Blog about politics (mideast and pro-Israel, Canadian and local Montreal), world events, and random thoughts.

""

The World I Know is updated on a semi-regular basis by segacs.

Think I'm the greatest thing since chocolate-covered strawberries? Think I'm certifiably insane? E-mail me at segacs2.at.yahoo.ca.

Buy me a present! Visit my Amazon Wish List.

Frequently asked questions about me and this blog.

Atom site feed

Comments are open and unmoderated, although obscene or abusive remarks may be deleted. Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of segacs's world i know.

---

<< List
Jewish Bloggers
Join >>

 
9:57 AM
The funeral of a terrorist

Arafat was buried in Ramallah after a funeral in Cairo. The press is describing both as "chaotic":

An Egyptian helicopter flew Arafat's coffin from Egypt, where a funeral service was held, to his Muqata headquarters. The aircraft was quickly surrounding by a surging crowd of thousands chanting Arafat's name.

Firing into the air, Palestinian security men struggled earlier to remove the coffin from the aircraft and then held on to it tight as they placed it on a vehicle that plied its way through a dense throng of weeping mourners.

"With our blood and soul we redeem you, Abu Ammar," the crowd chanted, using the nom de guerre of their leader, who fought for decades for a state he never achieved.

At least nine Palestinians were wounded by shots fired by the security forces or gunmen. Medics said hundreds were treated after fainting or for minor injuries during the crush.

In the meantime, Ma'ariv has printed the details of Suha's meeting with PA leaders before the announcement of Arafat's death:

As soon as the delegation arrived in the French Capital, an extremely tense meeting was held between Suha and Arafat's chief financial advisor and confidante, Mohmmanad Rashid, and the Palestinian leaders.

"The Palestinian people will never forgive you for what you are doing", they told Suha. The Rais's wife began crying and told them, after regaining her composure, that she cannot return to live in Gaza with their daughter: "She has no future there".

Suha told the PA leaders that she was in need of financial security that would allow her to continue living in the same level she has been used to. "We will allow you to live in the same level", one of the senior leaders told her, "But you must sign an agreement and reveal all of your husband's bank accounts and investments, and enable the transfer of the funds that belong to the PA. Do not rob this money from the Palestinian people".

At some point, the leaders even warned her that if she would refuse to sign the papers, "The Palestinian people all over the world will never give you peace and quiet". She then conferred with her lawyers and family members, after which she returned to the room and signed the papers. As first revealed by NRG Maariv, she received a considerable portion of Arafat's fortune.

So they paid her off to disappear, essentially. She must be so proud.

|

 
11:20 AM
Time for peace? Think again

Canadian PM Paul Martin is sending Pierre Pettigrew to Arafat's funeral to represent Canada.

I wish Canada would have the guts to boycott altogeher. But I suppose that's unreasonable seeing as how the USA, the UK, the EU states, and just about everyone else is sending representation. Canada has never been willing to take a moral stand on anything else, so why would they now?

Martin is also calling for renewed peace efforts in the wake of Arafat's death, perpetuating the myth that now that Arafat's gone, the Palestinian people are suddenly ready to renounce terrorism and make peace:

"Chairman Arafat's influence on regional and global events has been undeniable. While comprehensive peace between Israelis and Palestinians was never attained in his lifetime, chairman Arafat's efforts, along with those of Yitzhak Rabin and Shimon Peres, were recognized in 1994 with the Nobel Peace Prize."

This day is turning into one long gagging opportunity. Even as Israel makes conciliatory statements, the Palestinians are already blaming Arafat's death on Israel and calling for a renewed wave of attacks, in what is sure to be an emerging power struggle for the Palestinian leadership where the repulsive mark of victory is the number of dead Jews each group can claim credit for:

Hamas' top political leader, Khaled Mashaal, told Al-Jazeera television by telephone Thursday, "I hold Israel responsible for the crime of killing Abu Ammar [Arafat]." He offered no evidence.

[ . . . ]

"Yes, death is an act of God and a man the age of brother Abu Ammar may die a natural death, but all the circumstances which we have seen in the past two weeks and medical reports indicate that brother Abu Ammar had been poisoned," Mashaal said.

[ . . . ]

"The loss of the great leader will increase our determination and steadfastness to continue Jihad and resistance against the Zionist enemy until victory and liberation is achieved," Hamas said in statement.

The world just doesn't get it. Arafat led his people towards hatred. He was a terrorist. He invented much of modern terrorism and he offered it as the only path to his people. None of that will be undone overnight by his death. In fact, with Hamas or the Islamic Jihad standing to gain power from this "tranisition", things may get a whole lot worse before they get better.

|

 
11:15 AM
That didn't take long

Israeli traitor Mordechai Vanunu is back under arrest, jsut seven months after he finished serving an 18-year prison sentence for selling state secrets. Ostensibly this new arrest comes because he couldn't keep his mouth shut, as per the terms of his release agreeement.

|

 
1:54 AM
Arafat the monster

Jeff Jacoby in the Boston Globe doesn't mince words in an editorial that discusses Arafat's true legacy, as opposed to the nonsense we're hearing from most media outlets about his "dreams of peace" and his symbolic heroism:

YASSER ARAFAT is dying at age 75, lying in bed surrounded by familiar faces. He will leave this world peacefully, unlike the thousands of victims he sent to early graves.

In a better world, the PLO chief would have met his end on a gallows, hanged for mass murder much as the Nazi chiefs were hanged at Nuremberg. In a better world, the French president would not have paid a visit to the bedside of such a monster. In a better world, George Bush would not have said, on hearing the first reports that Arafat had died, "God bless his soul."

God bless his soul? What a grotesque idea! Bless the soul of the man who brought modern terrorism to the world? Who sent his agents to slaughter athletes at the Olympics, blow airliners out of the sky, bomb schools and pizzerias, machine-gun passengers in airline terminals? Who lied, cheated, and stole without compunction? Who inculcated the vilest culture of Jew-hatred since the Third Reich? Human beings might stoop to bless a creature so evil -- as indeed Arafat was blessed, with money, deference, even a Nobel Prize -- but God, I am quite sure, will damn him for eternity.

Read the whole thing.

|

 
1:45 AM
Annan "deeply moved" by Arafat's death

I couldn't have parodied it any worse than it actually was: Kofi Annan's statement at the "offical" word of Arafat's death:

"The Secretary-General was deeply moved to learn of the death of President Yasser Arafat. President Arafat was one of those few leaders who could be instantly recognized by people in any walk of life all around the world. For nearly four decades, he expressed and symbolized in his person the national aspirations of the Palestinian people," spokesman Fred Eckhard said in a statement on Annan's behalf.

The spokesman said Arafat would be remembered for leading the Palestinians in a "giant step" toward peace in signing the Oslo accords in 1993 and, "It is tragic that he did not live to see it fulfilled."

"Now that he has gone, both Israelis and Palestinians, and the friends of both peoples throughout the world, must make even greater efforts to bring about the peaceful realization of the Palestinian right of self-determination," the statement said.

The emphasis, of course, is mine.

I don't know why it bothers me so much. Annan heads the United Nations, which in the past few decades has engaged in full-time Israel-bashing. Since 1947's partition plan, the UN has done nothing for Israel but fight to try and destroy it - from passing hundreds of one-sided resolutions to refusing to recognize even basic Israeli rights to live or exist. The UN gave Arafat his legitimacy. The UN - through its corrupt agency, UNRWA, perpetuated the Palestinian refugee problem. The UN did everything possible to encourage Palestinian terorrism and give legitimacy to the PLO's methods. The UN is the enemy here, not a neutral observer. What else could I have expected from Annan?

|

 
1:18 AM
Lest we forget



Today is Remembrance Day. Let us pause and remember those who fought and died to protect our country, our freedoms and our way of life. They didn't even know us and yet they made the ultimate sacrifice for us.

Thank you.

|

 
11:45 PM
We do not dance at the death of our enemies

I will not shed any tears for Arafat. He was a murderer, an innovator of nothing but terrorism, and a failure in his supposed "causes". I'm sickened by how the world has accorded him status of a "national leader" when he's really nothing more than a thug.

But I refuse to rejoice at the news of his death. I won't cry but I won't dance for joy either.

Of course, there's a practical reason. Arafat's death likely means civil war for the Palestinians. As the various factions fracture and try to outdo each other, I fear more Israeli deaths amidst the chaos - both of Zahal soldiers and of civilians. There is no reason to rejoice even the prospect of this.

But beyond that, I find it gruesome and morally reprehensable to rejoice at the death of anyone, even an enemy. Maybe even especially an enemy. That's what gives us our humanity. That's what gives us our respect for life and our love of life and our unwavering commitment to celebrating life, not death.

Arafat embraced death. He wanted to die a "martyr". He sent scores of Palestinians out to murder Israelis with bombs strapped to their chests. In his arithmetic, every Israeli death was a Palestinian victory and every Palestinian death was a Palestinian victory.

When I see footage of Palestinians dancing in the streets after 9/11 or after a suicide bombing against Israelis, it makes my stomach turn. When I hear firing of guns in the air and cries of revenge at every funeral for a "martyr", it makes me realize that there are those who view loving life as Israel's weakness.

It's not a weakness. It's a strength. And that is why I will not share in the sentiment that is being expressed in some circles of happiness at the news of Arafat's death.

But Israelis do not dance and rejoice at death. They dance and rejoice at life. They love life. They embrace life, living it to its fullest and then some. It's a marked difference that's obvious to even the casual observer.

I'm not sorry Arafat's dead. But I refuse to celebrate death in even the smallest way. I prefer to celebrate life.

Update: In case you're wondering, I don't view participation in Meryl's call to donate $25 to Magen David Adom as a celebration of death. To me, that's the ultimate way to affirm the protection of life in the face of news of the death of a terrorist. If Arafat caused so many thousands of people to need ambulances, it is the support of people who care that will provide the ambulances to help them. Personally, I can't think of anything more fitting.

|

 
11:04 PM
Well, if Al Jazeera says so, then it must be true...

Arafat is dead... and the fat lady is singing a song that probably resembles the theme song of "The Apprentice" - you know, "Money money money money, MONEY"

Update: Watching CTV's pre-prepared obituary on the 11 o' clock news. I think I need an aspirin cause the whitewashing is giving me a headache. For some perspective, see the Canadian Jewish News's retrospective of the terrorist's life of failures.

Update #2: CNN has it now. So does Reuters, BBC, Ha'aretz, and Associated Press. Prepare for more sickeningly whitewashed obits.

Update #3: The Suha Arafat soap opera plot sickens. Allison has reports of bribes offered to her to agree to pull the plug on her husband, and the supposed affair that she's been having with her financial advisor. Israel Insider reports that her boyfriend, Pierre Rizk, was directly implicated in the massacre at the Sabra and Shatilla refugee camps in Lebanon in 1982. You know, the one that Ariel Sharon gets constantly blamed for, even though it was actually carried out by Maronite Phalangists - apparently including Rizk. Something tells me that the details are just starting to emerge on this one.

|

 
4:59 PM
The "obstacle to peace" argument

Here's Lynn on speculation that Arafat's death will bring an immediate opportunity for peace:

There seems to be a broad assumption among the pundits these days that the (acknowledged) passing of Arafat will open the door for peace.

[ . . . ]

Allow me to rain heavily on this parade. The poison that Arafat has implanted, at the behest and with the able assistance of every Arab government in the Middle East, will not dissipate with his last artificially induced breath. It'll linger on for a long, long time. In fact, I'd say that one significance of the passing of Arafat may well be this: that when and only when his memory becomes a curse among his own people, when the palestinians cringe at hearing his name, when they spit on whatever grave he ends up in -- only then will that door to peace begin to come ajar.

Imagine, just for a moment, a Germany in which Hitler remained a universal symbol of pride and honor after WWII. Would the Allies have been able to fashion a sustainable peace with such a Germany?

|

 
1:05 PM
Arafat death watch: update

Yasser Arafat is really, truly dead now... or maybe not... or maybe yes:

Palestinians senior sources in Paris report Yasser Arafat is dead. Palestinian leader is said to have expired minutes after Palestinian PM Qureia visited him at Percy hospital in Paris.

Latest word is that Arafat will be buried in Ramallah. Palestinian delegation will fly home Tuesday night after reaching agreement with Suha Arafat's lawyers. News conference cancelled.

Or then again, maybe not:

A Percy Hospital spokesman has refuted reports that Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat had died. The statement was made after a flurry of rumors began circulating about his death, which were then denied by Palestinian officials.

You know, this whole thing has caused an additional state of existence to come into creation. Before, there were two: dead or alive. Now there are three: dead, alive, or Arafat.

|

 
11:46 AM
Arafat death watch: update

Speaking of Six Feet Under, the Arafat story keeps getting weirder and weirder. PA leaders are visiting the comatose leader, and speculation is they'll pull the plug tomorrow or Wednesday. Meanwhile, Suha Arafat is lashing out at her husband's cronies, accusing them of "trying to bury [Arafat] alive". Could this be just a simple case of a heartbroken spouse unwilling to let go? Doubtful. A power struggle is a more likely explaination, and there's widespread speculation that the roots are financial in nature. Arafat is not yet cold in his grave (which will probably be in Gaza) but the vultures are certainly circling.

|

 
11:43 AM
Another one bites the dust

The upcoming season will be the last for Six Feet Under, one of the few remaining quality shows on TV. Of course, it's on HBO, which the CRTC has deemed too dangerous for our sensitive Canadian eyes. Still, I grew addicted when I had satellite and I'll miss it.

It's nice to see a show ending on a high note, rather than staying on too long and sinking into mediocrity.

|

 
1:52 PM
Concordia: we didn't really change our minds

After reversing its decision to allow Ehud Barak to speak on campus, Concordia is now trying to claim that they didn't really change their minds:

Nov. 5, 2004 — Media coverage of a statement issued by Federation CJA yesterday may have caused misunderstanding about Concordia's position regarding inviting Ehud Barak to speak at Concordia. Concordia's position has not changed and the university's primary concern remains the safety and security of our students, faculty, staff and our guests.

As Dr. Lowy outlined in his update to the community of Oct. 25 and subsequent opinion page pieces in the Toronto Star, The Gazette and Le Devoir:

"Concordia is presently reviewing its physical plant and general environment. Changes recommended by experts will be considered so that all speakers can then be welcomed on campus. And this will be done in a timely fashion with an eye towards implementing the necessary changes this academic year. Until then, we will continue to hold off campus under Concordia auspices any event considered not secure in our present facilities. Freedom of expression will continue to be supported as it always has been at Concordia."

This has been Concordia's position and remains Concordia's position.

The university is examining possible locations from a security viewpoint with the intent of making the necessary modifications so an event of this kind can be held with the proper level of security, dignity and respect that such a visit demands.

In the light of the work that remains to be done, this will certainly not be possible in this calendar year. The university will try to make this possible before the end of the academic year.

This is spin 101: try to please everybody and offend nobody by saying contradictory things in the same statement.

The fact is, Concordia initially said no to the Barak speech, citing security concerns. Now they're saying they hope they can host him in the current academic year on campus. Whether they admit it or not, that's a reversal. And the right thing to do. But I wish they weren't so cowardly about admitting it.

|

 
1:37 PM
Canadian Sudanese rally for Darfur

A rally in Toronto today is aimed at persuading world powers to do more in Sudan's Darfur region, where over 50,000 people have already been killed, and millions more are homeless and in urgent need of aid. And Jewish groups are lending their support:

Canadians for Action in Darfur, a coalition of more than 40 community groups, is planning a rally Nov. 7 from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Queens Park.

The coalition, co-chaired by Canadian Jewish Congress, Ontario region, and KAIROS, the justice wing of the Canadian Council of Churches, was formed to address the horrors being committed in the Darfur region of Sudan, said Simon Rosenblum, director of public policy and Israel affairs for CJC, and co-chair of the rally's steering committee as a representative of CJC and UJA Federation of Greater Toronto.

[ . . . ]

Other community groups in the coalition include Ve'ahavta: the Canadian Jewish and Humanitarian Relief Committee; the Canadian Council for Reform Judaism; Oxfam Canada; Save the Children; and CASTS (Canadians Against Slavery and Torture in Sudan).

What's going on in Darfur is yet more evidence of the UN's inability to do anything about this crisis, which has been going on for months. I hope that Canada steps up to do more, at least on a political frame because it's clear there's very little we can do militarily.

|

 
1:37 PM
Ontario teens: school or jail?

Ontario may make it illegal to drop out of high school:

The Ontario government plans to introduce legislation that will require students to stay in school until they reach the age of 18, said the province's minister of education Saturday.

If the rules aren't followed, students would be forced back to their desks or sent to alternative learning programs by a court order, said Education Minister Gerard Kennedy. If that fails, a student could be ordered to spend time in jail, but that would be rare he adds.

The McGuinty government is spinning this as a "carrot, not stick" and an "exciting opportunity that strikes them as a real win for themselves". Somehow I doubt most high school dropouts will see it that way.

Students need to want to stay in school because they believe in their future opportunities, not because it's illegal not to. The Ontario government is taking an education system that clearly has problems, and trying to mask them with a new law that will do very little other than cause bureaucratic headaches.

In the meantime, Quebec - with our extraordinarily high high school dropout rate - is probably watching carefully. But with calls every so often to scrap the Cegep system, it's hard to take the government's commitment to postsecondary education seriously. Cegep, which is free and is open to "mature students" over 21 who never finished high school, provides a great second chance for dropouts to get back into the education system. It's probably the best innovation that has ever come from a government. Scrapping it won't solve our dropout problem, it will make the whole system worse.

The only way to reduce dropout rates is to provide students with clear incentives to stay in school. Both Quebec and Ontario are failing miserably on that score.

|

 
1:19 PM
Arafat death watch

The latest rumours that have been flying over the weekend include:

• He's still in a coma
  
• He's not in a coma
  
• He opened his eyes and spoke to doctors - this rumour was quickly dismissed
  
• Speculation that he's dying of AIDS - again, completely unconfirmed
  
• His condition is unchanged, whatever that means
  
• Arafat is dead but French officials have been asked to withhold announcing it for 36 hours to provide time to make arrangements (that last one coming from a less-than-credible "news source")
  
• France is kicking Arafat out because its hospital no longer wants to compromise its credibility by continuing to claim he's alive (via Lynn)
  
• The latest is that he has liver failure and might be transferred to Cairo

The only thing that seems clear, amidst all the foggy evidence, is that Arafat wanted to achieve myth-like status by deliberately clouding the circumstances of his death.

|

 
1:08 PM
A school district in Wisconsin will teach creationism in classes, claiming that it's just as valid a theory as evolution:

Members of Grantsburg's school board believed that a state law governing the teaching of evolution was too restrictive. The science curriculum "should not be totally inclusive of just one scientific theory," said Joni Burgin, superintendent of the district of 1,000 students in northwest Wisconsin.

One of the key problems with many religions is their inability to accept natural facts and explain them. The Catholic Church maintained the Earth was flat long after it was proved that it was round, and that the sun revolved around the Earth long after the opposite was proved to be true. Millions of people today equate science and faith, believing them to be simply "alternate theories" of the same event.

This discounts the whole basis of science: proof, verifiable data, and a willingness to change theories in the face of new evidence. None of these are present in faith, which is a personal matter that has no place in public schools.

I think part of the problem in the evolution versus creationism debate is the word "theory" in scientific circles. A scientific "theory" is not just a guess. Science uses the term "theory" on the assumption that there is no such thing as fact, because new evidence could always emerge. But a theory is as rock-solid as it gets in science; it's a conclusion drawn after experiments and supporting research. This leads many religious people to falsely assume that a scientific theory has equal validity to a faith-based one.

Personally, I don't believe that these Wisconsin students will never understand that. I was educated in a religious school where creationism was taught over evolution, and I got over it. That doesn't mean it's right to mislead and falsely educate students just because of politics. Especially in public schools. It's one thing for students to be taught that many people believe in creationism. It's quite another for them to be taught that it's as valid a theory as evolution. The politicos who made this decision should be ashamed of themselves.

|