Theos-Talk Archives (December 2001 Message tt00231)

Hi, Frank:

There is no question Bush is after Caspian oil, but I
suspect the attempt to whitewash OBL is bogus. Some
terrorism experts believe the Mossad used to use Abu
Nidal as a cover for terrorist plots of their own,
though, so it is possible they may have been
responsible for other plots. A British expert offered
the opinion on the radio that there was once a
terrorist named Abu Nidal, but he was assassinated by
Western agents and then used for some considerable
time after his death as a cover for Mossad terrorism. 
Those other plots are probably the reason for current
speculation that Mossad committed the 9/11 attacks. 
It is extremely doubtful that they would carry out a
suicide bombing, though, which seems to be a uniquely
Arab mode of activity.

One thing is sure: a prominent Jewish group has been
accused of plotting to bomb a mosque and the office of
a United States congressman. It seems likely that if
they are convicted the government will show little
sympathy for the so-called Pollard defense, which says
that religious preference excuses some citizens who
wish to commit crimes. The following story appeared
in today's edition of THE SAN JOSE MERCURY:

Published Thursday, Dec. 13, 2001, in the San Jose
Mercury News 

Jewish Defense League has earlier links to violence
BY JOHN WOOLFOLK 
Mercury News 

Nearly 10 years ago, police dropped murder-for-hire
charges against Jewish Defense League Chairman Irv
Rubin, and he swore then it wouldn't be his last
arrest.

So it wasn't completely surprising Wednesday when the
militant group's burly, combative leader and an
associate were arrested on charges of plotting to bomb
a mosque and a Congressman's office.

Held at arm's length by mainstream Jewish groups, the
JDL -- whose symbol is a fist over a Star of David --
has been linked to violence since its inception more
than 30 years ago.

And Rubin, the group's leader since 1985, boasts of
more than 40 arrests, many for ``physically
confronting Jew-haters.''

``He's a boor and a bully,'' said David Lehrer,
Pacific Southwest regional director of the
Anti-Defamation League, the leading organization
against anti-Semitism. ``It's not out of character at
all.''

The JDL called the charges ``ludicrous and untrue'' in
a statement on its answering machine.

``The Jewish Defense League would never be involved in
an attack on a house of worship,'' the message said.
``In its over 30 years of existence no member or the
organization has ever been alleged or charged with an
attack on a house of worship. Why start now?''

The Jewish Defense League was founded in 1968 by Rabbi
Meir Kahane in Brooklyn, N.Y., to escort Jews through
rough streets to their synagogues. Aaron Breitbart,
senior researcher at the Simon Weisenthal Center,
likened the early JDL to the Guardian Angels, the
martial arts group that rode subways to thwart gangs. 

But it wasn't long before JDL's militant methods got
it into trouble, according to ``Violence in the Name
of Religion,'' an Anti-Defamation League report. The
group's targets ranged from Soviets, Arabs and
neo-Nazis to evangelical Christians and liberal Jews.
Among incidents cited in the report:


1970 -- After a bomb exploded in the New York offices
of Soviet airline Aeroflot, an anonymous caller took
credit for the bombing and uttered the JDL slogan
``Never Again.'' Kahane denied responsibility but
praised the bombing.

1971 -- Kahane, who pleaded guilty to a federal
charge of conspiring to manufacture a bomb, was found
in violation of probation a few months later and
ordered to federal prison for a year.

1981 -- A caller identified as a JDL representative
credited the group for the bombing of the Bank Melli
Iran building in San Francisco.
Kahane, who once declared ``bombing and other forms of
violent action'' are legitimate protests, moved to
Israel in the 1970s and founded the militant Kach
movements advocating Arab expulsion. In 1990, an Arab
extremist assassinated him in New York.

But critics say Rubin, who met Kahane and joined JDL
while attending college in 1971, shared his attitude
and tactics.

In an autobiography, Rubin said he began fighting
anti-Semitism growing up in Montreal, where French
Canadian schoolchildren taunted him for being a Jew.

His family moved to Los Angeles in 1961. 

A conservative Republican, Rubin has denounced gun
control and urged Jews to arm themselves. He lost a
bid for public office in 1982. Among his controversial
acts:


1980 -- Rubin was tried and acquitted on charges of
soliciting the murders of Nazis in the United States.

1996 -- Rubin clashed with black supporters of O.J.
Simpson in front of the ex-football star's house
during an anti-violence fundraiser. Rubin claimed the
supporters disregarded the brutal slayings of
Simpson's ex-wife Nicole and her friend, Ronald
Goldman.

2000 -- He burned Nazi and Confederate flags in front
of a federal courthouse in Reno where white
supremacists pleaded guilty to the attempted
firebombing of a local synagogue.
Arab-American leaders likened Rubin to a member of the
Ku Klux Klan.

Hussam Ayloush, director of the Southern California
chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations,
refused a recent request to debate Rubin.

The Weisenthal Center's Breitbart says that while many
Jews consider JDL a ``Jewish goon squad,'' bombings
would be extreme even for Rubin, whose ``bark is
louder than his bite.''

Rubin did try to moderate JDL's image after receiving
widespread criticism for calling the 1985
assassination of Arab-American leader Alex M. Odeh in
Santa Ana ``deserved.''

In 1990 he denounced the firebombing of a Middle
Eastern restaurant by Jewish radicals and helped
provide security for its owners. He marched with
blacks in Georgia to protest the KKK.

JDL's membership is uncertain, but it is considered
just a ``fossil'' of its former self, Breitbart said.
Jewish leaders have urged Rubin to tone down his
rhetoric, but to no avail.




__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Check out Yahoo! Shopping and Yahoo! Auctions for all of
your unique holiday gifts! Buy at http://shopping.yahoo.com
or bid at http://auctions.yahoo.com