Camp David ( 2000 )

Today's Golden Oldie is a Dry Bones cartoon I did 10 years ago this month.

Back then it was a smiling Bill Clinton rather than a snarling Barack Obama who had a "plan" to bring Peace to the Middle East. The succession of self-serving U.S. Presidents who refuse to recognize the simple truth about the Middle East is astounding.

The simple truth: The area between the Persian Gulf on the East, and North Africa on the West is a region which was conquered by Arab Muslims. All other nationalities, peoples, and religious communities have been suppressed, occupied, or crushed. From the Yazidis, Christians, Kakayees,and Mandaeans of Iraq, across to the Berbers of Morocco and the Copts of Egypt in North Africa, the Middle East is one huge oppressed and occupied territory. Oppressed and occupied by Arab Muslims.

White House Meeting

The word is that Bibi and Obama are scheduled to meet in Washington next week, on July 6. They were supposed to meet a month ago, on June 1, but that meeting was cancelled because of the May 31st flotilla fiasco.

This White House meeting does not promise to be a jolly event. The enmity of the Obama administration to the State of Israel grows more and more obvious. We can only hope that Prime Minister Netanyahu has the strength to resist the attack that is awaiting him behind the closed doors at the White House.

Immigrants (1990)

Today's Golden Oldie is a Dry Bones cartoon I did 20 years ago this month. Back in June 1990 we were trying to figure out how to absorb a flood of Jews from Russia pouring into the Jewish State. "Jews returning to the Land of Israel" is called "Aliya". It is Hebrew for "Going up". * * * Arab refugees are not welcomed in Arab states the way that Jewish refugees are welcomed by the Jewish state. The Arab world is divided into a set of bickering kingdoms, dictatorships, and theocracies. They are united only through the device of an agreed-upon common enemy; the Jews and the Jewish State. Their lip-service to Arab unity does not extend to welcoming Arab refugees as their brothers and sisters.

Consider the following, from an AFP report out of Lebanon just two days ago:

Palestinian refugees seek basic rights in Lebanon
June 27, 2010

BEIRUT — "Thousands of Palestinian refugees gathered on Sunday outside UN headquarters in Beirut to demand basic civil rights in Lebanon, such as a choice of jobs and ownership of property.

The protest organised by Palestinian and Lebanese non-government organisations was initially due to be held outside the parliament building in downtown Beirut.

"The police outside parliament usually ban any protest there," said Maher Shehadeh, one of the Palestinian organisers. So the protesters gathered instead several hundred metres (yards) away outside the UN headquarters.

Maher said 6,000 people were taking parting in the peaceful protest.

The Palestinians travelled in buses from Lebanon's 12 refugee camps for the Beirut gathering organised by Palestinian and Lebanese non-governmental organisations.

"Working is a right," "We want to live in dignity," read placards carried by the protesters.

"I have the right to own property," said another, summing up the frustration of the tens of thousands of Palestinian refugees who live in dire conditions in Lebanon."

The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) lists almost 400,000 Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, a country of four million inhabitants.

But Lebanese and Palestinian officials say the actual number may be as low as 250,000 as UNRWA does not strike off its list those who move to other countries.

The majority of UNRWA-registered refugees live in dire conditions in the camps across and are denied basic civil rights." -more

87 Senators

The Story as reported by UPI:

WASHINGTON, June 23 (UPI)
-- "Eighty-seven members of the U.S. Senate urged President Barack Obama Wednesday to oppose a U.N. resolution criticizing Israel's handling of an aid flotilla.

The senators -- including Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. -- signed a letter to Obama defending Israel's actions in a May 31 confrontation during which nine people aboard a flotilla carrying aid to Gaza were killed, The Hill reported.

The letter expresses support for Israel's right to defend itself and asserts Israel was acting in self defense when its troops boarded ships in the flotilla.

"In response to thousands of rocket attacks on Israel from Hamas terrorists in Gaza, Israel took steps to prevent items which could be used to support these attacks from reaching Gaza," the letter said. "Israel's naval blockade, which is legal under international law, allows Israel to keep dangerous goods from entering Gaza by sea. The intent of the measures is to protect Israel, while allowing humanitarian aid into Gaza." -more

Eighty-seven Senators out of the 100 in the Senate is really impressive.
But I was curious about the identity of the 13 American Senators who refused to sign the letter. So I checked.
The thirteen are:

1. Chris Dodd (D) - Connecticut
2. Dan Akaka (D) - Hawaii
3. Tom Harkin (D) - Iowa
4. John Kerry (D) - Massachusetts
5. Jeff Bingaman (D) - New Mexico
6. Tom Udall (D) - New Mexico
7. Jeff Merkley (D) - Oregon
8. Patrick Leahy (D) - Vermont
9. Jim Webb (D) - Virginia
10. Jim Bunning (R) - Kentucky
11. Judd Gregg (R) - New Hampshire
12. Robert Byrd (D) - West Virginia
13. Bernie Sanders (I) - Vermont

* * * Meanwhile Bibi will soon be off to a meeting with Obama. Will the message from the Senate mean anything to the President? Your thoughts?

Media Attention

On May 31, 2010, two events took place:

1.) Israeli troops were assaulted by Islamists as they boarded the Mavi Marmara, forcing the Israelis to fight back. Nine of the provocateurs were killed.

2.) Islamist gunmen entered a Pakistani hospital, where they shot and killed 12 badly wounded patients...The 12 victims were survivors of Islamist attacks on two mosques a few days earlier, when 93 worshipers were killed.

* * * The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights immediately responded. What she said that day was:

“I unequivocally condemn what appears to be disproportionate use of force, resulting in the killing and wounding of so many people attempting to bring much needed aid to the people of Gaza”’

Source: the Ettinger Report

Euro Tribalism (1990)

Today's Golden Oldie is a Dry Bones cartoon done 20 years ago, in June of 1990.

Back then we were comfortable with the idea that the borders of African states were drawn with little respect for the primitive tribes and tribal regions of their inhabitants. Europe was more civilized. The people who lived in France were French. The folks who lived in Yugoslavia were Yugoslavian. It all had a neat, intelligent, civilized, European feel to it.

20 years ago we were surprised by the post-cold war rise of tribalism (which in service of preserving our prejudices we call ethnicity). 20 years ago this cartoon brought a laugh. 20 years of European reality has killed the joke.

* * * As I write this column the latest news is reporting the tribal, anti-Uzbek violence by Kirghiz attackers.

Your thoughts?

Piracy

The lawless "wild west" of 20th century Hollywood movies has been translated into the 21 century. The Somali Pirates are the outlaws raiding stagecoaches. The Flotilla battles are becoming like the American range wars between farmers and cattlemen. "Why can't the Farmer and the Cowman just be friends?" goes the frustrated refrain of the peace-loving audience. * * * Meanwhile, the world media shields us from seeing the massive world-wide assault on modern society and its freedoms by ferocious, totalitarian Islamism.