Sunday, January 25, 2009
Another update to Morey's blog
I know, we're slacking over here, but hey! We have a Hebrew test to prepare for! Meanwhile, Morey's updated his blog with a new post, about circumsion. Call it a "slice of life" post ;)
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Eyeless in Gaza
Posted on my personal blog:
I received an interesting, but disconcerting email the other day. An old friend accused me of - wait for it - changing. He harangued me for my present political position on Gaza and Israel's need to attack Hamas, and suggested the guy he used to know would never have supported the use of force. Apparently, I was much more of a Leftist in my youth. True enough. I like to think of myself now as a pragmatist, that is, I believe governments and people should conduct themselves according to reasoned need and not based on rules in some out-of-date ideological handbook. He changed, too. The guy I knew back then would have done more research before making such uninformed comments. In fact, I still remember him chewing me out for speaking out of my backside on Northern Ireland. But he has been living in the UK for many years, so I suppose he can be forgiven.Read the rest here.
However, I felt his comments deserved a response. Gaza, after all, is a very complex situation.
Asshats
The one thing I will never understand is why all the celebrity protesters come out of the woodwork whenever Israel starts to defend herself from her enemies. After calling for Israel to stop its attacks on Gaza, Annie Lennox said violence could never be a solution to conflict.
First of all, let's define "violent":
- Physical force exerted for the purpose of violating, damaging, or abusing: crimes of violence.
- an unjust or unwarranted exertion of force or power, as against rights or laws: to take over a government by violence.
Now let's define "violence":
- acting with or characterized by uncontrolled, strong, rough force: a violent earthquake.
No one would say the IDF is uncontrolled. The moonbats out there could easily twist this around and say that Israel is "violating" Gaza or "using an unjust exertion of force" in Gaza, but once you define "violence" you see that the word is implies an uncontrolled, primitive force.
Much like a Kassam rocket. Strong enough to do violent damage to a home or a person, but not in a controlled, orderly manner.
Like an army.
Israel is not acting violent, Israel is acting like a nation being attacked. Israel is sending her army in to stop the enemy in a strategic manner. Yes, people die in a war. Death from a military strike can be a violent death. But a strategically dropped missile in a justifiable military action is not violence.
Sending primitive, but lethal rockets into areas whose target you can't specify, so you hit kindergardens, playgrounds and livingrooms? That's violence. And where were Annie Lennox and Bianca Jagger* when these rockets were raining down on Israeli children? Having their nails done?
So I can't help but conclude that their silence means that Jewish children don't matter. If rockets are landing on Jewish kindergardens and playgrounds and the world doesn't cry out in horror, it can only mean that the lives of Jewish children are disposable.
And yet they call us Nazis.
*You can add Roseanne Barr to the list, too. Why are there so many Jews who don't care about Jews getting killed?
First of all, let's define "violent":
- Physical force exerted for the purpose of violating, damaging, or abusing: crimes of violence.
- an unjust or unwarranted exertion of force or power, as against rights or laws: to take over a government by violence.
Now let's define "violence":
- acting with or characterized by uncontrolled, strong, rough force: a violent earthquake.
No one would say the IDF is uncontrolled. The moonbats out there could easily twist this around and say that Israel is "violating" Gaza or "using an unjust exertion of force" in Gaza, but once you define "violence" you see that the word is implies an uncontrolled, primitive force.
Much like a Kassam rocket. Strong enough to do violent damage to a home or a person, but not in a controlled, orderly manner.
Like an army.
Israel is not acting violent, Israel is acting like a nation being attacked. Israel is sending her army in to stop the enemy in a strategic manner. Yes, people die in a war. Death from a military strike can be a violent death. But a strategically dropped missile in a justifiable military action is not violence.
Sending primitive, but lethal rockets into areas whose target you can't specify, so you hit kindergardens, playgrounds and livingrooms? That's violence. And where were Annie Lennox and Bianca Jagger* when these rockets were raining down on Israeli children? Having their nails done?
So I can't help but conclude that their silence means that Jewish children don't matter. If rockets are landing on Jewish kindergardens and playgrounds and the world doesn't cry out in horror, it can only mean that the lives of Jewish children are disposable.
And yet they call us Nazis.
*You can add Roseanne Barr to the list, too. Why are there so many Jews who don't care about Jews getting killed?
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Ground war
The ground offensive has begun in Gaza. We pray for the success and safety of our troops.
He Who blessed our forefathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob - may He bless the fighters of the Israel Defense Force, who stand guard over our land and the cities of our God from the border of the Lebanon to the desert of Egypt, and from the Great Sea unto the approach of the Aravah, on the land, in the air, and on the sea.
May Hashem cause the enemies who rise up against us to be struck down before them. May the Holy One, Blessed is He, preserve and rescue our fighting men from every trouble and distress and from every plague and illness, and may He send blessing and success in their every endeavor. May He lead our enemies under their sway and may He grant them salvation and crown them with victory. And may there be fulfilled for them the verse: For it is Hashem, your God, Who goes with you to battle your enemies for you to save you. Now let us respond: Amen.
We also pray for the safety of the residents of the cities of Israel that are within rocket range.
*HT for image: The Muqata
He Who blessed our forefathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob - may He bless the fighters of the Israel Defense Force, who stand guard over our land and the cities of our God from the border of the Lebanon to the desert of Egypt, and from the Great Sea unto the approach of the Aravah, on the land, in the air, and on the sea.
May Hashem cause the enemies who rise up against us to be struck down before them. May the Holy One, Blessed is He, preserve and rescue our fighting men from every trouble and distress and from every plague and illness, and may He send blessing and success in their every endeavor. May He lead our enemies under their sway and may He grant them salvation and crown them with victory. And may there be fulfilled for them the verse: For it is Hashem, your God, Who goes with you to battle your enemies for you to save you. Now let us respond: Amen.
We also pray for the safety of the residents of the cities of Israel that are within rocket range.
*HT for image: The Muqata
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