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Look to the Left

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Prager's take may be a little off. I don't think the rally organizers disinvited Palin because "they wanted to deny Palin a public platform." After all, they invited her to speak in the first place! I think they pulled the invitation because they were afraid of antagonizing Hillary. Hillary's action was despicable and shameful. The rally organizers were cowardly and shameful.

BTW I still can't get over the stupidity of McCain's picking Palin. It may cost him the election. Speaking of cowards, McCain the war hero has been showing a cowardly streak of his own. His hasty retreat from a completely legitmate statement - that the fundamentals of the American economy are strong - was embarrassing. So is his pick of Palin.

As for Christian conservatives being "as a community, the Jews' best friends," I hardly think so. Most of them believe we are going to hell and that we have it coming. Their support of Israel has also pressured Israel into some dangerous positions - such as the maintenance of Greater Israel and expansion of settlements - that may serve conservative Christian theology but not necessarily the Jewish people.

Re: "Most of them believe we are going to hell and that we have it coming."
You already know my position on "going to hell." As for "having it coming," I sincerely hope so! I believe in earning everything I get.

Their support of Isreal has also pressured Israel into some dangerous positions

What could have been more dangerous, more reckless, more self-destructive than abandoning Gaza? Where did the pressure come from on that decision or, for that matter, the Rose Garden handshake with Arafat--wasn't that a magic bullet? There's a wonderful old Yiddish proverb my mother used to recite to me

God protect me from my 'friends'. I'll look after my enemies.

The USA--both its parties, its governments and diplomacy--loudly proclaims its friendship to Israel, with ever more dangerous positions bearing bitter, blood fruit for Israel alone to taste.

You speak of "pressure" and conservative Christians in the same breath. PRESSURE? Some conservative Christians (Evangelicals) may have desired, encouraged and rejoiced in the settlements and expansions that Israel itself desired and pursued. But when you speak of "pressure," REAL pressure and real power, where is that coming from? For nearly 2 decades now, who has been pressuring Israel into some of the most dangerous, delusional decisions of her young, despised life?

I selected the Prager article because here is a prominent, influential Jew who can think out of the box and for himself despite "pressure" from others. I believe he also understands the meaning of the word, "friendship," which like the word "love" can be twisted into a WMD.

In hindsight, the withdrawal from Gaza was a mistake. Still, it probably didn't make that much difference. The Gaza settlements, had they remained, would have become the targets - and much closer targets - that Sderot and Ashkelon are now. It would have been a war Israel had no chance of winning - the world was united against Israel's presence in Gaza. It would have been a bloodbath.

Whatever. The withdrawal from Gaza was not required by the Roadmap. Israel failed by not honoring its share of the Roadmap, a very reasonable plan - had Israel complied, it would be in a much stronger political position today.

The evangelical Christian "Zionists" have acted as a cheering section for Israel's extremists, the radical settlers who defy their own government and refuse orders to stop illegal settlement building. So their support of Israel is not an unmixed blessing.

Conservatives in general need to face the fact that if they stick to their purist agenda and refuse to build alliances, they are finished. We will never see another Republican President in our lifetime, if all we get are Romney, Huckabee, and - yes - Sarah Palin. This country is not going to put up with another anti-intellectual President who says "nucular." Joe Six-Pack is not the image of this country most Americans want to present to the world.

McCain had a shot, and he blew it. He chose to kowtow to his base, ignoring the fundamental lesson of Presidential politics - no matter what you must do to get your party's nomination, the candidate who appears to reach farthest towards the center is the one that will win.

#3
Re: "In hindsight, the withdrawal from Gaza was a mistake. Still, it probably didn't make that much difference."
I think you should go back and listen to your own radio broadcast of July 23rd, Carlos. And listen not only to what you said, but to how you sounded.

#4:

I was thinking of my radio broadcast, but also having second thoughts about it. Palestinian aggression was increasing. Had Israel not withdrawn, the most likely scenario would have been a siege of the Gaza settlements. However bad things are today, it would have been much bloodier. Which option was worse? You decide.

#3

This country is not going to put up with another anti-intellectual President who says "nucular." Joe Six-Pack is not the image of this country most Americans want to present to the world.

God bless good old, hard working 'Joe Six-Pack'! I could care less about the "image of this country most Americans want to present to the world" when 'Joe' IS most Americans--while the world presents US with the bill.

As for Presidents who can't say "nuclear," I'm certain Senator B.O. says it fine! We need a President who we can trust. Good luck! We need a true leader, a man of action, vast experience and moral courage. I wait for McCain to stand up and spit it out. Goddamn it! I wait for him to take the field and LEAD. But thus far, all I feel is a deepening moral outrage.

As for "another anti-intellectual President," Oh, PUHLEASE! The last true intellectual to run for President in this country was Adlai E. Stevenson. Oh, my family was just crazy for him. Eisenhower trounced him twice and did a superb job of running the country and the Cold War. It doesn't take intellect to be a great leader. Just brains, real courage and moral integrity. Does an empty suit or a sell-out have moral integrity, Carlos?

Joseph Goebbels was one of the leading intellectuals of his country and I have an old friend who heard him speak his speaches on numerous occasions and vividly recalls his downright brilliance to this day. Karl Marx was a leading intellect of his culture and all Europe as well....Then there was Saul Allinsky--and his inheritors.

#5
Off-point, for just a moment, I was wondering if you noticed my response #11 to your comments in Self-Immolating Republicans.

Now, back to the point of your #5 comments here.

Re: "However bad things are today, it would have been much bloodier."
It WILL be!

Which option was worse? You decide.

It sounds as if you're the one who can't decide, Carlos. First you say one thing, then another and now, back again--sort of?

I decided some time ago. Unfortunately--and tragically--nothing in this world that has happened and been done to Israel over the past 15 years (if not longer) has for one second persuaded me that my choice was in error. So now, you must decide, definitively, one way or the other.

We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. - Elie Wiesel

By the way, there will be a program on Fox News this evening from 9 - 10 PM on Sean Hannity's America. The entire hour will be an in-depth review & evaluation of Sen. Obama's far-flung ties to the radical left. I understand and appreciate that in no way are you voting for this guy. But, like me, you may feel it would be worth the hour just to get a hard fix on the history & activities of these people and the purpose of their groups.

KEEP THE FAITH!

#6:

The alternative to an anti-intellectual need not be an intellectual elitist. We've had Joe Sixpack for eight years now, and aside from making us the world's laughing stock, it has retarded our scientific progress. Examples: bans on stem cell research, teaching creationism in its different forms and guises as if it were real science. Personally I can do without a President who sounds like he's proud of being stupid. Palin is right in the Bush mold. That type appeals to the hard-core Republican base, but the rest of the country has soundly rejected it. You want to support dinosaurs, it's your life, but we don't hear much from the dinosaurs anymore.

#7:

You are right - I do have trouble deciding about Gaza. It seems to have been a colossal blunder - but when I consider the probable alternative, I do wonder which is worse. I guess the moral of the story is no matter what you do with the Arabs, you can't win.

#8
Re: "We've had Joe Sixpack for eight years now"
Wrong, DEAD WRONG! WBush & his entire family are further from dear, blessed 'Joe Six-Pack' than you are, Carlos. They are the elitist Republicans who bed with the Arab oil cartels who keep our border with Mexico wide open & prone and who belong (as do the hard left) to the 'Globalist' NEW WORLD ORDER. That, my dear Carlos, is further from Joe Six Pack than My Yiddishe Mama! And as for us being "the world's laughing stock," get over it. That is bullshit when the industrialized, civilized world needs us in the face of the Barbarian hordes and must look to us for leadership & cohesion. So, we cannot look to them for fucking approval. We must look to ourselves--the best in ourselves and Our better Angels--and LEAD!

Re: "Palin is right in the Bush mold."
Carlos, you stun me. That is EXACTLY wrong! Palin is conservative, traditional, populist. Not elitist, nor 'Globalist'. She couldn't be further from the fucking Bush mold. Sarah Palin & her whole family are from the common, working-class/middle class American people. If you can't get that, you miss much.

Re: "You want to support dinosaurs, it's your life, but we don't hear much from the dinosaurs anymore."
Well, if you've stopped listening to us "dinosaurs," you'll be hearing from Marxist totalitarians shortly, but I guess that's OK, as long as it's not from "hard-core" Republicans for which you apparantly have no tolerance or understanding. So, presently we'll be put down in the path of the Global Community/New World Order. Have it, Carlos, and EAT IT! I'll gladly go down in flames with my Neanderthals, dinosaurs, Scripture & Constitution. You can wallow in what's left. Israel will be long gone.

#10:

Once again, I'm afraid you are misconstruing my comments. You still haven't addressed the point I keep raising: that the "hard core" Republicans, by undermining McCain at every turn (e.g. Rush Limbaugh and his gang of big fat idiots) and forcing him into stupid moves like picking Sarah Palin (who appeals to nobody else but them), and then STILL not supporting McCain wholeheartedly, are playing right into Obama's hands. Those are the dinosaurs of whom I spoke, and they are well on their way towards making themselves extinct.

It's not me whom you should be telling to have the New World Order and eat it. It's them. I supported McCain completely and from the beginning. The problem with our system is that on both sides the parties are dominated by extremists - then the general election centers on which side will be more pragmatic and reach for the center. Neither side is doing a very good job of that, but this time the Republicans are doing a worse job, and it will cost them dearly.

#11
Mi Amigo,
First allow me to say that no matter what happens tonight in the debates or over the next 29 days, it will not change my steadfast loyalty to our friendship. Not for one second, not ever.

As for your comments, I do not believe that I "misconstrue" them one bit. Unfortunately, there is a basic disconnect in our mutual understanding of each other's political viewpoints. So, I'll just have to lay it on you: when you speak of the "hard core" Republicans, that's me you're speaking of.

Though hardly a fundamentalist nor an Evangelical Christian, I am none the less a Jewish True Believer as you once were yourself, Carlos. Does that make me a Bible-clutching fanatic? No! It just means that--like most Americans (and the vast majority of Republicans)-- I am a person of faith, with no offense whatsoever to stem cell research and no apologies EVER! to 'Man-made' Global Warming or Environmentalism.

What you cannot grasp is that we of the traditional Republican base across this country have NOT been "undermining McCain at every turn." He is--in his political philosophy--a challenge to our deepest core values. That is all.

Re: "(e.g. Rush Limbaugh and his gang of big fat idiots)"
That's me you're speaking of, Carlos--plus about 20million others around the nation. And I also listen to Hannity, Levin, Dennis Miller & Michael Savage whenever I'm free to do so. But cheer up, freedom's fragile. Once Obama & CO take the White House, the Dem Congress will revive the "Fairness" in Broadcasting Doctrine and (within a year or so) that will silence talk radio for keeps.

Re: "and forcing him into stupid moves like picking Sarah Palin (who appeals to nobody else but them)"
If that were true, then why have the Dems gone so viciously and dishonestly on the attack against this bright, self-made working Republican woman, her husband & children? They're frightened of something. But that's OK. You just go right ahead, Carlos and continue to Blame the Dame or the "hard core" rather than looking HARD at the deficiencies and real weaknesses of the candidate.

I repeat, and for the last time: he could have picked Giuliani (endorsed loudly by Evangelical Pat Robertson) as a running mate, or Gov. Jindal, or Gov. Romney (an expert on economics & seasoned pro), but HE chose Palin (despised by Dems & Libs and apparently YOU). That's McCain's call & this election is McCain's alone to win or lose.
Re: "and then STILL not supporting McCain wholeheartedly"
Not true! We are supporting him wholeheartedly. With all our hearts, minds and souls. Now, he's got to open his big fat mouth, get in there and fight for it--and stop being such a polite little gentleman to his opponent: Barack Hussein Obama. What's he afraid of, being called a racist--or disturbing Mr. Soros' long-range plans? And I am not joking!

Carlos, if you really believe that both parties are being dominated by "extremists," this is a perfect example in my mind of moral equivalency. Do you truly understand what kind of extremism now dominates what was the Democratic party? If you equate THAT (in extreme or evil) to the Christian Right, all I can say is I passionately disagree. You're much smarter than that, Carlos, so please wake up!

Finally

It's not me whom you should be telling to have the New World Order and eat it.

I will say that to anyone--including myself (or my nearest and dearest!)--who cannot or will not see the deep, deliberate links between Globalism/Environmentalism and the New World Order. But soon we shall all be EATING and WALLOWING in it--while Israel still will be long gone.

"We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented." - Elie Wiesel

"A liberal is (someone) who puts his foot down firmly on thin air" - Saul Alinsky

Now, more than ever, it is in God's hands. Enjoy the debate!

#11
It bears repeating once more, so please forgive the repitition & excuse the indulgence

It's not me whom you should be telling to have the New World Order and eat it.

I will say that to anyone--including myself (or my nearest and dearest!)--who cannot or will not see the deep, deliberate links between Globalism/Environmentalism and the NEW WORLD ORDER: Where Left meets Right and Tyrannies Kiss.

It also bears repeating that you might want to look once more at the portion of the Prager article where he mentions the flags Governor Palin keeps in her office & the Ha'aretz review of the speech she would have made had she not been disinvited to the crippled rally. What ARE we to do that to a friend of Israel? Talk about your Self-inflicted wounds!

Is this the kind of leadership you trust to speak on behalf of Israel & American Judaism? I do believe we oh, so smart and frightened Jews are invariably our own worst enemies. As for those we still embrace as friends, perhaps we fancy ourselves snake charmers. Well, we ain't and they ain't de-fanged!

#12:

Hey Intrepid,

Well, you're not big, you're not fat, and you're certainly no idiot, so you weren't who I had in mind in describing Rush's coterie. I was thinking more of folk like those redneck South Carolinians who destroyed McCain's candidacy in 2000 with false, vicious racist rumors, in order to give us the "good ol' boy" we now have in the White House and who has left his party in a shambles.

I agree that Obama is not qualified to be President and that, especially in foreign policy, his presidency could be an extremely dangerous one. For example, he seems to believe that Iranians are pursuing nukes because we weren't nice to them, so we should just talk to them "without preconditions" and legitimize their extremist regime. For these and other reasons I can't support Obama. So there's no reason to belabor the point - we both can't support Obama.

However, you keep dodging my main point, and have done so yet again. An extreme candidate like Obama could never be elected without help from the Republicans, and the Republicans have given him lots of help. The Republican party faithfuls pressured McCain into nominating a clearly unqualified VP choice, who, as I predicted, is dragging the ticket down. I don't despise Palin - I just think she's not fit for her position. But the stupid Republican diehards who blackmailed McCain into this choice apparently don't care if they scuttle their own ship as long as they make their point.

McCain is also doing his bit to hand the election to Obama. I cannot imagine a more idiotic campaign than the one he's conducting. Virtually ALL of his campaign ads are now negative. It is not working. I watched the debates on CNN with the focus group feed running at the bottom of the screen. Every time a candidate - especially McCain - got negative, the results flatlined. People don't want to hear about how much McCain hates Obama's friends. They want to know what the candidates' visions are, and which candidate actually has an idea about what to do to get us out of our economic mess. Now, neither candidate seems to have a clue, but Obama still sounds more presidential because all McCain does these days is throw mud pies. You may love it, but most of the country hates it and it's showing in the polls.

So you want to call me names, go right ahead, but you're only shooting the messenger. If the true-believing Republicans ever want to occupy the White House again, they will need to understand how this time around they became so successful in isolating themselves from the rest of the country. It doesn't matter how right you think you are. If you don't win the election, you're still a loser.

#13:

I do like what Palin said about Israel, and wish she could have given that speech. I also recently gave a good blasting to a couple of Obama activists who tried to paint her as Hitler's daughter. They are the loony left who are about to elect the next President.

Nevertheless, Palin was a bad pick.