| Is President Obama an Existential Threat to the Jewish State? |
[Jun. 10th, 2009|10:29 am] |
The fallout from President Obama’s Cairo speech is still raining down. Al Qaeda, AIPAC and the Limbaugh-led GOP have basically condemned it, moderates in the “Islamic world” are cautiously optimistic, and the Netanyahu-led Israelis are nervous and jerky.
The big question is this - will the Israelis and their ardent US supporters see President Obama as an existential threat to the Jewish State?
The “special relationship” between the US and Israel has not been this stressed since JFK demanded a halt to Israel’s nascent nuclear weapons program, in the spring of 1963. Israel’s PM, David Ben Gurion resigned rather than comply. A few months later, JFK was gunned down in Dallas. LBJ gave the Israelis the green light to proceed with their nuclear ambitions.
I see a parallel dynamic developing. With a far-right Israeli government currently in power, somebody may be thinking the unthinkable. Is Biden as ruthless and self-serving as LBJ was in 1963? We shall see.
Here is a link to an excellent article appearing on Haaretz.com, with this ominous headline, “Loving Israel by hating Obama “, by Bradley Burston.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1091234.html
It is an eye-opening, provocative piece that dares to expose a racist element in Israel-loving US Jews. I just had to comment.
Here is the text of my post:
Thank you, Mr. Burston, for having the courage and will to speak so openly on such a taboo subject. Please continue to inform us about issues that are uncomfortable and therefore often left out of the news and opinion sections of the mainstream media.
It appears that victimhood, in itself, does not confer righteousness upon the victims.
A history of being oppressed does not seem to engender a sense of collective compassion, sympathy or tolerance in the former victims.
On the contrary, former victims of hatred can become brutal perpetrators - this is true for individuals as well as for nations.
It is more than ironic when the Israeli government and Jewish NGO's speak out about "growing anti-Semitism" in Europe and elsewhere.
The world sees the apartheid wall, the Jim Crow system for Arab Israelis and the squalid Arab refugee camps.
When and if the Israelis abandon their notions about Jewish supremacy in Palestine, the world might genuinely eschew anti-Semitism. |
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| The Torture Issue |
[Apr. 24th, 2009|09:54 am] |
This new_york_loner site has grown cold from neglect; I've been spending my online time on posting boards across the globe. Mea culpa, once again.
The hot story this fine Spring morning is the debate and controversy surrounding the release of formerly classified documents that reveal the repeated use of waterboarding and other forbidden techniques on terror suspects held by the US.
Google News, at this moment in time, shows search results for [torture issue] at 5,740.
I decided to pick on the Big Apple this morning and post on the New York Daily News. I found a relevant story and submitted a comment that was accepted and posted.
The NYDN story is headlined, “Maybe torture was helpful, says Gibbs, but other methods may have been, too” and it’s by James Gordon Meek. Here’s the link:
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2009/04/23/2009-04-23_maybe_torture_was_helpful_gibbs_sez.html#community
Here is the text of my post, (post #29):
Sadly, those who feel that heavenly ends justify devilish means may carry the day in this debate. That's the wrong message, the road to Hell is paved with good intentions. There will be consequences, some predictable, others unforeseen.
Could it be that much of the pre-invasion “intelligence” that was used to justify the Iraq War was based on waterboard-induced confessions? The OK for these techniques must have come from George W. Bush himself.
If lying to Congress about a marital tryst is a “high crime”, then this torture stuff must meet the criteria to be properly labeled as such. It may be too late to impeach, it’s not too late to prosecute. |
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| The Hanukkah War |
[Jan. 1st, 2009|03:46 pm] |
Is the latest Israeli military operation in Gaza, the Hanukkah War, a Christmas gift, to the Arabs in Gaza, from President Bush?
Is this George W. Bush’s response to the Arab shoe-thrower?
Judging from the Lame Duck’s latest wise-quacks, it is clear that our Commander-In-Chief is reciting AIPAC–approved talking points and blaming the victims for the violence. Bush is giving Israel the green light to proceed with “Operation Cast Lead”.
The Israelis are too smart to start a major military operation without getting the prerequisite go-ahead signal from their closest ally, the USA. It is safe to assume that the Israelis secretly contacted President Bush before initiating their air assault on Gaza.
I think it is also safe to assume that President-elect Obama was also briefed on the situation and it is safe to assume that he too acquiesced to the Israeli plan.
The Christmas tree may still be up, but the Christmas spirit in America seems to have been short-lived this year. The blaring trumpets of Holy War, in the Holy Land are overpowering Christ’s words about hope, forgiveness, brotherly love, and charity – the traditional themes of Christmas.
Welcome to the Great Theocratic wars of the 21st Century. It’s the Zionist-Christian Crusaders versus the Islamic Jihadists.
Meanwhile, in the Gaza Strip, the death toll is rising. Reliable sources claim that, as of today, at least 380 Palestinians have been killed and many hundreds more have been severely injured, as a direct result of Israel’s Operation Cast Lead.
This American-approved war on Hamas will probably fail to uproot the “terrorists”, the noble goal proclaimed by this war’s proponents; it will certainly inspire a new generation of Arab “freedom fighters” to continue the armed resistance to “militant Zionism in Palestine”.
The stateless Arab refugees from the 1948 and 1967 wars and their descendants are penned-in, like criminals, in the tiny Gaza Strip. The Israelis control their airspace, blockade their ports and coastline and the IDF controls and patrols their land borders, with the help of a compliant regime in Egypt.
Life is hard, in the Gaza Strip – home to a million and a half desperate, displaced Arabs. Unemployment is widespread. Basic items like food, fuel, potable water, medical supplies and electricity are always in short supply. Extremists exploit the general despair.
In all human conflicts, there are causes and there are effects. We Americans need to recognize and deal with the root causes for the Arab and Muslim antipathy toward Israel and its allies.
The architects of the current “war on terror” have mistakenly concentrated on addressing the violent effects, instead of identifying and addressing the underlying causes.
The resolution of the Arab refugee issue has always been assigned to some future “final status” agreement; sadly, this has been the case for the past sixty years.
The so-called “Roadmap to Peace” is upside down, if we can resolve the Arab refugee issue first, instead of last, a major casus belli for the “terrorists” will be removed from the equation.
If we can finally and fairly settle the Arab/Israeli conflict, the militant Jihadists will run out of motivational ammunition. |
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| Obama's Choice for "National Pastor" |
[Dec. 22nd, 2008|02:21 pm] |
It is fair to question and to criticize President-elect Obama’s choice, Pastor Rick Warren, to deliver the inaugural invocation.
President-elect Obama justified and explained his choice; he claimed that his choice represents an attempt to unify the nation by reaching across the great cultural and political divide.
In reality, this is an assault on secular democracy.
Pastor Warren is a Judeo-Christian theocrat.
It may be smart politics, for Obama to choose Pastor Warren, but this continuing slide into theocracy is not good for the long-term health of our secular and democratic republic.
Mega-pastor, Reverend Rick Warren, will now assume the obligations of vetting and anointing our Presidents.
Earlier this year, Reverend Warren, the de facto national pastor, vetted both presidential candidates on his nationally televised “forum “ - a novel event, hosted by his mega-church and underwritten and validated by all the major networks and their sponsors.
Now, he gets the spotlight and the microphone again.
We may conclude that the “separation of church and state” idea is a quaint relic of the past.
Republicans and Democrats agree, playing the faith-based card is right, just and fitting.
Once he has taken the oath of office, President Obama will probably pump millions, if not billions, into the so-called “faith-based initiative”. What started out as a Christian Right scheme to raid the US treasury, will now be used by the Democrats to attract religious voters to the Democratic Party.
Meanwhile, some billion and a half Muslims on planet Earth may see this choice as further proof that Osama Bin Laden is right - the world is at war.
Bin Laden spoke of a Holy War - the Judeo-Christian Crusaders and the Zionists, on one side - and the world’s Muslims and Islam itself, on the other side. Pastor Warren, probably agrees with that grim analysis.
The republic’s Founders warned us about theocracy and foreign entanglements, if we ignore that sound advice, we do so at our own peril. |
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| Dynastic Democracy Meets Gubernatorial Greed |
[Dec. 12th, 2008|11:36 am] |
| [ | Tags | | | beau biden, blagojevich, cuomo clan, dynastic democracy, gubernatorial greed, jesse jackson junior, joe biden, kennedy clan, minner, obama, patterson | ] |
I posted the following rant on one of my favorite discussion board sites – the Nashville City Paper (NCP). An always passionate and sometimes articulate bunch of posters hang around the NCP’s “Letters to the Editor” board. I enjoy the online debates hosted by the NCP and I am thankful to be a part of the discourse.
Here is the URL:
http://www.nashvillecitypaper.com/news.php?viewStory=64748
Here is the text of my post:
Good morning, Nashville!
Great cartoon and great letters today. Bravo, Dargent 7.
The Blagojevich Affair is a classic case of dynastic democracy meeting gubernatorial greed. Jesse Jackson Junior, of the Jackson dynasty, is “Candidate Number 5”? No surprise there, he has repeatedly expressed his ambitious desire for Obama’s seat.
Others ask, “Was Rahm Emmanuel the go-between bagman?” The right-wing talk-show hosts are demanding to know the answers to the standard questions: “What did President-elect Obama know and when did he know it?”
This thing is not going away anytime soon, there will be a cloud over Washington, DC on January 20th, and you don’t need to be a weatherman to know that.
The dynastic democrats and the special interests are also cajoling Governor Patterson, in New York. Will it be the Cuomo clan or the Kennedy clan? It’s all quite disgusting.
In Delaware, Governor Ruth Ann Minner was surely lobbied to appoint the “right” person to take Vice President-elect Joe Biden’s seat in the US Senate. As it turns out, Edward “Ted” Kaufman, a long-time Biden aide, has apparently been declared to be the Chosen One.
Originally, Joe Biden’s son, Beau Biden, now serving in Iraq, was reportedly at the top of the short list of candidates for his dad’s job. Look for Junior Biden to claim his dad’s seat when he returns from Iraq; Kaufman appears to be something of a caretaker/seat-warmer for the Biden family seat.
Illinois Governor Blagojevich’s alleged flagrant corruption may be unique in its boldness and scope, but any Governor is going to be pressured to deliver on favors owed and may be offered quid pro quos whenever a US Senate seat is up for grabs, in any state. ‘twas ever thus.
In my view, US Senate vacancies should be filled in a transparent and democratic fashion, this “appointment” business is inherently flawed and invites corruption.
I think that the US Senator replacement mechanism needs a Constitutional overhaul. The current situation is dangerous and undemocratic by nature.
We read about “Flag Desecration” Amendments to the US Constitution and “Marriage Preservation” Amendments and so on, but nobody seems to be lobbying for a Constitutional fix for situations like these.
Same thing goes for any support for a Constitutional Amendment to eliminate the dangerous and undemocratic Electoral College system.
And the Vice Presidential candidate selection process is not just undemocratic, it is risky business; this lamentable situation requires a Constitutional remedy. Sadly, both major US political parties are content with the status quo.
We, the People are content with Democracy lite, yet we are smug enough to think that we have perfected the democratic process to the point where we can impose it upon nations that we invade and occupy. That’s arrogance born of ignorance. |
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| More Turmoil in The Holy Land |
[Nov. 15th, 2008|08:49 pm] |
The US elections are behind us and the globe continues to rotate. Now that the elections are no longer a distraction, the US media seem to be reporting on more news from abroad.
Once again, things are not good in Gaza. Another man-made humanitarian crisis is looming in the Holy Land.
Here is a link to a pertinent article in Monsters and Critics, the title is: Israel threatens offensive in Gaza Strip. The dateline is Nov 15, 2008, 19:47 GMT. Here is the URL:
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/middleeast/news/article_1443181.php
A poster, Mike in Texas, commented on this story; his arrogant yet ignorant post inspired me to respond.
Here is Mike’s unedited post: I just don't understand the Gaza situation! Israel gave up Gaza to give Palestinians peace. In response, Hamas refuses to accept the existance of Israel and just want to have truces and fire rockets. They know this won't work, but is their way to gain time. A simple fact is Israel was there three thousand years before the Muslim religion was thought of. Judea and Sumaria were always Israel, but Israel would give them a State as long as they remain peaceful and recognize Israel. The real issue here is the Arabs cannot and will not ever get along with any non Muslim neighbors. I believe Israel should level a Gaza house for every rocket fired. This, they might understand.
The following rant is my response to Mike in Texas and to the millions of Americans who might agree with him; I hope that all this will serve as a proper new_york_loner journal entry. Here it is:
With all due respect, Mike in Texas, you have imbibed way too much of that, Made-in-Israel, Kosher Kool-Aid.
Since when is the United States of America in the business of restoring ancient theocracies?
The answer: Since May 15, 1948. That's the day that the Jewish colonists in Palestine celebrate the birth of their faith-based, race-based, nation-state. For the Arabs of Palestine, that day is known as Al Naqba - the Disaster.
The Arabs were not the perpetrators of the Holocaust, but the Arabs were forced off their lands in order to compensate the Jewish victims who had survived the Nazi death camps. Two "wrongs" do not make a "right".
The Gazans have been living as hapless refugees for sixty years now; their despair spawns the "terror". These people need and deserve just compensation for their losses and third-party nations could do a whole lot more to help with the resettlement of these stateless survivors.
As for any 3,000 year old Biblical claim to the "Holy Land", that is not only irrelevant, that claim has long since expired. The statute of limitations on land claims is very short, just ask any Native American "Indian".
I have read the Old Testament accounts that chronicled the saga of how God's Chosen People, the Israelites, built their kingdom on land that they had seized by force of arms. If Israel and its defenders are using the Bible as evidentiary material, then we must conclude that the Israeli claim to the land was never legitimate.
The Biblical accounts are quite graphic, after the Israelites defeated the enemy armies, the surviving enemy men were slaughtered, virgin girls and young boys were spared and used as slaves. Read your Bible, it contains all the gory details of how the ancient Jews stole the land and enslaved or killed the former landowners.
The ancient Israelites believed that their ethnic cleansing activities were Divinely sanctioned; today’s Zionists also believe that they are acting with Divine sanction.
Mike, my fellow American, de facto Israeli agents have infiltrated the US federal government and co-opted the major US political parties. AIPAC-approved Israel-firsters are formulating US policy; doesn't that alarm you?
Last but not least, I must point out that the fourth estate, the US mainstream media, is absolutely pro-Israel.
Ironically, one must read the Israeli newspapers to get a glimpse of the harsh realities for Arabs in Palestine today. The Israelis actually brag about their inhumanity towards their Semitic cousins - the collective punishments, the IDF's assassinations, Jewish settler violence against Arabs etc. The Israelis report the incidents, but spin the story to their liking. And the Israeli posters on the online discussion boards clearly brag about their anti-Arab racism and their belief in Jewish supremacy and Zionist apartheid – it’s all very revealing.
There it is, Mike, the un-varnished and ugly truth. Can you handle it?
My honest advice: Don't drink the Kosher Kool-Aid. Read the Israeli papers and check out their discussion boards. Question authority. |
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| Hope and Change |
[Nov. 6th, 2008|10:33 am] |
Finally, it is over. A very long and very expensive decision-making process has been completed; the nation has selected Barack Hussein Obama to be its 44th President.
The popular vote was relatively close, Obama: 53% and McCain: 46%; as for the electoral vote tally, it wasn’t even close, Obama: 349 and McCain: 163.
Obama was able to flip at least eight states from Republican red to Democratic blue. North Carolina and Missouri are still counting the votes.
The “Solid South” isn’t so solid these days, Virginia and Florida voted for Obama-Biden.
Things have changed. Many ask, “Will this change be positive or negative, will it be good or bad?”
I don’t have any crystal balls or E-mails from the Almighty, so my opinions and predictions come with no guarantees; but I think that things are changing in a positive way.
It’s safe to say that the color-barrier to personal achievement has been eliminated from our pluralistic society. That’s a positive development.
It appears that the “Bradley effect” was a short-lived political phenomenon. That’s a good thing.
I think that, in future deals, the race card is no longer trump, that card is now the discarded joker. That’s a good thing too, the joker was never very funny.
Enough of the metaphors and ruminations, let us all hope and pray that the new president will meet or exceed the demands of the office and that he places the People’s interests first and foremost in his mind.
As they say, “now comes the hard part”. Mr. Obama has inspired millions with his lofty words and eloquent speeches, after January 20th, 2009, he will be forced to deliver on his promises.
President-elect Obama will have the support of the party-faithful in both Legislative chambers; the Democrats will control Congress. It will be tough to blame the Republicans, if things go badly and I’m sure that the Obama team is acutely aware of that.
Obama’s judgment will now be tested as he selects his cabinet and key advisors. Will the Obama Administration be one that is based upon merit, or will it be like the Bush Administration, where politics and paybacks were factored into the equation.
Obama’s campaign was centered on two words, “Hope” and “Change”. Let’s hope that we haven’t been fooled again, that in itself would be change. |
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| Final Week Fireworks & new_york_loner Endorsement |
[Oct. 28th, 2008|11:29 am] |
This is it. The last week of the 2008 election spectacle – it’s like the grand finale at a fireworks show. Lots of red, white and blue, lots of boom and thunder and then the lingering, clouds of acrid smoke.
If the campaigners have any unused or surplus incendiary or explosive material, they’ll use it now.
Let’s hope that the post-election smoke quickly clears and let us all hope that there will be no unexploded ordnance to deal with – like the notorious “hanging chad”, in 2000, or another Supreme Court intervention into deciding who won the election.
Whatever the outcome, the nation will need to put politics aside and unite for the common good; this is not the time for more polarization and divisiveness. The next president will have to act as a national healer and uniter, let us hope that the right person is chosen for this daunting task.
Senator McCain and Governor Palin do not come across as healers or uniters. They come across as agitators.
Senator McCain pandered to the GOP base by selecting a Pentecostal hockey mom as his running mate. His judgment in selecting Sarah Palin is highly questionable.
Throughout the debates, Senator McCain exhibited an un-statesmanlike “wise-ass” streak; this temperament flaw was especially evident to those who viewed the debates on networks using the split-screen. Senator McCain has a long history of issuing angry outbursts. John McCain’s presidential temperament is certainly questionable.
Senator McCain’s claim to be a “maverick”, one who can bring about “change”, is also questionable. By his own admission, he voted with Bush “90% of the time”. McCain was no “maverick”; he led the GOP herd, obediently following the cowboy’s commands, during Junior Bush’s 8-year-long cattle drive to the electoral slaughterhouse.
Senator McCain’s top campaign staff is loaded with special interest lobbyists. If elected, McCain would be highly beholden to those special interests. The potential for conflicts of interest and corruption is certainly there.
I am endorsing Senator Barack Obama, for US President.
Senator Obama is not the perfect candidate, but he appears to have the judgment, temperament and skills needed for the demanding job that he is seeking.
If Barack Obama is given a Democratically controlled Congress to work with, the nation may be able to effect the necessary course corrections in time to avert potential disaster. |
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| Weekend Update |
[Oct. 18th, 2008|08:42 pm] |
It’s Saturday night and things are quiet. I’ll try to put together another journal entry. I made several attempts, during the past week, to put together some cogent comments, concerning current events, but I was repeatedly interrupted and ended up losing the texts.
The dust from Wednesday night’s final presidential debate has settled. The polls seem to indicate that Senator Obama won the debate, although Senator McCain exceeded expectations.
Senator Obama won all three debates; sorry, Senator McCain, three strikes and you’re out.
Joe, the skin-headed, non-union, non-licensed, tax-delinquent plumber stole the show. Skin-headed Joe actually compared Senator Obama to a tap-dancing Sammy Davis Junior. It’s easy to see why McCain and Palin fell in love with Joe the Plumber.
McCain and Obama traded self-deprecating barbs at the Al Smith Dinner on Thursday. I don’t usually like to see tuxedoed politicians rubbing elbows with vestment-wearing clerics, but in this case, I’ll make an exception. The campaign rhetoric was starting to resemble hate-speech; the “roast” acted as a pressure relief valve.
Speaking of the church versus state issue, I came across an interesting article on the Israeli, Haaretz, online site. Bradley Burston and J.J. Goldberg wrote the piece; it’s entitled “Members of the tribe / 36 Jews who have shaped the 2008 U.S. election”. Here is the URL:
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1029302.html
As an American patriot who believes in secular governance, it troubles me to read stories like this one. I object to any religion-based meddling in governmental affairs. And I object to the idea of a state outside of our union of states “shaping” our presidential elections.
With that in mind, I left the following post on the Haaretz board:
Apparently it is OK for Jews to brag about the disproportionate Jewish and Israeli influence in the 2008 US presidential elections; but it is not OK for anyone to complain about it.
If any of the so-called, "anti-Semitic" websites and media were to publish this list of influential Jews, they would be labeled as being "anti-Semitic".
Israel's national interests are not at all identical with those of the US. Would these members of "the tribe" put Israel's national interests above those of the USA?
The potential for conflicts of interest is enormous.
Now is the time for the USA to divest from apartheid theocracies, not to be influenced by them.
This list of dual-allegiance, movers and shakers should alarm those American patriots who rightly reject foreign meddling in the formulation of US policy.
Israelis resent US meddling in their affairs, American politicians, on the other hand, seek and welcome Israeli influence.
I'm not a bigot; I'm a patriot. |
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| Candidates Send Wrong Signal to Israel |
[Oct. 8th, 2008|11:02 am] |
The internet is crackling with morning-after reviews of the second presidential debate, here's my take on it: Obama won on all counts.
Senator McCain looked and sounded weak and fragile. Maybe McCain was deliberately trying to milk the sympathy angle; he seemed to act more gimpy than usual. Yes, I know all about his ejection-seat trauma and his horrific POW experience - we've heard it all before ad nauseum. Many voters are now experiencing sympathy burnout for this self-serving and shallow politician.
Smirking McCain sounded bitter at times and condescending throughout the 90-minute show. He still refuses to make eye contact with his opponent, whom he derisively called "that one".
Obama, on the other hand, looked presidential. His answers seemed to be coherent and relevant to the questions asked. Obama appeared to display a cooler head and cooler heads often prevail.
I was disappointed in both candidates when they answered the obligatory questions concerning Israel's national interests. Both candidates are sending the wrong signal to the Israelis; neither candidate is making a distinction between the US response to an Iranian first-strike on Israel and the US response to an Iranian retaliatory strike on Israel.
Ambiguity on such a critical point is dangerous.
Here is a link to a relevant story on the Haaretz (Israeli) online site, the piece is entitled "ANALYSIS / Thank goodness for McCain and Obama support on Iran", by Benjamin L. Hartman. Here's the URL:
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1027617.html
Here is the text of my comment on the discussion board for that article:
Both presidential candidates tried to outdo each other in sucking up to the Zionists in the Jewish State and to the fifth column Zionists here in the USA.
Of the thousands of questions that were submitted, the Jewish-controlled US media made sure that a question concerning the US/Iran/Israel nexus was put to the candidates. This obsession with Israel’s national interests is a regular feature of the political debates, going back to the primary campaigns.
What is missing from the question is whether the theoretical Iranian attack on Israel is an Iranian first-strike or self-defense, after an Israeli first-strike on Iran.
Israel is getting the wrong signal here, if the Israelis think that they can attack Iran and that the US will defend the Jewish State from a retaliatory strike.
The US needs to make it absolutely clear that if Israel strikes Iran in a first-strike attack, then Israel is on its own to face the Iranian, and possible Chinese and Russian counter-attacks. |
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| Protesting the "Stop Iran Now" Rally in NYC |
[Sep. 22nd, 2008|10:47 am] |
It’s a crisp and sunny morning here in upstate New York; it’s a beautiful day for a protest rally.
Today, Monday September 22, 2008 is the date set for the “Stop Iran Now” (SIN) rally at the UN complex in New York City. I wanted to attend the event, as a lone counter-protester, carrying my usual “HOLY WARS SUCK” sign, but I couldn’t get it all together in time.
This Journal Entry will have to serve as my personal protest platform.
It seems that the SIN protest has had an unplanned impact on the US presidential campaigns.
First, Hillary Clinton was invited to speak at the rally and she accepted, back in August. Then, just recently, the rally organizers invited Sarah Palin to speak.
Palin’s invite apparently infuriated the Clinton people and Hillary quickly cancelled her plans to speak at the rally. The rally organizers then over-reacted and hastily dis-invited Sarah Palin.
The McCain/Palin campaign cynically exploited the story and promptly blamed the whole mess on “Democrat partisans”.
The decision to dis-invite Palin was made by the Council Of Presidents Of Major American Jewish Organizations (COPOMAJO). Other rally organizers have strongly criticized that decision.
The Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs (JINSA), National Council of Young Israel (NCYI) and the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) have all complained that they were not consulted in the decision-making process.
Here is a link to an Arutz Sheva article that pretty much sums up the current situation:
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/127704
I posted the following comment (#14) on the discussion board for that story:
I love the irony: COPOMAJO attacked by JINSA, NCYI and ZOA. And the RJC (Republican Jewish Coalition) is probably miffed as well.
There is a certain poetic justice when a hate-filled, bomb-builder blows himself up, while building his bomb.
And there is an element of that poetic justice in this Anti-Iran Rally story.
The Anti-Iran Rally, in NYC, was supposed to galvanize America’s resolve to defend the Jewish State from an existential threat posed by the Iranians. That was the plan.
Now it seems that the American Jewish groups, who organized and planned the Anti-Persian Hate-Fest, have clumsily over-reached. This has blown up in their faces.
Don’t get me wrong, Iran's Ahmadinejad is a dangerous demagogue, but Anti-Iran hate-rallies, sponsored by members of the War Lobby, are not the way to advance world peace.
Let me say it again, HOLY WARS SUCK. |
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| Sarah Palin: Demigoddess and Demagogue. |
[Sep. 11th, 2008|03:29 pm] |
Vice presidential candidate Gov. Sarah Palin, in my opinion, is a demagogue and a demigod, all rolled into one sweet treat.
Or should I say that Sarah Palin is a demigoddess and a demagogue, all rolled into one sweet treat?
This could be problematic for the Democrats.
The power of fascination should never be underestimated. And Sarah Palin clearly has it. It is the power that propels and enables both demagogue and demigod alike.
Sarah Palin fits the “demagogue” definition: (from thefreedictionary.com) (1) A leader who obtains power by means of impassioned appeals to the emotions and prejudices of the populace. (2) A leader of the common people in ancient times.
Sarah Palin fits the “demigod” definition: (from thefreedictionary.com) (1) a. a being who is part mortal, part god b. a lesser deity (2) a godlike person
Sarah Palin certainly fits the “demigoddess” definition: (from thefreedictionary.com) (1) A female being, often the offspring of a god and a mortal, who has some but not all of the powers of a goddess. (2) A deified woman.
Sarah Palin is certainly “of the common people”; she has shown her disdain for the “elitists” and her performance at the GOP convention showed that she is capable of delivering “impassioned appeals to the emotions and prejudices of the populace”. She’s a demagogue.
Sarah is certainly “a female being”, but whether or not she is “the offspring of a god and a mortal, who has some but not all of the powers of a goddess” has not yet been revealed. Judging from the tabloids, FOX News and the GOP talking points, as well as the Christian media, it’s fair to say that Sarah Palin is being raised to the level of a “deified woman”. She could be a demigoddess.
The Democrats need to deal with this right now or suffer the consequences. |
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| Sarah-Cuda On The Loose! |
[Sep. 4th, 2008|11:30 am] |
Governor Sarah Palin's powerful speech last night silenced the doubters in the GOP fold.
American theocrats are quick to forgive their own. They find it much more difficult to forgive those who have trespassed against them.
Sarah Palin is a powerful new voice that is not going away anytime soon, she is no Dan Quayle and she'll be no Thomas Eagleton.
Many of us had hoped that Mrs. Palin would put her family's privacy first and withdraw.
Many hoped that she would put country first and withdraw, realizing that her family's saga was a needless distraction.
But no, this articulate and savvy politician has put her career first, just like the professional male politicians have always done.
The pundits have long claimed that the Veep choice, with few exceptions, was not a significant factor in previous US Presidential elections. Sarah Palin, AKA: Sarah-Cuda, is here to prove that this election will be one of those exceptions to the rule.
If the Palin choice works, McCain will be viewed as a political genius. If this gamble fails, he will be viewed as an old fool.
More bad stuff is coming out, did Mayor Sarah-Cuda pressure the town librarian to remove certain books from the shelves? Cuda-be.
The nation’s librarians usually remain politically neutral, but Sarah-Cuda’s past behavior regarding censorship alarms some of them. Here is link to a webpage called, "librarian.net".
http://www.librarian.net/stax/2366/sarah-palin-vp-nominee/
Here is a cut/paste from that link:
"(Former Wasilla mayor) Stein says that as mayor, Palin continued to inject religious beliefs into her policy at times. “She asked the library how she could go about banning books,” he says, because some voters thought they had inappropriate language in them. “The librarian was aghast.” The librarian, Mary Ellen Baker, couldn’t be reached for comment, but news reports from the time show that Palin had threatened to fire her for not giving “full support” to the mayor.
The original source for that particular clip is a Sept. 2, Time magazine article entitled, “Mayor Palin: A Rough Record”
Here’s the link to that Time magazine article.
http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1837918,00.html
Sarah Palin is an unabashed Judeo-Christian theocrat. Do we dare slip deeper into creeping theocracy?
Holy Wars Suck. |
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| Labor Day Observations |
[Sep. 1st, 2008|12:00 pm] |
Things are still rumbling in the Caucasus, there’s trouble brewing on the Black Sea.
We, the People, did not see it coming. Who was prescient enough to predict that the recent resurrection of the Cold War would be a final going-away present from Bush/Cheney to the War Lobby?
Mr. Putin has suggested that the US was complicit in Saakashvili’s decision to attack South Ossetia. Mr. Putin even suggested that the Bush administration’s decision to encourage the ill-fated military incursion was actually a politically motivated, clandestine scheme designed to benefit Senator McCain and the Republican Party.
Here’s a link to the story:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7586605.stm
The White House has dismissed Putin’s allegation as being “not-rational”.
Is that so?
Bush/Cheney needlessly took this nation to war, against Iraq, using false pretexts and faulty, ginned-up intelligence. They got away with it. Emboldened and remorseless, they may have engineered this Caucasian crisis, as well. On this one, I’m not disputin’ Putin.
On the home front, it’s going to be Obama/Biden versus McCain/Palin. The race card and the gender card are now in play. This could get mean and nasty.
It seems that Obama has moved to capture the center, while McCain has moved to solidify his base.
I don’t see Obama/Biden taking any of the electoral votes in the Old Confederacy states, with Florida a possible exception, Without the South, the Democrats may be doomed to electoral failure.
As for McCain’s surprise pick as his running mate, Sarah Palin, freshman Governor of Alaska, I think that this risky move might backfire. It’s the judgment thing.
Did McCain put his candidacy first, or did he put country first?
Does John McCain really and truly believe that this telegenic, housewife-turned-governor is the most qualified person in America to assume the presidency, if need be? If so, McCain may be too inept, or too delusional to be president.
Senator McCain may have realized that Sarah Palin is not qualified for the job. If he chose her anyway - because he needed to pander to the theocratic wing of the GOP and he wanted to attract those so-called “disenfranchised” female voters - then we can conclude that Senator McCain is simply another clever, self-serving, politician. He may be too corrupt to be president. It’s the mettle fatigue thing.
On a lighter note, while perusing the internet, I came across an entertaining Times Online (UK) piece, entitled “Colbert takes on Sarah Palin”, by Daniel Finkelstein. Here is the link:
http://timesonline.typepad.com/comment/2008/09/colbert-takes-o.html?cid=128586240#comments
Here is the text of my comment, now posted on the discussion board for that article:
“Colbert has reminded us that Palin's selection is not only historical it is also quite hysterical.
The American masses are indeed asses, and the Judeo-Christian theocrats may end up getting the last laugh.
The funny thing is, the electorate has absolutely no input in the VP candidate's selection process.
And we are smugly exporting our "democracy" to the developing nations. It's an inter-national joke.” |
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| Rumble in the Caucasus |
[Aug. 13th, 2008|10:22 pm] |
It’s all over the news media and throughout the blogosphere - the fecal material has hit the rotor blades in the Caucasus region.
Those mean and nasty Russians have “invaded” poor little Georgia. The US, of course, is pointing the finger of blame at the rampaging Russian bear.
It would seem that the highly vaunted “Rose Revolution” came with hidden thorns among the blossoms.
President Bush, as always, is catapulting the propaganda. The truth, as always, is the first casualty of war.
Here's a link to a cartoon that, in my opinion, truthfully sums up the US/Russia/Georgia relationship:
http://www.independent.co.uk/multimedia/archive/00043/cartoon110808_43676a.jpg
Click here for a link to a statement from Mikhail Gorbachev, as published in the Washington Post.
Mr. Gorbachev ought to know what’s at stake. His letter is an excellent counterweight to the load of crap coming out of the White House.
I can understand the Russian position, though I do not condone the Russian military action in South Ossetia.
Bush and company have apparently over-reached in the Caucasus. This is shaping up as another Bush/Cheney fiasco.
As in the Middle East, US policy in the Caucasus region seems to have been crafted by the War Lobby.
The Defense lobby was making big money by supplying the Georgians with weapons and training.
The Israel lobby was promoting Israel's huge investment in the region.
And last, but certainly not least, we have the Energy lobby, lusting after the region's natural gas and petroleum.
The same old troika has pulled this nation into a confrontation with an alarmed Russian bear.
What’s going on here? Once again, the special interests trumped the public's interest and now we are witnessing the tragic results.
The Russians, the Southern Ossetians and the Georgians are paying the price in blood and treasure.
If the US cannot now come to the aid of the Georgians, the US will look like an unreliable partner in these so-called "democratization" and “development” schemes.
If the neocons are truly foolhardy and if Bush truly is a mad duck, then US military action in the region is a definite possibility. Things could get out of hand quickly.
It's a no-win situation for Bungling Bush. He will be exiting the world stage with this final fiasco as a smoking backdrop.
Will all this effect the US presidential race?
I think that it already has and this war in the volatile Caucasus region could be just the thing to propel Senator McCain to victory in November. Several polls seem to indicate that the public perceives Senator McCain as the better choice for the Commander-In-Chief role.
If Senator Obama can point to the conflict and convince the public that the Republicans have failed again, then Obama could benefit from a "throw the bums out" mood sweeping across the fruited plain. The trick is doing all that without appearing to be unpatriotic in a period of hyped-up national alarm.
McCain and his War Lobby handlers will try to play the fear card; cool-headed Obama must echo FDR's famous quote - "All we have to fear is fear itself." The nation just might believe that. |
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| Right-wing Gunman Attacks Liberals in Tennessee. |
[Jul. 31st, 2008|07:18 pm] |
While I was away, at my summer retreat, a crazed gunman, Jim Adkisson, attacked a Unitarian Universalist church in Knoxville, Tennessee, killing two and critically wounding several others. I Googled the story and I came across an interesting blog called Bad Ideas. Here is a link to that blog. I left the following comments on the Bad Ideas webpage:
I am a first-time visitor to this interesting blog; I found the site by way of a Google search.
As a Unitarian Universalist, I am especially disturbed by this hate crime in Tennessee. Our local UU church will be holding a memorial service for the victims this Sunday.
Many are asking themselves, “How could this happen?”
When Ronald Reagan trashed the "Fairness Doctrine", many folks supported that move, as a victory for "free speech".
The truth is, striking down the Fairness Doctrine opened the door to media-based demagoguery on a grand scale.
It is true that people are free to change the channel and listen to opposing views, but in reality, most talk-show listeners only tune in to what they want to hear; it's human nature, I suppose.
The decades since Reagan's bold move to eliminate fairness in media reporting has seen a commensurate increase in political polarization and national divisiveness. I believe that these two phenomena are not unrelated.
Of the three right-wing authors cited in this article, O’Reilly, Hannity and Savage, Michael Savage represents the most serious threat, in my opinion. Savage routinely ostracizes liberals as being weak, emasculated idiots. And for those libs that dare to question the US/Israeli nexus, Savage reserves a special kind of hate.
Savage is a de facto Israeli agent posing as an American super-patriot. Those who disagree with Mike Savage are lumped together as "holocaust deniers", "terrorist sympathizers", "anti-Semites", Arab-lovers" and, of course, "nazis".
The War Lobby consists of the Defense, Israel and Energy lobbies collectively (DIE). Peace activists should target all three forces equally. Sadly, most Americans have been led to believe that Israel and the Israelis are innocent victims of hate and are engaging in legitimate “self-defense”.
Most liberals will speak out against the Defense and Energy Lobbies but are reluctant to criticize the Israel Lobby, out of fear of being smeared as an anti-Semite etc.
The US needs to place its national interests above those of a theocratic state in Palestine. Zionists and their useful idiots, the Born-Agains, have hijacked the American mission statement.
Obama pledged fealty to AIPAC, the most powerful special interest group in Washington, on the day after he clinched the Democratic nomination. John McCain did the same thing 48 hours before Obama did. It would appear that our Israeli overlords are in full control of US foreign policy.
As America is slowly dragged into another war, this time with Iran, we should credit hate-mongers, like Michael Savage, with stirring up the masses and inciting more Holy War.
Holy Wars Suck. |
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| Loner's Summer Retreat |
[Jul. 17th, 2008|12:58 am] |
The regular visitors to this weblog know about my annual pilgrimage to the Brushwood Folklore Center, in unspoiled Sherman, NY.
Yes, it's that time of year again. I’m heading out, for the Sirius Rising Festival and the following event, Starwood 2008.
I did manage to attend the X-Days event, also held at Brushwood each year, over the 4th of July weekend. It was a sweet reunion with “my people”.
I’m looking forward to seeing old friends and meeting new ones in the coming days.
While I’m away, in the rustic hills along the New York-Pennsylvania border, please feel free to use this web page for reasoned debate, contemplative discourse, and pertinent chitchat. Graphics, of course, are also welcome.
I only ask that all posters refrain from personal attacks. All visitors are entitled to a modicum of respect; it’s a reciprocal thing.
I may not return for ten days or so, but when I reluctantly return to “Mundania”, I will check the Comment Board and respond to all visitors.
Again, I’d like to say “Thanks!” to all of you who took the time to visit the new_york_loner site and for expressing your views. I think that we all found some common ground, if so, it was time well spent.
It’s been a great year for Old Loner, I hope that life has been good for all of you as well.
The forum is open.
I’m outta here! |
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| FISA Amendments Act |
[Jul. 11th, 2008|10:53 am] |
I was Googling the news this morning, when I came across an interesting website known as Connie Talk.com. The article that grabbed my eye is entitled “FISA Amendments Act Passes, Telecoms Immune”.
Here is a link to that piece.
I thought that my post on Connie Talk might serve as a new journal entry for my own blog. Here is the text of the comment that I submitted to the discussion board for that particular article:
I'm a first-time visitor to this site and I'm impressed.
I like your FISA T-shirt design, but the immunity was not "free". As you pointed out, that immunity cost the telecoms $8,359 per US Representative.
According to Opensecrets.org, under the heading of “Telephone Utilities: Money to Congress”, the average contribution to US House members was $8,407 and the average contribution to members of the US Senate, during the 2007-2008 election cycle, was $19,678.
Hardly surprising, the top three Senate recipients of “Telephone Utilities” cash, in the 2007-2008 election cycle, are: McCain, John (R) $365,955 Clinton, Hillary (D-NY) $246,747 Obama, Barack (D) $220,789.
Here is a link to the opensecrets.org web page that exposes the depth of the sellout.
Opensecrets.org also lists the contributions from two related business sectors: “Telecom Services & Equipment” and “Communications/Electronics”.
If we were to tally in the contributions to Bush/Cheney in 2000 and in 2004, these figures would rise to dizzying heights.
Even if we factor all that money into the equation, the telecoms, the phone companies and the communications/electronics sectors still got a huge bang for their political buck.
Instead of facing expensive, extensive and extended litigation and the potential for paying out tens of millions in settlements to their customers, the telecommunications industry got off the hook by bribing a few scumbags in Washington, for relative “chump change”.
Yes, we Americans enjoy the best democracy that money can buy and now we are exporting that putatively wholesome product, at gunpoint.
The Founders must be rolling in their graves. |
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| John McCain - Corrupt or Inept? |
[Jun. 12th, 2008|12:05 pm] |
Here is a link to an interesting and thought-provoking article, by NY Daily News Washington Correspondent, Richard Sisk. It's entitled John McCain's taking a bruisin' on 'confusion'
The following rant is the text of my comment on that NY Daily News discussion board:
John McCain’s tragic ordeal, as a POW in Hanoi, proved the man’s mettle. But that was forty years ago.
The question remains, has two terms in the US House and three terms in the US Senate corrupted the product? Has John McCain shown signs of mettle fatigue?
The Keating-5 scandal revealed some disturbing character flaws in Senator McCain. If he was a willing and fully cognizant co-conspirator, then we must conclude that he has a corrupt streak. If John McCain was an unwitting dupe in the conspiracy, then we must conclude that he was and perhaps remains dangerously inept.
McCain-Feingold turned out to be a golden motherlode for the major political parties and their affiliates. Again, corrupt or inept?
John McCain is revealing the effects that years of strain have had on his personal mettle - professional, special-interest lobbyists are running his presidential campaign. Again we must ask, “Corrupt or inept?”
Senator McCain is a legitimate war hero, an American who deserves our everlasting respect for his personal sacrifice, but mettle fatigue has made him an unfit candidate for the stressful job he is seeking.
With all due respect, John McCain is a venerable old war-horse, but, for the good of the nation, he needs to be put out to pasture; sadly, his glory days are long gone. |
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