Jack Kingston

Among successful democratic civil societies a variety of venues exist in order for dispute resolution to take its course. Whether it is through formal adjudication or coming to a rational consensus among individuals, those that want a viable solution take the available steps to achieve it.

The last couple of days have seen several protests and riots in the cities of Gaza, Tehran, and Lebanon. Allegedly this latest unrest is in response to the deaths of civilian innocents in Qana, Lebanon. Being that the governments of these communities do not provide rule of law nor the institutions necessary for due process, civil unrest has become the knee jerk reaction for self expression within these areas.

Knowing the UN has neither the will nor aspiration to protect its own offices, much less innocent civilians, a mob of angry protestors made up of Islamic Jihad stormed the offices of the UN in Gaza. After breaking the windows of automobiles and offices, the incensed crowd decided to steal the radios, cd-players, and televisions of the great peacekeepers. Of course none of the UN staff was injured inasmuch they had preemptively left their post.

So what is the real catalyst of such outrage? The plight of the Palestinians. The lack of a representative democracy. Lack of job opportunity and social mobility. Probably all of the above. But to say so would represent an act of political dissent, something strictly prohibited in many Middle Eastern Societies.

The practices of autocracy, rentierism, and theocratic subjugation have caused a disaffected populous to turn matters of discourse into violent aggression. This allows rulers of such countries to point the finger at the international community rather than at themselves.

We in the United States love to point the finger at our elected representatives when social ills come to light. We have a government that is both transparent and accountable for its actions. We have due process, rule of law, and a Constitutional guaranteed Bill of Rights.

This next month as your Representative takes to the district, not only should you let your problems be known, but maybe take some time to be thankful you live in a country that allows you to do so.

-milipundit

The House of Representatives will be in recess for the entire month of August and will return to session on Tuesday, September 5.

The August district work period is mandated by the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1970. Its purpose is to provide Members ample time to get back to their district to meet with their constituents.

As he always does, Jack is taking advantage of the time he has away from Washington to listen to those he represents and get their feedback on what he has been working on. (And of course, he’s also looking forward to spending time with his family and tooling around on his boat on the Skidaway River.)

Before heading home for August to enjoy BBQs and picnics with consituents, Republicans have introduced The Estate Tax and Extension of Tax Relief Act of 2006. 

First off, this Act provides permanent estate and gift tax relief.  In addition, it provides extension of certain tax relief provisions such as the Research and Develoment Tax Credit and the Work Opportunity Tax Credit, which have been enhanced to provide more valuable incentives and additional tax relief.  You can learn more about the bill HERE.

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Last week, the House passed H. Res 921, a Resolution which condemns the attacks on Israel and those states which sponsor Hezbollah. It passed by a vote of 410-8-4.

You have got to read this story on Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi pulling her name from the legislation.

We hear that last week, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi pulled her name as a co-sponsor of the Resolution because she didn’t get the “softer” language she wanted. House Leadership believed that the language in the Resolution related to avoiding civilian casualties, Israel–which makes every effort to avoid civilian casualties–should not to be treated comparably to Hamas and Hezbollah–whose terrorist acts make no distinction between military and civilian casualties.

As you know, Hezbollah’s terrorist acts are reckless and they indiscriminately target Israelis for death.

House Leadership would not budge on its position and it proceeded without her sponsorship of the Resolution.

We just received this information from the Israel Embassy and thought you’d find it interesting and helpful.

Of note, in the past two weeks, Hezbollah has launched nearly 1,600 rockets in to Israel.

WWW.IDF.IL
July 28th 2006
IDF SPOKESPERSON ANNOUNCEMENT

Summary of IDF aerial activity in Lebanon in the past 24 hours

In the past 24 hours, more than 110 missiles landed inside Israel. Since July 12th, almost 1,600 missiles have landed in Israel.

The IDF carried out over 180 aerial attacks in Lebanon in the past 24 hours (8:00 July 27th - 8:00 July 28th), among them:

A Hezbollah base in the Bekaa valley used by missile launching terror cells responsible for the launching of long-range missiles into Israel.

57 Hezbollah structures and infrastructure, including tunnels and a gas station.

6 missile launchers

Communication infrastructure serving Hezbollah.

IDF issues warning to residents of southern Lebanese to vacate their homes and move northward

Due to the continuation of terror activity against Israel emanating from southern Lebanon, including the launching of rockets into Israeli territory, the IDF has called upon the Lebanese population in the areas south of the communities listed below to vacate buildings by10:00 a.m. today and move northward. The warnings were issued through local sources and Arabic language media.

Any vehicle traveling in this area after 10:00 a.m. and any person who chooses not follow this warning is putting his and his family’s safety at risk.

The line of communities is compromised of the following: from Qlaile in the west, through Siddiqine, Sultaniye, Majdel Silim and up to a point west of the village of Houla, near the Israeli-Lebanese border.

This warning was issued in addition to previous warnings, calling for the Lebanese civilian population south to the Litani River to move northward.
The objective of these warning is to minimize the risk to civilians in southern Lebanon, an area used by Hezbollah terrorists who exploit the local population as human shields.

The IDF’s operations are directed solely at the terrorists, and not against the civilian population

The IDF will continue to use all means at its disposal in order to protect the citizens of Israel and return the abducted IDF soldiers, Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, to their homes.

Summary of IDF activity in the Gaza Strip in past 48 hours

Early this morning IDF ground forces left the area of Sajaiyah in the northern Gaza Strip, where they have been operating for the past 48 hours in order to stop the launching of rockets at Israel and to destroy the terror infrastructure in the region.

In the past two days, IDF forces targeted, both by air and ground, over 100 armed gunmen who attempted to attack them. Since the beginning of the current general operation, approximately 140 armed gunmen were killed by IDF forces.

• Early last night, IDF forces thwarted a suicide bombing attempt against them. The forces identified a man carrying an explosives belt approaching them, and opened fire at him. The belt then exploded.
• During the operation, Palestinians fired a large number of anti-tank missiles against IDF forces. There were no injuries or damage.
• During the night the IDF targeted four facilities used to store weaponry in the northern Gaza Strip: three Hamas storage facilities in Khan Yunis, Beit Lahiya and Sajaiyah; one Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades facility in Beit Hanun. Prior to the attacks on these terror facilities, in order to ensure the safety of the residents of the Gaza Strip, the IDF warned the population not to stay in structures that are used by terrorist organizations for storing weaponry.
• Throughout the operation the IDF has continued to fire land-based an naval artillery at rocket-launching grounds across the Gaza Strip.

The IDF operation is directed solely against the Gaza Strip’s terror infrastructure. The IDF will make every effort in order to prevent civilian casualties, and continues to stress to the civilian Palestinian population that, for their own safety, civilians should stay clear of combat zones.

The IDF will continue to act with determination and to employ all means at its disposal against Palestinian terrorist infrastructure in the Gaza Strip to allow the return of Cpl. Gilad Shalit and to stop terrorist attacks and the launching of rockets at Israel.

Zawahiri’s latest act of courage - calling for fellow Muslims to become martyrs while sitting in a studio far from any fighting - is a bit superfluous. Perhaps Zawahiri missed the first and second intifada, or for that matter the last fifty-eight years.

Calling for a jihad against the Jewish people and those that support freedom is nothing new. I am not even sure why it is a news story. What would have been front page news is if Zawahiri called for fellow Muslims to put down their weapons and live in peace!

Zawahiri states that “all the world is a battlefield open in front of us.” Therefore reestablishing al-Qaeda’s imperialist ambitions to create an Islamic empire from “Spain to Iraq.”

What Zawahiri is really calling for is more of the same. More of the same cowardice tactics of hiding behind civilians - men, women, and children alike - in order to carry out mass murders for the purpose of regional, if not world, domination.

Just yesterday Hezbollah terrorists used a mosque in Bint Jbail as an ammo dump. Classic al-Qaeda if you ask me.

I’m not saying there are precise, cogent battle plans being disseminated from the hiding places of al-Qaeda, but the spineless tactics used by terrorist organizations share a common theme.

Only in Zawahiri’s case it is do as I say and not as I do.

-milipundit

The following information has been provided in an effort to clarify the goals and aspirations of Hezbollah. Though the terrorist group (quotations left out intentionally) Hezbollah and their sympathizers may lead you to believe that Hezbollah is a mere political organization formed out of a desire to pursue acts of philanthropy, here is a brief history of acts committed by “the party of God”:

• countless kidnappings of Westerners, including Americans, during the 1980s
• between 1983 and 1985-countless number of suicide bombings which include, by the way, the attack and murder of over two-hundred marines and sailors in Beirut in October of 1983
• in 1985-the hijacking of TWA flight 847
• 1992 bombing of the Israeli Embassy in Argentina killing twenty-nine people
• 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center that resulted in the deaths of ninety-five people

The latest attacks by Hezbollah terrorists include the raid on an Israeli border post resulting in the kidnappings and deaths of Israeli soldiers. This attack consequently started the latest conflict between the IDF and terrorist organizations.

Still not convinced? Take a look at Hezbollah’s daily actions. Blindly lobbing rockets at Israeli neighborhoods in order to murder anyone in the vicinity of its undetermined location is not exactly following any established rules of engagement. Not to mention void of any moral clarity or sanity.  

Hezbollah, and Iran by Proxy, are not out to negotiate a peace deal or to achieve better conditions for the oppressed. They want nothing more than to indiscriminately murder Israeli soldiers and civilians alike.

Though schools, medical centers, and food distribution locations have been provided by Hezbollah, they have also provided suicide attacks, car bombs, and unwarranted kidnappings.

Remember that when a school is built, it is only to recruit sympathizers, future fighters, and “martyrs.”

-milipundit

CAPTION: An Israeli soldier holds a bag of explosive propellant today while artillery fires from a position near the Lebanese border in northern Israel. (AP) via Jerusalem Post.

Discuss.

Breaking News:

Israeli general says Lebanon offensive could last weeks

REUTERS

SAFED, Israel, July 26 (Reuters) - Israel’s offensive against Lebanese Hizbollah guerrillas could last several more weeks, an Israeli army general said on Wednesday.

“Given the progress over the last two weeks, I reckon it will continue for several more weeks,” Major-General Udi Adam, head of the northern command, told reporters. Israel launched its offensive following a deadly Hizbollah border raid on July 12.

Recently we had some decent things to say about the blog of Anderson Cooper 360. But then they slipped back to their liberal ideology and prescribe the “softer” side of terrorists.

They note:

The United States and others clearly call Hezbollah a terrorist group: The source of countless raids, bombings and attacks on Israel; the bombing of the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut in 1983, which left 241 people dead; and the architects of all those displays in which young men cover their faces, strap mock bombs to their chests, and parade before the cameras pledging to kill any and all soldiers and civilians alike who oppose their cause.

Followed up by what other, perhaps by what a more enlightened, elitist journalist, might call Hezbollah:

But some people describe another part of Hezbollah. They talk about a group that is beloved in southern Lebanon for running schools, hospitals, social services, even clearing snow in the winter for some communities that the official government of Lebanon does not serve. They say these things make Hezbollah something other than a terrorist group: A quasi-government; a nation within a nation.

This appears to be classic “objective” journalism, right? Wrong. Does anyone here need to take a step back and think about what a “terrorist” really is? I don’t think so.

Fortunately, those who left comments on the post weighed in quickly with a similar candid response:

For the definition of a terrorist, we think it’s apropos to point Anderson and Co. to the President’s speech on 20 September 2001 where he said rather succinctly:

The terrorists are traitors to their own faith, trying, in effect, to hijack Islam itself. The enemy of America is not our many Muslim friends; it is not our many Arab friends. Our enemy is a radical network of terrorists, and every government that supports them. Our war on terror begins with al Qaeda, but it does not end there. It will not end until every terrorist group of global reach has been found, stopped, and defeated.

There is a mission at hand Anderson, and you won’t find any apologists here.

UPDATE (1:15 PM): It doesn’t look like Anderson will find any apologists at Wizbang either.

UPDATE (2:41 PM): Mary Katharine Ham doesn’t seem to be sympathizing with Hezbollah either.

The Associated Press is reporting that some House Democrats are planning on boycotting Iraqi PM al-Maliki’s joint meeting of Congress unless Maliki apologizes for his statement that “the world [should] take quick stands to stop the Israeli aggression.”

Hmmm. Is this a case of political posturing? We think so.

In fact, you may remember that some Democrats all strongly endorsed the movie Fahrenheit 911, by liberal movie director Michael Moore. But where was the outrage from Democrats when it was found that Hezbollah was supporting the promotion of that movie?

From WorldNetDaily:

The movie industry publication Screen Daily reported, “In terms of marketing the film, [distributor] Front Row is getting a boost from organizations related to Hezbollah which have rung up from Lebanon to ask if there’s anything they can do to support the film.”

The story then quotes Front Row Managing Director Gianluca Chacra: “We can’t go against these organizations as they could strongly boycott the film in Lebanon and Syria.”

That’s right. Not a single Democrat stepped forward to condemn the promotion of this film by a known terrorist organization.

Meanwhile, National Security Advisory Stephen Hadley commenting on why Maliki’s address is critical:

“I think one of the things that is very important is, as important as this issue is and as important as Lebanon is, there’s a real opportunity here, which I hope we don’t miss, for the elected leader of the Iraqi people to come to the American people and do what he’s done: express appreciation for the sacrifice Americans have made of blood and treasure to try and bring democracy and freedom to Iraq. He expressed it today, expressed condolences for families who have lost loved ones in that service.

“And it’s an issue that is important to Iraq. It is an issue that is important to the United States. It’s been an issue for Republicans and Democrats - how to get Iraq right.

“And now we have an elected leader of Iraq who’s come to the United States for a period of four days and to explain his plan going forward. And I hope we don’t miss — that the administration, the press and the Congress doesn’t miss the opportunity to hear from this man and from his cabinet what their plan is going forward, because it’s terribly important that Iraq succeed in order to bring freedom and stability to Iraq, for what a democratic Iraq will mean for the region over the longer term.”

Don’t get me wrong. America can and should stand behind Israel, every-single-step-of-the-way. But the actions by House Democrats today amounts to nothing more than demagoguery.

[h-t to Jason Pye]

“Journeys With Jack” is a series produced, edited, and created by Congressman Jack Kingston’s (R-GA) interns.

On July 19, 2006, Majority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) and Majority Whip Roy Blunt (R-MO) participated in Jack’s third event, “Better Know The GOP Leadership,” in the summer intern series, “Better Know A Republican.”

This is Allie’s Journey.

On Thursday, Jack will welcome Tom Friedman to his Theme Team meeting on Capitol Hill. You may recognize Friedman as the author of “The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the 21st Century” and as the foreign affairs columnist for the New York Times.

We expect Friedman to discuss his recent trip to the Middle East and America’s addiction to foreign oil. Friedman has endorsed Jack and Eliot’s blueprint to help America realize its fuel independence and give America the choice to be free from Middle East oil by 2015.

Here’s a preview of Friedman’s program, “Addicted To Oil,” which is currently available on the Discovery Channel.

Two more House Republicans have started their own blog on their official website.

Judge Rep. John Carter of Texas

and

Rep. Cathy McMorris of Washington.

We’ll keep plugging…

[h-t to Danny Glover]

Charlie Moore, CNN’s producer for Anderson Cooper 360, has a very interesting and intense post regarding their journey as embeds with the Hezbollah in Lebanon.

This is fascinating journalism. I don’t personally watch 360, but I’ve never heard great praise from conservatives that I trust for the show or its contributors. I’ve heard criticism that Anderson seems to overplay his emotions and is a sensationalist, particularly his coverage of Hurricane Katrina. (Note: I’m not leveling these criticisms, just pointing out what I’ve heard from others.)

After reading Charlie’s entry, a few observations:

Anderson is doing a few stand-ups, but the Hezbollah representative leading the tour is telling us it’s time to move on. We tell him we want to talk to some people who lived here, who witnessed what happened. “Not here,” he says. “Maybe at our next stop.”

We’re growing tired of what is now obviously a dog-and-pony show, but we decide to play along, and approach one driver with a few questions. Anderson asks him what kind of casualties he’s seeing, but before he can answer, the ambulance beside us turns on his siren and screeches out, followed by the next ambulance, then the next. It’s a well coordinated and not-so-subtle piece of propaganda that might as well come with a soundtrack titled “Hezbollah Cares.”

And perhaps most frightening (emphasis mine):

The concrete room is dimly lit and dank. Two people on plastic chairs are watching an Arabic news channel. One sits in the corner yelling angry epithets about Israel for the reporters. We wait for the media gaggle to leave, then introduce ourselves. They tell us they’re a mother, her son and his wife. There’s no way to know if it’s true. The conversation follows a familiar pattern:

“Are you scared?”

“No!”

“Will you fight?”

“To the death!”

“Do you hate Israel?”

“Of course, and its mother America!”

This last sentence is a clear indicator of the hatred Israel and her allies are up against in the Middle East. Israel knows all too well the stakes in the Global War on Terrorism. Hezbollah’s hatred is deep and it is frightening.

Many in the blogosphere have questioned why CNN would cater to Hezbollah and help terrorists amplify their propoganda. This post at least should be credited with shedding some light in to CNN’s perspective. We should hope that CNN and other western journalists will retain that clarity in their reporting of this conflict, and will keep the countless attacks on Israel in context with that reporting.

UPDATE (7/25; 8:09 AM): HotAir is talking about this issue here.