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November 2011

DECEMBER 2011 OUTPOST

http://www.mideastoutpost.com/

DECEMBER 2011 OUTPOST

We wish all our friends and subscribers very Happy Holidays and a New Year that brings peace and prosperity to America and Israel and good people all over the word.

Rael Jean Isaac and Ruth King

CODE RED IRAN: WILLIAM MEHLMAN

http://www.mideastoutpost.com/archives/code-red-iran-william-mehlman.html

“The era of procrastination, half measures , soothing and baffling expediency delays is coming to a close,” Winston Churchill wrote in witness to Adolf Hitler’s brazen 1936 remilitarization of the Rhineland. “In its place, we are entering a period of consequences.”

With the release of the UN International Atomic Energy Agency’s umptieth report on Iran’s passionate pursuit of an atomic bomb––a 1,000-page indictment replete with everything from satellite footage of the steel containers required for nuclear explosives testing to interviews with renegade scientists employed in transitioning Teheran from uranium enrichment to bomb assembly––Western civilization has clearly arrived at another “period of consequences.”

The 1936 response to those consequences – “soothing and baffling expediency delays” ending in 30 million deaths, a fifth of them Jewish, and the devastation of a continent––is being replicated 75 years later, with the Jews, this time in the person of Israel, reprising their roles as coal mine canaries.

FROM THE EDITOR: RAEL JEAN ISAAC

http://www.mideastoutpost.com/archives/from-the-editor-rael-jean-isaac-15.html

Israel Develops Cancer Vaccine

In a breakthrough development, Israeli company Vaxil BioTherapeutics has come up with a cancer vaccine, now in clinical trials at Hadassah University Medical Center in Jerusalem. While it is being tested against a specific cancer––multiple myeloma––if it works, its technology could be applied to 90% of all cancers, including prostate and breast cancer, solid and non-solid tumors. Julian Levy, the company’s CFO, explains that in cancer the immune system doesn’t know how to protect itself, as it does against an infection or virus. That’s because cancer cells are the body’s own cells gone wrong. In addition, a cancer patient has a depressed immune system, caused both by the illness and the treatment. The trick is to activate the compromised immune system to mobilize against the threat.

Harassing Israeli Patriots

Israeli authorities have adopted a sickening double standard in which they tolerate incitement (and worse) against Israel but not legitimate protests by patriotic Israelis. Two recent examples:

Rabbi David Druckman, chief rabbi of the city of Kiryat Motzkin north of Haifa, was hauled in for questioning by police over a letter he, and a number of other rabbis, signed over three years ago opposing employment of Arabs. It was written in the immediate aftermath of the 2008 massacre in the Mercaz HaRav yeshiva in Jerusalem when an Arab terrorist, who had worked as a driver at the yeshiva, murdered eight students and seriously injured many more. Druckman told Arutz Sheva that questioning a rabbi for signing a letter is “unreal,” and that he told his police would-be interrogators that he would only cooperate if the police also questioned former Mossad chief Ephraim Halevy who recently said Israel’s hareidi-religious Jews are “a bigger existential threat to Israel than Iran and Ahmadinejad” and also questioned “those academics who incite against the State of Israel and against the Jews.”

Blood Oil

There has been a successful campaign in the West against the sale of “blood diamonds,” those that are mined in a war zone and sold to finance an insurgency. EthicalOil.org, a grassroots advocacy organization, has seized upon this principle to advocate the use of “ethical oil” from Canada’s oil sands in place of conflict oil from the world’s most oppressive regimes. This is an especially adroit strategy given the moral posturing of assorted global warming fanatics who denounce oil sands for their evil “emissions” without paying any mind to the fact that the alternative is oil with equally wicked “emissions” from oppressive societies whose behavior the West enables by its purchase of that oil.

“Secular” Tunisia

Tunisia was supposed to be the success story of the Arab spring, with its reportedly secular, relatively well educated population and largely peaceful revolution. Even the victory in the elections of the Islamist party Ennahda scarcely disturbed Western complacency: it was pronounced a “moderate” Islamic party.

It’s looking less moderate by the day. In November Ennahda invited Houda Naim, a Hamas member of the Palestinian Legislative Council in Gaza, to speak at a rally in Sousse, a coastal Tunisian city––the first time a member of Hamas had addressed the Tunisian public. Ennahda’s general secretary Hammadi Jebali, expected to become Tunisia’s next Prime Minister, declared the occasion “a divine moment in a new state, and in, hopefully, a sixth Caliphate.” Jabali also echoed Naim’s words, declaring “The liberation of Tunisia will, God willing, bring about the liberation of Jerusalem.”

A THIRD MIRACLE: RITA KRAMER

http://www.mideastoutpost.com/archives/a-third-miracle-rita-kramer.html

At sunset on the evening of December 20 Jews everywhere will light the first candle of Chanukah, the festival that commemorates two miracles––and may perhaps foresee a third. The first was the victory of a small band of Jews, led by Judah Maccabee and his brothers, over an army of Hellenists that vastly outnumbered them.

The attempt to replace the monotheistic religion of the Jews with the pagan rites of the Greeks had been defeated by a small guerilla army willing to face death rather than abandon their faith. The second miracle took place when the victorious Judeans set about rededicating the temple, which had been defiled by their enemies. They found only one small jug of ritually pure oil, just enough to keep the menorah alight for a single day. Yet the candles burned for the entire eight days until more consecrated oil could be found.

A VIEW FROM THE ARAB SPRING, TOWARDS THE FOLLOWING SUMMER: HAIM HARIRI

http://www.mideastoutpost.com/archives/a-view-from-the-arab-spring-towards-the-following-summer-haim-hariri.html

The phrase “Arab Spring” is a surprisingly appropriate description of current events in the Arab world. It relates not only to the awakening of anger and to the desire for change by the Arab masses, but also to the lack of understanding of the circumstances, by most European and American observers. Winter in New York, London or Berlin is often accompanied by a mild depression. It is a period when nothing blooms, very little remains green, sunshine is rare and most birds are gone. And then comes the spring, when everything begins to blossom, warmth returns, birds are chirping and life restarts. Alas, in most of the Arab world, winter is a pleasant period relative to what comes next. The winter temperature is quite comfortable and the sun often shines. When spring arrives, the heat returns, heralding an unbearable summer, without one drop of water and a harsh and dry brown-yellow land. The little that was partly green, during the winter, is gone. Indeed, “The Arab Spring” inevitably leads to a difficult and unpleasant summer. The metaphor reflects not only what it purports to describe, but also the mentality gap between its Western authors and the real situation.

CONDEMNED BY THEIR OWN PRESS RELEASES: CHARLES JACOBS vs ADL: RAEL JEAN ISAAC

http://www.mideastoutpost.com/archives/condemned-by-their-own-press-releases-charles-jabocs-vs-adl.html

For many years, AFSI has been a sharp critic of the ADL under the leadership of Abraham Foxman, an unworthy replacement of Nathan Perlmutter, who provided the ADL with fine leadership until his untimely death in 1987. For example, in From the Editor, September 2010, we noted: “Unfortunately, the ADL shows no sign of withdrawal […]

NORWAY EMBRACES ISLAMIST TYRANNY: BRUCE BAWER

http://www.mideastoutpost.com/archives/norway-embraces-islamist-tyranny-bruce-bawer.html

Anti-Semitism in Norway, where I have lived for twelve years, is over the top. I have never quite gotten used to it. Every now and then I hear or read something that reminds me that I am living in Europe, in a country that was occupied by the Nazis, and where a lot of people were perfectly okay with that. I think it is fair to say that anti-Semitism in Norway is most virulent among the cultural elite–the academics, intellectuals, writers, journalists, politicians, and technocrats–although thanks to the media and schools, it has trickled down to many ordinary Norwegians, some of whom may never even have met a Jewish person.

MORE ON AFSI APATE AWARDS 2011: STEVEN PLAUT

http://www.mideastoutpost.com/archives/more-on-afsi-apate-awards-2011.html

In the November 2011 Outpost, AFSI announced a new program to grant “Apate” awards to professors, reporters, columnists and commentators who have willfully vilified, libeled, and endangered Israel. The award is named “Apate” after the spirit of deceit, fraud and guile in Greek mythology. In general, Apate Winners are not only collaborators in […]

IT’S HIGHLY DEBATABLE: RUTH KING

http://www.mideastoutpost.com/archives/its-highly-debatable-ruth-king.html

A debate should be a formal discussion in which arguments are put forward and each participant presents his reasons for or against a proposition or policy. It can be the basis for judging and evaluating candidates. However, the recent televised debates among the candidates seeking the Republican nomination for the Presidential elections of 2012 fell […]

Outpost

Editor: Rael Jean Isaac
Editorial Board: Ruth King, Rita Kramer

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GEROGE JONAS: Israel wants to get along with its Arab neighbours. The Arabs want to get along without Israel. .

http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2011/11/26/george-jonas-in-the-mideast-everything-depends-on-your-definition-of-peace/
George Jonas: In the Mideast, everything depends on your definition of peace

It was four years ago that the last White House-sponsored Middle East peace conference was held at Annapolis, Maryland, on Nov. 27, 2007. It produced smiles and hugs, along with joint communiqués. The closest friends don’t hug half as much as mortal enemies do at international gatherings. If counterfeiting affection were a crime, three-quarters of the diplomatic corps would be in jail.

Still, perhaps the most refreshing thing about the Annapolis peace conference was that it was almost illusion-free. Unlike Madrid, Oslo, Wye River and similar chimeras conjured up under the optimistic tutelage of U.S. presidents as different as strait-laced Bush the Elder and mellow Bill Clinton, the curtain rose on George W. Bush’s last-ditch attempt in a mood of total sobriety.

No one expected anything from Annapolis: Not the Americans convening it, not the Middle Easterners observing it and certainly not the Palestinians and Israelis sitting around a U-shaped table in a frescoed hall underneath the chandeliers of the U.S. Naval Academy.

In 2007 most people saw a factor that only a few noticed in the 1980s and 1990s. For peace-negotiations to succeed, it’s not enough for both sides to want peace in the abstract. They must also ascribe the same meaning to the term — and the two sides in the Middle East do not. Israel wants peace and so does the Arab/Muslim world, but Israel wants peace with the Arab/Muslim world and the Arab/Muslim world wants peace without Israel.

AUSTRALIANS UNITED FOR ISRAEL

Stars Under The Southern Cross: Australians United For Israel
http://daphneanson.blogspot.com/
Just under a year ago, Melboune-based Luke William Martin, a part-time teacher completing a law degree, who has stood for state parliament in the Liberal interest, inaugurated a grassroots group, Australian Friends of Israel, intended as an expression of the views of what he considers the “silent majority”. It consisted mainly of non-Jews, drawn to Israel like himself. By October, the group had 300 members, about 60 per cent of them non-Jews.

As J-Wire noted at that time, the Facebook group has expressed concern over “the increasing rise of anti-Semitic violence and hatred in various sections of the world and even to some degree in the Lucky Country,” and unequivocally supports the Jewish State:

“The Jews have as much right as any other people to live in freedom and without fear of harassment or persecution. Israel, the only truly free democracy of the Middle East is a beacon of light to the entire world. Since 1948, it has been transformed into a productive modern industrialized nation. Often provoked with suicide bombings and even invasions from hostile regimes, Israel shows incredible patience and grace towards its neighbours. For such reasons and many more; we stand side-by-side with our ally Israel. Like everybody else, Israelis have a right to live in a secure homeland.”

REZA KAHLILI: ON PINS AND NEEDLES AND MISSILES IN IRAN

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/nov/28/on-pins-and-needles-and-missiles-in-tehran/ Blast signals approaching nuclear danger On Nov. 12, two massive blasts at a nearby town rocked Tehran, the Iranian capital, and may have been an attempt to assassinate the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who had been scheduled to be there at the time of the explosions. Now Israel and the West must be […]

THOMAS SOWELL: NEWT GINGRICH AND IMMIGRATION

http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/print/284245 Gingrich and Immigration His position is part of the baggage he needs to overcome. Now that Newt Gingrich has become the latest in a series of Republican frontrunners, he is getting the kind of scrutiny and attacks that have done in other frontrunners. One of the issues that have aroused concern among conservative Republicans […]

BEN SHAPIRO: WHY YOU SHOULD QUIT COLLEGE

Why You Should Quit College Posted By Ben Shapiro URL to article: http://frontpagemag.com/2011/11/29/why-you-should-quit-college/   Young people spend their time in college getting high, getting drunk, and getting off.  So why shouldn’t they major in it?  This seems to be the philosophy of Yale University, where a doctoral candidate is leading a course titled “Dance Music […]

DEADLY DIVERSITY: BRUCE BAWER

Deadly ‘Diversity’ Posted By Bruce Bawer

URL to article: http://frontpagemag.com/2011/11/29/deadly-diversity/

The neighborhood of Grønland in Oslo, Norway, is not terribly large. It’s on the east side of town, adjacent to central Oslo, and has traditionally been a place of working-class flats and unpretentious pubs. Ever since Norway began to be the destination of immigrants from the Muslim world, however, Grønland has been home to an increasing number of Muslim families and businesses. In recent years, furthermore, it has become an attractive residential area for young Norwegian singles and families, for many of whom part of the lure of living in this part of town was that they wanted to be part of a “multicultural” community. As a result of the influx of these these young people – including no small number of gays – a number of hip restaurants and cafes have sprung up in the area.

Of late, however, as the city’s Muslim population has boomed, Grønland has been undergoing a transition from a mixed neighborhood to an essentially Muslim one.

BYE, BYE BARNEY…FRANKLY YOU LEAVE A LEGACY OF FINANCIAL FAILURE

http://news.investors.com/Article/593006/201111281824/liberal-frank-leaves-legacy-of-financial-failure.htm

Congress: Establishment media are swooning over the unexpected departure of ultraliberal Barney Frank. But this “champion of the little guy” actually helped cause the mortgage disaster, then kept the system broken.

‘Congress will now be a little dumber,” was the kind of nonsense we heard from the mainstream liberal media after Frank, D-Mass., former chairman of the House Banking Committee, said no to running for re-election next year.

Formally reprimanded by a heavily Democratic House on a 408-to-18 vote in 1990 for ethics offenses regarding his financial relationship with a male prostitute, Frank has for decades been a fast-talking, acidic presence in House debates.

But he wasn’t smart enough to realize that the politically correct poisoning of mortgages would lead to a calamity rivaling the Great Depression. “I, like many others, did not see the crisis coming,” Frank said Monday.

He sure didn’t. Back in 2003, what did he say when the Bush administration proposed what the New York Times described as “the most significant regulatory overhaul in the housing finance industry since the savings and loan crisis a decade ago,” including a new agency to supervise Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac? READ AT SITE

DANIEL GREENFIELD: YES OBAMA DOES WANT TO WIN

http://sultanknish.blogspot.com/

“And no amount of irresponsibility, petulance and obnoxious behavior should give us the impression that our opponent doesn’t want to win. His contempt for us is a weakness, but it’s also a sign of how fortified his position is. We are the ones with the uphill battle and we cannot afford to rest at the bottom of the hill before we have taken the high ground.”

It’s downright strange that at a time when the field of Republican candidates has narrowed down to a few bad choices and the left has finally fielded its own answer to the Tea Party movement, that some pundits on the right are still cheerfully pushing the meme that Obama is all but done.

DANIEL GREENFIELD: “HOMELAND” TRUMPS “ALL MERICAN MUSLIM”

‘Homeland’ Beats ‘All-American Muslim’ Posted By Daniel Greenfield URL to article: http://frontpagemag.com/2011/11/29/homeland-beats-all-american-muslim/ Several weeks ago All-American Muslim debuted on TLC to a storm of publicity and high ratings, but the publicity has vanished and the ratings are dribbling away. The series had premiered to a 1.7 rating, but last Sunday’s episode had dropped to a […]