In January 2006, the terrorist group Hamas won the 2006 Palestinian elections over the Fatah. They did this in part by hiding the fact that one of their main goals is to wipe Israel off the map. As a result of that election, Israel (along with the United States, the European Union, several Western states, and the Arab states) suspended the foreign aid upon which Palestine depends. Aid would not be restored until Hamas met the demands of (1) recognizing Israel, (2) accepting agreements made by the defeated Fatah regime, and (3) denouncing violence. Yeah, that soooo didn’t happen.
Despite the sanctions, Hamas leaders were able to smuggle enough into the Palestinian territories to maintain basic services. Obviously, or they all would have starved to death. Or become refugees. They certainly wouldn’t have been able to stay there unless they were able to get some sustenance.
In December 2006, bullish Hamas decided that they would do a better job controlling Gaza instead of the Palestinian police. By June 2007, Hamas had accomplished its goal through several rounds of brutal attacks, culminating in a four day long ambushe that gained them control of the Fatah outposts. Hamas was then in complete control of the Gaza Strip, a tiny piece of land tucked between Egypt and Israel.
Ever since then, Hamas has been launching attacks on Israel. Hamas is sitting in their corner of the sandbox, pissed off that Israel is playing right next to them in the sand that they believe should be theirs. In Hamas’ opinion, Israel needs to be kicked out of the sandbox and wiped off the map. As any mean but relatively weak bully would do, they have been throwing fistfuls of sand at Israel in the form of bombs aimed at civilian cities in Israel along the Gaza/Israeli border.
I’m not sure of the thinking on this one… were they just trying to annoy Israel out of the sandbox? Or did they want Israel to believe the small (yet still devastating to those involved) attacks were warnings? A year and a half is an awful long time for a warning of bigger attacks to come, if you ask me. Under either circumstance, last Saturday Israel finally became fed up with the sand throwing. Israel stood up, walked over to the bully Hamas, and punched him square in the nose. It wasn’t unprovoked, or even issued without warning. The day before, Israel warned Hamas that he had better knock it off, or he’d get punched in the nose.
So now the world is watching this battle in the sandbox between a bully and someone that actually stood up for themselves and said, “Stop it. I have as much a right to be here you. You will not destroy me, even though you attempt to. I will no longer tolerate your sand throwing.”
Yet for some reason, almost every msm news story I’ve encountered has somehow managed to paint Israel as the bully. They’ve conveniently managed to overlook the fact that Hamas wants Israel destroyed. Oh yes, of course, you should always feed the hand that bites you. You should always give aid and refuge to people who want nothing more in the world than to see you and your countrymen dead. *insert eye roll here*
I’m content to let Israel kick the terrorist Hamas out of the sandbox. I hope I get to see it happen.
Speaking of politics…. How has President Elect Obama responded to this crisis? Well, he went golfing today on his fancy-shmancy Hawaiian vacation. Interesting… I thought you couldn’t vote “present” as President, but apparently you can from the Office of the President-Elect.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Sunday, December 14, 2008
A Tale of Two Shoes
During a news conference in Iraq this morning, President Bush was attacked by an Iraq reporter who threw his shoes at Bush. The man shouted, "It is the farewell kiss, you dog."
The President ducked and avoided being hit by the Iraqi man's shoes, which were chosen as projectiles because soles of shoes are considered the ultimate insult in Arab culture.
Of course the media is reporting, "The embarrassing incident marred a visit meant to show off the improved conditions since the troop "surge" dramatically reduced casualties to U.S. troops."
It seems to me that this proves the victory and triumph of the troop "surge" as only in a free society could an asshat like that get away with a such a shameful stunt.
The President ducked and avoided being hit by the Iraqi man's shoes, which were chosen as projectiles because soles of shoes are considered the ultimate insult in Arab culture.
Of course the media is reporting, "The embarrassing incident marred a visit meant to show off the improved conditions since the troop "surge" dramatically reduced casualties to U.S. troops."
It seems to me that this proves the victory and triumph of the troop "surge" as only in a free society could an asshat like that get away with a such a shameful stunt.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Another Corrupt Chicago Politician? You Don't Say...
Notoriously corrupt Illinois politics got another notch in the scummy politician belt today. Democratic Governor Rod Blagojevich was arrested this morning after allegedly attempting to sell the U. S. Senate seat that will be left vacant once Barack Obama is sworn in as the U. S. President.
Blagojevich was caught via wiretaps stating, "[the Senate seat]is a fucking valuable thing, you just don't give it away for nothing." He was also recorded saying that unless "I get something real good," he would appoint himself to the vacancy. "I'm going to keep this Senate option for me a real possibility, you know, and therefore I can drive a hard bargain. You hear what I'm saying. And if I don't get what I want and I'm not satisfied with it, then I'll just take the Senate seat myself." According to surreptitiously recorded conversations, Blagojevich spoke with associates about the possibility of trading the Senate post for either an ambassadorship or a Cabinet post.
Of course Obama responded to the situation with his predictable and expected, "I had no contact with the governor or his office and so I was not aware of what was happening...It’s a sad day for Illinois. Beyond that, I don’t think it’s appropriate to comment.”
Interesting. Especially since less than a month ago, on November 23, top Obama advisor David Axelrod told Fox News in an interview, "I know he's talked to the governor and there are a whole range of names many of which have surfaced, and I think he has a fondness for a lot of them."
Axelrod responded to the revelation uncovered by conservative pundits with his predictable and expected, "I was mistaken when I told an interviewer last month that the President-elect has spoken directly to Governor Blagojevich about the Senate vacancy." Obviously. *insert eye roll here*
It's well known that Obama owes a lot of people a lot of favors. You don't go from being a National Nobody to President within four years without a lot of help. I'm sure that Governor Blagojevich was one of those people. I don't know whether whatever political boost he gave to Obama's warp speed rise to the top was legit or corrupt, and frankly, at this point it probably doesn't matter. But something was revealed today, if you were watching closely...Many of us have been watching and waiting to see how Obama would attempt to pay back those favors, or if he would even try. I think that we now have our answer. Attempt to call in your favor from the new Prez, and you will be sorry.
I am currently undecided on whether this makes me like Obama more or less.
Blagojevich was caught via wiretaps stating, "[the Senate seat]is a fucking valuable thing, you just don't give it away for nothing." He was also recorded saying that unless "I get something real good," he would appoint himself to the vacancy. "I'm going to keep this Senate option for me a real possibility, you know, and therefore I can drive a hard bargain. You hear what I'm saying. And if I don't get what I want and I'm not satisfied with it, then I'll just take the Senate seat myself." According to surreptitiously recorded conversations, Blagojevich spoke with associates about the possibility of trading the Senate post for either an ambassadorship or a Cabinet post.
Of course Obama responded to the situation with his predictable and expected, "I had no contact with the governor or his office and so I was not aware of what was happening...It’s a sad day for Illinois. Beyond that, I don’t think it’s appropriate to comment.”
Interesting. Especially since less than a month ago, on November 23, top Obama advisor David Axelrod told Fox News in an interview, "I know he's talked to the governor and there are a whole range of names many of which have surfaced, and I think he has a fondness for a lot of them."
Axelrod responded to the revelation uncovered by conservative pundits with his predictable and expected, "I was mistaken when I told an interviewer last month that the President-elect has spoken directly to Governor Blagojevich about the Senate vacancy." Obviously. *insert eye roll here*
It's well known that Obama owes a lot of people a lot of favors. You don't go from being a National Nobody to President within four years without a lot of help. I'm sure that Governor Blagojevich was one of those people. I don't know whether whatever political boost he gave to Obama's warp speed rise to the top was legit or corrupt, and frankly, at this point it probably doesn't matter. But something was revealed today, if you were watching closely...Many of us have been watching and waiting to see how Obama would attempt to pay back those favors, or if he would even try. I think that we now have our answer. Attempt to call in your favor from the new Prez, and you will be sorry.
I am currently undecided on whether this makes me like Obama more or less.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Incredible Story
I was just directed to this amazing story about a woman putting herself at tremendous risk to save the lives of others.
I am saddened and incredulous that she did not win the Nobel Peace Prize over the candidate that did win it...
I am saddened and incredulous that she did not win the Nobel Peace Prize over the candidate that did win it...
I've Become an Addict
To Twitter!
Here's a great Twitter for Dummies post by another very cool Jen. Although she might be a tiny bit cooler if she were a Jenny like me, but I digress...
As if I needed yet another reason for my crackberry to become more firmly welded to the end of my arm, I now receive snippets from friends, politicians, and pundits I admire, leading me to interesting articles and blog posts, answering my questions, and generally keeping me informed.
This morning my husband laughed at me when he caught me at 6:30 am nestled under the warm blankets in bed, tippity-tapping away on my pink BlackBerry Pearl, checking on my Twitter before even getting up to pee.
What can I say? This tweetaholic needed her fix.
Here's a great Twitter for Dummies post by another very cool Jen. Although she might be a tiny bit cooler if she were a Jenny like me, but I digress...
As if I needed yet another reason for my crackberry to become more firmly welded to the end of my arm, I now receive snippets from friends, politicians, and pundits I admire, leading me to interesting articles and blog posts, answering my questions, and generally keeping me informed.
This morning my husband laughed at me when he caught me at 6:30 am nestled under the warm blankets in bed, tippity-tapping away on my pink BlackBerry Pearl, checking on my Twitter before even getting up to pee.
What can I say? This tweetaholic needed her fix.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Change We Can Believe In!
The United States Cabinet came into existence with George 1 (the first George, you know, that Washington guy), who appointed 4 people to advise and assist him in his duties. The appointments were Thomas Jefferson to Secretary of State, Alexander Hamilton to Secretary of the Treasury, Henry Knox to Secretary of War (which essentially became the Secretary of Defense in 1947), and Edmund Randolph to Attorney General.
That was 1789. In 2008, The Cabinet consists of the Vice President and the heads of 15 executive departments-the Secretaries of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs, and the Attorney General. Other positions have in recent years been given Cabinet-level rank and influence, and include the Chief of Staff, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, the Director of the National Drug Control Policy, and the U.S. Trade Representative. 21 positions to be filled with 21 people who's job it will become to be the President's eyes and ears, to assess the needs of their respective departments and advise the President to act beneficially to American citizens. Those 21 people, appointed and led by a man that we the people elected, will shape the policies of our country over the next four years.
It has been interesting to watch our President-Elect begin to fill those Cabinet positions after winning the election on the campaign slogan, "Change we can believe in." In his nomination victory speech, he mentioned change 16 times and concluded with this messianic blurb that sent a chill down the spine of every conservative in the country,
So who has The Chosen One chosen so far? Here are some official and widely speculated picks thus far:
Secretary of the Treasury- Timothy Geithner: President of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Wonderful, the chief architect of last spring's $30 billion Bear Stearns bailout that kicked off the current entitlest bailout shenanigans. Guess all Detroit has to do is make it through to January 20th...
Attorney General- Eric Holder: The Justice Department's No. 2 when Bill was president. Holder failed to stop the Clinton Presidential pardon of Marc Rich. Marc Rich the felon, the one hiding out in Switzerland, the one on the FBI's Most Wanted List, the one who's former wife and mother of his children had made large donations to the Democratic Party and the Clinton Library during the Clinton Administration. Yup, our likely new Attorney General failed to either recognize or stop (or both) a Presidential pardon bought and paid for in full. Get ready to see Tony Rezko back on the shady streets of Chicago.
Change we can believe in?
That was 1789. In 2008, The Cabinet consists of the Vice President and the heads of 15 executive departments-the Secretaries of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs, and the Attorney General. Other positions have in recent years been given Cabinet-level rank and influence, and include the Chief of Staff, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, the Director of the National Drug Control Policy, and the U.S. Trade Representative. 21 positions to be filled with 21 people who's job it will become to be the President's eyes and ears, to assess the needs of their respective departments and advise the President to act beneficially to American citizens. Those 21 people, appointed and led by a man that we the people elected, will shape the policies of our country over the next four years.
It has been interesting to watch our President-Elect begin to fill those Cabinet positions after winning the election on the campaign slogan, "Change we can believe in." In his nomination victory speech, he mentioned change 16 times and concluded with this messianic blurb that sent a chill down the spine of every conservative in the country,
"The journey will be difficult. The road will be long. I face this challenge with profound humility, and knowledge of my own limitations. But I also face it with limitless faith in the capacity of the American people. Because if we are willing to work for it, and fight for it, and believe in it, then I am absolutely certain that generations from now, we will be able to look back and tell our children that this was the moment when we began to provide care for the sick and good jobs to the jobless; this was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal; this was the moment when we ended a war and secured our nation and restored our image as the last, best hope on Earth. This was the moment - this was the time - when we came together to remake this great nation so that it may always reflect our very best selves, and our highest ideals. Thank you, God Bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America."
So who has The Chosen One chosen so far? Here are some official and widely speculated picks thus far:
Secretary of State- Hillary Clinton: Can't get any more Clintonite than a Clinton! Interesting choice for SOS, since she and Obama sparred fiercely on foreign policy issues throughout the campaign. Clinton was a supporter of the Iraq War, which Obama has vehemently opposed and has happily bashed any supporters for their apparent idiocy.
Secretary of the Treasury- Timothy Geithner: President of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Wonderful, the chief architect of last spring's $30 billion Bear Stearns bailout that kicked off the current entitlest bailout shenanigans. Guess all Detroit has to do is make it through to January 20th...
Attorney General- Eric Holder: The Justice Department's No. 2 when Bill was president. Holder failed to stop the Clinton Presidential pardon of Marc Rich. Marc Rich the felon, the one hiding out in Switzerland, the one on the FBI's Most Wanted List, the one who's former wife and mother of his children had made large donations to the Democratic Party and the Clinton Library during the Clinton Administration. Yup, our likely new Attorney General failed to either recognize or stop (or both) a Presidential pardon bought and paid for in full. Get ready to see Tony Rezko back on the shady streets of Chicago.
White House Chief of Staff- Rahm Emanuel: A senior advisor to Clinton from 1993 to 1998. In the White House, Emanuel was initially Assistant to the President for Political Affairs and then Senior Advisor to the President for Policy and Strategy. He was a leading strategist in the unsuccessful White House efforts to institute universal healthcare and many other Clinton initiatives.
Secretary of Health and Human Services- Tom Daschle: Former Senate Majority Leader during the Clinton Administration, and a backer of that administration's failed health-care effort of the early 1990s. Wow, Obama sure has appointed a lot of people that were unsuccessful in implementing one of his biggest promises-socialized healthcare. What makes him think they'll be successful this time around?
Secretary of Commerce- Bill Richardson: Served as U.N. ambassador under President Bill Clinton and later as his Secretary of Energy. While heading the Energy Department, Richardson publicly named Wen Ho Lee (an employee at the Los Alamos National Laboratory) as a suspect who might have given nuclear secrets to the Chinese government. Lee was later cleared of charges and awarded a settlement by the Federal Government for the accusation. Richardson was criticized by both parties for his shoddy handling of the espionage inquiry.
Secretary of Homeland Security- Janet Napolitano: Appointed by President Bill Clinton as US Attorney for the District of Arizona in 1993. She later won election and served as the Arizona attorney general, and she is now serving her second term as the Governor of Arizona. As head of the Department of Homeland Security, Napolitano will be responsible for protecting our borders to keep terrorists out as well as responding to natural disasters. Throughout her term as Governor, she has consistently vetoed anti-immigration legislation that would have denied in-state tuition and day care for illegal aliens, made English the official stat language, allowed state and local police officers to enforce federal immigration laws, and rejected the Matricula Consular from Mexico as a valid form of identification (FBI officials have said these are "easy to forge" and a "major item on the product list of fraudulent document trade currently flourishing across the country and around the world."). What she has done on immigration reform is to implement some of the nation's toughest sanctions against businesses that employ undocumented migrants. Wonderful, punish the business owners that were forced to accept the easily forged Matricula Consular as an official form of identification rather than punish the illegal immigrant. Do people really think that punishing the employers rather than the criminals will stem the flow of illegals flocking to our country? They'll just forge a new ID and get a job somewhere else. Maybe as Secretary of Homeland Security Napolitano can concentrate on tracking down and putting out of business the specific person that sold Iran enough uranium to build a nuclear bomb rather than keeping the suicidal terrorists carrying that bomb out of our country.
Change we can believe in?
Monday, November 17, 2008
School Choice
Earlier this year, Obama's campaign issued a statement that said, "Senator Obama has always been a critic of vouchers...Throughout his career, he has voted against voucher proposals and voiced concern for siphoning off resources from our public schools."
Vouchers would allow parents to take part of the money allocated for their child to attend the public school that they are districted for, and use that money at the school of their choice, including private schools. The concept of school choice is essentially a free market for education, where teachers and administrators would be forced to provide an excellent education to their students, or risk losing them (and the funds that come with them) to the school down the street. Obama is concerned that by allowing parents to make the best decision regarding the education of their children, they will do just that and yank their kids out of under performing schools and put them into ones where teachers have to rely on job performance rather than tenure if they want to keep that paycheck coming.
By Obama's thinking, a much better plan would be to pour endless amounts of cash into schools where teachers are tenured and receive automatic pay raises, providing little incentive for them to work hard and do their job well (after all, why bother trying if there's no motivation?), and where unruly students often disrupt their classmates learning because it's practically impossible to discipline these days lest we hurt that student's precious self-esteem. No wonder our current education system is such a mess!
I'm so glad to hear that Obama, a self-proclaimed man of his word, is going to enroll his two elementary aged daughters into the DC public school system, one of the worst in the nation. Hopefully, by not taking funds away from the public school system, he will lead the way to show our nation that vouchers are not needed because school choice is not needed. The government is much more knowledgeable than parents in deciding which school their children should attend, and if we could all just head to that government advice, the system would be fixed, right?
Wait, what's that? The Obama girls will be attending an exclusive private school? Huh. I thought that public schools were good enough for American children. I guess just not good enough for Obama's children. If only we all had the means to practice school choice, something that the Obamas themselves have chosen to do.
Vouchers would allow parents to take part of the money allocated for their child to attend the public school that they are districted for, and use that money at the school of their choice, including private schools. The concept of school choice is essentially a free market for education, where teachers and administrators would be forced to provide an excellent education to their students, or risk losing them (and the funds that come with them) to the school down the street. Obama is concerned that by allowing parents to make the best decision regarding the education of their children, they will do just that and yank their kids out of under performing schools and put them into ones where teachers have to rely on job performance rather than tenure if they want to keep that paycheck coming.
By Obama's thinking, a much better plan would be to pour endless amounts of cash into schools where teachers are tenured and receive automatic pay raises, providing little incentive for them to work hard and do their job well (after all, why bother trying if there's no motivation?), and where unruly students often disrupt their classmates learning because it's practically impossible to discipline these days lest we hurt that student's precious self-esteem. No wonder our current education system is such a mess!
I'm so glad to hear that Obama, a self-proclaimed man of his word, is going to enroll his two elementary aged daughters into the DC public school system, one of the worst in the nation. Hopefully, by not taking funds away from the public school system, he will lead the way to show our nation that vouchers are not needed because school choice is not needed. The government is much more knowledgeable than parents in deciding which school their children should attend, and if we could all just head to that government advice, the system would be fixed, right?
Wait, what's that? The Obama girls will be attending an exclusive private school? Huh. I thought that public schools were good enough for American children. I guess just not good enough for Obama's children. If only we all had the means to practice school choice, something that the Obamas themselves have chosen to do.
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