Yumm Foot!

Sometimes you just wish politicians knew when not to talk. I think this is one of those cases. Whoever was concerned in Japan about having a Catholic prime minister has nothing to be worried about. I've met ten year-old's that were better at exegesis than him. Maybe he just really likes the taste of his own foot?

Interesting Suggestion

I think Ryan Harkin's suggestion makes a lot of sense...but I just wonder whether Israel or any other (sane) country would opt for that while they are being fired upon.

http://the-american-catholic.com/2009/01/07/a-suggestion-for-israel/

Petition to Block Tax-Funded Abortions

Saw this over at American Papist and figured I may as well post it here since I have a handful of Pro-Life readers (if anyone is still coming here):

Petition to block our tax money from funding abortions

What's with the slant?

I just can't tell if it's all politically motivated or if it's something that some people are eating/drinking/breathing. I understand that certain nationalities/ethnicities relate to other countries differently, but I can't understand any rational (keyword) support for Hamas. To make this clear, it is a tragedy that Palestinian innocents are dying, but it is not Israel's fault.

If Mexico were constantly firing rockets into Texas, even despite ceasefire agreements, how long do you think we would wait before retaliating? The fact is, we wouldn't care if the rest of the world denounced us for fighting back. If Mexico were firing missiles at us from Tijuana, for example, and we killed some civilians by firing back, we would ask what the hell the Mexican military was doing with missiles in a non-military zone or what civilians were doing in/near a military base.

In my mind there is little doubt that Hamas is using its civilian population as a shield to hide behind.

Even Palestians know this:

http://hotair.com/archives/2009/01/06/ap-two-residents-saw-hamas-firing-mortars-near-un-school/

http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2009/01/06/2009-01-06_from_her_lips_to_gods_ear_the_fury_of_a_.html

Two summarize the above two bits of reporting, two Palestian witnesses contacted the Associated Press and told them that soldiers were firing mortars from near a school.

A grieving Palestinian mother who lost her daughter cried out for HAMAS, not Israel, to be exterminated by God.

How is it, then, that we have demonstrators decrying Israel? Even now, as third parties are trying to set up 3-hour ceasefires in order to deliver food and humanitarian aid to the embattled civilians in Gaza, peace is failing. Why? Because Hamas fires at Israel and Israel retaliates. But would you just sit there while being fired upon? 

Meanwhile the UN and the EU are worthless, as usual.

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/01/07/israel.gaza/index.html

About the school mentioned above, from which Hamas soldiers were firing mortars:

"We are 99.9 percent certain that there were no militants. There were no militant activities in the school or in the school compound," said Gunness of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency."

What? There are reported witnesses! Someone is pushing an agenda, and it stinks.

Edit:

Another example of what I perceive to be an unfair bias, from CNN.com:

"But minutes after the three-hour truce was set to begin at 1 p.m., Israeli forces fired at militants in the Hamas-ruled Palestinian territory.

The strikes came after militants targeted Israeli forces "almost immediately," Israeli Defense Ministry spokesman Peter Lerner said."

Note how the construction of these sentences implies that Israel broke the creasefire. Three hours into it, "Isreali forces fired at militants in the Hamas-ruled...territory." THEN the article says that Hamas struck first. Here's how I would have worded the same idea:

"Only minutes after the three-hour truce was set to begin, Israel responded to an attack made by Palestinian militants."

I think the qualification of self-defense is a crucial point that many media (and government) sources are failing to make.  If we agree not to fight and you hit me, YOU broke the agreement, not I when I hit you back.

Jukin 6

Next episode should be up shortly...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9K6Cm9u7UDI

Edit: Yes, it's up.

An appropriate song

I wouldn't go so far as to say distance doesn't matter at all, but it's becoming more and more true each year that passes, isn't it?

With the internet, it's a relatively simple matter to stay connected to friends and family back home or to strangers around the globe. On that note, here's a song by a vlogger I've taken note of in recent months, worldismarble. Having been working on my own "international experience" vlog, I've checked out some others, and I'm quite impressed by the musical dabblings of this vlogger who up until recently was studying abroad in London. Anyway, here's her latest music video, guest starring her sister: Simple Promises. I really dig the harmony.

Edit: Here's another of her songs that is quite catchy and well-done.

P.S. As some of you may know, it is not easy to write songs. Gah.

What's to come in 2009

No one knows, but here are some thoughtful (and some amusing) predictions by the denizens of the American Catholic.

Darwin Catholic and John Henry predict that the FOCA will not pass; I pray they're right!

Minnesota's Machine?

Corrupt Politics: IL, NJ, and now MN? (Stupid Politics: NY, at least)

Looks like Al Franken is being declared the victor of Minnesota's US Senate seat race. These things don't surprise me anymore, but they continue to disappoint. I suppose it's just coincidence that every decision by election officials (and pushed by Democrat Mark Ritchie, MN Secretary of State) has favored Franken, and that while it was initially important to make sure ALL votes were (re)counted, certain Coleman-leaning counties have not yet performed their recounts...yet Franken is already being declared winner!

Another clown for the Senate. After Caroline and Burris, this comes as little surprise, however. 

New York, Old Families

I liked living on Long Island, but in some ways I'm glad to be out of New York (not that MD is a hell of a lot better, politically). 

Took me a while to stomach (or forget about) Hillary riding Bill's tails and carpetbagging her way to one of New York's US Senate seats. Now New York is about to be paid the honor of allowing Sweet bumbling Caroline to take Hillary's place. Seriously, though, what's with the aristocracy? 

I guess Americans just love to be ruled represented by celebrities.

Story here.

Yay Romance!

It really does exist. According to science, that is. And as we all know, if science doesn't prove it, it probably doesn't exist. [Rolly eyes]