"Forcing Hamas into a corner," from GulfNews, with thanks to Doc Washburn, who comments: "The Gulf News is printed in Dubai (our staunch allies). Since (as far as I can tell), there is no freedom of the press over there -- everything printed must apparently pass muster with the government -- what are we to make of this? I find it very telling that the anonymous editorialist is under no illusion about why Hamas was voted into power. There is none of the foolishness we hear from western politicians about the vote ammounting to a reaction to Fatah's corruption. Frankly, this editorial is a defense of Hamas' history of violence and a call for Arab governments to support it!"
With the European Union (EU) temporarily halting aid to the Hamas-led Palestinian government, a new and dangerous signal is sent out: It is tantamount to interference in another country's affairs, while not accepting the democratic choice of the people....Should Hamas now do the bidding of the international community for what, at face value, is of no advantage to Palestinians it could be interpreted as letting down those very people who voted them into power. For Hamas to retain its newly-won grip on power, it must now turn to Arab nations for increased financial support.
Why don't these idiot Arab princes...all 100,000 of them, raffle off a Phillipino maid of two for the cause.
After all...they all don't 'perform' as well, now do they ?
In the article, suspending payments to the Hamas government is considered "tantamount to interference in another country's affairs". That says a lot about how our oil-rich interlocutors see the world. Sometimes I think the only reason the Jihadists have not conquered us is their own stupidity.
In the name of tolerance and respect we should stop all interference in the internal affairs of arab nations. Stopping all kinds of foreign aid is a good start.
Stopping aid that never should have given in the first place, to people who hate the idea of an Infidel sovereign state, and who do not wish you well (no, it is not true that the ambitions of those bent on the Lesser Jihad against Israel will stop at that -- they will also deny Christians in the Holy Lnad their rights, even if for now they have been content to exploit for their own purposes a number of collaborationist islamochristians such as Hanan Ashrawi and Naim Ateek), is not "tantamount to interference in another country's affairs."
But the phrase, and the entire article, are revealing. There is the assumption that once Infidels have begun to pay tpaperhe jizha of foreign aid, they must continue to pay it. They owe it. The Muslims are owed -- owed by all Infidels. That is why these words, and the astonishing attitues they reflect, are uttered without the slightest embarrassment or self-consciousness -- here by a paper in Dubai, or by some "Palestinian" spokesman who seems to be genuinely, sincerely, deeply outraged that the Western world might actually stop paying the Jizyah. It is incredible. It has to be talked about -- and described as incredible, described as absurd -- by the leaders of the Western world. Otherwise Arabs and Muslims will never understand how ridiculous and unacceptable is their view of things, and they will not even begin to think about the need to modify them -- even if feigningly, but perhaps even, at some point, truly.
Here is Dubai, as we have recently been assured by this Administration, defending its incredible nonchalance, and indifference even to symbolism, in permitting Dubai, this "good friend" and "ally" (or is it now "staunch ally"?) in the "war on terrorism" (the only kind of "terrorism" Dubai, or the rest of the U.A.E., or Saudi Arabia, or any of those tribes-with-flags sheiklets and brand-new kingdoms will make war on is the kind that is directed at them, and their ruling classes -- and not any other, except insofar as it may not always be possible to distinguish the "good terrorists" who blow up only Infidels, and the "bad terrorists" who appear to consider some Muslim rulers to be so corrupt and awful as to become honoray Infidels, and thus eminently blow-up-able.
A little intelligence is called for. A little attention to history. A little sitting down with some books and articles. A little down-time to think about it all. No, a lot of time to think about it all. Less reliance on those 1 and 5 and 10-page little outlines of history for the busy busy Washington muck-a-mucks, and more attention please.
Possibly by the time one rises to the top, and keep in mind all the many ways that in our degraded democracy we ensure the survival of the misfittest, who often then end up ruling us, it is too late to learn. A lifetime of banalities, a lifetime of soundbites, a lifetime of uttering what everyone else utters and being afraid to think for yourself -- well, it is hard to break away.
There is no solution. Just find the best, and cultivate them, and hope that some of them will relearn how to think while there is still time.
I suggest that my fellow American citizens join me in sending emails of important articles, such as this one, to our elected representatives in the House and Senate on a daily basis so that if they aren't aware of this indispensible website they will be soon enough.
www.house.gov
www.senate.gov
All you need is a few minutes of your day and you ZIP code if you don't know who your representatives in Congress are.
I just came across this quote from Gandhi. Another ignorant, self righteous fool who really thought he was educated and yet knew nothing of the nature of Islamo-fascism.
"Palestine belongs to the Arabs in the same sense that England belongs to the English or France to the French. It is wrong and inhuman to impose the Jews on the Arabs. What is going on in Palestine today cannot be justified by any moral code of conduct. [...] If they must look to the Palestine of geography as their national home, it is wrong to enter it under the shadow of the British gun. A religious act cannot be performed with the aid of the bayonet or the bomb. They can settle in Palestine only by the goodwill of the Arabs. [...] As it is, they are co-sharers with the British in despoiling a people who have done no wrong to them."
The goodwill of the Arabs!! '-a people who have done no wrong to them'. They only tried to conquer Europe twice!!!! And a third time vicariously through their Nazi collaboration.
"...For Hamas to retain its newly-won grip on power, it must now turn to Arab nations for increased financial support..."
From the article above.
Isn't that a splendid thing?
I the Arabs don't have money for their Mohammedan brothers, who would they give it to?
samson, the more I study what the "really smart guys" think, the more I think a person can be educated into mental illness.
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/04/5PIANKA.html
The very educated think they can do without the lesser educated, "homonids" they call us. Well, I'd like to see some of these professors put out in the outback for about 6 months to see if they could survive, just by their wits. Some of the stupidest people I have witnessed are overly educated engineers that can't run two pieces of pipe together if their lives depended on it. But they read a book about it.
Sorry for the OT, just venting. But profs like this Pianka (he's dead now, thank God) are dangerous.
Bad link, here's a better one
http://www.sas.org/tcs/weeklyIssues_2006/2006-04-07/feature1p/index.html
Correction, maybe he's not dead,
Professor Pianka's Death Wish
But all this begs an important question. How could such an eminent ecologist, as Eric R. Pianka clearly is, be so solidly on the side of absurdity and death? His on online "obituary" is an independent indication of his fascination with death. This document, which is actually a brief autobiography, provides some important clues.
Carolyn2,
Rest assured that the good professor Pianka is not dead. He teaches near here and just gave the speech to which you refer. He later said that he really didn't want everyone to die. His "perfect world" is a little weird.
Fascinating the way the US government provides funds to those that intend on destroying the US. Utter stupidity dosen't even come close to an adequate label.
Isn't it obvious, at least to us old Middle East hands, that the REAL reason why that Dubai newspaper wrote that unpleasant editorial is because the mean US Congress, and the awful American public opinion, wouldn't let Dubai take over the US ports? -- Why, Dubai never said a mean word about Israel before those mean congressmen criticized the peaceful emirate of Dubai! And did those mean Zionists have the right to point out the slavery of camel jockeys in progressive, peaceful Dubai?