Pirate's Cove

So, I have been listening on the radio while taking a shower, then on the boobtube, to Obama’s speech at the AIPAC. A few thoughts occur

1. Getting beyond the fact that I detest him politically (not personally, mind you, since I do not know him), a pretty good start to the speech (‘cept a few parts)
2. It is heavy on supporting Israel against the Islamists and Iran. I have to believe that the Nutroots and other lefties who are major Israel haters were booing Obama during most of the speech
3. He has ditched the grandfather and “uncle” going in to the death camps story, substituting one which is about Eisenhower

Updating the post to split the thoughts about the early speech from when I was sorta live blogging it

• “Iraq was never a threat, but Iran was, and has become worse.” Pardon me, but, does Obama not remember that he wants to meet with the President of Iran with no pre-conditions? Also, Barack apparently forgot that Iraq paid families $25K to become suicide bombers in Israel
• He says it was a mistake to allow Hamas to participate in the elections in the Palestinian area. Perhaps so, but, can one try and start a democracy action if not all are allowed?
• All the ills of the middle east are Bush’s fault. No, I am not exagerating, that is what he was saying.
• Hinted that Bush blocked talks between Syria and Israel. Got proof?
• Talking about the great and real danger from Iran, it’s Bush’s fault that Ahmadinejad was elected pres of Iran. Obama refuses to follow a policy that has made Israel and America less secure. Now he is talking about retreat and defeat, he says he will do everything in his power to stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapon. I guess anything means more talks, and he just completely dissed the EU countries by saying we “outsourced piecemeal to European partners” and that it has failed completely.

I don’t see anyone liveblogging the speech, but, I’ll see if I can find someone, and post a text of the speech later. Real Lifeâ„¢ calls!

More: Obama’s full speech is available at the Missiah’s website. Yeah, I know, but, no inclination to peck and hunt. And, actually, he did not drop the grandfather and uncle stories (was shampooing at the time :)), but, seems as if he got it right this time, and worked BOTH in!

I also learned about the horror of the Holocaust, and the terrible urgency it brought to the journey home to Israel. For much of my childhood, I lived with my grandparents. My grandfather had served in World War II, and so had my great uncle. He was a Kansas boy, who probably never expected to see Europe – let alone the horrors that awaited him there. And for months after he came home from Germany, he remained in a state of shock, alone with the painful memories that wouldn’t leave his head.

You see, my great uncle had been a part of the 89th Infantry Division – the first Americans to reach a Nazi concentration camp. They liberated Ohrdruf, part of Buchenwald, on an April day in 1945. The horrors of that camp go beyond our capacity to imagine. Tens of thousands died of hunger, torture, disease, or plain murder – part of the Nazi killing machine that killed 6 million people.

When the Americans marched in, they discovered huge piles of dead bodies and starving survivors. General Eisenhower ordered Germans from the nearby town to tour the camp, so they could see what was being done in their name. He ordered American troops to tour the camp, so they could see the evil they were fighting against. He invited Congressmen and journalists to bear witness. And he ordered that photographs and films be made. Explaining his actions, Eisenhower said that he wanted to produce, “first-hand evidence of these things, if ever, in the future, there develops a tendency to charge these allegations merely to propaganda.”