James-Speaks
Monday, July 31, 2006
Pop Quiz
"Question 1: In what way is the Israeli compaign in South Lebanon different from Slobodon Milosevic's campaign in Bosnia?"
The Israeli genocide has the approval, not too strong a word, of decision makers in the Bush White House.
"Question 2: Since Bush and Rice derailed any move toward a ceasefire of the sort that the entire rest of the world demanded, aren't they directly implicated in this bloodshed?"
Yes, they are directly implicated in this bloodshed. It can even be argued that since Israeli generals had present Powerpoint presentations on the fantastical successes over a year ago, and that Israel needs its daily infusion of US cash to survive, then Bush and Rice hold a greater responsibility than as merely supporter or facilitators, that they are instigators.
Some questions of my own:
Q3: What was in that Powerpoint presentation?
Speculative Answer 3: Some judgments have to be made regarding Bush's abilities. It is likely that he would know a disastrous Lebanon destroying arial bombardment would seriously hurt his war in Iraq. It should be assumed he did not sign off on this flying clusterfuck.
Rather, I would bet the farm that the Israel geniuses explained in patient detail to Pres. Boy Wonder how a quick defeat of the feckless Hizbullah would so thoroughly dishearten the evil Sunni and Shia guerrillas in Iraq that Bush would be able to claim victory there, again, in time for the '06 elections.
Which raises another question.
Q4: Did the Israelis have a clue?
SA4: Well, didn't they? This is the same Hizbollah that drove them out of Lebanon six years ago. Did they really think that Hizbollah had given up all their arms? I think not. And since I do not believe this war started with a Hizbollah mission across the Israeli border, the only logical conclusion is that this whole incident cum war crime occurs now only because Israel wants it to occur now.
Q5: What?
SA5: Israel has long made it their practice to dishonor the borders of other nations. They do so diplomatically, gaining New Zealand passports for future false flag operations, or not, and they do so militarily. Just ask any US employee of Aramco how often the IAF does touch-and-go's on Saudi soil.
Hizbollah, on the other hand, has always made it their practice to deliver reciprocal animosity. Israel shells their villages. Hizbollah launches a few towards "The Light Unto Nations." Always measured responses. Rarely provocational.
MSNBC originally reported that IDF soldiers had been killed inside Lebanon. The IDF tank was destroyed inside Lebanon. Israel started this war just as Israel always used provocation to start the Palestinian conflicts.
Its their way, the way of the coward, to always blame the other side. Hitler did it. Israel does it.
Q6: What? What?
SA6: Israel started this war. Israel may also have harbored dark hopes they could subdue Hizbollah, even minimally, and claim to Pres. Boy Wonder they had helped, but one must consider the other side, that Israel expects there to be side benefits to a short term quagmire.
Q7: Side benefits?
SA7: Yes. One would be exactly what we are seeing now. An excuse to ruin the Lebanese economy. Israel understands that its future enemy is not the Arabs, but Peak Oil. Israel needs to be the most powerful economy in the region. It is thoroughly evil, and not unlike their activities in Gaza, for Israel to plan to destroy the economy of Lebanon because that is their goal.
Q8: But doesn 't this hurt Bush?
SA8: Yes. This does hurt Bush. The neocons have used Bush and now they intend to throw him away. How do you throw away an American President? You do so by luring him into a web, such as War Crimes, from which he cannot escape.
The phony defections of certain neo-conservatives from the Republican party are consistent with this planning. Since they never were conservatives to begin with, merely Israeli operatives who used the label "liberal" so long as it was useful, it is no wonder they need to find ways to leave the Repuiblicans behind and find a new label to use. Ergo: implicate Bush in Israeli war crimes. Ergo: eventually try to blame the whole thing on Republicans as they, the Israeli fifth column, seeks new political ground in America.
Q9: What next?
SA9: Expect Israel to try to destroy as much of the Lebanese society as they can. It is their hope that Hizbollah will be so busy rebuilding that the Lebanese economy cannot challenge Israel's for a decade.
Expect Israel to fail. Sunnis in oil rich kingdoms may take umbrage and decide to use their oil to punish Israel, or us.
"Question 1: In what way is the Israeli compaign in South Lebanon different from Slobodon Milosevic's campaign in Bosnia?"
The Israeli genocide has the approval, not too strong a word, of decision makers in the Bush White House.
"Question 2: Since Bush and Rice derailed any move toward a ceasefire of the sort that the entire rest of the world demanded, aren't they directly implicated in this bloodshed?"
Yes, they are directly implicated in this bloodshed. It can even be argued that since Israeli generals had present Powerpoint presentations on the fantastical successes over a year ago, and that Israel needs its daily infusion of US cash to survive, then Bush and Rice hold a greater responsibility than as merely supporter or facilitators, that they are instigators.
Some questions of my own:
Q3: What was in that Powerpoint presentation?
Speculative Answer 3: Some judgments have to be made regarding Bush's abilities. It is likely that he would know a disastrous Lebanon destroying arial bombardment would seriously hurt his war in Iraq. It should be assumed he did not sign off on this flying clusterfuck.
Rather, I would bet the farm that the Israel geniuses explained in patient detail to Pres. Boy Wonder how a quick defeat of the feckless Hizbullah would so thoroughly dishearten the evil Sunni and Shia guerrillas in Iraq that Bush would be able to claim victory there, again, in time for the '06 elections.
Which raises another question.
Q4: Did the Israelis have a clue?
SA4: Well, didn't they? This is the same Hizbollah that drove them out of Lebanon six years ago. Did they really think that Hizbollah had given up all their arms? I think not. And since I do not believe this war started with a Hizbollah mission across the Israeli border, the only logical conclusion is that this whole incident cum war crime occurs now only because Israel wants it to occur now.
Q5: What?
SA5: Israel has long made it their practice to dishonor the borders of other nations. They do so diplomatically, gaining New Zealand passports for future false flag operations, or not, and they do so militarily. Just ask any US employee of Aramco how often the IAF does touch-and-go's on Saudi soil.
Hizbollah, on the other hand, has always made it their practice to deliver reciprocal animosity. Israel shells their villages. Hizbollah launches a few towards "The Light Unto Nations." Always measured responses. Rarely provocational.
MSNBC originally reported that IDF soldiers had been killed inside Lebanon. The IDF tank was destroyed inside Lebanon. Israel started this war just as Israel always used provocation to start the Palestinian conflicts.
Its their way, the way of the coward, to always blame the other side. Hitler did it. Israel does it.
Q6: What? What?
SA6: Israel started this war. Israel may also have harbored dark hopes they could subdue Hizbollah, even minimally, and claim to Pres. Boy Wonder they had helped, but one must consider the other side, that Israel expects there to be side benefits to a short term quagmire.
Q7: Side benefits?
SA7: Yes. One would be exactly what we are seeing now. An excuse to ruin the Lebanese economy. Israel understands that its future enemy is not the Arabs, but Peak Oil. Israel needs to be the most powerful economy in the region. It is thoroughly evil, and not unlike their activities in Gaza, for Israel to plan to destroy the economy of Lebanon because that is their goal.
Q8: But doesn 't this hurt Bush?
SA8: Yes. This does hurt Bush. The neocons have used Bush and now they intend to throw him away. How do you throw away an American President? You do so by luring him into a web, such as War Crimes, from which he cannot escape.
The phony defections of certain neo-conservatives from the Republican party are consistent with this planning. Since they never were conservatives to begin with, merely Israeli operatives who used the label "liberal" so long as it was useful, it is no wonder they need to find ways to leave the Repuiblicans behind and find a new label to use. Ergo: implicate Bush in Israeli war crimes. Ergo: eventually try to blame the whole thing on Republicans as they, the Israeli fifth column, seeks new political ground in America.
Q9: What next?
SA9: Expect Israel to try to destroy as much of the Lebanese society as they can. It is their hope that Hizbollah will be so busy rebuilding that the Lebanese economy cannot challenge Israel's for a decade.
Expect Israel to fail. Sunnis in oil rich kingdoms may take umbrage and decide to use their oil to punish Israel, or us.
You Don't Need A Climatologist To Know .....
Islands in Arabia over at Informed Comment led me to ponder...
"In the Levant, endless empires have come and gone. Living here naturally turns one’s mind to the long view. In July of 2006, the American University of Beirut may seem vulnerable and Israel invincible, which is more likely to exist in 500 years? Perhaps now is a time to think about these most basic issues.
What kind of island is likely to persist: one with open gates, or one with high walls? One that is a meeting place of cultures, or one that strives for cultural purity?" - www.juancole.com
Which came out on top, Apple or Microsoft? The US or the USSR?
Why do we allow a racist ideology (Likud) to determine our future?
I see a fundamental problem with Israel. Fundamental here means basic, of composing a foundation, forming a principle which determnes all future decisions.
The fundamental problem with Israel is its delenda est goyim approach to all conflict. Never does Israel consider it has wronged the other party.
We see this attitude frequently in individuals. They go by the label personality disorder. The fault is always external, never internal.
Consequently, Israel never learns from its mistakes. Past errors (the atrocities in Lebanon, the atrocities in Jenin, the atrocities in Fallujah!) never render the insight necessary to allow smarter future behavior.
We see this flaw in individuals. They go by the name of sociopath.
What happens to such individuals? Sometimes they succeed. George Walker Bush is President of the United States, but only because of his supporters. I think Poppy helped.
What about others? Often, they succeed as well, but only until circumstances catch up with them. Ken Lay, ultimately a loser. Now a dead loser.
Israel is like Bush. Israel's "Poppy" is the United States of America.
The United States of America under Bush is like Ken Lay in that time before Enron imploded.
Enron is a good analogy; after some greed-based, poor decision making, while better options were still available, Enron entered a period where only bad options were available. Only bad options, which had led either to catastrophes in the short-term, or slightly less bad options, which led to catastrophes in the slight less short-term, were available.
After a period of bad, Douglas-Feith like, decision making, a bad future was guaranteed.
The US is now like Enron in the Middle East. Strangely, Douglas Feith, Paul Wolfowitz and, what the heck, Jonah Goldberg have a lot to do with that, but unlike Enron CEO/CFO,COO types, they do not have exposure to the consequences. Damn!
The US is now like Enron in the Middle East. The US Armed Forces are like all those Enron shareholders who were told to hold their stock. The US citizenry is like California, which suffered power outages so bad they elected a theatrical image to be governor.
There are no longer any good choices to be made in the Middle East. And yet, we send Conduhleezza Rice to negotiate with Klaus von Olmert. Why? What does she expect to gain from this trip except entries into her timesheet? A bit of authentic Jordan River Holy Water?
We have no good options in the MidEast. Any decision made now will have an unacceptable outcome. This is because we employed unacceptable, racist-based principles at the outset to please our Likud/Israeli masters. It is also because certain Arab and non-Arab Muslims have already accepted the downside of their circumstances and have been engaged in reality based planning for quite some time now. It is because these reality based Arab and non-Arab Muslims have outplayed us on our own chess board.
Perhaps we could use our vast and powerful entertainment industry, television, film and news, to introduce to the American people the idea that all people are created equal before the creator (John Shelby Spong definition at use here), and we intend to return to our founding principles and drag Israel, whatever is left after the post-Likudnik Exodus, kicking and screaming, scratching, biting, crying, moaning, sobbing and gnashing of teething, accusing of anti-semitisming etc. etc. barf barf woof woof, with us, back to the League of Humanity.
My apologies for that (Bob) Dylanesque excess just now. Time to mow the lawn.
About that wall:
Israel's Apartheid wall exists for no purpose other than to steal land from the indengenous Arabs who live there. The idea behind the wall is to blame the Arabs for being Arabs. Israel can either continue to deny reality and to quietly murder Arabs, or Israel can admit its failures and return the land. Either course of action has bad consequences.
Islands in Arabia over at Informed Comment led me to ponder...
"In the Levant, endless empires have come and gone. Living here naturally turns one’s mind to the long view. In July of 2006, the American University of Beirut may seem vulnerable and Israel invincible, which is more likely to exist in 500 years? Perhaps now is a time to think about these most basic issues.
What kind of island is likely to persist: one with open gates, or one with high walls? One that is a meeting place of cultures, or one that strives for cultural purity?" - www.juancole.com
Which came out on top, Apple or Microsoft? The US or the USSR?
Why do we allow a racist ideology (Likud) to determine our future?
I see a fundamental problem with Israel. Fundamental here means basic, of composing a foundation, forming a principle which determnes all future decisions.
The fundamental problem with Israel is its delenda est goyim approach to all conflict. Never does Israel consider it has wronged the other party.
We see this attitude frequently in individuals. They go by the label personality disorder. The fault is always external, never internal.
Consequently, Israel never learns from its mistakes. Past errors (the atrocities in Lebanon, the atrocities in Jenin, the atrocities in Fallujah!) never render the insight necessary to allow smarter future behavior.
We see this flaw in individuals. They go by the name of sociopath.
What happens to such individuals? Sometimes they succeed. George Walker Bush is President of the United States, but only because of his supporters. I think Poppy helped.
What about others? Often, they succeed as well, but only until circumstances catch up with them. Ken Lay, ultimately a loser. Now a dead loser.
Israel is like Bush. Israel's "Poppy" is the United States of America.
The United States of America under Bush is like Ken Lay in that time before Enron imploded.
Enron is a good analogy; after some greed-based, poor decision making, while better options were still available, Enron entered a period where only bad options were available. Only bad options, which had led either to catastrophes in the short-term, or slightly less bad options, which led to catastrophes in the slight less short-term, were available.
After a period of bad, Douglas-Feith like, decision making, a bad future was guaranteed.
The US is now like Enron in the Middle East. Strangely, Douglas Feith, Paul Wolfowitz and, what the heck, Jonah Goldberg have a lot to do with that, but unlike Enron CEO/CFO,COO types, they do not have exposure to the consequences. Damn!
The US is now like Enron in the Middle East. The US Armed Forces are like all those Enron shareholders who were told to hold their stock. The US citizenry is like California, which suffered power outages so bad they elected a theatrical image to be governor.
There are no longer any good choices to be made in the Middle East. And yet, we send Conduhleezza Rice to negotiate with Klaus von Olmert. Why? What does she expect to gain from this trip except entries into her timesheet? A bit of authentic Jordan River Holy Water?
We have no good options in the MidEast. Any decision made now will have an unacceptable outcome. This is because we employed unacceptable, racist-based principles at the outset to please our Likud/Israeli masters. It is also because certain Arab and non-Arab Muslims have already accepted the downside of their circumstances and have been engaged in reality based planning for quite some time now. It is because these reality based Arab and non-Arab Muslims have outplayed us on our own chess board.
Perhaps we could use our vast and powerful entertainment industry, television, film and news, to introduce to the American people the idea that all people are created equal before the creator (John Shelby Spong definition at use here), and we intend to return to our founding principles and drag Israel, whatever is left after the post-Likudnik Exodus, kicking and screaming, scratching, biting, crying, moaning, sobbing and gnashing of teething, accusing of anti-semitisming etc. etc. barf barf woof woof, with us, back to the League of Humanity.
My apologies for that (Bob) Dylanesque excess just now. Time to mow the lawn.
About that wall:
Israel's Apartheid wall exists for no purpose other than to steal land from the indengenous Arabs who live there. The idea behind the wall is to blame the Arabs for being Arabs. Israel can either continue to deny reality and to quietly murder Arabs, or Israel can admit its failures and return the land. Either course of action has bad consequences.
Friday, July 28, 2006
Bitch Slap
"The Israeli war with Hizbullah is going badly for the Israelis. Some generals think the problem is too few troops. But the Israeli cabinet rejected that way of thinking, Thursday, sticking to its current mixture of air power and light infantry." - www.juancole.com
They should pay attention to Mr. Alan "Israeli lives are more important than Lebanese lives" Dershowitz. He has explained why the war is going badly. In case anyone missed the point, I'll summarize.
Deshowitz has stated (correctly, trumpets please) that Israeli lives are more important to Israelis than Lebanese lives are to Israelis. His mistake was in thinking that anyone but Israelis cared.
Apparently, Hizbollah soldiers, for that is what they are, also think that Israeli lives are more important to Israelis than Lebanese lives are to Isrealis, and they have committed their manpower to making Israelis soldiers suffer casualties as quickly as possible.
If news reports can be believed, the kill ratio is heavily in favor of the Israelis, but as Hizbollah understands, the casualty acceptance ratio is heavily in favor of Hizbollah.
It might appear that Hizbollah as no regard for their own lives. I hope that something else is going on, that Hizbollah understands the sacrifice of its own troops leads to a faster resolution in their own favor, leading to overall fewer casualties on both sides.
So, in effect, although Israel has the greater fear for loss of its troops, Hizbollah is actually doing what needs to be done to preserve Israeli lives. Irony is a lovely thing.
All this leads to something I would like to call the Dershowitz Doctrine. It goes like this.
We Americans loved Israel and we want to see Israel protected from its enemies.
From time to time, Israel becomes Israel's worst enemy. This occurs when they start to believe too much of their own 'light unto nations' garbage.
An aside: For all his barbarism, I never came to despise Ariel Sharon because I believe he did only what was necessary to gain certain advantages for his people. I believe he did not hate Arabs, only intended to beat them. I do not believe the same can be said for Olmert or Netanyahu. I believe they hate Arabs as 'lesser humans.'
Back to the 'Dershowitz Doctrine.'
When Israel becomes its own worst enemy, it is our duty as Israel and Israeli loving Americans to administer some tough love to the 'light unto nations.' This cannot be done by witholding funds or arnaments. It cannot be done by pulling Bolton out of the UN and replacing him with Cindy Sheehan. It cannot be done by sending Condi Rice to bitch slap Olmert because, apparently, he likes it. No, no, no, it cannot be done in any fashion where the 'light unto nations' sheds its inspiring luminescence.
Nay, verily, it can be done only by utilitzing the 'Dershowitz Principle' where each lost Israeli yields life yields enormous consequences.
My humble suggestion, and I offer this with the highest sincerity, is that we find a way to smuggle certain weapons into the hands of those who might use them to Israel's advantage. I'm talking Hizbollah.
My hope is that certain administration officials, such as Vice President Richard Cheney, will see the logic in this. Sometimes you just have to shoot your best friend in the face.
See, if we let Hizbollah have a precision guided weapon or two, and they use it to take out a tank or even a fighter jet, just one or two at a time, then the Israelis will quickly declare victory and leave Lebanon.
Perhaps they can be persuaded to attack Bolivia or Paraguay. (Or was it Uruguay. I forget. Ask Douglas Feith, it was his idea.)
By letting Hizbollah do our dirty work for us, it's probably wise to contract this out to Blackwater, they have so much discipline, we maintain plausible deniability.
Not that Bush needs anymore plausiblity, deniabilitismishly speaking. When he says, "I did not know that," we believe him. We really, really believe him. I digress.
The Dershowitz Doctrine, arming Hizbollah one effective weapon at a time, but only to keep Israel centered, also has tremendous cost/benefit aspects.
Does one seriously accurate, laser guided missle cost more than rebuilding Haifa, or even rebuilding 5% of Lebanon (which is all we would do)?
Nay, verily, it does not.
Sometimes you just have to bitch slap your best friend, and it is long past time to do that to^H^H for Israel.
"The Israeli war with Hizbullah is going badly for the Israelis. Some generals think the problem is too few troops. But the Israeli cabinet rejected that way of thinking, Thursday, sticking to its current mixture of air power and light infantry." - www.juancole.com
They should pay attention to Mr. Alan "Israeli lives are more important than Lebanese lives" Dershowitz. He has explained why the war is going badly. In case anyone missed the point, I'll summarize.
Deshowitz has stated (correctly, trumpets please) that Israeli lives are more important to Israelis than Lebanese lives are to Israelis. His mistake was in thinking that anyone but Israelis cared.
Apparently, Hizbollah soldiers, for that is what they are, also think that Israeli lives are more important to Israelis than Lebanese lives are to Isrealis, and they have committed their manpower to making Israelis soldiers suffer casualties as quickly as possible.
If news reports can be believed, the kill ratio is heavily in favor of the Israelis, but as Hizbollah understands, the casualty acceptance ratio is heavily in favor of Hizbollah.
It might appear that Hizbollah as no regard for their own lives. I hope that something else is going on, that Hizbollah understands the sacrifice of its own troops leads to a faster resolution in their own favor, leading to overall fewer casualties on both sides.
So, in effect, although Israel has the greater fear for loss of its troops, Hizbollah is actually doing what needs to be done to preserve Israeli lives. Irony is a lovely thing.
All this leads to something I would like to call the Dershowitz Doctrine. It goes like this.
We Americans loved Israel and we want to see Israel protected from its enemies.
From time to time, Israel becomes Israel's worst enemy. This occurs when they start to believe too much of their own 'light unto nations' garbage.
An aside: For all his barbarism, I never came to despise Ariel Sharon because I believe he did only what was necessary to gain certain advantages for his people. I believe he did not hate Arabs, only intended to beat them. I do not believe the same can be said for Olmert or Netanyahu. I believe they hate Arabs as 'lesser humans.'
Back to the 'Dershowitz Doctrine.'
When Israel becomes its own worst enemy, it is our duty as Israel and Israeli loving Americans to administer some tough love to the 'light unto nations.' This cannot be done by witholding funds or arnaments. It cannot be done by pulling Bolton out of the UN and replacing him with Cindy Sheehan. It cannot be done by sending Condi Rice to bitch slap Olmert because, apparently, he likes it. No, no, no, it cannot be done in any fashion where the 'light unto nations' sheds its inspiring luminescence.
Nay, verily, it can be done only by utilitzing the 'Dershowitz Principle' where each lost Israeli yields life yields enormous consequences.
My humble suggestion, and I offer this with the highest sincerity, is that we find a way to smuggle certain weapons into the hands of those who might use them to Israel's advantage. I'm talking Hizbollah.
My hope is that certain administration officials, such as Vice President Richard Cheney, will see the logic in this. Sometimes you just have to shoot your best friend in the face.
See, if we let Hizbollah have a precision guided weapon or two, and they use it to take out a tank or even a fighter jet, just one or two at a time, then the Israelis will quickly declare victory and leave Lebanon.
Perhaps they can be persuaded to attack Bolivia or Paraguay. (Or was it Uruguay. I forget. Ask Douglas Feith, it was his idea.)
By letting Hizbollah do our dirty work for us, it's probably wise to contract this out to Blackwater, they have so much discipline, we maintain plausible deniability.
Not that Bush needs anymore plausiblity, deniabilitismishly speaking. When he says, "I did not know that," we believe him. We really, really believe him. I digress.
The Dershowitz Doctrine, arming Hizbollah one effective weapon at a time, but only to keep Israel centered, also has tremendous cost/benefit aspects.
Does one seriously accurate, laser guided missle cost more than rebuilding Haifa, or even rebuilding 5% of Lebanon (which is all we would do)?
Nay, verily, it does not.
Sometimes you just have to bitch slap your best friend, and it is long past time to do that to^H^H for Israel.
Thursday, July 27, 2006
A Better Class of Terrorist, Please.
Billmon exposes some of the Israeli discontent with the current behavior of Hizbollah.
For instance, the fighters appear to be cowardly because they hide from Israel tanks, but then they fight to the death and insist on killing Israel mart^H^H^H^H soldi^H^H^H^H^H military victims.
This is unacceptable. In the interest of World Peace, I am formulating a set of parameters for consideration by all current and future terrorist organizations.
1. State plainly that Israel does not have the right to exist. Include examples of tacit recognition of the plight of the post WWII Jewish refugees.
2. Establish an easily recognizable identity in order that persons such as Secretary of State/Minister of Truth Condaleeza Rice, Presidente George W. Bush and various House democrats do not become confused regarding your purpose. Become responsible members of governments. Implement social services. Carry Kalashnikov rifles.
3. (Very important). Open a liason office with Israeli Air Defense. Negotiate times and places for your troops to stand in plain view of Israeli aircraft in order that Israel may conduct fair and balanced military operations. Use blue paint.
4. Please, please consider the use of blanks in your rifles. This makes it safe(r) for western press to accompany Israeli troops as they bravely confront "hails of small arms fire" and evedntually win. If any of your armed militants insist on actually being armed, a penalty kick will be awared to Israel.
Billmon exposes some of the Israeli discontent with the current behavior of Hizbollah.
For instance, the fighters appear to be cowardly because they hide from Israel tanks, but then they fight to the death and insist on killing Israel mart^H^H^H^H soldi^H^H^H^H^H military victims.
This is unacceptable. In the interest of World Peace, I am formulating a set of parameters for consideration by all current and future terrorist organizations.
1. State plainly that Israel does not have the right to exist. Include examples of tacit recognition of the plight of the post WWII Jewish refugees.
2. Establish an easily recognizable identity in order that persons such as Secretary of State/Minister of Truth Condaleeza Rice, Presidente George W. Bush and various House democrats do not become confused regarding your purpose. Become responsible members of governments. Implement social services. Carry Kalashnikov rifles.
3. (Very important). Open a liason office with Israeli Air Defense. Negotiate times and places for your troops to stand in plain view of Israeli aircraft in order that Israel may conduct fair and balanced military operations. Use blue paint.
4. Please, please consider the use of blanks in your rifles. This makes it safe(r) for western press to accompany Israeli troops as they bravely confront "hails of small arms fire" and evedntually win. If any of your armed militants insist on actually being armed, a penalty kick will be awared to Israel.
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Rumsfeld's Law
The Israeli military elite have for years taken the position that "the floggings shall continue until morale improves." They have taken the position that Arabs must be beaten down until they are willing to do the Israeli's work for them.
The problem occurs when Rumsfeld's Law comes into play. Internet Alert. Internet Alert. I am attempting to name a new law. "You commit atrocities against the terrorists you have created, not the ones you wish you had created."
Who are these Israeli generals who complain about the nature of their enemy? Do they think they, as Israelis, deserve only the most noble (and compliant) foe? Only stupid Goliaths wanted for the position. Desert Foxes need not apply. (It is my own personal suspicion that David had a bit of help from an archer or two hidden in the rocks, but I digress.)
Clearly, this Hizbollah is unacceptable. I think the US should sponsor a UN resolution with clear and unambiguous specifications for terrorist organizations. Harummmmfph!
Moving on, what about young Valerie Flame, oops I meant Plame. Isn't it convenient for Israel, and Michael Ledeen, that this Hizbollah was at least cooperative enough to fire a few missles just in time to throw some smoke into the American public, lest we learn who really was behind the treason known as L'Affaire Plame?
The Israeli military elite have for years taken the position that "the floggings shall continue until morale improves." They have taken the position that Arabs must be beaten down until they are willing to do the Israeli's work for them.
The problem occurs when Rumsfeld's Law comes into play. Internet Alert. Internet Alert. I am attempting to name a new law. "You commit atrocities against the terrorists you have created, not the ones you wish you had created."
Who are these Israeli generals who complain about the nature of their enemy? Do they think they, as Israelis, deserve only the most noble (and compliant) foe? Only stupid Goliaths wanted for the position. Desert Foxes need not apply. (It is my own personal suspicion that David had a bit of help from an archer or two hidden in the rocks, but I digress.)
Clearly, this Hizbollah is unacceptable. I think the US should sponsor a UN resolution with clear and unambiguous specifications for terrorist organizations. Harummmmfph!
Moving on, what about young Valerie Flame, oops I meant Plame. Isn't it convenient for Israel, and Michael Ledeen, that this Hizbollah was at least cooperative enough to fire a few missles just in time to throw some smoke into the American public, lest we learn who really was behind the treason known as L'Affaire Plame?
Rumsfeld's Law
The Israeli military elite have for years taken the position that "the floggings shall continue until morale improves." They have taken the position that Arabs must be beaten down until they are willing to do the Israeli's work for them.
The problem occurs when Rumsfeld's Law comes into play. Internet Alert. Internet Alert. I am attempting to name a new law. "You commit atrocities against the terrorists you have created, not the ones you wish you had created."
Who are these Israeli generals who complain about the nature of their enemy? Do they think they, as Israelis, deserve only the most noble (and compliant) foe? Only stupid Goliaths wanted for the position. Desert Foxes need not apply. (It is my own personal suspicion that David had a bit of help from an archer or two hidden in the rocks, but I digress.)
Clearly, this Hizbollah is unacceptable. I think the US should sponsor a UN resolution with clear and unambiguous specifications for terrorist organizations. Harummmmfph!
Moving on, what about young Valerie Flame, oops I meant Plame. Isn't it convenient for Israel, and Michael Ledeen, that this Hizbollah was at least cooperative enough to fire a few missles just in time to throw some smoke into the American public, lest we learn who really was behind the treason known as L'Affaire Plame?
The Israeli military elite have for years taken the position that "the floggings shall continue until morale improves." They have taken the position that Arabs must be beaten down until they are willing to do the Israeli's work for them.
The problem occurs when Rumsfeld's Law comes into play. Internet Alert. Internet Alert. I am attempting to name a new law. "You commit atrocities against the terrorists you have created, not the ones you wish you had created."
Who are these Israeli generals who complain about the nature of their enemy? Do they think they, as Israelis, deserve only the most noble (and compliant) foe? Only stupid Goliaths wanted for the position. Desert Foxes need not apply. (It is my own personal suspicion that David had a bit of help from an archer or two hidden in the rocks, but I digress.)
Clearly, this Hizbollah is unacceptable. I think the US should sponsor a UN resolution with clear and unambiguous specifications for terrorist organizations. Harummmmfph!
Moving on, what about young Valerie Flame, oops I meant Plame. Isn't it convenient for Israel, and Michael Ledeen, that this Hizbollah was at least cooperative enough to fire a few missles just in time to throw some smoke into the American public, lest we learn who really was behind the treason known as L'Affaire Plame?
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
An Economic Analysis of the War Crimes in Lebanon
From www.juancole.com
From www.juancole.com
"In a sign that the war is going badly for Israel, US Secretary of State Condi Rice made a surprise visit to Beirut on Monday."
Monday, July 24, 2006
Regarding Dershowitz and Grades of Human Beings
out at www.juancole.com
"But I don't know why Dershowitz stops there. Let me reformulate his argument for him. Shouldn't we recognize degrees of humanness?"
From here this outstanding essay waltzes merrily through satire and critique. If only George W. Bush, the President of the United State of America, could understand it.
I said it was satire, but that may not be accurate, because although it has the appearance of satire, it does something satire does not. It states the obvious.
The purpose of satire is to advance a concept past the censor which we all carry around with us. The censor prevents us from recognizing certain ideas that conflict with our self-imposed belief systems. An example might be Steve Bell's (UK Guardian) wonderful cartoons depicting GWB as a chimp. At first we all thought it was ridicule through exaggeration; now we know, tragically, that GWB is basically what Bell has been telling us all along, an ape mimicing the movements of a human.
Back to Cole: This essay tells us that to right-wing Israelis and their defenders, Arabic speaking, olive skinned people are not human but rather animals. A few years ago we might have considered these to be exaggerations. Now we have come to recognize that their attitudes, as evidenced through the incipient genocide of this war, is closer to what Cole represents. They may not be aware of the extent of their moral decline. We can help with that.
This essay is not exaggeration and it is not satire. It is a dead-on accusation.
out at www.juancole.com
"But I don't know why Dershowitz stops there. Let me reformulate his argument for him. Shouldn't we recognize degrees of humanness?"
From here this outstanding essay waltzes merrily through satire and critique. If only George W. Bush, the President of the United State of America, could understand it.
I said it was satire, but that may not be accurate, because although it has the appearance of satire, it does something satire does not. It states the obvious.
The purpose of satire is to advance a concept past the censor which we all carry around with us. The censor prevents us from recognizing certain ideas that conflict with our self-imposed belief systems. An example might be Steve Bell's (UK Guardian) wonderful cartoons depicting GWB as a chimp. At first we all thought it was ridicule through exaggeration; now we know, tragically, that GWB is basically what Bell has been telling us all along, an ape mimicing the movements of a human.
Back to Cole: This essay tells us that to right-wing Israelis and their defenders, Arabic speaking, olive skinned people are not human but rather animals. A few years ago we might have considered these to be exaggerations. Now we have come to recognize that their attitudes, as evidenced through the incipient genocide of this war, is closer to what Cole represents. They may not be aware of the extent of their moral decline. We can help with that.
This essay is not exaggeration and it is not satire. It is a dead-on accusation.
Sunday, July 23, 2006
IT
"There is actually an argument to be made that both Hizbullah and Israel have taken the civilian population of their enemy hostage. Since hostage-taking is forbidden, both are war criminals" www.juancole.com
Billmon is ripping the neocons, delightful Sunday reading. He is number two on my list now that Amanda Congdon has fled NYNY for LA. But, I digress,
Billmon has violated *******'s law, where mention of Hitler signals the end of discussion. Perhaps because we are talking about Hitler, really, and the aftermath, Israel, the discussion will not end.
One of the mantras for the founding/support of Israel is that it must never happen again.
I'm all for that, or against that. It must never happen again.
Let's discuss what it is. I have always thought that it was the commission of genocide, where one group of nasties, i.e. Nazis, takes another group of nice people, eg. the Jews of Europe, out back and shoots them. One hopes we all agree that this particular it was a crime against humanity and must never happen again.
One also hopes that we recognize the types of people who oppose it during the commission of it are the sort of people who do so not because the victims were Jews and the perps Nazis, but because it is the commission of it which is bad. Really bad.
So what are we to make of the commission of it by the descendents of the victims of it? That is exactly what is happening in Gaza and Lebanon, not on as grand a scale, but still, one group of not so nice people, the Israeli Defense Forces, is bombing and burning people in the name of war, because it must never be allowed to happen again.
So, when the IDF does it to prevent it from happening again, are they laboring under the distinction that it applies only to themselves as victim? To Israel, does it must never be allowed to happen again mean that only their kind of people must never be the victims again?
Is this what Alan Dershowitz means when he says that the murder of innocent Lebanese civilians is regrettable but necessary?
More to the point, when Israel does it to innocent Lebanese civilans, does Israel expect people of conscience to look the other way, but to suddenly pay attention when Israel claims, falsely, that Iran wants to do it to Israel?
This imposes quite a burden on people of conscience. Perhaps Israel could fund some sort of morality clinic to explain their twisted uses and misuses of it.
"There is actually an argument to be made that both Hizbullah and Israel have taken the civilian population of their enemy hostage. Since hostage-taking is forbidden, both are war criminals" www.juancole.com
Billmon is ripping the neocons, delightful Sunday reading. He is number two on my list now that Amanda Congdon has fled NYNY for LA. But, I digress,
Billmon has violated *******'s law, where mention of Hitler signals the end of discussion. Perhaps because we are talking about Hitler, really, and the aftermath, Israel, the discussion will not end.
One of the mantras for the founding/support of Israel is that it must never happen again.
I'm all for that, or against that. It must never happen again.
Let's discuss what it is. I have always thought that it was the commission of genocide, where one group of nasties, i.e. Nazis, takes another group of nice people, eg. the Jews of Europe, out back and shoots them. One hopes we all agree that this particular it was a crime against humanity and must never happen again.
One also hopes that we recognize the types of people who oppose it during the commission of it are the sort of people who do so not because the victims were Jews and the perps Nazis, but because it is the commission of it which is bad. Really bad.
So what are we to make of the commission of it by the descendents of the victims of it? That is exactly what is happening in Gaza and Lebanon, not on as grand a scale, but still, one group of not so nice people, the Israeli Defense Forces, is bombing and burning people in the name of war, because it must never be allowed to happen again.
So, when the IDF does it to prevent it from happening again, are they laboring under the distinction that it applies only to themselves as victim? To Israel, does it must never be allowed to happen again mean that only their kind of people must never be the victims again?
Is this what Alan Dershowitz means when he says that the murder of innocent Lebanese civilians is regrettable but necessary?
More to the point, when Israel does it to innocent Lebanese civilans, does Israel expect people of conscience to look the other way, but to suddenly pay attention when Israel claims, falsely, that Iran wants to do it to Israel?
This imposes quite a burden on people of conscience. Perhaps Israel could fund some sort of morality clinic to explain their twisted uses and misuses of it.
Saturday, July 22, 2006
Forest Gump said, (The character, not our Fearless Leader)
"Stupid is as stupid does."
Dear Reader,
I defy you to apply this adage to Israel and not reach a conclusion that resembles anti-Semitism in all but intent.
"Stupid is as stupid does."
Dear Reader,
I defy you to apply this adage to Israel and not reach a conclusion that resembles anti-Semitism in all but intent.
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Thursday, July 06, 2006
DO NOT LET KEN LAY LIE
See, we really can't trust him. We only have his word dor it that he died. If he is dead, his family gets a ten million dollar life insurance payout, and if he's not really dead, then Ken Lay lives in comparative wealth and comfort.
Ken Lay got wealthy by telling lies. Do we know for sure he is dead?
I humbly suggest a committee of fellow Enron burnees effect a bit of corpse management, decapitation as it were, complete with DNA tests. Then we will know for sure.
GUNG HO LI
It's not his real name. His real name is Kim Jung Ill. Great name, but I digress.
Why did he shoot off all those rockets? The talking heads are trying to figure it out. Is this some sort of power play? Is he trying to pit the US against China? Keep his military on edge? Extort more concessi0ns???
Inquiring minds want to know.
I know. Here is the reason (drum roll please):
It's because he had all those rockets and they make such pretty fire when they go up.
Not enough of a reason? Consider:
Kim Jung Ill is in power because his poppa was in power.
Kim Jung Ill is shallow.
Kim Jung Ill is less of a man than his poppa.
Sound like someone we all know and love?
North Korea has Dear Leader, we have Fearless Leader. At least ours doesn't demand we shoot off rockets or enact policies which lead to mass starvation. At least ours in not sequestered behind toady layers.
Huh!
******UPDATE******UPDATE*******UPDATE********
Generalissimo Franscico Franco is still dead.
I had a thought. Perhaps, Ill Jung Kim was jealous of "Wipe Israel off
the map" Mahmopuddinejad of Iran. Yeh, that's it.
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
BECAUSE IT IS A MANNED MISSION, THE FACTOR OF SAFETY MUST NECESSARILY BE 100,000 TO 1*
This is more or less what the sick, feckless authorities at NASA wrote about STS (Space Shuttle) safety prior to the destruction of Challenger. It was their way of saying, "Yes, there are cracks in the rocket engine turbines, but the cracks are only one third the length of the turbine blade, so therefore the factor of safety is three."
"Yes, Mrs. Smith, you husbands heart did, in fact, stop while in the emergency room, but it had been beating most of the day so we felt that it was not an issue at this time."
"Yes, Mrs. Brown, the governor did issue a stay of execution, before we pulled the switch, but we returned it to its original position later. You may see your husband as soon as he stops burning."
*More or less as detailed in the appendix to Feynam's second autobiographical anecdotal anthology.
This is more or less what the sick, feckless authorities at NASA wrote about STS (Space Shuttle) safety prior to the destruction of Challenger. It was their way of saying, "Yes, there are cracks in the rocket engine turbines, but the cracks are only one third the length of the turbine blade, so therefore the factor of safety is three."
"Yes, Mrs. Smith, you husbands heart did, in fact, stop while in the emergency room, but it had been beating most of the day so we felt that it was not an issue at this time."
"Yes, Mrs. Brown, the governor did issue a stay of execution, before we pulled the switch, but we returned it to its original position later. You may see your husband as soon as he stops burning."
*More or less as detailed in the appendix to Feynam's second autobiographical anecdotal anthology.
Monday, July 03, 2006
HIGH MOON
An asteroid narrowly missed turning all humanity into dinasaurs. Never fear, fearless leader is going ahead full steam with his backup plan.High Moon reminds me of the Gary Cooper film. Fearless leader may remember it as a one tough guy going Rambo on the Frank Miller gang, but watch it and you'll see, it is a morality play about keeping one's word.
The Cooper character kept his word to defend the town. His wife, Princess Grace, broke her vow of non-violence in keeping with her higher duty to protect her husband's life.
Dear Fearless Leader,
Aare you paying attention? You're like the towns people who violate their word. You're also like the Frank Miller gang in exacting vengeance on Cooper for his dutiful actions.
Dude, you swore an oath to uphold the Constitution. Now would be a good time to start.
SHAM STATE SOLUTION
This is what Israel is actually proposing all along. Gaza has become an illegal concentration camp. The West Bank is almost uninhabitable due to Israel's policy of rewarding Israeli squatters and punishing Palestinian landowners, in both cases merely for being who they are.
ISRAEL ATTACKS GAZA
"The Israeli strike against the main electricity plant in Gaza will produce a bill into the tens of millions of dollars for the American taxpayer." - www.juancole.com
Today's news mentions the price tag at $48.1B. It also mentions that Israel will construct power lines to makeup the deficit. Of course, the Palestinians will have to pay Israel for that power.
I never believed Sharon meant to relinquish control of Gaza. The recent Israeli atrocities are designed to provide an excuse for re-establishing military control. The press will speak of the inability of the Palestinians to govern themselves. The press will ignore the IDF provocations leading up to this crisis.
Sharon's plan for Gaza is to use it as an expulsion vehicle for the Palestinian population in Israel and the West Bank. Conditions there will be kept deplorable. The border crossing with Egypt will open at intervals to allow Palestinians to flee if they can.
Look for transfers from those areas to Gaza of "militants" under the guise of "disabling the infrastructure of terror. Ignore the charges that Israel is committing a War Crime each and every time it commits and act of transfer.
The two state solution is a sham. The only moral solution, which Michael Tarazi promotes, is for Israel to make all Palestinians within the borders of Israel military control Israeli citizens.
Saturday, July 01, 2006
Combatting Our Stupid Goat
"The Combating Terrorism Center at West Point has a new translation of a key al-Qaeda text outlining the Qutbists plans for America. The CTC is doing excellent work and should be supported by everyone who cares about the security of our country." - www.juancole.com
Yea, verily. Go there and download the pdf format documents. One is a translation of a lengthy position paper Management of Savagery on the colonial rule of satellite nations and the other Stealing al Qaeda's Playbook is an analysis of our options in responding.
A human uses only 7% of his brain. The name of that human is George W. Bush and he is the President of the United States. I digress.
The two documents are not easy to read. Easier than Orientalism, but much more difficult than My Stupid Goat. I doubt the President will read these documents. I doub t even if he would read summaries of the documents which were not oversimplified.
My point is that the people in leadership positions in the radical Islamist movements are not simple minded as is our leader, and a simple minded response will not advance our interests.
As long as George W. Bush remains unimpeached, we have no hope of winning this Red Queen's Race called the War on Terror.
WAR, HUH, What is it good for?
Dear Global War on Terror, please introduce yourself to the Red Queen.
The more you fight, the more you lose.
The only way to win is to stop fighting.
Blogger is down over at Informed Comment
Dr. Cole wrote:
"The ministers detained are members of a freely and democratically elected government.
I can't imagine under what legal authority the Israelis have arrested them."
and FriendlyFire added:
"Israel is breaking Geneva Conventions. Where are the MSM?"
The simple truth is that Israel's activities all along have been illegal and in contravention
of the principles outlined in the UN Charter and the Geneva Conventions.
Rather than argue against the Zionist machine, let's try to defend it.
It's more fun this way.
Israel can arrest duly elected officials of the Palestinian Authority because Nazis murdered
millions of Jews in Europe.
It is acceptable for Israel to take land from Palestinians because several thousand years ago,
God gave this land to all Jews. It is the Palestinians' own fault that they foolishly tried to live
in a region where someday Zionist settlers would return to claim what is rightfully theirs.
When taking land and water from Palestinians who present resistance, Israel, regrettably,
sometimes must kill them.
Israel also regrets the deaths of over a thousand Palestinian children who were in the wrong
place at the wrong time, namely in a sniper's bulls eye centered on the child's head at the time
or another regrettable juxtaposition.
The EU, the UN and the US should not criticize Israel for taking land from people who legally
own it, farm it and depend on it for their livelihood, because it is only a small sliver of land and
besides, Darfur and Rwanda happened and the EU, the UN and the US did not step in to prevent
those instances of genocide. Israel should not be singled out for special adverse treatment until
all other instances of genocide have been corrected.
Israel receives billions of dollars in direct and indirect aid every year because Israel has a special
relationship with the United States.
Palestinians who carry guns are militants and may be shot on sight because Israel has no negotiating
partner for peace on the Palestinians side.
Israelis who carry guns are righteous and honorable because Israel has the moral high ground.
Israel is an honest broker of the peace and the truth. Examples of coverups and distortions are
brought to light by anti-Semitic extremists.
Palestinians can never be trusted to tell the truth, or when they expose the rare example of a media
bias, it is overplayed. The repeated instances of over-reporting of Israeli deaths (where one death is
reported repeatedly giving the impression of a higher death toll) and under-reporting of Palestinian deaths
(which are often not reported) give the impression that Israelis suffer more deaths than Palistinians, true,
but to call attention to this pattern of media bias is anti-semitic.
Besides, Palestinians do not exist (Golda Mier) and Palestinians must recognize Israel.
[Satire mode off]
Really, this nonsense has to stop. Israel is a rogue nation and a failed state, undeserving of US support and it is past time to let Israel pass or fail on her own.
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and...
"She said she regretted the humanitarian situation (caused by America's ally with billions in American-supplied armaments), but the US is offering only $30 million in aid (billions of dollars of damage have been done to Lebanon by Israel, most of it unrelated to Hizbullah)."
Time for that little math helmet. Let's see, three million Lebanese times, oh, let's say a hunnert thousand for relocation expenses plus another hunnert for bribing the Honorable and Despicable Senator Inhofe to allow them to settle in Kansa, comes to.... that's 3e10^6 times 2e10^5, carry the zero, ah.
For the measly sum of 600 billion dollars, less than the war in Iraq, we could have bought the whole damn country (Lebanon, not Israel) and given it to Olmert as a nice Christmas present.