The Blogs: Rooting out a sickness

“The fatal tendency of mankind to leave off thinking about a thing when it is no longer doubtful. is the cause of half their errors.” [On Liberty, John Stuart Mills]

In these days, we are seeing a behavior pattern stretching over the globe which may be considered a universal rebellion. In short, it is an expression of repulsion against the likes of “political correctness” and what the brilliant Dennis Prager refers to as ” leftism ” and not liberalism of the likes of John Stuart Mill. What is occurring now is not an expression of extremism. The great Jewish sage Maimonides [the Rambam] made it quite clear that the only permissible extremism was to be found in humility.

Mill’s “On Liberty” addresses the nature and limits of the power that can be legitimately exercised by society over the individual. His concern for liberty did not extend to all individuals and all societies. He was given to retorting that “despotism is a legitimate mode of government in dealing with barbarians.” No doubt, he would not have suffered the malady which Obama and many other western leaders when identifying adherents of Islamic radicalism. Interestingly, he observed that no society had yet solved the problem of how to teach morality without religion.

A review of basics on a distinction of liberal from conservative positions implies the need for a level playing field, where they can discuss ideas freely. This would suggest that the former not subscribe to a leftist view of the world by being a vicious opponent of free speech and favoring ideas which support dictatorial regimes. They must also reject any ideas on beliefs that fascist censorship constitutes liberty as long as their ideas are the ones that emerge and become more popular.

Witnessing current events such as Brexit, the election of Donald Trump and Italy’s referendum are undoubtedly having a snowball effect. One in which the growing influence of the National Front in France, the Party for Freedom in the Netherlands, the Alternative for Germany [AfD], the Five Star movement in Italy and the Freedom Party Austria are undoubtedly by products of the same voice.

In the spirit of the times, Haaretz, surely the most left wing newspaper in Israel, publishes Gabi Taub’s “Obama’s Foreign Policy Mistakes See US history repeat itself on March 17, 2016. Taub certainly understood why Obama was an unqualified failure in matters of foreign policy:

“[a] The Nixon administration , through a mix of finesse, flexibility and aggression [and the invaluable assistance of Nasser’s successor Anwar Sadat], created a new system of alliances that pushed the Soviets from the region. It is this system that the Obama administration has just dismantled.

[b]Obama sounds as if he has given up on bringing peace to the Middle East. That’s an elegant way to describe the devastation wrought by his repetition of the mistakes made in the 1950s.

[c] When he entered office, he tried to appease the region’s radicals and did so by distancing himself from his allies – in this case, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Israel. He tried by extending his hand and ceremoniously rejecting the legacy of colonialism in his Cairo speech. He continued by opening the door to the Muslim Brotherhood, at the expense of the Mubarak regime. From there he proceeded to the nuclear deal with Iran and hesitancy in the Syrian theatre : First there were red lines , then stammering and softening , and finally de facto capitulation to Russian activism.

[d] The “lessons of Iraq” became the be-all and end-all of the [Obama] administration, and the United States openly abandoned all its tools of deterrence. Muslim radicals learned an important lesson: The most violent party wins, and it’s possible to thumb one’s nose at the United States with no real fear of consequences. Iran drew similar conclusions to those of Nasser.

[e] Obama weakened the moderate forces and undermined the stable pillars of American policy in the region. His appeasement of the radicals didn’t yield new alliances, but it did weaken the old ones. The result is that not only has he reduced direct American involvement in the region he has also strengthen his rivals, weakened his friends and reduced his own room to maneuver.

[f] It will take a tough and sophisticated president to enable the United States — and moderate forces within and outside the region – to recover the strategic assets the Obama administration scattered to the winds without receiving anything in return.”

Charles Krauthammer’s Washington Post Op-Ed of August 18, 2016, “The Price of Powerlessness” covers the specific Obama foreign policy failures in Iran, Iraq, and Syria. He regards Obama as one who sees a moral arc in the universe bending inexorably toward justice; calculations of raw realpolotik are 20th century thinking – primitive, obsolete, the obsession of small minds. Barack Obama unlike the major revisionist powers who know what they want – power, territory, tribute, rather adheres to Ecclesiastes’ view that “these are vanities, nothing but vanities.” To the writer, above all, Obama’s leftism is paramount. Indeed, powerlessness is systematic of leftism.

Obama’s persistence in “flogging a dead horse” by way of constantly demeaning Israel over “occupation”, “settlements” and allegations of Israel’s disregard for the infamous two state [non] solution, always lacked any historical content and a blend of political/racial bias. Above all, his leftism is paramount.

A study of the relationship between J Street and Obama provides a useful insight into the misnomer of the very idea that leftist Pro-Israel serves Israel.. How does one understand the behavior pattern of leftist Jews? In Truth Revolt dated 2/11/2015, Ben Shapiro asks and answers the question “Why Do Jews Vote Leftist?” He notes that most Jews are lapsed Jews, or never-knew-in-the-first-place Jews. They are secular leftists who don’t want to be labeled white people because they like “being diverse and being able to enjoy the- in-jokes in Woody Allen films.” Based on his studies and observations, Shapiro finds no surprise that most Jews vote leftists. After all, they aren’t Jewish in any real sense beyond ethnic identification. They have nothing to do with the ethical system posited by biblical Judaism. They have nothing to do with the biblical commandments.

American Jews voted 78 percent for Obama in 2008. This despite the fact that he had previously been in frequent contact with vicious anti-Semites like Rashid Khalidi and Jeremiah Wright; and had staffed his campaign with equally anti-Semitic characters such as Zbigniev Brzezinski, Sarah Silverman and Robert Malley. Jeffrey Goldberg, Obama’s designated court Jew – a role he has never relinquished, informed Jews that they were racist if they feared his positions on Israel.

Statistics listed by Shapiro:

[a] American Jews voted 78% for Obama in 2008 and 69% in 2012.

[b] According to the polls, American Jews are the least religious group in America.. Only 41 percent say that their religion is important to them in their daily life

[c]. A December 2012 Gallup poll reflected a meager 34 percent attendance of religious services monthly compared with 65 percent who seldom or never attended. 22 percent of Jews state that they have no religion.

[d] As recorded in an October 2013 Pew poll, only 38 percent of Jews maintain that their Jewish identity is related to religion. A mere 10 percent of Jews identify themselves as orthodox and in compliance with the Torah commandments
[e]. Only 30 percent of Jews are very attached to Israel and only 43 percent of Jews have ever been to Israel
[f]. Amazing statistic – 40 percent of Jews believe God gave Israel to the Jewish people, 27 percent disagree,5 percent say they do not know and 28 percent don’t believe in God at all. Asked why the Jewish majority vote leftist, Shapiro answers that they are uncaring about Judaism or Israel. Their religion is secular leftism. He concludes his essay by pointing out that the Torah is no left wing document. Accordingly, it opposes abortion and same-sex marriage. It does not believe in a grand welfare system, but in private charity. It dictates belief that Israel was promised to the Jews, and that Jews have a responsibility to live ethically according to a set of specific behavioral guide lines. Judaism is conservative, in the modern parlance.

Forgotten: The Algemeiner, April 15, 2015; “Liberal Jews Push Obama to Drop Support for Israel at UN During White House Parley” by David Efune. Interestingly, this is a former play of today’s events when a group affiliated with J Street pledged to support Obama in the event of a Security Council Resolution calling for the creation of a Palestinian State. Their request was to urge him to remove the long-standing American veto protection of Israel at the United Nations. This action exemplifies J Street’s fundamental creed in embracing the narrative of Israel’s enemies.

The Algemeiner reported on the exchange which took place in the second of two meetings Obama held with American Jewish leaders to discuss the ongoing negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program, as well as other regional issues.

According to a source who was in the room, one J Street supporter told the president that if he decided to back a Palestinian state resolution over Israeli objections, “let us know first, and we’ll do the legwork for you, in the community——-so you’re not going to come in cold.” Among the J Street supporters who were part of the delegation meeting with Obama were Alexandra Stanton, Lou Susman and Victor Kovner.

Around May, 2014 the Conference of Presidents of US Jewish Organizations turned down inclusion of J Street. Morton Klein, president of the ZOA, last week issued an 18-point memorandum on what he called “some of their horrific, anti-Israel actions”, including endorsing the Goldstone Report, opposing Iran sanctions and calling on the US administration to endorse a UN resolution hat condemned Israel, which the US ultimately vetoed. Klein pointed to a red line when considering acceptance. “It’s that they’re fighting to harm and delegitimize Israel.”

2011 “Arab Spring Imitative” – enabling overthrow of Hosni Mubarak and his direct promotion of the Morsi Muslim Brotherhood’s takeover of power in Cairo.

2015 Awarded Iran favored status permitting retention of its military nuclear program, development of ballistic missiles with assistance of USD 250 billion in US and European sanctions relief.
Syria: Aided and abetted the horror and carnage in that country by allowing Iran’s Revolutionary Guards to enter through Iraq in order to fight for the brutal Assad regime. Permitted the influx of pro-Iranian Shiite groups, including the Lebanese Hezbollah, Israel’s arch-foes.

2015 By his inaction, Obama facilitated the Islamic State’s entry, permitting its leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi to commandeer large swaths of Iraq and Syria virtually unopposed. Jihadists were enabled to enter Egyptian Sinai – close to another Israeli border.

The hypocrisy of the Muslim in Christian garb, Barack Obama has manifested itself in a determination to teach the Israeli prime minister a painful lesson he won’t forget in a hurry. One has to wonder how much more damage he can enact prior to his departure from office on January 20.

From his arrival on the scene, there may have been a difficulty in assessing Obama, an enigma, a con artist. His Cairo speech clearly demonstrated the great influence on him imposed by his years in Muslim Indonesia. His general behavior suggested a combination of Marxism and narcissism. His embrace of leftist appointees in the form of Jewish appointees Axelrod and Emanuel exposed his disdain for conservatism. And then there was a mysterious embrace of arch rivals Sunnis and Shiites. Did he have in mind a giant caliphate?

Dennis Prager is most respected for his opinions, writing skills, intellect, integrity and conservative views. His paper on Israel’s Legitimacy which appeared in Townhall on April 28, 2015 should have been sent to Obama by way of adult education. “Why is Pakistan More Legitimate than Israel?

Prager wisely observes that of all the 200-plus countries in the world, only Israel’s legitimacy is questioned. Further, almost no one outside of India and Pakistan knows anything about the founding of Pakistan. He proceeds to demonstrate how similar the experiences have been other than the consequences.
As regards the current UNSC Resolution to promote a Mid East War rather than peace, the Debka File reports that it was not the US who abandoned Israel, but Obama; and that this was not the first time. During his eight years in office, Obama let Israel down at least three times on issues which jeopardized its security. A short summary of the indicated events:

2011 “Arab Spring Imitative” – enabling overthrow of Hosni Mubarak and his direct promotion of the Morsi Muslim Brotherhood’s takeover of power in Cairo.
2015 Awarded Iran favored status permitting retention of its military nuclear program, development of ballistic missiles with assistance of USD 250 billion in US and European sanctions relief.
Syria: Aided and abetted the horror and carnage in that country by allowing Iran’s Revolutionary Guards to enter through Iraq in order to fight for the brutal Assad regime. Permitted the influx of pro-Iranian Shiite groups, including the Lebanese Hezbollah, Israel’s arch-foes.
2015 By his inaction, Obama facilitated the Islamic State’s entry, permitting its leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi to commandeer large swaths of Iraq and Syria virtually unopposed. Jihadists were enabled to enter Egyptian Sinai – close to another Israeli border.

The hypocrisy of the Muslim in Christian garb, Barak Obama has manifested itself in a determination to teach the Israeli prime minister a painful lesson he won’t forget in a hurry. One has to wonder how much more damage he can enact prior to his departure from office on January 20.
As regards the current UNSC Resolution to promote a Mid East War rather than peace, the Debka File reports that it was not the US who abandoned Israel, but Obama; and that this was not the first time. During his eight years in office, Obama let Israel down at least three times on issues which jeopardized its security. A short summary of the indicated events:

As regards the current UNSC Resolution to promote a Mid East War rather than peace, the Debka File reports that it was not the US who abandoned Israel, but Obama; and that this was not the first time. During his eight years in office, Obama let Israel down at least three times on issues which jeopardized its security. A short summary of the indicated events:
2011 “Arab Spring Imitative” – enabling overthrow of Hosni Mubarak and his direct promotion of the Morsi Muslim Brotherhood’s takeover of power in Cairo.
2015 Awarded Iran favored status permitting retention of its military nuclear program, development of ballistic missiles with assistance of USD 250 billion in US and European sanctions relief.
Syria: Aided and abetted the horror and carnage in that country by allowing Iran’s Revolutionary Guards to enter through Iraq in order to fight for the brutal Assad regime. Permitted the influx of pro-Iranian Shiite groups, including the Lebanese Hezbollah, Israel’s arch-foes.
2015 By his inaction, Obama facilitated the Islamic State’s entry, permitting its leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi to commandeer large swaths of Iraq and Syria virtually unopposed. Jihadists were enabled to enter Egyptian Sinai – close to another Israeli border.

In 1947, India was partitioned into a Muslim and a Hindu state, the former to be known as Pakistan and the latter to retain its name as India. Only months before, the UN adopted a proposal to partition Palestine into a Jewish and an Arab state. In both cases, violence followed. In May 1948, Israel was invaded by six Arab armies while partition of India led to excessive violence between Muslims and Hindus. A comparison of the resultant clashes:
!948 War of Israel’s Independence: 726,000 Arab refugees [some sources suggest 200,000 less]. Approximately 700,000 Jewish refugees from Arab countries through forcible expulsion.

Creation of Pakistan resulted in 14 million refugees, Hindus fleeing Pakistan and Muslims fleeing India. If one assumes an even split, this would represent seven million Hindu refugees – at least 10 times the number of Arab refugees. Arab deaths amounted to 10,000 while in the case of Pakistan, the number is around one million. With this disparity, why does no one ever question the legitimacy of Pakistan’s existence?
It must be recalled that the Independence War was initiated by the Arab nations surrounding Israel. Thus, were it not for the Arab rejection of Israel’s creation [and existence within any borders] and the subsequent Arab invasion, there would have been no Arab refugees. Estimate from Indian government suggests 86,000 women were raped, while those raped in Israel were 12 at most.

Is Obama aware of the fact that it was Muslims who invaded India, and killed about 60 million Hindus during the thousand-year Muslim rule of India? That never before was there a Pakistan. This area was known as Hindu until the Muslims invaded in A.D, 711.

Modern Israel is the third Jewish state in the geographic area known as Palestine. The first was destroyed in 586 B.C., the second in A.D. 70 and there was never a non-Jewish sovereign state in Palestine.

There are 49 Muslim-majority countries and 22 Arab states; why is it that Israel’s legitimacy challenged, while the legitimacy of Pakistan, a state that had never before existed and whose creation resulted in the largest mass migration in recorded history, is never challenged? Why does the world question or outright reject the right of one Jewish state, the size of New Jersey to exist?