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July 3, 2024 3:21 pm at 3:21 pm in reply to: Israeli Generals, Low on Munitions, Want a Truce in Gaza #2294635akupermaParticipant
The threat of war on the north is more serious. Unlike Hamas, Hezbollah never had restrictions on arming itself (thanks to the cooperation from the Lebanese government and the Iranians), and Iran may become directly involved (and already has substantial troops in the area). Gaza is a relative sideshow, and perhaps a mere diversionary tactic. The possibility of at attack from Hezbollah, assisted by Syria and Iran, is existential for Israel, Gaza is an annoying mosquito bite.
One should remember that the United States is not geared up for a full scale war, and both presidential candidates are somewhat anti-war, and more importantly, Russia and China and control of Europe and East Asia, are much more important to the USA than the Middle East (and unlike 1973, the US is a major oil exporter, so a disruption of Middle Eastern oil make North American oil more valuable and more profitable).
akupermaParticipantSam Klein: They have always been having such storms along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. The indigenous peoples (the Indians) didn’t build their communities along the coasts. The Europeans didn’t get the message, and it seems that building in areas likely to be flooded is a minhag – encouraged by the Federal government. Less of Ha-Shem being mad, as the goyim being dumb.
The wildfires have long been present in California, and were noted by the first Europeans to visit the region. The Californians for some reason like to build in areas that are likely to engulfed by wildfires. While such areas are good for camping, or forest related businesses – they really should not be “zoned” for permanent settlement. Construction in earthquakes in another trait (though the Israelis do so as well).
Of course one could say Ha-Shem makes the goyim stupid as an act of Hessed to the Yidden (to make it harder for the goyim to kill us).
akupermaParticipantBeryl is an English name with roots going back to the ancient world, but at no point to any Hebrew or Jewish or even Semitic. I suspect its use by Jews reflected a desire to assimilate (cf: Moshe who became Morris, Aharon who became Arnold, etc.).
June 28, 2024 10:33 am at 10:33 am in reply to: Why do we mainly ignore the Lakewood tragedy? #2293577akupermaParticipant1. It is Lashon Ho’ra.
2. There is nothing you can do about it, or could have done about it.June 24, 2024 1:50 pm at 1:50 pm in reply to: Alvin Bragg – a District Attorney who lacks any Ethics #2292570akupermaParticipantHe is very ethical and lets his sense of ethics guide his work. He knows to try to throw Trump in jail on absurd charges (paying off a blackmailer is legal, the blackmailer is the criminal, not the victim). He understands that Trump is be definition the enemy of the people and needs to be in prison, and since the Constitution prohibits Bills of Attainder, he uses the tools available.
He also knows that Jews are “our misfortune” as the goyim say, and that those demanding the elimination of the Jews are doing a public service and should of course not be prosecuted.
Bragg’s perceptions of ethics reflect the mainstream of the American left, and the Democratic party. The problem are the “useful idiots” who enable those with such beliefs to come to power and use their power to implement their anti-democratic agenda.
akupermaParticipantIt was much easier to do “deep fakes” prior to the 19th century, when they used artists (with very corruptible human intelligence).
If you were clever, it could be with photography,
Modern ones tend to be obviously fake, and the ease of doing them means no one will trust a photo.As for Biden, he appears to be as mentally and physically able as most people his age. Of course, most people “throw in the towel” prior to turning 70, and probably the country would be better or if Trump and Biden were content with being retired.
akupermaParticipantsmerel: The Palestinian governments (included Hamas, which is the elected government of Gaza) have both tight control over their territory, plus the advantage that anyone who is going to object is likely to have left the country rather than being executed (which was not really an option in Germany once the war began, especially for citizens of Axis or occupied countries). Also both Gaza and West Bank (areas under Palestinian control) are Judenrein.
akupermaParticipantHamas would have hanged them, probably a long time before, as spies or collaborators.
akupermaParticipantI think the phrase is “Hukas Goyim”. The only aspect of an American school graduation that might be Avodah Zarah would be the statement by a usually Christian clergy person (the “invocation”)-and if that is your standard many government functions would be banned. There is also some reason to suspect that Yidden have historically celebrated accomplishments (more likely with food and drink than with a boring ceremony).
akupermaParticipantActually, no one is quite sure what Trump believes (“America First” or for a strong national defense and support of allies; against all immigration or only against illegals and concerned primarily on impact on employment for American citizens, for or against big government, and for or against states’ rights, etc.). What annoys people about Trump is not his policies, but his rude behavior, which is contrary to how presidents were expected to act (consider the conservative Reagan routinely meeting with the liberal Speaker of the House, and drinking together) Biden is just as confusing and inconsistent on policy as Trump (pro or anti-WOKE, pro-Israel and pro-Ukraine or trying to make sure neither does more than barely survive, pro-working class on tax or wanting to repeal the caps on state taxes and mortgages for the top 10%,etc.), and like Trump, Biden is highly partisan and often insulting.
Both have conventions and platforms coming up, and will be forced to take positions. It will be interesting.
June 9, 2024 2:06 pm at 2:06 pm in reply to: Another (Baltimore) response to the tuition crisis. #2289487akupermaParticipantThere are several obvious ways to solve the tuition crisis:
1. Repeal the halacha about having so many children. Not only does the frum community not even consider this, they actual encourage shiduchim. I bet the LGBTQ people never have a tuition problem.
2. Stop paying teachers a living wage. If they reduced teacher salaries to the levels of 100 years ago, schools would be affordable. What makes you think a teacher needs a roof over this head and a car, or meals and decent clothes. They should work for potatoes.
3. Cut the curriculum. Do we really all those sefarim? What would be wrong with having only two books in Humash, Perhaps skip all those long pieces of the Talmuds – how about mishna only. And all those halachos, Yidden were quite happy in the past when they skipped most of them (where do you think the secular Yidden came from).
4. We can do what most American Jews did 100 years. Hide the yarmulkes (we might need to anyways), get rid of most Yiddishkeit, go to public schools, and assimilate.
OR, WE CAN RESIGN OURSELVES TO HAVING A PERPETUAL TUITION CRISIS, JUST LIKE WE RESIGN OURSELVES TO HIGHER FOOD COSTS, OR LOSING MOST EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES DUE TO BEING SHOMER SHABBOS, AND SAY “BARUCH HA-SHEM, WE ARE TEACHING OUR CHILDREN TO BE JEWS”
June 9, 2024 12:44 pm at 12:44 pm in reply to: Clarence Thomas – A Supreme Court Justice who lacks any Ethics #2289460akupermaParticipantHe accepts money from conservatives who have no cases pending before the courts. Liberal judges know to accept money only from liberals, even if they have cases pending. And even worse, he support civil rights for frum Jews, which is politically incorrect.
akupermaParticipant1, Japan agreed to surrender only when the United States agreed to leave the Emperor alone, and promised to have a democracy (note that arguably Japan was a constitutional monarchy to begin with, as the elected leaders were calling the shots, and they held a free election during the war with anti-war candidates allowed to run).
2. Had the July 1944 conspiracy worked, and it came close, Hitler would have been dead (meanings his “agreement” to anything would not be an issue, the leadership of Germany would be in prison or dead, and the generals led by Rommel would have been in charge and their plan would have included ending the Holocaust and arresting the Gestapo, and suing for peace). While I tend to think the world was better off with the way it did work out, around a million Jews died during those find 10 months.
akupermaParticipantHad Germany surrendered, conditionally, in July 1944 (as would have happened had Rommel replaced Hitler as Fuhrer had the July 20 putsch been successful), perhaps a million Jewish lives would have been saved. And arguably insistence of unconditional surrendered discouraged many Germans from supporting the various anti-Hitler conspiracies.
Note that had the United States stuck with the demand for unconditional surrender from Japan, American deaths in World War II would have been twice what they were, with the Russians ending up with all of Korea and much of Japan.
Particularly since most Arab states (though maybe not the people, only Lebanon anything the resembles routine free elections and it is ,more of resemblance than the real thing) regard Hamas as a pain in the tuchus,, Israel has room to negotiate something gets the surviving hostages (if any) back, disarms Hamas, and leads to Gaza being controlled by someone who won’t be sponsoring terrorism.
akupermaParticipantI can understand why one would change the second part of the username, but there is nothing embarrassing about being from Connecticut.
akupermaParticipantFor a peace plan to work (meaning, to end the war once and for all), it will need to get the Palestinians to recognize that the Jews are the indigenous people of Eretz Yisrael and have a right, that they need to respect, to live there with at least complete security and autonomy. It also requires the Zionists to pacify the Arab Muslims, who after all had been the majority in Eretz Yisrael for over 1000 years (along the situation in North America, where those we call the Americans were the majority in much of the country only since the 19th century).
Given the the Zionists and the Palestinians can’t stand each other, a consistent peace plan is impossible. When the Hareidim become a majority, probably in the life time of those know in Heder, the situation might change since the Chareidim could give up some aspects of sovereignty such as having an Israel team compete at the Olympics or have a Zionist flag at the United Nations, as long as our rights to be frum, and secure, were respected.
akupermaParticipantTrump has been defined as evil and an enemy of the people. If the Democrats wanted a verdict that would discredit him, they would have avoid a jury pool drawn from a county that voted overwhelmingly for Biden. In political tries (which one once very common, especially in the southern states in the Jim Crow), arranging a biased jury pool was a key element in convicting those considered a threat to society (and to a Democrat, Trump is an existential threat to their culture and way of life). Also note that the judge was elected and could lose his job for disobeying the party’s leaders.
I suspect had the trial been in a less biased county (upstate, or at least in Richmond County/Staten Island)), the result would have been different.
No one has ever been prosecuted for such a crime before. In fact, the chief witness was a woman who would have been tried for blackmail in most jurisdictions. Trump is the first person convicted of paying hush money to a blackmailer. Had he been politically correct, he would have been a prosecution witness against the blackmailer.
akupermaParticipantIf you object to the American political system, blame the guy in the mirror? We elect our leaders. If the government is run by corrupt amoral fools, blame the people who elected them.
akupermaParticipantBiden just broke. The Democrats have adopted the Putin/Xi model of dealing with opposition. They have made Trump, of all people, into a champion of individual rights and opposition to abusive criminal justice. The Democrats remain split between a wing that includes many Jews, and a wing that advocates our genocide – and the Republicans (and Libertarians) can work together.
Whatever form of senility Biden has, it seems to be contagious.
akupermaParticipantThink Putin. Except Biden doesn’t have a Gulag to disappear people into. Throwing the head of the opposition into jail on trumped up charges (no pun intended) is something they do in places like Russia and China, not the United States. The Democrats may have had a usable issue by claiming Trump’s behavior on Jan. 6, 2021 was a threat to democracy – but Trump never tried to throw Biden in jail on political charges. Acting like a fascist will not convince anyone except your supporters that the opponent is a fascist, and winning elections in Americas involves getting the non-base in the middle.
akupermaParticipantThe jury is in a bind. The government’s case was pretty bad to begin with, and what they had was presented poorly. Since when it it illegal to pay off a “woman of ill repute”, not to mention that she was probably guilty of extortion and Trump was the victim. However the jury pool was engineered to guarantee to super-blue jury. Unless they convict they’ll go home friends and neighbors blaming them letting the “great Satan” (to borrow from a similarly fanatic culture) go free.
akupermaParticipantBiden’s capitulation (surrender, being chased out like a scared dog with his tail between his legs) from Afghanistan led to both the Iranian sponsored Hamas attack on Oct. 7, as well as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He “talks the talk” about opposing dictators and terrorists, but he stumbles when he tries to walk the walk, and is consistently discouraging effective resistance against the tyrants and terrorists, and instead of building up American’s ability to defend itself and assist allies (which was the reason for Chamberlain’s appeasement in 1039 – he wanted more time to prepare his military for a war, which he did – it wasn’t his fault that France collapsed), Biden’s defense policies are focused on WOKENESS and “D.E.I.”.
So if you are Hamas, Iran, Putin or China – I can understand why you see how much good Biden has done for you, and are grateful.
And I am not saying Trump’s “America First” would be better. It should be remembered that most Americans were “America First “isolationists” on December 6, 1941 – and would have gladly let Hitler conquer and keep Europe. I think it more likely that due to the “Progressive” influence on Biden, going back to his anti-war attitudes 50 years ago, Biden less likely than Trump to turn into a leader willing to opposed the tyrants and terrorists who wish to cut our throats.
May 16, 2024 8:38 am at 8:38 am in reply to: The Four Contemporary Sovereign States That Contain Portions of Eretz Yisroel #2283616akupermaParticipantIt is unclear if you can recognize “Palestine” and “Israel” since Palestine’s borders include all of the territory claimed by the Medinah. Also parts of Eretz Yisrael are probably also in Syria and Egypt (depending on whose views you hold by – it matters in terms of shmittah and holding 2nd day yuntuf).
Note the the word “sovereign” refers to a country (originally a king) being higher than any other king or state, including supremacy over any diety. Thus the concept of being “sovereign” is probably unacceptable to Jews, and Muslims, and anyone else who believes the creator of the world exercises any supervisory function over the world. According to Rashi, Ha-Shem is “sovereign” over the world, including Eretz Yisrael, and allows Jews to have rights there.
May 14, 2024 12:21 pm at 12:21 pm in reply to: There’s Nothing Moderate About the Democrat Party #2283181akupermaParticipantAll large political parties have multiple factions. The only anti-Semitic faction of the Democrats is the “Progressive” (a.k.a. “woke) faction, which for the most part is supporting Hamas’s demand for genocide of Jews. The question is whether this faction is in control of the Democratic party, or whether they are “nut cases” who will be ditched.
The Republican party has factions whose views are offensive to many people including us, though for the most part they have kicked them out (e.g. when a KKK “wizard” managed to emerge from the primaries as the Republican candidate for Senate in Louisiana, and party leaders urged their voters not to vote for him).
In all fairness for Biden and his ilk, the “great game” they are playing involves keeping Iran’s “team” for defeating Israel, but without hurting Iran in a meaningful way as that would alienate Muslims in many countries, whose support the United States needs for the upcoming World War III with China and Russia (both of whom are allied with Iran) – and domestically, to win, Biden needs both the “Progressive” anti-Semitic wing, as well as the establishment wing that is heavily dependent of the secular Jewish voters.
akupermaParticipantThe Zionist dream was to have a secular state free of frum Jews and independent of the goyim. At present it is losing on both point. Demographically, Hareidim are “drowning” the Zionists (and unlike many Palestinians who choose to emigrate, living elsewhere is not so attractive to Hareidim). Being independent of the goyim is still possible, but the secular Israelis won’t make the economic sacrifices, and the Hareidim aren’t anxious to incur hardship for a medinah whose leadership sees frum Jews as their misfortune.
But it could change. If frum Jews start to takeover, they would be willing to settle for a much lower standard of living. And as Israel becomes less westernized (i.e. more frum), it would be easier to ally with non-Jews in the Middle East who oppose the Iranian/ISIS/al Queda/Muslim Brotherhood brand of political Islam.
May 7, 2024 9:45 am at 9:45 am in reply to: Do you honestly believe that Moshiach WILL be here within 12 months #2281585akupermaParticipantThe question is above our grade level. If you can find Eliyahu’s number, you might want to text him to ask?
akupermaParticipantWhether this is a small marginal faction, or the new mainstream, of the Democrats is yet to be seen. In New York and Los Angeles, the Democrats cracked down on the de facto Nazis. The real moment of truth will come at the Democratic convention where a platform fight over “WOKE” issues, including the WOKE advocacy of anti-Semitism and genocide of Jews, will be an issue. One can still hope that the Democratic leadership will have a “Sister Soulija moment” and will denounce the WOKE nutcases and put an end to this nonsense – Plan B, is we will need to decide on whether to relocate to the “Red” states, or flee to Israel.
April 11, 2024 8:06 pm at 8:06 pm in reply to: Trump Trial #3 – Criminal Trial for falsifying business records #2276482akupermaParticipantThe charges against Trump:
1. An assault case with no physical evidence, and the victim didn’t realize she had been assaulted until Trump became a politically incorrect politician. edited
2. Paying “hush money” to a women engaged in morally questionable activity – while it is illegal for a man to “consort”, it isn’t illegal to be the victim of extortion
3. Objecting to election results where he had real reasons to suspect something improper (the wide disparity between in person votes and absentee paper ballots). This is traditionally a “red flag” of vote fraud (even if in this case the most likely explanation is how different media portrayed Covid19 – Democrats “bought” the end of the world scenarios more than Republicans and were afraid to vote normally).
4. Alleged business fraud not involving a defrauded partner. By definition fraud is NEVER a victimless crime.
IF THE SAME CHARGES WERE BROUGHT IN RUSSIA AGAINST SOMEONE OPPOSING PUTIN, WESTERN LIBERALS WOULD SANACTION THE PROSECUTORS FOR SO OBVIOUSLY ABUSING THE LEGAL SYSTEM FOR POLITICAL PURPOSES.
P.S. For the record, I can’t stand Trump’s policies. I am a social conservative, neocon, internationalist and fiscal conservative. I am pro-immigration, and favor the RINO policies made famous by Ronald Reagan and George Bush. However the Democrats’ lawfare campaign is an open assault on rule of law similar to Germany in the first days of the Third Reich.
April 11, 2024 3:24 pm at 3:24 pm in reply to: Trump Trial #3 – Criminal Trial for falsifying business records #2276388akupermaParticipantThis is precedent shattering. Never before has a man been prosecuted for paying “hush money” to a woman of ill repute. Occasionally the woman, or her “agent” (“broker” in a better term legally) been prosecuted. If Putin prosecuted an opponent on a novel legal theory, the world would point say he was an anti-democratic tyrant. Democracies don’t do lawfare. If the people in power want to crush someone, they defeat them in the election.
They don’t abuse the legal system to avoid being defeated in an upcoming election. Here’s looking at you Joe…April 10, 2024 1:59 pm at 1:59 pm in reply to: Bidens Two Face Policy on Gaza is destroying the World #2276137akupermaParticipantNot destroying the world. Perhaps undermining the Democrats (if Trump exploits the opportunity), and destroying what is left of the Israeli left wing, though the Israeli center is adaptable (and in all fairness doesn’t disagree with the right wing, other than on the issue of whether to persecute Hareidim).
akupermaParticipantEspecially for work in the Beis ha-Mikdash (no big deal today, but great long term prospects).
akupermaParticipantObviously not. It is very rude to insult President Obama to such an extent. While he made many mistakes, at least he put much thoughtfulness and intelligence into them.
April 4, 2024 11:49 am at 11:49 am in reply to: Does anyone’s mind change, or is it argue for the sake of argument? #2274659akupermaParticipantThe world is undergoing change. In the United States, the party that most Jews considered “home” two generations, including most frum Jews until recently, is increasingly led by a faction that openly supports genocide of our people. This is the first time in American history that open advocacy of genocide has been politically correct, and undermines the view held by most Jews in North America is that we are “safe” here.
Israel is fighting a major war and the outcome is in doubt.
In 1991 the wrote about the “end of history” – meaning actual peace and prosperity in our time. It hasn’t worked out that way.
If you are confident of any political, economic or social facts that you knew were true 50 years ago, you have no reason to believe they are still are.
akupermaParticipantIt is very impressive that it is the “deplorable” supporters of Trump who are investing, which indicates a much greater degree of support than the affluent elites who donate to the Democrats.
It also suggests that the Democrats plan to cripple the Republicans with lawfare (which is similar to how authoritarian parties in the third world deal with opposition), is being perceived by more and more Americans as anti-democratic and and un-American. The Democrats might do better to fight with Trump on issues rather than arguing that Trump is evil and need to be cancelled. America was founded by people who were “cancelled” in their previously countries, and running a platform of “cancel culture” may prove counterproductive.
akupermaParticipantqwertyqwerty: The current “America First” is strongly pro-Israel (unlike the original one in the 1930s that was anti-Jewsh) BUT “rooting for Israel” doesn’t help much. Israel needs access to American military gear (and “American First” opposes foreign aid) and the United States willingness to intervene in certain conditions (including the attempt by Iran to block Israeli access to the Red Sea). Many people in many countries were very sympathetic to the Jews in World War II, but did nothing to help – we don’t need such sympathy.
I should add that I would not be surprised if Trump decides that since various allies (e.g. Poland, Israel, Taiwan and Ukraine) are showing a willingness to arm themselves to the teeth and fight for their own freedom, the United States will proudly see the America if First in leading the free world – but given Trump’s (and Biden’s) chaotic style of doing business, one can’t be certain how this will play out.
akupermaParticipant1. Any look at his business suggests he would always be “land rich, cash poor”. Many people have liquidity problems if they invest in real estate (including many modest home owners).
2. The Democrats’ “lawfare” campaign of trumped up charges is clearly working to destroy Trump’s assets, as a warning that anyone, even a billionaire, who stands in the way of the WOKE agenda can be cancelled. It may be backfiring. It is a factor is some firms wanting to relocate away from blue states for states in which “rule of law” prevails, rather than WOKE lawfare. The fear of Democratic abuse of the legal system to harass political enemies appears to be encouraging Republicans to close ranks around Trump even though most pre-2016 Republicans have serious ideological disagreements with Trump.
3. The attempt to destroy Trump’s assets is also calling attention to a recent “flip” in that the Democrats are now the party of the super-rich (e.g. Wall Street, major corporations, Hollywood and media industries, Silicon Valley and Big Tech), the the Republicans are the party of the working class “deplorables”. As the Republicans found out when they were the party of the elite, in a democracy, the elite usually don’t win elections (and were it not for Gore’s “own goal” in 2000, the Democrats would controlled the White House for a 24 year period preceding Trump’s win in 2016).
akupermaParticipantNote that secular Israelis, who appear to be the economic and political elite, i.e., the ruling and/or upper class, are NOT complaining about government institutions coercing their children into becoming frum. They are making no demands for “secular” accommodation. They are not complaining about over-representation of religious Jews in the officer corps of the military. The fact that they dominate the country is strong evidence of the bigotry towards the non-elite groups (the religious, and especially Hareidim and religious non-Ashkenazim).
It has been well documented that the secular-run army has the effect of moving a considerable percentage of Jewish recruits into a secular lifestyle they did not have previously, and that it appears that the biggest determinant of whether a young Israeli brought up religious does, or does not, “go off the derekh”, is military service. One should note that this takes place before they run into the significant discrimination in employment they encounter after the military.
akupermaParticipantBased on the votes on aid for Israel, this does not appear to be the case. The “Progressives” (“WOKE”) wing is anti-Israel, and generally supports anti-Semitism, but it isn’t clear how strong they are, or perhaps, they are noisy but really not that strong. Biden is nervous about offending them, but that in itself doesn’t mean they are a majority of the Democrats.
While the Republicans have in the recent past been pro-Israel, the “America First” faction seems to be in control of Republican party, and their platform of non-involvement in foreign wars precludes the United States giving anything more than “moral” support to Israel.
While the Progressive (WOKE) Democrats and the American First (MAGA) Republicans make a lot of noise, polls suggest that most supporters of both parties still support the “globalist” foreign policy that has dominated the United States since 1945. We’ll see better after the conventions this summer.
March 19, 2024 2:37 pm at 2:37 pm in reply to: Should the President be Immune from Prosecution #2270281akupermaParticipantThe American president is merely the “first servant”. Unlike a monarchy, the “sovereign” is the people, or arguably the states (equivalent, in theory to King Charles in the United Kingdom). The president is the chief civil servant and the chief general. There is no logic is arguing the a servant (i.e. the president) is immune from prosecution if he willfully disobeys orders from his master (i.e. the people, as expressed by law).
Note that in halacha, a king’s servants who disobey the king have no immunities from prosecution.
akupermaParticipantThe new FAFSA would result of more aid only to lower income children from small families, and apparently pays for it with reducing aid to poor families with many children. Especially if the Republicans win, it might get changed. It appears to have been an administrative decision rather than a statute, making it easy to change.
akupermaParticipantFAFSA is just a data collection device. What institutions do with the data is up to each institution. It is an interesting “shailoh” whether anti-discrimination laws might impact on a school’s decisions about how they consider family size.
akupermaParticipantyeshivaguy45: The Israeli Was of Independence ended in March 1949, but when it began is subject to debate. One date is based on when other Arab states entered the ready existing war in May 1948, but the Zionists and Palestinians had been clearly fighting each other since no later than November 1947,and various zionists were engaged in open hostilities against the British since at least 1946, and arguably earlier.
akupermaParticipantThe subject line is VERY optimistic. We should be davening that it will be called “Gaza War, 2023-2024”, rather than something such as “Middle Eastern War” or “World War III”, and that 2024 will be the end date (and there will also be people around to record the end date.
Similar to 1973, the Arabs surprised themselves with their competence. Had they followed through they would have seized much of the Galil, and the Iranians might have pulled off more than a limited harassment of Red Sea shipping.
It still isn’t as long as the Israeli War of Independence, which sputtered along in 1946 and 1947, and then went full force in 1948-1949. Adjusted for changes in population, Israel would have to lose 80,000 soldiers to have equivalent losses.
akupermaParticipant” how any frum yid can vote for Democrat” – for 2024, the Republicans have turned into pacifists, appeasers and isolationists. Jews worldwide, and in particular the Israelis, benefitted from the generation of Republicans who led the free world against the “Axis of Evil” and pushed a “Freedom Agenda”, but it now appears those Republicans are now considered RINOs. The Democrat leadership favors the old Truman-Kennedy agenda of globalism are somewhat for Israel, though they may be losing ground to the “Progressives” and their agenda of WOKE anti-Semitism. It will be interesting to see the party’s platforms, the Republican VEEP candidate (isolationist MAGA fanatic or someone chosen to appeal to the Reagan Republicans), and if a strong third party opposed to isolationism emerges.
akupermaParticipantThe United States has a long history of interfering in elections to get the desired result. It is hardly a partisan matter. Sometimes they have arranged for leaders who get in their way to have bad things happen to them. Israel is unable to defend itself, and has accept “client’ status under American patronage, and should expect to do what is best for the Americans, not what is best for Israel. That is how world politics work. It sometimes called the “Great Game”, and we are at best some very helpless pieces.
akupermaParticipantThe real bottom line is a great many Arabs do not wish to become of a rebuilt Iranian (Persian) Empire. The Iranian launched the war for fear of an alliance of Arabs, Americans, and to a lesser extent, Israel, against Iran. The Iranian goal is to convince the Islamic world that the leaders of the Arab countries (none of whom were elected) are corrupt traitors, and that the Islamic world should accept Iranian leadership. Defeating Israel would go a great way to establish Iran as the dominant Islamic power, and humiliating the western Christian powers by closing the Red Sea/Suez definitely helps. The first Arab countries to fall would be the small states along the Persian Gulf (they are rich, and very undemocratic, and their leaders will have much to lose if Iran takes them over).
akupermaParticipantThe question is moot (irrelevant) since the Palestinians demands have changed from a return to the 1914 status quo (which was tolerable to Hareidi Jews, since we are more interested in Torah and Mitsvos than political sovereignty), to a “River to Sea” Judenrein “final solution” on the Nazi model.
Arguable had the Hareidim kept control of the Yishuv things would have been much better, no medinah, but also no holocaust, and a much larger Jewish community and a much frumer Jewish community in Eretz Yisrael, but the zionists won, and the British sabotaged the agreement with the Arabs (supported by the non-socialist zionists and the Hareidim) under their divide and conquer.
However as Hamas, to the acclaim of Muslims and secular anti-Semites worldwide, made clear, their goal is genocide, so the three oaths are not relevant. And it is also clear, their goal is not limited to Eretz Yisrael, as the rising tide of worldwide anti-Semitism makes clear.
March 6, 2024 1:18 pm at 1:18 pm in reply to: The End Game for Medinas Yisroel and the Decline of American Power #2266686akupermaParticipantNothing is certain. It should be noted that most Israelis are willing to fight for their survival, and most Americans are either “Reagan Republicans” or “John Kennedy/Harry Truman Democrats” (albeit in different parties) rather than MAGA or WOKE.
Trump may turn out to using the threat of isolationism to encourage allies to get ready for war, and may then announce that what makes America great is leading the free world. Iranian reliance on American disinterest or incompetence will soon turn to fear (China and Russia will decide against invading their neighbors)
The Democrats can decide to tell the “Progressive” (WOKE, and anti-Semitic, among other things) caucus to bug off – or if the Democrats turn left, while Trump stays isolationist, it will create an opening for a third party that will be globalist and not anti-Jewish. Either well the non-Trump party will also favor a strong military response to the Sino-Russian axis (which includes Iran and its clients).
The Israelis could get their act together and be able to defeat their enemies without foreign aid – it would be messy and require the Israeli elite (secular, left, 1st world standard of living) to accept that they live in a third world country dominated by non-secular, non-Europeans, and a standard of living similar to the 1950s – but Israel could be militarily self-sufficient which the capability of deterring its enemies. If Israel could take out Iran, and neutralize Hamas and Hezbollah (which are Iranian clients), it would the from a position of strength attempt to negotiate with the Palestinians (who are the only Arabs who matter if Israeli wants to survive).
Or the Zionists will go down in Jewish history along with Shabatai Zvi, has one very bad idea with disastrous results. The Hareidim will survive, as we always do, but most of the non-religious Jews (who outside of Israel have minimal birthrates already) will disappear. The best remembered Jewish leader of this era will be the original Satmar Rebbe, and people such as Herzl, Ben Gurion, and Netanyahu will be known only by historians interested in obscure tangents.
March 6, 2024 11:44 am at 11:44 am in reply to: To those who refer to terrorists as “animals” or “beasts”: #2266678akupermaParticipantThey are soldiers of a de facto country who are not abiding by the international law on the conduct of armed conflicts, rules that are universally respected by all countries other than those engaged in wars. One shouldn’t regard them other than as soldiers. They are not beasts, deviants, perverts or criminals – they are soldiers who obey orders since they are good soldiers. Blame the ELECTED governments that command them.
March 3, 2024 5:44 pm at 5:44 pm in reply to: Children are not here to “bring Nachas to their parents” #2265826akupermaParticipantOf course children are here to bring nachas to their parents (and what great nachas is there in educating one’s children and watching them grow up). If this wasn’t Ha-Shem’s intention, we could be like reptiles who lay eggs, buried in a safe place, and the hatchlings that emerge are tiny adults with no need for parental guidance. But Ha-Shem decided on helpless babies who needs years and years of care to grow up.
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