Wednesday, June 17, 2015

BloggeRhythms

Joel B. Pollak’s column @breitbart.com via Drudge this morning, regards a new book, Ally: My Journey Across the American-Israeli Divide by Michael Oren.
 
Mr. Oren’s perspective is unique because of his background. He’s an “American-born historian who served as Israel’s ambassador to the U.S. during President Obama’s first term.” Therefore, he has first-hand knowledge of the individuals he writes about. Particularly President Obama, Benjamin Netanyahu, and even Bill Clinton’s wife.
 
Most inportantly, he’s “an Israeli who can explain the Jewish State from a near-native sabra perspective, yet in the idiom of his American audience. And he understands American politics with a depth few outsiders can match.”
 
Mr. Pollack writes that, “The autobiographical portions of the book, recalling Oren’s life as an Israeli paratrooper and an underground agent in the Soviet Union, are fascinating and inspiring. His account of the growing cultural divide between liberal American Jews and their brethren in Israel is both illuminating and alarming.”
 
Mr. Pollack states that Mr. Oren, “exposes shocking new details about the Obama administration’s treatment of Israel,” providing many examples. Such as, “when Netanyahu gave a speech endorsing a Palestinian state in 2009–becoming the first Likud prime minister to do so–the White House ignored him. Instead, the pressure on Israel continued, causing the Palestinians to dig in and refuse to compromise.”
 
Along the same lines, Mr. Oren says, “Nobody has a monopoly over mistake-making,” acknowledging that Netanyahu made a few missteps. “Still, he points out, when Netanyahu tried to give Obama what he wanted, his efforts were barely acknowledged.”
 
In that regard, “The point he wishes to stress–a point he has made elsewhere recently–is that no Israeli government could have done better: Obama is the problem,” according to Mr. Oren.
 
“In addressing Hillary Clinton’s role, Oren is generous to a fault. Recalling the 45-minute lecture she delivered to Netanyahu during a 2010 spat over construction in Jerusalem (which the Obama administration calls “settlements”), Oren says that she did her duty reluctantly, reading from a script.”
 
Mr. Oren’s observation about Bill’s wife “reluctantly reading from a script,” is particularly noteworthy. Because it confirms one of her often-seen traits. Rather than presenting true-felt feelings or opinions on almost any subject, she consistently delivers whatever she thinks will benefit her most at the particular time. For her, personal gain always outweighs all else.  
 
As far as Bill’s wife’s presidential aspirations are concerned, were she to succeed, that might not be good for Israel either. Because, “Whether she wins or not in 2016, U.S. policy toward Israel may continue to be fraught with tension. Oren notes that Obama drew upon an emerging cohort of new policymakers steeped in resentment of American power and suspicion of the “Israel lobby.” They will linger in Washington long after Obama has left office.”
 
As far as the American/Israeli relationship is concerned, Mr.Pollack relates a quite interesting point: “Though polls indicate that mutual support between ordinary Americans and Israelis is at, or near, an all-time high, and defense cooperation remains close, tensions between the American and Israeli governments have seldom been worse.’
 
Which means that despite all the president’s efforts to undermine Israel, which may have indeed created a huge rift between himself and Israel’s leadership, the public in both nation’s has not only seen right through his charade, but simply refuses to accept it.
 
As an example of the public’s growing use of readily available information, especially in the case of the Web today, reader SadieJoan freedumb sings, wrote: “Breitbart readers are the smartest people on the planet! Breitbart was a great man. We are all citizen journalists now. You Commies cannot keep the truth from coming out. Eventually it always does. "Breitbart Lives!"
 
On another misguided liberal topic, a new report by the Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) has found that automation in the next generation could transform the shape of the Australian workforce.
 
As far as the work force’s concerned, “Robots and automation could eventually replace everything from some nursing and surgical jobs to meal preparation, driving and washing elderly patients. Almost 40% of Australian jobs that exist today could disappear in the next 10 to 15 years thanks to advances in digital technology.”
 
Although the report concerns Australia, the same revolution's taking place here. And what's tragic about the dire labor situation is that instead of seeking ways to assist those most vulnerable, via education, job-training and technical-support, politicians push for votes by increasing the minimum wage. 
 
However, as evidenced by the automation revolution, minimum wage increases not only do nothing to help unskilled laborer’s to improve their capabilities, they incent businesses to equip at a faster pace. Especially in low-level, repetitive functions where most minimum wage earners are employed and therefore, most vulnerable to replacement by technology. 
 
On the political scene, a review of Donald Trump’s speech yesterday reveals that while estimating his own assets at $9 billion, he never mentioned his liabilities. Which certainly could be less than his assets actual worth, or, considering his many bankrupted entities, could also be much more. 
 
Which brings us to today’s update on Bill Clinton’s wife.
 
FoxNews.com’s Chris Stirewalt wrote yesterday that, “The Clinton Foundation has raked in $11M in payments from small non-profit groups for speeches by Hillary, Bill and Chelsea, Politico reports.”
 
Yet, “When Condoleezza Rice headlined a 2009 fundraising luncheon for the Boys and Girls Club of Long Beach, she collected a $60,000 speaking fee, then donated almost all of it back to the club ... Hillary Clinton was not so generous to the small charity ... Clinton collected $200,000 to speak at the same event five years later, but she donated nothing back to the club ... Instead, Clinton steered her speaking fee to her family's own ... charity.”
 
Also, from Mr. Stirewalt, [Press Secretary Josh Earnest defended keeping secret a 500-guest White House concert featuring Prince and Stevie Wonder, saying the event was a personal affair for the Obamas and “not part of the responsibilities of the president and first lady.”
 
So, it’s nice to know that with almost half the American labor force unemployed, at least the first family’s still having  a very good time, regardless. 
 
Mayor Bloomberg, are you reading this?
 
And finally, a friend posted this on FB this morning.
 
Campaign for Liberty's photo.

That’s it for today folks.

Adios

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