The Death of Jerusalem: Segregated Buses And Land Grabs
Yehuda Mirsky has a brilliant piece in the Jerusalem Post on what crazed Jewish religious fanatics have done to Jerusalem (the Jewish part, anyway). Mirsky is a brilliant scholar and writer, himself Orthodox, so he comes to his conclusion with no animus toward Zionism or Israel. Quite the contrary.
His report begins with Jeusalem's new segregated bus lines (women not just at the back of the bus but on separate lines) and takes is from there.
I've been going to Jerusalem for 40 years. The secular areas are charming but much of the rest is Jewish Taliban country only without the Taliban's sweet sense of humor. (Just kidding).
No humor, no aesthetics, just lunatics in black.
Can't all these black-clad crazies -- of all faiths and delusions -- just recognize their common inhumanity and move to one corner of Asia. How big is the Swat valley?
As for Jewish Jerusalemites who can't stand Talibanization, join the exodus to Tel Aviv
-- it's free, liberal, hedonistic and on the beach.
Today's (Sunday's) New York Times has another story about what the fanatics are up to. They are grabbing up land around Jerusalem -- ostensibly for parks -- but really to snatch up Palestinian-owned lands and properties. It is as if the National Park Service here decided that a good way to push African-Americans out of their homes would be by using eminent domain to build parks. Inconceivable here. It is the reality in Israel. It takes genius to take a concept as lovely as parks and turn it into something malignant.
My advice:
Be wary of men who are excessively fastidious about their headware.
Be doubly wary of men wo are excessively fastidious about their women's headware.
May 9, 2009 10:38 AM | Reply | Permalink
I guess that should have been headwear. Excuse my lack of fastidiousness
May 9, 2009 10:39 AM | Reply | Permalink
women's headware
Headware: a virtual reality program that creates the hallucination of hair on a shaved head...
May 9, 2009 6:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
That or various small sheets of paper, pipes, and water-filled tubes in various shades of pink.
May 9, 2009 7:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
water-filled tubes
Tommy Chong is on the job!
May 9, 2009 10:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
Beware of anyone, of either gender, or any religion, who cares too much about your hair anywhere on your body, your head wear, your clothes, or your sexlife. That goes for the Taliban or American Feminists.
May 11, 2009 1:41 AM | Reply | Permalink
But Everyone Knows that only Evil Muslim Extremists oppress women! Any news articles indicating otherwise should be suppressed.
May 9, 2009 5:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
RE: "Can't all these black-clad crazies -- of all faiths and delusions -- just recognize their common inhumanity and move to one corner of Asia. How big is the Swat valley?"
MY COMMENT: Sadly, not big enough; and certainly not far enough away from me! What about a mission to Mars? (LOL)
May 9, 2009 5:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yahwists! feh!
May 9, 2009 6:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
MJ: The ironies abound.
Now I understand what Olmert meant when he talked about the 400,000 Israelis who really ran the country. I guess they all will be joining you for an ice cream cone in Tel Aviv.
May 9, 2009 6:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
Be very wary of anyone who says they have the right to impose the Creator's will on us...of course they will say it is for our own good. Usually very bad things ensue as they try to elevate themselves to a position they have no right to occupy...
May 9, 2009 9:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
Especially when they say the creator only chose them, and they assume that the most of the world wants to throw them in ovens.
It's an outlook that enables the worst urges to be rationalized.
May 9, 2009 10:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well I was intentionally non-specific about singling out any religion Bill because they're all guilty of it to some extent. Anyone who says they have been authorized by an, as of yet, unproven god to be the arbiters of how we live our lives is either crazy or power hungry. Far and away it is a phenomenon mainly (90-95%) seen in Christian and Muslim sects but there are branches of Judaism that suffer from the same delusions of grandeur.
And to be fair I think Jews have a reason to be a wary of people wanting to do them harm because of their faith...history gives many explicit examples of harm being done, sometimes on a biblical scale. Plus in many travels through the internets I see that hate manifested in some VERY ugly ways. And it doesn't take much searching to find example after example of it.
May 9, 2009 10:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yeah, I guess every religion considers themselves chosen by God, in addition to wanting to be our arbiters.
I'm reading this biography about Samuel de Champlain, and it's describing the massive, sadistic massacres between Catholics and Protestants in France in the 1500s. That kind of thing happened all over Europe for many, many centuries.
Without trying to trivialize historic persecution of Jews, any group who was different from any other group was generally persecuted in often gruesome ways for most of human history.
If Catholics or Protestants or any other religion chose to make persecution central to their religion, there would be plenty of evidence to support it.
Persecution complexes by any group are dangerous because of what they help rationalize. We all have urges like greed, envy, power lust, and violence.
While religion based exceptionalism, persecution complexes, and the rationalization of dark urges are absolutely not exclusive to Jews, I see them all as significant factors in the current conflict in Israel/Palestine.
A global consensus can be and is disregarded, borders can be changed every day, populations can be "put on a diet," and the slaughter of countless innocents can be cheered or easily shrugged off.
If most of Iran is killed by bombs, radiation, poisoned water, or starvation, so be it as long as military hegemony can be secured and Eretz Israel cleansed.
Hey, better than a civil war among Jews, and don't forget the good fortune that Saddam is no longer in power, despite the million deaths and 4 million refugees.
May 9, 2009 11:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
Libertine,
God told me you are wrong!
May 10, 2009 11:03 AM | Reply | Permalink
She did?
Damn, I always seem to miss these direct communications, lol.
May 11, 2009 11:47 AM | Reply | Permalink
Please -- Swat has been through enough without adding these crazies to the mix.
May 9, 2009 10:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yeah, this guy was right...we really are dumb all over and a little ugly on the side.
May 9, 2009 11:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
This is not an issue that nonJews should really have any say. If that is how the Israeli tribe wishes to run its own society than so be it. But it is interesting that the usual Likudniks are silent on this one. Also there is the issue why the US taxpayer should subsidise this insanity to the tune of $3 billion per year.
May 10, 2009 3:35 AM | Reply | Permalink
Jerusalem is a world heritage site. If Israel is incapable or unwilling to administer it with the proper respect it deserves, and instead continues salami-slice sacrificing of it for the sake of appeasing its most fanatical and amoral constituents, the world community is fully justified in applying appropriate condemnation and sanctions The U.S. government is NOT acting in the interests of Americans if it serves as a tool to help defend these Israeli fanatics and their trashing of history and culture.
May 10, 2009 9:51 AM | Reply | Permalink
RE: "This is not an issue that nonJews should really have any say."
MY COMMENT: There is the little matter of 'International Law'. Does that not apply to the "parks" that will be located in occupied territory? Is Israel (or are Jews) immune from 'International Law'?
May 11, 2009 4:35 AM | Reply | Permalink
I'm sorry. I realize now that you were referring to the segregated buses. As a non-Jew (to my knowledge) it still makes it less likely that I would visit Jerusalem. I feel pretty strongly about women's rights.
May 11, 2009 4:45 AM | Reply | Permalink
Seems to be so. Seeing as how Israel is still illegally occupying Palestinian land.
ISrael needs to understand that Jerusalem is sacred to Muslims and Christians as well. I found the fact that Israel is attempting to strengthen its ideological hold over Jerusalem rather alarming (the NYT article). Are they planning to stake their claim on Jerusalem in this manner?
Interestingly, Obama and the Pope are at present calling for a two-state solution. Two steps forward, one step back.
May 12, 2009 6:06 AM | Reply | Permalink
How about to Native Americans? ... oh, wait...
May 10, 2009 11:27 AM | Reply | Permalink
This is the quintessential story of the oppressed becoming the oppressor. ALL religion is sick and should be eradicated - period.
May 10, 2009 12:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
This is not an issue that nonJews should really have any say.
I understand. We can't criticise the Jews in Jerusalem because they are not human? Or is it us that's not human?
Listen, pal, as long as I'm a Jew, and an American, I, and lots of other people, are gonna have plenty to say.
Hows about this: Israel stops taking American money, and stops calling itself "Jewish", and I'll shut up. Til then, go pound sand.
No doubt you feel that Muslim oppression of women is their own business, and we non-Muslims should just shut up about the clitorectomies.
After all, given the push for women's equality, how can we faithful Jews deny them the pleasure of a bris?
May 10, 2009 12:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
Clitorectamy is not a Moslem custom, it is practiced by certain tribes in NE Africa that happen to be Moslems, Christians and animists.
May 10, 2009 4:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
i disagree. it is also very prevalent in the us. wasn't a Clintonrectomy performed in the last democratic presidential primary?
May 11, 2009 10:53 AM | Reply | Permalink
syvanen, of course you are right, and I apologise for a clumsy attempt at irony. I was referring to the mis-perception that it was a Muslim tradition.
In any case, I apologise for a clumsily worded comment which could be very well be offensive.
May 11, 2009 1:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
Persecution complexes by any group are dangerous because of what they help rationalize. We all have urges like greed, envy, power lust, and violence.
This all come around by beliefs, attitudes and complexes in the human mind. Even self esteem issues determine these effects and outcomes http://www.nicholasfinnegan.com/
While religion is based exceptionalism, persecution complexes, and the rationalization of dark urges are absolutely not excluded to Jews, I see them all as significant factors in the current conflict in Israel/Palestine.
May 10, 2009 10:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
"While religion is based exceptionalism......"
Evil follows. Always.
May 11, 2009 3:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
RE: "Can't all these black-clad crazies -- of all faiths and delusions -- just recognize their common inhumanity and move to one corner of Asia. How big is the Swat valley?"
-- How about we find them a cozy spot somewhere in the middle of the Sahara instead??
May 11, 2009 11:46 AM | Reply | Permalink
Brilliant idea, Mr Rosenberg. Dump all the loonies in Swat-as if it doesn't have enough problems already. What did Swat do to deserve this? It's one of the most beautiful places in Paksitan, if not the world.
May 12, 2009 5:57 AM | Reply | Permalink