I have no idea if it's authentic, but it sounds like what I surmised -- the inside of a bait-and-switch scam. Diveroli sounds like a New York camera shop proprietor who has baited online customers with a lowball advertised price and is now hustling to find somebody who can sell to him wholesale the product he's already sold to his retail customers (or at least he's charged their credit cards), or can sell him at least something the customers can be badgered into accepting instead of what they thought they were getting a great deal on.
Except, instead of dealing with some guy in Hong Kong who claims to know some other guy who has a pallet of Nikons that got left out in the rain, Diveroli's dealing, on one hand, with a bunch of Albanian politicians and insiders who have their hands out, and, on the other hand, with a bunch of fairly clueless U.S. Federal bureaucrats, who, unlike the camera store customers, can eventually put you in jail if you stiff them too much.
As one of my readers pointed out, Afghan government soldiers probably don't need high quality ammo. (Here are a couple of hilarious Youtube videos of American military trainers trying to teach Afghan government soldiers to do jumping jacks and push-ups). They just need a huge quantity of ammo so they can spray their AK-47s around like a garden hose so the Taliban keep their heads down and can't take careful aim at them either. That's what 3rd World Wars are like these days -- most soldiers aren't all that enthusiastic about risking their lives for the cause, whatever it is, so nobody is going to expose themselves enough to take careful aim or try to sneak up closer. They just spray bullets in the general direction of the other guys to keep them from taking careful aim or sneaking up closer.
This kind of war can go on for years and years if somebody supplies enough bullets. It's fun. You pull the trigger on your AK-47 and BA-RAP-BAP-BAP-BAP! A million bullets come flying out with an excitingly loud noise and go flying off in the general direction of somebody you're theoretically trying to kill. It's kind of like playing paintball, but it's even better because Uncle Sam is picking up your ammo tab.
There's some Soviet-style ammo sitting around in various national armories, which I imagine can be had cheap if some man with gold chains can grease the right palms. Apparently, an ammo dump in Albania recently exploded, killing 16 and damaging 2000 homes, which would be convenient if an auditor was coming to make sure the inventory was still there.
My published articles are archived at iSteve.com -- Steve Sailer
Steve,
ReplyDeleteWhy is it I'm just laughing my way through all your writing on this nice “minority” family? To think the NYT even tries to feign some sort of seriousness when they must KNOW full well exactly who they are supposedly reporting on here. You really upped the ante with this story. Apart from pulling the hypocritical mask of the NYT, your writing on this story is funny as hell.
Why don't we just cut out the middleman and go to the Russians? No, I don't mean the Russian mafia but rather Putin and his crew.
ReplyDeleteThe Russian exports $6 billion a year in arms, considering that's about 1% of what we spend on national security, we should just have an output contract with the Russians-- we'll buy everything they can produce. For one thing, we'll be able to get all the AK ammo we could ever need at a rock bottom price. Second, it keeps high-tech weaponry out of the hands of some bad guys (though I suppose Chinese arms will just pick up market share). Third, why not buy some goodwill with the Russians instead of only kicking sand in their face with every expansion of NATO into their backyard? Finally, we'll be able to get first rate weapon systems at far below the price of comparable US hardware.
The Russians are very good weapon makers. For example, in World War II, the German Tiger panzer was literally the Porsche of tanks (it was designed by Dr. Ferdinand Porsche) but it was expensive and difficult to manufacture. The American Sherman was undergunned and poorly armored. The Russian T-34 was better than both. It was cheaper, easier to mass produce, more reliable and its sloped armor offered more crew protection.
Likewise, when the South African Army tested the US Stinger missile against the comparable Russian Igla anti-aircraft missile, they found them to perform the same but with the Igla only costing half as much. Sure, the Igla is a knockoff of the Stinger design, but we buy generic drugs when the go off patent, why not generic missiles?
Alas, since corporate welfare in general (and defense contracting in particular) are the only form of government spending that "small government" Republican politicians can get behind, that will never happen.
What amuses me immensely about this story is that a buddy of mine was the underbidder on this contract.
ReplyDeleteIn fact, given the way such contracts usually attract a number of different coalitions to bid for them (few companies which actually have the capital necessary bid for them, so it is usually, as I say, a series of shifting coalitions that do) my buddy was in fact second, third and fifth on this one.
He lost it, so he says, because he was in fact costing for ammunition that was in date and actually worked.
"Afghan government soldiers probably don't need high quality ammo"
ReplyDeleteJust as long as it goes BANG when they pull the trigger. A lack of BANGs (or BA-RAP-PAPs) is probably the cause of the investigation - ammo so degraded it doesn't reliably ignite. The AK-47 is notoriously hard to jam but as an automatic it still relies on bullets firing when you pull the trigger, otherwise you need to manually recock it.
The December explosion of the ammunition dump in Tirana, Albania, is yet to be investigated. Although the cause is not yet known, terrorism is not suspected. At the time of the explosion, president Berisha said he was concerned for the US citizens working at the military site. "We fear the worst for the three teams, each of 21 people, working there at the time," spokeswoman Juela Mecani said. "Several were US citizens." The teams were working to destroy excess ammunition held at the site.
ReplyDeleteWhat? American citizens destroying ammunition in Albania? This is getting interesting.
Hi Steve.
ReplyDeleteIf you could link to the actual article on my blog about this Diveroli affair, that would be swell.
It is:
http://americangoy.blogspot.com/2008/03/300-million-given-to-22-year-old-with.html
or
http://tinyurl.com/326t5z
I think that even though you and your readers did a bang up job on this case (I mean really, all it takes is less than an hour of google'ing), you still have not reported the whole story.
The Botach angle is very important - Bar Kochba Botach (a VERY Israeli name if there ever was one) is the uncle of this 22 year old Efraim Diveroli, the alleged "doofus" (in my opinion, this 22 year old is an extremely ruthless and efficient businessman).
The Botach's are multi millionares, going by the wedding they threw and the biggest palimony case in the USA (details inside my blog).
So this is not just a 22 year old doofus, who lucked out into $300 million (ha ha, this is all there is to it, say the media, nothing more to see here - just a funny story and the usual government ineptitude ha ha).
This is a story of a VERY interesting family clan, who makes their living (partially) of selling weapons around the world, on the fringes of legality.
I won't hold my breath to wait if the minority Botach's, and the uncle of Efraim Bat Kochba (they are a minority in the USA - guess which one... hint - they are not African American) will be investigated.
I bet my money on it that the Botach's will NOT be investigated, nor this story followed in the media beyond the very misleading angle of "ha ha a 22 year old made $300 gosh, that goy government shuuuure is stupid!"...
Rabbi Schmuley Boteach currently has a video on the front page of the Jerusalem Post!
ReplyDeleteIt is entitled "women, sex, marriage and Judaism in America".
Jpost.com
A suspicious story involving Israelis, Afghanistan, and Florida. Hmmm... what to make of this?
ReplyDeleteThe last time I remember a story with all three of those elements was just after 9/11. Carl Cameron of Fox News did a story about how over 200 Mossad agents were tracking the alleged 9/11 hijackers down at the flight schools in Florida. Of course, nobody aside from a few people on the internet ever followed up on that, and the transcript was even pulled from the Fox website. The whole story seemed too big to brush off as insignificant but at the same time nobody ever really knew what the hell to make of it.
The American Goy page you link to has some information suggesting that this family is involved in drug trafficking. He suggests ecstasy, which is well known to be an almost entirely Israeli-controlled market.
But the drug Afghanistan is famous for is heroin, as it is the world's largest producer of opium. Prior to the US invasion of Afghanistan, most of the profits from the opium went to Osama bin Laden and the Taliban of course, although this is infrequently mentioned. There's also good evidence that the alleged hijackers in Florida were actually using those flight schools to bring heroin into the US (look into the research of Daniel Hopsicker - I admit, he's not my favorite writer but he's really the only person to do much digging around down there, and the evidence of drug trafficking and other mob business at those flight schools is overwhelming).
What I've always wondered is: who's profitting from all that Afghan opium now? Admittedly this is extremely speculative (though it's hard to not start speculating when you see a story about a 22-year-old Israeli-mob-connected kid getting $300 million from the US gov't to ship arms to Afghanistan), but I've suspected that the Israeli mob and certain elements within the US government got in on the opium action after the fall of the Taliban in late 2001, and I can't help but wonder if this story isn't somehow connected to that. (If the idea that the US government might be involved in drug smuggling sounds ridiculous, please do some research into the involvement of the CIA and heroin trafficking, such as The Politics of Heroin by Alfred McCoy.)
I'm not so sure about the reader who said quality bullets arent needed. The issue isn't how true the bullets fly through the air, the issue is whether they fire at all.
ReplyDeleteThe explosion of the cap facilitates the mechanical extraction of the casing. If the bullet doesn't fire, the casing must be manually ejected. That's deadly.
If a bullet doesn't fire, especially at critical moments, like ambushes, you're dead.
You can't "spray" if one out of the dozen bullets doesn't fire. That shit stops the show.
Also, for assault rifles, you just can't have bullets not working at critical moments.
A Soldier's knowledge of this potential will create fear that can cause dramatic simplifications in battle strategies.
Battle strategies such as, "it's not so bad here, under the hum-vee," or "for my next impression... Jesse Owens!"
Or from the afghan soldier's perspective, "don't kill me, and I'll tell you where my wife lives."
American Goy is an idiot. He references Diveroli as being connected to ecstacy. The reference for that was jezebel.com, a site that focuses on fashion and snark. Why would they say such a thing? Well, look at Diveroli's picture. He's a dreamy club kid. That is the pretty poor evidence to be speculating on ecstacy smuggling.
ReplyDeleteIf the comment by Tim Worstall is true, then Diveroli's winning contract bid would be an extreme example of winner's curse.
ReplyDeleteDavid Duke should be paying these guys royalties.
ReplyDeleteAll this shows is that for once, somebody competent is benefiting from Affirmative Action. Good for them.
ReplyDeleteSteve -- that kind of war *can* go on for years, but the US military is making a bold gamble to end them and build alliances.
ReplyDeleteWhat's gone un-noticed by the Press and pols is that the Pentagon, seeing a total failure by the CIA and State Dept., has created it's own foreign policy based on Afghanistan and Iraq.
The idea is to take poorly trained indigenous soldiers, train them up to something approaching US standards (which makes them qualitatively better than their opponents) and use US Airpower in combined arms to crush enemies. Instead of poorly trained spray-and-pray, you get fire and maneuver infantry, with artillery and close air support (US supplied of course) killing the enemy.
[Beowulf the answer is that politics, particularly Putin picking a fight with the US for domestic reasons, prevents us from cooperating. That may change as the Russians did an about face on Iran and their nukes. But Kosovo is a huge sore point. I'm guessing Ahmadinejad threatened Putin over Chechnya and Kosovo. We may end up in a "deal" with Putin swapping support for Georgia/Ukraine and Kosovo for resupply in Afghanistan through the stans. Pakistani party leaders from Sharif's and the Bhutto party are threatening our resupply through Pakistan.]
The Pentagon's bet is that through patronage (military governments owe their success to the US, and require constant patronage to train their soldiers to be both effective and non-coup inclined) they can break the instability that produces jihad and create a human intel network obliged to the US. Which is why they are involved in the Horn of Africa, the Sahel, lots of other places like say the Philippines. The Abu Sayaf guys who beheaded the US Christian missionaries have all been killed. Funny how that works out. It's based on the successful effort to kill Pablo Escobar, and runs to US strengths (training, organizing).
It's pretty remarkable for a big organization like the Pentagon to essentially out-AQ AQ. A global networked counter-insurgency all relying on US patronage.
[testing99]
testing99, you're right about how successful such efforts were against Pablo. I'm so glad the war on drugs is over and South America has moved on to more legitimate industries!
ReplyDelete"testing99 said...
ReplyDeleteThe idea is to take poorly trained indigenous soldiers, train them up to something approaching US standards (which makes them qualitatively better than their opponents) and use US Airpower in combined arms to crush enemies. Instead of poorly trained spray-and-pray, you get fire and maneuver infantry, with artillery and close air support (US supplied of course) killing the enemy."
Yes, I believe this strategy used to be called "Vietnamization". It was what we tried in Vietnam. I haven't paid much attention to the news in the last 35 years - tell me, how did that work out?
"Testing99" sounds suspiciously like "Evil Neocon". Same references: "Killing Pablo", "Intel", "Horn of Africa", yada, yada, yada.
"American Goy is an idiot. He references Diveroli as being connected to ecstacy. (...snip...) Well, look at Diveroli's picture. He's a dreamy club kid. That is the pretty poor evidence to be speculating on ecstacy smuggling."
ReplyDeleteThis made my day, thanks :-)
I did put that the ecstasy angle is iffy on my blog - but it does fit, and ecstasy is literally an 100% Israeli mob action.
Now, re the dreamy club kid look - did you listen to the audio of that "kid" talking business with that ALbanian? Did you read the transcript?
It irks me when people buy the TV "news" as 100% truth, and call anybody who dares to look beyond the meme presented in the mass media an offensive name.
Did you guys catch just WHO is the father of the vice president of AEY, David Packouz?
There is a way to tell when Evil Neocon is posting, there is a clue. Unfortunately he doesnt always employ it and I dont want to give it away or he will know to cover his tracks. However when he does give himself away I will be sure to mention it.
ReplyDeleteWait it minute. It's it "anti-semitic" to imply that Jews dominate the small arms and ammo market in places like Bosnia or Kosovo or Afghanistan. Wait a second! They DO! Oh well, we can't help being "anti-semitic" no matter what we do. -chuckle-
ReplyDeleteTo American Goy:
ReplyDelete"Did you guys catch just WHO is the father of the vice president of AEY, David Packouz?"
I noted that Packouz shared a last name with Rabbi Kalman Packouz and Sailer figured out that the guy Kalman Packouz also goes by the name Kenneth Packouz. But Packouz being a rabbi is not relevant because the son doesn't identify as Jewish. Did you notice that David Packouz claims to be an atheist on this myspace account? That throws a wrench in the KMD framework of "self-identifying Jew". David's wife isn't Jewish. Which throws another wrench in KMD's framework of "self-identifying Jew". Stick with what you can prove and avoid speculation.
Lastly, David's middle name is "MORDECHAI" in case you were wondering.
I followed the links provided on the site, and my conclusion is that the supply of Soviet ammunition to Afgan forces was a brilliant business operation. Diveroli was earning his money by hard work and the risk of his life, providing the Pentagon a very difficult and delicate service. I mean, Afgan forces have Soviet weapons like AK-47s, which need quantities of Soviet made ammunition. No one will screen the world's ammunition dumps to locate this merchandise, negotiate with local military and deliver it at short notice without substancial profit. Maybe I am blinded by ethnic solidarity, but seems to me that essencially Diveroli was solving a difficult problem and not cheating the American taxpayer. The scandal appears to be that he supplied Chinese made ammunition, which seems to be forbidden by American law. Seeing that half of WallMart's inventary is made up by Chinese products, it seems to me stupid to take issue with the Chinese origin of some of the ammunition. The prohibition was designed for a very different situation. The merchandise was old but usable, and the Pentagon people are not blind and knew exactly what they were paying for. It seems to me that it is envy (of the ability to carry out such an operation) is the source of questions like "Who is these people?"
ReplyDeletetesting99:
ReplyDelete"The idea is to take poorly trained indigenous soldiers, train them up to something approaching US standards"
I guess they never read "Seven Pillars of Wisdom", then. The fact is that the Western military tradition is successful because it plays to Western cultural strengths; trying to turn Arabs or Afghans into Western soldiers doesn't work, it just creates poor quality soldiers reliant on US support.
mnuez, you really believe that their is no double standard for the way Jews are allowed to act in terms of in group support and community preservation and the way white-Christians are allowed to act?
ReplyDeleteDo you think Hasidic Jews should receive affirmative action int he government contracting process? Could you see how some people might be angry about that?
@mnuez
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. Although I'm a goy, the other day I defended Jews against the worst kind of anti-Semitism available on the net.
These idiots couldn't acknowledge any good in Jews at all -- not Einstein, not Vladimir Horowitz, not Popper, Arendt, Hayek, noone at all. Bottom line: they argued that Jews were up to no good. (Thankfully that thread has been removed.)
They only see Norman Podhoretz, the Russian oligarchs, Leon Trotsky and the Frankfurt School -- somehow, in their brains, they conflate this second bunch of Jews into a grand Jewish conspiracy out to destroy the gentiles. Weird. They can't see any good at all.
It's sad to see.
Especially race realists should know that Ashkenazi Jews are, on average, simply a lot smarter than the rest of the world peoples. That's why they're so succesful. There's not much more to it.
PS Don't fall into the trap of having to defend yourself. Why should you defend yourself from who you are?
The merchandise was old but usable, and the Pentagon people are not blind and knew exactly what they were paying for.
ReplyDeleteWho says it was useable? I read on the internet that much of it was junk.
From The Age
Much of it comes from the stockpiles of the old Communist bloc, including equipment that the US State Department and NATO have determined to be unreliable and obsolete.
...
The cardboard boxes had split open, revealing ammunition manufactured in China in 1966. "This is what they give us for the fighting," said the colonel, Amanuddin, who like many Afghans has only one name. "It makes us worried because too much of it is junk."
Seeing that half of WallMart's inventary is made up by Chinese products, it seems to me stupid to take issue with the Chinese origin of some of the ammunition.
People who break the law have a competitive advantage over those who obey it. That's one reason this issue has to be taken very seriously.
It seems to me that it is envy (of the ability to carry out such an operation) is the source of questions like "Who is these people?"'
Reflexively accusing ones critics of being possessed of sinful passions (e.g. envy) -- when it's besides the point -- is itself immoral behaviour.
The Russians are very good weapon makers. For example, in World War II, the German Tiger panzer was literally the Porsche of tanks (it was designed by Dr. Ferdinand Porsche) but it was expensive and difficult to manufacture. The American Sherman was undergunned and poorly armored. The Russian T-34 was better than both. It was cheaper, easier to mass produce, more reliable and its sloped armor offered more crew protection. ...
ReplyDeleteCompare to:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Evaluation of tanks T-34 and KV by workers of the Aberdeen testing grounds of the U.S."
(from the Tanker's forum, posted by Misha Veksler)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Footnote 1 -- reads, "The full name of the document is, "An Evaluation of the T-34 and KV tanks by workers of the Aberdeen Testing Grounds of the U.S., submitted by firms, officers and members of military commissions responsible for testing tanks." The tanks were given to the U.S. by the Soviets at the end of 1942 for familiarization.")
The condition of the tanks
The medium tank T-34, after driving 343 km, became disabled and could not be fixed. The reason: owing to the extremely poor air cleaner on the diesel, a large quantity of dirt got into the engine and a breakdown occurred, as a result of which the pistons and cylinders were damaged to such a degree that they were impossible to fix. The tank was withdrawn from tests and was to be shelled by the KV and its "Z/ 3" (?) -- by the cannon of the M-10 tank. After this it would be sent to Aberdeen, where it would be analyzed and kept as an exhibit.
The heavy tank KV is still functional. Tests are continuing, although it has many mechanical defects.
The silhouette/configuration of the tanks
Everyone, without exception, approves of the shape of the hull of our tanks. The T-34's is particularly good. All are of the opinion that the shape of the T-34's hull is better than that of any American tank. The KV's is worse than on any current American tank.
Armor
A chemical analysis of the armour showed that on both tanks the armour plating has a shallow surface tempering, whereas the main mass of the armoured plating is made of soft steel.
In this regard, the Americans consider that, by changing the technology used to temper the armoured plating, it would be possible to significantly reduce its thickness while preserving its protective capacities. As a result the weight of the tank could be decreased by 8-10%, with all the resulting benefits (an increase in speed, reduction in ground pressure, etc.)
Hull
The main deficiency is the permeability to water of the lower hull during water crossings, as well as the upper hull during rain. In heavy rain lots of water flows through chinks/ cracks, which leads to the disabling of the electrical equipment and even the ammunition.
The Americans liked how the ammunition is stowed.
Turret
Its main weakness is that it is very tight. The Americans could not understand how our tankers could fit inside during winter, when they wear sheepskin jackets. The electrical mechanism for turning the turret is very bad. The motor is weak, heavily overloaded and sparks horribly, as a result of which the device regulating the speed of the rotation burns out, and the teeth of the cogwheels break into pieces. They recommend redoing it as a hydraulic or simply manual system.
KV-1 heavy tank at Bovington Museum (England) (photo by [...])
Armament
The gun of the T-34 is very good. It is simple, dependable and easy to service. Its weakness is that the initial speed of the shell is significantly less than that of the American "Z/ 3" (3200 feet versus 5700 feet per second).
Aiming/Back-sight
The general opinion: the best in the world. Incomparable with any existing (well-known here) tanks or any under development.
Track
The Americans very much like the idea of steel tracks. But they believe that until they receive the results of the comparative performance of steel vs. rubber tracks on American tanks in Tunis and other active fronts, there is no basis for changing from the American solution of rubber bushings and pads.
The deficiencies in our tracks from their viewpoint results from the lightness of their construction. They can easily be damaged by small calibre shells and mortar bombs. The pins are extremely poorly tempered and made of poor steel. As a result they quickly wear and the track often breaks. The idea of having loose track pins that are held in place by a cam welded to the side of the hull, at first was greatly liked by the Americans. But when in use under certain operating conditions, the pins would become bent which often resulted in the track rupturing. The Americans consider that if the armour is reduced in thickness the resultant weight saving can be used to make the tracks heavier and more reliable.
Suspension
On the T-34, it is poor. Suspension of the Christie type was tested long ago by the Americans, and unconditionally rejected. On our tanks, as a result of the poor steel on the springs, it very quickly (unclear word) and as a result clearance is noticeably reduced. On the KV the suspension is very good.
Motor
The diesel is good and light. The idea of using diesel engines on tanks is shared in full by American specialists and military personnel. Unfortunately, diesel engines produced in U.S. factories are used by the navy and therefore the army is deprived of the possibility of installing diesels in its tanks.
The deficiency of our diesels is the criminally poor air cleaners on the T-34. The Americans consider that only a saboteur could have constructed such a device. They also don't understand why in our manuals it is called oil-bath. Their tests in a laboratory showed that:
- the air cleaner doesn't clean at all the air which is drawn into the motor;
- its capacity does not allow for the flow of the necessary quantity of air, even when the motor is idling. As a result, the motor does not achieve its full capacity. Dirt getting into the cylinders leads them to quickly wear out, compression drops, and the engine loses even more power. In addition, the filter was manufactured, from a mechanical point of view, extremely primitively: in places the spot-welding of the electric welding has burned through the metal, leading to leakage of oil etc. On the KV the filter is better manufactured, but it does not secure the flow in sufficient quantity of normal cleaned air. On both motors the starters are poor, being weak and of unreliable construction.
Transmission
Without doubt, poor. An interesting thing happened. Those working on the transmission of the KV were struck that it was very much like those transmissions on which they had worked 12-15 years ago. The firm was questioned. The firm sent the blueprints of their transmission type A-23. To everyone's surprise, the blueprints of our transmission turned out to be a copy of those sent (?). The Americans were surprised, not that we were copying their design, but that we were copying a design that they had rejected 15-20 years ago. The Americans consider that, from the point of view of the designer, installing such a transmission in the tank would create an inhuman harshness for the driver (hard to work). On the T-34 the transmission is also very poor. When it was being operated, the cogs completely fell to pieces (on all the cogwheels). A chemical analysis of the cogs on the cogwheels showed that their thermal treatment is very poor and does not in any way meet American standards for such mechanisms.
Rolling friction clutches
Without doubt, poor. In America, they rejected the installation of friction clutches, even on tractors (never mind tanks), several years ago. In addition to the fallaciousness of the very principle, our friction clutches are extremely carelessly machined from low-quality steel, which quickly causes wear and tear, accelerates the penetration of dirt into the drum and in no way ensures reliable functioning.
General comments
From the American point of view, our tanks are slow. Both our tanks can climb an incline better than any American tank. The welding of the armour plating is extremely crude and careless. The radio sets in laboratory tests turned out to be not bad. However, because of poor shielding and poor protection, after installation in the tanks the sets did not manage to establish normal communications at distances greater than 10 miles. The compactness of the radio sets and their intelligent placement in the tanks was pleasing. The machining of equipment components and parts was, with few exceptions, very poor. In particular the Americans were troubled by the disgraceful design and extremely poor work on the drive/ gear/ transmission links/ blocks (?) on the T-34. After much torment they made new ones and replaced ours. All the tanks' mechanisms demand very frequent adjustments/ fine-tuning.
Conclusions, suggestions
1. On both tanks, quickly replace the air cleaners with models with greater capacity capable of actually cleaning the air.
2. The technology for tempering the armour plating should be changed. This would increase the protectiveness of the armour, either by using an equivalent thickness or, by reducing the thickness, lowering the weight and, accordingly, the use of metal.
3. Make the tracks thicker.
4. Replace the existing transmission of outdated design with the American "Final Drive," which would significantly increase the tanks' manoeuvrability.
5. Abandon the use of friction clutches.
6. Simplify the construction of small components, increase their reliability and decrease to the maximum extent possible the need to constantly make adjustments.
7. Comparing American and Russian tanks, it is clear that driving Russian tanks is much harder. A virtuosity is demanded of Russian drivers in changing gear on the move, special experience in using friction clutches, great experience as a mechanic, and the ability to keep tanks in working condition (adjustments and repairs of components, which are constantly becoming disabled). This greatly complicates the training of tankers and drivers.
8. Judging by samples, Russians when producing tanks pay little attention to careful machining or the finishing and technology of small parts and components, which leads to the loss of the advantage what would otherwise accrue from what on the whole are well designed tanks.
9. Despite the advantages of the use of diesel, the good contours of the tanks, thick armour, good and reliable armaments, the successful design of the tracks etc., Russian tanks are significantly inferior to American tanks in their simplicity of driving, manoeuvrability, the strength of firing [reference to speed of shell], speed, the reliability of mechanical construction and the ease of keeping them running.
Signed -- The head of the 2nd Department of the Main Intelligence Department of the Red Army, General Major of Tank Armies, Khlopo... (end missing: Khlopov?)
http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/Quarters/4635/library/russian_tanks/evaluation_of_russians_tanks_at_aberdeen.htm
Hi mnuez!
ReplyDeleteI do not have a problem with Jews. I do have a problem with the pro-Israel lobby as described by Walt and Mearshimer's book ("The Israeli Lobby and US foreign policy"). I have a problem with the USA giving $3 billion annually to a 1st world, well developed country that does not need this aid.
I have a problem with the pro-Israeli lobby calling the shots in the US foreign policy, guiding us into the war with Iraq and now (soon) Iran.
I do have a problem with the clear system of apartheid existing in Israel, and the bias of the US media tip-toeing and avoiding the subject. I have a problem with the US cable "news" cheerleading Israeli bombs killing christian civilians in Lebanon. I have a problem with only one side of the story being told in the Israeli-Arab conflict. I have a BIG problem in how America was sucked into fighting wars on the side of Israel around the globe.
In short, my beef is with the power of the well entrenched pro-Israel lobby in the USA, which guides US foreign policy, stifles debate and free speech in this country, and is slowly turning this country into a ruin of its former greatness.
Let me leave with this point - whereas Jews in America represent the whole political spectrum - from anarchists, hippies, centrists, far right and fascist viewpoints (just like every other group in the country, duh!), the Jews in positions of POWER, the NEOCONS, have one agenda - and that is to steer the USA into unquestioning support of Israel. no matter what.
The thing is, this lobby does not represent American Jews at all - to me, it is a foreign element in the USA, representing a foreign power - Israel. Those Jews who push for the peace process in the conflict, or have slightly different views on it, are smeared and ostracized - the label "self hating Jew" is applied to them.
Well, there you have it.
That is what I have a problem with.
Hope that helps, mnuez.
For info on the pro-Israel lobby, please see (my goodness, two self hating Jews there, natch!), the following blogs:
www.philipweiss.org
www.richardsilverstein.com/tikun_olam
Mnuez,
ReplyDeleteWhy get worked up when Jews are the target of Sailer's posts? We enjoy when he hammers blacks, so it's a little hypocritical of us Jewish readers of Sailer to cry foul when he hammers Jews occasionally.
In any case, people's feelings aren't logical, so you can't use your Ashkenazi-powered intellect or verbal facility to convince anyone who doesn't like Jews to like them.
- Fred
Hello american goy,
ReplyDeleteWell sed! BTW, I really like your blog too!
"that Ashkenazi Jews are, on average, simply a lot smarter than the rest of the world peoples"
ReplyDeleteSmarter doesn't mean nicer, nor more more rational - Ashkenazim tend to be very high strung and paranoid and hostile towards 'other'.
In addition they have less spatial intelligence...they are good at hustling, fast talking, not making the world a nicer place
"Smarter doesn't mean nicer, nor more more rational - Ashkenazim tend to be very high strung and paranoid and hostile towards 'other'.
ReplyDeleteIn addition they have less spatial intelligence...they are good at hustling, fast talking, not making the world a nicer place"
Unless you include stuff like discovering Streptomycin, the Polio vaccine, pumping out anti-cancer drugs at Genentech, endowing universities, hospitals, museums, etc.
David Davenport,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comparison of the T-34 to the German tank. I guess since the Germans had better tanks we must have beaten them because we were tougher fighters.
Sergei V.
Hayek was not Jewish. He is the one non-Jew listed among the five pillars of libertarianism is Brian Doherty's "Radicals for Capitalism". Popper was ethnically Jewish but I don't think he identified as one.
ReplyDeleteAmerican Goy, was the "apartheid" remark a reference to Israel's immigration policies? Do you think they should be non-discriminating? I bet people at this blog would be plenty upset if you suggested that for the U.S!
Hey, do Iranian and Mizrahi Jews (Botach's and Diveroli's people) have high IQS and strong academic/economic success like the Ashkenazi? I've read that they do not.
ReplyDeleteYes, there's a lot of money to be made in the black market. No need for a high IQ. If you've got a big extended family with lots of connections, you can do it. The men with gold chains have leveraged their family ties/solidarity, small business skills, and disdain for the government/public good to do just that...
That throws a wrench in the KMD framework of "self-identifying Jew".
ReplyDeleteYeah, that really blows KMD's crypsis stuff right out of the water.
Daveg ~
ReplyDeleteIn answer to your questions:
Yes, there is a double-standard when it comes to White Christian Males. Our culture allows anyone considered a minority (including women, interestingly enough) to do whatever they can for social cohesion as well as to assist each other in getting a leg up while WCMes are supposed to take it in the ass. Shitry and true and worthy of being loudly pissed about.
As for Hassidim receiving Affirmative Action benefits, I'm not sure that I understand what AA is based on in the first place. If it's based on being members of a generally poor community or on being members of a community that looks weird to most Americans (and who therefore need some extra help in entrepreneurial matters) then I suppose granting Hassidim AA is warranted. If it's based on other matters than it isn't. Much as I hate the current class/economic structure in the US I would not count myself among the supporters of Affirmative Action. Low-class/poor/low-IQ people ought to be brought out of the depths of despair regardless of their color or religious proclivities. I can not fathom why it's acceptable to aid only poor black people (or Hassidic people) and not poor Whites, Asians or Non-Hassidic Jews.
Anonymous ~
I'm humbled by your comment and I thank you for writing your support. For the record though, I don't view myself as defending myself (or even "Jews" in general) but rather of exercising my healthy instinct for pointing to irrational fools when I see them and laughing at their bumbling attempts at intelligent discourse. To be sure, there's plenty here (even from the very worst anti-semites) that's fantastic. Even people who would have me back in the ovens on account of some brain-disease of theirs, often have some intelligent insights to share, but far far too many of the louder commentors in this forum leave rationality on the doorstep when it comes to discussing various topics, among them Jews.
American ~
You have a Jew problem. Claiming that you don't is an exercise in Denial. The very name that you've crowned yourself with points to your obsession. You should have that looked at and treated.
To get you started on the road to recovery I'll simply reproduce the paragraph that you claim points to the crux of your problem with Jews and ask you to stop flashing your hideously distorted views in public. They do you no credit:
Jews in America represent the whole political spectrum - from anarchists, hippies, centrists, far right and fascist viewpoints (just like every other group in the country, duh!), the Jews in positions of POWER, the NEOCONS...
Fred ~
I'll be dan you l'caf zchus here that you would radically reword the first paragraph in your comment were you able to do so. The words as they now stand are frightening in the sort of worldview that they would appear to represent: The worldview of an enslaved gladiator.
As for your second paragraph, I'm not attempting to convince anyone of anything - certainly not to like Jews (fuck, do you have any idea how much a despise certain Jews?) - I'm simply boxing with words, for the revitalizing benefits they offer my physique, heart, mind and soul as well as for the viewing pleasure of the men in the stands who have come to watch and who applaud me my knockouts. I love you guys, you're great! {Deep Bow}
mnuee
@TGGP
ReplyDeleteI was wrong about Hayek, I was misinformed. You're right.
This only proves my point. The anti-Semites I was discussing probably love Hayek now, now that "he 's on their side", not the Ashkenazi's. Isn't that sick?
Popper surely identified as being Jewish. Ofcourse. Item: it's the 30s/40s/50s in central Europe and you're Jewish -- can you imagine, he didn't identify as a Jew. He emigrated out of fear for the Nazi's, not because of bad food. Wouldn't that tribalize any person, no matter how secular or deracinated you are?
In "The Open Society & Its Enemies", he condemned totalitarian and nationalist movements with a passion. European elites still quote this book when they're confronted by the rise of nationalist parties or Euroskeptic phenomena. Popper was so revolted by the whole thing (i.e. anything else then liberal democracy), that he even started reading Hegel's boring stuff, to delegitimize the basis of all totalitarian and nationalist thinking.
And do you think anti-Semites give a damn if he didn't identify as a Jew? Hell no, they'd still hate him. With a passion.
American Goy:
ReplyDeleteApartheid in Israel? Gee, you'd better tell that to my doctor, or my wife's doctor, both Arabs. Or try going to a mall, especially around Eid al-Fitr. Arabs galore. But you don't live here, so you wouldn't know.
And most of your US aid (which I personally think we should do without) comes in the form of US weapons (which puts Americans to work---makes for a nasty little dilemma). About $500 million is in actual money. You're welcome to keep it all.(Remember, every bullet fired is money is someone's pocket. Surely a great thinker such as you has considered the fact that maybe, just maybe, it's in someone else's interest that we keep fighting.)
And despite what you may think about AIPAC, its primary mission is NOT to defend Israel's interests; it is to promote the interests of its big donors. Yes, they're mostly "Jews" or as I prefer to call them "Jewish-Americans." However, a close look at their positions would show that much of what they advocate does not benefit Israel in any way, shape, or form.
I could go on and on, exposing your lies for the empty talking points and slogans that they are, but it would be for naught. You have a problem with Jews, despite your claim to the contrary. Tellingly, you don't have the balls to just come out and say so.
Steve, what's up with withholding comments from publication. When I see that some lengthy comment of mine doesn't appear until the conversation has already died down and all of its fine participants have moved on to newer neighborhoods I lose faith in the meaningfulness of commenting in the first place.
ReplyDeleteNay, I lose faith in the meaningfulness of life itself.
I mean, sure, I can see delaying the publication of comments from guys like Svigor, or American Goy, or Fred, or any of the many Anonymouses, or yourself, or anyone else,,, but me? Me Steve? I thought we had a something special...
More seriously, it's your blog and you're free to do with it as you wish and - overall - you're by no means an unfair moderator... but a non-unfair moderator is a moderator still. And when you engage in the withholding of comments until the conversation has progressed past the point where the comment would be meaningful you distort Truth just a little bit and somewhere, somewhere a historian cries.
mnuez
Sergei V. sed
ReplyDelete"I guess since the Germans had better tanks we must have beaten them because we were tougher fighters."
Nah, though everyone hates the Germans I've yet to meet anyone who holds their toughness and fighting skills in disdain. They were just totally outnumbered, and their logistical backup was not working anymore (too long lines, rains and mud, bombing at home). A dirty little secret of WWII was that Stalin's forces only started making headway when the supply logistics coming from the good ole USA were in full swing. But then that would not have made for nice propaganda for either side after the war, so it was just forced down the memory hole.
what is "KMD"?
ReplyDeleteto dissidentman:
ReplyDeleteI read comments and I recognize that "People who break the law have a competitive advantage over those who obey it" is valid. I understand it is taken seriously and prosecuted as it should be. I know nothing about ammunitions but the Army inspectors do and if they accepted them it must have been usable. I am not for excepting minorities - including my own - from obeying their country's laws. If they are criminals, they should be punished, but not because they wear thick gold chains.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comparison of the T-34 to the German tank. I guess since the Germans had better tanks we must have beaten them because we were tougher fighters.
Sergei:
Commanding the Red Army's Sherman Tanks: The World War II Memoirs of Hero of the Soviet Union Dmitriy Loza (Hardcover)
by Dmitriy Loza (Author), James F. Gebhardt (Editor, Translator)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/product-description/0803229208/ref=dp_proddesc_0/104-5681496-3305535?ie=UTF8&n=283155&s=books
Editorial Reviews
Midwest Book Review
Hero of the Soviet Union Dmitriy Loza has carefully crafted his World War II experiences with American-provided Sherman tanks into a highly readable memoir. Between the fall of 1943 and August 1945, Loza fought in the Ukraine, Romania, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and Austria. He commanded a tank battalion during much of this period and had three Shermans shot out from under him. Commanding The Red Army's Sherman Tanks is the first available detailed examination of the Red Army's exploitation of American war material during World War II and provides firsthand testimony on tactical command decisions, group objectives and how they were accomplished. It took the fall of the Soviet Empire before first-hand information like this could become part of military studies materials here in the west. James Gebhard's translation has made Dmitriy Loza's military memoirs easily accessible to both military professionals, World War II buffs, and nonspecialist general readers alike.
Book Description
Hero of the Soviet Union Dmitriy Loza has carefully crafted his World War II experiences with U.S.-provided Sherman tanks into a highly readable memoir. Between the fall of 1943 and August 1945, Loza fought in the Ukraine, Romania, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and Austria. He commanded a tank battalion during much of this period and had three Shermans shot out from under him. Loza's unit participated in such well-known combat actions as the Korsun-Shevchenkovskiy Operation, the Jassy-Kishenev Operation, and the battles for Budapest, Vienna, and Prague. Following the German surrender, Loza's unit was sent to Mongolia, where it participated in the arduous trek across the Gobi Desert to attack the Japanese Kwantung Army in Manchuria. This is the first available detailed examination of the Red Army's exploitation of U.S. war matériel during World War II and one of the first genuine memoirs available from the Russian front. Loza also provides firsthand testimony on tactical command decisions, group objectives and how they were accomplished, and Soviet use of combat equipment and intelligence. Only after the collapse of the USSR and concomitant relaxing of prohibitions against publication of materials related to the Lend-Lease Program there could this account be made available. Dmitriy Loza served as an instructor at the Frunze Academy after the war, retiring in 1967 with the rank of colonel. He resides in Moscow. James F. Gebhardt, now a defense contractor at Fort Leavenworth, is a Vietnam veteran. He is the author of Blood on the Shores: Soviet Naval Commandos in World War II.
Language Notes
Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Russian
………………………………..
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
For an solider or military historian, April 26, 2000
By Lance K. Mertz "Fantasy and Sci-Fi Reader" (Ward Cove, AK USA) - See all my reviews
As a former Armor officer I was captivated immediately. This is a story by a soldier's soldier. The stories are incredible, the action non-stop throughout. Colonel Loza is a true hero and warrior who tells a great story, albeit not in the flowing, perfect prose of the ivory tower historian, but that is what makes if all the more gut wrenching and believable. All tankers should read this one! Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
Wonderful account of Soviet use of Shermans during WW2, March 15, 2002
By David W. Nicholas (Montrose, CA USA) - See all my reviews
During WW2, the United States shipped a whole lot of Lend Lease material to the Soviet Union, and included in this equipment was a total of about 5,000 tanks. Most of those shipped were diesel-powered M4A2 Sherman tanks (emchas to their Soviet crews, after an abbreviation of the Russian pronunciation of M4) and this book is the memoir of the service of an officer who rode several of these tanks from the Ukraine to Czechoslovakia, then across the Gobi Desert to Mukden. It's well-written (not always a hallmark of Soviet war memoirs) and full of wonderful anecdotes, from whiskey bottles in the gun breeches to problems with the rubber-covered tracks and the high center of gravity. Strangely, Loza has more good things to say about the Sherman tank than Belton Cooper, who wrote Death Traps (which I just read). Cooper thinks the tanks were no match for their German counterparts, Loza argues that used properly, emphasizing speed and maneuverability, they could and did stand up to the Panthers and even Tigers tolerably well. The book includes several incredible stories, the sort of thing you wouldn't believe if the author hadn't witnessed the events themselves, and concludes with a bizarre kamikaze attack by Japanese planes on the tank column. My one gripe is that at points you feel you're missing something with regards to the author's private life (at one point he mentions that he has a family now, but you hear nothing of that otherwise; mention of his wounding and the events surrounding it are very sketchy) but that doesn't really merit a drop in my rating from the highest. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
A FINE CHRONICLE OF THE USE OF OUR LEND-LEASE TANK, August 10, 1998
By DOUG.WARREN@AEROJET.COM (Camarillo, Calif. USA) - See all my reviews
I've always been interested as to how the people who used our World War II equpment, (not always the epitome in state-of-the-art), thought about the quality of what they received. It seems that the author had a high regard for the M-4 Sherman Tank, and this was from a national whose nation's specialty was the design and production of great tanks. He gives a fair comparison on the good and poor attributes of the Sherman and the application of that weapon in many battles and locales: from Europe to Asia. (Too bad the M-4 had such a small cannon compared to the German Tigers and Panthers: But precision shooting by the Soviets made up for the discrepancy). I learned a lot and am glad that Mr. Loza helped fill a need for information on this subject. (I was surprised that the Sherman was thought of so highly!) I would have rather had more details and depth in his book...but he wrote it terse, direct, and to the point (like the Romans used to style their military works...notab! ly Caesar). I heartily recommend it to anyone. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
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4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
The Sherman Wasn't Bad, January 29, 2000
By John H. Phillips (Williamsville, NY USA) - See all my reviews
I found the book quite entertaining. It is also an answer to the critics who have condemned the Sherman Tank because of inferior armament and armor compared to the heavy Russiann and German tanks. The author confirms as Patton found that if the advantages of the tank, speed, reliability, high fire rate, off road capability and etc. are utilized that it could and did massacre its now more highly regarded counterparts. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
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11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
Another view of WWII combat, July 18, 2007
By Skoro "Slow Reader" (Texas) - See all my reviews
Colonel Loza commanded a unit of M4 Sherman tanks in the Red Army against the Nazis on the Eastern Front in WWII. Much maligned in most accounts, the "emcha", as the Russians called it, served very well for their purposes. The USSR received thousands of Shermans from the US as part of FDR's plan to support the Russian war effort. As told by Colonel Loza, the Sherman had a number of advantages over its German opponents. The Sherman was highly reliable, able to operate for long intervals with minimum maintenance. Complex German tanks, on the other hand, were in need of constant repair and servicing. Also, the Shermans had superior cross-country mobility, allowing them to cover ground that their opponents couldn't cross. This also gave them avenues of approach that the Germans sometimes left open, certain that tanks couldn't negotiate the terrain. Finally, the version of the Sherman that the Russians used had dual diesel engines. By running on only one engine, they had reduced speed, but also a very reduced noise signature. This permitted the Russians to make several successful night attacks on unsuspecting German units, sneaking up to practically point-blank range, where the German tanks' superior armor and firepower were negated.
After Germany's defeat, Colonel Loza's unit was transferred to Mongolia to chase the remaining Japanese units from Manchuria and to accept their surrender. Although they didn't see any real combat, the Shermans were on the road for extended periods covering the vast desert landscape, and their reliability was a real virtue.
This book is written in an engaging first person style, and reads almost like a novel rather than history. WWII fans and history buffs will definitely want to add this to their lists. Enthusiastically recommended. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
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endowing universities, hospitals, museums, etc.
ReplyDeleteto carry out political and ethnic agendas- not better students. sure other people do this too, but there is difference between true philantrhopy and people like George Soros.
American Goy, was the "apartheid" remark a reference to Israel's immigration policies? Do you think they should be non-discriminating? I bet people at this blog would be plenty upset if you suggested that for the U.S!
ReplyDeleteProbably said without a hint of irony. I wish Jews would turn ALL of the power of their enormous brains (must have thick necks to hold all that up) to critical self-examination.
It's their turn, I think (but that's one of the miracles of being Jewish; you get to defer your turn indefinitely).
Sigh...
ReplyDelete"American ~
You have a Jew problem. Claiming that you don't is an exercise in Denial. The very name that you've crowned yourself with points to your obsession. You should have that looked at and treated."
Thank you for your concern.
This comes right after the comment that claims that Ashkenazi Jews are simply better and smarter than us poor goyim, which somehow fits the narrative.
After listing my view on the pro-Israel lobby in the USA, I get an ad hominem attack. Par for the course, I guess.
And of course, then we get the comments that Israel does not the $3 billion annual "aid". They just take it to humor us, poor goyim, and really do US a FAVOR by taking it. Amazing!
To totally blow your pathetic argument (what argument? Goyim suck, Jews rock, shut up goyim?) out of the water, may I point you to the following links
"Jews Take Credit for Manhattan Project, Why Not Baghdad Project?"
http://www.philipweiss.org/mondoweiss/2008/04/jews-take-credi.html
and
ha'aretz:
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=280279&contrassID=2&subContrassID=14&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y
" White man's burden
By Ari Shavit
The war in Iraq was conceived by 25 neoconservative intellectuals, most of them Jewish, who are pushing President Bush to change the course of history. Two of them, journalists William Kristol and Charles Krauthammer, say it's possible. But another journalist, Thomas Friedman (not part of the group), is skeptical."
Yes, the amount of goodness far FAR outweighs communism, trotskyism, the Iraq War, soon to come Iran war, etc etc etc.
""Is the Iraq war the great neoconservative war? It's the war the neoconservatives wanted, Friedman says. It's the war the neoconservatives marketed. Those people had an idea to sell when September 11 came, and they sold it. Oh boy, did they sell it. So this is not a war that the masses demanded. This is a war of an elite. Friedman laughs: I could give you the names of 25 people (all of whom are at this moment within a five-block radius of this office) who, if you had exiled them to a desert island a year and a half ago, the Iraq war would not have happened.""
Ahh those self hating Jews writing for Ha'aretz!
Incidentally, I find it hilarious that we Americans, who produced perhaps the worst late period WW2 tank (the Sherman), which was so bad it was called the 'Ronson lighter' by its crews due to its amazing ability to burst into a fireball when hit due to its fuel storage and type of fuel....
ReplyDeleteWe judge the T-34 to be so-so, not THAT good :-)
Per the:
Apartheid remark re: Israel.
"The Association for Civil Rights in Israel told the Supreme Court that what was happening on the highway could be the onset of legal apartheid in the West Bank — a charge that makes many Israelis recoil...
“There is already a separate legal system in the territories for Israelis and Palestinians,” said Limor Yehuda, who argued the recent case for the civil rights association on behalf of six Palestinian villages. “With the approval of separate roads, if it becomes a widespread policy, then the word for it will be ‘apartheid.’ ”"
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/28/world/middleeast/28road.html?_r=1&hp=&pagewanted=all&oref=slogin
or
http://tinyurl.com/33s4j6
I expect the usual invectives and kindergarten name calling as responses to my sources. Par for the course, as usual.
For the record, yet again, let me say: I do not have a problem with Jews, American-Jews, or the Jewish diaspora.
I DO have a problem with the pro-Israel lobby in the USA and its power, which it uses for the benefit of a foreign nation and not for the benefit of America.
Let the slurs and innuendos commence now :-)
American Goy:
ReplyDeleteTruth is a bitch, ain't it?
You managed to completely ignore my refutations of several of your lies.
Apartheid? Check.
American aid? Check.
AIPAC? Check.
But I would expect no less of someone who cloaks his Judenhass in politically-correct anti-Zionism.
Hugs,
The International Jew (The Poster Formerly Known as Anonymous)
Bacon, I'll dissect your lies and distortions one by one. Until I get bored.
ReplyDeleteIsrael does maintain some roads that are primarily (but not exclusively) for Israeli citizens (Jews and Arabs alike), while the Palestinian Authority chooses to spend its resources elsewhere. The last time I traveled in the so-called West Bank, fully half the vehicles I saw on Israeli roads carried Palestinian plates.
Which brings us to the license plates issue: There are yellow and black Israeli plates, issued by Israel to Israeli citizens, Jew and Arab alike. And then there are green and white Palestinian plates issued by the "Palestinian" Authority.
Between 1994-2000 (prior to the latest Uprising/Intifada/Terrorist Campaign), roadblocks were nearly non-existent, and Pali plates were a common sight throughout Israel. Roadblocks are an unfortunate (for them) dividend of their war against us.
I don't know what parallel universe you exist in, but the last time the IDF drove anyone off their land, it was Jews being driven off - with the enthusiastic OK of the "Jewish" courts.
Over 50% of Israel's Jewish citizens are non-Ashkenazi.And by the way, if you add the qualifier "recent" to "a Jew of central or eastern European descent," you get a more historically accurate description. Perhaps you've heard of the Jewish "diaspora", which means "dispersed"? Where do you think Ashkenazim were dispersed from? You actually answered the question when you said "they preserve Palestinian rather than Babylonian Jewish traditions."
That's right: We were dispersed from what you would call "Palestine"...
...which would explain why my Yemenite brother-in-law, my Russian grandmother, my Syrian mother, my Lithuanian grandfather, and my Libyan and Iraqi co-workers all look "Jewish."
(I can hear you cuing up Arthur Koestler right about now.)
And yes, you can still hear Yiddish in Israel...in a few neighborhoods in Jerusalem and Bnei Brak. Big deal.
OK, done for now.
How did Diveroli manage to do business with the federal government on such a massive scale?
ReplyDeleteMaybe it's a family affair.
tens of millions of the rifle and machine-gun cartridges were manufactured in China, making their procurement a possible violation of American law. The company's president, Efraim E. Diveroli, was also secretly recorded in a conversation that suggested corruption in his company's purchase of more than 100 million aging rounds in Albania, according to audio files of the conversation.