The DNC, Obama, and Filthy Collaborators Everywhere
Thursday, August 28, 2008
I suppose I should say something about the DNC. Okay, here goes: YUCK.
Victor Davis Hanson on Hussein Obama's acceptance speech @ National Review:
Let me get this straight: Obama goes to Europe, does a garish outdoor extravaganza before thousands, returns to find himself dubbed a publicity-seeking celebrity, analogous to Paris Hilton—and abruptly begins a tailspin in the polls. And now in reaction, at the greatest moment of his life, he transfers his acceptance speech to an open-air stadium to handle tens of thousands of frenzied fans, replete with Greek temple (Olympian Zeus or Parthenon?) as the backdrop stage, and outspoken rock stars?Hezbollah opens a regional office in Venezuela Latin American Jews beware....as Carl in Jerusalem writes,
Venezuela is also too close for comfort to the US. One can only hope that as Americans become aware of the gathering threat to their south, they will tighten entry into the United States to keep the terrorists out. Unfortunately, so far, there has been no sign of any tightening on America's borders.As for Joe "Proud to Serve Obama" Biden, apparently he's not too crazy about us Joos:
At Commentary, John Podhoretz posts an excerpt from a 1992 JPost article in which Democratic Vice Presidential candidate Joseph Biden threatened to cut off aid to Israel over 'settlements.' The confrontation between Biden and then-Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin occurred during the 1982 Operation Peace for Galilee (the 'First Lebanon War').The Excellent Ken Timmerman Outlines Biden's Own Iranian Connections over at Israpundit.
...During that committee hearing, at the height of the Lebanon War, Sen. John Biden (Delaware) had attacked Israeli settlements in Judea and Samaria and threatened that if Israel did not immediately cease this activity, the US would have to cut economic aid to Israel.
When the senator raised his voice and banged twice on the table with his fist, Begin commented to him: “This desk is designed for writing, not for fists. Don’t threaten us with slashing aid. Do you think that because the US lends us money it is entitled to impose on us what we must do? We are grateful for the assistance we have received, but we are not to be threatened. I am a proud Jew. Three thousand years of culture are behind me, and you will not frighten me with threats. Take note: we do not want a single soldier of yours to die for us.”
Biden’s election campaigns “have been financed by Islamic charities of the Iranian regime based in California and by the Silicon Iran network,”And, Of course, More Proof of Obama's Arab-Muslim Funding Connections thanks to Carl in Jerusalem.
I'm reading Saul Bellow's book, To Jerusalem and Back. It's an account of the author's year in Jerusalem in the late 1970's. If you want to understand anything about why we are in the place we are in now, read this book. It is an excellent account of politics; communism versus liberal democracy; capitalism versus socialism; the West versus the East; the remarkable character makeup of Israel. If you want to understand who you are and where you stand, read this book. It may have been written over 30 years ago, but his points are as relative today as they were then. Read this book.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, completing a visit to the region today, has been pressing Israel to sign a document by the end of the year that would divide Jerusalem by offering the Palestinians a state in Israel’s capital city via Israpundit...
This world is absolutely insane. Were one to take a completely broad, pragmatic view of things, they would be forced to come to one concluding question that begins and ends not with "If" but "When?"
Labels: Biden, Condi Rice, DNC, Iran, Israel, Jerusalem, Obama
posted by Shoshana @ 9:29 PM
Bits & Pieces-- and a Look at Things to Come
Monday, August 18, 2008
Iran Satellite is a Dummy [Israel National News] <~~~ Because, if it was real, and if they truly had that kind of technology, and if they really thought they could, they would have sent a missile Israel's way by now. Duh.
The West’s Islamist Infiltrators [NetWMD]
Aafia Siddiqui, 36, is a Pakistani mother of three, an alumna of MIT, and a Ph.D. in neuroscience from Brandeis University. She is also accused of working for Al-Qaeda and was charged last week in New York City with attempting to kill American soldiers.And people wonder why I dislike academia.
Seriously. Take a look at the curriculum posted on the English Department websites of major American universities. English departments, where students supposedly learn how to take a critical approach to literature and, in some cases, media of all sorts. Check out, for instance, UPenn, where they're teaching Marx and American Studies this semester, or UCal San Diego where this Fall's classes like "ISLAM MODERNITY" explore "A survey of developments in the Islamic world during the period of European colonial domination and its aftermath, with special attention to the works of leading Muslin thinkers (e.g. Sayid Ahmed Khan, Muhammad Abduh, Hasan al Banna, Ruhallah Khomeini, among others)." Do you wonder why American students walk into college naive and leave brainwashed?
Postmissionary Messianic Judaism, Three Years Later
Mark Kinzer, the author of the controversial text Postmissionary Messianic Judaism (about which I have commented on previously, to a slight degree) has recently delivered a 27-page paper reflecting on the reactions to his book, the full text of which can be found by clicking on the link above. Needless to say, I plan on reading the paper and commenting on it in the near future. Stay tuned!
Labels: America, College, Iran, Islam, Israel, Mark Kinzer, University
posted by Shoshana @ 5:45 PM
Mind Games and Abuses of Power
Sunday, August 17, 2008
I'm taking a break from election commentary, although this discussion is just as pertinent to that topic as well.
Being a believer can be a huge mind game sometimes.
When I first struck out on my own, without the support of a congregation, Rabbi, or believing friends, it didn't take long for me to realize how we are trained and ingrained to be so incredibly reliant upon one another, especially upon leadership.
Christian/Messianic Jewish culture, and even Rabbinic Jewish culture, is a personality-based belief system. Think about it: Think about the way you perceive G-d, Messiah, and His servants. In essence, they're all people in your mind, right? G-d said "Don't make a graven image of Me" and, all of a sudden, the believing world has pictures of blonde-haired, blue-eyed Jesuses hanging on every wall.
Depending on the branch of service you're in (a.k.a. denomination) you even have some of His compatriots right up there with Him. Today, the Christian Church idolizes servants like Rav Shaul, Kefa, Miriam, etc. as heroes of the faith-- whether you're Catholic or Protestant or a Rabbinic Jew, you have a panoply of historical figures to call on any time you need a handy quote to back up what you're professing. And, guess what? The Evangelical church and Messianic community are no different. When's the last time you saw Joel Osteen putting a picture of Mt. Sinai on the cover of one of his books? Or T.D. Jakes telling ET to show some stock footage of average church goers instead of doing a feature on his daughter's wedding? Just check out Rabbi Bruce Cohen's letter to the editor in the latest edition of The Messianic Times if you want to find out how much of a personality-bash American Messianic Judaism has become.
How many Catholics pray to Saints? How many Rabbinic Jews quote ancient Rabbis? And why? Why is the Judeo-Christian community so consumed with people-worship? Because the Greco-Roman world decided to believe in Messiah-- on their own terms. Graven images, gods with personalities and all too human foibles, the beauty of the human form-- all of that is the direct influence of Greek culture on the gentile believing world. And that influence continues to seep into the Jewish world--believing and not--in steadily increasing amounts.
Rabbinic Judaism was a direct assimilatory reaction to the rejection of Messiah and the consequent loss of the Temple and Israeli/Jewish national sovereignty. Rabbinic Judaism began in Yavneh with the denial of sacrifice as the pathway to G-d's redemption and morphed into a personality-controlled, personality-fed faith. As a result, you have a growing minority of religious Jews who can quote Talmud backwards and forwards but have absolutely no knowledge of basic scriptural texts. This cultural shift has influenced a growing majority of those born Jewish to wind up living more like secular gentiles than not-- and to be completely justified in doing so!
But, Messianic Judaism is different, right? These are the Jews and gentiles who, having forgone human tradition, turned to the scriptures with open minds and hearts. The Bible is the foundation of their faith. Like the Puritans who sailed to the shores of America for religious freedom, their bedrock and justification is the Living Word of G-d. And, just like the Puritans, the Messianics are subject to the same human faults and fallacies that act as the doormen to disaster.
The letters of the talmidim, just like the words of the prophets, urge their readers and listeners to stop acting small and to think big about the way they act towards one another. Petty jealousies, lying, power-plays and the like plagued the believing community then as they do now. In fact, they are the reason Israel lost sovereignty in the first place: Bad behavior produces bad fruit. We all know that. What we so often neglect is the result of bad fruit in the stomach of the body. Bad fruit makes you sick-- so sick, in fact, that you have to spit it out. It's a pretty standard biological reaction: expel the cause, treat the sickness, so the body can heal.
Can you imagine what G-d would look like to you if you lived in the pre-Constantine era, with no photographs, no film, no Michaelangelo to paint your icons on the stone and brick walls? He wouldn't look like Charleton Heston, or Jim Caviezel, or Joel Osteen, or T.D. Jakes, or John Hagee, or any other "name" you can think of in your own circle. He wouldn't look like your Pastor, Priest, or Rabbi, either. Big shock there.
The thing is: We can think these things, but thinking, and even comprehending them isn't enough. The "personality preachers"--world-famous and not--tend to be the best at condemning the wrong within their own communities. Of course, this condemnation tends to be a very subjective one, but the opinions of the speaker are generally glossed over by the audience that is too busy being enamored with the pomp and circumstance of the performance to worry about what is actually being said, and to whom the condemnation is being directed.
Until the condemnation is directed at them.
Like many, I have been the subject of direct and indirect condemnation in a variety of Judeo-Christian circles and, without fail, my peers in each incident were oblivious to my personal persecution until they, too, came under leadership's scrutinous glare. We're the people who believe in forgiveness and redemption, yet we thrive on creating tsuris and placing the blame.
Rarely, and not until it is too late, do we actually acknowledge the damage that has been done by digesting the bad fruit. In this case, the bad fruit are the mind games produced by gross abuses of power committed by those who forget that their leadership roles are granted to them by the same authority on which they are ultimately dependent: G-d and the move of His Spirit in His people, the body. Sick things happen when leaders get out of control, and their congregants are the ones who pay the price. And, because we're all links in a chain, the entire body pays a heftier price than we could ever imagine-- because we're too busy living small to think big.
Do you know why the top 2 commandments are to "Love the L-rd your G-d with all of your heart, soul, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself"? Because it is EASIER! It is TEN TIMES EASIER to love someone than to hate them, TEN TIMES EASIER to forgive someone than to hold a grudge, TEN TIMES EASIER to put your full heart in G-d and not man, and TEN TIMES EASIER to let the love you have for G-d guide you into loving relationships with one another.
Human beings don't know it all. Bodies are dust. Pictures can be erased, torn up, thrown out. But the spiritual damage of unjust condemnation, ridicule, hatred, those are wounds that can only be healed by G-d, but ones whose scars will never fully fade. Do you know why G-d commanded the Israelites to literally "cut off" members of the community who sinned? Because the act of cutting someone off, of condemning them, was a literal stripping of their identity, their very sense of self. That is not the job of any Rabbi, any Pastor, any Priest, any one. The next time you so much as utter a foul word about someone, think of that-- think of the fact that you are acting to strip that person of their identity. Then question if power and authority like that really belongs in your hands.
We live in destructive times. By our very choice to be a believer in and follower of Messiah we have made ourselves targets for the destroyer. The survivors, and the ones who will be used to ensure the nation's survival, will be the individuals who comprehend and live out the truth that G-d is the sole Creator and Authority over their identity. The individuals who refuse to submit to abuses of power will be the ones who triumph over the petty mind games by flying right past them and achieving the real Goal. And, here's a hint: It's not a front-page writeup, tickets to the "MegaChurch of the Moment" or a front row seat at the next "Famous Man's Revival Hour Broadcast LIVE!"
Keep your eyes and ears open, followers of Messiah. Maintain the integrity G-d has given you in the face of unjust condemnation--from enemies and "friends" alike.
"My sheep listen to my voice, I recognize them, they follow Me, and I give them eternal life. They will absolutely never be destroyed, and no one will snatch them from My hands. My Father, who gave them to Me, is greater than all; and no one can snatch them from the Father's hands. I and the Father are One." (Yochanan 10:27-30)
Labels: Christianity, Judaism, leadership, Messianic Judaism
posted by Shoshana @ 2:42 PM
Take that Torch and...
Monday, August 11, 2008
quickie post...
MUST READ:Did Obama Knowingly and Willfully Accept Illegal Foreign Contributions? "GAZAN" CONTRIBUTIONS FLAGGED BY FEC, OBAMA NEVER REPORTED by Pamela Geller of Atlas Shrugs
‘Oil, Israel and Iran’ Among Factors that Led to Georgia War by Gil Ronen, Israel National News, August 11, 2008
(IsraelNN.com) Analysis of the war in Georgia points to a fight over a major oil route as the main reason for hostilities, but also to an Israeli connection.Never let anyone fool you. It's always all about Israel, it always all boils down to Israel. Ronald Reagan had it right when he termed it a battle between good and evil-- pull all the political blinds up and that's what you see.
Channel 2’s expert on the Muslim world, Ehud Ya’ari, told viewers of the central evening newscast that Russia and neighboring countries were vying for control of a strategic oil pipeline from the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean. This relatively new pipeline passes through Azerbaijan and Georgia to Turkey and is the only pipeline between Asia and Europe that does not pass through Russia or Iran. Israel is expecting to receive oil and gas through the pipeline.
By using the ethnic Russian population in South Ossetia to destabilize Georgia, Russia was making a play for the pipeline, he said.
The Israeli Connection
The Georgian move against South Ossetia was motivated by political considerations having to do with Israel and Iran, according to Nfc. Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili decided to assert control over the breakaway region in order to force Israel to reconsider its decision to cut back its support for Georgia’s military.
Russian and Georgian media reported several days ago that Israel decided to stop its support for Georgia after Moscow made it clear to Jerusalem and Washington that Russia would respond to continued aid for Georgia by selling advanced anti-aircraft systems to Syria and Iran.
Hundreds of Israeli defense experts are reportedly in Georgia and Israel’s military industries have been upgrading Georgia’s air force, training its infantry and selling the country unmanned aerial vehicles and advanced artillery systems.
...
Russia bombs Israeli-run plant
Also on Sunday, Russia bombed a Georgian military plant in which Israeli experts are upgrading jet fighters for the Georgian military. According to Nfc, the bombing was a “sharp message” to Israel.
A Russian fighter jet bombed runways inside the plant, located near Tbilisi, where Israeli security firm Elbit is in charge of upgrading Georgian SU-25 jets.
...
And here's the Olympics foul up of all foul-ups (what do you expect from a contest in which the original participants traipsed around naked in an orgy of body worship?):
Elder of Ziyon reports that NBC's Olympics site has a brief description of Israel, but a much more extensive description of 'Palestine,' which it calls the 'Holy Land.'
Screw the Olympics and Screw NBC. See related story:
Hamdan bin Mohammed launches 'Universal City Dubailand' project at AED 8 billion [April 2007]
Labels: Georgia, Israel, Obama, Olympics, Russia
posted by Shoshana @ 6:02 PM
A Cantor in the White House
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
A Jewish Vice President.
This isn't exactly a new idea to the American political landscape, and in the election year of female and black-muslim candidates, a Jewish guy is bound to make the bottom of the "Most Controversial Candidates" list. The idea of a Jewish Vice President of the United States, however, is a topic worthy of some serious discussion.
I could boil my punditry down to some rather stereotypical blanket comments about Americans not voting for Jews, and Jewish Americans being paranoid about having a member of the Tribe in such a seemingly "high powered" government post, (so high powered, in fact, that John Adams, the first Vice President, spent the majority of his tenure developing a sore tuchus and staving off levels of mental boredom known best to those working in corporate offices 9 to 5) but I won't, because I don't think it is my job to reinforce already common thought patterns and the personal opinions of others that too often tend to be taken as fact. The mere idea of a Jewish American VP candidate is worth more than a simple toss-off of, "No Bible-belter will vote for a Jew," or "If he gets into office, they really will think we run the world." Take the idea seriously for a moment: A Jewish Vice President. And a Republican to boot. What would that mean? What kind of statement would that make about the psyche of our nation?
As the sampler says, "actions speak louder than words." I could quote Cantor non-stop and still be wrong about him when all is said and done because, like any other politician, he could just renege on every word his speechwriter penned. I can, however, remark on the fact that he spoke at a One Jerusalem event in Israel, during which he quoted Ben Gurion in Hebrew. A Jewish American Congressman attending a conference promoting the unification of Jerusalem as a Jewish capital. A Jewish American Congressman speaking Hebrew in public. Is this guy totally unique, or has the Jewish American psyche has come a long way, baby? Jewish American voters will decide that one, should Cantor get the nod, that is.
But what will gentile American voters think of a Jewish American-Jew? Is it finally okay to not be Jerry Seinfeld? Can Jews drop the hyphen and bring their faith out of the closet without being held under suspicion? Perhaps Cantor's VP nod will shed new light on exactly how suspicious gentile Americans are of their Jewish counterparts-- and vice-versa. If the McCain-Cantor ticket wins, will the victory make Jewish Americans think twice about how they are viewed by their gentile neighbors?
Or will it just give the muslims another excuse to blow us all up?
If McCain pulls Cantor for VP, you'll have a race that pits a flag-waving Vietnam Vet and a religious Jew against a black muslim with fundamentalist roots and (possibly-- any news on Hillary yet?) a 60s hippie with a communist agenda. The ideological battle of the past 40 years will rise to the surface. Lines will be drawn in the sand. It will literally be the most clear-cut election this nation has ever witnessed: Capitalism vs. Communism; Democracy vs. Socialism; Judeo-Christianity vs. Islamic Atheism. Can we boil it down any further? After this November, I doubt there will be any more water in the pot.
That is, if Cantor gets nominated.
However, if things stay as they are, which, by the nomination-to-be of Barack, we already know things are far from status-quo, then we are bound to be plastered into even thicker layers of ridiculousness and confusion. If Cantor were nominated, the results of the ensuing election would make clear who we want to be and where we want to go as a nation. Could the American voter handle that much responsibility? Or would it just be easier for them (and McCain) if the Republicans picked yet another gentile Joe-Schmo running mate?
Perhaps its really a question of what demons we want to face. The Jewish people are called out to be a light. Cantor's nomination would shed a light--and possibly a lot of it--on the ideas behind the idealogues and the values that are really at stake in this election. As it is, the mere idea of his candidacy is already forcing many conservatives and Republicans to question how much longer they want to remain hiding in the dark.
Eric Cantor for VP: A Conservative Grassroots Movement
Labels: Eric Cantor, Jewish, McCain, Presidential Election
posted by Shoshana @ 7:19 PM
All the News that's Fit to Print
Sunday, August 03, 2008
Full Disclosure: I dislike John Kerry. A lot. He's an embarassment as a human being. And, in my book, the Swift Boat Veterans had every single right to publicize his shameful behavior to the world, and thank G-d they did-- at least there are a few people left who don't mind telling the truth when it counts. That being said:
"John F. Kerry has been mentioned as a potential Secretary of State in an administration led by - God forbid - Barack Hussein Obama."
But, on the bright side:
"According to a report in the Politico, Republican Presidential nominee John Sidney McCain is vetting Virginia Republican Representative Eric Cantor as a possible running mate."
Need important American political news quickly? Check out Israeli blogs. Duh.
Israpundit has become practically nothing more than a glorified laundry-list of Obama's campaign foul-ups. I dislike reprinting all of them here because, IMHO, if you're an informed voter, you already know most of this stuff. However, some things are just too fantastic not to garner special attention, like this letter from one Obama staffer to an Obama fan who posts on the campaign website:
"Hi [EMK],
Thank you so much for your involvement in the My.BarackObama online community. Your voice is valued here; however, we were forced to remove your recent blog post that referred to the "Jewish lobby." Please use the more specific and accurate term "Israel lobby." We appreciate your understanding and hope that you continue to be active in our online community.
Emily
Obama for America"
Wait, wait, let me guess. Hitler got a similar telegraph from Henry Ford in the 1920's, after receiving the future Dictator's "Letter to the Editor" for the Dearborn Independent.
Full Disclosure: I dislike Nancy Pelosi.
Fuller Disclosure: I dislike all Democrats in general. I'm not a Republican; I just dislike Democrats.
House Speaker adjourns Congress to prevent debate on offshore drilling that could give U.S. relief from oil prices.
I hope Pelosi freezes inside her hybrid this winter.
Missouri Cherokee Tribes proclaim Jewish Heritage This doesn't totally surprise me. As a fan of old book shops, I've come across more than one worn volume from the 1800s about the Cherokee people being the "lost tribe" or "13th tribe" of Abraham. I'm not quite sure how justifiable the claims are, since many of them are based in missionary-interpretations of Cherokee culture, but in this particular case, the claim is actually coming from the Cherokee people themselves. So, who knows? My only question is, if my ancestors belonged to another tribe, does that mean I'm really at war with myself?
And, finally, filed under the "Whoop-dee-Doo, We Knew This Five Years Ago" Column:
U.S. OFFICIAL: IRAQIS SAID SADDAM’S WMD’s WERE SENT TO SYRIA
I like to do a lot of outlining in this blog. I copy and paste headline after headline, then I step back and take a good hard look and, hopefully, with the help of HaShem's wisdom, I'm able to connect the dots.
Now, it's your turn.
Labels: American elections, Cherokee, Israel, Jewish, Obama
posted by Shoshana @ 9:24 PM
