Except I think I shoulda posted that to my Facebook wall.
02/08/2010
I’m m-e-e-lt-i-n-g
This wasn’t so difficult. The icicle was melting pretty quickly and new droplets were forming in quick succession. I didn’t have to time the shot, I just had to click, and was pretty much assured of catching a drop dripping. (or is that a drip dropping?)
Crossposted on Soccer Dad.
We the elite of the United States of America…
The media elite can’t even get their history right, but that doesn’t stop them from harping on the theme-of-the-week, which is that America would be so much better off if it wasn’t for that damned democracy.
The tea-party movement takes its name from the mob of angry people in Boston who, in 1773, committed a zany criminal stunt as a protest against taxes and the distant, out-of-touch government that imposed them. Two years later, the revolution was under way and—voilà!—democracy was born out of a wild moment of populist insurrection.
Except not, because in 1787 several dozen coolheaded members of the American Establishment had to meet and debate and horse-trade for four months to do the real work of creating an apparatus to make self-government practicable—that is, to write the Constitution. And what those thoughtful, educated, well-off, well-regarded gentlemen did was invent a democracy sufficiently undemocratic to function and endure. They wanted a government run by an American elite like themselves, as James Madison wrote, “whose wisdom may best discern the true interest of their country and whose patriotism and love of justice will be least likely to sacrifice it to temporary or partial considerations.” They wanted to make sure the mass of ordinary citizens, too easily “stimulated by some irregular passion … or misled by the artful misrepresentations” and thus prone to hysteria—like, say, the rabble who’d run amok in Boston Harbor—be kept in check. That’s why they created a Senate and a Supreme Court and didn’t allow voters to elect senators or presidents directly. By the people and for the people, definitely; of the people, not so much.
So much for progressivist thinking, which used to be all for the little guy versus the elite. What about that “speaking truth to power” thing? Apparently, that only works when there is a Republican in power. When a Democrat is in power, it’s all about how the American public is just too stupid and angry to understand what’s good for them.
As for that “rabble who’d run amok in Boston Harbor”—not so much. Even Wikipedia acknowledges it was not an angry mob. Angry mobs don’t stop to disguise themselves as Indians.
While Samuel Adams tried to reassert control of the meeting, people poured out of the Old South Meeting House and headed to Boston Harbor. That evening, a group of 30 to 130 men, some of them thinly disguised as Mohawk Indians, boarded the three vessels and, over the course of three hours, dumped all 342 chests of tea into the water.[58] The precise location of the Griffin’s Wharf site of the Tea Party has been subject to prolonged uncertainty; a comprehensive study[59] places it near the foot of Hutchinson Street (today’s Pearl Street).
But here’s a better source. It’s an eyewitness account from a Boston newspaper:
Previous to the dissolution, a number of Persons, supposed to be the Aboriginal Natives from their complection, approaching near the door of the assembly, gave the War Whoop, which was answered by a few in the galleries of the house where the assembly was convened; silence was commanded, and prudent and peaceable deportment again enjoined. The Savages repaired to the ships which entertained the pestilential Teas, and had began their ravage previous to the dissolution of the meeting–they apply themselves to the destruction of the commodity in earnest, and in the space of about two hours broke up 342 chests and discharged their contents into the sea.
A watch, as I am informed, was stationed to prevent embezzlement and not a single ounce of Teas was suffered to be purloined by the populace. One or two persons being detected in endeavouring to pocket a small quantity were stripped of their acquisitions and very roughly handled. It is worthy remark that, although a considerable quantity of goods of different kinds were still remaining on board the vessels, no injury was sustained; such attention to private property was observed that a small padlock belonging to the Captain of one of the ships being broke another was procured and sent to
There is also this partial list of the Boston Tea Party “angry mob”. Paul Revere was a member of that “mob.” You may remember him as one of the men who warned of the pending British movement. The phrase “One if by land, two if by sea” is probably how you were taught the story. Funny how the names of the “angry mob” have come down through the centuries to be enshrined in American historical societies, and yet, no one else is calling them an angry mob.
Finally, this statement by Anderson is incomplete:
Two years later, the revolution was under way and—voilà!—democracy was born out of a wild moment of populist insurrection.
Except not, because in 1787 several dozen coolheaded members of the American Establishment had to meet and debate and horse-trade for four months to do the real work of creating an apparatus to make self-government practicable—that is, to write the Constitution.
Democracy was not born out of the Constitutional Convention alone. It was also born out of the arms, the blood, and the sacrifice of the patriots who fought in the Revolutionay War, most of them—the overwhelming majority, one would have to say—not “coolheaded members of the American Establishment.” But it’s always that way: Wars are not fought by the elite. That’s numerically impossible. They’re fought by the “angry mobs.” Except they’re not so angry, and they’re not mobs.
The Constitution that the Founders created starts with the words “We the People”—not “We the elite.” People like Anderson seem to have a real problem with that.
I don’t.
I always hated Monopoly anyway
Seriously, it’s one of my least favorite games, ever. I only played it as a kid if my brother swore to play Careers afterward, because I hate Monopoly, suck at it, usually lose, and think it’s a boring game that takes too long to finish. Careers? I was great at it, loved it, and usually won. (Don’t even talk to me about chess. I learned how to concede solely because then I could sling the board across the room after declaring that my brother had won. Sore loser? Me? Yeah, I was. I mostly grew out of it.)
So I really don’t are that it’s been updated. Except to say that it’s probably just as long and boring, and now it has crappy music and other special effects to make me really hate the game.
First, the world is round. As your imaginary real-estate mogul learns the ups and downs of capitalism, you’ll romp around a ring-shaped board. Hasbro ditched the four-corners look for a pizza-like circle. The stops on this journey are the same, but each location now comes as a radial wedge. Houses and hotels basically match older versions, but the game replaced its pewter character pieces with plastic tokens. Farewell, little doggy, shoe, and top hat.
Yeah, don’t really care.
Things I learned at the doctor’s this morning
Going to Patient First when it opens is faster than seeing my regular doctor.
Patient First is one-stop shopping if you don’t need an exotic prescription.
I am still five-three.
I am still down seven pounds from my highest-ever weight last year (must get back on that diet seriously!).
It is not strep.
All else being equal, I am having breakfast, taking my antibiotics, and going back to bed. Been up since five, when my throat felt like it was made of glass and razor blades. (It’s much better now.)
The New York Times IDF non-controversy
The readers of The New York Times are outraged that Ethan Bronner, the Times’ Jerusalem Bureau chief, has a son who enlisted in the IDF. It’s a clear conflict of interest, they say. The New York Times public editor thinks Bronner should resign. Bill Keller (Hoyt’s boss) disagrees.
Funny, nobody seems to care that most of the wire services and many major newspapers use Palestinian stringers in their reporting. (H/T: Backspin.)
The people who are suddenly criticizing Bronner don’t seem to think that his being married to an Israeli caused a conflict of interest. So why the sudden attack on Bronner?
His stories have been criticized and praised on this site (mostly by Soccer Dad), but I have no problem whatsoever with a reporter on the Israel beat having a son in the IDF. Honestly, his critics need to grow the eff up. What, does Bronner suddenly start thinking, “Gee, my kid’s in the IDF, I’d better slant these articles anti-Palestinian now to help him out!”
Ridiculous. But not surprising. Watch for our buddy Stevie Walt to jump on the bandwagon any second now. The execrable Richard Silverstein already weighed in, playing the moral equivalency card:
And none of the NYT reporters Keller names have nearly the level of conflict that Bronner does. None have children serving in the military forces or militias of countries they’re covering. Is Keller seriously arguing that if Shahid had a son serving in the Lebanese army, Hezbollah or an Iraqi militia that the former could cover Lebanon or Iraq for the Times? Is he seriously arguing that if Fathi had a son in the Basij or Revolutionary Guards that she could cover Iran for the Times?
Yes, because the IDF is just like terrorist organizations, the terrorist-entwined Iraqi army, and the thug arm of the Iranian leadership. Sure, members of the IDF have totally been issued warrants by Interpol in relation to terrorist bombings in other countries. Oh. Wait.
Bottom line: For once, I’m on Bronner’s side. And I have to say, I don’t find him all that sympathetic to Israel in the first place.
02/07/2010
The great Gracie rescue
A few minutes ago, I heard Gracie calling me. She does that quite a lot. She is under the impression that she can stand upstairs and yowl, and I will come running upstairs to pet her. As this almost never happens, I’m not quite sure where she got the idea, but she still tries. So I called to her to come downstairs. She meowed again, and then I heard the sound of running kitty feet. But it wasn’t Gracie. It was Tig. He ran up to the guest room door, which I had closed just a few minutes ago, and started meowing. The thing about Tig that amazes me is he’s the first male cat I’ve had that has more than a couple of different meows. Gracie has dozens of different sounds, from chirrups and burbles to what I call the “imperious mew” and various yowls and whines. Tig 2 had a mrowr, a yowl, and a chirrup. Maybe one more sound. Tig 3.0 has the sounds he makes when running across the room because he wants to play, the sounds he makes running downstairs in a good mood because he wants to play (his “happy noises”), chirrups, yowls (including a horrible one that he uses when he wants to get through a door, a sound I’ve only previously heard in cats that were terribly hurt or dying), various meows, and, well—he makes a lot of sounds.
So Tig ran up to the guest room door and started giving off a brand-new yowl that I never heard before. And then he proceeded to roll on his back and roll back and forth until it dawned on me that he was trying to put his paw underneath the door. Understanding dawned, I opened the door, and there was Gracie. Stuck in the guest room. Oops.
Tig sure loves his Aunty Gracie. (I do, too.) And here they are, together in a rare twofer picture. And to think, Gracie used to walk past my closed office door when Tig was a baby, and hiss at him under the door.
The I Don’t Watch the Superbowl open thread
Although I did catch a few minutes of the old farts singing those 1960s songs made popular by the group formerly known as The Who.
“Won’t Get Fooled Again,” and Obama in the audience. Shyeah.
Sunday Snarks
Israel, you’re goin’ down! Yeah, yeah, yeah. Khameini said that “with God’s help,” Israel would disappear. Well, then. We’ve got nothing to worry about, because I’m pretty sure God isn’t that Allah dude.
The sky is falling, Jordanian style: Yet another “If the U.S. doesn’t force Israel to make peace with the Palestinians, the world will end!” story. This time, it’s the unelected King of Jordan who is talking about how U.S. credibility is on the line. Uh, yeah. Which country was it, exactly, where terrorists tried to bomb the Israeli convoy? Oh, that’s right. Jordan. Credibility. This is also the nation where Christians were arrested for proselytizing, the lying liars that destroyed the Jewish quarter of Jerusalem yet chide Israel for digging in the Old City, and the nation where it’s illegal to insult the king. Hey, king: You’re an asshole. There, now I’ll never be able to travel to Jordan.
By the way, this is yet another in a long line of the narrative the Arabs are trying desperately to get the world to adopt: That if peace doesn’t happen soon, it won’t happen at all. This is the “one-state solution” threat that we keep hearing from Mahmoud Abbas. But in order for that to happen, Israel would have to agree to it. Yeah, I don’t see that ever happening.
Via Jammie Wearing Fool, this Audi video is amazing for its inability to grasp the irony of the “Green Police.” Irony truly is dead.
Well, he is a MAINE coon cat
Tig wanted to check out the snow. Look: Tigger tracks!
Aha! The culprit!
Let’s wander around and check things out.
Time to come back inside.
Ah, much warmer. Snow? I have snow on me? Says who?
Best of The Jewish/lsraeli Blogosphere
It is that time again, the Best of the Jewish/Israeli Blogosphere. The current edition was assembled by my fellow co-blogger Snoopy:
Haveil Havalim #255: post – Groundhog Day edition
When you are finished with that you might enjoy a little Star Trek opera called Le Wrath Di Khan.
Enjoy your SuperBowl Sunday.
02/06/2010
Oh, the weather outside is frightful
But the TV is so delightful. And since there’s no place to go, I think I’ll catch up on my shows.
Feel free to talk amongst yourselves. Also, if you want to see the blizzard that’s hitting DC, go here.
02/05/2010
Funniest weather report ever
Sarah sent me this link to a weather report that you will definitely want to put down your drink for. Spit-monitor warning.
Update: Here’s the video on YouTube. That link was to the original forecast.
Update 2: Apparently, this is his schtick. Check out the second video.
02/04/2010
How not to run a political ad campaign
This is one of the funniest political ads I’ve ever seen—at least, the first few seconds are. (You can stop soon after the sheep shows up.)
Demon sheep!
Via the Corner.
Update: Don’t stop it after a few seconds. You have to run it to about 2:30 to fully appreciate the utter idiocy of this commercial. Spit-monitor warning.
Snowpocalypse 2: The Milk Run
I was about to run out of milk tomorrow, which, of course, necessitated a run to Kroger during my lunch break. The parking lot was completely full. The store was full of people shopping for the storm, and mothers refilling their pantries after three days of having schoolchildren home. (They went to school today. They won’t tomorrow.) And the self-checkout lanes were full of people who never use them, so it was pretty funny to watch them try to figure out how they work. Last week I helped a woman who had set a canteloupe on the glass and simply waited for the machine to do something. (Or, as my friend Sarah said, she was waiting for the magic to happen.) I told her that she need to look it up and key in the code because it didn’t have a price tag with a barcode on it.
It’s fascinating to me that people have been around self-checkout lanes for many years, but so many of them haven’t got a clue how to use them.
I needed some fresh produce. I’ll be making chicken soup at some point this weekend. That reminds me, must take chicken out of freezer. Also, the most important item (besides the milk): Cat litter. That is something you don’t want to be low on during an ice storm/snowstorm/whatever the heck we’re getting here in Richmond. They’re not quite sure. The only thing they’re sure about is that the D.C. area is getting more. There’ll be a a blizzard happening up north. So glad I don’t have to drive in that. You folks stay safe out there.
I will be posting Tig in snow pictures if I get them. I have a few from last week that I can put up. I’ll probably be bored enough to edit the movie that I took. Tig is a mere two weeks away from his second birthday. If you scroll back through the Cats section, I’m sure you’ll find his baby pictures. My, how he grew.
Goldstone is the result of 40 years of the perversion of international law
Not only has Israel prepared a defense of its conduct during Cast Lead in response to the Goldstone Report, so, too, has Hamas. Jonathan Dahohah Halevi writes:
Hamas’ line of defence vis-à-vis the Goldstone report has been shaped by a group of Palestinian jurists headed by Diya Al-Din Muhsin Al-Madhoun, former legal adviser to Ismail Haniyeh (Hamas Prime Minister) and today chairman of the Tawtheeq (documentation) organization that was the key factor assigned by Hamas’ government, on which the Goldstone committee relied for sources of information in its fact finding mission. In series of interviews to the media, Madhoun elaborated as follows Hamas’ main legal arguments of its would be response to the Goldstone report assumed to be delivered in the near future to the UN secretary general.
The bottom line is that Hamas claims – without accepting the 1947 UN partition resolution – that Israel has no right to be anywhere not designated for the Jewish state by the 1947 UN partition resolution, and that therefore it has no right of self defense.
Elder of Ziyon noted earlier on that this necessarily skewed the Goldstone report as the commission was taking testimony from Hamas itself.
The following two items from Jonathan Halevi though are worth noting.
The armed struggle is legitimate
Madhoun asserts that all historic Palestine is an occupied land and that the international law legitimizes the right of self defence and resistance of the Palestinian people, who are living under 61 years of occupation. Therefore, Madhoun argues that “resistance operations conducted by the Palestinian resistance organizations, including launching rockets and mortar shells at the occupying Zionist forces, and all other military operations, are legitimate according the international law under the principle of defending our people and liberating our occupied land.”Israel has no right for self defence
Madhoun entirely rebuts Israel’s claim for self defence arguing that it constitutes a grave violation of the Palestinian people’s right for self defence as reflected in its armed struggle to liberate the land of Palestine. And in his words (translated from Arabic): “the war against Gaza was illegitimate… as the international law rules that there isn’t legitimate defence [of the occupier] against the legitimate defence [of the occupied] embodied in the defence through struggle.”
This unfortunately is the result of decades of corruption in the UN. The late Jeane Kirkpatrick noted 20 years ago in How the PLO was legitimized:
NOT long after Khrushchev articulated these distinctions, the United Nations General Assembly formally adopted them. Where the Charter permitted force by member states only to defend themselves against attack, GA Resolution 2708 XX (1970) created a new category of “legitimate” force which could be used against member states. This new right was confirmed in subsequent resolutions approving the struggle of “liberation” groups against “colonialism” by “all necessary means at their disposal.” Step by step the new doctrine was codified in the General Assembly. In 1970, with U.S. and Western support, the General Assembly adopted the “Declaration on Principles of International Law Concerning Friendly Nations” which further expanded the rights of “peoples” and restricted those of states by providing, inter alia, that “all peoples have the right freely to determine without external influences their political status and pursue their economic, social, and cultural development, and every state has the duty to respect this right in accordance with the provisions of the Charter.”
Moreover: “Every state has the duty to refrain from any forcible action which deprives peopIe … of their right to self-determination and freedom and independence. In their actions against resistance to such forcible action in pursuit of the exercise of self-determination, such peoples are entitled to seek and receive support, in accordance with the purposes and principles of the Charter” (emphasis added).
With this declaration, the General Assembly, more clearly and unambiguously than ever, took the position not only that “peoples” had rights superior to those of member states, but that states resisting the rights of “peoples” could themselves become a “threat to peace.” The General Assembly thus subordinated the principle of the “sovereign inviolability” of states to the struggle of “peoples” against “colonialism” and put important new restrictions on the right of states to selfdefense.
The UN – at the time recalled above, under the influence of the Soviet Union – has been twisting international law to empower terrorists. The Goldstone report is the product of this perversion of law and order orchestrated by the very organization that was supposed to build the foundations of world peace.
What should international law look like? Prof. Asa Kasher:
•We in Israel are in a key position in the development of customary international law in this field because we are on the front lines in the fight against terrorism. The more often Western states apply principles that originated in Israel to their own non-traditional conflicts in places like Afghanistan and Iraq, then the greater the chance these principles have of becoming a valuable part of international law.
Will the West realize that its success in dealing with continued threats means taking a stand and defending Israel against international organizations dedicated to its destruction?
Crossposted on Soccer Dad.
Pre-Snowpocalypse 2 briefs
Frozen peace: See what peace dividends bring to Egypt? The nation’s journalist’s union punished two editors for having contact with Israel. Ew, Jew cooties!
That famous Muslim tolerance for other religions: Egyptian Christians are protesting for the right to build churches as easily as Muslims build mosques. If you want to build a new church in Egypt, first you have to get the permit signed by the president. If you want to build a new mosque, you get a community permit. Tolerance! And the AP boilerplate is just awesome:
Ten percent of Egypt’s 80 million are Copts, who complain of being denied equal citizenship rights. Clashes do occasionally erupt.
Those “clashes”? Riots that torched Christian-owned shops, and murdered Christians. But hey, don’t let the truth get in the way of your whitewash, AP.
Juvenile scorn in the JPost: Tony Badran schools the “realists” at Foreign Affairs about Hizbullah. (Tony’s my hero.)
In the end, the IRA was cornered, unable to force a British withdrawal, and, worse, unable to even protect its community from Loyalist gangs. It was not the Brits but the IRA that initiated talks when its armed struggle had reached a stalemate.
This is hardly where Hizbullah sees itself today, either ideologically or operationally. Instead of finding itself cornered by its local rivals, Hizbullah has used its weapons to extract powerful political concessions, neutralize the unfavorable result of democratic elections and impose its priorities on its adversaries and the Lebanese government.
You tell ‘em, Tony.
02/03/2010
Cairo nostalgia
David Ignatius wrote two weeks ago that the message of President Obama’s Cairo speech is as important as ever. Specifically:
But in truth, the strategy that Obama proposed in Cairo is more important now than ever. Critics speak as if peacemaking and battling Muslim extremism should be seen as an either/or proposition. What Obama understood a year ago is that the two are linked. The best way to undercut extremists in Iran or al-Qaeda is to make progress on issues that matter to the Muslim world. Guns alone won’t do it; if it were otherwise, the Israelis would have battled their way to peace long ago.
Except consider Israel’s experience. Israeli withdrew from six Palestinian cities in late 1995 and two months later was hit with series of suicide attacks. Israel withdrew from Lebanon in 2000 only to face a Hezbollah buildup and war in 2006. And Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza in 2005 led to sustained rocket attacks on southern Israel and eventually a war with Hamas a year ago.
On the other hand, since Operation Defensive Shield and the building of the anti-terror wall, attacks from Judea and Samaria against Israel have decreased sharply.
In other words, recent history shows that fighting back, does help reduce terror. Peace making doesn’t have such a good record.
At the time of the Cairo speech Barry Rubin wrote:
While Obama might have said it in a different way, his words echo those of the last five American presidents. In the way he argues, however, Obama reveals his weakness in dealing with these issues. First he says—and this sounds wonderful to Western ears:
“Palestinians must abandon violence. Resistance through violence and killing is wrong and it does not succeed,” citing the American civil rights’ movement as example. This sounds noble but it is silly because it ignores the social and ideological context.
Fatah believes it got control of the West Bank and leadership of the Palestinian people through violence and killing. Hamas in Gaza; Hizballah and Syria in Lebanon; and Iran’s Islamist regime as well as the Muslim Brotherhoods believe that “resistance” works.
From the standpoint of Palestinian leaders, violence and killing are not failures. Moreover, violence and killing are commensurate with the goal of the overwhelming majority of the Palestinian leadership, which is total victory. Their main alternative “peaceful” strategy is the demand—shared by Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas—that pretty much all Palestinians who wish to do so must be allowed to live in Israel. A formula for more violence and killing.
For David Ignatius, addressing the grievances of the Muslim world is a prerequisite for peace. Experience has shown otherwise – prioritizing those grievances hardens the positions of the West’s Islamic enemies.
Crossposted on Soccer Dad.
Sniefs
The mouse that squeaked: Iran launched a research rocket into space that brings them up to the science of the 1960s. Woo-hoo! They’re number… um, let’s see. Russia, America, China, anyone else? And what’s on the rocket? A mouse, two turtles, and worms. Hoo-boy, they’re totally ahead of us now! Worms? No, not worms!
Operation Seashell Bomb ongoing: Another floating bomb landed on an Israeli beach. How long before one lands in Gaza and blows up the civilians who will doubtlessly think the tank on it is perfect for scrap metal sale? Counting down to the blame-Israel headlines….
Israeli Double Standard Time: Egyptians killed another Sudanese refugee trying to get into Israel. Of course, there is no outcry from the same people who shriek to high heaven every time Israel bombs a Gaza smuggling tunnel. Because a Jew didn’t kill the poor man. Money quote:
Police killed at least 19 migrants, mostly unarmed Africans seeking work or asylum in Israel, and injured at least 28 last year.
And yet, the UN is silent about this violation of Sudanese human rights. Why is that?
The Goldstone rumor mill
From the Goldstone Report:
50. The Mission investigated several incidents involving the destruction of industrial infrastructure, food production, water installations, sewage treatment plants and housing (chap.XIII). Already at the beginning of the military operations, el-Bader flour mill was the only flour mill in the Gaza Strip still operating. The flour mill was hit by a series of air strikes on 9 January 2009, after several false warnings had been issued on previous days. The Mission finds that its destruction had no military justification. The nature of the strikes, in particular the precise targeting of crucial machinery, suggests that the intention was to disable the factory’s productive capacity. From the facts it ascertained, the Mission finds that there has been a violation of the grave breaches provisions of the Fourth Geneva Convention. Unlawful and wanton destruction which is not justified by military necessity amounts to a war crime. The Mission also finds that the destruction of the mill was carried out to deny sustenance to the civilian population, which is a violation of customary international law and may constitute a war crime. The strike on the flour mill furthermore constitutes a violation of the right to adequate food and means of subsistence.
This paragraph is notable for a number of things. It accuses of Israel deliberately targeting the flour mill. From that it divines that the purpose was to “deny sustenance” to the residents of Gaza. And from there it concludes that Israel violated international law.
The Goldstone Commission compiled and analyzed the satellite imagery it used as part of its investigation.
Al Badr flour complex
The Al-Badr Flour Factory of Sudaniyya appears in the satellite imagery to be composed of multiple building sites situated along the north side of El-Bahar Street. Based on the
detailed assessment from the imagery, the only visible damages detected to the factory
complex are to the southernmost building which was severely damaged along the southeastern side. The damages appear to have occurred between 16 and 18 January 2009. Within the immediate 500m vicinity of the factory complex there are a total of 43 detected damage sites, including 33 destroyed or severely damaged buildings. The majority of this identified damages occurred between 10 and 18 January 2009. There are clear indications in the imagery of extensive IDF tank movement and related damage to both buildings and vegetation cover in this area during the last three days of the conflict. It is probable, given the damage signatures, that the majority of damage in this area was caused by intense IDF ground fire. It is important to note that because of the angle of satellite imagery acquisition, it is possible that severe damage to the north and eastern side of the flour factory buildings has not been detected. See figure 14 for satellite image damage overview of Al Badr flour complex.
This analysis suggests that there was more damage to the factory than was visible due to satellite imagery. Why didn’t anyone photograph the building from the ground?
While this analysis observes that there was “extensive IDF tank movement,” it doesn’t suggest any reason for that movement. Were the tanks in the area arbitrarily or for some military purpose? The Goldstone report attributed Israeli military activity in the area to a nefarious plan to destroy the sole source of flour to Gaza. Is there any evidence in the satellite imagery to suggest that conclusion? No. But then, as Elder of Ziyon observed, Goldstone apparently was not drawing conclusions from available evidence.
UNITAR, based on a time sequence of satellite images, finds that all the damage seems to have occurred a full week after Goldstone’s “credible witnesses” said it was strafed by multiple air attacks – while the IDF was on the ground, fighting. And damage on the upper floors done by Apache helicopters would presumably be visible on satellite images.
The satellite imagery as analyzed by the UN indicated that the mill was attacked by tanks and ground fire. There’s no evidence that Israel attacked the facility from the air. And yet the Goldstone commission, with no support, simply declared the eyewitnesses as “credible.”
Still, there’s something missing from UNITAR’s analysis. The analysis discusses the movements of the IDF as if the IDF operated in a vacuum. Its observation of the destruction that occurred with in 500m of the mill raises the question: why there?
The recently released Israeli report provides some answers that the UN and Goldstone were incurious about.
167. In the course of the operation, IDF troops came under intense fire from different Hamas positions in the vicinity of the flour mill. The IDF forces fired back towards the sources of fire and threatening locations. As the IDF returned fire, the upper floor of the flour mill was hit by tank shells. A phone call warning was not made to the flour mill immediately before the strike, as the mill was not a pre-planned target.
168. Several hours after the incident, and following a report about fire in the flour mill, the IDF coordinated the arrival of several fire engines to fight the fire.
169. The Military Advocate General reviewed the findings and the records of the command investigation and other materials. In addition, the Military Advocate General reviewed the information included in the Human Rights Council Fact-Finding Report, as well as the transcript of the public testimony of Mr. Hamada to the Fact-Finding Mission.
170. Taking into account all available information, the Military Advocate General determined that the flour mill was struck by tank shells during combat. The Military Advocate General did not find any evidence to support the assertion that the mill was attacked from the air using precise munitions, as alleged in the Human Rights Council Fact-Finding Report. The Military Advocate General determined that the allegation was not supported in the Report itself, nor in the testimony to the Fact-Finding Mission by Rashad Hamada,who had left the area prior to the incident in response to the IDF’s early warnings.Photographs of the mill following the incident do not show structural damage consistent with an air attack.
171. The Military Advocate General found that, in the specific circumstances of combat, and given its location, the flour mill was a legitimate military target in accordance with the
Law of Armed Conflict. The purpose of the attack was to neutralize immediate threats to
IDF forces.172. The Military Advocate General did not accept the allegation in the Human Rights Council Fact-Finding Report that the purpose of the strike was to deprive the civilian population of Gaza of food. In t is regard, he noted the fact that shortly after the incident, the IDF allowed Palestinian fire trucks to reach the area and extinguish the flames, as well as the extensive amount of food and flour that entered Gaza through Israel during the Gaza Operation.120
173. Although the Military Advocate General could not conclusively determine that the flour mill was in fact used by Hamas’s military operatives, there was some evidence of such use. The Military Advocate General noted that Mr. Hamada testified before the Fact-Finding Mission that after the operation he found empty bullets on the roof of the flour mill. This could not have been the result of IDF fire, since – as was evident from the
findings of the command investigation – the IDF forces which occupied the mill’s
compound three days after the incident did not occupy the roof of the mill, where they
would have been exposed to enemy fire.174. Accordingly, the Military Advocate General found no reason to order a criminal
investigation regarding the case.
Unlike the Goldstone report, the IDF’s report is specific about what happened. When the IDF didn’t know something, it didn’t speculate. Of special note are the following facts 1) The IDF was in the area responding to enemy fire 2) that the IDF made sure that fire equipment got to the mill and 3) Israel supplied flour to Gaza (a point made with greater detail by CAMERA), which disproves the libel of Goldstone that Israel sought to deprive Gazans of sustenance.
Israel Matzav addresses a charge made by the Guardian that Israel dropped a 500 pound bomb on the mill. The views of the roof of the mill taken by the IDF after the attack show fire damage, but no hole in the roof that would be consistent with an aerial bombing.
Reviewing this incident only reinforces my view that Judge Goldstone and his confederates were a lot more interested in reaching conclusions that condemned Israel than in uncovering the truth.
In his interview with the Forward Goldstone said:
“We couldn’t use that report as evidence at all,” Goldstone said. “But it was a useful roadmap for our investigators, for me as chief prosecutor, to decide where we should investigate. And that’s the purpose of this sort of report. If there was an independent investigation in Israel, then I think the facts and allegations referred to in our report would be a useful road map.”
This prompts the reporter to observe.
Nevertheless, the report itself is replete with bold and declarative legal conclusions seemingly at odds with the cautious and conditional explanations of its author. The report repeatedly refers, without qualification, to specific violations of the Fourth Geneva Convention committed by Israel and other breaches of international law. Citing particular cases, the report determines unequivocally that Israel “violated the prohibition under customary international law” against targeting civilians. These violations, it declares, “constitute a grave breach” of the convention.
I have no doubt that Goldstone would reject the IDF’s investigation as insufficiently independent. But it is clear the IDF was more cautious and careful in its investigation than Goldstone was. Goldstone mixed rumor and innuendo with incomplete information in order to find Israel guilty. If the point of Goldstone’s commission was to discover the truth, the IDF has more than answered its charges. The problem is that the commission’s job was to convict Israel. I hardly think that the UN will accept the inconvenient truths of the IDF’s report.
Crossposted on Soccer Dad.
02/02/2010
Tuesday morning briefs
Who done it? Now Ha’aretz is saying that Mahmoud al-Mabhouh’s assassins were Arabs. Which is actually even better, because all we need is a little more of that Muslim brotherhood and Israel would be perfectly safe.
Message in a bombshell: Palestinian terrorists in Gaza are sending floating bombs to sea in the hopes of killing Israelis with them. Say, you know what’s wrong with that idea? That thing called “currents”? Well, just watch what happens when the first one explodes on a beach in Gaza. And watch them blame Israel for it.
Another day, another kassam: Another missile hit Israel. Another non-issue for the anti-Israel press. However, the AFP did manage to carry an article about the IDF shooting a Palestinian on the Gaza border. Because only Palestinians matter, apparently.
The lying liars of the Palestinian Authority: Funny, I thought stopping incitement was high up on the list of things the PA must do according to the Road Map. And Mahmoud Abbas tells us over and over again that the Palestinians are adhering to the Road Map. Except they’re not. PMW quotes this interview with Abbas:
“The road map made demands of all parties. We were required to stop terror attacks, recognize Israel and even stop incitement. So come and see what we did. Although the joint committee against incitement is no longer active, we did act and are acting against incitement. They said there is a problem with incitement in speeches in mosques during Friday prayers. Today there is no more incitement at any mosque,” he said.
Really?
“The loathsome occupation in Palestine – its land and its holy places – by these new Mongols and what they are perpetrating upon this holy, blessed and pure land – killing, assassination, destruction, confiscation, Judaization, harassment and splitting the homeland – are clear proof of [unintelligible word - Ed.] hostility, of incomparable racism, and of Nazism of the 20th century.
Liar. And of course, this will never find its way into the mainstream media. But that’s why you all read blogs.
02/01/2010
The news the wire services don’t report
Deep in the bottom of this AP report about Israel warning its military officers to be cautious about Hamas kidnapping plots while traveling overseas, we read this:
On Monday, an Israeli court indicted two suspected Hamas members on charges they plotted attacks against civilian targets across Israel.
Marad Kamel, 24, and Marad Namr, 25, allegedly were recruited by Hamas while living in Jordan, Israel’s Shin Bet internal intelligence agency said. The targets included central bus stations in Beer Sheva and Jerusalem, a Jerusalem mall, Tel Aviv’s hotel district and a military base in the Tel Aviv area, the agency said.
That’s called “Burying the lede.” The Jerusalem Post lede:
Two Arabs from east Jerusalem were arrested for allegedly enlisting in Hamas and gathering intelligence on potential targets for terror attacks inside Israel, the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) revealed on Monday.
The two Israeli identity card holders – Marad Namer, 25, from Sur Baher, and Marad Kamal, 24, of Wadi Joz – were arrested on January 3 in the Beersheba central bus station. They were allegedly in possession of digitized intelligence information pertaining to various places in Israel that they had gathered on behalf of Hamas for the planning of terror attacks.
During their interrogations, the two said that they were recruited by Hamas during work and studies in Jordan and Dubai.
Funny how many stories the wire services manage to put out on Israel’s actions in Gaza and the reactions of the world to those actions, and yet, barely a mention of two Israeli Arabs—Israeli citizens, with ID cards that allow them to travel freely throughout the Jewish State—plotting with Hamas to murder their fellow Israelis. So, how many stories did the AP run about the Israeli terrorists going after Arabs? At least one more than this.
Mahmoud al-Mabhouh – the man of a thousand deaths
It is amazing how many roads led a single person to the 72 virgins. Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, the Hamas assassin made into a martyr by the management, is still cooling down to the temperature of his new environment, but the list of maladies that caused his demise is growing daily. Let me see:
- Multiple stubbing wounds – check
- Electrocution – check
- Poisoning – check
- Strangulation (one pillow, lightly used) – check
- Injected by a drug that caused heart failure – check
And mind you, I am not following the news on the subject all that closely. Well, at least the poor darling didn’t suffer from head cold on his way to the paradise…
But this one just takes the cake:
Gaza – Ma’an – Hamas’ armed wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, announced the death of its co-founder in exile Mahmoud Al-Mabhuh, who died of terminal cancer in a hospital in the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday.
Here is a snapshot of the page:
Notice the date of publication: January 21, 2010 – more than a week before the “news” about the martyr that was allegedly croaked by Mossad in an Abud Dabi hotel hit the air/TV/internets.
And we wanted to send a “Job well done” Hallmark card to Mossad… Now when any Hamas’ grunt shuffles off this mortal coil, Mossad will be credited, I guess. On the other hand, not such a bad idea. For Mossad, I mean. Some guys can claim expenses like there is no tomorrow. And the image…
Via Incognito from Michael Davison.
Cross-posted on SimplyJews
Israel and the South Pacific Islanders
Last week the leaders of Micronesia and Nauru visited Israel. These South Pacific island nations (along with Palau) are among Israel’s biggest supporters. Israel Behind the News provides some useful background to this diplomatic effort.
Of course, the support of these tiny nations for Israel, is the source for much scorn in the MSM. The Washington Post’s Howard Schneider reports:
“The concept is that we reach out to every nation, whether it is small or big, remote or close,” said Michael Ronen, Israel’s ambassador to several Pacific island countries. The countries are among the smallest in the world — Micronesia has about 108,000 people and Nauru about 15,000 — but their votes count the same in an organization that routinely considers resolutions and issues related to the Arab-Israeli dispute.
Of course one could also frame that last sentence differently: Arab contries, which deny their citizens the franchise, yet their votes count the same as nations whose citizens are free in an organization that routinely considers resolutions and issues related to the Arab-Israeli dispute. True, not all democracies vote for Israel in the UN, but the Arab and “non-aligned” bloc is treated by many as sacrosanct simply on account of their numbers, even though they don’t grant the same freedom to their citizens that the UN grants them.
But this goes back to how Israel ought to be judged. I’ve already argued that Israel should be judged by its humanitarian nature.
For Micronesia and Nauru, however, it has been all “soft power” — something also on display in recent days through the Israel Defense Forces’ quick dispatch of a field hospital team to Haiti.
Along with visits to religious sites, which Mori said he found particularly profound, the delegation was given briefings on renewable energy, water management policies and other issues that the Pacific nations consider critical, given their concerns about global climate change and rising sea levels.
Israel has sent experts to consult about the area’s citrus crops and irrigation techniques, sent medical technicians to provide radiology training, and offered scholarships to Israeli colleges.
There is no quid pro quo, of course, but also no surprise that in the annual round of U.N. resolutions criticizing Israel, Micronesia and Nauru are regular members of what Israeli diplomats like to call their “moral minority.”
Of course Israel provides this kind of assistance to many less fortunate nations and it results in no diplomatic payback or even . Take Jordan, Egypt or even the Palestinian Authority (though the Palestinian Authority unilaterally refused such help since it launched the “Aqsa” intifada in 2000).
The point is that Israel offers aid to most countries who need it. Most, unlike Micronesia, Nauru and Paulu don’t show their appreciation.
Crossposted on Soccer Dad.
01/31/2010
Still in with the old
Barry Rubin has read the new Fatah charter. The document was originally linked to at the Secrecy news blog. Secrecy News observes:
But what is perhaps most significant is what is not in the document. The original Fatah charter (or constitution) from the 1960s embraced “the world-wide struggle against Zionism,” denied Jewish historical or religious ties to the land, and called for the “eradication of Zionist economic, political, military and cultural existence.” None of that language is carried over into the new charter, which manages not to mention Israel, Zionism, or Jews at all.
But as Barry Rubin points that’s not necessarily so significant.
Now here’s an important lesson for you. When a radical group is portrayed as moderate based on some position it supposedly has taken or some statement made there has to be a catch somewhere. Here’s the tip-off in this case, a single sentence in the new charter:
“This internal charter has been adopted within the framework of adherence to the provisions of the Basic Charter.”
In other words, every detail of the original charter still holds; nothing is repealed, no error admitted, no explicit change of course accepted.
There is a good reason that there’s no discussion of Israel, Zionism or Jews in this new charter, as it appears to be a guide, in excruciating detail, how to join and remain a member in good standing of Fatah and its various committees and sub-groups. It is not a document that explicitly expresses a political view, though as Barry Rubin writes, one may be inferred.
What is intriguing, however, is that there is a detailed discussion of transgressions of Fatah rules and punishments for doing so. Clearly, if members do anything the leaders don’t like they are going to face severe penalties. Thus it is significant that no Fatah member has been ever disciplined for committing acts of terrorism against Israeli civilians or for making the most extremist statements. Indeed, it isn’t even clear that Fatah has the determination or ability to punish members for collaborating with Hamas against their own leaders.
This document in no way shows any moderation on the part of Fatah and there’s plenty of evidence the other way including last summer’s Fatah elections and Mahmoud Abbas’s anniversary celebration.
BTW, look at the different ways Arab News and the JTA report on this document.
At its first congress in 20 years, Fatah stressed its commitment to a negotiated peace with Israel. But delegates stopped short of renouncing violence.
“Fatah stresses its commitment to the pursuit of a comprehensive peace but reiterates the Palestinian people’s right to resistance to occupation in all its forms in line with international law,” the new charter said.
U.S. Jewish groups, spurred by the Zionist Organization of America, have long called for Fatah, the party of the more moderate leadership of the Palestinian Authority, to renounce the negationist language of earlier charters. The calls have been repeated in a number of congressional resolutions in recent years.
Such language is absent from the new charter, although it maintains a militant tone in its preamble,which says, “You must know that our enemy is strong and the battle is ferocious and long.”
There is no renunciation of the earlier language, and the preamble says the new charter “has been adopted within the framework of adherence to the provisions” of the 1989 charter.
Nonetheless, missing entirely from the charter is the reported language of the 1966 version that called for Israel’s destruction and in the 1989 version that implied Israel’s replacement, albeit through peaceful means.
JTA, then subscribes to all the incorrect conventional wisdom about Fatah and even ascribes to it a change in ideology that has never occurred. Arab News may originate in the sands of Saudi Arabia, but it is the reporter for the JTA who has his head in the sands.
UPDATE: Barry Rubin piles on the JTA.
Crossposted on Soccer Dad.
Sunday snowstorm briefs
Dude, where’s my bodyguards? The Hamasnik’s assassination is looking more and more awesome. Not only was the ex-terrorist (as in ex-parrot) one of the chief figures smuggling weapons from Iran to Gaza, but the intel on this operation was absolutely stunning. Why was he alone, when he was usually surrounded by bodyguards? Because they couldn’t get tickets on the same flight, so his bodyguards went on without him. This was a huge win for Israel, and a huge loss for Iran. One for the good guys! (And yes, HRW whines about “extrajudicial killings.” Tough.)
The new GOP strategy: Blame Obama. Well, it makes sense. The Republican playbook will include making sure that Democratic incumbents take their full share of the blame for the current economic conditions by pointing out that, hey, they voted for Obama’s bills. Cap and trade? Dems. Obamacare? Dems. Nationalizing car companies? Dems. Own your issues, Dems! Because the Repubs are going to make you, anyway.
Humiliating checkpoints still catching Palestinian terrorists: That’s funny, I thought the Palestinians wanted peace, and the “humiliating” checkpoints were just there to, well, humiliate them. And yet, this guy was caught with six pipe bombs. Gee, let’s think. What would he be using pipe bombs for? Hm.
01/30/2010
The Richmond Snowpocalypse
I survived the Richmond Snowpocalypse. But it sure had its moments.
Sarah had a dog show today, and I volunteered to drive her and dog through the snow, what with my having a Jeep and her development not having snowplows come through until, oh, two days after the snow has fallen. Maybe three. So I get in the car this morning, drive through what are pretty horrific conditions, get to Sarah’s house in only twice the amount it usually takes, and wanted to bag the whole thing. We decided to see if 95 was in decent condition, because that’s the main road we’d be taking. We got out of her development, traveled back the way I had just been, and gave up after five or six miles. I figure when you’re in a Jeep in 4 wheel drive and you’re still slipping and sliding, it’s time to give up and go back home. So we stopped at the local market and bought meat. Sarah is now grilling steaks in a snowstorm. Yes, really. (Okay, she’s just popping out to check on them every so often, but still.)
Here’s the view from our back door this afternoon. The snow is about ten inches deep so far and falling lightly now. I’m here for the night (I packed clothes). And the kids are thrilled. I’m kinda glad myself. Snowstorms are much more fun when enjoyed with children.
01/29/2010
Friday briefs
Awesome! The Mossad takes out a major Hamas murderer: Looks like the man who planned the kidnapping and murder of two IDF solders (among other murders) is now receiving his 72 raisins. His brother says he was electrocuted by someone holding an “appliance” to his head. Uh-huh. Must be one of those Zionist Death Rays we keep reading about. The AP reports that he was poisoned, electrocuted, and strangled with a pillow, not necessarily in that order. Regardless of the cause of death, a major terrorist is now pushing up daisies. And that’s a win. And oh yeah, Hamas is hot on the Mossad assassins’ trail. Try not to be too worried.
Profits trump politics: The Palestinians are upset with the French because two French companies are building the light rail system that runs from Jerusalem to outlying suburbs like Pisgat Ze’ev. They want the French government to pressure the companies to stop the rail line. Sure, because the French aren’t, say, trading with Iran or anything like that. Hey, good luck with that hissy fit, Palestinians. I’m sure it will all work out just swell.
We really, really really mean it this time! Following Obama’s toothless statement that Iran is increasingly isolated, Hillary Clinton stated even more forcefully that the U.S. is going to “apply greater pressure.” Wow. I can’t wait to see what happens after those two remarks! Iran must really be scared now!