Only nine months after the slaughter in the synagogue at Har Nof, and in the face of a remarkable number of knifings, shootings, fire-bombings, rock attacks, and “automobile accidents”, the bureaucracy in Israel is slightly loosening their hold on civilian firearms carry. And people are responding with vigor. Maybe they should emulate Puerto Rico and move to dump the whole scheme?
The following is a guest post.
Three Crosses
By Larry Arnold
Back in the day the swastika was just another artistic graphic. Native Americans had used versions of it, so Boy Scouts beaded it into costumes. It was common in architectural embellishment, particularly for decorative borders.
Then the National Socialist Party adopted it as one of their symbols, started the most costly war in world history, and flew it over Auschwitz and Dachau.
After Germany’s defeat the Allies blew up, tore down, painted over, and plowed under the cross with bent arms because it had been used as a symbol of hatred and holocaust. The swastika was so evil it was necessary to ban it from ever appearing again.
Unfortunately, as history has repeatedly shown, banned symbols don’t fade away. Hating them simply adds hate, and instead, they gain power. Today, over a half-century after victory in Europe, anyone who hates Jews and wants to shatter the peace of a community can do so in five seconds, by spray painting on the synagogue door that same swastika.
On the other hand, when Jesus was alive the crucifix was a real symbol of Roman world domination and bloody repression, as well as a physical device for agonizing capital punishment of Rome’s enemies. After Christ’s execution, however, his followers embraced the symbol instead of purging it. Quite possibly they did so because, unlike the Allies, they lacked the political power to attempt banishment, but whatever the reason it made a lasting difference.
In the centuries since Rome fell the crucifix and the empty cross have been sewn into flags, cast into jewelry, made into furniture, sculpted on holy vessels, carved on tombstones, and set on top of houses of worship as a symbol of resurrection. In secular versions, the red cross is known around the world as a symbol of physical healing and disaster relief, and the green cross stands for safety. The one-time symbol of evil is now so filled with the karma of good that mythology gives a cross the power to destroy vampires and other creatures of infamy.
Today, we must consider the southern cross. Those who recall the evil of slavery want to blow it up, tear it down, paint it over, and plow it under. They see the Confederate battle flag as so evil that it must be banned, never to be seen again.
Unfortunately, as history has repeatedly shown, banned symbols don’t fade away. Hating them simply adds hate, and instead, they gain power. A half-century down the road any racist who wants to shatter the peace of a community will be able to do so in five seconds, by spray painting on the church door a rectangle with an X inside.
This time, can we choose the other path? Some members of the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church have forgiven the murderer. Is it so much more difficult to forgive a symbol of a war no one alive remembers?
And what if forgiveness could go further? What if, as Americans, we could embrace the “stars and bars” flag? What if we resurrected it to fly as a symbol of the progress we as a nation have made since the Civil War ended slavery a century and a half ago?
Yes, we have made progress. I remember a time of separate water fountains and restrooms, and today for almost all of us that just seems stupid.
Is racism finished? No, the equality glass is but half-full. But better that, than clenching our fist around a glass that’s half-empty. Regardless of the possibilities, let’s forego anger and hatred. Let’s not hand another cross to the spray-cans of evil.
Here’s the story of a heroic former CNN employee who will NOT make it into the Anderson Cooper CNN Heroes extravaganza. She and her husband may be survivors—CNN loves the survivor schtick—but “former Headline News anchor and CNN correspondent Lynne Russell” is lucky to have made it into the headlines (no matter; she’s alive):
Chuck de Caro and his wife, … Lynne Russell, were on a road trip and spending the night at an Albuquerque motel when de Caro killed the man during what Russell called an attempted robbery.
Police identified the dead man as 27-year-old Tomorio Walton from Memphis, Tennessee. He was in violation of his parole, police said, and it was not clear how long he had been in the Albuquerque area.
Albuquerque police said they have yet to question de Caro, who had surgery for his wounds.
Officer Fred Duran said no charges were expected to be filed against de Caro. Russell said her husband fired in self-defense.
“I am really proud of him,” Russell said. “I thank him over and over for saving my life. He really is my hero.”
Russell said the gunman came into their Motel 6 room through an open door after she had just returned from getting something out of the car. He pushed her into the room.
De Caro, who worked at CNN in the mid-1980s as special assignments correspondent, was coming out of the bathroom after taking a shower and saw Russell being held at gunpoint.
“He tried to change the guy’s mind,” Russell said.
The gunman wanted money and other valuables, she said.
She told him she would look in her purse to see what they had. She reached down and put into the purse one of two handguns the couple had in a side table. She gave the handbag to her husband.
Russell said the guns were legal, something police are still investigating.
The man’s behavior was increasingly erratic, Russell said. He told them to get a briefcase he saw.
The couple explained there was nothing of value in the bag, Russell said, but the man lunged at them and “went around the bed and then opened fire on Chuck. There was a firefight inside the room.”
De Caro was shot once in the leg and twice in the abdomen.
He fired all the rounds in the first handgun, then picked up the other and shot the man, whom police identified in a statement as the “offender in the altercation.” He was found in the parking lot and later died at a hospital, CNN affiliate KOAT-TV in Albuquerque reported.
Until recently the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico had some of the most restrictive body of victim disarmament laws of any place under the jurisdiction of the United States.
The process for obtaining permission from the government to obtain, carry or operate firearms was onerous in the extreme, complicated, expensive, and designed to dissuade.
Last year there was a news report of a fellow discovering to his horror that, he was a criminal, due to recent false document filings made by an attorney that he, and some five thousand other licensees, had used to navigate the process, years before.
Accordingly, their target, carry, and ammunition permits had been summarily revoked. He had done no wrong. But he was now under threat of criminal prosecution and his firearms and ammunition were subject to government seizure anyway.
The Commonwealth government is constantly trying to expand their abuse. These actions of the Puerto Rican government, under their licensure scheme substantially impairing a fundamental human right, were and are outrageous and intolerable.
To their great credit, using the one field where they seem to have both competence and zeal in advancing the cause of human liberty, various organs under the Alan Gottlieb umbrella were recently instrumental in legally challenging some of Puerto Rico’s victim disarmament statutes as violative of the U.S. Constitution.
Although subject to appeal, several of the provisions of Puerto Rico’s victim disarmament laws have now been ruled to be unconstitutional in their courts.
The claimed result is Puerto Rico now has so called “Constitutional Carry”, like an increasing number of States in the U.S.
If so, congratulations are in order on this noteworthy win. Good job!
A quick note to pre-announce some news. 🙂
This morning wonderful radio host Brian Wilson interviewed TZP’s own Sheila Stokes-Begley. We’ll let you know when/if the podcast goes online.
And remember those TZP custom kippot/kippahs/yarmulkes we promised? They’ve been shipped and should be here very soon, possibly by tomorrow. We’ll have pix when they arrive.
Finally, don’t forget to v*te for The Zelman Partisans in Lucky Gunner’s Brady legal settlement polling. LG plans to give away any settlement they receive from the Brady Center. Even a small percentage would be a blessing for us. We’ve slipped a little in the results, but not too far. And remember, the v*ting runs through August 1, so there’s plenty of time for us to make a good showing. And that’s all we need. Not to beat the frontrunners, but just to move on up. Even if the Bradys never pay, the gun world will have to say, “The Zelman Partisans? Just who are these guys …?”
This is part 3 in a series.
Part 1 here.
Part 2 here.
When Jacob and his family returned to the lands of his father, Isaac and grandfather, Abraham, he had a huge family already. He purchased land from the Canaanites and openly worshiped Hashem.
His first ten sons were known for being strong willed and hard-working, but also tended towards rash action and violence. It served them well (tactically) in retrieving their sister from the forced affections of a Canaanite prince, but created new problems in their wake. They were brave soldiers, as well. They loved and respected their father, but did not always follow his guidance.
Instead, their passions ruled them.
The eleventh son, Joseph; the first-born of Jacob’s wife, Rachel, was very different in personality and aptitude. Favored by his parents for his love of learning in the academy of Shem & Eber, Joseph soon developed into a handsome young man with good character, manners, reasoning, and perception. His elder brothers thus were jealous of him, in varying degrees. Sometimes Joseph helped that jealousy along.
Joseph had begun having strange dreams. Despite his father’s warning to keep them to himself, he, parading in a brightly colored coat his mother made him, prodded his brothers with these dreams. One day he related a dream, which his brothers took to mean that he would lord over them as a master.
Not long thereafter, sent to find his brothers tending their flocks in the hills of Shomron, his increasingly angry brothers decided to be rid of Joseph and his “dreams”. They dug a deep pit, grabbed him, and put him in it.
The eldest brother, Reuben, knew this was terribly wrong, but afraid of his brothers’ wrath, did not stop them. Instead, he planned to return later and retrieve Joseph safe and sound. When he did so, Joseph was gone.
The other brothers had sold him to Ishmaelite traders. The Ishmaelites resold Joseph to Midianite traders heading to Egypt. In Egypt, Joseph was spotted by Potiphar, aide to Pharaoh, as being an unusual value. So Potiphar bought Joseph to be a servant in his household.
Joseph’s looks and breeding were noted by the roving eye of Potiphar’s wife. An opportunity came for her to act on her desires, but Joseph refused her advances and fled, leaving his cloak in the rush.
Potiphar’s wife, spurned by a mere slave and, furious, claimed attempted rape. Potiphar knew both of Joseph’s good character and his wife’s proclivities, but he determined to side with his wife’s “honor” even over a valued servant. Joseph was thrown into prison and awaited death.
While in prison, Joseph had more strange dreams. Increasingly, he, and others, found them to be instructive and prophetic. Joseph also had discovered he had the ability to interpret the dreams of others, in much the same way. Eventually, this reputation came to the notice of Pharaoh, himself. Pharaoh was greatly troubled and, having had no relief from his advisors, sought out Joseph.
Saved from death, retrieved from imprisonment, and now in the court of Pharaoh; Joseph interpreted Pharaoh’s dreams. In so doing, Joseph predicted a coming drought and famine. He advised that during the times of plenty preceding it that vast quantities of grain be stored away to weather the times of want. In so doing, Pharaoh would preserve his people and his rule. It was a bold plan, and wildly unpopular. Nonetheless, upon the advice of Joseph, and his interpretation of dreams, the plan was executed exactly as advised.
The predicted drought came, and the crops withered to nothing. It lasted years. But, there were years of emergency food available to preserve their nation. And so they did. Pharoah was the salvation of Egypt, and Joseph was his greatest advisor. He titled Joseph, “Zaphenath-Paaneah”. Egypt was not merely saved, but became a food exporter to their starving neighbors, becoming all the more wealthy and powerful.
So far had Joseph come: From his father’s house, to a hole in the ground, to a slave auction, to the house of a nobleman, to prison awaiting death, to a national hero and grand vizier to Pharaoh.
One would think, given his power and wealth, that Joseph would have endeavored to return to the hills of Shomron; to the tents of his father. But, he did not. As a great and powerful man, Joseph had made Egypt his new home. He married an Egyptian girl, the daughter of his former master, Potiphar and had two sons by her, Ephraim and Menashe.
Meanwhile, Jacob mourned the loss of his beautiful son, Joseph. The brothers, had deeply regretted their brutal and rash act but, could not find, much less retrieve Joseph. When asked by Jacob where Joseph was, they concocted a story of their brother being killed by a wild animal. Over time, they must have concluded Joseph was indeed dead, or as good as dead. How could this ever be made right?
Years later, drought came to Canaan. The grasses were dry and sparse. The herds suffered. Jacob’s household, numbering in the many hundreds, faced very dire times. Jacob sent his sons to Egypt, to lease grazing land in the lush borderlands of Goshen, on the Nile Delta, until the rains returned and restored their own lands.
When they came to Egypt to negotiate the lease, the man they had to see was a vizier to Pharaoh. So “Egyptian” was this powerful man that the brothers had no idea that he was their “dead” brother. On the other hand, Joseph knew exactly who they were. Joseph determined to test his brothers and give them a taste of what they had put him through. He set them up as thieves. Held his little brother as a “guarantee”. Joseph generally put them through the gauntlet, before finally revealing who he really was.
The Israelites came to sojourn in Egypt, initially as guests of Pharaoh, through his vizier, Joseph. The incredible prosperity of the land was seductive. Despite living on the edge of the kingdom, and largely preserving the teachings of their forefathers, the connection with their land made it harder to maintain a closeness to G-d. The pagan culture of Egypt was everywhere. Still… they stayed… in this foreign land of wealth, of prestige, of power. They assimilated.
They stayed. And stayed.
Until… one day, “ a new king who did not know of Joseph arose on Egypt.”
Now, they COULD not return to their Promised Land.
They could not leave AT ALL.
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”.
And the evening we walked home from Yafo to Tel Aviv we walked by what I believe is the tower they jumped from.
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.
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.
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.
Irgun Fighters of Independence
תודה לך דב עוד פעם
Or had his family slaughtered in their beds.
A Chabad rabbi in Los Angeles has launched a mitzvah campaign called “Fighting Fire With Fire” after his car was torched in an arson attack that took place outside his home while the family was asleep during the night.
“We were awakened by the blaring of a car alarm and what sounded like gunfire, explosions and fireworks. It was 2 a.m. My wife and I ran out to see what was going on,” recounts the rabbi. “To our shock and disbelief, we saw our car engulfed in a blazing inferno of fire. There were explosions coming out of it every few seconds.
“We immediately woke up the children from their beds and we ran with them outside, far down the street, fearful that the fire would spread to the house.”
People always say that America is different, and thus immune to Jew Hatred. Really?
Give it time.
It’s getting closer.
“True bravery is shown by performing without witness what one might be capable of doing before all the world,” said a wise man named La Rochefoucauld, centuries ago. That man’s definition excludes most of America’s contemporary heroes. But not the executive of Vaughan Foods. Mark Vaughan is the real deal.
As reported (if you can call it that) by Megyn Kelly impersonating Barbara Walters’ journalistic porn, this reserve Oklahoma County deputy shot, but sadly merely injured, Alton Nolen (30). The latter was a “Vaughan Foods employee who had been suspended hours earlier,” but returned to exact revenge on the workers.
Nolen “encountered the first victim, Colleen Hufford. He killed her and severed her head. He then turned his attention to Traci Johnson, and began slicing at her throat, when Mr. Vaughan saved her life by shooting the butcher.
KELLY: Did you know Mark?
JOHNSON: No.
KELLY: You had never met him before?
JOHNSON: No.
KELLY: Describe what that was like for you.
JOHNSON: I don’t know. I really don’t know. Just fear still because, you know, because he was telling, when Mark came around the corner, he was telling him to get off of me and he wouldn’t get off of me.
KELLY: Did you see Mark’s gun?
JOHNSON: Yes, I did.
KELLY: And so, do you remember the exchange that Mark had with Nolen?
JOHNSON: He told Nolen to get off of me. I think he shot him the first time and it missed him and that is when Nolen got off of me and made a mad dash for Mr. Vaughan and that’s when he shot him two more times.
Nolen’s motive was a lethal combination of disgruntled employee, hate for whites and a love of Islam.
Reserve Deputy Mark Vaughan, who, as I hinted, refused to appear on the Kelly extravaganza, did receive an Award of Valor from the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s office.
Well, not quite. Vote as the rules and your conscience allow. But we just got this nice note from Lucky Gunner:
Anthony here from over at Lucky Gunner – thanks for the note and the heads up. I apologize for the delayed response, we’ve been hit with a number of requests to add groups today. While I’m familiar with JPFO I hadn’t heard of y’all until today so I wanted to dig in a little bit to find out more.
I just added The Zelman Partisans to the list on our voting page and wish you the best of luck.
So please go here and v*te for The Zelman Partisans. Just scroll down to the bottom of the list.
Then spread the word. Ask your friends to v*te for us, too!
Given that we’re new and still small, we know we’re likely to draw only a minor percentage of the total and that’s dandy. Unlike some of the bigger, more established groups, we have miniscule overhead and we can make a little stretch a long way.
Thank you for what you’re doing, Lucky Gunner!
