Punnadhammo Bhikkhu Response

Dear Punnadhammo Bhikkhu,

Regarding your posting/article/letter on the Toronto Star:

I thought you would enjoy the included/attached image, containing a wise quote from Golda Meir: "We can forgive the Arabs for killing our children. We cannot forgive them for forcing us to kill their children. We will only have peace with the Arabs when they love their children more than they hate us." 

It is established fact that the cowardly terrorists use their own civilian people (even children!) as shields in many ways.

Anti-Israel and anti-Semite terrorists (such as "Hezbollah") leave Israel and Jews no recourse. If we followed your advice, Jews would not have their home-land, and furthermore would be even closer to annihilation.

I agree that the most recent "war" in the Middle East [as with any other war] is awful. I wish that more Arabs and Muslims would take your advice and be more proactive in stopping their brethren from terrorizing Jews. Living in your forest monastery retreat, your perspective on world events is clearly deficient. I would recommend that you spend your time further researching Middle East events and history, before you put your foot in your mouth again. This war is more about the existence Israel than the control of a river. In virtually all situations following the establishment of Israel (in which even the UN was involved), Israel's actions have been in self-defense. Even Shaolin Monks behaved in a similar fashion, learning and training to defend themselves when peace was not an option.

Israelis lead the way to a "moral revolution" in being a wellspring of goodness for the world and their neighbours, while the latter allow terrorists and hate-mongers to encroach upon Israel's border. Such extreme transgressions require severe response & reaction. Israel's actions are a direct result of Lebanon's disgusting complacency, as the latter permitted Hezbollah to saturate Southern Lebanon with schools preaching hate, violence, use of weapons, etc.

I am proud to be a Canadian in support of Israel. I support Prime Minister Harper's stance towards the Middle East, as I have a lot of Shakhmundes family that was killed in the Holocaust. Check Yad Vashem's Shoah Victims' Database if you do not believe me. Canada is not failing our ethical litmus test, but people like you are undermining it!

Please learn to be more reasonable for the future,

Daniel Shakhmundes

Links:

• A Dove Supports Israel’s Fight
• Solving the Middle East Crisis? Build a Casino in Ramallah!
• Mark Regev on the conflict in Lebanon
• Hospital suffers wounds of war
  Hezbollah rocket destroys entire floor housing eye ward
• As patients stay safe underground, a doctor takes stock of rocket's toll

Voicemail Restored

Following up on my previous post

that was dedicated to Rogers Wireless' awful service,

my voice-mail works again!

I hope that they can avoid causing any more problems again today.

Rogers Wireless is Irresponsible

Rogers Communications Inc.

refuses to make amends for providing unreliable/dysfunctional service,

by providing pathetic excuses!

I also called my wireless dealer, Link Mobile Communications, and have as much news as I could gather on this issue that affects many local cellphone users:

This morning, one of my clients, Dave Sabo of Niagara Online, made a surprise visit to my home. He was a bit concerned, because he tried calling me, but some stranger's voice was enunciating an unfamiliar greeting on my voice-mail! I immediately called my own phone to find that indeed the greeting message was different, and I did not change it!!

Using Skype, I called Rogers [for free]. Of course, after navigating menus to Wireless Tech Support, I had to wait on hold. “Curt” answered and authenticated the call. I gave him a brief description of the problem. He then said that he would forward me to tech support, and I waited on hold yet again. For some reason, I thought selecting Wireless Tech Support would take me directly there... Anyhow, 15 minutes from the initiation of my call to Rogers, I finally reached “Jason”. He said there is a problem with the system affecting many customers and there is no ETA on a solution/fix. I said I would like my account/bill appropriately credited. Jason replied that it is not possible for Rogers to credit all their customers. I rebuked “yes it is”, so then he forwarded me to Customer Service, and I was put on hold yet again. At least the wait was only a few minutes before “Philip” answered. I provided him the background information as to why I was calling. Phillip's response was very disappointing to me; he told me that voicemail free and I cannot be credited for it. I told him that's ridiculous - voicemail is part of my package/plan, so perhaps I should be credited the whole thing then! He said I was wrong, and that voicemail is provided free on top of my wireless plan. What a pathetic excuse; I pay $80 to $100 per month, and none of that covers my voicemail?! Philip refused to provide anything other than apologies.

Last but not least, I called Link Mobile Communications, my wireless service dealer. I was told that 10 other people have already called about the same problem. Apparently it has something to do with the [very poorly carried out] launch of a new or additional caller identification system.

In conclusion, I would just like to state that I am very disappointed that a monstrous corporation and conglomerate refuses to be accountable and make amends for their own mistake that disrupts a service for which they are paid. This fact implies that Rogers Communications Inc. is greedy and unethical (and therefore amoral as well). Unfortunately, I do not have any better suggestions at this time...