A wall is not equivalent to a suicide bomber: Denis MacEoin responds to Bethlehem Unwrapped

This is a follow-up to the TW post yesterday that was titled: Op-Ed: Israel vs. Islamists: Setting the Record Straight.

 

CiF Watch  "There has been an enormous uproar over the decision by the Church of St. James at Piccadilly to erect a mock version of a wall that is part of Israel’s security barrier around the West Bank. The barrier is seen in black-and-white, politically biased terms, something that has become commonplace among politically motivated Christians in the UK, for whom there is only one narrative in the Middle East, namely the Palestinian narrative.

"The attack on Israel that it represents is high-minded, inarticulate, and without compassion for the Jewish people. It is also without compassion for those Christians who live in the West Bank and are attacked, persecuted, and expelled by their Muslim neighbours: an outrage St. James’s and its clerics fail to address."....

... "The West Bank barrier is only one of over 30 walls and fences round the world. Most of those are also anti-terror fences. Some are electrified and have killed many people — over 4000 in one instance, the barrier between Ceuta and Morocco. The long North Korean barrier is policed by two million soldiers. Yet St. James does not build mock-ups of any of these walls, nor does it preach about the deaths they cause. The clergy at St. James just concentrate on part of a security barrier that has saved lives. Shame on them for their blatant hypocrisy coupled with the assumption of moral superiority. Shame on them for their adroit negotiation of meaning, portraying themselves as champions of human rights while they show a streak of anti-Semitism in their routine assignment of evil only to the Jewish state."

One solid case for building a wall is this, lest we forget: Itamar massacre: Fogel family butchered while sleeping    "Names of Itamar attack victims cleared for publication Saturday evening: Udi Fogel, 36, Ruth Fogel, 35, and their children Yoav, 11, Elad, 4, and three-month-old Hadas were stabbed to death."  Emphasis added; need we explain why?

More on the UK Guardian's point of view about Israel vs. the Arabs: Why the Guardian will support the next Palestinian Intifada

"Welcome to CiF Watch, dedicated to monitoring antisemitism and combating the assault on Israel’s legitimacy at the Guardian and its ‘Comment is Free’ blog."

Hat tip to Allyson’s Geo-Political Inspections

Don't mess with this attorney general

http://terrellaftermath.com/

FBI Called In For Christie Bridge Case

Weasel Zippers

 

"When do you suppose the FBI will start, erhem, I mean finish, their intensive Benghazi investigation?
"It took them three weeks to even reach Benghazi, but they’re on the hop in this case.
"Paul Fishman, the U.S. Attorney behind this call, is a Hillary Clinton fundraiser and Christie’s Democratic successor in that post."

 

From Thursday's Tunnel Wall: If lane closings end Gov. Christie's career, what about Obama's closing of national monuments and parks?   

“We’ve been told to make life as difficult for people as we can. It’s disgusting.”   “ 'It’s a cheap way to deal with the situation,” an angry Park Service ranger in Washington says of the harassment. “We’ve been told to make life as difficult for people as we can. It’s disgusting.' ” 

Gates reveals Obama coldness regarding our soldiers

American Thinker  ... "Clearly, Gates is referring to soldiers injured or killed in the line of duty.  One recalls that George Bush gave up golf - a sport he loved-during his presidency - because he felt it unseemly and insensitive for a commander-in-chief to swing golf clubs while Americans were in harm's way. Barack Obama, in contrast, has never stopped playing golf.

"There are many other examples of Obama's lack of knowledge or concern regarding our military."
....
"He also just doesn't care much for America or Americans. He is not only a notorious loner who "does not like people" (in the words of a former aide).  He has an empathy deficit, a character trait I wrote about over three years ago in "Obama's Empathy Deficit."

"He is the textbook example of a narcissist. And a very cold-hearted one at that. He only saves his warmth to flamethrow Republicans."

Obama’s Insincere War   "John Kerry famously asked during the Vietnam War: How do you ask a man to be the last man to die for a mistake? Now the secretary of state should pose a version of his long-ago rhetorical question to his boss. Obama evidently has been asking men to die for what he considers a mistake for years now."

Obama Admits He Uses Our Troops for Photo Ops

 

The massacre of Oradour-sur-Glane; the town left as it was on that day (UPDATED)

In the news on Jan 9th: Prosecutors charge 88-year-old man over 1944 Nazi massacre at Oradour-Sur-Glane – where 642 villagers were shot and burnt
 "An 88-year-old former member of an SS armored division has been charged with murder and accessory to murder for allegedly taking part in the massacre of 642 French villagers by Nazi soldiers during World War Two.
"The man, named only as Werner C, from Cologne, has been charged with 25 counts of murder  and hundreds of counts of accessory to murder in connection with the slaughter in Oradour-sur-Glane.   Video


Video with narration

Oradour scrapbook
 "The map shown above was scanned from a book which I purchased in the book store of the Center of Memory at Oradour-sur-Glane. It shows the six killing sites where the 190 men were murdered and the location of the Church where the women and children were killed."

The village has purposely been left untouched since the massacre, to serve both as a shrine to those who died and as a constant reminder of the unremitting evil of the Nazis

"The investigation into the massacre where almost the entire population of the village, including more than 400 women and children, was gunned down or burned alive on June 10, 1944, was re-opened by German prosecutors last year."
A close look at the village as it is today

The remains of the church in which 247 women and 205 children were 

 trapped and killed  by the Nazis. The middle window behind the altar is

the one through which the only survivor Marguerite Rouffanche escaped

Oradour-sur-Glane  "The original population was destroyed on 10 June 1944, when 642 of its inhabitants, including women and children, were massacred by a German Waffen-SS company. A new village was built after the war on a nearby site but on the orders of the then French president, Charles de Gaulle, the original has been maintained as a permanent memorial and museum."
Another video
 

Oradour-sur-Glane in a picture taken not long after the troops left and survivors were left to pick up the pieces

..."They marched into the town and separated the men from the women and children.

"The men were taken to six barns and shed while the women and children were locked in the church while the village was looted.

"The men were said to be shot in the legs before being doused in petrol and set alight."
From the testimony of Marguerite Rouffanche, one of the few  survivors of the massacre.

Q and A on the village
 

 Significant locations within the town  Scroll down at the link

 

... "Protests followed from Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel; General Gleiniger, German commander in Limoges; and the Vichy government. SS-Standartenführer Stadler felt Diekmann had far exceeded his orders and began a judicial investigation. Diekmann, 29 years old, was killed in action shortly afterwards during the Battle of Normandy, and a large number of the third company, which had committed the massacre, were themselves killed in action within a few days, and the investigation was suspended."

The SS commander, Adolf Otto Diekmann

Brief history of the unit

Ex-SS soldiers face massacre charges  "Mr Brendel said the six former SS soldiers, all aged 85 or 86, served with the 3rd Company of the 1st Battalion of the Der Führer Regiment of the SS's Das Reich Division."
 

 Pronunciation of Oradour-sur-Glane by a Dutch citizen 

 UPDATE: Oradour-sur-Glane scrapbook  Contains a number of before and after photos.

"On 10 June 1944, the idylic French village of Oradour-sur-Glane was completely destroyed and 642 innocent men, women and children were massacred by soldiers in Hitler's elite Waffen-SS army. The ruins of the martyred village have been preserved as a reminder of German barbarity."

 

Ruins of Catholic Church in Oradour-sur-Glane

 

 

  More links in this site.

Op-Ed: Israel vs. Islamists: Setting the Record Straight

Muslim-on-Muslim violence is what the world should be condemning. Instead, the Brits put up a "wall" in London the protest the security wall that discriminates against suicide bombers.

Phyllis Chesler  "Israel is not an apartheid Nazi state. Islam is the largest practitioner of both gender and religious apartheid.
...
While the West may be imperfect, mea culpa, mea culpa, Islam has a very long and bloody history of imperialism, colonialism, anti-Black racism, conversion via the sword, slavery, and the above mentioned apartheid.

"The miserable Brits have just built a large "Security Wall*" at St James Church in Piccadilly and plan to use it to continue demonizing the Jewish state for the next twelve days. It is an "art installation," political theatre, very trendy.

"Not shown, never mentioned, are the names or graves of Israeli civilians, including children and the elderly, who were being blown up and butchered during the height of the Al Aqsa Intifada; not mentioned are those who were disabled for life; but mainly, it is forbidden to say that the "security wall" worked, that the number of Israeli civilian casualties plunged because it existed."

*What you won’t see projected onto the replica wall are scenes of bombed out Israeli buses, hotels, pizza restaurants, bars and nightclubs that were ubiquitous in Israel before the wall.

St James Church website has a page discussing the wall.

Anglican Mainstream; Thousands visit Piccadilly Separation Wall
Open letter from Embassy of Israel, London, to St James's, Piccadilly

I'm writing to inform you that our embassy's representative will not be able to participate in Saturday's panel on the security barrier. As you know, our intention has always been to conduct an open dialogue with Church institutions, and it is rare that we turn down an invitation to participate in a church event, especially when it concerns Israel.
 
However, we have closely followed the unfolding of the Bethlehem Unwrapped event this past week, and have been brought to the inescapable conclusion that this is not an event which is intended to deepen understanding or promote reconciliation but rather is a transparent attempt to incite against Israel and Israelis.
 

If lane closings end Gov. Christie's career, what about Obama's closing of national monuments and parks?

“We’ve been told to make life as difficult for people as we can. It’s disgusting.”   “ 'It’s a cheap way to deal with the situation,” an angry Park Service ranger in Washington says of the harassment. “We’ve been told to make life as difficult for people as we can. It’s disgusting.' ”

More:  "... the administration has made it clear the effort in shutting these things down is not about saving money, but about using these actions to make a political point.
 "A senior administration official actually fluffed off the shutdown, noting that “they were winning” so they didn’t care about the shutdown (or who it might hurt)."

Networks Torch Christie for Lane Closures, But Ignored Obama Admin's Corrupt Shutdown Tactics
"The same network evening news shows that ignored vindictiveness by the Obama administration during October's government shutdown were up in arms Wednesday over New Jersey Governor Chris Christie's "Bridgegate" and the possible tarring it could give his image."

Cones are shown along the road to Mount Rushmore. The National

Parks  Service placed the cones there to prevent viewers from

stopping on the side of the road to view the monument

Obama Forcing Shut Down of Parks the Feds Don't Even Fund   "Looking to cause as much pain as possible to the American people during this shut down, President Obama sent National Park Service (NPS) police officers to shut down hundreds of parks and historic sites that the federal government doesn't even fund."
....

"The famous Ford's Theater--site of Abraham Lincoln's assassination--was also forcibly shut down even though the theater and its programs are run by a private non-profit group.

"Another unnecessary shut down occurred at George Washington's home, Mount Vernon.
"In the case of Washington's home, the park is run by the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, a group that takes no federal or state money to operate. After the NPS arrived on the scene, though, the MVLA insisted that they were open despite Obama's attempt to send his NPS stormtroopers to shut the place down."

The work of a vindictive, petulant president: Federal Government Park Service blocking view of Mt. Rushmore from highway    "With South Dakota’s most famous park, Mt. Rushmore, many people can stop along the highway and take pictures because… Well, because IT’S A MOUNTAIN.
....
"But the Obama administration won’t have any of that. They have actually gone to the step of putting parking cones along the highway, so you can’t stop and take a freaking picture of the nation’s most famous mountain from the road..."

This viewpoint was blocked by the Obama administration

Shut down: George Washington's Mount Vernon, owned and operated by the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association

The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association holds the Mount Vernon estate in trust for the American people.

We receive no funding from federal or state governments.

We are not a national park or monument.

We rely solely on the generosity of caring people to whatever degree they are able.

 



 

The Great Pretender

Politizoid  "Little did the Platters know in 1955 that this song would be so popular, and appropriate in 2013, 58 years later. You folks who lived in the 50's will remember the words, and will probably be singing along with the Platters."

Hat tip to Harley Standlee; Placerville, CA.

BREAK UP: Will California splinter into 6 states? Voters, Congress could soon decide

 Washington Times  "Mr. Draper’s proposed six states are called, from north to south: Jefferson, North California, Silicon Valley, Central California, West California, and South California. His money will be needed: Proponents need to collect 1 million signatures just to get the idea on the ballot this fall.
“ 'I think it’s wonderful and excellent that someone of means has taken in an interest in our lack of representation,” Mr. Baird said."

 

"Pollsters Mark DiCamillo and Mervin Field wrote that opposition “is bipartisan, with majorities of Democrats, Republicans and non-partisans opposed. While there is slightly greater support for the proposals among voters in inland counties and parts of Northern California outside the San Francisco Bay Area and Central Valley, even in these areas more disapprove than approve of the idea.' ”

The idea should have great interest in the areas away from the rich, liberal California coast for reasons like this:
Bruce S. Thornton: The Other California  ... "Diverting water from the Valley and dumping it into the Pacific during a drought to protect the three-inch Delta smelt, as happened a few years ago, is the most recent example. Tens of thousands of jobs were lost and land left uncultivated just so city dwellers could indulge their romantic environmentalism, a luxury of the well-fed who take the abundance of food for granted. It’s a safe bet that if San Francisco’s drinking water came through the Delta pumps, the smelt would have been history."

Delta smelt, not too far from actual size

Obama's Gates-gate

Gates’ Book

 

"The Democrats hoped to change the subject for the new year from ObamaCare to income inequality. Former defense secretary Robert Gates, a Republican, didn’t get the memo. " ...

 

Behind Obama’s Gates   "In hindsight, we can today see more clearly what the president was doing by using West Point to announce a timetable for withdrawal: He was sounding retreat."

From the UK: Robert Gates's memoirs add to the sense that Obama's presidency is unravelling

 

"Mr Biden is many things – a useful foil, a skilled Congressional negotiator, a folksy stump politician – but "leading statesman" is beyond funny.
"It's also the kind of reflex over-reaction that is provoked by the sting of truth. And coming from a figure like Mr Gates, the truth sure hurts."

The above two from Lucianne

Also from the UK: If the Taliban retake control of Afghanistan, blame Obama    "When the unhappy history of America's involvement in the Afghan conflict comes to be written, the damning critique provided by former US Defence Secretary Robert Gates on President Barack Obama's inept handling of the war will be required reading."

Gates’ Book: White House Betrayal, or Bonanza for Democracy?   "What a difference three years can make. When White House aides were leaking juicy details of the raid that killed Osama bin Laden in 2011, then Secretary of Defense Robert Gates famously exploded. “Shut the f— up,” he demanded."

How long before Clinton machine turns Robert Gates into “trailer trash”?

Legal Insurrection

 

"Expect former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates to quickly be turned from hero of the Democratic Party for being a Republican willing to work for Barack Obama, into just more trailer trash because of his tell-all book about that service which reinforces an accurate meme about Hillary Clinton: She has no core, and will say anything to win.

"From Chris Cillizza at WaPo, How Bob Gates’s memoir could haunt Hillary in 2016:" ....
 

"Drag a dollah bi-yull through the Pentagon halls and this is what y'all catch!"

Cuba: 55 years of human rights violations

Silvio Canto, Jr.  "The Castro regime just turned 55.  At the same time, what do they have to show for it?  The answer is nothing, specifically in the area of human rights.

"From the beginning, the regime shut down dissent and closed newspapers. The political prisons were full of Cubans, in some cases for simply calling Castro a communist.  

"This is a regime built on lies and more lies, as Fabio Rafael Fiallo, a Dominican-born economist and author, reminded us:"  More.

Castro and Terrorism: A Chronology  "Castro also became involved with African-Americans in the U.S. and with the Macheteros, a Puerto Rican terrorist group.  Cuba focused particular attention on the black struggle in the U.S., providing aid and training to the Black Panthers and the Black Liberation Army, as well as a safehaven on the island for black leaders."

African American activists, including Jeremiah Wright and Cornel West, blast Cuba on racism   ... "But Obama may also be a factor. Suddenly, Cuba's great enemy -- long denounced as hopelessly racist by the Castros -- has a black president, one who has toned down the U.S. rhetoric toward Cuba."