Best International Incident ever!

With world attention focused on the international row triggered by the capture of 15 British soldiers Iran (see today's Informed Comment post for an interesting note on that), little attention has been paid to another brewing major diplomatic row. I won't spoil it for you, but I will tell you that the BBC reported this:

But the Bavarians have blown the idea that Bruno is Italian state property out of the water.

You're welcome

Go figure

So I haven't been following the Japanese WWII brothel scandal too closely, but I read the news when it's there. So today, I wake up and go to my RSS feeds. The New York times is reporting that:

Japan Again Denies Role in Sex Slavery

Meanwhile, Al-Jazeera's feed claims:

Japan PM apologises for sex slavery

And the worst part is that they are both accurate!

In a smackdown, don't forget your grammar

Vs.

So, in what is shaping up as a wonderful intra-party fight, Rush Limbaugh and the Governator at at each other's throats. CNN reports that Limbaugh fired the opening salvo:

It was a shot aimed at Limbaugh's loaded term for Schwarzenegger -- "closet liberal."

"I don't know what happened to Arnold," the conservative talker said on his radio show. "He obviously didn't have the leadership skills to articulate conservative principles and win over the public as Reagan did."

But as anyone who has seen Terminator or Kindergarden Cop knows, you do not mess with Arnold:

And then came California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who frankly told "The Today Show" Tuesday that "Limbaugh is irrelevant."

"I'm not his servant," Schwarzenegger said. "I am the people's servant of California."

Now don't misunderstand me: I love the smackdown. And I know that English can be a difficult language to learn, and I usually don't pick on people for whom English is not their first language; after all, my Spanish is chock full of grammatical errors. But Arnold is the governor of the largest state in our fair union, and as such I think he needs to set a better example for the children. Why won't anyone consider poor Jimmy and Janey at home?

Arnold is not "the people's servant of California," a designation that makes him sound like he is a communist government's regional appointee. Rather, he is the people of California's servant. I expect a written apology to the rest of the nation by the end of the day.

Israel's "Right to Exist" and other nonsensical things

<--Some day, I hope to be featured in an HonestReporting communique

So, as many of you know, I can be a bit of a grammatical stickler (92% according to my last test, though I think the Brits were mistaken about the question I got wrong). And on occasion, my stickler-self joins forces with my anti-Zionism, and I start complaining (free registration required) about the nonsensical phrase: Israel's right to exist.

Turns out, though, that someone beat me to the punch here, and did a far better job than I could have done. That somebody is named Sarree Makdisi (I guess it should be noted that this article is at least partially based on John Whitbeck's longer editorial in the Christian Science Monitor, but I think Makdisi's is better), and he wrote a rather good editorial in the LA Times:

First, the formal diplomatic language of "recognition" is traditionally used by one state with respect to another state. It is literally meaningless for a non-state to "recognize" a state. Moreover, in diplomacy, such recognition is supposed to be mutual. In order to earn its own recognition, Israel would have to simultaneously recognize the state of Palestine. This it steadfastly refuses to do (and for some reason, there are no high-minded newspaper editorials demanding that it do so).

Second, which Israel, precisely, are the Palestinians being asked to "recognize?" Israel has stubbornly refused to declare its own borders.

Now I think of myself as a reasonable man (note: others may disagree) so, even though I know that this editorial will surely provoke heated reactions from the American Zionist community, I expect those reactions to address the actual article. Enter HonestReporting, which released a communique entitled:

A radical UCLA professor questions Israel's "right to exist".

What makes him radical is just as mysterious as the reason they use a period at the end of a title, but I digress. He is not, in fact, questioning Israel's right to exist (though I fully support placing that phrase in quotation marks); he is questioning the sensibility of the phrase "right to exist". The former implies an acceptance of the concept and a rejection of the instance. It also implies that HonestReporting is illiterate, stupid, and/or malicious.

Seriously, read the LA Times article and then the HonestReporting article and try and find one place where the HR article actually addresses the arguments made by Makdisi.

<--I only post this picture because I know that we can't get enough of it. I can't decide if the spectacle of justice is supposed to put me in awe of the State or if I am being disciplined towards better hygiene when being arrested.

Now, I've been know to wander my way into controversy every now and then. But this time, it's just a pet peeve.

The transcripts (PDF) from Khalid Sheikh Mohammed's causing a flurry of not so implausible conspiracy theories ranging from that his confession was made under torture to that he is taking credit for things that he didn't do in order to boost his own prestige and/or take the heat off the real criminals. I'd link to them, but you're probably better off not reading the wild speculation. Not that the official explanation makes all that much more sense, but I digress.

But here is what bugs me. The dude has a name: Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. Now I know that the US news media are not great at saying foreign names -- I mean, Ahmadinejad (pronounced EXACTLY HOW IT IS WRITTEN!) -- but this is just lazy. I mean, the guy is a terrorist, not a celebrity couple or Russian spy agency!

Oh, and speaking of Ahmadinejad check out this awesome article by Juan Cole.

Quote of the day

<-- Zionists <3 Cheney

From Salon.com's so-so article (free after sitting through an ad) on the recent AIPAC conference in Washington D.C.:

During the opening night's events, large video screens behind the speaker's podium showed a chronological slide show of U.S. presidents and their Israeli prime minister contemporaries, and when the display eventually reached George W. Bush, the room erupted into applause -- far more applause than the crowd had given for Reagan, Kennedy or even Truman. And when Cheney first appeared on the stage on Monday morning, the crowd immediately rose to its feet and filled the room with loud applause, which continued intermittently through his predictably hawkish speech.

It seemed a remarkable contrast to the currently dismal public opinion polls regarding Bush and Cheney. As one delegate standing nearby commented during the vice president's speech, "This has got to be the last crowd that still greets him this way."

So, Zionists love Cheney and Bush. They also apparently love war. Clearly, we should all support them for the good of the Jewish people, U.S., and the world!

When "Super" just isn't big enough

<-- This man's hair would totally lose to Sly Stallone's. And what's up with his freakishly big hand?


So Today, the Great State of California announced that it was going to move its primary from the tradition Super Tuesday in March to Feb 5th. CNN, please put this in context:


The possible result? A quasi-national primary that could largely settle nomination battles before the first piece of Valentine's candy is even eaten.

In addition to California, other states with contests on February 5 include Arkansas, Delaware, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Utah, while New Mexico Democrats and West Virginia Republicans will also have contests on that date.

The list of states where proposals are afoot to join the mega-Tuesday pack includes some of the largest in the union: New York, Florida, Texas, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, and Georgia. And although that might blunt the impact of California's move, the delegate-rich Golden State would still remain the day's largest prize.

A Mega-Tuesday in which a quasi-national primary is held? Oh man am I pumped! I can't wait for the ginormous-Tuesday of 2012 and the gargantuan-Tuesday of 2016. Heck, , by 2040 we will have to invent new words for big in order to encompass the size of this Tuesday!

Seriously, who's writing for CNN nowadays? The Associated Monster-Truck Advertisers of America?

Best News Story Ever

Last update - 09:13 12/03/2007

Envoy to El Salvador recalled, reportedly found naked, drunk

By Haaretz Service

The Foreign Ministry recalled Israel's ambassador to El Salvador, Tzuriel Refael, after he was reportedly found on the street naked, drunk, bound and gagged, Israel Radio reported on Monday. According to reports, two weeks ago San Salvador police approached a man that seemed to be in need of help. Upon reaching the man, they discovered that he was inebriated, his hands were tied, his mouth was gagged with a rubber ball and he was carrying accessories that implied he had been involved in sexual activity. In spite of his inebriated state, the naked man identified himself by his full name and explained that he is Israel's ambassador to the country.

Israel: Racism is fine by us!

<--This is a "separation fence." Now whatever you do, don't look up the definition of the word "apartheid."

Well, I never thought I'd see the day, but Israel has actually admitted today that it is a racist State. You see, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination released its report on Israeli practices in both the Occupied Palestinian Territories and in Israel proper. Ha'aretz reports:

In its conclusions, the committee also voiced concern at an unequal distribution of water resources, a disproportionate targeting of Palestinians in house demolitions and the "denial of the right of many Palestinians" to return to their land.

Differing applications of criminal law between Jews and Arabs had caused "harsher punishments for Palestinians for the same offence", said the committee, whose recommendations are not legally binding.

A high number of complaints by Arab Israelis against police officers are not properly investigated and many Arabs suffer discriminatory work practices and high unemployment, it said.

A devastating critique! Surely Israel will deny the charges and move on, right? I mean, no doubt they will claim to not be racist, and claim the Independent Commission erred. Right? Wrong:

Israel argues that the UN committee's remit, to ensure compliance with a 1965 international treaty against racial discrimination which the Jewish state has ratified, does not apply to the Palestinian territories it has occupied since 1967. The committee rejects that position.

Wha?! Aside from the fact that this position ignores half of the UN's criticism, Israel is essentially claiming that it is OK to be racist, as long as it is in the Occupied Territories?

I want to repeat Israel's official position: It is OK to be racist in the Occupied Territories. What blue and white and apartheidy all over?

Bumbling British Coverage

So a few days ago, I posted a story about Israel using Palestinians as human shields, in violation of their own laws. Despite that there was a video which clearly showed Israel using a Palestinian civilian as a human shield, the only serious news organization that picked it up was Al-Jazeera.

Well, a few days passed an the BBC is now reporting the story? Because the Israeli NGO B'tselem did a press release. Fascinatingly, no mention of the AP video is made in the entire BBC article. For the millions of people who only read the BBC, three random Palestinians are making accusations against the Israeli army without any proof. This despite the fact that the B'tselem press release clearly mentions the video. This is just plain sloppy reporting.

Israel: too screwy to Pass-Over.

I couldn't think of a witty picture to put here. Sorry. Suggestions are Welcomed.

Well, Passover is less than a month away from us. As a refresher for my reader(s), Passover celebrates the success of the Hebrews in fleeing an oppressive and genocidal regime for the relative freedom of the Sinai dessert, where they spend about 40 years before making it to the Holy Land. Now, every year Jews are commanded to see oneself as they (specifically) had been liberated.

(As an aside, we also remove ten drops of wine in a solemn commemoration of the death of a man who enslaved the Hebrews for 210 [or 400 depending] years and his fellow Egyptians: remember that the next time you hear the war mongering and hate speech that comes from many mainstream Jewish organizations)

So, what Passover themed incident could possibly give me the News Blues? Well, turns out another group of refugees crossed the Sinai with nothing but their clothes on their back. Ha'aretz reports:

"The plaintiffs, who fled the horror of the war in Sudan, knocked on the doors of Israel, desperate for refuge. Instead, they were immediately arrested and bound in handcuffs, which were not released for one moment after that," said attorneys from the human rights program at Tel Aviv University Law School.

According to the lawsuit, the refugees were dealt harsh treatment in spite of the fact that security forces had already been informed that Sudanese refugees had crossed the border with Egypt. In addition, the refugees did not resist arrest, having already turned themselves in to IDF forces in the area.

It was also clear that the refugees were not smuggling anything into Israel as they crossed the border with only the clothes on their backs, according to attorney Hicham Chabaita.

I guess given the treatment of another group of refugees by Israel, I really shouldn't be too surprised but somehow I am.

Can I have my religion back now?

<-- The BBC wishes it could write headlines this clever.

Writing headlines is not easy. I mean, you need to sum up a complex story in about 5 words. It can be especially hard for certain news organizations, since we all know that the best healdine writers are all taken by either the New York Post or the Weekly World News. But the BBC somehow always comes up with the worst healdines. Take this for example:

Nigeria gay law 'risks democracy'

Qua? Apparently not only is the law teetering on the brink of democracy, recklessly risking democracy, but it is also having sexual relations with other laws of the same gender.