Israel Moves Into Gaza
[Guest post by DRJ]
The Israeli military initiated a naval blockade and sent tanks and troops into Gaza in a ground operation intended to end the rocket attacks on Israeli citizens:
“A few hours ago Israeli forces went into Gaza as part of the ongoing operation there. From the beginning, I said that the operation would be broadened as necessary, and now it is necessary,” Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said last night in a televised press conference from Tel Aviv.
Infantry, tanks, engineering forces, artillery and intelligence units are taking part in the ground offensive, backed by the air force, navy and other security agencies, the army said. A naval blockade was imposed at 20 nautical miles off the Gaza shore, it added.”
The action was supported by the Bush Administration, a Czech EU leader, and even California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, among others. However, French President Sarkozy condemned the Israelis while Barack Obama has been silent, citing his post-election policy that there is “one President at a time.” A Hamas leader objected to Obama’s silence, comparing Israel’s incursion to the November 2008 terrorist attack on Mumbai that Obama condemned.
In today’s New York Post, columnist Ralph Peters speculates Israel’s actions are due in part to a concern that the Obama Administration will “undercut Israel’s counterterror offensive before its goals have been reached.” Whether or not that’s true, Hamas had to know the Bush Administration would support Israel and it’s mystifying to me why the Hamas leaders didn’t wait until Bush was out of office to commence these rocket attacks.
— DRJ
The French, they are a funny race.
Official Internet Data Office (e781ed) — 1/3/2009 @ 6:07 pmRalph Peters’ piece is good. I especially like this line of his: “And Israel’s vaunted intelligence services can’t tell their superiors what Obama will do, since few (if any) of the president-elect’s supporters know what he intends to do.”
Given all the Clinton administration leftovers showing up in the Obama administration, I’ll bet Peters is not amused. He had quite a few run-ins with that lot during the Clinton administration when his prescient advice was ignored.
SPQR (26be8b) — 1/3/2009 @ 6:11 pmSPQR.
The next sentence (in the following paragraph) was pretty good, too:
DRJ (2be0dd) — 1/3/2009 @ 6:14 pmYep. I’m a huge fan of Peters’ writing ( both his fiction under his own name and his pen name Owen Parry as well as his non fiction ). I just recently finished his memoir “Looking for Trouble”.
SPQR (26be8b) — 1/3/2009 @ 6:17 pmI think both he and Austin Bay have interesting views of military issues, but I didn’t realize he also wrote fiction.
DRJ (2be0dd) — 1/3/2009 @ 6:19 pmDRJ, Austin’s a good guy. I had the pleasure of working with him on a wargaming project during the first Gulf War.
SPQR (26be8b) — 1/3/2009 @ 6:22 pmThe only way to make Gaza safe for Israel is to move all of the Pali’s into Egypt.
AD (ad74e9) — 1/3/2009 @ 6:26 pmBut then, if the Egyptians were amenable to that, they would never have established the refugee camps in the early 50’s, but would have absorbed the Pali’s into Egyptian society.
SPQR,
It’s strange to meet people in real life that I “know” online. I’ve only met Austin Bay once, very briefly, but I agree he’s very nice. Also, his wife is a UT Law grad like Patterico and some of the people that visit here.
AD,
Others want to relocate them to Jordan, with much the same response from the Jordanians.
DRJ (2be0dd) — 1/3/2009 @ 6:29 pm“…it’s mystifying to me why the Hamas leaders didn’t wait until Bush was out of office to commence these rocket attacks.”
I think the answer is that the leadership of Hamas isn’t made up of the brightest bulbs on the tree.
The process by which men reach leadership in organizations like Hamas tend to reward cruelty, ruthlessness, and ideological purity. It doesn’t tend to reward people who are crafty.
We’ve seen it again and again, as the terrorists prove themselves to be their own worst enemies. Al Qaeda achieved control over large areas of Iraq, and proceeded to be cruel and petty, and eventually alienated the Sunnis and caused them to change sides. Al Qaeda in Iraq’s brutal bombing campaign against the Shiites (fellow Arabs and Muslims) soiled the Al Qaeda brand world wide among Muslims.
The simple fact is that these guys ain’t very smart.
Steven Den Beste (99cfa1) — 1/3/2009 @ 6:32 pm(Yes, I know that Al Qaeda and Hamas are separate. But they’re similar in this regard: their leaders are idiots.)
Steven Den Beste (99cfa1) — 1/3/2009 @ 6:33 pmComment by DRJ — 1/3/2009 @ 6:29 pm
This goes back to the loss of a golden moment at the conclusion of the 1967 war…
AD (ad74e9) — 1/3/2009 @ 6:34 pmThe Gaza Pali’s should have been removed to Egypt, and the West Bank Pali’s should have been removed to the East Bank (Jordan – they already had Jordanian passports/ID’s for the most part).
It would have been a simple matter to raise the funds to compensate those who held title to land in Gaza and on the West Bank.
It was a moment that could have simplified a great many of Israel’s problems going forward, a moment lost forever.
Stephen Den Beste,
That’s a logical and convincing analysis but in a strange way I hope it’s not true — at least not as to the Hamas’ leaders who survive this. It’s often more difficult to fight stupid opponents because they can be so unpredictable. Smart leaders know when to quit fighting and consider other solutions.
DRJ (2be0dd) — 1/3/2009 @ 6:50 pmPalestinians were “moved into” Jordan. And there they plotted to take over the country. King Hussein expelled them to Lebanon. Black September? And they turned Lebanon, the Switzerland of the Middle East, into just another Arab shithole.
nk (d08690) — 1/3/2009 @ 6:54 pmComment by DRJ — 1/3/2009 @ 6:50 pm
Everything SDB said about Hamas also applied to Saddam Hussein and the Baathists, and we know how reasonable, and forthcoming, he turned out to be.
AD (ad74e9) — 1/3/2009 @ 6:54 pmIt is a completely alien culture to those whose minds are in the West.
Comment by nk — 1/3/2009 @ 6:54 pm
Not all of them, not the permanent settlements on the West Bank, only the Fatah and PLO factions, who promptly set out to overthrow the Hashemite Kingdom. It’s too bad that Hussein was such a nice guy and let them leave, instead of “pulling a Vegas” and disappearing them in the desert.
AD (ad74e9) — 1/3/2009 @ 6:59 pmThe Naval Blockade should be permanent. Hamas has been smuggling rockets, missiles, weapons, ammo, etc. into Gaza for years. No vessel gets into or out of Gaza ports. I’d also declare a free fire zone on any vessel that gets within 1000 meters of shore.
SeniorD (50f696) — 1/3/2009 @ 7:21 pmWhen Israel occupied Gaza, the economic growth of those Palestinians was the fourth highest in the world. With the Intifada, the growth ended. Actually, both the West Bank and Gaza had excellent economies. Only Arabs can consistently snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
Mike K (2cf494) — 1/3/2009 @ 7:34 pmWhile I do not doubt that SDB is right when he calls the idiots; nevertheless they may have stumbled on a relatively successful strategy. The strategy being that it is reasonable to be unreasonable and so far it seems to worked out for them. That they don’t care how much destruction short of absolute destruction they have their people suffer, for those in the movement it seems to be paying off.
Mugabe without question has destroyed his country being any measure used by intelligent and sane people, he and his core supporters nevertheless are doing fine by their judgment.
The only way out for Israel is to kill Hamas supporters in rather large numbers; the leaders, their families, their supporters and those close to them. Bring misery to the population by destroying the infrastructure and blocking all supplies coming in. Instead invert the tactic of being unreasonable on the Arabs, Europeans and the UN. Until all of Israels demands are met, no truces or relenting and allowing aid to come in.
cubanbob (409ac2) — 1/3/2009 @ 7:52 pmWith oil at the current price, this may be the golden opportunity for Israel.
I was just watching coverage on cable TV, and the differences were typically stark. Fox had a round table of military / CIA guys talking strategy and Geraldo Rivera calling Hamas “apocalyptic anarchists,” and CNN had a heartfelt interview with a woman in a hijab whose father lived in Gaza. I didn’t have the stomach for BBC.
God bless the IDF – hope that they can get something accomplished with this action.
carlitos (34f76e) — 1/3/2009 @ 8:03 pmDRJ, I wish it were not so myself. But I fear it is the case. We’re dealing with people who are fighting a war by using a 1300 year old manual for conquest, suited for a time when wars were fought mainly with bows, swords, and spears.
Their 6-month truce was a hudna, right out of the playbook:
“…hudna can also be interpreted not as a peacful move but as a tactical pause intended only for re-armnent, paving the way for renewed conflict from a stronger position.”
Steven Den Beste (99cfa1) — 1/3/2009 @ 8:15 pmMy wife was watching MSNBC today and saw a headline, “Israel kills 11 worshippers in Gaza.” I don’t know if they were worshipping by jihad but MSNBC wouldn’t care. Some of the media are amazing in their dishonesty.
Mike K (2cf494) — 1/3/2009 @ 8:21 pm…paraphrasing Shakespear…
“Come the revolution, first thing we’ll do is kill all the Journo’s.”
AD (ad74e9) — 1/3/2009 @ 8:25 pmOh that every report from American and European media outlets would preface their reports with this IDF spokesman’s statement,
The IDF Spokesperson wishes to reiterate that the residents of Gaza are not the target of the operation. Those who use civilians, the elderly, women and children as human shields are responsible for any and all injuries to the civilian population. Anyone who hides a terrorist or weapons in his house is considered a terrorist.
Dana (137151) — 1/3/2009 @ 8:29 pmIsraellycool is liveblogging the events as they unfold. http://www.israellycool.com/
You could make the case that many of the past leaders of Hamas have already been eliminated over the years by the IDF and also the estimable MOSSAD. What they have left may be only crumbs at this point.
God bless the IDF – hope that they can get something accomplished with this action.
I wonder if the leaders in Israel understand what’s at stake here, after the debacle in Lebanon. They must give their enemies no rest and no respite until unconditional surrender. There isn’t a third option for this conflict, if they don’t finish this the festering problems will only become more deadly over the ensuing years. Bibi understands this dynamic better than most, as did Sharon.
Dmac (eb0dd0) — 1/3/2009 @ 8:31 pmThe awful part, Dana, is that this asymmetry seems to work among America’s “intelligentia.”
I don’t get it. They are supporting people who would literally take away a woman’s right to vote (and move around freely), and kill gays (let alone disapprove of gay marriage).
Israel is none of those things.
Is it this weird self-hatred of the West I have seen so often in academic circles?
Eric Blair (3e2520) — 1/3/2009 @ 8:32 pmIt is the cognitive dissonance that we saw for eight years of BDS – the absolute defamation of someone (something) that is protecting all that they hold dear, yet they support the faction that would eliminate all of that.
AD (ad74e9) — 1/3/2009 @ 8:36 pmIt is a mass psychosis.
The pressure continues to mount against Israel from the international community and Israel becomes a little island in the midst of an enemy that does not want to be part of any peace accord but seeks to destroy Israel. As Sheikh Abdel-Rahman al-Jamal announced, “We will remain on the path of jihad.” No matter what, they will not stop. The destruction of Israel is their goal and this is what Israel knows and most of the world remains in denial about. Dmac is right: Israels needs to not falter and must give their enemies no rest and no respite until unconditional surrender occurs, with or without the support of the international community.
Dana (137151) — 1/3/2009 @ 8:44 pmEric, it’s “Folk Marxism“.
Steven Den Beste (99cfa1) — 1/3/2009 @ 8:45 pmAD, back around 9-11, I read about a poem that has a line that really describes a lot of weirdness in the West:
I can’t find the line in a poem; I’ll keep looking. But it sure describes this weird exacting criticism of Western Civilization, coupled with a idealization of the faults of other societies.
I would understand being highly critical of all societies. I would understand cutting all societies a break. What I don’t understand is the academic flexible yardstick.
Why, I have been listening to female academics defend Wahabist Muslims, who would jail or kill those same women for saying things against them, in their own land.
Self-hatred? In “Prayers for the Assassin,” Ferrigno’s fictional protagonist states that the certitude of fundamentalist Islam was attractive to Westerners living in a state of cultural relativism.
There might be some weird masochistic truth to that.
Eric Blair (3e2520) — 1/3/2009 @ 8:48 pmI wonder if the leaders in Israel understand what’s at stake here, after the debacle in Lebanon. They must give their enemies no rest and no respite until unconditional surrender. There isn’t a third option for this conflict, if they don’t finish this the festering problems will only become more deadly over the ensuing years. Bibi understands this dynamic better than most, as did Sharon.
They need to put a woman in charge, in that case. Men don’t mind living with uncertainty. Women cannot stand it.
nk (d08690) — 1/3/2009 @ 8:50 pmEB, I think it is some sick infection from the adulation of the Mead-ists of primitive cultures that were untouched by the evil of civilization.
Too bad nobody told them that the majority of her work was a fraud, as are their intellectual holdings.
What’s the old saying about those who refuse to open their eyes to the world about them…?
No one is so blind as he who refuses to open his eyes?
That this condition is, or appears to be, the prevelent one in academic circles does not speak well of the integrity of intellectualism in the modern world.
O/T… Great game in San Diego tonight, what a finish.
AD (ad74e9) — 1/3/2009 @ 8:57 pmComment by nk — 1/3/2009 @ 8:50 pm
Well, Livni’s running for PM, but even with a convincing win in Gaza, I don’t think she’ll prevail over Bibi. Her public pronouncements are just too “soft”, and reflect too much of the disaster that was Lebanon in ’06.
AD (ad74e9) — 1/3/2009 @ 9:00 pmIs it this weird self-hatred of the West I have seen so often in academic circles?
Eric Blair, you bet it is! It’s also this intense romanticism of oppressors and police states that Americans excel at. You see it at your school daily I would guess; Che tsthirts, pro-Cuba protests, book bags with the red star, etc. There is nothing we don’t romanticize here and if necessary we will deny or ignore any pesky issues of hypocrisy. Whatever they have by default is better than what we have. That is the psychosis.
Self-hatred combined with guilt for having to endure carrying this burdensome cross of being gifted to live in the world’s most valiant stronghold of human rights and freedoms for all, equally distributed across the board. What a burden, eh?
Dana (137151) — 1/3/2009 @ 9:00 pmI think that it is a French disorder, AD.
Rousseau went nuts about the “Noble Savage” meme in what is now French Polynesia after Europeans first landed in Tahiti.
James Cook tried to set the intellectual set straight. Far from paradise, there was infanticide, slavery, an extremely brutal dictatorial rule, and near-constant warfare.
The intellectual set replied that the Polynesian Eden had been contaminated by Western culture very quickly.
Some things don’t change.
Eric Blair (3e2520) — 1/3/2009 @ 9:00 pmComment by Eric Blair — 1/3/2009 @ 9:00 pm
It is the White Man’s Burden, you see!
Which again reinforces WHB’s truth that he would rather be governed by the first fifty names in the Cambridge phone book, than by the faculty of Harvard.
AD (ad74e9) — 1/3/2009 @ 9:06 pmAD, it does smell like a weird form of racism: “…the natives can’t be expected to govern themselves…”
Except that we blame ourselves for messing them up, as if they were living in a paradise flying kites in parks (to borrow from Michael Moore).
Eric Blair (3e2520) — 1/3/2009 @ 9:14 pm#12- Smart leaders know when to quit fighting and consider other solutions.
Precisely.
DCSCA (d8da01) — 1/3/2009 @ 9:51 pmOf course you mean WFB, saying he’d rather be governed by the first 2,000 names in the Boston telephone directory, than by the faculty of Harvard.
Official Internet Data Office (e781ed) — 1/3/2009 @ 10:38 pmIt’s that we can’t say we’re better. That our civilization (western) is better. NOW doesn’t put up with wife beating, or abortion bans, or unequal treatment for women in any way, shape, or form says nothing about the treatment of women anywhere in the Middle East because “that’s their culture.”
It’s time the West stood up and told them that culture or not, their behavior is unacceptable.
kimsch (2ce939) — 1/3/2009 @ 11:04 pmKimsch, here is a post that will give you hope, though it was a long time ago, about Sir Charles Napier, during those nasty old days of Imperialist Aggression in the 19th Century…in this case, India.
This is from Mark Steyn’s excellent “America Alone.”
Cultural equivalence is a very slippery slope. And some things are better than others. Or the people who think that they are better will prevail.
Eric Blair (3e2520) — 1/3/2009 @ 11:39 pmEric Blair: Good post; thanks.
Old Coot (f036b5) — 1/4/2009 @ 7:37 am#29 Eric Blair:
I think a great, huge helping of truth to that.
A significant portion of the population at large cannot admit to itself that life is a chaotic journey. That it is inherently “unfair.” That there are events outside the control of people, whom they hold to be the apotheosis of Creation, even while denying the possibility of a Creator.
Where there really is a Creator or not is immaterial. Since there is not, for them, any permanence in their state of being, they are left bereft and bewildered, and rebellious~feeling betrayed by the very institutions that would give substance to their lives if they were not intent upon “changing” the immutable and confusing “hope” for wistfullness.
And, incidentally, envying those who do possess a moral certitude so long as, Heaven forbid, it doesn’t spring from the institutions that they have turned their backs upon.
Sorry for the pun.
EW1(SG) (e27928) — 1/4/2009 @ 8:39 amI just had to!I’m pretty sure the Devil made me do it.I’m pretty sure he’s the one that marked down the price on the extra consonants I used in my previous comment, as well.
EW1(SG) (e27928) — 1/4/2009 @ 8:41 amI think that it is a French disorder, AD.
I think you nailed it on the head, EB. A new book’s just been published regarding the widespread collaboration between almost the entire art and political elite of France during the Nazi occupation. Edith Piaf and the like are all there – yet not one mention of this fact was seen in the otherwise excellent film bio about her two years ago. Almost immediately after the war, this uncomfortable fact of life was conveniently swept under the rug, to be immediately replaced by consuming hatred for their liberators (i.e. the US).
And so we see the continuing thread today in our country, with decent directors like Soderburg making a laudatory film about the murderous psychopathic thug Che, with accompanying statements from him decrying the inherent evils of capitalism. Wonder if he’ll now immediately renounce all of his worldly goods and possessions, and move to this worker’s paradise?
Dmac (eb0dd0) — 1/4/2009 @ 8:43 am____________________________
When Israel occupied Gaza, the economic growth of those Palestinians was the fourth highest in the world. Comment by Mike K — 1/3/2009 @ 7:34 pm
That’s surprising, since I didn’t think anything dominated by the Palestinian mindset, culture and politics (in which common sense is trashed due to neurotic reactions) would allow constructive, positive trends to occur.
Or sort of similar to a Middle-Eastern version of inner-city America, where idiotic, self-destructive thinking and attitudes prevail in a community. Or along the lines of voters electing someone like, say, Al Franken to a major political office.
Mark (411533) — 1/4/2009 @ 8:49 am____________________________
Hi Dmac:
You ask about Soderburg:
Nope. That is for the unwashed, stupid peons like you and me, who don’t appreciate his brash and challenging artistic vision. The brave, idealistic intelligentia live by different rules. They also drink fancy champagne.
Elitocracy, personified—and ironic, since these types condemn that sort of thing from the Bushes (which is okay) and ignore it from the Kennedys (which makes them hypocrites).
Eric Blair (3e2520) — 1/4/2009 @ 8:55 amHi EW1(SG):
It’s interesting. All the Hope and Change issues have become most quiet as we hear more and more Bush and Clinton appointments.
And broken (no, changed by circumstances!) campaign promises.
But the idea of Hope and Change was paramount…even if the truth will be quite different.
So the idea of certainty sounds good, even if the reality is very unpleasant, maybe.
Eric Blair (3e2520) — 1/4/2009 @ 8:59 am#47 Eric Blair:
Exactly. Hence the wistful ascription of supernatural powers to a candidate making those promises, regardless that his feet are of clay, just like any other’s.
EW1(SG) (e27928) — 1/4/2009 @ 9:06 amEric’s theory is being demonstrated quite capably by the imminent appointment of another Kennedy empty skirt to the US Senate. She makes Hillary look like Dean Acheson by comparison. “You know, like, I think I’m qualified to be a Senator because I’ve raised kids…and stuff.”
Dmac (eb0dd0) — 1/4/2009 @ 9:08 amI find it highly informative that 60 years have gone by where various militant groups have been permitted to slaughter civilians, a large percentage of whom were either over 50 or under 15. I find it equally informative that those in charge of the protection of the aforementioned targets for death are castigated for attempting to protect the aforementioned targets of death.
If memory serves, Beruit was once the “Pearl of the Middle-East” until the “death to jew” brigades took over. Now, there’s nothing shiny about Beruit. When Israel was forced by world opinion and world-wide political pressure to leave Gaza, she did so with an intact, self-viable Gaza. Now, that self-viability is gone, wholly due to the jew-hating.
And yes, “Palestinian” is a contrived term for a contrived people. Palestinians are, in actuality, the rejected people of their brethren arab kingdoms. Hamas and Hezbollah are no more “Palestinian” than I am “Berkeleyian,” yet they (the terrorist groups) are more than willing to sacrifice Palestinian lives of any age in order to finish Adolf’s most holy work.
If the terrorists wish to surround themselves with innocent civilian shields, and they do, the deaths of those innocents are on the heads of the terrorists and not the Israeli defendants. Please note, DCSCA and mariO, the Israeli military officials are subverting many militarily-proven methods of victory by warning regions about to be attacked prior to engagement. The Israelis are doing everything possible to avoid collateral damage while not getting any credit for their “above and beyond” efforts.
There will be no peace for Israel so long as Hamas and Hezbollah are viable entities. There will be no peace for Israel so long as there are anti-semites in control of any government or governmental association. There will be no peace for Israel so long as the leftist MSM exists. Therefore, Israel must pro-actively defend its own right to exist.
the Jew-loving Christian John Hitchcock (fb941d) — 1/4/2009 @ 9:49 amIt’s worse than not getting any credit — they’re getting condemned when the Hamas thugs force women and children to stay put at gun point, when Hamas attacks Israeli civilians from civilian areas, and when Hamas’ makeshift weapons fall short and kill Palestinians.
Hell, if the Israelis did nothing and Hamas succeeded in murdering hundreds of Israeli civilians, the Israeli government would be condemned for that, too.
Rob Crawford (b5d1c2) — 1/4/2009 @ 10:23 amI find it utterly ironic that Sarkozy has the unmitigated gall to condemn Israel for defending themselves when he cannot even prevent and control the Muslim yutes from burning over 1,000 cars within the streets of France this New Year’s Eve.
Physician heal thyself.
Dana (137151) — 1/4/2009 @ 10:31 amI have a new post up on the Israeli strategy based on a Martin Kramer mailing. The strategy is to eventually put the PA back in power in Gaza, then negotiate a two-state solution. Hamas has rejected the two-state solution.
MIke K (2cf494) — 1/4/2009 @ 10:37 am“And when I read Michael Goldfarb [on the Israel-Gaza conflict], I become more and more aware of just how disgusting the McCain campaign was; and how lucky we are to have removed these thugs from office.”
Andrew “The Sarah Palin Vagina Monologues” Sullivan
This is what apparently set Sully off:
http://www.weeklystandard.com/weblogs/TWSFP/2009/01/a_suppo sed_serious_person.asp
What has happened to Sullivan? He just cannot let it go can he? When the One disappoints him, will he go completely insane? So now Goldfarb is a “thug” for supporting Israel. Nope, he will just create a double standard. This is not madness but dishonesty.
Joe (17aeff) — 1/4/2009 @ 2:27 pmThe short-term gains are likely to be decent; lots of the head Hamasholes are now dead, and quite a few missiles and missile factories have been destroyed.
But unless this establishes a new working principle — that attacks will be met by disproportionate responses (more relatively cheap artillery rounds rather than expensive smart bombs) — it won’t, alas, make much difference.
The only wild card is the possibility of the PLO a: reconquering Gaza in the wake of the Hamas weakness and b: the PLO having somehow become a reliable negotiating partner. Unlikely.
Joel Rosenberg (677e59) — 1/4/2009 @ 2:48 pmThe IDF has just split Gaza into two today – good news, indeed.
Dmac (eb0dd0) — 1/4/2009 @ 3:00 pmThe “disproportionate response” you suggest works militarily but doesn’t work in the MSM and in the UN because too many people are too willing to ignore the anti-semetic nature of those who are indiscriminately killing Israeli children. Yes, I used an inflammatory “object of the predicate” because it is that sort of inflammatory usage the liberals and anti-semites use. The anti-semites in the Middle East are indiscriminately killing any and all Israelis, not just the young or infirm.
The wild card you didn’t mention was the education system in Gaza. You know, that education system that says Israel is evil incarnate and it is better to die killing Israelis than it is to live in peace with Israelis. Our own education system is very collusionary. It doesn’t matter what the facts are, so long as your beliefs and precepts are in tune with the liberal elites.
Sidebar: Thank you, Dana, for giving me the idea with moniker adjustments. And loving, how about “Loving My Neighbor Today” as a moniker?
the former home-school parent John Hitchcock (fb941d) — 1/4/2009 @ 3:06 pmInteresting article on how IDF has invested in systems to support warning civilians.
SPQR (26be8b) — 1/4/2009 @ 3:21 pm… it’s mystifying to me why the Hamas leaders didn’t wait until Bush was out of office …
Because their Iranian masters couldn’t wait that long?
LarryD (feb78b) — 1/5/2009 @ 6:11 amPowerline has a Micheal Leeden link that delves into the Iran connection to Hamas. Our media doesn’t seem to give much attention to Iran. I was not aware that Iran hanged a group of people around Xmas. It seems that the citizens hate the ruling theocracy with a passion. I suppose in much the same sense that our libtards despise Bush, although with actual good reasons on part of Iranians. Our efforts in Iraq against Al qaeda and puppets of Iran and things like the diminished price for oil are hurting the evil bastards in Iran that support terrorism worldwide. Nice to see that Iran won’t actually use their own forces in Gaza, instead calling for more meetings about the plight of the poor widdle Palis. Indeed, Arabs are really such pussies when confronting the evil Zionist entity, which makes up maybe 6% of the total land mass in middle east? Yes, some idiots buys the suicide bomber, 72 hot virgins BS but given the record of Arab armies versus the Israelis, they remind me more of the cheese eating surrender monkeys. I should google arab military victories. Hey Allah, you look like a punk to me.
aoibhneas (0c6cfc) — 1/5/2009 @ 7:26 amRef timing:
Iran told Hamas to provoke this to take the IDF’s combat power and attention away from Iran’s nukes. Only has to last until the inauguration.
Richard Aubrey (a9ba34) — 1/6/2009 @ 11:36 am2 B-1Bs would be enough to handle this situation. Send one of them to the nuclear site and drop a couple smart bombs right down the ol’ crapper pipe, then send the other one to carpet-bomb the only, ONLY, oil refinery in Iran. Imagine their mild concern when they cannot refine their radioactive material or their carbon-based material.
John Hitchcock (fb941d) — 1/6/2009 @ 11:45 amAnd…under the “freedom of academic expression” banner…check out this:
http://chronicle.com/news/index.php?id=5745&utm_source=pm&utm_medium=en
Sigh. Of course, I could ask how much freedom of expression would exist under Hamas’ rule, but that would be beside the point.
Eric Blair (3e2520) — 1/6/2009 @ 12:41 pmComment by Eric Blair — 1/6/2009 @ 12:41 pm
Would we expect anything different from Canada? I’m just surprised Columbia or Berkeley didn’t beat them to the punch.
Dana (137151) — 1/6/2009 @ 12:51 pmAgain, Dana, I just don’t understand it. The people they are “defending” would, in some cases, literally stone them to death.
Yet GW Bush is a “Hitler”.
Eric Blair (3e2520) — 1/6/2009 @ 1:04 pm[…] Blair tips us off in a comment on that “other” site to an fine example of the freedoms one can enjoy in […]
The Jury Talks Back » Oh Canada, that place without free speech (e4ab32) — 7/21/2009 @ 6:52 pm