Tuesday, June 01, 2010

The Genius of Bizzaro Netanyahu and Israel's Catastrophic Bungled Operation

To make this post, I did a search on Youtube and simply typed in the word "Israel" and constrained the search for videos posted "today". The entire page of posts were all hostile towards Israel. Israel once again has lost the propaganda war with the Palestinians.

Netanyahu has cancelled his talks with Obama.

Israel is in danger of losing her only Islamic ally,Turkey. The US and British government are making statements of regret over the events.

Another job well done by the political genius, Benjamin Netanyahu.

Israel is isolating itself, losing sympathy, allies, and doing grave danger to its own image. The claims that masked armed troops, at night, repelling aboard civilian ships in International waters were victims of attack are ludicrous. That is on a par with a burglar suing a homeowner because he was assaulted while breaking into a window.

Defenders of Israel are lashing out at those who critcize Israel. Clearly, there are many just do not like Israel, but Israel better wake up and realize it is estranging both friends and enemies. This latest action is about as bad as it gets for international public relations.

Netanyahu must have been watching some old "Mission Impossible" films.

This latest act by Netanyahu is a self-inflicted disaster for Israel. Israel would be wise to get rid of Netantahu, fast.

If Israel stays on its present course, it will be the architect of its own undoing, to the dismay of its friends and the glee of its enemies.

__________


Israel reconstruction: how the Gaza aid flotilla attack unfolded


Telegraph

Kevin Ovenden, aboard the lead ship, the Turkish Mavi Marmara, sensed a tense game of cat-and-mouse in the Mediterranean sea was about to come to a dramatic climax.

Having set off on Sunday hoping to avoid the Israeli military, he wrote on his blog: "We are 90 miles away from land – 22 miles further than the Israeli-decided 68-mile exclusion zone – but are being approached by an Israeli vessel.

"The Israeli media is reporting that Israel will deploy a very large naval force … this is an illegal aggressive move.
"All aboard are prepared. This is a very serious situation and we are calling on everyone to play their part in helping ensure their safety, and that the aid reaches Gaza without difficulty."

The flotilla, which had been warned that it would not be allowed to reach Gaza, attempted to slow and change course, hoping to prevent a confrontation until daylight, when the Israeli military action could be better filmed and broadcast by the activists aboard.

But at just after 4.30am, nuder cover of darkness, the Israelis called for decisive action. Orders were sent for commandos to intercept and takeover the ships – and so began a catastrophic, bungled operation which would claim the lives of up to 19 people, and draw international condemnation.

Just after Mr Ovenden had blogged about the silhouette of rubber launches and speedboats approaching on the murky waters, barely visible in the darkness, a helicopter began hovering overheard.

The aid armada was still in international waters, but commandos had swarmed around it and targeted the biggest ship, the Marmara.

Incensed by the aggressive attempt to capture their vessel, 30 or more activists gathered on the top deck and readied themselves for the assault. Hundreds more, who had been sleeping in the lower two decks, were roused by the commotion.
While groups of 10 commandos at a time jumped aboard from their rubber launches, elite troops from the Israeli commando unit Flotilla 13 rappelled down from the helicopter on to the Marmara. Their plan was to land on the top deck, rush to the vessel's bridge and order the captain to stop. They had been ordered to take control of the flotilla peacefully, just as they had with previous flotillas.

But the instant they landed, pandemonium broke loose.

Some activists claim that the troops, carrying rifles and handguns, and wearing body armour, began firing indiscriminately.
However, video footage released by the Israeli Defence Force suggested they were attacked first with a metal pole, sticks, clubs, and marble slingshots.

The troops responded with by throwing stun grenades, but the loud burst explosions that went off with each one whipped up a frenzied atmosphere as the activists believed they were being fired upon.

Television pictures showed activists with sticks bludgeoning an Israeli soldier as he tried to land on the boat from the helicopter, with activists tugging at the rope.

One commando was then grabbed by several of the protestors, who wrestled his handgun off him and allegedly threw him over the edge of the top deck, 30 feet below.

It was the point where the chaotic melee descended to bloodshed.

The Flotilla 13 troops now radioed to their commander for permission to begin shooting.
The commander replied: "You can go ahead and fire".

According to one witness, the Israeli journalist Ron Ben Yishai: "The soldiers pulled out their handguns and started shooting at the rioters' legs."

Shaking television footage showed one man lying unconscious on the deck, while another man was helped away.

A woman wearing hijab, the Muslim headscarf, was seen carrying a stretcher covered in blood.

Screams were interspersed with sounds of more gunfire.

One unnamed reporter, from Press TV, said in a broadcast: "We are being hit by tear gas, stun grenades. We have navy boats on either side and a helicopters overhead. We are being attacked from all sides. This is in intenational waters, not Israeli waters, not in the 68-mile exclusion zone."

Jamal Elshayyal, a British al-Jazeera reporter on board the Marmara, sent a final report just after the troops had landed.
"Two people have been confirmed killed by the Israeli Army, and the organisers on board the Mavi Marmara have now asked all the passengers to go inside. They have raised the white flag.

"Tens of people, civilians, have been injured. There are still sounds of live fire, despite the white flag being raised."
The broadcast stopped with a voice shouting in Hebrew "Everyone shut up" as the reporters were bundled down into the lower decks.

As the disaster unfolded, the airwaves went ominously quiet – the Israelis had scrambled all mobile phones and satellites – and the claim and counter-claim began.

Israeli authorities gave no details of the injuries suffered by activists. It confirmed that 10 were dead, although government sources suggested the figure could be as high as 19.

The Israeli military defended itself, saying the troops were deliberately ambushed by activists in a planned attack. At least ten personnel were injured, one seriously, it said.

Two of the dead activists had fired at soldiers with pistols, the army also claimed.

An IDF spokesman said: "We didn't look for confrontation but it was a massive attack," she said. "What happened was a last resort."

The stories of those onboard have yet to be told.

With the main ship effectively seized, and the supporting five boats also captured, the flotilla was guided to the port of Ashdod, while the injured and bodies of the dead were airlifted to hospitals in Tel Aviv, Haifa and Ashkelon.

But supporters across the world condemned the attack on a "peaceful mission".

The Free Gaza Movement, one of the organisers of the flotilla, said the IDF had started the violence, firing as soon as they boarded the ship.

There were no firearms carried by the activists, it was claimed.

Their cargo had included simply 10,000 tonnes of aid and an eclectic mix of around 650 activists, including European parliamentarians, women, children, the media. They even had the support of "celebrity" protestors such as Mairead Corrigan Maguire, the Irish Nobel peace laureate, and best selling author of the Wallander detective novels, Henning Mankell.



195 comments:

  1. Deuce,

    While thought must be given to the poor quality of the raid (perhaps even its necessity), Turkey is not an Israeli ally, just as it is no longer an American or NATO ally. In short, Turkey has joined the dark side.

    For example, recently Turkey refused to permit Israel to participate in NATO military exercises; thus, forcing the US to abandon the war games as well. Then, of course, there is that little matter of Turkey refusing to permit American forces to transit Turkish territory during the war with Iraq. Lest I forget, Turkey has routinely violated Iraqi territory in its ongoing war with the Kurds. Indeed, so bad were US relationships with Turkey in the early-mid '00s that dependents and non-essential personnel were withdrawn from Turkey proper.

    While there is much to be considered in reviewing the Israeli action, the feelings of the newly Islamic leaning Turkey is not among them.

    It remains my belief that war is coming. The various players are striving for plausible deniability, hoping that Israel will be the sole culprit.

    As long as the US Congress and large US evangelical Christian block remain on board, Mr. Obama and company will be hard pressed to make too much of the matter. With elections coming in November, this is especially true. A rejection of Israel by the US will bring out millions of Christians to vote against the administration. In fact, given the elections, Israel may not have a better time to strike than now.

    ReplyDelete
  2. WiO,

    At this moment, my greatest criticism of Israel is its pulling its punches. If Israel is going to get rebuked, it ought to have the satisfaction of having seriously hurt its adversaries.

    It was naive to an unbelievable degree to think that the Palestinians would not fight back. Consequently, to have gone in with paint ball guns blazing was bush league.

    Several good things will come to Israel's adversaries: first among them being the luxury of ignoring the truly dangerous behavior of the North Korean leadership. Now, rather than looking foolish in the making of innane statements of support for a puny South Korea, Mrs. Clinton has Israel as a diversion.

    ReplyDelete
  3. So much fun, watching the meltdown amongst the Friends of Israel.

    The Friends of Israel attack me, even when I leave, to honor the war dead of the United States, for a day.

    Israel is a modern State, that did not exist, in any shape or form, prior to 1948.

    That the Arabs did not offer to recolonize that State until a few years ago, all to true.
    But the Arabs did make that offer, if the Israeli pulled back to what would become the internationally recognized borders, those established before the 1967 War.

    The Israeli refused, out of hand.

    They remain steadfast in their violations of the Geneva Accords, even when peace with honor and recognition was offered, by the Arabs.

    The United States should place an immediate Arms Embargo upon the Pirates of the Mediterranean.
    It is only just, to do so.

    The Israeli have been the aggressor, and violator of International Standards, for at least the past 43 years.

    They have attacked shipping of a NATO member, on the High Seas. They are the Pirates of the Mediterranean
    International pariahs.

    Their sectarian nature, not an important issue, their aggressive war making all that matters.

    Their rejection of their own recognition, by the Arab international community, their own political failing.

    It has nothing at all, to do with me. I am not the cause of the pattern of Israeli aggression, nor their status as an international pariah. I only represent one of the political side effects of their behavior and actions.

    The same way Israel, as Mr Luntz established, has effected many in the Jewish Community of the United States.

    It is not because of me, that Israel finds itself in this position, alone and isolated.
    It is their own responsibility.

    By the way, Quirk, I have NEVER praised, nor even much defended the Arabs. You'll not find it, anywhere.
    I criticize the Israeli, because they are dependent upon US, for their very survival, while they actively work against the national interests of the United States of America.

    ReplyDelete
  4. DR wrote:

    The Friends of Israel attack me, even when I leave, to honor the war dead of the United States, for a day.


    ...another of your delusional prevarications...You did no such thing, as even a casual reading of your rants will prove.

    I hope Mr. Obama does just as you propose. Such action will seal the fate of the Dems in November. You see DR, while you and others here think that religious affiliation is nonsense, millions of your fellow citizens disagree. When roused to anger or danger, they vote en masse. Since you missed the polling results, these evangelicals vote for Israel.

    ReplyDelete
  5. "Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed "regret" Monday over the loss of life in a raid on an aid convoy that left at least nine dead, but said Israeli troops acted to "defend their lives."

    "We regret the loss of life," Netanyahu said in Ottawa during a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

    But he insisted the Israeli forces had acted to defend themselves, telling reporters later that the flotilla was seeking to smuggle into Gaza rockets or other weapons to attack the Jewish state.

    The raid by Israel troops "was to prevent the infiltration of thousands of rockets, missiles and other arms that could hit our cities, communities or people," the Israeli leader said.

    The Israeli soldiers "defended themselves from a lynching," he added.

    "I give my complete backing to the army, the soldiers and commanders who acted to defend the state and to protect their lives," he added."-----


    There is some good talk, and a video over at the Belmont Club on this subject.

    ReplyDelete
  6. http://bigjournalism.com/pgeller/2010/05/31/the-jihad-flotilla-and-the-media-war-against-israel/



    Stealing a post from Doug

    ReplyDelete
  7. I agree with Deuce; this was a very stupid thing to do. Better to let the whirled take responsibility for Gaza.

    I also agree with Allen re: Turkey...and I think we will be hearing a lot more from this country in the future.

    ReplyDelete
  8. The flotilla situation is bogus...

    It is a meaningless propaganda story.....

    It may capture the attention of the usual suspects and it may cause headlines in the MSM...

    Let's review some small things of the past year...

    Just how many were murdered in the streets of Iran? How many were murdered by North Korea? How many were murdered by Hezbollah in Lebanon in there take over of before the elections?

    This story, as many others in the past, do not change the facts.

    Turkey left the west during the Bush admin's invasion of Iraq. Turkey has openly been using propaganda in battle with Israel for years now, showing blood libel films and stirring the islamist pot.

    The Obama admin has thrown Israel under the bus, this was clear last week AGAIN by it's allowing the resolution of the NPT to pass calling for a middle east free of nuclear weapons and singling out Israel and not even mentioning IRan

    Iran has re-armed Hezbollah to the tune of 50-60 thousand rockets, many more advanced than several years ago. and NOT A PEEP OUT OF THE WORLD

    REAL WAR IS HERE

    The US and Briton are in fact acting like defeated dhimmi nations....

    A Grand Mosque is being built 600 feet from the World Trade footprint and another in Londonstan

    Obama has no problems with using predators that killed wedding parties of 20 but now has changed the ROE for American soldiers causing and uptick in American deaths... NO WORD FROM THE MEDIA

    The current propaganda war continues...

    From Photoshop'd destruction of lebanon, to false genocide in Jenin claims, to even the FAKE KILLING OF A BOY all are part and parcel of Pollywood's efforts. Let's not forget the number of deaths due to CARTOONS....

    The arab, islamic and leftist street is meaningless.

    Let them riot...

    I dont seem to remember hearing them protest the kidnapping, torture and murder of the Jew youth in France that lasted 3 weeks with cell phone updates by the arabs to the family as the boy was brutally tortured....

    Propaganda only means something when you need to convince somebody of something...

    Many in the world stand against Israel. That will never change. period

    The UN election of Iran to the Women's Rights Commission is very telling....

    In the end, the entire situation about the flotilla is nonsense and doesnt change anything except making it clear that Israel is at war for survival.

    During the last 10 years. Not one time when 10 israelis were blown to bits by islamic terrorists has the MSM (or the world) shown anything but flipping the blame...

    Israel is learning.

    As for the canceling of the trip the USA?

    I am relieved. Obama was trying to use Bibi as a prop.


    Mean while the oil still flows, north korea still sends rockets to iran and syria, pakistan still trains jihadists...

    and the world is angry with israel for a fight on one boat filled with terrorists....

    MORNING!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Of course, it's a stunt and it was organized by the Western left, and sponsored by Turkey and Indonesia in solidarity with their Islamic brothers in the middle east.

    Think about that. That is a religious reaction as required by the Koran. That is why jihadists....yes, jihadists, Mr President, travel from all parts of the world to fight in Chechenya or Pakistan.

    It is their religious duty to defend their fellow Muslims.

    Turkey is going backwards. They have been rebuffed by the EU. The Islamists are becoming stronger there as they are elsewhere throughout the world. Turkey, Lebanon, the West Bank, Egypt, N. Africa, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia. They have all suffered from the rise of fundamentalist Islam.

    They're all going backwards.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Israeli military: Gaza militants cross border into Israel, exchange fire with troops


    This is the sort of humor one expects from SNL:


    "But the presidential statement that was finally agreed and read at a formal council meeting instead called for 'a prompt, impartial, credible, and transparent investigation conforming to international standards'".


    Well then, that means that the committee members would have to include Indonesia, Sudan, Libya, Iran, Syria and North Korea.

    Those UN guys are such cards. They can take something this serious and write a rib splitting comedic script - "international standards", indeed.

    ReplyDelete
  11. The UN elects Iran to sit on the Women's Rights Commission...

    The world is in Alice in Wonderland.

    Rat pompously states that Israel is a Pirate Nation and is in violation of international standards and yet he himself admits to murdering people but since no one ever caught him, he is innocent.

    Rat is a PREFECT example of the world as we know it.

    Reality is fiction, and false constructs of smoke and mirrors is reality..

    It's a Rat's world.

    We have seen it before.

    The only good thing that can come from the flotilla issue?

    Masses of useful idiots will riot and hopefully lose wages, hopefully they will injure themselves and if we are lucky? They actually might even kill a few of their own in the violent protests.

    The Jew hating, israel hating, Zionist hating masses are also the West/America hating peoples as well...

    So when they riot in Sweden, France, Germany, Arizona or where ever look for the Burkas, look for the anger and violence

    Just how many were murdered by the CARTOON protests?

    So if the riots get out of hand in Brussels and people are murdered will the UNSC investigate?

    Belmont Club has some great points this am...

    ReplyDelete
  12. Pirates of the Mediterranean

    So, the Turks helped to provide a little international political theater. A little symbolic flotilla to demonstrate the Israeli's continued violation of the Geneva Accords and the war that they Israeli are still prosecuting against the innocent people of Gaza.

    allen's advice to Israel, step up the tempo, he advocates killing more innocent folks.

    Three cheers, for that proposal.
    That would make my day.

    As for Turkey "going backwards", they've been by our side for over sixty years. They were "right" about US and Iraq. We should have listened to them, but Mr Bush, he didn't listen to anyone, but Mr Cheney. We've spent a trillion USD and empowered Iran, with the Cheney program.

    That the EU does not want the Turks, speaks more to the problems within the EU, than it does to Turkey.

    It is more than obvious that it is the EU that is moving "backwards". Looking to Greece, Spain and Italy for confirmation of that to be exemplified.

    ReplyDelete
  13. If the UN is so objectionable, we should leave it, instead of financing it.

    But we do not, leave the UN.
    Oh no, we are the principle funding agent of that organization. We own it.

    Always have.

    It is functioning as it was designed, by US.
    Get used to it.

    Or vote for the Librarians, and you'll still have to get used to the US supporting the UN.

    ReplyDelete
  14. The Turks 'moving' is only in relationship to the new reality we have created on the ground, in their 'back yard'.

    We have empowered the Iranians, the Turks have adjusted to that newly created balance of power.

    Good on them.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Rat distorts and lies: allen's advice to Israel, step up the tempo, he advocates killing more innocent folks.


    Allen said no such thing...


    As I say, Kill the KILLERS is not Killing INNOCENT folks.

    But as Rat sees it...

    All are innocent that wish to murder Israelis, Jews or Zionists.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Bad on US.

    We refused to listen to our Treaty allies, being driven, instead by those that feared Islam.

    We were going to "move" Islam, politically. Well, we certainly "moved" Turkey, our only Treaty ally in the Region.

    The US has no Treaty with Israel, only a "Special Relationship" that is unwritten, unratified and, in that regard not really Constitutionally binding upon US. Not at all like our legally ratified and there for binding military alliance with Turkey.

    ReplyDelete
  17. One side wishes to kill the other. They have a fantasy, a desire, true enough.
    While the other side goes beyond merely wishes, to actually killing the innocents on the other.

    Wishing does not make it so.
    Actually doing the killing, that is reality.

    Look at the body counts, it is the Israeli that ARE killing innocent women and children, the Palestinians, they wish they could.

    That does not 'balance', sorry, "misdirection"

    ReplyDelete
  18. If Memorial Day was celebrated this year on 31 May, and I believe only a moron and his pet NAZI parrot would claim otherwise, then, DR managed to pollute the tribute of the day by, among other things, posting 15 anti-Israeli/Zionist/Jewish comments in 60 minutes. That is one comment per four minutes: 15/60 = ¼.

    Over the course of Memorial Day, DR posted 37 such comments.

    He then pretended to care about the solemnity of the day by claiming he had not violated its sacred purpose with his Islamofascist rants. His flea bitten parrot got in high dudgeon later in the day trying to point his fecal laden peak at WiO as the blame for the desecration.

    Liars both. With all the patriotism of a stale bottle of Old Milwaukee. And these two clowns talk about honoring veterans? Give me a break!

    For the record, available when they have sobered up, here is DR’s log of tribute to America’s veterans:

    Mon May 31, 03:25:00 AM EDT
    Mon May 31, 03:27:00 AM EDT
    Mon May 31, 03:29:00 AM EDT
    Mon May 31, 03:31:00 AM EDT
    Mon May 31, 03:35:00 AM EDT
    Mon May 31, 03:37:00 AM EDT
    Mon May 31, 03:40:00 AM EDT
    Mon May 31, 03:41:00 AM EDT
    Mon May 31, 03:46:00 AM EDT
    Mon May 31, 04:01:00 AM EDT
    Mon May 31, 04:03:00 AM EDT
    Mon May 31, 04:12:00 AM EDT
    Mon May 31, 04:18:00 AM EDT
    Mon May 31, 04:21:00 AM EDT
    Mon May 31, 04:27:00 AM EDT
    Mon May 31, 04:32:00 AM EDT
    Mon May 31, 04:37:00 AM EDT
    Mon May 31, 04:43:00 AM EDT
    Mon May 31, 05:05:00 AM EDT
    Mon May 31, 05:08:00 AM EDT
    Mon May 31, 09:55:00 AM EDT
    Mon May 31, 10:03:00 AM EDT
    Mon May 31, 10:04:00 AM EDT
    Mon May 31, 10:19:00 AM EDT
    Mon May 31, 10:21:00 AM EDT
    Mon May 31, 10:29:00 AM EDT
    Mon May 31, 10:30:00 AM EDT
    Mon May 31, 10:39:00 AM EDT
    Mon May 31, 10:41:00 AM EDT
    Mon May 31, 10:47:00 AM EDT
    Mon May 31, 10:50:00 AM EDT
    Mon May 31, 10:56:00 AM EDT
    Mon May 31, 10:58:00 AM EDT
    Mon May 31, 11:04:00 AM EDT
    Mon May 31, 11:23:00 AM EDT
    Mon May 31, 11:24:00 AM EDT
    Mon May 31, 11:10:00 AM EDT

    ReplyDelete
  19. We don't have time for this nonsense. If they want to fight let'em do it on their own dime, on their own time.

    It's time to get out of the Middle East, and produce our own fuel.

    ReplyDelete
  20. The wishes on both sides, though, it does provide another example of equivalency, true enough.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Getting a little exasperated there, allen?

    Your going down the tubes.
    Entertaining, it is, true enough.

    ReplyDelete
  22. desert rat said...
    Getting a little exasperated there, allen?



    Naw, he's just proving to the bar what a piece of crap you are...

    But me?

    Rat you inspire me....

    You remind me of why I buy .223

    You remind me of why I train

    You remind me of why I will NEVER FORGET

    That is why I owe you a debt of thanks Rat....

    Really...

    Thanks...

    Thanks for reminding me of the depths and level of Jew hatred, Israel hatred and Zionist hatred that is alive and well even in our great nation America.

    Rat, thanks...

    I am on my way to buy more ammo....

    ReplyDelete
  23. I'm one of those who are going to the polls this November, as I always do, my wife as well, by that time we'll have our two kids by our side, and all the candidates we vote for must support Israel. And, we're not even Evangelical Christian.

    ReplyDelete
  24. DR,

    15/60 is exasperation, buffoon.

    There will be war.

    We will win.

    You will continue to cry in your beer.

    The Obama administration will futily fume.

    Life is good.

    It will be better if the captured ships are sold, even if that means to India for scrap.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Al-Qaeda No. 3 Yazid reported killed by U.S. drone

    "Al-Qaeda's third-ranking operative, an Egyptian who was a founding member of the terrorist network and a key conduit to Osama bin Laden, has been killed in Pakistan, according to a statement Monday from al-Qaeda that U.S. intelligence officials believe is accurate."

    Another One Bites the Dust


    The Obama administration seems to screw up daily. I'll give it some credit when it gets something right.


    .

    ReplyDelete
  26. "...Carol Browner, unintentionally underscored the monumental futility of the response in a comment she made on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday.

    “This is obviously a difficult situation,” said Ms. Browner, “but it’s important for people to understand that from the beginning, the government has been in charge...”



    .

    ReplyDelete
  27. I'll give him credit for something else; he's not going to let Bibi drag us into a war in the levant.

    ReplyDelete
  28. rufus said...
    I'll give him credit for something else; he's not going to let Bibi drag us into a war in the levant.


    LOL now that is funny....

    ReplyDelete
  29. WiO wrote (all Caps his):

    "EMBRACE THE FACT THAT YOUR OPINION, YOUR LIFE AND YOUR GENE POOL IS NOT OF ANY MERIT"

    Interest mindset there WiO. Care to expand on that?

    WiO always, and allen to a lesser extent, have been trying to justify the Israeli raid and killing by pointing to other issues (Korea, Arabs, China ect.) Both however think that the Israelis should have been even more aggressive in their confrontation of the flotilla. Allen seems to realize that the incident is a bad but he figures that since Israel is going to take a beating for it they may as well get an even bigger bang for the buck. It is a good thing these two don't hold the reigns of power in Israel because her existence would be seriously threatened by their approach.

    That incident is proving to be really bad of Israel. It has brought into stark relief for many who did not realize just how heavily their boot is placed upon the throat of the Gazans. The condemnation of Israel appears to be near universal with only a variety of degree. It would be funny if it wasn't tragic that allen reaches for the straws of the religious evangelicals for support.

    ReplyDelete
  30. ash: That incident is proving to be really bad of Israel. It has brought into stark relief for many who did not realize just how heavily their boot is placed upon the throat of the Gazans.


    No, it shows that terrorists know how to stage an incident.

    There is no starvation in Gaza.

    There is only Hamas murdering it's own in Gaza...

    Hamas tosses people off of roofs in Gaza

    Hamas shoots it's enemies in the knees...

    Hamas holds a kidnapped Israeli for 4 years without access to the Red Cresent

    Egypt and Israel maintain a blockade on Gaza DUE TO HAMAS'S OWN ATTACKS ON THE BORDER.

    Ash you are part of the israel hating bandwagon...

    Your opinion was predetermined...

    and as such?

    worthless...

    ReplyDelete
  31. Ash, Hamas is at WAR with Israel, they shoot rockets at Israel on regular basis...

    It's war...

    The only thing that is happening is that Israel is not taking it up the ass with a smile....

    I advocate the bombing of the flotilla, in the middle of the night, with no warning...

    Then it really didnt happen right?

    ReplyDelete
  32. Want to be honest and solve the Gaza problem?


    Expel the entire Gazan population to the Sinai...

    Let the UN provide food, water and tents to the refugees there...

    Make Gaza a wasteland.

    Unfit for human or palestinians to live...

    ReplyDelete
  33. Gazans MURDER an INNOCENT DONKEY

    Donkey detonated on Gaza border

    Animal dead, no human casualties; 200 kg of dynamite heaped on cart.

    A small Syrian-backed terrorist group in Gaza said its activists blew up a donkey cart laden with explosives close to the border with Israel on Tuesday, killing the animal but causing no human casualties.

    Abu Ghassan, spokesman for the terrorist group, said more than 200 kilograms of dynamite were heaped on the animal-drawn cart. He added that the explosives were detonated 60 meters from the concrete security barrier that separates the territory from Israel.

    The donkey was killed in the blast, but there were no reports of human casualties. Israeli troops routinely patrol the border, and impoverished Gazans often gather rubble in the area.

    The Israeli military confirmed the blast, but had no further comment. The IDF said Gaza terrorists also fired two mortar shells into Israel on Tuesday, which fell in the Netiv Ha'asara area without causing damage or casualties.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Just a report of Rufus's point of view and my response:

    rufus said...
    So now you gotta take your stinking Israeli crap onto a Memorial Day thread? S**t!


    This statement is racist. Claiming the caveat that "your stinking Israeli crap" is not specifically is splitting hairs...

    But I dont want it banned...

    I want it to stay up for all times...

    It's the American way! Rufus is entitled to be inbred retarded, Israeli hating asshole, and it's the American way that his words should be a sign upon all he says and does...

    Do not ban hateful words by anyone.

    It is honest...

    At least we all know that Rufus thinks that my "stinking Israeli crap" is just that...

    For that I am pleased.

    ReplyDelete
  35. A Fundamentalist is a Fundamentalist is a Fundamentalist - whether they're waving a Bible, a Torah, or a Koran.

    Intolerance, and a belief of entitlement (God promised me this land/heaven/69 Virgins, etc.

    War against the "Unbelievers."

    Ancient mythologies that are toxic to life in a nucler age.

    ReplyDelete
  36. rufus said...
    A Fundamentalist is a Fundamentalist is a Fundamentalist - whether they're waving a Bible, a Torah, or a Koran.

    Intolerance, and a belief of entitlement (God promised me this land/heaven/69 Virgins, etc.

    War against the "Unbelievers."

    Ancient mythologies that are toxic to life in a nucler age.

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


    Then you should LOVE israel rufus...

    Israelis believe they should have the right to BUY land and build homes....

    It's illegal for Jews to own land in 649/650th of the middle east.

    In Israel, Jews, Christians, Arabs, Moslems, Atheists all are allowed.

    ReplyDelete
  37. Ash,

    Both Israel and Egypt have blockaded Hamas in Gaza.

    On this occasion, there was bloodshed. Not long ago, when Egypt held its ground, there was bloodshed.

    When you address the discrepancy in your criticism, I will take you seriously.

    You are certainly correct in giving thanks that I do not run the government of Israel. If so, by now Syria would be in flames and Hezbollah survivors would be treading water toward Cyprus.

    Both Egypt and Jordan would be warned off. Their failure to take note would mean that Hamas would be living in the Sinai and Fatah in Jordan. Any act of war by Iran would be dealt with MOST severely.

    But, Ash, here is something really frightening to think about: When you give a man no good viable options, you may not like his choice. When it occurs to Israel that it is damned either way, things are going to heat up quickly.

    ReplyDelete
  38. We can also thank Mr. Obama for gouging those doctors, living in their big houses, driving their big cars, and playing golf during the workday.

    ReplyDelete
  39. allen wrote:

    "When you give a man no good viable options, you may not like his choice."

    That is good advice allen and one I wish the Israelis would consider in their dealings with the Palestinians in general and the Gazans in particular.

    ReplyDelete
  40. one small example of snafu that the Israeli operation is exhibited by the fact that my 13 year old daughter had questions about it yesterday evening. It isn't easy to pierce the Cocoon enveloping a 13 year old engrossed in the lives of all her friends.




    On a completely different note David Brooks wrote an interesting editorial today. Worth reading it all but here is an excerpt:

    "The plume taps into a series of deep anxieties. First, it taps into the anxiety that the people running our major institutions are just not that competent. Second, it feeds into the anxiety that there has been an unhappy marriage between corporations and government officials, which has had the effect of corrupting both. Most important, the plume exposes the country’s core confusion about the role of government.

    When this country was born, the founders laid down strict roles for the federal government and the president. But over the years, the roles of government and the presidency have expanded.

    As a matter of conviction, the country is deeply uncomfortable with these expansions. Operationally, on the other hand, the country has become accustomed to the new programs and to the new presidential role.

    In times of crisis, you get a public reaction that is incoherence on stilts. On the one hand, most people know that the government is not in the oil business. They don’t want it in the oil business. They know there is nothing a man in Washington can do to plug a hole a mile down in the gulf.

    On the other hand, they demand that the president “take control.” They demand that he hold press conferences, show leadership, announce that the buck stops here and do something. They want him to emote and perform the proper theatrical gestures so they can see their emotions enacted on the public stage.

    They want to hold him responsible for things they know he doesn’t control. Their reaction is a mixture of disgust, anger, longing and need. It may not make sense. But it doesn’t make sense that the country wants spending cuts and doesn’t want cuts, wants change and doesn’t want change."

    http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/01/opinion/01brooks.html?hp

    ReplyDelete
  41. Ash,

    Obviously, you have missed the news over the past few decades. Israeli leader after Israeli leader has done everything asked and received "No" for an answer. Even Mr. Clinton admits as much.

    The problem, Ash, is simple; your Mohammedan friends cannot be satisfied so long as Israel exists. They are like Hitler in that respect.

    As to Egypt's role in the blockade, Egypt wants to keep the parasites quarantined. Succinctly, Ash, they want to keep the disease in Gaza and they want Gaza governed by its elected (Fatah) government. Have you forgotten that Mr. Wonderful, Abbas, was deposed in a bloody coup by Hamas? That means, Ash, that the gangsters running Gaza are illegitimate.

    ReplyDelete
  42. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  43. Yesterday I saw a couple of Bob's posts that he pulled from the Belmont Club. He also mentioned Buddy Larsen who has also been spoken of in glowing terms here. So I decided to visit the site for the first time.

    First impression: Quite an echo chamber.

    It's easy to see why some would feel comfortable there.

    .

    ReplyDelete
  44. The Belmont bores me to tears.

    ReplyDelete
  45. Egyptian forces in fierce battles with Sinai Bedouin jihadist smugglers

    Egyptian special units in Sinai
    Violent skirmishes between Egyptian special forces and Bedouin tribesmen have been raging in rugged central Sinai since last Tuesday, May 25, in an effort to shut down the arms- and fighter-smuggling highway they run on behalf of Al Qaeda and the Palestinian Hamas,

    The tribesmen have developed a lucrative trade as Al Qaeda's main clandestine pipeline for moving weapons and fighters out of the Red Sea countries of Somalia, Yemen and Saudi Arabia and over to Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Iraq. The Bedouin also run a regular supply line of arms and goods to the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip through the Sinai tunnels.
    Of late, the Bedouin have expanded their service to running fighters and weapons into the Gaza Strip to bolster Al Qaeda-affiliates.
    Cairo has determined to shut down the cross-Sinai smuggling traffic which has run out of control.

    Military sources report that the scale of clashes has escalated to a pitch comparable to the Pakistani army's battles against Al Qaeda and Taliban strongholds in the Tribal Areas of Waziristan on the Afghan border. But so far, the Egyptian units have made little headway, although backed by armored personnel carriers, artillery and helicopter gunships.
    Saturday, May 29, the Egyptians were forced to retire to El Arish in northern Sinai to recuperate, replenish depleted ammo stocks and collect reinforcements for the next round.
    Most of the combat is raging around Wadi Omar, a dry valley in central Sinai bounded by 4,800-ft peaks.
    Gen. Mohammad Najab, commander of the Northern Sinai sector, and Gen. Rida Svillan, intelligence chief in that sector, are leading the Egyptians in battle.
    The Bedouin, mostly Tarabin tribesmen who control central, north Sinai and the Egyptian-Israel border region, are commanded by Salem Abu Lafi, Al Qaeda's most senior liaison man with the Palestinian Hamas.
    In 2008, Abu Lafi broke out of an Egyptian jail and headed back to Sinai, where he raised and trained a Bedouin force for securing the important Middle East smuggling routes.
    The Egyptian units battering his mountain strongholds were thrown back by massive heavy machine fire on the few narrow paths climbing up the steep slopes and anti-tank rocket-propelled grenade fire on their APCs. The Bedouin fighters are also using their heavy machine guns to hit Egyptian helicopters.
    Cairo has cloaked the entire operation in secrecy.

    Sources calculate that the Egyptian force must be taking casualties - some of them fatalities and including dozens of injured men. .
    Frictions between the Egyptian authorities and the Sinai tribesmen have worsened since thousands were arrested after a series of bombings of Sinai resorts between 2004 and 2006, even though many were released later. Some of those rounded up admitted that jihadist ideologies had taken hold of young Bedouin tribesmen since the 9/11 attacks on the United States and the strong appearance of Al Qaeda extremists in Egyptian Sinai and Gaza.

    ReplyDelete
  46. Hey Rufus...

    You're an Injun right?

    How about Israel do what America did to your folk?

    ReplyDelete
  47. Some interesting history int he wake of the daily INVASION happening now

    The Mexican–American War was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848 in the wake of the 1845 U.S. annexation of Texas, which Mexico considered part of its territory despite the 1836 Texas Revolution.
    In addition to a naval blockade of the Mexican coast, American forces invaded and conquered New Mexico, California and parts of northern Mexico. Another American army captured Mexico City, forcing Mexico to agree to the sale of its northern territories to the U.S.
    Territorial expansion of the United States to the Pacific coast was the goal of President James K. Polk, the leader of the Democratic Party[1]. However, the war was highly controversial in the U.S., with the Whig Party and anti-slavery elements strongly opposed. The major consequence of the war was the Mexican Cession of the territories of California and New Mexico to the United States in exchange for $15 million. Mexico accepted the Rio Grande as its national border, and the loss of Texas. Meanwhile gold was discovered in California, which immediately became an international magnet for the California Gold Rush. The political aftermath of the war raised the slavery issue in the U.S., leading to intense debates that pointed to civil war; the Compromise of 1850 provided a brief respite.

    ReplyDelete
  48. allen wrote:

    "Israeli leader after Israeli leader has done everything asked and received "No" for an answer."

    That is a load of shit and even, I believe, you know that. The Israelis are tough negotiators and there is no way they would do "everything asked". The Palestinians are no angels to be sure but the Israelis have contributed mightily to making the bed they now lie in.

    Whilst we are considering the propaganda you are peddling allen we should cast our minds back to the election results that placed Hamas in a dominant position as a counterweight.

    ReplyDelete
  49. Patrick Martin

    Globe and Mail Update Published on Tuesday, Jun. 01, 2010 7:49AM EDT Last updated on Tuesday, Jun. 01, 2010 8:20AM EDT

    1. Did Israel violate international law in boarding the ships?

    Yes, it probably did.

    Israel justifies the boarding of the ships in international waters basically as an act of self defence. It is Israel’s argument that the naval blockade of Gaza is needed to prevent Hamas in Gaza from attacking Israel.

    However, notes Michael Byers, Canada Research Chair in Global Politics and International law at UBC, the test in international for constituting legal self defence is whether the action taken was “necessary and proportionate.” On the facts, “the action does not appear to have been necessary in that the threat was not imminent,” Prof. Byers said.

    “To say that this blockade would be jeopardized by the flotilla and that sometime down the road weapons might come into Gaza as a result, and thereby pose a threat to Israel, is to stretch the definition of self defence way further than anyone ever countenanced.”

    The fact that commandoes may have encountered violent behaviour when they boarded the ships still is not justification for their use of deadly force, he added. “The issue isn’t whether the passengers were violent, but whether Israel should have boarded the ships in this way at all.”

    http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/africa-mideast/was-seizing-the-flotilla-legal/article1587638/

    ReplyDelete
  50. ash: That is a load of shit and even, I believe, you know that. The Israelis are tough negotiators and there is no way they would do "everything asked". The Palestinians are no angels to be sure but the Israelis have contributed mightily to making the bed they now lie in.


    Do you deny that the Arabs were offered a state in 1948?

    Do you deny that they had a choice from 1948 - 1967 to create a state if they choose to?

    Do you Deny that after the war in 1973 the arab world refused the offer for return of all recently captured lands for Peace?

    Do you deny that Israel offered 97% of all land with Clinton and Arafat and land exchanges for the 3% inside of the green line?

    How many offers are needed?

    ReplyDelete
  51. Ash,

    Do you recall MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction) or Zero Sum Game?

    Well, Ash, the idea is that no rational person would use nuclear (as opposed to the recently used "nucler") weapons because to do so would mean his destruction as well.

    When a nuclear armed country/people/religion is faced with its annihilation (that would be actual instead of perceptual - think mass murder here), it may use thermonuclear devices to even the score. Its use of these might even appear to some indiscriminate. To the doomed, however, the end of the world is coming no matter what, so there is nothing to lose. This is a VERY bad situation. It is one which might even reach out and touch Canada.

    To me, Ash, Israel has a heretofore unused straightforward approach in its arsenal: MAD. When war comes, Iran will have to consider those Israeli submarines and their payloads. To paraphrase Dr. Johnson (I believe): Nothing so clarifies a man's thoughts as the knowledge of his hanging in the morning.

    As to this operation being bungled, it is my opinion that Mr. Barack should be fired forthwith - paint ball guns, indeed - which lead to Israeli troops being disarmed - which lead to the discharge of firearms - which lead to the mayhem. All that said, the ships did not make it to Gaza.

    ReplyDelete
  52. Ash: 1. Did Israel violate international law in boarding the ships?

    Yes, it probably did.




    No, Gaza is a war zone and the purpose of the flotilla was to break into the border.

    Ash, pull your dick all you wish over this, 2 more ships will be seized in international waters in about 12 hours...

    doesnt change the fact that Hamas is a terror group, even if Obama is in love with them

    ReplyDelete
  53. Ash,

    Re: "load of shit"

    I will defer to your judgment on dung.

    ReplyDelete
  54. WiO,

    You may have noted that our friend, Ash, has not addressed the bloody coup in Gaza that put the unelected Hamas in power.

    This is always the problem in talking with these guys. When cornered, its "bullshit" or "horseshit" or generic "shit". Can you imagine the conversations that must take place on the streets in front of their homes? Add alcohol and it must be a real joy.

    ReplyDelete
  55. The Europeans (including my Dutch/English/Danish ancestors) won the war. My pragmatic Cherokee Great Grandmother married into the winning side.

    "Race" bores the s**t out of me, WIO. Ditto: Religion. Complete Nonsense. All I ask, nay, demand, from S. Baptists, Rosicrucians, Mormons, Jews, Mohammedans, Daoists, et al is that they keep it out of my face, and away from my business.

    You want to support a War in the Levant over who "God" promised the land to, be my guest. If you want to take your little .223 popgun over there and help out, see ya. Lotsa luck. Am I "pulling for" you? No. Am I pulling for the other guy? No. I don't care.

    I just don't want to pay for your trip, or your ammunition. And, I sure as hell, don't want my Family mixed up in your delusional mess.

    ReplyDelete
  56. "To me, Ash, Israel has a heretofore unused straightforward approach in its arsenal: MAD. When war comes, Iran will have to consider those Israeli submarines and their payloads..."

    Reminds me of one post I saw at the BC yesterday suggesting that Isreal secret nuclear devices in capitals around the world as a threat lest anyone give them any shit.

    Just a tad bizarre.



    .

    ReplyDelete
  57. I have no illusions of the Palestinians being great and wonderful people ever bent on peace with all. Far from it. However I think your sage advice allen is worth a repeat here:

    "When you give a man no good viable options, you may not like his choice."

    ReplyDelete
  58. Dammit Rufus.

    The Rosicrucian knowledge is secret.

    We don't "force it" on nobody.

    If you want it, you pay for it.

    You stinking secular misfit.

    .

    ReplyDelete
  59. Rufus..

    you state: I just don't want to pay for your trip, or your ammunition. And, I sure as hell, don't want my Family mixed up in your delusional mess.


    I advocate the right of Jews to legally own land, as well as any other who purchases it legally...

    can you wrap your mind around that?

    Jews have a right to a nation, as do arabs and Americans...

    can you wrap your mind around that?

    no one is asking you to pay for anything.

    if you claim that US taxpayers support Israel without being balanced about the amount we support all others in the area? I will point a finger at you and call you hypocrite.

    Just what part of freedom for all people to own lands do you not get?

    ReplyDelete
  60. rufus: You want to support a War in the Levant over who "God" promised the land to, be my guest.


    Why do you say such things?

    Leave G-d out of it...

    If you think YOU have a right to LIVE in AMerica and own land, why should others be denied in other lands?

    Or are you just selfish and only care about yourself?

    ReplyDelete
  61. According to the historic Jewish POV, G-d promised from the river to the sea the land to Israel...

    Never has that been part of the modern State of Israel's demand.

    Now the MOhammed's they demand all lands ever conquered by Islam to be returned to Islam for all time, this includes SPain.

    ReplyDelete
  62. Rufus, you will have to pick a side someday

    I suggest you pick the shitty Jews over the wise, tolerant faith of Peace, Islam

    ReplyDelete
  63. Rufus:

    and don't disrespect my AR15 ever again....

    .223 will do fine for home defense.

    PUTZ

    ReplyDelete
  64. You have no more "right" to own land than did my under-armed Cherokee ancestors. In America you have the "right" to own land if you can find land for sale, and you have the money to buy.

    Whether you have a "right" to land in the Levant, I haven't the foggiest (nor, the slightest inclination toward concern.)

    The "land dispute" in the Levant is NONE of my Business. It Does Not involve me. And, I don't intend to Let it involve me (nor my kids, or my grandkids.)

    If you can "take it," take it. If you can't, go someplace else. Do what you want. Just leave "Me, my Tax-money, and my Kids" out of it.

    ReplyDelete
  65. WIO, I Don't Care if the Mohammedans want Spain. I don't care if they GET Spain. What part of "It's None of My Business" are you having a problem with.

    If Got promised the Levant to the Jews, let HIM pay for it. If the Palis need money let Mo give it to Them. I DON'T CARE. I just get tired of hearing about it.

    ReplyDelete
  66. Hey Gag.

    Got any of them brewskis left over from yesterday?


    .

    ReplyDelete
  67. "Dammit Rufus.

    The Rosicrucian knowledge is secret.

    We don't "force it" on nobody.

    If you want it, you pay for it.

    You stinking secular misfit."---

    heh, twenty dollars for the secret handshake?

    ReplyDelete
  68. Maybe we need a post on the decline of the elk population in the Lolo, for a break.

    ReplyDelete
  69. "Richard’s title, “The Consolotions of Philosophy,” refers to the great prose-poem of late antiquity, “The Consolation of Philosophy,” written (c. 523 A.D.) by the Roman senator Boethius. From an old senatorial family, educated in the classics, he was in prison for (allegedly) plotting against the Ostrogoth emperor Theodoric. The quotation from Richard, above, could serve as a summary of the “Consolation,” in which the prisoner Boethius, guided by Lady Philosophy, works towards an understanding of lies and truth.

    After Boethius . . . the troubles and tribulations and tribalisms of the Dark Ages. But the Middle Ages never forgot Boethius or the “Consolation,” the greatest of works of late antiquity.

    Chaucer was a disciple of Boethius and a student of the “Consolation.” Here is a stanza (modernized a little) from “Lack of Steadfastness”

    “Sometime this world was so steadfast and stable
    That man’s word was [his] obligacioun;
    And now it is so false and deceivable
    That word and deed, as in conclusion,
    Be nothing alike, for turned up-so-down
    Is all this world for mede [gain] and wilfulnesse,
    That all is lost for lack of steadfastnesse.”"----


    from the echo chamber of
    The Belmont Club, by aardvark

    ReplyDelete
  70. Bob, you cheap son of a gun.

    The secret handshake opens up the door and makes all the other secret knowledge available (for a reasonable price plus shipping and handling and sales tax in selected states.)

    The initiation fee is $250.

    Once that is paid, the handshake is free.


    .

    ReplyDelete
  71. Hell, Bob, every blog has it's philosopher king.


    Who needs the aardvark when we ha you?


    .

    ReplyDelete
  72. What happens in the "initiation" though? I got to pay for that knowledge too?

    ReplyDelete
  73. And, they don't have a Horoscope that even comes close.

    ReplyDelete
  74. "What happens in the "initiation" though? I got to pay for that knowledge too?"

    I wish I could tell you but that's why we call it "secret knowledge".


    .

    ReplyDelete
  75. Probly not a Man Jack among'em that can make a decent 'possum stew.

    ReplyDelete
  76. Egypt lifts its side of Gaza blockade for aid

    Printed in the AP today

    "An Egyptian official says the government is temporarily lifting its blockade of the Gaza Strip to allow aid into the area a day after Israel raided an international flotilla carrying supplies to the Palestinian territory and killed nine activists.

    "The governor of northern Sinai, Murad Muwafi, says President Hosni Mubarak ordered the opening of the border crossing to Gaza in the town of Rafah for several days.

    "Muwafi says the opening of the crossing — which Egypt sealed after Gaza was taken over by Hamas militants in 2007 — is an effort to "alleviate the suffering of our Palestinian brothers after the Israeli attack" on the flotilla."



    No one will ever accuse the Egyptians of being subtle.




    .

    ReplyDelete
  77. Or, "Roped" a Bear.

    ReplyDelete
  78. "Probly not a Man Jack among'em that can make a decent 'possum stew."

    You'll have to pay to find out.


    .

    ReplyDelete
  79. "Or, "Roped" a Bear."

    We are not into the physical only the metaphysical.



    .

    ReplyDelete
  80. Or had the nerve to make a blog comment opining on the best "Red Wine" to go with Chili.

    ReplyDelete
  81. Referring to the "Belmonters," Q.

    ReplyDelete
  82. Japanese leader faces mounting calls to step down

    "Mari Yamaguchi
    Japan's embattled prime minister faced growing pressure Tuesday from within his own party to resign ahead of July elections over his broken campaign promise to move a U.S. Marine base off the southern island of Okinawa.

    "Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's approval ratings have plummeted as he backtracked on the vow to move Marine Air Station Futenma off the southern island, reinforcing his public image as an indecisive leader after only eight months in office.

    "Many analysts say he may well step down ahead of upper house elections, likely to be held in mid-July — or perhaps right after the elections if his party, the Democratic Party of Japan, does poorly. If he does resign soon, he will be the fourth Japanese prime minister to do so in four years..."


    Japan Elections


    .

    ReplyDelete
  83. If we are supposed to give credit where credit is due, we must recognize with respect that the Obama Administration took the wolf off the Endangered Species List.


    The next step is to put the elk ON the Endangered Species List.

    (it's actually all about employing biologists, game managers, etc)

    ReplyDelete
  84. "Referring to the "Belmonters," Q."

    Sorry.

    I assumed it was another spurious attack on religion.


    .

    ReplyDelete
  85. No, I've Expanded my horizons. I'm, now, Spuriously Attacking other Blogs.

    ReplyDelete
  86. Next, will be a series of spurious attacks on Pineapple Doo-Doo Heads.

    ReplyDelete
  87. Another thing I noticed at the BC, the EB was mentioned a couple times but the funny thing was that rat was also mentioned.

    Most didn't seems to know of him but they seemed to know his name.

    Interesting.

    His fame (infamy?) proceeds him.

    A bit of a celebrity. Bad boy of the EB.

    Maybe Whit should start putting up some billboards.

    Maybe a figure of a rat rampant.

    .

    ReplyDelete
  88. Followed by a spurious attack on "Spurs," and the Arizonian Dudes that wear them.

    ReplyDelete
  89. Quirk,

    Re: No one will ever accuse the Egyptians of being subtle.

    ...or courageous, loyal or consistent...

    They will be lucky if they can unseal for three whole days. Their "brothers" have the nasty habit of biting the Egyptian hand shortly after being unleashed. That is why the Egyptians were glad to give up their long claimed sovereignty of Gaza. The problem for the Egyptians is the same as that of the Israelis: The ill-mannered Palestinians shoot haphazardly.

    The Iranians have repeatedly threatened to attack Israel AND the United States if they or their allies are threatened. How they will do so remains a mystery, but North Korea has been most helpful when it comes to missiles and rockets. Israeli submarines send the message, "Don't even think about it." But they will. The various alliances and spheres of influence make this a world conflict. There will be no way to avoid the consequences.

    Since 1948, Israel has maintained its right to exist. Conversely, the Muslims have disagreed. (I use “Muslim” because that is how the Muslims portray the struggle. Anachronistic? Yes. But nonetheless real) Since then, there have been numerous wars and actions, all indecisive. Ultimately, there will be an existential struggle. I believe we are getting close to that point, because all the players understand that demographically and technologically time is no friend. Prior to WWI, both the English and German general staffs arrived at the same conclusion. Both predicted a war within a year of onset. At the end of WWI Clemenceau predicted the second phase of WWI within a year.

    For those planning on riding out the storm, I don't think so.

    ReplyDelete
  90. A "roping rat" rampant on a field of Ursi?

    ReplyDelete
  91. Naptime on that one. :)

    ReplyDelete
  92. I like your idea Ruf.

    One of my degrees was in marketing. Thats' why I was drawn to the Rosicrucians.

    I mean, a cowled figure in black as an avatar.

    Dynamite.

    Advertising on the back of match and comic books.

    Heavy stuff.

    Simple but effective.

    Way beyond 5th Avenue.

    Way ahead of its time.


    .

    ReplyDelete
  93. Plus a product that sells itself.


    Beauty.



    .

    ReplyDelete
  94. not much need for a marketing man then ;)

    ReplyDelete
  95. A man like Quirk could sell a mosque at Ground Zero.

    ReplyDelete
  96. well, all this talk of the Belmont club I had to take a wander over and check it out again. Nothing has changed from Wretchard's 'reasoned analysis' - the soldiers were attacked therefore all that transpires in the media is a fantasy to the echo chamber reverberating the coming apocalypse. Buddy can offer some insight but he's a neo-con at heart (as is rat I might add).

    ReplyDelete
  97. sure - he is big on America being exceptional and exercising its power in the world. He mostly disagrees with the details of the approach taken. Rufus, now he is a traditional conservative - isolationist.

    ReplyDelete
  98. Ain't it grand?! All this talk about XXXXXX and nary a word about the Gulf catastrophe. It doesn't get much better than this. Additionally:

    Soaring costs force Canada to reassess health model

    EU jobless hits record 10.1 per cent

    Fort Hood shooter

    ReplyDelete
  99. rufus said...
    The "land dispute" in the Levant is NONE of my Business. It Does Not involve me. And, I don't intend to Let it involve me (nor my kids, or my grandkids.)

    If you can "take it," take it. If you can't, go someplace else. Do what you want. Just leave "Me, my Tax-money, and my Kids" out of it.



    Trust me, no one wants your pathetic money..

    Rufus, here is an idea, stop commenting on it and no one will talk to YOU about it.

    But if you open that thing you call a mouth and make stupid statement?

    then be prepared to be bothered.

    otherwise shut the hell up on Israel nitwit...

    ReplyDelete
  100. WiO,

    He thought he'd taken a safe, cheapshoot yesterday, complaining of how you had ruined Memorial Day. How he thought he would pull that off following DR's OCD rampage (15 anti-Jew posts in about an hour, followed by 22 more) is amazing, or just shows how little he thinks of others here.

    He's going to keep sniping because he does have a dog in the fight. He just cannot admit which dog and maintain the facade.

    The victims of 9/11 probably did not wake that morning thinking that the great flow of world events would strike them down. It did, and it will again. The clock is ticking.

    ReplyDelete
  101. THIS Thread is "About Israel." Look at the Title.

    Unlike the "Memorial Day" thread where I made that comment.

    ReplyDelete
  102. those boys like to conflate, rufus, to further their arguments, whatever the cost to their credibility.

    ReplyDelete
  103. Tue Jun 01, 01:57:00 PM EDT :)

    ReplyDelete
  104. I think I'm morphing into something more like a "Common-Sense Liberal," Ash.

    Which wouldn't be all that far from a "Common-Sense Conservative."

    ReplyDelete
  105. Old G. Washington, himself, was the first to warn us of "entangling foreign alliances."

    ReplyDelete
  106. rufus said...
    THIS Thread is "About Israel." Look at the Title.

    Unlike the "Memorial Day" thread where I made that comment.



    Rufus, with all due respect..

    I know you will accuse me (rat will) or T or someone...

    Israel is the center of the Universe

    No matter how you want to ignore it....

    Israel is...

    Dont be a believer, no one gives a hoot...

    Well, Jews don't care if you believe or not....

    Jews believe in ethical justice for all.


    I notice how you cannot actual make a real comment when one is placed in front of you.

    You simply like to whine about your sick of it...

    You lack moral courage and clarity.

    Your lack of caring about what goes on in Israel also translates you dont care about anyone but yourself...

    How SAD...

    Jews world wide care even the loss of Arab/Islamic life.

    I know you could care less...

    And yet, you seem to have quite a bit negative about Israel and no opinion (other than in broad sweeping terms "dont care") about her enemies...

    I know you could care less, and yet you hang out with a group that the topic comes up regularly...

    Maybe a Cigar Blog would be more your style, I bet they never talk about XXXXX

    ReplyDelete
  107. "A man like Quirk could sell a mosque at Ground Zero."

    Ash is correct, Bob, there are certain things that require little marketing.

    However, I keep coming back to that billboard idea as a way of drumming up more business for the EB.

    You know the WWE draws millions of fans. I don't quite get it myself. I mean, women wrestling I can kinda see although since mud wrestling came out the regular stuff seems pretty tame. Midget wrestling is pretty good too.

    But hey, we don't need to understand the appetites of the hoi polloi. We merely need to feed them.

    Bread and circuses.

    Trinkets for the natives.

    I've been running some ideas up the flag pole.

    We start with rat. He already has some name recognition beyond the EB. We get some billboards made up. I like Rufus' "Ursi" idea but I also keep coming back to the rat "rampant" idea. Rodent back on the haunches in a semi-crouch, little rat arms viscously flailing.

    Quite a visual.

    Then we hit the Facebook pages and twitter to get the word around.

    Of course we would need an adversary. A "Captain America" or "Hulk Hogan" type to go against rat's "The Sheik" persona. Of course, rat would get top billing since he is already known.

    But we start bringing the new guy along gradually. Let him work his way up until finally the Octagon, the verbal death match, the big one. We'll have to see which way is best for the EB at that point, but I'm thinking we have the rat take a dive. The new guy is king of the hill (at least for a while). The audience will go nuts.

    Now we will need to decide who goes against rat. It would have to be someone intelligent, handsome, charismatic, virile, a real man's man (but with a sensitive side). Ordinarily, I would just do it myself but I'm going to be pretty tied-up with promotions. We might just have to recruit outside the EB. (Although T is one tough hombre...er...hombress?)

    The potential for this thing is there.

    This could be BIG!


    .

    ReplyDelete
  108. Quirk wrote:

    "Rodent back on the haunches in a semi-crouch, little rat arms viscously flailing.

    Quite a visual."

    hee hee good one!

    ReplyDelete
  109. Ash,

    Re: credibility

    I have twice asked whether you are aware that the government of Gaza is illegitimate, having come to power in a bloody coup, unrecognized by the US, EU, Egypt or Israel. You have not answered.

    As to the Memorial Day thread, the game is the same: within minutes, four people, including the proprietor, had spoken to the question of Israel. To go after WiO, third in line, was just a cheap shot.

    Cat got your tongue, "brother".

    ReplyDelete
  110. Al and Tipper Gore, married 40 years, to separate

    "NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Former Vice President Al Gore and his wife, Tipper, are separating after 40 years of marriage that included a White House run when their sunny relationship offered a counterpoint to President Bill Clinton's philandering...

    "According to an e-mail circulated among the couple's associates on Tuesday, the Gores said it was "a mutual and mutually supportive decision that we have made together following a process of long and careful consideration."
    Gore spokeswoman Kalee Kreider confirmed the statement came from the Gores, but declined to comment further..."


    Al Grows Leaves Tipper Behind

    Al Gore said that "he grew over the years but Tipper didn't".

    Most of the couple's friends agreed that Al grew substantially over the years and that Tipper didn't keep pace.

    .

    ReplyDelete
  111. I have little respect for thread topics but I do realize that Memorial Day is where one must act the most PC amongst the folk here.

    As to the legitimacy of the Gazan government I have some knowledge of its history.

    ReplyDelete
  112. "Israel is the center of the Universe"

    :)


    "Jews world wide care even the loss of Arab/Islamic life."

    :) :)


    .

    ReplyDelete
  113. Al Gore has certainly Grown. I understand his last suit was sewn by Omar the Tentmaker.

    ReplyDelete
  114. Come on Ruf, no Muslim jokes please.




    .

    ReplyDelete
  115. Re: Israel center of universe

    Wasn't it here that someone claimed "my dick" as the center of the universe?

    That would have made it a small world after all.

    The Jew was third in a line of four comments. Yep, there's a dog in the fight.

    ReplyDelete
  116. Might be that Tipper is the one who grew. Grew tired of his BS, that is.

    ReplyDelete
  117. Ash,

    Re: I have some knowledge of its history.


    You are a moral coward, and probably a physical one as well.

    ReplyDelete
  118. Please blame the interuption of the Memoral thread on me. Please, and then.....move on. Thank you very kindly.

    ReplyDelete
  119. "You are a moral coward, and probably a physical one as well.

    Careful Ash, it appears Allen is getting his "Jack Bauer" on.


    .

    ReplyDelete
  120. Quirk,

    With Ash, Minnie Mouse would suffice.

    ReplyDelete
  121. This ones for all the heroes at the EB:

    So Much Cooler On Line


    .

    ReplyDelete
  122. A constant source of amusement.



    LMAO.



    .

    ReplyDelete
  123. In keeping with the spirit of this thread, "The Genius of Bizzaro Netanyahu and Israel's Catastrophic Bungled Operation (HT, Deuce):

    Activists send new boat to challenge Gaza blockade

    Lebanon fires on Israeli warplanes: security official

    Report says DOJ not fully prepared for WMD attack

    The Terror Finance Flotilla

    Netanyahu: World criticism won't stop Israel's blockade of Gaza
    "'On the Francop ship alone we confiscated some 200 tons of weapons being smuggled to Hezbollah,' the prime minister said, in reference to the Antiguan-flagged ship Israel intercepted off the coast of Cyprus in November 2009."

    ReplyDelete
  124. Paintballs to pistols, Israel admits ship blunders

    Fire Barak! This is the man who surrendered the Lebanon security zone to Hezbollah. Fire Barak! This is the man who botched his assignment against Black September. Fire Barak!


    "One commentator demanded that Defense Minister Ehud Barak step down. Cabinet members vowed to investigate, but their insistence that the pro-Palestinian activists had provoked the bloodshed found a ready ear among an irate Israeli public."

    ReplyDelete
  125. rufus:
    It's YOUR Racist, Supremcist, Israel - The Center of the Universe - s**t we have to wade through, thread after thread.


    Please Rufus, get a grip on your jealousy...

    Really you are warped, I dont make Israel the CENTER of the UNIVERSE, it's 3 BILLION Christians and Moslems that do...

    take a pill, get a grip...

    Ask yourself WHY does Israel get the press it does...

    One tiny nation, targeted for genocide year after year?

    WHY?

    Why if a space traveler were to watch our new broadcasts he'd think Israel must be an EMPIRE or HUGH...

    Rather than 1/650th of the middle east, and (I am guessing 1/30,000 of the globe)

    Just watch the focus on jews & Israel, I dont make this shit up...

    But if you were a rational being, you would quickly understand that a Jew building an apartment in Jerusalem can start riots around the world, get the President of the USA to make speeches and the UN to pass resolution after resolution...

    In fact a visitor from another planet, judging by the focus on the UN would think Israelis controlled it all...

    Dont like it?

    Move to Mars...

    ReplyDelete
  126. You my little deluded puppy are caught in a bizarro-warp.

    ReplyDelete
  127. I have a daughter who, in her teen years, was intransigent, selfish, combative, narcissistic, emotional, stubborn, and not particularly bright. She thought she was the "Center of the Universe," also.

    Alas, she wasn't.

    She was just one intransigent, selfish, combative, narcissistic, emotional, stubborn, not particularly bright little asshole out of Six Billion.

    Life goes on.

    ReplyDelete
  128. Divorce Speeds Global Warming

    As if the burden of divorce weren't bad enough, people with failed marriages can be blamed for global warming, according to a study by Michigan State University.

    Divorced couples use up more space in their respective homes, which amounts to to 38 million more rooms worldwide to light, heat and cool, noted the report.

    And people who divorced used 73 billion kilowatt-hours more of electricity and 627 billion gallons of water than they would otherwise in 2005.

    Dissolving a marriage also means doubling possessions, from the lowly can opener to the SUV. The report, however, did not estimate how many more natural resources the children of shared-custody parents consume by getting birthday and holiday gifts twice.

    Nor did it count the greenhouse gases spent to shuttle kids between their pair of energy-hogging households. (Tip for carbon offsetting services: the domain name OffsetMyDivorce.com is available.).

    The research suggests that singletons who shack up with someone again can undo the ecological damage. Although it might be inferred that "living in sin" is also eco-friendly, the findings did not necessarily endorse the practice of unmarried couples living together.

    Rates of divorce are rising around the world, while dropping in North America along with those of marriage, according to the National Marriage Project at Rutgers University.

    Divorce ends 46 percent of marriages in the United States, the seventh highest rate in the world, according to Divorce Magazine. The top world record is held by Sweden, where 55 percent of marriages end by divorce. On the other end is Guatemala, with a mere .13 percent divorce rate.

    The study was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and funded partly by the National Institutes of Health.

    ReplyDelete
  129. Illegal Immigrants Crime Spree in WA.

    Neo-Liberals are not alarmed.
    Hell, they're not even interested.
    ...just like w/Reverend Wright and BHO.
    Some racists are more equal than others.

    ReplyDelete
  130. Brad Paisley is a Creepy Cretin who secreted a webcam into my bedroom.

    ReplyDelete
  131. "my dick" was plastered over last year when Disney Renovated
    Small World.

    A workman overlooked the miniature specimen while retexturizing the walls of the subterranean tunnel.

    ReplyDelete
  132. Re: She was just one intransigent, selfish, combative, narcissistic, emotional, stubborn, not particularly bright little asshole out of Six Billion.


    Hmm...wonder if she ever thought, "learned from the best?"



    WiO,

    I just caught the "we" in your quote. Why do these guys always carry a mouse in their pockets?

    ReplyDelete
  133. Here is how the US Coast Guard does it:

    Can the Coast Guard Seize a Vessel in International Waters?
    Emily Yoffe
    Posted Tuesday, May 15, 2001, at 5:30 PM ET


    The U.S. Coast Guard just made the largest cocaine seizure in maritime history, more than 26,000 pounds, when it intercepted a trawler registered to Belize 1,500 miles south of San Diego. Why does the United States have the authority to seize a foreign ship that is in international waters?

    Because it was full of cocaine. Since the early '80s, the Coast Guard, which is a division of the Department of Transportation and the primary maritime law enforcement agency of the United States, has been engaged in missions specifically to intercept drug smugglers on coastal waters. Under federal law, the Coast Guard's mandate includes arresting traffickers even if they are on the high seas--that is, far outside any country's territorial boundaries. Toward this effort the United States has cooperative agreements with many other nations to intercept drug activity. And several U.S. federal agencies, including the Department of Defense and the Customs Service, are charged with monitoring possible drug trafficking far outside our borders. In this case, the trawler Svesda Maru raised suspicions of a customs' plane when it appeared to be a fishing vessel that lacked operable fishing equipment. A Navy frigate was then sent to investigate. Because Defense personnel are prohibited from directly engaging in law enforcement activities, the ship had on it a Coast Guard law enforcement detachment.


    When a suspicious vessel is identified at sea, the Coast Guard notifies the State Department, which then gets permission from the vessel's flag nation for the Coast Guard to board. (In the rare instances when permission is denied, the Coast Guard will generally monitor the vessel as it approaches U.S. territory.) In this case, the Coast Guard boarded the Svesda Maru and spent five days searching for drugs, which they eventually discovered in the space below the fishing holds. The trawler was brought to San Diego and the Russian and Ukrainian crew was jailed on drug smuggling charges.

    ReplyDelete
  134. "Ask yourself WHY does Israel get the press it does..."

    Journalism is big among you guys?



    .

    ReplyDelete
  135. Quirk: (Although T is one tough hombre...er...hombress?)

    La Mujer

    Que el sexo femenino

    ReplyDelete
  136. Bobal: The next step is to put the elk ON the Endangered Species List.

    This administration wants to put elk hunters on the Endangered Species List.

    ReplyDelete
  137. Enough of your dime-store analysis Ruf. It's called myopic narcissism.

    Whoops.

    Now you're gonna get that Silo guy on me again for practicing w/o a license.


    .

    ReplyDelete
  138. Many years ago on a far off planet, I served on a remote duty station with a couple of retreads from the Coast Guard. They re-upped into the Air Force, kept their rank, and did it because they were tired of remote assignments.

    Of course the air force appreciated their change up, and after training, rewarded them with an assignment to a remote mountain in Northern Canada.

    On a remote location everyone tells their stories at least ten times. Sometimes we helped each other by adding events that got left out in more recent tellings.

    I digress. I was impressed with the professionalism of the US Coast Guard and I cannot envision such a FUBAR mission as this one.

    ReplyDelete
  139. WiO: Now the MOhammed's they demand all lands ever conquered by Islam to be returned to Islam for all time, this includes SPain.

    They can have Spain.

    Spain's unemployment was already 20.5% even before this latest dose of shock therapy. There are 4.6 million people without work. Dole payments alone account for half the budget deficit.

    On Friday, the credit rating agency Fitch downgraded Spain, leading to another round of panic in the European debt crisis.

    ReplyDelete
  140. "La Mujer"

    And a cute little “mujer” you are.

    Had I known you were lurking around instead of working on your book like you should have been, I wouldn't have had the temerity to post it.

    Interested in the job? I still have some details to works out with Whit?

    .

    ReplyDelete
  141. "Why does the United States have the authority to seize a foreign ship that is in international waters?"

    Well, yea.

    But they are "our" coast guard.

    DUH!


    .

    ReplyDelete
  142. "...Svesda Maru...?"



    Svesda Maru?

    Say, wasn't that the name of Judge Smails special putter in Caddy Shack?


    .

    ReplyDelete
  143. You slumming tonight T?



    .

    ReplyDelete
  144. Home from work due to a gout attack, which is a side-effect of my high-blood pressure medicine, which was prescribed due to the stress of online forums like this one. So a bit of the hair of the dog that bit me, Quirk.

    ReplyDelete
  145. Funny thing, Q, I have not been back to post at the BC, since Deuce and whit open the Elephant.

    But when you shame all that "reasoned analysis", by understanding the electorate in the United States, they remember.

    At least Wretchard remembers.
    He once mentioned, years ago, that I was the only one of that group to foresee what would transpire.
    That the War in Iraq would lead to the election and political dominance of the Democrats, in DC.

    Pisses 'em off, that boy in OZ, that his high priced US education failed him, as far as understanding the United States was concerned.

    I believe, and rightfully so, ash, that the US can be a leader in the world community. That it should lead, but that it should concentrate upon the Americas.

    That the US is an exceptional place, populated with a self-selected group of the very best people, from all around the world. It is that diversity of our populous that makes the United States exceptional.

    Better believe it.
    No inbreeding, here.

    ReplyDelete
  146. rufus said...
    Don't worry, if we had a couple of Crazed Palestinians stinking up every thread with delusions of Muzzie Supremacy I'd have plenty to say about Hamas, and the PLO.
    -----------------
    It dont matter if they are here or not...
    THEY are out for your head....


    rufus: But, that's not the situation.
    It's YOUR Racist, Supremcist, Israel - The Center of the Universe - s**t we have to wade through, thread after thread.


    ----------

    No it's my insistence that Israel has a right to BE, to insist that it has a right to defend it'sself and that the world's attention is disproportionate and quite frankly ANNOYING.

    Just who selected Israel to be pointed at? TO be ridiculed, to have it's nationhood questioned on a daily basis?

    Really rufus, you cant have it both ways...

    Give trillions to fake nations that sit on a natural resource that use their cash to forward world domination, and then bitch that America supports Israel in the middle east...

    Israel is the center of the UNIVERSE, NOT BECAUSE OF ME....

    But because it is...

    It dominates the world's appetite for attention.

    Nothing small every happens there that is not plastered on every tv, every headline across the globe...

    It aint about being SUPERIOR you knucklehead.

    It's about the FACT that we DON'T TALK ABOUT any other nation quite as much....

    If Israel aint the center of the Universe, picture a world without it.

    And make sure you take away all that Israel (the nation, the people and the culture) have given the world...

    Sure the globe would exist. But not with justice, ethical behavior standards, the weekend and how people now view history and the future...

    I guess that is a subject to deep for you...

    But try reading Thomas Cahill's Gift of the Jews you might be surprised how much western thought comes from their tribal point of view...

    I know you dont give a shit...

    ReplyDelete
  147. You got that right.

    ReplyDelete
  148. Mr. Hatoyama’s election came on a tide of voter dissatisfaction, after three bumbling Liberal Democratic leaders lasted a year or less in office, and Japan was hit hard by the global economic slowdown.

    Mr. Hatoyama told senior officials of the ruling Democratic Party of his plans to resign, according to NHK television, which first reported the news.

    The prime minister has faced growing pressure from within his own party to resign ahead of July elections.


    Intends to Resign

    ReplyDelete
  149. Three cheers for the rufus!

    Because he has been right, too.

    "Pork Rinds for Allah", that idiot has never been right.

    Not one time.
    He still advocates that the US is at war with Islam.

    Dumber than a rock, "Pork Rinds for Allah", was and is.
    Still.

    ReplyDelete
  150. Sorry to here about the gout, T.

    Can you drink with that?


    .

    ReplyDelete
  151. I noticed the women with the kids were the easiest to hit Sam.

    Not a real PC (or gentlemanly) gam.


    .

    ReplyDelete
  152. Ashley J. Tellis, who advised the Bush administration on the nuclear deal, said this week's talks are a chance to make a "dent in this veil of pessimism that seems to have descended on the bilateral relationship, especially in India."

    Still, despite the cooperation, meetings and visits, India wants more from Washington, including stronger pressure on Pakistan to fight terrorists.

    A possible sticking point this week could be the case of David Coleman Headley, an American citizen who has pleaded guilty to scouting Mumbai before the deadly 2008 terrorist attacks that New Delhi blamed on Pakistani militants. Robert Blake, the top U.S. diplomat for South Asia, said Friday the countries are cooperating, but he wouldn't discuss whether the United States will let India interview Headley.


    Settle Anxiety About Ties

    ReplyDelete
  153. Well the gams weren't that good either but I meant game.


    .

    ReplyDelete
  154. Rat states: "Pork Rinds for Allah", that idiot has never been right.

    Not one time.
    He still advocates that the US is at war with Islam.

    Dumber than a rock, "Pork Rinds for Allah", was and is.
    Still.



    I aint dumb... But then again, I aint a self confessed criminal like yourself...

    That aint smart.. being it or dumber still ADMITTING IT....

    Now that's just being wrong on so many levels...

    Islam is and has been at war with America since 1783.

    Learn history....

    ReplyDelete
  155. "It's about the FACT that we DON'T TALK ABOUT any other nation quite as much....


    Is that a general "we"?

    Or merely you , Allen, and the boys at the BC?

    Cause I mean if you think this is true,

    "Nothing small every happens there that is not plastered on every tv, every headline across the globe...

    You probably sould get out more.

    Although I will admit, being involved in a perpetual state of war does tend to focus the attention somewhat. But that's kinda cheating isn't it?

    Other than that and the fact I own some Teva stock, not so much.


    .


    .

    ReplyDelete
  156. ...online forums like this one..."

    So where you been hanging out T?

    We missed you. (That was a personal we. Dont' want to be presumptious. I think me and MLD are the newbies here)

    I might check out some of the other forums to see what your up to. The last time they let me out of here it was kinda interesting.
    Well, not exctly interesting but different.


    .

    ReplyDelete
  157. In a statement, Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin said: 'I met the Israeli Ambassador last evening and made clear that the Irish Government expects the immediate and unconditional release of all the Irish citizens detained.

    'The seven individuals concerned did not enter Israel illegally; rather they were essentially seized from international waters, taken into Israel and asked to sign documents confirming that they entered illegally. This is simply not acceptable.'

    Martin went on to say the Irish Ambassador to Israel Breifne O'Reilly has visited the detained Irish citizens.


    Flotilla Attack

    ReplyDelete
  158. Well Porker, if Islam has been at war with the US since 1700 and something, they have not done so well.

    They are mired in poverty, we are the richest country in the entire history of the entire whirled.

    If that is the result of Islam's "War", with US.
    Bring on some more!

    Because, Porker, we be kickin' their ass. And we are not even at "War" with them.
    So, as one sided as it has been, we have kicked 'em, hard, and we were not even tryin'.

    Why are the Israeli having such a hard time of it? We kicked that Islamoid ass, without even trying.

    ReplyDelete
  159. For three hundred years or so, the Islamoids have failed in their efforts to get US to engage them, in a "War".

    There is a reason for that.
    It is the essence of the United States, to not make "War" on religions, but upon Countries.

    Beyond any Kosher Porkers' intelligence quotient, that.

    ReplyDelete
  160. Because our Kosher Porker has been and continues to be wrong, about everything that has to do with the United States of America.

    And the principles for which it stands.

    Truths we hold to be self-evident.
    All men are endowed, by their Creator, with inalienable rights.

    Rights even the Israeli cannot rightfully deny to Irish citizens.

    Which is why Israel is nothing but a cesspool of Eastern Eurotrash.

    ReplyDelete
  161. "Israel better wake up..."

    Oh, I think Israel's plenty awake. Wide awake. Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.

    ReplyDelete
  162. "Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed."

    How about you Trish?


    .

    ReplyDelete
  163. Quirk: So where you been hanging out T?

    Taking a whip of cords to the Mormons and turning over their money-changing tables in the Temple.

    ReplyDelete
  164. Sweet, T.

    Sounds like fun.

    That gout's gotta slow you down a little though. Right?

    (One thing though. At the Rosicrucian Temple outside San Diego, we frisk at the door. No cords allowed. Just saying.)

    Sweet T. I like that.


    .

    ReplyDelete
  165. Glass of wine, Quirk?

    Nice Chenin Blanc.

    ReplyDelete
  166. Them Israeli, they are not asleep, they are just stupid Eurotrash.

    Eastern authoritarians that have reached beyond their grasp.

    So many Israeli are not Jewish, it would impossible to conflate the two, if one were either smart or sane.

    ReplyDelete
  167. Sounds good.

    (Where's that Big Bopper record I had the other day?)


    .

    ReplyDelete
  168. Looks like I missed all the furious dog-humping.

    ReplyDelete
  169. Though the government, there, tries to maintain a sectarian State, which is why they have created a Jim Crow society.

    Soon to include a form of apartheid, if Mr Lieberman's position can extrapolated to the whole of their government. Which it should be, as he represents Israel to the whirled.

    ReplyDelete
  170. Can rat have a glass?

    He seems to be building to a crescendo.

    I heard one glass usually puts him on his ass.

    I'd let him lick this toad but it's the my last one and I was kinda saving it for later.

    .

    ReplyDelete
  171. No whine for me, Q, thanks though.

    ReplyDelete
  172. You see one dog humped, let's face it, you've pretty much seen them all.




    .

    ReplyDelete
  173. The best part of dealing with a Kosher Porker, he cuts and pastes my dialog.

    Giving me twice the inches.
    For the same price.

    Wonderful thing, dealing with Kosher Porkers.

    Pass that rind, will you, Q?

    ReplyDelete
  174. Here you go.

    I was just about to light up one of these.

    Interested?


    .

    ReplyDelete
  175. "No whine for me, Q, thanks though."

    More for us then.

    It's only gonna get worse, Rat. Or outrageously more better, depending on the POV.

    Allen's not wrong in his statement of our position. And Israel's not particularly concerned with its global popularity.

    Who has the upper hand?

    Certainly not us. Certainly not the international community.

    ReplyDelete
  176. "Allen's not wrong in his statement of our position. And Israel's not particularly concerned with its global popularity.

    Who has the upper hand?

    Certainly not us. Certainly not the international community."



    Good lord, Trish. I was just getting rat settled down.

    And you come in here late, smelling of booze, and make WiO's point for him.

    I'm out of here.


    .

    ReplyDelete
  177. “Before predictably rushing to level hyperbolic accusations at Israel, it’s important for the United Nations to consider all the facts surrounding this incident,” Cantor said in a statement.

    While some of her membership rushes to defend Israel, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is staying cautious with her words.

    “I regret the loss of life and look forward to learning the facts from a credible and transparent investigation,” she said in a statement. “This event underscores the urgent need for negotiations designed to achieve an enduring and comprehensive regional peace.”


    Defending Raid

    ReplyDelete
  178. While Jon Stewart, who self-identifies as a Jewish American, just compared North Korea and Israel.

    Something to do with illegal naval operations against innocent victims.

    North Korea and Israel, birds of a feather flocking together, per Jon Stewart.

    Fabulous entrainment and stand up comedy fodder Bibi has brought to US. Well, he brought it, but had to leave. Could not stand the heat in the kitchen.

    Bibi and Kim, two of a kind.

    ReplyDelete
  179. Since none of the folks mean a shit, to me trish, whether some more die at the hands of the Israeli, don't mean nothin', but to further prove my point.

    The Israeli are morally equivalent to the mullahs in Iran.

    Both delight in killing innocent political protesters.

    The Israeli are actually worse, morally, as they left Israel to kill the political protesters, the Iranians, they do their dirty work, at home.

    ReplyDelete
  180. "Well, he brought it, but had to leave."

    And that was all this administration was able to do.

    And Brennan came out with his stupid HB statement last week. (The information the WH asks for is sometimes confounding..."Why do they want *this*?")

    We gots no moral authority either way.

    Have no pull with our own ally. And can't or aren't willing to see one of its chief antagonists for what it is.

    Don't tell me this won't end badly.

    ReplyDelete
  181. In each case, U.S. officials characterized the losses as a major blow to al Qaeda and an indication of the organization's weakened state.

    "We welcome his demise," White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Tuesday of Yazid.

    President Barack Obama was informed about Yazid's death Monday, officials said. According to Gibbs, this particular No. 3 was described by John Brennan, the top White House counterterrorism adviser, as "the biggest target to be either killed or captured in five years."


    #3 Leader

    ReplyDelete
  182. Pamela Anderson says the oil spill is a sign of the end of the world.

    ReplyDelete
  183. Abdul Salam Zaeef, a former Taliban ambassador to Pakistan and ex-Guantanamo inmate, said he doubted any peace plan that calls for paying Taliban fighters to quit the war will succeed.

    ...

    On the battlefield, a NATO service member was killed Monday by a bomb in southern Afghanistan, the alliance said without identifying the nationality. The Danish army said one of its soldiers has been killed and five others injured by explosive devices in two separate incidents in southern Afghanistan.

    U.S. helicopters flew about 200 Afghan troops into the remote northeastern district of Barg-e-Matal that was overrun by the Taliban and recaptured the main town Tuesday without firing a shot, military officials said.


    Dismisses Afghan Peace Meet

    ReplyDelete
  184. Southeast Asia's second-biggest economy is still recovering from modern Thailand's worst political violence, which killed 88 people and wounded more than 1,800 as troops dispersed protesters from central Bangkok.

    ...

    "Investors with a short-time horizon will see an opportunity in the current relative calm and move back into the market," said Bill Witherell, chief global economist with Cumberland Advisors.

    ...

    Some analysts say that since the recent violence, the government is more willing to take a hard line with the disparate movement of Thaksin supporters, democracy activists and leftists.


    Need Time to Regroup

    ReplyDelete
  185. Turkey, Israel near clash after terror cell exposed on flotilla. Israeli diplomats' families flown home

    DEBKAfile reports: Early Wednesday, June 2, US president Barack Obama stepped into the fast-deteriorating flotilla crisis to stop it from spinning out of control. In secret phone calls, he asked Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu to release all the remaining passengers without delay as well as the six ships. He then tried to reason with the incandescent Turkish prime minister Recep Erdogan, who had just branded the Israeli raid a "bloody massacre."
    Offering deep condolences for the loss of life aboard the flotilla, the US president said better ways must be found to bring humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza without undermining Israel's security. He supported the UN Security Council's call for "a credible, impartial and transparent investigation" of the event, but refused to condemn Israel or take the inquiry out of its hands.
    DEBKAfile reports from Ankara that Erdogan declined to be talked round, declaring that if America did not punish Israel for insolently "trampling on human honor", Turkey would.
    Overnight, Israel began evacuating diplomats' families from Turkey. Diplomatic and consular staff were left in place in Ankara and Istanbul and told along with security firms to stand by for departure.
    Netanyahu called the second security cabinet meeting in two days after the first on Tuesday approved the continued blockade of Gaza against all attempts to break it.
    Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad again threatened Israel with destruction for any action it may take anywhere and its Western supporters with international trial as war criminals.
    Israel is preparing for Ankara's next steps that would defy President Obama's bid to find a way out of the crisis between the two former allies. In Jerusalem, Erdogan's accusations were deemed an unfounded and unjustified assault considering the evidence that he had consorted with terrorists, including an al Qaeda offshoot, to bring Israel under pressure in support of the Palestinian extremist Hamas.
    This evidence released by the IDF Monday night, June 1, described how the Turkish Marmara, the flotilla's lead vessel, had been commandeered by terrorists indirectly supported by the Ankara government's subsidy to the Turkish Insani Yardim Vakfi - IHH, which is listed by the American CIA as an al Qaeda-linked Islamist terrorist organization with bases in Turkey, Bosnia and Bulgaria.
    Those passengers attested to more than a hundred members of terrorist organizations aboard acting like a quasi-military group with a command hierarchy, whose leader forced the other four or five hundred passengers to fall into line behind them. The group was split into sub-sections, each in charge of a section of the ship before and after it set sail from Istanbul. Its members were all armed with an assortment of chains, iron bars and knives as well as night goggles and gas masks.
    Although they appeared to hail from different terrorist organizations from various countries, they were all ordered to say they belonged to the IHH.
    The group kept the ship to a strict military regiment, including round-the-clock guards in the different sections of the Marmara.

    ReplyDelete
  186. When the ship was brought to Ashdod port and the passengers removed early Tuesday, the IHH members were found without identification papers of any kind. Either the Turkish authorities at Istanbul were instructed to let them embark aboard the Marmara without documents or they threw them overboard before the ship docked at Ashdod. Each had an envelope stuffed with thousands of dollars.
    DEBKAfile's intelligence sources disclose that, when first brought in, the Turkish terror activists refused to answer questions. By Tuesday nightfall, a few began talking and admitted to being members of IHH and its ties with al Qaeda's Balkan outfit. Throughout the interrogations, Israel intelligence was in contact with colleagues in Western services for help to identify them by means of fingerprints and other physical features.
    Our counter-terror sources report that Israel must now decide whether to prosecute some of the activists, including Israeli Arabs, on board the Marmara, on charges of collaborating with an international terrorist organization.
    During Tuesday, Israel began deporting the 679 passengers - including 128 for Arab and Muslim countries through Jordan. The rest will be flown out within 48 hours. Three Turkish jets were due to collect them Wednesday. Eight Israel trucks brought assistance products from the ships to Gaza Tuesday; another 10 will make deliveries Wednesday.
    Israel intelligence agencies too have questions to answer - principally, how they missed spotting the terrorist presence aboard the putative aid-for-Gaza convoy and let a naval force undertake the mission to divert the ships to Ashdod, without preparing them for a violent confrontation with a determined, well-organized group of violent men.

    ReplyDelete