Saturday, September 8, 2012
Canada Cuts Ties With Iran, Removes Embassy: Iran "Most Significant Threat To Global Peace In The World Today"
Many are speculating that the Canadian action may be due to a belief of an impending attack on Iran by Israel. It is impossible to know if that is the case. But if that is to happen, Israel will need all decent nations to support her. Tweet
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Even After Democratic National Convention Debacle, State Department Still Refuses To Recognize Jerusalem As Israel's Capital
Here's the remarkable exchange from today's press briefing, with reporters and press secretary Patrick Ventrell:
QUESTION: On Israel?
MR. VENTRELL: Yeah.
QUESTION: Which city does the U.S. Government recognize as the capital in the – Israel?
MR. VENTRELL: Well, as you know, longstanding
Administration policy, both in this Administration and in previous
administrations across both parties, is that the status of Jerusalem is
an issue that should be resolved in final status negotiations between
Israelis and Palestinians. So that’s longstanding Administration policy
and continues to be so.
QUESTION: I mean, no city is recognized as a capital by the U.S. Government?
MR. VENTRELL: Again, I just stated our position, and it’s one we’ve said here many times before.
QUESTION: That means Jerusalem is not a part of Israel?
MR. VENTRELL: What it means is that the status of Jerusalem must be resolved in final status negotiations.
QUESTION: But you do have an Embassy in a city which is not Jerusalem.
MR. VENTRELL: Our Embassy is in Tel Aviv, and we have a Consulate General in Jerusalem.
MR. VENTRELL: What we believe is that the status of Jerusalem should be determined in final status negotiations between the two parties. And currently, our Embassy is in Tel Aviv.
QUESTION: Are there any other countries in the world where the U.S. doesn’t know what the capital is or won’t say what the capital of a country is?
QUESTION: What does the U.S. think the capital of Israel is? What do you --
MR. VENTRELL: As I’ve just said, we believe that the status of Jerusalem is an issue that should be resolved in final status --
QUESTION: I’m not asking you that question. I’m asking you what you think the capital is.
MR. VENTRELL: And my response is that Jerusalem is an issue that should be resolved in final status negotiations.
QUESTION: She didn’t ask about Jerusalem, though.
MR. VENTRELL: Look, this is something we’ve been through at this podium. Toria has been through it before. We’ve repeated it many times. You know that the position is. It hasn’t changed for decades.
QUESTION: Wait, I know that. And I don’t want to play the verbal game, I’m just very curious if you actually have a position about a capital of that country. And if you don’t, if – I just would like to hear you say you don’t.
MR. VENTRELL: Well, right now, Nicole --
QUESTION: Yes.
MR. VENTRELL: -- the situation is that we have an Embassy in Tel Aviv that represents our interests with the Government of Israel but that the issue of Jerusalem is one that has to be resolved between the two parties. That’s all I can say on this.
Anything else? Thank you.
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Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Time Magazine: Joint U.S. Exercise With Israel "Greatly Reduced," "Reductions Are Stiking," "Senior Israeli Military Official" Says America Is Saying "We Don't Trust You" To Israel
From Time Magazine, another reason why supporters of Israel should be very wary before casting their vote for the current administration:
Seven months ago, Israel and the United States postponed a massive joint military exercise that was originally set to go forward just as concerns were brimming that Israel would launch a strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities. The exercise was rescheduled for late October, and appears likely to go forward on the cusp of the U.S. presidential election. But it won’t be nearly the same exercise. Well-placed sources in both countries have told TIME that Washington has greatly reduced the scale of U.S. participation, slashing by more than two-thirds the number of American troops going to Israel and reducing both the number and potency of missile interception systems at the core of the joint exercise... "Basically what the Americans are saying is, ‘We don’t trust you,’” a senior Israeli military official tells TIME. The reductions are striking.
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Rigged And Fraudulent Floor Voice Vote At DNC Results In "God" And Jerusalem As Capital Of Israel Being Put Into The DNC Party Platform
Furthermore, Politico reported that "Obama had seen the language prior to the convention, a campaign source said, but did not seek to change it until after Republicans jumped on the omissions of God and Jerusalem late Wednesday." Glad to see that Republicans have to be there to influence the Democratic platform. Tweet
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Islamists Installed In Egyptian State Institutions
Egypt's Islamist leadership took a new move Tuesday to put its stamp on the country's government, appointing members of the fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood as provincial governors and installing ultraconservatives and other Islamists in the state's top human rights body and a powerful media council.TweetThe shake-up was the latest step by President Mohammed Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood to reshape state institutions that were long the monopoly of ousted autocrat Hosni Mubarak, his ruling party and the military that backed him.
As Democratic National Convention Begins, National Debt Tops $16 Trillion
The United States Treasury reports
that the total public outstanding debt is: $16,015,769,788,215.80. This
is the first time in American history debt has eclipsed the $16
trillion mark. The debt has increased approximately $5.4 trillion since President Obama took office on January 20, 2009. See http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/1601576978821580_651649 for more.
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2012 Democrat Platform Supports Taxpayer Funded Abortion On Demand
The 2012 Democratic party: "The Democratic Party strongly and unequivocally supports Roe v. Wade and a woman’s right to make decisions regarding her pregnancy, including a safe and legal abortion, regardless of ability to pay." This is an endorsement of taxpayer-funded abortions.
The 2012 Democratic party also endorses an unrestricted right to
abortion-on-demand. According to the platform, on the issue of abortion
"there is no place for politicians or government to get in the way." Jeff Jacoby also wrote in the Boston Globe
last week: "The 2004 platform declared, 'Abortion should be safe,
legal, and rare.' But even calling for abortion to be 'rare' is now too
much for the Democrats' platform committee, which deleted the word in 2008."
Fore more visit http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/democratic-platform-endorses-taxpayer-funded-abortions_651589.html.
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Democrats Drop "God" From DNC 2012 Party Platform
God’s name has been removed from the Democratic National Committee platform.
DNC 2008 platform:
“We need a government that stands up for the hopes, values, and
interests of working people, and gives everyone willing to work hard the
chance to make the most of their God-given potential.”
DNC 2012 platform:
“We gather to reclaim the basic bargain that built the largest
middle class and the most prosperous nation on Earth – the simple
principle that in America, hard work should pay off, responsibility
should be rewarded, and each one of us should be able to go as far as
our talent and drive take us.”
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Democrats Remove Recognition Of Jerusalem As Capital Of Israel And More: Deeply Troubling Changes In 2012 DNC Party Platform Part Of A Disturbing Continuing Pattern
DNC Platform 2008: "Jerusalem is and will remain the capital of Israel."
DNC Platform 2012: No mention of Jerusalem, with the naming of the capital intentionally taken out, leaving pro-Israel party functionaries at the convention fuming.
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"Four years of President Obama’s repeated attempts to create distance between the United States and our cherished ally have led the Democratic Party to remove from their platform an unequivocal acknowledgment of a simple reality," Mitt Romney wrote in response, adding that, as "president, I will restore our relationship with Israel and stand shoulder to shoulder with our close ally."
The 2012 platform also omits a reference to Israel as America's "strongest ally in the region," language present in the platform four years ago. Further, while in 2004 and 2008 the
Democratic Party platform called for Palestinian refugees to be settled
in a future Palestinian state, and explicitly not in Israel, the 2012
platform does not mention the issue. Similarly, the 2012 platform
doesn’t take a stand on dealing with the Palestinian
terrorist group Hamas, which controls the Gaza strip, yet in 2008 the
platform said explicitly that the United States "should continue to isolate
Hamas."
When Jerusalem is specifically removed from the platform, with news agencies reporting that Democratic functionaries that are pro-Israel were fuming (which is to say this was over the pro-Israel objections), it is part of a disturbing pattern and worthy of condemnation from Jewish Democrats that should and must call for their party to remain as pro-Israel as it has in the past. Where are the Jewish Democrat members of Congress distancing themselves from this platform change, even if not outright condemning it? Silent, or circling the wagons. If you support Israel I cannot see how you would find such a blatant and open anti-Israel change to the platform worthy of a defense.
It is in the interest of Israel not to take partisan sides in a U.S. election. That includes any Israeli government official, in whose interest it is to not be seen as endorsing one candidate over the other so as to maintain bipartisan support for Israel. And Israel has done so, going so far as to give high praise at times to President Obama. That being said, it is a well known open secret that there is no love lost between Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Obama. With Netanyahu reported by Israel's leading newspaper to have been reaming out the current U.S. Ambassador to Israel in a meeting just last week (reportedly saying that "instead of effectively pressuring Iran, Obama and his people are pressuring us not to attack the nuclear facilities”), and Obama caught on a hot mic taking an idiotic swipe at Netanyahu with the French President. With Netanyahu's first meeting with Obama ending by him being ushered out the side door by a President deliberately ignoring him. With just last week it being reported by that bastion of right wing concoctions known as Time Magazine that joint exercises that were to involve the U.S. are being greatly scaled down, reductions that "are striking" and led a "senior Israeli military official" to declare, "Basically what the Americans are saying is, ‘We don’t trust you.'" With on repeated occasions the Obama administration refusing to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel (on video in their press rooms), culminating in that being reflected in the party's own platform this year. This being preceded with unprecedented tension with Israel over building by Israel in East Jerusalem, actual policy that manifested itself in line with and before this platform change. This flap over East Jerusalem itself too happened only after an unprecedented Israeli 10 month settlement freeze. This action by Israel got her no credit, was quickly forgotten, taken for granted, and immediately followed by that torrent of criticism over Jerusalem building. With increased tension between the Israeli and American governments on Iran being widely reported. With Obama making a stupid statement about the so-called "1967 borders" in a speech to AIPAC just days before meeting with Netanyahu, with the Israeli Prime Minister then literally dressing down the President of the United States in front of the cameras in the oval office on Israel's security needs. With the Simon Wiesenthal Center (not a "Republican, rightist" organization) very recently condemning the Obama administration for excluding Israel from Global Counter-terror summits. With Obama comparing Palestinian suffering to the Holocaust in his Cairo speech. And on and on and on, because this is only off of the top of my head.
(Not to mention things from the last campaign like the fact that the L.A. Times all these years later still has a video of Barack Obama with anti-Israel Rashid Khalidi that it has refused to release and that Obama sat in the Church of rabid anti-Israel Jew-hater Jeremiah Wright for 20 years).
One can pretend there are no signs of unprecedented tension and deterioration. As a supporter of Israel, I do not. All supporters of Israel must find the fact that after four years of President Obama
this year’s Democratic Party platform is not as pro-Israel as in years
past to be very deeply troubling. I see this following a pattern. And it's as good a reason as any not to vote for Barack Obama.
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Monday, September 3, 2012
Entitlement Transfers Have Increased 727% In Last 50 Years Entitlement Transfers Have Increased 727% In Last 50 Years
A new analysis from The Wall Street Journal shows that entitlement programs have grown at an average rate of 4% each year since 1960. Tweet
Israeli Officials See Gap With U.S. Widening Over Iran
Bloomberg reports:
Military action against Iran’s nuclear program could be averted if the international community sets a clear “red line” it will not permit Iran to cross, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said today.
Netanyahu’s comments came as the U.S. reportedly is considering making such a declaration to head off a possible Israeli strike on Iran. President Barack Obama has said the U.S. won’t allow Iran to have nuclear weapons, while Israeli leaders have said that Iran even attaining the capability to make them would pose an existential threat to their country.
“This is a brutal regime that is racing ahead with its nuclear program, because it doesn’t see a clear red line from the international community,” Netanyahu said today at a meeting in his Jerusalem office, according to an e-mailed statement. “The greater the resolve and the clearer the red line, the less likely we’ll have conflict.”
Obama is considering new steps to forestall a unilateral Israeli strike, including a declaration on what Iranian actions might trigger a U.S military response, the New York Times reported yesterday.
Netanyahu’s statement today came after Israeli officials expressed dismay over remarks last week by U.S. General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, that an Israeli strike would “delay but probably not destroy” Iran’s program, and that he doesn’t “want to be complicit” if Israel chooses to attack on its own. The two officials, who were not authorized to give their names, said that Dempsey’s comments had weakened the argument that Israel should not strike by Iran by itself because it can count on U.S. willingness to take military action to prevent Iran from attaining nuclear weapons.
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