Re: The French Whitewash of Muslim on Jew Violence

Does your ass get jealous of the sperm your mouth spews?

On Mar 26, 1:02 pm, Bear Bear <thatbear...@gmail.com> wrote:
> PlainOl'
>
> Does you ass get jealous of the shit you mouth spews?
>
> On 26 March 2012 12:18, plainolamerican <plainolameri...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> > intentionally or just through sloppiness?
> > ---
> > it doesn't matter
>
> > the fact is, zionist xians and jews are out to kill as many muzzies as
> > possible.
>
> > fund and fight your own wars without US tax dollars and military
> > support
>
> > On Mar 26, 10:27 am, "drob...@comcast.net"<drob...@comcast.net> wrote:
> >> Did you leave off the conditional clause "in an attempt to kill the maximum number possible" intentionally or just through sloppiness?
>
> >> Connected by DROID on Verizon Wireless
>
> >> -----Original message-----
> >> From: plainolamerican <plainolameri...@gmail.com>
> >> To: PoliticalForum <politicalforum@googlegroups.com>
> >> Sent: Mon, Mar 26, 2012 14:21:04 GMT+00:00
> >> Subject: Re: The French Whitewash of Muslim on Jew Violence
>
> >> I am unaware of a single incident in Europe or
> >> North America when a non-Muslim attacked Muslims with guns
> >> ---
> >> HOUSTON -- A Muslim man who was shot in a hate crime following the
> >> 9/11 terrorist attacks is calling for forgiveness for his attacker.
>
> >> September 11th was a day that would forever change the nation's psyche
> >> and it set events in motion that, 10 days later, would forever change
> >> Rais Bhuiyan's life.
>
> >> Bhuiyan calls September 11th his second birthday.
>
> >> "I got my life back," he said.
>
> >> Bhuiyan was one of the first hate crime victims in the wake of 9/11.
> >> He was shot in the face while working at a Dallas convenience store.
>
> >> "He asked me 'Where are you from?' and I said, 'Excuse me?'  As soon
> >> as I spoke, I felt the sensation of a million bees stinging my face
> >> and I heard an explosion," he said.
>
> >> He was white supremacist Mark Stroman, who is set to be executed next
> >> month for killing two other men in similar incidents.
>
> >> Now in a stunning and some would say inspirational turn of events,
> >> Bhuiyan, who lost vision in his right eye because of the attack, has
> >> grown to see things in a different light.
>
> >> "I forgave Mark Stroman man years ago.  In fact I never hated him.  I
> >> never hated America for what happened to me either," he said.
>
> >> He, as well as others in the Muslim community and beyond are now
> >> pushing to have Stroman's death sentence communed to life without
> >> parole.
>
> >> "Islam calls us to forgiveness and compassion," said Mustaffa Carroll,
> >> with CAIR Texas.
>
> >> Bhuiyan said the bigger message here is this is all about passion,
> >> forgiveness and healing.
>
> >> As the tenth anniversary of 9/11 approaches, he said it's a wake-up
> >> call for the conscience of a nation.
>
> >> On Mar 26, 5:45 am, Bruce Majors <majors.br...@gmail.com> wrote:
> >> > --------
>
> >> > The French Whitewash of Muslim on Jew Violence
>
> >> > Mar 24, 2012
>
> >> > By Barry Rubin
>
> >> > The murders in Toulouse should be a wake-up call for France. True, the
> >> > assaults on Jews and French soldiers were three individual terror attacks
> >> > perpetrated. Yet they are among dozens of antisemitic incidents that happen
> >> > daily in France and throughout Europe. A big story like the Toulouse attack
> >> > can draw attention to a broader, dangerous social trend.
>
> >> > Or it can be treated as an isolated incident. Nothing to see here; move
> >> > along; go back to sleep. Al-Qaida terrorists don't pull up in front of
> >> > Jewish schools to murder teachers and students every day, right?
>
> >> > In the past, the mass media could be expected to present a debate on how to
> >> > interpret this event but now all too often they give a monopoly to the
> >> > whitewashers and the apologists.
>
> >> > Phase one is to present any terrorist as a right-wing, neo-Nazi, or
> >> > opponent of left-wing policies. If the terrorist is a Muslim, however, his
> >> > own explanations—citing dominant interpretations of Islam and the goal of
> >> > furthering an Islamist revolution—are ignored. Instead, he or they are
> >> > presented as confused, psychologically disturbed individuals; victims of
> >> > discrimination; or, in short, anything other than ideologically motivated
> >> > revolutionaries.
>
> >> > Perhaps the leading "professional" apologist for France in this context is
> >> > Justin Vaisse. In an article in Foreign Policy, The "New Normal" in
> >> > France?, he claims that Mohamed Merah, the Toulouse terrorist, is sort of a
> >> > sad sack character who is merely seeking to take his fate into his own
> >> > hands and to emerge as the defender of oppressed Muslims in France. In
> >> > other words, he's sort of a combination of self-help fanatic and
> >> > crime-fighting superhero.
>
> >> > As for France itself, antisemitism is supposedly declining. There's no
> >> > problem and few major attacks on Jews. Everything is just fine. No need to
> >> > make changes; no need to demand that Muslims teach tolerance and fight
> >> > against extremists in their own ranks; no need to provide more protection
> >> > for Jewish institutions. And no need for a real soul-searching about the
> >> > constant demonization of Israel in the French media and, at times, schools.
>
> >> > Is this disgusting? Yes and it's also dangerous. The subhead on the article
> >> > tells us the Toulouse attack is merely "a banal and fading version of
> >> > extremism."To a Jewish ear, the word "banal" recalls the famous Hannah
> >> > Arendt line about the "banality of evil" in the Holocaust, while the word
> >> > "fading" means the problem is going away.
>
> >> > It so happens that I have met Monsieur Vaisse and discussed these issues
> >> > with him. At that time he was an advisor on Islam in the French government.
> >> > Vaisse had just written a book saying that there was no real political
> >> > problem regarding Muslims in France. The book was quickly translated into
> >> > English and published by a prestigious Washington research center.
>
> >> > According to Vaisse, the entire difficulty lay with economic and social
> >> > issues. The problem was that Muslims were poor and badly treated. If this
> >> > were fixed then there would be no radicalism, Islamism, or terrorism.
>
> >> > I asked him: Accepting your premise for the moment, why should we possibly
> >> > believe that France can solve the economic and social problems involved?
> >> > There aren't good jobs; there is no prospect of better housing and higher
> >> > living standards. Government regulations discourage entrepreneurship. So in
> >> > the context of your worldview, isn't the prospect for more radicalization
> >> > and violence?
>
> >> > He simply gave no serious answer. And this, I should add, was before the
> >> > current international economic crash and the Paris riots.
>
> >> > But there's more. A colleague asked Vaisse what sources he used in
> >> > composing his study. Only French-language sources, he replied. My
> >> > astonished colleague said that nothing could be understood without looking
> >> > also at the Arabic material that French Muslims were writing and reading.
> >> > In fact, this person added, there was an Arabic-language bookstore within
> >> > five minutes' walk of Vaisse's office and we could go there right now and
> >> > see the radical, antisemitic child-raising manuals being sold there. These
> >> > books, my colleague added, weren't just sitting on the shelves they were
> >> > being bought and used.
>
> >> > Vaisse showed zero interest in this point.
>
> >> > For Vaisse, revolutionary Islamism is simply not a factor of any
> >> > importance. While he correctly points out that many French Muslim activists
> >> > aren't personally pious in their behavior (drinking alcohol, for example),
> >> > this is besides the point. Islamism becomes a form of ethnic nationalism
> >> > for them, justifying anti-Jewish and general anti-French actions.
>
> >> > In addition, this is no transient "second-generation" phenomenon. For over
> >> > time, the radicalism is passed on to the third generation through Islamic
> >> > schools, mosques, and indoctrination at home. In effect, France and other
> >> > countries are turning themselves into permanently unstable bi-national
> >> > states.
>
> >> > Incidentally, in the Netherlands—in contrast to France—Jewish groups
> >> > successfully protested the sale of these child-raising manuals telling
> >> > parents to teach their kids that Jews were evil and should be extirpated.
> >> > The Dutch government responded by ordering little strips of white paper be
> >> > glued over the offending passages. My host then showed me, with a flick of
> >> > his finger, how easily these paste-overs could be removed and the sections
> >> > calling for the killing of Jews be read.
>
> >> > Now consider this point. I am unaware of a single incident in Europe or
> >> > North America when a non-Muslim attacked Muslims with guns or bombs in an
> >> > attempt to kill the maximum number possible. Probably, you could find a
> >> > couple of such cases but it won't be easy and they won't be many. It is the
> >> > Jews who are being targeted as a group by many levels of violence and
> >> > intimidation. This is a secret to nobody except Western governments,
> >> > "experts," and much of the mass media.
>
> >> > I have listened in France to discussions among Jews over what parts of
> >> > their cities were still safe to live in and which were too dangerous. The
> >> > key factor is whether you are wealthy enough to move away from the threats.
> >> > I've heard Jewish parents discussing their kids' traumatic experiences in
> >> > the public schools.
>
> >> > French Jews are either leaving France or at least buying homes in Israel.
> >> > Aside from reports in mostly Jewish media, I know about this because I hear
> >> > more French being spoken in Tel Aviv streets. My real estate agent friend
> >> > has a growing number of French clients, some of whom leave their families
> >> > in Israel and commute to work in France. These people know what's actually
> >> > going on in France and other countries.
>
> >> > Der
>
> ...
>
> read more »

--
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Re: The French Whitewash of Muslim on Jew Violence

pulling a portion of a sentence, omitting a clause of substantive
import, and then using an example to rebut the author, materially
weakens your point.
---
opinion noted

On Mar 26, 2:25 pm, "drob...@comcast.net"<drob...@comcast.net> wrote:
> Regardless of your motivation, I was simply pointing out that pulling a portion of a sentence, omitting a clause of substantive import, and then using an example to rebut the author, materially weakens your point.  Propaganda might work on the great unwashed masses, but if you are to be taken seriously you need to maintain some discipline and intellectual honesty.
>
> Connected by DROID on Verizon Wireless
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> -----Original message-----
> From: plainolamerican <plainolameri...@gmail.com>
> To: PoliticalForum <politicalforum@googlegroups.com>
> Sent: Mon, Mar 26, 2012 18:05:12 GMT+00:00
> Subject: Re: The French Whitewash of Muslim on Jew Violence
>
>  If you cannot figure out why out matters
> ---
> do you really expect all men to fight the same way? if so, then you're
> sitting duck.
> different wars require different tactics
>
> this is a war waged by zionists against muzzies ... I'll have nothing
> to do with it other than tell everyone, especially our government,
> that it's not in the best interests of the USA and that we shouldn't
> let zionists in America jeopardize our strength for an old myth
>
> On Mar 26, 12:11 pm, "drob...@comcast.net"<drob...@comcast.net> wrote:
> > It doesn't matter?  If you cannot figure out why out matters your lips are just flapping in the breeze.  Poor critical thinking skills will expose a worthless opinion every time.
>
> > Connected by DROID on Verizon Wireless
>
> > -----Original message-----
> > From: plainolamerican <plainolameri...@gmail.com>
> > To: PoliticalForum <politicalforum@googlegroups.com>
> > Sent: Mon, Mar 26, 2012 16:18:51 GMT+00:00
> > Subject: Re: The French Whitewash of Muslim on Jew Violence
>
> > intentionally or just through sloppiness?
> > ---
> > it doesn't matter
>
> > the fact is, zionist xians and jews are out to kill as many muzzies as
> > possible.
>
> > fund and fight your own wars without US tax dollars and military
> > support
>
> > On Mar 26, 10:27 am, "drob...@comcast.net"<drob...@comcast.net> wrote:
> > > Did you leave off the conditional clause "in an attempt to kill the maximum number possible" intentionally or just through sloppiness?
>
> > > Connected by DROID on Verizon Wireless
>
> > > -----Original message-----
> > > From: plainolamerican <plainolameri...@gmail.com>
> > > To: PoliticalForum <politicalforum@googlegroups.com>
> > > Sent: Mon, Mar 26, 2012 14:21:04 GMT+00:00
> > > Subject: Re: The French Whitewash of Muslim on Jew Violence
>
> > > I am unaware of a single incident in Europe or
> > > North America when a non-Muslim attacked Muslims with guns
> > > ---
> > > HOUSTON -- A Muslim man who was shot in a hate crime following the
> > > 9/11 terrorist attacks is calling for forgiveness for his attacker.
>
> > > September 11th was a day that would forever change the nation's psyche
> > > and it set events in motion that, 10 days later, would forever change
> > > Rais Bhuiyan's life.
>
> > > Bhuiyan calls September 11th his second birthday.
>
> > > "I got my life back," he said.
>
> > > Bhuiyan was one of the first hate crime victims in the wake of 9/11.
> > > He was shot in the face while working at a Dallas convenience store.
>
> > > "He asked me 'Where are you from?' and I said, 'Excuse me?'  As soon
> > > as I spoke, I felt the sensation of a million bees stinging my face
> > > and I heard an explosion," he said.
>
> > > He was white supremacist Mark Stroman, who is set to be executed next
> > > month for killing two other men in similar incidents.
>
> > > Now in a stunning and some would say inspirational turn of events,
> > > Bhuiyan, who lost vision in his right eye because of the attack, has
> > > grown to see things in a different light.
>
> > > "I forgave Mark Stroman man years ago.  In fact I never hated him.  I
> > > never hated America for what happened to me either," he said.
>
> > > He, as well as others in the Muslim community and beyond are now
> > > pushing to have Stroman's death sentence communed to life without
> > > parole.
>
> > > "Islam calls us to forgiveness and compassion," said Mustaffa Carroll,
> > > with CAIR Texas.
>
> > > Bhuiyan said the bigger message here is this is all about passion,
> > > forgiveness and healing.
>
> > > As the tenth anniversary of 9/11 approaches, he said it's a wake-up
> > > call for the conscience of a nation.
>
> > > On Mar 26, 5:45 am, Bruce Majors <majors.br...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > > > --------
>
> > > > The French Whitewash of Muslim on Jew Violence
>
> > > > Mar 24, 2012
>
> > > > By Barry Rubin
>
> > > > The murders in Toulouse should be a wake-up call for France. True, the
> > > > assaults on Jews and French soldiers were three individual terror attacks
> > > > perpetrated. Yet they are among dozens of antisemitic incidents that happen
> > > > daily in France and throughout Europe. A big story like the Toulouse attack
> > > > can draw attention to a broader, dangerous social trend.
>
> > > > Or it can be treated as an isolated incident. Nothing to see here; move
> > > > along; go back to sleep. Al-Qaida terrorists don't pull up in front of
> > > > Jewish schools to murder teachers and students every day, right?
>
> > > > In the past, the mass media could be expected to present a debate on how to
> > > > interpret this event but now all too often they give a monopoly to the
> > > > whitewashers and the apologists.
>
> > > > Phase one is to present any terrorist as a right-wing, neo-Nazi, or
> > > > opponent of left-wing policies. If the terrorist is a Muslim, however, his
> > > > own explanations—citing dominant interpretations of Islam and the goal of
> > > > furthering an Islamist revolution—are ignored. Instead, he or they are
> > > > presented as confused, psychologically disturbed individuals; victims of
> > > > discrimination; or, in short, anything other than ideologically motivated
> > > > revolutionaries.
>
> > > > Perhaps the leading "professional" apologist for France in this context is
> > > > Justin Vaisse. In an article in Foreign Policy, The "New Normal" in
> > > > France?, he claims that Mohamed Merah, the Toulouse terrorist, is sort of a
> > > > sad sack character who is merely seeking to take his fate into his own
> > > > hands and to emerge as the defender of oppressed Muslims in France. In
> > > > other words, he's sort of a combination of self-help fanatic and
> > > > crime-fighting superhero.
>
> > > > As for France itself, antisemitism is supposedly declining. There's no
> > > > problem and few major attacks on Jews. Everything is just fine. No need to
> > > > make changes; no need to demand that Muslims teach tolerance and fight
> > > > against extremists in their own ranks; no need to provide more protection
> > > > for Jewish institutions. And no need for a real soul-searching about the
> > > > constant demonization of Israel in the French media and, at times, schools.
>
> > > > Is this disgusting? Yes and it's also dangerous. The subhead on the article
> > > > tells us the Toulouse attack is merely "a banal and fading version of
> > > > extremism."To a Jewish ear, the word "banal" recalls the famous Hannah
> > > > Arendt line about the "banality of evil" in the Holocaust, while the word
> > > > "fading" means the problem is going away.
>
> > > > It so happens that I have met Monsieur Vaisse and discussed these issues
> > > > with him. At that time he was an advisor on Islam in the French government.
> > > > Vaisse had just written a book saying that there was no real political
> > > > problem regarding Muslims in France. The book was quickly translated into
> > > > English and published by a prestigious Washington research center.
>
> > > > According to Vaisse, the entire difficulty lay with economic and social
> > > > issues. The problem was that Muslims were poor and badly treated. If this
> > > > were fixed then there would be no radicalism, Islamism, or terrorism.
>
> > > > I asked him: Accepting your premise for the moment, why should we possibly
> > > > believe that France can solve the economic and social problems involved?
> > > > There aren't good jobs; there is no prospect of better housing and higher
> > > > living standards. Government regulations discourage entrepreneurship. So in
> > > > the context of your worldview, isn't the prospect for more radicalization
> > > > and violence?
>
> > > > He simply gave no serious answer. And this, I should add, was before the
> > > > current international economic crash and the Paris riots.
>
> > > > But there's more. A colleague asked Vaisse what sources he used in
> > > > composing his study. Only French-language sources, he replied. My
> > > > astonished colleague said that nothing could be understood without looking
> > > > also at the Arabic material that French Muslims were writing and reading.
> > > > In fact, this person added, there was an Arabic-language bookstore within
> > > > five minutes' walk of Vaisse's office and we could go there right now and
> > > > see the radical, antisemitic child-raising manuals being sold there. These
> > > > books, my colleague added, weren't just sitting on the shelves they were
> > > > being bought and used.
>
> > > > Vaisse showed zero interest in this point.
>
> > > > For Vaisse, revolutionary Islamism is simply not a factor of any
> > > > importance. While he correctly points out that many French Muslim activists
> > > > aren't personally pious in their behavior (drinking alcohol, for example),
> > > > this is besides the point. Islamism becomes a form of ethnic nationalism
> > > > for them, justifying anti-Jewish and general anti-French actions.
>
> > > > In addition, this is no transient "second-generation" phenomenon. For over
> > > > time, the radicalism is passed on to the third generation through Islamic
> > > > schools, mosques, and indoctrination at home. In effect, France and other
> > > > countries are turning themselves into permanently unstable bi-national
> > > > states.
>
> > > > Incidentally, in the Netherlands—in contrast to France—Jewish groups
> > > > successfully protested the sale of these child-raising manuals telling
> > > > parents to teach their kids that Jews were evil and should be extirpated.
> > > > The Dutch government responded by ordering
>
> ...
>
> read more »

--
Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups.
For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum

* Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/
* It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls.
* Read the latest breaking news, and more.

Re: The French Whitewash of Muslim on Jew Violence

Regardless of your motivation, I was simply pointing out that pulling a portion of a sentence, omitting a clause of substantive import, and then using an example to rebut the author, materially weakens your point.  Propaganda might work on the great unwashed masses, but if you are to be taken seriously you need to maintain some discipline and intellectual honesty.

Connected by DROID on Verizon Wireless

-----Original message-----

From: plainolamerican <plainolamerican@gmail.com>
To: PoliticalForum <politicalforum@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Mon, Mar 26, 2012 18:05:12 GMT+00:00
Subject: Re: The French Whitewash of Muslim on Jew Violence

If you cannot figure out why out matters
---
do you really expect all men to fight the same way? if so, then you're
sitting duck.
different wars require different tactics

this is a war waged by zionists against muzzies ... I'll have nothing
to do with it other than tell everyone, especially our government,
that it's not in the best interests of the USA and that we shouldn't
let zionists in America jeopardize our strength for an old myth

On Mar 26, 12:11 pm, "drob...@comcast.net" wrote:
> It doesn't matter?  If you cannot figure out why out matters your lips are just flapping in the breeze.  Poor critical thinking skills will expose a worthless opinion every time.
>
> Connected by DROID on Verizon Wireless
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> -----Original message-----
> From: plainolamerican
> To: PoliticalForum
> Sent: Mon, Mar 26, 2012 16:18:51 GMT+00:00
> Subject: Re: The French Whitewash of Muslim on Jew Violence
>
> intentionally or just through sloppiness?
> ---
> it doesn't matter
>
> the fact is, zionist xians and jews are out to kill as many muzzies as
> possible.
>
> fund and fight your own wars without US tax dollars and military
> support
>
> On Mar 26, 10:27 am, "drob...@comcast.net" wrote:
> > Did you leave off the conditional clause "in an attempt to kill the maximum number possible" intentionally or just through sloppiness?
>
> > Connected by DROID on Verizon Wireless
>
> > -----Original message-----
> > From: plainolamerican
> > To: PoliticalForum
> > Sent: Mon, Mar 26, 2012 14:21:04 GMT+00:00
> > Subject: Re: The French Whitewash of Muslim on Jew Violence
>
> > I am unaware of a single incident in Europe or
> > North America when a non-Muslim attacked Muslims with guns
> > ---
> > HOUSTON -- A Muslim man who was shot in a hate crime following the
> > 9/11 terrorist attacks is calling for forgiveness for his attacker.
>
> > September 11th was a day that would forever change the nation's psyche
> > and it set events in motion that, 10 days later, would forever change
> > Rais Bhuiyan's life.
>
> > Bhuiyan calls September 11th his second birthday.
>
> > "I got my life back," he said.
>
> > Bhuiyan was one of the first hate crime victims in the wake of 9/11.
> > He was shot in the face while working at a Dallas convenience store.
>
> > "He asked me 'Where are you from?' and I said, 'Excuse me?'  As soon
> > as I spoke, I felt the sensation of a million bees stinging my face
> > and I heard an explosion," he said.
>
> > He was white supremacist Mark Stroman, who is set to be executed next
> > month for killing two other men in similar incidents.
>
> > Now in a stunning and some would say inspirational turn of events,
> > Bhuiyan, who lost vision in his right eye because of the attack, has
> > grown to see things in a different light.
>
> > "I forgave Mark Stroman man years ago.  In fact I never hated him.  I
> > never hated America for what happened to me either," he said.
>
> > He, as well as others in the Muslim community and beyond are now
> > pushing to have Stroman's death sentence communed to life without
> > parole.
>
> > "Islam calls us to forgiveness and compassion," said Mustaffa Carroll,
> > with CAIR Texas.
>
> > Bhuiyan said the bigger message here is this is all about passion,
> > forgiveness and healing.
>
> > As the tenth anniversary of 9/11 approaches, he said it's a wake-up
> > call for the conscience of a nation.
>
> > On Mar 26, 5:45 am, Bruce Majors <majors.br...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > > --------
>
> > > The French Whitewash of Muslim on Jew Violence
>
> > > Mar 24, 2012
>
> > > By Barry Rubin
>
> > > The murders in Toulouse should be a wake-up call for France. True, the
> > > assaults on Jews and French soldiers were three individual terror attacks
> > > perpetrated. Yet they are among dozens of antisemitic incidents that happen
> > > daily in France and throughout Europe. A big story like the Toulouse attack
> > > can draw attention to a broader, dangerous social trend.
>
> > > Or it can be treated as an isolated incident. Nothing to see here; move
> > > along; go back to sleep. Al-Qaida terrorists don't pull up in front of
> > > Jewish schools to murder teachers and students every day, right?
>
> > > In the past, the mass media could be expected to present a debate on how to
> > > interpret this event but now all too often they give a monopoly to the
> > > whitewashers and the apologists.
>
> > > Phase one is to present any terrorist as a right-wing, neo-Nazi, or
> > > opponent of left-wing policies. If the terrorist is a Muslim, however, his
> > > own explanations—citing dominant interpretations of Islam and the goal of
> > > furthering an Islamist revolution—are ignored. Instead, he or they are
> > > presented as confused, psychologically disturbed individuals; victims of
> > > discrimination; or, in short, anything other than ideologically motivated
> > > revolutionaries.
>
> > > Perhaps the leading "professional" apologist for France in this context is
> > > Justin Vaisse. In an article in Foreign Policy, The "New Normal" in
> > > France?, he claims that Mohamed Merah, the Toulouse terrorist, is sort of a
> > > sad sack character who is merely seeking to take his fate into his own
> > > hands and to emerge as the defender of oppressed Muslims in France. In
> > > other words, he's sort of a combination of self-help fanatic and
> > > crime-fighting superhero.
>
> > > As for France itself, antisemitism is supposedly declining. There's no
> > > problem and few major attacks on Jews. Everything is just fine. No need to
> > > make changes; no need to demand that Muslims teach tolerance and fight
> > > against extremists in their own ranks; no need to provide more protection
> > > for Jewish institutions. And no need for a real soul-searching about the
> > > constant demonization of Israel in the French media and, at times, schools.
>
> > > Is this disgusting? Yes and it's also dangerous. The subhead on the article
> > > tells us the Toulouse attack is merely "a banal and fading version of
> > > extremism."To a Jewish ear, the word "banal" recalls the famous Hannah
> > > Arendt line about the "banality of evil" in the Holocaust, while the word
> > > "fading" means the problem is going away.
>
> > > It so happens that I have met Monsieur Vaisse and discussed these issues
> > > with him. At that time he was an advisor on Islam in the French government.
> > > Vaisse had just written a book saying that there was no real political
> > > problem regarding Muslims in France. The book was quickly translated into
> > > English and published by a prestigious Washington research center.
>
> > > According to Vaisse, the entire difficulty lay with economic and social
> > > issues. The problem was that Muslims were poor and badly treated. If this
> > > were fixed then there would be no radicalism, Islamism, or terrorism.
>
> > > I asked him: Accepting your premise for the moment, why should we possibly
> > > believe that France can solve the economic and social problems involved?
> > > There aren't good jobs; there is no prospect of better housing and higher
> > > living standards. Government regulations discourage entrepreneurship. So in
> > > the context of your worldview, isn't the prospect for more radicalization
> > > and violence?
>
> > > He simply gave no serious answer. And this, I should add, was before the
> > > current international economic crash and the Paris riots.
>
> > > But there's more. A colleague asked Vaisse what sources he used in
> > > composing his study. Only French-language sources, he replied. My
> > > astonished colleague said that nothing could be understood without looking
> > > also at the Arabic material that French Muslims were writing and reading.
> > > In fact, this person added, there was an Arabic-language bookstore within
> > > five minutes' walk of Vaisse's office and we could go there right now and
> > > see the radical, antisemitic child-raising manuals being sold there. These
> > > books, my colleague added, weren't just sitting on the shelves they were
> > > being bought and used.
>
> > > Vaisse showed zero interest in this point.
>
> > > For Vaisse, revolutionary Islamism is simply not a factor of any
> > > importance. While he correctly points out that many French Muslim activists
> > > aren't personally pious in their behavior (drinking alcohol, for example),
> > > this is besides the point. Islamism becomes a form of ethnic nationalism
> > > for them, justifying anti-Jewish and general anti-French actions.
>
> > > In addition, this is no transient "second-generation" phenomenon. For over
> > > time, the radicalism is passed on to the third generation through Islamic
> > > schools, mosques, and indoctrination at home. In effect, France and other
> > > countries are turning themselves into permanently unstable bi-national
> > > states.
>
> > > Incidentally, in the Netherlands—in contrast to France—Jewish groups
> > > successfully protested the sale of these child-raising manuals telling
> > > parents to teach their kids that Jews were evil and should be extirpated.
> > > The Dutch government responded by ordering little strips of white paper be
> > > glued over the offending passages. My host then showed me, with a flick of
> > > his finger, how easily these paste-overs could be removed and the sections
> > > calling for the killing of Jews be read.
>
> > > Now consider this point. I am unaware of a single incident in Europe or
> > > North America when a non-Muslim attacked Muslims with guns or bombs in an
> > > attempt to kill the maximum number possible. Probably, you could find a
> > > couple of such cases but it won't be easy and they won't be many. It is the
> > > Jews who are being targeted as a group by many levels of violence and
> > > intimidation. This is a secret to nobody except Western governments,
> > > "experts," and much of the mass media.
>
> > > I have listened in France to discussions among Jews over what parts of
> > > their cities were still safe to live in and which were too dangerous. The
> > > key factor is whether you are wealthy enough to move away from the threats.
> > > I've heard Jewish parents discussing their kids' traumatic experiences in
> > > the public schools.
>
> > > French Jews are either leaving France or at least buying homes in Israel.
> > > Aside from reports in mostly Jewish media, I know about this because I hear
> > > more French being spoken in Tel Aviv streets. My real estate agent friend
> > > has a growing number of French clients, some of whom leave their families
> > > in Israel and commute to work
>
> ...
>
> read more »

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Define Flop? Mitt Romney, ‘John Carter’ Are Exceeding Expectations

Define Flop? Mitt Romney, 'John Carter' Are Exceeding Expectations
Mar 16, 2012 2:39 PM EDT

Hollywood reporters say Disney's costly adventure is a flop, while
box-office results and moviegoers tell another story. Are media
outlets also missing the big picture on Romney?

When the media herd heaps premature ridicule on some presumed epic
failure, they'll seldom reconsider the available evidence and admit
that they've been wrong. Just ask John Carter—and Mitt Romney.

John Carter, an expensive Disney sci-fi spectacular released March 9,
provoked gleefully hostile comments from prominent press outlets that
seemed to celebrate the film's disastrous reception. A headline from
NBC New York asked, "Was 'John Carter' the Biggest Flop Ever?" while
Fox News proclaimed that "$250 million 'John Carter' Bombs at Box
Office." Entertainment reporters giddily compared the project to other
notorious disasters like Heaven's Gate—a bloated 1980 Western
immortalized in a 1984 bestseller I co-authored with my brother Harry
Medved called The Hollywood Hall of Shame: The Most Expensive Flops in
Movie History.

A New York Times report on John Carter's purportedly catastrophic
debut referenced another multimegaton bomb in its catchy headline:
"'Ishtar' Lands on Mars." The Journal of Record compared the new
Disney release about a Civil War veteran who flees Apaches and finds
himself magically transported to the Red Planet with the 1987
humiliation inflicted on Dustin Hoffman and Warren Beatty for their
wretched comedy about talentless rock musicians forced into a
high-risk adventure in North Africa. Reporter Brooks Barnes
acknowledged that John Carter "had suffered months of ridicule on the
Internet and had taken on a funereal aura" even before its Los Angeles
debut. Rich Ross, chairman of Disney Studios, told Variety: "I've
never had something healthy get treated like a corpse." As if to
confirm his pronouncement, The Detroit News ran a prerelease headline
proclaiming: "'John Carter' Set to Bomb Big."

Getty Images; Walt Disney Pictures

But how big did it really bomb?

Actually, the box-office returns in the U.S. and Canada looked
respectable if unspectacular, while the overseas grosses far exceeded
expectations. John Carter, which cost a reported $350 million to make
and market, earned $30.6 million in domestic ticket sales, with a
weekend per-screen average of more than $8,000, which earned second
place behind the smash-hit Dr. Seuss animated film The Lorax. In
Europe, Latin America, and Asia, the movie did much better—drawing an
impressive $70 million before even opening in China and Japan, two of
the world's biggest markets. Despite the ridicule from American media,
John Carter racked up the fourth-biggest Russian opening of all time.

The reputedly bland Romney seemed energized by the early-morning mobs,
leaping up on the stage to delight the overflow crowd, speaking with
passion and, dare I say it, crackling charisma.

Within five days of the film's release, dissenting voices began to
challenge the conventional wisdom that the film would lose major money
for the Disney Co. The Hollywood Reporter cited Tony Wible, a veteran
analyst for Janney Montgomery Scott, who projected that the most
likely write-down for the picture would be $53 million—far, far less
than Wall Street initially had feared—and even calculated a "best-case
scenario" in which the movie earned more than $50 million in profit.
Robert Levin in The Atlantic similarly insisted that "'John Carter'
Did Not Bomb," noting the boffo overseas business and the encouraging
B+ CinemaScore rating from filmgoers—suggesting that positive word of
mouth could sustain brisk business in the U.S. and Canada. In fact,
the Monday-through-Thursday take brought an additional $9 million in
North America, the sort of unexpectedly solid performance that
indicates that the film's second weekend take might not prove as
cataclysmic as giddy naysayers easily assumed.

Meanwhile, audiences and many critics seemed to enjoy the picture,
defying the prerelease assumptions of its awful quality. The Rotten
Tomatoes website showed a very slight majority of reviewers who
recommended the movie (96 positive reviews against 91 negative), while
civilian filmgoers delivered a good-but-not-great rating of 3.7 (of
5). A.O. Scott of The New York Times considered the movie "colorful
and kind of fun," while NPR liked its "utterly immersive and lifelike
characters." For the record, I also enjoyed the film and reviewed it
positively as a campy, energetic, go-for-broke hoot, irresistibly
unembarrassed by its own silliness.

Nevertheless, the conventional wisdom remains all but unshaken by
decent box-office performance and many favorable reviews, keeping
faith with the snickering narrative selected by most pundits before
they'd even seen the picture. Concerning John Carter and many other
heavily hyped but suspect projects, the most influential masters of
the media embrace the time-honored mantra: "That's our story, and
we're sticking to it."

The same questionable approach characterizes analysis of Mitt Romney's
campaign, where major media refuse to accept new evidence and
double-down on their initially dismissive reaction. Everyone who
follows politics knows the tired litany: the former Massachusetts
governor is too stiff, too plastic, too patrician, too inconsistent to
win the presidency. As a multimillionaire Mormon, he can't connect
with ordinary people and will never appeal to "born again" Christians.
He may win the GOP nomination by default, but he's inspired no real
enthusiasm from the party's rank and file and will lose in a landslide
to Obama.

For me, personal experience exploded those assumptions March 3, when I
introduced Romney to a wildly enthusiastic rally near my Seattle home
the day before the Washington state caucuses. More than 2,000 people
showed up at a community center in Bellevue on a damp, frosty Friday
morning at 8 a.m., lining up as much as two hours in advance,
overflowing the assigned room and then jamming into another hall to
listen to the proceedings through loudspeakers. The reputedly bland
Romney seemed energized by the early-morning mobs, leaping up on the
stage to delight the overflow crowd, speaking with passion and, dare I
say it, crackling charisma. The response proved deafening,
electrifying, exhausting—displaying the kind of intensity and emotion
I had last seen as a young volunteer in the Bobby Kennedy campaign of
1968 (no, I'm not kidding).

Of course, the press barely reported on this event—despite the
presence of camera crews from CNN and other major networks—because it
didn't fit their narrative of Romney as the pathetic, unloved Daddy
Warbucks trying to buy affection he couldn't earn any other way. The
media also largely ignored the next day's Washington state caucuses,
where turnout exceeded 2008's numbers fourfold (no, that's not an
exaggeration) and Romney crushed Santorum, 38 percent to 24 percent.

Similarly, the reporting on the primaries and caucuses of March 13
ignored all evidence of energy on Romney's behalf. In the Hawaii
caucuses, Mitt mauled Santorum 45 percent to 25 percent, with turnout
setting state records. Even in Alabama and Mississippi, where experts
initially declared that the Yankee governor stood no chance of
victory, he tied Gingrich (in Newt's home region) in percentage terms
in both states, while earning a near tie with both Santorum and
Gingrich among "born again" Christian voters in Mississippi, despite
presumed anti-Mormon prejudice. Meanwhile, after all the relentless
battering of the GOP frontrunner from both his intraparty rivals and
most of the media, he remains surprisingly competitive with President
Obama. According to the Real Clear Politics average of all the latest
trial-heat polls (as of Friday), Romney draws within 4 percentage
points of the incumbent—just outside the margin of error.

The media consensus discounts any evidence of Romney's progress for
the same reason it dismisses all indications of John Carter's success:
in both cases, it cost such huge piles of money to achieve even the
most dubious triumphs. It's instinctive for entertainment as well
political reporters to look askance at the most lavishly funded
competitors and to favor scrappy, low-budget upstarts.

But this inevitable bias shouldn't produce inaccurate scorecards or
shape unreliable predictions. John Carter, like the Mitt Romney
candidacy, may be clunky and clumsy and campy, requiring untold
millions to compete successfully. But both contenders, as imperfect as
they may be, stand a good chance of final victory.

More:
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/03/16/define-flop-mitt-romney-john-carter-are-exceeding-expectations.html

--
Together, we can change the world, one mind at a time.
Have a great day,
Tommy

--
Together, we can change the world, one mind at a time.
Have a great day,
Tommy

--
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Movies: John Carter: ‘Ishtar’ Lands on Mars

'Ishtar' Lands on Mars

Walt Disney Pictures
The science-fiction film "John Carter," starring Taylor Kitsch, cost
an estimated $350 million to make and market.

By BROOKS BARNES

LOS ANGELES — In 1987, shortly before the release of "Ishtar,"
Columbia Pictures realized the film was going to flop in catastrophic
fashion. But rather than cut advertising spending to minimize the
financial damage — as the studio's top marketer advised — Columbia did
the opposite, pouring even more money into ads.

Enlarge This Image

Matt Sayles/Associated Press
Andrew Stanton, the director of "John Carter."
The reason? The studio was desperate to stay on good terms with the
two stars of "Ishtar," Warren Beatty and Dustin Hoffman. "Ego trumps
logic in Hollywood," said Peter Sealey, who was Columbia's marketing
chief at the time.

Studios have repeatedly pledged in the 25 years since to modernize
their clubby business practices, but the more Hollywood promises
change, the deeper it seems to fall into its ruts — as evidenced by
"John Carter," a big-budget science fiction epic from Walt Disney
Studios that opened Friday and flopped over the weekend. Disney spent
lavishly (some say foolishly) on the movie in large part to appease
one of its most important creative talents: Andrew Stanton, the
Pixar-based director of "Finding Nemo" and "Wall-E."

"John Carter," which cost an estimated $350 million to make and
market, and was directed by Mr. Stanton, took in about $30.6 million
at the North American box office, according to Rentrak, which compiles
box-office data. That result is so poor that analysts estimate that
Disney will be forced to take a quarterly write-down of $100 million
to $165 million. The amount will depend on ticket sales overseas,
where "John Carter" took in about $71 million over the weekend, a
better total than Disney had feared.

Profitability for "John Carter" was always a steep climb. Because of
its enormous cost and the way ticket sales are split with theaters,
analysts say the film needs to take in more than $600 million globally
to break even. The only silver lining for Disney may be a dubious one:
last March the studio's "Mars Needs Moms" flopped so badly that it
also required a write-down, making year-on-year performance
comparisons less brutal.

In recent weeks, as a weak marketing campaign failed to generate
audience excitement for "John Carter," Robert A. Iger, Disney's chief
executive, made it clear in conversations with senior managers that he
would not tolerate finger-pointing; this may be a colossal miss, he
told them, according to people who were present, but it's the
company's miss and no individuals would be blamed — including Mr.
Stanton. Learn from it, was Mr. Iger's message.

On Sunday, Rich Ross, chairman of Walt Disney Studios, said in a
statement, "Moviemaking does not come without risk. It's still an
art, not a science, and there is no proven formula for success. Andrew
Stanton is an incredibly talented and successful filmmaker who with
his team put their hard work and vision into the making of 'John
Carter.' Unfortunately, it failed to connect with audiences as much as
we had all hoped."

Mr. Stanton declined to comment for this article.

It is true that no one mistake created "John Carter." Still,
interviews with current and former Disney executives paint a
relatively stark portrait of responsibility, starting with Mr. Stanton
and extending to studio managers — many of them inexperienced in their
jobs — who gave him creative carte blanche. Although Mr. Stanton was
promised independence, his contract did not give him what Hollywood
calls final cut, or complete control over the finished film.

Mr. Stanton received a green light to proceed on "John Carter" in 2009
by Richard W. Cook, then Disney's studio chairman. There were red
flags from the beginning.

Mr. Stanton had never directed a live-action movie before. He wanted
to cast no-name actors. And the screenplay, based on a story by Edgar
Rice Burroughs that was serialized in 1912 and later published in book
form as "A Princess of Mars," was a bewildering mash-up, starting
during the Civil War and moving to the Old West before leaping to a
planet called Barsoom (Mars), home to tusked, four-armed creatures
called Tharks.

But Mr. Stanton passionately lobbied to make the movie, and there was
a compelling argument to say yes, Disney officials said. His story
pitch was simple and gripping: "Indiana Jones on Mars." Big payoffs in
the movie business typically come from big gambles, and the thinking
among some at the studio was that this could be Disney's "Avatar."

Enlarge This Image

Pixar Animation Studios and Walt Disney Pictures
"Finding Nemo" is among Mr. Stanton's string of movie successes at Pixar.

Jason Merritt/Getty Images
Rich Ross, the chairman of Disney Studios, whose prior experience was
as a television executive.
Moreover, Mr. Stanton, whose writing credits include "Monsters, Inc."
and all three "Toy Story" movies, had a strong track record with
difficult material. People were skeptical about "Wall-E," about a
computer that does not talk, but Mr. Stanton turned it into a
blockbuster with more than $521 million in global ticket sales. There
were also prerelease doubts about "Finding Nemo," which took in $868
million. Both won Oscars.

Didn't he deserve the benefit of the doubt?

If Disney gave Mr. Stanton rope, he certainly ran with it. Accustomed
to reworking scenes over and over at Pixar, he did not take well to
the usual constraints of live-action — nailing it the first time — and
went back for at least two lengthy reshoots. "The thing I had to
explain to Disney was, 'You're asking a guy who's only known how to do
it this way to suddenly do it with one reshoot,' " he told The Los
Angeles Times. "I said, 'I'm not gonna get it right the first time.
I'll tell you that right now.' "

Mr. Stanton leaned heavily on his colleagues at Disney-owned Pixar for
guidance, paying less attention to input from people with experience
in live-action filmmaking, according to people who worked on the
movie.

To be fair, though, Disney managers did not have a wealth of
live-action experience on which to draw. Mr. Iger had fired Mr. Cook
(for reasons unrelated to "John Carter") and replaced him with Rich
Ross, a television executive. Mr. Ross, who arrived shortly before Mr.
Stanton began filming, had never overseen production of a big-budget
movie before. Mr. Ross hired lieutenants who were also inexperienced
in managing filmmakers, notably Sean Bailey as head of production and
MT Carney as marketing chief.

Supporters of Mr. Ross concede that he faced a steep learning curve,
but insist he had no choice but to let Mr. Stanton proceed; "John
Carter" had been in preproduction for a year by the time he arrived.
They pointed to Mr. Ross's recent standoff with Gore Verbinski over
the budget of a "Lone Ranger" remake as evidence that he can stand up
to strong-willed directors — and jolt the studio out of its rut — when
necessary.

Regardless, when push came to shove on "John Carter," Mr. Stanton
usually got his way. One area in which he exerted his influence was
marketing, where he frequently rejected ideas from Ms. Carney and her
team, according to people who worked on the film.

He insisted, for instance, that a Led Zeppelin song be used in a
trailer, rejecting concerns that a decades-old rock tune did not make
the material feel current. Mr. Stanton also was behind the selection
of billboard imagery that fell flat, and he controlled an important
presentation of footage at a Disney fan convention that got a chilly
reception.

By the time "John Carter" had its Los Angeles premiere last month, the
film had suffered months of ridicule on the Internet and had taken on
a funereal aura. "I've never had something healthy get treated like a
corpse," Mr. Ross told Variety. Mr. Stanton brushed off skeptics at
the premiere, saying, "You just gotta trust us."

Reviews were not as blistering as some had expected, but they were not
good, with critics calling the film a hectic hybrid of other movies:
"Avatar" meets "Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace" meets
"Gladiator" meets "Prince of Persia" meets any of John Ford's
westerns. Mr. Stanton has two "John Carter" sequels planned, but those
ambitions are now almost assuredly derailed.

If Mr. Stanton has any comfort, it may be that he keeps good company
in the trophy-movie-gone-wrong hall of fame. Baz Luhrmann is there for
"Australia," along with George Lucas for "Howard the Duck" and Michael
Cimino for "Heaven's Gate." And, of course, Mr. Hoffman and Mr. Beatty
for "Ishtar."

More:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/12/business/media/ishtar-lands-on-mars.html?_r=1&pagewanted=2

--
Together, we can change the world, one mind at a time.
Have a great day,
Tommy

--
Together, we can change the world, one mind at a time.
Have a great day,
Tommy

--
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