COLLECTIVE MADNESS


“Soft despotism is a term coined by Alexis de Tocqueville describing the state into which a country overrun by "a network of small complicated rules" might degrade. Soft despotism is different from despotism (also called 'hard despotism') in the sense that it is not obvious to the people."

Sunday, June 02, 2013

A bill authorizing the Obama administration to send weapons to “vetted” rebels recently passed out of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee; and, in the wake of unconfirmed reports that either Assad or the rebels used chemical weapons, and thus crossed a U.S.-established "red line," a bipartisan coalition is calling for intervention—if only to show Iran that when the U.S. establishes a red line, there are real consequences for crossing it.


The Situation in Syria Provides an Unwelcome Setting For Intervention


The complexity of Syria's civil war makes a successful intervention unlikely.
Matthew Feeney | May 30, 2013

The European Union lifted its embargo earlier this week on sending weapons to Syria, thereby allowing its members to send arms to Assad’s opposition, who have been facing a renewed assault from government forces. Shortly after the EU announced its decision, the Russian government confirmed that it would be sending the Assad regime anti-aircraft missiles, news that was not received well in Israel, whose defense minister said that Russian shipments to Syria (and possibly the pro-Assad Hezbollah) could be targets of Israeli strikes. Assad recently told a Hezbollah-owned TV station that the missiles had arrived. 
To put it bluntly, a messy situation is being made much messier by intervention. And the U.S. hasn't even gotten involved. That could soon change. A bill authorizing the Obama administration to send weapons to “vetted” rebels recently passed out of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee; and, in the wake of unconfirmed reports that either Assad or the rebels used chemical weapons, and thus crossed a U.S.-established "red line," a bipartisan coalition is calling for intervention—if only to show Iran that when the U.S. establishes a red line, there are real consequences for crossing it. 
Needless to say, there are also real consequences to wading into a complex civil war. The diplomatic, geopolitical, ethnic, and security considerations are vast and discouraging.  
Diplomatically, some of the most significant barriers to intervention have been the Assad regime’s relationships with Iran and Russia. More direct involvement in Syria could possibly derail negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program and could wreak havoc on America’s ever-delicate relationship with Russia. While Assad alone does not pose much of a diplomatic threat, backing the rebels over the ruling regime would worsen America's already precarious relationships with Russia and Iran.
Another diplomatic matter to consider is that past interventions have been carried out in cooperation with international bodies. The intervention in Libya was done through the United Nations and NATO, whose leadership ruled out intervention in Syria back in March. Without the backing of an international body (the E.U., U.N., NATO etc.) any government that wants to send weapons to Assad’s regime or intervene directly will could have its reputation tarnished and must be prepared to deal with the potential negative consequences. While the E.U. sanctions on sending arms to Syria may have been lifted, this is not the same thing as saying the E.U. backs member countries sending arms to Syria. 
In addition to incurring diplomatic risks, intervention in Syria also could lead to further geopolitical destablization. Every one of Syria’s neighbors has been affected by the civil war, be it by having to accommodate refugees or by having to deal with the conflict’s overspill. The conflict has the potential to impact even more countries in the region, particularly by broadening the launch pad for jihadists who are abetting the rebels. 
Nevertheless, interventionists are full of good ideas about how to "help" Syrians. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) has argued that selective airstrikes like those used during the intervention in Libya could be used against the Assad regime. Elizabeth O’Bagy, political director for the Syrian Emergency Task Force, and Gen. Salim Idriss, leader of the Supreme Military Council of the Free Syrian Army, have asked for a no-fly zone to be put in place, another strategy that was implemented in Libya.
Would these tactics help bring down the Assad regime? Probably. That leaves America in the impossible position of predicting what Al Qaeda-backed rebels would do to the Syrian goverment, let alone Syrians who are members of religious minorities. The most prominent member of Congress to express these concerns is Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), but he can't stop an intervention all by himself. 
By itself, the complexity of the situation is not an argument against intervention. Yet, considering the questionable success of interventions in places like Libya, which appeared to all the world to be a much simpler operation, it's up to interventionists to sell the rest of us on yet another war. How exactly, will they separate the good rebels from the bad ones? How, exactly, will they keep the bad rebels from access stockpiles of Assad regime weaponry? What are the conditions of victory? If the rebels do route Assad, do we stick around and help them rebuild? If so, for how long? 
Lastly: Why should we? 

87 comments:

  1. Hamdoon himself couldn't figure this sucker out.

    He emails me saying, "keep your country out!"

    Says he is hoping the country divides up from the pressures of war.

    ReplyDelete

  2. The Daily Star of Lebanon reported that McCain posed with a Syrian rebel kidnapper in a photograph. His office denies that the man identified himself and condemned the group's action. (AP Photo/Syrian Emergency Task Force, Mouaz Moustafa)

    The Daily Star of Lebanon reported Thursday that Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) was photographed with members of a group responsible for kidnapping 11 Lebanese Shiite pilgrims. His office, however, condemned their actions and said that no one in the meeting called themselves by the names mentioned in the report.

    The Star reported that Mohammad Nour, a chief spokesman and photographer for the rebel group the Northern Storm Brigade, was photographed with McCain, according to families of the kidnapped and one person who was released. Abu Ibrahim, another man with a reported connection to the group, was also in the photograph.

    McCain's office said that no one in the meeting identified themselves as Nour or Ibrahim.

    "A number of the Syrians who greeted Sen. McCain upon his arrival in Syria asked to take pictures with him, and as always, the senator complied. If the individual photographed with Sen. McCain is in fact Mohamed Nour, that is regrettable," said spokesman Brian Rogers in an email.

    "But it would be ludicrous to suggest that the senator in any way condones the kidnapping of Lebanese Shia pilgrims or has any communication with those responsible. Sen. McCain condemns such heinous actions in the strongest possible terms."

    Two of the 11 kidnapped have been released, according to another Star report. They were abducted near Azaz on May 22, 2012, after returning from a pilgrimage in Iran.

    McCain met with Gen. Salim Idris, chief of the Supreme Military Council of the Free Syrian Army, on Monday after crossing the border from Turkey. A critic of President Barack Obama's policy towards Syria and an advocate for a no-fly zone and the arming of Syrian rebels, McCain became the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit since the country broke out in civil war over two years ago.

    He spoke about his visit on CNN Wednesday night. "We can identify who these people are. We can help the right people," he said.

    ReplyDelete
  3. McCain can’t even decide the proper person to be photographed with and yet is calling for the US to pick sides in the most complex political problem in the past twenty-five years. He is running around calling for another no-fly zone. If anyone is in dire need of being grounded, it is McCain.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hate to say ...

      "I told you so" ...

      but it feels so gooooooood.

      :-)

      Delete
  4. BEIRUT— Lebanese Hezbollah militants have massed in and around the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, a senior commander in the Lebanese Shiite movement said Saturday, broadening the group’s backing of President Bashar al-Assad’s forces and stoking fears of an imminent assault on the city.

    The commander, who declined to be named because he is not authorized to speak to the media, said there were about 2,000 Hezbollah fighters in Aleppo province, largely stationed in Shiite towns north of the city. Rebels said Hezbollah forces had entered the city itself Sunday and were preparing for an attack.

    Rebels have secured swaths of Aleppo — Syria’s commercial capital and most populous city — since fighting engulfed the city last summer, but the front lines have been locked in a stalemate. An assault on the city could stretch rebel forces, which have sent reinforcements from Aleppo to fight against Hezbollah and Syrian army troops in the battle for the town of Qusair, near the Lebanese border.

    The presence of Hezbollah’s guerrilla fighters in Syria’s north points to its widening support for the government in the wake of its leader Hasan Nasrallah’s pledge to back Assad until the end. Previously, the Hezbollah fighters largely had been concentrated in Qusair and the Damascus suburbs, where they are guarding the Shiite shrine of Sayyida Zaynab.

    “The Aleppo battle has started on a very small scale, we’ve only just entered the game,” said the commander, who was on leave from fighting in Qusair, where he oversees five units. “We are going to go after strongholds where they think they are safe. They are going to fall like dominos.”

    He said that the militants were largely concentrated in the Shiite towns of Zahra and Nubol, which have been under siege from largely Sunni rebel forces. A spokesman for Hezbollah said he could not confirm or deny their presence.

    On Sunday, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said that the infiltration of Hezbollah fighters into Syria — along with the supply of weapons from Russia and Iran — has helped turn the tide of the war in favor of the government of Assad.

    ReplyDelete
  5. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  6. MOSCOW, June 2 (Itar-Tass) - Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and the US Secretary of State John Kerry discussed ways of settlement of the Syrian crisis.

    The Russian Foreign Ministry reported on Sunday following the telephone conversation, which took place on Saturday at the initiative of the American side, the conversation touched upon the situation in Syria, including “the situation around preparations for the international conference.”

    “They also exchanged information on schedule of bilateral political contacts of various formats,” the foreign ministry said.

    ReplyDelete
  7. PARIS, June 2 (Itar-Tass) - A new conference on Syria in Geneva may take place in July, France’s Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told audience of the Europa-1 radio station on Sunday.

    “In my opinion, it is the last chance /to settle the Syrian conflict - Itar-Tass/,” he said.

    Fabius made it clear the main task would be for the Syrian opposition to choose their representatives to the conference.
    “It would take certain time,” he said.

    On May 27, heads of foreign authorities of Russia and the US Sergei Lavrov and John Kerry met in Paris to discuss organisation of the upcoming Geneva-2 conference on settlement of the Syrian crisis. France’s foreign minister also participated in the meeting.

    Following the meeting, Lavrov said Moscow and Washington were for having the conference in Geneva “without preconditions.”

    “We have a common understanding that those who participated in the Geneva meeting on June 30, 2012, will be invited automatically, but we would like to extend this circle to include all foreign players, who one way or the other influence the situation in Syria,” he said.

    Fabius stressed on Sunday that Paris had been against inviting Iran’s representatives to participate in Geneva-2. “Iran is not for a peaceful settlement,” he said.

    During the upcoming week, a new meeting of Russia, the US and the UN in Geneva may discuss preparations for the conference on the settlement of the crisis in Syria.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. .

      Fabius made it clear the main task would be for the Syrian opposition to choose their representatives to the conference. “It would take certain time,” he said.

      Sure, they have only had two years.

      ...we would like to extend this circle to include all foreign players, who one way or the other influence the situation in Syria,” he said.

      but of course

      Fabius stressed on Sunday that Paris had been against inviting Iran’s representatives to participate in Geneva-2. “Iran is not for a peaceful settlement,” he said.


      Kinda the same logic as forcing the other EU states to allow the arms embargo to be dropped but insisting no one plans to provide any arms.

      .


      Delete
  8. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s helicopter had to make an emergency landing in the northeast on Sunday after an unspecified “accident,” the presidency reported, adding that he was unhurt.

    "The helicopter carrying Dr Ahmadinejad and a number of officials on Sunday had an accident, but the pilot managed to land the aircraft safely," the website president.ir reported.

    He had been en route to inaugurate a local project in a mountainous region of northeast Iran when the incident happened.

    "With God's help the president and the officials accompanying him were not hurt. After the landing the president inaugurated the project and returned to Tehran by car," the website added.

    It did not give any more details about what happened in the "accident" or mention the make of helicopter.

    The Islamic republic has been subject to harsh international sanctions over its disputed nuclear programme, with spare parts for both military and civilian aircraft affected.

    In addition to buying planes and helicopters from Russia, China and Ukraine, Iran maintains that it can also manufacture aircraft including drones domestically.

    Ahmadinejad is coming to the end of his second term as president of the Islamic republic.

    Eight approved candidates are standing for president in an election on June 14, and Ahmadinejad's term in office ends on August 3.

    (AFP)

    ReplyDelete
  9. AFP - Arab states of the Gulf could take measures against the Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah, openly involved in the Syrian conflict, the head of their six-member bloc said on Sunday.

    The Gulf Cooperation Council had "decided to look into taking measures against Hezbollah's interests in the member states," GCC chief Abdullatif al-Zayani told reporters at the end of a ministerial meeting in the Saudi city of Jeddah.

    Zayani gave no other details on the nature of the measures or the interests to which he was referring.

    Bahraini Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Ghanim al-Buainain said that "nobody could cover up Hezbollah's actions in regional countries.

    "It is a terrorist organisation and this is how Gulf states see it," he added.

    However, placing Hezbollah on the GCC's terror list was "a technical and legal matter that needs to be further studied".

    At the opening of the meeting, Buainain had called for "a serious stance and united action to end the attacks on the interests of the Syrian people and giving them the right to choose their political regime."

    "We see this today as a clear and flagrant Iranian interference, alongside its ally Hezbollah, in the Syrian crisis using all sorts of weapons and turning Syria into a battle zone that has left thousands of Syrians dead," he said.

    Bahrain, which currently holds the GCC's rotating presidency, has branded the movement a "terrorist organisation".

    Hezbollah's men are fighting alongside Syrian government troops in a fierce battle to retake the Syrian town of Qusayr from mostly Sunni rebels.

    The Gulf Cooperation Council is made up of six Sunni-ruled states: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

    ReplyDelete
  10. …McCain has in-depth knowledge and expertise on all these related details.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. McCain has a compound in Sedona, AZ.

      He channels the spirits, there.
      The cosmic energies.

      Mr McCain does not even know how many houses he owns.
      Surely then, he is an expert on the intricacies of Syrian politics.

      Delete
    2. I bet he at least knows the Alawites are moslems, and not Pagans with a Christian twist.

      The old fox can read.

      How did the name Alawite arise?

      >>>Etymology [edit]

      The Alawites take their name from Ali ibn Abi Talib, cousin of Muḥammad,[12] who was considered the first Shi'a Imam and the fourth "Rightly Guided Caliph" of Sunni Islam.

      Until fairly recently, Alawites were referred to as "Nusairis", after Abu Shu'ayb Muhammad ibn Nusayr (d. ca 270 h, 863 AD) who is reported to have attended the circles of the last three Imams of the prophet Muhammad's line. This name is considered offensive, and they refer to themselves as Alawites.[page needed][13] They have allegedly "generally preferred" to be called Alawites, because of the association of the name with Ali ibn Abi Talib, rather than commemorating Abu Shu'ayb Muhammad Ibn Nusayr. In September 1920 French occupational forces instituted the policy of referring to them by the term Alaouites.

      In official sources they are often referred to as Ansaris, as this is how they referred to themselves, according to the Reverend Samuel Lyde, who lived among Alawites in the mid-19th century. Other sources state that "Ansari", as referring to Alawites, is simply a Western mis-transliteration of "Nosairi".[page needed][14][15]

      Alawites are separate from the Alevi religious sect in Turkey, but the terms share similar etymologies, and are often confused by outsiders.[16][17]<<

      wiki

      Delete
    3. Making him more knowledgeable than General Bunk.

      Delete
    4. Old man, have lost your sign on, or just forgot the password?

      I reference and can quote Daniel Pipes, TE Lawrence and Ben Disraeli.

      Who do you bring, as an expert on the Alawi?
      What is their name?
      What qualifies them as experts?

      Delete
    5. Dementia setting in, or do you tell yourself it is just loss of memory?

      Delete
    6. Old man - Oooohh

      Delete
    7. New computer, young fool winnipeggerwhippersnapper.

      Delete
  11. Off topic but can't help it -

    Issa: Cincinnati IRS Employees Say Direction Came From Washington


    http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2013/06/02/issa-cincinnati-irs-employees-say-direction-came-from-washington/

    All roads lead to Washington, D.C.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Off course it did.

      Direction came from Congress.
      They passed the Tax Code the IRS was enforcing.

      You blame the cops, for following the rules?

      Seditious bitch.

      Delete
    2. And where in the Tax Code passed by Congress does it give any current administration the authority to target its political opponents? Cite the section.

      Seditious bitch - oooooohhhhh

      Delete
    3. The applicants were SOCIAL WELFARE organizations, anoni, NOT political organizations.

      That is the entire point

      As you said, before ...
      The tax exemptions were for Soup Kitchens and such.

      Political Organizations do not qualify for tax exemption, except by fraud.

      Delete
    4. Don't need a dictionary, my vocabulary is sufficient.

      Spell check is nice, though, to be sure.

      Delete
    5. .

      The rat sounds like Lawrence O'Donnel MSNBC's butt-boy for the Obama administration in arguing this was all legal and awaits laws being changed; however, he forgets that the IRS provided confidential information on conservative groups to Pro-Publica and others even though their applications had not then been ruled on, a clear violation of the law.

      Likewise, the rat would define 'social welfare organization' for us when even the IRS can't seem to do it.

      This once again shows rat's quaint thoughts on how laws are actually passed and administered in this country.

      .

      Delete
    6. First, the release of information SHOULD be prosecuted.
      There is no excuse for that.

      But that was not boobie's point.
      He said the IRS was used to harass political foes.

      The political foes were abusing the tax code.
      It was the IRS's mission to investigate.

      How is a Social Welfare organization defined ...
      boobie did that for us, he said that they were soup kitchens and homeless shelters.

      I have traveled the hiways and biways of the southwest USA, not once have I seen a Tea Party soup kitchen.
      I have seen the Salvation Army, Goodwill and St Vincent de Paul feed, clothe and employ people in the true pursuit of social welfare.

      The Tea Partiers, not so much.

      Delete
    7. If you don't want the IRS looking into people's lives, limit the scope of the IRS.

      But that is not where the trends are heading, are they.

      Changing the hands on the levers of power, that won't stop the abuse.
      The power has to be removed from the IRS.

      Delete
  12. I've told you before, quot, well, I've told your associates ...

    Don't capitalize the "r".

    Or the "d".

    It's not a name.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's a description, we all agree on that.

      Delete

    2. It's not a name.

      It's a description.

      Hardeharharhehehheehehehe

      Delete
    3. desert, quot, the d is for desert.

      Thought you Israeli knew all about the desert.

      Native?
      Linga?

      I'm not trying to rebuild a cover story, is this 'really' how the Mossad does it, quot?
      Or is it just their junior cadets that catch this duty?

      Delete
    4. No, quot, it is an avatar.
      Not a name, not on a birth certificate.

      I sign in that I chose for a Google avatar.
      As if your real name is quot, come on, give us a break.

      Or is it What?

      But isn't he on second
      Who is on first

      Delete
    5. One I thought you could understand.
      Guess I was wrong.

      ;-(

      Delete
  13. It's on nature's birth certificate. Says, this being is a desert rat.

    But please, let's move on, as org says.

    ReplyDelete
  14. So, we put up a no fly zone, and Assad gets S-300s?

    We arm the rebs, and they are al-Qaeda?

    The rebs get some gas, and use it, and we do what?

    Agreeing with everyone, best to watch this one on TV, and stay home.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I read Assad is getting some new Russian jets too.

      Delete
  15. Language English (U.S.)
    en-us
    Operating System Macintosh MacOSX
    Browser Safari 1.3
    Language English (U.S.)
    en-us
    Operating System Macintosh MacOSX
    Browser Safari 1.3
    Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; Intel Mac OS X 10_8_3) AppleWebKit/536.29.13 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/6.0.4 Safari/536.29.13
    Javascript version 1.5
    Monitor

    Sign on: C.O.

    I’ll eliminate all identification and leave:

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    Visit Length 23 minutes 22 seconds


    Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; Intel Mac OS X 10_8_3) AppleWebKit/536.29.13 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/6.0.4 Safari/536.29.13
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    ReplyDelete
  16. All that, after quot brought up Hitler, again, quot still did not answer the question pertaining to the Austrian of Jewish descent. That Hitler had those 'Jewish' DNA markers, irrefutable science.

    Why wasn't Hitler a Jew, it was in his blood?
    If Jewishness is a blood 'thing'.

    How pure does a fella's blood have to be, to be a 'real' Jew.
    Not just someone that the secular government will allow into the Israeli portion of Palestine, but someone, say a Russian immigrant, that can be buried in a Jewish cemetery?

    Inquiring minds and all that ...
    ... and then again, quot, you brought Hitler to the table, serving him up as it were.

    After the blood issue is settled, we can discuss Israel's Lebensraum policies in Palestine.

    Ain't life grand!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/dna-tests-reveal-hitler-s-jewish-and-african-roots-1.309938

      DNA tests reveal Hitler's Jewish and African roots

      ...Hitler's second most dominant haplogroup is the most common in Ashkenazi Jews.

      "The findings are fascinating if you look at them in terms of the Nazi worldview, which ascribed such an extreme priority to notions of blood and race," Decorte said.

      We are discussing, or you are refusing to discuss, the Jewish priority of blood purity, tracking people's haplogroups, the 'genetic fingerprints' that define populations.
      We know it is an issue in Israel with Russian immigrants, there, they not being 'Jewish' enough.

      How can that be?
      They came to their Jewish homeland, why are they not welcome in the Jewish cemetery?

      Delete
    2. What is in, or missing, in the Russian's blood?

      Why are they not considered 'real' Jews?

      Delete
    3. You are an embarrassment to this place.

      Delete
    4. Why were the Russians not buried in the Jewish cemetery?

      Are there different levels of Jewishness?

      Is it like the Free Masons, in that way?

      How many levels of Judaism are there?
      They say the Free Masons have 33 levels, call 'em "degrees", what are they called in Judaism?

      Or is it a secret?

      Was Sammy Davsi Jr really a Jew, or did you guys con him, too?

      Delete
    5. Could Sammy Davis Jr have been buried in that Jewish cemetery?

      Delete
    6. Is Jewishness hereditary?

      I guess a Jew can opt out, Bob Dylan, he bounced out of Judaism and into Christianity, then bounced back again, I read.
      Saw him at ASU, when he was singing for Jesus, and a piece of the gate.

      Our little double date crew walked out.

      Delete
    7. Sammy, the 'greatest entertainer in the world', who I didn't much like, chose to be buried in a walk of the dead stars, so to speak, in Forest Lawn, Glendale.

      Cummings, Robert Jun 10th 1908 Dec 2nd 1990 Great Mausoleum, Columbarium of Sanctity, niche 21505
      Dailey, Dan Dec 14th 1913 Oct 16th 1978 Court of Freedom, lot #7065, space 4
      Dandridge, Dorothy Nov 9th 1922 Sep 8th 1965 Freedom Mausoleum, Columbarium of Victory, Niche 32269
      ((((Davis Jr., Sammy Dec 8th 1925 May 16th 1990 Garden of Honor (locked private area).))))
      Disney, Elias Feb 6th 1859 Sep 13th 1941 Great Mausoleum
      Disney, Flora Apr 22nd 1868 Nov 26th 1938 Great Mausoleum
      Disney, Walt Dec 5th 1901 Dec 15th 1966 Private Garden in Freedom Terrace.


      Hollywood Grave Hunter

      "Where the stars don't come out at night"


      http://www.hollywoodgravehunter.com/site/bycemetery.php?cmid=1#

      Delete
    8. Garden of Honor (locked private area)

      Sounds like he wanted a little peace and quiet at last, far from the adoring crowds.

      Delete
  17. The Financial Times reports that the al-Quieda elements in Syria have invaded, or at least raided, into Lebanon.

    Things will be developing, surely.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Diplomats said Russia told council members that the best way to deal with Syria was through intensive diplomacy. However, one council diplomat noted that Russia continues to sell weapons to Syria.

    The international community has pinned its hopes for resolving the conflict peacefully on a conference that had been mooted for June in Geneva.

    But French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said on Sunday that it could be delayed.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Heartfelt open article of a mom about her daughter, and son too, in Israel -

    >>>And there is a feeling, there, of living not just for oneself alone, but for the good of the nation as a whole, a feeling of giving back. Most of my children's friends are involved with doing something for the greater good. It is in the air that they breathe. My daughter and son work together with some friends, with a group new Ethiopian immigrants to Israel, who have come from a rural environment, and help them get acculturated to twenty-first century urban life.<<<

    June 2, 2013
    Kissing My Daughter Goodbye
    By Sarah N. Stern

    http://www.americanthinker.com/2013/06/kissing_my_daughter_goodbye.html

    >>>I just kissed my daughter goodbye, leaving her in Israel. This has always been one of the most difficult things I have ever had to do, as a mother. I know that living in Israel is an independent choice that she has made as an intelligent, thinking adult. Yet, I remain acutely aware of the ever-increasing dangers of living in the heart of that highly contested land, which is like an oasis of sanity in an increasingly more primordial, primitive, and more radicalized Middle East.<<<





    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. >>>This ominous feeling became a bit more intensified by the fact that, as I was leaving, there were two national air raid drills. On Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described Israel as "the most threatened state in the world." The Israeli Defense establishment recently reported that there are 200,000 missiles and rockets in the collective hands of Hezbollah, Iran, Syria and Hamas that are aimed at every Israeli city.<<<


      The whole thing could blow at any time. We could wake up one morning.....

      Delete
    2. ... "the most paranoid state in the world." ...

      Delete
    3. Hi. I'm bob. Bought a new computer and have mislaid my Google password. But everyone knows who I am. Who are you? Why hide your nitwittery behind an anon?

      Delete
    4. High right back at you.
      I'm anonymous.

      You are a dumb ass to have forgotten your password.

      Delete
    5. Not forgotten if not memorized. Just mislaid. Daughter set it up, wrote it down. Don't know where she put it.

      You seem to have forgotten your name.

      Early onset Alzheimer's for you?

      A doctor once told me, if people have forgotten where they parked their cars at the Mall, that's OK, but if they've forgotten that they have a car, or why they are at the Mall in the first place, they should try to remember to check into the clinic.

      It may be time for you to check into the clinic. Write this on your wrist: "Check into Clinic".

      Or even: "Someone please check me into the Clinic".

      On your forehead would be best.

      Delete
    6. High?

      You on drugs again?

      Well, Low right back at you, moron.

      Delete
    7. .

      I thought the Anonymous Anonymi Society kept most of their inmates locked up until the full moon was out and that's not until the 23rd this month.

      .

      Delete
    8. You are a recent college graduate perhaps?

      Rob LaZebnik:

      Dear graduates: You’re pampered, privileged and oversexed — but at least your employment prospects are dim

      Delete
    9. .

      And you are wierd little pissant perhaps? Yes? No? Either way you are guilty of the worst sin possible. You're boring.

      A doctor once told me,...

      I can believe that. I would imagine you had quite a few doctors who have told you many things.

      When did you get out. Or, did you just sneak into the business center after 'lights out'?

      .

      Delete
    10. .

      Or even: "Someone please check me into the Clinic".


      A subliminal cry for help?

      .

      Delete
    11. Qurik cain't spel strait. So he shudn't right nuttin on his forhead.

      Delete

    12. And you are ((((wierd)))) little pissant perhaps? Yes? No?


      No.



      Definition of weird (adj)

      Bing Dictionary



      weird

      [ weerd ]


      1.odd: strange or unusual
      2.supernatural: belonging to or suggesting the supernatural
      3.of fate: relating to or influenced by fate


      But you are weird. Probably wired too.

      Delete
    13. .

      Oh, the question wasn't about weird. There is no question you are odd: weird and unusual. The question was about pissant. And even there, I now see the word perfectly applies.

      .

      Delete
  20. Hizbullah fought with Syrian rebels in Lebanon’s eastern border region yesterday, in the latest eruption of Syria’s conflict on Lebanese soil.

    ...

    The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) expressed alarm over the situation and said teams from the Syrian Arab Red Crescent were in nearby Homs and ready to deliver aid. “Civilians and the wounded are at risk of paying an even higher price as the fighting continues,” said ICRC regional operations chief Robert Mardini.

    ...

    In the Damascus suburb of Jobar, nine security men were killed by a bomb planted near a police station by Jabhat al-Nusra, said the Britain-based opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

    ReplyDelete
  21. If we are done with Jewish DNA markers n Hitlers blood, his Jewishness confirmed.

    We should be moving on, then, to ...

    Israeli Lebensraum

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They should have kept the Sinai.

      Good to bed now.

      Delete
    2. You are that worst of all things....b o r i n g

      Delete
    3. Go to bed now, of course. Cat jumped on my lap.

      Delete
    4. This is best. It would be good if you go to bed now, you are boring.

      Delete
  22. Well that withdrawal from Iraq worked out well. Now Al Qaeda is on the path to defeat and can never threaten us again.

    ...

    This is really bad news as it combines WMDs and technological sophistication.

    Authorities in Iraq say they have uncovered an al-Qaeda plot to use chemical weapons, as well as to smuggle them to Europe and North America.

    Defence ministry spokesman Mohammed al-Askari said five men had been arrested after military intelligence monitored their activities for three months.

    ...

    Troublingly, Turkey busted an Al-Nusra Front cell (Al Qaeda in Syria) that also had stockpiles of chemical weapons.

    On May 30, the Turkish media reported that 12 individuals from the al Qaeda-linked Al Nusrah Front had been captured in antiterror operations in Adana, along with a total of two kilos (4,5 lb) of sarin gas. Five of the 12 suspects were later released; the interrogation of the other seven is ongoing.

    ReplyDelete
  23. BEIRUT, Lebanon — Syrian rebels battled fighters from the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah early on Sunday in a border region between the two countries, a Lebanese security official said, leaving as many as 12 fighters dead in the latest sign that Lebanon is being pulled into Syria’s lengthy civil war.

    The security official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the news media, and local news reports said that the clashes occurred on Lebanese soil. If confirmed, they would represent some of the worst direct spillover fighting in Lebanon since Syria’s uprising began more than two years ago.

    The clashes, which lasted for hours, started when Hezbollah fighters tried to stop a group of Syrian rebels who were setting up “rocket launchers” near the Lebanese city of Baalbek in the Bekaa Valley, according to the security official.

    Fears for Lebanon’s security have simmered since the beginning of Syria’s uprising, as refugees flooded in and the fighting upended Lebanon’s precarious politics. Sunday’s violence crystallized Lebanon’s growing predicament: as Hezbollah has deepened its involvement in the war, fighting alongside the Syrian Army against the rebels, opponents of President Bashar al-Assad of Syria appear to be making good on threats to retaliate, further destabilizing the country.

    Last week, Gen. Salim Idris, the chief of staff of the rebel Free Syrian Army, warned of dire consequences for Lebanon if Hezbollah, the Shiite militant group and Lebanon’s most powerful political party, did not withdraw from the fighting in Syria within 24 hours. Otherwise, he said, “We will pursue Hezbollah to hell.”

    But in recent weeks, shells and rockets have fallen indiscriminately on Shiite areas of Lebanon, killing at least three people and suggesting that rebel groups were also willing to punish civilians in Hezbollah strongholds. On Friday, more than a dozen shells landed on the outskirts of Baalbek and gunmen fired on a Shiite shrine. On Saturday, a rocket landed in the Shiite-majority village of Hermel, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency.

    A Syrian antigovernment activist, Jad al-Yamani, speaking from the outskirts of the besieged Syrian city of Qusayr, defended the rebel attacks on Lebanon, saying that they were justified because they would turn what he called “honest and free Shiites” against Hezbollah.

    ReplyDelete
  24. How on earth can that idiot McCain be arguing against Hezbollah fighting al Qaeda?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. .

      It's simple. There is no al-Qaeda in Syria.

      He told Face the Nation that in his view the opposition rebels were "very tough – they're battle hardened. They're very dedicated. They are not al-Qaida; they are not extremists."

      There you have it. Strait from the horse's ass. Er, mouth.

      .

      Delete


    2. Strait - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

      en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strait
      Terminology ·
      Comparisons ·
      Navigational (legal ... ·
      Well-known straits

      A strait is a narrow, typically navigable waterway that connects two larger, navigable bodies of water. It most commonly refers to a channel of water that lies ...


      bob

      Delete


    3. Straight | Define Straight at Dictionary.com

      dictionary.reference.com/browse/straight

      adjective, straight·er, straight·est. 1. without a bend, angle, or curve; not curved; direct: a straight path. 2. exactly vertical or horizontal; in a perfectly ...

      bob


      Just being helpful.

      Delete
    4. .

      No, just being anal, a reincarnated Trish, the symptoms and pathologies all too clear.

      .

      Delete
  25. McCain's eyes look crazy, after he won the 2008 primary the MSM started to focus in on his darting beady crazy eyes and it helped to cost him the election.

    Of course without being examined we can't know that he is crazy, it is just as likely that he isn't so smart and is maybe a bit treacherous and violent which would also explain what you can see in his eyes. His eyes remind me of a bad guy from a cheesy old movie.

    One thing we can know he has a solid track record of doing the wrong thing at the very worst time; the only reason the press love him is because he so badly misleads the GOP with his amazing feats of pulling defeat from the jaws of victory.

    I realize over at the weakly standard they are all for this because it hurts Iran and the Iranian backed terrorists (who often attack Israel) and that is an attractive motive, but I don't see joining hands with an army that condones the widespread use of rape as a reward for their soldiers and a punishment for their enemies.

    Also the last time I looked the Christians were doing OK (not good, but OK) under the current government and they will be wiped out under the new group of terrorists, which is a little more dire than a few hundred terrorist shooting at Israel, who can defend themselves with their organized military.

    And besides as soon as the dust settles the victor will have to take up the gauntlet against Israel or lose their "Muslim street cred" So the real best interest of Israel is to let this thing run itself out and neither we nor they should get involved other than to try to get the two sides to a peace agreement after which both sides would be seeking to make alliances and or truce deals with Israel and the Christians in Syria to shore up their front and rear in case war beaks out again.

    Only a moron would want the conflict to escalate in order to resolve the issue with one side the winner over the other, and then both the winner and the loser our enemy.

    ReplyDelete
  26. The Clinton Administration chose not to take down Bin Laden when it had the chance, instead taking refuge in outreach and “smart” targeted strikes that were the predecessors of today’s drone warfare. It believed that showing Muslims that we would engage in humanitarian intervention to empower their national aims in Yugoslavia would count for more than hunting down Osama bin Laden.

    ...

    September 11 was the outcome of its neglect. Now the Obama Administration is allowing history to repeat itself with more humanitarian interventions and smart strikes that overlook the real threat growing on the horizon.

    The Sarin raids should be a wake up call. But this is not an administration that takes 3 AM calls.

    ReplyDelete
  27. More help for 'early onset Q' -

    And you are ((((wierd)))) little pissant perhaps? Yes? No?


    No.



    Definition of weird (adj)

    Bing Dictionary



    weird

    [ weerd ]


    1.odd: strange or unusual
    2.supernatural: belonging to or suggesting the supernatural
    3.of fate: relating to or influenced by fate


    But you are weird. Probably wired too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Posted proudly by bob.

      Delete
    2. It is sad Quirk to watch as your misspellings become more frequent.

      How is your time sense holding up?

      Hamdoon

      Delete
    3. .

      odd: strange or unusual

      Farmer bob, to deny that you are odd, strange and unusual, is to deny reality, another symptom, another pathology.

      .

      Delete
  28. More on Timbuktu's freed slaves -


    Timbuktu’s slaves liberated as Islamic supremacists flee


    Muhammad owned slaves, and the Qur'an takes the existence of slavery for granted, even as it enjoins the freeing of slaves under certain circumstances, such as the breaking of an oath: “Allah will not call you to account for what is futile in your oaths, but He will call you to account for your deliberate oaths: for expiation, feed ten indigent persons, on a scale of the average for the food of your families; or clothe them; or give a slave his freedom” (5:89).


    http://www.jihadwatch.org/2013/06/timbuktus-slaves-liberated-as-islamic-supremacists-flee.html

    bob

    ReplyDelete
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