Simple Man Politics

If you ask the 89 year old legendary White House correspondent Helen Thomas it seems she would almost certainly say they are the same. At least it appeared that this might be Helen Thomas’s view during the Jewish Heritage American History Month celebration that took place on May 27th at the White House. The video with Thomas in her own words can be found at both Yahoo and RabbiLive.com, which was aired a full week after the incident.

During the celebration Rabbi David Nesenhoff approached Helen Thomas with the idea of asking for her views on Israel. During the impromptu interview Thomas stated flatly that Israel should get the hell out of Palestine and that the Palestinian people are occupied. She went on to further say that Israeli’s should return to their homes in Poland, Germany, and oh yeah…..America, indicating that the people and the Jewish state have no place in the Middle East.

Apparently Helen Thomas either didn’t know that the Jews and Israel have both been in that very region for as long as there have been other races there. It also seems to me that Thomas has no idea of the history of the Jews in Israel such as the fact that they were also an occupied people. Over the course of history Israel was occupied by Rome who ruled the Jewish people for hundreds of years. I also believe that Helen Thomas forgot the more than 6 Million Jews were murdered in Germany and Poland.

Now I have to tell you that I am a big supporter of both the Constitution and its 1st amendment. I not only fervently defend the right of individuals to freely express their personal views without persecution I also defend the same right for those in the press that is what the 1st amendment is all about. However what I will not defend is someone who is anti-semitic or racist. I am not sure if Helen Thomas is either one of these, but her comments definitely need to be scrutinized closely.

Since her controversial comments, Helen Thomas has resigned from Hearst Newspapers. Thomas has also repeatedly apologized for her comments and admits that they were offensive. The board of the White House Press Corps has not yet announced what actions they will take with regard to Thomas’s front row center seat in the White House briefing room. The board has also issued a statement that they do not police the speech of members or colleagues.

What ever else may happen to Helen Thomas because of her comments, there is this lesson to be learned. Those in the media should realize that while they may have the right to freely express their views and opinions, they would do well to remember that they will also have to deal with the consequences of their actions, for which they are solely responsible. This is often an expensive lesson to learn and all you have to do is look at the now disgraced Helen Thomas to see the cost.

That is all for now from Simple Man Politics. I hope you all have a marvelous day and I will be back again soon, CIAO4NOW!!!!!

Over the weekend an interesting bit of news broke on the internet at least that is where I saw it. The buzz is about the Iranian nuclear weapons program and states that Iran has developed the technology to weaponize uranium and detonate an nuclear warhead. The report also states that the Iranian government is only waiting on it’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to implement the use of the technology.

Should this news/report reveal itself to be true there will be a destabilizing effect in the Middle East. Most people will think that it is the Israelis alone who will feel threatened, but that will not be the case. There are other nations in the region who have had problems with Iran and long before this report came out. Afghanistan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and possibly Pakistan and India as well will not be happy about this news.

Of those nations that I have just mentioned who are in a position to respond to this potential nuclear threat, there are only three who really have to ability to respond to the threat with a maximum show of force. These three countries are Pakistan, India, and Israel who are all weaponized with a nuclear arsenal. Although I will hazard an educated guess here and say that it will likely be Israel who responds to the threat.

There are also other reports and responses directly related to this news/report. One states that Iran will retaliate against Israel if it strikes their nuclear sites. Another suggests that our own CIA Chief has warned Israel not to bomb Iran. Still another report indicates that Israel is already preparing to assault Iran’s nuclear sites. Israel is already holding exercises and defense drills in response to a nuclear Iran as well.

Now like I said I have seen no real proof of this new report that validates it’s data. However I will go so far as to say that Israel will not listen to any nations counsel if they feel it is counter to their position and existence. I also think that when and if Israel decides to strike at Iran, the first we or the world will hear about it is when we see the mushroom clouds over Iranian territory.

I will say for the record right now that I personally don’t want to see either a nuclear or conventional attack against Iran from any nation. However I would not stand in the way of a nation who strikes at another who repeatedly threatens them, and now has the means to carry out those threats. I can only hope for the sake of the Iranian people and those people whose nations may strike at Iran that the Iranians don’t take the next step.

That is all we at Simple Man Politics have for you today, but we will be back again very soon. Have a great Monday my friends and CIAO4NOW!!!!!

P.S. To read more about Israels potential response for yourselves check out the links below.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,536203,00.html
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,536203,00.html
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,530148,00.html
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,523537,00.html
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,521177,00.html
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,520263,00.html
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,517033,00.html

Well here I am and as I promised todays topic is going to be somewhat more serious than the last two subjects we discussed right here. That does not mean that I thought Memorial Day and racism are not important because they are. However I have to put them in their order of their importance especially with regard to todays topic, which is the immediate national security challenges that our President has facing him.

The two most important national security challenges that are currently on Obamas plate are North Korea and Iran. These two countries are a danger to our national security for a couple of reasons. The first and foremost dangerous of these two to our security is North Korea although Iran is running a very close second on our national security radar.

North Koreas immediate threat to us is the fact that this country and its despotic dictator are a nuclear power with the weapons and the technology to create more. Fortunately for us they lack an efficient delivery system with which to attack the continental United States.

However they continue to try to develop a successful ICBM (Intercontinental Ballistic Missile) that will reach our west coast or even Hawaii. They even tested another Taepodong missile this past weekend along with another underground nuclear test as well, once again proving that they have no interest in ending their nuclear weapons program.

On the other hand Iran presents a danger to our national security for other reasons as well as its attempts at nuclear proliferation. Fortunately for us Iran is not at this time an immediate nuclear threat but they are not that far away from acquiring nukes according to the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) and other intelligence sources both within Iran as well as in the region.

The threat that Iran offers to our national security at this time is the destabilization of the Middle East particularly in Iraq. Iran also poses a potential threat to us as well with its constant threats against Israel’s existence. Over the weekend Iran also placed six warships in the Gulf of Aden, which is within striking distance of the Straits of Hormuz where the bulk of Middle East oil is transported.

Also Iran’s denial of the holocaust and support of terrorist groups like Hezbollah and Hamas who continue to attack Israel’s civilian population with absolutely no regard for innocent casualties, which continues to keep tensions in the region high and Israels alert status at its highest. All this does is increase the likelihood that Israel will react preemptively against Iran if they perceive a real threat.

What is even more threatening to the nation security of the United States is the fact that both North Korea and Iran are working hand in hand. Intelligence reports from within North Korea as well as around the region place Iranian officials inside the DPRK (North Korea) at the launch site of their latest missile test. The same intelligence also indicates that North Korea supplies Iran with uranium as well.

When you sum this all up Barack Obama has more than enough to worry about. Not only are these activities a direct challenge to test Obamas toughness and resolve by both of these rogue nations, but a sure sign of these countries willingness to pursue weapons of mass destruction programs with the goal of destroying their perceived enemies as well holding the civilized world hostage with nukes.

Now I will be the first to tell you that all of this makes itself into one hell of a dicey situation and I don’t pretend to know how to handle this diplomatically. I will tell you this though if I were President of the United States and one of these two countries even remotely appeared to be preparing to attack either us, or allies, or any peaceful nation they could reach I would turn the surface of their nations into a nuclear winter wonderland.

That’s it for today my friends but I will see you all again tomorrow. Have a wonderful day and CIAO4NOW!!!!!

I have to admit that I agree with President Obama and his administrations decision to boycott the UN Conference on Racism along with Germany, Australia, and Canada. However I do not think that we boycotted the conference for the reasons I think it was a good idea. Although I must say that in light of the opening remarks of the conference by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad I think the end justifies the means.

While I may not be able to speak for the reasons why three other nations boycotted the conference I do believe that I may be able to give you all some insight into why the United States did boycott the racism conference. I believe that the reason our government chose not to attend the conference is because of our current policy to extend the hand of friendship to Iran and open up diplomatic dialog with the rogue nation.

I and some of my acquaintances who are very politically active and knowledgeable feel that this was a wise and strategic decision made by the Obama administration to avoid a confrontation with the Persian nation. If we had had representation at the conference then we would have had to directly condemn Ahmadinejads remarks, which were almost certain to be inflammatory, and that would have hampered the Obama administrations ability cozy up to the radically Islamic nation.

I fell it was the right choice for the US to boycott the UN Conference on Racism simply because they chose Iran to give the opening speech at the conference. There is absolutely no good reason whatsoever to give Iran and Ahmadinejad a platform from which to espouse his hate filled rhetoric and psycho ideology to the world and give them any credibility. There is absolutely no doubt that this move was made by Ban Ki-moon to appease the UN body many of whom are like minded with Iran.

I think it was obvious from the beginning that as soon as Ahmadinejad took the podium that he was going to rant and rave against Israel. He proved me right with statements such as calling Israel the “most cruel and repressive regime”, called the holocaust a “pretext” for aggression, and “they resorted to military aggression to make an entire nation homeless under the pretext of Jewish suffering, they meaning the US and Europe.


At the first mention of Israel approximately forty diplomats left the conference room. There were also protesters there who accused Ahmadinejad and Iran of being racists and even threw red rubber clown noses at the Iranian president, which I personally found extremely funny. The clown disguises were in references to the two faces that Iran wears and what a joke the conference is. The only real tragedy of the UN Conference on Racism is that it and the travesty that marked it took place on the eve of Israel’s Holocaust Remembrance Day.

For the record I don’t think that we are done with trying to placate and approaching those rogue and criminal regimes in the world that seem to be Obama’s favorite audiences now-a-days. If it kills us Obama is going to drag us kicking and screaming into dangerous and alliances with those in the world who want to hurt us and even destroy us. When that happens and it will we will have yet another 9/11 to bemoan, but the difference will be that we willing invited the enemy inside the walls and it will really be our governments fault for our suffering.

That is all I have to rant about for today. I hope you all have a terrific Tuesday my friends, CIAO4NOW!!!!!

Yesterday saw our fearless Commander in Chief give his fist TV interview since taking office. That he gave a TV interview is not what is remarkable, but what is remarkable is that he gave that interview to Al Arabiya located in the UAE city of Dubai. What he had to say to the viewers of Al Arabiya was for me very interesting to hear.

During this interview he covered a wide range of topics important to the Arab world. He talked for a good bit about the Palestinian Israeli conflict. He also discussed Iran, Iraq, and Afghanistan as well. There was also discussion about the Muslim faith and terrorism. The interview was about 30 minutes long and was conducted by Al Arabiya's own Hisham Melhem.

I thought that the interview was very well conducted and the questions were exactly what I would have expected from Melhem considering his primary audience. I also think that I have learned a lot about Obama’s policies with regard to the Middle East from this interview. I must say that I do not disagree with everything that Obama said, but by the same token I am not in complete agreement either.

Israeli / Palestinian conflict:
On the subject of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict I do agree that it is of paramount importance that peace be established in the area post haste. I also agree that if our President is not involved in the peace process it will go no where fast and stall out. I will further agree that Israel is a staunch ally of the US in the region as we are their ally as well. It is very true that George Mitchell who is Obama’s personal envoy to the area is one of a handful of people who does have experience brokering peace deals in the region. Obama also gave brief mention to the peace plan proposed by Saudi Ruler King Abdullah.

What I do not agree with is the Presidents assumption that we respond to things over there by dictating rather than listening. We can no more dictate Israel’s policy towards how they deal with Terrorist organizations like Hamas and Hezbollah than they can dictate ours with regards to Al Qaeda. For there to be peace between the Israeli’s and the Palestinians they both have to want it. Right now Hamas doesn’t seem to want peace and Israel has the right to defend itself and we have no right to interfere.

A Nuclear Iran:
Another question put forth by Mr. Melhem was our willingness to deal with a nuclear Iran. While I might agree with our President, that we should keep all options on the table when dealing with Iran which includes negotiation, diplomacy, and military intervention. I will also agree with the President that the people of Persia are a great people historically.

I do not agree with his unwillingness to say point blank that a nuclear Iran is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. Especially, since they support terrorist organizations and the possibility that their nukes could wind up in those organizations hands. This along with their threats against the existence of Israel should be more than enough to say that we would not allow nukes in Iran.

Proof of Commitment to the Muslim World:
On the subject of proving his commitment to the Muslim world and to peace within the region he points at three key elements as his proof. One of these is his idea of a timely and safe withdrawal of our military forces in Iraq and the other is the closing of the Guantanamo Bay Detention Facility by years end.

I do agree with the President that it is time to consider an exit strategy for Iraq. As the Iraqi people become more capable of defending themselves as a nation both from within and without we should start removing our forces from the country and putting them where they can best be used. However I do not believe that we will be entirely out of Iraq for at least a couple of more years regardless of what Obama has promised.

As far as the closing of Gitmo I think that this is a big mistake. We should not close this facility just because of pressure from the international community. We have no business bringing those animals from Gitmo to our shores let alone giving them the rights that only US citizens are entitled to under our constitution. This will not impress the terrorists in any event and might embolden them more to try something against us here by attempting to infiltrate our shores even in the guise of prisoners. As for the average Joe on the Muslim street they probably didn’t even know Gitmo existed until we made a big deal out of it.

I really do think that the third part of his proof is a good idea though. I think his idea to address the Muslim world from a major Muslim capitol in the region within the first 100 days of his presidency is an excellent idea to help promote solidarity between the US and the Muslim world.

Terrorists and Terrorism:
I think he is right to say that we will go after the terrorists when and where we can. I will further agree that these animals cannot point to one single accomplishment of theirs and say that they have improved the lives of the people they say they are fighting for. I believe that our President realizes that we cannot afford to have another attack like 9/11 on his watch. He is right to say that he will be judged by his actions and the actions of his administration.

I do not agree with his statement that the terminology that has been used to describe these people is wrong, they are Islamic Fascists. I do not agree with the notion that calling what we are involved in is a War on Terror. That is exactly what it is. We are not fighting an organized governmental military we are fighting cowards who hide behind helpless people and use terror to control them and to scare us.

In closing I can only deduce that while things may get better in the Middle East it will not happen for some time. As for what Barack Obama may have accomplished with this interview, well that is anybody’s guess. I just hope that the terrorists got the message that they have not been forgotten. I also hope that Barack will not be so quick the next time to apologize for how we Americans react to threats from rogue nations, dictators, and terrorist scum. I also would wish that Obama would fear the threats to our nation’s security more than public opinion and our lack of popularity around the world.

I am sorry this post is so long but I hope you have enjoyed this post and got a little something out of it. Have a beautiful day my friends, CIAO4NOW!!!!!

Happy New Year my friends, I hope you have all had a good time over the holidays, I know that I have. Now I am back, rested, rejuvenated, and ready to jump right into the New Year.

There are a lot of things going on in the political arena right now that I can talk about, especially when we are just 15 days out from the inauguration of the first black American President. However that’s not the type of politics I want to talk about today. Today I am going to take a look at the situation in Israel and their attempt to seriously curb the aggression of Hamas from within the Gaza strip in Palestine.

Over time Israel has had many cease fire agreements with this very militant terrorist organization, all of which have been broken by Hamas. They use these cease fire agreements to re-arm, recruit, and dig in as deep as possible into the civilian populations where they are active. Once they have reorganized to the best of their ability they violate the cease fire agreement they made with Israel and attack the civilian population within Israel.

They used to use suicide bombers for the majority of those attacks against the Jewish state. Now they favor the tactic of launching rockets into Israel against targets like schools, synagogues, and public market places placing the civilian populations of the towns near the border with Palestine at great risk. As a result of these rocket attacks many Jewish and Arab residents within Israel have been killed and many more wounded.

As inevitably always happens Israel eventually loses its patience with the Hamas terrorist organization and retaliates, usually to the great dismay of the Palestinian population who suffers greatly as a result of the Israeli military response to the naked aggression of Hamas and its military wing. The Palestinian people suffer because Hamas uses them as shields to hide behind. They manufacture weapons, store those weapons, and attack Israel from within the Palestinian communities along the border effectively putting innocent men, women, and children directly between themselves and harms way.

Of course while Hamas attacks Israel there is never an international outcry of support for the Israeli people facing these cowardly terrorist attacks. However when Israel finally decides that they have been hit hard enough and have lost too many people to these cowardly terrorists and retaliate the international community comes out and attacks Israel on all sides condemning them and claiming that their attempts to defend themselves are criminal because the Palestinian people suffer. Would not the same be true of the Israeli people who suffer and die as a result of the wanton, brutal, hateful, and random attacks upon them by Hamas?

The world screams at us the United States of America telling us we should tell the Israeli people to stop defending themselves from these terrorists who hide behind innocents a lot of the time with their support. They say that places like mosques, schools, and hospitals should not be targeted by Israel, but those are the places where these terrorists hide, attack from, and store their arms. Of course any Arab country will tell you that these same places are legitimate targets in Israel although Israel does not use them for any military organization or actions against their enemies.

Here is a little bit of a history lesson for you all. Israel became a nation in 1945. It became recognized by the League of Nations in 1949. At the time they became a nation they offered the same rights to all people living within their borders whether they were Jewish, Muslim, or Christian. They were not interested in keeping anyone of any faith on their knees.

Here are some facts on Israel’s military capacity using the US in comparison. The US field’s 16 division’s world wide, while the Israelis field 16 divisions, within their own nation. The US combined air forces can fly approximately 350 air sorties a day world wide, while the Israeli air forces can fly approximately 600 sorties a day within their own region. The US is a nuclear power world wide, while the Israeli people are a nuclear power within their own region.

All this information tells me that while the US is the reigning superpower world wide the Israeli people are the reigning superpower in the Middle East. We can no more tell the Israelis to stop defending themselves than they can tell us to stop defending ourselves. As far as the Israeli people are concerned I think that they have been more than patient with the Palestinian people, and their government. If the Palestinian President Abbas and his security forces cannot control Hamas and stop their attacks against Israel, then I feel that it is up to Israel to do the job. I just wish that Israel had handed Hezbollah the terrorist organization that now controls Lebanon as harsh a beating as they are currently giving Hamas when that little war happened a couple of years ago.

I think that President Bush is correct by saying that we support Israel’s right to defend themselves even though we don’t like the violence. Violence doesn’t do anything good for the average guy who is just trying to take care of his family. However don’t be so naïve as to think that war doesn’t solve any disputes. War has settled every major dispute in the world since before the time of Christ.

That is all I have to say on this subject for now. I hope that you will read this and think very hard about what I have said here. The same thing that the international community wants Israel to do, which is stop defending themselves, is the same thing that they want us to do to.

I am including a video with this post called Escape From Hamas. It is a 6 part interview on Fox News that has been released to YouTube. The interviewee is a young man by the name of Mosab Hassan Yousef. He is the son of the founder of Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood. He himself was a leader of the Islamic Youth Organization. He has since moved to the US, become a Christian, and has applied for political asylum here. What he has to say paints a very startling picture of Hamas, so please watch all 6 parts.

I hope you all have a marvelous Monday and I will be back again soon with more political coverage both here and around the world, CIAO4NOW!!!!!

Hello folks, I hope you all have had a good week and are looking forward to a little "you" time this weekend. Sorry I didn’t post yesterday but I had some business to take care of but it’s all good now and I’m good to go.

Today I want to talk a little bit about Sarah Palin, Hillary Clinton, and partisanship. It seems that Hillary Clinton was invited to speak to an anti Iranian rally in New York City at the United Nations which is a good thing. It also seems that Sarah Palin was invited to the same rally…..also a good thing. The problem is that Hillary Clinton wasn’t told by the organizers that Sarah Palin was invited and in a fit cancelled her attendance at the rally.

This did not deter Sarah Palin from her wish to attend and speak at the event. However, in their infinite wisdom the knuckleheads who invited her over at Stop Iran Now Coalition disinvited her and removed her from the speakers list. This prompted spokes people on the republican side to say that this was done under pressure from Democratic partisans. Considering this lady could be the next Vice President it might have been a good idea to treat her with a little respect and let her speak because she might be a good person to have on your side.

While I think it is possible that some pressure was brought to bear by agents of the Democratic Party I find it highly unlikely. I just think that the folks over at Stop Iran Now are just stupid. As for Hillary Clinton dropping out I just think she didn’t want to be upstaged by Sarah Palin and that prompted her decision not partisanship.

With regard to the idea behind the rally I think it is a great idea. Iran and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are certainly a threat to Israel and if they get a nuclear weapon they will be a threat to us and our other allies as well. This most definitely should not be a partisan issue and I think both Clinton and Palin should have attended and spoke out against Iran. But now it seems the whole thing has been politicized by Clinton whether it was intended or not…how stupid.

Well that’s it for today and this week. I will see all of you next week, so have an awesome weekend, CIAO4NOW!!!!!