Author Archives: Soccerdad

About Soccerdad

I'm a government bureaucrat with delusions of literacy.

Jimmy Carter’s comment is content free

Jimmy Carter in the Guardian’s Comment is Free section: The world is witnessing a terrible human rights crime in Gaza, where a million and a half human beings are being imprisoned with almost no access to the outside world. An … Continue reading

Posted in Anti-Semitism, Hamas, Israel, Israel Derangement Syndrome | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

“Evolution” = “growth”

One of the thing conservatives like me marvel at is the way the supposedly objective media will describe a conservative politician who adopts liberal positions as having “grown” in office. It doesn’t really mean that the politician became more flexible, … Continue reading

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Packaging nakba

The earliest reference I can find to the term “Nakba” (or “Naqba”) in the New York Times is this article, from Israel’s 50th birthday, a decade ago. So for 50 years, the NYT didn’t see fit to use the term … Continue reading

Posted in Israel, Israel Derangement Syndrome | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

60th anniversary op-eds

I’m disappointed that Charles Krauthammer hasn’t acknowledged Israel’s 60th anniversary. 10 years ago, he produced one of the best articles on the meaning of Zionism and its importance, At last Zion. Two columnists recently have celebrated Israel’s 60th. First there’s … Continue reading

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Guns blazing

Jeffrey Goldberg (h/t Instapundit) It’s been a tough year already for Hezbollah’s apologists; the assassination of Imad Mugniyah, the terrorist many of Hezbollah’s friends denied existed until Hezbollah gave him what amounted to a state funeral, hurt the cause of … Continue reading

Posted in Media Bias, Terrorism | Tagged | 1 Comment

The hobgoblin of David Ignatius

Yesterday David Ignatius wrote: The game-changing events in the 2008 campaign are issues of war and peace. Both may be in play between now and November, in ways that add extra volatility to the presidential race. And of course the … Continue reading

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Follow the useful idiots

There’s a group called Follow the Women that’s organized a bike ride through the Middle East in the name of peace. Here’s what a participant wrote last month: Nearly 250 women, representing 30 nationalities from mostly Europe and the Middle … Continue reading

Posted in Israel, Israel Derangement Syndrome, Lebanon, Syria | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Today’s insult

The Washington Post’s Griff Witte, takes a device from Reuters and focuses on two men who, like Israel, were born in 1948. One is Israeli and one is Palestinian. In Born at the dawn of a new state Witte is … Continue reading

Posted in Israel | 3 Comments

Strategic planning for the rich and famous

Making up somewhat for yesterday’s insult, The NYT today reported on At 60, Israel Redefines Roles for Itself and for Jews Elsewhere. The conference seems like an extravagance: But there is another form of celebration planned, and its sponsors believe … Continue reading

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The necessary Jewish state

A few days ago Media Backspin asked What is Israel’s Greatest Accomplishment? I was in grade school when the 6 Day War was fought. I remember seeing a film strip soon after. It was quite impressive. Though, as a 6 … Continue reading

Posted in Israel | 2 Comments

Palestinians cry “canton”

One aspect of Israeli negotiations with the Palestinians that’s constant is that whatever Israel offers will be dismissed as an insult or some other epithet. Now that negotiations are coming down to nitty-gritty details like borders, the cries start anew. … Continue reading

Posted in Israel | 1 Comment

It’s unwinnable if you don’t fight to win

In War of the rockets, Jackson Diehl writes: For months now, Israel has been mired in an unwinnable war against Hamas and allied militias in Gaza, who fire missiles at civilians in Israel and then hide among their own women … Continue reading

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Honoring survival

In Honoring Survival, and Gifts to a Nation Isabel Kershner writes about a new exhibit at Yad Vashem devoted to the Holocaust survivors who escaped to Israel. The gray walls of Yad Vashem, the Holocaust memorial here, have long documented … Continue reading

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Entebbe audio

Israel has released some audio of the Entebbe raid. Ynet provides the audio and a transcript. The missing passenger was Dora Bloch who had been taken to the hospital. After the rescue she was killed. (h/t Jack’s Shack) Crossposted on … Continue reading

Posted in Israel | 4 Comments

Careening towards peace

Why does it seem that when “peace” finally gets closer, events tend to become more chaotic.Even as Secretary Rice goes to the Middle East to attempt to get a “peace deal” between Israel and the Palestinians, there is a lot … Continue reading

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