Monday, July 17, 2006

DAS Goes Liberal... What Went Wrong? Part 1 of our Podcast Chat

On today’s podcast we chat with DAS from DAS Blog.. A nice guy who for some misguided reason has decided to go liberal. He used to live nearby in Edison and I met him when he belonged to the same organization as Trophy Wife. He was mentioned in Nate‘s World of Words (see the March 9th column in the archives) as my nominee to replace Ron Kuby as Curtis Sliwa’s liberal morning co-host on WABC. I think Kuby should have been fired when he was a defense witness when John Gotti Jr was on trial for trying to have Sliwa killed. The case ended in a hung jury and will be retried later this year.. but it was a big stab in the back by Kuby who would be a big nobody if it wasn't for Sliwa. Despite DAS’s liberal beliefs I like him anyway, so maybe this podcast might give the WABC powers that be another option for that morning slot.

You will hear in Part II that I asked him about his lack of commentary about Israel. Since we recorded this chat last week he did post a column and now I wonder why I opened my big mouth.

I am definitely far from liberal when it comes to Israel. But, in his Israel column.. I just can’t agree when DAS mentions the concept of the punishment fitting the crime and maybe bombing the hell out of the terrorists is a bit much and Israel should just abduct 2 of their soldiers instead.

Imagine a bunch of sex offenders get together and decide that they are going to kidnap and imprison a few of the Special Victims Unit cops. They announce the cops will be freed when more sex offenders are freed. You couldn’t sell enough tickets to watch the SWAT team storm that hostage house and kill those molesters. .

Legally speaking TREASON is a worse crime than child molesting.. And these terrorists who plot against the gov’t of Israel are treasonists. So when they kidnap soldiers and want other treasonist prisoners released… that is not a fair trade. These criminals are behind bars for a reason and do not deserve to be freed.. And if they were caught molesting young girls no bleeding hearts would be pleading for their release.. (except the ACLU.. They’ll take on any wacko cause)

And how do you punish a criminal? Well using the molester analogy, do you molest the molester… or do you imprison them for life? Likewise with the terrorist.. Do we just kidnap a couple of their men and ask for a trade like they are baseball players. Is a little slap on the wrist going to deter these terrorists from attacking again? Or doesn’t it make sense that a thorough destruction of the heart of the terrorist base is the only solution?. And since it looks like those Jew marked missiles that are landing in Haifa are coming from Iran.. it wouldn’t be a bad idea to let out a can of whoop-ass there too. Remember in the early 80s how Israel was so harshly criticized by many of these very same liberals for bombing out the Iraqi nuclear reactor?

Now back on January 29th (see the archives) we commented on an article in the much missed now defunct Jewish State newspaper where some goofball from Edison criticized a Rabbi there for asking the assembled crowd to pray for the death of the Iranian President during a Hannukah candle lighting ceremony. The letter writer ripped into the Rabbi….and instead put out this lovely nugget,…. “We should pray for the President of Iran to receive the knowledge and understanding that the Holocaust was an absolute tragic event in Jewish History”…OK.. How about we get all these Haifa residents to pray while these Iranian produced missiles continue to attack their homes! Can you imagine if the Jewish State had been publishing during the early days of World War II? “Oh don’t wish bad things on Hitler.. Lets pray for him”.

In light of those Iranian created missiles, I would like to invite that letter writer to have lunch with me so we can pose for a picture while I am wearing my “I’m with Stupid” T-shirt.

Here is a pic of DAS with some loonie kazoonie with a mullet acting like a cheerleader! (DAS is the one without the pompoms)



And now Ladies and Gentlemen… Part I of my buddy DAS…. Part II will be up later this week..


2 comments:

alberich said...

I guess I was being a bit much when I made the capture two of their soldiers argument (although I think it might be an interesting bit of strategy) -- but in your child molester analogy, the analogy to what Israel is doing is not to go all SWAT on the houses the holding the hostages, but to start bombing the neighborhood's key roads until the local neighborhood watch is able to uproot the child molestors who take hostages.

I would be fine (albeit this makes me somewhat of a chickenhawk as I would likely not volunteer for such dangerous duty) if Israel figured out where the hostages were being kept, went in on the ground and siezed them back -- that would actually show Hezbollah Israel means business and will not be cowed by terrorism. But responding disproportionately and counter-productively to the actual goal (getting the soldiers back or even breaking the hold of Hezbollah) in an air-strike based strategy (which is seen by many in the Arab world as Israel hiding behind superior technology) only sends the message that Israel is either just out to destroy Lebanon or is so terrorized by Hezbollah that they've lost their senses.

And as to the issue of treason -- I don't think the terrorists can be guilty of treason against Israel unless they are Israeli citizens or residents or at least visiting Israel in some way shape or form for an extended period: doesn't treason imply that you've sold out your county (hosting you or of which you are a citizen or resident)? The terrorists are certainly guilty of various crimes, but I don't think treason against Israel is among them -- since Israel wasn't hosting them nor were they residing there.

And if the terrorists are guilty of a capital crime then, under Jewish ethical codes, we cannot assassinate them: according to Pirke Avos, if a person commits a capital crime and the crime is not adjucated in a halachically proper court, God will set an aveirah upon the land of Israel. Now if you assassinate someone, you cannot try them in a court of law, can you? Therefore, according to Jewish tradition, all of these targetted assassinations of people who are, no doubt, guilty of capital crimes, risk an aveirah being set upon the land of Israel. Why would people who claim to be committed Jews and committed to the land of Israel do something that Jewish tradition tells us will bring an aveirah to the Land?

Nate said...

If they are assisting people living in Israel of committing terror acts its treason in my book... just like the Al Quaedas who were hiding out in Afghanastan after 9-11. I just want to see my soldiers back. Im sure if the terrorists return them, the bombings will stop.

And despite his comments on HIS blog, Das came off very prepared and polished on the podcast.. (plus I edited a few things too.. ) Part II should be appearing here on Friday afternoon so stay tuned!