RUTHFULLY YOURS

http://www.prudenpolitics.com/index.php/pruden/full_column/the_ignorance_of_rick_santorum

There’s a tiny priest living in Rick Santorum’s trim, toned body, struggling to get out. The rogue priest escaped Sunday and said foolish things.The candidate most admired for plain speech made it plain and clear that he doesn’t believe in the wall between church and state and doesn’t think much of John F. Kennedy for saying he did.

“I don’t believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute,” he told ABC News. “The idea that church can have no influence or involvement in the operation of the state is absolutely antithetical to the objectives and vision of our country.”
This should cook his goose with conservatives (and everybody else), Catholic and Protestant alike, but it probably won’t. Many voters are as ignorant as Rick Santorum about the plain meaning of the First Amendment. Mr. Santorum, no doubt listening to his inner rogue, says the First Amendment’s guarantee of “the free exercise of religion means bringing everybody, people of faith and no faith, into the public square.”

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2012/02/28/bill-maher-says-jesus-christ-was-palestinia

Christians the world over are going to be thrilled to know that Jesus was a Palestinian.

At least that’s what HBO’s Bill Maher told CNN’s Piers Morgan Monday evening in a discussion about Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow (video follows with transcript and commentary):

BILL MAHER: You are allowed to have your opinion. You’re allowed to have your opinion that a Palestinian 2000 years ago walked on water and did magic tricks and he was really still his own father and all that stuff. That’s fine. You can have whatever opinion you want, and the fact that a billion other people believe it gives you a lot of strength and credence. But I also have the opinion that that’s ridiculous, that it’s anachronistic, this is the 21st century.

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/02/27/team-obama-continues-to-support-un-hypocrisy-on-human-rights/print#ixzz1ncV3rgoV On Monday the UN opens two major human rights meetings, the annual session of its top women’s rights body, the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in New York, and a month-long session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva. Lecturing Americans about human rights protection from the UN-provided podium will be CSW […]

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/a-police-commissioner-kelly-nypd-safe-article-1.1028917?print Despite some controversial tactics, Police Commisioner Ray Kelly and the NYPD have kept the city safe – and he doesn’t have to apologize to anyone.  They came over from Jersey 19 years ago in a yellow Ryder van that had a bomb in it, some of them from a walk-in mosque over a store […]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/27/israel-wont-warn-us-befor_n_1305601.html?1330398253&icid=maing-grid10%7Chtmlws-main-bb%7Cdl1%7Csec1_lnk3%26pLid%3D139005

WASHINGTON — Israeli officials say they won’t warn the U.S. if they decide to launch a pre-emptive strike against Iranian nuclear facilities, according to one U.S. intelligence official familiar with the discussions. The pronouncement, delivered in a series of private, top-level conversations, sets a tense tone ahead of meetings in the coming days at the White House and Capitol Hill.

Israeli officials said that if they eventually decide a strike is necessary, they would keep the Americans in the dark to decrease the likelihood that the U.S. would be held responsible for failing to stop Israel’s potential attack. The U.S. has been working with the Israelis for months to persuade them that an attack would be only a temporary setback to Iran’s nuclear program.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak delivered the message to a series of top-level U.S. visitors to the country, including the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the White House national security adviser and the director of national intelligence, and top U.S. lawmakers, all trying to close the trust gap between Israel and the U.S. over how to deal with Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

Netanyahu delivered the same message to all the Americans who have traveled to Israel for talks, the U.S. official said.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive strategic negotiations.

The White House did not respond to requests for comment, and the Pentagon and Office of Director of National Intelligence declined to comment, as did the Israeli Embassy.

MARCH 2012 OUTPOST
http://www.mideastoutpost.com/

Editor: Rael Jean Isaac
Editorial Board: Ruth King, Rita Kramer

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The Treason of the Intellectuals: Ruth King
http://www.mideastoutpost.com/archives/the-treason-of-the-intellectuals-ruth-king.html
I assiduously avoid Holocaust metaphors when discussing Israel’s case for two reasons. First, Zionism is not a response to the genocide of World War II. In fact had Zionism been successful, millions of Europe’s Jewry could have been saved. Second, the Arabs and their propaganda machines have, with considerable success, promoted the canard that […]Full Story »
From the Editor: Rael Jean Isaac
http://www.mideastoutpost.com/archives/from-the-editor-rael-jean-isaac-16.html
Name that Zionist Haifa University professor Steven Plaut offers a quiz: Can you name the Zionist who said the following? “Those good Jews brought civilization and peace to the Arab Muslims, and they dispersed gold and prosperity over Palestine without damage to anyone or taking anything by force. Despite this, the Muslims declared holy […]Full Story »
Why Myanmar…But Not Judea? Gerald Honigman
http://www.mideastoutpost.com/archives/why-myanmar-but-not-judea-gerald-honigman.html
Why Myanmar…But Not Judea? Why Sri Lanka, but not Samaria? Why not Rhodesia, but the “West Bank?” It’s admirable (don’t you think ?) when a people throws off the legacy of imperial oppression to embrace their new freedom. The very renaming of nations themselves has often been a reflection of this wonderful development. Admirable, […]Full Story »
The Romance of Gush Etzion: Aryeh Tepper
http://www.mideastoutpost.com/archives/the-romance-of-gush-etzion-aryeh-tepper.html
AFSI will be running a series on the Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria. Those who live in them are Israel’s most courageous and patriotic citizens, not “occupiers” but people with the faith and determination to recreate Jewish communities in the land of their forefathers who “settled” there millennia ago. We are giving them the voice denied them in an overwhelming hostile media (shockingly, in Israel as well) which depicts them as zealots, fanatics and chief barriers to peace.

The return of the Jewish people to their homeland succeeded thanks to the extraordinary tenacity of pioneering individuals who, in a dangerous environment, created new communities from scratch. One such community, or rather series of communities, is the Etzion district—in Hebrew, Gush Etzion—located along the ancient mountain route between Jerusalem and Hebron. The first three communities built by Jewish settlers were completely destroyed by Arabs. The fourth still stands today.
Full Story »
Post-Mubarak Egypt: The Dark Side of Islamic Utopia Robert S. Wistrich
http://www.mideastoutpost.com/archives/post-mubarak-egypt-the-dark-side-of-islamic-utopia-robert-s-wistrich.html
The Muslim Brotherhood [Ikhwan al-Muslimim], along with the more radical Salafi Islamists, has turned out to be the overwhelming victor in the first two rounds of the democratic elections currently taking place in post-Mubarak Egypt. In Egypt, the two largest Islamist parties won about 75 percent of the votes in the second round of […]Full Story »
Adib Shishakli And Shukri Al Quwatli: Sarah Honig
http://www.mideastoutpost.com/archives/adib-shishakli-and-shukri-al-quwatli-sarah-honig.html
Forgotten is our peculiar urban folklore, yesteryear’s spontaneous fun of small Israeli kids rapidly rolling off their tongues the names of assorted Syrian tyrants. This singsong accompanied sidewalk games and was a staple of silly summertime tongue-twister contests. Nobody then remotely believed that riots and havoc in neighboring autocracies could betoken the rise of […]
AFSI SPRING TRIP TO JUDEA AND SAMARIA APRIL 22 TO MAY 1, 2012
You are Invited to Join AFSI on our Spring Chizuk Trip To Judea And Samaria – April 22 to May 1, 2012 See the AFSI website for reports and photos of past trips. The cost of the trip is $1800 per person, double occupancy. Single occupancy is available

http://daphneanson.blogspot.com/

American Professor Talks Of “The Zionist Totalitarians Who Want To Control The Entire World” (video)

“Absolutely, for an energy poor region of the world, they have no business playing these kinds of energy games just to satisfy the Zionist totalitarians who want to control the entire world.”

Below is the video of an interview by Iran’s propaganda news and current events satellite channel, Press TV, with Paul Sheldon Foote, of the University of California at Irvine.
In uploading the video Press TV introduced the segment thus:

“A distinguished professor says the Zionists have pressured oil-starved European countries to reject Iran’s oil, thereby impacting financial markets around the world.”

The transcript runs as follows:

Press TV:

“The recent news has already started impacting the market; tell us about the indications of this recent hike in crude prices.”

Foote:

“The basic facts are that Europe has very tiny amounts of energy resources. They have to import almost everything they need. And Iran has been a good supplier to them.

While the Saudis and some others may have claimed that they will make up the differences, it will take time to change shipments, refineries and get things ready. So, there will be a gap.

And as you noted, prices will increase short term, at least, if not longer.”

http://daphneanson.blogspot.com/

“We are African-American, Arab, Asian, European-American, Latina/o, and South Asian. We are Jews, Muslims, Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, atheists, & agnostics. We are educators, students, librarians, designers, non-profit workers, medical professionals, business people and artists. We are people of all ages. We are like you,” coos the website of the 16,000-member strong Park Slope Food Coop in Brooklyn.

“We believe that the PSFC should join the international Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement (BDS). BDS is a nonviolent tactic recently adopted by the decades-long Palestinian movement to end Israel’s violent and illegal occupation of their lands, gain equal rights, and achieve peace, freedom and economic stability.

We think that joining the BDS movement will help send a message to Israel that it must honor international law and human rights. It will also make the PSFC a more welcoming place for all people who want justice realized in Palestine. And taken in a larger context, we believe that BDS is one of multiple ways to participate in the global struggle against all forms of oppression.”

So they’re taking a vote on the issue late next month.

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9T56Q9O0&show_article=1
Egypt opens trial that has strained ties with USBy HAMZA HENDAWI

IS THIS A TAD REMINISCENT OF IRAN’S HOSTAGE TAKING IN 1979? RSK

CAIRO (AP) – Egyptwent forward with a trial Sunday that has plunged relations with the U.S. into the deepest crisis in decades, prosecuting 16 Americans and 27 other employees of pro-democracy groups on charges they used foreign funds to foment unrest.

Behind the scenes, U.S. and Egyptian officials were said to be in intense discussions in an attempt to resolve the case. In a sign those negotiations may be bearing fruit, only Egyptian defendants attended the opening session and the judge gave no instructions to police to ensure the American defendants—who were not in court Sunday—attend the next hearing in two months.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has raised the dispute twice in person with Egypt’s foreign minister—once in London and once in Tunisia—in recent days, according to a senior U.S. official speaking on condition of anonymity due to the delicacy of the discussions.

Speaking to reporters in Morocco on Sunday, Clinton said American officials are evaluating the latest developments, adding that it’s “a fluid situation and there are a lot of moving parts.”

In Cairo, the opening hearing quickly descended into chaos as lawyers and journalists crammed into a small courtroom. After a brief session, presiding judge Mahmoud Mohammed Shoukry, who had to step out of the hearing at one point because of the crush of frantic lawyers and observers, adjourned the proceedings until April 26. The time will allow defense attorneys to familiarize themselves with the case and the details of behind the charges.

The investigation into the four U.S.-based nonprofits, which began in December with a raid by Egyptian security forces on the groups’ offices, has put a severe strain on Washington’s relationship with Egypt—one of its most pivotal in the Middle East. U.S. officials have threatened to cut off a $1.5 billion annual aid package if the dispute is not resolved.

President Barack Obama has urged Egypt’s military rulers to drop the investigation, and high-level officials, including Joint Chiefs Chairman Martin Dempsey and Republican Sen. John McCain, have flown in to Cairo to seek a solution.

However, the U.S. cannot be seen as pushing too hard against Egypt’s ruling military council, which is viewed as the best hope for a stable transition for a nation that is not just a regional heavyweight, but also the most populous in the Arab world and a lynchpin in Washington’s Middle East policy.

There are 43 defendants in the case—16 Americans, 16 Egyptians, as well as Germans, Palestinians, Serbs and Jordanians.

At least thirteen of the Egyptians appeared in court for Saturday’s hearing, standing in a metal cage, as is customary in Egyptian trials.

http://bigpeace.com/mweisman/2012/02/26/hope-and-change-only-for-americas-enemies-islamic-extremists/

With the presidential election looming, I thought it wise to revisit president Obama’s 2008 campaign theme. He ran on the adage, “hope and change.” Let’s look into hope and change, Obama style.

Islamism is so pervasive, so zany, so entrenched all over the world that I could throw a dart at the globe any random day and find a story to discuss involving extremism, violence, or oppression from its adherents. And it’s getting worse. Why is it getting worse, you ask? No doubt there are many reasons, but the one that sticks in my craw is that American weakness is largely responsible. Weakness will always invite aggression, and this president’s profound lack of leadership—weakness—has inspired our enemies the way fuel enrages wildfire. I guess we should have taken president Obama at his word and believed his conviction for “hope and change.” But hope for whom? What type of change?

Allow me to share a few examples for whom hope (and change) springs eternal due to the feckless actions of the Obama administration.

Iran

Iran is our nemesis. It is also the world’s worst state sponsor of terrorism. It is largely Iranian weapons and expertise responsible for killing and maiming our soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. Yet in 2009, when millions of Iranians took to the streets to protest their totalitarian, anti-America, and anti-Israel government, president Obama did absolutely nothing to help them. This was the perfect chance for strong United States to encourage the Iranian moderates to replace the Mullahs and Ahmadinejad.