Webster

The Constitution was made to guard the people against the dangers of good intentions." --American Statesman Daniel Webster (1782-1852)


Wednesday, November 29, 2023

"What are the Roots of the Israeli_Palestinian conflict."

 I shamelessly snagged this off Quora... I was taking a break at work and was reading it, and yes I have been very busy, 

   Props to Ted Kord for writing this.

It’s not about land. The Muslim world occupies about 14 million square miles of the Earth’s landmass. Israel occupies a miniscule 8,550 square miles. The issue isn’t land. It’s the mere existence of the Jewish people. But it’s not just that.

There are two main causes of the conflict: (1) Jew Hatred (2) Culture of Jihad

I. Jew Hatred

During the time of Mohammed, there existed a thriving Jewish community in Arabia. The prophet attempted to a convert these Jews to his new religion. The Jews refused to be converted so he made war on them. The Jews eventually sought peace with Jihadis.

The Banu Qurayza particularly resisted conversion. After being defeated by Jihadi’s, Mohammed's companions beheaded somewhere between 600 and 900 Banu Qurayza Jewish men. Their wives and children were taken as slaves and as the spoils of conquest.

The prophet is seen as the most perfect man, and his followers are expected to follow his example. It that example includes beheading 900 Jews and taking their wives as slaves, then those are the actions that some will emulate. But there is also the direct words of the prophet:

“Judgement Day will not come until the Muslims fight the Jews. The Jews will hide behind the stones and the trees, and the stones and the trees will say, oh Muslim, oh servant of Allah, there is a Jew hiding behind me — come and kill him.”

So in the prophets own words, it is the obligation of the faithful to kill Jews. During the October 7th attack, one of the Hamas terrorists took the time to brag to his family about how many Jews he killed. He did so using the phones of one of his Jewish victims, and the conversation was recorded. Here's a partial transcript of what he said:

“Hi dad — Open my ‎WhatsApp now, and you’ll see all those killed. Look how many I killed with my own hands! Your son killed Jews!”

And his dad says “May God protect you.”

“Dad, I’m talking to you from a Jewish woman’s phone. I killed her, and I killed her husband. I killed ten with my own hands! Dad, ten with my own hands! Dad, open WhatsApp and see how many I killed, dad. Open the phone, dad. I’m calling you on WhatsApp. Open the phone, go. Dad, I killed ten. Ten with my own hands. Their blood is on their hands. Put mom on.”

And the father says, “Oh my son. God bless you!”

“I swear ten with my own hands. Mother, I killed ten with my own hands!”

And his father says, “May God bring you home safely.”

“Dad, go back to WhatsApp now. Dad, I want to do a live broadcast.”

And the mother now says, “I wish I was with you.”

“Mom, your son is a hero!”

And then, apparently talking to his comrades he yells, “Kill, kill, kill, kill them.”

And then his brother gets on the line, asking where he is. And he tells his brother the name of the town and then he says “I killed ten! Ten with my own hands! I’m talking to you from a Jew’s phone!”

And the brother says, “You killed ten?”

“Yes, I killed ten. I swear!”

Then he says, “I am the first to enter on the protection and help of Allah! Hold your head up, father. Hold your head up! See on WhatsApp those that I killed. Open my WhatsApp.”

And his brother says, “Come back. Come back.”

And he says, “What do you mean come back? There’s no going back. It is either death or victory! My mother gave birth to me for the religion. What’s with you? How would I return? Open WhatsApp. See the dead. Open it.”

And the mother sounds like she is trying to figure out how to open WhatsApp…

“Open WhatsApp on your phone and see the dead, how I killed them with my own hands.”

And she says, “Well, promise to come back.”

This follower of the prophet was ecstatic to have killed 10 Jews with his own hands. He’s overjoyed because he has been taught to hate Jews his whole life, and he finally has been able to follow the path of the most perfect prophet.

II. Culture of Jihad

Over the last four decades there have been almost 50,000 incidents of Jihadi violence. Most of that violence has been directed at other Muslims. The overwhelming majority of these attacks have nothing to do with Israel, or even Jews. There have been 82 attacks inside France. Pakistan, a Muslim country, has suffered some 2000 terrorist attacks.

In 2014, six jihadis affiliated with the Pakistani Taliban attacked a school in Peshawar. These jihadis came from outside of Pakistan—there was a Chechen, two Afghans, and three Arabs. They murdered nearly 150 people, more than 130 of whom were children. A teacher was burned alive in front of her students. The Jihadis killed all the children they could get their hands on. No hostages were taken. No demands were issued. All the jihadis wanted was martyrdom.

One apologist for the terrorists explained how the terrorists actions made sense to them:

Human life only has value among you worldly materialist thinkers. For us, this human life is only a tiny, meaningless fragment of our existence. Our real destination is the Hereafter. We don’t just believe it exists, we know it does.

Death is not the end of life. It is the beginning of existence in a world much more beautiful than this. As you know, the [Urdu] word for death is “intiqaal.” It means “transfer,” not “end.”

Paradise is for those of pure hearts. All children have pure hearts. They have not sinned yet… They have not yet been corrupted by [their kafir parents]. We did not end their lives. We gave them new ones in Paradise, where they will be loved more than you can imagine.

They will be rewarded for their martyrdom. After all, we also martyr ourselves with them. The last words they heard were the slogan of Takbeer [“Allah u Akbar”].

Allah Almighty says Himself in Surhah Al-Imran [3:169-170] that they are not dead.

You will never understand this. If your faith is pure, you will not mourn them, but celebrate their birth into Paradise.

Mind you, this attack killed now Jews and likely didn’t extinguish a single Christian life. This attack killed only Pakistani Muslims, but it’s OK because if they were righteous Muslims they would go to paradise, and if they weren’t righteous, they would burn in hell, like they were supposed to.

I’m not saying that every Muslim hates Jews. I’m Not saying that every Muslim wants to kill and die for Allah. Some clearly do. I don’t know how many. I do there are 1.8 billion Muslims on the planet. If 1 percent of them hate Jews and wish to kill and die for their religion, that’s 18 million potential Jihadis.

The total Jewish population of our planet is about 14 million.

Pakistan School Attack: How Should We Respond To Those Who Speak In Violence? - Youth Journalism International
BIRMINGHAM, United Kingdom – Today in Pakistan the Taliban struck again, with the same merciless manner some have been forced to know all too well. While many across the world went about their daily lives, studying their different subjects and conversing with friends, others were not so lucky. The most recent reports say 132 children […]
Banu Qurayza - Wikipedia
7th-century Jewish tribe within Arabia The Banu Qurayza ( Arabic : بنو قريظة ; alternate spellings include Quraiza , Qurayzah , Quraytha , and the archaic Koreiza ) were a Jewish tribe which lived in northern Arabia , at the oasis of Yathrib (now known as Medina ). They were one of the three major Jewish tribes of the city, along with the Banu Qaynuqa and Banu Nadir , before they were massacred by the Islamic prophet Muhammad . Jewish tribes reportedly arrived in Hijaz in the wake of the Jewish–Roman wars and introduced agriculture, putting them in a culturally, economically and politically dominant position. [1] [2] However, in the 5th century, the Banu Aws and the Banu Khazraj , two Arab tribes that had arrived from Yemen , gained dominance. [3] When these two tribes became embroiled in conflict with each other, the Jewish tribes, now clients [2] [4] or allies [3] of the Arabs, fought on different sides, the Qurayza siding with the Aws. [5] In 622, Muhammad migrated to Medina after successfully negotiating with the Khazraj—to which his great-grandmother belonged [6] —and the Aws to mediate their tribal conflicts in the city. [7] [8] Previously, in Mecca , tensions had arisen between Muhammad and the Quraysh following his attacks on their faith after they had previously shown little interest in his proselytizing activities. [9] [10] [11] [12] After the migration, Muhammad often raided Quraysh trade caravans and plundered their goods, leading to armed conflicts between the two . [13] [14] Muhammad also tried to convince the Jewish population of Medina that he was their prophet, but failed and was criticized, in part, for the inconsistency of his Quran with the Jewish scriptures . This led to the transfer of the direction of the Islamic prayer from Jerusalem to the Kaaba in Mecca, and sometime later to the expulsion of the Banu Qaynuqa and Banu Nadir from Medina by him. [5] [15] After the Battle of the Trench , Muhammad was reportedly visited by Gabriel , who directed him to attack the Qurayza. [16] Despite the tribe's earlier assistance in excavating the trench to impede the Meccans' advance and providing the Muslims with their tools, [17] [18] [19] Muhammad later accused them of having sided with his enemy—a claim that they strongly refuted. [20] At a later stage of Muhammad's siege against them, the Qurayza initially proposed surrendering and vacating their land, while requesting permission to carry one camel load of possessions per person. When Muhammad declined, they subsequently requested to depart without taking any belongings. Muhammad, however, insisted that they surrender unconditionally. [21] [22] The Qurayza eventually surrendered, and their men were beheaded, [23] [24] [25] [26] their women and children were enslaved, some were sold, and their property was divided among the Muslims. [27] [28] [29] [30] [16] [31] History in pre-Islamic Arabia [ edit ] Early history [ edit ] Extant sources provide no conclusive evidence whether the Banu
Sam Harris | The Bright Line Between Good and Evil
Transcript of podcast episode #340
Islamist Terrorist Attacks in the World 1979-2021 - Fondapol
The period between the invasion of Afghanistan by the Red Army in 1979 and the capture of Kabul by the Taliban on 15 August 2021 corresponds to a rise in Islamist terrorism.
Islamist terrorist attacks in the world 1979-2019 - Fondapol
Since the Red Army’s invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, the world has been shaken by jihadist terrorism. In forty years, Islamist terrorist attacks have multiplied, reaching as far as the heart of Western countries, New York, Madrid, London, Paris, but also Moscow, etc. By instilling feelings of fear and mistrust, through indiscriminate violence and its […]

Sunday, November 26, 2023

"Are The Palestinians open to peace and reconciliation?"

 

I clipped this off Quora, where there is a lot of screeching from the leftist and antisemitic about the current kerfluffle going on and facts have no bearings on their feelings.  What you are seeing in the schools and the protest here in the States and in Europe are a 2 fold problem, First off, Europe has been importing the 3rd world for several generations, and they bring the 3rd world beliefs with them, as well as the United States, we have also been for several generation been indoctrinating our children in these hives of villainy called a higher education system.  According to the intersectional victimhood politics of the left, the Palestinians are the "Victims" no matter what they do because they are resisting the "Colonizer" That would be Israel. and they have been taught that there are 2 groups of people in the world, the "Colonizer" and the "oppressed".  They see the Palestinians as "Victims" despite the fact that the Palestinians would cheerfully chunk half of them off a building doesn't even register to them.  That is how delusional they are.  You also factor in our very porous Southern border, I see terror attacks coming and the Donks will use them to push through draconian "security" a.k.a "Gun Control, Currency control, population movement controls, information control," and other measures to control the population, "Can't let a crisis go to waste" ya know.  I have stated in the past, we have a large chunk of the population that if we got attacked, would cheerfully support the attackers because we "deserve it" due to the intersectional politics of the left.  



    A guy named Geoff Caplan posted this one.

There has been a recent study conducted by Arab World for Research and Development (AWRAD) among Palestinians living in Gaza and the West Bank, and the results are profoundly depressing.

AWRAD is an internationally respected research and consultancy agency based in Palestine.

Rejection of peace and reconciliation

The great majority are against peace with Israel on any terms:

  • 75% support the October 7 massacre
  • 85.9% reject coexistence with Israel
  • 71.1% are committed to the restoration of “historical Palestine” as a final resolution
  • 74.7% support the creation of a Palestinian state “from the river to the sea” as the only acceptable resolution of the conflict.

Support for terrorism

There is almost universal support for terror:

  • 76% believe that Hamas plays a somewhat to very positive role
  • 84% believe that Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) plays a somewhat to very positive role
  • 79.8% believe that Fatah’s terror wing, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, plays a somewhat to very positive role
  • 88.6% believe that Hamas’ armed wing, the Al-Kassam Brigades, plays a somewhat to very positive role.

Terror organisations have far higher support than Fatah

Fatah is hardly a force for moderation, but they are far too moderate for their own people:

  • 87.3% of the Palestinians believe that the Palestinian Authority plays a negative role
  • Only 8.4% believe that the PA should govern the West Bank and Gaza
  • 85.8% support Hamas continuing to play a role in the Palestinian government
  • 13.6% support a Hamas-only government
  • 72.2% support a “national unity” government of Fatah and Hamas.

Ingratitude and hostility towards aid providers

Negativity towards aid providers is extreme:

  • 98.2% of Palestinians see the U.S. role as negative
  • 96.7% consider the UK role as negative
  • 92.6% consider the EU role as negative.
  • 85.5% believe that these countries support Israel because of “hatred of Arabs
  • 79.5% believe that support is the result of “hatred of Muslims and Islam”

More moderate Arab countries working towards peace are equally hated:

  • 96% disapprove of the UAE
  • 95.5% disapprove of Saudi Arabia
  • 84.6% disapprove of Egypt
  • 75.6% disapprove of Jordan.

Unrealistic views on the current military situation

As an indication of the levels of self-delusion in operation here:

  • 72.6% said “Palestine” will win the current military conflict
  • 3.1% said Israel will win.

Western fellow travellers are equally delusional

Since the outbreak of the current conflict I have heard western apologists claim 100 times that:

“Hamas is not Palestine - why should the ordinary people suffer when all they want is peace?

Clearly, this is the worst kind of bias and wishful thinking.

This study shows that ongoing conflict is precisely what the majority of Palestinians support - and the more brutal the better.

It certainly explains why Israel is still wary of letting down her defences - even more so after their latest intelligence failures on the Gazan border.

Here’s a graphic summary of the result which you could share if you are so minded:

Saturday, November 25, 2023

Russia boosts its surveillance capacity in the Ukraine.

Another tidbit I got from one of my 3rd party emails from work about the current kerfluffle in the Ukraine.

Myasishchev M 55

Credit: Dino Fracchia/Alamy Stock Photo

LONDON—The UK Defense Ministry has claimed that Russia may step up its use of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft to support its ongoing war in Ukraine.

In a series of intelligence updates posted to social media by the department in mid-November, UK defense intelligence analysts have suggested that Russia may return its Myasishchev M-55 high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft into service for standoff ISR missions. The department says the aircraft, which has been used as an Earth-sciences platform, recently carried a military reconnaissance pod, apparently developed for use on Russian combat aircraft.

“There is a realistic possibility that the M-55 will return to frontline service to bolster Russia’s limited [intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance] capabilities over Ukraine,” the Defense Ministry said in a Nov. 19 social media post.

The ministry notes that operating the sensors from high altitudes enables them to work at considerable standoff range and from within Russian airspace—away from the threat of Ukrainian ground-based air defense systems.

Moscow’s failure to establish an airborne ISR capability for the conflict has been a “critical flaw” in its operation, leaving Russia unable to undertake “timely and accurate prosecution” of targets, the ministry says.

Russia has begun using its Beriev A-50 airborne early warning aircraft to support ground-based air defenses, including the long-range S-400 system, a Nov. 17 post from the Defense Ministry reported. The department refers to the A-50 version by its NATO codename Mainstay D, which is understood to be a reference to upgraded A-50U versions.

A heavily modified version of the Ilyushin Il-76 airlifter, the A-50 is equipped with an over-fuselage rotodome radar, like that installed on the Boeing E-3 Sentry.

“Russia has likely expedited integrating Mainstay and SA-21 partially because it is concerned about the prospect of Ukraine deploying Western-provided combat aircraft,” defense officials add, in reference to NATO plans to supply F-16 fighters to Ukraine.

There is a “realistic possibility that Russia will accept more risk by flying Mainstay closer to the front line so the aircraft can effectively carry out its new role,” the ministry says

Friday, November 24, 2023

Airforce wants to augment the C-32's in the VIP fleet

 

I like the B757 series of airplanes, I thought Boeing did a huge disservice to itself when they quit making the airframe in 2004, Airlines love the plane, nothing can do quite what a B757 can do, the combination of range, capacity and power. It is my favorite plane to work on, I am ETOPS rated on that airplane.  My son like's to harass me and say "When the last 757 retires from our employer, you will retire also", and I reply "of course, it is fitting".  The reality is that planes as well maintained as my employer's planes and the C32's, they will still break occasionally, you can't predict everything.   
     I don't know what plane they will try to fit in that role, they could go with Airbus, the "321 NEO"
it would an easier sell because Airbus has an manufacture facility in Mobile and the plane would be made there or possibly the "B787 Dreamliner" but in my opinion, the 321 fills the '57 spot closest.  Boeing needs to do the "Boeing 797 derivative" they have been promising for years as the B'57 gets longer in the tooth and some airlines are going to the 321 NEO because their Boeings are too old, and metal fatigue is a real thing as is parts availability. Those B757's then go become freighters with FEDEX and UPS.
      It will be interesting to see how this plays out, and what is selected.



Credit: Avpics/Alamy Stock Photo

The U.S. Air Force has started looking for a derivative of a large commercial aircraft to serve as a new “Air Force Two” executive airlift platform and augment a fleet of aging Boeing C-32s based on the 757-200, which has been out of production since 2004.

A market survey launched on Nov. 15 by the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center suggests that the Air Force is open to other platforms, and that the program office will not be able to determine precisely how many aircraft will be needed before a contract is awarded.

The survey asks for companies that would be interested in supplying two to 10 modified, large, commercial derivative aircraft. If configured as a C-32, the aircraft would need to be modified with a stateroom, conference center, communications center and 42 business-class seats.

The Air Force’s C-32s are now 25 years old and the youngest 757-200 in commercial service is nearly 20 years old, so new models are more likely. Options now in production would include aircraft that are slightly larger and smaller than the C-32, such as the Boeing 767-200, Airbus A321XLR and Boeing 737 Max 10.

The Air Force already operates a 767-2C modified to become the KC-46. Another 11 C-40B/Cs based on the 737-700C also are used by the Air Force, but a C-32 is 45 ft. longer.

The Air Force also has awarded contracts to several companies pursuing development of high-speed commercial airliners, including Boom Supersonic, Exosonic and Hermeus. But all three companies are still at least several years away from fielding a certified commercial aircraft, so it is unclear how they would fit into the Air Force’s plans for the market survey.

The Air Force document does not specify a time period for contract award or delivery. The required specifications for the aircraft were withheld from a public version of the survey, but are available to contractors that can receive documents stamped as “controlled unclassified information.”

The contract being considered would be an “indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity” award. Most military aircraft, including commercial derivatives, are acquired under either a cost-plus or fixed-price contract with a preplanned quantity. But so-called ID/IQ awards can be used if the operator is not certain about the total quantity at the time of contract award.

The Air Force’s four C-32s perform a wide variety of airlift missions. The aircraft are commonly known for flying the first lady, vice president and secretary of defense. Despite being several years younger than the 747-200-derived VC-25B, the small C-32 fleet has been linked to several high-profile maintenance problems, including a string of component failures that stranded Secretary of State John Kerry in 2014 and more recent breakdowns that disrupted travel plans for Vice President Kamala Harris in 2021.