Israeli settlers took over a Palestinian home in the Muslim quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City today, evicting about 45 members of an extended family which has occupied the building for more than 70 years.

The settlers claimed to have documentation to prove they had purchased the building from the owners. The Palestinian tenants, who have been fighting attempts to evict them for many years, were challenging the takeover in court.

…

According to Mohammed Kirresh, 22, a member of the Palestinian family, “Jewish people and Israeli soldiers with weapons” came at 2am, when most of the family was at a wedding.

He said the family, which had rented the property since 1936, had won two previous court cases challenging eviction orders. He claimed the Israelis had broken furniture and damaged belongings. [Read more]

This reminds me of how Jews have been persecuted for many years. It’s not rational behavior, that after being treated a certain way for no reason, to treat others in the same way. Mostly, I speak from my experiences in America: Bigoted Jews, Mexicans who don’t like Puerto Ricans, homophobic blacks, and the list goes on and on. I come from the line of thinking of The Golden Rule, that it makes good sense to treat others as I’d like to be treated. Apparently, not everyone agrees. Turning years of persecution into reverse persecution only makes matters stickier. Yet people of all races, nationalities, etc. continue to do it.

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So what do I notice in a photo such as this?

That is one pale crowd. Look! Eric and I with one of the few non-whites at The Skepchick Party. BTW, Hemant truly is a Friendly Atheist.

So, yes, the skeptic and atheist crowds could use a few more people of color. I do realize that this could be a very expensive trip (it’s even expensive for locals) so that would subtract a large number of people of skeptics from the actual attendees at TAM. But c’mon. It’s true, a lot more women have come out and have their faces shown. But they’re still mostly white faces. Quite frankly, it was the most tolerant room full of white people I’ve ever seen.

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The Holocaust was a horrific atrocity and watershed event in human history. The meaning of the word is being distorted and demeaned in political rhetoric and casual comparisons.

Over the last few years, U.S. political discourse has been saturated with opponents accusing each other of Nazi-like policies or behavior. Most recently, it was California Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown who likened the attack ads of Meg Whitman, his Republican opponent in the race for governor, to the tactics employed by Nazi propaganda chief Josef Goebbels.

Brown later called me to say he regretted citing Goebbels. But most of the comparisons are made without apology.

Its quite sad how people can use the Holocaust as a metaphor for their measly political gain.

Last week, Sarah Palin criticized President Obama’s handling of the BP crisis in a tweet to followers recommending they read an article by Thomas Sowell that compared Adolph Hitler’s use of a financial crisis to give himself dictatorial powers to Obama’s role in creating the BP escrow fund.

Its disgusting. That’s all.

The continued misuse and trivialization of the word prompted Elie Wiesel, Nobel laureate and chronicler of the Holocaust, to discontinue using it. “Whatever mishap occurs now, they call it ‘holocaust,’” Wiesel said. “I have seen it myself in television in the country in which I live. A commentator describing the defeat of a sports team, somewhere, called it a ‘holocaust.’”

Wiesel is right. There are many injustices and manifestations of evil in our world, even in our own country, the greatest of democracies. Standing up to them is not only our right but our obligation. But that obligation does not include distorting and demeaning the word that has come to stand for the great evil that was the Holocaust.

Distorting the meaning of anything solely for your own political aspirations is lame enough as is. Let alone, the Holocaust.

Read the rest of the story.

EDIT: I posted this yesterday and didn’t have much to say about it. It sort of left me speechless. Some in my family are very conservative and are likely back up Palin. This notion crushes me. Especially since others on the opposite side of my family have died and survived through the Holocaust. I was speechless yesterday but not today. How do people like Sarah Palin and Glenn Beck not only get away with such awfully irresponsible accusations but enable it to be encouraged? From Palin’s Hitler and nazi references to Beck using MLK to support his agenda, its disgusting and unfair. The fact that there any blacks and/or Jews left in that party is baffling; allowing themselves to be used in this way for the cheap political gain or approval of some white Christian who clearly does not understand actual facts, history, or the plight of said groups. This is at least true of those who continue to defend perpetrators of such inapt metaphors. Of course, that alone may not be enough to leave a party or its philosophy.

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I just don’t get it. I partially feel as if this is all coming from a big misunderstanding but the intolerance and racism – nonetheless – is inexcusable. Did I miss the speech where Obama said he was giving Israel to someone else (as if he could)? Or the speech where Obama said he was going to bring about peace by giving into anyone?

One could easily note ‘racism isn’t only for white Christians’. If Jews are ‘white’, as I’ve been told my entire life, then so is everyone else in that region. Maybe by being in America for so many generations, you become white? No, that doesn’t make any sense. But I can’t see how you can just draw the line wherever you please.

Right in the middle of the video, a man utters “The Jewish people have always been very accommodating to people of all faiths”. How can he say that with a straight face? Where do I begin to rip that statement into shreds? Growing up, I was always told that Israel never does anything wrong and its always everyone else’s fault. Just recalling this, irks me quite a bit. It almost feels as if I’ve been lied to my whole life. I realize there may be more terrorists in the Islamic faith but Israel and Judaism is not fault-free by any means.

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Nissim Aharon, a former Defense Ministry employee convicted of severe sexual offenses, was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment by the Petah Tikva District Court as part of a plea bargain.

Aharon was convicted of rape, sodomy, indecent acts, aggravated fraudulent acquisition, making threats, forgery, using a forged document, and attempted disruption of legal proceedings.

Well, at least, some justice was delivered. Its hard to believe someone could get away with such a thing. How did he commit these heinous acts?

To this end, he would tell women that his semen is a holy liquid, and whoever comes in physical contact with him will be healed in body and soul. He even went as far as to say that it is a religious commandment to touch the body of “Rabbi Nissim Aharon.” He claimed that his holiness is transferred to others via physical contact and that it purifies them.

Its amazing how this religious nonsense can effect people. It really takes a hold of one and tears bits of rational thought limb by limb. I’m disturbed that someone would try this but I’m also pretty perturbed that women would fall for this.

People seek too hard for meaning in life. Why isn’t life in itself meaningful? Wanting a spiritual context to life is to seek out the supernatural. The way I see it, the supernatural is a mere addition to what is known. I don’t have a need to add anything on; I think nature is super enough as is.

That said, many people are constantly looking for something bigger. Sometimes, it seems to be rather a geocentric way to view life on Earth. Other times, I understand the quest. I’ve been on my own and have come to realize something very important. The natural world around is pretty damn amazing. I’m cool with that.

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Why did I start to use this term? Originally, this blog was entitle “Religion is Immoral” which was later changed and changed again. It just seemed too harsh; I want to use my real name and be a real person. I wanted something simple yet friendly. I also wanted to let visitors be aware of where I came from (religiously) as well as my cultural background. Many Christians would visit and often say things that were so out of place, oftentimes assuming I turned my back on Jesus. There is a supposed sense of Christian superiority I have encountered my entire life, whether as a Jew or an Atheist. Many former and current Christians will assume I have had some type of connection with Christianity. While it sometimes feels like one is being self-centered, it may just be their reality, as is the reality throughout much of the United States. I was raised in a Jewish community in Miami; I never heard of Jesus until much later on. (I can’t recall exactly when.) Judaism ruled the area; there are at least three synagogues in the neighborhood I grew up in. Maybe one church. So perhaps that can be a self-centered way to view life in the USA, but its all I knew.

Being raised this way, it was easy to almost never be reminded of Christianity, let alone other religions. Now, as an self-described atheist, my feelings have not changed. Whether as an Atheist or a Jew, it doesn’t matter. Its the same thing to anyone who isn’t Jewish. My minority group (in the US) is actually bigger as an atheist but am picked upon (generally speaking) more for not believing in any higher power. Though its common for Jews to not believe in god, yet while not claiming atheism for fear of the ethnic-religious group disappearing. My father once told me that being Jewish has nothing to do with belief in god or the afterlife. He was all about tradition and family (or at least acted as though). He wasn’t happy I use the term “atheist” though he was clearly one as well. As a side note: I have a half-brother (same father) who became a Christian later on. This upset my father more than my atheism.

Having the last name Schwartz with a big nose, kind of makes people assume things. And its going to happen. I’ve decided to embrace this rather than run from it. And who else will have the chutzpah to criticize Israel? Besides Jon Stewart.

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At some point, enough has to be enough. Catholics will have to make a decision as to either stay with a “church” that allows and covers up the molestation and rape of young boys and cast the current pope and priests aside in their minds as “not a real Catholics” or seek what they find in the Catholic church elsewhere.

(H/t)

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Anti-gay forces in Florida have effectively stopped entertainment industry tax incentives for movies and TV shows with gay characters. Way to lose jobs! They say it has something to do with not being “family friendly”. Last time I checked, hate was not a family value. But perhaps fear is?

I have worked in the entertainment industry quite a bit and am originally from Florida…excuse me, that’s Miami. South Florida is a whole other lifestyle than the rest of the state.

This just seems to be shooting yourself in the feet. With the economy as fragile as it is with people begging for more job creation, doesn’t make a lick of sense to remove that large part of revenue generated by the entertainment industry. This could potentially upset enough people in the entertainment industry to not go to Florida at all for Los Angeles Lite. That is, except for Kirk Cameron flicks. And I’d doubt that he’d spend 75 million on any of his projects.

“Smoking, profanity, nudity and sex are also out” meaning any portrayal of actual life as it stands is not appropriate. But it bugs me that sex orientation is defined as obscene without even having any sexual acts. Where is the line drawn? Who decides what’s profane? Are bi chicks ok? As long as they’re hot?

No doubt this will keep a lot of money out of Florida and back into California– or into Nevada, Vancouver, or anywhere else.

Smooth move, Florida lawmakers. Smooth move.

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