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Rolling Down the Stairs, Too Broke to Fight
Okay, this is just delicious. Last winter, as you all know, the Bernard Madoff scandal hit Jewish charities particularly hard, including many which give to Israel. In Lebanon, meanwhile, another scandal is brewing concerning a major Shia donor with ties to both Hizballah and Amal. Observers in Beirut and Tel Aviv have been fretting about another war for quite some time now, but honestly, what with the global recession and all these scandals, can either side afford a war right now? (h/t AA)
Update: This was front-page news in the FT today amidst claims it's being hushed up in some of the Arabic-language media.
Are you seriously saying
Are you seriously saying that Hizballah couldn't afford to launch another war on Israel (or their own people AGAIN for that matter)? You are conveniently avoiding the $ billions in aid and support given to Hizballah by their larger donors, Iran and Syria.
yeah, read about this in
yeah, read about this in al-arabiya and laughed about the Madoff parallel on my facebook.
"That which hath been is that which shall be, and that which hath been done is that which shall be done; and there is nothing new under the sun." People are people, and people are scumbags. Not that I think stealing from Hizballah is wrong, I mean, if you can do it, it's a moral imperative-- but something tells me this wasn't 683 million dollars worth of altruism.
That's a great post title.
That's a great post title.
I feel like this event will
I feel like this event will be remembered as just one more inch closer the next war between Israel and Hezbollah. Why?
Because do you know now many pissed off Jews I've talked to in Jerusalem today? They though they had the CAPS on the ponzi scheme. And I'm Jewish.
What major financial
What major financial enterprise that is hidden behind God or Values is free from the curse of "The Treasure of Sierra Madre"?
At the risk of missing the
At the risk of missing the obvious:
"Observers in Beirut and Tel Aviv have been fretting about another war for quite some time now, but honestly, what with the global recession and all these scandals, can either side afford a war right now?"
The question's a joke, right?
Killer DK ref in the post
Killer DK ref in the post title!
SEC's criminal negligence in
SEC's criminal negligence in failing to prevent Madoff is now documented in the just released OIG report. It is 22 pages of the description of failed intelligence, incompetent investigations, missed opportunities, citizen alert dismissal and careers perpetuated by doing nothing but breathing interrupted occasionally by sensitivity training and toilet use. It is troubling in that DoD IGs, CIA, Federal Reserve, most of the service program staff and anyone who earns money by working for Congress can offer no better in terms of contribution to our nation for services render during the same period. One only has to read this to understand why reformers start with hope but end with Robespierre.
And this is news because?
And this is news because? Jesus, think about Clinton!!!............... Perjury, Lies, dishonoring the highest office in the land,
and so on. What right do you have to judge?
I thought Israel was too
I thought Israel was too busy getting ready for war against Scandinavia?
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1251804480041&pagename=JPost%...
http://cgis.jpost.com/Blogs/dershowitz/entry/sweden_s_refusal_to_condemn
Please take the time to read the comments, its chilling and eery to see so much anti-arab hatred out in the open.
What is chilling is a
What is chilling is a religion that seeks to dominate the world - that is actively seeking to wipe out (and has in the past) cultures that don't worship Allah. Perhaps you yourself are Islamic, but I find the most "chilling" thing to be that the Koran gives me three choices (oddly named "the invitation") Convert to Islam, Be subjugated by Islam, or be killed.
Do you not find that chilling?
That isn't something made up by Robert Spencer (which apparently this blog doesn't like scholars who quote the Koran, and use it in its intended context). This and many other nasty bits are found in the Koran. But that is probably deemed "anti-arab hatred" by Fnord.
Duke: I work with muslims
Duke: I work with muslims now and then and talk to muslims every day in my daily life. When I was a punkrocker, we were the local mullahs favourites because we always helped him start the car in snow. Hes a little guy with a funny hat who is quite happy here. And so it goes.
The whole islamophobic Robert Spencer/Gates of Vienna/Atlas shrugged chain of hate-sides are just as bad as the fking jihadi hatesites. I like muslims, they are really to be trusted in many cases, beyond our post-modern sense of detachent. Hilbillies from Punjab are OK by my book. (They love the Clash.)
So if I were to post let's
So if I were to post let's say the Verse of the Sword, or any of the other 100-odd verses in the Koran calling for violent jihad while providing the context, I am no better than the jihadis themselves? I would consider posting various parts of the Torah (in context) as doing the religion a favor, not promoting hate speech. If you see it as such, then I am curious what you do when you "work with muslims no and then" and what you talk to them about every day???
By the way, you say that Robert Spencer's website is no different than the "fking jihadi hatesites", but I can't seem to find where on Jihad Watch or Atlas Shrugs where they call for the deaths of non-believers and have videos of Jews beheading Muslims while chanting that G-d is great!
But that's probably because I am SOOOO STUUUPID as you wisely point out in other posts and I am sure you will be happy to provide links to back up your claims, which I will patiently await as I am sure you are right and I am wrong.
Duke, There's some truth to
Duke,
There's some truth to this BUT .... it doesn't seem to pan out with your everyday Muslim in ME or here - except for the crazies...and I may have stumbled into why....
Check out "The Islamist" by Ed Husein. Briefly my point - and in line with Spencer (but no longer agreeing him) the tradition of blind hate we are dealing with may not go to the 7th century. It Starts in the 9th century with the school of Hadiths that Spencer (and of course many Sunni scholars) hold as proper and valid....Al Bauchary...
BUT MAY IN FACT HAVE CHANGED THE WORD OF THE PROPHET SUBSTANTIALLY , in particular concerning the violent passages, Jihad, relations with other religions, etc. Remember, Mohammed taught and preached, waged war, diplomacy - but he was not a writer. Others recorded his words and interpreted it later.
And probably not for the better. It may not be an accident that the real vile hatred, oppression of other cultures and religions, Kharjarites, etc sneak in about that same period.
Husein (a brit revert back from Takfiri BTW) makes a great case for this in his book...which I recommend.
@Fnord, uh how about the Jew and American hatred coming out of Europe?
It seems that the Islamic
It seems that the Islamic hatred for Americans ,Jews , and Christians is perfectly acceptable to you folks, however if anyone dares point that hatred out it's considered "hate speech" Odd isn't it?
Perhaps you don't mind domination by a group of people who can say that a raped woman should be put to death, while the rapist laughs. I sure as hell wouldn't call that the course of wisdom would you? Have you ever bothered to read the Islamic plan for the world ? It's in publication you can buy it anywhere. It was written by Muslim clerics in good standing and prominent leaders in the ME.
But no, it's much easier to buy the lies.
Oh dear, I am so not going
Oh dear, I am so not going to debate Islam as a whole. But if you want to compare religions, the old testament has some pretty neat-o ideas for how to deal with philistines etc. who dared to live in the land of the Lord. Hell, if you sit down and read the history of the Catholic Church and the various papal decrees concerning Jews (or Martin Luther for that sake) it makes islam seem like a airy-fairy religion of multicultural hippies. To be serious, what Spencer and Jhad Watch and others does is to take particular examples and attribute these examples to a whole religion. To them there is no difference between sunni and shia, sufi and wahabbi, to them its all muslims. Those folks make it harder to continue the dialogue between the worlds, not easier. Both SPencer and Jihad Watch have aligned themselves with former neo-nazis such as Vlaams Belange and swedish National Democrats. They are clearly trying to make the conflict harder, not smaller. And so it is a hate-site, because it aims to bring hate.
Disgusted: "Have you ever bothered to read the Islamic plan for the world ? It's in publication you can buy it anywhere. It was written by Muslim clerics in good standing and prominent leaders in the ME." Would that be the Protocols of the Elders of Mecca? I heard that there is a masterplan for how they are going to force all western women to wear burqas as well. About time I say, all the horny women hunting me distract me from my work.
Elf, I really dont see much
Elf, I really dont see much jew-hatred here, except among the crazies on the right and the crazies in the mosque. Theres a lot of Israel bashing going down, but very little jew bashing. I have yet to see in print anywhere a co-relation drawn between Israeli violence and judaism. The more I read the Jerusalem Posts comment section, the harder it gets to hold that position, btw.
@fnord, I would like to
@fnord,
I would like to point out sir that while the history of Christianity has the crusades in it, so does Islam. The second point I will make is that the Catholic church, while called a "church" in the times of the "inquisitions" was more of a political entity and a pretty damned corrupt one as well. It took till the late 19th century to recover from the corruption and even then fell right back in WWII as far as the hierarchy goes. (referring to the lack of condemnation of the NAZI regime)
I don't see Christianity bombing churches, markets, killing civilian populations, raping women and magnanimously deferring their sentences, financing terror, and hiding terrorist's.
does that make my position a bit clearer?
Disgusted: Many of my muslim
Disgusted: Many of my muslim contacts would say that the US in Iraq did just that. And except for the raping, Israel in Gaza. easily fits into that perception too. Im not saying this is so, but your former president didnt exactly hide the fact that he was following Jesus the general. And that war killed more civilians than any union of terrorist could dream off. Is a Hellfire a more moral way of killing than a suicide explosion?
I would reply this way
I would reply this way Fnord. You seem to be a good man and very well balanced. Your Muslim contacts lied. I was in many conflicts over a 16 yr service. We are the only country that vigorously prosecutes ANY violation of the rules of engagement. When I now see a firefight in progress I choose not to engage in it. I don't run down into the middle of it to "find out what is happening", nor do I choose to be a human shield "protected by the rules of engagement" to allow a fellow Muslim to escape his fate . You should be aware enough to know by now that is a favorite tactic of the enemy.
So what would you do in that firefight as an American soldier? You can't shoot back but they can shoot you with impunity.
I respect your desire to avoid and discorage general hatred toward the Individual but you are buying lies. Not truth
Yeah, Christianity uber
Yeah, Christianity uber alles We good, they bad.
With such a premise, all that's needed are tactics that guarantee success.
Disgusted: Personally, I am
Disgusted: Personally, I am aware of the developments in allied ROE, the discussions of use og CAS etc. etc. wich have been rolling since before 2001. I just dont expect a illiterate herdsman of the Hindu Kush (or for that sake, a litterate doctor of the Hindu Kush) to be aware of them. Especially with regards to Israel, it seems clear that we hold a double standard and dont even care to hide it. Wich makes defending the west as unilateraly "good" kind of difficult.
But to turn it around: You wrote "Perhaps you don't mind domination by a group of people who can say that a raped woman should be put to death, while the rapist laughs. I sure as hell wouldn't call that the course of wisdom would you? Have you ever bothered to read the Islamic plan for the world ? It's in publication you can buy it anywhere. It was written by Muslim clerics in good standing and prominent leaders in the ME."
Dont you see that this is a lie on par with the lie of the christian crusader? Dont you see how this libels the thousands of muslims who are fighting on *our side* in the various scenarios? How it libels my kurdish friends, who passed me real interesting info on Ansar al Islam yesterday in a conversation? Spencer, Jihad Watch and the merry bunch of muslim haters make all muslims out to be the same. Its exactly the same argument as saying Lyndie England was a representative of US values. See my point?
Thank you for polite conversation, btw.
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