Please Pick Me Up, I’m FREE There is much to be learned in these pages Spring / Election - 5766/2006 CHICAGO’S MOST RESPECTED JEWISH PUBLICATION The Governor’s race revs up for a roaring finish • Morris J. Amitay says “Look at the Bright Side” in the Middle East • Hamas Returns to its “Natural Home” • Complete In-depth Political Roundup, Analysis and Endorsements Terry O’Brien’s never ending battle • The Adventures of Menchy the Moose to clean our inland waterways There’s going to be a new Richard Reeder Sheriff in Capitalizing this here town Introducing on Lang Miscue Tom Dart in the battle for Niles Township Blagojevich’s Committeeman Hate Crime Commission Blunder Look on the Bright Side “infidels” – i.e. anyone not adhering to their brand of Islam – any perceived slight or by Morrie Amitay criticism of Islam is met with violent reactions. Sadly, too many who should know better continue to repeat the mantra of Islam as “a religion of peace”, despite all the With all that seems to be going wrong both in the Middle East and here in Washington, evidence of intolerance to the contrary. The cartoon issue has revealed the depth of this doom and gloom should be the order of the day. But I recall that final scene from the intolerance and had reinforced the validity of Huntington’s “class of civilizations” thesis. Monty Python classic, “The Life of Brian”. As they are being literally crucified, the main characters are cheerfully singing, “always look on the bright side of life”. With a In Israel, the good news is that terrorist leaders continue to be eliminated as a result positive approach, you can see a bright side to what has been going on in Iran, Iraq, Israel, of superb Israeli intelligence and pinpoint operations which are taking a toll of some and even with the Hamas takeover and the port ownership and cartoon controversies. really bad guys, with remarkably few civilian casualties. On the political front, the centrist Kadima party, which many predicted would fragment following the absence of Iran President Ahmadinejad’s pronouncements have been so over the top in calling for Ariel Sharon, continue to hold a wide lead in the polls over its two major competing Israel’s extermination and by challenging the world to thwart Iran’s nuclear ambitions, that parties on both the right and the left. Should this political scenario hold up for the even the Europeans are beginning to talk tough. If you add to this the increased spotlight March 28 elections, there is the prospect of the formation of a broad based government on Iran’s meddling in Iraq, and the administration’s $75 million proposal to aid Iranian and hence greater stability in the Israeli body politic. Such stability will be needed as dissidents, we may be seeing a more focused U.S. policy toward Iran. In fact, there are Israel faces the challenge of confronting a Hamas-led Palestinian Authority. Fortunately even a few U.S. Senators who can now pronounce Ahmadinejad’s name properly, which for Israel, Hamas leaders seem to be more honest in publicly proclaiming their goal can only mean he is in serious disrepute here. And speaking of the U.S. Congress, there was of Israel’s destruction, than the Fatah thugs they are replacing. This should make the 419-1 roll call vote in the House (Neil Abercrombie, Democrat of Hawaii distinctly in it easier for Israel to take stronger measures against those sworn to its destruction. the minority), and a unanimous vote in the Senate calling for no U.S. aid to a Hamas-led Palestinian Administration. You can add to this good news the latest Gallup poll showing Here at home, the impeding takeover of port operations at a half-dozen major U.S. support for Israel by 68% of Americans. On the negative side, of course, there are still those sites by a UAE-owned company has evoked outrage from a number of Democratic in the State Department looking for moderates in all the wrong places – but what else is new? politicians not notable for their support of tougher security measures. This reaction could be seen as recognition by some Democrats that they have a real problem convincing the Despite what the New York Times’ reporters and columnists would have you believe American public their party is serious about national security. While shameless political about Iraq, troop morale there remains high, slow progress is being made in taming the grandstanding in Washington is not new to either Democrats or Republicans, attempts to insurgency, and so far, Al-Qaeda’s attempt to instigate a full blown civil war have failed. outflank the GOP on the right here, could actually lead to more muscular foreign policy But those “nattering nabobs of negativism” at the Gray Lady seem to grow shriller by positions being advocated in the future. Another positive development from the port the day in their denunciations of the U.S. role and their undisguised hatred of President security furor has been the attention given to the UAE’s ties to terrorists at the same time Bush. While there is ample room for criticism of past conduct of the war, the Times’ it has cooperated with the U.S. Increased competition to prove who can be tougher on the negative coverage has become boringly predictable. Perhaps the Times could have perpetrators and abettors of terrorism can only be regarded as a positive development. boosted its reported falling revenues if it had demonstrated the journalistic courage to Taken all together then, the events cited above offer some reason print some of the Danish cartoons that ostensibly provoked deadly outrage in parts of for optimism that the glass may indeed be at least half full as a result. the Muslim world. But how could one expect this paragon of political correctness to Besides, we owe it to ourselves as winter fades to look on the bright side. tread upon Muslim sensibilities? The cartoon controversy revealed the double standard Morrie Amitay, a Washington attorney, is a former Executive Director of AIPAC and that Islamists insist upon. While they can openly denigrate and wage religious war on founder of the pro-Israel Washington PAC (www.washingtonpac.com). Vote Democratic Democratic Club of the 50th Ward Ballot 46 Terry O’Brien Ballot 46 Democratic Candidate, Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Ballot 28 Forrest Claypool Ballot 28 Democratic Candidate, President, Cook County Board Bernard L. Stone Alderman/Committeeman Elect Terrence J. O’Brien BALLOT #46 BALLOT #46 DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE METROPOLITAN WATER RECLAMATION DISTRICT • O’Brien was elected to the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago in 1988 and has served 17 years on the Board of Commissioners and 9 of those years as President. • O’Brien’s extensive knowledge, professionalism and integrity have allowed him to streamline many tasks and responsibilities of the District at the lowest possible cost to every household in Cook County. • O’Brien, a taxpayer advocate, whose efforts brought a 1.1% reduction in your property tax bill for 2006, and maintained the AAA bond rating for the District. • O’Brien continually pursues funding of the Deep Tunnel and Reservoir Plan, and spearheaded the successful introduction and passage of a storm water management program which gives the MWRDGC sole responsibility to manage storm water in Cook County Vote Democratic, March 21st www.terrencejobrienmwrd.com. HAMAS RETURNS TO ITS NATURAL HOME by Emanuel A. Winston, Middle East Analyst & Commentator The Soviet Union was a natural home and epicenter for Terrorist training camps. The Soviets produced as many Carlos, the Jackals as possible. Vladimir Putin is back to his old home as a predator. Welcoming Hamas is more than the sun of its parts. With the Russians backing Hamas and the Europeans unwilling to stop funding Fatah/Hamas the cards are on the table. The game of eliminating Israel is still in motion. The proxies remain the Terrorists and the Arab Muslim nations are glad to assist. As for Ehud Olmert dealing with this situation, don’t count on it. Any peddler in the Machaneh Yehuda Shuk (outdoor market) in Jerusalem could handle it better. DEBKAfile: Hamas receives warm welcome in Moscow, offer of Russian friendship and Security Council backing – but no demand to recognize Israel. European Parliament ponders invitation DEBKAfile - We start where the media stop March 3, 2006, 11:00 PM DEBKAfile’s Moscow sources report: Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov made only a mild request of the six-man Hamas delegation led by Damascus- based politburo chief Khaled Meshaal which arrived in Moscow Friday, March 3: "We are counting on Hamas, as the leading political force in the (Palestinian) parliament and future government to contribute to the full and all-encompassing implementation of all previous agreements." He added: "In this, our Palestinian friends can count on the support of Russia both in a bilateral sense and from Russia as a member of the Quartet of international mediators and as a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council." This is interpreted as an offer not only of Russian friendship, but the protection Passover Community of its veto power at the Security Council against Israeli complaints of Hamas terrorist activity. But Lavrov made no comment on Mohammed Nazzal’s declaration on arrival: "We will not recognize Israel. The issue of recognition Seders is a done issue." Our sources note that the Russians, in an edited account of the conversation to the media, claimed they had told their Palestinian visitors that at the they expected Hamas "to recognize Israel’s right to exist" – not quite the same as recognizing Israel.