ICB: Local Community Listed to Help Defend Israel

So I checked the stats on this blog, and it looks like there's still a small but dedicated group of people who check in on it pretty regularly.  I feel like an owe an update, so here it is: I'm working as an reporter with Israel Campus Beat (ICB), which reports on Israel advocacy on college campuses.  I still want to keep this up on the side, with stories about American politics, but I'll also start linking to new stories for ICB when I post them.

That said, you can find my most recent ICB story here.

Thanks for reading!

PS I have made $0.05 through Google Adsense for this blog.  I will be donating it to the charity of your choice, just leave a comment.

Why What Happened to Gabrielle Gifford is the Worst Possible Thing for America

Over 24 hours later, I'm still having trouble fully expressing my frustration and anger over what happened in Arizona yesterday.

Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Gifford (AZ - Human) was shot in the head by a crazy kid who also shot and killed six others, wounding twelve.  She is currently in intensive care, and able to respond to simple stimuli, which is a good sign.

I'm Jewish!

The loss of any human life is a tragedy, but the effects of this attack echo down the chambers of Congress.  Political assassination goes beyond Democrat or Republican ideologies; it attacks the system at its foundation.  Anyone not a radical anarchist had his/her house tremble a few centimeters yesterday morning. 

Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik put it best: "But it's not unusual for all public officials to get threats constantly, myself included. And that's the sad thing about what's going on in America. Pretty soon, we're not going to be able to find reasonable, decent people who are willing to subject themselves to serve in public office."

I'm gonna go preacher on you because I'm so frustrated, look out!

Because of this attack... town hall meetings across the country will have a different, more wary feel to them.

Because of this attack... young college students considering a future political career will have the faint outlines of a dark cloud hovering over them, as the specter of an assassination looms.

Because of this attack... the American model of democracy literally took a bullet to the face, as the idea of rational dialogue governing political decisions was rejected in favor of violence.

One of the victims in the attack was a nine-year-old girl born on 9/11.  Her lifespan is bookmarked by the two most significant attacks on the US in the 21st century.

But the difference here is that while 9/11 was an external attack by a radical jihadist group, this was an internal attack.  I can accept the fact that people from other countries want to kill us.  But I cannot come to terms with the fact that some people in this country would rather win their arguments with bullets than reason.

Let this be a call for us to reject the forces of hate pulling us toward violence, and instead take a step towards rationality and discussion.  And hopefully Gabrielle Gifford will recover, and be able to coast through her reelection based on ironic advertisements about how she's taken a bullet for the working class.

From Shoah to Independence

Available here

ZOA Student Leadership Mission to Israel Update: From Shoah to Independence

We started off the day with a tour of Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust Memorial. The story of how the shoah came about shows us the dire consequences of ignorance, and reaffirms our commitment to fight for our values and advocate on behalf of our people.

From the Nuremberg laws to ghettoes to einzatsgroupen to death camps, the Nazis followed a policy of pushing the envelope, then pausing to see how the world would react before escalating the persecution further. As Jews were stripped of their rights, forced into ghettoes, taken into the woods and shot, and finally boarded onto cattle cars en route to death camps – each of these stages evoked little response from the international community.

Even the United States, home to so many Diaspora Jews, failed to meet its moral obligation for the Jewish people. As fighter jets flew past the death camps on their way to bombing more “strategic” targets, President Roosevelt was busy lying to the Jews that American planes couldn’t reach the death camps. Behind the scenes, it was expressed that bombing the death camps might push the Germans “from a policy of extermination to a policy of extrusion… which may embarrass the United States”. Far from proactively saving the Jews, the US was trying to keep the Germans from exporting them!

Where were our friends?

In secret, US Christians formed an “underground railroad” that would help get the Jews out of the US, in the event that the US started to track down and round up the Jewish people. While seemingly a ridiculous idea, this was an example of how Christians worldwide were distinguishing themselves from their Nazi counterparts. The Poles and Slavs, especially, had large numbers of righteous people who saved Jewish lives while risking their own, their family’s, and even their community. These righteous people weren’t always predictable: Oscar Shindler, well-known to all of us as the hero on Schindler’s List, was a gambler and womanizer before he entered the business of saving lives.
But while help did exist – as 2,000 trees planted at Yad Vashem honoring over 21,000 righteous individuals attests to – it was far from common. The combination of Nazi threats, ingrained anti-Semitism, and a simple ignorance of the sheer magnitude of the Nazi death machine resulted in a largely apathetic global community, right when Jews needed help most.

Fast forward 70 years later.

After Yad Vashem, we headed over to the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs office in a sleepy Jerusalem suburb to hear former Israeli Ambassador to the UN Dore Gold speak. Ambassador Gold expounded upon the three main threats that would face Israel in the coming 2011 year: the Palestinian Authority’s likely declaration of unilateral statehood and demand for a return to ’67 lines, Iran coming dangerously close to its nuclear threshold, and the impending assault by delegitimization campaigns across American college campuses in the event of military action by the IDF.

As college students, we are best prepared to help on our campuses. For the first time in its history, the justness of the Jewish cause is being called into question. Incidents such as Jenin, where Israel risked soldiers’ lives by fighting terrorists room-by-room rather than bombing buildings and risking the lives of enemy noncombatants, have somehow been warped into talking points for those seeking to delegitimize Israel. We heard about the infamous Goldstone Report, a UN document that accused the IDF of war crimes, simply for fighting an asymmetrical war against terrorists who hid behind innocent civilians. It is extremely important that we arm ourselves with the knowledge needed to counter these absurd claims and defend Israel.

Our day wrapped up with a tour of the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament building. There, we heard Knesset member Aryeh Eldad. Eldad spoke of his proposal for an alternate solution to the Palestinian issue, in which they would receive Jordanian citizenship. It was interesting to hear another approach to the peace process, which so often gets stalled by the same issues. This really revealed the nature of the Israeli government, with a myriad of opinions and political parties vying for a chance to implement their policies.

After the disengagement of Gush Katif in Gaza, Hamas destroyed multi-million dollar greenhouses that were left behind as a gift to help improve the Palestinian quality of life. Then, they began firing missiles into Israel. As President Shimon Peres put it, “No matter what, we will never repeat the mistakes we made in the disengagement of Gush Katif”. A realistic lens is needed to avoid these disasters, but as Jews we must always look to a more hopeful horizon. Once crammed into cattle cars and systematically murdered, we now have the strength of the state of Israel to protect us. Optimism will pay off in the long term, as long as we don’t sacrifice our security.

WTF

The CIA has established a new task force to investigate the WikiLeaks fiasco, the Wikileaks Task Force.  Also known as: WTF

Thought that was blog-worthy.  I'm in Vienna, Austria and will be in Israel the next two weeks with the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA), and this will be transformed into a running blog of the trip for the next two weeks.  Thanks for checking in and don't forget to subscribe!

THE WORLD IS SAVED!!!

Breaking: The world (may have) just avoided a nuclear Iran

If it weren't for you meddling Israelis...

HOLY SHIT.

For those of you who heard about the Stuxnet computer worm that seemed to mysteriously appear out of the blue and target specifically Iran's nuclear reactors - it appears that it's done a lot more damage than the 2 months as originally reported.  Try 2 years.

*Top German computer consultant Langer who was one of the first to analyze Stuxnet's effects says: "It will take two years for Iran to get back on track... This was nearly as effective as a military strike, but even better since there are no fatalities and no full-blown war. From a military perspective, this was a huge success.”


Iran will have to throw out all the infected computers, bring in new ones (after being sure that they also weren't infected, or else they'd have to start over), then rebuild the centrifuges, then buy a new turbine.  Total time estimate: 2 years.  A LIFETIME for Ahmadinejad, who is dealing with crippling sanctions and domestic unrest.

It's hard to imagine this playing out any better.  Zero casualties, a massive setback to the nuclear program, and an anonymous cloak of 15,000 lines of code that took more than one country to develop (a joint US-Israeli venture?).  Sleep easy, tonight.  This can be a game-changer.

If you want more info on how the Stuxnet virus works, you can read about it here.  Feel free to edit the "Implications" section, it doesn't seem like it's been updated yet.

Study Break: Meet Alvin Greene

In a country as big and diverse as the United States, there are bound to be plenty of eccentric characters who somehow find their way onto the political stage.  Like a circus mirror, these 'representatives of the people' show us for what we are: a hilarious motley crew of personalities, sometimes a few Leinenkugels short of a 6-pack.  This morning's case study goes by the name of Alvin Greene. 

Meet Alvin:

I'm about to make you scratch your head in disbelief

To start this off, everything you're about to read is true.

Alvin Greene was the Democratic nominee for Senate in the state of South Carolina during the 2010 elections.  He won the primaries with 59% of the vote before losing to Rep. Jim DeMint in the general election.  Far from being discouraged after the loss, Greene is talking about a possible 2012 presidential campaign.  When asked about his potential bid, Greene replied,

"I’m the man. I’m the man. I’m the man. Greene’s the man. I’m the man. I’m the greatest person ever. I was born to be president. I’m the man, I’m the greatest individual ever."

Green hasn't yet specified which party he will represent, which is good news for the Democrats, who tried to get him to quit the Senate race after he astonishingly won the primary without campaigning.  That's right - Alvin Green, a 32-year-old unemployed man with the nickname "Turtle" who still lives with his parents, didn't raise any campaign money or have a website, and paid for his own registration fees out of pocket... WON THE DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY FOR SENATE.

He was also implicated in a felony obscenity charge for allegedly showing porn to an 18-year-old USC student in a computer lab and following it up with the line, "Let's go to your room."

After a reporter tried to ask him about the incident, Greene started moaning "GOOOOOOOOO" in an attempt to get him to leave.

With Alvin screaming in the background, the anchor's calm summary of the whole thing is the best part: "That is Democratic Senate candidate Alvin Greene at his home, telling a reporter, to GO."

Part of Alvin's success is attributable to the catchy campaign video which eventually just becomes a Lebron James highlight reel.  He even manages to deny the obscenity charge (:51).  You really can't make this stuff up (UPDATE: Stephanie Wong has discovered that Jay Friedman produced the video, not Alvin Greene, I guess video editing wasn't one of his talents):

You know what, Alvin?  If the 2012 race comes down to you and Sarah Palin... you have my vote.

The Real World: Red, Black & Blue

Great video of Harvard-educated Fareed Zakaria picking apart Glenn Beck's recent claim that 10% of Muslims are terrorists by showing that, under Beck's loose definition of "terrorist", even he could be considered one for his frequent criticism of the US government.

You're a terrorist for reading this

I have an idea for a new reality TV show.

I want to put all the talking heads - Beck, O'Reilly, Zakaria, Obermann, Maddow, and Michael Moore - in a house.  Call it The Real World: Red, Black & Blue.  Make them all live with each other for an extended period of time, and don't let them leave.  The way I see it, there are two possible outcomes:

1) A brawl.  I'm taking the conservatives on this one - they aren't gonna pull any punches.

2) Yanked out of their niche tv spots and target audiences, the talking heads get back in touch with reality when they learn that other people can have valid viewpoints, too.

The great irony of our national media is that what makes the most economic sense doesn't lead to the best-formed opinions.  While catering to a specific audience can bring in massive ratings and make someone like Ann Coulter a best-selling author, having a tunnel vision when it comes to politics can be extremely detrimental.  You might just end up like Beck.

I think The Real World: Red, Black & Blue can merge economic interests and our country's long-term interest.  Who's with me?

CNN and the Dangerous Assumption of Rationality

This article is really pissing me off.  Right now it's featured on the front page of CNN under the thought-provoking headline:

"Self-Sufficient Iran a Nuclear Threat?"

The story goes on to describe (very briefly) the uranium enrichment process, and quotes Iranian madman Ahmadinejad as saying that uranium enrichment for a peaceful program is an "inalienable right" that he doesn't plan on giving up.

The farthest CNN will go in condemning Iran is to claim that "The U.S. and its allies say Iran's lack of transparency and its pattern of secrecy are evidence that Iran is using its nuclear program as a cover to build nuclear bombs."

Really, CNN?

This is why so many Americans are misinformed.  Because if you're like I was, you find comfort in CNN's name, prestige, and big-budget interactive touch screens on election day.  Anderson Cooper and Wolf Blitzer will make all your troubles go away with their polished studio and calm demeanor.  You can get all the news from across the world without leaving comfort of your own couch, or your own mental comfort zone.

There's no situation The Situation Room can't handle!

But the world unfortunately isn't aligned with our expectations.

Ahmadinejad is not a rational actor.  He doesn't value freedom, tolerance, or equality of opportunity.  Ahmadinejad wants to spread Shariah law, which he believes is his G-d given duty.  Here are some characteristics of Shariah law:

*Punishment of theft by amputation of hands
*Punishment of adultery by stoning (graphic)
*Prohibition of liquor and gambling
*Women must wear the traditional hijab

I know what you're thinking because I thought it: you know what, it might be a bit different from what we're used to, but live and let live, right?

Sure.

As long as you're ok with giving a nuclear weapon to a man who believes his government is guided by the Messiah, calls the Holocaust a lie, and claims that the US and Israel will soon die.

If you're giving this guy the benefit of the doubt, where are you ever going to draw the line?  Remember, according to a German newspaper, US officials have called Ahmadinejad "Hitler".

Journalism should have a conscience.  It should be a very well-behaved conscience, not the kind that will pop up in the form of biases over what should be (99% of the time) objective reporting.  But it should have enough balls to call out a genocidal maniac instead of giving him just as much credit in a story as, say, the United States government.  This is straight from the CNN story highlights:

Really, CNN?  If I read this article without knowing anything, I'm coming out a supporter of Ahmadinejad.  Why can't their country have peaceful nuclear energy?  

Iran Got Haterz Everywhere!

Shame on you, CNN.  And to the rest of you, I hope this has cracked a bit of that comfortable liberal shell that keeps you from ever having to stand up for your values (harsh words, but I'm speaking from personal experience).  Not everyone is good in this world, and we need to fight the baddies, so we can keep quoting them as if they're legitimate, rational people worthy of our consideration.

You should read that CNN article and realize, this is what makes us awesome.  We are quoting a man who has threatened us with mass murder and giving him equal standing in our own paper.  But whatever you do, don't fool yourself into thinking he's one of us.  He's not.  And remind people that, too.  Because freedom of speech, while protecting our enemies, also empowers us to be well-informed.  Spread the word!

Obama's Middle East Bluff, and a Human Disaster

Diplomacy is often compared to a high-stakes poker game.  If that's true, then Obama is playing like notorious bluffer Phil Ivey.

For the past two years, Obama has been telling Netanyahu that the Middle East peace process was vital for Arab support against Iran.  After WikiLeaks, we know now that Obama was bluffing.  After all, he had the following information:

*As early as 2008, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia was urging Obama to "“cut off the head of the [Iranian] snake.”

*King Hamad of Bahrain told Obama about the Iranian nuclear program, "That program must be stopped," he said. "The danger of letting it go on is greater than the danger of stopping it."

*The United Arab Emirates and Egypt called Iran "evil" and an "existential threat"

*Crown Prince bin Zayed of Abu Dhabi worried "not how much we know about Iran, but how much we don't."

*Jordan viewed Iran like an insidious octopus, whose tentacles should be "severed" (although, Jordan also wanted the US to help resolve the Palestinian issue)

Obama's repeated emphasis on the 2-state solution as a stepping stone to dealing with Iran simply didn't mesh with reality.  Arab leaders were already urging him in private to do something about Iran, and Obama publicly bluffed that the peace process was necessary to winning their support.  He bluffed to pressure Netanyahu to make concessions, and ultimately pushed Israel in a corner they didn't have to be in.  (I'm going to make this blog bi-partisan.  If you're conservative, skip ahead now.)

But like any good poker game, it's a lot more nuanced than it seems. (Liberals, keep reading)

The Arab leaders weren't ready to publicly condemn Iran - it would have been too politically dicey for them to appear pro-Western.  Even after the WikiLeaks came out - when anyone with an Internet connection can actually see the Arab leaders' words condemning Iran - not one has yet publicly backed up his private statements.  If the 2-state solution had succeeded, it may very well have made these leaders more comfortable publicly adopting an anti-Iran position, which I'm sure was Obama's aim all along.

**************************** Everyone back!**********************************

The above is a picture of the bus that was engulfed in flames in the massive fire in northern Israel.  41 people have died, including a 16-year-old named Elad Riven, pictured below.  Elad skipped school to volunteer fighting the fire, and he tragically got caught in the flames. 

Elad Riven, 16

This is a human disaster.  And amidst all the political games, all the manipulating, deceiving, and lying, the world leaders have come together to help Israel fight this fire.

*Erdogan of Turkey has sent planes and firefighting equipment to Israel, even in the midst of a diplomatic crisis resulting from the Gaza flotilla controversy.

*Abbas expressed his condolences to Netanyahu and offered to help, marking the first time Netanyahu and Abbas have talked since peace talks stalled in September

*Russia is sending a Boeing 747, the largest plane of its kind, even after selling arms to Iran.

*And perhaps most surprisingly, Iran is sending three airplanes to help put out the fire because "nobody will threaten Israel but us!" 

It's beautifully simple how all the word games in the world can't get these leaders to agree on anything, but when it comes to a human tragedy, everyone knows to put down the cards and help out.  There is a common morality, even in this high-stakes political poker game.  

Maybe the holiday spirit is catching on.

What I Would Do if I Were Julian Assange, World's Most Wanted

Forget Mark Zuckerberg and "The Social Network".  The man below is bound to have a movie made about him sometime soon, and the true story is a hell of a lot more exciting than any contrived Hollywood plotline:

Barney Stinson or World's Most Wanted Criminal?  (Both??)

The man pictured above is WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.  He has embarrassed the world's most powerful leaders and is currently on the run from Interpol and Swedish authorities on allegations of rape (Assange claims it is a smear campaign, and there is certainly something fishy going on: a few months ago, Sweden withdrew his arrest warrant, with the chief prosecutor claiming the case lacked substance).

But Assange isn't backing down - he's traveling nomadically, with his computer in his backpack, Skyping from unknown locations.  In a recent interview, he (conditionally) called for Sec. of State Hillary Clinton's resignation and revealed that he has been offered asylum in Ecuador.  The man has cajones.

But is he hero or villain?

The dividing line appears to be a political one: liberals like Daniel Ellsberg are defending Assange, claiming he is performing work that "is serving our [American] democracy", while conservatives want him locked up in Gauntanamo as an "enemy combatant".  Adding to the fire are claims that he has endangered lives by the release of confidential information - as Daniel Yates claims about the leaked Afghan war diary (the second biggest WikiLeak), "The logs contain detailed personal information regarding Afghan civilians who have approached NATO soldiers with information.  It is inevitable that the Taliban will now seek violent retribution on those who have co-operated with NATO.  Their families and tribes will also be in danger."(source) 

For his part, Assange seems to welcome the controversy.  When describing the philosophy behind WikiLeaks, Assange says:

"To radically shift regime behavior we must think clearly and boldly for if we have learned anything, it is that regimes do not want to be changed. We must think beyond those who have gone before us and discover technological changes that embolden us with ways to act in which our forebears could not." (source)

Assange is a self-described cynic, but if he truly believes in his own ideals, he will turn himself in and, like Socrates, put his faith in the people.

Democracy!

Let's take a logical look at Assange's philosophy:

1) Sharing information is good

Assange believes that "opening up governments" to expose their corruption is a good thing, that's why he started WikiLeaks.  Exposing corruption is good because...

2) People are rational

If the public learns about corruption, they will not tolerate it, but rather change their government to eliminate the corruption.  People don't like corrupt people.

************************

Assange, look in the mirror.  You have leaked a quarter million documents and plan to expose the corruption that will turn a major American bank inside-out (UPDATE - looks like it will be Bank of America).  Yet despite all of these seemingly noble acts, you are on the run for rape charges.  The jury's still out on you, and taking asylum in Ecuador will make you look like a coward.

If you truly are innocent and really believe in the people, you will do the following:

1) Turn yourself in to Switzerland, cooperate with authorities, and win your case.

2) Travel freely, telling people IN PERSON why you did what you did.  Go on Larry King, the Daily Show, NBC.  Welcome the same tough-hitting journalism that you strive to create with WikiLeaks. Defend yourself.

3) If you are arrested by authorities (a very reasonable thing to expect), cooperate fully but use the trial (and publicity surrounding the arrest) to criticize the government.  It's called civil disobedience - Rosa Parks didn't change the world by fleeing on a motorcycle after the cops were called (but that would've been awesome).

Above all, make yourself vulnerable.  If you're truly a visionary, spending some time in the pound shouldn't scare you - in fact, it could be the most effective way of championing your cause.  People aren't going to listen to a nomadic rapist, but they may just open their ears to a helpless man in jail who's been chased around the world by repressive government authorities.

You've done everything a reasonable person could aspire to do.  Now's the time to man up and make this whole thing about something bigger than yourself.  Good luck.

UPDATE (11:25 am, 12/6/10): The case for Assange is getting harder to make as WikiLeaks listed sites vital to US security interests in a move that was criticized as "a gift to any terrorist".  It's hard to justify how the broader public would benefit from this obviously sensitive information.

How I Would Handle the WikiLeaks Fiasco

If you haven't heard yet, Wikileaks has released a staggering quarter million confidential US cables that provide a rare peek inside US diplomacy.

This is legen...wait for it... HUGE.

The US tries very hard to project a certain image to the rest of the world, and this leak damages that reputation almost beyond repair.  In some ways, this is more damaging to the United States than a terrorist attack, because this chips away at America's very legitimacy as a moral superpower.

Sec. of State Clinton and a host of diplomats have been shuttering around to foreign embassies apologizing in advance for the content of the cables.  The White House issued a statement on Sunday which read:

"We condemn in the strongest terms the unauthorized disclosure of classified documents and sensitive national security information."

The reaction has been a bipartisan uproar.  One Republican (Rep. King - NY, R) has already called for WikiLeaks to be designated as a "terrorist organization".  A Democrat (Sen. McCaskill - MO, D) wants Obama to prosecute WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

But for all their yammering and shaking fists, one thing won't change: the information is out.  How the US, namely Obama, will weather the storm of controversy in the coming months remains to be seen.

To put things in perspective: The US isn't the only country implicated in all of this.  In fact, the WikiLeaks... leak... could ultimately prove more damaging to Arab countries trying desperately to sit on the fence like Saudi Arabia, whose King Abdullah has been secretly supporting Western attempts to halt the Iranian nuclear threat while stopping short of openly criticizing Ahmadinejad.

However, as a world superpower, all eyes will be on the US and how they handle this colossal embarrassment.

My advice to the White House is: Remember who we are supposed to be.  A Western, liberal democracy that openly permits criticism against its government by its own civilians.  There are two kindergarten sayings that will greatly benefit the White House's response to this:

1) Sticks and stones (or energy dependence on Arab states) may break our bones, but words will never hurt the United States of America.

2) When you can't beat em (by censoring the Internet), join em.

The leak is out.  Instead of trying to condemn it and fight it, why not save some face by just owning up to it?  Yes, world, you're right - we did say these things.  But we also live in a very complicated and nuanced world with the threat of a nuclear Iran looming over any international diplomatic efforts.

Let's give some credit to the public to do some research, or give us the benefit of the doubt, in knowing that this really isn't that bad.  Of COURSE we are making secret deals and masking them with false premises and misleading - we're playing the game, just like anyone else!  None of this should come as any surprise to an educated person.  The key is for the White House to own up to that and acknowledge it.

I don't expect an official White House response on the content of the leak - it's too dicey, politically.  But Joe Biden, if you're ever going to have one of your oh-so-blunt moments, please have one now and say what needs to be said.  The WikiLeaks are a giant "Duhhhhh".  

What makes us better than most of the world isn't that we are a saintly country that never makes mistakes, lies, or manipulates - it's that we value the freedom of our own citizens to call our government out on it.  Let's value the freedom that WikiLeaks gives us, as citizens, to form our own opinions.