Coming to a port near you

The Gaza "Peace flotilla" dust-up hits the West Coast:

An Israeli cargo ship arriving in Oakland today was forced to sit idle and not offload its containers when longshoremen joined forces with a coalition of communist and Islamist groups who picketed the port in protest against the recent violent incident off the coast of Gaza.

The ship, owned by Zim Lines, was not carrying any controversial cargo, nor is Zim involved in politics in any way; it was targeted simply because the shipping company is based in Israel.

The planned protest and blockade were organized by The Free Palestine Movement (one of the same groups which organized the Gaza “flotilla” in the first place) as well as a rogues’ gallery of nearly every communist, anti-Israel and radical Islamist group in the Bay Area:

Follow the link as Zombie notices a willful conflating by the local media of the concepts and actions of "picketing" vs. "protesting". They are very much different, however, they are being treated as one in the same in order to provide cover for the labor unions involved.

All's Fair in Love, War and Terrorism

Nothing better illustrates the un-level playing field faced by Israel and the asymmetrical warfare being waged against her by her enemies than this: Israel, earlier today, exchanged 5 Hezbollah prisoners including one, Samir Kuntar, who had been convicted of murdering 2 men and a 4-year old girl back in 1979 in exchange for two Israeli soldiers… two dead Israeli soldiers.

Two soldiers whose ultimate fate the Israelis did not even know until the television crews captured the arrival of the two coffins carrying the remains of Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev who had been captured by Hezbollah militants on Israeli soil in 2006 in order to leverage the release of Kuntar. What this capture and holding of the two Israelis precipitated was the 34-day conflict between Lebanon and Israel which was brought to an end by a U.N.-brokered truce and which was largely seen as a huge political victory for Hezbollah and defeat for Israel.

"Regev's father, Zvi, said he broke down the moment he saw a television broadcast of Hezbollah militants unloading the coffins from a van."

Imagine clinging to the hope that it’s your son springing out of the back of that van only to see a coffin, instead.

"It's not a happy choice," Israeli President Shimon Peres said Tuesday before signing a pardon for the convict, Samir Kuntar. "On one hand, we have the most terrible murderer. On the other hand, we have our commitment to our boys who were sent to fight for their country. It is our moral duty and our heartfelt wish to see them come back."

Color us confused. We thought it was official Israeli policy to not negotiate with terrorists. Perhaps Hezbollah is not officially recognized as a terrorist group then how about a corollary about not negotiating with savages? And if its not “negotiating” one is stretching the bounds of credulity to then call it a “prisoner swap”.

"Even so, polls suggest a wide majority of Israelis support the swap. That sentiment was mobilized by relatives of the missing soldiers, notably Ehud Goldwasser's mother, Mickey, who called the deal "a victory for the Israeli nation and what it holds dear."

We suppose we have to walk a mile in Israel’s shoes but we hope to God we never get to the point they are at now. We understand that certain concessions must be made from time to time when you are surrounded by nations wholy bent on your destruction, especially when you are ham-strung by political forces and international pressure to NOT do what is in your country’s best strategic interets, but this… this is just sad.

Full story and accompanying video here.

Hittin' a little too close to home, was he?

Sometimes you know you’re doing the right thing merely by gauging the reaction of others.

Bush made his Happy 60th, Israel! speech in the Knesset. Here are some excerpts.

“We believe that free people should strive and sacrifice for peace. So we applaud the courageous choices Israeli's leaders have made. We also believe that nations have a right to defend themselves and that no nation should ever be forced to negotiate with killers pledged to its destruction.”

“Some seem to believe that we should negotiate with the terrorists and radicals, as if some ingenious argument will persuade them they have been wrong all along. We have heard this foolish delusion before. As Nazi tanks crossed into Poland in 1939, an American senator declared: "Lord, if I could only have talked to Hitler, all this might have been avoided." We have an obligation to call this what it is -- the false comfort of appeasement, which has been repeatedly discredited by history.”

The last excerpt has touched off the sadly predictable howls of protest and hurt from a few people over here expressing shock and dismay that the President would utter such words. Obama, the mad bomber, Hillary, Pelosi and Biden all felt what Bush said was simply beyond the pale. Actually, no really cares what Pelosi or Biden have to say so we didn’t bother linking. Camp Obama’s response was reportedly so quick on the heels of Bush’s speech, one had to wonder if Obama wasn’t acting just a wee too defensive.

And in case anyone cared what he had to say, Rahm Emanuel, the House Democratic Caucus Chairman opined: "The tradition has always been that when a U.S. president is overseas, partisan politics stops at the water's edge. President Bush has now taken that principle and turned it on its head: for this White House, partisan politics now begins at the water’s edge, no matter the seriousness and gravity of the occasion. Does the president have no shame?”

Oh really?



At least in proving their carbon creds, people like Murtha, Durbin and Kerry don’t even bother going overseas to inject their partisan politics into national security discussions.

Big ups to Gateway Pundit who has been all over this.

P.S. And Yes...! Happy Birthday, Israel! Long may we be worthy of your alliance and friendship.