We Are All Arabs Now, And So Are They. Or Something.

Andrew Sullivan shows his solidarity with the Arab world, broadly defined, and is shown up by Pejman.

Comments

[BR]

One wonders why any self-respecting Persian would want to live under Arab-descendants' religious subjugation when only 2% of the country's population is Arab.

Iran's Shia cleric rulers are hanging onto power by only a black thread. To be a sayyed, both your father and mother had to be descendant from Mohammed, i.e. Arab ethnicity.

Iran needs a reverse takfir.

[BR]

Here's a wonderful article by Sheda Vasseghi, 12/1/10.

[BR]

TM, your title truly fits this subject.
What does the U.S. have in common with Islam?

See full map and answer here.

[Danube of Thought]

Well, San Francisco is about to join Mexico et al. in the green section.

[BR]

This is one time when green certainly is good!

[Ignatz]

Equating male circumcision, which removes a small piece of skin with female genital mutilation which usually completely removes the primary source of sexual pleasure for women is fairly insulting and repugnant to the women subjected to this brutality, IMO.
BTW, female genital mutilation, I believe, predates Islam, and was only endorsed as a continuing practice by Mohammed, not instituted by him.

[BR]

Yah, Iggy, without being explicit, I agree. As far as I can tell it started in Egypt, predating Islam, but the yellow areas on that map is predominantly Islamic. I can't imagine who were the idiots pushing that in the U.S. It has no medical / health benefit. Was it the Protestants? Or the AMA?

Btw, I always think it's so funny for it to have begun in desert areas. Surely, having cover there is better than letting the sand in.

[Captain Hate]

I'm on board with Iggy on this but would take it one step further: This concern about male circumcision is just another form of Jew hating.

[matt]

Sullivan is simply pining for the day he and his pederast friends can safely board the next flight for Marrakech out of JFK.

[BR]

It predates Judaism also, CH. These drawings were found on Egyptian walls dating back to Ancient Egypt:

Source link - speculation there that because some Pharaoh was born that way, others copied it.

But I didn't mean to touch a sore point :)
It's part of a bigger game.

[Captain Hate]

Sully has a fetish about uncut johnsons.

[Jim Ryan]

In the harm done to the victim, female genital mutilation is much closer to amputation of the penis than it is to male circumcision. At least the female victim can still procreate? Well, medical science would probably be able to send the male amputee's seed where it needs to go, too.

[Ignatz]

--I can't imagine who were the idiots pushing that in the U.S. It has no medical / health benefit. Was it the Protestants? Or the AMA?--

As CH notes, it's a relic of the Jewish roots of Christianity. Paul was quite explicit that, after the advent of Christ, nothing is gained by physical circumcision, but the tradition has hung on for both Protestants and I believe Catholics (haven't examined too many willys lately). I believe there are still people who contend it has physical benefits, but I don't care enough about it to have ever looked into it.
To the extent it survives here as an admittedly imprecise indicator of our continued adherence to Christianity, as opposed to Europe's abandonment of it, seems to me not a bad thing.

[Jim Ryan]

Male circumcision has some slight hygiene and health benefits amongst young boys. Not a big deal, but a nice-to-have. The operation is no fun, so I suppose it's a toss-up.

[Agent J. (formally known as "J"..]

Thank God I was born, at home, in the middle of what now is an Iowa corn field, during the depression..(1936).

[BR]

I'm so happy you have good cover, Agent J. :)

[BR]

I was astounded that Sir Richard Burton
sacrificed his, as cover to enter Mecca.

[Dave (in MA)]

Iggy, maybe for YOU it was small.

[Dave (in MA)]

I was astounded that Sir Richard Burton sacrificed his, as cover to enter Mecca.

And I thought airport TSA screenings were bad...

[Ignatz]

That's not what your wife said.
Just kidding. :)

[Rocco]

I love this by Pejman

The epithet stuck, because it fit. Sullivan was duped by Giraldi. He thought that Giraldi was a credible source, and then found out (to his chagrin, one hopes) that he relied on a crank in airing charges that Doug Feith engaged in a forgery. In the intervening two and a half years since Frum and Pollak brought Giraldi’s true colors to light (on blogs that are quite popular, and high profile, mind you), it might have been nice if the staff at the Daily Dish kept some kind of record reminding them “Don’t use Philip Giraldi as a resource for posts concerning Israel and/or Jews! He’s kind of a nutcase about this issue!” Barring that, they could have used Rhymes-With-Shmoogle to remind themselves that Giraldi is toxic on this particular subject matter. But no; taking such measures would apparently have involved acting on “poor reasoning.” The mind reels.

But of course we all knew this VIP'er was an anti-semite.

[Danube of Thought]

Feds spying on NY Times reporter. Awaiting outrage...

[BR]

Three thousand years from now, let's get together somewhere at an oasis and remember this laughter again :)

[BR]

I'll have to start a calendar to put these dates in. I've already got one going for 3,000 years after Xmas '93, when a group of us had this contagious laughter on a ship and it just spread from table to table, till we couldn't remember what we were laughing about. I think the Italians started it.

[harrjf]

I was sitting in a Dr.'s office waiting to be seen and the guy next to me volunteered that he was in to be circumcised. I told him not to do it because when I had it done I wasn't able to walk for a year.

[Ignatz]

From DoT's link:

In a motion filed in federal court in Alexandria, Sterling’s defense lawyers, Ed MacMahon Jr. and Barry Pollack, reveal that the prosecution has turned over “various telephone records showing calls made by the author James Risen. It has provided three credit reports—Equifax, TransUnion and Experian—for Mr. Risen. It has produced Mr. Risen’s credit card and bank records and certain records of his airline travel.”

In an addendum Mr. McMahon added "How innocent is he?", "HI-OHHHHHHH!" and several deep, basset-hound like guffaws in response to the charges.

[BR]

Maybe Sir Richard Burton rode a camel into Mecca when he so successfully penetrated the inner sanctum, because he did it on the way there.

Say goodnight now, Gracie.

[Rocco]

Married With Children

DOCTOR: He's a shoe salesman, Mrs. Bundy. We could replace his brain with a sock full of popcorn, he would still be able to work. [checks his chart] See, this was one of those... unfortunate accidents due to simple human error. It seems our surgical team misread your doctor's instructions. It said to give him a "circular incision".

PEGGY: Yeah. So, how could you misread that?

DOCTOR: We gave him a... circumcision.

[BR]

harrjf, if you're going to cover for Agent J, you should keep your story straight :) Do you or don't wear a turban on your head?

[Charlie (Colorado)]

I was sitting in a Dr.'s office waiting to be seen and the guy next to me volunteered that he was in to be circumcised. I told him not to do it because when I had it done I wasn't able to walk for a year.

Ba-DUM.

(LOL)

[Captain Hate]

Iggy, did the judge say "You may already be a winner"?

[matt]

"the new Lincoln Continental rides so smoothly that we've asked this moil to circumcise this baby in the rear seat as we drive 25MPH on city streets."

One of the best SNL skits evah.....

[Army of Davids]

Portugal 10 yr yield is at 7.55 %....an all time high.

they are set to follow Ireland and Greece into the IMF/EMU bailout/austerity program.

Spain is the country to watch most closely.

And with inflation risks rising in Europe the ECB's hands are increasingly tied to help.

[Ignatz]

--Iggy, did the judge say "You may already be a winner"?--

Heh, CH. I was trying to remember that catch phrase and kept drawing a blank.

[Army of Davids]

Detroit's bond rating is CCC. They are the next municipality to follow Harrisburg, PA down the path of insolvency/bankruptcy.

As was the UAW w/ GM and Chrysler... the public sector unions are knee deep in the dysfunction and financial issues facing Detroit.

One day we will realize there is a pattern here.

[daddy]

"Feds spying on NY Times reporter. Awaiting outrage..."

DoT,

Am also awaiting outrage for whoever revealed the US "CIA Agent" just put on trial in Pakistan is a "CIA Agent."

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1360601/Raymond-Davis-Pakistan-defies-US-puts-spy-charged-killing-2-men-trial.html

As an aside, I am having problems posting in the normal manner to links to stories. I'm on a MacBook. Anybody else having a similar problem?

[narciso]

He's going to have to pull a 'Michael Weston'
daddy, because they've burned him but good.

[narciso]

Speaking of which, how long have we been following this guy, in the LUN

[Sandy Daze]

Daddy,

Excerpt fm my post on the other thread:

Davis has his own issues and reading between the lines, I am not sure the USA should allow its foreign policy to be dictated again by a contractor from a company that proved itself so adept at creating foreign policy train wrecks (re Fallajua 1 & 2, Nisour Square, etc).

Best way out for Davis is to lower the rhetoric; pay a lot of blood money; repatriate him to the US; and then put him under WitSec such that he is never heard from again.

Take good care,
Sandy

[Army of Davids]

One of the first questions to ask when assessing the stability of funding levels for pensions is the discount rate that is assumed by the administrators.

Most of the municipal and state pension fund managers are assuming returns around 8% for pension fund investments. They then assume a funding level of end benefits based on that assumption.

They problem is that the balance of risks w/in these assumptions seem to many smart financial minds to be unrealistic. The average return over the past decade has been around 3%. Corporate pension funds assume a return around 6%. When we are talking billions of dollars the price for being wrong can be large.

A few very rough numbers:

Assuming a pay-out of 100 dollars w/ 20 years avg. If the discount assumed is 8% then the administrator could say that it is fully funded at around $20-$25 dollars presently.

But suppose the return turns out to be 4% over 20 years....which is around what a 20 year treasury (the "risk free rate") is currently. Then the number is more like around $45 to $50 dollar presently. And what was a fully funded pension fund is instead 50% funded.

Like some of the projections for GDP growth coming out of DC from elected officials, these pension fund assumptions may turn out to be accurate. But IMO they are too rosy.

Bottom line...the discount rate for funding assumption matters and it matters in a material way. When a pension fund is said to be fully funded...What is the discount rate?.. should be the first question to ask.

[bunky]

The mohel episode on Seinfeld was great: "broken glass gets deep, deep into the carpet and you know you'll never get it all....."

[Captain Hate]

O/T since we don't have a live Madison thread: Just when Scott Walker's strategery is gaining steam, leave to Foul Air's Poppin' Fresh to suggest caving in on collective bargaining and replace it with a hard line on issues there's no effing way the unions will agree to. Oh yeah, that's a winning plan::rolleyes::

Establishment Repukes: Throwing a full house in because, well, you never know for sure...

[narciso]

I know Captain,facepalm with an octopus

[Danube of Thought]

Hitchens:

The Obama administration also behaves as if the weight of the United States in world affairs is approximately the same as that of Switzerland. We await developments. We urge caution, even restraint. We hope for the formation of an international consensus. And, just as there is something despicable about the way in which Swiss bankers change horses, so there is something contemptible about the way in which Washington has been affecting—and perhaps helping to bring about—American impotence. Except that, whereas at least the Swiss have the excuse of cynicism, American policy manages to be both cynical and naive.

Whole thing here.

[narciso]

Also, in the 'that word you're using,' category, in the LUN

[Jack is Back!]

Sully still writing? I thought he was the guy who joined the O regime as the new social secretary.

[Army of Davids]

pension spiking....if you don't know about it....future pension payouts are set by the last year or last few years compensation.

Overtime is used to significantly increase the last periods pay so that the long term pension payout is comparatively higher.

[Henry]

Don't worry Capt H, Walker isn't going there. Nothing scheduled in Madison until Walker's full budget presentation on Tuesday -- the $3.6 billion problem the current todo merely sets up. The Senate Majority Leader has the Budget Repair Bill set up for a vote call at his discretion which should keep fleebaggers out of state for a while longer.

[clarice]

Even while deathly ill Hitchens delights:http://www.slate.com/id/2286522/

[Jack is Back!]

I will never forget my first Bris that I went to. Neighbors across the street had a baby boy and after they brought him home they started calling and telling everyone they had to do it on his eigth day. They had it done at their home by a rabbi and all us gentiles almost fainted. I have never heard a scream like that in my life.

But then I am a product of a Catholic mother and Episcopalian father and they nipped me on day 2 or 3 my Mother said. My son was born in 2003 in the Southampton and the medicos at the hospital recommended it and it was done on day 3 before we left. The peditrician noted that it was more preferrable to the alternative of not having it done which carries a higher risk of increased infection. The little guy didn't seem to be bother by it that much, not like the kid across the street during the Bris.

[narciso]

I don't know, I didn't hear him speak it in Swiss, just to make sure. Then again he assured us Obama was to be trusted, unlike Hillary

[clarice]

Ooops, this time DoT beat me to it.

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

My son was circumcised when he was one day old. He slept through the whole procedure, so I don't buy the torture of young boy babies meme. And from both a hygiene and aesthetic point of view, I much prefer a circumcised man.

[Danube of Thought]

Kathleen Parker has been treated to the boot-tip from her show with Spitzer. Good riddance. Now let's get the remaining reptile off the air.

[Melinda Romanoff]

DoT-

They need to replace that time slot with pretty pictures of snow.

[narciso]

Since they keep trying for an 'ever more selective' audience, they might as well bring
back Campbell Brown

[Pagar]

"I thought he was the guy who joined the O regime as the new social secretary."

I think a Cabinet position would be better, than we would never again hear from him until the end of the Obama Aministration.

[centralcal]

lol, Pagar!

As the Parker Spitzer show, apparently they are going to have a panel-like group which will include E.D. Hill. Remember her from FNC? She was pretty outspoke and fiery, wonder if she is still? (won't know for sure because I boycott CNN).

[narciso]

She was pretty outspoken, but as we saw with Kiran Chetry, they attach the brain slug really quickly.

[Janet]

They need to replace that time slot with pretty pictures of snow.

Hahahah...or the Yule Log that the low budget stations show on Christmas. LOL!

[centralcal]

Good Gawd, our celebrity wannabe in chief just had a big Motown party last night, and on Sunday night will host Gladys Knight (not sure about the Pips). Party, party, party. So glad it is Black *History* Month. (eyeroll)

[narciso]

I may have been a little harsh, Dana Loesch
proves the contrary, for footage of the Motown shindig, in the LUN

[Janet]

More money being paid out to 'farmers'...now women farmers & hispanic farmers.
Who knew the USDA had the power to keep American Indians, Blacks, women, & Hispanics from farming if they wanted to?
1.3 Billion this time. :(

[centralcal]

I just love this tourism video put together by the City of Rockford, IL:

Hide Away in Rockford

So clever and fun.

[Captain Hate]

Kathleen Parker has been treated to the boot-tip from her show with Spitzer. Good riddance. Now let's get the remaining reptile off the air.

I meant to mention this before but the guy who plows out my drive begged off and I had to clear off 1.5 feet of glowbull warming. Apparently teh Spitz was dropping hints about how good ratings were when Kathleen was elsewhere; I'm thinking Client #9 is most comfortable being in the company of women which exist on a cash transactional relationship.

[Ignatz]

--Kathleen Parker has been treated to the boot-tip from her show with Spitzer. Good riddance. Now let's get the remaining reptile off the air.--

Shouldn't be too tough. Just point him in the direction of the Bahamas and tell him Charlie Sheen's got a hooker or two waiting for him.

[Ignatz]

Didn't see yours before I posted CH, but I see we're thinking along the same lines.
Not sure whether you should be more worried by that or me.

[Captain Hate]

I don't know Iggy; the Charlie Sheen connection just about caused my operating system to self-destruct.

[Extraneus]

Don't give them any ideas. I love the Yule Log.

[narciso]

One of the interesting details, of this revolting story, was he was answering on Alex Jones 9/11 denialist show.

[Pagar]

"Money being paid out to"

Surely, any Shirley, could fit into one of these categories.

"“farmed” or “attempted-to-farm,” “owned land” or “attempted-to-own land,”

From Big Government---LUN

After this round gets theirs,
the next round will be for 'driven by a farm or flown over a farm'

[Rocco]

One of the interesting details, of this revolting story, was he was answering on Alex Jones 9/11 denialist show.

Someone needs to tell our prez that denial is more than just a river in Egypt!

[narciso]

In the epic fail department, burnt Ewok is going after West, because of that budget vote,
in response to the suggestion that Newt might
pick him.

[Captain Hate]

narc, trying to keep the Ewok concentrated on the important things is a full time job; and one that his devious cobloggers hamper. West is a close second to Sarah in the Tammy Bruce successor to Reagan poll. The smile she had on her face when she met him at CPAC posted on her website made her look absolutely smitten.

"Newt might pick him"? Dear God, who feeds him this garbage....

[narciso]

Where is it, this doesn't seem right, in the LUN

[daddy]

Narciso,

I heard on the radio today that one of them (Spitzer/Ditzer) was leaving and I naturally assumed it had to be him. Now from your link I see I was wrong. She is the one being fired and Client Number 9 is the voice of reason that CNN is retaining?

Geeezus, what a Network.

[clarice]

Who's Ewok?

[narciso]

It's a 'travesty of a mockery of a sham' of a network, daddy, so far beyond parody that the singularity opens up.

[narciso]

It's Ace's own description, partially for his appearance, but more relevantly because his
fur gets singed over every little thing.

[narciso]

So the Arab League deigned to speak,about Libya, meanwhile we still don't know who's in charge

[BR]

WOWWWWW! Benghazi, I celebrate with you!

Video from UK Telegraph.

"Benghazi residents celebrate liberation

Thousands of Libyans have gathered on the seafront in the eastern city of Benghazi after declaring themselves free from Colonel Gaddafi.

2:04PM GMT 25 Feb 2011
Benghazi, the town that led the revolt of Col Muammar Gaddafi, now firmly in opposition control has been celebrating its liberation.

After the shootings and bombings of this week, what support there had been for Col Gaddafi had disappeared quickly.

The opposition now control a large amount of territory from the Egyptian border in the east."

[BR]

FANTASTIC!!!
Libyan rebels say control oil fields, honour deals, Reuters Feb 25, 2011.

"Nearly all the oilfields in Libya east of Ras Lanuf are now controlled by the people...."

"Jammal bin Nour, a judge and member of the Feb. 17 coalition, told Reuters oil contracts signed by Gaddafi's government would be respected as long as they were fair, good for Libyans, and not based on corruption."

*****
Even if we pay more for gas in the short term, this is soooo good.

[narciso]

There are times like this, when we see an abundance of feckless leadership that one wonders, in the LUN

[clarice]

Thanks, narciso. Let's hope the Libyans are more like than Tunisians though who knows. will we ever have such a snappy dresser heading a country again?

[narciso]

Well there's Karzai, who they're quite willing
to throw under an eighteen wheeler

[BR]

Hi, Narciso!

Tunisia - checkmate
Egypt - checkmate
Libya - check
Iran
Bahrein
Kuwait
Yemen
Saudi Arabia
Syria
(my list goes on)

What do you say, shall we add Cuba!

[narciso]

Surely, BR, it would be my fondest wish.

[narciso]

Instead this administration, is using a DGI
slug to put a freedom fighter in prison

[centralcal]

will we ever have such a snappy dresser heading a country again?

Tsk, tsk, Clarice. WE have a very snappy dresser right here in River City, USA. Michelle Obama. lol.

Back to Daffyduck - don't you love him on Drudge's front page today, in his royal generalissimo regalia? Post card photo of who knows what on his right breast, post card photo of "medals" on his left breast. Jeesh. He could have least made some fake medals to pin on his jacket.

[centralcal]

Now, I ask you - isn't that just a post card photo of medals?

[clarice]

Cmon Karzai's a far distant second. More like Lawrence of Arabia to Gaddafi's Priscilla queen of the desert.

And those are clip on medals, cc.

Sheesh.Though the postcard on the other side is mysterious..He sure can accessorize.

[Ann]

Sometimes it is the little things that keep my spirit up:

Text from daughter in Colorado Springs today:

Driving into Colorado Springs and I have already seen 4 don't tread on me bumper stickers..I love it here.!:)

Large truck had bumper sticker saying LOL. The O was an Obama seal on fire.

:)

[centralcal]

Thanks for sharing, Ann! Tell daughter she brought a big smile to my face!

[centralcal]

And those are clip on medals, cc.

Whoa! Really, Clarice? Clip on, huh? I still think they look like a cardboard cutout - but, hey, I am not up on my Busy Dictator and Fashion Icon regalia.

[Ann]

If you want to see BO and MO yuck it up at the Motown party go here:

Palace Ball

The third video is Jamie Foxx making fun of how Obama dances!!!

[clarice]

when Brezhnev headed up the old USSR I was in Lvov taking a deposition in the Procurator's office when I looked up and noticed that on the painting of him in the room, someone had pasted an oil painting of yet another medal he had awarded himself after the painting was made. Dictators are really hilarious.Those added on medals must have been sent to every govt office in the USSR.

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

Did you hear that W refused to appear at an event in Denver because they had invited Julian Assange also? Apparently, Assange showed up by video.

[narciso]

He was like an evil Matryoska doll, wasn't he,
and yet so many in our government treated him
with legitimacy.

[clarice]

Evil and stupid, narciso. And how Galbraith missed the fact that the whole place was teetering on the brink is a mark of how obtuse he was. You could not move around any place there without seeing it was collapsing.

[narciso]

Well Galbraith, Samuelson, (paul), Talbott,
a confederacy of dunces seems to small for them. Just like Fisk was probably kissing
Quadaffi's hand a decade ago, now he denounces
him,