Tag: Israel

Another War in the Name of God

smackyjackjack2 Comments

Let’s say

That I belonged to a social club that met each week.

Let’s say

That the people in the club believed that it was founded by a guy named, I don’t know, Chuck.

Let’s say

Chuck was a homophobic, misogynistic, genocidal old man who lived in a cloud and had the power to make everything happen.

Lastly, let’s say

That because I belonged to this club, I inherited a hatred of all other social clubs in the area.

Okay, now of course no one would ever join this club. It’s ridiculous. However, if this was your religion, you’d be perfectly fine with it.

The Old Testament, for instance, a book held believed to be true by both Christians and Jews, is one of the most outrageous pieces of literature in Western Culture.

For most of it, God is killing people. He wipes out everyone but Noah and his family in one part, destroys two cities and its inhabitants in another, forces Lot to offer his own daughters to be raped, etc.

However, when the O.T. is lacking in violence, it makes up for it in sheer whimsicality and stupidity. This is the same with all religious texts. There really is no room for a reasonable person to believe in some of the “facts” of Juedo-Christain beliefs (I’m not leaving other religions like Islam out on purpose, its just that these strike a little closer to home).

Religous “Facts”:

1.   Sadly (spoiler alert), Noah of the O.T. died at the young age of 950. The good die young.

2.   Although also in the New Testament, it is possible (and actually turned out quite well) to be swallowed by a giant fish, live in there for a while, and be spat back out.

3.   The universe was created by…well God. There isn’t much else to say about that because books like the O.T. say about that much in regard to the beginning of time (cough-COP OUT-cough).

However, taking what some would call “cheap shots” like this at religion isn’t fair because these things aren’t meant to be taken literally. They’re simply meant to be ignored and the good bits should be cherry picked out when needed.

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Israel and its nuclear problem with Iran

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It is commonly known that the US and her allies believe that Iran is enriching Uranium in order to build nuclear weapons. The US and to a extent the Obama Administration has been criticized for refusing to take a hard stance against Iran’s Nuclear Program.

The most vocal of these critics is Israel whose proximity to Iran puts Israel in an extremely precarious position. Israel and Iran are mortal enemies; Israel believes (knows) that if Iran develops nuclear weapons it would plunge the region into total war.

Israel has not let Iran’s nuclear research continued unmolested. Peaceful resolutions are almost out of the question, Israel has given up on diplomacy and outside parties, they now deal with the Iranian Nuclear Program in a much more direct way.

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Several Iranian scientist have been assassinated the most memorable of which have been Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan. On January 11th, 2012 two unknown assailants on motorcycles attached a magnetic bomb to the side of Roshan’s car, the motorcyclist sped away and the bomb detonated moments later.

Iran has blamed Israel and believe that the United States may have been involve in the attacks. Whether this assassination will lead to peace or more violence remains to be seen.

Being Thankful

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One year ago I was in Israel, two years ago I was at Midland.  Two years seem like a long time, but I can remember exactly where I was and what I was doing.

Last year living in Israel my Thanksgiving meal consisted of yogurt, bread, cheese, water and an orange.  I was in Gadna, a mock IDF basic training program to test and place potential soldiers.  I did not even know it was Thanksgiving until later that night when one of my friends, who had spoken with his parents had told me.  There was still no other place in the world that I would have wanted to be.

Two years ago I was at Midland.  At Midland for Thanksgiving you don’t get to go home. Instead you family comes to you and a huge Thanksgiving afternoon and meal takes place with about twenty turkeys and over two hundred people.

This year I will be home, with my family and the people I love and will be eating TOfurkey.  In just two years things have changed so much and each year I find myself exactly where I want to be.  On Thanksgiving, that is what I am really thankful for.

The Palistinian Debate

therightliberal2 Comments

One of my best friend is Jewish, and in his opinion, Palestine should never be a country.

This sentiment is a common one, especially in the Jewish community. But the real question from my point of view is whether creating a separate nation will solve the problems between Israel and the Palestinian nations and whether the US needs to get involved.

“The Obama policy of moral equivalency, which gives equal standing to the grievances of Israelis and Palestinians, including the orchestrators of terrorism, is a dangerous insult. There is no middle ground between our allies and those who seek their destruction,” said Rick Perry.

This is the utter ignorance that is being said at the moment. Perry seems to almost suggest that Palestinians are lesser people than Israelis.

I think that creating a new Palestinian state may in fact be a solution to the ongoing problem, or at least a short-term solution.

I highly doubt that as long as Israelis border Arabic nations, peace can be attained. There was not the foresight required when Israel was created.

According to the Obama administration, the best thing that can be done would be to continue negotiations to achieve peace. I doubt that any long-term peace can be achieved at this point but the worry is that if the US leans to far one way or the other, they will face the wrath of one of the sides.

We don’t need another war or another “conflict”. What we need is to focus on world peace and world hunger and our own economy. This may sound like an answer from a Miss Universe contestant but at this point, I feel that we do not need to be involved.

We can encourage negotiations and discourage violence, but now is the time where we step back and let them work. They have politicians and negotiators just like us, they also do posses common sense.

Hopefully both sides can overcome their historical debates and realize that, for humanity’s sake, the violence and arguments need to end.

Breaking Point

venturatrekerLeave a comment

Following the indiscriminate shooting of three vehicles full of Israeli worshippers,  Israel is in uproar:

The Culture Minister Limor Livnat, aunt of Ben Joseph Livnat claims: “My nephew was killed by a terrorist disguised as a Palestinian policeman”.

The Yesha Council of Settlements,  a council comprised of members from settlements across the west bank: “Israel cannot let this murder pass silently”.

Ehud Barak, the most highly decorated Israeli soldier, and now the defense minister, said:  “No problem of coordination can justify an incident like this and the shooting of innocent people.” Barak has also ordered the army to begin a full investigation into the incident, calling it no less then murder.

With nerves pushed so thin already by Hamas continued attacks in Gaza, an escalation like this in the West Bank will only increase tension, and require the IDF to place more units in the region aggravating the palestinian residents.  For the settlers, this was just an open invitation to attack.  Hours following the shooting a group of Israeli teenagers attacked a nearby arab village and broke windows, torched cars and injured one arab child.

A Double Standard

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BREAKING NEWS: A family in Texas was massacred in their sleep. A bomb hits bus #74 outside D.C. convention center injuring dozens and killing at least one. More than  50 rockets and missiles continue falling in Fairfax, Virginia.

If this were what you read in the newspaper today, you would panic.  You would demand those responsible be brought to swift justice. And when the “bad guys” are killed and airplanes are flying bombing runs, you will say it is deserved and right.

Now what if I told you all these things happened in Israel?  Your response most likely would be along the lines of “it doesn’t concern me, its not my problem.”

But when Israel responds with airplanes and tanks, the world cries out injustice.  How can a world that claims to be democratic and fair hold Israel to a double standard.  the world calls Israel’s actions unjust.  The true injustice is that a world that condemns terrorism and the killing of innocence will so quickly jump to the defense of those they have vowed to stop.  Since the creation of the State, Israel has fought for recognition. Israel is recognized by the United Nations, therefore giving it equal standing and rights in the World Court. Yet still Israel is held to a double standard.

The Fogel Family

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Over the weekend, Israel experienced a heavy blow.  An entire family was brutally murdered in their sleep by a Palestinian in the settlement of Itamar near Nablus.  Both parents Udi and Ruth were stabbed in their bed, the killer then slashed the throat of 11-year-old Yoav, knifed 3-year-old Elad in the heart, and slit the throat of their three-month-old baby, Hadas.

At present the Al Aqsa martyrs brigade, the military wing of Fatah has taken credit for the attack.  Nothing though is conclusive yet because Al Aqsa frequently takes credit for acts they did not actually commit to strengthen their own popularity.  Prime Minister Netanyahu has started a huge military operation to hunt down the man responsible.  The IDF has already arrested twenty people.  We can only hope that the perpetrator for this heinous crime be caught.

Egypt’s potential to become Islamic State

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With protests becoming more violent and the growing popularity of the Islamic brotherhood, Egypt is beginning to look a lot like 1979 Iran.

For Israel and the world as a whole this can only spell disaster.  One Islamic state is enough.  If Egypt were to become an Islamic state, Israel would be the most directly infected.

To start, Israel and Egypt have maintained a cold peace for over thirty years.  If Mubarak is overthrown, and the Islamic brotherhood takes power, not only would they not recognize Israel as a legitimate state, but also they would begin to openly fund Hamas in the Gaza strip, and at the least Israel would face a repeat in 2005 when over 10,000 Kasam rockets fell in Israeli towns and cities.

Putting Israel aside and looking at the interests of the US, pre 1979 Iran was a powerful ally ruled by the Shah who welcomed in western ideas.  Now Iran is not only one of the most oppressed and human rights void country in the world but also the most likely country the US will go to war with next.

Iran is a threat to the entire world, and Egypt is well on its way to stand beside its brother Arab country.  Yes, Mubarak is a dictator, but what Arab countries leader is not.  Is not the continued oppression of a small number of people better the rise of yet another Islamic state that threatens world peace?