Paul Revere's Ride (photo: U.S. National Archives and Records Administration)
Listen my children, and you shall hear
Of the midnight ride of Bibi Revere,
On the fifteenth of April, 2012
(but meanwhile don’t take your hand off your helve)
Who remembers that famous day and year.
He said to his friend, “If the leftists march
By land or air from Ben Gurion airport
Put a policeman aloft in the arrival hall arch
of Terminal 3 as an attempt to abort,
One if by land, and hundreds if by air
And I in my office will continue to scare.
Ready to ride and spread the alarm,
through every Jewish village and farm
For the country folk to be up and arm.”
For additional original analysis and breaking news, visit +972 Magazine's Facebook page or follow us on Twitter. Our newsletter features a comprehensive round-up of the week's events. Sign up here.
annie
omg i can’t stop laughing. this is hysterical.
Ami Kaufman
Thanks Annie
AIG
One of the reasons the left has such a dismal record now in Israel is because of your faux attitude towards democracy. If the people do not vote your views it is because they were “frightened” or “brainwashed”, not because they made an informed choice based on their judgement of what the future may bring.
.
Keep it up, ridicule will get you far.
Ami Kaufman
I will – it’ll probably get me farther than fascism does, which apparently you promote.
Ami Kaufman
“Your faux attitude towards democracy” – @AIG, that’s freaking precious. OMG…
Tal
Gadol
Shared it.
AIG
Of course Ami, every Likudnik is a fascist.
.
There is one way and only one way to change things in Israel and that is through the ballot box. Your dismal failure in this regard has led to your non-constructive cynicism.
.
But isn’t that really the attitude of extremist leftists throughout history? In order to combat your imaginary fascism you institute Stalinism because obviously you know best. How can you leave the country to be governed by the will of the majority when you know so much better than the rest of us what is good for us?
.
The typical leftist reaction is not to question why they have so little support, it is to blame their compatriots of being “brainwashed” and “uninformed”. No wonder you cause is so popular.
Ami Kaufman
what’s the matter AIG, you don’t like being tagged? stereotyped? like you did to me and all leftists? a little taste of your own medicine hurts, huh?
.
and yes, a lot of likudniks are fascists. quite a few, actually.
AIG
The matter is quite simple and that is why you ignore it: The people of Israel have spoken through the ballot box, again and again. You don’t like what they say so you retreat to cynicism and ridicule instead of trying to figure out why your message is flawed.
.
Is there something special about Israeli Jews that you cannot make them see how “great” your ideas are? Is there some flaw in our mentality? I am waiting eagerly for you to tell me all about it just as you claim to know that many Likudniks are fascists. Please feel free to generalize as much as you want.
Ami Kaufman
@AIG – I’m not ignoring anything. In fact, that couldn’t be farther from the truth, seeing as how I co-founded +972 to stop ignoring it, like you do. I am not cynical at all. And although i occasionally write a humor piece, it doesn’t mean I don’t take things very, very seriously.
.
Now, do me a favor and get off my channel. Your arrogance is not hiding your stupidity as well as you think.
Dhalgren
For some reason this makes me want to go back and watch the movie The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming with Carl Reiner and Alan Arkin. Maybe it’s AIG being characteristically ridiculous and painting the activists as Stalinist.
AIG
comment deleted
Ami Kaufman
see, now you’re just making me angry. Do you have anything to say about the little poem above? If not, I’ll tell you again – get off my channel. Thanks, and all the best in Fascist-land.
AYLA
You had me at the title
.
Piotr Berman
AIG: in a democracy, elected officials are not exalted, instead they are humble servants of the people. Making fun of them is a vital part of the democratic process.
It goes all the way to the Athenian democracy where comedians were making fun of the leaders, and EVEN of the popular sentiments, postulating that making a war for 30 years is stupid. Disrespect of the majority emerged as soon as there was a majority rule. Check Aristophanes.
So you are posting here against 2500 years of tradition.
Plus show me someone with deep respect for the opinions of majority and I will show you someone citing the results that he/she likes. 5 minutes later, when faced with results less to his/her taste, all the reverence to “vox populi, vox Dei” is forgotten. Say, 84% of Germans supporting Guenther Grass should not be dismissed. 95% of Egyptians …
Piotr Berman
A better example from Haaretz today: a “democratic” comment from the right. Observe the respect for the majority:
62% Jews to re-elect obama
* gala
* 06.04.12
* 04:06
All I can say is that this 62% are suffering from mental illness. Please enlighten me as to what this man has done for America or for Israel????
Engelbert Luitsz
I’ll add a song to that. By the great Woody Guthrie.
Well I’m a gonna tell you fascists
you may be surprised
people in this world
are getting organized
you’re bound to lose
you fascists bound to lose
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwcKwGS7OSQ
annie
i had to come back and revisit this great post. thanks for the humor ami. then i read the comments and one of aig’s reminded me of this complete wacko poem i read today over at arutz sheva that starts out “I want to be a danger to the world” about the samson option. sometimes you just can’t take these people too seriously. we need to take little mental breaks from their twisted reality on occasion.
Jack Foreigner
@AIG:
I am really incensed whenever I see someone talk negatively about “leftists” and “history.” While many have not acted properly, to put it mildly, in the name of leftist ideologies, most of what the left has produced, historically, has moved human civilization forward:
eight-hour workdays
paid sick leave
paid vacations
retirement pensions
health benefits
public education
universal suffrage
consumer protection
environmental protection
civil rights
THE LIST GOES ON AND ON!! What has the contribution to human development been from the right??? Seriously, please name some. Almost every single right-wing policy position I know of has been regarded by history as immoral!! In fact, that ballot box you make such a big deal about was a leftist proposition to begin with!!!