A Must-Read in context of the reports and revelations posted here.
Excerpts;
“Teflon’s not just for cooking fat free. Ever since left-wing America, clueless to Ronnie Reagan’s scratch-proof popularity, dubbed him “the Teflon President,” the term has been used by many to describe people who manage to emerge unscathed from suspicion and scandals. Even I used it to describe the Teflon Terrorism, whom otherwise ‘peace-loving’ people adore.”
“Israeli politicians, especially those who have fled veteran parties and joined Kadima are in special need for strong Teflon coats. It seems that considering their varied political backgrounds, the one thing they have in common is corruption charges, not very attractive to some Israelis, but according to the polls, they’re doing very well.”
“There are daily revelations of Prime Minister Sharon’s dirty dealings. The latest is a three million dollar bribe.”
MKs Insist Probe Against PM be Completed Before Elections
Excerpts;
“The National Union called upon the prime minister to resign immediately and announce that he wouldn’t run for an additional term.”
“MK Yossi Sarid (Meretz-Yahad) reiterated that call, asking Sharon to ‘rid the public of his corrupting presence.’ His colleague, Haim Oron (Meretz-Yahad), used this opportunity to blast Kadima as an inexhaustible source of corruption.”
“While nearly all the politicians who responded urged the police to complete the investigation before the elections, the police revealed that that deadline would most likely not be met.”
From One Corrupt Political Hack to Another …
Excerpts;
“Kadima Party chairman MK Roni Bar-On, a close confidant of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, opted not to address facts in the case but the timing, regarding allegations in a new money scandal involving the prime minister.”
“Bar-On stated that the timing of the Channel 10 report cannot be ignored, blaming it on the political agenda of opponents to the prime minister, explaining one cannot turn a blind eye to the fact that the news is released some two months ahead of the national election. Bar-On in an early morning Galei Tzahal (Army) Radio interview totally ignored the allegations, focusing on the political ramifications vis-×-vis the election.”
“… The report aired on the Tuesday night news resulted in calls by left and right-wing politicians for the prime minister to step down from office.”
There is this story as well;
Excerpts;
“Government beneficence on the eve of elections never ceases to amaze. After years of severely depleting the police of both manpower and resources, the cabinet issues glad tidings: 1,500 inexperienced, nonprofessional IDF conscripts, still in their teens, will pad police ranks. The police could surely use reinforcements, but it is hardly clear that they should come from the IDF, or that throwing more people at the problem will make a dent in alarming crime statistics.”
“The rise in crime has inspired another recent announcement: The police’s defunct Etgar Unit is to be revived. It was initially set up to combat rampant auto thefts and associated felonies. Two years ago, for budgetary constraints, the unit was dismantled.”
“The official reason was that it was no longer essential, as vehicle larceny had decreased. In large part, of course, that was Etgar’s doing. Once the cat was away, however, the mice resumed play unhindered. Now Etgar is to be reintroduced and the presumed expectation is that the voters will be duly impressed with officialdom’s concern for their welfare.”
“Unfortunately these token gestures – marketed as bold moves to improve citizens’ safety – are too little and quite late against the no longer deniable background of burgeoning organized crime.”
Yes, fight organized crime. But give the fight teeth! Start with the very top, the biggest crime family in Israel whose “Patriarch” sits in the cat-bird seat. They will it , and thousands suffer; loss of homes, properties, communities, personal assets, jobs and more. Thousands suffer, the nation loses a signifant segment of it’s agriculture while the family influence peddles and its tenacles shovel in millions in illicit windfall profits on the backs of the thousands that they’ve made to suffer.
As Batya says at the end of her post, “Let’s get out the steel wool and start scrubbing” all of that teflon! MB
Hat Tip to Batya.
thanks for the link and the scrubbing help
(I wear rubber gloves!)