#1
What is it with all these Democrats visiting Marth's Vineyard? By the way what does the "D" stand for after their names: "Demeted, dementia, dimwits, or dhimmis?"
#2
John: Dummycheats, Dimocrooks, lots of possibilities. With Slick Willie, the variations are even more endless, but can't be used on this family site.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
09/01/2011 19:58 Comments ||
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#2
However, the Kennedy clan has also proven that Joe Kennedy's aptitude to make the big bucks was a one-shot. They have been sorely depleting his huge estate. Their money is now managed by a corporate group in New York, and Joe's about $300m in 1957 has been whittled down to around $30m.
But that's not the whole story. Joe's biggest deal was the Merchandise Mart, which when Teddy sold it, the money did not go to the main trust, but had a four-or-more way split between the various family members.
As the clan has grown, Teddy also tried to subsidize each of its members, which really sucks down the cash. And political campaigns, their last huge expense, are almost out of the question.
Just last year they are in the process of selling the Kennedy compound. Teddy wanted it to become a museum, but the survivors are not cool with that idea, wanting the mo-ney.
#12
Despite getting his super fast and nimble PT boat run over by a destroyer, I always liked JFK. At least he was pro-defense and for low taxes. I'm not sure if I blame him for Vietnam or not because LBJ really escallated things.
Posted by: Barbara ||
09/01/2011 14:51 Comments ||
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#14
Many people liked even loved JFK. I never did trust the man. He had so many things go wrong like Obama is doing but in a different ways. The longer Obama is in office the more harm he will bring to himself and this country.The difference is JFK had more people under control with his polished style. He was a media darling like Obama. The Democrats want their manufactured Camelot back. Its just a matter of time. Remember at this level these people marry money. The money and power are there for them to take and in so doing boost the family wealth. The question is when.
I have posted about this U.N. report before, and Turkey's attempts to prevent its release or at least modify the findings.
Considering that this is a U.N. report, and the U.N. almost never is fair to Israel, the findings are astounding. As reported by The NY Times:
A United Nations review has found that Israel's naval blockade of Gaza is legal and appropriate but that the way its forces boarded a Turkish-based flotilla trying to break that blockade 15 months ago, killing nine passengers, was excessive and unreasonable.
The report, expected to be released on Friday, also found that when Israeli commandos boarded the main ship they faced "organized and violent resistance from a group of passengers" and were therefore required to use force for their own protection. But the report called the force "excessive and unreasonable," saying the loss of life was unacceptable and the Israeli military's later treatment of passengers was abusive.
The full report is here.
Turkey will be angry, as The Times notes:
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey says an apology and compensation would not be sufficient to return his ambassador to Tel Aviv. Israel also has to end its naval blockade of Gaza, he insisted.
The report does recommend that Israel should make "an appropriate statement of regret' and pay compensation, but the Turks say that formula does not express sufficient remorse.
The report is close to a total vindication of Israel. It affirms the legality of the Gaza blockade, which I have noted is designed to prevent shipments by sea of sophisticated weapons from Iran, as well at the fact that the reaction to the Israeli boarding of the ships was met with organized violence. While the report does say Israel used excessive force, that finding now takes place in the context of a legal blockade and a reaction to violent attacks from Islamists on the ships. This will piss off some Anti-Israel people I know that harp about the "illegal" blockade. Heh, your own precious UN fucked you.
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/01/2011 16:07 Comments ||
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#2
Man, Ima gonna write this one on the calendar!
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
09/01/2011 16:20 Comments ||
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#3
Note that even though faced with "organized and violent resistance " from passengers the response was still considered "excessive and unreasonable,".
After all the only "resonable" thing for Jews to do in the face of violence is to die.
A message from the other side of the debate over Israel. I don't agree with everything he says, and I sure don't favor the idiot Paleostinians, but I do agree that the best advertising in the world can't sell a product that no one wants to buy. The Paleostinians, for all their ineptness at fighting, protesting, governance and life in general, have sold their message far better. That message is being bought mostly by fools, idealists, head-in-the-sand types and some evil people. But it's no less real, and the Paleos, in the end, are setting the terms of the world debate about the Middle East.
By Gary Wexler
The thousands of scantily clothed bikers, skateboarders, walkers, hawkers, gawkers and performers were simply taking advantage of another breezy, crystal clear Southern California day. They had fought their way valiantly through relentless freeway traffic to participate in the year-round weekend ritual of parading down Los Angeles bohemian thoroughfare, the Venice Beach boardwalk.
This was not a place you would think would inspire deep thoughts about Israels increasingly desperate efforts to brand itself and the wastefulness of all the dollars contributed by American Jewish organizations to mount a defense in the media of the Jewish state. But thats exactly where my mind went when I came upon a food truck dispensing thousands of little containers of hummus.
Along a stretch of Venice Beach, tables were set up, covered with colorful tablecloths and bowls of fresh limes, lemons, red peppers and other fruits and vegetables. Hundreds of young people were seated, giggling and diving into their free samples.
Signs were posted that this event was sponsored by Sabra Foods, the makers of Mediterranean Dips.
Without a day-school education or perhaps a distant memory of Leon Uris Exodus, one would have no idea that sabra meant native-born Israeli. And nowhere on any of the packages did it say that Sabra was anything other than the product of an American distributor. So I pulled out my smart phone and did a quick Google search. I found that Sabra Foods is owned by Pepsico Corporation. But as I searched further, buried under other information, I read that Sabra is a joint partnership between Pepsico and Strauss Foods. The next Google search brought up Strauss Foods of Israel.
Why is the national identity of Sabra Hummus not clearly stated right on its label, like the pride with which spicy red tomato sauces are called Mexican Salsa? Or tomato sauces with garlic and oregano are called Italian Tomato Sauce? Or Indian Curry? Or Greek Olives? Or Turkish Delight? Certainly not because other Middle-Eastern nations can also claim hummmus as their own cuisine. The Turks and Greeks claim everything each other cooks. The same with the Indians and Pakistanis, as well as Mexicans and all their Central American neighbors.
Is the Israeli-ness of the hummus hidden because of boycott fears, legitimately fueled by the smashing of Israeli wines in Europe and Canada? Perhaps. But isnt America supposed to be the last bastion in the world of big Israel supporters?
I dont blame Strauss Foods for positioning these product lines in America as Mediterranean. Theyre in the business of selling food, not selling Zionism. The unfortunate truth, though, is that Israel, associated with anything except hi-tech and security products, is proving to be an increasing liability, especially when it is identified with mass consumer goods. Even with all the efforts of Camera, the Israel Project, the Jewish Federations and all the other organizations that blast my email inbox daily with defensive statements, Israel is increasingly emerging as the worlds pariah nation.
Yet, as strange as it may sound coming from a marketer with an advertising background, who has represented hundreds of Jewish organizations worldwide, I have arrived at the conclusion that the solution will not be found in branding, marketing, public relations or the writings of political pundits. The problem is that all their concepts, strategies, words and legitimate defenses no matter how powerful and clever are not going to elevate Israels plummeting image. Hundreds of thousands of dollars from donors and the Israeli government have been poured into this effort, yet the situation only worsens every month. I am as much to blame as anyone for being a supporter of these actions.
It has become clear that the world doesnt care about Israels wines, its Bauhaus architecture, its fashion, its alluring women, its sexy gay men, its beaches, its ballet or its hummus. The world, its media and its university campuses are riveted upon Israels relationship with the Palestinians as well as the state of its democracy.
No, the answer to Israels image problems does not depend upon the marketing. It depends first upon the policies.
Something is proving wrong with several of the ingredients in Israel as a product. The policies whether we argue they are right or wrong internally are spoiling the taste for the world consumer as well as for many in a new generation of young Jews, even those who have been on Birthright. This is not a left- or a right-wing opinion. It is a fact. No matter how Israel markets or defends itself in the media, the policies seep into the equation and kill the success of the image.
Do I have the answer for how to fix the policies, or even which policies need fixing? No. But Im not a politician. Im an adman and a marketer. And I can tell you, from my years creating ads for products from Coca Cola to Apple Computer, if people keep reading about some bad ingredients in the ketchup, very few people will buy the bottle, no matter how much money and creativity you pack into the marketing. No amount of branding, slogans, viral ideas or clever engagement is going to lead towards the success that supporters of Israel need.
What I can say is that Israel, and those who love her, need to take a hard, honest look in the mirror and uncover the deeper problems, the ones that cannot be fixed with a better logo. The loss of Israeli hummus might not seem detrimental right now. But that scene on Venice Beach might be a sign of things to come, when its more than just the producers of hummus who refuse to identify with Israel.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/01/2011 12:44 ||
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#1
Sorry this is nothing but BS. There is nothing the Israel could do short of ceasing to exist that would "sell" their image. The only policy that matters is that Israelies are Jewish.
Anti-semitism however it tries to hide behind anti-zionist verbiage or "poor innocent Paleos" kvetching, does not care about anything except that Israel is Jewish. If you hate, loathe, detest and fear Jews you cannot be sold an image anymore than you could sell the image of the wonderful New York Yankees to the baseball fans of Boston unless the Yankees are going 0-162 for 5 or 10 seasons; in other words if they ceased to exist.
When the masses in Europe and the mideast, particularly, see that Jews are not the devil then, maybe, a new "image" could be sold; until then it's not possible.
#2
"Israel's Image Won't Improve Without Policy Changes"
I agree. They need to quit being nice and start killing their enemies in droves. (Also in Gaza, Syria, Lebanon, ....)
'Tis better to be feared than loved.
Posted by: Barbara ||
09/01/2011 14:50 Comments ||
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#3
I think there are some steps Israel could take to change their image.
They could (a) put a bill before the UN restating the article that formed Israel in the first place and force nations to vote on Israel's right to exist. Make the Arab leaders go against their populations or admit to the world how they feel. (b) Israel should champion Brazilian, South African, and Indian membership in the UN Security Council. This puts them on the friendly side of the biggest economies in the third world and sticks it to any Euros that oppose the move. They could even include Japan if they wanted to upset China although that might not be the best. (c) Israel should stop allowing wealthy Arabs to be treated secretly in Israeli hospitals. If you need emergency medical you should expect lights and cameras. Otherwise tone down the anti-Israeli rhettoric.
Not huge things, but when they were initially formed Israel was beloved by the non-Arabic third world. That is where they should start with their image makeover.
#4
Israel should do nothing but endure. In a few years, tranzis will be out of power everywhere in the west, and Dar will be too busy going through a population collapse.
#5
To be clear, I don't agree with a lot of what Mr. Wexler wrote. I do agree that Israel has not been able to set the terms of the debate for a long time, and that issue is one that better advertising / marketing won't fix. However Israel chooses, it must change policy. I am NOT advocating that they surrender or bare their throats. But they must figure out how they're getting beat in the world opinion front and fix that.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/01/2011 17:31 Comments ||
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#6
One of the biggest reasons that Israel is an outcast is what could be called the "Captain Bligh syndrome". Bligh was torn between wanting to be a top-notch ships captain and disciplinarian, and wanting to be *loved* by his crew.
This is a deadly combination. His crew never knew where they stood. One day, he would feel magnanimous, and give the crew extra rum for no reason, and then he would feel guilty about it, and turn into a snarling and abusive monster. And he would feel guilty about that as well, so he would try to be extra nice again. Lather, rinse and repeat.
It is no surprise that his crew mutinied. They just couldn't take it anymore. "Following the flogging, there will be cake and ice cream for everyone!"
Israel is much the same way. It adamantly refuses to adopt any measure that would eventually end its problems with the Paleos. Half the time it is trying to be nice to them, and the other half it turns on them viciously.
Any other country in the world would have just kicked them all out and been done with it, long ago. They would have done it in 1948, 1956, 1967, or 1973. And even if there was international whining, it would have quickly ended and the world would have moved on, forgetting about it.
But in the mind of the rest of the world, Israel just wants to toy with the Paleos, keeping them in a perpetual state of chaos and poverty, while at the same time blaming them for all of Israel's problems, and giving them food, water and electricity.
Probably the only Israeli leader who understood the truth was Ariel Sharon, because he knew how military commanders have to behave to get respect from their soldiers. He knew that the Bligh syndrome is a recipe for disaster.
Even today, were the Israelis to say "enough already", and force the Gazans into Egypt, before bulldozing the entire strip, it would end the calamity, at least on that side of Israel. Certainly the Egyptians would howl bloody murder, but the Israelis could give them a few billion dollars to resettle the Paleos, and everything would again be sweetness and light.
#7
'Tis better to be feared than loved. Posted by: Barbara|| 2011-09-01 14:50 |
No, Barbara, it's better to be loved. However, it's FAR better to be feared than be treated with contempt. Most anti-Semites treat Israel and Jews with contempt. I have nothing but contempt for anyone who feels that way. They KNOW they're setting the Arabs up for another fall, but hope they'll be able to bring Israel down with them. The next Arab-Israeli war will happen within the next three years, and will most probably result in Israel nuking the sh$$ out of a dozen Arab nations, in pure self-defense. I just hope the Israelis reserve one nuke for Brussels and the EU, which is the source of a lot of the crap they're having to take at the moment. Frankly, I wouldn't go back to Europe right now for all the money in the world, even on a vacation. It's a million pounds of loose black powder, looking for a match.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
09/01/2011 20:20 Comments ||
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#8
Hasn't Israel joined NATO + Mediterranean Union [CENTO?] yet???
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
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Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
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Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
I have posted about this U.N. report before, and Turkey's attempts to prevent its release or at least modify the findings.
