Olmert's collaboration with Hizbullah.
Civil Fights: Olmert's collaboration with Hizbullah
Jul. 23, 2008
Evelyn Gordon , THE JERUSALEM POST
Following last Wednesday's swap of live terrorists for dead soldiers, media reports claimed that many Israelis felt cheated: Against all odds, they had expected Hizbullah to return living soldiers, and were outraged to receive mere corpses. It is frankly hard to sympathize with this. Given the overwhelming evidence that both soldiers were dead, anyone who deluded himself otherwise has only himself to blame. Yet in light of information that has emerged since the exchange, Israelis nevertheless had good reason to feel cheated.
Even the facts known in advance were reason enough for outrage: Five live terrorists, including child-killer Samir Kuntar, plus 199 bodies, were exchanged for two corpses. As numerous analysts have noted, once the dead can be ransomed as easily as the living, kidnappers have little incentive to keep their victims alive.
Moreover, the deal clearly inflated the price for Gilad Schalit, or any other kidnapped soldier known to be alive. After all, if Hizbullah can obtain a vicious murderer in exchange for two corpses, a live soldier ought to be worth dozens or hundreds of such murderers. And indeed, Palestinians say the swap bolstered Hamas's resolve not to compromise on its original demands - whereas cabinet ministers declared on Sunday that Israel is now obligated to accept many of these demands, since it cannot ransom corpses while refusing to ransom a living soldier.
Caroline B. Glick: Reading Ehud Barak
Caroline Glick
Caroline B. Glick: Reading Ehud Barak
The Jewish Press July 23, 2008
www.jewishpress.com/displaycontent_new.cfm?contentid=34117&contentname=R...
On July 14, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak castigated UN Security
Council Resolution 1701, which set the terms of the cease-fire that ended
the 2006 war between Israel and Iran's Lebanese army Hizbullah, saying, "UN
resolution 1701 didn't work, isn't working and won't work." He added, "UN
resolution 1701 is a failure."
Resolution 1701 is indeed a failure and always has been a failure. The
resolution is predicated on the false belief that UNIFIL, the UN force
deployed along Lebanon's border with Israel would work together with the
Lebanese army to prevent Hizbullah from rearming and reasserting its control
over Lebanon after the war. Yet, under 1701, Hizbullah tripled the size of
its arsenal of missiles over what it was on the eve of the 2006 war.
Hizbullah now has more than 40,000 missiles. That arsenal includes new
long-range missiles capable of reaching Be'er Sheva and Dimona.
Not only has Hizbullah reasserted its control over southern Lebanon under
Resolution 1701, it extended its control north of the Litani River.
Moreover, the military and political power Hizbullah gained under 1701 paved
the way for the group's coup this past May. During its coup, Hizbullah
demonstrated that it is the most powerful military force in the country. It
Russia running out of control. TNK-BP shows pitfalls of doing business in Russia: TNK-BP chief in 'secret location' amid saftey
Russia running out of control
There have been dodgy actions galore over this business -including
legal challenges ostensibly from a Russian provincial government but
turning out to emanate from a dummy address in Moscow where nobody
knows anything but which are recognised by Russian courts.
In a totally separate story "Russian corporate raiders with contacts
reaching high into the upper echelons of the nation's law enforcement
agencies have been accused of robbing the state of hundreds of
millions of dollars in a sophisticated fraud uncovered by the
activist US investor Bill Browder."
[For the full corrupt story read
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2008/07/25/
cnrussia125.xml
Russia is turning into a corrupt and essentially lawless state where
the rule of law no longer obtains.
xxxxxxxxxxx cs
=====================
TELEGRAPH 25.7.08
1.TNK-BP shows pitfalls of doing business in Russia
By Damian Reece
In case you'd missed it, Britain is now at war with Russia. No, a new
military conflagration hasn't passed you by. The battle is in the
theatre of business.
In suitably Churchillian tones, Lord Robertson of Port Ellen, deputy
chairman of TNK-BP and former secretary general of Nato, yesterday
said: "Anyone who cares about the security of international
investment and corporate governance should be concerned. This is not
about British versus Russian interests as AAR has tried to portray
Public to decide C-charge future
Public to decide C-charge future
The people of Greater Manchester will decide whether a congestion charge
is introduced in the region.
The leaders of all 10 authorities met on Friday and unanimously agreed
to a public referendum on the issue, likely to be held in December.
Government funding towards £2.8bn worth of public transport investment
depends on the launch of the scheme in 2013.
Motorists would be charged for crossing the M60 and a second ring around
the city centre at peak times.
The unanimous decision was reached by the Association of Greater
Manchester Authorities (AGMA) on Friday.
It's all or nothing
Lord Peter Smith,
leader of AGMA
Residents of all 10 boroughs will vote yes or no to one question, it was
confirmed, although the wording is yet to be agreed.
Lord Peter Smith, leader of AGMA said: "Today's news is an important
step forward for the people of Greater Manchester who now have an
opportunity to vote on one of the most important decisions this city
region has seen for decades.
"People will have their say on whether they want to say yes to a
transformed public transport system in Greater Manchester including a
congestion charge to ensure their region can continue to prosper.
"It is all or nothing."
Transport bosses said the investment would be split across 30 different
public transport schemes across Greater Manchester's 10 boroughs.
They have pledged to have at least 80% of the improvements in place
before the charge is introduced in 2013.
Extra trains
ISRAELIS MUST FIGHT FOR INDEPENDENCE FROM OLMERT, LIVNI, PERES AND BARAK
ISRAELIS MUST FIGHT FOR INDEPENDENCE FROM OLMERT, LIVNI, PERES AND BARAK
======
SHABBAT SHALOM!
==============
Dr. Aaron Lerner
It is a mistake to attribute the dismal performance of Israel's leadership
to limits set by America.
Yes, there is pressure from America. But it mostly excuses, rather than
drives, policy.
Consider our recent past.
Israeli diplomatic initiatives have been almost without exception carried
out with American approval only ex-post:
Oslo, talks with Syria, even the idea of a sovereign Palestinian State were
Israeli initiatives carried out without prior American approval.
Shimon Peres flew to California to try to convince US secretary of state,
Warren Christopher to take "credit" for Oslo so that he could then argue
that Israel had no choice but to approve it in the face of "American
pressure" - but Christopher refused to play along.
President Bush only talked of a sovereign Palestinian State well after Ariel
Sharon went very public with this stand.
When Israel's leadership was determined that action had to be taken it acted
even if America was cool to the idea:
The bombing of the Iraqi nuclear facility was criticized by Washington, and
even the decision to take out the Syrian nuclear facility faced considerable
opposition from significant elements in D.C. Nevertheless, these
operations - as well as many others America was cool to - were carried out
because Israel felt it had to.
When Israel's leadership was determined to act in "fact creating" - be it in
Olmert's Coup
Olmert's Coup
by Moshe Dann
Moshe Dann is a writer and journalist living in Jerusalem.
Recent by Author:
Farce in a Kfar Saba Courtroom
Olmert's National Policy of Guilt
The 'Legal' War on Israel
Author's Archive
22 Tammuz 5768, 25 July 08 04:27
(IsraelNN.com)
Like it or not, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has changed Israeli politics. Never before has disregard for the public will been so blatant and ruinous to Israel's national psyche, stamina and cohesion.
Such behavior is not new; what is different is the way in which it is done, the extent to which it has undermined public confidence, and the depth of that wound.
Politicians are naturally filled with arrogance and self-service; few are ready to admit mistakes - until they can't hide anymore. Olmert's greed, however, is not only an individual fault; it reflects a system that has become utterly corrupted.
Buying off or destroying the opposition is, as political theorists have noted, standard practice. It is the grease for compromise in representative democracies. Dictatorships tolerate no opposition. But opposition in democracies, to be meaningful, must be effective and able to articulate a coherent alternative agenda. This does not exist in Israel. The major opposition party has no alternative national agenda.
He ventured forth to bring light to the world.
This says it all!
He ventured forth to bring light to the world
The anointed one's pilgrimage to the Holy Land is a miracle in action - and a blessing to all his faithful followers
From Skipper ...thanks
From The Times
July 25, 2008
He ventured forth to bring light to the world
The anointed one's pilgrimage to the Holy Land is a miracle in action - and a blessing to all his faithful followersGerard Baker
And it came to pass, in the eighth year of the reign of the evil Bush the Younger (The Ignorant), when the whole land from the Arabian desert to the shores of the Great Lakes had been laid barren, that a Child appeared in the wilderness.
The Child was blessed in looks and intellect. Scion of a simple family, offspring of a miraculous union, grandson of a typical white person and an African peasant. And yea, as he grew, the Child walked in the path of righteousness, with only the occasional detour into the odd weed and a little blow.
When he was twelve years old, they found him in the temple in the City of Chicago, arguing the finer points of community organisation with the Prophet Jeremiah and the Elders. And the Elders were astonished at what they heard and said among themselves: "Verily, who is this Child that he opens our hearts and minds to the audacity of hope?"
In the great Battles of Caucus and Primary he smote the conniving Hillary, wife of the deposed King Bill the Priapic and their barbarian hordes of Working Class Whites.
Background
Governor set to slash state workers' pay.
Governor set to slash state workers' pay. Employees would get money back when budget's settled
By Kevin Yamamura and Jon Ortiz - kyamamura@sacbee.com
http://www.sacbee.com/111/story/1105466.html
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Story appeared in MAIN NEWS section, Page A18
State workers leave the California Resources Agency in Sacramento on Wednesday. To preserve cash until a budget deal is reached, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger reportedly plans to order a temporary salary cut for 200,000 state workers to the federal minimum wage of $6.55 per hour.
Randall Benton / rbenton@sacbee.com
Click on photo to enlarge
See additional images
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger plans to sign an executive order next week intended to temporarily reduce pay for 200,000 state workers to the federal minimum wage of $6.55 per hour to preserve cash until lawmakers reach a budget deal, according to a draft copy of the order obtained by The Bee.
The governor's order also would terminate about 22,000 retired annuitants, temporary workers and seasonal employees, as well as impose a hard freeze that blocks the hiring of roughly 1,700 new employees per month.
Administration officials said the Republican governor expects to take the action Monday, when the budget will be four weeks late as Democrats and Republicans continue to spar over how to resolve a $15.2 billion shortfall.
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