AFTER THEY OUTLAW GUNS TO MAKE US SAFE, THEY CAN OUTLAW POVERTY AND WAR AND RACISM AND DISEASE AND ...

... AND THEN PASS A LAW MAKING IT ILLEGAL TO BREAK THESE LAWS.

THAT'LL DO IT.

MK ZOABI OPPOSES ARMY SERVICE FOR ARABS

Even Israeli Arabs should share the public burden, but if there's someone who opposes army service for that sector of society, it's the traitorous MK Hanan Zoabi, who's said:

Israel should “prepare the prisons” if a law requiring Arab Israelis to enlist in the army is passed, MK Hanin Zoabi (Balad) told Arutz Sheva on Monday.

What has become known as “equal burden” in IDF and national service has become a hot issue in the coalition negotiations currently underway. While most of the attention has been on army enlistment of hareidi-religious yeshiva students, there have also been calls to include Arab Israelis in this as well. These calls have come from Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid party but also from United Torah Judaism and Yisrael Beytenu, which advocates that everyone be drafted at the age of 18.

According to MK Zoabi, however, Arab youth would rather go to jail or perform some form of civil service than enlist in the IDF. She also said that the entire Arab sector will resort to civil disobedience in the event that such legislation is passed.

[...] Zoabi claimed that the Arab public “does not want to be part of an occupying army. The issue of the military is not just a matter of burden but also of belonging. This is internal Jewish solidarity. You cannot tell me to come in and feel as though I belong in this army.”

Oh, so now she's trying to go for that propaganda angle. Which is disgraceful, of course. And I guess the only kind of workforce job she wants is the Knesset, so she can try to corrupt the country's political systems.

To make things worse, there's a certain movement within Jewish society she sides with too, and one of the few of its kind:

Zoabi identified with the anti-Zionist Neturei Karta Jews, saying, “They are anti-Zionist and I am anti-Zionist. I identify with them.”

They're even worse than the Satmar sect they spun off from. A Haredi movement that's organized participation in gatherings and events that delegitimize Israel, even going so far as to assist Muslim groups and visit Iran's Ahmedinejad. And that's why they're one of the few of their kind whom Zoabi's willing to side with.

CARTOON MOVEMENT HAS A PROBLEM WITH ISRAELI SECURITY

The Cartoon Movement is complaining about the IDF's arrest of an Arabic cartoonist named Mohammed Saba'aneh. The worst part is that CBR's Brigid Alverson appears to be distorting info, because on her posting, it says that the Intl. Council for Human Rights says, “The Israeli security forces refuse to disclose any details on Mohammed Sabaana’s whereabouts and further deny to grant access to his lawyer or his family members. He is also at serious risk of torture and ill-treatment.” But that's not what the press release on Cartoon Movement's page actually says. (If you go there, you'll see just what kind of loathsome cartoons he's drawn up, BTW.)

The Times of Israel says:

Saba’aneh, a Palestinian who was visiting Amman, was arrested while crossing from Jordan into Israel on February 16 for providing information to hostile organizations, according to Ramallah-based Al-Hayat.

On Thursday, his remand in prison was extended for another nine days.

Saba’aneh’s cartoons are seen as critical of Israeli policies in the West Bank. One published last week depicted a Palestinian in Israeli jail ripping his heart out to throw over the prison wall.

This is exactly what CBR, as much as Cartoon Movement and other such sources, have not acknowledged, proving they're more interested in defending anti-Israel propaganda than in the realities involved. If Saba'aneh gave info to potential terrorist outfits, then he's asking for punishment. Those protecting him instead of victims of Islamic honor murders, for example, should be ashamed of themselves.

Update: on a semi-related note, Alverson also recommended/fawned over another of Sarah Glidden's propaganda pieces, that being a cartoon series she drew called State of Palestine, which proves she really doesn't recognize Israel's legitimacy, and only makes me even gladder that I don't waste my hard earned money on losers like Glidden.

ISLAM IS INCREASINGLY IMPOSED UPON EGYPT

Asia News (via Jihad Watch) reports how Egypt is constantly becoming more and more sharia-compliant, and there's a lot of foreign sources who are also approving of it:

Cairo (AsiaNews) - From the continuing attacks against Christians, to the proposed ban on alcohol and belly dancing, Egypt is increasingly being transformed into an Islamic state. The signs of this change are not only within the Constitution, based on sharia, but the imposition of customs until now the preserve of a minority of society. In recent days, a decision of an Administrative Court of Cairo has made headlines. The court is allowing police officers to wear beards the "Islamic way" after a thirty years ban. In February, dozens of police officers were suspended for violating the law. They protested for days in front of the headquarters of the Ministry of the Interior arousing the sympathy of several Salafi imams and police officers who lobbied on the Court to remove the ban. Dating back to the regime of Hosni Mubarak, the law was introduced to prevent the entry in the police force of elements of radical Islamism who would not be impartial in administering the law. Anyone who sported an Islamic beard was suspended.

According to the moderate newspaper Al Ahram, the Court's verdict marks an important page in the Egyptian society and confirms the silent Islamization of institutions and has sparked new protests by Christians and the secular opposition, which for months has been denouncing this trend.

However this ruling is not the only sign of this trend taking hold. Radical Islamists begin to emerge even in the army after decades of keeping a low profile. In recent days, the Baladna Bel Masry talk showed a video of a military tank painted with the words: "Not God but Allah, Muhammad is the messenger of Allah." The video was shown across the country and today Ahmed Mohammed Ali, spokesman of the Higher Council of the Armed Forces announced legal action against those responsible. "One vehicle - however, he stressed - does not mean that the phenomenon concerns the entire army."

Attempts to Islamize Egyptian society also affect education. In recent days Mogheth Kamal, an expert on education, denounced a Muslim Brotherhood plan to impose lessons of Islam and the Koran in schools, even private ones. The Islamist movement reportedly has the support of many institutions, including foreign ones.

And very sadly enough, it also include the Obama administration, which has done nothing to oppose this transformation.

Interestingly enough, notice the part about the scrawl on the tank saying "not God but Allah"? Could that be a clue that God and Allah are not considered the same under Islam?

NY JEWISH DELIS ARE CLOSING

If you've ever enjoyed visiting a Jewish delicatessen, and eating some great corn beef sandwiches, it won't be great to know that a lot of them are closing down, mainly in New York:

Increasing apathy, particularly from younger patrons, has driven traditional Jewish delicatessens from their mid-century pinnacle. The decline seems to be accelerating partly because of health concerns over the schmaltz-spread fare and partly because bagels are now available in every supermarket.

Add sides of restaurant-industry slump and rising lease rates, and even local landmarks aren't immune.

In the last three months, three long-standing emporiums of corned beef and matzo around the country have closed.

Faced with aging clientele and a difficult economy, Ashkenaz Delicatessen in Chicago went dark in November and was replaced by a seafood joint called Da Lobsta. In Manhattan, high rent and the recession led to the closure of 75-year-old Stage Deli.

"People don't open up new delis anymore because it's very, very difficult to do," said Marian Levine, owner of Stage's longtime rival, Carnegie Deli in Manhattan.

In the first half of the 20th century, several thousand Jewish delis were operating in New York. But as Jewish immigration to the East Coast ebbed after World War II and younger generations splintered into the suburbs, the number has shrunk to a few dozen.

Demographic shifts in Los Angeles in the last few decades — along with the arrival of brands such as Langer's in MacArthur Park, Canter's on Fairfax and the Brent's chain — sparked hope of a Jewish deli revival in the Southland.

Lately, however, the region has suffered the same troubles bedeviling delis in the east.

Jerry's Famous Deli closed its Costa Mesa branch this spring and laid off dozens of employees. After years spent dishing up pickle-flanked masses of pastrami to the likes of Bruce Willis and Mel Brooks, Junior's closed following a rental spat with its landlord.

"There's nothing that can bring back the centrality of the deli in either Jewish life or American life," said Ted Merwin, an expert on Jewish culture and a professor at Dickinson College in Pennsylvania. "There's no way they're going to survive in the numbers they once did."

There you go - it's the bad economy situation that's led in part to the decline of these once great choices for resturants, to say nothing of the birthrate declines. As a result, there's not as many of these places where it could be great to go for a corn beef sandwich anymore. Sad.

HAS THERE BEEN A SINGLE BENEFIT FROM OBAMA'S MILITARY OR FOREIGN POLICIES?

In Iraq and Afghanistan, Obama has increased the use of drones and decreased the use of "boots on the ground". What has been the result? More US casualties than under Bush, and increased instability of the governments in those nations and increased casualties to civilians in those nations inflicted by the enemy.

Has there been a political benefit despite these bad military results? NO. Islamism is on the rise from Mali to Libya to Egypt to Syria to Iraq and Afghanistan. Pakistan is less stable, too. And Iran is closer than ever to a nuke. Meanwhile, China and Russia act-out ever more adventurously in the Pacific (and via North Korea and Iran - their clients). And our European allies are economically weaker than ever.

ALL IN ALL, OBAMA'S FOREIGN POLICY HAS BEEN AN UNMITIGATED DISASTER. For the West that is. Russia, China, Iran, and the islamists have done rather nicely.

It matters not if this was by design or by incompetence or just the inevitable result of appeasement and Pollyanna-ish policies. It's been a disaster. That the overwhelming majority in the West don't see this is sad.

The majority will eventually wake up from their propaganda-induced delusions, but it may very well be too late and because of an overwhelming catastrophe - that's too big to handle.

Sigh...

A NEW PLAY PORTRAYS JESUS AS AN AGNOSTIC/LAPSED JEW TEEN-AGER LOOKING FOR HIMSELF IN INDIA - AND NOBODY IS KILLED FOR BLASPHEMY... ER, UM ...NO ONE EVEN PROTESTS!

READ ABOUT THE PLAY HERE.

THEN ASK YOURSELF THIS:

WHY IS BLASPHEMY AGAINST CHRISTIANITY ACCEPTABLE, BUT BLASPHEMY AGAINST ISLAM - OR BLASPHEMY AGAINST LIBERAL ORTHODOXY, (LIKE GAY MARRIAGE OR ABORTION RIGHTS) -  ALWAYS MET WITH OUTRAGE?

I think it's because Christianity is now a matter of personal conscience (other than ex-communication, the Church can't do much), and not a matter of STATE; whereas both islamism and contemporary liberalism/socialism require a powerful coercive force - almost always the STATE - to maintain their hold on the public. In the West, this is most often enforced by PC. In islamist lands they frequently and fervently employ ghastly kinetic means.

The empowered individual who thinks for herself and acts in her own interest and pursues her own happiness is the enemy of both islamism and socialism.

FREEDOMLAND: THE FOUNDATION OF THE AMERICAN DREAM

VIA POWER LINE.

WATERGATE'S HERO-REPORTER - BOB WOODWARD - CALLS OBAMA A LIAR

WASHINGTON POST:

Misunderstanding, misstatements and all the classic contortions of partisan message management surround the sequester, the term for the $85 billion in ugly and largely irrational federal spending cuts set by law to begin Friday. 

What is the non-budget wonk to make of this? Who is responsible? What really happened? 

The sequester and the debt ceiling, explained: President Obama and lawmakers are facing several important fiscal deadlines. One is to avoid the $1.2 trillion in spending cuts included in sequestration and another is raising the country’s debt ceiling. Here is a look at some of the issues involved in these two fiscal challenges. 

The finger-pointing began during the third presidential debate last fall, on Oct. 22, when President Obama blamed Congress. “The sequester is not something that I’ve proposed,” Obama said. “It is something that Congress has proposed.” 

The White House chief of staff at the time, Jack Lew, who had been budget director during the negotiations that set up the sequester in 2011, backed up the president two days later. 

“There was an insistence on the part of Republicans in Congress for there to be some automatic trigger,” Lew said while campaigning in Florida. It “was very much rooted in the Republican congressional insistence that there be an automatic measure.” 

The president and Lew had this wrong. [THIS IS WOODWARD'S "POLITE" WAY TO SAY OBAMA IS LYING.] My extensive reporting for my book “The Price of Politics” shows that the automatic spending cuts were initiated by the White House and were the brainchild of Lew and White House congressional relations chief Rob Nabors — probably the foremost experts on budget issues in the senior ranks of the federal government. 

Obama personally approved of the plan for Lew and Nabors to propose the sequester to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.). They did so at 2:30 p.m. July 27, 2011, according to interviews with two senior White House aides who were directly involved.

OBAMA IS A LIAR AND HIS LIES HURT EVERYONE IN THE USA AND THE WORLD - MAKING US ALL POORER AND LESS SAFE.

Sigh...

A NEW GADSDEN GUN FLAG

LARS HEDEGAARD RECOUNTS EXPERIENCES

The Danish free speech advocate who was targeted and narrowly escaped assassination by a jihadist disguised as a delivery man has written about his experiences in the Wall Street Journal (via The American Thinker). And he also notes the peculiar obsession the left has of disowning some of their past traits and smearing the right as the embracers:

When I was a young Marxist during the 1960s and '70s, these opinions used to be described as characteristic of the political left. Nowadays the defenders of such positions are routinely labeled as right-wing or as belonging to the "extreme right." Meanwhile, what used to be the left is cozying up to holy men who want adulterous women to be stoned, homosexuals to be hanged, apostates from Islam to be killed, and 1,200-year-old laws emanating from somewhere in the Arabian desert to replace our free constitutions.

Yes, isn't that odd how they've long "reversed" perception of the roles? But truly, the left is still as it ever was, while the right, while neither perfect nor a saint, is branded the sole scapegoat.

It's good to see that the WSJ has given him a place to speak to the American public. Now, is there any chance he'll appear on FOX as well?

HEZBOLLAH AGENT IN CYPRUS GATHERED INFO ON ISRAELI FLIGHTS

A potential disaster of a terrorist attack in Cyprus was thwarted, and the investigation led to the capture of a Hezbollah agent who'd collected data on Israeli flights to the island:

Hossam Taleb Yaacoub, one of the suspects in a thwarted terrorist attack against Israelis in Cyprus in July, said on Friday that he was sent to record the time of arrival of flights from Israel, Army Radio reported.

According to the report, Yaacoub testified in court on Thursday that he was told by his superiors to document the landing times of flights from Israel.

The New York Times reported the Cyprus bomb-plot suspect was payed "$600 per month since 2010" by Hezbollah.

The Times quoted a written testimony read before the court where Yaacoub described acting as a courier for the group in Turkey, France and the Netherlands.

Providing a rare insight into the operations of the Lebanese militant group, Yaacoub said that if his handler wished to contact him, he would send a message "about the weather," The Times reported.

“I work for my party,” Yaacoub said. “Whenever they asked me to do something, I delivered,” The Times quoted his testimony as stating.

Yaacoub was also given the code name "Wael," The Times reported, quoting the bomb-plot suspect as saying that "in general, the party is based on secrecy between members. We don’t know the real names of our fellow members."

The bomb-plot suspect said that as a member of Hezbollah, he had the right to refuse to participate in terrorist operations, The Times reported. "If I was asked to participate in attacks, I had the right to refuse," he said.

There might be a bit of taqqiya involved in that last statement there: what if he thinks he doesn't "because it is Allah's will" that he does take part in the attacks?

It's very fortunate that the attack was prevented. And if these agents can be exposed, that would help prevent future disasters too.

UK COULD EMBRACE SHARIA DIVORCE PROCEEDINGS

And why? Seems that according to this article in The Australian, it's because of a landmark ruling in a Jewish divorce proceeding. But there's a difference between how a Judaism-based court and an Islamic one operate: the Jewish rabbinical courts usually operate in compliance with state laws, and are much fairer to women, whereas Islamic sharia courts don't and aren't.

Aside from that, the sharia courts have already been operating in Britain for years now, and nothing was done to curb them. So, if the UK is going to approve of sharia-based divorces, it'll only be another act of appeasement for Muslims that changes nothing not already in place.

I think the most angering thing here is that anti-semites could end up using this kind of news to blame the Jews, claiming that a religion they might actually be fine with is getting what it wants all because of us. But it's really because the UK lawmakers who tolerate sharia are trying to resort to moral equivalence to cover for their appeasement tactics.

3 BRITISH JIHADISTS CONVICTED FOR PLOTTING MASS MURDER

In the UK, a terrorist cell was thwarted and now convicted for their plans that would consist of suicide bombing (H/T: Jihad Watch):

Three would-be suicide bombers who plotted to carry out an attack to rival the 7 July and 9/11 atrocities have been found guilty of terrorism charges.

Irfan Naseer, 31, Irfan Khalid, 27, and Ashik Ali, 27, from Birmingham, were found guilty at Woolwich Crown Court of being "central figures" in the plan.

Jurors were told they planned to set off up to eight bombs in rucksacks, using timers to detonate the charges.

Police described the men as "committed, passionate extremists".

The trio were arrested in 2011 amid fears an attack was imminent.

Detectives believe it is the most significant terror plot to be uncovered since the 2006 conspiracy to blow up transatlantic airliners using bombs disguised as soft drinks.

Khalid even boasted that the attack was "another 9/11" and "revenge for everything".

Absolutely repulsive. It's very lucky they were caught before they could cause any horror. But so long as dhimmitude and appeasement still reign in the British mindset, the danger will still be around.

Update: Tory Diary also makes clear that jihadists have not gone away, and even if a major terror attack hasn't occurred for 5 years in the UK, that doesn't mean the danger isn't still lurking around the corner.

BRITISH EMPLOYEE OF SCHOOL CAFETERIA FIRED FOR ACCIDENTALLY SERVING NON-HALAL MEAT

Another case of ludicrous cultural sensitivity for the sake of ensuring that everybody - no matter their religion or cultural background - is served food prepared under the most unreliable concept of supervision (via Jihad Watch):

A dinner lady has been sacked for accidentally serving non-halal meat to Muslim students at a multi-faith school.

The incident outraged parents at the 'halal-only' Moseley School in Birmingham, and they have forced the headmaster to apologise for 'insulting' their faith.

The member of staff has been dismissed after the 'unintentional error' on December 12 last year recently came to light.

All 1,400 students at Moseley school are served halal meat, regardless of their religion.

It has not been specified what type of meat was served, but the person responsible for serving the food was dismissed following a disciplinary hearing last Monday.

And the people running the school are not even allowed to learn from their mistakes, the biggest one being that they would dhimmify the premises in the first place. At this point, I'm wondering why they should even be keeping cafeterias in the school if this is what it's all going to come down to? When I studied in school here in Israel in my youth, they didn't have any cafeterias in the schools I went to. Students should all learn to pull their own weight by bringing their own food. But if you look at the mess Michael Bloomberg caused in New York, you realize that this is basically where people like him drew their ideas from, and we can't expect the UK to change its socialist system any time soon, one that requires students to eat what they think is best for them.

ISLAM GAINS FOOTHOLDS IN SYRIA

CNN reports that Islamic cells like Jabhat al-Nusra have gained ground in Syria:

"Jabhat al-Nusra continues to make gains," Jouejati said. "They continue to increase in popularity, particularly as they begin to implement social services."

In the last year, the Nusra Front has grown from a shadowy group claiming responsibility for deadly car bombs to what Syrians describe as a highly disciplined fighting force that continues to attract recruits from the more secular Free Syrian Army rebels.

Nusra Front fighters are said to be leading the ongoing siege of the Khweiris military airbase in Aleppo province. They are also credited with helping lead the capture of the Taftanaz helicopter airbase in Idlib province last month.

The high-profile Islamist victories on the battlefield have been accompanied by another trend. Gradually, black Islamist banners have replaced the distinctive green, black, white and red flags of the Syrian rebels at weekly anti-government protests.

"After two years of killings and butchering and the entire world standing by and watching us, now we depend on God only. So we started raising the banner of Shahada, the black banner of war," explained a Syrian activist who has spent much of the last two years organizing anti-government protests in Idlib province.

The Shahada refers to the Islamic creed "There is no god but God, Mohammed is the messenger of God." It is one of the most important pillars of Islam. It is also invoked for martyrdom on the battlefield.

The rapid rise of hard-line Sunni Muslim groups like the Nusra Front -- some of which have seen their ranks swelled by foreign jihadi fighters -- is a trend that makes Jouejati and other more secular revolutionaries deeply uncomfortable.

It is also making Washington uneasy. In December, the U.S. government blacklisted the Nusra Front, labeling it a terrorist organization.

"We blacklisted the Nusra Front because of its intimate links with al Qaeda in Iraq ... which is responsible for the killing of thousands of Iraqis and hundreds of Americans," said Robert Ford, the U.S. ambassador to Syria, in an interview with CNN last month. "We know what al Qaeda in Iraq did and is still doing, and we don't want it to start doing that in Syria."

But some Syrian opposition leaders blame Western inaction for the recent growth of the Islamist groups.

"The U.S. and the European Union didn't help us, and that created an increase in Islamic radicalism here," said Marwan Gayed in an interview in Aleppo last month. Gayed was a judge who defected from the Syrian government and helped launch the United Courts Council, an opposition-run court that is trying to institute law and order in rebel-controlled parts of Aleppo.

Alas, he's right, the foreign governments turned their backs on Syria and didn't show any serious opposition to the Islamist gangs that are now rising in Syria. Now, look what's happened - sharia has been imposed in many parts of the country, including oppression of women's rights to drive.

Update: and in related news, there was a big explosion in Damascus near the Baath HQ that killed dozens of people. We can only guess who caused that.

DID OBAMA JUST ELEVATE A GENERAL TO SUPREME NATO COMMANDER A MAN WHO DID NOTHING TO HELP OUR BENGHAZI DELEGATION?

SEEMS TO TO ME.

GEORGE GALLOWAY WON'T SPEAK WITH ISRAELI

The terrible UK politician considers Israeli debaters unworthy of challenging, and left a conference rather than talk to him (via Jihad Watch):

George Galloway sensationally stormed out of a debate in Christ Church tonight after discovering his opponent was an Israeli.

He was meant to be debating the motion ‘Israel should withdraw immediately from the West Bank’ with Brasenose finalist Eylon Aslan-Levy.

But when his opponent used ‘we’ in reference to Israel, the Respect MP demanded to know whether the undergrad was a citizen of the country.

After the PPEist replied in the affirmative, Galloway, claiming to have been misled by organisers, grabbed his coat and left.

Mr Aslan-Levy told the Tab

“I am appalled that someone would storm out of a debate with me for no other reason than my heritage.

“To refuse to talk to someone just because of their nationality is pure racism, and totally unacceptable for a member of parliament”

Galloway has previously refused to debate with anyone connected to the country.

After this abrupt departure, Aslan-Levy recalled his previous confrontation with Galloway. Six years ago as a pupil at north London’s University College School, he claimed to have confronted him over his supposed ‘no-platform’ stance towards debating Israelis.

But the then MP for Bethnal Green denied taking such a position, allegedly branding the student an “L-I-A-R liar”.

Tonight’s events would seem to prove otherwise.

A second year Christ Church student in the audience told the Tab:

“It was a shocking moment. Galloway’s meant to be a Respect MP, but tonight he respected no-one. He turned up late, and left after his opening speech. Maybe he had run out of things to say”.

Or maybe he knew his opponent had every chance of winning, and couldn't bear losing. The man is a total disgrace.

ADELSON AND TRUMP CAN BUY THESE 3 NEWSPAPERS

TO COMBAT THE LEFT-WING DOMINATED MEDIA-DEMOCRAT COMPLEX:

ADELSON AND TRUMP CAN BUY THE BOSTON GLOBE, THE CHICAGO TRIB AND THE LA TIMES.

AND TURN THEM INTO CENTER-RIGHT PAPERS. AND BUY MAGAZINES TOO.

"... one of the most powerful Democrats in the Senate ... had to explain the basics of Jewish persecution to a former colleague as if he was a seven-year-old."

"one of the most powerful Democrats in the Senate ... had to explain the basics of Jewish persecution to a former colleague as if he was a seven-year-old."

THAT WOULD BE KAPO SCHUMER TO ANTISEMITE HAGEL.

FRENCH FAMILY KIDNAPPED BY BOKO HARAM IN CAMEROON

A terrible thing has happened to a family of vacationers to Cameroon:

A French family of seven, including four children, has been abducted by the Nigeria-based radical Islamist “Boko Haram” terrorist organization. The kidnappers moved the family yesterday from the far north of Cameroon, where they were abducted, to neighboring Nigeria, where Boko Haram is based.

An Islamist group which strongly opposes man-made laws and modern science, the organization was founded by Mohammed Yusuf in 2001 and seeks to establish Shari'a (Islamic law) in the country. The group is also known for attacking Christians and bombing churches, and has been responsible for at least 450 killings.

Among those kidnapped were the two parents, an uncle and four children ages five, eight, 10 and 12. They were abducted Tuesday by six gunmen on three motor bikes while traveling near the Waza nature reserve. Their vehicle was later discovered in a river near the Cameroon border with Nigeria.

The father in the family is an employee in French gas company GDF Suez.

Police in both countries are involved in the investigation.

Pray for the safety of the victims.

Update: French forces have arrived in the area to search for the hostages.

BYZANTINE WINE PRESS FOUND IN JAFFA

Live Science reports that an ancient wine press that's at least 1,500 years old from the Byzantine era has been uncovered in the Tel-Aviv/Jaffa area.

Update: more at Haaretz.

EGYPTIAN COURT ALLOWS MUSLIM POLICEMEN TO GROW BEARDS

And in doing so, increases the sharia influence now dominating the country:

CAIRO (Reuters) - An Egyptian court ruled on Wednesday that policemen may grow beards, ending a decades-old convention barring them from making what is often seen here as a display of Islamic piety.

Dozens of police officers were suspended from work in February for breaking the de facto ban on beards introduced under deposed President Hosni Mubarak. They had protested outside the Interior Ministry, calling on Islamist President Mohamed Mursi - who is bearded himself - to secure their reinstatement.

Cairo's High Administrative Court rejected a request by the Interior Ministry to let it suspend officers who defied the unwritten rule. "The court ruled ... that police officers have the right to grow beards," judge Maher Abu el-Enin said.

And why? Because sharia says they can. Now they'll look like a bunch of creepy fanatics who could grow their beards to make themselves look even scarier.

This being an al-Reuters article, the presentation is predictably superficial, and sugarcoats proceedings by saying:

Mubarak used the police to crush Islamist groups he saw as enemies of the state. During his rule, sporting any kind of beard precluded Egyptians from holding senior government posts.

This is ambiguous, because Mubarak was an Islamist himself.

Men across Egyptian society wear beards, including many leftists, but the pressure for ending the police ban came from religious officers who wish to emulate the Prophet Mohammad.

Oh, I don't doubt that. Soon enough, they'll be going to jihad for the sake of their "prophet" too.

2 HOODLUMS FROM A "MODESTY SQUAD" ARRESTED IN BETAR ILLIT FOR ASSAULTS, MAYOR ALSO IMPLICATED

A case of a Haredi modesty squad gang uncovered right over here in Israel. The Israeli police have arrested two members of a Haredi modesty squad for violent harrassment in the mainly Haredi town of Betar Illit, and the town's mayor was apparently aware of this too:

Two residents of the ultra-Orthodox city of Beitar Illit were recently arrested on suspicion that they had assaulted, abducted and imprisoned young men and women whom they deemed immodestly dressed. The two had allegedly assumed the role of a vigilante modesty squad in the city.

Beitar Illit Mayor Meir Rubinstein was also questioned in the case, on suspicion of obstruction of justice, fraud and breach of trust. Rubinstein has since been released.

Police recently received information about a possible modesty squad attacking residents in the streets in Beitar Illit, just beyond the Green Line near Jerusalem. Police launched an undercover investigation that revealed that several men in the city were habitually assaulting young men and women they described as "dropout youth," beating them and making threats.

Investigators learned that the modesty squad would ambush these "dropout youth" at bus stops across the city and search for them in the streets. Police investigators suspect that at least in one instance the suspects even abducted a young man whose behavior they deemed immodest. He was allegedly taken to a remote location, imprisoned and beaten by the suspects.

The undercover investigation also revealed that senior city officials were aware of the modesty squad's illegal activities but had turned a blind eye and refrained from taking action against the suspects.

Additional suspects were interrogated in the case and placed under temporary house arrest.

Read the rest, and also see this older article that tells more about the horrific cases of harrassment that went on, and how a convicted felon was employed by the municipality, despite the shocking record of criminal activity he'd been charged with. This is a picture perfect example of what can happen when insular communities thrive at taxpayers' expense.

UNITED TORAH JUDAISM PARTY THREATENS TO SUPPORT "PEACE PROCESS" AS PLOY TO OPPOSE ARMY RECRUITMENT

This is very troubling and angering news, suggesting that a Haredi political party that once had the decency to avoid potentially un-Israeli leanings is now abandoning that path and turning more leftist:

United Torah Judaism is currently considering whether or not to support an aggressive peace agenda, sources within the party told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday.

The move is likely a ploy by the ultra-Orthodox party to pressure the Bayit Yehudi party and its leader Naftali Bennett into scaling back its rhetoric on the issue of haredi enlistment. [...]

A UTJ official told the Post that the party was considering supporting a raft of measures such as a settlement freeze, the evacuation of unauthorized settlement outposts and the reopening of peace negotiations with the Palestinians.

Such a move, he said, would allow the prime minister to form a coalition with left leaning parties including The Tzipi Livni Party and even Meretz, and leave Bayit Yehudi outside of the government.

The source noted that the upcoming visit of US President Barak Obama would likely bring new pressure from the White House to make concessions to the Palestinians, something that his party is now considering supporting.

The UTJ official said that the preservation of military service exemptions for haredi yeshiva students was the single most important issue on the party’s agenda and that UTJ would be willing to compromise on other issues in order to maintain the status quo on haredi enlistment.

Absolutely abominable. They're willing to sacrifice almost everything the Torah their party takes its name from solely for the sake of studying the scriptures that talk all about the importance of what they're now willing to forfeit? In that case, they shouldn't even be calling their party United Torah Judaism anymore, because what they're suggesting goes completely against the Torah, and leads to division amongst everyone else in the religion.

BRITISH WOMEN CONVERTING TO ISLAM ARE REALLY TURNING THEIR BACKS ON ALL THAT MAKES THEM WOMEN

A writer on the UK Independent has turned out some apologia for women who converted to Islam and think/want everyone to believe it's only positive inside and out:

You’d think after watching BBC Three’s Make me a Muslim documentary, being a female convert to Islam is so riddled with fault lines. Not really. My recent interviews with Muslim converts offered a rare glimpse into the lives of three women who would flatly reject such comparisons. And they’re all buzzing with spiritual ecstasy, retelling what caused them to halal-ify their wardrobes and Islamise dress codes.

“Being Muslim keeps me from wanting to impress others and gives me more personal confidence,” says Chantelle, a 19-year-old convert from Hackney. Today, she goes by the name Khadija, as a sign of respect for Muhammad’s first wife and insists there’s more to British women trading bare midriffs for abayas than what meets the eye. “I wear the hijab because I want to. Because it’s between me and Allah. It’s not a fashion statement. Yes, I don’t go to clubs and don’t sleep around. It gives me a comfort which I know so many of my friends would love to have.”

One of those friends is Monique, who recalls how Chantelle’s embracing Islam inspired a raw honesty and emotion in her, helping her sense power and security in a head-to-toe cover-up: “I can’t really say for certain that I became Muslim because I read the Qur’an. But in a weird way, I felt Chantelle had more freedom than I did by covering herself, instead of letting it all out like me. I thought to myself ‘this was worth trying’. I can’t say I don’t miss our clubs and parties but I’d rather live like this. We still do what other girls do but it’s more toned down if you catch my drift. I haven’t looked back since”.

Naturally, all this misses the bigger picture - for every woman who claims she wears an abaya out of personal choice, there's always plenty more who aren't, but rather, because the men dictate it. And security? Please. All it does is serve as some kind of an excuse for separating herself from wider society, and shirking responsibility. And lest we forget that this act of theirs can and does involve quite a bit of taqqiya. At the end, the propagandist says:

Whatever we may think of these converts, their decision to become Muslim may be a powerful indictment of some women’s lives in the west. That’s the impression they all left me, especially Jessica who would repeatedly ask whether feminism had delivered on its promise. So amidst all the everyday sexism and cultural creepiness hounding British women, is Islam somehow squaring their circle? Are burkas, niqaabs and hijaabs breathing soul in the lives of girls which desperately lack a higher calling, helping them reclaiming the watchwords of feminism? Does the conversion to Islam among British women bode healthily for Britain’s future? For Chantelle, Monique and Jessica, the answer to these questions is a resolute yes.

I wonder if feminism - the bad forms, of course - could be faulted for leading these women to take up a Muslim lifestyle? I don't know, but I will say that if the 3 he spoke with are attacking the lifestyles of western women and condemning them as all bad, that's shameful.

UH-OH: DESPITE LOW MORTGAGE RATES, HOME PRICES SUCK AND WILL CONTINUE TO SUCK

FROM MAXED-OUT MAMA - WHO HAS MORE:

The situation is improving, but by any realistic standard, US housing remains in a depression and clearly will for years to come. It is worth noting that the NAHB index took a slight wrong turn in February, dropping from 47 in January to 46. Of more concern is that the present sales index component fell a bit from 52 to 51, and the traffic component fell to 32 from 36. Expectations for future sales remained high.When current indicators are worsening, expectations mean less. This despite the NE boost from Sandy! 
That we should remain at these levels, despite staggeringly low mortgage rates, is a rather frightening prospect. Mortgage rates will go no lower. If anything, risk premiums on mortgages will rise, and interest rates are apt to rise somewhat. That will tend to exert downward pressure on home prices. 
The problem obviously is lack of money in the homebuying prospective population. There will be no quick fix for that. 

AND THAT'S BIG TROUBLE FOR AN ECONOMY THAT'S NOT PRODUCING JOBS, AND THAT'S NOW - OUTSIDE OF HOME PRICES - QUITE INFLATIONARY (BECAUSE CENTRAL BANKS ARE PRINTING GOBS OF PAPER MOOLA), AND THAT HAS EXPENSIVE ENERGY.

A CORRECTION IS COMING.

MIGRATION FROM ISLAMIC COUNTRIES SHOULD ONLY BE IN HUMANITARIAN CASES

That's the belief being put forward by Geert Wilders during his trip to Australia, and amazingly enough, he encountered no serious opposition while delivering his speech:

CONTROVERSIAL Dutch MP Geert Wilders has called for mass migration from Islamic nations to be banned, saying Islam is incompatible with freedom.

Speaking in Melbourne at his first Australian press conference amid tight security, Mr Wilders said Islam could not integrate into western societies.

"Islam is totalitarianism ... Islam and freedom are incompatible," he said.

Despite threats of protests, no demonstrators attended the press conference, which was held in Melbourne's outer western suburbs.

About a dozen security guards were present, including personnel from the Netherlands.

Mr Wilders said mass migration from Islamic countries to Western nations should be stopped, except for certain humanitarian cases.

"If a homosexual who is taken to jail or threatened to be killed in Iran or a Christian that is mistreated in so many countries today in the Middle East ... when it comes to asylum seekers it's a different story,'' he said.

That's the right argument to make when focusing on immigration issues and totalitarian countries.

MORE PROOF THAT LEFT-WING ECO-NUTSIES HAVE KILLED MORE PEOPLE THAN THE NRA

ANTI-GM LEFTIES ARE ON THEIR WAY TO KILLING ALMOST AS MANY PEOPLE AS THE ANTI-DDT LEFTIES.

UK MUSLIM PREACHER CONDONES SOCIALISM FOR JIHAD

The imam Anjem Choundhary was taped giving explanations how to use welfare for funding jihad:

A Muslim preacher has been secretly recorded explaining to followers how to receive government assistance they can use to fund a Muslim holy war.

Calling it a "Jihadi Allowance," cleric Anjem Choundary, 45, has four kids, brings in £25,000, or just under $39,000 U.S. in benefits himself, and says that this is the way it is supposed to work according to Islamic law.

Tragically, such tactics are a key part of Islamofascism, and even now, it's clear the UK government's been willing to provide welfare benefits to quite a few of Choundary's ilk. Which does not bode well for England any more than it does for the rest of the population's own economy.

MEMORIAL FOR FOGEL FAMILY

2 years after one of the most horrific jihadist murders, a memorial was held for the Fogel family in Itamar.

CULTURAL SENSITIVITY TRAINING AT THE USDA

On our tax dime, of course.

According to Judicial Watch, dated February 14, 2013:

Videos Reveal Indoctrination Program Requiring USDA Staffers to Bang on Tables, Chant, “The pilgrims were illegal aliens”

(Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch today released previously unseen USDA videos revealing a compulsory “Cultural Sensitivity Training” program requiring USDA employees to bang on tables, chanting in unison “The pilgrims were illegal aliens” while being instructed to no longer use the word “minorities,” but to replace it with “emerging majorities.”...

The sensitivity training sessions, described as “a huge expense” by diversity awareness trainer and self-described “citizen of the world” Samuel Betances, were held on USDA premises. The diversity event is apparently part of what USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack described in a memo sent to all agency employees as a “new era of Civil Rights” and “a broader effort towards cultural transformation at USDA.” In 2011 and 2012, the USDA paid Betances and his firm nearly $200,000 for their part in the “cultural transformation” program.

Video clip:


More video clips HERE.

HAGEL NOMINATION MAY HAVE BEEN STOPPED

Jonathan Tobin reports that the nomination of Chuck Hagel to defense secretary may have been prevented, thanks mostly to a report in the Wash. Free Beacon on statements he made in 2007 claiming that Israel controlled the State Dept, when past history has shown it's nothing like that. And some of the Jewish organizations that were strangely silent before have begun to speak up. See also this item from Michael Rubin.

Now that Hagel's most detestable behavior's come to light, we can only wonder, will the GOP and other opposition also object to John Brennan's possible nomination?

Update: here's a report on FOX by Bob woodward (via The Weekly Standard):

THE TRIAL OF PHILIPPE KARSENTY STILL GOES ON

Philippe Karsenty - The al Dura Hoax from CJHS on Vimeo.

This had not been clear before, but the disgraceful Charles Enderlin, the anti-Israelist director for France 2 TV who despised that someone had the courage to unmask the deception he willfully took part in - that being the al-Dura hoax, is still perseucting the brave Phillipe Karsenty in court for so-called "defamation". And we can only wonder: even if Enderlin didn't get much backing this time, what will be the fate of Karsenty?

Veronique Chemla, who attended the hearing, explains why this boomeranged:

Enderlin and Chabot’s reaction was to sue Karsenty for defamation. Karsenty was found guilty by the Court of Paris on October 19, 2006. He appealed. Upon his demand, the Court of Appeals of Paris requested on October 3, 2007, that France 2 present the report rushes. After viewing them, the Court released Karsenty on May 21, 2008. Moreover, it berated the respondent party.

However, the Court of Annulment, France’s highest authority in judicial matters, quashed the decision on technical grounds on February 28, 2012: it argued that the defender is supposed to produce evidence by himself.

The case was thus sent back to the Court of Appeals of Paris — with a new panel of judges — in order to either confirm or revoke its decision. Hence the current hearings.

A travesty of justice then. Yet what's the point? By now, after the reel rushes were turned up, it's pretty clear that Enderlin doesn't have a leg to stand on, and anyone who sees the deeper side of the footage will know he's clutching at straws, acting vindictive because someone has the guts to take him on, and because he doesn't have the courage to take responsibility.

SNJ, the French journalists union, requested its members attend the hearings in order to grant support to Enderlin, yet very few turned up for the six-hour Court session. Daniel Bilalian and Vincent Nguyen from France 2 were there, as well as Emilie Raffoul of Canal+[1] [2]. However, the top echelon of France Televisions, who had attended a previous Court session on February 27, 2008, was conspicuous by its absence. So were the French Jewish media.

On the other hand, there was a large audience present, including VIPs like Richard Prasquier, the chairman of Crif (the Representative Council of French Jewish Organizations). JSS News, an Israel-based online magazine, covered the hearings live.

That's telling something, although the absence of Jewish-based media is surprising. Obviously, even some of the most reprehensible members of the press have come to terms with how the filming is the hoax it was planned as, and see no point in backing up such stupidity. But that the local Jewish press were disinterested is the sad part.

And here's something Enderlin said in his pathetic defense that really disgusts me:

Enderlin stresses that he is a good Israeli citizen, that he served in the Israeli Army and that his children served in the Army also. In other terms [words], there are no reasons why he would harm his country.

That has to be one of the most classicly offensive forms of defense. How does being a citizen of Israel and serving in the army make one a saint or incapable in any way, shape or form of turning against it? I served in the army too, in a minor job when I was 19-21, and does that make me a saint? Umm, no. Even in the military, there can be - and are - people with deplorable motives, more than utterly capable of harboring say, racist views against blacks and Asians, to say nothing of anti-semitic views, and even capable of stealing other people's money and committing aggravated assault while drunk. Why, here's a report on cases of sexual harrassment in the IDF, which should make it perfectly clear that nobody in the army is a saint. So Enderlin's defense is one of the most bottom of the barrel pleas of innocence I've ever seen.

The court's decision is to be given on April 3. We must hope that Karsenty can prevail, and even if he doesn't, that he'll appeal again. Enderlin is a most disgraceful man who has brought nothing but shame upon 2 nations, and no matter what the verdict, it should be pretty obvious to him that he's been discredited along with his cameraman, and to keep on with this futile charade will only give the impression that he's vindictive and refuses to take responsibility on his part.

ERISA EXPERT: OBAMACARE ABOUT TO ELIMINATE PRIVATE HEALTH INSURANCE IN THE USA

GLENN REYNOLDS:

my former colleague Colleen Medill, an ERISA expert, writes:

... I am deeply into studying the impact of Obamacare on employers, and I have been communicating with highly sophisticated ERISA lawyers who are advising employers, from Fortune 50 companies to small firms under 50 employees, on whether to keep or drop or modify their employer group health plans. 

It has become very clear to everyone involved who is analytical and not ideological that the rational strategy, for both large and small firms, is to cease providing health care insurance to employees. 

No company wants to admit that they are considering eliminating health insurance as an option, or be the first one to drop their health insurance plan, but once a competitor does so, the preference cascade will begin.

THIS WAS THE LEFT'S GOAL ALL ALONG.

Most on the Left sincerely think Obamacare and nationalization of healthcare insurance and the healthcare delivery system - into a "single payer system" -  will improve our healthcare results.

They believe this because they are either deluded dupes and drones or just totally misinformed.

The fact is that the USA get's better results than Europe when analyzed disease by disease. And our life-spans are higher when adjusted for racial differences.

(MORE HERE. AND HERE:

The NHS is in fact a health disaster - as are all the socialist healthcare schemes in the rest of Europe. IN FACT, the USA has a better longer average lifespans and much lower morbidity rates for ALL major diseases - especially when you equalize for racial/ethnic differences, (blacks have high shorter life spans than whites due to genetic diseases, and they lower the USA life span).

Details here:

http://astuteblogger.blogspot.com/2009/08/basic-fallacies-and-lies-of-liberal.html 

http://astuteblogger.blogspot.com/2005/12/amercian-longevity-increases-again.html 

http://astuteblogger.blogspot.com/2009/09/reminder-usa-life-expectancy-is-better.html 

http://astuteblogger.blogspot.com/2009/10/commenting-on-obamacare-hearings.html

And right now, 50,000 patients a year in Britain are taken off life-supporting treatment  - or denied it - WITHOUT BEING INFORMED OF THE DECISION AND WITHOUT CONSENT!

THAT IS NOT EUTHANASIA.

EUTHANASIA IS WHEN THERE IS CONSENT.

THIS IS MURDER BY THE STATE ON BEHALF OF THE STATE.

NO.

THIS IS NOT JUST MURDER ....

IT IS GENOCIDE.

AND IT'S HOW OBAMA AND HIS COMRADES INTEND OBAMACARE TO SAVE THE GOVERNMENT MONEY.

WHEN THEY DENY CARE TO HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF AMERICANS - WITHOUT OUR CONSENT - THEY WILL SAVE THE MEDICAL EXPENSES AND THE SOCIAL SECURITY PAYMENTS.

AND THEY'RE TRYING TO TAKE AWAY OUR GUNS.

WHILE TRYING TO CORNER THE MARKET ON BULLETS.

WELCOME TO THE GULAG FORMERLY KNOWN AS THE LAND OF THE FREE.

UH-OH: AL QAEDA KILLS IRAQ INTELLIGENCE CHIEF

SINCE OBAMA SURRENDERED IN AFGHANISTAN AND IRAQ, HUNDREDS OF CIVILIANS ARE KILLED EVERY MONTH BY AL QAEDA.

AND NOW, THEY'VE ASSASSINATED IRAQ'S INTELLIGENCE CHIEF.

IT'S NO COINCIDENCE THAT AS A RESULT, USA CASUALTIES ARE HIGHER UNDER OBAMA THAN UNDER BUSH - DESPITE OBAMA'S HYPOCRITICAL EXPANSION  OF THE USE OF DRONES, A TACTIC OBAMA - AND THE REST OF THE LEFT - WAS SEVERELY CRITICAL OF IN HIS FIRST CAMPAIGN - (PROVING THEY ARE AN ENTIRELY UNPRINCIPLED CLUMP OF HYPOCRITICAL SCUM).

FACTS:

THROW IN THE FOLLOWING...

• BENGHAZI - THE EVENT AND THE COVER-UP
• AND SYRIA 
• AND THE COLLAPSE OF LIBYA AND THE RESULTING DESTABILIZATION OF AFRICA - MALI AND NOW NIGERIA
• AND THE TAKEOVER OF EGYPT BY THE MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD
• AND THE IRAN'S UNFETTERED MARCH TO A NUKE, 
• AND THE COLLAPSE OF OSLO AND OF THE FATAH/ISRAELI PEACE TALKS (THEY HAVEN'T MET ONCE - AND WHY SHOULD THEY WHEN THE ARABS FEEL THAT OBAMA WILL PUSH ISRAEL FOR THEM!)

... AND ONE CAN ONLY RATIONALLY CONCLUDE ONE THING:

OBAMA'S FOREIGN POLICY HAS BEEN AN UTTER, TOTAL, COMPLETE AND UNMITIGATED DISASTER FOR THE WEST.

AND GOOD FOR ISLAMISTS.

EITHER OBAMA FOREIGN POLICY IS A MISCONCEIVED AND INCOMPETENTLY APPLIED EFFORT DESIGNED TO APPEASE OUR ENEMIES - AND IT'S GETTING BAD RESULTS, 

OR IT'S A DELIBERATE EFFORT WITH  RESULTS THAT FAVOR OUR ENEMIES AND OBAMA'S TRUE ALLIES.

TAKE YOUR PICK.

TO ME, IT DON'T MAKE A DAMN DIFFERENCE.

CAMERON FINALLY CRACKING DOWN ON CRIMINAL IMMIGRANTS

Home Secretary Theresa May has accused judges of making the UK more dangerous by ignoring rules aimed at deporting more foreign criminals. Last year, MPs approved new guidance for judges making clear a criminal's right to a family life had limits. But in the Mail on Sunday, Mrs May said she now wanted to introduce a law to require most foreigners guilty of serious crimes to be deported. Some judges were choosing to "ignore parliament's wishes," she argued.

BOUT FRICKIN TIME....

OR MAYBE TOO LATE?

STAY TUNED...

ISLAMISTS KIDNAP WESTERNERS IN NIGERIA

SAME STRATEGY AS IN ALGERIA: 

ATTACK WESTERNERS IN ORDER MAKE US FLEE SO AS TO DEMOLISH THE LOCAL ECONOMY AND ERADICATE INFLUENCE OF THE CIVILIZED WORLD SO ISLAMISM CAN DOMINATE.

JEWISH HISTORY IN ARMENIA

A writer for the Jerusalem Post (via Commentary) has written about the Jewish history in Armenia that was discovered in 1996, and which dates to around the 13th century.