The Gathering Storm

Benjamin Netanyahu sounds Churchillian in this speech, hence the title of the blog.

This Is Like Rush Limbaugh Praising Barack Obama

Israel sends congratulations and aid to the new nation of South Sudan. I wonder if they asked in advance?

Shelby Steele Wisdom: Modernity is now the measure of man.

"The most interesting voice in all the fallout surrounding the Gaza flotilla incident is that sanctimonious and meddling voice known as "world opinion." At every turn "world opinion," like a school marm, takes offense and condemns Israel for yet another infraction of the world's moral sensibility. 

"If the Palestinians got everything they want—a sovereign nation and even, let's say, a nuclear weapon—they would wake the next morning still hounded by a sense of inferiority. For better or for worse, modernity is now the measure of man. And the quickest cover for inferiority is hatred. . . In other words, my hatred is my self-esteem.

Check out the whole article in Monday's Wall Street Journal (21 June 2010) 

Israel and the Rest of the World

Here is a useful summary of some recent history. How is it that our kids didn't learn this essential stuff? This website is often useful and usually right.

World's Favorite Sport

This is from Sigmund, Carl and Alfred, a very useful website.

A Pro-Israeli Point of View

From the American Thinker. This is why I tell my grandchildren they must understand and practice theatre, no matter what else they do. In the land of TV only good theatre will succeed.


June 03, 2010

What should Israel have done?

James Lewis

We just saw a classic example of Martyrdom Theater off the coast of Israel. It was scripted to make Israel look bad. White hats, black hats, your basic Western B movie. The usual left-fascist media going ape, as per script, and suckering millions of the brainwashed, the way they always do.

There they go again, as Ronald Reagan said to Jimmy Carter in that famous television debate. Everybody knew what he meant. We need to go on pointing it out, because many people still don't get it.

My question is, What would you do if you were Israel, and you saw this piece of theater going down? You could see this one coming, and the next martyrdom boat is now on the way from Cyprus. These are "peace" activists with murder in their eyes, and they are predictable.

The IDF is prepared for a firefight but not a propaganda fight. This is political theater, even if it leads to real deaths. It's just like the 15-story mega-mosque they want to build on Ground Zero in Manhattan. Or the UN denunciation of Israel's nukes two days before Iran says it has enough uranium for two nuclear weapons. Propaganda works when it is allowed to go unanswered.

Here is my modest proposal: Consider meeting theater with theater, because that's what the media are thirsting for. The question is how to flip the storyline against the terrorists and their media. It must be possible, because these are not geniuses. Intelligent and decent people can outsmart them.

Idea 1. Safety first.

Next time you see a boatful of wannabe martyrs don't risk the lives of your young soldiers. Keep the wannabes away with tear gas, high-decibel rock music, fireworks, water cannon, smoke bombs, tugboats, Louisiana oil spill berms, floating barriers, sugar in their gas tanks, whatever. If they want a fiery martyrdom they will have to do it themselves. Real suicide bombers are still killing civilians every week in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the media are bored with it. They want their white hats fighting their black hats to make political theater. Don't give it to them.

Idea 2. Beat their theater with bigger theater.

What if Israelis sent their own peace flotilla to meet the martyrdom brigade? Israel's boats could be called Real Peace, Stop Hate Propaganda, or The Six Million. Or maybe Free Gaza from Hamas?  In 1948 they called their ship the Exodus. Capture the truth in two words and name your flotilla after it. As a side benefit it will drive the media nuts.

Israel and the West have the web, the biggest stage on earth. Anybody can make a YouTube video. Tell the truth over and over and over again until it sinks in.

Idea 3. Make the media the story.

Who's the wizard behind the curtain? Yes, it's them again. The media are always trying to convince us they're not the story. That is a lie. The media are staffed with agit-prop artists with one line. They are the only story they don't tell. Our job is to tell the truth, starting with the biggest media lie. They are the message.

Idea 4. In political theater you can win with laughter.

There aren't many occasions in real life when humor wins battles. This is one of them. Get all the comedy writers you can find together --- the funny ones, not like Bill Maher --- and work out all the gags that will make these wannabes look foolish.

Comedy is hard, dying is easy, goes the old theater line. Here's a chance for the good guys to flip that one around. All it takes is a good imagination.

Ironies in the Fire

Got an email today from a friend who talked us into an archaeology trip to Israel some 9 or 10 years ago. That's Carol sifting dirt to the right.

She, that is, the lady friend, not Carol, has been trying to persuade us to go back for a repeat of the incredibly hard work we did on the earlier trip. We usually put her off by reminding her how dangerous the area is, rather than admit we are too lazy. We would be up at around 5am to beat the heat of the day, then quit about noon for lunch, long shower to get rid of the dirt, and then a long nap because we were so tired. It was nice to sit beside the sea of Galilee and dream later in the afternoon while the professors would go over the pottery finds for the day.

Today she reminded us that a lady that went to Israel with her group in 2000 AD and returned without a scratch was struck by lightning in Billings MT and died as a consequence a couple of days ago.

My correspondent wondered which was the more dangerous place, Billings or Bethsaida? I couldn't answer because I didn't know the likelihood of being struck by lightning in Israel or Billings for that matter. The probability of being struck by a rocket or other explosive device is probably about the same in Billings and Jerusalem, or maybe just very slightly higher in the latter.

Some of the ancient walls, perhaps repaired, and one of the scattered gates or entrances to the old city of Jerusalem to the left.