Archive for January, 2009

24 Hours, 1 Israel Rally, 1 Anti-Israel Gathering of Murderers

Monday, January 12th, 2009

Over a 24 hour span, I attended one Pro-Israel rally and one anti-Israel gathering of terrorist murderers.

To describe the stark differences between the human beings that rallied for Israel on Sunday and the savage animals that congregated the day before would be akin to describing night and day. Like night and day, the differences should be self evident.

I was interviewed by FOX Los Angeles, although they edited out my more strident comments about wanting Iran and Syria to have their government buildings turned into 50,000 hole golf courses. Unfortunately I was  labeled as a “Pro-Israel Protester” instead of a “Pro-Israel Supporter.” Then again, this is local news. They did not have time to do the story about the escaped Panda from the zoo. Besides, the Palestinians in these crowds would have most likely shot the infidel fuzzy critter.

http://www.myfoxla.com/myfox/MyFox/pages/sidebar_video.jsp?contentId=8232705&version=1&locale=EN-US

http://www.myfoxla.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=8232672&version=2&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.1.1

For many in the civilized world, self evident means simple concepts must be explained, reexplained, and overexplained until thick skulls are forced to inculcate them.

I use the 24 hour theme because I finally saw the television show “24” for the very first time. I know, everybody else on Earth has been watching it for years. I am not trendy. Within 5 minutes, I realized that occasionally, the masses are completely right. Jack Bauer is my new television hero. Once he told a liberal gasbag Senator where to stick it, I realized that I needed to go back and watch the first six seasons.

We are in a war on terror. War is messy. Self righteousness and piety needs to be replaced with what the purpose of a successful mission is…to get the job done. In the end, many more lives are saved this way. This brings me back to both rallies I attended.

My friend Shane from Political Vindication let me know that an anti-Israel gathering of sub-human garbage was getting together at the Federal Building. I live within walking distance of the Federal Building.

For those wondering why I would refer to a Pro-Palestinian rally as a gathering of the worst elements ever created on Earth, you were not there. I was. This was no peace rally. For coverage of this event, Shane has phenomenal footage. On Tuesday I will be a guest on his progam at 7:15pm PST.

http://politicalvindication.com/?p=3745

Doug from Political Pistachio also came along and played a key role in helping expose the truth.

http://politicalpistachio.blogspot.com/2009/01/wilshire-and-veteran-la-site-of-pro.html

Bloggers Gawfer, Fouse, and Prying 1 also offered solidarity.

http://gawfer.net/2009/01/anti-israeli-protest-in-los-angeles-full-of-hate/

http://www.garyfouse.blogspot.com/

http://prying1.blogspot.com/2009/01/pro-terrorist-or-pro-israel.html

Reverend C. P. Hanson of the Fundamentalist Baptist Church can tell you all about the peace-loving “Palestinians.” They knocked him to the ground and ripped the signs he and his wife were holding. They are both ok.

http://www.fundamentalistbaptistchurch.org/

For those in the Jewish community who are more scared of Pat Robertson holding a book than Osama Bin Laden holding a bomb, they should attend these “peace” rallies where peace is non-existent and murder is celebrated. Reverend Hanson did not try to convert me. He did not force the New Testament upon me. He simply shared a desire to see a world of more peace, love, and tolerance. That requires standing with Israel.

Blogger Snooper at “Take our country back” understands this.

http://takeourcountryback-snooper.blogspot.com/2009/01/supporting-israel-one-post-at-time.html

The rally billed as a pro-Palestinian rally was simply a collection of left wing wack jobs. Yes, there were Palestinians chanting about how Israel murders children, how we must “Free Palestine,” and how Israel is a terrorist nation. There were also Che Guevara supporters, dopey college girls worried that bombs are bad for trees, dopey college boys pretending to care so they could sleep with them, and the dopey professors that still want to smoke a doobie and party like it’s 1968.

They kept chanting about the murdering of innocent babies. Perhaps they thought they were at an abortion rally. Remember, terrorist supporters are not the best and brightest.

Every good myth needs a good debunking the same way every Palestinian terrorist needs a good military shellacking. With that, I offer some debunking of Palestinian myths.

The biggest myth is the Palestinian people themselves. They are a fictional invented people that are every bit as made up out of thin air as the Easter Bunny, unicorns, and Snuffalupagus. The only difference is that in the case of the Palestinians, the air is more rancid.

(I apologize for spoiling the other myths. I will keep quiet about Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy to avoid hurting children.)

The non-Jews living in the West Bank are squatters from Jordan. They are Jordanians. They were kicked out of Jordan for being troublemakers. The non-Jews living in the Gaza Strip are squatters from Egypt. They were Egyptians, and were kicked out of Egypt for…you guessed it…being troublemakers. Yassir “That’s My Bay Terrorist” Arafat, despite credible rumors declaring him as half goat, was Egyptian.

To put things in perspective, these agitators were too crazy for their fellow Middle Eastern Arabs to deal with. Yes, apparently that is possible.

These rabble rousers and political agitators are worse than Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, Roseanne Barr, and even most political science professors. At least they do not use guns. Palestinian terrorists worship guns. This brings us to the myth about children.

Nobody in Israel wants dead children. Nobody in any civilized nation wants dead children. It is the Palestinians murdering their own children and using them as human shields. As for “humanitarian aid,” money for aid is spent on more bombs and guns. The Palestinian people are being murdered by Hamas. It is a civil war. Israel has nothing to do with any of this beyond being innocent victims of murderous Arabs.

There is no Palestine. There is Israel, a nation of people who want peace, and several areas where defective Arabs and their descendants continue to devalue what little value they place on human life.

A bunch of Palestinian savages surrounded me at the rally. They told me to “go home.” Perhaps they cannot tell the difference between Israel and Wilshire Blvd in Los Angeles. This is my home. Perhaps they needed a compass. They definitely need a moral compass.

This is what Palestinians are. They do not want a homeland. They want to kill all Jews. I saw Palestinians try to chase the Jews of Los Angeles off of the streets of Wilshire Blvd. I had plenty of police protection. The cops were friendly, genial, and professional. Yet again, Palestinians will not give Jews an inch of land in this world, not even in Westwood in Los Angeles.

Well Westwood is MY town. I have lived here since 1994. I am not going anywhere. I grabbed a megaphone, and entertained the crowd with my own chants. After all, if the best Palestinians can come up with is, “jihad,” “infidel,” and “zionist donkey occupying aggressor,” then they do not need a homeland. They need a thesaurus.

I offered better chants to the Palestinians.

“1, 2, 3-4-5…have yourselves sterilized…”

“5, 6, 7, 8…you should never procreate…”

I did also chant some of the lyrics to my hit song “Burn Gaza Burn, Disco Inferno.”

Compared to what they chant on a daily basis, I was giving them the verbal equivalent of Kumbaya with a side order of love beads.

Yet one moment I will never forget was when I encountered a Palestinian boy that could not be more than five years old. His parents were walking him and other children past the line of peaceful Jews towards the enraged Palestinian mob. I am not sure why I did it, but I called out to this child, “Little boy!” He looked at me, and I offered him an extended hand of friendship. The boy took my hand and smiled. We shook hands for literally about 60 seconds. His horrified parents looked on, and after one minute of warm friendship, they had had enough.

They pulled the child away, and scolded him for his potential future of decency and humanity. I genuinely hope that if enough people can somehow get to this boy before it is too late, he can escape the culture of suicide and homicide that awaits him. Yet for those who wonder about the “poor, innocent, suffering Palestinian children,” it is vital to understand that it is the Palestinians killing their own children. If anybody wants to show me Palestinians offering to shake hands with Jewish children, I would love to see that framed in a picture with the unicorn and his other furry friends.

Yet the next day, civilization returned to the Federal Building in Los Angeles in the form of a pro-Israel rally.

The crowd was peaceful. Songs of love and harmony were being played. For a Neocon like myself, it was almost too much to stomach. Yet I understand that my level of stridency does not make for good public relations. It also forces me to admit that most of the Jewish community truly does want peace, love, and harmony, while I would prefer unconditional victory over our wretched enemies, with peace as icing on the cake.

Organizations including “Stand With Us” and the ZOA helped make this rally a success from a turnout standpoint and a human decency standpoint.

http://www.standwithus.org/

http://www.zoa.org/

Naturally, Chabad, the organization that spreads peace worldwide, was in attendance.

http://www.chabad.org/

People were not chanting about killing all Arabs, or even all Palestinians. They were chanting about peace.

The only reason a police force was even necessary was because a statistically and culturally insignificant group of “Palestinians” launched a counter protest. Yes, the Che Guevara supporters and college dopes were part of that crowd. Thankfully, LAPD quarantined them as any organization would to prevent the disease from spreading.

Other differences between the rallies came in the form of love of the United States of America. At the Pro-Israel rally, American flags were as prominent as Israeli flags. Jews sang “God Bless America,” along with “I’m Israel Chai.” The Jewish people gathered at the Pro-Israel rally shook hands with the LAPD. We thanked the police officers for keeping us safe. We were cooperative.

I even joked with a couple of them. One of them noticed that I disappeared from one of the protests for about 15 minutes. I was hungry, so I ducked out for a hot dog. Also, the officer overheard me mention that it would be nice if both sides could come together and promise to stop scheduling protests that conflict with the NFL Playoffs. The officers hinted that as much as they loved preventing riots, they would not have minded being home for the games as well.

The few acts of violence led to arrests of Palestinians. The Jews did not have this problem. More importantly, they did not cause this problem.

It is one thing to act like barbarians in the Middle East. How does one explain the behavior of Palestinians in the United States?

We are told they are “angry.” When are they not angry?

We are told they are “suffering.” Whose fault is that? Their own.

They do not claim to want peace. I was at the rallies. They did not mention the word “peace.”

I pray that the 5 year old boy I befriended somehow ends up not hating Jews. If he does end up a homicide bomber, God forbid, it will not be because of the hand of friendship I extended to him, that he accepted. It will be solely because of the rejectionism of his own parents.

Palestinian culture is Hamas culture. They are inseparable and identical. Not all Palestinians use the Hamas means of bombs and guns. Yet too many of them, at least an overwhelming majority, support the end goal of the terorrists. Too many of them want to destroy Israel.

I saw it with my own eyes on Wilshire Blvd. They will not remove me from my home. Not one Jew will be displaced from Los Angeles, New York, Miami, or Israel, no matter how loudly the murderous defective Arabs scream and shout.

If they want peace, they will get peace. If they want war, and at this stage they do, they will get it.

May God Bless the USA, Israel, the USA military, the IDF, and honorable people everywhere that want to conquer barbarism and terrorism and preserve civilization.

eric

NFL 2008-2009–Divisionals Recap

Sunday, January 11th, 2009

The NFL divisional playoffs featured “rematch weekend.” All of these teams squared off during the regular season.

Forget the flowery language. Let’s play football.

Baltimore Ravens@ Tennessee Titans–This game was expected to be a head knocker. These teams both play suffocating defense. For the entire decade, these teams share a mutual respect and bitter hatred. The 2000 season saw the 13-3 Titans and 12-4 Ravens slug it out in Nashville. Earlier in the year, both teams won on the other’s field. A 10-10 game in the 4th quarter was broken when the go ahead field goal by Al Del Greco was blocked and returned for a touchdown. The shocker was complete when a Steve McNair pass for Eddie George was ripped out of George’s hands by Ray Lewis, who took it back for the touchdown and the 24-10 Ravens win.

The 2003 season saw the Titans travel to Baltimore for another playoff game between them. A bitter game saw Eddie George get in Ray Lewis’s face. A 17-17 tie was broken when Gary Anderson nailed a field goal with 29 seconds left to give the Titans the 20-17 win. In this series, the road team often wins.

2008 had McNair and George Retired, but Ray Lewis still as tenacious as ever. Earlier in the year, Tennessee overcame a 10-3 4th quarter deficit to win a 13-10 victory over the Ravens. Again, the road team won. Again it was a bloody and defensive bonelock. The playoff game rematch was every bit as tough, as again a 13-3 Titans team tried to get their best record in the league to a Super Bowl. The 11-5 Ravens were ready.

Tennessee began their second possession from their own 35. Kerry Collins hit Chris Johnson for 28 yards down to the Baltimore 37. From the 28, Collins hit Justin Gage for 20 yards. Johnson ran it on from 8 yards out to put the Titans up 7-0. Just like 8 years earlier, the Titans scored a first quarter touchdown only to not reach the end zone again. The Ravens took over at their own 20. Facing 3rd and 13 from the Tennessee 48, Joe Flacco went deep to Derrick Mason for the touchdown. The game was tied 7-7 after the opening quarter. Neither team reached the end zone again.

The second and third quarters were both scoreless, but the storyline consisted of multiple missed opportunities for the Titans. Chris Johnson ran wild in the first half, but he was injured during the second quarter. He did not play in the second half, and it did matter. The Titans took over a tie game from their own 27. Chris Johnson ran for 9 yards, and then ripped off a 32 yard gain to the Baltimore 32. On 3rd and 3 from the 25, a running play lost 5 yards. Jeff Fisher bypassed a 47 yard field goal attempt. On 4th and 8, a fumbled snap out of the shotgun led to a turnover on downs, and the first missed opportunity.

Tennessee began their next possession at their own 1 yard line. On 3rd and 10 for the 1, Collins hit Hall for 11 yards. Hall got blasted by Ray Lewis, but the first down was picked up. On 3rd and 2 from the 20, Collins hit Gage for gains of 10 and 24 yards. On 3rd and 3 from the Baltimore 27, a penalty backed the Titans up 5 yards. On the next play, facing a blitz up the middle, Collins threw up a duck before being belted. The pass was intercepted by McCareins. An 8 minute drive resulted in no points and a second wasted opportunity.

After another punt the Titans took over at their own 28 with 2:24 left in the half. Collins moved the Titans in position, and with 36 seconds left in the half, the Titans faced 3rd and 4 at the Baltimore 22. Lendale White picked up the first down on the ground, but then put the ball on the ground. The Ravens recovered the fumble. The third missed opportunity, all in the second quarter, left the game a 7-7 tie at halftime in a game the Titans were statistically dominating.

In the third quarter, an exchange of punts led to the Titans starting at their own 45. Collins hit White for 19 yards. On 3rd and 7 from the Baltimore 33, a pass appeared to pick up 5 yards to set up a 46 yard field goal attempt. Yet John Harbaugh challenged the completion, and the call was overturned. A 51 yard field goal by Rob Bironas, who earlier was denied the chance to try a 47 yarder, was wide. A fourth wasted opportunity kept the game 7-7.

Very late in the third quarter, a 29 yard punt return by Leonhard had the Ravens starting at the Tennessee 41. Flacco went deep to Mark Clayton, who mad ean acrobatic catch in double couverage for a 37 yard gain down to the 4 yard line. As the clock clicked into the fourth quarter, the Ravens failed to score a touchdown. A chip shot Matt Stover field goal put the Ravens up 10-7 less than one minute into the final quarter of a game they were getting demolished on everywhere except the scoreboard.

The Titans took over on their own 36 and Collins went right to work. He hit White for 14 yards, and WHite picked up another 11 on the ground. On 3rd and 11 from the 40, Collins hit Gage for 14 yards. On 3rd and 9 from the 25, Collins hit Gage for 11 yards. On 2nd and 9 from the 13, Collins hit Alge Crumpler. Then a pair of defenders hit Crumpler at the 6 yard line, and he Crumpled to the ground without the football. The Ravens recovered at the 1 yard line. The Titans had literally squandered a fifth opportunity with 9 minutes remaining in the game.

After a punt the Titans took over at the Baltimore 42 with 7 1/2 minutes remaining. Collins hit Jones for 11, and White then picked up 12 on the ground to the Baltimore 19. On 3rd and 10, Collins hit Gage for 9 yards. On 4th and 1 from the 10, in a game where nothing went right for Tennessee, Jeff Fisher made what appeared to be the wise decision. He had Bironas kick the gimme field goal. The game was tied 10-10 with 4 1/2 minutes remaining, in a game dominated by the defenses.

The Ravens took over at their own 24. On 3rd and 2 from the 32, Flacco hit Todd Heap for 23 yards to the Tennessee 45. Although the play clock appeared to run out, a delay of game penalty was not called. The gain stood. This non-call was not reviewed, and it proved decisive. Replay clearly showed Flacco not getting the snap off in time. On 2nd and 10, McGahee picked up 11 yards to the 34. Flacco hot Clayton for 8 yards. On 4th and 1 from the 25, Matt Stover came in for the go ahead field goal attempt with 57 seconds left. Once again, a Ravens game against the Titans came down to a kick.

Matt Stover was on the original Ravens team that moved from Cleveland. He drilled the kick, and the Ravens led. The Titans took over at their own 35, but in a game dominated by defense, the defense held again. Again, the road team had won a war of attrition. Again, the Titans saw a 13-3 NFL best record go down in flames on their home field against Ray Lewis and the Ravens. These teams should play every year in the playoffs, and refuse to accept home field advantage.

The Titans outgained the Ravens 391-211, and led in first downs 21-9 and time of possession 34 minutes to 26. Yet 12 penalties for 89 yards in addition to 3 turnovers killed the Titans. For the 15th straight year, a top seed has failed to reach the Super Bowl. The one team the Titans did not want to play was the Ravens. 13-10 Ravens

Arizona Cardinals @ Carolina Panthers–The Panthers were the only team in the league this year to go an unbeaten 8-0 at home. The last time they did was in 1996, when they reached the NFC Title Game. They were expected to crush Arizona to reach their 4th NFC Title game in their 14 year history. Arizona began 7-3 but limped into the playoffs with a 9-7 record. Somehow despite going 2-4 down the stretch, they beat Atlanta. Nevertheless, their luck was about to run out. Earlier in the year, Arizona did lead Carolina 17-3 in Carolina, but the Panthers came back and won 27-23. They had beaten Arizona 5 straight times. This game was going to be a Carolina laugher, especially since Arizona receiver Anquon Boldinw as out with a hamstring injury.

Cuing the wisdom of the ESPN version of Solomon, Chris Berman, “That’s…why they play the games.” This game was a shocker. The opening kickoff was returned by Jones 39 yards to start Carolina off at midfield. On 3rd and 7 from the 47, Jake Delhomme hit Hoover for 7 yards to the 40. On the next play Deangelo Williams ran 31 yards to the Arizona 9. Stewart ran it on the next play. Only 3 minutes into the game, the Panthers led 7-0, and the easy route was on. The Cardinals did take over at their own 40, but after reaching the Carolina 26, they ended up punting on 4th and 23 from the 39. The easy Carolina route was on.

Except it wasn’t. After a punt, the Cardinals again took over at their own 40. On 3rd and 1 form the 49, Kurt Warner went deep to Larry Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald outleaped 2 Carolina defenders for a 41 yard gain down to the 10 yard line. Carolina has all world Steve Smith, but Fitzgerald ruled on this day. Smith had no catches in the first half. Fitzgerald finished with 166 yards on 8 catches. Warner hit Hightower for a 3 yard touchdown to tie the game 7-7.

At this point Jake Delhomme began a day of self destruction. By the end of his worst game as a pro, he had 6…yes 6…turnovers. 5 interceptions killed the Panthers, but the pain started when Delhomme was sacked, resulting in a fumble. This was the first play from scrimmage after Arizona tied the game. Smith got a big paw on Delhomme’s throwing hand, and recovere dthe fumble at the Carolina 13. Edgerrin James gained 9 yards on a pass from Warner, and then ran it in for the final 4 yards to put the Cardinals up 14-7 after the first quarter.

In the second quarter, the Panthers began at their own 23. Delhomme hit Muhsin Muhammade for 15 yards. He then went deep to Smith. The pass was incomplete, but only because of a blatant defensive pass interference call. From the Arizona 15, the Panthers were in business until Delhomme was intercepted at the one yard line. Warner drove the Cardinals from their own 20 to the Carolina 31. Neil Rackers drilled a 49 yard field goal to give the Cardinals a surprising 17-7 lead.

After a punt, Warner kept firing. He led the Cardinals from their own 38 to a 3rd and 1 from the Carolina 13. A run failed to convert, and Ken Whisenhunt opted for the field goal and a 20-7 Arizona lead. Delhomme again needed only one play to throw another interception, giving Arizona the ball at the Carolina 44. Warner hit Fitzgerald for a 29 yard touchdown to put the Cardinals up 27-7. After a punt, with 1:52 left in the half, Warner led the Cardinals from their own 27 to the Carolina 36. Rackers did miss the 53 yard field goal, but it did not matter.

The second half saw Warner firing passes to Arizona receivers and Delhomme firing passes to Arizona defenders. The Cardinals also ran the ball 43 times and held the ball for 40 minutes. Rackers added a field goal in the third quarter and a chip shot in the fourth quarter after a 7 1/2 minute drive fell 3 yards short. A garbage touchdown with less than a minute remaining did not alter the fact that the Arizona Cardinals, forever lovable losers, are in the NFC Title Game. They even had a chance of hosting the game. Carolina was one play away in Week 17 of regulation from being the top seed. Instead, in a playoff stunner, John Fox and his team are done. The 9-7 Cardinals shocked the football world and the 12-4 Panthers. The game was a blowout, but not as expected. 33-13 Cardinals

Philadelphia Eagles @ New York Giants–Each of these tams won on the road during their matchups this year. Early in the season, the Giants went into Philadelphia and won a shootout 36-31. Late in the season, with the Giants looking virtually invincible, a desperate Eagles team shocked the Giants in the Meadowlands. Philadelphia beat the hell out of them on defense, taking a 20-7 lead before giving up a garbage touchdown with seconds left to create the illusion of a competitive 20-14 game. A snowstorm the night before may have been a factor, but on this day the bitter cold and swirling winds were bad enough.

Ahmad Bradshaw returned the opening kickoff 65 yards to the Philadelphia 35. On 4th and 2 from the 27, Tom Coughlin decided to go for it due to the horrendous conditions for kicking. Brandon Jacobs picked up 3 yards. The Giants did penetrate deep, but on 4th and 3 from the 4, a short field goal put the Giants up 3-0. However, after a punt, the Giants began their next drive at their own 13. Eli Manning was intercepted by Asante Samuel, and his 25 yard return set up the Eagles at the Giants 2 yard line. Donovan McNabb snuck over from a yard out to put the Eagles up 7-3.

In the second quarter it was the defense that got the Giants on the board. After a punt pinned the Eagles at the 5 yard line, McNabb went back to pass from his own end zone. His incomplete pass was ruled intentional grounding, and the safety made it a 7-5 game. The Giants took the free kick and began at their own 32. From just past midfield, Manning hit Kevin Boss for 21 yards down to the Philly 28. However, the drive moved no further, and a 46 yard field goal attempt by John Carney was wide right.

With 4 minutes left in the half, McNabb was intercepted, and the Giants began at their own 20. Jacobs ran for 24 yards, Derrick Ward picked up 5 more, and Manning hit Boss for 25 yards to the Philadelphia 26. On 4th and 1 from the 17, Coughlin decided not to go for it. This time Carney was good from 34 yards out, and the Giants led 8-7 with 1:38 left in the half. Yet that was enough time for McNabb, starting from the Philly 25. He hit Jackson and Avant for gains of 14 and 15 yards. McNabb added a 12 yard scramble of his own as the Eagles reached the Giant 7 yard line. The Eagles failed on one attempt to the end zone before kicking the field goal to lead 10-8 at halftime.

A strong kickoff return to start the second half had the Eagles starting at their own 47. However, McNabb was intercepted again, as Fred Robbins returned it 17 yards to the Philadelphia 33. Jacobs picked up gains of 11 and 5 before the drive stalled at the 17. A field goal had the giants leading 11-10 in this see-saw game. The Eagles came right back as McNabb led a 12 play, 5 minute drive that went from the Philly 25 to the Giants 17. On 3rd and 20 from their own 15, McNabb somehow avoided traffic to hit Avant for 21 yards. On 3rd and 10 from the Giants 41, McNabb hit Buckhalter for 19 yards. David Akers nailed the 36 yard field goal to put the Eagles back in front 13-11.

The Giants took over at their own 31. From the 36, Manning went deep and hit Dominic Hixon for 34 yards to the Philadelphia 30. The drive stalled, and a 47 yard field goal attempt by Carney was wide left. His second miss of the day was critical because it came with the wind. Even more critical was what happened next. The Eagles took over at their own 37. On 3rd and 5 from the 42, McNabb hit Curtis for 8 yards. A 6 yard toss to Smith with a 15 yard face mask tacked on had Philadelphia at the Giants 29. McNabb then hit Curtis for 15 yards to the 14. On 3rd and 1 from the 5, Westbrook picked up 4 yards. On the first play of the fourth quarter, McNabb hit Celek for the 1 yard touchdown. The Eagles led 20-11, and the Giants had to go into the wind in the fourth quarter.

The Giants took over at their own 24. On 4th and inches from their own 44, Coughlin decided to go for it. Eli Manning ran the quarterback sneak straight into Broderick Bunkley and the rest of the Eagles defense. 12 1/2 minutes remained. On 4th and 2 from the Giants 37, Andy Reid decided to punt rather than attempt a 54 yard field goal. Even with the wind, it was the right call.  The Giants took over at their own 11 with 10 1/2 left. On 3rd and 2 from their own 47, out of a Wildcat formation, the Giants failed to convert. On 4th and 2 the Giants gave it to the big bruiser Jacobs. Again the Eagles held as the Giants turned it over on downs with 6 1/2 minutes left.

Despite being a good football team, won of the main weaknesses of the Eagles is their running game. Too often they pass on 3rd and 1 because they do not have the ability to run it. So the Eagles did what they do. Rather than try to keep grinding down the clock, they kept passing. McNabb went deep, and a catch had the Eagles with 1st and goal at the one yard line. A pair of attempts by Westbrook to leap over the top had him being knocked back one yard. The Eagles settled for a field goal and a 12 point lead with 4 minutes left.

Manning needed only 2 plays to be intercepted by Mikell to end any threat. Last year it was the Giants that went on the road and shocked heavily favored Dallas. This year the Giants were the favorites, and Philadelphia simply smacked them around in the 4th quarter. Donovan McNabb and Andy Reid are going to their 5th NFC Title game in 10 years together. To think McNabb was benched and considered done in Philadelphia only a few weeks ago is unfathomable. 23-11 Eagles

1993 was the last year that both top seeds made it to the Super Bowl. Almost every year since then, exactly one top seed went down in flames before reaching the big dance. Yet during that 14 year span, one of the top seeds survived. 1992 and 1997 saw both top seeds go down. 1992 had the 13-3 Cowboys upset the 14-2 49ers 30-20 in an NFL classic. The 11-5 Bills defeated the 11-5 Dolphins 29-10, although that was not considered much of an upset as both teams had won on the road that year during the regular season. 1997 saw the 12-4 Broncos defeat the 13-3 Chiefs in a 14-10 war of attrition. It was not considered an upset. The 13-3 Packers throttled the 13-3 49ers 23-10, although the Packers were favored going in. 2008 saw the Titans and Giants go down. In the NFC, the top 3 seeds all lost, with the # 4 seed hosting the NFC Title Game for the first time ever.

San Diego Chargers @ Pittsburgh Steelers–The snow was coming down for this game, but the conditions were much worse during their regular season matchup. Near blizzard conditions saw the Steelers survive 11-10. All the road teams had won on this weekend coming into this game, and favorites were going down in rapid succession. If Norvelous Norv Turner and the 8-8 Chargers defeated the 12-4 Steelers, the league might declare seeding and home field advantage meaningless. Landanian Tomlinson was on the sidelines, proving that a San Diego win would turn Norv Turner into the reincarnation of Lazarus.

The ghosts of 1994 were lurking in the background. That was the year that the Chargers, led by miracle worker Bobby Ross and tough as nails quarterback Stan Humphries, went into Pittsburgh and shocked the heavily favored Steelers in the AFC Title Game. The Steelers led 13-3 in the 4th quarter, but a pair of deep passes had the Chargers leading 17-13. Neil O’Donnell led the Steelers to a 4th and goal at the 3 yard line, where his final pass was broken up. San Diego went to their own only Super Bowl while the Steelers would have to wait until the following season under the banner of “3 more yards.”

2008 began with the possibility of a repeat shock. The Chargers went right to work from their own 25. Philip Rivers hit Antonio Gates for 21 yards. From the Pittsburgh 41, Rivers went deep to Vincent Jackson, who made an acrobatic touchdown catch 2 minutes into the game to put the Chargers up 7-0. A short kickoff had the Steelers starting at their own 42. They drove to the San Diego 34, but on 4th and 8 Mike Tomlin decided against a 51 yard field goal in terrible conditions. Ben Roethlisberger lined up to go for it, but instead Big Ben punted the ball to the San Diego 9. San Diego punted back, and Santonio Holmes brought it back 67 yards for the tying touchdown. Holmes evaded the kicker, leapt over a tackler like an Olympic hurdler, and took out the cameraman in the end zone.

Midway through the second quarter, the Steelers decided to punt on 4th and 1 from their own 48. Tomlin called a fake punt that was blown up in the backfield for a 4 yard loss. San Diego took over at the Pittsburgh 44, and reached the 24 before settling for a 42 yard Nate Kaeding field goal and 10-7 Chargers lead with 1:56 left in the half. Pittsburgh took over at their own 34, and Roethlisberger hit Holmes for 15 yards. From the San Diego 44, Roethlisberger went deep to Hines Ward for a 41 yard gain down to the 3 yard line. Willie Parker ran it in on the next play, giving the Steelers the 14-10 halftime lead.

The Steelers took the second half kickoff and went 77 yards in 13 plays, eating up 8 minutes of clock. On 3rd and 7 from the Pittsburgh 41, Roethlisberger hit Holmes for 10 yards. On 3rd and 11 from midfield, Big Ben hit Nate Washington for 18 yards. On 3rd and 8 from the 30, Big Ben hit Heath Miller for 18 yards. An 8 yard touchdown pass to Miller completed the drive. The Chargers ran only one play in the entire third quarter, resulting in an interception of Rivers. A muffed San Diego punt had the Steelers at the San Diego 28 as the Steelers led 21-10 after three quarters.

Roethlisberger hit Ward for 19 yards, with a defensive penalty tacking 5 more yards on. Yet on 2nd and goal and 3rd and goal from the 1, Russell failed to score. The first play of the fourth quarter had the Steelers going for the knockout blow on 4th and goal from the 1. Davis was stuffed, and the goal line stand gave the Chargers hope. The hope did not last long. AFter a punt, the Steelers took over just past midfield. From the San Diego 45, Roethlisberger went for all the marbles to Washington. Defensive pass interference in the end zone placed the ball on the one yard line. This time Russell did break through, and the Steelers led 28-10 with 13 minutes left in the game.

The Chargers took over at their own 27. On 3rd and 10, after a sack, Rivers hit Brandon Manumaleuna for 14 yards. On 3rd and 10 form the Pittsburgh 48, Rivers hit Chris Chambers for gains of 15 and 25 yards. Rivers tossed the 4 yard touchdown pass to Nannee to pull the Chargers to within 28-17 with 9 minute left. Yet the Steelers had too much fire power. Willie Parker took over, with rushes of 27 and 7 yards. Parker ran it in from 16 yards out to put the final nail in the coffin. This time, the heavy favorites actually won. 35-24 Steelers

AFC Title Game: Baltimore Ravens @ Pittsburgh Steelers

NFC Title Game: Philadelphia Eagles @ Arizona Cardinals

eric

My Interview With Ralph Reed

Saturday, January 10th, 2009

At the 2008 GOP Convention in Minnesota, I had the pleasure of interviewing Ralph Reed.

Ralph Reed was the former Executive Director for the Christian Coalition. He later ran for Lieutenant Governor of Georgia.

http://www.ralphreed.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_E._Reed,_Jr.

One of the things I respect about Ralph Reed is that he decided to get into the political arena and run for public office. So many people talk a good game from the sidelines but are scared of scrutiny. Ralph Reed put his money where his mouth was.

My interview with him is below, taken before the election.

1) What are the most important issues of 2008?

RR: “The economy, terror, and the family.”

2) Who are your 3 favorite political heroes?

RR: “Abraham Lincoln, Ronald Reagan, and Winston Churchill.”

3) How would you like to be remembered 100 years from now? What would you want people to say about Ralph Reed the person?

RR: “I was a father and a husband first. I was devoted to my family. I was a principled person whether you agreed or disagreed with me.”

4) Too many people seem to be more scared of Pat Robertson holding a book than Osama Bin Laden holding a bomb. Are you concerned that so many people don’t get it?

RR: “I disagree. I think most people do get it. They get it.”

5) I know that you are passionate about preserving human life. From a cynical viewpoint, have you ever thought that most of the people having abortions are liberals? Do you ever get the urge to make an exception in your pro-life views for them?

RR: “No.”

Ralph Reed is a nice person, but he does not take the most serious issues of his belief system lightly.

I thank Ralph Reed for his time. I do not agree with him on some issues, yet as he said, he remains principled. He was also very polite, civil, and respectful with me.

The best aspect of politics is discuss issues with civility and decency.

I wish Ralph Reed well.

eric

My birthday wish list

Friday, January 9th, 2009

January 9th is my birthday!

I was toying with the idea of asking for things that would benefit all of mankind, but then remembered that womyn would start hollering about womynkind.

So instead, I decided to just offer my wish list for one man…me.

Some people say that wishing for stuff means it will not come true. Those people need to be smacked. Expressing wishes is the clearest way of telling well intentioned people that give lousy gifts to listen up, pay attention, and just get me what is on the list.

Republican Jewish brunettes. I want them sent to my home. They should be wearing Hanukkah bows, and only Hanukkah bows. Their pasties should also be pastries, preferably blue and white frosting. More than two of these women at a time would be a bit much. Send them anyway.

In place of one of the republican Jewish brunettes, Shannon Doherty is an acceptable alternative. She gets a lifetime exemption even if she does not convert.

I have steaks in my freezer and football on television all weekend. So my needs are relatively few.

I could always appreciate more money and more power. Actually, the money is less important. Absolute power would be nice.

I wish the homicide bombers of the world would take the day off. That means the literal murderers that consist of Arabs in the Middle East, as well as the verbal bombers that usually come in the form of liberals and feminists.

For one day, it would be nice if the liberals, feminists, and Arab homicide bombers gave it a rest.

Some will argue that maybe it would be nice if an alpha male that extolls the virtues of Jews, republicans, and football would take the day off.

Well you are wrong, but as a gesture of good will, I will take the rest of the day off anyway.

Now return the favor. Be silent. You can be twice as cantankerous tomorrow if that will help.

Socializing on my actual birthday Friday night, sleeping in on Saturday, football on Saturday afternoon, my birthday party Saturday night, and more football on Sunday.

A happy birthday indeed.

Oh yeah, and don’t forget the pair of republican Jewish brunettes.

eric

Burn Gaza Burn…Disco Inferno 2009

Thursday, January 8th, 2009

Burn Gaza Burn…Disco Inferno…Burn Gaza Burn…Disco Inferno…

2007 was the year that the unbreakable bond between Palestinian terrorists and disco music was announced by the Tygrrrr Express. They both became dreadful in the 1970s and got worse with time. They both truly derived from awful creations before them. When it comes to Palestinians, rock group Spinal Tap is right when they philosophically and melodically claim that “The more it stays the same…the less it changes.”

Yet 2009 is about going retro in terms of music and genocidal lunacy.

Burn Gaza Burn…Disco Inferno…Burn Gaza Burn…Disco Inferno…

I am not sure what is worse…the fact that I am delighted by the carnage in the Gaza Strip, or the fact that I just quoted disco. I profusely apologize for the latter. Thanks to this Middle East inferno, I actually remembered the lyrics to that Thelma Houston song that was sung in the movie Studio 54.

“Baby…My heart is burning like a ketushah rocket for you.”

It actually does tie in together. Mike Myers played the main villain in that movie, and also was Dr. Evil, who like the leaders of Hamas, are just misunderstood children that want to love and be loved.

Ummmm…no. Genocidal lunatics are killing each other, and frankly, the timing could not be better. With hockey and basketball still far from critical, and football only satiating the testosterone level one day a week, the only thing to do is enjoy a nice summer of love. Like Jan and Dean, those crazy Gaza kids “are out there having fun…in that scorched Earth Gaza sun.”

The main reason this trivial matter is treated as such is because unfortunately, it has taken comedians to offer hard nosed and hard edged common sense, while politicians were busy clowning around.

Dennis Miller, who I confess to only recently being a fan of (it is hard to almost singlehandedly destroy Monday Night Football), nailed it perfectly in discussing the differences between the political parties. “Democrats are worried about the Earth. Republicans are too busy worrying about the World.” Translation for the intellectually impaired…global warming is an abstract concept that may or may not happen one day in the future. Islamofacism has been happening for three decades, and must be dealt with right now.

Dennis Leary, refusing to be the second best comedic Dennis, has taken on the concept of Bush Derangement Syndrome. “President Bush is supposedly not smart enough to end the Iraq War, but he was smart enough to conspire to create 9/11.” As I have pointed out, liberals need every successful conservative to be either evil or imbecilic, and their inability to decide on President Bush has led them to declare he is both.

Before returning to the glorious age of disco (God help us all), I want to give you a pop culture reference…the current television show “Scrubs.” This show is fabulous not just because Zach Braff reminds me of my alter ego, “El Dorko,” but because a brilliantly and wickedly funny character named Dr. Perry Cox, when confronted with this young fellow (after one of his sweet but effeminate comments) said to him, “I am going to write you a prescription…for a brand new…pair of…testicles.”

Yes folks, that message was given in real life by Tony Blair, and hopefully it will be delivered to republicans everywhere. We could give it to the democrats as well, but the mommy party would probably prefer Vagina Monologues tickets. Dear republicans…grow a pair. Instead of being put on the defensive for making the wrong decision, how about pounding the table with clenched fists and reaffirming that the Iraq War was right then, and is right now. Those who hate you will be unchanged, but those who like you will be happy that you had a gonads transplant. You cannot win everybody over, but your lack of spine is demoralizing your supporters. Thank you to Mr. Tony Blair for reminding us what is at stake. So what if he is was forced out over the war? Winston Churchill was fired after World War II, and he is still one of the all time greats. Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan were ridiculed as well. History will vindicate those who never wavered about this war. Why should they? We are right.

There is a time for negotiation (the Russians in the 1980s), a time for overwhelming brute force (Afghanistan, Iraq, and hopefully Syria very soon), and there is a time to say “Screw it. Who cares? (Gaza…now and forever)”

Despite Gaza being Hotter than Hot Chocolate (I believe in Miracles…where ya from…you sexy thang), no amount of stripper poles and blacklights will be able to put a bow tie on this pig of an area. Heck, Gaza people (not citizens, just people) are trying to flee to Israel for safety. Are you kidding me? Aren’t Jews the enemy, and the cause of all these Gaza problems? I mean once the Jews get out, Gaza will be a land of peace.

“Palestinians of Hamas…and Fatah…join hands…start a love train…love train.” When The O’Jays sang that song, Palestinians were killing everyone around them, and as Hall and Oates did the remake, nothing had changed (and no, Earth Girls are not Easy).

“It’s just an old fashioned death song…whether it’s Hamas or it’s Fatah…It’s just an old fashioned death song…nothing’s changed since Oslo ‘93 (or the 7th century for that matter).”

To bring everything full circle, the song Disco Inferno was in the bowling movie Kingpin, with a brilliant cameo by Bill Murray. Camper Van Beethoven once sang a bizarre song called “Take the Skinheads Bowling.” As bizarre as it was, the point was that if people just took up hobbies, war and fighting would stop. So if we turn Iran and Syria into 50,000 hole golf courses, with miniature golf as well, Gaza can be one giant bowling alley, with Palestinian leaders Fatah and Hamas representing both gutters. How appropriate. We can even drill holes in the Palestinian leaders’ heads so that they can be used as bowling balls.

Why bowling? For anyone who has ever gone “cosmic bowling,” it is a lot of fun. That is where there are swirling disco lights and loud music, often disco music, playing in the background. It is like trying to bowl blind. Given that Palestinian leaders in Hamas and Fatah are blind (as well as deaf and dumb come to think of it) to their constituents’ concerns, I think cosmic bowling should be the official sport of Palestinian lunatics everywhere.

To torture them (yes, another reason to support torture), we should pipe Israeli music over the loudspeakers. Perhaps those old Yeshivah kids from the 1980s, the Beasty Boys, should be played. Given how ill Palestinians make me (and the rest of the civilized world), the album “Licensed to Ill,” should be the official Palestinian Cosmic Bowling Album.

Then again, one cannot go wrong with Disco. So as I watch Gaza, all I can think is…

“Upside down…boy Gaza you burn me…inside out…and into the ground…”

“Gaza you can do it, take the time, burn it right, you can kill all day, and burn all night.”

Ok, off to watch Palestinian Porn videos…Nothing like “Debbie does the Gaza Strip.”

eric

Israel and the Disputed Territories

Wednesday, January 7th, 2009

I am in shock as I write this, but a liberal actually brought up a point on my blog that was nothing short of brilliant.

I began blogging to provoke thought. I take great pride in being the conservative blog that liberals feel welcome to visit. When people step back and listen to each other, constructive dialogue can take place.

As war rages in the Gaza Strip, I maintain that Israel is jusitifed in using as much force as possible, and that any collateral damage should not be a deterrent. Yet comments I made about the Gaza Strip and the West Bank brought a comment that had me thinking very deeply, which again is what dialogue should do.

The issue came up when I mentioned the myth about the “occupied territories.”

I wrote the following.

“There are no ‘occupied’ territories. There are DISPUTED territories. Israel owns the land that it won in the 1967 War. They are building houses on their own land. This bothers some squatters whose only claim is that they try to steal it and reproduce like bunny rabbits, if bunnies were genocidal.”

Heck, I thought that comment was pretty d@ng funny. Nevertheless, the response I received on this point was solid.

“If Israel owned the land then they should claim it as their’s.  You’re making a bogus argument here.  Israel won’t claim the land because they don’t want it as part of their national territory (yet),  because then the Palestinians would become a real competitive political bloc in the Parliament.  If Israel is to be a democracy, and they “owned” the West Bank and Gaza, then Israel would have to accept another 4 million Palestinians into the body politic.  Oddly enough, 3 out of 4 Israeli Arabs say they would rather live in Israel than anywhere else in the world.  Citizenship for all the people’s of the Occupied Territories, would probably go a long way toward ending the violence.  It would also bring to an end the problem of settlements, as the question would then be moot.  But no, Israel does NOT own the Occupied Territories because it claims NO ownership.  Israel is complicit in maintaining the status quo, and so shares that part of the blame for this endless violence.”

For the sake of full disclosure, the above reader is a regular commenter who disagrees with me most of the time. I think he is wrong on almost every issue. I think he is especially wrong on Israel issues. Having said that, while I have never met him personally, I have interacted with him privately for over a year, and he is absolutely not an anti-Semite. Many people try to hide behind anti-Israel sentiment to hide anti-Semitism, and I am prepared to put my credibility on the line and say this guy does not have evil intentions towards Jews or Israel.

I have said for a long time that when you win a war you keep the land. Yet Israel refuses to claim ownership of the land. Why?

The answer is because Israel is a democracy. If they claim the land, then the people living on the land would have to be given rights. One of these rights is the right to vote.

If Palestinians were given the right to vote, Israel as a Jewish state would be dead. Arabs already make up 20% of Israel. Israel does not need that number to go higher.

The difference in the Middle East between Jews and Arabs is that Arabs have other places to go. Israeli Arabs could move to any one of 22 other Nations. They choose not to do so. They secretly understand that for all of the ranting and raving in the Arab world, there is not one Israeli Arab that wants to give up living in a democracy.

Isaraelis have no options. They have 22 nations that want to kill them. They have nowhere to go.

Make no mistake about it. I have no love for Palestinians. I think that most of them are subhuman garbage, with a small percentage possessing something moderately resembling human qualities. Yet I also believe in democracy and liberty. If Palestinians living in Israel are not committing crimes (a small number, but more than zero), then don’t they deserve the same legal rights?

One analogy is what Americans did in World War II by placing Japanese Americans in internment camps. A heartbreaking movie called “Come See The Paradise” has a wrenching scene where a white man screams at anybody who will listen, “My wife is an American citizen!”

What was done to Japanese Americans was disgusting. It was bigotry. It was also wrong. They were Americans, and they were not trying to subvert the United States from within.

The Palestinian situation is not analogous. Most of the Palestinians are subversive. They are an enemy within. They would destroy Israel as a Jewish state at the first possible opportunity.

So Israel is in a lose-lose situation. They either give the enemy the keys to destroying Israel, or they deny them equality.

Some will say that Israel should simply deport them all to Jordan or Syria. Personally, I would love that option. I would also like the Israeli Arabs to be kicked out of Israel.

The problem is that this will never happen.

Arab countries have an advantage. They are not bound by the laws of civility. For those that want to separate moderate Arab nations from the murderous regimes, there are no moderate Arab nations. Those countries are just more stealth.

In the same way that America is hampered in the War on Terror because the terrorists have no constraints, Israel has constraints as a democratic nation. It is not fair, but most of life is unfair.

I absolutely reject the last sentence of the reader stating that Israel is complicit in the violence. Yet the rest of the argument does have merit.

Again, the best solution of claiming the land and removing the inhabitants by force, while totally justified based on what Arabs have done to Jews for centuries, will never happen.

Perhaps Jews can relocate all Palestinians from the West Bank to Gaza. Some will say this is cruel, but these same people do not have a problem recommending that the Jews leave the West Bank.

Even the argument that Israel has never officially “claimed” the West Bank and Gaza has a flaw. The Palestinians have even less of a claim. Remember, Arabs claim the entire land of Israel as Palestine. Wishing and murdering to carry out wishes does not make it so.

Nobody has suffered more than the Jews. The Palestinians do not even come close. Remember, the Palestinians were murdered en masse by their Arab brethren. Jordan murdered one million of them. Also, the Palestinians are led by agitators. They are not innocent victims. The Jews murdered by German Nazis truly were blameless.

So what happens next?

I genuinely have no idea.

Do I wish we lived in a world without Palestinians? As much as they want a world without Jews, a resounding yes. However, wishes in the sky are still not realities on the ground.

So what can Israel do?

They can claim the land of the West Bank as Israel proper. The Palestinian squatters in the West Bank can apply for Israeli citizenship, which takes about 10 years in the United States. During those 10 years they will be interviewed, and strict checks will take place continuously. If by some miracle they obey the law, they can then get citizenship. Any violations of the law result in deportation to Gaza.

That way Israel can claim the land without having to give them voting rights.

Some will say that is diabolical. No it isn’t. They act like humans, they get human rights. They act like savages, they get treated like savages.

After all, there would be no problems in Gaza or the West Bank  if the Palestinians would just somehow observe normal people and imitate them. The internet exists. If they can learn how to make bombs, they can watch American sitcoms where nobody blows anything up except the ratings.

While it is cynical to place these conditions knowing that the Palestinians will fail, that is their fault. Heck, they could act normal just to spite the Israelis. That way they could be spiteful in a non-genocidal manner and get privileges that non-genocidal people get worldwide.

The only thing I know is that there are no “occupied” territories.

The land will belong to Israel the millisecond that they claim it.

Then the really hard work begins.

eric

Israel Links and News

Tuesday, January 6th, 2009

As an American political blogger, I did not anticipate that my blog would turn into all Israel, all the time.

For those who desperately want to talk about Blago, Roland Burris, Caroline Kennedy, Bill Richardson, and the true tragedy that is the untimely death of the young son of John Travolta (my deepest condolence…it is every parent’s nightmare), one fact keeps me away from those stories.

There is a war going on.

Absent the Travolta event, which again is a true heartbreak, the other stories are complete nonsense. Even Norm Coleman being fleeced by Al Frankenstein is less important at this moment than the war.

Israel is at war against Palestinian murderers, and Israel finally seems interested in actually winning for keeps.

I have offered my thoughts, and have been inundated with links from other people. Many of these links are very worthy, and I encourage people to research as much as possible. Some deal with the war itself, while others deal with religious issues in general.

I also want to say that I cannot be the only person who laughs when I hear that Gaza is described as “densely populated.” Yeah, the Palestinians in Gaza sure are dense. It reminds me of the Mel Brooks movie “History of the World Part I.” When somebody tells King Louis XVI (played by Brooks) that “The peasants are revolting,” he replies, “You said it, they stink on ice.” Better yet is the late football Coach John McKay. When asked after a bad game about his team’s execution, he replied, “I’m in favor of it.” So I am now declaring the Palestinians to be known as the densely populated genocidal lunatics instead of just genocidal lunatics.

Back to business and the war. First of all, I am in regular contact with a top aide to Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell. At some point soon I will be on a conference call with the Senator, but for now I want to make everyone aware of his comments about the current Israeli operation.

“Hamas is a terrorist organization. Imagine in this country if somebody from a neighboring country were
lobbing shells at our population.  We’d do exactly the same thing.  I think the Israelis are doing the only thing they can possibly do to defend their population.”

Like the Blue Moon of Kentucky, Senator McConnell keeps on shining.

http://blogs.abcnews.com/george/2009/01/mcconnell-propo.html

Now on to the blogosphere.

Chicago Ray has been covering the war for the last few days.

http://chicagoray.blogspot.com/2009/01/what-happens-when-holy-warriors-hide.html

Tom Hauser brought me this tale of a Muslim who converted to Christianity.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,402483,00.html

Don White talks about Judaism, Christianity, and Islam on his blog.

http://ChurchWire.blogspot.com

Cristy Li is a hard hitting blogger. I warn in advance that she does not pull punches.

http://cristyli.blogspot.com/2009/01/friends-of-islamic-jihad-terrorist.html

http://cristyli.blogspot.com/2009/01/where-was-moral-outrage-when-hamas.html

Jonathan Schanzer at the Jewish Policy Center covers Islamic Studies on campuses.

http://www.jewishpolicycenter.org/article/598

The Bosun Locker offers their Israel thoughts.

http://thebosun.wordpress.com/2009/01/05/g_d-bless-israel/

Hale Meserow writes about trouble in the House of Jacob.

http://www.strategicbookpublishing.com/TroubleInTheHouseOfJacob.html

Racquel at Culture for All provides the list of the Pro-Israel rallies around America.

http://standwithus.org/app/iNews/view_n.asp?ID=739

http://www.cultureforall.blogspot.com/

The Shire Network News has some Gaza updates.

http://podcast.shirenetworknews.net/

Brian at Birds Eye View has his thoughts.

http://birdseyeview.blogtownhall.com/default.aspx

Laree brought me the wisdom of Your Jewish Master. I love this guy. EVen non-Jews should appreciate his occasional alcohol reports. After all, it is always 5:00pm somewhere.

http://yourjewishmaster.blogspot.com/2009/01/my-take-on-israel-short-and-sweet.html

Lance at the Muslim Question is less subtle than me. Parental advisory: Explicit Lyrics is an understatement. He offers his take on the anti-Semitism of Roseanne Barr.

http://tmq2.wordpress.com/2009/01/04/roseanne-barrs-goober-smooching-cake-hole-parrots-anti-semitic-arab-propaganda/

My friend runs a DJ service. That has nothing to do with anything except that she is a hot piece of Republican Jewish (redacted) and I want to give her the ketchup bottle treatment. Most likely she will not let me. A guy can try.

http://www.blacktiedjent.com/

Joel G brought me a website that cuts through media lies about Israel. It is aptly named “Honest Reporting.”

http://www.honestreporting.com/

Yid With Lid was published in the Israel National News ridiculing the idiocy of “proportionality.”

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/8486

The blogger behind the Kick the Anthill blog offers his thoughts on Gaza.

http://www.kicktheanthill.com/?p=928

Another website offering good stuff on the subject is Scoop This.

http://www.scoopthis.org

The Big Dog points out that Israel is slicing up Gaza.

http://www.onebigdog.net/israel-is-slicing-up-gaza/

Omri at Mere Rhetoric is solid as always.

http://www.mererhetoric.com/archives/11275323.html

Hiram Review has a pro-Israel petition.

http://hiram7.wordpress.com/2009/01/03/take-action-sign-our-petition-fight-terror-support-israel-now/

Gary wants us to unite against a real threat.

http://unitedagainstislamicsupremacism.wordpress.com/

A new friend of mine named Jeff runs the LA Chapter of the Jewish American Chamber of Commerce. His stock tip to me was to short sell (bet against) the symbol GZRE, which invests in Gaza Real Estate (Leave Yahoo Finance alone, we made it up).

http://www.lajewishchamber.com/

For information about Shalom International, check out “Defend Jerusalem.”

http://www.defendjerusalem.net/

In addition to George W. Bush, I have now bestowed a title of “Honorary Hebrew” on my friend Chad at the Grizzly Groundswell. Times are otugh, so he is not getting a certificate. If he wants a plaque, he should find a Palestinian homicide bomber and inspect their teeth the way that U.S. Marine inspected Saddam for lice.

http://www.grizzlygroundswell.com

My friend Larry Greenfield is leaving the Republican Jewish Coalition to Join Claremont as a fellow. Politics is vital, but so is policy. I wish Larry well always.

http://www.rjchq.org/

For those that think this is about laziness, it takes longer to link to stuff than to write original material.

Also, in the interest of being balanced, proportional, and even-handed, it is important to know where to get the Hamas Homicide Bomber point of view. As always, the Jayson Blair Times, Los Angeles Palestinian Times, and Arab Christine Amanpour at the Communist News Network are fabulous sources of everything wrong and vile on Israel issues.

Now back to the show.

True brilliance does exist. Adi Dvir reminds us not to pity the Palestinians at all.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3649878,00.html

Michelle Malkin debunks the school bombing.

http://michellemalkin.com/2009/01/06/about-that-israeli-strike-on-the-un-school/

Christopher Hitchens has his say.

http://www.slate.com/id/2207872/pagenum/2

The New York Post gets it.

http://www.nypost.com/seven/01052009/postopinion/editorials/israels_obligation_147204.htm

So does David Warren at the Ottowa Citizen.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2009/01/gaza_hamas.html

Ralph Peters always gets it.

http://www.nypost.com/seven/01052009/postopinion/opedcolumnists/dont_stop_until_hamas_is_destroyed_147234.htm

Lastly, the cliche that nobody knows everything is used by people who often know virtually nothing. Some people do know everything. Sir Charles of Krauthammer does. Sometimes he is Krautier than usual, and this is one of his Krautiest. The Queen or some other dignitary must knight this man already.

http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/columnists/krauthammer/index.html

Now back to your (cough cough) humble host.

I truly love seeing terrorists get their just desserts. As for the collateral damage, it is totally 100% the fault of the Palestinian terrorists. They had 60 years to become civilized. Now it is time to explain it to them in a way even they can understand. The “Realities on the ground” are what Israel decides.

I am declaring rock group Bachman Turner Overdrive to be the official music of this war.

You ain’t seen nothin’ yet.

Burn Gaza Burn.

eric

Israeli Humans vs Palestinian Savages

Monday, January 5th, 2009

Israelis are by and large human beings. Palestinians, exempting the 20% that do not support the tactics of Hamas, are savage barbarians.

It is time for human beings to triumph over the savages.

For those wondering why I have chosen to devalue the lives of people, it is because they have devalued their own lives. Any culture that endorses and promotes suicide bombings has violated the requirement necessary to be a member of the human species. The human culture is a culture that values human life.

80% of Palestinians have decided for whatever inexcusable and insufficient reason that human life does not matter. Therefore, those 80% no longer matter. They can be discarded as an afterthought the same way that one throws out an empty pizza box.

The 20% of Palestinians that do actually value life, love their families, and want peace may be innocent victims. Yet not an ounce of sympathy should be given for the 80% that have chosen to devolve below the Homo Sapien creation.

For those that want to understand what the conflict in the Gaza Strip between Israel and their genocidal enemies is really about, several brilliant columns have been written lately.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2009/01/israels_proportionate_response.html

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2009/01/a_real_ceasefire_needed_in_gaz.html

Yet the Rosa Brooks award for anti-Israel bigotry belongs this week to Aaron David Miller of Newsweek.

In keeping with the policy of the Tygrrrr Express, I do not link to garbage. Go to a search engine and do research, which is apparently more than Newsweek does.

Below are some gems from an article entitled “If Obama is serious, he should get tough with Israel.”

“First, whatever the transgressions of the Palestinians (and there are many, including terror, violence and incitement), he’ll also have to deal with Israel’s behavior on the ground.”

Transgressions? Committing adultery is a transgression. Stealing from the cookie jar is a transgression. The word to describe the Palestinians behavior towards the Jews of Israel is M-U-R-D-E-R. Murder is not a peccadillo. It is one of the 10 Commandments. The Commandment does not say “Thou shalt not kill.” It says, “Thou shalt not murder.”

Israel’s behavior on the ground results in killing. There is not one example of murder. With the Palestinians, it is virtually all murder.

This is why words such as “proportionate,” “balanced,” and “equal,” are dead wrong in describing this conflict. The behaviors are not equal. Therefore the solutions must be biased, unbalanced, disproportionate, and completely unequal.

“Then there’s the settlements issue. In 25 years of working on this issue for six secretaries of state, I can’t recall one meeting where we had a serious discussion with an Israeli prime minister about the damage that settlement activity—including land confiscation, bypass roads and housing demolitions—does to the peacemaking process.”

There are no “occupied” territories. There are DISPUTED territories. Israel owns the land that it won in the 1967 War. They are building houses on their own land. This bothers some squatters whose only claim is that they try to steal it and reproduce like bunny rabbits, if bunnies were genocidal.

The Road Map stated that the Palestinians had to stop terror before anything else took place. The Palestinians never did this. Therefore, there is no agreement in place to violate. Israel even pulled out of Gaza, and the Palestinians then used Gaza as a launching pad for more terror.

Some criticize Israel for suspending humanitarian aid. There is no humanitarian aid. Moneys delivered over the years have been used to purchase weapons. This is why the Palestinians are the most armed and least well fed people in the Middle East.

As for demolishing houses, Israel for some naive reason actually warns civilians to leave their homes before any invasion. They start out by dropping leaflets warning of the incursions. What other civilization in the middle of a war warns the other side of attacks. Israel goes out of its way to reduce civilian casualties.

I hate this policy because it does not work. Israel needs to learn that it will never get an ounce of good will from much of the world. Palestinians murder Jews, and Israelis demolish empty houses. Talk about a disproportionate response.

“But Obama should make it clear that America will not lend its auspices to a peacemaking process in which the actions of either side willfully undermine the chances of an agreement America is trying to broker. No process at all would be better than a dishonest one that hurts America’s credibility.”

Even left wing anti-Israel writers accidentally get something right from time to time. This is known as “Blinking VCR Theory.” No process would be better than a dishonest one. So let’s have no process. There is not a single process that will make the Palestinians stop being lying, cheating, murdering maniacs. What will stop them is overwhelming brute military force.

The left does not understand that the reason processes they recommend fail is because bad people lie and cheat until conditions force them to be honorable.

“Our willingness to go along with Ehud Barak’s make-or-break strategy at the Camp David summit proved very costly where more disciplined critical thinking on our part might have helped preempt the catastrophe that followed.”

It was not Ehud Barak’s plan. It was Bill Clinton forcing Ehud Barak to give away the entire store, and Yassir Arafat refusing to take it. Disciplined critical thinking? Where was this writer educated, a Poison Ivy Tower League University? This is a war, not a term paper. Does anybody think that Bill Clinton or Yassir Arafat would be involved in anything involving discipline?

“Giving Israel a veto over American negotiating tactics and positions, particularly when it comes to bridging gaps between the two sides, is quite another.”

Ah yes, the “Jews control the world” argument. This Mr. Miller may be the love child of Pat Buchanan and Tony McPeak. Buchanan referred to Congress as “Israeli Occupied Territory,” while McPeak blamed U.S. foreign policy on Jews in New York and Miami.

For the intellectually deficient left wing media (redundant, I know), allow yourself to drink a diet drink called Crystallization Light. Jewish values are human values. Hamas values are four legged animal values. These are not equal.

It is time for Israel to get tough, and for left wing America to stop supporting murderous terrorist savages in the name of equality.

eric

NFL 2008-2009 Wildcard Recap

Sunday, January 4th, 2009

In the immortal words of retired coach Jim Mora…

“Playoffs? Are you kidding me? Playoffs? Don’t talk to me about playoffs! Playoffs? We’ll be lucky if we win another game!”

Yet after 17 weeks of regular season grappling, the playoffs are here.

Screw the hyperbole. Football doesn’t need it.

Below is the recap of the wild card games.

Atlanta Falcons @ Arizona Cardinals–Atlanta was one kick away from being the # 2 seed with a first round bye. Instead they came into the wild card game red hot against the limping Cardinals, who won the NFC Worst at 9-7. This was supposed to be a tuneup game for the Falcons.

The Cardinals did not see the game that way, and made a statement by intercepting Matt Ryan on his first pass. 2 time NFL MVP Kurt Warner then went deep to Larry Fitzgerald, who made a spectacular leaping catch between double coverage for a 42 yard touchdown and a 7-0 Cardinals lead. Ryan did lead the Falcons on a  14 play, 7 1/2 minute drive in the second quarter, but the drive bogged down in the red zone. On 4th and 1 from the 12, Coach Mike Smith opted for the field goal, cutting the lead to 7-3. Warner then responded right back with a 71 yard touchdown pass to Anquon Boldin to put the Cardinals up 14-3.

Yet the man known as Matty Ice coolly brought the Falcons back. Another 14 play drive ensued, this one taking 6 minutes and covering 77 yards. Michael Turner ran it in from 7 yards out to make it a 14-10 game. 3 minutes remained in the half, but that was enough time for Warner to get intercepted deep in his own territory. With 2 minutes left, the Falcons took over at the Arizona 23. With seconds left in the half, Ryan hit Peelle from 2 yards out to give the Falcons the 17-14 lead at halftime.

The key play of the game occurred right after the Falcons took the ball to begin the second half. On the second play from scrimmage, Ryan tried to hand the ball off. The play was blown up in the backfield, the ball popped up into the air, and Antrel Rolle plucked it out of the air and raced 27 yards for the touchdown. Out of nowhere the Cardinals were back on top 21-17. Later in the quarter it was Warner that bled the clock, leading a 14 play drive that ate up 76 yards and 8 minutes. Tim Hightower ran it in from 4 yards out to give the Cardinals the 28-17 lead after three quarters.

The Arizona defense came up big again early in the fourth quarter. After a punt pinned Atlanta at their own 3, Ryan went back to pass and was sacked for a safety. The Cardinals led 30-17 with 13 minutes left. The Cardinals failed to take advantage of the free kick, and after another punt, the Falcons took over at their own 42. Ryan moved the Falcons down the field, and his 5 yard touchdown pass to Roddy White had Atlanta within 6 points with 4:15 remaining in the game.

Rather than run out the clock, Ken WHisenhunt decided to continue with what worked for Arizona all season, the Greatest Show in the Desert. Warner began at the Arizona 20 and hit Fitzgerald for 15 yards. Warner then hit Steve Breaston for 25 yards. The deciding play came on 3rd and 16 from the Atlanta 46 with 2:17 remaining and the Falcons out of timeouts. One more stop and Atlanta would have a chance to win. Instead Warner fired to Spach for 23 yards, as Arizona ran out the clock for the shocking upset. The Cardinals travel to play Carolina next week in the divisionals. That’s why they play the games. 30-24 Cardinals

Indianapolis Colts @ San Diego Chargers–For some reason, the Colts cannot beat the Chargers. This game was supposed to be a Colts route. The Chargers had won 4 straight, but were terrible for 12 games. The Colts had won 9 straight. The Colts have Tony Dungy. The Chargers have Norveous Norv Turner. Yet somehow, the Colts just melt down against San Diego.

Peyton Manning had recently joined Brett Favre as only the second player to ever win the NFL MVP award 3 times. In the first quarter he looked every bit the MVP as he led an 81 yard drive in 5 minutes. From the Indy 45, Manning hit Anthony Gonzalez for gains of 36 and 17 yards to set up Joseph Addai from one yard out to put the Colts up 7-0.

The key player for San Diego was their punter Mike Scifres. 4 times in the game the Colts started at their own 10. In the second quarter, the Colts were forced to punt after being pinned deep, giving the CHargers the ball at the Indy 44. From the Indy 33, Philip Rivers hit Antonio Gates for 30 yards to set up Ladanian Tomlinson from 3 yards out to tie the game 7-7. An injured Tomlinson did very little after that. The problem for the Colts was that Tomlinson’s backup Darren Sproles gashed the Colts for 328 all purpose yards.

Manning came back and hit Gonzalez again, this time for 20 yards. The drive led to a field goal and a 10-7 Colts lead. Yet the Colts were killed by bad field position, and after punting again from deep in their own territory, the Chargers got the ball back at the Indy 44 with 3 minutes left in the half. Sproles ran it in from 9 yards out to give the Charegrs the 14-10 halftime lead.

In the third quarter the Colts began at their own 26. Manning quickly hit Reggie Wayne for 31 yards down to the San Diego 43. Yet on 3rd and 1 from the 34, Addai went nowhere. On 4th and 1, DUngy eschewed the long field goal. Rather than run it again, Manning rolled out and fired incomplete. The CHargers reached the Indy 47 but failed to convert on 3rd and 2. Nevertheless, another punt had the Colts starting at their own 9 yard line. Yet this time Manning simply fired away, and found Wayne for a 72 yard touchdown pass to put the Colts up 17-14.

The rest of the game saw the Chargers try to give the game away and the Colts refusing to accept the generosity. A 6 minute drive by the Chargers went to waste when Sproles fumbled at the Indy 2 yard line. The Colts recovered in the end zone for a touchback as the game entered the fourth quarter. With 12 1/2 minutes remaining, facing 1st and 10 from the Indy 32, Rivers was intercepted. The Colts failed to convert.

The Chargers had a drive stymied when Rivers was sacked, but a punt by Scifres died at the one yard line. 2:41 remained. A couple of runs had the Colts facing 3rd and 2 at their own 9. With the Chargers out of timeouts, all the Colts needed to do was to run 2 yards and then kneel on the ball. In a decision that may haunt the Colts the entire offseason, Dungy called a pass play. Manning was sacked back at the one yard line. Forced to punt from the back of the end zone, the Chargers took over at the Indy 38 with 1:48 remaining. Rivers hit Gates for a pair of 11 yard gains,and on 4th and 2 from the 8, Nate Kaeding tied the game and sent it into overtime tied 17-17.

The Chargers won the toss and never looked back, as Manning never took the field. The Chargers took over at their own 25. On 3rd and 11 from the 24, Rivers hit Sproles for 13 yards. Yet in a game that was played hard, it was a terribly officiated game, and the calls did not even out. 5 or 6 times in the game, Philip Rivers appeared to be guilty of intentional grounding. It was not called once. On 3rd and 8 from the Indy 40, an incomplete pass resulted in a highly questionable defensive holding penalty. On the next play, a run was blown up in the backfield only to result in a facemask that moved the ball down to the 20. From the 22, Sproles ran around the end and took it the distance, as the Colts were shocked by an inferioir Chargers team for the second straight year.

The penalty calls were dreadful, but the 8-8 Chargers defeated the 12-4 Colts. The year before the 11-5 Chargers took down the 14-2 Colts. Once again Norvelous Norv Turner has pulled a Lazarus act, although reality should set in when they travel next week to face Pittsburgh or Tennessee. The Colts just can’t beat the Chargers, no matter what the records. Again, that’s why they play the games. 23-17 Chargers, OT

Baltimore Ravens @ Miami Dolphins–These teams are both spectacular turnaround stories. Bill Parcells, Tony Sparano, and Chad Pennington took a 1-15 team and turned them into an 11-5 contender in one year. The only team they beat last year was Baltimore, who with rookie Coach John Harbaugh and rookie quarterback Joe Flacco also came in at 11-5. Baltimore was the team last year that almost prevented New England from going 16-0. Both of these teams knocked New England out of the playoffs this year. Lastly, a few years ago the Ravens went on the road and soundly beat the Dolphins 20-3 in the playoffs, and beat them by two touchdowns in Miami earlier this year. So there was no home field advantage.

Shockingly enough, a Baltimore game featured ugly offense and suffocating defense. A 3-3 tie late in the half was broken when Chad Pennington was intercepted by Ed Reed, who raced 64 yards for a touchdown and a 10-3 Ravens lead with 2:30 left in the half. Miami turned the ball over 5 times in the game. After a punt, the Ravens took over at their own 41. From the Miami 48, Flacco hit Derek Mason for 31 yards to set up a field goal and a 13-3 Baltimore lead at halftime.

Midway through the third quarter the Dolphins fumbled deep in their own territory. Baltimore took over at the Miami 19, setting up McClain on the ground from 8 yards out to put the Ravens up 20-3. Early in the fourth quarter Pennington from midfield did hit Bess for a 45 yard gain, leading to a 2 yard toss to Ronnie Brown. The extra point was blocked, but the Dolphins were within 20-9 with 13 minutes left.

Yet Miami got no closer. From just past midfield, Willis McGahee broke off a 44 yard run, and Flacco himself ran it in from 5 yards out to close out the scoring. Baltimore travels next week for a showdown with their old arch nemesis Tennessee. As for Miami, speculation turns to whether or not Bill “The Tuna” Parcells returns. 27-9 Ravens

Philadelphia Eagles @ Minnesota Vikings–This is a mini-walrus bowl. Andy Reid, aka Walrus Lite, was a former assistant to Mike Holmgren. On the other sideline is Reid’s former assistant Brad Childress, aka Walrus III. David Akers nailed field goals of 43 and 51 yards to put the Eagles up 6-0 after the first quarter. In the second quarter, facing 3rd and 2 from the Philly 40, Adrian Peterson broke through and ran for the touchdown to give the Vikings the lead at 7-6. The Eagles came right back, but Dovon McNabb threw incomplete on 3rd and 2 from the Minnesota 13. The Eagles settled for a 3rd Akers field goal and a 9-7 lead.

The key play in the game came in the second quarter when Tarvaris Jackson threw a 44 yard touchdown pass to Asante Samuel. Unfortunately for the Vikings, Samuels plays cornerback for the Eagles, and his return gave the Eagles a 16-7 lead. To Jackson’s credit, he brought Minnesota right back. From the Minnesota 42, he hit Bernard Berrian for 27 yards to the Philly 31. Chester Taylor picked up much of the remaining yardage, and Peterson finished off the drive from 3 yards out as the Vikings trailed 16-14 at intermission.

The third quarter featured each team with a long drive that produced nothing. Jackson led the Vikings from their own 15 to a 1st and 5 at the Philly 44 before having to punt on 4th and 17. McNabb then moved the Eagles from their own 10 to a 3rd and 7 at the Minnesota 35 before a sack took them out of field goal range. A 30 yard punt return had the Eagles at the Minnesota 40, but they fumbled the ball right back.

After a scoreless third quarter, the nail in the coffin came from Brian Westbrook. He took a short swing pass, followed tremendous downfield blocks, and raced 71 yards to put the Eagles up 23-14 with 6 1/2 minutes remaining in the game. The Eagles added a fourth field goal just past the 2 minute warning as Minnesota was sent packing for the offseason while the Eagles have their rubber match with the defending champion Giants. Both teams won the road game this year in their series. 26-14 Eagles

Next week comes the divisionals, as 12 teams are down to 8.

Philadelphia Eagles @ New York Giants

Arizona Cardinals @ Carolina Panthers

Baltimore Ravens @ Tennessee Titans

San Diego Chargers @ Pittsburgh Steelers

eric

The Chicago Cannonball and I broke up

Saturday, January 3rd, 2009

The Chicago Cannonball and I broke up.

There are no villains. I will never say a bad word about her.

We gave it our best shot, but after 10 months, we didn’t make it.

The positive memories will last forever, but the relationship did not.

She will always have a special place in my heart.

eric