In June I wrote about an informative and new anti-BDS site called Canary Mission. Their mission is to reveal just who the actors in this movement really are and what they truly espouse, often with their own words.
Well, the BDS crowd is not happy about Canary Mission. Not. At. All.
In a new article from award winning investigative reporter and author Edwin Black, he notes an increasing level of shrill and violent threats against Canary Mission. Well worth reading in it’s entirety.
And, if you have not yet done so, do please check out Canary Mission’s site, too! A valuable resource.
So barry and kerry are very busy patting themselves on the back for their “historic” agreement reached with Iran. It’s a really great deal. For Iran. As for the US, we have now taken sides in the Sunni vs Shia middle east face off. I have heard more than one comparison to the 1938 Munich agreement signed by that waste of oxygen Neville Chamberpot, oops, Chamberlain. And appeasing tyrants has always worked out so well. The sanctions against Iran will be lifted (ok, so I like the photo), the ketchup tycoon has backed off the anywhere anytime inspections they touted, and basically we get nothing. Not even the four prisoners being held by Iran. They didn’t even come up. Pity, it would have given ketchup, er kerry, one more thing to cave on. Even some of the other muslim countries don’t like the deal. Our allies no longer trust us, no one need worry about the obama regime attacking them (unless it’s conservatives).
But at least before this disastrous deal giving the country which has vowed to destroy the US and Israel, nuclear power is final, it will have to go through the US congress. Well, no.
Turns out barry and kerry decided to submit the agreement to the United Nations BEFORE it could go through congress. Which prompted sputtering and outrage from those invaluable protectors of the American people, like the carpet wetting John Boehner. They whined that congress would continue to do their job no matter that the “agreement”had been submitted to the UN. What I wonder, is it that congress thinks they will do? It seems barry and kerry think it’s more important that the agreement go to the U.N. because it affects other countries. Hmmm, okaaayyy, if that’s how it works, let’s be consistent.
It seems on the 16th of July this year the Israeli Sanhedrin called barry to appear in front of the court on the 9th of September for for what it says are “criminal offenses” against the Jewish people following the passage of the Iran nuclear deal. The Sanhedrin accuses Obama of “deliberately promoting genocide for the Jewish people.” Well, and the American citizens too. Link is well worth checking, it has the documents. That was even before the Sanhedrin found out that barry and kerry gave Iran the technology to make sure Israel couldn’t take out their nuclear facilities.
Ok, well, if we go by ketchup kerry’s reasoning for bypassing congress on the nuclear agreement,
“Well, they have a right to do that, honestly. It is presumptuous of some people to say that France, Russia, China, Germany, Britain ought to do what the Congress tells them to do,” said Kerry. “They have a right to have a vote. But we prevailed on them to delay the implementation of that vote out of respect of our Congress.”
The nuclear agreement with The Islamic state of Iran will certainly effect Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, Egypt and pretty much every other country since who knows what the crazies will do. If we are going to yield American sovereignty to the U.N. over the nuclear deal, shouldn’t we yield the American President and maybe even throw in the Secretary of State to be turned over to the Sanhedrin?
You know, I’m concerned about the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty that barry had kerry sign. Since this regime rules by executive action, and executive order, why should we think that in their opinion that two-thirds of the Senate needs to approve it? I mean, it affects other countries as well. Congress may well stomp it’s fancy shoes, but I don’t really expect them to do anymore about that than they will this bypass.
It seems barry and kerry are very invested in making sure that Begin’s daring raid can not be repeated.
Co-blogger Sheila has been telling you about the highlights of her recent trip to Israel. One thing she hasn’t told you is this:
That’s a closeup of one of the niches in the Western Wall or Kotel — what Americans not-so-respectfully refer to as the Wailing Wall. The slip of paper on the upper right contains the names of each TZP founding member and blogger, the names of our families, and TZP’s name.
I was so moved when Sheila told us she did that. A famous quote connected with the Western Wall is: “There are hearts and there are hearts. There are human hearts, and there are hearts of stone. There are stones and there are stones. There are silent stones, and there are stones which are hearts.” And I must say that what Sheila did melted my sometimes-stony heart.
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Life has taught me to be cynical and unsentimental. Aside from having a soft spot for dogs, I tend to be one who avoids or questions things I find to be vague, “soft,” or emotional. I’ve become a “just the facts, Ma’am” sort of person when it comes to claims that can’t be well-defined or proven through a rigorous examination.
Reading novels, I skip the mushy scenes. I’m baffled when people make religious arguments based on their feelings and quotes from scriptures (just as they’re baffled by my expectation of hard evidence). When a salesman or a preacher wants me to “experience” something before I gather the data about it, I’m instantly on guard. When Dumbledore tells Harry Potter that “love” made his baby self invincible against the evil power of Voldemort, I cringe and hit the fast-forward button. In fact, the dreadfully overused word “love” is in general enough to set my BS alarm clanging. Give me the facts, Ma’am. Just the facts.
I’m not really that cold — I hope! I’ve merely learned through a lifetime of experience that feelings sans facts are often a trap, nothing more than a form of manipulation and deception.
Our gun-hating opponents are excruciating examples of this. Their wild emotional rantings, their claims of sentiment toward the victims of shootings (victims in whose blood they gleefully dance), their stubborn choice to remain ignorant about firearms, their complete refusal to sit down and think about how the laws they demand would actually work in the real world, their bizarre lack of reasoning … all are perfect examples of why feeeeeelings should aways be suspect. Especially when someone uses their emotions (or tries to manipulate the emotions of others) as an excuse to get something they want.
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Of course, feelings can be plenty useful. That hinky sense you get when you see a suspicious stranger or enter a dangerous place. That inner voice that screams, “NO!” even when a course of action seems otherwise perfectly reasonable. That warmth that floods you when you realize you’ve met someone you can truly trust. That rush of satisfaction when you know you’ve gone the extra mile and done good. All great, all needed.
But when it comes to discovering truths that lie beyond our immediate realm, feelings are no substitute for accurate, checkable data. Give me the facts, Ma’am. Just the facts. I’ll decide for myself what to feel about them, thank you.
So when I saw Sheila’s photo and heard her describe what’s on that piece of paper — a prayer placed in an ancient wall for the people of TZP — at first I didn’t know why I felt so moved. I don’t believe there’s a god standing behind that wall, seeing, hearing, and above all caring about us (fellow blogger Y.B. will differ, of course). I don’t believe that the stones of the wall or the words on those slips of paper have any mystical power. Yet I felt a power just knowing what Sheila had done. I felt the power of the stones and the words and Sheila’s action in placing TZP in such an ancient holy place.
But why?
Many reasons, I think. But here’s the core thing: We who hold fast for gun rights and the human rights to life, liberty, and individual sovereignty ultimately do what we do out of love. Yes, that mushy, highly suspect word. There it is: love.
Oh yes, we have facts and data and knowledge on our side. Unlike the overwrought, screeching enemies of freedom, we analyze the data, we look at the facts on the table, we project the consequences of proposed laws into the future. We ask, “How does this work? Or would it work?” Some of us know the physics (that is, the facts) of the making of steel or the ballistics of a shot. Some of us have studied the history of firearms or firearms laws. Some of us can cite firearm statistics or crime statistics off the tops of our heads. Some track and analyze upcoming laws or regulatory actions. We have different areas of expertise when it comes to guns and gun rights. But generally, we tend to be people of the fact. We’re passionate about our commitment, but many of us got here by looking at the data or studying the history and knowing why we’re here.
Yet of course we don’t do what we do — we don’t join and stay in this endless struggle for freedom — because of facts alone. That wouldn’t be enough.
We stand here against all manner of hate and all attempts to smash our freedom. We stand like the stones of that ancient wall not only because we know we’re right. Being “right” is never enough; any moron can think he’s “right” about anything and still run for the hills the moment things get tough. We stand because we love life and liberty so much that surrender is inconceivable. What we do, we do for love.
It has been said of the Western Wall:
Secure and invincible with its Divine strength, the Kotel holds its own — throughout the generations of change, transformations and vicissitudes, the horrors and the shocks, which visited the land and its inhabitants. The Kotel is in them and with them.
…. [L]ike a stone fortress, it stands guard, without moving and without allowing its inner dignity to be sullied. It remains pure and exalted in the strength of its very essence…
There are hearts of stone and stones with hearts. Those who stand for gun rights are a wall, a fortress. It was right that Sheila placed TZP names in that niche in the Kotel. The words on that slip of paper aren’t just our names, individually. Our names stand for everyone who cares unyieldingly about self defense, the defense of others, and the undying principles of liberty. Our names in that wall stand for the love that holds so many great hearts so strong in this crucial cause.
The next museum I will share with you is the HaHaganah museum in Tel Aviv. It was originally the meeting place of HaHaganah, because the building where the museum resides is the former home of Eliyahu Golomb, one of the founders of HaHaganah. Many an important meeting took place there. The topics would have ranged from how to get more Jewish refugees into Israel to defense of the settlements. The meetings held in the house were secret and they would have been conducted from1930-1945. In 1954 the building was sold to an entrepreneur and plans were made to demolish the building. Former members of the Haganah found out and intervened. They wanted the irreplaceable house built in 1923 turned into a museum. Said entrepreneur agreed. I guess anyone would. Who wants to argue with a bunch of ticked off Haganah. I suppose the owner didn’t want to mess with them. They got their museum.
HaHaganah Museum
HaHaganah was the evolution of Jewish Defense forces. The first group formed was Bar-Giora, named for Simon Bar Giora one of the leaders of the revolt against Rome. Meeting for the first time on September 28, 1907 in Ytizhak Ben-|Zvi’s apartment they set their goal. It was settle the land and guard it from Arabs. Their motto was
“In fire and blood did Judea fall; in blood and fire Judea shall rise.”
This was also one of the mottoes of Jewish defenders during the Russian pogroms. Members had to have a years worth of farming experience as well to be in the Bar-Giora.
The Bar-Giora became the HaShomer in April 1909. HaShomer meant the Watchman. The HaShomer was larger and more organized than the Bar-Giora. The HaShomer set it’s goal to provide organized defense for all of the Jews living in “Palestine”. One of the first challenges they faced was lack of weapons, due to lack of the necessary funds. They finally obtained a loan & the necessary weapons were purchased and distributed. Many of the new owners refused to be separated from their new weapons even for a moment. They soon adopted the dress and customs of the local Bedouins, Druze and Circassians. As well as advancing from being units on foot to horseback. This is always a good thing to my way of thinking. Another challenge the HaShomer faced was shortage of ammunition. It was expensive and hard to procure. This led to secret production centers being set up. The HaShomer were quite effective in their duties, despite the fact at no time was there ever more than 100 members. In 1920 the HaShomer were disbanded to become HaHaganah. Just a quick note here, some people at work asked my opinion on a “Hosmer”. I had no idea what they were talking about. Travel broadens your knowledge base. I now know they probably wanted to know what I thought about the HaShomer! I think they were amazing!
HaShomer
In June 1920 HaHaganah (The Defense) came into being. Initially a loose group, the Arab riots of 1929 changed it’s nature. It changed from a militia to a mature military body. HaHaganah was independent of paying locals to be watchmen nor did they depend on foreign recognition. Though the British Security Forces did work with it to form a civilian militia. The British were mostly pro-Arab and anti-Zionist. At times they urged the Arabs to attack the Jewish settlers. The Arabs soon discovered they could control the immigration policies of the British by rioting. At times the British would work with the Arabs. The Arabs would riot and the British would withdraw their troops & the Jewish police leaving the Jews at the tender mercies of the rioting Arabs. There were many incidences where the casualty rate would have been much, much higher if not for HaHaganah. The British, in general, were proving to be about as good a friends to the new yishuv settlers as they were to the Irish about that time frame.
But even the British get a surprise once in a while. Charles Orde Wingate was just such a surprise. Wingate was born to a religious Christian family & firmly believed in the Bible. Therefore he also firmly believed that the Jewish people belonged in Israel, and he did everything possible to make that happen. He was a talented horseman, who had also studied Arabic and Semitic culture. In 1936 he earned the rank of Captain and the intelligence officer was transferred to Israel later that year.
When he arrived the Arabs were regularly attacking the British & the Jews. Wingate sized up the situation and formed S.N.S. or special night squads comprised mostly of HaHaganah. The were effective as offensive units as well as defensive. They could pre-empt as well as resist attacks and were very effective at helping the yishuv settlers. Therefore the S.N.S. was disliked by Arabs & British. The Yishuv called him “ha-yedid” The friend. Bet he was glad he had learned to speak Hebrew then! For Charles Orde Wingate it was first, last and always about the Jews belonging in Israel and being safe there. He was the perfect man, in the perfect place at the perfect time. Therefore in 1939 the Brits transferred him out. His passport was stamped with a restriction that he was not allowed to re-enter the country. You can’t make this stuff up. His influence lived on though in the people he had trained that went on to become heads of Palmach and later the IDF.
One heart wrenching incident that HaHaganah was unable to stop was the helpless settlers in the Hebron Massacre. The HaHaganah had gone to Hebron to offer their protection, but since the local Sephardic Jews had lived in peace with their Arabic neighbors for years they were concerned that the presence of HaHaganah could irritate the situation. The Haganah were sent away by the ONE British Policeman who had been recruited from the Black & Tans. The terror didn’t end even after they made it to The Beit Romano police station. The level of trust in the British to protect them, and the Arabs not to attack them was way too high, and the cost was very dear. There were stories of Arabs that acted to save the Jews, hiding them in their basements and cellars and defending them with their swords.
When the new settlers wanted to fight back, they had another conundrum. They were facing the bigger and well armed British army and their buddies with whom they also shared arms, The Arab Legion. One of the answers was the Davidka. Not an incredibly accurate weapon, it was loud and tended to scare the heck out of it’s targets.
Yes, a real DavidkaDavidka Plaque
Yes indeed! That is a real Davidka!
On May 26th 1948 David Ben-Gurion dissolved HaHaganah, and the other defensive groups to form the IDF.
Take away thoughts from HaHaganah museum: If you are going to trust your life and that of your family to someone, make VERY sure they are worthy it. Some mistakes can not be made up.
If you are going to defend yourself against a government that has no interest in your survival and is siding with your enemies? Weapons, effective weapons and lots of them are a must.
There may be people that were not born of your group that will fight harder for your group than some natural born members. Charles Orde Wingate was just such an incredible man, a G-d given gift to Israel and her new settlers.
Availability of weapons and ammunition is critical.
The cost of re-inventing the wheel would be even more astronomical this time. We don’t need to do that. Attitudes are a big key in survival.
One of the museums we visited was the Etzel museum in Tel Aviv. That monthly pass really is a good deal. I still have a couple days left on it, I keep contemplating popping back over there to just add a bit to my story, but I guess I won’t. There is more than one Etzel museum in Tel Aviv and this one was named for Amichai (Gidi) Paiglin.
This is one of those things that at the time seemed like a good idea, and seemed like it would be simple. I’d just make a few notes on the people and topics that really struck me and I wanted to share with our readers and then supplement with info from the net and put in a few links. That’s not how this turned out. What seemed to me, like something that would certainly have a page on Wikipedia, or I could find information “somewhere” on the web, there is nothing but a barren wasteland of info. At least for my first part, which is going to have to be done only from my notes and memory. Which at times is a barren wasteland in and of itself.
Ten days before the State of Israel was declared by David Ben-Gurion (whom I like less all the time) was the last day of a truce. The British were going to be pulling out, and The Irgun had decided to capture Jaffa. The battle had been pretty fierce and there were a many lives lost. In the area of of town where our story takes place the Irgun thought that they had an area where it would be safe for the women to bed down for the night, and that by the next morning they would finish the operation. That probably seemed like a good idea at the time as well. It didn’t work out the way it was planned either. The Arabs managed to sneak past the Etzal during the night and were in the parts of the town where most of the women were.
Marion Aharoni was one of the two women in the minaret who woke up to the sound of Arabic voices the next morning and realized that there were enough of them that the forces in that part of the town wouldn’t be able to hold it. Apparently communications had already been disrupted, and so Marion told the other gal to try to get to headquarters and advise them of the situation. In the meantime headquarters had become aware of what was happening and was trying to sort out their resources and their people to figure out how to best deal with the situation at hand. One of the people in charge of a unit was Ruth Moritz, I believe I have her code name down as Dvora. Ruth was amazing, she was a beautiful woman, I think, and had shown a lot of command skill. Her boyfriend Avaham Canaaite had been killed at the battle of Yafo (Jaffa). Ruth was near headquarters when the other lady finally arrived and informed them of the situation. Headquarters informed Ruth they had talked to their people in that area and no one was left in the minaret. Ruth said she was going to head over there anyway to make sure Marion got out. Headquarters told her no. Ruth said she was going and for everyone else who had legs to get out of there now. Headquarters advised Ruth she should go see to her unit and make sure they were all ready to roll, either evacuate or fight. Ruth told them she would just go check the minaret herself and make sure no one was left behind to face the Arab mob alone. And so she went. If she met fighters along the way, she advised them to get out. She made it to the minaret where Marion was still holed up waiting for orders. Not that there was a thing she could have done. By the time Ruth made it there the Arab mobs were very close. And there were a lot of them. And so to avoid falling into the hands of the Arab mobs they chose to jump from the minaret. Many Arabs at that time, as now, have the same unfortunate goal and tendency to slaughter Jews when possible. No one really knew what happened to the women. After two years a mass grave was found with the bones of two women and three men. I believe it was four years later that they finally found out what had happened.
Another update: We knew Ruth had incredible courage to go back and try to get out Marion who was in her company because she felt she was responsible for Marion. But something that is in the video that I had forgotten is Marion’s incredible courage. Marion was still in that tower because she had not heard the command to retreat. She heard the Arab mobs, she knew they were close. But she stayed and held her position because she had not heard the retreat command. What kind of incredible courage would that take? These were two amazing, smart, strong, courageous women. They deserve to have their names known and remembered outside of Israel.
The view of the minaret I think they jumped from was visible from my “office”.
View from my “office”
And the evening we walked home from Yafo to Tel Aviv we walked by what I believe is the tower they jumped from.
The minaret
The other thing that was striking to me was the Altalena. Yes, of course I knew about the Altalena, the ship. I did not know that was the name Ze’ev Jabotinsky wrote under in Russian newspapers though. The other thing was the date. I was at this Etzel museum on 1 June. 1 June 1948 was the day the Irgun, Hagana, and Lehi were all to have been disbanded and incorporated into the newly formed IDF. The cliff notes version of this is the Altalena was a ship bound for Israel carrying fighters and much needed weapons to the Irgun. Timing was an issue, and David Ben-Gurion, was aware the ship was coming in and basically sold the Irgun and Menachem Begin out. The IDF was ordered to attack the Altalena if they wouldn’t turn over all the weapons to the new IDF. That did not happen, and a firefight broke out between the IDF and the Irgun. Menachem Begin headed for the Altalena in a rowboat under fire from the IDF. He made it to the ship and they sailed for Tel Aviv where there were more IDF forces. Ben-Gurion ordered the ship sunk on the high seas by the new Israeli air force before it reached Tel Aviv.
Heiman Shamir Deputy Commander of the Air Force, tried to convince non-Jewish pilot volunteers to attack the ship. However, three pilots refused to participate in the mission, one of them saying, “You can kiss my foot. I did not lose four friends and fly 10,000 miles in order to bomb Jews.”
I told a Rabbi once, not everything that wasn’t born Jewish is an enemy of Jews. These three pilots would nicely prove this point.
In the end, Jews fired on Jews, and the Altalena was sunk despite having raised a white flag on Begin’s orders as he attempted to prevent a civil war.
Take-a-way thoughts of mine. We know the name of the shooter in the church in South Carolina, we know the name of several famous gangsters in America’s history, and possibly some names of famous Israelis. Certainly Ben-Gurion and Begin. While I was at the museum some groups of young soldiers were coming through. They were to study at the museum as part of the class apparently. In fact one room we were unable to access. It was a room where perhaps there was a movie you could view, but it was being used for a party of some sort. But these student soldiers study the people, the events and the history. And it matters to some of them, and perhaps to some, not so much. I was actually very surprised there was nothing on the net about Ruth Moritz and Marion Aharoni, but there isn’t, and so perhaps this telling, as imperfect as it is, will keep a memory of valor, courage and leadership alive.
Ruth Moritz and Marion Aharoni
And make no mistake, Ruth was a leader. When we have people like Shannon Watts, Dianne Feinstine, Nancy Pelosi and every other anti-gun harpie out there telling women that they won’t be safer if they can defend themselves, you know what crap it is. When you have the screeching harpies telling women that if they have a gun someone will take it away from them and use it on them, that’s crap. When you have the faux feminists telling women that a gun is too complicated, that they should get mace and a whistle, you know it’s crap. When the faux feminists tell women to just call the big strong policeman and wait, that’s crap. Ruth and Marion were true feminists, they were strong, beautiful women that fought in defense of themselves, their families and their country.
Right now part of America is busy throwing away the heritage that they have been sold by a liberal educational system and biased media. They throw it away with both hands because they don’t know true history, and don’t understand what they are throwing away. I was very glad to see those young Israelis going through that museum.
When in a dire situation, more people on your side is a very good thing.
The Altalena take-a-way? Politicians do what’s best for politicians. Betrayal sadly, apparently, should be expected. It’s about the power baby, it’s about the power.
Etzel Museum
I have never been so happy to need to update something as I am to add this. If you whine to the right people, sometimes, just sometimes, really great things happen. The whining was about the lack of information on Ruth online. The victim listener of my whining suggested that some problems are solved by going back to the language in which the incident occurred. That would be Hebrew. JACKPOT!!!
I had forgotten that Marion was in Ruth’s unit. A bit more than friends, I believe Ruth was her leader.
These sites are all in Hebrew, but with evil google’s translate you can read a rough version in English. Enough to get more information. AND, a movie. I’ve written the museum to see if they would consider posting the English version I saw while I was there.
Who are these “Stiff-Necked” people, just freed from hundreds of years of enslavement under the Pharaohs of Egypt?
How did they end up there?
Why are they now free; granted the escape of millions of people from the absolute control of a regional superpower?
Why are these ragged and debased people given protection, guidance, and even nourishment through a series of dramatic and unrelenting miraculous interventions? All lead by a convicted murder who, after years on the lam in the desert, returns as their spiritual and physical shepherd?
Why?
The Israelites had lived in their tribal lands in what is now most of modern Israel, and adjacent portions of today’s Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon, since a very unusual man and his wife traveled all the way from Ur Kasdim, in the valleys of the Tigris and Euphrates, through mountains and deserts, to purchase and settle their family and make a home.
This man, Abraham, rebellious son of an idol maker, challenged all the prevailing beliefs of the time, asserting that all of the universe was from the act of, and under the absolute dominion of, but ONE, unique, all encompassing, incorporeal, limitless, G-d.
This man, Abraham, was directly communicated to by this G-d, first, while being raised hidden in a cave, as a young child, and many times thereafter.
Abraham was a descendant of Shem; the youngest son of Noah a witness to the Great Flood, and the Covenant renewed at its end
Shems’s grandson, Eber, unique among his siblings, refused to participate in the construction of the Tower of Babel, and thus he retained not only what he learned from Shem, but the original language in which he was taught. This language is Ivrit, what we call in English, Hebrew.
Abraham was the great-great-great-grandson of Eber.
Eleven generations of this family in all had been taught by Shem, before he died. From Shem, via Eber, through Abraham, all the way to Jacob.
Abraham and his wife Sarah braved many challenges, and yet prospered. Together they developed a reputation among the great and small alike for intelligence, morality, and gracious hospitality to all who sought out their tents. Abraham and Sarah recognized that all mankind’s blessings, indeed all of existence, came from G-d.
So, when challenged by G-d with a terrifying, soul-wrenching test; to sacrifice his adult son, Isaac, to this same G-d, both father and son were nonetheless willing. At the last moment, Heaven stayed Abraham’s hand.
Abraham and Issac Rembrandt van Rijn, 1634
This event, known as the Akedah, established an eternal promise, from G-d himself, to Abraham, Isaac and (through Jacob) their descendants to have title to this good land forever. So long as they loved G-d, and followed his guidance, they would multiply and prosper. A nation of priests; witness to the World that Hashem is G-d and He is “One”.
Indeed, through Isaac and his children, and their children, and their children, the message, devotion to G-d, and their promised prosperity was solidified. So was the unquestioned title to their land. Their HOME. The People of Israel dwelt in the Land of Israel.
Thus it was, that, facing a terrible drought, the children of Jacob; now known as Israel, sought permission of their neighbor, the Pharaoh of Egypt, to feed and water their livestock ,to sojourn, in the outlying fields of Goshen, on the Nile Delta, only a few days walk from their home, TEMPORARILY.
Next: Seduction, Debasement, and Slavery on the Nile
The attack in South Carolina was the latest in a series of horrors that have occurred in Gun Free Zones. And the roaches have been scurrying out of the woodwork. To no one’s great surprise Hillary said she still hates law abiding citizens and can’t wait to see them dead. Well, sort of, she might have phrased it more like a politician, but that’s the essence of it. Barry of course has been saying that for years. His name IS still barry this week, right?
But to the subject at hand. It has come out that the alleged killer (Lt. Col. Grossman says we do not use mass murders names, the name can fade to oblivion) chose the church because it was a gun free zone and didn’t have security. Like other mass killers, some of them elected politicians, they wants disarmed victims.
But the reporting on the incident is interesting. Actually reporting, chuckle, chuckle, is interesting. When the police HQ in Dallas were attacked a CNN anchor called it “brave”. Why yes, that is the same CNN that has been caught using footage of fully automatic weapons being fired while reporting on a story about semi-automatic weapons. More than once.
Then we have a guest on MSNBC who stated that had anyone there been able to defend themselves it would have been amazing if even three people had been left alive. Seriously. Disarmed, defenseless (now dead) people are safer. I’m sure MSNBC’s 11 viewers nodded along sagely.
So where did you hear that? If it was on CNN, or MSNBC (in case of it’s 11 viewers stumbled onto our site) you might mull over the view point with which it’s being reported. CNN thinks it’s brave to attack police and MSNBC thinks if you can defend yourself and have a chance to fight to live you are less safe. Which is probably why I’ve heard talk show host Mark Levin call them MSLSD. At least hamass is more honest in this case. They hate Israel and are happy to see innocent defenseless people slaughtered. What does that say about the mainstream news media. Seriously, if they can’t even report a news story that has already happened, why would you trust them with a weather forecast?
As a side note, the South Carolina shooter had a view on Jews as well.
Unlike many White nationalists, I am of the opinion that the majority of American and European Jews are White. In my opinion the issue with the Jews is not their blood, but their identity. I think that if we somehow could destroy the Jewish identity, then they wouldnt [sic] cause much of a problem. The problem is that Jews look White, and in many cases are White, yet they see themselves as minorities. Just like niggers [sic], most jews [sic] are always thinking about the fact they are jewish [sic]. The other issue is that they network. If we could somehow turn every jew [sic] blue for 24 hours, I think there would be a mass awakening, because people would be able to see plainly what is going on.
I do not pretend to understand why jews [sic] do what they do. They are enigma [sic].
Yes indeedy. That pesky Jewish identity…..must erase that pesky Jewish identity. Got news you piece of pond scum fish excrement, others have tried, others will try, others are trying now. Abe Foxman of the Anti-Defamation League is not the answer. The old sticks and stones thing. Armed Synagogues, armed Churches now we are talking answers. There is one higher and greater that I believe will have something to say about erasing the Jewish identity.
Our readers are already familiar with this former member of the Israeli Knesset. He was mentioned in columns on 25 January 2015 and 7 January 2015. But for our readers to really get a flavor of what he thinks about gun control in Israel, someone needed to talk to him. I’m mean, really.
And so I did. In an effort to bring our TZP readers good investigation, I went to Israel. Ok, perhaps that’s baloney. I went because I love it and a really patient kind friend invited me to stay with her in her apartment. But as long as I was there….with a little help from a friend I landed a interview with Mr. Feiglin.
Didn’t quite go as I had hoped for a face to face interview, but when you’re only there for a few days and there is a huge list of things to do and see, you take what you can get. Yes, there was a phone interview, yes it took place in a coffee shop. In the Jerusalem bus station at the coffee shop. These babies are all over Israel, and I can do a column on my favorite coffee places in Israel if it become necessary, because man am I a happy camper over there. Along with, well, never mind, I’m digressing. So the interview took place in a coffee shop with a napkin stuck in my left ear to cut out the background noise. It was the best work around I could come up with since I was dealing with a narrow window of time.
Mr. Feiglin is very gracious. I had called his cell the day before to see about an interview. I interrupted him in a meeting. My Hebrew is good enough to apologize and ask when would be a good time I could call him. He gave me a time. I called from the bus en route to Jerusalem. Short version, I got the interview but it ended up taking place on the phone. I can roll with it.
Why do so many Israeli politicians not see that armed citizens would help with safety and security of all citizens? For example the attacks at Har Nof and bus stops? Note: for those not aware there have been several attacks where peaceful Palestinians “lost control” of their vehicles and said vehicles wound up plowing down citizens standing at bus stops and have killed some of them. And other instances where the huge knife they had hidden jumped into their hands and began to plunge itself into innocent bystanders.
His reply made my heart beat faster, probably will yours too, if you think like me. He began to explain that it has to do with the concept of freedom. That to give away freedom is a huge mistake. That disarming citizens can lead to tyranny and power grabs. That the more you centralize power the more vulnerable citizens are. He explained that every time there is a wave of violence that many politicians begin to call for increased gun control. At one time there were 300,000 Israelis that were licensed to carry weapons, today there are only 150,000 and politicians are trying to decrease that number.
Why would Israeli politicians want a disarming populace?
He replied that it is the basic concepts that they do not understand. Basic concepts such as freedom and life. Basic concepts of rights. I caught my jaw before it hit the table when he basically said that G-d gives rights, not politicians. I told him I had heard a Rabbi say that you could live by G-d’s law or die by man’s. He said that was exactly correct. He went on to explain that in the Knesset that a politician had stated that there were 13 case of licensed concealed carry holders shooting someone. I’m guessing he had a notion that statement was coming because when it did he refuted it by adding the information that of the 13, 12 of the cases were shootings by guards that had been hired by companies and schools. They were not using privately owned guns, but ones supplied by their company. What hit me on this one was apparently Israelis like their children and are willing to pursue even politically incorrect solutions to keeping them safe. As opposed to…oh well, you get the idea. He went on to state that with gangs and robbers the ceiling of security would be much better with more people carrying. Apparently the laws do not seem to stop Bedouins and Arabs from carrying weapons. My thought is they seem to use them with appalling frequency.
One thing that is different in Israel than America is the soldiers riding the buses and trains. Of course soldiers in America ride buses and trains. But in Israel they do so with their automatic weapons. And it’s a non-issue. In America politicians would have you believe that to allow a weapon on a bus or train is to invite mayhem. That those weapons will be breaking free of restraining hands and begin to fire at random, innocent targets. Israelis suffer under no such misconception. I felt just fine and dandy standing or sitting on those buses and trains. Should a terrorist be on the bus there would be something way different than disarmed victims to deal with.
Which led to my next question. Are soldiers allowed to carry concealed when they are off duty? I mean, they are the same trustworthy person they were in uniform as they are out of it.
To my somewhat surprise, they are not. He explained there is quite a chain of command question that comes into play when someone is going to discharge a weapon. The to use or not to use. Unfortunately by the time they get clearance it can be a bit late. I suggested perhaps it might be something to consider as if they were carrying the next peaceful Palestinian that aimed his car for a group that appeared to be plain civilians standing at a bus station. The budding terrorist might find quite a surprise when about 3 of the group turned out to be off duty soldiers that were carrying concealed.
While I was there a group of Ethiopians decided they would shut down Menachem Begin highway in Tel Aviv due to accusations of “racisim”. I told him about the riots of Ferguson and Baltimore where the Governor and Mayor chose not to protect the property of shop owners and lives of the Fire fighters and Police. Could Israelis defend their property and life?
Mr. Feiglin pulled back the lens even more than that. He replied that the entire world is losing the concept of freedom in the name of Democracy. He said Israel is losing it, and the younger generation will not know what they have lost. That they will not have a familiarity with what freedom really is to know they need to regain it. He is hoping that the upcoming generation of young Israelis can begin to turn this around and that Israel will come back from this. Our country? He wasn’t so hopeful. He said it may or may not come back. But he didn’t sound very optimistic. I told him that was compliments of our biased media and current educational system. He didn’t disagree.
I asked if the next time I came, would be all right to contact him for another interview. He said of course it would. And I intend to. Perhaps the next one will be the face to face interview.
A few days ago one of our valued readers recommended we check out a new group and their website, called Canary Mission.
In the event you had not been aware, many on the political Left have undertaken a Boycott-Divest-Sanction (hereinafter, BDS) movement against the modern State of Israel, its supporters, businesses, citizens, etc.
Modeled upon similar efforts undertaken against pre-Mandela/pre-ANC South Africa, they wish to pressure individuals, commercial enterprises, associations of every stripe, and governments themselves to boycott, divest from, and sanction any and all activities with Israel, Israelis, their businesses, associations, academia, government, etc.
This movement is intended make them a pariah, and thus to submit to the will of the BDS proponents, conforming everything about their lives, their land, and their society to these peoples’ dictates.
Even a brief review of various BDS proponents, organizers, and activists readily reveal, beyond their dripping self-righteousness, is that they 1) seethe with hatred for Israel and anything remotely like an observant Jew or patriotic Israeli, and 2) they vociferously hide and deny it whenever before an English-speaking, outside-the movement, audience.
Enter Canary Mission. Using the very methods of the BDS’ers themselves, they provide profiles on people and organizations active in the BDS movement. Further, they seem to have done their research and provide it for the reader.
At this point you might be asking “Is it not possible to criticize Israel, especially the actions of its government, without being a Jew Hater?”
Of course you can. In fact, the most harsh and unrelenting critics of Israel are Israeli Jews, followed closely behind (although, admittedly… for reasons that may become obvious, among fellow Jews) by Jews outside of Israel.
But is that not what the BDS movement is doing. Not at all.
I would urge our readers to visit Canary Mission and draw their own conclusions.
For myself, the shrill, spitting, outrage with which the BDS’ers are reacting to the appearance of this new voice is very heartwarming. I think they hit a vital organ in a very dangerous, and previously successful beast.
I listened to a radio broadcast a few weeks ago that pointed out that the things that happen in Israel are then reflected in America. The first example the radio host gave was the amount of residents displaced from Gush Katif due to pressure exerted by the US and the U.N. was proportional to the amount of residents displaced by Hurricane Katrina just a week later. I admit it, I was ignorant of the connection.
The next example the radio host discussed was a recent Molotov cocktail attack and what the streets have looked like during the intifadas. How the US is pressuring Israel to accept a two state solution, which will give them indefensible borders. He then talked about turning on the TV and seeing Baltimore burning. He said it looked like the streets in parts of Israel during the intifadas.
So if America is a reflection of what takes place in Israel and the two are tied together, what might we be expecting? What things do we hold near and dear that we may see affected as they have been in Israel.
Is religious freedom in America under attack? This video was shot on Har Habayit, the Temple Mount. The holiest site in Judaism, it is in Israel, the Jewish state. But, Jews are not allowed to pray there. Moshe Dyan handed it back over to the Jordanians about 15 minutes after Israel regained control of it in the Six Day War. All faiths were to have been allowed equal access to pray. But that’s not what has happened. Muslims harass the Jewish and Christian visitors to the site. If they feel someone is praying the wafq (who also decides if you get to go up or not) has the Israeli police throw you out, and they will. The Israeli police discriminate against the Jewish and Christians that come to Har Habayit, against the Muslims? Naw, not so much. The courts have declared Jews and Christians are allowed to pray there, but as you can see, it’s not happening. To be fair, I wouldn’t want their job, but they aren’t exactly being fair either.
Would you be willing to walk through this to go to pray at your house of worship?
This is taking place inside of Israel, and the government is not standing up for the people. In fact the government is making it harder. The harpies that are screaming at the visitors are paid by Hamas, this is how they earn their living. They show up, steal stuff off the Temple Mount, protest the Jews and Christians and get paid by Hamas. Is that our tax dollars by chance? Well, what do we have? Oh, as it turns out the protestors in Ferguson Missouri that rioted were paid also! Or, not paid, so they are protesting not getting paid to protest. Any guesses as to the chances some of the rioters in Baltimore that were given room to steal and destroy were paid imports?
