News For Your Pseudo-Zionist Blues

Salon has had a successful week (and I apologize for not writing things up earlier). The best article delved into the world of politicized birthright trips Jewish-Americans receive to visit Israel.

What frustrates and saddens me about the birthright trip is that it is DECIDELY political, and also discriminatory. The very name itself promotes an exclusive agenda; people have the right to visit Israel for free based on being borne into a Jewish family, perpetuating the very cultural privileging that the Jews were once victim to.

Further, the trip quickly turns into a political ploy, rather than an authentic reason for individuals to reconnect to their identity. See this thinly hypocritical remark by one of the directors of Birthright Israel:

Taglit bats off any accusations of having a political agenda. “I don’t think it’s political for Jews to support Israel,” says Mark. “It should be an integral part of every Jew’s identity.”

In a nutshell, Israel is not a political subject for Jewish people because Jewish identity should intrinsically include support for Israel. So, in essence, politics is having different opinions which is not possible for a Jewish person to have about Israel.

In another interesting interview, Salon talks to internet celebrity Maddox. He’s pretty funny and semi-competent, which is always a plus. But the best is the reactions from firehose feminists who freak out about his over the top humor. Let us all show that over the top tolerance leads to being humorless whales.

If you watched the news, you’ve probably wondered why America has seemingly been pushed around by Iran. The direct correlation is that the war on Iraq has severely debilitated America’s and the West’s in general ability to stand up to Iran in a tangibly strong manner (ie. with military capabilities). The BBC evaluates this and America as a ‘soft power’ in response to Iranian threats.

Oh, and a sheep thinks its a dog. And, it likes football.