Free Republic

Israel is the only liberal democracy in the Middle East and North Africa. Eight million Israelis are surrounded by some 400 million Muslims in more than 20 states. Almost all of Israel's neighbors are anti-Israeli dictatorships, monarchies or theocracies-- a number of them reduced to a state of terrorist chaos. Given the rise of radical Islam, the huge petrodollar wealth of the Middle East and lopsided demography, how has Israel so far survived? The Jewish state has always depended on three unspoken assumptions for its tenuous existence. First, a democratic, nuclear Israel can deter larger enemies. In the Cold War,...

Twitter comments by Iran’s President boasting victories over the idiot countries of the world got me thinking. What if Hitler could have tweeted his thoughts after his conference with Chamberlain at Munich? Hmmm. Perhaps he would have said something like hashtag/Peace in our time. Sure, Right, LOL, or hashtag/Gotta love those Brits. Or maybe hashtag/Look out Jews ☺. However, I was quickly plagued by the thought that had Hitler tweeted his intent, would the world have cared or paid attention? Judging from the reaction to Iran’s tweets, apparently not. Hashtag/Oh those Mullahs, what kibitzers! I will refrain from Brits-bashing in...

Anticipating a Baby by Ari Bussel A woman in labor is on a hospital bed, surrounded by teams of doctors and nurses. Outside, the hospital is overtaken by family members and pre-screened well-wishers. It seems the who’s who of the global scene have assembled in anticipation. Throngs of reporters line the entrances to the hospital and beyond them police barricades and security forces. Excitement is in the air. The world, it seems, is holding its breath, awaiting the arrival of the soon-to-be-born. Champagne bottles are chilled and banners raised everywhere. The scripts have been written. Crews are assembled in strategic...

Jewish Life, Cheap! On Sale Now by Norma Zager and Ari Bussel “It is easy to hate and it is difficult to love. This is how the whole scheme of things works. All good things are difficult to achieve; and bad things are very easy to get…” Rene Descartes I am always astounded by the lack of value placed on a Jewish life. The fires raging in Israel are once again a reminder of the wholesale insignificance of Jewish blood in the global economy. The candles of our own Menorahs, now lit during Chanukah, remind us the efforts to destroy...