Bad Men Need Nothing More to Compass Their Ends, Than That Good Men Should Look on and Do Nothing

ב"ה

I was looking around Wikipedia for quotes about how good people doing nothing leads to the triumph of evil and I found the above quote from John Stuart Mill. I've been rolling this sort of idea around my head lately, particularly now that one of Israel's staunchest supporter on the world stage, Stephen Harper, was defeated in his bid to be re-elected Prime Minister of Canada. 

Another "Good Man" bites the dust. And another one's gone and another one's gone, another one bites the dust. 

If you've been listening to the news lately, you have probably heard about the daily knife attacks in Israel. Or perhaps you haven't since the media chooses to ignore terrorist attacks. These knife attacks are just the most recent spate of attacks aimed at Israeli civilians by terror mongering "Palestinians". 

It's bad enough that Mr. Abbas (aka Arafat in a suit) incites the populous of his "nation" with lies that Israel has executed a boy (who was sitting in a bed in an Israeli hospital at the time -- he's now home while the boy he stabbed is fighting for his life in the same hospital) or that Israel was planning on changing the status quo on the Temple Mount (not only is Israel NOT changing the status quo, Israel is vigorously maintaining the status quo to the detriment of Jewish Israelis) or that Israel was going to raze the Al-Aqsa Mosque (Israel is the only country in the region that protects the religious sites of all religions). Abbas is inciting his people in what he's calling the "Knife Intifada". This, as I said before, is bad enough.

What makes this even worse is that people like John Kerry saying things like "both sides" need to "calm down". Excuse me? Israel has to more calmly protect her guests and citizens from murdering knife wielders? Israel has to more calmly protect her guests and citizens from murdering knife wielders?  Or maybe just that we should give the "Palestinians" and their friends what they want -- Jews marching suicidally into the sea. 

When a huge group of world leaders is giving Mr. Abbas's ravings legitimacy, he gets away with calling upon hatred, calling for murder, calling for destroying the enemy in a "noble, sacrificial" gesture. When good people don't call Abbas on his hatred, his murdering of innocents, from tiny babies, to young parents, to holocaust surviving great-grandparents, Abbas feels emboldened, as so do the blade thrusting thugs roaming the streets of Jerusalem. The rule, "never take a knife to a gunfight" doesn't apply here -- the world is criticizing Israeli use of guns against knifers. It also doesn't apply because the people who are bringing knives don't care if they're killed -- if they die, they will get paradise in heaven. 

World leaders, get off your thrones. Understand your contribution to the situation in the Middle East. By ignoring the evil in the region, by blaming Israel you are contributing to your own country's refugee problems, by taking the one country willing and able to fight the oppressors out of the equation. Support Israel, vocally, and you will be working for your own country as well as a more stable world.

"You Have No Right to Live"

ב"ה

A child was born, once upon a time. There should have been joy, but from the time this child was born, everyone who saw her told her she had no right to live. On her way to school or to the park, other children would hit her, or try to kill her, yelling as they attacked, "You have no right to live!" But none of this made her turn into a hater. When she would see someone attacking another child, she would come to that person's aid. When she saw someone get hit by lightning or pass out from the heat, she would help.

Over time, she taught herself to defend herself. She became good at taking on the hating children. But every time she did that, other people would yell that she had attacked someone. They would never take her side, never try to help her. The people who attacked her were by and large evil people who would use the attacks to obscure their own evil deeds.Someone robbed a bank? It was her fault. Someone was killed? It was her fault.There was a bad auto accident? It was her fault.

That child is Israel. No other country in the world has had it's "right to exist" questioned, not Iran, not Iraq, not China or North Korea, not Libya or Hugo Chavez's Venezuela. No country, no land, no tyrannical leadership, no genocidal regime has had their right to exist questioned. Only Israel, peace-loving Israel, the same Israel who was one of the first on hand when there was an earthquake in Haiti, when there was a tsunami in Japan, when there were miners trapped underground in Chile. Israel, little Israel, 153rd in the world in land mass and 96th in population, about the size of New Jersey. Only Israel has been told it has no right to exist.

Secretary of State John Kerry, who either flip-flops with the wind or lied to us about his stand on Israel while he was running for president, called for the end of senseless violence but acts as though Israel is equally culpable for this round of violence (please list for me, Mr. Kerry, 5 incidents of Israelis stabbing Palestinian civilians -- I haven't heard of any). 

Delegitimize the "other", that's a way of hiding your own illegitimacy. The leaders of the countries that hate, the countries who question Israel's right to exist, have a vested interest in "their people" believing that Israel is the evil, that Israel is suppressing their rights, that Israel took their land because (land that was never theirs legally), in reality, it is their own leaders who are evil, their own leaders who suppress their rights, their own leaders who keep them in squalor, don't allow the refugees to be absorbed, like the 586,000 Jewish refugees exiled from Arab countries that tiny Israel took in. The evil regimes' governments keep their people in squalor so they have a ready supply of cannon (or homicide bomb) fodder, people whose lives they don't value, who they can send to fight their enemies. These regimes don't need tanks and aircraft carriers and bombers, they send their human automatons to do the dirty work. And when they do blow themselves up, or get themselves killed by soldiers protecting the Israeli populace, their leaders, those people who supposedly care so much about them, use their deaths as a call for vengeance.

There is a cycle of violence. It's not Israel protecting itself by attacking terror mongers. It's Hamas and the Palestinian authority realizing they need to obscure their dirty deeds, so they stir the pot and incite hatred (which is easy because their people have been fed a steady "diet" of hatred from the time they are tiny babies). And anyone who chooses to believe the lies they spread, the lies the media spreads, about Israel and Jews is contributing to the evil that keeps these people suppressed and oppressed. 

Where Have You Gone, Lois Lane?

ב"ה

When I was young, I loved reading superhero comic books. One of my regular comics, however, was not about a hero with super powers, it was about Superman's "girlfriend", Lois Lane.

Lois Lane made me want to be a journalist. She would find the truth and print the truth. She would fight to get the truth and she would fight to keep her journalistic integrity, to remain an unbiased reporter.

Nowadays, it's hard to find journalistic integrity. Terror attacks in Israel are reported in ways that make it seem as though the victims initiated the attacks against the terrorists rather than the other way around. For example, Honest Reporting shows that many news sources clearly bias their news to make Israel look bad and the murderous Terror mongers look like "innocent" victims of Israeli prejudice. 

I realize Lois Lane is a fictional character, but where is the barnstorming reporter who fearlessly tells the truth? Where are the "crusading" reporters, intrepid standard bearers of the truth, lovers of veracity? Why are they hiding behind the guise of "Anti-Israel" sentiment, claiming Israel is the most evil evil on this earth, worse than Syria or Iran or China or North Korea, claiming they aren't Antisemites, not haters, just "pursuing justice" for the murderous terrorists. Why are they not pursuing justice for the victims? Why are they not pursuing justice for the nation that opens it's doors to everyone but for the nations who ban everyone? Why are they not pursuing justice for the children who have lost parents, the parents who have lost babies, Israeli or Palestinian? Why are they not pursuing justice for the women, victims of dis"honor killings" at the hands of their "loved ones"? Why are they not pursuing justice for the gay men and women who need to flee their lands and are accepted in Israel, no matter what their ethnicity?

Terrorists are terrorists, no matter what their supposed provocation. If you murder to "protest", you are a terrorist, not a "freedom fighter" or a "militant". Get off it. Stop defending murderers. That's what REAL reporters would do. 

And I Ran, I Ran so far away......

ב"ה

I'm thinking of writing a story about a big-city mayor sitting down with the area crime boss. After several days behind closed doors, the Mayor comes out of the meeting claiming to have solved the problem of organized crime in the city. The hoods were given license to carry machine guns, and the police were required to defend them if anyone they were threatening were fighting back. The Mayor hailed it as a day of acceptance. 

Most of the people of the city were appalled. They wrote to their City Council members urging them to vote against this ill-advised pact. But the Mayor kept strong-arming the City Council members, particularly the ones who were in his party. Many City Council members, though, even ones from the Mayor's party, started standing up and proclaiming their opposition to the deal, listing their reasons. I don't know yet what will happen with the vote.

I don't know yet what will happen with the vote because the vote hasn't come yet. I don't know yet whether Congress, in each house, will have enough votes to override any presidential veto of the Iran "deal". 

How can anyone think this "deal" will prevent war? How can anyone think that a deal with the devil is good (Haven't they heard of Faust? Haven't they heard of Neville Chamberlain?)? How can anyone out there be thinking it's a good thing to give the "keys to the kingdom" in the form of nuclear weapons to a country who WILL USE THEM -- by their own words. They WILL use nuclear weapons against Israel. They WILL use nuclear weapons against the US. They WILL use nuclear weapons against anyone who doesn't agree with them and their twisted version of Islam. 

I joined "Move-On" many years ago, probably before 9/11 and the visible, growing threat of Radical Islam, because I agreed with their domestic agenda (women's rights, reproductive rights, gay rights, etc.) but they called for members to join a demonstration in front of my usually level-headed, pro-Israel, anti-Terror Democratic Representative to convince him to vote for the treaty from Hell. I hope he isn't swayed, but I worry.

How can so many people be so blinded? How can it take so few people to approve such a far-reaching measure? 

Think about this very carefully, people of the US, Representatives of the people of the US, Senators of the people of the US, DO YOU REALLY WANT THE WORST OF THE WORST TO HAVE WEAPONS THAT CAN DESTROY THE ENTIRE WORLD?

Who is Disrespecting Whom?

ב"ה

I don't consider myself a Democrat even though, for the most part, I agree with what the Democrats support when it comes to issues domestic. I don't consider myself a Republican even though, for the most part, I agree with what the Republicans support when it comes to issues international (Israel and the Middle East, fighting terrorism, etc.). [Noto Bene: Both of my state's senators and my district's representative are Democrats and do strongly support Israel]

I've been following this "letter" controversy. From my perspective, it's part and parcel of the whole Iran issue. The President, in his infinite (lack of) wisdom, has decided to pull a "Neville Chamberlain" by negotiating with Iran. Iran, one of the biggest supporters (emotional and financial) of the Hydra-headed Terrorist Monster, one country in this crazy world that has more than enough energy to support itself, one country that has no need for nuclear energy, one country that would use nuclear energy for one purpose and one purpose only, that being to murder and destroy, this is the country that Mr. Obama seems to think he can work with. And, knowing how congress, particularly many of the Republican members of congress, feels about this attempt to placate the devil, the president is "going it alone", abusing executive privilage, to make a deal to allow the most dangerous country in the world to have the weapons (nuclear) they can use to destroy the world.

So, when this came across my desktop (in my e-mail), I was moved to comment:

New York Times: Republican Idiocy on Iran

The Republicans are so determined to insult President Obama that they sent a letter to Iran to undermine him.

It’s not only monumentally disrespectful, it’s dangerously dumb. The New York Times reports that the Republicans’ letter was “disgraceful and irresponsible” – they even call it “IDIOCY.”

Now, I can't speak for all Republicans (particularly since I'm not a Republican) but from my perspective the Republicans who sent the letter are not trying to undermine or insult the president; they are trying to protect their constituents, they are trying to protect all of the US, they are trying to protect Israel, they are trying to protect the entire free world.

So get off your high horse, New York Times. Give up your name calling. Stop the character assassinations. Some of us, even registered Democrats (like me), support those politicos who have our security as their number one concern.  

It's funny (that's ironic) that the issue of Iran or the Middle East in general or Israel's security does cross party lines. There are Democrats who support Israel; there are Republicans who don't. I'm glad the founding fathers were wise enough to create a system where the president can't run roughshod over the will of the people. I'm glad there is freedom of speech in this country so we are all free to tell the New York Times (or even the president) to take a long walk off a short pier. And I'm glad we have people in our government who have our back even when the President doesn't.

Europe, are you Awake?

ב"ה

There has been, for many years now, a return of Antisemitism (though I'm not sure it ever left) in Europe. Europe was the center of Nazi based Antisemitism in the middle of the 20th Century. During the middle ages, Europe was the place where Jews were expelled from country after country. 

In a world where Roman Catholicism reigned supreme, it's a bit easier to point to Jews as the "other". It was a bit easier to get away with saying you will not protect the Jews, you will eliminate the Jews from your country. But in the 21st Century, with melting pots of religions, races and nationalities in just about every country in Europe, if you can't protect the Jews, you can't protect anyone. 

Antisemitism in this day and age is often masquarading as Anti-Israel sentiment. Yet in all the world, what other country elicits so much hatred, so much vitriol, so many protests, so many condemnations? Can it possibly be that this tiny little country, about the size of New Jersey, can be so evil that its evil dwarfs China, Syria, Iran, North Korea, even Libya? Can it be that the "Palestinians" so highly deserve their own country, are so unwelcome in the 22 Arab and Muslim countries that the only answer is to give them Israel?

It's just another guise for the old Antisemitism.It's the oldest and longest lasting "hatred with no reason". So many people don't question the newspapers and other media outlets because they have heard in their churches and mosques that Jews are evil.  

But any country, any nation, any group that cannot protect its Jewish population can't protect itself. Talk is cheap, but I'm still waiting to see action. I'm waiting for the European countries, the countries that will lose a lot if their Jews depart, to bring in their military to protect Jews (and everyone else) from terrorist attacks. We know you know how to do this (or can find out from the US and Israel). 

So, Europe, if you want to remain part of Western Civilization, if you want to maintain your standard of living and way of life, you better protect us Jews. If you don't, your countries will never be the shining examples of civilization they once were.

Freedom of Suppress? (With apologies to Hawkeye Pierce)

ב"ה

I'm seeing in my mind a young child. He goes to school every day and in his school there is a bully. Despite seeing this bully beat up boy after boy in his class, he says nothing, he tells no one, even when asked. He thinks by doing this the bully won't hurt him.

But bullies don't work that way. Inevitably, one day, the bully finds him and beats him up. But all those boys who've been beaten up have moved away and can't tell anyone about the bully. So the boy stands up and says he's going to fight to bully. But it's just talk. 

Europe, as a whole, needs to get its act together. In the same week I read that England and France were both going to start fighting Antisemitism, France has multiple terror attacks. I sort of feel as though Europe's reaction to all this seems just like that boy fighting the bully.

England and France are beginning to realize what some of us realized from the beginning: those who attack Jews also attack freedom, including freedom of the press and freedom of speech. These are the very freedoms that terrorists attacked in France this week when they murdered cartoonists at Charlie Hebdo (see cartoons about the attack) 

The only way to defeat these bullies on adrenaline, these destroyers of mythic proportion, is to fight them. If all the free world's forces were brought to bear, if all the military forces in the Western World were to unite and fight this evil together, if we, non-military freedom lovers all, could unite and turn to G-d, do good, pray, show the "evildoers" what good is, show the world, show the people, that what we do matters, living a good life, a life where we love each other and help each other and give the rest of the world hope matters, then we could destroy evil. 

To all the Jews out there who think that Antisemites only hate "religious" Jews (something I call "The 'Miss Daisy'" syndrome after the character in "Driving Miss Daisy" who couldn't understand why her reform temple was bombed when there was an Orthodox synagogue nearby), wake up. Keep just one Shabbat, eat just one meal at a kosher restaurant, buy only kosher food for one week, show the world that bullying won't make us give up our precious way of life. And maybe, just maybe, putting all that goodness out there will reach up to G-d and show G-d we're ready to work with Him/Her. We can do it if we only work together.

[Thank you to "Michelle Nevada" for the idea in the last paragraph. Thank you to the writers of M*A*S*H for the title of this blog entry]