Nighty night.
It's dream time.
posted by Imshin 22:09

More Eric Hoffer

A man is likely to mind his own business when it is worth minding. When it is not, he takes his mind off his own meaningless affairs by minding other people’s business.
This minding of other people’s business expresses itself in gossip, snooping and meddling, and also in feverish interest in communal, national and racial affairs. In running away from ourselves we either fall on our neighbor’s shoulder or fly at his throat.

Eric Hoffer, The True Believer. (pg. 14).


posted by Imshin 18:43

A revolving wall in the kitchen? Wow. Cloak and dagger stuff.
The sadly commentless, Israeli Guy, Gil, has written a few words about the killing of terrorist, Iyad Sawalhe, in Jenin today, by IDF soldiers.

With regard to his comments, I like an Israeli Guy who sticks to his word. I have been getting e-mails from members of my Buddhist mailing list asking me to reconsider my unsubscribing from the list. I must say I’m wavering. Gil, on the other hand, said he would get rid of his comments and he did. Goodonya, as R.T. would say, when he was fresh back from Down Under.

Update: Forgive me for changing the wording of the bit about the killing of Sawalhe. It was probably the most tasteless thing I've ever written on this blog. I apologize for being so horrible. And for those who didn't read it in it's original form - you didn't miss much. Next time don't wait so long before popping in to see what's new! :-) Just kidding. You're welcome, whenever.

posted by Imshin 17:17

No Enemies
You have no enemies, you say?
Alas, my friend, the boast is poor.
He who has mingled in the fray
Of duty, that the brave endure,
Must have made Foes, if you have none,
Small is the work that you have done.
You've hit no traitor on the hip,
You've dashed no cup from perjured lip,
You've never turned the wrong to right,
You've been a coward in the fight.

Charles Mackay

I found this in a children’s compilation of poetry I was given in 1974. It seems to be still available, in a more modern version. Louis Untermeyer, the editor, explains that the phrase “dashed no cup from perjured lip”, refers to the ancient custom of kissing a cup of wine when taking an oath. It was anyone’s duty to prevent at any cost a lying lip from touching the cup.

Alas, I am the coward the poet is addressing. My early exposure to his work obviously didn't add to my valor.

posted by Imshin 16:48

I find Mark Heller's suggestion, in the Jerusalem Post, that Arafat address the Israeli electorate on TV, highly amusing. I fail to see what the honorable "Ra'is" could possibly say to convince us of ... of.... well of anything, really. His dedication to peace? Hah, good one. His determination to fight terrorism? Oh, funny. I don't think I'd even believe him if he said he was resigning from all public activities and moving to Paris to be with his wife and daughter. Even if he was being interviewed on the steps leading up to the plane. Even if he was already in Paris. Even if… OK, OK, you get the picture.

I would strongly suggest the Palestinians keep clear of our elections. I was disgusted with Saeb Erekat's cheek. Immediately on hearing about the elections in Israel he found it appropriate to make a statement that sounded rather threatening to me. A sort of "Israelis will know who to vote for if they know what's good for them", or at least that's how it sounded to me. And if he's interested in influencing public opinion in Israel, he should be interested in how it sounds to someone like me, shouldn't he?

Any attempts to influence Israeli public opinion by Palestinians will backfire, just as any Israeli attempt to directly influence Palestinian public opinion will also have the opposite effect.

Isn't that clear by now?

Update: Reading this again, what I meant to say was : any Israeli attempt to openly influence Palestinian public opinion...
That sounds more like it.

posted by Imshin 15:53

MEMRI offers a summary of reactions in Arab press to the anti-Semitic Egyptian series 'A Knight Without a Horse'. It appears that some were opposed.
posted by Imshin 07:35

Israel – baddies of the world. (It's an unrewarding job, but someone has to do it).
Alan Dershowitz: On the strange behavior of the earthlings in North American universities.

posted by Imshin 07:04

Preaching peace while practicing hatred and violence
The rationale behind Engaged Buddhism is that someone who has learnt to be at peace with him or herself, truly at peace, through years of practice, has skills that can be useful as a mediator between warring factors. Such a person can bring his or her special qualities into the conflict. He or she has the ability to listen to each side with equal compassion and completely without judgment. Thus this person can help the sides get to know and understand each other, work out their differences and gradually reach peace and harmony together.

Noble and wise indeed. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work.

Until this morning, I still belonged to the mailing list of my Buddhist group. I got regular updates about activities and occasional teachings. Often discussions arouse about how to be more mindful about the groups activities, taking into account religious restrictions, trying to involve more Palestinians in the group’s activities (there were one or two Israeli Arabs in the group) and so on. Besides retreats and days of practice aimed at strengthening the groups mindfulness, the group also embarked on careful and sensitive activities aimed at furthering understanding between Israelis and Palestinians in different ways.

Every now and then an e-mail would arrive which invited members to donate money for Palestinian causes or to join in more overtly pro-Palestinian activities. Some of the list members had a problem with this, and a discussion would ensue, according to the nonviolent code of behavior and discussion of the group.

Yesterday, I opened my mailbox to find there the most violent, offensive, malicious, hateful e-mail I have ever read in my life. It was written by one of the group’s more dedicated “peace” activists, in reaction to an e-mail protesting a request to donate money for the poor of Nablus that had come through the list. Had I not known that the writer was Jewish, I would have thought this e-mail was written by a vicious anti-Semite. I am afraid I cannot reproduce it here, because it is a private list. I would like to stress that I am sure this person was not reflecting the sentiments of most of the group members in her harsh words.

For years, I have tried to explain to right-wing friends and even moderate left-wing friends that the activists of the Israeli peace movements are not motivated by hatred of Judaism and Israel, but by a sincere belief that peace is in our reach and by a rare ability to understand the other.

I would not like to generalize. I have many friends who are such people. But I think members of the Israeli far left should be asking themselves how they manage to elicit such hatred in such a large percentage of the Israeli public. Could this be because of the hatred they themselves emanate and the contempt and condescension with which they seem to regard Israelis who do not feel as they do? If they really want peace, they should try treating their fellow countrymen and women with a minimum of respect and courtesy and should be making at least as much effort to understand them and their views and ways, as they do the Palestinians.

posted by Imshin 14:49

Diane is also fond of Winona. Me too. No really. Her acting future is secure. I suggest she does a few cop movies. You know what they say: Takes a thief to catch a thief…
posted by Imshin 21:24

Gerald Steinberg suggests peace workers should be riding Israeli buses in IHT.
Yeah, right.

Nice of the IHT to publish such a thing. Token pro-Israel article of the month?

posted by Imshin 20:44

Love is in the air
Saddam thinks his law is the law of love and justice:

"If these two American and British administrations are able to achieve their wishes, the world would return to a new law, which is the law of evil based on power and opportunity rather than the law of love and justice."

posted by Imshin 20:16

Suicide terrorist attack averted

An IDF patrol stopped the taxi in which the three men were travelling for a routine inspection, ordering them to lift their shirts and raise their hands in the air, in order to prove that they were not carrying weapons or explosives.

One of the Palestinians started running toward the soldiers and detonated his explosive belt.

He apparently shouted “Allahu Akbar” and the soldiers shot him as he detonated.

posted by Imshin 20:06

Armed Palestinians have abducted a Red Cross official in the Gaza Strip
Talk about biting the hand that feeds you.

posted by Imshin 20:05

THE LAUNDRY SITUATION GOT DESPERATE, so Bish filled three big bags and took it all to a laundry. This is awful. It hasn’t happened for about seven years. I’m very touchy about my laundry. The idea of a stranger mixing colors and ruining my sparkling whites…
It never happens, of course, it always comes back spotless and beautifully ironed and folded. My youngest thinks this is the time to sell the washing machine. I don’t know why she thinks this is so important. She must be afraid I’ll go back to doing the washing myself again. She’s quite right. Best thing to do is to take away the washing machine so I won’t be tempted.

I think Bish is a domestic goddess…er…god.

posted by Imshin 19:46

THE BURNING CONVICTION that we have a holy duty toward others is often a way of attaching our drowning selves to a passing raft. What looks like giving a hand is often a holding on for dear life. Take away our holy duties and you leave our lives puny and meaningless. There is no doubt that in exchanging a self-centered for a selfless life we gain enormously in self-esteem. The vanity of the selfless, even those who practice utmost humility, is boundless.

Eric Hoffer, The True Believer. (pg. 14).

posted by Imshin 16:58

Gaston Perpinan, 15. Julio Pedro Magram, 51.
I owe a correction: The number of those murdered in Kfar Saba was two. Both new immigrants from Argentina.
posted by Imshin 05:44

What’s this?
A fake inscription and illegally obtained?

posted by Imshin 20:45

Soooo, it's election time again.
For you guys in the U.S. - today. For us on the 28th of January?

Last time I managed to get through the whole campaign without watching any of the TV propaganda broadcasts. Not even one. This time I'll probably watch them so I can share some of the funnier ones with you guys. We get all sorts of quirky lists running, like the Maharishi's Law of Nature list, the list for legal gambling, Green Leaf - promoting legalizing drugs, the list for the rights of divorced men and so on. They never get elected, but their broadcasts are often hilarious.
posted by Imshin 19:37

And now for some fun
All together now...

I don't think Lennon and McCartney would be amused ;-)
How about you Ringo?

Thank you for this, Dad.
posted by Imshin 19:27

I've been wondering how to answer Robert Adam Molnar's rather childish and thoughtless attempt to throw some fashionably anti-Israel sentiment into an unrelated essay, without backing his words up in any way (I should have such gall. Many a beloved post has found its way into that great recycle factory in cyberspace, because I couldn't substantiate it).

This is much better than I could ever have put it:

As an advocate, teacher and student of human rights for almost 40 years, I feel confident in asserting that Israel's record on human rights is among the best in the world, especially among nations that have confronted comparable threats.

Israel has the only independent judiciary in the entire Middle East. Its Supreme Court, one of the most highly regarded in the world, is the only court in the Middle East from which an Arab or a Muslim can expect justice, as many have found in winning dozens of victories against the Israeli government, the Israeli military and individual Israeli citizens. There is no more important component in the protection of human rights and civil liberties than an independent judiciary willing to stand up to its own government. I challenge the proponents of divestment to name a court in any Arab or Muslim country that is comparable to the Israeli Supreme Court.

As the only true democracy in the Middle East, Israel is the only country in the region that has virtually unlimited freedom of speech. Any person in Israel — whether Jewish, Muslim or Christian — can criticize the Israeli government and its leaders. No citizen of any other Middle Eastern or Muslim state can do that without fear of imprisonment or death. As one wag recently put it, citizens of Israel and the Palestinian Authority have exactly the same right of free speech — both may criticize Israel and praise Yasser Arafat.

Israel is the only country in the world that has openly confronted the difficult issue of protecting the civil liberties of the ticking bomb terrorist. The Israeli Supreme Court recently ruled that despite the potential benefits of employing "physical pressure" (that is, using non-lethal torture in order to extract information), such pressure is now illegal in Israel (See my comment about this further down - IJ). Brutal torture, including lethal torture, is commonplace in nearly every other Middle Eastern and Muslim country. Indeed, American authorities sometimes send suspects to Egypt, Jordan and the Philippines precisely because they know that they will be tortured in those countries.

The list could go on and on, and by every single standard Israel would surpass other countries against which no divestiture petition has been directed. To be sure, Israel is far from perfect. I have been critical of some of its policies, as have countless Israeli citizens. Crucially, there are mechanisms within Israel for improving its civil liberties and human rights record. These mechanisms do not exist in other Middle Eastern and Muslim nations.

Even when judged against European nations, Israel's human rights record does very well. It is far better than that of France on virtually any criterion, even if one forgets about the Algerian War, in which the French military tortured and murdered thousands of people. It is least as good as the British record in dealing with terrorism in Northern Ireland. The Israeli legal system is far superior to that of Italy, Spain and many other European countries.

It’s by Alan Dershowitz, in case you didn’t recognize it. You can read the rest here.

With regard to torture (you’ll remember Mr. Molnar claims that torture was not illegal in Israel till 1999):

I would first like to point out that I have no legal knowledge or training. What I am about to say is how I understand things, based on what I have read. Legal experts may find my understanding lacking. I apologize if I have misunderstood and therefore may be misleading readers.

When I read young Mr. Molnar's claim, I saw red, because it ignores the years of open public debate on this subject in Israel; it ignores the rule of law in Israel and it ignores the objective conditions that led to the question arising in the first place. It conveys the impression that the horrific, unlimited and unrestrained torture prevalent in dark regimes is what happens in Israel. This is obviously what Mr. Molnar, in his ignorance, believes.

Tamar Gaulan, Adv., Director, Human Rights and International Relations Dept., State of Israel, Ministry of Justice, December 1996:

Israeli law strictly forbids all forms of torture or maltreatment. The Israeli Penal Code (1977) prohibits the use of force or violence against a person for the purpose of extorting from him a confession to an offense or information relating to an offense. Israel signed and ratified the U.N. Convention Against Torture and Cruel, Inhuman or Humiliating Treatment.

The State of Israel maintains that the basic human rights of all persons under its jurisdiction must never be violated, regardless of the crimes that the individual may have committed. Israel recognizes, however, its responsibility to protect the lives of both Jews and Arabs from harm at the hands of Palestinian terrorist organizations active throughout the world. To prevent terrorism effectively while ensuring that the basic human rights of even the most dangerous of criminals are protected, the Israeli authorities have adopted strict rules for the handling of interrogations. These guidelines are designed to enable investigators to obtain crucial information on terrorist activities or organizations from suspects who, for obvious reasons, would not volunteer information on their activities, while ensuring that the suspects are not maltreated.

These guidelines, set down by the Landau Commission in 1987, are as follows:

1. Disproportionate exertion of pressure on the suspect is not permissible. Pressure must never reach the level of physical torture or maltreatment of the suspect, or grievous harm to his honor which deprives him of his human dignity.

2. The use of less serious measures must be weighed against the degree of anticipated danger, according to the information in the possession of the interrogator.

3. The physical and psychological means of pressure permitted for use by an interrogator must be defined and limited in advance, by issuing binding directives.

4. There must be strict supervision of the implementation in practice of the directives given to GSS interrogators.

5. The interrogators' supervisors must react firmly and without hesitation to every deviation from the permissible, imposing disciplinary punishment, and in serious cases, causing criminal proceedings to be instituted against the offending interrogator.

These are the guidelines of what the Landau Commission called the use of “moderate physical pressure”. You can read a bit about exactly what this means and the sort of people subjected to this, here.

So what happened in 1999 to give young Mr. Molnar (and some other folks, judging by my “comments”) the impression that torture had been outlawed in Israel that year (and not previously)? On September 6 1999, nine Supreme Court justices unanimously ruled that the interrogation methods of the General Security Service (also known as the Shabak or the Shin Bet) which involve the use of moderate physical pressure (according to the guidelines of the Landau Commission) are not legal, according to already existing Israeli law. The judges pointed out that it is for the Legislator (i.e. the Knesset) to decide if it is appropriate to make an exception in the case of the interrogation of terrorists that could lead to the discovery of “ticking time-bombs”.

So what happened in 1999, in effect, was that the Supreme Court decided that even the moderate physical pressure, restricted by strict guidelines, set down in the recommendations of the Landau Commission were actually contrary to existing law in Israel.

The 1999 high court decision meant that the Landau Commission was actually out of line in its recommendations, because this is a question for the Legislator, who would have to CHANGE THE LETTER OF THE LAW to allow even moderate physical pressure, and it is not for the judicial system or for a judicial commission to decide on this matter. According to existing law, they maintained, physical pressure during interrogation, however moderate and taking the circumstances into account, is illegal.

On principle, I am opposed to physical pressure during interrogation. I am of the belief that it is possible to extract information from a suspect using interrogation methods that do not involve physical violence. Information extracted without physical violence is likely to be more reliable.

Our problem here is the element of time. Effective interrogation of a suspect that is in possession of information about an imminent terrorist attack, which endangers people’s lives, does not allow for the gradual development of the necessary psychological pressure that can yield crucial information.

We are told, on the news that the Shabak and the Police manage to prevent 90% of terrorist attacks. Its worth asking, given the situation we now find ourselves in, of nearly daily murderous terrorist attacks on defenseless civilians, how many people could be said to have died as a result of the Shabak giving suspected terrorists "kidd glove treatment" and refraining from any physical pressure whatsoever.

posted by Imshin 06:28

A shopping mall in Kfar Saba: 1 murdered, 30 wounded, including 2 babies .

Let me spell it out:
WE WILL NOT BE INTIMIDATED.

YOU WILL NEVER BE RID OF US.

THE MORE YOU KILL, THE MORE DETERMINED WE ARE.

YOUR ONLY ACHIEVEMENT IS THE CONTINUATION OF THE SUFFERING OF YOUR OWN PEOPLE.
posted by Imshin 19:44

Anyone who saw this movie and thinks it was wrong to attack Afghanistan for humanitarian reasons is either stupid, certifiable or plain wicked.

I saw this movie, last night.

Just before I saw it, I happened on a website where I read that “torture was not illegal in Israel until 1999, and their human rights record is one of the worst in the world” (scroll down it’s in “Obedience to Authority”). The horrific conditions depicted in the movie about Afghanistan, show how utterly ridiculous and cut off from reality this claim is. The young man who wrote this so glibly and assuredly is Robert Adam Molnar. Don’t be angry with him, he doesn’t seem to be of the plain wicked variety. Just plain ignorant. He doesn't bother to quote his sources.

Check your facts, before publishing, kid. Remember the mighty google.

posted by Imshin 08:14

Diane says I’m a Domestic Goddess. Bish‘ll like that. Biiish!

Bish: Mmmm.

Imshin: Diane says I’m a domestic goddess.

Bish: (ignores her, continues watching the Maccabi Tel Aviv – Hapoel Tel Aviv basketball derby).

Imshin: Biiish, listen to me, Diane wrote in her blog that I’m a domestic goddess.

Bish (without looking up from the TV screen): Oh, good. Does that mean you’ve unpacked the bag from the Mitzpe Ramon visit before last?

Imshin: Er, I think I’ll just do some ironing, seeing as I’m an undiscovered goddess. Do goddesses do the ironing? Don’t they have servants to do that for them. Like that loyal-to-the-death-while-kicked-in-the-face Paul Burrell fellow.

No lavender water though. Maybe I’ll pop into l’Occitane in Kikar Hamedina and see if I can buy some of the stuff without taking out a second mortgage. (Goes to get the ironing board. Discovers that the big bang last night was not the neighbors throwing things at each other but the ironing board toppling over, having been leant precariously against a low cupboard in the middle of the kitchen, deserted there during a previous fit of ironing motivation that did not reach fruition. Sets up ironing board only to discover that it is broken in the middle. She can iron but only if she holds the end up while she does.) Biiish!

Bish: Mmmm.

Imshin: The ironing board is broken.

Bish: Shshsh, not now.

Now my mother, there’s a domestic goddess. Unfortunately there were only enough domestic goddess genes to pass on to one daughter, and Our Sis got the lot.

posted by Imshin 08:14

Nu
Diane, I can't stand the suspense.

Please please please, tell us who it is, already. You torturer, you.
posted by Imshin 20:56

Kikar Rabin 11/2/02
A friend works at Yitzhak Rabin’s annual memorial rally, every year. It’s convenient for him because he’s religious and it begins in the evening, giving him time to get to Tel Aviv from his home in one of the West Bank settlements on the “wrong” side of the green line, without breaking the Shabbat. He said that this year there were a lot less people than in the past. He said that he felt religious people were not welcome at the rally. He said that he was horrified to see at least six tables for signing petitions in support of refusing to serve in the territories, with big signs saying refusing is Zionism. He said that he thought this would have disgusted Rabin.

I also saw those banners on the TV. They were the biggest ones. They actually said: “Refusing to the occupation is Zionism”. It is quite clear that this means refusing to serve in the territories. It may be a roundabout way of saying it, but this is what any Israeli who sees such banners will understand them to mean.

My friend may live in a West Bank settlement, but I know him well enough to be quite certain that if he had to evacuate an outpost of settlers, he wouldn’t dream of refusing. This could actually happen. He does quite a lot of reserve duty.

Daniel Ben Simon (Hebrew link) was also at the rally. He also said there were much less people, this year. He pointed out that the percentage of young people attending was much higher than usual.

The younger people probably mainly know the post-mortem image of Rabin, which has little to do with anything real. They know nothing of Rabin the Politician, for instance. All they know is Rabin the Myth. Rabin the Peace Myth.

I am reminded of a girl, I knew once, who developed a crush on John Lennon in the aftermath of his murder. She had never heard of him before he was murdered.

Maybe the youngsters, who went to Kikar Rabin, last night, are nostalgic for something that, older people know, never existed.

posted by Imshin 19:26

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