tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89927922031390337982024-03-14T12:48:27.187+00:00Acid RabbiPolitics is a bloodsport - acidrabbi@yahoo.co.ukAcid Rabbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06627567621791730292noreply@blogger.comBlogger328125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8992792203139033798.post-7074196506040071312011-06-10T11:18:00.002+01:002011-06-10T11:21:07.196+01:00Bikes v. the car-centric worldTicketed for riding his bike not in the bike lane, one man fights back - hilariously: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzE-IMaegzQ">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzE-IMaegzQ</a>Acid Rabbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06627567621791730292noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8992792203139033798.post-87556478252648440252011-06-10T09:55:00.008+01:002011-06-10T11:18:25.506+01:00Beauty salon for children creates a stink<div><span class="Apple-style-span">"<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(64, 64, 64); line-height: 19px; "><i>A beauty parlour has become the first in Britain to offer makeovers, fake tans and facials exclusively for children and toddlers, it has emerged,"</i> says everybody's favourite Conservative broadsheet <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/family/8565037/Essex-beauty-parlour-for-toddlers-under-fire-for-sexualising-children.html"><b>The Daily Telegraph</b></a> before going to list the services available at the salon, <a href="http://trendymonkeys.co.uk/"><b>Trendy Monkeys</b></a> of Brentwood, including </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(64, 64, 64); line-height: 19px; "><i>"</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(40, 40, 40); line-height: 20px; "><i>fruit smoothie facials, mini pedicures, manicures or make-up application, hair “up-dos” and haircuts."</i> And all this in the same week as the Government's new proposals to combat the sexualisation of children! Keen eyes will note that brazilians and vajazzles do not appear.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOMemSCI9FqjE7kVJoda9r0YNRnH5I7d1pREZvtlrkttIIWR6u0g_BqxswJzurcOPGFtOO46GPzYSo-H46WtzlzTT8_VMkBK3zoogF5ka7wGOmo4Z-5LrPRtuqW_Y0mcC8Eh03Z1Z0k-Y/s1600/TrendyMoneys.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 304px; height: 171px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOMemSCI9FqjE7kVJoda9r0YNRnH5I7d1pREZvtlrkttIIWR6u0g_BqxswJzurcOPGFtOO46GPzYSo-H46WtzlzTT8_VMkBK3zoogF5ka7wGOmo4Z-5LrPRtuqW_Y0mcC8Eh03Z1Z0k-Y/s400/TrendyMoneys.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5616523386394549970" /></a></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms'; line-height: 20px; font-size: small; ">Trendy Monkeys. Doesn't look all that sexual, does it? Unless monkeys in tutus do it for you. They probably do for some people, but we'd prefer not to Google anything like that just in case we see images.</span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><div style="font-style: italic; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="font-style: italic; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><i><br /></i></span></div></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px; ">Apparently, girls as young as one year old can be treated to <i>""</i></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(40, 40, 40); line-height: 20px; "><i>Princess pamper parties", which costs several hundred pounds"</i> which begin with them and up to five friends being <i>"</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(40, 40, 40); line-height: 20px; "><i>picked up in a pink limousine"</i> and taken to the salon, where doting parents <i>"</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(40, 40, 40); line-height: 20px; "><i>can pay for extra services including spray tans while having a photographer follow them around."</i></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px; "><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px; ">Professor Judy Hutchings of the </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(40, 40, 40); line-height: 20px; ">Centre for Evidence Based Early Intervention told the paper that the salon represents <i>"</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(40, 40, 40); line-height: 20px; "><i>not just the sexualisation but the commercialisation of children."</i> We dislike the sexualisation of children as much as any other normal adult, but the commercialisation bit is stretching things a bit far. The same could be said about <i>The Beano</i>, Ladybird books, Dinky cars and all the other kiddies' products that were with us in that delightful bit of the 1950s with the rosy glow around it, when children were innocent creatures of joy and light and went around with scabby knees saying "brilliant!" and drinking lashings and lashings of ginger beer. Precisely the same thing is going on in the half-timbered cottages of the Black Forest where Geppetto hand carves toys for sale to tourists, in the <a href="http://www.uktoystores.co.uk/tridias.html"><b>Tridias</b></a> shops that were so beloved among the upper middle classes for their traditional toys and lack of the latest kill-em-up videogames, and everywhere else that toys or anything else marketed at and for children has ever been sold.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px; "><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px; ">Tellingly, the Toryrag points out early on in the story that the salon, which opened last weekend, <i>"</i></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(40, 40, 40); line-height: 20px; "><i>is located in an area featured in the ITV reality television show The Only Way Is Essex."</i> Two members of the cast were in fact at the opening of the salon, as revealed by <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2001148/Trendy-Monkeys-Essex-beauty-salons-make-overs-spray-tans-girls-young-1.html"><i><b>The Daily Mail</b></i></a> which, predictably, takes a similar line to the broadsheet and has a picture of the celebs in question in Marbella ("<i>Marbella?</i> How vulgar!"). Which rather begs the question: what do we have here? A story which raises legitimate concerns over the way children are being raised in modern society or an opportunity for the newspaper's readers to enjoy a spot of "</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; line-height: 18px; ">haw haw, look how tasteless the working classes like the ones in that dreadful programme (which none of </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; "><i>us</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; line-height: 18px; "> watched, of course, because we're much too highbrow) are, aren't we so much better than them?"-style upper middle class snobbish solidarity over their breakfast coffee this morning?</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span></span></span><div style="font-style: italic; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span></div></div></span></span></span></div>Acid Rabbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06627567621791730292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8992792203139033798.post-70704404670455385712011-06-08T08:39:00.003+01:002011-06-08T08:48:57.805+01:00Israel shoots Golan Heights protestors 2<span class="Apple-style-span">As suspected, further information to have come to light following <a href="http://acidrabbi.blogspot.com/2011/06/israel-shoots-golan-heights-protestors.html"><b>the incident in which an uncertain number of "unarmed" Syrian protestors were shot dead by the IDF</b></a> after rushing the border fence in the Golan Heights prove that all those who preferred to grab an opportunity to attack Israel apparently have an agenda of their own - or at the very least, need to learn to wait for the facts rather than make themselves look stupid with kneejerk reactions - it seems <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-13667586"><b>the "unarmed" protestors were in fact armed with molotov cocktails</b></a> which they threw at the soldiers, setting off landmines in the area. It also transpires that, just as many of those who attacked Israel said they should have done, the IDF did in fact fire tear gas and stun grenades in an effort to contain the protestors using non-lethal techniques before firing warning shots and, eventually, aiming at human beings.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span">Once again, people - remember it's always best to wait for more information before reacting. </span></b></div>Acid Rabbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06627567621791730292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8992792203139033798.post-16883542026801042152011-06-06T11:06:00.007+01:002011-06-06T12:33:25.488+01:00Israel shoots Golan Heights protestors<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Israel faces yet more international criticism after <a href="http://uk.news.yahoo.com/israeli-forces-kill-23-protesters-border-024551641.html"><b>IDF soldiers opened fire on protestors</b></a> as they attempted to breach the border fence with the Golan Heights. Tragically, on of those shot dead was a 12-year-old boy - may Allah have mercy upon him. The total number of people killed varies according to which report one chooses to read, with the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-13660474"><b>BBC</b></a> stating <b>4</b> and <a href="http://uk.news.yahoo.com/israeli-forces-kill-23-protesters-border-024551641.html"><b>Yahoo News</b></a>, who have decided to go with the figure reported by that highly respected, impartial and utterly free of governmental control source <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syria#State_control"><b>Syrian state television</b></a> claiming <b>23</b>. Another <b>325</b> were injured during the incident during which a large number of people, despite repeated warnings to stay back, rushed towards the fence.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">Cue condemnation across the internet and the usual reader comments comparing Israelis to the </span><span class="Apple-style-span">Nazis - <span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><i>"</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><i>Israelis (not all Jews), and Nazis, do you spot the difference?"</i> says Mr. Unemployed in the comments section of Yahoo's</span><span class="Apple-style-span"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span">report, a comment which is actually rather atypical since the writer at least has the ability to recognise that "Israelis" and "all Jews" are not the same thing.</span></span></span></span></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbDZL0egojgULrxSxuzBgbaUjhK7cy0wLX1XSaoU3d2b7UI9kZdMYc_n-50SrS0Ju1iVK-ZQytdIrtmPdi2MMXsluS0hmB1SaU2brXxHeMspu1WIos5fV1-iJlqyhdIOc-VtbhClPcwtw/s1600/angrymob.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 215px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbDZL0egojgULrxSxuzBgbaUjhK7cy0wLX1XSaoU3d2b7UI9kZdMYc_n-50SrS0Ju1iVK-ZQytdIrtmPdi2MMXsluS0hmB1SaU2brXxHeMspu1WIos5fV1-iJlqyhdIOc-VtbhClPcwtw/s320/angrymob.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5615060195139910306" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Imagine that this angry crowd has made it clear that they wish to destroy you. Suddenly, they all rush towards you. Are you willing to assume they're all unarmed or would you prefer not to take that risk?</span></div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; ">I've got a bit of a hangover this morning, but even so the difference is glaring and easy to spot. The Nazis attempted the wholesale extermination of several ethnic minorities, along with homosexuals, the mentally ill and those who held political beliefs other than Nazi fascism. Israel did precisely what any other nation would do when faced with a group consisting of several hundred people attempting to illegally cross its border. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; "><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; ">In fact, since most of Israel's neighbours have made it quite clear that their primary aim in the complete and final destruction of both Israel and the Jewish people and have been the source of various suicide bombings, terrorist attacks and rockets aimed at Israeli civilians, it could even be argued that in taking the time to warn the protestors before shooting, the IDF showed <b>admirable restraint</b> and <b>determination to prevent the loss of civilian lives</b> (something the Arabic governments and military of the surrounding nations aren't especially well known for doing). That the protestors were unarmed counts for nothing - when several hundred people, who you know want to destroy you, suddenly decide to rush at you, you really don't have the option to assume none of them have weapons or bombs concealed about themselves.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; "><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span">What would have happened had this have taken place not in Israel but in any other nation in the world? Google <i>"US border patrol kills Mexicans"</i> for the answer. One of the stories you'll</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; font-size: large; "> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; " >find is that of </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><a href="http://rt.com/news/border-patrol-kills-migrant/"><b>Anastasio Hernández Rojas</b></a>,</span> a 42 year old husband and father of five, who was shot with a Taser before being brutally beaten to death <i>whilst in the custody</i> of the US Border Patrol. Had you ever heard of him before? Nope. Nor had we. Wonder why the USA wasn't accused of war crimes and compared to the Nazis afterwards? Or after 15-year-old </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><a href="http://voices.washingtonpost.com/federal-eye/2010/06/border_patrol_union_defends_me.html" style="font-weight: bold; ">Sergio Adrian Hernandez Huereka</a><b>, </b>shot and killed after he and a group of other teens threw rocks at Border Patrol officials, rather as Palestinians sometimes throw rocks at Israeli soldiers, confident that the world will accuse Israel of brutality if they defend themselves.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; font-size: large; "> </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; ">Yet another case of Israel being subjected to double standards by those who seek to delegitimise the country, her right to exist and everything she does in her attempts to protect her citizens. Who, let us not forget, are made up of Jews, Muslims, Christians and assorted followers of other faiths, each and every one of them permitted under Israeli law to practice their religion freely in a complete contrast to the Arabic states where anyone following anything other than the state-approved branch of Islam can expect to be suppressed.</span></div></div>Acid Rabbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06627567621791730292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8992792203139033798.post-87555389910668448562011-04-17T15:52:00.003+01:002011-04-17T16:10:00.924+01:00US Senate calls for Goldstone report to be rescindedFollowing Judge Richard Goldstone's statements a fortnight ago that the notorious report bearing his name into the events surrounding and during Operation Cast Lead that accusations Israel deliberately and indiscriminately targeted Palestinian civilians, the US Senate has voted - unanimously - to request that the United Nations rescinds the report.<div><br /></div><div>Goldstone also claimed that the UN Human Rights Council displays bias against Israel, leading the Senate to demand action so that the Council no longer unfairly attacks Israel "on a regular basis."</div><div><br /></div><div>Good news - however, what difference will it really make? Politicians and those with a keen interest in Israel will take notice, but all around the world the man in the street's attention has moved on. He probably won't even hear about this, partly because large sections of the media seem to have little interest in reporting any news concerning Israel unless it shows Israel in a bad light (notice how quickly they dropped the flotilla story once it became clear that there was a bit more to it than evil Israeli commandos murdering a bunch of humanitarian flower children who were on their way to deliver toys, food and medicine to the poor children of Gaza? Or the decision many news services - including the BBC - took to make no mention of the murder of the Fogel family in Itamar, an outrage during which a baby was beheaded by brave Palestinian freedom fighters?)</div><div><br /></div><div>Cast Lead and Goldstone are old news, except to Jews. Mud sticks. The damage has already been done to Israel's reputation, and this is too little too late.</div>Acid Rabbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06627567621791730292noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8992792203139033798.post-41198158476528968552011-04-08T09:51:00.005+01:002011-04-08T10:02:05.309+01:00Acid Rabbi predicts the future!Obviously, we have no truck with that sort of thing being the good Jewish types that we are, but nevertheless we do wonder if our publication of this image (below) <a href="http://acidrabbi.blogspot.com/2010/02/four-mps-face-criminal-charges.html"><b>over a year ago</b></a> might be enough to win us the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Randi_Educational_Foundation#The_One_Million_Dollar_Paranormal_Challenge"><b>Randi prize</b></a>. Or perhaps not - since Elliot Morley was possibly the MP to most shamelessly rip us all off (to the tune of £30,428) as though his role earned him the right to let us pay his mortgage for him it seemed pretty obvious to those of us who, despite piles of evidence to the contrary, still believe that there is justice in this world that sooner or later the ex-MP for Scunthorpe was going to find himself behind bars.<div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik3L-2sqlD9ClwGOKYG4_DLORk92RRGhb98nVgXIJXbmj7emriLURCStpFt-pQhsyr0Rsm4za4rep15U88wIDlqagVK4graGXC5KhbNIAILcQ9ZZIVof_tHA6B2uzBv6z3XvMak3KH5uY/s1600/Morleyinthenick.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 227px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik3L-2sqlD9ClwGOKYG4_DLORk92RRGhb98nVgXIJXbmj7emriLURCStpFt-pQhsyr0Rsm4za4rep15U88wIDlqagVK4graGXC5KhbNIAILcQ9ZZIVof_tHA6B2uzBv6z3XvMak3KH5uY/s400/Morleyinthenick.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593133540675580258" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Morley in the nick. <a href="http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Politics/Parliamentary-Expenses-Former-Minister-Elliot-Morley-Admits-Dishonestly-Claiming-Mortgage-Payments/Article/201104115968238?lpos=Politics_Third_UK_News_Article_Teaser_Region__0&lid=ARTICLE_15968238_Parliamentary_Expenses%3A_Former_Minister_Elliot_Morley_Admits_Dishonestly_Claiming_Mortgage_Payments_"><b>Looks like it's really gonna happen, folks!</b></a> Really, we couldn't wish it upon a nicer bloke.</div><div></div></div>Acid Rabbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06627567621791730292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8992792203139033798.post-48338986383118630062011-03-22T14:23:00.007+00:002011-03-22T17:38:48.572+00:00Boycott Israel (and a bloomin' big orange)<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>March the 30th 2011 is International Boycott Israel Day, when various apparently well-meaning organisations with all the supposed best intentions encourage You The Consumer to avoid purchasing anything made or produced in Israel. This, they claim, will deliver a message the Knesset simply can't ignore that the rest of the world has seen the human rights abuses carried out by Israel against the people of Gaza, the oppression under which the Arabs are forced to live and the general murderous unpleasantness of the Jewish state.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkmFAfy1FX0ALnqZqaMkFCYEurfQ4ijoevBx3WN0YXulMuv3LVIKYQzZ1WbldJ9kIrJNPX519Qcl5MPzFB4SEs_HUNMA8JEYFYX-2HrgBaZUrbCq2omVyW5iA2IYo8riDe1AF2upZREw0/s1600/BIGD.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 250px; height: 174px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkmFAfy1FX0ALnqZqaMkFCYEurfQ4ijoevBx3WN0YXulMuv3LVIKYQzZ1WbldJ9kIrJNPX519Qcl5MPzFB4SEs_HUNMA8JEYFYX-2HrgBaZUrbCq2omVyW5iA2IYo8riDe1AF2upZREw0/s320/BIGD.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586949804583309410" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span">March the 30th is Boycott Israeli Goods Day. Is refusing to purchase Israeli goods and effective way to relieve the plight of the Palestinian people</span>?</span></div><br /></div><div>Now, anyone with any humanity and sense will be opposed to human rights abuses, and that's very obviously a good thing. But all too many of us fail to scratch below the surface of what is presented to us as Truth - there's an old saying that the best thing about the Internet is that absolutely anything can publish anything they want to publish, and the worst thing about the Internet is that absolutely anything can publish anything they want to publish. This means that of the enormous amount of literature out there on the Internet dealing with Israel and Gaza, the vast majority is written by people who either have hidden agendas - pro-Hamas or, sometimes, good old fashioned antisemitism (because many people appear to have difficulty in distinguishing "Israeli governmental policy" and "all Jewish people in the world from one another) or, more commonly, people who have little idea what's really going on and derive the bulk of their information from whichever voices can shout the loudest. </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Now, we lefties are well accustomed to all the terrible policies governments hath wrought and equally as accustomed to supporting anti-government uprisings - the popular image of the Freedom Fighter is powerful and enduring, and the Hamas member with his stylish keffiyeh is an impressive figure as he faces IDF tanks armed with his trusty, rusty AK-47. But just as we attack Western beauty fascism by telling all and sundry that beauty is only skin deep, and below the epidermis that gorgeous supermodel is an ugly and confused mess of anorexia and body dismorphic disfunction churned up by the Fashion Industry, we need to remind ourselves that the same applies in this case: that uber-cool freedom fighter style is only skin deep, and what we have below it is a terrorist who thinks nothing of murdering innocent men, women and children. Last week, <a href="http://www.thejc.com/news/world-news/46711/why-no-outrage-over-west-bank-family-slaughter">a baby was stabbed to death in a West Bank settlement</a>. How did Hamas respond to this sickening, outrageous horror? They called it "a heroic operation." Stabbing babies is heroic? If Bonnie Tyler ever got that hero she was searching for, she can keep him - I'd rather have nothing to do with that sort of "person," thank you very much.</i></div><div><br /></div><div>Similarly, we need to understand that the Israeli government is not the demon it is so often painted to be. OK, not all <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knesset">Knesset</a> policies are above criticism. No government is perfect, and we need to make sure we always let them know when we're unhappy about something they've seen fit to inflict upon us - but the Israeli government is no worse than any other. Also, those who are considering taking part in the boycott would do well if they tried to ignore the loud anti Israeli rhetoric, suspend our indoctrinated prejudices and have a little look at some of Israel's policies. They make interesting reading.</div><div><br /></div><div>Let's begin with what would happen if we all stopped buying Israeli products and, in doing so, removed the greater part of the country's annual income. Israel's gross domestic product (GDP) stood at <a href="http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2010/01/weodata/weorept.aspx?sy=2007&ey=2010&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=436&s=NGDPD%2CNGDPDPC%2CPPPGDP%2CPPPPC%2CLP&grp=0&a=">$199,456,000,000</a> for 2010. </div><div><br /></div><div>They'll have spent a fair chunk of that on the military, you may be thinking, and you'd be right - <a href="http://www.google.com/publicdata?ds=wb-wdi&met=ms_mil_xpnd_gd_zs&idim=country:ISR&dl=en&hl=en&q=israeli+military+expenditure">6.9%, or $13,762,464,000</a> to be precise. That's a lot of money and yes, it <b>would</b> be wonderful and lovely if they spent it on schools instead. However, most of Israel's neighbours are somewhat less than neighbourly and have spent much of the last six decades calling for Israel to be destroyed and her citizens slaughtered. This means that she needs, absolutely requires, a powerful, well-equipped and well-trained military; otherwise there'll be a lot of corpses and no children to attend those hypothetical schools (incidentally, Israel spends <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_Israel">10% of its GDP on education</a>, which explains why this tiny state with few natural resources has risen to become one of the world leaders in science and technology in less than 70 years of existence). You can't fault the Israeli government for wanting to protect the civilians it serves (unless you happen to be the most moronic type of antisemite who wishes for all Jewish men, women and children to be murdered - in which case, you may as well stop reading right now because we're going to be discussing human rights here, which is something your poisoned, poisonous little mind is incapable of comprehending). After all, that's what governments are supposed to do.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Cast_Lead">Operation Cast Lead</a> brought widespread condemnation of Israel after it became clear that the IDF had used white phosphorous weapons. White phosphorous is nasty stuff - although it does have legitimate uses in warfare, using it against human beings, especially civilians, is considered reprehensible on the world stage if not actually in violation of international law. Following the operation, Israel launched an inquiry into its use, and army officers found guilty of irresponsible use or other human rights violations were punished. </div><div><br /></div><div>One thing that may come as a surprise is that <a href="http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=188206">Hamas too has used white phosphorous</a> - and is the subject of a huge amount of concern over <a href="http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2009/04/20/gaza-hamas-should-end-killings-torture">its own human rights</a> record - but to date hasn't even pretended to make any attempts to bring anyone to book over either. The difference here is that while Israel avoids deliberately targeting civilians - and despite anti-Israel accusations, has never been shown to do otherwise - that Hamas considers doing so a perfectly acceptable way to wage war. That's why civilian townships such as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sderot#Rocket_fire_from_Gaza">Sderot</a>, just a kilometre from the Gaza border, has been hit by so many Qassam rockets.</div><div><br /></div><div>It's beginning to look as though Israel values human life more highly than does Hamas, isn't it? Let's now look at healthcare expenditure. Israeli hospitals are first class, among the best in the world and far and away the best in the Middle East - many people who have experienced it have said that it <a href="http://www.newvoices.org/campus?id=0075">compares favourably with that in the</a> <a href="http://www.newvoices.org/campus?id=0075">USA</a>. Participation in a medical insurance plan is compulsory for all Israeli citizens, though all are guaranteed the same care regardless of financial wealth, combined with government expenditure equal to around 7.8% of the country's GDP - or, $15,557,568,000 if you prefer a long number. Note, if you will, that this is</div><div>$1,795,104,000 - more than one and three quarter billion dollars - <i>more</i> than is spent on the military. As the Israeli population is <a href="http://cbs.gov.il/reader/newhodaot/hodaa_template.html?hodaa=201011207">7,653,600,</a> healthcare expenditure per capita (total health spending/population) is just under $2,032 per annum. In Gaza, it's $138. You can argue all you want that Gaza suffers from chronic underfunding, but the fact is Gaza doesn't need a powerful army. Gaza's neighbours do not want to wipe it off the Earth, nor do they want to wipe the population out. In fact, the only neighbour with whom it has any argument is Israel, <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel%27s_unilateral_disengagement_plan">which voluntarily pulled its military out of the state and allowed it to establish self-rule</a> </i>in 2005, returning only when the Qassam rockets threatened Israeli lives. </div><div><br /></div><div>Why, then, does Hamas need to spend money, when it has so little to spend on healthcare, on weapons? Is it because they need to keep the population of Gaza, who may have voted Hamas into power but would probably waste little time in getting rid of them again were it not for the fact that opposing Hamas tends to lead to one being thrown from the roof of a tall building as an example to anyone else who fancies a bit of freedom, need to be kept in their place? Hamas could divert what they spend on arms to healthcare - or perhaps they don't really have the general population's welfare at heart? Luckily for the Palestinians, Israel doesn't limit admissions to its hospitals to Israeli citizens - they're <a href="http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/137709">also willing to offer medical assistance to Palestinians</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Hmm. That reminds me - didn't Israel once offer to treat wounded Gaza residents in one of its field hospitals, as used to great effect in Haiti following the earthquake? <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/hamas-is-to-blame-for-israel-s-failure-to-aid-gazans-1.261971">Apparently, yes it did</a>. And apparently, Hamas refused. Not what you'd expect from an organisation dedicated to ending Israeli tyranny over the Arab people, but quite consistent with anyone who doesn't want to the population to think "Hang on - remember when those IDF medics saved little Achmed's sight after he got hit by shrapnel? Maybe they're not monsters after all - in fact, I'm starting to wonder if Hamas might be nothing more than a criminal gang of thugs and whether we might not be a lot better off we booted them out and made friends with the Israelis." </i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>Finally, let's take a look at another Israeli policy which for some reason doesn't seem to get much coverage in the global press - the provision of humanitarian aid to Gaza. We all know what happened in May 2010 when IDF commandos boarded the Mavi Marmara, a so-called peace vessel carrying food and medicine. </div><div><br /></div><div>We all know what happened as a result, too - Israel was demonised in the world press, who seem to have lost interest in what's going on off the shores of Gaza since then because with very few exceptions they entirely neglected to mention <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/israel/8385847/50-tons-of-weapons-seized-by-Israel.html">what showed up in the hold of the <i>Victoria</i></a>, a ship boarded 200 miles off the Israeli coast last week. Stashed away under sacks of lentils and fabric was a tasty selection of military hardware including ammunition, mortars, one coastal radar system, two hydraulically-operated missile launchers and a matching pair of computerised command stations and - the pick of the bunch - six <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C-704">Iranian C-704 anti-shipping missiles</a>, all apparently put on board when the ship docked in Syria last Monday and heading for the eager hands of Hamas. It's true that Israel blocks the transport of certain goods into Gaza - some of them are admittedly a little strange, such as coriander - and expects the right to inspect all shipments into the the Strip. However, last week's discovery rather suggests they have every right to do so.</div><div><br /></div><div>This brings us rather conveniently onto what Israel <i>does</i> allow into Gaza, and what it has provided. <a href="http://www.cicweb.ca/scene/2010/06/israel_aid_to_gaza/">In the first quarter of 2010 alone, Israel provided the following</a> among many other items:</div><div><br /></div><div><b>40,000 tons of wheat</b> (sufficient to bake 53 million loaves of bread)</div><div><b>2,760 tons of rice</b> (about the same as 69 million servings from your favourite local Chinese takeaway)</div><div><b>553 tons of baby food and formula milk</b> (3,100,000 days' worth for a 6 old month baby - or just over 8493 years - or, since this was for one quarter alone, enough to feed 33,972 babies for a year, which ought to have been enough since the total population of Gaza is less than half a million)</div><div><b>1,987</b> tons of clothes and shoes (not quite sure what that equates to in "real world" terms, but it's probably even more clothes and shoes than my missus owns)</div><div><br /></div><div>To put this into context (and to enable us to line up a narrative device), think if you will of a juicy Jaffa orange. I've got one right here which I've just dissected and discovered to have a strangely-metric-for-Nature ten segments (I don't usually count orange segments, as doing so would probably be considered OCD). Right, now imagine that your mental orange is a little bigger than the average orange - in fact, imagine it's the Megaorange and weighs in at 45,300 tons. That's one big orange - and it's also equal in weight to the humanitarian aid listed above. Nine segments of the Megaorange are roughly equal to the wheat that Israel provided to Gaza in those three months. Around two thirds - 6% or the orange - are equal to the rice. A bit less than half a segment, 4%, is equal to the clothes and shoes. The rest - 1.2% - is equal to the baby food, which doesn't seem that much but babies don't eat very much.</div><div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNG1G8ivCYir_58l0NIfVpEp5CyRgZi2dkk8x-uM7g1IXA0jlmqHZzoKKcfuWIIX5CX1nYOq-Wty9rYmsFOqoPv2Vxx-Z-IOYQeqKR1xDht6AdalwWE6G_a389CZEfI_TYZkGvFnUv2qg/s1600/jaffas.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNG1G8ivCYir_58l0NIfVpEp5CyRgZi2dkk8x-uM7g1IXA0jlmqHZzoKKcfuWIIX5CX1nYOq-Wty9rYmsFOqoPv2Vxx-Z-IOYQeqKR1xDht6AdalwWE6G_a389CZEfI_TYZkGvFnUv2qg/s320/jaffas.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586956740383877778" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >Support Gaza! Buy Jaffa oranges! (You should also buy them because they're yum)</span><br /><br /></div><div>As National Review writer <a href="http://www.nationalreview.com/author/52265">Andrew C. McCarthy</a> puts it, <span class="Apple-style-span"><a href="http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/175250/disproportionate-israeli-humanitarian-aid-gaza-andrew-c-mccarthy">"<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px; ">No indication yet that any aid packages have been strapped onto the 6300 (and counting) missiles those humanitarians from Hamas have fired into Israel since 2005."</span></a></span></div><div><br /></div><div>Think about it next time you eat an Israeli orange - you are <b>not</b> contributing to the oppression of the people of Gaza, <b>you are contributing to their welfare</b>. Don't accept everything you're told without question, because people with hidden agendas want to take advantage of you. </div><div><br /></div><div>Question everything - and, on March the 30th, buy something produced in Israel and make sure you enjoy it. It's the simplest and most effective way you can help the people of Gaza.</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, that Israeli Jaffa orange I dissected back there? It was my last one, so I'm popping out to the local grocery for some more. I'll buy them with pride and they'll taste even sweeter than they did in the past.</div></div></div>Acid Rabbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06627567621791730292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8992792203139033798.post-85657133843578720052011-03-07T16:13:00.006+00:002011-03-07T16:59:19.515+00:00News of the Day<div>I<span class="Apple-style-span">nteresting crop of headlines on tomorrow's ferret litter tray liners. <a href="http://www.dailystar.co.uk/home/"><i><b>The Daily Star</b></i></a> seems slightly surprised that <a href="http://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/view/180052/TRAVELLERS-GOT-TALENT/"><b>some gypsies can sing and play musical instruments</b></a> and that there's a possibility of a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Britain's_Got_Talent"><i><b>Britain's Got Talent</b></i></a>-type programme starring travellers. Now, we understand that they probably don't play all that much jazz in the Star offices, but you'd have thought at least someone there would have heard of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Django_Reinhardt"><b>Django Reinhardt</b></a>. Fair bit of jizz in there though, one might suspect, what with all those porno mags that owner <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Desmond"><b>Richard Desmond</b></a> also owns.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdq7fRGHA1bZ3eUYmu3lZBxYO_FUnN1Z4nryZsB_qAglSHbicAKNtr_VHMZ1_jVlqH_SKoZHWhYKhyHingTmjSvc1hLl0Gs8aZ-CVwZ_xkg6vfRyvP8wkI6L1sORSWX2vlbcumNj2ZNsw/s1600/Django.jpg"><span class="Apple-style-span"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 306px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdq7fRGHA1bZ3eUYmu3lZBxYO_FUnN1Z4nryZsB_qAglSHbicAKNtr_VHMZ1_jVlqH_SKoZHWhYKhyHingTmjSvc1hLl0Gs8aZ-CVwZ_xkg6vfRyvP8wkI6L1sORSWX2vlbcumNj2ZNsw/s320/Django.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581382167149707410" /></span></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >Apparently, some gypsies are quite good musicians. Whodathunkit, eh?</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >Public Domain image from the William P. Gottlieb collection via Wikipedia</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/"><b><i>The Independent</i></b></a> reveals a "<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 13px; line-height: 15px; ">highly classified" <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/americas-secret-plan-to-arm-libyas-rebels-2234227.html"><b>US plan to supply arms to the Libyan rebels</b></a>, as they're <i>"d</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 13px; line-height: 15px; "><i>esperate to avoid US military involvement in Libya in the event of a prolonged struggle between the Gaddafi regime and its opponents."</i> Mmmmm - and <a href="http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Afghanistan/Afghanistan_CIA_Taliban.html"><b>tooling up the enemy's enemies</b></a> has always worked out <i>so</i> well for them in the past, hasn't it? One wonders also how a highly classified document made it into the clutches of a British paper, especially one with such a small circulation - and hence available funds for mole payments - as <i>The Independent</i>. Perhaps they're using the proceeds of the <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/i/"><b><i>I</i></b></a>, which is outselling its parent considerably (either because the Great British Public welcome a paper free of slebbage or because it's only 20p and thus cheaper than Asda Smart Price bog roll) - which is probably a good thing as ever </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; ">since <em><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/"><b>The Grauniad</b></a></em> disappeared up its own smug, middle class arsehole and turned into a lifestyle magazine for rich bell ends <i>The Independent</i> has been far and away the best Britrag, despite - or perhaps as reflected by - it having the smallest circulation of any of the proper newspapers. If the <i>I</i> enables <i>The Independent</i> to keep going, even if at a loss, then all well and good.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; "><em>The Guardian </em>itself devoted the top of the front page to a section in the G2 in which fashion correspondent <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/hadleyfreeman"><b>Hadley Freeman</b></a> discusses whether or not it's still acceptable to wear <a href="http://www.diorcouture.com/uk/dior_uk.html?event=4.253"><b>Dior</b></a> following <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Galliano"><b>John Galliano's</b></a> embarrassing little <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12578753"><b>antisemitic outburst</b></a> last week. Good to see they're still covering the stories that matter to the poor and oppressed, who will no doubt be showing a bit of the old <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Cable_Street"><b>Cable Street</b></a> solidarity and burning their Dior couture on the streets tonight in response.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; "><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; "><a href="http://www.express.co.uk/home"><i><b>The Daily Express</b></i></a> - also owned by Richard "Asian Babes" Desmond, as it happens - predicts snow in the near future as it was a little bit cold last night. We didn't bother to read the story, preferring not even to prod with a stick anything quite so unpleasant as the Express in case its vile poison should travel like that of a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cockatrice"><b>cockatrice</b></a> up the stick and into our mortal hearts, but have little doubt that the snow can be blamed on the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EU"><b>EU</b></a> in some contrived way. May Saint Diana have mercy upon us!</span></span></span></div></div></div>Acid Rabbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06627567621791730292noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8992792203139033798.post-92228872482336667302010-11-03T13:22:00.004+00:002010-11-03T13:35:22.535+00:00Three cheers for Julian Huppert MP<div><span class="Apple-style-span">Three cheers (and a pint, if we happen to see down the pub) for Cambridge's Liberal Democrat MP <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julian_Huppert"><b>Julian Huppert</b></a> who intervened to prevent the repatriation of an immigrant to a nation where he was likely to be persecuted and tortured.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs1TzTCD3rFdMcYXFRIpPc7axLaDDxzIYYyNXRzWrU6k1gYRTcmZ9hq_FpTmT6JFQ-IJ3MmBPFTxsVwNvFpK1lAPTKn57TLdb4pg_H5GWvpqFKXjgKituBZKCYJLTuzoUub01zhSt5ntQ/s1600/JulianHuppert.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 201px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs1TzTCD3rFdMcYXFRIpPc7axLaDDxzIYYyNXRzWrU6k1gYRTcmZ9hq_FpTmT6JFQ-IJ3MmBPFTxsVwNvFpK1lAPTKn57TLdb4pg_H5GWvpqFKXjgKituBZKCYJLTuzoUub01zhSt5ntQ/s320/JulianHuppert.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5535315291898315410" /></a></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Cambridge's LibDem MP Julian Huppert - a good bloke, even if he <i>is</i> a politician.</span></span></div></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small; "><span class="Apple-style-span">Image from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Julian_Huppert_01.JPG"><b>Wikipedia</b></a>, <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/"><b>Creative Commons ShareAlike 3.0 licence</b></a>.</span></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span">It's about time a few politicians stood up for immigrants, who - by allowing the right wing press (especially the Daily Mail, which is virtually fascist) to ram a load of utter racist rot down the electorate's collective throat - they have used as a convenient scapegoat, allowing them to take the blame for problems that were in fact the government's fault all along.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br />Secondly, repatriating immigrants to nations where they will face persecution, torture and even murder is shameful and flies in the face of all the traditionally British qualities that make us a great country. Mr. Huppert should feel as proud of himself as we do to have him as our MP.</span></div></div></div>Acid Rabbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06627567621791730292noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8992792203139033798.post-64736286708930203282010-09-29T13:22:00.004+01:002010-09-29T13:40:34.857+01:00Dead Mouse Found In Bread<span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Mr. Forse, of Oxfordshire, thought at first the dough from which his bread had been made had not been mixed properly, leading to a slightly misshapen lump of discoloured dough. However, on closer inspection, the lump turned out to be a dead mouse.</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">He then contacted his local council, and environmental health officers visited his home and took the bread away, which in turn led to a court case in which the baker - the ironically-named Premier Foods - was fined £5,500 and just over £11,100 costs. Just before leaving, one of the officers informed Mr. Forse that the mouse's tail was missing.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihqcKWBnS4ef2IPXpO-mjXL1zVQDRWq3xikBhcXDj_YFQlcp8q6nv52KKHzW4BsE4n7kJbOdXeslt5CwkxxUhyaSDXvtDjhPaOwtV04RhdiNP6WKEdQsbrT9OykpsevOTZMxq36poXc1k/s1600/mouse01.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 270px; height: 237px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihqcKWBnS4ef2IPXpO-mjXL1zVQDRWq3xikBhcXDj_YFQlcp8q6nv52KKHzW4BsE4n7kJbOdXeslt5CwkxxUhyaSDXvtDjhPaOwtV04RhdiNP6WKEdQsbrT9OykpsevOTZMxq36poXc1k/s320/mouse01.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522312743911830882" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" ><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Mouse sandwich, anyone?</span></div></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms'; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Mr. Forse had already used a few slices to make sandwiches for his family. Had one of them unwittingly enjoyed a tasty mouse tail sarnie?</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Who cares? Are we the only ones who are utterly dismayed that none of the news sources carrying the story make any mention of whether or not a post-portem was carried out on the rodent, just to set our minds at rest that poor Mousey fell dead into the bread tin and did not suffer a horrific fate being half-drowned in bread dough and then slowly baked to death?</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><b>That</b> is the information that matters.</span></span></div></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiItXwI5yZ6F45zKShZpV2NwFN82YLgcXnSKUGSIs-il3X8fVjYYz-KbExDPyky_xrn4TqNtybl2whgxZkwlE_uA08LW1fX9LZV7etqfsCbjB7bpuFo-2MQ1wglav20jHQbmokX6c_3BvM/s1600/mouse02.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 313px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiItXwI5yZ6F45zKShZpV2NwFN82YLgcXnSKUGSIs-il3X8fVjYYz-KbExDPyky_xrn4TqNtybl2whgxZkwlE_uA08LW1fX9LZV7etqfsCbjB7bpuFo-2MQ1wglav20jHQbmokX6c_3BvM/s320/mouse02.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522313440335792690" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >Mousey in happier times. His widow, Mrs. Mousey (pictured on the left), describes the incident as "a tragedy.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" >"</span></div>Acid Rabbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06627567621791730292noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8992792203139033798.post-27994748227315808742010-09-13T18:30:00.003+01:002010-09-13T18:33:58.944+01:00Anti-Israel protestors meet their match<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">The so-called pro-Palestine mob, still failing to see that since Israel donates vast amounts of humanitarian aid to Gaza and rehabilitates victims of Hamas' nasty little habit of throwing anyone who dares disagree with them off the roofs of high buildings means they and anyone else with any concerns for the wellbeing of the Palestinian people would be a lot wiser to support international trade with the Jewish state (after all, more trade=richer Israel. Richer Israel=even more aid to Gaza) have been keeping their silly heads busy of late by protesting outside the Covent Garden shop occupied by Israeli beauty product company Ahava and have been having a jolly old time waving their (usually lie-filled) placards and singing nasty songs.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"></span></div><div><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://s0.videopress.com/player.swf?v=1.02" width="400" height="300" wmode="transparent" seamlesstabbing="true" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" overstretch="true" flashvars="guid=Rp2Ac5TU"></embed></div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"></span></div><div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">However, on the 11th of September, they met their match in the singing stakes - a group of Israeli tourists entered the shop and then decided to join forces with the resident pro-Israeli crowd ( a crowd consisting of one - very brave, considering how outnumbered she was - woman with an Israeli flag.) They then began singing an assortment of Israeli songs, including Am Israel Chai. Unsurprisingly, the "pro-Palestinians" took issue with this. Their response, however, is slightly peculiar: they decided to yell "racist sum!" at the Israelis. Precisely how singing a song with a title meaning "the people of Israel live" makes one a racist is obscure - or quite possibly entirely nonsensical, many of the "pro-Palestinians" not being the brightest minds as already pointed out at the start of this post.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"></span></div><div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">The "pro-Palestinian" lobby have had it all their own way for far too long, with too many people believing their biased version of events, selective retellings of reality and outright lies, so it's fantastic to see them drowned out for once.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"></span></div><div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">More video and a considerably better write-up than this one at </span><a href="http://richardmillett.wordpress.com/2010/09/12/ahava-london-911-2010/"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">RichardMillet's Blog</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">.</span></div></div></div>Acid Rabbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06627567621791730292noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8992792203139033798.post-27877504705510902092010-08-20T19:57:00.006+01:002010-08-20T20:17:06.494+01:00Israel and the PA to restart peace talks<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family:'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has announced that Israeli Prime Minister </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Netanyahu"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Binyamin Netanyahu</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> and Palestinian Authority President </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahmoud_Abbas"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Mahmoud Abbas</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> have been invited to talks in Washington this September after both parties agreed to restart the peace talks that broke down more than a year and a half ago.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family:'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br />That's good news, surely? Could it be that and end to suffering is finally in sight for the millions of people who live in the West Bank, in Gaza and in those Israeli areas that daily face the </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qassam_rocket"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Qassam</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> rockets aimed indiscriminately at homes, shops, schools and hospitals? Let's all hope so.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqivi8y6DUwsKbi13FL2sAAbGRX8r85Qkn0pr2G2UT8nYH_flJYpWZCP73PltqFkQ-A1VRET2RtWccrcruL_p7ivjXjjfft64GbbiZRx76VYBS8VKSkIbXhtsdzXUB9PZhl2UmvuiPbps/s1600/HC.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 256px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqivi8y6DUwsKbi13FL2sAAbGRX8r85Qkn0pr2G2UT8nYH_flJYpWZCP73PltqFkQ-A1VRET2RtWccrcruL_p7ivjXjjfft64GbbiZRx76VYBS8VKSkIbXhtsdzXUB9PZhl2UmvuiPbps/s320/HC.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507571471305200146" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><div style="text-align: center;">Will the new round of peace negotiations be a success? Does Hillary even care? After all, just getting Israel and the PA to start talking again is seriously good PR for her and her boss as the Democrat's popularity continues on its downward spiral now that the USA has realised Obama isn't actually a god after all.</div><div style="text-align: center;">(<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hillary_Clinton_official_Secretary_of_State_portrait_crop.jpg"><b>Public domain image from Wikipedia</b></a>).</div></span><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">However, there would appear to be a slight problem. Take a look at the PA's human rights records. They're an organisation that regularly </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_rights_in_the_Palestinian_National_Authority#Freedom_of_Speech"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">denies the freedom of speech</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> of those they claim to speak for, thinks nothing of </span><a href="http://findarticles.com/p/news-articles/jerusalem-post/mi_8048/is_20060725/pa-detains-gazan-editor-libel/ai_n47354778/"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">contravening the freedom of the press</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> when news agencies see fit to publish stories they don't want people knowing about, promotes </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_rights_in_the_Palestinian_National_Authority#Treatment_of_Christian_sites"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">religious intolerance</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">, </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_rights_in_the_Palestinian_National_Authority#Conditions_for_detainees"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">tortures political dissidents</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> and carries out extrajudicial executions, does nothing to prevent </span><a href="http://www.phrmg.org/pressrelease/2005/January%201,%202006.htm"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">honour killings</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> and may even have created infrastructure promoting them, takes little action to prevent or reduce </span><a href="http://www.hrw.org/reports/2006/opt1106/"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">violence towards women</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">, leading </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Rights_Watch"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Human Rights Watch</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> to accuse them of </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">"failing to act diligently to prevent, investigate, and punish violence against women, putting women's health and lives in jeopardy. Ultimately, the PA is denying victims their rights under international human rights law to non-discrimination and an effective judicial remedy for abuse"</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">, </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_rights_in_the_Palestinian_National_Authority#Status_of_Homosexuality"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">oppresses homosexuals</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> and, according to journalist </span><a href="http://www.hudson-ny.org/608/how-to-help-the-palestinian-people"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Khaled Abu Toameh</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">, do everything within their power to prevent the international community from finding out about their </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">"massive abuse of human rights and intimidation of journalists that its security forces are practicing almost on a daily basis in the West Bank."</span></i></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family:'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br />Democratic nations, such as Israel and the USA, cannot conduct any sort of meaningful peace talks with an organisation like the PA because it is obvious that the PA are not working towards the best interests of the Palestinian people. They are nothing more than an oppressive and inhumane regime that utilises fear and violence to keep the will of the Palestinian people suppressed.<br /><br />As Khaled Abu Toameh continues, </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">"The Palestinians do not need a dictatorship that harasses and terrorizes journalists, and that is responsible for the death of detainees in its prisons. In the Arab world we already have enough dictatorships.<br /><br />The Palestinians do not need additional security forces, militias and armed gangs. In fact, there are too many of them, both in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip."</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /><br />One day, there will be peace in Israel and Palestine. The majority of the people, like people everywhere, simply want to live their lives without fear, violence and bloodshed and with enough food to feed themselves and their children. One day, the Palestinian people will realise that it's the PA who are preventing them from achieving these aims and when that happens, it'll only be a matter of time before they rise against the PA and destroy them. Perhaps they will then establish a democratic government with whom those nations that value human rights and freedoms can negotiate.</span></span></div></span></span></div>Acid Rabbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06627567621791730292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8992792203139033798.post-75687210142131295112010-07-07T08:55:00.014+01:002010-07-07T09:39:47.206+01:00Le Tour de France 2010 pt 2<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Having seen the riders' protest at the concrete Belgian roads in <a href="http://www.letour.fr/2010/TDF/LIVE/us/200/index.html"><b>Stage 2</b></a> (riders in the peloton refused to sprint at the finish line and crossed en masse, forcing the Tour authorities to award everyone second place) and the grimaces of pain yesterday as <a href="http://www.letour.fr/2010/TDF/LIVE/us/300/index.html"><b>they rode on cobbles</b></a> (which, admittedly, resembled mountain bike singletrack more than a road suited to skinny-wheeled racing bikes and which will no doubt bring a new wave of complaints), you have to wonder if they've become spoiled.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Take, for example, <a href="http://thelongestlistofthelongeststuffatthelongestdomainnameatlonglast.com/long538.html"><b>Stage 5 of the 1919 Tour</b></a> - it covered 492km between Les Sables d'Olonne and Bayonne. That's more than three times the distance they covered yesterday. The pictures below, from an album on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=3624&id=103512969698091&page=2#!/album.php?id=103512969698091&aid=3624&s=0&hash=422785f24c79aa126976b9a6261748cf"><b>le Tour's official Facebook page</b></a>, show just what the riders of old endured...</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0RdwaKw8Bw9nzT-Pfro5595Zq1lYwR_V_TPuJjAyMHTZ05a41PK24Q6v-Q40oUTqFgm_IG9m4ZXaDg_A45reCcxPgf2iFrDjGwPwqNTS7OKS1Wy7lmvO5GFKM1E0OMDyweOzW1_P2vtM/s1600/TDF006.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 304px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0RdwaKw8Bw9nzT-Pfro5595Zq1lYwR_V_TPuJjAyMHTZ05a41PK24Q6v-Q40oUTqFgm_IG9m4ZXaDg_A45reCcxPgf2iFrDjGwPwqNTS7OKS1Wy7lmvO5GFKM1E0OMDyweOzW1_P2vtM/s400/TDF006.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491072043466114226" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Or how about if they had to schlep their own spare parts around, like this chap with his inner tubes round his neck, instead of relying on a support car stuffed full of spare wheels, bikes and anything else they might need? (Not to mention the chap on the right who, going by the goggles, is a rider himself. Cycling clothing has certainly moved on somewhat).<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH8u4Ekai4HcPqmRmjUZb-nnNLW4szNk_PLxk0kUhQSyOJCsTy2bXqS0mbjQehkT5sjJ3wG-3I5gJqv_wsaPWO81YuSJRRuKLL0miyRBvmIT9FqXbHRvkZJrjztR0np5Y7gqcsPvItiwk/s1600/TDF007.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 333px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH8u4Ekai4HcPqmRmjUZb-nnNLW4szNk_PLxk0kUhQSyOJCsTy2bXqS0mbjQehkT5sjJ3wG-3I5gJqv_wsaPWO81YuSJRRuKLL0miyRBvmIT9FqXbHRvkZJrjztR0np5Y7gqcsPvItiwk/s400/TDF007.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491072236049954274" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">These days, the roads are cleared as le Tour passes through and all the riders need worry about is dodging the support cars and camera motorbikes (which do their utmost to keep out of the way). Horse-drawn farm vehicles are notable by their absence these days.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXlYUKomtCmQU8tejwmWv7zgIIlpN6GCR8JGve77XJh1aenbVvj1axFUEKcp0af17UD7jg4Zpv7y0ZNcpMqdwZ3vwVhSx3-Ggguw9tm3JPTkS2U9VZTopkkzsr1PIyttf3sHGoPbr2Ghw/s1600/TFD001.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 289px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXlYUKomtCmQU8tejwmWv7zgIIlpN6GCR8JGve77XJh1aenbVvj1axFUEKcp0af17UD7jg4Zpv7y0ZNcpMqdwZ3vwVhSx3-Ggguw9tm3JPTkS2U9VZTopkkzsr1PIyttf3sHGoPbr2Ghw/s400/TFD001.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491072440245023122" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Tour riders are famous for their enormous appetites (they often have difficulty adjusting to normal human food intake following retirement, which is why </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddy_Merckx"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Eddy Merckx</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"> looks a bit like <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordon_Brown"><b>Gordon Brown</b></a> these days) but no matter how desperate for food, I suspect the majority would opt for mountains of freshly-cooked pasta in the team bus rather than traditional rustic French fare in a cafe like this one. (I wonder if he's eating the boiled frogs in </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Triplettes_de_Belleville"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Belleville Rendezvous</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">?)<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyVqKm5xClk8sWRVrwXPw-WOMjkkxFZ1O23dpA1ZAKlSfB87mzne3waROmFJNyhXpQ-Q0NDhec2kchi7mkLhm7atPQmkTlfStwTO3mMdNP8ei0vhzSylobzv7csrBIWCMsHMFbuUqg-J0/s1600/TFD002.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 293px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyVqKm5xClk8sWRVrwXPw-WOMjkkxFZ1O23dpA1ZAKlSfB87mzne3waROmFJNyhXpQ-Q0NDhec2kchi7mkLhm7atPQmkTlfStwTO3mMdNP8ei0vhzSylobzv7csrBIWCMsHMFbuUqg-J0/s400/TFD002.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491072635119025794" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Night stages were dropped as the darkness provided an irresistible opportunity for riders to cheat. These days, with modern technology such as night vision goggles, they might well provide variety (though the logistics could be difficult - nobody would be able to race after a day in the saddle not the day after a night stage, so you'd have to sandwich it between two rest days).<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD2NOE3ZU07DXu0tgI1wkjrQ281zf5hGrjZD4mtA1mEvZfRHtS87Z6MeoH-DtI0hJxykLcrJqnBeYrlewZoSd3UzbmHfwKmgf3Pa-Uh9uIVJ2gb6ip7TeWC8o7fh7btOmqqczZir_NPBg/s1600/TFD004.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 306px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD2NOE3ZU07DXu0tgI1wkjrQ281zf5hGrjZD4mtA1mEvZfRHtS87Z6MeoH-DtI0hJxykLcrJqnBeYrlewZoSd3UzbmHfwKmgf3Pa-Uh9uIVJ2gb6ip7TeWC8o7fh7btOmqqczZir_NPBg/s400/TFD004.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491072954705945170" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Misjudge this turn in the darkness and you'd come to a sticky end - by the looks of it, that slope to the right of the road drops off sharply right behind the spectators.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ7XXUJBGVVGdSlqf8cGRiDaCIyI-fnPRjzyOb6jztTg1w03Xb0tIyUdlAFPLtF3cCsEY-g3IaxBce4Ztx3QQ7p-S3j2_TYKuLch8LY6dpG75twWaD-9TFCxsHW6mr68MOSpr78IKpcRQ/s1600/TFD003.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 291px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ7XXUJBGVVGdSlqf8cGRiDaCIyI-fnPRjzyOb6jztTg1w03Xb0tIyUdlAFPLtF3cCsEY-g3IaxBce4Ztx3QQ7p-S3j2_TYKuLch8LY6dpG75twWaD-9TFCxsHW6mr68MOSpr78IKpcRQ/s400/TFD003.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491073168109330306" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">That <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2010/jul/04/tour-de-france-david-millar-dog"><b>dog</b></a> that got onto the road on Stage 1 caused chaos. How about a whole flock of sheep?<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC4D4Y2-TgvfsiXLn0zZ_1KREoDglLFee2FffARAfFRzAXXtVlOu6fJpjPl6a2n2MHV1yCy1mUVLx2ASe0eAU4KqrS0sjxPi6CujDnId1xKOu6d_uqmvKmZEtf8NgUGG6jsieu5a40W9s/s1600/TFD005.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 378px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC4D4Y2-TgvfsiXLn0zZ_1KREoDglLFee2FffARAfFRzAXXtVlOu6fJpjPl6a2n2MHV1yCy1mUVLx2ASe0eAU4KqrS0sjxPi6CujDnId1xKOu6d_uqmvKmZEtf8NgUGG6jsieu5a40W9s/s400/TFD005.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491073326407254994" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">If the Belgian roads and Stage 3 cobbles were enough to spark protest, how would modern riders cope with <b>this?</b> No idea which Tour this is, but looking at the clothes and the bike I'd guess either pre-WW1 or shortly afterwards. Remember that back then bikes were based on farmyard gate designs and had a weight to match.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Back in the day, the entire race would periodically stop when the riders passed a cafe or bar that one of their number happened to know and recommend and not re-start until everyone had finished their drinks. It was also common to see riders sit up in the saddle and light a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gauloises"><b>Gauloises</b></a> or pipe - all things the modern, super-athletic rider avoids like the plague, of course, but one can't help suspect that despite their superhuman fitness they're a much softer and more domesticated breed than the riders of years gone by.</span></div>Acid Rabbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06627567621791730292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8992792203139033798.post-28596861004783360992010-07-03T15:57:00.004+01:002010-07-03T16:03:17.863+01:00Le Tour De France 2010<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms'; ">...starts today, so don't expect many posts for the next three weeks as we'll be too busy watching sport that genuinely challenges participants both physically and mentally, unlike that pointless football thing that the world has been so excited about just recently, and are likely to hotfoot it over to France the moment Bradley Wiggins looks like winning.</span></div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAQHis-IwdnyyUC1bWlsAZd3QjJLM3x6c-9VfAPP51EXNUIJ4_q23PwmtY_Aw7bgXBa91xpvtXs_JlOZb7SAwKKIbxXaFK_mw1MQgPAKSJPUeGCtCzSqKgta6AkfrcT4zOEja6ZQpgBac/s1600/didi_senft_01.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 219px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAQHis-IwdnyyUC1bWlsAZd3QjJLM3x6c-9VfAPP51EXNUIJ4_q23PwmtY_Aw7bgXBa91xpvtXs_JlOZb7SAwKKIbxXaFK_mw1MQgPAKSJPUeGCtCzSqKgta6AkfrcT4zOEja6ZQpgBac/s400/didi_senft_01.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489695239648412226" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Vive Bradley Wiggins!</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Vive Team Sky!</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Vive Lance!</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Vive Didi Senft!</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Vive le Tour!</b></span></span></div></span></div></div>Acid Rabbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06627567621791730292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8992792203139033798.post-25978616312003157952010-06-12T12:07:00.002+01:002010-06-12T12:09:53.801+01:00<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Having had a difficult few months of doing basically sod all other than getting drunk, we've decided it's time we went on holiday. Back next weekend - unless anything interesting happens and inspires us to fire up the ol' Blackberry.</span></b>Acid Rabbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06627567621791730292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8992792203139033798.post-44874409793649167612010-06-05T10:04:00.012+01:002010-06-05T13:23:14.169+01:00Israel boards another aid vessel<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Have you ever been</span> <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">arrested</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">? I have - in 1993 for possession of a </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">controlled class B substance</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">, namely about 1/32 of an ounce of </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">cannabis resin</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">, not too long after my eighteenth birthday which was a stroke of luck as it meant my mum never found out. I'd just left college and, having read </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Orwell"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Orwell's</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> </span><i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Down_and_Out_in_Paris_and_London"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Down and Out in Paris and London</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">a few months previously which had affected me in the way that Orwell tends to affect left-wing teenagers, rather than doing the old "going to India to find myself" routine I decided I'd have a go at being a </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">tramp</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> (by which, I should point out for the benefit of our dear American readers, I mean a travelling itinerant or hobo, not a lady of questionable morals). As such I travelled the highways and byways of England for a while, mostly on foot with a rucksack full of army surplus clothing and an assortment of bits and pieces collected along the way but also by hitch-hiking when it rained or the pain from my blisters became sufficiently bad as to supercede my middle class teenage zealotry.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAKaLgLZhUl4zRYBMA_I3KjSs6G2YmSKX6FVhKvp1kx0Fl1WcYSGDXFcWfBNmdfdyzj1DY78h54VY_W3reubYj-dRGz5RB9C-hlUYQZ3s9J06Wb1nuGNV8ijCubY_N5_KF63kZqe5h4yI/s1600/Haschisch.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 243px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAKaLgLZhUl4zRYBMA_I3KjSs6G2YmSKX6FVhKvp1kx0Fl1WcYSGDXFcWfBNmdfdyzj1DY78h54VY_W3reubYj-dRGz5RB9C-hlUYQZ3s9J06Wb1nuGNV8ijCubY_N5_KF63kZqe5h4yI/s400/Haschisch.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479257945181657922" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:x-small;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">A far bigger bit of cannabis resin than I got caught with.</span></span></div></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">(</span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Haschisch.jpg"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Wikipedia</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">, </span><a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:GNU_Free_Documentation_License"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">GNU free documentation</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">)</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">'Twas on such a day that I found myself in one of those Midlands towns (I'd read </span><i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Road_to_Wigan_Pier"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">The Road to Wigan Pier</span></b></a></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> too, and was heading thataway to take a look - also, like many upon hearing that Wigan has a </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wigan_Pier"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">pier</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">, I had assumed it to be a seaside resort and seaside resorts are good places for those whose diet depends on the generosity of others, assuming one can get to discarded chips before the seagulls do) that has little left since the </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">demise of local industry</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">, having been dropped there the day previously by a travelling businessman of some description who had almost killed us both on a number of occasions whilst driving up the A1 through several attempts to interface his </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peugeot_205"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Peugeot 205</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> with thundering juggernauts. I'd pitched my tent in a coppice and it then proceeded to bucket it down all night, so I had a fairly miserable night sheltering under leaky canvas eating the packet of rapidly-hardening doughnuts I had pilfered from the bins round the back of a </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kwik_Save"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Kwik-Save</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> shop, conceding that perhaps those college comrades who had opted for three months in Goa and a weekly allowance from Daddy had known what they were about after all.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Next morning, despite the rain having cleared up and the sun being in the sky, the town was nevertheless pervaded by greyness, the same greyness that comes from mass unemployment and despair and foretells galloping numbers of heroin addicts and race riots to come. So, I decided to get my self out of their as sharply as possible and head for the countryside, which is a far better place to be a tramp if one knows how to catch a rabbit (yes, I know - I didn't keep kosher in those days) and what hedge garlic looks like, and readied my rucksack and thumb for more hitch-hiking.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">I stood on the roadside for around half an hour when a Mini Metro in police livery drew up. </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">"Surely not,"</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> I thought, </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">"is he going to give me a lift?"</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> He was not.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">The car contained two coppers and one, who seemed not much older than myself, stepped out of his car and we moved a short way up the grassy bank running along the side of the road. </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">"There's nothing to worry about, mate,"</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> he said, </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">"we're just having a look at who's out and about in the area. Do you have anything on you that you shouldn't have, at all?"</span></i></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">"Erm, not really,"</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> I replied, as you do, then thinking at least some degree of honesty might work in my favour. So I told him that there was a </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">large sheath knife</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> in the canvas bag that I used to carry stuff such as tobacco that I might need without the hassle of opening my rucksack.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">"Let's have a look at it,"</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> he instructed. I opened my bag to retrieve the knife, but his hands were inside it the moment I unfastened the buckle. He ignored the knife completely and instead brought out the grey plastic box within which I kept tobacco, cigarette papers and - as he had correctly guessed - </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">cannabis</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">. He opened the box and rummaged through the contents before placing it on the ground. Next he took out the knife and had a good look at that - with a blade six inches long, it was most certainly enough to earn me a conviction for carrying an offensive weapon. Had he missed the cannabis, I wondered, or perhaps decided that since it was such a small amount arresting me for it wasn't worth his time? I then told him about the </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">hatchet </span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">and the</span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> high-powered hunting catapult </span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">in my rucksack, so he brought those out too along with a small plastic jar containing a herbal substance - this, however, was merely dried tansy, a common flower which insects absolutely loathe and which I had been using to keep flies out of the tent by hanging it in the doorway. I told him this and he believed me.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">"Right,"</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> he said, </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">"I am arresting you for possession of a controlled substance..."</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> If you've ever watched </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bill"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">The Bill</span></i></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> you already know the rest of the spiel. I expected to be </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">handcuffed</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> at this point, but I was not - why? The only reason I could think of was, other than my original reluctance to admit that I had some cannabis, I had been straight-forward, honest and co-operative. I then realised that he too had been perfectly polite towards me with none of the aggressiveness that police tend to show towards unwashed hippy teenagers in films. The arresting officer was sitting in the front passenger's seat holding my knife and hatchet, turning them over in his hands. </span><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">"Did we ever recover the blade and axe used in the Harrison murders?"</span></b></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> he asked his colleague. </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">"Shit,"</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> I thought, really not wanting to be arrested on suspicion of murder too - but he turned round to look at me with an enormous grin on his face. We traded quips for the remainder of the journey to the police station and, by the time we got there, I realised that he was the sort of man with whom I'd very happily go for a pint.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">At the station, I was asked to sit on a plastic bench right next to the open front doors - at no time was I put in a cell. The arresting officer spoke to the desk sergeant and I heard him report why I had been arrested, also mentioning that I'd given them no trouble and it ought to be a routine matter. He then returned to me and began fiddling with the catapult, calling over to the desk sergeant to come and have a look. </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">"This'd be bloody handy when you're chasing a mugger, eh?"</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> he said, grinning and pulling back the latex bands for a dry shot. Then - and I swear to you this is not a lie, the three of us went out into the station carpark for ten minutes with the catapult and ball bearing ammunition and I showed them how to aim it, firing at a splodge of white paint on a wall. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Following this, I was taken back into the station and led to an interview room where he asked me a few questions - name, address (which I gave as no fixed abode), where I'd been, where I was going and what I doing and I was entirely truthful. He then said, </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">"I suppose you're not going to tell us who sold you the cannabis, right?"</span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">"Nope,"</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> I told him, because although coppers were sometimes known to unarrest people and release them without charge in return for information of this kind I was brought up much better than </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">that</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">. Thus I got a </span><b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Police_caution"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">caution</span></a></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">, which is basically a telling-off and being made to promise you won't be naughty that will be mentioned and used against you should you be arrested for any other offences during the next three years. My belongings were returned to me and I was invited to check through them to make sure nothing was missing. I did so, and told them that something was indeed missing - 1/32 of an ounce of cannabis and could I have it back please? This also got a laugh.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">I was then allowed to leave, having been in custody for no more than an hour, furnished by the desk sergeant with the valuable tip that if I returned to the place where I had been attempting to get a lift I'd probably be there for the next few days as it was notorious for speeding and an accident blackspot, so police cars patrolled it constantly and drivers would be unlikely to stop. He suggested instead that I try a smaller road which joined the A1 some miles out of town and was the preferred route for locals. I did so, getting a lift almost immediately as far as </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boroughbridge"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Boroughbridge</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> in North Yorkshire, the location of three menhirs known as </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devil's_Arrows"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">The Devil's Arrows</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> which I had been wanting to have a look at and where I met a man who ate worm curry (but that's another story altogether). I never did get to Wigan, but from what I've since heard about the place I didn't miss much.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Anyway, I learned a valuable lesson that day. Not that </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">smoking cannabis is wrong</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> - I continued smoking it regularly until my early 30s and still remain unconvinced that its illegality is either necessary or wise, but that when one is forced to deal with the police, </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">co-operation and honesty</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> will go a long way to ensuring the process is as painless, quick and easy as possible. Like most cannabis users I was to have many, many more encounters with Her Maj's Constabulary over the years but I have never again been arrested - unlike my dope-smoking friends who, on the whole, have been arrested several times and in some cases have received financial and/or custodial punishment. There have been times when the car we were travelling in has been pulled over and although I have never admitted to being in possession of cannabis without being prompted to do so - that would be plain idiocy - when asked if I have anything I shouldn't have I have followed a policy of telling them what I have, how much of it and where it is. On one occasion, a friend named Chris and I were stopped and asked. I confessed immediately that I had a quarter of an ounce of resin in my pocket and handed it over. Chris, meanwhile, denied having anything naughty about his person and became </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">verbally aggressive</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">. A police van was called to the scene and in the back I was asked to turn out my pockets and asked if I had ever been in trouble with the police before - I replied that yes I had, and told them all about the caution resulting from the incident above despite it having taken place six or seven years previously and for this reason there being no requirement for me to mention it. Chris, meanwhile, was subjected to a f</span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">ull strip search</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">. When they found approximately 1/16th of an ounce in his pocket, a quarter of the amount I had, he was </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">arrested and remained in a cell overnight</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">; whereas I was informed that </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">I was free to go</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">It's simple, really. If a copper asks you something, </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">tell the truth</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">. If he or she tells you do something, </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">do it</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">. Do not try to make life difficult for them, because they have pepper spray, superior numbers and the law on their side which, all in all, means that they can make life a very great deal more difficult for </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">you</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">"OK Acid Rabbi my old matey,"</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> you may be thinking, </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">"You've been waffling on for 1,955 words now. Are you actually going anywhere with this?"</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> Unless, that is, you've become bored; in which case you've probably wandered off to some other part of the Internet and are now laughing at </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">photographs of cats with funny captions</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN-c-oY9aQIJjm8bQAy0YGrPIbDUqcLnntNVRMuVVjhROZ3nnzAtN_BSMr6sludLGRBrHKdasU_j62QyjNixbeTLx9oVmt_Xq6GY2OkxY7fPH0cmGD6Qr5bc1tMd-6LKcrzSEth_VvYtM/s1600/RCdock.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 296px; height: 385px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN-c-oY9aQIJjm8bQAy0YGrPIbDUqcLnntNVRMuVVjhROZ3nnzAtN_BSMr6sludLGRBrHKdasU_j62QyjNixbeTLx9oVmt_Xq6GY2OkxY7fPH0cmGD6Qr5bc1tMd-6LKcrzSEth_VvYtM/s400/RCdock.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479259363403955506" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">The Rachel Corrie in dock.</div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">(Image from </span><a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MV_Rachel_Corrie_stern_view.jpg"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Wikipedia</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">, </span><a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">CC Attribution ShareAlike 2.0</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">)</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Well, yes I am - but what with all those spliffs I used to smoke it might take me a few minutes with this </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">dodgy old hard drive</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> I call a memory to remember precisely what my track was before I can get back on it. Oh yes - I know - same thing I've been banging on about all week: </span><b><a href="http://acidrabbi.blogspot.com/2010/06/israel-had-no-choice.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Israel, Gaza and the so-called aid flotilla</span></a></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">. As we all know, the </span><i><b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Rachel_Corrie"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Rachel Corrie</span></a></b></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> - a ship which had intended to set sail along with the </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Mavi Marmara</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> which </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaza_flotilla_raid"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">was boarded by the Israeli Defense Forces</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> on Monday, causing those on board to violently attack the commandos and get shot at as a result, was unable to do so due to technical difficulties but it eventually set sail and, this morning, approached the exclusion zone established in the waters around Gaza by Israel to prevent the smuggling of arms and explosives as used in the construction of the 8,600 </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qassam_rocket"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Qassam rockets</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> that </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamas"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Hamas</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> has fired into Israel, often targeting civilian areas. According to flotilla organisers the </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_Gaza_Movement"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Free Gaza Movement</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">, the ship has a non-working radio - as a result of Israeli sabotage, claim </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">conspiracy theorists</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> and the </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">terminally, ridiculously paranoid</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> - which rather forces one to wonder why it wasn't fitted with new one while those technical problems were being sorted out; meaning that it has been impossible for the Free Gaza Movement to contact those aboard and let them know that Israel remained resolute in its understandable unwillingness to allow it to dock in Gaza without first being checked for banned items. However, there can be no doubt that they will have been aware of this - the ship set out </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">after</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> Monday on the </span><a href="http://palsolidarity.org/2010/06/12648/"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">2nd of June</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> and, according to the organisers, has been tailed by three Israeli naval vessels. As was the case with the </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Mavi Marmara</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> and the other five vessels making up the flotilla, Israel says it made </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">three requests</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> that the ship </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">changed course</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> for an Israeli port where it could dock and unload, allowing the cargo to be checked before being transported to Gaza for distribution through Israel's existing channels which are used to deliver </span><a href="http://www.cicweb.ca/scene/2010/06/israel_aid_to_gaza/"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">15,000 tons of aid weekly</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">, stating that if it did not change course they would board it and steer it towards the port of </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashdod"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Ashdod</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> themselves.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgul3sJfp_F0uQltjFVV51VETX1suMSV__TZxmXjd5fhms740Fk0g4p9cZBjCermVnA8gc9vOnHpN1pMJ3hPP2Vn4f7VIj2CyYRK9L6_9AY0QiRjVrrTYBA0ZN4wyuON-aOUTgqRAdhyhM/s1600/qassam01.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgul3sJfp_F0uQltjFVV51VETX1suMSV__TZxmXjd5fhms740Fk0g4p9cZBjCermVnA8gc9vOnHpN1pMJ3hPP2Vn4f7VIj2CyYRK9L6_9AY0QiRjVrrTYBA0ZN4wyuON-aOUTgqRAdhyhM/s400/qassam01.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479261505696772898" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">A Qassam rocket fired by Hamas, displayed in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sderot"><b>Sderot</b></a> town hall with photographs of people killed by similar devices.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">(Image from </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sderot_-_A_Qassam_rocket_is_displayed_in_Sderot_town_hall_against_a_background_of_pictures_of_residents_killed_in_rocket_attacks.jpg"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Wikipedia</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">, </span><a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">CC Attriubution 2.0 Generic</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">)</span></div></span></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">"We have contacted the boat and we've asked them politely to change course to Ashdod port. If they choose to do so, we promise them we won't board the ship,"</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> Lieutenant-Colonel Avital Liebovich of the Israeli Navy said - no idle promise this, either, </span><a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/10245176.stm"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">because she said it to the BBC</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">. You don't say something like this to the </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">world's largest broadcaster</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> if you don't intend to keep your promise - especially if, as has for once happened with Israel in the wake of Monday's events, the world is slowly beginning to realise that they might have been a bit hasty in their original condemnation of your actions - because it's going to be transmitted all over the Earth and people will hold you to it.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">As was the case with the </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Mavi Marmara</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">, those requests were ignored and the </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Rachel Corrie</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> continued sailing towards the exclusion zone - which can only be interpreted as deliberate provocation on the part of those aboard. And, as was also the case with the </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Mavi Marmara</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">, the IDF were forced to board the vessel. However, unlike the </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Mavi Marmara</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">, the peace protestors chose not to viciously attack the commandos, which meant that the soldiers were not forced to </span><a href="http://acidrabbi.blogspot.com/2010/06/have-look-at-weapon-seen-above-in-still.html"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">draw and use their sidearms</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> in an effort to protect themselves. Because of their decision to remain peaceful and comply, the vessel is now on its way to Ashdod and the cargo will continue its journey to Gaza once it's been inspected.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Remember what I said about not trying to make life difficult for the police - or, in the case, the IDF? That way, they'll return the favour. Deliberate antagonise an officer and expect him or her </span><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">not</span></i></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> take any steps to make life any easier for you. Attack an officer and expect to be met with very forceful resistance. Likewise Israeli commandos: violently attack them with metal bars, knives and - according to some reports - guns and stun grenades and there's every chance they'll put down their paintball guns and use any means necessary to protect themselves. The delayed departure of the </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Rachel Corrie</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> may well prove very fortunate for Israel, because this time the eyes of the world were watching </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">very closely indeed</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> and have seen that the IDF </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">do not</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> attack unarmed, non-violent civilians. When those aboard the </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Mavi Marmara</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> picked up weapons and began using them they gave up their status as unarmed, non-violent civilians and the IDF were fully within their rights to protect themselves. Israel is not an aggressive, violent state but when attacked, she has the right to defend herself and her people.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Honestly though - attacking commandos. How stupid can people actually be?</span></div></span></span></div>Acid Rabbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06627567621791730292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8992792203139033798.post-78940789514857011492010-06-04T13:04:00.008+01:002010-06-04T14:39:00.132+01:00Another "aid" ship en route to Gaza<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Don't you sometimes wish that we were all issued with a </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><b>life remote control</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> at birth, allowing us to fast-forward, pause and - perhaps best of all - erase? It'd be great, wouldn't it?</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Well, we're not and it doesn't look very likely to happen any time soon so we may as well stop thinking about how great it would be. However, just once in a while the Universe does give us an opportunity to rewind and see something again, only paying more attention this time.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Other than a few governmental departments, hardly anyone really paid that much attention to the so-called "aid flotilla" over the weekend and Monday as it made its way towards Gaza up until Israeli commandos boarded the ships and were violently attacked with an assortment of improvised weapons, eventually forcing them to resort to their sidearms which caused nine deaths (and we'll make no apologies for the bias - the evidence speaks for itself); but one of those rare moments has arisen - it seems we may get to watch a very similar event as it happens. This is because another ship named the <i>Rachel Corrie</i> which was unable to sail with the flotilla due to mechanical problems has now set out. Precisely where it is is currently unknown, as it seems to have malfunctioning radio equipment - as a result of Israeli sabotage, say organisers the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_Gaza_Movement"><b>Free Gaza Movement</b></a> a little ridiculously; some reports claim it has turned back, others say it it on its way and will arrive on Saturday. This does rather force one to wonder at the wisdom of sending people to sea without such a device, one that might seem to have become somewhat of a necessity in this day and age.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO0AakIAB02-go8pvTnPJo1UnIDjuYiMh7in-J95us133mVckZIATFn3pWRrwMdz6gX2rxYQ3gRJ4q9qHqCnRAiX7buFgQo7F6QzM2AYs0HwbnIh9e4R5FBULVGeqQET6lTwT_dvAtBfs/s1600/BN01.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO0AakIAB02-go8pvTnPJo1UnIDjuYiMh7in-J95us133mVckZIATFn3pWRrwMdz6gX2rxYQ3gRJ4q9qHqCnRAiX7buFgQo7F6QzM2AYs0HwbnIh9e4R5FBULVGeqQET6lTwT_dvAtBfs/s400/BN01.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478897967893985298" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Israeli Prime Minister </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Netanyahu"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Binyamin Netanyahu</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> says, <i>"We intend to direct the Rachel Corrie to the Ashdod port and transfer its civilian goods to Gaza following a security check."</i> Does this sound like a threat? Audrey Bomse of the Free Gaza Movement thinks so.</span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">(</span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_domain"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Public domain</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> image from </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Portrait_of_Benjamin_Netanyahu.jpg"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Wikipedia</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">)</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#555555;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#555555;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Another possibility is that the </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Rachel Corrie</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> was either </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">intentionally</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> sent out without a working radio or is maintaining radio silence so that the organisers can conveniently claim to be unable to order it to turn back if the rest of the world decides Israel is within its rights to demand it docks somewhere other than Gaza. That way, it can sail merrily on to the exclusion zone and force Israel to take further action, risking more criticism if things once again go wrong.</span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#555555;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Once again Israel has stated that it is not comfortable with the idea of a ship docking in Gaza before it has had a chance to inspect the cargo for weapons and other banned items such as metal piping which can be used by </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamas"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Hamas</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> to construct the </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qassam_rocket"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Qassam rockets</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> it regularly fires into civilian areas. Once again it has made it clear that if the ship docks at </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashdod"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Ashdod</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">, in Israel, the cargo will be inspected and distributed using Israel's already-established network through which over on million tons of aid have passed in the last 18 months. Once again this invitation is not being taken up.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Organiser <b>Audrey Bomse</b> says, </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">"As a result of these threats, we're going to pull Rachel Corrie into a port, add more high-profile people on board, and insist that journalists from around the world also come with us."</span></i></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Let's hope they do - the <a href="http://acidrabbi.blogspot.com/2010/06/israel-had-no-choice.html"><b>videos</b></a> showing what happened on Monday have opened many people's eyes and made them begin to suspect that Israel might not be the evil aggressor despite what they read in the newspapers. If the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel_Defense_Forces"><b>IDF</b></a> are again forced to board the vessel and the "peace protestors" are willing to co-operate and remain non-violent then the world will see that Israel is not the devil it is so often portrayed as being. If, on the other hand, they are attacked as happened on the Mavi Marmara, the world will see that Israel is simply defending herself and her people and fights only when deliberately provoked.</span></div></span></div>Acid Rabbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06627567621791730292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8992792203139033798.post-11218901950160778902010-06-03T15:39:00.006+01:002010-06-03T15:59:13.324+01:00DID Israel act unlawfully?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi14Ni3ZaHZl8EMDTKAITSoKP6vBdG1Gj1-ZsW49jTr1LdK-qVle0HFgqd29AwnBg2-xRZaI6AsSUhRqk-Wom-FRj8EaZBn0cttMQeTF8jgThUoGpxn6HJUPlMuTjw2WPOyakBmY8MPjQ4/s1600/dersho.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 148px; height: 148px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi14Ni3ZaHZl8EMDTKAITSoKP6vBdG1Gj1-ZsW49jTr1LdK-qVle0HFgqd29AwnBg2-xRZaI6AsSUhRqk-Wom-FRj8EaZBn0cttMQeTF8jgThUoGpxn6HJUPlMuTjw2WPOyakBmY8MPjQ4/s400/dersho.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478560342632357826" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Dershowitz"><b>Alan Dershowitz</b></a>, Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law at Harvard (I know - great title! That's him on the right), argues that in boarding the Mavi Marmara in international waters Israel </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">did not</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> contravene international law.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">"If there is no doubt,"</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> he says, </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">"that the offending ships have made a firm determination to break the blockade, then the blockade may be enforced before the offending ships cross the line into offending waters."</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> He adds, </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">"...the United States and other Western countries have frequently boarded ships at high sea to assess their security."</span></i></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Whichever way you look at it, Israel failed in its mission - this is evident because at least nine people are dead. However, it's looking increasingly as though it is above blame. As Professor Dershowitz points out, at </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">"the moment any person on board picked up a weapon and began to attack the Israeli soldiers, they lost their status as innocent civilians."</span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Read his article in full </span></span><a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2010/06/02/2010-06-02_israel_obeyed_international_law_legally_the_gaza_flotilla_conflict_is_an_openand.html"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">here</span></span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">.</span></span></span></span></div>Acid Rabbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06627567621791730292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8992792203139033798.post-53346013172558668892010-06-03T12:07:00.009+01:002010-06-03T13:04:41.694+01:00Anti-Israel bias on BBC's Newsnight?<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC"><b>BBC's</b></a> flagship news and current affairs programme <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newsnight"><b>Newsnight</b></a> demonstrated what appeared to be a blatant example of the anti-Israel bias of which the corporation is frequently accused last night (02.06.10) when presenter <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremy_Paxman"><b>Jeremy Paxman</b></a> repeatedly referred to the IDF's boarding of the "aid ship" <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Mavi_Marmara"><b>Mavi Marmara</b></a> as an "attack." The show in its entirety - including excellent features on life inside Gaza and North Korea - can be seen </span><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/newsnight/"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">here</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">. In doing so, the BBC may well have failed utterly in its duty to remain impartial at all times, so I've just fired off a quick complaint which can be read below:</span></div><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';">"While I understand Jeremy Paxman is fully entitled to his own beliefs, I would like to make a complaint over his continual use of the term "attack" in reference to Israel's raid upon the Mavi Marmara on Monday the 31st of May during his interview with US Assistant Secretary of State Philip J Crowley. At one point, Crowley took issue with this, leading Paxman to crowingly ask which other term could be used. How about "interception?"<br /><br />While I have sufficent respect for Paxman as a journalist to convince me that he is above anti-Israeli prejudice, the word "attack" suggests that Israel's actions were aggressive and reprehensible, whereas there is a great deal of evidence to support their claims that they made several invitations for the vessel to dock in Israel where the cargo could be inspected and delivered to Gaza - after all, Israel surely is within its rights to take steps aimed at protecting its people from violence and, as it distributes 15,000 tons of aid to the region each week has the infrastructure to do so - and that it was in fact the activists on board who instigated the violence. At present we do not know and will not until any inquiry is complete - however, I feel that the BBC completely failed its duty to remain impartial during this broadcast."</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTwNZ_ddKxjwwu82bZGijbjZRMBFAeogenO7ez1CmEdZXrw_SGT4oI9SULDPSLWsk0wLf7gDPkSBITsQCE7VnmLNYPWJwpvSVAyZyDfPxapbvYg-yxOwk_eYm5PlOhK-0zAqVFwLVuhc0/s1600/Paxman01.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTwNZ_ddKxjwwu82bZGijbjZRMBFAeogenO7ez1CmEdZXrw_SGT4oI9SULDPSLWsk0wLf7gDPkSBITsQCE7VnmLNYPWJwpvSVAyZyDfPxapbvYg-yxOwk_eYm5PlOhK-0zAqVFwLVuhc0/s400/Paxman01.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478504980334081442" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Was Jeremy Paxman's insistence on referring to Monday's events as an "attack" acceptable and/or justifiable</span>?</div></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Hopefully, I'm not the only one - if you saw the broadcast either on television or online and felt similarly angered, why not consider making a complaint of your own via the </span><a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/complaints/forms/"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">BBC's website</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">?</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">I've requested a reply and will keep you posted.</span></div></span></span></div>Acid Rabbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06627567621791730292noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8992792203139033798.post-6472759963197594762010-06-03T09:58:00.005+01:002010-06-03T11:39:44.141+01:00Israel must agree to an inquiry for the good of its own people and the Palestinians<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><object width="380" height="285"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/CHFlP6dpNaM&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/CHFlP6dpNaM&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="380" height="285"></embed></object><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /><br />In the video above we see <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillel_Neuer"><b>Hillel Neuer</b></a>, a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillel_Neuer#Human_Rights_Advovacy_and_Legal_Career"><b>leading advocate of human rights</b></a> and executive director of </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UN_Watch"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">UN Watch</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> (an accredited NGO associated with the US Department of Public Information), questioning the motives and real purpose of the "humanitarian aid" flotilla. Meanwhile, US Vice-President <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Biden"><b>Joe Biden</b></a> has </span><a href="http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N02192851.htm"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">emphasised his government's position</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">, stating that <i>"Israel has an absolute right to deal with its security interest."</i> He added, <i>"They have said, here you go. You're in the Mediterranean. This ship - if you divert it slightly North you can unload it and we'll get the stuff into Gaza...Well, it's legitimate for Israel to say, 'I don't know what's on that ship. These guys are dropping eight...three thousand rockets on my people.'"</i></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">There is little doubt that the Israeli government offered a number of <b>invitations to the flotilla</b> to dock in Israel, promising that the aid would be delivered and that they simply wanted to check it for banned items first - but the flotilla's organisers, including the very dubious "charity" <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/.../IHH_(%C4%B0nsani_Yard%C4%B1m_Vakf%C4%B1)"><b>IHH</b></a> which is wodely suspected of maintaining links to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamas"><b>Hamas</b></a> (considered a terrorist organisation by the European Union, Canada, Japan and the USA) and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_qaeda"><b>Al Qaeda</b></a>, refused these invitations; which can be viewed as deliberate provocation. Despite the "peace activist's" insistence that Israeli commandos attacked the Mavi Marmara with machine guns before boarding it, there has as yet been no evidence to suggest that this was the case - while increasing evidence seems to show that they were armed only with non-lethal </span><a href="http://acidrabbi.blogspot.com/2010/06/have-look-at-weapon-seen-above-in-still.html"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">paintball guns</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> as used in Israel and many other nations during riot dispersal situations, turning to their handgun sidearms only when it became apparent that the people on the ship were determined to violently attack them. Released video seems undeniably - unless you want to claim the videos are faked, as some of the more idiotic conspiracy theorists online have already claimed - to show that the IDF were indeed attacked with <b>staves, metal bars, chains and possibly stun grenades and guns</b>. Further reports say the humanitarian aid onboard included a large amount of </span><a href="http://acidrabbi.blogspot.com/2010/06/was-humanitarian-aid-useless.html"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">expired medicine and equipment in such poor condition</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> as to be useless. Israel very quickly began to release people apprehended during the exercise and thus far, none of them have tried to accuse Israel - a modern democracy - of mistreating them while they were detained (an Israeli prison being by far the most preferable type if one is to be imprisoned anywhere in the Middle East, as while conditions are not ideal due to overcrowding - a situation also found in several other nations including the UK - prisoners are not treated in <b>grossly inhumane ways</b> nor <b>routinely tortured</b>, as is the case in many other nations in the region). Once checked and offloaded, the aid was made available to Gaza, but Hamas have prevented it being <b>dispersed among the people</b> - the efficiency with which Israel carried out delivery has highlighted the established infrastructure it has in place to deliver the <b><a href="http://www.cicweb.ca/scene/2010/06/israel_aid_to_gaza/">15,000 tons of humanitarian aid</a></b> that it makes available to Gaza every week. Israel, it turns out, has delivered over one million tons of aid in the last 18 months, including 94,500 tons between January and March this year alone - <a href="http://www.cicweb.ca/scene/2010/06/israel_aid_to_gaza/"><b>more than a ton of aid for each and every man, woman and child in Gaza</b></a>.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Online, an army of bloggers, Twitterers, Facebookers and representatives of assorted other Internet fauna more numerous than the IDF could ever hope to be are fighting hard to highlight the humanitarian work that Israel carries out in Gaza - not just the aid they donate and distribute, but their <a href="http://acidrabbi.blogspot.com/2010/06/more-israeli-evil.html"><b>rehabilitation of Palestinians</b></a> who have suffered horrific violence at the hands of Hamas such as those found guilty of opposing the organisation and thrown from roofs or tortured as an example to others, their recent decision to allow 781 Palestinians to leave Gaza so that they could receive treatment in Israel's modern and well-equipped hospitals and a whole host of other actions. The anti-Israel and/or antisemitic bloggers counter with all manner of accusations, such as claiming that the videos of the IDF being attacked have been faked by the Israeli government - but these days, most people have woken up to the fact that <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Protocols_of_the_Elders_of_Zion"><b>Protocols of the Elders of Zion</b></a>-type worldwide Jewish conspiracy theories are just a little too ridiculous to be worth paying any attention whatsoever. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj30dCLXc-uJi6YJCiexOv71i1I4WRmJogVDcpmAzhDu0U415yytWsUWzsE08DLdGzM_YMrNtKgWArbCEVUp3DTN4NDRp2mGuSPFuM1tPTytP8NiTwohX2yD_tkt1t5BPQyTH7UfXD5iYc/s1600/Mavi01.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj30dCLXc-uJi6YJCiexOv71i1I4WRmJogVDcpmAzhDu0U415yytWsUWzsE08DLdGzM_YMrNtKgWArbCEVUp3DTN4NDRp2mGuSPFuM1tPTytP8NiTwohX2yD_tkt1t5BPQyTH7UfXD5iYc/s400/Mavi01.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478484890868105490" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">IDF video evidence proves beyond reasonable doubt that IDF commandos were violently attacked as they boarded the Mavi Marmara. An inquiry might prove that that the flotilla had deliberate provocation, in order to try to demonise Israel and damage its already-tarnished reputation, as a prime motive</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">In addition, <b>Israel has found some powerful allies</b> - it's not just the USA, but Italy and the Netherlands - the latter being a nation with an <b>admirable record on human rights</b> and justice - who have come out in support. With all of the evidence and an enormous amount of individual support from people around the world, it may well prove to be in Israel's best interests if it agrees to participate fully in an international inquiry, providing of course that such an inquiry is guaranteed to be entirely free of bias against Israel or in favour of Hamas, because it is looking increasingly as though the nation is without blame in this incident.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">If the world is shown that the IDF <a href="http://acidrabbi.blogspot.com/2010/06/israel-had-no-choice.html"><b>had no choice</b></a> but to halt the flotilla if it wishes to protect its civilians - Jewish, Muslim, Christian and secular - and those of Gaza too from Hamas and the violence they regularly use, Israel may find herself with many more friends. Similarly, many people around the world may start thinking for themselves and realise that they have been seduced by the romantic image of the freedom fighter struggling to release his people from the chains inflicted upon them by an aggressive state and see Hamas for the terrorists with no concern for the Palestinian people that they truly are.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 16px; font-family:arial, helvetica, sans;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px; font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div></div></div>Acid Rabbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06627567621791730292noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8992792203139033798.post-68816863953423495842010-06-02T19:17:00.006+01:002010-06-02T19:25:49.303+01:00Those funny-looking IDF guns again<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">The top picture is, of course, a still taken from the released film of the </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel_Defense_Forces"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">IDF</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> boarding the </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Mavi_Marmara"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Mavi Marmara</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcuLqhwszGf3iAZzHWs7kMETx5YuQcRrPbnCJ2Dmd-oWz-gSVRGvl98DDymuAjQOOPPEzkzZkcYJzQ5aCzRqpXBIoW5XRBrtaruOmUEkOlL-BWSo9qNhzzGZsQSpQsBal9FE9TO8ASfEw/s1600/Paintball06.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 329px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcuLqhwszGf3iAZzHWs7kMETx5YuQcRrPbnCJ2Dmd-oWz-gSVRGvl98DDymuAjQOOPPEzkzZkcYJzQ5aCzRqpXBIoW5XRBrtaruOmUEkOlL-BWSo9qNhzzGZsQSpQsBal9FE9TO8ASfEw/s400/Paintball06.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478242935276930738" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">The bottom picture is the same image, only we've edited out the "machine gun" in the original and replaced it with </span><a href="http://acidrabbi.blogspot.com/2010/06/have-look-at-weapon-seen-above-in-still.html"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">a common design of paintball gun</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> as seen in the bottom righthand corner before adjusting the amount of blur and darkening it to match the original. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">We'll make no apologies for our lack of Photoshopping skills, but the two look </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">strangely similar</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> don't you think?</span></div></div>Acid Rabbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06627567621791730292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8992792203139033798.post-7486876598488992382010-06-02T16:10:00.001+01:002010-06-02T16:15:52.738+01:00More Israeli evil<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Israel is being evil again - guess what horrific humanitarian outrage they're inflicting on the poor old Palestinians this time? Rehabilitating people left physically disabled after being attacked by Hamas (such as by being thrown off roofs for perceived crimes like opposing Hamas, for example). Damn them!</span></span></span><br /><br /><div><object id="flashObj" width="420" height="236" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,47,0"><param name="movie" value="http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9/42806370001?isVid=1"><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF"><param name="flashVars" value="videoId=85555888001&linkBaseURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.time.com%2Ftime%2Fvideo%2Fplayer%2F0%2C32068%2C85555888001_1991530%2C00.html&playerID=42806370001&domain=embed&dynamicStreaming=true"><param name="base" value="http://admin.brightcove.com"><param name="seamlesstabbing" value="false"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="swLiveConnect" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9/42806370001?isVid=1" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" flashvars="videoId=85555888001&linkBaseURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.time.com%2Ftime%2Fvideo%2Fplayer%2F0%2C32068%2C85555888001_1991530%2C00.html&playerID=42806370001&domain=embed&dynamicStreaming=true" base="http://admin.brightcove.com" name="flashObj" width="420" height="236" seamlesstabbing="false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" swliveconnect="true" allowscriptaccess="always" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash"></embed></object></div><br />(Video from <a href="http://www.jewlicious.com/2010/06/israel-rehabilitates-palestinians-crippled-by-hamas/"><b>Jewlicious.com</b></a>)Acid Rabbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06627567621791730292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8992792203139033798.post-40142332541711104392010-06-02T15:08:00.008+01:002010-06-02T15:51:42.833+01:00Mavi Marmara Guns<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4sEgrFQb_VyeyYGV6a1w9RLqsJx3_mIiohwY2wq_g4TSwvIDRlKUTNECH-g96v9D1QKtui29CkMFhypmzqccThePPQETmC9m4Emg7_TB6nne_nCQw1mBfWmUH6BkNoKXdJxjM35A3ShI/s1600/Paintball01.jpg"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 242px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4sEgrFQb_VyeyYGV6a1w9RLqsJx3_mIiohwY2wq_g4TSwvIDRlKUTNECH-g96v9D1QKtui29CkMFhypmzqccThePPQETmC9m4Emg7_TB6nne_nCQw1mBfWmUH6BkNoKXdJxjM35A3ShI/s400/Paintball01.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478178561565747746" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Have a look at the "weapon" seen above, in a still taken from the video of the IDF storming the </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IHH_(%C4%B0nsani_Yard%C4%B1m_Vakf%C4%B1)"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">IHH</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">-owned </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Mavi_Marmara"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Mavi Marmara</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> (which can be seen in full </span><b><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYjkLUcbJWo"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">here</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">, </span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">fast-forward and pause at </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">0.51</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> if you've already seen it more times than you've seen </span><i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grease_(film)"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Grease</span></b></a></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">). </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Odd-looking</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> sort of gun, isn't it? What on earth is that </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">peculiar thing stuck on top of it?</span></b><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">The so-called peace activists who were onboard the ship claim that they were attacked with </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">machine guns</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">. The </span><b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel_Defense_Forces"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">IDF</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">, </span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">meanwhile, claim that they used </span><b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paintball_marker"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">paintball guns</span></a></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> - non-lethal devices used in riot dispersal situations by them and many other military/law enforcement organisations - and only began to fire live ammunition from their handguns after it became obvious that the situation was going to be as violent as it turned out to be.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Now have a look at the paintball guns below. All of them - says </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Acid Rabbi</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> friend and supplier of links to dubious websites </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Lenny</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">, who would quite like to be a soldier only he hates the idea of killing anything and is too old (and fat) - the type of guns he sees often when he goes paintballing.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBgsgCBw2m4lB4fXW9y0RgRjEkkwZ9GaJC36T-4VKAKMde3irnVHcihqMlMMVVSMAw1r1-2z9remSi0y1zRQy_jVQcOL4j52WCYXwB6oBk73URFPZGNGxPv-noFyd2DtbEq-j34XHnyvc/s1600/Paintball04.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 166px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBgsgCBw2m4lB4fXW9y0RgRjEkkwZ9GaJC36T-4VKAKMde3irnVHcihqMlMMVVSMAw1r1-2z9remSi0y1zRQy_jVQcOL4j52WCYXwB6oBk73URFPZGNGxPv-noFyd2DtbEq-j34XHnyvc/s400/Paintball04.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478181139124236418" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOxTKh3remHzyUN1MQ8Tjf7DHVFVQdOen6y-Iu05MHeSKqi_tXTk4K_K2dXveKtNXoJSS5erw3SliZtNrbv9W6RODP-o73zrL7-oPyYEjiuBeR4Y28oEeyzLQrFnnJ0y4x_yPasMccVtQ/s1600/Paintball03.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 368px; height: 245px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOxTKh3remHzyUN1MQ8Tjf7DHVFVQdOen6y-Iu05MHeSKqi_tXTk4K_K2dXveKtNXoJSS5erw3SliZtNrbv9W6RODP-o73zrL7-oPyYEjiuBeR4Y28oEeyzLQrFnnJ0y4x_yPasMccVtQ/s400/Paintball03.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478181042772802594" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-uO3v4xHqQQoJd1fzIIQmAX9HmkN0IK6hsTw_wcCotVm08CFzwECf9CVdXpIVYryb2DeULz1jv-EAdMzSi9sjMVtRGGSueoq4RFQUnSdg1RuPUtxVJU4NxHmmZ5d_tYqRAS1tgfhv6DY/s1600/Paintball02.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 230px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-uO3v4xHqQQoJd1fzIIQmAX9HmkN0IK6hsTw_wcCotVm08CFzwECf9CVdXpIVYryb2DeULz1jv-EAdMzSi9sjMVtRGGSueoq4RFQUnSdg1RuPUtxVJU4NxHmmZ5d_tYqRAS1tgfhv6DY/s400/Paintball02.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478180957514632354" /></a><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3923sjD65HejXho73er_EHX-1mgRxWlXoqv2SW0TW_cE7zj0TlUga-eXramrSdPkwVNnjcgSqrL7k_4PkCqusnSu9zKe44Nw214tcOqeQQeSEEA3L47E7uasO6NVSVOhL9Et4cQeZOoE/s1600/Paintball05.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 277px; height: 135px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3923sjD65HejXho73er_EHX-1mgRxWlXoqv2SW0TW_cE7zj0TlUga-eXramrSdPkwVNnjcgSqrL7k_4PkCqusnSu9zKe44Nw214tcOqeQQeSEEA3L47E7uasO6NVSVOhL9Et4cQeZOoE/s400/Paintball05.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478187034168469186" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">The peculiar things stuck on top of them, by the way, are magazine-like containers called </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">hoppers</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> that store unused paintballs, feeding them into the gun's breech prior to firing. Lenny says he's willing to bet </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">£5</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> that the gun in the video is in fact a </span><a href="http://www.brasseagle.com/"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Brass Eagle T-Storm</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">, which he assures us is the second of the guns in the photographs seen above and is popular as it can easily be used either with either one or both hands (the commando in the video is holding his gun in one hand too).</span></div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Our expertise is not great in these matters, but we think </span><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">we'd</span></i></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> put a fiver on it too. That's what two pints of beer cost in our local, and for that reason believe us when we say it's a sum we wouldn't risk unless we were extremely keen on the odds of winning the bet.</span><div></div></div></div></div>Acid Rabbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06627567621791730292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8992792203139033798.post-11972372935375156152010-06-02T13:25:00.006+01:002010-06-02T14:04:59.725+01:00Was the humanitarian aid useless?<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">As if the whole situation wasn't sorry enough, there are a few reports floating about that miasmic whirlpool of filth that we all love and know as The Internet suggesting that the cargo of humanitarian aid halted en route to Gaza by the Israeli Navy was as good as useless.</span></div><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arutz_Sheva"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Arutz Sheva </span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">- an Israeli radio station the impartiality of which we would not and could not comment on - claims that following inspection </span><a href="http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/137816"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">a large amount of the medicine on board was found to be past expiration dates and in a disorganised state</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">, making it practically unusable. Much of the equipment onboard is said to have been in very poor condition.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJW1-ItHSIdNfqvu-SgWGh5QzHjFl-rVOGYlyIv0kA28JxvcaMuzfKPk_k-VHqxR6BxCxn3mug3_eHDcch5JPZQ-hMqUH-9DvXr2LSRYXjKWN0IT_qqA9omczFDHEKmclnFlXbs1qCVwo/s1600/IDFonboard.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 399px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJW1-ItHSIdNfqvu-SgWGh5QzHjFl-rVOGYlyIv0kA28JxvcaMuzfKPk_k-VHqxR6BxCxn3mug3_eHDcch5JPZQ-hMqUH-9DvXr2LSRYXjKWN0IT_qqA9omczFDHEKmclnFlXbs1qCVwo/s400/IDFonboard.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478161068849644610" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">T</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; ">he flotilla was halted by the IDF on Monday. Some reports now suggest that the aid onboard was as good as useless.</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br />As many of you who regularly read this blog - not that there <i>are</i> many of you - already know, Mrs. Rabbi is employed by a certain very well-known international charity and, on occasion, has the chance to get her perfectly-manicured paws dirty by helping to sort out the donations that members of the public deliver to the organisation's shops. She is often shocked by the utter rubbish she finds therein, with soiled underwear, household rubbish and electrical equipment damaged beyond all repair and often scorched as a result of fire all being a lot more common than anyone would like to think - and it seems from the </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Mary Queen of Charity Shops</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> television show that this is a common occurrence in charity shops across the land. Such is the low quality of many donations that she has come to the conclusion that some people see charity shops as a simpler means of disposing of their rubbish, especially now that electrical items cannot be simply left out for the bin lorry and, as charity shops are generally in town centres and civic amenity centres (what we used to call dumps) are generally some way out of town, very often a cheaper option too.<br /><br />However, in the case of the flotilla, simply dumping the rubbish on Gaza is neither simpler nor cheaper due to the logistical challenge of organising a flotilla comprising ships and crews from an assortment of nations in the first place and the cost of fueling those vessels as they schlep their freight across the Mediterranean. It would, doubtless, be a far easier and cheaper act to get rid of waste using the standard methods already in place in those nations from which it came.<br /><br />So if it turns out that the "aid" was in fact rubbish, why </span><span style="font-style:italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">was</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> it being taken to Gaza? Middle Eastern states (with the exception of Israel, which facilitates the delivery of around 15,000 tons of aid to Gaza each and every week) have demonstrated time and time again that they care little about the Palestinians (why else would those Palestinians living as refugees in states surrounding Israel exist in such appalling conditions, shifted around like unwanted cattle, otherwise?) but even they wouldn't go so far as to risk causing innocent people to die by foisting dodgy medicines on them (or at least, we don't think they would. They </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">are</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> human, after all). We have an innate suspicion of conspiracy theories because they A: RE almost all a steaming pile of bupkis and B: almost always contain a political agenda but if the aid is shown to have been useless as well as what seems to be the deliberate provocation of Israel by some of the activists, their refusal to allow their cargo to be inspected and the involvement of the Turkish "charity" </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IHH_(%C4%B0nsani_Yard%C4%B1m_Vakf%C4%B1)"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">IHH</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> - who are widely suspected of maintaining links with Hamas and Al Qaeda - are all taken into account, one cannot help but entertain a sneaking doubt that this humanitarian aid exercise was not intended to help the people of Gaza at all but was, in fact, a propaganda effort aimed at demonising Israel.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">One thing's for certain - as is always the case with any event involving Palestine and Israel, the situation is a lot more complex than a large part of the Western media would have us believe, and we all need to ask questions and think for ourselves rather than swallowing any old tripe served up to us.</span></div></div></span></span>Acid Rabbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06627567621791730292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8992792203139033798.post-30192868541905110282010-06-01T14:07:00.009+01:002010-06-04T13:59:37.260+01:00Israel had no choice<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Cast your mind, if you will, to Afghanistan, that beautiful land and its noble people who have suffered so much; perhaps most of all since 1996 when the nation came under the control of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taliban"><b>Taliban</b></a>, a politico-religious organisation of the sort we lucky inhabitants of the West left in mediaeval times. We all know only too well how the Taliban have treated their own people and we all know too well what <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Qaeda"><b>Al Qaeda</b></a>, with whom they are inextricably linked, consider acceptable methods of making their beliefs and arguments known. If you've been doing a bin Laden and living in a remote cave somewhere for the last decade or so and are not aware of what kind of "people" we're discussing, put it this way - the Taliban are a group who think nothing of bobby-trapping schools in order to blow up coalition forces and Westerners when they visit the school. Killing a load of innocent children seems to us like it might be a little bit of a disadvantage to this tactic, but those canny Taliban have a simple method to avoid such undesirable side-effects: they just make sure they only do this at </span><a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-South-Central/2009/0731/p06s15-wosc.html"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">girl's schools</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">. Who cares about females, eh? Certainly not the Taliban - those crazy dudes believe among other things that women's faces are a source of corruption and think nothing of </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taliban_treatment_of_women#Punishments"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">chopping women's fingers off</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> if they're caught wearing nail varnish. <a href="http://www.amnesty.org.uk/"><b>Amnesty International</b></a> have evidence suggesting that in as many as <a href="http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/episodes/a-woman-among-warlords/introduction/65/"><b>80% of all Afghan marriages</b></a>, the female partner has been forced into the marriage against her will.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><object width="380" height="285"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/gYjkLUcbJWo&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/gYjkLUcbJWo&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="380" height="285"></embed></object><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Few people in the West really had any idea of what was going on in Afghanistan prior to the 2001 invasion, but among those who did there was little doubt that we in the free world (a term that, for convenience, we will consider to include the USA) had a duty to do something to help the Afghans. Many of us still believe that our military need to remain there, no matter how hopeless it seems and no matter how many are killed, until the day comes when we can be sure that the moment we leave the Taliban will not once again sweep across the nation, as withdrawing at any other time will condemn millions of innocent people to a life of suffering, inequality and violence.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Now imagine, if you will, that several organisations have linked up and organised a load of boats which they've loaded with cargoes they insist are humanitarian aid being sent to the Afghan people who are unfortunate enough to live in an area still controlled by the Taliban. Imagine also that one of the groups responsible for the flotilla claims itself to be a human rights and aid charity but has on a number of occasions been linked with the Taliban. Would the coalition allow that flotilla to dock and offload the cargo without first having a damn good look to make sure there wasn't any guns or bomb-making equipment hidden in among the food and medicine?</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Of course they wouldn't. They'd diplomatically invite the flotilla to dock in a coalition-controlled port where their own forces could carry out a search. If the organisers of the flotilla refused this invitation, what would happen next?</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Well, it's obvious really, isn't it? The US Navy would board the boats quicker than you can say "American imperialism." You know what we're getting at here so we won't insult our readers' intelligence by spelling it out.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Cast your mind back 30 years or, if you're too young for that, look up </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_troubles"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">The Troubles</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> on Wikipedia. This was a time when the paramilitary <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_Republican_Army"><b>IRA</b></a> - and other groups - from Ireland regularly carried out violent attacks on British soil, killing innocent civilians, causing enormous damage and assassinating British soldiers and politicians. Small groups of Americans, unable to see through the romanticised ideal of "IRA as freedom fighters" supported the Irish terrorists both financially and by providing weapons. Fire up your mind's eye once more (it's OK, we'll be finished soon and you can switch off your exhausted imagination and go and watch TV/put your Playstation on instead) and imagine that these groups of Americans have sent a flotilla of ships full of what they say in food to Ireland, but the British Government have only their word that it is in fact food. Would the Royal Navy step in and board the ships before they were anywhere near Ireland? You bet they would. In fact, they'd probably not even have waited until the ships had left international waters - just like British forces </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ARA_General_Belgrano#Controversy_over_the_sinking"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">sank the Argentine </span></b></a><i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ARA_General_Belgrano#Controversy_over_the_sinking"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Belgrano</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">although it was outside the 370km exclusion zone around the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falklands_War"><b>Falklands</b></a> in 1982. The Belgrano incident caused quite a controversy at the time with many people in Britain and Argentina alike questioning the legality of the attack, which claimed over 1,000 lives, but in 1983 message was sent to the Argentinian Government by the British Government via the Swiss embassy in the Argentinian capital Buenos Aires. It read, </span><b><i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ARA_General_Belgrano#Legal_situation"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">"In announcing the establishment of a Maritime Exclusion Zone around the Falklands, Her Majesty's Government made it clear that this measure was without prejudice to the right of the United Kingdom to take whatever additional measures may be needed in the exercise of its right to self-defence under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter."</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">In 1994, the Argentinian Government made clear their conclusion that the sinking of the Belgrano had been a legal act of war. What does this tell us? Chiefly, that during times of war, actions that may seem unnecessarily aggressive to some take place which, due to the very nature of war, are deemed acceptable at the time.</span></span></b></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></span></b></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Israel has been subjected to around </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Qassam_rocket_attacks"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">45 Qassam rocket attacks</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> in 2010 so far. Almost 3,000 rockets were lauched during 2006 and 2007 alone, and there has been a total of some </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palestinian_rocket_attacks_on_Israel"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">8,600</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> rocket attacks since the first in 2001 and 2009 - as well as an assortment of mortar attacks, bombings, kidnappings and other violence. What we are talking about here is not a nation that wishes to make the people of Gaza suffer due to sheer racial spite, but a nation that is at war with an organisation that wishes to destroy it and murder its citizens. Neither does it want to starve Gaza's inhabitants to death - if it did, it wouldn't allow around 15,000 tons of humanitarian aid (food, medicine etc.) into Gaza each and every week as it does under the ongoing </span><a href="http://acidrabbi.blogspot.com/2010/05/evil-israel.html"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">COGAT</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> operation. Neither would it allow sick Palestinians to cross the border into Israel where they can receive medical treatment in Israel's modern, well-equipped hospitals. That's hell of a lot for one small country to provide (it's <b>several</b> hells of a lot more than any other Middle Eastern nation - many of which claim to support the Palestinian cause - have provided </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">in total</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">) and, when one is aware of this program, once cannot help but wonder if Israel might be rather glad to have someone else provide a big chunk. Actually, they were - they were </span><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/jun/01/israel-no-choice-gaza-flotilla"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">more than willing to allow the flotilla to reach Gaza</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">. In fact, they offered to support the flotilla and help it reach its target just so long as their forces were permitted to inspect the cargo and the organisers agreed to ask Hamas not to fire any more rockets. But, the flotilla refused to allow this to happen and in doing so left Israel no choice but to board the boats and check by force.</span></span></b></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></span></b></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">We all know what happened next. However, even the most determined Israel-hater is going to have a hard job putting positive spin on </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYjkLUcbJWo"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">the video</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> because it seems rather inconveniently to show clearly that IDF commandos were violently attacked the moment they set foot onboard with pipes and metal bars. It is reported that firebombs and stun grenades were also used, possibly even firearms. Nine people - though some reports are claiming 19 - ended up dead, shot with handguns says Israel, with machine guns say others. The video does show IDF personnel with guns that certainly resemble machine guns, but according to Israel these were in fact paint guns which are used by the IDF, Israeli police and many other counter-insurgency/law enforcement agencies as a non-lethal method of crowd control. Around 600 activists, from various nations, are now being held in Israeli detention centres - but hey, I'd rather be in prison in Israel than any other Middle Eastern nation. At least Israeli prisoners aren't routinely tortured and subjected to degrading, inhumane conditions.</span></span></b></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></span></b></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Today, Israel faces international condemnation. But why would a country that in two decades had seen its international reputation slip from widely admired to almost universally reviled risk bruising its own image still further, especially when as a nation with little water and no oil it relies to a large extent of foreign trade and tourism for much of its annual GDP? Simple answer - it wouldn't. It appears that Israel is facing condemnation for seeking to protect itself and its people and it had no choice other that to board the boats. The people on the boats could have prevented this by allowing Israel to check for hidden weapons and banned materials such as explosives, but they didn't. They could have prevented the deaths by not turning violent when the IDF commandos boarded, but instead they savagely attacked them. It also appears that Israel did precisely what any other nation would do in the situation, but for some reason when Israel does this it can expect to be singled out for special criticism</span>.</span></b></div>Acid Rabbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06627567621791730292noreply@blogger.com2