ANTIGONOS' BRAIN
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Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Intolerance on the Temple Mount
David Kirschenbaum says it better than I can. Except I cannot see any way to reverse the current situation without a war, and that is unacceptable. We made a terrible mistake when we thought the Wakf would behave in a civilized fashion.
Monday, September 28, 2009
How a Story Is Twisted into Subtle Anti-Semitism
On Wednesday, the "Tnua Islamit" or Islamic Movement, put out a flyer telling Moslems that the Jews intended using Yom Kippur to "re-conquer" the Temple Mount. On Sunday, a small group of French tourists, all religious Jews, and therefore modestly dressed, went up to the Mount and stood just inside the gate opening onto the flat open space where the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aksa mosques are situated.
The Dome of the Rock is the place where Abraham intended to sacrifice Isaac, and where Moslems believe that Mohammad's horse, having flown from Mecca, touched down for an instant before springing to heaven. Religious Jews, btw, do not step onto the Temple Mount proper, because of the possibility of accidentally standing where the Holy of Holies once stood. (This prohibition explains why the Israelis never attempted to have a permanent presence on the Mount after reclaiming it in 1967. In the mid-70s, the Mount was open to all -- tour guides simply loved to escort tourists there, and into the Dome of the Rock itself -- without the slightest problem, although not at times of Moslem prayer. That changed with the intifadas)
Immediately Palestinians on the Mount began throwing everything that was available on the tourists and their police escort. The assortment of missiles showed they had prepared in advance for this -- entire paving stones, for example, as well as having clubs and pieces of heavy furniture. The police responded by using stun grenades and by the time they had gotten the tourists safely back down, 12 policemen were wounded, some requiring hospitalization, and there were a number of Palestinian arrests.
How do I know this is true, and not just my biased opinion? My son-in-law, who is in the elite police unit which is stationed on the Mount, was hit in the face with a rock (small cut only).
This is how Slate magazine reported the incident:
Their story is based on this Reuters article. See how it has been subtly changed to make the Israelis the insensitive aggressors? This, folks, is anti-Semitism, but both the news service, and most of the people who read it, would be shocked to be told so.
I think, if Jesus were alive today, he would be extremely shocked to be told he could not visit Judaism's most holy site (and he would undoubtedly ask "What's a Moslem? What are they doing on my people's Temple Mount?" since they wouldn't exist until 700 years after Jesus lived). What ARE they doing there, indeed?
The Dome of the Rock is the place where Abraham intended to sacrifice Isaac, and where Moslems believe that Mohammad's horse, having flown from Mecca, touched down for an instant before springing to heaven. Religious Jews, btw, do not step onto the Temple Mount proper, because of the possibility of accidentally standing where the Holy of Holies once stood. (This prohibition explains why the Israelis never attempted to have a permanent presence on the Mount after reclaiming it in 1967. In the mid-70s, the Mount was open to all -- tour guides simply loved to escort tourists there, and into the Dome of the Rock itself -- without the slightest problem, although not at times of Moslem prayer. That changed with the intifadas)
Immediately Palestinians on the Mount began throwing everything that was available on the tourists and their police escort. The assortment of missiles showed they had prepared in advance for this -- entire paving stones, for example, as well as having clubs and pieces of heavy furniture. The police responded by using stun grenades and by the time they had gotten the tourists safely back down, 12 policemen were wounded, some requiring hospitalization, and there were a number of Palestinian arrests.
How do I know this is true, and not just my biased opinion? My son-in-law, who is in the elite police unit which is stationed on the Mount, was hit in the face with a rock (small cut only).
This is how Slate magazine reported the incident:
When a group of Jews tried to enter a mosque in Jerusalem yesterday,
Palestinians began to protest violently, prompting Israeli police to fight back
with tear gas and stun grenades. The riot occurred a few hours before the start
of Yom Kippur, the most sacred Jewish holy day. Seventeen Israeli police
officers and 13 Palestinians were injured, but none seriously. It is unclear
whether there were also tourists present at the mosque at the time. The complex,
located above a Jewish site of prayer at the Western Wall, includes the sacred
Dome of the Rock mosque. A visit from former Israel premier Ariel Sharon to the
site in 2000 triggered a huge Palestinian uprising at the time, and yesterday
Palestinians warned Israelis not to sabotage the ongoing peace talks underway
with President Obama.
Their story is based on this Reuters article. See how it has been subtly changed to make the Israelis the insensitive aggressors? This, folks, is anti-Semitism, but both the news service, and most of the people who read it, would be shocked to be told so.
I think, if Jesus were alive today, he would be extremely shocked to be told he could not visit Judaism's most holy site (and he would undoubtedly ask "What's a Moslem? What are they doing on my people's Temple Mount?" since they wouldn't exist until 700 years after Jesus lived). What ARE they doing there, indeed?
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
An Echo In the Bone
Diana Gabaldon's latest addition to the saga of Jamie and Claire, which began with the book "Outlander" has just been released. The hardcover won't reach me for some time, as it only shipped today, but it's been released for Sony e-book reader and for Kindle and I downloaded it this morning. All six of the previous books in the series have been massive bestsellers, with something like 17 million copies in print (and in a number of translations. Outlander has just been published in Hebrew, btw, as Nochriah)
Not that I've been keeping up with my resolutions to post more (had a vacation in Eilat during which I thought I'd make amends, but Israeli hotels have now wised up and charge for internet access, and phooey on that!), but you probably won't hear from me until I finish the book.
I have something of a special interest in this installment...I helped Ms. Gabaldon with certain subjects...but I think they are great books, anyway. More than simply "historical romance" or an action novel, it's what used to be called a "ripping yarn", with wonderful characterizations, rich plot, and simply fun. The complete series, which I strongly recommend, is:
Outlander (in the UK, called "Cross Stitch")
Dragonfly in Amber
Voyager
Drums of Autumn
The Fiery Cross
A Breath of Snow and Ashes
An Echo in the Bone
All are available in print and e-book (Sony and Kindle) editions, and in audiobook versions, very well read by Davina Porter. Currently, for contract reasons, The Fiery Cross and A Breath of Snow and Ashes are not available via iTunes or Audible.com but only as CDs from Recorded Books. "Echo" will be released next month on CD, and probably will be available in a few months on Audible and iTunes, as the contractual restrictions on the previous volumes won't be on it.
Not that I've been keeping up with my resolutions to post more (had a vacation in Eilat during which I thought I'd make amends, but Israeli hotels have now wised up and charge for internet access, and phooey on that!), but you probably won't hear from me until I finish the book.
I have something of a special interest in this installment...I helped Ms. Gabaldon with certain subjects...but I think they are great books, anyway. More than simply "historical romance" or an action novel, it's what used to be called a "ripping yarn", with wonderful characterizations, rich plot, and simply fun. The complete series, which I strongly recommend, is:
Outlander (in the UK, called "Cross Stitch")
Dragonfly in Amber
Voyager
Drums of Autumn
The Fiery Cross
A Breath of Snow and Ashes
An Echo in the Bone
All are available in print and e-book (Sony and Kindle) editions, and in audiobook versions, very well read by Davina Porter. Currently, for contract reasons, The Fiery Cross and A Breath of Snow and Ashes are not available via iTunes or Audible.com but only as CDs from Recorded Books. "Echo" will be released next month on CD, and probably will be available in a few months on Audible and iTunes, as the contractual restrictions on the previous volumes won't be on it.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Injecting a Bit of Common Sense
Bruce Beattie Daytona Beach News-Journal Sep 11, 2009 |
IMO, this ought to be translated into a dozen languages and posted in every clinic of the kupah [sick fund, HMO] I work for. So far we've seen barely a handful of persons who even might be sick with swine flu, but boxes of face masks are everywhere [including the security guards' desks], hand sanitizers are being used as if every person who walks through the doors has Ebola, at the very least. Since pregnant women are among the "vulnerable", considerable numbers are staying at home and not going for antenatal checkups lest they be sneezed upon. It's ludicrous.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Socialism 101, or The Gospel According to Obama
Bruce Beattie Daytona Beach News-Journal Sep 10, 2009 |
Why didn't becoming a "socialist" occur to me when I was in school?
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