GERALDO IS ARAFAT'S APOLOGIST

Via Mediaite and Hot Air, we see the disgusting sight of cruddy news anchor turned (un)aspiring politician Geraldo Rivera defending the indefensible: the PLO's late dictator. And this man, pay careful attention, intends to run for senator in the tri-state area on a Republican ticket.

Anyone who votes for such an atrocious man has got to be out of their minds. I never found him very interesting as a talk show host or a news anchor, and he'd make just as bad - possible worse - a politician.

VERY STUPID OF BIBI: HE APOLOGIZED TO ERDOGAN FOR MAVI MARMARA DEATHS

In what was apparently a gesture for Obama's sake, Netanyahu called up Turkish premier Erdogan to apologize for the 9 deaths on the flotilla a few years ago:

In a dramatic development that occurred just as US President Barack Obama was leaving the country, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu spoke with Turkey's Tayyip Erdogan for the first time since the Israeli prime minister took power in 2009.

Netanyahu voiced regret for the loss of life in the 2010 Mavi Marmara incident, apologizing for any mistakes that led to the death of nine Turkish activists. Breaking a three-year deadlock, the two agreed to normalize relations.

"Prime Minister Netanyahu expressed an apology to the Turkish people for any error that may have led to the loss of life, and agreed to complete the agreement for compensation," the statement said.

The conversation was facilitated by US President Barack Obama, taking place during Obama's prolonged meeting with Netanyahu on Friday afternoon. [...]

Erdogan had told Denmark’s Politiken newspaper that he would not take back his comments from several weeks ago that Zionism was a crime against humanity. He did, however, try to explain them as a misunderstanding.“My several statements openly condemning anti-Semitism clearly display my position on this issue. In this context, I stand behind my remarks in Vienna,” said Erdogan in the interview, which was published Wednesday.

What statements condemning hatred did he make? I don't think he's ever made any.

As Ben Shapiro reminds:

[...] The Marmara passengers resisted by beating Israeli troops with iron bars and knives. Nine activists were killed in the ensuing chaos. Even the United Nations found that the blockade by Israel was legal. Turkish attempts to break the Israeli blockade were clearly in violation of international law.

But President Obama, seeking to inject himself into a dispute on behalf of Islamists everywhere, told Netanyahu to call up Erdogan. Netanyahu reportedly told Erdogan that the State of Israel regretted the loss of life and that any loss of life was unintentional. Meanwhile, Erdogan said that he “valued centuries-long strong friendship and cooperation between the Turkish and Jewish nations.” He did not say that he valued friendship with the Jewish state.

What Netanyahu's done - all for Obama's sake - is extremely irresponsible and will not avail Israel's relations with Turkey for long. All it does is encourage Erdogan and company to think they can exploit Israel as they please. This is a very grave error on Netanyahu's part, something he could have avoided, and sadly, he didn't.

Update: Avigdor Lieberman's slammed Netanyahu for his act of dhimmitude:

In response, Lieberman said in a statement, “Anyone who saw the photos taken on the Mavi Marmara understands beyond any doubt that IDF soldiers acted in self-defense against the activists of the IHH organization, which is recognized as a terrorist organization in Europe.

"Such an apology harms IDF soldiers' motivation and their willingness to go out on future missions, and strengthens the radical elements in the region,” said the former Foreign Minister.

"Worse still is the fact that the apology also affects Israel’s uncompromising struggle for righteousness, morality and for the morality of its soldiers," Lieberman said, adding that he appreciates the good relations that existed for many years between the Jewish people and the Turkish people, but the current leadership in Turkey under Erdogan is solely responsible for the deterioration of relations between the two countries.

“Erdogan’s tirades against Israel whenever possible, starting with the attack on President Peres in 2009 at the Davos conference and until his statement a few weeks ago that Zionism is racism and a crime against humanity, along with his refusal to apologize for this statement, violate the dignity and status of Israel in the region and the entire world,” concluded Lieberman.

Netanyahu has only resulted in serious embarrassment. Is it any wonder the Likud didn't do very well in the last election?

Update 2: one of Bayit Yehudi's MKs has responded too:

"And yet, Israel does not have the privilege to apologize for its soldiers actions, when they acted in accordance with the principles of the IDF's ethical code and its definition of 'the purity of arms.' The apology amounts to a knife-stab in the back of the IDF's combat soldiers and commanders. It sends a grave message to our soldiers, 'we don't have your backs.' As a soldier and commander in all sectors of warfare I can testify that government backing is critical for the soldier at the front."

The apology to Turkey will cause more damage than good, the new MK said. "What is more, it constitutes a dangerous precedent that will encourage anti-Zionist organizations to continue [operating] the mechanism of delegitimizing Israel in general and the IDF in particular."

Netanyahu has done a grave disservice to the army. I think I know where his next apology should go to.

NOAA RAINFALL DATA "WILDLY WRONG"

IF THEY CAN'T MEASURE RAINFALL - AND THIS STUDY PROVES THEY CANNOT - THEN HOW CAN ANYONE BELIEVE THEIR OTHER ANALYSES?

WE SHOULDN'T.

AND REMEMBER: EPA BASES A LOT OF THEIR REG'S ON NOAA.

AND NOTE THIS:

THE CO2PHOBIC CROWD ERRORS NEVER EVER GO IN THE DIRECTION OF MAKING CO2 SEEM LESS THREATENING. 

• PLEASE RECALL THEIR "POLAR BEARS ARE VANISHING!" DATA 
• AND THE RECENT "GREENLAND IS MELTING!" DATA 
• AND THEIR "HOCKEY STICK" 
• AND THE RECENT MARCOTT REPORT 
• AND ALL OF HANNSEN'S PREDICTIONS 

HAVE ALL BEEN PROVEN TO BE TRUMPED-UP, PHONY, LIE-FILLED, DISTORTIONS AND TOTALLY, COMPLETELY WILDLY INACCURATE BULLSH*T.

WHICH MEANS THEIR ERRORS AREN'T RANDOM - IF THEY WERE RANDOM THEN ONCE IN A WHILE THEY MIGHT SHOW CO2 MIGHT BE LESS OF THREAT. 

THIS PROVES THAT THEY ARE BIASED AND DELIBERATELY TWISTING THE DATA FOR POLITICAL REASONS.

IOW: THE CO2PHOBIC ALARMIST CAMP SHOULD NOT BE TRUSTED.

• BECAUSE THEIR POLICIES HAVE RAISED THE COST OF ENERGY GLOBALLY...

• ... AND REDUCED THE AMOUNT OF INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT GLOBALLY,

• THE CLIMATE CHANGE COMPLEX -

• COMPRISED OF LEFT-WING ACADEMICS, REGULATION-LOVING BUREAUCRATS AND LIBERAL POLITICIANS WHO FAVOR SOCIALISTIC POLICIES -

• IS THE SECOND GREATEST THREAT TO WESTERN CIVILIZATION - RIGHT AFTER GLOBAL JIHAD.

THOUGH THEY PROBABLY THINK OF THEMSELVES AS DO-GOODERS AND THOUGH THEY PROBABLY SEE THEIR DELIBERATE LIES AS ULTIMATELY FORGIVABLE (BECAUSE THEY SERVE "THE COMMON GOOD"), THE CLIMATE CHANGE COMPLEX IS ACTUALLY A REGRESSIVE FORCE:

THE POLICES OF THE CO2PHOBIC CLIMATE CHANGE COMPLEX HAVE PREVENTED THE THIRD WORLD FROM DEVELOPING INDUSTRIALLY AND THIS IS KEEPING POOR PEOPLE POOR.

IF WE WANT TO END GLOBAL POVERTY, THEN WE HAVE TO DEMOLISH THE CLIMATE CHANGE COMPLEX.

TWO POPES MEET FOR FIRST TIME EVER!

REAL STORY HERE.

GREAT: SENATE ENDS 4 YEARS OF DERELICTION OF DUTY BY PASSING A BUDGET - $1TRILLION IN NEW TAXES

Senate passes first budget in four years 

Plan calls for nearly $1 trillion in new taxes over the next decade and only modest reductions in government spending, setting the stage for talks with the GOP-controlled House.

A TRILLION IN NEW TAXES HERE. A TRILLION A NEW TAXES THERE. PRETTY SOON, YOU'RE TALKING REAL TAXES.

TODAY'S EDUCATION SYSTEM AND MARXISM

From Conservative Hideout 2.0:

How the State Standards are Indoctrinating our Youth with Marxist Views on the Great Depression

For many long years conservatives have failed badly in teaching the lessons of the Great Depression, instead deferring to the liberals and accepting their ‘lessons’ as the reality of the situation. The damage from years and years of learning the wrong lessons from the Great Depression is that today our nation is replicating the same sorts of policies that led to and lengthened the Depression and it is questionable whether or not there are enough around still educated in different lessons to implement different policies that will lead our nation to greater success and liberty and prosperity.

In 2004, the State of Michigan adopted a revised set of social studies standards- the high school’s standards are called the High School Content Expectations. These HSCE’s are intended to establish what every high school student that graduates from Michigan should know by the time they graduate...

A specific example of material included in this indoctrination program:

...7.1.3 covers “The New Deal,” and according to the state guidelines which all teachers follow which all students learn, students are to take away from this time period several lessons. First, students are supposed to learn that the federal government has a responsibility to protect the environment and should do so by violating the Constitution (TVA) and taking control over formally private business activities- yet this is a judgement and not a history lesson and should not be pushed in public schools. Second, students are supposed to learn that the national government is supposed to be meeting challenges of unemployment by creating jobs, as if a political system designed to protect people’s liberty and property can exist in a nation where the government takes wealth from one group and redistributes it to another and creates businesses in competition to private companies. Students are supposed to learn how the Supreme Court then was wrong in striking down these unconstitutional attempts to twist our nation from a republic into a fascist dictatorship, and that opponents of the New Deal were just heartless and evil businessman who wanted to continue making a buck like the Marxists teach. Finally, students are to learn the consequences of the New Deal, which are listed as “promoting workers’ rights, development of Social Security program, and banking and financial regulation, conservation practices, crop subsidies”- all good consequences and not a single bad consequence listed. Nowhere is it mentioned that the Great Depression was in reality several recessions, all caused by these policies, and that our nation didn’t recover from the Depression until FDR died and many of his policies were rejected and repealed in the 1950′s....

Much more HERE.

Find out what is being taught in our nation's classrooms.  No wonder the parasites are proliferating!

UKIP POISED TO BREAK THROUGH

The UK Independence Party will be "actively targeting" Labour supporters in upcoming local elections in England and Wales, its leader says. 

Nigel Farage will tell activists at their spring conference later that the party has an appeal beyond disaffected Conservative voters.
He is expected to focus on what he sees as the impact of immigration in working-class communities. 

He is also due to voice his criticism of recent press regulation changes.

I THINK WITH THE EURO COLLAPSING AND IMMIGRATION PROBLEMS EXPLODING AND THE ANTI-LIBERTARIANISM OF THE 3 MAJOR PARTIES.... THE UKIP NOW HAS A CHANCE TO WIN BIG.

FINGERS CROSSED...

HMMM: ITALY'S THREE MAIN PARTIES REFUSE TO COMPROMISE AND FORM A GOVERNMENT ...

.... AND NOT A RETHUGLICAN OR TEA PARTIER OR NEOCON IN SIGHT.

I THINK THIS PROVES THAT BLAMING INTRANSIGENCE ON THE RIGHT-WING, (WHICH IS WHAT THE LEFT IS CONSTANTLY  SAYING), IS BS - EVERYWHERE.

I THINK WE'VE ACTUALLY REACHED A POINT WHERE COMPROMISE IS NEXT TO IMPOSSIBLE BECAUSE WE ARE AT SUCH A  CRITICAL FORK IN THE ROAD:

THE LEFT WANTS TO "DOUBLE-DOWN" ON THE SOCIALISTIC POLICIES WHICH HAVE DRIVEN CYPRUS AND ITALY AND SPAIN AND PORTUGAL AND IRELAND AND OTHER EU "NATIONS" TO THE BRINK.

THE RIGHT WANTS TO STOP AND REVERSE COURSE.

THE FAILURE TO CHANGE COURSE - OR EVEN SLOW THE SOCIALISTIC PROGRAMS DOWN A LITTLE- WILL LEAD US ALL OVER THE BRINK.

AND SOONER THAN YOU THINK!

SIGH.

AND I DO MEAN US ALL - AS IN THE EU AND THE USA AND JAPAN AND CHINA AND INDIA.... NO COUNTRY WILL BE UNTOUCHED.

THE GLOBAL NATURE OF THIS IMPENDING CATASTROPHE SHOULD BE ENOUGH TO CONVINCE THE STATISTS/SOCIALIST/LEFTISTS THAT IT HAS ABSOFREAKIN NOTHING TO DO WITH THE "BUSH TAX CUTS" OR BUSH'S "2 UNFUNDED WARS" OR "GOP DEREGULATION".

IT'S THE SOCIALISM, STUPID!

SIGH.

IF SOCIALISM WORKED THEN THE USSR AND RED CHINA AND ZIMBABWE AND NORTH KOREA AND CUBA WOULD BE WONDERFUL PLACES TO LIVE INSTEAD OF SH*T TO BE FLUSHED DOWN THE TOILET OF HISTORY.

SO... WHY THEN HAS SOCIALISM PERSISTED?

SIMPLE:

DEMAGOGUERY:

POLITICIANS PROMISE THE MASSES THEY CAN KEEP THEIR STATE-DISTRIBUTED GOODIES, AND EVEN GET MORE GOODIES,  BECAUSE THEY WILL MAKE THE OTHER GUY PAY.

AND - SINCE MOST PEOPLE ARE NOW ON ONE TYPE OF DOLE OR ANOTHER - MOST PEOPLE BELIEVE THEM.

SIGH.

OOOOOOOPS!: CLIMATE ALARMISTS FORCED TO ADMIT THEIR "GREENLAND IS MELTING!" INTERPRETATION OF THE RAW DATA WAS ALL WRONG!

WUWT:

Greenland ice melt overestimated due to satellite data algorithm issue
This is an interesting admission: 

The melt extent algorithm used by Greenland Ice Sheet Today has been overestimating the melt extent, and as a result, daily images posted on this site in February and March may have indicated melt where none occurred. 

This makes you wonder what other kinds of issues remain undetected in the satellite data.NSIDC has had to issue corrections in the past, when it was pointed out that their data and reality didn’t match. –  

From NSIDC:  

An early spring re-calibration for melt detection 

The algorithm for the Greenland Ice Sheet Today daily melt extent has been revised to account for unusually warm winter snow layers and residual meltwater deep in the snow. Meltwater from last summer’s intense melt season did not completely re-freeze through at least mid December.  

The adjusted algorithm shows greatly reduced melt extent for early 2013. This much lower extent is more consistent with available weather and climate records.

IOW: AGW = TFBS.

TFBS = TOTAL EFFIN BULLSH*T.

OBAMA COMES AND GOES WITHOUT PLEASING ANYONE

The part that's sad but rather predictable was when he himself called for 2-state solutions. It's interesting that Jonathan Tobin says both the left and right could be wrong about Obama's speech. But honestly, I think it can be said that the conservative side is right to be let down that he would condone such a thing.

It should be noted that in Ramallah, the Muslim crowds called for RPGs while he was here, so we know who the real side is that's uninterested in peace.

BRRRRRRR!: HEAVY SPRING SNOW IN THE UK!

MORE PROOF THAT ANTHROPOGENIC GLOBAL WARMING - AKA "CLIMATE CHANGE" - IS BULL:

Heavy snow is causing disruption to transport and schools across the UK, with heavy rainfall bringing flooding to the south-west of England. 

Rescue teams are searching for a woman at a house which partially collapsed after a landslip in Looe, Cornwall. There are 14 flood warnings in the South West, with Met Office warnings for snow covering much of the UK. More than 1,000 schools around the UK are closed and 37,500 properties in Northern Ireland are without power. 

BBC forecasters said the snow would cause travel disruption across northern parts of the UK on Friday, with some 20cm-40cm (8in-16in) falling in places. Atrocious conditions can be expected on high ground, they said. 

Roads in northern parts of Wales, the Midlands into the Pennines, southern Scotland and Northern Ireland would be the worst affected, while gale force winds would blow snow and drifts across trans-Pennine routes, they added.

IOW: AGW = TFBS!

THE ALARMISTS WILL TELL YOU THIS "ABERRATION" IS ALSO A RESULT OF MAN-MADE CO2.

ALL THIS RATIONALIZATION REALLY PROVES IS THAT THERE FAITH IN AGW IS NOT SUSCEPTIBLE TO REALITY BECAUSE IT'S UNFALSIFIABLE.

HOW ISLAMIC TERROR IS ORGANISED...

It has long been the practice of  "insurgent,  or revolutionary"   political organisations to be comprised of political and military units.  This was true, for example,  of the IRA and Sinn Fein. 

Nowhere is this organisational structure more prevalent than among Islamic Terror organisations.  The benefit of this kind of organisation is that it permits the poltical wing access to money and media exposure, and allows it  to position itself,  thru lies and spin, as it deems fit, all the while remaining legally isolated from the crimes commited by its military wing.  It even affords the political wing the opportunity to deny any ability to exert command and control over the military wing.  For example Hamas has the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades.  The PLO has the al-Aqsa brigades.  

The Muslim Brotherhood,   "who disseminated Hitler's Mein Kampf and The Protocols of the Elders of Zion widely in Arab translation... "created a military wing called the secret apparatus".

Does anyone know the current name of the military wing of Muslim Brotherhood?  Today, the Muslim Bortherhood is a transnational political organisation..and one of it's military wings is the transnational terror group al Qaeda.

GUN CONTROL THE ANSWER?

Sadly,3 persons are reported killed by gunfire at the Quantico Marine base. I suppose the only way to protect the marines is to take away their weapons - no?

MAN WHO OPENED FIRE AT DARK KNIGHT RISES SCREENING CONVERTS TO ISLAM

I don't expect any of the comics news sites to pick up on this, but the ogre who committed 12 murders at the Colorado screening for Christopher Nolan's 3rd Batman movie has converted to Islam. From the UK Daily Mail (via Jihad Watch and Atlas Shrugs):

James Holmes, the gunman behind the Dark Knight massacre in Colorado last July, has reportedly turned Muslim and prays five times a day.

The killer showed off a lengthy, thick beard during a court appearance earlier this month, and a prison source has claimed it is a symbol of his new-found faith.

The source said Holmes has turned to Islam as a way of justifying his horrific murder spree in an Aurora, Colorado cinema on July 20 which left 12 people dead and 58 people wounded.

'He has brainwashed himself into believing he was on his own personal jihad and that his victims were infidels,' a prison source told the National Enquirer.

He now prays five times a day, sticks to a strict Muslim diet and spends hours each day studying the Qur'an [...]

They say the Muslim inmates at the prison where he's kept are "upset" about it, but then, can they possibly explain verses like Sura 9:5, which says, "slay the polytheists wherever you find them"? Hence, their defenses sound more like taqqiya (deception). I looked at a few comics sites like CBR, but so far, they haven't said anything about this, and we can't expect them to.

WHO'S BETTER FUNDED, THE ALARMISTS OR THE SKEPTICS/"DENIERS"?

THE ALARMISTS GET WAY MORE FUNDING.

(WELL, YOU DON'T THINK ALL THOSE ALARMIST PROFESSORS ARE WORKING FOR FREE, DO YOU!?!? THEY AL GET HUGE SALARIES AND TONS OF GRANTS. THE SKEPTICS GET RELATIVELY LITTLE FUNDING FROM THE CLIMATE GRANTORS.)

FOLLOW THE MONEY.

THE ALARMIST'S MONEY COMES FROM STATISTS  - AND COINCIDENTALLY... ALARMISM STRENGTHENS THE STATE.

THE ALARMIST-STATIST COMPLEX IS MORE THREATENING TO OUR WAY OF LIFE THAN THE CONGRESSIONAL-MILITARY INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX IKE WARNED US ABOUT IN HIS FAREWELL SPEECH.

THE ONLY COMPLEX MORE THREATENING TO OUR WAY OF LIFE IS THE GOVERNMENT UNION-POLITICIAN COMPLEX.

HMMM: THESE PHOTOS ADD TO THE THEORY THAT OBAMA HATES JUDEO-CHRISTIANITY AND LOVES ISLAM AND ARAFAT

FROM HOFT.

MAN MADE CLIMATE CHANGE EXPLAINED: "... a theory that predicts nothing in advance but "predicts" everything in retrospect"

ACE: "a theory that predicts nothing in advance but "predicts" everything in retrospect."

BRET STEPHENS BUYS INTO FALSE ALLEGATIONS AGAINST JONATHAN POLLARD

Bret Stephens seems to have turned against the Israeli right with an op-ed that's hostile to Jonathan Pollard without even providing exact proof Pollard was what Stephens claims. Specifically, Stephens says:

Regarding the Israeli interest: It does not help Israel to make a hero of a compulsive liar and braggart, fond of cocaine, who violated his oaths, spied on his country, inflicted damage that took billions of dollars to repair, accepted payment for his spying, jeopardized Israel's relationship with its closest ally, failed to show remorse at the time of his sentencing, made himself into Exhibit A of every anti-Semitic conspiracy nut, and then had the chutzpah to call himself a martyr to the Jewish people.

Query to Stephens: can you present any official police/medical records that state and prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Pollard was addicted to cocaine? If not, then I'm not sure what he's trying to prove, other than that he's become a very stupid, poorly educated man. Not that drug addiction in itself is a reason to keep Pollard jailed, but by furthering these accusations, Stephens has stooped to just what he speaks of: conspiracies. He admitted to his offenses in a plea bargain, which he lost because of the late Caspar Weinberger's machinations.

The Jerusalem Post's said in Pollard's favor:

Bolstering the outpouring of support for Pollard’s release, a recently declassified 1987 CIA damage assessment puts the lie to American allegations that have been used for over a quarter of a century to justify Pollard’s continued incarceration.

If so, then why is Stephens resorting to such a dumb defense for keeping Pollard in prison? I've lost respect for him.

The National Post and Baltimore Sun have also published op-eds and a correspondent to the latter supports the position in Pollard's favor too. It's very sad how incredibly divisive a subject this has become, and how even some so-called conservatives buy into what was said years ago about Pollard so much, they're willing to stoop to propaganda for the sake of defending the position for keeping Pollard in jail. Why can't they admit that on a subject like this, it's possible that mistakes were made?

ROCKET ATTACK TAKES PLACE WHILE OBAMA MAKES HIS VISIT

Courtesy of a group whose status the disgusting AP Wire won't even be fully honest about:

JERUSALEM (AP) - Palestinian militants in Gaza fired two rockets on Thursday at southern Israel, on the second day of President Barack Obama's visit to the region, Israeli police said.

One of the rockets exploded in the courtyard of a house in the border town of Sderot early in the morning, causing damage but no injuries, said police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld. The other landed in an open field.

Obama was miles away in Jerusalem at the time, preparing to visit the Israel Museum. Later in the day he is due to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

As a presidential candidate in 2008, Obama visited Sderot, which is frequently targeted by rocket attacks from the nearby Gaza Strip. The militant Islamic group Hamas has ruled Gaza since 2007 after ousting the rival Palestinian Fatah group in bloody street fighting. Fatah and the Palestinian Authority, led by Abbas, now govern part of the West Bank only.

"We will be closely watching Palestinian President Abbas today to see if he condemns these attacks from Gaza against Israeli civilians," a senior Israeli government official in Jerusalem said after the attack.

They may admit that the Hamas are Islamic, but they don't call them terrorists.

But what does it matter if Abbas "condemns" the attack? It's only bound to be taqqiya.

Update: here's more on the subject at Commentary.

GLOBAL WARMING ALERT!!!!

For the first time since 1965, when the tradition began, the Motorcycle Tour up the Coast Road to open Bakken - the worlds Oldest Amusement Park - has been canceled. Our sources tell us the  Police are afraid  the aggressive driving habits  of middle aged bikers would tear up the streets and leave the IMF with intolerable repair bills, because the asphalt is "almost liquid after years of Global Warming."

UPDATE: Actually the Viking ride is being cancelled for the first time in one thousand and 48 years because of cold snowy weather.   Back to you Al...

THE OPPOSITION TO BAR REFAELI TAKING PART IN A PR CAMPAIGN: THE RIGHTS AND WRONGS ABOUT IT

The IDF staff is mad because the foreign ministry's hired supermodel Bar Refaeli for a PR campaign for Israel, because she'd dodged the draft, and, according to rabbi Shmuley Boteach, when talking about a crummy advertisement of hers broadcast during the Super Bowl, she later said, “I don't regret not enlisting, because it paid off big time. That's just the way it is, celebrities have other needs.”

Okay, that was a stupid thing to say, and she may have told it to GQ's Italian branch. If she'd said that she didn't feel she could handle the job well, that would have been a lot more honest and respectable. What I want to know now, is just where she stands politically today, because she made a morally equivalent statement a couple of months ago during the IDF's operation in Gaza, for which she was slammed. That's a legitimate argument to make about the color of her character, which sure doesn't seem very bright. Based on that, I can understand why the IDF is upset, so here's my query: has she changed since? It's uneasy to tell.

On the other hand, here's a most unsuitable reason to object to hiring her:

Haredi students objected on the basis that she does not represent the Israeli public because she had a high-profile relationship with the non-Jewish actor Leonardo DiCaprio.

What?!? Is this serious? That is a textbook example of how NOT to protest her employment, and smacks of racism, while at the same time hinting at the absurdly homogenous belief system the Haredis employ. Besides, what if DiCaprio agreed to convert to Judaism if they married? Leading a relationship with a non-Jew in itself isn't a problem, it's the color of character for both lady and gent in said relation that is. Besides, I have a cousin who married a woman of Irish-American background who'd converted to Judaism several years ago, and by leading the kind of protest those Haredi students are, they are in effect insulting my relatives in my extended family.

The question is just where does Refaeli stand on Israel's safety, for example, and whether she buys into the propaganda and lies that claim there was ever a "palestinian people" of Arabic/Islamic background, because Golda Meir didn't. She has voiced her support for Jonathan Pollard being released, so that's one plus. But she's still got a lot to clear up with the Israeli public, and I'd think it best she did so, and soon. As for those dumb Haredi students who have a problem with a Jewish woman having an affair with a non-Jewish man (and no doubt, even with a Jewish man having an affair with a non-Jewish woman), I'd suggest they clean up their act and focus on the real matters: does she respect her country in spite of not serving in the army, or has she changed her attitude since? That's what we need to know.

And the IDF might also want to consider that if they have a problem with someone like her evading the draft, they should also have one with Haredis who do the same, because I'm not so sure they ever made that argument like they should've.

OBAMA SNUBBING AMERICAN-ISRAELI TERROR VICTIMS

The same one who's willing to meet with reps from MPAC was not willing to do the same when it comes to Israelis (via Israel Matzav and Front Page Magazine):

In anticipation of President Obama’s visit to the region, Bauer and other American victims of Arab Palestinian terror sent a letter to Thomas Goldberger of the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv.

They asked that the State Department pass on to those in charge of Obama’s visit a simple, three-point message: (1) utilize the American anti-terrorism laws to prosecute terrorists who have wounded and killed Americans, (2) make it clear to the Palestinian Authority that any American financial aid will be cut off if the PA is found to be complicit in acts of terrorism that harm American citizens, and (3) insist that no more Arab Palestinian terrorists with American blood on their hands be released by Israel.

The answer to this message, like the earlier one in which Bauer asked that he and other American victims of terror be granted an audience with President Obama, has been silence.

Truly disgraceful. We have to hope that Netanyahu and anyone else who's attending the dinner Obama's having at the president's manor will bring along representatives of the victims' families to meet with him.

MORE ON THE HAREDI PARTIES' SOB-STORYING

The Times of Israel details more about how the 2 Haredi political parties in the Knesset took the seat outside the coalition with really thin skin:

On Wednesday afternoon, when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu read out the details of his new government, prior to a lengthy debate and the eventual swearing in of its ministers, the members of the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism party demonstrated just how bitterly they resent being left out of the coalition: They got up and walked out of the plenum.

Over the hours of ensuing debate, they returned to the chamber, and several of them — along with their colleagues from the ultra-Orthodox Shas party — took the opportunity to walk to the podium and denounce a government they variously described as un-Jewish, anti-Jewish, shameful, evil and heartless.

At the end of his speech, UTJ’s Moshe Gafni went so far as to rip up what he said were copies of the coalition agreements, echoing Chaim Herzog in New York with the UN’s Zionism is Racism resolution. Talk about sore losers.

Yeah right. Don't consider them for a seat in the government and it's automatically discriminatory. Boo hoo, cry us a river.

Netanyahu has pledged to try to find a way, somehow, to include the Haredim in the government at a later stage. But on Monday, portraying themselves as shunned outcasts, they did not look like they planned to wait quietly for the prime minister to grace them with a phone call. In fact, they seemed to take to the art of feisty opposition politics with alacrity.

At the end of the debate, when the Knesset secretary asked each of the 120 MKs to vote “in favor” or “against” the new government, even the most strident opponents of Netanyahu and Jewish Home chairman Naftali Bennett, such as the Hadash (Communist) MK Dov Khenin or the Balad MK Hanin Zoabi, made do with a simple “against.” Several of the Haredi MKs, though, felt the need to add a little commentary. “Against this evil government,” yelled one. “Against a government that declared war on the Haredim,” shouted another.

Gafni, in his furious address, declared that, “We believe that we (the Jewish people) exist only because of the merit of Torah, since we stood at Mount Sinai. Without the Torah, we wouldn’t be here in Israel.” He slammed the coalition agreements for outrageously discriminating against the ultra-Orthodox, and said the plans for drafting the ultra-Orthodox have not been thought through properly and are unworkable.

It's not just because of the Torah, it's because of the ancient Israelites' ability to show the courage to stand up to their former enslavers in Egypt. It's because of their courage in fighting to regain their country, their freedom, their self-determination, stuff like that. And the first component of the Torah we received in Sinai was the 10 Commandments. The downside was how, while Moses spent time atop the mountain, a group of ancient Israelites down below were turning their backs on what was to come while preparing the golden calf. Something which, most sadly, the Haredis have built as well: a calf that stands for welfare worship, insular and homogenous lifestyles.

From the podium, meanwhile, Shas’s Aryeh Deri was also sounding off bitterly — and his target was not only Netanyahu’s new partners, but also the prime minister himself. His party negotiated with Netanyahu’s representatives in good faith, Deri said, and would have been ready to agree to a significant increase in the number of yeshiva students being drafted. Unfortunately, it soon became clear that the goal of the coalition was to exclude the ultra-Orthodox.

“There’ll be no one there with a beard or a skullcap” to ruin the picture of the new government, taken at the President’s Residence after the swear-in. “Great achievement,” Deri said sarcastically. “Treasure the picture.”

The Haredim weren’t the ones siphoning off undeserved money, he claimed. “The little they get is less than they deserve.”

Uh uh, it's more than they do. Deri sure needs glasses - has he failed to notice rabbi Dov Lipman and Naftali Bennett himself? One's Haredi and the other wears a skullcap. Deri, on the other hand, is a convicted felon. Thank goodness he's not part of the coalition; he'd be a blemish on its image.

It wasn’t all Haredi anger at the podium. The ultra-Orthodox MKs’ new opposition partners from Labor got in heavily on the act as well. Early in the debate, Labor’s Shelly Yachimovich gave a strikingly angry speech, attacking Netanyahu and his partners for their heartless economic and social policies, and their refusal to recognize the imperative for progress with the Palestinians. Netanyahu had negotiated with her in good faith, she acknowledged, but never for a moment did he allow himself to consider that, perhaps, some of his policies might be misguided.

And neither does she. Such a heartless buffoon she is.

In the chamber, the new ruling parties were predictably unfazed by all the attacks. Likud’s Gilad Erdan took Yachimovich to task for having slammed the coalition parties as “thirsty and rich.” Netanyahu, Yesh Atid’s Yair Lapid, Bennett and Hatnua’s Tzipi Livni, she had said, are all “capitalists” from “well-connected families,” who know no financial worries. Neither do you, Erdan replied, citing Yachimovich’s (not particularly high) monthly salary of NIS 56,000 ($15,000). Surely her assistants make much less than that, he added, rather weakly.

Yesh Atid, too, hit back, denying it was a party for the well-off. “We fought for three ministries that are not talking about the rich: social welfare, health, and education. No one ever fought so hard for the education portfolio in the history of Israeli coalitions,” Yesh Atid MK Adi Koll told The Times of Israel. “People told us we’re crazy to take the Welfare Ministry, because it’s a lose-lose situation; you can never solve all the problems. But we took all the tough ministries.”

Besides pushing for drafting the Haredim and teaching a secular “core curriculum” in state-funded Haredi schools, Yesh Atid was also taking pride in the reduced size of the coalition. While the 32nd government had 30 ministers, the new one only has 23, Netanyahu included. A smaller cabinet saves millions of shekels, party officials argued.

But in their improbable new partnership with Labor, the Haredim savaged that claim too. The outgoing cabinet of 30 has been replaced by one with 22 ministers and eight deputies, Shas’s Ya’akov Margi noted. Do the math, he urged.

Oh we'll do it alright, because people like you didn't bother to include it in your own school curriculum. Thanks for leaving it to us to sort out all those kind of problems, Margi. And thanks for showing your true colors by now allying yourself with the left.

So there's another stunning display of the beast coming out and not willing to take responsibility for their own errors. Some of the commentors on the article had good points to make as well. For example:

How dare Shas call the new members of the coalition "unJewish"-- since when did they become the judge and jury? These are the same people that practically sold off the Golan and chunks of Israel by endorsing Oslo. These are the same people who would sell out their brother for a bowl of soup? Or for a yeshiva tuition. These are the worst offenders in our pack, they have no moral scruples and absolutely no Jewish loyality whatsover to the state of Israel. They are posers, not real Jews.

And not real religious Judaists either. Another says:

Real class, these haredim. Take away their money and power, and they show their true, ugly, nonJewish colors.

They actually provide a good way to evaluate their personal color of character that way. And then:

Sore loosers getting a taste of their own medicine! My heart breaks...not!

Neither does mine. And then:

I watched the live footage of the charedim in the Knesset. Shameful is an understatement. To think that they presume to be true representatives of the Torah World makes my head spin. There was little Torah and Derech Eretz anywhere in their shameful behaviour. In my eyes they mostly are 'Virtual Jews'. Like virtual people on the Internet. Create an avatar. clothe it to your expectations and say its real. The charedim have created a 'parnasah' from Torah. They learn not for God but for the gelt. They seem to be more concerned in their clothing and how they look to one another, segregating themselves even from other chassidic sects with different nuances of socks, shoes, hats, shtreimel and bekeshes. They avoid participating in the building of the country. Heaven forbid they have to hold a spade or a Turiyah not to mention a weapon to defend theyre family and country. No they are too good for that, the shgutzim were created for that. They see themselves alone as Jews whilst the rest are shagetzim and goyim. I'm sorry to say they mostly are a walking chillul Hashem. And don't accuse me of hating charedim, I actually come from that sector. But to see what they have become today and just what they represent has my stomach churning. Geulah will NOT come from anyone in that sector, they are far removed from the concept. Of course I don't mean all of them, but enough of them fit the above mentioned bill.

Well spoken. Here's another comment that scores gold:

A large percentage of the ultra orthodox in Israel do not follow the teachings of the Talmud. The Talmud specifically states that a family must be provided for, by the sweat of one's brow. Torah learning comes after providing for one's family.

Those who don't work, and are not true Torah scholars [ a small percentage are genuine Torah scholars ] are simply parasites, living off of the rest of the country. This will finally begin to be brought to an end, along with a majority who must start serving in the army, or doing public service instead of army service.

The rabbis who brought this situation about are the ones to blame, as the majority of the ultra orthodox do their bidding. Unfortunately, [ the rabbis in question ] these are people who have no shame, and should be branded as the parasites they have become.

And how. Once again, their path to the opposition is richly deserved. To be fair, they seem to have backtracked on any suggestions they'll be vindictive against "settlements". But they'll still need to be watched closely, and another sad thing is that there's every chance some Haredis consumed by these backwards beliefs will take out their anger against us in very bad ways. We need to be ready to face the difficulties they're likely to cause us.

UK GOVERNMENT CONSIDERS REVIVING THEIR SHARIA FINANCE MARKET AGAIN

Businessweek reported last week that the British government is thinking of approving more sharia banking:

The U.K. government is considering reviving plans to sell Islamic bonds as part of an initiative to boost Britain’s role as a center for Shariah-compliant financing.

Treasury Minister Greg Clark and Sayeeda Warsi, a [Muslim] minister in the foreign office, are leading a working group to raise the profile of the Islamic finance industry, the Treasury said in an e-mailed statement today. Among items discussed at today’s inaugural meeting was the sale of Islamic bonds, said Shabir Randeree, chairman of DCD London & Mutual Plc in London and a member of the taskforce.

“What we will be looking at is whether a sovereign sukuk or an infrastructure type of instrument will be more appropriate,” Randeree said in a telephone interview from London.

The U.K. announced plans five years ago to become the first Western government to issue bonds compliant with Islamic law only to disband the initiative in 2011 when the Debt Management Office said the securities don’t “provide value for money.” The government is renewing its push as the global market for Islamic-compliant financing is set to double to $3 trillion by 2015, according to Standard & Poor’s.

The market for bonds that comply with Islam’s ban on interest is expanding as borrowing costs plunge. The average yield on sovereign sukuk tumbled 126 basis points, or 1.26 percentage points, last year to 2.65 percent, according to the HSBC/Nasdaq Dubai Sovereign US Dollar Sukuk Index. The yield was 2.83 percent March 7, the index showed.

What a shame that England sees nothing wrong with this dangerous type of market. But then, if they're so weak-kneed about Islam itself, it shouldn't come as any surprise they consider this legitimate as well.

Firstpost has more:

The British government has launched a new campaign to promote London as a centre for Islamic finance. The UK’s first Islamic Finance Task Force is aimed at cementing the city’s status as the Western hub and preferred choice for the Muslim world to invest in and do business with.

“This government’s priority is to make sure that Britain is open for business. The Islamic Finance Task Force is a perfect example of our ambition to promote London as a leading financial centre and attract inward investment for the wider economy,” said Greg Clark, financial secretary to the UK Treasury and co-chair of the task force.

In an attempt to counter growing competition from global Islamic hubs such as Dubai and Kuala Lumpur, the new task force will support the development of the UK’s Islamic finance sector and increase inward investment. [...]

“We expect the global market for Islamic financial services to experience significant growth over the coming years, but feedback from decision makers in the Middle East and South-east Asia suggests there is a lack of awareness of the UK industry and that we should be doing more to promote the sector,” said Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, senior minister of state at the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the second co-chair of the task force.

Wow, they're just SO concerned about competition, aren't they? In cases like these, it only leads to disaster in the long run. And was there ever any competition? They've actually got it backwards; the UK wants to compete with those Islamic countries in sharia banking, and at the same time, are preparing the UK for additional sharia. Warsi herself is Muslim, and this is something she's undoubtably eager to go forward with.

JEFFREY GOLDBERG SUMS UP WHAT OBAMA'S VISIT IS REALLY ABOUT, AND BARRY RUBIN EXPLAINS THE REAL PICTURE

Haaretz interviewed the pretentious Atlantic writer Jeffrey Goldberg, who gives a pretty accurate idea of why Obama's paying a visit to Israel this week:

Jeffrey Goldberg, a highly influential American journalist with close ties to President Barack Obama, told Haaretz he believes Obama will use his visit this week to prepare Israeli public opinion for a renewed challenge to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's policy toward the Palestinians.

"In his own way he will do his best to tell you: I love you. I get what you are and I admire what you've done. Obama will thereby create the space that will enable him to combat Israeli policy that seems wrong to him and in his estimation jeopardizes Israel's future and also hurts the United States," Goldberg said. "The Obama of the first term did not come to Israel and demanded a settlement freeze. The Obama of the second term is coming to Israel so he could be in the position to demand a settlement freeze in the future."

Which would throughly contradict any visit he makes to Theodore Herzl's grave as a way of acknowledging that Zionism is a just cause, as Goldberg says he'll do further down in the interview. No, if he demands a building freeze, then he's not favorable to Herzl's vision, which included Judea/Samaria/Gaza just as much as Jerusalem and Haifa.

Barry Rubin has a much better view of the situation than an epic failure like Goldberg:

...If today Israel were to make a huge new concession, six months from now it would be forgotten in the West, which would also forget that there was no considerable Arab response.

Israelis know this, and so saying this kind of thing about Israel needing to prove its decent intentions can only fall with a cynical thud. Such statements remind Israelis why they are not rushing to make new concessions or take new risks.

Note too that Western and European promises to give Israel a big reward if Israel takes a big risk or makes a big concession to which the Arab side doesn’t respond have also been repeatedly broken.

What Obama is in effect saying: “Mr. Netanyahu, tear down that [security, counterterrorism] wall.”

What he should be saying: “Mr. Abbas, Mursi, etc., tear down that wall of hatred against Israel!”

Of course, he won’t do so because that would make the Arab leaders and publics angry — not because they want Israel to move faster on peace or to seek a better deal, but because they don’t want peace at all. And the Islamists coming into power have no intention of tearing down the wall. In fact, they are building it higher than ever.

And we need look no further than the "Arab spring" to see how all that's turned out.

IS KURDISTAN THE ANSWER?

Turkey's Erdogan, while on a visit to Denmark, backtracked on his recent anti-Zionist remarks. While some refer to his latest position as zigzagging - I see it as nothing more or less than taqiyya - the permitted practice of lying...especially if the audience is comprised of non-believers.  And while Erdogan softened his rhetoric towards Israel he also reiterated his support for the Palestinians.  The rights of the Kurds come to mind whenever I hear the leader of Turkey espousing views of the inherent rights of the Palestinians.   Given the disastrous situation in Iraq,  in Syria, in Iran, and in Turkey  I can only think that the time is long overdue to support the national aspirations of the Kurdish people.  Yes, all of these aforementioned countries will have to lose territory to create Kurdistan.  But don't all of these countries call for Israel to trade land for peace?  (If they are not calling for the absolute destruction of Israel...)  The emergence of an independant Kurdistan would diminish internal ethnic conflicts in all of these nations and bring balance to the region.  It would be a far better plan for the State Department to pursue than the Arab Spring.  And I think it is time to consider the creation of Kurdistan a precondition for Turkey to enter the European Union.

CYPRUS AND THE EURO

While the economic problems in Cyprus are relatively small - in as much as Cyprus is small - it is interesting to see how it is interpreted politically and in the markets.  Euroskeptics, like Farage,  point to the situation as further evidence of the inevitable collapse of the EURO.  That remains to be seen.  Farage is correct to point out that the plan proffered by the EU to save the Cypriot banks was politically anathema to the rights of individual bank depositors and reveal the inherently undemocratic nature of the EU bureaucracy.  

The details of the plan seem to be distorted by some critics.  The plan did not steal 10% per cent of the depositors assets.  Actually, it forced the depositors to convert 10% of their holdings to stock in the bank.  While deposits, under a certain limit, are guaranteed stock is not.  So this plan amounted to coercing the depositors to shore up the capital of the bank and enter into a risky investment.  Even after the EU adjusted the plan to only affect deposits over @ 100,000 €, the Cypriot parliament voted the plan down.

The Euro is continuing to weaken.  A weaker Euro will be good for exports...it may even make the strains within the disparate Euro economies slightly less severe.  But it will not bely the fact that the European banking system, scrambling to shore-up its foundations,  is making many of the mistakes made in the banking sector during the Great Depression.

Banks are contracting.  EU Government is expanding. The opposite is what is called for!

" ... maintain standards in the macro and show compassion in the micro..."

PRAGER:

Progressives do not seem to recognize that in life there is always tension between standards and compassion. Standards, by definition, cannot allow for compassion for every individual. If society were to show compassion to every individual, it would have no standards. Speeding laws are not waived for the unfortunate soul who has to catch an important flight. Orchestral standards are not waived for the musician who has devoted his or her life to studying an instrument, is a wonderful person and needs the job to support a family. 

It is either right to maintain the man-woman definition of our most important social institution, or is it not. We cannot base our decision on compassion for gays, whether the gay is our child, our sibling, our friend or anyone else. 

Yes, societies have changed qualifications for marriage regarding age and number, but no society before the 21st century ever considered redefining the fundamental nature of marriage by changing the sexes. That is why it is not honest to argue that same-sex marriage is just another redefinition. It is the most radical change to the definition of marriage in the history of civilization. 

How then should people of compassion deal with this, or any other, issue? By asking whether we maintain standards or whether we change them because of compassion. Do we change universities' academic standards out of compassion for blacks and their history of persecution, or do we maintain college admission standards? Do we change military standards in order to enable women to enter fighting units or do we ask only what is the best policy to maintain military excellence? 

The only answer that works -- and no answer is perfect in this imperfect world -- is to maintain standards in the macro and show compassion in the micro. 

... note to parents of gays: Parents who believe in the man-woman definition of marriage do not owe it to their gay child to support the same-sex redefinition of marriage -- any more than gay children owe it to these parents to oppose same-sex marriage. Parents and children owe each other love and respect, not abandonment of convictions.

WESTERN CIVILIZATION HAS BEGUN A BIZARRE EXPERIMENT:

SAME SEX MARRIAGE.

BEFORE IT BECOMES NORMAL AND STANDARD LEGALLY, LET'S SEE HOW IT WORKS WHERE IT'S BEEN LEGALIZED.

LET'S WAIT 20 YEARS AND SEE HOW IT EFFECTS CHILDREN AND FAMILY ESTATES, DIVORCE, SOCIAL SECURITY ETC.

I THINK WE SHOULD GO SLOW.

SO ALL THE CONSEQUENCES CAN BE MEASURED.

IN THE MEANTIME: "... show compassion in the micro..,"

18 ARRESTED FOR SPYING INSIDE SAUDI ARABIA - AND EVERYONE OF THEM IS A MUSLIM, NOT ONE A JEW OR AN ISRELI

The Saudi authorities have arrested 18 suspected spies, including an Iranian and a Lebanese, on charges of espionage for a foreign country, the interior ministry said. "Sixteen Saudis, an Iranian and a Lebanese were arrested in co-ordinated and simultaneous operations in four regions of the kingdom," including the capital Riyadh and Mecca, the ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

Hmmm...

WHERE IS THE ECONOMY GOING?

The huge stockpiles of cash being hoarded by profitable corporations have been discussed for the past few years.  Critics liken these large cash holdings to dead inventory.  Activist stockholder groups have called for increased dividend payments.   In light of the fact that these hoards keep growing it is appropriate to look at what they may mean.  

Are theses hoardes of cash the result of poor management? Probably not.  They are, I believe a symptom of the fact that Business Leaders lack confidence in the future and have no vision or direction. In the end it is proof that society lacks leadership...and this vacuum goes to the very top of the political power pyramid. 

It is not just corporations that are sitting on cash. Government Sovereign funds are sitting on vast pools of assets...  meanwhile consumers are cutting consumption.  While liquidity is piling up on the sidelines Central Banks are continuing to print more money to keep the system going.

(It may be that these hoards of cash are the natural result of the long term festish of Central Banks with keeping inflation under 3% - when one might argue that with the advent of Globalisation a 4% or 5% rate might have been appropriate to finance 3rd world growth.)

Now I don't pretend to know what those who control these liquid assets are planning (if anything)...but it could be they are hoping to buy REAL assets after the next crash.  Or we could have a real recovery that might be followed by rampant inflation.  

Meanwhile I expect we will meander thru months of stagflation until the next geopolitical crisis or natural disaster unfolds.

MORE PROOF OBAMA SNATCHED DEFEAT FROM THE JAWS OF VICTORY IN IRAQ

At least 48 people have been killed following a series of car bombs mainly targeting Shia areas of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, officials say. More than 150 people were injured, police sources told the BBC. The attacks came on the 10th anniversary of the US-led campaign in Iraq that toppled Saddam Hussein.

OBAMA FAILED TO GET A FORCE AGREEMENT WITH IRAQ AND ABANDONED THEM THE WAY HE ABANDONED MUBARAK.

IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN ARE BOTH IN WORSE SHAPE NOW THAN WHEN OBAMA WAS SWORN IN.

AND MORE US TROOPS HAVE DIED UNDER OBAMA'S 4 YEARS THAN DURING BUSH'S 8.

NO WHERE ON THE FACE OF THE PLANET ARE THE ISLAMIST EXTREMISTS WEAKER NOW THAN WHEN OBAMA TOOK OFFICE.

IT MATTERS NOT IF THIS IS AN UNINTENDED RESULT OF APPEASEMENT, OR THE GOAL OF A POSTMODERN LEFTIST, OR OF A CRYPTO-MUSLIM.

THE LORAX? REALLY?

Last week, I conversed with a parent concerned about the education that her seventh-grade daughter is receiving in one of the "finest" public schools in one of the "finest" school districts in the United States.

The account I received was beyond disconcerting.

It was dismaying!

The student, dedicated to learning and enrolled in the gifted and talented program, returned from a week's absence due to illness and inquired of the teacher as to what work needed to be completed.  The teacher chirped, "Oh, there's nothing to make up.  The class spent all last week watching The Lorax."

The film The Lorax, based on the book of the same title, is eighty-six minutes long.  Apparently, the class discussed the film in class, but no written work was assigned.

The situation did not involve a flu epidemic with too many absences for the teacher to forge ahead, nor die  the situation involve a substitute in charge of the class for the week.  Therefore, I have to wonder if spending an entire week on this film was part of county-approved program of studies.

These two bits of information (HERE and HERE) may provide clues as to why an "advanced" seventh-grade class spent an entire week on The Lorax.

America is turning into an idiocracy, and public education is one means to attaining that particular type of dystopia, defined as a society characterized by human misery — in this case, a dystopia characterized by miserable mindlessness.

Additional reading of possible interest: Marxism in Education: Infiltration of Our School Systems by the Common Core Standards.

Rule #39: There is no such thing as coincidence.

"Rule #39: There is no such thing as coincidence."

IN A HOODIE, NO LESS...

KNESSET APPROVES NEW GOVERNMENT, 68 FOR, 48 AGAINST, 4 ABSENT

The new Israeli government's been approved. And among the disapproving in the opposition:

The opposition votes came from the parties that were not included in the government, including Labor, Meretz, the Arab parties - and the two hareidi parties, United Torah Jewry and Shas.

Well, that settles it, the Haredis mean business; that is, they're turning against the factions they never really backed up in the first place.

The vote was taken by roll call, with each MK announcing his or her vote when their name is called. The vote went smoothly without catcalls or comments, for the most part – except for MK Yisrael Eichler (UTJ), who, when his name was called, said “no support for the government of evil.”

Tsk tsk tsk. Some example he's setting there. Just because his party isn't in the coalition now, and Yesh Atid balks at their MO, he has to be so vindictive? Gee.

During the swearing in ceremony, each minister went up to the podium to declare that they would do their job with loyalty to the state and its laws. After Naftali Bennett took the oath of office, the first MK who congratulated him was Yair Lapid, who gave Bennett a bearhug.

Well that's nice. Here's more on the new coalition, and says:

Netanyahu addressed the Knesset after Likud minister Yuli Edelstein was voted in as the new Knesset speaker, replacing Reuven Rivlin.

"As prime minister, I don't have the privilege to abandon the external challenges to Israel. We must ensure the existence of the State of Israel. Therefore, the first priority will be the defense of the country and its citizens."

Netanyahu noted Iran continuing to get closer to crossing the "red line" towards a nuclear weapon, and the threat of some of the "most dangerous weapons in the world" being transferred into the hands of terrorists in a deteriorating Syria as the main threats to Israel.

And the Haredi parties only care about where they are now? Very irresponsible on their part to vote against the government's forming. The yeshivas are not the main concern, it's the external threats and what the PLO/Hamas are doing too that is. They deserve to be outside the government.

Labor leader Shelly Yacimovich spoke after Netanyahu, attacking the new government as a coalition of rich "capitalists" who never had to struggle for money and could not relate to the people.

She referred to the new government as a government of "exclusion," of all marginal groups in society.

The Labor leader stated that all of the coalition members shared a right-wing political ideology.

Which says she's against Yesh Atid as well. And, she's in favor of the Haredi parties, who represent all that's anathema to wider society. Yes, I get the picture. What a shame she's making such a fool of herself.

We'll have to see just how well this new government fares. I'm sure it won't be an easy trip, but time will tell if they succeed.

IRELAND ALLOWS A BIG MOSQUE TO BE BUILT IN DUBLIN

A once fine country is now succumbing to dhimmitude (Hat tip: Galliawatch):

The Dublin City Council approved the construction of the biggest mosque in Ireland: 157,000 square meters. Sic. (Including the elementary school, middle school and other "cultural" features.)

The plans were presented by a Muslim organization called the Dublin Welfare Society. Sic.

The cost of the edifice may reach forty million euros. Funding will be provided by a financial backer from the United Arab Emirates.

How can a country once prisoner of England's wrath now surrender itself to another form of totalitarianism?

PHYLLIS CHESLER SPEECH ON ANTI-SEMITISM

Phyllis Chesler "The New Anti-Semitism: Reflections After A Decade on the Front Lines" from ISGAP on Vimeo.

Chesler gave a lecture on anti-Semitism for Charles Small and ISGAP's series on the subject.

AMERICAN SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL VERY HIGH

A new poll finds that plenty of Americans support Israel, and don't think the US should be leading any "peace process":

A new poll shows that most Americans support Israel, but do not want the U.S. to take the lead in an Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

Fifty-five percent of Americans, according to the ABC News/Washington Post poll released Monday, sympathize more with Israel than with the Palestinian Authority. Nine percent sympathize more with the P.A., 14 percent sympathize with neither side and 18 percent had no opinion on the question.

Sixty-nine percent of respondents, though, said the U.S. should leave peace talks to the Israelis and Palestinians, while 26 percent said the U.S. should lead the negotiations.

The 69 percent figure is 15 percentage points higher than when the poll last asked about the U.S. role in peace talks 11 years ago, during the second intifada.

Since many Israelis distrust Obama, that's one more reason why it wouldn't do much good for the US administration to "take the lead". Why, as newly discovered, Menachem Begin was disappointed with the Carter administration for similar reasons:

Days before U.S. President Barack Obama is due to land in Israel, a set of classified documents has been publicly released revealing the details of a cabinet meeting held by then Prime Minister Menachem Begin in March 1979, just before then President Jimmy Carter's visit to Israel.

The documents reveal the immense tension between Begin and Carter over the U.S. president's determination to reach a peace agreement, with Begin saying, "This American chutzpah [audacity] makes my blood boil."

More about this can be read on this site.

Update: and here's some news on how very few Israelis trust Obama (via The Blaze):

President Obama has said he wants to speak directly with the Israeli people and reinforce his support for Israel during his trip there next week.

He may have some serious talking to do. A new poll of Israelis conducted by Maagar Mohot Institute and Israeli daily Maariv found that 38 percent believe he is hostile to Israel and 14 percent believe he is indifferent. Only a third think he is supportive.

In addition, Obama is facing steep unfavorable ratings in the country, the poll found. Some 32 percent said they don’t like him but respect him, 19 percent view him unfavorably and 17 percent have a highly unfavorable opinion of him.

Perhaps the most daunting number for Obama in the poll: Only 10 percent view him favorably.

Clearly, very few people here are fooled by his act.

RIDLEY SCOTT IS NOT THE BEST CHOICE FOR DIRECTING MOSES

The UK Guardian says Ridley Scott looks to be director of a new rendition of the biblical Moses. But is the same guy who helmed Kingdon of Heaven with its apologist angle towards the Muslim conquestors of the medieval times really suited to direct something like this? I think not. Let's take a look at this discussion about his previous film on CBN:

The problem with this movie -- and the problem with most of the approaches toward this topic -- is that it tends to think that Christianity and Islam are the same. If you read Hilaire Belloc's great historical work on the Crusades, or any of the major works on the Koran, you will see that this is a serious problem. It is not just a question of everyone sitting down and accepting each other. When Mohammed couldn't get everyone to accept Islam he started killing people. That's built within the very fabric of his faith. So Saladin was a ruthless killer. The Muslims moved into areas that were a hundred percent Christian. They were a conquering army. They were not part of Jerusalem.

Up until twenty years ago the majority of Lebanon was Christian. We have seen in our century, just in my lifetime whole areas being persecuted, including the Coptic people in Egypt, the Lebanese Christians with their own Diaspora, the Armenian Christians who were liquidated by Ataturk -- there has been constant persecution.

I was just with the Kurds, who were very resentful that the Arabs and Muslims came in and killed their fathers, raped their mothers, and spread Islam. So this is not a sweet, lovable religion. And I know that everybody would like it to be. This movie ultimately is in favor of Christians, Muslims, and Jews to stop fighting over the holy sites and to blend together in peaceful coexistence. Well, that's just a lot of baloney, because it's just not going to happen now. Some side is going to have to relent.

For all we know, a new movie based on Moses' famous biblical journey could get something right - the likelihood that Tzipporah and her tribe led by Jethro were black, one thing the otherwise overly liberal Prince of Egypt cartoon got right. But like that cartoon, a new rendition of Moses' quest to liberate the Israelites from the wrath of the Phaeroh under the helming of Ridley Scott could turn out to be one of the most wretched exercises in apologia...and even refuse to detail the eventual journey to reclaim Israel.

So I'm not looking forward to this planned movie. Even if Spielberg were director, I still wouldn't trust him.

VIDEO: HOW LEFTISTS REACT TO A FREE PRESS WHEN IT EXPOSES THEM:

VIA WZ.

THE ATTACK SHOULD OUTRAGE EVERYONE:

AN ABORTION CLINIC THAT HAS TO HAVE 3 EMERGENCY VISITS IN THREE WEEKS SHOULD NOT BE DEFENDED BY PRO-CHOICERS.

WARNING: IT'S 10% FROM CYPRIOTS TODAY AND MAYBE 100% OF YOUR 401K TOMORROW!

JUST SAYING.

THE EU POLITICIANS DECIDED THEY NEEDED 10% OF THE MONEY PEOPLE HAD SAVED IN CYPRUS, SO THEY TOOK IT.

JUST LIKE THAT.

NO ELECTION. NO REFERENDUM. IT WASN'T EVEN DONE BY CYPRIOTS; IT WAS DONE BY FOREIGN FINANCE MINISTERS!

IT'S NOTHING MORE THAT INTERNATIONAL GRAND LARCENY.

(OR AS ASHLEY JUDD WOULD CALL IT: RAPE.)

POLITICIANS IN THE USA HAVE GOT TO BE EYEING THE TRILLIONS WE HAVE SAVED IN OUR 401K - MAYBE NOT TO CONFISCATE, BUT TO FORCIBLY PUT INTO LOW-YIELDING GOVERNMENT BONDS.

AFTER TAKING 10% OFF THE TOP.

JUST YOU WAIT AN SEE.

MARK LEVIN EXPOSED THIS A WHILE BACK - 2009:

PART 2:

CYPRUS JUST MIGHT BE THE TRIGGER TO BRING THE WHOLE DANG HOUSE OF CARDS DOWN....

SO SAITH SEBASTIEN GALY OF SOCGEN.

WHAT CAN'T GO ON FOREVER WON'T.

UPDATE:

Asian markets have dipped after Cyprus bailout plans triggered fears of an escalation of the eurozone debt crisis.

BRITISH MINISTER OF SECURITY CALLS EDL A TERRORIST GROUP LIKE AL QAEDA!?!?

INSANE. IMMORAL. INCREDIBLE:

Right-wing extremists could pose an al-Qaeda-style threat in Britain, the security minister warned today. 

James Brokenshire said the “ugly face” of the far Right was a “real” danger to public safety and had the same aim as Islamist extremists of wanting to reshape society. 

He warned of the risk of attacks by Right-wing “lone wolves”. 

He also said the activities of the English Defence League could “stoke radicalisation” and push people towards terrorism. Such groups “can provide ‘gateway ideologies’ through which individuals may migrate to more extreme organisations”, he said. ...

Although the threat was not as severe as that of al Qaeda, it shared some similarities, he said: “Many of the challenges mirror those from al Qaeda-inspired terrorism. There is the risk from lone individuals.”

PATRIOTIC GROUPS LIKE THE EDL ARE NOT THE REAL THREAT.

AL QAEDA AND THE DHIMMITUDINOUS CONSERVATIVE PARTY OF CAMERON ARE THE REAL THREATS.

AND BRITISH PEOPLE KNOW THIS:

The ICM survey for The Sunday Telegraph shows that Ukip’s policies are favoured over the Tories’ among key right-of-centre voters – particularly on immigration, government spending and same-sex marriage. 

The right-of-centre group, identified in the poll and dubbed Conservative-Ukip “switchers”, are those who say they have yet to decide which of the two parties to vote for. They represent around one in ten of all voters and their support will be crucial to Mr Cameron’s general election hopes. 

However, the survey found that they rate Ukip’s Nigel Farage as a better party leader than the Prime Minister by 37 per cent to 32 per cent.

FARAGE AND THE UKIP ARE THE LAST BEST HOPE FOR A BRITISH BRITAIN.

GALLUP: DEMOCRATS TWICE AS LIKELY TO SUPPORT THE ARABS AGAINST ISRAEL THAN REPUBLICANS

GALLUP:

Republicans (78 percent) were much more likely to sympathize with Israel than Democrats (55 percent), according to the poll. 

THAT MEANS THAT ONLY 22% OF THE GOP SUPPORT THE ARABS, AND 45% - NEARLY HALF!!! - OF THE DEMOCRATS SUPPORT THE ARABS.

THAT MEANS TWICE AS MANY DEMOCRATS SUPPORT THE ARABS AS REPUBLICANS.

REPEAT:

Republicans (78 percent) were much more likely to sympathize with Israel than Democrats (55 percent), according to the poll. 

RINSE:

Republicans (78 percent) were much more likely to sympathize with Israel than Democrats (55 percent), according to the poll. 

REPEAT:

Republicans (78 percent) were much more likely to sympathize with Israel than Democrats (55 percent), according to the poll. 

JEWS WHO CONTINUE TO MAKE THEIR HOME IN THE DEMOCRAT PARTY ARE DUPES.

WILL OBAMA AND KERRY VIOLATE THEIR OATHS AND SUPPORT THE CURRENT UN'S ARMS TREATY???

WASH POST: (VIA WZ)

The Obama administration, which has wavered on the treaty, signaled Friday that it was willing to support the accord. “The United States is steadfast in its commitment to achieve a strong and effective Arms Trade Treaty that helps address the adverse effects of the international arms trade on global peace and stability,” Secretary of State John F. Kerry said in a statement. “We will not support any treaty that would be inconsistent with U.S. law and the rights of American citizens under our Constitution, including the Second Amendment.” 

The NRA is among the treaty’s most vocal opponents and a founder of the World Forum on Shooting Activities, an international coalition of gun rights activists and gun manufacturers who plan to speak against the treaty. 

“What we really object to is the inclusion of civilian firearms within the scope of the ATT,” said Tom Mason, the group’s executive secretary and a lawyer who has represented the NRA at U.N. meetings for nearly two decades. “This is a treaty that really needs to address the transfer of large numbers of military weapons that leads to human rights abuses. We have submitted language that you can define what a civilian firearm is.”

IF THE TREATY CONTAINS LANGUAGE WHICH PERMITS IT TO BE APPLIED TO CIVILIAN FIREARMS OF THE TYPE WHICH ARE CURRENTLY LEGAL AND CONSTITUTIONAL HERE - THEN IT IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL.

IF OBAMA AND KERRY SUPPORT IT ANYWAY, THEN THEY MUST BE IMPEACHED FOR FAILING TO UPHOLD THEIR OATHS - WHICH REQUIRE THAT THEY DEFEND THE CONSTITUTION.

OBAMA BLAMES ISRAEL FOR LACK OF PEACE DEAL

OBAMA BLAMES THE JOOOOOOOS. (VIA WZ)

JEWS WHO SUPPORT OBAMA ARE KAPOS.

THE COMPLETE CRUZ AT CPAC: WOW!

ONE

TWO

THREE

BQOTD: "If you can’t respond to a guy who’s been in the Senate for ten weeks, when you’ve been in the Senate forever, without playing the “damsel in distress” card, then you shouldn’t be in the Senate."

GLENN ON TED VERSUS DIANE.

MORE AT THE LINK.