PEGASUS BY BOB RUNOWSKI

Normally I eschew Burley blends, imagining that they are the purview of elderly farmers huffing corncobs, rather than the civilized tobaccos which urbane gentlemen would not be caught dead stuffing into their briars.

And, as you might expect, many Burley blends are unmitigated drugstore crap which leave the mouth feeling like a smouldering garbage dump or a hazardous waste disposal bin.
Painful, too. Burley bites.

Bob Runowski, however, has an exceptionally sober touch.
Many of his creations in this field are excellent.

This one too.


PEGASUS
Blended by Bob Runowski
Produced by Cornell & Diehl

A span of different Burley tobaccos harmonized with Virginias and a touch of unsweetened black Cavendish.

The Burley taste dominates, the black Cavendish adds a smoothness and smokeability. This is an old-school blend that will appeal to many people who first took up a pipe in the forties or fifties. And that is how is smells also. Your grandfather would have approved.

Nutty, toasty, and possessed of a full-bodied mellowness.
This is American-style tobacco at its finest.



Just for the hell of it, one of these days I'll dig out my old corncobs. A blend like this deserves revisits. Bob Runowski has also done several other predominantly air-cured compounds, and should be celebrated.

TOBACCO INDEX


==========================================================================
NOTE: Readers may contact me directly:
LETTER BOX.
All correspondence will be kept in confidence.
==========================================================================

ERVA

Over on Dovbear's blog, a discussion is raging in which terms like 'erva', 'bisulta', 'Lot's daughters', 'pregnancy', 'fish', and 'first time' are being flung back and forth like soggy dishrags.

It is quite an intense and interesting conversation. As lomdishe disputations go. Being somewhat Talmudic, it tends toward dry.
[The conversation, that is. No details about the conditions of the ervos or fish in question are being revealed. The ervos are totally passive players. The fish are dead.]

My modest contribution was to gibber something about statistics and single-moms, compounded with three or four days of menses for Gentile women, a fortnight more-or-less for Frumme women.
[I assure you, that does not mean that Goyetes and Yiddenes are biologically different. If you really must speculate about this, think of mikvaos and bedikes.]

Lot's daughters, as you probably remember, got their dad insensate. Blind roaring. Fall down and throw up squiffy. Cabbage-looking.

* * *

Which got me wondering precisely how many pregnancies have intoxication as their primary cause.

It's a worthwhile question - the only way I'll ever get Savage Kitten pregnant is if I knock her out before knocking her up. She'd have to be lacquered sodden in order for it to happen.

Logistically, this would be easy. One teaspoon of whiskey in eight ounces of warm water guarantees her an undisturbed sleep. So imagine what two or three shots of Jameson would do.
[Savage Kitten is a petite Cantonese-American female. She neither drinks nor smokes, and doesn't dance on tabletops wearing a lampshade. I drink, I smoke, and I refuse to answer questions about lampshades - I do not know from lampshades. Savage Kitten is, in almost all ways, a proper 'ka-ting nuy' (woman of virtue and good upbringing), save for her blistering vocabulary in Toishanese (and the fact that she lives with a white guy). As my friends will tell you, I never use foul language at all ever and have a remarkably clean and polite mouth. Stop asking about the damn' lampshade.]

Strategically it would be a bad move. My life would get immeasurably more complicated if she were to end up pregnant. And less safe. Savage Kitten has done nearly twenty years of martial arts and won several medals. I cannot run very fast.

Ethically, it is out of the question. If I want that woman pregnant, I'll have to talk her into it. We've been together for close to two decades. So realistically, I should probably put it out of my mind. If I haven't managed to reyd her ein a mubereskeit by now, it ain't gonna happen.

Still, I cannot help but imagine what a brood of little Back-of-the-Hills would look like. Especially with an element of her in their genetic make-up. They'd probably look darling.

WE ARE THREE AND WE ARE FIVE

The night after our little counter-demo to Hatefest 2008 (described in Monday's posting), I had two dreams that were particularly vivid.


In the first dream a pro-Palestinian golem was trying to kill me in the Millenium Wheel in London near the Thames. No matter how many times I klopped him over the head with the small stool, he just kept on coming. I woke up in a cold sweat.
[Why was there a small stool in the cabin? So that someone could be made to sit in the corner. It seemed logical.]


The second dream was more intense, and significantly more pleasurable. No, it was not about sex.

Sometime after 1972 or 1973, in summer, some friends of mine and I were bicycling south of Valkenswaard. I've mentioned these friends before - they were Indos, and most of them were related to each other and to no one else in that part of the Netherlands. So, like my kin, they were not native to those parts and therefore not considered as belonging in that part of the world.

A short distance beyond the water mill we came to a pleasantly shaded spot in the river which looked ideal for wading or swimming.

Unfortunately some of the locals were also there. And they did not wish to share it.

"Jullie vreemdelingen denken jezelve beter dan ons, he, maar dit is niet van jullie - jullie kloten komen hier niet in".

[You foreigners think yourselves better than us, eh, but this is not yours - you testicles ain't coming in.]


Not exactly a welcoming committee. And they outnumbered us more than two or three to one.


Henri turned around and spoke to us, saying "Kami talo, kami lima; kinatein rini ura puti. U-lite bulak-bulak na bangsa dhi pangge, u-iro tarabanta matjalong'ong dhi wangi - bantaaaaaa!"

[We are three, we are five; this field is red and white, see the flowering that represents us, smell the fragrance of the rushing cataract - fiiiiight!]


We rushed them and they fled. At the time all I could think was 'what is he saying? We are six, we are not five, not three' (ano kata-niya? Kami mag-anem, ti lima ti talo...). I also remember realizing shortly afterwards that those who are few, if they are determined and possibly insane, will almost inevitably gain victory over those who are insufficiently committed and fundamentally cowards.

That idea was something my mother embodied all by herself. Imagine a short woman who needs a cane to walk, and is in the last years of her life as cancer eats away at her. Now imagine that same woman beating the crap out of three fine young men, each much bigger than her, but without even a half of her determination and bloody-mindedness. The cops who brought her home remarked that those men should have known better, but in any case would probably not dare show their faces around town again.


There were about two dozen of us on the library corner on Saturday, and about six or seven hundred people across the street. The few, if determined and resolute, must triumph over the many.

---------------------------

NOTES

Kami talo kami lima: this is both an introductory phrase for Tamarao battle chants as well as witchdoctor rituals. In battle-chants (sasaka) it indicates the plurality of the combatants and the fundamental units of the ethnic polity (lima bandeira, talo pangge - five banners, three branches), whereas in magic it references the three colours of the rope binding the sacrifice (red, yellow, and black) and the five hues of the cords limning the sanctified enclosure (red, yellow, blue, black, and white). The phrase has emotional weight and connotations.

Kinatein: field, specifically cockpit or battle-field. A space where two sides oppose. Hence also 'kinateinan' - the forehead, where the eybrows and the hairline face each other in perpetual confrontation.

Rini: Ri ini - at here.

Ura puti: Crimson and white - the two most potent ritual colours, being blood and bones, joy and mourning, bravery and death. Ura is the colour of red hibiscus flowers (bunga galura, kumbang sapato), which signify the heads taken from other tribes, that the maidens will dance with joyously before they take their place among other skulls in the rafters. Puti are the bones bleaching in the sun, once the mud in the field of slaughter has solidified and the splattered guts have dried up and blown away.
The expression 'ura puti' has emotional weight and connotations.
'Kalawa ura atawa puti, kutamto bage na kayo' - Whether it is red (a celebration) or white (a tragedy), that is entirely up to you.

Lite: to see, to look. U-lite is the imperative form.

Bulakbulak: Blossoming, flowering. Manifestation. Poetically, the bloodsplatters of combat or the buffalo sacrifice. But also appelled to fine young girls, delicate and blushing, or smiling secretly to themselves. From 'bulak' - blossom, flower.

Bangsa dhi pangge: branch of the tribe - formulaic expression indicating that the person or the group represents the entire ethnicity or culture, and must therefore act with both determination and courage. Bangsa: tribe, nation, ethnicity. Pangge: branch.

Iro: to smell, to notice fragrance or odour. U-iro is the imperative form.

Tarabanta: A fierce charge, but also the kabakalan (tumultuousness) of rushing water.

Matjalong: Cataractness. Rushing. From 'tjalong' (cataract, river rapids).

Matjalongong: Emphatic expression of riotous rushing. Enthusiastic.

Matjalongong dhi wangi: The fragrance of the rushing stream, and, metaphorically of the people charging across the field at each other.

Banta: fight. To batter, to assault, to attack. Thus 'bantaaaaa': fiiiiight!


Henri's entire speech of that moment was derivative of formulaic phrasing in narrative and chants, and none of the elements were foreign to us. We had heard similar stuff in tales of the Japanese war, or accounts of the long struggle against the sea-borne Bugis and Ilanon, and against other tribes in the hills. Furthermore, discussing the Muslims in the former East Indies is nearly impossible without using war and witchcraft terminology.
A few years before the event described above, we had used similar expressions when playing headhunt - "see there the ranks of the smelly tribe, for whose heads the skull-vats growl, for whose melting faces the black ladles yearn. Here are crimson blooms for the virgins in the longhouse, and here rotting flesh for the worms and small carrion eaters in the forest."
Deflated soccer balls make adequate human heads. Especially when nothing more realistic is available. They have the added advantage that you don't have to boil off the flesh, or set them out on the anthill to be stripped clean.


As a final note I should mention that what I had for dinner on Saturday night was a sandwich with gefilte fish hash, bacon, and tomato. With a liberal splootch of horse-radish. The whole washed down with whiskey. It is quite likely that this affected my sleep. It certainly did a number on my digestion.

YOU MIGHT FIND THIS INTERESTING

Friend and fellow-blogger Margavriel wondered if I would place the text below on my blog as a guestpost. I've seen the text before, and in that it speculates rather interestingly about both the papacy and the messaiah, and goes nowhere slowly and by a scenic route, I have no objection to doing so.


MAR GAVRIEL HAVING FUN WITH WIKI AND THE RAMBAM

I've been surfing the Wikipedia, reading about the last Eastern Roman Emperor (Andreas Palaeologus <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andreas_Palaiologos> ) and the last Western Roman Emperor (Francis II <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_II%2C_Holy_Roman_Emperor> , Holy Roman Emperor). What did it even mean to be "Roman Emperor" in 1490 or 1806?

After the fall of the Carolingian Dynasty of the Holy Roman Empire (which legally counted as the successor to the Western Roman Empire, whatever that means, and which was officially titled the "Roman Empire"), the subsequent Holy Roman Emperors did not really control any land, other than the ancestral lands which they happened to have inherited from their family's kingdom. However, the Emperor theoretically had "dominion" over the entire area which had been the Western Roman Empire. So, theoretically, there could be a Holy Roman Emperor who ruled merely over his own house, but had "dominion" over the entire Western Roman Empire. (In fact, after the fall of the Eastern Roman Emperors, he theoretically had "dominion" over the area of the entire ancient Roman Empire.)

What's hilarious is that the final heir to the Eastern Roman Empire, Andreas Palaeologus, was some dude who lost all his money, and sold his title of Roman Emperor to Ferdinand and Isabella. (This kinda makes sense, from a Jewish point of view-- think of גלות אדום.) My roommate, Sam, says that if he were Roman Emperor, he, too, would sell the title, probably on E-Bay. After all, the title of "Roman Emperor" is currently useless, but a pension of five million dollars would be great for him. He thinks that Andreas Palaeologus was a bit of an idiot, because many people in Europe were willing to give him large pensions in exchange for his title, but somehow he ended up dying a pauper, anyway. (Despite the fact that he sold his title, there still seem to be people who claim <http://dev.null.org/psychoceramics/archives/1996.05/msg00030.html> that they are descended from the Palaeologus family, and therefore the rightful Emperors of the Eastern Roman Empire.)

The final heir to the Western Roman Empire was Francis II. By virtue of his authority as Roman Emperor, he appointed himself in 1804 as Emperor of Austria (at the time a geographical term that had little resonance). In 1806, he abdicated his role as Roman Emperor, and officially dissolved the Roman Empire, fearing that Napoleon would conquer him, and take the title of Roman Emperor. However, as the Wikipedia notes, "[b]oth actions were of dubious constitutional legality". Therefore, the Roman Empire, in its incarnation as Holy Roman Empire, may still legally exist, and there may legally be some Roman Emperor who is the rightful holder of the title.

Now, what about the papacy? There are people <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedevacantism#Conclavism> who claim that the Bishops of Rome since Vatican II (or even since some earlier point in time) have been Anti-Popes. Who, then, is the true pope? In 1990, David Bawden <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Bawden> , of Kansas, called for a conclave to elect a pope. They sent their request around the world but only received six respondents: Bawden himself, his two parents, his friend Teresa Stanfill-Benns, and two other electors (a certain Mr. and Mrs. Robert Hunt), who had responded to their request. On July 16, 1990, the six gathered in Belvue, Kansas, and elected Bawden, who took the name Pope Michael I. Bawden's election did not involve any previously ordained clergy from the Catholic Church. Many people reject Bawden's claim to be Pope, because his electors consisted mainly of his family and his friend Mrs. Benns, and he had never been ordained as a priest. Nevertheless, Pope Michael I wears the full papal garments, and he has a website <http://www.vaticaninexile.com/> , and now a blog <http://popespeaks.vaticaninexile.com/> .

So, the Moshiach. According to Rambam, the Moshiach will not perform miracles or raise the dead. How does this not contradict Rambam's principle that one must believe in the Ressurrection of the Dead, which he explains in an essay in the introduction to his פירוש המשניות על פרק חלק? Well, Rambam explains in his מאמר תחיית המתים, chapter 6:

וכבר ספקו גם כן אנשים בדברינו בסוף החיבור במקום שאמרנו דבר, זה לשוני: אל יעלה על דעתך שמלך המשיח צריך לעשות אותות ומופתים ומחדש דברים בעולם או יְחַיֶּה מתים וכיוצא בדברים וכו'. והבאנו ראיה על זה במה שבארנוהו. וחשבו קצת חלושי העיון שזאת הכחשה לתחיית המתים, והוא סותר מה שבארנוהו בפירוש המשנה שתחיית המתים פינה מפינות התורה. וזה כולו אין ספק בו ולא סתירה, והוא שאנחנו אמרנו שהמשיח לא יבוקש ממנו שיעשה מופת שיבקע הים או יחיה מת על צד המופת, אחר שיעדו בו הנביאים אשר התאמתה נבואתם, ולא יתחייב מזה המאמר שהשם לא יחיה מתים ברצונו, כשירצה ולמי שירצה, אם בימי המשיח או לפניו או אחרי מותו.

['A number of people have raised doubts about what I said at the end of the Mishneh Torah, namely: Do not think that the Melech HaMashiah needs to perform signs and miracles, and innovate things in the world, or ressurrect the death, or similar things, etc. We brought arguments for this there, where we explained it. Now, a few illogical people have thought that this is a denial of the Ressurrection of the Dead, and that it contradicts what I wrote in Perush Hammishnayoth, that the Ressurrection of the Dead is one of the foundations of the Torah. In fact, there is no contradiction. We said that the Mashiah does not need to perform a miracle, to miraculously split the sea or ressurrect the dead, since [we will recognize him as the Mashiah] based on the fact that [when he comes], the prophecies which were spoken by the prophets will have come true. Now, this does not mean that God Himself will not ressurect the dead when he wants to, and to whomever He wants; this could be before the time of the Mashiah, or during his lifetime, or after his death.']

In other words, the Ressurrection of the Dead has nothing to do with the Moshiach. It could happen well before the Moshiach arrives, or during his lifetime, or after his death. When God ressurrects the dead, he will not ressurect them all, but only the ones whom He wants to ressurrect. (In fact, מיעוט רבים שנים, so the plural word מתים in the phrase תחיית המתים could mean that God will ressurrect only two dead people. And, since the Ressurrection of the Dead can take place long before the coming of the Moshiach, I believe that it already has happened: once to the son of the Zarephathite woman, who was raised by Elijah, and once to the son of the Shunammite women, who was ressurrected by Elisha. Thus, no ressurrection needs to take place in the future.) Furthermore, the Moshiach is going to die, and presumably be succeeded either by his descendants or by other members of the Davidic line.

Now, at some point in the future, the Moshiach Dynasty's actual power over the Land of Israel may shrink, due to incursions from foreign nations. Ultimately, the last Moshiach may control only one street in Rechavya, and only have theoretical "dominion" over the rest of the Land of Israel. And perhaps, if he goes broke, he might lose even the one street in Rechavya, and sell his משיחיוּת on E-Bay, well after the destruction (chas vesholôm) of the Third Temple.

Now, could I sell the משיחיוּת on E-Bay? No. I don't actually have any legal claim to being King of Israel, and therefore, the people in charge of E-Bay would have to take down my offer. And what about the papacy? Well, I am not currently the pope, but if I held an election, I could become pope. Sam said that if we learned the rules of how to hold an election, and we held an election right here in this apartment, he would vote for me, and I would vote for myself. He also suggested that we get three other of my friends to participate, and vote for me. That is five people already. He said that we could probably get a few other people to vote, as well, probably even ten people. If so, I would have far more legal title to the papacy than "some asshole in Kansas, who only got six people to vote for him." I would make myself papal vestments. Then, I could sell my papacy, along with the vestments, on E-Bay.

Ah, worthless fantasies. They waste so much of my time.


MG

=========================================

Indeed. And very well then.

Margavriel is one of three people I always think of as a triumvirate. The other two are Lipman and Steg (dos iz nit der šteg). What these three have in common is diqdouqism and speculative curiosity. But what could I have in common with them?


Margavriel has a food and text thing going on. Other than that, hard to say - I certainly do not visit Mikvaos, and I do not do the daf. Maybe a peculiar sense of humour.

Steg once translated a passage from Bereishis into a language scarcely spoken on these shores (example: "Uzu-tezat ^ilu^amal-a khada lesna, i guvdhabm sudzudm"). I like scattered tongues - remind me to harangue you sometime about Deng and Tamarao, a demotic version of Hokkien, plus Nabaloi Igorot.
In addition to that commonality, Steg has probably read some of my mother's oevre, and is in any case familiar with some of the SciFi writers with whom she associated.

Lipman deciphers Judeo-Dutch, has a wit with Germanic tongues, and smokes a pipe. His tastes in pipe-tobacco correspond fairly well to my own, and I have good reason to believe that he owns a Peterson System Standard. I assume that in addition to odd office equipment, he also appreciates the smell of the fine alloys that once were used in type-writers and drafting tools.

IRRESPONSIBLE SPECULATION ABOUT THE IMPARTIALITY AND BALANCE OF THE DUTCH PRESS

Just finished scoping out the Dutch newsources on the internet.


No mention of the Islamic Jihad rocket which hit Ashkelon today (seven hours ago).

Only one very minor mention of yesterday's bombings in Jaipur, suspected to be Islamic terror.

Several sources still mention the five dead Pallies from yesterday.


Here's the almost inevitable conclusion about Dutch editorial policies that one must jump to: "Don't mention atrocities by Muslims, lest the eighthundred thousand Islamics living in the Netherlands, along with their five million intemperate neo-socialist friends, decide not to buy your stinking newspaper or send hate-mail with atrocious spelling errors. But always mention Gaza."

Of course, I do realize that it is not so simple - any mention in the Dutch press of horrific behaviour by Islamic groups must be elided or delayed, and in any case carefully nuanced and spun, because after all the Muslims are right, Christians and Jews are not good people, and Israel and the US are evil. As for the Hindus, well, they're heathens and mostly rather opposite of leftwing, besides being very un-Dutch - so it doesn't really matter what happens to them.

YET MORE HERBIVORE

Underneath the letter from my friend Max protesting Herbivore Restaurant's support of Jew-hatred, which I posted here: http://atthebackofthehill.blogspot.com/2008/05/herbivore-earthly-grill.html , a commenter disagrees.


Anonymous writes:
"As a member of the east bay jewish community, i want to express admiration for the courage and moral integrity of Herbivore and other Free Palestine concert sponsors.

Many Jews were involved in the planning of this concert, and many Jews support equal human rights for Palestinians, as does the UN and international law. The stance of the concert and its supporters is that zionism is a racist ideology that is harmful to Jews as well as Arabs and others. Anti-zionism is not anti-semitism; an end to political zionism is the only hope for the continuation and morality of Jewish culture.

It is a loss to everyone when any dialogue about, or dissent from, mainstream zionist ideology is censored within Jewish communities."

--- --- ---

My dear Anonymous,


There is a profound difference between supporting human rights for Palestinians and actively participating in an event based upon a constructed narrative of hatred and blame - as the ideology of the Nakba-groups, Meca, AlAwda, and others so obviously are (and even a cursory glance at their literature and their websites will make that clear).

Anti-Zionism is, as you say, not necessarily anti-Semitism - but all anti-Zionism in the Arab world IS very much sodden with anti-Semitism, as is obvious from the popularity of anti-Semitic classics such as the Protocols, The Eternal Jew, Mein Kampf, and even Mahmoud Abbas' doctoral thesis ("The Secret Connection between the Nazis and the Leaders of the Zionist Movement", later published as "The Secret Relationship Between Nazism And Zionism), which is as stellar an example of poison and holocaust denial as you will find. Holocaust denial is one of the fundaments of the Arab cause, it runs like a poisoned artery through all pro-Palestinian propaganda.

Even admitting that Jews are humans is a rarity among those who espouse the Palestinian cause, and how much rarer still is it to find an Arab who will admit that Israel has any right to exist. That they more-or-less accept that at present it does exist is hardly commendable - no Brownie points for admitting an obvious fact.

To be sure, Palestinians do deserve better lives and self-determination. But as long as their organizations, activists, and advocates support violence, murder, and bigotry, the world has an interest in keeping their dreams from being realized.

Israel deserves peace and security - if the Palestinians cannot be relied upon to respect even that little, those of us who support Israel have no reason whatsoever to support any part of the Palestinian dream. The history of terror attacks (no, do not dare call them 'acts of resistance' - Munich was not resistance, the murder of American diplomat George C. Moore in Khartoum was not resistance, killing Leon Klinghofer was not resistance, Netanya was not resistance, Sbarro's Pizzeria was not resistance, Mahane Yehuda was not resistance) diminishes the Palestinian cause to the point where their weal or woe is of little consequence or concern.

One may disagree with Zionism, and criticize Israel's actions and policies. Certainly that is legitimate - necessary even. But doing so is only constructive if it is not paired with uncritically lending active support to those who seek Israel's destruction. Let Herbivore show that they are not bigots and Jew-haters by holding the Palestinians and Arabs to the same high standards that they hold Israel; I'm sure that the P's and A's would be found much more wanting.

Your concern with human rights for the Palestinians is commendable. Do not let it blind you to the rights of Israel, or the great good of that country, and neither let it turn you against your own people - your family, your kinfolk, your community.


===================================

Punkt.

That being said, I do agree that 'It is a loss to everyone when any dialogue about, or dissent from, mainstream Zionist ideology is censored within Jewish communities'. I do not believe that is likely or even happening, though. Certainly not in the Bay Area. With such a diversity of Judaisms and political ideas here, getting Jews to shut up is well-nigh impossible, censoring them positively Sisyphean. They speak, they argue, they nuance their positions, they shout, they write, they opinionate. They certainly do not allow anyone to silence them.

The one thing they do not seem to do is support Israel in public. There were far more Jews at last Saturday's hate-fest than across the street protesting. I hope they enjoyed Herbivore's vegetarian offerings.


Actually, I sincerely hope it gave them food-poisoning. I'm really not that warm to them or their cause. Or their pet restaurant.

MISSILE

Nasty e-mail sent in the heat of the moment to a Dutch mailing list below. Translation under original text.


Luitjes,

Een raket afgevuurd door Islamitisch Jihad in Gaza heeft vandaag een winkelcentrum in Ashkelon getroffen (en er zijn tientallen gewonden). Maar dat zal wel legitiem verzet zijn, he? Want die arme Palestijntjes kunnen echt niet anders. Wat wij (de beschaafde wereld) terroristen noemen zijn volgens redelijk denkende Nederlanders in feite eigenlijk net als de mensen die tegen de Duitsers vochten. Dat denken jullie toch?

Is het een wonder dat ik onderhand denk dat er weinig anders dan knuffelaars, huichelaars, en schoften aan jullie kant van de Atlantiek zitten?

Zonder groet - althans niet voor de linksen onder u.



PS. Zoals immer volgens het goede voorbeeld van Jim Yard is mijn mail aan allen minus Plomp gericht. Zij onder u die niet druipen van de terroristentroetelneiging zijn hiermede niet aangesproken. SP stemmers daarentegen wel degelijk.

PS II. En wedermaar een oproep aan redelijke mensen te emigreren. Het is niet goed voor u geestelijke gezondheid daar in dat oogklepkontreitje te vertoeven. Volgens deskundigen leidt het ook direct naar hoge bloeddruk, maagzuur, en zenuw kwalen.


TRANSLATION:

Gentlepersons,

A rocket fired by Islamic Jihad hit a shopping mall in Ashkelon today (and there are several wounded). But that is probably legitimate resistance, eh? Because those poor little Pallies have no other options. What we (the civilized world) call terrorists are, according to reasonable Dutch people, actually precisely the same as those who fought the Germans. That's what you lot think, isn't it?

Is it any wonder that I believe there are little more than huggers, hypocrites, and despicables on your side of the Atlantic?

Without regards - at least for the lefties among you,



PS. As always following the excellent example set by Jim Yard, my letter is addressed to all save Mr. Plomp. Those among you who aren't sodden with the terrorist-embracing-tendency are not the ones I'm aiming this at. Those who voted for the Socialist Party, on the other hand, definitely are.

PS. II And again a call upon the reasonable people to emigrate. It isn't good for the psyche to live in that blinkered country. According to experts, it leads directly to high blood pressure, indigestion, and nervous afflictions.

---------------------------------------------------

This probably says something about my relationship with the country where I lived from my second till my eighteenth year. But it also speaks volumes about the current state of Dutch society. Or leastways, bile and a long slow recovery from Stockholm Syndrome.

POSTING IN WHICH I CONFESS MY UTTER CLUELESSESSOSSITITY!

In a comment underneath a recent Dovbear post (here: http://dovbear.blogspot.com/2008/05/zionism-god-that-did-not-fail.html), commenter David reacts adversely to something I said by calling me incredibly clueless.

Alack. I am undone. He has found me out.


What I wrote was:
"Walking around like a recognizable Jew, Muslim, or American in modern day Europe is asking for trouble.

It is much more comfortable to be a bland generic European than a sore thumb. Safer too.
Plus it really does boost employability.

And lets face it; who really wants to tell those kind friendly tolerant Gentiles next door, who treat one just like a fellow Frenchman or Belgian, that they are full of crap? That hardly seems civilized, eh?"


Actually, I'll stand by what I said. I base my opinion on regular reading, correspondence, acquaintance with Europeans, and a thorough familiarity with modern Dutch and Belgian society, the European leftwing, and European history, in addition to nearly seventeen years of living in Europe (1962 - 1978).


And, relating to my contention that there has been a rise in anti-Semitism in Europe, I'll add a few juicy quotes taken from a BBC article (here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3234264.stm ).
[As you could expect, I deliberately cherry picked them - reason being that the BBC, like many press sources, sought to give a sense of balance by including ameliorating crap that does not suit my agenda one whit.]


QUOTES:

"When we get to a point when it is becoming acceptable in many places in Europe and even in mainstream opinion to label Israel as a Nazi state, or, in more diplomatic language, an apartheid state, the Israeli citizen feels that their very right to exist in any form, whether politically or as a nation, is being challenged."

---Robert Wistrich, director of the Vidal Sassoon International Center for the Study of Anti-Semitism in Jerusalem.
-

"It is not that Europe has become more anti-Semitic, it is simply that, over the past few years, people have felt much more at ease in expressing their prejudices. In part this is to do with the situation in the Middle East.

Obviously people must have the right to criticise Israel, but it frequently appears to be the case that a standard is applied to Israel that isn't to the rest of the world. The US is also a victim of this kind of hypocrisy - thousands will turn out to protest against President Bush and yet they'll be silent when it comes to a genuinely bloody dictator."
---Peter Sichrovsky, Austrian MEP and former general secretary of Joerg Haider's right-wing Freedom Party
-

"There has not been a rise in Nazi-style, racist anti-Semitism, although in certain countries, such as Belgium and France, there has been a rise in what we call anti-Semitic incidents - attacks on synagogues and individual Jews.

In Britain, this has not been the case. But, there has been a rise in other forms of anti-Semitism, so in the British context in particular, we came up with the term Judeophobia. We see it as extreme criticism of Israel and American Jews that moves over into bigotry against Jews as a whole."

---Barry Kosmin, executive director of the London-based Institute for Jewish Policy Research
-

"It is worth noting that opinion polls suggest that Europeans regard Israel as the biggest threat to world peace. No doubt many criticisms can be made about the role of Israel. But the biggest threat to world peace?

Negative perceptions about Israel do not necessarily mean that it is the Jews who are seen as the threat. However the reality is a complex one. Many find it difficult to distinguish between Zionism and Judaism."

---Frank Furedi, sociology professor at the UK's Kent University and a commentator on contemporary approaches to the Holocaust
-

"Let there be no misunderstanding. We live since 2001 in an extremely dangerous world where a new type of anti-Semitism among some Muslims has surfaced, whose tenets are worthy of the worst Nazi propaganda, and whose hatred is no longer aimed at Israeli "Zionists" but at the entire Jewish people.

Europe, and France in particular, have been hit by this type of anti-Semitism anchored in our globalised world.

This genuine and dangerous anti-Semitism should not be confused with the unsavoury critiques against Israel which can be found in the ranks of Europe's left-wing or with the often unpalatable Holocaust "fatigue" which many Europeans, in Germany in particular, may be experiencing."---Diana Pinto, historian and author of The Wager: Reconciling Europe and the Jewish world in the 21st century
-

"Very often, at least in France, the victims of Islamic anti-Jewish violence are the obviously observant: Orthodox Jews, their schools, synagogues and private property, while the anti-Semitism of the extreme right focused on secular Jews, who were accused of undermining the ethnic and religious identity of their country."

---Jean-Yves Camus, French political scientist and contributor to the annual report Anti-Semitism Worldwide


Final note: In October 2002 the Volkskrant published the results of an enquête which showed that distaste towards Turks, Moroccans, and Americans had sharply increased among the Dutch. Remarkably, no mention was made of a far greater distaste for Jews, as was and is evident by the huge amount of anti-Semitic and anti-Israel drivel in Dutch on the internet. That distaste would not have interested the average reader.

It is consequently not surprising that the CIDI (Centrum Informatie en Documentatie Israel) shows that the number of anti-Semitic incidents in the Netherlands has increased dramatically in recent years, as can be seen from their most recent report on anti-Semitic incidents in the Netherlands (go to their website http://www.cidi.nl/ and click on 'Antisemitisme' in the side-bar).

It is also worthwhile to look up articles by Manfred Gerstenfeld. He has written several dynamite pieces about Dutch anti-Semitism.

Or, if you read Dutch, browse through the comments underneath any article in the Algemeen Dagblad that refers to Israel. Please also note the slant the article, and how rarely the Palestinians are mentioned negatively.

And if you're truly masochistic, read parliamentarian Anja Meulenbelt's nasty blog, or the speeches of anti-Israel activist Greta Duisenberg, and recent statements by politician and former prime-minister Dries van Agt. All three espouse a populist anti-Semitism that is stereotypically Dutch.

SABBATH AMONG THE SAVAGES

This past Saturday the Nakba crowd had a hip-hop music party down at Civic Center. A little friendly hate-fest to introduce that segment of the population that listens to rap to the concept of reviling the Jews.

At least, that is what they intended when they first came up with the idea several weeks ago.

Instead they had to opt for a 'family event' - more because they couldn't get the headliners they wanted and were afraid that too few people would attend than that they disagreed with their own message (destroy Israel and drive the Jews into the sea). So desperate were they for attendees that instead of appealing to disaffected urban teenagers they begged middle-aged householders to bring the weib and kinder.

By all standards, the event was a failure. A few hundred local Palestinians, a handfull of the 'already-converted', and their friends, relatives, fetishists - not a success. Not the mass-happening of righteous indignation and au-courant musical taste they were hoping for. Not a mob-scene of angry urban angst and fervor.
More of a "what-ever" than a "wow, dude!"

[That can't have pleased the pro-Palestinian 'gender-ambiguating' Jews who helped organize it - Perry Bellow-Handelman, Libby Goldberg, Kinneret Israel, Sarah Kershnar, et al - they were probably hoping for a young angry crowd that could be moved to riot righteously and revolutionarily. "Onward the proletariat, comrades. Loot a FootLocker. Break a window. Show the pigs, yeah." Alas. Sorry that you couldn't squeal and wet your panties this time, gals.]


No matter their change of audience, we still disagreed with their message. So we showed up to counter-demonstrate. Yes, I know that's 'carrying on shabbes'. Think of it as part of a milchemes mitzva.

[The 'we' in this case being San Francisco voice for Israel. http://www.sfvoiceforisrael.org/ ]


I can't say I found the music entirely to my taste. The lyrics left a lot to be desired - particularly the song in which every other word seemed to be "da-joo" (or "da-jooz"). Most of the time actual words were unintelligible, no matter which 'artist' was representin'. A big fan of hip-hop I'm not.
Bring on the accordions.

Just after we arranged ourselves on the library corner, a few angry Nakba-Jews came over to carefully photograph all of us individually (probably for the wanted posters - smile at the mangy heffalump, chaveir).
A pro-Palestinian female with pearcings and tattoos who loudly insisted that she was Jewish, and her ill-looking companion, got into a long bitch-fight with a lone policeman, who insisted that they go back across the street.
A revolutionary black woman screamed a string of filthy terms at us.
A giddy Arab kept dancing out into the intersection waving a Palestinian flag and looking for a fight - the same policeman kept firmly directing him back to his side. Some little boys had fun waving bloody fist resistance banners. And periodically people passing by would demonstrate vocally that San Francisco is indeed ground-zero of anti-Semitism and lunacy west of the Rockies.

Or leastways, ground-zero of the under-medicated.

We have stellar nutballs in this town. I wonder whom they intended to convert by yelling obscenities and threats. Certainly not us. Perhaps the grim folks on the other side. Maybe the Palestinians will give them a sandwich if they but demonstrate their deep-seated grasp of revolutionary terminology.

And possibly remember them favourably when they hang out in front of the liquor store.


On the other hand, I did have a few pleasant exchanges with Arabs heading past. One in particular with any entire family about keffiyot, red fabric dye versus shocking pink underwear, and made-in-China versus local manufacture. Of course they disagreed with our message - but they were very pleasant people. Precisely the kind of people whom you wouldn't mind having as neighbors.


If it weren't for the fact that it left me tense and drained, it would've been a very nice Saturday indeed. Hate-fests in Civic Center could well become the ultimate San Francisco experience. You haven't really visited San Francisco until you've been drenched with angry rhetoric.

QUESTIONABLE MORALS AND CRIPPLED ETHICS

No, this isn't about the Nakba Jews who acted so disgracefully yesterday at the JCC. Or about the kapos who have embraced AlAwda and MECA. Or even JVP.

[This is NOT about Barbara Lubin (MECA), Perry Bellow-Handelman (currently at the PJA), Eric Romann, Libby Goldberg, Kinneret Israel (Midrasha teacher), Sarah Kershnar, Josie Shields-Stromsness (MECA), Kate Raphael (activist deported from Israel in 2005). They too are worth writing about, being the very embodiment of slime and repulsiveness..... in a stumbling and emotionally stunted sort of way. Collectively they are like a joke without a punchline, funny yet sad and schadenfreudic. Pathetic and juvenile. But we'll save them for a later post.]



Today I wish to draw your attention to Morris Talansky, the man involved with Prime Minister Olmert in what has every appearance of an influence peddling and bribery scandal.


Morris Talansky is a 75 year old rabbi and businessman who has funnelled money not only to Olmert, but also to Rudy Giuliani, President Bush, Senator Kennedy, President Clinton.....

[Campaign funding, of course. I would not wish to in any way suggest that politicians are corrupt, or even rapacious whores who will blow just about any sailor for candy and small change. Good heavens no.]


Morris Talansky appears to be an equal opportunity financier with perhaps an unhealthy interest in politicians. One who has been involved in law-suits whose practices and embroglios are sometimes .... "questionable".


And someone who has no qualms about selling high-resolution satelite imagery to Hugo Chavez.


For an excellent understanding of Talansky, visit Jameel's blog. Particularly this guestpost by Lurker: http://muqata.blogspot.com/2008/05/laundry-man.html and this post by Jameel http://muqata.blogspot.com/2008/05/bypassing-gag-order-olmert-scandal-237.html .


Reading those two posts will make clear why this latest scandal is more than a little disturbing, and why valid questions about the motives and morals, ethics and influence of both men must be raised.


It is getting harder to tell who Israel's enemies and who Israel's friends are. Sometimes there is an uncomfortable overlap.
Rectitude has become a forgotten concept.


Israel deserves much better than this.

WHAT TO DO WITH THOSE HORRIBLE THINGS

Every year around Easter (a holiday of unknown origin) a confection known as 'peeps' is distributed in huge quantities in the United States. It's a weird subcultural phenomenon - one which is not common in my subculture, but is nevertheless de rigueur among the well-bred treiler-treif, bless them.

Peeps are little spongy sugar-poof birds (marshmallows), usually coloured yellow, but also available in shocking pink and blue. They are edible, and they are not addicting - which begs the question why enough of them are produced every year to give a medium-size third-world country diabetes.

You probably have a large jute bag of them behind the kitchen door right now, don't you? Entirely aside from the inexplicable circumstances of your acquiring them, which is baffling in the extreme, you're probably still wondering what to do with all of them.

Especially before Mother's Day - you don't want to explain that frat-boy party to your mom when she visits. She already wonders what went wrong and why aren't you married to that sweet girl from Touro College.
She does not need to know about your.... Perversions.


BLUE PEEP PIE

1 cookie crumb pie crust.
1 large box (four servings) blue Jell-O.
1 cup hot water.
1 cup half-and-half.
3 cups chilled Coolwhip.
2 tablespoons Curacao.
16 blue Peeps.
1 cup canned blueberries.

Chill crust while preparing the filling. Pour hot water over Jell-O in a Pyrex bowl, and stir to dissolve. Add the half-and-half and Curacao. Blend well and refrigerate until mixture has thickened to a stiff cream consistency.

Fold Coolwhip into Jell-O. Mix well till no longer streaky, but no further than that. Spoon filling into chilled crust. Separate the peeps (they come attached) and arrange around the edge of the pie. Mound the canned blueberries in the center and smoosh flat. Chill for a few hours before serving.
------------------------------------

PS.I: Thanks are due my research assistant, the super boffo engineering dude, without whom I never would have discovered this epicurean treat.

PS.II: You could also perform scientific experiments on the peeps, like burning, dissolving in acid, launching with bottle-rockets, Tisha B'Av bondfiring, microwaving, melting onto hot concrete, rubber-band bondaging, flattening with various implements, or using them for target practice with an air-gun or a Glock semi-automatic. According to the super boffo engineering dude, this is traditional too.

NOTE I: Birds and raccoons will not touch peeps. That should tell you something.

NOTE II: This seemed like a good idea at the time. I have no idea why I thought so now.

PLANTS ARE THE HIGHEST FORM OF LIFE!

Which, of course, is why the pro-Palestinian Woman In Black in this youtube video does not eat them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_ZoVFVwuRc

....Animals have mothers, plants do not have mothers. Plants are the highest form of life, eat animals but not plants. And tofu is racist .....


That seems to be her position as regards food - her position regarding Israel and the Palestinians is equally kopverdekont gedraaid.

Veat also gets mentioned - it's a chicken alternative for vegetarians. I keep neither kashrus nor vegetariyus....... but maybe I'll try it. Perhaps while affectionately petting my rhubarb or a bushel of legumes.
Or gluten. Gluten is also of vegetable origin, and probably very furry and affectionate.

This was one of the more interesting conversations with a pro-Palestinian we've had. Which is why I spent nearly an entire hour smiling.

---------------------------

Take a moment to check out some of the other youtube videos from bluetruth36. Especially Dick Becker of International ANSWER advocating fighter jets for Hamas (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NHpfxxQzkc). It's a classic.

OCCUPIES PREMISES IN BUILDING

Yours truly requests credit reports on businesses. It's a fairly standard thing to do - nothing unusual. I'm paid to be a snoop. So are the companies that put together commercial credit reports. Commercial customers have their credit researched. Normal.


Sometimes the credit report isn't worth the paper it's printed on (or would be printed on, if I bothered to print it out).

Especially when all the provider of the credit report can tell me about a business is "OCCUPIES PREMISES IN BUILDING".


OCCUPIES PREMISES IN BUILDING.


Weeee!

Who knew?

OCCUPIES PREMISES IN BUILDING!

I also occupy premises. In a building.

You, dear reader, probably do too.

Occupy premises in building, that is.

Many do. Building, premises, occupy ....... not uncommon.



The credit report provider's customer service chipmunks have tried to argue that this is useful information. Occupies premises in building.

It isn't.

The percentage of our customers who blithely conduct their business out in the field, fragrant hay for a desk and altocumulus for a ceiling, is very small.
Pretty much zip dash diddly. Statistically zilch. Nix im gonzen. Big fat zero. Scrawny anorexic zero. Zero in all worlds, including the ten sefirot. Zero squared, and zero behind the decimal.
How much more zero can it get?' The answer is 'none, none more zero, it can't get none more zero'.

As someone often on premises (in a building), I speak from a basis of familiarity, in this context, with the concept zero.

[Theatrically bangs fist on desk.]


LEAST USEFUL DATA EVER!

PEACH BLOSSOMS

A person's musical tastes can tell you a lot.
Or, more often, not a darned thing.
For instance, despite the fact that I utterly despise hip-hop, rap, and pretty-much everything produced in the last twenty years, I am still very young at heart, and very liberal.

[Polite request to the peanut-gallery to shut the hell up at this point. Thank you.]


Hearing Yerushalayim Shel Zahav brings a tear to my eye. I'm a bit of a softy, and I like ballads.
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzRvaS7gDJg]



Here are some of my favourite youtube moments:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4K1q9Ntcr5g
La Marsellaise - a nice long noisy version. Put this on full blast late in the day and scare the CFO.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTMQJi_wDi8
Ponderous yet rousing Russian version of the Internationale. Who doesn't like a nice commie anthem?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fm_AmAs02rc
The Internationale again. This time in Dutch, sung by a socialist choral group that was founded in 1898 by Adolf Samson De Levita in Mokum Alef (Amsterdam), dissolved in 2002. This is probably one of the most beautiful renditions ever.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EHgT54Vxjs&feature=related
The Panzerlied. Well, at least the Moffen made the tanks run on time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5I-RTRBua0&feature=related
Bandiera Rossa - song of the Italian communists and of animatronic hippopotami.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIEUeMiJBhY&feature=related
Zhou Xuen (周璇) singing the four seasons song (四季歌), one of her early signature hits.
Zhou Xuen was in movies during the thirties and forties in Shanghai. She is divine.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uawWkuOFBM
The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem sing Kelly The Boy From Killane.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXvI0HaBIQY
The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem perform Tim Finnegan's Wake.




Haven't been able to find The Winnipeg Whore on you tube yet, nor any other Oscar Brand songs.
".....Charlotte the harlot the girl we adore, the pride of the prairies the cow-punchers whore..."


Most national anthems leave me cold. They are fit for state funerals or drunken soccer hooliganism, little else.


I am still looking for Lung-Hwa De Tao Hwa (which, since the Shanghai purge in 1927, eternally yet with careful circumlocution recalls the martyrs shot by Chiang Kai-shek's goons). The peach blossoms at Lung Hwa are glorious, spring after spring - their fragrance is imperishable. Each year anew they bring tears to the eyes.

HERBIVORE - THE EARTHLY GRILL

My friend Max has decided that he will henceforth boycott a chain of vegetarian restaurants in the Bay Area. I applaud this decision, and would do the same, except that not being a vegetarian (very much a meat-eater, thank you), it would be pointless for me to do so - I never patronized the restaurants in question in the first place.


Here is the letter that he sent informing them of his displeasure:

From: Max
Sent: Monday, May 05, 2008 3:09 PM
To: info@herbivorerestaurant.com
Subject: Corporate sponsorship of Nakba event


To whom it may concern,

I am surprised to see that Herbivore is listed as one of the corporate sponsors of the Nakba-60, FREE Palestine, Peace and Solidarity Festival.

I assume that you have researched both the event in question, and the implications of their stand regarding the Israel-Palestine issues. And can I therefore also assume that you are entirely comfortable with the destruction of Israel as inherent in their point of view, which would be the inevitable consequence of any of their positions becoming reality.

If that is indeed so, I can only assume that you neither appreciate the custom which many in the community have given you over the years, nor disagree with the anti-Semitism that has been displayed by the organizers of this event and their associates over the years, and which has been a blatant part of their political stand from the beginning.

That being the case I will no longer patronize any of your establishments. I only regret that I ever did so in the past. Rest assured that I will diligently inform as many people as possible of your reprehensible politics and recommend that they also cease their patronage.

------Max

------------------------------------

The restaurant mentioned in his letter:
http://www.herbivorerestaurant.com/
Three locations: 983 Valencia Street, 531 Divisadero, and 2451 Shattuck in Berkeley.

Listing of sponsors of May tenth Nakba event (click on sponsors):
http://www.araborganizing.org/main.html
Several of the usual haters, and some who are new to organized anti-Semitism.


Rainbow Grocery shows up in the guise of 'Rainbow Boycott Israeli Goods Campaign'. There has been an anti-Semitic element among the members of that collective for many years now, and we keep our eye on them. It's only a matter of time before they succeed in pushing through a boycott motion.

As with the vegetarian restaurant above (or for instance Tsunami Sushi and Sake Bar, also one of the sponsors) it is immaterial to me what they do - I do not frequent their establishment.
I rather suspect the funk of their average customer would be enough to chase me out. I do not like blond dreadlocks and unwashed tie-dyes.

MAY FIFTH

Today is a day of celebration.

What are we celebrating exactly?


The anniversary of the Battle of Puebla, of course.

"Las armas nacionales se han cubierto de gloria."


On May fifth, 1862, general Ignacio Zaragoza and four and a half thousand Mexicans defeated a larger and much better equipped French army outside the city of Puebla. While the French went on to dominate Mexico for a couple of years, even imposing an emperor as ruler over Mexico, this native victory marked a crucial morale-boost for the republican forces, and the beginning of the end of colonialist domination.

We were in the thick of our own civil war at the time. Never-the-less, there were Tejanos and Californios on the right side at Puebla. Which is one of the reasons why Cinco de Mayo is big in California and Texas, though not a major holiday in Mexico outside of the state of Puebla.



Note: General Zaragoza did not survive the year, dying of typhoid fever on September 8, 1862 at age 33. Eight days later, President Juárez officially made the anniversary of the La Batalla de Puebla a national holiday. The French were finally defeated in 1867.

AN ATTEMPT TO NUANCE AND SPIN-DOCTOR THE DESCRIPTION 'FRIGGIN' CLUELESS'

My recent post entitled "ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF BAY AREA JEWS BEING SO FRIGGIN' CLUELESS YOU WONDER WHERE THEIR HEADS ARE", which appeared both on this blog and as a crosspost at Jameel's (http://muqata.blogspot.com/) prompted a contra-comment from Dan (http://lifeinthedanlane.blogspot.com/).


Dan wrote:
Please do not imply that all of the Jews, or even a majority, support the wacko anti-Zionist Jews.

The vast majority of Jews in the Bay Area are Zionist, even those afraid to say so in public in front of their far leftist friends.

It is true that we have more than our fair share of anti-Zionists and other wackjobs, but it is no more fair to call us Bay Area Jews "friggin' clueless" than it is to label all blacks as criminals, all Arabs as terrorists, or all Haredim as gay stabbing child raping intolerants due to the actions of a small minority.


Blogger Friar Yid (not Shlita) http://friaryid.blogspot.com/ also responded.

Friar Yid commented:
You're basically right on this, Dan, though I'd modify it and say that there is probably a sizable Zionist number of BA Jews, who unfortunately aren't as visible as their counterparts, with a silent majority that probably thinks Israel is good or at least "fine" but doesn't feel the need to go out and fight with protesters about it.

You can criticize the latter group for their apathy, B.O.T.H., but it's unfair to conflate that with actually supporting the nuts.



Okay. I accept their points.

I could split hairs and say that I didn't say all, but just indicated that there were Jews in the Bay Area who are f-verb clueless. But that doesn't diminish the effect, which was an implication that ALL are thus.

That was not the intent - I do indeed realize that it is not all. Unlike the SF Chronicle, who couldn't see five thousand pro-Israel Jews in Justin Herman Plaza on April 14th, 2002 (they were there for several hours, but the SF Chronicle made utterly no mention of that demonstration), I can and do see pro-Israel Jews here in the Bay Area.
Though sometimes not nearly enough of them.


I also see far too many anti-Israel Jews.
That is a subjective judgment, however. From my point of view all we need is ONE anti-Israel Jew to satisfactorily prove that indeed there is a diversity of opinion on the subject. But because there are several hundred if not a few thousand of them in San Francisco et environs, and at least several hundred of them who scream and shout and won't shut up, and get interviewed at the drop of a hat by every radio-station talk-jock or tin-can reporter who wants to highlight his or her own anti-Israel agenda while hiding behind a Jew-of-convenience, there are far too many of them.


Here in the Bay Area, the Jews who support Israel sometimes seem invisible, but the Jews who have decided to piss on everything are extremely visible. This is not a question only of perception, but of the tendency of the Bay Area to hold up the loud anti-Israel Jew as the example. Being anti-Israel wins you praise and love, while being pro-Israel gets you a fight in a bar.


Anyone (Jew or Gentile) who supports Israel will be called names, or have their sanity, humanity, and loyalty questioned by his or her associates, whereas a strident anti-Israel Jew is treated like a paragon of all the civilized virtues.

A Jew who supports Israel may be considered a divisive element in their synagogue or at work. A Jew who criticizes Israel ad nauseum is considered a team-player capable of understanding other points of view.

A supporter of Israel will often be considered, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, to be an ultra right-wing racist nutjob - by Jew and Gentile alike. But the anti-Israel Jew obediently and enthusiastically shouts down that pro-Israel nutcase while the majority happily sit back and smile approvingly.



The 'cluelessness' is in the pretense that there are two equal sides and that the truth lies somewhere between their opposing points of view - relativism at its worst.
The 'friggin' cluelessness' lies in assuming that despite all evidence to the contrary in the Bay Area the right side still has the support of the majority and if we just ignore the public demonstrations of anti-Israel and anti-Semitic sentiment, those people have no influence. That is compromise with the devil at best, 'head-firmly-up-one's-donkey' at worst.


We have already lost Holland and Britain - many more people in those countries believe that Israel is a threat to world peace than support Israel's right to defend herself. Far too many there oppose Israel in everything while supporting any and all Palestinian actions.

France and Germany are as much a blessing as a curse in that regard. Europe, as a whole, is barely on our side. Western European public opinion is overwhelmingly and often uncritically pro-Pal.

Here in the US, the Bay Area most resembles Europe. It is perhaps an exaggeration to also compare the Bay Area to pre-war Europe at this stage. But not by much.

IT WASN'T THE GARDEN GNOME!

At least, that seems to be the general understanding now. Though last night it was a different matter. Both Perry and Libby seemed convinced that the "poisonous little midget" had spilled the beans and posted it on internet.

[This refers to the notice trolling for anti-Zionist Jews willing to get arrested for breaking and entering that was posted by Jim Harris yesterday on IndyBay.]


The JAZAL (Jewish Anti-Zionist Activist Lesbians) seem fairly certain that it couldn't have been Jim himself, because he tends to waffle on so - this notice was short and to the point. Some of Jimmie's more anti-Israel writings tend to be manifestoes of inordinate length, and he can't help boasting about them.

Besides, while Jim has connections with almost all of the local hate groups (ALAWDA, JVP, WIB, ISM, ANSWER), and seems happy to jump into the organizational sack with almost any anti-Semite there is, he isn't known for original thinking, and no one tells him anything. At least, that's the considered input of Kate. She also has a low opinion of Jim. And that may affect her assessment of the poor man.


So, Jimmyboy, you're off the hook. Not entirely in the white, and you might want to keep a set of eyes in the back of your head from what I hear, but you're no longer at the top of the list. This at least according to "the other Penny". Who thinks you look like a garden gnome. I don't think she likes garden gnomes, by the way. Count your blessings you don't look like a flamingo.


---------

PS. Yes, I know it looks like I know way too many lesbians. And maybe I do. But not all of them are psychos. Not even the majority. Most of them are absolutely normal.

PS. no. II: Jim, we still don't know what those bitches are planning, so if you hear anything else do PLEASE let us know. We're dying to find out.