Righteous Gentiles ignored - what else?

Had you heard of Varian Fry (before you read this article, I mean)? I had, but I suspect that this makes me a little odd, at least according to this article, because it would appear that being aware of Righteous gentiles is somewhat put of fashion. Although what "fashion" has to do with humanitarianism is beyond me. So be it.

Anyway, "[b]etween 1940 and 1941, working out of a hotel room and later a small office in the French port city of Marseille, Varian Fry rescued hundreds of artists, writers, musicians, composers, scientists, philosophers, intellectuals, and their families from the Nazis, taking enormous personal risks to bring them to the United States. Fry was one of the only American “righteous Gentiles,” a man who voluntarily risked everything to save others, with no personal connection to those he saved. At the age of 32, Fry had volunteered to go to France on behalf of the Emergency Rescue Committee, an ad hoc group of American intellectuals formed in 1940 for the purpose of distributing emergency American visas to endangered European artists and thinkers." Among those whom Fry recsued were Hannah Arendt, Marcel Duchamp, Marc Chagall, Max Ernst, Claude Lévi-Strauss, and André Breton, among some 2000 people in total.

Something, you would think, to celebrate. Not, according to Dara Horn, the author of this piece. It turns out that Horn has interviewed Pierre Sauvage who owes his life to Righteous Gentiles: "Sauvage’s fascination with rescuers comes in part because he owes his life to them. He was born in 1944 in Le Chambon, France, a Huguenot village in the south central part of the country in which the entire town, following the leadership of its Protestant clergy, formed a silent “conspiracy of goodness,” as Sauvage has called it, to shelter Jews from the Nazis. Sauvage’s parents were among the thousands of Jews hidden by the righteous of Le Chambon. His 1989 film Weapons of the Spirit is a documentary about the village; it has become an educational staple that I watched in my high-school French class."

The nub of this piece is where the author relates the following from Sauvage: "In 1984, Sauvage helped organize an international conference on the righteous, chaired by Elie Wiesel. “We brought all these righteous Gentiles to Washington,” Sauvage recalled. “In the breaks between sessions, the righteous Gentiles were standing around being ignored by the scholars. No one spoke to them, no one engaged them. How can scholars not be fascinated by these people?”"

What is really worrying is that I suspect that we all know the answer t that question, and it begins with 'because it's J...we're talking about". I'd like to think that that's me being too cynical.

Am I?

By Brian Goldfarb.

Check your privilege! You don't have to iron your balls like George Clooney.

Unless you are a member of the Hollywood best and finest.

Oh, you don't know what "check your privilege" means? Now you do. Live with it.

What do the Russians really want?

Wouldn't you like to know? Well, some Russians wanted to know too. As it happens, the knowledge may appear to be somewhat surprising for a foreign observer.

A non-commercial NGO Levada Center polled 1601 Russian citizens on a following question: "Your attitude to various Russian leaders from different periods". Follow the positive results, sorted in descending order:

1. Leonid Brezhnev - 56%
2. Vladimir Lenin - 55%
3. Joseph Stalin - 50%
4. Tsar Nikolay II - 48%

On the negative side there are two outstanding "leaders":

1. Mikhail Gorbachev - 66%
2. Boris Yeltsin - 64%

Compare the two figures above with measly 38% of the negative ballots for the second greatest murderer of the XX century, Joseph Stalin, and the magnitude of the above numbers will be put in a better perspective for you, I hope. I prefer not to analyze the results, only saying that many people familiar with the goings-on in modern Russia and with the last, say, 100 years of its history, are not surprised at all. The usual mismanagement of Russian affairs in all possible areas, the thievery and neglect are inexorably strengthening the traditional yearning for the seemingly strong and reliable "father figure". In short, Brezhnev fits the bill. Especially if you consider the short memory of the people...

So, instead of analysis I shall present two polarized comments on the above results. The first one - from a relatively independent and sometimes dissident Grani.ru, by Vitaly Portnikov - Meeting the old age.

The fact that the Levada Center poll on the best ruler of Russia ended in triumph for dear Leonid Ilyich is not surprising. Of course, this triumph is conditional - only one point separates him from the other Ilyich*, and the no less dear Vissarionych(**) is perched in third place. But Lenin, Stalin - these are by now not people but symbols: how many people are left in Russia that remember how it was during their times? On the other hand Brezhnev - it gives you a feeling that can be considered a real victory of power over reality.

Not so long ago, "stagnation" era seemed wrong: we all remember the emptying shelves, Afghanistan***, and most importantly - the drama of the degradation of power and of the state, unfolding before our eyes, so that no one argued with the fact that the aging leadership of the country takes idiotic decisions. It was only degree of idiocy that was debated. Brezhnev lived in anecdotes, surely surpassing Petka and Vasily Ivanovich, Shtirlits and even the Jews and the Chukchi****. Because Brezhnev - it was truly ridiculous and funny.

And now it is no longer funny. Now, it looks solid and stable. This means that the government was able to instill in a sufficiently large part of the society the idea of ​​the inevitability and positivity of "stagnation". It was able to prove that stupidity is good, that when nothing changes, nothing progresses, when all around us withers and decomposes - it is life.

(*) Vladimir Lenin and Leonid Brezhnev share the patronymic Ilyich.

(**) Stalin's patronymic was Vissarionovich - or Vissarionych for brevity.

(***) The author forgot Czechoslovakia for some reason. I wouldn't, no sir/madam.

(****) Too long to explain, just take it as mentions of more ubiquitous Soviet/Russian anecdotes.

This is where I have chosen to end the translation. I think that the gist of the article was reflected faithfully in this part. And now - to the other side. Here comes an absolute opposite of the above: a view expressed by a rabid loyalist and ultra-nationalist, one Alexandr Belov. It was difficult to find some material in English on this character, but here and here you can find enough to get an impression. His article is titled Not a Servile Nation and subtitled: The Levada Center data makes the viability of liberal project in Russia doubtful.

It turned out that our citizens live and think outside liberal propaganda's context. But in the 90s it [the liberal propaganda] was an absolute mainstream, and still retains much of the "strategic high ground" in the media space.

*** [here the author reports the poll results that appear in the beginning of the post]***

Thus, the absolutely preferred leader at the moment is Leonid Brezhnev. That is, the leader, who is associated with a sense of stability and confidence in the future and the power of the state. We should take into account that people remember well the Brezhnev's era*, so the years of demagogy about "lines for sausage" hadn't confused them.

Usually avid for various fresh "numbers", liberal journalists either kept silent or barely mentioned the results of the study**. Such a reaction was evidence of the shock experienced by the media pool, whose work has long focused on the demonization of bygone eras.

The cliché of the "Bloody Nicholas***" and "damn the tsars", defamation of historical Russia were replaced a quarter of a century ago by "exposing" the "Stalin's terror", the "Brezhnev's stagnation" and unbridled defamation of the entire Soviet period. As a result, the population of Russia could form their view of history as a "black hole", which has been replaced by the "triumph of democracy" in the nineties****.

Did not happen. It was not so easy to fool the people .

[I am skipping some of the cursing addressed at "liberal propaganda", going directly to conclusions]

These studies, which visitors to the site "Levada Center" have described as "unexpected", show two trends.

First, the citizens of Russia are no longer willing to play along with the endless juggling of their own history and are increasingly convinced that those who ruled the country until "perestroika" cared mostly about her welfare.

Second, a steady demand for sustainable, strong and dynamic nation was clearly formed. It is consistent with the view our fellow citizens have of themselves and of the positions that they ought to take in this world.

[More cursing of the "liberals" skipped. End of the piece]

(*) Mr Belov... oh, let's cut the crap - this schmuck was born in 1976 and definitely doesn't remember anything from the Brezhnev's "era" and wasn't standing in lines for milk, bread, not to mention sausage. I do. I did.

(**) Which is a barefaced lie. There are tons of material from the liberal side of the political map (in Russian) on the subject.

(***) Tsar's Nikolay II's nickname

(****) I wouldn't use the term "black hole" for a period that was so generously splashed by red. As for the author placing Stalin's terror and Brezhnev's stagnation in quotes, it's up to him, of course. Did I mention the word "schmuck"?

To conclude: the author achieved rather the opposite of what he intended to, at least in the title of his article (re servility).

Now the last bit of input for you, my dear reader(s): I have done my own poll, of a kind. I passed the results of the Levada Center poll to a few people (some of them Russian) living outside of Russia, but still very much in touch with it. The response was crushing in its uniformity: leaving out the non-parliamentary parts, the conclusion was: "These ... deserve the ... government they have and the ... future they have coming". I know that in many senses this is not a politically correct opinion, but here you are.

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

Too bad.

A few cheap wisecracks inspired by headlines

Taliban denies beheading children

The Taliban denied any involvement in the beheadings, according to spokesman Qari Yousuf Ahmadi. He said Taliban fighters would never do such a thing, but said the group's civilian casualty commission would investigate.

Yes, the kids just stepped too close to a person waving a hatchet... And have you noticed this "group's civilian casualty commission"? I bet they are members of UNHRC by now.

Bin Laden’s Son-in-Law Wants to Keep His Jewish LawyerAnd:

The Jewish judge in the case is trying to dissuade him

He may as well come over to Tel Aviv. Our judges are well known for their leniency. And don't forget the climate too.

Venezuela says it foiled plot to assassinate President Maduro

Whatever lessons Mr Maduro learned from his illustrious predecessor, this is the one he apparently learned well: get almost assassinated as frequently as possible and blame Mercans for the dastardly deed. It pays off in the long run, it seems.

Farrah Abraham's sex tape - full and uncensored

is out somewhere on the intertubes --->

But here you can see a Common Pratincole consuming a locust:

Now tell me the truth: doesn't she beat Farrah Abraham?

Watcher’s Council Nominations – Under Surveillance Edition

Council Submissions

• The Political Commentator – Connecting the radical dots in Boston!
• Simply Jews – More fun and games with Alice Walker
• The Noisy Room – Samantha Power: The Hand That Rocks A Nation
• Liberty’s Spirit – Autism-Meme as Political Insult
• The Razor – The Power of Islamic Propaganda
• Joshuapundit-The Anniversary Of A Miracle – Israel’s Victory In The Six Day War
• The Colossus of Rhodey – Poll Shows Support for Affirmative Action Dwindling
• Nice Deb – National Organization for Marriage’s John Eastman RIPS Democrats At IRS Hearing + Proof IRS Leaked Confidential Donor List to Political Rival
• GrEaT sAtAn”S gIrLfRiEnD – Beirut Is The Next Benghazi
• The Right Planet – What Are Some Good ‘Liberal’ Books?
• Bookworm Room – Game of Thrones and how the things that we watch reveal something about who we are and what we’ve become
• VA Right! - NSA Leaker Snowden: Hero or Traitor?
• The Glittering Eye -Weasels
• Rhymes With Right – A Long Distance Dedication To Obama Voters
• The Mellow Jihadi – My First Fist-Fight in the Navy

Honorable Mentions

• Ask Marion – NSA Whistleblower Snowden in Exile as the Obama Scandals List Grows
• Right Truth – Soldier Who Read Conservative Books Faces Charges…
• The Pirate’s Cove – Bummer: NY Times Admits To 15 Year Pause In Global Warming

Non-Council Submissions

Read more »

The head of Mossad, Tamir Pardo in Ankara

According to Hürriyet:

The head of Israel’s Mossad, Tamir Pardo, met secretly with the Turkish intelligence agency’s undersecretary, Hakan Fidan, on June 10 in Ankara, with Syria and Iran on the agenda.

One of the points on the meeting subjects:

The sources also claimed to have information that Iranian Revolutionary Guards and the Syrian intelligence unit, al-Mukhaberat, are working against Turkey.

Mighty interesting, even if it's unclear who has this info - the sources or the one of the two men in that meeting.

All other media sources refer to this Hürriyet piece. For the moment, at least.

P.S. Whatever the rank of undersecretary means, Hakan Fidan is the chief of Turkish National Intelligence Organization (MİT).

Thumbs up to Jan Cooper of Anaheim

For this:

A 72-year-old Southern California grandmother who shot at -- and narrowly missed -- a man trying to break into her home said Tuesday she was shocked at the attention her action was getting but does not regret defending herself and her husband, an 85-year-old World War II veteran who uses a wheelchair.

And don't call her grandma: she is first of all a person, and a good one too.

Pity, though, she didn't wing the creep.

Will Akaky Akakievich tell us the truth?

This is in regard of Akaky Akakievich's confession to a significant date: 26 years of his civil service.

I don't know how significant this date is as far as his pension rights are concerned. After all, I guess that it is different with the librarians, vicious and merciless folks as they might be, compared to, say, policemen or firemen. And I don't want in any way to imperil his pension.

However, I would like to extract a promise from him: the moment his first pension check (or money order or bank transfer) arrives, he must become a whistleblower. It is the going fashion, to start with. And, even if some highly placed individuals may call him a traitor, there is a real need for the public to know the answer to the ever-burning question: what kind of firearm(s) and ammunition a Library Policeman is issued when going on a mission?  Of course, if there are some other accessories used (like garrote, knives, chainsaw etc), we all want to know about these.

As for the shenanigans of IRS in Cincinnati, which is somewhere in the Ohio River valley: yes, the points made by Akaky Akakievich are all valid ones and should be given the utmost attention by the reader.

Going to the right restrooms, where Bar Refaeli roams...

Many a red-blooded male dreams of finding himself at a public urinal near her:

It's all a matter of knowing the right places to go to, I guess.

Details.

Leyla Ghobadi nude uncensored

is of no interest to this here blog. But this young ruff pining for a fight is:

Click on the shot to enlarge, view for at least 45 seconds and breath shallowly and slowly. Relax, in short, and forget the delightful Leyla, whoever she might be.

iOS 7: In A Snub To Google, Apple Has Made Bing The Default Search Engine For Siri

Really, I kid you not. Now, how lame it is: to snub one competitor by choosing a product from another one? You decide.

Octomom Nadya Suleman and the journo's arithmetic

One of the more wondrous sentences produced by the media lately:

Suleman was dubbed Octomom because she has 14 children.

Anyway, the whole article is about numbers. Probably too many for the author.

A lame answer to lame accusations

First of all, a few words about the case that started the saga:

A Jaffa school teacher complained that Superland Rishon Lezion prevented him from buying tickets for Arab students, a complaint which was followed by the amusement park's management admission that the park is open to Jewish schools on certain days and Arab schools on other days. The park management released another statement on its Facebook page Thursday morning, announcing that the policy, which provoked fierce public criticism, will be reexamined.

You can beef up on details of this sorry and, indeed, racist case, if you want, there is more in the article. Maybe it is worth to add that the response of the Israeli Jewish population to the story was quite uniform. The very few that somehow sympathized with Superland management were too few to even notice.

The Israeli Arab's response to the case was pretty uniform too. Here is one:

The headlines cry out, "Racism." The Arabs shout, "Apartheid." The Jews respond, "It's only a handful." And the majority click their tongues and complain. Are you surprised by what happened at the Superland? Really?! Because I was really not surprised. And no, not because I'm an Arab, but because I'm a concerned Israeli citizen in a country which refuses to admit that racism is already flowing through its veins and in the educational values it instills to its children.

To let you feel the ire of the Arab citizens, here is another one, more extreme:

This column will not discuss the saga surrounding the Superland affair, because it's neither interesting nor important. Indeed, there are times when the obvious must be explained, for example that the air we breathe in this country is racist. But making its way to roller coasters and water games? That's enough!

Expressions of racism and hatred have become part of the landscape long ago. It's not a cliché. Someone is making certain to institutionalize racism and design the racist landscape. This someone is called the government. It seems that in Israel's governments, there is at least a basic law for every problem. These laws escort citizens everywhere, to every corner of our lives.

I am not going to argue with the authors of these articles, this is not the purpose of the post. Just, maybe, to give the authors some food for thought, I'll mention one measure that may clean up the air quite a bit: maybe you should all together decide to let the Jews to go up to the Temple Mount? No, I don't want to imply that the refusal to let Jews in is racist, but all in all, you know...

Then I found an answer to the complaints in the same place, Ynet. It is written by Dan Calic, a writer, history student and speaker, titled 'Racism' or extinction and subtitled

Most Arab citizens have it pretty good; prefer living in Israel than in any Arab country

The first part of the article is dedicated to proof of the fact that "most Arab citizens have it pretty good" (why "most" and not all is not clear, the author's attention didn't suffice to cover this detail). I am going to present in abbreviated form the main points of the proof:

• Israel is located in the center of the Middle East. This region is comprised of 22 Arab countries, which cover over five million square miles... Check.
• The Jews and Israel have been under constant threat of annihilation since the day independence was declared in May 1948. Check.
• Within Israel itself, slightly over 20% of the population is Arab. They enjoy all the benefits of citizenship. They vote, own homes... Check.
• The majority of Arab-Israeli citizens will tell you they have it pretty good, and would prefer living in Israel than in an Arab country.... Check

I am not sure that I understand how the first two bullets strengthen the point that the author intends to make - the one about the Arab citizens having it pretty good. But I'll let it go. Because now Dan Calic asks the big question: "So why all the talk of racism?" And immediately answers it:

It seems the problem is pretty easy to identify. The basis for the complaints can be based on only one thing: Jews are the majority and want to remain the majority.

And he chooses to strengthen the message by the most interesting argument of all:

They should be thankful for the right to speak out without the police banging down their door and dragging them off to a dark jail cell to be held without trial.

This after banging on about how wonderful our democracy is. Strange that...does Dan Calic hint that the said Arab citizens should stay happy, unless they want their sleep being disturbed by police banging down doors?

But all this is fun and games, after all: what I didn't see is a single sentence, nay - a single word that addresses the undoubtedly true case of racism at Superland and other cases of wanton display of racism in all its forms.

Indeed, how does the fact that the Israeli Arabs are having it better than, say, their brethren in West Bank or Gaza or Jordan population, invalidate the racism in the Superland case? Or the attack on Arab workers in the Jerusalem mall? Or the car burnings, defacement of mosques (and churches too, by the way) by the unhinged hooligans of the "Price Tag"?

To answer the reader: no, I don't think that Israel is more (or less) racist than any other democratic country on the globe. But I also think that each sorry and shameful case of racism should be addressed, treated and not swept under the carpet as Dan Calic so awkwardly attempted to do in this lame article.

A candy bar for real men

It really exists!

And, as a local fan confesses:

The best part is that tupla means double so it is a "Double nutkick"

Go ahead, if you are strong enough.