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Special Report
The Blackmailer’s Paradox
President Obama plays politics like a Palestinian — which should leave Republicans with no choice but to act Israeli.
Prof. Robert Aumann is an Israeli-American game theorist who won the Nobel Prize for Economics in 2005. In an interview with an Israeli newspaper in 2010, he described “the blackmailer’s paradox,” and its impact on Arab-Israeli negotiations:
“Someone offers Reuven and Shimon $1,000 if they can manage to agree on how to split the money between them. Reuven says to Shimon: ‘Great, let’s split it half and half.’ Shimon says:’ No. I’m not leaving here with less than $900. You will get $100. Take it or leave it.’ Reuven says to him: ‘Be rational. Why should you get more than me?’ Shimon
says: ‘Rational or not, do what you want. Either I leave here with $900 or with nothing. You decide.’
Reuven thinks and says: ‘Okay, $100 is money nonetheless. What am I going to do with this irrational mule? I myself am rational and will take the $100. I need to advance my goal of getting as much money as possible, and my choice is between zero and $100. One hundred is still something.’
“What is the paradox? That the irrational person gets more than the rational person.”
What’s interesting about President Obama’s refusal to negotiate with Republicans over the debt ceiling is that he’s essentially adopted the Palestinian negotiating strategy. In effect, he is claiming that his demands are sacred — because the good faith and credit of the United States is at stake — and that Republicans must accept them.
In a rational world, public opinion would unequivocally denounce President Obama for his intransigence. In the real world, President Obama’s demands, like Palestinian demands, are accepted at face value, and the pressure mounts on Republicans to accommodate them. And since every popular narrative must have a villain, the mainstream media and the Washington punditocracy have focused on the Tea Party — which has become the
American equivalent of the Israeli settler movement.
Can Republicans escape the blackmailer’s paradox? Aumann offers three suggestions:
1. Be willing to forego an agreement. In Reuven’s case, that entails a willingness to leave the room empty-handed rather than acquiesce to Shimon’s blackmail. In Israel’s case, it means a willingness to see the “peace process” fail — even if Israel gets the blame. And in the case of Republicans, it means facing up to the likelihood that if President Obama won’t negotiate, the debt ceiling won’t be raised.
2. Recognize that you are engaged in a protracted negotiation. Reuven assumed that he and Shimon were engaged in a single encounter, rather than one in a series of encounters. Had he borne in mind the likelihood of future negotiation, he would have realized that a willingness to leave the room empty-handed today would make it more likely to reach an agreement with Shimon the next time they met. Similarly, because Israel and the Palestinians are engaged in a protracted negotiation, letting one round fail would actually facilitate future success.. And in the current Obama-Republican confrontation, Obama was undoubtedly emboldened to refuse to negotiate because he saw how Republicans abandoned their long-held refusal to raise taxes during the previous fiscal cliff negotiations. If Republicans don’t cave again, they’ll enhance their credibility and will actually improve prospects for a long-term deal.
3. Maintain faith in the justness of your cause. From Israel’s perspective, a major tragedy of the “peace-process” has been the success of the Israeli Left — at least as destructive as the American Left — in convincing much of the Israeli public that Israel has no legitimate claim to land conquered in the 1967 war. Consequently, successive Israeli governments found it increasingly difficult to resist Palestinian demands for full withdrawal. In the Republican case, the overwhelming majority of Republican lawmakers believe that America’s future hinges on finally getting spending under control. But will that faith withstand constant pounding by the President and his supporters? Only time will tell.
Letter to the Editor View all comments (85) | Leave a comment
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C.B.| 1.16.13 @ 6:58AM
I don't have any comment, I just wanted to be first on the reply list so Jack in Wi didn't get it to bash Israel....
Aristocat| 1.16.13 @ 7:42AM
Good advice:
1. Be willing to forego an agreement
2. Recognize that you are engaged in a protracted negotiation.
3. Maintain faith in the justness of your cause.
Our cause is just...it is to defend the Constitution and our beloved Republic.
TLP| 1.16.13 @ 10:12AM
How about, we just stand by our principles?
OBAMA WILL BLAME US!
Really? Blame us for what? For stopping the Spending that threatens to destroy us? For Honouring our Solemn Promise to our Children, and Stop when we hit the Debt Ceiling? This is, after all, why it's there.
Will he blame us for what he, himself, advocated, not that long ago, when George W. Bush was President, that Raising the Debt Ceiling showed a Lack of Leadership. That, by doing this, we Send a Message to the rest of the World that America is a bad risk. That, America can no longer Pay her Bills. And that, by doing this, we were passing the Buck, and laying all of this on to the Backs of our Children.
It's way past time to Draw a line in the sand.
It's way past time to hold this Narccissist to HIS OWN WORDS.
It's way past time we told the people the Truth, that we have gone too far, already. We have to turn back.
Every pilot knows how much Fuel he has, and how far it will take him. In every round trip the Aircraft comes to a fixed point on the Map, called The Point of No Return.
We need to turn back, now.
While we still can.
Pecos Pete| 1.16.13 @ 10:18AM
Watch King O today as he stands before the children to Protect The Children against gun owners and Republicans. He might mention that he is protecting children against Conservatives too.
TLP| 1.16.13 @ 11:02AM
Hitler used to pose with all the children. He had his Hitler Youth.
The Soviets had their Young Pioneers.
Mao had his Young Revolutionary Fighters.
Castro had The Young Communist League.
And, Obama has the Public School System, and the Universities.
It's standard procedure for the left. It's as predictable as the Sun coming up in the Morning, a Fastball on a 3 and two pitch with the bases loaded, or some old fool who's fixated on everybody's penis, writing garbage on a web site, and then signing his name at the bottom, like anyone gives a sh*t who he is.
It's that predictable.
TLP| 1.16.13 @ 10:26AM
Besides........he's gonna BLAME US no matter what we do.
So, let's do the right thing.
I really don't understand what these Punk@sses in the House, are thinking?
You do the Right Thing, and everything else will fall in to place.
Maybe, if you people stopped looking in the Mirror all the time, and got that Political Consultant's lips off your @ss, you'd remember that.
"We have nothing to fear, but fear, itself."
Again: What's the problem? What is it about that statement, you don't understand?
Oldefarte| 1.16.13 @ 11:47AM
Excellent point as usual TLP! Oh and as to possibly another side agenda which this administration possesses, please read the following [HAPPY NEW YEAR]:
http://www.newsmax.com/FrankGa...../id/471503
Gary B| 1.16.13 @ 11:21AM
Aristocrat,
You said, "Our cause is just...it is to defend the Constitution and our beloved Republic." True enough. It's a tragedy House Republicans don't share these same values.
The article assumes Republicans actually want a solution to out-of-control spending. What they really want is to appear like they want a solution. As I've said before, they're not the loyal opposition; they're the fake opposition. I hope the jig is finally up on that charade. They've been running this scam for decades.
Rhoetus| 1.16.13 @ 9:26PM
Know when you must walk away. . .
Jack in Wi| 1.16.13 @ 7:43AM
Israel treats the Palistinians like vermin to be expelled or exterminated. The Israeli's have never ever negotiated in good faith with the non Jewish majority in Israel Palistine. Hitler's Germany pre 1938, would be a perfect example of what has been Israeli policy for dcades. Obama has been in the pocket of the Zionists his whole career. all the people around him are rabid Zionists, Emanuel, Axelrod, Clinton, Biden, Shumur, Boxer, Summers Lew, Rubin, Lautenberg. etc. The Democrats are acting just like Zionists. They want us to be like the Palistinians. They want all the guns and we can have rocks. The Israeli's don't like uppity Arabs. Obama and his gang don't like uppity white gentiles.
R Martin| 1.16.13 @ 8:20AM
"Israel treats the Palistinians like vermin to be expelled or exterminated.
They are simply following Aristocrat's Rule #3 above.
Jack in Wi| 1.16.13 @ 8:37AM
The Israeli's don't knw what the word justice means. They are a nation who has learned to love theft tortureand murder So does Obama and his gang.
Rhoetus| 1.16.13 @ 9:31PM
The Palestinians murder their own and use their youth as suicide bombers, the powerful Islamic States treat Palestinians like animals to be slaughtered to advance Islamic supremacy. It's the Muslim world not Israel that treats the Palestinians like vermin. Israelis may be greedy for land, but they have a right to defend themselves.
Dave Williams| 1.16.13 @ 9:29AM
STFU, Nazi bastard!!!!!!!!!!
TLP| 1.16.13 @ 10:13AM
They ARE Vermin.
Pay Attention!
Crassus| 1.16.13 @ 10:26AM
Go back to your 14 year old butt buddy, Jack. Your rants have jumped the shark.
TLP| 1.16.13 @ 1:19PM
Purp is only 14?
Maxwell| 1.16.13 @ 8:48AM
C.B., Jack is STILL ticked off that the little blond haired blue eyed cheer leader from high school who he had a HUGE crush on would not date him but instead dated the little Jewish kid that had glasses and could calc & diffey que's in his head.
TLP| 1.16.13 @ 10:15AM
Actually, I heard that He did date Jack. So, you're wrong.
True Story.
Jack in Wi| 1.16.13 @ 11:55AM
The Fifth Columnists here are upset with the truth. Who cares? This is about the biggest nonsense essay I have ever seen here. The Palistinians are the rightful owners of most of the land. The only land bought and paid for by the Zionists was about 6% of historic Palistine. Let there be one country in Israel-Palistine, with equal rights for all Jew, Muslim, Christian, Muslim and everyone else. The Holyland belongs to the whole world, not just one nasty tribal group. Why should Americans pay for the ethnic cleansing and theft of the Palistinians land? We are supposed to believe in the equality of all before the law. The Palistinians should also recieve reparations of hundreds of billions for all the theft, murder, and torture of the last 65 years.
CJW| 1.16.13 @ 12:17PM
Muslims do not believe in equal rights for others. They believe in establishing sharia law.
Can you name one muslim country where they have free fair elections and the muslims are not out killing Christians and Jews and moderate muslims?
Have your read about Nigeria, Egypt, Iran, etc? What rights do Christians have in Saudi Arabia?
You are delusional.
You must be a paid fifth columnist for the Saudis to spread the Islamist BS. If you are not paid by the Saudis then you are stupid doing it for free.
RCV| 1.16.13 @ 12:28PM
There is no Arab country with "equal rights for all, Jew, Muslim, Christian." And there surely wouldn't be in Palestine with Hamas in charge.
wrlord| 1.16.13 @ 3:19PM
"Let there be one country in Israel-Palistine, with equal rights for all Jew, Muslim, Christian, Muslim and everyone else."
Guess what, genius? We have that now. It's called "Israel". But you wouldn't know that, would you?
Occam's Tool| 1.16.13 @ 7:33PM
"Receive." "Palestinians" and "Palestine." I have had to correct your spelling on this zillions of times, you elderly, demented, terrorist cheek-spreader.
Oh, and your arguments suck, too. The Jews had bought their land and then were attacked, with the Palestinians joining in. Ce la Guerre.
Your spelling reflects your arguments---both out of Stormfront, schlemiel.
By the way, the Packers got FUDGEPACKED by SF, in much the same way your handlers do to you every week.
Appleby| 1.16.13 @ 7:05AM
Anybody knows that you can defeat a blackmailer or a stubborn child by simply saying NO. Ask His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI, who meets every shriek from women who want to be priests and homosexuals who want to marry with just what my Mama met unreasonable demand: "No." And to the demand, "But WHYYYYYYYYYYY?" she, and His Holiness, smiles and says, "JUST.NO." Don't get sucked into explanations or rationalizations or negotiations of any kind. Plant your feet and smile and say, "JUST.No." If the answer is always NO, eventually the question ceases.
Maxwell| 1.16.13 @ 8:43AM
Or as my mother would say, what part of no don't you understand?
Appleby| 1.16.13 @ 9:08AM
Exactly.
TLP| 1.16.13 @ 10:33AM
When I was a boy, it seems like everything cost 5 Cents. Candy, fer sure. Comic Books and Soda Pops were 10 cents. A rubber ball was 10 cents.
Most times, when I asked my Mom to buy me something at Woolworth's or someplace else?
She would just look at me and say: "Whatta ya think? I sh*t nickels?"
Ah, the good old days.
Oldefarte| 1.16.13 @ 11:52AM
Your mother was absolutely correct, and my recalled similar scoldings came from the "MONEY DOESN'T GROW ON TREES" verbal lines[and if I protested too strongly, the b swithch from the hedge bush became a reality to my backside] !!!!
Stephie| 1.16.13 @ 11:40AM
Or, "because I SAID SO!"
Maxwell| 1.16.13 @ 12:00PM
Stephie, I remember that one too.......
darcy| 1.16.13 @ 1:41PM
"We both have a job to do. Mine is to take care of you and to teach you to obey authority; your's is to obey; that's your job. I would not be doing my job if I failed to teach you your job." Little ones totally understand the concept of having a job to do -- and doing it well.
Von Mises Jr| 1.16.13 @ 7:33AM
This is a good exercise in demonstrating how Islamist and communist negotiate, but the problem is that it is neither Obama nor the GOP's money. It is the money of the American people.
So they may decide that Barry gets $999 and Marbles Boehner gets $1, but if the American businessmen fire their workers and investors invest overseas, there is not $1,000 to negotiate over.
In case anyone hasn't noticed, we have a real U6 unemployment rate of about 15% with a Labor Participation Rate of about 63%. More companies are announcing layoffs. The Stock Market is up but volume is anemic. The only person buying Treasuries and Sub-prime is "Foster Brooks" Bernanke. So we are selling to and buying from ourselves. But that leads to hyperinflation down the road if the market picks up and then the $1,000 may buy lunch.
Aristocat| 1.16.13 @ 7:44AM
I'm no expert, but it seems to me that if you keep printing money like they are doing, inflation is inevitable.
Von Mises Jr| 1.16.13 @ 8:09AM
Inflation is already here with gas near double four years ago even in poor financial times and food is up about 25% compounded by ethanol and a drought. The Core (CPI) is a lie just as the U3 has been manipulated. The CPI excludes energy and food so the published 2% inflation is at least 6% and perhaps as high as 8% currently. This means the value of money is halved every 9 to 12 years (Rule of 72). It has just not accelerated to the levels we will see soon due to the putrid economy.
c. j. acworth| 1.16.13 @ 8:50AM
I believe gold has just about doubled in price since Obama took office.
Von Mises Jr| 1.16.13 @ 10:35AM
It was $800 four years ago and is about $1,675 today. I would not be surprised if it doubles again in four years, unless we have a monetary collapse in which case the dollar will be worthless and gold and silver worth a mint.
I am up about 50% on gold since I backed up the truck and realized about a 75% gain on the silver I flipped. If you have an IRA Rollover, you can buy IAU and SIVR where they allegedly hold the metals in a vault that is probably best save holding physical gold and silver yourself. I also own BHP and RIO that mine metals and are located in Australia and England that makes it harder for the regime and Congress to destroy your wealth, and exposes you to other markets and currencies, my friend.
I also own some brass, if you get my drift.
Anthony| 1.16.13 @ 10:41AM
Quite witty Von, as always. Yep, Obozo is singlehandedly going to cause the price of "brass" to skyrocket.
We all need to add brass to our portfolios, complete with storage clips.
wombat1| 1.16.13 @ 1:10PM
Clips is right. High-capacity, for preference.
Drunken Sailor| 1.16.13 @ 3:31PM
Investing in sulphur, charcoal and potassium nitrate, preferably premixed and in handy pre-filled cartridges must be a good idea. Stores are having a hard time keeping it on the shelf.
Occam's Tool| 1.16.13 @ 7:34PM
Jr, you get a Senior grade for that one. Nice.
Appleby| 1.16.13 @ 3:27PM
In 1965 I bought a copy of "The Fellowship of the Ring" for 95 cents. The copy I bought two weeks ago cost me $12.99.
JAWilson| 1.16.13 @ 8:00AM
The blackmail is the threat of violence either real or imagined. And the media is complicit in the scam.
Job| 1.16.13 @ 8:49AM
this may be where the occupy movement got its start too:
One cold night, as an Arab sat in his tent, a camel gently thrust his nose under the flap and looked in. "Master," he said, "let me put my nose in your tent. It's cold and stormy out here." "By all means," said the Arab, "and welcome" as he turned over and went to sleep.
A little later the Arab awoke to find that the camel had not only put his nose in the tent but his head and neck also. The camel, who had been turning his head from side to side, said, "I will take but little more room if I place my forelegs within the tent. It is difficult standing out here." "Yes, you may put your forelegs within," said the Arab, moving a little to make room, for the tent was small.
Finally, the camel said, "May I not stand wholly inside? I keep the tent open by standing as I do." "Yes, yes," said the Arab. "Come wholly inside. Perhaps it will be better for both of us." So the camel crowded in. The Arab with difficulty in the crowded quarters again went to sleep. When he woke up the next time, he was outside in the cold and the camel had the tent to himself.
PolishKnight| 1.16.13 @ 9:27AM
In the case of the above "blackmail" scenario above (it's more like the prisoner scenario), there are a few experimental conditions that are different than real life:
1) Economic conditions sometimes make the 10% share more valuable to the rational person. If the rational person NEEDS that 10% for something like a payday loan or medical expenses, they'll take the deal. It may appear unfair, but it boils down to free market negotiations.
2) Business reputation. You may take the 10% in a single encounter because you have little choice between that or walking away empty handed. That time. But the next time you'll try to avoid dealing with this person. Or if you know you'll have to deal with them again, you have an incentive to scuttle the current deal to send a message.
3) Irrational people then generate a bad business reputation that becomes hard to overcome. Consider 3rd world economies, Russia, Ukraine, etc where businesses are cautious to settle in. Even if they cleaned up tomorrow, the effects could last for decades. Even centuries.
PolishKnight| 1.16.13 @ 10:02AM
Oops. I read Aumann's wiki page and he basically said everything I did. :-)
RFisher66| 1.16.13 @ 9:42AM
First thing we need to do is put a call in to the Chinese and simply state that we will pay 50 cents on the dollar of the money we owe them, take it or leave it, and hang up. Of course they won't lend us any more but that would be a good thing. When credit gets cut off it's amazing how quickly you can find ways to economize.
PolishKnight| 1.16.13 @ 9:58AM
Which is why China would be insane to start a war with us. Let them build aircraft carriers and invade Taiwan. The second they do so, we tear up every IOU. This is what happened with German owned Bayer aspirin when WWI broke out.
Drunken Sailor| 1.16.13 @ 9:55AM
Your solution, while admirable and logical, has one fatal flaw.
It requires a spine. Good Luck finding one in the D.C. ocean of jellyfish.
Anthony| 1.16.13 @ 9:58AM
Both Obozo and the Rs in congress had best wake the hell up. If they think this madness of theirs is going to go on until America collapses, these arrogant and clueless fools have another guess coming.
We don't bow to petty dictators, especially those in empty suits, like Obozo, the worst president in American history.
We will not continue a support a political party that is totally incapable or unwilling to do the bidding of the people.
We fought one revolution, we damn well can fight another.
PolishKnight| 1.16.13 @ 11:28AM
Although I consider Obama to be a political opponent, I do think he's a pretty amazing President in a variety of ways that Republicans should emulate.
For starters, he gets things done. He got his Obamacare bill passed and shoved down our throat. He rewards his base. These are things that got him re-elected and being effective at your agenda, good or bad, and taking care of the people who got you there are the makings of a great president.
GHB and even GWB were lousy presidents because they didn't care about their base. GHB lied about not raising taxes which discredited him and his party. GWB raised spending setting a precedent and granting political cover for Obama. So whose worse? The guy who does what he wants to do for his party and ideology or the other guy whose handing the ball to the other team?
CJW| 1.16.13 @ 12:59PM
Who is aworse president? Easy. The one who harms the country, such as dividing the people with class warfare, incrasing the debt by 6 Trillion, nationalizing the health care industry, expanding government control, ignoring the First amendment rights of those opposed to abortion, leaving the military to die in Afghan for no reason, etc.
Obama may be good for the groups he favors, such as the Solyndra crowd and the Obamaphone crowd, but he is not good for the country as a whole, and he is the president of the entire country, not just his crowd.
You are correct that O is a better politician than Bush 1 and 2 because he caters to his supporters. But he is a much worse president than anyone before him, including Jimmy the boob Carter.
TLP| 1.16.13 @ 1:21PM
You, Sir, are a Noble Savage.
Figure it out.
Pecos Pete| 1.16.13 @ 1:57PM
There seem to be lots of Noble Savages today. What's up with that?
TLP| 1.16.13 @ 3:06PM
THINK.
TLP| 1.16.13 @ 3:08PM
And, then go Search for the Promised Land.
Albert is already there.
KennesawJack| 1.16.13 @ 4:15PM
Tim, need a favor. How about contacting your buddies at TAS and ask them to email Ken, Old Texican to see if he's alright and, if he his, to get his ass back here. We haven't heard from him in sometime. Gracias, amigo.
TLP| 1.16.13 @ 4:47PM
His email address might make that a little easier.
Ya Think?
Contest on Friday, at Monday's "The Noble Savage".
Give me the email address, and I'll get right to it.
CJW| 1.16.13 @ 4:53PM
Tim, KJack
I believe OT knows Ken.
TLP| 1.16.13 @ 5:00PM
Who's Overtime?
CJW| 1.16.13 @ 5:11PM
OccamTool, I calls him OT.
KennesawJack| 1.16.13 @ 5:21PM
Ah loves how you talk. Tim, my thinking was that the folks at TAS must have his email because we have to provide it to be registered to post. I found Ken's book on Amazon but nothing about him. He lists himself only as Old Texican.
TLP| 1.16.13 @ 6:39PM
Contest on Friday at Monday's "THE NOBLE SAVAGE".
But that doesn't mean you can't sneak a peek, now.
Occam's Tool| 1.16.13 @ 7:49PM
E-mail sent, guys. I think he hangs out at American Thinker more, now. Only so much crap from Cheesehead one can up with, I suppose.
I prefer Old Style Liberals like RCV. I can argue with them and like them.
Occam's Tool| 1.16.13 @ 7:44PM
OK, will do.
Damn, I should have done that a long time ago.
KJ, you are a true Southern Gentleman. Occasionally my damyankee shows through.
KennesawJack| 1.16.13 @ 7:55PM
Occam, Al Adab first mentioned yesterday that we hadn't heard from Ken in awhile. I was just following up on his (and mine) concern, but thanks for the compliment.
PolishKnight| 1.16.13 @ 2:47PM
CJW, ultimately, being a decent, or a better word, "effective" politician is part of what makes a great president. If we have presidents who are mediocre conservatives/politicians but just did less as bad as we judge than Obama, then IMO they're worse presidents than Obama because at least Obama is who he is. I didn't vote for Obama but the guys I did were not much worse.
And that's partly why Romney lost this last cycle. The Republican brand has been trashed by awful presidents: The Bushes along with Nixon. Yeah, Reagan was great, but he's dead and buried and even he didn't address the domestic issues that are killing the country and republican party.
Occam's Tool| 1.16.13 @ 7:37PM
Actually, PK, he rewards his monetary backers. He screws OVER his base. Tell me about the raises Government Union workers have been receiving in the last 4 years and how well Blacks have been doing under him.
What the Union bozos don't realize is that by allowing the rich to profit, the economy improves, tax receipts improve and then the government workers can have raises. Tank the economy and State Governments have no revenues.
That's why this State Government worker votes Republican.
PolishKnight| 1.17.13 @ 9:38AM
The reasons why blacks haven't done well under Obama (and the Democrat party in general) are complex and difficult for many of them to figure out but on the surface, he is delivering via continued racial preferences, welfare, and looking the other way at black-on-white race crimes.
The devil is in the details.
Although I understand the importance of allowing the rich to profit, I don't think that should give them a free pass either and it's in their best interests to act responsibly rather than create a bad reputation for themselves as they've done with offshoring, illegal immigrant labor and H1B visa abuses.
JD| 1.16.13 @ 11:27AM
Obama and his ilk put an incredible amount of effort into convincing the public that they are Reuven when they are actually Shimon.
Stephie| 1.16.13 @ 11:36AM
Can somebody send this to BoneHead Boehner?
Maxwell| 1.16.13 @ 12:02PM
Stephie, if that happened he would cry
Who Knows?| 1.16.13 @ 1:42PM
Ah, the Palestinians and the Moslems---
Herewith some prescient words, with my comments inside parenthesis---
“The great danger arising from the existence of people (Moslems) forced to live outside the common world is that they are thrown back, in the midst of civilization, on their mere differentiation. They lack that tremendous equalizing of differences which comes from being citizens of some commonwealth and yet, since they are no longer allowed to participate in the human artifice, they begin to belong to the human race in much the same way as animals belong to a specific animal species. The paradox involved in the loss of human rights (especially for Moslem women and gays) is that such loss coincides with the instant when a person becomes a human being in general---without a profession, without a citizenship, without an opinion, without a deed by which to identify and specify himself---AND different in general, representing nothing but his own absolutely unique individuality which, deprived of expression within and action upon a common world, loses all significance (except for Moslems who glory in jihad suicide).”
Who Knows?| 1.16.13 @ 1:43PM
The danger in the existence of such people is twofold: first and more obviously, their ever-increasing numbers (see Mark Steyn re the Moslem high birth rate) threaten our political life, and human artifice, the world which is the result of our common and co-ordinated effort in much the same, even more terrifying, way as the wild elements of nature once threatened the existence of man-made cities and coutrysides. Deadly danger to any civilization is no longer likely to come from without. Nature has been mastered and no barbarians threaten to destroy what they cannot understand, as the Mongolians threatened Europe for centuries. Even the emergence of totalitarian governments is a phenomenon within, not outside, our civilization. The danger is that a global, universally interrelated civilization (The caliphate) may produce barbarians from its own midst by forcing millions of people into conditions which, despite all appearances, are the conditions of savages (Consider the average life of a Moslem---what a low tech life).” Page 302 “The Origins of Totalitarianism” by Hannah Arendt, 1951, revised 1966
Who Knows?| 1.16.13 @ 1:44PM
Pretty awesome book! Highly recommended.
Marc Jeric| 1.16.13 @ 3:42PM
1) Hagel was the only senator out of 100 who refused to sign the American Jewish Committee's 1999 statement against anti-Semitism in Russia.
2) Hagel was one of only a handful of Senators who refused to sign a bipartisan letter to the European Union to add Hezbollah to its list of terrorist organizations.
3) Hagel strongly opposed the enhanced interrogation of suspected al-Qaeda terrorists after 9/11 that helped prevent more terrorist attacks on our homeland.
4) Hagel currently serves as Chairman of the Atlantic Council, a foreign policy blog. On December 11, 2012 the Atlantic Council published a front page article titled "Israel's Apartheid Policy," appropriating a term, "apartheid," which Israel's bitterest enemies use to justify calls for its annihilation.
5) Hagel referred to the "Jewish lobby" in comments he made in 2006, conjuring up the image of rich, powerful Jews pulling the strings of Washington which is a staple of the hate speech of jihadists and neo-Nazis.
Hardcard| 1.16.13 @ 6:05PM
Blackmail another racist buzz word for sure. If there's a contest tomorrow I want to be the secret square, ok Monte ?
Rhoetus| 1.16.13 @ 9:35PM
OK you win: Extortion.
Marc Jeric| 1.16.13 @ 6:08PM
Among the ACLU more recently notorious accomplishments in the news is the mass murder of pre-school children and their teachers in Newtown committed by a lunatic; ACLU lawsuits were crucial in obtaining “human rights” for the dangerously insane, so that these could refuse to be committed to asylums for such. It is perhaps useful to remind ourselves of the origins of the American Civil Liberties Union.
• ACLU founders:
Roger Baldwin
The first director of the ACLU. "I joined. I don’t regret being a part of the Communist tactic. I knew what I was doing. I was not an innocent liberal. I wanted what the Communists wanted". William Z. Foster
National Chairman of the Communist Party USA and an ACLU co-founder. This communist was famous for this 1932 quote: "The establishment of an American Soviet government will involve the confiscation ..."
Norman Thomas
Presbyterian minister and radical socialist who advocated the total abolition of capitalism. He was also a eugenicist, wanting to stop reproduction of "undesirables”. He ran as a presidential candidate for the Socialist Party 6 times. His role these days is being filled by Congressman Bernie Sanders.
Among the more recent works of ACLU lawyers has been the defense of Gitmo jihadists; in appreciation of that work our Attorney General Holder, a close friend of Obama’s, hired about 25 of those for our Department of Justice.
Occam's Tool| 1.16.13 @ 7:39PM
Don't forget the ACLU's work in making it very difficult to involuntarily medicate dangerous psychotics long term.
Mr. Jeric, I just stand in awe of your brilliance, sir. Lovely, lovely work.
Dimitry_Aleksandrovich| 1.17.13 @ 2:29AM
I don't understand why it is necessary for the United States government to pick a side in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Zionists are not angels and the "Jewish" state of Israel was once populated by Arabs (Palestinians both Christian and Muslim) who were expelled by force of arms between December of 1947 and 1949. It must not be forgotten that this happened not only within the Jewish state of the partitioned Palestine, but also within the state that the U.N. set aside for the Arabs as well. To this date only a small fraction of Palestinians have been allowed to return to their former homes, if there homes weren't demolished by the Hagana or Irgun during that time or by Israeli forces later.
I once asked a Palestinian Christian friend of mine if they would accept going back to the territory they held before the six day war to which she responded to me...what about the 1947 lines. What about the right of return and or compensation promised to Palestinians in UN General Assembly Resolution 194.
Dimitry_Aleksandrovich| 1.17.13 @ 2:29AM
In my opinion the best thing the United States can do is stay out of it completely. If you take the Israeli side (as we do) you will forever have enemies in the Arab world (as we do now), if you take the Palestinian side you will have committed Zionist enemies who like their Palestinian counterparts of today had no problem resorting to terrorism against the British during the Mandate (but not until 1945 when the British, Americans and Soviets were victorious over Hitler's Nazi Germany).
Occam I'm sorry if this offends you, but I must ask these questions. As an American and an Orthodox Christian who's coreligionists (some I go to Church with now) in Palestine say that these things happened to their families in 1948, I cannot just accept the Israeli version of events and the current Israeli line on the issue.
John Navratil| 1.17.13 @ 6:06PM
Dimitry_Aleksandrovich,
Fair, moral or Yalta... wars usually settle borders. Can you find any example in history were the defeated have been able to claim land they lost in war? How far back and with which peoples should such claims be relitigated? What do you think or Argentina's claim to the Falkland Islands? Such irredentism is a drawing room argument.
If you would like to argue that Israel should defend itself without the U.S. as an ally, please do, but that is another argument.
Dimitry_Aleksandrovich| 1.17.13 @ 11:01PM
The ethnic cleansing began before the "war" before the British Mandate finally ended and British forces withdrew. The war you speak of was fought between 40,000 highly trained and well armed Zionist Jews (many had been trained by the British) and a rag tag group of poorly armed Palestinian militia members and volunteers from other Arab states. The regular Egyptian, Transjordanian, Syrian and Lebanese forces were mainly concerned with their own borders with King Abdullah of Jordan even working out a deal with Ben-Gurion for control of the West Bank, Egypt took Gaza. These were two places where the Palestinians were not expelled because of the presence of Transjordanian and Egyptian troops. The rest of the Palestinian Arab resistance and their handful of Arab volunteers who were no match for the superior Zionist forces who even had obtained two flying fortress bombers from the United States which they bombed Cairo with.
Dimitry_Aleksandrovich| 1.17.13 @ 11:13PM
What I'm saying is that the war was a joke. The Palestinians didn't stand a chance and many of the Palestinians didn't know what was coming they thought that a Jewish occupation would be the same thing as a British or Ottoman occupation. Many did not think they would be forcibly evicted from their homes and many would be killed. Historic Churches and Mosques would be destroyed. In some instances entire Palestinian villages were destroyed and the Zionist Jews planted pine trees in their place. Other Palestinian homes were occupied by Jewish settlers not unlike what happened to Serbs who were ethnically cleansed from Kosovo and the Albanians that drove them out took up residence in formerly Serb houses. What I'm saying is these things happened and unless the Israeli public at large is willing to admit that these things happened and move to find some kind of reconciliation with the Palestinians including the right of return or compensation as specified in UN General Assembly Resolution 194, Israel, the Palestinians and the Middle East as a whole will never be at peace.
Now as for the U.S. Israeli alliance I do believe that the United States should not take sides in the Israeli Palestinian conflict and not fund either side and that includes the Palestinian Authority. This is one of those situations where we should heed the founding fathers warnings about "foreign entaglements".