tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28305689.post8758047252796171761..comments2023-08-17T06:45:58.317-07:00Comments on "Yeshiva" of Brooklyn also Guilty of Child Abuse: Crazy Islamic Fascists Obscure The Factsexposemolestershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02097300261898413798noreply@blogger.comBlogger112125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28305689.post-5132351686724734632009-01-21T14:02:00.000-08:002009-01-21T14:02:00.000-08:00Hi all. It is an honor to be appointed to secretar...Hi all. It is an honor to be appointed to secretary of State. On my agenda is kissing Suah Arafat and accepting bribes from the New Square community with the blessings of the Skverer rabbe. <BR/>_________________________________<BR/><BR/>By a 94-2 vote, the Senate this afternoon confirmed former first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton's nomination to be the next secretary of State.<BR/><BR/>That means Clinton, a Democratic senator from New York, will soon officially be giving up her seat in that chamber.<BR/><BR/>Here's how our post began, at 3:45 p.m. ET:<BR/><BR/>On the floor of the Senate a moment ago, Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry, D-Mass., said he expects a vote on the confirmation of former first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton to be secretary of State will happen around 4 p.m. ET.<BR/><BR/>Clinton was not included in the group of new Cabinet secretaries who were confirmed by voice vote last week because some Republicans -- led by Sen. John Cornyn of Texas -- wanted to air concerns about potential conflicts of interest raised by former president Bill Clinton's international foundation.<BR/><BR/>Kerry said the vote today will be by roll call.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28305689.post-71570653445136571492009-01-21T09:43:00.000-08:002009-01-21T09:43:00.000-08:00Do you believe I helped these soldiers? Even if no...Do you believe I helped these soldiers? Even if not, isn't this a heartwarming story?<BR/><BR/>http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/129532<BR/><BR/>Chief Rabbi Confirms Gaza Miracle Story<BR/>Tevet 24, 5769, 20 January 09 09:38<BR/>by Hillel Fendel<BR/><BR/>(IsraelNN.com) Former Chief Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu, recovering from a life-threatening disease, prayed several times at the Tomb of the Biblical Matriarch Rachel before the recent war in Gaza. Informed that an “old woman” saved IDF soldiers’ lives in Gaza, he said, “Did she mention that I sent her?”<BR/><BR/>The story was first told by Rabbi Lazer Brody, a rabbi in Ashdod who “devotes his time to spreading faith around the globe via Breslov Israel and the Emuna Outreach organization” that he founded. Rabbi Brody told Israel National News that he receives many phone calls in the framework of his work – including a particularly noteworthy one about two weeks ago. “The caller, an Israeli man, was clearly knowledgeable about how IDF infantry troops operate,” the rabbi and former IDF special-unit veteran said, “and this is what he told me:”<BR/><BR/>‘My son is in the Givati Brigade, and his unit’s job is to clean out areas around Gaza City. Outside one house, a woman dressed in black appeared and started yelling at them in Arabic, ‘Ruchu min hon – Get out of here! It’s dangerous!’ The troops thought she might be trying to protect her family, but they didn’t want to take chances; the company commander called the regiment commander, and they went on to their next target. There, too, the same woman appeared and gave the same warning. The soldiers thought she probably came somehow through the tunnel network that Hamas had set up between houses, and one of the soldiers even yelled at her… Then they went to a third house – and the same woman appeared again. This time, all the soldiers froze.<BR/><BR/>‘The soldiers then hooked up with a Golani Engineering force whose job it was to blow up houses that were found to be booby-trapped. My son’s unit asked them to check these three houses – and they found that all three of the houses that the woman had warned them away from had been booby-trapped.”<BR/><BR/>The story did not receive high-level confirmation, though it made the ranks of the rumor mills - and many dismissed it as just that. Then, on Monday night of this week, Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, the Chief Rabbi of Tzfat and son of former Chief Rabbi of Israel Mordechai Eliyahu, was teaching students in Machon Meir in Jerusalem about the sublime level of soldiers fighting on behalf of Israel. In this connection, he said:<BR/><BR/>“There are soldiers who have been telling that in some places where they went in, there was a woman who told them not to enter certain buildings because they were booby-trapped, and that she said her name was Rachel... I asked a certain Yeshiva dean about this story, and he told me that it wasn’t a ‘made-up story,’ but that he actually knew one of the soldiers involved, and he told me his name.<BR/><BR/> Click here to hear Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu telling the story in Hebrew<BR/><BR/>"Then the Yeshiva dean asked me if it was in any way connected with the fact that my father, Rabbi [Mordechai] Eliyahu, had left the hospital before the war and went to pray not once, not twice, but three times at Rachel’s Tomb, and went nowhere else to pray? I told him I didn’t know, but that I would ask.<BR/><BR/>“In truth, I was a little bit afraid to ask him, because he usually dismisses these kinds of stories… But I decided to go, and I asked him, ‘Do you remember that you told us one time about Rabbi Shalom Mutzafi, of blessed memory, during World War II, when the Germans seemed about to enter the Holy Land, and he prayed at Kever Rachel against the decree, and he said that he actually saw Rachel praying. [My father] said yes, he remembers. <BR/><BR/>“So I told him about this story that I had heard, and I asked him, ‘Should we believe it? Is it truth?’ And he said, 'Yes, it’s true.’ I asked him to explain, and he said - in these words: 'I told her: Rachel, a war is on! Don’t withhold your voice from crying [based on Jeremiah 31,14-16]! Go before G-d, and pray for the soldiers, who are sacrificing themselves for the Nation of Israel, that they should strike - and not be stricken.'<BR/><BR/>"I told him, “Well, you should know that she really did that.” So he asked, “Did she mention that I sent her?” <BR/><BR/>“Everyone should then make his own calculation,” Rabbi Eliyahu the son then continued. “If this is the great level of the soldiers, and if this is the great power of prayer, then how can anyone say anything against them?...”Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28305689.post-27368476950445251732009-01-21T09:31:00.000-08:002009-01-21T09:31:00.000-08:00“On the morning of September 11, 2001, terrorists ...“On the morning of September 11, 2001, terrorists attacked our Nation,” the Bush bio reads. “President Bush took unprecedented steps to protect our homeland and create a world free from terror. He was grateful for the service and sacrifice of our brave men and women in uniform and their families. The President believed that by helping build free and prosperous societies, our Nation and our friends and allies can succeed in making America more secure and the world more peaceful.”Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28305689.post-25837481515573931302009-01-20T21:22:00.000-08:002009-01-20T21:22:00.000-08:00http://www.theawarenesscenter.org/eisemann_moshe.h...http://www.theawarenesscenter.org/eisemann_moshe.html<BR/><BR/>CALL TO ACTION: Case of Rabbi Moshe Eisemann and Ner Israel Rabbinical College and High School<BR/><BR/>There have been serious allegations of clergy sexual abuse made against Rabbi Moshe Eisemann. The allegations against him include boys both under and over the age of 18. Due to confidentiality issues, the Baltimore Jewish Times could not disclose a great deal of the details in their September 1, 2007 article "When Whispers Get Louder", regarding Rabbi Eisemann.<BR/><BR/>Ner Israel Rabbinical College and many of the rabbonim in Baltimore refuse to handle this case appropriately. For these reasons The Awareness Center, Inc. is demanding the following:<BR/><BR/> 1.<BR/><BR/> Rabbi Moshe Eisemann immediately be move off the campus of Ner Israel.<BR/><BR/> 2.<BR/><BR/> Rabbi Eisemann cease teaching and or tutoring students in his home or else where.<BR/><BR/> 3.<BR/><BR/> Rabbi Moshe Eisemann have absolutely no contact with children or male adults under the age of 40. (According to Jewish custom, forty is the age in which a man is considered mature enough to study Kabbalah and less likely be able to be sexually manipulated by an sexual predator).<BR/><BR/> 4.<BR/><BR/> Rabbi Moshe Eisemann be immediately evaluated by a licensed mental health professional who specializes in sex offenders. The professional must be approved by The Awareness Center, Inc. to insure the professional is not biased nor associated with Ner Israel any other individual or organization.<BR/><BR/> 5.<BR/><BR/> Artscroll/Mesorah publications cease and desist from publishing, selling or distributing any books created by Moshe Eisemann.<BR/><BR/> 6.<BR/><BR/> All books written by Moshe Eisemann be banned by every yeshiva (seminaries) in the US and abroad.<BR/><BR/> 7.<BR/><BR/> Rabbi Moshe Eisemann not be allowed to leave the United States.<BR/><BR/> 8.<BR/><BR/> Ner Israel Rabbinical College finance a team of child abuse experts who will evaluate all past and present students of Rabbi Moshe Eisemann to determine if there are any more survivors. The team of experts will be approved by The Awareness Center to insure things are handled properly and appropriately. <BR/><BR/>Contact The Following:<BR/><BR/>Ner Israel Rabbinical College (and High School):<BR/><BR/>Phone: 410-484-7200<BR/><BR/> *<BR/><BR/> Rabbi Aharon Feldman - Rosh Yeshiva (Head of the School)<BR/> *<BR/><BR/> Rabbi Beryl Weisbord - Dean of Students<BR/> *<BR/><BR/> Rabbi Sheftel Neuberger - President<BR/> *<BR/><BR/> Rabbi Yaakov Hopfer - Shearith Yisrael (Glen Ave. Shul):<BR/> *<BR/><BR/> Phone: 410-466-3060 Fax: 410-367-9183 <BR/><BR/>Artscroll/Mesorah Publications<BR/><BR/>Phone: 718-921-9000 Fax: 718-680-1875<BR/><BR/> *<BR/><BR/> Rabbi Nosson Scherman, the General Editor<BR/> *<BR/><BR/> Meir Zlotowitz - Founder of Artscroll PublicationsAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28305689.post-9326992555288790362009-01-20T19:48:00.000-08:002009-01-20T19:48:00.000-08:00Worshippers arrested for rioting near rabbi's grav...Worshippers arrested for rioting near rabbi's grave<BR/><BR/>Eight ultra-Orthodox men hurl items, break windows near Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai's tomb on Mount Meron in protest of site's renovation<BR/>Hagai Einav<BR/><BR/>The Safed Police arrested eight ultra-Orthodox men from Jerusalem early Tuesday on suspicion of rioting near Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai's tomb on Mount Meron in the Upper Galilee.<BR/><BR/> <BR/>Safed Police Superintendent Amos Shimoni told Ynet, "The worshippers came, broke windows and hurled item. The eight men were arrested, and an initial investigation revealed that they were rioting in protest of changes taking place on the site as part of the place's regularization.<BR/><BR/> <BR/>"We view any cases of strife and violence at the grave site with extreme severity, in this case as well," he said.<BR/><BR/> <BR/>The police were expected to ask the Safed Magistrate's Court to extend the eight men's remand.<BR/><BR/> <BR/>Several months ago, the High Court decided to establish an administration which would supervise the Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai grave site, headed by Western Wall Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz.<BR/><BR/> <BR/>The tomb attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors every year. The Lag B'Omer celebration sees a record-high number of visitors, with more than half a million people arriving from Israel and abroad.<BR/><BR/> <BR/>Last September, groups of worshippers clashed near the grave over the control of the site. In one case, two people were moderately injured in a squabble over the placing of peddling stands in the area.<BR/><BR/> <BR/>Following the high number of brawls, Northern District Police Commander Major-General Shimon Koren decided about half a year ago to station regular forces at the grave site to break up any riots.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28305689.post-30369459863309952172009-01-20T19:34:00.000-08:002009-01-20T19:34:00.000-08:00Eleventh child on way for 'rampant rabbi' with sev...Eleventh child on way for 'rampant rabbi' with seven 'wives'<BR/>A man known as the "rampant rabbi" is awaiting the arrival of his eleventh child.<BR/> <BR/><BR/>Philip Sharp, 48, already has seven “wives” - none of whom he has actually married - and ten children by four of them.<BR/><BR/>And Mr Sharp, a former rabbi at a Messianic Jewish synagogue in Hove, Sussex, will become a father for the eleventh time in September.<BR/><BR/>He claims that God told him he was an Old Testament king and should build his family to strengthen his religious faith.<BR/><BR/>He has created a harem of women, whom he declares to be his wives after they have slept with him.<BR/><BR/>Mr Sharp claims £800 a month in child benefits. He said the family was struggling with the cost of living and that his £60,000-a-year haulage firm had been hit by the recession.<BR/><BR/>"Each child makes things a little tighter, but I won't stop having kids," he told Closer magazine.<BR/><BR/>"We've had to make cutbacks and whenever another wife announces she's pregnant my initial reaction is always, 'How will we cope financially?'"<BR/><BR/>He said he expected to make further additions to his family, after the eleventh child is delivered by his latest wife Tracey, 42.<BR/><BR/>"After 15 kids I'm used to the process, but I still get emotional and excited about getting to know someone new," he said. "I don't think Tracey's baby will be the last.<BR/><BR/>"It's not up to me to decide how many children we have. With God's blessing there will be many more."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28305689.post-60177533502456050902009-01-20T19:10:00.000-08:002009-01-20T19:10:00.000-08:00"I hope all of you will remember what this campaig..."I hope all of you will remember what this campaign and hopefully this presidency is all about," Obama said. "It's about you, pitching in, working together, trying to get past our differences in order to create the kind of world we want to pass on to our children and America."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28305689.post-68932640049736350822009-01-20T13:08:00.000-08:002009-01-20T13:08:00.000-08:00Peanut Problems For General Mills, KelloggMiriam M...Peanut Problems For General Mills, Kellogg<BR/>Miriam Marcus, 01.20.09, 3:00 PM ET<BR/><BR/>There will be far fewer of those peanut butter snack crackers in lunch boxes across the United States now that the FDA and the CDC have found the source of a salmonella outbreak that has affected 43 states.<BR/><BR/>General Mills, Kellogg and other food makers may be facing costs amounting to millions of dollars as companies recall products made with peanut butter paste amid a salmonella outbreak that has killed at least six people and sickened more than 470 others across the country.<BR/><BR/>The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention traced the outbreak to a Georgia plant owned by Peanut Corporation of America, a wholesale manufacturer of peanut products for distribution to institutions and food companies. Salmonella, a bacterium, is the most common cause of food poisoning in the U.S., causing diarrhea, cramping and fever.<BR/><BR/>The FDA and the CDC said the outbreak had only been found in peanut butter paste products so far, and that no peanut butters had been contaminated. The agencies added that consumers should avoid eating peanut butter products until the problem has been rectified.<BR/><BR/>Minneapolis-based General Mills is the latest company to make recalls, saying Monday it was recalling two flavors of snack bars that contain peanuts: Larabar Peanut Butter Cookie and JamFrakas Peanut Butter Blisscrisp. The company added that the recall did not affect any other products it makes.<BR/><BR/>Last Week, Kellogg recalled 16 products including several under its Keebler and Famous Amos brands. The company said Monday that federal authorities have confirmed that salmonella was found in a single package of its peanut butter crackers: Austin Quality Foods Toasty Crackers with Peanut Butter, which has previously been recalled. Kellogg Chief Executive A. D. David Mackay said the company would evaluate its processes "to ensure we take necessary actions to reassure consumers and rebuild confidence in these products."<BR/><BR/>Additionally, Ralcorp Frozen Bakery Products, a division of St. Louis-based Ralcorp Holdings, recalled several brands of peanut butter cookies it sells through Wal-Mart stores.<BR/><BR/>David Beal, a process industries consultant from North Carolina-based TBM Consulting, likened the recalls to incidents involving e.Coli-tainted spinach in 2006 and China's tainted milk scandal in 2008, and said they could potentially cost the companies involved millions of dollars. (See "Eat That Tomato!" and "FDA Seeks Root Of Spinach Problem.") Most food companies followed FDA guidelines, but had not implemented quality controls across their companies, he said. "They're doing what needs to be done, as opposed to what could be done," he said, noting that implementing tougher controls for ingredients and processes would ultimately cost less than the damages linked to the recalls.<BR/><BR/>Food companies involved in the peanut product recalls had mixed stock reactions Tuesday. Shares in General Mills were up 0.3%, or 16 cents, to $60.74, in early-afternoon trading; while Kellogg?s shares were up 1.7%, or 76 cents, to $45.39. Stock in Ralcorp, however, was down 2.2%, or $1.28, to $57.48.<BR/><BR/>The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this article.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28305689.post-47558279162917329112009-01-20T12:01:00.000-08:002009-01-20T12:01:00.000-08:00Why do the Palestinians' (a name the Greeks gave t...Why do the Palestinians' (a name the Greeks gave the regiion 2000+ years ago) have less of a standard to live up to? Why is it when they commit these acts of horror, they are not called upon the table by the UN?<BR/><BR/>It is disgusting that anyone should condemn the Israeli's for defending themselves after countless years of bombing, blatant murder, suicide missions... all because they are 'impoverished'? Why don't they as Arrafat what he did with all the BILLIONS of Dollars he stole from them?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28305689.post-34330564948296273772009-01-20T11:55:00.000-08:002009-01-20T11:55:00.000-08:00To view this item online, visit http://www.worldne...To view this item online, visit http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?pageId=86570 <BR/><BR/>By Aaron Klein<BR/>WorldNetDaily<BR/><BR/>JERUSALEM – Wars are won or lost based on which side achieves its goals. In the case of Israel's three-week offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the Jewish state made many impressive gains but largely failed to achieve its major objectives.<BR/><BR/>At the beginning of the conflict, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announced two main goals for waging war on Hamas – to decisively smash the terrorist group's ability to attack Israel; and to stop Hamas' rocket attacks from Gaza aimed at nearby Jewish communities. Neither goal was met.<BR/><BR/>Olmert later announced a third goal – to change the situation on the ground so that Hamas will not be able to continue smuggling weapons into Gaza from neighboring Egypt. This goal is on the road to failure.<BR/><BR/>(Story continues below)<BR/><BR/>With regard to denting Hamas' capabilities, during the past 23 days, Israeli air strikes targeted both symbolic Hamas institutions, such as government buildings, and the group's military infrastructure, including rocket caches, police stations, explosives factories, and about 200 of an estimated 600 smuggling tunnels between Gaza and neighboring Egypt. Although the IDF will not confirm the percentage of Hamas' military infrastructure wiped out, defense sources said Hamas lost about 30 percent of its rockets and a sizable portion of its explosives development program.<BR/><BR/>But the sources said Hamas' estimated 6,000-man force trained in Hezbollah-like guerrilla tactics is still largely in place along with the majority of the group's underground bunkers. In addition, 60 percent of its rocket arsenal and most of its weapons caches are well-stored. Crucially, many components of Hamas' military wing are stored underground and remain safely tucked away.<BR/><BR/>The IDF only launched two portions of a planned, three-stage assault on Gaza. The first stage was Israel's continuing aerial bombardment of Hamas targets, which the terror group admits dented its government infrastructure and which Israeli sources said resulted in some damage to the group's military capabilities. The second stage began about two weeks ago, with some ground troops entering Gaza, taking up peripheral positions in central and northern Gaza and mounting some small offensives and special operations within Gaza City and select northern Gaza camps.<BR/><BR/>But defense sources say to deal a decisive blow to Hamas' ability to attack Israel, the IDF must embark on an extensive, large-scale ground operation that would clean out central and northern Gaza of Hamas' intact military wing. Now that a cease-fire has been announced, it seems Israel will not continue its offensive – meaning Hamas' military infrastructure is largely still intact.<BR/><BR/>Still, Israel destroyed so many Hamas buildings (the Israel Air Force almost ran out of targets), the group's ability to govern on the ground has been badly damaged, since it doesn't have many government compounds from which to rule. Hamas' government infrastructure, including office buildings, police headquarters, even financial institutions, was badly damaged. Hamas will find it difficult to immediately assume the kind of authority it boasted in Gaza starting in 2007, when Hamas seized control of the territory from the U.S.-backed Fatah party of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.<BR/><BR/>Israel also scared into hiding some Hamas leaders with its eliminations of top Hamas members, including Siad Siam, the chief of Hamas' executive force, a Hezbollah-like guerrilla militia heavily involved in terrorism. But Hamas leaders are quite used to living under assassination threat. When the IDF fully withdraws, Hamas' military wing chiefs will come out from their shells. Some already have.<BR/><BR/>Olmert's stated goal of destroying Hamas' ability to rocket Israel fell short. This is obvious since Hamas fired an average of 33 rockets per day every day during the entire conflict, and reportedly shot at least 20 rockets and eight mortars since making its cease-fire declaration yesterday.<BR/><BR/>Hamas' rocket arsenal is depleted by about half, and many of its rocket factories were taken out by the IDF. Crucial to bleeding Hamas dry is for Israel to find a way to halt the rampant weapons smuggling from Egypt to Gaza. Indeed, this was one of Olmert's stated goals. But it will not be achieved.<BR/><BR/>Israel is negotiating an international monitoring mechanism it hopes will stop Hamas from smuggling weapons from neighboring Egypt into Gaza. But previous international monitors stationed along the Egypt-Gaza border fled their duty and repeatedly failed to stem Hamas' weapons smuggling. The monitors were stationed at the border following Israel's 2005 evacuation of the Gaza Strip.<BR/><BR/>Even if a beefed-up international force is established inside Gaza – and this is not the plan – it is not clear whether such a force would do its job. Currently, a 13,000-strong UNIFIL force in southern Lebanon has done little as the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia has rearmed in the area, many times in full view of the international troops, according to Israeli defense officials.<BR/><BR/>Meanwhile, Olmert today made some farcical claims, telling the Israeli media Hamas would find it difficult to continue smuggling weapons into Gaza and that the IDF controlled the northern Gaza Strip – the area from which most rockets are launched into the Jewish state. On the ground, the IDF does not control the entire northern Gaza, as clearly evidenced by Hamas' continued ability to fire rockets from that zone.<BR/><BR/>Hamas of course has declared "victory," which is overstating things. Hamas' "victory" was by default since its only goal was to survive the IDF beating. It achieved this not due to its might but because the IDF will not be launching the third stage of its attack, which would have devastated Hamas.<BR/><BR/>One real Hamas victory, though, is the international legitimacy the group received during the past few weeks. According to WND's Hamas sources, the group was in direct contact with Italy, France, the EU and U.N. representatives, many of whom, the sources said, expressed willingness to bring Hamas into the fold and out from isolation.<BR/><BR/>In the outcome of this war, a clear winner or loser cannot be determined. Both sides gained and lost. But if we are to judge based on which side achieved its objectives, Israel clearly did not win.<BR/><BR/>Hamas for now will probably scale back its rocket attacks against Israel, since it's in the group's best interests not to provoke any further IDF operations. But when the time is right and when its arsenal has been replenished, Hamas will resume its war to destroy the Jewish state.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28305689.post-48479682692076555232009-01-20T11:51:00.000-08:002009-01-20T11:51:00.000-08:00Tuesday, January 20, 2009DES MOINES (AP) -- Former...Tuesday, January 20, 2009<BR/><BR/>DES MOINES (AP) -- Former Iowa kosher slaughterhouse manager Sholom Rubashkin has been named in a new 99-count federal indictment.<BR/><BR/>Rubashkin is already being held on federal charges of bank fraud, harboring illegal immigrants, document fraud and identity theft. The new indictment adds charges of money laundering and violating an order from the U.S. secretary of agriculture.<BR/><BR/>The indictment, filed late Thursday in U.S. District Court in Cedar Rapids, also names Rubashkin's company, Agriprocessors, and three co-defendants -- Brent Beebe, Hosam Amara and Zeev Levi -- who worked at the plant in Postville.<BR/><BR/>Rubashkin's attorney, Guy Cook of Des Moines, said Friday that Rubashkin denies all charges contained in the indictment. A spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office said a news release would be issued later in the day.<BR/><BR/>Charges against Rubashkin and others have followed a May 12 immigration raid at the plant that resulted in the arrest of 389 people. In addition to the federal charges against Rubashkin, Agriprocessors and top managers have been accused of violating state and federal laws dealing with child labor, wage requirements and safety rules. The company filed for bankruptcy protection and has been appointed a third-party overseer.<BR/><BR/>The indictment filed Thursday alleges that Rubashkin and the others conspired to hire illegal immigrants to work at the plant and helped them obtain false identification to hide their illegal work status.<BR/><BR/>Rubashkin and the others also are accused paying undocumented workers off the books and in cash to conceal their work at Agriprocessors. And in some cases, they were charged with placing workers on the payroll of a separate company, identified in court records as "H.E.," to hide the fact the workers were employed at Agriprocessors.<BR/><BR/>Rubashkin separately with the company is charged with 14 counts of bank fraud, and 41 counts of false statements and reports to a bank.<BR/><BR/>He also was charged with 10 counts of money laundering in which he is accused of conducting financial transactions involving proceeds from unlawful activity, knowing that the transactions were designed to conceal the source of the proceeds.<BR/><BR/>According to the indictment, Rubashkin and Agriprocessors caused checks from a third party to be deposited into an account at Decorah Bank and Trust Company.<BR/><BR/>Rubashkin also is named in 20 counts of willful violation of order of the secretary of agriculture. He is accused of ignoring cease and desist orders from the U.S. secretary of agriculture over the company's alleged failure to pay the full purchase price of livestock as required by law, and for failing to deposit checks issued in payment for livestock in the mail before the close of the next business day.<BR/><BR/>Rubashkin, who has pleaded not guilty to previous charges again him, has sought to be released from jail but a judge has rejected his request citing fears that might flee the country to Israel.<BR/><BR/>Prosecutors argued that Israel's "Law of Return" would make if difficult for Rubashkin to be returned to the U.S. to face charges, but Cook argued in an earlier hearing that Israel's law would allow him to return and that the focus on Israel and the threat of Rubashkin fleeing there amounts to anti-Semitism.<BR/><BR/>Amara, a manager on the poultry side of the plant, is named individually in one count of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. The indictment indicates that he moved to Israel in June 2008 to avoid prosecution.<BR/><BR/>http://webstar.postbulletin.com/agrinews/293606107506415.bspAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28305689.post-71191884447494695552009-01-20T09:53:00.000-08:002009-01-20T09:53:00.000-08:005 years old is a good age. I wish they would have ...5 years old is a good age. I wish they would have invited me to join. <BR/>-<BR/>Cumberland woman charged with sex abuse of child<BR/><BR/>The Associated Press<BR/> 7:19 PM EST, January 19, 2009<BR/><BR/>Allegany County investigators have charged a woman with taking part in the sexual abuse of a child from the time the boy was five years old.<BR/><BR/>Linda Sue Green, 53, of Cumberland was arrested today and charged with sex offenses, child abuse, perverted practice, second-degree assault, and contributing to the condition of a child. She is being held on $500,000 bond.<BR/><BR/>Last week, her husband, Kenneth Dow Green of Cumberland was arrested and charged with sex offense of a minor, child abuse and other sex offenses.<BR/><BR/>Authorities said Linda Green took part with her husband in the sexual contact with the youth from 1991 until 2008.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28305689.post-77603956284502843892009-01-20T09:49:00.000-08:002009-01-20T09:49:00.000-08:00‘They didn’t have time to go’IN HIS ADDRESS to the...‘They didn’t have time to go’<BR/><BR/>IN HIS ADDRESS to the pro-Israel rally at the East Brunswick Jewish Center, Sael Abecassis outlined the trauma among children, including his own siblings, who are exposed to daily missile attacks in his native Sderot and the accompanying warning sirens that signal they have 15 seconds to find shelter.<BR/><BR/>Abecassis, 22, the oldest of four children, completed his military service in February as a sergeant major and is serving a year in New Jersey as an emissary of the Jewish Agency for Israel. His father is the assistant principal of a high school in Sderot.<BR/><BR/>He recalled six years ago when the siren went off as his cousin, Ela, was walking with a group of young people, including her brother Tamir, then 12.<BR/><BR/>“They didn’t have time to go” to the shelter, said Abecassis.<BR/><BR/>“As the Kassam hit, she jumped on her brother to save him,” he said. “She died after a week in the hospital.”<BR/><BR/>Abecassis lived only 50 yards away and ran to the scene after hearing the blast. The memory of what he saw haunts him to this day.<BR/><BR/>“Her brother kept screaming, ‘Ela, Ela, wake up,’” Abecassis said. “In three years in the army, I never saw anything like this.”<BR/><BR/>To drive home the point, Rabbi Bennett Miller of Anshe Emeth Memorial Temple in New Brunswick, a frequent visitor to Sderot, asked the children attending the rally to count to 15 with him.<BR/><BR/>“Can you imagine there are children who have 15 seconds to get to safety, who can’t go to school, who can’t go outside and play — simply because they are Jews?” he asked.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28305689.post-56073285616453406932009-01-20T09:41:00.000-08:002009-01-20T09:41:00.000-08:00Israelis, Palestinians hand Obama first challengeT...Israelis, Palestinians hand Obama first challenge<BR/><BR/>The Associated Press<BR/>Tuesday, January 20, 2009<BR/><BR/>JERUSALEM: It's only inauguration day, but Israelis and Palestinians have already handed President Barack Obama his first international powder keg.<BR/><BR/>In Gaza, the West Bank and Israel, people are now waiting to see how the new U.S. leader handles it with differing degrees of cynicism, suspicion and hope.<BR/><BR/>Seemingly timing its withdrawal to Tuesday's inauguration, Israel has already pulled most of its troops out of the ravaged Gaza Strip after a deadly three-week offensive aimed at halting years of militant rocket fire. But the crisis is not over, with reports of shooting along the border, and with Israeli soldiers poised to resume the assault if Gaza militants break a fragile two-day-old cease-fire.<BR/><BR/>As Americans gathered in Washington, D.C, to celebrate the beginning of Obama's term, Gazans continued to pull their dead from the rubble. Across the region, rage at Israel has grown with a Palestinian death toll that Gaza health officials and the U.N. say has inched over 1,300, at least half of them civilians. Thirteen Israelis were also killed during the offensive.<BR/><BR/>Palestinians largely see the U.S. as tilted unfairly toward Israel, and many remain pessimistic about the new administration.<BR/><BR/>"I'm sure that it's going to be the same. I never get any hope from the American side that they will give any peace for the Palestinians," said Mohammed Jabri, a physician in the West Bank town of Ramallah.<BR/><BR/>Some of Obama's views, like his stated willingness to talk to Iran, have suggested to some that U.S. policy could shift, as have more ephemeral differences like his family's ties to Islam and his race.<BR/><BR/>Others have pointed to his expressions of support for Israel and the strong Israel backers — his chief of staff and secretary of state, for example — he included in key jobs in his administration.<BR/><BR/>Obama promised to be involved in Middle East peacemaking "from day one," and he might have to deliver. Strong U.S. prodding will be necessary for a long-term arrangement to keep the peace in and around Gaza and to move Israelis and Palestinians closer to a peace agreement.<BR/><BR/>The front page of Yediot Ahronot, Israel's biggest daily newspaper, portrayed the grinning first couple over an English headline: "Good luck."<BR/><BR/>The internationally backed agreements hammered out over the past week to end the fighting remain vague, their crucial details apparently unresolved. Though Israel says it delivered a military drubbing, Hamas — which the U.S. considers a terrorist organization — is still in control of Gaza, has claimed victory and could emerge stronger.<BR/><BR/>Hedva Bar-Yohai, a 22-year-old supermarket employee in the southern Israeli town of Sderot, a favorite target for rockets from Gaza militants, said Obama would be jumping head first into the "sick bed" of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.<BR/><BR/>"He's getting a pretty shabby inheritance," she said.<BR/><BR/>Unofficially, Israel's government has been concerned that Obama might take a more detached approach, especially in comparison to the unyielding support the country received from his predecessor. But the country was enthusiastically following the lead-up to the inauguration, which pushed the Gaza fighting off the front pages for the first time since the offensive began with a massive air bombardment on Dec. 27.<BR/><BR/>"We, in our little corner, in the Middle East, in Israel, are tensely waiting to see whether you will continue the tradition of American presidents of recent generations and will view us as allies, as your forward aircraft carrier in this bloody part of the world," read an editorial in Yediot Ahronot.<BR/><BR/>Some in the Gaza Strip hope Obama will be more supportive of the Palestinians. "We hope his arrival will bring good for our people. We are optimistic and we hope that he could show sympathy toward us, more than others," said Hani Saad, 58, a tailor in Gaza City.<BR/><BR/>In Ramallah, Palestinian political analyst Ghassan Khatib said Obama would certainly be an improvement.<BR/><BR/>"The current administration has been so damaging to the Middle East, things cannot be any worse," he said. "You can't exaggerate expectations, but the little things will make a difference."<BR/><BR/>Both sides might have to wait before the new president gets around to dealing with their problems.<BR/><BR/>Obama faces more pressing issues and is likely hoping that the tentative Gaza cease-fire struck over the weekend will hold and give his administration some breathing room, said David Ricci, a political scientist at Hebrew University and an expert on U.S. politics.<BR/><BR/>"The American economy is on his mind, and I'm sure he thinks that if we in the Middle East have lived with this for 60 years we can handle it for a little while longer," he said.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28305689.post-65340312172606682352009-01-20T09:36:00.000-08:002009-01-20T09:36:00.000-08:00Hamas is a filthy terrorist organization who would...Hamas is a filthy terrorist organization who would like the world to believe they were victorious when in reality they got their butts kicked<BR/>________________________________________ <BR/><BR/>Although Israel scored a decisive battleground victory, Hamas claims its own triumph because it managed to withstand the intense Israeli assault and fired hundreds of rockets into the Jewish state throughout the fighting.<BR/><BR/>Thousands of Hamas supporters turned out to celebrate in the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis, raising their forefingers in the air as a sign of loyalty to the militant group, and waving the movement's iconic green flag. Bearded organizers in yellow vests kept the crowd in order and pro-Hamas music blared from loudspeakers.<BR/><BR/>Around 800 people showed up for a pro-Hamas demonstration in the northern Gazan town of Beit Lahiya, the site of heavy fighting.<BR/><BR/>"For us, this was a victory," said Mohammed Abu Awad, 24, a university student.<BR/><BR/>But the owner of a coffee stand near the Gaza City rally criticized the festivities.<BR/><BR/>"We can't talk about real victory because there were thousands of martyrs and we didn't liberate anything," said Jawdat Abu Nahel. "It's no time for a parade."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28305689.post-71431827211554822322009-01-19T21:22:00.000-08:002009-01-19T21:22:00.000-08:00I must respond to Carolyn Clark's Saturday letter ...I must respond to Carolyn Clark's Saturday letter to the editor headlined "Israel bears some blame in Gaza." In addition to disregarding an obvious point - Israel's right to defend its citizens against Hamas' constant rocket attacks from the south - Clark's piece reflects a total ignorance of Middle East history.<BR/><BR/>She recklessly states, "Palestinians are an occupied people and Israel is the occupier." From where does this come? In actuality, the West Bank and Gaza - which some erroneously call "occupied territory" - were part of a Jewish state since the time of David and Solomon in biblical days. It continued to be part of Greater Israel during the British Mandate over Israel from 1920 to 1948.<BR/><BR/>After the Arabs gained control of these areas in the War of 1948, Israel regained its charge of them in the Six-Day War of 1967. Since then, it has attempted to relinquish them in negotiation (as it did with Gaza in 2005). How on earth does one call Israel an occupier?<BR/><BR/>Clark has every right to submit a letter about this conflict. But she should know the history before she does it.<BR/><BR/>Rabbi Ronald D. Gerson<BR/><BR/>• Rabbi Ronald D. Gerson serves Congregation Children of Israel in Athens-Clarke County.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28305689.post-8845488372777625832009-01-19T21:15:00.000-08:002009-01-19T21:15:00.000-08:00http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsGPI_t-wkoEilat ID...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsGPI_t-wko<BR/><BR/>Eilat IDF Special Forces UnitAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28305689.post-42211193402813564732009-01-19T21:05:00.000-08:002009-01-19T21:05:00.000-08:00Anyone want to go to the woods with me? I have not...Anyone want to go to the woods with me? I have nothing to do on Wednesday. Let's go catch us some Quail:<BR/><BR/>SNL: Dick Cheney's Exit Interview With Diane Sawyer (VIDEO)<BR/><BR/>"Saturday Night Live" opened with Diane Sawyer interviewing outgoing VP Dicky Cheney. No matter what he's asked, Cheney regrets nothing.<BR/><BR/>Starting with topics like Iraq, Sawyer (Kristen Wiig) asks Cheney (Darrell Hammond) increasingly irrelevant, sympathetic questions. Cheney answers every question with a negative.<BR/><BR/> Sawyer: "We recently learned that my assistant has separated from her husband. Isn't that regrettable?<BR/><BR/><BR/> Cheney: "In my opinion, no."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28305689.post-19682241894451568692009-01-19T19:44:00.000-08:002009-01-19T19:44:00.000-08:00One of the reasons many go off the derech is becau...One of the reasons many go off the derech is because of those who failed them. For example: A child is touched by his rebbe and no one wants to get involved or believe it really happened. Or another guy wants to be loved and he is shunned by "Frum" people who always put him down because he wears jeans and a kipah srugah. Why the hostility? This just a tip of the iceberg. These two situations happened to individuals who I know and i blame the Rabbis who just watched silently and refused to get involved when they cried for help.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28305689.post-89882830359734782052009-01-19T15:32:00.000-08:002009-01-19T15:32:00.000-08:00Gaza war's outcome determined in first 4 minutesDE...Gaza war's outcome determined in first 4 minutes<BR/><BR/>DEBKAfile Exclusive Report<BR/><BR/>January 19, 2009, 9:12 PM (GMT+02:00)<BR/><BR/>The Israel air force demolished two key Hamas war systems in the first 4 minutes of its massive offensive on Gaza Saturday morning, Dec. 27, DEBKAfile's military sources report. The bombers destroyed six mosques in Gaza City which held the terrorists' biggest weapons arsenals and scores of "beehives" containing launchers primed for the simultaneous, automatic release of hundreds of powerful rockets against Israeli cities.<BR/><BR/>These launchers were rigged for precision-targeting in Israeli town centers. They were operated by a unit of 300 special Hamas operatives trained for their mission at a Syrian military bases under the instruction of Hizballah rocket specialists.<BR/><BR/>The aerial offensive knocked out 80 percent of the rockets Hamas had prepared to launch and saved Israel's southern cities. The Palestinian Islamists were left only with inferior projectiles. Therefore, 98 percent of the hundreds of missiles they managed to fire in the 22-day war missed their targets and exploded in open ground.<BR/><BR/>Answering questions about the extreme destruction wrought in Gaza and the high number of casualties – more than 1,300 - Israel commanders described combat conditions as the most complicated they had ever faced: Every second apartment building was booby-trapped and every third building concealed arms caches. Weapons were concealed under children's beds and in basements. Inside of fighting out in the open, Hamas gunmen by and large avoided engaging Israeli troops, relying on these death traps.<BR/><BR/>Monday, Jan. 19, the second day of the ceasefire, the second-echelon of the Hamas leadership emerged from their fortified bunkers after three weeks underground, claiming they had vanquished the Israeli enemy. The top leaders remained invisible. The homeless people picking their way through the rubble for their broken possessions were not exactly welcoming.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28305689.post-11929345470774706722009-01-19T14:58:00.000-08:002009-01-19T14:58:00.000-08:00Doesn't sound that bad. Tranquility Bay and Isaac ...Doesn't sound that bad. Tranquility Bay and Isaac Hersh deserved each other. <BR/><BR/>In this case too, the abuse was justified because no parent would use 2-by-4 boards, metal pipes, plastic pipes, plastic spoons and whips unless the kids deserved it.<BR/>----------------------------------<BR/><BR/>Two of the older sons disclosed the abuse to Salem Rabbi Avrohom Perlstein, who notified authorities, as well as a leader at the temple, Les Gutfreund.<BR/><BR/>"Something was off," Perlstein said during his testimony. He said he'd often ask his wife after spending time with the family if she noticed anything amiss, because "they seemed so normal."<BR/><BR/>In June, the injuries observed on the children were described in a report by Marion County Sheriff's Detective Martin Bennett: "below the ear, red in color and swollen, about the size of a person's hand."<BR/>'Something out of a horror story'<BR/><BR/>The list of weapons used to beat the children was repeated continually during trial: 2-by-4 boards, metal pipes, plastic pipes, plastic spoons and whips. A heavy, three-foot-long metal pipe and a fiberglass segment of a tent pole — long, thin and with a knotted elastic cord dangling from one end — was shown to the jury as evidence.<BR/><BR/>Sometimes, the children said, the beatings would revolve around the moods of their parents.<BR/><BR/>In her opening statement to the jury, Marion County prosecutor Sarah Morris described the children's home life as "something out of a horror story."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28305689.post-6566335212401076482009-01-19T14:21:00.000-08:002009-01-19T14:21:00.000-08:00"We reserve the right to act in Gaza," Israeli For..."We reserve the right to act in Gaza," Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni told Israeli television. "If they lift up their heads and shoot, we will return with great force because that is what you do against terror organizations."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28305689.post-21065427247314537502009-01-19T14:20:00.000-08:002009-01-19T14:20:00.000-08:00"We are still ready and capable of firing more roc..."We are still ready and capable of firing more rockets. We are developing the range of our rockets and the enemy will face more, and our rockets will hit new targets, God willing," said Abu Obeida, the spokesman for Hamas' military wing.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28305689.post-55481115841354774352009-01-19T13:45:00.000-08:002009-01-19T13:45:00.000-08:00Cortney Love's attack on Jews is preposterous. Ho...Cortney Love's attack on Jews is preposterous. How dare she insinuate that money is the essence of each and everyone of us. Does she get such an impression based on the way we cover-up rabbi on-boy child molestation?<BR/><BR/>http://www.nypost.com/seven/01162009/gossip/pagesix/loves_anti_semitic_ravings_150395.htmAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28305689.post-13138374983975457132009-01-19T13:34:00.000-08:002009-01-19T13:34:00.000-08:00Rubashkin attorney Guy Cook said Saturday in an e-...Rubashkin attorney Guy Cook said Saturday in an e-mail to The Associated Press that Rubashkin's defense team would be presenting witnesses to back up claims that Rubashkin was not a flight risk.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com