Monthly Archives: February 2009

Olmert stands his ground on Shalit

Posted on 02/14/2009 by Meryl Yourish

Ehud Olmert is standing his ground on Gilad Shalit. Israel will not open the border crossings into Gaza without the return of her kidnapped soldier. Israel will not agree to open crossings into Gaza without the return of kidnapped soldier … Continue reading →

Posted in Gaza, Hamas, Israel | 5 Comments

A high degree of confidence

Posted on 02/13/2009 by Soccerdad

In late 2007 the United States intelligence agencies issue a National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) that Iran had stopped seeking to build a nuclear weapon. In a column The myth of the Mad Mullahs, David Ignatius wrote that the most important … Continue reading →

Posted in Iran | Tagged | 4 Comments

Scenes from a premiership

Posted on 02/13/2009 by Soccerdad

From 1996 to 1999, Binyamin “Bibi” Netanyahu was Prime Minister of Israel. During his term in office he was viewed with skepticism, if not hostility by the Clinton administration, much of the American media, the foreign policy establishment and the … Continue reading →

Posted in Israel, Media Bias | Tagged | Comments Off

Iraqis want Israel to pay “reparations” for Osirak

Posted on 02/13/2009 by Meryl Yourish

You have got to be kidding me. BAGHDAD Iraqi parliamentarians are demanding Israel pay billions of dollars in reparations for a 1981 Israeli attack on an Iraqi nuclear reactor, Baghdad’s daily Al Sabbah reported on Thursday. Mohammed Naji Mohammed, a … Continue reading →

Posted in Israel Derangement Syndrome, Juvenile Scorn | 1 Comment

Ring around the planet?

Posted on 02/13/2009 by Soccerdad

70% of all catalogued objects are in low-Earth orbit (LEO), which extends to 2000 km above the Earth’s surface. To observe the Earth, spacecraft must orbit at such a low altitude. The spatial density of objects increases at high latitudes. … Continue reading →

Posted in Miscellaneous | Tagged | Comments Off

Bill Zwecker: What did Rhianna do to get beaten up, anyway?

Posted on 02/13/2009 by Meryl Yourish

You would think that these attitudes were dead and gone. You would be wrong. Because here you have a newspaper gossip columnist blaming the victim for bringing her beating on herself. In fact, he goes on and on trying to … Continue reading →

Posted in Feminism | Comments Off

Hamas putting the rocket fire in cease fire

Posted on 02/13/2009 by Meryl Yourish

Once again proving that only Israel gets to violate a truce, the AP has returned to form. Here’s what the AP thinks constitutes a “straining” of the cease fire: Firing rockets into Israel. An agreement between Hamas and Israel to … Continue reading →

Posted in Hamas, Israel | Comments Off

How to celebrate Darwin Day

Posted on 02/12/2009 by Meryl Yourish

From a great website that Sarah recommended to me: If people you respect all tell you the same fantastically detailed, supposedly true story — and point you to lots of supposed evidence — you have a choice. You can (A) … Continue reading →

Posted in Juvenile Scorn | 4 Comments

The Washington Post self-corrects

Posted on 02/12/2009 by Soccerdad

I was bothered earlier this week with a report from the Washington Post about the travails facing the Jews of South America. The article, I thought, put the onus of blame on their plight on Israeli actions and underplayed the … Continue reading →

Posted in Anti-Semitism | Comments Off

Right? Right! Wrong!

Posted on 02/12/2009 by Soccerdad

It’s an article of faith that the results of Israel’s election this week show that the country has moved to the right. And yes, on one level the electorate shows a shift to the right from the current configuration. However, … Continue reading →

Posted in Israel, Israel Derangement Syndrome | Tagged | Comments Off

Briefly

Posted on 02/12/2009 by Meryl Yourish

Hamas feeling the PR pinch, 1: Hamas gave back the aid it stole from the UN, mostly because for the first time ever, the UN complained about it. Oh, and UNRWA stopped all aid going into Gaza because of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Hamas, Israel, Lebanon, Terrorism | 1 Comment

Israel’s shift to the right

Posted on 02/12/2009 by Meryl Yourish

The vote in Israel shows that a majority of Israelis voted for right-leaning parties. Avigdor Lieberman’s Yisrael Beitenu party, loathed by many for issues like wanting Arab Israelis to swear a loyalty oath, won fifteen seats in the Knesset. Labor, … Continue reading →

Posted in Israel, Politics | 2 Comments

Ain’t democracy great? Part II

Posted on 02/11/2009 by Soccerdad

After Hamas won legislative elections three years ago, the Washington Post reported: “The hope is that there is a government that is really committed to peace with Israel,” said one senior administration official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because … Continue reading →

Posted in Israel, Israeli Double Standard Time, Media Bias | Tagged | 3 Comments

Ain’t democracy great

Posted on 02/11/2009 by Soccerdad

A surprising observation from left wing commentator, Glenn Greenwald: Needless to say, isolating an Israeli government that includes the democratically elected Yisrael Beiteinu party and childishly pretending that they don’t exist is a central prong of the peace camp’s approach … Continue reading →

Posted in Anti-Semitism, Israel, Israel Derangement Syndrome | Tagged | Comments Off

The world media view on Israeli elections

Posted on 02/11/2009 by Meryl Yourish

The Jerusalem Post: Kadima wins, but rightist bloc biggest The Washington Post: In Israeli Vote Results, A Setback for Obama The AP: Inconclusive election puts Israel, peace in limbo The AP: Election leaves Mideast peace in doubt Reuters: Disarray as … Continue reading →

Posted in Israel, Media Bias | 1 Comment

The worst paragraph in post Israeli election coverage

Posted on 02/11/2009 by Soccerdad

From the Washington Post: In many ways, the deep split in the Israeli electorate mirrors the split within the Palestinian government, between the Fatah party that controls the West Bank and the Hamas organization that controls the Gaza Strip. Fatah … Continue reading →

Posted in Israel, Media Bias | Tagged | Comments Off

A note to cats and dogs

Posted on 02/10/2009 by Meryl Yourish

Reader (and my firearms instructor) Stretch sent me this, which I present for your amusement. The following was found posted very low on a refrigerator door. Dear Dogs and Cats: The dishes with the paw prints are yours and contain … Continue reading →

Posted in Cats, Humor | 7 Comments

The Post’s prism

Posted on 02/10/2009 by Soccerdad

In retrospect, I went too easy on yesterday’s Washington Post report on antisemitism in South America. I was uncomfortable with how the reporters framed the antisemitism as a reaction to Israel’ s war against Hamas. In fact, as Travis Pantin … Continue reading →

Posted in Anti-Semitism, Media Bias | Tagged , | Comments Off

Election prelude

Posted on 02/10/2009 by Soccerdad

Griff Witte pontificates about today’s Israeli election. In Israel, most people welcome the idea of a solution — nearly 60 percent support the creation of a Palestinian state, according to a survey of Israeli Jews conducted late last year called … Continue reading →

Posted in Israel | 1 Comment

How do I slant thee? Let me count the ways

Posted on 02/10/2009 by Meryl Yourish

The AP anti-Israel slant is now an anti-Likud slant. Get a load of these quotes from the AP: Israel’s election has suddenly become too close to call, though hard-liners are expected to have a clear edge in the horse trading … Continue reading →

Posted in AP Media Bias, Israeli Double Standard Time | 4 Comments