"It's like my ex-wife. 21 different personalities and 7 of them hated me."

I have always tried to keep this blog non-personal. I may have told a few stories about my life or some minor details, but (as they say):

THAT IS ABOUT TO CHANGE!!!!

AS those of you who know me personally probably already know, my wife of two years and I are in the process of getting divorced. Yesterday, she crossed a line that it would be an understatement to say was way too far.

She called the police on me!!!

Now this may sound harsher than it really was, but I first need to give a tiny bit of background information.

For the last two weeks I have not been living at home and have visited as often as possible in order to spend some quality time with our 7 month old son. Sometimes they were home, and sometimes they were not (eventhough it can be debated as to whether she said she's be there or not...whatever)

At our final joint meeting with the therapist last Sunday, my (soon to be) ex declared to the surprise of both me and the therapist that will will not allow me to be alone with our son and will refuse to allow me to take him to the park or (god-forbid) to see his grandparents. The therapist told her that she was skating on thin ice to declare something like that and she should be careful since the best way to do this is amicably (sp???).

I showed up yesterday morning when I knew she would be home in order to see J-cop Jr. He seemed quite pleased to see me (he didn't seem angry at me, so she hasnt instilled that in him yet) and we played together for about 20 min. I then declared that since it's such a beautiful day outisde, I'd like to take him for a walk around the block in his stroller. She started ranting and raving, screaming at me that she wont allow it and will do whatever she can to stop me. I calmly told her that I'm only taking him for a walk around the block and we'll be back in 20 minutes or so. She quickly jumped up, locked and barricated the door and stood in front of it adamently telling me that she will not allow this.

As a side note: I had consulted with my lawyer beforehand and he told me that she has no right to make demands about me only being with him under her supervision. I did not do this maliciously, I just wanted to take him out for a walk, (no evil intentions.)

She made a phone call (I assume to her lawyer, but don't know for sure) and left a message. She then told me that if I try and leave she would call the police which she then did. She trold the dispatcher that I left home two weeks ago and have come back to forcefully take my son. This obviously was not true, but I had no way to get the truth across. She then called her parents (her security blanket) and told them that I was trying to kidnap J-cop Jr. but was stopped by her calling of the police.

Being a former cop and knowing the law, I knew I couldn't leave at that time, so I sat back down, J-cop Jr. in arm and waited. Ten minutes later, the phone rang and STBex answered. she spoke for a minute and then handed me the phone. The cop introduced himself and I then informed him that I am a former cop and know that I'm allowed to do this. He asked me a few questions about the situation (have we filed, are there any injuctions against me, etc.) No to all of them. He told me (which I already knew) that the police can't get involved in these situations, but he suggests I do the smart thing instead of the legal thing and not piss her off at this stage. Having been on the other end of these kinda situations, I knew he was right and besides J-cop Jr. had already fallen asleep in my arms. He wished me well and hung up.

I then placed J-cop Jr. in his crib to nap and then left.

She is not making this easy on any of us. Hopefully, the fact that she finally gave me her lawyer's name and number last night means that they have decided to not make this too ugly. (I'm probably deluded myself into thinking this, but I've always been and always will be an optimist)

Guess, we'll find out after my lawyer talks to hers on Sunday.

On that note,

Shabbat shalom

J.


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The possibility that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just.
– Abraham Lincoln

"...and Fern was up at daylight trying to rid the world of injustice"

This was posted in my comments section and I wanted to share it with everyone.

J.

COMMENTARY ON ISRAELI ELECTION RESULTS

BY: FERN SIDMAN

The election results are in and the immediate future of Israel is in deep peril. Despite the low voter turnout, it appears that the Kadima, Labor and Meretz coalition has taken power with the lowest coalition majority in the history of the state.

At Mr. Olmert’s victory speech, his ominous policies were clearly vocalized. “The people have spoken clearly, they want Kadima,” Olmert boomed, adding that the dream of the Greater Land of Israel must be repudiated “and Jews, with much pain, must be evacuated.”

Olmert’s words were echoed by Shimon Peres of Kadima, who announced Tuesday night that the future coalition will be one that will promote the “turning inward” plan – a new euphemism for unilateral withdrawals that frames the forced evictions as moving outlying towns to the delineated settlement blocs.

And who is really celebrating tonight?? You guessed it. The Arabs. While they spew forth their vituperative towards the State of Israel and plan it’s destruction, our Jewish leaders fall all over themselves attempting to make “peace” with those who seek our destruction. The Arabs are also elated because the Arab parties received 10 seats in the next Knesset.

When did we ever believe that this would occur? Let us remember the words of Rabbi Meir Kahane, ZT”L who said that Arabs would eventually become a majority and quietly, democratically vote Israel out of existence. We have now witnessed the beginning of this phenomenon.

“The ultimate hope of the Arabs who dream of destroying the Jewish State, of realizing that vision, is the left-liberal camp inside Israel” Rabbi Meir Kahane - (Israel: Revolution or Referendum?, 1990, page 62)

It is also apparent that the government of Israel seeks to quell the right of free speech, a basic component of a democratic government. This was evidenced when MK Michael Kleiner of Herut came to Jaffa, in a last-minute effort to solicit Arab votes. Kleiner's supporters posted signs in Arabic in Jaffa, and in other Arab towns throughout Israel, urging Arabs to vote for him, in the upcoming Israeli national elections. Kleiner is promising to push for legislation of a law that would pay Arabs to leave Israel.

According to recent surveys, as many as 50 percent of the "Palestinians" would gladly leave Israel if they were given start-up funds to begin a new life elsewhere.

Local Arab leaders incited a riot, and police refused to allow Kleiner to come back to Jaffa. Kleiner also filed complaints against Tel Aviv Councilman Rifat Torik for incitement and his statements in support of the attacks against party activists, who Kleiner maintains were in life-threatening danger.

It is clear that anyone who proposes the idea of transfer of the Arab population is subject to harassment and arrest and severe prosecution. Anyone who attempts to promulgate the idea of self preservation of the Jewish people and the Jewish State is viewed as a villain, a criminal, a fomenter of unrest. Anyone who speaks the Torah truth, who speaks of the uniqueness of the Jewish people, who declares the Oneness and Omnipotence of the G-d of Israel is subject to ridicule, and worse, arrest and imprisonment.

The powers that be in the Israeli government cannot quash the truth. They cannot silence those whose belief in and adherence to the laws of Hashem and His Torah, are their first priority. We can no longer remain blind to the truth. And the truth is the Arabs are indeed on their way to becoming a majority in the State of Israel. Rather than being voted out of existence by the Arab in this ostensible democracy, we must raise our collective voices in protest of the impending destruction of Israel. We must summon up the strength and courage to do the will of Hashem. We must purge the malignant Arab population before it is too late. May Hashem be at our side.

11:07 PM, March 29, 2006

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The possibility that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just.
– Abraham Lincoln

"I want a show developed based on the activities of a terrorist group, "Joseph Stalin and His Merry Band of Bolsheviks,"

caption: An Ultra-Orthodox Jewish man casts his ballot at a polling station in Jerusalem (Jerry Lampen/Reuters)



Jameel from the Muqata just sent me this article from the Times online.

You'd think their reporter would know who Joe Stalin was ...not an ultra-othodox Jew.

I wouldn't be surprised if they corrected this by the time you click on the link.

J.
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The possibility that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just.
– Abraham Lincoln

"I shall be damned if I am persuaded by something as ugly as political corruption. So, I'd like for you to take your threats and ..getoff my property"

Full Quote: "I shall be damned if I am persuaded by something as ugly as political corruption. So, I'd like for you to take your threats and your sheriff and get off my property."


After having read thru a number of political endorsements, I have chosen to vote with my heart and give my vote to Hazit. They may not get in, but at least I'll be able to sleep at night knowing that I voted fopr the party who most represents my ideals. Most (if not all) politicians are able to be bought for the right price, so I wouldn't trust any of the 120 who get in, but I believe my heart will take me in the right direction.

To read a few endorsements, click on the name of the site.

Happy election day

JoeSettler
Jameel
Purple Parrot
Ze'ev

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The possibility that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just.
– Abraham Lincoln

"Total honesty in advertising began as a vision I had when I was a young ad man in Milwaukee..."

JoeSettler has an interesting video on his site about Baruch Marzel

See it for yourself Here


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The possibility that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just.
– Abraham Lincoln

"Just focus on the music, think melody, let the music be my guide."

Since everyone is getting stressed out about the elections, I thought I'd have some fun today.


I picked up this meme courtesy of Annabel Lee. Seems like it would be fun.

The rules: Go to your music player of choice and put it on shuffle. Say the following questions aloud, and press play. Use the song title as the answer to the question.

1. How does the world see you? Hotel California - The Eagles

2. Will I have a happy life? - The Power of a Dream - Celine Dion from the Olympics

3. What do my friends really think of me? - Missing you - John Waite

4. Do people secretly lust after me? - Eye of the Tiger - Survivor

5. How can I make myself happy? - Right Kind of Wrong - Leann Rimes

6. What should I do with my life? Talking' Baseball - Terry Cashman

7. Will I ever have children? Manic Monday - The Bangles

8. What is some good advice for me? - Cheap Seats - Alabama

9. How will I be remembered? - Have you Ever Really Loved a Woman?- Bryan Adams

10. What is my signature dancing song? Electric Blue - Icehouse

11. What do I think my current theme song is? Hello Vietnam - Johnny Wright

12. What does everyone else think my current theme song is? Loo Yehi (if only it was) - Hebrew song sung by HaGashash HaIvri

13. What song will play at my funeral? Mr. Jones - Counting Crows

14. What type of women do you like? Always - Erasure

15. What is my day going to be like? Whole New World - Theme from Aladdin

I'm gonna tag Jack, StepIma and JeruGuru

Enjoy the Elections!!!
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The possibility that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just.
– Abraham Lincoln

"Are you going with a right-wing rock 'n roll star?"

I know this was printed last wednesday, but it was just sent to me.

The Right could win it all. Here's how
By Bradley Burston


Wednesday, 22 March (6 days to Election Day)


Three years ago this week, the right was all there was.

Likud leader Ariel Sharon was at the height of his popularity as prime minister. He had just won re-election in an unprecedented landslide, crushing the left and more than doubling the Likud's strength in the Knesset, with the party controlling 40 seats.

No one had yet ever heard Sharon utter the word disengagement. Israel seemed more firmly in control of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank than ever before.

On paper at least, Israel had the most right-wing government in its history. Anchored by the Likud, which was on record as opposing territorial concessions, the hard line on the Palestinians was bolstered by the settler-dominated National Religious Party and the far-right National Union-Yisrael Beiteinu.

So much for "on paper."

It has taken the Right most of the current election campaign to recover from the disengagement, and the consequent protracted recriminations that led the NRP and the National Union to feud, and the Likud to disintegrate.

In recent weeks, however, the Right has taken steps to resuscitate itself. NRP and the National Union have run a savvy, attractive campaign that has managed to reach out both to its settler/right/religious constituency and to the undecided public at large.

Avigdor Lieberman's Russian immigrant-based Yisrael Beiteinu, the National Union's former political partner on the hard right, is generally viewed as the surprise success of the current campaign. With a sharply focused yet humanizing campaign managed by former Netanyahu maestro Arthur Finkelstein, Lieberman has begun attracting votes from veteran Israelis.

Lieberman has also stayed in the news with a combination punch of novel proposals (he has volunteered to leave his settlement, Nokdim, under a plan which would cede Israeli Arab towns like Umm al-Fahm to Palestinian control) and tough pronouncements.

Earlier this month, when the IDF laid siege to the Jericho jail, Lieberman said that in order to safeguard soldiers' lives, Israel should not wait for the prisoners inside to give themselves up. Rather, he said, the air force should be ordered to bomb the facility until it was "erased," burying those still inside.

Lieberman's original mentor and patron, Netanyahu, has also hit the comeback trail hard. Reversing a campaign that had painted his tenure as finance minister in messianic tones, Netanyahu this week offered a prime time apology of sorts ["I know that some of you are still mad at me"] to his party's core constituency, the blue-collar Israelis hit hardest by his cutbacks to social welfare programs.

Does all this mean the Right could pull off one of the great upsets in Israeli politics and win it all come election day?

It might. Here's how.

1. Arab voters stay home on election day

Ironically, the overwhelmingly left-leaning Arab vote is crucial to any right-wing hopes of forming the next government.

This is because Israeli Arabs represent a substantial percentage of the voting public, and because an extraordinarily high percentage of them may refrain from voting on Tuesday.

Recent polls have shown that 46 to 50 percent of Israeli Arabs, disenchanted both with the broken promises of major parties and with the inattention and radical posturing of Arab lawmakers, may stay away from the polling places on election day.

Since the over one million Bedouin, Druze and other Arab citizens make up some 15 percent of the population, their voting potential is huge. Conversely, in the zero-sum reality of the Knesset race, every Israeli Arab who fails to vote may be effectively handing one more vote to the right wing.

2. Voter turnout on the right is astronomical

Of all of these factors, this is perhaps the most certain.

Studies have shown that rightist voters are likely to be more fervent than centrists or leftists in support of their parties of choice this time around. Thus, they are considered better bets to show a voter turnout much higher than that of the population at large.

The National Union-NRP campaign is fueled by the nation's premier organizational machine, the settlement movement, with its supporting wings in Israeli educational and religious institutions, the Yesha Council and the regional governments of the West Bank.

The highest voter turnout percentages are expected in the ultra-Orthodox parties, as senior rabbis and sages have made special efforts to mobilize yeshiva students and their communities as a whole to bring out the vote for the Ashkenazi United Torah Judaism and the Sephardi Shas.

"If they get less than 90 percent turnout," political analyst Hanan Krystal said this week, "a Commission of Inquiry should be convened."


3. The undecideds go right

Netanyahu and the Likud must attract back a critical mass of disenchanted voters for a right-wing government to be anything more than a pipe dream.

Likud strategists have thus targeted fence-sitting voters who in the past had been dyed in the wool Likudniks.

One of the primary hopes against hope on the right has been the large percentage of undecided voters, which until this week had accounted for as many as 26 of the Knesset's 120 seats.

A Haaretz-Channel 10 poll released late Tuesday showed that there had been a marked decline in undecided voters, to an equivalent total of 18 seats, but that the drop had not significantly changed the relative strengths along the political spectrum.

It had been assumed in the past that if there were a rise in terrorism just before the election, undecided voters would opt for the right, in particular the Likud. But the Likud lost most of its security figures when Ariel Sharon led his supporters out of the party late last year, and smaller right-wing parties may benefit as a result.

There has also been some evidence recently that some undecided voters are opting for Kadima, which, it may be said, is in itself something of an undecided entity.

4. Kadima voters take a victory for granted

Olmert may have been his own undoing when he said that the question of a Kadima victory was a matter not of whether the party would win, but of how big the margin would be.

Ever since Ariel Sharon suffered his massive stoke in the first week of January, there have been serious questions over the degree of commitment Kadima voters have for an Olmert-led party.

Many prospective Kadima voters, assuming that the party will win, may simply not take the trouble to vote again, shifting the center of electoral gravity a slight notch to the right.

Olmert is widely seen as a student of the Sharon rule of coalition building, neither on the left edge or the right be.

5. Lieberman wins big

Finklestein indicated this week that as surprising as Lieberman's showing has been so far, the real surprise may come next week.

In a blend of spin, sagacity and wishful thinking, the veteran campaign manager said that along with the nine or 10 seats Lieberman is expected to reap from the Russian immigrant community, Lieberman could take at least three from mainstream voters, yielding 12 or more seats.


6. The polls are wrong

The opinion survey taken this week showed Kadima with 36 Knesset seats, a marked drop from a few weeks ago, but still leading the pack by a wide margin.

Labor slid three seats in the poll to 17, and the Likud lost ground as well, down two to 14.

The polls have been wrong before, however, and by wide margins. If they are, the coalition picture may change, especially if

7. Olmert cannot field a 'Jewish majority'

Ariel Sharon's basic principle in forging coalitions was this: The ruling party, which was to say, his party, must place itself at the center of the government politically, with at least one party to its political right and at least one to its political left.

Should the polls prove wrong, and a rightist landslide present itself, the rightist bloc could gain as many as 56 seats or more, not enough to win on its own, but enough to deny Olmert what is known as a Jewish majority, or 61 Knesset seats exclusive of Arab parties.

This would effectively cancel Olmert's freedom to implement unilateral steps in the territories.

If the right scores significantly better than even its optimists expect, Olmert could be forced to opt for a government in which Kadima functions as the left margin, with the Likud, Yisrael Beitenu and the ultra-Orthodox rounding out the mix.

If all else fails

Even if Olmert wins, and wins big, the right wing could still emerge as the ultimate victor in the election. The issue of a further evacuation and withdrawal in the West Bank is, in essence, the only issue for the right wing. If, for any reason, Olmert cannot implement such a measure, and if, as expected, settlements will continue to grow, the right wing will have won.

In fact, the right may not have to lift a finger to bring this about. It is generally assumed that Olmert will be unable to effect any pullback until 2008 at the earliest. By then, there will be presidential election in the United States, and a new reality vis a vis the Palestinians.

In short, if at that point, Olmert lacks either the full support of the White House, or a clear majority at home in favor of a further withdrawal, there will be no evacuations, and the right, at least this time around, will have won.

Interesting theories, we can only hope and pray.

J.

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The possibility that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just.
– Abraham Lincoln

"That's the red-light district. I wonder why Savage is hanging around down there."

Saw this interesting article on ynet

Kosher phone line to be launched



Phone operator enters negotiations with rabbis on designating special fixed-line service for ultra-Orthodox sector that will block erotic calls
Gil Kalian


Cable, internet and fixed-line provider Hot was recently approached by the rabbis committee for communication affairs and asked to provide the haredi sector in Israel with a 'kosher' phone line service, Israel's leading newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported Thursday.


The proposed fixed-line service will be blocked for erotic calls, a blocking that will be implemented using a "black list" of phone numbers the rabbi committee will provide Hot.


In return, the committee will grant Hot with an official certification that will allow it to operate a phone line for the ultra-Orthodox population.


The rabbis committee on communication affairs was formed by representatives of the different sections of the haredi sector, that have
decided to render kosher the communication services used by the ultra-Orthodox population.


The committee has had one notable success so far, when it got cellular company Partner to launch a mobile phone that will be blocked to any type of cellular content, instant messages and erotic numbers, this after Partner was one of the sternest objectors to the committee's activity.


Cell company Mirs pioneered the kosher mobile phones in Israel, with Cellcom and Pelephone following in its footsteps soon after.

Now how do these Rabbi's know which phone numbers should be blocked????


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The possibility that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just.
– Abraham Lincoln

"I don't buy it. I don't endorse it. I just point the way."

JoeSettler gives his political analysis of the right-wing parties. Check it out here

Here's Batya's opinion on the elections and her endorsement.

Ze'ev at Israel perspectives has this to say about the elections

only 7 days left until the elections

J.

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The possibility that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just.
– Abraham Lincoln

"This isn't an election, this is a coup"

ELECTIONS BETWEEN PURIM AND PASSOVER
By Amir Shaviv

An arbitrary accident of fate, perhaps, set the date of Israel's general elections shortly after Purim, and not too long before Passover. What an irony!! One could not have found a more symbolic junction on the Jewish calendar for these elections. Here is why:

The electioneering campaign of the Israeli political parties is 100% a Purin event: a carnival of nonsense, where each candidate portrays himself as Mordechai and his rivals- as Hamans. A bacchanalia of drunk accusations and rumors, innuendo and hearsay that escalate as the E-day comes close. Ideologies change their costumes in order to attract the public, and the noise of the political groggers is thundering and deafening.

The days after the elections, however, turn suddenly into a 100% Passover atmosphere. Exit the drunken festival, enter the sober mood. Time for a serious look at Israel's trouble, time for building a Moses-and-Aaron coalition-type leadership, to face the looming threat of the various
contemporary Pharaohs-- and to plan Exodus dimension operations in response. Time to clear away the chametz and be very serious.

Hence why election day is so perfectly situated this year on the Jewish calendar. By chance--or is it a Divine sense of humor?


Amir Shaviv is an executive in the Joint Distribution Committee and a
former journalist who covered a number of Israeli election campaigns.





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The possibility that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just.
– Abraham Lincoln

" I call it performance art, but my friend Ariel calls it wasting time. History will decide."

Sharon Wakes From Coma – Declares He Is a Changed Man
By Tzvi Fishman

)Purim Satire( On the most electrifying day in Israel since Ben-Gurion declared Independence, news is spreading across the country that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon awoke during the night.
The Prime Minister was healthy, talking, and completely aware this morning. Israeli media have been covering the miraculous event with an attitude of what can only be described as jubilance - Israel's hero has come back to life. Even Sharon's most vociferous enemies have been silenced by the enormity of the event.

By midday, Sharon's situation had changed. News reports were less exuberant. Visitors were filmed leaving Sharon's hospital room looking worried and subdued. A rumor was spreading that the first thing that Sharon had asked for was a kippah [yarmulke]. By late afternoon, a photograph was leaked to the press showing Sharon, adorned in tefillin [phylacteries] and a prayer shawl, praying by the hospital room window. Surrounding him were right-wing Knesset candidate Baruch Marzel and Knesset members from the religious parties Shas, Agudah, and the National Union/NRP.

A thinner, tearful Sharon addressed the people of Israel at a press
conference this evening. With his head lowered, and in a soft, almost
embarrassed voice, he began by saying, 'Baruch Hashem, Thank G-d. In the
Supreme Court in Heaven, my soul was sentenced to eternal wandering, with
no comfort nor rest - just like all the settlers whom I uprooted from their
homes. But because of your prayers, I was granted a reprieve. I hope all
of you can find room in your hearts to forgive me for the terrible damage I
caused, and for leading our country astray.'

Before leaving the hospital, Sharon fired all of his cabinet members,
placing religious MKs in their place stead . He signed a Prime Ministerial order
placing Ehud Olmert under court arrest as a danger to public safety. 'His
advice was more venomous than Haman's," Sharon declared. He then went to the Kotel [Western Wall] to pray. As he walked toward the most significant religious place for Jews, the crowds shouted "Arik! Melech Yisrael [King of Israel]!"

For the next two weeks, before returning to his office, Sharon plans to journey around the country, visiting every single family he expelled from
Gush Katif and the Shomron. His goal is to personally beg for their forgiveness.

If Ariel Sharon's Kadima party wins the election, he says he will dismantle the party and unite all of the Jews in a new party, Brotherhood of the Brit [Covenant]. He further promises that within three months, Gaza City will be razed, the Arabs transferred to Egypt, and construction begun to rebuild Gush Katif.
Just before midnight, in a sensational, three-hour blitz, Israeli Air
Force bombers leveled the atomic reactor in Iran. After hearing that the mission was a success, Sharon held an emergency press conference, announcing that Israel's bombers could just as easily reach Paris and Moscow.

Following the press conference, Sharon bought an apartment in Kiryat Arba and expressed interest in joining the kollel [Torah study group] in Hebron.

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The possibility that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just.
– Abraham Lincoln

"Did you know that every Jewish holiday can be summed up in nine words? They tried to kill us. We won. Let's eat"

Just wanted to wish everyone a PURIM SAMEACH

Here are a few purim posts that I recommend:

First of all The Muqata has been doing parodies of many of the blogs in the J-blosphere.Some of them are really excellent.

Check out the Purim Codes over at Jack's Shack

Elie is planning a few highly anticipated Purim posts, to be posted later. Check it out at Eli's Expo

Orthomom has two posts about Purim, Check out Purim Perils and Purim Politics.

There are many more purim posts, let me know which ones you like.

Purim Sameach

J.



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The possibility that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just.
– Abraham Lincoln

"We can teach these barbarians a lesson in Western methods and efficiency that will put them to shame"

another great article sent to me by email

Shabbat Shalom

J.

AWAITING THE NEW FALL OF ROME


By Avi Davis




In his work, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, the historian
Edward Gibbon describes how a vacillating Roman Senate, with the army of
the Barbarian Goths at its city gate, debated fretfully about the Roman
Empire's future.
Apparently unknown to them, a civil rebellion, led by slaves and
domestics, had erupted within the city walls, leading to anarchy. Days
after the appearance of the enemy, the gates were opened from within
and the Barbarians poured
in to pillage Rome. Within a week, 1100 years of empire
building had come to a close.



Sixteen hundred years after that epochal event, it should surprise no
one that new barbarians threaten the safety and
security of the continent Rome once controlled When the
body of Ilan Halimi turned up last week on a railway track outside of
Paris the group responsible was identified as the Barbarians. Yet these
were not Goths, Huns or Vandals of ancient times, but Muslim criminals
whose intent was clearly to commit a racial murder. The torture to
which Halimi was subjected and the methods with which he was eventually
dispatched should remind everyone in Europe of the original
provenance of the term "barbarian" - that of men intent
on destruction of centers of Western culture and civilization.



The actions and justifications of the present day Barbarians, are of
course, more than a match for their
ancient predecessors. The brutal slaying of Halimi , a
young French Jew of no particular importance, has opened the eyes of
the European public to the dangers of the Muslim jihadist culture as no
other act of terrorism or criminality has done until now.Tens of
thousands protested the murder - recognized universally as an attack -
not on
just a Jew, but on France itself. Not even the brutal
slaying of Dutch filmmaker Theo Van Gogh or the murder of the gay Dutch
politician Pik Fortuyn has quite provided
the same political impact. That is because in the wake
of the recent French riots and the worldwide disturbances caused by
the publication of the Danish cartoons, European politicians now
recognize that radical Islamic sentiment is no longer confined to a few
scattered sects, focused on anti-Semitic provocations, who can be tamed
through dialogue
and discussion. It rather represents an ideological
pandemic spreading voraciously in European cities, which vouchsafes the
notion that the murder of Jews, gays, conservatives, journalists,
editors - and in fact anyone who is perceived as a barrier to Islam's
advance, entitles those with requisite religious belief to issue and
execute death warrants. And further, that flimsy , ignorant responses
and the cognitive dissonance of denial only fans these flames higher.



A word should certainly be offered to those secular humanists who
still believe that amelioration of the economic plight of Islamic urban
centers will substantially change the attitudes of the jihadists in
their midst.
This view not only ignores the historical pattern of the jihadist
culture and motivation; it is a sop to the Islamists - clerics and
leaders - who see such soft-pedaling as a weakness to be exploited. One
must wonder at the blindness of European politicians who still believe
that the fire bombings of synagogues, the murder and harassment of Jews
or the torching of Jewish businesses are merely isolated examples of
urban unrest, economic disenfranchisement or even latewnt
anti-Semitism. They are, in fact blows, aimed against Western
civilization. Imams and Islamic clerics throughout Europe have
prophesied for years about the West's imminent collapse. They do this
while employing the liberal values of tolerance, openness and dialogue
to protect their mosques while propagating hatred, racism and
incitement to murder beneath the shield of freedom of speech.


Most Western countries have not , as yet, recognized the
profundity of the threat. But for some there is a growing
measure of clarity. Last week Peter Costello, the
Australian treasurer, made public his government's opinion that those
who do not subscribe to Australian values or deny the supremacy of
Australian law over Islamic law should be denied both citizenship and
the right to enter Australia.
Costello went further, in an interview on television, in declaring that
even Australian citizens who fail to pass this basic litmus test should
be subject to deportation.
The Australian government, particularly its feisty prime minister John
Howard, have been well ahead of the rest of the world in legislating
firm controls against incitement
and racism emanating from their country's mosques. But
few Western leaders have been as forthright as Costello in recommending
deportation as a measure against a country's citizens for denying the
basic values upon which their own societies are founded.



Meanwhile, time is running short for Europe. Without
recognizing that an unbalanced emphasis on pluralism at the expense of
security, will gradually erode the moral superstructure of liberal
democracy, there will be thousands more Ilan Halimis - Jew and non-Jew
alike - tortured in third floor apartments and dying on the streets of
restive Islamic communities.



For that reason, no one should be deceived. Barbarism has
returned to Europe. But this time the barbarians are not
just outside the city, battering at the walls. They are inside it,
with sufficient political clout and public sympathy to open the gates
from within.



Avi Davis is a freelance journalist based in Los Angeles.

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The possibility that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just.
– Abraham Lincoln

"I want 50 per cent of ye plunder."

I was sent this article by a friend written by author Ann Coulter

Muslim bites dog

By Ann Coulter

Feb 15, 2006

The amazing part of the great Danish cartoon caper isn't that Muslims immediately engage in acts of mob violence when things don't go their way. That is de rigueur for the Religion of Peace. Their immediate response to all bad news is mass violence. That's a "dog bites man" story and belongs on page B-34, next to the grade school hot lunch menu and the birth notices.

After an Egyptian ferry capsized recently, killing hundreds of passengers, a whole braying mob of passengers' relatives staged an organized attack on the company, throwing furniture out the window and burning the building to the ground. Witnesses say it was the most violent ocean liner-related incident since Carnival Cruise Lines fired Kathie Lee Gifford.

The "offense to Islam" ruse is merely an excuse for Muslims to revert to their default mode: rioting and setting things on fire. These people have a serious anger management problem.

So it's not exactly a scoop that Muslims are engaging in violence. A front-page story would be "Offended Muslims Remain Calm."

What is stunning about this spectacle is that their violence is working. With a few exceptions, the media won't show the cartoons that incited mass violence around the globe (see the full gallery here). And yet, week after week, American patriots endure "The Boondocks" without complaint. Where's the justice here?

Perhaps we could put aside our national, ongoing, post-9/11 Muslim butt-kissing contest and get on with the business at hand: Bombing Syria back to the stone age and then permanently disarming Iran.

The mass violence by Muslims over some cartoons reminds us why we have to worry when countries like Iran start talking about having nukes. Iran is led by a lunatic who makes a big point of denying the Holocaust. Indeed, in response to the Muhammad cartoons, one Iranian newspaper is soliciting cartoons about the Holocaust. (So far the only submissions have come from Ted Rall, Garry Trudeau and The New York Times.)

Iran is certainly implying that it has nukes. Maybe they do, maybe they don't, but you can't take chances with berserk psychotics. What if they start having one of these bipolar episodes with a nuclear bomb?

If you don't want to get shot by the police, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, then don't point a toy gun at them. Or, as I believe our motto should be after 9/11: Jihad monkey talks tough; jihad monkey takes the consequences. Sorry, I realize that's offensive. How about "camel jockey"? What? Now what'd I say? Boy, you tent merchants sure are touchy. Grow up, would you?

In addition, I believe we are legally required to be bombing Syria right now. And unlike the Koran's alleged prohibition on depictions of Muhammad, I've got documentation to back that up!

Muslims in Syria torched the Danish Embassy a few weeks ago, burning it to the ground. According to everyone, the Syrian government was behind the attack -- the prime minister of Denmark, Condoleezza Rice and White House spokesman Scott McClellan. I think even the gals on "The View" have acknowledged that Damascus was behind this one.

McClellan said: "We will hold Syria responsible for such violent demonstrations since they do not take place in that country without government knowledge and support."

We are signatories to a treaty that requires us to do more than "hold Syria responsible" for this attack. Syria has staged a state-sponsored attack on our NATO partner on Danish soil, the Danish embassy. According to the terms of the NATO treaty, the United States and most of Europe have an obligation to go to war with Syria.

Or is NATO -- like the conventions of civilized behavior, personal hygiene and grooming -- inapplicable when Muslims are involved? Liberals complain about "unilateral action," but under the terms of a treaty created by Dean Acheson and the Democrats, France, Germany, Spain and Greece are all obliged to go to war with us against Syria. Why, it's almost like a coalition! OK, Mr. Commie: Saddle up!

Ann Coulter is the author of How to Talk to a Liberal (If You Must), Treason, Slander, and High Crimes and Misdemeanors.

Scary

J.
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The possibility that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just.
– Abraham Lincoln

"We have a pressing engagement; the war. Move inland."

DICHTER REVEALS OLMERT’S MAJOR EXPULSION PLAN


(IsraelNN.com) Former Shin Bet director, Avi Dichter, who is vying for a Kadima Party Knesset seat, over the weekend revealed Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s master expulsion plan.

Speaking to a Holon audience, Dichter spoke of the Kadima leader’s plan, the removal of most of the Jewish communities throughout Judea and Samaria.

According to Olmert, the plan provides for a number of major settlement blocs and a small number of secondary settlement blocs, but most of the existing communities will be uprooted and their residents ousted. Olmert feels that without a Palestinian Authority (PA) partner, he is compelled to act unilaterally, following the example of his predecessor, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

Explaining “there is no Palestinian partner,” Dichter added the disengagement will be different than Gaza, modeling after the northern Samaria expulsion where Israel continues maintaining security in the evacuated areas. Dichter stated that while civilians will be removed from the areas cited, the military presence would continue until such time the Palestinian Authority (PA) exhibits a willingness and an ability to combat terror and implement law and order.

Major settlement blocs will include Maale Adumim, Ariel, Gush Etzion and the Jordan Valley. Secondary blocs will include Hevron/Kiryat Arba, Ofra & Beit El, and Karnei Shomron & Kedumim.

Communities slated for removal include; In the Benjamin Council - Eli, Shilo, N’vei Tzuf, Psagot, Maale Michmas, and Maale Levonah.

In Samaria Council and northern Samaria - Itamar, Yitzhar, Elon Moreh, Har Bracha, Avnei Chafetz, Kedumim, Mevo Dotan, Hermesh and Tapuach.

In eastern Gush Etzion – Tekoa, Nokdim (El-David), Maale Amos and Metzad.

In southern Judea – Adora, P’nei! Hever, Main, Susia, Otniel, Neguhot, and Mitzpei Shalem.

Other communities include Kedar and Beit HaAravah in the Maale Adumim region.

Scary thought. I for some reason don't belive this time will go as quietly and smoothly (sic) as the last time.

Why is it that we have reached a point in time that Jews are treating Jews worse than our enemies would?

It seems the only way to stop this or even slow this process if by hoping that the "real" right gets more support during the elections this month and hopefully kadima wont be able to stand on its own.

J.


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The possibility that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just.
– Abraham Lincoln