A late report on this year’s Amren conference

Posted on September 13, 2016 by jewamongyou

Actually, the report itself wasn’t late, having been published in May, but I’m late in finding it (which I did purely by chance).

The article is by Rosie Gray of Buzzfeed, and it’s called “Inside A White Nationalist Conference Energized By Trump’s Rise.” Overall, it’s not a bad article, considering it was written by a member of the Establishment Left.

She writes:

One young alt-righter, Karl (not his real name), a twentysomething Texas man active in the Twitter community, seemed like a nice enough guy, friendly and polite. He said his favorite people to troll were Republican strategist Rick Wilson — a frequent target of alt-right trolls — and Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol. (When I later found what I’m pretty sure is his Twitter account, I found a wall of hatred directed toward “faggots” and Jews.)

The implication is that there’s an undercurrent of hate, among certain members of the AltRight directed toward certain groups, including gays and Jews. And she’s, of course, right. It’s something I myself have addressed. We need to be more civil, even when we think we’re just communicating amongst ourselves, and even when we’re posting anonymously (or semi-anonymously) online.

If some of us have been challenged in this regard in the past, it’s not too late to change. But she should have also pointed out that Amren has always accepted gays and Jews. In fact, Amren has always accepted people of ANY ethnic group or orientation, as long as they behave themselves. Also, she should have pointed out that there were several Jews in attendance.

Oh, and did I mention that I’m now famous? Okay, not exactly famous, but she did mention me:

A second man came up, bearing a gift for Taylor: a round ceramic plate, about the size of a saucer, with markings on it. He made Taylor guess what it was. Part of a pulley system, maybe? No, the gift was a tribal Ethiopian lip plate, which the man had picked up on his travels. Taylor, who has written that Africa is an “utterly alien Africa of road-side corpses, cruelty, and anarchy,” accepted it with enthusiasm.

Yep. That was me. But again, if she’s going to bring up negative things Mr. Taylor has said about Africa, she should also bring up positive things he’s said, such as how he was received in West Africa as a white advocate. Taylor (I believe it was at last year’s conference) told us how he was treated with respect in Africa, in contrast to being a pariah in the US. Perhaps she was unaware of that.

On another note, now that Trump finally has the edge over Clinton, I think we should all mentally prepare ourselves for disappointment if/when he’s actually in office. Even if (and that’s a big “if”) he has every intention to follow through with his promises regarding the ongoing invasion from Mexico, there’s only so much he can do. So let’s prepare for the worst and hope for the best.

Posted in activism | 9 Comments

Toxic Masculinity

Posted on September 7, 2016 by jewamongyou

I’m a touch-typer. But I bashed my left pinkie against a fence while doing yard work, so it hurts every time I use caps or  the letters q (ouch), a (ouch) and z (ouch). So I hope y’all appreciate this while reading this post.

A friend of mine visited Seattle recently, and brought back one of their leftist rags for my amusement. It’s called “The Stranger.”

In an article titled “She Was Getting On with Her Life Without Him, Which Made Him Jealous,” Heidi Groover cites several cases of domestic violence against women, and blames them on “Toxic Masculinity” and guns.” In fact the subheading reads:

The Shooting in Mukilteo Is the Latest Example of What Happens When Guns Meet Toxic Masculinity

The article begins:

By now, the plot points are familiar. A woman dates a man. The two break up. He’s jealous, “heartbroken,” he can’t take no for an answer. He buys a gun – or has one already. He kills her.

Groover brings up Orlando:

After the June mass shooting in a gay nightclub in Orlando, Salon’s Amanda Marcotte described toxic masculinity as a “specific model of manhood, geared towards dominance and control…

And then there’s the obligatory Trump-bashing:

It creeps into our political discourse as Republicans demand we “bomb the hell out of ISIS” and Donald Trump brags about his penis size or implies that his supporters should shoot Hillary Clinton.

Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t see the connection between (allegedly) bragging about one’s penis size and male violence. To me, it looks like she’s condemning all masculine attributes. I get the impression that Groover has a problem with males, and guns, in general.

Let’s bear these points in mind – as we compare “Toxic Masculinity” and “Toxic Islam.”

Groover may object to “bombing the hell out of ISIS,” or maybe she’s  simply citing this expression as an example of male aggressiveness. Either way, there’s little doubt she’d agree that only a small fraction of Muslims are terrorists.

I would venture to say that an even smaller fraction of men commit domestic violence – yet Groover has no problem generalizing about masculinity by calling it “Toxic Masculinity” and blaming it for a lot of what is wrong with the world.

To the best of my knowledge, there is no “Masculinity Handbook” that lays down guidelines for men.Maybe if there were, and that guidebook condoned violence against women, then we could condemn this ideology as a whole.

As it so happens, there IS a guidebook for Muslims, and it does call for violence against both non-Muslims and women*.

How convenient for Groover to bring up the Orlando massacre, and ignore the Islamic aspect of it, focusing only on the guns and the fact that the murderer was a man. If so, then let’s teach American history as follows:

Native Americans were robbed of their lands, and largely eradicated, because of males and guns. The “White Man,” per se, had nothing to do with it.

Even more ironic is that Groover attacks the only candidate who wishes to protect women from Islamic persecution. Trump doesn’t want to see American women suffer the way European women are suffering – from ongoing sexual assault by Muslim men.

But we needn’t speak only of Muslims. I wonder if Groover would blame the perpetual bloodshed among inner-city blacks on “Toxic blackness.” This would be about as valid as blaming men, in general, for violence against women.

Speaking of “Toxic blackness,” Groover writes:

More than a third of women in the United States have experienced rape, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner at some point in their lifetime, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – and those rates are higher for women of color and women who are not straight or cisgender.

Since it’s obvious that “women of color” primarily date “men of color,” then this is just another way of saying that “men of color” are more abusive to their women. The same, apparently, goes for homosexuals. In other words, what we have here is “Toxic color” and “Toxic homosexuality.”

Aside from all that, I think it’s worth pointing out that every female domestic violence victim chose her abuser over other men. Whether the two were still together at the time, or had previously separated, she chose him. I’m not saying that, because of her poor judgment in men, she deserves to be abused or killed. Not at all. But I am saying that these victims bear some responsibility in their own misfortunes – because there were plenty of kind and gentle men they could have dated. Instead, they went for the psychopaths, the “bad boys,” the gangstas and the controlling types.

*Some say that’s not what it actually means, and that such passages are “taken out of context,” but what difference does it make to us whether that’s what it means or not if many of those well-versed in Islam do interpret it this way?

 

Posted in Africa and blacks, crime and violence, examples of propaganda, feminism and men's issues, guns and gun-control, Muslims, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 1 Comment

What to do with fragments?

Posted on August 23, 2016 by jewamongyou

It’s a question I’ve grappled with for years. I’ve got a few more-or-less complete manuscript Hebrew books, but also a bundle of manuscript fragments, or severely damaged manuscript books. Their monetary value is minimal, but they’re still interesting to look at. Especially the older ones.

I’ve been thinking that some people might be willing to buy individual pages. They can have them framed and hang them on their wall. It would make a unique piece of art, or conversation piece. I would charge from maybe $2 – $5 a page plus shipping (which would be essentially the price of a postage stamp and a suitable envelope in the US.

It’s not so much that I need the money; it’s disrespectful to throw them away, and other people might value them more than I.

Here are a few samples. Please tell me what you think.

This one’s probably from Morocco. It looks like some prayers for Yom Kippur, and I’d guess it was written some time in the 19th century.

frag1

 

From Yemen. A page from the laws of oaths and vows.

frag3

From Yemen. A page from the “Taj:” The Arabic translation of the Torah by R. Sa’adyah Ga’on.

frag4

Confessions to be recited on Yom Kippur. Probably from North Africa. Maybe 100 years old.

frag5

The poetic conclusion of a (unknown) book. From Yemen.

frag6

A fairly recent Yemenite prayer for Yom Kippur.

frag7

The final page of a book on the laws of Priestly gifts. Yemen.

frag8

From Yemen. Opening page from a volume on the laws of ritual slaughter, with the commentary “Zebhah Todah.”

frag2

A random page from the Laws of Ritual Slaughter. Yemen.

frag9

Yemen. Another couple of pages from the Laws of Ritual Slaughter.

frag11

Yemen. Prayers for the night of Yom Kippur.

frag10

 

Posted in Jewish stuff and Israel | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Is mental illness a “social construct?”

Posted on August 20, 2016 by jewamongyou

If I wrote about every example of leftist stupidity I encountered, I’d have to spend all my time publishing new posts to this blog. I do have better things to do, but once in a while, I see one that’s so exceedingly ridiculous I simply can’t resist.

Lam Vo, of Vox Magazine, believes that changing nomenclature, and categorization policies, are proof that race is a “social construct.” It never occurs to him that race is a valid biological concept, but ethnicity is fluid, and often overlaps with race. Hence, the term race can have more than one meaning.

Let’s apply Vo’s reasoning to mental illness. Now one of the most commonly diagnosed mental disorders, ADHD wasn’t even officially recognized until the 1960’s. A person with those symptoms might have been diagnosed with “hyperkinetic impulse disorder” prior to that.

If you were gay prior to 1974, your sexuality would have been considered a mental illness. The term “gay” for “homosexual” didn’t even catch on until fairly recently. According to Wikipedia:

In English, some terms in widespread use have been sodomite, Sapphic, Uranian, homophile, lesbian, gay, two-spirit, same-sex attracted and homosexual. Some of these words are specific to women, some to men, and some can be used of either. Gay people may also be identified under the umbrella terms queer and LGBT.

Not all of the terms that have been used to describe same-sex sexuality are synonyms for the modern term homosexuality. The word homosexual itself had different connotations for those who used it 100 years ago to what it does today…

Kleptomania, wasn’t recognized as a bona fide mental disorder until the 19th century. Also, according to Wikipedia:

By 1890, a large body of case material on kleptomania had been developed. Hysteria, imbecility, cerebral defect, and menopause were advanced as theories to explain these seemingly nonsensical behaviors, and many linked kleptomania to immaturity, given the inclination of young children to take whatever they want. These French and German observations later became central to psychoanalytic explanations of kleptomania.

A 2013 article by Market Watch lists 15 newly recognized mental disorders for that year. We’re told:

The DSM-5, which informs the way psychiatrists prescribe drugs, comes with 15 new diagnoses—including hoarding and cannabis withdrawal—while eliminating and combining others. “Sexual aversion disorder,” for example, has been redacted from legitimate diagnoses because of “rare use and lack of supporting research,” according to the APA. (Until the 1970s, the manual listed homosexuality as a disorder.)

The nomenclature, and methodology, of psychology is more dynamic than that of racial science. If Mr. Vo considers race to be a “social construct” due to government’s, and society’s, ever changing attitudes toward it, then mental illness should definitely be a “social construct.” See above for “proof.”

Since Vox is only interested in lecturing us, not in real dialog, there is no comment option for the original article.

Posted in Aspergers and health, examples of propaganda, Race science | Tagged , , | 12 Comments

Even OMSI is Afrocentric now

Posted on August 16, 2016 by jewamongyou

My daughter and grandson have been in town visiting, and I found myself taking care of the little one so that my daughter could have a break from him. We ended up at OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry). With a few exceptions, I’ve never been fond of the place; it might be amusing to 10 year-olds, but there’s not much of interest for adults.

Since the planetarium has always been an interesting place to spend half an hour or so, I bought tickets for that show – without even paying attention to what it was going, specifically, to be about. As we waited in line, a movie was playing in a loop. It featured a black man rapping about the cosmos. After we got in, it soon became apparent that the show was nothing more than a short presentation by… you guessed it: A black man. He told us about the constellations and planets. He explained that some of the fainter stars are “unvisible” from our backyards, and how next year’s solar eclipse will travel through “Illi-noise.”

Not that I expect perfect English from everyone, but if somebody is getting paid to present to the public, his English should be pretty darn close to perfect. This guy definitely didn’t fit the bill, though I wouldn’t characterize his speech as “Ebonics.”

After the show, as we wandered around, I saw a poster featuring four or five black inventors and scientists.

It was quite obvious to me that OMSI is trying to paint a black face on science. It’s their own version of “blackface,” and I didn’t find it very funny. If notable scientists happen to be black, then by all means, give them their due. If a black musician writes a particularly catchy song about the cosmos, then by all means, let us hear it. If the best person they could find to give the presentation at the planetarium happens to be black, then so be it.

But the scientists featured in the poster were no more noteworthy than hundreds of other scientists. The rap song about the cosmos wasn’t in the least bit exceptional. As for the presenter at the planetarium, it’s obvious that his job prospects were greatly increased due to the fact that he’s black.

I, for one, am sick and tired of this science affirmative action. If OMSI is so intent on promoting blacks, rather than focusing on actual science, maybe it should move to Milwaukee.

Posted in Africa and blacks, examples of propaganda, shenanigans of the Left and of non-white activists | Tagged | 11 Comments

Update on Michael Strickland

Posted on August 8, 2016 by jewamongyou

When I took my concealed carry class recently, I also became a member of the Oregon Firearms Federation. Hence, I receive regular news articles from them. One of them concerns a matter I’ve already written about: The plight of Michael Strickland.

The Oregon Firearms Federation, and its supporters, have been defending Mr. Strickland, and have taken up a collection for his legal bills.

When journalist and Second Amendment activist Mike Strickland was attacked by a large and dangerous mob on the streets of Portland, he did what many of us would have done. He drew his lawfully concealed handgun, warned his attackers to stay back and made every effort to withdraw.
He was quickly arrested by Portland Police who were sufficiently concerned about the mob that they were in riot gear.
The mainstream and far left media were quick to pounce on the story calling Michael everything from a “counter protestor” to a “racist” to a “Trump supporter.”
The cascade of lies has not slowed down.
Strickland was initially charged with menacing and released. The following day Strickland arrived in court for an arraignment with lawyers provided by the Oregon Firearms Federation…
There, the Multnomah County DA charged him with multiple felonies and Michael was hauled off to jail with a quarter of a million dollar bail placed on him.
There is no question that his treatment by the DA and the outrageous bail were a direct result of Multnomah County realizing that they had in their custody, a person who had, for years, exposed leftist politicians for the hypocrites they are…
Because of a generous anonymous donor, Michael was released on bond, but his battle is just beginning . He has been indicted on 21 charges including multiple felonies.
His legal bills will be staggering.
Michael Strickland did nothing wrong. His actions were those of a person who legitimately feared for his life and did what any responsible person would do to defend themselves. The fact is, after being victimized by thugs on the streets of Portland, he is now being victimized by the political elite who protect thugs in Portland.
Last year, Strickland was attacked, assaulted, seriously injured and robbed by an anti-gun, left wing activist named Skye Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald made a name for himself by lying to people about an anti-gun film project he was working on claiming it would be an unbiased “documentary.” When Strickland exposed Fitzgerald, Fitzgerald attacked Strickland and assaulted him and stole his cameras.

I hope that those of y’all who can do so will contribute to this fund. I’ve already done so.

Posted in activism, guns and gun-control | 15 Comments

MSN lying by omission?

Posted on July 23, 2016 by jewamongyou

I don’t claim to know the motivations of the Munich mass-murderer Ali Sonboly. People from Muslim countries can be deranged, depressed or at their breaking point just like the rest of us.

But this much is clear: The media is in damage control/propaganda overdrive mode. MSN interviewed a witness, one  Huseyin Bayri, who tried to help the wounded. It’s obvious that they’re going out of their way to interview innocent bystanders who, specifically, are of Muslim origin. This is a known media tactic.

But look closely at the video, also found here, at second 16-17. You’ll notice that they clipped something out. Other sources state that the gunman shouted “Allahu akbar!”

Could it be that Huseyin Bayri told the reporter of this, but that portion was cut out? It wouldn’t surprise me at all.

As this endless bloodshed continues in Europe, it becomes ever more evident that the so-called “media” does not consider its job to be the disseminating of information, but rather to stem the flow of information when possible, and if not, to spin it according to their own narrative.

The German government has even gone a step further, and now prosecutes people for voicing dissent against the government’s immigration policies.

“Diversity” and freedom of speech cannot coexist for long.

Posted in examples of propaganda, freedom of speech issues, Muslims | 6 Comments

My apologies for not posting

Posted on July 20, 2016 by jewamongyou

Hi friends! It’s been a long time. You might have been wondering why I haven’t been posting. The answer is, besides the fact that the beautiful Oregon summer has arrived, that others, far more eloquent than I, have been doing a fine job saying pretty much all the things I like to say.

I keep finding gems on Youtube. For example, Black Pigeon Speaks. Here are a couple of examples of his amazing work:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dm_Vv3Q24uQ&w=560&h=315]

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxpVwBzFAkw&w=560&h=315]

And then there’s Acts7apologetics, who does a great job putting Islam in its place. For example:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YrWOQ2paaA&w=560&h=315]

In other news, I got my concealed carry permit today. Better late than never. Now I’ve got to start hitting the range and training myself. A few more classes are in order.

Speaking of concealed carry, there was an incident not long ago here in Portland. Amren reported on it. A conservative activist was voicing his opinions during a black lies matter protest in downtown Portland. Apparently, some of the protesters started harassing him, and attacking him. At some point, he pulled his gun, and he got arrested. I wasn’t there, so I don’t know exactly what happened. A reporter claimed the man (Michael Strickland) had pointed the gun at him – but I don’t trust such reporters.

I’ve been thinking about this incident, and whether Strickland was justified in brandishing his weapon. If his claims are accurate, and he was being attacked by the mob, then he was in imminent danger and he was justified. But my thought on the matter is that it might have been a better idea to use pepper spray. Just because you’re licensed for concealed carry doesn’t mean you gun should be your first solution. If pepper spray will do the trick, then use that first. If things escalate, and lethal force must be used, then brandish your gun.

One of the handouts I got from the required handgun class deals with “Stand Your Ground.” It announces:

On March 29 2007, the Oregon Supreme Court ruled that Oregonians have no “duty to retreat” when faced with a violent confrontation.

This is not to say that it’s always a good idea to “stand your ground,” but in certain situations, this would be the best option. For example, when your assailants may be able to outrun you and attack you from behind as you retreat, or when retreating might send a bad message. In Strickland’s case (according to his account), it would send a message of cowardice and weakness vis a vis the black lies matter movement.

I would have loved to have joined Strickland on that day, but I didn’t know about it, and it was probably a workday for me anyway.

Posted in Uncategorized | 5 Comments

Confusion in the West Bank

Posted on July 5, 2016 by jewamongyou

I lived in Israel for 12 years, and returned to visit only twice. That was a long time ago. On one of those visits, I decided to reconnect with a close friend. He, along with his family, lived in Kiryat Arba, the largest Jewish settlement in the West Bank.

Back when I lived in Jerusalem, I’d visit this friend frequently, so Kiryat Arba was almost like a second home to me for a while. Hence, the recent news of a 13 year-old girl’s murder, in Kiryat Arba, sent shivers up my spine and gave me nightmares. How could the citizens of Kiryat Arba have let this happen? Have they allowed their security to become lax over the years?

The last time I was in Kiryat Arba, my friend had to do some shopping in nearby Hebron. Of course, this was done at the suq (Arab marketplace). When we were done, my friend had to interact with an Arab from the window of his car, and he did so with such hatred and contempt that it made me squirm. I’d seen this before from other Israelis. I couldn’t help but wonder what they hoped to accomplish through this behavior. Maybe it was to avoid any signs of what might be perceived as weakness. What we Westerners consider common courtesy and respect can be construed as an invitation to be taken advantage of in the Middle East.

But still, I could never bring myself to treat a stranger this way. For all I know, he could have been Islam al-Bayed. He and his wife stopped to rescue an Israeli family trapped in their car after a terrorist attack. What if one of the rescued children grows up, treats a random Palestinian like shit – and then finds out that the target of his disdain was the same man who saved his life years earlier? How would he feel then?

That’s why I’ve always maintained that it’s best to be nice to people (in most situations) unless you have specific reason not to be.

Blanket hatred for Arabs is the norm in the settlements, or at least it was when I was there. I know that the hatred is reciprocated by the Arabs. This is one reason I no longer call Israel “home.” I could never bring myself to hate Arabs. A couple of times I even rebelled against such hatred.

I’m not saying that such hatred doesn’t serve a purpose; it can help reduce miscegenation, and it can remind people to be wary. But there must be a middle ground, where boundaries are respected, but so are people.

Psychologically speaking, it’s a lot easier to lump all Arabs together and to hate them all. This is especially true when you’re constantly threatened by surrounding Arabs, constantly hearing Arab propaganda against you, and sometimes losing a loved one to Arab terrorism. This is why I’m not so quick to judge the Jews of Kiryat Arba. On the other hand, It’s a sad state of affairs.

These must be trying times for what remains of the family saved by Islam al-Bayed. They grieve for their husband/father. They’re angry at those who attacked them, and those who encourage such attacks. But they must also be grateful to the Arab who saved them. Their world view is now challenged*, and they can no longer be psychologically lazy. Every time they’re tempted to hate all Arabs, they’ll remember al-Bayed. Personal growth could spring from such confusion.

*Assuming, of course, that they’re like so many other Jewish settlers.

Posted in Jewish stuff and Israel | 25 Comments

For Aryeh

Posted on July 4, 2016 by jewamongyou

I haven’t been posting much, partly due to the fact that it’s summer here, and there are few places on Earth as good to be as Oregon during the summer. But also because I’ve been busy with social stuff, such as friends and family.

One such individual, who counts as both friend and family, is Aryeh. I promised him I’d dedicate a post to him.

Firstly, I’d like to congratulate the UK for their effort in turning the tide against imperialism, and voting to secede from the abomination called the “European Union.” I hope they don’t give in to pressure from the Establishment Left and have another referendum. I also hope they follow up and do what is absolutely necessary to save their countries: Expel as many foreigners as possible and curtail their birthrates. Demographics is destiny, and a people cannot control its own destiny (cannot have self-determination) if it’s dominated by foreigners. Find a place in Africa, or Asia, that will take them and relocate the foreign masses. If that doesn’t work, then mandatory sterilization should be implemented. Is this cruel and inhumane? Perhaps, but the blame should be laid at the feet of the Establishment Left, which brought about this sad state of affairs to begin with.

Secondly, I’d like to ridicule that same Establishment Left for allowing thousands of potentially violent Muslims into the US, doing everything they could to disarm law-abiding Americans – and then having the audacity to blame gun-rights people for the massacre in Orlando, which was perpetrated by a gay-hating Muslim, a product of their own insane immigration policies.

On the topic of Muslims, I found some very well-done (if somewhat vulgar) animations on Youtube about Islam:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQBgrUObbHw&w=560&h=315]

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJAL6xgViqg&w=560&h=315]

The normal response to such accusations against Islam involves citing their behavior in the West, and quoting Qur’anic verses that contradict such accusations. But I say let’s ignore all that; let’s judge Muslims (and other religions/demographics) by what they do when they’re in charge. Let’s judge them by actions that are sanctioned by Islamic organizations (within majority Muslim countries) and authorities.

Posted in immigration/ Hispanics, Muslims, pan-nationalism and multi-culturalism | 4 Comments