Thoughts on the Gaza Situation by Frank Hood

Posted on by Sarah A. Hoyt

Thoughts on the Gaza Situation by Frank Hood

I’m a historian, and I have a hard time seeing a good way out of this situation. How many innocents are there in Gaza? I don’t know. History does not say much for their innocence. Islamic conquests have always been brutal with no regard for what they consider inhuman life–that is anyone who doesn’t submit to Allah. Unlike the voices you hear in the streets of the West, the Geneva Conventions allow for self-defense in kind. Use mustard gas on the US, the Geneva Conventions would allow the US to use mustard gas in return. Any other policy would be martyrdom.

World War II was waged against civilians more than soldiers and armies. The American forces tried “precision strategic bombing” and found it was not only ineffective but self-destructive, losing up to 40% of their bombers and personnel on every mission with little effect on war production by Germany. The Germans had already tried to wipe London off the face of the earth, by targeting civilians by late 1940. By summer of 1942 they had also methodically followed a policy of executing Jews and sometimes Ukranians for the crime of existing. They did it enthusiastically just as Hamas machine-gunned, raped, and beheaded unarmed civilians.

After WWII, America spent a lot of money and effort at writing propaganda to deprogram both Germans and Japanese, transforming their societies in the process, because it was only a minority in both countries who refused to believe the lies, boasts, and grievances of their own leaders. Could the Israelis do that to the Gazans? Hamas has controlled life in Gaza for decades, inculcating hatred and dehumanization of Jews (and also Americans–remember Iran considers us the Great Satan to Israel’s Little Satan). Does anyone believe “world opinion” would stand for such a thing from Israel? Israel has been publicly accused of genocide for decades in the streets and the halls of governments. Why wouldn’t they be tempted to adopt a policy of the only good Palestinian is a dead Palestinian if that is already what everyone tells them they have done since 1948?

Don’t be lulled into Hannah Arendt’s delusion of “the banality of evil”. Eichmann lied his ass off, and she fell for it. Read any account of the death camps and massacres from survivors and witnesses. People have to be taught to hate, the song says, but, trust me, they have been taught very well throughout history.

Do you want peace? The historical path to peace from ape tribes to Genghis Khan has been, kill all the men, rape all the women, so their loyalty to their former nation/race is mollified by their loyalty to their progeny, or salt the earth, and carry away anyone left alive to a far country to be slaves.

If you refuse to allow Israel to take full control of Gaza, and its schools for decades to deprogram the hatred Gazans have been taught, then why would you not expect the Israelis to eventually live up to the reputation you have saddled them with?

As I said at the beginning, I see no good way out of this. We are now left with the least bad of possible choices whatever that may be. In Mein Kampf, Hitler was not shy about his goals, so when you hear crowds chant, “From the river to the sea,” you’d best take those people at their word, and decide what to do about those who want you to die.

****

A Jewish friend of mine wrote his own essay about Gaza that caused me to reflect on more of what I wrote above. Regarding strategic vs. population bombing, he noted that bombing civilians has the opposite of the claimed effect on civilian morale and support for the war effort. That has proven true, but what population bombing, when applied effectively as it was in Dresden and Tokyo, did do was target the workforce rather than the factories themselves since the factories, refineries, etc. were easier to protect. In Germany and Japan, population bombing had a marked effect on those countries’ ability to keep producing arms at scale.

As to the issue of antisemitism, it’s rather ironic that Germany was actually the most open country in Europe for opportunity for the Jews before the rise of the Nazis. There’s a reason most American Jewish surnames are Germanic, although many are also Eastern European and Russian. The French and Spaniards did a very thorough job of eliminating their Jews albeit by ‘somewhat’ less horrific means. “Unexpectedly”, expelling the Jews from a country seems to always lead to a decline in that country’s science, technology, and literature. Gee, who’da thunk?

My fellow baby boomers and I actually grew up in a golden age for American Jews, so perhaps our perspective is skewed. Before WWII, those same Ivy League universities that are now being solicitous of those who hate Israel deliberately discriminated against Jews in their admission policies. The East Coast upper-crust did not want to have their ‘anointed’ heirs have to compete on an even playing field with ‘those Jews’. Many Jews who became members of the ruling class (cough, Alan Dershowitz, Chuck Schumer) were/are secular Jews, who venerate their culture but not the religion that built it, the equivalent of what we Christians call Easter & Christmas Christians. It’s important to ‘show the flag’ at the High Holy Days, but little else.

“People of the Book” is indeed an accurate way to describe the Jews, in my opinion. In fact some time ago, I remember reading that South Korea had instituted teaching the Torah and Talmud because they wanted to copy the Jewish advantage and teach their people to learn to think and reason as the Jews have always taught their children. Although I only have second-hand knowledge, I understand that a big part of the bar/bat mitzvah ceremony is the candidate’s (I don’t know what the about-to-be adult is called.) not only learning the law but being able to give a discourse on part of the law to explain it.

When I first got into the software business in the early 80’s, I used to joke that 90% of us were either Jews or Catholics, because education and reasoning were considered as important a part of our religious tradition as faith. (That’s a separate subject to expound upon another time.) Now of course, it’s more Asians because they also culturally revere learning, and consider it the path to success for their children. (Insert Jewish mother joke here.)

When Russia invaded Ukraine, I of course, sided with the Ukranians as the unjustly injured party, but was made quite uncomfortable by the very enthusiastic, unanimous agreement of ‘all the right people’. I had the feeling that the word had gone out JournoList style, and, like most Americans, I only had a dim view of the realities in Ukraine and Russia. Similarly, the word has gone out about Gaza that Zionists/Israelis/Jews must be destroyed for their ‘evil’ deeds. I hope that is proving quite a shock for leftist Jews.

Reading the section of a biography of Reagan about his presidency of SAG gave me some insight, but reading Witness by Whitaker Chambers gave me a much deeper understanding of how these things work. Ask me about Dalton Trumbo sometime. The power of the Communist/True Believer is that they never compromise. They take the received position and follow it totally. Others in our culture, like the naive academics of our youth, believe in compromise. To a Communist/True Believer compromise can only be strategic when circumstances place them in too weak of a position. They compromise on the surface, only to work to undermine that compromise with all their might by less open means.

One more thing before I close is that I was puzzled by the concept of Hamas thugs videoing and broadcasting their cruel atrocities. It seemed to me to be irrational and counter-productive. A writer I follow explained the strategic goal. He contends it’s a practice that has been ongoing in the Balkans since the Kosovo war. You spread word of your vile brutality in order to scare the mothers of your enemy, convincing them they and their children will be at risk of such atrocities if they move to the territory that the enemy wants to claim, thus essentially surrendering it to the perpetrators of those atrocities.

I apologize for not making this post more cohesive, but my thoughts are still very disordered. Still I feel compelled to share post, hoping that what I have said might help others learn facts that they were unaware of.

172 thoughts on “Thoughts on the Gaza Situation by Frank Hood”

  1. I’ve dealt with Arabs for several decades, both in business and private life.

    In many ways, the ones living in that region are still extremely tribal. This colors their world view and has, in my opinion, caused them to make a serious blunder. By which I mean the broadcasting of their atrocities. Instead of causing most of the west to recoil in fear, it has hardened our resolve.

    This is especially true of Israel and the IDF. I sincerely hope it doesn’t lead them to commit retaliatory atrocities, but war is terrible and anything can happen.

    My hope is for a rapid conclusion that provides Israel with necessary security and (if possible) a path to become peaceful members of the international community for the civilian population of Gaza.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. “I sincerely hope it doesn’t lead them to commit retaliatory atrocities, ”

      “Don’t start none, won’t be none.”

      At some point, the old Quaker slapped on both cheeks has to come into play. “Friend, the Scripture having been fulfilled, I shall now beat the Hell out of thee.”

      Liked by 2 people

      1. I think you may have misunderstood my meaning. I hope the IDF soldiers don’t commit retaliatory atrocities because of the effect on them. I couldn’t care less what happens to the Hamas terrorists.

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    2. I’m not so sure the open broadcasting of their atrocities was supposed to stop the west from responding. It was certainly a point of consideration, and the horror it provoked in the families I’m sure was something they reveled in. But stuff like that is more typically used as a recruiting tool for their side.

      And while I doubt Israel will respond in kind, if they should do so they would be completely justified. If death and destruction are the only way they understand, then give them what they understand.

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    3. I really don’t think Israeli soldiers are going to interrupt their combat missions to gang-rape women or butcher babies. Those just aren’t things they want to do. Now, might there be a few mass machine-gunnings? That I could see, especially if mobs of ‘civilians’ interfere with the soldiers, throw rocks at them, etc.

      If that’s not a law of war, it should be. F*king with soldiers engaged in combat ops should be considered a particularly messy form of suicide. F*k with a platoon of heavily armed, pissed-off soldiers and you don’t get to whine when they shoot your stupid ass.
      ———————————
      The Democrats trust violent criminals and terrorists with guns more than they trust you.

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  2. What pisses me off is that as a Conservative, the Left considers me a Nazi, Fascist, White Supremist, etc but too many of the Left are now openly Anti-Jewish.

    And I include as Anti-Jewish anybody who calls for a Ceasefire. Those assholes never call for so-called Palestinians to cease their attacks on Israel. They only want ceasefires when Israel is apparently winning against the enemies of Israel.

    It is IMO Anti-Jewish when Nations “accept” control of places like Gaza by Openly Anti-Jewish terrorists.

    It is Anti-Jewish when Nations fund people like Hamas with so-called Humanitarian Aid. I can’t see them stupid enough to believe Hamas WILL NOT use that money to arm itself and to prepare for more terrorist attacks on Jews.

    Personally, I think Israel is justified in pushing out all so-called Palestinians into Arab controlled regions.

    The Arabs created the so-called Palestinian Problem and they should be forced to deal with it.

    Liked by 2 people

      1. The left’s moral compass appears to be these two statements:

        Might Makes Right
        The Golden rule is he who has the gold makes the rules

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        1. That would require their recognizing the legitimacy of others when they have either the might or the gold. They do not.

          Their rule is that they win.

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          1. That’s their only guiding principle (if it can be called one). “We’re Good and Right, so everything we do is by definition Good and Right.” And there’s no more thought behind it than that.

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        4. Over the years, I have concluded that the Left, rather, has these as their two guiding “moral” principles:

          Pursue power at all costs, with no regard to how the power they seize can be used against them in the future, whether immediate, or long-term.

          Destroy civilization. Maybe a utopia will rise from the ashes, but if not, who cares?

          The Left isn’t really so much “Might makes right” because if they don’t have the might to seize power, it’s still not right — so they do everything to undermine the “might” until they can seize power. They are relentless that way.

          Liked by 1 person

    2. Now, now, just because they have always spent that ‘humanitarian aid’ on weapons doesn’t mean they will this time!

      Yeah, and Lucy won’t yank the football back this time, either.

      Are Biden’s ventriloquists actually stupid enough to believe we’ll fall for that again?

      Liked by 1 person

  3. My thoughts are that a gold standard for proper treatment of socialist anti-Semites and their supporters was set by the RAF and USAAF at Dresden in February 1945. Applying that standard to Gaza, Harvard, and Yale would greatly improve the world.

    Liked by 1 person

  4. The Democrat party has a huge problem on its hands. They have openly lapped up every far left talking point, policy and position. Now their far left foot soldiers are demanding nothing short of the eradication of Israel. And they are doing this as they do everything, screaming and calling for violence. They will not fight for Biden in the war he wants, and the red state boys may just say “fuck you come get us” if he tries to draft them. The Demoncrats have made a shit stew of the world and now their revolutionary guard are marching against their globalist efforts. And I’m sitting here not just wanting the left ot eat its own but to eviscerate, maim, gut and draw and quarter their own. You motherfucking earned this Biden and the Demoncrats!!! I want your young revolutionaries to burn your party to ASH. You deserve it.

    Liked by 1 person

        1. Actually, they sometimes are. Just not by the MSM. And when anybody outside the MSM asks, they run away or screech, and the MSM doesn’t cover it.

          Liked by 1 person

    2. And they still fight tooth and nail to prevent any digging that would result in a legal finding that the 2020 election was fraudulent, even though there’s enough evidence to show even a blind man that there was massive fraud.

      Liked by 2 people

      1. This is where I think Fani Willis might have busted off more than she thinks. If the defense can show that there were irregularities, and that they had the legal right to question them, everything could be exposed. And I do mean EVERYTHING. Crossing my fingers that the defense prevails

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    3. I have been hoping for the collapse of the Democrat Party for two decades now. And as I have learned all that they have done to America over pretty much its entire existence, I have concluded that the tombstone of Abraham Lincoln’s friend, saying that the Democrat Party is responsible for everything bad that has happened to America, is not only correct up to the time the tombstone was made, the Democrats have lived up to that warning continually, and to this day!

      Liked by 1 person

  5. I have come to loathe Islam for its’ rejection of the value of individual lives and the rights of people to make the best of their lives and circumstances.
    Islam is a totalitarian political philosophy masquerading as a religion. In demanding submission to the (remaining parts of*) the text of the Koran and the Hadiths, Islam defines an adherents’ relationship with G_d as how that person deals with other people, rather than by their relationship with G_d. The Koran tells the Islamic who to hate, when to kill them, and when to hide and lie about their intentions.
    As Islam demands absolute supremacy, it is incompatible with American law and society, which is defined by our Constitution and the ideals it represents as the basis for interactions among our citizens, and it is the internalization of those standards which makes immigrants into American citizens.
    There are no moderate Islamics. In the world of Islam, there are only Islamics, apostates, and enemies.
    We are their enemies, and they will attack us when and where they choose.

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    1. “I have come to loathe Islam for its’ rejection of the value of individual lives and the rights of people to make the best of their lives and circumstances.”

      This is an essential and frequently ignored issue in the “clash of civilizations”. The culture of individual responsibility is part of the Judeo-Christian heritage. Most of the rest of the world lives by the Reputation (mistakenly labeled “Honor”) culture. In that culture family/tribal reputation overrides any Judeo-Christian idea of sin on an individual’s part. It’s not just Islamic culture but Asian culture as well that follows the Reputation Culture standard. It’s hard for many in the West to see that, oblivious as we can be to such a foreign way of thinking.

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  6. Many parts of the recorded speech of Mohammed (who was illiterate) were destroyed soon after his death as the factions behind his uncle and his cousin (Sunni and Shia) destroyed documents which supported the other sides’ claims.

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  7. The ethics of the situation is troubling. But it seems to me that, in the first place, you can’t apply civil standards of respect for life and protection of the innocent in time of war. In the second place, the Hamas forces have absolutely no respect for the rights or safety of noncombatants, and their ideological supports in North America actively embrace the idea that no Jewish inhabitant of Israel counts as a noncombatant. And in the third place, what Hamas does violates even the law of war as the West has formulated it. So the imperative seems to be to defeat them, and if civilians die, that’s not a war crime; it’s just war.

    Liked by 3 people

    2. Hamas set the terms of engagement by what they did when they attacked.

      Hamas by their actions said: Non-combatants are fair targets, children are fair targets, women are fair targets.

      They don’t get to complain when the counterattack uses the terms they set.

      Liked by 3 people

        1. I think I should prefer NOT to see the IDF engage in proportional response: not to rape Palestinian women, or burn their children, or torture Palestinians. I think that civilized warfare is a better response. But if the Palestinian death rate is high, I won’t find that regrettable; an appropriate response is to use whatever level of force is needed to make Palestinians unable to commit further atrocities.

          Liked by 3 people

          2. The idea that “proportional response” is to do the the other guy exactly, one-for-one, what he did to you, is a very silly and childish way to understand the law of reprisal.

            That Hamas decided that women and children are acceptable targets for war-actions does not require Israel to execute those exact same war-actions on Palestinian women and children. And anyone who seriously believes that it does is, in a word, stupid.

            All it means that Palestinian woman and children are acceptable targets for war-actions, by the rules of engagement established by the Palestinians.

            In other words, Israel can kill them. Taking the time to disgrace them first is tactically unsound.

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      3. And I’d say most, if not all, IDF, would prefer just to kill Hamas, and bury them. They certainly don’t want to rape any, and torture and desecration is just a waste of time and manpower resources. But I’m not going to cry any tears if IDF finds any Hamas that participated in committing atrocities, and beating the shit out of them before they shoot them.

        Liked by 2 people

        1. There’s the famous Vietnamese execution picture to consider. You remember the one where a South Vietnamese general who was caught executing a Viet Cong who had just slaughtered a South Vietnamese Colonel, his wife, six children, and 80-year-old mother during the Tet Offensive. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Execution_of_Nguy%E1%BB%85n_V%C4%83n_L%C3%A9m

          He was the one caught on camera firing his sidearm through the head of the villain, however, and we all know (or should) how that turned out.

          The merits of war may ultimately mean less than the optics. Just something to consider.

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        2. Good afternoon officer. These fine gentleman just tripped on the curb as they were passing by this Girl Scout stand, says the group of marines

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  8. Obviously the Jews, and in my opinion civilization, are losing the war in the arena of public opinion. Spend two minutes skimming twitter posts or half a minute scanning media headlines and tell me I’m wrong.

    That being considered, all appears hopeless. Please prove me wrong.

    Please.

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              1. You may be right Paul but I think it’s more dangerous just listening to the preachers to the choir.

                If you don’t pay some attention to the dog you can end up unpleasantly surprised when he bites your elbow.

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              1. I quite agree. Actually in spite of all, I’m rather upbeat.

                However the only hope, in my opinion, of avoiding or at least shortening the long night is to see things as they are, then we can deal with such.

                Twitter matters, MSM matters, Buck Fiden matters, all our non-representatives in Washington matter. If we just ignore such I see a future sitting around the fire sayin’ we should’a, we could’a, why didn’t we…

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                1. Our personal choices matter most. I could look at the “leaders” and weep, or I can do my work and do what’s right. The media wants to be relevant, but what is will be built by all of us and all our individual choices, not by what we post online. Our government can make it harder or easier to do what is right. Doesn’t change what right is. Our government can get in our way or out of it. Can’t make us do anything. Our government can put us in jail, or knock down our door, or slander us. But can’t change what is right or wrong, true or false. And if they try it, they’ll find they can’t try everyone. So they’ll try to convince us to denounce ourselves.

                  Liked by 1 person

            1. Which is why guns and homeschooling are illegal, while abortion at will and up to birth is an uninfringeable right…

              Wait, no; we CAN actually influence politicians, even if they also listen to the news instead of to their employers.

              Liked by 1 person

        4. Meh. I’m sure I can retrieve those guns and ammo from the lake. I have knives, swords, clubs, spears, shovels and rakes, and other implements of destruction. I have my hands, and feet, and a mind to use them.

          If the mob comes for me, I’m taking an honor guard with me.

          Liked by 2 people

      1. A heck of a lot of people take what the bots and I think 5th columnists, say on twitter as fact. Seriously.

        A twitter post by a guy twitter says has 2.5M followers; “Today, I am thinking of human beings in Gaza buried under the rubble. I am thinking of their joys, dreams, hopes & fears. I wonder, if the dust ever settles, whether opponents of a ceasefire will look back and reflect on the cost of their inhumanity. We need a ceasefire, now.”

        Data suggests the majority of 18 to 24 years old buy into that. Why wouldn’t they, they hear it 24/7 from twitter, tictoc, their professors, their significant others, ….

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        1. Sure, just respond that those buried in the rubble were joyous of the rapine, torture, and murder of innocent people. They dreamed of doing so, and hoped for the opportunity to rape, torture, and kill. Their greatest fear was not being able to do so before they died. That is why there should be no cease fire, until there is nothing left to fire at.

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        2. Sure, just respond that those buried in the rubble were joyous of the rapine, torture, and murder of innocent people. They dreamed of doing so, and hoped for the opportunity to rape, torture, and kill. Their greatest fear was not being able to do so before they died. That is why there should be no cease fire, until there is nothing left to fire at.

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        4. As far as all that, go to the pass room in the wtc museum. Or ask the folks of dresden or Tokyo as the flames ate them alive. You will be held responsible for what your rulers do in your name, regardless of whether it is right or wrong.

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      1. I wouldn’t think of doing so. However public opinion, twitter, MSM, propaganda often decides or supposedly justifies were our, American’s tax dollars and often our sons and daughters in uniform go.

        18 October Politico headline; Biden announces $100 million in humanitarian aid to Gaza and West Bank . Hey it’s humanitarian, that’s good! Look at the hundreds of miles of safe bunkers and tunnels under Gaza our previous humanitarian aid has built!

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    5. There may be demonstrations in the streets the world over for Hamas. The media may be giving slanted coverage to Israel and sympathize with “Palestinians”, but not all sources are actually present what’s happening. Most major “news” outlets are so far to the left that anything they present should be assumed to be a lie.

      Liked by 1 person

    6. I don’t have a Twix account and most of the MSM has a long history of anti-Israel behavior.

      Talking to my friends and relatives in Israel paints a very different picture.

      They’re angry, yet their morale is high. They’re pulling together as a country much as the US did after Pearl Harbor.

      Check out some of the videos of IDF soldiers dancing and singing before heading into battle. It should help dissolve some of that black pill.

      Liked by 2 people

    7. Polling says 2/3 of Americans support Israel in this conflict. Yet you mostly only see huge pro-Hamas demonstrations. Why is that?

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Well, several of the “pro-Hamas demonstrations” were riots aimed at memorials/ Support Israel gatherings, and during the week– well, we have JOBS. Nobody is giving us extra college class credit for going out and … whatever the equivalent of tearing down the posters in memory of those murdered or missing would be.

        Liked by 1 person

        1. several of the “pro-Hamas demonstrations” were riots aimed at memorials/ Support Israel gatherings
          ………………………

          Beyond having jobs, those demonstrations riots were half a hair from being violent in target rich environments (to be clear: where guns are not allowed). At some point it will happen that someone or someones will be in place to properly protect the Jews being targeted. Then unjustified hell will break loose on those defenders, exactly like Rittenhouse was prosecuted. Guarantied.

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          1. There’s also that we simply don’t value going out and marching in a mob.

            The implied violent threat isn’t something that WORKS on us, beyond “hm, possible hazard, avoid”– it doesn’t change our minds, and we tend to think that going out to go “come and hit me!” is a stupid idea.

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            1. implied violent threat isn’t something that WORKS on us, beyond “hm, possible hazard, avoid”
              ………………

              100% — Any one of us would have to hit the lottery, twice, to actually be in that situation. Now if it comes to actually loading on trains, or equivalent, then we aren’t going to see a mob demonstration against it. We are going to see a train robbery prison breakouts.

              Liked by 1 person

          2. K, related thing from the radio this morning– one of the Des Moines radio guys is Jewish, has relatives in Israel and the whole thing– and he shared how folks are showing support for Israel.

            Specifically, folks go into the same Jewish deli he uses, knowing the owner is from Israel, crying, giving him hugs, and asking what Israeli products they can buy. Because if they buy them, then the deli has to restock them, and THAT will support Israel.

            I bet the “buy IDF pizza” site is going like crazy, too.

            Liked by 2 people

            2. Hmm, I don’t prefer storebought hummus, ($SPOUSE makes it when we have garbanzo beans on hand.) but the Kroger affiliate has had Israeli imports in the past. Must check and buy if so.

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      1. Oh, yes. I’m at the spitting stage with some of the Trump “influencers,” on my feed. One guy is not only on the, “Ukraine is corrupt, Biden’s gonna get us into WWIII and we’re all gonna DIIEEEEEEE!” bandwagon, he’s tweeting attempted snarky tweets about DeSantis wearing cowboy boots, which proves he lies and he’s unfit to be president, and Trump’s 0 points ahead and the primary is over, and…
        I’d call his posts sophomoric if that wasn’t an insult to sophomores. Nobody has voted yet and if the polls showed Trump 50 points behind he’d be explaining how the polls are rigged. He’s doing more harm than good.

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      2. Oh, yes. I’m at the spitting stage with some of the Trump “influencers,” on my feed. One guy is not only on the, “Ukraine is corrupt, Biden’s gonna get us into WWIII and we’re all gonna DIIEEEEEEE!” bandwagon, he’s tweeting attempted snarky tweets about DeSantis wearing cowboy boots, which proves he lies and he’s unfit to be president, and Trump’s 0 points ahead and the primary is over, and…
        I’d call his posts sophomoric if that wasn’t an insult to sophomores. Nobody has voted yet and if the polls showed Trump 50 points behind he’d be explaining how the polls are rigged. He’s doing more harm than good.

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      3. I find it useful in tracking what the next talking point will be. It’s also a bit useful (with a few other things) to track travel time of the talking points to the various platforms.

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    9. Neither 𝕏 nor the newsrooms where headlines are written reflect the real world. Quod est refutandum.

      The pro-Hamas rallies are troubling in their size, number, and frequency. (Contrast to the Charlottesville “Unite the Right” of a few years ago, that the Left still points to.) But they’re skirmishes in the War of Public Opinion, which is not lost and still needs to be fought.

      Liked by 1 person

  9. Carthage seems like a reasonable historical parallel. Looking at Bakhmut, it is possible to completely remove a modern city – while/after pushing out all the people. I’m not sure how much artillery the IDF has, but the complete flattening can come after the rolling barrage that says “you don’t want to be here”.

    Gaza is on the sea. All the “save the Palestinians” people can start a GoFundMe for boat charters.

    Liked by 1 person

    2. Europe already has the boats smuggling Africans in, have a Dunkirk and send them all towards Europe. And watch how fast those assholes close their borders. No one wants the Hamas, not Arabs, not Egyptians, not Iranians, nobody. If that happened fleets of Eurotrash submarines would sink them, whoops they never got here.

      Liked by 2 people

        1. I’ve never understood why the West bank was ever not Israeli territory.

          Good fences make good neighbors, and there are few better – or, more to the point, more clear – fences than a river.

          Even if you have to define its entire flood plain as “river”

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        2. Jordan kicked the Palestinians OUT. Because they were plotting a coup.

          Notice that NO Arab state is willing to take them in, even as refugees? They’ve had nasty problems in the past.

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            1. Iran is by far the most responsible guilty, so this should be their problem. Round up all the Gaza rabble and dump them in Iran. Shoot as many as necessary.

              Because they have spent the last 50 years proving that this problem will never be solved so long as one Palestinian remains in Gaza. A ‘two-state solution’? They’ve had that handed to them on a platter, again and again, and all they did was perpetrate more atrocities. Time for the ‘no-state solution’!
              ———————————
              If you always expect the government to do the stupidest things you can imagine, you will rarely be disappointed. Indeed, from time to time the government will exceed your expectations and do unimaginably stupid things.

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              1. Getting the Gazans to Iran could be… um… problematic. That country doesn’t exactly have open borders, and none of its neighbours are at all likely to let the Gazans pass through.

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  11. I am of the opinion that the reason social media, X, and the lame stream media are so full of hysteria is because the vast majority of people have given it up in disgust and only the hysterics are left.

    I could be wrong but when you talk to almost anyone, people are sane, worried, but sane.

    The only exceptions are those who imbibe in the poison that is our media of all stripes.

    Don’t buy the propaganda that they outnumber us. They desperately want you to believe that.

    Liked by 3 people

      1. Most of the crazy posting on twitter is consistent with Chinese and Russian. And AI.

        I am sure that is absolutely correct.

        And amplified by the various media outlets to cause maximum doom and despair.

        Liked by 1 person

        1. Like how everyone and their dog latched onto Al Jazeera’s “500 killed in hospital bombing” number. Which started as “500 casualties” then got changed to “killed” deliberately, probably with malice aforethought. And no media outlet challenged it for hours.

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          1. Or that church that was “destroyed” twice, and they claimed some huge number of deaths… and then it turns out that in one case the church wasn’t touched, and in the other a wall was slightly damaged?

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          2. I’m starting to think Gaza is padding the death count with all the kids that mysteriously only show up on funding documents, rather than in schools or when food is served.

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              1. Oh, very likely. Especially when they keep claiming places with hundreds of folks killed, and then it turns out that not only was it not Israel that hit a spot, the building wasn’t even destroyed.

                I just keep noting that the population of the area is oddly high, and amazingly young, when they are paid for each minor they claim and then paid to feed, clothe and teach them, as well. And then those minors tend to vanish, amazingly.

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  12. There’s nothing about Gaza that can’t be easily solved with fuel-air explosives.

    “He made a desert, and called it peace” is sometimes the best available option.

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  13. There’s a Tablet article titled “France’s Nightmare Is Now Yours” which is at the moment one of the Powerline “picks” (I lack the skill to insert links). The author talks about earlier incidents of the filming of Islamist atrocities in France and argues that it’s a potent recruiting tool. Like the academic who burbled about how “exhilarating” the Hamas videos were, haters see these horrors and are inspired: “It’s really possible to DO it! I could do it too!”

    Even after the Nazis and Soviets, the civilized world clung to the illusion that it’s possible to ward off evil by talking. Like those parents of bratty kids whose response to misbehavior is to say, “Johnny, that makes Mommy really sad,” while the misbehavior continues. Like we said to Hamas, “It would make us really sad if you used this aid money to kill Jews rather than feed people” – but except for Trump, never sad enough to stop giving it to them.

    Civilization is hard work, often severe work. Our ruling class is addicted to Thomas Sowell’s “unconstrained vision” and thinks that the work of restraing evil is too harsh for nice people.

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  14. That whole 7 October mess convinces me that the folks behind Hamas are convinced that Mr Trump takes office in 2025. This is their last chance to wreck Israel. Because in a bit over 14 months, the wheels come off their wagon.

    And the folks using the backers of Hamas were hoping the USA would self-immolate as a result. Not happening, although there may be some Shire Scouring …

    Meanwhile, get in some quality range time, carry allways, and be of good cheer.

    Nothing terrifies a tyrant like a smiling American.

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    1. Nothing terrifies a tyrant like a smiling American.

      Personally, I’m a fan of the US Air Force’s response to the Iranian Air Force. “You should go home now.”

      Of course, the US Navy’s response to Iran a couple of decades ago also induces wry chuckles. “Nice navy you had six hours ago, now leave us alone.”

      And the mirth just gushes out of me when remembering what happened when the Russians sent some of their “mercenaries” in Syria to test the waters. “Stay away or bad things will happen to you. Ah well.” B-52s hours after festivities, “We’re late, but can we play, too?”

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  15. Geneva Conventions allow for self-defense in kind. Use mustard gas on the US, the Geneva Conventions would allow the US to use mustard gas in return. Any other policy would be martyrdom.
    ………………………….

    US has gone one step further. There is no more chemicals available for use (everything is storage, and everything contaminated, is being permanently neutralized. A cousin-in-law designs and oversees procedures as one of the chemical engineers whose career has been doing this.) Never been a biological option, in the US. Thus the US considers chemical/biological/nuclear as weapons of mass destruction. Weapons of mass destruction are met with weapons of mass destruction, which for the US allows for a nuclear response.

    I agree any other policy would be martyrdom. Personally I don’t feel like being a martyr. Israel sure doesn’t.

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  16. I’ve heard part of the reason in the Gulf War we were very adamant that the Iraqi’s never used gas or bio weapons is because Britain had committed to responding to gas/bio weapons with nukes.

    On the WWII air campaign in Europe, a large part of the 8th Air Force’s casualties came from the USAAF command climbing up “the bomber will always get through” and not being able to climb back down. They kept sending bombers on unescorted raids well after it was blatently obvious they could not do it, and kept trying to find anyone other than adding drop tanks onto existing planes until the P-51 offered them an excuse why they didn’t do it before.

    Also, ball bearings were a poor choice to target. Turns out oil fields, refineries and trains were the key target. The British night bombing hit the oil handling hard, and free roaming fights straffing rail and fuel tanks did a number on the energy logistics.

    Interestingly, part of the effect of the day bombing campaign was to drain the Luftwaffe of pilots, once escorts were widely used. Which meant by D-Day, the Allies had near complete air superiority. Which meant fighters could go free roam in small packs looking for explody and burny things to go shoot up.

    In Japan, the extensive bombing did not cause a moral collapse, but it did limit their ability to operate. It is remarkable how many developments were stopped because a stray bomb took out the engineering team. And oil hunting destroyed their ability to run their stuff. A bunch of the IJN battleships ended up meeting their ends in one way runs against the US Navy, because they only had enough fuel left to sortie once.

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    1. Dig into it, and you’ll find that the strategic bombing offensive had the Germans on the ropes several times. But we gave up…about two or three weeks before the Germans were going to crack. Oil was effective, but postwar analysis showed that wrecking the electrical power grid would have been the best option.

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    2. Various books I’ve read said that the US tried P-38s as escorts, but that plane was a bad match for European conditions. (For one thing, cabin heat was poor to nonexistent.) Once the P-51 was mated with the Merlin engine, they had an effective escort. And the P-38 did wonderfully in the much warmer Pacific theater.

      In yet another book, I read that shortly before D-day, P47s with eager 19-20 year old pilots were sent locomotive hunting. Did wonders for screwing up German transportation.

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      1. The P-38 also suffered from being too complex and a low mach limit, which allowed German fighters to both bounce them more effectively, and disengage at will.

        The thing is, even before the Merlin P-51 showed up, the USAAF had the drop tanks the run the P-47s as escorts as well. They just didn’t. Instead of doing altitude rated tanks of working through the methods of extending fighter ranges, they spent their time and effort on making super-heavy B-17’s that they thought would have enough guns to escort the bomber waves.

        The paper 110 gallon tanks and plumbed P-47Ds were available before the two ball bearing plant raids, and could have escorted the bomber nearly to the flack zone, but the 8th just didn’t.

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  17. He contends it’s a practice that has been ongoing in the Balkans since the Kosovo war.

    True, as far as it goes, but also true further back– since it’s seen in pack animals as well.

    The shorthand I usually see is that it is a tribal warfare practice, especially common for nomadic tribes.

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        1. They’re talking numbers, not ages. As in, there might be 3 innocent Palestinians in Gaza. They are indoctrinated from birth to hate Jooos and Americans and a whole lot of other people. And nobody has ever done, or even said, a damn thing about it. “It’s their culture!”

          Well, the Spanish knew what to do about Aztec culture! and Palestinian culture is at least as poisonous.

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  19. I have said for years I agree with Golda Meir”There will be peace in the middle east when the Palestinians love their children more than they hate the Jews”. With that thought in hand, bomb Gaza flat. When the rats/hammas try to hide in the rubble, napalm it. Lather rinse repeat until peace achieved.

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  20. A major hindrance to the IDF is the Arachnid level of tunneling by the Gazan government, Hamas.

    Damn things are everywhere. It’s a Jihad Autobahn.

    Solution? IDF has a Corps of Engineers, whatever they call it.

    Ocean, generators, pumps, pipeline, hoses. Some assembly required.

    Yes. Ugly. Hideous consequences. But certainly a proportional reprisal for Gazan violations of law and custom of war.

    ….

    Hamas is the elected government of Gaza. Treat them both accordingly. Let the Gazans know they can’t hide behind “the radicals of Hamas” any longer. The Gazans ran out the PA, they can run out Hamas. Or not.

    Meanwhile, Isreal should start stockpiling saltwater-resistant large-bore pipe. Ostentatiously.

    Later, concrete.

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  21. Ask me about Dalton Trumbo sometime.

    Oh, do not get me started on that #$@! who somehow became known as a martyr for free speech. The best that can be said of him is that he was devoted to his cause, but his cause was Stalinism! Anyone learning about the “Hollywood Blacklist” also needs to be taught about how eager Trumbo was to use the force of the state (including the blacklist) against his own enemies.

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    1. One of the world’s most despicable human beings who happened to be an extraordinarily talented writer. Makes me weep for my profession.

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  22. The war crimes are all on the part of Hamas, ranging from using civilians as shields to kidnaping and torturing civilians.
    Israel is going to finish off Hamas once and for all. And the US Democrat party won’t recover from its dalliance (at least) with terrorism for years, if ever.

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  23. I do not want to see a single Gazan (I refuse to call them “Palestinians”) innocent harmed and I commend the Israelis for the lengths they seem to go to avoid harming non-combatants. However, I recognize that the Israelis are not bound by their basic decency to a suicide pact. If Hamas wants an existential war, then by the power of Jehovah and Grayskull let them be the ones who stop existing. The Gazans collectively do — or did — accept Hamas as their rulers. That choice has consequences.

    OK, time to go man the candy dish just in case we get some trick-or-treaters this year.

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    2. Nod.

      Even if Iran has enough nukes to be a problem for the US, I suspect it would be a minor problem.

      And I really doubt that Putin would join Iran in a Nuclear War against the US.

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        1. Well, until the Russian Nukes are checked out by Western experts, I’m assuming that they’d work. :grin:

          I just don’t think that he’d believe that helping Iran is worth a nuclear war.

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          1. The nukes might work, but human beings have to launch them.

            I’ve read about test runs. Apparently, when given what they thought was a real launch order, 80 percent of the crews refused to carry it out. That’s in the U.S.; I can’t imagine Russians are much more compliant in that particular respect. There might have been enough True Believers in the U.S.S.R.’s strategic forces; I don’t think Putin commands the same kind of loyalty.

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            2. But should ONE working model hit the USA and you can bet that ALL sent in return will have had been gone over to be SURE they work. The only thing worse than a smiling American is a Seriously PO-ed American.

              The USA has been merely perturbed, annoyed, or miffed, since 1945. Yes, 9/11 was source of anger, but the reaction was – despite idiot leftist claims – quite restrained.

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  25. My own assessment is that the Israeli government will mount a counteroffensive, but it won’t be enough. Solving Gaza demands bulldozing a large chunk, or all of it, into the sea.

    The real issue is Iran, and the United States has unfinished business with Iran since 1979. Unfortunately, I have no confidence in CHICOM Joe’s regime – and the GOP isn’t a hell of a lot better. Both are likely to try a one-time strike on selected targets, instead of a planned rollback of their air defense and coastal defense cruise missile capabilities. Follow up with attacks on command and control facilities. Think DESERT STORM.

    FWIW, I suspect that both Israel and Saudi Arabia would be supportive – and active participants.

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  26. ” There’s a reason most American Jewish surnames are Germanic”

    More than one reason, actually. My great-great-(great?-)grandfather came here from somewhere in what was then Russia. He had a Turkish surname. At Ellis Island, he changed it to the German word with the same meaning, because German Jews had more prestige in the Jewish community than Eastern Europeans. I’m sure he wasn’t the only one to do this.

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    1. Indeed, more than two reasons. A lot of German Jews moved east in the 18th century or thereabouts, and settled in what was then Poland, most of which was swallowed up by Russia in the partitions. Most of the townspeople in old Poland, as I understand it, spoke dialects of German (Yiddish among them); the aristocracy spoke French; Polish was for the peasants.

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  27. PRO-PALESTINIAN ACTIVISTS HOLD UP SENATE HEARING

    Hey, wait, isn’t that an ‘insurrection’? Shouldn’t the Fibbies hound them to the ends of the earth, raid their homes with SWAT teams in the middle of the night, throw them in solitary confinement for two and a half years (and counting) without trials, and deny them medical treatment? I thought that was the standard penalty for being in the Capitol building, or even just standing around outside.

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