One Single Change Would Wipe Out 90% Congressional Corruption

 

If you spend any time on social media you can only come to one conclusion, graft is everywhere except with the less that powerful. The wealthy get away with everything up to and even including murder, though murder is the toughest one to escape. Congress has far too many members who spend three terms, or even two, and if one is astute, one term and walk away as multimillionaires. Many people ask as to how this can be. Many understand and know why this can be and often is. Senators and Representatives are covered by laws which exempt them from insider trading. So if there is a defense bill coming to a vote and the members of Congress know that in six weeks it will pass, it will easily give company XYZ a multi-billion dollar contract which is hundreds of times more than their budget for the previous five years combined. XYZ stock is selling at $1.23 a share six weeks out, so many, but not all as they take turns according to seniority, buy a thousand shares. The bill passes and Wall Street lights up and within two days that stock now sells for $327.77 a share. The Congress members sell their stock at this point making over $325,000.00 for a six week and two day investment in a stock because they cannot be charged with insider trading. This simple trick goes for much more than defense legislation and at every level of government. In the little township, county, city or borough where you live they repair roads, bridges and build parking garages and hire companies to manage all kinds of government projects. Going into such contracts these are often small family businesses with under twenty-five employees and just initially making stock options. That places their stock initially on the volatile IPO (Initial Public Offering) market which is usually the home for high risk, high reward investors and not for the faint of heart. But when you know that a small operation is about to receive a multi-million dollar, multi-year contract that market becomes far less risky and investing becomes a sure bet. This is the sleight of hand, crooked investing which can be found throughout government at all levels. Often those who would prosecute such criminal acts are also clued in on investments when the opportunity is great enough to allow a broad group to make huge benefits without actually raising too much attention. This is why you find so much money going into governmental elections and influencing because the returns are far beyond the pittance invested. Giving a number of city electors a hundred thousand dollars into their election funding and then after they defeat their opponent who received one fifth the amount they will receive multi-million dollar contracts and the city electors investing wisely become millionaires within a few years and move to Tahiti if they are smart, or buy their own newly charted island and refuse extradition to the United States.

 

This is nothing new as it has been how the Senators in Rome maintained their wealth and how the Caesars ruled over these Senators distributing government monies to those who supported them and not the others. The first Caesar, Julius Caesar made a single mistake, he kept the money with the people and refused to feed the graft machine which was the Senate and the commanders of the legions. This resulted in his big day on the Senate steps where he was made into a pincushion using tens of knives as the pins with the final pin, some claim the fifty-first knife, plunged into Caesar’s back by Brutus, “Et tu Brutus?” Wars were fought throughout antiquity to steal the wealth and enrich the King and their closest advisors and generals who commanded the troops protecting the King and winning their wars. Eventually rulers figured out they could simply tax their subjects and by taking a small to modest amount from each subject reap great wealth. Some rulers made the fatal mistake of figuring that if a modest amount granted great wealth, then doubling the tax would double their wealth. That failed as once you cross a critical point draining from the economy the economy becomes unstable and the gravy train dries up and the people revolt. So many greedy kings found their people to be revolting right before they met the guillotine, the sword or other form of execution, some far less noble at the hands of the rabble. Governmental systems have changed, governing has not. Governing is still how to provide the people with sufficient services and comfort while stealing as much as the market will bear enriching the governing. Can this poisoning of government be rooted out and extinguished? Probably not for as Campaign Finance Reform should have taught the people of the United States is that no matter how you rig the game and what you do to take the money from the hands and supporting structures of the elected public servants, they will simply invent some way around the laws, appear not to actually control what they are forbidden, have an indirect but close knot control of these funds and will make away with the wealth in the end. What is more diabolical and evil are those high government employees who are just below the appointed position who are civil servants, thus presumably untouchable by those in power, gaining wealth through careful investing and manipulation of portfolios to take advantage of information which comes across their desks as part of enacting the particulars of legislations. This has gotten far more prevalent as the legislation leaves the entirety of the building and enacting the structures to fulfill the demands of vague legislations thus allowing much of the distribution of contracts and such to these civil servants. There is little chance that these civil servants are all so clean as to not make investments or find other means of enriching themselves. There are far too many very wealthy government employees whose salaries are less than twenty-five thousand dollars a year, how did they become wealthy? Little problem in figuring that out, is there.

 

Shine a Light on Corruption

 

Money is the grease which oils the wheels of government. That remains true to this day and will likely remain true far into the future. The opportunities to become wealthy from being in the right place to hear the next outlay of millions of dollars by government cannot be eliminated until the government is trusted to machines, and then the question will be who monitors and runs the machines. All we can do is alter where the weakest links are placed and thus who gains from inside information. The history of mankind has in part been the history of seeking perfect governance and the failure at virtually every juncture. There was once a governance which was as close to that perfection people seek but is unwieldy as the people must have the faith to trust their safety and protection from other nations and their invasions or other entreaties to an entity they cannot know and claim daily their inability to understand their ruling entity trusting the messengers who claim to be the sole recipients of that wisdom. This was the ruling by Hashem over the initial Israelite Tribes through the prophets and judges. There was not government largess to benefit from its wealth and how it was distributed as all was in the hands of Hashem and there were no government programs. Roads were made by people traveling between locations using the same route which eventually packs the ground making a clear and obvious path, not what you would desire to drive your brand new Lexus across but perfectly fine for your donkey. Even the advances far, far back around 1100 BCE forced the Israelites to demand to have a King like the neighboring nations to lead their army and protect them from the threats emerging around them and Torah records that Hashem told the Judges and Prophets that should the Israelites demand some form of governance to provide them security, then they should be permitted such governance. This resulted in their taking a king asking the leading prophet to anoint their king leading to King Saul. Saul was not the worst of kings or the best, but his reign led directly through some odd circumstance to King David and then King Solomon which was the shining period where the tribes of Israel were united into a singular nation which conquered lands up to the Euphrates River (see maps below showing Twelve Tribes, King David and Solomon conquest and the promised lands for Israel according to treaties from World War I). Following Kings were less successful with the eventual downfall which coincided with a king who was an idolater and placed idols inside Solomon’s Temple, a low point for the Tribes of Israel. Over the next centuries the Israelites managed to throw off tyrants or be granted autonomy under the sovereignty of a greater power. The Israelites were even permitted to build the Second Temple which included Herod building what is today the Western Wall, built over six hundred years before the founding of Islam and about a century before the birth of Jesus. Herod made himself great amounts of wealth, sufficient to build himself a mountain with a castle and burial crypt in the Northern Negev and live a lavish life of opulence simply by giving the people what they demanded, the Temple Complex, and collect taxes in order to provide the people their desires while fulfilling his own. This has been the formula of effective governance for centuries both before and since, especially since. Many of the iconic public works projects, if investigated and audited meticulously would reveal that many within the government and closely tied to people in the governance and especially with the planning of public works gained great wealth. Be the works be a huge clock in the middle of London, a great dock providing thousands of new jobs in Amsterdam or almost any public work one could mention.

 

 

So, how can the vast majority of this corruption, this theft of the public treasure be prevented? The quickest would be to subject politicians and public servants (government workers) to the same laws as the public and demand an accounting of their incomes and investments as well as careful auditing of all contracts. Make all government bids by law be the final price charged with no cost overruns, no additional surprises, and no adjustments or new demands during production that allow for fudging numbers and hiding payouts. Adding that whatever the estimated date of delivery be set such that any time overrun resulting in a percentage of the initial payments budgeted being returned to government as a means of compensating the public for these delays. This would force defense contractors to make realistic and exacting bids instead of making a lowball bid knowing they can increase the cost through delays and cost overrun demands after the initial bid is accepted. The F-35 JSF is a prime example with it coming to delivery a good part of a decade late with cost overruns and technical problems resulting in the price of each fighter costing a good deal closer to double the expected and quoted price. Had these costs been included in the initial bid it is quite possible that the bid might have gone to a competitor. The current development and bidding system used by government contractors, especially in the defense industry, is to guess at what it might cost and to make a bid at three-quarters of that estimate completely confident that the remainder and more sufficient to make the profit desired as well as cover any difficulties along the way. This is a legalized form for guaranteeing theft. If, on the other hand, contractors were made to provide what they promised for the price they bid, and not a plug nickel over, then the bids would be far more realistic and shades higher to cover the expected of the unexpected, or should we simply call it the unplanned snags and other complications. This would allow the government and the voting public, should they be interested, to understand, and know ahead of time, exactly what projects will cost. Currently the public knows that the quoted bids are a ruse and perhaps if they were guaranteed these bids would be the exact delivery price the public might take a real interest. As things are, why bother with the bidding when one really need wait as long as a decade to find out the actual delivery price because there is little or no actual oversight.

 

Government needs to become a business, not a joke, a poke in the dark where truth is a rare commodity and concealed misappropriation the rule of thumb. If a butcher ran his store as governments are run his scale would be off by 10% and he would often have his thumb on the scale as well. Nothing would be as it appears and the rule of buyer be wary would be most necessary. Governments, when designed in democratic based nations, are presumed to be open and to be overseen by the people who by being informed can make solid and reasoned votes for their representatives. Oh, if only this were true. The reality is we elect our candidates or parties, pending on whether we have a representative democracy or a parliamentary system, according to elaborate shows designed to thrill and titillate the public with elaborate deceptions designed to sell the product making it appear more responsible than the governance’s results. The entire production is very Hollywood and just as much a fantasy. This all results in a governance just as deceptive as are the campaigns and the people depicted therein. There is an easy way which we can attest from our experience in running a campaign for the United States House of Representatives where we spent at most $10,000 and received more voted per dollar than either of our high priced opponents despite not quite garnering 3% of the vote (still the record for third party candidates where we ran). Now we feel it is important to point out that this was a campaign for a job which pays $174,000 per year (current salary) for two years for a total of $348,000 total before having to run again. Our two opponents each spent very close to the same amount on their campaigns which was estimated to have been that one spent $1,200,000 and the other spent $2,200,000. These figures for our opponents do not include PAC and Party funds and advertising. Please explain how that explains spending for a job paying $348,000 which only one of us had even a dream of showing a profit unless something else was going on. And Americans complain they cannot figure out what is wrong with their governance. Of course this is not something peculiar to the United States but exists in every government across the world. Democratic nations probably suffer the least from such deception as they do kind of have to answer to the people and when the people get upset, that distress trumps all else. In dictatorial regimes the difference is far more marked as the ruling elite get the best of what is available, that is when there is a best of available to be had. In those places suffering the worst governances imaginable, such as North Korea and Venezuela, eating and having even the necessities can be considered an extravagance. Until we return to Hashem ruling the people or machines keeping humans as their pets, there will be those people using the government for self-enrichment. Always has been and always will be, or so it appears.

 

Beyond the Cusp

 

Palestinian Elections Cancelled Again and Why

 

There was little if any surprise when the local elections in the Arab Palestinian Authority Areas and Gaza were cancelled. We understood that the probable results would very likely place Hamas representatives elected over anyone thought to be acting under orders from the Palestinian Authority (PA). The elections were shaping up to be a vote of no confidence over the lack of any real and meaningful progress towards peace with Israel. The reality would be something far different as wherever the PA currently ruled the elections would favor Hamas and in Hamas controlled areas there would be internecine killing as well. The groups of Arab populations who live under either the PA or Hamas would be seeking new leadership and this would necessarily start at the local areas. The problem is that neither the PA nor Hamas can allow their citizenry to elect people from the other side. As each is not exactly popular whence they rule, neither would consider elections to be to their advantage. Further, both sides have good reason to suspect the elections on the other side would be tainted and that the reality would come down to who counted the votes, not who cast them. That is the real reason the elections were cancelled, neither side was willing to subject the local political base under each respective population to be allowed openly to vote for the representatives in their own neighborhoods. Had the elections gone forward there would have necessarily been bloodshed as part of the campaign on both sides in an attempt to strengthen their grip on their respective areas. Hamas representatives and candidates would be arrested in Judea and Samaria to ensure they would have no direct effect upon the elections and Hamas would remedy their problem in a similar manner just with less media attention.

 

Israel also has reason to be relieved as the elections were poised to give Hamas large areas of control in Judea and Samaria. Hamas would have retained their control over local governance in Gaza by any means necessary which would have resulted in murders of any remaining PA sympathizers. Similar actions would take place where the PA rules except Hamas sympathizers would have simply been jailed and not permitted to vote and the most adamant of the Hamas representatives would have met with a fatal accident. Further, should these local elections have occurred, then both sides would have taken drastic and direct actions to retain their control. The rulers in Gaza, Hamas, and Judea and Samaria, the PA, have both become quite unpopular to a large segment if not a majority of their constituents for similar reasons. Where there being no hope of any final peace with Israel, a governance of Kleptocrats stealing them blind and no peace talks by the PA being scheduled and no reconstruction instead of tunnel building in Gaza has made both segments of their populations ready to demand change. The change might also take the form of local leaders more willing to work with the Israelis than with their respective governments and possibly even demanding relief from either Hamas or PA rule. There is far too much money being siphoned off by both sides to permit any threat to their road to untold wealth. The most obvious recipients of said siphoned funds are Mahmoud Abbas, Khaled Mashal and Ismail Haniyeh respectively; multimillionaire or potentially billionaires all (see picture below).

 

Mahmoud Abbas, Khaled Mashal and Ismail Haniyeh

 

The concept that there is no money to be made in terrorism has been proven time and again to be a fallacy. For the terrorists presumably fighting against Israel, fighting against the Jews and their Jewish State, the world is willing to spend an unlimited amount of money to undo what they believe was their biggest mistake ever, the founding of Israel. Israel was founded under the premise that the Arab forces would remove it immediately after it was founded and they got the united Arab States surrounding Israel (Syria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Yemen and various militia forces, plus the Mufti of Jerusalem’s forces, the precursors to Hamas and PA) to all attack Israel as stated yesterday with the map below. These combined forces had some initial success but were soon being repulsed requiring the world to demand ceasefire after ceasefire allowing the Arab Armies which were in disarray to regroup. Each time the results were the same, initial Arab gains due to surprise as they were breaking the truce and Israeli forces were presumably in stand-down rather than combat modes.

 

Initial Invasion Routes by Arab Armies on May 15, 1948

 

The Israelis still managed to turn things around rapidly and had the fighting been permitted to last longer it became obvious that the Jews would regain all the areas they had not had control after the initial burst on the morning of May 15, 1948 immediately after the British pulled out and presumably before the Israelis had gotten organized into some form of command structure tying all the disparate defensive groups together. The final result left Syria in command of the high ground of the Golan Heights, Egypt holding Gaza and Jordan occupying Judea and Samaria which they annexed illegally and renamed it something less Jewish, namely the West Bank. All of these territories were liberated by Israel in the Six Day War forced by massed troops on both northern and southern borders and the eventual joining the futile effort of Egypt and Syria despite Israeli pleas for them to remain out of the hostilities, thus allowing Israel to liberate the large areas of Judea and Samaria. The world is still pressing to force Israel back to the perilous 1949 Armistice Lines which with modern weaponry is completely indefensible while the movement for Israel to simply annex all of Judea and Samaria would leave Israel defendable with the Jordan River, Dead Sea and Golan Heights as her eastern borders (see maps below).

 

The Real Truth About Israel in
Stark Relief Graphically Displayed
Compared Indefensible Mid-Section
vs. Annexed Judea Samaria and Gaza

 

With an Israel midsection cut back to the mere nine miles would allow for any new Arab invasion force to immediately cut Jerusalem from Tel Aviv making any forces or Israelis left in Jerusalem facing a similarly deadly situation as they were in 1948 when the identical strike was made and only through a herculean effort were Israeli forces able to reconnect to Jerusalem in the final days, actually hours, before the Armistice Lines were set as the front lines of contiguous forces, the reason a breakthrough to Jerusalem to relieve those still holed up there and make some claim to this holiest of Jewish cities. After cutting off Jerusalem the heart of Israel could be bombarded by direct and indirect fire from atop the Judean Hills western ledge which rises fifteen-hundred to over twenty-five-hundred feet overlooking the coastal plains below. Tel Aviv and even its central district with the tallest buildings in Israel are all clearly seen from the heights. Further, even today the old adage of he with the high ground had the advantage holds some validity. The damage which could be unloaded simply using mortars, light artillery and tank fire for fifteen to thirty minutes would prove devastating even should Israel then repulse the assaulting forces. One would not need to rely on rockets or even use aircraft to devastate Israel from the Judean Hills (they are actually mountains as seen in images below).

 

Images from Northern and Southern Coastal Plains
Looking East at Judean Hills (TOP)
and From Ridgeline of Judean Hills
Looking West Overlooking Coastal Plain (Bottom)

 

By now the reasoning on why Israel must annex all of the West Bank including all of Jerusalem is far more clear and when one adds in the defensibility of the Jordan River and accompanying Valley, which must be climbed by any invading force including armor, the reasons become even more evident (see map from Jordan Valley to the Mediterranean Sea below). Giving away the high ground and the defensive virtual wall, which is the Jordan River Valley from which there are at most five passes allowing traveling to the heart of Israel, and it becomes even more vitally obvious.

 

Cutaway View of Tactical Advantage and Necessity
of the Jordan Valley and Judean Hills for Defending
Coastal Plains and Israel Alongside the Mediterranean Sea

 

Finally, back to the cancelled local election for all of the Palestinian Arabs under both the PA in Judea and Samaria and Hamas in Gaza and why this is simply the final nail in any potential for peace with Israel. First and foremost it must be stressed and stressed until it is fully understood everywhere, Israel had nothing to do with the cancelling of the elections. Mahmoud Abbas and the Fatah political arm of the PLO who also is President of the PA, simply put Abbas rules every possible entity controlling the PA areas, he cancelled the elections claiming difficulty in oversight in Gaza and other miscellaneous reasons. Hamas immediately followed up claiming they were postponing the Gaza elections as well. Abbas had already claimed he was cancelling the elections for all of the Palestinian Arab areas. Still, Hamas had to interject their control over Gaza as they cannot permit the PA or Fatah or any other organization where Abbas rules to make any decisions for Gaza. So Hamas rules Gaza except where Islamic Jihad and even Islamic State decide they are going to go rogue and fire rockets and mortars at Israel. This places Hamas in a tight squeeze as anything they do to end the shooting at Israel makes them appear to be doing the IDF’s job of policing any attacks on Israel. The groups who would challenge Hamas for control in Gaza already have labeled Hamas as Israeli border guards.

 

Meanwhile the PA rules with Hamas elected to the parliament but their representatives are not permitted to attend meetings from Gaza. There are also Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Islamic State amongst others who are all prepared to shoot it out in Judea and Samaria to unseat Fatah and take over the PA. Then there are the least fortunate from amongst the Arab Palestinians from Judea, Samaria or Gaza who simply desire peace and to get on with a normal life. They would love to increase their cash flow and be as wealthy as are the Israelis. They also know they must never utter even the slightest expression of dissatisfaction with whichever group rules their little corner in “Hell,” be it Judea, Samaria or Gaza. So we have the terrorists who if they are of rank are well paid and living high. If they are the family of a Shahada, a Martyr, then they will receive a salary commensurate with the numbers of Israelis their family member murdered and injured and how serious were the injuries. If one committed a terror act and survived and were arrested, they too receive payments while in prison and their family once they are out. This payment too is commensurate with the numbers of Israelis they murdered and injured and how serious were the injuries. These payments are often higher, sometimes by multiples as high as six times, than the salaries of the PA workers who have jobs in the governing bodies. They make more than the members of the police force and many of these terrorists who have blood on their hands for murdering Israelis are also police officers and usually higher ranking members of their enforcement services. Then there is Force 17 started way back by Yasser Arafat. These fighters, almost all terrorists, often convicted but released in one of those thousands for a single Israeli, and receive healthy salaries. If you are starting to believe that the most profitable business a family can easily build would be to sacrifice a few of the more troublesome children in terror suicide bombings or other terror attack pretty much guaranteed to end with their death, and then the family is rewarded and no longer need worry about working. Where does all this money come from to pay these terrorists’ families? Where else, the United Nations through United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) which gets their funds mostly from the United States, European Union and various European governments. The United States, European Union and various European governments also give hundreds of millions to the PA, who passes knowingly half the monies to Hamas as protection as well for them to carry out attacks, of which a fair share is given to the terrorists and their families. But these funds are paid only as long as no money is diverted to terrorist activities, is that the claim? Well, it appears that everybody involved has agreed to accept Mahmoud Abbas assurances given while meeting once each year at the General Assembly of the United Nations opening ceremonies where Abbas gives a speech to a standing ovation and the Prime Minister of Israel also gives a speech at which point well over two-thirds of the representatives walk out. What was the question about funds not being used for terror again? Trust that nobody cares in all honesty and it is all a farcical circus where nobody in Israel is amused outside of some diehard leftists.

 

So, who does one talk to in order to establish a viable and terror-free Palestinian State? Even dropping the terror-free part, who is the one representing the majority of Palestinians? Even more poignant, who does one talk to who represents the Palestinians who want to build a working democratic state free of Kleptocrats who steal everything that is not nailed down? The answer to all the above questions is the same, nobody on the face of the earth outside of the supporters for Israel and the few Arabs stuck under the oppressive rule of either Hamas or the PA really care. The idea of a Palestinian State is simply a visor hiding the multitude of Arabs who back the destruction of Israel and a second Holocaust despite many not believing there ever was a first Holocaust. Here is where it starts to get confusing. Also desiring the end of Israel are the multitude of European Union and European government political leaders, rank and file and many moneyed interests which include George Soros for one and many others all who share the concept that the biggest mistake Europe ever made was the formation of Israel.

 

They reject Israel because it stands for the Jews who represent Torah and morality and the rule of law over the rule of men. Of course all these people desiring the end of Israel view themselves as part of the men part who rule the world from above all laws. Israel represents man’s covenant with Hashem and thus represent Hashem Whose Law is absolute and stands above all mankind. There are those in the United States who would also love little more than to be rid of Israel. This includes President Obama, Socialist Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton, and a host of other extreme left-wingers and extreme right-wingers. We are speaking of the Pat Buchanan, Lew Rockwell, and the late Joseph Sobran. As we have pointed out before repeatedly, the Democrat National Convention for the past four and possibly six or longer have voted against placing any reference to Hashem or standing with Israel or that their Capital City be Jerusalem. They are against moving the United States Embassy to Jerusalem, but they have a consulate in Jerusalem to service Palestinians though it is located safely deep within Western Jerusalem, the newer parts of the city and not near the Temple Mount or East Jerusalem.

 

Yes, there are conspiracies which have as their aim the termination of the State of Israel and many would really appreciate following that up with making the final solution a done deed most foul. There have been such people ever since the Israelites received Torah at Mount Sinai. The first to try and harm the Israelites after they had left Egypt was the Amalekites (if memory serves me) who preyed on the weak, the feeble, the old and those who were unable to keep up the pace and straggled behind. It was this unkind opportunism amongst other deeds so foul that the Israelites are instructed to never forget Amalek and to be prepared for them in every generation. This name became the reference for anyone who plagued the Israelites and eventually the Jews. We are also warned that in every generation there will be one who rises up against us. I may not speak for all Israelis and especially not for all Jews, but I have beseeched Hashem to please make it just one. Still, the promise to the Zionist Congress was the Jordan River was to be our eastern border and still is under international law. We gave away our claim to Gaza, so that is gone for as long as they desire to live in peace.

 

We should also offer to allow the PA and their people, the Arab Palestinians, to make the choice we are to proffer to the Canaanites. We will allow them some lands and as long as they live there in peace and obey the Seven Noahic Codes we will live at peace with them. They may choose to leave at which point we wish them well and will not follow after them for any reason and especially not to do them harm for they left in peace. Finally, if none of these are acceptable and they instead choose war, they need to understand the full ramifications of that act. Choosing war is an absolute choice and we will war with them until every last man, woman, child, cattle, crops and stores have been utterly destroyed. This is done so that we cannot be accused of making such a war for gains of their properties, thus we destroy everything leaving nothing for us to gain. The land was already ours and they resided amongst us under stipulation that they reside peaceably and obey the Noahic Code. It is understandable that they will refuse that offer but a percentage may come to us and surrender desiring to live amongst us as we require and make themselves separate from those who desire complete war. That will be a difficult decision which will not likely be mine to make, bless Hashem for that favor. Were I to be in that position I would likely take them at their word but warn them that if even one were to break the agreement they would all pay as they had now been warned twice. But as things stand, there is no one person with whom any peace can be established. Abbas has adamantly exclaimed that the only peace he will accept is Israel destroyed and an Islamic State to be built on the ashes of the Jewish people who were slaughtered to the last one. This is the creed by which Abbas rules, this plus speaking at every opportunity declaring that the Palestinians must cleanse the land and the earth itself of the Jews such that all others may live as they please. What is the real shame is Abbas sees nothing wrong with what he demands and believes that by murdering the Jews he will reach a greater salvation. He believes that his religion demands such of him and the Muslim peoples. Those are not beliefs of a person with whom any form of peace can be attained and is the final nail in the coffin of the two state solution as almost everyone has decided to follow Abbas descending to the most base form of humanity short of cannibalism, genocide.

 

Beyond the Cusp 

 

Some Ideas Never Die; Such as the Oslo Accords

 

Truly some ideas never die even when they have long passed their use-by-date. The Oslo Accords are one such set of ideas which died the day that President William Jefferson Clinton handed to Yasser Arafat, after beating Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak into complete submission, everything he had demanded and Arafat walked out without a word and started the Second Intifada. It was later revealed that Arafat had planned the Second Intifada as the Palestinian answer to not getting their demands at the Camp David negotiations and still insisted that Israeli resistance to a common peace was the reason for the violence. Over a thousand Israelis were murdered and tens of thousands were injured, many with permanent and severe damage from the bombings with bolts and screws lodged permanently next to their spines, hearts and other organs or jammed into their brains all inoperable due to location. Many lost limbs, an eye or both eyes and other disfigurements. The Second Intifada, on top of Arafat refusing to make peace even after his terms were met, defined the situation and should have been the post mortem for the Oslo Accords. Arafat’s understudy and successor, Mahmoud Abbas, has often made clear to any willing to translate his Arabic speeches that the only peace he will allow Israel is the peace of the grave. As the pro-Palestinian protesters throughout Western countries chant ad-nauseam, “From the River to the Sea, Palestine must be free.” The word ‘free’ in this chant has a double meaning, the obvious that all of Israel is Palestine and secondly that every Jew will have been eradicated as Palestine must be Judenrein. Abbas has flatly stated even in English that should they be forced into accepting a shared state beside Israel, it will simply serve as the launching pad for the remainder of the conquest and eradication of the Zionist Entity. Even his saying Israel is difficult for this man and his band of minions.

 

What is truly sad is not only the number of Western leaders who remain sold on the Oslo two states for two peoples principle; it is the number of Israeli military and intelligence leadership who also are still sold on these lies and deceptions. There never has been any Oslo agreement because the understanding of the two sides were as divergent as possible. Israel saw them as the opportunity for peace and cooperation and the Palestinian leadership, with the support of the Arab world behind them, saw it as taqiyyah, a deceit used against an infidel in order to advance Islamic interests and conquest. The concept of taqiyyah is well established and understood by any first year graduate student in Middle Eastern studies programs; and if not, they should find a different area of study. The problem is that peace is such a universal and central structure in Western thought and philosophies, as are negotiations and dealing honestly and forthrightly, that to believe that things are otherwise is difficult, though possible if one tries and concentrates on exactly what the other side says to their own people. What makes things more difficult is that the liberal leftist media and populations refuse to allow themselves, under any circumstance, to believe that peace might be impossible to attain in any situation. If the left today were faced with the onset of World War II, they would negotiate and negotiate until the free world consisted of some small atoll in the South Pacific surrounded by Japanese and German naval vessels, and they would be negotiating still. There is also the little fact that Israel is seen as the Jew amongst nations and as such has a separate and impossible set of expectations which are made worse by the leftist Jews, such as those who make up J-street and other similar groups, who also apply this absurd demand that Israel sacrifice and sacrifice with no end to how much or how far the sacrifice demanded be, as they are not the ones who will pay the price. Some have even gone so far as to claim, what do the Israelis have to lose in sacrificing for peace as they can always come and live in the United States. This is, in and of itself, an absurd piece of illogic not to mention, history has shown what happens when Jews face death and try to rely on the good graces of the Western nations.

 

We recently read an article on Politico targeting Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu over his disagreement with the outspoken and mostly retired military and intelligence corps, and how such a disagreement is leading Israel dangerously close to fascism. It was the author’s, and we trust the editors’ as well, that Israelis would be better led by its military and intelligence officers than under their elected leader. The article is titled Netanyahu vs. the Generals and went on and on endlessly stating the same tired logic as if repetition and quoting every last individual supporting the spitefulness against Netanyahu would eventually wear the reader down. The piece might actually be the opening shot across the bow announcing the candidacy of Ehud Barak for Prime Minister. Small hint to those in agreement, should Israelis have a choice between Ehud Barak and virtually any moderate or even extremist right wing politician, Barak would lose convincingly. Where his reputation is not nearly that of Guy Fawkes, the disasters attached to his time as Prime Minister preclude his ever holding that position for as long as Israelis have memories of his atrocious policy choices, of which the hasty and disorganized routing retreat from Lebanon is just the beginning of the highlight reel. For the record neither of us supported Likud and in one case, at least, Bibi Netanyahu was much of the reason why as there are numerous other Likud members who would very easily garner our votes, but that is up to the Likudnics to decide. We realize that changes take time, so time will tell.

 

British Mandate as prescribed division between Arab State of Jordan and Jewish State of Israel

 

As far as peace with the Palestinians, we need realize that the term Palestinian once meant the Jews residing under British Mandate rule while at those times the Arabs were known as Arabs or Palestinian Arabs as compared to Palestinian Jews. One also need remember that this was during the period when both Jordan and Israel were simply the Mandate. Eventually the plan was enacted and Jordan became the Arab State and Israel the Jewish State. The most obvious difference was Israel permitted Arabs, whether practicing Muslims, Christians, Jews or any other or no religion, to remain residing with full rights as citizens, while Jordan expelled any Jew ever to come within their area under their control. That was made most evident after they conquered by force of arms in an offensive war parts of Judea and Samaria, renamed it West Bank, and evicted every last Jew under pain of death, gifting their lands to people favored by the government and destroyed every Synagogue and Jewish religious academy within said lands. The adopting of Palestinian by the Arabs was just one part of their adoption of all of Jewish history with some simple adjustments in an effort to claim them and not the Israelites, the Jews, were the earliest surviving peoples from these areas. Anybody familiar with Judeo-Christian religions knows this to be a deceit and even more so if they are knowledgeable of Islamic and Arab history, as the Arabs did not venture forth from the Arabian Peninsula until the Seventh Century. That date is almost, if not, two millennia after the Israelites arrived from their Exodus from Egypt; one might be familiar with this as there is a book of the Old Testament with the same name. If we were to count from the times when Abraham first arrived in the land, we would need close to another half of a millennia if not more. Their deceit can only last as long as people continue to give their lies credence, which they do at their own peril. Such brings us to our next discussion, the awakening of the Western World.

 

For most of the past century plus the casualty of Islamic violence has been the Jewish communities in the area of Israel both before the birth of the nation in 1948 and continuously afterwards starting with the invasion by multiple armies the morning of her birth. India and Russia had rather publicly covered conflicts and numerous African nations have also been subjected to violence as have much of the Balkans. Then there have been the intra-Islamic violence. It has only been the turn of the Twenty-First Century which has brought continued and sustained Islamic violence to the Western World. What is going to be instructive is exactly how the developed world reacts to the onslaught of Islamic violence. Of further interest will be whether or not their views and demands upon Israel are altered even in the slightest as a result of these experiences. Russia has shown Israel a fair degree of respect and freedom to act as necessary while not giving full measure as they also keep relations with the Muslim nations such as with Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Syria; for it is with Syria they hold their Mediterranean warm water Atlantic Naval ports.

 

Beyond this, the longest standing restrictions on Islamic activities belong with Japan. Many are unaware but Japan has always refused Muslims permanent residence status in their lands. Further, Muslims may not own property, may not operate a business and the worship of Islam is banned. Needless to point out but no Mosque may ever be built on Japanese soil. Muslim tourism is permitted but any Muslim tourist caught conducting any form of Islamic instructions or otherwise attempting to spread the word of Islam is summarily and immediately deported along with their entire family; and if with a group, then the entire group is deported. The Japanese treat Islam as if it were a dread plague that once taking a foothold could threaten life on their islands. If the news is accurate, and we see no reason to disbelieve our sources, Cuba has recently refused permission for a Mosque to be built on their island, Cuba, that’s right, Cuba! Angola is but the first in alphabetical order of African nations enacting some limit if not outright ban on Islam.

 

In Europe the latest trend has been in opposition to Angela Markel‘s open door policy for Muslims with Norway having deported many hundreds resulting in a better than 50% drop in felonies. This is allowing their police to attend to other functions rather than putting out crime emergencies twenty-four-seven for the first time since the ‘refugees’ began arriving. Additionally there have been reports of attacks against Mosques and Muslims with some areas becoming so unfriendly that the Muslims are deporting themselves back to their home nations. The Czech Republic has flat banned Islam from their country declaring it to be an evil. Muslims in Ireland have reached the conclusion that they are less than welcome and in Belfast, as a start, the Muslims have been departing for home sweet home and this appears to be the trend across all of Northern Ireland. The British Home Secretary is preparing legislations which, though not expressly stating their application to Muslims, are aimed at curtailing anti-social behavior and allowing greater leeway in deporting or using other lesser methods to control an out of hand situation. The Polish Defense League has issued a warning to Muslims against their continuing certain behaviors and sixteen states have drafted legislation banning Sharia. A number of states in America are entertaining laws banning Sharia or any foreign code of laws all aimed at preventing the use of Sharia. China has imprisoned twenty-two Imams for preaching hate and anti-China themes and has executed eighteen jihadists. China is additionally stamping out any campaigns for separatism especially in the largely Islamic western province of Xinjiang. Muslim prayers are banned in government buildings and schools in China. Our last example of such measures comes from the Netherlands where a group of Ministers of Parliament are calling for the closure and destruction of all Mosques. One Minister stated “We want to clean Netherlands of hateful Islam.” He did not differentiate hateful Islam from any other form of Islam. Speaking on behalf of the right wing Party for Freedom, a nationalist party, Minister of the Dutch Parliament Machiel De Graaf stated, “All Mosques in the Netherlands should be shut down. Without Islam the Netherlands would be a wonderful, safe country to live in, as it was before the arrival of Muslim ‘refugees’.”

 

The world appears to slowly be awakening to the real face of Islam; a violent and unruly cult more desirous of ruling the world than of acting in what the rest of the world believes is a religious manner. Every other previous imperialist religion, Christianity, Shinto, Hindu and any others, have all been reformed and now stand side by side with all these religions seeking peaceful coexistence and mutual assistance. The exception to this rule is obvious, Islam. When Mosques are discovered in numerous countries to contain more rifles, grenades, bombs and bomb making material than prayer rugs and prayer books, then there is a definite problem. As the developed world realizes, along with the rest of the world, this threat for what it is, it is hoped that they will apply their learned knowledge to the situation in Israel. This could finally allow the solution which should have been applied immediately after the Six Day War, Israel attaining her originally promised borders, which includes the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, and those previous Jordanian citizens and their families deported to the Arab nation of their choosing willing to receive them, or into Syria. The double standard cannot be continued after the truth has been driven home that Islam does not play well with others and is treacherous to the continued health of any nation it inhabits. What is good for the European nations and the world in general must, in all fairness, also be permitted Israel. To do otherwise is pure anti-Semitism, and this time that is an accurate accusation and an accurate application of the terminology.

 

Beyond the Cusp