This is what we need to see more of in the media - let's see if this makes the evening news...as reported by the Healing Iraq weblog.

Iraqis march against terrorism.

I'm not sure if I would vote for any one of the Democratic candidates, but I think I can rule out Wesley Clark. In an interview on Monday's Hardball he says

"Well, if I were president right now, I would be doing things that George Bush can't do right now, because he's already compromised those international bridges. I would go to Europe and I would build a new Atlantic charter. I would say to the Europeans, you know, we've had our differences over the years, but we need you. The real foundation for peace and stability in the world is the transatlantic alliance. And I would say to the Europeans, I pledge to you as the American president that we'll consult with you first. You get the right of first refusal on the security concerns that we have."

Huh? We let the EU decide how we should go about protecting ourselves? From an American standpoint that's just outrageous. Please Mr. Chirac, can we attack Iran - Hizbullah just blew up the American Embassy in (pick a country). Please...

Just from a Jewish standpoint these are the people who when polled believed that Israel is the greatest threat to world peace and were afraid to release a report on anti-Semitism because it determined that much of it is rooted in the Muslim/Arab community?

Hat tip to Little Green Footballs on this one.

Thomas Friedman of the NY Times hosts a documentary on the Middle East on the Discovery Channel tonight at 10PM EST. The Times has a preview here.

This is just sad....a Palestinian mother of seven was arrested for being part of a suicide bomb plot. Here is one of her daughters. I haven't heard any comments yet claiming that she wasn't actually involved.



Palestinian Walaa Abu Thraa, 5, daughter of Latifah Abu Doar, 40, holds a picture of her mother in the northern West Bank refugee camp of Balata, adjacent to the city of Nablus Tuesday Dec. 9, 2003. Abu Doar, a mother of seven, had been arrested Monday by the Israeli army and is accused of carrying an 8-kilogram explosive belt which was intended on being used by Saliman Abu Ruis, 20, who was allegedly on his way to carry out a suicide bombing in Rosh Ha'ayin area, in central Israel. Abu Ruis and another accomplice were also arrested. (AP Photo/Nasser Ishtayeh).

Is there anywhere in Afghanistan where large groups of children do not hang out near suspected terrorists or weapons stashes, or are we just inept? Do we really have to bomb the sh*t out of an area fromt he sky to get one person?

Six Children Killed in Assault By U.S. in Eastern Afghanistan

Heroism in Brooklyn - PET SHOP SHOOTOUT

"A pet-shop worker whose store has been robbed several times turned the tables on a pack of armed crooks last night - grabbing control of an attacker's gun and shooting two of the bandits dead, cops said."

More nastiness in Brooklyn. NEW B'KLYN SWASTIKA OUTRAGE

In case you're interested in forming your own opinion instead of waiting for the ADL to tell you what to think, the official website for Mel Gibson's The Passion of The Christ is up and running.

If you're thinking the Geneva Accords are a good thing because at least someone's talking about peace - and the fact that a solution was arrived at means peace is within our grasp if only we would accept the necessary sacrifices....read Daniel Gordis' thoughts at Israpundit.... then come back to me. General warning - Israpundit, while comprehensive, is a little too likudnik even for me.

Mr. Gordis is no right-winger and is the author of a wonderful book, If a Place Can Make You Cry : Dispatches from an Anxious State

Irony - Palestinian terrorists, including a suicide bomber, were initially buried in a cemetery in an Israeli kibbutz.

The AP has written an article about Israel's latest hip-hop superstar who goes by the name of Subliminal and is outwardly right-wing.

The New York Post in it's cover story reveals the admission of an Iraqi colonel that WMDs were ready for quick deployment against coalition forces. Any declaration of the sort needs to be vetted for truth, but what's interesting is that the Post reports that this story comes from the Telegraph of the U.K., whose story is much more skeptical and contains contradictory statements by other Iraqi army officers.

Seems like the Post is doing a little political editing. Fair and balanced indeed, Mr. Murdoch.

One of the things that's great about college life is your exposure to different people, different ideas while at the same time going through the process of determining your own identity.

Since I went to U. of Penn, there has been a huge demographic shift towards South Asian students - many of whom I imagine are second generation Americans who have a lot to teach us about their cultures of origin. Having said that, I would have loved to have seen this performance at Penn's Winterfest:

Live music added to the festivities. Among the groups present was Atma, Penn's female South Asian a cappella group.

Atma performed several songs, including Vande Mataram and Alicia Keys' Gangsta Lovin'.

I don't know anything about Vande Mataram, but I would assume it may have been the first time it's been performed with Gangsta Lovin'. Actually, I don't know anything about Gangsta Lovin' either. I oughta go back to college.

It wouldn't be right if I didn't post links to items that made me feel sick to my stomach about being American as well as when I feel proud. I always like to give our military the benefit of the doubt, but this doesn't look good.

Afghan Villagers Torn by Grief After U.S. Raid Kills 9 Children

This was obviously unintentional, but if it was caused by negligence, someone should answer up and pay the price.

If you're not sure where Dennis Kucinich stands on the war in Iraq, you must see this video. Very simply, it accuses Bush of purposefully sending thousands of people to their deaths so that his "rich friends can get richer". I sure hope that the parents of all those soldiers that he lists as having been killed are voting Democrat next November - or he's in for a huge lawsuit.

Also, not that Kucinich shouldn't go for the jugular in his ads, but it clearly states that 50 coalition forces have died on average per month, then goes on to say if "current trends continue" there will be 2400 deaths in the next year. 50 times 12 to me is 600, but hey, I'm no CPA. Oh wait, yes I am! Actually it seems like he took the worst week or two of casualties and used that for his extrapolation. This of course assumes that things will remain the same or get worse - which is exactly the kind of Democrat doom and gloom that Republicans joke about.

By the way it would take about 80-90 years of fighting at this casualty rate to get us to Vietnam level statistics.

The term double standard is defined in this article - Tough New Tactics by U.S. Tighten Grip on Iraq Towns.

Here's what our troops are doing in Iraq:

"As the guerrilla war against Iraqi insurgents intensifies, American soldiers have begun wrapping entire villages in barbed wire. (Can you say security fence? - my comments).

In selective cases, American soldiers are demolishing buildings thought to be used by Iraqi attackers. They have begun imprisoning the relatives of suspected guerrillas, in hopes of pressing the insurgents to turn themselves in."

Hmmm, seems like Israel has been criticized for doing some of these same things. And what's worse for the critics...

"So far, the new approach appears to be succeeding in diminishing the threat to American soldiers.".

The New York Times has introduced the position of Public Editor which sort of sounds like an ombudsman-type position. I already like the guy given that he admits, "I've hated the Yankees since I was 6."

I only hope that this person can help lead the Times back to truly being the "Paper of Record" instead of the Paper of Political Correctness.

I can't believe this is a real movie - The Hebrew Hammer. This is definitely something I plan to rent...and hope to G-d my neighbors don't see. Sure, it's probably funny for the gentile who knows Jews well and that it's all a joke, but what about those who barely know any Jews?

I guess I shouldn't pass judgement until I see the movie, but based on this review, I'd be nervous.

Back on December 3, I mentioned that we should have gone after Saudi Arabia before Iraq. U.S. News has a lenghthy report as to why they have been, and are, a greater threat to us than any other country on Earth.

I haven't been a regular reader of the weekly newsmags since I was a teenager back in the '80s, but between this report and the cover story on anti-Semitism in the 11/3/03 issue (which I did buy), I'm starting to think that U.S. News might not be bad to pick up in hard copy as a show of support.

OK - let's see if this makes as little sense to you as it does to me and Little Green Footballs.

The Times interviews a supposed member of the Iraqi "resistance". Here are some quotes from the story:

The religious principle is that we cannot accept to live with infidels. The Prophet Muhammad, peace be on him, said, `Hit the infidels wherever you find them.'

"We will not allow them to kill Iraqis. I am speaking before God, on my behalf and that of the other mujahedeen."

It was hard to pin down any single motive for the fighter here, who said he served in the Iraqi Army for six years, ending in 1998, and who gave the nickname "Fighter for the Sake of God."

Hard to pin down a motive? I-S-L-A-M. He put Allah in his nickname! How blind is this reporter?

For my politically correct friends - just because the vast majority of Muslims are good does not mean that evil does not stem from those that claim to be practicing Islam or that Islamic tradition is not relevant to their motives. In the same way you can't separate Judaism from militant West Bank settlers, even if the vast majority of Jews do not believe that owning the West Bank is necessary for the Jewish people.

But wait a minute - I just got to thinking (no laughing please). If Jews for Jesus started terrorizing people while claiming they are Jews, does the true Jewish community have an obligation to stop them, criticize them or both? Therefore if "militant Islam" is committing innumerable outrages in the eyes of the majority of Muslims, what are the moral obligations and would we as Jews do the same? After all, many liberal non-Muslims claim that the terrorists really aren't Muslim or have "hijacked" the religion.

For my super politically correct friends, no I am not comparing Jews for Jesus to militant Islamists, although it would certainly make a lot of people's lives easier if both of those groups switched to mainstream religious observance.

Good shabbos!

No comment necessary.

If this story is indeed true, you have to say Merci to the French - whether you like it or not:

Bolivia Detains 16 Muslims on Terror Tipoff -Agency

LA PAZ, Bolivia (Reuters) - Bolivia's state news agency said authorities in La Paz detained 16 Muslims on Thursday after a tip-off from French police that some of them were planning to hijack a plane and attack targets in the United States.

Who would think to look for Bangladeshis in Bolivia?

UPDATE (in Spanish) from Clarin of Argentina - 9 people have been released due to lack of evidence. Below is my translation:

"Bolivian authorities have freed nine Bangladeshis that were detained yesterday in Santa Cruz on the suspicion that they belonged to terrorist organizations.

The Bolivian government's decision was announced by Alfonso Ferrufino a government Minister amidst confusing information regarding the number, motive and circumstances behind the arrest of the foreigners who entered by way of the Santa Cruz airport in the eastern part of this country.

Ferrufino said that after having received the complaint from the French Embassy in Bolivia, the security organizations of the country did not find sufficient proof to open a criminal case against these people."

Boy, this woman who claimed she was trampled in a Wal-Mart during a pre-Christmas rush for goodies sure fooled everyone. Even George Will based an entire column on her B.S. - Christmas Goes For the Jugular.

A new movie is opening tomorrow in NY and Los Angeles called "Monsieur Ibrahim". It stars Omar Sharif as an elderly Muslim man who becomes a father figure to a Jewish teenage boy in 1960's Paris. It gets an OK write-up in the NYT. As usual you can get links to just about every review in existence at rottentomatoes.com, most of which seem to say that the film is good but not great.

This is just great - Muslim prison inmates in an East Texas jail are being shown anti-Semitic and pro-terrorist propoganda masquerading as religious sermons. I can't wait until these people are released out into the community.

A thank you to Robert Riggs, the investigative reporter at CBS Channel 11 here in Dallas.

The NY Times has an article about the Alexis Keller, the Swiss man who helped create the forum for the creation of the Geneva Accord. The initial seed money that was used to sponsor, and now advertise the Accord comes from his father Pierre Keller.

The senior Mr. Keller is a former Vice President and current honorary assembly member of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The ICRC does not recognize Israel's Magen David Adom for the following reason:

"The Movement's statutes list criteria for recognition, one of which is the use of a protective emblem authorized by international law (the Geneva Conventions) – a red cross or a red crescent. The MDA does not wish to use either of these."

Talk about Palestinian desperation - this woman felt she needed to run to the Israeli military for help. In a sane world you would never see a headline like this - Palestinian woman beaten for refusing to explode

Is the fact that President Bush was photographed holding a picture of a cooked turkey that was not served during his trip to Iraq REALLY an issue? Even if it was, is this supposed to invalidate the whole idea of the trip? Does the Washington Post really believe that he risked everyone's life and traveled an ungodly amount of hours to trick people for a photo op with a dead bird?

I mean FDR hid from the public that he was in a wheelchair for chrissakes.

You know, I've finally come around to the conclusion that President Bush made a big mistake by invading Iraq.

We definitely should have taken care of Saudi Arabia first.

I can't tell if they're misguided or just plain evil, but they are definitely our enemy. If Bush was going to have to take all this blood for oil crap, he should have at least gone to where the oil is and the source of funding for the spread of radical Islam. According to the Wall Street Journal, they'll probably wind up favoring China over us anyway in the long run.

How much more evidence do we need? Here's some more.

Torah, Protocols of the Elders of Zion...same thing. At least according to the director of the manuscript museum at the new Alexandria Library in Egypt.

If only the "apartheid fence" had been up, perhaps this child would have been spared.



The One Family Fund is one of the best places to get information on terror victims and to donate to help relieve the agony of their families.

Today I have a moral crisis - do I prefer to sound the alarm of Anti-Semitism or criticize the New York Times? Perhaps I can do both. The Times did have a front page article today about Attacks by Arabs on Jews in France, so I am glad that they are recognizing the problem and publicizing it. However, deeper into the article they report:

"Interior Ministry figures show that physical and verbal attacks against Jews plummeted to 96 in the first 10 months of this year, compared with 184 during the comparable period last year. Justice Ministry investigations into alleged anti-Semitic offenses for the same periods fell from 129 to 29."

So then it's not really a big problem anymore, is it? If these numbers are an accurate reflection of reality, or at least point to a very positive trend, then why is the Times raising the alarm now, a year or two too late?

It's been awhile since I've posted about the upcoming parsha (Torah portion) of the week. I have truly been neglectful in my study of Torah, one of the most important mitzvahs. Shame on me.

This week's portion is Vayeitzei which begins with the story of Jacob's ladder. When Jacob awakes from his dream of ascending and descending angels he declares "G-d is in this place and I did not know it"! Jacob may not have known this until just then, but the lesson that we have taken from him is that G-d is everywhere - not just in every place, but the essence of G-d is in every thing as well. Jacob's declaration was not meant just as a recognition of his immediate surroundings as being infused with G-d's presence but was a declaration regarding the entire world.

How often do we ourselves ignore the signs of G-d's presence in the world around us?

Stop reading. Take a look around. Think of your loved ones, the feeling of satisfaction you may have after recently finishing a meal, the wonders of the modern world in which we live today.

Take time to thank G-d for everything you enjoy in life. Thanks to the vision of our forefather Jacob, there is no longer an excuse for us to ever say, "G-d is in this place and I did not know it!"

Here is a Reconstructionist D'var Torah on the same theme.

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Just as an aside, when I remember to say "Modeh Ani" in the morning when I wake up, it gives me a jolt of energy and a feeling of responsibility to "seize the day" that G-d has granted me. For those that don't know, this prayer in English translates into:

I give thanks to You, O God, eternal and living ruler,
who in mercy has returned my soul to me; great is your faithfulness.

When I woke up this morning in New York, this was leading the local news:

Nasty Signs of Bias

Actually, it may be even worse than that:

SWASTIKA HATE SPREE HITS CITY

The New York Times of course doesn't want to hurt the criminal's feelings, so their headline mentions POSSIBLE BIAS INCIDENTS REPORTED.

"The Most Wonderful Time of The Year" indeed. Bah humbug!

It's funny - this anti-Semitic incident happened near downtown Dallas around a month ago, and it is first seeing the light of day in the Dallas Morning News today. What I'm curious about is how the perpetrtaors knew this man was Jewish.

At the time I caught the tail end of a report about the incident on the local evening news, but it never made it into the newspapaers. Did they add this now becuase it was a slow news day? Were they waiting until they could interview the victim? Just curious - I'm not trying to insinuate evil motives behind delaying the story.

Is Syria actually helping to capture Al-Qaeda members? So says a Turkish news agency.

The Associated Press has an interesting article about how the Saudis are using interrogation methods similar to cult deprogramming to get information from Al-Qaeda members.

Now if only we can figure out a way to deprogram all followers of militant Islam (or militant anything) there'd be a lot of Nobel Peace Prizes to be handed out.

Can religious and secular Jewish children be educated together thus spreading mutual respect among the different branches of Judaism? There are currently about 1,300 such students in Meitarim schools in Israel.

I just thought this was interesting - there's an Israeli artist, Udi Aloni, behind much of the "wallscape" ads seen around the world, including all over Times Square.

I can't explain why, but the President's surprise trip to Baghdad for Thanksgiving made me feel good. At the same time, I know I'm not supposed to like Bush and maybe he wouldn't like me. But you know what, I can't put it any better than the Dallas Morning News did today. You'll have to trust me on this as it's not posted to their website, but the lead editorial is "Mensch in cowboy boots merits praise".

Regardless of what you think, there was no guarantee of his safely flying into Baghdad Airport (a DHL cargo plane was hit by a missile coming in just this past week), so to me he risked his life to bring some cheer to the troops. A mensch. If you are one to believe that he did this for a rise in the polls three weeks after election day and a full year before the next one, and after his last "Mission Accomplished" stunt brought so much criticism, then you are truly a Bush hater and good luck with the Howard Dean campaign.

Even when I moved to Teaxs last year, I never imagined that I'd have one of my neighbors offer to deep fry my Thanksgiving turkey for me. Well, they did and it was awesome - juiciest turkey I've ever had. I've been laughing at the thought of the same thing happening in a place like Brooklyn where I was born.

Well, these Brooklynites tried it, but it didn't quite turn out how they'd planned:

Women Burned Frying Turkey

Could Argentina become the next Turkey?

It seems as if some in the Canadian Muslim community are looking for more co-religionists to submit voluntarily to Sharia (Muslim Law). How will this be done? Sharia based arbitration boards (like Jewish beit dins I imagine) will be established and based on Canadian law under the Arbitration Act, Canadian courts must enforce the decision of the arbitration.

The Law Times of Canada reports here about these plans discussed at a recent conference of Canadian Muslim leaders.

I believe that U.S. courts allow for the enforcement of religious court rulings, but I imagine it's only when those rulings do not contravene secular law. I want to see what happens when an Islamic Advisory board adjudicates to force a woman to wear a burqa or let an "honor killing" murderer go free.

As conference organizer, barrister Syed Mumtaz Ali recognizes, "We are required by our own law to follow the laws of the country and to follow our own laws. We have a double obligation. You don't have to be the wisest man to see there will be conflicts. . . ." Mr. Ali is "the first lawyer to swear his oath of allegiance on the Koran."

Conflicts indeed.

This article in the Salt Lake City Weekly is ostensibly about the selection of a lesbian rabbi for Salt Lake City's largest Jewish congregation. However, in describing the different branches of Judaism at length it is probably one of the most comprehensive and even-handed articles about modern Judaism that I have ever read.

I know that in the grand scheme of things, this just doesn't matter, but the British Political Cartoon Society has just awarded there cartoon of the year award for a drawing of Ariel Sharon eating Palestinian babies. In fact, it's not even original in that it's an almost identical copy of a Goya painting.

This must be the famous dry wit of the British at work. At first I though it was a joke, and then I saw which cartoon won last year:

The government may be crying wolf, but there was definitely an extra guard posted outside my building's underground garage today.

From the "everything I ever needed to know I learned from cartoons" file:

According to the NY Times editorial page - "The International Atomic Energy Agency should pass a resolution condemning Iran's secret programs and demanding that the country prove that its programs are peaceful."

Let's just change some of the words around and see how it plays - "The International ACME Agency should pass a resolution condemning Wile E. Coyote's secret purchases of ACME products and demanding that he prove that its programs will not be used to catch the Roadrunner."

Also, there's that "demand" word again. How can you demand something if you don't back it up by physical force? Ask is more like it. Unless of course, the Times is saying they're willing to go to war with Iran over this issue.

Not.

Nothing to add here really - just a cool picture.

"The Concorde glided up the harbor before docking alongside the Intrepid Sea Air Space Museum."

I wasn't sure what to think of the latest Michael Jackson saga, but if this article about the accuser's family is true - the legal system has more than "Wacko Jacko" to deal with.

There's a very interesting difference between the covers of Times columnist Paul Krugman's "The Great Unraveling" as sold in the U.S. versus Europe. Even the Times itself published an article about the difference.

Here's the U.S. version:



Here's the UK version:

I just sent the following letter to the New York Times' based on Frank Rich's op-ed piece, "When You Got It, Flaunt It".

Mr. Rich seems to imply that Bill O'Reilly cannot claim significant career achievement because he has commented that he hails from "lower middle class" Levittown when perhaps it was really "middle class" Westbury instead. In fact there is only a 10% difference in per capita income between those two places according to the Census Bureau. Regardless of his past address, by no stretch of the imagination did Bill O'Reilly come to his wealth and influence through a large inheritance or family connections.

In addition, I think there may a case of sloppy reporting. Mr Rich claims that O'Reilly "wrote that he had grown up in lower middle-class Levittown, N.Y. only to be corrected by Newsday, which reported that Mr. No Spin Zone grew up in Westbury, a middle-class suburb near Levittown". In fact a recent Newsday article just this week says that "O'Reilly claims Levittown; others say he lived closer to middle-class Westbury". Therefore it seems that Newsday is just reporting what others have said - Newsday did not, in fact, correct O'Reilly at all or do any research on either claim.

Very nice the way the BBC puts sneer quotes around the word killed in this article:

Israeli barrier guards 'killed'

Two Israeli security guards have been shot dead at the controversial security barrier being constructed by the Jewish state, medical sources say.

Given that the actual reportage says they were shot dead, one would assume that they were actually killed instead of "killed". Perhaps they think that Jews, like vampires, can't actually be "killed".

Hat Tip to Little Green Footballs.

UPDATE: It's been changed - they took away the quotation marks.

So how much do YOU like hockey? Enough to watch a game outdoors with 57,000 other fanatics in late November in Canada? As one of the spectators said:

“When I was 11 or 12 years old I remember my mom always said, ‘Put a tuque on, you’ll catch a cold,” Theodore said of his cap. “I just wanted to make sure she’s not going to say anything when I go back home, so I put a tuque on.”

Then I asked myself, what the hell is a tuque? Now I know and so can you.

The ultra-liberal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals (otherwise known as the Ninth Jerk-It Court of Schlemiels) has decided that perhaps gunmakers should be held liable when people commit crime with guns. Now, I can never imagine owning a gun myself, but should kitchen knife makers be worried?

The European Union is afraid to issue a report on anti-semitism in Europe because it found that Arabs and Muslims are the main culprits. There also seems to be some discussion as to whether beating a Jew is anti-semitism if you claim you're upset at Israel.

"When the researchers submitted their work in October last year, however, the centre's senior staff and management board objected to their definition of anti-semitism, which included some anti-Israel acts. The focus on Muslim and pro-Palestinian perpetrators, meanwhile, was judged inflammatory."

I guess if Israel leaves the West Bank and Gaza, Muslims won't need to blow up or torch synagogues and schools in Turkey, France and the Bronx anymore.

Great news! The PATH station at the World Trade Center site will be re-opened this Sunday. I really wish they would have designed the new station entrance in the form of a giant middle finger - pointed at Mecca of course.

Iraqi insurgents are now using donkeys and dog carcasses to deliver or hide explosive devices.

I am totally against the use of animals in such a heinous way. However, I do agree that they can be put to good use to promote military objectives by less violent means. For example, what if we trained 1,000 parrots to sing God Bless America in Arabic and released them into the Sunni triangle. Then, when the insurgents try shooting the birds, they will reveal their positions and we can kill them.

Laugh if you must, but it can be done. I knew I should have been a military strategist instead of a CPA.

The finalists for the 9/11 Memorial Competition have been released to the public. Spend some time. Reflect.

My inital favorite is "Dual Memory" - just beacuse seeing the victim's faces made me cry. That's what this memorial is about - not the buildings. No matter how big a hole in the ground you leave or make into a pond or a park, it will never capture the enormity of what was physically destroyed.

I'm no Jewish Defense League or Kahane Chai supporter, but the Chief Rabbi of France has basically announced that Jews must go into hiding to protect themselves against attack. I would like to provide some links to my fellow Jews in that country which might provide a better alternative that is acceptable, as I understand it, under Torah law:

Wal-Mart

E-Bay France

And a little history from Amazon.fr

Here's France's formula for controlling anti-Semitism. Invest $8bn in Muslim neighborhoods. I guess that French Muslims must have the same level of despair and hopelessness as the Palestinians - which as we all know is the primary cause of anti-Semitism in the world.

I'm sure that in the near future we will hear Muslim parents telling their children, "See we have a new school in our neighborhood - now we don't need to beat Jews in the street anymore!".

The New York Times, in an effort to discredit the Bush Administration, quotes two army officals under the banner "Few Signs of Infiltration by Foreign Fighters in Iraq"

Follow this twisted logic - becuase "most of the attacks on our forces are by former regime loyalists and other Iraqis, not foreign forces" and that it one region the army "had captured perhaps (only) 20 foreign fighters trying to slip into the country" therefore it's impossible that Bush could be telling the truth about 1,000-3,000 foreign fighters in Iraq. What does who perpetrates these attacks and a slow trickle of recent arrests translate into a headcount of the existing population of foreign fighters already in Iraq?

If the U.S. Border Patrol arrests 100 Mexican illegals this month, does that disprove that there are millions already living here?

The Times then claims that "the White House has been suggesting that foreign fighters are continuing to enter the country" in order to link "the war in Iraq to the global campaign against terror".

First of all the White House have said that foreign fighters and terrorists have been infiltrating Iraq for a long time and are still trying to get in, not that they are still successful at getting in since obviously we've tightened the border patrols in recent months.

Also, according to an MSNBC report on November 4th: "Senior American officers in Iraq believe foreign fighters are involved in the insurgency now along with Saddam loyalists, but have no firm reason to link them to al-Qaida or any other international terrorist group. Asked at the Pentagon last week about fighters in Iraq from other countries, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said between 200 and 300 people believed to be foreigners have been captured, with a “high percentage� from Syria and Lebanon." That's only who's been captured - Add a multiple for those who haven't been and you easily come to the 1,000 to 3,000 estimate.

Somehow the Times has twisted a story about the success of our border controls in Iraq to prove that the Bush administration is "lying" for the sake of expanding the war on terrorism.

Are there words to describe the evil behind torching a Holocaust museum? Once the police find the people who did this - and they will becuase the arsonists are probably idiots - what kind of programs could possibly exist to transform these "people" into human beings?

It's funny, I've read several reviews about "Full Court Miracle", a new Disney Channel production involving a down on their luck Jewish academy basketball team who hires a down on his luck African American to coach them. They all seem to like it (in the B, B+ range), but they also tend to say it's schmaltzy and predictable. Also, something which I can't stand (a la CBS and Reagan) - this is "based on" a true story. If the real story is so heartwarming, why fix it?

Ironically, it's first showing is on a Friday night, so religious Jews won't be able to watch until it's in repeats.

One of ours showing his respect for the press corps. Did Dan Rather ever elicit this reaction in Vietnam? Hat Tip: Little Green Footballs.

I don't think this is considered free speech - is it? I mean, can't they be arrested and hanged for treason of some sort?

There's a pretty obvious line between protesting your country's actions and supporting the enemy directly with funds, and these people have crossed it in a Fonzie-like leap over the bodies of their countrymen.

Italian group backs Iraq fighters

Another house in my new hometown has been designated as a historical landmark. In the article, there is a description of how the home, built in 1898 was lovingly restored by the current owners.

It kind of makes me wonder if anyone would ever want to preserve the modern homes we live in now. Can you imagine the articles 100 years from now? "Mr and Mrs Smith were meticulous in replacing the early 21st century Corian countertops and garden wallpaper in the kitchen. Perhaps most fascinating was the reconstruction of the 'entertainment center' where the original owners used to watch something called 'television' and play music on 'stereos'. Luckily, much of the orignal Bose wiring was found in the attic....."

What type of card do I get my wife for World Toilet Day, November 19?

Although I love you tenderly,
I have to say that when I pee
I would do so more merrily
If the seat you would leave up for me.

Copyright - Go Blog and Multiply 2003

A new group in England called Shechita UK is trying to prevent the ban of ritual kosher slaughter in that country. Many animal rights organizations in Europe are trying to ban kosher slaughter, as they believe non-kosher methods are more humane (although there is conflicting science on the matter). PETA seems to have nothing to say about this - I guess they're against killing animals for food whatever the method. Here are some other links of note on the subject:

Europe's new face of anti-Semitism: 5 countries now ban production of kosher meat

Fear over European Kosher bans

Halal and Kosher slaughter 'must end'

Swiss retain kosher slaughter ban

Another sensless death in New York, although the cause is stupidity, pure and simple.

A Merchant Marine Cadet Is Killed While Subway Surfing

INHUMAN BASTARDS. How else do you describe car bombs attacking synagogues on the Sabbath? And one of these was attacked for the third time in 10 years! How do the congregants have the balls to pray there without having a team of green berets outside?

I wonder if the Turks will agonize over this for years just as we Americans do over the bombing of a Birmingham, Alabama church over 40 years ago? I doubt it.

UPDATE: Perhpas a miracle? "It appears that no one inside the synagogue was hurt," said journalist Andrew Finkel, adding that most of those killed were passersby." Not that I'm glad that passersby were killed, but wow.

James Lileks has a great quote regarding George Soros' comments about President Bush's America and his support for Howard Dean:

"I was tempted to write about George Soros comparing Bush and America to the rise of the Nazis, but I’ve just had it with these people. I’m more interested in those who ride the coattails of their rhetoric. I want someone to ask Dean this question in the Presidential debate: “Governor Dean, one of your wealthiest backers has compared America in 2000s with German in the 1930s. Do you agree with this analogy?� The only acceptable answer to my ears is “No, I don’t.� Period. "

I have to say I'm kind of glad that the head of the ADL's Interfaith Affairs is leaving. He's the one who's been responsible for all the fire and brimstone surrounding "The Passion", Mel Gibson's upcoming biography on the life of Jesus which some claim to be anti-Semitic.

I am always very uncomfortable when those "in the know" try to tell the public whether something is good or bad before a final product is completed. I also agree that Mr. Gibson got more publicity from the ADL's outrage than a full-page color add in the New York Times. I do believe this was an attempt at censorship which we should never stand for under any circumstances. How the ADL decided to take on one of America's most beloved male actors regarding material that couldn't be seen by the public at large is beyond my comprehension.

Here's a neat way to make a small difference in the world. You can also find out at the same time that either the New York Jets and Giants are among the least-loved teams in football, or New Yorkers are incredibly stingy. Go, make the free donation to Campbell Soup's Click-for-Cans campaign and you'll see what I mean.

Speaking of the Jets, can a new football stadium in Manhattan be in the works...for real?

Sometimes I think that Thomas Friedman is the most educated level-headed thinker on issues regarding the Middle East. There's other times like today, when I wonder what he's smoking. This is my first offical "fisking" of someone's work. If you don't know what that means, ask me in the comments and I'll be glad to tell you.

Friedman states that "One could easily do a revisionist history of 9/11 and show how it was simply the opening salvo in an attempted coup within Saudi Arabia - with the attack on America meant only as a bank shot to undermine one of the main supports of the Saudi ruling family." And the bombings in Africa, Bali, etc.? These were meant to threaten the Saudi royal family?

He writes further that "Some 26 years ago Anwar Sadat responded to the food riots in Egypt by going to Jerusalem to make peace with Israel." This doesn't seem to have prevented the Egyptian government from sponsoring anti-Semitism and producing miniseries based on the Protocols of the Elders of Zion.

But wait there's more - "The way to reduce these fires - which will only worsen with the growth of Muslim populations in Europe - is by forging a solution to the Palestine issue along the lines of the Clinton plan. Nothing would do more to extinguish this new anti-Semitism than an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal". Does he mean the deal that Israel accepted and the Palestinians rejected out of hand?

And now the piece de resistance - "Unfortunately, right now both the House of Saud and the House of Sharon prefer to buy time by relying on police rather than political initiatives. In the long run, this won't work. Both need to take on their Wahhabis: the Muslim Wahhabi extremists who are choking Saudi Arabia's future and the Jewish Wahhabi settlers who are doing the same to Israel. " First he compares the democratically elected Sharon to the House of Saud, then he compares ALL settlers to Wahhabi extremists. I don't remmeber the last time I read about a school in the settlements teaching children to hate their neighbors and declare holy war against all Muslims.

I wonder if he thinks the Palestinians should have a say in any of this?

I am NOT little!

"Today, we can say that these little people (Jews) are the root of evil" says Mikis Theodorakis, famous Greek composer as Culture Minister Evangelos Venizelos and Education Minister Petros Efthymiou listen without reaction of any kind.

Another country to add to the Axis of Anti-Semitism with France.

I thought that Delta Airline's name for it's new short-haul subsidiary, Song, was silly. But "Ted"? What is United thinking? Why not Clarence or Jim Bob?

I'm sure that the celebrities mentioned in this article think that their fellow Americans are a caring people, willing to help others in times of distress; that we are strong defenders of freedom and human dignity.

However what they SAY is that we're all dumb as horsesh**. Nice.

Thanks to an editorial by Ted Rall, syndicated cartoonist for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, I see that we've been wrong all along about Iraq - in fact we're just as evil as the Israelis! How could we have sunk so low!

It does fascinate me sometimes how someone who grew up in the same culture as I did has such a different view of the world than I do. We're not talking about having different ideas on how to fund Social Security - I mean seeing the U.S. government as evil and people who blow up Red Cross facilities as brave defenders of freedom? Talk about bizarro world....

Nicholas Kristof writes a rare commentary in the NY Times about how the left in this country are heading down the path to incivility and oblivion. From his op-ed piece:

In a fairly typical comment, one reader suggested that President Bush and his aides are "lying, cynical greedy pirates who deserve no better than a firing squad." At this rate, soon we'll all be so rabid that Ann Coulter will seem normal.

That's setting a pretty high bar for obnoxiousness. It's hard to find anyone can surpass it on either side of the political spectrum.

Until now, many in Saudi Arabia have supported terrorism against the U.S. since the ends justified the means. Now that they themselves are targets, their attitude seems to be changing.

This is why President Bush is right to call the current conflict a war against terrorism, not just a war against al-Qaeda. Unless terrorism in it's current form is stopped as a viable method of attack everywhere, things are bound to get worse for everyone on the planet. As opposed to the historical call against nuclear weapons use and proliferation which involves established states with some sort of desire for personal survival, the terrorists are actively seeking WMDs and don't care if they live to see the results of their use.

The U.S. isn't going to invade every country that disagrees with us, but if they support terrorists (and you know who you are), we're a-comin to git ya. The push for democracy is just the means by which we hope to deny terrorism a base from which to operate. It ain't altruism that's determining our policy.

As I walked toward the ferry that would take me to my hotel, I saw down the road this Traffic Light Tree. I'm still not sure if it's a sculpture or a working light, although I think it's the former. You can even see my office building in the background.

Cheerio from London, mate! Nothing much interesting going on here really. However, it is worth noting that the Michael Howard has been appointed as head of the Conservative Party (the Tories). He is the first Jew to head either England's Labour or Conservative parties - Benjamin D'Israeli who was prime minister had been baptized as a child.

Here's a quirk about the British parliamentary system that I love - the opposition party leader selects a "shadow cabinet" to mirror the existing cabinet appointed by the majority party. I think this would be a great idea for the U.S.

Well I'll be hopping the pond tomorrow and going to merry old England. Let's see what revelries await.....

Prince Charles accused of being homosexual (although British libel laws prevent the publication of much detail) and Is Charles Bisexual?

Cheeky council workers stunned motorists with rude road sign.

All kinds of excitement over Bush's visit the following week - most of it not good.

This is fantastic - a Church Sign Creator on the Internet. You know those signs you pass all the time with the cute sayings to get people to remember to believe in God and go to mass. This site let's you type in any four lines of text and it shows you what it would look like in front of a typical church. it's hard to explain, you just have to go there.

As much as I love books, I rarely spend a lot of money on "coffee table" books. Diaspora, though, seems like one of those that may well be worth it. Here's a nice write-up about it in my local paper, and here's the link to Amazon.com, where it's $30 off.

In constructing Berlin's Holocaust Memorial, is it just ironic or immoral that the company that made Zyklon-B (Degussa) plans to profit from the sale of anti-graffiti spray? To complicate matters, Degussa has supposedly been one of the most forthright companies regarding it's history of wartime activities. Read "The Price of Forgiveness" in today's New York Times.

Now, there could well be a very good reason for a Saudi man and unnamed female companion to be secretly videotaping a Jewish girls middle school, but I'm really stuck to think of a good one.

I would like to think that if I found this couple in my daughter's school that they would not have been able to make it to the parking lot, and boy had they better know how to speak English so that they could tell me exactly how far they would like me to shove that menorah up their....

But I digress.

I would most certainly stay abreast of the situation with the local authorities.

Last night I went to see Mary Blye Howe discuss her book "A Baptist Among the Jews" at the local JCC. I had read the book when it came out a couple of months ago and was intrigued by the insights that someone would have learning about Judaism not only from scratch, but with a previously held negative viewpoint.

What I found most interesting were her comments about how in many conservative Baptist churches, Jesus' break with the Pharisees and elders is taught as Jesus the Christian vs. the whole of the Jewish community as opposed to a Jew and his friends disagreeing with other Jews - therefore the thing about "all of us" killing Christ.

There was one woman in the audience who had the most obnoxious question of the night, basically accusing the author of not being able to love both the good in her Christian heritage and her newfound Judaism-based spirituality - telling her she had to choose one or the other but shouldn't claim to be able to enjoy the benefits of both. A lot of dirty looks followed, but no hissing. Mrs. Howe commented basically by saying that acceptance and sorting out of many ideas was better than rejecting everything outside of one's own immediate belief system regardless of what one believes.

In addition, I asked her what I could say to an evangelical Christian to get them to recognize me as a person practicing a valid religion instead of a target for conversion, and she said you can't do anything - they're to set in their ways like machines. That was very disheartening, but she herself had a very difficult time breaking away from that tradition herself and is still ostracized by a large segment of her own community outside of her particular church which is relatively liberal.

The best comment from the audience came when someone said that we should give the book to Children so that they can have a "Jew Among the Jews" experience since so few of us ever explore the various branches of our own faith.

There's a lot to learn here and it will reinforce your love and knowledge for the basic tenets of the religion as practiced by all Jews.

On October 29, I wrote a post about my disappointment in PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) and the tactics they use for what is otherwise an arguably worthy cause.

Earlier today I was going to write about how I was going to boycott McDonald's since the widow of it's founder, Mrs. Ray Kroc bequeathed $200mm to National Palestine (er...Public) Radio.

How are these two linked? PETA to NPR: Reject McDonald's 'Blood Money' Bequest

I am changing course and making sure my wife the vet increases her PETA donation for 2004.

On Sunday, November 16th, my shul is having a Mitzvah Day and yours truly is in charge of a project under the auspices of Keep Plano Beautiful. Our task is to clean-up sections of White Rock Creek which for the most part starts in Plano, runs past the shul and south through Dallas. My hope is that we don't have to clean up messes like this one, found in the same creek about 15 miles south.

"DALLAS- A stolen car in a creek bed has yielded the body of an unidentified man and another person, say police who are trying to determine how the two died.

One body found Tuesday inside the car lying in White Rock Creek off Interstate 30 was identified as that of a man. The gender of the other could not be determined because of decomposition. Autopsies were pending."

Yuck.

I have to agree here that this smacks of racism (is it racism if someone is anti-Muslim? Anti-Muslimitic?)

Plan to Make Old Building Into New Mosque Rouses Opposition

How often will you find the Anti-Defamamtion League on the same side of an issue as the Council on American-Islamic Relations?

The NY Times just posted a story on their website that is either the biggest story since Watergate or the final deathblow for their claims to objectivity - Iraq Said to Have Tried to Reach Last-Minute Deal to Avert War

"As American soldiers massed on the Iraqi border in March and diplomats argued about war, an influential adviser to the Pentagon received a secret message from a Lebanese-American businessman: Saddam Hussein wanted to make a deal.

Iraqi officials, including the chief of the Iraqi Intelligence Service, had told the businessman that they wanted Washington to know that Iraq no longer had weapons of mass destruction, and they offered to allow American troops and experts to conduct a search. The businessman said in an interview that the Iraqis also offered to hand over a man accused of being involved in the World Trade Center bombing in 1993 who was being held in Baghdad. At one point, he said, the Iraqis pledged to hold elections."

Is this for real? If it is then it's an incredible cover-up. If it's not, then it's the biggest piece of political propaganda ever to appear in the "news" section of a major newspaper.

I guess we'll see tomorrow.

I have an idea for a trade - the Saudis send us much needed oil and we send them much needed sand. Seriously.

This comes from a new site called Yahweh is in the House, a semi-parody of Allah is in the House.

If you want me to believe in astrology and fortune telling, then tell me who could have predicted these three improbable stories:

The Wall Street Journal has an editorial "In Defense of P. Diddy".

Al Sharpton will be hosting Saturday Night Live.

Knicks win.

Tell me that this would not be the most highly watched pay-per-view event in world history:

The Grand Prior of the Knights Templar of the US challenges Osama bin Laden to a duel by sword.

From the challenge - "I will come to you alone, a single knight amidst thousands of your followers. You can have me killed in front of your followers . . . but then, of course, your reputation as a coward and an infidel will be sealed for all eternity."

Cool.

There will be a total lunar eclipse this coming Saturday night, November 8. Wouldn't it have been really cool if there was an eclipse on Halloween?

This is what makes me proud to be a Jew - 60 Minutes has a segment tonight about Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem and how they deliver the exact same level of care to Israelis and Palestinians alike - even suicide bombers. The sacred value of human life is respected over all other concerns.

I plan on sending them a donation, which I should have done long ago. Please join me. I've started a section of links on the right to my favorite charities. Don't see that on too many blogs...

Many have posted this before me, but there is a great synopsis of the history of Anti-Semitism here written by Natan Sharansky. Mr Sharansky, as many of you know was the best known Russian Jew (refusenik) who eventually emigrated to Israel and became a member of the Knesset.

You have to read the whole thing, but it's interesting that he notes is that virulent anti-Semitism existed with or without Israel, in lands with or without Jewish inhabitants, and in societies both free and repressed.

I find it amusing that the New York Time's hatred for Rush Limbaugh is so complete that in their article about radio personality Delilah the author writes the following:

"Delilah, with her audience of millions, has said that she's the anti-Howard Stern; she's also the anti-Rush Limbaugh, extremely female in a male-dominated medium and genre."

That in itself is not so bad inasmuch as it's accurate - but the caption on the picture they show on the website labels Delilah as "the anti-Limbaugh", using the author's description of her instead of her own description as the anti-Stern. I guess the editors feel that the author knows more about how Delilah should be defined than Delilah herself.

By the way, my wife's been listening to Delilah for months and loves her show. I'm hoping her empathy for the calling audience rests in her past relationships with men and not with me!

This is the kind of thing that you always think would never happen in a Jewish school:

Students at Private Jewish High School in LA Expelled for Making Sex Video

According to the article -"The video was made last spring by a sophomore girl and two junior boys, who were not identified by officials with Milken Community High School. Two of the three students involved thought the video was recorded only for a small group of friends, said school head Rennie Wrubel." This means that one of the students was planning to distribute this to the whole school. That makes him (I'll assume it wasn't the girl) an incredible jerk as well as a distributor of child porn.

The synagogue that sponsors the school, the Stephen S. Wise Temple is also one of the most liberal Reform synagogues in the country. I think it's funny that they have to advertise their services as "Shabbat A.M." as if it were "Good Morning America".