HAMISH ROBERTSON: Events in Moscow last week pointed to some strange conundrums in the Russian capital.

Why are some public buildings unable to bear the weight of snow in a city renowned for its severe winters, and why are Muscovites frantically stockpiling salt?

But in the past couple of weeks, salt has been disappearing from the shops, as Russians engage in a frenzy of panic buying.

As Emma Griffiths reports, the causes of this salt-scare are difficult to trace.

Nikolay is an elderly man carrying his shopping bags of cabbages. He has his theory.

“Zionists have triggered this crisis,” he says. “They’ve taken over the country and are now trying to arrange a salt crisis like they did before perestroika, when there were shortages of tobacco and washing powder. They do it all deliberately.”

So, we, the Jooz, have been caught again. Just in two short weeks we have:

• Blown up a famous mosque
• Spread the bird flu over half a world
• Incarcerated a saint of all Aryan people (and some non-Aryan I could mention, but wouldn’t - they are too sensitive lately), using Aryans to do so too
• Buried some nuclear dump over all the Muslim countries (the last time I am using the d-word for the next month or two, I swear!)
• And now, like babies, we are so easily caught stealing salt

OK, fine, time to ‘fess up. You see, we have made a terrible mistake, filling up most of the Dead Sea with crude oil. It’s right that we have now more oil than we’ll ever know what to do with. But the main source of the world salt is gone. Finished, kaput! Even if we ever get a way to dig the salt out, it will be so permeated by oil, no one will agree to lick it. Ever.

So, of course, our emissaries are buying up the salt all over the globe. Then we’ll start reselling it, and believe me, what you ever called the oil crisis will be a joke in comparison.

Hat tip: Judeosphere

Cross-posted on SimplyJews

Hi there, it’s your old friend Laurence Simon, and it’s time for another cra-

Wait a minute. This is Yourish.com, not IMAO.

Anyway, I figured I’d start things off here at Yourish.com with an oldie but goodie, the annual “Jews are dumping nuclear waste on holy Arab lands” gag, this time courtesy of those wacky fun-loving Syrians putting the “HA!” into Ha’aretz:

Syrian Ambassador Bashar Ja’afari told the 65-nation Conference on Disarmament that all Arab states were committed to creating a zone in the Middle East free of weapons of mass destruction.

“However, Israel, which has unambiguous support from major nuclear weapon states, continues to reject the will of the international community and dumps its nuclear waste in the Syrian Golan Heights,” said Ja’afari, the first speaker in Tuesday’s session.

Oh, you mean the same nuclear waste that the palestinians constantly accused Israel of dumping in Gaza? Wait… hold on… I’m sorry… I mean Jordan. Or did I mean West Bank?

Aha! I know… it’s not the Chinese dumping the sludge in Tibet, but Israel!

Man, that’s a lot of nuclear waste being dumped everywhere in the dead of night by those pesky Jews. How an earth do they manufacture so much to bury everywhere?

While y’all go out and get the batteries changed in your BS Detectors, let’s just play Syria’s game for funsies…

What? It was an accident? Oh, come on now. It can’t just be a coincidence that NASA didn’t fly the shuttle again until after Old Napkinhead kicked the bucket and got planted in the Mukatah’s parking lot. There’s got to be a conspiracy somewhere to explain everything.

As the great philosopher Clavin once said “They lie, I lie.”

(That’s Calvin as in Calvin and Hobbes, not John Calvin)

March 15 is just over two weeks away, so fire up those grills and ovens and get ready to eat meat for a good cause: To piss off PETA (history here).

Lair Simon has created a website where you can list your local gathering for others to join you.

I’m going to be at the Royal Dragon kosher Chinese restaurant in Rockville, MD on March 12 at 4 p.m. If you want a late lunch or early dinner, join me. RSVP via email so I can give them a count, or RSVP in these comments.

On the 15th, I’ll be joining Sarah and the kids — perhaps the entire family — for yummy cow, or tasty chicken. Maybe we’ll go to Brock’s BBQ for dinner. Hey, maybe Harrison could meet up with us.

I’ve put my March 12th gathering up. If the 15th gels into concrete plans, I’ll put that one up as well. C.J., if you’re still out there, you’re welcome to join us.

Lynn B. is in Israel this week, that lucky person, and she sent me an email that I simply have to share with you all:

Went to the Wall yesterday — a gorgeous sunny day (temperatures are running in the 60s and 70s here during the day but still cold at night) and they were having a swearing in ceremony for several hundred new soldiers who had just finished basic training. Quite impressive. They give each one of them a gun and a Tanach. Only in Israel.

Yes. Only in Israel. Am Yisrael Chai!

This analysis of Hamas’ election victory by Mark Lavie, who has been writing for the AP for years, deserves to be widely distributed.

It’s one of the few analyses that explicitly states Hamas will never — never – moderate, and it’s written by a man who was there at the birth of the organization.

My suggestion: Send the URL to your local newspaper and see if they’re interested in reprinting it. It deserves wide distribution.

It deserves to be on the op-ed pages of every major newspaper in America.

Now, nearly two decades later, Hamas has surprised itself and won a parliamentary election, putting itself in the position of official power in the West Bank and Gaza. And now the world is wondering – do they really mean all that?

The charter is not an old, dusty document written by an idealistic founding generation to be memorized in classrooms but forgotten in practice, like the Declaration of Independence. Most of the people who wrote it are still around (some have been assassinated by Israel). The charter guides them because it sums up their core beliefs.

But they are patient. They acknowledge that there is a powerful state of Israel, and they are relatively weak. They offer Israel a long-term cease-fire if it will just get out of all of the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem. The Palestinians would establish a state there and bide their time until the inevitable victory of their brand of Islam:

“The time will not come until Muslims will fight the Jews and kill them; until the Jews hide behind rocks and trees, which will cry: O Muslim! there is a Jew hiding behind me, come on and kill him!”

The deepest-held beliefs of Hamas dictate Israel’s destruction. It’s just a matter of timing.

Distribute this widely, please.

Welcome, Instapundit readers: Please send the URL of the article to your local newspapers. Just cut and paste:
http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/journalgazette/news/editorial/13964502.htm

Also, feel free to look around while you’re here.

The Unbelievable Nincompoops came up with a scoop: it appears that security measures interfere with normal day-to-day life of people. Wow, what a discovery!

“Israel’s tightening of security procedures has exacted a heavy humanitarian toll in the territories since the Palestinian parliamentary elections last month, according to a United Nations report obtained by Haaretz on Monday.”

So the report links the security measures with the Palestinian parliamentary elections. So far so good. But then comes an example of these barbarous security measures:

“Israel’s three-week closure of the Karni crossing, the primary artery used to transport commercial supplies to and from the Gaza Strip, resulted in an estimated loss of $10.5 million, the agency said.”

“The UN says the closure of Karni forced the Palestinians to shut down all Gaza Strip flour mills and, as a consequence, led to the depletion of wheat grain stocks.”

And what, pray, caused the closure of the above mentioned crossing? Was it because of the above mentioned elections really? Or, maybe, just maybe, because of these three “civilians” with Kalashnikovs and hand grenades that tried to shoot their way through that crossing just before the closure?

And some optimists say that there are limits to stupidity…

Cross-posted on SimplyJews

The LA Times editorial writers are utterly blind on the subject of Hamas. Please tell me that Michael Kinsley has nothing to do with this drivel:

On Hamas, patience
MAKING THE TRANSITION from critic to participant is always difficult. Leaders of Hamas, after their shocking win in Palestinian elections last month, find themselves undergoing just such a transformation. As they try to assemble a working government, all parties in the Middle East will need to resist the temptation not just of violence but of impatience.

Really? Patience? For what? To wait for Hamas to fully arm their “soldiers” (they did call for an army, don’t forget)? To wait for the first successful suicide bombing in Israel since Hamas was elected? For Hamas to stop lying to the press about negotiating with Israel? Oh, wait, they already have. The press just ignores it.

(more…)

Just want to let you folks know that you’re probably going to want to read the byline carefully before commenting on posts here now. I’ve just given posting access to a couple more people, including one of my oldest (and craziest) blog buddies, Lair Simon.

I forgot to tell Lair to watch his language here. Or, as the Mayor in Bye Bye Birdie The Music Man said, “Watch your phraseology!”

Well, hey. I have to give you folks a little more to read while I’m busy at my new job.

(SOAP. I had to learn SOAP. Yeesh. Well, at least now I know what it’s for.)

Say, while I’m thinking of it: Any topics you’d like me to work on for next week’s podcast?

When an AP editor gets hold of one.

Observe:

Saudi Forces Kill 5 Suspected Militants
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) - Saudi security forces shot and killed five militants the government said Monday were suspects in last week’s foiled suicide bombing of a huge oil processing complex in the kingdom’s east. Security forces detained a sixth militant who was not harmed in one of two…

Saudi Forces Kill Five Terror Suspects photo
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) - Saudi security forces on Monday shot dead five suspected terrorists believed to be involved in a foiled attack on the world’s biggest oil processing complex, the Saudi Interior Ministry said. A sixth suspect was arrested. The shootings came after security forces…

Screenshot to come tonight. Lunch hours are too short to use image editors.

When Mark Steyn stops with the juvenile wisecracks, he can make remarkable sense.

What, in the end, are all these supposedly unconnected matters from Danish cartoons to the murder of a Dutch filmmaker to gender-segregated swimming sessions in French municipal pools about? Answer: sovereignty. Islam claims universal jurisdiction and always has. The only difference is that they’re now acting upon it. The signature act of the new age was the seizure of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran: Even hostile states generally respect the convention that diplomatic missions are the sovereign territory of their respective countries. Tehran then advanced to claiming jurisdiction over the citizens of sovereign states and killing them — as it did to Salman Rushdie’s translators and publishers. Now in the cartoon jihad and other episodes, the restraints of Islamic law are being extended piecemeal to the advanced world, by intimidation and violence but also by the usual cooing promotion of a spurious multicultural “respect” by Bill Clinton, the United Church of Canada, European foreign ministers, etc.

Islam is not a religion of peace. Its name means “submission.” Islam is a religion of conquest. And the much of the west is lying down and playing dead.

The Mohammed cartoons should be published in every newspaper in America and the free west, on the same day. Every damned last one of them. The fact that they’re on blogs isn’t nearly as significant as it would be to see these cartoons in the pages of the New York Times.

As it is only too well known, Moses, aside of his sterling qualities as a spiritual leader of our people, decision maker, confidant of the Creator, etc., was not a very successful tour guide. To start with the unfortunate necessity to part the Red Sea waters, caused by a simple navigation mistake (holding the map upside down), the 40 years of wandering in the desert and the choice of the location for the settlement…

Not only is the location a bit on the poor side where the milk is concerned and not precisely the world empire of honey, but, ironically, being in the middle of the most oil-infested area in the world, it does not have any oil to speak about.

But now, after ten years of clandestine and dangerous work, the pioneering horizontal drilling project is finished, and Israel became the world leading oil producer!

In this picture you can see a seemingly innocent drilling rig on unspecified location near Eilat.

The rig, however, is only a tip of an iceberg. This diagram presents the real picture.

(more…)

See Hamas. See Hamas lie.

Will you recognize Israel?

If Israel declares that it will give the Palestinian people a state and give them back all their rights, then we are ready to recognize them.

See Russia talk to Hamas.

A senior Russian diplomat said Sunday that Moscow expects Hamas to make a clear pledge to recognize Israel, a news agency reported.

Alexander Kalugin, the Russian Foreign Ministry’s special envoy to the Middle East, said that Hamas should outline approaches to recognition of Israel in its action plan. “The main thing is that they should clearly speak on the issue of recognizing the state of Israel,” Kalugin said, according to the Interfax news agency.

(more…)

Carnival of the Cats is at Animal Family. Cats! Yay!

Haveil Havalim, Carnival of the Jews, is at Daled Amos. Jews! Yay!

You know, if you say “Cats and Jews” fast enough, especially if you mush the “and,” it’s going to sound like a sneeze. Which I just did. Sneezed, that is. Damned dust.

Saw this article in the news:

Thirteen years after Bosnia filed the case with the International Court of Justice, its lawyers will lay out their lawsuit against Serbia and Montenegro - the successor state for the defunct Yugoslavia - charging it with a premeditated attempt to destroy Bosnia’s Muslim population, in whole or part.

“Not since the end of the Second World War and the revelations of the horrors of Nazi Germany’s ‘Final Solution’ has Europe witnessed the utter destruction of a people, for no other reason than they belong to a particular national ethnical, racial, and religious group as such,” said the lawsuit’s opening paragraph, drafted for the Bosnian government by American lawyer Francis A. Boyle.

… and my first thought was, “Gee, have we forgotten about Darfur already?”

Gary Farber has the issue covered thoroughly. Scroll down and you’ll see dozens of links.

I guess neither Rwanda nor Darfur comes under the heading of genocide. What about the Cambodian genocide? No? Why is that? Because the victims weren’t Muslims?

What a load of crap.

Actually, there aren’t going to be strangers in town, but I’ve asked for guest bloggers to pick up a little of the workaday slack while I, well, work. My new job doesn’t include blogging time.

So I have a couple of volunteers, and they should be along any time now. They’re both regular and/or longtime readers here. I think you’ll like what they have to say.

People have picked up on this story as an example of irony. (Hat tip: Earl H.)

Elsewhere in Gaza, a top Hamas bombmaker died when a device blew up as he was training militants to prepare explosives.

But I think there’s a different angle. Reuters isn’t even bothering to bury the next graf deep inside the article; it’s actually the fourth paragraph and will make many newspapers’ “International News” sections.

“Hamas is continuing to train the mujahideen in order to pursue their task of jihad,” said Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri.

Hamas openly states its purpose to destroy the Jewish state, and the world still insists on giving them a chance to “moderate.”

(more…)

Twice in the last month, I almost clicked on a very dangerous link.

One of them alleged to be from “postcards.com,” saying

You have received a postcard from a family member!

You can pick up your postcard at the following web address:

When I put my mouse over the link to see what the site was, it showed up as a web address with an executable file. The extension was .gif.exe.

Needless to say, I did not click.

But that’s the second time I came close to clicking on a dangerous link like that. Be very, very careful with your email. If it isn’t from someone you know and trust, don’t click on it — and even then, be careful. Many Outlook-based viruses spread that way.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry has an excellent idea: A Videoblog about Israelis.

There’s Tamar Abramowitz from the Ministry of Immigration and Absorption talking about (and showing, but not nearly enough) the diversity of Israel: People from over 90 countries, speaking more than 50 different languages — yeah, that’s diversity all right.

This one talks about the Israeli inline skating passion: Ofer Weisglass combines a catchy Andrews Sisters tune with scenes of him and his skating club, ending with a short interview at 2:30 a.m. from someone who has just skated 35 km(!). Yikes. At two in the morning?

There are only a few Vblogs at the moment, but the site has just started. Calling all Israeli bloggers: Here’s your chance to literally show us your stuff.

Shire Network News is up, and Bruce has a great lineup of interviews (including Iraqi blogger Omar from Iraq the Model) and features. My contribution this week: International Eat A Tasty Animal for PETA Day. I think the “find the meow” bit is overdone, but Tig yowled again while I was recording. However, I couldn’t find it myself, so maybe it didn’t take.

By the way, Alex Bensky, you are mentioned on the podcast.

Perhaps I’ll do a podcast on cats at some point, but I’m not there yet.

If anyone has suggestions for future podcasts, leave ‘em in the comments or email me.

French Jews are beginning to think that perhaps the French are not reliable protectors of Jews. Babelfish translated the last paragraph of this article about Jewish reaction to the horrible torture/murder of Ilan Halimi:

The shock wave is such as, always on midgal. COM, certain Net surfers insist on the urgency to leave France which would have become hostile with the Jews: “It is necessary to very seriously think of making your alya (”rise “towards Israel, note)”, advises a Net surfer. “Only one watchword should guide us: to leave France, to leave Europe, cursed grounds soaked with Jewish blood “, recommends another. At the exit of the synagogue, Thursday evening, in front of a group of old people, a woman declared: “France it is finished.”

France has never protected its Jews. The souls of the accusers of Dreyfus live on. I am more than ever convinced that the decrease in French anti-Semitic attacks was due to the authorities lying about anti-Semitic attacks.

(more…)

I got an email from the Messiah.

The email says so. The title is, “I am the Messiah.”

The Messiah has a website.

I am going to go there and report back to you (with much mockery) when I get time.

You may all feel jealous now that I got an email from the Messiah, and you did not.

He obviously likes me better than he likes you.

Google is the Internet’s card catalog.

Iran says if the U.S. attacks Iranian nuclear sites, Iran will attack — wait for it — Israel’s.

Mahmoud Abbas wants the UN to make the IDF stop catching terrorists and breaking up bomb factories, thus proving that it doesn’t matter which palestinian is in charge; they’re all in favor of dead Jews.

In an example of the famous Muslim tolerance for other religions, Tajikistan’s only synagogue is being razed so the presidential palace can be extended.

Oh, and for those of us out there that thought Abbas was going to provide cover for Hamas, he’s doing it. He says Hamas is trying to prevent rockets being fired on Israel. Shyeah. They’re helping the other terrorists do it.

The war on Israel continues.

Gotta love irony.

On Wednesday, Shtawi told an AP reporter that soldiers had surrounded his hideout for five hours that day, but he and several friends slipped away. “They will never catch me,” he said at the time.

On Thursday, Shtawi said:

Nothing. The IDF got him.

March 15th is coming up fast, folks. International Eat A Tasty Animal for PETA Day, a.k.a. IEATAPETA Day, March 15th. Lair Simon has a site where you can post your restaurant get-togethers.

I’m going to check my teaching schedule to confirm, but I’m pretty sure I will be at the Royal Dragon kosher Chinese restaurant in Rockville, MD for a late lunch/early dinner on Sunday, March 12th. My class ends at noon, so I don’t foresee the gathering starting before 3 or 4 (probably four, I’ll pick up more kosher meat while I’m there).

If you live in the northern VA/DC/Baltimore area, you are close enough to attend. I tried the restaurant last Sunday. It’s superb. And the host looks like my Uncle Mendy, which I suppose is to be expected.

Hey, David. You’re in the area, aren’ t you?

I’d ask Snoopy to come along, but he’s not local. (But he is slightly depressed over not getting many links lately, so go over there and cheer him up. You can cheer yourself up as well, because Simply Jews is as funny as always.)

Related post: Why March 15th became International Eat a Tasty Animal for PETA Day.

Christopher Hitchens is calling for a pro-Denmark rally today at noon.

Please be outside the Embassy of Denmark, 3200 Whitehaven Street (off Massachusetts Avenue) between noon and 1 p.m. this Friday, Feb. 24. Quietness and calm are the necessities, plus cheerful conversation. Danish flags are good, or posters reading “Stand By Denmark” and any variation on this theme (such as “Buy Carlsberg/ Havarti/ Lego”) The response has been astonishing and I know that the Danes are appreciative. But they are an embassy and thus do not of course endorse or comment on any demonstration. Let us hope, however, to set a precedent for other cities and countries. Please pass on this message to friends and colleagues.

I’d be there if it weren’t a two-hour drive. Shoulda called it for Sunday, Hitch.

When I read this article, proclaiming anti-Semitism down in France, I ignored it. Because I didn’t believe it was true. French Jews are emigrating to Israel and elsewhere in record numbers. And the French have a habit of insisting that a Jew-hater is not a Jew-hater.

I thought of that article when I heard the news of the horrific kidnapping/torture/murder case of a young Jewish man by a group of Muslims, who spent weeks entertaining themselves by cutting, burning, and otherwise torturing him while supposedly waiting for a ransom. First, the French police insisted that he wasn’t kidnapped because he was Jewish. Then, they insisted that the torturers didn’t torture him because he was Jewish. Finally, they said, gee, we think they did it because he was a Jew, and they were out to ransom or kill Jews.

The French media is ignoring the anti-Semitism of the case.

Which leads me to wonder what I wondered when I first read the statistics about attacks on Jews decreasing in France: Are they really? Or are the media and the French authorities refusing to report anti-Semitic attacks as anti-Semitic attacks?

It is no comfort to me that the heads of France attended Ilan Halimi’s funeral.

(more…)

So it’s nearly the end of my second week on my new job, which is writing a pretty technical manual for a complex program written in Java, which is causing me to bring back my memories of Chubb from six years ago (where I learned C++) and then my quickie NJIT course in Java, and I have to say: Really liking the job, even if I feel like I’m back at Chubb again, hitting the steepest part of the learning curve before breaking through the wall to comprehension.

The atmosphere is wonderful. The buildings were built to make your office look more homey, so there’s lots of woods and very little corporate-ugly decor. It’s near a zillion shops and restaurants, and easier for Sarah to get to (we had lunch today; Twinsday has officially returned). The people are really nice, and the company itself is pretty good to work for. Free soft drinks. Free fruits. Klondike bars in the freezer. A giant box of Twizzlers showed up this week. People, people, people, you are ruining my diet!

Really liking the new job. I have a long way to go on the manual, but I think when I said, “I think I can do this,” I wasn’t wrong. My manager told me two days ago that of all the candidates he interviewed, I was the only one who said I thought I could do it.

Whoa.

Well, Small Software Company hired the right person. A twelve-minute commute, nice people, my own office for the first time, well, ever.

Really liking the new job.

Because I love to share: Have you ever used the formatting paintbrush? I use it as a shortcut all the time, particularly after I cut and paste between Word and other documents.

I just discovered you can toggle it. Double-click on the paintbrush, and it keeps the last format you clicked in.

Wish I’d discovered this years ago.

Toggle it off by clicking on the paintbrush again, or hitting the escape key. (The Escape key is your friend. First one I go to any time I want some kind of annoying MS feature stopped.)

This guy is certifiably insane.

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad blamed the United States and Israel on Thursday for the destruction of a Shiite shrine’s golden dome in Iraq, saying it was the work of “defeated Zionists and occupiers.”

Speaking to a crowd of thousands on a tour of southwestern Iran, the president referred to the destruction of the Askariya mosque dome in Samarra on Wednesday, which the Iraqi government has blamed on insurgents.

“They invade the shrine and bomb there because they oppose God and justice,” Ahmadinejad said, alluding to the U.S.-led multinational forces in Iraq.

“These passive activities are the acts of a group of defeated Zionists and occupiers who intended to hit our emotions,” he said in a speech that was broadcast on state television. Addressing the United States, he added: “You have to know that such an act will not save you from the anger of Muslim nations.”

By the way, I read on a blog somewhere a question as to why there aren’t Muslim protests worldwide over the bombing of the mosque. It’s because Shi’ites are the minority of the Muslim world. And as a result of that famous Muslim tolerance, most other Muslims think Shi’ites aren’t proper Muslims.

The only Muslims who care about Shi’ite shrines being destroyed are Shi’ites. Unless, of course, the shrines are destroyed by infidels, particularly Americans or Jews.

We should probably revise that famous H.L. Mencken quote for the Muslim world: Nobody ever went broke blaming the Jews for anything bad that happens.

Tired of all the bad news? Yeah, me too. So let’s talk about the eight meatpacking factory workers (two of whom are immigrants) who are now millionaires.

I saw bits of the press conference on the news yesterday. Happy, happy people, and some with a little wit as well. I particularly like the guy who said he’s been retired for four days now.

Three of the workers quit their jobs when they hit the jackpot.

“I’ve been retired for about four days now,” said Eric Zornes, 40.

Mike Terpstra, a 47-year-old plant supervisor who is single and has no children, was unsure what to do with the money.

“Everybody has dreams,” he said. “Buy an island. Buy an airplane. In reality, I’m not a fan of flying and don’t really like water.”

Yeah, the odds are a zillion to one. But Sarah and I do our own mini-pool when the Megamillions goes over $100 million. Two bucks each. We’re big spenders.

Hey, ya never know.

Saudi Arabia and Egypt say the world should give Hamas a chance. Iran says they’ll fund Hamas if the rest of the world cuts off aid.

So, we have two terror-supporting states, since Hamas is designated by the EU and the U.S. as a terrorist organization.

Sanctions, anyone?

Shyeah, right. That’ll happen.

Looks like the promise Arab/Muslim aid isn’t coming, after all. Lots of words, though.

Israel and the Western nations have demanded Hamas renounce violence and recognize Israel’s right to exist. Hamas leaders have resisted calls to moderate and said they would make up for the lost funds with new donations from Arab and Muslim nations.

That plan, however, hit a serious setback when Arab League foreign ministers failed to agree on new aid for the Palestinians. “The aid is destined for the Palestinian people and not for Hamas,” Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa said in an appeal for donations during a meeting in Algeria that ended late Monday.

Trying to drum up support for the coming government, Hamas political leader Khaled Mashaal visited Iran, whose leaders called on Muslim nations around the world to make up the Palestinians’ budget shortfall.

“Since the divine treasures are infinite, you should not be concerned about economic issues,” the official Islamic Republic News Agency quoted Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as telling Mashaal on Monday. “If you work for God, he will provide for you.”

So, the Arab League and OIC are mouthing empty promises, and then Hamas goes to Iran, and Gorilla Boy tells them that the Lord will provide. I’m not seeing any dollar signs in that.

The squeeze is on. The question is, who is going to break first, Israel or Hamas? CNN thinks Hamas will. Just look at this pile of crap masquerading as objective analysis. How much more anti-Israel can you spin this? And pro-Hamas. Yes. Pro-Hamas.

Hamas’ 1988 foundation charter, to say the least, is problematic. It is viciously anti-Jewish and filled with conspiracy theories.

But as one Hamas leader recently pointed out, “The charter is not the Quran … it can be changed.”

Under what circumstances?

Here is where Israel must decide whether it will pursue a policy that risks short-term gain and long-term disaster or a more nuanced form of strategic thinking.

You see, Hamas is willing to deal. It’s Israel that’s holding up negotiations by being unable to see the long-term disaster of enabling a Hamas terror authority.

The basic lesson here is that, ultimately, the march of history determines political outcomes far more than short-term policy. In Israel’s case, imposing wide-ranging economic sanctions on the Hamas-led government may ultimately play directly into the movement’s hands.

Hamas will not be under public pressure to reform the government if it can’t pay for those reforms.

The movement will seek to broaden its ties to the wider Islamic world, threatening to increase the chances that the Arab-Israeli conflict becomes less one about nations and more one about religions.

And finally, and most importantly, it is probably wrong to think that ordinary Palestinians will become more moderate if their government is isolated. The election of Hamas is a case in point.

Ordinary Palestinians are unlikely to seek solace in the less-strident Fatah party if Hamas fails to achieve diplomatic victories. There is no historic precedent that shows a people under economic siege become more moderate as a result of external pressure.

I believe the purpose of sanctions are to starve the regime. Or at least to be able to sleep with a clear conscience at night. But CNN wouldn’t know anything about that, what with holding back information that makes their totalitarian hosts look bad.

Update: Cynic points out in the comments that the economic siege of South Africa moderated the white minority to give up its power. Looks like CNN is wrong again.

Israel has taken away the perks of being a palestinian legislator.

Israel has canceled the VIP travel privileges of Palestinian Legislative Council members, barring them from enjoying unrestricted travel between the West Bank and Gaza, security officials said Tuesday. The members had their VIP-2 status removed, out of concern that the new Palestinian government will turn the Palestinian Authority into a terrorist organization.

While PA ministers continue to enjoy VIP-1 status, once a Hamas led government is established it will only be a matter of time before they will also be stripped of their privileges, the officials said.

Good.

No doubt the “pragmatists” in Hamas will react in due time. Like this one:

Abu Marzook also hinted at some possible flexibility in his party’s position. “We are facing changes and every movement will make changes according to the reality,” he said. “But there are three principles we will not compromise on: government according to the laws of the sharia (Islamic law), our right to live in Palestine, and our right to resist the occupation.”

Oh, wait. He says that talking with Israel is a waste of time.

The Hamas leader went on to say that the organization will hold negotiations with Israel the minute Israel ‘recognizes the rights of the Palestinian people and withdraws from occupied territories,” adding that negotiations with Israel under current circumstances were a “waste of time.”

Amazing how people can see flexibility where there truly is none. The above are from two different stories.

So, about that moderation: Still not seeing any.

I know I promised pictures of Janet and Chris’ cats, and a post about my trip up to Northern VA, but I haven’t got a decent image editor, and the crops are far too large to post, and I have to find my Windows key for my Sony so I can finally get back to Fireworks (sorry, can’t afford to buy it right now), but at least I’ve had two lunches out of the kosher Chinese food I picked up on Sunday.

Wow, that was good.

I’m thinking of having a pre-EATAPETA Day dinner on the Sunday before March 15th at the Royal Dragon in Rockville, for my northern VA/D.C.-area readers who want to meet and eat.

But let me tell you, Meryl is not sharing. Nope. What I order is mine, and I’m taking home every drop left over from my meal. It’s a two-hour drive, and really, really good Chinese food. Best I’ve had since I left NJ.

If you want a Sunday midafternoon lunch/dinner in Rockville, email me or say so in the comments. March 12th.

I wish the bugs would stop flying by my window and yelling insults. I put that plant in the window so it could get some sunlight, not to tease the bugs.

Stupid insects.

I was trying to decide which side of the argument to take regarding a Dubai-based company getting ownership of the company that runs six American ports. Then I read this:

The Bush administration got support Monday from former President Carter, a Democrat and frequent critic of the administration.

“My presumption is, and my belief is, that the president and his secretary of state and the Defense Department and others have adequately cleared the Dubai government organization to manage these ports,” Carter told CNN. “I don’t think there’s any particular threat to our security.”

Right. Now I know for a fact that the terrorists will be moving materials through this company. Ditch the deal. Jimmy Carter has convinced me.

If he told me it was sunny outside, I’d break out the rain gear.

I have made several interesting discoveries about the dieffenbachia (besides how to spell its name correctly) that I received as a going-away present from my team at Large Financial Company in Richmond:

When you leave it alone in your home overnight due to an impending snowstorm that utterly fizzles out in Richmond, but still gets you the day off from teaching religious school, it wilts from lack of attention. Or perhaps it was the lack of water. But, when you water it, within a few hours, the leaves (with the exception of the few lost to Darwinian evolution, sucks to be them) will spring back to their normal upright position.

When you leave it alone over the weekend, even after watering it on Friday with the distinct impression that watering it a little on Friday will not cause it to wilt from neglect over the weekend, you discover your error on Monday morning, as well as a plant that is beginning to resemble the Charlie Brown Christmas tree. You pour large quantities of water on it, trying not to make them so large that the overwatering thing occurs (and hello, what happens to plants when it rains like hell outdoors? Howcome they never do the thing outdoors that they do indoors when we water them too much?), and wait, and wonder if it will recover, this time, taking the dead leaves off, since the plant has so conveniently moved aside and exposed them for you.

Then you find out that there is always a dry, hot wind in your building, what with all the servers on the floor, and their being on 24 hours a day, and that that is probably what took out your plant (besides the not watering it enough on Friday thing.)

Then comes the other discovery: It takes about three hours for the plant to fully recover from thirst.

Which leads me to my conclusion: The dieffenbachia is a drama queen.

Next week: I’m going to read my tech document aloud to it and see if it keels over from boredom.

prag·ma·tism A practical, matter-of-fact way of approaching or assessing situations or of solving problems.

Hamas’ Choice for PM Seen As Pragmatist

Hamas names popular pragmatist as Palestinian prime minister

Hamas picks ‘pragmatist’ as Palestinian PM

Hamas picks “pragmatist” Haniyeh as Palestinian PM

Hamas names ‘moderate’ for PM

Hamas nominates ‘moderate’ as leader

Honest Reporting has a report on the “pragmatist.”

Then there’s this:

Ismail Haniyeh, a leading Hamas figure from the Gaza Strip, told The Associated Press that recognition of Israel is “out of the question. What we would like to emphasize is that the Israeli occupation has to recognize first the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.”

Yes, a pragmatist. That $180,000 PR flack is paying off again.

It’s coming on the time of year for the fourth annual International Eat an Animal for PETA Day, which Lair Simon has renamed Eat A Tasty Animal for PETA Day, which could become EATAPETA Day, but that’s really too cute for words, so of course, it’s going to catch on. But it’s International EATAPETA Day, because the blogosphere is international, and our reach extends from Australia to Zanzibar, all points between, and any points left out. You can register your activities on his site. It’s in beta right now, but go ahead.

From the original IEAFPD post:

PETA has started yet another offensive ad campaign. This one really reaches bottom—they are using Holocaust terminology, quotes, and pictures to liken the “slaughter” of animals to the slaughter of the Jews by the Nazis.

I’ve already received a letter from a child of Holocaust survivors who is, of course, extraordinarily offended. But here’s the thing: PETA is known for this kind of outrageous publicity stunt—and that’s what it is, an outrageous publicity stunt—and while I am also offended and outraged, there is absolutely nothing we can do that will make PETA change their ad campaign. I’m sure they knew exactly what they were doing, have a plan in mind, and, if they withdraw the campaign, will do it according to their deadlines and their decisions.

So let’s make up our own outrageous publicity stunt. Let’s designate Saturday, March 15th, as International Eat an Animal for PETA Day. Everybody set the date on your calendar, and either go out and enjoy a great steak, or cook one at home. Or cook up some chicken or fish or anything else that PETA wouldn’t want you to eat.

From this week’s Shire Network News podcast:

The Holocaust is regularly invoked in improper and offensive ways. The one that hit my outrage button the hardest three years ago was an ad campaign titled “The Holocaust on Your Plate.” It was created by the radical animal rights organization, People for the Ethical Treatment for Animals, or PETA.

The PETA ad campaign compared the slaughter of chickens for food to the slaughter of six million Jews by the Nazis. They traveled the country with a series of billboards that used Holocaust imagery next to images of animals. They lied to the American Holocaust Museum to obtain permission to use these pictures in their ad campaign.

It’s a well-known fact that PETA has always chosen sensationalism in their ad campaigns. They’re usually stupid and offensive, but this campaign caused enough pain that a child of Holocaust survivors wrote me a letter asking if there weren’t something we could do about it. That’s why I created the first International Eat an Animal for PETA Day (IEAPD).

The fourth annual celebration is coming up again on March 15th. On that day, I ask everyone who thinks PETA is offensive and over-the-top to eat meat or animal products like cheese in at least one meal. It’s the exact opposite of what PETA wants, and is our little protest to their offensive ad campaigns. Our theme (besides eating lots of meat that day) is “don’t get mad, get even.” IEAPD is gaining strength and notoriety every year.

Don’t get me wrong. I am utterly against animal cruelty. But I am also utterly against cruelty to humans, and especially against the misuse of Holocaust imagery to get a point across.

During the first IEATAPETA, a few friends and I actually gathered outside PETA headquarters in Norfolk with protest signs. It was a Saturday. Nobody was there. But we were.

For my second IETAPETA, Sarah and her children joined me for lunch at Brock’s. Her daughter Rebecca refers to all beef as “Yummy cow.”

There are plenty of posts from the past. Just Google IEAPD and this site.

Last year, I was on the Mac Watson show here at WRVA 1140. I’m hoping to reprise that, and maybe some others.

I would like to be perfectly clear. Animals like this are not on the menu. In fact, this particular animal (and her brother) will be treated to tunafish on March 15th. It’s a good thing to include your pets in International EATAPETA Day. PETA doesn’t like us having pets, either.

This year I’m actively seeking some kind of image we can use as a banner. I’ve had some submitted in previous years, but surely we can think of new images and slogans.

So, save the date, folks. And for you vegetarians out there, if you’re not strict vegetarians, there’s always cheese and eggs.

Why am I still doing this? Well, PETA is still offensive. When they stop, I’ll stop.

The good news: David Irving has been sentenced to three years in jail in Austria for Holocaust denial.

The bad news: Wait, there is no bad news.

The good news: He’s not going to be able to be a guest speaker at the Iranian Holocaust denial conference.

I’m sorry. I understand what Deborah Lipstadt says about freedom of speech, but I can’t help but be happy that such a disgusting man as Irving is going to jail, at least for a while, to pay for all the ammunition he gave Jew-haters the world over.

Osama Bin Laden has released a new audiotape in which he swears he’ll never be captured alive.

The tape appeared to be a complete version of one that was first broadcast Jan. 19 on Al-Jazeera, the pan-Arab satellite channel, in which bin Laden offered the United States a long-term truce but also said his al-Qaida terror network would soon launch a fresh attack on American soil.

“I have sworn to only live free. Even if I find bitter the taste of death, I don’t want to die humiliated or deceived,” bin Laden said. He also said U.S. actions in Iraq were comparable to the actions of the ousted Iraqi leader.

Hey, I’m cool with that. You too? Great.

Do us all a favor though, and die already. Now would be good.

So let’s see. In the past few days:

• Israeli border police thwarted a suicide bombing in Jerusalem as the terrorists were on their way to carry it out.
• Another senior Islamic Jihad commander was killed in a gunfight resisting capture by the IDF (continue doing so, guys, the only good terrorist is a dead terrorist).
• The rockets are still falling on Israel.
• In fact, rocketsfell at twice the pace in January that they did in December, putting the lie to the Hamas “moderation” claim.
• And mortars have been discovered in Bethlehem, preparatory towards firing them at Gilo, a Jerusalem suburb.

Hamas talks about a long-term “hudna.”

I repeat: What truce?

So it comes to this: Israel is cutting off the PA now that Hamas is the PA. The United States is asking for its $50 million back now that Hamas is the PA. Europe (with some exceptions) is hesitant to fork over the big bucks now that Hamas is the PA. So what is Hamas doing? Going out, kaffiyeh in hand, to the Arab states. And here’s what the Arab states are doing, now that Hamas is in charge:

Secretary-General Amr Moussa said foreign ministers from several Arab countries were to meet Monday in Algiers to examine a plan to send about $50 million a month to the Palestinian Authority. A final decision is not expected until Arab leaders meet in a summit next month in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum.

The money is part of Palestinian funding the Arab League approved last year - before Hamas’ election victory in January. Saudi Arabia and Qatar have already contributed to the financially strapped Palestinian Authority and more money is on its way, Moussa said.

The $50 million monthly stipend, however, only represents what the Arab League initially pledged give the Palestinians during a summit nearly four years ago, and some Palestinians voiced skepticism that their fellow Arabs would come through.

“Since the Arab summit in Beirut in 2002, the Arab governments decided to give the Palestinians $600 million a year. That never materialized. The Arabs made promises, but never delivered,” said Samir Ghattas, head of the Palestinian Al-Kuds Research Center.

“It the Arabs did not pay (deceased Palestinian President Yasser) Arafat, why should they now pay Hamas?” Ghattas asked.

Noting that Hamas had its roots in the radical Muslim Brotherhood, Ghattas asked: “How can the Arabs give money to a Muslim Brotherhood which threatened them in each and every country. Do they have an interest in encouraging a Muslim Brotherhood movement to take over? The answer is no.”

A senior Palestinian official, who refused to be identified because he did not wish to embarrass fellow Arabs, agreed with Ghattas’ figures.

“The maximum that Arab countries have paid is $100 million of the $600 million they agreed to give,” he told The Associated Press.

But — but — I thought the palestinian cause was the premiere cause of the Arab world. Nothing is more important than establishing a palestinian state! Not Iranian nukes, not the genocide in Sudan, not the war in Iraq — all of these take a back seat to the palestinian problem.

Except, well, when it comes to forking over the cash. Looks like maybe their palestinian brothers — who were thrown out of Jordan, Kuwait, and Iraq (to name only three countries) and are refused citizenship throughout the Arab world — aren’t nearly as important as they are the hammer with which to bash Israel.

But then, anyone who is honest about the situation already knew that. The AP is almost honest here:

The head of the Arab League, Amr Moussa, said Sunday that Arab governments were considering providing the money to make up for the frozen transfers from Israel. Arab governments have not been among the top donors to the Palestinian Authority in the past, and some have failed to give pledged funds.

Wow. A sea change. Of course, then they call Ismail Haniyeh a “pragmatist,” but hey, Rome wasn’t built in a day. You can’t expect an anti-Israel bias to disappear overnight.