Obama at Notre Dame

....."As I considered the controversy surrounding my visit here, I was reminded of an encounter I had during my Senate campaign, one that I describe in a book I wrote called The Audacity of Hope. A few days after I won the Democratic nomination, I received an email from a doctor who told me that while he voted for me in the primary, he had a serious concern that might prevent him from voting for me in the general election. He described himself as a Christian who was strongly pro-life, but that's not what was preventing him from voting for me.


What bothered the doctor was an entry that my campaign staff had posted on my website - an entry that said I would fight "right-wing ideologues who want to take away a woman's right to choose." The doctor said that he had assumed I was a reasonable person, but that if I truly believed that every pro-life individual was simply an ideologue who wanted to inflict suffering on women, then I was not very reasonable. He wrote, "I do not ask at this point that you oppose abortion, only that you speak about this issue in fair-minded words."


Fair-minded words.


After I read the doctor's letter, I wrote back to him and thanked him. I didn't change my position, but I did tell my staff to change the words on my website. And I said a prayer that night that I might extend the same presumption of good faith to others that the doctor had extended to me. Because when we do that - when we open our hearts and our minds to those who may not think like we do or believe what we do - that's when we discover at least the possibility of common ground.


That's when we begin to say, "Maybe we won't agree on abortion, but we can still agree that this is a heart-wrenching decision for any woman to make, with both moral and spiritual dimensions.

So let's work together to reduce the number of women seeking abortions by reducing unintended pregnancies, and making adoption more available, and providing care and support for women who do carry their child to term. Let's honor the conscience of those who disagree with abortion, and draft a sensible conscience clause, and make sure that all of our health care policies are grounded in clear ethics and sound science, as well as respect for the equality of women."


Understand - I do not suggest that the debate surrounding abortion can or should go away. No matter how much we may want to fudge it - indeed, while we know that the views of most Americans on the subject are complex and even contradictory - the fact is that at some level, the views of the two camps are irreconcilable. Each side will continue to make its case to the public with passion and conviction. But surely we can do so without reducing those with differing views to caricature.


Open hearts. Open minds. Fair-minded words.".....

-President Barack Obama at Notre Dame University


The above is an excerpt from President Obama's speech at Notre Dame, in which he addressed the issue that caused so much controversy over his visit to the Catholic campus-abortion. I had not paid a lot of attention to the issue since I am not Catholic. Whether the university invited the President to speak and exercise his free speech rights in an institution that is firmly anti-abortion seemed to be a Catholic issue to me.

But I am also against abortion unless the life of the mother is at stake or in case of rape (and even in rape, it seems to me that immediate adoption is the preferable choice.) For years, I had opined that the argument seemed to belong to the two extremes, with no middle ground having a voice. I thought that perhaps, abortion might be ok if we were just talking about a clump of cells or something that could be circumvented by a morning-after drug. However, the more thought I have given it, the more I have come to the conclusion that there is no middle ground between life and death.

I have written on the abortion issue before, so I won't repeat the same arguments here. I want to address President Obama's words at Notre Dame.

In essence, he said nothing.

"Open hearts, open minds, fair-minded words"

Nothing.

The bottom line is that Obama is pro-choice. That includes partial-birth abortion. It also includes the deliberate infanticide of a baby that survives the abortion process and is living outside the womb. That allows the doctor to put the baby in a closet somewhere and allow it to die-if that is the mother's wish. Obama has actually voted to allow such a procedure. So what he is saying is that we can all agree to disagree-but abortion will continue. Adios.

This leaves Notre Dame and the Catholic Church asking itself; what is it that they believe? How far are they willing to go to stand up for that belief? To be frank, they got themselves into this pickle when they made the invitation-which they never had to do. After that, they had to deal with the furor, in which there was no way to win. Cancel the invitation and face charges of censorship of opinion and expression. As it was, they offended those in their church who take the abortion issue seriously.

With all due respect, Notre Dame did not handle this wisely.

Code Pink at the Correspondents' Dinner

(Tip of the hat to Maggie's Notebook and Radarsite)

Even before the tasteless jokes from the dais began at the Correspondent's dinner, two shrills from Code Pink accosted Donald Rumsfeld and his wife as they arrived. I wonder how they got in in the first place. Doesn't one need an invitation from some political or media VIP in order to pass through the doors? You don't think somebody arranged for tickets just so these two mopes could pull such a stunt, do you?

Perish the thought......

The New Nazis

Germany 1930s


London 21st century

What was the message then, and what is the message now?

In the 1930s, the Nazis wanted to not only take over Germany, but eventually the world. They hated Jews. First, they wanted the Jews out of Germany. Then they decided on the "Final Solution". Meanwhile, European leaders like Neville Chamberlain turned a blind eye and tried to negotiate a peaceful co-existence. They should have been dealing with decent Germans who opposed Hitler.

Today, much like Germany in the 1930s, a vocal and growing segment of Islam is preaching the same message. They also want to take over non-Muslim lands and install Islamic shariah as law. They also hate Jews. Many talk openly of killing Jews. Many talk openly of beheading those who "defame" Islam.

Nowhere in the Western world is the situation worse than the UK, where a growing portion of the Muslim population talks openly of wiping out British culture. They preach violence and hatred from many of the mosques. They insulted British troops as they marched through the streets of Luton after returning from Iraq. One of their spokesmen, the vile Anjem Choudhary, talks of "blood running in the streets". Jews are assaulted on city streets. Many are afraid to be seen in Jewish garb or yarmulkes and cannot enter certain parts of British towns. In response, it seems that the British Government is full of Neville Chamberlains as they bend under this outrageous behavior. Certainly not all British Muslims support this. I have seen a video of a debate in a British university where a young Muslim man directly accuses a radical leader of being a supporter of terror. Where are the others? Are they afraid?

It is Europe in the 1930s all over again.

Major Bust in LA (Teachers)

"Heigh ho, heigh ho. It's off to jail I go"
Teachers Union (LA) Kingpin A.J. Duffy on his way to a special classroom at LA County Jail. Wait till he meets his teacher.




"Down with Fousesquawk!!"





"Long live Fousesquawk!"



Yesterday, LAPD arrested dozens of demonstrators who were blocking traffic in front of the offices of the LA Unified School District. And who were these mangy, anarchistic troublemakers, you ask?

Teachers.

Last I noticed, Friday was a school day, but the teacher's union-the most powerful in the state- was out protesting the decision by the school board to lay off as many as 2,400 teachers as well as 2,000 other workers in the face of a $596 million budget shortfall for the coming school year. The protest came on a day the teachers had decided too hold a one-day strike, which was blocked by a court order. As it was, hundreds of teachers called in sick, and hundreds of students walked out of class. Just another day in LA.

Of course, I am very biased when it comes to unions (I don't like them), and I feel that certain professions, such as law enforcement, fire-fighters and teachers should not strike. At any rate, the incident yesterday was emblematic of the budget mess that our political leaders in Sacramento have put us in, spending money with no purpose and taking care of their core constituent groups-such as the teachers union.

Now this same union is fighting to protect its perks, both for their own salaries and to pour more money into a school district in LA that boasts a drop-out rate of over 50%! Of course, to be fair, it's a vicious circle. The LA schools are overloaded with street gangs, drugs and kids that don't speak English-the latter courtesy of our federal government's failure to control illegal immigration and the complicity of city governments (like LA) that give sanctuary status to illegal aliens-even gang members. Yet, one of the gripes of the teachers union is that class size should not be raised. At the same time, does that union and its leaders ever mention that increased class size could be alleviated by controlling our border?

The only thing you are ever going to hear from the teachers union and the politicians is---more$$$$$$$$.

Nancy Pelosi in Disgrace?

A few days ago, I posted a humorous bit on the Nancy Pelosi/CIA flap. Unfortunately, this issue is not funny. It seems every day, the story takes a new turn. It would be more accurate to say that Speaker Pelosi's story takes a new turn with each passing day. Today, she issued the following statement-after CIA head Leon Panetta rebuffed her charges and backed his agency.

“My criticism of the manner in which the Bush administration did not appropriately inform Congress is separate from my respect for those in the intelligence community who work to keep our country safe,” Pelosi said in a statement late Friday."

Backtracking, Madame Speaker?

Whatever your politics or your opinion of the CIA-or water boarding, it is hard to defend Pelosi on this one. She has publicly accused the CIA with lying to Congress. Now she is trying to put the onus back on the Bush Administration. The Speaker has changed her story almost every day as each version is refuted. Is there anybody out there who still believes her? Is there still anybody out there who takes her seriously? Is there anybody out there who still thinks she is fit to be Speaker of the House?

Or even fit to serve in Congress?

When a politician makes such serious charges against an agency like the CIA, they had better be prepared to back it up. If Pelosi speaks the truth, then the public would have to be alarmed at the CIA. This means that the truth of the matter must be brought out. If, in fact, Pelosi, after condemning water boarding and calling for a "truth commission", is found to have been briefed on the water boarding in September 2002, it makes her a hypocrite of epic proportions. If she then lied to us-in Clintonian style- about what she was told and falsely accused the CIA in an effort to cover up, she is unfit to remain in public office.

Two things need to happen here. First of all, Pelosi needs to be put under oath. Second, President Obama needs to step forward, find out the truth-which he could do quickly-and if appropriate, publicly defend his agency. Up to now, the President has been strangely silent.

Kudos to Leon Panetta.

President Obama, where art Thou?

Some Reflections on the Hate Fest at UC-Irvine

George Galloway on the left, Uday Hussein on the right
Galloway will be at UCI May 21. Uday can't make it. He's dead.


There is yet one more event scheduled by the UC-Irvine Muslim Student Union in concert with their program entitled:"Israel-The Politics of Genocide". That will be May 21, when the America-detesting British MP-and friend of the Saddam Hussein family of Iraq comes to spew his anti-American venom. The main event ended yesterday with Amir Abdel Malik Ali. I would like add a few thoughts and follow-up details.

After Ali was finished with his usual diatribe, a few Jewish students came up to a colleague of mine. They were quite upset and expressed the feeling that nobody at UCI was looking out for them. I have to totally agree with that assessment. Recently, in a campus meeting of Jewish students with a counselor, about half of the students (all females) admitted that they felt intimidated on campus. In my conversation with one Jewish student yesterday, he expressed frustration and indicated that he didn't really know how to respond to this on-going campaign by the MSU on campus, which has anti-Semitic undertones.

Later, my colleague was followed back to his car by an MSU student, who took down his license plate number. (This will be passed on to the campus police). This is the type of intimidation and thuggery that is often practiced by the MSU at UCI against those who voice opposition to their antics and their speakers.

I might note here that the MSU announced yesterday that they are "talking with their lawyers" about being treated "unfairly" by UCI. Apparently, some of the space they wanted to use for their posters had been taken away by the administration.

So what is the outcome of this week's events? Anteaters for Israel will hold their annual I-Fest next week that will feature bake sales, souvenirs and such. I have mixed feelings about it. Yes, it provides a welcome contrast with MSU's emphasis on hatred, doom and gloom. On the other hand, it seems a weak response to those who wish for your destruction.

I feel that UCI's much-vaunted "Olive Tree Initiative", which sent a team of Jewish and Muslim students to the Holy Land, has lost some more credibility here. If a handful of Muslim students had their views moderated, great. What many of us were hoping to see was a greater effort by MSU to moderate their tone and find more reputable speakers. Instead, Malik Ali continues to be a regular speaker, and now we have the specter of Cynthia McKinney and George Galloway tracking their mud on our campus. So much for moderation. I was not present at McKinney's evening speech, but one Jewish friend got up and walked out in disgust after 5 minutes. He described it as an anti-American crowd. He in turn, was followed out by another man, similarly outraged, who called the crowd, "Nazis". This man, in turn, was followed out by an MSU male member who had to be ordered back into the room by a university official to preclude an incident.

As I have written many times before, these events represent a black eye for UC-Irvine, especially since so few students are involved in the ugliness. Yet, it was disappointing to me to see so many other campus student organizations participate in the sponsorship-groups that should know better, and which I hope will do some serious reflection. The university also suffered embarrassment over the announcement of the MSU events on their electronic schedule boards on major campus intersections-which left the impression that the university itself was putting its imprimatur on the theme, "Israel-the Politics of Genocide". (It was eventually taken down when a complaint was lodged that went all the way to the Governor's Office.)

As I have said many times, there are better ways for the MSU to make the case for the Palestinian cause than bringing in incendiary speakers who carry with them not only an anti-Israel agenda, but in many cases, an anti-Jew and anti-American agenda as well. UCI, fairly or unfairly, has acquired a national reputation as a hotbed of radical Muslim and anti-Semitic activity, where complaints of Jewish students have fallen on deaf ears. This week's events did nothing to improve that reputation.

Another aspect of all this that I find discouraging is the mixed reaction of the Jewish community, which is fragmented. In the Irvine area, there are some Jews/and organizations that don't want to make waves for a variety of reasons. Last week, the head of UCI's Hillel sent out a memo urging off-campus groups not to show up to demonstrate against the MSU events. I frankly do not understand that line of thinking. There were only a couple of Jewish professors present at the events-at least that I saw, and one of them was from UC-Riverside. There are organizations that claim that they are supporting Jewish students at UCI in the face of the MSU campaign. Perhaps, but if they are not standing up and fighting the hate that is spewed forth by the MSU and its speakers, then how are they supporting Jewish students-with bake sales? If they don't want to stand up for Israel or for Jews, at least stand up and defend America. That would send a positive message to the entire student body.

Finally this. I have been teaching at UCI part-time for 11 years. Since my principal source of income is derived from my government retirement, I have never even applied for a full-time position. Two hours a day is plenty for me. Yet, it is becoming apparent that my time at UCI is coming to an end. This quarter, after eleven years, I was not initially offered a class-then given a couple of electives a day or two later. Although I have always enjoyed a great relationship with the people I work with in the Extension, I suspect that after all the criticism I have leveled at the UCI Administration over this issue, that someone in the administration finally dropped a call to the Extension. (Nobody has told me that.) Of course, UCI doesn't even have to fire me. I am a part-timer with a quarterly contract. All they have to do is simply not give me any more classes to teach. If that comes to pass, fine. I knew going into this what the consequences could be and accepted it. I do not rely on this job for my survival. No matter what happens, however, rest assured that I will continue to speak out against hate speech and anti-America speech on campus.

As Election Draws Near, Arnold Gets More Bizarre

With the California ballot tax initiatives known as Propositions 1A-F apparently on their way to defeat, Governor Katzenjammer is getting more and more desperate since voters will reject his efforts to extend the tax increases recently voted on in Sacramento for another two years. He is also getting more and more bizarre.

First, Katzenjammer threatened us with dire consequences if the measures were rejected. He told us he would have to lay off firefighters, in which case, Kalifornia would burn. He then said that he would be forced to release thousands of criminals onto the streets of our cities. That'll teach us.

Soon to be your next-door neighbor


That didn't change the polling numbers. At this point, Katzenjammer appears headed for his second major defeat at the polls. Clearly, bold ideas are needed.

And here they are:

Believe it or not, it looks like Arnold's Kalifornia will now sell off some major landmarks, such as the LA Coliseum and San Quentin Prison (which, presumably, will be emptied of its inhabitants).

When you think about it, it makes a lot of sense. LA doesn't have an NFL team to play in the Coliseum. (Not that they need one. They have high-speed car chases). They probably won't get much for the Coliseum, but I figure the death chamber at San Quention might bring in a few bucks.

Soon to be on eBay


I hope the nation pays attention to what happens in Kalifornia after these scam propositions flame out. The state is about to go bankrupt because of years of profligate spending. Frankly, I don't care.

Day 4 at MSU Hate Fest at UCI

"I went down to the demonstration
to get my fair share of abuse"


Amir Abdel Malik Ali at UCI on a previous appearance


Today, the Muslim Student Union at UCI brought in their old stand-by, Amir Abdel Malik Ali, to light the fire at the flagpoles again. Ali makes 2-3 appearances at UCI every year, and pretty much sings the same song every time. Today's theme was no exception; Zionist Jews, Israeli oppression, George Bush is an idiot, etc. At least this time, he didn't refer to any black military officers as "poop-butt Uncle Toms".

Ali led off by issuing a disclaimer that he has nothing against Jews or the Jewish religion; it's just those damn Zionists that get under his skin-you know, any Jew living in Israel or who thinks Israel has a right to exist. Of course, he slipped up later on when he mentioned that President Obama had signalled his intentions in the Middle East when he appointed the Zionist Jew "Rahim" Emanuel as his White House Chief of Staff. (At least he didn't call him Rahm Israel Emanuel this time, after I called him on it.)

Again, Ali called on the students to engage in civil disobedience and went into a confusing diatribe about how, under Bush, the Zionist lobby had pushed for legislation that would outlaw any criticism of Israel as being anti-Semitic and thus, illegal. He mentioned the fact that in many European nations, it is illegal to question or deny the Holocaust (true in Europe but not in the US). Perhaps, he was thinking of on-going efforts by Middle East interests to have the UN and the International Tribunal outlaw criticism of Islam- or the fact that some have pointed out that Jews were left out of Title VI of the US Civil Rights Act as a group to be protected from hate crimes, I don't know.) According to Ali, such legislation is still in the mill and must be resisted.

Here was my question to Ali during the Q&A:

"Do you condemn or support the attack in Mumbai several months back-especially the attack on the Chabat House?"

and...

"Will you join me in saluting the US Navy and our sailors for rescuing the American ship captain off the coast of Somalia and killing the three pirates?"

First answer: "I don't know much about the Mumbai incident, so I can't comment." (paraphrased)

As for the Somalia incident, Ali made reference to the presence of the Navy in the region, and added that he couldn't be impressed by Navy Seals killing three 15-year-old Somalis. He then launched into a long discourse about why the pirates were engaged in their activities. He talked about the incursion into their fishing waters. Then he brought up the idea that they were rebelling against toxic nuclear waste dumping off the Somali coast!!!!

Greenpeace Somali pirate ship

(You see, these aren't really pirates, according to Ali; they are environmentalists!! Of course, he made no mention of the millions of dollars in ransom money they have collected by protecting their pristine fishing waters from big corporate polluters.)

Ali was also challenged on points by a Jewish professor from UC Riverside and a young student from Anteaters for Israel. As the professor was asking his question, one of the young MSU hotheads prodded him in a discourteous manner to hurry up. Upon the conclusion, the MSU joined hands with some radical student organization and UCI service workers as they marched to the administration building to protest some perceived injustice and chanted, "We want Drake!" (the UCI chancellor, who reportedly was out of town.)

I hope to obtain a video of my exchange with Ali, at which time, I will post it.

Cynthia McKinney Speaks at UC-Irvine (Sort of)

Cynthia McKinney at UC-Irvine, May 13, 2009
with "security" in red and black t-shirts

(Photo by Fousesquawk. Can't you tell?)


Today marked day three of the Muslim Student Union-sponsored week of anti-Israel events at UC Irvine. Today's featured speaker was ex-Georgia Representative and Green Party presidential candidate (really!) Cynthia McKinney. Ms McKinney was fresh back from wandering the seven seas lost in her shipwrecked boat "Leakin' Lena" trying to deliver goodies to the Heroes of Hamas when run ashore by the Israeli Navy. Today, she enthralled us all with her life story-full of conspiracies as to how she lost her last election. I came away from her appearance with two impressions (which I already knew): First, the lady is full of herself. Second: She's not very bright.

McKinney did not go into the exciting details of her near brush with death on the high seas. That was to be the subject of tonight's appearance, which I decided to pass on. She did, however, inform us that the captain of the "Leakin' Lena" (Beanie, perhaps?) told her she should prepare herself mentally to die as the Israel Navy, full of all those sea monsters came near.

Instead, McKinney described her background in Stone Mountain, Georgia and ascension into politics. She described a bold, courageous statement she supposedly made once condemning the bombing of Baghdad under the orders of George Herbert Walker Bush. She described her lonely fight for human rights. At one point, in referring to a statement made by Colin Powell (I believe) that "they hate us because we are free", she remarked that "I could have told them as a black woman that I am not free." (I believe those were the exact words.)

Then she spoke in dark terms of the forces arraigned against her as she struggled to win re-election in recent years. (She was defeated in 2006.) The described how the Anti-Defamation League filed an amicus brief against her interests in a re-redistricting of her district in Georgia. She described the (successful) efforts of the "War Party" in Congress to defeat her in order to remove an anti-war vote in Congress. She concluded by suggesting that her saga might be the subject of a term paper with the greater story being how the people can take back their government or something like that.

For some strange reason, I always seem to get the first question at these garden parties. Maybe that gets the skunk out of there faster, eh? My question went something like this:

"In your recent re-election defeat, your father and members of your security from the New Black Panther Party, specifically Hashim Nzinga, made inflammatory and clearly anti-Semitic comments blaming Jews for your defeat. Do you blame Jews for your defeat?" (Again, I think that's word for word.)

McKinney gave a long answer, essentially saying that there were many factors for her defeat. She did single out AIPAC (America Israel Public Affairs Committee) as being a factor. During her answer, she evoked the name of Gus Savage in a context which I don't recall. What I do recall is that it caused me to laugh and state out loud, "Gus Savage?!!?"

(Gus Savage was a despicable little race-baiting congressman from Chicago who was involved in a host of controversies during his tenure.)

There were a few other questions, some sympathetic, some not. One older Israeli gentleman in trying to make his question heard, approached McKinney as MSU "security" alertly stepped forward to keep him from posssibly doing harm to the "dignitary". A university official rushed in to shepherd the gentleman back to the crowd line.

After the speech, several Jewish and Muslim students engaged in lengthy, spirited, but civil debate about the Israel-Palestinian issue.

So ended another in the long parade of disreputable figures who have cast their shadow over our fair campus.

The White House Correspondents Dinner

Crude comedienne Wanda Sykes


I would like to make a few simple observations about the White House Correspondents dinner the other night. I'll keep it short because, frankly, it doesn't merit that much labor. I have always considered it a tacky affair, where the President has to waste his time trying to crack jokes for the benefit of a pack of tacky White House reporters and the usual collection of "stars" in attendance, you know, folks like "Ludacris".

First of all, President Obama's joke about Dick Cheney was over the line. Period.

As for Wanda Sykes, all I can say is that when you contract Wanda Sykes, you get Wanda Sykes. Who is the numbscull that lined her up-the same guy that sent Air Force One over Lower Manhattan? Suffice to say her comments about Sarah Palin and Rush Limbaugh were tasteless, crude and not worthy to be told in the presence of an American president. Where I come from, there are certain things one doesn't joke about, you know, like Auschwitz, the Holocaust, Pearl Harbor and 9-11. People like Wanda Sykes never got the memo.

Obama, on the other hand, thought they were funny enough to give up a few yuks. (It's on the tape.) Then, when cooler heads prevailed the next morning (or when conservatives called them out), White House Press Spokesman (and real stand-up comedian) Robert Gibbs did his usual stumblebum routine in conceding that the jokes were sort of....bad.

You know, when you sponsor or hire someone who offends people, apologies are usually in order. If conservative Republicans had thrown out jokes like these about Democrats, the left would be howling for apologies, resignations, firings, and special prosecutors. What if I had made some joke about wishing that Wanda Sykes came down with testicular cancer? What do you think would have happened? (Nothing actually because no one would know.)

Can we save some taxpayer money by simply doing away with these affairs?

Anti-Israel Day at UC-Irvine -Day 2

Note the peace-loving lady with the weapon on the wall


Mock Wall showing adapted US flag


Day Two of the Muslim Student Union Festival of Hate at UC-Irvine featured American activist Anna Baltzer, a young Jewish lady who travels from campus to campus giving the same spiel about how Israel is an occupier and oppressor of Palestinians. Ms Baltzer appeared at UCI last year and gave the same presentation.

Baltzer's manner is impressive. She does not come across as a radical. She doesn't clench her fist and shout, "power to the people". She is lady-like and comes across as a moderate, so much unlike most of the other MSU speakers. To be sure, Baltzer, a graduate of Columbia University and Fullbright Scholar, is affiliated with the International Solidarity Movement and International Women for Peace, both Palestinian-advocate organizations that while proclaiming themselves as pro-peace, defend the "right of resistance" of the Palestinians (a pretty wide door). In her previous appearnce at UCI, she said she could understand why Palestinians resorted to violence.

Baltzer went through her historiography of the Jewish state and its "mistreatment" of the Palestinian people. She did, however, gloss over such details as those Arab attacks on Israel beginning in 1948, the countless acts of terror committed against innocents, the more recent suicide bombings, the rockets launched from Gaza (which she did acknowlwdge, but in a manner minimizing the damage and loss of Israeli life as compared to Gazan deaths). She failed to mention that Hamas is still launching rockets into Sderot and southern Israel. As before, she called for the divestment of Israel-so popular on US campuses these days.

Since Baltzer travels so widely promoting her cause, I asked her during the Q&A who paid for her travel and expenses. Her answer was that it comes from her book and DVD sales, book tours and courtesy of her book publisher ("Witness in Palestine"-Paradigm Publishers). She denied that she received funding from the International Solidarity Movement. (She must sell one hell of a lot of books to finance the travel she does.)

Oh, one final thought: If the MSU wants to project a moderate image, they could do better than wear red t-shirts with a passage from that noted man of peace (and cop-killer)H. Rap Brown.

Anti-Israel Bash Begins at UC Irvine

(Photos courtesy of Orange County Task Force on Anti-Semitism)


Today the Muslim Student Union at UC Irvine began a week of Israel-bashing that will continue through Thursday-then culminate May 21 with a speech by British MP-and Saddam Hussein family friend- George Galloway. The title of the events is "Israel-The Politics of Genocide". I was not able to attend today due to family matters, but the Orange County Independent Task Force on Anti-Semitism took the above photos which I would like to comment on.

Today's "featured" speaker was Jim Lafferty. Who is Jim Lafferty, you ask?

You don't want to know. (I know, I use that line too often.)

Actually, Jim Lafferty is president of the LA chapter of the National Lawyers Guild, an organization founded in 1937 as a legal arm of the Communist Party USA. Name a cause in the last several decades designed to put the US in a bad light and chances are, the NLG has been there. Actually, Lafferty is a pretty boring speaker (I've heard him before at UCI). According to my source, not too many people were actually listening to him.

Of more concern was the mock wall that the MSU brings out of mothballs for each event which is a replica of the wall Israel built to keep suicide bombers out of their cities. Today, the wall and a mock tank featured caricatures of Anne Frank wearing a kaffiya along with an "ironic" quote from her famous diary. For the MSU to use her image ro further their own agenda is a desecration, in my view. It seems perfectly reasonable that those who want to make their case against Israel should leave Anne Frank out of it. More suitable quotes would likely be found in Mein Kampf, which I understand is still a big seller in the Middle East.

Tomorrow's featured speaker will be Anna Baltzer. Who is.........

Never mind.