Speaking out about Israel to save the Jewish soul

Speaking out about Israel to save the Jewish soul Cecilie Surasky 02/01/05 "Jordan Times" Every time a Gazan father faints as he watches his family home demolished; every time a Jew, Muslim or Christian is violently attacked by armed Israelis because they are non-violently protesting the separation wall; every time a rain of Israeli army bullets flies into the body of a young child on her way to school; every time a young Palestinian man is made to play violin by Israeli soldiers, or a pregnant woman dies at a checkpoint, Jews like us must speak out. Remaining silent is no longer an option. We can no longer let our trauma, our deep fear of anti-Jewish hatred implanted in us through generations of persecution, make us remain quiet at the expense of truth. Our continued silence perpetuates the fiction that all Jews are of one mind when it comes to Israel — that we think it can do no wrong; that we believe the Israeli government is innocent of war crimes; that we believe US military support for Israel's illegal occupation is a sign of our special relationship, and not a cynical use of Jewish suffering to provide moral cover for strategic interests in an oil-rich region. Our silence puts us in more danger, not less. Through it, we give our consent not only to the obliteration of the Palestinian people, but to the end of our own people. If not our bodies, then certainly our spirit. Jews like us know in our hearts that every time a Palestinian mother stands sobbing in the road, clutching her children and watching her home being demolished by an Israeli army bulldozer, another brick is dislodged from the edifice of 5,000 years of Jewish values, ethics and justice. We see one of the world's greatest armies cry self defence as it uses tanks, bulldozers and missiles against a poverty stricken civilian population, and we cry inside for the callous manipulation of Jewish fear for the sake of expansionism. We watch images of teenage soldiers who are told they are making Jews safer, shooting at children and young men, tearing up ancient olive trees and destroying entire neighbourhoods. We tremble inside knowing they are only creating a new generation of children whose anger burns so bright that they may one day wear a home-made bomb meant to kill any Jewish man, woman and child. We silently cheer for the rabbi who puts his body in front of a Caterpillar bulldozer to stop it from uprooting olive trees or destroying a home for minor permit violations; the young Israeli conscientious objectors who choose jail over serving in the territories; the Israeli women, many of them older, who spend hot days in the sun monitoring checkpoints in an effort to ensure that the soldiers don't humiliate or torture the Palestinians who must cross them. We cry when we see the myriad ways the occupation has dehumanised the occupier as well as the occupied. And yet, we remain silent, too afraid to speak the words out loud. We say nothing to our families, our friends, our colleagues, our rabbis, our congregations. The truth is that if we don't “come out” about Israel now — speaking openly and clearly about our heartache and outrage, about the injustice we see, the unspeakable wrongness of Israel's pursuit of land over peace — then in the future there will not be a Jewish tradition left to defend. It will have become an empty shell, and all of the infinite good works done every day by Jews throughout time and place will be rendered meaningless by the actions of a state that claims to be a light to the Jewish people, but has become so accustomed to co-creating death and chaos that it can barely claim now to care for its own citizens. How did we become so fearful about calling injustice what it is? Worse, how did, with few notable exceptions, our appointed and de facto leaders become so scared? So lacking the moral courage we desperately need now? Because I work in a Jewish peace organisation, I think I know the answer. More than one rabbi says he supports what we are doing, but he can't help us because his congregation is too conservative. Meanwhile, members of temples report they are too fearful to speak because they believe their rabbi is too conservative. A man in a retirement home where people with hawkish views on Israel dominate calls for help refuses to give his last name for fear of retribution. An employee of a hawkish Jewish community organisation insists that the staff is split between hawks and doves, but many are too intimidated to speak. A Jewish doctor confesses she still hasn't been able to admit to her parents her passionate disagreement with the Israeli government. A rabbi in New York is certain he has lost his job because of a Yom Kippur sermon critical of Israel. A Jewish journalist at a major daily sues because, he says, he is fired for his work against Israel's occupation, and another's Sunday feature story on Jewish peace activists is inexplicably killed two days before publication. An Israeli rabbi who is a world renowned human rights activist frequently meets with Jewish leaders in coffee shops because they are afraid to be seen with him in their offices. The head of a campus Hillel in Virginia is fired because, despite always being balanced at her job, she expressed her personal views to her superiors and to the Israeli embassy. At UC Berkeley, the progressive Jewish student group Tzedek is finally forced to disassociate with the campus Hillel after determining that “the organisation is laden with mechanisms designed to stifle dissent from what it perceives as `mainstream' (Jewish) views about Israel”. And groups like Jewish Voice for Peace, despite having a large membership, are not accepted in mainstream Jewish institutions. On top of it all, we must weather isolation in our own families, and an almost daily barrage of hate messages from other Jews. From fear of being socially shunned, and the systematic pressure campaigns launched a few years ago against most major newspapers for being “anti-Israel”, to the Jewish community council that trained others how to neutralise Jewish peace groups by meeting behind closed doors and using pro-peace buzzwords to co-opt their views, there are all too many examples of the mainstream Jewish community silencing dissent and principled Jews staying in the closet. This phenomenon is all the more puzzling because many would say that questioning and dissent is encoded in Jewish DNA. From Emma Goldman and Saul Alinsky to Betty Freidan, Larry Kramer and refuseniks like Yoni Ben-Artzi, we find a long list of remarkable outspoken Jews whose willingness to stand up for what is right and to question the status quo made history, but also made them enemies. They stand as our heroes not only because of what they achieved, but because of what they faced in order to make all of us better as human beings and citizens of the world. The atmosphere of intimidation in the American Jewish world has had a corrosive effect not just on our families and communities, but on the very tradition which binds us together. We are famous for speaking our minds when we perceive that an injustice is taking place. That is not true when the perpetrator is Israel. Suddenly, we allow our fears of being ostracised from our communities and families to silence us. And as a result, history will show that much of the mainstream Jewish leadership has failed us, and failed us profoundly. Perhaps we will have failed ourselves. But courage does not mean being fearless, it means acting in the face of fear. And Jews like me have to ask: If we no longer stand up for moral courage and call injustice when we see it, regardless of who commits it, then what do we stand for? The writer is the communications director for Jewish Voice for Peace and a New Voices fellow with the Academy of Educational Development. She contributed this article to The Jordan Times.

Do You Get These?

This guy, or girl named Sule Ajara IM'ed me in a Yahoo chat room. Believe it or not, I told the moron that my REAL name was Richard Blaine, as in my hero Humphrey Bogart of Casablanca, and that I was sort of working for the U.S. Government. Still, he/she went and sent the me e mail. Anyway, this is what transpired via my message log. Message Log frannyward (4:41:19 AM): Hello sule_ajara (4:41:52 AM): hi sule_ajara (4:41:52 AM): asl frannyward (4:42:05 AM): 43/male/usa and you? sule_ajara (4:42:20 AM): 44, male, nigeria frannyward (4:42:39 AM): Yo. What u doing in here? sule_ajara (4:42:49 AM): how are u sule_ajara (4:42:59 AM): am here for an important matter sule_ajara (4:43:07 AM): what of u frannyward (4:43:32 AM): Law enforcement.. sule_ajara (4:43:46 AM): are u a lawyer? sule_ajara (4:43:52 AM): or what? frannyward (4:44:05 AM): Nope. I m an electrican sule_ajara (4:44:36 AM): why, law enforcement? frannyward (4:45:07 AM): I also work for a secret United States section of the GSA. frannyward (4:45:25 AM): Looking for suspicious characters frannyward (4:45:28 AM): lol sule_ajara (4:45:38 AM): ok sule_ajara (4:45:42 AM): nice to meet u frannyward (4:45:51 AM): peace you too sule_ajara (4:46:32 AM): but i have an important matter which u might be able to handle because we need secrecy and confidentiality in the business frannyward (4:46:56 AM): Well, I cannot accept that as you see I am held by U.S. statutes sule_ajara (4:47:46 AM): it does not matter, i need a foreign partner preferably from USA because i need to do good investment in USA frannyward (4:48:43 AM): Well as I said eariler I as held by my employer cannot do transactions with forigners. sule_ajara (4:49:21 AM): all i need is your bank account details where the money will be transfered into frannyward (4:49:34 AM): Yeah, ok , sure thing. sule_ajara (4:50:05 AM): the total money involved is US$8.5mllion frannyward (4:50:59 AM): Send it to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, Washington, D.C. Acct # 39330136 Wachovia Bank, Routing # 012364005 C.O. Richard Blaine sule_ajara (4:51:47 AM): no, it is the duty of our bank (African Development Bank) to transfer the money into your bank account frannyward (4:52:08 AM): ok, well do it. I sent you the info. sule_ajara (4:52:09 AM): and u need to apply to our bank for the release and transfer of the money frannyward (4:52:19 AM): Ok, whats the URL? sule_ajara (4:53:20 AM): i want to give u the full details of this business so that u will understand it very well frannyward (4:54:01 AM): Well now the ball is in your court. e mail me all the details at frannyward@yahoo.com and I'll gladly apply. sule_ajara (4:54:24 AM): just wait sule_ajara (4:54:40 AM): i will send the mail to u right now ok frannyward (4:54:42 AM): Ok. Waiting and checking my Yahoo account sule_ajara (4:55:33 AM): and i will also send u the application form so that u will fill it and send to ur bank immediately. i want us to conclude this transaction within 10 working days. frannyward (4:56:42 AM): Ok, I'm still waiting. AND, be sure not to divulge any information to others. That would comprimise our agreement. sule_ajara (4:57:23 AM): what is ur full name frannyward (4:58:52 AM): My "REAL NAME"? Richard Blaine sule_ajara (4:58:54 AM): yes, we must keep this transaction very very secret and confidential at all times, and i want to assure u that this transaction will not affect your job and u must promise me that you will not betray me or disappoint me when this money enters into your bank account sule_ajara (4:59:34 AM): mine is, Sule Ajara sule_ajara (4:59:48 AM): are u married? frannyward (5:00:03 AM): Ok. glad to meet you Sule... Yes, Married sule_ajara (5:00:25 AM): please wait for 3 munites, i will send the mail to u now sule_ajara (5:00:31 AM): just wait for me frannyward (5:00:31 AM): ok sule_ajara (5:01:00 AM): add me to ur lists frannyward (5:13:22 AM): Still waiting for you e mail. Are you messing with me? Please respond... sule_ajara (5:15:48 AM): hello friend sule_ajara (5:15:58 AM): plz give me ur email address again frannyward (5:16:16 AM): frannyward@yahoo.com sule_ajara (5:16:47 AM): ur name sule_ajara (5:16:51 AM): again please frannyward (5:16:59 AM): Richard Blaine frannyward (5:17:22 AM): My Alias is Francis Ward sule_ajara (5:17:35 AM): can u call me so that i can hear ur voice frannyward (5:17:50 AM): No, I don't do Long Distance sule_ajara (5:18:04 AM): why? frannyward (5:18:35 AM): Cause I don't have it on the phone. all my LD contacts are thru e mail. sule_ajara (5:18:58 AM): ok sule_ajara (5:19:13 AM): but we need constant communication in this business frannyward (5:19:39 AM): We can have it through Yahoo IM. If not, then the deal is off. sule_ajara (5:20:08 AM): ok sule_ajara (5:20:17 AM): i have sent the mail to u now check ur email box frannyward (5:20:23 AM): 10 -4 , now off to work for me. And here's the full header e-mail Click Here Sorry thing is, people acually fall for these things! Be forwarned. If it's too good to be true, it probably is. Greed will get you everywhere, yet nowhere. Off to work.

Michael Marcavage Has Morals After All

The Rise of The Homosexual Super Citizen By Justin Darr MichNews.com Jan 24, 2005 "All pigs are created equal, except some pigs are more equal than others" wrote George Orwell in his classic "Animal Farm." While it is always fun poking fun at Stalin being a pig, applying Owellian metaphors to American society will usually do nothing but get a person called "paranoid" by their friends, and a "ranting lunatic" by most others. However, when reality strikes you in the face and the preponderance of evidence is undeniable, the truth is the truth no matter how insane or impossible it may sound. The facts in America today are that homosexuals have been elevated to be America's Super Citizens, above the law to the point where their psychological need for acceptance trounces even the most basic Constitutional rights of others. The Super Citizens have struck their latest blow to our rights in my home state of Pennsylvania, in the well known case of the "Philadelphia 11", or "Philadelphia 5", or the "Philadelphia 4, plus one minor, who despite being ignored by the press is still being prosecuted." Whatever you call it, the situation is the same. Several people are being put on trial for having the audacity to say they believe homosexuality is wrong. Despite what you may have read, this is not a case of judicial activism. Philadelphia Municipal Court Judge William Austin Meehan has a long, solid, history of upholding the letter of the law as it was written. Nor is the problem the law itself. Title 18 of the "Consolidated Pennsylvania Statutes" regarding Crimes and Offenses has no language or penalties that differ greatly from any of the other 49 states. In fact, 18 Pa.C.S. §5504 (e) clearly states that the sections on hate crimes "shall not apply. to any Constitutionally protected activity." A good law, a good judge, and two group of people peacefully assembling to exercise their First Amendment rights. So what went wrong? Nothing except that one of the groups of protestors chose to read Bible verses to America's untouchable elite, homosexual activists. Now, this small group of Christians must face the full wrath of the militant homosexual lobby for infringing on their self created right to be above all reproach. In the America of the homosexual Super Citizen, it does not matter what the law says, how it applies to others, or even the intent of the legislators who wrote it. All that matters is how homosexual activists can twist it to achieve their goal of not just forcing Americans to accept their chosen lifestyle, but it place it and themselves above any criticisms or scrutiny. Homosexuality should not be the equal of traditional heterosexual marriage and families, but its superior. What people chose to do in their bedrooms should be a private matter unless they are homosexual, then their sexual choices should be taught in the public schools, celebrated in the media, and warrant preferential treatment in the workplace. Additionally, all this should be backed with the full force of legislation so if you should choose to speak out against homosexuality, you can face criminal prosecution. However, according to the Super Citizens, the law should only be respected and enforced if it directly benefits them. If the law cannot be twisted to fit their agenda, as in Pennsylvania, then they will break it. Who can forget San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsome tossing aside California law and marrying homosexual couples last year? Rather than Newsome receiving the censure any other elected official would have received for, say ignoring state gun control laws, he was exulted as a hero and those who stood up for the will of the people and rule of law were vilified. Why? Because homosexual activists see themselves as above the law. The duplicity and elitism of the homosexual activists is undeniable. They see the law as something applying to others, but never themselves. Democratic processes are the enemy because the will of the people staunchly opposes the forced indoctrination of their lifestyle on their children, therefore should be ridiculed and ignored. While saying one critical word to them should be met with accusations of intolerance, no degree of intimidation or slander is too outrageous to achieve their goal of using which ever public bathroom they choose. The life blood of a civil society is free speech and respect for the rule of law. Nobody likes to be criticized or have their beliefs questioned, but it is a necessary part of being free. If Americans allow any group to be elevated above the others to the point where saying "I think you are wrong" is a crime, then only a select few will be free and the rest subjugated. We are not saying that homosexuals do not have rights. We are not saying homosexuals should be permitted to be the victims of prejudice or violence. What we are saying is being a homosexual does not make you better than anyone else, and that intimidating or silencing those who disagree with you through legislation is wrong. If anyone sees themselves as a Super Citizen, where their rights supercede those of all others and the law becomes a one sided force for their benefit alone, then our entire democratic society will be lost. I agree 100% with the above thread. I realize that I'll be labeled a "Homophobe" but when my kids are being taught in school that "It's okay that Johhny has two daddies" and "Suzie has two mommies and the new one about Sponge Bob etc,and other unnatural gay bullshit I draw the line with Marcavage. I might not go to heaven in his mind but I DO read the Bible and ask God for forgiveness and the will to do one good deed a day.So there Michael, Am I not on God's list of the redeemed? BTW: To Michael: Enjoy J-Ville, be sure to wear your EAGLES jersey.. And ask God to help them win.

Delaware County Sex Offender

I think that this is an awesome tool for citizens to access. I punched in Delaware County zip codes and viewed at least 6 persons who I went to high school with, neighbors, or people that grew up in Upper Darby. What I already knew was that my neighbor that lives behind me is a child molester and is on the list (19018, Clifton Heights). What gets me is that he "When we moved in in November of 2001" offered to help and although I didn't know it at the time, declined but thanked him anyway. My daughters were at the time 17 and 15. I noticed that he was especially friendly to Natalie, the younger one. Well to make a long story short after I was informed about what he did to his granddaughter I basically told him that I would "$%$&%*&#$^#$^#^#^#^^#^#^ if I caught him even talking to her. He responded with a "I don't know what your talking about" attitude. People like him I believe are mentally sick and either need to be locked up forever, (He got probation and home monitoring) or put down. Parents have enough to worry about these days without worrying what the "Nice Neighbor's " hidden agenda are. Thank God the State of Pennsylvania and the Pennsy State Troopers made this information available. Pedophiles use the internet to trade pictures and videos and to prey on young kids. I monitor my kids internet access through a key logger. They know this and being that they are minors and I am their dad, have to accept it or I will just ban their IP on the Router. Do not rely on Safe Surf or the other garden variety blockers as they are a waste of money. Inspect your kids usage, and most of all, INFORM them of sicko pricks who come off as "nice guys" who are friends in chat rooms. I know I might be sounding paranoid, but children are fragile, and these predators know that.

The Draft: Die in the name of "FREEDOM"

U.S. may run out of reserve troops in a year More U.S.-trained Iraqi forces are needed to ease combat burden By Robert Burns, Associated Press WASHINGTON At the current pace of U.S. deployments to Iraq, the Pentagon may be hard-pressed by next year to provide enough reserve combat troops suitable for the mission, judging from the military services own estimates of available manpower. The notion of running out of reserve troops would have been dismissed only a year ago, but the strain of fighting a longer, harder war than U.S. commanders foresaw is taking a heavy toll on part-time troops of the Army National Guard, Army Reserve and Marine Corps Reserve. The problem may ease if, as the Bush administration hopes, security in Iraq improves substantially this year as more U.S.-trained Iraqi troops join the fight against the insurgency. But few inside the Army think they can count on such an optimistic scenario. Of the 150,000 U.S. troops in Iraq now, nearly 50 percent are from the Guard and Reserve. The National Guard, with a total force of about 350,000 citizen soldiers, says it has about 86,000 available for future deployments to Iraq fewer than it has sent there the past two years. And it has used up virtually all of its most readily deployable combat brigades. In an indication of the concern about a thinning of its ranks, last month the National Guard tripled the re-enlistment bonuses offered to soldiers in Iraq who can fill critical skill shortages. Similarly, the Army Reserve has about 37,500 deployable soldiers left about 18 percent of its total troop strength. The Marine Corps Reserve appears to be in a comparable position because most of its 40,000 troops have been mobilized at least once already. Officials said they have no figures available on how many are available for future deployments to Iraq. Both the Army and the Marines are soliciting reservists to volunteer for duty in Iraq. The reserves are pretty well shot after the Pentagon makes the next troop rotation, starting this summer, said Robert Goldich, a defense analyst at the Congressional Research Service. The mix of troops in the U.S. force rotation now under way in Iraq is about 50 percent active duty and 50 percent reserves. Among the evidence: Of the National Guards 15 best-trained, best-equipped and most ready-to-deploy combat brigades, all but one are either in Iraq now, have demobilized after returning from a one-year tour there or have been alerted for duty in 2005-2006. The exception is the South Carolina National Guards 218th Infantry Brigade, which has not been deployed to Iraq as a full brigade because smaller groups of its soldiers have been mobilized periodically for homeland defense and numerous missions abroad, including Iraq. The Army Reserve, with about 205,000 citizen soldiers on its rolls for support rather than combat duty, has been so heavily used since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks that, for practical purposes, it has only about 37,500 troops available to perform the kinds of missions required in Iraq, according to an internal briefing chart titled, Whats Left in the Army Reserve? The chief of the Army Reserve, Lt. Gen. James Helmly, recently advised other Army leaders that his citizen militia is in grave danger of being unable to meet all its operational responsibilities. He said the Reserve is rapidly degenerating into a broken force. But that is set to change to 70 percent active and 30 percent reserve for the rotation after that, beginning this summer, because combat-ready Guard units have been tapped out. Thus, two active-duty Army divisions that have already served one-year tours in Iraq the 101st Airborne and the 4th Infantry have been selected to return in the coming rotation. The 1st Marine Expeditionary Force already is on its second tour in Iraq. The original expectation, after the fall of Baghdad in April 2003, was that a troop withdrawal could begin within weeks. But an unanticipated insurgency lethal and resilient changed the picture and led to stress the Army faces today. In some respects, the use of Army and Marine reservists in Iraq has been a success story. Goldich, the defense analyst, said their performance has generally been excellent. Commanders sing their praise. Yet there is a limit to the reserves resources, and the limit may be nearing. Its not the absolute number of reservists that poses a problem. Its the number who have the right skills for what is required in Iraq and who have not already served lengthy tours on active duty since President Bush authorized the Pentagon three days after the Sept. 11 attacks to mobilize as many as 1 million reservists for up to 24 months. A portion of the best-trained reservists are approaching the 24-month limit, and some senior officials inside the Army are considering whether the limit should be redefined so that mobilizations over the past three years would, in effect, not count against the 24-month limit. My take on this: So just when does this draft take place? How many thousands of young men and women do you have to see with amputations and trama until you start to protest this "War"? How do you feel about this? Willing to serve? Willing to have your children drafted and sent to Iraq? For what! A war to pump oil to Israel? That's what this war is all about and was about from the beginning. Iran will be next. I remember November 1979, when American Hostages from the American embassy were held for over a year. "Nightline" with Ted Koppel was a household name because of it. Reagan made a deal with the Iranians to hold the last 52 until he was inaugurated, January 20th,1981. But atleast DIPLOMACY was used to solve this crisis, not "Shock & Awe"! As a Republican I am finding it more and more harder to accept what Washington is doing in the name of "Freedom". God Bless our troops for putting up with shit from Civies who seal their fate from Washington.I know that if the draft is reinstated, my children will NOT be going to serve and die for Israel. America does not need to police the world. Diplomacy should be the number one action taken. But they, (The Government and big greedy corporations)Cannot. You see, there is MONEY to be made. America thrives on war and big profit margins.. Some will say, Your doing alright, so why are you bitching? Because I as a parent do not like to see young kids used as "babysitters" with M249's having to "protect" oil lines that do not serve America. Iraq and that CIA puppet/pawn Saddam had absolutely nothing to do with September 11th. Most people from Delaware County believe that he did, mainly because of the news media. As Major Strasser said: "In Casablanca, human life is cheap". In Iraq, it's a bargain.

The Eagles Are Going To The Super Bowl

I am so happy about this that I could cry! After years and years of frustration and disapointment Philly fans finally have their Eagles heading to J-Ville. To all the nay sayers out there who doubted them, (Yes, I did at the beginning of the season,)Poo on you. The revenue that Philadelphia and the sorounding counties will generate can only add to the excitement. Go EAGLES! On a sad note, Johnny Carson has passed away. I remember watching him religiously and enjoyed them. I went out and bought his 4 part series on "The Tonight Show" several years ago and intend on watching them again soon. Johnny made stars out of many people, including Jay Leno, David Letterman, Bette Midler, and a slew of others. RIP John.

Let It Snow

AMERICA - THE FATHERLAND IT HAPPENED BEFORE, IN HITLER'S GERMANY By: Al Cronkrite The similarities between America at the turn of the Century and Germany in the 1930s are stunning, frightening, and unprecedented. They offer an apodictic history lesson of perils, present and future. The American press and media have for several decades been lap dogs of the pernicious policies and apparent totalitarian intentions of our government. In spite of heavy Jewish control of our newspapers, television, and movies and the genocide suffered by their near relatives, the owners of these public voices have consistently failed to warn us of the dangers that lie ahead. Like America, Germany, before the rise of the Nazi government, was a democratic republic, Field Marshall Paul von Hindenburg was President, and Adolph Hitler was a boisterous politician with some disreputable associates and a gift for oratory. In the March 1932 presidential election Hitler ran second to von Hindenburg with a mere 30.1 percent of the vote. However, there were two other minor candidates and von Hindenburg’s 49.6 percent set up a mandated run-off. The run-off gave Hindenburg 53 percent and Hitler 36.8 percent. The National Socialist Party (Nazi) did better in the ensuing congressional election garnering 230 Reichstag seats out of a possible 608. The 230 seats made it Germany’s largest political party and granted Hitler new political clout. On July 27th, 1932, four days before the election, Hitler attracted some 60 thousand listeners in Brandenburg and Potsdam and 220 thousand 120 thousand inside and 100 thousand outside) at Grunewald Stadium in Berlin. By November 1932, gridlocks in the Reichstag forced new elections; the Nazis lost seats but remained the largest political party. Hitler asked von Hindenburg to appoint him Chancellor. Hindenburg refused. Franz von Papen whom Hindenburg had appointed Chancellor in June of 1932 was a farcical individual and under his leadership the Reichstag remained in chaos and deadlock. In an effort to remedy the situation von Hindenburg appointed army General Kurt von Schleicher who, unable to gain a majority coalition, resigned after 57 days. On January 10th, 1933, President von Hindenburg appointed Hitler Chancellor. The following month in February, 1933, a fire at the Reichstag building resulted in the arrest of a Dutch Communist name Marinus van der Lubbe and an blustery assertion by the new Chancellor and his associates that Communist terrorists had begun the revolution and were planning to burn buildings, museums, mansions, and industrial plants. It was shrilly proclaimed that women and children might be murdered, private property endangered and the health and welfare of the peaceful population put at risk. Hitler persuaded President Hindenburg to issue a decree "For the Protection of the People and the State". The decree suspended constitutional guarantees of civil liberties by calling for "Restrictions on personal liberty, on the right of free expression of opinion, including freedom of the press; on the rights of assembly and association; and violations of the privacy of postal, telegraph and telephonic communications; and warrants for house searches, orders for confiscations as well as restrictions on property, are also permissible beyond the legal limits prescribed." Two weeks after the Reichstag fire on March 23, 1933, Hitler went to the Reichstag and secured an overwhelming vote to suspend the Constitution freeing him to be dictator of Germany. The existing judicial system with its independent judges was quickly replaced with controllable courts overseen by trustworthy party members whose job it was to protect and enforce the new regime Hitler had made no secret of his hatred for Jews and in 1935 the Nuremberg laws were enacted legalizing anti-Semitism. The most frightening corollary between Hitler’s Germany and Bush’s America involves the reactions of the citizens. Bernard Weiner in a review of German author Sebastian Haffner’s book, "Defying Hitler" records the following in regard to the German people: "Given their built-in weakness and their willingness to swallow the most outrageous Big Lies emanating from the propaganda ministry and the media, most Germans were fruit waiting to be plucked by the Nazi harvesters. ‘They still fall for anything. After all that, I do not see that one can blame the majority of Germans who, in 1933, believed that the Reichstag fire was the work of the Communists. [The Parliament burned down and a convenient Communist arsonist was fingered, which the Nazis used as the excuse to unleash police-state tactics against all opponents.] What one can blame them for, and what shows their terrible collective weakness of character clearly for the first time during the Nazi period, is that this settled the matter. With sheepish submissiveness the German people accepted that, as a result of the fire, each one of them lost what little personal freedom and dignity was guaranteed by the constitution; as though it followed as a necessary consequence.’" Sebastian Haffner lived in German under the Nazi regime "Defying Hitler", published in 2000, is a post humus publication found in his files following his death at the age of 91. America is rife with similarities to Nazi Germany. The Reichstag fire was allowed to go forward and loudly blamed on Communist terrorist-conspirators in order to frighten the people into accepting suspension of the Constitution in much the same way the 9/11 episode has been used to override much of our own Constitution. Devvy Kidd has written a review of a new book by Michael Ruppert entitled "Crossing the Rubicon" that documents suspected government complicity in the 9/11 tragedy. Hitler received some support for all classes of Germans but his largest voting block was among rural Protestant Christians. The situation in America is some different but the present regime has been able to gain the backing of large numbers of Protestant Evangelical Christians. In reviewing a new book by Daniel J. Flynn entitled "Moronic Intellectuals" Thomas DiLorenzo writes "Carefully surveying many of Strauss’s writings, Flynn notes that although he was an atheist and "scoffed at the idea of God," he nevertheless thought that appeals to religion could be helpful in duping naïve Christians, especially, into going along with his interventionist foreign policy agenda. It seems to have worked, since ‘evangelical Christians’ are among the most bloodthirsty warmongers in American society today." There is an interesting parallel between Hitler’s anti-Semitism and America’s denigration of the Arabs. Again, it is not exactly the same but Israeli and American hatred of Islam and willingness to see Arab men, women, and children killed in an illegal war bears a considerable resemblance to the general anti-Semitic sentiments in 1930s Germany. Another familiar excuse for membership in an aberrant political party was that it might allow reform of the Nazi Party. This mindset was prominent among intellectuals. How many thousands of American citizens and political hacks maintain membership in the Republican Party with the vain intention of returning it to Conservative Constitutionalism? Though real anti-Semitism is rare in America there is a direct corollary concerning the success and affluence of Jews and their equal success and affluence in 1930s Germany. In Germany Jews were resented and Lutheran Protestants had the vehement anti-Semitic writings of Martin Luther to re-enforce their sentiments. The misgivings that hung on as the Nazi regime came to power, the lose of personal freedom, the police state restrictions, murder, and genocide began to be offset by victories on the battlefield, by order in the economy, and realization that most Germans who conformed and did not resist were allowed to live orderly lives without government interference. Those who were involved in the regime itself - the magistrates, the law enforcement officials, and the soldiers were intent on their own careers and conformed to the orders they were given. The massacres that occurred in Nazi Germany and on a much smaller scale in America at the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas in April, 1993, were not carried our by crazed or mentally unbalanced individuals; the murders were committed by normal citizens acting as comrades with the approval of the governments that employed them. On a CD entitled "The Rebirth of Tyranny in America" Attorney Gerry Spence talks about the rank dishonesty and misuse of power in the FBI’s conduct of the Randy Weaver case. Spence is a superb trial lawyer and his rendition is spellbinding. During the trial, FBI agents manipulated evidence, made false statements, and were proven to have used criminal procedures all in an effort to convict an innocent man. When the criminal behavior was specified the FBI agents involved received perfunctory punishments; one of the key men received a promotion. Government operatives who committed crimes against those they are paid to serve are freed and rewarded while innocent citizens who pay for their service are illegally hounded, persecuted and killed with impunity. Spence calls it tyranny and it is but a short hop from the atrocities of Nazi Germany. There was heavy pragmatic support for policies that German citizens knew in their hearts were evil. As in America, the propriety of the programs was judged by consequences. German society was predominantly secular and the propensity of human reason to equate virtue with success clouded thought. Citizens, unwilling to accept and face reality, began to live in a dream world. Americans are similarly afflicted. Christians are lawless and willing to forgo freedom and place their trust in a dishonest secular government living with the dream that it is the will of God prior to the end times. Intellectuals and the secular cadre that conduct the everyday business in America are without an immutable legal structure and hampered by the limited capacity of human reason. Their pragmatic approach allows ever increasing barbarism as a means to their ends. It was the same in Germany. The wholesale murder of the helpless did not begin immediately .Priortothe1940s it was brutality,injustice,and an occasional murder. But as tyranny matured it became wholesale murder and genocide. Americans are willing to allow our government to murder over eighty men, women, and children at Waco and condone the passing of a freedom robbing Patriots Act, written and waiting to be passed when citizens and legislators were stampeded by fear. Such precedents provide a dire prescience. Americans have become used to illegal searches and freedom robbing law enforcement. The airports subject every passenger to personal indignities and our police officers regularly stop innocent citizens and demand their acquiescence which if not given will result in brutal incapacitation, handcuffs, and a jail cell. The death of a police officer is treated as more important than the death of one of the citizens they are hired to serve. Vindictive brutality is common. Hitler was intent on creating a German Empire by conquest while America has created an empire by stealth. The Nazis in Germany were responsible for the deaths of millions of innocent citizens. Although their conquest was overt it went on for an extended period before the wrath of other nations set them against it. America’s conquest has been more subtle and to this point substantial opposition has been confined to the overt invasion of Iraq. Human casualties have already accumulated but if the present course continues, and it appears nothing will prevent it, they will increase to massive proportions. Most disturbing is the lack of a moral compass in our plan for world hegemony. Rumsfeld and the Straussian based Neo-Con cabal who fashion our foreign policies make their decisions with consequential pragmatism. Human lives mean little. Former Secretary of State, Madeline Albright, was quoted as stating that our policies in Iraq were worth the deaths of half a million children. This humanistic, callous disregard for life is identical to the thought that pervaded Hitler’s Third Reich! Many of us who have spent the time to understand what is happening in America and who write about it have found ourselves isolated and scorned by family and often by friends. Dissent in times of despotic peril is not popular. Citizens want to trust their government and therein lies much of the problem. Our Founders were wise in regard to government; they distrusted it and made every attempt to curtail its growth. This wisdom is gone and has been replaced with an inordinate dependence. It is a dysfunctional relationship in which the head has become the foot. The heroes of history are often oddities to their contemporaries. Jacob Hornberger of the Future of Freedom Foundation has written a review of "The White Rose" entitled a "Lesson In Dissent". The White Rose is the story of a group of young academics who sacrificed their lives to resist the evils of Hitler’s Germany. Robert Scholl was the father of brother and sister, Hans and Sophie Scholl, both involved in the movement, he despised Hitler and though his children had joined the Hitler youth and might have had him arrested he was able to convince them of the evil that was progressing and they in turn were the impetus that began a pamphlet resistance. It is a touching story of bravery and self sacrifice, a real life story of "give me freedom or give me death". However, the resistance was not organized. The Scholls and their brave little group acted with no outside support. Most Protestant ministers offered little resistance. More Catholics ended up in the concentration camps than Protestants. The general population was submissive and many were supportive. America has an almost identical pattern! As we approach the presidential election we need to understand that it makes no difference which of the two political parties wins the election the slide into tyranny will continue unabated. The powers that promote it have firm control of the majority of our elected officials including our Presidents. Fighting the monster is a lonely venture with frustration certain and martyrdom possible. "Published originally at EtherZone.com : republication allowed with this notice and hyperlink intact."

The Keyword Effect

Mention Pearle, WHYY, and Bush whle throwing a rant will get google and others to take notice..

Iraq is lost President Bush.. Now GTFO NOW!

Why I Refused 2nd Deployment to Iraq by Sgt. Kevin Bendermen Sergeant Kevin Bendermen First a brief forward from POAC co-editor Jack Dalton. I received an email a few moments ago from Kevin’s wife Monica. In it she has told me a total of 22 people in Sgt Benderman’s unit have refused to deploy to Iraq. 17 have gone AWOL and 2 have attempted suicide. The status of the remaining 3 is unknown at this time. We at the POAC fully support the decision to refuse deployment to Iraq which has been made by Sgt Benderman, and the others in his unit. I am Sgt Kevin Benderman and: These are the chronological events that led me to conclude that I had no other choice than to refuse the deployment order to Iraq. I was deployed to Iraq in March 2003 and returned in September 2003; while I was there I was with the 1st Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division. We staged our vehicles in Kuwait and then proceeded to move out into Iraq. We were carried on the back of heavy equipment transporters to about fifty miles south of Baghdad and then we downloaded the vehicles. We were in the vehicles while they were on the trucks, which I thought was a little odd considering that in the garrison environment those types of actions are considered unsafe and are therefore not allowed. During the road march north through the country I saw the effects of what war does to people, those effect are such; homes were bombed, people were living in mud huts, people were obtaining their drinking water from mud puddles along the side of the road and were catching rain in buckets when it did rain, they begged us for food and water and we had enough, we would share it with the people that were there, the kids looked especially hungry and thirsty. The commander told us to stop giving the people food because they would get food from other sources after the trucks started bringing in relief supplies. Somewhere along the route there was this one woman standing along side the road with a young girl of about 8 or 9 years old and the little girl’s arm was burned all the way up her shoulder and I don’t mean just a little blistered, I mean she had 3rd degree burns the entire length of her arm and she crying in pain because of the burns. I asked the troop executive officer if we could stop and help the family and I was told that the medical supplies that we had were limited and that we may need them, I informed him that I would donate my share to that girl but we did not stop to help her. When we were there, the command elements ordered the unit to perform all types of actions that are considered unsafe to soldiers, such as, having military vehicle maintenance personnel retrieve missiles that were present in our area of operations using a M88 recovery vehicle and transport them to sites to be destroyed by the explosive ordnance personnel. They also ordered mortar personnel to enter into a compound that held various types of munitions that the Iraqi army had left behind and to load these munitions onto trucks. When these personnel were not working fast enough for the 1SG he ordered them to throw the mortar rounds onto the trucks whereupon one of rounds exploded and inflicted shrapnel wounds on two soldiers. We were using an old custom building that was located in the middle of the town that we were in for the troop HQ and naturally that attracted the attention of the local populace. Small children would come up to the wall that surrounded the place before we had a chance to apply concertina wire along the top of the wall and they would toss small pebbles at us inside the walls. We would tell the children to get down from the wall and leave the area, one day the troop commander saw us telling the children top get down from the wall and he told everyone there that if the children came back at any time after that to shoot them if they were to climb back onto the wall. I was in charge of a group of soldiers that were in their late teens through their early twenties and I had to constantly tell them to keep their heads down because they thought that the war was like the video games that they played back at the barracks. War is not like that at all and until you have the misfortune to engage in it for yourself you cannot begin to understand how insane it all is. There are no restart buttons on reality and that is why I cannot figure out why now we are pursuing such a policy in this day and age. War should be relegated to the shelves of history, as was human sacrifice. If you stop to think about it you become aware that war is just human sacrifice. There is no honor in killing as many as you can as quickly as you can. We, in America refer to ourselves as civilized and people from other countries still living the simple life are backwards and un-civilized, but what is civil about the capability to create atomic weapons? What is civil about being able to kill over 100,000 people with just one bomb? We may be more technologically advanced but are we more civilized? I think the answer is no. War has to be considered the absolute enemy of mankind. Where we would be without it? I would presume that we as a nation would be out of debt if we were to apply as much energy to pursuing sound economics as we do pursuing war, we would never get sick if we spent as much on preventive medicine as we do on war, the elderly would get affordable prescription medication if we were to use the resources that are spent on war to work for that purpose, there would not be un educated children if we were to buy new classrooms and books for schools instead of new weapons systems, social security would be a lot more secure with some of the money that war costs. Why do we want to train the young people in the world that the only way we can settle our differences is to kill one another? Why shouldn’t we train them to become surgeons or homebuilders? Why shouldn’t we train to become anything but killers? I think that the world would be better off if we were to do that instead. I have talked to veterans from every war from WWII on and their opinion is that the wars they fought were to be the last war ever fought. How many more are we going to fight before we realize that the act of war is for small minded people that are intent in only satisfying their own needs and not the needs of the people in general? I do not want to be killed because I am living in a place that has a ruler that wants to go to war with any one. The only way to bring peace to the world is to let the people of the world decide for themselves what they want to spend their efforts on. I feel that in this day and age governments start wars, and not people, and since the governments want the wars then why don’t we let the government fight the war? All of the politicians that want to fight a war are free to trade places with me at any time. I will gladly go and learn war no more. There are activities that I have been involved in that have led me to these new and developed beliefs, and they are numerous but I can tell you some of them. When you walk in the woods and you see a deer stand and look at you, or you are on the river in the morning and the mist rises off the water while you hear the morning calls of the river birds, and the otters just lie there as you glide past in your boat and don’t even move, you know that there is a better way. When you can find solitude in the woods that are so filled with peace and the wildlife that is all around you, you feel the better way all around. A person must acknowledge the fact the we are a part of the universe and the universe does not want to be out of sorts with itself, so why do we spend so much effort on trying to be out of sorts with others of the human race? I have been to the war zone and I have seen the devastation it causes. Why can’t everyone agree that war is the most repugnant of all human endeavors? Why is it considered noble to be able to look through the sights of a rifle and kill another human being from 300 meters away? Why are you a hero if you can throw a hand grenade farther than the next guy in the foxhole? Shouldn’t these young men and women that are in the army be throwing footballs or baseballs or softballs instead? It would impress me a lot more to see someone make the winning free throw at the basketball game or kick the winning extra point at the football game, or knock in the winning run at the World Series than to see them be able to shoot more humans from 300 hundred meters. I would rather they spend their time at the golf course or the tennis courts or in college, any where but in the war zone trying to survive and having to kill to do it. It just doesn’t make sense to me. A Brief History of Sgt Kevin Benderman’s Military Service I first entered the army on 27 Jan 1987 and received basic training at Ft. Bliss, TX. I received advanced individual training at Ft. Sam Houston, TX. My military occupational specialty was designated as 91R10 Veterinary Food Inspection Specialist which is basically the equivalent to a U.S.D.A Food Inspector. My first duty assignment was Ft. Leavenworth, Ks. Where I worked in the commissary and my duties included; inspecting poultry and dairy products, fresh fruits and vegetables, canned goods, and the general sanitation of the facility. My mission was to ensure the health of the soldiers. Was a part if the United States Army Medical Dept. Activity or USA MEDDAC. I received an Army Achievement Medal while serving on the unit fund counsel, which utilized funds, raised through various activities to help provide for soldiers that were not able to get home during Christmas. I received another AAM for assisting during an increased workload due to personnel shortages during the Persian Gulf War. I also received my first Good Conduct Medal during this enlistment. I received an honorable discharge from the Army after the Persian Gulf War on 24 Apr 1991. I re-entered the Army 26 Jun 2000 and was awarded the MOS of 63M10, which is a Bradley Fighting Vehicle mechanic. Re-took basic training at Ft. Knox, KY and went the US Army Armor School at Ft. Knox, KY Received AAM for being honor graduate from the Class. First duty assignment after completion of training was Ft. Hood, TX. Unit was 1st Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division. Also known as the Buffalo Soldiers. Went to Iraq with the 4th I.D. in March 2003 returned to Ft. Hood Sep 2003. Re-enlisted with choice of duty station of Ft. Stewart, GA. ARMY AWARDS RECEIVED INCLUDE TWO ARMY COMMENDATION MEDALS, 4 ARMY ACHIEVEMENT MEDALS, 3 GOOD CONDUCT MEDALS, 2 NATIONAL DEFENSE SERVICE MEDALS, And ONE GLOBAL WAR ON TERRORISM SERVICE MEDAL. RECEIVED NUMEROUS LETTERS OF COMMENDATION. RECEIVED COMBAT LIFESAVER CERTIFICATION, WAS CHOSEN TO BE THE STUDENT 1ST SGT OF THE PRIMARY LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT COURSE OUT OF FOUR HUNDRED STUDENTS. You may contact Sgt Benderman thru the Project for the Old American Century at http://www.oldamericancentury.org/index.htm All mail be forwarded directly to him. Just make sure to put his name in the subject line. www.oldamericancentury.org/voices_004.htm

THE GHOST FROM VALLEY FORGE

I had a dream the other night I didn't understand, A figure walking through the mist, with flintlock in his hand. His clothes were torn and dirty, as he stood there by my bed, He took off his three-cornered hat, and speaking low he said: We fought a revolution to secure our liberty, We wrote the Constitution, as a shield from tyranny. For future generations, this legacy we gave, In this, the land of the free and home of the brave. The freedom we secured for you, we hoped you'd always keep, But tyrants labored endlessly while your parents were asleep. Your freedom gone - your courage lost - you're no more than a slave, In this, the land of the free and the home of the brave. You buy permits to travel, and permits to own a gun, Permits to start a business, or to build a place for one. On land that you believe you own, you pay a yearly rent, Although you have no voice in choosing how the money's spent. Your children must attend a school that doesn't educate, Your moral values can't be taught, according to the state. You read about the current "news" in a very biased press, You pay a tax you do not owe, to please the IRS. Your money is no longer made of silver or of gold, You trade your wealth for paper, so life can be controlled. You pay for crimes that make our Nation turn from God to shame, You've taken Satin's number, as you've traded in your name. You've given government control to those who do you harm, So they can padlock churches, and steal the family farm. And keep our country deep in debt, put men of God in jail, Harass your fellow countryman while corrupted courts prevail. Your public servants don't uphold the solemn oath they're sworn, Your daughters visit doctors so children won't be born. Your leaders ship artillery and guns to foreign shores, And send your sons to slaughter, fighting other people's wars. Can you regain your Freedom for which we fought and died? Or don't you have the courage, or the faith to stand with pride? Are there no more values for which you'll fight to save? Or do you wish your children live in fear and be a slave? Sons of the Republic, arise and take a stand! Defend the Constitution, the Supreme Law of the Land! Preserve our Republic, and each God-given right! And pray to God to keep the torch of freedom burning bright! As I awoke he vanished, in the mist from whence he came, His words were true, we are not free, and we have ourselves to blame. For even now as tyrants trample each God-given right, We only watch and tremble -- too afraid to stand and fight. If he stood by your bedside in a dream while you're asleep, And wonder what remains of your right he fought to keep. What would be your answer if he called out from the grave? Is this still the land of the free and home of the brave? Think REAL hard.. YOUR future depends upon it! I know I have!