Dishonest reporting

Jewish date:  26 ’Av 5771 (evening) (Parashath Re’eh).

Today’s holidays:  Feast Day of Louis of France and Joseph Calasanz (Roman Catholicism), Feast Day of St. Heliogabulus (Church of the SubGenius), Feast Day of Friederich Nietzsche (Thelema).


Greetings.

Recently I came across a short article which struck me as off, and Barry independently asked me to comment on it.  The article is “Rabbis Help Gays Find Sexless Marriages To Procreate For God”.

It starts with this:

Ever wish that you could have a sexless marriage, lots of affairs, and still have the approval of God?  Well, now you can, if you are a homosexual Jew — as long as you promise to procreate in the name of the Lord as well.

It was immediately obvious that something was wrong.  Judaism does not condone affairs by anyone, whether they are heterosexual or homosexual, and making children does not excuse such misbehavior.  The rest of the article was also suspicious:

Via Think Progress:

A new Orthodox Jewish service “seeks to help religious homosexuals and lesbians find a partner for procreation purposes – as long as they promise to try to change their sexual orientation,” YNet News reports. An orthodox interpretation of Jewish law forbids homosexual relations, but the match-making website hopes to connect men and women “seeking to start a family in Israel, even without sexual attraction, in order to bring religious children into the world and provide them with traditional education. Thus, a religious gay man will be able to meet a religious lesbian woman through the website and have children with her.”

It’s assumed, of course, that any gay person involved in this sort of arrangement will be having affairs, and according to the service that’s just fine — it’s not cheating if you’re both doing it and your partner knows and approves.  After all, it’s all worth it if it makes more children of the faith.  And the Rabbis themselves believe they are acting under the best of intentions. “Almost everyone understands that there are those who simply cannot change,” [Orthodox Rabbi Arale] Harel admits. “This initiative was designed for them.” 

Still, it’s funny to think, so many religious people are worried that same sex marriage is destroying the “traditional” definition of marriage.

Now, I had already heard about Rav Har’el matchmaking homosexuals (of the opposite sex).  (See “Orthodox Gay Marriage” and “Israeli rabbis launch initiative to marry gay men to lesbian women”.)  However, I had not heard anything about him approving affairs, and when one also takes into account the flippant tone of this article, my suspicions were raised that whoever wrote it did not bother to do any research.

So let us follow the links.  This article refers back to another article in ThinkProgress, “RABBIS MATCH GAYS AND LESBIANS ‘TO BRING RELIGIOUS CHILDREN INTO THE WORLD’”, which was quoted almost in its entirety.  The only part which was not quoted is:

“We are aware of the fact that the man and woman may have extramarital relations according to their sexual inclination, but at least they won’t be cheating on their partners, as it will be done with their consent,” one Orthodox rabbi explained

So far we are still in the midst of suspicious content.  The second article links to a third article on Ynetnews, “Rabbis to match homosexuals, lesbians”:

A new Web initiative seeks to help religious homosexuals and lesbians find a partner for procreation purposes – as long as they promise to try to change their sexual orientation.

Currently, religious gay people are not entitled to use the sector's regular matchmaking service. In the coming days, the Kamoha website for Orthodox homosexuals will introduce a new page resembling leading dating websites. But unlike similar initiatives which have failed in the past, this one enjoys the support of senior Religious Zionism rabbis.

As Jewish Halacha forbids homosexual relations, the initiative will connect between men and women seeking to start a family in Israel, even without sexual attraction, in order to bring religious children into the world and provide them with traditional education. Thus, a religious gay man will be able to meet a religious lesbian woman through the website and have children with her.

The initiative is being led by Orthodox Rabbi Arale Harel, former head of the Shilo hesder yeshiva. According to Harel, the program has the support of additional Religious Zionism rabbis, including Haim Drukman, Yaakov Ariel and Elyakim Levanon.

Harel says he has so far matched more than 10 gay-lesbian couples, and is now seeking to institutionalize the issue.

"There is no rabbi who will approve such a marriage," he explains. "We are aware of the fact that the man and woman may have extramarital relations according to their sexual inclination, but at least they won't be cheating on their partners, as it will be done with their consent."

Nonetheless, Harel has added a condition for the match, which may deter religious homosexuals and lesbians. According to the rabbi, the couple will first have to undergo "psychological conversion therapy aimed at helping the patients change their sexual inclination."

Those seeking to use the website's services will undergo a screening process, and after paying NIS 150 (about $42) in order to prove that they are serious about the issue, they will be able to go out with members of the opposite sex while receiving psychological and rabbinical advice.

"Almost everyone understands that there are those who simply cannot change," Harel admits. "This initiative was designed for them."

This article adds new, unusual details.  First of all, there is the listed requirement of conversion therapy.  Conversion therapy, which aims to change homosexuals into heterosexuals, is not scientifically recognized as actually working and may be harmful.  This requirement is paradoxical, considering that Rav Harel claims that some people cannot change their sexual orientation.  Secondly, there is the obvious contradiction between this matchmaking having rabbinical approval and the claim that no rabbi would approve of such a match.  Also unusual is what is omitted:  a link to this “new Web initiative”.

Given the difficult nature of these three articles, I decided to find Rav Har’el and company and see what they have to say for themselves.  And I did find them.  Their site is Kamokha and their new initiative is ’Anaḥnu.  From the three questionable articles, one might think that rabbis, especially Rav Har’el, were going out their way to get homosexuals to marry people of the opposite sex.  They are not.  Kamokha is an organization of Orthodox Jewish homosexual men who wish to live by Orthodox Judaism.  This includes the prohibition on the practice of homosexuality.  If this seems strange to anyone, do note that just because one has a desire to do something does not mean one will actually do it or even wants to have this desire.  ’Anaḥnu is also their initiative; please note that homosexuals, like heterosexuals, often want to get married and have children.  Kamokha approached Rav Har’el to establish this program.  This is something they want, not something anyone is trying to foist upon anyone else.  They also make it clear that this program is experimental, that it is only for those who have come to terms with not being able to change their sexual orientation, and that this is not a program meant to change sexual orientation.  There is no requirement of conversion therapy whatsoever.  Neither is there any permission for affairs.  To put it bluntly, the people behind the questionable articles lied.  At the most generous, one might think they confounded ’Anaḥnu with another Kamokha initiative, one to provide conversion therapy for free for those who want it—with full recognition that it is controversial—but that would be difficult to do accidentally without being amazingly stupid.

As for the whole business of affairs being allegedly OK for married homosexuals, that may be a perversion of something that Rav Har’el said in an interview pulled out of context:

"Most of the couples agree not to have relationships with members of their own sex, but if there are 'lapses' once every few years, they don't see this as a betrayal," he said. "Generally, it's between them and their Creator."

This is not permission to have an affair by any means, only a statement on the psychology and theology.

Sadly, this display of dishonesty is precedented.  (E.g., see my reviews of His Dark Materials, The God Delusion, Religulous, Expelled:  No Intelligence Allowed, and Godless:  The Church of Liberalism.)  If one wishes to argue that homosexuals should never marry anyone of the opposite sex, fine.  If one wishes to argue that homosexuals should not resist their sexual desires but instead rejoice in them, fine.  If one wishes to argue that homosexuals should never have children, fine.  If one wishes to argue that no one should ever aid and abet a homosexual in marrying someone of the opposite sex and producing children, even if that is what the homosexual wants, fine.  Argue any position you want, but do it on the basis of the actual facts.  If someone has to lie or quote out of context to “prove” that someone is doing something wrong, then that person has given the perfect reason to believe that nothing wrong is being done.  And this goes double when the result is mockery and not even a pathetic excuse for an argument.  Practically anyone can do better than this.

Peace.

’Aharon/Aaron

V is for “values”

Greetings.

Jewish date:  4 ’Iyyar 5770 (Parashath ’Aḥare Moth-Qedhoshim).

Today’s holidays:  Day 19 of the ‘Omer (Judaism), Third Sunday of Easter (Roman Catholicism), Feast of St. Lady Macbeth (Church of the SubGenius).

Worthy cause of the day:  “Health Care for America NOW! | End unjust, sky-high premium increases”.

Topic 1:  The last three episodes of  V, “Welcome to the War”, “Pound of Flesh”, and “John May”.  (I know I am tardy in reporting.  I got behind due to Pesaḥ, and I hope this will be a start towards catching up.)  The resistance is taking morally questionable, desperate actions.  This is to be expected in war.

More interestingly, the V leader Anna is being filled out as a disturbing character.  She has a severe lack of empathy, and she sets out to purge the Vs of anyone who fails a test for lack of empathy, lest such people have qualms about whatever the Vs are trying to accomplish on Earth.  So lacking in compassion is Anna that she orders those to fail the test to commit suicide, even if they have never shown the least sign of rebellion.  Not to mention that after mating with a V with the intention of producing soldiers, it is strongly implied (though not actually shown) that Anna eats her mate.  Coupled with the revelation that “Bliss” is a form of emotional control, there is enough evidence to believe that is any sane, functional society of sentient beings, Anna would be locked away in a mental hospital for being a psychopath with a goddess complex.

Tangent:  Given that the Vs live under a dictatorship, they may well be in a period of technological stagnation—despite all appearances of them being advanced.  Innovation requires freedom to question.  Anna wants to be obeyed without question, and she is prepared to slaughter anyone who gives the least hint that they may ever question her.  This is not a good setting for progress.

Also brought up in the question of when it is morally acceptable to lie.  Most notably, Ryan has been lying to his girlfriend Valerie—enlisting her obstetrician to lie, too—about the baby she is carrying.  Unfortunately, the writers decided to go ahead with the original series’ bad idea of human-V hybridization (the chances of which being possible are dwarfed by the probability of successfully crossing a human and a cabbage), and Ryan initially hides the fact that the baby is not normal human and sneaks a supplement into her tea so that they fetus does not kill her.  Eventually he changes his mind about lying to her, leaves her a packet of information about what is really going on, and expects to be dumped.

Topic 2:  “A Surprising Reward for Abstaining from Lashon Hara”.  This short article deals humorously with the importance of correct translation.

Translations for those who do not know Hebrew:

• Lashon hara‘ is any needless speech which is true but which may be harmful.
• A moreh is a teacher.
• Gan is short for gan yeladhim, a literal translation of “kindergarten”.

I will not spoil the punchline here; you will have to read the article yourself.

Topic 3:  For today’s religious humor:  (courtesy of Mike) a Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal comic:

(Yes, you are getting a break from LOLcats today.)  This cartoon is clearly simplified, but there is a kernel of truth in it.  Often people will think only in terms of the last link in their tradition without asking about the whole chain.  At the top of the depicted chain is Jesus.  At the bottom of the chain is someone from the much loathed Westboro Baptist Church.  Why is Jesus so unhappy in the last panel?  As best as I can remember, Jesus says nothing about homosexuality in the canonical Gospels; even if I am wrong, it is not something which Jesus put much emphasis on.  “God hates fags”, virtually a slogan among the Westboro Baptist Church, simply does not reflect anything Jesus reportedly said.  Jesus complains about competing Jewish groups, but he never attacks anyone for having the wrong sexual orientation.  Even if Jesus does not approve of homosexuality, which would be normal for an observant Jew, he is very compassionate towards sinners.  Think “Do not judge, lest you be judged” and “Let he who is without sin throw the first stone”.  The Westboro Baptist Church has failed to look back towards the top of the chain to check whether their views actually derive from that of Jesus.

Peace.

Aaron

Winning by other than straightforward tactics

Greetings.

Jewish date:  21 ’Adhar 5770 (Parashath Wayyaqhel-Fequdhe).

Today’s holidays:  Bahá’í Month of Fasting (Bahá’í Faith), Third Sunday of Lent (Roman Catholicism).

Worthy cause of the day:  “Tell Obama: Let us fight for the public option.”

Topic 1:  The latest episode of Caprica, “Know Thy Enemy”.  The more I watch this show, the more my intuition insists that the Tauron culture has serious religious dimensions to it.  Revenge seems to be a major value.  Tauron industrialist Tomas Vergis, from whom Daniel Graystone had a metacognitive processor (MCP) stolen, believes that Daniel is responsible not only the theft of the MCP but also for the death of two of his sister’s children.  Rather than kill Daniel, Tomas has decided to play mind games with Daniel and ruin something that Daniel loves.  It also must be noted that the Tauron honor system does not allow for theft from fellow Taurons.  On a different track, life in a virtual world, as Zoe I worked to create, is seen by Sister Clarice as a form of afterlife.  She is also not above spy tactics to try to get information on Zoe.

Topic 2:  “Another Tack: An Arab land”:  This article deals with Arab tactics in the Arab-Israeli War.  Covered are fabricating the past, appropriation of Jewish history, and trying to silence the Jewish point of view—anything to make Arabs look in the right at all costs.  Major rule:  If you lie, you effectively admit you have no argument.  Another major rule:  none us us has the right to always be right.

Topic 3:  For today’s religious humor:  “Basement Cat Jr’s”:


Peace.

Aaron

None of us has a right to always be right

Greetings.

Jewish date:  18 ’Adhar 5770 (Parashath Ki Thissa’).

Today’s holiday:  Casimir (Roman Catholicism).

Worthy causes of the day:  “Tell the FDA to Update Nutrition Label Info - The Petition Site”, “DemocracyForAmerica.com » Become a Citizen Co-Sponsor”, This is how we stop Blackwater for good.“”, and “Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) | Tell Democrats We Have Their Backs”.

Topic 1:  More anti-Semitism:  “Israel Apartheid Week Comes to Town” and “Conjecture vs. Fact Drives Vancouver Sun Reporting on Assassination”.  These articles deal with poisoning the well (working to avoid anyone listening to one’s opponents, usually accomplished through lying) and presenting speculation as if it were fact.  (Again, I acknowledge this topic gets a lot of play.  I plan on stopping harping on it once the problem goes away.)  More interesting is “Opposing the digital pogrom”; the government of Israel has gotten so fed up with anti-Semitic attacks from foreign reporters that it struck back with Masbirim (English translation via Google Translate), a site encouraging Israeli citizens to do pro-Israel PR when abroad.  Foreign reporters are reportedly not pleased with being parodied in the videos as being totally clueless, but considering that said reporters frequently have little or no idea of the context of what they are reporting on, the lampooning is fair.

Topic 2:  “Libya slaps embargo on Swiss, demands U.S. apology”.  Libya in this article illustrates the fallacy that one is always entitled to be right, no matter what.  Libya may not appreciate the Swiss ban on new minarets.  Libya may even feel that it is religiously proper to declare a jihad against Switzerland.  However, it is beyond all reason for Libya to expect the United States or Switzerland (or any other non-Muslim country) to necessarily agree to what Libya (or any Muslim country) wants.  The United States and Switzerland are religiously tolerant countries with civil liberties.  Jihad—the epitome of religious intolerance—is not appreciated in either country, and their citizens are free to criticize anyone, including heads of state.  As such, if Mu‘ammar al-Qaḏāfī’s son broke laws in Switzerland on how domestic help is supposed to be treated, then the Libyans should not expect the Swiss to be anything but displeased.  And if the Swiss feel that Muslim immigrants have been abusing their civil liberties, then Libya should not be surprised if the Swiss get wary or even take measures against abuse.  And if Mu‘ammar al-Qaḏāfī calls for a jihad, then he should not be surprised that a US diplomat does not approve.  And, as a US citizen, I invoke my own right of free speech and suggest that everyone in the US, Switzerland, and elsewhere, counter the Libyan boycott with a boycott against Libyan products; there is no point in rewarding a regime which expects to be kowtowed to at all times.

Topic 3:  For today’s religious humor:  “Even Basement Cat”:


Peace.

Aaron

Your humble blogger insults those who throw the political equivalent of temper tantrums

Image of a Purim gragger (noise-maker) via Wikipedia

Greetings.

Jewish date:  12 ’Adhar 5770 (Parashath Teṣawweh).

Today’s holidays:  Friday of the First Week of Lent (Roman Catholicism), Ayyam-i-ha (Bahá’í Faith), Mawlid an Nabi (Islam).

NOTE:  Yesterday your humble blogger did not post because it was Ta‘anith ’Esther (the Fast of ’Esther).  There is good chance there will be no post on Sunday, which will be Purim.  For more information on Purim, see the Orthodox Union’s articles on the holiday.

Worthy cause of the day:  “Save BioGems: Take Action: Whales in Danger”, “Take Action: Tell Royal Bank of Canada's CEO to Stop Financing the Tar Sands”, and “Take Action: Break Up Insurance Monopolies”.

Topic 1:  Purim was founded in commemoration of the incidents recounted in the Book of Esther, specifically the attempt by Haman to destroy the Jewish people and how Mordekhay and ’Esther foiled his plans.  So if you thought I was going to avoid the much-discussed topic of anti-Semitism, forget it.  “ License Fee Revolt” deals with the refusal of a Jew in England to pay his television license fee in protest of the BBC’s severe anti-Semitic bias in reporting on Israel.  I wholeheartedly approve of such nonviolent protest.  Meanwhile, while the political right in Israel is cheering the government’s recent naming of the Tomb of the Patriarchs and Raḥel’s Tomb national heritage sites, in Ḥevron the Arabs reacted by attacking Israeli soldiers.  This sort of “protest” I do not approve of.  It is the political equivalent of throwing a temper tantrum.  Such a quick resort to violence when one does not get one’s own way, in fact when no one is going to die or be hurt in any way if no action were taken, suggests one has no real argument why the other side is wrong.  The correct response to such infantile behavior is the same as for any temper tantrum:  uncompromising refusal to give in, lest one reinforce the big baby’s misbehavior.  The United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Robert Serry, also put in his proverbial two cents, essentially pooh-poohing the naming of national heritage sites in territory that Arabs want (but do not have any legitimate claim to), completely ignoring what will happen to these sites if they ever fall under Muslim control.  (Anyone remember what the Arabs did to Yosef’s Tomb?  Hint:  It is not there anymore.)  “Where is Goldstone now?” why accidental casualties in Afghanistan are no big deal when they are in Gaza.  “Israel's Fleet Street enemies” complains about reporters fabricating negative stories about Israel.  And to top it all off:  “Palestinian Authority: Still Stealing "Hundreds of Millions," Hamas Taking Over - Hudson New York”.

Topic 2: “American foreign policy's God gap”.  To make a long article short:  The United States government has long ignored religion as something important in foreign policy.  Only recently have they begun to realize this is a mistake.  Considering how widespread religion is in human culture and how tangled it is with politics, this was obvious to a lot of people decades ago.

Topic 3:  For today’s religious humor:  One of the practices of Purim is humor.  (Religion in general is a serious business, so this is a deviation from the norm.)  Since I may well not post on Purim, I present “UK Warrant for Queen Esther's Arrest”, “Rebranding and Renaming iSrael”, “Top 5 Israel Groups On Facebook”, a sizable list of spoofs by The Jewish Week News, and this video summarizing the Book of Esther, which is read on Purim:


If I post on Purim, expect more.  And, no, I have not seen any Purim-themed LOLcats.  Peace, Shabbath shalom, and happy Purim.

Aaron

Never, never, never convert for the wrong reason

Greetings.

Jewish date:  1 ’Adhar 5770 (Parashath Terumah).

Today’s holidays:  Ro’sh Ḥodhesh (Judaism), Monday of the Sixth Week of Ordinary Time/Carnival Monday (Roman Catholicism).

Worthy causes of the day:  “Tell President Obama to Stop Big Oil's Race to Ruin in the Tar Sands”, “Save BioGems: Take Action: Save Yellowstone/Greater Rockies”, “MoveOn.org Political Action: Demand an explanation from Anthem Blue Cross”, “Stop Corporate-Sponsored Wolf Slaughters - The Petition Site”, and “Support Malaria Vaccination Research - The Petition Site”.

Topic 1:  More current anti-Semitism:  “Countering Canadian Campus Media Bias Against Israel (February 12, 2010)”, which highlights reporters getting facts wrong and holding by moral double standards.

Topic 2:  “Anne Hathaway Wished To Be A Nun” and “Anne Hathaway leaves Catholic Church over gays”.  Anne Hathaway and family left the Roman Catholic Church because her brother is a homosexual and the Church does not approve of homosexuality.  Ms. Hathaway and family joined the Episcopalian Church (AKA the Anglican Church), of which the more Protestant branch has favorable views of homosexuality, though she has currently left that church as well.  Now, what bugs your humble blogger about this case is that Ms. Hathaway and family seem to have left the Roman Catholic Church because the Church has a view they do not approve of.  If so, they have converted for the wrong reason.  The question one should be asking when judging if a religion is correct should never be whether the religion agrees with one’s moral opinions.  Morality is purely a matter of opinion, and one cannot expect that a god or karma—the ultimate enforcers of morality, if such exist—will necessarily be in agreement.  The question one should always ask is whether a religion is true.  Yes, one may still reach the wrong answer, but one at least is put in a better position if one does so.  If one reaches the wrong answer on what religion is true, one can at least beg for mercy to whatever god of reward and punishment that does exist that one has made a good faith effort to find the truth and act according to it; as we have imperfect information and limited abilities in processing it, that god in all fairness has to take into account in judging us the fact that many of us will inevitably not reach the right answer.  But if one follows one’s own tastes and makes no effort to find what is actually true, then if one reaches the wrong answer, one cannot plead to the god of judgement that one has at least made a decent effort to find the truth; as such, one cannot expect that god to be pleased or merciful.

Topic 3:  For today’s religious humor:  “I miss the smell of sulfer”:

(Come to think of it, where does this whole business of sulfur in Hell come from anyway?)

Peace and happy new month.

Aaron

Judgement without respect for facts and overpriced education

Greetings.

Jewish date:  16 Marḥeshwan 5770 (Parashath Wayyera’).

Worthy causes of the day:  “Tell Obama: No pesticide lobbyist nominees” and “Demand the Public Option! - The Petition Site”.

Topic 1:  Chapter 13 of The Subtle Knife (His Dark Materials, Book 2) by Philip Pullman.  A lot of the “good” characters have formed a war council and are sharing information.  Lord Asriel’s extensive preparations for his war against the Authority (God) are related.  There is also complaining by the witches about the horrible things done by the Church/Magisterium in the name of the Authority, followed by an amazing inference:  that the Authority is Himself a horrible being.  This is not justified.  It is true that in real life that the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches have done some truly horrible things, such as the Spanish Inquisition.  However, it would be unjustified to assume that everything the Churches have done is actually justified by Christianity.  For Christians, the model for behavior is Jesus of Nazareth as depicted in the Gospels.  For all Jesus’s bluster about how everyone who did not follow him were going to pay for it, Jesus was not an advocate of violence or cruelty.  He advocated extreme pacifism, this whole business of turning the other cheek, and he lived it.  He could have easily escaped being crucified, but instead he practically walked into the Romans’ hands and let them torture and kill him.  Pinning the sins of Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches on Jesus would make no sense whatsoever.  Likewise, pinning the sins of the Magisterium on the Authority, without even bothering to ask what the Authority’s moral views are, is illogical and unjustified.

Topic 2:  “Terror Arrests and the 'Misunderstood' Religion”.  This article complains about efforts to whitewash Islam and dissociate it from everything and anything bad, such as terrorism.  The mistake is akin to that in the previous topic:  just as it makes no sense to judge God based on crimes he never espoused, it makes no sense to judge Muslims by a version of Islam that does not exist.  The difference between the two is that it is atheists who are trying to create the illusion of Divine criminality where it does not exist, while it is Muslims trying to create the illusion of a version of Islam which does not exist.

Topic 3:  “Government Funding is the only Future for Jewish Day Schools”.  On a different note from the previous two topics:  Rav Boteach notes the economically perilous state of Jewish education in the USA today.  It is so expensive that even Rav Boteach, a public figure with many bestselling books and a TV show, someone who presumably is raking in money, is barely paying for it for his children.  If he finds it hard, how much more so the less financially gifted!  Even if one does not accept his argument that the government should pay for the secular part of education at private schools, he notes that (at least in New Jersey, where he lives) educating students in public schools costs more than in private school.  As such, giving parents the option to send their children to a private school could save the state money.

Peace.

Aaron

Rioting over nothing

Greetings.

Jewish date:  8 Marḥeshwan 5770 (Parashath Lekh-Lekha).

Today’s holidays:  Monday of the Thirtieth Week of Ordinary Time (Roman Catholicism), Commemoration of the Great Earthquake (Greek Orthodox Christianity).

Today’s topic:  “Temple Mount Troubles”:  Just in case you have not heard about this, the so-called “Palestinians” have been rioting on the Temple Mount over purely fabricated offenses.  And this is not the first time they have pulled this stunt.  This is attacking Israel over nothing, and no moral system should allow such a thing.  Applied morality deals with actual situations.  Get the situation wrong, and one is liable to do something unjustified.  If this is true when getting the situation wrong is a mistake, how much more so when one deliberately lies about the situation.  The fact that the “Palestinians” go to such lengths to fabricate atrocities indicates that they have no real grievance at all, or their grievance is something that many other people will not accept as valid.  Either way, the “Palestinians” are wrong.

Peace.

Aaron

More Arab/Islamic politicking

Greetings.

Jewish date:  18 Tishri 5770.


Today’s holidays:  Ḥol hamMo‘edh Sukkoth (Judaism), Samhain (Wicca).

Image via Wikipedia

Topic 2:  Yesterday I wrote about Muslims on the Temple Mount rioting under suspicious circumstances.  Suspicion is very much warranted:  Israeli police found wheelbarrows filled with rocks on the Temple Mount.  This indicates that the rock-throwing was not spontaneous but rather planned.  The Palestinian Authority, of course, claims the find was staged.  (As if the Palestinian Authority was actually trustworthy.  The key word here is taqiyya.)  They also still have the audacity to still complain about Israeli “aggression” and engage in paranoia.  It should be obvious that  it is illegitimate to manufacture a complaint against anyone.  If one has a legitimate complaint, one can make it based upon facts and evidence.  If one has to stage an incident, then one probably has nothing on which to base a complaint.  (Either that or one is one is so unbelievably stupid as to lie when telling the truth would do a better job.)  For people who are supposed to be big on honor like the Arabs, this sort of stunt is disgustingly dishonorable, and all those who have participated in this charade owe the entire State of Israel a serious apology—at the very least.

Aaron