Shabbat Shalom 17 Elul 5767

Should Sen. Larry Craig Resign?
Is he gay, straight or bi-sexual? Does it matter?

When the first stories about Idaho Senator Larry Craig being arrested in a Minneapolis airport bathroom for lewd conduct hit the media, all I could do was laugh. Here we ago again, another social conservative hypocrite.

Is Craig gay or bi-sexual? Truth be told, I can care less. Sexual orientation should be a personal private matter between the individual, God and their family. However, the far-right has demonized gays, while the Secular Progressive left has shoved the idea of gay marriage and special treatment down the throats of the American people. Fact is they are both wrong.

I have always been bothered by media outlets that try to "out" people. The argument is that if you are a Republican or Social conservative and a vocal opponent against gay rights, but are homosexual yourself, the world has a right to know. Regardless of personal hypocrisy, certain habits have nothing to do with how you legislate and represent your constituents. Everyone deserves a private life.

Are Republicans held to a higher standard? Undoubtedly. The GOP is suppose to be the Party of family values, which is a label they asked for. That in conjunction with a liberal mainstream press, Republicans will find themselves garnishing more headlines when they partake in lewd conduct, visit brothels (Sen. Vitter) or are unfaithful to their wives (list to long).

Adding to the disgrace of these incidents is the behavior of the media. I'm not talking about covering the story, but how they dwell on the same information night after night because they want to continue dragging a Republican through the mud. When it was revealed in 1990 that Democratic Congressman Barney Frank had relations with a male prostitute who later turned out be running a gay escort service out of Frank's D.C. apartment, the representative received a reprimand from congress and limited media coverage. As a Democrat, Frank's illegal activities were downplayed. Do I even have to go into Sen. Ted Kennedy who killed a woman nearly forty years ago and is still in the senate today.

So why should Craig resign? Radio Talk-Show Host Michael Medved said it best, " Craig may be too stupid to be a U.S. Senator." Medved has a point. Craig pleaded guilty to a lesser disorderly conduct charge. The arrest in question was over a month ago. Did he think it would just go away?

Craig wasn't arrested for having sex in a bathroom stall, far from it. He apparently made taping sounds with his feet, moved his foot under the adjoining stall and used his hands in a manner that supposedly signals a desire for sex in the homosexual culture. Can you imagine proving lewd conduct in a court of law with these descriptions in a police report. The fact he plead guilty to anything even a lesser charge, demonstrates a question of competence to be a U.S. Senator.

Craig's enormous ego may forbid him from resigning and he may run again for his seat. However, I expect he will be defeated in a primary challenge or enough pressure will force him to resign. Regardless the man is too stupid to be making decisions that affects the lives of 300 million Americans.


Amanpour and CNN's Anti-Semitic Tradition
CNN series is nothing but anti-Jewish/Christian propaganda

Andrea Levin who is executive director of CAMERA, Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America, has an excellent editorial in today's Jerusalem Post. Poisonously biased is what he calls the latest CNN three-part series, God's Warriors, featuring noted anti-Israel journalist, Christiane Amanpour.

Levin does a fantastic job exposing Amanpour's lies and misleading reporting, especially during the segment God's Jewish Warriors. "Her two-hour screed against Israeli settlers and American supporters of Israel, is the most poisonously biased and factually shoddy feature to air on mainstream American television in recent memory," Levin writes.

While watching the program, I was amazed that Amanpour would be so blatant in showing her anti-Semitic side. She uses the Jew Haters favorite weapon, Jewish power and control when she airs unchallenged comments made by former President Jimmy Carter about voting against Israel in congress. Carter claims no member of Congress could vote against aid to Israel "and hope to be reelected." The fact is that numerous representatives have voted against aid and everything else for Israel and get reelected election after election.

The CNN propaganda queen also reports that the first President Bush was not going to guarantee loans for the Jewish State, but eventually caved in to Jewish pressure. That couldn't be farther from the truth. Fact is that a newly elected Prime Minister, Yitzhak Rabin, was the one that caved in to U.S. demands and only afterwards did the President have a change of heart.

Why CNN and Amanpour are anti-Israel and for that matter anti-America and Christianity is hard to say. My personal belief is that they feel if they can paint the victims of Muslim extremists as being just as evil, then nobody is at fault, which means nobody is right or wrong. How you can compare Evangelical Christians supporting Israel and the Jewish State defending itself against suicide bombers who target children on buses and teach toddlers to hate non-Muslims, is beyond my comprehension as a human being.

If you are ever out of the country and have a chance to watch CNN International or you get it on your cable/satelite channels, take notice to the anti-America and anti-Israel fervency in the reporting. Amanpour is often at the center of the hate driven journalism, which you would expect from Al Jezera and the BBC, but not from a news organization based in Atlanta, Georgia.

Paulie