THE DIOGENES REPORT
The Wit, Wisdom & Wituperation of Emanuel L. Strunin
“a few steps ahead of the curve”
June 2003, VOL. III, # 15
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DON’T LET THEM RE-LOAD
The voices of the “peace” vigilantes are again calling for a truce, or “hudna” in Arabic, between the Israelis and the Arab terrorists. It is truly unfortunate that Westerners believe that truce and hudna mean the same thing. They do not.

Following the dictates of their Prophet, Muslims believe that a hudna can be broken whenever you believe you are strong enough to win. Here is how Honest Reporting explains it:

“Hudna has a distinct meaning to Islamic fundamentalists, well-versed in their history: The prophet Mohammad struck a legendary, ten-year hudna with the Quraysh tribe that controlled Mecca in the seventh century. Over the following two years, Mohammad rearmed and took advantage of a minor Quraysh infraction to break the hudna and launch the full conquest of Mecca,(which became) the holiest city in Islam. 

“When Yassir Arafat infamously invoked Mohammad's hudna in 1994 to describe his own Oslo commitments "on the road to Jerusalem," the implication was clear. As Mideast expert Daniel Pipes explained, Arafat was asserting to his Islamic brethren that he will, "when his circumstances change for the better, take advantage of some technicality to tear up existing accords and launch a military assault on Israel." Indeed, this is precisely what occurred in Sept. 2000 when Arafat & Co. launched a terror assault upon Israeli citizens.” 

Now that Israel has delivered some hurting blows to Hamas and the other terrorist forces, the Arabs appear willing to accept a hudna—or temporary time-out—while they lick their wounds and get ready to launch their next round of attacks. While the U.S. and Israel’s enemies in Europe likely support a so-called truce, Israel should continue to bash the Arabs even harder and not get sucked into the so-called truce insanity.

THEY ALWAYS MISS THE BIG ONES

‘W’ has been taking a lot of flack on the Weapons of Mass Destruction issue. The claim is that the CIA reported that there were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Perhaps they did. But why should the President have believed them? The chances of the CIA being right on any important issue is so low to be almost nil. If the CIA did, indeed, report that Saddam had no WMD an educated guess would be that there were many such weapons hidden throughout the country.

Remember the record of the CIA on some of the biggest events of the past century. The agency did not see the bold handwriting on the wall announcing the overthrow of our ally, the Shah of Iran. They did not even give credence to the same information from the leading spy organization in the region—Israel’s Mossad.

The CIA was equally unconscious of the disintegration of the Evil Empire—the Soviet Union. A really, really big event that changed the course of history. But why should The Company have know about these events since it’s capabilities are limited by its annual budget of only $30 billion. Even in its involvement in events that took place at home, the CIA wasn’t on top of the information it received. The agency passed information along to the FBI about a possible Oklahoma City bombing without following it up. The FBI, of course, dropped the ball.

It made a lot of sense for the President to go contrary to any prediction from the CIA on WMD. It may yet be that Mr. Bush made the correct evaluation. Fortunately, final decisions are up to the President and not to the CIA, FBI or National Security Agency. 

ACROSS MY RADAR SCREEN

It’s Not Just The Fundamentalists

When it comes to the Arabs, the problem is not just the fundamentalists. Saddam was a “secularist” or, at least, what passes for a secularist in the Arab world. Now, another Arab secularist Arab country is rearing its head as a problem that even the U.S. State Department recognizes. And as we are well aware, the Foggy Bottom boys are always the last to recognize a problem—particularly in the Arab world.

State has started to raise questions about Egypt’s weapons of mass destruction and missiles—two areas in which it worked closely with Iraq. These Egyptian capabilities have not been as widely advertised as its buildup of aircraft, tanks, artillery and other standard war materials.

Perhaps the U. S. and Israel should seriously consider Diogenes’ long standing recommendation to pull the plug on the Aswan Dam before Mubarak morphs into Nasser.

How Many Times Do I Have To Say It?

Since I wrote the above (just a few days ago), new reports indicate that Egypt will not stop arming and training the terrorists that are attacking Israel-- and Prime Minister Arik Powder Puff refuses to do anything about it. Remember the last time the Israeli Government turned a blind eye to Egyptian war preparations. It was 1973 and Israel’s existence hung by a thread as 3,000 Israelis gave their lives for their government’s incompetence. 

Don’t let it happen again. 

Pull the plug on the Aswan Dam now—before Egypt launches an all-out war.

Guilty Conscience?

I see that the Pope is in the former Yugoslavia again. For the second time in two weeks he is trying to get the Serbs, Croats and Bosnian Muslims to bury their hatchets and live in peace. I wonder if part of his motivation is a guilty conscience both for the Catholic Church and for himself?

In the long history of the rivalries between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church, as well as among the ethnic/national groups that made up Yugoslavia, 60 years is not a very long time. So the atrocities of World War II are still fresh in the minds of the Serbs that lived through them, as well as in the minds of their children and grandchildren The bloody events of that time were played out again, just 10 years ago when Yugoslavia splintered into three or four countries. 

While the perpetrators and the victims are still being untangled from the more recent go- around, which involved settling a lot of old scores. The events of WW II are in clear focus from the current perspective. The Catholic Croats and the Bosnian Muslims sided with Nazi Germany and used the backing of the Nazis to inflict a holocaust on the Orthodox Serbs and the Jews. 

Among the main inciters of the murders of Serbs and Jews were the Croatian Catholic priests. Knowledge of these events should be ample reason for Pope John Paul’s institutional guilt feelings.

Neither Pope Pius XII or any other church leader raised their voices against this reign of terror. This should be more than ample reason for John Paul’s personal guilt feelings since he is pushing to make Pius XII a Saint. But Pius’s silence about what was happening in Yugoslavia reflected his performance during the Holocaust throughout Europe. John Paul and the Catholic hierarchy have lots of excuses for Pius’s inexcusable behavior during the Holocaust but how do they excuse his aiding and abetting the escape of Nazis from Europe using Church institutions and clergy? 

St. Pius, the Holocaust Denier. Sounds good to me. I guess you have to have a conscience to have a guilty conscience.

Kapo For The Americans

Just like the Germans who used Jewish prisoners in the Concentration Camps to keep the rest of the Jewish prisoners in line, Prime Minister Powder Puff of Israel appears to be performing the same function. These straw bosses were called Kapos. Arik the Kapo does the bidding of the Americans in tearing down community outposts in Judea and Samaria. He was instrumental in building these communities and now he is reducing their ability to defend themselves while limiting the army’s efforts to defend them.

The Kapo’s argument that facts on the ground have changed is correct. They have become more dangerous for the Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, and the dismantling of the outposts is increasing that danger.

Like all Kapos, he is abusing the Jews to win personal favor from his controllers in Washington. I used to think that there was an ulterior motive to protect Israel behind his negative actions, but I have long given up that fantasy.

Do What I Say, Not What I Do

The U. S, has been launching targeted assassination attempts against Saddam and his sons, apparently unsuccessfully. Similar strikes have been launched against other Iraqi leaders, some, perhaps successfully. By our own admission, all of these targeted assassination attempts have resulted in ‘collateral damage’—otherwise known as bystander casualties.

Remember when we bombed the building with the restaurant in Baghdad. We killed some locals but we missed Saddam and the boys. Then we targeted Chemical Ali. We hit someone with a mustache but it wasn’t Ali. Now we wiped out a convoy including some Syrians but it seems we missed our targets again. We may miss but we continue with our targeted assassination attempts despite the collateral damage.

We targeted and killed an al Qaeda leader in Yemen. We have been trying to do the same to Osama and others in Afghanistan and Pakistan with only a little luck.

While all this is going on, we are telling the Israelis to stop the targeted assassinations of Hamas, Fatah and other Arab terrorist leaders who are responsible for the deaths of hundreds of Israelis and the maiming of many thousands more. Are Colon Bowel and George W. trying to tell the world that Israeli lives are not as important as American lives? Exactly what is their message?

NAMES
Names that fit and names that don’t

Here is one that fits. An AP story from El Cajon, CA dated June 21 states that Michael Slyman was sentenced for paying homeless men to stage fights while being videotaped. The tapes were then sold.

Solomon Friday was charged Tuesday with first-degree larceny, interfering with police, engaging in pursuit with police officers, possession of marijuana and having a suspended license. I guess he was too busy to coordinate his surname and arrest day with the Stamford, CT police.

Ed Human, an appropriate name for a senior citizen on a limited income who commented on the changes in Medicare in The New York Times.

The Brooklyn College alumni class correspondent for 1988 almost has her name down pat. Lauren Korn Popkoff--it just needs a little more fine tuning.

Sometimes a place name comes under scrutiny. Joseph Romano of Peaceful Lane, Norwalk, CT was charged with third-degree criminal trespass and third-degree assault. The name of the lane does not quite fit the actions that took place there.

HEADLINES AND COMMENTS
Headlines from the world’s press. Comments by Diogenes.

Man Runs Over And Kills Wife In Queens Driveway Accident
A likely story.

Tales Of Despair From Guantanamo
They’re disconsolate because they didn’t destroy the White House and the Pentagon.

Almost Cannibalism: The chance of keeping Africans from eating all their apes don’t look good. (book review)
Should we try to keep the apes from eating all the Africans?

Just What Does America Want To Do With Iraq’s Oil?
I hope we want to use it to pay the costs of the war in Iraq, the “rebuilding” of the country, the continuing war against 
Arab terrorism every in the world and to break the back of OPEC.

Max Factor Heir, Fugitive Rapist Captured
He claims he didn’t rape anyone, he was just giving them a cosmetic makeover.

Sex Offender In Predator Case Held In Rape After His Release 
If the court frees him again, Justices O’Connor and Ginsberg better be careful when they go to the bathroom alone.

Anti-Semitic Book Distributed At Rally For Malaysian Leader
Just another moderate Muslim in action.

Criticism Of Drug Benefit Is Simple: It’s Bewildering: ‘High Level Of Complexity’ Causes Concern
A doctrine capable of being stated only in obscure and involved terms is open to reasonable suspicion of being either crude or erroneous.
- Frederick Pollock

Healer Bishops Are Sent To Ease Pain Of A Troubled Church
Are you OK father? Are those DAs, lawyers, reporters and altar boys bothering you?

After Unrest, U. S. Will Create New Iraqi Army
Will we ever learn? Arafat’s army/police turned the guns that the Israelis supplied on the Israelis. 

Rowland, Lawmakers Break Bread On Budget
With the budget problem the way it is, they should be breaking balls not bread.

Virgin Mary Or Condensation? Window Image Draws Thousands
If some tomato juice is added to the condensation will we get a real Virgin Mary?

Chaos In Congo Suits Many Parties Just Fine
The Belgians hope it will make the natives nostalgic for King Leopold.

Baath Party Members Hard To Avoid
And they’re finding hard to miss Coalition soldiers.

Indictment Charges Former FBI Agent In China Spy Case
What’s wrong with the government, if it was spying it must have been Pollard.



QUOTES I LIKE

One’s real life is so often the life that one does not lead.
- Oscar Wilde

The Arab enemy of my enemy is still my enemy.
- Emanuel L. Strunin

I hear you’re having plastic surgery. That’s right. I can hardly wait to see the look on my face.
- Shoe (comic strip)

To be, rather than to seem.
- North Carolina State Motto

Hudna: Arabic for time out for reloading.
- Emanuel L. Strunin

What do you do? I’m a proofreader. For instance, this bottle is 80 proof!
- Shoe (comic strip)

Be careful, the toes you step on today could be connected to the ass you kiss tomorrow.
- Anonymous

Once the enemy has been thoroughly beaten up, success can be exploited by overrunning and destroying major parts of his 
disorganized formations. The enemy must never be allowed time to reorganize. (Sharon, are you listening?)
- Erwin Rommel

We can remember minutely and precisely only the things which never really happened to us 
- Eric Hoffer

So I became a newspaperman. I hated to do it but I couldn’t find honest employment.
- Mark Twain (attributed)

Then there was a maiden speech, so inaudible, that it was doubted whether, after all, the young orator really did lose his 
virginity.
- Benjamin Disraelly



READERS’ COMMENTS 


Trees are for cutting for jobs and furniture, unless you want metal or glass. Besides for every tree cut down ten are 
planted. Ask Daschle why only in South Dakota it is allowed.

Some other remarks shows your disposition to leftists and liberals. BAH.

Comments welcome. e-mail to: elscomm@earthlink.net

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