A Peek into Others' mind » September 23, 2008

5:05
Israel mulls stopping new 'Gaza boat'
» ‎ JPost.com Front Page Top Stories

For the second time in as many months, Free Gaza activists scheduled to leave Cyprus on Thursday.

5:01
From King David Hotel in Palestine to Marriott Hotel in Pakistan
» ‎ Wake Up From Your Slumber - The Truth Will Set You Free

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4:59
Because You'll Believe Anything: Unknown Terrorist Group Claims Responsibility For Marriot Bombing
» ‎ Wake Up From Your Slumber - The Truth Will Set You Free

Winter Patriot

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4:56
Nuclear Power Liabilities Dwarf Bush's Wall Street Bailout
» ‎ Wake Up From Your Slumber - The Truth Will Set You Free

September 23, 2008

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4:15
Larry King and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
» ‎ Little Green Footballs

Weirdest interview ever.

4:00
CRISIS ZIONISM
» ‎ Wake Up From Your Slumber - The Truth Will Set You Free

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

http://xymphora.blogspot.com
Crisis Zionism
Ron

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3:55
Who Is Behind the Bombing in Islamabad?
» ‎ Wake Up From Your Slumber - The Truth Will Set You Free

September 22, 2008 Who Is Behind the Bombing in Islamabad?
"What we cannot escape," one Pentagon policy planne

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3:53
FREE BALUCHISTAN !!!
» ‎ Wake Up From Your Slumber - The Truth Will Set You Free

April 06, 2005 Free Baluchistan
Via Soj comes a news report about China's Prime Minister Wen Jiabao visit to P

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3:49
CT Blog Expert Matthew Levitt Testifies in HLF Trial
» ‎ Counterterrorism Blog

DALLAS - For jurors in the Hamas-support case against the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (HLF) who likely know nothing about the terrorist group, or about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the first full day of testimony Tuesday was dominated by a lesson in Hamas 101.

Matthew Levitt, a former deputy assistant secretary at the Treasury Department, and now the director of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy's Stein Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence, walked jurors through everything from Middle East geography to the Hamas charter to the way non-violent social branches feed the group's overall terrorist agenda.

The testimony lays a foundation for why the United States outlawed transactions with, and support for, Hamas in the mid 1990s. The five defendants, who lost an earlier court battle to prevent Levitt from testifying, are accused of breaking those laws by routing money to Hamas' social arms through a series of charities, known as zakat committees, in the West Bank and Gaza.

For the full article, visit the IPT's website: HLF Jury Schooled on Hamas Terror, and for a report on yesterday's opening statements, see: HLF Prosecutor: Think Like a Terrorist Organization.

3:28
EU official: Border cops tear-gassed me
» ‎ JPost.com Front Page Top Stories

Jerome Bellion-Jourdan tells 'Post' incident occurred during fact-finding tour of security fence near Ni'ilin.

2:56
Thought provoking video
» ‎ The Muqata

I found this video very thought provoking.

Its not preachy -- and its refreshingly apolitical.

Give yourself 6 minutes to watch it today before Rosh HaShana.

Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד

2:55
IPT: Day 2 of the HLF Retrial
» ‎ Little Green Footballs

The Investigative Project has an exclusive report from the Holy Land Foundation Hamas funding retrial: HLF Jury Schooled on Hamas Terror.

DALLAS - For jurors in the Hamas-support case against the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (HLF) who likely know nothing about the terrorist group, or about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the first full day of testimony Tuesday was dominated by a lesson in Hamas 101.

Matthew Levitt, a former deputy assistant secretary at the Treasury Department, and now the director of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy’s Stein Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence, walked jurors through everything from Middle East geography to the Hamas charter to the way non-violent social branches feed the group’s overall terrorist agenda.

The testimony lays a foundation for why the United States outlawed transactions with, and support for, Hamas in the mid 1990s. The five defendants, who lost an earlier court battle to prevent Levitt from testifying, are accused of breaking those laws by routing money to Hamas’ social arms through a series of charities, known as zakat committees, in the West Bank and Gaza.

Levitt, author of the 2006 book Hamas: Politics, Charity and Terrorism in the Service of Jihad, discussed Hamas leaders such as Mousa Abu Marzook, the organization’s evolution and its attacks like a December 2001 suicide bombing on a bus in Haifa that killed 16 people in a community that includes Arabs and Jews.
The terrorist organization’s charter was reviewed, including its overall objective of destroying the state of Israel and replacing it with an Islamic theocracy through a violent application of jihad.

Prosecutors then had Levitt explain the connection between the military and social branches of Hamas. “The social wing builds the grass roots for the organization” Levitt said, “and is the ideal mechanism for laundering money for all their activities.”

It also is a recruitment tool by providing services ranging from medical assistance to food and education. Levitt explained that the social network fosters an environment in which children are taught at a young age to look up to suicide bombers. To illustrate that, jurors were shown a video from a Hamas Kindergarten Graduation Ceremony. The video shows children in military clothing, carrying toy machine guns and even wearing suicide belts. Some were dressed to resemble Hamas and Hizballah leaders.

The video seemed to grab jurors’ attention. At least six of them had pens in hand during this video, and one older male could be seen raising his eyebrows and jotting down notes.

On cross examination, defense attorneys challenged Levitt’s expertise, first by casting him as biased toward Israel in the conflict and then by challenging the sources of his research.
2:46
No Fascists, No Apology
» ‎ Little Green Footballs

Note to Pamela and to Fjordman: I will not be “apologizing” for refusing to join forces with European white nationalist groups: Atlas Shrugs: ATLAS EXCLUSIVE: FJORDMAN ON FREEDOM FIGHTING ‘FASCISTS’.

Enjoy your new allies, folks.

1:35
Analyze This: How McCartney could rock Ahmadinejad's world
» ‎ JPost.com Front Page Top Stories

The Beatles have left their mark even on the Islamic Republic.

1:15
Mullen, Next US President & Pakistan, Afghanistan
» ‎ GlobalSecurity.org

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1:15
Russia, Kazakhstan joint naval drills in 2009
» ‎ GlobalSecurity.org

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1:15
Abkhazia to host two Russian military bases
» ‎ GlobalSecurity.org

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1:15
France to help Brazil build first nuclear sub
» ‎ GlobalSecurity.org

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1:15
US Military: Iraqi Government Will Pay Sunni Fighters
» ‎ GlobalSecurity.org

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1:15
Bush: Russia violating UN Charter in Georgia
» ‎ GlobalSecurity.org

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1:15
Palestinians ready for talks with Livni
» ‎ GlobalSecurity.org

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1:15
SOMALIA: Mogadishu rocked by "worst shelling yet"
» ‎ GlobalSecurity.org

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1:15
ICC Presses Case Against Sudan Leader
» ‎ GlobalSecurity.org

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1:15
North Korea's Kim Jong-il makes 'slight recovery'
» ‎ GlobalSecurity.org

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1:15
STRATCOM leader charts nuclear path for US military
» ‎ GlobalSecurity.org

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1:15
China says spacecraft launch has no military goals
» ‎ GlobalSecurity.org

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1:15
Russia Space Agency confirms 18th ISS expedition
» ‎ GlobalSecurity.org

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1:14
Barak: Shame Likud won't join gov't
» ‎ JPost.com Front Page Top Stories

Defense minister: National emergency government necessary; Netanyahu: Israel needs new elections.

0:52
Livni disregards law - continues talks with PA despite transitional government
» ‎ IMRA Middle East News Updates

[Dr. Aaron Lerner - IMRA: Before Olmert resigned there was "wiggle room" for
negotiations to continue (see below) but now that Olmert has resigned this
is a 10% transitional government with all the restrictions that such a
government is subject to.

Question: When will AG Mazuz remind the ministers this?]

'Peace talks to go on as gov't is built'
Herb Keinon , THE JERUSALEM POST Sep. 23, 2008
www.jpost.com
/servlet/Satellite?cid=1222017368351&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, who is busy trying to form a new government,
made time Tuesday during a day full of political meetings with various party
heads to hold pre-scheduled talks with Palestinian Authority chief
negotiator Ahmed Qurei.

Livni, who heads the Israeli negotiating team, and Qurei have been meeting
regularly since the beginning of the year, and Tuesday's talks were widely
viewed as an indication the negotiations will continue despite the current
political uncertainty.

Livni's office, as has been the case since the talks began, released no
information of the meeting's content. One diplomatic source said he did not
know whether Livni protested to Qurei over a vicious caricature of her
published in the PA's official newspaper Al-Hayat al-Jedida that portrayed
her holding a dagger covered in blood.

The source said the "idiotic" caricature was "very disappointing," and
indicated that "while we may have come a long way, the way ahead may be even
longer. A confidence building measure this isn't."

Qurei said after the talks he was reassured by Livni's message and that he
was still hopeful an agreement could be reached. He said that Livni assured
him she would continue the negotiations throughout the coalition-building
process.

She stressed that she'll continue the peace process, and that if she forms
the new Israeli government, "there will be no conditions or obstacles to
continue the peace process," he said.

Qurei said the year-end target date for an agreement would be hard to meet,
but he signaled that progress had been made.

"The negotiations we have conducted should not be thrown in the trash," he
said. "What has been achieved should be the basis for continued negotiations
with the new American administration and with the new Israeli government. If
we can't reach an agreement this year, there is a big possibility of
reaching an agreement next year."

Also on Tuesday, Israel Radio quoted Vice Premier Haim Ramon as saying at a
lecture in Tel Aviv that the Palestinians lost an opportunity to take
advantage of the progress that had been made in the negotiations, and at the
last minute got "cold feet" and decided not to sign a declaration of
principles that would have significantly closed the gaps between the sides.

President Mahmoud Abbas has made clear that the PA is only interested in a
comprehensive agreement that deals with all the issues - including Jerusalem
and the Palestinian refugees - and not an interim or partial agreement.
There have been voices in both Jerusalem and Washington arguing that the two
sides should at least publish a declaration of principles that would codify
the progress made so far.

AP contributed to this report.

====

Mazuz: Israel's government may soon be declared 'transitional'
By Tomer Zarchin, Haaretz Correspondent Last update - 14:46 03/09/2008
www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1017845.html

The country's uncertain political situation requires the government to use
caution in exercising its authority, the attorney general said on Wednesday.

Attorney General Menachem Mazuz said on Wednesday that while the current
government is not a transition government, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's
imminent resignation following the Kadima primaries will soon make it such.
These unusual circumstances thus obligate the government at this stage to
carefully weigh the forcefulness with which it implements its policies,
since the cabinet currently is beginning to operate as a transition
government.

A Mazuz aide issued the statement on his boss' behalf after members of
Knesset and a pro-settler legal group demanded the attorney general instruct
Olmert to refrain from making any diplomatic or political moves on the peace
front, whether it be signing an agreement or making any other commitments
which would bind future Israeli governments. The petitioners also demanded
that Mazuz forbid ministers who are winding down their tenures in office to
appoint associates to positions within their respective ministries.

Mazuz's aide pointed out that the matter is a delicate one that is more
suited for the political-public realm, and is less a legal question. The
parliament's function is to supervise the government's activities, thus it
would be in a better position to rein in any moves it would make given its
status will soon be that of a transitional government, the aide said.
0:51
"Moderate" PA negotiator: OK to murder Israeli civilians if demands not met in talks
» ‎ IMRA Middle East News Updates

[Dr. Aaron Lerner - IMRA:

Question: What Israeli and other so-called-peace supporters will come out
with statements denouncing Ahmed Qureia for this threat?]

Ahmed Qureia: Violence 'legitimate' if talks fail
Top Palestinian negotiator warns violence may erupt if current round of
negoiations with Israel go under. 'Resistance in all its forms is a
legitimate right,' says Ahmed Qureia
Reuters Latest Update: 09.23.08, 18:52 / Israel News
www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3601059,00.html

"The Palestinians will continue to negotiate. But, if the talks reached a
dead end, what do we do? Capitulate? Resistance in all its forms is a
legitimate right," said Ahmed Qureia in a message to newly-elected Kadima
chairwoman, Foreign Affairs Minister Tzipi Livni.

Earlier in the day Livni met with Qureia. Livni was recently chosen by
President Shimon Peres to form a new government. This was the first meeting
between the two since the Kadima primaries, however Livni's office insisted
it was a routine appointment.

Livni assured Qureia that peace talks will not stall while she tries to form
a new coalition government. Speaking with the Reuters news agency after the
meeting, Qureia said the meeting had been positive.

"It was a good meeting. Livni reassured me she would continue the peace
process without accepting any conditions."

Israeli officials confirmed the meeting had taken place but gave no details.

Referring to the goal set by US President George W. Bush last November,
Qureia said he had "great doubts about finalising a deal this year." He said
Palestinian leaders were considering their options if talks failed to
produce a deal that would lead to independence. If they lost hope in
negotiations and became convinced Israel was not prepared to end its
occupation, renewed attacks against Israelis were possible.

Asked whether he was saying the Palestinians might resume suicide bombings
and attacks inside Israel, Qurie responded: "All forms of resistance."

On Sunday senior PA officials conveyed a clear threat to Livni. Rafik
Husseini, the top adviser to the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, told
The Sunday Telegraph that Palestinian politicians may take the drastic step
of disbanding the authority if a lasting agreement is not reached during the
current peace negotiations.

Such a move would mark the end of the US-backed talks launched with much
fanfare at Annapolis last November, the report said, and put day-to-day
Palestinian governance back in Israeli hands, almost certainly igniting
fresh violence in the process.

"The Palestinian Authority is only a vehicle to achieve the interests and
rights of the Palestinian people. Vehicles come and go," said the senior
Palestinian official.

First Published: 09.23.08, 17:48

0:43
מוסקבה הסתלקה בלילה, יום ג' 23.9, משיחות 5 המעצמות וגרמניה על תוכנית הגרעין האיראנית, ובכך מעמיקה את המלחמה הקרה, ושמה קץ לתקווה כי מועצת הביטח�
» ‎ DEBKAfile

המקורות של תיקדבקה: בעוד ביום ג' 23.9, השמיעו החל מנשיא ארצות הברית גורג בוש, ועד נשיא ישראל שמעון פרס נאומים על איראן ותוכניתה הגרעינית, מוסקבה בחרה במקום במילים, במעשים. בעוד שנשיא ארצות הברית גורג בוש, נשיא ישראל שמעון פרס, השמיעו נאומים על איראן ותוכניתה הגרעינית, מוסקבה פעלה.
בהודעה בוטה וישירה ביותר, ללא תקדים ביחסים הדיפלומטיים בין מוסקבה לוושינגטון, הודיעו הרוסים, כי הם לא ישתתפו בפגישת 5 המעצמות וגרמניה על הנושא הגרעיני האיראני שנועדה ליום ה' 25.9, כדי לדון בהצעות האמריקנים להרחיב את ולהעמיק את הסנקציות על טהרן. ההודעה הרוסית אומרת, 'כי איננו רואים שום דחיפות הדורשת לדחוק כל דבר הצידה, ולהיפגש ולדון בתוכנית הגרעינית האיראנית באמצע שבוע עמוס כל כך באו''ם', אמרו הרוסים. ציטוט המקורWe do not see any fire that requires us to toss everything aside and meet to discuss Iran's nuclear programme in the middle of a packed week at the United Nations General Assembly.
אולם בזאת לא הסתיימה ההודעה הרוסית. מוסקבה השתמשה בהודעה זו כדי לענות לטענותיה של וושינגטון, כי היא משתמשת בנושא האיראני כדי לנגח את ארצות הברית.
0:40
סוריה ריכזה כבר על גבולה הצפוני עם לבנון 10.000 חיילי קומנדו.
» ‎ DEBKAfile

תיקדבקה: הידיעה הזו פורסמה בראשונה בלעדית בתיקדבקה ב-20 לספטמבר, כאשר ראשוני חיילי הקומנדו הסוריים החלו להתרכז באזור עבודייה Abboudieh, שעל גבול הלבנון, (הקישו כאן לקריאת הידיעה המקורית.) דוברי ממשלת וצבא לבנון הכחישו את הידיעה הזו, ובישראל, כרגיל בימים אלה, פרסמו את ההכחשות הערביות תוך התעלמות מההתפתחויות. ביום ג' 23.9, דיווחו נוסעים שהגיעו מסוריה ללבנון, כי ראו במו עיניהם את הריכוזים הסוריים.
0:40
בעוד פרס מטיל את הרכבת הממשלה על ליבני, דנים אהוד ברק, ובנימין נתניהו, בהקמת גוש פוליטי משותף להליכה ביחד לבחירות כלליות.
» ‎ DEBKAfile

התקדמות בשיחות שמנהלים שר הביטחון ומנהיג מפלגת 'העבודה' אהוד ברק, ומנהיג 'הליכוד' בנימין נתניהו. שני המנהיגים דנים בהקמת גוש פוליטי משותף להליכה ביחד לבחירות כלליות, כדי 'להתמודד עם הסכנה הגרעינית האיראנית'.
בלעדי ומיוחד למקורות תיקדבקה: בעוד הנשיא שמעון פרס מטיל (יום ב' בערב 22.9,) את הרכבת הממשלה על ציפי ליבני מנהיגת 'קדימה', נמשכות באינטנסיביות השיחות בין ברק לנתניהו, כיצד מטרפדים הקמת ממשלה בראשותה של ליבני.
עוד מוסרים המקורות שלנו, כי גם נשיא המדינה שמעון פרס, וגם המיועדת להרכבתה הממשלה, ציפי לבני, מודעים להתפתחויות אלה, ואינם משלים את עצמם כי מנהיגת 'קדימה' תצליח להרכיב קואליציה וממשלה.
זו הסיבה מדוע פרס אמר ביום ב' לנציגי המפלגות השונות אתם התייעץ, כי אם ציפי ליבני תכשל בהרכבת ממשלה שיובטח לה רוב בכנסת, הוא לא יטיל את תפקיד הרכבת הממשלה על אף אחד אחר, אלא יודיע על פיזור הכנסת ועריכת בחירות כלליות.
0:40
גורמים פיננסים: עתיד תוכנית ההצלה של הממשל האמריקני לוטה בערפל.
» ‎ DEBKAfile

תיקדבקה: בתי ההשקעות 'גולדמן זקס', ו'מורגן סטנלי', הפכו בלילה (יום ב' לפנות בוקר, לפי שעון ישראל.) להיות לחברות אחזקה בנקאיות, כדי שיוכלו לקבל כספי תמיכה מהאוצר האמריקני ו'הפדרל רזרב'.
בכך אושרו שמועות עקשניות ששררו בסוף השבוע ב'וול סטרייט', כי מצבם של 2 בתי ההשקעות האחרונות קשה, וכי הרשויות בארצות הברית נערכים להצלתם.
ביום ב' בבוקר 22.9, עלו שוב שערי המניות בבורסות המזרח הרחוק, אולם רק לאחר שהבנק הממלכתי היפני הזרים לשווקים הפיננסים 14 מיליארד דולר. גורמים פיננסים מזהירים, כי עתיד תוכנית ההצלה של הממשל האמריקני לוטה בערפל, וכי כלל לא בטוח שהעליות החדשות בבורסות ברחבי העולם תמשכנה.
יו''ר בית הנבחרים האמריקני ננסי פלוסי, הכריזה בלילה (יום ראשון 21.9, לפי שעון ארה''ב) כי הקונגרס, בו ישנו רוב דמוקרטי לא ייתן בידי הממשל המחאה פתוחה לתמוך בבנקים ומוסדות פיננסים כושלים, מבלי שתובטח ההגנה של האיש האמריקני הפשוט ברחוב.
0:30
23 פצועים, רובם חיילי צה''ל, בפיגוע דריסה מס' 3 בירושלים.
» ‎ DEBKAfile

תיקדבקה: פיגוע מס' 2 ביום ב' (22.9), בחיילי צה''ל. בלילה קרוב לחצות, פיגוע דריסה בירושלים בכיכר צה''ל פינת שבטי ישראל, ליד בנין עיריית ירושלים, בקבוצה של חיילי צה''ל. יש לפחות כ-23 חיילים ואזרחים פצועים, מהם 2 קשה, ו-4-3 בינוני. המחבל, מג'בל מוכבר שליד ארמון הנציב, חוסל על ידי חייל צה''ל.
בבוקר יום ב' התעוור חייל צה''ל בעינו כאשר מחבלת שפכה עליו חומצה במחסום חאוורה. זה הוא,פיגוע הדריסה ה-3 בירושלים, והפיגוע ה-4 בירושלים ב-7 החודשים האחרונים, מאז הפיגוע בישיבת מרכז הרב ב-2 למרס. בפיגועים נהרגו 13 ישראלים, ומאות נפצעו. שוב הפעם המשטרה וכוחות הביטחון דבקים בגרסה כי המדובר במחבל מתאבד בודד שנהג הפעם במכונית ולא בטרקטור, וכי המניע לפיגוע היה 'אהבה נכזבת'. מעניין איזה 'יצירתיות' מגלה פיקוד המשטרה בירושלים, ולאיזה עוד רמה נמוכה הוא יגיע כדי להחדיר לדעת הקהל, כי את הפיגועים בירושלים אי אפשר לעצור, ואין מאחוריהם יד מכוונת ומארגנת. מאחר ומחדלי המשטרה, ומערכת הביטחון יימשכו, יש לצפות להתגברות הפיגועים לקראת חגי ראש השנה.

0:16
Thinking the Unthinkable
» ‎ The Muqata

After reading Rafi's post which references a burgeoning child molestation scandal in RBS (yes, those are my usual ranting comments down below), I have to ask the studio audience here: If a few students (or even one student) accused a teacher of molestation and the school was refusing to remove him/her from his/her duties pending an investigation, how would you, as a parent, react?

Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד

0:00
Iraq parliament passes election law
» ‎ Alarabiya.net English | Middle East

Iraq's parliament passed a provincial elections law on Wednesday after months of arguing between Arabs and Kurds, and called for the vote to be held before Jan. 31 next year, legislators said. The polls had been scheduled for Oct. 1 but the law governing how the vote should be conducted
0:00
W Bank barrier fuels Jerusalem attacks: Shin Bet
» ‎ Alarabiya.net English | Middle East

Israel's West Bank barrier is fuelling attacks by East Jerusalem Arabs who feel isolated from fellow Palestinians and are increasingly likely to lash out independently, Israel's domestic spy service said on Wednesday. The findings by the Shin Bet, which has usually championed tough tactics
0:00
Israel accuses Iran of worst anti-Semitic tract
» ‎ Alarabiya.net English | Middle East

Israel's President Shimon Peres on Tuesday criticized the speech by Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad addressing the U.N. General Assembly in which he attacked the Zionist State. The president of Iran's speech to the United Nations attacking "Zionist murderers" was reminiscent of
0:00
Top talks on Iran's nuclear program called off
» ‎ Alarabiya.net English | Middle East

The United States and five other powers on Tuesday called off plans for high-level talks here this week to debate further sanctions against Iran, after Moscow opposed the move and complained of U.S. attempts to "punish" it. Russia's decision to pull out of the Iran talks appeared to
0:00
Sudan troops besiege kidnappers' desert hideout
» ‎ Alarabiya.net English | Middle East

Sudanese forces were laying siege on Wednesday to a remote desert hideout where bandits are holding 19 people captive, including European tourists, but said they would not storm the area. The tourists, along with Egyptian drivers, guides and a guard, were snatched by masked gunmen on Friday

September 23, 2008
23:34
Bill Clinton 'gets why Palin's hot'
» ‎ Israel Matzav

Dirty old man (Hat Tip: Hot Air). Better call in the First Dude.

23:29
Mini-Hitler at the UN
» ‎ Little Green Footballs

Here’s a thread for reactions and responses to Iranian thug-in-chief Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his weird speech to the United Nations General Assembly, while waiting for the first moonbat to praise his “spirituality.”

23:07
Thai court frees Iranian in US arms case
» ‎ JPost.com Front Page Top Stories

Top air force officer was facing charges of trying to export US missile parts to Islamic Republic.

23:03
'Obama, a terrorist's best friend'
» ‎ Israel Matzav

An 11-year old in Aurora, Colorado has been suspended from school for wearing a t-shirt that says "Obama, a terrorist's best friend' to school. Let's go to the videotape. I have to say that the amount of pro-Obama brainwashing I have seen going on during my trip to the US is worthy of Israel's old-time Labor party, which 're-educated' Israeli children in the 1950's to be anti-religious and
22:55
'Palestinian' doctors forced to sing for their captors
» ‎ Israel Matzav

A group of striking 'Palestinian' doctors and other medical professionals was arrested last week and forced to sit in a mosque and sing for their captors. Guess who the captors were? Hint: It wasn't the IDF and the captors weren't Jewish. Let's go to the videotape.

22:46
AP:A high-ranking Iranian air force officer facing ...
» ‎ War and Piece

AP:A high-ranking Iranian air force officer facing charges of trying to export U.S. missile parts to Iran was released from custody after a Thai court denied his extradition. Jamshid Ghassemi, 57, was released after a Thai appellate court upheld rejection...

22:42
Bad Moments in Manual Blog Spam*
» ‎ Israellycool

* Manual spam is created by a person who actually read the blog post, and composes a related response. At first glance, it may look like a legitimate comment, and is usually only identified as spam by its URL.
Spread the Word:

22:37
Your Abortions or Your Lives!
» ‎ IRIS Blog

Before Governor Sarah Palin made her historic speech at the Republican convention, I studied her background and made some bold predictions. Among those was probably the only published source that accurately predicted that the speech would be "wildly successful." Additionally, I called that "she will turn out to be Israel's best friend since the founding of the state." (I write this not to brag, but only as a way of demonstrating credibility for the rest of what is written on this blog.)

She has started to make good on that prediction, writing the strongest possible case for Israel now, a speech on the threat by Iran to inflict a nuclear Holocaust.

As you likely heard, the invitation to give that speech was rescinded in one of the most ignominious decisions by the American Jewish establishment in recent memory.

Caroline Glick has penned an absolute must-read eviscerating that decision.

But first, consider that Obama has spoken out against sanctions when the Senate was applying them, saying "now is not the time for saber-rattling towards Iran." Also consider that Iran has endorsed Obama's National Security Advisor, the anti-'AIPAC' Zbigniew Brezezinski.

Here is the Glick piece:

American Jews have good reason to be ashamed and angry today. As Iran moves into the final stages of its nuclear weapons development program - nuclear weapons which it will use to destroy the State of Israel, endanger Jews around the world and cow the United States of America - Democratic American Jewish leaders decided that putting Sen. Barack Obama in the White House is more important than protecting the lives of the Jewish people in Israel and around the world.

On Monday, the New York Sun published the speech that Republican vice presidential nominee and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin would have delivered at that day's rally outside UN headquarters in New York against Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and against Iran's plan to destroy Israel. She would have delivered it, if she hadn't been disinvited.

The rally was co-sponsored by the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations, the National Coalition to Stop Iran Now, The Israel Project, United Jewish Communities, the UJA-Federation of New York and the Jewish Council for Public Affairs. Its purpose was to present a united American Jewish front against Iran's genocidal leader and against its genocidal regime which is developing nuclear weapons with the stated intention of committing the second Holocaust in 80 years.

Palin's speech is an extraordinary document. In its opening paragraph she made clear that Iran presents a danger not just to Israel, but to the US. And not just to some Americans, but to all Americans. Her speech was a warning to Iran - and anyone else who was listening - that Americans are not indifferent to its behavior, its genocidal ideology and the barbarity of its regime. Rather, they are outraged.

After that opening, Palin's speech set out clearly how Iran is advancing its nuclear project, why it must be prevented from acquiring nuclear weapons and why and how the regime itself must be opposed by all right thinking people - not just Israelis and Americans - but by all people who value human freedom.

PALIN'S SPEECH was a message of national - rather than simply Republican - resolve against Iran's nuclear weapons program and its active involvement in global and regional terrorism. She made this point by quoting statements that Democratic Sen. Hillary Clinton has made against the Iranian regime.

The speech detailed Iran's past and current attacks against the US, beginning with its bombing of US servicemen in Lebanon in 1983 and continuing with Iran's proxy war against US forces in Iraq and against Iraqis who oppose its intention of taking control of their country.

By discussing Iran's role in Iraq she not only made a convincing case for why an American victory there is essential for defeating Iran. She also made clear that Iran is actively making war against the US, not just Israel.

From Iran's war against Israel, the US, and freedom loving peoples worldwide, Palin's speech turned to the regime's war against its own people. She attacked the regime for its systematic repression of Iranian women. She applauded the extraordinary bravery of women like Delaram Ali who risked their lives and their families to demand basic rights for Iranian women. Ali, she noted, was sentenced to 10 lashes and three years in prison for having the courage to speak out. An international outcry has temporarily suspended her sentence.

Then Palin returned to Iran's nuclear weapons program and its support for terrorist groups pledged to Israel's destruction and to the destruction of the US. She returned to Ahmadinejad's calls for Israel's annihilation. She reiterated Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain's solemn promise to work with Israel to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons and she joined her name to his promise to stand side by side with Israel to prevent another Holocaust.

IF PALIN had been allowed to deliver this speech at Monday's rally, she would done just what the organizers of the rally, and what the Jewish people in Israel, America and worldwide need to have done. She would have elevated the imperative of preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons and the implicit moral and strategic imperative of overthrowing the regime in Teheran to the top of America's national security agenda. Given the massive media attention she garners at all of her public appearances, Palin's participation in the rally would have done more to steel Americans - across the political spectrum - to the cause of opposing Iran than 10 UN Security Council sanctions resolutions could do.

It was a remarkable speech, prepared by a remarkable woman. But it was not heard. It was not heard because the Democratic Party and Jewish Democrats believe that their partisan interest in demonizing Palin and making Americans generally and American Jews in particular hate and fear her to secure their votes for Obama and his running-mate Sen. Joseph Biden in the November election is more important than allowing Palin to elevate the necessity of preventing a second Holocaust to the top of the US's national security agenda.

Read the whole thing...

22:34
Welcome to 1984: Anti-Semitism to be redefined as 'Islamophobia'
» ‎ Israel Matzav

For those of you wondering what's going on with the so-called 'Durban II' conference on 'racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia or related intolerance,' I have some positively Orwellian news for you. In a planning session for the conference that took place on Friday, Algeria announced that the conference's goal is to re-define anti-Semitism as 'Islamophobia' because 'traditional anti-Semitism'

22:00
Obama and Ayers Pushed Radicalism On Schools
» ‎ IRIS Blog

Stanley Kurtz has pored through archived documents and has written an explosive piece today on Barack Obama's only executive experience. But first, here is a short video to place this in context:

Now back to the Kurtz piece:

Despite having authored two autobiographies, Barack Obama has never written about his most important executive experience. From 1995 to 1999, he led an education foundation called the Chicago Annenberg Challenge (CAC), and remained on the board until 2001. The group poured more than $100 million into the hands of community organizers and radical education activists.

The CAC was the brainchild of Bill Ayers, a founder of the Weather Underground in the 1960s. Among other feats, Mr. Ayers and his cohorts bombed the Pentagon, and he has never expressed regret for his actions. Barack Obama's first run for the Illinois State Senate was launched at a 1995 gathering at Mr. Ayers's home.

The Obama campaign has struggled to downplay that association. Last April, Sen. Obama dismissed Mr. Ayers as just "a guy who lives in my neighborhood," and "not somebody who I exchange ideas with on a regular basis." Yet documents in the CAC archives make clear that Mr. Ayers and Mr. Obama were partners in the CAC. Those archives are housed in the Richard J. Daley Library at the University of Illinois at Chicago and I've recently spent days looking through them.

The Chicago Annenberg Challenge was created ostensibly to improve Chicago's public schools. The funding came from a national education initiative by Ambassador Walter Annenberg. In early 1995, Mr. Obama was appointed the first chairman of the board, which handled fiscal matters. Mr. Ayers co-chaired the foundation's other key body, the "Collaborative," which shaped education policy.

The CAC's basic functioning has long been known, because its annual reports, evaluations and some board minutes were public. But the Daley archive contains additional board minutes, the Collaborative minutes, and documentation on the groups that CAC funded and rejected. The Daley archives show that Mr. Obama and Mr. Ayers worked as a team to advance the CAC agenda.

One unsettled question is how Mr. Obama, a former community organizer fresh out of law school, could vault to the top of a new foundation? In response to my questions, the Obama campaign issued a statement saying that Mr. Ayers had nothing to do with Obama's "recruitment" to the board. The statement says Deborah Leff and Patricia Albjerg Graham (presidents of other foundations) recruited him. Yet the archives show that, along with Ms. Leff and Ms. Graham, Mr. Ayers was one of a working group of five who assembled the initial board in 1994. Mr. Ayers founded CAC and was its guiding spirit. No one would have been appointed the CAC chairman without his approval.

The CAC's agenda flowed from Mr. Ayers's educational philosophy, which called for infusing students and their parents with a radical political commitment, and which downplayed achievement tests in favor of activism. In the mid-1960s, Mr. Ayers taught at a radical alternative school, and served as a community organizer in Cleveland's ghetto.

In works like "City Kids, City Teachers" and "Teaching the Personal and the Political," Mr. Ayers wrote that teachers should be community organizers dedicated to provoking resistance to American racism and oppression. His preferred alternative? "I'm a radical, Leftist, small 'c' communist," Mr. Ayers said in an interview in Ron Chepesiuk's, "Sixties Radicals," at about the same time Mr. Ayers was forming CAC.

Read the whole thing...

Law professor Stephen Diamond also went through the document archive and claims to disagree with Kurtz's conclusions. He wholeheartedly agrees that Obama and Ayers were "comrades in arms" for years, but that their organization was "authoritarian," not only "radical." Here is how Diamond puts it:

Thus, the Chicago Annenberg Challenge was far more than just a chance for Ayers to engage in "radical" efforts to raise the political consciousness of young students. It was that but it was much more - it was a front in an important battle for control of the Chicago Public School system. In fact, according to the Ken Rolling, Daley himself tried to wrest control of the Annenberg grant money away from Ayers and Obama.

The Challenge was radical, but not the right wing's simplistic view of "radicalism." Rather it represented an authoritarian and bureaucratic agenda - a desperate attempt to use parents to control teachers through a politically correct curriculum, yes, but more importantly to use them as canon fodder in the battle to control teachers and administrators. This authoritarian approach is entirely consistent with Ayers' long held political views as he has consistently sided politically with the most undemocratic regimes available, including most recently that of Hugo Chavez in Venezuela.

And at Ayers' side the entire time during this battle was his comrade-in-arms, Barack Obama, who served as President and Chairman of the board of directors of the Challenge.

21:54
Worth reading: John Nagl on lessons for ...
» ‎ War and Piece

Worth reading: John Nagl on lessons for Afghanistan from Iraq....

Cloned YouTube accounts just latest move toward limiting political speech on internet

A Peek into Others' mind » September 23, 2008

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