Lawyer-Wearing-Yarmulka

Christian Peacemaker Teams has blamed the kidnapping of four of its members on the U.S. and the U.K.

Strange, I would think that the rational thing to do is to blame the kidnapping on the kidnappers. You may claim that they are suffering from Stockholm Syndrome, but remember, the organization is blaming Bush and Blair, not the kidnapped members

I have a suggestion.

Let’s not spend one second of our military’s time looking for these hostages. These people really are slime.

[UPDATE]

These people really are slime. CNN is reporting that while CPT is pleading for their members' lives to be spared, they don't blame the terrorists for taking them hostake and threatening to kill them.

The group, which has been stressing its opposition to "the invasion and occupation of Iraq," said in its statement that while it does not support kidnapping, it does not condemn the kidnappers for their actions.

"We recognize the humanity in each person, and respect it very much. This includes you, our colleagues, and all people," the statement said. "Perhaps you are men who only want to raise the issue of illegal detention. We don't know what you may have endured."

I think that James Taranto was right on the money when he wrote last week that "As loathsome as these people are, we hope they survive. Maybe they'll even learn the lesson that the terrorists aren't their friends even though they are enemies of America."

(I diverge from my serious discussion of my conflicts with conservatives and Republicans).

This story is just too funny…

It seems that hypodermic needles are no longer long enough to pierce the muscle tissues in people’s buttocks.  There’s just too much fat in the way.

Yet another reason for Americans to spend more time on the treadmill.  
  

While I'm still on the topic of abortion...

This story is just plain sick.

A GOVERNMENT agency is launching an inquiry into doctors’ reports that up to 50 babies a year are born alive after botched National Health Service abortions.

The investigation, by the Confidential Enquiry into Maternal and Child Health (CEMACH), comes amid growing unease among clinicians over a legal ambiguity that could see them being charged with infanticide.

Does anyone find it troubling that women are having abortions past the time of viability?

I’ve got a gripe with many conservatives in this country, especially Christian conservatives.  And that gripe is the classification of abortion as “murder”.  

Abortion is not murder.  It may be evil, wrong, selfish, a sin, and many other things, but it is not murder. (side note- partial-birth abortions according to Halacha/Jewish law is may very well be murder, but partial-birth abortions are quite rare)

And I can prove abortion is not murder, at least it’s not in the eyes of those who claim that it is.  

If abortion truly is murder, then everyone who believes that would be morally obligated to kill doctors who perform abortions.  There would be no difference between a doctor who is about to perform an abortion and robber about to shoot a 7-11 clerk.  If you have the ability to stop it, then you have a moral obligation to do whatever is necessary- including using deadly force to prevent the murder.  

If pro-life activists really believed abortion was really murder then abortion clinic bombings would be a regular event.

The fact that there have been only half a dozen or so murders of abortion providers proves that there are only a few people our there who honestly believe that abortion is murder.

I think the pro-life movement would have more success and more credibility if they moved away from the abortion = murder platform.  People can see right through that comparison- it’s just hyperbole.  

In America we thankfully have only two political parties.  (My apologies to the Reform, America First, Communist, Green, Independence, Libertarian, Socialist, and all the other parties that don’t count).

I’m a Republican and proud of it.  

But a two party system will guarantee that you can’t be a member of a political party that has exactly the same views as you. I don’t agree with every position that the Republican Party takes.

The same goes for ideology.  I’m a conservative and proud of it.

But like party membership, ideological membership doesn’t mean ideological purity.  I don’t agree with every position that conservatives take.  

And while this may ruin any small chance of me being appointed to the Supreme Court, I’m going to spend the next couple of posts explaining my disagreements with Republicans and conservatives.  

IDF paratrooper Corporal David Markovitch foiled a would-be attack when he killed four Hizbullah operatives carrying an anti-tank missile in the village of Ghajar in South Lebanon on Monday.

Markovitch, a trained sniper, aimed at the rocket, which exploded and killed three of the terrorists. He then shot the fourth, whose body was taken back across the lines by other Hizbullah members. The IDF was holding the other three bodies.

Markovitch, who was drafted eight months ago, was described by an Israel Radio interviewer as "not especially large or threatening, even with a helmet on his head," and was eager to praise his commander and cohorts when grilled for details.

"We were four [soldiers] working together, everyone did his job. We wanted to duck and hide, but our commander, Natan, gave the orders. We're a team," Markovitch said.

He told reporters that "it happened that [we] were in the middle of things, but really, it was a miracle. Them not seeing us - it was a miracle." Despite being trained combat soldiers, Markovitch admitted, they were afraid. "We didn't know what was going to happen," he said. "We were panicked, but we did our job."

"The terrorist - I saw him, and then...boom. It was a matter of seconds, the entire thing."

Hat Tip- respondingtojblogs

Once again, it's that time of year when people wonder why don't more more Jews celebrate Thanksgiving. Which basically means, "why don't more Jews have a traditional turkey dinner"?

Dov Bear has his usually rant, and others chime in about not copying the Gentiles, it's really a religous holiday, yada yada yada...

I've got a much more practical answer. Thanksgiving is on a Thursday. Less than 24 hours later, Jews will sit down to their regular Friday night Shabbos meal, a meal that often rivals in size to your typical Gentile Thanksgiving dinner. Who wants to eat two huge meals like that two days in a row?

If Thanksgiving was on a Monday, plenty more Jews would would have a nice juicy turkey for dinner that night.

So the government decided to indict Padilla after all.  I’m not sure if this is a smart move or not.  I’m guessing that they now have enough evidence to convict him in a civilian court, so it wasn’t worth going through the unpleasantness of trying a U.S. citizen, arrested on U.S. soil, in a military court.    

I can see this type of situation happening again, so it would have been nice if there was clear guidance from the Supreme Court.  I don’t know if Ex Parte Quirin would work in a Padilla type situation.  

I’ve never understood atheists. Agnostics, yeah, that’s fine with me. You’re apathetic, confused, or just don’t care about God and religion, I understand you.

But why label yourself an atheist? Is disproving God that important to you? Does it give your life meaning and purpose?

I wondered about this after reading about Michael Newdow’s latest crusade- to remove “In God We Trust” from our coins and dollar bills. What exactly drives a man to make it his life’s goal to remove all traces of religion from the public square?

I’m guessing that he just likes to see his name in the newspaper.

Jones Soda just released a salmon-flavored soda.

And I thought Dr. Brown’s Cel-Ray Soda was the most nauseating soft drink around.  

Today is the 10 year anniversary of the Rabin assassination.  The question of the day, as it reappears every year on this day, is what would have happened if Rabin wasn’t killed?  Would there be peace?  Would there be a Palestinian state?  

I have no idea, and no one can claim that they have the answer.  But some people are using today as an opportunity to blame Netanyahu for all that has troubled Israel since he became Prime Minister.  

Shame on them.

Edward Morrissey writes a great piece on the media's reluctance to associate Islam with the French riots. But an interesting fact is mentioned in the column- "France averaged 80 cars a day lost to arson this year even before the riots began, and they assumed the riots meant little".

Does anyone know what auto insurance costs in France?

So the media is gushing over the “great victories” the Democrats allegedly had.  This is supposed to be a bellwether for 2006, with bad news in store for the Republicans.  The NY Times calls it “stinging defeats”.

Before everyone faints from glee, a few things need to be pointed out.

1. Exactly two states elected Democratic governors, New Jersey and Virginia.  In both states, the current governor was a Democrat; in Virginia, he was quite popular as well.  And big surprise, a Democrat won in New Jeresey.


2. In California, Ahnold was dealt a pretty strong blow, the realignment plan was rejected.  But in Ohio, a similar plan was rejected as well, except unlike California, which is gerrymandered to ensure Democrats win, Ohio is gerrymandered to ensure Republicans win.  It just seems like everyone prefers the status quo.

So what does this mean for the 2006 election?  I have no idea.  And neither does anyone else.  

So the riots continue in France.  Is it wrong of me to hope they continue, becoming more and more destructive?  Then, we in the U.S. can act like high and mighty, self righteous Frenchmen, and lecture the French on the “reasons” behind rioters, so that they can “understand” their grievances.  

I was going to write a bit about oil company profits and stupidity- both of which are going up. But no one explains it better than Alan Reynolds, so just read his collum.

I joined the J-Blogosphere to late to join in the Slifkin kerfuffle. And frankly, I was never that interested in the whole deal.

But then comes along this idiot.

While it's nice to see someone represent the anti-Slifkin side, it would be nicer if the person wasn't a foaming at the mouth lunatic.

I'd prefer an actual debate about the contents as opposed to "it's ossur, end of story" and petty name calling- a practice by both sides of the debate.

If one thing good comes of this and other controversies regarding s'forim, is that maybe the Gedolim will actualy read the sayfer before giving their Haskama.

[Hat tip- Romach]

So the Belzer Rebbe has told his chasidim to go learn a "secular" trade and to go get a job. He said that "... those students who, after a year of poor studying, whether this was due to their skill level or because of their financial situation, must go and learn a trade that can support its practitioner".

Now if only someone in Lakewood would make a similar announcement.

"This is the debate the country has needed for several generations: Should the Constitution be treated as so plastic, so changeable that it enables justices to reach whatever social outcomes -- "results" -- they, like the result-oriented senators who confirm them, consider desirable? If so, in what sense does the Constitution still constitute the nation"?



George Will

"If liberal Democrats want a battle over judicial philosophy, so be it. This is a rumble worth having."

WSJ Editorial