He who fails to learn the lessons of history, is bound to repeat all the errors and mistakes of the past.
If you examine the negotiating positions of Palestinian leaders,you find that they have never changed their stated goals. from Madrid, Camp David and Oslo to today.
Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine
The right of return
the end of all settlement activity and a return to pre'67 or '48 depending upon which group or Arab country is speaking.
The eventual end of Israel as a Jewish State.
The Jews,however keep compromising and giving concessions-unilaterally.The expected gains from these moves last from one minute to a few days.
However with all the summits,withdrawals and settlement cessation,the flow of rockets and terrorist activity never ceases.
Now to strengthen Abbas, Olmert allows Egypt to ship arms to the PA.Without a question,they will wind up being used to kill Jews.This only supplements the arms smuggling into Gaza,and the indigenous arms and rocket production in Gaza and Judea-Samaria.
Without obtaining the release of Israeli soldiers,he orders the release of terror prisoners.
Without a cessation of Kassams into Sderot and Ashkelon,he frees up millions of dollars to the PA,to lessen the pressure on them.Yet he allows a "cease-fire" and only after the injury to a few Israelis, does Olmert allow the IDF to target the rocket teams.As long as it was only property involved,lets make believe that the rockets are part of a "friendly cease-fire between neighbors'.
Without any change in the security situation,to please Abdullah and Rice,he removes 20+ roadblocks.
Despite it all,the U.S. objects when a settlement is enlarged,as not being in accord with the road-map.What road map? Name one step the PA has taken to honor the road map!
Has anyone looked at the words in the roadmap document lately,to realize that there can never be such a concept unless and until all terror groups are disarmed and terrorist activitity ceases.
The State Dept should concentrate on the preamble and pre-conditions that the Arabs seem to have forgotten,before criticizing Israel which in its side questions and comments to the road-map never agreed to halt activity in settlements already constructed.
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
President Gerald Ford
When I returned from Vietnam,I spent a year at the Ferguson Clinic in Grand Rapids Michigan, doing a colo-rectal residency.Our Congressman was Gerry Ford.He was a decent human being, who by his common sense and leadership did bring our national nightmare to an end after Watergate.
I was reflectiong today how the pardon of President Nixon had potentially far reaching results other than the above.Probably Ford lost the election because of the pardon ,and the gaffe he committed during the Presidential debate with Carter over the Soviet role in Eastern Europe.
Had Ford been elected would the Iranians have taken over our Embassy for one year?The weakness and ineptness of Carter taught the Iranians that they could run roughshod over the Americans,a lesson they have not forgotten.
Within hours of Reagan's inauguration , the hostages were released.
Michael Oren wrote a beautiful historical perspective in yesterday's WSJ on the American attachment to the historic rights of the Jewish people in Israel (Palestine) from our very inception as a country.This support by most Presidents,and Christian groups is what Carter is trying to undermine in his new book(according to Oren).
Had Ford won of course, no one would be interested in a peanut farmers ideas on the Middle East.
But even as a former President,Carter's outrageous use of the word APARTHEID in his title, is not only incindiary and meant to shock and sell books, but it removes him from the role of unbiased author. His one sidedness, and stubborness in the face of facts excludes him from from those who consider themselves " friends of Israel."
In fact the enemies of the Jewish State have a new hero.
When the historians evaluate and compare the feelings of our citizens to our Presidents,Carter will never rate the warmth,respect and affection that Americans feel on the loss of President Ford.
I was reflectiong today how the pardon of President Nixon had potentially far reaching results other than the above.Probably Ford lost the election because of the pardon ,and the gaffe he committed during the Presidential debate with Carter over the Soviet role in Eastern Europe.
Had Ford been elected would the Iranians have taken over our Embassy for one year?The weakness and ineptness of Carter taught the Iranians that they could run roughshod over the Americans,a lesson they have not forgotten.
Within hours of Reagan's inauguration , the hostages were released.
Michael Oren wrote a beautiful historical perspective in yesterday's WSJ on the American attachment to the historic rights of the Jewish people in Israel (Palestine) from our very inception as a country.This support by most Presidents,and Christian groups is what Carter is trying to undermine in his new book(according to Oren).
Had Ford won of course, no one would be interested in a peanut farmers ideas on the Middle East.
But even as a former President,Carter's outrageous use of the word APARTHEID in his title, is not only incindiary and meant to shock and sell books, but it removes him from the role of unbiased author. His one sidedness, and stubborness in the face of facts excludes him from from those who consider themselves " friends of Israel."
In fact the enemies of the Jewish State have a new hero.
When the historians evaluate and compare the feelings of our citizens to our Presidents,Carter will never rate the warmth,respect and affection that Americans feel on the loss of President Ford.
Sunday, December 24, 2006
MATZA BALLS / THE ADL et al
The Associated Press is running a story today that" thousands of Jews celebrate the nite before x-mas" by having "Matzo balls "PARTIES in six cities. The originator is quoted as saying that it is an important nite for jewish people to get together,party and "be proud they are Jewish"
X-mas is strictly a christian religious holiday.period!
Jews should respect their fellow Americans and not try to emulate or delegitimize their celebrations.It is a perfect time for Jewish co-workers to cover for their CHRISTIAN colleagues who wish to take off and celebrate.
Last nite ,we concluded eight days of Chanukah, which always falls out in the last month of the secular calender.There are enough reasons and opportunities for Jews to be proud of our history and traditions without selling ourselves out to crass assimilation and commercialism.
Much Jewish blood has been spilled over the ages as they tried to force us to observe non-Jewish holidays;let us not throw these memories out the window and voluntarily join the masses.
Both X-mas and New Years are religious holidays.This year Dec 31 is a fast day(the tenth of Teveth) .Anyone who knows even a small amount of history ,knows that New Years day- the eighth day after the X-mas holiday represents the brith (circumcision) of Jesus .Religious christians go to church for the holiday.We Jews should understand a holidays meaning, before we decide to celebrate.
In a similar vein, Halloween (all-Saints day) and Saint Valentines Day are religious in origin.
The airwaves have been bombarded with TV ads as to how anti-semitism is on the rise,Iran wants to destroy us,etc,and therefore save our people by joining ADL (anti-defamation league).
While it is true that Iran wishes to nuke us,and there has always been and will always be anti-semitism, in my opinion it is not the ADL that will save us,but Jewish education.
If all the money spent for TV ads,direct mail solicitations and dinners for the ADL,American Jewish Committee.American Jewish Congress,World Jewish Congress ,Bnai Brith and the Weisenthal Center were combined into one organization think of what might transpire.
Tens perhaps hundreds of millions of dollars in real estate,salaries and protection for high official,together with the above savings could be directed toward Day Schools and Yeshivoth.Thousands of scholarships could be given.Teachers pay and pensions could reach proper levels.Countless new schools could be built.
MOST IMPORTANTLY,ASSILITATION AND INTER-MARRIAGE WOULD DROP PRECIPITOUSLY.
Anti-semitism is not killing us,it is inter-marriage and assimilation.
In the Orthodox world the National Council of Young Israel and Religious Zionists should merge with The OU ,and Amit with Emunah .Similarly in the Conservative and Reform movements, their main bodies and their Zionists bodies should merge.
THERE ARE TOO MANY PEOPLE,COLLECTING TOO MANY SALARIES IN PERSUIT OF THE SAME GOALS.The Real winners from such mergers would be the AMERICAN JEWISH COMMUNITY.
Anti-semitism would be fought by the religious streams,AIPAC and this combined new entity,with the same vigor and results as we now witness.
X-mas is strictly a christian religious holiday.period!
Jews should respect their fellow Americans and not try to emulate or delegitimize their celebrations.It is a perfect time for Jewish co-workers to cover for their CHRISTIAN colleagues who wish to take off and celebrate.
Last nite ,we concluded eight days of Chanukah, which always falls out in the last month of the secular calender.There are enough reasons and opportunities for Jews to be proud of our history and traditions without selling ourselves out to crass assimilation and commercialism.
Much Jewish blood has been spilled over the ages as they tried to force us to observe non-Jewish holidays;let us not throw these memories out the window and voluntarily join the masses.
Both X-mas and New Years are religious holidays.This year Dec 31 is a fast day(the tenth of Teveth) .Anyone who knows even a small amount of history ,knows that New Years day- the eighth day after the X-mas holiday represents the brith (circumcision) of Jesus .Religious christians go to church for the holiday.We Jews should understand a holidays meaning, before we decide to celebrate.
In a similar vein, Halloween (all-Saints day) and Saint Valentines Day are religious in origin.
The airwaves have been bombarded with TV ads as to how anti-semitism is on the rise,Iran wants to destroy us,etc,and therefore save our people by joining ADL (anti-defamation league).
While it is true that Iran wishes to nuke us,and there has always been and will always be anti-semitism, in my opinion it is not the ADL that will save us,but Jewish education.
If all the money spent for TV ads,direct mail solicitations and dinners for the ADL,American Jewish Committee.American Jewish Congress,World Jewish Congress ,Bnai Brith and the Weisenthal Center were combined into one organization think of what might transpire.
Tens perhaps hundreds of millions of dollars in real estate,salaries and protection for high official,together with the above savings could be directed toward Day Schools and Yeshivoth.Thousands of scholarships could be given.Teachers pay and pensions could reach proper levels.Countless new schools could be built.
MOST IMPORTANTLY,ASSILITATION AND INTER-MARRIAGE WOULD DROP PRECIPITOUSLY.
Anti-semitism is not killing us,it is inter-marriage and assimilation.
In the Orthodox world the National Council of Young Israel and Religious Zionists should merge with The OU ,and Amit with Emunah .Similarly in the Conservative and Reform movements, their main bodies and their Zionists bodies should merge.
THERE ARE TOO MANY PEOPLE,COLLECTING TOO MANY SALARIES IN PERSUIT OF THE SAME GOALS.The Real winners from such mergers would be the AMERICAN JEWISH COMMUNITY.
Anti-semitism would be fought by the religious streams,AIPAC and this combined new entity,with the same vigor and results as we now witness.
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