ללא מחבר No Author

Afghanistan – Graveyard of Empires

President Trump: Toss Your Generals’ War Escalation Plans In the Trash

written by Ron Paul
Sunday may 14, 2017
By the end of this month, Defense Secretary James Mattis and National Security Advisor HR McMaster will deliver to President Trump their plans for military escalations in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria. President Trump would be wise to rip the plans up and send his national security team back to the drawing board – or replace them. There is no way another “surge” in Afghanistan and Iraq (plus a new one in Syria) puts America first. There is no way doing the same thing over again will succeed any better than it did the last time.

Near the tenth anniversary of the US war on Afghanistan – seven years ago – I went to the Floor of Congress to point out that the war makes no sense. The original authorization had little to do with eliminating the Taliban. It was a resolution to retaliate against those who attacked the United States on September 11, 2001. From what we know now, the government of Saudi Arabia had far more to do with the financing and planning of 9/11 than did the Taliban. But we’re still pumping money into that lost cause. We are still killing Afghanis and in so doing creating the next generation of terrorists.

The war against ISIS will not end with its defeat in Mosul and Raqqa. We will not pack up and go home. Instead, the Pentagon and State Department have both said that US troops would remain in Iraq after ISIS is defeated. The continued presence of US troops in Iraq will provide all the recruiting needed for more ISIS or ISIS-like resistance groups to arise, which will in turn lead to a permanent US occupation of Iraq. The US “experts” have completely misdiagnosed the problem so it no surprise that their solutions will not work. They have claimed that al-Qaeda and ISIS arose in Iraq because we left, when actually they arose because we invaded in the first place.

General David Petraeus is said to have a lot of influence over HR McMaster, and in Syria he is pushing for the kind of US troop “surge” that he still believes was successful in Iraq. The two are said to favor thousands of US troops to fight ISIS in eastern Syria instead of relying on the US-sponsored and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces to do the job. This “surge” into Syria would also lead to a lengthy US occupation of a large part of that country, as it is unlikely that the US would return the territory to the Syrian government. Would it remain an outpost of armed rebels that could be unleashed on Assad at the US President’s will? It’s hard to know from week to week whether “regime change” in Syria is a US priority or not. But we do know that a long-term US occupation of half of Syria would be illegal, dangerous, and enormously expensive.

President Trump’s Generals all seem to be pushing for a major US military escalation in the Middle East and south Asia. The President goes back and forth, one minute saying “we’re not going into Syria,” while the next seeming to favor another surge. He has given the military much decision-making latitude and may be persuaded by his Generals that the only solution is to go in big. If he follows such advice, it is likely his presidency itself will be buried in that graveyard of empires.

Copyright © 2017 by Ron Paul Institute. Permission to reprint in whole or in part is gladly granted, provided full credit and a live link are given.

Are You Scared?

What Are You Afraid Of?

12 Iyyar 5777
Day 27 of the OmerRemember that childhood goad that never failed to get a rise out of you?

“What’s the matter? Are you chicken?”

Are you afraid to do the forbidden? Are you afraid of getting into trouble? Are you afraid of consequences? You should be!

It is the yetzer hara who tells us this today. Those who uphold the integrity of theTorah by maintaining that the practice of homosexuality is forbidden are immediately labeled homophobic. It’s not fear of Heaven but fear of homosexuals that fuels this objection. And out of fear of being viewed as fearful of sin, people, even many who call themselves “religious”, rush to excuse it and to be as open and tolerant as any avowed atheist. Some tactics of spiritual warfare are just too good to ever go out of style.

Now, there are those who say that those of us who oppose missionary activity are fearful of intereacting with Christians and the missionaries themselves take it up and say, “If you truly do have the truth then what do you have to be afraid of?” Well, I’ll tell you. There is only one thing ever to be afraid of and that is offending our Master and King – our Creator – and the fear of desecrating His Name. It’s what we call Yirat Shamayim – fear of Heaven.

And let me guarantee you this one thing. If you are not afraid now – “You will be. You will be.”

Continue reading…
From Tomer Devorah, here.

He Hates Mexicans, Blacks and Jews – Guess Who

What Do Leftists Celebrate?

By

May 10, 2017

May Day celebrations were held all across the fruited plain, with leftist radicals and unionists worshipping the ideals of communism. Communism is an ideology calling for government control over our lives. It was created by Karl Marx, who — along with his collaborator, Friedrich Engels — wrote a pamphlet called “Manifesto of the Communist Party.” In 1867, Marx wrote the first volume of “Das Kapital.” The second and third volumes were published posthumously, edited by Engels. Few people who call themselves Marxists have ever even bothered to read “Das Kapital.” If one did read it, he would see that people who call themselves Marxists have little in common with Marx.

For those who see Marx as their hero, there are a few historical tidbits they might find interesting. Nathaniel Weyl, himself a former communist, dug them up for his 1979 book, “Karl Marx: Racist.” For example, Marx didn’t think much of Mexicans. When the United States annexed California after the Mexican War, Marx sarcastically asked, “Is it a misfortune that magnificent California was seized from the lazy Mexicans who did not know what to do with it?” Engels shared Marx’s contempt for Mexicans, explaining: “In America we have witnessed the conquest of Mexico and have rejoiced at it. It is to the interest of its own development that Mexico will be placed under the tutelage of the United States.”

Marx had a racial vision that might be interesting to his modern-day black supporters. In a letter to Engels, in reference to his socialist political competitor Ferdinand Lassalle, Marx wrote: “It is now completely clear to me that he, as is proved by his cranial formation and his hair, descends from the Negroes who had joined Moses’ exodus from Egypt, assuming that his mother or grandmother on the paternal side had not interbred with a nigger. Now this union of Judaism and Germanism with a basic Negro substance must produce a peculiar product. The obtrusiveness of the fellow is also nigger-like.” Engels shared Marx’s racial philosophy. In 1887, Paul Lafargue, who was Marx’s son-in-law, was a candidate for a council seat in a Paris district that contained a zoo. Engels claimed that Lafargue had “one-eighth or one-twelfth nigger blood.” In a letter to Lafargue’s wife, Engels wrote, “Being in his quality as a nigger, a degree nearer to the rest of the animal kingdom than the rest of us, he is undoubtedly the most appropriate representative of that district.”

Continue reading…

From Lewrockwell.com, here.

הכרת המציאות בימי חתימת ההלכה

מוזיאון תלמודי לשם מה?

הרב אליהו סולוביצ’יק

מוזיאון תלמודי לשם מה?

תחילתו של רעיון הקמת המוזיאון, הוא במבחן שיגרתי שעשה איש ירושלים ‘רבי ישעי ברדקי’ זכרונו לברכה, בתלמוד תורה עץ-חיים בירושלים. היינו קבוצה של כתריסר ילדים שנשלחנו אליו הביתה להיבחן על משניות סדר מועד, על מנת לקבל פרס. בתוך דבריו אמר רבי ישעי בחיוך: “הביאו ראיה שסוכה שאינה ראויה אלא לילדים, כשרה”. עוד הוא שואל, והילד הנבון ‘מיארקא’ תשובתו כבר בפיו: “הנה סוכה שהיא גבוהה עשרה טפחים כשרה, ואין לך אדם מבוגר שהיא אינה ‘דירה סרוחה’ עבורו”. צביטה קלה על הלחי קיבל מיארקה, לאות הסמכה. “אבל” אמר רבי ישעי: דאס איז נישט אמת” (זה לא אמת), וודאי שדירה שאינה ראויה גם למבוגרים, פסולה היא, אלא שבימי חז”ל, וכך אף נהוג היום אצל הפלאחים (הערבים), לא היו יושבים על כסאות, אלא היו פורסים מחצלת על הרצפה, במרכזו הניחו את האוכל וסביבו היו מתיישבים בני הבית לאכול. התיישב לו רבי ישעי בטבעיות על הרצפה כשרגליו משוכלות (ישיבה מזרחית), והמחיש לנו את צורת הישיבה שהייתה נהוגה בזמן חז”ל ושבגינה נקבע השיעור של עשרה טפחים לדירה ראויה.

המשך לקרוא…

מאתר מטמוני ארץ, כאן.

Trump: Stay Home!

President Trump: Cancel Your Saudi Trip, Play More Golf

By

Ron Paul Institute

May 9, 2017

President Trump is about to embark on his first foreign trip, where he will stop in Saudi Arabia, Israel, and the Vatican, before attending a NATO meeting in Brussels and the G-7 summit in Sicily. The media and pundits have loudly wondered why hasn’t he gone on a foreign trip sooner. I wonder why go at all?

What does the president hope to achieve with these meetings? This is a president who came into office with promises that we would finally start to mind our own business overseas. In December, he said that the policy of US “intervention and chaos” overseas must come to an end. Instead, he is jumping into a region – the Middle East – that has consumed the presidencies of numerous of his predecessors.

On Saudi Arabia, President Trump has shifted his position from criticism of the Saudi regime to a seemingly warm friendship with Saudi deputy crown prince Mohammad bin Salman. He has approved weapons sales to Saudi Arabia that President Obama had halted due to Saudi human rights abuses, particularly in its horrific war on Yemen.

While visiting Saudi Arabia, one of the most extreme theocracies on earth – where conversion to Christianity can bring the death penalty – President Trump will attend a meeting of Muslim leaders to discuss the threats of terrorism and religious extremism. No, not in Saudi Arabia, but in Iran, where Christianity is legal and thriving!

Perhaps President Trump’s flip-flop on Saudi Arabia was inspired by the ten separate Washington, D.C. public relations firms the Kingdom keeps on the payroll, at a cost of $1.3 million per month. That kind of money can really grease the policy wheels in Washington.

From there, the US President will travel to Israel. Does he believe he will finally be able to solve the 70-year-old Israel-Palestine conflict by negotiating a good deal? If so, he’s in for a surprise.

The problem persists partly because we have been meddling in the region for so long. Doing more of the same is pretty unlikely to bring about a different result. How many billions have we spent propping up “allies” and bribing others, and we’re no closer to peace now than when we started. Maybe it’s time for a new approach. Maybe it’s time for the countries in the Middle East to solve their own problems. They have much more incentive to reach some kind of deal in their own neighborhood.

Likewise his attendance at the NATO meeting is not very encouraging to those of us who were pleased to hear candidate Trump speak the truth about the outdated military alliance. We don’t need to strong-arm NATO members to spend more money on their own defense. We need to worry about our own defense. Our military empire – of which NATO is an arm – makes us weaker and more vulnerable. Minding our own business and rejecting militarism would make us safer.

Many pundits complain that President Trump spends too much time golfing. I would rather he spend a lot more time golfing and less time trying to solve the rest of the world’s problems. We cannot afford to be the policeman or nursemaid to the rest of the world, particularly when we have such a lousy record of success.

From Lewrockwell.com, here.