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THE DIOGENES REPORT THE COLLABORATOR Remember Gen. Henri Phillipe Petain? He was the hero of World War I. After the defeat of France in World War II, he accepted the German offer to head Vichy France, a small “independent” segment of France that was really under German control. Essentially, the hero became a collaborator. His rationalization was that he was preserving the independence of, at least, part of France. This rationalization was a fiction. But what could this elderly hero have done in the face of Germany’s overwhelming strength? He could have made a statement to the French people to look to their future redemption and not give up hope. It would have given them strength in a dark period in their history. He could have escaped to England and become a symbol for the Free French. He could have remained a man and not a supporter of the Nazis. None of these options would have been easy, but he had a choice. I am reminded of Petain because I here the words of another war hero who seems to be tottering toward becoming a collaborator. This is Ariel Sharon, the Prime Minister of Israel and hero of many wars and battles against the Arabs. He is, once again, beating the drums for “painful concessions” from the Israelis. He says that Israel would have to make territorial concessions for peace with the Palestinian Arabs. Since he knows the Arabs well and knows that they rejected the unnecessarily painful concessions that Ehud Barak offered, this can only mean that he intends to be a collaborator in the warped vision of a Palestinian State. Peace, peace, peace, we all want peace but this collaboration with the warped view of another American administration is as realistic as Petain’s view that the Vichy- “governed” part of France meant an independent state. Just as the Jews in Vichy France did not survive the Nazis, the Jews in Israel may not survive a Palestinian State. Instead of becoming a collaborator, Sharon should stand up to the Bush Administration and declare that Israel will not commit suicide to satisfy the Arabs, State Department officials and anti-Semites around the world. He will be very pleasantly surprised at the support he will receive in Congress and from the American public. And if the Palestinian Arabs continue to create havoc in the land of Israel, he should use more than words to dissuade them. He should rain fire and brimstone on them until they beg for peace. I hope that we can remember Ariel Sharon as a hero and not as a collaborator.
WHAT CULTURE WAR III? Almost 20% of the Palestinian Arabs believe it is important to raise their children to become martyrs (shahids). Not the majority but enough to do tremendous damage. Take note of some of their other beliefs. The following is IMRA's translation of the results of a poll of a representative sample of 618 adult Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and eastern Jerusalem carried by the Palestinian Center for Public Opinion as published in Arabic in Al Hayyat Al Jadeedah. The survey was commissioned by "The New Family Organization". Do you believe it is important to raise a child to be a: Shahid 18.6%
What type of legal marriage arrangement would you prefer there to be in the Palestinian state?
There are barely any women active in Palestinian politics because:
Response to adultery in a marriage: Nah, there’s no culture war. -------------- Even the always politically correct “Uncle Tom” Friedman admits it’s a “civilizational war.” Nah, there’s no culture war --------------- Iraqi police to whom we’ve brought employment, training, freedom and democracy are attacking us. Nah, there’s no culture war ---------------- In his column of November 28, Daniel Pipes tries to establish some guidelines for identifying moderate Muslims for the purpose of working with them to fight Islamic terrorism. His purpose is to avoid the kind of missteps our government has made by hiring fundamentalists with terror ties. The questions he has developed to separate the wheat from the chaff illustrates the nature of our enemies. Be your own judge. Questions that Pipes suggests: Violence: Do you condone or condemn the Palestinians, Chechens, and Kashmiris who give up their lives to kill enemy civilians? Will you condemn by name as terrorist groups such organizations as Abu Sayaff, Islamic Jihad, Hamas, al Qaeda, Al-Gamma’a al Islamyya and Jaish-e-Mohammed? Modernity: Should Muslim women have equal rights with men (for example, in inheritance shares or court testimony)? Is jihad, meaning a form of warfare, acceptable in today’s world? Do you accept the validity of other religions? Do Muslims have anything to learn from the West? Secularism: Should non-Muslims enjoy completely equal civil rights with Muslims? May Muslims convert to other religions? May Muslim women marry non-Muslim men? Do you accept the laws of a majority non-Muslim government and unreservedly pledge allegiance to that government. Should the state impose religious observance, such as banning food service during Ramadan? When Islamic customs conflict with secular laws (e.g. covering the face for drivers’ license pictures), which should give way? Islamic pluralism: Are Sufis and Shi’ites fully legitimate Muslims? Do you see Muslims who disagree with you as having fallen into unbelief? Is condemning fellow Muslims one has disagreements with as unbelievers an acceptable practice? Self-criticism: Do you accept the legitimacy of scholarly inquiry into the origins of Islam? Who was responsible for the 9/11 suicide hijackings? Defense against militant Islam: Do you accept enhanced security measures to fight militant Islam, even if this means extra scrutiny of yourself (for example, at airline security)? Do you agree that institutions accused of funding terrorism should be shut down, or do you see this as a symptom of bias? Goals in the West: Do you accept that Western countries are majority Christian and secular or do you seek to transform them into majority-Muslim countries ruled by Islamic law? Nah, there’s no culture war. ------------------
ACROSS MY RADAR SCREEN Weapons of Mass Destruction While watching the news from Iraq on TV, the blip came across my radar screen alerting me that we have found Saddam’s weapons of mass destruction without realizing it. The WMD are the ordinary Muslims. These include, but are not limited to, terrorists, fundamentalists, holy warriors, recipients of charity, the parents of suicide bombers, the moderates, the Sunnis, the Shiites, the students at madrassas, the students at Islamic universities, the members of cultural organizations like Hamas, Islamic Jihad, the al Aksa Martyrs' Brigade, al Qaeda, attendees at mosques, money launderers, honey merchants, beehive thieves, members of the Saudi Royal family and young men anxious to attend flight school. Westerners and locals are being killed by these weapons of mass destruction every day. Now that we have found them, when are we going to start neutralizing these weapons of mass destruction?
NAMES While this segment usually deals with people’s names, here is a place name that definitely fits. A judge in Connecticut appointed a receiver to manage the crime-riddled Hooker Hotel in Willimantic. This year, at least 11 arrests for illegal drug dealing and prostitution have been made at the hotel. This one, from the Norwalk, CT police blotter, may be a fit. Suzanne LaTulipe was charged with driving under the influence. Did the cops spot her because her nose looked like a red bulb?
HEADLINES AND COMMENTS
In A Rare Appearance, George Soros Says Jews And Israel Cause Anti-Semitism
The Shrinking Snows Of Kilimanjaro
Revising Report, Army Denies Throats of 2 G.I.s Were Cut
R.I. Hospital Suspends Type Of Stomach Surgery After Death Of Patient
U.S. To Shift Some Experts From Arms To Anti-terror
Debt Is Seen As Taking Toll On Jackson’s Lavish Style
Seagram’s Heir Plotting His Comeback In Music
Hard-Liners Gain In Northern Ireland
Scholars Of Twang Track All The You’Alls In Texas
Meeting Of Iraqi Leaders Gives Lift To U.S. Plan On Power Shift
Slaying Of Reputed Mobster Leaves An Opening In State
Hillary Calls For New U.N. Role In Iraq
U.S. Funds Iraq TV To Compete With Critics
Ford (Foundation) Announces New Funding Guidelines As It Admits To Aiding Anti-Israel Groups
Iraq Exit Plan: New Obstacle
QUOTES I LIKE
Pencil Pal: Someone not ready to commit to a pen pal relationship.
To Frank Harris who claimed that Christianity and journalism were the two main curses of civilization:
Christianity yes, but why journalism?
On being greeted by a former admirer after many years:
I know I am God because when I pray to him I find I’m talking to myself.
Sir Rodney: This is the “Calligrapher of the Year,” sire.
Marginal comment on a document:
Pointy-Headed-Boss: I ask all prospective employees this question to test their reasoning. You have one fox and two chickens that you need to get across a river. You can only take one at a time in the rowboat. The fox will eat the chickens if left
alone.
The penalty for laughing in a courtroom is six months; if it were not for this penalty the jury would never hear the evidence.
The mark of a truly civilized man is confidence in the strength and security derived from the inquiring mind.
Even false becomes true when the chief says so.
I did not write it. God wrote it. I merely did his dictation.
My mother wanted me to have an education, so she got me out of school.
Comments welcome. e-mail to: elscomm@earthlink.net
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