Israel and The Golan Heights

Please see my new article in The Times of Israel called, “A Great Day On The Golan Heights.”

Between 1948 and 1967, the Golan was used by Syria to indiscriminately shell and harass Israeli villages in the Galilee, including in April 1967 at which time Israel shot down six Syrian MIG fighter planes as a warning to Syria. Finally, after twenty years of these continuing attacks by Syria on Israel from the Golan, did Syria finally lose the Golan to Israel in the ensuing 1967 War. Contrary to those who say that recognizing Israel’s control of the Golan endorses the forceful taking of land from other countries, the monumental shift in American policy on Purim this week actually provides critical deterrence against war by recognizing the potential consequences to those like Syria that unjustly wage war and lose.

Thank you to President Trump for setting the record straight with respect to Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights and for supporting Israel’s right to peace and security.  

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Video Of Video

We went to the art galleries in Rockville Town Center today. 

They had this video called “Neighbor” by Kanat Akar. 

It’s about the life of a 13-year old refugee boy from Alleppo, Syria who migrated to Anakara, Turkey. 

The video is eerie and hypnotic as it walks you through the eyes of this little boy and the misery of his life. 

While to me it represents the dark side of life, there is so much to be explored and felt from it. 

You can’t watch this without feeling like you are there on this dirty, squalor of a road to nowhere, but wanting desperately to know where it ends.  😉

(Source Video: Andy Blumenthal)

Iran Had Better Look To The Haggadah

On Passover, we recite the Haggadah to remember how G-d redeemed us from being slaves in Egypt. 

At the Seder, many also recite the Hatikvah–the Israeli National Anthem–to remember that our suffering and redemption didn’t end almost 3,500 years ago in the Exodus from Egypt, but has continued to this very day post Holocaust with the establishment of the modern-day State of Israel. 

One thing that I will tell you is that if Slavery in Egypt and all the anti-Semitism, Inquisitions, Pogroms, Expulsions, and the Holocaust taught us anything is that:

– One, our faith in G-d Almighty and his love and promised redemption for us will never cease, and 

– Two, that we will never, ever, go like sheep to the slaughter again.

Already in 1981 and 2007, with the help of Hashem, Israel rid the world of the scourge of nuclear weapons of destruction from the hands of tyrannical Middle Eastern dictatorships in both Iraq and Syria. 

And I would venture to say that neither of these enemies were as completely hateful, ruthless, and vowed to Israel’s destruction as Iran is today. 

In the Haggadah we recall the eternal fight of good over evil:

“For not only one enemy has tried to destroy us, but in every generation, nations have tried to destroy us, but the Holy One, blessed be He, always saves us from their hands.”

As sure as we celebrate Passover today, I am confident that G-d will once again make a tremendous miracle and save us from the hands of the maniacal mullahs in Iran who pose an existential threat to the Israelites today. 

Israel’s Operation Babylon and Operation Orchard in Iraq and Syria were successful actions in and of themselves, but they were also practice runs for what is yet to come to the spinning centrifuges in Axis of Evil, Iran. 

G-d’s promise to Abraham to bless the Israelites and give them the Holy Land–whether by the ten plagues in Egypt or the Allied victory over Adolf Hitler–redemption will soon be coming again delivered compliments of the heroic Israeli Defense Forces.  😉

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Assad’s Time Is Up

One year ago in April, the U.S. unleashed 59 cruise missiles on an air base in Syria that was involved in chemical attacks on civilians.

That was a warning message.

Today, the attacks against civilians, including the use of chemical weapons, continues in Syria unabated. 

There are now over 500,000 killed in Syria. 

That includes over 14,000 children killed by snipers, machine guns, grenades, IEDs, barrel bombs, gas attacks, and even torture and execution. 

In 2016, almost 1,500 were killed in one chemical attack alone by the Assad regime.  

Two weeks ago, Syria’s sponsor, Russia is accused of using the most deadly of chemical nerve agents to poison a former spy and his daughter in the UK. 

It is high time for the U.S. to intervene and send a very definite message against the use of chemical weapons and indiscriminate killing and to take out Assad. 

Assad is a ruthless dictator with the blood of innocents on his hands and his continued use of WMD flies in the face of civilized society and sets a tone where this or worse can and will be used in the future. 

The U.S. needs to reset the bar on the use of these dangerous weapons by sending a clear message that those who use it indiscriminately will pay the ultimate price. 

We already provided a warning message in April last year. 

The Assad regime, Russia, axis of evil Iran, and Hezbollah terrorists all need to get the message from us loud and clear that red lines will not be crossed without paying a very serious price–and that all their efforts at expanding their malevolent reach across that region have been for naught. 

Assad is the ultimate April Fool if he thinks that a cruise missile isn’t going to land on his head this time around and it will be very well-deserved indeed. 

For all the civilians and children, and for all the future generations–the time is up. 😉

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Drones Vs. Man

I took this photo of this man and drone in Florida. 

Look how close this machine is flying to his head!

Aside from the surveillance capabilities and offsetting privacy issues, these are bringing some dangerous fighting capabilities anywhere and everywhere.

Just today, I read about how the U.S. shot down an armed Syrian drone–presumably made and deployed by Iran!

I guess it’s not proprietary technology anymore!

As drones and robots become better, faster, and cheaper and ubiquitous on the battlefield and on main street, who will be (relatively) safe anymore? 

Unless of course, my drones are stronger than your drones!

It’s going to be a war of technology and machines more than ever before. 

Small ones like insects, swarms of them like engulfing locust, and large ones like Godzilla. 

What was once human flesh against a steel blade, arrow, and then bullet is now going to be an superfast artificially intelligent, armed to the hilt “man of steel” (and they don’t miss) against just regular everyday people.

Don’t hurt your hand punching that Robot in the face. 😉

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

You Can Take The Man From Washington

Wow, it just seems like there is no getting away from Washington, D.C. politics!

Even here in beautiful Florida, I ran into this caricature of former President Obama in some street art downtown.  

Man, isn’t it enough that he empowered the Axis of Evil Iran and North Korea; left Syria and Ukraine to rot in bloody civil war and to kneel beneath the will of the Russians; ignored the Sino military buildout in the South China Sea, was lax on radical Islamists, ISIS, and global terrorism; abandoned America’s allies Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the gulf nations; and let’s not forget that he literally doubled our national debt to $20 trillion!

What was once an admirable Democratic party is still reeling today from the embrace of leadership from behind, disengagement, weakness, and blatant anti-Semitism. 

Like Forrest Gump says, life is not a bowl of cherries or box of chocolates, especially when failed leaders do the wrong things and hurt the country and their party. 😉

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Rivers Of Blood

So after years of brutal war in Syria and use of chemical weapons of mass destruction…

Obama and Kerry did nothing!

And the result has literally been rivers of blood in Syria. 

Obama and Kerry could have fired the warning shots–as President Trump just did 79 days into his new administration–but Obama and Kerry choose weakness and inaction.

The result of the Obama administration’s inaction is that Russia has now comfortably moved and settled into Syria and that 500,000 Syrians are dead, 13.5 million require humanitarian assistance, 6 million are internally displaced, and 4.8 million refugees have fled across the borders.

Contrary to all who have accused President Trump of being complicit with Russia, instead we now see in him a leader who in fact stands up for what is right to Russia and despots like Syria’s Assad.

Perhaps the real person complicit with the Russians and Iranians was Obama who let them ride roughshod over human rights and over America.

In complicity was not President Trump, but Obama secretly whispering to the Russians and caught on an open mic: “After the election, I will have more flexibility”–to do what Americans obviously wouldn’t want me to do.

With regards to Syria’s chemical weapons, Kerry falsely stated to the American people:

“We got 100% of chemical weapons out of Syria.“

However, the slaughter continued for years and we continue to see chemical weapons used again this week with horrific pictures of men, women, and children brutally murdered in the streets of Syria.

But the weakness, disengagement, and leadership from behind from Obama and Kerry is hopefully behind us now. 

Stay tuned…next up is the phony deal that Obama and Kerry made with “Axis of Evil” Iran and the do-nothing with North Korea that has continued to lead them to a nuclear ICBM that can reach America!

So as we will soon start the holidays of Passover and Easter, we know that only G-d can make rivers of white water or of red blood flow mercifully or justly, but Obama and Kerry are the ones complicit in the slaughter of hundreds of thousands in Syria that they could’ve stopped, but didn’t. 

Time For The Cruise Missiles

It is high time to stop being bystanders while our military is forced to stand mostly idle in the face of the heinous crimes against humanity occurring in Syria over the last 6 years and half a million dead! 

Today, at least 70 people, including 10 children were killed in a chemical weapons attack on Syrian civilians.

In 2013, Syria killed at least 1,500 in what was the unbelievable fiasco of Obama’s disappearing red line on the use of such weapons of mass destruction. 

Unfortunately, we can ill afford to tolerate the irresponsible use of these dangerous weapons–chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear.

President Trump needs to show strength where Obama showed only weakness. 

It is high time to light up the cruise missiles into the heart of Damascus–goodbye Presidential Palace and then some. 

Aside from redrawing the solid red line against WMD and punish the Assad regime’s criminal activity, we will also put Iran and North Korea on notice not to underestimate or mess with us. 

We must act, before the nuclear ICBMs and suitcases rain into American cities. 

Now is the time to correct the mistakes of the past and reset our national security for the future by restoring the peace through strength. 😉

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Make Up Your Mind

It all started with the Staples “Easy” button that says robotically when pressed, “That was easy!” 

Then came the “B.S.” button that yells out, “That was bullsh*t!”

Now we have the decision and indecisional buttons for “Sorry,” “Yes,” “Maybe,” and “No.”

Very much like organizational decision-making and politics where either we can’t make up our minds, hedge our bets because we simply don’t know, or make decisions on imperfect knowledge or with plenty of biases.

It’s funny-sad how instead of decisions and progress, some people lie and pretend that what they are saying has any reality or basis to it despite proof to the compelte opposite. 

For example, over and over again, we hear some politicians say there is no military solution in Syria, yet Russia has proved that completely false turning the tides of the war in Assad’s favor and driving back the U.S.-backed rebels and recapturing dozens of towns and cities.

You can probably think of plenty more examples as this is the germy spin that we all must swim and navigate in. 

If only, we could just press a “truth” button to get past all the garbage thrown at us then maybe we could get down to business and really get something done. 😉

(Source Photo: Dannielle Blumenthal)

Rose-Colored Glasses Make Everything…More Rosey

 

Yesterday, Iran detains 2 U.S. naval vessels…

And 10 of our brave military men and wome (from the world’s superpower) are literally on their knees held captive and broadcast for all the world to see.

Yet the truly unbeleivable response is “We don’t see this as hostile intent.”

 

However, Iran’s most unfriendly overtures to the U.S. also include:

– Taking 60+ Americans taken hostage for 444 long days. 

– Bombing Marine barracks, through Hezbollah proxy, killing 241 American servicemen and women in Beirut. 

– Shooting live missiles within just 1,500 yards of  our aircraft carriers

– Blowing up a replica of a U.S. warship

– Testing multiple ballistic missiles capable of carrying nukes

– Continuing to hold 4 Americans hostage

– Threatening genocide against the Holy Land

– Regularly chanting “Death to America” and burning our flag

What do we do?

A deal to release $100+ billion dollar to the world’s #1 sponsor of terrorism and remove sanctions.

Funny thing is we’ve seen this story before…

– ISIS attacking and threatening American cities with a new 9/11 attack and seeking to build a dangerous Caliphate

– North Korea testing an H-bomb and ballistic missiles with nukes to hit the U.S.  

– Russia annexing Crimea and settling into Syria to bolster Assad

 

– Syria continuing to use chemical weapons, laying seige and starving tens of thousands of their own people, and killing, wounding, and displacing millions to be absorbed by the West. 

But we open our hearts and borders and seek to take in more refugees with a questionabe vetting process, not even use the term “radical Islamist,” and to whiteout any red lines that we’ve drawn to protect our national security. 

Surely, our sworn enemies of the Axis of Evil don’t want to hurt us…perhaps, kill and destroy are more accurate terms. 😉

(Source Photo: here with attribution to Jim Simonson)