Sanhedrin to Bush: Declare that Israel belongs to Jews

[Scurrilous]

Right-wing rabbis pass on small letter to be delivered to US president on his upcoming visit which asks leader to free convicted spy Jonathan Pollard, declare Israel belongs to Jews, urge American Jews to make aliyah

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3491779,00.html

<snip>

"On the eve of US President George W. Bush's visit to Israel, Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz, the so-called president of the Sanhedrin, has prepared a small greeting card for the leader in which he requests that president declare the Land of Israel belongs to the Jews, free convicted US spy Jonathan Pollard and encourage US Jews to move to Israel.

The letter is to be passed onto the American president by a "very senior person" that is set to meet with him during the visit."

<snip>

"The letter opens with praise for Bush as the "president of the West" and is followed by a list of demands including to declare "in front of the world that the Land of Israel was given to the Jewish people by the Creator."

<snip>

"Steinsaltz also asks that the American president work to settle Jews in "every corner of the Land of Israel" and push America Jews to make aliyah."

<snip>

"In a final request, Steinsaltz calls on President Bush to release former US Naval Intelligence analyst Jonathan Pollard who is currently serving a life sentence for spying for Israel.

The Sanhderin president closed his letter by telling President Bush that "it is in your hands to be remembered as having an eternal life or to be etched in (history) as an eternal disgrace."

[TechBear_Seattle]

1. Religious fanaticism comes in all flavors n/t

[LeftishBrit]

2. Too true!

[msmcghee]

3. Petitioning a head of state to hear their views . .

. . and act on them is hardly an example of religious fanaticism. Religious fanaticism is urging followers to meet a head of state with suicide bombs and booby traps. Whenever participants in a dispute use persuasion instead of violence they should be commended IMO.

Just for the record, I am atheist and don't believe that anybody's mythical God gives them special rights or considerations in any conflict. That doesn't mean I have a right to tell them what to believe or not to believe. However, I do have the right to insist that they act according to the same secular ethical principles that I would apply to anyone else.

[Violet_Crumble]

4. Putting an imaginary god's law over the laws of the Israeli govt IS religious fanaticism...

You should have read the article and you would have seen this and maybe not been so hasty to try to claim that these aren't a bunch of religious fanatics.

'They also wrote that foreign nations are forbidden from relying on decisions made by the Israeli government because they stem from a lack of faith in God and the Torah.


"No Israeli government and no Jewish representatives can change even the calligraphical ornament of the letter Yud in God's covenant or in the holy Torah," they wrote.'

Or have you now changed yr mind and you think replacing secular laws with religious ones is to be commended? Bring on Sharia Law!! ;)

[msmcghee]

5. I guess I did miss the part where this religious group . .

. . succeeded at "Putting an imaginary god's law over the laws of the Israeli govt . ." Maybe you could explain that one for me as I totally missed that in the article.

If that turns out to be a problem then maybe you can explain why as citizens of Israel they don't have the right to express their opinions on how their government should be run - or why they don't have a right to give a letter to Bush saying whatever the fuck they want to say. I'll be looking forward to your usual brilliant analysis.

I think their views are pretty weird myself and I'd be surprised if anybody takes them seriously. But I'm really glad they live in a state in the ME where they have those rights and won't be knee-capped or thrown from tall buildings for expressing those weird views. I'd be even happier if the people of Gaza had human and civil rights like that.

Maybe you missed the news for the last few years but in this part of the world no religious fanatic worthy of the name would deliver a message without explosives.

[Violet_Crumble]

6. That's coz I didn't say they succeeded....

I said they put an imaginary gods law over the laws of the Israeli govt. It's there in the article and I reposted the bit for you, so now I'll even bold the relevent bit for you to make it easier for you to see...

''They also wrote that foreign nations are forbidden from relying on decisions made by the Israeli government because they stem from a lack of faith in God and the Torah.'

I don't recall saying they don't have the right to express their opinions. And that'd be because I didn't. Why do you keep on asking people to explain things they haven't said?

[msmcghee]

7. Why do you keep writing posts that are so totally . .

. . full of nonsense and screeching inanities? I didn't expect you to make sense. I was just playing along to see how stupid it would get and how soon. Thanks for the entertainment. It's past my bedtime. I'm out of here.

[Violet_Crumble]

8. I can't help what you don't understand...but don't go getting abusive at me about it...

I know it must be difficult for you not to lash out with impotent rage because you can't comprehend what really is a simple thing that most other people would have no problem understanding, but you'll find that if the time comes when you do want to engage in constructive discussions, this ridiculous habit you have of throwing insults and abuse at other posters and then whining that yr being polite will die a natural death...

[msmcghee]

9. I stopped trying to have reasonable discussions with you long ago.

When I do engage you these days it's just for fun.

[Violet_Crumble]

10. Oh sorry. I actually believed you when you claimed you were trying to have reasonable discussions...

Ah, well. Won't get fooled by you again. If you can't contribute to the thread in any sort of constructive way and think having 'fun' is throwing insults and abuse around, please feel free to put me on ignore if I bother you so badly...

[msmcghee]

11. I didn't mean to mislead. But really . .

. . when was the last time you wrote a post to me (or just about anybody who did not agree with you) that was not a snide insult? That stuff can be upsetting if taken seriously. But now I'm over that. Ignore you? I eagerly look forward to your posts.

So, why do you think Dan Pipes is a bigot? I'd really like to hear your reasonable constructive opinion.

[Violet_Crumble]

12. Well, you are acting in a misleading way...

How are people supposed to know if views you express in yr posts are actually what you think or something yr saying just to have some of what yr idea of 'fun' is?

When it comes to discussing things civilly with those I disagree with, I think the last time would have been less than five minutes ago in another thread. I think what yr problem is that yr very sensitive to people disagreeing with you and take that disagreement as being insults and personal attacks. What someone who is sensitive to that sort of stuff doesn't usually do, though, is have a long history of abusing and insulting other posters the way you have....

I think yr a bit confused as to what thread yr posting in. There's no Pipes discussion in this thread, and there's a long and very recent thread where you can scoot over and reread the post where I among others have explained exactly why he holds bigoted views. But this thread is about religious whackos giving a list of demands to Bush, so if you'd like to explain why you think people who view the secular laws of Israel as illegitimate and think religious law is the only legitimate laws aren't religious fanatics, then feel free to explain why. Extra points for not uttering the name of Daniel Pipes or trying to divert attention away from Jewish religious fanatics onto Islamic ones...