Frenchies.

Armed Arabs Storm Rafiah Border, EU Observers Flee in Panic [Israel National News]

"Anarchy in the Palestinian Authority (PA) spread to the Rafiah border crossing, which was closed Friday morning after European Union (EU) observers fled 100 armed PA policemen who formed a blockade."

Hahahahahahahaha, you idiots. What is the European Union-approved word for "dingbats"?

Interestink. Very interestink.

LGF: Pro Journo Venomfest: "...people who comment at LGF are 'a pathological rash,' uncivilized brutes with a 'decapitation complex' who get off on 'death porn.'"

Why is it that MSM criticism of the blogosphere sounds like the psychobabble they use to promote Michael Bay movies?

From RottenTomatoes.com:

""Pearl Harbor’s sound and fury signify nothing but a new kind of war porn."
-- Robert Wilonsky, NEW TIMES"

""A cheerfully offensive rape of history."-- Ian Waldron-Mantgani, UK CRITIC"

""Strives to be a sweeping romantic epic, but sinks under the weight of a cliche-ridden script, pedestrian acting and sledgehammer direction."-- Frank Swietek, ONE GUY'S OPINION"

Think about it.

The Real LD on Iraq

For those of you still intent on thinking this is a war for oil, may you slip on a slick this new year's.

Saving Iraqi baby a new mission for U.S. troops [CNN]

"'We ... collectively decided this is going to be our project,' said Sgt. Michael Sonen. 'If this is the only contribution we have to defeating the war on terrorism, this is going to be it.'"

That's humility, and that's class. There is honor left in this world.

Blame Canada!

Drudge has a link to the Most Hilarious Item of the Day, via CNN: Canada blames U.S. for gun violence



Best parts for your reading pleasure:

"'I think it's a day that Toronto has finally lost its innocence,' Det. Sgt. Savas Kyriacou said."

Gee, I thought innocence was lost when y'all decided to recognize Sharia in 2004.

"'It's a sign that the lack of gun laws in the U.S. is allowing guns to flood across the border that are literally being used to kill people in the streets of Toronto,' Miller said."

If you're so worried about guns travelling across borders, why not step up your border patrol? Or do you rely on the United States for that as well as for an equipped military force to protect your puny, unarmed backsides?

"Miller said the availability of stolen Canadian guns is another problem, and that poverty in certain Toronto neighborhoods is a root cause."

Wait, doesn't the Canadian government subsidize their poor? Ooooohhhhh, so socialized government doesn't work. Huh. Who'da thunk it?

"The escalating violence prompted the prime minister to announce earlier this month that if re-elected on January 23, his government would ban handguns."

Right, learn from the mother country on that one. From Reason Online Gun Control’s Twisted Outcome [Nov 2002], an excellent article that I highly recommend, I quote the following:

"In reality, the English approach has not reduced violent crime. Instead it has left law-abiding citizens at the mercy of criminals who are confident that their victims have neither the means nor the legal right to resist them. ...The illusion that the English government had protected its citizens by disarming them seemed credible because few realized the country had an astonishingly low level of armed crime even before guns were restricted. ...[However] in the two years following the 1997 handgun ban, the use of handguns in crime rose by 40 percent, and the upward trend has continued. From April to November 2001, the number of people robbed at gunpoint in London rose 53 percent. ...Your chances of being mugged in London are now six times greater than in New York. England’s rates of assault, robbery, and burglary are far higher than America’s, and 53 percent of English burglaries occur while occupants are at home, compared with 13 percent in the U.S., where burglars admit to fearing armed homeowners more than the police. ...Gun regulations have been part of a more general disarmament based on the proposition that people don’t need to protect themselves because society will protect them. It also will protect their neighbors: Police advise those who witness a crime to "walk on by" and let the professionals handle it."

The Canadian government's socialist programs already prove to be completely worthless in combatting the real problem behind gun violence: gangs and homelessness. Instead of taking responsibility and fixing the problem, they slag off and blame the United States in a Michael Moore-esque technique guaranteed to turn the heads of the MSM (like the Communist News Network) who have yet to stop and think, "Gee, if the government controls the guns and the money, they'll also control the news." Moronic minions-- move to Canada, already, and get the hell out of our way!

Chanukah for Such a Time as This

We celebrate Chanukah to remember a time when HaShem gave us strength to declare victory over our enemies and once again performed a holy miracle in our midst. For anyone who thinks Chanukah is just a history lesson wrapped in a holiday, think again: we're still surrounded by our enemies, and have no one but HaShem to turn to for salvation.

Shteinitz: Egypt is Preparing for Possible War with Israel [Israel National News]

"MK Yuval Shteinitz (Likud) says that Egypt’s arms buildup over the past few years has focused on the possibility of future war with Israel."

Terrorists in Lebanon Bombard Northern Israel[Israel National News]

"IDF Northern Commander Gen. Udi Adam said that Israel should not respond "wildly" to the rocket attacks on civilians. "There is no need for winds of war,' he said. 'Lebanon understands that if it does not deal with the rockets, we will do it.'"

Terrorists Vow More Attacks as IDF Mulls Response to Rockets [Israel National News]

"Prime Minister Ariel Sharon instructed Israeli Defense brass Sunday to take whatever steps are necessary to prevent Kassam rockets from being launched into Israel. Steps may include monitoring Gaza from the air and sea, as well as establishing a 1.5 mile restricted security zone along the northern and eastern Gaza borders."

Mossad Chief Warns Against Growing Iranian Threat [Israel National News]

"[Mossad Intelligence Chief Meir]Dagan stated that the international community must increase its opposition to ongoing Iranian efforts, stating in a matter of months, it will be too late."

This is the time and the season for miracles, because if HaShem does not act on our behalf now, no one will be left.

And yet, New Outposts Update [Israel National News]

"Nineteen new locations throughout Judea and Samaria - and Kisufim - are the sites of Land of Israel construction and pioneer spirit, as of this Chanukah. Soldiers are guarding the new sites."

These are physical mitzvot that exemplify what we need to be doing spiritually. As individuals and as the nation of Israel, we need to reclaim the land, reclaim the Temple Mount, reclaim our identity as ISRAEL in our hearts and souls. Until we do this, until we do teshuva in our hearts and repent to HaShem for not being a light unto the nations and foregoing our identity and our role in this world-- to be a witness to the nations of the glory and truth of HaShem-- we cannot expect to claim victory over our physical enemies.

Our spiritual teshuva can only begin through the reclamation of our special, personal relationship with HaShem. Torah states that we are to love HaShem with all of our heart, soul, and strength, that His commandments are to be engraved on our doorposts, but first and foremost, they are to be upon our hearts. How can we expect to succeed as a nation, as a people, as individuals if we do not have that intimate love for HaShem ingrained into our very being? As King Shlomo states, "You know that because of the wars waged against my father David from all sides, he could not build a temple for the Name of the LORD his God until the LORD put his enemies under his feet." King David was annointed king because he was a man after HaShem's own heart. Before HaShem gave David victory over Israel's enemies, David had to prove himself to be a worthy leader in the eyes of Adonai. David's worthiness was defined through his love for HaShem, and his desire to have a personal relationship with Him.

Only when we rekindle the light of our love for HaShem in our own hearts can we hope to once again live securely in that city on a hill that cannot be hidden, and truly be a light unto the world.

Welcome Back to Reality

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas or is having a Happy Hanukkah. In case you think the Government of Israel shuts down every time we have an 8-day holiday, think again. Over at Israpundit you can find that the Israeli government, much like every other one in the world, waits to break the important news when they think no one is looking. Obviously, they know not the power of the blogosphere.

He Feels Their Pain [cross-posted at Daled Amos] highlights the very scary fact that Likud bigwigs are Ariel Sharons in their own right:

"Have you heard? Haaretz tells us that FM: Likud willing to make concessions in talks with PA
The reference of course is to Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, and he is willing to make not just any kind of concessions--

The foreign minister refused to elaborate on what he called "painful concessions" in a potential settlement with the Palesinians, but added, "it is certain that we won't take an extreme route that that says 'no' to every proposal meant to promote peace."

Again with painful concessions. Shades of Sharon! "

Right. So what can a good Israeli do? Truthfully, as much as I'd hate to see it happen, these "painful concessions" sought out by every single major party running in the elections are going to push the Israeli people farther to either the left or the right. Given the pain and psychological trauma of the recent "Disengagement" I can only think that the majority of Israelis will choose the path of less concessions than more-- but maybe I'm wrong. Never having lived in Israel, I couldn't really say. Will it take a miracle of HaShem for the Jewish people in Israel and around the world to wake up, en masse, and defend our right to live in the land of Israel in peace? History says yes. History also says that most of the Jewish people will quickly forget that it was HaShem who saved us yet again, and more extremes will ensue. Oh Moshiach, where are You?

Speaking of defending ourselves, Israpundit also posts that Iran has already planned what they'll do with their nuclear toys:

"We have a strategy drawn up for the destruction of Anglo-Saxon civilization... we must make use of everything we have at hand to strike at this front by means of our suicide operations or by means of our missiles. There are 29 sensitive sites in the U.S. and in the West. We have already spied on these sites and we know how we are going to attack them."

Is this bull to psych Americans out? Maybe. Then again, along with arming them, Bill Clinton gave Chinese leaders our nuclear factbook:

"In the end, the brunt of the evidence was that the Chinese had obtained more American military secrets over the past two decades than had all the previous spies in American history put together. They had basic information on all nuclear weapons systems, they got our most advanced supercomputers, they gained extraordinarily important information about satellite systems. Some of this knowledge they used for themselves; some they retrofitted and repackaged and sold to other countries like Iraq, where it was used against our own fighter planes."

Are we going to kid ourselves and think that those weapons and that knowledge died along with Saddam's regime? I don't think so.

That FBI Library-record hijacking story I wrote about in the longest post ever last week turned out to be a hoax [Hat tip, LGF]. Big surprise there. The best parts of the story:

"The 22-year-old student tearfully admitted he made the story up to his history professor, Dr. Brian Glyn Williams, and his parents, after being confronted with the inconsistencies in his account."

22? The guy was 22? I thought it was some pathetic freshman, but 22? HA! This kid is an even bigger loser than I originally thought! HA! HAHAHAHAHA!!!

"But when Dr. Williams went to the student's home yesterday and relayed that part of the story to his parents, it was the first time they had heard it. The story began to unravel, and the student, faced with the truth, broke down and cried."

Hahahhaahaha. "Young man, you are going to bed without your supper! Your mother and I are so very angry at you!! That's it, time out for the rest of the evening!"

" His basic tale remained the same: The book was on a government watch list, and his loan request had triggered a visit from an agent who was seeking to "tame" reading of particular books. He said he saw a long list of such books."

Among the other books on the "To Be Tamed" list:

• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
• The original script for "Brokeback Mountain"
• Anything with the "Oprah Book Club" seal

"He revealed the agents' names: one was Nicolai Brushaev or Broshaev, and the other was simply Agent Roberts. He said they were dressed in black suits with thin black ties, 'just like the guys in Men in Black.'"

Proving once again that America's students do not gain half as much knowledge from the classroom as they do from the MSM. "Huh, wha? Yeah, the dude's name was uh... Nikolai Kruschev- no, Bruschetta-- no Brushev. Yeah, that's it. And they were wearing black suits and stuff, like in the movies. Then, after they told me not to read Mao, they took out these pens and zapped me, and now I don't remember a thing."

"The tale involved his twin brother, who allegedly requested the book for him at UMass Amherst; his uncle, a former FBI attorney who took care of all the paperwork; and his parents, who signed those confidentiality agreements."

Actually, he had taken the plot from a script he wrote years ago, titled "Agent Michael Scarn UNDERCOVER Saving the Planet from the Men in Black".

" But by now, the story had too many holes."

Excuse me, they're known as "plot twists."

" He said he met a former professor at the mysterious Homeland Security building who had requested a book on bomb-making, along with two Ph.D. students and a one pursuing a master's degree who had also been stopped from accessing books. The student couldn't remember their names, but the former professor had appeared on the Bill O'Reilly show on Fox News recently, he said."

That's it, get Bill O'Reilly in on this now. It wasn't enough to drag your parents, brother, and uncle into the mess, you had to drag the biggest in-your-face blowhard in television into your "my dog ate my homework" tale. Fantastic. I smell a fresh Most Ridiculous Item of the Day here. Wow. Seriously. You're going to be ripped to shreds on television, in the press, and in his next five books. SUCKA!

One professor's comment is priceless:

"It was a disastrous thing for him to do. He needs attention, he needs care. I feel for the kid. We have great concern for this student's health and welfare."

Here's the best thing you can do to help the student's health and welfare: Teach him what he'll really need to know, how to say "Regular or unleaded?" and boot his lying butt out the door. If you're really that worried about his health and welfare, you can add the phrase "Would you like to Biggie-size that?" to his repertoire along with the infamous hawker cat-call "Fie-dolla fie-dolla fie-dolla!"

"Dr. Williams said the whole affair has had one bright point: The question of whether it is safe for students to do research has been answered. 'I can now tell my students that it is safe to do research without being monitored," he said. 'With that hanging in the air like before, I couldn't say that to them.'"

No, you libs, fear! Fear that your library records are going to get you thrown into the gulag! Actually, judging by the way some of you keep your houses 'round where I live, you'd probably prefer prison to the slagheaps you call home. "Don't go to the library, because the government is going to send agents to your house and arrest you for reading!!!" Yes, that's right-- so stop reading your George Soros, your Noam Chomsky, your Maureen O'Dowd. In fact, flush them down the toilets in acts of protest!! (Really, go on, I dare ya.) Let your righteous indignation fuel those bonfires you vain, pretentious asses! Move to where you can read freely, without government eyes watching your every move-- to France, to Russia, to China! Go!! Fly away!!!

It's a Festivus Miracle!

Are we actually, dare I say it, profiling? Oh frabjous day, calloh callay!:

"In search of a terrorist nuclear bomb, the federal government since 9/11 has run a far-reaching, top secret program to monitor radiation levels at over a hundred Muslim sites in the Washington, D.C., area, including mosques, homes, businesses, and warehouses, plus similar sites in at least five other cities, U.S. News has learned. In numerous cases, the monitoring required investigators to go on to the property under surveillance, although no search warrants or court orders were ever obtained, according to those with knowledge of the program. Some participants were threatened with loss of their jobs when they questioned the legality of the operation, according to these accounts."

Only in America do we have intelligence agents questioning the legality of their operations. It's the United States! We give people who want to kill us THREE SQUARES A DAY and you're questioning whether or not it's okay for us to wiretap probable terror suspects? Nay, this idiocy will not ruin the joy of this most glorious of Hanukkah presents.

"G-d bless us lovers of democracy, every one!"

Support and Defy

When I started getting into politics, I grounded myself in the political writings of our nation's founding. Along with soaking up the words of Thomas Paine, George Washington, Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson and the like, I wound up taking a trip down to Williamsburg, VA to see history in action. After all of this I could honestly say I was proud to be an American for the first time in my life, because I understood exactly who we are, where we came from, and why we are so different from the rest of the world. I also developed a very deep understanding and respect for how important our uniqueness of government is in the 21st century. Which is why I get especially angry when I see politicians-- those who have been elected by the public trust to "support and defend" the Constitution of this fair nation-- completely ignore the ideas this nation was founded on in favor of appeasement and world opinion.

For example, the "Breaking News" this morning when I woke up was:

"FALLUJA, Iraq (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said on Friday the number of U.S. combat troops in Iraq would be cut by some 7,000 by early next year, but the number involved in training Iraq's new military would increase."

As I got out of bed, I said to Katie Couric, "That's not breaking news-- that was linked on Drudge yesterday, wasn't it?"

Yes, it was at 4:06 pm to be exact:

"BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld hinted Thursday that the U.S. military will soon begin reducing its troop strength in Iraq below 138,000, the level it has considered its core force in the country for most of this year.

On an unannounced holiday visit to the Iraqi capital, Rumsfeld hinted a preliminary decision had been made to achieve the modest reduction by canceling the scheduled deployment of two Army brigades.

The cancellation of the deployments would gradually decrease the number of troops in Iraq by 6,000 to 7,000, said a Defense Department official who spoke on condition of anonymity because an announcement was not yet final. The official said that would bring the troop level in the country to a little above 130,000 sometime next spring..."

Having resolved that deja-vu issue, a reading of both news stories brings to mind another question. Compare and contrast with me, if you will,

December 22nd's Story:

"...achieve the modest reduction by canceling the scheduled deployment of two Army brigades. The cancellation of the deployments would gradually decrease the number of troops in Iraq by 6,000 to 7,000..."

December 23rd's Story:

"...the number of U.S. combat troops in Iraq would be cut by some 7,000 by early next year..."

These stories conflict, don't they? Apparently, on Thursday, Donald Rumsfeld gave "hints" whilst on Friday, Donald Rumsfeld "said" what was going to happen. Is there a solid difference there, or is this just nuanced verbiage? If so, would the difference between deployed and non-deployed troops also just be nuanced verbiage as well? And, if it is all just nuanced verbiage-- who's doing the nuancing here? I want names!

According to another Al-Reuters article published about a half-hour after this morning's "Breaking News":

"U.S. combat forces in Iraq would be reduced by two brigades by early in the new year, while troops involved in training Iraq's new military would be increased, he said.

He gave no specific numbers. Commanders have said troop levels should fall from a high of around 160,000 for the election -- achieved partly by overlapping troops on rotation -- to closer to the 138,000 seen previously over the coming months."

Now, it seems that we're either going to get below 138,000 troops, according to this morning's "Breaking News" or we're going to get "closer" to 138,000 troops, according to the post-breaking news of this morning.

What can I gather from all of this?

A. We aren't sending more troops to Iraq.

B. We aren't bringing troops home from Iraq.

C. We are restructuring our forces in the region. Instead of deploying more troops, we're taking a percentage of the troops we do have off the front-lines and putting them in the classrooms to train Iraqi soldiers.

D. Either the White House Press Corps, Donald Rumsfeld's speech writers, Republican Party strategists, or the MSM have decided to employ nuanced verbiage in order to give the appearance that major changes are on the way in Iraq, and that a large-scale pullout is imminent. This was probably done for one of any of these reasons:

1. To counter the "Spying on Americans" delayed-release story.
2. To respond defensively to Congressional Democrats' calls for pulling out of Iraq.
3. To give Americans a reason to love the President and find hope in our country's future as they go into the holiday season & the new year. (This means ratings will boost when it comes to confidence in the economy--read, extra last minute holiday purchases, something NYC especially needs due to the transit strike--and it'll also boost the President's confidence ratings as well.)

Obviously, this is going to backfire on them, eventually. Possibly because, I humbly admit, I am not the only person who is going to notice and question the nuanced verbiage. Probably because most Americans are already dissatisfied with the President and the War in Iraq, not because they're a bunch of peacenik libs who want the boys home so they can spit on them in public, but because they realize that our government is trying to fight a politically correct war, and our soldiers are getting caught in the crossfire. I'd like to take a bet (and I'm not a gambler) that the majority of Americans would be A-OK with keeping our troops in Iraq AND deploying more soldiers over there if they were just allowed to do their job.

As Ann Coulter put it in her most recent article [12/22/05], "Among the things that war entails are: killing people (sometimes innocent), destroying buildings (sometimes innocent) and spying on people (sometimes innocent)." There's a reason we employ the phrase, "War is Hell." Yet, lately, I have to wonder if war wouldn't be just a tad more heavenly if we actually allowed ourselves to fight to win. Instead, we have our government playing Busby Berkeley, choreographing the latest production number according to the direction of our worst critics. Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom wouldn't invest in this production, because in the end the loss won't be counted in dollars, but in human lives.

Al-Reuters Reports

Over at Daled Amos those in the know may find an interesting analysis of the latest Reuters' coverage of US-Israel relations. While it is a positive thing that Congress is pushing hard for Hamas to disarm before any "Palestinian Elections" can take place, the article itself points out the very flaw in Congressional thinking:

"Seventy U.S. senators on Wednesday called on President George W. Bush to make it clear to Palestinian leaders that Hamas and other groups that the United States wants terrorist organizations to disarm or be banned from upcoming Palestinian elections.

...The senators said Bush should "press the Palestinian leaders to use the leverage they now have with these terrorist groups to insist that they adhere to a basic set of principles before they can run for political office.""

Amos critcizes (and rightly so) the last line of the Al-Reuters Report:

"But it's the last line of the article that is absurd:

'Hamas has grown in popularity among Palestinians for a corruption-free reputation, its extensive charity network and its role in suicide bombings and rocket attacks against Israel.'

Apparently Reuters finds nothing particularly jarring about that last line. Hamas is just your everyday popular party--corruption-free, charitable, and they kill Jews in their spare time."

Therein lies the crux of the problem: even if the United States demands that Hamas disarm or get out, it won't matter, because to the "Palestinians" Hamas isn't doing anything wrong. What Congress needs to demand is a complete integration of "Palestinians" into Israeli society. If they don't want to integrate (like the hundreds, if not thousands of Israeli Arabs have-- because they realize that Israel is the best place for them to be in the entire Middle East) they can leave and live in one of the "Palestinian Refugee" camps in Syria. Heck, living there comes with automatic travel benefits-- they can be shipped to Lebanon against their will at no extra charge, and they'll still be able to blow themselves up without interruption.

Congress made a great gesture by passing the anti-Hamas resolution, but that's all it was-- a gesture. It can't be anything more than that as long as we insist on recognizing the "Palestinians" as a people and drive Israel to give this non-nation a country of its own. Until we recognize the truth of who and what we're dealing with, these good-hearted attempts at making nice will be as effective as a putting a band-aid on a broken bone.

EPA: Egotistical Psychobabble Analysis

Today is being spent clicking through the blogosphere in search of new and interesting commentary on everything.

Over at Science And Politics one may find an interesting article on the first university class on blogging, with links to the students' blogs. One student posted her final paper on her blog in seven parts. I skipped ahead to The Rhetoric of Blogging (Part V): Daily Kos to get this student's critical academic analysis of that elitist lib rag. What I read I found to be surprisingly objective, especially coming from a self-proclaimed "disenfranchised, rutterless liberal". The writer performs a thorough analysis of the means and methods employed by the egomaniacal fascist dictator Kos, lord of the blog. She concludes her analysis by saying,

"Okay, I just have to make one comment: I find the whole thing a little creepy. Mr. Kos is probably a great guy, but I don't know him. I appreciate the need to moderate comments to keep things from degenerating to the "that's just stupid, stupid" level that we see on most blogs. However, I feel censored and a bit manipulated when I read this blog. The articles are often edgy, but they are heavily skewed to the left. Isn't there occasionally room for debate? I also
don't like the pressure to be funny and original, and who cares if I'm on blogspot? Plus I can't help wondering: what is Kos leaving OFF this blog?"

In their review of the blogging class, Science and Politics author Bora Zivkovic questions, "Does one's persona emerge on one's blog in ways that carefully managed image in real life cannot?" They go on to suggest a new way of teaching that would incorporate both professor and student blogs into the curriculum as early as high school. The suggestion, IMO, could have either make or break budding individualists. It could be a great way to rid the public school system of the groupthink that brainwashes our youths, but at the same time it could have some dangerous side-effects. Teenagers often don't understand the beauty and couth of self-censorship. In an educational system bent on self-esteem, how free would these students be to say exactly what they were thinking, especially if their grade was contingent on producing their opinions in the public forum? In other words, where will the line between individual thought and groupthink be drawn, should such an educational forum exist? Will students really be free to voice their thoughts if they know their teachers (aka Big Brother) are standing over their shoulders, gradebooks in hand?

Speaking of Big Brother, Ed Wonk over on The Education Wonks has reported on more Americans Spying on Americans' Library Records:

"A senior at UMass Dartmouth was visited by federal agents two months ago, after he requested a copy of Mao Tse-Tung's tome on Communism called The Little Red Book."

Do federal agents also visit all those Barnes & Noble shoppers who purchase copies of Mein Kampf from the History section of their stores?

"...The student, who was completing a research paper on Communism for Professor Pontbriand's class on fascism and totalitarianism, filled out a form for the request, leaving his name, address, phone number and Social Security number. He was later visited at his parents' home in New Bedford by two agents of the Department of Homeland Security, the professors said."

Now, see, I'm torn. I give the kid credit for going all that way for a source, but really-- he could've just based his paper on a not-so-thorough-analysis of the New York Times. Other appropriate and much more easily accessible primary sources can be found on the Internet here, here, and here. According to Google, I pulled up those sites in .2836 seconds. Really, kid, fascism and totalitarianism? Maybe next semester's schedule should include something more along the lines of Research Methods I.

Ed finishes his post by commenting, "And for the record: If any of you Keystone Kops D.H.S. types come to our home and visit harass me or mine, over our library reading-list, you'd better have your warrant and your badge numbers. Both will be publicized on this site."

Is there some strange irony in promoting a person's right to read communist tripe while, at the same time, telling a democracy that they have no right to do their job? Hm, maybe Ed's real last name is "Wank." I'm all about my freedom of thought as an American, but how hard is it to tell a Federal Agent (if they even do investigate these sort of things, which Ed was rightly skeptical about) that you're obviously a red-blooded American; real communists (or terrorists-- nevermind, they don't even know how to read) are too busy spewing propaganda to actually read and study what they believe.

Your Blog Should Be Red

Your blog is full of intensity and passion.You are very opinionated - and people love or hate you for it.You have the potential to be both a famous and infamous blogger.

What Color Should Your Blog or Journal Be?

A really great analysis of Leftist versus Righty, or Statist versus Libertarian blogs can be found at The Politburo Diktat.

Damn. The Transit Strike in NYC is possibly going to end tomorrow. I was really hoping for some good mob rule to lead to a declaration of martial law during Dick Clark's Rockin' New Year's Eve. That would be so prime. Ah, yes, breaking news via Drudge has confirmed that the TWU will be back to work tomorrow:

"The city's crippling three-day mass transit strike ended Thursday after union leaders -- facing mounting fines, possible jail terms and the wrath of millions of commuters -- voted to return their 33,000 members to work without a new contract."

At least I get a smack of satisfaction from knowing that the Union lost. I wonder if any of those unionists are now contemplating how much earlier they could retire if they were allowed to bank the union dues taken out of their paychecks every week.

Go over to Townhall.com and Thank a Soldier in honor of Thank a Soldier Week. A screen will automatically pop-up when the page loads; simply type in your name, email address, message, and zip code, and your email will be sent to a soldier overseas. Take five minutes to support the guys and gals who've joined the ranks of the real freedom fighters of this world.

Here's what you aren't hearing about the NSA "Spying on Americans" non-story floating around the MSM: "The New York Times admittedly sat on the story for a year...so why release it last Friday?" Try successful Iraqi elections and an upcoming Congressional vote on the Patriot Act. Silly, silly New Squawk Times.

Heh, those sex-crazed sweater girls over at saveroe.com are at it again:

"A 26-year-old Missouri woman was refused EC [Emergency Contraceptives] when she handed her prescription to a pharmacist at a Target store in Fenton, MO, on September 30. The woman was told by the pharmacist, “I won’t fill it. It’s my right not to fill it.” Target does not support a policy to have valid prescriptions for birth control, including emergency contraception, filled in-store without discrimination or delay!"

You know what that means. It's Reality Quiz Time! Fill in the Blank:

The 26-year-old Missouri woman shot back at the pharmacist,

A. Dude, you don't understand. I haven't been laid in sooooo long and he's soooo hot!

B. Have you ever suffered from a condition known as Beer Goggles, Sir? Have mercy!

C. You didn't see this guy. Trust me, if you saw him, you'd know this was the right thing to do. Unless you think more psychologically disturbed children running around the globe is a good thing.

D. Welfare told me they won't pay for any more of my babies until the new fiscal year begins!

If you grew up loving Superman as much as I did, you'll realize the grand importance of finding a Clark Kent for Conservative voters before 2008 after reading this: Zod for President.

Now that I have officially reached the "Longest Ad-Lib Blog Post" record, I'm going to publish this entry and start looking for employment in an industry that won't leave me with 7 empty hours on a weekday. And I'm going to shut my eyes. For a long, long time.

Media Studies

One of the rhetorical discussions within media studies departments in universities across the country focuses on the exact relationship between the media and reality. Do media influence reality? Does reality influence the media? Is it cyclical in nature? You tell me.

Picture taken from South Park episode #42 Chinpokomon aired originally on Nov. 3, 1999. The episode parodied the latest "Pokemon" craze with a twist; the Chinpokomon toys, cartoons, and accessories being imported from Japan were actually being used by the Japanese government to brainwash American kids into bombing Pearl Harbor. For a full episode summary, click here.


From China's Digital Agitprop [Asian Security Blog] posted Dec. 8, 2005:

"Today, thanks to the Marmot's Hole, I came across a New York Times article written by Jim Brooke that shed light on such video games. The article centered around S. Korea's ban of video games portraying N. Korean soldiers as villains (thanks to Seoul's appeasement policy) and more importantly, the Chinese Communist Party's progress in integrating video games into propaganda tools."

Somewhere, someone is writing a thesis about this. I just know it.

"I did not need a warrant to have sexual relations with that woman."

For all you libs out there who think it's just horrible that G.W. Bush authorized unwarranted monitoring of international communications, your god has failed you yet again:

""The Department of Justice believes -- and the case law supports -- that the president has inherent authority to conduct warrantless physical searches for foreign intelligence purposes and that the president may, as he has done, delegate this authority to the attorney general," Clinton Deputy Attorney General Jamie S. Gorelick said in 1994 testimony before the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

That same authority, she added, pertains to electronic surveillance such as wiretaps."

Bill Clinton is such a scourge. He did more to wreck this country in 8 years than FDR did in 12, and that includes the implementation of Social Security, ignoring the rising threat of Hitler in Europe, and blatantly doing nothing to save Jews from the gas chambers when confronted with the facts as early as 1941! "Clinton Lied No one Died" is such a bunch of bull-- tell that to the families and friends of every victim of Islamic terror over the past 13 years. Shout it out to the millions of Israelis who live in a war zone thanks to Oslo. Stamp it on the letters sent to military families, telling them that their sons and daughters have been killed in action in Iraq, Afghanistan, or any other of the number of places we're now stationing troops who aren't allowed to do what they're trained to do because of politically correct rules and regs established during the Clinton years. The real slogan should read "Bill Clinton. Thousands Dying Every Day." What a joke.

Edit: I love Ann Coulter. Can we elect her as a write-in candidate in '08? Please?

"Which brings me to this week's scandal about No Such Agency spying on
"Americans." I have difficulty ginning up much interest in this story inasmuch
as I think the government should be spying on all Arabs, engaging in torture as
a televised spectator sport, dropping daisy cutters wantonly throughout the
Middle East, and sending liberals to Guantanamo."

ConservaJews

Israpundit has posted a brilliant article, Jews who support the Christian right by Dennis Prager, a phenomenal Jewish Conservative Talk Radio host:

"Such shallowness is based in part on ignorance. For example, Rosenberg writes that "He [Prager] conveniently ignores the fact that Christian Right support for Israel is largely based on a religious belief that Christ will only return after Jews are all in Israel accepting the divinity of Jesus Christ." That is the lie about Christians that the left spreads to prevent Jews from knowing the truth about Christian support for Israel: that it is rooted overwhelmingly in the beliefs that God promised the return of the Jews to Israel, that Christians are grafted onto the tree of Israel, that God blesses those who bless the Jews, that Israel is a humane democracy and its enemies are bloodthirsty and backward regimes."

Baruch HaShem.

CREEPY!

Seriously. Bad. Fashion. Choice.

He really just wants to be in the next Tim Burton Christmas movie, right?

The Armies of the North

I am at a total loss when it comes to understanding the infinite details of politics in Asia. Like any other public school kid, I know the basics: the 38th parallel, the policy of containment, nuclear weapons, cold war, yada yada yada. However, like any other public school kid, I find myself woefully uneducated regarding current events and real life in communist China and North Korea.

What I do understand, I understand from a Biblical perspective. Jeremiah and Ezekiel speak of great armies coming from the north to attack Israel-- Biblical scholars have often drawn connections between these prophecies and the continent of Asia. In modern terms, they've focused specifically on Russia and China. The idea of Russia and China (along with their communist associates in the region) attacking Israel makes complete sense, given the fact that they're communists, and they're allied with militant Islamic countries in the Middle East. Russia, for instance, has sent troops, weapons, and military equipment into the Palestinian-occupied Gaza Strip, in order to "train" the "Palestinian Army." Without a doubt, Russia, China, and North Korea are supplying the entire Islamic Middle East with weapons of mass destruction to be used both on Israel and the United States forces stationed in that territory.

So, what is the United States doing about it? Over at One Free Korea the most recent blog posts indicate that the U.S. is doing more to help rather than hinder the enemy. Massive food donations to the starving millions in North Korea are going unchecked, leaving Kim Jong-Il to roll in the grain while his people are being systematically starved to death. When it comes to North Korea's nuclear weapons program, the United States is engaging in multilateral "talks" with the nation. Talks. These people have nukes, and we're sitting down to tea and krumpets. According to Logical Conclusions: North Korea, Iran, and unintended consequences published on the CATO Institute's website in 2003:

"North Korean and Iranian leaders likely noticed that the United States treats nations that possess nuclear weapons quite differently from those that do not possess them. That is not a new phenomenon. Just six years after China began to develop nuclear arms, the United States sought to normalize relations, reversing a policy of isolation that had lasted more than two decades. U.S. leaders show a nuclear-armed Russia a fair amount of respect even though that country has become a second-rate conventional military power and a third-rate economic power. And Washington treats Pakistan and India with far greater respect since those countries barged into the global nuclear-weapons club in 1998."

Has the United States's attitude changed in the past 2 years? According to an American Foreign Press report published on December 5, 2005:

"In recent years, US-South Korean ties have been strained due to differences over how to rein in North Korea from developing nuclear weapons and how to reshape the US-South Korean military alliance.

The United States is in the process of reducing its forces on the Korean peninsula from 37,000 troops to 25,000 by 2008 and withdrawing them from the frontline with North Korea to bases south of Seoul."

Instead of attacking a huge source of the problem in the Middle East, thereby cutting the insurgents' weapons supply in the jugular, we're following a policy of appeasement and alliance with the North while we hang the South out to dry. Instead of fighting on the offense, we're fighting on the defense and we're using the wrong weapons. We're "talking" when we should be shooting-- a lot and quickly. Instead of ensuring the safety and well-being of our troops, our nation, and Israel, (along with the millions of innocent citizens in the region) we're made to act as if we're sitting ducks in the line of fire. Ridiculous.

Free North Korea, liberate countries from communist regimes, and you'll have a safer Middle East by default. As I've argued before communism and Islamic terrorism are joined at the hip, yet the world still refuses to acknowledge it. Only now are conservatives and conservative groups waking up to the fact that the policy of containment popular during the Cold War proved fertile breeding ground for the relationship between communists and Islam. However, it's not too late.

Scanning further down into One Free Korea, I found this clever post citing former CIA Director James Woolsey's comments on the un-political correctness of the recent film Team America:

"[Filmmakers] Parker’s and Stone’s special gift is to see the pompous, the absurd, and the self-important through the eyes of the young and to caricature these with Chaplinesque comic sensibility. The Middle East — where there is plenty of pomposity, absurdity, and self-importance — is a place where satire and ridicule can be particularly powerful weapons, especially with young people. We should not fight the spirit of rebelliousness of the region’s youth but go with it. It is now the case, and sometimes we even deserve it, that we are that spirit’s target, but we should do our best to help it focus heavily on the real and entrenched enemies of young people’s freedom: the Middle East’s pompous totalitarians."

The war we are in is a war of ideas where words are weapons, but they are also the fuel that burns the fires. Democracy began as an idea. America began as an idea. Israel began as an idea. These ideas fueled fires in the souls of men and women that were so powerful that nothing, not pain, not suffering, not the fear of death nor death itself, could extinguish their faith in and their hope that these ideas could--and would-- become realities. Knowing and believing in all these good things must give us the understanding that "the tongue is mightier than the sword." Use your words. All of us may not have guns, but we do have our voice.

Quiz Time!

Which Holy Mother represents the true religion of peace?

Seriously, What the hell?!: "Arab mother Um Nidal sent three children on anti-Israel death missions. Now she is the first female candidate on the Hamas list in the upcoming Palestinian Authority (PA) parliamentary elections."

Should I start screaming and tearing my hair out, or should I just rock myself slowly in a corner somewhere. No, wait, I'll just stick around and wait for the first jerk to look at my graphics and say "Well didn't Mary send Jesus to His death?" AAAUUUUGGGGHHHH. I have finally found the true reason why people drink during the holidays.

Check out David's awesome commentary on Munich at Israellycool. One critic he quotes comments that Jewish bloggers are bound not to like the film because it "portrays Arabs as people." I couldn't have answered that ridiculous notion better than David who said (among other things):

"Take yours truly for example. I am a staunch Zionist. I believe that Israel is the religious and historical homeland of the Jewish people. I believe terror needs to be fought with all of our might and resources. But here's the newsflash, Dov. I do not hate Arabs nor Muslims."

I have a Hanukkiah (a menorah made especially for use at Hanukkah) that I found at a flea market a few weeks ago. It depicts a line of Israeli soldiers holding sheilds with the Star of David on them, marching into a gate. In large letters it reads "Shalom" in English. It is a perfect visual description of the irony in being pro-Israel. While you're ready and willing to fight your enemies and lay claim to your G-d given land, you're doing it for peace-- to ensure the peace, the safety, the tranquility of your land for all of its inhabitants, Jewish or not. I truly believe that the only kind of hatred that can be a part of a Jewish soul is the hatred of evil. Anyone who claims that we hate Arabs does so because in their own mind they associate Arabs with terror; who's fooling who?

One Liners

Iran's President Bans Western Music [LGF]
"Songs such as George Michael’s “Careless Whisper,” Eric Clapton’s “Rush” and the Eagles’ “Hotel California” have regularly accompanied Iranian broadcasts, as do tunes by saxophonist Kenny G."

If that's what he means by "American Music" I'd ban the crap, too. (P.S. Mahmoud: Eric Clapton is British.)

Who else found it funny that palestinian gunmen held a Church hostage in Bethlehem and refused to release the Baby Jesus until He gave them all jobs? The morning news just gets better and better. "All I want for Christmas is a living wage, Jesus!"

Netanyahu's election may be a good thing for Likud and for Israel. How can you tell? Palestinian gunmen haven't started firing for joy in the streets of Gaza. Yet.

Stalin's half-man, half-ape super-warriors [Drudge]
"THE Soviet dictator Josef Stalin ordered the creation of Planet of the Apes-style warriors by crossing humans with apes, according to recently uncovered secret documents. "

The recently uncovered documents also revealed that "Soylent Green is people."

F.B.I. Watched Activist Groups, New Files Show [Drudge] Gee, I wonder why.

Irony is a Sweet Thing

World's Monetary Debt to Israel Doubles [Israel National News]

Government and private loans to other countries have doubled in the past year, with world debts totaling $24 billion as of September 30. The Bank of Israel reported the amount is more than double than that of last year as Israel turns from a borrower to a lender.

Bank of Israel Governor Stanley Fischer also said that Israel's credit rating will improve several months after the elections because economic policies are stable despite political uncertainties.

*Insert perfunctory Shylock comment here.*

Edit: It really is sad that I feel the need to jump the gun and automatically assume that someone, somewhere is going to make some cheap (all puns intended) joke about Jews being the world's financeers. Part of me is doing it because I'm a cynic, and the sad thing is that cynicism is often a reaction to the sad truth.

In happier news, the New York City subways and busses are on strike today. To the suckers who work in the Big Apple I give a loud and hearty HA! I can't wait until they start beating each other up for taxis.

where's the muslim Marilyn?

On the news this morning (I think it was Fox News), they focused on Dick Cheney watching the opening of the Afghan parliament. The news correspondent included the following comment in her remarks: "The parliament is made up mainly of warlords and ex-rebel forces." To which I quipped, "Is that like getting the Kennedys into office?"

Finally!

Finally, we've got scholarly opinion that states that Islam is a religion of war. FINALLY!

Islam is a religion of hate, of terror and of war [Israpundit]

"A thorough study of the Quran and Hadith reveal an Islam that is not being presented honestly by the Muslim propagandists and is not known to the majority of the people of the world including Muslim themselves. Islam, as it is taught in the Quran (Koran) and lived by Muhammad, as is reported in the Hadith (Biography and sayings of the Prophet) is a religion of Injustice, Intolerance, Cruelty, Absurdities, discrimination, Contradictions, and blind faith. Islam advocates killing the non-Muslims and abuses the human rights of minorities and women. Islam expanded mostly by Jihad (holy war) and forced its way by killing the non-believers. In Islam apostasy is the biggest crime punishable by death. Muhammad was a terrorist himself therefore terrorism cannot be separated from the true Islam. Islam means submission and it demands from its followers to submit their wills and thoughts to Muhammad and his imaginary Allah. Allah is a deity that despises reason, democracy, freedom of thought and freedom of expression."

Finally, I'm not the only one who can read a Qu'ran and see that it blatantly calls for the deaths of all non-Muslims, especially Jews and Christians. In a related story, check out Islam is a Religion of War on Israpundit, which discusses the fact that only now is the Pentagon ready to break the "Islam Taboo" in fighting the War on Terror.

Here's my question: Can any government be a true democracy as long as it is informed by, administered by, and relies on Muslims, Islam and Islamic Law? Wait... is that rhetorical?

Holiday Spirit

I just finished baking around 25 dozen cookies to give out to friends, neighbors, and the kids I babysit for as gifts. I've been wanting to do this since last year, but just never had the time until now. There's something really great about giving something of yourself to a friend.

Yesterday, one of my coworkers announced that her neighborhood was doing a collection of gifts for a soldier over in Iraq-- they decided to mail it out after the holidays, so as to give people plenty of time to donate, and in the hopes that mailing it right after Christmas would mean he'd get it as an extra surprise. The soldier had given his family (who lives in the neighborhood) a list of stuff he wanted. My friend and I got a huge kick out of the fact that he wanted AXE body deoderant (do they show those commercials in Iraq? If so, we really did liberate that country) so we went to Wally World during lunch and did the smell test. Warning to all male readers: AXE does not smell as pretty as it's marketed to be. One of the scents was actually "Tsunami" which, along with being really un-PC at the moment (which I got a kick out of) made my friend react with, "What the hell does that smell like? Blood and dead trees?" So, we got the soldier a TAG and wrote him a note that said it was guaranteed to make him turn the ladies on and kick insurgent butt. As a special treat, we also got him the latest issue of Maxim. Huzzah for the troops!

Our neighbors are actually extremely cool, something that isn't very common anymore. Our friends help the family down the street hang up their Christmas decorations, and in turn, the mom of the family went around last night collecting for another family whose house had just caught on fire that day. While she was talking to my mom, I went outside and played with her kids, who spent most of the time beating each other up (they're two young boys- go fig) while I yelled "AWAY FROM THE CONCRETE!!!" I asked them if they were getting ready for a visit from Santa.

"Yeah, you should see our house!" one replied.

"I did- it looks great!"

"No, on the INSIDE!"

"Oh, do you have your tree up?"

"No. But we've got a fort!"

"Wow! Santa loves forts."

"Huh?"

"Santa likes forts the best."

"How do you know?" the younger one asked.

"Experience."

"Ha," the older one replied, "experience."

The kid is a smarty at six. He's going to be a rocket scientist.

There's something so lovely and normal about doing for others. What a great way to spend Shabbat.

Friday Five

In my old days on LJ, they used to do the Friday Five-- five questions to answer on Friday. Well, forget questions-- I want answers; in this spirit I give you the Friday Five Answers.

1. I like the blogger's "Merry Christmas ACLU" nativity campaign. One suggestion for the image-- how about "Mary Christmas, ACLU" just to drive the point home, even more. Wordplay is fun, and I doubt it'd be seen as offensive.

2. Since you still don't get it, the "War on Christmas" is sooo over. FYI Judge Andrew Napolitano (who I do agree with on many occassions) I do get offended when someone wishes me a "Merry Christmas," and I just watched "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" four days ago. Don't wish me faux happiness; just let me live as I am in peace and don't wrangle me into your War of Terms. (Because if you do, as I've already proven, you're in for a tongue-lashing you won't soon forget.)

3. Ariel Sharon is either trying to send a warning, or he's completely converted to the dark side. In either case, if you have the ability to vote in the Israeli elections in march, DON'T VOTE FOR KADIMA. In the confusing world of Israeli politics, it is incredibly hard to decide which candidate actually should get your vote. While I'm certainly no expert, I can guarantee you that Labor and Kadima are bad avenues to travel. Likud will most likely win the majority, but out of their candidates for PM I'm not really sure which is the most reliable. Moshe Feiglin of Manhigut Yehudit is so ultra Orthodox that his election would ultimately lead to a theocracy. If you think I'm exaggerating, check out the Manhigut Yehudit website. Their ultimate goal is to reestablish Israel's Monarchy, once again proving that the Jewish people do not learn from their own history as well as they should. Netanyahu is the bigwig candidate in Likud right now, but I wonder if his glory days aren't behind him. Granted, he has an excellent economic policy; he did, however, stick with the disengagement plan until the 11th hour. In any case, Israel would fare better if they dumped the "Parliamentary" from their Democracy. Parliamentary systems never helped anyone. Checks and balances, people, checks and balances!

4. Aussies kicking Muslim butt. Just combine that concept with random scenes from the Mad Max film series, and you will have an excellent weekend.

5. The top news story on television this morning focused on "Presidential approval being given to American spy agencies to spy on Americans without a warrant!!!!" The news report went something like this: "The President authorized The NSA, which is an agency that spies on all international communications, to spy on Americans' international phone calls and emails without a warrant!" Uhm. Key word: INTERNATIONAL. If the NSA monitors INTERNATIONAL communications, then they have a right to monitor the communications of those in America who are connecting INTERNATIONALLY. What, you mean to tell me that if they have a wire tap on some Islamic S.O.B. who's telling-all about an up-and-coming bombing, they're going to stop listening-in if they find out that Mr. S.O.B. is speaking to someone in Kansas? Please. Get a grip. Believe me, I'm the first to tell you that the Patriot Act is invasive, and if a Democrat ever got that much power into their smarmy hands, you'd better watch out, but this is just media hype. Here's a tip: if it's news you need to know, you aren't going to find out about it through the MSM.

Ha Ha Ha

We gave them the Messiah, and now we're even giving them their trees. Can goys do anything without us: Foreign Ministry to Distribute Christmas Trees. So, here's my question-- is Ariel Sharon justifying his remarks about dividing Jerusalem as being in the "spirit of giving" this holiday season? If so, he's paving the way for the ultimate holiday greeting card, replete with spiritual significance, political correctness, and the charm of traditional Christmas symbols, i.e.: trees and big white beards (how else would a Rebbe get onto a PC card?):

I can see Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins buying out the first printing now.

The Jewish Definition of "Christian"

Rabbi Eckstein of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews is speaking on Israel National Radio's "A Light Unto the Nations" right now. When asked how he handles relating to people who may want to missionize to the Jewish people, he says that he draws the line and will not speak to those "Messianic" groups who try to prostheletyze the Jewish people. If people want to believe in Jesus, that's okay-- just don't try to tell the Jewish people about it, even if you support them and the state of Israel.

The hosts went on to ask him if he gives two messages-- one to Christians and one to Jews. He said that he does in order to relate to both groups in their own ways. He'll use Christian scriptures to talk to Christians about Israel, and Jewish scriptures and teachings to relate to the Jewish people about Israel.

Now they're asking him if he, as an ordained Rabbi, is teaching Christian theology to Christians. He answers by saying how he focuses on the Jewish roots of Christianity to Christians by using Romans 9-11 which states that they are grafted into the Jewish faith, and by further examples, such as the fact that Jesus really celebrated Passover at the famed "Last Supper." This, he claims, endears the Christians to the Jewish people.

You'd think he was prostheletyzing!

Here's to the Blogosphere

I'm devouring headlines over at Israpundit when I decide to check my email to find a great letter from the Kommentariat. (See links in sidebar... I have 2 minutes before I have to leave work, give me a break!) Huzzah for the blogosphere, whose members continue to see the light of day despite the fog of the MSM.

Hey-- if any of you out there celebrate Christmas, have a great one on me. I'll do my best to rock out Hanukkah just for you.

and Happy Hanukkah to YOU!

The War on Christmas has sparked conversation even in the most Jewish of forums-- in this case, Israpundit. Reading the comments to the post are more enlightening than reading the actual post-- you have Christians questioning "Who gets offended at being wished a Merry Christmas?!?!" (I do)-- you have Jews rooting for the Christians and wishing them a Merry Christmas-- you have conservatives agreeing that it is a made-up culture war that shouldn't be paid attention to-- you have older Jews recalling when "Merry Christmas" was all that they heard.

My mom's family is Baptist the way most people are Baptist- they go to church until they're old enough to skip services and then busy themselves replacing Jesus with Santa or the Easter Bunny for the rest of their lives. My father's dad was a closet Jew who hated the holidays, never took his kids to any religious institution, and complained to no end about having to put up a sap-leaking pine in the living room every year, just to be like everyone else. I was raised as a Jewish believer in Yeshua. NOT a Christian, NOT a traditional Jew. I went to church until my mother couldn't take it anymore, because she realized what a farce Christianity really is. I went to a couple Messianic congregations until they became waaaay too Christian for us to take. Instead of being loved and accepted by our family, we were told at the outset that they would not have any part of our newfound faith. In fact, for nearly 10 years, my family believed that we were brainwashed by a cult. My uncle and aunt no longer come to our house for holiday events because our Jewishness offends them. When I told my cousin's Catholic fiancee that we were part Jewish, she tried her best not to cringe. Every freaking Christmas we have to endure a holiday gathering where not only are we not allowed to celebrate Hanukkah, we aren't allowed to express our Jewishness. When I asked my mother's father if he wanted a nice yarmulke for Christmas, he shot me a look and I said, "Wait, I know what you're thinking-- 'don't give me any of that sh*t'--right?" And he answered with an unequivocal 'yes'.

The next person who asks "Who really gets offended by being wished a Merry Christmas" is going to get a stake of holly driven into their heart by Judah Macabee's hammer.

DON'T WISH ME A MERRY CHRISTMAS.

Rootless Trees, Baseless Claims

I just had to listen to a coworker complain for 20 minutes about how America was founded on Judeo-Christian values, and it's Christmastime, so she's going to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and if they don't like it, they can just shut up. "If they want their holiday to be recognized, then they can apply to have it sanctioned as a Federal Holiday!" she proclaimed. This also happens to be the same coworker who reads her Bible at her desk, sends her kids to a Christian school, is heavily involved in her church, and tells customers she'll pray for them if they're having a bad day. When I told her I was a Messianic Jew, she responded with, "Oh. Oh, we have one of those people come in and do that Passover dinner thing with us every Easter." Yes, that's right, I'm a cute little stuffed animal, here for you to goo and poke at for your personal pleasure.

I could have cut her to the quick and told her all about the non Judeo-ness of her Christmas holiday, but why bother? Christians have spent approximately 1692 years building this careful wall around themselves that safely separates them from both the pagans and the Jews of this world. They've plowed their middle ground into a comfortable bed for them to sleep in with no worries, until their conjured-up traditions begin to give them nightmares. Only then do the Christians realize that their middle ground, while nicely pruned and landscaped, still bears no fruit for them. Any argument they can come up with to defend their righteous practices vanishes into thin air because it has no roots to rely on.

I've already discussed the completely unmerited notion that Christmas has anything to do with celebrating the arrival of Messiah, so the claim that Christmas is some sort of religious holiday with Jewish roots is ridiculous. So, where do they go from here? The Christians can't rightly call Christmas a completely secular celebration, because then they'd be no better than those dirty pagans who are trying to take away the holiday completely. So, what do they argue? "Christmas is a Federal Holiday!!!" Right. Okay. So you're really celebrating the birth of a closet alcoholic named Ulysses S. Grant? Wait, are you trying to say that our country has a history of celebrating Christmas because the first people to settle North America in numbers were doing so for religious freedom, to worship as protestants?

According to the History Channel website: "The pilgrims, English separatists that came to America in 1620, were even more orthodox in their Puritan beliefs than Cromwell. As a result, Christmas was not a holiday in early America. From 1659 to 1681, the celebration of Christmas was actually outlawed in Boston. Anyone exhibiting the Christmas spirit was fined five shillings. ...After the American Revolution, English customs fell out of favor, including Christmas. In fact, Congress was in session on December 25, 1789, the first Christmas under America's new constitution. Christmas wasn't declared a federal holiday until June 26, 1870." Those protestants who moved to the colonies for religious freedom based their laws, customs, and practices on those found in the Bible, specifically the Torah. Apparently the freedom to worship sought out by these pilgrims had absolutely nothing to do with celebrating around a pine tree or wishing a Merry Christmas to anyone. Imagine that. Again, another seedless claim.

No religous claim; no historical claim. How can Christians justify the sanctity of their holiday in the public sphere? How can they put the Christ back in Christmas, the Christmas back in America? I don't see how they can, unless they compromise and allow Christmas to become what it is to non-Christian countries, like Japan: a Valentine's Day-esque celebration replete with Santas and trees and no religion to be found. Or, like their Puritan forefathers, they'll just have to accept the fact that the majority of Church practices are nowhere to be found in scripture, and therefore belong nowhere in their lives as believers in Messiah, or as good Americans. In either case, the Christian's wall around their middle ground of compromise is coming down, but quick. In its place is a thin line is being drawn that will act as the boundary line between increasingly gentile and eternally Jewish worlds.

Condemn This-- with FORCE

DEBKAfile Reports:

"Palestinian terrorists are preparing Qassam missiles with chemical warheads, according to information reaching Israeli intelligence.

...Palestinian missile fire continued Thursday, this time from the southern Gazan town of Khan Younes. One exploded at Moshav Yesha, causing no casualties. Israeli aerial and artillery strikes continued against missile sites after a night in which three Qassam missiles landed near Sderot and the Erez crossing."

I'm supposed to congratulate John Bolton for taking the baby step of condemning last week's Sharon shopping mall homicide bombing attack in Netanya when I read stuff like this? You're kidding me- right? What does "condeming" mean, anyway? Saying that murdering innocent people is wrong? Isn't that just obvious? When do we get excited and give group hugs because someone states a fact? What kind of world is this, anyway?

Answer: This is the kind of world where daily bombings and rocket attacks are considered regular aspects of everyday life in democratic, peace loving nations. This is the kind of world where men and women who strap bombs to themselves and blow themselves up in order to kill Israelis in the name of some fanatical religion are considered martyrs for peace. This is the kind of world where peace really means war, war really means sanctions, sanctions really mean condemnations, and condemnations really mean words that evaporate into thin, hot air.

Santa-Bashing

Drudge has a great story on some dude in Florida who hanged a blindfolded Santa on a tree in his front yard. All of his neighbors are complaining that the image disturbs their children. While Santa's hangman isn't saying why he decided to mutilate Father Christmas, I have a theory that backfires in the face of all those Christmas junkies out there, intent on claiming abuse of their pseudo-religious holiday. Could it be that the henchman, too, is part of the Pro-Kristian Kringle crowd, intent on making a political statement about Christmas being held hostage by those leftist pagans intent on driving everything Jesus out of the public sphere while maintaining a very PC stance when it comes to Islamic terror? If that's what this guy's shooting for (er- noosing for?) it's too bad his murderous plans are coming untied, as the saying goes. Maybe he ought to try sticking a Christmas tree on the chopping block-- that may cut it to the quick. At least then he'd be guaranteed a bit of press with John Gibson. Sorry, Santa. Maybe if you start leaking sap all over the living room floor, you'd matter a little more.

UNnecessary

UN Ceremony Includes Map of ´Palestine´ in Place of Israel [Arutz 7]

"The United Nations held a "Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People" last week. A large map of “Palestine,” with Israel literally wiped off the map, featured prominently in the festivities.

...At the start of the ceremony, the dignitaries present asked attendees to observe a moment of silence. “I invite everyone present to rise and observe a minute of silence in memory of all those who have given their lives for the cause of the Palestinian people,” the master of ceremonies said, “and the return of peace between Israel and Palestine.""

I don't believe I can harness words strong enough to express my absolute disgust. Actually, I can think of quite a few words, however, none of them are suitable to print. So, in the interest of being sarcastic (because what else can I do?) I give you the U.N.'s season's greetings card design for the year:

This Jew's Take on Christmas

Would Christmas raise such issues in American life if people recognized it and celebrated it for what it really is-- a Winter Solstice ripe with pagan traditions and symbols-- instead of trying to justify it by Jesufying it?

I'm really sick of hearing Christians complain that their religion is being assaulted every time some institution raises a sap-leaking pine and dubs it the "Holiday Tree." Faith in the Messiah and the use of pine trees during the winter solstice have absolutely nothing in common. NOTHING. Don't think you can justify everything by saying that hundreds of years ago, some pagans, who busied themselves by killing displaced Israelis who preached about the Messiah, suddenly saw the light and turned their slave-killing symbols into good, righteous ornaments of the Savior's love, so everything's okay now. That's bull.

Calling it a "Holiday Tree" is bull, too. Nonspecific bull, but bull nonetheless. I happen to celebrate a holiday that falls in December, and you don't see me dancing around a blooming conifer, do you? No. So, please don't feel the need to associate your pagan symbol with my holiday, just because we happen to have holidays that fall in the same month. I'm quite happy with my Hanukkia, thank you very much, and I have no intention to change its name to "Holiday Candelabra" just to make you feel special and wanted.

I'd have no problem with people putting up pine trees-- hell, even putting up a series of rock formations to dance around-- if they would just celebrate the holiday for what it is: a winter solstice. And for those of you who still feel the need to send out "Happy Birthday Jesus" cards or bake a birthday cake for Jesus, I hate to break it to you (no, I don't) but Jesus wasn't born anywhere near December 25th. Scripturally speaking, we can't pinpoint the specific date, but we can say with a fair amount of probability that He came into the world during the autumn harvest season. While there were cedar trees in Lebanon at the time, there were no confiers in Bethlehem, and the Three Wise Men did not buy gifts at special Black Friday sales to put under the non-existent tree. Also, FYI for those of you who decide to become decorators during the holiday season, red and green have absolutely no symbolic relationship to Jesus, the Jewish people, or Israel whatsoever. Red and green are, however, featured prominently in the national flags of the Palestinian Authority and Jordan, two Arab states that have occupied Israel's land and murdered your Messiah's fellow Jews for over half a century (and that's just counting modern history). P.S. All that love of snow and winter wonderlands is also completely irrelevant since Israel's winter temperatures average around the 50 degree mark, and when it does snow in Jerusalem, the inch or so of accumulation melts away within the same day.

In other words, Christians, you might as well accept the fact that you're a bunch of hypocrites. Instead of grasping at straws and screaming martyrdom, why don't you just face the fact that you believe in a Jewish Messiah who came to fulfill the covenant between HaShem and Israel and who, by doing so, grafted you into the Hebrew faith in accordance with Torah? If you drop the pagan act and start practicing like the Jews you are, maybe then you'll have something to cry about when it comes to persecution. Until then, save your tears for that god who's going to rapture you and your Christmas tree up into that big trailer park in the sky.

Two Worlds

In case you have yet to notice, Israel and America are separated by more than geographical distance--

Charles Krauthammer, one of the most on-target conservative commentators, has been kidnapped by the Talking Heads of the Republican party, and is now proudly spouting official party line opinion regarding the status of the "Peace Process" in Israel.

In case anyone hasn't noticed, the Palestinians haven't stopped bombing Israelis. And in case you haven't heard the breaking news-- the IDF is now lining up at the Gaza border, preparing for a ground offensive that may begin within HOURS in retaliation for the most recent murdering of innocent Israeli shoppers in Netanya.

American intervention is a joke. In His mercy, HaShem will save us now.

Meanwhile, Yishai Fleisher and Alex Trainman are on Israel National Radio right now, comparing the politically correct (Jewish) Krauthammer's article with one written by a Christian author and published on World Net Daily, and this is irony-- the Christian's article is the one that is the most on-target with what is going on in the Land, proving that faith, not politics, will draw the lines of allegiance in this battle.