If I were dictator of the world, I would outlaw the question, “Paper or plastic?” that supermarket clerks keep asking.

They always seem a bit taken aback when I tell them that I make enough decisions on a daily basis and refuse to make one about which bag to use.

Then again, nowadays, I mostly remember my reusable bags. That shuts ‘em up.

Whoa. Look what happened tonight.

I was rather surprised that Gracie neither growled nor swatted Tig away.

Mind you, she does that a lot, and she did it a few minutes later when Tig got a little too forward (by that time she was in the kitchen and he had followed her). But I think there’s hope that she may eventually learn to live in peace with him.

Well, until he wants to play and she doesn’t. That’s what Tig 2 used to do to annoy her. In the meantime, this weekend, we had nose-to-nose, and sharing a sofa cushion. And that’s Gracie’s sofa cushion. The one Sarah is calling “The Dent.” She stayed for a few minutes. That’s progress.

This week’s Carnival of the Jews, in two parts. One. Two. Why two? Why not?

Meryl charged that last week’s “work accident” would quickly fade down the memory hole and showed it happening.

Update: And now (2:23 p.m. timestamp), all mention of the explosion is gone from AP updates. Move along, nothing to see here.

Any mention of the explosion that destroyed a house and damaged surrounding homes, has been pretty muted. Here’s Time magazine:

It was certainly a noisy prelude to a cease-fire: Just as an Israeli envoy was flying to Cairo on Thursday to negotiate a long-delayed truce with the Palestinian militants of Hamas, a huge explosion rocked a building in Gaza.

Hamas charged that the blast that killed eight people and wounded 40 others had been caused by an Israeli rocket strike, and the militants sprayed over 50 mortar shells and missiles into southern Israel. Later, however, Hamas sheepishly admitted that the Gaza blast had been “an explosion”, or what the Israelis term “a work accident” — when militants blow themselves up while handling explosives in preparation for mounting an attack.

Noisy prelude? How much do they want to play it down? Enough explosives detonated to destroy a city block and it’s just “noisy?” Worse, Hamas admitted that the explosives were to be used in a “quality” terror attack.

Hamas’ Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades confirmed Friday that the operatives who died in Thursday’s explosion in the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Lahiya were making last-minute preparations for a “special mission”, a Hamas codename for a “high-quality” attack. 

According to the statement, the dead were operatives of a special Hamas unit. The organization promised that its people will “continue following in the path of those killed.”

So while the reporter for Time breathlessly writes about the need for a ceasefire, he ignores the story in front of him. Hamas caused an explosion (his “militants” aren’t freelancers, but working for the government in place in Gaza) then “retaliated” against Israel - actually attacked Israeli civilians unprovoked - for the explosion and is seeking a “ceasefire” with Israel.

It also makes Israel’s actions or inaction baffling. Here’s Ehud Barak, he who would like to be PM:

Speaking at a convention of Labor branch secretaries in Tel Aviv, Barak said that “this government is incapable of making a decision about Hamas, the Syrians, Lebanon, Iran and the US. There is a shadow of primaries…all cabinet discussions are effectively discussions with the media.”

Concerning the Gaza situation, Barak said that eventually, he believed there would be an operation in Gaza, but that a “responsible leadership” must give a truce a chance.

“Responsible leadership?” Can you imagine someone from Hamas saying that you must give the truce a chance and mean it? Of course Hamas supports a truce, because it will allow them a freedom of movement and ability to re-arm, without its leadership having to worry about Hellfire missiles. What does Israel gain from a truce?

And of course Secretary Rice knows what really ails the peace process.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will insist when he meets with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that the U.S. pressure Israel to stop settlement construction, an Abbas aide said Saturday.

Rice, who arrived in Israel late Saturday, appeared more exasperated with the Israeli construction than she has in past condemnations. Israeli announcements of building plans have often come just before or after her visits in the past year and a half of her peace mission.

“Unfortunately there have been a few whether I’m coming or not,” Rice told reporters on her plane. Her clipped tone and arched brows revealed annoyance.

Despite Sec. Rice’s best Jim Baker imitation, the problem with peace in the Middle East isn’t Israeli settlements. It’s the lack of peace. When Palestinians are planning “quality” attacks against Israel and only Israeli actions are preventing the terror, that’s a real problem. And with Palestinian grievances magnified by the American Secretary of State instead of being dismissed, it only serves to encourage more terror.

Meanwhile word has leaked out:

The London-based ‘al-Sharq al-Awsat’ reported on Saturday that Egyptian intelligence chief, General Omar Suleiman, was successful in persuading Israel to separate the demand to release kidnapped solider Gilad Shalit from the ceasefire negotiations with armed groups in the Gaza Strip.

Ehud Barak, though insists:

The release of kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Schalit is “inseparable” from any truce agreement between Israel and Hamas, an aide to Defense Minister Ehud Barak said on Saturday evening.

Frankly, I believe the first report. Israel (specifically Barak) has a reason to lie if it’s true. There wouldn’t be the prior political support for any truce if it didn’t include Shalit.If Israel’s giving up the right to defend its citizens for a specific length of time, it better get something tangible in return. And Hamas needs a “truce” a lot more than Israel does.

A truce with Hamas is a bad deal for Israel. One that doesn’t even include a living, breathing Gilad Shalit is an absolute disaster.

Crossposted on Soccer Dad.