The Jews in the Basement

[Big Don]

The Jews in the Basement
July 22, 2011

By Stella Paul The American Thinker EXCERPT:

The coming week marks five years since the murder of Pamela Waechter. Who? If the name doesn't ring a bell, here's a brief reminder: She was shot in the head by Naveed Afzal Haq, as she tried to crawl down a flight of stairs and escape, after Haq shot her in the chest.

Still not jogging your memory? How about this: Waechter was the 58-year-old director of the annual campaign of the Jewish Federation of Seattle. Sometime around 4 PM, on July 28, 2006, Naveed Afzal Haq grabbed a 14-year-old girl and thrust a gun in her back. He used her to gain entry to the Federation, and then rampaged through the building, shooting six women -- Layla Bush, Christina Rexroad, Cheryl Stumbo, Dayna Klein (who was five months pregnant), Carol Goldman, and, fatally, Pamela Waechter. Tammy Kaiser jumped from a second-story window to escape, and was hospitalized with injuries.

What was Haq's motive? Well, here's an interesting clue: As he stormed through the halls, shooting and killing, he shouted, "I'm a Muslim-American! I'm angry at Israel!"

Quite a dramatic story, no? And yet it's not a story anybody wants to tell. Grab the average leftist on the street -- or, certainly, on campus -- and ask him about Rachel Corrie, the anti-Israel activist accidentally run over by an Israeli bulldozer. I bet he knows Corrie's story by heart; after all, our cultural grandees never stop pushing it as a "teaching moment" about Israeli brutality.

Likewise, gay activists turned the murder of Matthew Shepard into a universal "teaching moment" about America's homophobia and crimes against gays, and the urgent need for sensitivity training in schools.

But American Jews have found no "teaching moment" in the murder of Pamela Waechter, and the shooting of six women at work, performing the administrative tasks of the Jewish community. The tragedy of Waechter, a Lutheran who converted upon marriage and devoted her life to Judaism, remains a private heartbreak for those who loved her.

And yet, the images of the Seattle women under attack are so unbearable that the question must be shrieked from the rooftops: Where are the men?

Where are the Jewish men, who ought to be rushing to protect their wives, mothers, sisters, and daughters? Where are the Jewish men who lead the community, as Jewish women come under increasing assault, right here in America, from Islamic fanatics?
END EXCERPT

 

[granfire]

as Jewish women come under increasing assault, right here in America, from Islamic fanatics?

where?

One lunatic does not make and increased assault....

 

[Twin Fist]

one is more than zero, thats an increase, technically anyway.

 

[Big Don]

where?

One lunatic does not make and increased assault....

Two things:
First, there was more than ONE attacker named in the article.
Second, oh, they are lunatics, and their insanity excuses their behavior, and insulates their religion?
Gee, if only Christians instilled the same fear in people...

 

[Sukerkin]

Activism is good, within legal limits and with some intelligence and decent morality behind it at least {assuming that the law is not corrupt and wrong in and of itself of course}. Making better known the true evils that assail decent people is good too.

But the only way these things have any impact on ordinary people in discourse is if they are approached as a discourse rather than a tirade or polemic. Phrases such as "Grab the average leftist on the street" actually mean nothing but still work to shut down the audience for the message. Which is a shame when it is something that warrants attention.

Mind you, I guess the only stances we get to hear about are the polemical ones. After all, the rational and reasonable ones pass almost unnoticed as people mentally nod and agree and move on.

"Republican/Democrat/Green/et al 'speachifier' makes reasonable statement about important topic. Many reach agreement" is hardly a headline we're likely to see sometime soon. I wish it were not so.

 

[Sukerkin]

Gee, if only Christians instilled the same fear in people...

That's not something to aspire to, mate!

 

[Tez3]

Two things:
First, there was more than ONE attacker named in the article.
Second, oh, they are lunatics, and their insanity excuses their behavior, and insulates their religion?
Gee, if only Christians instilled the same fear in people...[/QUOTE]

Trust me, in some places they do. You think it's safe in Russia among Christians to be Jewish or Muslim?

 

[JohnEdward]

Oh how do I love such rhetoric. It will never stop will it. Despite what their highest authority, God, tells them- all of which originating with the Jews. Evidently, it is easier to say one thing, and do another. I really am tired of all of it. It was because of it, I gave up on all those religions, there is no truth.

 

[CanuckMA]

It has not become a 'teaching moment' because the world does not want to learn. The Jewish community mourns in silence because it is not popular to be Jewish and a victim. Rockets rain on civilian areas in Israel, and it's the Jews fault. The media portrays misery in Gaza, it's was the Jews fault when they were 'occupiers' and now that we're gone, it's our fault for not doing more.

Nobody cares about a dead Jew. We live with that. Always have, always will.

 

[Twin Fist]

Jews and Israel lost the PR war, and I hate to say it, but most people are afraid to call out the muslims on their crap because 1) they are afraid of the consequences or 2) they are afraid of being called "islamophobic" or "bigoted" or "intolerant" or some other nonsense.

 

[Sukerkin]

I have to say that I, as an individual, don't think that Israel lost the PR war but I have a weakness for admiring people doing brave things in extremis and I suppose that makes me 'overlook' some of the more questionable things they have done whilst trying to keep their nation alive.

Think about it for a moment, they are a small people {or were at the start at least} 'parachuted' into a 'homeland' that was in large part desert, that not many people cared much about until they arrived there, at which time everyone around them decided they deserved wiping out ... again! Given what they'd been through in WWII, I, for one, am prepared to cut them a lot of slack for what happened in the early years of the existence of the new state of Israel. Just to be clear, that does not mean that I am indifferent to what happened to some of the surrounding Arab peoples, for whilst I might not be a bleeding-heart-liberal, I am a firm believer in the sanctity of human life and the preservation of as much peace and liberty as we can muster in this imperfect world.

 

[Sukerkin]

As to 'calling' {I have to say I hate that term, sets my teeth on edge} 'Muslims' (TM) on what they do, I don't think that many people have a problem with that either. Not when it comes to terrorists doing evil things in the name of a religion that they don't really follow. I am sure that most of the ordinary men and women trapped in their mythology due to an accident of birth are no happier about the actions of the Taliban than Catholics were about those of the IRA.

 

[billc]

Or the Protestants and their English friends in Northern Ireland?

 

[JohnEdward]

My mother was Jewish, my Father was a secular Christian, I was born and raised in a Christian Nation (for sake of discussion). The article's rhetoric as passionate as it is, is to persuade us that no cares about Jews. That whole article is sinister in it's martyrdom of the Jews adding fuel to the fire of prolong and unnecessary violence and death.

When an innocent person is murdered, regardless of their religious background is a very sad grave loss, with great important. Regardless if it is noticed by one or a trillion. The loss of an innocent life should not be defiled or abused in the way of being political propganda or rhetoric, as done in the article. That incites emotional responses all the way around. The foot print of this type of propaganda and rhetoric in the article is as ancient as the middle east. Sadly, some traditions never die, and live strong at the expensive of those who have died innocently and for the warped motive; one that was born out of this senseless never ending situation. A situation all those involved has been come a tradition. Why didn't the author, Mr. Health Ranger, honor the young woman properly and not use her in his propaganda that is adding fuel to the fire. If your not solving the problem, then you are part of the problem.

I think the article adds fuel to the fire and it was irresponsible and dangerous rhetoric. The situation of violence doesn't need to continue, it needs to stop.

 

[Twin Fist]

ok, so lets try this

imagine for a second that the muslims put down thier guns and rockets.

WHat do you think Israel will do?

now reverse that, if Israel puts down it's weapons, what do you really think will happen?

 

[Kurai]

What I don't see, is where was the "human" that tried to stop the attack. The Muslim, Christian, Jew, insert religion here, is getting really old.

 

[JohnEdward]

ok, so lets try this

imagine for a second that the muslims put down thier guns and rockets.

WHat do you think Israel will do?

now reverse that, if Israel puts down it's weapons, what do you really think will happen?

What would happen if both sides just stopped giving a rat's *** about killing each other? What has happened because they haven't put down their weapons, put their anger and revenge to rest? What if they continued to keep up grading weapons for more powerful and deadly weapons, say, Nukes. What if they decided to live in peace? What would happened if they didn't draw lines in the sand? What would happen if they listen to the God they worshipped? I don't think it is about weapon's it is about hate and power. How it has become a tradition to keep killing each other. If both sides valued anything above themselves, elevated their consciousness to value the sacredness and miracle of life - no thanks to the concept of heaven/afterlife- there would be peace. The disease they suffer from runs very deep, that violence is valued. They must come to understand the meaning of human life, something they don't fully understand, to kill is a sin. Both sides make life expendable with no reverence for it other then for themselves, giving any and all excuses, or petty reasons to kill, each other. What they first must put down is their ignorance.

 

[CanuckMA]

What would happen if both sides just stopped giving a rat's *** about killing each other? What has happened because they haven't put down their weapons, put their anger and revenge to rest? What if they continued to keep up grading weapons for more powerful and deadly weapons, say, Nukes. What if they decided to live in peace? What would happened if they didn't draw lines in the sand? What would happen if they listen to the God they worshipped? I don't think it is about weapon's it is about hate and power. How it has become a tradition to keep killing each other. If both sides valued anything above themselves, elevated their consciousness to value the sacredness and miracle of life - no thanks to the concept of heaven/afterlife- there would be peace. The disease they suffer from runs very deep, that violence is valued. They must come to understand the meaning of human life, something they don't fully understand, to kill is a sin. Both sides make life expendable with no reverence for it other then for themselves, giving any and all excuses, or petty reasons to kill, each other. What they first must put down is their ignorance.

You truly have no clue what you're talking about. Try talking to Israeli mothers about the agony as their 16 year olds have to start thinking about what specialization they want to choose in the army.

 

[Sukerkin]

I think he was more talking about the leadership and the ingrained 'response' long term conflict with a particlar enemy creates rather than such visceral, personal, emotions. A war becomes more like a vendetta under such circumstances, with all the negatives that implies when it comes to finding a solution.

 

[Big Don]

What would happen if both sides just stopped giving a rat's *** about killing each other? What has happened because they haven't put down their weapons, put their anger and revenge to rest? What if they continued to keep up grading weapons for more powerful and deadly weapons, say, Nukes. What if they decided to live in peace? What would happened if they didn't draw lines in the sand? What would happen if they listen to the God they worshipped? I don't think it is about weapon's it is about hate and power. How it has become a tradition to keep killing each other. If both sides valued anything above themselves, elevated their consciousness to value the sacredness and miracle of life - no thanks to the concept of heaven/afterlife- there would be peace. The disease they suffer from runs very deep, that violence is valued. They must come to understand the meaning of human life, something they don't fully understand, to kill is a sin. Both sides make life expendable with no reverence for it other then for themselves, giving any and all excuses, or petty reasons to kill, each other. What they first must put down is their ignorance.

Time to break out the Golda Meir quote:

“We will have peace with the Arabs when they love their children more than they hate us”

When will that be? When pigs fly in formation.