ART, THEN AND NOW...

The original:

The NYTimes knock-off:

Which is better?

And what does the latter say about the state of our culture?

HEZBOLLAH'S DRUG JIHAD IN MEXICO

The Hezbollah, not getting much funding from Iran just now, has chosen to offset this loss with drug operations in Mexico plus dawah:

Catholic Mexico is in the midst of a crisis of faith. According to a local businessman, who asked to remain anonymous, it is widely believed that within a decade, Chiapas will be the first federal state in Mexico to turn its back on the Church.

"The Muslim missionaries are very active there," he said. "It's hard to know exactly how many people have converted to Islam over the past few years."

Official data suggests that Mexico is home to some 4,000 Muslims – a fraction in a country whose population numbers 115 million. Theoretically, this is a negligible number, but it is enough to cause concern in the United States – and Israel should be concerned as well.

Follow the money

US intelligence indicates that Mexico is home to some 200,000 Syrian and Lebanese immigrants – most of them illegal – who were able to cross the border via an extensive web of contacts with drug cartels, both in Mexico and in other countries in South America.

These cartel contacts smuggle illegal immigrants – including individuals affiliated with Iran, Hezbollah, al-Qaeda and other radical Islamist groups – into Mexico, placing them a virtual stone's-throw away from the United States.

Western intelligence agencies have been able to gather ample evidence suggesting that the drug cartels in Mexico – which are the de facto rulers of the northern districts bordering the US – are in cahoots with Islamic terror organizations, which are eager to execute attacks against American, Israeli, Jewish and western targets; but most of all, the Islamic terror groups are eager to make money, so they can fund their nefarious aspirations.

It's worrisome alright, and the Hezbollah's activities there can be equally dangerous for local Mexicans, but will the Mexican government do anything about it? Unfortunately, there's no telling if they will.

Journal News Published Names of Gun Permit Holders, No One Got Hurt

And now, they are announcing they will do it again:

Journal News Announces It Will Post More Names and Addresses of Legal Gun Permit Holders

The intent of the Journal News is to malign and intimidate Gun Owners. 

The intent of the Journal News to establish an implicit threat against legal Gun Owners.

AND YET, GUN OWNERS HAVE NOT AND WILL NOT TRACK DOWN THESE JOURNALISTS AND HARM THEM.

Why?

Because these are law-abiding citizens.

The Journal News is threatening law-abidiing citizens, and as we can expect, the law-abiding citizens do not retaliate with violence.

Now, if the Journal News were to threaten gang members in their "news" paper, they would likely not be treated so kindly.

This proves, once again, that the Mainstream Media is Leftist, cowardly, anarchic in nature, and thoroughly malicious.

FACT: THE SO-CALLED "FISCAL CLIFF" IS THE COMPROMISE

OBAMA BALKED AT SIMPSON-BOWLES. HE SHOULD HAVE FOUGHT FOR IT AT LEAST AS HARD AS HE FOUGHT FOR OBAMACARE, BUT HE DIDN'T.

AND, THE LAST ELECTION DIDN'T REALLY DEAL WITH THE ISSUE AS MUCH AS IT SHOULD HAVE.

LAST YEAR, OBAMA, REID AND BOEHNER MADE AN AWFUL DEBT-CEILING COMPROMISE, AND -  BARRING A MIRACLE, WE WILL ALL HAVE TO LIVE WITH ITS AWFUL CONSEQUENCES.

REPEAT: THAT WAS THE COMPROMISE - ONE OBAMA AND REID AND THE ANTI-MILITARY SPENDING PINKO DOVES ACTUALLY LIKE.

OBAMA, REID AND THE LEFT ACTUALLY LIKE THAT COMPROMISE, AND THAT'S WHY THEY FEEL LIKE THEY DON'T HAVE TO COME UP WITH ANOTHER ONE.

IF WE "GO OFF THE CLIFF" - AND IF RETAIL NUMBERS FOR CHRISTMAS TURN OUT TO BE AS BAD AS I'VE HEARD THEY ARE, AND IF CATALONIA SECEDES, THEN WE WILL HAVE A GLOBAL ECONOMIC COLLAPSE THAT WILL MAKE 2008 LOOK LIKE A MINOR BLIP.

THE SAD THING IS THAT THIS CALAMITY IS ENTIRELY AVOIDABLE.

IT'S NOT LIKE A TSUNAMI OR EARTHQUAKE OR HURRICANE. OR A PLAGUE.

IT'S AN ENTIRELY AVOIDABLE MESS - ONE OBAMA BROUGHT UPON US BY FOISTING THE ILL-CONCEIVED AND CORRUPT PORKULUS UPON US - AND BY DELIBERATELY FAILING TO PASS A BUDGET SINCE THEN SO THE TRILLION BUCKS OF WASTEFUL BOONDOGGLES COULD BE CONTINUED VIA "CONTINUING RESOLUTIONS".

AS A RESULT, OBAMA HAD INCREASED OUR PROJECTED DEBT BY 10x.

YES: BY TEN TIMES.

AND THE CLIFF DOES NOTHING TO SOLVE THIS TIME BOMB.

NOTHING.

OBAMA IS WORSE THAN A MISERABLE FAILURE.

HE IS A COLOSSAL FAILURE.

SHARIA PROSECUTIONS IN EGYPT

The dark forces of Mohammed Morsi are looking to put the opposition on trial:

Egypt's chief prosecutor ordered an investigation on Thursday into allegations that opposition leaders committed treason by inciting supporters to overthrow Islamist President Mohammed Morsi.

The probe by a Morsi-appointed prosecutor was launched a day after the president called for a dialogue with the opposition to heal rifts opened in the bitter fight over an Islamist-drafted constitution just approved in a referendum. The opposition decried the investigation as a throwback to Hosni Mubarak's regime, when the law was used to smear and silence opponents.

See more on the subject from Joel Pollak. And there's an example of just how bad the Mubarak regime was too.

WOW: DECLASSIFIED FBI REPORT DETAILED ISLAMISM/LEFTISM TIES IN 1970

VIA DOUG:

... starting sometime around 1965, the blacks began the process of expelling the Jews from the Civil Rights movement, as they embraced anti-Semitism and the Arab war for the destruction of Israel. In New York City, this period reached a culmination in the 1968 teachers strike.

The strike was caused by the decision of a black school board in Brownsville, Brooklyn to fire many of the Jewish teachers and administrators from the local schools and replace them with black separatist teachers and administrators. 
The head the teachers union Albert Shanker dated the end of Jewish-black cooperation to the strike. 

While researching my book, yesterday I came across a fascinating FBI report from 1970 that was declassified under the Freedom of Information Act in 2009. 

Titled, "FBI Monograph: 

Fedayeen Impact - Middle East and United States, June 1970," it is focused on the PLO, and Fatah's penetration of the American political Left.  

Here's the link:  

http://www.governmentattic.org/2docs/FBI_Monograph_Fedayeen-Impact_1970.pdf 

In the section on PLO operations in the US, The monograph discussed its outreach to the African American political leadership and the radical white establishment. These sections of the report are fascinating and I recommend you take an hour or so to read the entire document yourself. 

As the report puts it, "Since the June 1967, war, reports emanating from various sources have suggested that the Arabs have co-opted black extremists in the United States to assist the 'struggle' against Israel in the Middle East and in the United States."

RTWT.

THE POSTMODERN LEFT IS ALLIED WITH GLOBAL JIHAD BECAUSE THEY SHARE A HATRED FOR JUDEO-CHRISTIAN CIVILIZATION AND THE WEST.

(WHICH IS WHY I HAVE LONG ARGUED THAT WE HAVE TO DEFEAT THE LEFT AT HOME BEFORE WE CAN DEFEAT GLOBAL JIHAD.)

IT IS NOT A MERE COINCIDENCE THAT THE MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD ASCENDED TO POWER IN EGYPT AFTER JUST 2 YEARS OF OBAMA'S FIRST TERM.

OBAMA ENABLED THEIR ASCENSION.

HE DID SO BECAUSE HE AGREES WITH THEM THAT THE WEST IS AT FAULT FOR ALL MIDDLE EASTERN PROBLEMS - AND THAT ISLAMISM IS NOT THE PROBLEM.

OBAMA BELIEVES THIS BECAUSE HE SEES THE WEST AS THE INVADER, THE EVIL COLONIAL POWER - DESPITE THE FACT THAT THE HOLY LAND IS THE CRADLE OF THE WEST, THE ARABS THE INVADERS AND ISLAMISM THE ANTI-ENLIGHTENMENT FORCE FOR TYRANNY.

LEFTISTS - LIKE ISLAMISTS - ARE TOTALITARIAN UTOPIANISTS WHO THINK THAT THEIR ELITE CAN RESTRUCTURE SOCIETY AND CREATE A PERFECT WORLD.

WHEN PEOPLE THINK THEY CAN CREATE A PERFECT WORLD, THEN THEY OF COURSE CAN COMMIT GENOCIDE IN ITS NAME - THEY FEEL A PERFECT UTOPIA IS WORTH A FEW MILLION LIVES.

THIS IS WHY SOCIALISTS AND ISLAMISTS HAVE COMMITTED MOST OF THE GENOCIDE IN HUMAN HISTORY.

• SOCIALISTS COMMITTED MORE GENOCIDE IN THE 20TH CENTURY THAN JUDEO-CHRISTIANITY IN THE PRECEDING 20 CENTURIES.

• AND ISLAM HAS KILLED 10X MORE SINCE IT'S INCEPTION THAN SOCIALISM AND JUDEO-CHRISTIANITY COMBINED.

AS LONG AS LEFTISTS HAVE POLITICAL POWER WITHIN THE WEST WE WILL NOT DEFEAT GLOBAL JIHAD, AND CREEPING SHARIA REMAINS A REAL THREAT.

AS DOES ECONOMIC COLLAPSE OF THE WEST DUE TO UNAFFORDABLE LEFTIST PONZI SCHEMES.

AND IF WE COLLAPSE ECONOMICALLY, THEN OUR KINETIC DEFENSE CAPABILITY COLLAPSES AND GLOBAL JIHAD WINS AGAIN.

ALONG WITH RUSSIA AND CHINA.

IF THE 20TH CENTURY WAS "THE AMERICAN CENTURY" (AND TO HAVE BEGUN WITH THE END OF WW1), THEN THE 21ST CENTURY MIGHT VERY WELL TURN OUT TO BE TYRANNY'S CENTURY, AND IT MIGHT THEN BE SAID TO HAVE BEGUN ON SEPTEMBER 11TH, 2001.

SIGH.

THE HISTORY OF "VA'AD HATZNIUT"

If you've ever wondered how the "modesty patrols" of Haredi sects like the Satmar came to be in the weeks following the Weberman trial, plus how they came to believe so insanely in separation of the sexes, The Forward's got some history on the origins and where they may have drawn the ideas from:

Until recently, the Va’ad Hatznius was little known outside the Hasidic community, but its actions have reverberated through the community for years. Although they ostensibly monitor the moral behavior of both sexes (men and women are both warned not to read English books, watch television or surf the internet), most of their energies are directed towards ensuring that women and girls dress and behave modestly.

Their reasoning is clear: When a female wears revealing clothing or chats with the opposite sex, it could entice the men, and lead to dire consequences. In other words, the goal of their injunctions is to inhibit the sexual impulses of the male population.

Where did the tradition of the Va‘ad Hatznius originate? And what do the Hasidim themselves think of it? The term V‘ad Hatznius doesn’t appear in the Bible or in the Talmud, but Maimonides does write, in Hilchos Yom Tov 6:21, that “the Beit Din [rabbinical court] must appoint officers during the festivals to patrol the gardens and orchards and along the rivers to prevent men and women from gathering there to eat and drink, lest they fall into sin.”

So apparently, they must've gotten it from there, without even considering that those writings only pertained to Yom Tov (Jewish holidays), and it was only on days like those that they objected to social gatherings.

The Jewish communities of Eastern Europe may have been opposed to wearing fancy dress in the 18th century, and monetarily penalized women and tailors who wore and designed fancy clothing, but:

The intention of those rulings had nothing to do with preventing sexual temptation, however. “They were simply worried that if Gentiles were to see how much money Jews were spending, the wealthy landowners would raise the taxes for the entire Jewish population,” Fishman explained. In fact, men, too, were warned not to dress in conspicuously lavish clothing or wear powdered wigs.

However, these rulings were issued during a time when Jews were collecting taxes for the Czarist government and hence had the power to levy fines against members of their own community, and ex-communicate or penalize them for defying the rules. Once the Czarist government took away the power of the Jews to tax their own population in 1844, the only means that community leaders had to ensure adherence to their rulings was through social pressure – a tactic which has remained effective till today, as Hasidim continue to fear being ostracized from their community or losing valuable marriage prospects as a result of so-called indecent behavior.

So when they could no longer tax their own, they turned to different ideas, including the following:

The strict separation of men and women is a relatively modern one, Fishman explained. In Czarist Russia, men and women used to stand together at weddings; there was no mekhitse, or partition between them. When Sh-Anski, the author of The Dybbuk, led his series of landmark ehnographic expeditions through Volhynia and Podolia in 1912–1914, he photographed cemeteries in which the graves of even the most pious couples were found side by side. Today most Hasidic men are buried separately from their wives. The Ohel (gravesite) of the Lubavitcher Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson, for example, is not next to the grave of his wife, Chaya Mushka.

Rabbi Ysoscher Katz, who was raised in the Satmar community of Wiliamsburg, and is the director of the Beit Midrash program at the modern Orthodox rabbinical school, Yeshivat Chovevei Torah, told the Forverts that the Va’ad Hatznius isn’t an organized body but an informal group of people who act on their own, and whose actions the Rebbe doesn’t officially condone. Every v’aad is comprised of a theoretician, one who decides which kind of behavior to ban, and enforcers.

The theoretician is usually a well-regarded figure, while the enforcers give a more fanatical impression, Katz explained. “They usually wear their tsitsis out, their hair and clothing is unkempt, and they have no job, so they don’t elicit much respect from the community. Weberman was undoubtedly a theoretician, his tsitsis didn’t hang out, his hair was combed, he had a job, this is why families trusted him.”

In other words, he made a cunning wolf in sheep's clothing.

The edict against reading English books is a weird one. Given that they're living in countries outside of Israel where the majority population does not speak Hebrew or even Yiddish, one would think the Satmar would recognize the importance of reading English to get around in wider society. Clearly, they don't, as their anti-Zionist stance that's led them to so much hostility against the state of Israel further implies.

One of the biggest benefits of the Weberman trial was how it helped bring a lot of the most questionable customs and tactics the Satmar use to the forefront for everybody to learn about, even on a beginner's level. If you know where to look, you'll also notice that a lot of the Haredim who try to defend their beliefs in separation of sexes will use the word "modesty" even when it doesn't make sense. But in the end, all their beliefs in separation of sexes has done is lead to a lot of problematic situations for how to handle themselves even in their own community and outside of it. That's why the time has come to modernize, and to bring back the mixed company at weddings again.

RELIGIOUS FREEDOM VERSUS OBAMACARE: THE FIGHT AIN'T OVER, NOT BY A LONG SHOT

NO COURT WILL EVER TAKE AWAY RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IN THE USA. 

COURTS CAN ERR. BUT ULTIMATELY RIGHT TRIUMPHS. 

REMEMBER: DRED SCOTT FELL. 

IT TOOK A CIVIL WAR, BUT IT FELL. 

IF AN OBAMA-PACKED COURT UPHOLDS OBAMACARE AND TAKES AWAY RELIGIOUS FREEDOM, IT MIGHT TAKE ANOTHER CIVIL WAR.

VIA JIM.

DESPITE "GLOBAL WARMING", A DEEP FREEZE IN EASTERN EUROPE IS KILLING HUNDREDS: THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS SCOOPS INSTAPUNDIT BY 4 DAYS

INSTAPUNDIT TODAY: THE BIG FREEZE: Cold Weather Across Europe, Asia Kills Hundreds.

TAB 4 DAYS AGO:

BRRRRRRR!: NO GLOBAL WARMING IN EASTERN EUROPE! 

COLDEST SINCE 1938, DESPITE HIGHER AMOUNTS OF CO2 IN THE ATMOSPHERE. IOW: AGW = BS.

At least 83 people have died in Ukraine from a cold spell that has been gripping the country, officials say. 

Temperatures as low as -23C (-9F) and heavy snowfall this month have left the capital Kiev and most of the country under a thick frozen layer.

NEW OBAMA POSTER: "FORWARD"... YEAH, OVER THE CLIFF AND INTO THE ABYSS!

"YES, VIRGINIA: THERE IS A SLIPPERY SLOPE!"

POLYAMORY ON THE MOVE.

JUST AS WE PREDICTED.

MORE ASININE AND ILLOGICAL LIBERAL LOGIC

• LIBERALS THINK IT'S AWFUL IF A PREGNANT WOMAN SMOKES CIGARETTES, USES RECREATIONAL INTRAVENOUS DRUGS AND DRINKS BOOZE, BUT IT'S OKAY IF SHE HAS AN ABORTION.

AND

• LIBERALS THINK WHEN JOURNALISTS LIKE JAYSON BLAIR AND FAREED ZAKARIA COMMIT PLAGIARISM I'TS A SERIOUS CRIME, BUT IF DAVID GREGORY VIOLATES GUNS LAWS IT'S OKAY.

MORE HERE.

"We need to restore our faith in liberty and markets and unleash the innate innovation and dynamism of the individual."

The US economy is in big trouble.

The cure is simple:

"We need to restore our faith in liberty and markets and unleash the innate innovation and dynamism of the individual."

RTWT.

REMEMBER: No economy ever grew because they raised taxes, increased debt and regulations. 

A METAPHOR I'M SURE WE'D RATHER NOT BE BOTHERED WITH

The leftist British comics/films site of Bleeding Cool posted this item asking "Is Atlantis Meant To Be Israel?" in reference to a crossover story DC Comics is publishing taking place in both Aquaman and the Justice League. Since this is written by the awful, overrated Geoff Johns, the same one who wrote the victimology story for the sake of Islam in Green Lantern, I wouldn't trust this particular item to do any better. Aquaman is made to describe "his people" as "superstitious, protective and aggressive", and 2 of those 3 words do not make me feel particularly comfy. Nor in fact does the site's suggestion that:

Or course, another reading may see Atlantis as Palestine. Or Iran. Or the USA itself. Cold War aspects given a new relevance due to international relations in the Middle East.

Bleah. Don't be surprised if this could be a potential metaphor for the "Arab spring" in the worst ways possible too. If Atlantis is supposed to serve as a possible metaphor for those, even that would only be reason to dread with a writer as repellant as Johns helming the story. One sure thing, please avoid his past writings like the Flash work he did, and also his early work on Green Lantern, which is just as repellant.

It's also quite galling how a man like Johns with terrible ideas for what makes entertainment is forcing his visions on Jewish creations (Aquaman creator Mort Weisinger was).

A DOCTOR YOU SHOULD NEVER TURN TO FOR TREATMENT

A Pakistani Muslim doctor whose clinic infected patients in Nebraska is trying to get his license restored in New York (Hat tip: Jihad Watch):

Dr. Tahir Ali Javed, whose Fremont cancer clinic infected dozens of patients with hepatitis a little more than a decade ago, has applied for reinstatement of his medical license in New York.

Javed, 47, fled to his native Pakistan 10 years ago, when the severity of the hepatitis outbreak became known. His medical license in Nebraska was revoked. He surrendered his New York license.

In Pakistan, Javed became a public health official and reportedly blamed the situation in Nebraska on anti-Muslim sentiment.

Unsanitary practices in the Fremont clinic led to hepatitis C infections in at least 99 patients, several of whom died.

A Fremont-based group called the HONOReform Foundation grew out of the tragedy. It promotes sanitary practices in health care settings. The “One and Only” campaign that it advocates seeks to educate nurses, doctors and others of the importance of using syringes and needles only once.

Javed could not be reached for comment. His Omaha attorney, Michael D. Jones, said he hadn't had contact with Javed in years.

Antonia Valentine of the New York State Education Department, which rules on restoration of medical licenses, confirmed that Javed has applied for reinstatement.

Valentine said in an email that the application will be investigated and referred to two committees before the New York Board of Regents rules on it. It's unclear when the ruling will be issued. Valentine declined to provide further information.

Steve Langan, executive director of HONOReform, said, “Sick people were injured, some of them died, and no justice has been done.”

The Nebraska Attorney General's Office pursued the revocation of Javed's medical license in 2003. It accused him of unprofessional conduct and gross negligence for allowing staffers to reuse syringes, which contaminated large bags of saline with hepatitis. The saline was used to clean out implanted devices that administer chemotherapy and other medications to cancer patients, infecting patients with hepatitis in the process.

The allegations said Javed had been warned multiple times that his office used unsanitary practices in administering the drugs and continued to allow it.

The Attorney General's Office also accused him of exploiting a patient to conduct a sexual relationship with her. The attorney general alleged that Javed, a cancer specialist, gave the woman a false diagnosis and told her not to seek treatment elsewhere because other providers would inform her insurance company and she wouldn't be able to get insurance again.

Documents indicate that Javed admitted to little. The exploitation accusations were dismissed. Javed chose not to contest the case against him and agreed to a settlement in which his Nebraska medical license was revoked in September 2003.

New York records show that Javed surrendered his medical license in that state in 2004, after he chose not to contest the Nebraska allegations.

Travis Bennington, a Fremont attorney who co-wrote a book on the case with one of the victims, Evelyn McKnight, said Javed fled to his native Pakistan before any criminal charges could be filed.

If he wasn't charged, why not? Why wasn't he even tried in absentia? What he did was very grave, led to several deaths, and yet he was never officially indicted? This is very sad. The man should not get a new license, nor should anyone looking for good medicare turn to him for treatment, and chances are they won't anyway, so I don't see what his point is of applying for a new license.

THE ISLAMIST DOMINATED SYRIAN "NATIONAL" COUNCIL

Melanie Phillips has written about how several world governments are making the same grave mistake they did during the Muslim uprising in Egypt:

To an astonishing silence by the media on both sides of the pond, the US along with the UK and a number of European governments is leading the west into an abyss. I have repeatedly noted here that the US, UK and France helped bring to power in Egypt Islamic extremists hostile to the free world, and were threatening to do something very similar in Syria. Now they have indeed done so by recognising the Syrian National Council as the legitimate leader of the Syrian opposition.

The thinking behind this is to designate the al-Qaeda linked Jabhat al-Nusra as a terrorist group, while supporting the Muslim Brotherhood – which dominates the Syrian National Council -- as a reasonable alternative. But this is the same catastrophic mistake the US et al have made in Egypt. For the Brotherhood are not a reasonable alternative to Islamic extremists hostile to the west. They are themselves Islamic extremists hostile to the west.

And they shouldn't have received any backing to begin with. What western governments who support the SNC are doing is just as damaging to the west as it is to countries plagued by Islamofascism, and sooner or later, the disaster is bound to lead to more.

RABBI NUCHEM ROSENBERG'S ATTACKER HAS BEEN INDICTED

Meilech Schnitzler, the Satmar community member who threw bleach at rabbi Nuchem Rosenberg, one of the people who helped support one of the victims of Nechemya Weberman, has been officially indicted for his assault:

A Brooklyn fishmonger was indicted for throwing a cup of bleach in the face of a Chasidic rabbi who advocates for victims of sexual abuse in the haredi Orthodox community.

Meilech Schnitzler, 36, of Williamsburg, a member of the Satmar Hasidic sect, was indicted Wednesday on two counts of attempted assault, two counts of assault and criminal possession of a weapon. He could face up to 15 years in prison.

Throw the book at him hard. The gavel, too. DNA Info also reports:

Though Hynes and Rosenberg have had their differences in the past, Hynes has promised to vigorously prosecute the case against Schnitzler.

“This indictment alleges an act of thuggery in broad daylight that cannot be tolerated,” Hynes said in a statement. “The indictment sends a clear message that anyone who would seek to intimidate someone opposed to the uncovering of sexual abuse in the Orthodox community will face serious criminal charges and if convicted, I will ask for the maximum jail time.”

If Mr. Hynes is making an effort to overcome his flaws of yesteryear, that's something to appreciate. The perpetrator deserves a stern sentence for doing something that dangerous, and Hynes will be doing the right thing to ensure that Schnitzler is punished severely.

EVEN NOW, WE CAN'T THINK OBAMA SUDDENLY LIKES ISRAEL

Barry Rubin at the Gloria Center makes clear to everybody that it'd be ill-advised to think that Obama now likes Israel, much as some would like to believe it.

OBAMA TRANSFORMING THE USA INTO THE USSA

LOST TRIBE RETURNS: THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS SCOOPS INSTAPUNDIT BY A DAY

WHAT GLENN HAD TODAY:

BANISHED IN THE 8TH CENTURY B.C., Lost Tribe of Jews Returns to Israel.

Posted at 2:00 pm by Glenn Reynolds    

TAB HAD YESTERDAY.

THE REASONS WHY CHUCK HAGEL WOULD MAKE A BAD DEFENSE SECRETARY

Democrat senator Chuck Hagel has a dreadful stance on Israel, and he's also got a bad position on the subject of the 1915 Armenian genocide by the Ottoman Islamic empire in Turkey. A member of an Armenian lobbying group said the following, and look carefully at some of the things Hagel said too:

"We remain troubled by former Senator Hagel’s acceptance of Ankara’s gag-rule on American honesty about the Armenian Genocide – the still unpunished crime against a Christian nation that continues to define Turkey’s present-day policies toward Armenia and much of the region,” ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian said in an emailed statement.

Hagel has opposed official U.S. government recognition of the genocide, and has declined to say whether he believes the massacre of more than 1 million Armenians beginning in 1915 was in fact a genocide.

“What happened in 1915 happened in 1915. As one United States Senator, I think the better way to deal with this is to leave it open to historians and others to decide what happened and why,” then-Senator Hagel told a group of Armenian reporters during a trip to the country in 2005.

“The fact is that this region needs to move forward,” Hagel added. “We need to find a lasting, just peace between Turkey and Armenia and the other nations of this region. I am not sure that by going back and dealing with that in some way that causes one side or the other to be put in difficult spot, helps move the peace process forward.”

ANCA objected to the argument that official U.S. recognition of the genocide would hinder peace between Turkey and Armenia.

Sound familiar? It's just like the language used by those who think peace between Israel and the so-called palestinians is more important than anything else and don't want to recognize that the Islamists were the ones who started the hostility. The Armenian movements who find that moral equivalence offensive are right to be angry about it, just like we should be for say, how Morrocan Islamists treated Jews in past centuries.

Hagel should not be a defense secretary, nor should he be a secretary of state or even an agricultural secretary; I think he'd be awful in a job like that too.

EGYPT: OUT THE FRYING PAN AND INTO THE FIRE

Egypt's Morsi signs Islamist constitution into law

Following referendum showing 63.8% of population supports controversial constitution, Egyptian president signs document into law; civilians rush to withdraw savings from banks; US: We urge Morsi to bridge division.

THE FACT THAT A MAJORITY OF EGYPTIANS VOTED FOR SHARIA DOESN'T MAKE IT ANY MORE MORAL OR GOOD OR RIGHT.

MAJORITY RULE GUARANTEES NOTHING:

IF 90% OF THEM VOTED TO KILL THE OTHER 10% IT WOULD BE DEMOCRATIC - AND EVIL GENOCIDE.

WHEN OBAMA REMOVED MUBARAK - OUR ALLY, AND A FORCE FOR  REGIONAL SECURITY - HE LITERALLY AND FIGURATIVELY UNLEASHED THE MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD AND SHARIA IN EGYPT.

MORE THAN ANY OTHER HUMAN BEING ON EARTH, TOTALITARIAN TYRANNY UNDER SHARIA FOR 65 MILLION EGYPTIANS IS OBAMA'S FAULT.

LOST TRIBE RETURNING TO ISRAEL

BBC: 

Dozens of members of an Indian tribe said to be lost descendants of ancient Israelites have emigrated to Israel after the government lifted a visa ban. Some 1,700 of the 7,200-strong Bnei Menashe already arrived nearly a decade ago after a chief rabbi recognised the community as a lost tribe in 2005. 

Israel stopped issuing visas to the group two years later but recently reversed the policy. Some critics have questioned the authenticity of the tribe's claims. The community says it is one of the lost 10 tribes of Israel who were exiled when Assyrians invaded the northern kingdom of Israel in the 8th Century BC. 

According to its oral tradition, the tribe travelled through Persia, Afghanistan, Tibet, China and on to India, where it eventually settled in the north-eastern states of Manipur and Mizoram. 

'Never forgotten' 

Around 50 people landed in the city of Tel Aviv on Monday.
Eyewitnesses said there were emotional scenes at Ben Gurion airport as the newcomers were greeted by relatives who had moved to Israel during the first wave of immigration. Several hundred more Bnei Menashe members are due to arrive in the coming weeks, said Michael Freund, chairman of the Shavei Israel group which helped organise the journey for the Bnei Menashe members. 

"The members of this tribe have never forgotten where they came from and we are excited to be able to help them come back," he told AFP news agency.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I WISH MY ALL MY CHRISTIAN FRIENDS AND CHRISTIANS IN MY EXTENDED FAMILY A MERRY CHRISTMAS!

ODE TO JOY

All creatures drink of joy At nature's breast. 

Just and unjust Alike taste of her gift; She gave us kisses and the fruit of the vine, A tried friend to the end. 

Even the worm can feel contentment, And the cherub stands before God! 

Gladly, like the heavenly bodies Which He set on their courses Through the splendor of the firmament; Thus, brothers, you should run your race, As a hero going to conquest. 

You millions, I embrace you. This kiss is for all the world! 

Brothers, above the starry canopy There must dwell a loving Father. 

Do you fall in worship, you millions? 

World, do you know your creator? 

Seek him in the heavens; Above the stars must He dwell.

EHUD BARAK APPROVES OF TURNING ARIEL COLLEGE INTO UNIVERSITY

On his way out of office, defense minister Ehud Barak's done something positive:

Right now, a lot of eyebrows are probably being raised as high as the champagne glasses, after Defense Minister Ehud Barak granted Ariel College his stamp of approval. This was the last step needed for Ariel College to receive official recognition and accreditation as a university.

Barak instructed Major General Nitzan Alon to recognize the school, located in the city of Ariel in the Shomron, as a university, after refusing to do so since the paper crossed his desk in September.

And the attorney general approves too:

Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein on Monday upheld the Judea and Samaria Higher Education Council's decision to accredit the school, despite opposition from the National Council for Higher Education, which in September branded it political and filed a petition against it to the High Court of Justice.

Weinstein, who submitted his decision on Monday, said that there are "no obstacles" that could impede the accreditation, adding that the move to recognize the school was in accordance with the law.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu welcomed the change in status, saying that, "after decades, an additional university was born in Israel, which will strengthen higher education in the country."

The approval follows Netanyahu’s decision to approve thousands of new homes in Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem, sparking widespread international condemnation.

And now, Barak is similarly bound to lose the support of his fellow leftists, though since he's exiting the political scene, he probably isn't bothered, and shouldn't be.

The Ariel college president's also happy, and has noted that the accreditation was already decided months ago.

HRW GETS SOMETHING RIGHT, BUT NOT ALL

Human Rights Watch has issued a statement that the Hamas violated the "laws of war":

Gaza militants violated laws of war by launching hundreds of rockets at Israeli civilians during last month’s fighting, Human Rights Watch said in a release Monday.

The Israeli military said 1,500 rockets were fired at Israel during the eight-day offensive against Gaza militants, including the first rockets from the Gaza Strip to strike the Tel Aviv and Jerusalem areas.

The rocket attacks killed three Israeli civilians and wounded dozens. Israeli assaults killed 169 Palestinians.

I'm not sure this news is entirely worth admiration. That the Hamas waged war at all is abominable and against the beliefs we'd assume HRW holds dear. The number of Israelis who died was at about 7, and the "palestinians" were mainly terrorists described incorrectly as civilians, and the death toll for them wasn't particularly high either. So HRW hasn't exactly shown a willingness to be respectable to the Israeli side, but merely stooping to moral equations.

BREACH OF PSEUDO-CEASEFIRE

It may only have landed within the Gaza boundary, but a missile was fired anew (Hat tip: The Algemeiner):

Gaza terrorists attempted to fire a rocket at Israel on Sunday.

The Kassam missile landed in an open area in the Gaza Strip, causing no injuries or damage, the IDF Spokesman’s Office said.

The rocket fire is a breach of the Egyptian-mediated ceasefire signed by Hamas on November 21 ending Israel’s Operation Pillar of Defense. As part of the deal, Hamas agreed to halt its own fire and rein in other terror groups.

Also on Sunday, IDF soldiers arrested two unarmed Palestinians who crossed the Gaza border fence.

If one rocket could be fired, others could be waiting in the cannon ports. This is just a sample of the taqqiya tactics that'll be used by jihadists when they think they're at a disadvantage, before continuing their savagery again.

SLAVERY STILL COMMON PRACTICE IN YEMEN

Call it sharia-slavery if you will, but that's what still reigns supreme in Yemen (Hat tip: Jihad Watch):

Slavery is still being practiced in parts of Yemen, with men, women and children all falling victim to the practice. And according to local human rights activists, the government would prefer to simply sweep the problem under the carpet.

An investigation by the Wethaq Foundation, based on six months of field studies, has revealed 190 cases of slavery in three provinces in the north west of the country. The organisation also found evidence of people being bought and sold, and its report is raising questions about just how widespread slavery is in Yemen.

Yemeni Human Rights Watch had already documented its first case of enslavement in 2008, when activists found evidence of a slave being traded for around 2.000 euros. The case was discovered via local documents used to register real estate which included the phrase: “the slave Qenaf, son of slave Sara, was legally purchased”.

Charity
According to activist Najeeb Al-Saadi, it is not uncommon for individuals from the Arab Gulf to buy slaves in Yemen and then set them free. This, he says, is seen as a charitable act, in accordance with the teachings of Islam.

Al-Saadi also claims his group was able to free a slave called Naseem during its research. The terms of release included keeping the identity of the seller confidential and keeping the slave away from the media. Naseem has now been brought to the capital Sana'a, and the Foundation is searching for someone to adopt him.

Mohammed Naji Allaw is an activist and former member of parliament. He says most slaves were set free back in the 1960s after the September 26 Revolution. They remained hugely disadvantaged though because of their low economic status.

No hope
The new findings by the Wethaq Foundation are backed up by research conducted by the Al-Masdar website in 2010. This confirmed that local communities in the North-West are comfortable with slavery. For those enslaved the situation is grim. In interviews conducted by the website, the slaves said they have not received any education and believed they had little chance of improving their situation.

According to Al-Saadi, the Yemeni authorities have been happy for the slavery question to remain hidden, and the publication of his organisation’s report is raising awkward questions. When Al-Masdar previously wrote about the issue, the authorities’ response was to deny slavery existed and to send troops to the North-West to intimidate those who had spoken out. Al-Saadi hopes his group’s new research will make it impossible for the issue to be swept aside again and that the government will be forced to take action.

Slavery is banned and all people are equal under Yemeni law, but experts say extreme poverty fuels the practice as poor people in rural areas are often totally dependent.

And why? Because there's almost nobody sane there to give them civilized jobs.

As for "buying freedom" for the slaves, does it help? Not in the long term. The slavemongers will only go along and take more people hostage as slaves. The slavemongers definitely don't deserve the money for all the trouble they're causing the prisoners they hold onto.

2 two for the road's

by a relatively unknown musician:

and by the famous pat metheny:

the prior proves, once again, that many talented people deserve more recognition....

BONUS VIDEO!: one of my favorite guitar pieces by one of the greatest composers of all time:

FACT: THE NEW DEAL FAILED THEN, AND IT'S FAILING NOW

TAT:

The New Deal was the largest real-world test of the Keynesian Myth in recent history. Franklin Roosevelt's Treasury Secretary Henry Morgenthau confessed that the "New Deal" was a failure in sworn testimony before Congress on May 9, 1939. 

"We have tried spending money. We are spending more than we have ever spent before and it does not work."

And FDR's Treasury Secretary also told Congress:

"I say after eight years of this Administration we have just as much unemployment as when we started. ... And an enormous debt to boot!"  (See:  Human Events   http://www.humanevents.com/2009/01/20/get-over-it-new-deal-didnt-do-the-job/ and The Heritage Foundation    http://blog.heritage.org/2009/01/14/were-spending-more-than-ever-and-it-doesnt-work/.) 

What's more, Morgenthau was a friend and ally of FDR's, not just the Treasury Secretary responsible for the finances of the New Deal.

Morgenthau made this "startling confession," says historian Burton W. Folsom Jr., in the New Deal's seventh year.   "In these words, Morgenthau summarized a decade of disaster, especially during the years Roosevelt was in power. Indeed average unemployment for the whole year in 1939 would be higher than that in 1931, the year before Roosevelt captured the presidency from Herbert Hoover," Folsom's book is "New Deal or Raw Deal?: How FDR's Economic Legacy Has Damaged America." 

[...] 

Top economists show us that the government cannot expand the economy through deficit spending because borrowing disrupts and displaces other economic activities, including Milton Freedman, E. Cary, John Taylor of Stanford, Gary Becker and Eugene Fama of the University of Chicago and Greg Mankiw and Robert Barro of Harvard. In the end, the government simply moves economic activity around (benefitting campaign donors) without any real improvement. As economist Hal Varian of the University of California at Berkeley points out, private investment  in the economy builds a foundation for long-term, sustainable growth and prosperity, whereas government spending does not.

When political cronies benefit, honest business building is demoralized and discouraged.  Economic growth is harmed by liberal meddling and government disruption of the private sector.

RTWT.

WHILE OBAMA BODY-SURFS AND GOLFS, PUTIN SIGNS A $3BILLION DEFENSE DEAL WITH INDIA

WE SHOULD BE INDIA'S CLOSEST ALLY, NOT RUSSIA.


IMO: OBAMA HAS DONE MORE TO HELP RUSSIA AND CHINA AND THE MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD THAN HE HAS THE USA.

FRENCH ECONOMY ABOUT TO CRASH?

BBC:  

Moody's decision to downgrade France's sovereign debt means it believes the risk of the country defaulting on its debts has increased. If investors in French government bonds lose confidence in Paris's ability to repay, then they will demand a higher premium on their loans. That would make it more expensive for the country to borrow on international markets. 

Countries such as Greece, Ireland and Portugal have been effectively shut out of borrowing long term on international financial markets, which forced them to seek help from European partners and the International Monetary Fund. 

French banks are exposed to the troubled eurozone economies, and its rigid labour market is also harming competitiveness. The IMF has warned that France's economic outlook would deteriorate if it failed make deep spending cuts like Greece, Italy and Portugal. 

The international lender predicts economic growth of a mere 0.4% in 2013, up from 0.1% this year. Meanwhile, French business leaders "are in a state of quasi-panic," according to Laurence Parisot, the head of the employers' association Medef. "The pace of bankruptcies has accelerated over the summer. We are seeing a general loss of confidence by investors. Large foreign investors are shunning France altogether. It's becoming really dramatic."

IT AIN'T GETTING BETTER IN EUROPE; IT'S GETTING WORSE. STAY TUNED....

LEFTISTS DO SUPPORT "MODESTY" WHEN ISLAMISTS DEMAND IT

And here's a report on how, in a followup to this earlier item:

While the Israeli left has been extremely critical of hareidi Jews who pressure others to dress modestly, it turns out that sometimes the left supports modest dress. The extreme-left Magazine Hakibush (Occupation Magazine) recently called on its readers to dress modestly and respect community norms – when visiting Palestinian Authority Arab areas.

The magazine called on readers to join Arabs in the Hevron hills, and added, “Remember to bring your ID card, water, a hat, and modest clothing that respects the sensitivities of the Palestinians.”

The appeal mentioned shorts and sleeveless shirts as two things that should not be worn.

I wouldn't be surprised if homosexuality is another something they don't want to offend the Muslims with. Does that rag also tell gays and lesbians to stay at home or just keep their mindsets in check?

And despite alleged claims they detest Haredi beliefs in modest dress, the left is willing to make deals in coalition partnerships in the Knesset and provide them with welfare benefits if that's what it takes to ascend to government, and if they do have a problem with them, it's only because not even Satmar could be thought leftist enough for their tastes, or because Judaism isn't the religion they see as worthy of upholding modesty issues for.

GENERATION Y'S FINANCIAL PROSPECTS PERMANENTLY DEPRESSED BY OBAMANOMICS

SAD FACTS HERE.

SINCE MOST OF THEM VOTED FOR OBAMA, THEY HAVE THEMSELVES TO BLAME.

UNFREAKIN' REAL: OBAMA LIED IN HIS INOUYE EULOGY

OBAMA WOULDN'T KNOW THE TRUTH IF IT BIT HIM IN THE ASS.

(VIA IOTW.)

GUN CONTROL IS A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF ILLOGICAL LIBERAL POLICY-MAIKNG

TAKING GUNS AWAY FROM INNOCENT THIRD PARTIES CAN NEVER EVER REDUCE MASS MURDER OR MURDER RATES IN GENERAL.

YET, LIBS'N LEFTIES REPEATEDLY DEMAND IT EVERY TIME THERE'S A HORRIFIC MULTIPLE MURDER.

WHY?

THEY ARE IRRATIONAL, AN THEIR REFUSAL TO LISTEN TO OPPOSING VIEWPOINTS MEANS THEIR ILLOGIC IS NOT TESTED AND IS ALLOWED TO GO ON AS IF IT WAS LOGICAL.

IT'S NOT VERY DIFFERENT FROM THEIR BELIEF THAT IF THE USA WOULD JUST LOWER OUR COLLECTIVE CO2 OUTPUT THAT THE CLIMATE MIGHT REMAIN PERFECT.

WHICH IS ILLOGICAL FOR FOUR REASONS: (1) GLOBAL CO2 WOULD STILL GO UP; AND (2) THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS PERFECT OR STATIC CLIMATE; CLIMATE CHANGE IS NATURAL; (3) CO2 INCREASES HAVE NOT CAUSED ANY CLIMATE CHANGE; AND  (4) SOME WARMING WOULD BE A GOOD THING.

THERE ARE MANY CRISES AND POTENTIAL CRISES WHICH CAN BE AMELIORATED BY RATIONAL HUMAN POLICIES AND ACTIONS.

NONE OF THE POLICIES OR ACTIONS THE LIBS'N LEFTIES PROPOSE COULD HAVE ANY POSITIVE EFFECT, AND MOST HAVE NEGATIVE EFFECTS.

AS LONG AS THEY CAN GAIN A MAJORITY OR PLURALITY AT THE POLLS, AND CONTROL THE DIRECTION THIS NATION TAKES... NOTHING GOOD CAN HAPPEN AND THE LIKELIHOOD THAT WORSE THINGS WILL HAPPEN INCREASES.

SIGH.

THE REMEDY IS REASON. 

BUT LIBS'S LEFTIES WOULD RATHER BASK IN THE COMFORT OF THEIR DISCREDITED IDEOLOGIES AND THE SECURE COMFORT OF THEIR PARTISAN CAMARADERIE, THEN ADMIT THEY'VE BEEN WRONG AND JOIN US IN SEEKING PROVEN SOLUTIONS.

SIGH.

LIBS'N LEFTIES MORE WORRIED ABOUT THE NRA AND CO2 THAN THE MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD OR RUNAWAY FEDERAL SPENDING

JUST SAYING.

SIGH.

AS THE WISE MAN ONCE SAID: THE PROBLEM ISN'T THAT THEY KNOW NOTHING.

IT'S THAT EVERYTHING THEY KNOW IS WRONG.

REMINDER TO LIBS'N LEFTIES: IT'S NOT ILLEGAL TO YELL "FIRE!" IN A CROWDED THEATER IF IT'S ON FIRE

FREE SPEECH IS A RIGHT THAT SHALL NOT BE ABRIDGED.

ALL SPEECH NEEDS THIS PROTECTION - ESPECIALLY UNPOPULAR SPEECH - AND SPEECH THAT OFFENDS OR DISTURBS.

SPEECH THE MAJORITY FEEL IS PLEASANT AND AGREEABLE IS NEVER UNDER THREAT.

AND IT IS NOT ONLY LEGAL TO YELL "FIRE!" IN A CROWDED THEATER IF IT'S REALLY ON FIRE; IT IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO.

AND IF SOME PEOPLE ARE HURT EXITING, THEN BLAME THE ARSONIST, NOT THE PERSON WHO BELLOWED OUT THE WARNING AND/OR PULLED THE FIRE ALARM.

MORE ON FREE SPEECH HERE.

BELIEVE IT OR NOT: PEOPLE ACTUALLY CELEBRATED STALIN'S 133RD BIRTHDAY

COMMIE KISSING STALIN ON HIS 133RD BIRTHDAY

OBAMA FRENCH-KISSING STALIN ON HIS 133RD BIRTHDAY

BELIEVE IT OR NOT, THE TOP PHOTO WASN'T PHOTOSHOPPED. READ MORE ABOUT IT HERE.

YOU CAN TELL A LOT ABOUT PEOPLE BY EXAMINING WHO THEY REVERE, CELEBRATE AND EMULATE.

STALIN. MOHAMMED. HITLER. ALINSKY. CARTER.

PEOPLE WHO CONFUSE DYSTOPIANISTS POSING AS UTOPIANISTS WITH PROPHETS ARE THE BIGGEST PROBLEM ON EARTH.

PEACE ON EARTH WILL BE A DREAM AS LONG AS PEOPLE CONFUSE AND CONFLATE THE TWO.

The 2012 Fabulous 50 Blog Award Winners: TAB IS A WINNER!

The Golda Meir Award for Best Anti-Jihad Blogger:

Atlas Shrugs, Gates of Vienna, JihadWatch, Sultan Knish and The Astute Blogger (tie)

I THINK THAT PAM AND ROBERT ARE HEAD AND SHOULDERS ABOVE ME AND MY BLOG! 

AND ATLAS; REALLY - SHE IS THE GREATEST! 

IT IS AN HONOR TO BE MENTIONED IN THE SAME SENTENCE AS THEM AND THE SULTAN - LET ALONE SHARE ANY RECOGNITION! 

ONE BEHALF OF TAB AND ALL THE BLOGGERS HERE: WE THANK YOU DOUG!

CHECK OUT THE ENTIRE LIST HERE. 

RELIGION OF TERROR AND DEATH STRIKES AGAIN

A suicide bomber has killed at least eight people at a political rally in the north-western Pakistani city of Peshawar, police say. A senior provincial minister and anti-Taliban figure, Bashir Ahmad Bilour, was among those killed.

IN RELATED NEWS:

• FIRE SWEEPS THROUGH KABUL MARKET.

• "BLASPHEMER" MURDERED BY MOB.

FACT: ONLY ISLAM IS CHARACTERIZED BY NEWS SUCH AS THIS.

BRRRRRRR!: NO GLOBAL WARMING IN EASTERN EUROPE!

At least 83 people have died in Ukraine from a cold spell that has been gripping the country, officials say. 

Temperatures as low as -23C (-9F) and heavy snowfall this month have left the capital Kiev and most of the country under a thick frozen layer.

COLDEST SINCE 1938, DESPITE HIGHER AMOUNTS OF CO2 IN THE ATMOSPHERE. IOW: AGW = BS.