coalition have not toppled, but have actually propped up, the Islamic State while wasting tons of money training ineffective Syrian rebel groups, or, more precisely, a humiliatingly few individual rebels. After Russia and Iran strategically finish off these and other Syrian rebel groups, they likely will turn their attention to the Islamic State, which will be no match for them. Predictably, Obama will then spout off about how that was his plan to defeat the Islamic State all along and that Iran and Russia make such terrific bedfellows. The bottom line, though, is that Islamic caliphates do not just spring up by chance.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Sticking with Iran, Obama had the chance to support Iran's Green Movement, a peaceful and pro-democratic organization, when it demonstrated and protested against fraudulent elections in Iran in 2009. Instead, Obama supported the radical Islamic clerics of Iran, and sat idly by as they crushed and massacred members of the Green Movement. So, while he went out of his way to openly and vocally support the ousters of more moderate and secular leaders in Muslim countries, he was deaf, dumb and blind when it came Iran's turn notwithstanding its radical Islamic terrorist leadership. Here again, Obama's actions and policies seem much more deliberate than incompetent.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Obama has since gone out of his way to strengthen and embolden Iran, the all around most dangerous country on the planet today. He has rammed a terrible nuclear deal with Iran down the throat of the international community, particularly America, Israel and the Arab Gulf States. He touted Russia, China and the UN as proponents of the deal while ignoring the public opinion of Americans and sidestepping the United States Congress as much as possible. He is rewarding Iran with billions of dollars so that it can continue its global terrorism and belligerence while embarking on a path to develop nuclear weapons over time. Iran, an avowed enemy of America since 1979, has been recognized and elevated by Obama without having to cease or even lessen its aggression and terrorism. America has very quickly reversed, without any good reason, its foreign policy toward Iran, which has been in place for over 35 years. These types of changes, like the sudden change in relations between the United States and Cuba, result from intentional and deliberate foreign policy decisions.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Obama also has helped reverse the gains the United States made against Russia under President Reagan. Very quickly, the United States is swapping roles with the "Evil Empire". The United States and the rest of the world had benefitted from the United States' role as the foremost super power for decades, making the world a better and safer place. Now, however, with Russia poised to capitalize on Obama's strategy of leading from behind and become the most dominant super power, the world, tragically, will have to endure more havoc and upheaval.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Obama also has abandoned the long standing American policy of not allowing Russia to obtain a strong foothold in the Middle East. Russia has now established a physical presence in Syria, which will further empower Iran and its terrorist allies. This complicates matters for the United States and its allies in the region, particularly Israel, which were already living under the threat of an emboldened and rising Iran. Russia will very likely continue its sophisticated arms sales to Iran in return for some of the billions of dollars Iran is to receive under the nuclear arms agreement. So, in the immediate future, Iran will obtain more sophisticated weapons, and within a decade or so, it could, under the agreement, be legitimately on a path to develop nuclear weapons. It is not a coincidence that Russia and Iran chose to openly strengthen their ties very shortly after the agreement was concluded, thereby slapping Obama, Kerry and the Administration in the face.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">I do not believe that these fundamental changes in America and the world happened by accident or incompetence, especially when the leader of the free world told you ahead of time that the changes were coming. But yet, there is even more.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Of course, Obama and Administration officials get on stage and applaud themselves over how wonderful their foreign policy strategies (when they have any) are working. But any expert, analyst or K-12 student can see through that nonsense and deceit. If we were talking solely about incompetence, by now, one would reasonably expect that Obama and Administration officials themselves also would understand the damage their policies are causing, and back off and continue to lead from behind. But when it comes to Israel, Obama's ideology will not permit that. Instead, they are obsessed with forcing Israel into a dangerous "peace" deal with the Palestinians.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">If it was incompetence, people at least learn from their mistakes, whether they admit to them or not. Obama and his Administration must truly see the dangerous predicament Israel is in and how much worse the situation has become since Obama has been in office. Obama and his Administration must know that now is exactly the wrong time to be forcing Israel into a "peace" deal. Israel is doing everything it can to survive on a daily basis. It is surrounded by enemies who do not recognize its right to exist and vow its destruction, including the Palestinians. The Islamic State is infiltrating Palestinian territories. A nuclear armed Iran will be enough of a threat, but now it has an even closer presence to Israel in Syria. And it is supported there by Russia, which will make it harder for Israel to respond to Iranian aggression. Israel can ill afford to relinquish control over any of its own land.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Obama himself has taken away any incentive for the Palestinians to negotiate or make any concessions in pursuit of a two-state solution. Instead, he makes it incumbent on Israel to concede to Palestinian demands. In the recent savage and horrific wave of Palestinian terrorism throughout Israel, which has targeted all Israelis, including women and young children, Obama and his Administration have been strikingly and disgracefully silent in condemning the Palestinians. Worse yet, when the Administration makes a statement, it disgustingly equates Palestinian terrorism with Israeli defense of its innocent civilians. These statements are obviously designed to support a pre-determined policy on Israel and the Palestinians. Obama and his Administration likely will reward the Palestinian terrorism by ratcheting up their pressure on Israel. Intentional and dangerous, yes. Incompetent, no.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Despite everything going on in the world today, particularly in the Middle East, Obama is still hell-bent on forcing Israel into a bad two-state solution with the Palestinians. Why the obsession? Why not lead from behind on this issue, like in the other instances all across the globe? A good K-12 student could recognize the dangerous predicament Israel is in now and how much worse off it is as a result of Obama's policies. So why doesn't Obama and his Administration understand it and back off? The same K-12 student could explain to Obama why a two-state solution would greatly jeopardize Israel's existence. This cannot be incompetence. It is an intentional and deliberate strategy based on ideology. While they are at it, the same K-12 student also should explain to Obama and Administration officials the meaning of terrorism, as apparently they do not recognize it when they see it.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">If we were to credit Obama and his Administration with only being incompetent, it is safe to say that by now they would understand their disastrous and failed foreign policy. But, that would not be giving them enough credit. As Obama promised, he is fundamentally transforming America and the world through his intentional and deliberate foreign policies. If one needs more proof, they only need to look at his obsession with Israel.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8282632661086282212.post-25847761009591055322015-10-07T14:06:00.001-07:002015-10-07T14:06:16.762-07:00There is Something in the Air<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">October 4, 2015</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">I know that from time to time over the years since World War II people have worried for themselves, their children and their families based on the then current events. I acknowledge that there have been many trying times and crises, and I am not downplaying any of them. But for me, a middle-aged American Jew, I believe that what we are now witnessing is different than what we have experienced in the recent past. It is something we have not seen in many decades. There is definitely something in the air. And, I am afraid, it is a dark and evil force enveloping the world.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">For starters, today, evil is absolutely gushing out of radical Islam. Radical Muslims are today's Nazis and today's villains. Murder, beheadings, rape and torture are just several examples of the evil that is emanating from radical Islam. Radical Muslims are killing everyone in sight--Jews, Christians, other Muslims and members of other religions. No one is safe. Iran and the Islamic State are competing to establish Islamic caliphates. Neither is letting anything stop or impede their progress. They believe in and act with savagery and barbarity to get their way. A quarter of a million people, including women and children, have been killed in Syria alone. Chemical weapons have been used in many of these killings. There are not thousands, but millions, of refugees fleeing Muslim countries.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Seeing Iran and its terrorist proxies use missiles, rockets and now chemical weapons on innocent civilian populations, President Obama and his puppet Administration, and the international community, are rewarding Iran with a lopsided nuclear agreement that provides Iran with tons of cash and a clear and legitimate path toward nuclear weapons. As if Iran was not having enough success on its own, it is now getting another huge boost by closely partnering with Russia. The same Russia that Obama frequently pointed to as favoring the nuclear agreement with Iran to garner American support for the deal. Russia and Iran will next strengthen their presence in Iraq and embolden Iran's other terrorist proxies. Do not be fooled by the smoke and mirrors being used with the Islamic State. They are not a real threat. The only reason they have flourished is because they have been allowed to do so. The real threat is from Iran. And Iran is on a mission and on the march. The same is true of Russia.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">We also have an American president who does everything he can to promote his pro-Muslim ideology while weakening America. The deal with Iran is so bad it is too hard to believe that it is really happening. But, the frightening thing is that it is done and the world already appears to have moved on. With all of the violence being committed in the Middle East and Africa by radical Muslims on a daily basis, the only country that Obama criticizes is Israel. The only leader in the world that he is tough with is Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. Why exactly is that? With as much danger as Israel is in now, from within and outside of its borders, the only thing you get from Obama is his obsession with trying to force Israel into a bad and destructive peace deal with the Palestinians. If Israel defends itself, he is outspoken against Israel. If Palestinians murder Jews in cold blood, as is happening now throughout Israel, he either ignores it, blames Israel when it responds or tries to morally equate the Israelis and Palestinians. America, the foremost super power in the world up until the time of Obama, is being rendered impotent by Obama as his leading from behind really means apologizing for America's past and not leading at all.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Ok, by now you may be saying that the world has recently faced serious threats (I am focused on the period since World War II) and today only the names and faces are different. Unfortunately, I do not believe that this is the case. There is something more sinister in the air today as I will attempt to demonstrate.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">To me, the world seems to be possessed. So much of the world today does not think or act logically or rationally. Common sense and reason no longer exist. It is as if the world is now on autopilot headed for a predetermined destination, unable to change its path.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">It is one thing to sit idly by and watch radical Muslims rampantly kill and torture innocent people. It is quite another story though for the reaction to be an obsessive fear of Islamophobia. The real fear for Muslims should be from other Muslims. But it is not. Instead, it is a concern for the harsh treatment of Muslims by members of other religions. So let's get this straight. Radical Muslims are killing Jews, Christians, other Muslims and members of other religions at a rapid pace. This is happening all across the globe. Jews and Christians are not targeting members of any religion. But the concern of the world is over imaginary Islamophobia. It does not make any sense.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Let's focus on Israel now. It is the only democracy in the Middle East. It peacefully accepts arabs into society despite all the terrorism it has endured for decades. There are arabs in the Knesset and arab doctors, nurses and professors in Israeli society. Arab students can attend the best Israeli universities even as they preach hate of Israel. Arabs live better in Israel than they do in any Muslim country. Arabs, particularly arab women and gays, have more rights in Israel than they do in any Muslim country. Unlike in Muslim countries, Israel does not summarily execute political opponents or innocent women and gays. Israel is not invading any countries. It is not acting aggressively or belligerently. If all countries would be like Israel, we would have world peace. Let these facts digest for a while. Then consider that, defying any and all logic and reason, it is Israel that is boycotted across the globe. It is Israel that is accused of apartheid. It is Israel that is accused of being racist and intolerant. It is Israel that is condemned by the international community, including through the disgraceful and despicable UN. The only explanation for this is that there is something evil in the air.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Despite Israel's acceptance of arabs, arabs in Israel (and every other country) do not tolerate Jews and do not want any Jews in their midst. Israel is the one and only Jewish country in the world. There are approximately 1.8 billion Muslims in the world with numerous countries of their own. In Israel today, Palestinians are waging jihad against innocent Israelis--men, women and children, young and old. Cold blooded murder of Jews by arabs once again is in full swing in Israel. As this disgusting, morally reprehensible Palestinian terrorism of Jews in Israel escalates, the world sits silently. That is until Israel takes defensive measures to protect itself. Then the international community gets on its moral soapbox to condemn Israel. Again, there is no logical or rational reason for this.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Incredibly and foolishly, Israel allows the holiest site in Judaism, which happens to be located in Jerusalem, the capital of Israel, to be governed by Muslims. Arabs, in turn, do not want to share this site with Jews or Christians. They are terrorizing, intimidating and harassing Jews at this site and are trying to prevent them from praying. Jews are not even allowed to move their lips there. Radical Muslims are destroying sites holy to many religions, including Islam, across the Middle East. These are the facts. Are Palestinians or Muslims condemned for any of this? No, instead the international community threatens to divide Jerusalem to ensure that the holy sites of that wonderful city are open to all. It is as if the threat to these sites comes from Israel or Jews and not Muslims. This, too, is totally twisted. It defies logic or reason.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Then there is Europe. Anti-Semitism is continuing to escalate. Most, but not all, of the violence is committed by Muslims. There is no outrage or concern though for Europe's Jews. One would think that a continent that boasts of tolerance and multiculturalism, and that is soaked with the blood of Jews going back for generations, would express some concern for its Jewish citizens. But that is hardly the case. Instead, Europe, despite its huge Muslim problem, is opening its arms wide to Muslim refugees. Germany, of all countries, is leading the charge to flood the continent with more Muslims. Already, there have been numerous reports of violence committed by Muslim refugees. This is not surprising as there is no vetting process and radical Muslims are getting into the mix, as they vowed to do.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">How does one explain this European outreach to Muslims and shunning of Jews? Why do the typical stereotypes of Jews continue in perpetuity? Only 70 years after the Holocaust, the world has already forgotten. Anti-Semitism, somewhat dormant for a period of time, is again rearing its ugly head. But why? What have the Jews done now? They have done nothing wrong, yet evil is again in the air.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Returning to the United States and Obama, who would have thought we would be in the situation we are in now? After suffering too many terrorist attacks from radical Muslims ourselves, particularly 9/11, who could have predicted that America would have a president with an obsessive pro-Muslim ideology who embraces radical Islamists, while condemning Israel, Jews and Christians and fostering and promoting their plight? Who would have expected the policies of American leadership to lead to an abandoning of Israel, competition for Islamic caliphates and Russia pushing the United States out of the Middle East? How could it have happened so quickly? Then again, how could America be totally transformed so quickly? When did we become a country that fights for granting illegal immigrants full benefits and rights, but let's its veterans rot without saying a word or lifting a finger? When did we start marching and protesting for the benefits and rights of illegal immigrants, but staying silent when innocent Americans are killed by illegal immigrants with criminal records? When did we go to war against our law enforcement and when did it become acceptable to resist arrest? When did we become a country that has presidential candidates who feel the need to apologize for saying all lives matter instead of only black lives matter? And when did America decide that it was perfectly acceptable to tolerate and promote a racist, intimidating hate group? All of this too is illogical and irrational. That the United States has been transformed so quickly, when so few saw it coming and many are still in denial, also strongly suggests that there is something evil in the air.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">The reader, if he or she did not know any better, might think that as a Jew, I am speaking for and making the case made by all Jews. After all, you generally cannot get a Muslim to criticize another Muslim. If radical Muslims kill Jews, other Muslims try to justify their behavior, even in terrorist attacks. There has been silence from Muslims on Muslim killings of Christians and members of other religions too. Muslims do not even denounce the killings of other Muslims. So Jews, too, must be united, especially since they have the moral, Biblical, historical and factual high ground, right? Incredibly, while Muslims are united and support each other no matter what atrocities they commit, Jews could not be more divided. Liberal Jews choose to ignore these relevant factors. Instead, they look for the faults in their fellow Jews and Israel. They engage in painful, agonizing, dangerous and ignorant self-examination and introspection. They ignore any and all extenuating circumstances, such as Muslim violence, Palestinian terrorism and a history of attempts to annihilate the Jewish people. The surprising thing is that many of these Jews are smart, educated people. The best of them lack common sense and are naive, while the worst of them should be viewed as collaborators. That Muslims stand together, while Jews bicker, fight and put each other in greater danger despite their tragic history, also is illogical and irrational.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Scholars and historians look back on the Holocaust and have many questions that eerily cannot be answered. For instance, Germany was a highly cultured, educated and civil society. In fact, Germans prided themselves on that. Germany's Jews had assimilated and most considered themselves more German than Jew. They contributed in every way possible to German society. What could they have possibly done wrong? The answer is that they did not do anything wrong. So the next common question for scholars and historians is what drove doctors, lawyers, teachers, professors, journalists, students, clergy, etc. in a highly civilized society to commit the most sadistic genocide of a people that the world has ever seen? Another question, how could fathers of children butcher and kill innocent parents of other children, and the innocent parents and children of those parents? Another question, how could mothers take their children to watch the cold blooded murder of innocent Jews and sing, laugh and cheer as it was going on as if they were at an entertainment event? How could the murderers sing, laugh and cheer both during and after these gruesome atrocities? How could they face their families knowing what they had done? To these questions, there are no answers. It was as if Germany and much of the world was possessed. One reads about and can readily imagine that, at the time, there was something in the air for Jews in Germany and other European countries. Some sensed the evil in the air early on, more did over time and many when it was too late.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Like at the time leading up to and during the Holocaust, Jews today are accused of many wrongs. Today, it is not enough to only be Anti-Semitic. One also needs to try to crush and destroy Israel as it serves as a safe haven for Jews today. At least, that is one of its designed purposes. In fact, Anti-Semitism today is often disguised as a bashing of Israel. Jews back in the time of the Holocaust were innocent. But what about today, is there anything to the claims of the international community? After all, Israel by far is the most vile offender in the UN, right? If I am sure about anything in my life, I totally believe and say with total confidence that Jews today are as innocent as they were at the time of the Holocaust and Israel should be celebrated and praised for what it stands for and how it survives each and every day.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">But, as we unfortunately know, innocence and being a beacon of light does not always lead to survival. It also takes strength and that is one of the reasons why Israel exists today, to be strong, to welcome persecuted Jews from throughout the world and to protect its citizens. Israel is trying, but for some deceitful reason or another, it faces the wrath of the international community. I hope that I am wrong, but in the chaotic times we are living in, with the total lack of logic and reason for what we are witnessing, I am afraid that there is something in the air. And it is not good. It is evil.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8282632661086282212.post-18786868676087923192015-09-24T18:09:00.000-07:002015-09-24T18:09:10.973-07:00Loyal Allies<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span class="aBn" data-term="goog_119430792" style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">September 24, 2015</span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">It would not be much of a stretch of the imagination to believe that somewhere along the way the leaders of Russia and Iran told Syrian President, Basher al-Assad, that they have his back. Perhaps they assured him that no options, including military options, were off the table. Now that the world appears to have accepted and moved on from the Iranian nuclear deal, Russia and Iran have proven to be loyal allies to Syria and Assad. President Obama, Secretary of State Kerry, the rest of the deceitful Administration officials, Democrats and liberals should take note of what it means to be a loyal ally.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">After the Iranian nuclear deal was agreed to in principle, Obama and Administration officials were hopeful that Russia and Iran would abandon their allies of Syria and Assad. As a slap in the face to the Administration, just the latest of many in the area of foreign policy, Russia and Iran have done the complete opposite by firming up their alliance with Syria, as well as Hezbollah. This includes moving sophisticated weapons and military bases into Syria. Russian and Iranian officials also have met to discuss and coordinate strategic options. They are clearly backing, not abandoning, their ally. We have gone from Obama's highly publicized red line bluff to Assad over the use of chemical weapons, to insisting that Assad must go, to redefining chemical weapons (which Assad continues to use), to now saying Russia and Iran could help the situation in Syria and Assad can stay on for some time. As if Obama, Kerry or the Administration, who have been totally ignored and rebuffed to this point, will have any say with Russia and Iran entrenched on Syrian soil (or sand). They will continue to hide behind the ruse that Russia and Iran can help in the fight against the Islamic State. I would not put it past Obama and the Administration to actually thank them for their help.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Obama and his Administration should learn from, of all countries, Russia and Iran, as to what it means to be a loyal ally. Having an ally's back? Check. Using military options? A big check. But Obama already knows this. Lying to Americans and Israelis, and abandoning Israel, is all part of his plan to fundamentally change the region and the world.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">There are people, including liberal American Jews, who disagree with me. They choose to ignore the obvious, such as Obama's harsh treatment of Israel and its Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. Or Obama's empowering the foremost state-sponsor of terrorism, Iran, including forcing through the terrible nuclear deal. It is not accurate to say that the deal was approved by Congress; rather it did not get enough Congressmen and women to reject it as almost all Democrats supported it while all Republicans, the strong majority by numbers, were against it. (Enough has been written on the difference between the voting requirements for treaties vs. presidential agreements and the Democrats' procedural maneuvers to prevent an actual vote in the Senate so I will not go into more detail here. Suffice it to say that Congress did not approve the deal.) The agreement will go into effect despite only having a 21% approval rating from the American public. The Obama and Hillary Clinton Russian "reset" has worked wonders, for Russia that is, consistent with Obama's hot mic comment meant to reassure Putin that he would have his back after the 2012 election was over. That has not worked out quite as well for Crimea or Ukraine.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">But liberal Americans, including liberal Jews, will always give Obama the benefit of the doubt. Incredibly though, protecting his character and insisting that his intentions are pure are not enough. They insist that he knows what he is doing and that his policies are effective. I actually agree that he knows what he is doing; we just disagree as to who enjoys the benefits of his "effective" policies.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">If Obama is acting in good faith, which is difficult for me to even write, then he is totally incompetent and ignorant. No matter how you slice it, however, his policies are dangerous to America and Israel. They have contributed to the upheaval in the Middle East, which is engulfed in death, destruction and turmoil as there are two competing caliphates, one of which belongs to Iran. Israel, America's true ally in the region no matter what Obama and liberal Democrats say or do, has come under increasing danger as it sits innocently in the midst of the chaos. Violence and death have increasingly encroached on its borders, beyond the threats from its everyday enemies. As if that was not enough, Obama has confirmed that his promises to Israel were false as he rammed through the Iranian nuclear deal, claiming to have the support of such stellar U.S. allies as Russia and China, in addition to the wonderful world body, the UN.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">To make matters worse, Israel now has to deal with the alliance of Russia, Iran, Syria and Hezbollah on its border with Syria. This is dangerous on many levels. For one, look at how successful or incompetent (depending on your point of view as to his intent) Obama has been in reversing decades of American foreign policy of limiting Russian influence, not to mention presence, in the Middle East. It is as if the Russian reset of Obama and Clinton is resetting Russia to a period of strength and undoing and undermining the successful accomplishments of President Reagan.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">There also are the direct threats from Iran, which has openly vowed to annihilate Israel and wipe it off the map. Those threats will be louder now that they will be coming from an additional border. One can just sense the provocations to come. And what trouble is in store as a result of an honest error? What happens if Israel retaliates to an attack or provocation, but the impact of the response is felt by Russia? Or Iran? This will be a powder keg. Does anyone believe that Obama will have Israel's back? Or that he will use military options? To avoid this, Israel may feel it has to stand down and tolerate yet more Iranian aggression directed its way.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Is the world really a better place as a result of America leading from behind and America demonstrating weakness instead of its superpower might? For it apologizing for its past to the world instead of being a leader and proud of what it stands for? Despite what liberals and Democrats, which are now really synonymous, would have you believe, American weakness and leading from behind are the cause of much of the chaos in the world today. Even worse, we are rapidly going down an even more dangerous path, as the new evil alliance demonstrates.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Leading from behind really means letting other countries take the lead, even if they are the evil ones in the new alliance, and then weakening America even more by trying to clean up the mess. One of the flaws of Obama's ideology is that it hurts Americans. Obama and liberals, as seen in their governing of the United States and their treatment of Israel, do not lead with the best interests of the country they represent. Obama employs an ideology that promotes the interests of his preferred classes. That is why, for example, he is now contributing over $400 million to aid the Syrian refugee crisis. That will result in an overall amount of over $4.5 billion spent on this cause. He also is doing his best to help bring as many refugees as possible to the United States, while admitting that some may be terrorists and the proper vetting process will not be done. This is a far cry from putting the interests of Americans first. $4.5 billion could go along way to help our veterans, who are needlessly suffering, as well as fixing many of our social challenges. Obama's leading from behind ideology has resulted in America carrying the pail and shovel to clean up the world's messes. He has tried to force a pail and shovel into the hands of Israelis in favor of his preferred Palestinian class, but so far, thankfully, that has been unsuccessful overall. I'm afraid that the attempts will continue.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Let's suppose that another global superpower, China, joins the new evil alliance. Then what? This is not all that farfetched and would be disastrous for America and the world. But I would bet it comes as a surprise to Obama and his Administration, or at least that is how they will portray it. Again, if they are really not thinking about that, they are incompetent and will scramble and fall over themselves in trying to react to it, should, G-d forbid, it ever happen.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Hats off to the members of the new evil alliance who seem to understand what it means to be a loyal ally. Sad to say that they have given Obama, his Administration, Democrats and liberals a very public lesson. Whether they truly need it or not is a different story.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8282632661086282212.post-51669627147919133912015-09-20T09:14:00.002-07:002015-09-20T09:14:29.184-07:00The Country's Amnesia<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">September 18, 2015</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">With all of the danger and chaos in the world today, including the recent nuclear deal with Iran, it is worth bearing in mind that it has only been 70 years since the end of the Holocaust. Although to some people, 70 years might seem like a long time, I say "only" in the sense that in humanity's long history, its darkest and most gruesome and evil time was only 70 years ago. Yet, despite the enormity of that horror, the world has all but forgotten it. For Americans, despite losing many fine young men in World War II, the Holocaust was something that occurred overseas. The blood of the Jews was spilled, quite literally, on Russian and European soil. But what excuse do Americans have for forgetting September 11, 2001? The horrific attacks occurred only 14 years ago and soaked U.S. soil with the blood of Americans.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">In the immediate aftermath of 9/11, Americans united with a great sense of patriotism. They relished the idea of a strong America that would respond appropriately to the terrorist attacks. American flags flew everywhere. The national anthem was song with pride and enthusiasm. That feeling of unity and strength lasted for a while, but the country's amnesia started way before the 14 year mark. To illustrate how far removed from 9/11 we were by 2008, one need only consider the presidential election. If I went into a coma right after 9/11 and came out of it after the election to learn that Americans had elected a president named Barack Hussein Obama, I would not have believed it. That he was such an enigmatic figure who arrived with such a mysterious and anti-American background would have made it even harder to believe. In fact, if I was told there had been a movie made on it, I would have claimed it had to be too farfetched and refused to go. (The best and most interesting movies are often those that seem too hard to believe, but are actually based on real facts and are true stories. This, unfortunately, would be one of them.) In this case, it was not too difficult for many people, myself included, to predict the misfortune to befall America from Obama's promise to fundamentally transform the country.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">How did this happen? How did Americans elect Obama, with his radical left ideology, including his ties to anti-American extremists like his reverend, Jeremiah Wright, and friend and terrorist, Bill Ayers (to name just two of his radical associates), only seven short years after 9/11? Why were Americans so open and gullible to accept a transition of the country from strength and pride to weakness, guilt and having a compelling urge to apologize to the world for what it stands for so shortly after 9/11?</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Now, 14 years later, it is still painful to watch the news on 9/11. I told myself I would just watch a little of the coverage this year, but pretty soon I was once again immersed in it. How does one watch without being overwhelmed with emotions? The images of the planes hitting the Towers and the Pentagon. The plane in the field in Shanksville, PA. The people jumping from the higher floors of the Towers. The zombie-like people near the Towers covered with debris. The 911 calls. The desperate cries and pleas for help. The interviews. Suddenly, you are back to that devastating time 14 years ago with your heart feeling like it is being ripped out of your chest. And again I have to ask, how did we transition so quickly from a nation coming together as one, with a great sense of strength, pride and resolve, to electing a radical liberal president who was not proud of America, apologized for its history and current ways, and vowed to change it?</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">The Holocaust took the historical murder of and pogroms against Jews to a whole new, darker level. After the Holocaust, Jews had a better appreciation and were on notice of the atrocities that humanity was capable of, of extraordinary evil that knows no bounds, and swore "Never Again". After 9/11, Americans vowed to "Never Forget". They were on notice of the evil that radical Islam was capable of. Prior terrorist attacks, as bad as they were, did not have quite the same impact. It was the magnitude of 9/11 and the fact that it showed our vulnerability on our own soil that made it hit home all the more. Yet, somewhere along the way, America and Americans developed amnesia and made their decision in 2008 (and again in 2012).</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Perhaps it is the Holocaust that has served to so severely frighten Jews over the nuclear deal with Iran. Many, but not all, Jews that is. Others, particularly American Jews, continue to show their unwavering support and devotion for Obama and everything he does. They either are not very familiar with the Holocaust or have had their own amnesia set in. But what about Americans? True, only 21% of Americans approve of the nuclear deal with Iran according to a recent poll, but Obama and other elected Democratic officials have accomplished what was needed to have it pass and rammed down the throats of the American people. Where is the country's outrage? The fear? The outcry? The promise of "Never Forget"? Americans, like world Jewry, know what it is like to be on the wrong end of terror. Most Israeli Jews know enough to listen and take seriously threats from an evil enemy of "Death to Israel". Too many Jews ignored the threats of a different madman in the 1920s and 1930s and paid the ultimate price. Americans should now understand the threats of "Death to America" from radical Islamic terrorists and know enough to take them at face value. 9/11 was a wake up call, an alarm that should have put and kept the country on notice of what could happen. Imagine 9/11 with nuclear weapons, G-d forbid. But, unfortunately, the country's amnesia seems to have gotten the best of it.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">We also are now witnessing a mass of Islamic refugees fleeing from Syria and Iraq. Europe, which one would think would understand the predicament it is in with its large Muslim population, appears to be ready to double down. Germany, of all countries, not historically the beacon of tolerance, has opened its arms wide for the refugees. It remains to be seen whether the German population is as eager to welcome the refugees as is its Chancellor, Angela Merkel. Hungary, however, is an exception. It is staying truer to historical form and has resisted accepting the refugees, which has earned it much politically correct criticism. Already there are reports and images of violence from some of the refugees who are unhappy with the treatment they have received from the host nations. Welcome to Europe, where Muslims are invited and many Jews are being forced to leave or consider leaving.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">The United States and, incredibly, Israel also have been criticized for not taking more refugees. But Israel is a tiny country and already has felt the brunt of refugees from Eritrea in Africa. Obama has pledged to take over 10,000 Syrian refugees over the next year and Democrats are recommending that the United States absorb over 100,000 Syrian refugees. Conservative estimates are that easily 1% of the refugees could be terrorists, and the Islamic State has stated its intention to infiltrate countries through the refugees. The White House and Democrats admit that they would not be able to ascertain whether terrorists would be among the refugees that enter the country. One percent of 100,000 is 1,000 terrorists. Applying the same formula to the estimated 1,000,000 refugees that Europe may accept yields 10,000 potential terrorists. Again, these are only conservative estimates. It took only 19 Islamic terrorists to inflict such wide scale damage to the U.S. on 9/11.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">For some reason, the focus has been more on the United States, Europe and even Israel to take in the refugees. But what about other Islamic countries? True, Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon have, but are these the only Muslim countries? Why is there no pressure on Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, the UAE, Iran, Pakistan, Egypt, Indonesia...? There are approximately 1.5-1.8 billion Muslims in the world who have more than enough of their own countries and ample room. Are we to believe that they are not capable of absorbing their brethren? As is the case with the Palestinians, who fled from Israel of their own volition, the Islamic nations sit idly by. It is just a matter of time before they show their lack of appreciation and their "concern" for the treatment and living conditions of their dear brothers and sisters who have the great misfortune of being welcomed by Western countries. In the past, Jews have fled from, not to, Muslim countries. There is nothing to suggest that that would change in the future. In fact, Jews are even being driven out of non-Muslim countries because of Muslims. It is an affront to Israel to even suggest that it has a moral obligation to accept the refugees. The political correctness must stop. Israel is the one and only Jewish country and it has to stay a Jewish country. For those who do not like it, too bad.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">It is not just refugees from Islamic countries, but also refugees from African countries, who cannot flee their homelands fast enough. And these are the countries that Obama is proud of. He condemns and insults the country that he governs and Israel, to which various refugees have fled for years and to which today are most desired destinations, but glorifies the countries people cannot leave fast enough.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">I saw other emotional images once again this year as I watched the 9/11 coverage. They were the pictures and footage of our heroes in the FDNY and NYPD, and other first responders. How many of those among us would have been capable of going into the Towers as they were engulfed in flames and billowed smoke, while terrified civilians instinctually tried to find safety? How many of us would have stayed in the immediate vicinity directing and instructing horrified, innocent people? It was not only the courageous of the FDNY that suffered losses that day; many police officers were killed as well. At least we felt some relief and pride in those tough days that followed when law enforcement and firefighters from around the country marched into downtown New York to lend a helping hand. How quickly one can go from hero to villain though in a country with amnesia. We have gone from wearing FDNY and NYPD caps to burning and stomping on American flags in an effort to vilify all law enforcement personnel and even white America because of a few isolated incidents involving law enforcement and blacks, regardless of who was at fault.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Next year will mark the 15th anniversary of 9/11. There promises to be much fanfare, news coverage and attention to mark</span><span class="aBn" data-term="goog_525858960" style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">9/11/16</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">. Much of the country will unite and rally together for a single day, as it seems to do on each anniversary of 9/11. It is fairly easy to predict that the country will then suffer from amnesia again and return to its state of schism. But Americans would be wise to carry that day and the feelings of American pride and patriotism forward to help prevent future 9/11s and worse.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8282632661086282212.post-931210475787195532015-09-20T09:13:00.000-07:002015-09-20T09:13:08.556-07:00More Democratic Division<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">September 10, 2015</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Is it me, or does it feel as though we will never get out from under these two terms of office of President Obama? In his mission to weaken and divide the country and denigrate what it stands for, he has successfully sparked and promoted a war on our law enforcement.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">It is apparent that it is open season on our law enforcement. This was a natural result of Obama's words and actions, as well as his silence and inaction, in response to multiple incidents involving black men and law enforcement, regardless of who was culpable. As violent protestors rioted, looted and burned cities, Obama sympathized with the criminals and condemned law enforcement in particular and white America more broadly for their alleged history and ongoing pattern of racism against blacks. As cities were engulfed in flames, and law enforcement was under attack, police officials were made to stand down.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">As is typical and very predictable with Obama, it is his silence after ginning up dissension that helps embolden the enemies within. As outspoken as he is on his perceived racism by whites against blacks in this country, he is disgracefully silent on the war against law enforcement. We have seen Obama's heartfelt anger, hurt and respect for blacks involved in incidents with law enforcement, whether they were innocent or guilty. The lack of any outcry from him on the senseless, cold-blooded killings of innocent law enforcement personnel is painfully obvious and sends a loud and clear message to the criminal element of society. Again, this silence is very predictable as Obama himself helped launch this war. Look for Republican candidates to more forcefully pounce on this issue, which, despite Obama's silence and inaction, is a real problem.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Under Obama, Black Lives Matter, a real racist group, has flourished. The radical black group, the New Black Panthers, also has been empowered and emboldened. Both groups have openly threatened to murder cops. Shouldn't all Americans, particularly law enforcement personnel and their families, expect the President of the United States to unequivocally condemn such extremist views and their deadly consequences?</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Interestingly, with the recent backlash and criticism of law enforcement, and with police personnel anxious about performing their jobs, there has been a dramatic escalation of violent crimes in many cities that have a large minority population. These cities are led by Democrats, many of whom are minorities themselves. Baltimore, Milwaukee, Chicago, St. Louis, Washington, D.C...apparently black lives do not matter in these cities when it comes to black-on-black violence.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">It is not just Obama. Democratic presidential candidate, Bernie Sanders, meekly and cowardly handed over his microphone to menacing members of Black Lives Matter during a recent speech, while trying to defend them. Another Democratic presidential candidate, Martin O'Malley, took what seemed to be a reasonable approach, saying that all lives matter when his forum was hijacked by Black Lives Matter. But he quickly showed his true colors of weakness by apologizing to the group and saying black lives matter. Can you imagine, apologizing for saying that white lives matter and all lives matter in addition to black lives matter? These are pathetic excuses for presidential candidates. And the fact that a radical hate group like Black Lives Matter can feel empowered and emboldened enough to disrupt the campaigns of Democratic presidential candidates and to threaten the Republican Party is deeply disturbing and alarming.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">The Democratic National Committee recently tried, for some reason, to extend an olive branch to Black Lives Matter by passing a resolution in support of the group. The group, however, rebuffed the DNC's make nice attempt. Typical failure of DNC Chairwoman, Debbie Wasserman Shultz, who still maintains that she is very proud of the group. But why all this warmth and support for a hate group? What would happen if the Republican Party tried to reach out the same way to the KKK? Like the DNC, the liberal media, instead of condemning and denouncing the vile hate group, Black Lives Matter, has chosen to embrace it. Truly shameful.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Then of course there is Hillary Clinton. She chose to have a ridiculous philosophical debate with members of Black Lives Matter, but still sided with them. As the real war on law enforcement is growing, she refuses to recognize it. Instead, she is only capable of droning on about the war on women. And targeting highly paid CEOs. And raising taxes on the "wealthy" and "rich" in America. Or, in other words, yet more Democratic division of America. It is all the more appalling coming from one of America's biggest liars and hypocrites. At least, thankfully, it seems as though this robotic drone is crashing and burning.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Yet somehow, even with their radical, far-left positions, which directly contradict core values and principles of many Americans, these Democratic presidential contenders are polling well against the Republican presidential candidates. Not only has the Democratic Party changed, but, as is apparent now with two Obama victories and recent poll results, the country has changed as well. But it is precisely because the fundamental values and principles of so many Americans are being violated that the country and the current election campaign are so divided. Conservative Americans will not tolerate an open hunt on our men and women in law enforcement, whether they are black or white. Nor will they tolerate racism, whether white on black, or more accurately today with Black Lives Matter, black on white. In short, conservatives will not be fooled by the attempts, disguised or not, of the contemporary Democratic Party to divide the country.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8282632661086282212.post-8427247229432014882015-08-31T11:44:00.000-07:002015-08-31T11:44:07.604-07:00Black Hats, IDF, Camels and "El Chapo" the Shark<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">August 28, 2015</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">My family vacation this summer was my favorite one ever. Two wonderful weeks in Israel. For my wife and me, it was our first trip to the Holy Land. Our older son had been to Israel before on Birthright. Our younger son also had been there before on Birthright and then studied for almost two months at a Yeshiva in Jerusalem. Importantly, I was not the only one who enjoyed the trip; my wife and sons also had a fantastic time.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Having been raised in a big city, I always appreciate long drives in rural settings. When my kids were younger, and our summer vacations entailed driving through various parts of the American landscape, I would instinctually point out horses, cows and various other animals whenever I would spot them. After a certain point (which usually did not take too long), my three fellow passengers would politely and then not so politely tell me to stop.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Our trip to Israel was different. My family knew I was "crazed" to go and excited to explore and see everything we could cram into our pre-planned itinerary, which involved driving through much of the country. That partly helps explain their patience. They totally tolerated my constant shouts of black hats (said then and now with the utmost respect and admiration) and IDF (soldiers). They even tolerated my camel alerts, which were pretty frequent in the desert. It was heartwarming for me to know that my family was tolerant not only for my sake, but also because they were enjoying the same things I was. In large part, that focused on being around our fellow Jews. All Jews. For once, we were not the minority and that was a spiritually uplifting feeling.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">There was another reason this trip was important to me. I have said and written a lot about Israel, always from a pro-Israel perspective. People I know, including Israelis, had been surprised about my passion for the country, particularly since I had never been there. At the same time, they assured me that, even though I had never visited, I really had a good understanding and was not missing anything that would change my views. Still, I knew that I had to go, and go with an open mind. It was not just for my own sense of credibility, I just had to see for myself. After spending a couple of weeks in Israel, and traveling through much of the country, I came home with a deeper and more informed love and appreciation of the Homeland and its people.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Our trip officially started under the blistering sun in the Dead Sea Region of Ein Bokek. We stayed at a resort hotel that seemed to cater mainly to native Israeli and Russian Jews, although we met Jews of other backgrounds as well. There were, however, a good amount of arabs, many dressed in their traditional garb. A rough, non-scientific estimate would be around 5%-10%. Whether at the Sea, or in the spa or at breakfast and dinner buffets at the hotel, everyone in this eclectic mix appeared to be getting along just fine. We also saw an assortment of people, including arabs, as we hiked in Ein Gedi. Here too, there was nothing unusual to report.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">We spent a good amount of our time at different beautiful beaches in Israel, including in Tel Aviv, Netanya and Haifa. It was in the clean, warm waters of some of these beaches that we encountered the only thing that gave us concern on the entire trip. It was a small fish that nipped, mostly at the ankles of swimmers. My younger son dubbed the fish El Chapo the Shark. I have no idea why. But the nickname caught on, especially when we would see swimmers scampering out of the water clutching their ankles.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">We were the minority on a mostly arab beach in Haifa. Jews and arabs both frolicked in the water and on the sand while enjoying this wonderful beach. There also were many arabs in the section of Haifa where we stayed. There was a whole strip of restaurants, bars and cafes filled with younger arabs who definitely seemed to be carefree and enjoying themselves.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Pretty much wherever we went we came across arabs. In Tiberias, at the Jordan River and, obviously, in Jerusalem. In fact, we saw arabs in most of the places where we went in the Old City of Jerusalem. What was notable to me were the warnings that we, as Jews in Israel, received about steering clear of certain arab sections, gates and quarters of the Old City, but the routes we were told to use were full of arabs. One place where we did not see any arabs was in Yad Vashem, Israel's holocaust museum and memorial. There we saw only Jews.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">In the vast amount of driving we did, we were able to see a lot of Israel. I was impressed with how much Israelis have accomplished in such a short period of time since the establishment of the country in 1948. They have done a truly amazing job of building up the country. At the same time, I was struck by how much land was still undeveloped and how much more room there appeared to be for growth. We would drive on roads (well-paved I might add) for long stretches of time and not see anything except the beautiful scenery until we came upon a city or town, sometimes elevated and off to one or both sides of the road. Interestingly, we would often observe the gold dome of a mosque in these places. As we would drive through arab towns or view these mosques, I could not help but to again think of the hypocrisy of the international community, which condemns Israel for being a racist country, but supports Palestinian demands that there not be a single Jew in their territories or in any future Palestinian state. Taking a detour into Gaza to spend some more quality time with arabs was not part of our itinerary. No, any interaction between Jews and arabs had to be done in Israel.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">To be clear, we knew that the danger was not limited to Gaza. We also were aware of the increased terrorist attacks by Palestinians in East Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria and did not venture there on this trip. We decided not to go to Hebron to see the Cave of the Patriarchs, after considering going with an armed presence and in a vehicle with bulletproof glass. We also heard about the danger and political nonsense occurring there from a rabbi who we spoke to who had been there earlier the same day.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Regarding the areas we were in or very close to, a Jewish couple we met told us about their trip to Nazareth, which consists mostly of arabs. They drove there, arrived at their destination, and had to quickly scamper away after encountering a young man and his machine gun there. We heard stories, but fortunately Jerusalem was quiet while we were there.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Throughout our trip, I could not help thinking, particularly as I was enjoying the rest and relaxation at the beaches, just how much the Palestinians were squandering their opportunity. If they only would want peace, their population could live in prosperity. Their people could enjoy freedom and have malls, restaurants, cafes and bars. In Gaza, they too could have a coast of resorts for their people to enjoy. It is to everyone's great misfortune that they instead choose to embrace terrorism, murder and brutality.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">I cannot wait to return to Eretz Yisrael and be with my fellow Jews. I wish all Israelis peace and the coming of a time very soon when their biggest concern will be El Chapo the Shark.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Am Yisrael Chai.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8282632661086282212.post-63780141226923784132015-08-25T16:19:00.001-07:002015-08-25T16:19:58.523-07:00The Dramatic Rise of Donald Trump<div class="p1">
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<span class="s1">August 25, 2015</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Donald Trump is, to date, defying all of his critics and detractors with his big lead over the other Republican presidential candidates. There is a simple reason for his dominance that many so-called political experts and analysts did not see coming and are still overlooking. What is that reason? In one word--Obama.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Obama has successfully divided the country and the division he has created is deep and severe. His radical liberal policies and over the top political correctness, both at home and abroad, have infuriated, disgusted and embarrassed a significant number of Americans. These Americans now all too painfully understand the meaning of Obama's promise to fundamentally change the country and they do not like the result. They now see his agenda more clearly and resent his thrusting his leftist ideologies upon the country. They have witnessed Obama's weakening and degrading of America and they do not like it one bit. They are angry and want a strong and unapologetic Republican candidate who will make America great again. Enter Mr. Trump who has taken center stage with that exact message. He is vowing to return the country to its greatness by taking positions that are diametrically opposed to Obama's.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">I refer the reader back to my April 9, 2015 article entitled "Right Down the Middle". In that article, I set forth matters that are important to Americans and major issues facing America today, and how I pretty much disagree with Obama's position on all of them. Trump is systematically championing the opposite side of Obama's liberal positions on these matters and issues as well. And he is doing so in a blatant way. For Americans who are tired of Obama weakening and degrading this great country, Trump is saying everything they long to hear. They yearn for American success and greatness again and Trump is promising to deliver that in the strong and unapologetic terms they now crave.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Many of the other Republican candidates have substantially similar messages as Trump. And they deliver their messages without Trump's bravado, bragging and lack of humility. Looking back on the past, it is hard to see a candidate like Trump having so much appeal to the American GOP electorate. But Obama has made that possible. Obama's attack on core American values has facilitated someone riding in on a white horse and defending America. Obama's arrogance and consistent insults and humiliation of much of the population and the country have fostered the ability of someone like a Donald Trump to come out swinging and appeal to Americans in the process.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">The result is a continuing divide of the country. Obama's radical left ideologies have made it very easy for conservatives to disagree with him on all or almost all major issues. Trump has done just that and will continue to do so. Supporters of Obama, including most of the media, will dig in and defend their liberal positions and will fight Trump all the way. At the same time, Trump will continue to have amazing appeal to Americans who believe in a strong America and want their country back. America will continue to lack a middle ground. Bipartisanship will likely continue to be non-existent.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Take illegal immigration as just one example. Many Americans strongly oppose Obama's far-left views and policies. They want the problem addressed and a common sense solution (at least in part) is to secure the country's southern border. Trump's promise to build a wall and to have Mexico pay for it has obvious appeal to these Americans. But have they fully thought through how Trump will execute on his promise to deport illegals? Whether or not they consider this measure to be extreme, they may be reacting out of frustration. To illustrate the division in this country on just this one issue, consider that while his backers applaud Trump even when he talks of deportations, liberals support illegals receiving more government benefits than America's military personnel. Liberals also are offended by and scoff at conservatives over terminology on the subject like "illegals", "illegal immigrants" and "anchor babies" even though there is nothing inaccurate about these terms.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Conservatives also see the current Democratic presidential candidates promising more of the same of what Obama is delivering, and that frightens them. That is understandable given the liberal messages being espoused by the leading Democratic candidates, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. In Clinton, they also see someone they clearly cannot trust, as each day there are new troubling allegations against her, even as reported in the liberal media outlets. This likely helps explain, in part, the surprising surge of Sanders. Sanders deserves credit in that he at least admits to being a socialist, but that honesty does not make him any more appealing to conservatives. Faced with these liberal choices, and now in the second term of a president with radical left ideologies and policies, conservatives do not want to leave anything to chance. They want the strongest candidate possible and so far they like what they are hearing from Trump and believe that he is their best bet.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">It is not clear whether Trump can continue on his current successful path. He may be his own worst enemy. For now, however, he has galvanized the GOP base. His supporters have embraced him notwithstanding his insults of fellow Republican candidates, even so much as claiming John McCain is not a war hero. In the past, his brashness likely would have made him crash and burn as a candidate. In today's America though, he is instead viewed positively by conservatives as someone who speaks his mind and who is desperately needed to restore the country to its greatness. He can thank Obama for that.</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8282632661086282212.post-87334960322174639972015-07-31T09:04:00.000-07:002015-07-31T09:04:07.137-07:00Where Do We Go From Here?<blockquote style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" type="cite">
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<br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">July 29, 2015<br /><br />The purpose of this article is not to convince the reader that the Iranian nuclear agreement is a bad deal. It assumes that the reader is familiar with the terms of the agreement and has reached such a conclusion on his or her own. Rather, the purpose of this article is to assess where we go from here given the predicament we are in. Unavoidably, I will discuss bad points of the deal below. In addition, while this article is meant more for American Jews and Israel, their best interests in this case are aligned with those of all Americans.<br /><br />Any ideas intended to prevent this deal from becoming the reality are welcome. I do not profess to have a definitive solution and am not in any way being critical of any such efforts. In fact, as I discuss below, I believe Jewish groups should unite and encourage and evaluate any and all ideas, plans of action and potential solutions.<br /><br />I do believe that the immediate focus should be on the upcoming Congressional action on the deal. Congress will vote to either approve or reject the deal by September. Despite some claims to the contrary, all is not lost, at least not yet. Congress must repudiate the deal and, as a separate branch of government, can be quite effective in curbing many of the benefits Iran stands to gain from the deal. As such, Congressmen and women must be urged and persuaded to vote against the deal. And they must be urged and action needs to be taken now.<br /><br />A rally was held in Times Square on July 22nd for just that purpose. The rally drew over 10,000 people and had many effective speakers. But how far did it reach? Did it reach the non-Jewish audience? Did it have lasting effects? Where do we go from here?<br /><br />What if we build off that event and have a rally that appeals to a far larger audience? The idea is to use Madison Square Garden, "The World's Most Famous Arena", to stage a rally. This would not be the first time Jews will have used that venue in a time of crisis. American Jews staged protests against Nazi Germany from the old Madison Square Garden in the 1930's. This time, we must demand that we be heard. I would like to believe that the pro-Israel news network, Fox News, would broadcast a rally live nationally (and internationally), which would allow for an extraordinary reach. Think of the powerful and influential speakers this would draw--religious leaders of all faiths, experts on the deal, presidential candidates, Congressmen and women, holocaust survivors, journalists and businessmen, among others. The message would be addressed to all Americans, not only American Jews.<br /><br />Importantly, the rally would educate the entire country on the deal, with all of its flaws, and the nature of the Iranian regime and its fanatical religious beliefs, including those related to the End of Days. The American people should decide if they want a deal that sets the terrorist regime in Iran on a path to legitimately obtain nuclear weapons in a decade while being funded with over $150 billion well before then. And that is the best case scenario. It assumes, rather naively, that Iran will not cheat and break the deal. The myths about snap inspections and snap-back sanctions would be obliterated. The dangers, including to the United States, of removing sanctions on conventional arms and intercontinental ballistic weapons would be explained. The united front of the P5+1, consisting of such wonderful U.S. allies of Russia and China, would be exposed for the farce that it is. Speakers will explain how and why President Obama chose to have the deal approved in the U.N. before going to the U.S. Congress and how European countries are already lining up to do business in Iran, prior to Congressional action. The speakers would remind Americans that in America we care what Congress has to say, not the U.N. The rally would need to spotlight influential speakers from states with Congressmen and women who are undecided on their vote or who have indicated that they support the deal.<br /><br />Perhaps most compelling would be a short but very revealing video which demonstrates the extent of the capitulation by Obama, Kerry and the rest of the Administration. The best and most effective part of this video would be the lies, inconsistencies and deception demonstrated by the actions and words of these very people, particularly Obama. This most of all could stir Americans to pressure their Congressmen and women.<br /><br />Irrespective of whether the rally takes place, Americans should be flooding the phone and email lines of their Congressmen and women urging them to kill the deal, with organized groups applying pressure to those Congressmen and women who have indicated that their vote is at all in doubt or that they support the deal. American Jews need to start the great migration away from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party. Today's Democrats are subservient to Obama and the Party is far-left. Any party on the far end of the political spectrum is dangerous. It is time Jews came to terms with this and recognize the overwhelming support Israel receives today from Republicans. This is true of most of the current Republican presidential candidates. American Jews will have to determine whether the safety and security of Israel, and even of themselves and their families in America, outweighs their social agenda. Now is the time for such introspection and reflection. Even if Congress does approve the agreement with Iran, the next president will have leeway, as the Congress does now, to kill the deal.<br /><br />Much has been made over the last few days regarding presidential candidate Mike Huckabee's comments about the deal and it potentially leading to the next holocaust. This is an accurate assessment of the potential risk. It is Mr. Huckabee's belief and is shared by many. He has long supported Israel. American Jews should understand this for what it is--a nuclear-armed Iran presents an existential threat to Israel and this agreement with Iran assures that it will be able to obtain nuclear weapons over time, while being funded to do so by the international community. One need only listen to the words and threats of Iran's supreme leader. Mr. Huckabee's candor is preferable to the deceit of the Jewish Chair of the Democratic National Committee and Florida Representative, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who tries to convince others to ignore the potential disaster. If Ms. Schultz and other liberals feigning outrage over Mr. Huckabee's holocaust comments, made on behalf of Israel and Jews, cannot really see the potential for another holocaust, G-d forbid, they are in need of some serious education on the subject. It is interesting that they choose to take issue with Mr. Huckabee's comments made on behalf of Israel and Jews, but ignore the death threats made by Iranian leaders against America and Israel. If Mr. Huckabee is wrong, then he may have used words that some people did not appreciate. But if Obama, Kerry and Wasserman-Shultz are wrong, heaven help not just Israel, but America as well.<br /><br />If none of these measures are effective, Israel still has a military option. Do not be fooled by the rhetoric that it does not. It just has to be willing to use any means necessary to defend itself. And faced with another holocaust, it will have no choice but to do so. The question will be when will it feel it necessary to have to do so. If it is forced into making this decision, Israel will need to have an American president who truly has its back, not to mention the united support of its fellow Jews.<br /><br />American and world Jewish groups should be coming together now in an effort to have Congress kill the deal and to support Israel. Obama and his Administration are all too quick to point to radical liberal American Jewish groups as the voice of all Jews. AIPAC is not the only American Jewish organization that wants to kill the deal and it should not have to go it alone. Jews need to vanquish the liberal American Jewish groups and unite now in a powerful front. A think tank should be formed from this united structure to come up with the best ideas, plans and potential solutions. And if the effort to kill the deal fails, we need to be prepared to support Israel in taking any actions necessary to protect itself. Any such actions by Israel will make America safer in the long run too. The American public needs to be educated on this and needs to understand what a deal with the radical Islamic clerics in Iran really means to America, Israel and the entire world. </span></blockquote>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8282632661086282212.post-40349495161442430392015-07-24T13:35:00.002-07:002015-07-24T13:35:47.206-07:00"Fearless" and Fear--Part II --- Domestic
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-size: 9.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">July 21, 2015</span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 9.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
<br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">President Obama's recent characterization of
himself as "fearless" at this stage of his term in office should be
taken as a dire warning to the American people and world Jewry. His definition
of fearless really means that he will be relentless in pursuing his radical
liberal, pro-Muslim ideology to fundamentally transform the United States and
the world. In Part I of this article, I focused on his international agenda. In
this Part II, I will focus on matters closer to home. In both cases, he is
moving very quickly and successfully, and his characterization of himself as
fearless is one of the few things that he says that should be taken at face
value. In short, all Americans and all Jews need to wake up now.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">A good segue from Part I to this Part II is to stay
on the topic of radical Islamic terrorism. Only whereas Part I focused on
radical Islamic terrorism around the globe, Part II will focus on its rapid
rise and escalating threat in the United States. This past week, we witnessed
the latest radical Islamic terrorist attack in the United States, which claimed
the lives of four marines and one sailor in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The carnage
could have been a lot worse than it was. Yet, just as Obama refuses to name
terrorism committed by radical Islamists internationally for what it is, so too
does he refuse to do so in our own country. A "lone gunman" was the
best that Obama could muster when describing the most recent terrorist attack
committed by a radical Muslim in America. And just as he is not addressing
radical Islamic terrorism overseas, he is deliberately not combating the
problem at home either.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Compare Obama's reaction to the massacre in
Chattanooga to the recent horrific murder of nine black Americans by one lone,
white gunman in Charleston, South Carolina. In that terrible event, Obama had
no problem placing black and white labels on the victims and the cold-blooded
murderer, respectively. To further distinguish his reaction to the two
incidents, Obama took an isolated case of a true lone, crazy gunman and
portrayed it as just one of countless examples of white racism, hatred and
violence against blacks in this country, equating America's past with its
present. Obama is clearly using this white on black travesty to sow the seeds
of division and discord in America, ginning up controversy by building off of
America's past while ignoring the obvious positive strides it has made in the
last few decades. He has shamefully done the same thing before--Ferguson,
Baltimore, Trayvon Martin, and others--and will do so again if and when the
opportunity arises. At the same time, he promotes his pro-Muslim ideology and
shields radical Islamic terrorists by deliberately ignoring a rising trend in
this country and characterizing the latest of many radical Islamic terrorist
attacks or thwarted attacks as just another incident involving a lone gunman.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Even more disturbing is Obama's demeanor and
attitude when addressing these topics. His outrage and emotion were palpable
when discussing the Charleston massacre. He has done this consistently in cases
where a black person has been the subject of a violent act committed by a white
person, even if it proved to be justified and involved law enforcement. The
actual facts and circumstances have not mattered. How many times have we seen
him do this even, as he admits and in his own words, before all of the facts
are known? Yet in the case of the Chattanooga massacre (as he typically does
when he prefers not to comment), he was quick to caution that he could not say
too much as not all of the facts were known, but did say that it appeared to be
committed by a lone gunman. Now that we know the facts, and the crime was
committed by a radical Muslim, has he said anything else? No. Will he? No. Did
he express any outrage or emotion as Commander and Chief over the violent,
cold-blooded murders of our innocent military men? Again no. Instead, he
disrespects and dishonors the victims, their families and all Americans by
refusing to lower flags on federal buildings to half-staff. Americans ask why
is he not ordering the lowering of the flag to half-staff? Why doesn't he show
any emotion or passion over the Chattanooga massacre? They wonder why he
doesn't really say anything at all about it. Why doesn't he come out and say
the words "radical Islamic terrorism"? I could go on and on. Why,
why, why? The answers are obvious for anyone who really wants them.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">It is very simple to show how Obama is trying to
manipulate facts to divide America and protect Muslims. When you hear of
terrorist acts or killings around the globe, which are occurring all too
frequently, what is the first thing you think of? For most people, the honest
and common sense answer is radical Islamic terrorism. Now ask the same question
regarding the increasing trend in America. When you hear of a terrorist act or
threat, who instinctually do you think of as the perpetrators? The answer
should be the same. Now let's assume there are only two choices given as the
possible perpetrators, whites and Muslims. Even if the victims were all or
predominantly black, who would you instinctually select as the perpetrators? I
suspect most people would pick Muslims. Despite claims by Obama and far-left
groups that this would somehow make you a racist and support their propagandist
claims of Islamophobia, the truth is the truth and common sense is common
sense. How and when did it become acceptable to have such fears be instinctual
in this country?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">This though is part of Obama's larger plan of
dividing and weakening America. Look at his condemnation of our law enforcement
personnel. Again, he has used isolated events to try to falsely portray a
larger pattern. In doing so, he has supported the anarchy that he has helped
cause in the wake of incidents in Ferguson and Baltimore. He has weakened law
enforcement and the results are obvious as violent crime has spiked in many
minority cities across the country. Ironically, this has resulted in far more
black deaths, from black on black violence, than a few isolated and
questionable incidents involving law enforcement, justified or unjustified,
against blacks.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">At a time when radical Islamic terrorism is
running rampant across the globe, Obama continues to severely cut America's
military. This has had many senior military officials on edge for some time with
many (mainly retired) officials issuing stern warnings. With the threat of
radical Islamic terrorism escalating in America, Obama is fixated on preventing
innocent Americans and America's military personnel from arming themselves.
With the radical Islamic terrorists issuing direct threats to our military
personnel in this country, Obama needs to immediately take action to help arm
them. Pulling down blinds on windows and not wearing their uniforms in military
facilities in our own country is a cowardly, shameful and frightening response
from our government.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Common decency would have dictated that Obama
reach out to the family of the victim very recently killed in a senseless
murder in San Francisco by an illegal immigrant who had been deported numerous
times. Obama instead chose this past week to grant clemency to 46 convicted
felons and separately tour a federal penitentiary in Oklahoma vowing to change
America's criminal justice system. Not a word of sympathy to the family of the
victim in San Francisco from Obama or his Administration. To make matters
worse, Obama's inept spokesman, Josh Earnest, had nothing to say except to
refer any questions to the Department of Homeland Security and blame
Republicans. The Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Jeh Johnson,
did not even recognize the victim's name when asked about it in a Congressional
hearing. When the matter was clearly described to him, he had no comment. He
seemed clueless, but it is hard to be clueless when part of a master plan, unless
he is just a stooge or puppet in the plan. And only members of this
Administration could be such blatant liars as to try to pin this murder on
Republicans. As if sanctuary cities, Obama's refusal to enforce federal laws
and securing the border, and his preventing states from taking their own
protective measures against illegal immigration are causes championed by
Republicans. That this took place in San Francisco with its local far-left
Democratic politicians tells you all you need to know.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Under Obama's view of the country, the victims
are not the Americans killed or injured by illegal immigrants, gang members,
drug lords or just average criminals. To him, the real victims are all illegal
immigrants and the criminals themselves who are incarcerated. For Obama, this
is part of the biggest problems facing America today, along with the
continuation of its racist history, and he will fearlessly pursue remedying
these "problems". Obama's evil twisting of who are victims and who
are criminals is exactly why he has to be stopped on his efforts on gun
control.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Obama's fearlessness has made him very
predictable. A reasonable American would expect his or her president to be
taking aim at the growing problems of cybersecurity attacks, computer hacking,
identity theft, medicare and medicaid fraud, and the various other forms of
fraud plaguing and robbing America and Americans. But we have not gotten nor
will we get that from Obama. Where is his outrage over the recent cybersecurity
attack that resulted in the identity theft of as many as 30 million past and
present government workers? Of course, this number was originally reported to
be much lower and has only been increased in stages. The IRS also is getting
pulverized by identity theft crimes. Millions of Americans are the victims of
identity theft and credit card fraud. Many different types of fraud, committed
by real criminals, cost this country billions of dollars each year. But not a
word from Obama. Instead, he gives the criminals a pass and criminalizes Americans
that he considers to be wealthy and successful. Here too he has been effective
in dividing the country; in this instance, along economic and financial
backgrounds. As part of this plan, Obama has chosen to go to war against
American capitalism and society. He has targeted America's financial/banking,
energy and healthcare sectors and now is probing the airline industry.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Given Obama's divisiveness, consider the
ramifications of an attack on America's power grid. This would shut down our
banking, telecommunications and transportation, among other basic survival
systems, and crush our overall infrastructure. How will Americans react? No
doubt, Obama's polarization will make for dangerous conditions. There will be
people who will feel emboldened and entitled to act lawlessly. Will law
enforcement be supported or second guessed? Will honest, law-abiding citizens
have guns to protect themselves or will just the criminals? Is Obama combatting
domestic radical Islamic terrorism to try to prevent this?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Just how vulnerable is the United States? Look
at the recent systems' problems suffered on the same day by the New York Stock
Exchange, the Wall Street Journal and United Airlines. Was your first thought
that this was a coordinated cyber attack? Something as small as this had quite
an unsettling feeling and impact. Imagine multiplying that exponentially. How
and when did it become acceptable to have such fears be instinctual in this
country?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">I would like to tie this all together for world
Jewry. Obama's pro-Muslim and pro-Palestinian policies have fostered global
Anti-Semitism and I am afraid that it will only escalate while he is in office.
His nuclear deal with Iran has the potential, G-d forbid, to spark the next
holocaust. Yet there is more. I expect Obama will next proceed to ramp up the
pressure on Israel by trying to force it into a sham "peace" deal
with the Palestinians. Already, the seeds have been planted and France's
proposed U.N. Security Council resolution calling for a Palestinian state based
on 1967 borders has likely only been delayed until the nuclear deal with Iran
is fully secured. But my guess is that it is coming. And it is very
frightening.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">To conclude, Obama is fearless because he will
strive to forcefully blend his radical liberal, pro-Muslim ideology from an
international perspective with his domestic agenda to fundamentally transform
the United States and the world. Look at his actions and omissions and listen
to his own words. Consider his pen and phone comments (or threats) and you will
see that he is making good on them. Fearless means he is becoming more and more
blatant and forceful in his words and actions. Why doesn't he comment on the
violent deaths of real victims? Why doesn't he order the flag lowered to
half-staff? Why, as reported, will he address the issue of predatory lending
later today as a major problem in this country? Why does he view global climate
change as the biggest threat to the world today when radical Islamists are
terrorizing and killing people worldwide and are making their presence
painfully felt in America? Is global climate change really a bigger immediate
threat than Iran being on a clear path to develop and obtain nuclear weapons
over time while it expands its reach and terror around the world, particularly
in the Middle East and Latin America? We should expect the onslaught to
continue.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Do I have Obama's description of his own
fearlessness correct? Do I describe the resulting fear accurately? The reader
should make his or her own decision. But they should do so with an open mind
and with open eyes and ears. What does the reader suppose Obama meant when he
characterized himself as fearless?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">I will leave the reader with this to ponder as
part of the overall analysis. Obama excoriated Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin
Netanyahu, in March toward the end of the election process because Mr.
Netanyahu encouraged his constituents of conservative Israeli Jews to get out
and vote because foreign organizations were busing Israeli arabs to the polls
and doing everything they could to get them to vote and defeat Mr. Netanyahu.
Leftist foreign and Israeli organizations all were encouraging liberal voters
to vote against Mr. Netanyahu and his policies. Obama, who is exceptional at
using all of these methods, was somehow outraged at Mr. Netanyahu and Israel.
Choosing to ignore the fact that Israel is a great friend, ally and fellow
democracy, Obama immediately announced that he would reassess American policy
toward Israel because of Mr. Netanyahu's words. (Consider France's resolution
above and whether or not Obama would veto it.) By contrast, in the immediate
aftermath of the announcement of the nuclear deal with Iran last week, Iran's
supreme leader continued his chants of "Death to America" and
"Death to Israel" and declared that nothing would change between his
country and America and once again threatened Israel. This Obama dismissed as
nothing more than a politician appealing to his constituents. Let the reader
decide.</span></span>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8282632661086282212.post-31525681753387202012015-07-24T13:34:00.000-07:002015-07-24T13:34:08.620-07:00"Fearless" and Fear--Part I --- International<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-size: 9.5pt;">July 9, 2015</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 9.5pt;"><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">President Obama described himself as
"fearless" at this stage of his presidency in a recent interview. I
do not believe most of what he says, but I have learned when to pay attention
and take him at his word. His claim of being fearless is one such example. Not
that I believe that he is really fearless, but, more importantly, he believes
he is fearless. I would describe him more as hell-bent on fundamentally
changing America and the world no matter who or what stands in his way. And
that should put fear into Americans and world Jewry. In this article, I will
explain why this is the case from an international perspective. Part II will
address Obama's domestic agenda. In both cases, I'm afraid, his radical
ideology and "fearlessness" will dangerously coalesce.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">I have discussed, debated and written about my
belief that Obama is going full throttle to pursue his pro-Muslim, Anti-Semitic
and anti-American ideology, which includes the establishment of an Islamic
caliphate. I have repeatedly been told that I cannot prove my claim. Fair
enough. But neither can anyone else prove any other theory that aims to explain
the dangerous, odd and irrational behavior of this American president. And
based on Obama's own words and actions, plain facts and the utter chaos in the world,
I believe that my theory holds up better than the others.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">Take for example Obama's obsession to reach a
nuclear deal with Iran at any cost. All you hear from experts, analysts,
politicians, journalists, etc. is that Obama is pursuing this deal with Iran
for his own legacy. But does that really add up? The deal all but assures that
Iran will get a nuclear arsenal as it would be permitted to do so legally--by
the terms of the deal--over time. Most of the proponents of the legacy theory
also believe that Iran would use or threaten to use any nuclear weapons that it
is able to procure. Even if Iran does not use the weapons, putting it on the
path to legitimately obtain them dramatically shifts the balance of power and
will ignite a nuclear arms race in the Middle East. What American president
would really want that as his or her legacy? Even Obama recently said as much.
Advocates of the legacy theory must believe that if the world goes to hell, a
legacy won't matter, or if hell means something more benign, the blame will be
placed on the then-sitting president. The truth, however, will still be the
truth.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">It also is inexplicable why Iran has been
allowed to negotiate from a position of strength when it is in a position of
weakness. Why were economic sanctions, which were working at the time, eased
just to get Iran to the negotiating table? Why are we allowing Iran to dictate
the terms it wants, continually changing existing terms and adding new terms in
the process? Why do we continuously allow for postponement? In other words,
Obama could have secured both a good deal and a good legacy.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">That, unfortunately, is not where we find
ourselves. We are on the clear path to disaster with Iran. A reasonable person
would have to expect that a sitting U.S. president would know when to walk away
from a bad deal and not let so-called legacy issues interfere. But no matter
how bad or preposterous the terms that we hear of are, you just get the sense
that, despite his assurances to the contrary, Obama is not going to walk away
from this deal. Helping Iran actually build nuclear reactors, as was recently
reported as an option, was likely said sarcastically numerous times by outside
parties during the course of negotiations. One wonders if our negotiators heard
this and took it seriously thinking it would silence their critics. In any
event, just how egregious do the terms of the deal have to be before more
people conclude that ideology--or fearlessness--drive Obama and legacy does
not? At least not the type of legacy that they are contemplating.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">The legacy theory also is flawed because it is
too narrow. It mistakenly looks at the Iranian nuclear talks in a vacuum. It
ignores Iran's other actions and other developments in the Middle East. Looking
at the whole picture, again one sees ideology, not legacy.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">Fearless to Obama means redefining the landscape
of the Middle East. It means ending economic sanctions against Iran, likely
very shortly after a deal is reached. Who would want a legacy that is based on
funding the largest state-sponsor of terrorism and most belligerent country in
the world while giving it the ability to obtain nuclear weapons? Why would we,
negotiating from a position of leverage, not attempt to get Iran to stop its
terrorist activities and aggression in the Middle East? Instead, we will be
supplying it with billions and billions of dollars, which would promote its
uncivilized and savage behavior and all but ensure that it will continue. Why
would we not pressure Iran to free American prisoners? To curb its human rights
violations? The legacy theory just does not add up.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">To Obama, being fearless means getting in front
of the American people at this stage of the advancement of IS and boldly saying
that he has no strategy to combat that terrorist group. It means blatantly
lying and telling Americans that he is still waiting for a strategy from the
Pentagon. He spreads propaganda that we cannot defeat the terrorists
militarily, but instead have to address underlying and root causes. The only
mention he makes of Muslims is to claim that what is happening is a distortion
of Islam and that most of the victims are Muslim. Just think about how twisted
this really is. He refuses to say that the terrorists are Muslims, but portrays
the victims as Muslims. He also refuses to acknowledge that Christians and Jews
are targets of radical Islamic terrorism despite clear and convincing evidence
that they are. So even in these extraordinary circumstances of rampant radical
Muslim terrorism, with members of many religions as the true victims, Obama
repeatedly singles out Muslims not as the perpetrators but as the victims. He
builds off of this to make exaggerated claims about Islamophobia. To deflect
away from the dangers of radical Islam, he makes ridiculous comparisons to the Crusades
to vilify Christians. Instead of admitting when members of other religions are
targeted by radical Islamic terrorists, he makes idiotic statements like the
random shooting of some folks in a kosher deli. This too is ideology, not
legacy.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">Similar to the legacy theory, many people are
now saying that Obama just wants to run out the clock on the IS problem and
hand it off to the next president. And like the legacy theory, this too does
not make any sense. The IS problem has been serious for over a year now and
Obama is not leaving office for well over a year. The IS threat, like the
overall threat of radical Islam, is rapidly expanding in the U.S. and abroad.
It is one thing to ignore the savage acts of IS overseas, but how could an
American president ignore such a severe threat to the American people? Why is
there an assumption that nothing will happen in America and that it is
acceptable for this problem to wait for the next president to address? This
line of reasoning is irresponsible and dangerous. Again, facts are facts, and
IS has risen and prospered on Obama's watch.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">Fearless to Obama also means attacking the one
real democracy and America's best ally in the Middle East even though it goes
against this country's own interests and the opinion of the majority of its
citizens. Slandering Israel with one-sided criticism while choosing to ignore
Palestinian and overall Islamic terrorism in an effort to promote a phony peace
may be fearless to Obama, but would mean suicide for Israel. This too, however,
fits squarely with his ideological beliefs. And it is easy to see the passion
and emotion with which he condemns Israel and its Prime Minister, and the lack
thereof and empty words he mouths when there is a savage terrorist strike. Of
course, when terrorists strike in Israel, there is silence from Obama unless
Israel defends itself and then he typically condemns Israel using ridiculous
moral equivalency arguments.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">If people want to talk about a real Obama
legacy, they should focus on the Arab Spring and the resulting escalation of
Islamic terrorism and global chaos. Obama supported radical Islamic terrorist
groups, like the Muslim Brotherhood, and the ousting of more moderate and
secular leaders like Mubarak and Gaddafi. He has shunned the current moderate leader
of Egypt, El-Sisi, who himself is trying to combat radical Islamic extremism.
He also let the moderate Iranian Green Movement twist in the wind without even
a word of encouragement in 2009. The result to date has been Iran and IS
competing for the establishment of an Islamic caliphate and causing as much
bloodshed, death and destruction as they can in the process. This has all
happened on Obama's watch. These are facts, not theories, and it remains to be
seen how his full, true legacy plays out.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">Critics can try to discredit my beliefs all they
want. In the end I believe they do not collapse like a house of cards when
scrutinized. To me, Obama's pro-Muslim words and actions are quite clear. The
global turmoil being caused by radical Islamists makes them all the more
obvious. In fact, it would be too hard to believe except that it is really
happening. The legacy Obama wants is the one that he is fearlessly pursuing,
the one that promotes his pro-Muslim, Anti-Semitic and anti-American ideology.
Obama's meaning of fearless should be causing fear and sending a chill up the
spines of Americans and Jews.</span></span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8282632661086282212.post-34907033634078731792015-06-28T14:12:00.001-07:002015-06-28T14:13:13.919-07:00Trying to Solve the Wrong Problem<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">June 22, 2015</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">Today, many people who do not accept the
politically correct positions on race in America feel the need to state the
obvious when discussing the issue to help defend against unfounded accusations
of being a racist. So, let me start with my disclaimer. The white murderer in
Charleston, South Carolina is the scum of the earth. The lowest of the low. The
black victims were innocent people who, at the time of their murder, were
engaged in peaceful Bible study in their church. One cannot help but to feel
the pain and mourn their loss along with their families and friends and the
Charleston community. People of all races and ethnicities should acknowledge
and support the black community in this case. People of all religions should
acknowledge and support members of the Christian faith. There should be nothing
controversial here. Any decent person should feel the same way. I recognize
that not everyone will agree with the last part of my disclaimer, which is that
South Carolina has the death penalty and I believe it should be used in summary
fashion. There is no chance of killing an innocent person with the death
penalty in this case. Arguments about too many layers of appeals in death
penalty cases only show the deficiencies in our legal system. None of the
standard arguments against the death penalty should be used to prevent the
white, racist murderer from being erased from the face of the earth.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">In response to this atrocity, people have
commended the way the members of the Charleston community, blacks and whites,
have united and conducted themselves. They have contrasted the peaceful
behavior of the people of Charleston to the violent reactions witnessed in
other controversial events that centered, or were made to center, on race in
other American cities, such as Baltimore and Ferguson. But truth be told, while
the Charleston model is no doubt the better model, what will come of it? What
will change in this country as a result of this latest round of senseless
killings?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">The sad answer is that nothing will change and
that is because we are trying to solve the wrong problem. For there to be a
change, the country needs to address the real problem and to do so honestly.
But nothing good can happen given the dishonest climate we are in. Instead of
focusing on the traditional perspectives of good vs. evil and right vs. wrong,
we are focusing on black vs. white. We are consumed by the false narrative of
"Black Lives Matter". False not because black lives don't matter
(they absolutely do), but rather because all black lives matter, not just those
black lives lost with blood on white hands. Equally important, all lives, not
just black lives, matter. For there to be change in this country, change
considered proper based on Biblical, historical, civilized and jurisprudence standards,
we need to try to solve the right problem and protect all innocent people,
regardless of their color, from all violent criminals, again regardless of
their color.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">President Obama was visibly upset in reacting to
the terrible news of the murders in Charleston. He was emotional. He was angry.
You want that type of reaction from the leader of our country. But, as usual,
as he continued talking he went on to politicize and preach on certain issues.
He used the murders to once again lecture on gun control. I think most
Americans would support new, sensible gun control regulations. Obama, however,
has done nothing but politicize the issue. This problem will not be solved
easily. Guns cannot be outlawed in this country. You cannot take away the
rights of innocent Americans to legally obtain guns. The obvious reason is that
there are just too many guns in our communities. If a bad guy really wants to
do harm to innocent people, he can readily obtain guns and other weapons to do
so. He would just do so illicitly. Does anyone really believe that gang
members, drug lords and violent criminals all fill out the necessary paperwork
to legally obtain their weapons? Does anyone even acknowledge the use of
weapons by criminals? No. Instead, the left, as is typical, looks to overreach
and punish all innocent people to address a problem caused by a
disproportionate minority, while at the same time ignoring the real problem of
weapons in the hands of criminals. One only needs to look at Obama's reflexive
response to try to federally restrict the weapons used by law enforcement. The
left also dodges the fact that if innocent people were armed perhaps the
criminal could be stopped sooner in any given situation. There is always that
"what if" that gets asked in these terrible cases.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">There was something even more troubling for me
though in Obama's response. As mentioned above, Obama gave a heartfelt,
emotional response to the Charleston murders. This was the typical Obama
response involving real anger whenever a black person is killed by a white
person, whether or not justifiably. Obama also portrayed the tragic events as
being emblematic of white racism against blacks in America today. He linked the
Charleston murders to the haunted history of America's past when black people truly
were oppressed by white people. Such statements from a sitting black president
are both foolish and ignorant.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">One should not question or doubt the sincerity
of Obama's emotion in addressing the Charleston tragedy, or Baltimore or
Ferguson for that matter. His anger is both real and palpable. We also have
seen Obama's passion on display when he addresses matters pertaining to
Muslims. His Cairo speech, bowing to the King of Saudi Arabia, warm outreach
wishing Iranians a happy new year and continuous lambasting of Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel while openly siding with the
Palestinians are but several examples. But these real displays of emotion by
Obama help to prove who he really is and what he really is about. Because in
contrast, it is hard to get him to say anything about attacks or violence on
people who are not black or Muslim. When he does, it is clear that he is
mouthing empty words. When viewed in comparison to when he addresses an issue
he is passionate about, the difference could not be more stark.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">Robotic Democratic presidential candidate
Hillary Clinton immediately latched onto the continuing white racist problems
of America. Apparently she too does not believe that America has progressed on
the issue of race. The New York City Mayor with a one-track mind, Bill
DeBlasio, spoke of racial terrorism. Interesting, as liberals cannot seem to
acknowledge terrorism when committed in the name of Islam.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">Listening to these leaders, as well as the
leaders of the overall black community, a person who does not know better would
get the impression that whites are severely oppressing blacks in America. One
also would be led to believe that white violence against blacks is the only
violence suffered by blacks. It is as if there is no such thing as black on
black violence and blacks do not commit any violent crimes against whites. But
we do know better. These notions are utterly false and belong only in the realm
of fantasyland. Just over the last few days, a black man killed a police officer
in New Orleans. Another black man killed a police officer in Cincinnati. There
were two mass shootings at block parties in Detroit and Philadelphia resulting
in deaths and injuries to many people, including children. Following the
Michael Gray incident in Baltimore, the murder rate there has skyrocketed.
Murders in Chicago are out of control, as they are in other black communities
in America. Violent crimes committed by blacks are disproportionately high.
These are facts.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">Leaders like Obama are dreadfully and
deceitfully silent as to these facts. They do not address black on black or
black on white violence. The most you get is the typical mouthing of a few
empty words, but rarely even that. Passion and emotion are nonexistent.
Instead, speaking out only against violence committed by whites on blacks fits
much better into his and their overall narrative that America has been and
still is a racist country. On this issue, Obama is passionate and he makes it
very easy to feel his anger. He also is very successful in dividing and
inciting the country and setting back race relations to where he claims them to
be.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">But this distorts the real problem. Leaders like
Obama lack all credibility when they compare American society today to how it
was decades ago. In a country with well over 300 million people, they latch
onto isolated incidents, some like Charleston which show nothing but pure evil,
to make the claim that all of America is racist. They also pretend there is no
such thing as violence or racism by blacks against whites. The problem is that
Americans know better, on both fronts.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">The real problem in America, as in any
democratic country, is violent crime, and how to prevent it and punish it when
it does happen. It is not and should not be made into an issue exclusively
about race, or, more specifically, only white on black violence. Especially not
when violent crimes in this country are committed disproportionately by blacks.
Nothing will be achieved focusing only on part of the problem because, unfortunately,
in a country of this size, there will always be crazy and racist people. You
cannot stretch the vile acts of some people, an extremely small minority, to
apply to an entire country. We still struggle with a high rate of violent crime
in this country. The entirety of the problem should and needs to be addressed.
All evil needs to be fought. All good people need to be protected. Right must
triumph over wrong. All lives matter. Race is irrelevant. Only when we accept
this can something be achieved. I am not optimistic with the dishonest leaders
we have. But this too can change.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">May G-d bless the souls of the innocent victims
of Charleston and may G-d bless America.</span></span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8282632661086282212.post-88761339434452515052015-06-28T14:11:00.000-07:002015-06-28T14:11:04.088-07:00The Audible<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">
June 12, 2015</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">
Apparently, the radical, far-left, politically correct, anti-Israel team has realized that it lacks <b><u>credibility</u></b> when it continues to spew certain age-old lies about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. How can anyone with any common sense believe that if only there was a resolution to that conflict there would be peace in the Middle East and the world would be full of sunshine and roses? Don't get me wrong, you still hear many of these same old lies, but the global PC team has called an audible and appears to be touting a new line of propaganda. </div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">
President Obama, the quarterback of the PC team, and leaders of the the many European countries on that team have deftly switched the narrative to the all too familiar page from the broader radical liberal playbook of "we are better than that". Only in this case, the "we" they are imposing their far-left ideology on is Israel. It is Israel that they, now admittedly, expect more of and that they hold to much higher standards. Only Israel, not its neighbors, must live by a higher set of moral values. People can debate all they wish as to whether the PC team is motivated by Anti-Semitism. I believe that it quite obviously is, but regardless, the bottom line is that the radical liberal playbook continues to jeopardize Israel's existence.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">
Let's unravel this latest bogus narrative. To begin with, the savagery and barbarism being committed by Israel's neighbors, the Palestinians included, should make it impossible for the leaders of the PC team to use this page of the radical liberal playbook. But that has not stopped them from starting to call the audible and running this play, somehow with a straight face. They may believe that they are fooling everyone, but here too they have a real credibility problem. Anyone possessing an ounce of common sense understands that Israelis are not targeting innocent Palestinians or any other people for death. They are not beheading anyone or putting people in cages and setting them on fire. They are not committing acts of terrorism anywhere. Palestinians are not being attacked by Jews in Jerusalem; Palestinians are committing terrorist acts against Jews in the Holy City. Arabs govern the Temple Mount, the holiest site in Judaism. Jews, incredibly, are forbidden to pray there. Israel grants freedom to all religions to pray at its holy sites while Islamic militants are destroying such sites all across the Middle East. Israelis are not invading other countries and they are not threatening to annihilate or to wipe any countries off the map. Israel's neighbors cannot make the same claims.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">
Israelis are not firing rockets and missiles into any neighboring countries, other than as a matter of self-preservation. They are not trying to deliberately kill innocent Muslims. While Hamas' goal was to kill as many innocent Israeli civilians as it could during the war it provoked with Israel last summer, Israel took extreme measures to protect Palestinian civilians in Gaza, endangering the well-being of its young military personnel. While Hamas used its own people as human shields, including women and children, Israel warned those same Palestinians of impending military strikes targeted against Hamas terrorists. Hamas sacrificed young Palestinian children to build its tunnels of death, and Palestinians indoctrinate their children with violence and a hatred of Israel and Jews. Israel, by contrast, promotes peace, education and well-being for all of its children. Jews mourn the deaths of their children and the deaths of their fellow Jews. Unlike with the Palestinians, they do not promote senseless acts of terrorism so that they can glorify their children as martyrs. </div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">
It is amazing how Obama and the PC team want to impose "Jewish values" and "Western values", as they define them, on Israel. As if Jews in the Holy Land need a lesson on Jewish values from the PC team. Newsflash to Obama and the leaders of the European countries--Jewish values, real Jewish values, do not require Israel to sacrifice the lives of its citizens to fundamental Islam. Nor do true Western values, which are the Judeo-Christian values the United States was founded upon. To require a free country to sacrifice the safety and security of its citizens so as not to insult the terrorist enemies determined to kill them is nothing more than an ideology. A far-left, radical, politically correct ideology that Obama and other liberals are trying to twist into Western values. </div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">
Obama and the rest of the PC team are doing enough damage to their own countries. Fundamental Islam has spread so aggressively in Europe that many experts fear for the future of the continent. More and more terrorist attacks are being carried out successfully or are thankfully being thwarted in both of the United States and Europe. Anti-Semitism is dramatically escalating around the globe. It is particularly on the rise in Europe. Jews in universities, even in America, are under siege from Muslims and Palestinians. The deceitful Palestinian Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement resorts to violence and intimidation. Obama and the rest of the PC team should be more concerned with protecting their own Jewish citizens. But perhaps their understanding of Jewish and Western values requires innocent Jews around the world to just accept the violence and hostility directed their way. Another newsflash to Obama and the leaders of the European countries--look up the Jewish value of "Never Again". </div>
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<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">
A clear and unequivocal message to Obama and the rest of the PC team--Jews are better than radical Muslims. They prove that each and every day. That could not be any more obvious. The contrast between good and evil, right and wrong, civilized and humane behavior versus savagery and barbarism, could not be any more stark. The newest page from the radical liberal playbook is as deceptive as the other pages. This will hopefully be a very short lived theme as it is incredibly arrogant, obnoxious and dangerous. Of course, the PC team could burn the radical liberal playbook, eliminate Anti-Semitism and develop a sincere moral conscience. Knowing better, I will await the next deceitful audible from the PC team. </div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8282632661086282212.post-1476996864253732792015-06-12T10:36:00.002-07:002015-06-12T10:36:58.376-07:00Hindsight and the Present--Both 20/20<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">June 11, 2015</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">Unlike
with certain prior world calamities, we will not have to wait for historians
and scholars to explain how we missed the current threat to humanity--radical
Islam. There are plenty of experts on the Middle East, politicians,
journalists, bloggers, talk show hosts-the list goes on and on-who see
the obvious and warn each and every day of this clear and present danger. Yet
we continue to proceed on our very ominous path.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">The world
today is faced with many related challenges that threaten its future. There is
not one, but several severe threats posed by radical Islam. Chief among these
are a nuclear-armed Iran and IS, each of which is striving to establish an
Islamic caliphate. These threats are being allowed to metastasize by President
Obama and his far-left, pro-Muslim policies. The international community also
is suffering from liberal dementia. In short, political correctness has run
amok globally. At the very time that the international community should have an
intense urgency to combat radical Islam, it is instead obsessed with righting
the many perceived wrongs of Israel. I am afraid that this unfortunate
confluence of factors will have tragic consequences.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">So with a<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="aqj"><span style="z-index: -1;"><span data-term="goog_481417252" style="z-index: 0;" tabindex="0">June 30th</span></span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"> deadline
on reaching an agreement with Iran on its nuclear capabilities right around the
corner, what is brewing with the negotiations? Why so quiet? Are we waiting for
a big<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span class="aqj"><span style="z-index: -1;"><span data-term="goog_481417253" style="z-index: 0;" tabindex="0">July 4th</span></span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"> announcement?
There is no bigger story in the world today (no, not even Bruce Jenner), yet
the media coverage is shamefully non-existent. There are exceptions, such as
when the leaders of Iran claim that the framework of the agreement is built on
the lies of the United States or that Iran has no intention of complying with
its terms. Of course, these statements from Iran come in between its chants of
death to America and death to Israel. And even if the deal lives up to the best
of expectations, Iran stands to legitimately obtain nuclear weapons over time
and cash in on an estimated $150 billion. This windfall will allow Iran to
really let loose with its global terrorism and aggression, its favorite
pastimes. Iran has been the best in the world in these vile activities even
with a poor economy. Just think of the pain, suffering and misery it will be
capable of causing once the world begins funding its terrorism and
belligerence. But aside from that, what's the problem?</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">Then
there is IS. Obama just announced that he still has no strategy to combat that
savage terrorist group. Actually, he also said that he is waiting for a
strategy from the Pentagon. Military officials were reportedly outraged the
last time Obama threw them under the bus with the same statement despite the
fact that they had sent him more than one strategy for his consideration. Just
the fact that he can tell the American people that he does not have a strategy
at this point in time, regardless of the reason, is unjustifiable.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">But what
people fail to realize is that Obama has more pressing concerns for world
order. Putting the imminent threat of global climate change aside, Obama has made
his priority, more like his obsession, Israel and all of the harm it is causing
the world. For Obama and many far-left liberals the world over, it is not Iran
obtaining nuclear weapons and threatening to destroy civilization or IS
beheading innocent civilians in the name of Islam that has to be stopped first
and foremost. Rather, it is Israel trying to survive on a daily basis that tops
the charts of egregious and immoral behavior.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">Obama has
stated outright that he has to rethink his strategy with Israel based on the
fact that Israel's Prime Minister voiced his concern and doubt over the
likelihood of a two-state solution with the Palestinians in the near future
given their lack of commitment to peace and the current turmoil in the Middle
East. To Obama, it is irrelevant, despite his few empty words to the contrary,
that forcing Israel into a two-state solution jeopardizes its existence. For
him, developing a new harsher and one-sided strategy against Israel appears to
take precedence over formulating a strategy to combat IS. Just because Obama
says the Palestinians are a good peace partner does not make it so. The harsh
reality, also ignored by Obama, is that even if Israel had a real partner for
peace in the Palestinian Authority, led by Mahmoud Abbas, that government would
be toppled in a flash as part of any "peace" deal. (That may happen
at any time no matter what.)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">Radical
Islamic terrorist groups are multiplying at a rapid pace. One needs a scorecard
just to keep track. Anyone who does not believe that the PA would be ousted
need look no further than Gaza, where there are reports that IS is now in a
struggle with the terrorist group Hamas. According to IS, Hamas is not violent
and aggressive enough against Israel. Can you imagine?There should be no doubt
that if Israel was to leave certain parts of Judea and Samaria, the void would
be filled with radical Islamic terrorists, whether Palestinians or others. That
poses an existential threat to Israel and puts at risk the lives of innocent
Israelis. Yet Obama has the audacity to claim that Israel has a credibility
problem in not wanting to achieve peace with the Palestinians. The lack of
credibility is something that Obama should know all about, but instead of
deceitfully discrediting Israel, he should look in the mirror and at the
Palestinians. One has to wonder why Obama gives the Palestinians a free pass
while leveling all of his criticism against Israel.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">Obama and
the international community have done nothing about the escalation of global
Anti-Semitism. There has been a dramatic rise in reported abuse and
intimidation, physical and verbal, by Muslims against Jews on college campuses
across America. But there has not been any condemnation by Obama or his
Administration on this. In Obama's constitution, Muslims are a protected class,
Jews are not. The BDS (boycott, divestment and sanctions) movement, built on
propaganda and lies, is spreading at a fast pace globally. The growing
worldwide hatred of Jews is being fanned by radical Islam and the political
correctness and far-left policies of Obama and the international community.
Puzzling too is that Christians in the international community are allowing
their innocent brethren to be slaughtered by radical Islamists and direct their
animosity against Jews and Israel. We are living in dangerous and disgraceful
times.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">Hindsight
is 20/20, but on the threat posed by radical Islam, so is the present. In fact,
I am not sure how much clearer it could be.</span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8282632661086282212.post-72792194453130430052015-05-27T08:14:00.001-07:002015-05-27T08:14:46.609-07:00Antisemitism vs. Terrorism<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.5pt; line-height: 115%;">May 21, 2015</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">Which is
more powerful, Anti-Semitism or terrorism? Do not underestimate the strength of
Anti-Semitism. It has proven to be more powerful than terrorism. To clarify,
given the choice of promoting Anti-Semitism or combating terrorism when they
are pitted against each other, the world is choosing the former. At a time when
it could not be any clearer that the right course of action would be to
eradicate both diseases, Anti-Semitism is flourishing, even though it means
making sacrifices in the fight against terrorism.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">Radical
Islamic terrorism is currently concentrated in the Middle East, but it is
rapidly spreading across the globe. Between Iran and IS, much of the Middle
East is in turmoil. Vast parts of Africa also are home to radical Islamic
terrorists. Iran is increasing its presence in Latin America. Muslims have such
a strong foothold in Europe that many experts say "Europe is lost".
The United States, which had to endure two terrorist attacks on the World Trade
Center, has seen a growing trend of radical Islamic terrorist threats and acts.
Yet somehow, the international community is obsessed with Israel and has the
nerve to brand it as the world's foremost villain. Many still cling to and
propagate the outrageous myth that if only there was a two-state solution
between Israelis and Palestinians, there would be peace in the world. The truth
is that radical Islamists will not allow there to be peace in Israel or
anywhere else whether or not there is a two-state solution.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">Radical
Islamists murder, behead and slaughter innocent people of all religions to
achieve their objective of establishing an Islamic caliphate. They know no
bounds and have no limits. The more infidels they kill, the more successful
their mission. These terrorists do not believe in rights for non-believers,
women, minorities, gays...the list goes on and on. They are honest enough to
admit their goals and do not deny their violent views and actions. In fact,
they rush to claim responsibility for atrocities they commit. IS is running a
strategic and effective global marketing campaign to attract new recruits. The
violent and abominable acts committed across the globe today in the name of
Islam could not be any clearer.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">Israel is
the only real democracy in the region and the one Jewish country in the entire
world. It has Hezbollah, a radical Islamic terrorist group, on its border with
Lebanon. It has Hamas, another radical Islamic terrorist group, on its border
with Gaza. Both of these terrorist groups vow to annihilate Israel and are
supported by Iran, which has made the same vow. It is not as if these are empty
threats. Hezbollah and Hamas have repeatedly targeted innocent Israeli
civilians with rockets and missiles. Iran is trying to obtain a nuclear weapons
system and appears to be succeeding in its quest. Complicating matters even
more for Israel is the growing Who's Who List of radical Islamic terrorist
groups, including IS, that want to destroy Israel and conquer Jerusalem as part
of their religious vision. Some of these groups are competing for the area across
from Israel's Golan Heights, further threatening Israel's security. Of course,
there also are terrorists among the Palestinians in the West Bank and East
Jerusalem.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">A
reasonable and objective person would conclude that Israel cannot risk its
existence by gambling on a two-state solution. Put more bluntly, they would be
horrified for Israel given its precarious position. And a true ally would do
everything it could to support Israel. Even if Israel had a partner for peace,
which it does not, any land that is ceded by Israel would be filled by radical
Islamic terrorists, whether from the Palestinian Authority, Hamas or another
radical Islamic terrorist group. Israel's relinquishment of control over these
areas would facilitate the mission of these radical Islamic jihadists. We have
seen this play out the same way many times before (for example, withdrawal from
Lebanon, Gaza, Iraq and the Russians from Afghanistan).</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">The
reasonable and objective person would understand that Israel takes foolish
measures, termed rules of engagement, which jeopardize the safety and security
of its own people, to appease the Palestinians and the world community. Israeli
military and police personnel are forced to operate while in handcuffs and are
held to a standard of care that dwarfs that of other countries and endangers
Israeli civilians and security personnel. The fact that they are confronting
and combating terrorists who are deliberately trying to murder innocent
Israelis is ignored. Instead, false moral equivalency arguments are forced down
the throats of Israeli leaders and citizens. The result is that one side, the
radical Islamic terrorists, are doing all they can to wipe Israel off the map
and to kill Jewish men, women and children, young and old included, while the other
side, Israel, has to sacrifice the well-being of its civilians and young
military and police personnel by taking ridiculous security measures in its
self-defense to placate the international community.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">The world
community also distorts the truth as to the treatment of arabs by Israel. Arabs
have more rights in Israel than they do in Muslim countries. Ask yourself this
question. Would a minority, gay woman of any religion have more rights and be
better protected living in Israel or a Muslim country (any Muslim country)?
Arabs would have even more rights in Israel if they lost their hatred of Jews
and abandoned their goal of annihilating Israel. But this will not happen, it
cannot happen, because it is unacceptable to radical Islamic terrorists and many
other Muslims for Israel to exist. In fact, Israel has had to restrict the
access of Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza because of terrorist
attacks. But even that has not prevented the recent wide-spread terrorist
attacks and plots emanating from the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">Even if
the Palestinians were to reach a peace agreement with Israel for a two-state
solution, they have made it clear that they do not want any Jews in the new
Palestinian state. This while demanding that Palestinians who, for the most
part, departed Israel of their own volition before or during wartime should be
allowed to return to Israel decades later. Not to a new Palestinian state, but
to Israel. The Palestinians also demand East Jerusalem as their capital. Should
an agreement be reached allowing the Palestinians to claim East Jerusalem as
their capital, they would deny access to Jews there too. Israel unilaterally
and unconditionally withdrew from Gaza in 2005 only to receive rockets and
missiles as a thank you. One need not ask Hamas if it welcomes Jews in Gaza.
But these prejudicial and discriminatory statements and actions of the
Palestinians are given a free pass. And while the international community has
gotten caught in the Palestinian refugee trap, it has amnesia when it comes to
Jews who were expelled from Muslim countries stripped of all of their
possessions. The international community also is shamefully silent on the
millions of refugees forced to flee Muslim countries during the ongoing Islamic
rage of violence. Millions of the refugees are from Syria alone. Yet it is only
Israel that is forced to prove time and again that it is not racist and does
not discriminate. The reasonable and objective person can clearly see the
international community's vile Anti-Semitism against Israel and its Jews.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">Despite
the fear of many liberals, government leaders included, global Islamic jihad
has not resulted in Islamophobia. Instead, it is Anti-Semitism that is
escalating worldwide. The reasonable and objective person would expect that
with all of the blood being spilled by radical Islamic terrorists in the name
of Islam, old myths, like the one promising peace in the Middle East and the
rest of the world if only Israel reached an agreement with the Palestinians,
would die a natural death. Yet, it is not uncommon to continue to hear such
lies and propaganda. Taking this to the next false step, those people who are
not too embarrassed to put forth such nonsense link Israel as the cause of
broader Anti-Semitism. From there, it is not very difficult for them to try to
legitimize the prevalent worldwide Anti-Semitism. In other words, the
Anti-Semitism directed at Israel and its Jews is used to explain, justify and
excuse the escalation of worldwide Anti-Semitism.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">Anti-Semitism
is again rampant in many European countries. These countries are struggling to
address their own domestic Muslim problems and should hardly be trying to
compel Israel to make the same mistakes they made. Does France, with its
Shariah no-go zones, really believe that it should be preaching to Israel?
These countries need to be more concerned with protecting their own citizens
and stopping Anti-Semitism at home than with obsessively pressuring Israel to
cave in to the demands of radical Islamic terrorists. Why, exactly, is the
safety and security of their own citizens, including Jews, not the top priority
for these countries?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">The
victims of radical Islamic terrorism are not limited to Jews. Christians and
members of other faiths also are being targeted, which makes it all the more
astounding that the international community sides with the terrorists over
Israel and with radical Islamists over Jews. That Israel receives far more
scrutiny and blame than any other country despite being on the front lines in the
war against radical Islam and fighting every day for its survival is a clear
sign of Anti-Semitism. In fact, it could not be any clearer. And it proves that
terrorism, with all of its inherent wickedness and as strong as it is, cannot
compete with the age-old, more powerful evil of Anti-Semitism.</span></span><span style="font-family: "Mangal","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8282632661086282212.post-85326799404620749062015-05-27T08:12:00.000-07:002015-05-27T08:12:03.314-07:00Flotilla Fiction and Folly<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Mangal","serif"; font-size: 9.5pt; line-height: 115%;">May 12, 2015</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Mangal","serif"; font-size: 9.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">A cargo
ship (it looks more like a boat) from Ship to Gaza, a Swedish organization, has
embarked on its journey to break Israel's naval blockade of Gaza. This is the
first boat of the Freedom Flotilla III to leave for Gaza on that mission. A
similar attempt in 2010 (Freedom Flotilla I) was unsuccessful and resulted in
the death of nine Turkish nationals when Israeli naval commandos boarded a
flotilla ship to prevent it from breaking the blockade and were met with
violent resistance. Thankfully, Israel, in keeping with its prior practice, has
clearly stated that it will not allow any boats or ships from the Freedom
Flotilla III to break the blockade. With the painful reality of Israel's war
with Hamas in the summer of 2014 and fundamental Islamic terrorists on the
warpath worldwide, Israel really has no choice. Nor does Egypt and it too is
holding firm on its land blockade of Gaza. Yet there are groups like Ship to
Gaza that will engage in fiction and folly no matter what.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">Ship to
Gaza calls for the end of Israel's naval and land blockade of Gaza, the
building of a new seaport in Gaza and a passageway between Gaza and the West
Bank. Or, in other words, Israel's demise. Although inexcusably ignored by
groups like Ship to Gaza, the blockades are designed to stop attacks by
terrorist regimes such as Iran and terrorist groups such as Hamas, which is
based in Gaza. To portray Israel as the villain is disingenuous and confuses
good and evil. Israel unilaterally and unconditionally left Gaza in 2005.
Israel had every interest in seeing Gaza succeed as it took its good faith,
one-sided actions hoping to find peace. The Palestinians, of their own
volition, then elected Hamas over Fatah. Following a violent civil war, Hamas
gained control of Gaza and Fatah gained control of the West Bank. Instead of
peace, the Palestinians in Gaza repaid Israel with rocket and mortar fire
targeted at its innocent civilians.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">Israel's
security concerns again proved to be spot on during its most recent war with
Hamas, as it became painfully obvious that Hamas was doing exactly what Israel
feared. Hamas had used international aid and resources to construct an
infrastructure of terror in Gaza. Homes, schools, mosques, hospitals and
tunnels were all part of this terrorist infrastructure. Yet, even during this
war, Israel continued to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza. As new international
aid goes into rebuilding Gaza yet again, there already are reports that instead
of building an infrastructure for prosperity, Hamas is diverting the resources to
construct new tunnels of death. For some reason though, Ship to Gaza does not
have any qualms about that. May I suggest that Ship to Gaza update the timeline
on its website, which stops in November 2012, to include all of these pertinent
facts. Although they run counter to its fiction, I am sure that it can spin
them enough, like its presentation of other facts on its website, to dilute the
truth. If they really wanted to help Gaza, groups like Ship to Gaza should
advocate for the removal of Hamas and demand that any international aid be used
for humanitarian and non-violent purposes in Gaza. Legitimate outrage of these
groups should be directed at the waste of the vast sums of money given freely
and unconditionally to the terrorists in Gaza, which results in the unprovoked
targeting of innocent Israelis.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">In
addition to Iranian-backed Hamas in Gaza, Israel has to contend with
Iranian-backed Hezbollah on its border with Lebanon. Various terrorist groups
have been vying for control in Syria across from Israel's Golan Heights. Syria
itself is in the midst of a civil war where it is estimated that well over
200,000 people have been killed. There are reports that the Iranian-backed
Assad regime in Syria is again using chemical weapons on its people. Iran is
belligerently gaining more and more control in the region and is seeking to
become a nuclear-armed world power. IS, like Iran, is trying to establish an
Islamic caliphate and is successfully expanding its reach. Radical Islamic
terrorists are spilling innocent blood in Africa. These radical terrorists are
killing innocent people of all religions across the globe. But to groups like
Ship to Gaza, it is Israel's self-defense and self-preservation that are the
world's greatest injustices.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">Contrary
to the claims of Ship to Gaza and similar organizations, from what we have
witnessed repeatedly over time, the ending of the naval blockade and building
of a new seaport would not help Palestinians in Gaza, but rather would make it
easier for Iran to accomplish its express mission of annihilating Israel.
Instead of having to make an effort to smuggle illegal arms to Hamas like it
does now, Iran simply would be able to put them on cargo or military ships and
dock the ships at the port. Iran also would be able to import terrorist
fighters into Gaza via the port. The same risks would exist from the numerous
other terrorist groups. And this is not just hypothetical. Israel has
intercepted illegal arms transfers and terrorists by sea in the past.
Interestingly, Saudi Arabia recently imposed a blockade on Yemen specifically
to prevent shipments of arms from Iran to Yemen's Houthi rebels. The people of
Yemen have been devastated by this blockade. But there do not appear to be any
Ships to Yemen.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">The
thought of connecting Gaza and the West Bank to provide for a Palestinian
passageway is frightening. That passageway would cut right across Israel. There
would be no more need for tunnels as the terrorists would just be invited in.
There are very good reasons why Israel has a border fence and strategic land
crossings with the Palestinians. Israel has learned the hard way at the hands
of terrorists and murderers of its innocent civilians that there is a real need
to restrict Palestinian access into Israel. It is now feeling the effects of
terrorism in Jerusalem from Israeli Arabs. The answer is not to grant more
access.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">Neither
Israel nor any other free nation should have to promote the well-being of
another people, especially one that elects to be governed by a terrorist group,
at the expense of sacrificing the safety and survival of its own people. Nor
should terrorists be rewarded for their acts of violence. For Israel to take
the actions that groups like Ship to Gaza would like to see would result in
Israel's destruction. There are plenty of legitimate places in the world where
these groups can send their ships to combat real abuse and oppression. I would
be interested in seeing the reception their flotilla would receive in, let's
say, Iran. Bon voyage.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8282632661086282212.post-14179669466285334992015-05-08T08:14:00.000-07:002015-05-08T08:14:53.013-07:00Up In Flames<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">May 6, 2015</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Barack Obama has a very interesting track record as President of the United States. On his watch, different parts of the world are going up in flames, in some places quite literally. His weak foreign policy, radical liberal policies and pro-Muslim ideology have spurred the chaos occurring in the Middle East and Africa. Vladimir Putin has stepped up Russia's aggression as well, as he does not expect a meaningful response from Obama. And now, the flames, again quite literally, have been ignited (or reignited) in America as well.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Obama's supporters will look to defend him no matter what he does or does not do. No matter what he says or does not say. But the facts are the facts. Under Obama, Iran has significantly increased its regional aggression. Most recently, the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels overthrew the American-backed government in Yemen, which Obama had declared to be a successful model for counterterrorism. Iran can now stake its flag in San'aa, the capital of Yemen, which is the latest Middle Eastern capital to be claimed by Iran. It joins the capitals of Syria, Lebanon and Iraq, as well as Iran's own capital. Iran also has its terrorist proxies, Hezbollah and Hamas, on Israel's borders and is expanding its terrorism reach. Iran is taking more aggressive action in strategic regional waterways, threatening global shipping and oil supplies.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">One would think that Obama, who also is on target to allow Iran to legitimately obtain nuclear weapons over time, is dedicated solely to having Iran establish an Islamic caliphate on his watch. But his policies also have allowed IS to flourish in the region and compete with Iran to establish the Islamic caliphate. IS too has expanded the scope of its terrorist activities and has received a wink and a nod from Obama. What happened to the coalition of 62 countries fighting IS? It is not exactly like the Obama Administration has been sitting back because of IS' lack of success. The only good thing that could be said about the threat posed by IS is that it is not as severe as that posed by Iran.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Obama and his Administration have emboldened both Iran and IS, causing many places around the world to go up in flames. Even the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian government on its own people, including children, was met by Obama weakness. Obama reserves his strength, ire and condemnation for Israel. As terrorism, killing and slaughter are being spread globally by radical Islamic terrorists, Obama is more concerned about trying to vilify Israel, the one beacon of liberty and stability in the region. It is stunning that with all of the real pain suffered by one people at the hands of another people around the world, Obama is most concerned with the distractions of the Palestinians in their conflict with Israel.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Obama and his Administration should stop obsessing about Israel and start focusing on the dangers posed by radical Islamic terrorists, including in America. Rather than trying to find fault with our best ally in the Middle East, which shares our interest in combatting radical Islamic terrorism, he should divert his attention away from Israel and to the terrorists. Fundamental Islamic terrorist acts and threats are increasing in this country. But on these, Obama is pathetically silent. This despite the fact that the terrorists would love to cause this country to go up in flames.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Obama's far-left domestic policies also have helped ignite flames on American soil. It is on Obama's watch that there is growing civil unrest in this country. Baltimore is just the latest example. The death of Freddie Gray, a Baltimore resident, under suspicious circumstances while in police custody brought on the usual Obama diatribe. Despite the fact that the police commissioner in Baltimore is black and blacks comprise 40% of its police force, and that half of the cops involved in the death of Mr. Gray are black, Obama latched on to the immediate accusations that racism was the real cause of Mr. Gray's death. To be clear, if the police personnel involved are guilty, they should be punished for their crime. But we do not have all of the facts yet and they are entitled to due process. Mr. Obama should reserve his comments on racism until we know more. He has been premature with his inflammatory statements on race numerous times in the past, including in a similar situation in Ferguson, Missouri. He does this because he believes that racism in police forces is not an issue that is limited to Baltimore, but rather is a national problem. A problem that he says dates back a long period of time. "This is not new. It's been going on for decades." As if there has not been any changes in race relations in America in decades. This coming from the first black President.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Obama also claims that the entire country needs to do some "soul-searching", as if everyone in America is somehow complicit in a crime. His fix, besides admonishing Americans, is to continue, actually expand, liberal entitlement programs in minority communities and to throw more and more hard-earned tax dollars at the problem. He ignores the fact that much of Baltimore's leadership, including its mayor and prosecutor (and police commissioner), are black and Republicans have not governed in Baltimore in decades. He disregards the fact that Baltimore has had a prolonged economic slide notwithstanding all of the money that has been spent trying to help the minority community. Instead of preaching morals to Americans, he should admit that his liberal entitlement programs simply do not work. They have not worked in Baltimore or in minority communities throughout America, despite those communities being the beneficiaries of trillions of dollars of aid since Lyndon Johnson's Great Society was announced in 1964.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Obama also only takes one side on the issue. He looks past the fact that the rate for violent crime by minorities in Baltimore, as in most minority communities, is much higher than the national average. The unemployment rate for minorities in Baltimore also is far above the national average. In Baltimore, there are over 16,000 abandoned homes and buildings. Although a disproportionate amount of money has been spent on education in Baltimore, a high percentage of its minority residents lack a high school degree. Rather than encouraging hard work and success, Obama's liberal entitlement programs have the perverse result of creating a sense of entitlement. Residents of minority communities come to rely on these entitlements. Yet, according to Obama, it is not the minority community, but rather only American society at large that is to blame.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Obama is much more in his comfort zone blaming American society for all of his perceived injustices against minorities. Why not, this fits neatly into his ideology. Occasionally, he will mention some corrective action that minority communities need to take on their own, but, at most, he utters some brief, meaningless words. For example, about the violence in the aftermath of the situation in Baltimore, he said he was not making any excuses for the riots and destruction, but then he proceeded to do just that. He refuses to sincerely advocate for law enforcement and acknowledge their tremendous contribution to this country. He also refuses to connect the increased danger to the police in high-crime neighborhoods. His words and actions incite violence and destruction, which he tolerates. This has resulted in anarchy on American streets. American law enforcement was told to stand down in Baltimore, which led to numerous injuries to cops and reporters and wide-scale damage to property. Looting, arson and robbery were condoned. Baltimore, like Ferguson, was set aflame. Inexcusably, approximately 37,000 people were held hostage in Camden Yards after a Baltimore Orioles baseball game and other games had to be postponed and then played without any fans in attendance. This is a total disgrace. This is Obama's America.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">To be clear, the chaos occurring around the world, including in America, is happening on Obama's watch. His far-left foreign policy has helped strengthen radical Islamic terrorism abroad. As it is being left unchallenged, that terrorism is becoming more readily apparent in America and it likely will try to make a home here. Obama's outspokenness against American society and law enforcement have helped incite the anarchy we have witnessed on American streets. Despite any liberal attempts to spin these events differently, make no mistake, the flames incinerating various parts of the world are Obama's. Instead of trying to put them out, he excels at fueling the fires.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Am Yisrael Chai</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8282632661086282212.post-18239636469406021172015-05-03T08:18:00.002-07:002015-05-03T08:18:47.024-07:00The Art of the Bad Deal<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /><span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1636473384" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">May 3, 2015</span></span><br /><br />When negotiating the terms of an agreement, people aim to achieve the best deal possible for the side they represent. The goal is to reach a good deal, if not better. A person who is able to do this successfully is praised as a good negotiator and may even write a book on the subject. In President Obama's case, a book can be written on the art of a bad deal. Obama's skill to negotiate a bad deal in the area of foreign policy is well-illustrated by the framework agreement and current negotiations with Iran on a deal involving its nuclear program.<br /><br />The Iran debacle is not the only example of Obama's ability to negotiate a bad deal. Although he does not represent Israel in its negotiations with the Palestinians with respect to the so-called peace process and two-state solution, he has the ability to strongly influence the process. And despite his frequent claims and assurances to be acting in a manner that is in Israel's best interests, his true words and actions will cause any deal that the Israelis enter into with the Palestinians to be a bad deal for Israel.<br /><br />How is Obama so successful at negotiating a bad deal? He is a master manipulator and does not really negotiate in the best interests of the side he represents or claims to be helping. This is crucial, as he is masterful at convincing people (at least some people) otherwise. <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">He is not afraid to lie to achieve the outcome he desires. He does not hesitate to make stuff up as he goes along as suits his radical liberal ideology. </span>If he did act in good faith and in the best interests of the side he claimed to represent, we would not have such a poor framework agreement, and he would not be so determined to enter into a final bad deal, with Iran. Of course, Obama still has the opportunity to prove me wrong on the final agreement, but after having made one concession after another to Iran, I am confident that he will try to force us into a bad deal. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Let's examine in detail how Obama excels at the art of a bad deal. As far as the nuclear deal with Iran is concerned, many people share my belief that Iran will emerge as the winner, and the United States and the other P5+1 countries, as well as the rest of the free world, as the loser. In fact, many of these people believe that Iran is making us look like a bunch of fools in the process. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Thus far, Obama has allowed Iran, which entered the negotiations from a position of weakness, to dictate the most important terms of the deal. Iran was crippled by stringent economic sanctions and was desperate to negotiate for a deal. That should have given us the upper hand. Instead, to reward Iran just for coming to the negotiating table, Obama eased sanctions, immediately forfeiting our leverage. He has allowed negotiations to drag on slowly and has consented to their delay instead of insisting that they be closed out earlier. There is no reason it should have taken this long just to reach the point where we are at now. He has capitulated on one issue after another. And, at the end of the term of the agreement, Iran will be able to <u>legitimately</u> obtain the bomb. With all of Obama's concessions, Iran will be in a strong position to do so. Obama also refuses to condition the agreement on Iran ceasing its regional aggression and terrorist activities. In fact, he has allowed Iran to do as it pleases as he hides behind the excuse of the need for an agreement. He looks past Iran's history of deceit and explicit threats to the United States and makes excuses for the regime. Taking this as a whole, it should be clear that Iran, desperate for relief from economic sanctions, entered the negotiations from a position of weakness, but appears to be on the verge of emerging from the deal better financed, with tacit approval of its being able to continue its belligerence in the region and sponsorship of terrorism, and on a clear path to the bomb. The United States and other P5+1 countries, which entered the negotiations with leverage and from a position of strength, appear to be on the brink of memorializing the unthinkable. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Obama also has turned against our Middle Eastern allies, chief among them Israel, in his quest for the deal with Iran. Statements like he has Israel's back (which continue to be made) and he will never allow Iran to obtain nuclear weapons have proven to be patently false. Certain of his concessions refute his prior assurances. Obama recently criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for exaggerating Iran's breakout time to the bomb, but now, when it suits his needs and without any explanation, Obama says that Iran is even closer to the bomb than Mr. Netanyahu predicted. Obama also has very likely ignited a nuclear arms race in the Middle East. Yet, he tells us that this is the best deal that we could hope to get at this point in time. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Obama's deal-making with Iran can be compared to his role in threatening Israel regarding its peace process with the Palestinians. Despite previously making strong assertions as to Israel's rights and freedom to negotiate with the Palestinians, particularly when he was looking to secure the Jewish vote and to allay the fears of various Jewish organizations, his true colors now seem to be coming out. One would expect that Israel, like the P5+1 countries, would be negotiating from a position of strength on its conflict with the Palestinians. Israel has Biblical history, modern history and current events on its side. But leverage and positions of strength are easily flip-flopped when Obama is involved. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For starters, pressuring Israel to release Palestinian prisoners, murderers and terrorists among them, just to get the Palestinians to come to the negotiating table is both dangerous and wrong. The argument that this benefits Israel because it could help to finally resolve the conflict is illustrative of the problem. This warped logic presumes that Israel alone will benefit from peace because the Palestinians will be free to keep on killing innocent Jews until then. Why else would it be incumbent upon Israel to take one-sided action in a two-state solution? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Obama also has been vocal in calling for a return to 1967 borders and preventing Israel from expanding territories for Jews even in areas that Israel is supposed to retain after a final agreement. Obama is calling for a divided Jerusalem, part of which would serve as the Palestinians' capital, despite previous assurances to the contrary. In short, he has been the Palestinians' best negotiator, making demands on Israel that even they had not been making. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Obama's demands are one-sided; he does not ask the Palestinians to make any concessions. He does not call for the Palestinians to recognize Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state, a key point for Israel. The Palestinians want to establish an independent Palestinian state devoid of any Jews, yet insist on allowing millions of Palestinian refugees and their descendants to return not to the new Palestinian state, but to Israel. Instead of dismissing this fantasy outright, Obama has allowed the Palestinians to refuse to accept that Israel would be a Jewish state in a two-state solution. Obama morally equates Palestinian terrorism with Israel's right to defend itself, which could not have been made any more apparent than in Israel's defensive war with Hamas last summer. He refuses to acknowledge the existential threat to Israel that would result if it surrendered more land for elusive peace as radical Islamic terrorists are already on Israel's narrow borders. He ignores the fact that Israel tried this experiment with the Palestinians by unilaterally and unconditionally withdrawing from Gaza and it failed miserably. Instead of peace, Israel receives thousands of rockets and missiles aimed at its citizens from the Palestinians. He does not want Jews to live in Arab sections of East Jerusalem, but fails to acknowledge the rights of Arabs to live anywhere in Israel. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Obama's statements about dividing Jerusalem to ensure rights and access to all religions is absurd, even by his standards. In the entire Middle East, freedom to worship at religious sites is nowhere greater than in Israel. Incredibly, Jews do not even have governing rights to the Temple Mount, the holiest site in Judaism, in Jerusalem, the holiest city in Judaism, in Israel, the one and only Jewish country. That Muslims (and in practice the Palestinians) exclusively control this site is an affront to Jews. Obama should focus on the abuse Jews have to endure when they pray at the Kotel (The Western Wall) from Muslims. He should concern himself with the harassment of Jews by Muslims when they go to the Temple Mount and the fact that Jews are not even allowed to pray there. Just moving their lips is deemed offensive to Muslims. Obama also is silent on the abuse Christians have to endure from Muslims, inside and outside of Israel. How does Obama reconcile this? He cannot. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As if Obama's pressure on Israel in its conflict with the Palestinians does not paint a bleak enough picture for Israel, we also need to tie in the deal that Obama is promoting with Iran to allow it to obtain nuclear weapons over time. Iran will benefit from economic sanctions relief, a good part of which may come right after the deal is signed. This would help finance Iran's continued aggression in the region and terrorist activities, including through its proxies, Hezbollah and Hamas, which are on Israel's borders. There are reports of Iran sending Hezbollah and Hamas increasing supplies of sophisticated missiles. And this is with a struggling Iranian economy. With the lifting of economic sanctions and set on a path to legitimately pursue nuclear weapons over time, Iran will be free and emboldened to pursue its goal of annihilating Israel and wiping it off the map. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Obama's pattern of behavior on the Iranian deal and his pressure on Israel to force it into a two-state solution without a peace partner fit perfectly into Obama's broader pro-Muslim ideology. I fear, taking Obama at his word with his recent threats, that he will ratchet up the pressure on Israel. Looking at these two situations from the perspective of fairness, or good and evil, or right and wrong, one would know how good deals would play out. Given where we are now, we are headed for very bad deals, deals that threaten the United States, Israel and the rest of the free world. There is a master manipulator at the helm who excels at the art of the bad deal. </span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8282632661086282212.post-2002523358731267132015-04-27T11:23:00.001-07:002015-04-27T11:23:48.979-07:00Biden's Bait of Bull<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">April 26, 2015</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br />
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<span style="background: white;">President
Obama, having heard an earful from Democratic leaders, who had received
complaints from their Jewish constituents over his treatment of both Israel and
its prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has embarked on a let's secure the
Jewish vote campaign. I am not sure that there is a real threat that America's
liberal Jews would defect to what they view as the evil Republican Party, but
the campaign is underway regardless. Of course, now that the campaign has begun,
I, like many of my Jewish brethren, question the efficacy of appealing to
anti-Israel Jewish groups, like J Street. But, as I already said, there is no
need for a real campaign and it allows Obama to show that he made an effort,
one that actually promotes his interests. Although he should be called out for
making matters worse by going to J Street, he will not be. Obama's latest move
was to parade Vice President Biden out in front of a group of Jewish leaders at
the Israeli Embassy in Washington DC on Israel's Independence Day. What
followed was more of the same Obama rhetoric, or what I will refer to as
Biden's bait of bull.</span><br />
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<span style="background: white;">To be
fair to Biden, he did sound sincere for much of his speech. But, unfortunately,
he lost credibility when he resorted to casting out the old familiar line
baited with bull to see how great his catch would be. Are Jewish leaders still
gullible enough to believe Biden when he said that Obama has Israel's back, as
Obama and his Administration have consistently claimed? Or will they wisely let
Obama's actions and true beliefs speak for themselves? As a word of caution,
trusting Obama and disregarding his actions also would mean ignoring the
crystal clear message emanating from Israeli officials, including Mr. Netanyahu.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">Biden
also boldly claimed that no American President has ever done more to protect
Israel than Obama. He then cited some weak examples, one of which was
nonsensical. Biden stated that during Israel's war with Hamas this past summer,
Obama repeatedly stood up to the world and proclaimed Israel's right to defend
itself. Maybe Biden was referring to a different Israeli war with Hamas last
summer than the one I am aware of. In the war I followed, I repeatedly heard
Obama and his Administration reprimand Israel for causing too many Palestinian
casualties. In fact, I heard Secretary of State Kerry make some not so nice
comments about Mr. Netanyahu and Israel. Sure, I did hear some half-hearted
statements about Israel having the right to defend itself. But those statements
did not end there. Instead, they were always followed up by emotional and
derogatory remarks and demands for Israel to curtail its military response. The
word response also is telling because it was perfectly clear and indisputable
that Israel (yet again) was fighting a defensive war. Additionally, for some
reason, which Biden and the rest of Obama's Administration have never
explained, instead of insisting that Hamas cease its offensive war and
aggression against Israel, that it stop targeting innocent Israeli civilians
with rocket, missile and mortar fire, and that it stop using Palestinians in
Gaza as human shields, Obama and his Administration chose to condemn Israel for
defending itself. We also only heard crickets when it came to Hamas using
hospitals, schools, mosques, U.N. facilities and the rest of the civilian
infrastructure in Gaza to launch its terrorist attacks. It would have been fair
and reasonable to expect Obama to harshly criticize Hamas' terror tunnels, but
that was not the case. Already, as international aid goes to Hamas, it
shamefully has restarted the process of digging these tunnels of death.</span><br />
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<span style="background: white;">Israel
has received more support and cooperation from Egyptian leader Al-Sisi than
from Obama in combating Hamas, which also threatens the safety and security of
Egyptians. Perhaps, Biden should have reserved his praise for the Egyptian
leader. Biden also conveniently forgot to mention that Obama cut off weapons'
supplies to Israel during the war and that he stopped flights into Tel Aviv
Airport. A leader who really has Israel's back would not have taken these
malicious actions. I wonder if the Jewish leaders in the audience had the same
recollection. Or will they be reeled in on Biden's line of baited bull?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">Biden
also referenced the Iran nuclear deal, both the framework and the quest for a
final agreement. Here too, his comments were striking. He said that an
agreement that does not cut off Iran's path to the bomb will not be entered
into. Or "no deal" as he kept repeating. But this statement is
disturbing. Any agreement that is signed based on the framework will have
sunset provisions. Not only will Iran's path to the bomb not be blocked, but
Iran will be welcomed into the world community with open arms while being able
to legitimately pursue a nuclear weapons program over time.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">Biden
said that any sanctions relief would be phased in over time and, if not,
"no deal". Obama and his Administration also previously stated this
to be the case. The supreme leader of Iran and other Iranian officials,
however, are demanding immediate relief from sanctions. There are now
discussions of a possible $50 billion signing bonus if Iran agrees to the deal.
If a signing bonus is paid to Iran, how would Biden square that with his
comments? Deal or no deal?</span><br />
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<span style="background: white;">Biden
stated that a terrific inspection policy would be put in place so that Iran's
compliance with the terms of the agreement could be verified. If not, "no
deal". Iranian officials have made clear, however, that the type of
inspections the Obama Administration expects to occur is not based on reality.
They also have emphatically denied that inspectors will be permitted to have
any access to their military facilities. This sounds like a very big disconnect.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">Biden
discussed the fact that the framework calls for fewer centrifuges and enriched
uranium. But he left out the apparent capitulation to allow Iran to maintain
approximately 6,000 centrifuges and some of its enriched uranium. He also
overstated the reduction and limitations on Iran's nuclear infrastructure. He
did, however, manage to blame Bush at one point, keeping consistent with the
Obama doctrine.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">Biden
also applauded Obama for being the only American president to adopt an official
policy preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. So what happened? As it
turns out, it will be Obama who guides Iran down the path of getting the bomb.
So much for official Obama policy. Biden also matter-of-factly pointed to the
two-to-three month break out period for Iran to build the bomb, but
emphatically noted that the deal would push that back to one year. But he did
not explain when this break out period was reduced to two-to-three months. In
fact, not too long ago Obama claimed that Mr. Netanyahu's estimation of an
Iranian break out of several months was an exaggeration and that it would be
significantly longer. So what caused the change?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">To be
clear, the framework of the deal allows Iran to legitimately adopt a nuclear
weapons program over time. That is not even being debated. So then what did
Biden mean when he said all options would be on the table, including military
action, if Iran does not comply with the agreement? Is one to suppose that if
Iran gradually drifts off course and achieves its real goals earlier than
permitted under the agreement, the United States would take military action
against a nuclear-armed Iran? Or maybe he just meant that they would or could
if Iran violates the agreement sooner rather than later. That suggests that
Obama might do so if the violation happens while he is still in office, as it would
make more sense for Biden to be speaking on behalf of an administration that he
is part of. But does anyone really believe that? Or maybe Biden meant that one
of the other P5+1 countries could take military action, like Russia, which
already has lifted its ban on shipping sophisticated surface-to-air missiles to
Iran, or China. It does not seem logical that Russia would take military action
against Iran after supplying it with arms that would complicate such military
action. Would France or the U.K. take such action? Highly unlikely. So what did
he mean? Perhaps just more of Biden's bait of bull.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">Biden
also referred to the growth of global Anti-Semitism and the need to constantly
fight it, a notion he claimed is supported by Obama. Again, nice words, but one
needs to ask, what do they mean? So far, these words are meaningless. What
exactly has Obama done to combat rising global Anti-Semitism? He has uttered
empty, emotionless words at best. He will not even acknowledge acts of
Anti-Semitism when committed by Muslims. And there are plenty of those to go
around. Instead, Obama is worried about non-existent Islamophobia. Biden
certainly would have had more credibility singing Obama's praises to a group of
Muslim leaders.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">Finally,
Biden pressed for a two-state solution. A few points on this topic. His words
did not strike a demanding tone. He seemed to be deferential to Israel. But
here he was inconsistent with Obama and particularly Obama's recent rants on
the subject. Noticeably absent, consistent with Obama's position, was any
recognition that Israel does not have a partner for peace and, even if it did,
it could not rationally promote a two-state solution now with all of the
radical Islamic terrorists that would encamp on its newer, more restrictive borders.
Biden's failure to discuss the the threats posed by radical Islam to a
two-state solution and Iran's belligerence in the region, spreading of terror
and calls for Israel's annihilation is chilling. Then again, what could he
honestly say about the latter point, that Obama's policies are strengthening
Iran?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">Biden's
speech sounded good and was delivered well. But that, as we know all too well,
is not the best way to judge a speech. The best test is to analyze the contents
of a speech and to try to determine what is being said expressly and
implicitly. Measured this way, I hope Jewish leaders will see Biden's speech as
more of the same bait of bull.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">Am
Yisrael Chai.</span><br />
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<!--[endif]--></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8282632661086282212.post-79634182578059767062015-04-27T11:21:00.001-07:002015-04-27T11:21:30.717-07:00Sunset, Sanctions, Snap-Back, Signing Bonuses, Supreme Leader and Suckers<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">How is it that so many
Americans still naively believe whatever President Obama tells them? The fact
that they can be deferential to him on an issue like the Iranian nuclear talks,
with so much to lose, is astonishing to me. That so many Jews can continue to
support this master manipulator and deceiver is even more incredible to me.<br />
<br />
It should be obvious to all, based on Obama's own words and actions, that there
really are dangerous changes occurring in America and around the rest of the
world. Frequent and widespread radical Islamic terrorist threats and atrocities
have become acceptable. If we are lucky enough to thwart such terrorist plots,
they are quickly forgotten. If the radical Islamic terrorists are successful,
it is sufficient to address such violence with meaningless words of pity just
as long as it happens somewhere else to someone else. Even in the U.S., more
and more terrorist attacks are being prevented. I am afraid that we may not
continue to be so successful and, in fact, we have been on the receiving end of
quite enough terrorist attacks. Yet Obama, who is the master at addressing the
violence of radical Islamic terrorists with unemotional and meaningless words
of pity, is having his way with the American people. He refuses to acknowledge
that the terrorists are radical Islamists and, instead, condemns Christians and
Jews, and Israel in particular. Obama's historical ties to radical
Islamists also have been ignored. Shouldn't alarm bells be going off
everywhere? Isn't it troubling that he continues to cozy up to Muslim
extremists while slamming Christians and Jews and that he refuses to recognize
that Christians and Jews are being targeted by militant Islam? He failed to acknowledge
that terrorist attacks in a <i>kosher </i>deli<i> </i>were<i> </i>targeted<i> </i>against
Jews, despite clear statements from the perpetrator that they were (as if that
was needed in an attack on a kosher deli). He has ignored the frightening and
rapid rise of global Anti-Semitism. He has looked the other way as Christians
have repeatedly been slaughtered by radical Islamic terrorists solely because
they were not Muslim. Now perhaps he will deny that Christians were the target
in the recently reported 2010 plot by radical Islamic terrorists aimed at the
Vatican. Maybe it would have just involved terrorists who "randomly shoot
some folks" like he claimed of the shootings at the kosher deli. This
time, folks who would have just happened to be in the Vatican. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
The stakes are much higher with the ongoing nuclear talks with Iran. There is
no room on this dangerous issue to take Obama at his word. Indeed, history
shows that he is not to be trusted. He promised to dismantle Iran's nuclear
program, but that is not happening. In fact, the framework of the deal, with
its sunset provisions, legitimizes the program over time. This is
unconscionable. How many times did we hear from Obama's Administration that
there would be no sunset provisions? And, how did we go from Obama declaring that
Iran would never get the bomb and that all options, including military action,
were on the table to capitulating that this is the best deal we can get and
Iran is two to three months away from the bomb? We went from never to over a
year to two or three months in very short order. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Iran will be permitted
to keep its nuclear infrastructure intact, including its illicit underground
facility that previously went under the radar and may be impenetrable. Iran
also will now be able to maintain many of its existing centrifuges and at
least some of its enriched uranium (despite the Administration's previous
position that Iran ship out its enriched uranium). Inspections, which have had
their shortcomings in the past, also are a source of contention with the supreme
leader and other Iranian officials slapping down Obama's claims that they will
be unfettered and rigorous. Iranian officials have specifically stated that
inspectors will not have access to Iranian military sites. Iran's ballistic
missile program is outside the scope of the agreement, posing a direct threat
not only to Israel, but also to the United States. Obama also has refused to
tie Iran's belligerent behavior in the region, its wide scope of terrorist
activities and its open hostilities against Israel to any agreement. Yet, he
insists that this is a good deal and that everyone trust him. But we have seen
this movie before. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9.5pt;">
Iran already is stronger as a result of Obama's decision to ease sanctions on
the rogue nation just to get it to the negotiating table. This no doubt was a
sign of weakness to Iran at a time when we had all of the leverage and should
have been negotiating from a position of strength as it was obvious that Iran
had become desperate as a result of the sanctions. This should have been an
ominous sign for the U.S., Israel and the rest of the free world. Predictably,
Obama and his Administration have given the Iranians one concession after
another. Yet, since the framework for the deal was announced at the end of
March, the supreme leader of Iran has accused the Obama Administration of being
deceitful. He joins the large club of people who feel the same way. One of the
supreme leader's claims was that the framework calls for the immediate lifting
of sanctions, to which Obama and his Administration vehemently disagreed. Now,
in typical Obama fashion, comes word that Iran may receive a signing bonus of
$50 billion if it enters into a final deal. </span></span><br />
<br /><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9.5pt;">
The release of any money upfront to Iran should be a non-starter. Iran should
have to earn any further sanctions relief (which it will not do). This would
just be a gift to Iran, which once again unconditionally rewards it despite its
regional aggression and global terrorist activities. There is not even a
condition prohibiting Iran from using the inflow of money to fund such
activities. Obama simply refuses to make such a common sense connection. Iran
has been successfully infiltrating other countries and sponsoring terrorism and
this would only embolden it. Iran would immediately be able to take any upfront
payments and use them to further its belligerent and terrorist goals. It is
resupplying Hezbollah and Hamas with more sophisticated weapons and reports
indicate that Hamas already is rebuilding its terrorist infrastructure in Gaza.
To this too, Obama turns a blind eye. Iran could simply take the money from a
signing bonus and run, or it could wait patiently for all the finances (well
over $100 billion) to roll in and then restart (if it ever stops) its nuclear
program from a much stronger and more secure position. </span></span><br />
<br /><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9.5pt;">
We should not be delusional enough to fall for Obama's claim that the agreement
will contain strong snap-back provisions. This claim, which asserts that Iran's
violations of the agreement would be met with the quick re-imposition of sanctions,
is not based on reality and insults the intelligence of Americans. Already,
Putin has promised to supply Iran with sophisticated surface-to-air missiles
that would help secure its nuclear facilities. This comes even before there is
any final agreement. The French foreign minister criticized Putin for agreeing
to take this action, but not Obama. Despite undercutting the ability of the
United States and Israel to act militarily against Iran's nuclear facilities,
his reaction was only to question why Russia did not do this sooner. Simply
incredible. Yet, somehow with a straight face he tells the world not to worry,
that snap-back provisions will be in place. What could anyone point to that
would support the notion that Obama could have any influence over Russia or
China, which would have to agree to the so-called snap-back provisions? This
would be further complicated because the violations would have to be uncovered
by inspectors in the first place and would then have to go through a lengthy
U.N. process just to get to the point where they are shot down by Russia and/or
China. This also presumes, likely incorrectly, that Obama and the Europeans
would come to the point of favoring the </span><span style="font-size: 12.6666669845581px;">re-imposition</span><span style="font-size: 9.5pt;"> of sanctions on Iran. In
short, once relinquished, sanctions will not trickle back let alone snap
back. </span></span><br />
<br /><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9.5pt;">
Obama's unbridled adulation for the supreme leader of Iran also is unsettling.
The supreme leader receives the praise and respect of Obama even while he
chants death to America and death to Israel. Obama is silent on Iran's
belligerence and terrorist activities. It seems as though Obama is in such awe
of the supreme leader that Obama will cave on any of Iran's demands so as to
please and placate him. This is entirely consistent with Obama's pro-Muslim
beliefs. It also helps explain his Anti-Semitic and anti-Israel actions. </span></span><br />
<br /><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9.5pt;">
All of this leads to the conclusion that those who fall for Obama's deception,
particularly Jews, are suckers. Obama's radical history warrants support of
those who oppose him and his march to madness, including the U.S. Congress.
Obama's pro-Muslim, anti-Israel track record have to be challenged now. The
risk of trusting Obama on the Iranian nuclear deal is just too great. What the
deal would actually achieve would be to finance and legitimize Iran's nuclear
program, global aggression and expansion, and terrorist activities. Iran may or
may not take the full time until the agreement sunsets, but, either way, it
will be in a much better financial position and, if it has the patience to
wait, will be able to flaunt its evil with the blessing of the international
community. </span></span><br />
<br /><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9.5pt;">
All major Jewish groups and denominations should immediately unite to address
this issue. The leaders of these groups and denominations need to gather and
stand together. Differences need to be put aside. Jewish organizations acting
on their own are not having a meaningful impact. United we can accomplish more.
The Rabbinate should be having these discussions in their synagogues. There is
nothing too controversial about Iran obtaining nuclear weapons to prevent that
from occurring. Congregants should be encouraged to flood the offices of their
Congressmen and women now with calls urging them not to approve any bad final
agreement. Sunset provisions, the unconditional easing of sanctions, signing
bonuses, snap-back provisions and other unsettling terms of the framework
should be, and actually have to be, enough to unite us and prevent us from
being suckers. </span></span><br />
<br /><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9.5pt;">
Am Yisrael Chai. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8282632661086282212.post-49432886692834772782015-04-20T02:06:00.000-07:002015-04-20T02:06:45.756-07:00While Liberal Jews Slept...Actually, Aided and Abetted<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">April 19, 2015</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">You may be familiar with the 2006 book of a similar title written by Bruce Bawer warning of the rise of and threat posed by radical Islam in Europe. Despite being panned by liberal critics at the time, the book and its message have proven to be spot on, as is readily apparent from the current state of affairs in Europe. And yet, as the threat dramatically escalates in Europe and all around the world, there are still many people who refuse to acknowledge that radical Islam poses a grave danger to civilization. This is the predominant view of liberals, including liberal Jews.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Like other non-liberals (whether Jewish or not), I am at a loss over this denial. Three things make it even worse for me. For starters, many liberal Jews claim to identity closely with their Jewish roots and Israel. Yet, many (although not all) of these liberal Jews do nothing to support Jewish causes or Israel. It is not exactly like they sit quietly on the sidelines with their hands folded in their laps either. They are quite outspoken on issues they deem important, but, unfortunately, neither world Jewry nor Israel makes the cut. These liberal Jews can be categorized as sleeping through the current crisis facing Israel, global Jewry and the rest of the free world. Second, of the liberal Jews who are outspoken on Israel, far too many of them are critical of Israel and do not act in its best interests. Finally, liberal Jews are way too deferential to Obama and his Administration. Jews falling in these second and third groups can be categorized as aiding and abetting the current problem as they are adding fuel to the flames that are burning globally in the name of radical Islam.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Current events are so frightening that many people simply cannot identify with liberals and their points of view. That has helped create a deep divide in America. To the non-liberal, the malignant growth of radical Islam could not be any clearer. One need only turn on the daily news channel or read the national or international news reports to learn of the latest terrorist acts committed or attempted in the name of radical Islam. These gruesome acts spare no one and Jews and Christians are among the "infidels" being butchered solely because of their religion. To be perfectly clear, innocent people are being deliberately targeted for slaughter just because of their religious views. We are talking about intentional, cold-blooded murder committed by radical Islamists with no method of execution considered cruel and unusual punishment. Just because someone may choose not to acknowledge this for what it is, does not make it so. I believe that this is so clear-cut and beyond reproach that I will consider it established and indisputable fact and move on. There simply is no logical or rational way to argue otherwise.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">How liberal Jews, or any liberals frankly, are able to filter this into something other than radical Islamic terrorism that poses an unjustified threat to freedom and innocent people is beyond my understanding. They do not voice any objections to innocent people, children among them, being targeted for death. Instead, despite statistics to the contrary, they are visibly and vocally concerned about Islamophobia. Yet, they are silent on terrorist acts in Israel and the rapid growth of global Anti-Semitism, both of which are supported by the evidence. They are strong advocates for rights of minorities, women and gays, abandon these groups to radical Muslim oppression and abuse. Nor do they object to radical Muslims specifically targeting Jews and Christians for murder. Liberal Jews who are active on a wide variety of issues, but choose to ignore the dangers posed to their Jewish brethren in Israel and globally, share responsibility for the fate of Israel and world Jewry. Those who choose to worry about phantom Islamophobia and naively fear insulting all Muslims by condemning radical Islam are even more complicit. Ignored is the fact that many innocent Muslims also are being killed by radical Islamic terrorists. These are the Jews who put the meaning in "While the Jews Slept".</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">But even worse are those liberal Jews who feel compelled to speak out against Israel. I do not know what motivates these Jews to act the way they do. What possesses a person, especially a Jew, to attack and denigrate a free and democratic country that, because it is surrounded by countries and people who do not want it to exist, has to struggle for its survival every single day? These same Jews are silent when one of Israel's terrorist enemies, such as Hamas and Hezbollah, launch rocket and missile attacks at Israeli civilians. It does not matter to these Jews that these unprovoked terrorist attacks are designed to inflict as many civilian casualties as possible. Liberal Jews are silent over the rash of Palestinian terrorist attacks targeting Jews in Jerusalem. They are not phased to learn of the major terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians being thwarted. They are not concerned that Israeli security forces need to be stationed by the Western Wall to prevent, not always successfully, aggression by arabs against Jews who are trying to pray there peacefully. They ignore all the benefits, freedom and rights offered by Israel even in these perilous and unsustainable times not only to Jews but to Christians, Muslims, Druze and others. They refuse to acknowledge that these people, even Muslims and arabs, have far more rights in Israel than in any Muslim country, especially when it comes to women and gays. Liberals Jews refuse to recognize or acknowledge the excessive and egregious human rights violations committed everywhere in the name of radical Islam. Instead, they jump on the United Nations' bandwagon and choose to censure Israel over many contrived allegations. I have a simple question. Why do they do it? They are irrational and delusional. And to be perfectly clear, they are the Jews who "Actually Aid and Abet" the enemy and also share responsibility for the fate of Israel and world Jewry.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">To Diaspora Jews who are bold and brave enough to preach their sense of morals, ethics and values to Israeli Jews who face an existential risk and cannot let their guard down on any day of their lives, your behavior is dangerous and reprehensible. If you believe that there is room for improvement in Israel you should move to Sderot or another border town with Gaza or to Israel's northern border with Lebanon. Let's see how much you enjoy your new neighbors. Of course, as the Iranian supply of rockets and missiles to Hamas and Hezbollah become more and more sophisticated, you may not be able to find safety anywhere in Israel. It certainly will be more credible for you to promote Palestinian rights when you are living in Israel. So you can move to an area that borders the West Bank and push for a two-state solution from there. You might even want to advertise that you are a Jew and carry that message in Palestinian towns and villages where I have no doubt that you will be warmly accepted and welcomed. To those Israeli Jews who want to steer Israel to the far left, take it from an American Jew who has witnessed his own country make that journey, you are better off not fundamentally transforming your country. Radical views are bad, whether on the far left or far right.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Worst of all are the liberal Jews who denigrate Israel and are obsequious to Obama. These liberal Jewish aiders and abettors endanger Israel and world Jewry with their far-left views and play right into the hands of Obama and his radical and insidious views and policies. As if the world is not dangerous enough right now, we have an American president who sympathizes with militant Islamic terrorists, while disparaging Jews and Christians. The only way Obama could make this any more obvious would be for him to come out and say as much. Then again, he has previously stated that he would side with Muslims, but his rather clear statements were explained away by his supporters. Even if he was to make such statements today, based on the refusal of many liberals, Jews among them, to see or want to see what Obama is doing, it is apparent that they would once again dismiss his statements. Regardless, one hardly needs any outright admissions. Obama's actions and statements are alarmingly clear enough for any objective person. With the United States being Israel's only real ally, this is extremely worrisome.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Obama does not condemn radical Islamic terrorism. He even claims that the perpetrators of the violence are not Islamic, which is a blatant lie. The terrorists themselves will tell you as much. When he does say something negative about such terrorism, he lacks any emotion. It is as though he is doing us a favor by saying something about the horrific events and does not believe what he is saying. When Jews build houses in Israel, however, Obama passionately expresses his displeasure. Israel defending its civilians against Hamas terrorist attacks last summer also drew his ire. Obama and his Administration ridiculously tried to equate Israel's actions with those of Hamas. Instead of insisting that Hamas immediately cease its terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians, he held Israel in contempt for defending its citizens even though it showed more restraint than was warranted or recommended under the circumstances. Obama's actions and statements towards Israel during its war with Hamas were shameful and blatant Anti-Semitism. Anyone who believes otherwise should explain the failure of Obama and his Administration to curb or condemn the civilian casualties in Yemen resulting from Saudi Arabia's bombing of the Houthi rebels in that country. Where is all of Obama's outrage? He must have exhausted it on Israel. Keep in mind that the Houthis are not targeting civilians in Saudi Arabia. I support the Saudis' objective of trying to combat radical Islamic terrorists on their doorstep, but it just makes Obama's anti-Israel position that much more apparent.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Is Obama someone to trust now when it comes to a potential deal with Iran over nuclear weapons? Absolutely not. Now, of all times, he is making it a priority to try to squeeze Israel into tighter borders. If the increasingly sophisticated rockets and missiles from Hamas and Hezbollah are not enough of a threat, it will be that much easier for a country with nuclear weapons to accomplish the stated goal of various Muslim countries of wiping Israel off the map. The reasonable position would be to support Israel in these times of peril. It does not have a partner for peace. Islamic terrorist groups are encroaching from all sides. There is unrest in the country from Palestinians. And Iran is on its way to ultimately obtaining nuclear weapons while threatening to annihilate Israel. Iranians chant death to America and Israel and its leader calls Obama and his Administration liars. But how does Obama react? He defends the "Supreme Leader" and fawns all over him. It is readily apparent that Iran knows it has a true partner in Obama who will continue to cave in to its demands, that is if he is allowed to get away with it. Fortunately, the U.S. Congress is trying to prevent Obama from being able to act unilaterally as it senses the same danger. Whether or not it is successful remains to be seen.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">At the same time that Obama flatters Iran and its leaders, he continues to humiliate Israel and its Prime Minister. He once tried to mask these actions, but now he no longer bothers. It is quite disturbing. Yet, many liberal Jews, again including Jews who claim to identify with their Jewish roots and to care about Israel, continue to support Obama. The threats facing Israel and world Jewry today are too grave to condone this. It is not a coincidence that in trying to gain Jewish support, Obama and his Administration chose a group like J Street to appeal to and align with. Groups like this claim that Prime Minister Netanyahu does not speak for all Jews. But they act as if, with their extreme minority position and anti-Israel diatribes, they somehow do. They have no qualms, even knowing they have little support, of sucking up to Obama and pretending to represent American Jewry. They are prime Jewish "Aiders and Abettors".</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Liberal Jews, like J Street and its ilk, are putting Israel and world Jewry in even greater danger than they otherwise finds themselves in now. It would be preferable if these Jews, who are aiding and abetting the strengthening of radical Islam at the expense of Israel and world Jewry, "slept" through these frightening times. For liberal Jews who currently are active in social issues, but are sleeping through the nightmare faced by Israel and world Jewry, please consider putting your passion, time, effort and resources toward Israel and other Jewish causes. With everything that stands against us, it would be nice to welcome these Jews to help fight for this righteous cause. We should be flooding the offices of our Congressmen and women asking, begging and demanding that they stand with Israel, which happens to be consistent with standing with the United States. We should be cognizant of the fact that it is the Republican Congressmen and women who today stand more united with Israel. We should thank them for their support. Times change and so do political parties. Today's far-left Democratic Party is not your grandfather's Democratic Party. Let's recognize them, J Street and the other anti-Israel, pro-Muslim and pro-Obama liberal Jews for the aiders and abettors they are.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Am Yisrael Chai.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8282632661086282212.post-26998117768645425092015-04-12T18:18:00.003-07:002015-04-12T18:18:26.854-07:00Give the Devil His Due<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">April 12, 2015</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">As I watch events unfold in this country and around the world, I become more and more convinced that President Obama is far too underestimated and underrated. Of course, my saying this is not in any way meant as an expression of admiration or praise, but rather is intended more as giving the devil his due.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">I believe Obama deserves a lot of credit. He promised to fundamentally transform the country and, unfortunately, he has kept his word. But why think small when he can do much more damage by fundamentally transforming the world. And, for this too, he seems to be on a clear path to success.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">How has he done it, you may ask? Well, I am afraid, his ingenuity has been very effective. He started off by dividing America. Instead of building on the momentum we had in becoming an even more united "United States", he exploited our differences. He successfully flipped us upside down. Hard work and resulting success are now frowned upon. The more successful a person is, the more they are to be stigmatized. How hard a person has to work or the sacrifices they have to make to become successful has become irrelevant. At the same time, shifting to a sense of entitlement has replaced hard work. Equal opportunity has been transformed into equal results. It no longer matters whether a person works 70 hours a week, week after week, year after year to become successful. The person who is capable but who does not work should be entitled to all of the same benefits. In fact, the hard-working people have been told that they need to step up their game so that those who do not work or do not want to work hard can have equal results. To summarize, Obama has redefined the American dream from working hard and supporting your family to having others do it for you.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Building on his socialist momentum, and benefitting from Democratic control of both houses of Congress, it was not hard for Obama to impose Obamacare on the land. He abrasively told hard-working people that it is only fair and the right thing for them to pay for the birth control of everyone else. It did not matter that providing health care to some meant that many others who had it would lose it and that everyone else would pay more. Lies had become so common that they became expected and were accepted. "If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor. Period", "If you like your health care plan you can keep your health care plan" and "Your health insurance rates will go down" were just some of the many lies made to the people.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Religious rights, once held sacred in this country, have come under increasing attack. While once appreciated as separating us from tyrannical countries that suppressed religious rights, the freedom to pursue religious beliefs has been demonized. Freedom of religion has been transformed into freedom from religion. The push for diversity and inclusion has come to exclude religiously-observant people. Constitutional gun ownership rights have been fought continuously. But the fight has been aimed at innocent people, not gangs, drug lords, criminals or the mentally-challenged. Advocates for abortion have pushed for those rights to be permitted at later and later stages. The cries for tolerance have become demands by the most intolerant people. Today in America, it is acceptable, even honorable, to say vote for me for president because I am black. Vote for me for president because I am a woman. But do not dare to say vote for me because I believe in the American dream of old, for I am a hard-worker and am successful.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Inevitably, it is no longer sufficient for the hard-workers to simply support the rest of the country. They have been asked (actually required) to spread the wealth beyond our borders and those outside the borders have been welcomed to come here to partake of the wealth. Of course, they could come here legally or illegally, it does not matter, and anyone thinking otherwise is labeled as a racist. In fact, for adhering to certain fundamental American principles, the Tea Party has been branded as terrorists. Even though Obama has repeatedly promised to secure the border problem, his only real actions have been to encourage illegal immigration and to try to single-handedly legalize illegals. Although in the past he admitted he could not take the latter step unilaterally, he has become brazen enough to act without Congress. Acting unconstitutionally by bypassing Congress using a pen and phone certainly qualifies as transforming the country. Give the devil his due, he has openly declared his intentions to use his pen and phone to bypass Congress on a host of issues.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Obama also always openly sides with certain racial and ethnic minorities. This too has helped divide the country as he has consistently taken their side regardless of the facts and circumstances. The law enforcement community is now frowned upon. The hard and dangerous work of law enforcement personnel is ignored. Ignored at least until there is an incident involving a dispute as to whether law enforcement acted properly. Then they are no longer ignored, but instead have to overcome the presumption of guilt to prove they acted properly. There are no tears shed, nor are there words of anguish spoken, when the victims are members of law enforcement. That is quite understandable as such tears and words do not have a place in dividing or fundamentally transforming the country.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">The treatment of law enforcement is entirely consistent with the treatment of our military. Our terrific military, once a source of tremendous pride, has become an object of scorn. Obama has successfully reduced the levels of readiness of our branches of the military to alarmingly low levels. Levels that are causing great consternation among top military brass. The pride once felt for our military patriots has been redirected to certain minority groups in our country and to certain foreign countries. As charitable as he has been with funding for illegal immigrants and lower income communities, Obama refuses to show any generosity to our servicemen and women. In the fundamentally transformed America, it is the soldier who is a deserter that "serves with honor and distinction". It is for such a soldier that Obama is willing to negotiate with the enemy and free five radical Islamic terrorists. But military personnel who truly served with honor and distinction and are being held captive against their will are forgotten and discarded. He was silent on a jailed marine in Mexico. As expected, that marine was eventually freed without the expense of having to release any terrorists. And Obama drools over Iran while a marine languishes in one of its worst prisons. He certainly has delivered on his promise of change, so give the devil his due.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Obama has repeatedly expressed disdain and disgust for interrogation methods that were previously in effect and has even threatened prosecutions. This is far too ignored. The audacity of threatening such action against Americans who were trying to keep our country safe after 9/11. Those involved should have taken that threat seriously as the independent DOJ has proven to be not so independent. The DOJ has been quite predictable as to where it stands and whether or not it would take action in a particular case. One only needs to look at where Obama stands on a particular issue. Scandals can be ignored. It is now acceptable to use independent agencies to target political opponents. This is certainly a country that has fundamentally been transformed.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Lies, scandals, turmoil. I believe the American people are shell shocked. As if they are not reeling enough from all of the domestic agitation, they now have to embrace Obama's aggressive international offensive. Interestingly, he is following the same pattern. Everything is being flipped upside down.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Obama recently extended warm and sincere new year greetings to Iran, our biggest enemy and the largest state-sponsor of terrorism. Of course, he does not acknowledge such terrorism so there should be nothing wrong with serenading them with Auld Lang Syne. Maybe it is because he removed Iran and Hezbollah from the list of terrorists that he is putting out the red carpet to welcome them to the world community. Obama says only the warmest and nicest things about Islam and refuses to acknowledge, much less condemn, radical Islamic terrorism. Instead, he views global climate change as the biggest threat to civilization. Another effective distraction.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Obama is vocal about expressing his discontent with Christians and Jews, especially our close ally, Israel. And he has done so repeatedly. Obama recently condemned the prime minister of Israel for making statements that are innocuous to America in appealing to his constituents before an election. Statements that pale in comparison to the egregious statements made by Obama and his Administration in connection with elections in our country. Incredibly, Obama chooses to defend the venomous calls of "death to America" and other hostile threats from the "Supreme Leader" of Iran as simply coming from a leader who is appealing to his constituents. He condemns Israel for being skeptical of a peaceful two-state solution even though it does not have a partner for peace, but is not troubled by IS and other radical Islamic terrorists threatening Americans on U.S. soil. He blatantly lied to Jews and Israel when he claimed Jerusalem would always be the undivided capital of Israel, but now looks to impose its division with the Palestinians. He claims to be insisting on protecting the rights of all religions. The only rights that need to be protected in Jerusalem are those of Jews and Christians. It is appalling that in Israel, today, Muslims have authority over the Temple Mount, the holiest site in Judaism, and use that authority to restrict the rights of Jews. But this is only part of Obama's larger lie of imposing a false peace on Israel and jeopardizing its future. Somehow, while making these false claims about Jerusalem, Obama stays silent as IS destroys religious sites at will. The devil has chutzpah, so give him his due.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Middle East experts keep pointing to the map to show the expanding dominating influence of Shia Iran on one side of the terrorist spectrum and Sunni IS on the other. Now, admittedly against what would be expected, suppose that those two terrorist groups unite to speed up the process of establishing the Islamic caliphate. This would be just temporary; they will reckon with each other when the time comes. Take a fresh look at the map. How much more frightening does it become? Now add nuclear weapons to the picture. Ultimately, it comes down to this. Instead of having a president who acknowledges this grave threat and is doing everything in his power to fight it, he is actually emboldening and empowering both Iran and IS, which is no small feat. While he is doing that, he also is trying to eliminate the obstacle that Israel poses to the caliphate. For someone that genuinely protects the rights of some, and pretends to protect the rights of many, he is blatantly casting Israel and the region's Christians to the slaughter.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Obama cannot be as bad at negotiating a deal as he is trying to lead everyone to believe. Again, people believing this would be both underestimating and underrating him. It would mean the sitting President of the United States does not understand the concept of leverage in negotiating an agreement. Or of negotiating from a position of strength instead of a position of weakness. One should not be fooled for a split second. In proving that Obama understands full well when he is negotiating with leverage and from a position of strength, one need look no farther than his interactions with Israel. To get the Israelis and Palestinians to sit together at the negotiating table, he unconscionably insists that Israel free convicted Palestinian terrorists and murderers. Yet, he has the gall to acknowledge that there are innocent incarcerated civilians in Iran and Cuba, but demands nothing from those countries, countries who are obviously dealing (or were dealing) from a position of weakness, and is prepared to cave to their demands. To Cuba, which I not so boldly predict the President will remove from his fantasy list of terrorist groups, Obama makes a ludicrous statement about not wanting to pay any more attention to history. Here I will be bold and say that one of the main reasons Obama has so easily transformed our great country and the entire world is because we are ignorant or chose to turn a blind eye to history. But the Jewish people have a history that is too long and painful for us to make that mistake. We know it all too well and cannot and will not ignore it, whether the devil likes it or not.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">In public, Obama has deliberately surrounded himself with stooges to help further his cause. It is amateur hour at the State Department. John Kerry found himself as Secretary of State for a reason. Criticizing your fellow American soldiers in war also will earn you many points with Obama. Harf, Psaki (before her new role). Where do these people come from? White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest has one problem. He is not a good speaker. That could be a slight problem given his role. In his defense, it is almost like he is trying to convince himself first, before he comes out with his statements. You get the feeling he is thinking to himself, do I really have to say this, as the words are leaving his mouth. But this is what Obama wants the public to see. He tries to mislead the people into thinking and claiming he is incompetent. But that, at least on his level, is hardly the case. He is supported by closer, more competent and, therefore, more dangerous administration officials on a more private basis.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Fundamentally transforming the country, at the current time, means taking more aggressive unilateral action. It means acting by pen and phone more frequently and more drastically while bypassing Congress. I am tempted to say more desperately too since he only has a couple of years left in office. But fundamentally transforming the country also could mean staying in office for more than two terms. Lying or creating a ruse to stay in office would not be at all surprising. Of course, this also would give him more time to finish fundamentally transforming the world. He is doing quite the job at that so far. Let's give the devil his due.</span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8282632661086282212.post-34279275137436718932015-04-12T18:12:00.003-07:002015-04-12T18:12:57.657-07:00Right Down the Middle<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">
April 9, 2015</div>
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If you are like me, you are probably very tired of people saying that anyone who does not support or agree with President Obama is a racist. In fact, you know that the one thing that has absolutely nothing to do with it is his race. Here is a very simple way to prove it. Take a piece of paper and list the government policies that are important to you right down the middle of the page. Put Obama's name on the left side of the page (only fitting) and your name to the right of the policies included in the middle. Then fill in where you and Obama stand on each policy. This will help you determine if he is someone who has common interests with you on the policies you believe are most critical. I will take the test myself below based on government policies that are important to me. </div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"> </span><b> <u>Obama</u> <u>Government Policies </u> <u>Me</u></b></div>
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Yes Favors big government No</div>
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No Believes in capitalism and the free markets Yes </div>
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Yes Favors socialist policies No</div>
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Yes Believes that taxes should be raised No</div>
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Yes Believes that the half of the population No</div>
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that pays taxes does not pay their fair </div>
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share </div>
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Yes Believes that raising taxes and No</div>
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continuous government spending </div>
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will help the economy </div>
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Yes Supports continuous high budget deficits No</div>
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and rising national debt </div>
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Yes Favors the redistribution of wealth No</div>
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Yes Favors an inheritance (or estate) tax No </div>
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Yes Supports continually increasing social welfare No </div>
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programs </div>
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Yes Believes in continually spending money to solve No</div>
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problems with our educational system </div>
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No Supports Second Amendment rights Yes </div>
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allowing Americans to own guns </div>
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Yes Favors illegal immigration No </div>
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Yes Favors bypassing Congress to grant No </div>
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amnesty to illegal immigrants </div>
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Yes Believes in providing social security and tax No </div>
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breaks to illegal immigrants </div>
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No Wants to secure the border Yes </div>
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Yes Believes America should lead from behind No</div>
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No Believes that America is the greatest Yes</div>
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world superpower and should lead accordingly </div>
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No Believes in supporting America's allies Yes</div>
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Yes Believes in appeasing and placating No </div>
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America's enemies </div>
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No Would cut financial aid to countries that hate Yes </div>
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America </div>
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No Believes America and the rest of the free Yes </div>
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world are at war with radical Islam </div>
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Yes Wants to close Guantanamo Bay Naval Base No</div>
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No Believes in certain strong interrogation Yes </div>
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methods </div>
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Yes Believes that allowing Iran to obtain nuclear No</div>
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weapons is acceptable </div>
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No Is pro-Israel Yes </div>
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Yes Is pro-abortion even at late stages No </div>
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No Believes that America's veterans are its true Yes </div>
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heroes and should be treated and honored </div>
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accordingly </div>
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No Supports the Constitution and believes in Yes </div>
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governing accordingly </div>
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No Believes in America's three equal branches Yes </div>
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of government, which do include the UN</div>
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Yes Supports the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) No </div>
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No Advocates for fighting wasteful government Yes </div>
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spending and all forms of fraud </div>
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No Strong proponent of religious rights Yes </div>
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No Advocates for a strong military Yes </div>
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No Wants America to be energy independent Yes</div>
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from reliable sources of energy </div>
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No Supports the Keystone Pipeline Yes</div>
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Yes Believes that America should be held to No</div>
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stringent standards and regulations relating to </div>
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global warming but other countries, like China, </div>
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should be given flexibility </div>
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Yes Supports affordable housing for the poor in any No </div>
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community </div>
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That's all, my test is finished. Of course, when you take the test, you may believe that different government policies are more of a priority for you. You also may find yourself in agreement with the President on more issues than you expect. Incredibly, in my case, for the policies that I believe are most critical, I do not agree with Obama on a single one. That is stunning. But it hammers home my point that his race is irrelevant. </div>
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The premise that race is the issue holds that because Obama is black and I am white, I will not support him because of the color of his skin. No doubt, prejudice and discrimination exist in this country just as they do in all other countries. That will never change because it is the nature of some bigoted people, but it does not necessarily reflect the attitude and beliefs of the overall population of the country they live in. And in this case, the overwhelming majority of Americans who are opposed to Obama feel the way they do because of his policies and not his skin color. Still not convinced? Let's destroy the argument, once and for all, that if you disagree with Obama, you must be a racist.</div>
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I am a white Jewish American male. In my test above, replace Obama with Jon Stewart, who also is a white Jewish American male. I know he is not a politician, but he has no problem sharing his political views on what is supposed to be a comedy show. So let's assume he decided to run for political office. I would take my test again, but only with Jon Stewart filled in instead of Obama. I suspect that, based on what I know of Stewart (I am repulsed by him and cannot stomach watching his show), that many, if not all, of the answers on the left side of the page would stay the same. Now, substitute a black non-Jewish female for me. Again, let's assume that the answers stay the same. I would absolutely vote for the latter candidate. Does that somehow prove that I am prejudice against white Jewish American males? It certainly does not. As another example, my priority of supporting our veterans--men and women, of any race, nationality or religion--with our precious tax dollars over illegal immigrants obviously does not make be a racist. As a caveat, you may end up with a test that has tight or even wide results (like above), but because you give more weight to a particular issue, you could support the candidate that you agree with less of the time. For example, it would be difficult for me to vote for a candidate who, even though I agree with him or her most of the time, has proven to be against Israel. I have chosen this example specifically as again it is based on policy and not on race or religion. </div>
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For <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">the vast majority of Americans, it is our disagreement with Obama on the government policies that we believe form the foundation of this great country that make us oppose him. Despite the allegations from liberals, race has nothing to do with it. </span>Take this test and prove them wrong. </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8282632661086282212.post-72212884127559260362015-04-08T19:43:00.000-07:002015-04-08T19:45:04.515-07:00The Crystal Ball of the Past<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">April 8, 2015</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">We do not have a crystal ball that allows us to see into the future. But we certainly have a crystal ball that allows us to clearly see the past and it is called history. While the facts and circumstances may change, there is much to be learned from the past as history often repeats itself. Unfortunately, this includes the evil perpetrated by man. For Jews, I am afraid, there are ominous signs that evil is once again in our midst. Now is a good time to look into the crystal ball of the past to help us see and understand the danger we face today.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">European Jews in the 1930s and 1940s could not see into the future. Looking back on history, they were able to see the blood libels, expulsions and pogroms their forefathers had endured, but that could not have prepared them for the apocalypse that was to follow. Jews today do not have that excuse. Gazing into the crystal ball of the past, we should learn from the painful lessons of the Holocaust.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Studying the events of World War II and the Holocaust, scholars, historians and theologians have many common observations and questions. One of the more puzzling questions is how someone with such an insignificant and rebellious background as adolf hitler was able to so quickly rise to power, completely transform the country he ruled and lead it on the path to ultimate devastation and destruction. He was a poor student, failed artist and corporal in the German army in World War I. He was not even German, but was Austrian. He was unsuccessful, unemployed and poor and began his political career by rabble rousing with Nazi thugs. He had no meaningful accomplishments and some failures, yet was able to rise to rise to power and ultimately serve as dictator of a civilized and highly-cultured and educated country.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">How was hitler able to obtain such political heights? He is credited with possessing very strong oratory skills. He used those skills to captivate and electrify the German people and exploit the masses based on prevailing conditions. Germany was suffering from wounded pride because of the Treaty of Versailles, which it entered into in defeat after World War I. That treaty, among other things, stripped Germany of some of its territories, held it responsible for monetary reparations for the war and restricted its military forces. Germany also was going through an economic depression, high unemployment and hyper-inflation. Its currency was all but worthless. The Fuhrer (leader) also played on Germany's Anti-Semitic past and successfully and deceptively portrayed the Jews as the cause of all of Germany's problems. The Nazi Party staged the Reichstag (German Parliament) fire and falsely blamed the Communist Party. They stoked the fear of a communist rebellion, which led to the passage of the Reichstag Fire Decree. That decree allowed hitler and the Nazis to eliminate the civil rights of the German people and to arrest their political opponents and incarcerate them in concentration camps created for that purpose. Very shortly after this, hitler was successful in passing the Enabling Act, which allowed him to enact legislation while bypassing the Reichstag and the German Constitution.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">The Nazis believed in big government, which they used over time to ratchet up their intrusiveness into the daily lives of the German people. They relied on large amounts of government spending and an assortment of government programs to further their cause. Lies and propaganda were perfectly acceptable. No lie was too big as the ends always justified the means. Religion was shunned and mocked. The Fuhrer was the one to be revered by the German people.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Although hitler was the ruler and the mastermind, he was not alone. He surrounded himself with high-ranking leaders of the Nazi Party who shared his radical ideology and swore their allegiance to him. The power, while always remaining primarily with hitler, cascaded down from the Nazi elite to lower political and administration officials and military and police forces. The Nazis controlled the media and made effective use of propaganda. The result, as we all too well know, was that a highly-cultured and educated people was somehow led down the road of depravity and wickedness. As if it is not unfathomable enough that the German people could commit such atrocious acts against their Jewish friends and neighbors, soon such evil encapsulated all of Europe.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Many Jews and Jewish leaders of the time thought they could outlast hitler. They hoped and prayed that his time in office would be short and they could wait out what they believed to be a temporary danger. They held steadfast to these beliefs notwithstanding the fact that hitler made his radical ideology and intentions clear in his manifesto, Mein Kampf, and in speeches he delivered to the German people. They simply could not accept that such a highly-cultured and educated people living in a civilized and assimilated country would tolerate such violence and aggression against fellow citizens, whether or not they were Jews. Even so, many Jews fled or attempted to flee from Germany after hitler imposed increasingly hostile and oppressive Anti-Semitic laws throughout the 1930s. After Kristallnacht in November 1938, almost all of Germany's Jews knew there was no hope. Unfortunately, by that time, leaving Germany was harder to do. Jews who had previously fled Germany did not necessarily escape the inferno as the Nazis were embarking on their quest to conquer Europe. Building off of their prior success of the 1933 Reichstag fire, the Germans staged certain other fabricated events to help achieve their goals. In the Gleiwitz incident on August 31, 1939, the Nazis dressed some concentration camp inmates in Polish uniforms and made it appear as though they (Poles) attacked a German broadcasting station. Naturally, these inmates were killed by the Nazis, who used the ruse as the pretext to invade Poland the next day. This was the start of World War II and, as we all too well know, led to the Shoah and the destruction of the vast majority of European Jewry. Ironically, in the end, hitler's promise to fundamentally transform his country came to fruition, but not how he or the German people envisioned it.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">The foregoing discussion is only a very short synopsis of some of the facts and circumstances that led up to the Shoah and serves as a reminder of a part of our history that is most horrific. As part of our history, however, it has a place in the crystal ball of the past and should serve to educate us and help us live out the words "Never Again". I am afraid, though, that as history is threatening to repeat itself, many, if not most, Jews seem to prefer to not learn from our past. Instead, they seem oblivious to any danger the future may bring. They fail to see that although different antagonists, geography and facts are involved, the victims, Jews, could, G-d forbid, be the same.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Studying the crystal ball of the past, it is not hard to see potential cataclysmic events, even as they appear to be in their gestational phase. This time around, the villains, or rather some of them, are radical Islamic terrorists. The world community, much to its discredit, is growing accustomed to the daily atrocities committed by and in the name of radical Islam. All across the globe, barbarism and savagery are making a dramatic return. The Middle East and Africa, in particular, are in turmoil. But radical Islamic terrorism is not limited to these areas and one should not have a false sense of security anywhere. Islamic terrorists are rapidly branching out and infiltrating additional countries. Many experts fear for the future of Europe. Even in the United States now, there are frequent news reports of terrorists who were, thankfully, thwarted before they could act. As we have learned from 9/11 and other terrorist attacks on our soil, we will not always be so lucky. These terrorists openly threaten the existence of Israel and world Jewry. The threat posed by radical Islamic terrorists could not be more obvious. And yet, there is another related threat to Israel and world Jewry that is obvious, but is either not seen, ignored or denied by many Jews.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Future historians, scholars and theologians may one day ask how the United States changed so abruptly and woefully. They also may ask, who was Barrack Hussein Obama? How did a person with such an enigmatic and unaccomplished background rise to such complete power? Why was his shady past of associating with radicals and rabble rousers who spewed nothing but venom and hate for America totally ignored? And why did the highly-cultured and educated people of such a free, proud and wonderful country so badly desire that it undergo a total makeover?</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">To start, they will see that Obama was widely hailed for his oratory skills. Obama, using these skills to tout his anti-capitalism agenda, benefitted tremendously when he first ran for executive office in 2008, which was a time when the United States and Europe were experiencing a "financial crisis". He had select scapegoats for the country's problems, Wall Street, capitalism and the "wealthy", the last of which was subsequently modified to include the "top one percent". He shamelessly appealed to part of the population, while falsely blaming all of the country's problems on the rest of the population. He made many of his liberal intentions known, such as his plans to "redistribute the wealth" and raise taxes on the "wealthy" so that they would finally "pay their fair share". But he did not propose to restrict his radical liberal ideology to economic matters and made his other social, racial and foreign policy beliefs known as well. In fact, he promised to "fundamentally transform America".</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Students of history will see that after Obama came to power, he acted consistently and aggressively to accomplish his mission of imposing his far-left ideological beliefs on the country. They will learn of a country that had been making much social progress, but that was successfully divided by Obama. Big government through unlimited spending and programs was constantly promoted while the government increased its intrusiveness into the lives of the population. Lies, even blatant lies, were acceptable and the norm. Religion was ridiculed and trumped by social progressive issues.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">These students of history will see that Obama surrounded himself with high-ranking officials he could depend on. Officials who, as scandals and reports will demonstrate, prosecuted those opposed to the regime and gave a pass to its supporters. These Administration officials either shared Obama's ideological beliefs, were not smart enough to do anything differently or were indifferent. All, however, were complicit. These future students of history will see from their crystal ball of the past how Obama and his Administration exploited a media largely devoted to his propaganda. They will pause when they arrive at the point in time when Obama professed that his pen and phone would replace the country's constitution. They will derive conclusions when they see how Obama skirted Congress and no longer considered it to be an equal branch of government. They will acknowledge that this was a ruler of a country who really was determined to act quickly and decisively to transform it. They will then be expecting to arrive at the point in time when Obama was no longer content on only fundamentally transforming America, but expanded his message to fundamentally transform the world. And they will not be disappointed as he has said as much.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">In studying Obama, these students of history will see that his true pro-Muslim and Anti-Semitic beliefs and actions eventually became blatant, to the point where he could no longer control them. His hostilities toward Israel finally erupted after Israeli elections in March of 2015. Statements made by the incumbent prime minister leading up to the election were used as the pretext for threatening to take actions against Israel that could cause its demise. The students will see that this was not the first ruse Obama used against Israel or its Prime Minister. Acting to placate and reach a deal with Iran, the largest state-sponsor of terrorism, that would sooner or later allow it to obtain nuclear weapons while treating Israel as a long-time enemy, threatening to force indefensible borders and a one-sided two-state solution on Israel, and equating terrorism with self-defense were all part of Obama's radical ideological agenda. He ignored radical Islamic terrorist atrocities. He even refused to acknowledge that radical Islamic terrorists were the ones committing the acts of terrorism. Instead, he condemned Israel, which was the only real ally of America and the only real democracy in the Middle East. Looking into the crystal ball of the past, these students of history will be surprised to see just how obvious and blatant Obama was.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">I believe that this is where we are with history in the making. There will be plenty of people who say I am off base, to put it politely. I hope they prove to be correct and current events take a sharp turn for the better. But, just in case those people are wrong, we should not ignore eerie similarities to the past. Additionally, with the current world crisis that we are in, keep in mind that the threat is not limited to Jews. Instead, any "non-believers", as characterized by radical Muslims, are in danger. As we continue to make strides with technology, threats to annihilate nations and to wipe them off of the map are easier to accomplish and need to be taken seriously. Allowing Iran to obtain nuclear weapons could spark an arms race in the Middle East, which could make it more likely that there will not be too many historians, scholars and theologians left to reflect on the next disaster to Jewry and the world, which, G-d willing, never occurs. It would be wise to study the crystal ball of the past to help prevent such a calamity from occurring.</span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0