An Open Letter to American Jews=E2=80=A8Ben Shapiro=E2=80=A8Wednesday, Ap=
ril 28, 2010
"American Jews, I have one request of you: please pull your heads out of =
your posteriors."
Dear American Jews,
I write to you as a charter member of the tribe. I'm not only Jewish, I'm=
religious. I'm married to an Israeli girl (she'll receive her citizenshi=
p next year and she is a proud soon-to-be American). I go to synagogue re=
gularly, keep kosher, keep the Sabbath.
American Jews, I have one request of you: please pull your heads out of y=
our posteriors.
I mean that in all sincerity. Your continued support for Democrats and an=
administration that is openly anti-Semitic is a disgrace. Your embrace o=
f a party that seeks to hamstring Israel in the name of a wholly fictitio=
us Middle East peace process is contemptible. Your loyalty to a president=
who consistently sides with Palestinian and Iranian mass murder-supporte=
rs is disgusting.
Your backing of a man who has spent his life surrounding himself with the=
worst anti-Semites America has to offer -- Jeremiah Wright, Rashid Khali=
di (former Palestinian terrorist spokesman), Louis Farrakhan ("I don't li=
ke the way [Jews] leech on us"), Samantha Power, Robert Malley, to name a=
few -- is nothing short of reprehensible. Rahm Emanuel's presence in the=
Obama cabinet doesn't ameliorate Obama's anti-Semitism -- it just provid=
es it convenient cover. Al Sharpton wrongly called Condoleezza Rice and C=
olin Powell "house negroes"; Emanuel is a kapo.
Even as you continue to buttress a president who seeks the destruction of=
your co-religionists, you demonstrate your myopia by rejecting the tea p=
arty movement and evangelical Christian Israel-supporters.
The tea party movement is your ally for three important reasons. First, i=
t supports capitalism against the forces of socialism -- and capitalism k=
eeps America strong enough to provide Israel with a hand against its evil=
adversaries. Second, American Jews are, by far, the highest-earning reli=
gious group in the United States -- the tea party fights for your right t=
o keep your money. Third, the tea party stands against government overrea=
ch -- and in an era when government overreach promotes anti-religious sec=
ularism, Jews must stand with the tea party.
Your rejection of evangelical Christians is even more idiotic. Evangelica=
l Christians are the only major voting bloc preventing President Obama fr=
om breaking ties with Israel. When Janet Porter, an evangelical Florida t=
alk show host, heard about Obama's anti-Israel tyranny, she responded by =
asking her listeners to buy dozens of yellow roses to send to Prime Minis=
ter Benjamin Netanyahu's office as a show of support. The price per dozen=
: $19.48, in honor of the year of Israel's founding (1948). Over 14,000 f=
lowers were delivered. Meanwhile, Adm. James Jones, Obama's national secu=
rity adviser and the man who brought Jew-hater Zbigniew Brzezinski into O=
bama's inner circle, was busy telling anti-Semitic jokes before the Washi=
ngton Institute for Near East Policy.
"But they want to convert us!" many American Jews shout. Not all Christia=
ns do. But for the rest -- so what? Would you sacrifice the support of mi=
llions of good-hearted Christians because they want to discuss Jesus with=
you? If your own belief system is so fragile, the weakness is yours, not=
theirs. While you expend energy whining about Jehovah's Witnesses who sh=
ow up at your door with a Bible, Obama supports radical Muslims who would=
show up at your door with a gun -- or, as in the case of Daniel Pearl, a=
butcher's knife.
Now, I understand, American Jews, that most of you don't care about Israe=
l.
I understand that you're more concerned about a woman's unconditional rig=
ht to abort her unborn child (which Judaism rejects) than you are about I=
srael. Fine. Understand that you have removed yourself from the vast rive=
r of Jewish history in favor of a chimerical morality that values liberti=
nism over liberty.
I understand that many of you -- all of you above age 70 -- still think F=
DR is alive. He isn't, but Jimmy Carter is.
I understand that some of you still think that conservatives and Republic=
ans are the same folks they were during the 1950s, when they banned you f=
rom country clubs. They aren't.
The simple fact is this: There is only one mainstream political ideology =
in this country that asks you to check your principles and cultural histo=
ry at the door in the name of the greater good -- leftism, the same ideol=
ogy that virtually exterminated Judaism in Russia and Europe. While the l=
eft exploits your adherence to bagel-and-lox Judaism by appealing to your=
watered-down and perverted "tikkun olam" sensibilities, you are enabling=
your own destruction. The same people who urge you to reach out to terro=
rists will be the first to sacrifice you to those terrorists' tender merc=
ies. The same people who urge you to worry about same-sex marriage rather=
than religious freedom will be the first to take your religious freedoms=
away.
I love you, my brothers and sisters. That's why I'm writing to you. Time =
is running out; the clock is winding down. Pick a side
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
why Jan Schakowsky's vote on Israel is not enough
from Richard Baehr
Voting for foreign aid is not enough. Occasionally signing a pro-Israel letter is insufficient. What leadership role did a member take? Were they willing to speak up and challenge a President of their own Party, who seems to be trying to wreck the U.S. Israel relationship? In my book, working with J-Street, and serving as their sponsor, should be disqualifying in terms of pro-Israel community support. When you prop up a group that opposed Operation Cast Lead, opposed Israel's actions to stop the the flotilla, opposed the Iran sanctions resolutions in Congress until the last moment, and supported President Obama as he tightened the screws on Israel, well how does that make you pro-Israel?
and give it momentum than any of the other members of Congress. Let us be clear about J-Street's purpose- it is to weaken AIPAC, and pick off the left side of the Democratic Party to provide protective cover to a President who is hostile to Israel. It is pathetically humorous that one Democratic shill is claiming that Schakowsky honored Helen Thomas before she came out as an anti-Semite, so she did no wrong, and her judgement was sound. . Before that, he claims, she was a respected and great journalist. I get it- so before the recent comments by this vile hateful woman, presumably no one had any idea what Thomas thought of Israel or the Jews. The shill also manages to spell Joel Pollak's name wrong 14 times in one article. The fact that the shill posted an article lamely defending Schakowsky shows her campaign is worried about the race. She should be. Here is video of Alan Dershowitz, a liberal Democrat who no longer robotically supports left wing Democrats, endorsing Joel Pollak.
Dershowitz: http://tinyurl.com/2fds4jr
Voting for foreign aid is not enough. Occasionally signing a pro-Israel letter is insufficient. What leadership role did a member take? Were they willing to speak up and challenge a President of their own Party, who seems to be trying to wreck the U.S. Israel relationship? In my book, working with J-Street, and serving as their sponsor, should be disqualifying in terms of pro-Israel community support. When you prop up a group that opposed Operation Cast Lead, opposed Israel's actions to stop the the flotilla, opposed the Iran sanctions resolutions in Congress until the last moment, and supported President Obama as he tightened the screws on Israel, well how does that make you pro-Israel?
and give it momentum than any of the other members of Congress. Let us be clear about J-Street's purpose- it is to weaken AIPAC, and pick off the left side of the Democratic Party to provide protective cover to a President who is hostile to Israel. It is pathetically humorous that one Democratic shill is claiming that Schakowsky honored Helen Thomas before she came out as an anti-Semite, so she did no wrong, and her judgement was sound. . Before that, he claims, she was a respected and great journalist. I get it- so before the recent comments by this vile hateful woman, presumably no one had any idea what Thomas thought of Israel or the Jews. The shill also manages to spell Joel Pollak's name wrong 14 times in one article. The fact that the shill posted an article lamely defending Schakowsky shows her campaign is worried about the race. She should be. Here is video of Alan Dershowitz, a liberal Democrat who no longer robotically supports left wing Democrats, endorsing Joel Pollak.
Dershowitz: http://tinyurl.com/2fds4jr
Why Republican
"I'm 63 and I am Tired"
by Robert A. Hall
cid:001501cae34b$4932aa70$6101a8c0@JEAN
I'm 63. Except for one semester in college when jobs were scarce and
a six-month period when I was between jobs, but job-hunting every day,
I've worked, hard, since I was 18. Despite some health challenges, I
still put in 50-hour weeks, and haven't called in sick in seven or
eight years. I make a good salary, but I didn't inherit my job or my
income, and I worked to get where I am. Given the economy, there's no
retirement in sight, and I'm tired. Very tired.
I'm tired of being told that I have to "spread the wealth" to people
who don't have my work ethic. I'm tired of being told the government
will take the money I earned, by force, if necessary, and give it to
people too lazy to earn it.
I'm tired of being told that I have to pay more taxes to "keep people
in their homes." Sure, if they lost their jobs or got sick, I'm
willing to help. But, if they bought McMansions at three times the
price of our paid-off, $250,000 condo, on one-third of my salary, then
let the left-wing Congress-critters who passed Fannie and Freddie and
the Community Reinvestment Act that created the bubble help them with
their own money.
I'm tired of being told how bad America is by left-wing millionaires
like Michael Moore, George Soros and Hollywood Entertainers who live
in luxury because of the opportunities America offers. In thirty
years, if they get their way, the United States will have the economy
of Zimbabwe, the freedom of the press of China, the crime and
violence of Mexico, the tolerance for Christian people of Iran and
the freedom of speech of Venezuela.
I'm tired
of being told that Islam is a "Religion of Peace," when every day I
can read dozens of stories of Muslim men killing their sisters, wives
and daughters for their family "honor";
of Muslims rioting over some slight offense;
of Muslims murdering Christian and Jews because they aren't "believers";
of Muslims burning schools for girls;
of Muslims stoning teenage rape victims to death for "adultery";
of Muslims mutilating the genitals of little girls - all in the name
of Allah, because the Qur'an and Shari'a law tells them to.
I'm tired of being told that "race doesn't matter" in the post-racial
world of Obama, when it's all that matters in affirmative action jobs,
lower college admission and graduation standards for minorities
(harming them the most), government contract set-asides, tolerance for
the ghetto culture of violence and fatherless children that hurts
minorities more than anyone, and in the appointment of U.S. Senators
from Illinois.
I think it's very cool that we have a black president and that a black
child is doing her homework at the desk where Lincoln wrote the
Emancipation Proclamation. I just wish the black president was Condi
Rice, or someone who believes more in freedom and the individual and
less arrogantly of an all-knowing government.
I'm tired of a news media that thinks Bush's fundraising and inaugural
expenses were obscene,
but that think Obama's, at triple the cost, were wonderful;
that thinks Bush exercising daily was a waste of presidential time,
but Obama exercising is a great example for the public to control
weight and stress;
that picked over every line of Bush's military records, but never
demanded that Kerry release his;
that slammed Palin, with two years as governor, for being too
inexperienced for VP, but touted Obama with three years as senator as
potentially the best president ever.
Wonder why people are dropping their subscriptions or switching to Fox News?
Get a clue. I didn't vote for Bush in 2000, but the media and Kerry
drove me to his camp in 2004.
I'm tired of being told that out of "tolerance for other cultures" we
must let Saudi Arabia use our oil money to fund mosques and madrassa
Islamic schools to preach hate in America , while no American group is
allowed to fund a church, synagogue or religious school in Saudi
Arabia to teach love and tolerance.
I'm tired of being told I must lower my living standard to fight
global warming, which no one is allowed to debate. My wife and I live
in a two-bedroom apartment and carpool together five miles to our
jobs. We also own a three-bedroom condo where our daughter and
granddaughter live. Our carbon footprint is about 5% of Al Gore's,
and, if you're greener than Gore, you're green enough.
I'm tired of being told that drug addicts have a disease, and I must
help support and treat them and pay for the damage they do. Did a
giant germ rush out of a dark alley, grab them, and stuff white powder
up their noses while they tried to fight it off? I don't think Gay
people choose to be Gay, but I damn sure think druggies chose to take
drugs. And I'm tired of harassment from cool people treating me like a
freak when I tell them I never tried marijuana.
I'm tired of illegal aliens being called "undocumented workers,"
especially the ones who aren't working, but are living on welfare or
crime. What's next? Calling drug dealers, "Undocumented Pharmacists"?
And, no, I'm not against Hispanics. Most of them are Catholic, and
it's been a few hundred years since Catholics wanted to kill me for my
religion. I'm willing to fast track for citizenship any Hispanic
person, who can speak English, doesn't have a criminal record and who
is self-supporting without family on welfare, or who serves honorably
for three years in our military. Those are the citizens we need.
I'm tired of latte liberals and journalists, who would never wear the
uniform of the Republic themselves, or let their
entitlement-handicapped kids near a recruiting station, trashing our
military. They and their kids can sit at home, never having to make
split-second decisions under life and death circumstances, and bad
mouth better people than themselves. Do bad things happen in war? You
bet. Do our troops sometimes misbehave? Sure. Does this compare with
the atrocities that were the policy of our enemies for the last fifty
years and still are? Not even close. So here's the deal. I'll let
myself be subjected to all the "humiliation and abuse" that was
"heaped on terrorists at Abu Ghraib or Gitmo", and the critics can let
themselves be subject to captivity by the Muslims, who tortured and
beheaded Daniel Pearl in Pakistan, or the Muslims who tortured and
murdered Marine Lt. Col. William Higgins in Lebanon, or the Muslims
who ran the blood-spattered Al Qaeda torture rooms our troops found in
Iraq, or the Muslims who cut off the heads of schoolgirls in
Indonesia, because the girls were Christian. Then we'll compare notes.
British and American soldiers are the only troops in history that
civilians came to for help and handouts, instead of hiding from in
fear.
I'm tired of people telling me that their party has a corner on virtue
and the other party has a corner on corruption. Read the papers; bums
are bipartisan. And I'm tired of people telling me we need
bipartisanship. I live in Illinois , where the "Illinois Combine" of
Democrats has worked to loot the public for years.
Not to mention the tax cheats in Obama's
cabinet.
I'm tired of hearing wealthy athletes, entertainers and politicians of
both parties talking about "innocent mistakes, stupid mistakes or
youthful mistakes", when we all know they think their only mistake was
getting caught. I'm tired of people with a sense of entitlement, rich
or poor.
Speaking of poor, I'm tired of hearing people with air-conditioned
homes, color TVs and two cars called poor. The majority of Americans
didn't have that in 1970, but we didn't know we were "poor." The
poverty pimps have to keep changing the definition of poor to keep the
dollars flowing.
I'm real tired of people who don't take responsibility for their lives
and actions. I'm tired of hearing them blame the government, or
discrimination or big-whatever for their problems.
Yes, I'm damn tired. But I'm also glad to be 63.
Because, mostly, I'm not going to have to see the world these people are making.
I'm just sorry for my granddaughter.
Robert A. Hall is a Marine Vietnam Veteran who served five terms in
the Massachusetts State Senate.
by Robert A. Hall
cid:001501cae34b$4932aa70$6101a8c0@JEAN
I'm 63. Except for one semester in college when jobs were scarce and
a six-month period when I was between jobs, but job-hunting every day,
I've worked, hard, since I was 18. Despite some health challenges, I
still put in 50-hour weeks, and haven't called in sick in seven or
eight years. I make a good salary, but I didn't inherit my job or my
income, and I worked to get where I am. Given the economy, there's no
retirement in sight, and I'm tired. Very tired.
I'm tired of being told that I have to "spread the wealth" to people
who don't have my work ethic. I'm tired of being told the government
will take the money I earned, by force, if necessary, and give it to
people too lazy to earn it.
I'm tired of being told that I have to pay more taxes to "keep people
in their homes." Sure, if they lost their jobs or got sick, I'm
willing to help. But, if they bought McMansions at three times the
price of our paid-off, $250,000 condo, on one-third of my salary, then
let the left-wing Congress-critters who passed Fannie and Freddie and
the Community Reinvestment Act that created the bubble help them with
their own money.
I'm tired of being told how bad America is by left-wing millionaires
like Michael Moore, George Soros and Hollywood Entertainers who live
in luxury because of the opportunities America offers. In thirty
years, if they get their way, the United States will have the economy
of Zimbabwe, the freedom of the press of China, the crime and
violence of Mexico, the tolerance for Christian people of Iran and
the freedom of speech of Venezuela.
I'm tired
of being told that Islam is a "Religion of Peace," when every day I
can read dozens of stories of Muslim men killing their sisters, wives
and daughters for their family "honor";
of Muslims rioting over some slight offense;
of Muslims murdering Christian and Jews because they aren't "believers";
of Muslims burning schools for girls;
of Muslims stoning teenage rape victims to death for "adultery";
of Muslims mutilating the genitals of little girls - all in the name
of Allah, because the Qur'an and Shari'a law tells them to.
I'm tired of being told that "race doesn't matter" in the post-racial
world of Obama, when it's all that matters in affirmative action jobs,
lower college admission and graduation standards for minorities
(harming them the most), government contract set-asides, tolerance for
the ghetto culture of violence and fatherless children that hurts
minorities more than anyone, and in the appointment of U.S. Senators
from Illinois.
I think it's very cool that we have a black president and that a black
child is doing her homework at the desk where Lincoln wrote the
Emancipation Proclamation. I just wish the black president was Condi
Rice, or someone who believes more in freedom and the individual and
less arrogantly of an all-knowing government.
I'm tired of a news media that thinks Bush's fundraising and inaugural
expenses were obscene,
but that think Obama's, at triple the cost, were wonderful;
that thinks Bush exercising daily was a waste of presidential time,
but Obama exercising is a great example for the public to control
weight and stress;
that picked over every line of Bush's military records, but never
demanded that Kerry release his;
that slammed Palin, with two years as governor, for being too
inexperienced for VP, but touted Obama with three years as senator as
potentially the best president ever.
Wonder why people are dropping their subscriptions or switching to Fox News?
Get a clue. I didn't vote for Bush in 2000, but the media and Kerry
drove me to his camp in 2004.
I'm tired of being told that out of "tolerance for other cultures" we
must let Saudi Arabia use our oil money to fund mosques and madrassa
Islamic schools to preach hate in America , while no American group is
allowed to fund a church, synagogue or religious school in Saudi
Arabia to teach love and tolerance.
I'm tired of being told I must lower my living standard to fight
global warming, which no one is allowed to debate. My wife and I live
in a two-bedroom apartment and carpool together five miles to our
jobs. We also own a three-bedroom condo where our daughter and
granddaughter live. Our carbon footprint is about 5% of Al Gore's,
and, if you're greener than Gore, you're green enough.
I'm tired of being told that drug addicts have a disease, and I must
help support and treat them and pay for the damage they do. Did a
giant germ rush out of a dark alley, grab them, and stuff white powder
up their noses while they tried to fight it off? I don't think Gay
people choose to be Gay, but I damn sure think druggies chose to take
drugs. And I'm tired of harassment from cool people treating me like a
freak when I tell them I never tried marijuana.
I'm tired of illegal aliens being called "undocumented workers,"
especially the ones who aren't working, but are living on welfare or
crime. What's next? Calling drug dealers, "Undocumented Pharmacists"?
And, no, I'm not against Hispanics. Most of them are Catholic, and
it's been a few hundred years since Catholics wanted to kill me for my
religion. I'm willing to fast track for citizenship any Hispanic
person, who can speak English, doesn't have a criminal record and who
is self-supporting without family on welfare, or who serves honorably
for three years in our military. Those are the citizens we need.
I'm tired of latte liberals and journalists, who would never wear the
uniform of the Republic themselves, or let their
entitlement-handicapped kids near a recruiting station, trashing our
military. They and their kids can sit at home, never having to make
split-second decisions under life and death circumstances, and bad
mouth better people than themselves. Do bad things happen in war? You
bet. Do our troops sometimes misbehave? Sure. Does this compare with
the atrocities that were the policy of our enemies for the last fifty
years and still are? Not even close. So here's the deal. I'll let
myself be subjected to all the "humiliation and abuse" that was
"heaped on terrorists at Abu Ghraib or Gitmo", and the critics can let
themselves be subject to captivity by the Muslims, who tortured and
beheaded Daniel Pearl in Pakistan, or the Muslims who tortured and
murdered Marine Lt. Col. William Higgins in Lebanon, or the Muslims
who ran the blood-spattered Al Qaeda torture rooms our troops found in
Iraq, or the Muslims who cut off the heads of schoolgirls in
Indonesia, because the girls were Christian. Then we'll compare notes.
British and American soldiers are the only troops in history that
civilians came to for help and handouts, instead of hiding from in
fear.
I'm tired of people telling me that their party has a corner on virtue
and the other party has a corner on corruption. Read the papers; bums
are bipartisan. And I'm tired of people telling me we need
bipartisanship. I live in Illinois , where the "Illinois Combine" of
Democrats has worked to loot the public for years.
Not to mention the tax cheats in Obama's
cabinet.
I'm tired of hearing wealthy athletes, entertainers and politicians of
both parties talking about "innocent mistakes, stupid mistakes or
youthful mistakes", when we all know they think their only mistake was
getting caught. I'm tired of people with a sense of entitlement, rich
or poor.
Speaking of poor, I'm tired of hearing people with air-conditioned
homes, color TVs and two cars called poor. The majority of Americans
didn't have that in 1970, but we didn't know we were "poor." The
poverty pimps have to keep changing the definition of poor to keep the
dollars flowing.
I'm real tired of people who don't take responsibility for their lives
and actions. I'm tired of hearing them blame the government, or
discrimination or big-whatever for their problems.
Yes, I'm damn tired. But I'm also glad to be 63.
Because, mostly, I'm not going to have to see the world these people are making.
I'm just sorry for my granddaughter.
Robert A. Hall is a Marine Vietnam Veteran who served five terms in
the Massachusetts State Senate.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Leonard Fein blame Israel first
Leonard Fein, noted jewish leftist, blames israel for the problems with Turkey in his Forward column recently. Of course it is always blame Israel. The guy has no clue. After the Turks killed 1.5 million Armenians in 1915, the Ottoman Empire fell apoart after WW 2. The military took over, installing a pro Western, secular muslim state. . That has changed. Tuyrkey is now in the Islamic camp. Fein has it 100% backwards, as the left always does on Israel. Turkey wants the Islamic camp-that is why it allowed the extremist muslim group to purposely incite violence.
Observations from Daily Alert from Council president's major jewish organizations:
Turkey's Islamic Revolution Paid for by Wealthy Islamists - Michael Rubin (Commentary)
* Turkey has changed. Gone permanently is secular Turkey, a unique Muslim country that straddled East and West and that even maintained a cooperative relationship with Israel. Today Turkey is an Islamic republic whose government saw fit to facilitate the May 31 flotilla raid on Israel's blockade of Gaza. Turkey is now more aligned to Iran than to the democracies of Europe.
* Outside of public view, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Abdullah Gul, now his foreign minister, presided over an influx of so-called Green Money - capital from Saudi Arabia and the oil-rich Persian Gulf emirates, much of which ended up in AKP party coffers rather than in the public treasury.
* Between 2002 and 2003, money appeared in Turkey's financial system for which government reporting cannot account - an amount that increased from approximately $200 million to more than $4 billion. By 2006, Turkish economists estimated the Green Money infusion into the Turkish economy to be between $6 billion and $12 billion. Some Turkish intelligence officials privately suggest that Qatar is today the source of most subsidies for the AKP and its projects. Thus, Turkey's Islamic revolution was bought and paid for by wealthy Islamists.
* Erdogan equated degrees issued by Turkish madrassas - Islamic religious schools - with ordinary high school degrees. This bureaucratic sleight of hand enabled madrassa students to enter the university and qualify for government jobs without ever mastering or, in some cases, even being exposed to Western fundamentals. When such students still fumbled university entrance exams, the AKP provided them with a comparative bonus on their scores, justifying the move as affirmative action.
* As a NATO member, Turkey is privy to U.S. weaponry, tactics, and intelligence. Any provision of assistance to Turkey today, however, could be akin to transferring it to Hamas, Sudan, or Iran. Does President Obama really want to deliver the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter to a hostile Turkey, as promised, in 2014?
* As mayor of Istanbul, Erdogan quipped, "Democracy is like a streetcar. When you come to your stop, you get off."
The writer is a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute
Observations from Daily Alert from Council president's major jewish organizations:
Turkey's Islamic Revolution Paid for by Wealthy Islamists - Michael Rubin (Commentary)
* Turkey has changed. Gone permanently is secular Turkey, a unique Muslim country that straddled East and West and that even maintained a cooperative relationship with Israel. Today Turkey is an Islamic republic whose government saw fit to facilitate the May 31 flotilla raid on Israel's blockade of Gaza. Turkey is now more aligned to Iran than to the democracies of Europe.
* Outside of public view, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Abdullah Gul, now his foreign minister, presided over an influx of so-called Green Money - capital from Saudi Arabia and the oil-rich Persian Gulf emirates, much of which ended up in AKP party coffers rather than in the public treasury.
* Between 2002 and 2003, money appeared in Turkey's financial system for which government reporting cannot account - an amount that increased from approximately $200 million to more than $4 billion. By 2006, Turkish economists estimated the Green Money infusion into the Turkish economy to be between $6 billion and $12 billion. Some Turkish intelligence officials privately suggest that Qatar is today the source of most subsidies for the AKP and its projects. Thus, Turkey's Islamic revolution was bought and paid for by wealthy Islamists.
* Erdogan equated degrees issued by Turkish madrassas - Islamic religious schools - with ordinary high school degrees. This bureaucratic sleight of hand enabled madrassa students to enter the university and qualify for government jobs without ever mastering or, in some cases, even being exposed to Western fundamentals. When such students still fumbled university entrance exams, the AKP provided them with a comparative bonus on their scores, justifying the move as affirmative action.
* As a NATO member, Turkey is privy to U.S. weaponry, tactics, and intelligence. Any provision of assistance to Turkey today, however, could be akin to transferring it to Hamas, Sudan, or Iran. Does President Obama really want to deliver the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter to a hostile Turkey, as promised, in 2014?
* As mayor of Istanbul, Erdogan quipped, "Democracy is like a streetcar. When you come to your stop, you get off."
The writer is a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute
Monday, June 28, 2010
2010 election-who is pro Israel?
Richard Baehr
J-Street has endorsed 58 candidates for senate or house so far, 57 of them Democrats
https://donate.jstreetpac.org/candidate/allcandidates
2 of the 3 Senate endorsements are for open seats. One is for Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold of Wisconsin, who faces a serious challenge this year.
1. I think as a rule, we should never give money to any candidate endorsed by J-Street.
In the open seat races, there is no incumbency rule (e.g vote for the candidate who voted for foreign aid, )
so the two open seats are easy: we should support Republican Pat Toomey over Joe Sestak, in Pennsylvania. Sestak had a poor record on Israel votes in Congress. Toomey had a very good record on Israel votes when he was in Congress.
We should support Republican Roy Blunt in Missouri over Robin Carnahan. Blunt had a good voting record on Israel in Congress. Carnahan has no record, but obviously said something sweet to J-Street's ears.
2. We should not give big amounts to candidates who have little or no competition in their races. (e.g dick durbin, daniel inouye). Better to give to more candidates, and give bigger gifts in close races.
3. Of the 55 members of the House on the J-street list, these are the 17 who realclearpolitics.com rates as vulnerable this cycle (in alpahabetical order, as is the J-street list)
Russ Carnahan, Gerry Connolly, Bill Foster, Debbie Halvorson, Jim Himes, Rush Holt, Steve Kagen, Mary Jo Kilroy, Ron Kind, Dan Maffei, Betsy Markey, Chris Murphy, Scott Murphy, Bill Owens, Tom Perriello, Carol Shea Porter, and John Yarmuth.
If we will be backing Joel Pollak (Schakowsky is not yet on the vulnerable list), then some of these 17 are worth opposing as well. Among those who standout for being very critical of Israel is Carol Shea Porter, a hard left member from New Hampshire.
There are other competitive Senate races, a few of which are open seats:
Florida: Marco Rubio has the best position paper on Israel of any member running. Much better than Crist or Meeks
Two incumbents who are facing challenges , and have good voting records on Israel: Ron Wyden, Democrat from Oregon, and Richard Burr, Republican from North Carolina. Both are ahead by small margins.
In Kentucky, Rand Paul is not as much of a loon as his dad, and has authored a decent position paper on Israel . But I think he is still suspect. Jack Conway is his opponent.
Two other open Senate seats offer easy choices: In Ohio, Rob Portman had a perfect voting record on Israel in Congress. He is running against Lee Fisher who was never in Congress and has no record. This is a very close race. In Indiana, Dan Coats is expected to beat Brad Ellsworth easily. both had good voting records on Israel in Congress, but we should go with the winner to establish a link.
To date, we have given a bit over $12,000 to Democratss this cycle, and a bit over $10,000 to Republicans. I do not think in the end, that we have to exactly balance the amounts. Sad to say, but one party has become better than the other in the last few years on israel.
Two Democratic members of Congress stand out for having the courage to push back against Obama's pressure on Israel- Shelley Berkley of Nevada, , to whom we have already given this cycle and Eliot Engel of New York, who deserves support. . Steny Hoyer, Democrat of Maryland , has also been good.
J-Street has endorsed 58 candidates for senate or house so far, 57 of them Democrats
https://donate.jstreetpac.org/candidate/allcandidates
2 of the 3 Senate endorsements are for open seats. One is for Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold of Wisconsin, who faces a serious challenge this year.
1. I think as a rule, we should never give money to any candidate endorsed by J-Street.
In the open seat races, there is no incumbency rule (e.g vote for the candidate who voted for foreign aid, )
so the two open seats are easy: we should support Republican Pat Toomey over Joe Sestak, in Pennsylvania. Sestak had a poor record on Israel votes in Congress. Toomey had a very good record on Israel votes when he was in Congress.
We should support Republican Roy Blunt in Missouri over Robin Carnahan. Blunt had a good voting record on Israel in Congress. Carnahan has no record, but obviously said something sweet to J-Street's ears.
2. We should not give big amounts to candidates who have little or no competition in their races. (e.g dick durbin, daniel inouye). Better to give to more candidates, and give bigger gifts in close races.
3. Of the 55 members of the House on the J-street list, these are the 17 who realclearpolitics.com rates as vulnerable this cycle (in alpahabetical order, as is the J-street list)
Russ Carnahan, Gerry Connolly, Bill Foster, Debbie Halvorson, Jim Himes, Rush Holt, Steve Kagen, Mary Jo Kilroy, Ron Kind, Dan Maffei, Betsy Markey, Chris Murphy, Scott Murphy, Bill Owens, Tom Perriello, Carol Shea Porter, and John Yarmuth.
If we will be backing Joel Pollak (Schakowsky is not yet on the vulnerable list), then some of these 17 are worth opposing as well. Among those who standout for being very critical of Israel is Carol Shea Porter, a hard left member from New Hampshire.
There are other competitive Senate races, a few of which are open seats:
Florida: Marco Rubio has the best position paper on Israel of any member running. Much better than Crist or Meeks
Two incumbents who are facing challenges , and have good voting records on Israel: Ron Wyden, Democrat from Oregon, and Richard Burr, Republican from North Carolina. Both are ahead by small margins.
In Kentucky, Rand Paul is not as much of a loon as his dad, and has authored a decent position paper on Israel . But I think he is still suspect. Jack Conway is his opponent.
Two other open Senate seats offer easy choices: In Ohio, Rob Portman had a perfect voting record on Israel in Congress. He is running against Lee Fisher who was never in Congress and has no record. This is a very close race. In Indiana, Dan Coats is expected to beat Brad Ellsworth easily. both had good voting records on Israel in Congress, but we should go with the winner to establish a link.
To date, we have given a bit over $12,000 to Democratss this cycle, and a bit over $10,000 to Republicans. I do not think in the end, that we have to exactly balance the amounts. Sad to say, but one party has become better than the other in the last few years on israel.
Two Democratic members of Congress stand out for having the courage to push back against Obama's pressure on Israel- Shelley Berkley of Nevada, , to whom we have already given this cycle and Eliot Engel of New York, who deserves support. . Steny Hoyer, Democrat of Maryland , has also been good.
Obama has led to Turkey and then Malaysia turning on Israel
Flirting with zealotry in Malaysia
Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim speaks at an anti-Israel rally in front of the U.S. embassy in Kuala Lumpur this month.
Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim speaks at an anti-Israel rally in front of the U.S. embassy in Kuala Lumpur this month. (Saeed Khan/afp/getty Images)
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By Jackson Diehl
Monday, June 28, 2010
Anwar Ibrahim, the leader of Malaysia's political opposition, has become known over the past decade as one of the foremost advocates of liberal democracy in Muslim countries. His many friends in Washington include prominent members of the neoconservative movement -- such as Paul Wolfowitz, the former World Bank president and U.S. ambassador to Indonesia -- as well as such Democratic grandees as Al Gore.
Lately, Anwar has been getting attention for something else: strident rhetoric about Israel and alleged "Zionist influence" in Malaysia. He recently joined a demonstration outside the U.S. embassy in Kuala Lumpur where an Israeli flag was burned. He's made dark insinuations about the "Jewish-controlled" Washington public relations firm Apco Worldwide, which is working for Malaysia's quasi-authoritarian government.
Therein lies a story of the Obama era -- about a beleaguered democrat fighting for political and personal survival with little help from Washington; about the growing global climate of hostility toward Israel; and about the increasing willingness of U.S. friends in places such as Turkey and Malaysia to exploit it.
Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim speaks at an anti-Israel rally in front of the U.S. embassy in Kuala Lumpur this month.
Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim speaks at an anti-Israel rally in front of the U.S. embassy in Kuala Lumpur this month. (Saeed Khan/afp/getty Images)
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Comments that include profanity or personal attacks or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. Additionally, entries that are unsigned or contain "signatures" by someone other than the actual author will be removed. Finally, we will take steps to block users who violate any of our posting standards, terms of use or privacy policies or any other policies governing this site. Please review the full rules governing commentaries and discussions. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.
Who's Blogging
» Links to this article
By Jackson Diehl
Monday, June 28, 2010
Anwar Ibrahim, the leader of Malaysia's political opposition, has become known over the past decade as one of the foremost advocates of liberal democracy in Muslim countries. His many friends in Washington include prominent members of the neoconservative movement -- such as Paul Wolfowitz, the former World Bank president and U.S. ambassador to Indonesia -- as well as such Democratic grandees as Al Gore.
Lately, Anwar has been getting attention for something else: strident rhetoric about Israel and alleged "Zionist influence" in Malaysia. He recently joined a demonstration outside the U.S. embassy in Kuala Lumpur where an Israeli flag was burned. He's made dark insinuations about the "Jewish-controlled" Washington public relations firm Apco Worldwide, which is working for Malaysia's quasi-authoritarian government.
Therein lies a story of the Obama era -- about a beleaguered democrat fighting for political and personal survival with little help from Washington; about the growing global climate of hostility toward Israel; and about the increasing willingness of U.S. friends in places such as Turkey and Malaysia to exploit it.
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