Former Australian PM John Howard's enlightened words here.
Bottom line:
"Western governments aren’t doing enough to defend and promote Western values."
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
Monday, June 16, 2014
Why Do Americans Hate Their Veterans, And Enable Death By VA Hospital?
I bet some of these veterans would rather face a firing squad than deal with the "Soviet style bureaucracy" where administrators are rewarded for fudging numbers, not showing up and making them die.
It is a system in which your fellow Americans are rewarded with cash and perks when veterans die. Because they die, in fact.
It doesn't get much more sickening than that, does it?
Death by bureaucracy is a particularly troubling, first-world, corrupt and despicable death sentence, wouldn't you say?
It is particularly horrifying for a country with such a noble history of respecting and honouring its fighters.
It is a system in which your fellow Americans are rewarded with cash and perks when veterans die. Because they die, in fact.
It doesn't get much more sickening than that, does it?
Death by bureaucracy is a particularly troubling, first-world, corrupt and despicable death sentence, wouldn't you say?
It is particularly horrifying for a country with such a noble history of respecting and honouring its fighters.
An Ode to Mark Steyn's Favourite Wahabi-Major Funnies!
I remember this Wahabi stuff from some time back, but it just never gets old.
Actually, this is one of the truly great lessons that I learned from Mark Steyn himself-that you need to own-absolutely own all of the nasty things that people say about you.
It's so liberating, and if you own it, it becomes laughable and even enjoyable. By doing so, you become immune to the criticism and are then liberated from concern about it, fear of it and can just carry on and do your own thing.
It's reducto ad Steynsurdum!
Plus, just as you can judge a person by who their friends and enemies are, so too, can you form an opinion of someone based on what is being said about them by whom.
Steyn also quotes an artist/writer with a very pithy line, and I'm really pissed off at myself that I didn't think of it first.
You don't support freedom of speech unless you support freedom of hate speech.
This is 100% correct. Great turn of phrase.
Do read the whole post.
Actually, this is one of the truly great lessons that I learned from Mark Steyn himself-that you need to own-absolutely own all of the nasty things that people say about you.
It's so liberating, and if you own it, it becomes laughable and even enjoyable. By doing so, you become immune to the criticism and are then liberated from concern about it, fear of it and can just carry on and do your own thing.
It's reducto ad Steynsurdum!
Plus, just as you can judge a person by who their friends and enemies are, so too, can you form an opinion of someone based on what is being said about them by whom.
Steyn also quotes an artist/writer with a very pithy line, and I'm really pissed off at myself that I didn't think of it first.
You don't support freedom of speech unless you support freedom of hate speech.
This is 100% correct. Great turn of phrase.
Do read the whole post.
Special Needs Boy Kicked Out of Expensive Private School Because of PAPER TOY GUN
He rolled up a piece of paper!
Obviously, this "school" was a total waste of money and the principal's credentials should be very closely examined.
What a scam.
I'm sure the Mom can find a better, more sensible educational solution for her son.
Idiots.
Obviously, this "school" was a total waste of money and the principal's credentials should be very closely examined.
What a scam.
I'm sure the Mom can find a better, more sensible educational solution for her son.
Idiots.
Sunday, June 15, 2014
Barbarians: A Picture From Iraq
Chaos.
Courtesy of Obama.
(I personally heard a liberal today blame Iraq on BOOOOOOOOOSH. It was astonishing. A very good lesson for my eldest on how extreme liberalism is a mental disorder.)
Courtesy of Obama.
(I personally heard a liberal today blame Iraq on BOOOOOOOOOSH. It was astonishing. A very good lesson for my eldest on how extreme liberalism is a mental disorder.)
Disgrace: These Are the Folks Who Are Supposed to "Serve and Protect"
Apparently, this cop didn't get the memo about not urinating on disabled men, and the TPS didn't get the memo about lying about video evidence about said events.
Humans can be a rotten, rotten lot.
When they are rotten with guns and entrusted with public safety-it's a big, big problem.
Humans can be a rotten, rotten lot.
When they are rotten with guns and entrusted with public safety-it's a big, big problem.
American Decadence
Shame on these people.
This is an example of a society in decline.
Camping out for a week for a stupid pair of running shoes.
Instead of, you know-working, or having a life, or having something in your life that is more important than the shoes that you put on your feet.
This is an example of a society in decline.
Camping out for a week for a stupid pair of running shoes.
Instead of, you know-working, or having a life, or having something in your life that is more important than the shoes that you put on your feet.
Friday, June 13, 2014
Neo-Nazis Kidnap Three Jewish Teens in Israel
The real neo-Nazis have kidnapped three Orthodox Jewish teenagers in Israel.
The Palestinians are barbarians, looking to harm and maim as many Jews as possible, trying to create as many bereaved Jewish families as possible in their lifetime.
There will be no sad-faced FLOTUS Tweet.
If Obama had a son, I guess he would certainly not look like a Jewish teenager from Israel.
This is a horror. This is the reality of Israel. This is the reality of being a Jew. It is life in hell for these boys and their families.
The Palestinians have learned, as they always do that terrorism pays. Jihad pays.
This is not a Jewish issue.
Anything and everything that happens to Jews will happen to the West in good time, in short order.
Every single act of terror that was started in Israel and against Jews in Europe has found its way into our cushy, easy North American lives. Every single type.
The neo-Nazi jihadists are not ashamed of it, they are proud of it.
Listen to them and what they say and take their words at face value.
The Nazi spirit is alive and well. The Judenhaas is real.
Ignore it at your peril.
G-d help us, G-d help the IDF find them and return them safely to the loving arms of their families.
The Palestinians are barbarians, looking to harm and maim as many Jews as possible, trying to create as many bereaved Jewish families as possible in their lifetime.
There will be no sad-faced FLOTUS Tweet.
If Obama had a son, I guess he would certainly not look like a Jewish teenager from Israel.
This is a horror. This is the reality of Israel. This is the reality of being a Jew. It is life in hell for these boys and their families.
The Palestinians have learned, as they always do that terrorism pays. Jihad pays.
This is not a Jewish issue.
Anything and everything that happens to Jews will happen to the West in good time, in short order.
Every single act of terror that was started in Israel and against Jews in Europe has found its way into our cushy, easy North American lives. Every single type.
The neo-Nazi jihadists are not ashamed of it, they are proud of it.
Listen to them and what they say and take their words at face value.
The Nazi spirit is alive and well. The Judenhaas is real.
Ignore it at your peril.
G-d help us, G-d help the IDF find them and return them safely to the loving arms of their families.
This George Will Column is Making Progressive Heads Explode. Therefore You Must Read It.
It's pretty tame, but it's pissing so many people off.
So, it HAD TO BE POSTED here.
"Colleges Become the Victims of Progressivism."
Enjoy.
So, it HAD TO BE POSTED here.
"Colleges Become the Victims of Progressivism."
Enjoy.
Jill Abramson To Teach At Harvard
Good grief.
Journalists, your moral and intellectual superiors now, seamlessly morph into your intellectual and Ivy League superiors.
The lefty, elite suck up, you scratch my back-I'll scratch yours society continues to take care of its own.
Journalists, your moral and intellectual superiors now, seamlessly morph into your intellectual and Ivy League superiors.
The lefty, elite suck up, you scratch my back-I'll scratch yours society continues to take care of its own.
The UK Is Screwed: British Hamlet Over-Run With Belligerent, Littering, Free Loading Roma
Residents threatened and terrified.
This is a perfect example of the disconnect between ELITE'S FANTASY and REALITY.
Here is the reality of normal, regular people:
"Grandmother Elizabeth Boardman, a widow and former lollipop lady, said she had lived in the village for 30 years and was shocked by the sudden change."
"She said: ‘Now I wouldn’t walk down the road on my own because there are groups of them everywhere. I’m scared to pass them, they make me feel intimidated and shaken. I try to ignore them but you get scared they are going to hit out at you."
"Her daughter, mother-of-four, Michele Boardman, 44, who is a full time carer to a disabled son said: A Roma man threatened to kill my daughters and was holding a knife as they walked home one night"
"The police haven’t taken statements yet and the incident happened in April. They don’t care."
This is a perfect example of the disconnect between ELITE'S FANTASY and REALITY.
Here is the reality of normal, regular people:
"Grandmother Elizabeth Boardman, a widow and former lollipop lady, said she had lived in the village for 30 years and was shocked by the sudden change."
"She said: ‘Now I wouldn’t walk down the road on my own because there are groups of them everywhere. I’m scared to pass them, they make me feel intimidated and shaken. I try to ignore them but you get scared they are going to hit out at you."
"Her daughter, mother-of-four, Michele Boardman, 44, who is a full time carer to a disabled son said: A Roma man threatened to kill my daughters and was holding a knife as they walked home one night"
"The police haven’t taken statements yet and the incident happened in April. They don’t care."
‘We
just want to be able to provide a happy and safe environment to pass
onto our children and the future generations. The kids can’t understand
why they can’t go and play in the park any more. It’s just not safe for
them.
AND NOW THE POLICE/ELITE FANTASY, the 'la la la nothing to see here' fake, appeasement 'solution':
"Police are learning to speak the Roma language as part of an effort to tackle community unrest in an inner city suburb."
Thursday, June 12, 2014
Let's Make Peace With These People: Top Palestinian Negotiator Says Netanyahu "Not Worth the Bullet" To Kill Him
Peace process!
“Without a cane to his ass [Netanyahu won't act]. I don’t say shoot him. He isn’t worth the bullet … he’s ideologically corrupt, I’ve known him for 31 years.”
“Without a cane to his ass [Netanyahu won't act]. I don’t say shoot him. He isn’t worth the bullet … he’s ideologically corrupt, I’ve known him for 31 years.”
The UK Is Screwed: British Soldiers Not Told They Are Eating Halal
I love the way they stick "kosher" in there, as if kosher and Jews are the problem.
Assholes.
Anyway, here is the story.
Assholes.
Anyway, here is the story.
Serious Question: Is Ted Cruz The Only American Politician With Balls?
The President of the United States should stand up & tell govt of Sudan to release Meriam Ibrahim now! pic.twitter.com/c975MGSZR4
— Senator Ted Cruz (@SenTedCruz) June 12, 2014Nothing to See Here: Russian Bombers Fly Within 50 Miles of California Coast
So, when I put this through my Russian to Reset Translator machine, I get "fuck you, American weakling".
Smart Rabbi Explains Slooooowly Why Cantor Lost
This 'he lost because he is a JOOOOOOOOOO' stuff is total and utter dogsqueeze.
It's so funny how the left has all of the sudden become so compassionate about a Jewish Republican.
I question the timing!
The good Rabbi explains:
"Mr. Cantor, as House Majority Leader together with Speaker Boehner, did not seem to share the alarm that many of us do. In effect, an invasion is happening to America and the weapons are not bullets but the ballot box: Democrat leaders are orchestrating an influx of illegals to use the ballot box to install socialism and permanently maintain the power of the Democrat Party. Their eligibility to vote is often suspect, but legitimate challenges are shot down by invoking the tried-and-tested accusation of racism."
"Mr. Cantor lost not because people decided to “throw the bums out.” He lost because he, in this particular primary race, became the national symbol of a Republican Party unwilling to represent our people in our need to stop a corrupt and dictatorial President and his party."
"Never in our lifetime have we witnessed such atrocious violations of the Constitution and assaults on freedom, decency, and the sacred code of American fair play than in the last couple of years wherein the IRS audited the president’s enemies, our people were killed in Benghazi and the circumstances covered up, the failure at the VA, the green light for Iran to go ahead with its bomb-making, and the willful release of five Taliban terrorists who certainly threaten our safety."
"During all this, while conservative Americans looked for leaders to vigorously and passionately stand against such tyrannies, the two men most entrusted to do so, Mr. Boehner and Mr. Cantor, did not lead, did not fight, and let us down. Not for weeks, not for months, but for years. "
It's so funny how the left has all of the sudden become so compassionate about a Jewish Republican.
I question the timing!
The good Rabbi explains:
"Mr. Cantor, as House Majority Leader together with Speaker Boehner, did not seem to share the alarm that many of us do. In effect, an invasion is happening to America and the weapons are not bullets but the ballot box: Democrat leaders are orchestrating an influx of illegals to use the ballot box to install socialism and permanently maintain the power of the Democrat Party. Their eligibility to vote is often suspect, but legitimate challenges are shot down by invoking the tried-and-tested accusation of racism."
"Mr. Cantor lost not because people decided to “throw the bums out.” He lost because he, in this particular primary race, became the national symbol of a Republican Party unwilling to represent our people in our need to stop a corrupt and dictatorial President and his party."
"Never in our lifetime have we witnessed such atrocious violations of the Constitution and assaults on freedom, decency, and the sacred code of American fair play than in the last couple of years wherein the IRS audited the president’s enemies, our people were killed in Benghazi and the circumstances covered up, the failure at the VA, the green light for Iran to go ahead with its bomb-making, and the willful release of five Taliban terrorists who certainly threaten our safety."
"During all this, while conservative Americans looked for leaders to vigorously and passionately stand against such tyrannies, the two men most entrusted to do so, Mr. Boehner and Mr. Cantor, did not lead, did not fight, and let us down. Not for weeks, not for months, but for years. "
Believe in Miracles
"An eight year old girl who was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer three years ago has become the first person in the world to beat the illness."
Bbbbut...Israeli Apartheid? Zionazis?!??!!
First Druze commander of IDF Golani Brigade installed.
Col. Ghassan Alianm (left) became the first #Druze commander of the #Golani Brigade yesterday - #Respect #Diversity pic.twitter.com/fyxzN0G43X
— IDF (@IDFSpokesperson) June 12, 2014Wednesday, June 11, 2014
VA Spent Tens of Millions of Dollars on Ad Campaigns, Audits and Green Energy
"An analysis of more than $1 billion dollars in spending by the Department of Veterans Affairs on “professional services” finds several instances of questionable spending, including millions for a national ad campaign and energy programs to make VA facilities more sustainable."
Human life, if you get the right medical care.
PRIORITIES!!!
Random News About Jews You Can Use: Schmaltz Herring in Toronto Edition
The smoked fish in Israel is absolutely amazing, so I've been hunting for really good smoked herring here in Toronto. Apparently, Daiter's is the place!
Cute video and so true about the fork!
Cute video and so true about the fork!
Pint Sized Cupcake Crusader Wins Big in Illinois: Pushback On the Hyper-Regulation of America
The Cupcake Crusader wins the Internet today!!
This is a particularly delicious victory because Gov. Quinn is no fan of individual liberty-especially as we have seen via his thuggish support for union goons-a fight my friend Pam Harris of Chicago is fighting.
Get a load of this:
"Chloe started "Hey Cupcake!" in her parents' Troy kitchen in order to sell cupcakes at fundraisers and to friends and family, according to the governor's office. But when the Madison County Health Department got wind of the cottage industry they shut it down because Chloe didn't have the proper business license and the Stirlings' kitchen wasn't commercially certified."
"So Chloe and her mom went to Springfield, where they lobbied for a bill to make it easier for small "home kitchen operators" to sell their goods without having to jump through so many government hoops."
THIS is America. This is the spirit of America.
When the Health Department tells a 12 year old girl that she can't make and sell homemade cupcakes, it's time to tell the Health Department and all its bureaucratic enablers-right up to the Governor's office to SHOVE IT. And they did!
A very sweet victory indeed.
Read this part very carefully, it really must have truly pained Quinn to utter these words.
"Quinn thanked Chloe for standing up for small entrepreneurs."
"Democracy is for everyone and I salute Chloe Stirling for getting involved and making a difference for a cause she believes in," he said."
"Senate Republicans released a statement applauding Quinn for signing the bill, but contending his administration fought against it until a public outcry forced them to relent."
Publicity, public outcry, saying NO, leads to "relent". Got that?
If a 12 year old cupcake entrepreneur can do it, what are you waiting for?
Read the whole story.
Thanks to SMW for sending it in.
This is a particularly delicious victory because Gov. Quinn is no fan of individual liberty-especially as we have seen via his thuggish support for union goons-a fight my friend Pam Harris of Chicago is fighting.
Get a load of this:
"Chloe started "Hey Cupcake!" in her parents' Troy kitchen in order to sell cupcakes at fundraisers and to friends and family, according to the governor's office. But when the Madison County Health Department got wind of the cottage industry they shut it down because Chloe didn't have the proper business license and the Stirlings' kitchen wasn't commercially certified."
"So Chloe and her mom went to Springfield, where they lobbied for a bill to make it easier for small "home kitchen operators" to sell their goods without having to jump through so many government hoops."
THIS is America. This is the spirit of America.
When the Health Department tells a 12 year old girl that she can't make and sell homemade cupcakes, it's time to tell the Health Department and all its bureaucratic enablers-right up to the Governor's office to SHOVE IT. And they did!
A very sweet victory indeed.
Read this part very carefully, it really must have truly pained Quinn to utter these words.
"Quinn thanked Chloe for standing up for small entrepreneurs."
"Democracy is for everyone and I salute Chloe Stirling for getting involved and making a difference for a cause she believes in," he said."
"Senate Republicans released a statement applauding Quinn for signing the bill, but contending his administration fought against it until a public outcry forced them to relent."
Publicity, public outcry, saying NO, leads to "relent". Got that?
If a 12 year old cupcake entrepreneur can do it, what are you waiting for?
Read the whole story.
Thanks to SMW for sending it in.
Gwyneth Paltrow: Yelling At Water Hurts Its Feelings
OMG!
Not only is she annoying and ALWAYS 43 EVERY YEAR NO MATTER HOW MANY YEARS PASS, she is also dumber than a bag of hammers.
Behold: Yelling at water makes it sad.
Thanks to Andrew for sending this in.
I'm dying.
Hahahahahahahahaha!
Not only is she annoying and ALWAYS 43 EVERY YEAR NO MATTER HOW MANY YEARS PASS, she is also dumber than a bag of hammers.
Behold: Yelling at water makes it sad.
Thanks to Andrew for sending this in.
I'm dying.
Hahahahahahahahaha!
Apparently I Am the Last Woman in North America To Know: Mark Steyn is a Bantam Rooster on Viagra
Woe is me!
But seriously folks, this is a great bit and I guess it's now going to be a regular gig, every other Wednesday on the Oakley show.
As I've said before, these interviews are excellent because Oakley is quite an excellent interviewer and he lets Steyn answer questions properly. This is how good radio is done. Thoughtful question, good rapport and time to answer.
Sooooo, the bantam rooster on Viagra himself has some fun trouncing Hilary Clinton and the spousal presidential entitlement program and the flaccid state of American world power and prowess.
He makes a very frightening and astute point also about the traitor schmuck that Obama brought home, and the dangerous jihadi murderers that were released.
He notes that President Obama is the only American president ever to replenish the enemy while the war is still on.
That's a haunting, and evil reality that bodes very poorly for America.
Listen to the whole thing.
But seriously folks, this is a great bit and I guess it's now going to be a regular gig, every other Wednesday on the Oakley show.
As I've said before, these interviews are excellent because Oakley is quite an excellent interviewer and he lets Steyn answer questions properly. This is how good radio is done. Thoughtful question, good rapport and time to answer.
Sooooo, the bantam rooster on Viagra himself has some fun trouncing Hilary Clinton and the spousal presidential entitlement program and the flaccid state of American world power and prowess.
He makes a very frightening and astute point also about the traitor schmuck that Obama brought home, and the dangerous jihadi murderers that were released.
He notes that President Obama is the only American president ever to replenish the enemy while the war is still on.
That's a haunting, and evil reality that bodes very poorly for America.
Listen to the whole thing.
Lilly Tomlin Risks Wrath of Solange: Says Beyonce Part of Problem of Hypersexualized Children
Very gutsy.
Telling the truth about her 'selling' her body and selling sexuality to "teeny boppers".
Read the whole thing.
Telling the truth about her 'selling' her body and selling sexuality to "teeny boppers".
Read the whole thing.
This: A Word to the Idiots Who Are Blaming Cantor's Loss on Antisemitism
Well done, Yid With Lid.
"The book of Leviticus (25:23) says:"
“If your brother becomes impoverished and his means falter in your proximity, you shall strengthen him proselyte or resident so that he can live with you”
"Notice it says live with you, it does not say live in a government facility, because the obligation is on the individual. In rare times the community was called on to pick up the slack but it was never the community government, but it was the local Rabbi who would lead the effort. The Hebrew word for charity, tzedaka, has in it root the word tzedek which means righteous, because we are taught that giving charity one of the keys to righteousness."
"I once read that when God created the world, sparks of his holiness were spread across the earth. Every time that a person makes the choice of performing a righteous act, one of those sparks is purified and sent back to heaven, through that process we become closer to God."
"Liberal/Progressive government takes away that choice. It assumes that left to our own devices, we will do the wrong thing (or at least what they say is the wrong thing), government takes over the role of God, and steps in to control our decisions. Liberalism takes away our personal choice and gives it to the government, retarding our spiritual development and most importantly, the opportunity to get closer to our maker."
"The book of Leviticus (25:23) says:"
“If your brother becomes impoverished and his means falter in your proximity, you shall strengthen him proselyte or resident so that he can live with you”
"Notice it says live with you, it does not say live in a government facility, because the obligation is on the individual. In rare times the community was called on to pick up the slack but it was never the community government, but it was the local Rabbi who would lead the effort. The Hebrew word for charity, tzedaka, has in it root the word tzedek which means righteous, because we are taught that giving charity one of the keys to righteousness."
"I once read that when God created the world, sparks of his holiness were spread across the earth. Every time that a person makes the choice of performing a righteous act, one of those sparks is purified and sent back to heaven, through that process we become closer to God."
"Liberal/Progressive government takes away that choice. It assumes that left to our own devices, we will do the wrong thing (or at least what they say is the wrong thing), government takes over the role of God, and steps in to control our decisions. Liberalism takes away our personal choice and gives it to the government, retarding our spiritual development and most importantly, the opportunity to get closer to our maker."
Friend Makes Call To Action for Jailed Marine, And Sister Makes Plea For Jailed Brother
So, President Obama can get a stinker traitor out of the hands of the Taliban, by-as Mark Steyn put it this morning on the Oakley show "replenishing the enemy while the war is on" (and noted that no other American president has ever done such as thing), but they cannot get one Marine out of jail in Mexico for making a simple mistake?
He made a traffic mistake. For that, he is rotting in jail. He served his country and now rots in a putrid Mexican jail for making a wrong turn.
You know, Mexico is very dependent on America and Canada, economically, and of course since probably half their population has emptied into America over the past few decades.
This shows not just the fecklessness of the Obama regime, but also it's wickedness and utter impotence.
Take a look at this clip and my American readers-please do something, a call, an e-mail, a phone call.
(Side note-OMG this group of guys is gorgeous. Seriously, hubba hubba! But that is TOTALLY, and COMPLETELY inappropriate and cougary, and really not related to the topic at hand. Did I mention that they are gorgeous and built like brick sh&t houses? Sorry IS IT HOT IN HERE?!??!?!)
Right-back to business.
Politicians respond to public pressure. Why? Not necessarily because it's the right thing to do, but because it is in their self-interest to remain your elected leader.
Remind them that incumbents are often TOAST, as we just saw with Eric Cantor.
Please read this Corner post at NRO from Jay Nordlinger.
"A Sister Writes In"
It's about the sister of imprisoned Jewish American Alan Gross-an aid worker who has been stuck in a Cuban jail for years.
His sister writes-why would you encourage tourism to Cuba?
You know-given how inept and disgusting President Obama is, perhaps it might be better for Stephen Harper or Jason Kenny to put in a good word with the Mexicans and the Cubans. Hell, if I were an American relative of these guys I would ask Putin to do it-even that would be more effective than expecting President Obama to lift a manicured finger do to anything for these fellow Americans.
Let's review:
Traitor and Taliban collaborator brought home replete with wacky Allahu Akbar Rose Garden ceremony.
Marine and Jewish American aid worker rotting in jail.
Reprehensible.
He made a traffic mistake. For that, he is rotting in jail. He served his country and now rots in a putrid Mexican jail for making a wrong turn.
You know, Mexico is very dependent on America and Canada, economically, and of course since probably half their population has emptied into America over the past few decades.
This shows not just the fecklessness of the Obama regime, but also it's wickedness and utter impotence.
Take a look at this clip and my American readers-please do something, a call, an e-mail, a phone call.
(Side note-OMG this group of guys is gorgeous. Seriously, hubba hubba! But that is TOTALLY, and COMPLETELY inappropriate and cougary, and really not related to the topic at hand. Did I mention that they are gorgeous and built like brick sh&t houses? Sorry IS IT HOT IN HERE?!??!?!)
Right-back to business.
Politicians respond to public pressure. Why? Not necessarily because it's the right thing to do, but because it is in their self-interest to remain your elected leader.
Remind them that incumbents are often TOAST, as we just saw with Eric Cantor.
Please read this Corner post at NRO from Jay Nordlinger.
"A Sister Writes In"
It's about the sister of imprisoned Jewish American Alan Gross-an aid worker who has been stuck in a Cuban jail for years.
His sister writes-why would you encourage tourism to Cuba?
You know-given how inept and disgusting President Obama is, perhaps it might be better for Stephen Harper or Jason Kenny to put in a good word with the Mexicans and the Cubans. Hell, if I were an American relative of these guys I would ask Putin to do it-even that would be more effective than expecting President Obama to lift a manicured finger do to anything for these fellow Americans.
Let's review:
Traitor and Taliban collaborator brought home replete with wacky Allahu Akbar Rose Garden ceremony.
Marine and Jewish American aid worker rotting in jail.
Reprehensible.
The "French" Jihad: Jewish Boy Tasered in Paris
At least the leaders of the French Jewish community publicly identify the problem:
“Anti-Semitic incidents are an almost daily occurrence in France,” BNVCA President Sammy Ghozlan told JTA."
“They are becoming more frequent and whereas the targets used to be synagogues, now there are more physical assaults on people: Young religious Jews.”
"While far-right nationalists like Jean-Marie Le Pen “certainly produce anti-Semitic hate speech, the vast majority of physical attacks are committed by Muslims,” Ghozlan said."
“Anti-Semitic incidents are an almost daily occurrence in France,” BNVCA President Sammy Ghozlan told JTA."
“They are becoming more frequent and whereas the targets used to be synagogues, now there are more physical assaults on people: Young religious Jews.”
"While far-right nationalists like Jean-Marie Le Pen “certainly produce anti-Semitic hate speech, the vast majority of physical attacks are committed by Muslims,” Ghozlan said."
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
EU Commission Official to Rabbi: ""STOP f***ing writing me about your Zionist bullshit,"
Subtle!
"STOP f***ing writing me about your Zionist bullshit," wrote Mattia Zilli, a project officer at the EC's Research Executive Agency, in an email to Rabbi Ari Enkin of the Beit Shemesh-based United with Israel organization after receiving an online newsletter he's been subscribed to since 2011.
"In response to queries from the UWI and The Jerusalem Post, Zilli wrote that his email was written out of frustration over attempts to unsubscribe to the newsletter."
"My irritating tone in my emails was never intended against Israel, against any religion, or culture but merely against this constant receiving of emails in my professional inbox," he wrote.
"I was talking for myself and not in the name of the European Commission, the European Union or anyone else."
Via Atara Beck.
"STOP f***ing writing me about your Zionist bullshit," wrote Mattia Zilli, a project officer at the EC's Research Executive Agency, in an email to Rabbi Ari Enkin of the Beit Shemesh-based United with Israel organization after receiving an online newsletter he's been subscribed to since 2011.
"In response to queries from the UWI and The Jerusalem Post, Zilli wrote that his email was written out of frustration over attempts to unsubscribe to the newsletter."
"My irritating tone in my emails was never intended against Israel, against any religion, or culture but merely against this constant receiving of emails in my professional inbox," he wrote.
"I was talking for myself and not in the name of the European Commission, the European Union or anyone else."
Via Atara Beck.
#RealWarOnWomen in the Arab Spring
Teenager sexually assaulted and bloodied during festive Presidential inauguration in Egypt.
TV anchor reporting incident laughs about it, explains that the (to borrow a phrase from the great Mark Steyn PBUH) "excitable young lads" of Egypt were just happy.
Nothing says happy like sexually assaulting teenagers right?!?!?
All cultures are equal! Equal and happy! Happily equal!!
What is missing from this story??
Hmm....the missing "I" word...the missing "S" word...or the "M" word?
Now where are they?
I spy with my little right wing hatey Zionist Jew eye the words "conservative" and "patriarchal" but I don't see "Islam" or "sharia" or "Muslim". Strange, that.
"Last week, authorities issued a decree declaring sexual harassment a crime punishable by up to five years in prison. The decree amended Egypt’s current laws on abuse, which did not criminalize sexual harassment and only vaguely referred to such offences as “indecent assault.”
"Sexual harassment has been one of Egypt’s enduring social ills, embedded in the country’s patriarchal conservative culture, where women are seen as inferior to men. Movies often portray women as sex objects, leaving them vulnerable to men who feel empowered by the absence of a strong legal deterrent."
Furthermore:
"Last year, a joint report by the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, Egypt’s Demographic Center and the National Planning Institute found that more than 99 per cent of hundreds of women surveyed in seven of the country’s 27 provinces reported experiencing some form of sexual harassment, ranging from verbal harassment to rape."
"The breakdown in security in the wake of the 2011 uprising that toppled Mubarak has left Egypt’s streets even more unsafe for women."
ARAB SPRING!!!
TV anchor reporting incident laughs about it, explains that the (to borrow a phrase from the great Mark Steyn PBUH) "excitable young lads" of Egypt were just happy.
Nothing says happy like sexually assaulting teenagers right?!?!?
All cultures are equal! Equal and happy! Happily equal!!
What is missing from this story??
Hmm....the missing "I" word...the missing "S" word...or the "M" word?
Now where are they?
I spy with my little right wing hatey Zionist Jew eye the words "conservative" and "patriarchal" but I don't see "Islam" or "sharia" or "Muslim". Strange, that.
"Last week, authorities issued a decree declaring sexual harassment a crime punishable by up to five years in prison. The decree amended Egypt’s current laws on abuse, which did not criminalize sexual harassment and only vaguely referred to such offences as “indecent assault.”
"Sexual harassment has been one of Egypt’s enduring social ills, embedded in the country’s patriarchal conservative culture, where women are seen as inferior to men. Movies often portray women as sex objects, leaving them vulnerable to men who feel empowered by the absence of a strong legal deterrent."
Furthermore:
"Last year, a joint report by the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, Egypt’s Demographic Center and the National Planning Institute found that more than 99 per cent of hundreds of women surveyed in seven of the country’s 27 provinces reported experiencing some form of sexual harassment, ranging from verbal harassment to rape."
"The breakdown in security in the wake of the 2011 uprising that toppled Mubarak has left Egypt’s streets even more unsafe for women."
ARAB SPRING!!!
Steyn: "Going My Way" and "There is No Deal"
"First of all, I link to all kinds of things - stuff I agree with, stuff I
think is absolute codswallopping balderdash, and stuff that falls
somewhere in between. Every reader is free to click on the link and decide where on that spectrum he personally falls."
Yesterday was a good day, as I clearly evaded Mark Steyn's Absolute Codswallopping Balderdash list.
"There is No "Deal":
"Watch that Rose Garden ceremony again and ask yourself Shannon Allen's question: Which guy is the hero? Pace Susan Rice, there are three dishonorable men in that short photo-op: a deserter who broke his oath, a father who sympathizes publicly with the enemy ...and a president lying before the nation, to make them complicit in that dishonor. Mr Obama is unworthy of the men who fight on "his" behalf."
"~The Bergdahl disgrace was not helped by being juxtaposed against the D-Day observances. Speaking of heroes, here is the tale of Bernard Jordan, who was told by his carers at his nursing home in Sussex that he couldn't attend the 70th anniversary ceremonies with his fellow veterans. So he bust out of the home and hightailed it a cross the Channel, just like he did seven decades ago. If you're doing your math, yes, he was 19 years old on D-Day. He was 17 when he lied about his age to get into the Royal Navy. As Laura Rosen Cohen says:
Yesterday was a good day, as I clearly evaded Mark Steyn's Absolute Codswallopping Balderdash list.
"There is No "Deal":
"Watch that Rose Garden ceremony again and ask yourself Shannon Allen's question: Which guy is the hero? Pace Susan Rice, there are three dishonorable men in that short photo-op: a deserter who broke his oath, a father who sympathizes publicly with the enemy ...and a president lying before the nation, to make them complicit in that dishonor. Mr Obama is unworthy of the men who fight on "his" behalf."
"~The Bergdahl disgrace was not helped by being juxtaposed against the D-Day observances. Speaking of heroes, here is the tale of Bernard Jordan, who was told by his carers at his nursing home in Sussex that he couldn't attend the 70th anniversary ceremonies with his fellow veterans. So he bust out of the home and hightailed it a cross the Channel, just like he did seven decades ago. If you're doing your math, yes, he was 19 years old on D-Day. He was 17 when he lied about his age to get into the Royal Navy. As Laura Rosen Cohen says:
Now think about "kids" these days, and their eternal childhood.
What a world it was, what a world we have now.
"Organic" Is Not Better For You, and "Organic" Pesticides Are Pretty Dangerous
"Organic" is bullshit.
"People buy organic because they think it's better for the environment; it's not. It's safer; it's not. It tastes better; it doesn't. It's more nutritious; it isn't. And these are all misconceptions that have been deliberately promoted -- according to these authors -- by organic farmers and organic proponents despite the fact that scientific evidence doesn't support any of these claims."
SCIENCE!!
(The science is settled?!?! Ha ha!)
"People buy organic because they think it's better for the environment; it's not. It's safer; it's not. It tastes better; it doesn't. It's more nutritious; it isn't. And these are all misconceptions that have been deliberately promoted -- according to these authors -- by organic farmers and organic proponents despite the fact that scientific evidence doesn't support any of these claims."
SCIENCE!!
(The science is settled?!?! Ha ha!)
Smart, Cool: Israel Aims to Draw Haredim Into High Tech and Start Up Nation
This is good stuff.
Once they get a taste of capitalism and the good life, and earning their keep-things will change.
Rapidly.
Once they get a taste of capitalism and the good life, and earning their keep-things will change.
Rapidly.
When the State Takes Your Child: "Please Let Me Go Home"
Overreach of the state.
Disgusting.
I hope she gets home soon.
Then I hope the family sues the asses off of all the "helpy" people who turned their lives into a nightmare.
Disgusting.
I hope she gets home soon.
Then I hope the family sues the asses off of all the "helpy" people who turned their lives into a nightmare.
Monday, June 9, 2014
America, I Love You, But Your Over-Militarized Police Forces (Better Known As Armies) Are Out of Control
As I have said before, these are no longer police forces-they are small armies with their guns pointed right at you, my American friends.
Even the New York Times is noticing that police forces are becoming armies.
They put it quite succinctly: 'war gear flows to police departments'.
If 'war gear' flows to a police department, that makes it an army.
Residents of towns and cities where this is happening note that police are arming themselves to fight against a non-existent level of violence. Citizens do not want small armies in their towns.
Why on earth does every small town police force in America need anti-tank vehicles, mine-resistant trucks, camouflage, night vision goggles, silencers, armoured cars?
The Times says that there is "a debate over whether the post-9/11 era had obscured the lines between soldier and police officer". This is absolutely preposterous. A soldier is sent by his country to enemy territory to fight wars, or to defend borders. A police officer is on home turf, dealing with fellow citizens.
I thought lefties were against arms races. Is it just because there is now a lefty Democrat (socialist) in power now that an arms race against the citizenry is acceptable? Would this kind of acceptance of a domestic arms race between American cities and towns have been acceptable under a Republican administration?
So, it's OK for these state SWAT armies to be armed to the teeth, with better armies than some small developing nations, but individuals exercising their own Second Amendment rights are the problem? Someone walk me through this-because it spells disaster to me.
Look at the absolute hooey that is being peddled by police chiefs:
"In the Indianapolis suburbs, officers said they needed a mine-resistant vehicle to protect against a possible attack by veterans returning from war."
That's a pretty disturbing sentence. The thought that a small locality's biggest problem, necessitating armoured and mine resistant vehicles because of VETERANS returning from war is a despicable smear against the military and an egregious, evil and libellous spew of propaganda. It is a distraction from the real threat facing the west in general, and of course America in particular.
See no jihad, speak no jihad, say no jihad.
This article is absolutely horrifying and I fear things will get much, much worse and bloody before they get better.
Even the New York Times is noticing that police forces are becoming armies.
They put it quite succinctly: 'war gear flows to police departments'.
If 'war gear' flows to a police department, that makes it an army.
Residents of towns and cities where this is happening note that police are arming themselves to fight against a non-existent level of violence. Citizens do not want small armies in their towns.
Why on earth does every small town police force in America need anti-tank vehicles, mine-resistant trucks, camouflage, night vision goggles, silencers, armoured cars?
The Times says that there is "a debate over whether the post-9/11 era had obscured the lines between soldier and police officer". This is absolutely preposterous. A soldier is sent by his country to enemy territory to fight wars, or to defend borders. A police officer is on home turf, dealing with fellow citizens.
I thought lefties were against arms races. Is it just because there is now a lefty Democrat (socialist) in power now that an arms race against the citizenry is acceptable? Would this kind of acceptance of a domestic arms race between American cities and towns have been acceptable under a Republican administration?
So, it's OK for these state SWAT armies to be armed to the teeth, with better armies than some small developing nations, but individuals exercising their own Second Amendment rights are the problem? Someone walk me through this-because it spells disaster to me.
Look at the absolute hooey that is being peddled by police chiefs:
"In the Indianapolis suburbs, officers said they needed a mine-resistant vehicle to protect against a possible attack by veterans returning from war."
That's a pretty disturbing sentence. The thought that a small locality's biggest problem, necessitating armoured and mine resistant vehicles because of VETERANS returning from war is a despicable smear against the military and an egregious, evil and libellous spew of propaganda. It is a distraction from the real threat facing the west in general, and of course America in particular.
See no jihad, speak no jihad, say no jihad.
This article is absolutely horrifying and I fear things will get much, much worse and bloody before they get better.
Must Read of the Day: "Watch What You Say, The New Liberal Power Elite Won't Tolerate Dissent."
You must, must read the whole thing.
It is certainly one of the best essays I have read on the subject.
Concise and well-stated, drawing examples from every pillar of elite society that controls the regular folks.
Read and share.
And do something about it.
It is certainly one of the best essays I have read on the subject.
Concise and well-stated, drawing examples from every pillar of elite society that controls the regular folks.
Read and share.
And do something about it.
Vancouver Schools Know Your Children's Gender Better Than You-What Could Possibly Go Wrong?
You will celebrate diversity: OR ELSE.
This is quite an odious development in British Columbia.
How about teaching reading, writing and arithmetic? How about that???
"The new policy grants students confidentiality in how they identify their gender at school, bars staff from referring students for counseling that would “change [their] sexual orientation or gender identity,” and allows students to choose which bathroom they use."
"The concerned parents, led by lawyer Cheryl Chang, who chairs the Parent Advisory Council at a local high school in the VSB, are being labeled as “homophobes” for raising concerns over the proposed revisions."
“I’m representing parents who actually love their children, want to be involved in parenting them, and what we’re being told is: ‘No, the school knows better. You’re all dangerous, especially if you have religious beliefs that gender is associated with genitals, then you are wrong,’” Chang said in an interview with Sun News’ Brian Lilley, host of Byline.
This is quite an odious development in British Columbia.
How about teaching reading, writing and arithmetic? How about that???
"The new policy grants students confidentiality in how they identify their gender at school, bars staff from referring students for counseling that would “change [their] sexual orientation or gender identity,” and allows students to choose which bathroom they use."
"The concerned parents, led by lawyer Cheryl Chang, who chairs the Parent Advisory Council at a local high school in the VSB, are being labeled as “homophobes” for raising concerns over the proposed revisions."
“I’m representing parents who actually love their children, want to be involved in parenting them, and what we’re being told is: ‘No, the school knows better. You’re all dangerous, especially if you have religious beliefs that gender is associated with genitals, then you are wrong,’” Chang said in an interview with Sun News’ Brian Lilley, host of Byline.
Sunday, June 8, 2014
Hmmm...Cop in Utah Refuses to Work At Gay Pride Parade
I really don't know which side to root for in this.
Would be very interesting to know more details.
But this paragraph struck me as being utterly Orwellian, like from the Re-Education Gulag Executive Committee:
“We don’t tolerate bias and bigotry in the department, and assignments are assignments … To allow personal opinion to enter into whether an officer will take a post is not something that can be tolerated in a police department,” Jones told KSL.
Would be very interesting to know more details.
But this paragraph struck me as being utterly Orwellian, like from the Re-Education Gulag Executive Committee:
“We don’t tolerate bias and bigotry in the department, and assignments are assignments … To allow personal opinion to enter into whether an officer will take a post is not something that can be tolerated in a police department,” Jones told KSL.
I wonder if the rules about not tolerating the intolerant are applied universally within this police department.
And, I wonder if-in this case, the objecting officer was a Christian and is therefore being punished severely and being made an example of what happens when you don't want to celebrate sexual diversity on the job. An example of what happens when you say that you have a different opinion, and that you are not swallowing the forced tolerance-hook, line and sinker.
I wonder if the objecting officer was a Muslim, if he or she would be punished for religious-based objections.
And who decides the rules?
They say they don't tolerate bias and bigotry.
I'm not terribly comfortable having other people decide what I can and cannot like or dislike.
Nuts to that.
Jews Narrowly Escape Axe Attack Near Paris During Shavuot Holiday
Nothing to see here.
"They described the man as having an athletic figure and an Arab appearance."
"Producing a hatchet, the man began to chase the two boys, according to the BNVCA report, then whistled to three other men who joined the chase. The boys and their grandfather filed complaints with police, BNVCA President Sammy Ghozlan wrote."
"I Went Because It Was the Right Thing to Do"-The Nursing Home "Great Escape" Veteran Explains Why He Went to War
Must read.
Whole story is awesome.
G-d bless him.
Superstar badass at 89.
He lied to enlist at age 17.
Now think about "kids" these days, and their eternal childhood.
What a world it was, what a world we have now.
Comparable courage of course, can be found in Israel-where 18 year old "kids" turn into fighting men and women right out of high school.
Friday, June 6, 2014
Must Watch Ezra Levant With The Great, Supreme, Grand Imam of Calgary
HOW DOES HE WALK?
Seriously, Ezra has a PAIR!!!!
Stick Some Steyn in Yer Bong And Smoke It
Where do I sign up to be a roadie for the Stoned on Steyn tour?
I guess there is some danger of, like overdosing on Steyn but WHAT A WAY TO GO!!!!!!?!?!?!!
You must read this Steyn post: "Follow Your Conscience".
(Read eeevil seekrit Jooooo Kathy Draidle's talk radio summary while you're at it!)
A taste the Steyn Bong (Steyn Hookah? Perhaps that is more diverse? More "celebrate diversity" type of thing?):
On Obama:
"Obama is going to finish his term in a position that no U.S. president has been in since I think Grover Cleveland. He’s going to be the number two guy. He’s going to be the global also-ran. So what American leadership? Economic leadership is likely to be gone by the end of the year, geopolitical leadership, he’s out there working, doing his 12 ounce curls in the gym in Warsaw in his mom jeans while Putin’s riding around annexing all kinds of territory, the mullahs are doing what they want, the Politburo’s doing what they want, and the Taliban, who are goat herds with fertilizer, have just beaten the United States of America."
Bwahahahaha!
He questions what the hell that was in the Rose Garden:
"It doesn’t matter whether you are talking about those creepy, freaky, weirdo optics of the Rose Garden photo op, which is now being seen all around the Muslim world as some kind of Islamic submission by the great Satan, the point of which the dad was doing his Allah the most merciful routine."
(And what could possibly be wrong with that??!?!)
Lastly, you can blame it on the sunshine, blame it on the moonlight, blame it on the boogie, or blame it on the disco.
Steyn:
"So don’t blame me if the current state of things, I’m channeling Gloria Gaynor."
I'd pay quite a few shiny shekels to see Mark Steyn chanel Gloria Gaynor. Just sayin...
LONG LIVE DISCO!
I guess there is some danger of, like overdosing on Steyn but WHAT A WAY TO GO!!!!!!?!?!?!!
You must read this Steyn post: "Follow Your Conscience".
(Read eeevil seekrit Jooooo Kathy Draidle's talk radio summary while you're at it!)
A taste the Steyn Bong (Steyn Hookah? Perhaps that is more diverse? More "celebrate diversity" type of thing?):
On Obama:
"Obama is going to finish his term in a position that no U.S. president has been in since I think Grover Cleveland. He’s going to be the number two guy. He’s going to be the global also-ran. So what American leadership? Economic leadership is likely to be gone by the end of the year, geopolitical leadership, he’s out there working, doing his 12 ounce curls in the gym in Warsaw in his mom jeans while Putin’s riding around annexing all kinds of territory, the mullahs are doing what they want, the Politburo’s doing what they want, and the Taliban, who are goat herds with fertilizer, have just beaten the United States of America."
Bwahahahaha!
He questions what the hell that was in the Rose Garden:
"It doesn’t matter whether you are talking about those creepy, freaky, weirdo optics of the Rose Garden photo op, which is now being seen all around the Muslim world as some kind of Islamic submission by the great Satan, the point of which the dad was doing his Allah the most merciful routine."
(And what could possibly be wrong with that??!?!)
Lastly, you can blame it on the sunshine, blame it on the moonlight, blame it on the boogie, or blame it on the disco.
Steyn:
"So don’t blame me if the current state of things, I’m channeling Gloria Gaynor."
I'd pay quite a few shiny shekels to see Mark Steyn chanel Gloria Gaynor. Just sayin...
LONG LIVE DISCO!
Excellent First Amendment Ruling: New Jersey Court Rules for Nurse Who Refused Flu Shot
The integrity of the human body is a critical thing.
This is very good.
If someone knowingly signs an employment contract that states from the outset that a condition of their continued employment is taking vaccines at the employers whim, then that is a different story. If you sign that contract-your problem.
However, if someone decides that for whatever capricious reason, "for the children", "for public health" or "for your own good" or "because we say so" or "because we have tons of these vaccines in stock and my buddy owns the company", then I say nuts to that.
By the way, I am not anti-vaccines in the least. I am pro-vaccines. My kids are all up to date-with the exception of the HPV scam. No way-no how, and over my dead body. I think flu shots are also bogus.
Clever argument in my view:
"A New Jersey appeals court ruled on Thursday that First Amendment protections allowing people to refuse medical procedures on religious grounds also extends to those opting out of treatment for secular reasons."
"June Valent was a nurse at the Hackettstown Community Hospital in September 2010 when the company issued a policy requiring employees to get a flu vaccination. The rule allowed workers to claim an exemption on religious or medical grounds provided they submitted a note from a religious leader or a doctor."
"The religion-based exemption irrefutably illustrates that the flu vaccination policy is not based exclusively on public health concerns," the opinion said.
This is very good.
If someone knowingly signs an employment contract that states from the outset that a condition of their continued employment is taking vaccines at the employers whim, then that is a different story. If you sign that contract-your problem.
However, if someone decides that for whatever capricious reason, "for the children", "for public health" or "for your own good" or "because we say so" or "because we have tons of these vaccines in stock and my buddy owns the company", then I say nuts to that.
By the way, I am not anti-vaccines in the least. I am pro-vaccines. My kids are all up to date-with the exception of the HPV scam. No way-no how, and over my dead body. I think flu shots are also bogus.
Clever argument in my view:
"A New Jersey appeals court ruled on Thursday that First Amendment protections allowing people to refuse medical procedures on religious grounds also extends to those opting out of treatment for secular reasons."
"June Valent was a nurse at the Hackettstown Community Hospital in September 2010 when the company issued a policy requiring employees to get a flu vaccination. The rule allowed workers to claim an exemption on religious or medical grounds provided they submitted a note from a religious leader or a doctor."
"The religion-based exemption irrefutably illustrates that the flu vaccination policy is not based exclusively on public health concerns," the opinion said.
D-Day Anniversary Links-Lots of Amazing Stuff In Here
Good stuff in here.
Amazing stuff from Mark Steyn in here.
So many amazing stories.
"There was no way back, only forward."
"It was like hell."
"The turning point."
"Vets take flight for D-Day anniversary."
Ronald Reagan's 40th anniversary address-watch here.
"D-Day as it happened, hour by hour..."
Yogi Berra's story-really neat!
Amazing stuff from Mark Steyn in here.
So many amazing stories.
"There was no way back, only forward."
"It was like hell."
"The turning point."
"Vets take flight for D-Day anniversary."
Ronald Reagan's 40th anniversary address-watch here.
"D-Day as it happened, hour by hour..."
Yogi Berra's story-really neat!
Rolling Stones Rocked Israel
Class act.
Loved this Tweet from Mick Jagger.
"Thank you to everyone in Israel for a wonderful reception, an incredible show and we will always remember it."
Loved this Tweet from Mick Jagger.
"Thank you to everyone in Israel for a wonderful reception, an incredible show and we will always remember it."
תודה לכולם בישראל על קבלת פנים נפלאה. היתה הופעה אדירה ונזכור אותה תמיד. pic.twitter.com/BwH3QJzdd3
— Mick Jagger (@MickJagger) June 5, 2014Thursday, June 5, 2014
When Something Is Terribly Sad, But It's Not Your Own Personal Sad
I've written about this type of thing before.
What do you do when you hear of, or read of terrible things happening to other people? Some far away in far away lands, some closer-perhaps in the same country, the same neighbourhood, or your own community-but not in your own immediate circle of friends and family.
I think part of growing up is realizing how many bad things happen, all the time.
Life is glorious.
Every healthy day on this planet is glorious, but bad things happen to different people at different times. Every day that goes by that we have on this earth that is healthy is a blessing. Every moment we can enjoy with our loved ones is a blessing. Life is fleeting and precious.
Nobody really wants to hear about other people's problems. Of course we want to support our relatives and friends, but on the whole, people have their very own problems to deal with. Even the people who seem the most settled, the most capable, the most solid-even they have moments of anguish, moments of questioning how to put one foot in front of the other.
Last week, toward the end of the week I had a serene moment of 'there but for the grace of G-d go I'. I have lots of those.
I heard from one friend in my own, local special needs community whose son was in the hospital. I love that little guy. She had to rush him down to emergency as he turned a bluish grey, his oxygen saturation levels hovering around 54% (normal is 100% or just under, 98 or 99%). He's better now.
That same afternoon, an old friend from university told me that her brother-in-law had suddenly had a massive heart attack, he was only 54. Her ex-husband was a close acquaintance as well, but she was more my friend and in fact, he had left her a year ago after 20 years of marriage.
Today, though, I nearly came to pieces as I heard that a young boy with the same syndrome as my son succumbed to cancer. I knew it was bad, but somehow you can never anticipate the worst. I wasn't planning to cry, I don't cry that often, but I was-for a few minutes, paralyzed with sadness.
That little guy was an only child to a single mom. It is a devastating, tragic loss. A hole in the heart that can never heal. I can't bear to read any more about him, the sad could consume me.
Another friend sent me this article, "Bury My Son Before I Die".
It's heavy, but honest and poignant.
It contained a phrase that haunts me...spending a lifetime mourning children I have never met. That really sums up what it is like when you have a child with a syndrome and bad things happen to them. They are like family. You do mourn children you have never met. It's real. Not the teddy-bears-at-makeshift-memorial thing. It's real pain, in the heart, in the gut. In the soul.
Grief is a vacuum. You feel the need to talk, or to tell someone, but the downside is it pulls people in.
It took me a few hours and a long walk to be calm in the sadness-the grief that is not my own personal loss, but a human reaction to a bereavement of the most horrible kind, and to which I have a personal connection.
It's easy to get mad at G-d sometimes. Is it not enough for children to have a debilitating syndrome, and then to further be confronted by the sinister, terrible medical issues that can spring up and attack? Isn't a disability enough, dear G-d in heaven?
Bad things happen, good is all around us.
Hug your loved ones. Do good things. Savour every moment.
Rest in peace, little Tucker.
What do you do when you hear of, or read of terrible things happening to other people? Some far away in far away lands, some closer-perhaps in the same country, the same neighbourhood, or your own community-but not in your own immediate circle of friends and family.
I think part of growing up is realizing how many bad things happen, all the time.
Life is glorious.
Every healthy day on this planet is glorious, but bad things happen to different people at different times. Every day that goes by that we have on this earth that is healthy is a blessing. Every moment we can enjoy with our loved ones is a blessing. Life is fleeting and precious.
Nobody really wants to hear about other people's problems. Of course we want to support our relatives and friends, but on the whole, people have their very own problems to deal with. Even the people who seem the most settled, the most capable, the most solid-even they have moments of anguish, moments of questioning how to put one foot in front of the other.
Last week, toward the end of the week I had a serene moment of 'there but for the grace of G-d go I'. I have lots of those.
I heard from one friend in my own, local special needs community whose son was in the hospital. I love that little guy. She had to rush him down to emergency as he turned a bluish grey, his oxygen saturation levels hovering around 54% (normal is 100% or just under, 98 or 99%). He's better now.
That same afternoon, an old friend from university told me that her brother-in-law had suddenly had a massive heart attack, he was only 54. Her ex-husband was a close acquaintance as well, but she was more my friend and in fact, he had left her a year ago after 20 years of marriage.
Today, though, I nearly came to pieces as I heard that a young boy with the same syndrome as my son succumbed to cancer. I knew it was bad, but somehow you can never anticipate the worst. I wasn't planning to cry, I don't cry that often, but I was-for a few minutes, paralyzed with sadness.
That little guy was an only child to a single mom. It is a devastating, tragic loss. A hole in the heart that can never heal. I can't bear to read any more about him, the sad could consume me.
Another friend sent me this article, "Bury My Son Before I Die".
It's heavy, but honest and poignant.
It contained a phrase that haunts me...spending a lifetime mourning children I have never met. That really sums up what it is like when you have a child with a syndrome and bad things happen to them. They are like family. You do mourn children you have never met. It's real. Not the teddy-bears-at-makeshift-memorial thing. It's real pain, in the heart, in the gut. In the soul.
Grief is a vacuum. You feel the need to talk, or to tell someone, but the downside is it pulls people in.
It took me a few hours and a long walk to be calm in the sadness-the grief that is not my own personal loss, but a human reaction to a bereavement of the most horrible kind, and to which I have a personal connection.
It's easy to get mad at G-d sometimes. Is it not enough for children to have a debilitating syndrome, and then to further be confronted by the sinister, terrible medical issues that can spring up and attack? Isn't a disability enough, dear G-d in heaven?
Bad things happen, good is all around us.
Hug your loved ones. Do good things. Savour every moment.
Rest in peace, little Tucker.
Must Read of the Day-Terrifying: What It's Like to Have "Locked In" Syndrome
Imagine hearing the conversation about how you are not really there, and that your life support should be turned off because you are a vegetable.
Imagine only being able to blink.
Imagine the moment where a neurologist thinks to say "If you are in there-blink once."
Imagine blinking saving your life.
Imagine only being able to blink.
Imagine the moment where a neurologist thinks to say "If you are in there-blink once."
Imagine blinking saving your life.
"When I came round I couldn’t move and I couldn’t talk. I could see I had tubes
in my arm and a breathing machine hooked up to me, so I could tell it was
serious. They had me drugged pretty good so I don’t remember much from the
start of my time there, but after a couple of days I heard two doctors and
my wife talking about my life support machine"
"The doctors were standing at the end of my bed and telling her they should
seriously consider taking out my life support. I could hear them saying I
had a two per cent chance of survival, and even if I did survive I’d end up
being a vegetable. It was very scary, lying there and not being able to do
anything. There was no way I could convey this message, but I was thinking:
'you really should not do that'"
"The next day, a neurologist came in and asked the doctors whether anyone had checked to see whether I was still in there. They looked at each other and said no. He walked over and said, “Richard, if you can hear me and understand me, blink once”. Blinking was as much as I could do, so I did that. It was such a relief that somebody had considered the possibility I might still be conscious."
"The next day, a neurologist came in and asked the doctors whether anyone had checked to see whether I was still in there. They looked at each other and said no. He walked over and said, “Richard, if you can hear me and understand me, blink once”. Blinking was as much as I could do, so I did that. It was such a relief that somebody had considered the possibility I might still be conscious."
America is Full Of Crazy People on College Campuses
Behold: the over-credentialed masses can now get a degree that includes a course on Miley Cyrus.
TWERKOLOGY 101?!?!?!
Skidmore College costs $60,000 per year.
"Chernoff told The Guardian she created the course “as a creative and rigorous way of looking at what’s relevant about sociology and sociology theory.” She told The Saratogian the class will delve into race, that “Miley is white but wants to appropriate a black sound. … She doesn’t discuss her white privilege.”
"The course is also set to cover topics including Cyrus’ rise to fame, gender stratification, what happens to Disney stars as they age, as well as LGBT issues. It’s also been described as a “feminist critique of media, using Miley as a lens.”
"This is the first time the class has been offered at the upstate New York private institution, at which tuition amounts to about $60,000 per year. Chernoff has said the class will not be an easy A, and will include essays and research projects."
Who is this Chernoff lady?
Some background and please tell me if you understand WTF this means:
"My dissertation, “Experiencing Diverse Cities: Community Based Arts, Social Interaction, and Progressive Politics ,” is based on ethnographic research conducted over a period of 8 years at three different community-arts organizations in a major Mid-Atlantic city. Recent scholarship and public policy ask arts to drive economic growth for urban revitalization; this perspective takes positive social interaction as a given within the larger project of arts-based urban economic development."
"However, the social life of community-based art and related democratic practices provide another lens to explore the role of arts and arts organizations within the contemporary city. Within the fractured context of American cities (racial and ideological segregation), community-based arts provide a testing ground for social interaction across demographic difference (race, class, geography), a place where “culture builds community” (Stern & Siefert, 2002), albeit not unproblematically. This dissertation explores democratic practices around diversity within urban community-based arts organizations devoted to progressive social change."
These are the people teaching your children. And teaching them how to teach.
TWERKOLOGY 101?!?!?!
Skidmore College costs $60,000 per year.
"Chernoff told The Guardian she created the course “as a creative and rigorous way of looking at what’s relevant about sociology and sociology theory.” She told The Saratogian the class will delve into race, that “Miley is white but wants to appropriate a black sound. … She doesn’t discuss her white privilege.”
"The course is also set to cover topics including Cyrus’ rise to fame, gender stratification, what happens to Disney stars as they age, as well as LGBT issues. It’s also been described as a “feminist critique of media, using Miley as a lens.”
"This is the first time the class has been offered at the upstate New York private institution, at which tuition amounts to about $60,000 per year. Chernoff has said the class will not be an easy A, and will include essays and research projects."
Who is this Chernoff lady?
Some background and please tell me if you understand WTF this means:
"My dissertation, “Experiencing Diverse Cities: Community Based Arts, Social Interaction, and Progressive Politics ,” is based on ethnographic research conducted over a period of 8 years at three different community-arts organizations in a major Mid-Atlantic city. Recent scholarship and public policy ask arts to drive economic growth for urban revitalization; this perspective takes positive social interaction as a given within the larger project of arts-based urban economic development."
"However, the social life of community-based art and related democratic practices provide another lens to explore the role of arts and arts organizations within the contemporary city. Within the fractured context of American cities (racial and ideological segregation), community-based arts provide a testing ground for social interaction across demographic difference (race, class, geography), a place where “culture builds community” (Stern & Siefert, 2002), albeit not unproblematically. This dissertation explores democratic practices around diversity within urban community-based arts organizations devoted to progressive social change."
These are the people teaching your children. And teaching them how to teach.
Even Lefty Slate Magazine Notices the Scam That is "Public Education" in America
Liberals always think that throwing money at something will make it better.
That it is not about the money makes no sense to them.
Behold the money pit of public education in America.
That it is not about the money makes no sense to them.
Behold the money pit of public education in America.
A Major Free Speech Victory in America: How One Person Can Make a Difference
As the great Mark Steyn always says, you better pay very close attention to the people who are telling you to shut up.
And if they tell you to shut up, you have to say: NUTS TO THAT.
This is an excellent example of how one individual makes a difference.
One must never get discouraged or leave the battle to "someone else".
Because when you say "someone ought to do something about that", that someone is probably you.
One, single, Christian student has simply BLOWN UP the Orwellian, First Amendment-crushing "free speech zones" on Virginia college campuses.
“When plaintiff Christian Parks, a student at TNCC, sought to preach and discuss his religious views in an open, outdoor plaza on campus, TNCC officials required him to stop in part because his speech might offend someone,” his lawsuit read in part."
"It continued, “Defendants took these actions because of the content and viewpoint of Parks’ expression, because they feared his expression would prompt complaints, and because they wanted to pacify those who might be offended by his expression.”
"The Virginia Community College System has agreed to pay Parks $25,000 and has eliminated its so-called “free speech zone” policy, which relegated student expression to specified areas."
"The regulation, which was suspended in April, had been in practice since 1968 on the school system’s 23 campuses."
That is a brilliant, forceful victory and a model to emulate.
A totalitarian regulation had been in place since 1968, courtesy of some grubby, lefty hippies no doubt.
One student pulled the whole house of cards down.
This guy deserves a free speech medal.
And if they tell you to shut up, you have to say: NUTS TO THAT.
This is an excellent example of how one individual makes a difference.
One must never get discouraged or leave the battle to "someone else".
Because when you say "someone ought to do something about that", that someone is probably you.
One, single, Christian student has simply BLOWN UP the Orwellian, First Amendment-crushing "free speech zones" on Virginia college campuses.
“When plaintiff Christian Parks, a student at TNCC, sought to preach and discuss his religious views in an open, outdoor plaza on campus, TNCC officials required him to stop in part because his speech might offend someone,” his lawsuit read in part."
"It continued, “Defendants took these actions because of the content and viewpoint of Parks’ expression, because they feared his expression would prompt complaints, and because they wanted to pacify those who might be offended by his expression.”
"The Virginia Community College System has agreed to pay Parks $25,000 and has eliminated its so-called “free speech zone” policy, which relegated student expression to specified areas."
"The regulation, which was suspended in April, had been in practice since 1968 on the school system’s 23 campuses."
That is a brilliant, forceful victory and a model to emulate.
A totalitarian regulation had been in place since 1968, courtesy of some grubby, lefty hippies no doubt.
One student pulled the whole house of cards down.
This guy deserves a free speech medal.
Another Anniversary of Courage: Take a Moment to Remember Tank Man of Tiananmen Square
An interesting piece from the Wall Street Journal in which photographer Jeff Widener discusses the image, and almost missing the shot.
Mark Steyn's Magnificent Tribute to Ronald Reagan
Do read Steyn's beautiful obituary of Ronald Reagan, which still rings true a decade after Regan's death.
This fine piece could have also been titled "Yes, that is my job."
You have to read the whole thing to get to that part, and it's certainly worth it.
I've read a number of books about Ronald Reagan, and one thing he had in common with Churchill was that he was a great leader, an unworldly philosopher in a worldly body with a phenomenal mission. As it is close to Father's Day, I must also comment that his greatest successes were not as a father to his own children-much like Churchill as well. In this respect he was a greatly flawed man, as was Churchill. These were great men with purpose who changed history, and freed humans from the chains of other humans, yet were terribly flawed humans nonetheless.
Interestingly Ronald Reagan's father-a hardworking, troubled, reformed alcoholic must have had a formative influence on his thoughts. (His mother was always a very devout Christian.) When he was off the bottle, they reconciled their previously estranged relationship and Ronald Regan gave his father a job, being in charge of his fan club-for a salary. This enabled a dignified life, "honor thy parents' indeed.
Regan's father worked for a time as a salesman, I can't recall what he was selling, if memory serves it may have been encyclopedias, but times were very tough in America and he was lucky to have any means of supporting his family. He found himself in some small town in the middle of a blizzard and found a run down motel and went in to get a room. After a few moments of conversation the owner of the inn made a remark about how the room was available to him, but only if he wasn't a Jew.
Reagan's father stormed out of the inn and spent the night in his car, in the snowstorm rather than patronize the antisemitic owner's lodge, and made a point of telling the story, adding in the lesson of all G-d's creations and individuals were equal.
Another interesting little bit was that even in his childhood, people thought Ronald Reagan was stupid. By fluke he was handling one of his parents' eyeglasses and looked through a lens and could see.
He had needed glasses.
Not stupid. Never was.
Rest in peace.
This fine piece could have also been titled "Yes, that is my job."
You have to read the whole thing to get to that part, and it's certainly worth it.
I've read a number of books about Ronald Reagan, and one thing he had in common with Churchill was that he was a great leader, an unworldly philosopher in a worldly body with a phenomenal mission. As it is close to Father's Day, I must also comment that his greatest successes were not as a father to his own children-much like Churchill as well. In this respect he was a greatly flawed man, as was Churchill. These were great men with purpose who changed history, and freed humans from the chains of other humans, yet were terribly flawed humans nonetheless.
Interestingly Ronald Reagan's father-a hardworking, troubled, reformed alcoholic must have had a formative influence on his thoughts. (His mother was always a very devout Christian.) When he was off the bottle, they reconciled their previously estranged relationship and Ronald Regan gave his father a job, being in charge of his fan club-for a salary. This enabled a dignified life, "honor thy parents' indeed.
Regan's father worked for a time as a salesman, I can't recall what he was selling, if memory serves it may have been encyclopedias, but times were very tough in America and he was lucky to have any means of supporting his family. He found himself in some small town in the middle of a blizzard and found a run down motel and went in to get a room. After a few moments of conversation the owner of the inn made a remark about how the room was available to him, but only if he wasn't a Jew.
Reagan's father stormed out of the inn and spent the night in his car, in the snowstorm rather than patronize the antisemitic owner's lodge, and made a point of telling the story, adding in the lesson of all G-d's creations and individuals were equal.
Another interesting little bit was that even in his childhood, people thought Ronald Reagan was stupid. By fluke he was handling one of his parents' eyeglasses and looked through a lens and could see.
He had needed glasses.
Not stupid. Never was.
Rest in peace.
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
Shavuot Holiday Break!
The Jewish holiday of Shavuot starts tonight.
It's the celebration of the giving of the Torah.
In the Diaspora it runs from tonight until Thursday night and in Israel it's a one-day deal from tonight to Wednesday night.
We read the Book of Ruth and eat lots of dairy products, cheese cake and such. There are all-night Torah learning sessions as well.
Read all about it.
Thus, blogging will be sporadic for the next couple of days.
It's the celebration of the giving of the Torah.
In the Diaspora it runs from tonight until Thursday night and in Israel it's a one-day deal from tonight to Wednesday night.
We read the Book of Ruth and eat lots of dairy products, cheese cake and such. There are all-night Torah learning sessions as well.
Read all about it.
Thus, blogging will be sporadic for the next couple of days.
My Idiot People: Haniyeh's Mother-In-Law Treated For Cancer in Israel
I say let her die.
What is wrong with Israel?
My stupid, idiot people.
"Oh let's be nice to the people who want to slaughter us and drink our blood!! If we just show them how nice we are they will really like us!"
So hard to talk peace and reconciliation when your throat is being separated from your head, a la Van Gough.
What is wrong with Israel?
My stupid, idiot people.
"Oh let's be nice to the people who want to slaughter us and drink our blood!! If we just show them how nice we are they will really like us!"
So hard to talk peace and reconciliation when your throat is being separated from your head, a la Van Gough.
A Tale of Two US Servicemen
One rots in a Mexican jail.
One, well...it's all very, very peculiar.
Flashback via Drudge:
Bergdahl converted to Islam, showed Taliban how to make bombs.
SUGGESTION:
Bergdahl bumps VA scandal from headlines.
One, well...it's all very, very peculiar.
Flashback via Drudge:
Bergdahl converted to Islam, showed Taliban how to make bombs.
SUGGESTION:
Bergdahl bumps VA scandal from headlines.
Douglas Murray: They Always Come For the Jews
Indeed "they" do.
He notes that there is a:
"...hard-to-deny fact which exists around the world, including in Europe and in Britain. As one prominent British Muslim left-wing journalist wrote only last year:
He notes that there is a:
"...hard-to-deny fact which exists around the world, including in Europe and in Britain. As one prominent British Muslim left-wing journalist wrote only last year:
‘It pains me to have to admit this but anti-Semitism isn’t just tolerated in some sections of the British Muslim community; it’s routine and commonplace. Any Muslims reading this article – if they are honest with themselves – will know instantly what I am referring to. It’s our dirty little secret.’"Indeed. And this hatred, which is taught among Muslims in the UK and across Europe, is part of the reason why when a radical decides to go on a killing spree it is always Jews who are at the top of the target list. It is the point. They always come for the Jews."
American Justice, Also Known As the War on Men
This is a terrible story.
Men frequently get wrongly accused of rape and child abuse. The point is that women try to ruin the lives of perfectly innocent men, usually their ex-husbands or ex-boyfriends.
In this story, a perfectly regular family guy was wrongly accused of being a child pornographer.
The horror is that he was instructed by American justice officials that he had to "prove his innocence".
Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that completely assbackwards?
Aren't you supposed to be presumed innocent, and your guilt must be proven?
"Simone said he first learned he was a victim of mistaken identity when federal marshals approached him at his Merrill Lynch desk in May 2008."
"They escorted him to a security room, then dropped their bombshell, he said."
“They told me they had a warrant for my arrest in Mexico,” he recalled.
“That’s when the room started to spin.
“They told me they were going to put me on a plane right there. I have never been more scared in my life.”
"Simone — who worked in the settlement division at Merrill Lynch’s Garden City office for 28 years — had the same name as a man sought by Mexican officials for paying for sex with minors in that country."
"An ambassador sent an official request to then-Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to arrest the wrong Simone — and even supplied his home address and a copy of his driver’s license, the suit states."
"After being placed in handcuffs and leg shackles, the bewildered dad — with no arrest history — told agents that he wasn’t the man they were looking for."
"Federal prosecutors let Simone out on bail with a warning."
(Ahh, the capricious, disgusting whims of "justice" and "law enforcement".)
“They told me I had a week to prove my innocence,” he said.
Men frequently get wrongly accused of rape and child abuse. The point is that women try to ruin the lives of perfectly innocent men, usually their ex-husbands or ex-boyfriends.
In this story, a perfectly regular family guy was wrongly accused of being a child pornographer.
The horror is that he was instructed by American justice officials that he had to "prove his innocence".
Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that completely assbackwards?
Aren't you supposed to be presumed innocent, and your guilt must be proven?
"Simone said he first learned he was a victim of mistaken identity when federal marshals approached him at his Merrill Lynch desk in May 2008."
"They escorted him to a security room, then dropped their bombshell, he said."
“They told me they had a warrant for my arrest in Mexico,” he recalled.
“That’s when the room started to spin.
“They told me they were going to put me on a plane right there. I have never been more scared in my life.”
"Simone — who worked in the settlement division at Merrill Lynch’s Garden City office for 28 years — had the same name as a man sought by Mexican officials for paying for sex with minors in that country."
"An ambassador sent an official request to then-Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to arrest the wrong Simone — and even supplied his home address and a copy of his driver’s license, the suit states."
"After being placed in handcuffs and leg shackles, the bewildered dad — with no arrest history — told agents that he wasn’t the man they were looking for."
"Federal prosecutors let Simone out on bail with a warning."
(Ahh, the capricious, disgusting whims of "justice" and "law enforcement".)
“They told me I had a week to prove my innocence,” he said.
Japan: Demand for 24 Hour Daycare For Kids ("More Flexible" Daycare)
In a country where birth rates are in complete decline and elderly people have to talk to cats and robots, and where adult diapers outsell newborn diapers, the few people who do decide to have children want them cared for for 24 hours a day by others.
"More flexible" child care?
Are they for real? More flexible = why not just give your kids up for adoption?
What could possibly be wrong with that?
Sad.
"More flexible" child care?
Are they for real? More flexible = why not just give your kids up for adoption?
What could possibly be wrong with that?
Sad.
The Great Guilio Meotti: Muslims Love Death, Europe Is Tired of Living
And...they both hate Israel.
A solid dose of realism from my favourite living Italian.
He explains the "white plague":
"If southern Europe has the worst fertility rates, the north holds the record for euthanasia. In Belgium, already the leading European country for suicide rates, cases of euthanasia have increased by over 700 per cent in the last ten years. These are the impressive numbers published by the Belgian newspaper le Soir."
"The demographic statistics of Italy and those of euthanasia in Belgium are united by the mystery of two of the richest and peaceful postwar democracies who have chosen self liquidation. In the XIV century, an epidemic wiped out 80 percent of the population of Italy and Belgium. In the XXI century, Italians and Belgians are dying out by choice."
"Muslims and Europe both hate Israel because it is a society living in great intimacy with death, still sacrificing its sons in order to fight for the future, but a country with a rising birthrate and suffused with a great love for life."
A solid dose of realism from my favourite living Italian.
He explains the "white plague":
"If southern Europe has the worst fertility rates, the north holds the record for euthanasia. In Belgium, already the leading European country for suicide rates, cases of euthanasia have increased by over 700 per cent in the last ten years. These are the impressive numbers published by the Belgian newspaper le Soir."
"The demographic statistics of Italy and those of euthanasia in Belgium are united by the mystery of two of the richest and peaceful postwar democracies who have chosen self liquidation. In the XIV century, an epidemic wiped out 80 percent of the population of Italy and Belgium. In the XXI century, Italians and Belgians are dying out by choice."
"Muslims and Europe both hate Israel because it is a society living in great intimacy with death, still sacrificing its sons in order to fight for the future, but a country with a rising birthrate and suffused with a great love for life."
Monday, June 2, 2014
Excellent: Mizrahi Nation in Israel
This is a great read!
Mosaic has some fantastic stuff.
I'm Ashkenazi ("American" for Israelis even though I am Canadian) of Polish descent.
My husband is an Iranian Jew ("Mizrachi, "eastern") or commonly grouped as Sephardic (even though Sepharad is really Spain...blah blah long story).
Our kids are "Ashkefardi" I guess. A mix!
This article is a really good summary about the mixing of various Jewish cultures in Israel.
I like a lot of Mizrachi music but I can't listen to it for too long, I'm too Ashkenazi American Canadian Polish.
But it's very festive, and heartfelt and of course the singers are gorgeous and their voices are beautiful. Plus they have this incredible vibrato and can hit all these crazy eastern quarter tones. In Hebrew they call it 'salsalaot', which is basically somersaults.
My kids and husband love Dudu Aharon.
I think Moshe Peretz is ADORBS and he is so talented.
Did I mention also that he is adorable? This is him with Agam Buhbut, an incredible young singer who was a singer in a reality show/singing school and competition in Israel. She's a lovely young girl.
OK one more Moshe Peretz because he is too cute for words. This one is called "Esh", fire!
Mosaic has some fantastic stuff.
I'm Ashkenazi ("American" for Israelis even though I am Canadian) of Polish descent.
My husband is an Iranian Jew ("Mizrachi, "eastern") or commonly grouped as Sephardic (even though Sepharad is really Spain...blah blah long story).
Our kids are "Ashkefardi" I guess. A mix!
This article is a really good summary about the mixing of various Jewish cultures in Israel.
I like a lot of Mizrachi music but I can't listen to it for too long, I'm too Ashkenazi American Canadian Polish.
But it's very festive, and heartfelt and of course the singers are gorgeous and their voices are beautiful. Plus they have this incredible vibrato and can hit all these crazy eastern quarter tones. In Hebrew they call it 'salsalaot', which is basically somersaults.
My kids and husband love Dudu Aharon.
I think Moshe Peretz is ADORBS and he is so talented.
Did I mention also that he is adorable? This is him with Agam Buhbut, an incredible young singer who was a singer in a reality show/singing school and competition in Israel. She's a lovely young girl.
OK one more Moshe Peretz because he is too cute for words. This one is called "Esh", fire!
Outstanding Read For Shavuot: "Power or Influence"
What an erudite fellow is Rabbi Sacks.
I don't always agree with his political commentary, but his Torah commentary is magnificent and his breadth of knowledge of secular and Jewish sources is tremendous.
I urge you to read this article about power and influence.
It's wonderful.
"Power works by division, influence by multiplication. Power, in other words, is a zero-sum game: the more you share, the less you have. Influence is a non-zero-sum game: the more you share, the more you have."
"Not all of us have power, but we all have influence. That is why we can each be leaders. The most important forms of leadership come not with position, title or robes of office, not with prestige and power, but with the willingness to work with others to achieve what we cannot do alone; to speak, to listen, to teach, to learn, to treat other people’s views with respect even if they disagree with us, to explain patiently and cogently why we believe what we believe and do what we do; to encourage others, praise their best endeavors and challenge them to do better still. Always choose influence rather than power. It helps change people into people who can change the world."
"Kings had power—including that of life and death (see Joshua 1:18). Prophets had none, but they had influence, not just during their lifetimes but, in many cases, to this day. To paraphrase Kierkegaard: when a king dies, his power ends. When a prophet dies, his influence begins."
Tomorrow night is the start of the Jewish Shavuot holiday, which I really love.
More about Shavuot here.
I don't always agree with his political commentary, but his Torah commentary is magnificent and his breadth of knowledge of secular and Jewish sources is tremendous.
I urge you to read this article about power and influence.
It's wonderful.
"Power works by division, influence by multiplication. Power, in other words, is a zero-sum game: the more you share, the less you have. Influence is a non-zero-sum game: the more you share, the more you have."
"Not all of us have power, but we all have influence. That is why we can each be leaders. The most important forms of leadership come not with position, title or robes of office, not with prestige and power, but with the willingness to work with others to achieve what we cannot do alone; to speak, to listen, to teach, to learn, to treat other people’s views with respect even if they disagree with us, to explain patiently and cogently why we believe what we believe and do what we do; to encourage others, praise their best endeavors and challenge them to do better still. Always choose influence rather than power. It helps change people into people who can change the world."
"Kings had power—including that of life and death (see Joshua 1:18). Prophets had none, but they had influence, not just during their lifetimes but, in many cases, to this day. To paraphrase Kierkegaard: when a king dies, his power ends. When a prophet dies, his influence begins."
Tomorrow night is the start of the Jewish Shavuot holiday, which I really love.
More about Shavuot here.
Global Warmer! The Licence Plate: Bwahahahahaha!
Someone let Mark Steyn know about this...I wonder if the plate is available in New Hampshire?
This is truly delightful, spotted in Ontario...
Thanks to SMW for sending it in!
This is truly delightful, spotted in Ontario...
Thanks to SMW for sending it in!
Who Pays For Michelle Obama's Clothes?
Good question.
Muddled answers.
"How does Mrs. Obama, a fashion icon with far more expensive tastes than Mrs. Bush, swing it?"
"For starters, the Obamas reported adjusted income of $481,000 (U.S.) last year, and assets worth $1.8 million to $7 million (U.S.)."
"And like most people, Mrs. Obama (mostly her personal aide, really) looks for discounts."
(Ed Note: "Nice fashion house you got going there...would be a shame if anything happened to it...")
"Here’s how Joanna Rosholm, press secretary to the first lady, explains it:"
“Mrs. Obama pays for her clothing. For official events of public or historic significance, such as a state visit, the first lady’s clothes may be given as a gift by a designer and accepted on behalf of the U.S. government. They are then stored by the National Archives.”
"That saves Mrs. Obama considerable money, although the White House refused to say how often the first lady wears donated clothes and the National Archives declined to say how many such items it has in storage. The White House did say that the first lady doesn’t borrow any clothing and, for the most part, buys her own clothes."
"The clothing donated by designers includes Mrs. Obama’s two inaugural gowns made by Jason Wu, a lesser-known designer before Mrs. Obama turned him into a star in the fashion firmament. Wu declined to discuss how he works with the first lady."
Muddled answers.
"How does Mrs. Obama, a fashion icon with far more expensive tastes than Mrs. Bush, swing it?"
"For starters, the Obamas reported adjusted income of $481,000 (U.S.) last year, and assets worth $1.8 million to $7 million (U.S.)."
"And like most people, Mrs. Obama (mostly her personal aide, really) looks for discounts."
(Ed Note: "Nice fashion house you got going there...would be a shame if anything happened to it...")
"Here’s how Joanna Rosholm, press secretary to the first lady, explains it:"
“Mrs. Obama pays for her clothing. For official events of public or historic significance, such as a state visit, the first lady’s clothes may be given as a gift by a designer and accepted on behalf of the U.S. government. They are then stored by the National Archives.”
"That saves Mrs. Obama considerable money, although the White House refused to say how often the first lady wears donated clothes and the National Archives declined to say how many such items it has in storage. The White House did say that the first lady doesn’t borrow any clothing and, for the most part, buys her own clothes."
"The clothing donated by designers includes Mrs. Obama’s two inaugural gowns made by Jason Wu, a lesser-known designer before Mrs. Obama turned him into a star in the fashion firmament. Wu declined to discuss how he works with the first lady."
Steynian Demographic Doom and Gloom Report of the Day
Small uptick, but most women are still "forgetting" to have children until they are in their thirties and forties or not having children at all.
All of this is to say that saddling American children with Obama's current trillion dollar debts might not be "doable" because there just won't be enough kids around to load the debt onto.
But whatevs, right?
Old news, dude.
All of this is to say that saddling American children with Obama's current trillion dollar debts might not be "doable" because there just won't be enough kids around to load the debt onto.
But whatevs, right?
Old news, dude.
Steyn: Frenchmen Gone Wild
Quelle surprise it was to hear about a "lone" wolf "Frenchman" being arrested for a murderous, bloody attack on a Jewish target in Belgium.
Where are all the "safe space" p&ssies now?
And the Jewish liberals?
MUTE MUTE MUTE
So they are evil and complicit.
Completely related:
Steyn has discussed the case of Meriam Ibrahim. A local paper has also noted the following:
"The only reason why her evil family were able to get her arrested and shoved on to Death Row was because of the sclerotic incompetent US immigration bureaucracy. That's why this is not a foreign news story, but an American one. As The Union Leader concludes:
"Most of us shrug and assume someone else will handle it, but what if no one else does?"
That is a fair, terrible question. So few people act. Most people just talk.
So few people care about the living Jews in Europe, so few people care about a living Christian woman shackled with her toddler in a jail, having had to give birth in a putrid cell, and now condemned to "live" on Sudanese death row for the 'crime' of being a Christian.
The world, the elites, the left, are quite happy it would seem that it is perfectly reasonable that existing, merely breathing as a Jew or Christian is a crime worthy of death, according to sharia.
So, back to the question:
"What kind of people are we?"
If "we" don't do anything. If "we" keep silent" then we are enablers.
Those who stay silent, those who wait for "someone else" to do "something" - otherwise known as "we"- have blood soaked hands as well.
"We" are those kind of people.
Where are all the "safe space" p&ssies now?
And the Jewish liberals?
MUTE MUTE MUTE
So they are evil and complicit.
Completely related:
Steyn has discussed the case of Meriam Ibrahim. A local paper has also noted the following:
"The only reason why her evil family were able to get her arrested and shoved on to Death Row was because of the sclerotic incompetent US immigration bureaucracy. That's why this is not a foreign news story, but an American one. As The Union Leader concludes:
New Hampshire's congressional delegation has called for Ibrahim's release. But the President has done little... Gov. Maggie Hassan has said nothing.
The wife of one of our own sits in a Khartoum prison, shackled to the ground, her two tiny children in prison with her because the Sudanese government considers them Muslims too, and most of us shrug and assume someone else will handle it. But what if no one else does? What if her life is really in our hands — the hands of the sovereign people of the United States, to whom all elected officials are accountable — and we do nothing to help her? If we do not find it within ourselves to get outraged over this, what kind of people are we?"
"Most of us shrug and assume someone else will handle it, but what if no one else does?"
That is a fair, terrible question. So few people act. Most people just talk.
So few people care about the living Jews in Europe, so few people care about a living Christian woman shackled with her toddler in a jail, having had to give birth in a putrid cell, and now condemned to "live" on Sudanese death row for the 'crime' of being a Christian.
The world, the elites, the left, are quite happy it would seem that it is perfectly reasonable that existing, merely breathing as a Jew or Christian is a crime worthy of death, according to sharia.
So, back to the question:
"What kind of people are we?"
If "we" don't do anything. If "we" keep silent" then we are enablers.
Those who stay silent, those who wait for "someone else" to do "something" - otherwise known as "we"- have blood soaked hands as well.
"We" are those kind of people.
Ack! Mark Steyn Cites Random, Strange Jewish Mother From Canada
To wit:
"Andy Griffiths Goes Full Robocop".
"I write often about the paramilitarization of American law enforcement, while always vaguely assuming it will never get too near my own corner of rural New Hampshire. But who knows? Reid Smith writes today about his particular hometown in Pennsylvania:"
"The SWAT ONE can "carry up to ten people, and has night-vision optics, a gas-injection system and a battering ram. It can withstand hits from a .50-caliber projectile". Why would anyone buy anything so superfluous? Ah, well:
"Andy Griffiths Goes Full Robocop".
"I write often about the paramilitarization of American law enforcement, while always vaguely assuming it will never get too near my own corner of rural New Hampshire. But who knows? Reid Smith writes today about his particular hometown in Pennsylvania:"
"The SWAT ONE can "carry up to ten people, and has night-vision optics, a gas-injection system and a battering ram. It can withstand hits from a .50-caliber projectile". Why would anyone buy anything so superfluous? Ah, well:
The vehicle, a 2014 Lenco "BearCat" ballistic-engineered, armored-response vehicle, was purchased with Homeland Security grants under FEMA's Urban Area Security Initiative program."Oh, right. Maybe the Afghan war only makes sense if you look on it as a dry run for Pennsylvania... As Laura Rosen Cohen says:"
This is not a police force, it's a bloody army and the guns are being turned against you.
Colorado Bakery Will Stop Baking Wedding Cakes Rather Than Submit
This is such an incredibly intrusive, disgusting story.
By the way, gay marriage is still illegal in CO.
Some of this language is terrifying:
"A judge previously ruled a business owner cannot refuse service to a customer on the basis of sexual orientation. Phillips appealed to the commission, but it upheld the decision."
So a judge ordered them to bake a cake.
This is the state telling a private business what do to. Is this America?
That's not how it works in democracies.
But these bakers are not backing down either.
The way it should work in a democracy is is that if a business discriminates against someone, society decides whether to frequent that business or not. Civil society takes the reigns and the market decides. But it could be that this is not a priority issue for the majority of the cake-buying public in CO and that was clearly unacceptable to this bully couple.
So, this couple made it a state issue and wanted to use the process to destroy the business owners for no other reason than their Christian beliefs. Using the state apparatus to destroy citizens is called totalitarianism.
And this:
"The commission also ordered the baker to submit quarterly reports about the customers he refuses to serve and retrain employees to serve everyone."
Re-education gulag, for real, in America. What business is it of the state to demand such reports? This is quite literally Big Brother territory.
"For the couple, they said they always believed they were in the right and it was important to pursue the case for future customers."
“The next time a gay couple wanders in there asking for a wedding cake, they won’t have the experience we had."
“They will have a responsible experience and leave feeling respected.”
All that matters is feelings.
People will be destroyed, their livelihoods crushed but at least a couple of belligerents will feel respected and that's the main thing, right?
By the way, gay marriage is still illegal in CO.
Some of this language is terrifying:
"A judge previously ruled a business owner cannot refuse service to a customer on the basis of sexual orientation. Phillips appealed to the commission, but it upheld the decision."
So a judge ordered them to bake a cake.
This is the state telling a private business what do to. Is this America?
That's not how it works in democracies.
But these bakers are not backing down either.
The way it should work in a democracy is is that if a business discriminates against someone, society decides whether to frequent that business or not. Civil society takes the reigns and the market decides. But it could be that this is not a priority issue for the majority of the cake-buying public in CO and that was clearly unacceptable to this bully couple.
So, this couple made it a state issue and wanted to use the process to destroy the business owners for no other reason than their Christian beliefs. Using the state apparatus to destroy citizens is called totalitarianism.
And this:
"The commission also ordered the baker to submit quarterly reports about the customers he refuses to serve and retrain employees to serve everyone."
Re-education gulag, for real, in America. What business is it of the state to demand such reports? This is quite literally Big Brother territory.
"For the couple, they said they always believed they were in the right and it was important to pursue the case for future customers."
“The next time a gay couple wanders in there asking for a wedding cake, they won’t have the experience we had."
“They will have a responsible experience and leave feeling respected.”
All that matters is feelings.
People will be destroyed, their livelihoods crushed but at least a couple of belligerents will feel respected and that's the main thing, right?
Liberalism is a Mental Disorder: Global Warming Made Me Cheat Edition
The evil, seeekrit Jew Kathy Draidle once told me about an episode of Dr. Phil that she watched in which Dr. Phil asks a confessing adulterer to walk him through how it happened (not the 'what', but the how, silly readers...).
He apparently lets the guy tell his whole shpiel, how things "just happened", with all the passive language accoutrements, and then waits till the end and says something like "so wait a minute, I just want to understand something-your pants, they JUST FELL DOWN?!?!?!".
So perfect!
But now there is an even better excuse for adultery than "MY PANTS, THEY JUST FELL DOWN!!!".
It's "the global warming made me do it".
He apparently lets the guy tell his whole shpiel, how things "just happened", with all the passive language accoutrements, and then waits till the end and says something like "so wait a minute, I just want to understand something-your pants, they JUST FELL DOWN?!?!?!".
So perfect!
But now there is an even better excuse for adultery than "MY PANTS, THEY JUST FELL DOWN!!!".
It's "the global warming made me do it".
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