"To me the greatest issue in this part of the world is not deserting Israel."
- Sir Winston Churchill
There is at present but one flag upon Earth’s moon; for only a society which values the liberty and enterprise this flag represents could achieve such a miracle. That flag yet stands alone, a colorful and defiant testament to human imagination against the cold, dead, vacuum of space.
Here on earth, another such flag flies ore' a once desolate plain now fertile, thriving, and prosperous; for only a society which values the principles this flag represents could achieve such a miracle. That flag stands alone as well, a proud and defiant testament to human love, loyalty, and commitment against the murderous chaos of hatred.
Sixty years ago that flag was raised for the first time among the others of the international community. Ever since, many in that community have sought to bring it back down. They say it is their hunger for justice which compels them, their rejection of an illegal puppet state foisted upon indigenous peoples, their indignation at the machinations of international power brokers who helped bring this state into being. These are lies, for the same case could be made against the majority of nation-states in that international community. What compels them is plainly and simply envy; puny, petty, pathetic, and murderous envy.
As the Qassam rockets continue to rain down upon her, as Syria and Hezbollah ever vow to once again attack her, as her allies and friends do little more than wag their fingers at her, we pray: stand tall proud Israel, for you are truly an icon of the very best humankind has to offer. What would it say of our civilization were we to abandon you and leave you to be overrun by the dark tide of chaos? And having done so, how long would it be before that tide consumed the rest of us? Truly, your fight - order over chaos, life over death - is the fight of all human civilization. Would that we all soon realize that!
In our ongoing attempts to help bring about this realization, we offer the following :
Our own masterful overview of the nascency Israel’s nationhood
The Israel Project's "Things You Should Know About Israel at 60"
Excellent tribute to Israel from our dear friend Roger of Radarsite
Excellent tribute to Israel from our dear friend E.D. Kain of NeoConstant
- Sir Winston Churchill
There is at present but one flag upon Earth’s moon; for only a society which values the liberty and enterprise this flag represents could achieve such a miracle. That flag yet stands alone, a colorful and defiant testament to human imagination against the cold, dead, vacuum of space.
Here on earth, another such flag flies ore' a once desolate plain now fertile, thriving, and prosperous; for only a society which values the principles this flag represents could achieve such a miracle. That flag stands alone as well, a proud and defiant testament to human love, loyalty, and commitment against the murderous chaos of hatred.
Sixty years ago that flag was raised for the first time among the others of the international community. Ever since, many in that community have sought to bring it back down. They say it is their hunger for justice which compels them, their rejection of an illegal puppet state foisted upon indigenous peoples, their indignation at the machinations of international power brokers who helped bring this state into being. These are lies, for the same case could be made against the majority of nation-states in that international community. What compels them is plainly and simply envy; puny, petty, pathetic, and murderous envy.
As the Qassam rockets continue to rain down upon her, as Syria and Hezbollah ever vow to once again attack her, as her allies and friends do little more than wag their fingers at her, we pray: stand tall proud Israel, for you are truly an icon of the very best humankind has to offer. What would it say of our civilization were we to abandon you and leave you to be overrun by the dark tide of chaos? And having done so, how long would it be before that tide consumed the rest of us? Truly, your fight - order over chaos, life over death - is the fight of all human civilization. Would that we all soon realize that!
In our ongoing attempts to help bring about this realization, we offer the following :
Our own masterful overview of the nascency Israel’s nationhood
The Israel Project's "Things You Should Know About Israel at 60"
Excellent tribute to Israel from our dear friend Roger of Radarsite
Excellent tribute to Israel from our dear friend E.D. Kain of NeoConstant
Excellent tribute to Israel from our dear friends Shane and Frank (and Al?) at Political Vindication
Happy Sixtieth Israel! You are a beacon upon the frontiers of the human spirit. May you remain so forevermore!
Cheers,
Charlie
20 comments:
Wonderful, moving and poetical tribute to a heroic nation. Simply one of your best. I think I have to steal it for Radarsite.
Congratulations Charlie. Well done.
rg
Roger, you've cut me to the quick. And here I was going to steal it for NeoConstant.
(I think I still will....)
Fantastic article, my dear Parrot. And thanks for the link love...
When it comes to comments and "link love" we are very - dare we say it -liberal!
Thank you both for your kind reviews. What we sometimes lack in quantity, we strive to recover in quality. By all means steal away!
Cheers,
Charlie
60 years and 6 wars, Israel still stands tall. Tall and proud. Yom Yisrael Chai!
Long live Israel. Death to all that oppose her and that for which she stands.
Hey Charlie. The Jerusalem Post keeps quoting Winston. Are you responsible for that.
Actually Winston is well loved in Israel. One of the few Brits that the Israelis admire.
Just thought you should know.
My Dear Findalis,
While no doubt our eloquence and vast insight have inspired many a Jeruslaem Post scribe, we cannot claim to have been directly involved in directing them to any of Sir Winston's statements about Israel or any other matter.
However, you are correct, from his political infancy through to his dying day, Sir Winston was an avowed and unapologetic Zionist (in the proper sense of the word.) His father before him - though mostly a rogue and a cad - was also an outspoken advocate for the existence of an independent Jewish state in Palestine - the historical home of the Jewish culture.
What appealed so much to Sir Winston were the qualities treasured by that Jewish culture: loyalty, commitment, work ethic, integrity, education, excellence in the truest sense of the word, and the balance of individualism and community that is the hallmark of Western Civilization.
Clearly they have borne the fruit of their values, despite a petty and envious world striving always to steal it for themselves and destroy the evidence.
Cheers,
Charlie
http://israels60thbirthday.com/2008/05/05/israel-60-let-the-refugees-return/
"Sixty years ago, more than 700,000 Palestinians were forced from their homes, not knowing where they were going, not knowing when they would return. This displacement of over half of the indigenous inhabitants of Palestine created the largest and oldest refugee population today and is the root of the Israel-Palestinian conflict. This tragedy is called Al Nakba in Arabic."
It is most interesting that not all is as it seems. I actually just found the above site, but it is always valuable to note another's perspective on the matter. I've read much of the same elsewhere, and it is public knowledge, although many do not know of it.
I do not have a problem with the country Israel of today, but although there may be Jews of Judah residing there, there are also many Jews residing there that are not related to the people of the tribe of Judah but are of the Jewish religion - the denying of Christ as the Son of God.
Queen Elizabeth II is of the tribe of Judah and her lineage has been traced to King David; she would be considered a Jew that is a Christian. Queen Victoria paid over a million pounds to have their lineage traced.
joanne, there were 12 Jewish Tribes. Judah is just one of them. I'm of the Israel tribe.
You mentioned the 700,000 Arabs that left of their own accord.
What about the 1 million Jews who were kicked out of all the Arab countries. They didn't leave of their own accord. They left homes, businesses, valuables behind. Do you know where they went?
Israel took them in. They do not live in "refugee camps". They helped to build homes, schools, hospitals, towns and cities. They helped to build a nation. The only nation in the world that would take them in. Israel.
This week, I was fortunate to be able to hear Nonie Darwish speak at UC-Irvine as part of the week-long celebration of Israel's 60th birthday. I have previously written about Darwish in my blog (Three Muslim Heretics). Briefly, she was born in Cairo and has lived in Gaza. Her father fought against Israel and was eventually killed by Israeli forces. Thus, she grew up hating everything about the Jewish state and Jews in general. Subsequent to 9-11, she rejected Muslim violence, broke with the religion and has become an active voice against Jihad. She is the author of a book entitled: Now they call me Infidel.
I wish I could say that there was a big crowd to hear her presentation (which was coupled with a film entitled: The Suicide Killers). However, the turnout was quite small-about 20 or so people-including her bodyguards. I was the only faculty member there.
Darwish began by describing her early upbringing in the Middle East and her feelings of hatred toward Jews, which she attributed to the death of her father as well as the way Arab youth were educated in Cairo to hate Jews. She also made some important observations about the general outlook on the part of Muslims that we in the West should be aware of. I will mention them below in no particular order.
The penalty for a Muslim who leaves the religion is death.
She quoted the part of the Koran that describes when Jews will hide behind trees and rocks and the tree will tell Muslims that there is a Jew hiding behind (the tree)-come and kill him).
In the Koran, according to Darwish, in 97% of the references to Jihad, it is the context of fighting against non-believers. Only in about 3% of cases is Jihad described as a struggle to be a better person, etc.
She described how in Israel, Muslims are free to practice their religion freely, unlike in Muslim countries, where a Jew would be killed if he walked down the street wearing a yarmulke or other item that marked him as a Jew.
She derided Muslim efforts to have American universities and airports install foot baths. In the Middle East, only Saudi Arabia has public foot baths to her knowledge. She also pointed out that many US universities receive funding from Middle Eastern sources such as Saudi Arabia- a nation that promotes Wahhabi teaching among Muslims in the West. (note: At UC-Irvine, the MSU receives funding from the university-taken from student tuition fees.)
In regards to Saudi Arabia, she recounted how just recently, a top religious leader has issued a Fatwa calling for the murder of two Saudis who had publicly called for moderation within Islam.
She also spoke of so-called "Honor Killings", recounting the story of a young maid in her childhood home who had become pregnant as a result of being raped. After Darwish's family assisted the girl to find refuge with a social services agency, they learned later that the girl had been returned to her family. Her father and her brother then murdered her-for the shame of being raped-in accordance with Shariah law. In Muslim countries, such "honor killings" are treated leniently under the law.
Perhaps most alarmingly, she warned against creeping Shariah in the West, which would impose Muslim rules within our countries.
In her mind, there is no real difference between anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism.
Darwish noted how America has struggled for many years to overcome our own prejudices and cautioned us against allowing new prejudices to enter our country (i.e.: Muslim prejudice against Jews).
I am sorry that so few people turned out to hear the words of this courageous woman. As I stated above, I was the only faculty member present (and I am only a part-time teacher at that). In contrast, fired DePaul professor and terrorist sympathizer, Norman Finklestein's anti-Israel monologue this week was attended by Dean of Students, Sally Peterson, who took copius notes and Dean of Judicial Affairs, Edgar Dormitorio, who tried to get a pro-Israel supporter, Jonathan Constantine, to sit down while he was filming. But they could not bring themselves to hear the words of a woman who has put her life on the line to oppose Muslim terror. Dormitorio, for his part, was pacing outside the hall where Darwish spoke, yet would not come in to hear what she had to say. Why is this? Is it because they were unsympathetic to Ms Darwish's point of view? Was it because they were afraid to offend the Muslim Student Union? A combination of the two? Ms Darwish's theme was a rejection of hate. Yet, that was apparently not of interest to those who teach and lead UC-Irvine. They would rather pander to a tiny minority of students who have brought national disrepute to their campus.
What a collection of empty suits.
gary fouse
adjunct teacher
UCI-Ext
fousesquawk
"You mentioned the 700,000 Arabs that left of their own accord." by findalis
I did not say this - the wording is incorrect, and I was quoting from the site I posted.
"joanne, there were 12 Jewish Tribes. Judah is just one of them. I'm of the Israel tribe." by findalis
Actually, there are 12 tribes of Israel, and Judah is one tribe, only the people of this tribe were later referred to as Jews; there are 11 other tribes.
I am of a tribe of Israel, one of the twelve.
There are plenty of people of the Jewish religion who have been taken in by Canada, United States, Britain, etc., etc. also.
Joanne, You're right about the Palestinian remark, but not about the 1 million Jews from Arab nations who were expelled between the years 1948 and 1955. Europe wasn't ready for such a exodus. Nor did the US or Canada want that many people. They closed their doors and went back to strict quotas. So Israel was the only country they could go to.
http://justiceforjews.com/
As for the 12 tribes, every Jew on the planet knows which tribe they are from. My tribe is Israel. Just one of the 12. I can assure you that Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth is not descended from any of the 12, regardless of what Victoria did or thought.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Splendid debate! Priviledged to serve as host. I offer two additions for further consideration:
Ladies Joanne and Findalis et al, I encourage one and all to visit unwatch.org to view the following video: Racism and Historical Truth - Jewish Refugees from Arab Lands at http://www.unwatch.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=bdKKISNqEmG&b=1313923&ct=5118137.
Mr. Fouse - Nonie Darwish is indeed an excellent speaker and more of her work can befound on http://www.arabsforisrael.com/.
We thank you for your readership and excellent contributions. Carry on!
Cheers,
Charlie
findalis - if you check out Genesis 46: 8-25 and Genesis 49, you will see that Jacob, renamed Israel by God, had 12 sons, and each was named for one of the 12 tribes of Israel. Israel split into two Kingdoms - Judah (Judah and Benjamin)and Israel(the remaining ten tribes).
"And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days." Genesis 49:1
Please note " in the last days." Even Jewish scholars and historians believe Israel(the ten tribes) and Judah (the two tribes) will be reconciled in the latter days as the Bible states.
I actually didn't address your "1 million Jews from Arab nations who were expelled between the years 1948 and 1955" comment. I do not deny or confirm this comment at this time.
"As for the 12 tribes, every Jew on the planet knows which tribe they are from. My tribe is Israel. Just one of the 12. I can assure you that Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth is not descended from any of the 12, regardless of what Victoria did or thought."
I am sorry, but the former does not even make biblical sense, and the latter is true and documented. It is far easier to trace the lineage of kings and queens, than it is one of lesser standing.
I only seek the truth, but unfortunately, I do not have the time or desire to direct you to the immense amount of biblical scripture that supports my beliefs.
Churchill's parrot - just lost my post, but to make it short - no doubt Palestinians and Jews of religion and lineage have been persecuted. Two wrongs certainly do not make one right, but unfortunately, Jews and Christians alike have been persecuted by those who hate them. All is according to God's plan - I'll just watch and wait.
"Like in South Africa, only the acknowledgment of truth and history will lead to reconciliation." from video
This statement is so true and speaks to all who seek the truth.
"...but unfortunately, I do not have the time or desire to direct you to the immense amount of biblical scripture that supports my beliefs."
Now there's some good news...
"I am sorry, but the former does not even make biblical sense, and the latter is true and documented. It is far easier to trace the lineage of kings and queens, than it is one of lesser standing."
I do know what tribe I'm from. Whether it makes "biblical sense", most Jews today are of the tribe Israel. It's one of the 2 remaining tribes.
As for Her Majesty, a woman who I much admire, I can assure you she is not of one of the 12. Although I wish she was.
As for the Sephardi Jews thrown out of Arab lands, my niece is married to one of their descendants in Israel. I again direct all to Justice for Jews: http://justiceforjews.com/
Don't worry roger, I think I was actually doing myself a bigger favour....I can only bang my head against the wall so long.
My Letter to Daniel Tedford, LA Times
Below is the text of my email to Daniel Tedford, a reporter in LA who is writing about the on-going problems at UCI. (I have also written a similar letter to Rusty Kennedy, Director of the Orange County Office of Human Relations. (I am trying to pull up a copy to post here.)
Dear Mr Tedford,
My name is Gary Fouse, and I am an adjunct teacher at UCI-Ext (ESL). I have been teaching part-time at UCI since 1998. (I am retired from the Drug Enforcement Administration.) It is my understanding that you have been writing about the on-going controversy at UCI over the speakers brought to our campus each quarter. I will not repeat details you already know, but I want to add my voice.
The concerns of the Jewish students are justified. Many (not all) of the speakers who appear at UCI are rabid anti-Semites (though they will deny it) and supporters of terrorist groups in the Middle East.
Complaints that UCI's administration is indifferent to the concerns of Jewish students, in my view, are also justified. I believe that they are negligent in their duties to keep inciteful, hate speeach off of our campus so that all students can study in a peaceful environment.
I am attaching a copy of a letter I sent to the New University Campus Newspaper that gives my view of the past 2 weeks (I don't know as yet if it will be published.) I would also invite you to check out my blog site (fousesquawk), which contains my description of the past two week's events.
I am fully aware that, in speaking out and criticizing the university, I am jeopardizing my continued employment at UCI. I don't care. It is a consequence I am prepared to accept in order to stand up against what I consider true hateful, inciteful speech on our campus.
You may do with this letter what you wish and share it with whomever you wish.
Sincerely,
Gary Fouse
Adjunct teacher
UCI Ext (ESL)
Below is my letter to New University Newspaper:
Now that the Israel 60th Birthday celebration and the “Palestinian Holocaust” week have concluded, I would like to make a few brief comments. I have commented in the past on the words of Amir Abdel Malik Ali and Mohammed Al-Asi, so I won’t repeat them here.
I would hope, however, that casual student observers will compare and contrast the tone of each week. The Israeli celebration was upbeat and happy, while some of the MSU’s speakers (not all) used inflammatory language to describe Israel and America. At least three of the speakers (Malik Ali, Al-Asi and Norman Finklestein are vocal supporters of Hamas and Hizbollah-terrorist organizations.
There were two items on the “Wall” put up by the MSU that drew my attention. First was a quotation from former Black Panther, H. Rap Brown (who now bears a Muslim name that escapes me). H. Rap Brown now sits in prison for the murder of a police officer (that had nothing to do with any “struggle“). Second was a picture of Ariel Sharon, drawn in the old style of Julius Streicher’s Der Stuermer, a virulent, anti-Semitic Nazi newspaper of the Third Reich. The picture featured the big hooked nose, big lips and all that. To anyone who is unfamiliar with Streicher and Der Stuermer, I urge you to do the research. That a university would even allow this type of picture on its campus is a disgrace. It is anti-Semitic and racist.
During Finklestein’s appearance, hundreds came to hear him speak including professors and deans. Yet the same week, about 20 people came to hear Nonie Darwish, a courageous former Muslim who has put her life on the line to defend Israel, America and condemn terror. I was the only faculty member present (and I am only a part-time teacher).
During Al-Asi’s vitriolic speech, several deans scurried about playing hall monitor, moving Jewish protesters here and there and keeping walkways clear for students. That‘s all well and good, yet, during the speech, a busload of about 20 young schoolchildren, visiting the campus for a tour, stood outside their bus just yards from Al-Asi’s vitriolic speech. I wonder if there were any Jewish children in that crowd. Why did any of those kids have to be exposed to this? Where were the hall monitors?
To be sure, a few of the MSU’s speakers were not vitriolic. I am referring to Ms Anna Balzer and Mr and Mrs Corrie, who tragically lost their daughter. They seem like decent people, there was nothing objectionable in what I heard the Corries say, and I sympathize with them. I wish, however, that they had been present on Thursday to hear the words of Malik Ali (I don‘t believe they were present.) It might have given them pause.
Finally, David Horowitz, in his campus appearance, singled out UCI as “the worst campus in this country” for anti-Semitic activity. In the question and answer period, I informed Mr Horowitz that 99% of the students at UCI have nothing to do with this ugliness. I also told him that there are two problems: first, the MSU (that brings in hateful speakers); second a university administration that is hiding under their desks, either out of fear, apathy or that they just don’t care about the concerns of their Jewish students.
The public needs to know what is going on at UCI, and I hope Horowitz and others keep the spotlight shining.
Gary Fouse
Adjunct teacher
uci-ext
GREAT letter Gary! Hell. While we are writing letters...
http://www.anewtone.com/2008/05/sonlitknights-flawless-path-to.html
http://www.anewtone.com/2008/05/my-letter-to-my-representatives.html
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