Dems in 2008

The U.S. Presidential campaign seems to be starting. Democrats are jumping into the ring for a chance to beat the "evil Republicans" ...and if the past is any indication, once again Israel supporters will be wooed by the nominee seekers with promises and pledges.

. . . and betrayed after the election.

Thoughts? Comments? Predictions?

Optimism (1997)

Tu B'Shvat is the Jewish "New Year" of the trees. On Tu B'Shvat we plant trees For future generations. Tu is the number 15 in the biblical numbering system (which uses the letters of the Hebrew Alphabet). B' is Hebrew for "in". Shvat is the current month in the Hebrew calendar. So Tu B'Shvat simply means the "15th of Shvat".

This year Tu B'Shvat falls on February 3, 2007, this coming Saturday.

I chose this "golden oldie" because it illustrates what I believe is a basic Jewish attitude. The blending of short-term pessimism and long-term optimism . . . packaged with a Judaic compulsion to heal the planet.

For a complete rundown on Tu B'Shvat (sometimes written in English as Tu BeShvat or Tu Bishvat or...) check out Jacob Richman's awesome Tu B'Shvat site.

Gaza Warfare

It's exactly one year ago, this week since I first used this "man in the street" guy in Gaza. At that time he was explaining the Hamas election victory. You can check out that cartoon and posting by clicking here.

As to what's happening now, according to Ynet:

"Gaza death toll at 26 as clashes continue
Fourth day of infighting claims lives of six Palestinians as feud expands to West Bank. High-ranking officials on both sides continue to be kidnapped as Egypt, Saudi Arabia play mediators in bid to end violence"-more

And, of course:

Islamic Jihad fires 2 Qassams on Israel
"Group's gunmen call on Palestinian factions to focus their efforts against Israel, and not against one another"- more

And so it goes.

Shrinking Prez

President Katsav shocked the country with an angry tirade against the media, the police, and the rest of the folks who our President believes are plotting against him.

According to Ynet:

Police Officials Say Katsav Is Hysterical
"President's frantic speech draws wave of angry, scornful responses. Internal security minister Dichter says, "President should find first opportunity to apologize for his emotional frenzy." MK Beilin: "Katsav should resign to prevent further denigration of presidential institution" -more

Our first cartoon and comment on this wont-go-away story is here.

According to latest polls, most Israelis think that Katsav should resign.
Others say that if the man has not yet been indicted (and as I write this he still has not ) there's no reason for him to leave office.

So what do YOU think?

Comments please?

Heaven's Gate (1995)

1995. We were being taught a lesson in comparative religion.

What we learned was this: Islamic Fundamentalism offered its followers a short cut to Paradise. Suicide bombing, the Islamic fast-lane to Heaven.

Over our dead bodies.

Generation Gap

This cartoon is not as "surface" a joke as it seems. The "gap" between generations is not just the naturally different views of life as seen through the eyes of the younger or older viewer. It is also because of the different times that we've lived through.

I was a kid when the Nazi extermination camps were liberated, and later when the State of Israel was declared. I was an adult during the six-day war in 1967 and the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Most of us see events that took place before we were born through the eyes of history writers and not as current events. It was to get around that problem that I decided to run "golden "oldies" every week. And whether you are "old enough to remember" or young enough to be surprised, I hope you enjoy and are somehow enlightened by reading them.

Oh, and the phone without the dial or the buttons:

The entire front surface of the new i-phone is a touch screen. No cord. No dial. No buttons.

Israeli Leadership (1997)

This cartoon from 1997 deals with a secret Israeli truth. That "secret truth" is that no matter how secular or non-religious an Israeli is, he or she cannot really shake the belief that our success and survival comes in spite of our bungling leaders.

Today, 10 years after 1997, Israel has an even less competent government, we face even greater threats, and somehow the "golden oldie" seems even more to the point.

Hillary

Yup. Hillary has jumped into the race for the presidency.

There's some thinking that she's been pushed by circumstances into announcing prematurely.

Check out Dick Morris says Hillary is in Trouble at YidWithLid.

Speaking of "Trouble", will anybody remember Hillary embracing and kissing Suha Arafat immediately after Mrs. Arafat's outrageous anti-Israeli blood libel? As MEMRI reported:

"On November 11, 1999, during a Gaza appearance with First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, Suha Arafat, wife of Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Yasser Arafat stated: "Our people have been subjected to the daily and extensive use of poisonous gas by the Israeli forces, which has led to an increase in cancer cases among women and children."
-more

So what exactly happened in 1999? :

"Clinton’s early support for Palestinian statehood rankled the Israeli government as well as supporters of Israel at home, so on her next trip to the West Bank the following year she choose not to meet with Arafat, just his wife. But her meeting with the Palestinian First Lady was even more disastrous. Hillary listened attentively as Suha Arafat bizarrely accused Israel of poisoning Palestinians with toxic gas—causing cancer among children and miscarriages among women—and as other Palestinian Authority officials called for a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital. After the remarks, Clinton embraced Mrs. Arafat and kissed her on the cheek. She did not reply to the anti-Israel harangue until, after outcry by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and American Jewish leaders, Clinton lamely offered, 'I do not believe any kind of inflammatory rhetoric or baseless charges are good for the peace process.'”
- more

Hillary Kisses Suha Arafat After Suha's Blood Libel

Follow Them?

Parents of fallen Israeli soldiers are demanding that Olmert and Peretz (Israel's Defense Minister) resign.

According to YNet:
"In letter to leading candidates for next IDF chief bereaved parents urge them not to accept appointment until Olmert, Peretz resign"
- more

But so far, Olmert and Peretz are just not listening:

"Defense Minister Peretz has begun meeting with candidates to select IDF's 19th chief of staff."
- more

The punch line of today's cartoon is cynically bittersweet. The phrase "Follow Me" is the traditional battle cry of every Israeli officer.

the French Connection (1980)

In July 1980, Israeli intelligence sources revealed that the amount of uranium supplied by France to Iraq would enable Iraq to produce atomic bombs by the mid 1980s.

French President Valery Giscard d'Estaing was not concerned.

We were.

Carter's Arab Funding

Text of their resignation letter is supplied by the folks at Stand With Us.

The Center's response, according to CNN:

"The center's initial response to the departures expressed appreciation for the members' efforts but did not address the concerns.'We are grateful to these Board of Councilors members for their years of service and support for The Carter Center in advancing peace and health around the world,' the center said." - more

But what about Carter's Arab Funders? There's this from newsmax.com:

"Former president Jimmy Carter, who has recently emerged as one of the Jewish state's most vocal critics for its current West Bank anti-terror policy, has been the recipient of tens of millions of dollars from Arab sources." - more

And there's this from jihadwatch.org:

"To understand what feeds former president Jimmy Carter's anti-Israeli frenzy, look at his early links to Arab business. Between 1976-1977, the Carter family peanut business received a bailout in the form of a $4.6 million, "poorly managed" and highly irregular loan from the National Bank of Georgia (NBG). According to a July 29, 1980 Jack Anderson expose in The Washington Post, the bank's biggest borrower was Mr. Carter, and its chairman at that time was Mr. Carter's confidant, and later his director of the Office of Management and Budget, Bert Lance." - more

Or as Melanie Philips puts it in "The Kept Creatures of the Arab World" :

"With such connections making them the kept creatures of the Arab world, it is therefore no surprise that they are intent on smoothing the path to Israel's destruction. What is startling, however, andunforgivablee, is that with few exceptions the media has not drawn attention to this information which wholly negates their claim to be taken seriously on these matters, and instead has presented them as dispassionate and well-intentioned observers." - more

Saved! (1987)

Last week we posted a Golden Oldie from January 10 1987, twenty years ago this month. That cartoon starred Noah and his wife in Noah's Ark, facing the disaster of a drought. Hope had run out. The annual winter rains had not come. Well, "all's well that ends well". As today's Golden Oldie shows, 6 days later, on January 26, 1987, the rains hit! We were saved!

A sub-plot in the "winter rains arrive" cartoon is provided by Mrs. Noah's final comment. Even when our prayers are answered, we've still got complaints.

Here's the original "we're in trouble" cartoon from six days earlier.

Latin American Tour

Inquisition, Nazis, Fascism, Communism, and now Ahmadinejad?!! Yikes!!

"Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who is locked in a tense standoff with the United States, has arrived in Venezuela for talks with his ideological "brother," President Hugo Chavez.
His regional swing will also include visits to Ecuador, Bolivia and Nicaragua, countries controlled by leftist governments critical of Washington."
- more

"Ahmadinejad offers Nicaragua help against 'common enemies' "
- more

Oh, and if you didn't know about the Inquisition in Latin America, here's a quote from a fun-filled tourist guide to Peru on what to see when you visit Lima:

"Lima was the capital of the Inquisition in Latin America, and the Museo de La Inquisicion preserves the tribunal chamber where alleged heretics were tried and the basement dungeons used for execution and torture."
- more

Cliff Hanger

Back in the thirties and forties, movie audiences were ensnared by movie serials that were called "cliff hangers". These short adventure films were shown before the main feature. They were called "cliff hangers" because each episode would end with the heroine in a breathtaking and totally impossible predicament. Like hanging from a cliff with no hope of rescue.

Moviegoers were held in suspense for a whole week, waiting for the next installment. Each new episode would begin with the lone, brave hero delighting us with a miraculous rescue of the girl or the thwarting of the evil plot to take over the world.

Can George W pull it off? Will he be able to save us from the Islamist Peril in time? For the thrilling answer we'll all just have to wait and see.

Rain (1987)

A Dry Bones cartoon done twenty years ago this month.

To understand the cartoon from January 1987, you've got to know that when it comes to water, Israel depends on its winter "rainy season". And in January of 1987 the much-needed rains had still not appeared. In Israel, family and Bible and country are somehow all rolled into one. So my take on the drought was a Biblical family scene: Mr. and Mrs. Noah on the Ark. Before the flood.

Religious Jews pray for rain on the 7th day of the Jewish month of Heshvan (in the fall).

This year's winter had been quite dry. But suddenly, at the end of December, the skies "opened up". January in this new year of 2007, I'm happy to say, is having its welcome downpour.

Our prayers are being answered... At last.

And to see a video of this winter's first snow and rain in Jerusalem, Click here.

Neturei Karta - Enough Already

Yes, the whacko and dangerous handful of Anti-Zionist Jews calling itself "Neturei Karta" or "Jews Against Zionism" are still at it. this time they broke into the news by attending the Iranian Holocaust Denial conference.

Playing "KissyFace" at the Holocaust Denial Conference.

Here's one upset reaction from a Jewish community in Monsey NY. It is aptly called Operation Screwball.

And here in the Holy Land, Israel’s Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger has called for members of the anti-Zionist Neturei Karta sect to be excommunicated.

If you'd like to add your name to an online petition to excommunicate Neturei Karta, you can do so here.

Jimmy Carter (1979)

Back in 1979, Jimmy Carter actually did say that the PLO terrorists were like America's Civil Rights Movement. Time magazine called it a "Slippery Comparison".

Perhaps as a white southerner Jimmy felt guilt at the history of his culture's oppression of black people. Maybe these feelings led him to the perverse version of reality which he held then and is now trying to sell us again.

Perhaps I'm being too naive.

Maybe it was, and is, all about "Arab money".

Israel's "Secret Plan"?

The story about the British "reporting" of Israel's "Secret Plan" is here.

For a look at when it all began, check out this Golden Oldie Dry Bones cartoon from 1979, when Iran went Islamic.

And to see how the problem just dragged on and on, look at this cartoon from 1989.

And then take a peek at the situation as it looked a little more than ten years ago, in 1995.

The New Theology

We commented on the "72 virgins or are they raisins?" controversy in an earlier cartoon. We've commented on the "Hanging video" in another cartoon.

Today's cartoon raises a deeper question.

Is this blood-thirsty "Heavenly sex for murders on Earth" version of Islam a "New" theology?

We were always taught that Islam was a peaceful and tolerant sister religion. Were we wrong? Or has something changed? Has Islam morphed into a "New" theology? A theology of suicidal anger, homicidal attacks, intolerance, and anti-Semitic fanaticism? Has "real" Islam been hijacked by crazies...

. . .or is this what Islam always was?

That's the question.
So what's your answer?

Holidays (1993)

The State of Israel announced its Independence on May 14 1948. In the Hebrew calendar, that day was the 5th of the Hebrew month of Iyar. The Jewish State, quite naturally, celebrates its Independence day according to the Jewish calendar.

The Hebrew name of the holiday is Yom HaAtzmaut. This year the day falls on Monday April 23, 2007.

Israel Independence Day, like all Jewish holidays, begins at sundown the night before, so late night parties will take place on the evening of April 22 (while barbecues and picnics will be held on April 23).

Read Israel's Declaration of Independence here.

Jimmy Carter's Big Book of Lies

It gets worse.

The good folks at CAMERA (the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America), after having initially (on Dec. 6) published a "Roundup of Commentary on Jimmy Carter’s Book, have now taken the gloves off!!

CAMERA has (in a full-page ad in the NY Times Dec. 28) called on Simon & Schuster, the publishers of Carter's new book, to step up to the plate and correct the many lies that the book tells.

Stay tuned for further developments.

President Ford (1976)

This cartoon from 30 years ago deals with U.S. President Gerald Ford's attempt to placate both sides.

The old Jewish joke referred to goes as follows:

A quarreling husband and wife come to the Rabbi for help. The Rabbi says to the husband "Tell me what is wrong." The husband says "She doesn't cook, she doesn't clean, I'm sick of it! I want you to rule that I am the injured party and that I am in the right!"
And so the Rabbi nods his head and says "You are right!"

"Wait! " shouts the wife "you haven't hear my side of the story! He doesn't work, he doesn't support me, he gets drunk and he beats me. I'm sick of it! I want you to rule that I am the injured party and that I am in the right!"!"
And so the Rabbi nods his head and says "You are right!"

Later, the Rabbi's wife says to her learned husband "But Rabbi, they can't both be right."
And so the Rabbi nods his head and says "You are right!"

MidEast Milestone

Saddam the sadistic tyrant is dead, and staring in his own Internet snuff film video.

It would be nice to believe that the Mid East is going to be democratized, but that takes a lot of optimism.

Happy New Year to you all!