Amid all the constant clamor about the plight of the Palestinians, the conspicuous lack of concern on the part of both foreign and local Arab human-rights groups about the way the Palestinian Authority and Hamas treat their own people is an ongoing scandal. The imposition of a tyrannical Islamist police state in Gaza is ignored by Europeans and many American liberals, who devote their energies to demonizing Israel’s measures of self-defense aimed at keeping the terrorists based in that territory from attacking their civilians on the other side of the border. And while the leaders of the Palestinian Authority get good press abroad as “moderates” who favor peace, the truth about the way the PA runs most of the West Bank (contrary to popular misconception, Arab towns and villages are under the control of the PA’s police and various security services, not the Israel Defense Force) is far from pretty. An example of the way the Palestinian Authority rules the West Bank is on display in the case of Waleed Hasayin, whose pathetic story was told in yesterday’s New York Times.
Hasayin, a 20-something unemployed computer-science graduate who helped out in his father’s barbershop in Qalqilya, has been held incommunicado at that town’s local PA intelligence headquarters for blasphemous blogging. Husayin’s crime is that he created Facebook pages skewering Islam and promoting atheism. The Times reports that it is against the law in PA-ruled land to insult religion, though by that it is clear that they just mean Islam, since insults against Judaism are regularly broadcast on PA radio and television. He is not the first Muslim to run afoul of the repressive culture of the Arab world but what makes his case noteworthy is the hypocrisy of both the Palestinians and their foreign cheerleaders.
The most telling sentence in the Times’s story is the matter of fact one in which reporter Isabel Kershner notes that “Palestinian human rights groups in the West Bank have so far remained silent about Mr. Hasayin’s arrest.” She fails to mention that his case is also of no interest to Western supporters of the Palestinians, who believe that all Palestinians are still living under Israel “occupation,” whether in the West Bank or Gaza. This case makes it plain once again that advocates for Palestinian human rights are not actually interested in the human rights of the Palestinian people. If they were, then there would be as many, if not more, foreign protests against the way the Islamists of Hamas and the neo-Islamist thugs of the Palestinian Authority tyrannize their own people as there are protests against alleged abuses on the part of Israel.
Were Hasayin a terrorist with Jewish blood on his hands, languishing in an Israeli jail, there would be massive foreign support for his release as there is for that of killers like Fatah’s Marwan Barghouti. But since he is merely a free thinker who dared to challenge the oppressive political and religious culture of the Palestinians while blogging in an Internet cafe, he is of no interest to “friends” of the Palestinian people, who are content to let public opinion in Qalqilya — which, according to the Times, favors capital punishment or life imprisonment for his crime — determine his fate.
Sigh.
Again, the notion of blaming whatever ineflicities occur on Tuesday on Palin becomes more absurd by the day. This will not, of course, lead to even the slightest abatement in the effort.
Oh, and per Peggy Noonan she says “tiny things” that “she doesn’t understand (as opposed to all the sophisticated and coherent economic rhetoris we hear from The One and his #2).
The section here quoting Sarah Palin shows just how coherently and lucidly Palin thinks- and speaks. In contrast to Obama- not to mention that meta windbag Biden- Palin actually gets way beyond cliches and conceptual vagueness.
Face it, Palin is a moron. No two ways about it. She can now spit back a few lines from her stump speech. A chimp could learn conservative rhetoric in a week. It took Palin months. That hardly makes her competent. She has the IQ of a grapefruit, which does make her the smartest conservative in any room. Still, she’s a joke. The dumbest VP pick ever, including Quayle. A pitbull in lipstick would know more about foreign policy.
#5: an elegant pen is a distinction in all circumstances. These, let us remember, may be our masters next January.
Stan: You’re a snob
#5–Stan–get used to saying “President Palin”. Unless you’re over 90, you’ll be hearing it.
If McCain can’t run a campaign effectively what does that say about his ability to run a government?
This is a Reaganesque articulation of economic principles. Dave Frum, Dave Brooks, Peggy Noonan – haven’t seen anything this good coming from you guys.
The Obama campaign has been beautifully run and has tapped all sorts of new technology, some of it illegal, but it has one weakness. There is an empty suit at its core. I’m sure Axelrod can sell iceboxes to eskimos, as they say.
McCain is winging the campaign as he has done so many other things in his career but you know who the candidate is. The vast majority of politicians I have met and there are a few, see their life’s work as getting elected. Obama is a perfect example. McCain sees his life’s work as governing.
Comments like #5 remind me that whatever the result turns out to be on Tuesday I would — if allowed only two options to choose from — rather lose with Palin than win with the people who hate her.
Hmmmmm.
Frankly the reason why Palin has been so mishandled is because she is conservative. While McCain likes to talk up Palin the reality is that he is uncomfortable with the conservative agenda. And a strong Palin would be a challenge to his Presidency, should he be elected, on almost every single issue.
Basically McCain and his staff want Palin in a box. A stuff doll they can pull out at will to juice the crowds but someone who is also politically damaged that she cannot threaten them in any way. And probably to kill off her chances in 2012 or in the future.
*shrug* Neither McCain nor his staff are pro-conservative. Would they really be happy setting up the potential victory for a conservative Republican President in 2012? I don’t think so.
Noonan and Brooks deserted the republicans and went to the dark side several years ago.
As for “Palin in a box,” baloney. She’s been out campaigning every day for nearly two months. It’s not McCain’s fault if she wasn’t ready for prime time.
I look forward to her running again (as the presidential nominee) in 2012 when she is more seasoned and the Messiah has appeased and taxed his way to Carterville.
“It’s not McCain’s fault if she wasn’t ready for prime time.”
If #1 chooses a #2 who’s “not ready”, of course it is #1′s fault.
I think Palin was ready, and except for 1 bad interview with Couric I think she has made that clear over the last 9 weeks. Of the people who claim to disagree, 99% of them were never going to vote for McCain anyway, regardless of what they might say now.
If, between now and (say) November 2011, Sarah Palin has the opportunity to serve as Vice-President in the McCain Administration, I think she will be ideally positioned for the 2012 primaries. If, however, she serves these next three years as the Governor of Alaska during the Obama Administration, I think she will find it very difficult to remain in the public eye to the extent necessary to put a serious national campaign together.
Time will tell.
Poor Sarah Palin, but even more so: Poor Republicans for hitching their wagon to that dumb mule. Obama is pulling away in the polls, and this has every sign of turning into a popular vote landslide. I wonder what Commentary will say to a 56-58% rejection of their scumbag president, their rotten ideas, and their McJerk of a candidate.
“I think Palin was ready, and except for 1 bad interview with Couric I think she has made that clear over the last 9 weeks. ”
I really couldn’t disagree more, her lack of understanding of such simple core American values such as the 1st Amendment – her “other” bad interview with Charlie Gibson – her lack of understanding of the Bush doctrine – her recent gaffe (foreshadow?) of the fact that we are currently at war with Iran – the fact that she can’t even be a loyal VP pick to faithfully support the ticket – her foolishly hanging onto the Russia/Alska proximity argument when she shoudl have just dismissed it – the list just goes on and on and on, I feel so badly for McCain, that he and his advisors didn’t ulitmately choose a more worthy running mate, for the party and the nation. I think they chose her feeling that she could be an easily handled “yes” person. Instead they got a person with blind ambition, little scruples, and little brains to boot; but at least she has a lot of looks and charm, as well as unbending moral princple (when it comes to the lives of others).
Hmmmm.
“As for “Palin in a box,” baloney. She’s been out campaigning every day for nearly two months.”
That’s precisely my point. McCain’s sole use for her has been to generate big crowds, whip up enthusiasm and bring in money. Because she has been deliberately politically damaged for most other purposes by the McCain campaign itself.
By isolating her at odd times, failing to defend her against allegations, badly organizing her interviews -and- the prep for them, etc etc etc.
Let’s take a look at the most basic issue, Troopergate. It’s extremely clear that she is innocent of any charges. It’s equally clear that the central figure in Troopergate is a scumbag that nobody would want to have to defend in the court of public opinion. The most effective thing to do in that instance would be to cooperate with the investigation and then use the highly partisan result against the Democrats. Perhaps even by filing a civil lawsuit and forcing the Democratic participants into a very damaging discovery process.
Instead the McCain campaign had her refuse to cooperate, demanded that her assistants also refuse and generally conduct herself as if she were guilty of a major crime. When the actual result of the investigation turned out to be one of the more mealy-mouthed partisan pieces of crap I’ve seen. Something that experienced prosecutors have condemned as garbage.
Net result: Palin takes a huge credibility hit, MSM has a field day and the person who pays the biggest price is Palin herself.
Even if we assume that the McCain campaign handlers assigned to Palin were not only stupid but also incompetent, would anyone be this incompetent by accident? If you were handling Palin would you choose to have her give personal interviews to friendly interviewers … -last-? And only after harsh critics had a chance to politically gut her on tv?
Would you let ABC edit her responses so she would look worse?
Would you let Couric & Co spread the interview over an entire week? Something designed to inflict maximum harm on Palin.
…
IMO this was deliberate and done with the approval of McCain.
Hmmmm.
@ McCain/Anyone Else Says
“her “other” bad interview with Charlie Gibson – her lack of understanding of the Bush doctrine”
Really? Krauthammer was the one who coined the term “Bush Doctrine” and even he has said that there is no one single definition because it evolved over the last 7 years.
But if you want to take a stab at it go right ahead.
Krauthammer was the one who coined the term “Bush Doctrine”
Oh, and just wait: The Republicans will go paleo, and when it happens they’ll be on the hunt for some neo-scapegoats.
Jennifer, you must enjoy coming here and reading the comments made about your writings. I happen to agree (and think that there are plenty more who agree judging the size and enthusiasm of the crowds at her events) with you on Palin. She impressed me when I first encountered her last spring and was delighted and surprised when McCain chose her. Her performance has only gotten better as the campaign has gone on and her effectiveness is gauged by the foaming-at-the-mouth, carpet-chewing responses that you have invoked here. To hell with benighted fools like Democrat. They sit in their Obama offices and troll conservative blogs heaving hand grenades into the conversation for a mere pittance of wages. They are the antithesis of what Palin stands for – a vibrant, productive nation that embraces freedom from the heavy hand of government and great pride our nation’s heritage. They were worthless before they went to work for Obama and will be worthless and dirty when his campaign fails and he is cast into the dustbin of history. Good riddance to them.
“They are the antithesis of what Palin stands for – a vibrant, productive nation that embraces freedom from the heavy hand of government and great pride our nation’s heritage.” –Turfmann
What Palin stands for is mindless embrace of failed policies, partisan hackery, the celebration of anti-intellectualism, cronyism, earmark hypocrisy, expense-account padding, bad parenting, abuse of power, the elevation of style over substance, and a small-minded theocratic view of America that Americans — including all the smart honest conservatives — roundly reject.
What are you wingnuts going to say when that second Troopergate report is even more critical of Palin than the first? Hey, didn’t Palin promise to release her medical records? Add liar to the above list.
To hell with benighted fools like Democrat. They sit in their Obama offices and troll conservative blogs heaving hand grenades into the conversation for a mere pittance of wages.
I keep trying to tell you Nutcases that Soros pays me a million a year for this. Sheesh, can’t you read?
#17 is dumber than a bag of donkey poop. Besides his gratuitous insults to Gov. Palin, he reveals his ignorance of Alaska, Russia, the Constitution, and the “Bush Doctrine” – no wonder we have so many problems in this country with ignorant people like this. I won’t waste my time trying to correct #17′s errors – it’s truly sad that we have people like this who are so stupid that they know neither history or factual information and then they pretend like they have something to say and all they have is bile.