Saturday, January 28, 2006
Sound Advice from Bill Clinton
Former President Bill Clinton, from the lap of liberal, multinational luxury in Davos, Switzerland, is reminding us that Rome wasn't built in a day and it takes time for terrorists organizations to pay the lip service to the demands of the West and take certain words of doom and violence out of their charters (or something like that). He counsels patience (which, of course, he had an infinite supply of regarding radical Islamicist terrorism).
Hamas told him to go intern himself. Well, not literally.
Hamas leaders said they're not changing a thing: no recognition of Israel, no negotiations with Israel, and no removal from their charter of the part about obliterating Israel (which charter in Article 17, strangely talks also about an armed struggle against the Masons and Rotary Clubs. What?).
Another highlight from the Hamas charter: There is no solution for the Palestinian question except through Jihad. Initiatives, proposals and international conferences are all a waste of time and vain endeavors.
Who doubted that? Oh, that's right, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, the only two Democrat Presidents in the last 30 years.
Hamas told him to go intern himself. Well, not literally.
Hamas leaders said they're not changing a thing: no recognition of Israel, no negotiations with Israel, and no removal from their charter of the part about obliterating Israel (which charter in Article 17, strangely talks also about an armed struggle against the Masons and Rotary Clubs. What?).
Another highlight from the Hamas charter: There is no solution for the Palestinian question except through Jihad. Initiatives, proposals and international conferences are all a waste of time and vain endeavors.
Who doubted that? Oh, that's right, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, the only two Democrat Presidents in the last 30 years.
# posted by Roger Fraley @ 12:23 PM 
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Roger,
You are one of the sanest voices from the right that I have heard. I find myself agreeing with you quite often. But I think you fall down on your analysis of the Palestinian question.
http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=13320019&postID=113829742302090328
Hamas has won largely on their credibility vis a vis Fatah.
Hamas has honered their truce and claims to have plans to regularize their millitia into an army.
Democracy at work. Shouldn't we be trying to work with it and encourage dialouge with them? Couldn't something like the situation with the IRA and Sien Finn develop as peace-making is rewarded.
If you reward a people for engaging with diplomacy, they will progress.
If you condemn a people and build walls around them, they are sure to live up to your expectaions of them.
You are one of the sanest voices from the right that I have heard. I find myself agreeing with you quite often. But I think you fall down on your analysis of the Palestinian question.
http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=13320019&postID=113829742302090328
Hamas has won largely on their credibility vis a vis Fatah.
Hamas has honered their truce and claims to have plans to regularize their millitia into an army.
Democracy at work. Shouldn't we be trying to work with it and encourage dialouge with them? Couldn't something like the situation with the IRA and Sien Finn develop as peace-making is rewarded.
If you reward a people for engaging with diplomacy, they will progress.
If you condemn a people and build walls around them, they are sure to live up to your expectaions of them.
Thanks for the praise, and the criticism. We have a law that we can't send money or even recognize as legit any organization or government which supports terror. To get around that with the Northern Ireland problem both the Irish and we pretended that the IRA was the terrorist organization and the Sinn Fein was a non violent political organization with which we could work. I believe that something along those lines will happen with the Palestinian people but for now, Hamas supports terror and the obliteration of Israel and we cannot deal with them. That means no more money. Hamas will react accordingly especially if Europe stands up too. (I'm not as hopeful about that latter, but maybe). I don't see the Israeli security fence as a Berlin type, keeping the Palestinians in, but a rampart keeping out the guys who strap on bomb vests and blow up pizza parlors. Sounds pretty reasonable to me. Check out what Mark Steyn (through RealClear Politics) has to say about Hamas' future. What he said, goes for me too. Thanks, old man, I'll comment at your site.
And yet we had no problem giving money to guys like Pinocet and Mabutu. Seems a bit hypocritical. It seems to me if Hamas honors the truce, we should deal with them.
I guess it just depends on how you define "terror." Even the actions of the Argentinian government not so long ago would fall into my definition. I can't think of anything resembling terror more than a group of police cars showing up at a peaceful assembly of people, putting bags over peoples heads and "disappearing" them right in front of their friends and families.
How is this not defined as "terror"?
I think Hamas needs to be drawn in and someone will have to explain to them that that part about Isreal's destruction has to come out.
Until then, if we cut off the money, it will only reinforce the notion that Americans don't play fair and favor the Isrealis thereby fostering desperation which results in people resorting to terror.
Funding should be contingent on Hamas keeping the truce.
Please refer me to the law. I expect it will be easy enough to show where it has been skirted for political ends.
I'm not that old, Man! Feel free to comment if I write something interesting. So far I've accomplished pointing out the obvious.
I guess it just depends on how you define "terror." Even the actions of the Argentinian government not so long ago would fall into my definition. I can't think of anything resembling terror more than a group of police cars showing up at a peaceful assembly of people, putting bags over peoples heads and "disappearing" them right in front of their friends and families.
How is this not defined as "terror"?
I think Hamas needs to be drawn in and someone will have to explain to them that that part about Isreal's destruction has to come out.
Until then, if we cut off the money, it will only reinforce the notion that Americans don't play fair and favor the Isrealis thereby fostering desperation which results in people resorting to terror.
Funding should be contingent on Hamas keeping the truce.
Please refer me to the law. I expect it will be easy enough to show where it has been skirted for political ends.
I'm not that old, Man! Feel free to comment if I write something interesting. So far I've accomplished pointing out the obvious.
Sorry about the old man thing, I had From Russia with Love dialogue on the brain. I'm the old man. How to characterize the sea change since 1989? When the greatest good was to stop the spread of communism and defeat the Soviets, we would allow the secondary evil of dictators as long as they were anti-communists. Thus, we helped (apparently) get rid of Allende and supported Pinochet. Similar with Lumumba and Mobutu. I'm less up on the Argentina thing but I hope that it fits my pattern. Since the fall of the CCCP, we can afford to look much closer at the character of the regime, as you will, and support or oppose based on other criteria than will they help us defeat the Soviets.
The law I alluded to is in a lot of indivudual acts. Check here for a discussion: http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB55/crs20010913.pdf (I think it's on page 9).
Sure we can get away with ignoring the law. And things can certainly change. Before 9/11 Pakistan was considered a near enemy and we gave them less than $10,000,000. Now they are a trusted ally and we give them a quarter billion. See ya'
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The law I alluded to is in a lot of indivudual acts. Check here for a discussion: http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB55/crs20010913.pdf (I think it's on page 9).
Sure we can get away with ignoring the law. And things can certainly change. Before 9/11 Pakistan was considered a near enemy and we gave them less than $10,000,000. Now they are a trusted ally and we give them a quarter billion. See ya'
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