11/4/14

From Terrible to Worse

Arlene from Israel

I do not delude myself. The international scene is not as bad as it could possibly get.  Please Heaven, may we never go there. But as I sit down to write I see that it is bloody awful, with escalating ugliness.

This summer we had a war of one sort.  Now we are enduring a war of another sort.  It is a dangerous business that calls on us all to be directed and strong – determined in what we stand for.  The focus is Har Habayit (The Temple Mount) and Israeli control of the eastern part of Jerusalem.

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If I have any prayer today, it is that by the time I post again I will be able to celebrate a fully Republican Congress. And then, which is the absolutely essential follow through, that the Republican members of Congress will also be directed and strong – determined to buck Obama to the maximum and return some sanity to US policies.

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In a nutshell: Obama has come totally out of the closet as an enemy of Israel.  While the signs were always there, he only had one foot and one shoulder out of the closet, as he continued to insist that he was Israel’s friend forever.  That many – including many American Jews! – believed him is a source of considerable grief.

But now? Now it’s blatantly obvious. For it matters not what Abbas and his cohorts do or say, there is no word from the US. While there is always plenty of criticism for Israel emanating from the White House and State Department.

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What have we done to merit criticism? The usual: We want to build some apartments in a neighborhood – Ramat Shlomo – that is bursting at the seams, and which would, in any event, even if there were an agreement with the Palestinian Arabs, remain in Jewish hands. The Jerusalem District Planning and Building Committee yesterday approved 500 new housing units there.

Is this not shocking? Houses where Jews can live, being built over the 1949 armistice line – which much of the world considers the “1967 border.  I am sooo tired of hearing about this, and the claim that everything beyond this line, which was only a temporary line, “belongs” to the Palestinian Arabs.

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At any rate, we have this from a State Department spokesman:

“It is unfortunate that after the unequivocal and unanimous position last week of the international community opposing construction in Jerusalem at this sensitive time, authorities chose to move forward.

“We continue to engage at the highest levels with the Israeli government to make our position absolutely clear that we view settlement activity as illegitimate and unequivocally oppose unilateral steps that prejudge the future of Jerusalem.”

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And how about Abbas?  It’s hard to know where to begin…

He’s inciting at vile levels.  Vile even for him. On Sunday it was revealed that he had sent a condolence letter to the family of the man who had attempted to kill Yehuda Glick (who was later shot by police when he resisted arrest):

“With anger, we have received the news of the vicious assassination crime committed by the terrorists of the Israeli occupation army against [your] son Mu’taz Ibrahim Khalil Hijazi, who will go to heaven as a martyr defending the rights of our people and its holy places.”

He spoke as well in the letter about Palestinian Arab rights to the land.

This came from Gal Berger of Israel radio, who said an Abbas aide had confirmed the authenticity of the letter and posted a picture of it.

~~~~~~~~~~The letter was sent on Saturday.  Yesterday, he voiced further objections to Jewish presence on the Temple Mount.  His spokesman, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, warned against the escalation of “break-ins by the settlers and Jewish extremists” to the Al-Aksa mosque.

You know what the problem is? Jewish presence on the Mount is a “violation of Muslim feelings.”  Muslim feelings. That’s a new one.

Put simply, he thought he could get away with pushing the concept of the Mount as being for Muslims only, but Jews keep coming.  He’s warning Jews to stay away.

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Netanyahu was furious about the silence of the international community with regard to the fact that Abbas had written a letter praising the man who attempted to murder Rabbi Glick.  Silence.

The Obama administration is not interested even in a pro forma statement regarding such behavior not being “constructive” for peace.

On the flip side, Yitz Glick, the brother of Yehuda Glick, who is a US citizen, has expressed the Glick family’s shock that there was no word of concern from the State Department, the US Ambassador to Israel, Dan Shapiro, or any representative of the US government: my father is one of only 5 Americans residing in Israel to be appointed to the US National Academy of Science! No outrage, no wishes of speedy recovery not a single word from any US official

When Caroline Glick (no relation) wrote about this, Ambassador Shapiro responded that the US Consul General in Jerusalem had tried for several days to reach the Glick family, but wasn’t able to make contact until today.

Yea, right… And even if this were true, it does not address the issue of there having been no public statement on the shooting from US officials.

As I said, Obama is out of the closet.

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Today, this information broke:

A call has gone out via posters to Jews to come to the Temple Mount in a state of ritual purity on Wednesday “for the sake and the health of Rabbi Yehuda Glick…We will not succumb to terror, we will not let terror win.”

And so Fatah has put out a message to Palestinian Arabs to “all Jerusalem residents [Arabs with Jerusalem residency cards] and “Arab Israelis” to block Jews attempting to go up on the Mount tomorrow.  It was identified as a “call to arms.”

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The good news in all of this is that Jews are standing strong, refusing, as the poster said, to succumb to terror.  The intention is not to directly confront Muslims.  Not all all. Rather, it is to demonstrate our rights.  The point is made repeatedly that everyone – Jewish, Christian, Muslim – has a right to be on the Mount.

Yesterday MK Shuli Moalem-Refaeli (Habayit Hayehudi) went up on the Mount, with police protection.

Shuli Moalem-Rafaeli of the Jewish Home party (photo credit: Flash90/Miriam Alster)
Credit: Flash 90/Miriam Alster

You can see her here, walking with quiet dignity in the face of screaming Arab women (one of whom was arrested for pushing her).

Today MK Tzipi Hotovely (Likud) went up.

Tzipi Hotovely

Credit: BBC

Both MKs spoke of the obligation to go up as often as possible and to work to change the status quo, so that there will be Jewish prayer on the Mount.

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There have been other responses from nationalist and right wing MKs, as well.  Not all will be successful now, but we can be encouraged by a trend in certain directions.

One proposal would be to apply Israeli law to all Jews living in Judea and Samaria.  This would not change the status of Judea and Samaria.  It is not an annexation, but would rather be application of laws to people. Within 45 days after the Knesset passed a law, the IDF administration in Judea and Samaria would be required to put out an identical law for those Jews living in Judea and Samaria.

The legislation was proposed by Land of Israel Caucus chairs Yariv Levin (Likud) and Orit Struck (Habayit Hayehudi), and was cosponsored by coalition chairman Ze’ev Elkin (Likud), Bayit Yehudi faction chairwoman Ayelet Shaked, Shas faction chairman Avraham Michaeli, Knesset Law, Constitution and Justice Committee chairman David Rotem (Yisrael Beytenu) and UTJ faction chairman Menachem Eliezer Moses.

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Another law, which has passed, gives judges the latitude in serious cases such as terrorist attacks to stipulate on sentencing that the murderer cannot be released as part of diplomatic negotiations.  This applies to the future, and is not retroactive to those already in prison.  It however, delivers an important message.  As Naftali Bennett said:
it “brings back sanity and morality to Israeli policy about releasing terrorists, after years of losing the moral path.”

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Legislation is in process – an amendment to criminal law, actually – that would give maximum sentences of 20 years to those who throw rocks at moving vehicles.

Because so many of the trouble-makers and rock-throwers who must be dealt with are underage, there is another proposal that has been advanced as well: If underage youngsters are convicted of “nationalistic” crimes, their parents will have child allowances cut. The goal here is to get the parents to pay attention to what their kids are doing and assume responsibility. Don’t know that this will pass, but it does indicate a new seriousness about addressing the problem.

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There had been rumors that Kerry was about to unveil a “peace plan,” but Kerry now says this is not the case.  Even he, with his inability to grasp realities here, must see that there is nothing he could propose that would have even a snowball’s chance in hell of succeeding.  Count this as good news, as well.  Were a “plan” to be unveiled, incredible pressure would follow.

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What still looms before us is the diplomatic specter of various UN – and most notably Security Council – actions with regard to a “Palestinian state.”  While this is seriously troublesome, it is not as ominous as it sounds. For the UN cannot “declare” a state, no matter what the PA claims. I will return to this in more detail when and as necessary.

The major question here is whether Obama is prepared to so totally throw Israel under the bus that he would not veto such an effort.  No one knows the answer right now.

PLO official Saeb Erekat has asked Kerry to support “Palestine” in the UN.  What he is seeking is “a state based on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.”  But by definition a state must be in control of the territory that it is claiming, which makes this fairly nonsensical.  It would require a process far more complicated than simply having the UNSC “recognize” a state within these parameters.

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Speaking of the UN:

A plan for reconstruction of Gaza was announced some several weeks ago, with donor states subsequently pledging $5.4 billion.  The plan was called the “Serry” plan, after UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Robert Serry.  Needless to say, the plan called for the UN to be a partner in the process.

Now Abu Marzouk, deputy head of the Hamas politburo, claims that Hamas was never shown the Serry plan.  Hamas wants reconstruction to be handled exclusively the Palestinian Arabs.  Guess Hamas figures it can get a bigger piece of that $5.4 billion this way.

However…Robert Turner, head of UNRWA operations in Gaza, says that the “Palestinian unity government” is not organized and effectively in control in Gaza. (No surprise there.)  So-called “unity government” or not, Hamas and the PA are still at odds.

And so?

11/4/14

Our Weasel Of The Week Nominees!! – 11/4/14

The Watcher’s Council

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Hello and welcome to the Watcher’s Council’s ‘Weasel Of The Week’ nominations, where we award the famed golden plastic Weasel to a public figure who particularly deserves to be slimed and mocked for his or her dastardly deeds during the week. Every Tuesday morning, tune in for the Weasel of the Week nominations and check back Thursday to see which Weasel gets the votes and walks off with the statuette of shame!

Here are this week’s nominees…

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The original $300 million dollar girl in a $500 million town, Louisiana Democrat Senator Mary Landrieu!

The Noisy Room: Louisiana Democrat Senator Mary Landrieu for standing by her remarks that she is struggling for re-election because she is a woman and President Obama is unpopular in her state because he is black. She is struggling for reelection because she has done nothing for job growth in Louisiana and has supported every uber Progressive piece of legislation Obama has put forward – specifically Obamacare. Her stance is one of utter desperation and she is insulting the good voters of Louisiana by calling them racist and sexist. The state has an Indian-American as a governor in Bobby Jindal. Women are elected routinely to office in the state — a state which is colorblind. Shame on you Landrieu, when you have been reelected and in office since 1996. How very bitterly Progressive you sound now that your throne and legacy is in jeopardy in that state.

The Right Planet: Louisiana Democrat Senator Mary Landrieu, who says Barack Obama struggles politically in the South because Southerners are racist and sexist.

Landrieu spewed, “The South has not always been the friendliest place for African-Americans. It’s been a difficult time for the president to present himself in a very positive light as a leader. It”s not always been a good place for women to present ourselves.”

Wow. There’s how to win over the people of Louisiana. But, as MSNBC’s Alex Wagner lets us all know: if the Democrats must engage in things like racial agitation and fear-mongering to win … well, so be it. Ends justify the means, you fascist.

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Bexar County, Texas Democratic Party chairman Manuel Medina!!

The Independent Sentinel: Race-baiting Democrat Manuel Medina, for his Spanish-language ad on Univision which implied Tea Party Republicans are terrorists and the equal of Jihadists who torture and behead people.

The ad shows a Gadsden flag, often used by Tea Party members. The narrator points out the flag and says: “The flag of Tea Party Republicans. They are radical terrorists who want to take issues into their own hands harming our kids and families with violence and firearms on the border and in our cities.”

When questioned, Medina doubled down and defended the ad — which he created himself — by saying, “The Tea Party is not a political party. They’re a terrorist organization.”

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Actress, Attention Whore and Hollywood Flavor-of-the-month Lena Dunham!

The Razor: Lena Dunham, for writing about molesting her younger sister in her book “Not That Kind of Girl,” then threatening to sue Truth Revolt for quoting passages from the book detailing her abuse.

I’ve always thought Dunham was another unhinged Hollywood Lefty and like most of her type I’ve ignored her. But writing about abusing her sister, then threatening to sue a publication for publicizing it strikes me as pretty weasely – hence my nomination for this week.

Virginia Right!: Lena Dunham has always struck me as an ideological idiot with no talent other than being an outrageous liberal with a big mouth.

Now, she has written a book confessing to molesting her younger sister and essentially being a child predator.

A passage from her book (warning – graphic):

One day, as I sat in our driveway in Long Island playing with blocks and buckets, my curiosity got the best of me. Grace was sitting up, babbling and smiling, and I leaned down between her legs and carefully spread open her vagina. She didn’t resist and when I saw what was inside I shrieked.

My mother came running. “Mama, Mama! Grace has something in there!”

My mother didn’t bother asking why I had opened Grace’s vagina. This was within the spectrum of things I did. She just got on her knees and looked for herself. It quickly became apparent that Grace had stuffed six or seven pebbles in there. My mother removed them patiently while Grace cackled, thrilled that her prank had been a success.

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More at the the Truth Revolt link.

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Congressman Emanuel “Spittlegate” Cleaver

Nice Deb: I nominate Congressman Emanuel “Spittlegate” Cleaver for doing the bare minimum to help sick federal workers in his district collect compensation for their work-related illnesses.

Hundreds of federal workers with cancer, breathing conditions and other illnesses that may have been caused by hazardous materials at a nuclear weapons plant in Kansas City, have been trying for years to collect benefits from federal programs that have been set up to compensate workers like them.

After ignoring them for years, he agreed at the last minute to host a town hall in 2010 that was set up by a former worker from the plant (and the NIOSH ombudsman.) Cleaver went on to completely shut the former worker out of what was supposed to be an open forum.

Later that year, a GSA IG audit showed that the clean bill of health that the plant had previously received had been fraudulent because the GSA had provided misleading information to federal investigators.

Four years later, many sick workers are still getting the runaround and when a local radio host asked Cleaver if he had any comments for workers “fighting the system,” Cleaver said he didn’t know anything about it – exclaiming “it’s not my job!”

Cleaver claimed in a statement to Breitbart News that he had done much throughout the years to help the workers, including holding “informational town halls,” but sources close to the situation say he only hosted the one in 2010, and that was a “dog and pony show.”

Cleaver is trying to weasel his way out of a complicated problem which he very much hopes will go away. Unfortunately, many of the sick workers in his district have.

Well, there it is! Are these worthy weasels or what? Check back Thursday to see which Weasel walks off with the statuette of shame!

Make sure to tune in every Monday for the Watcher’s Forum.

And remember, every Wednesday, the Council has its weekly contest with the members nominating two posts each, one written by themselves and one written by someone from outside the group for consideration by the whole Council. The votes are cast by the Council and the results are posted on Friday morning.

It’s a weekly magazine of some of the best stuff written in the blogosphere and you won’t want to miss it… or any of the other fantabulous Watcher’s Council content.

And don’t forget to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter… ’cause we’re cool like that, y’know?

11/4/14

Contemplating Election Day, and Beyond

By: Roger Aronoff
Accuracy in Media

While polls suggest that November 4th should be a very good election for Republicans—by most accounts they will take control of the Senate and increase their majority in the House—doubts remain. For one thing, as it is often said, the only poll that counts is the one taken on Election Day. But with many states offering early voting, and in some cases, such as Colorado, mail-in voting only, it is more than just Election Day that can determine the outcome. Among the other factors not reflected in the polls are third-party candidates, voter fraud and media bias.

The mainstream media, as always, are firmly in the corner of the Democrats. In the run-up to this year’s election, one would hardly know that the Obama administration has been caught up in scandal after scandal—from the IRS to Veterans Affairs to Benghazi (“phony scandals,” as the media and the administration label them)—or that the President’s approval rating has been dismal, to the point that almost none of the Senate candidates want the once-popular President anywhere near their state. In fact, the news has been so bad for the Democrats that the three major broadcast network news shows barely acknowledged the elections. In fact, ABC’s World News Tonight went nearly all of September and October without a single story on the mid-term elections.

We have documented the incestuous relationship that exists between the media and the Obama administration, providing the Democrats with a built-in edge.

Last May, Accuracy in Media published a special report by James Simpson titled “Voter Fraud: An Existential Threat to America,” that detailed many of the ways that Democrats have been incorporating voter fraud into their election strategy. Simpson concluded, “Voter fraud, and the corrupt political infrastructure that facilitates, or at best ignores it, is an existential threat to our American Republic.” And we have seen many more examples in the days and weeks leading up to this election.

Here, for example, is the latest video from James O’Keefe’s Project Veritas, in which several Democratic campaign workers encouraged people they believed to be non-citizens to vote. There have been credible stories about voting machines in Chicago and Maryland in which votes intended for Republicans ended up registering as votes for Democrats.

In addition, the Obama Justice Department has done what it could to block common-sense voter ID laws, claiming that they disproportionately disenfranchise minority voters. But the evidence suggests there is a need for such laws. It’s not just people misrepresenting who they are when they show up at the polls, but as columnist Mona Charen recently cited, there are millions of voters who are registered to vote in more than one jurisdiction, and there are felons and dead people who should have been purged from voting registers in many states.

And what if, in spite of all this, Republicans do very well in the elections, and seize significant majorities in both houses of Congress? Would that show that these concerns were without basis, or rather that the victory was so sweeping that even the media and voter fraud couldn’t overcome it? Perhaps we’ll never know.

But a discussion on CNN on Monday night suggested what the media’s spin might be in case of a Republican victory. According to Maeve Reston, a political reporter for The Los Angeles Times, it would result in either more gridlock, or, “If Republicans are in control, then maybe there will be more of an impetus for them to compromise with the President,” she said. “Maybe they’ll feel that it’s better for them to start making deals with the President, which would certainly be a change from the tenor of the last couple of years.” The CNN host concluded the segment, saying, “I think the voters would be happy with that sort of change, wouldn’t they?”

So there you have it. If the Republicans win an overwhelming victory as a mandate to stop President Obama’s agenda, they should quickly start giving him what he wants, to show how bi-partisan they are. We have already shown the myth of the Republican do-nothing Congress—a Congress that passed more than 360 bills that Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) buried, never allowing them to come up for votes.

But that could be a moot point. If Paul Sperry was right in his recent column for the New York Post, President Obama will be pursuing a unilateral agenda using his “pen and his phone.” In “Obama’s post-election plans for a secret radical agenda,” Sperry outlined the many executive actions that Obama is punting past the current election to avoid the political damage fallout they would cause for Democratic candidates. “The White House reportedly is preparing to provide amnesty for millions of illegal immigrants in late November, including work permits and green cards for up to 34 million,” wrote Sperry. That would presumably kill any hopes of bipartisanship.

Another option for Republicans is to pass bills that reflect their values and their agenda, unconcerned as to whether or not President Obama would sign them into law. The message would be that if the country puts a Republican in the White House in 2016, these bills would be signed into law.