07/6/14

Answering to Ourselves

Arlene from Israel

Motzei Shabbat (After Shabbat)

Shabbat has now ended, but I carry with me the messages of an incredible Shabbat afternoon, during which Rabbi Seth and Sherri Mandell spoke on “Faith in the Face of Tragedy.” The Mandells lost their son Koby to terrorists 13 years ago, and devote themselves to good work in his memory, via the Koby Mandell Foundation.


Credit: Newtownbee

An inspiration to us all, they remind us of the importance of doing mitzvot (commandments/good works) in the memory of those who are gone. Sometimes, we have to go down into the darkness, says Sherri, to come to the brachot (the blessings).

And so I implore one and all not to stop: work on Jewish unity, increase prayer and Jewish study, show kindnesses to others, and give to charities, in the names of the three students – Gilad, Eyal, and Naftali – whom we have lost.

The world will never understand us and it’s pointless to hope that it will. It is only to ourselves – and Heaven – that we must account for our behavior.

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As to how the world sees us: we’re dealing right now with nothing less than an old-fashioned anti-Semitic blood libel, with regard to the charges that Jews killed the boy Mohammed Hussein Abu Khder.

It’s coming from Arabs, and most specifically Hamas: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/182499#.U7hdZZtZrIU . We see it in modified forms in the international media, which has picked up some of the charges.

Last I wrote about Abu Khder, I provided arguments as to why there is every reason to believe his murderers were Arab. I included the fact that his body had been burned and pointed out that this was not the Jewish way. Which it most certainly is not.

But now I must carry this further: The initial autopsy result shows that this boy died of burns over 90% of his body. Horrendous. He was burned to death.

Well, it happens that burning alive is a “traditional” approach within Islamic law for executing a homosexual.

See: http://www.answering-islam.org/Authors/Arlandson/homosexual.htm.

How do we combat it, when Arabs claim that Jews, knowing of the Muslim approach, did it to make it look like a Muslim did it?

We carry on, while the government and security agencies pursue a vigorous investigation to find the murderers. Won’t be an easy job, as they are being shielded, undoubtedly. Most importantly, we do not hesitate to take whatever actions we know must be taken, even though some portions of the world will now insist on seeing a moral equivalency – Arabs kill innocent boys, Jews kill innocent boys.

We must not expect fairness from the world – we must answer to ourselves.

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What seems reasonably clear to me is that some significant percentage of the Arab rioters in the Jerusalem streets probably knew full well – based on the information about how the boy died – that their own people did this. Not that this stopped them from their rampage. Perhaps they simply chose to adopt the the blood libel as truth.

Undoubtedly they see it as a win-win-win situation for themselves: Their community is rid of a boy who would have been considered an “abomination” (the ugly reality is that this is how Islam sees it), while they have been able to shift the blame onto Israel, which had the moral high ground after the murder of the students. And they have a chance to riot, as well.

The rioting hasn’t stopped, I must note: it has spread to the “triangle” area in the north that has a heavy Arab population.

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Shifting gears, I want to look at the situation with Gaza, which is in flux at the moment. Here I will provide background, mindful that by tomorrow another posting to address a new situation may be called for.

During the time that we as a nation were focused on the search for the boys and then the initial mourning for them, there had been a fairly regular barrage of rockets launched from Gaza. Hamas did not do all of the launching, but it was reported as being more directly involved than it had been of recent. And it was clear that they were giving other terrorists groups a free hand to promote attacks – a shift from the situation that had prevailed since our last operation in Gaza in 2012 (“Pillar of Defense”), after which it was said we had deterrence.

In the course of the last few days, there were a few injuries (no fatalities) and some damage done by the rockets. But what must be pointed out as well is the misery of life in southern Israel – and particularly Sderot – when there are sirens sounding, which require a dash to a shelter and make the heart pump furiously. It’s no way for innocent civilians to have to live, and it is incumbent upon our government to act against this.

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Additional IDF troops were moved along the border in Gaza by mid-week, suggesting the imminence of a major military action. But I suspected that this was saber-rattling, and indeed this is what it turned out to be.

On Thursday, Netanyahu delivered a message to Hamas leadership via Egypt that said we would be “quiet” if they were “quiet.” Thursday evening (at a Fourth of July celebration at the home of the US Ambassador to Israel), he said:

“Now we are preparing for two possibilities in the south: The first is that the firing at our communities will stop and then our operations will stop as well and the quiet that prevailed in the south after Operation Pillar of Defense will continue. The second possibility is that the firing at our communities in the south will continue and then the reinforcement forces that are located in the field will act forcefully. The security of our citizens comes first.” (Emphasis added)

Not a good policy, this “quiet for quiet.” It has made me – along with many others – crazy for years. This is what Dr. Aaron Lerner of IMRA had to say about this policy on Thursday. It explains the situation very succinctly:

“Let me spell out what this message to Hamas is actually saying:

“Dear Hamas leadership,

“If you stop shooting – at least stop shooting much – then we will leave you alone so that you can continue to build up your offensive capabilities.

“We call this our ‘quiet for quiet’ policy.

“And we don’t have to tell you just how much the “quiet for quiet” policy has been a gift for Hamas until now.

“When we first began the ‘quiet for quiet policy’ there were only very primitive launching devices in the Gaza Strip with extremely limited range and payload.

“At the time we adopted the ‘quiet for quiet’ policy because we didn’t want to invest the military effort required to clear out the Gaza Strip of the terror threat as we did in the massive operation we carried out in the West Bank and we wanted to keep life bearable within the area that was within range of attacks from the Gaza Strip.

“Thanks to Israel’s ‘quiet for quiet’, there are now weapons factories in the Gaza Strip producing rockets and missiles that can reach Tel Aviv and beyond…”

http://imra.org.il/story.php3?id=64217

Hamas and related smaller jihadist groups in Gaza are estimated to have 70,000 rockets and missiles.

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On Friday, we heard that Egypt was supposed to be negotiating a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that was expected to kick in momentarily.

This was already a bad way to go, and it then got worse:

It is standard policy for the Israeli Air Force to fly in over Gaza every time a rocket is launched, and hit something: a launching field, a weapons factory, an empty building. Occasionally, a person who is involved with the rockets gets hit. This is not a major operation, by any means, and not really expected to deter further launchings. But it is a way of extracting a price for every rocket or missile fired into Israel.

What happened on Friday was that a decision was made NOT to respond to rockets. This was nauseating. This was a “bang my head against the wall” scenario.

Aaron Lerner, citing Israel Radio Reshet Bet, explained the “logic” thus:

“The idea is apparently out of the desperate hope that if the Jewish State allows Hamas to pummel it for a few hours that Hamas will consider itself the victor and return the ‘quiet for quiet’ arrangement.”

http://imra.org.il/story.php3?id=64224

Our government was so eager for “quiet” that it was willing to let Hamas appear the stronger force?

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It should be noted that Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman voiced opposition to a ceasefire.

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I went into Shabbat – during which time there is a news blackout for me – assuming that by the time Shabbat went out a ceasefire would have been announced.

What I discovered tonight was that there has been no ceasefire: Hamas has not stopped firing rockets but has, instead, escalated its attacks. Some 20 plus rockets were shot into Israel today, and, for the first time since 2012, rockets were aimed at the major Negev city of Be’ersheva.

Apparently, we have started responding again to at least some of the rocket launchings, but no major IDF action has been initiated, at least not yet. NU? It is more than 48 hours since Netanyahu delivered his ultimatum. The prime minister consulted with military and security heads tonight and, say news reports, “may be considering” a larger operation.

Why “considering.” The head of our government said, clearly, that if the rocket attacks didn’t stop, we would act forcefully. There had better be an operation now, or we will look very weak and foolish indeed, at a time when there is not the luxury of seeming weak.

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What is going on?

As is his wont, Netanyahu is attempting to answer to the world again, instead of accounting to ourselves for our actions. I have seen some analyses that say that the murder of Mohammed Hussein Abu Khder limits his options in Gaza. And I think this is nonsense. An idiotic and judgmental US secretary of state alluded last week to the boy’s murder as “vengeance,” by which he meant that Jews attacked an Arab unreasonably in response to the murder of Jewish boys. So this means we cannot take action in Gaza because we will be accused of additional vengeance?

It’s important to make matters clear here. It is not as if Hamas was sitting quietly over there in Gaza, and we decided to hit them because our boys died. (Which, by the way, still would not be vengeance, but rather – as I had discussed – justice, as we would attempt to weaken the leadership responsible for such acts.) But as it is, our going into Gaza would be self-defense, plain and simple. And we are not only entitled to self-defense, it is essential.

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Two important additional points here, with more to follow undoubtedly.

First, a ground operation is necessary to take out any significant part of the rocket capability of Hamas in Gaza. That is because those rockets are hidden in civilian areas – and Hamas counts on Israel to not inflict the sort of civilian damage that would likely result from targeting the rockets from the air.

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And then this: Our goal should be as much destruction of Hamas weaponry as possible, and a diminishing/weakening of Hamas leadership. However, it should not be our goal to take down Hamas completely, as much as this appeals to many. That is because Hamas is not the worst of the jihadist forces in Gaza now.

There is al-Qaeda. And, according to Khaled Abu Toameh, there is ISIS: http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/4392/isis-gaza. If we create a vacuum, one of these other groups will move in. (Right now, for a variety of reasons, there is no thought being given to retaking Gaza.)

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Economy Minister Naftali Bennett (head of Habayit Hayehudi) is screaming long and loud about the impression of weakness lent by current government decisions. He is calling for tough action in Gaza. So are some others.

Let us see what transpires tomorrow…

As time allows, I may look at a variety of ways to handle Hamas that are being proposed.

07/6/14

ACORN for Illegal Aliens – Meet the Southwest Key Programs

By: Terresa Monroe-Hamilton

Are you curious who has been facilitating the transport of illegal alien children throughout the country? Look no more… meet La Raza connected Southwest Key Programs. This organization is the pipeline for the children into US refugee camps and homes across the nation. They provide immigrant youth shelters. It is a well-oiled machine that was set up to educate and reintegrate youth into American society. They also provide training for jobs. And baby, they are hiring.

Southwest Key Programs is funded by government and state programs. Here is an overview of what they do:

Southwest Key Programs is a national nonprofit organization providing transformative education, innovative safe shelters and alternatives to incarceration for over 200,000 youth and their families annually, while creating opportunities for their families to become self-sufficient. The inspiring youth and parents we work with are seeking the American dream: equality, education, and a higher quality of life. At Southwest Key, we simply open the doors to opportunity so they can achieve these dreams.

Southwest Key Programs ranks 5th among the Top Hispanic Nonprofits in America, employing a creative and diverse staff of over 2,200 employees. Because of Southwest Key’s work, thousands of youth have been diverted from prisons, jails, and institutions, enabling them to stay at home with their families and out of trouble. Southwest Key has reunified thousands of immigrant children with their families and provided these unaccompanied minors with 24-hour care and education. Southwest Key is one of only three nonprofits in Austin to be accredited by the Council on Accreditation, the nation’s leading human service accrediting body.

From the start, a cornerstone of all of our programs has been culturally-relevant education. Since 1999 we have refined our model by operating leading alternative schools throughout Texas, preventing hundreds of youth from dropping out of school by providing them with individualized education in a therapeutic setting. In 2009, East Austin College Prep opened at Southwest Key’s El Centro de Familia campus.

Over $8 million went into building their facility for this. This business was founded in 1987 and was made-to-order for Obama’s manufactured chaos on the border. Fast facts on Southwest Key Programs:

  • Founded: 1987
  • Legal Status: Nonprofit, charitable 501(c)(3) Social Service, Education and Community Development Organization
  • Staff: Over 2,200 nationwide
  • Programs: Southwest Key operates 68 juvenile justice and family programs, safe shelters for immigrant children, schools, and community building initiatives
  • Number Served: Over 200,000 kids and their families annually
  • Headquarters: Austin, Texas
  • Locations: Texas, California, New York, Georgia, Arizona, Wisconsin
  • FY 20013-14 Budget: $150 million
  • Funding: Grants and contracts by U.S. federal, state, and local government, foundations, and corporations; special events; private contributions
  • Social Enterprises: Southwest Key Enterprises, Southwest Key Cafe del Sol, Southwest Key Maintenance, Southwest Key Green Energy & Construction, Southwest Key Workforce Development, The Blooming Florist, Southwest Key Youth, Family, & Transportation LLC

Their specialty is reunifying illegal minors with their families. They are the underground railroad for the American invasion from the South. They are nationalistic in their connections and leadership. Heavily connected to the La Raza Roundtable, don’t be fooled by the charitable facade. This is a radical breeding ground. They are militant, Latino community organizers.

Here are their Board of Directors:

  • Victor Garza
    Board Chair, July 2004 to Present
    Retired Veterans Services
    Chair, La Raza Roundtable
    Resident of Fresno, California
  • Orlando Martinez
    Board Vice Chair, March 2007 to Present
    Founder and Senior Partner of Martinez Tjaden, LLP
    Former Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice
    Former Director of Colorado’s Department of Youth Service
    Resident of Atlanta, Georgia
  • Anselmo Villarreal
    Board Treasurer, February 2012 to Present
    CEO, La Casa de Esperanza
    Resident of Milwaukee, Wisconsin
  • Rosa Santis
    Board Secretary, February 2011 to Present
    President and CEO, Pedro SS Services, Inc. in East Austin
    Resident of Austin, Texas
  • David Marshall, Jr.
    Board Member, March 2014 to Present
    Management Consultant, ICF International
    National Board Member, Princeton Prize in Race Relations
    Former President of the LBJ School of Public Affairs Alumni Association
    Former Admission Officer and Coordinator of Multicultural Recruitment, Princeton University
    Resident of Washington, DC
  • Elizabeth S. Gonzales, CLTC
    Board Member, April 2011 to Present
    New York Life, Insurance Agent, New York Life Insurance Co
    Resident of Austin, Texas

The Leadership of Southwest Key Programs:

  • Dr. Juan Sanchez
    El Presidente/CEO and Founder
    Founded Southwest Key in 1987
  • Joella L. Brooks
    Chief Operations Officer
    Joined the Southwest Key Familia in 1990
  • Melody Chung
    Chief Financial Officer
    Joined the Southwest Key Familia in 1998
  • Roque Barros
    VP or Community Impact
    Joined the Southwest Key Familia in 2013
  • Veronica Delgado-Savage
    Vice President, Youth Justice Programs
    Joined the Southwest Key Familia in 1996
  • Alexia Rodriguez
    Vice President, Immigrant Youth Services/Legal Counsel
    Joined the Southwest Key Familia in 2003
  • Rachel Luna
    General Counsel
    Joined the Southwest Key Familia in 2006
  • Jennifer Nelson
    Vice President, Community Engagement
    Joined the Southwest Key Familia in 2000
  • Dr. Joe Gonzales
    Superintendent, East Austin College Prep
    Joined the Familia in 2011

They are connected to the Office of Refugee Resettlement:

About Unaccompanied Children’s Services

“Following the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) mission, which is founded on the belief that new arriving populations have inherent capabilities when given opportunities, ORR/ Division of Children Services/Unaccompanied Alien Children program provides unaccompanied alien children (UAC) with a safe and appropriate environment as well as client-focused highest quality of care to maximize the UAC’s opportunities for success both while in care, and upon discharge from the program to sponsors in the U.S. or return to home country, to assist them in becoming integrated members of our GLOBAL SOCIETY.”

It is to laugh. If their intent was the highest quality of care and safety, they have failed already and spectacularly. Their real goal is the GLOBAL SOCIETY.

As an aside, here is a map where illegal alien children are currently being housed. Thank you Weasel Zippers. I would imagine that Southwest Key Programs will transport children from these facilities to put them either with their families that are here legally or illegally, or house them in homes until their family is brought over. We are talking 10’s of millions being brought in and this organization will not only facilitate an invasion force, they will get wealthy doing it from government and state funds. I understand that Texas alone has given them over $150,000 in state monies.

For example, they are creating jobs for housing illegal immigrants. In Tucson alone there are 200 openings for jobs to assist with the sheltering of illegal immigrant children. This organization is taking old nursing homes and other buildings and converting them to house thousands of children. They make no mention of medical care or gangs – just shelter, safety and culture – their culture, not America’s.

There is massive push back on this as well. In Escondido, CA, the residents rejected these shelters wholeheartedly. As Daniel Greenfield of Sultan Knish rightly states, “This is what revolution looks like.”


Protesters in Murrieta, California, blocking and turning away buses of illegal immigrants

Murrieta, CA is not just pushing back, they’re telling the feds to shove it:

A crowd of 200 to 300 people in downtown Murrieta surrounded three Homeland Security buses carrying illegal alien detainees waving large American flags and holding signs that opposed higher taxes and “new illegals” — waited in the hot sun all day for the three charter buses to arrive.

Waving Americans flags and protest signs, the crowd refused to give way when the buses arrived with some 140 detainees from Texas, which has seen a flood of Central American illegal aliens cross the border.

Protesters chanted “USA!” “Impeach Obama!” and “Deport, Deport!”

They turned buses back and they will be the first of many communities to do so. There are militias from California and Texas joining forces to turn illegals back. There has been talk of calling the National Guard out to the border in Arizona and Texas. The border is in meltdown.

Sultan Knish also asks: “Are the Anti-Illegal Amnesty Protests the New Tea Party?

The Murrieta protest strongly reminded me of what the Tea Party used to do when it came to ObamaCare. A small number of ordinary people used social media to get the word out and organize protests.

The media denounced them. The politicians denounced them. But in the end they helped turned the tide of public opinion.

The situation is similar to, but also worse than ObamaCare, because there is no establishment opposition at all. The only real opposition is coming from ordinary people who are fed up.

Sultan Knish absolutely nails it – we are fed up.

Obama is also fundraising with a racist Mexican Director who actively promoted the murder of opponents of illegal immigration. Nifty, huh? But Obama couldn’t be bothered to actually go to the US/Mexican border. He would never sully himself with the masses. He has Communist minions for that, don’t ya know.

So, while Southwest Key Programs claims to be ‘for the children,’ remember what is really going on here. The redistribution of wealth, the invasion and eradication of America’s borders and the destruction of our Republic. It’s community organizing from hell and is spurring a revolt. Remember, it’s not fascism when they do it. Southwest Key Programs is ACORN for illegal aliens and they are the handmaidens of Obama’s ‘transformation’ of America.


Video Reveals Thousands of Illegal Immigrants Arriving At Border, Getting Free Bus Tickets Into US