Just One Thing: War
UPDATE: Israel declares Gaza siege as Hamas fires rockets and toll mounts (msn.com)
The attack by Hamas terrorists against Israeli civilians, starting with massacring families at a music festival during what is normally a joyous Jewish holiday, was unmatched in the modern history of the region in its barbarity, ferocity, and how it took Israel utterly by surprise. There will be a lot of inquiry into how the vaunted Israeli intelligence services had no inkling that this was coming despite public apparent practice sessions by Palestinians last month. It wouldn’t be surprising if the death toll among Israelis just from the first 24 hours reaches 1000. The one thing that’s truly not surprising is reporting that Iran didn’t just approve the attack; they helped plan it. At least this is what the Wall Street Journal reports even as our government says they can’t corroborate it. Of course it’s true. The questions are: will Iran pay a price? And if so, who will impose it?
Iran Helped Plot Attack on Israel Over Several Weeks - WSJ
A good note explaining Iran's strategic goals: Hamas attack has abruptly altered the picture for Middle East diplomacy | Arab and Middle East unrest | The Guardian
President Biden's statement is fine. Now he has to stand by it and by Israel: Statement from President Joe Biden Condemning Terrorist Attacks in Israel | The White House
I and many others, though almost no Democrats including Jewish Democrats, have said for years that the west, and particularly the US, was making a huge mistake doing anything that allowed the continued existence of Hamas. They should have been treated like cancer, namely eradicated once they were discovered at Stage 1 or Stage 2, not waiting until Stage 4 metastasis before thinking "oh, maybe we should have done something earlier." The only important difference between Hamas and cancer is that cancer isn't intending to kill its victim.
Hamas and all others who share their virulent murderous hateful philosophy must be destroyed wherever they are found. Iran, who funds all of these groups, must be restrained and punished in every way possible, such as by NOT returning $6 billion to them even under theoretical constraints that the funds are to be used for "humanitarian" purposes. (For the record, it's probably true that none of the money the Biden administration just released for third-party control but for the use of Iran has not been spent yet. But contrary to the obvious falsehoods of the Biden administration, it still could be -- I'm not saying I know it was -- incentive for Iran to divert other funds to support Hamas, Hezbollah, and other enemies of civilization.)
"Tragic" doesn't begin to capture it: Music festival attack: Revellers in Israel first took cover from rockets, then Gaza militants began firing on them | CNN
Those who urge "restraint" by Israel should be ignored. Now, it's true that Israel must have a modicum of concern over international reaction and there are some lines they probably shouldn't cross, but those lines are few and far between...in fact I can't really think of one at the moment, at least not one that Israel, home of historically the "most moral" military in the world, would be likely to cross. The main thing is that those who urge "restraint" are at least reasonably likely to be anti-Israeli and anti-Semitic.
The US is sending a carrier group into the eastern Mediterranean as a show of force against Hezbollah...who will not be deterred by that if they decide to make this a two-front war, or if Iran tells them to. If the US really wants to offer a show of force, they should send another carrier group into the Persian Gulf.
What will these countries do? (4) AFP News Agency on X: Several countries have reported nationals killed, abducted or missing in the fighting, among them the US, Brazil, Britain, France, Germany, Ireland, Mexico, Nepal, Thailand and Ukraine
-
Today's Guests
Bret Baier is Fox News's chief political anchor and host and executive editor of Special Report, the #1 rated cable news show in its time slot.
Of course we'll talk about news of the day (and week) but we'll also spend a few minutes on Bret's excellent new book, To Rescue the Constitution
Amazon Link: To Rescue the Constitution: George Washington and the Fragile American Experiment
--------
Elan Journo is a senior fellow at the Ayn Rand Institute and a foreign policy expert. His books include What Justice Demands: America and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (2018). He is co-author with Onkar Ghate of Failing to Confront Islamic Totalitarianism: From George W. Bush to Barack Obama and Beyond (2016).
Elan Journo – analyzing culture, politics, and foreign policy from an Objectivist perspective
See the video below for a lengthier discussion including Elan on the Israel-Hamas war, including the blame due to those who have for years treated Israel and Hamas as moral equals.
--------
KT McFarland was deputy national security advisor to former president Donald Trump. She's been involved at the highest levels of foreign policy for decades, including working, as a young woman, with Henry Kissinger.
--------
Bobi Wine (a stage name; his real name is Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu) is a Ugandan musician turned politician. He served in parialment and then ran for president (and lost). He was just re-arrested (after previously being a political prisoner) on his return to Uganda: Uganda: Opposition leader Bobi Wine arrested at airport | CNN
Follow Bobi on Twitter/X here: (12) BOBI WINE (@HEBobiwine) / X (twitter.com)
There's a new documentary about him that looks fascinating. The trailer is below, followed by an interview of him on Al Jazeera.
Other Stuff
A selection of important articles at The Free Press about the start of what promises to be a long and brutal war between Israel and Hamas: ISRAEL AT WAR | The Free Press (thefp.com)
This is worth reading too: The Hamas Attack on Israel Changes Everything | National Review
Biden put Qatar in charge of making sure that the $6 billion he gave Iran as ransom for US hostages was spent on "humanitarian" stuff. Qatar released a statement holding Israel "solely responsible" for the attack by Hamas. Why would anyone trust Qatar to ensure proper spending of the $6 billion by Iran? https://twitter.com/MofaQatar_EN/status/1710629952830234729
--------
The situation in Israel makes it even more urgent for the GOP to coalesce around a Speaker of the House and elect that person to the position this week. Attack on Israel Raises Stakes for Republicans in Speaker Fight - WSJ
Even though the "Trump is Hitler" rhetoric goes too far, at some point the former president has to know that certain phrases he uses have obvious Nazi overtones which will not be ignored. I suspect that's what he wants and that there are enough GOP primary voters who will agree with him that it's worth any opprobrium from the chattering classes which, after all, is just more free attention for him. I typically think the left overreacts to Trump's rhetoric but this really does cross the line.
Trump Escalates Anti-Immigrant Rhetoric With ‘Poisoning the Blood’ Comment (yahoo.com)
--------
Lots of people are leaving Colorado...and lots of people are coming here. I suspect that those who are leaving are older and more conservative and those who are coming are younger and more liberal. In fact, the recent influx of Texans is probably liberals leaving that state just the same way that at least some conservatives are leaving Colorado. Colorado near the top in the nation for outmigration - Axios Denver
--------
A horrific Colorado story: 115 decomposing bodies found improperly stored at funeral home (msn.com)
--------
The penalties for this must be increased to where they actually deter people, though the homeless and the addicted might be undeterable: Home Depot Tracked a Crime Ring and Found an Unusual Suspect (msn.com)
--------
Why the "best" colleges are some of the worst places for your child:
--------
United Auto Workers union to strike against Mack Trucks starting today:
-
Today's Video
Elan Journo makes clear the moral failings of those who have said, and the some who keep saying, that Israel should allow Hamas to continue to rule territory on Israel's border. After all, Hamas's only mission is the destruction of Israel.