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Politics : World Affairs Discussion -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: ChinuSFO who wrote (589)	7/20/2002 4:56:39 AM
From: GUSTAVE JAEGER	Respond to of 3959

Re: Is it a possibility that there could be news items that dwell on that in the sense that the Clinton administration should have done something more to beef up intelligence after the Cole attack? Well, I also read several articles that put the blame of the whole terrorist crisis on the former Clinton administration... I merely dismissed them as partisan politicking. If anything, we'd better read between the lines and put the critics against Clinton into the context of the aftermath of the '98 embassy bombings. Remember: at the time, the Clinton administration retaliated with a few Cruise missiles fired at Northern Afghanistan. Today, GOP hawks say that the US reprisals were not appropriate and that the US should have acted more forcefully against Bin Laden --that's the politically correct line, of course. The real message, in hindsight, is: since 911 was basically a Russian ploy to compel the US to intervene in Afghanistan/Pakistan, the US should have moved in Afghanistan much earlier... The US should have intervened in Afghanistan right after the Russians' FIRST warning, that is, right after the bombing of the US embassies in Eastern Africa. Of course, it's a dubious claim because we all know that the slaughter of 260 Negroes would never be enough for any US President to rally public opinion on the warpath... Aide: Clinton Unleashed bin Laden Chuck Noe, NewsMax.com Thursday, Dec. 6, 2001 Bill Clinton ignored repeated opportunities to capture Osama bin Laden and his terrorist allies and is responsible for the spread of terrorism, one of the ex-president's own top aides charges. Mansoor Ijaz, who negotiated with Sudan on behalf of Clinton from 1996 to 1998, paints a portrait of a White House plagued by incompetence, focused on appearances rather than action, and heedless of profound threats to national security. Ijaz also claims Clinton passed on an opportunity to have Osama bin Laden arrested. [...] newsmax.com

To: ChinuSFO who wrote (589)	7/20/2002 6:31:02 AM
From: GUSTAVE JAEGER	Respond to of 3959

So civilized! So democratic! So decent.... Beit El rabbi denies calling for killing reserve dodgers By HAIM SHAPIRO and NINA GILBERT Jul. 19, 2002 Rabbi Shlomo Aviner of Beit El said Thursday that he had been quoted out of context following reports he had issued a halachic ruling that it is permissible to kill soldiers who dodge army service. Yesterday, he said that only the chief of the General Staff has the right to decide if such executions are necessary. Meretz Party leader MK Yossi Sarid asked Attorney-General Elyakim Rubinstein to charge Aviner with incitement. Sarid, who called Aviner a "settler rabbi," in his letter to Rubinstein, said that while he disagrees with those who disobey reserve call-up orders, he disagrees with Aviner's statements even more, but nevertheless "does not call for his murder." Sarid said that Rubinstein is obligated to indict Aviner for his remarks. The furor arose following a report yesterday in Yediot Aharonot about an article by Aviner in this week's Beahava Uveemuna, a Torah commentary newsletter published by the Machon Meir Yeshiva in Jerusalem. A staunch opponent of any territorial concessions to the Palestinian Authority, Aviner has often been a controversial figure. Following the assassination of prime minister Yitzhak Rabin in 1995, Aviner said in court that earlier, hundreds of people had asked him if the concept of din rodef (the Jewish legal principle whereby you are permitted to kill someone who intends to kill you) was applicable to Rabin. In this week's article, Aviner again related to the concept of din rodef. Recently, Aviner issued a halachic ruling opposing the government's decision to remove illegal hilltop encampments in Judea and Samaria. He was also among the signatories of a call for Jews not to buy from or employ Arabs. Aviner said yesterday that he wrote the article because many soldiers had complained to him that the IDF is constantly being criticized. "The article said that we have to have a strong IDF in this difficult period," Aviner said. He added that there could be criticism, but one should be careful. The army depends not just on weapons, but also on morale, he said. If anyone lowers its morale by refusing orders, it is permissible for the chief of the General Staff to put him on trial and to order his execution, Aviner said. In the article, Aviner quotes the Netziv (Rabbi Naphtali Zvi Yehuda Berlin, 1725-1799), as saying that he who weakens the army incurs a death penalty, for by doing so he weakens the whole nation. However, the article didn't mention the chief of the General Staff or any trial. Chief Rabbi Yisrael Lau reacted to Aviner's article by saying it brought to mind Rabin's assassination. Following the assassination, many said the killer had found justification for his actions in rabbinical rulings. [snip] jpost.com Well Chinu, at least we know the Hebrew for "fatwa" now --it's "din rodef".... Gus