www.shmuelkatz.com It seems John Kerry’s imitation of Henry Kissinger has borne fruit. His sixth trip to jump start ‘peace talks’ in as many months has triggered the desired response, with Arabs and Israelis agreeing to restart negotiations. Unfortunately, getting Israel to the negotiating table is just a first step in squeezing Israel back to […]
http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Columnists/Into-the-fray-Diskins-depressing-drivel-320322 It is difficult to know what is more disturbing – whether Diskin believes this delusional drivel, or whether he is propagating it despite the fact that he doesn’t. There is no alternative but to enter into a diplomatic process with the Palestinians, here and now, despite the anxieties and the numerous risks. – Yuval […]
http://send.hadavars.com/index.php?action=message&l=2096&c=19958&m=18450&s=a317a26441993bdd8f740ee9a6c71bce There are no free lunches in personal and national struggles, especially when it comes to the Jewish people, and certainly not in the Middle East. Successful struggles require defiance of pressure, which has been an integral part of the Jewish people and the Jewish state from time immemorial. In fact, defiance of pressure has […]
no url here…Noa Bursie is an African-American convert to Judaism
The False Premise
Peace. The word itself is a two-edged sword, conveying a powerful spirit of tranquility while simultaneously evoking a strange, inescapable anxiety. It is the quintessential dichotomy of humanity to so passionately crave the very thing we so effectively repel by bowing to the baser elements of our nature. So much painstaking effort, so many resources, studies conducted, books written, futile negotiations – over decades, centuries – and lasting peace between men continues to elude us. The near daily headlines about one more failed attempt by U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry to bring Israelis and Palestinians “back” to negotiations would be outright hilarious were they not so tragically predictable and transparent.
The dilemma that fuels frustration over getting the parties to the negotiating table is driven by the assumption that peace is a thing to be desired by all. One would think the prospect of having in place those essentials that make life worth living – health, family, community, sustenance, love – are universal aspirations. This is, sadly, an illusion. Peace eludes humanity because there are people who do not want to live in peace. There is no conundrum in determining why our species has endured millennia of genocide and oppression unabated. Warring ideologies and clashing civilizations are the norm, not an aberration. But why, we must ask. Rather than talking in circles and chasing rationales around mountains of excuses and justifications, better to state the case without equivocation. Peace is possible only through mutual agreement or, if agreement fails, enforced maintenance.
http://dailycaller.com/2013/07/19/obama-nominee-for-ambassador-post-is-a-bundler-with-a-rap-sheet/ President Barack Obama recently re-nominated one of his major campaign donors, who also happens to have a criminal record, as U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Tim Broas, a D.C based defense attorney specializing in white collar crimes, was previously nominated for the post last April, but withdrew his name after being […]
http://pjmedia.com/andrewmccarthy/2013/07/19/will-the-senate-rubber-stamp-powers-contempt/?print=1 Refusing to answer proper questions in a legitimate governmental hearing is contemptuous – not just in the rhetorical sense but in the legal sense. To analogize: In court proceeding, if a witness refuses to provide a responsive answer to a question, the judge will strike the nonresponsive answer from the record and direct the […]
http://news.investors.com/ibd-editorials-perspective/071713-664096-immigration-bill-filled-with-millions-special-interests-webhedand160-immigration-bill-millions-in-slush-funds-to-special-interests.htm?p=full
The avowed purpose of the immigration bill passed by the Senate and pending in the House is to provide a “path to citizenship” for the illegal immigrants in exchange for tough new enforcement measures that would prevent other such incursions in the future.
But buried deep within the immigration bill are hidden multimillion-dollar slush funds for left-wing nonprofit groups to provide services to the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants now in the U.S. Once enacted, the slush funds would total almost $300 million over three years and grow over time.
Reviewing the massive legislation, it’s obvious that lawyering would be needed. The 1,100-page proposal is a network of legal requirements and protections, waivers and exceptions, including a new “provisional immigrant” status (the first phase of legalization for illegals), appeals of adverse rulings, stays of deportation, applications for work visas, and countless other such guarantees.
Within this thicket of new rights are features that would vastly increase the flow of immigrants to perhaps 30 million or 40 million over the next decade. One is a set of “chain immigration” clauses, legalizing the spouses and children of illegals.
Another is the Dream Act, fast-tracking legal status for aliens of any age who came here before they were 16 (how this would be proved is not clear). A third is a “blue card” temporary visa that could be converted to permanent status and used by future illegals to get legal in a hurry.
Of course, a Spanish-speaking immigrant would likely know nothing of this maze of loopholes, benefits and protections and would on his own be unable to exploit them. So the bill sets up a fund of $50 million to aid illegals seeking “provisional” status, filing appeals, blocking efforts at deportation, obtaining naturalization, and so on.
The groups receiving the $50 million to give such assistance would be nonprofit “immigrant- serving” organizations whose staffs have “demonstrated qualifications, experience and expertise in providing quality services to immigrants.” Agents of such groups would be paid by the government to guide the illegals through the intricate processes in the legislation.
‘Chock-Full’ Of Pork
The bill provides a sizable slush fund for leftward groups in the immigrant serving, advocacy and lobbying business. As Sen. John Cornyn, R-Tex., puts it, the bill is “chock-full of de facto earmarks, pork barrel spending, and special interest sweeteners.”
Though the nonprofit agencies getting the money aren’t named in the bill, their identities can be deduced from the history and politics of the issue.
Foremost among such groups is the National Council of La Raza (meaning “the race,” or alternatively, “the people”), a group that opposes current U.S. immigration laws, defends illegals, and long promoted amnesty measures. It’s also an organization with significant leverage at the Obama White House and its former senior executive helped draft the Senate bill.
La Raza is already a recipient of federal grants and contracts — running at $8 million to $10 million per year — and would arguably be at the head of the line to receive new funding.
A second, allied group, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund, says it receives no federal money but would likely qualify for subsidies under this legislation. READ MORE AT SITE
http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Peace/2013/07/18/Intelligence-and-the-Cold-War
How could there be anything left to say about World War II and the Cold War that hasn’t been said already?
We know the narrative, start to finish. In researching my new book, American Betrayal: The Secret Assault on Our Nation’s Character (St. Martin’s Press), I was shocked to learn that’s not the same thing as understanding what really happened.
That probably won’t make sense until you find yourself, as I did, staring at the brick wall that somehow blocks the body of intelligence history from entering the general flow of the narrative we know so well. Bringing them together–intelligence history with general history–changes almost everything. It actually alters the course of history, and with plenty of applications for the post-9/11 age.
Any chronicle or biography of mid-to-late 20th century U.S. history that fails to acknowledge the post-USSR revelations of intelligence and FBI archives in Moscow and Washington is hemmed in by this same wall. Surprisingly, that describes almost every chronicle and biography on the shelf today.
What accounts for this, in effect, mass mental block? We might blame various constraints, including the absence of precedence. But what accounts for this absence of precedence? Here is where we encounter the conditioned reflex of the average, college-educated American.
http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_opinion.php?id=5041
On Thursday morning, Israeli President Shimon Peres made a statement about the decision on the part of the European Union to engage in boycotts, divestment and sanctions against any Israeli goods or services produced or undertaken beyond the 1967 borders — including the teachings of Hebrew University professors.
Rather than condemning this move as state-sponsored anti-Semitism, Peres waxed poetic about his respect for the EU. He then criticized the “timing” of the release of its anti-Israel resolution, and urged that the EU “give peace a chance.”
After all, he pointed out, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has been in Jordan all week, and he is on the verge of making a real breakthrough on the Palestinian-Israel front.
“The supreme efforts that [Kerry] has made will bear fruit on both sides,” Peres assured. Couldn’t the EU at least postpone its plans for a while?
“Nothing will happen if you wait a few months,” Peres admonished. “This is a critical period. Don’t spoil [Kerry’s chances].”
By the end of the day, however, it was the Palestinian Authority that nixed negotiations. The only thing surprising about this obvious outcome of Kerry’s sixth visit to the region since taking up his post was the media reportage indicating that peace talks were finally about to resume. So rampant were the rumors on this score that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office was forced to dispel accusations that he had consented to begin negotiations with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas by accepting the 1949 armistice lines as a precondition for sitting down at the proverbial table.
http://unitedpatriotsworldwide.com The Jihad to Forcibly Convert Hindu Girls to Islam, Rages On The Jihad to Forcibly Convert Hindu Girls to Islam, Rages On: The Jihad to convert Hindu girls is continued unabated under the indifferent attitude of Pakistani authorities. In recent months, seven Hindu girls have been targeted in the conversion to Islam campaign. Of […]
