Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) Speech @ AIPAC 2010
………..Now, ladies and gentlemen, you're at a -- you're at a crucial time here in Israel's history, and, you know, we say that every year, but every year it's true. Such is the nature of Israel's constant struggle for survival. It shouldn't have to be after all these years, but it is. In just the past two weeks Israel has seen an alarming violence arise over tensions in East Jerusalem, rockets from Gaza continuing to shower Sderot, another declaration of Iran's aggressive nuclear ambitions, internal political disagreements, criticism from the international community. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is just two weeks in the life of Israel, the only nation in the world whose every action, every statement, every policy is magnified, is sliced, is diced, and held to a rarified standard of perfection.
Israel, we all know, is not perfect, but as any elected official will tell you, in this modern world when you strive to do the right thing, you open yourself up to much more criticism than if you don't even consider doing the right thing in the first place. Too many, far too many in the media would rather criticize Israel for the five percent that it does wrong than turn its focus to the failings of the Palestinian community and governments because expectations there are so low. (Applause) It's unfair. It's wrong, but as we know, that's the world Israel lives in and we live in. We have to live with it.
Sure, like every other country, Israel has its imperfections, but we all too often take for granted the fact that Israel is in so many ways a remarkable and resilient country, a realization of the vision of Isaiah, a light unto the nations. It is the light of democracy that has maintained its core principles in the face of 62 years of war, conflict, and daily, daily aggression from its neighbors. Like America, freedom of speech, assembly, and press are embedded in the very fabric of Israel's society, and these are just a few of the values that hold our two countries so close.
………Let me tell you a brief story. It's another one involving the prime minister. Last September Prime Minister Netanyahu came to Capitol Hill and met with the joint leadership, democrat and republican senate and house to talk about Iran. He described the existential threat posed by a nuclear Iran to Israel. He told us that the Iranian government provides the training, the weapons, the funds that sustain Hezbollah and Hamas. He showed us they wanted nothing less than to dominate the Middle East. He told us that Israel had a mortal fear of a nuclear-armed Iran and that everything, everything must be done to prevent that from happening.
A lot of people around the table understood the prime minister's concerns but questioned his sense of urgency. "Well, what's the rush," they said. "Let's be careful here. Iran, they're just saber rattling. Don't worry. Nothing bad will happen. Let's just continue these diplomatic talks." As this chorus grew louder, I watched the look on the prime minister's face as he grew more and more uneasy. His face tightened, and so I spoke up. I said to my colleagues -- of course the vast majority of whom were not Jewish -- why those of us who want to avoid a nuclear Iran are so passionate about acting now.
I told them that there were many Jews in America in the '30s, many of whom were in positions of influence, some of whom were in Congress. Hitler was a rising danger. His hatred of the Jewish people was well known. He had even detailed in print his plan to annihilate the Jewish people, but too many people in the American establishment said, "Be careful. Hitler is just saber rattling. Mein Kampf, just rhetoric. Don't worry. Nothing bad will happen." Unfortunately, to our shame, the American-Jewish community largely sat back in the '30s. The establishment's argument, "Don't worry. Nothing bad will happen," won out. Even Saul Bloom, a leading Jewish congressman, a senior member of the House foreign affairs committee helped tamp down the fears, and of course we paid the worse price any people can pay. Six million of our brethren, one million of our children murdered in cold blood, and ever since then the Jewish people have vowed never, never again. (Applause)
The current president of Iran, his analogies, the analogies to the '30s are stunning. He too denies the very existence of the Holocaust. He denies the murder of six million of our brethren. He wants nothing more than to see the homeland of the Jewish people, eretz yisrael wiped off the planet. This is not just isolated crazy talk from some two-bit terrorist or anti-Semitic extremist. This is venomous hate speech from a head of state who seeks to transform Iran into the dominant military force in the whole Middle East. When there are fears and plausible scenarios that the Jewish people could be in mortal danger, we must never repeat the complacency of the '30s. (Applause) We must never, never again.
……….Can we really call this saber rattling we're on the -- when they're on the edge of developing the most awesome and deadly weapons mankind has ever known? Diplomatic efforts have failed. We are too close to simply continue those efforts. (Applause) I believe that when it comes to Iran, we should never take the military option off the table, but I have long argued (Applause) that economic sanctions can right now be the best way to choke Iran's nuclear ambitions.
………..The Iranian people crave economic advancement more than anything else. They are not a poor country, but a middle-class country. Average income in Iraq, $2600; average income in Iran, $8,000. If the Iranian people are prevented from seeing economic progress, they're far more likely to take to the streets in an attempt to throw off the yoke of this oppressive brutal governing regime.
Now, some sanctions should be imposed multilaterally. We have a better chance to do that. President Sarkozy who, as you know, is part Jewish, Chancellor Merkel are much more focused on the Iranian threat than their predecessors Chirac and Schroeder, who did nothing. But Russia and China, both UN Security Council members with veto power, constantly drag their feet. China, one of the biggest investors in Iran's energy section -- sector, $80 billion, has a particularly strong interest in delaying sanctions. That is why once and for all the U.S. must hit Iran first on our own with unilateral sanctions no matter what the other nations of the world do -- (applause) -- and we cannot wait. We must push those sanctions now. There is no time to wait. (Applause) Iran is on the verge of becoming nuclear and we cannot and must not afford that. (Applause)
…….Now, I know that Iran is Israel's number one focus, but of course there are many other issues before us. Like you, I am deeply concerned about the security of eretz yisrael. Let me be clear. A majority of Israelis want peace and a two-state solution. Prime Minister Netanyahu wants peace and a two-state solution. AIPAC wants peace and a two-state solution. I want peace and a two-state solution.
Now, there are a lot of people of good will in Europe and here in the United States that have the attitude, "Oh, gee whiz, if only we could get the Israelis and Palestinians to the table. If only we could get them to sit down and discuss the matters rationally and calmly, of course there'd be peace." That, unfortunately, is wishful thinking. That, unfortunately, is not the case. The gee whiz people ignore sad but singular truth that we must constantly remind our friends to this day too many Arabs and too many Palestinians do not believe there should be a Jewish state in the Middle East. Let me repeat that. Too many Arabs and too many Palestinians do not believe there should be any Jewish state in the Middle East.
Their view goes as follows. They say western Europeans treated the Jews badly for centuries. All Europeans treated the Jews badly for centuries. Anti-Semitism was a very real problem they might say culminating in the horror of the Holocaust, but it was Europe's problem, not ours. And yet as recompense the Palestinians, many of the Arabs say, the western Europeans gave the Jews our land. Of course, this view ignores the Jewish people's long and continuing ties to the land of Israel, but that's their view and we have to remember it. They deny Israel's legitimacy, but they know that as long as the bond between the U.S. and Israel is unbreakable, there will always be a strong secure Jewish state in the Middle East. And so they work diligently and very, very cleverly at weakening that bond. They seek to drive a wedge between the U.S. and Israel because doing so will delay the day when they have to sit down and talk seriously about peace.
It is very important that we make clear -- we as a nation make clear to Israel and indeed the entire world that despite our differences, such as those displayed all too publicly last week, that nothing will ever divide Israel and America. (Applause) The bond, the bond between the U.S. and Israel will be maintained regardless of the ups and downs of the peace process, regardless of the internal Israeli politics. The bond we must remind particularly the Arab world between the U.S. and Israel is immutable and unbreakable through good times and the bad……….
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Rahm Emanuel: "You Lie"
Emanuel to rabbis: US 'screwed up'
http://www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?id=175654
5/16/2010
The Obama administration has “screwed up the messaging” about its support for Israel over the past 14 months, and it will take “more than one month to make up for 14 months,” White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel said on Thursday to a group of rabbis called together for a meeting in the White House........
Really? It's the message???.....Wanna Buy a bridge in NY? For all of you who couldn't understand "Obama hates Israel", let his court Jew explain it to you.
“But concerning policy, we have done everything that we can that is in Israel’s security – and long-range interests. Watch what the administration does.”
But in the same piece, he gives one more excuse why the US will not confront Iran in any way.
The sanctions that are being drawn up will not be incremental and will impact the Iranian economy in a serious way, Emanuel was quoted as saying. But the sequence is important, he said, and has to be first UN sanctions, followed by EU ones, and then, finally, by steps from Washington.
http://www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?id=175654
5/16/2010
The Obama administration has “screwed up the messaging” about its support for Israel over the past 14 months, and it will take “more than one month to make up for 14 months,” White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel said on Thursday to a group of rabbis called together for a meeting in the White House........
Really? It's the message???.....Wanna Buy a bridge in NY? For all of you who couldn't understand "Obama hates Israel", let his court Jew explain it to you.
“But concerning policy, we have done everything that we can that is in Israel’s security – and long-range interests. Watch what the administration does.”
But in the same piece, he gives one more excuse why the US will not confront Iran in any way.
The sanctions that are being drawn up will not be incremental and will impact the Iranian economy in a serious way, Emanuel was quoted as saying. But the sequence is important, he said, and has to be first UN sanctions, followed by EU ones, and then, finally, by steps from Washington.
Rabbi Moline, like Rabbi Wise for FDR, does PR for Obama
Emanuel to rabbis: US 'screwed up'
http://www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?id=175654
5/16/2010
The Obama administration has “screwed up the messaging” about its support for Israel over the past 14 months, and it will take “more than one month to make up for 14 months,” White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel said on Thursday to a group of rabbis called together for a meeting in the White House........
Really? It's the message???.....Wanna Buy a bridge in NY? For all of you who couldn't understand "Obama hates Israel", let his court Jews explain it to you.
In addition to Emanuel and Ross, the other administration officials in the meetings were Dan Shapiro, the deputy national security adviser who supervises policy for Israel and its neighbors; Susan Sher, the chief White House liaison to the Jewish community; and Danielle Borin, associate director of the White House Office of Public Engagement and special assistant to Vice President Joe Biden
In case anyone can't remember the 1940's, FDR had a large contingent of Jews in his cabinet as well. FDR's Rabbi, Rabbi Steven Wise, denounced any Jew who dared question FDRs inaction in the Shoah. As we all know, FDR refused to bomb even one track to the gas chambers. As far as I know, FDR never sat in an anti-Semitic, anti-American church in his formative years. Can you imagine Obama doing one thing to help Israeli Jews?
Don't take my word for it, see what Sen. Chuck Schumer and Mayor Ed Koch have to say about it.....
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2010/03/29/never_again_will_we_be_silent_104961.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ed-koch/a-dangerous-silence_b_534809.html
http://www.aipac.org/PC2010/webPlayer/mon_schumer10.asp
And now we have Obama's Rabbi making sure the rank and file Jews don't start thinking for themselves.......
Jack Moline, a Conservative rabbi at Congregation Agudas Achim in Alexandria, Virginia, initiated the two meetings after a talk he had with Emanuel about the Obama administration’s perceived deficit of friendliness toward Israel. The meetings were part of a charm offensive after the Obama-Netanyahu meeting last month.
Moline said the rabbis, all of whom attended both of the meetings, were selected because of the high profiles they have in their communities, and because they had concerns about how the Obama administration was conducting Middle East policy – but they had not displayed outright hostility to the president.
http://www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?id=175654
5/16/2010
The Obama administration has “screwed up the messaging” about its support for Israel over the past 14 months, and it will take “more than one month to make up for 14 months,” White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel said on Thursday to a group of rabbis called together for a meeting in the White House........
Really? It's the message???.....Wanna Buy a bridge in NY? For all of you who couldn't understand "Obama hates Israel", let his court Jews explain it to you.
In addition to Emanuel and Ross, the other administration officials in the meetings were Dan Shapiro, the deputy national security adviser who supervises policy for Israel and its neighbors; Susan Sher, the chief White House liaison to the Jewish community; and Danielle Borin, associate director of the White House Office of Public Engagement and special assistant to Vice President Joe Biden
In case anyone can't remember the 1940's, FDR had a large contingent of Jews in his cabinet as well. FDR's Rabbi, Rabbi Steven Wise, denounced any Jew who dared question FDRs inaction in the Shoah. As we all know, FDR refused to bomb even one track to the gas chambers. As far as I know, FDR never sat in an anti-Semitic, anti-American church in his formative years. Can you imagine Obama doing one thing to help Israeli Jews?
Don't take my word for it, see what Sen. Chuck Schumer and Mayor Ed Koch have to say about it.....
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2010/03/29/never_again_will_we_be_silent_104961.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ed-koch/a-dangerous-silence_b_534809.html
http://www.aipac.org/PC2010/webPlayer/mon_schumer10.asp
And now we have Obama's Rabbi making sure the rank and file Jews don't start thinking for themselves.......
Jack Moline, a Conservative rabbi at Congregation Agudas Achim in Alexandria, Virginia, initiated the two meetings after a talk he had with Emanuel about the Obama administration’s perceived deficit of friendliness toward Israel. The meetings were part of a charm offensive after the Obama-Netanyahu meeting last month.
Moline said the rabbis, all of whom attended both of the meetings, were selected because of the high profiles they have in their communities, and because they had concerns about how the Obama administration was conducting Middle East policy – but they had not displayed outright hostility to the president.
“The rabbis who were in this group were chosen because they’re in touch with their different congregations in different parts of the country,” Moline said.One source said the meeting was a sign that the administration was concerned they may “be losing the Jews.”
Did you get all that? Rabbi Moline has no concerns how Obama treats Israel, if Iran gets nukes, or Hezbollah gets scud weapons. What he is worried about, though, is the Jews may vote against his Messiah.
Again, we need to ask Rabbi Moline: "What scares you most, Obama's diminishing re-election chances or a nuclear holocaust on Israel?"
If Rabbi Wise is any indications, we know your answer and Israeli Jews better watch out.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Chuztpa Watch: "Israel's anti-terror campaign going too far"
The palestinians are complaining that Israel is "internationalizing" the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
It's almost as if the Israelis had advocated
1) Hijacking airplanes @ foreign airports
2) shooting up arab air terminals in greece
3) Blowing up mosques in turkey
4) Blowing up Arab community center in Argentina
5) Setting up clubs on European college campuses to scream at anyone who tries to discuss the 22 muslim states right to exist.
Oh, yeah. My mistake. That was the Arabs who did all that against Jewish and Israeli targets.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3848419,00.html
PA official: Israel's anti-terror campaign going too far
Israel overstepping boundaries with covert assassination campaign, Senior Palestinian source tells London-based newspaper; Egyptian official says Israel has stepped up anti-terror activity across Mideast
Israel is going too far by increasingly assassinating terrorists across the Middle East, a senior Palestinian official in Ramallah told London-based newspaper The Times.
"Israel is overstepping their boundaries," the Palestinian source was quoted as saying. "Other countries don’t want to become a killing field for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”
It's almost as if the Israelis had advocated
1) Hijacking airplanes @ foreign airports
2) shooting up arab air terminals in greece
3) Blowing up mosques in turkey
4) Blowing up Arab community center in Argentina
5) Setting up clubs on European college campuses to scream at anyone who tries to discuss the 22 muslim states right to exist.
Oh, yeah. My mistake. That was the Arabs who did all that against Jewish and Israeli targets.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3848419,00.html
PA official: Israel's anti-terror campaign going too far
Israel overstepping boundaries with covert assassination campaign, Senior Palestinian source tells London-based newspaper; Egyptian official says Israel has stepped up anti-terror activity across Mideast
Israel is going too far by increasingly assassinating terrorists across the Middle East, a senior Palestinian official in Ramallah told London-based newspaper The Times.
"Israel is overstepping their boundaries," the Palestinian source was quoted as saying. "Other countries don’t want to become a killing field for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Obama: F for Failure (on Iran)
http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Columnists/Article.aspx?id=166580
The Region: F for failure
By BARRY RUBIN 25/01/2010 05:28
Europeans ready to get tough on Iran, but Obama is showing no leadership. Talkbacks (0)
We must now face an extremely unpleasant truth: Even giving the Obama administration every possible break regarding its Iran policy, it is now clear that the US government isn't going to take strong action on the nuclear weapons issue. Note that I didn't even say "effective" action, I'm saying that it isn't even going to make a good show of trying seriously to do anything.
Some say that the administration has secretly or implicitly accepted the idea that Iran will get nuclear weapons and is now seeking some longer-term containment policy. I doubt that has happened. It is just not even this close to reality.
From its behavior, it still seems to expect, incredibly, that some kind of deal is possible with Teheran despite everything that has happened. Then, too, it may hope that the opposition - unaided by America - will overthrow the Iranian government and thus solve the problem. And it is too fixated on short-term games about seeking consensus among other powers; two of them - China and Russia - are clearly not going to agree to anything serious. This fact was clear many months ago, but the administration still doesn't recognize it.
Not only is the Obama administration failing the test but it is doing so in a way that seems to maximize the loss of US credibility in the region and the world. A lot of this comes from the administration's philosophy of unprecedented concepts of guilt, apology, defeatism and refusal to take leadership never seen before among past liberal Democratic governments from Franklin Roosevelt to Bill Clinton.
Yet the British, French and Germans are ready to get tough on Iran, yearning for leadership and not getting it.
All of this is watered down in media coverage, focused on day-to-day developments and swallowing many of the administration's excuses plus its endlessly repeated rhetoric that action is on the way. When the history of this absurdly failed effort is written, the story will be a shocking one.
IT WAS totally predictable that the Iranian government would not make a deal. It was totally predictable that Russia and China weren't going to go along with tougher sanctions. It was totally predictable that a failure by the US to take the leadership on the matter and instead depend on consensus would lead to paralysis. And it is totally predictable that a bungled diplomatic effort will produce an even more aggressive Iranian policy along with crisis and violence.
First, the administration set a September deadline for instituting increased sanctions and then, instead of following a two-track strategy of engagement alongside pressure, postponed doing anything while in talks with Iran.
Second, it refused to take advantage of the regime's international unpopularity and growing opposition demonstrations due to the alleged rigged June election for the presidency. On the contrary, it assured the Iranian regime it would not do so.
Third, the administration set a December deadline should engagement fail, then refused to recognize it had failed and did nothing. It is the failure even to try to meet this time limit by implementing some credible action that has crossed the line, triggered the point of no return.
Fourth, the US government kept pretending that it was somehow convincing the Chinese and Russians to participate, while there was never any chance of this happening. Indeed, this was clear from statements repeatedly made by leaders of both countries. Now, this duo has sabotaged the process without any cost inflicted by the US while making clear they will continue doing so.
Fifth, high-ranking US officials still speak of their continued eagerness to engage Iran and mention at least six months more of discussion efforts before anything is done about sanctions.
Sixth, the administration now defines sanctions as overwhelmingly focused on the Revolutionary Guards, who it cannot hurt economically, thus signaling to the Iranian regime that it will do nothing effective to hurt the country's economy. This means that even if and when sanctions are increased, they will be toothless.
All of these steps tell Iran's regime: full speed ahead on building nuclear weapons; repress your opponents brutally and the US will do nothing.
After these six failures, the US is now - in effect - resting. And that is the seventh failure. There are no signs that anything is changing in Washington.
To believe that the administration has learned anything, we would have to see the following: An angry US government which feels that Iran's regime made it look foolish; a calculating administration that believes the American people want it to get tough and gain politically from being seen as decisive; a great power strategy that would make an example of Iran to show what happens to a bunch of repressive dictators who defy the US and spit on its friends and interests; and a diplomatically astute government that understands the uses of threats and pressure to force its opponent into a compromise.
There is not the slightest indication that the Obama administration holds any of these views. On the contrary, without any apparent realization of the absurdity of the situation, high-ranking officials keep repeating in January 2010 as in January 2009 that, some day, the US might do something to put pressure on Iran. Perhaps those in the administration who do understand what's wrong don't have the influence to affect the policy being set in the White House.
This is going to be a case study of how failing to deal with a problem sooner, even if that requires some diplomatic confrontations, will lead to a much bigger and costlier conflict later involving military confrontations.
The Region: F for failure
By BARRY RUBIN 25/01/2010 05:28
Europeans ready to get tough on Iran, but Obama is showing no leadership. Talkbacks (0)
We must now face an extremely unpleasant truth: Even giving the Obama administration every possible break regarding its Iran policy, it is now clear that the US government isn't going to take strong action on the nuclear weapons issue. Note that I didn't even say "effective" action, I'm saying that it isn't even going to make a good show of trying seriously to do anything.
Some say that the administration has secretly or implicitly accepted the idea that Iran will get nuclear weapons and is now seeking some longer-term containment policy. I doubt that has happened. It is just not even this close to reality.
From its behavior, it still seems to expect, incredibly, that some kind of deal is possible with Teheran despite everything that has happened. Then, too, it may hope that the opposition - unaided by America - will overthrow the Iranian government and thus solve the problem. And it is too fixated on short-term games about seeking consensus among other powers; two of them - China and Russia - are clearly not going to agree to anything serious. This fact was clear many months ago, but the administration still doesn't recognize it.
Not only is the Obama administration failing the test but it is doing so in a way that seems to maximize the loss of US credibility in the region and the world. A lot of this comes from the administration's philosophy of unprecedented concepts of guilt, apology, defeatism and refusal to take leadership never seen before among past liberal Democratic governments from Franklin Roosevelt to Bill Clinton.
Yet the British, French and Germans are ready to get tough on Iran, yearning for leadership and not getting it.
All of this is watered down in media coverage, focused on day-to-day developments and swallowing many of the administration's excuses plus its endlessly repeated rhetoric that action is on the way. When the history of this absurdly failed effort is written, the story will be a shocking one.
IT WAS totally predictable that the Iranian government would not make a deal. It was totally predictable that Russia and China weren't going to go along with tougher sanctions. It was totally predictable that a failure by the US to take the leadership on the matter and instead depend on consensus would lead to paralysis. And it is totally predictable that a bungled diplomatic effort will produce an even more aggressive Iranian policy along with crisis and violence.
First, the administration set a September deadline for instituting increased sanctions and then, instead of following a two-track strategy of engagement alongside pressure, postponed doing anything while in talks with Iran.
Second, it refused to take advantage of the regime's international unpopularity and growing opposition demonstrations due to the alleged rigged June election for the presidency. On the contrary, it assured the Iranian regime it would not do so.
Third, the administration set a December deadline should engagement fail, then refused to recognize it had failed and did nothing. It is the failure even to try to meet this time limit by implementing some credible action that has crossed the line, triggered the point of no return.
Fourth, the US government kept pretending that it was somehow convincing the Chinese and Russians to participate, while there was never any chance of this happening. Indeed, this was clear from statements repeatedly made by leaders of both countries. Now, this duo has sabotaged the process without any cost inflicted by the US while making clear they will continue doing so.
Fifth, high-ranking US officials still speak of their continued eagerness to engage Iran and mention at least six months more of discussion efforts before anything is done about sanctions.
Sixth, the administration now defines sanctions as overwhelmingly focused on the Revolutionary Guards, who it cannot hurt economically, thus signaling to the Iranian regime that it will do nothing effective to hurt the country's economy. This means that even if and when sanctions are increased, they will be toothless.
All of these steps tell Iran's regime: full speed ahead on building nuclear weapons; repress your opponents brutally and the US will do nothing.
After these six failures, the US is now - in effect - resting. And that is the seventh failure. There are no signs that anything is changing in Washington.
To believe that the administration has learned anything, we would have to see the following: An angry US government which feels that Iran's regime made it look foolish; a calculating administration that believes the American people want it to get tough and gain politically from being seen as decisive; a great power strategy that would make an example of Iran to show what happens to a bunch of repressive dictators who defy the US and spit on its friends and interests; and a diplomatically astute government that understands the uses of threats and pressure to force its opponent into a compromise.
There is not the slightest indication that the Obama administration holds any of these views. On the contrary, without any apparent realization of the absurdity of the situation, high-ranking officials keep repeating in January 2010 as in January 2009 that, some day, the US might do something to put pressure on Iran. Perhaps those in the administration who do understand what's wrong don't have the influence to affect the policy being set in the White House.
This is going to be a case study of how failing to deal with a problem sooner, even if that requires some diplomatic confrontations, will lead to a much bigger and costlier conflict later involving military confrontations.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
You might be a primal Jew
PrimalJEW
1) If you believe saving a Jewish life is our biggest responsibility.
2) If you think there is no moral equivalence between Israel and the terrorists who seek to destroy it
3) If you think “high minded” anti-Israel Jews are the latest in a long line of “use-full” idiots
4) If you take Iran at its word that they want to wipe Israel off the map
5) If you believe the UN has become (as it was anything else before) a sad, but dangerous, joke
6) If you believe those who hate Israel also hate Jews
7) If you recognize the greatest threat to world peace is Islamic terrorism
8) If you are un-easy giving the US State Department the keys to Israel survival
9) If the media coverage of Israel drives you crazy
10) If the current state of affairs vis-à-vis our community wants to make you scream
1) If you believe saving a Jewish life is our biggest responsibility.
2) If you think there is no moral equivalence between Israel and the terrorists who seek to destroy it
3) If you think “high minded” anti-Israel Jews are the latest in a long line of “use-full” idiots
4) If you take Iran at its word that they want to wipe Israel off the map
5) If you believe the UN has become (as it was anything else before) a sad, but dangerous, joke
6) If you believe those who hate Israel also hate Jews
7) If you recognize the greatest threat to world peace is Islamic terrorism
8) If you are un-easy giving the US State Department the keys to Israel survival
9) If the media coverage of Israel drives you crazy
10) If the current state of affairs vis-à-vis our community wants to make you scream
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Silly (but dangerous) Jews in Academia; Whitewash
Compare UCSB reaction to this story about Nazi professor and recent supreme court opinion on "hostile" academic environments below.......
Prof Who Compared Nazi, Israeli Actions Is Safe
FREE SPEECH -- A faculty committee has notified U.C. Santa Barbara sociology professor William I. Robinson that it has found "no probable cause" to pursue complaints about his invitation to students to compare photos of the Nazi assault on Jews and of the Israeli Defense Force's assault on Gaza.....
The dispute dates to an e-mail message that Robinson sent to the approximately 80 students in January in a course about sociology and globalization. The e-mail contained an article criticizing the Israeli military's actions in Gaza. Part of the e-mail was an assemblage of photos from Nazi Germany's persecution of Jews and from Israel's actions in Gaza. Students were invited to look at the "parallel images." A message from Robinson argued that Gaza would be like "Israel's Warsaw."
Following that letter, two students in the course dropped the class and filed complaints against Robinson. One student wrote that she felt "nauseous" upon reading the e-mail, and felt it was inappropriate. A second student complaint accusing Robinson of being unprofessional -- also from a student who dropped the course after receiving the e-mail -- said that Robinson has "clearly stated his anti-Semitic political views in this e-mail."
http://www.freedomforum.org/templates/document.asp?documentID=13270
High court turns away professor's free-speech claim
By The Associated Press
Editor's note: The Associated Press reported April 9, 2002, that John Bonnell's lawsuit against Macomb Community College had been dismissed. Bonnell served an unpaid suspension of one semester the fall of 2001 after the U.S. Supreme Court refused to intervene in his case.
LANSING, Mich. — The U.S. Supreme Court will not hear the appeal of an English professor who was suspended from a community college for using obscenities in class.
In a March opinion, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati ruled that Macomb Community College's right to protect its students against a "hostile learning environment" outweighed John Bonnell's free-speech rights.
Bonnell appealed to the Supreme Court, which declined without comment Oct. 9 to hear his appeal.
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2005/04/04/nazi
Nazi Loses Teaching Job
April 4, 2005
In an interview, Pluss stressed his academic credentials (a University of Chicago Ph.D. in medieval history) and his commitment to keeping his politics out of his teaching. "I never brought my beliefs into the classroom or shared them with my colleagues," he said. He said it would be "complete nonsense" to say that Nazis shouldn't teach at colleges.
"Many of us have political views. Some are mainstream, some are extreme, some are left and some are right," he said. "I just stick to teaching the material."
Prof Who Compared Nazi, Israeli Actions Is Safe
FREE SPEECH -- A faculty committee has notified U.C. Santa Barbara sociology professor William I. Robinson that it has found "no probable cause" to pursue complaints about his invitation to students to compare photos of the Nazi assault on Jews and of the Israeli Defense Force's assault on Gaza.....
The dispute dates to an e-mail message that Robinson sent to the approximately 80 students in January in a course about sociology and globalization. The e-mail contained an article criticizing the Israeli military's actions in Gaza. Part of the e-mail was an assemblage of photos from Nazi Germany's persecution of Jews and from Israel's actions in Gaza. Students were invited to look at the "parallel images." A message from Robinson argued that Gaza would be like "Israel's Warsaw."
Following that letter, two students in the course dropped the class and filed complaints against Robinson. One student wrote that she felt "nauseous" upon reading the e-mail, and felt it was inappropriate. A second student complaint accusing Robinson of being unprofessional -- also from a student who dropped the course after receiving the e-mail -- said that Robinson has "clearly stated his anti-Semitic political views in this e-mail."
http://www.freedomforum.org/templates/document.asp?documentID=13270
High court turns away professor's free-speech claim
By The Associated Press
Editor's note: The Associated Press reported April 9, 2002, that John Bonnell's lawsuit against Macomb Community College had been dismissed. Bonnell served an unpaid suspension of one semester the fall of 2001 after the U.S. Supreme Court refused to intervene in his case.
LANSING, Mich. — The U.S. Supreme Court will not hear the appeal of an English professor who was suspended from a community college for using obscenities in class.
In a March opinion, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati ruled that Macomb Community College's right to protect its students against a "hostile learning environment" outweighed John Bonnell's free-speech rights.
Bonnell appealed to the Supreme Court, which declined without comment Oct. 9 to hear his appeal.
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2005/04/04/nazi
Nazi Loses Teaching Job
April 4, 2005
In an interview, Pluss stressed his academic credentials (a University of Chicago Ph.D. in medieval history) and his commitment to keeping his politics out of his teaching. "I never brought my beliefs into the classroom or shared them with my colleagues," he said. He said it would be "complete nonsense" to say that Nazis shouldn't teach at colleges.
"Many of us have political views. Some are mainstream, some are extreme, some are left and some are right," he said. "I just stick to teaching the material."
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