Today is Columbus Day and the holiday is observed on the second Monday in October by a joint resolution in Congress on April 30, 1934, modified in 1968 (36 U.S.C. 107), has requested the President proclaim the second Monday of October of each year as Columbus Day. In order to mark this federal holiday, Macon Media has included videos, including a documentary and parades by Italian-Americans, and a Presidential Proclamation marking the day and celebrating the discovery of the Americas and the heritage and culture of Italian-Americans.
A Proclamation on Columbus Day, 2021
More than 500 years ago, after securing the support of Queen Isabella I and King Ferdinand II, Christopher Columbus launched the Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria from the coast of Spain in 1492. While he intended to end his quest in Asia, his 10-week journey instead landed him on the shores of the Bahamas, making Columbus the first of many Italian explorers to arrive in what would later become known as the Americas.
Many Italians would follow his path in the centuries to come, risking poverty, starvation, and death in pursuit of a better life. Today, millions of Italian Americans continue to enrich our country’s traditions and culture and make lasting contributions to our Nation — they are educators, health care workers, scientists, first responders, military service members, and public servants, among so many other vital roles.
Today, we also acknowledge the painful history of wrongs and atrocities that many European explorers inflicted on Tribal Nations and Indigenous communities. It is a measure of our greatness as a Nation that we do not seek to bury these shameful episodes of our past — that we face them honestly, we bring them to the light, and we do all we can to address them. For Native Americans, western exploration ushered in a wave of devastation: violence perpetrated against Native communities, displacement and theft of Tribal homelands, the introduction and spread of disease, and more. On this day, we recognize this painful past and recommit ourselves to investing in Native communities, upholding our solemn and sacred commitments to Tribal sovereignty, and pursuing a brighter future centered on dignity, respect, justice, and opportunity for all people.
In commemoration of Christopher Columbus’s historic voyage 529 years ago, the Congress, by joint resolution of April 30, 1934, and modified in 1968 (36 U.S.C. 107), as amended, has requested the President proclaim the second Monday of October of each year as “Columbus Day.” Today, let this day be one of reflection — on America’s spirit of exploration, on the courage and contributions of Italian Americans throughout the generations, on the dignity and resilience of Tribal Nations and Indigenous communities, and on the work that remains ahead of us to fulfill the promise of our Nation for all.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim October 11, 2021, as Columbus Day. I direct that the flag of the United States be displayed on all public buildings on the appointed day in honor of our diverse history and all who have contributed to shaping this Nation.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
eighth day of October, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-one, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-sixth.
JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.
Bronx Columbus Day Parade 2021
San Francisco Celebrate Columbus Day at the Italian Heritage Parade
The Real Life Of Christopher Columbus | The Secrets And Lies Of Columbus | Timeline
Columbus First Voyage 4 minute version
Christopher Columbus' First Letter After Discovery of America // 1493 Primary Source
Courage and Conviction: The True Story of Christopher Columbus
Courage and Conviction: The True Story of Christopher Columbus is a thorough examination of the life and legacy of the fearless discoverer of America. This film, co-produced by the Knights of Columbus and the National Columbus Education Foundation with narration by Chazz Palminteri premiered nationally on EWTN-TV this Columbus Day Weekend, provides insight into Christopher Columbus' remarkable genius as a sea navigator as well as his deep desire to bring all nations to Christ. Through expert interviews and archival footage, we look at the origins of Columbus Day and the symbolic role that Columbus has for Catholic immigrants, especially Italian Americans. Finally, the film addresses the current indictments against Christopher Columbus with boldness and exposes the motive behind the attacks of revisionist historians. This film shows why Christopher Columbus remains not only a man worthy of admiration, but a noble icon of what it means to be a Catholic and an American.
About the Knights of Columbus
The Knights of Columbus is one of the world's leading fraternal and service organizations, with 2 million members in more than 16,000 parish-based councils. During the past year, Knights around the world donated more than 77 million service hours and $187 million for worthy causes in their communities. The organization also offers extensive life insurance services to members and their families, resulting in more than $114 billion of life insurance in force. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors offers investment services to individuals and institutions in accord with Catholic social teachings. From helping children in need, to providing wheelchairs for the disabled, to helping stock food banks, to offering top-rated and affordable insurance products to its members, the Knights of Columbus has supported families and communities for more than 138 years.
About the National Columbus Education Foundation
The National Columbus Education Foundation was organized to conduct and distribute research, studies and analysis relating to Christopher Columbus. Comprised of members from all major national Italian-American organizations — Columbus Citizens Foundation, the Italian Sons and Daughters of America (ISDA), the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF), the Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America (OSDIA), and UNICO National — the Foundation intends to develop policy solutions and proposals to address the preservation of Columbus Day with an emphasis on correcting the false narrative surrounding the famed explorer. For more information, visit www.knowcolumbus.org.
CROWDFUNDING OR DAY SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
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Columbus Day is a public holiday in many parts of the United States that honors the achievements of Christopher Columbus, and for some, celebrates Italian-American heritage.
It was in August, 1492 that Columbus and 90 hopeful crewmen boarded the Niña, Pinta and Santa Maria, and boldly set sail to find a quicker route to the prosperous Chinese trade markets.
Imagine for a minute, embarking on a journey in uncharted waters to unknown lands with no GPS system. In fact, the only navigational tools used by Columbus and his crew were rudimentary at best and used to measure the angle between objects above the ocean such as the stars or the sun.
It was not the treasures of China that Columbus discovered on October 12, but rather the shores of the Bahamas – although an accident, the discovery marked the first intertwining of Europe with the Americas, which led to the establishment of European colonies in the New World. It also proved that our globe was much larger than even Columbus had imagined.
The first Columbus Day celebration on record occurred on October 12, 1792, when a ceremony organized by the Columbian Order was held in New York City honoring the 300th anniversary of his landing in the Bahamas. In 1892, President Benjamin Harrison helped make the holiday official with this proclamation, “recommending to the people the observance in all their localities of the 400th anniversary of the discovery of America…” and describing Columbus as “the pioneer of progress and enlightenment.” In 1971, Columbus Day was designated as the second Monday in October as well as a federal holiday.
It should be noted that controversy surrounding Christopher Columbus, as the ‘first person’ to discover the Americas, has existed since the 18th century. So, while most states celebrate Columbus Day as an official state holiday, others mark it as a ‘Day of Observance’ and two states do not recognize it at all.
San Francisco still claims the oldest continuously existing celebration with the Italian-American community’s annual Columbus Day Parade, established in 1868, while New York boasts the largest. No matter where you live or how you plan to celebrate today, you may want to take a moment to reflect on the courage and adventurous spirit of Columbus and his crew.
A briefing from the History Channel on the story behind the holiday we celebrate today:
A flag raising ceremony in Union County, New Jersey:
And, a Columbus Day Parade that took place last year in a Boston community:
I've been neglecting my duties as a member of the Counterjihad for far too long. To begin my effort to correct that error, I have decided to restart blogging about the danger the West faces and I can think of no better way to do than by embedding a copy of ISLAM - What the West needs to know. You may purchase a copy at Amazon.
ISLAM - What the West Needs to Know (An examination of Islam, violence, and the fate of the non-Muslim world)
Main Idea
Virtually every major Western leader has over the past several years expressed the view that Islam is a peaceful religion and that those who commit violence in its name are fanatics who misinterpret its tenets. This claim, while widely circulated, rarely attracts serious public examination. Relying primarily on Islam's own sources, this documentary demonstrates that Islam is a violent, expansionary ideology that seeks the destruction or subjugation of other faiths, cultures, and systems of government.
Content
The documentary consists of original interviews, citations from Islamic texts, Islamic artwork, computer-animated maps, footage of Western leaders, and Islamic television broadcasts. Its tone is sober, methodical, and compelling.
Outline of the Documentary
Introduction
We hear from prominent Western leaders that Islam is peaceful and that those who commit violence in its name are heterodox fanatics.
Part 1 'There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is his Prophet'
Our interviewees affirm their belief that Islamic violence is entirely orthodox behavior for Muslims and stems directly from the teachings and example of the Prophet Muhammad and the commands of the Koran. We learn that the example of Muhammad is one of a violent warlord who killed numerous people. The Koran -- the verbatim words of Allah -- prescribes violence against non-Muslims and Muhammad is the perfect example of the Koran in action.
Part 2 The Struggle
We learn that jihad, while literally meaning 'struggle', in fact denotes war fought against non-Muslims in order to bring the rule of Islamic law to the world. Violent death in jihad is, according to the Koran, the only assurance of salvation. One of our interviewees tells of his personal involvement in terrorism and his leaving Islam.
Part 3 Expansion
Following the death of Muhammad, his 'rightly-guided' successors carried his wars to three continents, fighting, enslaving, and massacring countless Christians, Jews, Zoroastrians, Hindus, and others. Islam did not spread through evangelism or through its natural appeal, but through aggressive wars of conquest. The Crusades were largely a belated response on the part of Christian Europe to rescue Christians in the Holy Land suffering under Muslim oppression. The Muslim world today, while no longer the unified empire of the Caliphs, is exceptional for being responsible for the vast majority of conflicts around the world and for almost all of international terrorism.
Part 4 'War is Deceit'
A great problem with Western efforts to understand Islam is due to the Islamic principle of 'religious deception', which enjoins Muslims to deceive non-Muslims in order to advance the cause of Islam. Muslim groups today in the West employ deception and omission to give the impression that 'Islam is a religion of peace', an utter fiction.
Part 5 More than a Religion
The most important characteristic of Islam not understood by the West is that it is more a system of government than a personal religion. Throughout its history, Islam has never recognized a distinction between the religious and the secular/political. Islamic law governs every aspect of religious, political, and personal action, which amounts to a form of totalitarianism that is divinely enjoined to dominate the world, analogous in many ways to Communism.
Part 6 The House of War
Islamic theology divides the world into two spheres locked in perpetual combat, dar al-Islam (House of Islam - where Islamic law predominates), and dar al-harb (House of War - the rest of the world). It is incumbent on dar al-Islam to fight and conquer dar al-harb and permanently assimilate it. Muslims in Western nations are called to subvert the secular regimes in which they now live in accordance with Allah's command. Due to political correctness and general government and media irresponsibility, the danger posed by observant Muslims in the West remains largely unappreciated.
In this August 2004 video lecture from UCTV, military historian Victor Davis Hanson (aka VDH among the conservative blogosphere) steps back from the current conflicts in the Middle East and examines them from the perspective of classical conceptions of war. He displays his encyclopedic knowledge of military conflicts throughout history and provides many thought-provoking reflections on the current state of affairs in Iraq, Israel, and the rest of the Middle East...
My favorite part is where VDH demolishes the final question from a delusional pro-Palestinian student. See that part imediately below:
Victor Davis Hanson is a prolific columnist as well as a professor and farmer. Here is where you can read some of his works:
I have been slack in my duty of posting about the progress of World War IV on this blog because I have been distracted by other things the past couple of years. Well, I am beginning to correct that. This video is a refresher course for those who've forgotten the enemy we've been fighting and why we must win this fight.
Over the course of the next few weeks, I'll be posting more of the same type of material, and will be welcoming a couple of guest bloggers who will have even more to say on the subject, so stay tuned...
The Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, spoke before the US Congress yesterday. I have embedded both the video and a transcript for those who missed it.
See the full speech on You Tube. Embedding of the full speech is not available at this time. (I will embed it at the earliest opportunity) **6.59am** fixed. The original uploader disabled embedding by accident.
**7.10pm** I've added an MP3 file for those who can't stream video. I have included a download link so that you can listen at your leisure.
Vice President Biden, Speaker Boehner, distinguished senators, members of the House, honored guests, I'm deeply moved by this warm welcome, and I'm deeply honored that you've given me the opportunity to address Congress a second time.
Mr. Vice President, do you remember the time that we were the new kids in town? (Laughter, applause.) And I do see a lot of old friends here, and I see a lot of new friends of Israel here as well -- Democrats and Republicans alike. (Applause.)
Israel has no better friend than America, and America has no better friend than Israel. (Applause.) We stand together to defend democracy. We stand together to advance peace. We stand together to fight terrorism. Congratulations, America. Congratulations, Mr. President: You got bin Laden. Good riddance! (Cheers, applause.)
In an unstable Middle East, Israel is the one anchor of stability. In a region of shifting alliances, Israel is America's unwavering ally. Israel has always been pro-American. Israel will always be pro-American. (Applause.)
My friends, you don't have to -- you don't need to do nation- building in Israel. We're already built. (Laughter, applause.) You don't need to export democracy to Israel. We've already got it. (Applause.) And you don't need to send American troops to Israel. We defend ourselves. (Cheers, applause.)
You've been very generous in giving us tools to do the job of defending Israel on our own. Thank you all, and thank you, President Obama, for your steadfast commitment to Israel's security. I know economic times are tough. I deeply appreciate this. (Applause.)
Some of you have been telling me that your belief has been reaffirmed in recent months that support for Israel's security is a wise investment in our common future, for an epic battle is now under way in the Middle East between tyranny and freedom. A great convulsion is shaking the earth from the Khyber Pass to the Straits of Gibraltar.
The tremors have shattered states. They've toppled governments. And we can all see that the ground is still shifting.
Now, this historic moment holds the promise of a new dawn of freedom and opportunity. There are millions of young people out there who are determined to change their future. We all look at them. They muster courage. They risk their lives. They demand dignity. They desire liberty. These extraordinary scenes in Tunis, in Cairo, evoke those of Berlin and Prague in 1989. Yet, as we share their hopes --
You know, I take it as a badge of honor, and so should you, that in our free societies you can now protest. You can't have these protests in the farcical parliaments in Tehran or in Tripoli. This is real democracy. (Cheers, applause.)
So as we share the hopes of these young people throughout the Middle East and Iran, that they'll be able to do what that young woman just did -- I think she's young; I couldn't see quite that far --(laughter) -- we must also remember that those hopes could be snuffed out, as they were in Tehran in 1979. You remember what happened then.
The brief democratic spring in Tehran was cut short by a ferocious and unforgiving tyranny. And it's this same tyranny that smothered Lebanon's democratic Cedar Revolution and inflicted on that long- suffering country the medieval rule of Hezbollah.
So today the Middle East stands at a fateful crossroads. And like all of you, I pray that the peoples of the region choose the path less traveled, the path of liberty. (Applause.)
No one knows what this path consists of better than you.
Nobody. This path of liberty is not paved by elections alone. It's paved when governments permit protests in town squares, when limits are placed on the powers of rulers, when judges are beholden to laws and not men, and when human rights cannot be crushed by tribal loyalties or mob rule. Israel has always embraced this path in a Middle East that has long rejected it. In a region where women are stoned, gays are hanged, Christians are persecuted, Israel stands out. It is different. And this was seen -- (applause) -- thank you.
There was a great English writer in the 19th century, George Eliot. It's a she; that was a pseudonym in those days. George Eliot predicted over a century ago that, once established, the Jewish state -- here's what she said: "The Jewish state will shine like a bright star of freedom amid the despotisms of the East." Well, she was right.
We have a free press, independent courts, an open economy, rambunctious parliamentary debates -- (laughter) -- now, don't laugh -- (laughter) -- ah, you see? You think you're tough on another -- on one another here in Congress? Come spend a day in the Knesset. Be my guest! (Laughter, applause.)
Courageous Arab protesters are now struggling to secure these very same rights for their peoples, for their societies. We're proud in Israel that over 1 million Arab citizens of Israel have been enjoying these rights for decades. (Applause.) Of the 300 million Arabs in the Middle East and North Africa, only Israel's Arab citizens enjoy real democratic rights. (Applause.) Now, I want you to stop for a second and think about that. Of those 300 million Arabs, less than one-half of 1 percent are truly free, and they're all citizens of Israel. (Applause.)
This startling fact reveals a basic truth: Israel is not what is wrong about the Middle East; Israel is what's right about the Middle East. (Applause.)
Israel fully supports the desire of Arab peoples in our region to live freely. We long for the day when Israel will be one of many real democracies in the -- in the Middle East.
Fifteen years ago, I stood at this very podium. By the way, it hasn't changed. (Laughter.) I stood here and I said that democracy must start to take root in the Arab world. Well, it's begun to take root, and this beginning holds the promise of a brilliant future of peace and prosperity, because I believe that a Middle East that is genuinely democratic will be a Middle East truly at peace.
But while we hope for the best and while we work for the best, we must also recognize that powerful forces oppose this future. They oppose modernity. They oppose democracy. They oppose peace.
Foremost among these forces is Iran. The tyranny in Tehran brutalizes its own people. It supports attacks against Americans troops in Afghanistan and in Iraq. It subjugates Lebanon and Gaza. It sponsors terror worldwide.
When I last stood here, I spoke of the consequences of Iran developing nuclear weapons. Now time is running out. The hinge of history may soon turn, for the greatest danger of all could soon be upon us: a militant Islamic regime armed with nuclear weapons.
Militant Islam threatens the world. It threatens Islam.
Now, I have no doubt -- I'm absolutely convinced -- that it will ultimately be defeated. I believe it will eventually succumb to the forces of freedom and progress. It depends on cloistering young minds for a given amount of years, and the process of opening up information will ultimately defeat this movement. But like other fanatacisms that were doomed to fail, militant Islam could exact an horrific price from all of us before its eventual demise.
A nuclear-armed Iran would ignite a nuclear arms race in the Middle East. It would give terrorists a nuclear umbrella. It would make the nightmare of nuclear terrorism a clear and present danger throughout the world.
See, I want you to understand what this means, because if we don't stop it, it's coming. They could put a bomb anywhere. They could put it in a missile; they're working on missiles that could reach this city. They could put it on a -- on a ship inside a container; could reach every port. They could eventually put it in a suitcase or in a subway.
Now, the threat to my country cannot be overstated. Those who dismiss it are sticking their heads on the stand. Less than seven decades after 6 million Jews were murdered, Iran's leaders deny the Holocaust of the Jewish people while calling for the annihilation of the Jewish state. Leaders who spew such venom should be banned from every respectable forum on the planet. (Applause.)
But there's something that makes the outrage even greater. Do you know what that is? It's the lack of outrage, because in much of the international community, the call(s) for our destruction are met with utter silence. It's even worse because there are many who rush to condemn Israel for defending itself against Iran's terror proxies. Not you. Not America. (Applause.)
You've acted differently. You've condemned the Iranian regime for its genocidal aims. You've passed tough sanctions against Iran.
History will salute you, America. (Applause.)
President Obama has said that the United States is determined to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. The president successfully led the Security Council at the U.N. to adopt sanctions against Iran. You in Congress passed even tougher sanctions.
Now, these words and deeds are vitally important, yet the ayatollah regime briefly suspended its nuclear program only once, in 2003, when it feared the possibility of military action. In that same year, Moammar Gadhafi gave up his nuclear weapons program, and for the same reason. The more Iran believes that all options are on the table, the less the chance of confrontation. (Applause.) And this is why I ask you to continue to send an unequivocal message that America will never permit Iran to develop nuclear weapons. (Applause.)
Now, as for Israel, if history has taught the Jewish people anything, it is that we must take calls for our destruction seriously.
We are a nation that rose from the ashes of the Holocaust. When we say never again, we mean never again. (Applause.) Israel always reserves -- (applause) -- Israel always reserves the right to defend itself. (Applause.)
My friends, while Israel will be ever-vigilant in its defense, we'll never give up our quest for peace. I guess we'll give it up when we achieve it. (Applause.) Because we want peace. Because we need peace. Now, we've achieved historic peace agreements with Egypt and Jordan, and these have held up for decades.
I remember what it was like before we had peace. I was nearly killed in a firefight inside the Suez Canal -- I mean that literally -- inside the Suez Canal.
And I was going down to the bottom with a 40-pound pack -- ammunition pack -- on my back, and somebody reached out to grab me.
And they're still looking for the guy who did such a stupid thing. (Laughter.) I was nearly killed there. And I remember battling terrorists along both banks of the Jordan.
Too many Israelis have lost loved ones, and I know their grief. I lost my brother. So no one in Israel wants a return to those terrible days.
The peace with Egypt and Jordan has long served as an anchor of stability and peace in the heart of the Middle East. (Applause.) And this peace -- this peace should be bolstered by economic and political support to all those who remain committed to peace. (Applause.) The peace agreements between Israel and Egypt and Israel and Jordan are vital, but they're not enough. We must also find a way to forge a lasting peace with the Palestinians. (Applause.)
Two years ago, I publicly committed to a solution of two states for two peoples -- a Palestinian state alongside a Jewish state.
(Applause.) I'm willing to make painful compromises to achieve this historic peace. As the leader of Israel, it's my responsibility to lead my people to peace. (Applause.)
Now, this is not easy for me. It's not easy, because I recognize that in a genuine peace, we'll be required to give up parts of the ancestral Jewish homeland. And you have to understand this: In Judea and Samaria, the Jewish people are not foreign occupiers. (Cheers, applause.)
We're not the British in India. We're not the Belgians in the Congo. This is the land of our forefathers, the land of Israel, to which Abraham brought the idea of one god, where David set out to confront Goliath, and where Isaiah saw his vision of eternal peace. No distortion of history -- and boy am I reading a lot of distortions of history lately, old and new -- no distortion of history could deny the 4,000-year-old bond between the Jewish people and the Jewish land. (Sustained applause.)
But there is another truth. The Palestinians share this small land with us. (Applause.) We seek a peace in which they'll be neither Israel's subjects nor its citizens. They should enjoy a national life of dignity as a free, viable and independent people living in their own state. (Applause.) They should enjoy a prosperous economy, where their creativity and initiative can flourish.
Now, we've already seen the beginnings of what is possible. In the last two years, the Palestinians have begun to build a better life for themselves. By the way, Prime Minister Fayyad has led this effort on their part, and I -- I wish him a speedy recovery from his recent operation. (Applause.)
We've helped -- on our side, we've helped the Palestinian economic growth by removing hundreds of barriers and roadblocks to the free flow of goods and people, and the results have been nothing short of remarkable. The Palestinian economy is booming; it's growing by more than 10 percent a year. And Palestinian cities -- they look very different today than what they looked just a few years -- a few years ago. They have shopping malls, movie theaters, restaurants, banks.
They even have e-businesses, but you can't see that when you visit them. (Scattered laughter.)
That's what they have. It's a great change. And all of this is happening without peace. So imagine what could happen with peace. (Applause.)
Peace would herald a new day for both our peoples, and it could also make the dream of a broader Arab-Israeli peace a realistic possibility. So now, here's the question. You've got to ask it: If the benefits of peace with the Palestinians are so clear, why has peace eluded us? Because all six Israeli prime ministers since the signing of the Oslo Accords agreed to establish a Palestinian state, myself included; so why has peace not been achieved?
Because so far, the Palestinians have been unwilling to accept a Palestinian state if it meant accepting a Jewish state alongside it.
You see, our conflict has never been about the establishment of a Palestinian state; it's always been about the existence of the Jewish state. (Applause.) This is what this conflict is about. (Extended applause.)
In 1947, the U.N. voted to partition the land into a Jewish state and an Arab state. The Jews said yes; the Palestinians said no.
In recent years, the Palestinians twice refused generous offers by Israeli prime ministers to establish a Palestinian state on virtually all the territory won by Israel in the Six Day War. They were simply unwilling to end the conflict. And I regret to say this: They continue to educate their children to hate. They continue to name public squares after terrorists. And worst of all, they continue to perpetuate the fantasy that Israel will one day be flooded by the descendants of Palestinian refugees. My friends, this must come to an end. (Applause.)
President Abbas must do what I have done. I stood before my people -- and I told you, it wasn't easy for me -- I stood before my people and I said, "I will accept a Palestinian state." It's time for President Abbas to stand before his people and say, "I will accept a Jewish state." (Cheers, applause.)
Those six words will change history. They'll make it clear to the Palestinians that this conflict must come to an end; that they're not building a Palestinian state to continue the conflict with Israel, but to end it.
And those six words will convince the people of Israel that they have a true partner for peace.
With such a partner, the Palestinian -- or rather the Israeli people will be prepared to make a far-reaching compromise. I will be prepared to make a far-reaching compromise. (Applause.)
This compromise must reflect the dramatic demographic changes that have occurred since 1967. The vast majority of the 650,000 Israelis who live beyond the 1967 lines reside in neighborhoods and suburbs of Jerusalem and Greater Tel Aviv.
Now these areas are densely populated, but they're geographically quite small. And under any realistic peace agreement, these areas, as well as other places of critical strategic and national importance, we'd -- be incorporated into the final borders of Israel. (Applause.)
The status of the settlements will be decided only in negotiations, but we must also be honest. So I'm saying today something that should be said publicly by all those who are serious about peace. In any real peace agreement, in any peace agreement that ends the conflict, some settlements will end up beyond Israel's borders. Now the precise delineation of those borders must be negotiated. We'll be generous about the size of the future Palestinian state. But as President Obama said, the border will be different than the one that existed on June 4th, 1967. (Applause.) Israel will not return to the indefensible boundaries of 1967. (Cheers, applause.)
So I want to be very clear on this point. Israel will be generous on the size of a Palestinian state but will be very firm on where we put the border with it. This is an important principle, shouldn't be lost.
We recognize that a Palestinian state must be big enough to be viable, to be independent, to be prosperous. All of you -- and the president too -- have referred to Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people, just as you've been talking about a future Palestinian state as the homeland of the Palestinian people. Well, Jews from around the world have a right to immigrate to the one and only Jewish state, and Palestinians from around the world should have a right to immigrate, if they so choose, to a Palestinian state.
And here is what this means. It means that the Palestinian refugee problem will be resolved outside the borders of Israel. (Applause.)
You know, everybody knows this. It's time to say it. It's important.
And as for Jerusalem, only a democratic Israel has protected the freedom of worship for all faiths in the city. (Applause.) Throughout the millennial history of the Jewish capital, the only time that Jews, Christians and Moslems could worship freely, could have unfettered access to their holy sites has been during Israel's sovereignty over Jerusalem.
Jerusalem must never again be divided. (Applause.) Jerusalem must remain the united capital of Israel. (Applause.)
I know this is a difficult issue for Palestinians. But I believe that, with creativity and with good will, a solution can be found.
So this is the peace I plan to forge with a Palestinian partner committed to peace. But you know very well that in the Middle East, the only peace that will hold is the peace you can defend. So peace must be anchored in security. (Applause.)
In recent years, Israel withdrew from south Lebanon and from Gaza. We thought we'd get peace. That's not what we got. We got 12,000 rockets fired from those areas on our cities, on our children, by Hezbollah and Hamas. The U.N. peacekeepers in Lebanon, they failed to prevent the smuggling of this weaponry. The European observers in Gaza, they evaporated overnight. So if Israel simply walked out of the territories, the flow of weapons into a future Palestinian state would be unchecked, and missiles fired from it could reach virtually every home in Israel in less than a minute.
I want you to think about that, too. Imagine there's a siren going on now and we have less than 60 seconds to find shelter from an incoming rocket. Would you live that way? Do you think anybody can live that way? Well, we're not going to live that way either. (Cheers, applause.)
The truth is that Israel needs unique security arrangements because of its unique size. It's one of the smallest countries in the world. Mr. Vice President, I'll grant you this: It's bigger than Delaware. (Laughter.) It's even bigger than Rhode Island. But that's about it. (Laughter.) Israel under 1967 lines would be half the width of the Washington Beltway.
Now, here's a bit of nostalgia. I came to Washington 30 years ago as a young diplomat. It took me a while, but I finally figured it out: there is an America beyond the Beltway. (Laughter, applause.)
But Israel under 1967 lines would be only nine miles wide. So much for strategic depth. So it's therefore vital -- absolutely vital -- that a Palestinian state be fully demilitarized, and it's vital -- absolutely vital -- that Israel maintain a long-term military presence along the Jordan River. (Applause.)
Solid security arrangements on the ground are necessary not only to protect the peace; they're necessary to protect Israel in case the peace unravels, because in our unstable region, no one can guarantee that our peace partners today will be there tomorrow. And my friends, when I say tomorrow, I don't mean some distant time in the future; I mean tomorrow. (Applause.)
Peace can only be achieved around the negotiating table.
The Palestinian attempt to impose a settlement through the United Nations will not bring peace. (Applause.) It should be forcefully opposed by all those who want to see this conflict end. I appreciate the president's clear position on these -- on this issue.
Peace cannot be imposed. It must be negotiated. (Applause.)
But peace can only be negotiated with partners committed to peace, and Hamas is not a partner for peace. (Applause.) Hamas -- Hamas remains committed to Israel's destruction and to terrorism. They have a charter. That charter not only calls for the obliteration of Israel, it says: Kill the Jews everywhere you find them.
Hamas' leader condemned the killing of Osama bin Laden and praised him as a holy warrior. Now, again, I want to make this clear:
Israel is prepared to sit down today and negotiate peace with the Palestinian Authority. I believe we can fashion a brilliant future for our children. But Israel will not negotiate with a Palestinian government backed by the Palestinian version of al-Qaeda. That we will not do. (Applause.)
So I say to President Abbas: Tear up your pact with Hamas! Sit down and negotiate. Make peace with the Jewish state. (Applause.) And if you do, I promise you this: Israel will not be the last country to welcome a Palestinian state as a new member of the United Nations; it will be the first to do so. (Extended applause.)
My friends, the momentous trials over the last century and the unfolding events of this century attest to the decisive role of the United States in defending peace and advancing freedom. Providence entrusted the United States to be the guardian of liberty. All people who cherish freedom owe a profound debt of gratitude to your great nation. Among the most grateful nations is my nation, the people of Israel, who have fought for their liberty and survival against impossible odds in ancient and modern times alike. I speak on behalf of the Jewish people and the Jewish state when I say to you, representatives of America: Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you. Thank you for your unwavering support for Israel. Thank you for ensuring that the flame of freedom burns bright throughout the world.
May God bless all of you, and may God forever bless the United States of America. (Cheers, extended applause.)
Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you. (Cheers, extended applause.)
I've discovered that a wonderful blog has been deleted from Blogger, but not from the Internet Archive. It was called Western World Politics and it was a wonderful source of information for understanding the far left. I am going to be reprinting several articles from that blog over the source of the next few months in order to preserve the information where it can be readily found. The blog and links are courtesy of the Internet Archive.
Here is a wonderful post (unaltered) from that blog that covered the concept of Revolutionary Defeatism...
Revolutionary Defeatism; the key to understanding the far left
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend" - Anonymous Ever wondered why the far left supports mass immigration, despite the fact that demographic change is a proven recipe for anarchy and civil war? (link) Ever wondered why the far left supports gay militancy, despite the fact every society in history has recognised that the heterosexual nuclear family is the basic building block of stable societies? (link) Ever wondered why far leftists support criminals human rights and a "softly softly" approach to fighting crime, despite the fact that any society that can no longer protect itself from criminals is anarchic and chaotic? (link) Why is it leftists so energetically support the notion of "separation of church and state" and other policies aimed at secularising a nation, despite the fact religious beliefs provide an moral and societal stability? (link) Well, in order to understand all of this, one must understand the little known, but extremely important Marxist belief in "Revolutionary defeatism". Put simply, it states that anything which causes instability and/or will one day lead to societal implosion and chaos must be supported by Marxists. The reason is, Marxists hold western society is hopelessly "fascist" and "capitalist" and therefore has to be totally annihilated, even if it is a gradual process rather than an instant one. In other words, Marxists are waging asymmetric warfare on the traditional West. They support "progressive causes"notbecause they believe in them; they simply support them because deep down they know full well that these causes will harm the stability of the west and contribute towards its eventual implosion. In other words, leftists don't support these causesin spiteof the fact they harm society, but support thembecausethey harm society! The only thing left to do, is to wrap up the cause in flowery language like "social justice", so as to disguise their true reasons for supporting it, and to stop the lemmings from seeing what is really happening. Reform vs Revolution It is said that people who want to change society can be divided into one of two camps; they are either reformers or revolutionaries. To illustrate the difference, lets use an analogy; lets say there is a house we want to change. The reformer will advocate buying new furniture, changing the carpets, re-wallpapering, maybe adding an extension to the side of the house, fitting central heating etc. In other words, whilst society is essentially ok, it does need some changes of various types to restore it to maximum strength and potential. Revolutionaries however, are different. They advocate completely demolishing the house, tearing up the foundations and building a new house completely from scratch in its place. They regard the house as being totally against what they wish to build, so they set about trying to tear it down aggressively, clearing the way to build a new house on the site of the rubble of the old. Marxists and other leftists definitely fall into this latter category. Leftist doctrine states that white, Western, capitalist society is so intrinsically evil and corrupt, that nothing short of its total, compete and final annihilation will do. As one American writer noted, in the past Marxists used to dedicate almost as much time discussing what they would build in its place, whereas now, modern leftists are concerned simply with tearing it down, confident that a society will be built in its place which is "inevitably" better. False Consciousness and Useful Idiots Two concepts are important to understand when discussing revolutionary defeatism, these being "false consciousness" and "useful idiots".
An excellent example of false consciousness is Islamic fundamentalism. Leftists hold that Muslims really want to overthrow capitalism and live in a classless utopia, but their religion stops them from seeing that (opium of the masses and all that). Eventually, leftists believe that Muslims will be secularised and made into good classless utopianites. However in the mean time, they are useful shock troops against the West leftists so hate; as early as 1920, the USSR was training Muslim terrorists at training camps in Uzbekistan to attack the West. Another example of false consciousness is black nationalism. Again, Marxists hold what black nationalists really want is to overthrow capitalism and live in a classless utopia, but their dedication to their racial group interests prevents them from seeing this. Leftists hold they too will one day become classless, raceless utopianites, but in the meantime, they too are useful shock troops; this explains the USSR's support for the "Uhuru" uprisings in Africa throughout the C20th (link).
However, the examples above were examples of leftists using proxy armies to attack other people in other countries whom the leftist were opposed too. In the C21st, the proxies are being used to help tear down the societies in which the leftists are currently living! This usually takes the form of "championing" the causes of the aforementioned groups; Marxists were heavily involved in the so called "Civil Rights" movement, which was aimed not at racial equality, but at harming the stability of society. As Cohen articulated, Marxists were championing black causes because they would inevitably lead to societal breakdown, as different racial groups were pitted against each other (link).
Marxists are also heavily involved in promoting and sustaining the high levels of third world immigration into the West, which threatens to balkanise and disintegrate the West in the long run. When Enoch Powell said the West was "...building up the funeral pyre of its own destruction" he probably had no idea how accurately he was describing the leftist plans. Leftists who started mass immigration like Clement Attlee and Lyndon Johnson, and modern leftists like the various anti-deportation "charities" who are promoting the continuation of this flow, did/do so because they know it will eventually lead to societal disintegration. When leftists promote "hate crime" laws that give special protection to minority interest groups, they do so because they both know and hope it will further nudge society towards implosion and conflict. When they angrily protest that "X MUST STAY" in a deportation hearing, they are doing so because they hope and know it will push society towards implosion. They do not care about the person concerned, they simply wish to use them as another log on the funeral pyre on which they will burn the West to ashes before they rebuild it in their sick, far left image.
It is extra ordinary to think leftists can be so ruthless and cold beneath the public mask of caring about "human rights", "social justice" and "equality". They do not care about these causes, much less believe in them. They are however, excellent buzz words which to attract allies, and in particular, well meaning but hopelessly misled idealists who are "useful idiots" as Lenin once called them. The definition of a useful idiot is a person or group who support the far left despite the fact they apparently have good reason not too. For example, a Christian minister who supports the far lefts push for "social justice", despite the fact the far left hates religion. Another example is the group "Journey of Hope" (link), an organisation for people who have lost loved ones to criminal violence, and thereforeshould know better than anyone else the cost of softly softly leftist approaches to crime; yet they say that victims/victims families should show "forgiveness" and "understanding" towards the killers/rapists of their loved ones. The phrase useful idiots could have been invented for these people!
"By any means necessary"...
Anything which harms the stability of the current Western civilization is seen by leftists as a good thing, as it will help smash down the West and clear the ground for the re-building of society in the far lefts image. And I do mean anything. Indeed, the phrase "By any means necessary" is a common motto of far left groups, first attributed to the Marxist inspired leaders of the so called "Civil Rights" movement (link), and even today, it features prominently in many leftist writings, slogans and posters (link). The reason this section gets a separate, if small sub-section, is because its critical to understand leftists will and do support any cause that is ultimately harmful to societal stability, indeed, a good measure of whether or not a cause is harmful to the West is to see if leftists are supporting it. If so, you can rest assured its ultimately harmful to us. It does not have to be immediately harmful, just as long as it is ultimatelyharmful. Smoking twenty cigarettes in a day may not kill you immediately that day, but in twenty years time.....
Conclusion
We have seen that leftists support a number of "progressive causes", not because they believe in them, but because they know deep down they are causes which will ultimately destabilise the west and cause its implosion. Leftists dress these causes up in flowery names to attract allies and useful idiots, and also to camouflage their true intentions so as not to alarm the average man in the street as to their true end goal.
These causes are slow acting, but rest assured they are corrosive and will cause the implosion of the West if something is not done to stop it. An American writer once remarked that leftists cultural subversion could be compared to waves hitting a cliff, on which was seated a house, the house representing our society. Each individual wave may be small, but it chips away at the cliff face, eroding it slowly and surely until the cliff finally collapses and the house falls into the sea to be destroyed. Leftists have become masters of gradualism, destroying the West through small steps and various causes. Leftists know this, which is why they have changed tactics, from preaching taking the society in a single violent coup e'tat as they did in 1917, to helping a society become rotten so it withers and falls into the lap of leftists. Lenin himself once used such an analogy to describe how successful gradualism could be.
We have two options; option one is we will expose the lies and true motivation of leftists support for certain causes. This will awaken our people to roll back the damage they have done to our culture and secure our future. Leftists cloak their intentions in colourful altruistic sounding language because they truly fear being exposed for what they are; shameless opportunists, using every trick in the book to try and destroy the West. Or option two, we will shrug our shoulders at leftist cultural subversion, waiting for someone else to stop it, until we fall into the foaming sea beneath the cliff face, with anything but a guarantee that we will ever climb out again.
The Chinese have a saying; when you hunt tigers, learn about tigers, learn about their habitat, their diet, their habits and their tactics. If you do not fully know about the tiger, you are not hunting tigers, you are just walking in the woods. A Western equivalent phrase is "Know your enemy". I know mine, how they think, how they operate and what their end goal is, and the tactics they will use to try and silence and stop me. Do you? In order to defeat the far left, we need to know him, and without a grasp of the concept of revolutionary defeatism, we do not truly know our enemy; we are just walking in the woods....
This material was originally posted on October 16, 2005.
Barron’s: You’ve said that perhaps the most redeeming feature of capitalism is failure. Please explain.
Duffy: Any healthy system needs a way to correct error and remove waste. Nature has extinction, the economy has loss, bankruptcy, liquidation. Interfering in this process lengthens feedback loops. Error and waste are allowed to accumulate, and you ultimately get a massive collapse.
Capitalism is primarily attacked by two groups: utopians who wish to impose a more “compassionate” system, and political capitalists who want to enjoy the fruits of success without bearing the pain of failure. They use the coercion of the state to gain privileges, at the expense of everyone else.
and
Barrons: What about the argument that a financial panic would have ensued and crushed the little guy?
Duffy: The little guy actually has been crushed. Nobody is asking where this money is coming from. And the money has to essentially flow into the political economy at the expense of the real economy. The little guy is always going to be the last one in the soup line. So he will get a bone tossed to him, like cash for clunkers. But if you are Goldman Sachs or if you have got essentially the red bat-phone to Washington, D.C., you are first in line.
It is my opinion that some people know EXACTLY what they are doing. Their goal is to collapse our system, to make it so undesirable that we will take their offer of an alternate system as the answer to ease our suffering. If you want to know more, read about Revolutionary Defeatism or the Cloward-Piven Strategy...which are both essentially the same thing. The first article gives you more detail on the background and psychological motivators of the socialists seeking to destroy Western Civilization.
That is from Wikipedia, and the article goes into detail about the holiday and the recent controversy from the Left regarding the holiday.
This is a video from a Columbus Day Parade in Brooklyn, New York.
You can also watch a parade from Westerly, RI that has been uploaded in short segments to YouTube, and you can also visit a website set up for the annual event.
Here is a short video from the History Channel on Columbus Day:
In recent years, there has been an attempt by Cultural Marxists (who hide their agenda under the umbrella of 'multiculturalism') to demonize the holiday that means so much to the Italian community in America, and has been celebrated for generations as part of the heritage of Western Civilization. It was a big deal when I was in school, but not any more. A big chunk of our history and culture is being washed away.
Travis Rowley has an article at Intellectual Diversity about the successful attempt by Progressive students to change the name of the holiday on Brown University's calender that is a good encapsulation of what is
happening to the holiday today.
It will be interesting to see whether or not President Obama will recognize the holiday, and if he does, what spin he will put on it.
Here is a video of President Bush observing the holiday in 2003:
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