Posted 9/22/2003 01:24:00 PM by Ocean Guy
Oslo: Failure of the Left; Road Map: Failure of the Right

Jonathan Gurwitz remembers a conversation he had with Shimon Peres after the famous handshake between Arafat and Yitzhak Rabin.

When I questioned again what compelled Peres to believe that Arafat, the terrorist, had changed, he delivered a brief, gruff response: "We have no other choice."

Therein lies the tragedy, not only for Israelis for whom riding a bus or eating at a restaurant has become a life-threatening act of faith, but also for the Palestinian people who hoped for an end to the poverty and isolation that are the handmaidens of Arafat's rejectionism, the Palestinian parents who dreamed of better lives for their children, an education and a state they could call their own.

International aid disappeared into Swiss banks and lined the pockets of Arafat henchmen. Palestinian schools became factories of hate and indoctrination centers for the cult of martyrdom. And at the moment of truth, Arafat rejected an offer of peace — with a Palestinian state and its capital in Jerusalem — to pursue his own violent, final solution.

In a report from the Jerusalem Post on the 10th anniversary of the Declaration of Principles and that famous handshake, the horrifying consequence of giving Arafat legitimacy was displayed by the first generation of Palestinians to grow up under his necrotic rule:

"'We want to defend Arafat and kill the Jews wherever they are,' said 10-year-old schoolgirl Aysheh Muhammad as she gripped a poster of Arafat outside his battered office Sunday, chanting slogans in his support along with her classmates. 'Show us your face, with our blood and souls, we will redeem you,' they screamed until they were hoarse."

Caroline Glick has more on the delusions of the left:

If Israel were to make concessions of any kind to the Palestinians as part of its move to expel, arrest, or kill Arafat, these concessions would only go to the unrepentant murderers who'd take his place. Surely Ross knows this. Surely Peres does, too. So the question must be asked. What is it that propels these urbane and cultivated men to such conclusions?

The answer was given three weeks ago by no less of an authority than Ian Buruma, in no less a venue than The New York Times. There, in an article titled "How to talk about Israel," Buruma explained, "The Palestinian cause has become the universal litmus test of liberal credentials." And so it is. In the wreckage of Oslo it is important to note who its greatest beneficiaries were. The Israelis? Our lives have become a crapshoot. The Palestinians? Their standard of living was decimated by Arafat's kleptocracy, while their children were brainwashed by its jihadist media.

No. The real beneficiaries of the Oslo process were people on the political Left like Peres and Ross and Annan and Clinton and their peace-activist friends. At Oslo, where Yasser Arafat and his PLO were crowned in glory and legitimacy, these men finally found a way to be pro-PLO and "pro-Israel."

But Oslo is not the only peace proposal that has failed. The Road Map is just as dead. If Oslo was a failure of the Left, then the Road Map is a failure of the Right.

In not defining clear consequences for the Arab failure to comply with the conditions of the Road Map, the plan’s architects doomed it to failure. The pragmatists still did/do not have the courage to be as tough as they need to be. As long as the Left has the influence to soften the Israeli stance, peace is extremely unlikely. The Arabs will take every concession offered as their right and will fight for more.

The fundamental difference between the hard-liners and the peaceniks is the left’s naïve belief that the Arabs really want to live peacefully alongside a Jewish State. They believe that a two-state solution is desired by the Arabs as much as it is accepted by the Israelis. They are wrong.

One need only look at the way the Arabs treat the common palestinian man. What actions in palestinian society offer any hope at all that they are willing to live in peace with a Jewish State? Sadly there are none. Once again I refer to Golda Meir’s wisdom in observing, "We will have peace with the Arabs when they love their children more than they hate us." Or, to paraphrase, We will have peace with the Arabs when they love their own people more than they hate us.

Posted 9/21/2003 12:22:00 PM by Ocean Guy
They can't govern themselves...

With the way Hamas is running things in Gaza and the PA refusing to confront the terrorists, what kind of country would be created? Is anyone ready to take responsibility for governing them? It's insanity to speak of a new state in the present circumstances.

The PLO/PA is being run by a bunch of terrorist thugs. Hamas and Hizbollah, and a variety of lesser gangs, competing to be the head Jew Killers… How can we even think about sovereignty for that gang?

The police had the audacity to arrest somone from Hamas and the response is....

"I was sitting outside my home when a yellow minivan pulled up," he recounted. "Three masked men carrying rifles and pistols got out of the vehicle and ordered me to get in. When I tried to resist, they hit me with the butts of their guns. They told me, 'You are a collaborator.'"
Sheikh's brother and mother, who were present at the scene, first thought that the kidnappers were undercover soldiers. He was blindfolded and bundled into the car, where three more armed men were sitting.

"They started beating me all over the body and I was bleeding non-stop," he added. "I was severely wounded in the eye and forehead." Sheikh said the kidnappers drove him to an undisclosed location, where he was held until Friday noon.

He said that all this time he was subjected to various methods of torture. "They beat me with chains, clubs, and pipes," he said. "I wasn't able to sleep for two days because of the pain. They told me, "You and [PA Security Minister Muhammad] Dahlan are traitors and Israeli spies."

Sickening, it's absolutley sickening.

Posted 9/17/2003 11:22:00 AM by Ocean Guy
Only 15 Things?

Rabbi Ephraim Shore lists 15 Things he doesn't understand about the Mid-East Peace Process. Among them:

4) When the PLO first demanded a state in 1964, it wanted every part of Israel except the West Bank and Gaza (which were then in the hands of Jordan and Egypt). Is it reasonable to assume that they now want only the West Bank and Gaza, or is that more likely a Trojan Horse-- as Palestinian leader Faisal al-Husseini described it in 2001 as a first step to destroy Israel...
6) Why has the United Nations passed far more condemnations against Israel than any other country -- including Iraq, Iran, Sudan, Chechnya, Saudi Arabia, Liberia, North Korea, and China combined -- while millions were massacred in these other places? And then how does the UN expect Israel to accept it as an impartial mediator?...
11) Why does the world call the West Bank "occupied" if it never belonged to the Palestinians? [Jordan controlled the West Bank for 19 years after conquering it in a war of aggression. It previously belonged to the Mamelukes, the Crusaders, the Ottoman Turks, and then Britain.] ...

Like me, you can probably think of a few more, but go read the rest.

Posted 9/17/2003 10:55:00 AM by Ocean Guy
Beware the Jawbreaker

"STARKE, Fla. -- Investigators in Bradford County and several state agencies are trying to figure out what caused a piece of candy to explode in a 9-year-old girl's face...

...Part of the piece of candy was taken to the Florida Law Enforcement crime lab in Jacksonville for analysis. Another part was still laying in the family's yard, covered by ants. "

Posted 9/17/2003 08:47:00 AM by Ocean Guy
Suicide Bombers as stategic weapons

Hat Tip to lgf: Anyone observing the campaign of terror the Arabs have waged against Israel, will know that suicide bombings are not random acts of crazed lunatics.

One of Pape's most important findings is that suicide terrorism is guided by clearly identifiable strategic goals. It is not a mere act of wanton cruelty, though it is certainly that. Nor is it an act of desperation by the dispossessed. Rather, suicide -attacks are nearly always carefully calibrated to accomplish the political goals of nationalists groups. Of the 188 suicide-terrorist strikes from 1980 to 2001, a whopping 95 percent were undertaken as part of an organized political campaign; that is, only 9 of the 188 attacks were unplanned.

This finding is certainly important but is it really a surprise?

For almost a century Arab Rulers in the region have manipulated and mistreated the people they rule for their own purposes. For 55 years the collective Arab leadership has manipulated and mistreated their palestinian brothers in their own selfish interest. Arafat and his thugs have manipulated and abused their subjects and have brainwashed them to the point that mothers gladly sacrifice their own children for the chance to kill a few Jews, even a single Jew. Arab mothers hate Jews more than they love their own children. Arafat, Abdullah, et al are thrilled to have it that way.

In such an atmosphere of hate it’s easy for Hamas and Fatah and al Aqsa martyrs to recruit their next weapons.

The sad thing is that we have continually demonstrated to the terrorists that their tactic works. The more Jews they kill the more concessions come from Israel. The more Jews that are killed the more the US pressures Israel to appease the terrorists. That pattern has been just as clear as the pattern that reveals their strategy of terror… But things are beginning to change.

September 11 instantly changed a lot of minds in the US . In articles like his Robert Pape is bringing light to our mistakes in dealing with the terrorists. The failure of Oslo changed a lot of minds in Israel. America’s successes in Afghanistan and Iraq have caused some changes in terror’s tactics. Tactically, we’ve changed and have caused some change in the terrorists M.O.

The most obvious change has been the attacks inside Saudi Arabia. The terrorists have bitten the hand that feeds them and are beginning to pay a price for it. Arafat has been confused by the change in American policy after 9-11, and his PA is in complete disarray. If not for the left in the west, he’d be gone altogether. (Whether or not that is a good thing is a topic for another post) But things are changing in the world of terror. As freedom gets a toe hold in Iraq, Syria and Jordan are beginning to feel the pressure. The terrorists are truly on the run. They are being forced to alter their tactics.

All that leads me to believe that we will begin to see many more suicidal murders. AS Arafat and the Arabs detect the tide changing, they’ll rely more on what has worked for them in the past… more terror. We in the US and too many in Israel are just beginning to stir for action. The tide may be turning but it’ll be a while before we really see significant change. Meanwhile, Arafat and his cronies will likely pick up the pace of terror killings. It breaks my heart to think of all the lives that will be wasted and ruined while we figure out that we’ve been handling things badly.

We have to realize that the Arabs have terrorized their own people to foment the hatred against the Jews. And the options are limited in how to combat that. There is the decapitation route ala` Iraq, or there is the more brutal method of convincing the Arabs to fear us more than they fear Arafat. It seems Israel has tried the latter, but they are unable to be more brutal than Arafat so it doesn’t work.

So , what’s left? What action is right? Convince me that it is wrong to decapitate the PLO and it’s web of subordinate terror cell leaders. At what point does Arafat’s brutality and threat to his neighbors rise to the level of demanding action? How many more must die while we search for other ways to appease him? If, to paraphrase Adam Wilson, we are not going to deny their ends. If we are going to continue to dangle the carrot of a second palestinian state in front of their noses, then our only hope for peace is to work with a different set of Arab leaders. Arafat and his thugs will not step aside willingly.

The options are ugly, but the price of inaction keeps rising. How many more must die? As Golda Meir said, "We will have peace with the Arabs when they love their children more than they hate us." Until we get rid of those who foment that hatred, until WE change our attitudes, there will be no peace.

Posted 9/16/2003 03:22:00 PM by Ocean Guy
Our Friends the Saudis

Sometimes I wonder if the Arab culture is capable of seeing, facing or telling the truth.

Saudi Arabia yesterday said that Israel was responsible for the collapse of a cease-fire accord in the occupied Palestinian territories and that renewed violence had not only worsened the situation in Palestine but also hampered international efforts to implement the road map.

The Council of Ministers, which met here under the chairmanship of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd, said Palestinian factions were maintaining the truce...

I guess it doesn't count when Jews are killed.

And in another example of not facing the truth:

Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal warned of an “insurmountable gulf” in relations developing between the United States and his country if US misconceptions about Saudi Arabia persist.

Prince Saud told Time magazine that “if these misconceptions continue to rise, they build a gulf that is insurmountable.”

“We try to fight that gulf. We are finding a hard time on the other side of the ocean,” Prince Saud said.

Responding to US criticisms that his country had become a breeding ground for terrorism, Saud that it was due to the worsening Israeli-Palestinian conflict and not because of Saudi Arabia’s social system.

It's the Jews' fault... it always is. These people are pathetic.

Posted 9/16/2003 02:48:00 PM by Ocean Guy
Erekat should resign again

We can't even believe them when they quit. Abbas will be back as Prime Minister by the end of the week. Erekat arguing for a truce, a cease-fire. Yeah, right, this time they really mean it.

Israel would be crazy to give up ANYthing until they get action from the Arabs. Enough with the empty promises and lies.

Posted 9/15/2003 02:42:00 PM by Ocean Guy
Taking care of themselves

From the latest Column One by Caroline Glick, we get this observation from Yossi Kupperwasser, the head of Israel's Military Intelligence Research Division.

terrorist regimes "cultivate the pursuit of suffering." According to Kupperwasser, subjects in terrorist regimes like the Palestinian Authority must believe that the purpose of their lives is to die to destroy their enemy. In this environment, economic depression is acceptable. As he noted, "Hamas carries out attacks that are aimed at making the Palestinians poorer." Hence they have targeted the Erez Industrial Zone and the Karni cargo terminal in Gaza. The sole purpose these areas were created to serve is the provision of employment for Palestinians in Gaza.

Posted 9/15/2003 12:49:00 PM by Ocean Guy
Arafat, PLO Nothing but terrorists and thugs

The Rantblogger has posted a pretty comprehensive list of palestinian accomplishments over the last 40 years.
Sadly impressive...

Posted 9/15/2003 11:32:00 AM by Ocean Guy
Oslo's Passing

From Yossi Klein Halevi on the lesson's of Oslo.

The combined consequences of those two insights - the untenability of the occupation and of Oslo's gamble on terrorist peacemakers - have created an Israeli public that is at once pragmatic and hard-line, acknowledging Palestinian aspirations but wary of Palestinian intentions.

Every poll taken in recent months confirms that most Israelis are willing to withdraw for peace but want Sharon to oversee negotiations. Only the hawks, Israelis believe, can safely fulfill the vision of the doves. Still, after three years of terrorist war, few Israelis believe anymore in the possibility of a comprehensive solution. At best, Israelis envision a series of interim solutions that will gradually ease the intensity of the conflict, rather than resolve it.

The Israeli consensus is that this conflict isn't about Palestinian occupation but Israel's existence. However problematic, the West Bank settlements aren't the main problem. The reason there is no peace isn't because Jews live in the West Bank city of Hebron but because they live in Tel Aviv.

...because they live in Tel Aviv.

The spread of pathological Jew-hatred in the Arab world, where Holocaust denial has become mainstream and where schoolchildren are taught that Jews are usurpers with no historical roots or rights in the Holy Land, only reinforces the unlikelihood of achieving peace anytime soon.

Oslo envisioned a Palestinian state emerging after a gradual process of reconciliation. Instead, the opposite has happened. The Palestinian leadership made a strategic decision to create a Palestine not through negotiations but blood.

The Palestinian goal of the last three years has been to demoralize the Israeli people through terrorism and force a unilateral Israeli withdrawal from the territories...

Unless the Arabs want peace with Israel, the situation will not change. The Arabs continually demonstrate that peace will only come when Israel is destroyed. More attempts to negotiate will be, as always, futile. Until the Arabs decide that compromise is possible, that peaceful coexistence is desirable, negotiated peace is impossible. In the face of continued Arab intransigence, options for the civilized world are extremely limited.

How do you negotiate with people who refuse to compromise? It’s no wonder more and more people are taking a harder stance on the issue. Nothing is changing on the Arab side. As long as the world, especially the Arab world allow Arafat to pull the strings in the territories, nothing will change. Let me say that again, as long as Arafat is in charge in the territories, NOTHING WILL CHANGE.

The US thought they could deal with a Prime Minister… Arafat vetoed it. Until Arafat is out of the picture NOTHING WILL CHANGE.

I’d prefer that he be arrested, tried and jailed like the terrorist he is, but the world wouldn’t stand for it. So what options are there?

Leave him alone… NOTHING WILL CHANGE.
Exile him… It didn’t work the last time, why do you think it would work now?
Isolate him… as long as he lives the siege would be headlined all over the world. That might be for months.
Any of the options above mean that Israel will be chastised by most of the world and vilified by the Arabs. Because of that, the only other option may be the best one.
Kill Him. Israel will be vilified, chastised and condemned, but the headlines would shortly shift to the Arab power struggle over leadership in the territories.

Arafat is a true enemy of peace. Peace is impossible with him, whether he lives in Ramallah, Beirut or Tunis. Peace will only be possible when he’s dead.

Posted 9/15/2003 07:36:00 AM by Ocean Guy
It's Monday

So it's time for the Cul-de-Sac.

Posted 9/14/2003 08:08:00 PM by Ocean Guy
Florida Kitsch

The Mouse smothered most of the State's kitschy attractions, but a few hold on. You may hate them, or love them, but I think it's a little sad that these places are evaporatinig. But are the mermaids really almost extinct?

First seen at Timatollah, who has sadly retired his blog.

Posted 9/12/2003 04:15:00 PM by Ocean Guy
Hah' skoo Football

What do these guys have in common?

Brian Dawkins, Laveranues Coles, Sam Cowart, Dez White, Cha-ron Dorsey, Lito Sheppard, Travis Taylor, Jabbar Gaffney, Jeff Chandler, Fred Weary, Rod Garnder, Harold Carmichael, Corey Harris, Roosevelt Wiliams, Travis Carroll, Dwayne Carswell, Shawn Jefferson, Marvin Minnis, LeRoy Butler, Bob Hayes... and more

Football fans will know the names... These guys all played hah skoo 'ball Somewhere near here, off of A1A. The Local High School football season is in full swing tonight. That is, the team I support begins its season defending a State Championship after having last week's opening game postponed for Tropical Storm Henri.

Tonight, after Friday Evening Services, I'll be sitting under a beautiful full moon on a clear warm night, relaxing and enjoying a game. Those of you outside Florida, and maybe Texas, won't understand the scope of the experience, and only a few others will, but that's OK.

There was a time I would have thought it a waste of time at best. But the more time goes on the more I enjoy the relative innocence and purity of the games on Friday night. And a warm, late summer night in Florida is almost a perfect setting. It's not just the game either. It's the way a group of people come together, to play, coach, watch, work the concessions stands, listen to the bands, or just chat with friends... they become a community. It's a uniquely American experience and it only happens a few days every year.

If you've never done it, or haven't been to a game in a long while, try it. Sometime in the next few weeks, find a nearby game and go with a friend or two. Go... Go and watch the people, experience the event.

Shabbat Shalom

Posted 9/11/2003 08:48:00 AM by Ocean Guy
Yitgadal v'yitkadash sh'mey rabah...

I've got it in my mind and I can't get it out. This morning, instead of a song, I have the Mourner's Kaddish going through my head. It actually started last night on the way home, when, on NPR, I heard the report of David and Nava Applebaum's funeral. The reporter, Linda Gradstein, included a recording of the mourners saying the prayer. It's been stuck in my head since.

Waking up this morning... Y'hey sh'mey rabah m'vorach, l'alam ulalmey almaya....

Over and over I hear the words and the haunting rhythm replay in my head. But unlike some silly jingle stuck in an obnoxious loop, I'm not trying to chase this away.

It's a comforting background to the day. I can't think of any better way to remember those we lost while expressing hope for the future. So, now, I'm trying to pass it on. Maybe it'll comfort someone else too...
Oseh shalom bimromav, hu ya'aseh shalom aleynu, v'al kol yisrael, vimru amen.

Posted 9/10/2003 09:14:00 PM by Ocean Guy
Commemorating the Day

Michele is grumpy and I understand it completely. I'm grumpy too.

Before leaving work today, the overly-bubbly EA to the CEO made the rounds asking people to wear Red White and Blue tomorrow. I told her black might be more appropriate. It certainly fits my mood better.

Dressing like Uncle Sam and coerced displays of mass-marketed patriotism are not ways I can commemorate the day. For me, it's a day of remembrance not a day of celebration.

Posted 9/10/2003 11:35:00 AM by Ocean Guy
15 More

I've tried for two days to write about the newest victims. I'm numb, I can't find the words to express the anger, fear and hopelessness I feel when faced with the type of hatred that much of the Arab world throws our way. They hate Israel, they hate America, they hate Jews, they hate non-Muslims.... and they continue to kill to prove it.

Death is always celebrated in the streets of Gaza. If Jews have been killed, the celebration is joyous, if Arabs have been killed the celebrations are anger-filled frenzies of pure hatred. They seem to thrive on death and hate. Children are taught that martyrdom is a virtue. Toddlers dressed as suicide bombers are thought to be cute. Murderers are celebrated and their families rewarded... It's a bizarre society. It's a bizarre society that's bent on destroying ours.

We aren't safe in ignoring them. Appeasing them hasn't worked. They've broken every promise they've ever made. Must we continue to absorb their hatred? Must we match their hatred? How many more will die?

Posted 9/09/2003 05:03:00 PM by Ocean Guy
Middle School Sports

I had an experience last night at a Middle School Football game that, at the same time, scared me and gave me great hope.

Working the first down chains for the game gave me the opportunity to mingle with the visiting team’s players and coaches. I had a front row seat both to the game and to the sideline workings of the opposing team.

For context you need to know my children attend a well-respected Private School which has student boarders from all over the world. The Middle School, which at one time was a Girls Boarding/Finishing School, has its own little campus. The School’s Athletic program and reputation is equal to its Academics. It’s a small school with under 2000 students enrolled in pre-K through 12. For athletics it’s a class 2A school, (the state’s largest is 6A).

The Middle School (6-8) has under 250 students, and plays in a Public School League against schools with almost 5-10 times the enrollment. Still football is a no cut sport, only 7th and 8th graders can play, and they field a football team of 67 players, well over half of which have never played football. The teams they play are almost always bigger, faster and more experienced… even older. Last night was no different.

The visiting team was late to the game last night, having been taken to the main campus, not realizing that the Middle School campus was 20 minutes across town. They ran off the bus, had 10-15 minutes to warm-up and then took the sideline for the coin-toss and kick-off. Standing in the middle of them while they sized up their opponents and listening to the talk was, scary, upsetting and started to anger me.

The laughing about the size of the kids, I could take, the derisive remarks about the spoiled rich kids I could slough off. (certainly there are a few but as with most things it’s greatly exaggerated.) But what really upset me was one conversation about the kids being a bunch of little racists, about the school being a racist school. Nothing could be further from the truth. One quote: “ Let’s kill these racist assholes, they don’t have any blacks on their team. Fuck ‘em, Fuck ‘em up”

More context: the host team does have a few black players, only 2 less than the visiting team had as a matter of fact. The host team also is at least as diverse ethnically, if not by income of the parents. The visiting team was not from one of the city’s poor or disadvantaged districts. At least a few of the parents of the visiting team could well afford the tuition and are friends of some of the private school parents. The problem was purely one of perception… perception and stereotype. The hatred in the comment was upsetting.

The fact that these 7th and 8th grade kids were certain that private schools are racist was alarming… at least at first. What are those kids being taught at home… at school?

That one of their coaches was also alarmed and quickly stepped in to add a dose of reality to their world was very encouraging. He got the kids attention and jokingly, but forcefully, told them that statement might just be one of the stupidest things he’s ever heard. The coach asked them why they thought that, he listened to their stammering responses and then challenged them to open their eyes and minds and to think before they spoke.

I doubt he changed any minds on the spot, but he quickly identified and confronted a problem that he could have easily ignored. He could have just as easily contributed to the misperception by affirming the comments. He didn’t, he offered a different perception and offered his credibility as a man they respected to try to show those young minds something they would have otherwise ignored.

It wasn’t a major incident, but it affected me. It was a scary reminder of the ignorance that fills the world and causes so many problems. But it was also a reminder of the hope that comes from good people doing great jobs with few thanks from rest of us. That 8th grade science teacher won’t get the recognition he deserves, he won’t be paid anything near what his contribution is worth. The football players he’s coaching and molding probably idolize athletes who make 10 times more per game than he makes in a year. But he’s still doing a great job. Both the coaches impressed me with the respect and compassion they gave their kids.

The thought of them dealing with countless similar incidents every day depresses me, but I’m glad these guys are there to take it on.

They’re under-paid and under-recognized for the positive impact they’re making as coaches and teachers. The extra sacrifice they make as a coaches will be almost entirely ignored. It’s a shame. Maybe by knowing that a stranger noticed and valued their efforts they’ll be encouraged to keep on. Maybe my letter to their principal will brighten their day.

I wish I could do more.
Btw: the host team beat the bigger faster kids 38-14. and . I’m looking forward to working the chains for the rest of the home games.

Posted 9/08/2003 08:36:00 AM by Ocean Guy
EUnuchs declare Hamas "Terror Organization"

What's really changed though? Does it signal a tougher stance on terror by the EU? Will it change the way Hamas operates? Can we expect less resistance from the EUnuchs in the War on Terror?

I'm a pessimist on this one. I don't think anything has really changed. One weak pronouncement, which is a decade overdue, doesn't show me any shift in European attitudes on terror. Israel's Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom is more hopeful.

Shalom said Israel always felt the EU did not relate to terrorism the same way Israel did, and that Europe's condemnations of terror acts were often laconic and unsatisfying. The feeling, Shalom said, was that Europe viewed suicide bombers as a phenomenon that occurred because of Israel's "so-called occupation" or the perceived persecution of the Palestinians.

Shalom said the mega-terror attacks in New York and Washington, and the European fear that it could happen there as well, led to a dramatic change in Europe's attitude toward terrorism.

"Now there is a feeling that we are on the same field fighting the wave of terror," |Shalom said.

It's been almost two years since 9-11-2001. In those two years, I've seen little in the EUnuchs' response to terror that leads me to believe there has been any change, let alone "dramatic change" in their attitude on terrorism. Maybe I'm looking too much at Old Europe for change.

Posted 9/08/2003 08:05:00 AM by Ocean Guy
It's the Jews' Fault... it always is

Of course! It is Israel's fault that the Arabs can't govern themselves, Israel made Abbas fail, Israel kept the Arabs from denouncing terror and acting against Hamas or any of the other terror gangs. It's Israel's fault that they didn't release more of the jailed criminals. It's Israel's fault that their citizens get shelled by Hamas and Hizbollah. It's the Jews that make Arabs blow themselves up on busses and in restaurants. It's the Jews that keep the Arabs from building any sort of self-running civil society.

Mohammed Dahlan's sense of reality is extremeley warped, although for the Arab mind he's perfectly normal. What does that tell you?

Posted 9/08/2003 07:43:00 AM by Ocean Guy
IsraPundit Site of the Week

Thanks to the crew at IsraPundit for naming Somewhere on A1A... as their Site of the Week. I also need to apologize to the Head Heeb for not getting my Arrival Day Blogburst post about the South American Inquisition done. Still his blogburst was well represented, go visit.

Posted 9/05/2003 03:01:00 PM by Ocean Guy
Jerusalem and Islam

According to Ahmad Muhammad 'Arafa, a columnist for the Egyptian weekly Al-Qahira, which is published by the Egyptian Ministry of Culture... here's the MEMRI translation... Jerusalem is meaningless to Islam.

In conclusion, the Night Journey (Isra') was not to Palestine; rather, it was to Medina. It began at the Al-Haram Mosque [in Mecca] after the Prophet had prayed there with his companion, and both of them had left it, and the journey ended at the mosque of As'ad ibn Zurara, in front of the house of Abu Ayyub Al-Ansari, in Medina, where the Prophet built the mosque known as the Mosque of the Prophet. The details of the journey of the Hijra are the very same details of the Night Journey (Isra'), because the Night Journey is indeed the secret Hijra

It'll be interesting to see how this developes in the future. There is nothing new about questioning the authenticity of Islam's claims on the Temple Mount. However, it does seem newsworthy that an official publication of the Egyptian Ministry of Culture has publicly refuted the claim.

Update: hat tip to Entre Nous for a western intellectual look. Here's Daniel Pipes on the Same theme.

According to the Arabic-literary sources, Muhammad in a.d. 622 fled his home town of Mecca for Medina, a city with a substantial Jewish population. On arrival in Medina, if not slightly earlier, the Qur'an adopted a number of practices friendly to Jews: a Yom Kippur-like fast, a synagogue-like place of prayer, permission to eat kosher food, and approval to marry Jewish women. Most important, the Qur'an repudiated the pre-Islamic practice of the Meccans to pray toward the Ka‘ba, the small stone structure at the center of the main mosque in Mecca. Instead, it adopted the Judaic practice of facing the Temple Mount in Jerusalem during prayer. (Actually, the Qur'an only mentions the direction as "Syria"; other information makes it clear that Jerusalem is meant.)

This, the first qibla [direction of prayer] of Islam, did not last long. The Jews criticized the new faith and rejected the friendly Islamic gestures; not long after, the Qur'an broke with them, probably in early 624. The explanation of this change comes in a Qur'anic verse instructing the faithful no longer to pray toward Syria but instead toward Mecca...

...Mecca, by contrast, is the eternal city of Islam, the place from which non-Muslims are strictly forbidden. Very roughly speaking, what Jerusalem is to Jews, Mecca is to Muslims – a point made in the Qur'an itself (2:145) in recognizing that Muslims have one qibla[direction of prayer] and "the people of the Book" another one. The parallel was noted by medieval Muslims; the geographer Yaqut (1179-1229) wrote, for example, that "Mecca is holy to Muslims and Jerusalem to the Jews." In modern times, some scholars have come to the same conclusion: "Jerusalem plays for the Jewish people the same role that Mecca has for Muslims," writes Abdul Hadi Palazzi, director of the Cultural Institute of the Italian Islamic Community.

Shabbat Shalom

Posted 9/05/2003 10:08:00 AM by Ocean Guy
Black September = PLO = Arafat = Abbas

A Reminder...

thanks to Ivy Jews for the link.

Here is the post from last year's 30th Anniversary of my awakening to the evils of the PLO.

Posted 9/05/2003 08:05:00 AM by Ocean Guy
Still More on Hamas

Are the EUnuchs budging?

A decision by the EU to place Hamas in its entirety -- and not just the military wing Izzadin Kassam -- on the terror list must be made by consensus among the 15 member states.

The EU has already placed Izzadim Kassam on the list. Israel, however, argues that Hamas is indivisible, that it launders money through charitable organizations to fund terror, and that Hamas leaders who decide to send money to social services in Gaza on one day, dispatch suicide attackers inside Israel on the next.

According to Israeli diplomatic officials, 12 EU countries seem to be in favor of placing Hamas on the list, with only France, Greece and one unnamed Scandinavian country opposed. The countries leading the efforts to get Hamas on the list include Britain, Germany, Spain and Italy.

The article further reports that the EU is likely to demand some action with some deadline before they make the definitive decision about further financial support to the terrorists. If, as reported, 12 of 15 countries are leaning towards labeling, what is taking them so long? What is the down side of denouncing a terrorist organization and re-directing the aid?

Maybe the EU is starting to come around, but I'm not holding my breath. The Bush doctrine on terror, that "You're either with us or against us" in harboring and aiding the terrorists, is just empty rhetoric... it's just fluff.

Hamas is clearly a terrorist organization, yet we refuse to fight them, we've pressured Israel to go soft on them. I don't get it. They are thugs and criminals with evil goals. It doesn’t matter to me that some of them do some good things, they are still murderous members of a hate group. How many more people will they kill before the world gets serious about stopping them?

Posted 9/04/2003 09:51:00 AM by Ocean Guy
More on Hamas

For the EUnuchs:

Europeans may wish to ask themselves why any demand for Hamas community services exists. That may provide an object lesson on what happens to European money in Palestinian Authority hands. Untold millions in EU aid have been given to the Palestinian Authority.

Why does the left ignore questions like this? Billions, not Millions, of Dollars have been lavished upon the Arabs in Palestine and what do they have to show for it? UN agencies, Aid from Europe, Aid from the US, aid from their Arab brothers, Aid from Israel...

For over 60 years the Arabs have been sucking aid from every place that will offer it and have done absolutley NOTHING constructive with the money. Funding an organization like Hamas accomplishes nothing... it only facilitates murder.

Posted 9/04/2003 07:55:00 AM by Ocean Guy
Sadly Hilarious

Imagine, if you will, Will Ferrell playing Amr Mohammed Al-Faisal.

What great victory has Islam won? Go read it to find out...

Posted 9/03/2003 12:54:00 PM by Ocean Guy
Breaking News: The Road Map is Still Dead

I know there are some who thought it had a chance from the beginning. Others, like me, just wondered how long it would take the Administration to realize it was just another in a long series of failed plans... we're still wondering, but the reality remains: The Road Map offers no hope without Arab cooperation.

Arafat declares," The road map is dead, but only because of Israeli military aggression in recent weeks," one of his Official Spokesmen, the affable, Saeb Erekat, says that the PA stands by the Road Map. "We want the road map to stay on the table, and we want the implementation of the road map," Erekat said. The only reason they want it on the table is that it's a way to wring more concessions out of the Israelis. But for any other practical or idealistic purposes the Road Map is as dead as the recent Hudna.

Posted 9/02/2003 09:01:00 AM by Ocean Guy
Choosing Love Over Hate

Koby Mandell was one of the young Israeli boys (Yosef Ish-Ran was the other) who were beaten to death with rocks while on a hike in May 2001. Koby's mother, Sherri, has done much to keep her son's memory alive. She has turned her personal grief into healing for many.

You all may not like Sherri. As one of the settlers... an American settler in the territories, and proud of it... some may call her extreme. But does that really make her an extremist? I don't think so. Sherri has made a choice. A choice not much different from other Israelis and Americans who have lost loved ones to terror have made. Sherri has chosen love over hate. She has chosen to remember her son by helping as many other victims as she can.

As an Israeli mother who lost a child to terror I know how immense grief is and how much work it is to deal with loss and keep it in a place that is surrounded by love and kindness. The pain is simply unbearable. But in my work with over 150 Israeli mothers this year, all of whom have lost children or husbands to terror, I have heard only a handful talk about anger.

The media assume that Israelis who have been struck by terror walk around filled with hate and anger and calls for vengeance. But it's not true. We walk around filled with sadness and despair. But that despair does not motivate us to hate or kill. We Jews translate our pain into sadness and a desperate need for coping, personal growth, and memorializing our children.

Contrast that to the many Arabs who choose hate, when faced with similar tragedy. Contrast somber Israeli funerals to the hate filled spectacles the Arabs produce. While the Arabs exploit death in order to fan the flames of hatred and revenge, Israelis like Sherri choose to channel their grief into love and healing. Has there ever been anything like the Koby Mandell Foundation started in Gaza? What does an Islamic charity like Hamas, do as a result of tragedy?

Conversely too many Palestinians teach their children to translate their pain into anger and vengeance. And though many argue that the Palestinians are powerless and in despair and thus forced to resort to vengeance and violence, the short-lived hudna showed us that Palestinian powerlessness is a myth.

The Palestinians can control their so-called desperation. Their calls for vengeance, their hatred, is a choice. And their leaders keep choosing hate...

...There is a chasm between the Israeli and Palestinian cultures, and though some want to ascribe it to politics, the tragic truth is that no political solution can dampen the flames of hatred that have been kindled in Palestinian society. The hate is too deep, too insistent, and too accepted.

Few journalists want to touch the story of Palestinian hate. Major media like The New York Times and The Washington Post avoid our camp - perhaps because it reveals the deep- seated difference in the two cultures.

Israelis are trying to process their grief - the Palestinians are exploiting theirs.

Do not underestimate the power of pain. Unprocessed grief can last for decades. The cynical exploitation of pain - in summer camps, schools, and in the Palestinian and international media - is a prime saboteur of any attempts at peace - and may be so for generations to come.

Israelis are working to cope with their pain. Palestinians nurture theirs, inflame it, and worship it.

When faced with grief and pain we can choose to heal broken hearts or we can choose to harden them. As long as the Arabs continue to choose to harden their hearts, as long as they continue to encourage hatred and violence, there will never be peace. If they continue to choose hatred over love, peace is impossible.

Update: Hat Tip: Solomonia

How have the people most affected by last week's bus bombing reacted? Joel Mowbray went to find out.

Given that several of the victims had belonged to this synagogue, I was intensely curious as to what I might hear at the prayer service. What was not said, though, was ultimately far more revealing.

Almost every one of the several hundred worshippers at this overflowing synagogue was swaying back and forth, seemingly consumed with an intense and unswerving faith. While their fathers were praying — I could not see the women, who were all on the floor above — little boys passed around chocolate bars and Gummi Bears. Aside from the occasional break to keep the boys from running out into the narrow aisle, the men spent the entire time praying the same prayers that have been prayed every Friday night for centuries.

There were no calls for "death to Arabs" or "death to Palestinians." There were no calls for revenge.

Again, choosing love over hate.

Posted 8/31/2003 06:58:00 PM by Ocean Guy
Cold Reality

Dr. Doron Samuell doesn't sound too optimistic, either.

At the height of progress between the Israelis and Palestinians, when Palestinian civil self-rule covered most of their regional population, Prime Minister Ehud Barak made his bold offer of land for peace. A move consistent with a raft of UN positions. Although there are those who will argue that the offer was insufficient, that the offer was undeliverable and was flawed in other respects, it does not explain the subsequent campaign of violence that followed its rejection. Why was violence preferred over a counter offer?

The reason is painfully obvious. As with many conflicts, the creation of a Palestinian state, does not threaten Israel anywhere near as much as it threatens Palestinian terrorist organizations. It is clearly demonstrable that the closer one comes to settlement or progress, the greater the terrorist actions. Anything that threatens peace, provokes more terrorist violence.

Hypothetically, if there was peace in the Middle East, what possible reason could there be for the ongoing existence of terrorist organizations and their infrastructure? A territorial settlement between Israel and her neighbors would spell the death of Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, Islamic Jihad, PFLP, Hamas and others. Any further violence from these organizations would be seen as criminal, rather than ideological violence. It would mean that the leaders of these groups would not enjoy the same power, influence or relevance. Simply put, peace would result in an intolerable annihilation of the terrorist groups. This is why peace is their enemy...

...The conclusions are inevitable. As unpalatable as it may be to civilized, compassionate people everywhere, the apparent 'cycle of violence' will only end when one side defeats the other. This has always been the case.

This is why there will be no peace until the terrorists are utterly defeated... or until they destroy Israel.

Militant Islam = Terror. Too many people are trying to refine that simple equation by defining some sub-groups as non-terrorists, or in trying to make clear distinctions between various groups. Al Aqsa, Hizbollah, Hamas (the political terrorists AND the militant terrorist wings)... there is no real difference between them.

Militant Islam includes secular Muslim terrorists as well as Islamic fundamentalists. They are all enemies of freedom loving, tolerant society, and they all must be defeated. Until they are, the terrorists will keep killing all who oppose them... Even other Muslims. How many more must die before we get serious about fighting them?

Posted 8/29/2003 01:50:00 PM by Ocean Guy
Friday Prayer

Charles enlightens, Allah entertains at the newest place for Friday Prayers.

Shabbat Shalom

Posted 8/29/2003 01:12:00 PM by Ocean Guy
News from Gaza

Why do you suppose the banners are in English and French?

"I am an orphan…Am I a terrorist?" Read one of the banners which were written in Arabic, English and French.

"Had all Palestinian children and orphans become terrorists? We depend on these frozen money (provided by charitable societies), which helps us buy our food and clothes…In doing so, the PA will create a generation of beggars," another orphan lamented.

Another generation of beggars is more accurate, and it's been the Arab world as a whole that has created the problem.

I hate to harp on it, but until I hear others talking about it I will: The Arabs have wasted BILLIONS of dollars over the last 55 years and longer while decimating the lives of millions. They have wasted aid money and allowed a few thugs to pilfer the accounts for personal gain in a deliberate, methodical manner in order to subjugate a few million of their poorest brothers. The Arabs have facilitated and encouraged the establishment and maintenance of the palestinian refugee crisis. They have been hugely successful in placing the blame for the plight of their wretched brothers on the back of Israel. The UN has been complicit.

The BILLIONS of dollars that have passed through the system as refugee aid, if used as aid to the people, could have built paradise on the Mediterranean, could have developed luxury resorts in Sinai, in Gaza and Jenin. Instead, the Arabs have produced a couple of generations of bitter, hate-filled beggars. Poor, disenfranchised people who depend on handouts from the West and from Israel. People who have been told by the rest of the Arab world that they are useless, that they need charity, people that are taught to blame their plight on their neighbor's success. Israeli checkpoints are painful to the Arabs because they can't get to their jobs INSIDE ISRAEL. There is no work in the territories because the Arabs have built no industry. Their tribal society deteriorates through its system of patronage that has grown corrupt and brutal. They've wasted their wealth in efforts to destroy Israeli wealth and Israelis.

It's WAY beyond time for the Arabs to face the realities, and to face their responsibilities. Its' way past time for them to admit their mistakes and build on their strengths. The best and brightest of the Regions Arabs have fled the territories, not because the Israelis forced them, but because their Arab brothers made life too difficult. Only a change in Arab society will change the plight of the palestinians.

The sad thing is that the Arabs know it. They realize actual peace with Israel would mean they’d have to face their own faults, they’d lose their scapegoat. It’s not likely to happen unless they are forced to. At least, today, for a short time in Gaza, Hamas is feeling the pressure.

Posted 8/27/2003 08:54:00 AM by Ocean Guy
More Arab Lies

The Headline says, "Jewish Extremists Defile Al-Aqsa Compound." There is even a photo. What is a Jewish Extremist you ask? According to the Arab News its an ultra-Orthodox Jew. And how are these ULTRA-extremists Defiling the compound?...

Simply,
by their presence.
By the simple fact that they are alive
and breathing
while standing on ground the Arabs declared Holy,
Jews are defiling the place.

Maybe it's an error in translation? Right. This view is nothing new. It's the same trash that Arabs have been spewing since Israel was established, and before. It's an outrage to Arabs that Jews live on land they claim. They need no other reason for fighting than the existence of Jews in their midst.

Israel is established and the Arabs fight. Sharon visits the Temple Mount and the Arabs fight... the only difference is in scale.

And more on Defiling.... a concept the Arabs know a little something about: As the Islamic empire spread, many centuries ago, where did they build their mosques? We know where they built in Jerusalem.

"We are Muslims. Allah said that the mosque is only for Muslims. Why are they coming here? What temple? Where?" said Mouna Kawasmeh, a Palestinian woman who looked askance at visiting Israelis and dismissed their assertions that two temples were built, and destroyed, on the mount in biblical times.

For all the bluster about working for peace, the Arabs continue to be unable to demonstrate that they really mean it.

Posted 8/26/2003 10:51:00 AM by Ocean Guy
Youth Club Sports

I’m frustrated and disappointed with the state of youth sports. Kids are being over-supervised, over-organized, and over-patronized through their Little League, Pop Warner, Youth Soccer, Club Hoops and Club Volleyball and Junior Golf tournaments.

The sight of 5 year olds in their miniature Yankee, Braves and Cubs uniforms may be cute, but not when they’re being screamed at and cheered by opposing groups of parents. What’s a 5 year old getting out of adult supervised games anyway? It’s certainly not a love for playing the game. But everywhere you turn there are organized leagues for kids, staffed by parent volunteers providing a safe environment for the kids to participate.

That’s right, participation is the right word, because play isn’t really appropriate. At work I listen to the Pop Warner Dads’ bragging about their son’s participation and performance. I learned of one lucky 10 year old who just got a raise. He now gets $20 for a touchdown and $10 for an interception from his Coach/Agent/General Manager/Dad. (Flag Football, where touchdowns are easier, only paid $5 per score) … Two of the Dad’s are coaches in the same league and spend their social time talking about how they’re teaching their kids discipline, proper technique, and how to look good in their uniforms. The kids' only view of football seems to be through their Dads' eyes. I wonder if the kids are really having fun, at least I know the Dads are.

I’ve tried to make sure my children are having fun with whatever sports they play, or whatever recreation they enjoy. School work is the top priority, and both of mine are very good students, but this rant is about youth sports. It's about my thought that sports ought to be fun and ought to help develop well-rounded young adults. It's about my thoughts that growing, maturing kids ought to be exposed to a wide variety of interests. But it’s getting tougher and tougher to find well-rounded sports programs for kids, as they are asking for singular committment at earlier and earlier ages. Last night my son had his first crisis caused by the sports that he's trying to enjoy.

He’s 12, starting Seventh Grade next week and is trying out for the Middle School football team, the first real football team he’s tried. (He played flag football for two seasons). He’s having fun being back with his school friends, he’s having fun playing and learning a new sport, but… he’s also a club soccer player, and he’s got a conflict. Thankfully he's also a good student and its' only a conflict between sports.

In Florida, school soccer season is winter. Club soccer in the fall and spring, with a break in the winter for the School season. It’s a year round commitment. His club team has a five-year plan that includes national and international travel and, starting in the Spring, state-wide travel almost every weekend. It’s a huge commitment but he loves it. But football is encroaching on soccer.

For now, he has football practice every afternoon from 4 - 5:45 and soccer practice twice a week from 6:30 – 8:00. Great for him, tough on me. Last night's conflict appeared because his football games are going to be on Mondays… conflicting with one of his soccer practice days. For six, maybe seven weeks, he’ll only be able to go to soccer practice once a week. What’s going to happen?

We’re not sure, the conflict hit him last night. His soccer coach, whom I will have a discussion with later this week, told him, that because he would miss Monday practice, he would not start any more. That’s fine. It’s understandable and expected. Missing half of the practices is reason enough to be pulled from the starting line-up. But the coach didn’t stop there.

My 12 year old was also told that ANY conflict with school sports next year would mean he wouldn’t be on the soccer team. I have a problem with that kind of threat.

I have a problem with a coach, with a club, and with the system that tells a 12 year old that he must choose the ONE sport he wants to play. I have a problem with putting that kind of pressure on kids who haven’t even reached puberty. I have a problem with kids specializing in a particular sport and being unable to try others. I have a problem with the club system that discourages kids from trying or developing skills in different sports. I have a problem with organized youth sports that keeps kids from being kids.

As I told my son, I may not like the system, but I can’t change it and I can’t make the choices for him. I can only help him with seeing different perspectives. I can support him and be happy for him and tell him that whatever he chooses is OK, as long as he’s having fun doing it. Still it breaks my heart to see him come off the practice field in tears.

It breaks my heart to see him faced with a decision to give up other sports and socializing with school friends in order to play the sport he loves the most. I would hate for him to have to give up the sport he loves most for the chance to try others and to play different school sports. It breaks my heart to see a pre-teen faced with the prospect of giving up any sport to have a chance to play one he loves. It’s not right to put that sort of pressure on kids. Its' not right to make kids make such stark choices at so young an age. It breaks my heart to see him confused and under pressure when he ought to be ahving fun.

Gone are the days when kids played whatever sport was in season. And it’s not just the clubs at fault. School coaches want their kids to play club sports. Except for football, the high school coaches expect the soccer, baseball, volleyball, and basketball players to spend the off-season on a club team. Many of those school coaches also coach club teams. Genrally the Clubs play at a higher level than the school teams. The specialization starts at 11 and 12. It’s wrong, and now it’s affecting my child and I wish I knew how to change it.

So where do we stand, my son and I? Well, he's a great kid. He's smart, sensitive and a good student. His tears last night were primarily from being tired and hungry. He’s having a ball playing football and being with his school friends. He sees soccer as the year round commitment it is and he isn’t too worried about temporarily losing his starting position. He’ll still play plenty. He won't worry about next year's conflicts until next year… Or maybe the spring…
The Spring will bring Baseball, Lacrosse, and Track to pick from... fun with school friends or give it up for soccer…

I’m standing by for more tears… his and mine.

For more on the problem: High Price. Some club coaches would like to see this happen. And a 17 part series for those really interested.

Posted 8/25/2003 09:59:00 AM by Ocean Guy
Mais Oui???

From our French Amis... Hamas and Islamic Jihad are not terrorist groups. I guess bombing busses and malls and pizza parlors and restaurants and grocery stores doesn't make them terrorists.

How about this philosophy from the two-faced appeasers:

"If we find that Hamas and Islamic Jihad are indeed terror groups opposed to peace, we may have to change the EU's stand," said Gourdault-Montagne. "However, we mustn't limit ourselves to one, clear cut, position."

How French.

Posted 8/25/2003 09:49:00 AM by Ocean Guy
Another View

It's uncomfortable for me to agree with Cal Thomas, but this column is spot on.

If the United States cares about reducing terrorism, it will live up to the conditions set down by President Bush last year, especially those concerning the dismantling of terrorism's infrastructure. If the Palestinians won't do it - and they won't because terror is their policy - then the American yoke should be removed from Israel's neck. The Israelis know the location of the terror camps. They should be allowed to take them out.

Anyone who believes that what Israel does or doesn't do has any effect on what the Palestinian side does or doesn't do is self-deluded. American policy is to get the terrorists before they get us. That policy ought to be the parallel track for Israel.

The only criticism I have is I think America ought to join fully with Israel in fighting the terrorists, not simply remove the yoke.