Monday, June 24, 2013

More On That Far-Left and Far-Right Merger

I have been saying for a while that the Far Left and Far Right fringes of American politics are on their way to merging.  The Far Left has abandoned almost all of its ties to actual Liberalism, and the Far-Right is well on its way to becoming less enamored of Christianity and Capitalism.

The latest episode indicative of this trend happened at Nancy Pelosi's appearance at the Netroots Nation convention, where the Minority Leader was booed for daring to criticize Edward Snowden.

In addition to the booing, there was also apparently an extended heckling by a Netroots activist named Marc Perkel:

As she spoke about the need to "balance" privacy and security, Marc Perkel, a 57-year-old California blogger who's called for Obama's impeachment over the NSA revelations yelled out: "It’s not a balance! It’s not constitutional! No secret laws!" Perkel continued to decry "secret courts," and staffers began to escort him from the room.
As security guards were dragging Perkel away. "Leave him alone!" shouted others in the audience. "No secret courts!" yelled Perkel as he moved out of the room. "No secret laws!"

If you are guessing that I looked at this Perkel character and immediately found some insane, incoherent, conspiracy-laiden, basically far-right-wing views, then you have been paying attention to what has been happening to the Far Left end of American politics in recent years.

Perkel has two blogs where his views are out there for anyone to see.  And, surprise surprise... well here's a sampling:

He's against gay marriage because it could lead to people marrying their pet.

He thinks that, on balance, American black people should be thankful for slavery.

And of course, where the Far Left and Far Right meet, such as in the deranged mind of Perkel, you find insane anti-Israel hatred

So we basically have someone who spouts positions identical to the right-wing fringe of American political discourse being lauded by people on the left-wing fringe, after an outburst at a mainstream liberal.  +1 for my merger thesis.


Sunday, June 23, 2013

Pelosi: That's What You Get for Going to Netroots Nation

I must say I was shocked, absolutely shocked, to read this on CNN today:

Calling Snowden a Criminal, Pelosi Booed by Progressives

Apparently Nancy Pelosi, a liberal member of Congress and America's first female Speaker of the House, was booed at Netroots Nation, a gathering sponsored by Daily Kos. 

In case you couldn't tell, my surprise at this was sarcasm.

Those who have not been following developments on the Left end of American politics might find it surprising that one of the most liberal members of Congress and a pioneering woman in American politics might be booed by a gathering of people supposedly aligned with the Democratic party. 

Nancy Pelosi seems to be among those who have not been following these developments, if she thought she could criticize Edward Snowden for supposedly caring about government snooping and then going to settle in China, Russia or Cuba, to a group sponsored by Daily Kos.  Actually, she has not been following developments if she thought she could show her face there at all and not get booed. 

But for those of us who have been paying attention over the past few years, our only question is why would Pelosi or any other politician who aspires to be part of mainstream American politics and reasonable political discourse be seen anywhere near Netroots Nation?

Daily Kos is the place where Judith Butler, a person who stated that Hamas is part of the Progressive Movement, is considered to be a sage.  It is the place where 18 year olds statutory raping 14 year olds is considered good enough to merit a petition in favor, as long as they are the correct gender.  And of course it is the place where no matter how insane someone is, their ramblings will be embraced and promoted by the management as long as they are sufficiently anti-American, up to and including if they literally believe that Obama is really a shape-shifting space alien. 

Last year's Netroots Nation, the same convention to which Pelosi spoke this year, was going to have a panel on the Israeli-Arab conflict.  The debate was effectively going to be between one side which advocates for the destruction of Israel but wants to allow safe passage for the 7 million Jews to settle somewhere else, and the opposing side which advocates for the destruction of Israel and more of a genocide of its inhabitants.  Thankfully the panel never happened, but that shows where the full range of Daily Kos and Netroots opinions lie on the political spectrum.

Given all of that, it should be obvious that Nancy Pelosi would be booed.  Daily Kos and Netroots Nation are now outlets of the Far Left, a political movement that, as I have discussed previously, is completely opposed to everything that actual liberals stand for.  The Far Left now has more in common with the Far Right than it does with liberals. 

I really like Pelosi and I'm going to give her the benefit of the doubt that she didn't know what the Left blogosphere has become.  Hopefully she has learned her lesson and will not associate with Netroots Nation any further.


Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Anti-Semites and Self Haters Gone Wild.

It must be the phases of the moon or the end of spring fever or something else.. But lately it seems like there has been a surge of nuttiness that is not just restricted to the Republicans in the U.S. who all of a sudden seem to absolutely hate the policies that President Bush put in place that are now being utilized by the Obama Administration. No, the stunning hypocrisy there is not the worst of it. 

Lately it seems like the anti-Semites are out in droves. Of course, they and their self hating allies in Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) are all in a flutter about the Boycott, Divest, and Sanctions Movement… so what did they come up with? Camp BDS.

Where students will get:
  • Extensive campaign development coaching
  • Grassroots organizing skill building
  • Media & Messaging trainings
  • Anti-oppression analysis workshops
  • Nonviolent direct action planning
  • Historical overview of Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions
  • Relationship building with activists on campuses nationwide
  • Strategy sessions with BDS movement leaders
  • Two tracks for existing and new campaigns
Plus: fun in a summer camp-like environment!
And just imagine… all of that PLUS – “fun in a summer camp-like environment”. Somehow, I think this would be different from the summer camps that I attended as a kid that stressed swimming, arts and crafts, sports, and generally getting along with your neighbors. I am not sure how messages of “Destroy Israel” and “Boycott Jews” are going to translate into a rollicking good time.
Perhaps though one of the first things they should do is probably pull their ad off the internet. After all, if they are boycotting Israel and Israeli goods they might not want to use those Intel chips in their computers (if they are using Microsoft). IF they are using Apple’s well… they better drop those too, as Apple is also involved with Israel. Oh well… should be an interesting camp. I would be looking forward to the parts of camp where they don’t use first aid kits, or cell phones, or Teh Google or a hundred other things all because well… they are boycotting Israel and companies that deal with Israel.
One thing comes to mind as well… How do they know that the buildings they are sleeping in, didn’t get built with Caterpillar equipment. I mean they should be boycotting that as well. Right? I mean if these guys are going to boycott… then let them really boycott.
Anyway, but that isn’t some of the rest of things about us pernicious JOOZ! Apparently we are everywhere. So here are some of the great things from around the intertoobz where the whack nut anti-Semites seem to be having a field day.
First, we have the Phil Weiss – proprietor of the hate site Mondoweiss (or better known as MondoFront since it combines all the elements of conspiracy theories with the rabid hate of the Neo-Nazi StormFront site) actually stating that the only reason that the Robert Kraft, Superbowl Ring, Vladimir Putin story resurfaced was… Because Israel hates Syria and we are beholden to Israel. Here is Weiss:
As for imputing an Israel motivation to Kraft’s decision, well, that’s the problem with the Israel lobby, it implicitly raises the question. And Kraft supports Israel in many ways. Riding through Jerusalem on the light rail, I often see the Robert Kraft stadium built to promote football. I have often gone to the Robert Kraft center for Jewish life at Columbia to see pro-Israel events. “A taste of home” is the promotional slogan at Nana, the cafeteria there that serves Israeli foods. Kraft’s late wife once said that her sons could fight for Israel, she wouldn’t want them in American uniforms.

Am I accusing Kraft of blabbing now because he’s trying to help Israel? I certainly wonder. Maybe Kraft will tell us, in another 8 years…
In short, everything in the world revolves around Israel and the Jews. And since Jews and Israel control the Western World we wanted Kraft to bring out this story so that we can stir up bad feelings for Russia because they don’t like Israel… or some such nonsense.

But Weiss is just someone running a small meeting site where haters of Jews, and their self hating Jewish sycophants can hang out and swap ideas about how Jews really run the U.S. and Israel runs the world. It’s not like he is a world leader or Head of State or anything.

No.. for that we have Ankara Mayor and close friend (and member of the PM’s Party) of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to play that role. In a note on Twitter – Ankara Mayor İbrahim Melih Gökçek, a member of Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party, claimed that the protests now raging in Turkey are part of an effort by the American “Jewish lobby” to undermine Turkey’s government.

Now to be fair to Erdogan (who had said that Zionism is the equivalent of “war crime” – he didn’t directly blame “The Jewish Lobby”, he simply used code words saying:
Addressing the crowd from atop a bus outside the airport, Erdogan accused speculators of encouraging the protests, saying that an “interest-rates lobby” is “threatening Turkey with speculation in the markets.” He said that “no power can stop Turkey’s rise except God,” while supporters chanted: “Open the way and we’ll crush Taksim.”
So far… Got a problem with Russia… Blame Israel or “the Jewish Lobby”, Got a problem in Turkey… why who else but the Jews are too blame? Is there anywhere else safe from the Jews or Israel? Any country, any place that is not susceptible to our world control. Well the answer of course is a resounding NO!!!!! Why do I say that? Well here you – from North Korea:
Senior North Korean officials received copies of “Mein Kampf,” Adolf Hitler’s rambling prison memoir, as gifts for Kim Jong Un’s birthday this January, according to a report by New Focus International, a North Korean news organization that sources from defectors and volunteer citizens within the country.

The famous Nazi autobiography was reportedly distributed as what’s called a “hundred-copy book,” which refers to Pyongyang’s practice of circulating an extremely limited number of copies among top officials, though most books are forbidden in North Korea. Gifts marking the leader’s birthday are typically imbued with special political significance.

The book was apparently not distributed to endorse Nazism so much as to draw attention to Germany’s economic and military reconstruction after World War One. A North Korean who works on behalf of the country in China told New Focus that Kim gave a speech endorsing Germany’s inter-war revival and encouraging officials to read “Mein Kampf.”
Because what better describes a nations “pulling itself up from its bootstraps” better than an inspirational tome regarding Hitler’s struggle against Jewish Oppression? I mean how much more simple can it get?

Anyway, maybe this is just a momentary upswing in lunacy caused by tides, the moon or some other environmental factor. BUT most likely, I don’t think that is it at all. I think it is a reflection of the difficult times we are living in and  I think that we can expect to see a lot more of this kind of nonsense to come as conflicts in the world heat up and people that have antipathy for the Jewish people look to blame all ills on Israel in order to “take eyes off” their own failings and policies – as has been the case throughout history

Thursday, June 13, 2013

UGH... SYRIA - DOOMED TO REPEAT HISTORY!

All one can say about the current conflict in Syria is UGH...

It's that simple. There is absolutely no upside anywhere to this.

As I wrote in this article: Heads You Win... Tails I Lose
Honestly, there are no good answers here. On one hand the Assad regime cannot be allowed to stay in power given their heinous use of Weapons of Mass Destruction. If they have indeed done this, there is really no way that they can be allowed to stay in power. At the same time as amply showed above, any active move to take them out doesn’t necessarily improve the situation for anyone, including the Syrian people.
Personally, I can’t think of any good solutions, just solutions that are less bad and none of them involve “sitting on hands”. If we do nothing we are faced with either a victory by Iran, Hizbollah and one of the worlds worst offenders of Human Rights, the Assad regime…. OR we are faced with the likely creation of an al-Qaeda / Jihadi client state.
We then see this story
U.S. concludes Assad's forces used chemical weapons against Syrian rebels

U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that Syrian President Bashar Assad's forces used chemical weapons on a small scale against rebel fighters in Syria's civil war, Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes told reporters. 

"Our intelligence community has high confidence in that assessment given multiple, independent streams of information," he said. "The intelligence community estimates that 100 to 150 people have died from detected chemical weapons attacks in Syria to date; however, casualty data is likely incomplete."

As result, the U.S. will seek to increase military support to the Syrian rebels fighting against Assad.
"The president has made a decision about providing more support to the opposition, that will involve providing direct support to the (Supreme Military Council), that includes military support," Rhodes said. "This is going to be different in both scope and scale in terms of what we are providing to the SMC than what we have provided before."
EGADS...  Military aid to people tied to al-Qaeda? Where have we seen this before? OH RIGHT... Afghanistan, where we armed and trained what became the Taliban to fight against the Russians. How'd that work out for us? Yet here we are again

This is just stupidity. I get that we should take action against a regime that uses chemical weapons against it's own populace, but giving aid to rebels who would also use chemical weapons if they had them and are tied to a terrorist network that is fighting against our own soldiers in Afghanistan has to be one of the all time dumbest things that our government could possibly do.

So far be it from me to simply criticize without offering an answer to the question: "Well, what do you suggest we do?"

Therefore... I suggest that if we truly want to influence things in a positive way, we offer aid to Syrian Refugees and non-military assistance to Syrian civilians in the form of food, medicine and clothing. We can set up areas in Iraq and with the cooperation of the Turks to aid people fleeing the fighting and the horror. IF we want to take an active role, we could tighten sanctions against Iran and or attempt to physically block aid from reaching the Assad regime.

I also suggest that we coordinate with the IDF, to make sure that they Assad regime does not receive it's shipment of S-300 Russian missiles. And working to make sure that this war does not spread into Turkey, Israel or Jordan (Lebanon through Hizbollah is already involved). This is, if we really give a hoot about honestly stopping the criminal Assad regime.

Humanitarian aid would show the Syrian people that the West can be a positive influence and would do more to undermine the both the brutal Assad dictatorship and those al-Qaeda supported rebels who are doing most of the fighting in Syria. It would in effect change the way the Syrian people view us in light of the propaganda of both sides.

 But military aid to a force that supports hardcore Jihad and is fighting our own troops in Afghanistan.. One would think this is a really poor joke.

I will not however, go overboard on the Obama bashing because yes, while I  think this is a really stupid decision, his opponents, the Republicans would be much worse on this issue. Were they in the White House, G-d knows what they would be doing. STILL, the President and his administration do deserve criticism for this but not from Republicans - they should just STFU because honestly - they propose nothing better and maybe even a bit worse.

In the end, all one can say is UGH - there are (as I wrote) absolutely ZERO good options here because repeating history is sure not one of them.

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Israel and Buridans Ass



Israel and Buridan’s Ass

With Deputy Defense Minister Danny Danon’s recent pronouncement regarding the issue that this Israeli government would never accept a Two State Settlement, an old paradox comes to mind regarding a Paradox of choices 

Buridan's ass is an illustration of a paradox in philosophy in the conception of free will.

It refers to a hypothetical situation wherein an ass that is equally hungry and thirsty is placed precisely midway between a stack of hay and a pail of water. Since the paradox assumes the ass will always go to whichever is closer, it will die of both hunger and thirst since it cannot make any rational decision to choose one over the other.[1] The paradox is named after the 14th century French philosopher Jean Buridan, whose philosophy of moral determinism it satirizes. A common variant of the paradox substitutes two identical piles of hay for the hay and water; the ass, unable to choose between the two, dies of hunger.”

Wherein Israeli Democracy finds itself in the position of the Ass…

Now before we start, lest anyone scream and shout about this in some way denigrates Israel or supports the dissolution of Israel, it does neither. Rather, it is a reflection of a concern that I have regarding the future of Israel.

Because of The Occupation of the West Bank, Israel faces some existential questions regarding its character as a State. With Danon’s pronouncement, the nation needs to decide what path it wants to go down. Is Danon right, despite protests from upper echelon Likud / Betainu ministers and officials, that there is a large enough group of MK’s that would block any agreement for a Two State Solution and at the very least will maintain the “status quo” indefinitely? OR Will Israelis reject the One State Solution or continuation of the status quo and force new elections in the face of some very serious existential questions?

One of these questions regards the nature of Israel’s democracy. Here I would pose three points of view regarding that. Now remember, according to Israel’s Declaration of Establishment

THE STATE OF ISRAEL will be open for Jewish immigration and for the Ingathering of the Exiles; it will foster the development of the country for the benefit of all its inhabitants; it will be based on freedom, justice and peace as envisaged by the prophets of Israel; it will ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex; it will guarantee freedom of religion, conscience, language, education and culture; it will safeguard the Holy Places of all religions; and it will be faithful to the principles of the Charter of the United Nations….


WE APPEAL - in the very midst of the onslaught launched against us now for months - to the Arab inhabitants of the State of Israel to preserve peace and participate in the upbuilding of the State on the basis of full and equal citizenship and due representation in all its provisional and permanent institutions.

The very call for “Jewish Democracy”.

The above paragraphs from the Declaration of Establishment lay out some of the founding democratic principles of the founding of the State of Israel. The Declaration promises equal rights, full and equal citizenship to all Israelis, be they Arab or Jew. It doesn’t talk about second class citizens, and it doesn’t support disenfranchisement. So given that – here are the concerns to Democracy.

If Israel actually does formally reject the Two State Solution what are its options as a Democracy. Well, one route being discussed is that should Israel annex the West Bank, the Arab population living in the West Bank would have every civil right that Jewish citizens of Israel would have but that they would NOT have the right to vote in National elections. In other words, approx 2.7 million Palestinians (other reliable estimates put the numbers at 2.6 million) would be disenfranchised and have no vote for the leaders of their nation.

Just this would mean that Israel as a nation would be turning away from both its Declaration of Establishment AND it’s commitment to Democratic processes. One source of pride for Israel is that it can rightfully point out that it is a Liberal Democracy in a sea of Autocratic and Theocratic regimes that have no interest in human rights and/or democratic processes. Sure Egypt just voted, but, then their government put forth changes in political process which would hamstring those same democratic processes. Yes Lebanon has some form of strange Democracy but honestly, only as much as Hizbollah and their Iranian allies allow.
So, with the absorption of 2.7 Million Palestinians the demographic representation of Israel would change from 75.4% Jewish (6.042 million Jews to 1.658 million Palestinians out of 8.018 million people) to having a population of 10,618,000 and the demographic split would be approx. 57% - 43%.

OF that 43% of the population, more than half of that figure would have no voice in the election of their nation’s leaders.

This brings us to the second part of the equation, with Birthrates, Aliyah (and Yeridah) the Jewish population of Israel is growing at approximately 1.8% per year as compared to the Arab population with was growing at 2.4%, this would eventually create a Jewish MINORITY in Israel (which would not bode well for long term stability as minority states don’t tend to last for that long in today’s world), most likely within three decades.

In either case, whether or not the Arab population of Israel is allowed to vote, with the full annexation of The Occupied Territories, Israel as a democratic nation as envisioned by it’s founders would cease to exist either in the near term or thirty years from now.

For some, the nature of Israel as a democracy is simply not that important. It is obvious through their advocacy and policies that they don’t see the Israel in those terms and that the existence of Israel first and foremost as a Jewish State trumps anything else. For them, this is the reality of the Occupation and re-settlement of “Eretz Yisrael”.

One should then ask - What part of Israeli society do they represent? Well if one uses the election as a guide – the advocates of One State (or at least advocates of a de facto One State better known as the Status Quo) hold 43 seats in the current government out of 120 total seats. According to a recent Panels poll they would hold 42 seats if elections were held today (and the neo-Kahanist Otzma L’Israel would cross the electoral threshold and gain three seats).

For a bit of perspective, the advocates of Two States (in some form IF you count Yesh Atid – who seem to endorse the idea if not completely willingly), now hold 42 seats but would hold 54 seats in a new election. I don’t count the Arab parties here because none of them nor Hadash (A mixed Arab and Jewish party) advocates for anything but a Palestinian One State Solution.

Then of course, it is important to think of the ramification of this. IF Israel, decides to annex and allow full democracy (something I think they should do IF they decide to annex – because I am strong believer in “be careful what you wish for”, AND I am a huge fan of democracy as a system of government), then Israel would cease to be the National Homeland and State of the Jewish people. It would be a democracy and who knows how that would end (Personally, I believe that it would be full of strife and eventually force a Two State solution).

OR if Israel maintains the Status Quo or annexes (per Danon and the Right) then Israel would in effect cease to be a democracy, and would face the incredible problems that ruling over a sizable minority, a minority that doesn’t have full civil rights, presents. Not too mention that in this case annexation goes against the very foundation of democratic government of the State.

So, how does Israel solve this problem – how does it (as Buridan’s ass in the paradox) choose a path out of this? Well, in one respect it could drop all pretense of being a democracy, declare an end to democratic processes except for some individuals and watch what happens. Maybe nothing happens and no one cares, but I would assess that this is irresponsible thinking at best, more likely purely delusional. The problem of course with this is that at least half of their populace (and polity) fully disagrees with this, thus setting off their own issues. Also, is it realistic to think that there would not be repercussions from Israel’s trading partners and main ally, The United States? I think the obvious answer is no. There will be repercussions and harsh ones at that.

This would be the same for the solution that the Hard Right advocates which is to, expel the Arab population. Now, how would that go over with Israel’s own population, the rest of the world, and with their key ally the United States? Somehow, I don’t think that would float well. The idea of wholesale ethnic cleansing would not sit well with most Israelis, and for sure would bring on international isolation on the order of North Korea not to mention immediate war with its neighbors and with no ally to back it. Further, that would be a “step too far” for even the moderate Right (if that term makes sense). Even they wouldn’t support that.

At the same time, Israel is faced with the very real issue that the other side (the Palestinians) don’t seem to be able to step back from their maximalist demands. While advocates for the Palestinians cite a 55% acceptance of a Two State Solution amongst the Palestinian Polity and general support for the Arab League revised offer, no one mentions the issue of “Right of Return”, which would create an Arab Majority in Israel (and thus end Israel as the National Homeland and State of the Jewish People) should Israel even accept that agreement.

Polls of the Palestinian Polity show no willingness to compromise on their claimed “Right of Return” to Israel proper. A clear 70% of Palestinian respondents polled put “Right of Return” to Pre-1967 Israel as either the first or second priority for a new Palestinian State. So while, there is “acceptance” of a Two State Solution amongst the Arab populace, it is two states of Palestine and Israel run by Palestinians. Given that, why would Israel accede to any demands that the Palestinians make?

Where can Israel go at this point? Danon brought the issue public, but he represents a sizable minority of the Israeli populace. IF Israel takes the path laid out by Danon (either annex or maintain the status quo, Israeli democracy dies. Even if Israel takes Naftali Bennett’s path (as laid out in HaBayit HaYehudi’s platform), they kill their democracy because in the end ruling over Autonomous land areas really is not the same thing as those people in the Autonomous area’s creating their own nation.

At the same time, capitulation to Arab demands would not bring peace either. It might work with some of the nations that are already in a treaty with Israel, and perhaps some of the Gulf States might be more willing to deal, but the hardliners in Lebanon, and Syria (no matter who wins the Civil War there) would never go for it and really neither would the Palestinians. SO the nation faces existential questions in this regard as well.

Still, inactivity only would result in further problems. The American Government is offering their full backing to at least getting the Peace Process going again. It is my belief, that the current Israeli administration should completely reject Danon’s statements and work with Secretary Kerry and the Obama Administration to get discussions moving if for nothing else than both sides to lay out clear and final goals in an international setting.
In my mind, Israel should offer the Olmert map of 2007-08, a map that would guarantee Israeli security as well as would maintain the neighborhoods and areas built up in the post 1967 period and at the same time allowing the Palestinian polity a better chance at full representation for themselves. Also, I think that Israel should at least discuss at least Autonomous Palestinian control over neighborhoods and Muslim sites in Jerusalem. In return, Israel should settle for nothing less than complete Palestinian renunciation of their “Right of Return” to any parts of Israel and that there needs to be a full peace treaty with full economic and societal relations between the two nations.

Of course the question is, is this realistic in today’s climate of mutual mistrust and (judging by some of the comments posted in discussion forums) hate? I don’t know. It has not been really tried. Olmert never presented his final map to Palestinian President Abbas. A “final take it or leave it” discussion dealing with tricky issues like Jerusalem and Palestinian “Right of Return” has never been had in an international forum. But those are the two thorniest issues and the two issues that need to be settled for there to be long lasting peace.

Should the Palestinians reject this, then I believe it is incumbent upon the Israelis to simply create borders that would guarantee Israeli security and at the same time would allow the Palestinians to create their own separate and distinct state from Israel thus removing any demographic issues and threats to Israeli Democracy and too the nations founding principles.
I believe this is the only way that Israel can maintain it’s democracy without having to compromise itself in an unhealthy manner. In the end, this is up to the Israelis. Are they willing to make the hard choices that nations face? The one thing is that they simply can’t be like Buridan’s ass and simply do nothing until the situation becomes far more dire.