2008 Campaign

This is turning into a very interesting campaign. Thank God, the Fascist, Giuliani, is dropping out. That's a good thing. McCain seems to be a pretty good Republican choice, though I'll have to do more research about him. And Obama and Clinton are head-to-head. Wonder who Edwards will endorse, now that he's dropping out of the race. Maybe Obama will choose him as a running-mate. Won't that be interesting? :)

Here Is a REAL Alert from the Chof-K Kosher Certification Organization...

• Egg Nog sold by Pathmark Stores is certified as Kosher Dairy. The Dairy designation was inadvertently left off the package.

Because otherwise, you would have no idea the eggnog is dairy... :)

So tell me, are people so far to the point of non-thinking and into sheep mentality that if they think something might be dairy but the Hashgacha doesn't indicate it is so that they can't simply LOOK AT THE INGREDIENTS?! Do they really need rabbonim and hashgacha organization to do ALL their thinking for them?!

Rfuah Krova Lavo...

I just got off the phone with my mom. While on the phone with her, her nurse came in and informed her she would be going home today!! B"H, she is well advanced on the road to recovery, after major abdominal surgery for a perforated ulcer and a mini-stroke which, Baruch Hashem, had little to no effect on her. All this thanks to Chasdei Hashem and her tough Israeli, Kibbutznik attitude and upbringing... :)

Live and Learn

Would corporate America be any different? Worse off, probably. And even more evil to boot.

Another Mom Update

B"H she is well on the road to health. Today, the hospital will be moving her from MICU (Medical Intensive Care Unit) to a regular room and she should hopefully be going home sometime early to mid next week. Please continue to pray for a Refuah Shleima for her - Edit (pronounced Ee-Deet) bat Miriam.

Good Shabbos!!

Caroline B. Glick: Hamas border takeover was about a lot more than rowdy Arabs

Interesting article by Caroline B. Glick at Jewish World Review. More about Gaza breaking down its border with Egypt and Hamas taking control of the border.

Elections in Cuba

I overheard this earlier on a news show. Apparently there are elections currently going on in Cuba. What?! Cuba's a democratic country?! Well, no. Not really. You see, only registered members of the communist party can run, and there are 614 openings and 614 registered members...

How do YOU think that works?

I just love countries that have pretend elections they think make them look progressive and democratic.

Address to the UN Security Council

Below is an address by Gilad Cohen, the Counselor for Political Affairs at the Permanent Mission of Israel to the United Nations. Not that I have any respect for the UN, which is simply a hotbed of anti-Israel resolutions that completely favor the "Palestinians" and do nothing to support Israel, her needs, or her security. But this address is interesting, especially the statement in bold, which says the same thing I, and many others, have been saying for many years: What would any other country do if attacked as Israel has been attacked? It's not that I necessarily believe the UN "Security" Council will take any action or even any of this to heart, but it's a good statement of fact the world seems to be ignoring, and that is: Israel is not the bad guy here. Israel is not, has never, looked to destroy the "Palestinian" way of life, whatever that is, unless the permanent state of "Palestinian" way of life is terrorism.

Statements to the Security Council: The situation in Gaza and Sderot 22 Jan 2008 The Security Council convened an emergency meeting, in the form of an open debate, to discuss the situation in the Gaza Strip. Statement by Counsellor Gilad Cohen Chargé d’Affaires, a.i.   Permanent Mission of Israel to the United Nations "Situation in the Middle East including the Palestinian question" Security Council United Nations, New York 22 January 2008   Mr. President, The situation in the region today did not develop overnight. It is the consequence of many choices, repeatedly the wrong choices, made by the Palestinians, to adopt terrorism and violence over peace and negotiations with Israel. In contrast, Israel has shown that it understands the consequences of making the right choices. More than two years ago, Israel made the choice to withdraw from the Gaza Strip, uproot families, and remove all its forces, in order to create a new horizon for peace in the region. We chose to disengage, despite all the difficulties, and despite the fact that the Roadmap did not require it at this stage.  And ever since then, Hamas has ruled the Gaza Strip - first politically and now physically - using the area as its personal base for launching rocket attacks against Israel. The Palestinians in Gaza did not choose to engage Israel in dialogue and reconciliation to advance the two-state vision. Rather, they chose Hamas who uses terrorism and violence to advance its vision to destroy Israel.  Since the year 2000, more than 7,000 rockets and mortars have been fired at Israel by terrorists in the Gaza Strip. Last year alone, that number was over 2,000. And since Hamas' violent takeover of Gaza in June 2007, the frequency of rocket attacks rose 150 percent, to more than 250 rockets and mortars a month. This means, on average, one rocket is fired at Israel every three hours. Most of these rockets fall on the southern city of Sderot. Normal life in Sderot is a thing of the past. Not a day goes by when the Red Alert warning system does not sound, which gives children on playgrounds and in schools, and parents at home and at work, less than 15 seconds to find the nearest shelter before the next rocket comes slamming into their lives. Liora Fima, a Sderot mother and head of a local elementary school, knows firsthand the traumatic impact of these rockets on the youth of Sderot - where up to 94 percent of children suffer from Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, including sleep and concentration problems, and even bed wetting. Listen to her words: "for the children in Sderot, red is not the colour of roses, but of blood and flames". Why is the Council not concerned with the safety and security of Israel's children, women, and elderly who live in the southern city of Sderot? Why is the Council silent as they live in fear and panic each and every day? With Hamas in control of the Gaza Strip and its rocket launchers pointed at Sderot, Israel faces an impossible situation. Israel must and will protect its civilian population from these rocket attacks. It is the duty of all States to ensure the right to life and safety of its people, especially from vicious acts of violence and terrorism that are carried out with the sole purpose of maiming, terrorizing, and murdering the innocent.    I ask each Member of the Council: what would you do if London, Moscow, Paris, or Tripoli was attacked and fired on? Would you sit back and do nothing? I am certain that no Member State on this Council - and certainly no country in the world - would be silent. And Israel is no different. It will act in accordance with its inherent right under article 51 of the United Nations Charter to protect and defend its people. This is the very obligation and right of all States.    Hence, it is deeply disturbing, Mr. President, that some falsely equate Palestinian terrorism with Israel’s actions taken in self-defense. A clear distinction must be made between Palestinian terrorism and Israeli defense - not only in practice and tactic, but also in terms of their morality and legality.    Palestinian terrorists choose to directly target Israeli civilians, and even use their own civilians as human shields. Hamas’ brutality towards its own people can also be seen in the daily violence on the streets of Gaza, where attacks on civilians have become routine. Terrorists produce, transport, and launch rockets and mortars from inside densely populated Palestinian residential areas. And by firing on border-crossings, the terrorists cynically force closures, which hamper efforts to deliver humanitarian aid and relief. Recently, we even saw humanitarian convoys used by terrorists to smuggle explosives and weapon materials into Gaza, yet another cynical act to harm their own people.  In this regard, Israel chooses to ensure the humanitarian welfare of the Palestinians in Gaza, even as Hamas chooses to abuse those efforts. Hamas chooses to divert fuel from domestic generators for its own terrorist purpose, including the production of Kassam rockets. Similarly, Israel chooses to allow electricity and fuel, as well as medicines, into Gaza, and works closely with the humanitarian organizations and relevant agencies on the ground to ensure that the needs are met. Since June 2007, my government has allowed more than 9,000 Palestinians to enter Israel to seek medical treatment. Contrast this with the more than 1700 rockets and mortars Hamas has fired out of the Gaza Strip at Israel during the same amount of time.  As the rockets hit Sderot and other towns in southern Israel, we must not forget that Gilad Shalit is still held captive by the terrorists in the Gaza Strip. More than twenty months have passed since his abduction, while his whereabouts and condition remain unknown. President Abbas himself said on Friday that Hamas "destroyed and tries to destroy our dreams, future and national aspirations". Hamas controls the fate of Gaza. If terrorism ceases, life in Gaza will change. The Palestinians must understand that they will not profit from terrorism. Hamas does not represent the Palestinian national vision. Hamas is the antithesis of two states living side-by-side in peace and security. It does not recognize Israel’s right to exist. There is no hope in choosing terrorism, and there is surely no hope in the Hamas leadership. Mr. President, There can be no moral equivalence made between the choices of Israel and the choices of Hamas. Israel is not only mindful of the humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip. It is a neighbor, interested in the well-being of the population living next door with whom it wants to work with to advance the vision of two-states.    The international community must make it clear that Hamas' actions are unacceptable, and that continuing to choose Hamas will only lead to continued suffering - for both Israelis and Palestinians. It is up to the international community to tell those states that initiated this debate, and those states that think singling out Israel and condemning it will bring about change, that Israeli security cannot be sacrificed. Guaranteeing the welfare of all Israelis and Palestinians begins, first and foremost, with an end to terrorism and violence.   It is the international community's choice to make clear that the path of rejection, of violence and of terrorism, will not be tolerated by this Council. Those who seek to subvert the bilateral process and use violence to achieve their aims will not secure the support of the international community. Mr. President, Peace begins with the people and their choices.   Dr. Adrianna Katz, an Israeli doctor living in Sderot, was recently asked what would make her life easier. Her answer is an important reminder for all of us of what needs to be done. She said (quote) "We need all the help we can get. But the best thing that can happen would be a lasting peace" (end quote). Remember these words. And let us hope that the right choices are made. Thank you, Mr. President. * * * Right of Reply Mr. President, Thank you for allowing my delegation the opportunity to address the Council once again. The Hamas terrorist organization that operates in the Gaza Strip and is responsible for the current situation facing the Palestinian people did not materialize out of thin air. Hamas - and other terrorist organizations for that matter - is supported, financed, and backed by states in the region, such as Syria, in violation of their obligations under international law, and in particular Security Council resolution 1373. It is hence the height of hypocrisy, cynicism, and indecency for the distinguished representative of Syria to address the Council and condemn Israel for merely defending itself against the very Hamas terrorists that it supports. Damascus is home and headquarters to numerous terrorist organizations, including Islamic Jihad and Hamas, the latter whose political leader - Khaled Mashal - lives there while continuing to orchestrate the killing of Israelis. Israel urges all states to end their support for terrorists and terrorism, in accordance with international law.  Mr. President, It is deeply regrettable that during its statement this morning, one Member State of this Council utilized the term "genocide" to refer to the situation in the Gaza Strip. It is highly insensitive to the survivors of genocide around the world and to the sensibilities of this Council for language to be used so cheaply. My delegation urges Member States to be more responsible with the language used in their statements. Lastly, Mr. President, it is astonishing - though perhaps not surprising - that some delegations who addressed the Council today were able to refer to the situation in the Gaza Strip through a one-sided prism, without any understanding of the true causes of the situation. The absent reference to Hamas is validation of the fact that the deliberations in this room are often all too detached from the reality on the ground. I reiterate Israel’s commitment to facilitate the necessary humanitarian aid to the Palestinian civilian population in the Gaza Strip. The current situation that Israel faces is the same challenge that every democracy confronts when dealing with terrorism: to uphold the standards of international law, even while the terrorists it fights willfully violate these norms.        Thank you, Mr. President.

Gaza Back to Egypt

Before the Six Day War, Gaza was a part of Egypt. Then it became part of Israel. Now, with the border between Gaza and Egypt mowed down, should it go back to being part of Egypt? It seems the "Palestinians" living there before the Six Day War were perfectly happy under Egyptian rule. And it giving them back to Egypt (it's interesting to note that Egypt did NOT demand the return of Gaza to them as part of their peace treaty with Israel, and that's probably because they simply wanted NOTHING to do with their "Palestinian" brethren) certainly takes away Israel's supposed responsibility to a population that has been brainwashed into HATING Israel and Jews.

On the other hand, this could become a major security risk because it means "Palestinians" will have an easier time smuggling weapons and armaments into Gaza, thus putting Israel and countless more Jews in danger.

This is really a two-sided coin. Does Israel, as has been proposed, simply shrug off any financial, fuel, food and power responsibility to Gaza and give it to Egypt, where it really belongs? I think this would be great, but doing so may put many, many Jews in danger because we all know damn well that the Egyptians certainly will NOT regulate weapons smuggling into Gaza.

But, on the OTHER, other hand, doing so also means completely closing the borders between Gaza and Israel. Hamas, which runs Gaza (isn't THAT unfortunate!) is an avowed enemy of Israel. So, if they attack Israel, Israel then would have the absolute right to simply bomb the crap out of them the same way ANY nation on this planet has a right to fight back against an enemy state that has attacked unprovoked.

So, I don't know. This seems to be a mixed blessing, but I think more good may come out of it than bad because even if Hamas all out attacks Israel, it'll give Israel all the reason it needs to wipe out Hamas for good and forever.

Chareidim on Law and Order, SVU (Special Victims Unit)

DovBear today posted about an episode of Law and Order, SVU that featured child molestation in the fictional community of "Kiryat Moshe," based on Kiryas Yoel. I didn't see the entire episode, just the little bit of it available on the linked site and I don't even know if the guy actually molested the little boy. Frankly, it's unimportant. But some of the comments were, ahem, interesting:

It's a television show, and a fictional one by design, not reality television so it neither was nor should be accurate in a portrayal of any community, especially a composite portrayal of multiple communities which this was.

If it had been sweeps, the urban legend about the hole through the sheet would have been dredged up for schlock value. Heck, I'm surprised they didn't do it anyhow.

Now if you want to have your way with a place like Kiryat Joel, then you'd need to do a reality tv show from there and there's no way it would ever be allowed. You'll have to settle for leaks from them through the blogosphere.
suitepotato | Homepage | 01.24.08 - 4:35 pm | #

"If it had been sweeps, the urban legend about the hole through the sheet would have been dredged up for schlock value."

You don't think that happens?! I truly believe, with all the crap they do, all the idiotic, holier-than-thou chumras, that they ABSOLUTELY have the hole-in-the-sheet thing going. ABSOLUTELY.
Barak | Homepage | 01.24.08 - 5:03 pm | #

well barak they'd be violating a halachic d'oraisa
halfnutcase | Homepage | 01.24.08 - 6:15 pm | #

Yeah, and? They also violate a halachic d'Oraisa when they beat the crap out of people too. And vandalize another's property. And sexually molest children. And go on "Tefillin dates." And a whole slew of other things... How is this any different?
Barak | Homepage | 01.24.08 - 6:22 pm | #

Ok, Barak is me. I don't know if halfnutcase is serious, but if he is, WTF?! I mean, come on! The hole-in-the-sheet is a very minor violation of a halachic d'Oraisa. Does anyone really think, when people like that molest children, vandalize property, and beat the hell out of others, that these people really and truly care about Halacha?

Halfnutcase, I really hope you were being facetious... PLEASE tell me you were being facetious... PLEASE!!

Paper Folding...

Believe it or not, folks, this here is ORIGAMI, the Japanese art of paper folding. For an article about Professor Robert J. Lang, click!

Update on Mom

Baruch Hashem, my mother has been taken off the respirator and is breathing on her own. She is awake and, though she is quite hoarse, I'm happy to say we spoke last night for the first time in about eleven days.

Please continue to daven for a refuah Sheleima. Her name is Edit (pronounced Ee-deet) bat Miriam.

Chareidim Strike Again

So, as is well-known by now, a bunch of Ramat Bet Shemesh Chareidi thugs from the fringe beat the crap out of a Chareidi fellow named Tuvia Stern and vandalized his car. They actually put the poor guy in the hospital! Why? Because he's been one of the decent people actually fighting this fringe nuttiness known as Chareidism. These fringe nuts are people who are trying to create Charedi-ban out of Ramat Bet Shemesh. And, in the name of God and Emes, he got the crap beat out of him. Isn't that lovely? You can check out the stories on DovBear.

The Chareidi world is starting to collapse in on itself. Correction: It's been collapsing in on itself for quite a while, now. They did it to Rabbi Slifkin and numerous others, and this last incident is just another bit of proof that Chareidim on the Fringe are simply not frum, and are just as "beyond the pale" as many to the far left of Judaism, perhaps, no, CERTAINLY even more so. How many Orthodox female rabbis do YOU know who beat up other people?

Sick.

I was going to post a while ago about Areivus and how it applies to these people. In the end, it simply doesn't! How can the rest of Klal Yisrael be responsible for people, animals, really, who are completely out of control and are getting worse by the day? How can people try to stem the craziness when all they get for their troubles is a good, old fashion, Southern USA, ca. 1950, beating? Where does Areivus come in here? I CERTAINLY refuse to be responsible for these people, and I've OFTEN implied this on my blog. How DARE Jews strike other Jews?! Whatever happened to "Rasha, Lama Takeh Rei'Acha?!"

You've Gotta Have ALL Your Marbles Lined Up If You Want to Trick People...

Ok, this is funny. Yaakov Kirschen, of Dry Bones fame, told the funniest, yet saddest story! In his own words:

This morning I saw a clip of a Gazan newscast in which, dramatically, right in the middle of the broadcast, the Palestinian newsroom was plunged into darkness. [snip]... the microphone and the TV camera continued to function and [snip]the broadcast was not interrupted...

I mean, COME ON!!! If you're going to pull something like this, DO IT RIGHT!!! And, of course, everyone watching was supposed to believe this, right?

Oy.

Mom...

My mom is beginning to recover, but it turns out, on top of everything else, she might have had a minor stroke when all the other problems occurred last week. At least that's what the CT and MRI scans seem to show. She is more alert and they are going to ween her off the respirator, but the recovery will take a long time, so please continue to pray for her. Her name is Edit (pronounced Ee-Deet) bat Miriam.

Thanks!

Sorry I haven't posted much lately, but it's been a bit hectic. I'll be back to normal soon! :)

It's COLD! But it's very...

Have a GREAT SHABBOS!!!

Please daven for my mother for a refuah Shleima. Her name is Edit (Ee-Deet) bat Miriam. Thank you!

How the Corporate World Works...

Believe it or now, this is absolutely true! It happened to me on more than one occasion when I worked at MBNA/Bank of America. At one point, I emailed the person in charge of what they called "education" with a question. I was rebuked (to put it gently) by my manager, who told me I wasn't, EVER, allowed to ask questions or directly email that person and that ALL questions MUST go through my manager...

Oh, and by the way, this post is post number 400!!

Dune!

Wow! So, I finally finished the ENTIRE Dune series, in chronological order. Frank Herbert, the original author and creator of this rich Sci Fi universe, wrote six books, Dune, Dune Messiah, Children of Dune, God Emperor of Dune, Heretics of Dune, and Chapterhouse: Dune. His son, Brian Herbert, collaborated with another Sci Fi author, Kevin J. Anderson, and wrote eight more books. In chronological order, the first three are collectively called Legends of Dune, and include The Butlerian Jihad, The Machine Crusade, and The Battle of Corrin. These books give all the background behind many aspects of the Dune story, especially the deep hatred humans harbor for "Thinking Machines," or, as we know it, Artificial Intelligence. The next trilogy they wrote (which was actually the first one they wrote) is known, collectively, as Prelude to Dune and gives the background stories of many of the characters appearing in the original Dune novel. The books in this series were Dune: House Atreides, Dune: House Harkkonen, and Dune: House Corrino and start about forty years prior to the original book and end about fifteen years before the original novel. Then come Frank Herbert's original six books. The very first, Dune, was great. The next two, Dune Messiah and Children of Dune, were so-so. The fourth book, God Emperor of Dune, was absolutely AWFUL and I almost gave up reading it, but I persevered. The next two, Heretics of Dune and Chapterhouse: Dune, were, surprisingly (considering the previous three books hadn't been all that good, especially God Emperor of Dune), pretty good. I feel reading the original series was quite an accomplishment as after the very first book, Dune, they had a reputation (partially justified) of being really awful books.

It turns out that Frank Herbert left Chapterhouse: Dune with a cliffhanger and had the audacity to up and die, leaving fans to wonder how the story would end, or if it ever would. So, after writing all the background stories necessary in Legends of Dune and Prelude to Dune, avid readers were finally treated to the last two books, also written by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, and based on an outline by Frank Herbert himself. These two books, Hunters of Dune and Sandworms of Dune, were absolutely wonderful, especially after struggling through several rather boring books. I just finished the final book this morning and it was a truly wonderful ending.

The great part is that I had never read any but the first of the original books before about a month or so ago. I decided, about a year and a half ago (or so), when I found out Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson were busy finishing the series, that it would be worth it to re-read Legends of Dune and Prelude to Dune, which I had read as they came out, starting in 1999, and then go and read the original series and finally read the last two books. It was TOTALLY worth it! If you're a Sci Fi fan and a reader, and have the patience to trudge through three relatively boring books (Dune Messiah, Children of Dune, and God Emperor of Dune), it's totally worth your while to read this fourteen book series.

Also, Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson are currently working on another Dune trilogy that fills in the gaps between Dune and Dune Messiah. The first of these is Paul of Dune. That's all the info I have on this new trilogy, and you don't need to wait for these books to read the currently available novels.

Well, anyway, that's my two cents on this subject! :)

There is SOOO Much to Say and Not Enough Time in the Day to Say it!!

Unfortunately, my mom is still not doing well, though she is relatively stable at this time. Please continue to daven for her. Her name is Edit (pronounced Ee-Deet) bas Miriam.

I will try to blog as much as I can, but it's kinda tough right now...

Now We're Selling Arms to the Arabs?!

Why, yes. Yes, we are...

Bush is a F*****G idiot. And this is on top of trying to force Israel into concessions to the "Palestinians," one of which apparently includes allowing 50,000 "refugees" to "return" to Israel. Sucks, doesn't it? It seems Bush feels he hasn't done enough damage to the world over the last seven years, so he's going to make up for that and do as much damage to the US and Israel as he can during his last twelve month in office. As I said: F*****G idiot!! I can't WAIT until he's not president anymore! Assuming, that is, that he actually gives up the Oval Office. I keep having this nightmare that he's going to declare some kind of state of emergency and declare the time is not right for a new president to take over, completely defy what's left of the tatters of the Constitution he so merrily destroyed over the last seven years, and declare himself Emperor or something.

Scary, huh?

One of My Favorite Euphemisms...

...Is "Torah True Judaism," which as we all know, is anything but... Here is yet another example of how "Torah True Judaism" is not quite what it claims to be... Oh, and in case you want to harass them and can't read their phone number, it's 718-384-6765/8 and fax is 718-963-0494.

There are so many things wrong with this ad, I'm not sure where to start. For the most part, it speaks for itself. One main point I'd like to make: These are people who have no Bitachon in Hashem and completely reject basic tenets of Judaism. How do they know the state of Israel is not Reishis Tzemichas Geulasainu - the beginning of the return of Jews to Eretz Yisrael to a complete Geula, which it is certainly proving to be? Who said the Geula and the coming of Moshiach was going to be miraculous? Why can't it happen through seemingly natural means, the way God LIKES to perform miracles, by NOT breaking the laws of nature or history. And the state of Israel is a great example of this.

These people are Reshaim Gemurim and don't really deserve to be called Jews, much less frum Jews.

Hattip: Olam HaSheker

Refuah Shleima

Please daven for a refua shleima, a complete recovery, for my mother, Edit (pronounced Ee-deet) bat Miriam. She was taken to the emergency room late last night and is currently in surgery with an intestinal obstruction and a 60% chance of survival.

UPDATE:

My mother is out of surgery and, according to the doctors, out of the woods. She had a perforated ulcer. She will be sedated to keep her rested for the next day or two, but she should be able to go home soon.

Baruch Hashem, it turned out to be nothing more serious...

Here's a Surprise!

From an AP article today:

President Bush said Saturday he is open to the possibility of slowing or stopping plans to bring home more U.S. troops from Iraq, defying domestic demands to speed the withdrawals. Updated on war developments, Bush said the U.S. presence in Iraq will outlast his presidency.

Click for full article...

Of course US presence in Iraq will outlast his presidency! Isn't that the name of the game? "Let the next guy clean up the mess," says the current president. "And if he can't, it'll reflect on his performance, not mine!!"

Yeah. Great. Way to go Bush! You think that'll save your reputation?

For This I Need a Doctor?!

This is great! :)

So You STILL Think Bush is a Friend to Israel?

Well, in the latest, he has demanded Israel end its "OCCUPATION" of the West Bank. Occupation? From the Reuters article:

U.S. President George W. Bush, hardening his tone towards Israel on Thursday, urged an end to "the occupation" of the West Bank and pushed for a peace treaty to be signed within a year to create a Palestinian state.

The United States rarely uses the politically charged word "occupation" to describe Israel's hold on lands captured in a 1967 war. It is a term Palestinians seeking a state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip employ frequently to describe their plight.

"The establishment of the state of Palestine is long overdue. The Palestinian people deserve it," Bush said in a statement he read to reporters in a Jerusalem hotel.

"There should be an end to the occupation that began in 1967," Bush said.

The Palestinian people (a made-up term, by the way - there is no such thing as a Palestinian - this is a fiction created by an Egyptian Arab, Yasser Arafat, when he created the PLO) DESERVE a state? What have they done to deserve a state?! Kill Jews? Exploit Israel? Exploit world sympathy? Accuse Israel of being an Apartheid state when all Israel tried to do before the Intifadas was help the "Palestinians?" What, EXACTLY, have the "Palestinians" done to deserve a state?! Have they shown they can be responsible to their land and people? No. Have they been one of the most corrupt government on the planet? Yes. How is it they deserve a state?!

This is just ridiculous!

No Regulation Means No Accountability

Some institutions often become so big, or famous, or powerful, that they become unregulated. Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles is just such an institution. Oh, sure, Cedars-Sinai has a great reputation and is well known as the Medical Center to the Stars. They even have hotel quality suites for new celebrity moms with 24 hour nurses available, even when the rest of the hospital is experiencing a nurse shortage.

But what about the little people there? Well, since we're just little people, we really don't count for much. Our first experience there was when my wife gave birth to our son in August 2002. The care was despicable, from the moment we came in to the moment we left six days later. They had to induce labor for my wife. That didn't go so well, and telling all those thirty-six hours (yes, 36 hours) would just take too long. At the end, they finally had to do an emergency C-Section.

Then came recovery. After a C-Section, a mother typically stays at the hospital for several days to recover. Those days were a nightmare. First, they completely ignored my wife. They ignored her requests. They ignored her calls for help, which weren't many. They ignored instructions to keep our newborn son in the nursery for the night (long story there, too). After four days, she hadn't recovered at all. The discharging nurse was awful and nasty. I guess she really wanted to work up in the celebrity suites. Suffice it to say, she recovered more in the first twenty-four hours she was home than under the caring, well, care, of the staff at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

Our next experience was for myself. I was having gall-bladder issues and had to go to the emergency room there. The only competent person was the ultrasound tech! We got there about 4:30 in the afternoon. Didn't get home until after midnight. The nurse tried to find a vein in which to insert an IV. She couldn't, and when she finally did, she did such a poor job that every movement was painful. When I complained, her response was that I should take it like a man! I finally asked a different nurse to have it removed. And in case you think my veins are difficult to find, they are NOT. The nurse at my doctor's office NEVER had a problem finding and inserting, completely painlessly. Then, some other tech did an unnecessary test. I told him I refuse, but he insisted. Guess who got charged for it? That was another big fight. The evening was nightmarish, at best.

Then came gall-bladder removal day. At this point, I was dreading being a patient in the house of horrors. The nurse there also seemed to have no experience finding veins and inserting the IV. She stabbed three or four times until she finally was semi-successful. After the surgery, the doctor came by and asked me if I had walked around yet. I said no. He insisted I do. I told him to take the IV out first. I was eating fine and perfectly hydrated. We argued a few minutes until he finally acquiesced to my request (that means he said yes...). What a RELIEF!!! Oh, and at the time I was taking medication for insulin resistance (which is not Diabetes), and they tried to give me INSULIN!!! What, were they TRYING to kill me?!

Here's my point. This hospital is a Mickey Mouse operation. It is run badly. The staff is horrible. They charge WAY too freaking much (like all hospitals...). And the care is well below competent. And a little person can complain all he or she wants, to no avail. After all, how can you complain about one of the top ten hospitals in the United States?!

Well, it took screwing up with the children of a movie star, Dennis Quaid, to bring all this to light and for the California Department of Public Health to issue a twenty-page deficiency report. But even this wasn't good enough. It issued a report specifically about the Quaid screw-up, not anything else. See the article here.

Why is it that when someone famous gets messed up because of a hospital, there's trouble, but not for the rest of us?

The healthcare system in this country is completely broken. It's not OK. It's not sufficient. It's not average. It's below bad. It's completely broken and there is no state or federal regulation that will oversee its rehabilitation into something at least acceptable. And it seems that if you are not a powerful or famous person, you have no recourse when something goes wrong.

Bush: Bad for the Jews, Bad for Israel...

Dubya's real good for the Jews, isn't he? Well, no. He's not. In fact, he's very bad for us. Latest proof? He said in a news conference today that he believes

it's going to happen, that there will be a signed peace treaty by the time I leave office.

and that he is

confident that with proper help the state of Palestine will emerge.

That's just great. Meanwhile, you've got a terrorist bunch of thugs running one part of the PA, the West Bank, run by Fatah, whose security personnel are now shooting at Israelis and whose leader is a tried and true terrorist who, amongst other activities that seem to have become unimportant, funded and masterminded the Munich Massacre at the 1972 Olympics. These same thugs have a charter that explicitly and without reservation calls for the complete destruction of the State of Israel. This statement has never, despite numerous requests, been removed from the PLO charter and probably never will be. On the other side, at the coast, we have another, even worse bunch of cuckoos, Hamas, running a territory now popularly being called Hamastine, who are even worse that Fatah, have been bombing Southern Israeli towns continuously, and have said outright many times and recently that there will NEVER be peace with the, as they call it, Zionist Entity, and have called time and again for the complete destruction of Israel, an end to what they see as the "occupation," and for the deaths of all Jews on "their" land.

Mr. President, how on earth can there be peace with these people? Where do you come off putting the lives of Jews in a country you don't even run in danger?! How much respect do you think the Arabs have for you? You have waged war against them for almost your entire tenure as dubious president of a country that has lost the respect of nearly the entire world because of your bumbling stupidity! I guarantee you, as you were standing next to Abbas, making your grand statements, all he was thinking is what a fool you are (and in this case, he's RIGHT!) for thinking they would ever follow any of your initiatives.

As I said in a previous post, the US needs to start butting out of the affairs of other countries, and the US needs to cease creating terrorist and dictatorial regimes. In this case, not only will the US regret it later, but so will Israel, in a much worse way...

This is SO frustrating!!

Oh, and here's a good one:

Speaking at the Muqata compound where the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat was besieged by Israeli forces just a few years ago, his successor Abbas hailed Bush as the first U.S. president to commit fully to back a Palestinian state.

?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

Say what? What does he call Clinton's last ditch attempt in 2000 at Camp David, when Ehud Barak offered Arafat pretty much EVERYTHING Arafat wanted with the FULL backing of then president Clinton?

Egotistical United States

The United States Government, at least its leading members, seem to have these egos that won't quit and have a penchant for deciding what's best for other nations. And in most cases, those decisions lead to disaster in the long run. Do the short term benefits of such decisions outweigh the long-term consequences? I believe they do NOT.

In the 1970s, the US BACKED Saddam Hussein. BACKED HIM! In the 1980s, there was Iran Contra and Manuel Noriega (and boy, was that a mistake). Noriega actually WORKED for the CIA! There was also Afghanistan. In all these cases, the US later came to regret supporting these criminals. Its ego, or rather, that of its leaders, led to major offensives in those countries (Panama, Iraq, Afghanistan) that led to major war spending and debt. Worst of all, it led to thousands of needless American deaths.

Now, Bush has decided it is time to create yet ANOTHER criminal regime (not unlike previous presidents, Democrat and Republican). He has ORDERED (yes, ORDERED) Israel to stop building in territories rightfully belonging to Israel (conquered in wars started by the Arabs, not Israel). Where will this lead? By installing another terrorist, Abbas (yes, a terrorist, whose foremost action was his masterminding and funding the Munich Massacre in 1972), what will the outcome be? Another terrorist state, or one run by a dictator? And this one right next to Israel, actually surrounding Israel on two fronts?

This is not good, folks. The US needs to stop this policy of installing rulers where they should not rule... It only leads to disaster, as we've seen time and again in the last several decades...

It's Eight Years Later

And yet another egotistical American president wants his legacy to be bringing peace to the Middle East. Unfortunately, Israel is still suffering from the last president's "peace" efforts, which led to bloodshed and unrest that is STILL going on today.

What is this? Does every two-term president feel the need to destroy Israel just a little bit more before his term's end?

In Case You Think Religious Zionists in Israel are Pro-Bush...

Think again... I was going to write a whole thing about this, but the article and billboards shown in the article speak for themselves!

For anyone too lazy to click the link: No. Religious Zionists in Israel are as virulently anti-Bush as I am, in some cases. I don't know if this is a recent development or if people in Israel always felt that way, but I wish American Religious Zionists living in the US would start to feel the same way...

Rafi G, as someone who lives in Israel, what're your thoughts?

Hillary just ISN'T Bill...

This from a news story:

Still, Sen. Clinton's aides have urged her to show more passion and emotion — including laughter — to give voters a sense of her warmer side.

What warmer, laughing side?! This is the Ice Queen we're talking about here!!

Flattened by the Flu...

Hence the lack of actual posts of late. Hope to be back as soon as this pesky little bug goes away...

Amen...

On the Other Hand

There is some room for concern. Huckabee won the Republican Caucus in Iowa, which is kind of scary. He's an evangelical, far right wing Christian. I'm sure people like Toby Katz and her cronies would be very happy to have him as our next president, but I think that would also be pretty much the end of the United States as we know it. Or knew it, since Bush completely screwed us up...

GO OBAMA!!!

Is he the right man for the job? I think he might be. Can the country stand to have a black president? Well, if we're all ready for change anyway, and many, many of us are, then what better beacon of change can there be?

And Just for the Hell of It, Because I'm Such a Star Wars Nerd...

We Didn't Start the Fire...

A Brief History of the United States!

Hi. It's 2008. Welcome to our Society of Fear and the Apparent Need to Vote Based on Fear. Congratulations, Republicans. You've Made It to Fascism...

Is this what our great nation and country have become?! Is this the Fascist Society of Fear we want to foster? If it's not, then please, PLEASE ignore Giuliani when the elections come around. PLEASE!

This is a real TV ad approved by Rudy Giuliani. Pretty sick, don't you think?

Hattip: DovBear

This was FUNNY!!!!

Hattip: Dovbear.

In Case Anyone Thinks Fatah Is Any Better than Hamas...

Click!

Remember those hikers who were killed last week near Hevron? Well, they were killed in a pre-planned ambush, EXECUTION STYLE, by a three of Abbas' men whose intent was to kill any hikers they found and steal weapons.

Nice Palestinians, huh?

Random Silliness of the Day...

Friday's weather forecast for Los Angeles, CA: Cloudy with rain.

As opposed to what?! Sunny with rain?! :)