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Politics : War -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: GUSTAVE JAEGER who wrote (18885)	1/16/2003 4:04:25 AM
From: 49thMIMOMander	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 23908

video.c-span.org:8080/ramgen/ldrive/iraq011503_pentagon.rm Funnier than Benny Hill and mr Bean, just as unthinkable but real, no wonder the whole world laughs at them. Smart quote, that "collective bluffing", only unspeakable thing, league of nations, geneve convention.. and Myers kind of a in difficult rummy-cult spot as always, getting worse and worse and happier and happier to get out, even with just domestics.

To: GUSTAVE JAEGER who wrote (18885)	1/19/2003 10:43:03 AM
From: lorne	Respond to of 23908

This Arab is on our side Journalist Joseph Farah was so upset about the anti-Israel sentiment in the press that he started his own pro-Israel news service. Oh yeah, Farah's an Arab. By Aliza Libman/Jewsweek Magazine Joseph Farah is an unexpected, yet welcomed ally of Israel. Like many journalists, he's become involved in politics following his self-proclaimed "eye-opening" experiences. Farah, the founder and editor-in-chief of the Internet news service worldnetdaily.com toured North America recently on speaking engagements, where he discussed the pro-Israel outlook WorldNetDaily holds. But what makes Farah truly unique is his heritage. He is American. And Christian. And he's also an Arab. "I've always been proud of my heritage," says Farah, who freely admits that until the mid-1980s, he had the same preconceived notions about Israel and the Palestinians, as did "all other journalists." A trip to the disputed lands changed his viewpoint. He personally witnessed the hardships suffered by the Palestinian refugees and formed the viewpoint he holds today -- mainly that Arafat and his men are abusing their power and taking advantage of their citizens. His findings triggered an "incredible journey" where he researched the Palestinian people and their situation, and came to the conclusion that most Palestinian propaganda about sovereignty is just that -- propaganda. He is also quick to point out that the only true Palestinian state is Jordan, formed around 1948 when Israel established independence. When the current crisis began in late September 2000, Farah wrote an articulate article called "Myths of the Middle East" about the Palestinians' tenuous land claims to Israel. It was a popular article that described the historic Jewish ties to the land, debunking the myth that Palestinians have had a connection to the land before the Jews. Farah's firm pro-Israel approach comes from a sense of nationalism and identification with the Palestinian refugees. His grandparents immigrated to the United States from the West Bank with nothing, and built a life for themselves. He wishes that all other Palestinians could have the same opportunities that he has had. "When I see the Arab people in this predicament?it just breaks my heart," says Farah. However, he believes the Oslo Accords was never the right way to help the Palestinians out of their poverty-stricken lives into independence and prosperity. "The entire peace process was wrong from the beginning," he asserts, claiming that Arafat and his parliament only wish to further subjugate the Palestinians for their own personal gain, a fact which has come to light with the discovery of Arafat's misappropriation of foreign aid funds. Even if the Palestinian Authority had the purest of motives, the "land for peace" deal is ludicrous when comparing Israel to the Arab nations that surround it. Considering Israel's minuscule size and the incredible masses of empty land that Arab nations possess, Farah asks, "Do they really need more land?" Farah's quest is "about wanting freedom for Arab people?the only way to achieve it is to recognize who their enemies are." The enemies in question are, of course, Arafat, Hussein, and the other Arab dictators in the Middle East who deny their citizens basic rights, such as education and health care. Farah doesn't believe that they can be trusted to further the situation of the refugees. In stark contrast, he thinks that Israel, a free and democratic country, has the responsibility to do so. A deeply religious person, Farah quotes the biblical book of Isaiah for proof of his theories and refers to Israel's status as "a light unto the nations." He believes that to truly be a light unto the nations, Israel must follow the example set by the United States and endeavor to set up a home for the Palestinian refugees that is democratic and allows them to self-govern. "Is it being a light unto the nations to say to your Arab neighbors 'We're going to allow [a dictator] to set up a police state here' or to say 'Why don't you let us set up a free state?'" he asks. “… News media is a very closed, restricted society -- unless you see the world through a specific lens you won't fit in ...” Farah thinks that Israeli society is shifting to the point where public opinion is moving towards his viewpoints. He says the "dramatic shift in the political climate" of Israel is beneficial to the current level of recognition of who the evil people in the Middle East are. However, he is not optimistic that people will be able to solve the problems in the Middle East alone. "God's gotta sort this one out," he claims. Farah knows his nationality affords him more opportunity to speak about Israel. He freely admits that no Jew would be able to say what he says without being labeled a racist fanatic. However, he didn't begin his wildly popular Internet news site as a forum for Middle East lobbying. He endeavored to create a "USA Today for the Internet," and has succeeded in building up a following of two million readers per month since WorldNetDaily's inception in 1997. "It wasn't until 2000 that Jews in great numbers discovered WorldNetDaily," he explains, citing WorldNetDaily's "very favorable" Israel analysis of the worsening Intifada as a major draw. Farah explains that it was necessary for him to leave his major editorial positions achieved in 25 years as a journalist due to his convictions. "News media is a very closed, restricted society -- unless you see the world through a specific lens you won't fit in," he explains. Farah believes that his story proves that good journalists can achieve "just about anything" despite their adherence to unpopular views, provided that they are prepared to create their own opportunities for advancement. However, Farah freely admits that his life would be very different if he wasn't so determined to stick to his ideals. "If my opinions and world view were a bit more conventional, I'd be editing the Washington Post or New York Times -- I wouldn't have had to go invent my own news service." jewsweek.com