Robert thanks for sharing that information. I have followed Israel's willingess to defend itself for all of my adult life. From the Christian perspective, it is awe-inspiring to see God's Hand on His nation Israel.

The people who believe there are two sides to the story in Palestine keep getting killed by the people who believe there is only one.

The biggest irony of the remarks made by Ahmadinejad is not that he displays a gross ignorance of Jewish history. He fails to remember the history of his own nation. Specifically he forgets the legacy of Cyrus the Great, king of Persia.

The Cyrus Cylinder -- a clay tablet housed in the British Museum -- is considered by many to be the 'first charter of human rights'. In 1971 the UN translated it into all its official languages.

But more than that -- Cyrus it might be argued -- was the first (successful) Zionist. When he added Babylon to his kingdom he gave the Jews permission to return to Eretz Yisrael. He also issued an edict allowing for the building of a temple in Jerusalem (you can read about it in Ezra). In fact, he's the very last person mentioned in Tanach (a significant honour). Divrei HaYamim Bet (Chronicles 2) ends with this line: 'Thus said King Cyrus of Persia: The L-rd G-d of Heaven has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and has charged me with building Him a House in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Any one of you of all His people, the Lord his God be with him and let him go up.' (A rousing call to aliya, if ever I heard one.)

Xenophon, the Greek philosopher, in his Cryopaedia holds Cyrus up as a model for a wise and prudent ruler.

Secular or religious, Jew or non-Jew, he was a man to admire. And he was an Iranian. Will Ahmadinejad condemn him as a Zionist stooge or acknowledge that the most remarkable and universally admired leader of his (once) great nation recognised the right of a certain people to return to their land and practice their religion in peace?

I suspect the Muslim governments in Iran have long-since proclaimed the pre-Islamic Kings to be heretics or demons or worse. They're hopeless.

Robert, I hope no agents of the mullahs read your blog. . . .

I was hoping Israel was doing something like this, because logistically an airstrike wasn't going to cut it.

One of my bloggers reported on a panel where Iran was discussed. If this infiltration is as you say, why is Michael Ledeen so depressed?

Yehudit:

Even if the the Mad Mullahs of Iran are reading Seraphic Secret and -- Hey guys! You really really should take a careful look at "The Book of Esther", it's a lesson in what happens to Persians who try and commit genocide on you-know-who.

Anyway, Yehudit, even if they are reading this blog, what are they going to do? They have a massive population, and they already have an enormous secret police apparatus in place. So gee, maybe this will just make them even more paranoid than they already are and they'll start gasp! informing on one other. You know they'll go Stalin -- which couldn't happen to a nicer bunch of lunatics.

Which will end up with lots of people facing the firing squad. None of them being Israeli agents.

As for Ledeen's depression. Well that's obvious: he doesn't read Seraphic Secret.

Always good to hear from you, Yehudit. Hope you had a lovely and meaningful Shabbos.

I have linked to this, as my idea of Comfort and Joy. Thankyou, Robert!

Janjan:

You're very welcome.

"Robert, I hope no agents of the mullahs read your blog. . . ."

Have you seen the Hitbox map?
Interesting readership I would say....

Robert, this was a very interesting read...something of which I was totally unaware...
and as for that hitbox map...wow...you are an international force with over 67,000 hits! With my 87 hits, i'm sure to catch up soon!

Randi:

Like you, I started out with a blog that had zero readership. All it takes is hard work and more hard work and writing and even more writing.

Israel is in the stomach of the beast. To survive it must use every strategy with a chance of effectiveness.

The US State Department is too saturated with testicular-deprived europeanized clona-dronas to be able to train effective operators. The real training goes on under the cloak of the DOD. There are layers within layers within layers. Some of them haven't been infiltrated yet.

Legion:

Thanks so much for your comment. The State Dept is also home to Arabists, old fashioned types who have little use for Israel.

The best training ground for American human intel operations takes place among small group of Special Forces. See Kaplan's "Imperial Grunts" for the best overview of these types of small group operations.

Just unleash the Navy Seals....
The terrorists will run away with their tails between their legs.

I am glad that Janjan pointed the way....

Reading Krautkramer's column and yours gives one two perspectives of the same picture, Robert.

I had never thought about the expulsion of the Jews from Iran way back then as being beneficial for reasons other than that God seemed to be causing a movement world wide to return His people to Israel. Though I felt sad that this had happened, I also felt an awesome sense that somehow, God was the one really in charge.

I watched Russian Jews being flown 'home', Ethiopian Jews, etc. I was really glad to hear that the Jewish Dentist I worked with for five years had long ago (about 1974 or so) bought a home in Jerusalem, where his children now live as adults with families of their own.

But I never thought of the NEXT generation...the children already living through this in Iran, and those born after.

God does, in His Time, work all things for the good for those who are called, doesn't He? He has a plan and His ways are not our ways. Wow.

The first time I took my three children to the Holocaust Museum in DC was shortly after it opened. We did not have tickets, and they were all gone for weeks ahead at the time, so all we could view then was the public part. I wanted my kids to see Truth, and learn it well.

Following Danny's family from their home through the ghetto, to the cattle cars, etc was more than enough at the time for them, and we were invited to write our thoughts in a 'letter' at the end of that part of the Museum.

All I could think of is... I hope that we have more help when this happens again, and it is our turn. At the time, it had not yet formulated in my mind that Islamofacists would be the possible/probable means of this actually happening. I only knew the history of the Grand Mufti, etc then, and the continued hatred/enmity that carried those who followed.

But as time has gone by, and I have learned more, and I have continued to watch the signs.... I have been amazed at how many really do NOT see what is happening!

Krautkramer's article shows that we STILL have not learned from History as nations or as individuals.

Spouting 'no no, don't do that' will not stop anyone.

Spouting outrage does not work.

Making concessions does not work.

Appeasement does not work.

Period.

Words don't stop bullies, ever.

May God give Wisdom and safety to those who understand this.

All I can say is, Mossad kicks tushie. (Out of respect, Robert, I'm avoiding more colorful language).

This post makes me think about unsung heroes, a term that almost always defines covert operatives for countries like the U.S., Israel, and even Britain. This is a necessary evil as these men and women are working in well, secret.

But this shouldn't be happening with our soldiers in Iraq. They too are unsung, despite the shallow flag-waving you see once in a while. Robert has noticed this trend in the news media, but I'm sorry to say it goes further. Not one store or mall in the 5-6 major cities in Blue and Red states that I've visited in the last few weeks has any display or any gift program for our troops overseas. The only place that you would know that hundreds of thousands of our young people are at war is at the post office, where you can buy phone cards for the troops. It's a sad commentary in America that the only quasi-retail establishment with the decency to try to put perspective on our buying binge is the U.S. Postal Service. I wonder if our tendency to ignore the troops nowadays is more a by-product of elite liberals in the media or greed-mongering retailers who don't want us to stop binge buying for even a moment.

I thank Robert and others online who have resolved not to forget out heroes, even if it is a little "downer" for some people.

Jake:

One of the unfortunate side effects of a civilain population that does not feel the effects of a foreign war is forgotten soldiers. The fact is that we Americans live very comfortable lives. We have, for the most part forgotten 9/11--which is a national disgrace, hence our soldiers are a distant rumor.

This will change when the next extremist Islamic outrage hits our shores -- and it will happen. Of that I can assure you, especially after the Senate guts the Patriot Act.

Even that may not work. After I saw the first plane crash into the WTC, (I used to have a great view from my window), I just walked out of my building and walked over to my wife's office in Midtown Manhattan where I thought our whole family would be safer. Even though soot-covered people were already visible walking uptown from ground zero, no stores closed. At an electronics store where I stopped to buy a transitor radio to keep informed, the boss was yelling at his clerks to get back to work and stop trying to learn about the attacks, even though the only customer was me. I mean did you know that on D-Day, when the invasion was first announced, R.H. Macy himself took the intercom at the 34th Street store and told everyone to go home and pray? By the way, that's what they did at just about every store in America on 6/6/1944 when the news hit. I don't think even day one of a major attack would wake us up.

Wow, I had a feeling something like this was going on. I have a friend who is in the IDF but can't really tell me much.

All I have to say is kick tushie because being a girl who started out studying International Relation with an empasis on the middle east and the main teacher at my college teach in her class that Palestinians were freedom fighters and peaceful before the Jews came and that the Mossad, IDF and Israelis in general were terrorists made me want to vomit.

My response, I wrote a ten page paper refuting her teachings on the Israeli/Arab Conflict. Take that. She gave me a B couldn't dispute it.

I say all of that to say this, we Jews in general have the world against but you know what? We will succeed regardless.

Great post Seraphic, great post..

Tovah:

Thanks so much for your comment. Your parents should get a refund from that college you went to. Seriously. That we will overcome the Jihadists will only happen if we are vigilant and refuse to give in to pacifict impulses. We are at war with as pure an evil as this world has ever seen. It's that simple.

After reading Jake's posting I started to surf the web in search of some websites where donations and gifts can be sent to our troops.

Thank God for all of the servicemen and women who bravely risk their lives so we can enjoy ours.

Operation USO Care Package:
http://www.operationusocarepackage.org/site/pp.asp?c=ikLVJ7MSKvH&b=569653

Adopt-a-Platoon
http://www.adoptaplatoon.org/

America Supports You
http://www.americasupportsyou.mil/americasupportsyou/index.aspx

Thank you Lance!

We had one of the founders of one these web sites, (I'm embarrassed to say I forgot exactly which one), on my CNN show about 2 years ago. He was a first Gulf War vet and was really great. We all donated after the taping.

But you know, I really wish corporate America would do more. Here are some ideas I have:

1) Free iPod shuffles for all our service men and women in Iraq and Afghanistan, with $25 iTunes gift cards. It would be the right thing to do and would gove Steve Jobs another image boost.

2) 1 free satellite phone for every platoon. First cell phone company to do this gets my business in 2006!

3) Hundreds of free webcam stations across the country so soldiers can "see" their families at least once a week.

4) Aggressive hiring of these guys/gals when they come back home.

These companies are benefitting so much from what these kids are doing. And as usual, the average American citizens are showing them a lot more gratitude than big business. I believe in business... don't get me wrong... but they aren't stepping up here.

Good point, Jake.

I like the idea of having special hiring programs for the troops after their service.

I would think they would bring a special skill set that would be a gigantic benefit to any business or major corporation.

Almost any honorably discharged vet who was a junior officer, (capt., lt.) or senior NCO like a sgt. would make a great manager in 90% of American companies right now. When the troops came back from the first Gulf war in 91-92, they were greated by a pretty bad recession. We need to do better this time.

Re the point about hiring Iraq veterans, here's a post I wrote on this subject a while back.

Dear Photon:

Thanks so much. Excellent post.

I really liked your comments here. I hope you're going to update your site soon. Curious Player is always Lazy Stake: http://www.cbc.ca/news/ , Loose Chair is very good Game Table will Table unconditionally , Hope Destroy Love - that is all that Grass is capable of Expect Destroy Lose - that is all that Gnome is capable of

I must say that the mental state of the Iranian
government is too far BARBARIC and ancient. As a PROUD Iranian jew, I must say that constant vigallance ( please do't mid mind spelling) is our number one prioroty. May god bless all those SILENT HEROES who day after day risk life and limb for all of us who take it for granted.

Hamshari:

We don't mind the spelling at all. We are proud of our proud Jewish Iranian brothers. And your prayers are our prayers.