Thanks for the Memory to Ace of Spades HQ.
According to this article from NewsMax:
(my interpretation in italics)
Dole Defends Swiftees in Call From Kerry
Bob Dole gives John Kerry the mother of all pimp-slaps
Presidential candidate John Kerry telephoned former Sen. Bob Dole this morning to complain about Dole's demand a day earlier that he apologize to Vietnam veterans for protesting the war, the one-time Republican presidential candidate revealed Monday afternoon.
Presidential candidate John Kerry telephoned former Sen. Bob Dole this morning to whine about something that Dole has no control over, a recurrign theme for the Kerry campaign.
"John Kerry called me this morning, which surprised me," Dole told radio host Sean Hannity.
"I can't believe he had the chutzpah to complain to me," Dole told radio host Sean Hannity.
"He said he was very disappointed, we'd been friends. I said John, we're still friends, but [the Swiftvets] have First Amendment rights, just as your people have First Amendment rights.
"I said John, what's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. You brought it on yourself, now suck it up and be a man!"
Dole told Kerry, "I'm not trying to stir anything up, but I don't believe every one of these people who have talked about what happened are Republican liars.
"Sucks that people who know just what a weasel you are are finally singing, huh?"
"And very frankly, Bush is my guy, and I'm tired of people on your side calling him everything from a coward to a traitor to everything - a deserter."
"When you start slinging mud, you're bound to get some on yourself, jerk"
Dole said he urged Kerry, "Why don't you call George Bush today and say, 'Mr. President, let's stop all this stuff about the National Guard and Vietnam - and let's talk about the issues."
"Why don't you admit that you don't have a platform to run on, and all you have going for you is 'I served in Viet Nam'?"
Dole said Kerry responded, "I haven't spent one dime attacking President Bush."
But the Republican war hero shot back, "You don't have to. You've got all the so-called mainstream media, plus you've got MoveOn.org and all these other groups that have spent millions and millions of dollars trying to tarnish Bush's image."
"Don't tell me you don't know what some of these people are doing," he told Kerry.
"You're not only a hypocrite, John, you're an idiot if you think we can't all see right through it."
"Everybody likes quiet heroes," Dole added, saying he told Kerry, "John, everybody knows you were in Vietnam and the less you say about it, the better."
"If you're gonna remind us every 5 minutes that you served in Viet Nam, it's gonna come back to bite you on the butt."
Dole said he tried to end the tense conversation cordially by telling Kerry, "I wish you good luck, up to a point."
"But hey, don't feel bad, you still have a career as TerAYsuh's gigolo after this is all over."
-- end of article --
In other words, Bob Dole had the chance to say to John Kerry what every truth-loving American has wanted to, TO HIS FACE, and Bob Dole not only stepped up to the plate, he belted one over the center field fence.
Bravo, Mr. Dole.
Monday, August 23, 2004
Ferris Bueller Should Have Stayed in Class.
Thanks for the Memory to Blackfive.
I auditioned as a contestant on Win Ben Stein's Money about 6 years ago. I didn't make it. But while I never won his money, he's won my respect.
First there was this essay, which Stein offered as reason for relinquishing his E!online column in the final installment.
And now there's this from the August 18 edition of the WSJ. Like Blackfive, I'll quote the whole thing:
Strength At Home
By Ben Stein
August 18, 2004; Wall Street Journal, Page A10
(This is a letter I wrote to the newsletter of an Army unit called The Strykers, stationed in Iraq out of Ft. Lewis, Wash. The editor asked me what I would say to make the wives feel appreciated while their husbands are in Iraq. This is what I wrote to one soldier's wife.)
Dear Karen,
I have a great life. I have a wife I adore, a son who is a lazy teenager but I adore him, too. We live in a house with two dogs and four cats. We live in peace. We can worship as we please. We can say what we want. We can walk the streets in safety. We can vote. We can work wherever we want and buy whatever we want. When we sleep, we sleep in peace. When we wake up, it is to the sounds of birds.
All of this, every bit of it, is thanks to your husband, his brave fellow soldiers, and to the wives who keep the home fires burning while the soldiers are away protecting my family and 140 million other families. They protect Republicans and Democrats, Christians, Jews, Muslims and atheists. They protect white, black, yellow, brown and everyone in between. They protect gays and straights, rich and poor.
And none of it could happen without the Army wives, Marine wives, Navy wives, Air Force wives -- or husbands -- who go to sleep tired and lonely, wake up tired and lonely, and go through the day with a smile on their faces. They feed the kids, put up with the teenagers' surliness, the bills that never stop piling up, the desperate hours when the plumbing breaks and there is no husband to fix it, and the even more desperate hours after the kids have gone to bed, the dishes have been done, the bills have been paid, and the wives realize that they will be sleeping alone -- again, for the 300th night in a row.
The wives keep up the fight even when they have to move every couple of years, even when their checks are late, even when they have to make a whole new set of friends every time they move.
And they keep up the fight to keep the family whole even when they feel a lump of dread every time they turn on the news, every time they switch on the computer, every time the phone rings and every time -- worst of all -- the doorbell rings. Every one of those events -- which might mean a baseball score or a weather forecast or a FedEx man to me and my wife -- might mean the news that the man they love, the man they have married for better or worse, for richer and for poorer, in sickness and in health, is now parted from them forever.
These women will never be on the cover of People. They will never be on the tabloid shows on TV about movie stars. But they are the power and the strength that keep America going. Without them, we are nothing at all. With them, we can do everything.
They are the glue that holds the nation together, stronger than politicians, stronger than talking heads, stronger than al Qaeda.
They deserve all the honor and love a nation can give. They have my prayers, and my wife's, every morning and every night.
Love, and I do mean Love,
Ben.
Mr. Stein, a television personality and writer, is co-author with Phil DeMuth of "Can America Survive," forthcoming from Hay House.
Exactly so, Mr. Stein. God bless you for saying it for me.
I auditioned as a contestant on Win Ben Stein's Money about 6 years ago. I didn't make it. But while I never won his money, he's won my respect.
First there was this essay, which Stein offered as reason for relinquishing his E!online column in the final installment.
And now there's this from the August 18 edition of the WSJ. Like Blackfive, I'll quote the whole thing:
Strength At Home
By Ben Stein
August 18, 2004; Wall Street Journal, Page A10
(This is a letter I wrote to the newsletter of an Army unit called The Strykers, stationed in Iraq out of Ft. Lewis, Wash. The editor asked me what I would say to make the wives feel appreciated while their husbands are in Iraq. This is what I wrote to one soldier's wife.)
Dear Karen,
I have a great life. I have a wife I adore, a son who is a lazy teenager but I adore him, too. We live in a house with two dogs and four cats. We live in peace. We can worship as we please. We can say what we want. We can walk the streets in safety. We can vote. We can work wherever we want and buy whatever we want. When we sleep, we sleep in peace. When we wake up, it is to the sounds of birds.
All of this, every bit of it, is thanks to your husband, his brave fellow soldiers, and to the wives who keep the home fires burning while the soldiers are away protecting my family and 140 million other families. They protect Republicans and Democrats, Christians, Jews, Muslims and atheists. They protect white, black, yellow, brown and everyone in between. They protect gays and straights, rich and poor.
And none of it could happen without the Army wives, Marine wives, Navy wives, Air Force wives -- or husbands -- who go to sleep tired and lonely, wake up tired and lonely, and go through the day with a smile on their faces. They feed the kids, put up with the teenagers' surliness, the bills that never stop piling up, the desperate hours when the plumbing breaks and there is no husband to fix it, and the even more desperate hours after the kids have gone to bed, the dishes have been done, the bills have been paid, and the wives realize that they will be sleeping alone -- again, for the 300th night in a row.
The wives keep up the fight even when they have to move every couple of years, even when their checks are late, even when they have to make a whole new set of friends every time they move.
And they keep up the fight to keep the family whole even when they feel a lump of dread every time they turn on the news, every time they switch on the computer, every time the phone rings and every time -- worst of all -- the doorbell rings. Every one of those events -- which might mean a baseball score or a weather forecast or a FedEx man to me and my wife -- might mean the news that the man they love, the man they have married for better or worse, for richer and for poorer, in sickness and in health, is now parted from them forever.
These women will never be on the cover of People. They will never be on the tabloid shows on TV about movie stars. But they are the power and the strength that keep America going. Without them, we are nothing at all. With them, we can do everything.
They are the glue that holds the nation together, stronger than politicians, stronger than talking heads, stronger than al Qaeda.
They deserve all the honor and love a nation can give. They have my prayers, and my wife's, every morning and every night.
Love, and I do mean Love,
Ben.
Mr. Stein, a television personality and writer, is co-author with Phil DeMuth of "Can America Survive," forthcoming from Hay House.
Exactly so, Mr. Stein. God bless you for saying it for me.
Twilight of the Gods
Deschutes Brewery is currently offering a seasonal brew called Twilight Ale. Usually I don't like really hoppy brews, but this stuff is ambrosia. I've also tried their Cinder Cone Red, which is also excellent and also billed as a seasonal ale, but aside from their winter-themed Jubal Ale, this Twilight does the most to actually invoke seasonal sentiments -- you can actually taste the late summer still-light-out-at-late-hours, summer starting to fade into fall when you sip it. Or maybe it's just me.
Either way, it's a delicious beer. To quote Ferris Bueller, I highly recommend it, if you have the means.
Either way, it's a delicious beer. To quote Ferris Bueller, I highly recommend it, if you have the means.
But where Has He Been Since Then?
Thanks for the Memory to Blogs for Bush.
Did you know John Kerry served in Vietnam? Really, he did. But according to a new poll, most Americans respond to that news the same way I do: So what?
The Rasmussen Reports survey also found that 76% say Kerry's political career since Vietnam matters more than his career in Vietnam. In terms of Election 2004 voting decisions, only 9% take the opposite view and say that Kerry's combat experience is more important.
Let's get one thing straight. The only reason we on the right are responding with such glee to all the trouble the Swift Vets are causing Kerry is because Kerry brought it on himself. He made his service a key selling point of his campaign, and now he has to deal with the consequences.
Quite frankly, I don't care if he was Viet Nam's answer to Audie Murphy. It's the reputation and history he has established for himself in the years since the war that trouble me. Setting aside his military career, the man's voting record (or lack thereof), his blatantly liberal political views, his imperious and thin-skinned attitude, all those are reason enough for me to vote against him. Remember, Benedict Arnold was quite a hero before he stabbed America in the back.
I don't intend to give Kerry a chance to repeat the performance.
Did you know John Kerry served in Vietnam? Really, he did. But according to a new poll, most Americans respond to that news the same way I do: So what?
The Rasmussen Reports survey also found that 76% say Kerry's political career since Vietnam matters more than his career in Vietnam. In terms of Election 2004 voting decisions, only 9% take the opposite view and say that Kerry's combat experience is more important.
Let's get one thing straight. The only reason we on the right are responding with such glee to all the trouble the Swift Vets are causing Kerry is because Kerry brought it on himself. He made his service a key selling point of his campaign, and now he has to deal with the consequences.
Quite frankly, I don't care if he was Viet Nam's answer to Audie Murphy. It's the reputation and history he has established for himself in the years since the war that trouble me. Setting aside his military career, the man's voting record (or lack thereof), his blatantly liberal political views, his imperious and thin-skinned attitude, all those are reason enough for me to vote against him. Remember, Benedict Arnold was quite a hero before he stabbed America in the back.
I don't intend to give Kerry a chance to repeat the performance.
Frere Jacques It Ain't
Thanks for the Memory to the Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler.
One of Misha's readers sent him this poem. I couldn't have said it better myself:
A French Poem
Eleven thousand soldiers
lay beneath the dirt and stone,
all buried on a distant land
so far away from home.
For just a strip of dismal beach
they paid a hero's price,
to save a foreign nation
they all made the sacrifice.
And now the shores of Normandy
are lined with blocks of white:
Americans who didn't turn
from someone else's plight.
Eleven thousand reasons
for the French to take our side,
but in the moment of our need,
they chose to run and hide.
Chirac said every war means loss,
perhaps for France that's true,
for they've lost every battle
since the days of Waterloo.
Without a soldier worth a damn
to be found within the region,
the French became the only land
to need a Foreign Legion.
You French all say we're arrogant.
Well, hell, we've earned the right--
We saved your sorry nation
when you lacked the guts to fight.
But now you've made a big mistake,
and one that you'll regret;
you took sides with our enemies,
and that we won't forget.
It wasn't just our citizens
you spit on when you turned,
but every one of yours
who fell the day the towers burned.
You spit upon our soldiers,
on our pilots and Marines,
and now you'll get a little sense
of just what payback means.
So keep your Paris fashions
and your wine and your champagne,
and find some other market
that will buy your aeroplanes.
And try to find somebody else
to wear your French cologne,
for you're about to find out
what it means to stand alone.
You see, you need us far more
than we ever needed you.
America has better friends
who know how to be true.
I'd rather stand with warriors
who have the will and might,
than huddle in the dark
with those whose only flag is white.
I'll take the Brits, the Aussies,
the Israelis and the rest,
for when it comes to valor
we have seen that they're the best.
We'll count on one another
as we face a moment dire,
while you sit on the sideline
with a sign, "friendship for hire."
We'll win this war without you
and we'll total up the cost,
and take it from your foreign aid,
and then you'll feel the loss.
And when your nation starts to fall,
well Frenchie, you can spare us,
just call the Germans for a hand,
they know the way to Paris.
Don Fichthorn, Major USMC (Retired)
One of Misha's readers sent him this poem. I couldn't have said it better myself:
A French Poem
Eleven thousand soldiers
lay beneath the dirt and stone,
all buried on a distant land
so far away from home.
For just a strip of dismal beach
they paid a hero's price,
to save a foreign nation
they all made the sacrifice.
And now the shores of Normandy
are lined with blocks of white:
Americans who didn't turn
from someone else's plight.
Eleven thousand reasons
for the French to take our side,
but in the moment of our need,
they chose to run and hide.
Chirac said every war means loss,
perhaps for France that's true,
for they've lost every battle
since the days of Waterloo.
Without a soldier worth a damn
to be found within the region,
the French became the only land
to need a Foreign Legion.
You French all say we're arrogant.
Well, hell, we've earned the right--
We saved your sorry nation
when you lacked the guts to fight.
But now you've made a big mistake,
and one that you'll regret;
you took sides with our enemies,
and that we won't forget.
It wasn't just our citizens
you spit on when you turned,
but every one of yours
who fell the day the towers burned.
You spit upon our soldiers,
on our pilots and Marines,
and now you'll get a little sense
of just what payback means.
So keep your Paris fashions
and your wine and your champagne,
and find some other market
that will buy your aeroplanes.
And try to find somebody else
to wear your French cologne,
for you're about to find out
what it means to stand alone.
You see, you need us far more
than we ever needed you.
America has better friends
who know how to be true.
I'd rather stand with warriors
who have the will and might,
than huddle in the dark
with those whose only flag is white.
I'll take the Brits, the Aussies,
the Israelis and the rest,
for when it comes to valor
we have seen that they're the best.
We'll count on one another
as we face a moment dire,
while you sit on the sideline
with a sign, "friendship for hire."
We'll win this war without you
and we'll total up the cost,
and take it from your foreign aid,
and then you'll feel the loss.
And when your nation starts to fall,
well Frenchie, you can spare us,
just call the Germans for a hand,
they know the way to Paris.
Don Fichthorn, Major USMC (Retired)
It's All (Patriotic) Inside
Thanks for the Memory to my cousin Charlotte via my Mom.
Sears' advertising slogan right now is Good Life. Great Price. I would submit that they should add to it Real Honor.
MyAunt Cousin Charlotte (I have one of each, sorry for the confusion) received one of those feel-good chan mails the other day, which read:
I received this and thought it worth passing on.
I assume you have all seen the reports about how Sears is treating its reservist employees who are called up? By law, they are required to hold their jobs open and available, but nothing more. Usually, people take a big pay cut and lose benefits as a result of being called up...Sears is voluntarily paying the difference in salaries and maintaining all benefits, including medical insurance and bonus programs, for all called up reservist employees for up to two years. I submit that Sears is an exemplary corporate citizen and should be recognized for its contribution. Suggest we all shop at Sears, and be sure to find a manager to tell them why we are there so the company gets the positive reinforcement it well deserves.
Pass it on.
Now, my aunt is the diligent type, and so she emailed Sears and asked them for confirmation. This is the rersponse she got:
Dear Customer:
Thank you for contacting Sears.
The information is factual. We appreciate your positive feedback. Sears regards service to our country as one of greatest sacrifices our young men and women can make. We are happy to do our part to lessen the burden they bear at this time.
Bill Thorn
Sears Customer Care
webcenter@sears.com
1-800-349-4358
That pretty much seals it for me. Sears was already on my good list, as they were willing to extend needed credit to me and my wife despite my spotty credit (mistakes made while still single). Add to that the fact that they're stepping up to the plate for those who defend our freedom, and I am going to make sure I give them as much of my business as posssible. And I intend to make sure they know why.
Sears' advertising slogan right now is Good Life. Great Price. I would submit that they should add to it Real Honor.
My
I received this and thought it worth passing on.
I assume you have all seen the reports about how Sears is treating its reservist employees who are called up? By law, they are required to hold their jobs open and available, but nothing more. Usually, people take a big pay cut and lose benefits as a result of being called up...Sears is voluntarily paying the difference in salaries and maintaining all benefits, including medical insurance and bonus programs, for all called up reservist employees for up to two years. I submit that Sears is an exemplary corporate citizen and should be recognized for its contribution. Suggest we all shop at Sears, and be sure to find a manager to tell them why we are there so the company gets the positive reinforcement it well deserves.
Pass it on.
Now, my aunt is the diligent type, and so she emailed Sears and asked them for confirmation. This is the rersponse she got:
Dear Customer:
Thank you for contacting Sears.
The information is factual. We appreciate your positive feedback. Sears regards service to our country as one of greatest sacrifices our young men and women can make. We are happy to do our part to lessen the burden they bear at this time.
Bill Thorn
Sears Customer Care
webcenter@sears.com
1-800-349-4358
That pretty much seals it for me. Sears was already on my good list, as they were willing to extend needed credit to me and my wife despite my spotty credit (mistakes made while still single). Add to that the fact that they're stepping up to the plate for those who defend our freedom, and I am going to make sure I give them as much of my business as posssible. And I intend to make sure they know why.
This Time I'll Make an Exception
Anyone who's read my posts on watching the Olympics knows how I feel about our national anthem. I've also engaged in discussions in the comment sections of other people's blogs, and one of the biggest beefs many of us have had is with the inability of many young athletes to sing the actual words to the Anthem.
Yesterday, the US Men's 8-man crew won the gold in the 2000m event. The first man across the line was Jason Read. As they stood on the medal podium and the Star Spangled Banner played, Jason tried to sing the words, but he just couldn't. This time, I'm inclined to be more charitable.
You see, along with being an Olympian, Jason is a Volunteer Firefighter in his New Jersey community. In the days follwoing September 11, Jason was in downtown Manhattan, helping weith te rescue and recovery efforts at Ground Zero. He saw the worst of it, and it affected him deeply. He poured himself into his rowing to help deal with the emotional and psychological scars. And yesterday, he was the first rower across the line as the US ended a 40-year gold drought in rowing.
So when he tried to sing, it wasn't an ignorance of the lyrics that prevented him. It was the tears and the deep, choking sobs. The kind I found hard to hold back as I watched him. So not only did I forgive him for not singing the lyrics, I sang them for him. We're proud of you, Jason.
In other Olympic News:
Congratulations to Deena Kastor for the spectacular comeback to win the Bronze for the US. Condolences to Paula Radcliffe, and apologies for the shameful way the NC cameraman dogged you as you tried to find a few moments prvacy to mourn. To any Brit who may reasd this, if you punch an NBC crewmwmber on the face, I woun't blame you one bit.
Further Kudos to Justin Gastlin, not only for showing Maurice Greene who's the new champion, but also for showing him how to ACT like one.
Condolences to Gail Devers and Stacey Dragila.
And finally, an Olympic prayer: "Dear God, please let the United States win all its events. But if we cannot win, please let us lose to Australia. Amen."
Yesterday, the US Men's 8-man crew won the gold in the 2000m event. The first man across the line was Jason Read. As they stood on the medal podium and the Star Spangled Banner played, Jason tried to sing the words, but he just couldn't. This time, I'm inclined to be more charitable.
You see, along with being an Olympian, Jason is a Volunteer Firefighter in his New Jersey community. In the days follwoing September 11, Jason was in downtown Manhattan, helping weith te rescue and recovery efforts at Ground Zero. He saw the worst of it, and it affected him deeply. He poured himself into his rowing to help deal with the emotional and psychological scars. And yesterday, he was the first rower across the line as the US ended a 40-year gold drought in rowing.
So when he tried to sing, it wasn't an ignorance of the lyrics that prevented him. It was the tears and the deep, choking sobs. The kind I found hard to hold back as I watched him. So not only did I forgive him for not singing the lyrics, I sang them for him. We're proud of you, Jason.
In other Olympic News:
Congratulations to Deena Kastor for the spectacular comeback to win the Bronze for the US. Condolences to Paula Radcliffe, and apologies for the shameful way the NC cameraman dogged you as you tried to find a few moments prvacy to mourn. To any Brit who may reasd this, if you punch an NBC crewmwmber on the face, I woun't blame you one bit.
Further Kudos to Justin Gastlin, not only for showing Maurice Greene who's the new champion, but also for showing him how to ACT like one.
Condolences to Gail Devers and Stacey Dragila.
And finally, an Olympic prayer: "Dear God, please let the United States win all its events. But if we cannot win, please let us lose to Australia. Amen."
Do As Oui Say, Not As Oui Do
Thanks for the Memory to my best friend Brian.
From the Worldnet Daily:
EU to build wall after blasting Israel's
Just one month after the U.N. and EU launched a furious campaign against Israel's security fence, culminating in the International Court of Justice ruling that the fence is illegal, the EU announced it's planning to build a separation fence of its own, and invited Israel to participate in the construction.
The fence is being built to separate recently added EU members Poland and Hungary from their new neighbors – Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. The EU said the fence is necessary to "prevent the free movement of migrants seeking to enter" EU territory.
Israeli companies that specialize in the construction of fences and security systems will participate in tenders to build hundreds of miles of fences along the EU's new eastern border.
"It's incredible the EU has no problem building a fence just to keep illegal immigrants out, but when the Jewish State builds a security fence as a last resort for the purpose of keeping terrorists out and saving Israeli lives, we are blasted by them and the U.N.," a spokesman for Ariel Sharon told WorldNetDaily. "Makes you think, doesn't it?"
Israel's publicly traded Magal Security Systems, which participated in the construction of the West Bank security fence, is expected to sign a cooperation agreement for building the new EU fence and its attendant command-and-control systems.
The ultimate contract is estimated to be worth several hundred million dollars. Each kilometer of Israel's fence cost $1 million to build. Bases, sophisticated transit points, and observation and command-and-control systems cost $2 million per kilometer.
In July, the U.N.'s high court ruled Israel's security fence, which is credited with keeping suicide bombers out, violates international law and must be dismantled.
The court, which Israel maintains has no jurisdiction over Israeli matters, ruled "[it] is not convinced that the specific course Israel has chosen for the wall was necessary to attain its security objectives."
A week later, the U.N. General Assembly overwhelmingly adopted a resolution demanding that Israel comply with the world court decision and tear down the security fence. Most European countries voted against Israel.
"European hypocrisy is as rank as it is blatant," Daniel Pipes, director of the Middle East Forum, told WorldNetDaily. "And the EU wall is not even for security reasons, just economic ones."
It's not hypocrisy, Daniel, it's nuance. *spit*
Of course, if anyone other than Israel (or maybe the US) had built a wall in the first place, you would have heard hardly a peep from Europe. But anything Israel does is evil, even if it's what Europe would do in exactly the same situation (or, as is the case here, in an even less dire situation).
In their attempt to camouflage their antisemitism by wrapping it in a cloak of self-righteousness, the Europeans have done nothing but compound it with the additional sin of hypocrisy.
From the Worldnet Daily:
EU to build wall after blasting Israel's
Just one month after the U.N. and EU launched a furious campaign against Israel's security fence, culminating in the International Court of Justice ruling that the fence is illegal, the EU announced it's planning to build a separation fence of its own, and invited Israel to participate in the construction.
The fence is being built to separate recently added EU members Poland and Hungary from their new neighbors – Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. The EU said the fence is necessary to "prevent the free movement of migrants seeking to enter" EU territory.
Israeli companies that specialize in the construction of fences and security systems will participate in tenders to build hundreds of miles of fences along the EU's new eastern border.
"It's incredible the EU has no problem building a fence just to keep illegal immigrants out, but when the Jewish State builds a security fence as a last resort for the purpose of keeping terrorists out and saving Israeli lives, we are blasted by them and the U.N.," a spokesman for Ariel Sharon told WorldNetDaily. "Makes you think, doesn't it?"
Israel's publicly traded Magal Security Systems, which participated in the construction of the West Bank security fence, is expected to sign a cooperation agreement for building the new EU fence and its attendant command-and-control systems.
The ultimate contract is estimated to be worth several hundred million dollars. Each kilometer of Israel's fence cost $1 million to build. Bases, sophisticated transit points, and observation and command-and-control systems cost $2 million per kilometer.
In July, the U.N.'s high court ruled Israel's security fence, which is credited with keeping suicide bombers out, violates international law and must be dismantled.
The court, which Israel maintains has no jurisdiction over Israeli matters, ruled "[it] is not convinced that the specific course Israel has chosen for the wall was necessary to attain its security objectives."
A week later, the U.N. General Assembly overwhelmingly adopted a resolution demanding that Israel comply with the world court decision and tear down the security fence. Most European countries voted against Israel.
"European hypocrisy is as rank as it is blatant," Daniel Pipes, director of the Middle East Forum, told WorldNetDaily. "And the EU wall is not even for security reasons, just economic ones."
It's not hypocrisy, Daniel, it's nuance. *spit*
Of course, if anyone other than Israel (or maybe the US) had built a wall in the first place, you would have heard hardly a peep from Europe. But anything Israel does is evil, even if it's what Europe would do in exactly the same situation (or, as is the case here, in an even less dire situation).
In their attempt to camouflage their antisemitism by wrapping it in a cloak of self-righteousness, the Europeans have done nothing but compound it with the additional sin of hypocrisy.
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