Wednesday, May 12, 2021
Yang reaps liberal backlash, conservative support from Israel tweet
“I'm standing with the people of Israel who are coming under bombardment attacks, and condemn the Hamas terrorists,” Yang tweeted on Monday night. “The people of NYC will always stand with our brothers and sisters in Israel who face down terrorism and persevere.”
Pelosi condemns Hamas terrorism, calls for end to violence
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/sullivan-ben-shabbat-discuss-rocket-attacks-667897
Also on Tuesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi condemned the "escalating
and indiscriminate rocket attacks by Hamas against Israel" who "has the
right to defend herself against this assault, which is designed to sow
terror and undermine prospects for peace."
Tuesday, May 11, 2021
Ignore Jonathan Pollard’s terrible advice
https://www.jns.org/opinion/ignore-jonathan-pollards-terrible-advice/
The Pollards are convinced that his spying saved Israeli lives, and it’s possible he did. He’s also innocent of the charge that he indirectly betrayed U.S. agents in the Soviet Union. But the notion that he did no damage to the United States is simply untrue. His theft of the U.S. Radio and Signal Intelligence Manual cost American taxpayers billions of dollars. The sheer magnitude of the volume of material he stole gives the lie to his claims of merely helping Israel without hurting the country to which he had sworn loyalty. Also dubious is the notion, repeated more than once, that Israel would have known nothing about Saddam Hussein’s chemical weapons without Pollard since it’s highly likely that the Mossad knew more about what was going on in Iraq than the CIA.
Omitted from the account is the fact that the life sentence imposed on Pollard by an unsympathetic judge—egged on by a U.S. security establishment ought for revenge—was largely his own doing. His jailhouse interview with Wolf Blitzer, then a correspondent for The Jerusalem Post, in which he justified his crime, allowed the prosecution to claim that he had violated the plea bargain that would have netted him a much lighter sentence.
Pollard clearly has an axe to grind against the organized American Jewish world, which was slow to embrace his cause. He depicts himself as a hero not only for helping Israel but by refusing to help anti-Semitic investigators pin crimes on other Jews. And yet, American Jewry had good reason for not embracing someone who was doing so much harm to the alliance they had nurtured. Nevertheless, American Jews and their organizations did take up Pollard’s cause once his disproportionate sentence (he received more severe punishment than anyone who had ever spied for a friendly nation), rather than his crime, became the issue. The idea that “no one in the Jewish community had an issue with the life sentence” is simply false.
The idea that Pollard would, as he told his interviewer, tell a young Jew working in U.S. intelligence to do as he did is astounding. He not only seems unaware of how his crime cast a pall over every loyal American Jew working to defend the world’s greatest democracy, but seems to think it doesn’t really matter.
Ambassador Erdan accuses Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib of stoking Jerusalem tensions
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/305917
Israeli Ambassador to the US Gilad Erdan slammed US Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib over her claims Israel was "attacking" the Al Aqsa Mosque during Muslim riots in Jerusalem Monday.
"Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, maybe you should open your eyes to the whole picture? Islam’s 3rd holiest site is being used to stockpile Molotov cocktails and rocks that are being lobbed at the police and at Jewish worshippers praying at the Western Wall, below the Temple Mount," Erdan wrote on Twitter.
"Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have prayed freely at their holy sites, including in Jerusalem, over the month of Ramadan because Israel believes in freedom of religion and Israeli security forces work hard to enable all groups to pray in peace.
"In contrast, some so-called Muslim ‘worshipers’ are curtailing freedom of worship for thousands of Jews who want to celebrate Jerusalem Day, one of the most important days on our calendar marking the reunification of our sacred and holy city.
"Congresswoman, instead of calling for peace and calm, your tweets are the stoking tensions. Maybe you don't realize that your words encourage terror groups such as Hamas to fire rockets into civilian populations and carry out attacks against Jews," Erdan warned.
Ambassador Erdan was responding to a tweet in which Congresswoman Tlaib wrote: "Al-Aqsa is the 3rd holiest site in Islam, & people praying during the holiest days of the holy month of Ramadan have been beaten, gassed, shot, & killed by Israeli forces. They are denied medics & forced to use prayer mats as stretchers."
Why Confederate Lies Live On
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2021/06/confederate-lost-cause-myth/618711/
It was then, in the late 1800s, that the myth of the Lost Cause began to take hold. The myth was an attempt to recast the Confederacy as something predicated on family and heritage rather than what it was: a traitorous effort to extend the bondage of millions of Black people. The myth asserts that the Civil War was fought by honorable men protecting their communities, and not about slavery at all.
Alabama, Mississippi mark Confederate Memorial Day
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/alabama-mississippi-mark-confederate-memorial-day-77318578
Confederate Memorial Day was made a state holiday in Alabama in 1901, the same year the state's Constitution, which was intended to guarantee white supremacy, was approved.
Confederate Memorial Day: South Carolina closes government offices in observance
South Carolina chose May 10 because it is the day when Confederate
Gen. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson died in 1863 after he was wounded by his
own troops and the day Union soldiers captured fleeing Confederate
President Jefferson Davis in Georgia in 1865.
Inside Arizona’s election audit, GOP fraud fantasies live on
https://apnews.com/article/arizona-election-recount-b38a9205c306796f914d62bbad601587
Despite their obvious partisan biases, the auditors insist they can be trusted because they’re running an independent and transparent operation. Yet they’re recruiting from right-wing groups. They tried to block media access. They fought in court to not disclose written procedures they’re using to count votes and keep ballots secure. They lost.
Controversial Arizona Recounters Won’t Pound On Voters’ Doors After DOJ Complaint
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/arizona-recount-knocking-on-voters-doors_n_609720fbe4b0b37f8949efd0
The recount of 2.1 million votes of Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix, involves Cyber Ninjas, a company that has no experience with elections or ballots that was hired by the state’s Republican-held Senate. Company owner Doug Logan, a conspiracy theorist and disciple of the “Stop the Steal” lie that the presidential election was rigged, retweeted messages months ago that any vote audit in Arizona would inevitably unearth hundreds of thousands of extra votes for Donald Trump.
Trump has asked about the Arizona recount “multiple times a day,” The Washington Post has reported. He hinted to guests at Mar-A-Lago that votes that suddenly appear for him in the state could be his road back to the White House.
Pollard: ‘Jew hatred’ a foundational belief of ‘Amalek’ Biden administration
Pollard, who moved to Israel after his parole ended last December, was honored at the Mercaz Harav Yeshiva’s annual Jerusalem Day gala, where the capital’s mayor, Moshe Lion, presented him with a certificate of appreciation for his efforts on behalf of the Jewish people.
“What we’re talking about is Amalek, pure and simple,” he said, equating the Biden administration and the Palestinian leadership with the biblical archenemy of the Israelites.
“Whether you murder a Jew directly… or whether you pin his arms behind his back like the identity Democrats of the same Biden administration — the death of the Jew is the same,” he continued, apparently accusing the American leadership of killing Jews.
Rep. Ilhan Omar accuses Israel of 'terrorism' amid clash with Hamas
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/ilhan-omar-israel-terrorism-hamas
Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., accused Israel of "terrorism" following deadly air strikes in the Gaza Strip after Hamas reportedly launched seven rockets at Jerusalem.
"Israeli
air strikes killing civilians in Gaza is an act of terrorism.
Palestinians deserve protection. Unlike Israel, missile defense
programs, such as Iron Dome, don’t exist to protect Palestinian
civilians. It’s unconscionable to not condemn these attacks on the week
of Eid," Omar wrote on Twitter on Monday.
Blinken says rocket attacks on Israel must stop 'immediately'
"We're very focused on the situation in Israel, West Bank, Gaza, very deeply concerned about the rocket attacks that we're seeing now, that they need to stop, they need to stop immediately," Blinken said ahead of meeting with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi.
Terrorists fire 200 rockets at Israel in 24 hours; IDF responds with 130 strikes
Palestinian terror groups in the Gaza Strip fired a massive barrage of rockets at the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon at dawn on Tuesday, wounding six people and threatening to turn the city “into hell.”
Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman retires, cites 'bullying' by Trump after impeachment testimony
In a statement July 8, Vindman cited "bullying, intimidation and retaliation" from the White House for his decision to retire, according to a statement from his lawyer David Pressman.
Because he did not receive an assignment as a colonel, he will retire at the lower rank of lieutenant colonel, according to the Army.
An Iraq war veteran and Purple Heart recipient, Vindman had seen his promotion to colonel delayed this summer, a hold-up that some viewed as retaliation for his impeachment testimony.
McCarthy sets Wednesday vote on Liz Cheney leadership ouster
“Unlike the left, we embrace free thought and debate,” McCarthy said as he made the case for her ouster. He said lawmakers must represent their constituents “as they see fit, but our leadership team cannot afford to be distracted” from the party’s goals.
“Cancel culture is cancel culture, no matter how you look at it,” Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, told reporters Monday. “And unfortunately I think there are those that are trying to silence others in the party.”
Trump decries 'cancel culture,' but does he participate in it? He's called for boycotts and punishment for critics
The exact definition of "cancel culture" is amorphous, and there is debate over whether it actually exists or is just the act of holding someone accountable for their actions.
Those
who call for a boycott of a certain product or service because of
beliefs or actions are sometimes accused of "cancelling." In other
instances, public criticism against a person by someone with a large
social media platform is considered cancelling.
Why Attacking ‘Cancel Culture’ And ‘Woke’ People Is Becoming The GOP’s New Political Strategy
But there is no agreed-upon definition of “woke” or a formal political organization or movement associated with it. Nor is there an exact definition of what constitutes being “canceled” or a victim of “cancel culture.” However, despite their vagueness, you now see conservative activists and Republican politicians constantly using these terms. That’s because that vagueness is a feature, not a bug. Casting a really wide range of ideas and policies as too woke and anyone who is critical of them as being canceled by out-of-control liberals is becoming an important strategy and tool on the right — in fact, this cancel culture/woke discourse could become the organizing idea of the post-Trump-presidency Republican Party.
Monday, May 10, 2021
Rockets fired at Jerusalem as Hamas ultimatum expires
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/305919
The Red Alert siren which warns of rocket attacks sounded in Jerusalem shortly after 6 PM Monday evening, right as the ultimatum issued by the Hamas terrorist organization expired.
If we ‘canceled’ anti-Semitism
https://religionnews.com/2021/03/04/jews-cancel-culture-dr-suess-antisemitism/
The right, of course, has its own version of cancel culture. On Jan. 6, had Nancy Pelosi or Michael Pence been “canceled,” it would have been a permanent, lethal cancellation. As in the gallows that the miscreants had already erected.
Cancel Culture: Is Banning the Bible Next?
https://www.aish.com/ci/s/Cancel-Culture-Is-Banning-the-Bible-Next.html
After all, isn't there slavery in the Bible, alongside discrimination against women, the handicapped, and non-Jews? Isn't there intolerance of gender-fluid identities and racism regarding certain nations? The Bible even calls for genocide against the seven Canaanite nations, and Amalek!
So why shouldn't the small group of "intellectuals," "progressives," and radical kings-and-queens who rule today's "cancel culture" approach the Bible censoriously too? What would better amplify their (illusion of) power than twitter-shaming all Bible-believers, or even burning entire chapters of that "culturally offensive" book?
When it's ok to be part of cancel culture
https://www.thejc.com/judaism/features/when-it-s-ok-to-be-part-of-cancel-culture-1.512155
Jews too “cancel” our nemesis, but only once a year. The Torah commands us to “wipe out the memory of Amalek” referring to the biblical tribe who launched unprovoked attacks against us, preying on the weakest Jews who were trailing at the back of the line leaving Egypt (Deuteronomy 25: 19).
Similarly, we’re told that “the memory of the wicked will rot” (Proverbs 10:7). This, we apply to Amalek’s descendant Haman , whose failed attempt at genocide against Jews is recalled on Purim. We purge ourselves of Haman’s name by drowning it out with twirling gragger-rattles, booing and banging each time it’s read from the Scroll of Esther (Esther Rabbah 9: 10).
Jewish Word | What Is Cancel Culture—and What Does Judaism Say About It?
https://momentmag.com/jewish-word-what-is-cancel-culture-and-what-does-judaism-say-about-it/
The term is new, but the questions surrounding canceling are not. They have surfaced in Judaism just as they have in other religions. “The most drastic type of canceling is when we say Yemach Shemo—blot out their name,” says Brandeis University sociologist Sylvia Barack Fishman. “Jews traditionally use that phrase for the Nazis. So when something is a moral monstrosity, that’s when one cancels [it].” Even then, Jewish tradition usually stops just shy of complete cancelation, she adds. Deuteronomy commands us to “blot out the memory of Amalek,” yet the same verse instructs us to “not forget.” That’s why every Shabbat before Purim, Jewish communities read the Torah portion reminding them of Amalek’s sins against the Israelites.
The second wave of “cancel culture”
https://www.vox.com/22384308/cancel-culture-free-speech-accountability-debate
But over the past few years, many right-wing conservatives, as well as liberals who object to more strident progressive rhetoric, have developed the view that “cancel culture” is a form of harassment intended to silence anyone who sets a foot out of line under the nebulous tenets of “woke” politics. So the idea now represents a vast assortment of objectives and can hold wildly different connotations, depending on whom you’re talking to.
GOP cancel culture targets Georgia: Republicans want to silence critics of their war on voting
Many a tear has been shed over wealthy actors losing plum gigs for embarrassing movie studios with their bigoted tweets, or obscure books by famous authors being delisted voluntarily by their own publishing companies, or people making fun of a paranoid right-wing couple in St. Louis who pulled guns on peaceful protesters, or the librarian whose boss prevented her from humiliating herself by doing a rap presentation to onboard college freshmen. Free speech, they argue, is dependent not just on the absence of censorship, but the absence of any consequences whatsoever, including criticism from others who are using their free speech rights. It turns out there was one caveat to this right to speech unfettered by opposition, criticism, or consequences, however: It is a "right" enjoyed only by those on the right. For those who oppose bigotry, vote for Democrats, or express discomfort at overt racism, there is no limit to what can and should be done to silence them. This was always evident — see how Trump unleashed tear gas on peaceful protesters in Lafayette Square — and is only becoming more clear in the fight over voting rights in the state of Georgia.
Fox News host Laura Ingraham — who shamelessly switches back and forth between telling progressive athletes to "shut up and dribble" and whining about how liberal criticism "cancels" conservatives — made a robust pro-cancellation argument Thursday night.
"We're going to punish you," she threatened, raging against anti-racist
statements from corporations, and arguing, "these corporations are
going to face the wrath of GOP officials as well as the tens of millions
of American consumers." Rachel Campos-Duffy of Fox News didn't even bother to
pretend there was no contradiction here, suggesting on Friday that it's
time for "American conservatives to cancel sports" in order to force
them to "respect" conservatives, i.e. by being silent in the face of
racist voter suppression.
The Great Hypocrisy of Right-Wingers Claiming ‘Cancel Culture’
https://www.thenation.com/article/society/republicans-cancel-culture-kaepernick/
Greene and the entire right wing are currently using “cancel culture” in the same way Rudy Giuliani used to deploy “a noun, verb and 9/11”—as a handy-dandy phrase to inoculate themselves from wholly valid criticism. (Rhetorically, “political correctness” is its more direct predecessor, but then Black Twitter invented the term “cancel” and white conservatives decided that, like everything else, they just had to have it.) The current ubiquity of the phrase belies its central thesis, since all the airtime and column space conservatives are given to talk about cancellation proves they were never cancelled in the first place.
From Christian Missionary to Observant Jew
https://www.aish.com/sp/so/From-Christian-Missionary-to-Observant-Jew.html?s=mpbot
The recent story of Michael Elkcohen, the undercover Christian missionary who masqueraded as an Orthodox Jew and infiltrated an Orthodox community in Jerusalem, sent shockwaves around the world. The father admitted his missionary intentions in 2014 but managed to avoid further scrutiny by relocating to the Anglo community of French Hill. A year ago, a journalist familiar with his confession notified Shannon Nuszen, the director of Beyneynu, a new watchdog organization that exposes missionary activity in Israel, about the couple. They had been spotted using two separate Facebook profiles – one with Jewish identities and one with Christian identities.