A Stand For Justice
Oil hits 2-year high above $88
The price of oil, which tumbled as the global financial turmoil worsened in late 2008, has climbed back to where it was at the beginning of the crisis, thanks to a recovering U.S. and global economy and the Federal Reserve's latest stimulus program.
OPEC is back to soaking the American bloke. And they get away with it because we keep putting up with it. Remember a few years ago when gasoline was $4 a gallon? It WILL happen again if these greedy corporations aren't shown who is the boss.
Israeli high tech adjusts to Asian challenge
It's well known that the emergence of India and China is casting a shadow on the developed economies of Europe and North America. Less famous is the challenge facing Israel: With the Jewish state having quietly prospered as a global haven of innovation, key players here are asking whether the Asian giants might steal their high–tech thunder.
If they are prosperous, then they can GIVE US OUR TAXPAYER MONEY BACK.
Israel demands written US guarantees before freeze
They're using extortion to bilk the US taxpayers of MORE money that would be obviously better spent HERE AT HOME.
Cabinet stalls on settlement freeze as Israel and U.S. clash over terms
Iran starts "biggest" air defense war games
Iran began what it said was its biggest ever air defense drill on Tuesday to test its ability to deter air strikes, which the United States and Israel have not ruled out to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons.
How the Neocons Are Co-opting the Tea Party by Scott McConnell
Palin has become neoconservatism’s reliable vector into the Tea Party world. She reliably echoes neoconservative talking points about war with Iran. When addressing the Tea Party Convention in Nashville last February, she hit neocon talking points by citing Ronald Reagan, "peace through strength," and "tough action" against Iran. She declared that the United States needed a foreign policy that "reflected our values" and denounced the alleged policy of treating terrorism as "a mere law enforcement matter." Wearing an Israeli flag pin, she charged that President Obama was causing "Israel, our critical ally" to question our support by reaching out to hostile regimes.
Straight Talk from Sarah by Philip Giraldi
Sarah Palin has written an “Open Letter to Republican Freshmen Members of Congress” telling them what they should support in the upcoming legislative session. The letter is clearly directed towards those congressmen who are believed to be associated with the tea parties. Her advice on foreign policy is pretty much a straight neoconservative interpretation – not at all surprising since that is who is advising her and providing her with her talking point
U.S. offers Israel warplanes in return for new settlement freeze
According to "The Cable" blog, White House Middle East adviser Dan Shapiro told a group of American Jewish leaders on Friday that U.S. was committed to fighting delegitimization of Israel, and listed recent efforts to advocate on behalf of Israel.
Such efforts included: curbing actions by the United Nations on the Goldstone Report; blocking anti-Israel UN resolutions concerning the Gaza flotilla raid; defeating international resolutions aimed at exposing Israel's nuclear program at the International Atomic Energy Agency; and strengthening pressure on Iran and Syria in regards to their nuclear and proliferation activities.
Cantor Recants
no American official — by any stretch of the imagination — has the right to tell the government of Israel, or any foreign government, that he stands with the foreign leader against his own president. It is one thing to oppose particular US policies; it is quite another to tell a foreign leader, "I'm with you, not my president."
Of course, Cantor was just being honest. Although he does oppose virtually all of President Obama's policies (he's a Republican and that is what Republicans do), he supports 100% of Israeli policies. And although an extreme partisan domestically, when it comes to Israel, he supports whichever government is in power. He believes in the right to criticize this government, just not that one. Cantor serves Israel, not the United States. Understand that. That way, we can finally DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. He is NOT THE ONLY ONE.
Iran nuclear right is non-negotiable: Ahmadinejad
Clinton offers Netanyahu security pledge on peace talks
"The chances of reaching a peace agreement will be improved significantly by achieving comprehensive security understandings between Israel and the United States," Netanyahu said before Thursday's talks began.
Extortion.
Iran arms-smuggling case roils Nigeria
Nigeria will take actions against Iran if an investigation shows it violated international law and U.N. sanctions in an arms smuggling case, Nigeria's foreign minister said Friday.
Iran nuclear right is non-negotiable: Ahmadinejad
Iran says foreign planes violated its airspace
Iran said Wednesday that unidentified foreign planes violated its airspace six times as the country kicked off its biggest ever air defense drill but that the intruders were intercepted and forced back by Iranian jets.
Iran: Arms seized in Nigeria a 'misunderstanding'
Iran's foreign minister said Monday that the issue of an alleged Iranian arms shipment intercepted in Nigeria was a "misunderstanding" that has been settled.
U.S. to store more weapons in Israel
The United States will store an additional $400 million in emergency military equipment in Israel.
The new equipment, which will arrive in Israel over the next two years, will be available to Israel in the event of an emergency. It will bring to $1.2 billion the amount of American military equipment being stockpiled in Israel by 2012.
Kucinich to Force Vote on Withdrawing Troops From Afghanistan
Eric Cantor's Pledge of Allegiance
Leave aside the absurdity of believing that Israel needs to be protected from the extremely deferential and devoted Obama administration. So extraordinary is Cantor's pledge that even the Jewish Telegraph Agency's Ron Kampeas -- himself a reflexive American defender of most things Israel -- was astonished, and wrote:
I can't remember an opposition leader telling a foreign leader, in a personal meeting, that he would side, as a policy, with that leader against the president. Certainly, in statements on one specific issue or another -- building in Jerusalem, or somesuch -- lawmakers have taken the sides of other nations. But to have-a-face to face and say, in general, we will take your side against the White House -- that sounds to me extraordinary.
Treason.
Gates: Attack on Iran Won't Help
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Tuesday that a military action against Iran would not halt Tehran's nuclear program, and would only make the government there more determined to forge ahead with the program. The program would be driven further underground, he said, making it even more difficult to supervise it.
FBI Pushes for Expanded Wiretapping Capabilities
According to a report in The New York Times today, the FBI is lobbying technological companies including Google and Facebook to win support for an Obama administration proposal to expand its Internet wiretapping capabilities.
Congressional Members' Personal Wealth Expands Despite Sour National Economy
Cantor Draws Fire Over Pledge to Israel
Bribing Israel Enhancing the Swag
What it all means is that the Obama administration is promising to interfere with and prevent any effort to hold Israel accountable in the international arena. The U.S. is staking out a position that allowing the UN to function unhindered, or implementing UN resolutions such as the Goldstone Report, are simply gifts to be bestowed or withheld according to politically-driven, not international law-driven, considerations.
Was Glenn Beck's George Soros Takedown Anti-Semitic
Jewish groups like the Anti-Defamation League have condemned Beck's description of Soros's behavior in occupied Hungary, while others have said that Beck's entire broadside against Soros veers uncomfortably close to anti-Semitism.
Nigeria summons Iran diplomats over seized arms
Immediately after the arms seizure, Israeli officials accused Iran of trying to sneak the shipment into the Gaza Strip, but Nigeria's security service now believes the arms were imported by some local politicians to destabilize Nigeria if they lose in the coming general elections.
Release of the ‘Dancing Israelis’, Coincidence or Blackmail?
Following what ABC News reported were “high-level negotiations between Israeli and U.S. government officials”, a settlement was reached in the case of the five Urban Moving Systems suspects. Intense political pressure apparently had been brought to bear. The reputable Israeli daily Ha’aretz reported that by the last week of October 2001, some six weeks after the men had been detained, Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage and two unidentified “prominent New York congressmen” were lobbying heavily for their release. According to a source at ABC News close to the 20/20 report, high-profile criminal lawyer Alan Dershowitz also stepped in as a negotiator on behalf of the men to smooth out differences with the U.S. government.
Congress lifts hold on $100 million for Lebanese army
Israel welcomes last Ethiopians of Jewish descent
The original link for a related story by the JTA is here but it no longer works. It's from June 15, 2007. I found it on this website. Essentially, WE THE US TAXPAYERS are paying for the 'resettlement' of these 'refugees'.
Just remember that when you see all of the continued poverty in the US as more and more people are forced to use food stamps in order to survive.
Here is a similar story on one of my blogs from November of 2005. It states:
"The package, which the American Israel Public Affairs Committee lobbied for, includes an additional $40 million in refugee-resettlement assistance for Israel, money that helps absorb Ethiopian Jews, and provides up to $75 million annually in additional funds by cutting administrative costs."
Eyeing Iran, Israel slates missile shield for 2015
Australian Zionist group withdraws offensive ad JTA - Jewish & Israel News
A major Zionist organization has withdrawn an advertisement because it featured images mocking the torture of prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.
Still More Than a Minyan in the Senate: The Post-Election Count
: Cantor apparently is no longer the only elected Jewish Republican on Capitol Hill. Nan Hayworth, newly elected from New York’s 19th congressional district, got a shout-out in an AIPAC email blast that congratulated winners and especially saluted the three newly elected Jews, one of whom is Hayworth.
Jewish Voters, Obama and the Great Elephant Hunt
The two most dramatic swings in Jewish voting in the last 30 years had a lot to do with Israel: with 45% of the Jewish vote, Jimmy Carter garnered a record low for a Democrat in 1980, and with 12% of the Jewish vote, George H.W. Bush earned a near-record low for a Republican in 1992. The surveys don’t show it, but when a candidate sets off alarm bells, Israel matters big time.
Fired AIPAC staffer tells Haaretz I had no choice but to sue for defamation - Haaretz Daily Newspaper Israel News
The FBI claimed that it had enough evidence for convictions, but all the charges were dropped nonetheless. The controversial case made headlines again in March 2009 after Rosen filed a civil suit in a Washington, D.C. court against his former employers for defamation. The fact that it was dropped is another show of force by AIPAC.
Not one cent for tribute: Obama's embarrassing gift to Israel
On October 25, Dennis Ross, the White House point person on the Middle East, told a meeting of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee that not only is America committed "to Israel's security", but that the U.S. commitment "has also been demonstrated in our work to defeat efforts in international organizations to single out or delegitimize Israel." This is new, but undoubtedly welcome to Israel's supporters: the U.S. will not only defend Israel, it will silence its critics. The Ross pledge was ostensibly made to bar a U.N. move for Palestinian statehood which, under the agreement, would be vetoed by the U.S. But the administration's new promise has far reaching consequences.
Bush: Mubarak Wanted Me To Invade Iraq
Pure BS.
Obama extends emergency regarding Iran
Zero Based Terrorism by Philip Giraldi
The Tea Partiers should be asking themselves what exactly all the money is buying and should begin to question the bipartisan national security policy that has the United States invading and occupying country after country in an attempt to fix other people's problems. They should begin to ask just what would happen if the American voters were to finally demand that the Pentagon close its seven hundred bases overseas and bring our people home as part of a policy of non-intervention as envisioned by the Founding Fathers.
N.Korea 'giving nuclear material to Iran, Syria'
Jewish Congressman Loses Florida Seat to Hard-Line, Pro-Israel Republican
Federations Find Youth Outreach Tricky Terrain at Yearly Meeting
though conference leaders claimed to distinguish legitimate criticism of Israel from delegitimization, the panels promoted as addressing the issue contained no public critics of Israeli policy. The audience heard instead from Republican messaging guru Frank Luntz and from representatives of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the right-leaning Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs.
This Congress Won't Give Obama a Free Pass on Israel
he new Congress can be expected to be openly supportive of Israel. That means that if the president were to resume his tactic of pressuring Israel he will find himself in opposition to many in the Congress. With many other urgent items on his agenda he may not want to get into a collision with Congress on this issue. If he were to consider taking punitive measures against Israel, if he finds the Israeli government recalcitrant, he will find it difficult to get the cooperation of Congress in the areas where this is required.
Standard Operating Procedures: How the Neocons Are Co-opting the Tea Party
Before there were Tea Partiers, there was Sarah Palin. The summer before John McCain put the Alaska governor on the ticket, she had been “discovered” on a Weekly Standard sponsored summer cruise to Alaska. She hosted Standard editor Bill Kristol and others at a luncheon in the state capitol, where she impressed them as a raw political talent. Kristol’s subsequent touting elevated her onto McCain’s vice presidential short list. One AEI staffer described Palin as a “project,” adding “[s]he’s bright and she’s a blank page. She’s going places and it’s worth going there with her.”
...For the neoconservatives, this alliance has paid off. Palin has become the neoconservatism’s reliable vector into the Tea Party world. She reliably echoes neoconservative talking points about war with Iran. When addressing the Tea Party Convention in Nashville last February, she hit neocon talking points by citing Ronald Reagan, “peace through strength,” and “tough action” against Iran
Justice Department Prepares for Expansion of Law Prohibiting ‘Material Support’ for Terrorism
Of course, the first targets of this draconian expansion of the material support law will not be a former president or the establishment media, but members of a Marxist organization and vocal opponents of the governments of Israel and Colombia and the U.S. policies supporting these repressive governments. Come and get me, bitches :)
Senior Republican Against US Aid to Palestinians
Ros-Lehtinen is another one of the most egregious Israel-firsters on Capitol Hill. She should be deported to Israel, for, she too does not serve the American people.
The Fed Trashes the Dollar by Patrick J. Buchanan
Historians will not deal kindly with the men who traded the horse of U.S. economic nationalism for the rabbit of the Global Economy.
U.S. Taxpayers are Paying for Israel's West Bank Occupation
As more Americans go hungry, our government funds the state in the Middle East that is based on religious supremacy, which goes against the ideals upon which this nation was founded.
J Street and Republican Jewish Coalition Clash Over Their Own Influence on the Elections
he RJC expanded the breadth of its campaign ads on Israel during this election, making its biggest ever investment. It is hoping to show a political return. Most of the group’s ad money went to eight races, but RJC polls do not provide information about the influence it had on the outcome of those races.
Land of the Food Insecure: Record Rates of Hunger in US
Hey I know, let's give a couple more billion to Israel (whose economy is flourishing).
AIPAC Bares All to Quash Lawsuit
Shapiro and Rosen are clearly building a very interesting box of incrimination around Kohr. While it is now established fact that a copy of the 300-page “Probable Economic Effect of Providing Duty-Free Treatment for U.S. Imports from Israel, Investigation No. 332-180” was probably still in AIPAC’s possession in 1987 and circulating among its employees, the report was only classified as “confidential” by the U.S. government. If Rosen intends to reveal Kohr received that particular classified information through such depositions, he will have to coach his legal team on the details of how AIPAC (in conjunction with the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs) obtained such classified U.S. industrial secrets.
British politician: ‘Israel is the root cause of terrorism'
In the second attack on Israel by Liberal Democrat politicians in the same week that the party’s leader said the party got it wrong on Israel, Jenny Tonge claimed on Friday that Israel’s treatment of Palestinians is the root cause of terrorism worldwide.
Possibly “Holocaust guilt” allows this treatment to go unchecked, Tonge said, adding that it might also be the “power of the pro-Israel lobby” in the UK and US.
Wingnuts on Parade by Philip Giraldi
Pollak, one of whose supporters is Alan Dershowitz, asked Schakowsky to join him in "condemning the Obama administration’s ongoing attack on Israel." In a debate with Schakowsky, Pollak unrolled a map of Israel and announced "My focus tonight will be Israel."
Schakowsky’s campaign countered that she had a 100% pro-Israel voting record, which was the truth, including even a vote in favor of Israel’s right to defend itself after it killed 300 Palestinian children in operation Cast Lead against Gaza. She also cited self defense when signing a congressional letter endorsing the killing of US citizen Furkan Dogan on the Gaza flotilla. In addition, she has enthusiastically endorsed every actual and proposed piece of legislation sanctioning Iran.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Headlines for November 4 - November 10
A Stand For Justice
Special report For U.S. veterans, the war after the wars
VP Biden pledges unwavering support for Israel
The vice president said the Mideast's genuine threats come from Iran and he pledged to defend Israel from that country.
Federal Civil Rights Policy Expanded To Protect Jewish College Students
The University of California, Irvine, has become emblematic of the trend, as its Muslim Student Union gained attention — and was eventually suspended — for, among other actions, disrupting a speech by Michael Oren, Israeli ambassador to the United States, with calls that he was a “killer.” The Muslim group’s anti-Israel protests fueled a 2004 complaint that ZOA filed with the Education Department claiming Irvine’s administration had stood by as its environment became hostile for Jews. (After an investigation, the OCR found that most alleged acts of harassment were not based on shared ethnic origins, and that the university had dealt with other instances appropriately. The ZOA’s appeal is pending.)
Klein said his group regularly fields calls from students who say they are cursed and spat at for wearing shirts promoting Israel. The ZOA and 12 other Jewish organizations, including the Anti-Defamation League and the Orthodox Union, wrote a letter in April arguing that OCR’s policy failed to protect Jewish students from anti-Semitic harassment.
More special treatement for guess who? This time, as 'victims' due to the growing anti-Israel sentiment on campus, that's now deemed 'anti-Semitism'.
Bush: Olmert asked me to bomb suspected Syria nuclear plant
Bush writes that he told Olmert, "I cannot justify an attack on a sovereign nation unless my intelligence agencies stand up and say it's a weapons program." Can Israel ever fight any of its own battles?
Struggling Over Subsidies That Undo Modernity
The reason for the protest was the students’ perception of rank unfairness in Israel’s upcoming state budget, which will provide monthly living allowances to Orthodox men engaged in full-time yeshiva study. The stipends actually date back to 1980, but they were ruled illegal by the Supreme Court last June because they discriminate against secular university students. Then, late in October, the Cabinet began discussing a bill to circumvent the high court and restore the yeshiva stipends, and protests erupted nationwide, some of them violent.
Notice how similar this is to the story in this news batch dealing with the upstate New York school in a largely orthodox neighborhood. Welcome to the United States of Israel, where American taxpayers get to fund religious supremacy as long as it is JUDAISM. And we also get to fund the pirate kingdom of Israel, which pillages and plunders its neighbors property at will.
'US Support for Israel Must Continue Forever,' says Biden
Iran featured prominently in Biden’s address in New Orleans.
Special Satmar School District Gets a Windfall
Some basic math shows that the public school district for Kiryas Joel — a town founded in 1977 by the late grand rebbe of the Satmar Hasidic sect, Joel Teitelbaum, as a rural refuge for his followers — will receive more in RTTT funds per public school student than any other district in the state
What remains unclear is whether the district can also use those funds to benefit its private school students, an outcome that would be welcome news to the religious schools that serve almost all the non-special education students in the politically influential town
.......The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1994 that the district violated the Constitution’s requirement of separation between religion and state. But allies of the influential Satmar sect in the state government rewrote the law allowing for creation of the district, finally finding statutory language able to overcome the constitutional barriers.
Unlike some New York villages and neighborhoods with majority Orthodox populations, Kiryas Joel is almost exclusively populated by members of the Satmar Hasidic sect. The village ranks among the poorest in the United States, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.
Read that again. And realize who cries the loudest to keep the separation of church and state, only when it applies to others.
A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall by Philip Giraldi
hen there are the changes that will take place in committees and the pecking order in Congress, changes that will bring the long war advocates to the fore. It is where the real damage can take place. Not coincidentally, the hawks are also calling for military action against Iran and are notable in their affection for the state of Israel. The Israel connection is significant because Israel has long been at the heart of America’s foreign policy woes. America’s misguided war on terror is in fact a complete adoption of Israeli security paradigms without any regard for the actual threats that confront the US, making Israel’s many enemies also the foes of Washington. The Israeli Lobby might not have single handedly brought about the disastrous Iraq war but it certainly was a major factor in the push to invade, taking its cues from the Israeli Foreign Ministry. And today Israel and its friends in Congress and the media are the most powerful advocates of a military conflict with Iran, which will only take place, if it does, because of them. At the same time the Lobby is doing its best to sour relations with Lebanon and preempt any possible rapprochement with Syria
..Neither Cantor nor Ros-Lehtinen is troubled by giving more than $3 billion of taxpayer money annually to a relatively wealthy country whose policies damage US interests and place US citizens at risk worldwide. With friends like Cantor and Ros-Lehtinen in key positions in Congress it is the American people who should be in despair.
How will the Republican-controlled House affect U.S.-Israel ties?
"If we regain the majority, we will use our larger platform to make the case that a strong Israel is firmly in the strategic and moral interests of the United States. We will press the administration not to pressure Israel into making concessions that will compromise Israel’s already tenuous security.”
Republicans Backtrack After Proposal on Aid to Israel Draws Heavy Criticism
The roughly $3 billion a year provided by the United States for Israeli military purchases is a product of years of formal negotiations and backroom tweaking, and tinkering with it raises concern among pro-Israel lobbyists. Moreover, raising the issue as Cantor did, days before the election, is viewed as breaching the bipartisan support for aid to Israel, which traditionally translates to an easy passage of the bill in Congress every year.
......Throughout the years, AIPAC’s lobbying efforts added other perks to the aid package: Israel is the only recipient allowed to spend a portion of its military aid on purchases within the country; usually this kind of aid is designed for procurement of American-made weapon systems. Israel also receives its aid in the first month of the fiscal year as a deposit in an interest-bearing account. Aid to all other recipients is spread out throughout the year.
Are you getting the picture yet?
WikiLeaks Founder Urges US to Investigate Alleged Abuse by Its Troops
Netanyahu says Iran must fear military strike
Netanyahu's call for a "credible military threat" drew a swift response from the U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who said international sanctions were "biting more deeply" than the Iranians anticipated.
"I disagree that only a credible military threat can get Iran to take the actions that it needs to," Gates said in Australia on Monday. "At this point we continue to believe that the political and economic approach that we are taking is in fact having an impact on Iran."
Netanyahu Pounds War Drums
Less than a week after Republicans made major gains in the U.S. midterm elections, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called on President Barack Obama to "create a credible threat of military action" against Iran.
.....According to diplomatic sources quoted in the Israeli and U.S. press, Netanyahu's appeal came during a meeting with Vice President Joseph Biden in New Orleans Sunday. It suggests that his right-wing government and its allies here, including hawkish Republicans who will take control of the House of Representatives in January, are preparing to escalate pressure on Obama to adopt a more confrontational stance with Tehran. Can Israel ever fight its own battles?
Echoes of Iraq as Hawks Push for Attack on Iran
Starting in January, advocates of a tougher line on Iran will have powerful allies in Congress who could help advance that plan. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.), a veteran Iran hawk who has downplayed the effectiveness of sanctions, will take over as chairwoman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
AWOL Soldier Refusing Deployment Because of Severe PTSD
Obama Officials Moving Away From 2011 Afghan Date
The Pentagon also has decided not to announce specific dates for handing security responsibility for several Afghan provinces to local officials and instead intends to work out a more vague definition of transition when it meets with its NATO allies.
Nearly 59 million lack health insurance: CDC
U.S. midterms: AIPAC lauds re-election of pro-Israel stalwarts
Israel's Washington embassy also expressed satisfaction with the results.
"Support for Israel at the Congress is strong and bipartisan,” an embassy spokesman told Haaretz.
BREAKING NEWS: Benjamin Netanyahu retains control of U.S. Congress
"American voters on both sides of the aisle support Israel," Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi, founder and president of The Israel Project, says in the e-mail. American voters nothing to do with it. AIPAC did.
Michael Oren urges U.S. Jews to defend Israel against aggressors
“I think it is fair for Israel to expect the American Jewish community to uphold our right to self-defense," Oren said. "Israel expects American Jews to fight the Goldstone report which limits our ability to defend ourselves by branding us as war criminals, with the same zeal that you have fought boycotts, divestment and sanctions."
...“I want to say categorically that bipartisan political support for Israel is a national strategic interest for the Jewish state. We urge American Jews to ensure that preserving a secure sovereign Israel remains a bipartisan goal to which Americans of all political outlooks aspire”.
Netanyahu Tests Obama, Again
While visiting Israel in March, Vice President Joe Biden delivered a speech that delighted the Israeli right and its followers here. The key passage was this: "When it comes to Israel's security there can be no daylight — no daylight — between Israel and the US."
That formulation, which was devised by the pro-Israel lobby here, pleased the Netanyahu government, which interprets it to mean that Israel has carte blanch from Washington to do whatever it wants. No other country in the world enjoys such a pledge from the United States.
Netanyahu to press U.S. for military threat on Iran
George Bush's memoirs reveal how he considered attacks on Iran and Syria
'Bibi Can Take US Into War With Iran'
“On Iran, there's no difference between Democrats and Republicans. They're very comfortable with the idea that a foreign leader like [Benjamin] Netanyahu can take 300 million Americans to war whenever he wants,” said counterterrorism expert Michael Scheuer, who has worked with the Central Intelligence Agency for more than 20 years.
“The election was a disaster in terms of increasing the chances of another war that we don't have the resources to fight, and we won't have the will to win,” Newsmax quoted Scheuer as saying.
.....Scheuer said no problem would be resolved “until they [US officials] understand we're being attacked because of our foreign policy and what we do in the Muslim world, we're never going to understand the motivation and size of the enemy.” We were not attacked for our freedom, because of Islam or because our women are liberated. The majority of those attacked us on 911 because of our support for Israel.
The Parcel Bomb Plot: Al-Qaeda’s Latest Christmas Gift to Israel
While Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) may have claimed responsibility for the parcel bomb plot, it’s worth considering how this latest Yemen-linked terror scare has been a gift to their avowed enemies.
A mere two weeks before the discovery of mail bombs addressed to “two places of Jewish worship in Chicago,” Rupert Murdoch sounded prescient as he received an award from the Anti-Defamation League for his support of Israel. “The terrorists continue to target Jews across the world,” declared the media mogul in his acceptance speech. “But they have not succeeded in bringing down the Israeli government – and they have not weakened Israeli resolve.” Equating criticism of Israel with anti-Semitism, the Fox News owner smeared the growing worldwide condemnation of Israel’s rogue behaviour as an “ongoing war against the Jews.”
U.S.: Syria risks IAEA action if access to suspected nuclear site is denied
Report: Iran gave Hezbollah UAVs, attack aircraft
Justice Dept. Renews Enforcement of Subpoenas for Antiwar Activists Targeted in FBI Raids
Subpoenas to appear before a grand jury were served on 13 people, but later withdrawn when the activists asserted their right to remain silent. But this week, the U.S. Department of Justice said it intends to enforce the subpoenas for some of them and require them to appear before a grand jury.
Outgoing intel chief: Iran can already produce nuclear bomb
netanyahu Intellectual Father of the ‘War on Terror’ by Thomas Harrington -- Antiwar.com
Key to the continued rise of Revisionist Zionism was the ability to organize key elements of American Jewry around this new, hyper-martial view of the Israeli reality. They did so by infiltrating AIPAC and by flooding the think-tanks then being created to prop up the Reagan Revolution (e.g., the Heritage Foundation, the American Enterprise Institute) with thinkers amenable to their cause, and by founding think-tanks of their own (e.g., the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, the Hudson Institute, the Center for Security Policy, the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs, the Middle East Media Research Institute) dedicated wholeheartedly to promoting a pro-Likud approach to Mideast policy. A very good read.
Muslims say Obama failing to keep Cairo promises
Seventeen months after Obama's Cairo University speech, al Qaeda is still threatening the West, peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians remain stalled over the issue of West Bank settlements and U.S. troops remain in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Many in the Middle East believe that Washington's tight alliance with Israel makes it impossible to end the suffering of the Palestinians, breeding cynicism among Arab Muslims toward U.S. intentions in the region.
Meet your new House Foreign Affairs chairwoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen
Over the mid to long term, Ros-Lehtinen is poised to thwart Obama's efforts to move toward repealing sanctions on Fidel Castro and resist any White House attempts to pressure Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. She isn't likely to move Berman's foreign-aid reform bill through the committee and she is likely to seek cuts in the foreign-aid budget in her authorization bill.
Sen Graham sees ‘confrontation’ with China, war with Iran
The South Carolina Republican saw the United States going to war with the Islamic republic “not to just neutralize their nuclear program, but to sink their navy, destroy their air force and deliver a decisive blow to the Revolutionary Guard, in other words neuter that regime.”
First sign of the new U.S. political reality—Bibi’s swagger JTA - Jewish & Israel News
It was a clear sign that Netanyahu feels empowered by the Republican sweep last week of the House of Representatives to trump the Obama administration’s emphasis on peacemaking with the Palestinians with his own priority: confronting Iran.
.....Pro-Israel insiders in Washington noted that in different ways, Mandel and Grossman both have been leaders in the effort to sanction Iran and now are positioned to mak sure that their states enforce such sanctions. As a lawmaker, Mandel led the effort to divest Ohio from Iran. Grossman, as AIPAC president in the mid-1990s, lobbied for the Iran sanctions passed by Congress at that time.
In U.S., 14% Rely on Food Stamps
Some 42,389,619 Americans received food stamps in August, a 17% rise from the same time a year ago, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which tracks the data. That number is up 58.5% from August 2007, before the recession began. Hey I know, let's give a few more billion to Israel.
Obama would be responsible for shutdown: Cantor
Multi-Billion-Dollar Arms Deals Could Haunt U.S.
The U.S. administration's decision last month to sell billions of dollars worth of weapons to potentially unstable Arab nations in the Gulf - including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Oman, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain - have triggered fears of possible risks to the United States, if history repeats itself.
Iran hawks step up pressure on Obama — some see echoes of Iraq
Obama Administration Claims Unchecked Authority To Kill Americans Outside Combat Zones
US Army Mulls More Charges Over Horrific Afghan Killings
Two more US soldiers face hearings this week over a rogue army unit that allegedly executed Afghan civilians, mutilated the corpses, then beat another soldier for blowing the whistle.
What Did WikiLeaks Really Tell Us about Iran?
Iraqi Victims of UK Abuse Want Public Inquiry
Lawyers of 142 Iraqi civilians, who claim they suffered abuse by British soldiers, are pushing for the UK's High Court to allow a full public inquiry.
Iran arrests four over 'British-linked assassination plot'
Iran said today it had arrested four men it claims were paid by a man based in Britain to carry out a series of assassinations, according to official state TV.
Suburban Poverty by the Numbers
Yemen wants much more US aid to fight terrorism
Yemen wants far more military aid than the U.S. has promised in the fight against escalating terrorism -- billions of dollars more than Washington has in mind.
Saudis warned US of aviation bomb plot weeks ago
Bush rejects claims that Israel was behind Iraq war
The only reference Bush makes to a pro-Israel figure having a role in his Iraq deliberations is the Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel, a supporter of military intervention whose opinion the president solicited as he weighed his options.
“Elie is a sober and gentle man. But there was passion in his seventy-four-year-old eyes when he compared Saddam Hussein’s brutality to the Nazi genocide,” Bush writes.
The other major pro-Israel figure whose influence Bush notes in his work comes during his discussion of the “Freedom Agenda.” Bush cites a passage from Natan Sharansky’s book The Case for Democracy in making the argument that America needed to “put pressure on the arms of the world’s tyrants.”
Iranians stage mass protest against 'Great Satan' US
Thousands of Iranians chanted "Death to America" as they staged Thursday a mass protest against the "Great Satan" to mark the 31st anniversary of the capture of the American embassy by Islamist students.
C-4 seized in Colorado in Navy SEAL smuggling case
The special forces SEAL, Nicholas Bickle, 33, of San Diego, Las Vegas resident Andrew Kaufman, 36, and Richard Paul, 34, of Durango, Colo., were arrested Wednesday in those cities, the U.S. attorney's office in Las Vegas said.
Analysis: Election campaign ignored foreign policy
US senator sees 'confrontation' with China, war with Iran
Schakowsky’s Israel Question
Her own seat seems safe for the time being. But Schakowsky was visibly worried by the prospect of the Obama administration’s Israel policy becoming a wider issue. She was particularly stunned to hear of the loss of Miami Congressman Ron Klein, whose non-Jewish opponent criticized Klein’s support for Obama’s Israel policy.
Boxer Scores Knockout, Defying GOP Wave
Raphael Sonenshein, chairman of the political science department at California State University, Fullerton, believes that Israel and foreign policy generally will have less importance in the coming congressional power struggles than domestic issues, mainly the economy; that is, unless matters should change on the ground and the Middle East erupts into the headlines. “Obama will have less room to push for negotiations,” Sonenshein speculated.
Citing Their Close Ties With Local Muslims, Chicago’s Jews Unfazed by Terrorist Threat
In Chicago, Lopatin noted that the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago issued a statement condemning the attacks immediately after the first news reports broke stating that area Jewish institutions were targeted.
Jews Stayed With Democrats, Now Worry About Domestic Agenda
Capitol Hill, however, is still a friendly place for Jewish and pro-Israeli activists. Leadership of key committees, including Appropriations and Foreign Affairs, will remain in the hands of veteran Republicans with whom pro-Israeli activists had established long-standing working relations. “We make sure to be in close ties with both sides, and we’ve always worked with both the majority and the minority, so these kinds of transitions are easier for us,” said Daniel Meron, minister of congressional affairs at the Israeli Embassy in Washington.
The War on Christianity by Patrick J. Buchanan
Some great comments on this article.
Bush: Cheney angry Bush did not pardon Libby
Former President George W. Bush says Vice President Dick Cheney angrily confronted him over Bush's decision not to pardon a former vice presidential aide over his role in the case of the leaked identity of CIA operative Valerie Plame.
Israel/Palestine and Iran Are Not Linked And Should Not Be Linked (II)
Resurgent Republicans Call for More of the Good Old Stuff by Philip Giraldi
Israpundit » Blog Archive » Senator Elect Rubio is coming to Israel next week
You Just Won The Senate Seat For Florida, Mr. Rubio! Now What are You Going to Do? . . . “I’m Going to Israel!”
ANALYSIS - Bush's memoir explains U.S. can't appear to be doing Israel's bidding - Haaretz Daily Newspaper Israel News
Bush's book should thus be read as a lesson for the future: The Americans cannot appear to be doing Israel's bidding. Precise intelligence is necessary. And whatever can be done secretly is better than what explodes thunderously
Special report For U.S. veterans, the war after the wars
VP Biden pledges unwavering support for Israel
The vice president said the Mideast's genuine threats come from Iran and he pledged to defend Israel from that country.
Federal Civil Rights Policy Expanded To Protect Jewish College Students
The University of California, Irvine, has become emblematic of the trend, as its Muslim Student Union gained attention — and was eventually suspended — for, among other actions, disrupting a speech by Michael Oren, Israeli ambassador to the United States, with calls that he was a “killer.” The Muslim group’s anti-Israel protests fueled a 2004 complaint that ZOA filed with the Education Department claiming Irvine’s administration had stood by as its environment became hostile for Jews. (After an investigation, the OCR found that most alleged acts of harassment were not based on shared ethnic origins, and that the university had dealt with other instances appropriately. The ZOA’s appeal is pending.)
Klein said his group regularly fields calls from students who say they are cursed and spat at for wearing shirts promoting Israel. The ZOA and 12 other Jewish organizations, including the Anti-Defamation League and the Orthodox Union, wrote a letter in April arguing that OCR’s policy failed to protect Jewish students from anti-Semitic harassment.
More special treatement for guess who? This time, as 'victims' due to the growing anti-Israel sentiment on campus, that's now deemed 'anti-Semitism'.
Bush: Olmert asked me to bomb suspected Syria nuclear plant
Bush writes that he told Olmert, "I cannot justify an attack on a sovereign nation unless my intelligence agencies stand up and say it's a weapons program." Can Israel ever fight any of its own battles?
Struggling Over Subsidies That Undo Modernity
The reason for the protest was the students’ perception of rank unfairness in Israel’s upcoming state budget, which will provide monthly living allowances to Orthodox men engaged in full-time yeshiva study. The stipends actually date back to 1980, but they were ruled illegal by the Supreme Court last June because they discriminate against secular university students. Then, late in October, the Cabinet began discussing a bill to circumvent the high court and restore the yeshiva stipends, and protests erupted nationwide, some of them violent.
Notice how similar this is to the story in this news batch dealing with the upstate New York school in a largely orthodox neighborhood. Welcome to the United States of Israel, where American taxpayers get to fund religious supremacy as long as it is JUDAISM. And we also get to fund the pirate kingdom of Israel, which pillages and plunders its neighbors property at will.
'US Support for Israel Must Continue Forever,' says Biden
Iran featured prominently in Biden’s address in New Orleans.
Special Satmar School District Gets a Windfall
Some basic math shows that the public school district for Kiryas Joel — a town founded in 1977 by the late grand rebbe of the Satmar Hasidic sect, Joel Teitelbaum, as a rural refuge for his followers — will receive more in RTTT funds per public school student than any other district in the state
What remains unclear is whether the district can also use those funds to benefit its private school students, an outcome that would be welcome news to the religious schools that serve almost all the non-special education students in the politically influential town
.......The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1994 that the district violated the Constitution’s requirement of separation between religion and state. But allies of the influential Satmar sect in the state government rewrote the law allowing for creation of the district, finally finding statutory language able to overcome the constitutional barriers.
Unlike some New York villages and neighborhoods with majority Orthodox populations, Kiryas Joel is almost exclusively populated by members of the Satmar Hasidic sect. The village ranks among the poorest in the United States, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.
Read that again. And realize who cries the loudest to keep the separation of church and state, only when it applies to others.
A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall by Philip Giraldi
hen there are the changes that will take place in committees and the pecking order in Congress, changes that will bring the long war advocates to the fore. It is where the real damage can take place. Not coincidentally, the hawks are also calling for military action against Iran and are notable in their affection for the state of Israel. The Israel connection is significant because Israel has long been at the heart of America’s foreign policy woes. America’s misguided war on terror is in fact a complete adoption of Israeli security paradigms without any regard for the actual threats that confront the US, making Israel’s many enemies also the foes of Washington. The Israeli Lobby might not have single handedly brought about the disastrous Iraq war but it certainly was a major factor in the push to invade, taking its cues from the Israeli Foreign Ministry. And today Israel and its friends in Congress and the media are the most powerful advocates of a military conflict with Iran, which will only take place, if it does, because of them. At the same time the Lobby is doing its best to sour relations with Lebanon and preempt any possible rapprochement with Syria
..Neither Cantor nor Ros-Lehtinen is troubled by giving more than $3 billion of taxpayer money annually to a relatively wealthy country whose policies damage US interests and place US citizens at risk worldwide. With friends like Cantor and Ros-Lehtinen in key positions in Congress it is the American people who should be in despair.
How will the Republican-controlled House affect U.S.-Israel ties?
"If we regain the majority, we will use our larger platform to make the case that a strong Israel is firmly in the strategic and moral interests of the United States. We will press the administration not to pressure Israel into making concessions that will compromise Israel’s already tenuous security.”
Republicans Backtrack After Proposal on Aid to Israel Draws Heavy Criticism
The roughly $3 billion a year provided by the United States for Israeli military purchases is a product of years of formal negotiations and backroom tweaking, and tinkering with it raises concern among pro-Israel lobbyists. Moreover, raising the issue as Cantor did, days before the election, is viewed as breaching the bipartisan support for aid to Israel, which traditionally translates to an easy passage of the bill in Congress every year.
......Throughout the years, AIPAC’s lobbying efforts added other perks to the aid package: Israel is the only recipient allowed to spend a portion of its military aid on purchases within the country; usually this kind of aid is designed for procurement of American-made weapon systems. Israel also receives its aid in the first month of the fiscal year as a deposit in an interest-bearing account. Aid to all other recipients is spread out throughout the year.
Are you getting the picture yet?
WikiLeaks Founder Urges US to Investigate Alleged Abuse by Its Troops
Netanyahu says Iran must fear military strike
Netanyahu's call for a "credible military threat" drew a swift response from the U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who said international sanctions were "biting more deeply" than the Iranians anticipated.
"I disagree that only a credible military threat can get Iran to take the actions that it needs to," Gates said in Australia on Monday. "At this point we continue to believe that the political and economic approach that we are taking is in fact having an impact on Iran."
Netanyahu Pounds War Drums
Less than a week after Republicans made major gains in the U.S. midterm elections, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called on President Barack Obama to "create a credible threat of military action" against Iran.
.....According to diplomatic sources quoted in the Israeli and U.S. press, Netanyahu's appeal came during a meeting with Vice President Joseph Biden in New Orleans Sunday. It suggests that his right-wing government and its allies here, including hawkish Republicans who will take control of the House of Representatives in January, are preparing to escalate pressure on Obama to adopt a more confrontational stance with Tehran. Can Israel ever fight its own battles?
Echoes of Iraq as Hawks Push for Attack on Iran
Starting in January, advocates of a tougher line on Iran will have powerful allies in Congress who could help advance that plan. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.), a veteran Iran hawk who has downplayed the effectiveness of sanctions, will take over as chairwoman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
AWOL Soldier Refusing Deployment Because of Severe PTSD
Obama Officials Moving Away From 2011 Afghan Date
The Pentagon also has decided not to announce specific dates for handing security responsibility for several Afghan provinces to local officials and instead intends to work out a more vague definition of transition when it meets with its NATO allies.
Nearly 59 million lack health insurance: CDC
U.S. midterms: AIPAC lauds re-election of pro-Israel stalwarts
Israel's Washington embassy also expressed satisfaction with the results.
"Support for Israel at the Congress is strong and bipartisan,” an embassy spokesman told Haaretz.
BREAKING NEWS: Benjamin Netanyahu retains control of U.S. Congress
"American voters on both sides of the aisle support Israel," Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi, founder and president of The Israel Project, says in the e-mail. American voters nothing to do with it. AIPAC did.
Michael Oren urges U.S. Jews to defend Israel against aggressors
“I think it is fair for Israel to expect the American Jewish community to uphold our right to self-defense," Oren said. "Israel expects American Jews to fight the Goldstone report which limits our ability to defend ourselves by branding us as war criminals, with the same zeal that you have fought boycotts, divestment and sanctions."
...“I want to say categorically that bipartisan political support for Israel is a national strategic interest for the Jewish state. We urge American Jews to ensure that preserving a secure sovereign Israel remains a bipartisan goal to which Americans of all political outlooks aspire”.
Netanyahu Tests Obama, Again
While visiting Israel in March, Vice President Joe Biden delivered a speech that delighted the Israeli right and its followers here. The key passage was this: "When it comes to Israel's security there can be no daylight — no daylight — between Israel and the US."
That formulation, which was devised by the pro-Israel lobby here, pleased the Netanyahu government, which interprets it to mean that Israel has carte blanch from Washington to do whatever it wants. No other country in the world enjoys such a pledge from the United States.
Netanyahu to press U.S. for military threat on Iran
George Bush's memoirs reveal how he considered attacks on Iran and Syria
'Bibi Can Take US Into War With Iran'
“On Iran, there's no difference between Democrats and Republicans. They're very comfortable with the idea that a foreign leader like [Benjamin] Netanyahu can take 300 million Americans to war whenever he wants,” said counterterrorism expert Michael Scheuer, who has worked with the Central Intelligence Agency for more than 20 years.
“The election was a disaster in terms of increasing the chances of another war that we don't have the resources to fight, and we won't have the will to win,” Newsmax quoted Scheuer as saying.
.....Scheuer said no problem would be resolved “until they [US officials] understand we're being attacked because of our foreign policy and what we do in the Muslim world, we're never going to understand the motivation and size of the enemy.” We were not attacked for our freedom, because of Islam or because our women are liberated. The majority of those attacked us on 911 because of our support for Israel.
The Parcel Bomb Plot: Al-Qaeda’s Latest Christmas Gift to Israel
While Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) may have claimed responsibility for the parcel bomb plot, it’s worth considering how this latest Yemen-linked terror scare has been a gift to their avowed enemies.
A mere two weeks before the discovery of mail bombs addressed to “two places of Jewish worship in Chicago,” Rupert Murdoch sounded prescient as he received an award from the Anti-Defamation League for his support of Israel. “The terrorists continue to target Jews across the world,” declared the media mogul in his acceptance speech. “But they have not succeeded in bringing down the Israeli government – and they have not weakened Israeli resolve.” Equating criticism of Israel with anti-Semitism, the Fox News owner smeared the growing worldwide condemnation of Israel’s rogue behaviour as an “ongoing war against the Jews.”
U.S.: Syria risks IAEA action if access to suspected nuclear site is denied
Report: Iran gave Hezbollah UAVs, attack aircraft
Justice Dept. Renews Enforcement of Subpoenas for Antiwar Activists Targeted in FBI Raids
Subpoenas to appear before a grand jury were served on 13 people, but later withdrawn when the activists asserted their right to remain silent. But this week, the U.S. Department of Justice said it intends to enforce the subpoenas for some of them and require them to appear before a grand jury.
Outgoing intel chief: Iran can already produce nuclear bomb
netanyahu Intellectual Father of the ‘War on Terror’ by Thomas Harrington -- Antiwar.com
Key to the continued rise of Revisionist Zionism was the ability to organize key elements of American Jewry around this new, hyper-martial view of the Israeli reality. They did so by infiltrating AIPAC and by flooding the think-tanks then being created to prop up the Reagan Revolution (e.g., the Heritage Foundation, the American Enterprise Institute) with thinkers amenable to their cause, and by founding think-tanks of their own (e.g., the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, the Hudson Institute, the Center for Security Policy, the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs, the Middle East Media Research Institute) dedicated wholeheartedly to promoting a pro-Likud approach to Mideast policy. A very good read.
Muslims say Obama failing to keep Cairo promises
Seventeen months after Obama's Cairo University speech, al Qaeda is still threatening the West, peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians remain stalled over the issue of West Bank settlements and U.S. troops remain in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Many in the Middle East believe that Washington's tight alliance with Israel makes it impossible to end the suffering of the Palestinians, breeding cynicism among Arab Muslims toward U.S. intentions in the region.
Meet your new House Foreign Affairs chairwoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen
Over the mid to long term, Ros-Lehtinen is poised to thwart Obama's efforts to move toward repealing sanctions on Fidel Castro and resist any White House attempts to pressure Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. She isn't likely to move Berman's foreign-aid reform bill through the committee and she is likely to seek cuts in the foreign-aid budget in her authorization bill.
Sen Graham sees ‘confrontation’ with China, war with Iran
The South Carolina Republican saw the United States going to war with the Islamic republic “not to just neutralize their nuclear program, but to sink their navy, destroy their air force and deliver a decisive blow to the Revolutionary Guard, in other words neuter that regime.”
First sign of the new U.S. political reality—Bibi’s swagger JTA - Jewish & Israel News
It was a clear sign that Netanyahu feels empowered by the Republican sweep last week of the House of Representatives to trump the Obama administration’s emphasis on peacemaking with the Palestinians with his own priority: confronting Iran.
.....Pro-Israel insiders in Washington noted that in different ways, Mandel and Grossman both have been leaders in the effort to sanction Iran and now are positioned to mak sure that their states enforce such sanctions. As a lawmaker, Mandel led the effort to divest Ohio from Iran. Grossman, as AIPAC president in the mid-1990s, lobbied for the Iran sanctions passed by Congress at that time.
In U.S., 14% Rely on Food Stamps
Some 42,389,619 Americans received food stamps in August, a 17% rise from the same time a year ago, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which tracks the data. That number is up 58.5% from August 2007, before the recession began. Hey I know, let's give a few more billion to Israel.
Obama would be responsible for shutdown: Cantor
Multi-Billion-Dollar Arms Deals Could Haunt U.S.
The U.S. administration's decision last month to sell billions of dollars worth of weapons to potentially unstable Arab nations in the Gulf - including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Oman, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain - have triggered fears of possible risks to the United States, if history repeats itself.
Iran hawks step up pressure on Obama — some see echoes of Iraq
Obama Administration Claims Unchecked Authority To Kill Americans Outside Combat Zones
US Army Mulls More Charges Over Horrific Afghan Killings
Two more US soldiers face hearings this week over a rogue army unit that allegedly executed Afghan civilians, mutilated the corpses, then beat another soldier for blowing the whistle.
What Did WikiLeaks Really Tell Us about Iran?
Iraqi Victims of UK Abuse Want Public Inquiry
Lawyers of 142 Iraqi civilians, who claim they suffered abuse by British soldiers, are pushing for the UK's High Court to allow a full public inquiry.
Iran arrests four over 'British-linked assassination plot'
Iran said today it had arrested four men it claims were paid by a man based in Britain to carry out a series of assassinations, according to official state TV.
Suburban Poverty by the Numbers
Yemen wants much more US aid to fight terrorism
Yemen wants far more military aid than the U.S. has promised in the fight against escalating terrorism -- billions of dollars more than Washington has in mind.
Saudis warned US of aviation bomb plot weeks ago
Bush rejects claims that Israel was behind Iraq war
The only reference Bush makes to a pro-Israel figure having a role in his Iraq deliberations is the Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel, a supporter of military intervention whose opinion the president solicited as he weighed his options.
“Elie is a sober and gentle man. But there was passion in his seventy-four-year-old eyes when he compared Saddam Hussein’s brutality to the Nazi genocide,” Bush writes.
The other major pro-Israel figure whose influence Bush notes in his work comes during his discussion of the “Freedom Agenda.” Bush cites a passage from Natan Sharansky’s book The Case for Democracy in making the argument that America needed to “put pressure on the arms of the world’s tyrants.”
Iranians stage mass protest against 'Great Satan' US
Thousands of Iranians chanted "Death to America" as they staged Thursday a mass protest against the "Great Satan" to mark the 31st anniversary of the capture of the American embassy by Islamist students.
C-4 seized in Colorado in Navy SEAL smuggling case
The special forces SEAL, Nicholas Bickle, 33, of San Diego, Las Vegas resident Andrew Kaufman, 36, and Richard Paul, 34, of Durango, Colo., were arrested Wednesday in those cities, the U.S. attorney's office in Las Vegas said.
Analysis: Election campaign ignored foreign policy
US senator sees 'confrontation' with China, war with Iran
Schakowsky’s Israel Question
Her own seat seems safe for the time being. But Schakowsky was visibly worried by the prospect of the Obama administration’s Israel policy becoming a wider issue. She was particularly stunned to hear of the loss of Miami Congressman Ron Klein, whose non-Jewish opponent criticized Klein’s support for Obama’s Israel policy.
Boxer Scores Knockout, Defying GOP Wave
Raphael Sonenshein, chairman of the political science department at California State University, Fullerton, believes that Israel and foreign policy generally will have less importance in the coming congressional power struggles than domestic issues, mainly the economy; that is, unless matters should change on the ground and the Middle East erupts into the headlines. “Obama will have less room to push for negotiations,” Sonenshein speculated.
Citing Their Close Ties With Local Muslims, Chicago’s Jews Unfazed by Terrorist Threat
In Chicago, Lopatin noted that the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago issued a statement condemning the attacks immediately after the first news reports broke stating that area Jewish institutions were targeted.
Jews Stayed With Democrats, Now Worry About Domestic Agenda
Capitol Hill, however, is still a friendly place for Jewish and pro-Israeli activists. Leadership of key committees, including Appropriations and Foreign Affairs, will remain in the hands of veteran Republicans with whom pro-Israeli activists had established long-standing working relations. “We make sure to be in close ties with both sides, and we’ve always worked with both the majority and the minority, so these kinds of transitions are easier for us,” said Daniel Meron, minister of congressional affairs at the Israeli Embassy in Washington.
The War on Christianity by Patrick J. Buchanan
Some great comments on this article.
Bush: Cheney angry Bush did not pardon Libby
Former President George W. Bush says Vice President Dick Cheney angrily confronted him over Bush's decision not to pardon a former vice presidential aide over his role in the case of the leaked identity of CIA operative Valerie Plame.
Israel/Palestine and Iran Are Not Linked And Should Not Be Linked (II)
Resurgent Republicans Call for More of the Good Old Stuff by Philip Giraldi
Israpundit » Blog Archive » Senator Elect Rubio is coming to Israel next week
You Just Won The Senate Seat For Florida, Mr. Rubio! Now What are You Going to Do? . . . “I’m Going to Israel!”
ANALYSIS - Bush's memoir explains U.S. can't appear to be doing Israel's bidding - Haaretz Daily Newspaper Israel News
Bush's book should thus be read as a lesson for the future: The Americans cannot appear to be doing Israel's bidding. Precise intelligence is necessary. And whatever can be done secretly is better than what explodes thunderously
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Headlines for October 28 - November 3
A Stand For Justice
Israel Quietly Accedes to Huge Saudi Arms Deal, The Largest Ever
one of the most important parties involved in the negotiations for this huge deal is making its position clear simply through its silence. Israel and its supporters in the United States have chosen to quietly allow the deal to pass unopposed Congress.
...“The U.S. did a good job of convincing Israelis,” said Michael Knights, a military expert at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. He added that in exchange for its acceptance of America’s need to strengthen the Saudi military, Israel could be well compensated on its next arms request
.....the administration has stated it believes, based on quiet discussions held with key congressmen, that Congress will not block the deal. This optimism is based in part on the fact that the pro-Israel lobby is not fighting against the deal.
Who runs Congress? ...Not you and I.
Is the U.S. Bullying Europe Into Cutting Ties with Iran?
"The Chinese and especially the Malaysians have been buying up Iran's oil assets recently, and reselling a lot of Iranian oil," says Philippe Vasset, editor of the Paris–based newsletter Intelligence Online, which monitors energy deals. "Many of the tough sanctions against Iran are in fact U.S. sanctions."
Does Obama Need a War? by Patrick J. Buchanan
The first result of a U.S. strike would be to pull Iran’s oil off the world market. If Iran responded by mining the Gulf or sinking a tanker, oil would go to $300 a barrel and gasoline to $10 a gallon. Does Broder think that would give a nice boost to the U.S. and world economy?
....Israel calls Iran “an existential threat.”
But Israel has 200 nukes and the planes, subs and missiles to deliver them, while U.N. inspectors claim Iran has not diverted any of its low-enriched uranium for conversion to weapons grade.
The Tea Party Disconnect by Philip Giraldi
Palin is something quite different, and a good deal more dangerous than the lumpish and frequently strident Gingrich. She knows nothing of foreign policy and even less of security and defense related issues and is basically a neocon creation being promoted by them as a national candidate. Palin was discovered by Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol in 2007 while he and a group of National Review stalwarts were on an Alaska cruise. Kristol assiduously pushed the right buttons to get her on the Republican ticket with John McCain. Palin returned the favor, describing how she had an Israeli flag on display in her governor’s office and describing her love for Israel during the debate with Joe Biden, but her ignorance of foreign policy issues was palpable during the campaign Another excellent article by former CIA Philip Giraldi.
EU's Iran sanctions avoid oil, credit doubts linger
Halliburton used flawed cement on BP well: panel
Halliburton Co. used flawed cement in BP Plc's doomed Gulf of Mexico well, which could have contributed to the blowout that sparked the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history, a White House panel said on Thursday.
In Beirut, a crash course in Arabic -- and Mideast politics
For student Sajjad Dewji, a political science major at the University of British Columbia in Canada, the most memorable experience was a visit to a rundown Palestinian refugee camp.
"While the subject ... has been one that many of us would have discussed academically ... visiting the Palestinian camps was a very emotional and eye–opening experience," said the 21–year–old Vancouver resident.
Lebanon is home to hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees who are crammed into a dozen destitute camps across the country.
Iran says West's 'arrogance' could doom nuke talks
Iran's president said Wednesday that upcoming talks with six world powers about its disputed nuclear program will fail if those nations continue along what he called a "path of arrogance."
Parents told to leave disabled kids at homeless shelters
Parents in Indiana have reportedly been told by state workers to leave their severely disabled kids at homeless shelters if they can't afford to care for them, in what advocacy groups say is a horrifying example of how government budget cuts are hitting home for ordinary Americans.
U.S. prepares new offer for Iran nuclear talks
The United States and its European allies are preparing a new offer to Iran on a possible nuclear fuel swap that would include tougher conditions than those Tehran rejected last year, the U.S. State Department said on Thursday.
US Can't Untangle Billions in Bush-Era Afghan Spending
The U.S. government knows it's awarded nearly $18 billion in contracts for rebuilding Afghanistan over the last three years, but it can't account for spending before 2007.
Thousands of firms received wartime contracts, but the special inspector general for Afghanistan reconstruction found it too difficult to untangle how billions of additional dollars had been spent because of the U.S. agencies' poor recordkeeping.
Mikhail Gorbachev: Victory in Afghanistan is 'Impossible'
Israeli lawmaker calls for arrest of US war criminals
Ben-Ari wryly suggested that the UN appoint Judge Richard Goldstone to head up the investigative committee. Goldstone headed the UN investigation into Israel’s “Operation Cast Lead” against Gaza’s Hamas rulers. His findings, based largely on unsubstantiated Palestinian claims, were that Israel had committed widespread war crimes.
Democracy's price tag: only $4.2 billion?
Saudi Arms Deal is About Iran
Saudi Arabia, from where 15 of the 19 September 11 hijackers came, is a family-run dictatorship, where there are no political parties, no independent press, and where any form of political dissent is met with the most severe punishment. We are told that we must occupy Afghanistan to encourage more rights for women, an issue on which the Saudi regime makes the Taliban look rather liberal by comparison. We are told that our increasingly aggressive policies toward Iran are justified by that country’s rigid Islamic laws and human-rights violations, while the even more repressive Islamic rule in Saudi Arabia is never mentioned
Iran envoy: atom bomb would be strategic mistake
Building nuclear bombs would be a strategic mistake for Iran, its envoy to the U.N. atomic agency said on Monday, and a leading Western expert said Tehran should be taken seriously when it insists it will not obtain such arms.
Companies fight to keep global warming data secret
Oil producers and refiners, along with manufacturers of steel, aluminum and even home appliances, are fighting a proposal by the Environmental Protection Agency that would make the amount of greenhouse gas emissions that companies release – and the underlying data businesses use to calculate the amounts – available online.
Ahmadinejad aide says Iran not ready to talk nuclear
Ahmadinejad has also asked the parties to declare their opinion on Israel's alleged nuclear arsenal. Israel says a nuclear–armed Iran would threaten its very existence and does not rule out striking Iran militarily to stop that happening.
Meet your new House Foreign Affairs chairwoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen The Cable
Over the mid to long term, Ros-Lehtinen is poised to thwart Obama's efforts to move toward repealing sanctions on Fidel Castro and resist any White House attempts to pressure Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. She isn't likely to move Berman's foreign-aid reform bill through the committee and she is likely to seek cuts in the foreign-aid budget in her authorization bill.
She is one of Israel's top agents on Capitol Hill. Thus will the American national interest further suffer with her in power.
Nigeria: Shipper confirms weapons came from Iran
Israeli military officials, speaking on condition of anonymity as they were unauthorized to discuss the matter with journalists, said Thursday that it appeared Iran hoped to smuggle the weapons into the Gaza Strip. Israel instituted a naval blockade of the region in 2007 after Iranian–backed Hamas seized control of the Palestinian territory.
Obama's star fades in Muslim world
Syria flouts Lebanon sovereignty, arms militants: U.S.
US says Syria, Iran, Hezbollah endanger Lebanon
Obama's message to Israel: Freeze settlements or get rid of Dimona
Ross, who has served both Republican and Democratic presidents for the last three decades, predictably lauded Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and National Security Advisor Thomas Donilon for leading the campaign to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
But he also took care to mention that Congress, with "strong encouragement from AIPAC," had enacted tough sanctions against Iran with bipartisan support.
GOP Hawks and Dovesby Philip Giraldi
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, born in Cuba and currently representing Florida, will almost certainly become chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, where she will energetically pursue a policy of undying enmity towards Fidel Castro coupled with total alignment with Bibi Netanyahu. Eric Cantor of Virginia, currently minority whip, will likely move up to become Speaker of the House. Cantor has proposed that Israel’s $3 billion plus per annum be removed from the foreign aid budget, where it is bunched with a number of countries that Cantor does not like, and that it come directly from the Treasury, making Israel a permanent and institutionalized beneficiary of the United States taxpayer. Cantor and Ros-Lehtinen and those of a like mind would then be able to vote against foreign aid without damaging Israeli interests. Both Cantor and Ros-Lehtinen also support preemptive action against Iran.
Road to Corporate Serfdom By Ralph Nader
The giant corporate control of our country is so vast that people who call themselves anything politically—liberal, conservative, progressive, libertarian, independents or anarchist—should be banding together against the reckless Big Business steamroller.
Some Israelis Hoping for A GOP Win, But Will History Repeat Itself?
“Netanyahu fears a strong Obama who can apply pressure,” said Yaron Deckel, Israeli TV’s Channel 1 political commentator. “If the Republicans win big in the midterm elections, Obama will be weaker and less inclined to pressure Israel, and that will buy Netanyahu more time.”
....“If you need the president, you need us as chairs of the committees,” Ackerman said as he listed what he called the “first-class team” of Jewish pro-Israel Democrats who chair key House committees: Berman at Foreign Affairs, Barney Frank at Financial Services, Henry Waxman at the Energy and Commerce committee, Sander Levin at Ways and Means, and Ackerman himself in his role as head of the Middle East subcommittee. “We are all pro-Israel and we all have major, major, major influence in the executive branch.”
As Some Retire From ADL, Will Abe Be Next?
While the ADL was founded as a civil rights and human relations agency, Foxman in recent years has clearly focused on defending Israel, which some say is to the detriment of the ADL’s legacy and stated mission. Targeting Jewish Voice for Peace — a left-wing group but a Jewish one — is one example. The recent award to Murdoch is offered as another.
.....said Klein of the group’s award to Murdoch, “It’s this ‘wink wink nod nod,’ we’ll take Murdoch’s money because he supports Israel, and we’ll ignore everything happening on Fox News.” On several recent occasions when Klein posted polite but critical comments of the Murdoch award on the ADL’s Facebook page, they were deleted within hours. Through Gutnick, Foxman declined to be interviewed for this story.
Don't Defund Public Broadcasting--Improve It
Public broadcasting should be pushed, of course--to live up to the high-minded ideals that established these systems in the first place, not to please conservative politicians or to serve up programming that corporate underwriters want to bring to the airwaves.
The Tea Party Movement:Deluded and Inspired by Billionaires
E.U. rules let Iran import, export oil, creating possible split from U.S. policy
An Iranian War Would Ruin Obama
Officials: Muslim source turned in terror suspect
Congress debates Web ‘kill switch' for Obama
.Saudi prince backs moving planned NYC mosque
In interview excerpts published by the Dubai–based Arabian Business magazine, Prince Alwaleed bin Talal was quoted as saying that moving the planned mosque, health club and cultural center would respect the memory of those killed in the 2001 attacks and allow American Muslims to choose a more suitable location.
Syria spurns U.S. bid to mend ties
Yemen: Al-Qaida insider told Saudis of bomb plot
WashPost: War with Iran would rescue economy
Israel Quietly Accedes to Huge Saudi Arms Deal, The Largest Ever
one of the most important parties involved in the negotiations for this huge deal is making its position clear simply through its silence. Israel and its supporters in the United States have chosen to quietly allow the deal to pass unopposed Congress.
...“The U.S. did a good job of convincing Israelis,” said Michael Knights, a military expert at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. He added that in exchange for its acceptance of America’s need to strengthen the Saudi military, Israel could be well compensated on its next arms request
.....the administration has stated it believes, based on quiet discussions held with key congressmen, that Congress will not block the deal. This optimism is based in part on the fact that the pro-Israel lobby is not fighting against the deal.
Who runs Congress? ...Not you and I.
Is the U.S. Bullying Europe Into Cutting Ties with Iran?
"The Chinese and especially the Malaysians have been buying up Iran's oil assets recently, and reselling a lot of Iranian oil," says Philippe Vasset, editor of the Paris–based newsletter Intelligence Online, which monitors energy deals. "Many of the tough sanctions against Iran are in fact U.S. sanctions."
Does Obama Need a War? by Patrick J. Buchanan
The first result of a U.S. strike would be to pull Iran’s oil off the world market. If Iran responded by mining the Gulf or sinking a tanker, oil would go to $300 a barrel and gasoline to $10 a gallon. Does Broder think that would give a nice boost to the U.S. and world economy?
....Israel calls Iran “an existential threat.”
But Israel has 200 nukes and the planes, subs and missiles to deliver them, while U.N. inspectors claim Iran has not diverted any of its low-enriched uranium for conversion to weapons grade.
The Tea Party Disconnect by Philip Giraldi
Palin is something quite different, and a good deal more dangerous than the lumpish and frequently strident Gingrich. She knows nothing of foreign policy and even less of security and defense related issues and is basically a neocon creation being promoted by them as a national candidate. Palin was discovered by Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol in 2007 while he and a group of National Review stalwarts were on an Alaska cruise. Kristol assiduously pushed the right buttons to get her on the Republican ticket with John McCain. Palin returned the favor, describing how she had an Israeli flag on display in her governor’s office and describing her love for Israel during the debate with Joe Biden, but her ignorance of foreign policy issues was palpable during the campaign Another excellent article by former CIA Philip Giraldi.
EU's Iran sanctions avoid oil, credit doubts linger
Halliburton used flawed cement on BP well: panel
Halliburton Co. used flawed cement in BP Plc's doomed Gulf of Mexico well, which could have contributed to the blowout that sparked the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history, a White House panel said on Thursday.
In Beirut, a crash course in Arabic -- and Mideast politics
For student Sajjad Dewji, a political science major at the University of British Columbia in Canada, the most memorable experience was a visit to a rundown Palestinian refugee camp.
"While the subject ... has been one that many of us would have discussed academically ... visiting the Palestinian camps was a very emotional and eye–opening experience," said the 21–year–old Vancouver resident.
Lebanon is home to hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees who are crammed into a dozen destitute camps across the country.
Iran says West's 'arrogance' could doom nuke talks
Iran's president said Wednesday that upcoming talks with six world powers about its disputed nuclear program will fail if those nations continue along what he called a "path of arrogance."
Parents told to leave disabled kids at homeless shelters
Parents in Indiana have reportedly been told by state workers to leave their severely disabled kids at homeless shelters if they can't afford to care for them, in what advocacy groups say is a horrifying example of how government budget cuts are hitting home for ordinary Americans.
U.S. prepares new offer for Iran nuclear talks
The United States and its European allies are preparing a new offer to Iran on a possible nuclear fuel swap that would include tougher conditions than those Tehran rejected last year, the U.S. State Department said on Thursday.
US Can't Untangle Billions in Bush-Era Afghan Spending
The U.S. government knows it's awarded nearly $18 billion in contracts for rebuilding Afghanistan over the last three years, but it can't account for spending before 2007.
Thousands of firms received wartime contracts, but the special inspector general for Afghanistan reconstruction found it too difficult to untangle how billions of additional dollars had been spent because of the U.S. agencies' poor recordkeeping.
Mikhail Gorbachev: Victory in Afghanistan is 'Impossible'
Israeli lawmaker calls for arrest of US war criminals
Ben-Ari wryly suggested that the UN appoint Judge Richard Goldstone to head up the investigative committee. Goldstone headed the UN investigation into Israel’s “Operation Cast Lead” against Gaza’s Hamas rulers. His findings, based largely on unsubstantiated Palestinian claims, were that Israel had committed widespread war crimes.
Democracy's price tag: only $4.2 billion?
Saudi Arms Deal is About Iran
Saudi Arabia, from where 15 of the 19 September 11 hijackers came, is a family-run dictatorship, where there are no political parties, no independent press, and where any form of political dissent is met with the most severe punishment. We are told that we must occupy Afghanistan to encourage more rights for women, an issue on which the Saudi regime makes the Taliban look rather liberal by comparison. We are told that our increasingly aggressive policies toward Iran are justified by that country’s rigid Islamic laws and human-rights violations, while the even more repressive Islamic rule in Saudi Arabia is never mentioned
Iran envoy: atom bomb would be strategic mistake
Building nuclear bombs would be a strategic mistake for Iran, its envoy to the U.N. atomic agency said on Monday, and a leading Western expert said Tehran should be taken seriously when it insists it will not obtain such arms.
Companies fight to keep global warming data secret
Oil producers and refiners, along with manufacturers of steel, aluminum and even home appliances, are fighting a proposal by the Environmental Protection Agency that would make the amount of greenhouse gas emissions that companies release – and the underlying data businesses use to calculate the amounts – available online.
Ahmadinejad aide says Iran not ready to talk nuclear
Ahmadinejad has also asked the parties to declare their opinion on Israel's alleged nuclear arsenal. Israel says a nuclear–armed Iran would threaten its very existence and does not rule out striking Iran militarily to stop that happening.
Meet your new House Foreign Affairs chairwoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen The Cable
Over the mid to long term, Ros-Lehtinen is poised to thwart Obama's efforts to move toward repealing sanctions on Fidel Castro and resist any White House attempts to pressure Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. She isn't likely to move Berman's foreign-aid reform bill through the committee and she is likely to seek cuts in the foreign-aid budget in her authorization bill.
She is one of Israel's top agents on Capitol Hill. Thus will the American national interest further suffer with her in power.
Nigeria: Shipper confirms weapons came from Iran
Israeli military officials, speaking on condition of anonymity as they were unauthorized to discuss the matter with journalists, said Thursday that it appeared Iran hoped to smuggle the weapons into the Gaza Strip. Israel instituted a naval blockade of the region in 2007 after Iranian–backed Hamas seized control of the Palestinian territory.
Obama's star fades in Muslim world
Syria flouts Lebanon sovereignty, arms militants: U.S.
US says Syria, Iran, Hezbollah endanger Lebanon
Obama's message to Israel: Freeze settlements or get rid of Dimona
Ross, who has served both Republican and Democratic presidents for the last three decades, predictably lauded Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and National Security Advisor Thomas Donilon for leading the campaign to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
But he also took care to mention that Congress, with "strong encouragement from AIPAC," had enacted tough sanctions against Iran with bipartisan support.
GOP Hawks and Dovesby Philip Giraldi
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, born in Cuba and currently representing Florida, will almost certainly become chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, where she will energetically pursue a policy of undying enmity towards Fidel Castro coupled with total alignment with Bibi Netanyahu. Eric Cantor of Virginia, currently minority whip, will likely move up to become Speaker of the House. Cantor has proposed that Israel’s $3 billion plus per annum be removed from the foreign aid budget, where it is bunched with a number of countries that Cantor does not like, and that it come directly from the Treasury, making Israel a permanent and institutionalized beneficiary of the United States taxpayer. Cantor and Ros-Lehtinen and those of a like mind would then be able to vote against foreign aid without damaging Israeli interests. Both Cantor and Ros-Lehtinen also support preemptive action against Iran.
Road to Corporate Serfdom By Ralph Nader
The giant corporate control of our country is so vast that people who call themselves anything politically—liberal, conservative, progressive, libertarian, independents or anarchist—should be banding together against the reckless Big Business steamroller.
Some Israelis Hoping for A GOP Win, But Will History Repeat Itself?
“Netanyahu fears a strong Obama who can apply pressure,” said Yaron Deckel, Israeli TV’s Channel 1 political commentator. “If the Republicans win big in the midterm elections, Obama will be weaker and less inclined to pressure Israel, and that will buy Netanyahu more time.”
....“If you need the president, you need us as chairs of the committees,” Ackerman said as he listed what he called the “first-class team” of Jewish pro-Israel Democrats who chair key House committees: Berman at Foreign Affairs, Barney Frank at Financial Services, Henry Waxman at the Energy and Commerce committee, Sander Levin at Ways and Means, and Ackerman himself in his role as head of the Middle East subcommittee. “We are all pro-Israel and we all have major, major, major influence in the executive branch.”
As Some Retire From ADL, Will Abe Be Next?
While the ADL was founded as a civil rights and human relations agency, Foxman in recent years has clearly focused on defending Israel, which some say is to the detriment of the ADL’s legacy and stated mission. Targeting Jewish Voice for Peace — a left-wing group but a Jewish one — is one example. The recent award to Murdoch is offered as another.
.....said Klein of the group’s award to Murdoch, “It’s this ‘wink wink nod nod,’ we’ll take Murdoch’s money because he supports Israel, and we’ll ignore everything happening on Fox News.” On several recent occasions when Klein posted polite but critical comments of the Murdoch award on the ADL’s Facebook page, they were deleted within hours. Through Gutnick, Foxman declined to be interviewed for this story.
Don't Defund Public Broadcasting--Improve It
Public broadcasting should be pushed, of course--to live up to the high-minded ideals that established these systems in the first place, not to please conservative politicians or to serve up programming that corporate underwriters want to bring to the airwaves.
The Tea Party Movement:Deluded and Inspired by Billionaires
E.U. rules let Iran import, export oil, creating possible split from U.S. policy
An Iranian War Would Ruin Obama
Officials: Muslim source turned in terror suspect
Congress debates Web ‘kill switch' for Obama
.Saudi prince backs moving planned NYC mosque
In interview excerpts published by the Dubai–based Arabian Business magazine, Prince Alwaleed bin Talal was quoted as saying that moving the planned mosque, health club and cultural center would respect the memory of those killed in the 2001 attacks and allow American Muslims to choose a more suitable location.
Syria spurns U.S. bid to mend ties
Yemen: Al-Qaida insider told Saudis of bomb plot
WashPost: War with Iran would rescue economy
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Headlines for October 21 - October 27
A Stand For Justice
Dollar Drops to 15-Year Low Versus Yen as Fed Cites 'Modest' U.S. Recovery
Anti-Muslim crusaders make millions spreading fear
Emerson is a leading member of a multimillion-dollar industry of self-proclaimed experts who spread hate toward Muslims in books and movies, on websites and through speaking appearances.
Such a Parcel o’ Rogues in a Nation by Philip Giraldi
No one is found guilty for starting an unnecessary war that has killed 4,425 Americans and many thousands of Iraqis. No one is punished or even tarnished by his or her role. On the contrary, all are, in fact, richly rewarded for their presumed dedication to their country. A must read on where the principle architects of the Iraq war are now. Why have none of them been held accountable for deliberately deceiving the American people into going to war with a nation that had nothing to do with 911, and had zero weapons of mass destruction (as we were led to believe)?
Iraq secret files detail shadow war between US, Iran
.WikiLeaks says logs show 15,000 more Iraq deaths
Google Exploits Tax Loophole that Costs US $60 Billion Annually
The United States has one of the highest corporate tax rates in the developed world at 35 percent. In the UK, meanwhile - Google's second-largest market by revenue, Bloomberg said - the corprate tax rate is 28 percent.
Google isn't alone in the practice, said the report. Other technology companies such as Facebook and Microsoft also take advantage of Irish tax laws which allow corporations "to legally shuttle profits into and out of subsidiaries there, largely escaping the country’s 12.5 percent income tax," Bloomberg reported.
The newswire service said Google hasn't been accused of violating tax laws but rather the company was merely taking advantage of loopholes that other corporations also use.
Bloomberg said such "income shifting" costs the U.S. government some $60 billion in tax revenue annually. And the reason that this goes on is the same reason why it would take a bloody revolution to really affect change with respect to our government officials. Who really owns us? I'll let George Carlin give you the answer to that in this 2007 clip of the late comedian.
Ross warns Israel failed talks could imperil its security
he primarily focused on Iran in his address, which he described as a preeminent threat to America.
He said that US President Barack Obama “has consistently devoted more time to this issue than almost any other national security challenge.” Read that sentence again. Who really feels threatened by Iran? Not America. So why is this the nearly number one concern of our AMERICAN president? Because AIPAC made it his concern. To OUR detriment.
Israel PM praises troops who raided Gaza flotilla
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on a special visit to a military base, told the men they acted "heroically" and "ethically" in an attempt to stop "people who sought to kill you."
The Israelis have a museum exhibit dedicated to praising the attack on the USS Liberty which killed 34 American men and wounded 170 others. Read about it in the article Friendless Fire.
Civilians in the Crossfire
680 civilians, including pregnant women and the mentally ill, killed for coming too close to checkpoints and patrols
Food Stamp Usage Soars Among Working Families
Oil could hit $100 a barrel soon, JP Morgan predicts
Chinese demand could push crude to $100 a barrel soon, according to JP Morgan, with the weaker dollar and restocking of French oil inventories once strikes end also helping to drive up oil prices.
Mikhail Gorbachev: Victory in Afghanistan is 'Impossible'
US-led strike kills four Afghan civilians
Amid growing discontent over the rising number of civilian deaths in Afghanistan, a US-led airstrike has resulted in the death of four more civilians the country.
Afghans hold anti-US demonstration
Afghan people have staged an anti-US rally after American troops killed two students and injured another one in Maidan Wardak province in central Afghanistan.
UN calls for probe into US inaction on torture
The United Nations' point man on torture is calling on the Obama administration to open a full investigation into newly-released documents that suggest the US may have turned a blind eye to torture in Iraq.
Report: Iraq, Afghanistan among most corrupt
An international watchdog group says Afghanistan remains the world's second most corrupt country, and Iraq is not far behind.
’Child cancer skyrocketing in Iraqi city’
A suspected source of the afflictions is the depleted uranium (DU) used by the invading forces.
Retired and broke: Why retirees are declaring bankruptcy
For more and more seniors, retirement doesn’t mean a debt-free life of leisure. An increasing number of Americans aged 65 and older are declaring bankruptcy, according to a recent study by John Pottow, professor of law at the University of Michigan Law School.
Peace with Palestinians would help U.S. on Iran: Peres
"We fought alone, but we cannot exist alone. For our existence we need the friendship of the United States of America. It doesn't sound easy, but this is the truth," Peres said in a speech to Jewish leaders broadcast by Israel Radio.
"As the United States is trying to understand the security needs of Israel, we Israelis ourselves must understand the security needs of the United States," he said, speaking in English in an address made on Thursday evening.
Defense Secretary Gates apologizes for U.S. attack that killed 3 Pakistani soldiers
Syria spurns U.S. bid to mend ties
Report: Israel planned explosion at Iranian missile site
An explosion that killed 18 members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard on October 12 was ordered by the Mossad, French newspaper Le Figaro suggested on Monday. Another cause for the blast mentioned by the paper was a targeted Israeli air raid.
Israel is Relieved Not to be The Only War Criminal
The voice of joy, the voice of rejoicing is heard in Israel: The Americans and British have also committed for war crimes, not only us. WikiLeaks' revelations have inflamed all our noisy propagandists: Where is Goldstone, they rejoiced, and what would he have said? They were relieved. If the Americans are allowed to do it, so are we. Case in point (see related post in this news batch).
The final reasons for going to war are being swept away
We have become just like Israel. I'm sure they're pleased.
The Shaming of America
The "evidence" of Iranian involvement in bomb-making in southern Iraq was farmed out to The New York Times's Michael Gordon by the Pentagon in February 2007. The raw material, which we can now read, is far more doubtful than the Pentagon-peddled version. Iranian military material was still lying around all over Iraq from the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war and most of the attacks on Americans were at that stage carried out by Sunni insurgents. The reports suggesting that Syria allowed insurgents to pass through their territory, by the way, are correct. I have spoken to the families of Palestinian suicide bombers whose sons made their way to Iraq from Lebanon via the Lebanese village of Majdal Aanjar and then via the northern Syrian city of Aleppo to attack the Americans.......
The Americans scored no better last time round. In Kuwait, US troops could hear Palestinians being tortured by Kuwaitis in police stations after the liberation of the city from Saddam Hussein's legions in 1991. A member of the Kuwaiti royal family was involved in the torture. US forces did not intervene. They just complained to the royal family. Soldiers are always being told not to intervene. After all, what was Lieutenant Avi Grabovsky of the Israeli army told when he reported to his officer in September 1982 that Israel's Phalangist allies had just murdered some women and children? "We know, it's not to our liking, and don't interfere," Grabovsky was told by his battalion commander. This was during the Sabra and Chatila refugee camp massacre.
The quotation comes from Israel's 1983 Kahan commission report – heaven knows what we could read if WikiLeaks got its hands on the barrels of military files in the Israeli defence ministry (or the Syrian version, for that matter).
The Israel Lobby: Targeting Democrats for Election Day Defeat
One, they are tired of even Obama's timid pressure on settlements and (2) they want a President who will give Israel permission to bomb Iran. George W. Bush said "no" to that scheme as has Obama. But President Palin or Huckabee? They know that they would say "bombs away" in a heartbeat.
That is why they are running these ads. That is why the American Jewish Committee has become a Republican cutout. It's all about the Middle East: preventing Israel from achieving peace with its neighbors and preventing Iran from getting nuclear weapons, not through diplomacy but war.
And Now, Here's The First 11 State Pensions Funds That Will Run Out Of Money
'US, Israel and Iran have approached the end game'
“One problem today when you think about [Israeli] restraint,” he said, “is that Israelis don’t see the United States preparing for a credible threat to use military action, and it’s heightened their sense of isolation.”
Mideast sides eye US midterms and impact on talks
Animating the discussion is the startling fact that the United States has failed, despite emphatic public appeals by Obama and weeks of increasingly frustrating diplomacy, to persuade Israel to extend the settlement–building slowdown that expired on Sept. 26.
...If Congress tilts Republican it could have a "positive impact" on Israeli concerns, one Netanyahu adviser told The AP – an allusion to avoiding pressure for concessions. With the Democrats weakened, Israel's friends in Congress – both Democrat and Republican – "would be able to have a stronger voice if the administration should embark on a policy that is less favorable to Israel," he added.
U.S. foreign policy is set by the White House, not Congress. But Congress can influence it in the course of the day–to–day political horse trading that goes on between the executive and legislative branches.
For example, when Republicans controlled the House of Representatives during Netanyahu's first term in the late 1990s, the Israeli leader was able to marshal the support of the party's conservative wing in a faceoff with President Bill Clinton over stepped–up settlement construction and Israeli troop pullbacks in the West Bank.
Traditionally, both branches have been bastions of support for Israel no matter which party is in charge
Schools, stipends trigger Israeli religious battle
"If they want to live in a ghetto, fine, but why should the state pay for it? As long as the state is paying, it has to have a say," said Yossi Sarid, a former education minister.
And they seem to be keen on getting the American taxpayer to fund their schooling here too. See related news in this batch.
Pope seeks religious liberty in Muslim Mideast
At least 3.5 million Christians of all denominations live in the Gulf Arab region, the birthplace of Islam and home to some of the most conservative Arab Muslim societies in the world.
The freedom to practice Christianity –– or any religion other than Islam –– is not always a given in the Gulf and varies from country to country. Saudi Arabia, which applies an austere form of Sunni Islam, has by far the tightest restrictions.
US-Saudi arms deal ripples from Iran to Israel
"This equipment is primarily to give (Israel) a better feeling facing the Iranian threat. It is not related to Israeli–Arab relations," said Inbar. "Ironically, in the current situation, Saudi Arabia is in the same strategic boat as Israel is in facing the Iranian threat."
For Jews, a Permanent Stake in the Immigration Debate
An ideologically-based citizenship — a fundamental principle of this nation’s birth — offers the best source of national cohesion. Emphasizing shared ideals and the rich commonalities of the American experience is where the Jewish stake in the contemporary immigration debate is anchored.
Again, more of the same hypocrisy on the part of American Jews. For, not anyone can just immigrate to Israel. One has to be Jewish under the so-called Law of Return. Yet America is to retain a liberal immigration policy to make sure she stays amenable to Jews worldwide (oh, and others too), should they need to seek refuge.
The excerpt above from this article contrasts sharply with the new legislation in Israel enforcing people to swear allegiance to Israel as a Jewish state. This is the height of hypocrisy.
The Associated Press American al-Qaida spokesman urges attacks in US
"It is the duty of everyone who is sincere in his desire to defend Islam and Muslims today, to take the initiative to perform the individual obligation of jihad ... by striking the Zio–Crusader interests," he said, referring to Western and Jewish interests.
Iran, Saudi leaders talk after $60b. arms deal advances
Jerusalem did not object to the weapons sale to the Saudi government, perhaps influenced by its own deal to receivedthe US the F-35 Joint Strike stealth fighters from the US as a reassurance against an Iranian attack.
"This equipment is primarily to give (Israel) a better feeling facing the Iranian threat. It is not related to Israeli-Arab relations,"
Austerity and Defense
Aside from more sharp pangs of nostalgia for the Empire that they must be causing him, the real problem Boot has with Britain’s military spending cuts is that it will make it much harder for Britain to participate in and lend political legitimacy to the next unnecessary war that Boot and other hawks are interested in starting
Private Security Contractors in Afghanistan Fueling the Taliban, Senate Report Concludes
To meet their security concerns, the contractors have turned to “warlords and strongmen linked to murder, kidnapping [and] bribery.” The report also documents incidents in which contractors have tendered payments to the Taliban.
War Should Be an Election Issue
Just days away from crucial midterm elections, WikiLeaks, the whistle-blower website, unveiled the largest classified military leak in history. Almost 400,000 secret Pentagon documents relating to the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq were made available online. The documents, in excruciating detail, portray the daily torrent of violence, murder, rape and torture to which Iraqis have been subjected since George W. Bush declared “Mission Accomplished.” The WikiLeaks release, dubbed “The Iraq War Logs,” has been topping the headlines in Europe. But in the U.S., it barely warranted a mention on the agenda-setting Sunday talk shows.
Tony Blair 'to be called back' to Iraq war inquiry to answer questions about 'gaps' in his evidence
He denied he took the country to war on the basis of a 'lie' over the dictator's supposed weapons of mass destruction.
Nine Stories The Press Is Underreporting -- Fraud, Fraud And More Fraud
US to check whether Venezuela-Iran deals violate sanctions
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez signed on Wednesday several memorandums of understanding (MoU) with his Iranian counterpart President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad focused on energy cooperation.
Ralph Nader: Ten Questions for Tea Partiers
Iran Needs Stern Lessons in Freedom
Just because we're covertly infiltrating and interfering in virtually every Muslim country on the planet -- and just because we're actively aiding rebel groups inside their specific country -- is no reason to suspect Americans who illegally enter their country of espionage.
Rights of Return and Recognition Cannot Be Swapped
“Though recognition of Israel as the Jewish state would not shield us from further assaults or pressure, it would prove that the Palestinians are serious about peace.”
Come again? How would it prove that? If it is not a shield against violence, what is its value? Yes, it would be nice were the Palestinians to acknowledge what everyone in the world knows, that Israel is, as a matter of obvious fact, the Jewish state
And again.
Attacks From the Jewish Right Continue in Pennsylvania
Joe Sestak, the Democratic Pennsylvania senatorial candidate, just can’t seem to shake off attacks from right-wing Jewish groups.
First he was targeted by the Emergency Campaign for Israel in TV ads questioning his support for Israel, mainly because of his decision to join a letter calling for easing the Israeli siege on Gaza. Later he was hammered in newspaper ads, sponsored by the Republican Jewish Coalition, that took issue with funding he received from J Street.
Obama aide: Iran prefers defiance and secrecy to transparency and peace
Obama’s Still Popular With Ex-Generals
Obama’s handling of the Iran nuclear crisis is even more unpopular: 46% disapprove, while only 43% approve. Nearly three quarters believe there’s little or no chance that diplomacy or sanctions will stop Iran from getting nukes, and 59% would support a U.S. military strike to prevent it. That’s a huge change from two years ago, in September 2008, the final months of the Bush administration, when Jews opposed U.S. military action by 47% to 42%.
By the way, I think the poll numbers with respect to ISrael's importance vs the importance of the economy to Jews polled are misleading. Support for Israel is a given on Capitol Hill, and thus is largely a non-issue. The economy however is neither of those things.
Chavez visits Syria on tour to counter US sway
Chavez arrived in Syria on Wednesday from Tehran, where he and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said they are united in efforts to establish a "new world order" that will eliminate Western dominance over global affairs.
Oath of Loyalty to What?
To ask non-Jews to declare loyalty to a “Jewish and democratic state,” it is claimed, is an inherent contradiction, since no country can be considered democratic if it demands of prospective citizens that they swear allegiance to what excludes them.
Just more of the same with respect to Israel as a 'democracy', which it clearly is not. It's a theocracy, which is why it demands to be seen as a Jewish state.
One Nation, Under Various Divinities
She points to the example of the landmark 1962 school prayer case, Engel v. Vitale, in which five Long Island families, all Jewish or with Jewish backgrounds, brought suit opposing school prayer. “They suffered terrible repercussions, including hate mail,” she said.
This, Mellowes said, is an example of how Jews “have clearly contributed in a major way to the tremendous religious vitality and diversity in America and also been at the forefront of pressing for religious freedom.”
Do you see the irony and hypocrisy in the preceding excerpt and the entire article? See also the article with respect to the battle fuming in upstate NY over the Orthodox school issue. Then also realize just how much taxpayer money flows to Israel, a JEWISH state, and realize that on the one hand American Jews seek to keep religion out of state at all costs yet demand that the United States continue to fund Israel- - a state based on RELIGIOUS SUPREMACY. Israel is not a democracy. Israel is a THEOCRACY. Do these Jews demand that Israel keep religion out of ITS schools and government? NOPE. Hypocrisy of the highest order. And look in the mirror folks, you get to fund it ALL.
Boxer-Fiorina Race Redefines ‘Negative’
The visit to Eretz Yisrael was billed as a “personal trip.” But unlike most personal pilgrimages to the Holy Land, Fiorina’s was financed and arranged by the RJC and led straight to high-level meetings with President Shimon Peres, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Knesset opposition leader Tzipi Livni. Netanyahu’s office told the Forward, “The prime minister and Fiorina discussed the Israeli and world economies and events in the region.” Netanyahu, as a representative noted, via e-mail, “believes strongly in the importance of the Israeli-American relationship being above partisan party politics. [H]e therefore makes every effort to meet with political leaders from both major parties whenever they visit Israel.”
Schools Fight Stokes Anger At Orthodox Jews in N.Y. Suburb
Some non-Orthodox community members allege that the Orthodox members of the board support the religious schools at the expense of the public school system — claims that the Orthodox board denies. But people on both sides agree that anger over the issue is running high.
With Friends Like These, II
Some supporters of Israel see in the latest Wiki-leak the opportunity to bury the Goldstone Report (PDF) and attendant international criticism of Israel’s war in Lebanon. Israeli MK Michael Ben Ari, of the Kahane strain, would bury along with it those former (and no longer useful) American high officials whose expenditure in American blood–largely to rid Israel of a hostile neighbor–continues:
The Rhetoric Turns Red Hot as Election Day Approaches
In Illinois’ 9th District, indefatigable Republican Joel Pollak kept on going after incumbent Democrat Jan Schakowsky, claiming she was not supportive of Israel. It’s a theme that has been taken up against several Jewish Democrats by Republican challengers, or by the Republican Jewish Coalition on their behalf.
Dollar Drops to 15-Year Low Versus Yen as Fed Cites 'Modest' U.S. Recovery
Anti-Muslim crusaders make millions spreading fear
Emerson is a leading member of a multimillion-dollar industry of self-proclaimed experts who spread hate toward Muslims in books and movies, on websites and through speaking appearances.
Such a Parcel o’ Rogues in a Nation by Philip Giraldi
No one is found guilty for starting an unnecessary war that has killed 4,425 Americans and many thousands of Iraqis. No one is punished or even tarnished by his or her role. On the contrary, all are, in fact, richly rewarded for their presumed dedication to their country. A must read on where the principle architects of the Iraq war are now. Why have none of them been held accountable for deliberately deceiving the American people into going to war with a nation that had nothing to do with 911, and had zero weapons of mass destruction (as we were led to believe)?
Iraq secret files detail shadow war between US, Iran
.WikiLeaks says logs show 15,000 more Iraq deaths
Google Exploits Tax Loophole that Costs US $60 Billion Annually
The United States has one of the highest corporate tax rates in the developed world at 35 percent. In the UK, meanwhile - Google's second-largest market by revenue, Bloomberg said - the corprate tax rate is 28 percent.
Google isn't alone in the practice, said the report. Other technology companies such as Facebook and Microsoft also take advantage of Irish tax laws which allow corporations "to legally shuttle profits into and out of subsidiaries there, largely escaping the country’s 12.5 percent income tax," Bloomberg reported.
The newswire service said Google hasn't been accused of violating tax laws but rather the company was merely taking advantage of loopholes that other corporations also use.
Bloomberg said such "income shifting" costs the U.S. government some $60 billion in tax revenue annually. And the reason that this goes on is the same reason why it would take a bloody revolution to really affect change with respect to our government officials. Who really owns us? I'll let George Carlin give you the answer to that in this 2007 clip of the late comedian.
Ross warns Israel failed talks could imperil its security
he primarily focused on Iran in his address, which he described as a preeminent threat to America.
He said that US President Barack Obama “has consistently devoted more time to this issue than almost any other national security challenge.” Read that sentence again. Who really feels threatened by Iran? Not America. So why is this the nearly number one concern of our AMERICAN president? Because AIPAC made it his concern. To OUR detriment.
Israel PM praises troops who raided Gaza flotilla
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on a special visit to a military base, told the men they acted "heroically" and "ethically" in an attempt to stop "people who sought to kill you."
The Israelis have a museum exhibit dedicated to praising the attack on the USS Liberty which killed 34 American men and wounded 170 others. Read about it in the article Friendless Fire.
Civilians in the Crossfire
680 civilians, including pregnant women and the mentally ill, killed for coming too close to checkpoints and patrols
Food Stamp Usage Soars Among Working Families
Oil could hit $100 a barrel soon, JP Morgan predicts
Chinese demand could push crude to $100 a barrel soon, according to JP Morgan, with the weaker dollar and restocking of French oil inventories once strikes end also helping to drive up oil prices.
Mikhail Gorbachev: Victory in Afghanistan is 'Impossible'
US-led strike kills four Afghan civilians
Amid growing discontent over the rising number of civilian deaths in Afghanistan, a US-led airstrike has resulted in the death of four more civilians the country.
Afghans hold anti-US demonstration
Afghan people have staged an anti-US rally after American troops killed two students and injured another one in Maidan Wardak province in central Afghanistan.
UN calls for probe into US inaction on torture
The United Nations' point man on torture is calling on the Obama administration to open a full investigation into newly-released documents that suggest the US may have turned a blind eye to torture in Iraq.
Report: Iraq, Afghanistan among most corrupt
An international watchdog group says Afghanistan remains the world's second most corrupt country, and Iraq is not far behind.
’Child cancer skyrocketing in Iraqi city’
A suspected source of the afflictions is the depleted uranium (DU) used by the invading forces.
Retired and broke: Why retirees are declaring bankruptcy
For more and more seniors, retirement doesn’t mean a debt-free life of leisure. An increasing number of Americans aged 65 and older are declaring bankruptcy, according to a recent study by John Pottow, professor of law at the University of Michigan Law School.
Peace with Palestinians would help U.S. on Iran: Peres
"We fought alone, but we cannot exist alone. For our existence we need the friendship of the United States of America. It doesn't sound easy, but this is the truth," Peres said in a speech to Jewish leaders broadcast by Israel Radio.
"As the United States is trying to understand the security needs of Israel, we Israelis ourselves must understand the security needs of the United States," he said, speaking in English in an address made on Thursday evening.
Defense Secretary Gates apologizes for U.S. attack that killed 3 Pakistani soldiers
Syria spurns U.S. bid to mend ties
Report: Israel planned explosion at Iranian missile site
An explosion that killed 18 members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard on October 12 was ordered by the Mossad, French newspaper Le Figaro suggested on Monday. Another cause for the blast mentioned by the paper was a targeted Israeli air raid.
Israel is Relieved Not to be The Only War Criminal
The voice of joy, the voice of rejoicing is heard in Israel: The Americans and British have also committed for war crimes, not only us. WikiLeaks' revelations have inflamed all our noisy propagandists: Where is Goldstone, they rejoiced, and what would he have said? They were relieved. If the Americans are allowed to do it, so are we. Case in point (see related post in this news batch).
The final reasons for going to war are being swept away
We have become just like Israel. I'm sure they're pleased.
The Shaming of America
The "evidence" of Iranian involvement in bomb-making in southern Iraq was farmed out to The New York Times's Michael Gordon by the Pentagon in February 2007. The raw material, which we can now read, is far more doubtful than the Pentagon-peddled version. Iranian military material was still lying around all over Iraq from the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war and most of the attacks on Americans were at that stage carried out by Sunni insurgents. The reports suggesting that Syria allowed insurgents to pass through their territory, by the way, are correct. I have spoken to the families of Palestinian suicide bombers whose sons made their way to Iraq from Lebanon via the Lebanese village of Majdal Aanjar and then via the northern Syrian city of Aleppo to attack the Americans.......
The Americans scored no better last time round. In Kuwait, US troops could hear Palestinians being tortured by Kuwaitis in police stations after the liberation of the city from Saddam Hussein's legions in 1991. A member of the Kuwaiti royal family was involved in the torture. US forces did not intervene. They just complained to the royal family. Soldiers are always being told not to intervene. After all, what was Lieutenant Avi Grabovsky of the Israeli army told when he reported to his officer in September 1982 that Israel's Phalangist allies had just murdered some women and children? "We know, it's not to our liking, and don't interfere," Grabovsky was told by his battalion commander. This was during the Sabra and Chatila refugee camp massacre.
The quotation comes from Israel's 1983 Kahan commission report – heaven knows what we could read if WikiLeaks got its hands on the barrels of military files in the Israeli defence ministry (or the Syrian version, for that matter).
The Israel Lobby: Targeting Democrats for Election Day Defeat
One, they are tired of even Obama's timid pressure on settlements and (2) they want a President who will give Israel permission to bomb Iran. George W. Bush said "no" to that scheme as has Obama. But President Palin or Huckabee? They know that they would say "bombs away" in a heartbeat.
That is why they are running these ads. That is why the American Jewish Committee has become a Republican cutout. It's all about the Middle East: preventing Israel from achieving peace with its neighbors and preventing Iran from getting nuclear weapons, not through diplomacy but war.
And Now, Here's The First 11 State Pensions Funds That Will Run Out Of Money
'US, Israel and Iran have approached the end game'
“One problem today when you think about [Israeli] restraint,” he said, “is that Israelis don’t see the United States preparing for a credible threat to use military action, and it’s heightened their sense of isolation.”
Mideast sides eye US midterms and impact on talks
Animating the discussion is the startling fact that the United States has failed, despite emphatic public appeals by Obama and weeks of increasingly frustrating diplomacy, to persuade Israel to extend the settlement–building slowdown that expired on Sept. 26.
...If Congress tilts Republican it could have a "positive impact" on Israeli concerns, one Netanyahu adviser told The AP – an allusion to avoiding pressure for concessions. With the Democrats weakened, Israel's friends in Congress – both Democrat and Republican – "would be able to have a stronger voice if the administration should embark on a policy that is less favorable to Israel," he added.
U.S. foreign policy is set by the White House, not Congress. But Congress can influence it in the course of the day–to–day political horse trading that goes on between the executive and legislative branches.
For example, when Republicans controlled the House of Representatives during Netanyahu's first term in the late 1990s, the Israeli leader was able to marshal the support of the party's conservative wing in a faceoff with President Bill Clinton over stepped–up settlement construction and Israeli troop pullbacks in the West Bank.
Traditionally, both branches have been bastions of support for Israel no matter which party is in charge
Schools, stipends trigger Israeli religious battle
"If they want to live in a ghetto, fine, but why should the state pay for it? As long as the state is paying, it has to have a say," said Yossi Sarid, a former education minister.
And they seem to be keen on getting the American taxpayer to fund their schooling here too. See related news in this batch.
Pope seeks religious liberty in Muslim Mideast
At least 3.5 million Christians of all denominations live in the Gulf Arab region, the birthplace of Islam and home to some of the most conservative Arab Muslim societies in the world.
The freedom to practice Christianity –– or any religion other than Islam –– is not always a given in the Gulf and varies from country to country. Saudi Arabia, which applies an austere form of Sunni Islam, has by far the tightest restrictions.
US-Saudi arms deal ripples from Iran to Israel
"This equipment is primarily to give (Israel) a better feeling facing the Iranian threat. It is not related to Israeli–Arab relations," said Inbar. "Ironically, in the current situation, Saudi Arabia is in the same strategic boat as Israel is in facing the Iranian threat."
For Jews, a Permanent Stake in the Immigration Debate
An ideologically-based citizenship — a fundamental principle of this nation’s birth — offers the best source of national cohesion. Emphasizing shared ideals and the rich commonalities of the American experience is where the Jewish stake in the contemporary immigration debate is anchored.
Again, more of the same hypocrisy on the part of American Jews. For, not anyone can just immigrate to Israel. One has to be Jewish under the so-called Law of Return. Yet America is to retain a liberal immigration policy to make sure she stays amenable to Jews worldwide (oh, and others too), should they need to seek refuge.
The excerpt above from this article contrasts sharply with the new legislation in Israel enforcing people to swear allegiance to Israel as a Jewish state. This is the height of hypocrisy.
The Associated Press American al-Qaida spokesman urges attacks in US
"It is the duty of everyone who is sincere in his desire to defend Islam and Muslims today, to take the initiative to perform the individual obligation of jihad ... by striking the Zio–Crusader interests," he said, referring to Western and Jewish interests.
Iran, Saudi leaders talk after $60b. arms deal advances
Jerusalem did not object to the weapons sale to the Saudi government, perhaps influenced by its own deal to receivedthe US the F-35 Joint Strike stealth fighters from the US as a reassurance against an Iranian attack.
"This equipment is primarily to give (Israel) a better feeling facing the Iranian threat. It is not related to Israeli-Arab relations,"
Austerity and Defense
Aside from more sharp pangs of nostalgia for the Empire that they must be causing him, the real problem Boot has with Britain’s military spending cuts is that it will make it much harder for Britain to participate in and lend political legitimacy to the next unnecessary war that Boot and other hawks are interested in starting
Private Security Contractors in Afghanistan Fueling the Taliban, Senate Report Concludes
To meet their security concerns, the contractors have turned to “warlords and strongmen linked to murder, kidnapping [and] bribery.” The report also documents incidents in which contractors have tendered payments to the Taliban.
War Should Be an Election Issue
Just days away from crucial midterm elections, WikiLeaks, the whistle-blower website, unveiled the largest classified military leak in history. Almost 400,000 secret Pentagon documents relating to the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq were made available online. The documents, in excruciating detail, portray the daily torrent of violence, murder, rape and torture to which Iraqis have been subjected since George W. Bush declared “Mission Accomplished.” The WikiLeaks release, dubbed “The Iraq War Logs,” has been topping the headlines in Europe. But in the U.S., it barely warranted a mention on the agenda-setting Sunday talk shows.
Tony Blair 'to be called back' to Iraq war inquiry to answer questions about 'gaps' in his evidence
He denied he took the country to war on the basis of a 'lie' over the dictator's supposed weapons of mass destruction.
Nine Stories The Press Is Underreporting -- Fraud, Fraud And More Fraud
US to check whether Venezuela-Iran deals violate sanctions
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez signed on Wednesday several memorandums of understanding (MoU) with his Iranian counterpart President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad focused on energy cooperation.
Ralph Nader: Ten Questions for Tea Partiers
Iran Needs Stern Lessons in Freedom
Just because we're covertly infiltrating and interfering in virtually every Muslim country on the planet -- and just because we're actively aiding rebel groups inside their specific country -- is no reason to suspect Americans who illegally enter their country of espionage.
Rights of Return and Recognition Cannot Be Swapped
“Though recognition of Israel as the Jewish state would not shield us from further assaults or pressure, it would prove that the Palestinians are serious about peace.”
Come again? How would it prove that? If it is not a shield against violence, what is its value? Yes, it would be nice were the Palestinians to acknowledge what everyone in the world knows, that Israel is, as a matter of obvious fact, the Jewish state
And again.
Attacks From the Jewish Right Continue in Pennsylvania
Joe Sestak, the Democratic Pennsylvania senatorial candidate, just can’t seem to shake off attacks from right-wing Jewish groups.
First he was targeted by the Emergency Campaign for Israel in TV ads questioning his support for Israel, mainly because of his decision to join a letter calling for easing the Israeli siege on Gaza. Later he was hammered in newspaper ads, sponsored by the Republican Jewish Coalition, that took issue with funding he received from J Street.
Obama aide: Iran prefers defiance and secrecy to transparency and peace
Obama’s Still Popular With Ex-Generals
Obama’s handling of the Iran nuclear crisis is even more unpopular: 46% disapprove, while only 43% approve. Nearly three quarters believe there’s little or no chance that diplomacy or sanctions will stop Iran from getting nukes, and 59% would support a U.S. military strike to prevent it. That’s a huge change from two years ago, in September 2008, the final months of the Bush administration, when Jews opposed U.S. military action by 47% to 42%.
By the way, I think the poll numbers with respect to ISrael's importance vs the importance of the economy to Jews polled are misleading. Support for Israel is a given on Capitol Hill, and thus is largely a non-issue. The economy however is neither of those things.
Chavez visits Syria on tour to counter US sway
Chavez arrived in Syria on Wednesday from Tehran, where he and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said they are united in efforts to establish a "new world order" that will eliminate Western dominance over global affairs.
Oath of Loyalty to What?
To ask non-Jews to declare loyalty to a “Jewish and democratic state,” it is claimed, is an inherent contradiction, since no country can be considered democratic if it demands of prospective citizens that they swear allegiance to what excludes them.
Just more of the same with respect to Israel as a 'democracy', which it clearly is not. It's a theocracy, which is why it demands to be seen as a Jewish state.
One Nation, Under Various Divinities
She points to the example of the landmark 1962 school prayer case, Engel v. Vitale, in which five Long Island families, all Jewish or with Jewish backgrounds, brought suit opposing school prayer. “They suffered terrible repercussions, including hate mail,” she said.
This, Mellowes said, is an example of how Jews “have clearly contributed in a major way to the tremendous religious vitality and diversity in America and also been at the forefront of pressing for religious freedom.”
Do you see the irony and hypocrisy in the preceding excerpt and the entire article? See also the article with respect to the battle fuming in upstate NY over the Orthodox school issue. Then also realize just how much taxpayer money flows to Israel, a JEWISH state, and realize that on the one hand American Jews seek to keep religion out of state at all costs yet demand that the United States continue to fund Israel- - a state based on RELIGIOUS SUPREMACY. Israel is not a democracy. Israel is a THEOCRACY. Do these Jews demand that Israel keep religion out of ITS schools and government? NOPE. Hypocrisy of the highest order. And look in the mirror folks, you get to fund it ALL.
Boxer-Fiorina Race Redefines ‘Negative’
The visit to Eretz Yisrael was billed as a “personal trip.” But unlike most personal pilgrimages to the Holy Land, Fiorina’s was financed and arranged by the RJC and led straight to high-level meetings with President Shimon Peres, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Knesset opposition leader Tzipi Livni. Netanyahu’s office told the Forward, “The prime minister and Fiorina discussed the Israeli and world economies and events in the region.” Netanyahu, as a representative noted, via e-mail, “believes strongly in the importance of the Israeli-American relationship being above partisan party politics. [H]e therefore makes every effort to meet with political leaders from both major parties whenever they visit Israel.”
Schools Fight Stokes Anger At Orthodox Jews in N.Y. Suburb
Some non-Orthodox community members allege that the Orthodox members of the board support the religious schools at the expense of the public school system — claims that the Orthodox board denies. But people on both sides agree that anger over the issue is running high.
With Friends Like These, II
Some supporters of Israel see in the latest Wiki-leak the opportunity to bury the Goldstone Report (PDF) and attendant international criticism of Israel’s war in Lebanon. Israeli MK Michael Ben Ari, of the Kahane strain, would bury along with it those former (and no longer useful) American high officials whose expenditure in American blood–largely to rid Israel of a hostile neighbor–continues:
The Rhetoric Turns Red Hot as Election Day Approaches
In Illinois’ 9th District, indefatigable Republican Joel Pollak kept on going after incumbent Democrat Jan Schakowsky, claiming she was not supportive of Israel. It’s a theme that has been taken up against several Jewish Democrats by Republican challengers, or by the Republican Jewish Coalition on their behalf.
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