This comes from a news story by Knight Ridder - Jewish settlers move into Arab section of Jerusalem

Palestinians seek the West Bank and Gaza Strip for their independent state, with East Jerusalem as its capital. West Jerusalem would remain as the Israeli capital.

Which Palestinians? Not Hamas or Islamic Jihad, or even Fatah for that matter, who want all of Israel. It's very nice that Knight-Ridder has agreed to let the Jews name Jerusalem as the capital.

Also, if you read the article I would think that it might be fair to write a different headline - "Jews return to area ethincially cleansed by Arabs 66 years ago."

What's good for the goose is good for the gander.

Bill on rights of Jewish refugee introduced in U.S. Congress

A resolution seeking the guarantee of the rights of Jewish refugees who fled Arab countries will be introduced simultaneously in the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives on Thursday....

According to the resolution, anytime the issue of Palestinian refugees will be addressed at any international forum, the U.S. representative will be required to bring attention to the issue of Jewish refugees.

According to estimates, some 900,000 Jews fled Arab countries between 1948 and 1972.

Resolution 242, adopted by the United Nations in 1967, calls for "a just settlement of the refugee problem." The Resolution makes no distinction between Arab refugees and Jewish refugees from Arab countries.

I think I'm going to be careful about which ATM I choose when I go down to Argentina in a few weeks.

FleetBoston Branch in Argentina Seized and Vandalized

In January, a bomb exploded inside the same FleetBoston branch. No one was injured by the blast, which damaged two automated teller machines. A group opposing the Free Trade of the Americas Accord and the International Monetary Fund claimed responsibility.

Two Citigroup Inc. branches in the center of Buenos Aires were closed temporarily last month after dozens of protesters stormed the building and painted slogans inside. The group also has closed branches of Banco Itau Holding Financeira SA and Lloyds TSB Bank Plc.

In Argentina, Neo-Nazi party again may be denied accreditation.
May be?

Don't walk - run - to the Jerry Seinfeld/Superman ads online for American Express. Aside from being pretty funny, the format itself is unique.

"You do what you do, I'll do what I do"

The Kase of the Kosher Killer.

Homicide in Monsey

MONSEY — A man died after he was found wounded last night in the back of a kosher pizzeria. The man was either slashed or stabbed, Ramapo police Detective Lt. Brad Weidel said last night.

Police were called about 9 p.m. and were told that a man inside Chai Pizza & Falafel restaurant had a head wound and was unresponsive and not breathing.

I've actually eaten there before. Very orthodox family oriented place. The article doesn't say whether the murder took place inside the pizzeria or if this guy just crawled in there, looking for help. I assume the latter....

Update - I was wrong. The murder did take place inside the pizzeria and was due to an argument among the kitchen help.

Ordonez and Chicaiza were working together at Chai Pizza on Route 59 when Chicaiza was stabbed once through the upper left side of his chest with a 4-inch steak knife, police said.

Chicaiza stumbled from a small storage area, bleeding, and collapsed in the restaurant's back dining area in front of patrons just before 8:48 p.m., police said. He died less than an hour later at Good Samaritan Hospital in Suffern.

I hope I remember to tape this...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

IT’S BEEN ARGUED ABOUT AND ANALYZED, BUT UNTIL NOW IT HASN’T BEEN ANIMATED…

DON’T MISS THIS WEEK’S EPISODE OF “SOUTH PARK”

AS THE BOYS TAKE ON MEL GIBSON AND “THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST”

IN AN ALL-NEW EPISODE ENTITLED

“THE PASSION OF THE JEW”

PREMIERING WEDNESDAY, MARCH 31 AT 10:00 P.M. ON COMEDY CENTRAL

After weeks of pressure from Cartman, Kyle finally sees “The Passion” and, much to Cartman’s delight, is forced to admit that he has been right all along. Inspired by Kyle’s change of heart and a powerful love for Mel Gibson, Cartman incites many of the film’s hardcore fans to band together and carryout its message. Meanwhile, Stan and Kenny also see the movie and embark upon a quest to find Mel Gibson

I'm pretty sure there must be something illegal about this. I got nervous myself just reading about it, thinking how my children might have been scared to death.

Demonstrators Swarm Around Rove's Home

Several hundred people stormed the small yard of President Bush's chief political strategist, Karl Rove, yesterday afternoon, pounding on his windows, shoving signs at others and challenging Rove to talk to them about a bill that deals with educational opportunities for immigrants.

Palacios (the protest organizer) said that Rove was "very upset" and was "yelling in our faces" and that Rove told them "he hoped we were proud to make his 14-year-old and 10-year-old cry."

Palacios, trembling and in tears herself, said, "He is very offended because we dared to come here.

"He also said, 'Don't ever dare to come back,' " Palacios said. "We will, if he continues to ignore us."

If what they did to Karl Rove was not illegal, someone should find Emira Palacio's home and blast loud music at it, Noriega style. Oh, and bring a couple of busloads of people for fun to bang on the windows. I hope for their sake she doesn't have children at home.

And don't forget to go the the National People's Action website - apparently they call it a victory to descend on people's houses if they don't like them.



One moret thing - this is how the NPA lionizes their founder:

One of the greatest tributes to Gale Cincotta after her death was being compared to a linebacker. With her size and demeanor, Cincotta ran over, trampled and tackled anyone in her way. Good old Soviet-style politickin'!

How does a statement like this get into a NY Times news piece, as opposed to Op-Ed?

The furor over Clarke's charges threatens the image of a ``war president'' that Bush is nurturing as he campaigns for re-election in November.

Image?!? Nurturing?!? Are we not in a war (or several)? Is Bush not President?

Perhaps they meant to say "succesful war president" or "arch-enemy of terrorism". In any case it's a careless use of language.

Just a funny story...I know I'm a political/news junkie and sometimes think everyone is into the same things I am. Right now I'm sitting in the lobby of a luxury inn in the San Francisco area.

When I planned my trip here, I thought that people would look at me funny - they would see in my face that I was a supporter of the war. I thought that when I didn't give to the homeless person on the corner (and there's one on almost every corner), civic leaders would come crashing down on me about my failure to help my fellow human beings in need.

Needless to say, none of that happened and I'm paranoid.

However, as I type, there is a middle aged couple having breakfast in the lobby reading the newspaper. All of sudden, the wife sighs out loud to no one in particular - "that Bush is such a fascist!"

I'm keeping my head down until I get back to Texas!

Nice try, but no virgins....

Two unidentified members of the Islamic militant group Hamas wearing wetsuits embrace in this video released by Hamas, Friday March 26, 2004. Israeli troops on Friday foiled a seaborne attack on the Jewish settlement of Tel Katifa in Gaza, shooting dead two attackers who emerged from the Mediterranean in wetsuits and flippers. Hamas has claimed responsibility for the shooting on the Tel Katifa settlement. (AP Photo/APTN)

My three year old is about to write her first fan letter.

Top doc backs picking your nose and eating it

Picking your nose and eating it is one of the best ways to stay healthy, according to a top Austrian doctor.

Innsbruck-based lung specialist Prof Dr Friedrich Bischinger said people who pick their noses with their fingers were healthy, happier and probably better in tune with their bodies.

Here, a patient applies the proper technique:

The United Nations Human Rights Commission (*snicker*) is all up in arms about Israel's killing of Sheik Yassin, declaring him an Innocent Civilian. I can't tell if they think that Jews are simply not Human, or if they are Human but don't have any rights.

I am eagerly awaiting their inqiuiry into the use of child suicide bombers by our peace partners, the Palestinian Authority and their cohorts.

IDF nabs young boy with bomb belt (Again).

Here's another opinion piece in today's WSJ that brings to the outsourcing, job loss complaints a logical argument which I haven't heard anyone express to date.

The balance of jobs we import from abroad greatly exceeds the jobs we export abroad.

Hinestly, I don't know who has the definitive numbers on this, but it certainly needs to be taken into consideration.

Read the whole thing here. Ever Heard of Insourcing?

Here's what John Kerry plans to do to stop the free flow of jobs between ourselves and the rest of the world:

As President, John Kerry would advocate more transparency by companies that are outsourcing. In other words, additional beauracracy for companies that are doing something perfectly legal.

He will direct his Cabinet Secretaries to look at procurement policies and assure wherever possible Federal contracts are not being outsourced overseas. Because we want more people working in government eating up more of our tax dollars.

John Kerry will also make sure the Federal government does not give lucrative contracts to companies that....are moving offshore.

John Kerry wants to keep jobs on the booming call center market here in America, and help provide a measure of security for telephone and Internet consumer transactions. Becuase we need to expenad the base of minimum wage, dead-end jobs and we can't trust those Indians with our credit card information anyway.

A very strong statement printed by Spain's President Aznar in todays WSJ.

The Truth About 3/11

A few days earlier, the group had tried to carry out an attack with 500 kilograms of explosives, one that failed only due to the intervention of the Guardia Civil, the national police. Those detained in this failed attack had a map that highlighted the zone of the Henares Pathway, through which run the trains that were targeted on March 11. And it was ETA that, on Christmas Eve, attempted another slaughter at Madrid's Chamartin station, also thwarted by our national police. And to continue the ghoulish catalog, the same terrorist group brought two vans loaded with more than 1½ tons of explosives to Madrid in December 1999. Once again, our security forces foiled what would have been mass murder......

My government was not alone in attributing the March 11 attacks to ETA. In the first few hours, the president of the Basque Autonomous Region, the secretary general of the Socialist Party, the general coordinator of the United Left and the secretary general of Catalonia's Esquerra Republicana, among others, did likewise....

On the afternoon of March 11, however, the Ministry of the Interior, having been informed that an Arabic-language tape and several detonators had been found in a vehicle, ordered the opening of a new line of investigation. The ministry immediately informed the public of this....

...I want to be clear and robust: My government has told the truth. I can put up with political criticism, but I will never accept being accused of lying or manipulation. These are accusations that are intolerable, and which soil the memory of the victims.

When the moon is in the seventh house, and Jupiter aligns with Mars....

Rare stargazing spectacle as planets align

Just look for this about an hour after sunset for the next couple of weeks. Thanks NASA.

A History Lesson

Some call it a cycle of violence, but now that Sheik Yassin is dead, let's take a look at the origins of the Palestinian suicide bomber and see how it fits into the "cycle of violence".

The first suicide bombing, killing 8 people, was orchestrated by Hamas in the city of Afula on April 6, 1994. Per a BBC report, Hamas said it carried out the attack in response to the killing of 29 praying Muslims in February of that year by West Bank settler Baruch Goldstein.

(For reference purposes, here's a complete list of suicide bombings beginning with the attack in Afula).

So, the original suicide bombing was in response to the act of a lone individual who was roundly condemned by everyone in the Israeli government and Israeli society in general. But if for some reason you are of the opinion that these are just words, token measures that do not lessen the justification for a revenge attack, read the following from the U.N. investigation into the incident and it's aftermath. Not only was there condemnation, there were investigations, REPARATIONS, the introduction of an international force to protect the Arab residents of Hebron among other things.

It's long, but it's worth it.

Steps taken by the Israeli authorities


1. The Knesset and the Israeli Government as a whole unequivocally denounced the massacre. It was condemned by leading figures in Israel, among them President Ezer Weizman, Prime Minister and Defence Minister Yizhak Rabin, Foreign Minister Shimon Peres and Chief Rabbis Eliahy Bakshi Doron and Yisrael Meir Lau.

2. A Government decision was passed to ensure compensation to the families of the victims.

3. The Cabinet decided, given the extraordinary circumstances involved, to establish a commission of inquiry regarding the massacre (Cabinet communiqué, 27 February 1994). This was an independent commission, established in accordance with the Commissions of Inquiry Law of 1968. The commission was chaired by the President of the Israel Supreme Court and comprised five members, Jewish and Arab, at the highest level. The commission held 31 sessions and heard evidence from 106 witnesses. It also engaged in a thorough examination of the Tomb of the Patriarchs and the surrounding area.

4. After the publication of the commission's report, the Government held a special meeting in which it decided to adopt the report and take upon itself to act in accordance with its recommendations. The Cabinet asked the Prime Minister and Minister of Defence to bring proposals for the implementation of these recommendations before it as soon as possible and decided to hold a detailed discussion of the report once the proposals had been submitted. Methods of implementation of the commission's findings are currently being explored by all the competent authorities.

5. Furthermore, at its meeting of 27 February 1994, the Cabinet decided to take the following measures against radical elements among the Israeli residents in the West Bank:

(a) The issue of administrative detention orders against those who instigate or by their actions present a danger to public security;

(b) The extension of restraining and supervisory orders against the entry of certain persons suspected of instigation into the Judea, Samaria and Hebron areas; and

(c) The disarming of specific individuals suspected of using weapons for purposes other than self-defence and the cancellation of their permits to carry weapons.

6. It was further decided to authorize the Attorney-General to prepare the legal basis for the outlawing of the extremist Jewish organizations "Kach" and "Kahana Chai". Accordingly, at its weekly meeting on 13 March 1994, the Cabinet declared the above-mentioned movements to be terrorist organizations, as well as any other groups acting to achieve similar aims by similar means, even if they bore different names or designations. This declaration also applied to factions or groups attached to the above-mentioned organizations.

7. The Government also reaffirmed its commitment to promote maximum security for all residents, to exercise its full authority to prevent a repetition of any acts of murder, and to continue to act to prevent harm to Jews and Arabs. The IDF and security forces have been directed to act accordingly.

8. In addition to the above-mentioned steps, and in accordance with Security Council resolution 904, it was agreed between Israel and the Palestinians, in an agreement signed at Cairo on 31 March 1994, that in response to the unique situation created in Hebron in the aftermath of the massacre, a temporary international presence would be established in the city of Hebron ("TIPH"). This temporary presence, consisting of representatives from Norway, Denmark and Italy, has assisted in promoting stability and in monitoring and reporting the efforts in the city of Hebron, and has contributed to a feeling of security among Palestinians in the city of Hebron

Would that the Palestinian Authority take these measures after each of the suicide bombings in the list I provide above.

It should be noted that in the 10 years since, despite the presence of several hundred thousand "radical right wing settlers" living in the West Bank and Gaza, there has never been an act like this again. And I hope there never will be.

In summary, Hamas turned a terrible tragedy into an excuse for action against Israeli civilians despite all efforts to redress the situation by the Israeli government which wasn't responsible for the massacre in the first place.

This editorial in the WSJ Europe pretty much sums up mt feelings about the killing of Sheik Yassin.

There is no moral equivalence between Palestinian terrorists and their desire to kill and maim as many Israeli civilians as possible and the Israeli government's attempt to stop them......

Mr. Straw said that Israel can only gain international support for its actions of self-defense if it does so "within the boundaries of international law." Are we to assume that Mr. Straw would stop British troops from pulling the trigger should they ever get Osama bin Laden in their crosshairs because such "extrajudicial killings" are illegal? Would Mr. Straw also argue that eliminating bin Laden is "unjust" because the poor chap is on a dialysis machine and walks with a cane? Unlikely......

Nevertheless, the assumption that the effective fight against terrorism is counterproductive because it somehow creates more terrorists is self-defeating. Arguably, any action taken against terrorists fuels their anger, whether "extrajudicial" or not. The logical consequence of this thinking would be to do nothing.....

Here's a very interesting interview with famous Israeli author A.B. Yehoshua. He is generally on the left of the politcal spectrum, and was part of the group that went with Yossi Beilin to Geneva some months ago to sign an unofficial peace pact with like-minded Palestinians. He is also against the location of the security frnce/wall being built in the West Bank. However, he does think unilateral separation is the way to go - and once that happens - all bets are off.

"Because from the minute we withdraw I don't want to know their names. I don't want any personal relations with them. I am no longer in a situation of occupation and policing and B'Tselem [the human rights organization]. Instead, I will be standing opposite them in a position of nation versus nation. State versus state. I am not going to perpetrate war crimes for their own sake, but I will use all my force against them. If there is shooting at Ashkelon, there is no electricity in Gaza."

Nothing Left to Lose - I have to post the whole thing.


Back when I was a reporter with the Jerusalem Post, they would send me out on a day like today to get the "man on the street reaction" color piece about how regular non-politician Israelis felt about the assassination of Yassin.

Though I wasn't officially reporting today, I spoke to a lot of people as I went about my day, and writing such a piece would have been pretty straightforward. The overall support for the Yassin assasination, though not always enthusiastic, is nearly unanimous, notably among those centrists to center-lefties like myself, who would have opposed such a move vehemently until a very short time ago.

Obviously, everyone thinks that its morally justified, as he is directly responsible for so many murders.

But what has changed is the calculation as to whether or not it was strategically wise.

Whenever I challenged someone with the old arguments, by saying, "But aren't you worried about the retaliation? Don't you think this is going to provoke some terrible terror attacks? Isn't it just going to make things worse?" the response was the same: "And you think that if we DIDN'T kill Yassin there wouldn't be terror attacks? What exactly has been happening up till now? Every day they are trying to attack us? How exactly could it GET any worse?"

That is what these three-plus years of Intifada have done to the Israeli public.

They see that when we try to make nice and compromise we get terror attacks. And when we're tough and aggressive we get terror attacks. Nothing we do seems to lower the motivation to slaughter Israeli civilians -- men, women, or children -- and in the case of Hamas, to see the state of Israel destroyed. So since there's absolutely nothing to lose by getting Yassin, and something to possibly gain -- at least temporarily derailing the Hamas leadership structure, and hopefully weakening it long-term -- so why not go ahead and do it?

It's a similar equation as the fence. Yes, building this fence is pissing off the Palestinians big-time. But does anyone think that if we stopped building it, they would be so happy and grateful, terror attacks would stop? No. No fence equals attempts at terror attacks, and a fence equals attempts at terror attacks. So why in the world shouldn't we support building a fence in the hopes of foiling a number of these attacks?

With nothing left to lose, let's try to do what we can to protect ourselves. That's the sentiment of the man on the street.

Clearly, the Israeli public seems to have all but given up on figuring out how to make the right moves in order to nudge the Palestinians towards wanting a peaceful two-state solution. They've given up. That's why there's generally support for Sharon's unilateral disengagement plan -- otherwise known as the "We're So Disgusted with the Palestinians, We're Getting the Hell Away From Them and Building a Big Wall" plan. And if they try to wage war from the other side of the wall, they'll get the same treatment as Yassin.

We're not running scared. We're just sick and tired of this.

Dear Senator Kerry ...

Walter Cronkite tells his man to stand up for what he believes.

The Foreign Ministry has armed its representatives abroad with the following talking points to explain Monday's assassination of Hamas leader Ahmed Yassin.

These talking points including the following:

Yassin was at important link in international terror, and Hamas had connections with other terror groups around the world .

Trying to characterize Yassin as a "spiritual leader" is similar to trying to characterize Osama bin Laden in the same vein. Yassin took advantage of his status as a spiritual leader to influence the carrying out of hundreds of murderous attacks, from the Dolphinarium attack in Tel Aviv in 2001 to the Passover eve attack in Netanya in 2002. He personally was responsible for the June 2002 attack on the Number 19 bus in Jerusalem at the Patt Junction, in which 19 people were murdered and 74 wounded.

Yassin led for years a radical Islamic terror organization that carried out a long list of horrible attacks which killed and wounded hundreds of Israelis.

Yassin was a chilling example of the cynical use of religion to send women and children to blow themselves up and kill hundreds of Israelis.

The killing of Yassin is not an act of vengeance, but rather part of a continuous campaign against terrorists who have targeted Israelis, and whose final goal is the destruction of Israel.

Those who deal in terrorism must know that Israel will not sit quietly and wait for the next suicide bomber to appear on the streets of Tel Aviv or Jerusalem. Israel's government, like all governments around the world, has a basic responsibility to protect its citizens from terrorists.

In parallel to the fight against the terror infrastructure and terrorist leaders, Israel will continue to try to reach a diplomatic arrangement with the Palestinians based on the road map. This arrangement will only be reached in the future if the Palestinians will both fight terror and abandon terror as a way of solving diplomatic disagreements.

Israel offered the Palestinians hope based on reasonable compromise. It extended its hand in peace, but received in exchange a full portion of terror. Even now, Israel is being threatened by an increase in terror, and it will continue to defend itself against these threats.

Caught this on Jewschool with a link to the Jerusalem Post.

Swedish police break up anti-Israel riot

Several hundred anti-Israel rioters ran amok in Stockholm Sunday night, as they tried to disrupt a pro-Israel rally.

Most of them wearing Arab headdresses, or Kaffiyas, wrapped around their faces, rioters
made their way towards the pro-Israel rally.

Rioters vandalized stores and broke windows in the area, including the facade of the local Israeli tourism bureau.

Here is a link to a Swedish newspaper which has pictures.

Not that I was going anytime soon, but I hope that Sweden isn't added to the list of European countries whrere it's unsafe to walk the streets with a yarmulke or a chai necklace.

One of the more evil people in the world has finally been targeted and killed by the Israelis:

Israeli Air Strike Kills Hamas Leader

It's a shame that he was supposedly killed instantly. He didn't deserve such a quick death. Here is a small sample of this great religious leader's quotes:

"Muslims should threaten Western interests and strike them everywhere"

"Reconciliation with the Jews is a crime"

Per the Jerusalem Post: Over the past 3 1/2 years, the Hamas has, in 425 attacks, killed 377 Israelis and wounded 2076. The Hamas perpetrated 52 suicide attacks, in which 288 people were killed and 1646 were injured.

Here's part one of what looks like an interesting true story about a Jewish guy, married to a Bulgarian Christian woman who finds his pintele yid while buying bagels.

Family Matters - A Jew and a gentile meet at a bar...

I'd always assumed my wife and I were on the same page, a page that existed somewhere between agnosticism and atheism. This page recognises the universe as essentially chaotic and random, with no one driving the car except for the indifferent forces of nature and six billion or so largely carnivorous monkeys.
After a year or so of living in America it became clear that, as far as matters of spirituality were concerned, not only were we not on the same page, we were not even in the same book.

One of these is surely right:

From Midtown to Madrid, Tens of Thousands Peacefully Protest War.....

Or

Millones de personas marcharon contra la ocupación de Irak (Millions march against the occupation of Iraq)....

or do they really just hate Israel who must be behind all of this?Here are scenes from all over the world:











and my favorite...

Arafat says Gibson's 'Passion' not anti-Semitic. Look for Yasser Arafat and Hutton Gibson to be the next Ebert and Roper.

Ya never know - PowerBar Founder Maxwell Dies at 51

Brian Maxwell, founder of the multimillion-dollar PowerBar empire and a former world-class marathon runner, has died of a heart attack...

This is fascinating - Dr. Suess drew anti-appeasement, anti-Nazi cartoons in the early '40s. Hat Tip to LGF.

Here's an inspirational Rabbi story, also from today's Times.

Student Shot on Bridge in '94 Is Following Faith to His Goal

I go to New York roughly every other week for business and almost always pass a sign for Aaron Halberstam Memorial Ramp on the way to LaGuardia. I didn't know the name of the man who is the subject of this article, but I imagine myself having been in the van he was travelling in every single time.

Here's a pretty clear cut example of liberal bias in a NY Times article about the rabbi of a gay synagogue in NY. The article begins with this:

Rabbi Ayelet S. Cohen awoke one morning to find she had turned into a criminal - at least in the eyes of some.

There are two ways to prove that this statement is incorrect. For one, the laws relating to gay marriage may be wrong (if that is your view), but someone who breaks the law is a criminal. Rabbi Cohen openly admits to breaking the law. That would make her a criminal. Period. Besides, the word "some" clearly indicates that few people would consider the gay marriage laws valid. The fact is that a large majority of the American population are against gay marriage.

Not only is the first sentence of the article wrong on principle, it's wrong on technicalities. The Manhattan District attorney mentions that presiding over a gay marriage on behalf of the state would be a civil issue, not a criminal one. So no matter how you look at it, the Rabbi isn't a criminal no matter how many marriages she performs.

In addition, the article makes the Rabbi look like a fool. Would the Rabbi of "one of the largest gay synagogues in the world" not have been aware of the issues surrounding gay marriage? So stupid that she didn't realize that she was breaking the law until she "turned into a criminal" upon awaking one day?

I'm going to give Rabbi Cohen the benefit of the doubt on this whole story. I'm sure she knew what she was doing, felt comfortable doing it and spent considerable thought in coming to her position. Good for her.

Oops. Militia Sorry for Killing Arab in Jerusalem Attack

A leader of a Palestinian militant group behind the drive-by killing of an Israeli jogger apologized on Saturday after the dead man was identified as an Israeli-Arab university student.

“We will consider him as a martyr like hundreds of Palestinians killed by Israeli occupation forces,” the al-Aqsa brigades leader said, adding that the group would send a letter of apology to Khoury’s family.

Well that should make them feel better! Perhaps this "militia" can redirect some of the money that normally goes to the families of suicide bombers.

Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria...the dominoes start to fall.

Hussein's Fall Leads Syrians to Test Government Limits

A year ago, it would have been inconceivable for a citizen of Syria, run by the Baath Party of President Bashar al-Assad, to make a documentary film with the working title, "Fifteen Reasons Why I Hate the Baath."

Yet watching the overthrow of Saddam Hussein across the border in Iraq prompted Omar Amiralay to do just that. "It gave me the courage to do it," he said.

While making a good point, my Rabbi goes political in his weekly Shabbat Shalom e-mail....

Dear Hevra,

This morning's headline in the Dallas Morning News states, "Scalia rejects calls for recusal." After having been on a duck hunting trip with Vice President Dick Cheney some thought that the Supreme Court Justice should recuse himself from a case involving the Vice President. While the Sierra Club attornies suggested that Scalia might be influenced by his friendship with the Vice President Scalia countered by saying, "if it is reasonable to think that a Supreme Court justice can be bought so cheap, the nation is in deeper trouble that I had imagined."

This apparent disregard for the public's perception is regarded as a critically important principle in this week's Torah portion. Moshe has just ordered the building of the "mishkan" (tabernacle) according to the instructions he received from God. After having received an over-abundance of precious metals and materials with which to fashion the tabernacle Moshe orders a complete and public accounting of everything collected.

Moshe Rabbeinu (Moses, our teacher) realizes that he must be beyond reproach. As a leader of the people he must demonstrate a daily regimen that exhibits integrity as well as discipline. While others may be judged less harshly he holds himself to a higher standard.

The Midrash elaborates on this point, ensuring that the leaders of the community do all in their power to remove any sense of suspicion regarding their activities. It is recorded that the family who prepared the incense used in the Temple service forbid any relative of the family from wearing any kind of perfume lest they be suspect of impropriety (using Temple incense for personal use). The Midrash also records the fact the Temple official who was in charge of collecting the half shekel offering from the community would wear a special garment, without pockets or long sleeves, to prevent the suspicion that he would utilize Temple funds for personal use.

It is clear that our tradition goes to great lengths, not only to ensure respect for our leaders, but to provide them with the best framework in which to practice their particular discipline. Learning from our past we can identify with the need to practice propriety in our day.

The Supreme Court is our highest court of law. We accord it the greatest level of respect, honoring its adjudicators while enshrouding the process they engage in with a sense of awe. Justice Antonin Scalia chose to tarnish the public perception of that institution by refusing to recuse himself. By refusing to acknowledge that a personal relationship may impinge on one's ability to render an impartial judgement he risks losing the public's trust. I regret that the justice did not move "lifnim m'shurat hadin" (beyond the letter of the law) to provide the public with the best opportunity to retain its level of trust in the institution. I do not question his ability to render a sound judgement. But, I regret that the justice did not take the opportunity to provide the public with the best chance to retain its level of respect for the institution of the United States' Supreme Court.

Moshe reminds us that what people perceive as reality is sometimes more important than reality. Although that perspective on life is regretful it is the way of the world. May each of us be aware of this tendency in human beings and do our best to ensure their confidence in us.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Stefan J. Weinberg

My only point is that there must have been some other analogy realting to perhaps Martha Stewart or Tyco or Worldcom which relates more closely to the accounting issue brought up above without mixing in the politics. Just for fairness, I include the following from the NY Times:

This problem is not Justice Scalia's alone. On the other side of the court's ideological spectrum, as another L.A. Times article noted, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg maintains involvement in a lecture series named for her that is co-sponsored by New York City's bar association and the NOW Legal Defense and Education Fund, which frequently participates in Supreme Court cases. Justice Ginsburg is relatively circumspect in her public remarks, but it's still unwise for her to retain an ongoing affiliation with such an active advocacy and litigation group.

That being said, I'm more upset halachically that these two important men find hunting so enjoyable.

I know, I know. Enough with the "Passion" stuff. Nevertheless, this is an interesting response from the German religious communties - Jews and Protestants together:

German churches join Jews in attack on `Passion`

In their first joint statement in four years, the Central Council of Jews in Germany, the German Bishops Conference and the Protestant Church criticised the film that opened on Thursday in Germany for its "overly negative portrayal" of Jews.

"..the biblical epic portraying Christ's final 12 hours was also attacked by German film critics as anti-Semitic kitsch"

One minor point on the Reuters headline - is it me or does it seem like "German churches" means some part of the German community while "Jews" seems to connotate all Jews in the world or at the very least some group other than Germans? Couldn't it have said "Churches join German Jews" or "German Christians and Jews". Furthermore, aren't synagogues really church-like institutions under a different name. Can not Jews be Germans? Could this also have said more fairly "many German religious institutions" Just wondering....and nitpicking.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Darden Restaurants Inc. (DRI) said Thursday its Red Lobster chain will cut back on all-you-can-eat promotions, which generated customer traffic but hurt profit margins.

Hadn't they ever watched the Simpsons?

Bart falls in love with his beautiful new neighbor, Laura Powers, who babysits for the Simpsons while Homer and Marge enjoy the "all-you-can-eat" special at the Flying Dutchman. When Homer consumes almost all the food in the restaurant, Captain McCallister throws him out, before he is even finished eating.

The simple truth. The Price of Freedom in Iraq. By Donald Rumsfeld

I was very excited yesterday afternoon with the news that we (or Pakistan, that is) may be close to capturing Al-Qaeda's number 2 man.

However, when I woke up this morning the top headline was that a guerilla had escpaed and my hopes were dashed. Until I realized they were talking about a GORILLA escaping from the Dallas Zoo. The police felt they had to kill it in order to subdue it. The news almost made me want to join PETA.

Almost.

Many people posted about the nutty Frenchman who, thinking he saw Bin Laden in the road, tried to run over an obviously innocent man. I didn't link to it, because I just thought it was a little weird, nothing Earth shattering.

It turns out that the editor of one of Argentina's two main dailies, Clarin, has decided to use that event to compare the "loco" to the United States, someone who is unilaterally out for justice based on a "vision" of trying to free the world. And believe me, "vision" here is not used in the good sense, but in the "apparition" sense. (As opposed to the Spanish who are working together to do the same and therefore will do a better job).

I'm sorry for not having the time to translate it, and there wasn't a direct link, so here it is:

De cuerdos y de locos

Después del atentado en Madrid, de la conmoción y del desastre, de la manipulación informativa y las manifestaciones enormes y dolidas por todo el país, el socialismo vencedor y los derrotados populares elaboran juntos un plan contra el terrorismo. Lo contamos en la página 27. Es, tal vez, la evidencia más contundente del éxito de la transición española: la fortaleza del sistema político inmune a las bombas.

Por el contrario, se reafirmaron y se reafirman las políticas de Estado, como la lucha contra los grupos extremistas. La colisión de los dos partidos mayoritarios, en un momento inéditamente feroz, devino inmediatamente en la articulación de esfuerzos junto a la Unión Europea en pleno, para recuperar la seguridad y la preeminencia de la democracia.

Algunos dirán que el acuerdo de ayer es hijo de la debilidad de los populares tras la catástrofe en las urnas y de la necesidad de compartir decisiones con el socialismo que vuelve al poder. Pero los planes conjuntos también marcan otra cosa: que sigue vigente el contrato social sellado hace 27 años en los Pactos de la Moncloa, donde se fijaron consensos esenciales para enfrentar la crisis económica y reformar el sistema político. Y que eso hoy actúa como un escudo institucional e institucionalizado. Otra vez España amanece salvaguardando la unidad y respetando la divergencia.

Una caricatura antagónica a esa racionalidad profunda la protagonizó un artesano francés de 35 años, en Montpellier. Creyó ver nada menos que a Bin Laden caminando por su mismo pueblo y entonces, tras la visión, trató de atropellarlo para vivir el privilegio de liberar al mundo de uno de sus mayores demonios.

El atónito peatón salió ileso por milagro. Entre la alucinación delirante de un adicto a la justicia por mano propia y la lógica del sistema político funcionando a pleno puede vislumbrarse una metáfora conocida: los locos con carnet existen, pero no son precisamente los que llevan a la humanidad por el buen camino.

General inerest for my Argentine relatives (none of whom reads this blog anyway).

Evita's burial shroud expected to raise 40,000 euros Thursday

John Kerry, once again, speaking on his record regarding the $87bn in supplemental funds for Iraq as reported in the Washington Post:

"I actually did vote for his $87 billion, before I voted against it"

Glad we cleared that up.

What he then went on to explain (to be fair) is that he preliminarily backed the request, so long as it was financed not by deficit spending but with a tax surcharge on the wealthy that Bush opposed. Ah, good old class warfare.

Should've. Could've. Would've.

The Kerry lies and obfuscations continue per FactCheck.Org

While Kerry claims that "Even more shocking, tens of thousands of other troops arrived in Iraq to find that - with danger around every corner - there wasn't enough body armor", the truth is slightly different.

But it's also true that as many as 40,000 US troops were sent to Iraq without the best-grade body armor. Frontline troops had the new vests, containing ceramic plates that can stop assault-rifle bullets, while others had only older designs that offered protection mainly against shrapnel and lower-velocity projectiles.

At a House Appropritions subcommittee hearing Sept. 24, 2003, Army Gen. John Abizaid, chief of the U.S. Central Command, did not dispute the estimate that 40,000 troops were without the newer design, and said the $300 million was needed to buy more of the vests.

It's a big difference to claim that there wasn't enough body armor and only some soldiers on the front lines had the best.

What's even more ridiculous is that Kerry voted against funding for better body armor when he rejected the $87 billion bill for additional funding for the war effort and Iraqi reconstruction.

Apparently, if you're a slut you can find solace in Kabbalah. As YadaBlog describes:

It's not news that Paris Hilton has been sporting a red Kabbalah bracelet for the last several months, but she's now upped her Jewish mysticism quotient by seeking solace in the study of Kabbalah after the death of her grandmother last week.

Here's the direct quote from the NY Post:

Paris and mom Kathy are said to be seeking solace in their studies of the Kaballah, the ultra-trendy form of ancient Jewish mysticism that counts Madonna, Britney Spears, Demi Moore and Sandra Bernhard among its celebrity devotees.

One more reason to fire Abe Foxman:

A nationwide survey conducted for the Institute for Jewish and Community Research finds that 83 percent of Americans familiar with the film say it's made them neither more nor less likely to blame today's Jews for Jesus' crucifixion.

Nine percent said Mel Gibson's film actually has made them less likely to blame today's Jews, while less than 2 percent said they're more likely to fault modern Jews or Jewish institutions.

The Institute's president, Gary Tobin, added that discussion of the issue has probably been good for Christian-Jewish relations.

Thanks to Drudge for the link.

Great post by Bill Hobbs deconstructing John Kerry's policy statement on fighting terror and how he has no plan except tighten our defenses at home and gamble that we can catch terrorists as they approach our borders.

After reading the criticism though, I thought that it perhaps isn't fair - that this is Kerry's domestic preparedness strategy only, and he's looking to improve it. Then, prompted by a comment on Hobb's blog I noticed that the plan was for fighting terror "at home and abroad". There's just no "abroad" in the whole policy.

Kerry's policy - have federal workers spot check a little more of what comes into this country and hope the firefighters and EMS have enough time to rescue the wounded after the bombs go off.

Regardless, I don't want to sit back and play defense.

917 days terror free and counting.......

Luckily for the Iraqi people, they are not led by the Spanish. According to Socialist Prime Minister elect Zapatero of Spain - "The war in Iraq was a disaster, the occupation of Iraq is a disaster".

Not according to ABC News - not known for it's pro-Bush leanings:

By nearly every quantifiable measure, the situation has improved since before the war.

From a John Kerry speech as reported in today's NY Times:

"I don't fault George Bush for doing too much in the war on terror, as some do," Mr. Kerry said. "I believe that he's done too little....

So now he's positioning himself as being not only smarter about the war (against Iraq, for stronger alliances), but that he'd have done more. More what? Invade more countries? Take away more liberties? Instill more fear? Add more colors to the Terror Alert scale?

Just curious.

Also according to the reporting - "Senator John F. Kerry attacked President Bush on national security issues today, asserting that Mr. Bush has played politics with the battle against terrorism and that the bombings in Spain show how ineffective his policies have been"

What do George Bush's policies have anything to do with domestic security in Spain anyway? If I was being really selfish, I would even say that Bush's policy is working perfectly well given that Al-Qaeda is attacking in Bali, Morocco and Spain and NOT here since we don't make such an easy target anymore.

Maybe Kerry's right after all! If we had more allies like France, Germany and Russia involved, there would be even more places other than the U.S. for the Islamists to attack.

I think I may have to have that "don't accept candy from strangers" talk with my daughter now.

Security sources: Tanzim intended to detonate explosives

The Tanzim militant group intended to detonate by remote control an explosive belt carried by a 10-year-old Palestinian boy,.....The boy said he was offered a large sum of money to transfer the bags.."

Per World Net Daily - John Kerry was a strong proponent for a unilateral war with Iraq after all - at least according to his views in 1997 when Bill Clinton was president.

You really have to read the whole thing, but here's my favorite Kerry quote:

"...where's the backbone of Russia, where's the backbone of France, where are they in expressing their condemnation of such clearly illegal activity?"

Here is the head of the European Union expressing his orgranization's stance on fighting terrorism:

The head of the EU executive arm, European Commission chief Romano Prodi, agreed, in an interview published by Italy's La Stampa newspaper Monday.

"It is clear that using force is not the answer to resolving the conflict with terrorists," Prodi said. "Terrorism is infinitely more powerful than a year ago," and all of Europe now feels threatened, he told the paper.

It is unclear what Mr. Prodi suggests as an alternative - negotiation with terrorists? Playing chess with them?

Yet Mr. Prodi stated immediately after the Madrid attacks that "the whole international community is -- and will continue to be -- mobilised against this inhuman, intolerable phenomenon until it is completely eradicated." Again I ask, how do you eradicate something without force?

From the definition of eradicate on Dictionary.com:

v 1: kill in large numbers; "the plague wiped out an entire population" [syn: eliminate, annihilate, extinguish, wipe out, decimate, carry off] 2: destroy completely, as if down to the roots; "the vestiges of political democracy were soon uprooted" [syn: uproot, extirpate, exterminate]

Update on March 20 - It seems like there was an error in the reporting - according to David Brooks in today's NY Times:

Correction: In Tuesday's column I quoted the European Commission's president, Romano Prodi, telling the Italian newspaper La Stampa that force was not the answer to terrorism. I was relying on an Agence France-Presse translation, which was incorrect. Prodi actually said force should not be the only answer to terrorism. He said terrorism would not abate until the Israeli-Palestinian dispute was resolved.

I still disagree.

Here's some irony for you. In an opinion piece dated yesterday in the Jerusalem Post online, Palestinian journalist, Daoud Kuttab argues that Israel should announce a cease-fire in Gaza.

After all, not a single suicide attack in Israel has been carried out by a Gazan or by a person coming from the tightly encircled Gaza Strip.

Perhaps he spoke too soon. Fatah: Ashdod Port bombers used tunnels to cross Gaza

As I did last week, it's time for my weekly criticism of Etz Chaim, the new tanach used by my shul and many others in the Conservative movement. There wasn't much to comment on in this week's parshot of Vayakhel-Pekudai as it mainly describes the building of the Tabernacle - not much explanation needed. However there was a piece of commentary that falls into what I'll call the "feel good about yourself" category. There are several places in Etz Chaim where there are gratuitous comments about how important women are to Judaism. They are usually not directly "anti-man" although in conferring this special recognition to women's achievements the underlying message is that women have historically been underappreciated which does kind of make me feel guilty as a man. Sort of like white man's guilt resulting in affirmative action commentary. I'm surprised that the editors have not requested that Jewish Women's Month be added to calendar of religious holidays.

In any case, the commentary is as follows:

25. skilled women Throughout our history, devoted Jewish women have contributed to hiddur mitzvah - the practice of giving the mitzvot an esthetically pleasing context in their homes and synagogues - through the skilled and creative work of their hands.

Now there is absolutely nothing wrong or untrue in that statement. My simple point is that since the surrounding phrases talk about the contributions of the people generally and the chieftains specifically, why not mention that throughout history the whole of the Jewish community has donated to building our synagogues, schools and created artwork that have contributed to hiddur mitzvah? Why single out the women? The only thing I can think of is to make this the Dr. Phil - feel good tanach for half of the readership.

What I might have said is that although the women are only spoken of as contributing their labor in 35:25 and not material goods - their physical labor was just as valuable as if they would have provided the material goods themselves. In the same way, raising children in the Jewish community, whether by men or women, is equally as valid a contribution as any material assets that anyone else, man or woman, might offer to the community. I think that's an appropriately egalitarian commentary, and is inclusive at the same time.

Most pundits believe that the U.S. presidential election will be as hotly contested as that of 2000. What happenes here if we have a terrorist attack on October 30, three days before? Do we do a Spain and overthrow the ruling party, or do the people stay the course and give Bush a clear victory? I hope we never have to find out.

But if I'm thinking about it, and Allah is thinking about it (see below), why wouldn't Al-Qaeda after their victory in Spain?

If you need Allah, he will be over at the Commissar's place playing with the Wonkanator. Oh, and in case you are wondering, he has the U.S. pencilled in for October 31st. Won't that be nice on Halloween? Trick or treat, Satan.

I think the hysterical ADL is the one organization I don't give money to directly - and it may be a long time before I ever do given that this is how donor's money is flushed down the toilet:

1994 case closes with payout of $12 million. Hat Tip to Protocols.

What a depressing day in the news:

We just lost an ally that never was really suppotive: Spanish ruling party swept from power

Even though the authors of "their 9/11" are possibly linked: Madrid suspect linked to 9/11 figure

Israel almost suffers it's first mega-attack at a chemicals facility by bombers who were possibly the first to come out of the Gaza Strip

Six U.S. soldiers are killed in separate explosions in Iraq

Found on Normblog:

The diameter of the bomb was thirty centimetres
and the diameter of its effective
range - about seven metres.
And in it four dead and eleven wounded.
And around them in a greater circle
of pain and time are scattered
two hospitals and one cemetry.
But the young woman who was
buried where she came from
over a hundred kilometres away
enlarges the circle greatly.
And the lone man who weeps over her death
in a far corner of a distant country
includes the whole world in the circle.
And I won't speak at all about the crying of orphans
that reaches to the seat of God
and from there onward, making
the circle without end and without God.

Yehuda Amichai

Phew! And I thought I was all alone. A poll taken in November by the American Jewish Committee shows that Bush's support among Jews is at 31 percent — up from 24 percent in 2000.

See more at GOP Courts Jewish Vote

I actually got the link from Jewschool which is one of the more left-wing Jewish sites I enjoy reading. It's just above the line where they remind us that Bush's family are Nazi bastards.

Do you believe this......MY HELL IN CAMP X-RAY

Or this......I had a good time at Guantanamo, says inmate

Mistakes in Passion of the Christ. Thanks to Yada Yada Blog.

Been away for the few days, and it's late at night, so I'm too lazy to post about the latest ugliness in the world from the relatively trivial hockey violence to the bombing in Madrid.

I'll just post this since I haven't seen it anywhere else:

British politician makes anti-Semitic remark

I've always thought about writing a weekly piece to discuss exactly what it is I don't like about the new Etz Chaim tanach that my Conservative shul uses. I finally have a few minutes, so here I go:

In a comment on this week's parsha of Ki Tissa, this is the comment in the P'shat section related to Exodus 30:14 -

14: from the age of twenty years up Judaism has always believed that religion, first and foremost, is not for children, although there is much in it that children can join in and appreciate. Primarily, it is for adults who alone can begin to appreciate its breadth and profundity. Children who see their parents taking Jewish obligation seriously are more likely to see it as something they will want to do as adults.

There are so many things that I feel is wrong with these statements that I don't know where to start. First of all, since the phrase here deals with 20 year olds and the commentary relates to children, one can assume that anyone under 20 is considered a child by the author. The last time I checked, a "child" of 13 is considered a full fledged member of the community with all the religious obligations that are implied. Children are not instructed in the religion beginning at 13 but for years before in preparation. Religion is not for children?

As for the last comment, if a child is taken by their parents to daven for three hours on a Shabbat morning while their friends are out playing in Little League, the child ain't gonna go for the davening when they grow up unless they are taught and can understand the religious significance in davening and that it's not something that Mommy and Daddy do to be boring or to punish the child. In fact I would argue that psychologically, the more "seriously" that a parent is into anything, be it religion or stamp collecting, the less likely a child will grow to embrace that passion, especially without a foundation of learning about it.

I did a quick search on the internet and nowhere could I find any commentary on "Judaism" (whatever that is) not believing that religion is for children. If it really weren't, would there be a torahtots.com?

Maybe there's some esoteric meaning here that I'm missing, but the whole purpose of Etz Chaim was to demystify and facilitate our understanding of Judaism for the 21st century.

Apparently a new movie just opened in the U.K. that's sort of a combination of My Big Fat Greek Wedding and Bend It Like Beckham. It's called Suzie Gold, about a modern Jewish twentysomething that falls in love with a decidedly non-Jewish man.

I used to hate movies like this when I was younger because I was tortured in a household where talking to a non-Jewish girl meant death or worse - and the movies ALWAYS showed that mixed religion relationships always work because love rules over all, thereby negating the entire reason for my existence, as it was taught to me. Now that I'm successfully married (if I may say so myself) to a nice Jewish girl, I'm not as offended - but I do daydream about what experiences I passed up because the whole world wasn't open to me.

Love thy neighbor - Hundreds help remove anti-Semitic graffiti

I don't need to buy "Schindler's List" since I've seen the movie a few times already. But then again, can I not buy it if I have "Fiddler on the Roof"?

Here's some more on Spielberg before the release of the the DVD - For Spielberg, an Anniversary Full of Urgency

In fairness to those Arabs/Muslims who are just regular folks trying to make a living - a note that shows that because I spend quite a bit of time defending the Jewish people, we're far from perfect.

Arab taxi driver beaten by mob in Jerusalem

Spate of attacks on Arabs in capital reported in recent days. Today -- Purim in Jerusalem -- taxi driver and police officers attacked by drunken youngsters.

That being ,it is probably not wise to drive through an overpopulated area with narrow streets filled with drunken Orthodox people near where people who look like you have set off bombs killing dozens of people.

Creepy. Link courtesy of Protocols. 10 Plagues Finger Puppets

The choice this November boils down to this - from James Lileks:

Okay. A simple quiz.

1. We should promote the rebuilding of the international community through the UN to stop tyrannical regimes through forceful nonviolent intervention.

Or:

2 "You’re either with us, or with the terrorists."

Imagine a bomb just went off in your local mall. Choose one.

Tonight is my fifth wedding anniversary. Becuase of Purim, we decided to stay in after taking the kiddies our local Megillah reading. My wife and I have very fond memories of our wedding party five years ago, and while one or two things may have gone wrong, thank G-d this dodn't happen...

Grandfather sues city of Montreal over bar mitzvah gone terribly bad

I officially declare this disgusting. The only good news is that there were only "dozens". "Dozens" is an amount of people you can find very easily who think that aliens live among us and that the Mets will will the World Series.

Dozens celebrate 10th anniversary of Goldstein massacre

Will Mel Gibson be the first to direct a major motion picture about Hanukkah?

Gibson's next movie: A look at heroic Jews?

If it wasn't March 6, I would have thought it was April Fools Day.

Hopefully, this is a sign that uber left wing cartoonist Ted Rall has jumped the shark. He has been pulled from the NY Times.

Rall: NYTimes.com Pulled Comic Because of Conservatives

Anyone who accuses the NY Times of kowtowing to conservatives is waaaaaaaay out there.

Remember the gun that let's you shoot around corners? I'm beginning to think that all the cool inventions are coing out of Israel lately.

Soldiers to hurl citizens from rooftops in case of high-rise attack

This isn't quite as dangerous as it sounds:

The army has already conducted a series of training sessions to practice this rescue procedure, according to which soldiers will land on the rooftops by helicopter and will dress each person in a body carrier. The carriers contain a 200-meter metal cable and can therefore be dispatched from a great height. One end of the cable is attached to the rooftop and when the person is thrown off the roof the descent consists of circle movements around the cable. The movements control the speed of the person's descent, which never exceeds a meter per second, thus ensuring a safe landing.

Here's a great link I got from normblog regarding "The Passion". I know your tired of it by now, but I though this viewpoint was unique. Instead of denying that the Jews of yesterday or today are responsible for the death of Jesus, we should embrace the accusation which would really show how stupid it is. Just like Lenny Bruce did.

"All right, I'll clear the air once and for all, and confess," joked Bruce. "Yes, we did it. I did it, my family. I found a note in my basement. It said: `We killed him. Signed, Morty.'"

After what seems like eternity of listening to both sides in the gay marriage debate, I have decided I have to take a stand (at least on my blog). The only reason that I can think of to be against gay marriage is to take the Bible literally. Aside from having sexual relations with one's wife while she is menstruating (which may be unpleasant or undesirable, but not illegal), homosexual sex is the only biblically prohibited variety that we as a society are becoming willing to embrace - and even celebrate.

Here's the bible passage from Leviticus for reference if you don't believe me:

10 And the man that committeth adultery with another man's wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbor's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.

11 And the man that lieth with his father's wife hath uncovered his father's nakedness: both of them shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.

12 And if a man lie with his daughter in law, both of them shall surely be put to death: they have wrought confusion; their blood shall be upon them.

13 If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.

14 And if a man take a wife and her mother, it is wickedness: they shall be burnt with fire, both he and they; that there be no wickedness among you.

15 And if a man lie with a beast, he shall surely be put to death: and ye shall slay the beast.

16 And if a woman approach unto any beast, and lie down thereto, thou shalt kill the woman, and the beast: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.

17 And if a man shall take his sister, his father's daughter, or his mother's daughter, and see her nakedness, and she see his nakedness; it is a wicked thing; and they shall be cut off in the sight of their people: he hath uncovered his sister's nakedness; he shall bear his iniquity.

18 And if a man shall lie with a woman having her sickness, and shall uncover her nakedness; he hath discovered her fountain, and she hath uncovered the fountain of her blood: and both of them shall be cut off from among their people.

19 And thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy mother's sister, nor of thy father's sister: for he uncovereth his near kin: they shall bear their iniquity.

20 And if a man shall lie with his uncle's wife, he hath uncovered his uncle's nakedness: they shall bear their sin; they shall die childless.

21 And if a man shall take his brother's wife, it is an unclean thing: he hath uncovered his brother's nakedness; they shall be childless.

All this being said, in my heart of hearts I disagree with every anti-gay marriage commentator that I've heard because their only argument against it seems to be that marriage is "defined" as being between a man and a woman, as if that definition was created by G-d and not by human beings. Adam and Eve didn't get married - they slept together (we assume) and they had children. If our society can change the primary definition of "gay" from happy to homosexual, we can certainly redefine the word marriage.

So while I am not "for" gay marriage so to speak, I can think of no real good reason to be against it. The best analogies I can think of is that my position is like those that are against abortion personally but wouldn't feel right denying it to others, or my dislike for women who wear skullcaps and prayer shawls to Jewish services - a right I wouldn't deny but wouldn't teach to my children.

If I was asked to attend or participate in a gay wedding I would do it, but I just wouldn't feel the excitement of the moment - I just wouldn't really see the point. I got married for the religious nature of the ceremony, and honestly to show the world that yes, someone would actually choose me to spend the rest of their life with. I could care less that the State gave me a license to do it. I would have done it anyway.

That being said if there is a law that says that gay marriages are illegal in a certain place and someone wants to change it, they should break the law, get arrested and prove it unconstitutional or get their local legislature to repeal the law. That's the way things work. (Maybe even throw in a Million Gay/Lesbian March in Washington for fun.)

I'm tired now. Time to go back to my hotel where I will be alone for the night. That's something that sucks for everyone, gay or straight.

I don't know that I like this particular building in this particular place, but it is certainly interesting.

Thinking Outside Box, Architect Comes Up With Cubes



Also as much of a capitalist as I am, there's something that bothers me about the fact that this prime space will only be occupied by at most a few dozen of the ultra-wealthy.

Way to go Princess Amidala! Portman's Charity Role

Hollywood actress Natalie Portman played a leading role in helping Israel's OneFamily charity raise more than £100,000 for the survivors of suicide bombings at a North London event on Monday night.

She told an audience of almost 200 in Hampstead Garden Suburb that her support for OneFamily came about after her cousin had been hurt in a terrorist incident in Israel. She pledged to front a major fund-raising dinner for the charity in Los Angeles.

I give to this charity and you should too.

It's the end of an era...McSupersizes to be phased out

I can't even bring myself to post the pictures from this year's global bloodletting that Shiite Muslims call Ashoura - the holiest festival of the year. I'll just post the link from LGF.

Islamic Blood Ritual

John Kerry has no problem criticizing Bush for unilateral action in Iraq in order to establish democracy (although it's not unilateral, just not universal). However, he has no problem with real unilateral action when the principle is "protecting democracy". Hat Tip to LGF.

Kerry's Haiti jab

A Kerry administration would have given the rebels a 48-hour ultimatum to come up with a peaceful agreement - “otherwise, we’re coming in,” he said.

“I would intervene with the international community, and absent an international force, I’d do it unilaterally,” he said, adding the most important thing was to protect democracy.

Hmmm, shades of our policy in Vietnam don't you think?

And for the tinfoil hat wing of the Democrat party - Kerry throws out more evil Bush conspiracy theories:

Kerry also suggested Bush sat on December's deal to have Khadafy renounce weapons programs to get a political boost. "Khadafy's been trying to get back into the mainstream for several years now," Kerry said. "There's evidence that we could have had that deal some time ago."

As proof, he said he'd heard "from friends in the British government that the deal was in a slow lock," although he declined to give specifics to back it up.

FLIP FLOP FLIP FLOP FLIP FLOP FLIP FLOP

I will once again state for the record that I liked Bill Clinton and thought that aside from his moral failings he wasn't a such a horrible leader for the times. Part of that was his vagueness, not wanting to offend anyone, not really taking too many unpopular stands on serious issues, etc. However, today we are at war and I just don't trust anyone who, right or wrong, doesn't give me clarity with where they want to take this country or what they plan to do.

Will the real John Kerry please stand up? Is it this John Kerry?

Last October, at an Arab American Institute conference in Dearborn, Mich., then-candidate Sen. Joe Lieberman got booed for defending the Israeli fence, while Kerry called it "provocative" and said, "We do not need another barrier to peace."

Or this one....

But at a CBS debate yesterday just before he met the Jewish leaders, Kerry said it's "a fence necessary to the security of Israel until they have a partner to be able to negotiate" - he took a similar line at the meeting, those present said.

And who will be his trusted advisors?

Kerry also backed away from a prior speech in which he suggested he'd name a Mideast envoy like Jimmy Carter, Reagan-Bush aide James Baker or Bill Clinton - raising alarms among Jewish leaders, who see Carter and Baker as anti-Israel.

Instead, sources said, Kerry yesterday floated names like Clinton adviser Sandy Berger and Bush-Clinton Mideast adviser Dennis Ross as the kind of people he'd rely on; both are seen as far more sympathetic to Israel.

Read all about it here - KERRY IN APPLE TO MEND 'FENCES' WITH JEWS