RUTHFULLY YOURS

http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_opinion.php?id=7357

It took a few years, but it is hard not to conclude that the noxious doctrine first advanced back in 2006 by two American professors of an all-powerful Israel lobby, controlling and misguiding American foreign policy, has now been accepted by much of the foreign policy establishment and more importantly, by the White House itself.

Professors Stephen Walt of Harvard and John Mearsheimer of the University of Chicago have never relented in their attacks on the “Israel lobby,” which started as a long paper in the London Review of Books, and was then published as a more comprehensive treatment of the subject in a book with the same name. The initial paper was well received by a predicable audience — anti-Zionists in academia and on the broader Left, Arab and Palestinian groups, and neo-Nazis and other fringe groups on the Right. But it was also harshly and justifiably attacked in many quarters for shoddy scholarship, and the authors’ tendentious tone, resulting in a screed that appeared to have been written with blinders on to screen out any evidence that might conflict with the authors’ predetermined point of view about the pro-Israel crowd causing U.S. foreign policy to go off the rails, and thereby ignore the arguments of “realists” for adhering to important American strategic interests overseas (which of course mean abandoning Israel for the Arabs).

Not quite eight years after the initial article was published, we have a spectacle today where the leading pro-Israel lobbying group in the United States, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, appears to have given up the fight for new sanctions legislation to pressure Iran. That effort, which at one point attracted a bipartisan group of 59 senators (43 Republicans and 16 Democrats), resulted in a bill that toughened sanctions with Iran if the current second stage of negotiations between the so-called P5+1 and Iran did not produce a final agreement on that nation’s nuclear weapons program, or if Iran ignored what has already been agreed to in the preliminary deal between the two sides.

http://swtotd.blogspot.com/

I LOVE EVERYTHING SYDNEY WILLIAMS WRITES….HOWEVER, THERE IS A NEW TEAM BUILDING IN THE GOP….AND IT IS BOEHNER WHO IS OUT OF STEP…REMINISCENT OF THE WAY THAT BARRY GOLDWATER PAVED THE WAY FOR RONALD REAGAN….THE OUTCOME OF ELECTIONS IN 2014 SEE THE OUTLINE OF THE NEW GOP…..RSK

Speaker of the House John Boehner decided to go against many of his Republican compatriots by having the House vote to increase the nation’s debt ceiling, without any conditions. The tally was 221 to 201, with only 28 Republicans voting with the majority. The move was necessary, however, because Republicans had lost the tactical campaign of using the threat of a government shutdown in their war against the nation’s rising tide of debt. The quid pro quo was that this should allow Republicans to focus on the disastrous rollout of ObamaCare, a law which has thus far seen at least 27 “administrative” changes since passed by a Democrat Congress and signed by a Democrat President in March 2010. Mr. Obama’s unprecedented use of executive actions will be rued by Democrats when Republicans retake the White House, as is inevitable.

http://sarahhonig.com/2014/02/14/another-tack-a-page-from-barkers-playbook/

It’s a safe bet that John Kerry hasn’t heard of General Evelyn Hugh Barker, GOC (General Officer Commanding) of British forces in Palestine (Eretz Yisrael). Lack of erudition, however, has hardly prevented anyone from regarding Jews much in the same light as Barker did.

Of course Kerry, unlike Barker, operates in an age of rigorous political correctness, so the US Secretary of State dare not give full vent to prejudice, not even when he cannot fully hide it. A case in point is Kerry’s proposal that Jews from Arab countries be compensated in the framework of the “peace” he strives to impose on Israel.

The subtext of his suggestion is that Jews can be bought, that they’ll ditch all that’s dear and sacred to them for a little lucre.

It’s here that we backtrack to Barker. In 1946 the British GOC set out to make all Jews of pre-state Israel “suffer punishment and be made aware of the contempt and loathing with which we regard their conduct.”

He therefore instructed all British military personnel to boycott “all Jewish establishments, restaurants, shops and private dwellings. No British soldier is to have social intercourse with any Jew… I appreciate that these measures will inflict some hardship on the troops, yet I am certain that if my reasons are fully explained to them they will understand their propriety and will be punishing the Jews in a way the race dislikes as much as any, by striking at their pockets and showing our contempt of them.”

Reenter Kerry. What has his initiative vis-à-vis those Israelis whose families fled Arab intimidation to do with Barker? Let’s connect the dots.

Why Turkey is gone for good Last Thursday, two Turkish businessmen stopped for lunch in a fish restaurant during a business trip to Edirne in the Babaeski region.   At some point during their meal, the restaurant owner figured out that they were Jews. Rather than show them the hospitality Turkey is renowned for, he […]

1. A record of 5.3 million tourists in Israel in 2013.

2. A record of $83.2BN foreign exchange reserves reflects the strength of Israel’s Shekel, while the currencies of the emerging markets plummet.

3. A record of $2.3BN invested in 662 Israeli startups in 2013 (21% above 2012), according to KPMG and IVC (Globes, January 23, 2014).

4. Over 250 multinational research & development centers operate in Israel (Globes, February 13).

5. “Funds from the US, Europe and China are showing interest in dozens of Israeli companies that will be forced on to the auction block by Israel’s efforts to increase competition…. The sale [of dominant Israeli companies] is required by a law passed in December, 2013 to loosen the grip conglomerates have on the economy…. [Israel’s economic] growth is projected to outpace both the US and the euro area this year and next. The stability of the Israeli economy, and its fundamentals, make it attractive to foreign investors…. You are buying not because of a crisis in Israel, but because there is a desire to boost competition (Bloomberg, February 4, 2014, Alisa Odenheimer and Sharon Wrobel).”

And why not Ashura?- Shiite Muslims celebrate in the streets by self-mutilating themselves.
Ashura marks the death of Prophet Muhammad’s grandson, the revered Imam Hussein in Karbala, Iraq 1,300 years ago. rsk
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/education/nyc-public-school-kids-new-holidays-article-1.1601237#ixzz2sMxzthxT
Mayor de Blasio said Monday that he’d move forward with closing schools for Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, two Muslim holy days, and for Lunar New Year. But he was hesitant regarding Hindu festival Diwali.
New York City is moving to close school for two Muslim holidays and the Lunar New Year — but Mayor de Blasio isn’t so sure about the Hindu festival Diwali.
Appearing on WNYC’s “Brian Lehrer Show” on Monday, the mayor said he hadn’t taken a position on whether Diwali, the festival of lights celebrated in India and other South Asian countries, should be a day off from school.

“This group is much more dangerous and radical than Hamas.” — Palestinian journalist, Gaza City

Palestinians are worried that DAESH terrorists will perpetrate atrocities against those who oppose their ideology and activities.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas need to take into consideration the possibility that Palestinian unity on the pre-1967 lines would pave the way for DAESH terrorists to move into the West Bank.

It’s official: Al-Qaeda has begun operating in the Gaza Strip.

A video posted on YouTube this week showed terrorists belonging to the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, known colloquially by its Arabic acronym, DAESH, announcing plans to wage jihad [holy war] against the “infidels, traitors and Crusaders.”

This is the first time that a group linked to Al-Qaeda announces its presence in the Gaza Strip.

http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/publications/detail/americans-are-biggest-losers-in-obamas-changes-to-the-law The Obama administration’s announcement that the employer mandate will be delayed yet another year for employers with 50 to 99 full-time workers will clobber taxpayers because fewer people getting coverage on the job means more people needing coverage at the public’s expense. The sudden change also trashes the rule of law. Presidents lack the constitutional authority to […]

http://www.frontpagemag.com/2014/arnold-ahlert/income-inequality-at-the-white-house/print/

Loosen up…the blue lacy shower curtain Michelle Obama wore was probably donated by a Republican designer and the entertainment was no big deal. Maybe it is all a bit over the top and hypocritical but it pales in comparison to the other depredations of the lawless administration. Osetra caviar is a bit much but bagels and lox or pastrami on rye would not have been as festive….rsk

In the midst of joblessness and deprivation for millions of Americans, another opulent White House party took place Tuesday night feting fellow socialist crusader François Hollande, the president of France. While the Obamas frequently decry the excesses of private-sector wealth, characterizing it as the product of ill-gotten gains, they have demonstrated time and time again that they have little difficulty emulating the same behavior when Americans are footing the bill. Meanwhile, incessant regulations, attacks on industry and on middle class paychecks through ObamaCare, are crushing ordinary Americans, with no end in sight.

Three hundred and forty-eight guests took part in the state dinner for President Hollande. In an uncharacteristic burst of honesty, the New York Times noted that while many presidents have used state dinners to promote America, those that have taken place during the Obama administration “have been elaborate events and criticized for expenses that have risen with the number of guests and high-cost entertainers like Beyoncé, who may waive their fees but still require equipment, lighting, technicians and even wind machines.”

http://www.frontpagemag.com/2014/david-james/dhimmitude-in-tennessee/print/ Tennessee Islamists recently complained to their friend, Fox Channel 17 news reporter Sky Arnold, about a pamphlet that was inadvertently included in a pro-Israel booth at a school cultural/heritage fair.  Looking to incite the Muslim community, the complainants posted this image of the pamphlet that addressed anti-Israel hate messages in Palestinian school materials. The […]