I’ve embedded a video for a very well done Israeli-made spoof remake of 1985 “We are the World” single that raised millions of dollars of aid for starving people in Ethiopia. This video spoof was produced by Hebrew-language media satire site Latma and presents the “Flotilla Choir” and their song “We Con the World.” It’s purpose is to address the biased world-coverage of recent events where Israeli soldiers (IDF) defended themselves after being attacked when they boarded a ship attempting to enforce the naval blockade of Gaza.

As of today this video has already been viewed more than 1.2 million times (learn more from report at Haaretz.com). I hope it’s viewed tens of millions of times more! (If you want to learn more about this incident and the biased international response then there’s a great op-ed piece by Charles Krauthammer entitled “Those Troublesome Jews” that I recommend reading.)

Click here to view the embedded video.

I’ve included the full text for this song below (sung to the tune of “We are the World”:

There comes a time
When we need to make a show
For the world, the Web and CNN
There’s no people dying,
so the best that we can do
Is create the greatest bluff of all

We must go on pretending day by day
That in Gaza, there’s crisis, hunger and plague
Coz the billion bucks in aid won’t buy their basic needs
Like some cheese and missiles for the kids

We’ll make the world
Abandon reason
We’ll make them all believe that the Hamas
Is Momma Theresa
We are peaceful travelers
With guns and our own knives
The truth will never find its way to your TV

Ooooh, we’ll stab them at heart
They are soldiers, no one cares
We are small, and we took some pictures with doves
As Allah showed us, for facts there’s no demand
So we will always gain the upper hand

We’ll make the world
Abandon reason
We’ll make them all believe that the Hamas
Is Momma Theresa
We are peaceful travelers
we’re waving our own knives
The truth will never find its way to your TV

If Islam and terror brighten up your mood
But you worry that it may not look so good
Well well well well don’t you realize
You just gotta call yourself
An activist for peace and human aid

We’ll make the world
Abandon reason
We’ll make them all believe that the Hamas
Is Momma Theresa
We are peaceful travelers
We’re waving our own knives
The truth will never find its way to your TV

We con the world
We con the people
We’ll make them all believe the IDF is Jack the Ripper
We are peaceful travelers
We’re waving our own knives
The truth will never find its way to your TV
We con the world (Bruce: we con the world…)
We con the people (Bruce: we con the people…)
We’ll make them all believe the IDF is Jack the Ripper
We are peaceful travelers
We’re waving our own knives
The truth will never find its way to your TV
The truth will never find its way to your TV

Barack Obama is saying conflicting things about Iran. On some days and for some audiences Obama tells us that Iran is not a threat. On other days and for other audiences he tells us they are a threat. Which one is it, Barack Obama?

Don’t take my word for this. Watch for yourself. Here’s what he said today (June 4, 2008) to the pro-Israel AIPAC (The American Israel Public Affairs Committee) about Iran being a threat.

Click here to view the embedded video.

But wait, contrast this with some statements in Billings, Montana from May 18 that Iran is not a threat. (Taken from FoxNews with an earlier Obama statement saying Iran is a “grave threat” to us.)

Click here to view the embedded video.

Make up your mind, Mr. Obama.  What do you really think. (Or will you just say what you think people want to hear to get elected?)

It’s time the Western world wakes up and recognizes that we are now fighting World War III. The sad truth, though, is many who should be allies are sitting on the sidelines while the axis of evil feverishly gets stronger by building weapons that could truly disrupt our lives and kill millions within seconds.

Since many barely have a clue about what’s going on, I’ll spell it out plainly. World War III is between the West (and I include Israel in this classification) and Radical Islam. The opening shots were fired in the 1970s and barely anyone noticed. Over the next decades other battles were fought and the West essentially gave ground each time. We saw the fall of Iran to radical elements, the Marine barracks attack in Beirut, the first World Trade Center bombing, the U.S.S. Cole attack, the African embassy attacks, and then 9/11. In each of these cases it was Muslim terrorists attacking Western interests. And in the case of Israel, there were too many wars and homicide bombings on their homeland, civilian populations and military to even mention at this time.

Over the past 30 years thousands of Western civilians and soldiers have died. Yet, from a historical perspective, in the grand scheme of war relatively little has been done to end these attacks for good. The American-led invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq have, in my opinion, reduced the number of attacks on civilian targets by refocusing the enemy on trying to outlast the American military presence. In the case of Israel, they have enjoyed more peace while they have occupied Palestinian and Lebanese territories and personally handled security there (ridding them of terror elements).

But in reality, the bulk of these military moves are only temporary stopgap measures. The truth is we have not killed enough radicals to break their will and put fear in their hearts. And part of the reason for this oversight, in my opinion, is the restraint placed on Western military leaders by their civilian counterparts. In short, American and allied military forces are not being allowed to get all the bad guys simply because civilian leaders don’t have the stomach for the temporary backlash brought on by the carnage of war.

Why is this so? Because our leaders don’t really recognize that we are really fighting World War III. They seem to still think we can negotiate and smart-bomb our way to a clean outcome of containment since this isn’t really a “real” war like the ones against Nazi Germany and the Japanese Empire.

But if you listen to our enemies, it’s very real to them. They want to create an Islamic state in Britain, the United States and beyond. For Israel, they want to wipe them off the map and make the land uninhabitable through nuclear fallout.

Friends, it’s time to wake up and smell the coffee. We are at war. We must win. There can be no restraint and no substitute for unconditional victory. We MUST prevail or we or our children will be forced to live under the curse of sharia law. This is World War III and we must fight it with all the vigor and will that we showed as Americans in winning World War II.

So it’s time to put the world on notice and make them choose sides. We should stop pandering to so-called “moderate” Muslim governments that smile at us and then finance our enemy behind out backs. We should not allow Hugo Chavez to squander the Venezuelan people for his ego trip alliance with Iran’s madman. He should be put on notice that his days are numbered since he is allied with a terrorist on our most-wanted list. He is aiding and abetting the enemy and that makes him the enemy too.

It’s time to formally align ourselves militarily with Israel just as we have with the United Kingdom and other nations. An attack on Israel is an attack on us and vice versa. Let’s work together more closely and openly fight this fight together. It’s time for Europe to end their anti-Israel bias and think about reality. Has Israel ever attacked or even threatened them on their soil as so many radical Muslims have?

Understanding and acknowledgment that we are fighting World War III should produce the changes needed to actually win this long war. It would force us to pour more resources into the fight and let the military do what they do best and that is kill the enemy and break his things. As much as I hate collateral damage and civilian casualties, we can’t be so averse to these things that it leads the enemy to hide among civilians to achieve a safe haven. The enemy must be killed and pushed to exhaustion knowing that their only safety is in surrender and giving up this fight for good.

Let’s fight World War III like we mean it and win!

I’ve been very frustrated with recent developments on the domestic and foreign policy scene involving the Democratic leadership in Congress who is seeking to micro-manage the War and weaken the President. Their actions give reason for our enemies to hope for another day to fight. I am also concerned about the weak responses of some of our allies and the inactions of those who should be our allies.

At the risk of being simplistic, I think some guiding principles should emerge to help navigate our nation through these trying times. It is my firm belief that historians will one day point out that the winner of the Long War Against Radical Islam was the side who had the most patience, vision and tenacity — essentially the nation(s) willing to do what it took to wear the other side down.

So, as a work in progress, I propose some basic thoughts or principles to guide our nation’s actions and responses in winning this War:

We must choose to win.

We must seek victory above all else. If we fail we lose everything. We should seek to utterly defeat our enemies. Unconditional surrender. No compromise. No substitute for victory. Our resolve should be stronger than steel. We must win this war no matter how long it takes.

This is a long war.

From the perspective of world history, I believe this War will be identified as starting in the early 1970s and will span more than half a century. We must carefully consider this War in the light of history if we are to prevail. It is a clash of civilizations, religions and ideas much like other great clashes in history (including Rome vs. Carthage, Allies vs. Nazis, Moors vs. Europe, Huns vs. Europe, Greece vs. Persia).

The United States will bear most of the burden.

Unfortunately, this means most of the casualties and most of the costs. Allies are great but most prefer the free ride when available. Part of this burden will be the ugly words heaped upon us by members of the international community. But I prefer ugly words any day to bombs and homicide attackers.

We should choose our friends carefully.

If a nation is not with us then they are against us. In the long run, it is that simple. I would be willing to see the creation a formal list of national friends designated with some kind of meaningful “most favored nation” status. Anyone not listed as a friend would never get the benefits of this designation and would be considered irrelevant at best and an enemy otherwise.

We should disregard the feelings and protests of our enemies.

In fighting an enemy who hides behind women and children to attack us, it is sometimes hard to pursue necessary actions to protect our troops without feeling guilty of doing wrong. In these cases, while always trying to limit collateral damage, we must protect ourselves first and let the murderous results of our enemy’s decisions to use human shields and other despicable actions fall on them. In these cases it is not our fault if civilians die. Their blood is on their government’s hands and we have to disregard the outcry and press on to complete the mission and win the war.

We should formally choose sides in the Middle East.

What Middle Eastern nation has been our best friend and ally for decades? What Middle Eastern nation has never been a threat to our security? What Middle Eastern nation is democratically elected, protects minority viewpoints and rights (including freedom of religion), respects women, and seeks to live in peace with its neighbors? Only Israel fully fits this description. Thus, in any Israeli/Arab conflict, we should side with our friend and provide aid as needed. We should not meddle and hold them back just as we don’t like for others to hold us back in our pursuit of our enemies. Joint actions, including military ones, should be considered viable options when in our mutual best interests. Of course our hand of friendship should extend to any other nation who will live peacefully with us and Israel.

All options are on the table, including the nuclear option.

In dealing with rogue nations we should never rule out military force, never set arbitrary timetables, never broadcast our plans to the enemy, and never rule out using our trump card — nuclear weapons. We must follow through on threats. Hostile acts should be dealt with swiftly and decisively and in proportion to the severity of the crime. The taking of Americans as hostages should result in an ultimatum for their immediate safe return and swift military action. Punishment via military action could include bombing vital factories and industrial facilities. If hostages are harmed or killed the actions would be far more sweeping.

We need a strong leader who explains why.

Think of great leaders of the past who persevered through dark and difficult days — George Washington at Valley Forge, Winston Churchill who promised “blood, toil, tears, and sweat” in the fight against Nazi Germany, and the 300 Spartans at Thermopylae. A people who knows who they are, why they fight, what the stakes are, and why they must win is able to give more, push harder, innovate better, and persevere to see the victory at the end. We must never forget why we must fight. Yes, some of us will die in the fight, but we will all die if we don’t fight.

So I pray that we have the strength, resolve, courage, and wherewithal to persevere to the victorious end. There is no doubt in my mind that we can win. My only fear is that we could lose hope or give up along the way, postpone our victory and let our enemies live to fight another day — a day in which they might prevail.

Today I had the chance to participate in a very interesting teleconference sponsored by The Israel Project with former Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Dore Gold. Amb. Gold was Israel’s 11th ambassador to the United Nations (1997-1999) and is a leading expert on the Middle East and U.S. foreign policy. Amb. Gold is currently president of Israel’s Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs (JCPA).

The threat posed by Iran was the dominant topic of Abm. Gold’s remarks. He made several main points including:

• Iran is attempting to project it’s power over the Middle East, Europe and ultimately beyond to directly confront the United States.
• Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad should be held accountable for promoting genocide in threatening to “wipe Israel off the map.”
• Sunni Arab states now face a clear threat from Iran — with the increase of Sunni power in Iraq and the direct and indirect influence of Iran (using proxy groups), there is now a “Shiite crecent” emerging that threatens Jordan and other Sunni nations.
• With Shiites in Iraq and the Taliban in Afganistan no longer threatening Iran, they can now pour the majority of their military budget into missile programs, weapons of mass destruction, and their navy.
• Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is part of an Islamic cult actively trying to accelerate the “end of days” by ushering in an apocalyptic moment.
• Stabilization of the Middle East requires the neutralization of radical Islam — Iran is the major source of instability in the region.
• Israel must maintain defensible borders — especially in the Jordan Valley where a pullout would be disastrous for the region.

Amb. Gold was foreign policy advisor to former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and is a two-time New York Times best-selling author. Amb. Gold also served as an advisor to former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and was a member of the Israeli delegation at the 1998 Wye River negotiations between Israel and the PLO. In 1991, he was an advisor to the Israeli delegation to the Madrid Peace Conference.