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."

Monday, March 10, 2014

Is US public opinion on Israel shifting?

And what if the answer is “Yes”?

 

If I were an American Jew, 

I’d worry about Israel’s racist cancer

Amid the awareness that Israel is sliding toward an apartheid regime, 
the silence of Jews worldwide is deafening.
By Daniel Blatman
 http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-1.578365

If I were an American Jew who held Israel dear, I would view the crisis afflicting the greatest Jewish dream in modern times with despair.  ...

 * * * * * * * * * *


US Public Opinion on Israel Shifting

A recent public opinion poll asked Americans which of two options they would favour if a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict was no longer on the table. (It is in the rhetoric of leaders and diplomats but not in reality.) The two options were:

  • The continuation of Israel’s Jewish majority [presumably this assumes permanent Israeli occupation of the West Bank and continuing ethnic cleansing of it by stealth] even if it means that Palestinians will not have citizenship and full rights.
  • One democratic state for all in which Jews and Arabs would be equal.
  •  
Only 24 per cent supported the continuation of things as they are.


 According to the poll, 
65 per cent of those asked for their opinion preferred the one-state option.

What explains this?

Is it that an apparent majority of Americans are at last understanding and supporting the need and rights of the Palestinians for justice, or is it something else – an indication that while they are not much concerned about the rights of the Palestinians, an apparent majority of Americans are fed up with an Israel they rightly perceive to be the obstacle to peace?


 While I was thinking about my own answer to this question I read a magnificent piece by Gideon Levy in Haaretz with the headline “AIPAC, the Kremlin of US Jewry”. In this article Gideon, who along with Amira Hass is the conscience of Israeli journalism, explained, very convincingly, why AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, is in reality “anti-Israel”.
Here, slightly shortened and with my emphasis added, is what he wrote.


 It’s the biggest convention of Israel-haters, attended yearly by some 15,000 representatives, and the damage, historically speaking, that it has done to Israel is perhaps graver than any done by Iran. The convention is held once a year, and time seems to stop. It’s always the same wheeler-dealers, the same kitsch (trash), the same hollow applause, and the same standing ovation for every Israeli prime minister, no matter his policy. The world turns round and round, but this never changes. Even Israel changes, but not in their eyes. Here Israel is worthy only of applause, blind and automatic applause, now and forever.


 Like at similar conventions held in Romania by Nicolae Ceausescu, all they do is praise the great leader. Welcome to Bucharest in Washington, to the Kremlin of American Jewry, behold the yearly AIPAC conference. Only here can Netanyahu use his old tricks and gimmicks and be met with a full auditorium on its feet.



Behind Netanyahu sat a young American woman who rose to cheer him when everyone else did. I said to myself, Why exactly did she get up and cheer? For the ongoing occupation? For the undermining of Israeli democracy? For the ever prevalent racism in Israel?




“I’m pro-Israel, I’m AIPAC,” says the organization’s slogan. Pro-Israel? The organization’s critics claim that it sometimes acts against US interests; that it also acts against Israeli interests.
Bravo, AIPAC. Seek out the conservative right among American Jewry. But long ago, Israel should have said, “No, thanks.” Not every show of loud and pushy, even crazed support is a display of friendship. Sometimes caring and friendship mean criticism. But that is not in AIPAC’s playbook.

 
The word is that the organization’s power is waning, but it doesn’t look that way on the ground. We see what happens to Congress members who dare to criticize Israel. AIPAC is still in the field with its army of lobbyists, and it is the second most effective lobby in Washington, after the gun lobby – and this should cause Israel to worry. Just like the gun lobby, the Israel lobby is not a good partner. It has affected US policy in the past, as one of the factors that led to continued American support for the occupation, as well as Israeli violence and expansion.


 


If AIPAC wanted to show true friendship for Israel, it would have stopped cheering long ago and started whispering. Whisper in the prime minister’s ear, that something bad is happening to the state that AIPAC loves so much. Whisper that something bad is happening in America, too, that people are becoming fed up with Israel’s refusals. A false friend would give a drug addict more and more money, and the addict would thank him for it. A true friend would send him to rehab, and the addict would be angry. The occupation addict is in need of a true friend, one that would send her to rehab. AIPAC, and the United States along with it, has opted to be the false friend – and that’s as anti-Israel as it gets.



Whatever the reason for it – empathy with the Palestinian claim for justice or not – a significant shift in American public opinion really does seem to be underway. Staying with Gideon Levy’s analogy, this might explain why President Obama felt free enough to suggest to occupation addict Netanyahu that he and Israel should consider rehab.




Obama did so in an interview with Jeffrey Goldberg for “Bloomberg View“ shortly before he received Netanyahu in the White House. Obama’s message to Netanyahu via Goldberg included the statement that “There is a limit to the power of the man who bears the title leader of the free world.”

 
And he explained what he meant with these words. “If Israel sees no peace deal and continued aggressive settlement construction,” and “if Palestinians come to believe that the possibility of a contiguous sovereign Palestinian state is no longer within reach, then our ability to manage the international fallout is going to be limited.”
 

We do not know whether or not Obama had the balls to say this to Netanyahu face to face, but even if he didn’t, Netanyahu would still have got the message.

Akiva Eldar’s interpretation of Obama’s message to Netanyahu via Goldberg was that he, the president, “is sick and tired of fighting on Netanyahu’s behalf vis-a-vis the Europeans and automatically vetoing (in the UN Security Council) their proposals condemning the settlements”.


 But there was more to Obama’s message than that. He was effectively saying that if Israel continues to be opposed to peace on terms the Palestinians can accept, no occupant of the White House will be able to protect Israel from the tightening noose of isolation and sanctions.



Note
In a most remarkable article for Haaretz on 7 March (“If I were an American Jew, I’d worry about Israel’s racist cancer”), Daniel Blatman, a history professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, called on American Jews to end their silence “and cooperate with the shrinking groups of Israelis who have not yet lost hope that it’s possible to stop this downslide towards the abyss.”



158 comments:

  1. Ukraine still needs that bailout: The European Union says it will offer Ukraine at least $15 billion (€11 billion) in aid. The U.S. government has also stepped in to help, offering $1 billion in loan guarantees.

    The money can't come soon enough. Ukrainian leaders said last month the country needs $35 billion in aid, funds that will go to pay creditors like Gazprom, the Russian energy firm that is owed more than $2 billion.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. http://money.cnn.com/2014/03/09/news/economy/ukraine-russia/

      Delete
  2. Mexico Says It Killed Top Cartel Leader Reported Dead in 2010
    By Nacha Cattan and Christine Jenkins

    Mexico gunned down a top drug cartel leader three years after he had been reported killed by the previous administration, the government said.

    The army and marines tracked down Nazario Moreno Gonzalez, alias “El Chayo,” yesterday after local authorities reported he was still alive, Monte Alejandro Rubido, executive secretary of the National Public Security System said.

    The troops opened fire after Moreno refused to drop his weapon and confronted them,
    Rubido said at a press conference. Moreno’s fingerprints matched those in government files, officials said.

    President Enrique Pena Nieto’s administration has captured or killed the heads of Mexico’s biggest cartels since taking office in December 2012, most recently arresting Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, the most-wanted drug baron in the world.

    Contradicting reports of his death by former President Felipe Calderon, Rubido said Moreno was still operating as the top cartel leader in Michoacan state, where extortion threats have led thousands of Mexicans to take up weapons in the past year to fight off drug gangs.

    Mexico “received many reports from both citizens and local authorities, as well as anonymous tips, that said Nazario Moreno wasn’t only alive, but continued to lead the criminal group in extortions, kidnappings” and drug trafficking, Rubido said.

    Mexican security officials had reported that Moreno was killed in December 2010 amid battles between security officials and cartel members, though his body wasn’t recovered.

    Moreno wrote guidelines that the members of the La Familia drug cartel had to follow, the government said in 2010 when he was reported dead. La Familia claimed to protect Mexicans, preaching against the use of methamphetamines in Mexico in favor of sending the drugs to the U.S., according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
    Story: Mexico's New Drug War Challenge

    Alejandro Hope, who worked as a government intelligence officer when Moreno was reported dead, said the current administration will need to produce more evidence to convince the public that he was still alive after 2010.

    Weeks after Moreno was reported dead three years ago, La Familia began rupturing and its offshoot, the Knights Templar, started gaining power, while Moreno’s associate Servando Gomez, alias “La Tuta,” was filmed confirming his death, Hope said.
    ‘Elaborate’ Hoax

    “If this was a hoax, it was an extraordinarily elaborate hoax” to convince the public Moreno was dead, Hope, who is now a security analyst at the Mexican Competitive Institute, said by telephone yesterday.

    Rubido said intelligence operations led federal forces to Moreno and also discovered a vehicle with communications equipment that he owned.

    Pena Nieto deployed federal forces to Michoacan in January after vigilantes took over more than a dozen towns, kicking out local police they said were colluding with criminals. The government then signed an agreement with the armed brigades to allow them to register their weapons and form a temporary rural police brigade. In February, the groups agreed not to take over any more town halls, although last week they stormed the municipal building of Apatzingan.

    To contact the reporters on this story: Nacha Cattan in Mexico City at ncattan@bloomberg.net; Christine Jenkins in Bogota at cjenkins28@bloomberg.net

    * * * * * * *

    Yep, you boys knew about this ... Way Ahead of the Curve!

    ;-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. http://www.businessweek.com/news/2014-03-09/mexico-says-it-killed-top-cartel-leader-reported-dead-in-2010

      Delete
  3. and yet...

    150k dead syrians still cry out: Jack, why have you forsaken us?

    Palestinians starve to death and cry: We want to live in the Israeli occupied west bank and people like Jack Rat are stopping us....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You wanted to talk about Israel, so we will talk about Israel.

      Syria, I have no dog in that fight, except that the al Qaeda assets the Israeli support are the scum of the earth.

      A poor policy choice for the United States, even 'Once Removed', as the US is.

      Delete
    2. Sounds like I wanted to talk about Syria.

      You are not a very good listener.

      Delete
  4. Always nice to see the Israel haters get their panties in a wad....

    LOL

    ReplyDelete
  5. We ignore Ukraine crisis at our peril
    By Kyran Fitzgerald
    ...
    However, the EU has good reason to fear a breakdown in economic relations with Moscow.
    The Russians appear to hold a strong hand of cards — at least in the short run — via its grip on Europe’s energy market.

    It has the largest natural gas reserves in the world, the second largest coal reserves and eighth largest oil reserves.
    It is also excessively dependent on the export of raw materials — up to 80% dependent.

    While it has paid off its foreign debt and has reserves of around €500bn,
    the commodity cycle has turned sharply as China and much of Asia have shifted,
    in part, from investment-led to consumer-led growth.

    So far, however, energy prices have been largely unaffected by this shift.

    Putin is propped up by high oil and gas prices, allowing him to buy off his people.
    But his hand is less strong than it was five years ago, as alternative energy supply sources are developed.

    That said, the EU is also a lot more vulnerable.
    In truth, both parties risk being like gentlemen preparing for a duel in which each could end up mortally wounding the other.

    Germany, for example, imports more than one third of its natural gas and oil from Russia.

    According to German weekly magazine Der Spiegel:

    “There is plenty of bluster and aggressive rhetoric in Europe,
    but many EU members are skittish about the potential dangers of imposing punitive economic measures on Moscow.”


    With some relish, the Germans point to the picture of a classified document,
    taken as it was being brought into No 10 Downing Street by an official.

    The briefing paper for Prime Minister Cameron stipulated that the UK should not,
    for now, support trade sanctions or close London’s financial centre to Russians.

    “The message is clear — the British economy, which profits immensely from wealthy Russians,
    should be protected from potential fallout.”

    BBC business editor Robert Peston points out that the UK enjoyed a current account surplus of almost . . . .
    £3bn (€3.62bn) in 2012 on the back of its huge investments, largely energy-related, in Russia.


    ReplyDelete

  6. Rufus wins, again


    Highest Minimum-Wage State Washington Beats U.S. in Job Creation
    By Victoria Stilwell, Peter Robison and William Selway

    When Washington residents voted in 1998 to raise the state’s minimum wage and link it to the cost of living, opponents warned the measure would be a job-killer. The prediction hasn’t been borne out.

    In the 15 years that followed, the state’s minimum wage climbed to $9.32 -- the highest in the country. Meanwhile job growth continued at an average 0.8 percent annual pace, 0.3 percentage point above the national rate. Payrolls at Washington’s restaurants and bars, portrayed as particularly vulnerable to higher wage costs, expanded by 21 percent. Poverty has trailed the U.S. level for at least seven years.

    The debate is replaying on a national scale as Democrats led by President Barack Obama push for an increase in the $7.25-an-hour federal minimum, while opponents argue a raise would hurt those it’s intended to help by axing jobs for the lowest-skilled. Even if that proves true, Washington’s example shows that any such effects aren’t big enough to throw its economy and labor market off the tracks.

    “It’s hard to see that the state of Washington has paid a heavy penalty for having a higher minimum wage than the rest of the country,” said Gary Burtless, an economist at Brookings Institution who formerly was at the U.S. Labor Department.

    Raising the U.S. minimum wage to $10.10 in three steps, as Obama proposes, would reduce employment nationally by about 500,000 workers, or about 0.3 percent, according to a Congressional Budget Office report published Feb. 18. At the same time, the increase would lift 900,000 people out of poverty and add $31 billion to the earnings of low-wage Americans, the report found.

    Yellen’s View

    While debate persists on the employment effect, “CBO is as qualified as anyone to evaluate that literature, and I wouldn’t argue with their assessment,” Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen said Feb. 27 to the Senate Banking Committee.

    Looking past the effect on jobs,

    increasing the minimum hourly wage to $10.10 would also reduce food stamp expenditures by about 6 percent,
    or nearly $4.6 billion a year,


    according to a report this week from the Center for American Progress. The Washington-based research institute, which was founded by Obama adviser John Podesta, released its report as the president reiterated his call for a higher wage floor.

    Washington voters in November 1998 approved increasing the state’s minimum wage in two stages to $6.50 and tying future annual changes to inflation as measured by the consumer price index.

    ReplyDelete
  7. SHARE
    March 2, 2012
    Americans Continue to Tilt Pro-Israel
    More view Israel favorably than the Palestinian Authority or Iran
    by Elizabeth Mendes
    WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The large majority of Americans continue to view Israel favorably, while far fewer say they view the Palestinian Authority or Iran very or mostly favorably.

    Trends: Favorable Views Toward Israel, the Palestinian Authority, and Iran

    These data are from Gallup's annual World Affairs survey, conducted each February since 2001. The Feb. 2-5, 2012, survey asked Americans to rate a list of more than 20 countries. Iran ranked at the very bottom, the Palestinian Authority was several spots higher up, and Israel was much closer to the top of the list.

    President Obama is to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Monday at the White House, where the two leaders will likely focus most of their discussion on their nations' respective stances toward Iran. Obama made strong statements on the issue in an interview this week with The Atlantic magazine, telling the publication that the United States "has Israel's back." Both leaders are scheduled to address the upcoming American Israel Public Affairs Committee conference in Washington D.C., which will also be highly focused on Iran. The three leading Republican presidential candidates are also set to speak at the pro-Israel lobbying organization's annual gathering -- each seeking to position himself as best equipped to support Israel.

    The majority of Republicans, independents, and Democrats view Israel favorably, though Republicans give Israel its most positive ratings. All three groups are much less likely to view the Palestinian Authority or Iran favorably.

    Favorable Views Toward Israel, the Palestinian Authority, and Iran -- by Party, February 2012

    Still, even while the Israel-Iran situation has been brought to the fore, the unresolved issues between the Israelis and the Palestinians remain prominent in U.S.-Israel relations.

    On that front, most Americans also continue to say their sympathies are more with the Israelis than with the Palestinians.

    Middle East Sympathies, Full Trend

    Americans have consistently been more sympathetic to the Israelis than the Palestinians since Gallup started asking the question in 1988. Since the mid-2000s, Americans have become increasingly sympathetic to the Israelis, while the percentage sympathetic to the Palestinians has stayed the same. The percentage volunteering a neutral position or no opinion has declined in recent years. Republicans continue to be far more likely than independents or Democrats to sympathize with the Israelis.

    Trend: Sympathy for Israelis vs. Palestinians in Mideast Situation, by Party ID

    Bottom Line

    The United States has long been an ally of Israel, and Americans continue to show decidedly positive views toward that nation. As nations throughout the Middle East undergo tumultuous change, perhaps making the region more politically unstable, Americans still appear to see Israel as important, with large majorities viewing it favorably and many more giving their sympathies to the Israelis than to the Palestinians.

    Americans' partiality toward Israel over Iran is also clear and is apparent across party lines. While this doesn't necessarily mean Americans would support Israeli milihttp://www.gallup.com/poll/153092/americans-continue-tilt-pro-israel.aspxtary action against Iran over that country's nuclear weapons development, it does suggest Americans would be sympathetic to Israel's concerns, and react positively to Obama's recently supportive statements toward Israel in the matter.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Where are the pictures?

      Each one is worth ...

      One Thousand Words!


      heh, heh, heh.

      Delete
    2. Yep, in your comic book world a pic is worth a lot of words.

      Get some help, Jack.

      What else can anyone really say?

      Delete
    3. You are allowed access, Farmer Bob, why don't you post a thread?

      Why don't you E-publish a book?

      An English Lit major, during his last days on earth, and you don't have a book, of your own.

      A long life, wasted.
      Just like the money Uncle Sam wasted on your lower half.

      Your hips and bowels, shot to shit.
      Gotta get a 'rebuild'

      But Farmer Bob won't have to foot the bill.
      Uncle Sugar has that covered, for Farmer Bob.

      Farmer Bob objects when Uncle Sugar wants to help others, like Uncle Sugar helps him.

      Farmer Bob is a hypocrite.

      And he supports cannibalism, says it is a laughing matter.

      Delete
    4. :)

      Are you proud of you protege, Deuce?

      Delete
    5. Sure Deuce is... And of course I would never be allowed to post a truthful pro-Israel thread.

      Censorship at it's finest.

      Rat's post is akin to the statement: "have you stopped beating your wife"

      Delete
  8. The answer is no.l

    http://www.gallup.com/poll/153092/americans-continue-tilt-pro-israel.aspx

    Israel 71%
    Palestinians 19%

    O How Wonderful to see the blog back to its old primary role of Jew/Israel bashing. It's all so predictable. And sad, stupid, and disgusting.

    This Blatman guy seems to have written a decent book on the Holocaust, showing how German civilians were involved in the murders of Jews, but like some other academics has slipped a gear when it comes to the real world. But that is Israel for you, a place where one can take a suicidal political view and still retain his academic position.

    ReplyDelete
  9. The only folk that mentioned Judaism, other than Farmer Bob, were those four fellas, with the beards.
    You know 'em, they are the guys who have the banner ...

    Judaism Rejects Zionism

    Looks to me like their 'look' makes 'em qualified o speak to that subject.

    No one else here is more qualified to speak to the subject than those four fellas.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jack HawkinsMon Mar 10, 02:46:00 AM EDT
      The only folk that mentioned Judaism, other than Farmer Bob, were those four fellas, with the beards.
      You know 'em, they are the guys who have the banner ...
      Judaism Rejects Zionism

      Looks to me like their 'look' makes 'em qualified o speak to that subject.
      No one else here is more qualified to speak to the subject than those four fellas.


      Looks to you? LOL

      Your ego is larger than the sun.

      Delete
  10. rat's probably worn himself out by now -

    Israeli army sees rise in Christian recruits

    Robert Spencer Mar 10, 2014 at 1:19am anti-dhimmitude, Israel

    Israeli Defense Forces soldiers train urban warfareThis is a most positive development. Although Jews and Christians face the same fate under Islamic law — subjugation as dhimmis and denial of basic rights — the unhappy history of Christian anti-Semitism and the near-universal denial of the reality of the Islamic jihad, among innumerable other factors, have prevented the formation of any large-scale cooperative efforts. Freedom lovers may hope that this will be the beginning of much more toward that end.

    “Israeli Army Sees Rise in Christian Arab Recruits,” by Karl Vick for Time, March 7:

    Jewish Israelis are compelled to make themselves available to Israel’s military, but the obligation has never been applied to the 20 percent of Israeli citizens who identify as Palestinian, and are sometimes called Israeli Arabs. As descendants of the people that Jewish armies fought and defeated to create the state of Israel in 1948–but, who, unlike the 700,000 who fled or were forced out of their homes, were permitted to stay—young Palestinians living Israel were never expected to carry arms to defend it.

    Yet a few do. Last year 100 Arab Israelis joined the Israel Defense Forces, double the number of each of the preceding three years. All were Christians, “a minority within a minority,” notes Gabriel Naddaf, the Greek Orthodox priest who is promoting enlistment, and with it a controversial separate identity for the 160,000 Orthodox and Catholics among the 1.7 million Israeli citizens who regard themselves as Palestinian.

    Many Israelis, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, welcome the move, proudly displaying Arab Christian recruits as an indicator of the country’s commitment to a certain sort of pluralism, even as it presses negotiators for the Palestinians who live beyond Israel’s immediate borders to recognize Israel as “a Jewish state.”

    Note the sneering tone. Israel wants the “Palestinians” to recognize Israel as a Jewish state so as to end their oft-stated imperative to destroy it utterly. They want the “Palestinians” to recognize that Israel has a right to exist, and to exist as a state with a Jewish majority. Christians and other non-Jews in Israel enjoy equality of rights and are represented in the Knesset. Compare their situation to the plight of non-Muslims in Islamic states, which Time would never dare criticize: in Pakistan, Iran and elsewhere, non-Muslims live a precarious existence, harassed and brutalized with little or no recourse to protection from the authorities. In Israel, non-Jews live freely.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Palestinian leaders regard IDF recruitment–as well as a Knesset vote last month designating a seat for Christians on an employment commission—as a cynical, divide-and-rule tactic intended to splinter the solidarity of a national liberation movement conceived, in the 1960s, around a newly emerged Palestinian identity. “It’s an expression of the way the Israeli system thinks and works,” says Hanan Ashrawi, a senior PLO official: “Dividing people, defining them by religion, trying to discriminate.”

      Actually this Israeli decision was a reaction against divide-and-rule tactics employed by Islamic supremacists in the days of the caliphates and Islamic empires, up to and including the Ottoman Empire: the dhimmi communities were divided from each other and their mutual antagonisms encouraged and perpetuated at the highest levels, so as to avoid the creation of a coalition of victimized peoples against their Muslim overlords. Arab nationalism later co-opted Middle Eastern Christian communities as fellow Arabs and made it a linchpin of Arab loyalty to support the Islamic agenda, when the natural alliance would have been for dhimmi communities to unite against the Sharia imperative. Israel has no made a welcome step toward that alliance.

      Father Naddaf says that’s fine by him. In Israel, he says, military service is a key to success in life and Christians want to do better. “Enough of the lies regarding Christian identity and the nationality of the Christians in Israel,” Naddaf tells TIME. “We want to integrate into Israeli society. We want to contribute to the society we live in. And we want to represent ourselves. No one else will.”

      The priest said Christians have learned from the examples of other non-Jews who advanced in Israeli society by serving in the military: the Druze and Bedouin, Arabic-speaking residents of Israel who have never identified as Palestinian. In 2012, along with two other Orthodox priests, Naddaf established the “Israeli-Christian Recruitment Forum” to encourage army enlistment. The forum has its own flag—a sword in the shape of a cross behind the Israel’s own Star of David standard—but the two other priests are gone. “Unfortunately they withdrew because of the threats,” says Naddaf, who has received so many threats to his own life that Israel’s internal security service rates him at level four on a scale of one to six, he says.

      Which bring us to another driver of the nascent movement: The dire situation facing Christian populations from Iraq to Egypt to Syria. “We are caught between the hammer and anvil,” says Ezak Hallak, a Nazareth lawyer for the Forum, quoting a Hebrew expression. “In our hearts, we support Israel, the Jews. I think the Christians in the Middle East are getting slaughtered because we are not speaking what is in our hearts. Stand up for yourself. There is no other way to face the craziness of the radical Arabs. No other way in the world.”

      How controversial is an Arab joining the IDF? After enlisting, Naddaf’s son, Jabron, was attacked on the street by a man shouting “traitor”—a word even his friends would have used just two years ago, Jabron Naddaf says, “but it’s not the case any more.” And indeed, the idea of serving in the IDF brought no strong reactions from a half dozen people—all Muslims—interviewed on the street in downtown Nazareth, the town where, according to lore, Christ came of age….

      Delete
    2. Another Brick in the Wall

      Canadian students vote to boycott apartheid Israel

      Bad news for Israel is becoming almost as regular as Israeli crimes and violations of international law.

      This time the bad news is from Canada, hitherto the most pro-Zionist state in the Western hemisphere, more than even the United States.

      According to Shalom Toronto, the decision was reached in a student referendum held Saturday [1 March], a week before the start of “Israel Apartheid Week”. A total of 798 students voted in favour of a comprehensive boycott of Israel, while 585 opposed it.

      Delete
    3. Not to worry,

      Apple, GE, Microsoft, Procter and Gamble and DOZENS of other Fortune 500 companies and scores of nations are rushing to get plants, offices and factories opened in Israel.

      After those idealistic Canadians get out of college and have to earn a living? They will also put aside childish ways..

      MOST will grow up to be Zionists. :)

      Delete
    4. And the Nation of Canada is still firmly in the Pro-Israel camp.

      You see the Palestinians? Have a reputation of suicide bombing, hijacking and murder....

      Hard to shake that kind of REP...

      You should know, your REP still haunts you....

      Delete
    5. Aint that the SAME city that elected the super fat, crack smoking Mayor?

      LOL

      No surprise there

      Delete
    6. Toronto is backwards on many things....

      Toronto Mayor Rob Ford Daylight Saving Time tweet reminds Twitter followers to 'turn your clocks back'
      The Canadian pol also told folks to change batteries in smoke alarms

      Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/mayor-rob-ford-daylight-saving-time-tweet-turn-clocks-back-article-1.1715918#ixzz2vZkpyHTu

      Delete
  11. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Quirk, have you considered high functioning autism as a possible root of rat's disability?

      See: Mon Mar 10, 02:52:00 AM EDT as a current example

      Asperger syndrome (AS), also known as Asperger disorder (AD) or simply Asperger's, is an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) that is characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction and nonverbal communication, alongside restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior and interests. It differs from other autism spectrum disorders by its relative preservation of linguistic and cognitive development. Although not required for diagnosis, physical clumsiness and atypical (peculiar, odd) use of language are frequently reported.[1][2]

      The syndrome is named after the Austrian pediatrician Hans Asperger who, in 1944, studied and described children in his practice who lacked nonverbal communication skills, demonstrated limited empathy with their peers, and were physically clumsy.[3] The modern conception of Asperger syndrome came into existence in 1981[4] and went through a period of popularization,[5][6] becoming standardized as a diagnosis in the early 1990s. Many questions remain about aspects of the disorder.[7] There is doubt about whether it is distinct from high-functioning autism (HFA);[8] partly because of this, its prevalence is not firmly established.[1] The diagnosis of Asperger's was eliminated in the 2013 fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) and replaced by a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder on a severity scale.[9]

      The exact cause is unknown. Although research suggests the likelihood of a genetic basis,[1] there is no known genetic cause[10][11] and brain imaging techniques have not identified a clear common pathology.[1] There is no single treatment, and the effectiveness of particular interventions is supported by only limited data.[1] Intervention is aimed at improving symptoms and function. The mainstay of management is behavioral therapy, focusing on specific deficits to address poor communication skills, obsessive or repetitive routines, and physical clumsiness.[12] Most children improve as they mature to adulthood, but social and communication difficulties may persist.[7] Some researchers and people with Asperger's have advocated a shift in attitudes toward the view that it is a difference, rather than a disability that must be treated or cured.[13][14].......

      ......As a pervasive developmental disorder, Asperger syndrome is distinguished by a pattern of symptoms rather than a single symptom. It is characterized by qualitative impairment in social interaction, by stereotyped and restricted patterns of behavior, activities and interests, and by no clinically significant delay in cognitive development or general delay in language.[27] Intense preoccupation with a narrow subject, one-sided verbosity, restricted prosody, and physical clumsiness are typical of the condition, but are not required for diagnosis.[8] wiki

      Delete
    2. ] Intense preoccupation with a narrow subject, one-sided verbosity, restricted prosody, and physical clumsiness are typical of the condition, but are not required for diagnosis.[8] wiki

      Delete
  12. While researching Blatman I came upon this guy who mentioned him in passing.......

    A Jewish guy who is interested in NDE's, I found this long article with videos through his site -

    http://www.victorzammit.com/evidence/nde.htm

    It is very good, and answers some of the concerns of some skeptics.

    As you can see by watching the videos, the quality of the people involved in the discussion is quite high.

    Enjoy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. These people, at least, don't seem to be saying 'life sucks'.

      :)

      Delete
  13. I'll give you another one:

    Vermont

    Minimum Wage - $8.73 / hr.

    Unemployment Rate - 4.2%


    4.2%

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And, another one:

      Santa Fe, NM

      Minimum Wage - $9.92 / hr.

      Unemployment Rate - 5.2%

      Delete
    2. You would have to be a stone sucker to believe that the country's not better off when its citizens make a living wage.

      Delete
  14. http://pjmedia.com/lifestyle/2013/11/17/the-ten-worst-purveyors-of-antisemitism-worldwide-3-the-palestinian-authority/?singlepage=true

    Has pretty pictures that rat might like.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Post 'em in a thread, tthen, Farmer Bob.

      But I have no interest in celebrating haters.

      Who properly defines 'anti-semite.?

      A linguistic expert or an Ashkenazi?

      If Ashkenazi is your answer, why?

      They are not a Semitic people.
      Though some speak a semitic tongue, as a 'Second Language'.

      Delete
    2. Dear Jack.

      With all due respect? (and there is none) thank you again for showing the world that you are a Jew hating, Israel hating bigot.

      Your post shows the world how much of a hater you are.

      This does more to rally support for the GREAT nation state of the Jewish People Israel.

      Delete
  15. 58% of Women use Birth Control for Something Other Than Pregnancy Prevention

    Other Healthcare Facts

    ReplyDelete
  16. Percent of Uninsured Continues to Fall

    Gallup

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This month, we are going to get a lot of young, pissed-off guys going to the website, under duress. Some will "get over it;" some never will.

      That said, it looks like the over/under, by the time enrollment is over on Mar 31, is around 13 Million newly insured.

      4% of 320,000,000 give or take

      Delete
    2. Unions are turning against ObamaCare big time now.

      Delete
  17. Here's a wonderful young woman with a head on her shoulders -

    http://www.frontpagemag.com/2014/frontpagemag-com/activists-rally-for-israel-in-new-orleans/

    ReplyDelete
  18. Hagel Congratulates Israeli Defense Minister on Iranian Arms Shipment Seizure

    Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel spoke with Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon Thursday and received a briefing on Israel's interdiction operation in the Red Sea that seized an Iranian shipment of advanced weapons bound for terrorist organizations operating in Gaza.

    Pentagon Press Secretary Rear Adm. John Kirby said the secretary congratulated Yaalon on the operation's success and reiterated the U.S. commitment to holding Iran accountable for its destabilizing activities in the region. "Secretary Hagel made clear that illicit actions by Iran are unacceptable to the international community and in gross violation of Iran's UN Security Council obligations," Kirby added. (American Forces Press Service)

    Daily Alert


    Some nitwits here called it 'an at of war'.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is an act of war, an Iranian and Syrian one..

      Israel has every right to respond with force.

      Delete
    2. .

      The answer is no.l

      http://www.gallup.com/poll/153092/americans-continue-tilt-pro-israel.aspx

      Israel 71%
      Palestinians 19%


      Like many here, Bob, you take a single poll question and ascribe various assumptions to it. What does the question tell us other than that Israelis are viewed favorably and that Arabs and in particular Palestinians are not? Any reading beyond that is mere speculation.

      The question becomes what does it mean to an organization like AIPAC or if you like the same thing, the government of Israel? Naturally, they would welcome the poll as it can be used as a talking point just as you did. However, how does it translate into results which is AIPAC's main concern.

      The poll you put up was taken at the beginning of 2012. In the intervening 2 years, how has that support translated to Israel's advantage with regard to views or actions on the things it cares for most. In terms of money, it's still dipping its beak to be sure; however, in terms of support on policy I would think to one who is objective the results appear mixed at best, the visa issue, Syria, Iran, settlements, the 'peace' talks.

      Trends are interesting things.

      .

      Delete
    3. Well, the poll does cover a considerable length of time and I doubt things have changed much in two years. One is always able to engage in a battle of polls, but that one is good enough for a faux farmer.

      Delete
    4. .

      Once again, you miss the entire point.

      (sigh)


      .

      Delete
    5. Trends are interesting things.


      Yes they are...

      The arab world? Is trending to self destruction.

      Israel's trend is quite positive. The issues of the day give the American people pause.

      It's hard to get your panties in a ward about the palestinians in gaza or the west bank when real palestinian refugees are being STARVED to death just across the border.

      Egypt has OUTLAWED the Hamas and the Moslem Brotherhood (as has Saudi Arabia)

      Iran and it's nuclear program is waking people up, including the Russian spy ship in Cuba and the Iranian ships heading to the Atlantic coast.

      For all the talk about a peace process, the Palestinians are unwilling to allow ANY jews to live inside of a new Palestinian state, Jerusalem (all of it) must be returned, the Jews have no rights to the Temple Mount or Western Wall and they will not compromise on refugees or the right for Israel to control water or airspace.

      The real trend is fine, the fake msnbc/obama trend is different.

      Not to worry, the palestinians/arab and or the Iranians are not really interested in real peace.

      The other trend? Israeli natural gas... Soon to be exported to many a nation soon...

      Trends are funny things..

      Delete
    6. .

      Again you drift, WiO. The issue being discussed was American views on what should be US policy in the ME. You confuse Israeli/Palestinian popularity contests here with American views on specific issues involving US interests in the ME. You are of the AIPAC cadre so of course you view things from that perspective. However, that subjective perspective and reliance on popularity polls may be blinding you to what Americans have been saying in the recent past regarding their own self-interest on specific matters that affect Israel.

      As you say, trends are funny things.

      .

      Delete
    7. American views on Israel have never been stronger.

      Trends are straightforward.

      Now the American President and his Iranian advisor, Valerie Jarrett?

      Important but not the all inclusive "american view" we were talking about.

      The crowd at aipac is getting more and more diverse and less Jewish each year.

      Delete
    8. and larger...

      not sure if the convention center is going to be used next year or the verizon center...

      Delete
    9. .

      Times are tough and the brisket is free. Besides they have to stop by anyway to pick up their check.

      .

      Delete
    10. Actually the people who attend AIPAC spend thousands of their own money there is no free brisket but that idea that citizens of United States of all persuasions support a strong Israel a secure Israel and America with equal vigor alludes you

      Delete
  19. Quirk, you're from Detroit, you know stuff. What can the women use birth control pills for other than birth control?

    Rufus IIMon Mar 10, 08:31:00 AM EDT
    58% of Women use Birth Control for Something Other Than Pregnancy Prevention

    Other Healthcare Facts

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. .

      Who gives a shit anymore? They are free under Obamacare.

      You can use them to repair Beany Baby dolls if you like.

      .

      Delete
    2. The "pill" is used to control the flow of estrogen in women which can be used to address a number of issues from migraines to wildly swinging menstrual cycles.

      Delete
    3. .

      There you go.

      And Ash would know.

      .

      Delete
    4. Thank you Ash.

      Disregard Quirk, he is in a bad mood today.


      And, believe it or not, I was thinking menstrual problems.

      But not estrogen.

      Delete
    5. Go cheer yourself up, Quirk, go up above and listen to Dr. Lommel's talks.

      Life doesn't suck.

      He is impressive.

      Delete
    6. They are all good, except Eadie.

      Delete
    7. Life doesn't suck when you have Federally SUBSIDIZED Health Care ...
      ... and have run up a tab on the 'Public Purse' of $700,000.

      But for the working poor, Farmer Bob would gut their Federal subsidy program.

      He tells US it 'sucks' for the Federals to cover them, like the Federals cover him.

      Delete
    8. Jack, our resident canine and horse expert is also a full invested in being a Federally SUBSIDIZED Health Care recipient.

      Shhh, facts are a stubborn thing..

      Delete
  20. 55% of remaining uninsured say they Will get health insurance - over half of them say they will use the Exchange for the purchase.

    Gallup

    ReplyDelete
  21. Jackshit is up and his tank is filled with bile and his battery is charged with up with bull shit and he starts out by again slandering me and making stuff up about 700K and Deuce if he had a conscience and respected his own rules would get him out of here.

    "Bullying, outing, taunting and making false or malicious unsubstantiated charges against another member is not allowed?"

    Jack HawkinsMon Mar 10, 04:03:00 PM EDT
    Life doesn't suck when you have Federally SUBSIDIZED Health Care ...
    ... and have run up a tab on the 'Public Purse' of $700,000.

    But for the working poor, Farmer Bob would gut their Federal subsidy program.

    He tells US it 'sucks' for the Federals to cover them, like the Federals cover him.

    ***

    That's about the 8th time on the $700K shit, Deuce, and I've asked for it to be substantiated.

    You going to act?

    Nah

    This place is a farce when Jackrat is allowed to be around.

    Off to The Faucet and then the gambling.

    The rest of you have a great day.



    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. He's off to another subsidized treatment,
      then he is off to waste his fortune at the casino.

      There are the Tea Party Priorities!

      Delete
    2. Funny, but that is the stereotype of a Welfare King ...

      Collect the benefit, then head to the casino.

      Delete
    3. So Jack, when you were serving our nation, teaching the art of murder to the natives in central america did that earn you the right to be a welfare king today?

      It was my understanding when you were doing your "black opps" you were not in uniform....

      Did Ollie North offer you retirement?

      Delete


  22. Israeli terrorists murder Palestinian at West Bank checkpoint


    Israeli forces shoot Palestinian judge dead at checkpoint

    Published Monday, March 10, 2014

    Updated 2:40 pm: Israeli occupation forces on Monday shot dead a Palestinian-Jordanian at the main Jordan border crossing, with Amman saying the man was a judge.

    The killing took place at the Allenby Bridge crossing between the West Bank and Jordan.

    Palestinian security officials identified the victim as 38-year-old Raed Zeiter and Amman confirmed he also held Jordanian nationality.

    The Israeli army claimed that troops had opened fire after Zeiter tried to snatch a weapon from one of the soldiers.

    A Jordanian security official told AFP that Zeiter worked as a judge in Amman and had left for the West Bank early on Monday.

    Jordan's justice ministry confirmed the information, saying he worked at a magistrates court in the capital.

    Palestinian security officials said he was originally from the northern West Bank city of Nablus, but had left the territories in 2011 and not returned.

    Family members in Amman expressed shock over his death.

    "We did not know that Raed was in the West Bank. I went to the court to check if he was working and I was told that he did not go to work today," said his 70-year-old father, Alaa Zeiter, himself a former judge.

    "My son is peaceful and professional. I am shocked," he told AFP by phone, before breaking down in tears.

    Two weeks ago, Israeli soldiers killed a Palestinian they were seeking to arrest in the West Bank town of Bir Zeit.

    Last month, Amnesty International published a report which said Israeli forces were using excessive violence in the West Bank, killing dozens of Palestinians over the past three years in what the rights group said might constitute a war crime.

    (AFP, Reuters)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So one standard for the Jews eh jack?

      What would have happened if one of those natives you were teaching tried to pass a checkpoint and grab a US soldiers's weapon? Kisses and Flowers? Or maybe you would get down on your knees and suck him off?

      Let us know.... Would you have blown the guy? Or would you have shot the sucker dead?

      People want to know...

      I seem to recall American troops shooting 50 cal's at cars refusing to slow down in Iraq at checkpoints. Are they "terrorists" also?

      One standard for Israel and no standards for anyone else...

      :)

      Anyone that attacks a soldier at a checkpoint and goes for his weapon usually has a short lifespan.

      Delete
    2. Palestinian security officials identified the dead guy as 38-year-old Raed Zeiter and Amman confirmed he also held Jordanian nationality.
      The Israeli army said that troops had opened fire after Zeiter tried to snatch a weapon from one of the soldiers.

      A foreign national, at an international border, tries to grab the gun/weapon of a border guard. Sounds like suicide by cop to me...

      either way a good lesson to be learn, don't grab weapons at an international border... you just might end up dead...

      Delete
    3. Does this quality for a "darwin award"?

      After all it's quite retarded.....

      Grabbing any cop or soldier's weapon guarding an international border is suicide....

      Maybe he was angry about being trapped in a man's body? In arab society they are quite intolerant on transgendered folks....

      Delete
    4. Patrolling a main road near Musayyib, south of Baghdad, one evening in September 2005, two US soldiers saw a vehicle approaching in the dark. They waved their arms and flashed lights that were meant to indicate it should stop. When the car continued to advance the troops fired warning shots. They then raised their M249 squad automatic weapons, a light machine gun that sprays bullets at colossal speed. Each man fired as many as 100 rounds at the car.

      The predictable result was that the people in the front, a man and a woman, were killed. In the back their nine- and six-year-old children were lucky to survive with injuries in the thighs and legs.

      This Iraqi family's fate was by no means unique. The war logs, seen by the Guardian, contain a horrific dossier of cases where US troops killed innocent civilians at checkpoints, on Iraq's roads and during raids on people's homes. The victims include dozens of women and children. The US rarely admitted their deaths publicly.

      In the secret logs the killings mainly figure as "escalation of force incidents". Commanders send in reports outlining how soldiers faithfully followed the rules of engagement: first signals, then warning shots, and as a last resort direct fire to disable a vehicle or its driver.

      The relentless drumbeat of civilian deaths illustrates the nature of 21st century warfare and key differences from the way the Americans conducted themselves in their eight-year war in Vietnam.

      Suicide attacks were unknown in America's last major foreign conflict before Iraq. There was no expectation that anything on wheels or indeed any pedestrian could be a moving bomb. The second difference is a change in western military doctrine, common to other Nato armies during counter-insurgencies.


      Are these guys terrorists?

      Delete
    5. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    6. .

      Suicide attacks were unknown in America's last major foreign conflict before Iraq.

      Interesting. Is this right, Rufus, regarding Vietnam I mean? Were the café bombings and the women carrying grenades just dramatic effect for the movies?

      .

      .

      Delete
    7. Pretty much, Quirk. Charlie was a hell of a fighter, but he wasn't particularly big on "suicide."

      Delete
    8. Which is not to say that he was, in any way, reticent about attacking a superior force. He wasn't. But, his plan when attacking a superior force was, always, to kill a few, and get out the back door.

      Delete
  23. While the dimwitted duo spend their minutes calling Jack Hawkins names.

    The Israeli murdered another man.

    Yes, there is a growing trend.
    If you support Apartheid, you are on the wrong side of history.

    Organized evil is losing, here, there, everywhere.

    Illustrated by he rality that Russia cannot take the Ukraine, just Crimea.

    Which it already had, in everything but name.

    The Crimean people will reverse Khrushchev's arbitrary decision of 1954.

    And return the Crimea to is historic position, as Russia's gateway to the world.

    But aggression into the Ukraine, by the 'Evil Empire', it's not going to happen.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Illustrated by THE REALITY that Russia cannot take the Ukraine, just Crimea.

      Delete
    2. You murdered many, are you a terrorist?

      is there only one standard for Israel and none for anyone else?

      A self confessed killer named Jack Rat now points his bony finger at israel, and yet 4 are pointing back at him...

      It would be funny if it wasn't so sick...

      Meanwhile, 150,000 civilians have been murdered in Syria, 6 million now homeless and JackRat focuses on a retarded moron who attacks a border guard and dies in the attempt.

      Are you for real?

      What a fucktard you are.

      Delete
    3. The good lesson here is that Jack cares not for the innocent.

      He supports mass murder, genocide and of course the death of Israel and it's people.

      He stands with Fatah & Hamas.

      And so shall he fall with them too...

      Delete
    4. In more important news, Sbarro filled for Bankruptcy today. 2nd time in 4 years.

      Delete
    5. Jackrat is a self proclaimed professional asshole, and I for one agree with him.

      Delete
  24. Jack Rat said: The Crimean people will reverse Khrushchev's arbitrary decision of 1954.

    And return the Crimea to is historic position, as Russia's gateway to the world.

    But aggression into the Ukraine, by the 'Evil Empire', it's not going to happen.



    Hmm.. By that standard the Jewish people will liberate all of it's historic lands from the river to the sea and the arabs? Will have to go live in the other 897/900 of the middle east.

    But Israel is much KINDER than the Russians. Israel will not throw out the 20% of it's population that is arab. They are free and happy to live in the Jewish state.

    Otherwise? they are FREE to leave anytime they wish,....

    but don't...

    Israel has a GREAT medical system, the arabs love it....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. .

      By that standard the Jewish people will liberate all of it's historic lands from the river to the sea and the arabs?

      Who doubts that isn't the plan already?

      As for the for the argument that if the Israeli Arabs don't like the fact that they are discriminated against in Israel they should just pick up and leave, it is childish and obtuse. Using the same dense logic, one could ask of those who use that argument, if Israel is so great, why don't you pick up and move there?

      Waiting...

      Waiting...

      .

      Delete
    2. You changed the argument.

      I am an American I live here.

      If America changes and becomes what rat wants? All Jews in camps? Then I'd move

      Delete
    3. Israel has given up the Sinai two times it has removed its citizens from Gaza it has withdrawn from southern Lebanon it also has relinquished control of Jewish lands in the West Bank do u not recognize this fact?

      Delete
    4. waiting... waiting... I responded in 20 minutes.

      It's been an hour for you...

      what gives...

      waiting..

      Delete
    5. quirk: As for the for the argument that if the Israeli Arabs don't like the fact that they are discriminated against in Israel they should just pick up and leave, it is childish and obtuse. Using the same dense logic, one could ask of those who use that argument, if Israel is so great, why don't you pick up and move there?

      I am not discriminated against any more than anyone else in this nation today, sure America sucked for hundreds of years against jews... land/deed restrictions, colleges used all sorts of methods to keep us out...

      your argument is specious. again

      Delete
    6. .

      Nonsense.

      My first comment merely stated the obvious. I believe you, Bob, Allen when he was here, all recognize what is happening. I say this based on past statements by each of you that stated 'maybe' Israel should just take over the West Bank. Of course Israel will keep the West Bank. Only a fool could not see it.

      As for changing the argument, if anyone has changed the argument it is you. The second issue I addressed was Arab Israelis and your statement that if they didn't like how things were in Israel they should leave. It's a stupid argument and yet I have heard it from every one of you swinging dicks. It's equivalent to telling blacks here back in the 40's and 50's, hey, if you don't like the way you are treated in this country leave. Pure bullshit.

      .

      Delete
    7. nonsense.

      the arabs of israel have choices that americans do not.

      The arabs of israel could drive 7 miles and BE in another arab controlled area in less than 10 minutes.

      the areas of the west bank, jordan and gaza, as well as lebanon & egypt are all a stone's throw away and are not different NATIoNS when you get down to it.

      palestinian, jordanians, egyptians (of the sinai) and southern lebanese are really all from the same families. close cousins to be exact.

      Study history, before America gave arabs the IDEA of nations, the arabs shared (and still do) arab "brotherhood"

      So if an arab living in TINY Israel didn't like it? MOVE, go a whole 7 miles on either side and go live with relatives in another nation.

      Reading your expertise on this subject is like taking your fingers to a cheese grater....

      Delete
    8. It has been the Israeli modus operandi since the 1940's when Menachim Begin et al were blowing up Palestinian homes 'encouraging' them to leave leading to the birth of refugee crisis that we are dealing with today.

      Delete
    9. .

      Moron, many of the Israeli Arabs have roots in what is now Israeli that pre-date those of most Israelis there. They were there before the Jews formed Israel yet they are discriminated against simply because they are not Jews. Yet, you try to rationalize the discrimination by saying they would be just as happy giving up their jobs, giving up their property, and giving up the land their family has owned for generations and simply moving out of the country.

      What arrogance.

      If you accept the discrimination that's fine. Just spare me your bullshit rationalizations and the hypocrisy.

      .

      If you want to support it or try to justify it that's fine

      Delete
    10. If you go back 100 years? there were very few in number arabs living in most of the pre-1967 Israel. Most of the arabs moved to the area to seek employment from the Jews. Learn history.

      Delete
    11. Love the way you write...

      " many of the Israeli Arabs have roots in what is now Israeli that pre-date those of most Israelis there"

      what's a many?

      More Arabs live in Israel today as citizens than existed from the river to the sea 60 years ago.

      Delete
    12. AshMon Mar 10, 09:14:00 PM EDT
      It has been the Israeli modus operandi since the 1940's when Menachim Begin et al were blowing up Palestinian homes 'encouraging' them to leave leading to the birth of refugee crisis that we are dealing with today.


      Ash, that's why there are no jews left in the arab world and there are MILLIONs that live in Israel?

      facts man, facts..

      just cause you type it don't make it so..

      ash, enjoy your illegal living in canada..

      Delete
    13. Now you ate just making shit up and hoping no one will notice. The Palestinian right of return is based on reality, on historical facts.

      Delete
    14. When the Jews can return to Saudi Arabia.......

      Delete
    15. QUIRK, finally get a clue. The Palestinians want to PUSH ISRAEL INTO THE SEA.

      It's the reality of the situation. Blame the Koran.

      While you are at it, blame the Koran for Nigeria too, and 19 other places.

      Delete
    16. It is not quid pro quo bob. When people civilians flee war that are entitled to return home when hostilities cease.

      Delete
    17. AshMon Mar 10, 09:55:00 PM EDT
      Now you ate just making shit up and hoping no one will notice. The Palestinian right of return is based on reality, on historical facts.

      LOL They have a right to return to their new state Palestine.

      They do not have a right to Palestine and Israel.

      Delete
    18. AshMon Mar 10, 10:30:00 PM EDT
      It is not quid pro quo bob. When people civilians flee war that are entitled to return home when hostilities cease.

      Does that apply to the Jews, who numbered more than the palestinians, to return to their homes?

      Delete
    19. .

      What is "Occupation"Mon Mar 10, 09:38:00 PM EDT

      If you go back 100 years? there were very few in number arabs living in most of the pre-1967 Israel. Most of the arabs moved to the area to seek employment from the Jews. Learn history.



      100 years ago? Learn history?

      Where the hell do you come up with this shit? Jewish folk legends?

      In 1920, there were 7 or 8 times more Arabs than Jews in Palestine. In 1948, after the mass immigration of Jews, there were still twice as many Arabs as Jews in Palestine. Yet, what the UN general assembly 'proposed' was to give 56% of the land in Palestine to the Jewish state leaving the Palestinian majority with 44%.

      But even under this arrangement 45% of the population of the new Israeli state would have been non-Jewish. The Jews actually owned about 7% of the land.

      Learn some history.

      .






      Delete
    20. .

      Love the way you write...

      " many of the Israeli Arabs have roots in what is now Israeli that pre-date those of most Israelis there"

      what's a many?


      Given Israel immigration policy towards Arab immigrants since '48, I would imagine most of the Arabs currently in Israel have roots to the land that pre-date 1948 and likely go back further than most Jews in Israel today.

      More Arabs live in Israel today as citizens than existed from the river to the sea 60 years ago.

      One of these days someone will need to explain the birds and bees to you WiO.

      .


      Delete
    21. .

      QUIRK, finally get a clue. The Palestinians want to PUSH ISRAEL INTO THE SEA.

      Lord, Bob, grow a brain.

      My conversation with WiO above was about Israeli Arabs, citizens of Israel, and how they are discriminated against. If you don't know what the conversation is about, it's probably wise for you to butt out.

      Israeli Arabs. Israeli citizens. Get it?

      No matter what the conversation is about you have to jump in with your bullshit excuses and rationalizations. You don't realize how stupid you sound when you excuse whatever Israel does on the basis that the Muslims are worse.

      "Gee, those guys kill and rape. All we do is rape. They ought to thank us." [A certain degree of hyperbole but you get the picture.]

      .

      Delete
  25. Someone had mentioned trends, previously, well ...
    The trend is evident and it is gaining in momentum.

    From Ireland to Canada, boycott Israel is the word


    Good news for humanity, bad news for Israel, the world’s only surviving apartheid state.

    Students at the National University of Ireland Galway (NUI Galway) have voted by an overwhelming majority to endorse the Palestinian call for boycotting Israel, Electronic Intifada reports.

    Official results show that a total of 1,954 students voted “yes” to a motion “That NUI Galway Students’ Union actively supports the campaign of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions [BDS] against the State of Israel”.

    The “no” vote was 1,059.

    Commenting on the 2-to-1 victory for the BDS motion, Martin O’Quigley, the chairman of the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC), praised the students

    . . . who stood with the oppressed on the right side of history and endorsed this measure, despite a stream of venomous anti-Palestinian propaganda and dirty tricks being injected into the debate from off-campus forces, including the Israeli embassy in Ireland’s failed attempts at using social media to influence the outcome.

    According to Electronic Intifada, the Israeli embassy took the extraordinary step of publicly campaigning against the ballot, claiming in one of its Facebook postings that a vote for BDS would be a vote for “anti-Semitism”.

    Meanwhile, in Canada students at the University of Ottawa have launched a campaign to ban from campus hummus produced by the Israeli company Sabra, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) reports.

    Sabra is partly owned by the Strauss Group, a foodstuffs manufacturer which financially supports the Israeli army’s Golani Brigade. According to human rights organizations, the brigade is responsible for numerous human rights violations.

    Lacking an indigenous culture, Israelis, whose cultural heritage lies faraway from Palestine – in Europe, Russia and the United States – claim traditional Arab dishes, such as hummus and falafel, as their own, much to the amusement of Palestinians and other Arabs.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jackrat is a self proclaimed professional asshole and I agree with him.

      Delete
    2. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    3. The Welfare King speaks!

      First he gets his Federal benefits, then he goes right to the casino.

      The Stereotype fulfilled!

      Delete
    4. Jackdesertrat is a self proclaimed professional asshole and I agree with him.

      In dire need of counseling.

      And the first thing a counselor would do is wean him from the Internet.

      Then do the testing.

      Delete
    5. Jack HawkinsMon Mar 10, 10:10:00 PM EDT
      Good news for humanity, bad news for Israel, the world’s only surviving apartheid state.

      Sorry Charlie.... Israel aint, no matter how many millions of times you say it, chants or scream it, an apartheid state.

      But by calling Israel an apartheid state? You diminish the actual south africans that lived thru it, not that you give a shit..

      Delete
    6. Also by your phobic focus on Israel? You excuse what happens across the arab world.

      That's your goal correct?

      One standard for Israel and no standards for anyone else.

      Delete
  26. There's been this boycott Israel crap since I was in college. Nothing has changed. Nothing is going to change.

    From Ireland to Canada---heh heh heh

    Canada can be removed from the equation, for now.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Both, the price of health insurance, and the cost of healthcare Fell in January - the first time in, probably, . . . . . . forever(?)

    Falling Medical Costs

    ReplyDelete
  28. How's that reading assignment coming, Farmer Bob?

    Are you ready for the quiz?
    You remember, Farmer Bob, you needed to study up. Gain a foundation of knowledge before the conversation on the social ramifications evolving from the Napoleonic Code, as opposed to English Common Law, could proceed.

    Have you got that done, yet?

    ;-)


    ReplyDelete
  29. Replies
    1. Then the prescriptions, and the intense face to face counseling.

      Delete

    2. All paid for by Uncle Sugar, for the Welfare King's benefit.

      Delete
    3. After the intense face to face counseling......the ankle bracelets.

      Delete
    4. That is what it will take to keep you out of the casino, house arrest?

      My oh my, Farmer Bob, to think the Missus wouldn't have you committed, first.

      Delete
  30. Ron Paul is an idiot.


    http://hotair.com/archives/2014/03/10/ron-paul-crimea-has-the-right-to-join-russia-and-u-s-sanctions-would-be-criminal/

    If he thinks there are going to be fair elections in Crimea......he's nuts.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Of course they will be fair, just as 'fair' as elections in Ohio, where your wife, according to your story, voted illegally, in 2012.

      The only case of voter fraud admitted to at blog. It was by Farmer Bob, about his missus.

      Delete
    2. I said explicitly my wife voted legally.

      Go get help.

      Delete
    3. No, you did not. You said she NEVER became an Ohio resident.
      Just that she owned property in Ohio. So she went there and vted, illegally, because her mail was still being delivered in Idaho, she did not change her drivers license, did not inform anyone of her change of address.

      You said she was given 'bad advice' by the 'Clerk'.

      Which, even if true, does not alleviate her culpability in voter fraud.

      Delete
  31. Got your first thread ready to post, Farmer Bob?

    I've got one ready to rock and roll, the continuing story arc ...

    How about yours, Farmer Bob?

    You could write the story of your life.
    But that would be boring, wouldn't it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There wouldn't be anything exciting in it about killing people in Central America or citing myself as a military expert or how the wife left for Salvador the minute she was released from the hospital and there would be no proclamations of being a professional asshole so yeah in that sense it would be boring.

      Go get HELP.

      Delete
    2. I never post threads about myself, Farmer Bob.

      Delete
    3. The dimwitted duo have built an entire life story for desert rat,
      they have told the lies for so long, they both have come to believe the lies are true.

      It is an interesting case study, to be sure.

      Delete
  32. San Francisco Chronicle

    Colorado's First Month of Recreational Pot Tax Yields $2 Million
    Businessweek - ‎

    The first month of recreational marijuana sales in Colorado brought in about $2 million in tax revenue, the first indicator of the earning potential of the U.S.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Two million in taxes, another $1.5 million in fees.

      Delete
    2. All CASH Money!! I'm surprised they collected That Much. :) :) :)

      THAT is a Great Business. :) :) :)

      Delete
  33. Ash, Quirk, a simple question.

    If Israel were disbanded tomorrow and the Jews were taken over by the arabs. What % percent of Jews would be alive in 1 day, 5 days and 2 weeks?

    Waiting for an honest answer.

    really

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Now let's reverse that.

      How many arabs LIVE in Israel by choice that are NOT mass murdered. How about 1.2 million.

      How about that arabs live in freedom IN Israel and are not scared they will be butchered.

      Delete
    2. .

      Ash, Quirk, a simple question.

      An honest answer? I don't know.

      What I do know is that you have posited a hypothetical which has little chance of happening. The enemies Israel has are all in the ME. And in the ME the only two countries come close to Israel militarily on a conventional basis are Turkey and Egypt. Turkey probably has an edge on Israel but they have enough problems of their own without worrying about Israel. Egypt has a formidable army but as with most countries in the ME, Israel holds a substantial qualitative edge in arms.

      Although Israel is limited in its ability to wage an extended offensive war very far from its borders, she is set up fine to wage a defensive war.

      And of course she has the bomb(s).

      I imagine Israel is perfectly capable of defending herself.

      .


      Delete
    3. So for all your bluster you refuse to be honest and answer the question.

      If israel were disbanded.

      How long would the Jews LIVE?

      Delete
    4. .

      Don't be stupid, asshole.

      First, it's an impossible hypothetical. You ask how long the Jews would live which assumes the Jews would all be killed. It is a stupid and paranoid presumption. Even in the Jewish exodus from Arab countries you mention above, the Jews left for a variety of reasons, the worst case of these that they were driven out, not killed.

      You are pathologically paranoid to assume the world would allow the extermination of 7 million Jews in today's world when everything is seen 5 minutes after it happens on YouTube. This in addition to the military superiority Israel holds which would prevent the scenario playing out in the first.

      Only a paranoid nut would even hypothesize it.

      .

      Delete
  34. From the headlines....

    The Prime minister implicitly rebuked EU Foreign Police Executive Catherine Ashton for failing to raise the Iranian weapons ship in her talks in Tehran Monday, when he said, “There is a shrill chorus of international condemnation when we build a balcony in Jerusalem, but scarcely a word when Iran tries to smuggle missiles into Gaza.”


    Interesting point...

    It's legal by international standards to smuggle rockets to murder Jews, but Jews that build in Jerusalem are considered war criminals.

    One standard for Israel and no standards for anyone else.

    ReplyDelete

  35. Telling the same lie, time and again will never make it true.
    Figured you'd have learned that lesson, by now..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's just Jackrat, posting as anon. again.

      He does this often.

      Delete
    2. He has often posted crap in my name.

      Delete
  36. Deuce, you ought to be ashamed of yourself for letting this place become such a farce again.

    You don't enforce your own rules.

    And you discriminate against selected people, primarily WiO.

    For shame.

    ReplyDelete
  37. The mystery deepens.

    Why are the missing Malaysian Airlines passengers' phones still ringing?
    Relatives' agony as search zone now switches to entirely new area and Iranian man on missing passport traced and 'isn't terrorist'
    Smartphones of the missing aboard Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 are still ringing according to reports
    As many as 19 families of missing passengers have claimed to be connected - and airline says they have rung crew's phones
    Growing frustration among relatives who have received no information on their missing friends and relatives

    Malaysian police say one of the two men on stolen passports was Iranian asylum seeker, 19, and 'not a terrorist' as his mother was waiting for him
    Fate of the Boeing 777 remains a mystery and search now concentrates on different sea at least 200 miles from where it was last recorded

    By JAMES NYE
    PUBLISHED: 23:20 EST, 10 March 2014 | UPDATED: 04:56 EST, 11 March 2014
    5,174 shares 631View
    comments

    The 'unprecedented mystery' behind the disappearance of Malaysian Airlines flight MH 370 deepened on Monday when relatives claimed they were able to call the cellphones of their missing loved ones.

    According to the Washington Post, family of some of the 239 people on board the vanished Boeing 777 said that they were getting ring tones and could see them active online through a Chinese social networking service called QQ.

    One man said that the QQ account of his brother-in-law showed him as online, but frustratingly for those waiting desperately for any news, messages sent have gone unanswered and the calls have not been picked up.


    Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2578020/Why-cellphones-missing-Malaysian-Airlines-passengers-ringing-Family-members-claim-loved-ones-smartphones-active.html#ixzz2veG7ZTNV

    Sucked up into some Mother Ship?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    2. hmmm.....

      "could see them active online through a Chinese social networking service called QQ"


      QQ

      This immediately rings my bell and if it doesn't ring yours you haven't been paying attention.

      What the hell are you up to now, Quirk?

      Call home immediately.

      I am waiting.

      Delete
  38. Obama's new nominee for Surgeon General is of the opinion that gun ownership is a sign of mental disease and should be noted in one's medical files.

    Take note, Rufus.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Senator Rand Paul has put a block on his nomination.

      Delete
  39. Replies
    1. Those Millions that the Kochs are putting into criminally deceptive tv ads are taking their toll. I think the Pub is going to win that Florida special election, today.

      Delete
    2. I ran the numbers for a "median wage'ish" family of four.

      He's 52; she's 48; they have a 21 year old in college (on their policy,) and an 17 year old in high school.

      They make $50,000.00 / year.

      They're in good health, and are primarily interested in not losing everything they've obtained due to a serious illness - cancer, heart attack, etc.

      They can cover the entire family under a Bronze Plan for $91.58 / month.

      Delete
    3. If they made $60,000.00 / year their premium would be $280.53 / month.

      Delete
    4. My mistake; if they made $60,000.00 / year, their premium would be $220.58 / month.

      Delete
    5. $90,000.00 / year for that family of four would yield a premium of $523.66 / month.

      Delete