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."

Saturday, June 11, 2016

"If you prick us do we not bleed? If you tickle us do we not laugh? If you poison us do we not die? And if you wrong us shall we not revenge?" - The Merchant of Venice -SCENE I. Venice. a street., William Shakespeare

 

Palestinian killers wanted to provoke Israel’s new Defence Minister into fulfilling his bloodthirsty threats

Avigdor Lieberman’s political promises of beheading, a fourth Gaza war and a third Lebanon war – there have in fact been five Israeli-Lebanese wars, but no matter – bode a very unhappy future for both Israel and its Arab neighbours

Robert Fisk  @indyvoices 

‘Mindless’ though the Israelis like to dub every Palestinian shooting, Wednesday night’s killing of four Israelis in Tel Aviv was the most deliberate of recent attacks:  surely an attempt to provoke the country’s new extreme right-wing Defence Minister to order the Israeli army into another bloody adventure against Palestinians.

Ever since Avigdor Lieberman was appointed to his new post by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the world – and especially the Palestinians – have waited to see if he would fulfil the bloodthirsty threats he made during Israel’s 2015 election.  The killing of the Israelis, two women and two men, and the wounding of six others in the shopping and restaurant area around the Sarona complex now puts Lieberman to the test.

Both Palestinian gunmen reportedly come from a village near the West Bank city of Hebron – where many Israelis and Arabs both regard with horror the shameful relations between Jewish colonists and local Palestinians – and they were apparently eating at one of the Tel Aviv restaurants when they began shooting.  They were dressed in suits and ties.  There was therefore no sudden, emotional attack – as many recent stabbings and car-rammings in Jerusalem probably were.

Avigdor Lieberman’s threats have been variously quoted and misquoted by Arabs and Israelis although his most outrageous statement was published in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz in March last year.  Speaking to a largely Israeli audience he talked of ‘disloyal’ Arab citizens of Israel and said that “those who are against us, there’s nothing to be done – we need to pick up an axe and chop off his head.  Otherwise we won’t survive here.”  This Isis-like threat disturbed even the normally complacent US state department and – had it been uttered by a Palestinian leader about Israelis – would have brought world condemnation upon the Palestinians.

As it was, Hamas praised the Tel Aviv killings, and fireworks were set off in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.  Israel revoked permits for 80,000 Palestinians to visit Israeli territory during the fasting month of Ramadan, a tactic which has in the past only increased hostility between Israelis and Palestinians.  The two Palestinian gunmen in Tel Aviv, one of whom was wounded by Israeli security guards, were not Israeli Arab citizens and so presumably do not qualify for Avigdor Lieberman’s gruesome if melodramatic punishment of beheading.

But his other political promises, of a fourth Gaza war and a third Lebanon war – there have in fact been five Israeli-Lebanese wars, but no matter – still bode a very unhappy future for both Israel and its Arab neighbours.  The old Israeli left-wing, symbolized by Uri Avneri who was himself a soldier in the 1948 Israeli war, has agreed with one very senior Israeli army officer:  that the growing power of Israel’s right-wing politicians has more than a little in common with the last months of the German Weimar Republic.  Avneri himself, who does not suggest that the Israeli leadership are Nazis, grew up under Weimar and the first years of Hitler and freely uses the word ‘fascism’ about current Israeli politics.

The Palestinians, alas, care little for Jewish history.  The more ferocious Israel’s threats, the more publicity their cause receives – and the more frightened the world becomes.


22 comments:

  1. When did you begin beating your wife lightly?

    ---

    Men can beat wives 'lightly' says Pakistan's Islamic council

    draft proposal by Pakistan’s Council of Islamic Ideology has recommended that husbands should be able to beat their wives, as long as they do it “lightly”.

    CII chairman Muhammad Kahn Sherani told the Express-Tribune newspaper: "If you want her to mend her ways, you should first advise her … If she refuses, stop talking to her … stop sharing a bed with her, and if things do not change, get a bit strict."

    "A husband should be allowed to lightly beat his wife if she defies his commands"

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/05/29/men-can-beat-wives-lightly-says-pakistans-islamic-council/

    ReplyDelete
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    1. What if a 'light' beating doesn't suffice ?

      What if she is still slow to respond to command ?

      What then ?

      A little 'light' stoning ?

      A little 'light' whipping in front of a crowd ?

      A canine shock collar ?

      Delete
  2. "Both Palestinian gunmen reportedly come from a village near the West Bank city of Hebron – where many Israelis and Arabs both regard with horror the shameful relations between Jewish colonists and local Palestinians "


    Hebron.


    A 3000 year old Jewish City,

    Others may live there.

    The Arabs may have ethnically cleansed and slaughtered us?

    But butter it any way you wish.

    Jews are NOT colonists.

    You might not like the Jews there, you might believe that the Arabs currently overwhelm it with population. But it doesn't change the history,

    Now some of you history hating folks will erase 2940 years of continual Jewish presence, you will choose to ignore the actual history and ownership.

    Of course the savage Arab riots of the 1920's didn't help the Jews...

    Maybe the Arab were protesting the settlements?

    Oh yeah, there were none...

    Maybe they were protesting Israel's existence.

    Oh yeah, it had not be reborn then....

    Maybe the arabs were protesting the jews lack of respect for the Nation of Palestine.

    Oh Yeah, there was no "nation of Palestine"

    and of course the ARABS didn't even call themselves "palestinians", the Jews did.....

    Hebron.

    The 2nd largest Palestinian Occupied city by the arabs who now call themselves "palestinians" (the 1st? gaza city)

    The occupation of the Jewish City of Hebron by arabs who cannot even afford a P will not end, no matter who is in the Israeli government,.

    But maybe, if the current culture of arabs in Judea and Samaria could live to SHARE the land we could have peace.

    After all, there are 1.2 million arabs that live inside Israel as citizens.

    Why should jews be prevented from living anywhere?

    Oh, that's right, according to this blog's owner and Robert Fisk, jews should not be allowed to live freely, just in selected zones.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. "
      Jews are NOT colonists.

      You might not like the Jews there, you might believe that the Arabs currently overwhelm it with population. But it doesn't change the history,

      Now some of you history hating folks will erase 2940 years of continual Jewish presence, you will choose to ignore the actual history and ownership. "


      Childish idiotic rubbish. The Etruscans settled in present day Tuscany since prehistoric times, through the bronze and iron age. Italians living in the US that are from Tuscany have no right to go to Florence and steal lands owned by Jews, or do they? Following your logic, Americans of Italian descent, Tuscans, could declare the right to return and kick the Jews out. You are an idiot.

      You are like every racist and Nazi that made up a fake history of the white race to justify Germanic return to their ancient lands. Hell Hitler dope!

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  3. Deuce has shown us all today that the arabs are not above using terroristic indiscriminate murder to 'heighten the contradictions' in the hopes of creating a 'backlash' that they hope will somehow eventually benefit themselves.

    What this actually shows us is that the Israelis have no 'partners for peace' among the arabs of the west bank and that the Israelis must continue to defend themselves and the peaceful Israeli, and arab Israeli, too, children, women and men diners in their restaurants.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Exactly as European Jews did to British troops in hotel lobbies in the forties.

      Delete
  4. Even more trouble at the newest Freddie Gray trial -


    Surprise revelation threatens to derail latest Freddie Gray trial

    posted at 8:31 am on June 11, 2016 by Jazz Shaw

    There’s been a bit of a bombshell dropped in the trial of Ceasar Goodson, the police officer who drove the van in which Freddie Gray sustained his eventually fatal injuries. We previously discussed the decision by Goodson’s team to opt for a bench trial and allow Judge Barrie Williams to decide his fate rather than facing a jury, along with how that might impact his fate. Now, the early signs are that it might have been a wise choice. Williams is reported to have appeared “visibly angry” on the second day of the trial when it was revealed that prosecutors had intentionally withheld evidence which could seriously tip the case in Goodson’s favor. (ABC News)


    The judge overseeing the trial of a police officer charged with murdering Freddie Gray has determined that prosecutors withheld information that would have been beneficial to the defense.

    Judge Barry Williams was visibly angry in the Baltimore court but he did not dismiss the charges against police officer Caesar Goodson, as his attorneys had requested. Williams is giving prosecutors until Monday to disclose any other relevant evidence they have withheld. Goodson was the driver of the van during the arrest of Gray, 25, last year.

    Goodson’s attorneys have argued that prosecutors withheld statements made last year by Donta Allen, a key witness. Allen was picked up by the Baltimore police van after Gray.

    The testimony of Donta Allen could essentially invalidate the entire premise of the prosecution and the timeline of events which they are presenting for the day in question. Allen was picked up on the final leg of the van’s trip, well after Gray’s injuries were alleged to have been suffered. He was in the back of the van on the other side of the barrier from Freddie Gray and, according to the Baltimore Sun, told police during two interviews that he heard Gray moving around and “banging” against the partition while he was in the van. He also testified that the trip was a “smooth ride” while he was in the van, contradicting claims that Gray has been intentionally given a “rough ride” to injure him.


    Attached to the documents released Wednesdaywas a transcript of Allen’s taped statement to police the day of the incident. In it, Allen told police that it sounded like Gray “was banging his head against the metal, like he was trying to knock himself out or something.”

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    1. Allen said he thought there was “a dope fiend” on the other side of the divider purposefully banging his head, four or five times. “It was like – he wasn’t doing it hard and [expletive], but he was definitely banging himself in the head. I know he was.”

      This isn’t a slam dunk for the defense because Allen’s credibility as a witness may be called into question. He was in the back of the van for a reason and the state may try to discredit his testimony. But what benefit would it be to Allen to lie about his ride in the van during two extensive interviews? If he was a criminal offering testimony which might bring a cop down you could understand a healthy dose of skepticism on the part of the judge, but this appears to be the opposite case.

      Up until now, Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby has been under fire for mishandling this case from essentially the beginning, but it’s mostly been seen as an inept and potentially biased attempt to punish the cops and send a message to the community. The evidence seemed shaky and the list of charges appeared to be an overreach. But all of these factors could be written off as incompetence or the result of some sort of vendetta. This news, however, could change the entire flavor of the trial for the judge. If Williams concludes that the state has been intentionally hiding evidence in an effort to railroad the cops, the credibility of all the charges could simply collapse, along with what remains of Mosby’s career in law enforcement and politics most likely.

      David French summed it up pretty well yesterday at National Review.


      Goodson is on trial for “depraved-heart murder” – the most serious of the charges brought in the Gray case – and news of the prosecution’s failure to disclose exculpatory evidence is particularly troubling. The judge stopped short of accusing the prosecutors of intentional misconduct, but senior prosecutors know better. They have no excuse.

      The first two Freddie Gray prosecutions were shameful. The current case is off to an inauspicious start. A rush to judgment rarely yields justice.

      There are at least three more trials to go in this matter, along with the retrial of Officer Porter. But of all of them, Goodson was seen as the best bet for a conviction and the person most “responsible” for the events as they relate to Freddie Gray’s injuries. If this one falls apart, the wheels have truly come off the wagon and the remaining trials may prove to be a waste of time and taxpayer money.

      http://hotair.com/archives/2016/06/11/surprise-revelation-threatens-to-derail-latest-freddie-gray-trial/

      Delete
    2. Rufus Our Racist Doofus had declared all these gentlemen guilty and due for a hanging on the basis of being white cops even though three turned out to black cops before anything was really known of the incident.

      Delete
    3. (in criminal legal matters it's always best to wait for all the evidence to come in before mouthing off)

      Delete
    4. "But what benefit would it be to Allen to lie about his ride in the van during two extensive interviews?"

      Stupid Question:

      Obvious answer - RACIST!

      Delete
  5. From The Spokesman Review, Spokane, Washington -

    EAGLE POINT, Ore. – A rancher jumped on his horse Friday morning and lassoed a man who allegedly was trying to steal a bicycle in the parking lot of an Oregon Wal-Mart, police said.

    Robert Borba was at the Eagle Point store loading dog food and a camping tent into his truck when he heard a woman screaming that someone was trying to steal her bike, the Medford Mail Tribune reported.

    The 28-year-old said he quickly got his horse, Long John, out of its trailer. He grabbed a rope, rode over to the man who was reportedly struggling with the bike gears and attempting to flee on foot. Borba lassoed the man around the legs and when he dropped, Borba dragged him to one end of the parking lot.

    “I seen this fella trying to get up to speed on a bicycle,” Borba told the Tribune. “I wasn’t going to catch him on foot. I just don’t run very fast.”

    Borba said the man tried to grab a tree and get away, but he kept the rope tight and the man in place.

    “I use a rope every day, that’s how I make my living,” Borba said. “If it catches cattle pretty good, it catches a bandit pretty good.”

    Eagle Point police Sgt. Darin May said officers arrived and found the lassoed man and bike on the ground in the parking lot.

    “We’ve never had anyone lassoed and held until we got there,” May said. “That’s a first for me.”

    Police arrested Victorino Arellano-Sanchez, whom they described as a transient from the Seattle area, on a theft charge.

    Arellano-Sanchez was jailed in Jackson County.

    http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2016/jun/10/police-rancher-lassos-bike-thief-outside-oregon-wa/

    Great picture of Cowboy Bob Borba mounted up on 'Long John', his trusty horse, with lasso at the ready included.

    :):):):)

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    1. Arellano-Sanchez is most likely Hispanic, thus Cowboy Bob is a RACIST!

      Delete
  6. Bob 'Lasso' Borba For President !

    ReplyDelete
  7. Republican donor Meg Whitman, the high-profile Hewlett Packard Enterprise president and CEO, indicated at Mitt Romney's closed-door summit on Friday that she would likely be supporting Hillary Clinton in November, according to multiple sources who were in the room.

    ABC News

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  8. "The Palestinians, alas, care little for Jewish history. The more ferocious Israel’s threats, the more publicity their cause receives – and the more frightened the world becomes."


    Nonsense.

    The world doesn't give a hoot.

    After all, over 10,000 palestinians have been butchered by Assad of Syria (out of the 475,000 arab civilians) and no one gives a shit..

    The world's judges Israel on a different scale.

    How dare Israel revoke work permits for palestinians INSIDE Israel after a terrorist attack..


    If only Israel had the ability to do to the Palestinians what the Jordanians, Lebanese, Iraqis, Syrians do every day....

    Til then?

    Fisk, Cole, Deuce and others just cry wolf.

    ReplyDelete
  9. The arabs supported Hitler.

    For centuries they killed, raped, looted and stole from the Jews.

    they officially designated them (as well as christians) as Dhimmi's

    They enacted laws that forbade them to work in trades, build in places and wear "stars" on their bodies to identify them as "jews"

    "If you prick us do we not bleed? If you tickle us do we not laugh? If you poison us do we not die? And if you wrong us shall we not revenge?"


    Maybe it's time for the Jews to treat the Arabs that now call themselves "Palestinians" the same way back?

    Hmm...

    Let's first call Vanna White and see if she can give these Arabs a P..... Since there isn't even a "p" in arabic...


    ReplyDelete
  10. (IraqiNews.com) al-Anbar – President of Khalediya District Council, Ali Dawood, announced on Friday that al-Subaihat and al-Fallahat, towards the west of Fallujah, have been liberated from ISIS control.

    Dawood, in a statement issued to the media, said, “This morning security forces and clans, carrying out an extensive military operation, managed to liberate al-Subaihat and al-Fallahat situated towards the west of Fallujah city. The forces also successfully raised the Iraqi flag over a number of buildings in the two areas.”

    Adding further, he said, “The liberation was made after the security forces gunned down a number of ISIS members, while a few others were forced to flee towards the center of Fajullah. The forces have gained complete control of the two regions.”

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Strikes in Syria

      Bomber, attack, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted nine strikes in Syria:

      -- Near Abu Kamal, a strike destroyed an ISIL oil pump jack.

      -- Near Manbij, eight strikes struck eight separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed 11 ISIL fighting positions and an ISIL vehicle.

      Strikes in Iraq

      Ground-attack, attack and fighter aircraft conducted 10 strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of the Iraqi government:

      -- Near Baghdadi, a strike destroyed two ISIL rocket rails.

      -- Near Fallujah, two strikes struck a large ISIL tactical unit and destroyed 16 ISIL fighting positions, two ISIL vehicles, two ISIL rocket propelled grenade systems, an ISIL recoilless rifle, three ISIL light machine guns, four ISIL heavy machine guns and an ISIL mortar system and denied ISIL access to terrain.

      -- Near Habbaniyah, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL fighting position, an ISIL mortar system, two ISIL bunkers, an ISIL staging area and an ISIL vehicle-borne bomb and denied ISIL access to terrain.

      -- Near Mosul, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed two ISIL assembly areas.

      -- Near Qayyarah, two strikes struck an ISIL improvised weapons factory and destroyed an ISIL command-and-control node.

      -- Near Sinjar, a strike produced inconclusive results.

      -- Near Sultan Abdallah, a strike struck an ISIL staging area.

      Delete
    2. "If you prick us do we not bleed? If you tickle us do we not laugh? If you poison us do we not die? And if you wrong us shall we not revenge?"

      Killing faceless people and their families will cause many to become terrorists to America .

      Delete
    3. (IraqiNews.com) Anbar – On Saturday, Anbar Provincial Council announced liberating an area in western Fallujah from ISIS control, while the leadership of al-Hashd al-Shaabi emphasized the liberation of Albu Elwan Bridge towards the western side of the city.

      The Head of the security committee in Anbar Provincial Council Rajee barakat al-Eissawi in a statement, also obtained by IraqiNews.com, said, “The security forces managed to liberate al-Nisaf area in western Fallujah from ISIS control. The operation resulted in the killing of ten (10) ISIS members and the destruction of three booby-trapped vehicles, as well as detonating a truck carrying large quantity of weapons and rockets.”

      Meanwhile the commander of the 2nd regiment of Fallujah Shield brigade Colonel Orans Mohamed al-Eissawi said, “The security forces were also able to liberate Albu Elwan Bridge and raised the Iraqi flag over it,” adding that, “15 ISIS members were killed during the operations.”

      “The joint forces are searching the areas around Albu Elwan Bridge to secure the passage of the military troops to al-Halabesa area in western Fallujah in order to liberate it from the ISIS control,” Eissawi added.

      Delete
    4. June 11

      Strikes in Syria

      Attack, bomber, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 13 strikes in Syria:

      -- Near Manbij, eight strikes struck seven separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed four ISIL fighting positions and an ISIL vehicle.

      -- Near Mara, five strikes struck five separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed four ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL tactical vehicle and two ISIL vehicles.

      Strikes in Iraq

      Fighter and remotely piloted aircraft and rocket artillery conducted 18 strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq’s government:

      -- Near Baghdadi, two strikes destroyed two ISIL artillery pieces and an ISIL front-end loader.

      -- Near Fallujah, two strikes struck a large ISIL tactical unit; destroyed nine ISIL fighting positions, two ISIL recoilless rifles, three ISIL light machine guns, two ISIL heavy machine guns and an ISIL anti-air artillery piece; and denied ISIL access to terrain.

      -- Near Habbaniyah, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL staging area, an ISIL command and control node, and two ISIL storage areas and denied ISIL access to terrain.

      -- Near Haditha, a strike destroyed an ISIL rocket cache.

      -- Near Kisik, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL supply cache and an ISIL vehicle.

      -- Near Mosul, three strikes struck two ISIL tactical units; destroyed an ISIL fighting position, three ISIL assembly areas, an ISIL vehicle bomb and an ISIL heavy machine gun; and denied ISIL access to terrain.

      -- Near Qayyarah, seven strikes struck a large ISIL tactical unit, five ISIL communication sites, an ISIL recruitment facility, and an ISIL bed-down location; destroyed four ISIL assembly areas, an ISIL vehicle, six ISIL rocket rails and an ISIL mortar position; and suppressed a separate ISIL mortar position.

      Delete