ISRAEL EXPELLING 400 CHILDREN TO SAFEGUARD THEIR JEWISH IDENTITY

JERUSALEM:

Israel will expel 400 native-born children of non-Jewish foreign workers to help safeguard the country's Jewish identity.

Migrant advocacy groups responded angrily to the decision, arguing that it will punish innocent children by sending them to back to the impoverished nations their parents had left in search of better lives in Israel.

Announcing the decision on Sunday, the Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said the new policy was also aimed at halting the flow of illegal immigrants across Israel's border with Egypt.

''This decision is influenced by two main considerations, of humanity and Zionism,'' Mr Netanyahu said. ''On the one hand, this problem is a humanitarian problem - we all feel and understand the hearts of children - but, on the other hand, there are Zionist considerations and ensuring the Jewish character of the state of Israel.''

Israel did not want to create an incentive for hundreds of thousands of illegal migrants to flood the country, he said.

Under new immigration rules, children born to foreign workers who entered Israel legally, and who have lived there for at least five years, speak Hebrew and are enrolled in an Israeli school, will be eligible for permanent residency.

The cabinet voted 13 to 10 in favour of the decision on Sunday. Some ministers voted no because not enough children were being expelled; others voted no because they were opposed to the expulsion of any children.

The decision means that about 400 children of foreign workers must leave Israel by the end of the month with their parents, while 800 children will be eligible to stay.

''This isn't the state of the Jews that I know, that expels children,'' said the Industry Minister, Benyamin Ben-Eliezer, a member of the Labour Party. ''This is not the right time to let people see Israel expelling 400 children.''

Rotem Ilan, the chairwoman of Israeli Children, an advocacy group for migrant workers' families, said: ''They are the children of people who came to Israel legally to work. We brought these people here to plough our fields, build our houses and take care of our grandparents. And with people, come families.''

Ms Ilan said it was the deportation of children that threatened Israel's Jewish character.

''The obligation to act with kindness and compassion to foreigners is the most frequently repeated commandment in the Torah,'' she said.

Several Israeli commentators expressed concern at the impact of the decision on Israel's reputation abroad.

WHY ARE WE BEING FORCED TO ACCEPT DIGITAL TV

Over 3 million households in the US will lose their reception this Friday. Are the cable companies and the FCC in cahoots with this. They are trying to force this on the low income people and seniors. The US is one of the first countries to go to digital broadcasts.

Most countries will install digital in phases across their country. The government ran out of vouches. When the seniors go into the electronic stores, they try to push some extra equipment on them.

Now these people will have to rely on talk radio for the news . So I can imagine Rush Limbaugh will get more listeners.

The FCC's acting chairman, Michael Copps, said " anyone who thinks there will be another delay had better wake up and smell the converter box".

A survey showed at the end of May that more than 10 per cent of the 114 million household that have television sets are completely or partially unprepared.

MICHELE OBAMA FEMALE FORCE

First Lady Michelle Obama has a comic book coming out. The comic is published by Bluewater Productions. Publisher Darren G. Davis has two series of comics, Female Force and Political Power. Michelle Obama's comic will be a biography.

These comics will showcase the lives of powerful female leaders. They will be used as a teaching tool for children.

DO YOU WANT FAT CATS OR CHINA TO OWN WALL STREET !!

I for one do not want the fat cats to buy Wall Street. They will be as rich as the rulers in Saudi Arabia. Also I do not want China to buy Wall Street. They already own many skyscrapers in New York.