Special Report
Mr. Cheney’s Indiscretions
Why the United Kingdom was singled out by the former vice president in his remarks on the “giant conspiracy” with regard to Iran.
From: The Foreign Office/Arab-Israeli
Department
To: The Prime Minister
Topic: Mr. Cheney’s Indiscretions
Status: Top Secret/Eyes Only
As you know, sir, in New York City on May 12, the former American Vice President, Dick Cheney, accused the United Kingdom of involvement “in a giant conspiracy” with regard to Iran. “We fail to recognize that we’re alone out there in terms of trying to achieve the objective of forcing the Iranians to give up their nuclear weapons,” the former Vice President said. “Everybody’s in a giant conspiracy to achieve a different objective than the one we want to achieve,” he continued, and he singled out France, Germany and the United Kingdom as nations “willing to live with a nuclear Iran.”
Of course, what the former Vice President said is substantively accurate — although, like nearly all Americans, he tends to regard anything short of “open covenants openly arrived at” as a conspiracy. In fact, what we are doing in the Middle East is pursuing our interests through the standard instruments of statecraft: guile, deception, and a sustained campaign of disinformation.
But what, you may well ask, are our interests in the Middle East? Obviously, Sir, the United Kingdom has a plethora of interests in the region — economic, political and military — but we in the Foreign Office have long been of the view that our primary interest is to reverse the disastrous consequences of the Balfour Declaration of 1917, and to eliminate — peacefully if at all possible, more forcefully if absolutely necessary — the Zionist state of Israel.
It is the settled conviction of this Office that the issuance of the Balfour Declaration was an error of the first magnitude, brought about by an unnatural alliance between evangelical Christians such as Lord Arthur Balfour, on the one hand, and deluded romantics such as Winston Churchill, on the other. Our Office did its utmost to block the issuance of the Balfour Declaration, but we failed. We thereupon sought to prevent the Zionist homeland from developing into a state — first by amputating three fourths of the territory allotted to Mandatory Palestine and transforming it into the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan — a kingdom entirely of our own invention; then by sharply limiting Jewish immigration to the remaining quarter of Jewish Palestine by pegging it to the land’s “absorptive capacity” — another concept of our own invention; and then by encouraging the Arab League — yet another British invention — to intervene on behalf of Palestine’s Arabs , whose xenophobic passions we deliberately enflamed. During World War II and its immediate aftermath, we even organized a blockade of the coast of Palestine in order to prevent boatloads of desperate Jewish refugees from reaching their so-called “Promised Land” — and we would have succeeded, had not the Truman Administration intervened on behalf of the Zionists.
Finally, in a desperate gamble, we agreed in 1947 to hand the entire problem of Palestine over to the United Nations — confident that with the Islamic Bloc and the Communist Bloc on our side, we could prevent the partition of what remained of Mandatory Palestine into an Arab state and a Zionist state. Alas, we were betrayed by that inveterate Anglophobe, Joseph Stalin, who ordered his minions to vote in favor of partition, thus bringing to naught three decades of determined British efforts to prevent the emergence of the state that came to be known as Israel.
Despite our setbacks, however, we have never reconciled ourselves to defeat. On the contrary, we have abided in the hope that, sooner or later, history would provide us with an opportunity to avenge ourselves on the Zionists and their supporters. The Iranian pursuit of nuclear weapons is precisely the opening we have sought. To be sure, publicly we must be stalwart in our opposition to Tehran; the Americans would never forgive us if we went wobbly on this issue. Privately, however, we can and should rejoice in the Iranian acquisition of atomic weapons, as this would result in one of two possibilities coming to pass: Either the Israelis will become so demoralized by a nuclear Iran that half of them will immigrate to the United States and the other half will embrace a so-called “one-state solution” — whereby the Zionist state of Israel would be dismantled and a new state with an Arab majority (“Isratine,” Colonel Qaddafi calls it) emerges in its stead; or, alternatively, a nuclear exchange ensues between Tel Aviv and Tehran. For humanitarian reasons, we naturally favor the “Isratine” solution —our repeated endorsesment of a “two-state solution” is, of course, just another sop to the Americans; no one in his right mind can take such a “solution” seriously — but should a nuclear exchange come to pass, the Zionists will have only themselves to blame. Either way, we would be rid of the Zionist incubus forever, and British statesmanship would be vindicated.
Of course, we have never shared these views with the Americans; even the closest of allies must have their little secrets. Moreover, hopeless moralists that they are, our American friends would be appalled if they knew how we actually regarded their obnoxious pet state. Instead, we have diligently carried on with our diplomatic charade of negotiations with Tehran, knowing full well that they were doomed from the outset. Mr. Cheney has rather unkindly characterized our efforts as a “conspiracy.” We prefer to regard our actions as no more than business as usual — and we are confident that Mr. Cheney’s remarks will have no impact whatsoever on the course of events. After all, the former Vice President is one of the most despised figures in America today — and nothing he says is likely to be taken seriously or believed.
Letter to the Editor View all comments (54) | Leave a comment
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Michael Tomlinson| 5.14.09 @ 9:36AM
Vice President Cheney nailed it when he pinned the tail to the donkey of pro-Muslim, pro-tyrant and weak Europe/Great Britain. In principle America has been alone in the world for decades we're just too naive to accept reality. Of course, BO will change that as he makes as weak, Muslim terrorist loving and ineffectual as the Europeans with his neo-fascism. The real threats to "Amerika" (i.e., BO) are veterans, Christians, pro-life "agitators," Republicans, participants at Tea Parties, etc.
L. Ross| 5.14.09 @ 11:22AM
W534657:
WTF?
bob k| 5.14.09 @ 11:53AM
this article reminds me of what I read in Leon Uris' Exodus when I was 12 years. the "we are always right and anyone who thinks different is evil" approach. the kind of paranoid who successfully creates enemies.
Joe| 5.14.09 @ 12:37PM
As usual Cheney, Churchill were right and this misguided Office is all wrong. The Muslims are the problem and will always be so long as the live in the 7th century of Muhommad conquest, slavery, etc.
Marcell | 5.14.09 @ 1:23PM
Cheney is sort of like the boy ( Old man) that cried wolf too many times.
On the other hand, my resume is better than those who are running the Republican Party right now, "Where can I get an application?"
... I am serious.
fundamentalist| 5.14.09 @ 1:37PM
The "Isratine" solution could work quite well if it didn't include Muslims. Just ask Palestinian Christians how easy it is to live with Muslim thugs who rape, murder and steal from Christians with encouragement from the Palestinian Authority. Why are Palestinian Christians immigrating at higher and higher rates every year?
Old Texican| 5.14.09 @ 2:05PM
Dick Cheney is probably the smartest man with which I have ever sat at, (across), a planning/negotiation table.
Dick Cheney is the most straight forward, honest man with which I have ever had the pleasure of doing business.
The man simply will not allow lies and deceptions ,including self-deceptions, exist at such a table.
I know...I know... he slaps people right in the face with their own foolishness. He did me. But he did it in such a low-key, self deprecating way, that I could accept it and learn from it. In fact, I could chuckle at my own oopsies, the way he did it.
Sadly, many people are too arrogantly ignorant to thank the man for his competence, and his passion for the essential goodness of our country, and his protection of our country.
We should all be saying, "Thank you, Dick, for carrying your responsibilities with the best you had."
I shall not be very long until we all recognize that his "best" is an entire universe better than we are likely to see for many years.
When everything starts coming apart, due to terrorists combined with state agressors combined with internal economic chaos, and then a pinch of utter stupidity on the part of our so-called national leaders...
Well, I can only hope that you and I will be half smart enough, with memories good enough, that we thank God for his quiet service to our country.
Perhaps we might all try to at least copy this splendid man....except let the bird get a little higher. (smile)
Ken
stmichrick| 5.14.09 @ 2:08PM
How ironic that the last civilized country in Europe seeks to undermine the last (read:only) civilized country in the Middle East.
Very disheartening.
Patsy Shaffer| 5.14.09 @ 3:01PM
What a shame that many of today's Middle East problems had their start with the British designs of hegemony over the area at the end of WWII. How short-sighted Joseph Shattan is in evaluating Mr. Cheney's opinions on the "conspiracy" of European countries towards the rise of Islam and opening their borders to let the terrorists in.
Shattan proved that what Mr. Cheney said is absolutely correct; the USA is mostly alone in defending freedom from the scourge of rising imposition of Muslims' slavery and death threats to the rest of the world.
Israel and the West has been badly mamed through the British butchering of the intent of the Balfour declaration to restore the Jewish nations to its ancient lands. Shattan seems to brag about. It is a shameful display of gross selfishness on the part of our English 'allies'.
Cohini
Marcell| 5.14.09 @ 4:37PM
You are just fooling yourself, Old Texican.
If The Dick Cheney was a real smart guy, he would turn himself in , plead guilty & try to get mercy for the crimes he committed.
Yeah, the Republican Party really benefited from the Bu$h Crime family... "Stop fooling yourselves."
Old Texican| 5.14.09 @ 7:27PM
Hi Marcell
Why don't you just tell us, oh merciful swami, just what you imagine Mr. Cheney did, except shoot a good friend? (grin)
Of course you have never been bird hunting, so you don't know why the joke is so good.
OK
Take off your pajamas...find a job...and get your hiney taxed off like the rest of us.
Mr. Cheney was handed homeland security by Mr. Bush. He got the job done for seven and a half years, you zero nincompoop! He protected your tender little hiney while you spat on him.
The only mistake Mr. Bush made...was being a "compassionate Conservative", while you zeroes sat on your rear ends chirping like little birds, begging for worms from daddy.
Your spit is not worthy of shining Mr. Cheney's shoes.
Nick| 5.14.09 @ 8:04PM
Old Texican,
Excellent testimony, sir. I concur wholeheartedly. Although I've never met the man.
If only Mr. Cheney's health had allowed him to run in '08, what a much better place we would all be in.
Marcell | 5.14.09 @ 8:22PM
Greetings Old Texican
You are right, "Take off your pajamas...find a job...and get your hiney taxed off like the rest of us."
I am petitioning the leaders in the conservative movement to hire me for tippler figures. I know how to help you win the next election.
Instead of telling me to find a job, "You should be advising your cronies to hire me."
...What I am going to do is prove my value to the conservative thinkers at this site by doing what I have mastered years ago, " How to win in a debate with a Republican." I am going to punch wholes in all of your talking points.
Don't take it personal, once I start whipping the pants off your best spin-masters; this is about business ie $$$. $$$. cents.
I am just trying to make big money, behind the scenes, giving you the info you need to take back congress next year.
As for now, I am going to continue helping the Democrats demoralize & destroy you.
Consider this: This is my free agent season.
Marcell| 5.14.09 @ 8:28PM
Water boarding is illegal
There are various forms of waterboarding but they all are a variation on a practice whereby a victim is immobilized and water is poured into their breathingpassages to simulate drowning. Photograph of U.S. soldier participating in the waterboarding of a Vietnamese prisoner.
Washington Post, Jan. 21, 1968. The use of waterboarding has been documented as far back as the late 1300s, making the practice over 600 years old.
Waterboarding became a popular interrogation technique during the Spanish Inquisition beginning in the 15 th century. Outcome of Case
Past Waterboarding Cases 1.
Spanish American War (Apr. 25, 1898 – Aug. 12, 1898): During the fighting in the Philippines, United States troops used waterboarding against Philippino insurgents. After the conclusion of fighting, Major Edwin Glenn and Lieutenant Edwin Hickman were tried for “conduct to the prejudice of good order and military discipline” by courts martial in Catlalogan, Samar in May, 1902 based upon infliction of the “water cure.”
The defense was military necessity.
Hickman was acquitted and Glenn was convicted.
One witness, Private Edward Norton described the “water cure” as follows: “Theman’s mouth was forced open with a stick and the water poured down his throat.
The effect of the treatment was temporary strangulation” (case name not found). 1/4 Major Edwin Glenn was convicted and Lieutenant Edwin Hickman was acquitted.
stmichrick| 5.14.09 @ 8:47PM
Who's side are you on? You think jihadists are receptive to your good will and appeasement?
Right after 9/11 I bet you were a tough-on-terror Democrat. Soon you realized there was political mileage to be had by criticizing the Bush Administration's efforts to protect the country from future attacks. You pander to people with short memories and craven Democrat politicians.
The case against the Bush Administration will go nowhere because they took the trouble and crossed all the T's and dotted the I's legally. We are all safer as a result.
Observe what is happening to Pelosi: her Bush hatred, mainly based on lies, will do her in.
Old Texican| 5.14.09 @ 9:33PM
"Marcell"
With a moniker like that you just know he is something special...don't we? (grin)
I wouldn't hire that wimp for dogcatcher. In fact I shall ignore him henceforth. He is boriiiiiing.
Nick| 5.14.09 @ 9:37PM
Marcell,
What you describe is not "water-boarding", as used in the current controversy. Everytime I've seen it demonstrated on tv, water-boarding has entailed putting a towel over the subjects head and pouring water over it, i.e. not torture.
What you described as happened in the Phillipines, I would call torture. Sounds like the Army did too, hence the conviction.
Next time, compare apples to apples.
Marcell | 5.14.09 @ 10:25PM
Wallach, Evan. “Drop By Drop: Forgetting The History of Water Torture In U.S. Courts,” The Columbia Journal of Transnational Law, 2007. - Wallach, Evan. “Waterboarding used to be a Crime,” Washington Post, Nov. 4, 2007. 2. Murder Conviction Overturned on Appeal (1922): After being convicted of murder in the state of Mississippi and sentenced to death, defendant Gerrard White appealed his murder conviction based upon arguments that his original confession was coerced through the use of the “water cure.” White won his appeal.
Judge Holden wrote the following description of how the “water cure” was administered in the Supreme Court of Mississippi appeals court ruling: “[T]he hands of appellant were tied behind him, he was laid upon the floor upon his back, and while some of the men stood upon his feet…upon appellant’s breast and…upon his neck.
While in that position what is described as the ‘water cure’was administered to him in an effort to extort a confession… Gerrard White had his murder conviction overturned because his confession was coerced through the use of the water cure.
P.S. Great post Old Texican. ROTFLMA "Go get a job like the rest of us, but I wouldn't recommend for a job as dog catcher."
Yeah don't respond to my posts; I'd prefer better competition.
Marcell| 5.14.09 @ 10:36PM
"All the Cheney's horses & all the Cheney's men can't put Humpty Cheney back together again."
MORE CASE LAW:
The United States, acting alone before domestic courts, commissions and courts-martial, and as a participant in the international community, condemned and prosecuted the use of waterboarding by the Japanese against Unites States troops.
n US military commissions, and as a participant in the International Tribunal for the Far East (based upon Nuremburg procedures), a number of Japanese troops and officials were convicted of torture for the use of waterbording.One witness, Captain Nielsen, described waterboarding as follows:
“I was put on my back on the floor with my arms and legs stretched out, one guard holding each 2/4limb.The towel was wrapped around my face and put across my face and water poured on. They poured water on this towel until I was almost unconscious. ”
The specific quote is from United States v. Sawada. In US military commissions, and in the International Tribunal for the Far East, anumber of Japanese troops and officials were convictedfor the use of waterboarding.
Marcell| 5.14.09 @ 11:14PM
This is my final post for today.
“Please go get the best you have, so I can prove that I, David am politically savvy enough to outsmart any of your Goliaths’ ”
“Waterboarding: A Tortured History,”
NPR, Nov. 3, 2007. - Rejali, Darius. Torture and Democracy, Princeton University Press, 2007. 6. Texas Sheriff Convicted of Torture (1983):
In 1983, James Parker (Texas Sheriff for San Jacinto County) and three of his deputies were charged by the Department of Justice with committing torture because of their use of water torture on prisoners.
The four were convicted of “water torture,” which was upheld on appeal. They were sentenced to 10 years each. The case name was United States v. Parker et al. Sheriff Parker & three deputies were convicted of “water torture.”
The conviction was upheld onappeal (United States of America, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. Carl Lee, Defendant-Appellant) In the indictment the officers were charged with subjecting prisoners to “a suffocating ‘water torture’ ordeal in order to coerce confessions.
This generally included placement of a towel over the nose and mouth of the prisoner and the pouring of water in the towel until the prisoner began to move, jerk, or otherwise indicate that he was suffocating and/or drowning.”
Sources: - “Around The Nation; Texas Sheriff Is Guilty of Torturing Prisoners,” The New York Times, Mar. 20, 1983.
Nick| 5.14.09 @ 11:50PM
Marcell,
You are citing commie, pinko rags as sources like the good bleeding heart liberal that you are. As a good right-wing religious conservative, I'm going to ignore your sources because they're either lying or omitting pertinent facts.
Why didn't I hear about these incidents 6 years ago? If these "examples" were true, your side (the commies) would've used them back in '02 and '03, no?
Marcell| 5.15.09 @ 12:41AM
"Good right-wing religious conservative."
What a joke.
Nick| 5.15.09 @ 12:48AM
Marcell,
Great argument! Just what I expect from bleeding heart liberals.
American Mammoth| 5.15.09 @ 1:41AM
Published remarkably without regard to sex, lifestyle, race, color, creed, physical handicap, or national origin.
HHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHH!!!
Smithy| 5.15.09 @ 5:11AM
It is the likes of Marcell that accelerate the USA toward the abyss. It is the sneering leftists that undermine any policing of the free world. It is the likes of Marcell along with many Europeans, and their jihad friends that are handing western culture and practice over on a plate. They will never rest until all vestiges of democratic government, free speech, free elections, and any fairness that possibly threatens is discarded forever. Then they will be satisfied, and then they will rejoice with their totalitarian friends and their new Islamic fascist overseers’. When all freedoms have gone it will be too late, once you have lost your freedoms it will be as the ancient Greeks found, lost forever.
Jeanne| 5.15.09 @ 5:52AM
I was enjoying and learning from the exchange of opinions between you guys. I was disapointed when the conversation fell apart and you started calling each other names.
stmichrick| 5.15.09 @ 8:18AM
Marcel;
I say again. Whose side are you on? You've put a lot of time and energy into building a case for how this nation chose to protect itself.
Your side, lawbook in hand, had it's chance in the Clinton 90's when jihadists were treated like common criminals.
Then came 9/11.
Brushtac| 5.15.09 @ 9:58AM
He’s constructed an editorial which is not based upon anything but conjecture of what he thinks some Brits in the Foreign Office might think or have thought.
You don’t for a minute think this is a real Top Secret Letter from the The Foreign Office/Arab-Israeli Department do you? I know the Brits haven’t been good at keeping secrets in the past but this is too much. If this were a true document and anything other that fictional propaganda made up out of thin air I’d be very surprised. Beyond which, the Zionist would be waving this document on banners around the world while all the Israeli controlled organizations in Washington (AIPAC, AEI, The Weekly Standard, Fox News, etc…) would be given their talking points to go out and sell and tell the world how mistreated the poor Jews were as they displaced hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to make more room for Israel. If you want to know some of the motives behind events and a good historical explanation of events and why the British drafted the Balfour Declaration in the first place read Benjamin Freedman Speaks on Zionism. Benjamin Freedman was a Jew, he’s dead now, but he gave this speech in 1961 at the Willard Hotel. And as he said in the speech if you can find an error in anything he says then dismiss it all. http://www.sweetliberty.org/issues/israel/freedman.htm
Marcell| 5.15.09 @ 11:05AM
Great Morning!!
Jeanne, I am determine not to turn this debate into a name calling session, because it only will radicalize you & defeat my purpose.
One of the main reasons why it turned into a name calling session is the conservatives are trying to divert the attention away from the case law that I used to make my point.
Smithy made some great points in his post. He said, “It is the likes of Marcell that accelerate the USA toward the abyss. It is the sneering leftists that undermine any policing of the free world.”
Smithy went on to say, “It is the likes of Marcell along with many Europeans, and their jihad friends that are handing western culture and practice over on a plate. They will never rest until all vestiges of democratic government, free speech, free elections, and any fairness that possibly threatens is discarded forever,” he concluded.
I would say that all those statements are true about those who are trying to ignore over 100 years worth of case law.
What we have in this situation is a bunch of fellow Americans who have been tricked into believing the opposition party has no value. Our value (Democrats, Moderates & Independents) are so meaningless in the eyes of these conservatives that they will allow our former VP to undermine the laws that they were sworn to uphold just because don't like us. He has the nerves to say I hate the very values that he is willing to undermine (The rule of law).
I am now about to use Smithy's statement to explain why the Republican Party is losing to Democrats.
Just imagine that we were in front of a crowd of Americans who didn't know anything about politics. The registered Independent, Marcell, & the Conservative, Smithy, were trying to convince the non partisan crowd to vote for one of us.
Who do you think the non partisans are more likely to trust?
Smithy says the ends justify the means, & who ever doesn't see it the way he sees it hates the most important value of America, the rule of law.
I, Marcell say, we should be savvy enough to accomplish our goals within the rule of law, if our founding fathers lived by those ideals, we should go out of our way to live by those ideals out of respect.
Furthermore, I am savvy enough to realize that those who support breaking the law by water boarding are accelerating our country toward the abyss. It is the sneering right-wingers that are undermining any policing of the free world by violating our treaties & attempting to successfully undermine our rule of law.
It is the conservative talk show host & their friends on Fox news who are handing western culture over on a plate with their ends justify the means ideals.
If you give your trust to those who can care less about the rule of law when it serves their selfish purpose, eventually they will undermine our democratic government, free speech, & free elections.
Now, based on the debate we had thus far, who do you think the non partisans would support?
Emsy| 5.15.09 @ 1:14PM
OK Mr. Shattan,
Can you come clean now and let everyone know that your Foreign Office letter to the Prime Minister is fictitious. You obviously find it enjoyable to poke fun at the Brits but it seems that some of your readers are taking you seriously.
stmichrick| 5.15.09 @ 7:54PM
Marcell;
Your statement 'we should be savvy enough to accomplish our goals within the rule of law, if our founding fathers lived by those ideals, we should go out of our way to live by those ideals out of respect ' is not grounded in wartime reality.
It is Democrat fantasy. It assumes other ways were not tried. It is grounded in ignorance and malicious partisanship, bordering on treason.
Cheney fan| 5.15.09 @ 10:31PM
I have deeply admired VP Cheney since the 1990s. His intelligence, wry humor, common sense and plain-spokenness set him apart from most politicians. Dare I say it--he has gravitas.
Since oil was discovered in the Middle East in the early 20th century, it has been the prize and object of incredible machinations by England, France and Russia, even before the US got involved. As long as oil remains a valuable commodity we will see history and geopolitics played out in that appalling neighborhood.
Joe| 5.16.09 @ 2:23AM
Marcelle, you are a POS
Smithy| 5.16.09 @ 3:31AM
No other regime of professional players but that of lawyers will argue black is white or white is black depending upon what party is paying their fee. How can we compare case law when it is international law that is needed, and that is non existent to the degree required? Why should we now take it as the truth what Marcell is saying or is it just the ideological whimpering we are hearing? Is it just a vaporous, naïve, effervescent, a liberal paternalistic waterfall of academic influenza, caught in the unhealthy backrooms of perhaps the smoky meeting places of Acorns apparatchiks? This of course is the work they do in their individualistic capacity; talk down all opposition to their way of thinking with ridicule and self pretence. Truth: it isn’t in the equation.
Reg Vernon| 5.16.09 @ 6:50AM
Fictitious? Of course. But, as we say in the UK, many a true word spoken in jest. I am convinced that there is a strongly pro-Arab tendency in the Foreign Office that would have loved to put the genie back in the bottle and might still prefer to be rid of Israel as a Jewish nation state. Too late now. Now is the time for Real Politik. We in the UK don't have the stomach for more adventures in the Middle East after having been conned into the Iraq adventure by Bliar and Co. However, if Iran does acquire nuclear weapons, and the window to prevent this is getting narrower every day, the regional power balance will be altered and Israel's heartland could be obliterated at a stroke. The danger of future Mid-East nuclear war is real and one we cannot contemplate with equanimity. Iran's present leadership cannot be trusted. So, in this matter, the UK and its EU partners cannot avoid being involved in dealing with Iran's nuclear ambitions.
BOBSLEDD| 5.16.09 @ 8:01PM
CHENEY/BUSH 2012
BOBSLEDD| 5.16.09 @ 8:03PM
CHENEY/BUSH 2012
Osamas Pajamas | 5.17.09 @ 1:39AM
Life is unfair. Cheney is too old to run for President. But his heart is in the right place. We were hunting one day when I said, "Look, Mr Vice President, a Democrat!" Cheney swung the weapon and fired. Not such a good shot, alas, and the wrong target [not a Demo] ---- but most of the time he is precisely on-target.....
Old Texican| 5.17.09 @ 11:07AM
Welcome Mr. Vernon
Fortunately, Mosad is pretty good. Israel will know when they must "pre-emptively" strike Iran to have a chance at survival.
We Texicans sorta look at Israel as If they are now defenders of an "Alamo". (One of the great stories in history.) A hundred and thirty some odd men, hoplessly outnumbered and surrounded by some five thousand Mexican regulars, held off that mob for thirteen days.
When the Mexican Dictator demanded their surrender, they answered with a cannon shot right into his camp.
I am sure the phrase "draw a line in the sand" has even reached Briton's vocabulary, but few people know that the famous phrase, and indeed, actually spoken and enacted...was in the dusty courtyard of the "Alamo mission/fort" courtyard.
A Colonel William Travis actually drew that line with the tip of his saber, then stood behind that line and invited any who would stand with him to step across that line. No one recorded his words of course, but those words must have recalled some of the "St Crispin's Day" speech written by your Mr. Shakespear. Those men were finally overwhelmed and killed to a man.
During those thirteen days, General Sam Houston gathered enough, (well fire-armed), farmers to carry on a two hundred mile "running fight", stretch the Mexican supply lines all across east Texas, and then totally routed the lead elements of that Army...capturing the Mexican Dictator.
On that day, the Republic of Texas was signed into being by that captured Dictator. He was then allowed to go back to Mexico in disgrace.
That little history lesson is still taught in Texas schools...to every student... to this day. Texas schools require a semester long course in Texas history, with a passing grade, for Texas students to graduate.
We Texicans will stand with Israel, and if the Bible is incorrect and they are defeated, we will offer the remnant a place in Texas.
matt jones| 5.18.09 @ 12:37AM
i think most individuals still are sore with the Bush/Cheney administration to trust talks of conspiricy, given that there has been a mass about of truth bending surrounding the entire middle east affair. to that end, the disruptive policies of conflicting ideaologies continues to create a tense situation, furthered by attempts of nuclear aramament. the issue relies not so much the beliefs of iranians, or islamic religion in general, but the tatics found common to all fundamentaltalists of all shapes and sizes. unfair treatment of Israel is compounded upon fundamentalist tatics, here found concerning opposition to incoming individuals of alternative faiths. to that end the ocus must be on handiing the current situation without sacrificing the original goals of preserving peace, rather than promoting democracy. the jewish precence in the middle east has been a constant issue. attempting to allign any particular group or number of individuals with the suppression of Jewish individuals finds excessive fault, especially when written as a sarcastic letter, rather than an article, as Charles Krauthammer did in the Daily News, outlining the issues of the two state system. it comes to pass that the issue lies with fundamentalism, which is a common threat to any movement of peace. for any system to work something must be done to allign fundamentalsm with peace if it can be done. and i for one am extremely doubtful. the problem, as fundamentalism equals no room for compromises leading to the incessant need of other nations to ask the thin wearing patience of Isreal, due the fundamentalist force making it impossible to have any real progress. however it is the constant assuption that fundamentalism is irrecovably linkined to Islam, which it is not. this notion before any other must be cast aside. the next issue in handaling this ongoing problem is to develop ways to create a system that alows Isreal the land they need and does not affirm iranian suspiscions of a threat to their way of life. by promoting as suh the fundamentalist movement may be weakened. nuclear weapons is another factor and is best remedied by a constant observant United States/ United Kingdom as well as other nations interested in prevented unwarrented assults on innocent individuals. it should be made clear that ties between Israel and the United States rely on observed interests that are shared by all soverign nations to protect themselves in the notion that hostility and threats will not be tolerated. unfortuntly the overall issue here isthat there is no quick fix. their will be no magic bullet, to solve the problem. any thoughts to the contrary also compound an already complicated problem.
Richard Baker| 5.18.09 @ 7:18AM
Had the water torture done to me when I was in 25th ID in 1978. Cloth over the face, pour water until soaked, and ask questions. No answer, more water. Intent: Not to kill or maim but loosen tongue and train me to be prepared, if captured. Of course, in those days, the "Religion of Peace" and it's throat slitting/beheading tactics not really on the radar. I find liberal scruples on this issue strange considering that these folks don't find euthenasia, infanticide, and abortion the least bit objectionable. Selective death-style/torture, that's the ticket.
70-620 | 11.22.09 @ 10:56PM
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