Misery Index

PROTESTS WITH VIOLENCE AROUND THE WORLD

Antwerp, Belgium

Jewish groups have condemned a Belgian public broadcaster, VRT, for airing a show in which a standup comedian jokes about the Holocaust and the persecution of Jews.  Philippe Geubels, the comedian stated that the Holocaust cannot happen again because “Jews are much smarter now.”  “They have spread across the world.  Try rounding them up!  Most are in America so you cannot send them by train to Germany” to die in gas chambers.  “What are they going to do if there is a big gas leak in Antwerp?  Take the city to court for provocation?”  Additionally VRT came under criticism for a recent ad about a travel show focusing on Berlin.  It showed a drawing of Hitler as a male stripper giving the Nazi salute in front of a swastika flag.  That triggered a protest by teh Germany embassy, which called it “totally tasteless.”

Meanwhile, representatives of Hezbollah are scheduled to speak in the conference hall of the Belgian Parliament.  The Hezbollah representatives and the managers of the terrorist organization’s Al Manar TV will address a symposium on Palestine prisoners in Israeli jails.

The Arab European League (AEL) organized this demonstration.  After the protest disbanded the demonstrators marched towards Jewish neighborhoods, clashing with the police.  Car windows were broken, trams and buses were attacked.  Now many Jews are afraid to go to out into the streets fearing vandalism and violence.

Odenza, Denmark

A group of Arab youths opened fire Wednesday evening on a number of Israelis working at a mall in the Danish city of Odenza.  The Israelis, who were operating a stall in the shopping center, were lightly wounded in their legs.

But thanks to ANSWER, they have brought a nice little taste of Gaza City to the streets of America.

London, England

In London, and anti-Israel protestor snatched a policeman’s cap and set it on fire during a protest.  Some climbed israel’s embassy gates and were restrained by police.  Crowds chanted, “Palestine must be free from the river to the sea.”

And according to a person on YouTube by the name of “NiceIslamMedia101” which has an icon of a Hamas supporter, and a video that begins showing a Hamas flag, there will be additional protests in London nearly every day.  There is a link for more information which leads to the “Palestine Solidarity Campaign” website.

Tehran, Iran

Hundreds of Iranian radicals stormed the British compound in Tehran last night, replacing the Union flag with a Palestinian one and held the consulate for about an hour.  Additionally a “fire bomb” was thrown at the gates.  A hardline Iranian news agency said that protests against Britain and Egypt, whose embassy was also targeted, would continue.

One demonstrator told the AP TV service:  “We brought down the British flag and put up the flag of Palestine so we can send our message.”  He said the people of Gaza were being ignored by the world and referred to Britain as an “old sleeping fox”.

Stockholm, Sweden

Hundreds of demonstrators marched through the Swedish capital to protest against Israel, setting an Israeli flag on fire, and changing, “Israel, murderer, ” “Gaza solidarity,” and “Close the embassy.”  “Enough blood!  We’ve seen enough,” an organizer with the Swedish Islamic Association told the AFP.

PROTESTS IN THE UNITED STATES

Coming Soon To A Neighborhood Near You
And all this in the name of Allah [God].   Radical Islam is NOT a religion, it is a political doctrine of world domination masked as a religion.  The demonstrations as seen below, are what will get the United States into a state of Martial Law, especially if violence as seen in other countries begins.   Now remember, ANSWER is SUPPOSE to be against anti-Semitism.

Los Angeles, California

Pro-Palestine

About 100 people gathered outside the Federal Building in Westwood.  Another protest was underway outside the Israeli Consulate on Wilshire Blvd east of Beverly Hills, where Los Angeles police kept two groups of chanting protestors and supporters separate.

As part of the effort, Friday prayer meetings at more than 70 mosques throughout Southern CA will be dedicated to victims of the attacks.  There are an estimated 650,000 Muslims living in So. Cal.

Hussam Ayloush of the Council on American-Islamic Relations said “This is an illegal bombardment by Israel.  It is barbaric and it’s even more barbaric that it’s being done by the Bush Administration.”  “Gaza’s people are prisoners in their own land.  We depend on the help of the American people.”

Sacramento, California

Pro-Palestine

San Francisco, California

Pro-Palestine

This one looks CRAZY nutz.  Take a look at “At the back of the hill” to find out what this protest was really like, from a non-Palestinian point of view.

Washington, DC

Pro-Palestine

About 750 keffiyeh-wearing Palestine supporters chanted outside the US State Department.  Other reports state only close to 200 participated.  What is interesting to note, is that when it came 5pm, out of the 750, only about 30 chose to participate in prayer.  This was an ANSWER rally, that was organized by Brian Becker.  Also present was Mara Verheyden-Hillard from the National Lawyers’ Guild.

Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

Pro-Palestine

Quotes that can be clearly heard and note, while people line street and street corners:

A Hijab is a “modest dress for women” that can include a veil to cover the face.   The following is yelled by a woman in a partial Hijab, obviously NOT showing ANY modest behavior.  ”You’re losers!  Your losers! Losers!  Your mother’s a whore!  Your mother’s a whore!  You’re losers.  Yea, fuck yourself,”  while carrying a sign that says “Nuke Israel”.  She additionally yelled, “Nuke Israel.  There is no Israel.”  Obviously she knows NOTHING about her claimed religion, for if she acted this way in Gaza, she would be at a minimum, stoned to death for her actions.

A group of men yelling and chanting at a car, “Go to Hell!  Go to Hell!”  Note, they are smiling the entire time with one man carrying a sign saying “Nuke Israel.  Go to Hell”.

Another woman, again wearing a partial burka:  “Go steal other lands!  Go!  Murderers!  Go back to the oven!  You need a big oven, that’s what you need!”

Eventually the crowd begins to get out of control and break through a police line.  The Pro-Palestinians cross the street, block the street and approach Israel supporters.  Finally, the police step in.  You can hear on pro-Israel supporter saying “They are so violent.”

Additional video via “Atlas Shrugs” of the same protest.

Tampa, Florida

Pro-Palestine

Atlanta, Georgia

Pro-Palestine

Kailua, Hawaii

Pro-Palestine

According to the AP, "A small group of placard-waving pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered near U.S. President-elect Barack Obama’s vacation retreat in Hawaii.”

[Obviously these people don’t know that President Bush has sent $85 billion to the UN that is marked for aid to Gaza and the West Bank.]

Boston, Massachusetts [Park Plaza]

Pro-Israel & Pro-Palestine

Boston, Massachusetts

Pro-Palestinian

Pro-Israel

Dearborn, Michigan

Pro-Palestine

Approximately 5,000 people showed up for this protest with the streets lined for eight city blocks.  Some marchers chanted, “Gaza, Gaza dont’ cry, Palestine will never die” and “Israel is a terrorist state.”  Others chanted, in Arabic, “God is Great” and “a martyr is beloved of God.”

One protestor said that the responsibility for the Israeli attack lies with the US government, which “gives billions of dollars in military aide to Israel.”

Another protestor said he marched to protest, “the aggression and the use of excessive force” by Israel in Gaza.  “These are nothing but terrorist acts.”

One group of protestors carried a mock coffin decorated with pictures of dead and injured Arab children and labeled “U.S. Tax Dollars at Work” and “Victims of Zionism.”

Many spoke to at this protest said they had “hope that Obama would address the plight of the Palestinians.”

This protest was called by the Congress of Arab American Organizations.  Spokesman Osama Siblani said, “There is disappointment and anger in our community and we need to express it toward the current U.S. administration that has given a blank check to the Israelis.”

The Detroit area has the largest and most concentrated Arab American population in the country, with as many as 350,000 residents in Southeast Michigan of Arab ancestry.

New York City, New York
Pro-Palestine

Full Album 1 
Full Album 2
Full Album 3
Full Album 4

Over a thousand New Yorkers marched through midtown Manhattan, chanting and carrying signs and Palestinian flags on Tuesday.  This demonstration was brought together by the ANSWER Coalition, the Muslim American SOciety NY, Free Palestine Alliance, National Council of Arab Supporters, and Al-Awda NY and Al-Asalah NY, among others.

They all gathered in front of the Permanent Mission of Israel to the UN.  The spectators covered the sidewalk of the entire block at the corner of 42nd and 2nd Ave.  This was the third day in a row for Pro-Palestinian protesting in midtown.

Demonstrators chanted in both Arabic and English, waving Palestinian flags and carrying placards with phrases such as “Olmert, Olmert, What do you say?  How many kids have you killed today?” and “Viva viva Palestina.”

Pamphlets were handed out, including a petition to be sent to House Reps, which demands that the US condemn the war in the strongest terms, and that it uphold the Fourth Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Times of War.

Pro-Israel
Full Album

Across the street from 42nd and 2nd Ave was also a pro-Israel counter-protest.  Some insults were hurled at these demonstrators.  “You should be ashamed of yourself!  Stop the ethnic cleansing!” on man screamed.

Ocala, Florida

Pro-Palestine

Roughly two dozen demonstrators gathered Tuesday in from of the Lockheed Martin plant in Silver Springs Shores.  Lockheed Martin makes components for Hellfire missiles.  One woman states, “This is not over.  This is not going to be over for quite some time and this is just the beginning of another long, long, long piece of disturbance in the Middle East.”

One Lockheed employee, saw the protest, went home and got her two adult daughters.  They returned to the scene and counter-protested across the street.  The three shouted:  “Support our troops”, “God Bless America,” and “If you’re so proud of it, go back to Gaza.”

I agree with both women’s statements.

Dallas, Texas

Pro-Palestinian protestors converged at the Dealy Plaza in Dallas.

ADDITIONAL PROTESTS

Phoenix, Arizona

A QUESTION AND MY RANT ON

Now fair warning. I’ve NEVER been considered to be politically correct, however, I am known to speak my mind, fairly on many matters.  I am known to listen to both sides, in their entirety, and then go from there.  And I do not take race, religion, or sex into consideration.  I look at it from the point of view of ethics, simply right and wrong.  

In this case, is it right to kill people.  Well, that’s according to what you believe.  If you are a Christian, the only time it is “okay”, if you will, to kill another person, along with man’s law, is during War.  This also includes police actions when one must defend themselves.  However, according to other religions, those who do not believe in their religion, and will not convert, should die, all in the name of God.  To kill those who do not believe in what you believe, is considered to be a “Holy” act.  Yet, when those same people are attacked, and killed, then they are the ones calling it murder.  Does this EVEN make sense?  Can you say hypocrites?  Please, if you are Islamic, please explain that logic to me.  And please don’t say that it’s different because Israel is killing children.  Hamas is just as guilty of the same crime, if you want to put it that way.

But I have one small question for those who believe in Islam.  And remember, I am not Jewish, I am not Muslim, and I certainly wouldn’t be considered Christian.  But the question is, “Why are the Jews so bad?”  Tell me exactly why they are bad.  Who told you that the Jews are bad people?  What is the basis for that prior to say, 42 years ago?  What exactly did they do, more than 100 years ago, that was so bad?  If you can not answer this question, other than because people have told you that, and because your “religion” tells you that, then you are guilty of racism.  Welcome to the modern world, not a third world country.

And if you are not racist, then why are you supporting people who chose to vote in Hamas in their government, an organization that is considered a terrorist organization by nearly every country in the world, that has in their charter, the annihilation of Jews.  That ladies and gentlemen, is genocide.  Its not so nice when it comes back in your face does it?

Now if you are a follower of Islam, you aren’t going to like the way I’ve worded that question about Jews.  But I, who is not a follower of Islam, or a Jew, who is an outsider, is trying to understand BOTH points of view from BOTH sides.  You can take the attitude that I will never understand because I’m not a follower of Islam and will end up in Hell, or that it’s none of my business, well.. it is my business because this is happening on the streets of the country I live in. 

And hey, I’ve been on my way to Hell for a long time, so no biggie in that threat.  I never proclaim that I am perfect, and I will certainly go to Heaven.  You as a person do not have the right to judge whether I will go to Hell or Heaven, only God can make that judgment.  And if that is my destiny, then so be it.  Your words of a “devil” or whatever you call those who are not followers of Islam, and saying I should die because of my beliefs does not offend me.  Lemme put it this way, I don’t have a problem slinging around a few slabs of bacon in bacon grease coated hands which would do absolutely no physical damage to you.   However, is violence towards my attitude worth losing your 40some virgins and existing in Hell for eternity?

Because if anything, I propose a campaign for PEACE on the streets of the United States between Pro-Palestinians and those who are Pro-Israel.   Everyone is entitled to the right to assembly and the right to free speech thanks to our Constitution.  That is something that is NOT available in MOST Middle East countries, especially to women.  And general human rights and ethics entitles you to your own opinion, whether in my opinion, my neighbors opinion, or the person next to me’s opinion is different.  Again, an option that is NOT available in MOST Middle East countries. 

However, name calling, encroachment, and violence towards an opposite group because of religion and race are not.   That is a hate crime here in the United States.   I understand that the laws of Israel and of Gaza are different from here in the United States, but so should you.  You live in the United States, not in Israel and not in Gaza.  Please do NOT bring the Middle East conflict to OUR streets.  Isn’t the fighting and way of life there the reason you left and came to the United States to live free?

And if you are so proud of your land, and state that an injustice is being done, instead of bringing violence to our streets here in the United States, go back to Gaza and fight alongside Hamas against Israel.

What you need to realize is that yes, the United States gave aid to Israel however, in the past few days President Bush also gave $85 million in aide to the UN marked for Gaza and the West bank.  That’s more money per person for Gaza and the West Bank, than we as Americans got in our “stimulus” checks last year.  Our president gave Gaza and the West Bank more money per person for aid, that Congress gave us for economic help.

And if you tell me that I have to make a choice?  Then my choice is going to be those who break the law in the United States, according to our laws here, not the laws of Israel or of Gaza, should go to jail.  Obviously you don’t like the way we do things here in the United States, so go back to the Middle East where your life was so much better than here… and take your never ending war with you.  Oh wait, or is that why you came to the United States, so you could be free. 

HOW TO FIX THE PROBLEM

Here’s an easy one.  Israel stops firing.  If Hamas sends a rocket across the border, without provocation, then Israel has the right to send a Hellfire missile in.  If Hamas sends two rockets or mortars across the border, unprovoked, then Israel has the right to send two Hellfire missiles in.  Deal?  I’m sure there’s something in Islam that is similar to “An eye for an eye.”  You say that’s no end to the war?  Well, hasn’t Hamas been attacking Israel for about ohh.. what seven years and Palestine never complained while you cheered Hamas on?  And what about all the other years, basically since the beginning of time?

Because ultimately, the below picture is what all should be working for.  Palestinians and Jews side by side, for the same cause.  Peace between them both.

SOURCES FOR PICTURES:

Forget it.. can’t remember.  Too many to keep track of.  IF you are the original owner and wish for a picture(s) to be removed, please see the bottom of the page for correct copyright (DMCA) submission guidelines and contact information.

If a picture is your, and you will allow me to use it, but want recognition, contact me via the information below.

Armed Hamas militants in civilian clothes roamed the halls.  Asked their function, they said it was to provide security.  But there was international bloodletting under way.

In the fourth-flour orthopedic section, a woman in her late 20s asked a militant to let her see Saleh Hajoj, her 32-year-old husband.  She was turned away and left the hospital.  Fifteen minutes later, Mr. Hajoj was carried out by young men pretending to transfer him to another ward.  As he lay on the stretcher, he was shot in the left side of the head.

Mr. Hajoj, like five others killed at the hospital this way in 24 hours, was accused of collaboration with Israel.  He had been in the central prison awaiting trial by Hamas judges; when Israel destroyed the prison on Sunday he and the others were transferred to the hospital.  But their trials were short-circuited.

More details come from the Toronto Star who published the entire story from the NYT

At Shifa Hospital yesterday, armed Hamas militants in civilian clothes roved the halls.  Asked their funciton, they said they were providing security.  But there was internal bloodletting underway.

In the fourth floor orthopedic section, a woman in her late twenties asked a militant to let her see Saleh Hajoj, her 32-year-old husban.   She was turned away and left the hospital.  Fifteen minutes later, Hajoj was carried out of his room by young men pretending to transfer him to another hospital section.  As he lay on the stretcher, he was shot in the left side of the head.  A bit of brain emerged on the other side of his skull.

Hajoj, like five others who were killed at the hospital in this way in the previous 24 hours, was accused of collaboration with Israel.  He had been in the central prison awaiting trail by Hamas judges, and when Israel destroyed the prison Sunday he and the others were transferred to the hospital.  But their trails were short-circuited.

A crowd at the hospital showed no pity after the shooting, which was widely observed.  A man in his thirties mocked a woman who expressed horror at the scene.

“This horrified you?” he shouted.  “A collaborator that caused the death of many innocent and resistance fighters?”

Another man told her, “It was his brother who killed him to wipe away the shame from his family.”

Sobhia Jomaa, a layer with the Palestinian Independent Commission for Human Rights, said 115 collaborators were in the central prison.  None had been executed by Hamas since it took office and their cases were monitored closely, she said.  “The prison provided the sole protection to all of them,” she said.  “But once it was bombed, many wanted to take revenge.”

Dr. Hussein Ashour, director of Shifa Hospital, said keeping his patients alive from their wounds was hard enough for him.  He said there were some 1,500 wounded distributed among Gaza’s nine hospitals plagued with equipment shortages.

 

Additional details regarding more incidents around the hospital come from The Jewish Press

Tuesday’s clashes began when members of the PA General Intelligence Force fired at gunmen belonging to Hamas’s “Executive Force” at the Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.  Eyewitnesses said members of the “Executive Force” stationed at the hospital tired to prevent an ambulance from entering the compound under the pretext that gunmen were hiding inside the vehicle.

Sources close to the General Intelligence Force claimed the ambulance was carrying an officer who broke his leg when he fell off a ladder.

“The Hamas guards at the hospital kidnapped the officer and his companions and held them as hostages inside the hospital,” they said.  “Then the Hamas militiamen phoned the General Intelligence headquarters and asked us to send a force to take the kidnapped men.”

According to the sources, when General Intelligence officers arrived at the hospital, the Hamas guards opened fire, injuring three of them.  They also claimed that a fourth officer, Muhammed al-Harazin, was kidnapped by the Hamas gunmen.  Harazin’s body was later discovered near the hospital together with the bullet-ridden body of another General Intelligence officer, Muhammed Kassab.

SOURCES:

• “Hamas takes time out from killing Jews to murder their own”, American Thinker, 31DEC08

He based the forecast on classified data supplied to him by FAPSI analysis, he says.  He predicts that economic, financial and demographic trends will provoke a political and social crisis in the U.S.  When the going gets tough, he says, wealthier states will withhold funds from the federal government and effectively secede from the union.  Social unrest up to and including a civil war will follow.  The U.S. will then split along ethnic lines, and foreign powers will move in.

And since 1998, he has said that the United States will fall in 2010 splitting into six independent pieces.  Renewed interest in his theory as come into the spotlight due to a recent interview with Izvestia, one of Russia’s biggest national dailies.  And those in Russia are listening.

So why does he think this will happen?  “The dollar is not secured by anything.  The country’s foreign debt has grown like an avalanche, even though in the early 1980s there was no debt.  By 1998, when I first made my prediction, it had exceeded $2 trillion.  Now it is more than 11 trillion.  This is a pyramid that can only collapse.”  Panarin calls U.S. foreign debt “ a pyramid scheme,” and predicts China and Russia would usurp Washington’s role as a global finance regulator.

Panarin posits, in brief, that mass immigration, economic decline, and moral degradation will trigger a civil war next fall and the collapse of the dollar.  Around the end of June 2010, or early July, he says, the U.S. will break into six pieces.

The White House’s reaction to Panarin’s forecast at a December news conference was a “I am perplexed and therefore I think I will have to decline to comment,” from Dana Perino, which received laughter from the press.

From the November, 2008 interview: [Video, in English/Russian from Russia Today]

Q[Izvestia]:  Will the entire American economy collapse?

A [Panarin]:  It is collapsing now.  Three out of the five largest and oldest banks on Wall Street ceased to exist because of the financial crisis; and the other two are on the verge of surviving.  Their losses are the largest in history.  Now we are talking about replacing the regulation system in the world:  America will no longer be the world regulator.

Q:  Which country will replace it?

A:  Two countries are making a claim for this role:  China with its large reserves, and Russia as a country which could play the role of a regulator on the Eurasian territory. … The gold reserves of Chian come to more than 2 trillion dollars.  It is the largest creditor to the USA.

Q:  What makes you believe in the possible division of the country?

A:  There are a number of reasons.  First, the financial problem of the USA will increase.  Millions of citizens have already lost their savings.  Prices and unemployment keep growing.  General Motors and Ford are on the verge of collapse which means that entire town will end up unemployed.  The governors are not harshly demanding money from the federal center.  Complaints are growing.  They’ve been restrained so far by the presidential election and by hope that Obama could perform a miracle.   However, by spring it will become clear that a miracle will not happen.

The second factor is the vulnerability of the political mechanism in the USA.  There is uniform legislation on the territory of the country.  There aren’t even general uniform traffic rules.  The skeleton which keeps the USA together is fragile.  Event eh armed forces in Iraq are represented by the non-citizens of the United States to a large extent.  They fight for the promise of American citizenship.  Thus the army, as a melting pot has stopped fulfilling a consolidating function for the American state.  And finally, the split of the elite has made itself especially clear under the conditions of the crisis.

Q:  How will the country be divided?  Mexico is obviously in the south.  What else?

A:  There are six part altogether.  The first one is the Pacific Ocean coast of the USA.  I can give you an example: 53% of San Francisco’s population is Chinese.  The Governor of Washington state was an ethnic Chinese; its capital, Seattle, is called the gate of the Chinese emigration to the USA>  It is obvious that the Pacific Ocean coast has been gradually influenced by China.  The second part in the south is definitely the Mexicans.  In some areas, Spanish has become the official language already.  Then comes Texas which has been openly fighting for independence.  The Atlantic coast has a totally different ethnos and mentality.  It could be split into two parts as well.  And then we are left with two central depressed areas.  May I remind you that five central states where the Indians live had announced their independence.  It was perceived as a joke or a kind of a political show.  But the fact remains the same.  Canada is making a strong influence in the North.  By the way, Russia may require returning Alaska, as it had been rented out… [And Hawaii goes to Japan or China.]

[…]

Q:  Could you tell us about the division of the elite.  Are these democrats and the republicans?

A:  No, that is not right.  There are two groups in the US authorities.  The first one may be called the globalists, or the Trotskyites.  Leon Trotsky had already formulated their idea in the past:  it’s not Russia that we need, but a world revolution.  Soviet Russia was viewed by them as a base for control over the world.  The second group is the statists which want prosperity for their country.  Representatives of these two clans are present in both Democratic and Republican Parties.  Take voting for the anti-crisis plan of Paulson, which was suggested by the Republican administration, for example.  It was voted down in the Congress by the Republicans first of all.

Q:  Who is in charge of the clans?

A:  The key persons of the globalists are Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Vice President Dick Cheney.  The key persons of the statists are Robert Gates, Defense Secretary; Michael Hayden, CIA Director; and Admiral Mike McConnell, director of national intelligence.  Globalists are mainly the financial elite, and statists are the armed forces, special services and military and industrial complex.  Recently the confrontation between these two clans have become open.  In December last year the statists presented a reported which completely denied the existence of the nuclear program in Iran.  It directly contradicted conclusions made by Condoleezza Rice and Dick Cheney.  The second important event took place at the hearings of the US Congress concerning the 5-day war in the Caucasus.  The globalists represented by Condoleezza Rice insisted that Russia had started the war an d that it would be punished for it.  Georgia was the project of Condoleezza.  And representatives of the intelligence community presented a diametrically opposite statement:  that Georgia had started the war.  We see an open confrontation between very outstanding political figures.

Q:  And who’s Obama company?

A:  The statists with Gates in charge were the key players who had enabled Obama to win.  They are demanding that he change the general line in return.  IN this light, a very interesting factor is that Gates the Republican is viewed as the most important candidate as to whether he remains the US Defense Secretary or becomes the Secretary of State.  This is the influence of the statists on the President.  By the way, the first session which Obama held was with the American Intelligence community.

NOT THE FIRST TIME RUSSIA PREDICTS DEMISE OF THE US

Perhaps the most famous was when Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev promising before the United Nations to “bury” the United States and again in his famous “kitchen debates” telling Richard Nixon that the superiority of the Soviet Union would overtake the U.S. and the Soviets would say “Dasvidania” to the U.S.

In the “Kitchen Debate”, which took place in 1955, then Vice-President Nixon and Khrushchev discussed the merits of each of their respective economic systems, capitalism and communism.  While Nixon focused on American technology such as supermarkets filled with foods, dishwashers, lawnmowers, makeup, cake mixes, TV dinners, Pepsi and the washing machine, Khurshchev  stressed that the focus on “things that matter” rather than luxury was more important.

ANOTHER PREDICTION FOR THE US FROM THE US

Back in November, I blogged about Gerald Celente Predicts Total Collapse of Economy and Revolution by 2012.

RANT ON

This guy is really clueless about many parts of the United States and is nothing more than Communist propaganda.  He obviously doesn’t realize that here in the US, states are allowed to make their own laws, but you as a regular civilian don’t need “papers” to cross the border to enter another state.

Kentucky, Tennessee, South Carolina and North Carolina in the same country as New York or Maine and them being part of the European Union?  Yea, as IF.  Obviously he doesn’t know much about that little thing called the Mason-Dixon line and the south believes it will “Rise Again” versus the North.

And Idaho and Utah, with the Mormons being a part of the same country as California, under Chinese influence.  Forgive me with a valley girl expression but, “As If!  Like, I am SO sure, ya know?”

And Georgia, Alabama and Louisiana becoming part of Mexico….. umm.. yea.. okay.  I can just see it now, deep in the heart of Dixie, Mexicans in the bayou, drinking Budweiser, and four-by-fourin in the mud listening to Alan Jackson singing “Chattahoochee”.

And Mexico not taking California?  Heck, hasn’t that pretty much already happened?  Or will the Pacific and the “South TX region”  “sell” California, along with Arizona, and New Mexico back to Mexico.  Or would Mexico just say it’s theirs, and we stole it.  Wait.. that’s already happened too….

And then there’s Texas.  As IF they would even become part of Mexico, remember they have been screaming about their own independence for years.  To expect Texas to submit to Mexico?  Talk about the start of a new MX-TX war….

And Ohio being part of the same “country” as Montana?  Sha… right!  Maybe part of the NE but not the Midwest.

I wonder what Sarah Palin would have to say about Russia taking back Alaska.  NYET?

Perhaps Panarin got hold of some bootlegged Vodka, and is suffering from a permanent case of the DTs….. and his years with the KGB and communist ways are showing.  And he’s trying to shed light on the US failing, while trying to minimize the fact that Russia’s own economy is in failure with his “Nothing to see here, move along and look at the US falling apart” story.  Sorry, no “Red Dawn” fantasy here.

But ultimately, I think Panarian has been watching reruns of Jericho lately, where nuclear detonations around the US spirals the country into division, with one country based in Cheyenne, WY and the other in TX.

ADDITIONAL SOURCES:

• “As if Things Weren’t Bad Enough, Russian Professor Predicts End of U.S.”, WSJ, 29DEC08
• “A new Canadian province, eh?”, Star Tribune, 29DEC08
• “Cyr:  Sudden celebrity of Panarin troubling”, ScrippsNews, 30DEC08

YESTERDAYS PROTESTS

AUSTIN, TEXAS
Pro-Palestine

A group of about 200 protesters yelled “end the occupation” and held signs calling for a halt to the bombings in Gaza outside the Texas Capitol.  Some had Palestinian flags and signs that read “free Palestine” or “Cease Fire.”

BOSTON, MA
Pro-Palestine

About 80 - 100 demonstrators marched in Boston.

“It’s genocide. It’s a holocaust,” said “Frank from Arlington” about Israel’s police in the occupied territories.  “I don’t say that to diminish the horror of the holocaust, but that’s what they’re doing.”

More pics.

CAMBRIDGE, MA
Pro-Palestinian

Over 100 people from the Boston Coalition for Palestinian Rights and several other human rights and pro-Palestinian organizations held a protest.  Organizers say more protests are to follow later this week.

CHICAGO
Synagogue fire bombed

In Chicago, someone threw a Molotov cocktail at a North Side synagogue on Monday.

When the fire department arrived, they found a small fire on the wall in a fenced-in playground area.

The police Bomb & Arson Unit is investigating along with the Chicago Police hate crime division.

NEW YORK CITY
Pro-Palestine March

In NYC, over a thousand protestors flooded Rockefeller Center in Manhattan on the 28th.  The protestors chanted “Free Free Palestine” and “While you’re shopping bombs are dropping.”

Lots more pictures on Webshots.

NEW YORK CITY
Pro-Israeli

Pro-Israel groups organized a rally in support outside the Isreali consulate in Midtown and dropped leaflets calling on Hamas to adhere to a cease-fire.  The group “Stand With Us” said “Hamas and its supporters bear sole responsibility for any harm to Gaza’s civilians.”

INDIANAPOLIS
Pro-Palestine March

About 75 people gathered at Monument Circle on Monday evening to protest Israel airstrikes in the Gaza Strip.  The demonstration, which was pulled together at the last minute by word of mouth, included Palestinian-Americans marching around the Circle holding candles and signs.  One read, “Mothers are grieving in Palestine and Israel.”  Another was scrawled with the words, “300+ dead?  Not kosher.”

Bashar Ghanem, 32, a heating and cooling technician said he immigrated to Indianapolis from Nablus six years ago and is now a U.S. citizen.  “The war is not equal,” he said.  “Israel’s army has all kinds of high-tech weapons.”  [But it was fair when Hamas was sending daily rockets and mortars into Israel?  And who said war was fair?]

Anas Al-Marouq, 22, a student at Indiana University-Purdue University Indy who lived in Hebron from ages 12 to 17 said, “A lot of people say if Hamas wasn’t firing rockets as Israel, this wouldn’t have happened, and it’s true, but if there wasn’t a huge embargo on Gaza, there wouldn’t be a huge resistance.  You can only trap a cat in the corner so long until it starts fighting for itself.”  [But if the dog (Israel) fights back at the cat(Hamas), then it’s wrong, right?]

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA
Pro-Palestine

A “few hundred” demonstrators tied up Market Street traffic in San Francisco.  Organizer Lubna Morrar said, “We are just representing our people of the Gaza who have been bombed every day,” she said.

The Arab Organizing and Resource Center held a protest speaking of the “connections between Palestinian and other indigenous struggles against genocide as well as the complicity of US taxpayers in the atrocity.”

AROUND THE WORLD

Just a small sampling from around the world.

In Sydney, Australia today, Pro-Palestine protests brought the city to a standstill, as more than 1000 Arab Australians marked on the US Consulate in an anti-Israel, anti-US rally.

In Beirut, Lebanon, tens of thousands of Lebanese Hezbollah supporters were involved in a protest carrying Palestinian, Lebanese and yellow Hezbollah flags and banners supporting the Palestinian people.  Hezbollah has vowed to support Hamas, but has for now held its fire.

In London, England, about 2,000 protestors marched outside the Israeli embassy.  Protestors threw red liquids at the gate of the Israeli embassy.

In Vancouver, Canada, about 250 pro-Palestinian demonstrators were chanting “Viva, viva intifada!” and “1-2-3-4, we don’t want this racist war!” and “Occupation is a crime, from Iraq to Palestine.”  Meanwhile across the street 8 pro-Israel demonstrators shouted “Hamas is a terrorist organization” and waved the Israeli flag.

In Barcelona, Span, “hundreds of people” protested with a Palestinian banner in front of the Israel-Spain chamber of commerce, demanding the government of Catalonia region end its trade agreements with Israel.  Some carried placards reading “genocide” and “racist”.  The protest followed a demonstration outside the Israeli embassy.

In Baghdad, Iraq about 1,000 protestors chanted “No, no to Israel” and burned Israeli and American flags.

In Switzerland, there was a protest, however I can not find the number attended or even a news article about it.

RANT ON

First, one Gaza official is saying that the Palestinian death toll is at 364.  Of that, the U.N. is saying around 62 of the dead were civilians.  That means over 300 terrorists were killed.  Yes, you read that right, terrorists.  Hamas is not a government.  Hamas is not an army.  Hamas is not a country.  Hamas is a terrorist organization.  They are a group of militia acting like terrorists who self imposed their own rule.  And as I have said before, those who choose to live in the Gaza Strip under their rule obviously agree with what they are doing, thus the residents of Gaza are terrorist supporters.  It would seem that the “innocent civilians” would greatly outnumber Hamas.  It is a war on terrorism in an area that holds 1.5 million people.

I find it interesting that when Hamas was sending rockets and mortars over to Israel on a daily basis, killing innocent civilians on nearly a daily basis for years, that the Palestinians around the world never EVER said that it should stop, that it was wrong.  I never EVER heard one Palestinian cry for the rights of the Israeli children. Especially when fighters launched missiles at Jewish day care centers and schools.  But when their children are killed, its a totally different situation, right? Its genocide then.

And if you think all those people that live in Gaza are against Hamas… have a look at the below video.  This video was shot on December 14th, of this year at a celebration marking Hamas’ 21 year anniversary.

And I haven’t heard ONE Palestinian talk about how WRONG it was on Christmas Day when Hamas lobbed a mortar at the Erez crossing just as a group of Gaza Christians were standing in line to travel to Bethlehem for Christmas.

Or what about all the years of suicide bombings, which one included a school bus?

Or what about on Monday when Hamas sent a missile into a bus station at Ashdod?

Can you imagine living like this on a day to day basis in Israel?  “It’s totally disrupting life.  Here you have 15-20 seconds to prepare, to get cover.  It’s so disruptive to the lives of the people who are living within the rage … and it’s a daily thing … People send their kids to school and they don’t know if they’re gonna come back.”  Tell me, how would you feel if you have to live like this on a daily basis?  How would you feel if you walked out the door that day, not knowing if you would ever see your family alive again?  EVERY DAY?  Or how would you feel if you knew that at any moment, everything you own could be destroyed by a rocket.  And how well would you sleep at night knowing that at any time a rocket could drop on your home?  I’m pretty sure that you get mad right now, if your neighbor throws trash in your yard, right?  And what would you think if Tijuana started lobbing a few rockets across the border to the United States to San Diego on a daily basis.   Or if Canada started thrown a few mortars across the border to Albany, NY?  Exactly how long would that last? 

Now that Israel has had enough, and decided to eradicate the terrorists, they are wrong, and are in violation of International Law?  How can you be in violation of International Law when you attack terrorists and their supporters?  Whine, whine, whine.  Now that you are on the losing end, you claim FOUL and want fair play.  Sorry.. too late for that.  Now Hamas and those living in Gaza, whose number is obviously rather high, now get a taste of what they have been handing out.. and they don’t like it.  Too bad.

But Hamas also wants to eradicate Jews all in the name of Allah.  Hamas has previously claimed all of what is now Israel and the West Bank and Gaza, and its charter calls for the destruction of Israel.  Until Hamas recognizes Israel’s right to exist, this “war” will NEVER END.

But it seems that the “fight” has come to the United States. Prior to this incident I wrote about Israeli and Palestinian “skirmishes” and “disagreements” in my “Israeli and Palestinian Violence on UC Berkeley Campus” back in mid November.  And just like in the current news, back then, and for the past 10 years, if Palestinian students picked on Israeli students it was ignored or okay.  But when Israeli students fought back, it was a “bad thing” and a “wrong thing”.  Why is it that the world only reacts when Israel fights back, but never when Hamas attacks Israel?

I refuse to take sides however, if Israelis and Palestinians bring their demonstrations and violence into my neighborhood, I will choose the side of the Israelis. And no I am not Jewish, nor am I Muslim.  Heck, I’m not even Christian, if you really want to know.  But I have MAJOR problems with the innocent are picked on and wrongly accused.  I’m not saying that Israel is innocent in all of this, I’m simply saying that I don’t like bullies who claim they are the victim. 

If you really want someone to protest, protest Egypt who’s border guards are opening fire on those same innocent civilians who are trying to escape Gaza, and it has been reported that some Palestinians have been injured as a rest.  Egypt has added an additional 300 guards to the border.  And President Mubarak said that Egypt will keep its border crossings with Gaza closed until Abbas regains authority over the territory.  Why not protest a country that is keeping those who wish to flee the fighting stuck in their country?  But no, lets point fingers at Israel and the United States instead, right?  And lets not point fingers at Hamas, who wants to eradicate the Jews, and has in the past, for years, sent daily rocket barrages across the border into Israel, right?  Let’s just blame Israel instead.

Or we could always discuss the new news, about Hamas bringing back Crucifixion.  Did you know that Hamas “legislators” passed a Shari’a criminal code for the Palestine Authority, which authorizes crucifixion?  The Quran says, “5:33  Those who wage war against God and His Messenger and strive to spread corruption in the land should be punished by death, crucifixion, the amputation of an alternate hand and foot or banishment from the land:  a disgrace for them in this world, and then a terrible punishment in the Hereafter.”

Yea, that’s REAL progress.  A REAL step… a real step backwards that is.  I have bars of “Give Me That Old Time Religion” going through my head now…

Seriously, what does Hamas do?  Sit around on a Saturday night saying, “Hey, I’m bored.  Let’s go have some fun, fire a few rockets over to Israel, and kill a  few people.”  Then afterwards do they say to each other, “Let’s go see what we can do next to make ourselves even more barbaric!  Stoning, hanging, beheading and burning is just so last year….”  To blaspheme a line from the Bible:  “Do NOT forgive them, Father, for they know PERFECTLY well what they do.”

HOWEVER, there is the old saying of “overkill”.  There is a point when you have to say “enough”!  Israel has said no to a cease fire, and Hamas continues to send rockets back across to Israel.  Hamas needs to realize that Israel could totally destroy Gaza if they want, and Israel should really realize that there is such a thing as overkill, and not try genocide.  But will either of them realize this?  Probably not.

And with everyone hating and protesting the United States along with Israel, joining the side of terrorists pretty much in every Arab nation, let us hope this does NOT start a world war, especially with a new President in office.  Or is this what Biden was saying, when he said that Obama will be tested within the first six months of his Presidency?  Could this push the United States into Martial Law with all the protesting going on, and possible violence between Palestinian and Israelis?  Between Muslims and Jews?  No, Im not a conspiracy person, as I have said and shown however, lets take a step back and look at the entire picture.

  -  The US is in a recession, and depression in certain areas.
  -  Unemployment is at a 26 year high, and reaching depression numbers in certain areas.
  -  Wall Street failing, 401ks disappearing overnight.
  -  Banks getting a bailout, yet monthly mortgage payments rise.
  -  Record levels of foreclosures.
  -  More homeless.
  -  States running out of money, asking Washington for help.
  -  The Big 2 bailout, and deciding in Feb/March if they are solvent.
  -  States cutting back on health care.
  -  A war in Iraq.
  -  A war in Afghanistan.
 

I’m sure I’ve missed something, but can you come up with any other time in history when all of this is going on with the United States and the world?

Gee good thing we have about a three month stockpile of food, that could be pushed to about 4 months, and it’s pretty portable too.  Just time to start stocking up on water now.