Posted on 01/30/2006 6:11:23 AM PST by FerdieMurphy
When asked by the media for his thoughts on the Hamas triumph in the Palestinian parliamentary elections, former President Jimmy Carter replied that while they have a terrorist past, at least they're not corrupt. One of the complaints by many in the Middle East was the corruption within the Palestinian Authority and Yasser Arafat's Fatah Party.
Arafat himself squirreled away millions of dollars from aid packages that were intended to help the Palestinian people. However, Carter's comment appears to dismiss the years of death and destruction perpetrated by Hamas on the Jewish State.
And now the fundamental-Islamic group Hamas triumphed over the ruling Fatah party on Thursday in Palestinian parliamentary polls, and it's considered by some as a political disaster that will likely extinguish any hope for peace with Israel.
Hamas won a majority in the 132-seat legislature, winning 76 seats. Fatah only won 43 seats in Wednesday's election. The victory gives Hamas the power to shape and possibly even lead the next cabinet.
One of the first statements made by the leaders of Hamas rebuffed demands to disarm and change its charter. Part of Hamas' charter is the total destruction of Israel and the establishment of an Islamic nation.
Israelis are in shock over this development and they wonder how they will be able to negotiate with these newly empowered Islamic Jihadists in their midst. It's one thing to fight terrorists living in the shadows, but quite another thing to deal with them when the are legally elected officials in a sovereign nation that borders the Israeli State.
With peace talks stalled since 2000, and Israel and Hamas bitter enemies, Israel's Interim Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is expected to unilaterally determine Israel's borders on land that the Palestinians claim as their state. Israel already pulled Jewish settlers out of the Gaza Strip and it was achieved without negotiations with the Palestinians.
Olmert, who became the Prime Minister after Ariel Sharon suffered a stroke, repeated Israel's position that peace talks could not resume unless the Palestinian Authority disarmed terrorists and paramilitary groups.
Sadly, Hamas' support by rank-and-file Palestinians is based mostly on their suicide bombings against Israel and at no time has Hamas indicated it will discontinue their terrorist acts.
A big supporter of the radical-Islamic Hamas is Iran. Iranians celebrated the victory of Hamas in the Palestinian elections as a vote by the people to “resist the Zionist regime," the official state-run news agency reported on Thursday.
Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hamid-Reza Asefi said, “Through its vote, the Palestinian nation chose the path of resistance and is loyal to this and supports it with all its might.”
Asefi said that the level of participation by the Palestinian people was a display of their determination to “fight and resist the occupiers.”
He said that Tehran sent its congratulations to “the Palestinians, the Hamas movement, all Palestinians combatants, and the great Islamic [jihad].”
He added that the Islamic Republic hoped the “powerful presence” of Hamas on the political scene of Palestine would help the Palestinians “achieve their full rights.”
Asefi lambasted the United States for its position against Hamas and said, “The American government only supports elections that secure its goals and interests.”
But, as Jimmy Carter said, at least Hamas isn't corrupt. There's some bad news and some good news for the people of Israel: the bad news is Hamas attained legitimate power within the Palestinian State; the good news is that Jimmy Carter is leaving the Middle East.
Exactly!
Now give him some slack on this, folks. He got this information channeled from a dead rabbit.
"He is the "Southern Baptist" version of Howard Dean."
No Southern Baptist I knew thought much of Possum Man's putative Christianity after suffering through the one term Carter administration was inflicted upon us.
I did hear many say Possum Man was our punishment for our sins.
My point exactly in saying that he is the "southern baptist" version of Dean. The rhetoric is the same; it's just masked behind a somewhat pleasant, placid facade.
Well ... duh!
I wasn't trying to say he was representative of southern baptists--God forbid!!! But that doesn't stop him from claiming to be.
If Hamas was not corrupt, now that it is running a government it will become instantly totally corrupt. It is how things are done properly in that part of the world. An official's first duty, regardless of paper forms and procedures is to help his family, get them employed in sinecures, get them incomes and awards. The more bureaucrats and rules there are the more that people who wish to build something or keep property or do most anything will have to get a host of officials to sign off on it. Each will require baksheesh- grease. It is an ironclad natural law and moreso in a people with a strong tribal tradition.
Actually, if he was historically literate, he could always point out the "terrorist" roots of Israel's own government.
That said, the face and voice of the Palis are now that woman who has proudly sent three of her sons to be suicide bombers.
Well a little history proves your point. When Carter was President, he seemed to be an honest man, but he was the worst president ever. Honesty does not necesarily make good leaders.
Au contraire, mon ami.
(A little French lingo there to demonstrate my lack of animosity towards little froggies.)
Jimmie and Rozalind quit the Baptist Church several years ago because they believed the church's stance on abortion was wrong. They supported the "woman's right to choose."
Jimmie said "We can't in good conscience remain members of the Baptist Church."
Of course there's far too few pinkos in the Baptist ranks to suit the socialist Kahtahs.
So, blowing up children isn't "corrupt"? Jimmah is an evil fool.
He is apparently able to feed himself and find the bathroom so his judgment probably is, indeed, just as good as it was when he was POTUS, maybe even better with the pressure of the office off him.
Thanks! I can't keep my dictators straight.
And who can forget this little weasel turning off the electric lights in the White House to prove that he was conserving energy.
America can never forget the vision of this little insignificant simpleton climbing ladders and nailing tarpaper shacks together for people who can't afford to build their own shacks.
No jimmy, they are just murdering terrorists thugs. Maybe you and ramsey clark can go over and join their movement.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.