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September 29, 2003"WORLD ENDS, WOMEN AND MINORITIES HARDEST HIT" AWARDThis week's Horsefeathers' handwringer award goes to the historian Blanche Wiesen Cook. Speaking before an audience in Wellfleet, People's Republic of Massachussetts, she said: "We have this president that calls for 'all war, all the time,' nukes included..". "I call him George War Bush." She lamented that, at the City University of New York, where she teaches history and women's studies, the regular budget has been cut in half over the last 15 years, forcing the university to eliminate half its full-time faculty. "Here we are in the year 2003, with a war against public education and against public higher education," she said. "All over this country, public schools are closing."... Read the rest of this tale of horror here. 
NEWS BULLETIN: ROOSEVELT LIED US INTO WAR!!Anyone wondering how long the Bush hating conspiracy theorists will be insisting he lied us into an unnecessary war, might want to check out the holocaust denying Institute for Historical Review. There one will find: How Franklin Roosevelt Lied America Into War Also see: Conspiracy Theory Deja Vu, by Michael Tremoglie. Check back in 2063, the Bush haters, like the Roosevelt haters, should be going strong.
September 28, 2003LISTEN TO THEM NOW AND SEE WHAT THEY SAID THEN"One way or the other, we are determined to deny Iraq the capacity to develop weapons of mass destruction and the missiles to deliver them. That is our bottom line." "If Saddam rejects peace and we have to use force, our purpose is clear. We want to seriously diminish the threat posed by Iraq's weapons of mass destruction program." "Iraq is a long way from [here], but what happens there matters a great deal here. For the risks that the leaders of a rogue state will use nuclear, chemical or biological weapons against us or our allies is the greatest security threat we face." "He will use those weapons of mass destruction again, as he has ten times since 1983." "[W]e urge you, after consulting with Congress, and consistent with the U.S. Constitution and laws, to take necessary actions (including, if appropriate, air and missile strikes on suspect Iraqi sites) to respond effectively to the threat posed by Iraq's refusal to end its weapons of mass destruction programs." Letter to President Clinton, signed by: "Saddam Hussein has been engaged in the development of weapons of mass destruction technology which is a threat to countries in the region and he has made a mockery of the weapons inspection process." "Hussein has ... chosen to spend his money on building weapons of mass destruction and palaces for his cronies." "There is no doubt that ... Saddam Hussein has reinvigorated his weapons programs. Reports indicate that biological, chemical and nuclear programs continue apace and may be back to pre-Gulf War status. In addition, Saddam continues to redefine delivery systems and is doubtless using the cover of a licit missile program to develop longer-range missiles that will threaten the United States and our allies." "We begin with the common belief that Saddam Hussein is a tyrant and a threat to the peace and stability of the region. He has ignored the mandate of the United Nations and is building weapons of mass destruction and th! e means of delivering them." "We know that he has stored secret supplies of biological and chemical weapons throughout his country." "Iraq's search for weapons of mass destruction has proven impossible to deter and we should assume that it will continue for as long as Saddam is in power." "We have known for many years that Saddam Hussein is seeking and developing weapons of mass destruction." "The last UN weapons inspectors left Iraq in October of 1998. We are confident that Saddam Hussein retains some stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons, and that he has since embarked on a crash course to build up his chemical and biological warfare capabilities. Intelligence reports indicate that he is seeking nuclear weapons..." "I will be voting to give the President of the United States the authority to use force-- if necessary-- to disarm Saddam Hussein because I believe that a deadly arsenal of weapons of mass destruction in his hands is a real and grave threat to our security." "There is unmistakable evidence that Saddam Hussein is working aggressively to develop nuclear weapons and will likely have nuclear weapons within the next five years ... We also should remember we have always underestimated the progress Saddam has made in development of weapons of mass destruction." "He has systematically violated, over the course of the past 11 years, every significant UN resolution that has demanded that he disarm and destroy his chemical and biological weapons, and any nuclear capacity. This he has refused to do" "In the four years since the inspectors left, intelligence reports show that Saddam Hussein has worked to rebuild his chemical and biological weapons stock, his missile delivery capability, and his nuclear program. He has also given aid, comfort, and sanctuary to terrorists, including al Qaeda members ... It is clear, however, that if left unchecked, Saddam Hussein will continue to increase his capacity to wage biological and chemical warfare, and will keep trying to develop nuclear weapons." "We are in possession of what I think to be compelling evidence that Saddam Hussein has, and has had for a number of years, a developing capacity for the production and storage of weapons of mass destruction."
(Thanks to Ruth King)
September 27, 2003BUT CAN THEY SAY "I SURRENDER"?
POUR OUT THAT BORDEAUX: ROSEMOUNT SHIRAZ IS BETTER"These terrorists...we have seen their kind before. They're the heirs of all the murderous ideologies of the 20th century. By sacrificing human life to serve their radical visions, by abandoning every value except the will to power, they follow in the path of fascism, Nazism and totalitarianism. And they will follow that path all the way to where it ends in history's unmarked grave of discarded lies." In the ongoing war against Islamic totalitarianism Australia, unlike France, has been a steadfast ally. Here is a wonderful article from down under, Why We're All The Way With The USA. The money quote: "...we live next to a nation with 200 million Muslims, with a history of political violence, a tradition of political corruption, an increasing level of Islamic militancy, a place where scores of Australians and hundreds of Christians have been murdered, a nation that could fall apart, or under the control of Islamic fundamentalism, or both.
UN FOLLIES (CONT.)On Thursday Kofi Annan and the UN warmly welcomed another Islamic Jew hater to rant and incite against the West. Prime Minister Mohammed Matathir of Malaysia lambasted the West for overthrowing Saddam: "... Mahathir went beyond slamming the West. The United Nations, he said, had become a tool of the colonizers. "Its organs have been cut out, dissected and reshaped so that they may perform the way the puppet masters want," he said." This is the same Mohammed Matathir who proclaimed in 1997 that he suspected the [Malaysian]financial crisis might stem from a Jewish "agenda," saying Jews "are not happy to see the Muslims progress." Further "...Mahathir has often decried the U.S.-led war on terror as an excuse to attack Muslims..."
UNITED NATIONS: ENABLER OF GENOCIDEJust as the League of Nations represented utopian thinking post World War I, so does its post World War II successor, the United Nations. Both asserted the primacy of fantasy over reality. Thus the League of Nations' assertions that peace could be negotiated with murderous thug regimes made war more likely,and so too with the UN. Just as the League of Nations had to overlook Hitler's and Mussolini's murderous aggression, so has the UN protected murderous middle eastern thug-ocracies while proclaiming its search for peace. Listening to Kofi Annan is like entering an alternate universe wherein criminals have understandable grievances and police using force against crime are condemned. Dr Kamal Mirawdeli knows whereof he writes in the Kurdistan Observer: "...The UN has never protected peace or prevented killing fields and genocide. As a matter of fact the UN, applying the excuse of sovereignty, has been criminally defending and protecting the states perpetrating genocide. If it had been left to UN, peoples of Bosnia, Kosovo and Afghanistan would still be massacred as none of the majority of non-democratic third world states would ever vote for any UN human rights’ intervention against any “sovereign” state. What did the UN do to prevent genocide in Turkey, Rwanda and South Sudan? What has the UN done to protect human rights, cultural rights and right of self determination of the nations oppressed by Arab states such as the Kurdish nation in Iraq and Syria and Amazeghi nation in Morocco and Algiers? It is a sick joke to say the UN can protect peace and human rights in the world when Libya is the elected chair of its human rights commission. The sick joke will persist as long as the Western democracies continue to go along with the shared fantasy of the United Nations as a bridge to universal peace. Far better to confront the reality of human nature: there will always be a struggle between totalitarianism and freedom. Horsefeathers endorses Dr. Mirawdelli's suggestion that the UN be replaced by a: "...United Democratic Nations. Membership of this new body should not be open to fascist, dictatorial, repressive “sovereign” states. It should be open only to democratic states and the principle of “regime change” should replace the principle of “sovereignty” in relation to dictatorial states that violate human rights."
September 23, 2003WASHINGTON POST: FACTS? WHO NEEDS FACTS?While the WaPo devotes itself to a higher agenda- celebrating the humanitarian goals of "militants", the mundane task of reporting facts (Oh, we forgot, post-modern journalism maintains there are no "facts", merely subjective agendas) seems to have been neglected as per this remarkable "correction":
Horsefeathers asks: has Dana Milbank been moved to the crime beat?
September 22, 2003YASSER ARAFAT, JIMMY CARTER AND NICOLAI CEAUSESCU: PEACE LOVERSThe KGB's man speaks: "...In March 1978 I secretly brought Arafat to Bucharest for final instructions on how to behave in Washington. "You simply have to keep on pretending that you'll break with terrorism and that you'll recognize Israel -- over, and over, and over," Ceausescu told him for the umpteenth time. Ceausescu was euphoric over the prospect that both Arafat and he might be able to snag a Nobel Peace Prize with their fake displays of the olive branch. In April 1978 I accompanied Ceausescu to Washington, where he charmed President Carter. Arafat, he urged, would transform his brutal PLO into a law-abiding government-in-exile if only the U.S. would establish official relations. The meeting was a great success for us. Carter hailed Ceausescu, dictator of the most repressive police state in Eastern Europe, as a "great national and international leader" who had "taken on a role of leadership in the entire international community." Triumphant, Ceausescu brought home a joint communiqué in which the American president stated that his friendly relations with Ceausescu served "the cause of the world..."
HEADLINES FROM TOMORROW’S NEW YORK TIMES—“The Sky is falling, the sky is falling…”
Many Ask What Took So Long SOME IN ARMY SAY IRAQ TOO HOT Pentagon Faulted For Not Providing Pools GAY MAN SLIPS ON BANANA PEEL, BREAKS LEG Hate Crime Suspected MORE BLACKS BECOME MIDDLE CLASS—STUDY FINDS Black Caucus Sees Racist Plot to Eliminate Poor STATUE OF LIBERTY ENDANGERED France Wants It Returned—Accuses Bush of Crimes Against Food BROADWAY SHOW MAY CLOSE AFTER 16 YEARS Mourn Loss of Nations Creativity—Will Broadway Become Dark? NATIONAL WEATHER IMPROVES—STUDY SHOWS Environmentalists Alarmed—Blame Bush AMERICA LOVES CHAMPIONS But What About the Losers, Some Ask
September 21, 2003UTOPIAN FANTASIES: SOCIALIZED MEDICINE DEPT.An ill 90-year-old Second World War fighter pilot was left lying helpless on the floor of his home because paramedics refused to pick him up without special lifting equipment, citing "regulations". Read the rest here.
GEORGE ORWELL: POLITICS AND THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE--WASHINGTON POST STYLE"...Millions of peasants are robbed of their farms and sent trudging along the roads with no more than they can carry: this is called transfer of population or rectification of frontiers.People are imprisoned for years without trial, or shot in the back of the neck or sent to die of scurvy in Arctic lumber camps: this is called elimination of unreliable elements. Such phraseology is needed if one wants to name things without calling up mental pictures of them. Consider for instance some comfortable English professor defending Russian totalitarianism. He cannot say outright, "I believe in killing off your opponents when you can get good results by doing so." Probably, therefore, he will say something like this: "While freely conceding that the Soviet regime exhibits certain features which the humanitarian may be inclined to deplore, we must, I think, agree that a certain curtailment of the right to political opposition is an unavoidable concomitant of transitional periods, and that the rigors which the Russian people have been called upon to undergo have been amply justified in the sphere of concrete achievement." Here is WaPo, in The Language of Terrorism,turning terrorists into “militants” and terrorist organizations into social work institutions: "Why refer to a 'terrorist attack in Tel Aviv' when we can be more informative and precise: 'The bombing of a disco frequented by teenagers in Tel Aviv,' for example…” Apparently calling it a “terrorist bombing” would offend the delicate sensibilities and devotion to higher standards of the WaPo writers. The Merriam Webster definition of “terrorist”: the "systematic use of terror especially as a means of coercion" doesn't, in WaPo's view, apply to Hamas and Islamic Jihad. They assure us that, yes, Hamas on occasion conducts terrorism "...but also has territorial ambitions, is a nationalist movement and conducts some social work." Yet apparently this finickiness about labeling such organizations and their suicide bombers “terrorists”, does not apply to al Qaeda or its attacks on America. In the Washington Post view, al Qaeda is an exclusively terrorist organization with no aims other than inflicting terror. They seem to have forgotten Sen. Patty Murray’s comment that Osama bin Laden is popular in poor countries because he helped pay for schools, roads and day care centers. Nor do they care to notice that these 'pure' terrorists do have aims beyond terror: they wish to impose Islamic totalitarianism and sharia law on the entire world. Could it be that when Israel is the target of terror different standards apply? Horsefeathers suggests that Michael Getler, author of the WaPo article, devote himself to explaining how unfair it was to 'label' Willie Sutton a 'bankrobber', when he took such good care of his elderly parents. When a suicide bomber detonates himself in the Washington Post newsroom will he be described as a “militant” critic?
September 19, 2003EGYPTIAN INTELLECTUALS HARD AT WORKEgyptian Intellectuals Warn Against Suing 'The Jews' "The lawsuit being planned by Egyptian jurists, headed by the dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Al-Zaqaziq, Dr. Nabil Hilmi, against "the Jews" regarding "the gold and silver they stole from the Egyptians the night they left Egypt" has been criticized by Egyptian intellectuals on the grounds that it will strengthen the Jewish-Zionist claim to the Holy Land..."
September 17, 2003
AND FOR INVENTING NEWS THAT DOESN’T EXIST IT GETS THE WILLIAM RANDOLPH HEARST AWARD TO BOOT
Nowadays there is little difference between editorial comment and reportage. As in the days of yellow journalism, the Times can now be counted on to deliver the paper’s biases on any page and in any article. Its reporters and editors have political views which color their reporting and if necessary they will create the facts to support their views. A case in point appeared on September 15, 2003 with the headline “Across the U.S., Concern Grows About the Course of War in Iraq” by Adam Nagourney. The story was placed on the front page, above the fold, a space reserved for stories of the most serious and important kind. In it Nagourney in a more nuanced form of creative journalism suggests that the people of America are not only “concerned” about the war in Iraq but discouraged, demoralized, and opposed to it. The editors of the Times know that during a war—any war—the whole nation is and ought to be “concerned” with its vicissitudes, the safety of its soldiers, and its costs. They must know that there are times, in war, when things don’t go well—many times during the Civil War, World War I, and World War 2. They must know that Viet Nam is not the only model for war. And yet Nagourney and his editors create a scenario in which they suggest to the reader that things are going poorly in Iraq and the people of America can’t stand it for too much longer. He created this story by telephoning around the country and finding seven classic hand-wringers to quote: Hele Spivack, Gary Sambrowski, Frank Jessoe, Paul McGill & wife Virginia, Betty Enfinger, Becky Bunting, and Mike Gallagher. Who these folks are and how Nagourney came to find them is left a mystery. But he extrapolates from their remarks that the rest of America is demoralized and ready to give up. Unless the reader scrutinizes the language of the article as carefully as it was crafted he or she will miss the subtle transformation of the word “concerned” to mean not just vitally interested, but discouraged and opposed. The innocent reader is thus taken on a rhetorical joyride. The author selects and quotes a group of people who are in reality defeatists but who are indentified by the author only as “concerned.” And since common sense suggests to the reader that most Americans are or should be concerned about the war, he may be left with the notion that most Americans have become defeatist and opposed to it. In addition, he throws in the opinions of one or two Democratic presidential candidates who are opposed to the Administration’s handling of the war and a few “experts” who happen to be academics, a group well known for their antagonism toward any kind of aggression except against the President. Nagourney acknowledges that even the most recent polls indicate that the majority of Americans are not opposed to the war and continue to support the President in its pursuit, but he chooses to make much of the fact that the poll shows some loss of support. The article is consistent with hundreds of other articles in the Times which emphasize anything that suggests that the administration—especially the Pentagon, Cheney, and Bush—has made a bad decision or choice. It is remorseless in its coverage. Whatever is going well in this extremely complex undertaking is ignored altogether, or diminished. When William Randolph Hearst invented news, he did it to beat his competition, the New York World. The publisher and editors of the Times have a more serious agenda. They really believe that they know what is right for America and are arrogant enough to try to make history rather than merely report it.
HORSEFEATHERS QUIZWho said it: Al Franken, Paul Krugman, Howard Dean, Maureen Dowd? "... you (Pres. Bush) lied to yourself, to your people, and to all others. You did this along with those who got involved with you. Or there might be some who lied to you, but you believed those lies after you were tempted to do some action. You even changed your slogans and the reasons you used several times as a pretext for your hostile military campaign against our country. Just as Zionism implicated you and US foreign policy in antagonising the Islamic and Arab nations and in belittling the world, it implicated you in antagonising Iraq and launching an aggression against it...." Answer: None of the above. Nor was it Wesley Clark. Instead, someone claiming to be Saddam Hussein, joined the rest of the Democratic party in accusing the president of duplicity and suicidal carelessness.
MORE CLEAR THINKING FROM THE WORLD'S OLDEST TERRORISTArafat: Willing to Die a 'Martyr' "....Is there anyone in Palestine who does not dream of martyrdom?" Arafat asked....
NEVILLE CHAMBERLAIN AWARD: CO-WINNERSHorsefeathers had difficulty choosing between two such stellar candidates, so has decided to pick co-winners of this month's prize for appeasement: John Bolton of the U.S. State Dept. who announced that:"... Syria was continuing to cooperate with terrorist groups, to pursue weapons of mass destruction and to let militants slip into Iraq. But he declined for now to endorse sanctions or punitive action, saying that "very delicate" diplomatic contacts were under way..." Juan Antonio Samaranch, former head of the International Olympic Committee. John Burns in an article detailing the appeasement of Saddam's killers makes special note of Mr. Samaranch. Mr. Samaranch follows in the footsteps of Avery Brundage, the Hitler apologist who refused to allow Jewish athletes to participate in the 1936 Olympics. Mr. Burns writes:
September 14, 2003MORE CLEAR THINKING FROM THE MUSLIM WORLDInThe Crescent, a monthly magazine published in Pakistan, Muslim thinkers explain the need to slaughter infidels: "international Jewish companies" are secretly placing pig fat, a substance Muslims are barred from consuming, in Pepsi and Colgate-Palmolive toothpaste and all brands of lipstick.
September 13, 2003CLEAR THINKING BY ARAB LEADERSRemember Dr. Abdul Rantisi, founder of that well known social service organization, Hamas? After surviving a bomb attack by the IDF he cited Allah as his protector. Well, Allah has his work cut out for him. Apparently Dr. Rantisi and his fellow social workers are declining to give interviews to foreign television channels because:
September 12, 2003DON’T EXPEL ARAFAT—NAPOLEONIZE HIM
There is no doubt that if Arafat were assassinated he would soon become a great hero/martyr. His post-assassination posters would show him not as short, fat and ugly, but as tall, strong and handsome. He would be smiling, and words would be attributed to him which he never uttered. He would become a leader of the most dangerous kind—a symbolic leader, unconquerable and unflawed. If he were exiled he would be able to command the attention of media, followers, and powerful people wherever he went. He would be able to recruit money, political support, and jihadists, and eventually he would be smuggled back into Israel or Syria to control and support the insurgency. If he were jailed he would become another Mandela—a great man languishing and mistreated in a prison controlled by his cruel warders. He would become the object of admiration and concern of all the freedom-loving intellectuals of the world. He would be interviewed lovingly by every half-assed poet/journalist in France, and would appear regularly on the cover of the New York Times Magazine. A better model for dealing with major political troublemakers springs to mind—Napoleon. If Israel owned a little island in the South Atlantic like Great Britain’s St. Helena, that would be the place to send him. If it were feasible to arrest Arafat and try him for crimes against humanity like Eichmann that would be one solution. But even if that were not a possibility it would still be desirable to indefinitely detain Arafat for political reasons. The purpose for his detention would not be punishment but only political isolation. He would not be imprisoned but housed in comfortable surroundings, fed well, and medically looked after. He would be treated as a valued guest of the Israeli Government. But he would be guarded constantly in an isolated part of the country. He would not be allowed to use the telephone or any other direct form of communication, even mail. He would be allowed only official visitors such as the Red Cross, or a UN official to see that he was being treated well. The point is not to hurt him or punish him, only to isolate him politically. Of course there would be an uproar in the world for five or six months but if Israel stays the course the uproar would eventually subside and maybe with Arafat out of the picture another political dynamic might develop.
September 11, 2003WAR AND HUMAN NATURE: 9/11 REMEMBERED9-11-03: Horsefeathers turned on the TV last night and almost drowned in bathos. The media is in full “sensitive and caring” mode. The anniversary of the terrorist attacks gives our highly coiffed pundits an opportunity for heartstring tugging displays of self absorption. There is no feeling they will not share with us---except, of course, anger. The Judy Woodruffs, Diane Sawyers and Katie Courics with anxious, choked voices share their grief and empathic concern, dabbing at tears, biting their lips-and then turning to the next story, preferably about the heartlessness of the President. The male pundits, like Tom Brokaw, crack their voices and display their ‘sensitive’ side. In our soft and squishy therapeutic age, anger is the one unacceptable emotion, something to “get beyond”, to “resolve”, replace with “acceptance”. If we hold fast to our anger we are “sick” and in need of the benign ministrations of the caring professions. And then, amazingly, and in the midst of the navel gazing, Horsefeathers heard Rudolph Giuliani on Don Imus’s radio show. When asked by Imus what he felt, Giuliani instantly replied, “anger”, then went on to elaborate on why he felt the same cold fury today that he felt 2 years ago. He didn’t parade his sensitivity, merely mentioned that he had lost many good friends, losses which fueled and directed his anger at the Islamo-Nazis with whom we are at war. No wonder he was a leader in the Churchill tradition; he had, as Churchill did, unashamed access to a cold and determined anger. It was elevating. The famous theorist of war, Karl Von Clausewitz, observed that "There is only one decisive victory: the last". In order to fight on to that decisive victory we must resist the cant of the caring, professional empathizers whose shallow view of human nature threatens to undo us. Instead, Horsefeathers counsels rereading Patton, Churchill, John Stuart Mill and Shakespeare. We are at war. Our brief vacation from history during the 1990’s following the fall of Communism is over. We must destroy those who would destroy us. Here are a few excerpts from some Horsefeathers favorites to help keep our balance and strengthen our will. "...We ask no favours of the enemy. We seek from them no compunction. On the contrary, if tonight our people were asked to cast their vote whether a convention should be entered into to stop the bombing of cities, the overwhelming majority would cry, "No, we will mete out to them the measure, and more than the measure, that they have meted out to us." The people with one voice would say: "You have committed every crime under the sun. Where you have been the least resisted there you have been the most brutal. It was you who began the indiscriminate bombing. We will have no truce or parley with you, or the grisly gang who work your wicked will. You do your worst - and we will do our best." Perhaps it may be our turn soon; perhaps it may be our turn now..." "...The real hero is the man who fights even though he's scared. Some get over their fright in a minute, under fire; others take an hour; for some it takes days; but a real man will never let the fear of death overpower his honor, his sense of duty, to his country and to his manhood... "War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature, and has no chance of being free unless made or kept so by the exertions of better men than himself." And finally, from the writer who knew a bit more about human nature than Larry King and Barbara Walters: “In peace there's nothing so becomes a man As modest stillness and humility; But when the blast of war blows in our ears, Then imitate the action of the tiger: Stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood. “
September 10, 2003AS THEY DID ON 9/11, PALESTINIANS DANCE FOR JOYby Judy Lash Balint Instead of placing the ring on the finger of his beloved, 20 year old Hanan Sand reverently laid the gold band on the shrouded body of his fiance Nava Appelbaum as she was buried this morning. The guests who should have been getting ready to take part in the Appelbaum-Sand simcha tonight, rushed instead to attend the funerals of Nava and her father Dr. David Appelbaum this morning--less than twelve hours after they were murdered as they were getting out of their car for a father/daughter coffee date the night before the wedding. The depth of the tragedy is being felt today in ripples of pain that reverberate through the circles of people touched by the extraordinary doctor. And the Appelbaums were the first victims identified---five other families have been ripped apart. I had an early morning appointment today at the Terem Clinic just up the road--the handwritten English and Hebrew sign on the door simply said the clinic would be closed from 9a.m-1.pm so that staff could attend the funerals of clinic founder and director Dr. Appelbaum and his daughter. Nurses, doctors and medical receptionists walked about in stunned silence as they tried to contact patients and close down the clinic and organize carpools to the cemetery. I made my way down to Emek Refayim, just 10 minutes walk away, to make some kind of statement by meeting a friend for coffee. On the way down, the sounds of children singing waft out of a classroom at the middle school on the corner. Everyone in the neighborhood heard the horrific explosion, and everyone uses Emek Refayim on a daily basis. The street has become filled with coffee bars and restaurants as an alternative to the downtown scene, which lost its cachet after a string of bomb attacks on Jaffa Road and the Ben Yehuda Mall. Cafe Aroma, the place with the best coffee on the street--closed. Aroma is notable for employing Arab cashiers and barristas who work alongside the Israelis and Russian immigrants.The Coffee Mill, owned by American immigrants--closed with a handwritten sign expressing sorrow over the loss of friends and colleagues. Caffit--scene of an attempted terror attack last year thwarted by an alert waiter, is open. I choose to sit on the patio of the bakery next door to be more visible. Let the press see people patronizing the cafes. Across the road and down a couple of blocks, small groups gather in front of the remains of Cafe Hillel. Police, border patrol and IDF soldiers mill about as workers finish erecting grey scaffolding to shield the investigators inside. Friends stop to hug each other and some just stand mesmerized by the scene. A friend tells me she spent the night comforting a girlfriend who lives in a second floor apartment directly across from Cafe Hillel. The young woman had observed an unwanted birds-eye view of the devastation and carnage--images she'll never erase. An American couple approached a police officer to ask about the fate of their Owners and workers in the small shops further up the street stood in their doorways worrying about how the attack would affect business. Security guards in front of the restaurants that were open tried to look casual, and a smattering of "davka" customers were doing their best to act normal. The images of young Arabs in Gaza gleefully celebrating the killings have been playing on TV since last night. Here on Emek Refayim there are no calls for revenge, no expressions of anger (Increasingly many here are questioning whether our reaction is "normal.") Instead, there's just deep sadness and unfathomable pain over the loss of people like Dr. Appelbaum, who had just returned home from New York where he led a symposium on the second anniversary of 9/11 to teach terror-trauma procedures to medical professionals. ------------ Judy Lash Balint is a Jerusalem based writer and author of Jerusalem Diaries:
September 09, 2003OUR "ALLIES", THE SAUDISHere's what Colin Powell had to say about the Saudis on Meet The Press: MR. RUSSERT: How about the Saudis? Do you believe they are on our side in the war on terror? Pardon us for remaining skeptical about this "spirit of cooperation". As long as incitement to genocide is endorsed (see below) by the Saudi rulers, they are our adversaries, and should be dealt with as we dealt with Saddam and Osama.
OUR FRIENDS, THE SAUDISIslamist fantasies of world domination require scapegoats to explain their failures. All the politically correct blathering about the Religion of Peace (ROP) has to overlook the blatant scapegoating of Jews. Thanks to Rich Lowry, we learn: Saudi Govt Bans "Jewish" Barbie Dolls "(Washington) ...September 8, 2003 - SIA News (www.arabianews.org)-- The poster, titled "The Jewish Doll", is printed and distributed by the powerful Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, otherwise known as the religious police. This is a government agency headed by a Wahhabi cleric with ministerial rank appointed by King Fahd. The poster includes photos of Barbie dolls that have been confiscated by religious police from local retail outlets, displayed in a special exhibition of goods which are deemed to have violated official religious teachings. The Permanent Exhibition for Religious Contraventions is located at the headquarters of the religious police in Madina. It displays confiscated goods such as photographs, perfumes, and dolls among other confiscated items. Saudi spokesman in Washington, Adel Al-Jubeir, refused to comment when SIA news asked him about the poster and the official propagation of religious hatred against Jews, Christians, Hindus and non-Wahhabi Muslims by government agencies and officials. The power of the religious police emanates from the support of King Fahd and Interior Minister Prince Naif, who fund it generously...."
THE POWER OF FANTASYLee Harris argues in a provocative essay that we overlook at our peril the role of fantasy in the collective Arab psyche. Horsefeathers would add that our own fantasy thinking, articulated by Colin Powell's continuing assertion that the "Road Map" to peace in the Middle East remains viable, poses an equal danger.
September 08, 2003PSYCHOBABBLE ALERT: CHILDRENS' FABLES DEPT.The indispensable Mark Steyn reports on Bill Clinton’s retelling of the story of Peter and the Wolf. In this new, politically correct version, the wolf is simply a misunderstood creature in need of friendship and care. It is a retelling perfectly designed to explain our pre-9/11 preference for empathy over force when dealing with the Osamas and Saddams of the world. No wonder the left is so enraged at President Bush; he brushed aside their basic therapeutic assumptions about the world.
September 04, 2003THE GREAT AMERICAN PASTIME: POST-MODERN BASEBALLHorsefeathers has noted the progress towards androgyny in Western culture. It should come as no surprise that the great American pastime, baseball, is the target of feminist concern. After all, those brutish men wielding big bats and utilizing muscle power to beat one another into submission need to be tamed and civilized. Jessica Gavora reports that our colleges, those hotbeds of politically correct, multicultural post-modern androgyny are leading the way: "Boys playing baseball since the age of five cannot get athletic scholarships," says Gavora, the author of Tilting the Playing Field: Schools, Sports, Sex and Title IX (Encounter Books) The lack of scholarships for baseball players, wrestlers and gymnasts results from federal government enforcement of a provision of the Civil Rights Act designed to remove barriers female athletes faced three decades ago, Gavora says. The federal government enforces this law by demanding that colleges offer sports scholarships to female athletes in proportion to the distaff side of the student body, Gavora explains. "Title IX of the Civil Rights Act mandates equal participation in sports for women even though women participate in sports at a lower rate than men," Gavora says. Gavora herself played basketball in high school. To comply with the law, colleges routinely cut men's sports teams and offer scholarships in every conceivable women's sport, according to Gavora..."Female athletes today receive more scholarship aid per capita than men, " Gavora points out. Three decades of compliance with Title IX have left male athletes across the country with 60,000 fewer opportunities, Gavora points out. The NCAA records 500 more ladies teams than men's, Gavora says. "There are only 20 gymnastics programs left in U. S. colleges," Gavora says. "College wrestling's been cut in half and baseball has nearly disappeared." Enforced by the U. S. Department of Education, the 1972 law leaves colleges and universities denying scholarship aid to wrestlers, baseball players and gymnasts while scrounging for female athletes. "Athletic directors are trolling campuses looking for tall, broad shouldered women," Gavora reports... Horsefeathers looks forward to the day when sensitive men no longer throw brush back pitches at batters and instead empathically feel the pain of their adversaries.
IRAN EXPLAINS: IT'S A ZIONIST CONSPIRACY
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