So where was Barack Hussein Obama on Sunday? Obama's failure to show up in Paris on Sunday - or to send any senior representative - has become a really big topic.
Let's go to the videotape.
Isn't it funny how there were no 'security problems' when Obama gave his rock-star campaign speech in Berlin on July 24, 2008. Just sayin'....
Gaza has reached Berlin. This is the funeral of a Muslim who was stabbed to death by a German who was under attack by a number of Muslims. The serious stuff starts around the 2:00 mark.
After 66 years, Goebbels' secretary testifies she typed order to wipe out Jews of Berlin
After 66 years of silence, 100-year old Brunhilde Pomsel, secretary to Joseph Goebbels, admits typing up an order to wipe out the Jews of Berlin (link in French).
After 66 years of silence, Brunhilde Pomsel, the secretary of Joseph Goebbels, the Propaganda Minister of Hitler, finally speaks. Aged 100, she gave an interview to Bild in which she states, among others, have taken note of the order to murder the Jews of Berlin.
This may seem like a minor blip on the radar chart, but in an age full of Holocaust deniers and in which most of the protagonists are dead or dying, this sort of eyewitness evidence is important.
UPDATE 8:12 AM
Yisrael Medad has a further quote from her which leaves the admission intact but tries to absolve herself.
'I didn't know about the Holocaust. I was a stupid, politically uninterested little sausage of simple means. I only learned about the Jewish extermination programme after the war. Goebbels never mentioned it in his correspondence.
Israel is sort of participating in the 'gay pride' festival in Berlin in June. I say 'sort of' because like good dhimmis, Israel's participation will be entirely incognito.
Berlin Municipality invited Tel Aviv to take part in the main festival, which will be taking place ahead of the gay pride events. But the Israeli delegation decided to leave out any state symbols at the stand, as well as in any performances by Israeli artists taking part in the festival.
Thus, there will be no Israeli flags and the emphasis will be on Tel Aviv as a global city – pluralistic and liberal, which accepts members of the gay community no matter where they're from. Moreover, visitors to the festival will receive information about Tel Aviv which will include a map that highlights LGBT entertainment centers.
A source within the tourism industry told Ynet that "in the past it has been proven that the correct and smart way to 'export' Israel, especially these days, is through emphasizing brands it excels in, without using anything that symbolizes the state of Israel. Unfortunately, the Israeli flag or Star of David can cause antagonism among many."
The Tourism Ministry understands this new reality and explains: "Unfortunately, this is the smart way to market Israeli brands abroad." It should be mentioned that the ministry promotes some Israeli sites and destinations without mentioning the word Israel.
One would think that Israel would (and could) at least appeal for some credit from the gay community for being the only country in this region where gays are not the subjects of 'honor killings' just because they are gay. But sadly, that is not the case. And now that we have expediently rebranded Israel into something other than the Jewish state, we aren't even going to try to get credit for the things that we do for which other countries do get credit.
Now you all see why I was (and remain) so angry with the Foreign Ministry's Brand Israel program when it was introduced to bloggers two and a half years ago. Israel's gay community should be ashamed of itself for acceptingcreating these terms of participation.
I am an Orthodox Jew - some would even call me 'ultra-Orthodox.' Born in Boston, I was a corporate and securities attorney in New York City for seven years before making aliya to Israel in 1991 (I don't look it but I really am that old :-). I have been happily married to the same woman for thirty-five years, and we have eight children (bli ayin hara) ranging in age from 13 to 33 years and nine grandchildren. Four of our children are married! Before I started blogging I was a heavy contributor on a number of email lists and ran an email list called the Matzav from 2000-2004. You can contact me at: IsraelMatzav at gmail dot com
