Australia: Jew Beaten by Anti-Semitic Football Thugs

Arutz Sheva:

An Australian Jew was viciously beaten in front of his young children this week by a group of drunken Australian football players, according to a report by Australian news agencies. The attackers grabbed 33 year old Menachem Vorchheimer’s yarmulka and hat when he approached their minibus to find out the name of the team after the men hurled anti-Semitic remarks at him and his children.

Vorchheimer said the group of 20 men yelled epithets and “Go to the Nazis” before motioning as if they were shooting a machine gun at him and his terrified, crying 3 and 6 year old children before punching him in the face. Witnesses surrounded the bus and prevented it from making a getaway until the police arrived and apprehended the attackers.

Although Ocean Grove Football Club president Michael Vines apologized to the victim, the team’s coach, Matthew Sproule called the incident an “accident”.

Words fail me.

We're doomed.

Wretchard on the prevalence of ignorance.

Columbia and the Future of Education

Does the Columbia University fiasco portend a crisis in the future of American education? And if the traditional universities lose their credibility in teaching critical thinking - as the establishment media are losing their credibility in news reporting - how will that void be filled?

For readers who have been spending the last two weeks in a cave, let me recap the Columbia University debacle (with help from the indispensable Kesher Talk). Earlier this month, Columbia announced that two ex-terrorists and an ex-Nazi would be speaking on October 11; the ex-terrorist was none other than Walid Shoebat. But on the night of October 4, Jim Gilchrist, founder of the anti-illegal-immigration posse Minutemen, was mobbed by thugs while attempting to speak at Columbia (video at Little Green Footballs). Following that incident, the craven officials at Columbia un-invited many guests who had signed up to attend the Shoebat event. Needless to say, a lot of people were not pleased. Follow the links, or go to the KT homepage, for updates on that sorry tale.

How is it that our universities, which are supposed to encourage creative thinking and free debate, have turned into madrassas where students are to be indoctrinated rather than having their views intelligently challenged?

Here's the funny thing. I think the real center for meaningful discussion has shifted to the internet and the blogosphere. I know I've sharpened my critical thinking skills by reading the blogs and following the comment sections; it wouldn't surprise me if this is true of many other people as well. Just as internet journals have taken over much of the function of the MSM in news reporting and analysis, so too, perhaps, have they stepped in to fill the role that the universities have abdicated. If the universities want to remain relevant, they must pay attention to what is happening in the wired world.

Update

Posting has been light due to work pressures and a busy personal life, not to mention the Jewish holidays. I expect to get one or two opinion pieces up tomorrow, and hopefully resume Morning Report on a semi-regular basis.

A new episode of "The Queen's Courtesan" is up. The story to date is here: The Queen's Courtesan. The new episode is The Investigation.

I'm planning a trip to the East Coast around Thanksgiving time.

On Women Leaders

In a recent Morning Report, I cited a post by Tammy Bruce on the Foley scandal (and on men in power generally). Tammy wrote:

Here's one comment which will remind you of my Authentic Feminist foundation--while we all complain that politicians are politicians, here's one thing we can be sure of--with all the page scandals, the intern scandals, and girls who worked for politicians turning up dead (think Kennedy/Kopechne and Condit/Levy), none of the politicians involved have been women. A woman lawmaker has never been accused of sexually harassing an intern, or of making passes at a page, nor has a woman in office been linked to an office worker's death.

So perhaps it's not Washington, DC, power or politics that is the common thread here--maybe it's the sort of man [TB's emphasis] attracted to that environment. There are women serving on both sides of the aisle, and no matter what you think of Hillary Clinton, as an example, we can be pretty darn sure she's not chasing an intern of either sex around her office. The same can be said about Elizabeth Dole, and Dianne Feinstein, Barbara Boxer, or Barbara Mikulski. Because it's not about homosexuals, but about men, gay and straight, young and old, and what they do with power.

Is it possible to have the same peace of mind with men in Congress as we do with the women in Congress, at least when it comes to their personal deportment? Is that too much to ask? I certainly don't think so.

Let's admit it--women handle power differently. And as pundits on the left and the right point fingers and complain about who is more corrupt--perhaps it's time to see this as an opportunity to decide to really do things differently, and vote for women, for a real change.

In my Comments, Jeremayakovka expressed reservations about Tammy's post, and I agreed:

I think Tammy makes some great points but I think the issues need to be addressed more clearly. She weakens her argument by conflating two or three points which I believe are distinct from one another: (1) the assertion that women tend to have a different style of leadership from men, quite possibly true in itself; (2) the fact that men tend to display *certain forms* of sexual aggression that are less prevalent (though not necessarily absent) among women; and (3) the lack of (and continuing discrimination against) women in leadership roles.

Also it's important to remember that just as men and women tend to have different styles of leadership, so too do women and men have different ways of engaging in conflict and aggression. Phyllis Chesler wrote an excellent book on female/female conflict.

So, let me elaborate a little here. Individually, I believe Tammy's points are all valid, but I think it would be misleading to suggest that one should vote for women with the expectation that women will be better leaders. Of course, that's not what Tammy is saying; she says, "women handle power differently" (my emphasis), not necessarily "better". But it's not too much of a stretch to read her post and think, "I should vote for women because they will be less likely to harass their pages and will therefore be better leaders". Which of course is wrong thinking.

One of the assumptions of old-school feminism has been that if women leaders were given a fair chance, they would prove less aggressive, less violent, less susceptible to "testosterone poisoning", and generally better leaders than men. Now for all I know, this may very well be true! Given the continuing paucity of women leaders on the international scene, it is far too early to make any kind of empirical assessment.

But we should not predicate our support for women leaders on these assumptions, because they may prove to be false. To put it another way, it would be unfair to put women on any kind of a pedestal based on pre-conceived expectations. And even if a putative future generation of women world leaders did prove to be less predatory and warlike in the patriarchal fashion, might they not make up for it with other vices? Again, as Phyllis Chesler has so ably demonstrated, women are quite capable of their own forms of cruelty.

Do vote for women because women leaders bring many things - character traits, abilities, and experiences - to the political world that men lack. Do vote for women because women have had the deck stacked against them by a sexist, patriarchal society for generations.

Don't ever vote for a woman just because she's a woman, or because you think women can do no wrong.

Do vote for women because of what women can do.

Twin Cities: Muslim Taxi Drivers Refuse Transgender Riders

Fox 9 (via LGF):

By Tom Lyden
Web Produced by Michael Durkin

MINNEAPOLIS – In her bright pink hat, Paula Hare has found herself waiting on her stoop a lot lately, for taxi cabs that never come.

Not to avoid confusion, Paula even tells the taxi dispatcher she’s transgendred. But on three occasions when the taxi actually showed up, she says Muslim drivers have refused to give her a lift.

“This is more than just religion, it’s flat out discrimination,” hare said. “And we’ve got laws against that in this state.”

The city of Minneapolis says she’s right.

Of the nearly 2,000 taxis in the Twin Cities metro, estimates are as many as half the drivers are recent immigrants – many Muslim. ...

Read the rest at the link.

It's deep!

Iran: Deep disappointment!

The United States and five other world powers failed to agree Friday on decisive action against Iran for its refusal to suspend uranium enrichment, issuing a statement that merely expressed "deep disappointment" for Iran's failure to comply with a U.N. Security Council resolution.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was late to the meeting because of problems with her plane. She had to be helicoptered from the airport in London to the meeting and managed to attend only the end of the session. Afterward, British Foreign Minister Margaret Beckett read a statement expressing "deep disappointment" by the council members -- the United States, Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany. ...

Norks: Deep testing.

The president of South Korea reportedly ordered his government to send a "grave warning" to North Korea about the consequences of a nuclear test, and Russia said it was trying to dissuade Pyongyang from conducting it.

Amid the rising tensions, Ja pan's Kyodo News agency said a U.S. military plane capable of de tecting radiation took off from southern Japan, believed to be part of U.S. efforts to monitor for signs of a North Korean test.

North Korea threatened Tues day to conduct a nuclear test to prove it is a nuclear power. Pyong yang claims it has nuclear weapons and needs them to deter a U.S. at tack, but hasn't performed any known test to verify that. ...

Hastert: Deep doo-doo.

Republican leaders, closing ranks around House Speaker Dennis Hastert, have settled on a strategy of trying to move quickly beyond the congressional page scandal and turn the political conversation to such issues as terrorism, tax cuts and a growing economy in the final four weeks before Election Day.

They face a tough challenge, as polls show a growing number of Americans inclined to vote Democratic on Nov. 7 and most people surveyed this week suspecting a "cover-up" in the House's handling of the controversy involving lewd electronic messages sent by former Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla., to underage pages.

But with an explosive story erupting a month before an election in which control of Congress is at stake, Republicans have few options. ...

Afternoon Roundup

CTB: Tamil Tigers smuggling ring butsted.

Last week the U.S. Attorney for Baltimore announced that two complaints and an indictment were unsealed charging six people with conspiring to purchase weapons for the LTTE. The lead agency in the operation was Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). This is the second major bust of a Tiger arms purchasing network in the U.S. in two months. Like the previous operation these arrests were the culmination of an impressive operation. The arms purchasers were allowed to sample the merchandise at an arms range in Havre de Grace (a small town not far from Baltimore - or, interestingly, Aberdeen Proving Grounds.) Some of the arrests were actually made in Guam.

On the U.S. side, clearly more resources have been devoted to breaking up LTTE arms buying networks. This is an important development if the terrible civil war that has tormented Sri Lanka for over a quarter century is ever to end. The LTTE is an effective terrorist organization that has carried out over 200 suicide bombings and has also held its own in direct fighting with both the Sri Lankan and Indian militaries.

When interviewed about the previous bust, I stated that the LTTE is capable of hitting the U.S. However, they have historically avoided hitting U.S. targets or even American advisors to Sri Lankan forces to avoid American animus.

One of the key items sought by both LTTE arms-purchasing rings were anti-air missiles (SAMs), indicating that Sri Lankan airpower is a major concern for the Tigers. ...

Gay Patriot on Mary Cheney and "The List".

Despite the failure of this tactic two years ago, leftists are trying to make it work this year, only instead of bringing up the sexuality of a candidate’s child, they’re threatening to “out” gay staffers to prominent Republicans. As Bruce reported earlier today, various gay leftists have been sending copies of the “List” (of gay staffers to leading Republicans) to a variety of social conservative organizations, political allies of the GOP who have a less-than-favorable opinion of homosexuality.

It seems clear they’re doing this to weaken the support of those organizations for the GOP as the mid-term elections approach. If these groups show less enthusiam, Republicans won’t generate the turnout they need in order to hold onto Congress.

Without any concern for the lives of these gay men and women — or even any knowledge of whether these staffers have attempted to lobby their bosses to change their stands on gay issues — gay activists are doing something they believe will hurt the party they love to hate — and so help the real object of their efforts, electing more Democrats. ...

ThreatsWatch: Russia and China in Lebanon.

Russia has airlifted an entire Engineer Battalion into southern Lebanon to function in conjunction with UNIFIL’s mission there under Security Council Resolution 1701. China has 182 PLA soldiers under UNIFIL inside southern Lebanon and has pledged that over 1,000 troops will arrive soon. The two members of the Iranian protectorate in the ongoing Iranian nuclear crisis are uniquely involved in the international efforts in southern Lebanon following the conflict between Israel and the Iranian-sponsored terrorist group Hizballah.

Both China and Russia are actively seeking more active roles in Middle Eastern affairs and are tangibly invested in the Iranian regime; cash-starved Russia principally through the building of the Iranian nuclear facilities and military equipment sales, and energy-hungry China increasingly as an oil-trading partner. ...

Prague Synagogue Massacre Plot

Terrorists reportedly planned to kill large numbers of Jews at a synagogue in Prague, Czech Republic. Details are still sketchy. Here is what I've found so far:
Arutz Sheva:

11:11 Oct 06, '06 / 14 Tishrei 5767

(IsraelNN.com) According to a report appearing in the daily Mlada Fronta Dnes on Friday, Islamic terrorists in Prague planned to abduct tens of Jews and then execute them.

According to the newspaper, the leading paper in Czech Republic, the terrorists planned to kidnap the victims, hold them hostage in a synagogue and make outrageous demands that would not be met. The hostages would then be killed.

Quoting unnamed intelligence community sources, the report indicated the terror plot was foiled.

Czech Chief Rabbi Ephraim Sidon stated the terrorists planned to strike Central Prague’s Jerusalem Synagogue, not the Jewish Quarter, a popular spot for tourists.

Debka:

Arab terrorists planned mass murder of Jews in a Prague synagogue after taking them hostage, according to Czech intelligence. This plot, according to the Prague Daily Monitor, triggered the special security measures announced in the Czech capital for the first time two weeks ago. According to the sketchy information released, unidentified “Arab extremists” planned to penetrate a synagogue during a Jewish holiday, pose unspecified conditions that would not be fulfilled and then blow up the synagogue with explosives they would have had ready for use. They intended killing scores of Jewish worshippers inside. On Sept 23, the Czech government deployed armed guards around dozens of buildings and on the streets of the capital after security services announced an unspecified attack was imminent. They have not divulged any further information. The country’s once flourishing Jewish community was decimated by the Nazis during World War II.

More on this as it develops.

Morning Report: October 6, 2006

New battle fronts. Reports of a planned synagogue massacre in Europe, while a South Asian president feels the heat. Our friend in Baghdad wonders where America's will has gone.

Debka: Pogrom plot uncovered in Prague. Debka reports: 'Arab terrorists planned mass murder of Jews in a Prague synagogue after taking them hostage, according to Czech intelligence. This plot, according to the Prague Daily Monitor, triggered the special security measures announced in the Czech capital for the first time two weeks ago. According to the sketchy information released, unidentified “Arab extremists” planned to penetrate a synagogue during a Jewish holiday, pose unspecified conditions that would not be fulfilled and then blow up the synagogue with explosives they would have had ready for use. They intended killing scores of Jewish worshippers inside. On Sept 23, the Czech government deployed armed guards around dozens of buildings and on the streets of the capital after security services announced an unspecified attack was imminent. They have not divulged any further information. The country’s once flourishing Jewish community was decimated by the Nazis during World War II.' (Debka)

ITM: America's sin. Mohammed at Iraq the Model critiques American foreign policy:

Perhaps America's biggest mistake was the hesitation in keeping up the strategy of preemptive war.

Yes, America used that strategy in Iraq but failed to go on, and instead of chasing terrorists, America stopped at Iraq and sat waiting for terrorists to come in.

Keeping a large number of troops in Iraq and hoping they could root out terrorists can only be described as a bad plan. It really wouldn't matter much if we had 50 thousand in stead of 150 thousand troops in Iraq and in fact what really matters is the distribution of these troops. If we look back at the record of the war since April 2003 we'll see that adding more troops on the ground resulted only in making the enemy call for more reinforcements and the war kept getting more violent. In other words, how much troops we have is not the question, where we put the troops is.

The huge mass of military power looks dull here and there's no meaningful objective for its presence but to protect the political structure of post-Saddam Iraq and this can be done with much less troops than there is now in Iraq. It is unfair to leave this highly-trained, heavily-equipped mighty forces to fight a guerilla war against gangs and faceless insurgents and militias armed with old rifles and rusty mortars. All the sophisticated warplanes, tanks and big organized units will have not have a chance to make the desired impact on the ground or meet the goals such units are built to achieve, which means smaller, more agile units backed by strong intelligence-gathering capabilities can replace the bigger units when the latter can move on to engage bigger targets elsewhere.

The insurgents, terrorists and militias operating in Iraq depend on foreign support for money, training, technology and in some cases men. Moreover the influence of foreign interference is clear even in the political arena in Iraq through the numerous political crises the country had faced.
Thus, this war will not see an end unless America revives the preemptive war strategy and start chasing the enemies and striking their bases in the region, especially in Syria and Iran.

Read the whole thing at the link. (ITM)

Rice to meet Iraqi Kurdish leaders. Reuters: 'U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will urge Iraqi Kurdish leaders on Friday to work with Sunnis and Shi'ites, particularly on the controversial issue of managing Iraq's vast oil wealth. Rice, on a visit to Iraq, pressed Iraqi leaders on Thursday to end their "political inaction" and put aside their differences to rein in sectarian violence that threatens to tear the country apart. Witnesses said Rice, who arrived in the autonomous region of Kurdistan on Friday, was meeting Massoud Barzani, president of the Kurdish region.' AFP: 'US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has met the leaders of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region, urging them to cooperate with Iraqi Arabs in building a peaceful and unified country. Grateful for US support in throwing off the yoke of ousted dictator Saddam Hussein, Iraq's Kurds have put their long-cherished dreams of independence on hold while the Baghdad government struggles to rebuild the war torn country. But separatist tensions are never far from the surface, and fierce rows have recently erupted over the banning of Iraq's national flag in the north and the Kurdish government's determination to develop its own oil industry.' (Reuters, AFP)

Pakistan: Nothing to see here, move along. ThreatsWatch: 'With today’s discovery of two rockets outside the Pakistani parliament aimed at both the Parliament building and Musharraf’s residence, it is much more difficult to believe Pakistan’s quick claims yesterday that an explosion yesterday in a park near Musharraf’s home had nothing to do with the Pakistani president. Yesterday’s blast seemed unusual in that there appeared no clear target, initially interpreted here as likely an accidental detonation with more sinister intent, especially when unexploded ordnance was found nearby as well. But with today’s find of rockets un-launched but aimed at the parliament and Musharraf’s home, the explosion surely was not accidental. Together they should be seen as a message to Musharraf by al-Qaeda and like-minded Pakistani terrorists: “We can reach you. You are not safe.” Considering that the Taliban-al-Qaeda alliance is currently trying to wrest the whole of the North West Frontier Province from Musharraf and the Pakistani government just as it did in both North and South Waziristan, the message is likely intended to twist Pakistani arms to hand over more territory to the terrorists. ...' Map at the link. (ThreatsWatch)

Saudi link in US embassy plot? Arutz Sheva: 'It has been learned that last month’s terror attack against the US embassy in Damascus was planned in Saudi Arabia, carried out by four Syrian nationals. While it was first reported they were linked to al-Qaeda, investigators now state this is not true, stating a local Saudi religious figure influenced the terrorists to carry out the attack.' (A7)

Muslim-French civil war? Sandmonkey thinks so. 'It seems that France is paying for its colonial sins by the truckload. Or the dozen. Dozen of police Officers a day that is. ...' Read the whold story at the link. (Sandmonkey)

Merideth Howard remembered. Mister Ghost at Little Green Colloquium has a tribute to 52-year-old SFC Merideth Howard, United States Army. Meredith Howard was the oldest US servicewoman to give her life in combat. Go to the link for lots of information about the life of this amazing woman, including an exclusive interview with her friend Rebekah Bridges-Tervydis, and a selection of "Merideth Howard in her own words". (LGC)

Iran: Time for sanctions? ThreatsWatch: 'US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said that Iran is simply employing another “stalling technique” with its latest offer for a French consortium overseeing Iranian uranium enrichment and that Iran is clearly not going to halt enrichment in any case. Dr. Rice said that it is therefore time for the Security Council to take up Chapter Seven sanctions against Iran. Addressing the issue during her Middle East tour, Rice said, “I think we have come to a time when the Iranians have to make their choice, and the international system has to act accordingly.” It has been over one month since the Security Council’s August 31 enrichment cessation deadline has passed.' (ThreatsWatch)

Transatlantic passenger data accord reached. Stratfor (subscription service): 'The European Union and the United States have agreed on a preliminary accord over new rules to transfer personal data on trans-Atlantic air passengers to U.S authorities, an EU official said Oct. 6. The accord will allow U.S. law enforcement agencies easier access to credit card information, addresses and other personal data as part of the fight against terrorism. EU justice ministers, who must formally approve the accord, were scheduled to meet later Oct. 6.' (Stratfor)

Morning Report applauds. Gay Patriot declares a Foley-free zone. (Gay Patriot)

Commentary. The price of America's indecision has been high, allowing our terrorist enemies to gain ground in places like Waziristan. But our side is gaining ground, I think, on the mental battlefield. The recent incident at Columbia University and the tiresome antics of the leftists are not likely to gain much sympathy for the anti-America, anti-Bush cause.

The breaking report of a plan to massacre Jews in Prague ought to set off more alarm signals in the West. Will it? How many more innocent lives have to be lost before we wake up and do what must be done?

ITM: America's Sin

Mohammed at Iraq the Model has posted his critique of American policy:
America's sin - hesitation.

Perhaps America's biggest mistake was the hesitation in keeping up the strategy of preemptive war.

Yes, America used that strategy in Iraq but failed to go on, and instead of chasing terrorists, America stopped at Iraq and sat waiting for terrorists to come in.

Keeping a large number of troops in Iraq and hoping they could root out terrorists can only be described as a bad plan. It really wouldn't matter much if we had 50 thousand in stead of 150 thousand troops in Iraq and in fact what really matters is the distribution of these troops. If we look back at the record of the war since April 2003 we'll see that adding more troops on the ground resulted only in making the enemy call for more reinforcements and the war kept getting more violent. In other words, how much troops we have is not the question, where we put the troops is.

The huge mass of military power looks dull here and there's no meaningful objective for its presence but to protect the political structure of post-Saddam Iraq and this can be done with much less troops than there is now in Iraq.
It is unfair to leave this highly-trained, heavily-equipped mighty forces to fight a guerilla war against gangs and faceless insurgents and militias armed with old rifles and rusty mortars. All the sophisticated warplanes, tanks and big organized units will have not have a chance to make the desired impact on the ground or meet the goals such units are built to achieve, which means smaller, more agile units backed by strong intelligence-gathering capabilities can replace the bigger units when the latter can move on to engage bigger targets elsewhere.

The insurgents, terrorists and militias operating in Iraq depend on foreign support for money, training, technology and in some cases men. Moreover the influence of foreign interference is clear even in the political arena in Iraq through the numerous political crises the country had faced. Thus, this war will not see an end unless America revives the preemptive war strategy and start chasing the enemies and striking their bases in the region, especially in Syria and Iran.

Read the whole thing at the link.

And while we're on the subject, pay a visit to the new Regime Change Iran.

Tags:
Iraq
Iran
Syria

US Embassy Bombing Plot: Saudi Link?

Arutz Sheva reports:

(IsraelNN.com) It has been learned that last month’s terror attack against the US embassy in Damascus was planned in Saudi Arabia, carried out by four Syrian nationals.

While it was first reported they were linked to al-Qaeda, investigators now state this is not true, stating a local Saudi religious figure influenced the terrorists to carry out the attack.

Lovely.