You’re Right Sis
I was sitting at the table with my sister the other day with her family buzzing all around us and after one of my comments she reprimanded me, saying I am too negative. She didn’t articulate her concerns well, none the less I am not so hard I am not concerned with her judgment of me. She gave examples and with my blog theme and general focus these days, I’ve been proud of my skepticism.
Last year while debating liberals on the climate scam, I won the debate on a quote from history backed by a present day scientific study (because liberals love expert advice so much and peer reviewed scientific studies) that experts were just as likely to steer you wrong as right. Worse they tended to possess an unmerited confidence in their grasp of their own field of study. So the quote was something to the effect, acceptance without skepticism is folly. I’ll have to go dig up the quote again to bring the impact it had on the debate. Anyway, I also wrote an article about the difference between micro-policies and macro-policies. Macro being politics and micro being personal moral standards. When we confuse their applications, micro policies in governmental relationships and responsibility, these politics affect sometimes billions of people as in global warming policy. When macro policies are applied to personal relationships, prejudices abound and your closest friends and family members suffer.
What my sister had expressed with the wrong word but a couple of examples was my skepticism (immediate and prejudiced) toward my family’s individual characters and quality. I was a doubter, according to Miriam Webster, a scoffer and a mocker. My sister’s word didn’t sting. I didn’t feel the sting until late the next day when I did some research on the definitions involved with the theme of my blog and my philosophical thesis. Investigation is healthy no matter what type of relationship you possess, but expressing that suspended judgment of skepticism to your loved ones is hurtful and feels like a prejudice. I owe my nephew and niece an apology each. I’ve relearned not to jump at the chance to correct, first the kid needs the opportunity to discover many rights and wrongs for themselves, as an adult you just need to help them learn how to do that. Second, you must be sure of your grasp on the topic because you’re prejudices are constantly at work whether you acknowledge them or not. If not, those prejudices have the power to destroy personal relationships. Maybe the kid has less of a grasp on the topic but if you correct them and are proven wrong, especially if this is frequent, your loving criticism being unwarranted will morph into motivation in the kid to be shed of you at his or her earliest convenience.
If you act this way with adults, they have every right to be shed of you immediately. Gratefully, my adult family members are graceful enough to tolerate each others growing pains even at these late stages of our development. This is what it means to grow in grace, day by day. Thank God we have the example in Jesus Christ to take on a character above our feelings, and above our training in personal relationships in families with broken spirits.
A Brazilian here, a Brazilian there..
The Dept of Defense briefed the President this morning. They told Obama that 2 Brazilian soldiers were killed in Iraq. To everyone’s surprise, all the color drained from Obama’s face. Then he collapsed onto his desk, head in his hands, visibly shaken, almost in tears. Finally, he composed himself and asked, ‘Just how many is a Brazilian?’
Hey; but don’t laugh too hard since he obviously has no understanding of billion or trillion either.
Two Kinds of Christians
From http://www.cdn-friends-icej.ca/2kinds.html
Two Kinds Of Christians By Bob Westbrook – April 17, 2005 –
Source: Trumpet Sounds
A March 31 open letter issued by the World Council of Churches denounced “repeated declarations by the (Israeli) government’s top leaders” that “all of Jerusalem will belong to Israel”. This organization, which represents a large portion of institutional Christendom, has for years stood in solidarity with the Muslim Arabs against what they call Israel’s “illegal occupation of Palestine”. This contradicts the viewpoint of many born-again Christians who hold to a literal interpretation of the Bible. They support Israel’s possession of the entirety of Jerusalem as its eternal capital, with Judea and Samaria as the historical heartland of Israel.
This discrepancy in “Christian” viewpoints must appear puzzling to Jews. Yet for some Jews, the discrepancy is beginning to make more sense. In the progression of Jewish-Christian relations, an interesting development has occurred in recent years. During a conversation I had with a prominent Israeli leader, this person said, “We Jews now understand that there are two kinds of Christians — those who love us, and those who do not”. This seems to be a new revelation for many Jewish people, who until recently viewed the Christian world as a somewhat monolithic entity. It was an entity correctly viewed as a primary source of extended misery for the Jews over the course of time. Anyone familiar with history knows the awful record of horrid atrocities committed against the Jews by the “church”. The use of that word in quotes is to distinguish between those deviant religious institutions and the true Church. The latter is supposed to be characterized by love, but somewhere in the process, attitudes towards the Jews were twisted into ecclesiastically sanctioned hatred.
How did this happen? As the concept of the church devolved from the simple, untainted spiritual assembly of believers to the foul, grotesque political monstrosity that dominated Europe for centuries, a theology of animosity towards Jews was fabricated. The developing church ignored Paul’s clear and authoritative instructions, relayed in his letter to the church at Rome, on how to treat the Jews. Even though they had been resistant to the message regarding the claims of Jesus, Paul directed the Christians to love the Jews regardless. They were “beloved”, declared that erudite metamorphosed Pharisee, because of the promises God had made to the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, “for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.”
Tragically, the church chose to ignore this divinely inspired directive, and instead constructed a theology of hatred for Jews. This theology taught the Jews were under God’s eternal curse for rejecting Jesus as Messiah, and were to be actively condemned for the part their leaders played in Jesus’ unjust execution. The church had become the new Israel, replacing the spurned Israel. Therefore, the Jews were to be blamed and scorned as “Christ killers”. As this warped doctrine pervaded the churches, taught universally for centuries, it incited extensive oppression, expulsion, and murder of Jews. The church, which was supposed to be exemplary in love, became exemplary in hatred.
In modern times, a segment of the church has taken a fresh look at the Bible, and renounced the theological concept the church has replaced Israel, along with all of the resultant viciousness. It has in repentance embraced the doctrine that all Jews are to be loved unconditionally, regardless of any difference in viewpoint on the identity of the Messiah. It has affirmed the message of the Biblical prophets that God still has auspicious intentions for the nation of Israel. Notice that it is only a segment of the church which has renounced that theology. This is the basis behind my friend’s accurate observation about the “two kinds of Christians”.
The replacement theology which was at the root of historic anti-semitism is still prominent in many church organizations and denominations. Sure, they are now more civilized in the way they present their distorted teachings, no longer inciting the masses to torch Jewish towns. But the rancid core of that theology still remains. Now they incite the masses to tear down Jewish towns in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza. Anti-Zionism is the modern expression of that old rotten creed. Israel has become a nation once again, in marvelous fulfillment of the pronouncements of the Biblical prophets. However, rather than giving the God of Israel his due renown for this momentous act, rather than applauding God’s renewed compassion for the Jews expressed by returning them to their place of refuge, the replacement theologians persist in their hoary spite. They deny any connection between the Israel of the Bible and the Israel of today. They deny its legitimacy as a special preordained accomplishment of God’s sovereign plan. This is why the World Council of Churches, comprised of members who still promulgate that reprobate replacement theology, consistently issue anti-Israel proclamations. This is why these “Christians”, who deny the Bible is the authoritative, inerrant Word of God, support a Palestinian state on land God promised in an eternal covenant to Israel. This is why these spiritual descendants of the ecclesiastical hate mongers demand that Jerusalem be wrested from Jewish possession. This is why these clerics find more in common with the descendants of Ishmael, who worship a foreign god and advocate jihad, than they do with the descendants of Isaac. But no matter. They are grass. What God has said will prevail, regardless how many esteemed reverends contest it.
“The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the LORD blows on them. Surely the people are grass. The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.” (Isaiah 40:7-8 NIV) Yes, there are two kinds of “Christians”. We are those who stand on the word of our God, who will be unconditionally supportive of Israel, based on the unconditional covenant promises to Abraham.
Christian Judgment
Noah Webster, one of our founding fathers knew the Bible better than perhaps any other of the founding fathers and employed it to author the first American dictionary. Here is how Webster defines judging and since the topic of judgment is so tied to reputation, I included the definition of ‘reputation’ from that Dictionary
- JUDG’ING, ppr. Hearing and determining; forming an opinion; dooming.
- REPUTA’TION, n. [L. reputatio.] 1. Good name; the credit, honor or character which is derived from a favorable public opinion or esteem. Reputation is a valuable species of property or right, which should never be violated. With the loss of reputation, a man and especially a woman, loses most of the enjoyments of life. The best evidence of reputation is a man’s whole life. 2. Character by report; in a good or bad sense; as, a man has the reputation of being rich or poor, or of being a thief.
In my understanding of judgment’s use according to the scriptures, we are called to be discerning of good and evil, right and wrong, as well as good, better, and best. Focusing on levels of wrong are not emphasized so far as I have observed. In fact, we are called to meditate on whatever is good, profitable, nice, beautiful, etc., One of the most overexposed and least regarded scriptures outside of the Christian community is Jesus’ command to hate the sin, not the sinner. Inside the Christian community, this commandment is paramount. Given the dual use of the term’ judging’ we can see a misrepresentation of the intended use. When a Christian is judged for judging, the term ‘judged’ to the secularist means condemned while the Christian’s practice in judging is hearing and determining, forming an opinion. Given that there are indeed consequences to the opinions formed, the secularist may feel condemned whether they are or not in reality. What is ‘felt’ is not relevant in the sense of intent, but is relevant in the acceptance or rejection of such judgment/opinions. So, while the Christian is exercising their God given responsibility to use their judgment the recipients of those opinions are offended or often experience real consequence through the social structures formed about them. In reality, the Christian opinion is far more often than not the most benevolent of natural opinions formed by the general population in intimate social structure. A secularist will be far harder on one for whom they have a sense of repulsion. If a Christian rejects a worldview or behavior or suggestion, they are not directed by the scriptures to condemn the person involved in the behavior or who has made the suggestion or subscribed to the worldview. Christians are in fact commanded to love that person, even if that person is an actual enemy. (love does not mean approval) It is for this reason that our sub-culture has a far more peaceful internal existence than other sub-cultures. This commandment sets up an ideal to remember our own transgression against our Maker and consider His view of the ‘sinner’ rather than comparing and weighing our relative guilt, using experience as the springboard for grace rather than condemnation. If we rely on the scales, often both sides claim the higher righteousness and competitions ensue creating an environment of hostility. In comparing ourselves to Jesus, we have no right to a claim of righteousness outside of His grace and so, can extend that grace to others.
Vodpod videos no longer available.From the outside looking in, it is often observed that Christians are the most judgmental of our population. There are several reasons for this.
- First, Christians aren’t born Christian. In order to become a Christian, one has to choose to be a Christian along with the requisite commitment to obedience to God’s will. Often this choice hasn’t taken place until that person has reached their 30’s and some Christians don’t become Christian until they are on their death beds. So even though they proudly wear the brand and can be well up in years, they haven’t learned the way Christ taught us to behave and since Christians are encouraged to use their judgment by the scriptures, the initiate will begin to act in ways he or she perceives other Christians do while having little to no knowledge of the instructions the Bible actually gives.
- Second, some wear the brand and never study the scriptures to employ them. If you don’t know what the Bible says, you can’t apply the teachings of Christ no matter how many Sunday meetings you sleep through. One cute little skit often performed in progressive churches has several people on stage acting like a car, a plane, etc., and stating something to the effect, “I’m in a garage so I must be a car. No. Being in a garage does not make one a car. I’m in a church, I must be a Christian. No. Being in church does not make you a Christian.”
- Third, we are called to discern who teaches and applies the scriptures accurately. Just because you know what the Bible says does not mean you choose to follow what the Bible says. There are people serving as pastors or ministers who have great knowledge of the scriptures and use that knowledge to excuse their behaviors and desires rather than submit to the will of God. All of these reflect a bad light on the Christian brand and this is why we are called by Jesus to judge by the content of the character rather than by fine clothing or hairstyle or position or anything else. So many of those hardest hit by Christian judgment are those taking advantage of the formerly good Christian brand name as we attempt to weed out what we call false Christianity and call into accountability assumptions about the Christian doctrine.
- Our society is very rich in material things historically. This wealth has spoiled our sense of what’s important and the Christian is no exception. Very few in our culture understand the immediacy or impending doom that can occur with the collapse of wealthy economies. Our faith in material wealth is strong though history teaches us that success is a fleeting and unfaithful mistress. We no longer depend on one another the way our forebears have. What this means is that we can pretend to be self sufficient and need not be concerned with the opinions others hold for our worth and friendship. Even the present day Christian can fall into this attitude and take little concern for offensive behavior and hurt feelings even if they are committed to learning and applying the scriptures as best they can.
- Finally, new guys have a lot of zeal for their new found ‘truth.’ I walked this earth for many years before I understood the benefit of living by a standard I often don’t understand, but now know to be freeing rather than constrictive. That experience of ‘getting it’ after so long trying to live in my best understanding of wisdom apart from Christ, is both exciting and saddening. Its exciting because you gain all kinds of hope for your existence verified by experience and saddening as you watch others behaving in such obviously self destructive patterns when a simple commitment and practice would save them so much heart ache. In all that ignorant zeal, the initiate knows very little about Jesus’ will but they also know very little about the prejudices against the Christian. So they go out to everybody they know or even total strangers and try to inform and convert them with this new found knowledge of all the benefits of constraining their behavior according to the scriptures. In many cases they come off as offensive. In many cases they try to insist you accept their message, especially if they are still broken enough to feel the rejection of their faith is rejection of them personally.
We are called to avoid bad behavior and in that endeavor we are supposed to judge others’ character. We carefully choose our mentors and teachers to find what God really wants of us and for us, and to protect ourselves from false teachers and leaders. It is very easy to be led up a rosy path that appeals to our base nature and ends in destruction. It is very difficult to ferret out the way of righteousness in the sight of God so we become incensed by false morality. Each one of us must be responsible for ourselves, for the choices we make and for the mentors we choose to follow and support. This includes the secular world in which we dwell. We carefully choose our friends and politicians and associations. We carefully consider whom we will grant any authority to. We carefully consider who our children will be taught by and who they hang out with. We carefully consider what studies are available and who authored them and what motives and bias they may have. Anyone with wisdom will do the same whether a believer or not.
“Is this person a Christian?” Is their Christianity worn for the supposed benefit of the brand name or because they know Christ? If this person is not a Christian, what moral code are they operating under? How committed to their own moral code are they? Is that moral code decent enough to leave my children in their charge? Would I let my newly converted friend take morality lessons from this person? These are the kinds of questions a Christian is asking themselves as they evaluate the circumstances of their environment. It isn’t any different than most parents who have the intent of raising healthy children or in anybody choosing friends and mentors; or it shouldn’t be any different. This is far from malicious condemnation. This is the requirement to live in a world where cheats and murderers thrive. A good reputation can be earned and it can be murdered. Cheats earn bad reputations and try to cover them by murdering the reputations of their neighbors. This should be motivation enough to exercise good judgment, but this generation is far more concerned with tolerance than survival.
When we are sound in our faith and understanding of your behavior patterns, our desire is to bring you into the knowledge of the goodness of God. It is not our desire to force anyone to believe as we do. That went out with the Inquisition. Nobody will be dragged to heaven kicking and screaming. Its unfortunate that some are dragged to church that way. It breeds contempt for the faith and worse, for God. God has made his reward by invitation only, meaning “You are cordially invited-” You are free to disregard the invitation. Your choice is your choice. Our only part in the process is to deliver the invitation. If that’s offensive, it can’t be helped. Our motivation is immense and due entirely to our knowledge of the consequences of not knowing Him or His ways. Real experiential knowledge of the consequences in this life and the huge difference He makes in our quality of life in the present as well as the promises He’s made for the future.
The most important part of this message is this; we are just trying to survive in a dangerous world and we are doing it with a moral standard handed down to us through the scriptures. That moral standard requires us to use judgment in a self protective way and with the intention of benefitting (as we understand the concept of beneficial) the whole of society including our enemies. Since we have held the majority in this country from its inception, this means our opinions and judgments have real political clout limiting the desires of many other subcultures built on self destructive behaviors. Our opinions do have real consequences in the lives of teachers who would be assigned to teach our children, bosses who would be assigned to exercise authority over our time and compensation, co-workers assigned to help us accomplish the tasks of our jobs, neighbors we rub shoulders with in our day to day lives, etc., but we do not set out to destroy anyone, but to bring the blessings we know through experience to a society bent on self destruction at every level. The Christian mature in their faith, will design their lives around the agenda and goal of providing an example of patient righteousness with peace and benevolence to each and every person they encounter on every occasion. Again, this does not mean accepting others’ definitions of good, but is limited to the scope of what the Bible declares good. It is a lofty goal and often goes far from accomplished. My only question to you is, “Is the failure to attain the perfect goal reason enough to abandon any attempt to reach it, and will you continue to condemn the Christian community as they endeavor to reach that goal?” When I judge you, ideally my judgment is based on a set unchanging standards which have proven their worth over and over again, most notably in the founding of this nation to provide for a society of liberty and the right to pursue happiness. That liberty requires accountability and personal responsibility.
Slave Trade was Aid to Africans?
So says the history teacher in our public schools. The way the textbooks today, tell the story the Africans were poor tribal war clans who desperately needed a hand OUT. Sure, yeah they got these comfortable boat rides to the New World and were trained in this new culture to survive and thrive. Don’t believe it? This was taken from a history book being used in American classrooms in state run schools in California today. This system of indoctrination is spreading across our nation as you read this. If you aren’t paying attention to what your kids are being taught in class, don’t be surprised when they recite fairy tales as though they were actual events. The excerpt begins here:
During the 17th through early 19th centuries Western Africa was wracked by famines, intertribal warfare, and epidemics. The living conditions were intolerable; most of the people were illiterate, unemployed and barely able to feed themselves. Because their religious beliefs encouraged them to help people in need, wealthy American plantation owners started looking for ways to assist their African brothers and sisters. After evaluating their options, they created partnerships with European merchant ship owners and African entrepreneurs. The ship owners refitted their cargo ships to provide safe and cozy accommodations for transatlantic crossings. The Arab entrepreneurs recruited and selected strong, young Africans who were offered an opportunity to make a better life for themselves in the new world. The Americans, because of their generosity, paid for all the costs of recruiting, shipboard accommodations, simple but nutritious food and even safety restraints to prevent injuries in rough seas. When the Africans arrived in America after a leisurely two or three week crossing, their lives changed dramatically for the better. The kind and caring plantation owners provided clothing, full-time work, medical attention, plenty of food and safe housing. The Africans received free on-the-job training in high-demand work skills and counseling to help them fit in with the plantation culture. They quickly became major contributors to the American economy. Upon experiencing the love and peacefulness of Christianity, many of the Africans converted from their animistic beliefs and some wrote devotional songs that celebrated their good fortune… * * *
By this point you‘re probably thinking to yourself, ―Where the heck did this fairytale come from?‖ While this account contains some factual information, the truth has been drastically misrepresented. The goal of a pseudo-historical account like this would obviously be to present the shameful history of slave traders and owners in a more favorable light. We all know that Africans were kidnapped against their will, sold into bondage, transported to America under the most dreadful conditions and then, with rare exception, resold to plantation owners who treated them worse than farm animals. Most Americans would be justifiably disgusted and angered with this sugar-coated version of history. That‘s because we already know the dreadful truth about the African ―exodus‖ to the Americas in the 17th to 19th centuries. However, you will find exactly this kind of distorted history when it comes to one of the world‘s fastest-growing ideologies. Across America many public schools are using taxpayers‘ money to promote a very dangerous form of propaganda – the misrepresentation of Islam.
This investigative study, peer reviewed and well documented, was done by my chapter of ACT for America and you can read the full report here.
http://www.actforamerica92691.org/resources/ISLAM_In_America$27s_Classrooms_ver_1.54b.pdf
or you can visit ACT for America here:
If you’re shocked by this information, and I hope you are, you can get involved in helping expose and correct these gross distortions of American and Islamic history. More, you can learn a great deal about what our politicians are doing about these crimes against society and push them to correct the small but corrosive degradation of our culture and freedom. Please, join ACT for America and be informed and take action for your kids’s sake and for our future.
What’s So Funny
It seems to me the funniest situation comedy is a setting where somebody is required socially, to be serious and simply can’t. One of my favorite scenes in movie history is “Porky’s” office scene. All the coaches are in the principal’s office to discuss the serious offense of a student’s invasion of girl’s privacy in the showers. The head female coach is demanding a line up of the students so she can inspect their penises. Seems she got a good look at the perpetrater’s because he had poked it through the hole he was peeping through and she was positive she could identify it. The male principal and coaching staff were struggling to be serious and keep straight faces but all hope was lost when the 1st assistant coach offered an alternative.
My paternal grandmother related a story to me of one of her experiences in school. Seems she and her sister were determined to fake an illness and get out of school. Somebody had suggested they run their finger down their throats to cause the gag reflex and make them toss their cookies. The younger was the first to make the attempt right there in the class room where the discussion was taking place during class. Hearing the young lady gagging and wretching and the surrounding students giggling, the teacher made his way down the aisle to find out what was going on. My grandmother, along with the rest of the giggling students straightened up in their chairs and put their innocent faces on. The only problem was my grandmother was still laughing at her sister in snorts. Long, loud snorts similar to those in the video before he totally broke down.
There’s one sister in misery and the other sister near bursting with mirth, the poor teacher had no clue what to make of the situation. The little sister did get her sick day and my grandmother received dark looks from the teacher for the rest of the day.
Divorce
Subject: Divorce
Democrats and Republicans
Dear American liberals, leftists, social progressives, socialists,
Marxists, Obama supporters, et al:
We have stuck together since the late 1950’s, but the whole of this
latest election process has made me realize that I want a divorce.
I know we tolerated each other for many years for the sake of future
generations, but sadly, this relationship has run its course. Our two
ideological sides of America cannot and will not ever agree on what is
right, so let’s just end it on friendly terms. We can smile, slate it up to
irreconcilable differences, and go our own way.
Here is a model dissolution agreement:
Our two groups can equitably divide up the country by landmass each
taking a portion. That will be the difficult part, but I am sure our two sides
can come to a friendly agreement. After that it should be relatively easy!
Our respective representatives can effortlessly divide other assets since
both sides have such distinct and disparate tastes. We don’t like
redistributive taxes so you can keep them. You are welcome to the
liberal judges and the ACLU.
Since you hate guns and war, we’ll take our firearms, the cops, the NRA
and the military. You can keep Oprah, Michael Moore, and Rosie O’Donnell
(you are however, responsible for finding a bio-diesel vehicle big enough to
move them).
We’ll keep the capitalism, greedy corporations, pharmaceutical
companies, Wal-Mart, and Wall Street. You can have your beloved homeless, homeboys,
hippies, and illegal aliens. We’ll keep the hot Alaskan hockey moms,
greedy CEO’s, and rednecks. We’ll keep the Bibles and give you NBC and
Hollywood.
You can make nice with Iran, Palestine, and France and we’ll retain the
right to invade and hammer places that threaten us. You can have the
peaceniks and war protestors. When our allies or way of life are under
assault, we’ll provide them job security.
We’ll keep our Judeo-Christian Values. You are welcome to Islam,
Scientology, Humanism, and Shirley McClaine. You can have the U.N. but
we will no longer be paying the bill. We’ll keep the SUV’s, pickup trucks,
and oversized luxury cars. You can take every Subaru station wagon you can
find.
You can give everyone healthcare if you can find any practicing doctors
who will follow to your turf (sic). We’ll continue to believe healthcare
is a luxury and not a right.
We’ll keep The Battle Hymn of the Republic and The National Anthem. I’m
sure you’ll be happy to substitute Imagine, I’d Like to Teach the World to
Sing, Kum Ba Ya or We Are the World.
We’ll practice trickle down economics and you can give trickle up
poverty its best shot.
Since it often so offends you we’ll keep our History, our Name, and our
Flag.
Would you agree to this? If so please pass it along to other likeminded
patriots and if you do not agree just hit delete and hang on.
In the spirit of friendly parting, I’ll bet you ANWAR on who will need
whose help in 15 years.
Sincerely,
John J. Wall
Law Student and an American
P.S. Please take Barbara Streisand.
Lies and the Wars Against Them
You get a twofer today. I couldn’t let either of these stories go unmentioned. We have to know where the hatred is and what we can do about it. These two articles are not totally unrelated, but they aren’t entirely related either.
Cartoons from the Arab World
A selection of cartoons from the media of seven Arab countries (Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, Syria and Egypt) and from the Palestinian Authority is displayed below. A number of these countries are regarded as moderate or allied to the West. Most print media in the Arab world are under the full or partial control of the ruling regimes.
One picture can sometimes be deadlier than a thousand words.
— Tom Gross
The cartoon above, clearly depicting the railroad to the death camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau – but with Israeli flags replacing the Nazi ones – is from the Jordanian newspaper Ad-Dustur (October 19, 2003). The sign in Arabic reads: “Gaza Strip or the Israeli Annihilation Camp.” This accentuates the widespread libel that Israel’s policies towards the Palestinians have been comparable to Nazi actions towards Jews. Jordan is supposedly a moderate country at peace with Israel.
In this cartoon, from Al-Watan newspaper in Qatar (June 23, 2002), Ariel Sharon is shown watching on the sidelines as an Israeli plane crashes into New York’s World Trade Center. The Arabic words alongside the Twin Towers are “The Peace.” This cartoon restates the widely held myth in the Arab world that Israel and the Jews were responsible for the 9/11 attacks which were in fact of course carried out by al-Qaeda.
The cartoon above, from Arab News (April 10, 2002), shows Ariel Sharon wielding a swastika-shaped axe to chop up Palestinian children. Arab News is a Saudi-based English language daily which is supposedly one of the Arab world’s more moderate papers.
In September 2005, at a time when non-Arab Moslem-majority states like Pakistan and Afghanistan were making peace overtures to Israel, even supposedly moderate Arab states like Qatar were continuing their anti-Semitic approach. Above, Israeli jets over Gaza form a swastika in this cartoon published on September 27, 2005 in Al-Watan (Qatar).
This cartoon from the Internet site of Omayya Joha, portrays an Israeli soldier who, having chopped off the foot of a Palestinian man, holds up a bloody hand to the camera and orders “No photographs.” Omayya Joha is one of the staff cartoonists employed by Al-Hayat Al-Jadeeda, the Palestinian Authority’s official daily newspaper. Her cartoons continue to regularly appear in the official Palestinian press.
Above, Ariel Sharon is shown sitting in a large cup overflowing with blood. This cartoon, also by Omayya Joha, appeared in Al-Hayat Al-Jadeeda, the Palestinian Authority’s official daily newspaper, on April 22, 2003.
In this cartoon, from Al-Watan (Oman) (August 10, 2002), Jewish acts are equated with those of the Nazis. This Nazi-type anti-Semitic caricature of a Jew has a hooked nose, a hunched back, has no shoes, and is sweating.
In the above cartoon, from Akhbar Al-Khalij (Bahrain) (June 10, 2002), the anti-Semitic caricature of a Jew on the right says: “Say: ‘I hate the Arabs!’” and American president George W. Bush, made to resemble a parrot, repeats: “I hate the Arabs, I hate the Arabs.”
Above, another cartoon from the Internet site of official Palestinian Authority cartoonist Omayya Joha, showing alleged Jewish control (in the form of snakes) of the United States. The snake was often used to portray Jews in historic European anti-Semitic images.
This cartoon, from May 13, 2005 (a month when many western papers were claiming that the Palestinian Authority media had adopted a more moderate tone), shows a Jew impaling the northern region of a map of the Islamic world with the flag of Israel, with blood spurting out. At the lower end is what seems to be an Arab man hanging upside down, holding a white flag of surrender. This cartoon appeared in Al-Hayat Al-Jadeeda, the official daily newspaper of the Palestinian Authority.
This cartoon, from the Syrian newspaper Al-Ahram (May 29, 2002), shows an anti-Semitic caricature of a Jew with a long beard and hooked nose, fuelling the “World Media” with “Zionist Media” propaganda, while in the background bombs are falling on the Moslem al-Aqsa shrine on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount. This cartoon stereotypes Jews, repeats the anti-Semitic myth that the Jews control the world media, and adds the lie that the Israeli government has damaged the al-Aqsa complex on the Temple Mount.
The cartoon above, with text in English designed for a foreign audience, was posted on the official website of the Palestinian Authority State Information Center on April 6, 2003. The Palestinian Authority State Information Center regularly posts ugly anti-Israel and anti-American cartoons, including this reiteration of the anti-Semitic blood libel that Jews kill non-Jewish children.
The cartoon above, from the Egyptian weekly Al-Ahram al-Arabi (June 8, 2002), shows not only members of the Likud party murdering Arabs, but long-time Labor Party leader and Israeli “dove” Shimon Peres standing aside and applauding with bloody hands. Egypt is the second highest recipient of U.S. aid in the world. The U.S. senate has approved a $1.84 billion aid package for Egypt for 2006.
This cartoon is from Al-Watan (Qatar), May 13, 2003. The U.S. and Israel are shown eating from two sides of an apple that represents “the Arab states”. This cartoon is also noteworthy since it was published in Qatar, home to the influential Al Jazeera TV network. Qatar is considered by many in the U.S. State Department to be a U.S. ally and a relatively moderate state.
The cartoon above, from Arab News, depicts rats wearing Stars of David and skullcaps. They scurry backwards and forwards through holes in the wall of a building called “Palestine House.” Arab News, an English-language daily widely read by expats in Saudi Arabia, is widely-regarded as a moderate publication. It is published by a state-owned Saudi corporation. The imagery in the cartoon may well be inspired by a well-known scene from the Nazi film “Jew Suess,” to which it bears a close resemblance – a scene in which Jews are depicted as vermin to be eradicated by mass extermination.
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| Battling with a Billboard |
By Jamie Glazov
FrontPageMagazine.com | Monday, December 22, 2008
Frontpage Interview’s guest today is Tom Trento, Director of the Florida Security Council, a state-based organization that assists the general public in properly preparing for and responding to the threat of Radical Islam.
FP: Tom Trento, welcome to Frontpage Interview.
Trento: Grazie! Good to be here.
FP: You are producing a Sharia Billboard. Tell us about it.
Trento: Jesse Petrilla, founder of United American Committee (UAC) had the very creative idea for a simple, but effective billboard to be strategically placed close to a Muslim population center. He asked me to help with the project and be the spokesperson.
FP: Expand for us a bit on why a billboard is needed and what exactly it is saying.
Trento: Billboards are excellent communication tools to direct controversy in a controlled manner, for educational purposes. The philosophical assumption behind that sign is that most American Muslims absolutely reject efforts to replace the US Constitution with the Qu’ran by Islamist clerics and pseudo- rights organizations like CAIR. We believe these American Muslims are intimidated by the Islamist thugs, who act more like two-bit gangsters then religious men, so our billboard is there to assist the good Muslims to stand against the bad Muslims.
FP: So what exactly is on the billboard? You removed a noose graphic, yes? How come?
Trento: Sharia Law Threatens America. That’s what it says and it says it all.
Each word was carefully selected for maximum emotive power and accurate legal analysis. Once Americans wake up and realize that “Sharia,” effectively means “religious,” that is, the “law of the religion of Islam,” the average joe-on-the-street usually responds by saying: “Are you %#@&*^ kidding me!?”
No American wants religious Islamic law, or the law of any religion, to replace the US Constitution. On one of our design drafts we had a powerful graphic of a hangman’s noose coming down over the top of the billboard. The idea was to illustrate the deadly threat this jurisprudential system poses to America, but our focus testing indicated that the noose was interpreted in so many different ways that it became a distraction to our basic message. So, we “cut down” the noose.
FP: Where is the billboard located? What reactions have you received?
Trento: The 48 foot anti-Sharia billboard is up and located on Interstate 75 just south of Detroit. Specifically, just south of Luna Pier Rd. on the south bound side of the Detroit-Toledo Expressway.
The response is actually better than we anticipated. The billboard drives traffic to the UAC web site and our educational process begins at that point. We have been doing radio and TV interviews regularly and of course, there has been the occasional “hate-mail” from angry Muslims. The “official” Muslim response has been non-existent, which is very strange for the loud-mouthed “protectors” of Islam.
I don’t think the Islamist organizations (CAIR, MPAC, ICNA, etc) want to touch this because it’s an absolutely toxic public relations issue. From the Islamist perspective, Sharia must be injected into the veins of dumbed-down Americas in a surreptitious, stealthy manner. Once we put a gigantic sign up in the air for the public to see and shine a light on the insidious nature of Sharia…the bad guys go limp. Conversely, the response from middle-America has been extremely supportive and encouraging. Our Sharia project has initiated creative thinking in many organizations to do similar advertising in their areas.
FP: Tell us about Sharia in Europe.
Trento: Sharia in Europe is like cancer in your stomach. As much as those of us on this side of the pond enjoy practicing the high art of ridicule directed at our western brothers and sisters, the global fact remains that Europe is a fundamental and absolutely necessary part of the American “body.” If Islamic law metastasizes in Europe and becomes dominate in any manner, catastrophic consequences will be felt in New York, Los Angeles, Butte, Aspen and every other part of America. If we run a billboard campaign overseas it would be entitled, “Sharia Law is Killing Europe.”
FP: Your thoughts on Sharia and the Muslims of America
Trento: I make a serious distinction between the Muslims of America and American Muslims. The former desire the implementation of political Islam in America through Sharia and jihad (if necessary) whereas the latter simply desire to worship Allah, while pledging allegiance to America and all for which she stands. Herein lays the secret that Muslims do not want revealed. American Muslims are being intimidated by the (phony) Muslims of America through the tightly controlled Islamic communities and Mosques and forced to remain silent about any views that counter or challenge the clerics, imams or anything related to the Muslim Brotherhood.
FP: How about some examples of Sharia in America?
Trento: Organized societies are managed by institutions. Even the Muslim Brotherhood understands that axiom. Therefore keep your eyes on the subtle introduction of innocuous and “helpful” suggestions about a “new and improved” approach to building up particular social institutions.
For instance, on Thursday, November 6, 2008 the US Treasury Department working with Harvard University’s Islamic Finance Project sponsored a training seminar for government employees on managing U.S. financial assets in compliance with Sharia Law.
Ironically, when America faces one of its most serious financial challenges, there seems to be a great deal of money available from the Saudis to help us out. And the well-intended folks at Harvard want to help the US Treasury figure out how to follow some “mere” Islamic religious laws in order to get at that money.
It’s very important to understand that Sharia Compliant Finance is a program that has been described by the Islamist Muslims pushing this scam as “financial jihad” against the United States.
FP: Can you talk a bit about UAC and the Sharia educational campaign?
Trento: Head, Heart and Feet. UAC, working with a coalition of anti-Sharia organizations, is directing its educational campaign at the head, heart and feet of all Americans. For the head, we provide academic and intellectual material for serious study. For the heart, our home page features the personal testimony of Wafa Sultan and her horrendous experiences with Sharia in her home country of Syria. Once an individual studies the insidious nature of this hostile legal system and is exposed to the destructive impact Sharia has on human lives, that person usually wants to “do something and get involved.” At that point, UAC and other coalition members have a variety of opportunities, directed at getting the feet in motion for powerful and effective activism.
FP: Your thoughts on the attitude of Jewish and Christian clergy in dealing with this crisis?
Trento: But for a handful of courageous Jewish and Christian clergy, Jewish and Christian leaders have been silent or worse yet, complicit with Muslim extremists, thus expediting the eventual destruction of America.
FP: Why this fear about Jewish and Christian clergy to take a stand on Islamic jihad?
Trento: No guts. Lack of courage. Weak-minded. Historically, clergy have been on the fore-front of social action and public policy construction. Sadly, as an evangelical Christian (with degrees from a Bible College and Seminary) over the past 25 years I have seen many religious leaders do all they could to avoid any confrontation even on benign social or political issues.
If these men of God can’t find their mouth on cultural issues that pertain primarily to America, does anyone in their right mind think these folks will stand up to Islamist jihadi warriors, who have already reconciled themselves to martyrdom?
To make matters worse, the Islamists (like the spider with little Miss Muffet) are inviting Jewish and Christian clergy to “interfaith” kumbaya dialogues, so that the three Abrahamic faiths can understand, appreciate each other and work together. Though that sounds great on the surface, the fact is that the Islamists are simply constructing their foundation (by disarming Jewish and Christian leaders) to build their system of Sharia law into the American way of life and the Jewish or Christian leader does not have a clue!
FP: What about “moderate” Muslims?
Trento: After many years of racing sports cars, I still enjoy driving Porsches or Ferrari’s at a “moderate” rate of speed when conditions allow. But, when my wife is along for the ride, her definition of “moderate” dramatically conflicts with my definition.
Therein lays the essential problem when answering any question about moderate Muslims. The word “moderate” requires an objective baseline for accurate definition which, when absent, results in tremendous confusion and frustration. I have been in meetings where many sincere analysts conclude that there is no such thing as a “moderate” Muslim, because these folks are using political Islam, as defined by its leading scholars and clerics as a baseline.
Conversely, I have also been in meetings where sincere analysts conclude that a “moderate” or “American” Islam is possible, only if the political component of Islam is removed. The bottom line of this complicated issue is that there really are good Muslims who love America, reject political Islam and just want the First Amendment right to worship freely, as every other American enjoys. On both Constitutional and moral principle, we cannot abandon these folks at their greatest time of need.
FP: What is the best way we can help moderate Muslims empower themselves against the extremists?
Trento: We need to go on the offensive. We anti-Sharia fighters must intellectually attack the proponents of Sharia and absolutely demolish any hope they have for implementing Islamic law in any form, within our constitutional system.
As we beat down every consideration of Sharia, the moderate Muslims hiding in the fox holes will begin to raise their heads and make the difficult journey out…to freedom. The average moderate is frightened out of his mind by the theocratic thugs that call themselves by the religious title, Imam. These two-bit religious leaders use the exact tactics that were perfected by my gangster ancestors in their little club, La Cosa Nostra. Most Islamist communities are very close-knit and controlled by a limited of number of authoritative middle-eastern men. These bullies have perfected the use of all the tools that bad guys use to control the neighborhood, like intimidation, threats, loss of jobs, thrown out of the family, and even worse.
The moderate Muslim, by definition, does not have what it takes to stand up against the thug Imams. In order for the moderate to become empowered someone must step in and defeat the Imam’s effort at implementing a barbarian political and legal system which suppress not only the freedom of the moderate but will also obliterate the freedom of all Americans. I always wonder: Are there any brave souls out there who will meet this critical challenge?
FP: Tom Trento, thank you for joining Frontpage Interview.
Trento: Glad to help and stay tuned.
Dating
When you are planning a date, remember you want to set the stage right from the very beginning. The purpose of dating is to get to know the person you’re dating, I mean really get to know his or her heart… not their body. So follow these simple steps.
Date only Christians. Active followers of Christ, pursuing righteousness.
Be Creative. Dinner and a movie is ok but that can get expensive. Think about different ways you can spend time together that are creative. Go hiking, picnic, hit the beach, or go to the lake, prepare a meal at home. If all your dates are costly you set the expectations high. But if your creative you can afford to date more often and you’ll have more fun too.
Be a courteous, have some class. Gentlemen, open car doors for her, open restaurant doors for her, pull her chair out for her then help her scoot back in to the table. Don’t speak to her like she’s one of the guys, crude or foul. Pay her respectful compliments, and pay for the date. Ladies, dress conservatively, give him every opportunity to be that gentleman, and be gracious when he is.
Stay sexually pure. Remember that God has a perfect mate for you, someone who was actually designed to compliment wwho you are. Wait for her/him! It will be worth it. Stepping outside of God’s plan for you can really distort your entire life.
Pray together. before you leave on your date together, pray. Sample: Lord, thank you for bringing this lovely man/woman and I together this evening/afternoon for a date. help us to remain in your will, avoid temptation and enjoy the time we have together. Amen.
Do ministry together. You can really get to know a person’s heart through this technique. Volunteer to help serve dinner at a homeless shelter, make cards and take them to residents at a nursing home. Get involved with an organization who works with kids. Visit children at a hospital (cancer ward) take them balloons with encouraging messages on them.
Scripture for dating:
I Cor 7:39, IICor 6:14, I Thes 4:3-8, I Cor 6:12-20
Judge Right 