Tuesday, June 22, 2021

Hypocrite Netanyahu and hypocrite Deri and hypocrite Smotrich are by accident doing the right thing

The law of unintended consequences is that actions of people, and especially of governments, always have effects that are unanticipated or "unintended."

An unintended consequence of Israel's new and amazingly diverse government is hypocrite Netanyahu and hypocrite Deri and hypocrite Smotrich are now opposing the discriminatory and racist family reunification law they previously championed. 

The law uses "security", a word that in the wrong hands can be used to justify anything, to justify overt discrimination against Israeli citizens who have Palestinian spouses from the Occupied Palestinian Territories from living together in Israel. (Israeli citizens who have *Jewish* spouses from the Occupied Palestinian Territoiree are not similarly burdened which is what makes the law discriminatory)

Previously, hypocrite Netanyahu and hypocrite Deri and hypocrite Smotrich were strong supporters of the discriminatory law on the specious claim that racism makes Israel safer. But now they are going to vote against the law. Not because they have seen the light and now realize that racism actually weakens Israel. No, no. They are opposing the law because they believe that toppling the government is more important than doing what they previously swore was essential to Israeli security. So either they were lying all along about the importance for security of their racist law, or they value their own power more than they value Israel's security. In any event the unintended consequence is that three terrible people are by accident doing the right thing but the voters of Israel should punish them for their mendacity all the same.

Sunday, June 20, 2021

EatUpTheBorders mistreats Israeli food truck in a way that should be familiar to Israelis

There is no good excuse for what #EatUpTheBorders did to that Israeli food truck. The event organizers  entirely and completely overreacted to a security concern and as a result of their over reaction engaged in blatant discrimination against innocent people. 

PS: Overeacting to security concerns causes the IDF to discriminate against innocent people every day so דַּעֲלָךְ סְנֵי לְחַבְרָךְ לָא תַּעֲבֵיד = that which you find hateful don't do to others. 

You can't defend two sets of rules in the West Bank while opposing them in Philadelphia. You have to oppose them in both places.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/m.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/israeli-food-vendor-removed-from-philadelphia-event-due-to-security-risk-671535/amp

Thursday, June 17, 2021

Jake Turx Interviews Trump but Did He Seize the Important Opportunity?

Jake Turx's interview with the ex president for his horrible magazine has just been released. Did Turx, the most visible Orthodox Jew in media, take the opportunity to mention to the former president that it was blatant and overt anti semitism when Trump:

Tweeted an image of Hillary Clinton’s face atop a pile of cash next to the Star of David and the phrase, “Most Corrupt Candidate Ever!”

Released an ad featuring the faces of powerful Jewish people with a voiceover about them being part of a “global power structure” that has “robbed our working class” and “stripped our country of its wealth

Told a room full of Jews they were "brutal killers" 

Suggested that anyone who votes Democrat is a bad Jew

Appealed to Jewish voters by suggesting all they care about is money and only he could protect their wealth. 

Acted on multiple occasions like Jews are a monolith who care only about money and Israel and that he deserves our loyalty and deference because he promises to protect both

The article is behind a paywall so I can't see for myself but I'm not optimistic.

Wednesday, June 09, 2021

What I do and do not understand about the Israel Palestinian Problem.

There are many things I do and do not understand about the Israel Palestinian Problem.

THINGS I DO UNDERSTAND

1) Why HAMAS must be fought tooth and nail. These are bad guys, committed to destroying the state of Israel and killing every Jewish Israeli. Anyone who thinks they are freedom fighters who just want fairness and equality for all is at best misled.

2) Why Palestinians are upset. Their parents and grandparents were tossed out of their homes, and got nothing in return. Israel owes them in the same way the US owes the native Americans. 

3) The Central Palestinian Complaint. I understand that perfectly. Imagine a hundred thousand Martians, escaping prosecution on Mars, descended on your city and claimed it as their own on the basis of (a) a book you don't accept (b) stories you don't believe are true and (c) the consistent presence of a handful of other Martians who had been living in your city for thousands of years - that you had never really noticed. I think you'd be upset. I know I would.  You certainly would not like to lose your home because of a few verses written in the Book of Mormon.

4) Israeli Security Concerns. 

THINGS I DO NOT UNDERSTAND

1) Why Israel is called an apartheid state. I agree that there are apartheid-like conditions in parts of the West Bank, and I agree that should end. Its terrible, and I mean that.  But I am also aware that 20 percent of the citizens of Israel are Arabs, and that while they do suffer some of the discrimination endured by minorities everywhere, they also enjoy full voting rights, access to higher education and are employed in plenty of excellent fields - and not as "tokens" either. So anyone who thinks that is "apartheid" can kindly shut up

2) Why Israel's war with Gaza and various displays of very bad behavior are called "genocide" Even the worst police brutality, indifference and corruption isn't "genocide" and no-one fair, honest or  informed can say a war that kills a few hundred people on the weaker side is "genocidal."

3) Why this conflict keeps dragging on. Look, I can agree with anyone who says that the Israeli West Bank cities shouldn't have been built. You are right. That never should have happened. Only it did happen. By the same token, a hundred American cities built on stolen land should never have been built. But they were built.  We aren't going to deconstruct San Antonio or Sioux City and we aren't deconstructing Beitar and Ariel either. The bell has rung. Instead of demanding the impossible, the Palestinians should follow the sage advice Carmine Lupertazzi gave Johnny Sack about the Ginny joke grievance: "Either name a price or get the [bad word] over it!" I know this sounds unfair. I agree it IS unfair. But tossing the 75,000 plus men, women and children of Beitar out of their homes would also be unfair. So that's where we are.