Now there’s an odd phrase. Being old-fashioned, I always thought that Jerusalem started as a “Jewish” city: The City of David. As in King David. As in the unifier of Israel and Judah, around 1000 BCE. Jerusalem is where David’s son Solomon built the first temple. For this reason [...]
Archive for February, 2007
"The Judaization of Jerusalem"
Posted in anti-Semitism on February 27, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
Why Middle East peace is a mirage
Posted in Arabs. Israel on February 27, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
Just a brief insight on why the Arabs will not make peace with Israel by Saul Singer at NRO. It’s all a matter of perspective:
In Western eyes, peace is so obviously desirable that the idea that it could be seen negatively is rarely considered. But try, for a moment, to look at the situation [...]
Something in common?
Posted in Christianity on February 26, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
There is a lengthy review at WSJ.com of Dinesh D’Souza’s new book, “The Enemy at Home.” The reviewer takes D’Souza to task for “going native” in his treatment of Islamic terrorists.
This isn’t about the former enfant terrible of Dartmouth straying from the path of PC-buster. It’s about the broader thesis that both D’Souza, [...]
Guns don’t kill people…
Posted in Culture, Nanny State on February 25, 2007 | 1 Comment »
This is the first part of a famous NRA bumper sticker from a few years back: Guns don’t kill people…people kill people. What brought this to mind is an article today by Jonathan Turley on the gun-phobia that is exhibited in many tony suburbs by right-minded folks.
Turley describes, without calling these people [...]
Well, that’ll work…
Posted in North Korea on February 24, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
Headline in the Washington Times: “N. Korea invites U.N. inspector.” The basics:
North Korea yesterday asked the chief U.N. atomic inspector to visit — four years after expelling his monitors and dropping out of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty — an encouraging sign the reclusive regime is serious about freezing its weapons program.
Mohamed ElBaradei, [...]
Truth and liars
Posted in Politics on February 22, 2007 | 1 Comment »
Well, looks like David Geffen has outed Hillary Clinton. No, she’s not gay, as he is. Just that the multi-billionaire funder of lefty causes and Obama supporter has had the temerity to utter an inconvenient truth. From this story in the New York Sun:
A column in yesterday’s New York Times quoted Mr. [...]
"out-of-control children"
Posted in Politics on February 21, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
It’s now official: it is hazardous to your political health to be a moderate Democrat. “Moderate” being a relative term, of course. There is a front-page, no less, article in today’s WaPo on the liberals’ eating their young.
The moderate Democrat in question is Rep. Ellen O. Tauscher (D-Calif.), who is, according to [...]
"skin in the game"
Posted in Politics on February 20, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
It is not often that one comes upon such a paean of praise in the form of an endorsement of a political candidate. The candidate is John McCain, who, at least for now, would be my second choice (Rudy’s the one for me). But former Senate heavyweight Phil Gramm makes a strong case [...]
Humility
Posted in Christianity on February 19, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
The Episcopal Church, withering away in terms of numbers of members in this country, is part of the world-wide Anglican Communion, whose spiritual leader is the Archbishop of Canterbury, currently Rowan Williams. The American branch abandoned a certain fealty to Scripture when it not just tolerated, but celebrated, the ordination of a practicing homosexual [...]
Always get a second opinion
Posted in Culture on February 18, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
This applies not just to major medical problems, but to retail purchases. A second opinion could also be called comparison shopping, and it can become an obsession. But often it pays off.
Case in point: I was looking to get a DVD/VCR combo, and one in particular that looked like it met my [...]
If…
Posted in Iraq, Politics on February 18, 2007 | 1 Comment »
While campaigning in New Hampshire, Hillary Clinton recently said “If we had a Democratic president, we would end the war.” Fair enough, and The Hillary is doing her best to be that Democratic president. The quotation is via one of the dons of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy, George Will, in his column [...]
農曆新年
Posted in Uncategorized on February 18, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
Behold, the Year of the Pig. Happy New Year for those who celebrate on the lunar calendar.
The Google logo for today is appropriately piggy. I wonder if Google as seen in Muslim lands will celebrate with such a porcine image?
Nixon to China?
Posted in Politics, War and Peace on February 17, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
Jonah Goldberg suggests that it just might be a good thing for a Democrat to win in 2008. Then they’d have to see that there really are monsters out there. I disagree; here’s my response to Jonah:
Your thesis reminds me of when Nixon played ping-pong with the Chicoms. Oh, sorry, how un-pc [...]
"It’s treason"
Posted in Politics, War and Peace on February 17, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
Ralph Peters is not one to mince words. Unlike the cowards in Congress, wishing to claim they “support the troops” but just don’t want them to have the tools they need to do the job, LTC Peters makes no bones about what has just happened in the House of Representatives. From his column [...]
Wm. "Freezer Burn" Jefferson
Posted in Politics on February 16, 2007 | 1 Comment »
The best congressman money can buy. The latest, from Suitably Flip via the Filipina they all love to hate, on the new ethically-challenged Democratic-controlled House of Crooks, er, Representatives.
While we’re on the subject of global warming…
Posted in "Global Warming" on February 16, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
From Thomas Sowell’s article referenced in the previous post, this is worth repeating:
There have been periods of global warming that lasted for centuries — and periods of global cooling that also lasted for centuries. So the issue is not whether the world is warmer now than at some time in the past but how much [...]
Hysterics
Posted in "Global Warming", Energy, Politics on February 16, 2007 | 1 Comment »
R. Emmett Tyrrel’s op-ed in today’s New York Sun is like a blast of cold, Arctic air on the bloviating of the environmental hysterics. The subject is “global warming,” or, when it is inconveniently cold, “climate change.”
Those who are pushing insanities like the Kyoto treaty (or: how to impoverish the nation in [...]
One may not serve two masters
Posted in Christianity, Liberty on February 14, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
The usual context for this is Jesus’ statement in Luke 16:
13″No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.
Of course, Jesus was talking of God on the one hand, and money on the other. [...]
Fight fiercely, Harvard…
Posted in Political Correctness on February 13, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
Tom Lehrer, perhaps the best satirist-songwriter ever, lampooned his dearly beloved alma mater, Harvard, in the classic “Fight Fiercely, Harvard.” Written when even I was young, the song basically presents Harvard as what it was: a school for elite snobs; for WASPS of good family name and fortune. Not a place for ethnics [...]
Pax Khomeinista
Posted in Iran, War and Peace on February 12, 2007 | 1 Comment »
There’s some hope in the air, at least if one can view some editorials and news stories today with some optimism. In what should surprise no one with eyes to see or ears to hear, the Iranians have now been linked directly to deadly munitions used against the government of Iraq and against our [...]
uomo rispetto
Posted in Iraq, Politics, War and Peace on February 10, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
Literally, a man of respect. Just some Italian I picked up growing up in the Bronx. While it often referred to wise guys, and back then in the Bronx you were smart not to ask too many questions about this, it also was a good translation of “mensch.” Uomo rispetto also usually [...]
"an aggression against the mosque"
Posted in Arabs. Israel, Terrorism on February 9, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
Once again we see evidence of how Muslims can not and will not live peacefully among those who differ. In this case, the cause of the moment was that those nefarious Jews chose to repair damage to a ramp. What the current mufti of Jerusalem claimed? The repair “is an aggression against [...]
Is the problem Islam?
Posted in Islam on February 8, 2007 | 1 Comment »
The following is attributed to Ayatollah Khomeini, late and unlamented dictator of Iran:
“There are no jokes in Islam. There is no humor in Islam. There is no fun in Islam. There can be no fun and joy in whatever is serious.”
It is good to know one’s enemy. And this “serious” approach to Islam should [...]
Outrageous
Posted in Immigration, Justice on February 7, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
In what can only be described as an Orwellian turn of events, two U.S. Border Patrol agents, Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean, were prosecuted for defending our nation’s borders. Against a drug-running, drug-dealing scumbag, who, oh, by the way, was doing his druggie business as an illegal immigrant.
But hey, even scumbags have rights. [...]
"the rest of mankind as well"
Posted in anti-Semitism on February 6, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
Ah, Richard Cohen. One of my favorite liberal columnists. While I usually disagree with him on political and philosophical grounds, every now and again he comes up with something right. No, not right as in conservative; but as in correct, even though it grates to admit it.
In his column today he reminds [...]
Rudy can’t fail
Posted in Politics on February 5, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
No, not “Rudie.” That was London Calling. This is Rudy, as in Rudy Giuliani. And, one might hope, it’s America calling.
Rudy Giuliani’s hat is floating up and towards, if not technically in, the ring. This just in, from a story in the New York Sun:
In a sign that he’s serious about [...]
Can’t win; shouldn’t win; it’s all our fault
Posted in Iraq on February 5, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
This pretty much sums up the liberal mainstream media’s point of view on Iraq. At least to the extent that such a point of view exists, it is owned by the Gray Lady, the New York Times, home of opinion pieces masquerading as news.
Two pieces today illustrate the point of view that [...]
Football is not a matter of life and death…
Posted in Culture on February 4, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
..it’s more important than that.” This is a “school of thought” among football coaches and their wards, according to a Super-Bowl relevant piece by George Will today.
His column concerns a highly successful coach, Randy Shannon, who was recently named head coach of the University of Miami professional football team. Oh, did [...]
Conduct unbecoming
Posted in Politics, War and Peace on February 2, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
The current political machinations in the Senate have as their purpose going on record as being against a troop surge in Iraq. Their real purpose is to cover Senate behinds for the inevitable cut and run endgame preferred by the Democrats.
The senators who are negotiating the various flavors of this recipe for [...]
Lions, and tigers, and income inequality, oh my!
Posted in Politics on February 1, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
Alternate title: Johnny Edwards for President, with no less than three exclamation marks. The big news in the mainstream media today appears to be the president’s discovery of “income inequality” as something that needs to be addressed by someone.
From the WaPo, there are two major stories on this today. The [...]
