Freedom of Speech

This is something which has been bothering me, and I wanted to post about it last week. However, I was trying to find an audio clip to go with this post, but I can't find it, sorry. The audio clip was of Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) literally screaming how she's fed up with being called unpatriotic for opposing the administration. She said that people have the right to protest against the administration when they feel the need.

It's very comforting to see that our senators are out there protecting our rights, in this case the right of free speech. However, if this is something that all liberals believe in (such as bashing the Bush administration), then why don't they allow others the freedom of speech? No, I don't mean in Iraq, I mean here in the United States of America.

I read this blog which promoted abortion based on the equation that freedom=choice. To me that isn't a valid reason to abort a pregnancy. Because if freedom=choice and murder=choice, does that mean that freedom=murder? Afterall, if A=B and B=C, then A=C. Whether or not this equation is true, as I'm sure many people will say that it isn't for various reasons, is a discussion in itself. It is a discussion that I will mention some day, but not now. My question for today is why am I not allowed to express my views? When I posted a comment on this person's blog with my opinion it was deleted. The delete button is there so that if someone posts an offensive remark, one which is racially biased, for instance, then the blogger can delete it. The delete button was not meant to restrict people's freedom of speech.

There isn't much I can do about what happened because it wasn't my blog and I have no control over it. I will not repost my comment because there is no need to - the message was seen. I have no intention of forcing people to keep comments on their blogs, every blogger can do as they wish on their blog. They can delete whatever they want whenever they want, that's part of freedom. However, I just find it a bit hypocritical that someone who is so concerned about freedom would not allow another person to express their views. I just can't figure it out.

The People Have Chosen

The people of any given area can be defined by the way they vote. For instance, New York City is a liberal city because the tendency here is to vote for liberal candidates. This does not mean that every person in New York is a liberal, but if more than 50% of the voters are voting liberal then that area is considered a liberal area. The same logic applies to every area in the world.

I raise this point today because of the way the Palestinians voted. The Hamas terror organization has won the most seats in the parliament, about twice as much as the Fatah organization (who are also terrorists). The difference between these two groups is not so much in their actions, but mostly in their words. They both terrorize the Israeli population, openly or discreetly. However, Fatah says they want peace and that Israel has the right to exist in certain areas, etc. On the other hand, Hamas wants Israel to be destroyed and all its citizens killed.

It is very disturbing to know that a majority of the Palestinian population agrees with them. Is this who Israel has as a "partner for peace?" They are hoodlums who are only interested in the destruction of Israel! What's worse is that most Israelis don't seem to realize what's going on. They said that if they can't speak with Hamas then they'll just have to do unilateral actions - such as the disengagement/expulsion of Jews from their homeland. But these actions strengthen Hamas, according to political leaders on both sides of the Israeli political spectrum.

When the Likud party leader, Benjamin Netanyahu said that the victory Hamas had in the polls was a direct result of the disengagement/expulsion of Jews from Gaza this summer, one might have thought that he has finally realized the truth. But unfortunately he hasn't. Another Jewish community was supposed to be demolished today and when many cabinet ministers signed a petition for acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to hold off on the destruction, Netanyahu refused to sign! To me that sounds like hypocrisy, and as long as the Israelis don't get rid of that hypocrisy Hamas will continue to be successful, because Israel is being destroyed by the Israeli government.

The Pinch at the Pump

Enjoy this clip about the current price of gas. Perhaps it's about time we do something?

Email me if you want the link to download this video.

The Missing Link

After yesterday's bombing in Tel Aviv, Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz said that he has concrete evidence as to who is responsible for the bombing. Although local terror groups claimed responsibility for the attack, he accused Iran and Syria, as well. He said that Iran provides the money, Syria provides the orders, Shechem provides the suicide bombers, and Israel provides the victims.

Although what he said is true, he forgot to mention another detail. In addition to Israel providing the victims, Israel also aids the terrorists. I know that sounds a bit weird, sort of like America helping the Iraqi insurgency. However, that is exactly what is happening. When Israel expells Jews from their homes in the Gaza Strip and Judea and Samaria, it boosts the confidence of the terrorists, and their determination is strengthened. They see these expulsions as an Israeli defeat, a reward for terrorism.

Earlier in the week, in anticipation of yet another expulsion of eleven Jewish families living in Hebron, the IDF declared Hebron a closed military zone. No one was allowed to enter the city. They did this perhaps because they were afraid what some "extremist settlers" might do. What I don't understand is what did these people do wrong in the first place to be expelled from their homes? Have they killed anybody? Have they helped terrorists commit crimes against humanity? These people have always been the victims of crimes committed by terrorists. Were the terrorists ever treated the same way these people are now being treated? Why isn't Gaza city turned into a closed military zone? Perhaps then the flow of ammunition and explosives into Gaza will decrease and thereby terrorist acts will decrease.

I think it is about time the Israeli government should stop using the army to attack and molest Jews, and start using the army for what it is intended: to protect Jews.

Forward At A Standstill

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon didn't feel all that comfortable with the lack of enthusiastic support for his actions in his political party, Likud. He went ahead and left that party to start his own - the Kadima (Forward) party. He collected members of various parties from all sides of the political spectrum to join his party. According to polls he is to win the upcoming election in March. But two days ago, Wednesday, he suffered a massive stroke.

It is no secret that the force behind Kadima is Ariel Sharon and no one else. Although some people in his party are also popular politicians, they do not have the same personality as Sharon. So where is the party headed now? With no real leader to lead the party to elections, afterall, Sharon never set guidelines for the new party nor what it would support and/or oppose. Has Kadima ground to a halt as a result of Sharon's stroke?

Kadima is still quite popular in the polls. If Shimon Peres were to lead the party in March they would win 42 seats in the parliament; 40 if it was lead by Ehud Olmert; and only 26 for Shaul Mofaz. But is this poll based on sympathetic people who might themselves not be so symathetic in March? If that is the case then Kadima doesn't have much of a chance of survival; the party itself suffered a stroke, its brain isn't functioning properly and that affects the entire party.

Sharon will probably never again be able to involve himself in politics the way he has before, supposing he survives the current crisis. However, that doesn't neccessarily spell doom for Kadima. If he survives and his speech and mind can still function, that might be enough to get the party moving forward again. And although he won't actually be there running the show, he will definitely be behind the scenes controlling the party and leading it where he wants it to go. But the chances of that happening aren't that high. I just wonder if all the other political parties will be willing to reaccept the Kadima politicians after they backstabbed their original parties, and tried to undermine them.