Segacs's World I Know |
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Blog about politics (mideast and pro-Israel, Canadian and local Montreal), world events, and random thoughts.
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30.11.02
Fête de Dollard, the holiday formerly known as Victoria day, is undergoing yet another name change, courtesy of our thumb-twiddling separatist government: Premier Bernard Landry announced last Sunday at a commemorative gathering on the sacred ground of the rebels' lone military victory that the holiday formerly known in Quebec as the Fête de Dollard - and before that Victoria Day - will be decreed the Journée nationale des Patriotes.The ostensible reason is that Dollard des Ormeaux, the former namesake of the holiday (and of my city/municipality-cum-borough), wasn't really such a hero after all. Okay, fine, I buy that. But what was so wrong with calling it Victoria Day, like the rest of Canada? I mean, like it or not Landry, we are still part of Canada here. Of course, that's just it. The new name is seen in many circles as pandering to the ultra-nationalists in the PQ: But the only ones clamouring for a Patriotes Day have been the ultra-separatists, a constituency the PQ needs to keep under its wing, and giving them their day is a convenient way to mollify their growing suspicions about the premier's sovereignist commitment.Of course, the article goes on to explain that the true history of the Patriotes isn't what most people believe. But I somehow doubt this will become an issue. People are, in general, much happier to buy the fairy-tale condensed version of historical facts than to actually review them and see them for what they really are. Whatever really happened in 1837 becomes moot. Papineau's true nature and beliefs don't really matter. As long as the legend is preserved, and the separatists mollified, it takes the pressure off Bernard Landry in the leadup to the election. And with the general population (with the exception of the hard-liners in the PQ) becoming increasingly tired of the sovereignty debate, Landry desperately needs the distraction. The PQ has already lost a lot of support to the ADQ, and Landry lacks the personal charisma that Lucien Bouchard used to keep the hard-liners at bay. I don't know if a holiday will make the separatists shut up for more than 30 seconds . . . but hey, if that's all it takes, I'm more than happy to let them have it. Whatever it takes to avoid another neverendum-referendum. | Damian Penny has compiled an interesting reading list of articles about Iraq. Anyone who wants to learn more will find this list an excellent starting point. | 29.11.02
B'nai Brith is suing the Canadian government in attempt to force it to outlaw the so-called "political" and "charitable" (read: fundraising for terrorism) wings of Hezbollah. Hamas and the Islamic Jihad were finally (belatedly) banned this week, and Hezbollah's military wing on the terror list as well. But where do they think these people get their funding from? Ottawa is resisting pressure to outlaw the political wing, which Foreign Minister Bill Graham has described as a legitimate movement. The government said on Friday that the law suit, filed by B'nai Brith, would have no effect.Bill Graham had better hope that his quotes don't come back to haunt him. It's unbelievable that the same Canadian government who seeked to strip the Canadian Magen David Adom - a lifesaving organization - of its charity status, would allow Hezbollah - a lifetaking organization - to operate freely. Especially if it looks like Hezbollah might be linked to yesterday's bombing in Kenya. In case there was any doubt just what kind of "legitimacy" Hezbollah should have, this ought to take care of it: The leader of Hizbollah on Friday urged Palestinians to ignore international criticism of suicide attacks and keep up the armed struggle against Israel.These are murderers and terrorists, make no mistake. The fact that they're legally allowed to fundraise in Canada is a scandal. And everyone else seems to "get it" except for Bill Graham. | The European Union is meddling in Israel's elections. According to the Jerusalem Post: Palestinian newspapers are full of paid advertisements calling for an end to terrorist attacks inside Israel in order to help Mitzna and his Labor Party. Palestinian sources say Dr. Sari Nusseibeh, the PLO's representative in Jerusalem, is behind the advertisements. The European Union, they add, is financing the campaign.The surprise isn't so much that the Palestinian lobby wants a Labour victory. With a softer government, more prone to concessions, they probably figure they can get more out of Israel. But what's the EU doing backing the ads? And notice what else is obvious by reading between the lines. The ads are calling upon people to end terror attacks inside Israel - their way of saying that terror attacks in the Disputed Territories may still continue against innocent civilians. Plus, the call for a moratorium on attacks in the leadup to an election implies that they can resume once the election is over. Not to mention that it's blazingly obvious that terror is being sanctioned as a political weapon. If the EU wants to intervene to end terrorism, then it should do it unequivocally. Support a campaign to end terror attacks, period. Instead, the EU is attempting to manipulate the Israeli election so as to elect a leader it feels woud be more pliable to Europe's demands. I doubt the Israeli people will listen, as polls show Likud leading by a landslide margin. Still, the EU has no business getting involved. | Oh, shut up! The Concordia Palestinian Solidarity movement's favourite Jewish poster boy, Aaron Maté, claims that the anti-Zionists aren't really antisemites in today's Gazette: The attempts to "de-legitimize" Israel's occupation of Palestine are as anti-Semitic as the attempts to "de-legitimize" apartheid South Africa were "anti-Caucasian."The number of times that the Gazette and other publications have given voice to this thug - Jewish or not, he's a thug - is incredible. This is the same Aaron Maté (VP Campaigns of the extremely anti-Israel CSU) who was arrested back in April for holding an illegal sit-in in the offices of Irwin Cotler, MP and human-rights activist. The same Aaron Maté who was arrested on September 9th at the Netanyahu protests. The same Aaron Maté who, in effort to make it seem like he speaks for a significant proportion of Jews, makes a point of prefacing every anti-Israel remark he makes with "as a Jew". His twisted logic would have Israel blamed for all of the Palestinian violence. But either he willfully closes his eyes to the virulent antisemitism within the Palestinian movement at Concordia, or else he simply does not think it important or relevant. Perhaps he willfully closes his ears to the chanting of "death to the Jews" that can be heard at the riots. How else would he be able to rationalize his participation? Most often, he simply claims that the antisemitism is a fringe element among the minority: Of course, no serious activist will deny that there are elements of anti-Semitism in the pro-Palestinian movement. But I also know that the vast majority of Palestinians whom I have met in Montreal or on the West Bank have denounced anti-Semitism and taken great efforts to oppose it when displayed by others.Then, he has the audacity to follow with: That protest was not anti-Semitic. Sept. 9 was a sign of a growing movement of people across the world in solidarity with Palestinians, a group that includes thousands of conscientious citizens and brave "refusenik" soldiers in Israel itself. And despite some unfortunate and deplorable exceptions, it is a movement that recognizes and supports the legitimate rights of the Jewish people.The anti-Zionists love Maté because they can hold him up as "evidence" that anti-Zionism is not antisemitism. "After all", they can claim, "one of our best friends is Jewish". Why Aaron Maté lets himself be used like that is beyond me. But what people need to realize is that: a) Jews who share his views are in the extreme fringe minority, and do not reflect the views of most mainstream Jews worldwide (left, right, or center). b) Despite claiming otherwise, anti-Zionism of Aaron Maté's brand is antisemitism. Merely criticizing Israeli policy is not, as he correctly points out, but when anyone goes so far as to deny the legitimacy of the mere existence of the state of Israel, it is antisemitism. Why? Because when you really look at what's being said, the argument comes down to the fact that Israel is a Jewish state. Whether they argue that it is "infringing on Muslim land" or "racist because of its Jewish character", this is what is really being said. As Adam Spiro explains (in response to an incident where professional shit-disturbers and buddies of Maté, Samer Elatrash and Laith Marouf, showed up at a Sukkot party): Next time you hear the SPHR say "we're anti-Israel, not anti-Jewish" think about it for a few minutes. If their sole concern was Israel, they would not have felt the need to protest a Jewish holiday. I have no need, or desire (nor do I know any Jew who does) to go monitor how Ramadan is observed. Furthermore, someone who was not anti-Jewish would not have played the role Marouf and Elatrash did in the riots where Jews were spat at, and Jewish men had their kippot torn from their heads. I still have yet to see anything (from the SPHR or anyone else), formal or informal, condemning those actions, or even expressing any regret whatsoever. And they say that they're not anti-Jewish.These are the people with whom Aaron Maté aligns himself. To exempt him from criticism simply because he is Jewish, while criticising his cohorts, would be racist. | 28.11.02
Arafat as Sharon's best campaign manager? Sounds ludicrous, I know. But, according to strategic consultant Kalman Gayer (as reported in Ha'aretz), Yasser Arafat wanted a Likud Prime Minister to win in 2001, and wants one to win again in 2002: On the eve of the 2001 elections, strategic consultant Kalman Gayer reached the conclusion that "Arafat prefers a leader from the Likud and not from Labor to head the Israeli government." His analysis was based on three strategically important events that occurred in swift succession: In May 2000 the Barak government decided on a unilateral pullout from southern Lebanon; two months later, the Camp David summit was held, and failed; and two months after that, on September 29, the intifada began.When you think about it, it makes a strange kind of sense. Arafat was getting too close to the point where he would have to either accept a peace deal, or turn down something eminently reasonable. The next step at Camp David in 2000 with Ehud Barak was going to necessitate a willingness on Arafat's part to make some concessions and to accept the premise of statehood in exchange for peace. But he couldn't do it. He was too much of a coward, and he realized that his people were not ready to accept it. Things were moving too fast, and Arafat saw them spinning out of control - if he signed a peace treaty he'd be an international hero but a traitor in the Muslim world, and that wasn't the legacy he wanted. Hence the strategic decision to put a grinding halt to the peace process and start a wave of terror and violence that has cost far too many hundreds of lives so far. But Arafat also knew that, faced with an Israeli leadership willing to make major concessions for peace, the Palestinian side would look bad for turning down these concessions. He needed a scapegoat. He needed an Israeli leader he could villanize. Someone who he could blame for all of the violence, and who the international community would readily see as a hard-line extremist. He needed a Likud Prime Minister. Preferably one with as hard-line a reputation as possible. Ariel Sharon has been Arafat's dream come true. So why, then, is he still so popular amongst Israelis? Why did they just vote him back in as leader of the Likud party (effectively giving him another mandate as Prime Minister)? Why, when everything in Israel is a disaster is Sharon enjoying unprecedented popularity? This is what the Ha'aretz article attempts to explain. It's an interesting read. Check it out. | The abortion debate once again rears its ugly head. James Kopp, a fervent anti-abortionist, is on trial for second-degree murder. He admitted shooting Dr. Barnett Slepian, but claimed to regret having killed him. Yeah, right. This guy has been murdering doctors for years. Kopp is wanted in Canada for allegedly wounding three doctors. He is charged with the 1995 attempted murder of Hugh Short, a doctor shot at in his home in Ancaster, Ont., near Hamilton.And he also fired his original lawyer, apparently because he "had pledged not to turn the trial into a forum for the abortion debate". I suppose he thinks he has a better chance with an anti-abortion lawyer, who will attempt to turn the trial around and put abortion rights on trial. The only question is whether this a calcluated legal strategy to better his chances for acquittal, or whether he's delusional enough to think that he's somehow entitled to kill doctors who perform abortions? I'm fervently pro-choice, but I can (somewhat) respect the views of people who merely believe abortion is wrong. As long as they stick to verbal arguments rather than violence, they're entitled to their views as much as I'm entitled to mine (so long as they don't impose them on others). But I'm frequently amazed at the hypocrisy of any movement calling itself "pro-life" whose members go around KILLING people. | What kind of Jew are you? This quiz link (courtesy of Mike Silverman), can help you find out. It's humourous, but it also surprisingly accurately described my beliefs as fitting most closely in with secular humanist Judaism. I'm a 3-day-a-year synagogue-goer, and my synagogue happens to be of the Orthodox denomination, but I'm also a skeptical agnostic who tends to view Judaism more culturally than religiously. I rather like what these folks have to say: Judaism is much more than a set of religious beliefs and practices. Secular Humanistic Jews have a strong connection to Jewish history and culture and are committed to the future of the Jewish People. Secular Humanistic Jews rely on reason, rather than faith, to understand the world and believe that human intelligence and experience are capable of guiding their lives.There are other interesting quizzes at SelectSmart too. According to the Mideast Selector Quiz, I'm an average Israeli (but choice #2 was Israeli far-right wing, which makes me wonder how they define "far right wing" based on the answers I provided). Last place in that quiz was Palestinian suicide bomber . . . I wonder if they track IP addresses of anyone who takes the quiz and gets that as a result? Perhaps they should start. Oh yeah, and apparently I should move to Alaska, read Nietzsche, and vote for the Marxist-Leninist party in Canadian politics (as you can see, some of these quizzes are more accurate than others). | Another typical demonstration of European Union hypocracy: The EU's foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, said "these tragic incidents come as a sad reminder that no region in the world is immune from terrorist attacks."Hey, Solana, these attacks are happening almost daily in Israel, and I don't see you calling for an intensification of your co-operation with Israeli partners as part of the "global fight against terrorism". If you would take your head out of the sand for five seconds, you would realize that the best way to fight terrorism is to fight it wherever it occurs. And where is it occurring most? Israel, of course. Terrorism is like a cancer. Fight it there and you'll help prevent it from spreading elsewhere. Wait for it to spread elsewhere and, well, you see what happens. | Jerusalem, New York, Bali . . . now Kenya has been added to the list. Suicide bombers blew up a hotel in Kenya that catered to Israeli tourists, killing 11 people plus themselves. The three Israelis killed included two children, brothers aged 13 and 12. Al Quaeda is being blamed for the attack. The Palestinian leadership is seizing on the opportunity to distance itself from the whole thing: "There is no connection whatsoever between these unfortunate events in Kenya and the Palestinian people or authority," Palestinian Labour Minister Ghassan Khatib told The Associated Press.That's just bullshit. The Palestinian terror organizations have nothing to learn from Al Quaeda on how to target innocent civilians. They just assume that as long as they target them in Israel, and not abroad, they can get away with it by demonizing Israel in the international press. But the lesson here is that if terror is not stopped in Israel, it will spread - to Bali, to Kenya, even to our own backyard. The victims don't care about political alliances, or which group is responsible for the attacks. Their families don't care. All they care is that their loved ones and friends are dead, for no reason other than their nationality or religion or just plain bad luck, being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Beyond that, little matters. But the world needs to take note: terror will spread as long as it keeps winning. It will stop when it starts losing. Any government who preaches appeasement or wants to give in to the demands of the terror groups can consider itself partially responsible for today. Update: Media sources are now reporting that 14 people have been killed, and more than 80 wounded. It is unclear whether these figures include the three suicide bombers. Also, simultaneously to the attacks, missiles were fired at an Israeli plane, but thankfully missed. This attack took careful planning and execution. This was no case of an angry extremist going nuts, the way the Palestinian propaganda groups tend to portray suicide attackers against Israelis. This was a coordinated, calcluated attack by a network with a lot of experience. But then, so are the attacks in Israel - the terror network is many things, but it is not haphazard nor is it crazy. Terror is being used as a weapon, and legitimatizing this weapon will only lead to its increased use. | 27.11.02
Breaking news - Arafat's top deputy admits uprising was a mistake. Yasser Arafat's top deputy said the armed uprising against Israel has been a mistake for the Palestinians and must be stopped, declaring it had held up Palestinian independence and let to a reoccupation of West Bank cities by Israeli troops.Mahmoud Abbas is widely considered to be a potential successor to Arafat, and these comments mark a pointed departure in Palestinian Authority policy. Among Abbas's remarks, he stated that: "Many people diverted the uprising from its natural path and embarked on a path we can't handle, with the use of weapons ... such as mortars, grenades and shooting from houses and populated areas. [. . .] If we do a calculation of the gains and losses ... we will see that without any doubt is that what we lost was big and what we gained was small. [. . .] We should ... ask ourselves where we are headed, not by beating ourselves up, but by reviewing the mistakes we have made. [. . .] What happened in these two years, as we see it now, is a complete destruction of everything we built."According to the Jerusalem Post, Abbas is further quoted as saying: "Every Jew in Israel is now with Sharon because they believe he is defending them. I want to take this excuse from him by saying that we want our rights and we don't want war. Then the number of Israelis who stand with us will grow."Pre-election posturing? Or does he really feel that way? If so, does he have enough will or clout to sway public opinion among Palestinians, or even bring about a reduction or cessation of violence? Little is known, but clearly Israel is watching this guy closely and trying to figure out what the next move should be. Unfortunately, I doubt he will live long enough to make these statements too many more times. I'm sure he's at the top of some Hamas hit list as we speak. Sadly, voices of moderation have been historically drowned out by extremists - and not just in the Middle East. But his comments may serve a larger purpose, even despite the threat. They may be giving a voice to a rising sentiment among the Palestinian population. A poll released last week showed more Palestinians expressing doubts than before about the effectiveness of the uprising. Asked if it was achieving its goals, 39 per cent said it was, while 36 per cent said it wasn't, according to the survey by the Palestinian Centre for Public Opinion, which had a margin of error of three percentage points.Like I said earlier, peace can only be achieved with the support of the people involved. And it looks like more Palestinians are questioning the use of violence. Optimism is so unlike me, but this does seem like a step, albeit a small one. Hope? Is it even possible? | Canada has listed Hamas and the Islamic Jihad as terror groups. Well it's about time. Reuters reports that "members of the military arm of Hamas, the Islamic militant group, have taken part in suicide attacks that have killed dozens of people in Israel." Excuse me, dozens??? Try hundreds. And Canada still refuses to ban Hezbollah, though on what grounds I can't possibly imagine. How many innocent people does a group have to kill before Canada will consider it a "terrorist" group? 5? 10? 100? Do they get to accumulate points, like on Aeroplan, and cash them in for prizes? 100 points per civilian killed? | The foolishness of the "professional activists" at Concordia has never been more apparent than with the following comment, published in this week's Link: "I boycott everything that involves corporations," said Jennifer Durocher, a first-year anthropology and history student. "I think everything in this world should be boycotted."Good. Let's boycott everything. I'll go first: I declare a boycott you. | Days like today, I owe a big thanks to the people who invented coffee. Oh, and check out the new FAQ for this blog. | 26.11.02
Those crazy terrorists Now when we call terrorists "crazy", it may take on a whole new meaning. According to Reuters, some Kuwaitis planning terrorist attacks have been getting themselves declared insane as a means of ensuring a lighter sentence if they're caught, or throwing investigators off the trail. The article says that Kuwait is looking at reforming its mental health system to cut down on these false claims. This is a gross abuse of the system, I agree. But then, do you really mean to tell me that someone who plots to murder hundreds or even thousands of innocent people should be considered mentally healthy? | Françoise Ducrois, Chrétien's "moron" communications director, has resigned. Unlike the first time she submitted her resignation, Chrétien accepted it this time. And not a moment too soon. Never mind the political fallout and the fact that Americans are claiming insult. But, I mean, come on, this woman's job involved being able to be in a roomful of reporters and keep her personal opinions to herself. She blew it, so she's outta there. But Chrétien had better find a replacement fast. Otherwise, he'll have to do his own spin . . . and the word moron may begin floating around a bit more freely, and a lot closer to home. | The Gazette published me again today . . . only they don't even know it. In a story about an SPHR event held at Concordia, reference was made to a comment by Fiona Becker published in the Link (Oct 8). Becker, a speaker at the SPHR event, is one of many people, some well-intentioned, some not so well-intentioned, to have been sucked in by the Palestinian propaganda machine in recent months. Travelling with a group of so-called "international human rights observers", which is another way of saying observers who only get the Palestinian side of the story, she travelled to the West Bank and Gaza in September to witness supposed "human rights abuses" being committed by Israel. Her comment included the words "The unspeakable has been normalized". As I often do on the Link's site, I posted a comment in response. The Gazette published this excerpt of it: And what about the unthinkable act of a person walking into a crowded café, or onto a city bus, or into a shopping mall, or even a private home, and setting himself off as a human bomb with the only goal of killing as many civilians as possible? That, too, is unthinkable and has been sadly normalized.My comment continued to say: Did the human rights organization with which you travelled show you the other side of the picture? Did you see the families of the mourning Israeli victims? Did you get to meet the parents of a 10-month-old infant, who was shot dead by a sniper for the simple crime of being born Jewish? Did you witness the carnage at Hebrew University, after a bomb exploded in a crowded cafeteria? Did you ever think about the unthinkable atrocities committed not by the IDF, for whom every civilian casualty is regrettable, but by those who specifically target civilians simply because they are innocent?In response to my comment, Becker posted the following (under the handle "terrortourist"): Angry? Why? Because I didn't witness suicide bombings? Because to talk of about what I witnessed is to somehow deny that which I didn't? Where's the logic? What did you want me to do? Sit in a crowded restaurant and wait to be blown up by a mad terrorist? [. . .] I went to "witness that which I knew was largely left unreported by the mainstream media." I therefore wrote about the situation in the West Bank and Gaza, and not about 1948 Israel. The people who were murdered in Hebrew University got the coverage they deserve. [. . .] Unfortunately, this is not usually the case for Palestinians.Such is the logic of the "terror tourists" like Fiona Becker, who are fed one side of the story by the Palestinian official propaganda machine, and the ultra-Left Israeli groups (like Gush Shalom) who are only so happy to oblige. To anyone out there who truly considers themselves human rights activists, it is not sufficient to ride around the West Bank and Gaza Strip with a Palestinian Authority representative as a tour guide. The phrase "international activist" has been cheapened to the point where it no longer has any semblance of credibility. However, some efforts seem to be underway to clarify the picture. I would like to call attention to the following call to ride buses for Israel as an expression of solidarity with Israeli people. As Gerald M. Steinberg writes in the International Herald Tribune: The images of peace campaigners getting on and off the buses in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and other places, and taking the same risks that Israelis take every day, will send a powerful message to the bombers and their supporters. By visibly riding the buses, international peace advocates can also contribute to saving lives.See, the so-called "activists" are always ready and willing to stand as human shields in front of Palestinian children throwing rocks, like Fiona Becker. But how many of them are ready to visibly stand in solidarity with Israeli civilians, symbolically stating to the Palestinian terror groups that "if you blow up this bus, you're blowing us up too"? By eating in Israeli cafes, riding Israeli buses, and shopping in Israeli markets, international observers and activists could truly feel the "other" side of the story - the side, despite Becker's assertions, that gets the least and the most biased press coverage of all. Not all international observers need be Palestinian Authority puppets. I encourage people to spread the word about the Ride Buses for Israel movement. | From the "who can ignore reality the most?" files: According to Canadian Press reports, Israeli and Palestinian moderates are drafting a peace treaty behind the scenes. Both sides neglected to provide any details, except to say that the Palestinian refugee question is still a deal-breaker. Even if completed, the 40-page document would have largely symbolic value since those negotiating it are not in positions of real power. However, it could serve as a guideline in future formal negotiations.Who's working on this anyway? Sure, there are plenty of Leftist groups in Israel - both fringe groups and not-so-fringe groups - who faithfully take their delusion pills every morning and refuse to bury Oslo. But who are these so-called Palestinian moderates, and how have they managed to escape assassination by the terrorist groups as of yet? As for the "symbolic value" of this treaty, that may be a slight overstatement. Back in cegep, myself and a friend drafted a peace treaty between Israel and the Palestinians for our final semester paper in a humanities course. Both of us were Hebrew-school-educated Jews - she took Israel's side, I (ever loving the devil's advocate position) took the Palestinian side - and we broke open a bag of potato chips and had a signed treaty by lunchtime, since both of us had other papers to write. Working out the details was fairly easy, since both of us were essentially on the same side (i.e. the side of wanting to get an A in the course). The hardest part of that project was when a virus on my classmate's computer threatened to corrupt our final document. And I bet that it still has more symbolic value than this so-called treaty being reported by the press. I wish peace were as easy as writing a few words on a piece of paper and shaking hands. There are an awful lot of naive idealists who wish the same. Unfortunately, Oslo's lessons have taught us that the only road to peace is the hard one, bumpy and full of sharp turns and forks. True peace can never be achieved in spite of populations, but only with their support. Until the Palestinian people stop indoctrinating their children to be martyrs, to hate Jews, and to blame all their woes on Israel, a real peace is not possible. Until Israeli society resigns itself to making the necessary concessions, a real peace is not possible. Until the Israeli and Palestinian people really, truly want peace, and are willing to make the necessary changes to their own societies and ways of thinking, then a so-called treaty won't be worth the paper it's written on. | 25.11.02
The Jerusalem Post reports that Israel is drafting a convention on fighting suicide bombers, which it hopes to present to the international community. The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the document would seek international consensus on legitimate ways of fighting suicide attacks. It is to be submitted to the United Nations, but a date has not been set, they said.On the surface, this appears to be a smart move. Israel is condemned by the international community at every turn when it tries to fight suicide terrorism on its own. This would, in effect, be a means for Israel to legitimize its methods at fighting terrorism, and to avoid the constant barrage of international criticism that rains down after every Israeli counter-move. Furthermore, it could serve as a roadmap for other countries, as suicide bombing inevitably spreads to their shores. However, I can't help but wonder what idealists are left in the Israeli government who are naive enough to still put faith in the United Nations. Once screwed, once shy. Twice screwed, twice shy. Three times screwed, give up already, the UN hates Israel and probably always will! I hate to say this, but like almost all of Israel's moves of late, this one's bound to backfire, as the UN will then have an excuse to condemn Israel for any counter-measure that does NOT appear in the final version of the convention. And since the convention is unlikely to include any measures that will prove effective, Israel will have effectively tied its own hands. Who's running political strategy over there anyway? | Deals with the devil go from the absurd to the ridiculous. In a statement to the press, Ari Fleicher, speaking on behalf of the White House, praised Saudi Arabia as a "good partner in the war on terrorism". This despite the fact that it's common knowledge that the Saudis support and finance Palestinian terrorism, and anyone without blinders knows that they did in the case of September 11th as well. They say that war makes for strange bedfellows, and this time is no exception. But as the US tries to line up Arab support for possible war against Iraq, I can't help but think of Tevye's line in Fiddler on the Roof: "If I bend that far, I break". See, the problem with mideast politics is that the Arab nations have no concept of loyalty or alliances. They're willing to switch sides at the drop of a hat (or a coin). It takes a panel of experts just to figure out who's against whom and who's supporting whom. Whereas Israel has been a stable and consistent ally to the United States, unwavering in its support. In their zeal to outst Saddam, the Americans are forgetting who their friends are, and are making deals with the devil that will almost certainly come back to haunt them. The vision is as shortsighted as they come, and can only lead to disaster. | Justin Slotman agrees with Juan Non-Volokh that the term "suicide bomber" is more accurate than the term "homicide bomber" to describe Palestinian terrorists who attack innocent Israelis. The argument is that it's redundant to say "homicide bomber" because the mere act of bombing is homicide in itself. And it is jarring to hear Laurie Dhue start talking about "homicide bombers" on Fox News. It's a cutesy little term, loaded down as it is with well-intentioned there's-no-two-ways-about-this condemnation of a horrible kind of terrorisim. But stick with suicide bombers, it's just better English.On the one hand, I see what he's saying. However, there's been a tendency of the general media to talk about the number of casualties on the Israeli and Palestinian side just as numbers, without stressing who these people were. By the numbers alone, it would appear that 3 times more Palestinians have been killed in the past two years as Israelis. But none of these reports specify how many of the Israelis killed were innocent victims, and how many of the Palestinians were the bombers who blew them up along with themselves. In fact, a full two-thirds of the Israeli casualties have been civilians (and most of the soliders, even, died in cowardly ambushes and attacks, not in battle) while a full two-thirds of the Palestinian casualties have been terrorists, gunmen, or other fighters. In this sense, "suicide bomber" is almost as bad as saying "freedom fighter" or "martyr" - it gives them a glory and legitimacy that encourages these attacks to continue. Language is political. Make no mistake about it. They haven't. Why else do you think they've been winning the media war? | I still maintain that the greatest argument for freedom of speech is that it gives the idiots and racists a perfect opportunity to shoot themselves in the foot, simply by opening their mouths. For example, the following letter to the editor appeared in this morning's Gazette, regarding the controversy over the Egyptian miniseries "Horseman without a Horse": In regard to your Nov. 8 article "Egyptian drama series promotes hatred: Israel": Egyptian media policy ensures Egypt's equal respect for all religions and beliefs. It also does not allow for any dramatic work or program to contain innuendos aimed at religious institutions.I could comment, but he does such a nice job of exposing his ignorance with his own words, I hardly feel it necessary! I mean, aside from the usual and expected Zionist conspiracy theory and allegations of a "hidden agenda", he manages to defend free speech and "rigorous" governmental censorship in the same letter. And "Egypt's equal respect for all religions and beliefs"? Those being Muslim, Muslim . . . and Muslim, right? Certainly he can't mean Jewish! For a closer look at what's really being said in Egypt these days, I direct your attention towards an editorial in the Egyptian government paper Al-Akbar (translated by those nice folks over at MEMRI) - one of many articles that praises the recent Jerusalem bus bombing that claimed 11 lives. "This operation in which eleven Israeli terrorists were killed and dozens were wounded stems from a number of reasons, the first of which is that this operation is a consequence of a brave ambush prepared by Palestinian martyrs ... in Hebron which ... because of the state of madness that over took the ruling Israeli gang led by Ariel Sharon, who seeks to spill more Palestinian blood, especially the blood of children, women, the elderly, and the brave people of resistance."Egypt, remember, is supposedly at PEACE with Israel. It sure brings a whole new meaning to the expression, "with friends like these, who needs enemies?" | 24.11.02
The racists at Concordia are at it again. This time, they've decided to revive the ridiculous "ethno-bomb" story. In an anonymous user comment on the Link's website - to a story lauding anti-Israel journalist Robert Fisk, no less - regular poster "ii" cites an article from a fringe extremist website called the World Socialist Web Site that claims that the United States is trying to develop chemical weapons that will target only Arabs in Iraq: In other words, A SCIENTIFICALLY PERFECTED FORM OF RACE WAR could become an instrument of imperialist conquest. Were such a weapon available today, it could presumably be used to "liberate" Iraq by murdering its entire Arab population while leaving US troops and the country's oilfields unscathed. (emphasis added by commentator)This racist accusion, usually levelled against Israel, was published yet again just weeks ago in an SPHR publication and distributed at Concordia, even despite the moratorium that was still in effect, and despite the clearly racist (not to mention utterly preposterous and unrealistic) nature of the accusation itself. While it's tempting to write off comments posted on the Link's site as irrelevant, I've noticed that they tend to be representative of what's going on behind the scenes. Many people say things anonymously on web boards that they'd never say in public or write with a byline, because they know how badly it would reflect upon them. But they think that by posting it online, without a name, they can say what they really truly think. And, judging by some of the postings over there, what they truly think is damn scary. | Alouettes win the Grey Cup! Not that I give a rat's ass about football. But with the Expos on their way to sunny Puerto Rico, and the Habs (at this rate) going straight to the golf course once the post-season starts, it's nice that Montreal has at least one team that wins something once in a while. | A bunch of people have been asking me about that National Geographic survey, in which 11% of Americans couldn't pick their own country off a map. Not that Canada did so great either, mind you. But test yourself - sample some survey questions online and see how you do. Then try to tell me that the world's not in serious trouble. (Link via Chen's board). | Costly mistake for Israel: The Israeli army admitted its forces killed a U.N. official, saying they mistook an object he was holding in his hand for a weapon during a heated battle with Palestinian gunmen in the Jenin refugee camp.Logically speaking, there's no way this was anything but an honest mistake. The Israeli army has absolutely no motive to target a UN worker - and plenty of counter-motivation. And in the middle of battle, I wouldn't want to have to be the soldier trying to distinguish a cell phone from a weapon in a split second that could mean life or death. But none of that's going to stop the UN from making Israel pay heavily. I'm not looking forward to seeing the fallout. | |
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