Daniel Doron wrote a wonderful piece about Milton Friedman, someone who very seriously influenced my understanding of economic theory and it's affect on and in the real world.

You can read it here in the JP.

I also recommend reading his books.

At 6:00 AM Olmert surrendered to Hamas terrorism this morning. 75 minutes later, in continuation of their usual game of “Who me?”, Arab terrorists in Hamas occupied territories fired a Kassam missile into Liberated Israel.

Thus transforming Olmert’s shameful and dangerous surrender to terrorism into an unconditional (shameful and dangerous) surrender to terrorism.

They also shot three missiles just minutes before the Olmert surrendered.

What’s interesting is how the Israeli government keeps surrendering. Starting with Rabin, then Barak, then Netanyahu, then Sharon, and now Olmert.

Was Arafat (and now Abbas and Hamas) really wrong then in not accepting another Arab state on a silver platter (as everyone says)?

The answer would appear to be an unequivocal no, he and they were not wrong.

We’ve all talked about how the Arabs keep missing opportunities, but the reality is that they’ve simply had more patience and a longer outlook than the Left-leaning Israeli.

Before, when the Israeli Left capitulated they felt magnanimous and superior. The Left were doing the Arabs a favor (while punishing the religious and the settlers – a double bonus).

But the Arabs have their own plans.

Yes, they want a State, but they want the whole one (Jew free except for Adam Shapiro, Amira Hass, and Tali Fahita). So they waited. They attacked. They harassed. In the end they got nearly the same regions Israel first offered them, but with absolutely no strings attached, and for a price that they consider free.

But they got even more. They wore the Left down.

They pushed the Left into a place where all the Left can say is “take, take, take”. But to add insult to injury the Arabs still say “no”, because they want it all, and know with their tactics they will get it.

Olmert is considering bringing in Ehud Barach as his replacement Defense Minister. The man is a genius in one thing – running away. This past Lebanon war was possible, only because he turned tail.

So now, the missile tempo from Gaza may slow down, but it will be just like in the North. The terrorists are rearming, repositioning, retrenching, and bringing in better, more advanced, and more daunting technology to attack us, while the border communities wait for the inevitable barrage that will destroy their lives once again.

And Olmert and Co. will congratulate themselves, perhaps give a few undeserved promotions, and begin to discuss how to dismantle more Jewish communities to now surrender the biblical heartland of Israel.

This will be as terrorist attacks from the Arabs in Judea and Samaria reach unprecedented levels.

Moshe Feiglin wrote this weekend that the only response to this government is laughter at the level of ludicrousness and absurdity it has reached. Laughter has brought down bigger and more corrupt governments than Israel’s. He believes it signals their end.

That’s very Breslevian of him. I wish he was right, but I (respectfully) disagree. I hardly see anyone making jokes of these jokers.

Feiglin has a new (moderated) blog. Check it out.

The JP has two excellent op-eds today.

The first is by fellow blogger Israel Medad. It also appears on his blog here. He discusses Peace Now's nonsense claims regarding land ownership under the settlements.

A must read (Medad, not Peace Now).

The second is by Evelyn Gordon who says "How to stop the Kassams".

"Whenever politicians or army officers say that there is no military solution to the problem of Kassam rockets, my reaction is: Just how stupid do you think we are? After all, more than 1,000 Kassams have been fired at Israel from Gaza over the last 12 months, yet not a single rocket has been fired at Israel from the West Bank during this period.

So unless you believe that West Bank terrorists, unlike their Gaza counterparts, have no desire to launch rockets - an assumption that defies both logic and the facts (the media periodically report on Palestinian efforts to start a West Bank Kassam industry) - the obvious conclusion is that the army has succeeded in preventing Kassam fire from the West Bank."

Voices of Reason.

Israeli Ambassador to the UN is under fire for asking the French how they would react if France was hit by cross-border missiles. Apparently you aren’t allowed to ask questions that raise the issue of moral equivalence.

That is OK, because Yossi Sarid manages to whitewash Eichmann Barghouti, when he unequivocally said that the dispatcher of terrorists bears less responsibility than the terrorists he sends. He said even more, but it was all pretty vile.

Meanwhile, Olmert is threatened by the success of Arkady Gaydamak’s vote buying. I personally have no problem with Arkady using his wealth any way he pleases, and while I can think of better ways to help the people of Sderot, all I can say is “Good for you Arkady”, if this helps out the people of Israel, and makes you more popular in the process – just don’t turn into another Sharon and twist your power and influence into something evil.

It turns out the fence is what in Israel is called an “Israbluff”. Doesn’t work, doesn’t do anything. See for yourself.

There was a nearly successful attempt to blow up an El Al plane (and others) in Germany. The plot was foiled because the terrorists didn’t offer enough money to the baggage handler. B”H Arkady is on our side.

Olmert & Peretz are fighting with each other. Who cares.

And suprisingly Dalia Itzik actually said one thing smart today when she said the Supreme Court shouldn’t have the right to invalidate laws passed by the Knesset (In my opinion it probably does not have the right, but merely grabbed it and no one had the guts to fight Barak).

And one smart thing is always better than none.

And that’s the news, and I’m outa here.

We fight the terrorists, and we fight all of those who give them aid. America has a message for the nations of the world:

• If you harbor terrorists, you are terrorists.
• If you train or arm a terrorist, you are a terrorist.
• If you feed a terrorist, or fund a terrorist, you're a terrorist -- and you will be held accountable by the United States and our friends.
  
  - President George W. Bush, November 21, 2001

hattip: Lurker

Is someone who protects a known terrorist innocent, or are they accessories to terrorism?

In line with the general idiocy of the left when it comes to defending Israel, the state has displayed what I can only describe as a series of idiotic concessions to terrorism.

First of all, it is now revealed (well, we knew it already) that it is apparently IDF policy to warn terrorists that the IDF is about to bomb their house.

Secondly the Palestinians, understanding the Left’s weakness got smart.

This time they sent 100 supporters of terrorism to protect the house and terrorist - by acting as human shields.

And as they predicted the IDF backed down.

If these Palestinians willingly want to protect terrorists and their property – then they have become accessories to terrorism too and are legitimate targets.
Wake up Israel. (The UN is going to blast us anyway).

And this is more interesting because in the wake of Beit Hanoun, the press is reporting that residents are now trying to stop the Kassam launchers from launching near their homes. (I’ve discussed this in the past).

"Some in Beit Hanun were saying that after the shelling last week of the Al-Atamna family and the extensive killings of civilians, some prominent local families had expressly threatened members of the Qassam cells. In one instance, they say, an armed man identified with Fatah put a gun to the head of a Hamas activist who was busy laying cables to launch a Qassam rocket. The message was clear; the would-be launcher ran away."

It’s time Israel learned that given the right incentives the Palestinians will stop terrorism on their own. Taking out the 100 supporters of terrorism would have provided great incentive for them to stop further attacks, and not try such a stupid thing again.

Instead the IDF displayed the crippled morals of the Left and decided to let our deterrence and fear of the IDF drop to the point of pretty much no return.

As an interesting/disturbing point of information, I returned from counter-terrorist training where I spent much of the time as the terrorist. I learned quite a bit about terrorist tactics, but the most interesting thing I learned is how a terrorist thinks.

Let me be quite unequivocal here.

Any terrorist sent on a mission (if he’s had any training whatsoever) is 100% aware in advance that no matter what weapons he brings with him (suicide belts, grenades, machine guns, knives) into a settlement, he is going out on a suicide mission. Period.

I played out dozens of scenarios and short of surrender before the attack (and occasionally cut-and-run if he is very lucky), there is pretty much no way for a single or small group of terrorists to survive the counter-assault (going in as a larger organized unit is different). Their goal, once inside, is to kill as many people as possible before being killed. There is no alternative. There is no escape (except to Allah).

This is the mindset of any terrorist that crosses the border into any settlement.
It’s important to keep this in mind when considering what they are planning to do as it defines every action they will take.


Here is a very interesting website to read. Perhaps there is hope.

General Barnicke: Where have you been soldier?
John Winger: Training, sir.
Soldiers: Training, sir.

General Barnicke: What kind of training?
John Winger: Aaaaaarmy training, sir.
Soldiers: Aaaaaarmy training, sir.

General Barnicke: Are you telling me that you men finished your training on your own?
John Winger: That's a fact, Jack.
Soldiers: That's a fact, Jack.

I don’t know how many people have noticed the little green bar on the right side of my blog.

It’s a counter that counts days, specifically the numbers of days since our soldiers were kidnapped and Hizbollah hasn’t been disbanded.

Unfortunately the counter has reached a milestone. It has broken 90 days.

The Reservist Protest at the Knesset also folded up its tent today. And as expected, the current inquiry didn’t really find the real culprits (that commissioned the inquiry) except for a few scapegoats (some guilty – such as some generals, and some not – such as the reservists).

And meanwhile Olmert plans to expel more Jews.

Life in Israel moves on as if nothing ever happened and no one has learned anything.

Through an unplanned and unexpected turn of events, a disguised JoeSettler (and family) went and visited the offices and studios of Arutz-7 this evening (which someone had left accidentally open, unlocked, and mostly unattended – which made the whole outing possible).

(Please note the previous comment in parenthesis is humor- I was on a private tour and the doors were opened wide for us, and the staff was all there to greet us. I received some very concerned emails from people that I gave away state secrets. Not to worry. Besides, no one is going to find the studio anyway through all those one-way steets.)

Here are some photographs from inside this secret location.

To begin with, outside the building are prominent signs explaining that the studio broadcasts over the internet only and not the radio – for obvious reasons (not that one should assume the cops can read).

Inside, as you walk in is a letter from one very prominent Leftist to another very prominent Leftist, demanding the government immediately stop funding Bar-Ilan University as they advertise on the Arutz-7 website and internet show – which in his eyes must be completely illegal to do (unbelievable!) .

Next we see JoeSettler Jr. hosting a show when a surprised local technician walked in on him right in the middle of a live broadcast (didn’t he see the red light was on outside the room?)

And talk about an ipodcasting studio!

The Arabs, for some reason, are all worked up that they caused the death of their fellow Arabs in Beit Hanoun when they attacked Israeli citizens from within (or around) that town.

The Arabs really have Chutzpa when it comes to venting at Israel for hitting them back - but the world accepts it, so why not?

S.P.Q.A. does an interesting analysis on how Arabs really estimate and assess the value of the lives of their fellow Arabs (it includes Iran too, so it is perhaps more of a Islamic estimation on the value of their lives) .

You can read it here.