EGYPT: OUT THE FRYING PAN AND INTO THE FIRE

Egypt's Morsi signs Islamist constitution into law

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

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

MAJORITY RULE GUARANTEES NOTHING:

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

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

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

LOST TRIBE RETURNING TO ISRAEL

BBC: 

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

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

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

'Never forgotten' 

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

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

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

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

ODE TO JOY

All creatures drink of joy At nature's breast. 

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

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

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

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

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

Do you fall in worship, you millions? 

World, do you know your creator? 

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

EHUD BARAK APPROVES OF TURNING ARIEL COLLEGE INTO UNIVERSITY

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

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

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

And the attorney general approves too:

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

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

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

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

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

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

HRW GETS SOMETHING RIGHT, BUT NOT ALL

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

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

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

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

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

BREACH OF PSEUDO-CEASEFIRE

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

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

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

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

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

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

SLAVERY STILL COMMON PRACTICE IN YEMEN

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2 two for the road's

by a relatively unknown musician:

and by the famous pat metheny:

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

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

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

TAT:

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

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

And FDR's Treasury Secretary also told Congress:

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

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

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

[...] 

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

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

RTWT.

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

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


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

FRENCH ECONOMY ABOUT TO CRASH?

BBC:  

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

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

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

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

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

LEFTISTS DO SUPPORT "MODESTY" WHEN ISLAMISTS DEMAND IT

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

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

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

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

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

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

GENERATION Y'S FINANCIAL PROSPECTS PERMANENTLY DEPRESSED BY OBAMANOMICS

SAD FACTS HERE.

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

UNFREAKIN' REAL: OBAMA LIED IN HIS INOUYE EULOGY

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

(VIA IOTW.)

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

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

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

WHY?

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

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

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

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

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

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

SIGH.

THE REMEDY IS REASON. 

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

SIGH.

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

JUST SAYING.

SIGH.

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

IT'S THAT EVERYTHING THEY KNOW IS WRONG.

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

FREE SPEECH IS A RIGHT THAT SHALL NOT BE ABRIDGED.

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

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

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

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

MORE ON FREE SPEECH HERE.

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

COMMIE KISSING STALIN ON HIS 133RD BIRTHDAY

OBAMA FRENCH-KISSING STALIN ON HIS 133RD BIRTHDAY

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

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

STALIN. MOHAMMED. HITLER. ALINSKY. CARTER.

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

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

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

The Golda Meir Award for Best Anti-Jihad Blogger:

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

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

AND ATLAS; REALLY - SHE IS THE GREATEST! 

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

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

CHECK OUT THE ENTIRE LIST HERE. 

RELIGION OF TERROR AND DEATH STRIKES AGAIN

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

IN RELATED NEWS:

• FIRE SWEEPS THROUGH KABUL MARKET.

• "BLASPHEMER" MURDERED BY MOB.

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

BRRRRRRR!: NO GLOBAL WARMING IN EASTERN EUROPE!

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

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

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