Update on the odious Falk and the Boston bombing

Nice to know some people have their eyes on the ball! Now both the US and Canada are calling for his dismissal, the Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird going so far as to state that Falk made antisemitic statements (most undiplomatic, but very political).

Thus, he said (as quoted here:) “Once again, United Nations official Richard Falk has spewed more mean-spirited, anti-Semitic rhetoric, this time blaming the attacks in Boston on President Obama and the State of Israel”. How nice to hear a politician state the plain truth. And in plain language, too.

Even the Brits are getting in on the act, and from the correct side too: The British mission to the UN also expressed its concern and noted that this is “the third time we have had cause to express our concerns about Mr. Falk’s anti-Semitic remarks. It is important to the U.K. that special rapporteurs uphold the highest standards in their work and we have twice previously made clear that remarks by Mr. Falk were unacceptable.”

For British diplomats, that is very strong language indeed. They usually deal in euphemisms that only those English people educated in Public (i.e., expensive private) Schools and Oxbridge can understand.

Post by: Brian Goldfarb

UN employee slags off the US and the Boston dead and wounded. No surprise there.

It's Richard Falk, of course, that well known entirely impartial UNHRC official charged with damning Israeli behaviour on any and every occasion. What is the question to which Falk is the answer? Oh, sorry, thought it was obvious: who would say that "The Boston Marathon bombings last week should have been expected given US policies around the world", but the one with the American accent and an inflated sense of his own importance.

The man who, as a UN employee is supposed to be impartial and even-handed just cannot resist an underhanded blow, such as "“The American global domination project is bound to generate all kinds of resistance… the United States has been fortunate not to experience worse blowbacks,” Richard Falk wrote in the Foreign Policy Journal." (The story comes via The Times of Israel.) However, he is employed by the UNHuman Rights Council, the one with a membership of some of the worst breachers of human rights ever to (dis)grace the UN halls.

The full story's here, with a further link to the original in the Foreign Policy Journal. If your stomach is strong enough to stand the dreck. I'm off to rinse my mouth out with a slug of good booze. 

Post by: Brian Goldfarb

The blogging will be light

till mid-May. Behave meanwhile, you all out there.

Watcher’s Council Nominations – One Day In Boston Edition

Council Submissions

• The Political Commentator – Boston conspiracy theory: Obama, the Saudis and a ‘dark-skinned male’?
• Simply Jews – Boston bombers: mission accomplished
• The Right Planet – Rush for Judgement: The All-Star ‘’Calumnists’’ of the MSM
• The Noisy Room – Sleeping With The Saudis
• The Colossus of Rhodey – Apocalypse now … and then
• Joshuapundit- The Two Boston Marathon Bombers And What It Says ABout Jihad And The West
• GrEaT sAtAn”S gIrLfRiEnD – Global
• The Razor – The Alarm System
• Rhymes With Right – Joe Biden Proves He Is Utterly Ignorant Of Democrat Party History
• VA Right! - Bombings, Shootings and Obama’s Gestpo: Welcome to the Fundamental Transformation
• Bookworm Room – Islam — the ultimate umbrella organization for violent malcontents
• Gay Patriot – Millennials & the Real Republican Problem
• The Glittering Eye -The Search
• The Mellow Jihadi – Bourbon Red Turkey Eggs and Pilates

Honorable Mentions

• Thinkers And Sinkers – The Two Voices
• Liberty’s Spirit – Political Correctness, Cultural Relativism and the Need to Repair the World
• Ask Marion – Seems Bomber Jihadists’ Money Traces Back to Saudi Arabia and Osama
• The Pirate’s Cove – Support For Gun Control Slips Further

Non-Council Submissions

Read more »

Canadian bombing suspect in a state of shock and disbelief

This is what today's CNN front page says:

I would be in a state of shock too if someone drew my mug this way.

Here is a full version of same:

The man should sue the artist, then CNN and everyone else who published that.

I mean, where is the presumption of innocence? 

Boston bomber and the Waltham, Mass triple murder

I heard about it first on the radio, then this via Ynet:

Bombing leads police to reopen investigation into triple 2011 murder. One victim was Tsarnaev's best friend, but according to man who knew the two during that period, 'Tamerlan didn't even go to the funeral'

Well, to be perfectly cynical: why wouldn't Waltham cops want to conveniently close an open file (in triplicate)? It's only natural...

But then I let my fingers walk around the intertubes a bit. The starting point was a pointer at the place (Waltham, Mass), of course, and the names of the victims in the above linked article:

[Brendan] Mess's body was found in his home on September 12, 2011, alongside the bodies of two additional friends. Raphael Teken and Erik Weissman. The Jewish Daily Forward reported that all three victims were Jewish.

Then a short clip, taken at the place of the murder:



Now two different points are contained in the following quote from a local Mass. media:

Previously, investigators had said that Brendan Mess, 25, along with Erik Weissman, 25, and Raphael Teken, 37, were killed on Sept. 12, 2011, in Mess’s apartment on Harding Street, a quiet residential street in Waltham. They also said they believed drugs were involved.

But the relative interviewed by the Globe said the murders took place the evening before, on Sept. 11, the 10th anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. The relative said he knew this because he was texting one of the victims about a Sunday night football game between the New York Jets and Dallas Cowboys when communication with the victims suddenly stopped at about 8:15 that evening.

First of all, the drug connection. It is enforced re Erik Weissman in another article:

In 2008, Weissman was charged with marijuana possession and intent to distribute, according to a report. Police pulled Weissman over for failing to yield and smelled marijuana smoke in the vehicle. When asked about it, Weissman said, “I knew you would smell it,’’ and handed the officer a brown paper bag filled with bags of marijuana, police said.

He also told police he had been previously arrested on charges of marijuana possession and said he was carrying marijuana to share with his friends.

The same suspicion is raised about Raphael Teken:

Teken lived in Waltham, and two neighbors who asked to remain anonymous said they believed he was a drug dealer, saying he rarely left the house and had a steady stream of visitors.

And, back to the previous article:

And friends of the victims have said their bodies were left covered with marijuana, according to the relative who was interviewed by the Globe.

Besides, where pot is concerned: listen to the clip in this (stupid) article, it is around 50-th second. And now this clip, around 2 min 10 sec:



So Dzhokhar, the little brother, was not a stranger to the weed. One can safely assume that it didn't come to be without the inspiration from the big brother.

What else? This:

The Globe reported Saturday that Tamerlan had introduced Mess to John Allan, owner of Wai Kru Mixed Martial Arts in Allston, describing him as his “best friend.”

And this:

Mess, who was active in martial arts, received a bachelor’s degree in professional writing from Champlain College in 2008.

This was way before Tamerlan complained about not having any American friends. Before he got embraced by his own branch of Islam. And I couldn't pass over this, of course:

Tamerlan had become radicalized in his religious and political beliefs shortly before the murder and was an accomplished amateur heavyweight boxer, while Dzhokhar was a former captain of the Cambridge Rindge and Latin wrestling team and was also known as an adept boxer.
...
Records show that the Tsarnaev family and at least one member of the Mess family were neighbors in their Cambridge neighborhood.

So, for circumstantial support we have: a common neighborhood, a common interest in martial arts and a common interest in pot. Not bad for starters. And now to the second point I've promised earlier: it is the date of the murder, coupled with the special kind of the chosen victims - three Jews, the worst kind of infidels for a novice (which usually means particularly fervent) fundie, slaughtered by cutting their throats on the tenth anniversary of 9/11.

And I wouldn't be surprised that covering the bodies by marijuana was a symbolic act of denouncing that infidels' sin, as I wouldn't be surprised to learn that the young Dzhokhar didn't touch the weed since that day. To be fair, there could be another explanation for the motive of the murder: enraged Tamerlan, learning that his little bro smokes pot, purchased from his very own "best friend"... etc.

Of course, all the above wouldn't be enough to make a judge blink, not to mention a murder charge.

But...   

The “Mysterious Motive” Cover-Up on the Boston Attack Begins

Yep. Absolutely true.

Richard Falk: a canary in the coal mine or a fly in a cesspool?

Maybe a snake in the grass will do better. Or a pile of... whatever, just read his outburst on the Boston bombing:

The American global domination project is bound to generate all kinds of resistance in the post-colonial world. In some respects, the United States has been fortunate not to experience worse blowbacks, and these may yet happen, especially if there is no disposition to rethink US relations to others in the world, starting with the Middle East.

There is much more of the same styled crap there, so for the impatient: it is all Bush, Israel Firsters and Zionists whodunit. Including breaking Obama's conciliatory and progressive spirit.

To remind you about prof Falk:

Richard Falk is the UN’s “Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967.” He has held the post since 2008, despite exposure as a 9/11 conspiracy theorist.

And there is more in this piece by Anne Bayefsky. Unhinged as he is, Falk is not alone, of course, but still in a category of his own. More on Falk. And more on Flak. And more on Flake.

Update: and finally a response from the US officialdom:

The United States completely rejects the provocative and offensive commentary by Mr. Richard Falk, UN Special Rapporteur for the Palestinian Territories, regarding the recent terrorist attack in Boston, Massachusetts. The United States has previously called for Mr. Falk’s resignation for his numerous outrageous statements, and these comments underscore once more the absurdity of his service as a UN Special Rapporteur.

Steve Wozniak on Apple and future shocks: the mystery remark explained

According to this report, Steve Wozniak is optimistic regarding the Apple's future:

So I would guess that Apple is very well prepared, and working on new things that are going to surprise and shock us all.

Wozniak was coy and didn't say more. However, a keen observer knows how to get to the truth. Here it is:

Family heirlooms are often packed away for safe keeping. For one man from China, hiding a 26-carat black diamond worth $14.5 million was not in his plans.

A businessman from Hong Kong commissioned craftsman Stuart Hughes of Liverpool to help him show off his family treasure.

The result? An iPhone 5 boasted by Hughes to be "the world's most expensive phone," valued at $15 million.

According to Hughes' website, this iPhone includes 600 flawless white diamonds, a full solid gold dressing and 53 diamonds on the rear that make up the iconic Apple logo.

Now you know too. Are you shocked? I am...

Lisa Wangsness and my contribution to English language

After reading this, I offer "Your Wangsness" as a complementary term to "Your Highness", with a somewhat different... nah, totally opposite meaning, of course.

Details.

Via Blazing Cat Fur.

Boston bombers: mission accomplished

First of all: our condolences to the families of four innocent victims of the murderous rampage and wishes of quick recovery to the wounded.

Of course, like many other people around the world, I was watching the unfolding drama and the pursuit of the culprits. Needless to say, like most of the observers, I feel relief knowing that the second bomber is captured and there were no more victims. Saying all that, however, I can't share the celebratory mood that seems to be overwhelming the cities of America. Sorry to be a spoilsport, but there isn't much to celebrate. The handling of the affair by the various authorities is far from being a cause for celebration. While it's not really my business to advise the multiple security and civil outfits that managed this crisis, I can watch, compare and say what is on my mind. So:

The lockdown

As heard on TV during the day of the pursuit, the authorities in charge issued a request that Bostonians stay at home that covered about 7.5 million people (more citizens than in some countries I could mention). As a result, being nice and disciplined, Bostonians were cooped in their houses for a long time, stewing in their own fears, not at all alleviated by "live" TV reports. In other words, doing exactly what any terrorist dreams of - being afraid and having their normal lives disrupted.

That a pair of two-bit punks could paralyze the normal life of millions, even if only for one day, is unconscionable. Of course, I am thinking about similar cases in our place here, and the only possible conclusion is no, this is not the way to manage such crisis. Someone or, rather, many someones, must rethink the approach to handling situations like this - if only because they will occur again, and you can take this rather bleak prediction to the bank.

The posse

Yes, I understand that finding a needle in a haystack isn't easy. When that needle is suspected of carrying firearms and all kinds of bombing paraphernalia, it may take some guts an some superior firepower to go after it. However, watching hundreds of variously (and colorfully) uniformed officers of all possible security branches walking around with determined faces, the black vans awkwardly maneuvering in tight parking lots, cops standing on the corners chewing gum - all this was (possibly) making a good TV, but didn't really make a lot of military sense, not where finding that needle was concerned. And the scene where a team of SWAT folks in their black glory marches somewhere in a column (which doesn't make any sense too, unless it's a parade formation) with weapons at the ready - no, really, someone should think better about staging a posse for TV next time.

It is a miracle that with such a concentration of trigger-happy and nervous personnel not a single innocent bystander got stitched by a burst or two.

But eventually the culprit was found - no thanks to oversaturation of Watertown by cops and G-men. It happened just because one citizen with a good eye for details and sufficient knowledge of his own backyard was allowed to step out of his house, where he was told to hide many hours ago. Were David Henneberry allowed to roam freely, who knows how many hours of tension could have been spared.

The capture

This part of the proceedings was a total mystery to me - and not only to me. Why, having Dzhokar Tsarnaev located and visible on infrared cameras, knowing that he is already wounded and at least partially incapacitated, the posse "unleashed a hailstorm of gunfire into the backyard" (I am quoting from the above linked article)?

If above mentioned David Henneberry was able to stick his head under the tarpaulin without any adverse consequences, why couldn't the cops further incapacitate the punk by a few well placed shots by a sharpshooter, instead of the hailstorm of gunfire? If the decision, on the other hand, was not to take prisoners*, how come the hailstorm of gunfire didn't do the job?

Bumbling extraordinaire.

Update: It could be that the above reports about the hailstorm of gunfire were wrong or vastly exaggerated by the press for dramatic effect or for other reasons. According to this report, only flash bombs were used during the capture. However, most other sources report an exchange of gunfire.

Update 2: After all, there was gunfire.

Although police feared he was heavily armed, the suspect in the Boston Marathon bombing had no firearms when he came under a barrage of police gunfire that struck the boat where he was hiding, according to multiple federal law enforcement officials. Authorities said they were desperate to capture Dzhokhar Tsarnaev so he could be questioned. The FBI, however, declined to discuss what prompted the gunfire.

And various branches stepping on each other toes:

The FBI was in charge of the scene, but there also were officers from the Massachusetts State Police, local police and transit police.

And yes, there was a hail of gunfire:

The FBI declined to discuss the exact sequence of events that led officers to open fire on Tsarnaev’s hiding place and whether the dozens of bullets that struck the boat caused any of his gunshot wounds.

What a mess... I hope David Henneberry will get a new boat from the FBI (although I am sure they will try to make the others to pony up too.

(*) Which version I don't really believe.

And now let's take a look at a (randomly chosen) list of typical terrorism objectives. The list is headed by the following three:

1. Produce widespread fear. Accomplished.
2. Obtain worldwide, national, or local recognition for their cause by attracting the attention of the media. Accomplished in full: worldwide, nationally and locally
3. Harass, weaken, or embarrass government security forces so that the government overreacts and appears repressive. Accomplished with a good measure of over-achievement.

No matter what the "grievances"* of the couple were, the goals of their murderous activities were fulfilled - with vengeance. There was only one item not listed in that piece: desire of martyrdom. The older brother had reached this goal, albeit with some assistance from his little sibling who, if we believe the reports , has driven the getaway car over his big brother. I only hope that the Massachusetts' judiciary doesn't give the same satisfaction to the remaining sibling, letting him rot in jail instead, to achieve the martyrdom in installments.

All in all: this was not the way to tackle terrorism. And again: there is a good reason to be better prepared next time. Because there is definitely going to be a next time.

***

(*) While that subject is out of the scope of this post, I strongly believe that Ruslan Tsarni, the uncle of the two terrorists, hit the bull's eye in his succinct analysis of the underlying causes:

A reporter asked what might have provoked the violence. “Being losers,” Tsarni shot back. “Hatred to those who were able to settle themselves” in this country. Then Tsarni raised his voice to make a point: “Anything else to do with religion, with Islam—it’s a fraud. It’s a fake.” He went on: “We are Muslims. We are Chechens.” But that didn’t explain his nephews’ violence, he said. “Somebody radicalized them.”

Yup. Better find that someone - he is the one to be helped into martyrdom - asap.

Chick with Dick

This is only a response to the frequent search "chick with dick" that somehow lands on this here blog, for no reason I can discern. I have done my best looking around for a picture that will answer the requirements of that search. Here is the one that fits, in my humble:

So there.

Now that's what I call good news!

The Jerusalem Post reports that Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are about to conclude a huge arms deal with the US, designed to combat any Iranian threat to the region.

Further, "Israel was reassured that the US would monitor Saudi Arabia and the UAE's use of the advanced missiles."

Let's hope the US does.

By: Brian Goldfarb   

A UK Muslim minister praises Jews

This is a short item (there are probably more details elsewhere - if I find them, I'll add an update) from the (UK) Jewish Chronicle via the Algemeiner on Baroness Warsi, a Muslim Cabinet Member in the UK. In it, she "has spoken out against “antisemitism in the Muslim community” in Britain."This is a brave thing for her to do (although politically acceptable within the Conservative Party) because of the number of antisemites disguising their antisemitism as anti-Zionism within the Muslim community in the UK.

She goes on to be braver still when she spells this out: "Baroness Warsi, the Minister for Faith and Communities, said that anti-Zionism was often a mask for anti-Jewish hatred". The article goes on to note that "Baroness Warsi was speaking at the launch of an exhibition celebrating Righteous Muslims who saved Jews during the Holocaust"

Furthermore, two of the Board of Deputies Vice-Presidents praised the stand she has taken.

Nice to know that politicians can sometimes speak without a forked tongue.

By: Brian Goldfarb   

Tamerlan and Dzhokar Tsarnaev Jewish? Mossad members?

This is to answer the multiple searches that inundate the intertubes lately.

And the answer is: yes, if you wish so. Otherwise, about as Jewish as Attila the Hun.

Come to think of it, Alex Jones or someone of his ilk has surely already classified Attila the Hun as Jewish, so I am not saying much.

Oh well, back to mayhem and similar... enjoy this meanwhile:



Update: of course, Debka, after their previous blooper, are keen to prove that this dose of BS has some grain of... whatever. So now it's a development of that previous pearl:

The conclusion reached by debkafile’s counterterrorism and intelligence sources is that the brothers were double agents, hired by US and Saudi intelligence to penetrate the Wahhabi jihadist networks which, helped by Saudi financial institutions, had spread across the restive Russian Caucasian.Instead, the two former Chechens betrayed their mission and went secretly over to the radical Islamist networks.

How do you like them chickens?

Israel injecting dangerous viruses into Palestinian prisoners - and more

Pravda, as you know, means "truth". So you can't argue with an article under a headline Israel injecting dangerous viruses into Palestinian prisoners that states loud and clear:

A Palestinian released from Israeli jails, Rania Saqa, has brought to light that the Israeli regime injected detainees that are out of prisons with dangerous viruses.

Noting that Palestinian prisoners suffer from serious and chronic diseases such as bladder cancer and liver disorders, Rania has revealed that the Tel Aviv regime injects prisoners with dangerous viruses before releasing them.

Of course, you can ask a few questions. Like why that article wasn't published in Russian? Oh why it states at the bottom "Translated from the Spanish version" - was the quoted prisoner Spanish? And why would Pravda publish such libelous crapola, hiding behind a Palestinian prisoner? But these are questions without an addressee, so you better just read the article, it has more revelations of the kind. Like:

Recently, the International Solidarity for Human Rights Institute warned that the Israeli regime uses and abuses Palestinian prisoners to test their new drugs, and this contradicts international medical and moral principles.

What would Ms Saqa say if, instead of providing these suspicious "new drugs" to the prisoners, the jailers had handed to the patients the holy book of Quran?

But of course, one has to love the following statement:

Most former inmates die after being released from Israeli jails.

Since the quote isn't coming from the above mentioned ex-inmate, I have to wonder about Pravda scribe being so mealy-mouthed. I can freely state (and ready and willing to be quoted on it) that all former inmates die after being released from Israeli jails.

Elder of  Ziyon has more info on Rania Saqa:

Rania complained about her many illnesses after leaving prison including breast cancer, bladder cancer, hepatitis B, and multiple broken bones.

I think that she is too humble: even without any medical education and just by looking at her picture at Elder's place, I detect at least 35 other illnesses. All caused, of course, by the Zionist injections.

But still, she should have kept mum about the bone-breaking virus: in was supposed to stay secret for a while, but it's already spilt milk.

Now we'll have to invent a new one...

The hunt for Dzhokhar A. Tsarnaev, the alleged Boston bomber, and other Watertown news

I have been watching the latest developments on this channel, and some things are real amazing. First of all, it appears that the Boston best, "assisted" by FBI and "other agencies" issued an advisory to about 7.5 million people in the area to stay at home. And for the businesses to remain closed for the duration.

The notable exception is the Watertown branch of Dunkin Donuts near the main concentration of these guys in fancy SWAT gear, that was allowed to stay open. Makes sense...

Meanwhile we are moving from a Saudi terror cell to  Mossad false flag op to Chechen "activists". What next?

Let's wait a bit more.

The Council Has Spoken!

Council Winners

• *First place with  5 votes! Joshuapundit –Unmourned, Unloved and Politically Inconvenient
• Second place with 3 votes – The Noisy Room – Honoring Margaret Thatcher – The Ultimate Progressive Hunter
• Third place *t* with 1 1/3 votes – Bookworm Room-No matter what happened yesterday, today shows the deep fissures Obama has created in America
• Third place *t* with 1 1/3 votes – Gay Patriot- Boston Aftermath: A nation (that should be) united in grief & outrage
• Fourth place *t* with 2/3 vote – The Right Planet-Pat Condell Is Waiting for Jesus … And He’s Pissed!
• Fourth place *t* with 2/3 vote – The Razor- We Are Idiots
• Fourth place *t* with 2/3 vote –  GrEaT sAtAn”S gIrLfRiEnD-Aegypt”s Aepic Fail
• Fifth place *t* with 1/3 vote – The Colossus of Rhodey –  Look in the mirror, Cenk Uygur
• Fourth place *t* with 1/3 vote – Simply Jews – Social justice for fantastika? Or entitlement of parasites?
• Fourth place *t* with 1/3 vote – VA Right! –With America Under Attack, Liberals Disarm Us and Open the Gates to Barbarian Hordes

Non-Council Winners

Read more »

Saudi terror cell, al Qaeda and Mossad behind Boston Marathon bombings. See under "pressure cookers".

Of course, it comes from the Debka pressure cookers first:

DEBKAfile’s counterterrorism sources can disclose however that the investigation has in fact homed in on a suspected terror cell of three Saudi nationals, very possibly tied to Al Qaeda.
The flat they share in the Revere, Massachusetts, near Boston, was searched after the questioning of one of the suspects, a Saudi student, who was hospitalized with badly burned hands. One of his flatmates was taken into custody over “visa problems.” A third is on the run. All three hail from a prominent Saudi family belonging to a tribe from the Asir province bordering on Yemen.

But of course, cookers - sorry, kooks could be found in abundance on the other side, too, so a few of those as well (but no links, as usual):

DEBKA is a known Israeli propaganda front, and if they are pushing the "Blame the Saudis" it is another indication that Israel is behind this attack.

Oh Debka, Debka...

And some more definite "pointers":

Filthy Mossad is at it again, ruthlessly murdering people, in this case, Americans, just like they did on 9-11. In addition to the three murders as many as 170 people were injured, many severely. With the unwinding into oblivion of the Sandy Hook hoax, desperation took hold. The Mossad had to act. Therefore, it blew up the Marathon.

And:

Note: the Times Square bombing was conducted by Zionist Jews, a rabbi being caught in the act. He was caught on CCTV changing his outfit after setting the bomb. Regardless, this is all a Zionist plot to implicate Islaam for not only the Boston Marathon bombing but also for all their various acts of terror.

"Islaam"... meh... anyway, now you know it all.

1-2-3 of Baby Assad

Unquestionably, the man is a vermin. Still - when he is right, he is right. Check this out:

1. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad warned Western nations against supporting rebel groups battling his armed forces, predicting the militants will one day strike against the United States and others. Check.
2. In an hourlong interview with Syria state TV network al-Ikhbariya, al-Assad claimed the West is supporting al Qaeda sympathizers in Syria as he says they did during the Libyan uprising. Check.
3. He compared the support of rebels in Syria now to the backing of fighters in Afghanistan during their war with Soviet troops in the 1980s. Check.

Shit or shite - what will it be, ladies and gentlemen?

Legal self-gratification and Microsoft

What happens when a judge doesn't have somebody handy to punish for some transgression:

A Michigan judge whose smartphone disrupted a hearing in his own courtroom has held himself in contempt and paid $25 for the infraction.

Still, there is a guilty party on the horizon and this party should better watch itself:

Voet has used a Blackberry mobile phone for years, and said he wasn't as familiar with the operation of the new touchscreen, Windows-based phone.

It will be more than $25, I suspect, when Mr Balmer is hauled in before the judge...

George Galloway Praises North Korea

One of several pearls from this speech:

North Korea has no intention to harm any of us. North Korea’s problem is with South Korea. South Korea exists because America invaded Korea, killed millions of people, divided the country and continues to garrison South Korea with military bases, nuclear weapons, chemical and biological weapon.

As an aside: I fully realize that The Spiv is a (part of the) price that every democracy pays for being a democracy. The people who vote for him should try, however, to examine their motives for doing so.

First responders are Jewish heroes, even when they're not Jewish

Words are almost superfluous here: the title says it all: "Why first responders are Jewish heroes. The author is noting the response to the Boston bombings: many people rushed towards the scene of the explosions, when the instinct is run away from it.

What the writer, Shai Held, is arguing is that, whether they know it or not, whether they are Jewish or not, first responders are "walking in God's way". To understand what he means by this, you should read the 3rd, 4th and 5th paragraphs of his article.

By: Brian Goldfarb  

Watcher’s Council Nominations – Round Up The Usual Suspects Edition

Council Submissions

• The Noisy Room – Honoring Margaret Thatcher – The Ultimate Progressive Hunter
• Simply Jews – Social justice for fantastika? Or entitlement of parasites?
• The Political Commentator –
  Is Pamela Geller an extremist?
• Joshuapundit-Unmourned, Unloved and Politically Inconvenient
• The Colossus of Rhodey – Look in the mirror, Cenk Uygur
• The Glittering Eye -Personal Computers Aren’t Too Good
• GrEaT sAtAn”S gIrLfRiEnD – Aegypt”s Aepic Fail
• The Right Planet – Pat Condell Is Waiting for Jesus … And He’s Pissed!
• The Mellow Jihadi – Raymond Davis, the Cause of All Our Pakistan Issues
• VA Right! - With America Under Attack, Liberals Disarm Us and Open the Gates to Barbarian Hordes
• The Razor – We Are Idiots
• Rhymes With Right – Senator Seeks Censorship
• Gay Patriot – Boston Aftermath: A nation (that should be) united in grief & outrage
• Bookworm Room – No matter what happened yesterday, today shows the deep fissures Obama has created in America
  

Honorable Mentions

• Liberty’s Spirit – Political Correctness, Cultural Relativism and the Need to Repair the World
• Ask Marion – 6-Month Benghazi Attack Anniversary… Where is the media coverage? The answers? And Where are the Survivors?
• The Pirate’s Cove – Climate Scientists Really Looking For “Explanations” To Explain Missing Warming

Non-Council Submissions

Read more »

Social justice for fantastika? Or entitlement of parasites?

While surfing idly that morning, I was briefly attracted to a curious story about the North Pond Hermit:

The man who spent nearly three decades in the woods of Maine before his high-profile arrest earlier this month has attracted a marriage proposal and a stranger’s offer to bail him out, prompting authorities to dramatically increase his bail Sunday amid fears he could be targeted for exploitation.

Christopher Knight, known as the North Pond Hermit to locals, spent 27 years in the woods with virtually no contact with other people. But in the short time since his arrest he’s had a lot of people trying to get close to him, officials said.

This mildly remarkable story about an obvious and somewhat sad case of a social misfit wouldn't have taken more of my time than it took to read the above quote. However, something made me read the comments at the end, and a comment made by someone with a moniker fantastika immediately attracted my attention. Here it goes:

Quarter of a $million bail for a burglar?

This department of the Maine Gestapo must not have read the Constitution, that part about "cruel and unusual punishment."

Murderers and child predators get out on less bail.

Besides, what was he doing - just getting some social justice?

Is there a dime's worth of difference between the government taxing people and giving them free food, and this man just helping himself to free food?

At least the Hermit's method doesn't impose any bureaucrat's salaries and pension costs.

My interest wasn't caused by fantastika's obvious reading comprehension problems (s/he totally misinterpreted the motives of the authorities behind the bail increase, to take one example). Nor was I surprised by that "department of the Maine Gestapo": it only crystallized in my mind the image of the character who wrote that (I bet s/he uses Amerikkka as a moniker for his/her country).

Nope, it was the sentence about getting some social justice that caught my attention. And its immediate corollary, of course, the one about the purported lack of difference between government taxing and individual thievery.

Reading this "grassroots" social philosophy, I was struck by a revelation: I am much older than I thought before. My knowledge of the socialist economic theory (never to become practice) is outdated, rusty and doesn't stand a chance of a fart in a hurricane in the modern world. Where I used to laugh (or cry) at the Marx-Engels-Lenin's pearls like "expropriate from the expropriators" and "From each according to his ability, to each according to his contribution"*, fantastika and his Occupiers colleagues came and put paid to these old maxims. No more "from", ladies and gentlemen! Only the glorious "to"...

You don't have to contribute anything in the brave new world of the fantastika's "social justice". You just go and expropriate whatever you want: this is the new "justice" and the new society where Occupiers, these mostly young and mostly educated** parasites and their likes could really thrive.

And re "expropriate from the expropriators": here is an example of the kind of expropriators the hero of our story expropriated from:

Knight was arrested after authorities said he tripped a surveillance sensor set up by a game warden while stealing food from a camp for people with special needs.

My personal sympathies for Robin-Hoodian activities aside, I guess pilfering stuff from people with special needs is less risky than breaking into a mansion of some fat cat - it figures. Besides, who cares: after all, Mr Knight only executed his inalienable right of social justice.

Yeah... when I compare the old dead communists and socialists with this new breed of "social revolutionaries", the conclusion is clear. Even if I despise that old guard and wish they were never born, I have to say that, while being terminally optimistic, they still weren't terminally stupid. Unlike this new bunch, who in their fervor to expropriate, will only destroy everything in a jiffy. Only to die later, of hunger or choked by their own excreta (or both), like a colony of useless bacteria.

Too bad.

P.S. Other comments to the story in that first link are also worth some attention. More pearls.

(*) The formula of remuneration for labor in a socialist society, later to be replaced (when a full communism is built) by "From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs". Still, even in a Marxist paradise a person was supposed to contribute that which fits his abilities.

(**) Our modern education, focused on political correctness, has much to blame for. When the end product of that education is unable to distinguish between the sentence "All people are equal" and the sentence "All people have equal rights", we are in trouble. But this is a subject for another long rant...

Update: and another view of entitlement:

What is that smell?

Oh, nothing special. Just another opus by Gideon Levy, aka the baron of deceit industry. While it rarely happens, this time even Levy's bosses in Haaretz had to backpedal:

Will this case change the subject's habit of lying and/or playing loose with facts? Nah...

15 years of concentration

And the results are spectacular, as are the ways and means of that research.

Moderate confidence that shook the Pentagon

A single sentence that came out of DIA (Defense Intelligence Agency) says the following:

DIA assess with moderate confidence the North currently has nuclear weapons capable of delivery by ballistic missiles, however, the reliability will be low.

And the reaction of the establishment to the revelation? Here it is:

The Pentagon was caught by surprise Thursday when sensitive information about North Korea's nuclear program from a classified March 2013 report was "mistakenly" declassified and discussed during an open hearing on Capitol Hill, raising questions about how such a significant error could have occurred.

It is somewhat confusing, I don't mind saying this. As a connoisseur of spy fiction and all spying-related drivel in the media, I could see a few possible negative results of this "revelation":

1. Endangering a Humint asset in place in NK. Hardly likely.
2. Endangering some high-tech tool(s) of gathering intelligence about NK. Mmm... I bet not.
3. Giving the other side (NK, that is) a temporary advantage in the unending "I know that you know that I know that you know..." game. This could make the diplomatic effort of defusing the situation a bit more difficult. Possibly, but very farfetched. Besides the story would have leaked anyway soon, so what the heck?
4. Demonstrating another time that the mere term "intelligence" is becoming more and more of a label for a bunch of no good money wasters that couldn't find their backsides without... but you know the drill. After all, just yesterday the chorus was singing to the tune of "no ability to launch nukes", and suddenly today the tune changes? Uhu... now we are getting somewhere.
5. Destroying and thus taking away from some persons very (but very) high up in the administration hierarchy the advantage of deniability. Now that one looks like a winner.

There probably are a few other possibles I missed, but the list above should suffice for the purpose.

Classified, shmassified...

The Council Has Spoken!

Council Winners

• *First place with 4 1/3 votes! Joshuapundit – Appomattox: The Fire Is Quenched
• Second place*t*  with 2 votes – The Noisy Room – NoKo-a-NoGo
• Second place *t* with 2 votes – Simply Jews- Remembering Holocaust: the first British shots of WW II
• Third place  with 1 2/3 votes – Bookworm Room – The fundamental unconstitutionalism of Obama’s presidency
• Fourth place *t* with 1 1/3 votes – The Right Planet – Subprime (Part Duh)
• Fourth place *t* with 1 1/3 votes – VA Right! -Gun Control: Exceptions for Rape, Incest and the Life (or Health) of the Gun Owner?
• Fifth  place with 2/3 vote – The Razor  - A Phone Call Between Premier Li and President Obama
• Sixth place *t* with 1/3 vote – The Colossus of Rhodey – The Politics Behind DC’s The Movement
• Sixth place *t* with 1/3 vote – Gay Patriot –Margaret Thatcher: Feminist Icon

Non-Council Winners

Read more »

The world domination complete

Figuratively speaking, that is. If you adhere to the Elders of Zion prophecies, the world domination is a done deal for the last 13 years (at least). The world-embracing web of the Zionism is complete, taut and slightly vibrating at all the right moments, bringing sustenance to the you know whom.

This post is about completion of the artistic side of the affair. In this case, this here blog's logo, which is now finalized, thanks to Max Amillion max.ts_productions@yahoo.com who volunteered his good services and put the finishing touch:

Many thanks, Max, and a double dose of blood is coming your way next Pesach!

Jews got money? You bet...

As a Jew*, I never argue with people who come out with statements like "Them Jews have got all the money in the world". Long as these people don't hit me for a donation, why not let them consider me a nabob?

The reality of my family history is a bit different. While I am a "privileged" son of a doctor and a teacher, these doctor and teacher were the first ones to get educated in the long genealogical trees of their respective families. All my other uncles (no aunts, my mom was the only female of that generation), grandparents, grand-grand parents etc were menial workers of all kinds. My childhood run its way among children of Jewish and non-Jewish families, only a small percentage of these was what could be called "rich" by the standards of the time.

So, when a non-Jewish documentary director Sasha Andreas produces a movie titled Jews Got Money?, dedicated to these other Jews - the ones who didn't get any money, I definitely see a worthy enterprise that should be of interest and great educational value to many, especially to the "Jews got all the money" crowd. And to start with, you can definitely benefit from reading this article about the movie. It starts with:

Did you know that one in five Jewish persons in New York lives in poverty? If you didn't, you are not alone: the common stereotype all around the world is that "Jews got money." This is exactly the cliché that our upcoming documentary by the same title hopes to debunk.

I was quite surprised to learn that Shasha Andreas didn't have an easy life with creating this movie:

His ambition with Jews Got Money was to put an end to a damaging stereotype, which he associated with Anti-Semitism. To his surprise, he discovered that poverty was also a taboo within the Jewish community itself, as he struggled to get funding and schedule interviews:

"I thought it would be easier, because a documentary on this subject has never been done before and I believed people would be happy to see someone finally address this issue, but most want to keep it that way. I only expected the title to pose some problems, but in the end it was the least of their concerns."

While this quote puts paid to another stereotype, the one about the Jews whining about their poverty, it's a worthy observation and makes the documentary even more appealing.

Here is a trailer of the documentary:



I hope it will cause you to watch the movie and to help with its promotion. It needs your attention and your help.

(*) Lately I caught myself liking this introduction, frequently used by Jewish A/Z (anti-Zionists) as a prelude to some inflammatory A/Z statement. Why shouldn't I use it too from time to time?

An Israeli Al Jazeera? You are joking, aren't you?

An Israeli Al-Jazeera, the headline calls it. Not that I think that's a particularly good, and certainly not a sensible, heading.

I think I know what the journo writing the piece means, but she hardly helps her case by calling it this. Hardly going to run well in Israel! Be that as it may, i24 is planning to start broadcasting in the summer, and is based in Jaffa Port. Initially, the station will broadcast in English, French and Arabic, but may expand the languages later.

The station will carry reports and comment on politics, international affairs, culture, sport and other subjects. Presumably with an Israeli slant. It may well succeed, if it avoids the reputation, deserved or otherwise, that Al Jazeera carries. I managed to shock an Oz cousin of mine who proudly proclaimed that while travelling, he could, among other things, Al Jazeera on his iPad. I think my lip may have actually curled (tho' I hope not) as I explained I already had enough problems with biased reporting on the Middle East from The Guardian and the BBC without needing another source.

I suspect that he actually saw (may still see) Al J. as somehow unbiased. As he was our house guest at the time, he restrained himself.

Anyway, judge for yourselves what you think.

By: Brian Goldfarb 

Watcher’s Council Nominations – Iron Lady Memorial Edition

Council Submissions

• The Noisy Room – NoKo-a-NoGo
• Joshuapundit-Appomattox: The Fire Is Quenched
• The Colossus of Rhodey – The Politics Behind DC’s The Movement
• GrEaT sAtAn”S gIrLfRiEnD – War of Koreunification
• Simply Jews – Remembering Holocaust: the first British shots of WW II
• The Razor – A Phone Call Between Premier Li and President Obama
• Rhymes With Right – Harry Reid Threatens To Engage In “Unconstitutional Abuse Of Power”
• VA Right! - Gun Control: Exceptions for Rape, Incest and the Life (or Health) of the Gun Owner?
• The Right Planet – Subprime (Part Duh)
• The Glittering Eye -A Tale of Two Californias
• Bookworm Room – The fundamental unconstitutionalism of Obama’s presidency
• Gay Patriot – Margaret Thatcher: Feminist Icon
• The Mellow Jihadi – Operation Up Dog
The Political Commentator – Holocaust Remembrance Day 2013 – Hate redux!

Honorable Mentions

• Ask Marion – Margaret Thatcher, The Iron Lady – Freedom Fighter and Icon Dies at 87
• Maggie’s Notebook – Ft. Hood: Nidal Hasan Not a Terrorist – Meaning No Purple Heart for Dying or Wounded Hearing Allahu Akhbar
• The Pirate’s Cove – Good News: Obama Energy Secretary Nominee Wants To Skyrocket Your Energy Costs
• Tina Trent.Com – Bringing Down America: An FBI Informer With the Weathermen, and a Plea to Police Witnesses

Non-Council Submissions

Read more »

Femen strike again - but the honchos remain "unfazed"

My favorite political movement has... er... moved again. This time during a rally at the industrial fair in Hannover which was being visited by Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Unfortunately, I don't know what text the Femen activist presents to the dignitaries on the front side, but on the back it says something very loosely translated as "Putin, go fuck yourself". To my chagrin, the loss of impact and freshness in this translation is irreparable.

The facial expressions of the males in the picture are worth studying. Putin, being mostly obscured by the guy on the left (whose finger-pointing is worth an investigation), has a face that usually doesn't express anything. Ms Merkel, on the other hand...

Oh well. The Russian press found its own way to cover the same news, with a headline that says Putin, Merkel unfazed as topless Femen activists stage protest at Hannover industrial fair. The picture they are using is not the one above.

Although, come to think of it, Putin's face on that one does show some tiny signs of life... what do you think?

More visual data here:



Update: apparently I was wrong about Putin's lack of expression. There is another picture I didn't see:

So there.

Saddam Hussein's arse as part of the historical and cultural heritage

And I am not kidding you.

I shudder thinking about the implications of the story. What have they done with the real stiff?

Farrah Abraham uncensored sex tape

Is hardly of interest to this blog. But this picture of a charming Ruppel's Warbler should be a sufficient compensation and consolation:

Just click on it to embiggen and observe, relax and enjoy.

North Korea: back to producing fertilizer?

Having carried out public and enterprise rallies in accordance with decisions made at the Party Central Committee plenum last month, each province, county and city is now working on producing fertilizer.

Now, that sounds much better than the belligerent rhetoric generated lately.

As for producing fertilizer: the phenomenal quantity of horseshit emitted by the dear leader recently needs only to be spread evenly all over the fields. So it all comes together quite nicely.

Via Mick Hartley.

Lviv football fans: the remedy for nostalgia

As one of the bloggers reporting on the news below said, it is a great remedy for people who left Lviv and may for some reason feel that they miss the old place.

What happened is that the Lviv (Ukraine) football team Karpati was preparing to a home game with an Odessa's (Ukraine) team Chernomorets (see more below). The Karpati fans distributed some especially poignant banners toward the event. Two examples:

That one says (at the top):

DEATH TO THE KIKES

Ukrainian football championship

And at the bottom right side, opposite the name of the local team:

Kikes
Shit at the sea

And, if you have missed it somehow, the background of that banner shows the Auschwitz gate. Yup.

This one, besides the local nickname for Lviv (Banderstadt - see the explanation here), states simply:

ANTI - KIKE!

Since all of the above hardly requires comments, here is some info on the background of the story. Lviv, being a seat of the most fervent Ukrainian nationalistic movements, is also, by association, a seat of Ukrainian anti-Semitism. Odessa, on the other hand, traditionally being a cosmopolitan city where many different people and cultures mixed quite freely, used to have a comparatively large Jewish population. It dwindled today to somewhere around 30 or 40 thousands (out of one million - population of the city), but (again as part of a tradition) its impact on the city's culture and folklore is still significant.

Not that our own football fans are much better, and same goes for many other countries having problems with similar rabble. But still, these banners are hard to beat...

What else? Yes, the Odessa team won that game 2:1. Some consolation.

Cyber attack on Israel appears to fizzle, while retaliation does not.

This I like! The Times of Israel reports that Israeli hackers have retaliated against those who boasted that Israeli sites would be taken down. The Israelis appear to have started on Friday, took the sabbath off, and are supposed to be going back on the offensive today, Sunday.

The article also claims that the attacks have been largely unsuccessful, but those of the retaliators a lot more successful. I hope so. As the long-ago rugby union coach said to his players as they headed for the pitch: "Get your retaliation in first".

Which the Israeli seem to have done.

By: Brian Goldfarb

Update: it fizzled out, indeed.

Remembering Holocaust: the first British shots of WW II

The subject of the Holocaust is, frankly, too big for me to handle. There are people who made it their life study, there still are some survivors - these are the people who may want to look at the whole picture. For me, reviving a single occurrence, a glimpse of that overwhelming evil at a time, will suffice.

So for today it will be a case of the refugee ship Tiger Hill, briefly and dryly mentioned in the Wiki article on Aliyah Bet:

The Tiger Hill, a 1,499 ton ship, built in 1887, sailed from Constanţa on August 3, 1939, with about 750 immigrants on board. She took on board the passengers from the Frossoula, another illegal immigrant ship that was marooned in Lebanon. On September 1, the first day of World War II, the Tiger Hill was intercepted and fired on by Royal Navy gunboats off Tel Aviv, and was beached.

The quote above is too dry, as I said, and to see the larger picture of the Tiger Hill's demise, here comes William R. Perl, a man whose life story, besides looking as material for several cliff hanger type thrillers, is interwoven with the story of the Holocaust. A quote from his book: The Holocaust conspiracy: An international policy of genocide.

Fighting that 'illegal' escape to Palestine brought the plotters in the Colonial Office together with those in the Foreign Office, and they called for the armed forces to implement their cruel policy. In a House of Commons debate on July 20, 1939, Mr. Malcolm MacDonald, the Colonial Secretary, had to admit that a 'Division of Destroyers' supported by five smaller launches was being employed to ascertain that those who had escaped Hitler did not escape the British capture as they approached Palestine. [PRO House of Commons Debates, July 20, 1939] Those who had fled the German destroyer and his cohorts were now hunted down by four destroyers of His Majesty's Royal Navy: HMS Hero (flagship), HMS Havock, HMS Henward, and HMS Hotspur. These were among Britain's newest and fastest fighting ships -- all four commissioned just two years earlier. At least one other destroyer, the Ivanhoe was also used in that lopsided warfare. Those conspiring in London to block the saving gate of Palestine really meant business. The ships had been authorized to open fire 'at or into any ship that was suspected of having illegal immigrants on board and that did not obey the warning to stand by. [Palestine Gazette, Extraordinary Issue, April 27, 1939]

They had been authorized to shoot, and shoot they did. Thus it happened that on the very first day of World War II, on September 1, 1939, while German dive bombers rained death on Warsaw and a dozen other Polish cities, His Majesty's ship Lorna opened fire on a rickety overcrowded refugee ship, Tiger Hill, as she approached the Palestine Coast to unload her cargo of misery, 1417 survivors of man's inhumanity against man. She did not, could not, heed the order to turn back toward Germany. The encounter between HMS Lorna and the Tiger Hill ended with a victory for the Royal Navy. Killed in the encounter were Dr. Robert Schneider, a young man who had been a physician in Czechoslovakia before he had been deprived of human dignity and all possessions; and Zwi Binder, a young pioneer from Poland whose hopes to till the land peacefully in a Kibbutz died within sight of the land he had been longing for years to reach.

The first two persons killed by British bullets during World War II were not Germans but Jewish escapees from the German hell.

To make it perfectly clear: this is not being written to complain to the unconcerned or to rub it in the faces of the sympathizers. This story is just a drop in the ocean, but a fitting one for the day of remembrance. Tomorrow, at 10 a.m., when the sirens will start, I will be thinking about the Tiger Hill, Robert Schneider and Zwi Binder.

And does the Tiger Hill story teach us a lesson? Yes, the same old one. They knew it back then, in 1945:



And we know it today:



And this will suffice for this year.

A magic word against magic mushrooms

A bureaucrat, whose foremost ambition is to maintain the stasis, knows very well that the best way to avoid any change is to use the magic word - which is, of course, "verboten". Speaking of bureaucracy and "verboten", here is a good example.

The potential economic impact of Haredi men in the workforce

This article is a follow-up to one in which Naftali Bennett announced the publication o a Bill on military service for the Haredi. Unfortunately, I have managed to "lose" that one, so you'll have to rely on my faulty memory for detail. Of course, if your living in Israel, you might be kind enough to add the link (it was from Ynet) in the comments thread.

Anyway, Bennett's Bill as envisaged (it has, first, to go through the committee-writing stage - always a dangerous process) will expect virtually all Haredi males of the appropriate age to serve: either in the IDF or in national (public) service. After this, of, course, they can go back into Torah study (but, implied, is the idea that it will be on the same basis as all other undergrads: not at the state's expense, for ever). 1,800 will be selected every year to be subsidised for further Torah study, at the state's expense.

There is a clear, even more deeply implied, hope: after service in the IDF or in public service, a much higher proportion than ever before will opt for a more secular life, without ignoring the Torah. A new book by Amos Oz and his daughter Fania Oz-Sulzberger, "Jews and Words" (in English) notes, among much else, the "day-jobs" many of the Rabbis of antiquity and the medieval period had. Could this be a return to that?

Anyway, the article linked to above is Bennett's later thoughts on this topic. He is reported as noting (i.e., not a direct quote) that "Integration of ultra-Orthodox Israelis into the workforce is more important than a universal draft law to mandate the religious community’s enlistment in the military, said Economics and Trade Minister Naftali Bennett on Thursday." Given that elsewhere in the article (from the Times of Israel), statistics in the New York Times and the Washington Institute (dating from 2012) suggest that up 60% of the 700,000 Haredi men living in Israel are unemployed (and they and any families they have to be supported), this represents an untapped labour force of about 420,000.

Bennett appears to be saying, give them a secular education as well, and watch the economy boom even more. He even extends his economic analysis to greater employment of Israeli-Arab women, for the same economic effect.

By: Brian Goldfarb

Air France fined for being sensible

This short article tells of Air France being fined for kicking a "flytilla" (remember that ill-fated non-protest?) activist off a plane in France. The fine is not from the aviation authorities, who might be expected to act to ensure the public's freedom to fly (having bought a ticket, of course). That would be understandable (unless you're an Israeli Passport Control official, etc, of course. Nope. It was a civil court that delivered the verdict.

The airline was ordered to pay a fine of $12,800, damages of close to $3000 and her legal expenses to the "nursing student", Horia Ankour, aged 30 (what is it with these "students", of an age when most of us are safely tucked up in jobs, with all sorts of other responsibilities? Remember the 30+ Cairo "student" I noted a couple of weeks ago?).

Air France was being sensible, of course, as the Israelis would just have ordered the airline to fly her back again, at their own expense, possibly including any additional expenses - hotel stays, etc. As the airline said "...the company was acting in compliance with the Convention on International Civil Aviation, also known as the Chicago Convention, which requires airlines to refuse to fly passengers who are “declared inadmissible in the country of destination.”

Nothing new there about acceptability at the other end. Although it might have been cheaper just to take her, inform the Israeli authorities of their suspicions as to her bona fides, and take her back.

Ah well, live and learn!

By: Brian Goldfarb

Howard Kurtz on Hillary Clinton: a backhanded compliment?

Hillary Clinton is incredibly popular right now in part because she's had diplomatic immunity for the past four years. Except for the aftermath of the fatal attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya -- and the trumped-up fiction about her suffering from "Benghazi flu" -- she has managed to stay out of politics during her tenure at Foggy Bottom.

The passage above belongs to the pen of Howard Kurtz - a man who generally doesn't miss much and is not prone to crude errors.

So when he says about the ex-Secretary of State that "she has managed to stay out of politics", one is left alone to reach one's own conclusions.

Of course, "politics" has several meanings...

Russians having some fun with Dmitry Yakovlev bill: bring Sergey Brin back!

Dmitry Yakovlev bill is a purely political brain child of the Russian legislative branch.

The Dima Yakovlev Bill bans entry to US citizens who may have committed crimes against Russians abroad, persons involved in abduction or illegal imprisonment of Russians, as well as those who are suspected of abusing Russian children. The bill also bans US citizens from adopting Russian orphans.

For more background go to the post Dmitri Yakovlev bill - the cannibal's mistake. Russians, though, know perfectly well the whys behind this unfortunate law. They also know enough to point to one Pavel Astakhov, a lawyer, a cheap demagogue and the leading force behind this bill.

The also know how to laugh at the absurdity. Proof: an article Pavel Astakhov will bring the Google founder back to Russia. To the overly serious reader: it is a spoof, so enjoy it without reservations:

Another child once taken away to the U.S. will return to his homeland.

The developer of Google Sergey Brin, who as a child was taken to the United States, may soon return to Russia. This is what the Russia's children's rights commissioner Pavel Astakhov told Smixer.ru.

"Sergey Brin was taken away from Moscow to the U.S. at the age of 6 years - P. Astakhov said - It is unlikely that the rights of the child have been considered during this journey. "

According to the Ombudsman, Bryn must be returned to Russia. And in March federal TV channels will initiate talk shows with participation of Russian mothers who are ready to adopt Sergey for free.

Pavel Astakhov also noted that for the sake of taking care of children (and to strengthen the Russian-Ukrainian relations), he is planning to return to her homeland Milla Jovovich, who hails from Kiev, but as a child was taken to the United States.

In the photo: Pavel Astakhov looks for more Russian children to protect and return home.

The Council Has Spoken!

Council Winners

• *First place with 3 1/3 votes! Gay Patriot –Random Thoughts on Gay Marriage
• Second place with 2 1/3 votes – Joshuapundit – North Korea Beats The War Drums
• Third place *t* with 1 2/3 votes – The Right Planet-Freeflowing On Tyrants
• Third place *t* with 1 2/3 votes – The Noisy Room-Google Honors Cesar Chavez on Easter
• Third place *t* with 1 2/3 votes – Rhymes With Right-I Really Didn’t Want To Write About The Obama Girls’ Vacation
• Fourth place with 1 1/3 votes – Bookworm Room-When to marry? When you find true love — not shallow infatuation or mere passion, but true love
• Fifth place *t* with 2/3 vote – The Razor-Why Laws Banning Unrestrained Pets Are Misguided
• Fifth place *t* with 2/3 vote – The Glittering Eye –Chicago’s “Flash Mob” Violence 
• Sixth place *t* with 1/3 vote – The Political Commentator –Cast Your Vote: Whose rhetoric is more believable, Barack Obama or Kim Jong Un?
• Sixth place *t* with 2/3 vote – GrEaT sAtAn”S gIrLfRiEnD –Iran’s Navy

Non-Council Winners

Read more »

North Korea: moment of explosion or bluff? And why Kim Jong Un is not crazy.

The Norks are doing it in the usual style, which is not to say much if there is no quote:

We formally inform the White House and Pentagon that the ever-escalating U.S. hostile policy toward the DPRK and its reckless nuclear threat will be smashed by the strong will of all the united service personnel and people and cutting-edge smaller, lighter and diversified nuclear strike means of the DPRK and that the merciless operation of its revolutionary armed forces in this regard has been finally examined and ratified.

And the added advice to the White House:

The U.S. had better ponder over the prevailing grave situation.

There is much to ponder indeed. The empty rhetoric is rising in pitch to serious heights, and who can really say how empty it is?

Professor Stephan Haggard thinks he can say it and he does. Not that there is much new in what he has to offer and, besides, the article contains its share of "probably" and "possibly". And his view of the NK being able to claim a victory in the staring down contest is somewhat soothing:

The result is that North Korea's exercises and threats of retaliation have been successful in deterring attack, even though none was coming. The regime can claim some sort of victory in staring down American threats in its two big political meetings this week, the timing of which suggest that some of the rhetoric has been driven by domestic politics.

Indeed, the prevailing opinion is that the threats are mostly empty ones, but when a spoiled brat who was raised as a heir to a barely human dictator, is raving, who can predict the outcome? Who can say with confidence that a nervous facial tic of the brat wouldn't be interpreted by an overeager general as a launch command?

Well, let's wait.