Despots don't like questions

I am regularly slagging off journalists and newspapers but every once in awhile someone rises above the herd and asks the hard questions in the hard way. Are there repercussions? Absolutely, but congratulations to Andrea Mitchell for taking a petty despot to task for his policy of genocide.

Mitchell, NBC News' diplomatic correspondent, was part of a press contingent following Rice on her visit to the war-torn African country. Sudanese officials already didn't want her there. Mitchell said she was shoved as she entered a room where Rice and el-Bashir were posing for pictures. Reporters were only allowed in at the State Department's insistence, and were told not to ask questions.

Mitchell, in a telephone interview after leaving a Sudanese refugee camp and arriving in Israel, said that attitude emboldened her. "It makes me even more determined when dictators and alleged war criminals are not held to account," she said. "If our government is going to establish a relationship and push for a new beginning as Sudan reforms itself, they have to live up to international standards. A free press is part of that process."

Although el-Bashir has denied government involvement, the U.S. and international organizations say his government has equipped militiamen to massacre villagers in the rural Darfur province. "Can you tell us why the violence is continuing?" Mitchell asked, as a Sudanese official said "no, no, no, please." "Can you tell us why the government is supporting the militias?" she asked. After getting no reply from el-Bashir, she asked, "Why should Americans believe your promises?"

It was then that she was forcibly removed. "It is our job to ask," she said later. "They can always say `no comment' ... but to drag a reporter out just for asking is inexcusable behavior." Afterward, Mitchell said she was "angry, embarrassed, humiliated" and upset that she had become part of an attention-getting incident. "Reporters don't want to become part of the story," she said. Rice demanded an apology from the Sudanese government for the incident and, an hour later, the government's foreign minister called her on her airplane. Mitchell, the wife of Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, said no one from Sudan has gotten in touch with her. "I would rather see them live up to their promises," she said. "What they did to me is not important. They can't control my life."

I am with Mitchell. If I had to choose between empty words of an apology totally devoid of meaning or that a despot lives up to his promises for responsible governance. Responsible governance wins every single time.

(Tipped off by Neale News)

A house divided cannot stand no matter how deep your denial

One of the most basic freedoms in any state is the ability of the press to act freely and independently. Truth, transparency and accountability are still issues that the Palestinian Authority has yet to master in statecraft 101 reports the Jerusalem Post.

The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday instructed local reporters and photographers to refrain from covering the clashes between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority security forces.

In a statement, the syndicate, which is controlled by members of the ruling Fatah party said that "pictures that some journalists are conveying to the international and local public opinion don't benefit the struggle of the Palestinian people for liberation and independence." It warned the journalists against continuing to cover the "unfortunate clashes for fear that that they would add fuel to the fire." The syndicate warned that anyone who violates its instructions would have to bear the personal and legal consequences of his or her deeds.

Referring specifically to local photographers, the syndicate urged them to place the national interests of the Palestinians above all other considerations. "Refraining from covering these sad events will end the current conflict," it pointed out. The syndicate also called on reporters to display "utmost caution" in dealing with statements and leaflets issued by the rival parties and to report only on matters that contribute to easing the tensions and preserving national unity.

While I understand that it is often necessary in times of conflict for the government to control information in order to limit access of intelligence to the alleged enemy, but what the PA is doing is threatening photographers and journalists from reporting to the both local and international community the true state of affairs within the Palestinian Authority/Hamas controlled areas. The rise of groups like Hamas was the direct result of the PLO/PA inability to provide a honest, transparent and accountable governance.

Let’s not pretend that the sun does not rise in the east and set in the west. The last thing the world needs now is another thugacratic state in the Middle East.

Happy Days

For all those who doubt the existence of a divine benevolent force in the universe; I offer this proof taken from the Edmonton Sun:

TORONTO -- By a vote of 87%, members of the Canadian Media Guild have given their negotiators a strike mandate to take back to their ongoing talks with the CBC. The union says 67% of its 5,500 members took part in the vote over the past few days. A strike could cripple the public broadcaster by mid-August.

"A minor miracle that we got over two-thirds of our members out to vote right in the middle of July," Arnold Amber, president of the CBC branch of the guild, said yesterday. "And a major miracle when you get to the point that 87.3% of them reject the corporation's vision of what the CBC should be all about." The union members were asked to send a strong message to management "that you back your guild bargaining committee against the corporation's regressive positions."

So if the CBC staff finally make good on something: how long can this good fortune last? Can we all get a tax refund if the strike lasts longer than 30 days?

(tipped off by Neale News)

The Czar might be long dead but some ideas refuse to die with him

Apparently, the Shulhan Arukh, which is a summary of Jewish law, holidays and traditions, is now being considered an instrument used to promote hatred of gentiles in Russia according to this Jerusalem Post report.

A group of Russian nationalists has asked a Moscow court to order prosecutors to investigate Jewish leaders in connection with the Shulhan Arukh, which they say incites hatred, a news agency reported Tuesday. The reported request was the latest move in a campaign aimed at banning Jewish organizations in Russia.

Interfax reported that members of the group asked Moscow's Basmanny District Court to order the Prosecutor-General's Office to investigate Jewish leaders they accuse of imposing the principles of a summary of religious laws called Kitzur Shulhan Arukh, which they say foments hatred.

Russia which has a rather long and infamous historical tradition of anti-Semitism, and in fact, gave birth to the internationally renown forgery known as the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, has nationalists claiming that the group of people who suffered the longest from hatred and discrimination is now the group that is promoting hatred by following their code. Truly it boggles my mind. Who would have thought that Russian Nationalists are now the New Jews. I guess once an anti-Semite, always an anti-Semite.

The Orange sea recedes

I have taken the Toronto Star to task for using an Associated Press figure of 20,000 police officers being mobilized in Kfar Maimon against the disengagement protestors. Now I see the same number being reported in the Jerusalem Post. Ironically, the Jerusalem Post also carries this analysis of the police perspective where I found this interesting tidbit:

Police are drinking a lot of water – small bottles of Mei Eden that seem to never end. Raz said the police had over 50,000 bottles of water delivered to Kfar Maimon to quench the thirst of the 10,000 policemen deployed outside.

Fifty thousand water bottles for 10,000 police officers standing around in the heat seems reasonable but fifty thousand water bottles for 20,000 police officers computes to roughly 2 and one half water bottles each for a 12 hour day in 90 plus degree weather with no shade seems like a death sentence. Maybe the other 10,000 passed out from heat exhaustion? Though even 10, 000 police officers standing guard around Kfar Maimon translates to 1 police officer for every protestor if this Jerusalem Post report is accurate.

Ha’artez is reporting that the protest organizers have called a halt to the protest and told their supporters to make their way home before Sabbath starts on Friday evening. While I am sympathic to the protestor’s aims and arguments against disengagement from Gaza, I am pleased that the group was not subjected to a terrorist attack and that Israeli homes were not flooded with pictures of Israeli Policemen beating down an unarmed crowd of men, women and children.

Standing against a tide from an orange sea

The Toronto Star carries the story of day one of the protest march to Gush Katif as a show of support against the disengagement from Gaza. The Toronto Star uses the euphemism 'thousands' instead of far more accurate 'tens of thousands' who have turned out to march:

Soldiers and police stopped thousands of Gaza withdrawal opponents marching this evening in defiance of a police ban, determined to reach nearby Jewish settlements and stop Israel’s pullout next month, the biggest test yet for security forces.

After a two-hour standoff, settlers said they reached an agreement with security forces to spend the night in Kfar Maimon, a village just three kilometres from their starting point and 20 kilometres away from their goal, the main crossing point into the Gaza settlements. Settlers pledged to push on toward Gaza in the morning.

About 20,000 police and soldiers were deployed in southern Israel to block the marchers, who started out after a rally in the town of Netivot. In an unprecedented step, police fanned out across the country and prevented protesters from boarding buses that were to take them to the demonstration. Angry organizers called on their backers to get there somehow, and dozens started walking toward Gaza from Jerusalem, more than 100 kilometres away.

One does not deploy 20,000 police officers for a mere crowd of 'thousands' and from all of the accounts that I have read in the Israeli papers; the Toronto Star’s numbers of Israeli police forces deployed was nearly double all other reports. So much for Associated Press.

The Israel National News carried this report:

After negotiations between police and Judea, Samaria and Gaza Council leaders, some 40,000 people were permitted to spend the night in tents on the outskirts of Kfar Maimon, a small moshav (agricultural village) south of Netivot. This morning, large police forces were deployed around the "tent city", leading to speculation that the protestors were to be forcibly dispersed. However, after a time, the forces were pulled back and police agreed to let the marchers enter Kfar Maimon, as negotiations between protest organizers and police continue.

Police commanders have indicated they will not permit large numbers of people to reach Kissufim Crossing, preferring to keep the confrontation away from the gateway to Gush Katif. Negotiations conducted during the night between police and Judea, Samaria and Gaza Council leaders ended without reaching an agreement.

The march is set to resume late this afternoon, while the hottest hours of the day today are to be used for activities for children and adults in Kfar Maimon, as was planned by event organizers.

Haaretz puts the number closer to 50,000 and growing:

Israel's police early Tuesday were placed on a rare "state of emergency alert," their highest alert status. The tens of thousands of demonstrators camped in Kfar Maimon meanwhile rested ahead of the evening. Public Security Minister Gideon Ezra said Tuesday that "The issue that most concerns us, is that we see to it that no one will reach Gush Katif. That is the goal."

Police have mobilizes all of their forces, with officers returning from leaves and working longer shifts, to cover duties nationwide as more than 10,000 police and troops seek to prevent as many as 50,000 demonstrators from breaking through roadblocks.

It would be prudent to remember that Ariel Sharon and his Lukid party won re-election by directly campaigning against Labour’s platform of disengaging from Gaza. Israeli voters, when given this opportunity, rejected Labour’s disengagement platform. It was a shock to many when Sharon sought to implement the disengagement plan and he has refused all entreaties to hold a referendum on this issue since. This is fractioning Israeli society in a way that terrorism never has and will have consequences far beyond the immediate future.

Already the Israeli Defense Forces is feeling the pain and division is growing within their ranks. This Ynet Online article illustrates the most recent report on the growing attrition of insubordination that is now plaguing the IDF:

A wave of military insubordination continued Saturday night, as 12 soldiers were arrested for refusing to participate in closing a Gaza Strip border crossing and stop hundreds of settlers who arrive to try and break a closure the IDF imposed on the territory ahead of Israel's pullout in August. Eight people were injured during clashes between security forces and some 400 settlers at the Kissufim crossing, including a police officer and IDF soldier.

Forces arrested 12 troops who refused to help disperse the crowd. Three apologized later. IDF sources say most of the insubordinate soldiers are graduates of hesder yeshivas. Army Chief Dan Halutz later disbanded the 120-member company the soldiers belongs to and said the group would be tried in a military court for their insubordination.

The incident marked the latest in a series of occurances where soldiers have refused orders to take part in operations regarding Israel's planned pullout from Gaza, set for August. A Border Police officer who refused to help security forces contain an anti-Gaza pullout protest was sentenced Thursday to a week in incarceration

Insubordination continues to plague the IDF while the rockets continue to fall inside Gaza. This marks the fifth day that Gaza remains under fire from Arab Palestinians terrorist groups.

A poll reported by the Israel National News puts support nationwide for the disengagement from Gaza at approximately 52.% well within the margin of error.It should be noted that the poll was conducted before the suicide bombing in Netanya or the recent bombardment in Gaza. Support could well have fallen even lower since the attacks began. The Israel National News is reporting that that a IDF battalion commander has advised his men that if the protestors reach the Kissumfin Crossing into Gaza then the army has failed its "litmus test".

Furthermore, if an attack comes against the protestors from one or more terrorist organizations operating inside Gaza or the West Bank, expect a significant drop in public support for disengagement. If Israeli’s watching the evening news view images of IDF using force to disperse the protestors (who have a significant number of woman and children among them) - the divide will grow into chasm few will be able to cross. Certainly, for Ariel Sharon, it will be the orange tide that washes him from power.

Red Ensign Standard XXVI

I must offer my apologies to the Robot Guy. I am a day late and a post short on bringing attention to the fact that he has very courageously hoisted the latest edition of the Red Ensign Standard Volume XXVI.

Lebanon Watch

This is important. Haaretz is reporting this:

Lebanon's parliament passed a law on Monday granting amnesty to jailed former anti-Syria Christian warlord Samir Geagea, paving the way for his release after 11 years in prison.

Geagea was the only warlord to be jailed for crimes during Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war. He is expected to walk out of his cell at the Defence Ministry in a few days after the bill is signed by President Emile Lahoud.

Samir Geagea and Michel Aoun were both leaders (and other times deadly rivals) of different Christian milita forces during the Lebanese civil war. Michel Aoun has been calling for the release of Geagea since shortly before his return to Lebanon and constantly since his return from exile. No doubt Hezbollah will consider this an omnious sign, and if it finds the prospect a little to threatening; look for an attack on Israel in the coming week or so.

The Lebanon Daily Star has a few more details in its report; including how the Hezbollah MP block staged a walkout as a protest on the vote to pardon Geagea.

Town Hall Meeting Announcement

See link for details.

This post will remain at the top until the after the Town Hall meeting on the 18th of July.

What does is say about a government that starves its citizens?

Front Page Magazine is running a special series on leftwing mass murders and depots of modern history. The series begins with Fidel Castro, the scourge of the Americas and special friend of Canadian Liberal Prime Ministers. This bit of Castro government trivia floored me:

Food Ration in 1842 for slaves in Cuba:

meat, chicken, fish 8 oz.
rice 4 oz.
starch 16 oz.
beans 4 oz.

Castro Government food ration since 1962

Meat, chicken, fish 2 oz.
rice 3 oz.
starch 6.5 oz.
beans 1 oz.

Take the time to read the rest and remember that the next time you are searching for a holiday getaway from the unrelenting cold, snow and slush of the Canadian winter and the cheapness of a Cuban vacation acts as a beacon to what is leftover in your wallet after your government has had its way.

40 Rockets and some Militants

Interesting article at the Toronto Star today (registration required):

A rocket fired from Gaza killed a young Israeli woman today hours after Israeli forces raided the home of a 67-year-old British citizen in the West Bank and killed a militant — incidents that further shook a five-month truce already threatened this week by a suicide bombing.

Two rockets exploded this afternoon in the village of Nativ Haasara. One hit a house and killed a woman in her 20s, the military said. The second destroyed a parked car. A Palestinian militant group, the Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, said the rocket attack was retaliation for the killing of the militant.

Here’s how the Jerusalem Post reported the incident:

Rocket fire at Israeli targets was renewed last night throughout the western Negev, as consecutive barrages pounded towns and kibbutzim, raining over 40 Kassam rockets and mortars and killing Dana Gelkovitz, a 22-year-old resident of Netiv Ha'asara.

In response, the IDF divided the Gaza Strip into three security sectors by setting up checkpoints west of Netzarim in the north, and at Gush Katif Junction in the south. IAF helicopters struck Hamas targets throughout the Gaza Strip, in Jabalya, Khan Yunis and Deir al-Balah, while politicians and security sources promised that the recent barrages would not go unanswered, and emphasized that the tentative cease-fire that had been in effect since February was effectively over, as Al-Aksa Martyrs' Brigades and Hamas both took responsibility for the deadly rocket attacks.

Back to the Toronto Star article:

In an angry reaction, David Baker, an official in Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s office, charged that the Palestinian Authority was responsible because of its “refusal to fight terror.” He added: “We will not allow our citizens to be murdered, and if the Palestinian Authority doesn’t take necessary steps to prevent terror, we will.”

Rockets also exploded in an army base and a Gaza settlement, slightly wounding several Israelis. In the past, Israel has retaliated for such rocket barrages by sending tanks into northern Gaza, but it has refrained from that since a truce was declared Feb. 8.

Early today, Israeli forces shot and killed a fugitive in the West Bank city of Nablus in one of several arrest raids overnight — a sign of escalating violence that could spiral out of control and torpedo the truce, although Israel and the Palestinians have an interest in maintaining the calm at least until Israel completes its pullout from Gaza and part of the West Bank in the summer.

The militant who was killed, Mohammed Alassi, 28, was a local leader of the Islamic Jihad militant group and was planning attacks against Israel, the army said. Others in Nablus said he was a member of a different militant group, the Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, linked to Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah movement.
(...)
Early today, soldiers surrounded the Nablus house where Alassi was staying and demanded he surrender, said Maj. Sharon Asman. Alassi and another militant fled, and the soldiers ordered them to stop. One man returned to the house and was arrested, but Alassi continued running and was shot and killed, he said. The raid took place at the home of Hannah Alassi, 67, a British citizen who moved to Nablus in 2002 and was not related to the fugitive.

The army said Hannah Alassi was an activist who gave refuge to militants. Hannah Alassi said she was a journalist who made television documentaries and filed stories to radio stations and magazines on the Middle East conflict. She said Mohammed Alassi was not in Islamic Jihad, but rather in Al Aqsa, a militant group responsible for scores of attacks on Israelis but unconnected to the suicide bombing in Netanya. Elsewhere in the West Bank overnight, Israeli forces arrested 10 other Islamic Jihad suspects, the military said.

Now I take issue with the characterization of any member of any organization that targets civilians for murder a "militant" but let’s not quibble, the Star knows better and if a terror attack ever reaches Canadian soil, I sincerely hope they exercise the same bias and will not refer to the perpetrators of such murders as "terrorists" rather than as "militants".

The Star article begins with the death of an Israeli woman killed by a rocket attack and makes no reference to the sum total of size of the rocket barrage (40 Kassams) fired at Israeli targets. That kind 'nuance' puts things into somewhat of a different perspective doesn’t it?

The Star reports that the Israeli’s believe the wanted man who was found in the home of Hannah Alassi was a member of Islamic Jihad while Hannah Alassi and “others in Nablus” take issue with this and claim Mohammed Alassi was a member of Al Aqsa Martyr’s Brigade – “linked to Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah movement.”

So who to believe? And does it really matter if the wanted man was a member of Al Aqsa Martyr’s Brigade or Islamic Jihad? Both organizations routinely target Israeli civilians for murder and celebrate that fact. I have yet to know of a mass rally called in celebration in Israel for the death of a Palestinian militant by the IDF. In the rocket barrage that fell on Israeli targets both Hamas and Al Aqsa are claiming responsibility for the death and mayhem that ensued.

Interestingly enough, a search on the alleged British journalist, Hannah Alassi, on Google, Yahoo and MSN turned up no references to her work as a journalist, let alone as a documentary film maker or commentator on the Middle East, but lack of evidence, is not conclusive evidence. It does seem rather curious that a 67 year old British journalist would have not left some trail or taste of her work over the last 20 years or so in the mainstream media.

Debkafile refers to Hannah Alassi as a member of the pro-Palestinian activist group International Solidarity Movement. Front Page Magazine ran an expose of this international group’s activities in recruiting members to take part in the Pro-Palestinian activism inside the Occupied Territories last year. Too bad no one Toronto Star asked the question I wanted to know in order to explain what I find incomprehensive. Why is an experienced journalist, living in known hot spot, thinks it is prudent or wise to meet with known and wanted men in her own home?

In other news today, I discovered that Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas has declared a State of Emergency in Gaza (reports the Jerusalem Post):

Two Palestinian youths have been killed and more than 16 people have been wounded in a fight between PA security forces and Hamas members in the Gaza Strip. The hospitals have reported that most of those wounded are PA security members, Israel Radio reported. Hamas members set three tPA cars on fire.

The stream of violence in Gaza has lead PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas to declare a state of emergency on Thursday night, after dozens of Hamas gunmen stormed two Palestinian police posts in the northern Gaza Strip, Israel Television reported. The assailants threw grenades and fired automatic weapons. The attack came after members of the Palestinian security forces opened fire on a car in the area believed to be carrying Hamas gunmen who refused to stop at a roadblock. Five Hamas gunmen traveling in the vehicle were lightly wounded.

In an updated version of the The Toronto Star online, I did find another article carrying the story of the rocket barrage attacking Israelis under the byline: “Israeli helicopters pound Gaza” without mentioning the scope or size of the assault by Palestinian "militants" or how the Israeli helicopter assault was a direct measured response to the missile barrage that rained down on Israeli civilians. The Toronto Star calls the targeting of 4 known sites by the Israeli’s a pounding; but a 40 rocket missile barrage by "militants" are referred to as only "rockets" and only makes direct mention of 4 targets out of 40. Go figure.

To the Toronto Star’s credit, it does mention that Palestinian Authority police did "clash" with Hamas "gunman" (does that still make them militants?) but makes no mention of Mahmoud Abbas declaring a State of Emergency in Gaza. No need to fret as I am sure that given enough time Toronto Star will figure out how to spin that too.

Just a quick thought on the Rove Plame L’affaire

Leftist bloggers are in danger of becoming known as one trick bloggers. Turning a Karl Rove Fest into nothing but Rove, and all the time Rove, leaps you into a chamber all by yourselves.

If Rove is the source of the leak for ousting Valarie Plame as a CIA agent; why is Judith Miller still in jail? If Rove contacted Mathew Cooper and told him to go ahead and testify to his substance of his conversations with Rove; then ask yourselves why is Judith Miller clinging to silence from her jail cell?

You cannot possibly suggest that Judith Miller didn’t have access to a phone to call Rove and ask for the same waiver of confidentiality that Rove called Cooper to offer pre-testimony; or are you going to argue that Rove doesn’t take collect calls from jail? I am all for standing up for principles but if the cat is out of the bag; what’s your point? If Miller’s testimony is substantially the same as Cooper’s; there is no source to protect and no principle to stand on and therefore – it is long past time to get off the chain-gang.

I suppose this is just one of those little ironic twists.

Though I do find it odd that the news of this is released shortly after the Last Amazon and her brother have arrived in town.

(tipped off by Neale News and Gen X at 40)

Business as usual

Islamic Jihad sent another teenage suicide bomber to strike outside a mall in Netanya, Israel yesterday killing 3 and injuring 90. This is the second successful suicide bombing inside Israel since the alleged “period of calm” negotiated by Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas.

Though Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the attack and PA Chairman Abbas issued a strong statement condemning the attack and promising to hunt down and arrest the perpetrators of Tuesday’s attack (which seems a little rich from the man who has been actively working to integrate terrorists into his security forces) it is the statement from a Hamas spokesman from Gaza, Mushir al-Masri that I find the most telling:

"This operation is a natural response to Israeli crimes," he said. "The Zionist enemy has desecrated the Koran inside the prisons, is refusing to release the prisoners and is constantly threatening the Aksa Mosque and Jerusalem."

Desecration of the Koran inside the prisons and a refusal to release prisoner’s sounds like the language of Gitmo though the alleged threats on Aksa Mosque and Jerusalem personalize this theme. Why a Jewish state would threaten Jerusalem, the only holy city to the Jews is beyond my ken, and I have yet to reference down the alleged Israeli attacks against Aksa Mosque and Jerusalem but when dealing with the delusionary it serves no purpose to give much credence to which delusions are merely what passes for nuance on any given day. But what is telling is that you have a competing terrorist organization issuing statements of justifications for attacks carried out by a rival group. One can be forgiven for speculating that both groups are in co-hoots with each other and the real rational for Islamic Jihad not signing on to alleged “period of calm” resulted from a separate agreement with Hamas in which Hamas receives some much needed cover to re-group after having its leadership targeted heavily by the IDF prior to the negotiated “period of calm”. Islamic Jihad, unlike Hamas, is not simply a Palestinian homegrown Islamic terrorist organization but has a much wider operational base throughout the Middle East and the West. I suppose that is a fact that many in the West and Mid East wish not to take particular note if the goal is to separate Islamic terrorism from Palestinian Islamic terrorism.

This bombing coming so quickly on the heels of the London attacks should have played prominently on the West’s radar and news screens and yet there is an air of weariness and almost minimal coverage of this recent attack against Israeli civilians. Most of the coverage I have seen in newscasts and papers in Canada and abroad have focused on Palestinian Authority Chairman’s strong statement of condemnation rather than the attack itself, and the statement is treated as if the very words were gifted from on high. How quickly we forget that Arafat himself on occasion issued strong statements of condemnations from time to time. There is an editorial cartoon from the National Post taken from the time of the Passover Massacre that I pinned to my fridge that shows Arafat issuing an order to his security forces to arrest all the terrorists and in the next frame the forces are turning all their guns on each other.

If we continue to draw lines in the sand between attacks on Israel and attacks on ourselves in the West we fall into the trap set by the jihadists that is still preaching and practicing the age all philosophy of divide to conquer. The goal of the mother of all Arab terror groups, the PLO, has always been the destruction of the Jewish state to be replaced by an Islamic state. It does us no good not to remember that Al Qaeda makes common cause with Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, Al-Aqsa Martyr’s Brigade, and Hamas. The war against the Islamofascists cannot be successfully fought on all fronts and theatres but Israel. If Israel falls, we all will, it becomes merely a matter of when, and not if.

I never thought that it was a particular sign of good fortune for a collasped Catholic to have a Star of David craved into my door with the immortal words “Kill the Jews” and the first few times I insisted on my landlord repairing the door but as soon as the wood fill and paint dried another Star of David would appear just as mysteriously as the last one on my door. After the third Star of David I stopped insisting that my landlord repair the door. It reminds me daily not only who my enemy is, but who my friends are as well.

Calling all political policy wonks, bloggers, and/or pundits: Townhall Meeting in Toronto.

I just got this email notice from Lewis Reford, the CPC candidate for Toronto Centre:

Save-a-date Monday July 18th!

On behalf of the Conservative Campaign Team for Toronto Centre, you are cordially invited to a citywide CPC town hall meeting to be held on Monday, July 18, featuring three senior caucus members Monte Solberg (finance critic), Steven Fletcher (health critic) and Peter Van Loan (caucus election chair).

The meeting will be at Metro Council Chambers, 55 John Street, Toronto beginning at 7:30 pm, and all are welcome.

The agenda will address three important issues facing politically-engaged Canadians:
a) Where are we with regard to an election?
b) What is the new Conservative Party about?
c) What is our plan for Canada?

Each MP will take a segment and speak to it for about 10-12 minutes. Then questions will be taken from the audience for about 10-12 minutes.

We look forward to your active participation in this event.

Here’s your chance to have your say, and meet Monte, no offensive to Lewis Reford, but I still wish Monte ran in my riding – hey, Monte Blogs! And any man in a wheelchair that is ready, willing and able to take it outside any time is my kind of man. That kind of scored points with the son as well – I think because it reminded him of better days with his Dad. I asked the Montana if he wanted to go with me, and all he wanted to know is, if there would be food. I fudged a little and told him probably, or at least donuts...I may have to remember to bring the donuts.

Ripples

Is there any act of terror that this "preacher" will not call a blessing? YnetOnline is carrying this article:

GAZA - In a reaction similar to the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks in New York, the blood spilt in the London terror attacks has been celebrated within the Palestinian territories. The Gaza based Sut Al Quds radio station, which identifies itself with Palestinian Islamic Jihad, has praised the London terrorist atrocities.

The broadcast was carried live on Saturday evening, two days after the attack. The radio station was broadcasting a sermon, in which a preacher was inciting listeners against Israel and the Palestinian Authority. The preacher criticized Israel’s planned Gaza withdrawal, saying that Jerusalem was not part of the program. The Palestinian Authority was described as vile for opening up a casino in Jericho.

Also in the same broadcast, Osama Bin Laden was praised, while the succession of explosions in London were welcomed. The preacher welcomed the “blessed acts” that took place recently in Iraq and Britain, and highlighted their proximity to the selection of an Olympic host for the 2012 games. “The sounds of happiness were heard in London, and Osama Bin Laden came and redrew the map. He made sure that the voice of the surrendered will be heard in every place,” the mosque's preacher said.

It is important to understand that there is no free press, radio or television stations operating in the Palestinian Authority. No one is allowed to publish or broadcast anything on the airwaves without government’s approval or at least sanction.

Continuing on with the theme of incitement in the Palestinian Authority, YnetOnline is also publishing this story taken from World Net Daily report about the potential Hamas threat to the UK:

JERUSALEM - Hamas has several cells inside the United Kingdom and is capable of attacking the country, a senior Israeli security official told World Net Daily. The official spoke in response to a sermon, broadcast live on Palestinian television earlier this month, in which a cleric associated with Hamas threatened terror attacks against Britain.

Sheikh Ibrahim Mudeiras, a popular Palestinian Islamic leader, said in a live sermon broadcast May 13: "We take this opportunity to hold Britain accountable and say there is revenge we can never forget. We cannot forgo the revenge we want to exact from Britain. We hold Britain responsible for what happened in Palestine. Britain is the cause, 'til this very minute, of every drop of blood dripping into this land."

“help Allah (spread Islam), Allah will bring you victory. We once ruled the world and the day will come when, by God, we will rule the entire world. The day will come when we will rule the United States, the day will come when we will rule Britain, we will rule the whole world (and all will live in peace and comfort under our rule) except the Jews."

Palestinian television regularly broadcasts hour-long speeches by Mudeiras, who usually laces his sermons with anti-Israel and anti-American invectives. But the speech, lashing out against Britain and threatening attacks against the country, was unusual, say media monitors. Mudeiras, who was lamenting Israeli Independence Day celebrations, continued:

"I say to you: You must look at our situation with an outlook of confidence in Allah’s victory! If you help Allah (spread Islam), Allah will bring you victory. We once ruled the world and the day will come when, by God, we will rule the entire world. The day will come when we will rule the United States, the day will come when we will rule Britain, we will rule the whole world (and all will live in peace and comfort under our rule) except the Jews."


Palestinian television regularly broadcasts hour-long speeches by Mudeiras, who usually laces his sermons with anti-Israel and anti-American invectives. But the speech, lashing out against Britain and threatening attacks against the country, was unusual, say media monitors.

A senior Israeli security official told WND Hamas is in a position to attack Britain. "Hamas has many agents in Britain, some of them not hidden. They are well-established there, and could carry out sophisticated and well-coordinated terror attacks if they wanted to," said the official. There has been growing evidence the past few years of Hamas' infiltration of the U.K. Britain's "Sunday Times" reported in February Mohammed Kassem Sawalha, a Muslim leader appointed to help to run a major mosque in north London, is a former Hamas military commander. Sawalha, who arrived in Britain 15 years ago, told the "Times" he still supported Hamas.

Mohammed Hanif and Omar Sharif, the two suicide bombers who blew up Mike's Place pub in Tel Aviv in 2003, were British citizens recruited to Hamas while living in the U.K., according to Israeli Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Moshe Yaalon. The two bombers were associated with Al-Muhajiroun, a British-based Islamic extremist organization that has a large following and has publicly raised funds for Hamas. Muhajiroun spiritual leader Sheik Omar Bakri Muhammad previously told WorldNetDaily he supports Hamas and has called on the British Muslim community to join the terror group.

"We must support Hamas. ... We should maintain cooperation among nations so that we can all liberate ourselves together," Bakri told a group of British Muslims at a meeting attended by WorldNetDaily.

The YnetOnline article goes on to suggest that at this time security officials do not believe Hamas will conduct operations in the UK as Britian is far too valuable an asset for fundraising and recruiting. No group whether want to breach the alleged "convenant of security" though obviously some group either didn’t get the memo on covenant protocol or the times are a’ changing.

Willfully Deluded

Everyday I am struck by the strange bond between reality and fantasy in the relationship between Israel, the West, and the Palestinian Authority. The Jerusalem Post carries this story about the Belgium government’s continued financing of textbooks used Palestinian Authority in their educational system that treats the Protocols of the Elders of Zion as true, and as an “integral part” of the history of Zionism, but the Belgium government does not find the textbooks anti-Semitic or offensive in anyway.

Although a new report states that some Palestinian Authority textbooks feature descriptions of "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion" as being an "integral part" of Zionist history that was approved in "a confidential resolution of the First Zionist Congress," the Belgian government says it is continuing to fund production of the textbooks and does not consider them offensive.

"We do not find [the textbooks] anti-Semitic in any way," said a spokesman from the Belgian government press office, speaking to The Jerusalem Post by telephone. "We have a screening process that goes through and reads the books. There has been some controversy about it in the past, but we have had people look into it." However, other countries may be having second thoughts. While Finland, Italy and the Netherlands have also provided aid for PA textbooks in the past, this year's books only credit Belgium and "Arab nations" as providing aid. Widely regarded as a cornerstone of anti-Semitic theory, the fabricated Protocols purport to disclose the secret plans of a Jewish conspiracy for world domination.

The description of the Protocols is one of many anti-Zionist and anti-Semitic statements made in PA textbooks, according to a report issued by the Center for Monitoring the Impact of Peace (CMIP) on Monday, a watchdog group. The 122-page report notes that Israel is omitted from all maps of the Middle East, and that Palestinian martyrs are portrayed as "heroic" strugglers against the "occupying force." "Unfortunately, the whole Palestinian Authority operation of publishing new books for schools has fallen short of the standards set by the international community," said Arnon Groiss, who wrote the report. "Until massive changes are made, I don't think that the Palestinian Authority's textbooks contribute to peace. The opposite is being done."

The PA Ministry of Education could not be reached for comment and did not return phone calls. However, a document on the ministry's Web site says that the issue of incitement in PA textbooks is "a myth." Claiming that CMIP has engaged in an "orchestrated crusade against Palestinian education," the ministry's document also denies that PA books incite hatred against Jews and says that it is, in fact, Israeli textbooks that incite hatred against the Palestinians. "Those who are critical of what Palestinian children are learning should try to find out how Israeli children are taught to hate Arabs, and trained to kill them," the document says. Prior to 1967 Jordanian textbooks were used for schools in the West Bank and Egyptian textbooks were used in the Gaza Strip.

"When we took over funding of the textbooks, we did so because we wanted to replace the totally outdated textbooks that had been used up to that point," said the Belgian spokesman. "We wanted them to stress social values, human rights and democracy." In "A Study of the Impact of the Palestinian Curriculum," commissioned by the Belgian Technical Cooperation at the end of 2004, researchers concluded that in "light of the debate stirred by accusations of incitement to hatred and other criticisms of the Palestinian textbooks, there is no evidence at all of that happening as a result of the curriculum." The report added that violence from "soldiers and settlers shooting in the streets and in schools" and "occupation" were preventing Palestinian children from realizing democratic values.

My bad, and obviously, just further evidence of my flawed thought process as I would have sworn that the promotion and glorification of suicide bombers in Palestinian Arab society was preventing Palestinian Arab children from realizing democratic values. What would we do without the Belgium government leading the way in the fight against anti-Semiticism and showing us the way?

America is the root of all terrorism

Yesterday, I read the dead tree version of the Globe and Mail at lunch and by the time I got three paragraphs in on Rick Salutin’s latest column, The Grim Connection, (do the google thingy if you don’t have a subscription) I was spitting bullets. There are just far too many issues for me to collectively take on without having to resort to what could be adequately described as a possible dissertation in a blog post and I rather wanted to save my energy for the Yom Kippur War.

Thank G-d for Bob at Let it Bleed. He buries it quickly and succinctly with far more eloquence and wit that I am capable of on the subject. Kathy Shaidle quips in the comments what can be the only plausible explanation for the state of Rick “Summer of Love Liberal” Salutrin’s mind.

What I cannot understand is how the Globe and Mail can bare to publish such utter tripe – does this editorial board know no shame? I certainly can see no discernable limits.

Who Says Terrorism Does Not Pay?

YnetOnline carries this story:

The Hamas is planning to hold a huge victory celebration after Israel completes its withdrawal from Gush Katif, including parades similar to those held by Hizbullah after the IDF pulled out of Lebanon. Sources in Gaza said the terror group already purchased 30,000 uniforms ahead of the planned victory parades. The Hamas also acquired open vehicles to be used in the expected rallies.

The movement is hoping to utilize the parades to convey the message that the Gaza Strip withdrawal is a direct result of the group’s military triumph over Israel. Hamas is apparently also planning to bring tens of thousands of its supporters to Gush Katif communities in order to celebrate there too, once the withdrawal is completed.

No doubt this will help defray the costs of the uniforms and go a long way in offsetting the cost of separate party celebrations for men and the women and still have enough leftover for rockets as well.

A Call to Arms

Chris at Taylor & Company is one of my favourite bloggers. He has just recently returned from a hiatus of sorts and this message should be a siren call to all of us who are living simply on borrowed time till the strike comes into our ballpark.