Interview on Barack Obama's enduring, disastrous legacy in Israel -

 

Resist the Mainstream.

CarolineGlick.com  "Last week I was happy to do a deep dive into Barack Obama’s enduring, and deeply destructive legacy in the Middle East generally and on U.S.-Israel relations with the Armstrong Institute’s Daily Trumpet. We also discussed the nature of the internal strife in Israel regarding what it means to be a Jewish state and the likely (postive) outcome of the left’s anti-Jewish riots on Yom Kippur which targeted 18 prayer services in Tel Aviv and many more in other cities in central and northern Israel."

Tragedy on Yom Kippur - The Left Embraces Anti-Jewishness - CarolineGlick.com

Why is there not overflowing disgust for MSNBC?

 No words: MSNBC personality claims Jews deserved to be slaughtered by Palestinian terrorists (watch) – Twitchy   "What the Hell is wrong with MSNBC?

"No, really.

"We keep asking ourselves this over and over again ... what sort of garbage outlet has someone like this toolbag on their network defending Palestinian terrorists who murdered women and children?

"Probably a garbage outlet that employs trolls like Joy Reid and Rachel Maddow:" . . .

MSNBC Makes Disgusting Comment on Israel

MSNBC anchor Joy Reid's crying shame: Devine (nypost.com)   . . ." But for Reid, he is guilty of murder because he was born white. Every night she spews hatred against white people. 

"Who knows what pathology drives her, but it’s not healthy, for her or any of her dwindling audience. Shame on MSNBC for elevating such a hate-filled racist to prime time. 

"She has zero charisma and her ratings are lackluster. But for some unfathomable reason, she has Teflon protection at the network, even after being caught with homophobic and anti-Semitic comments on her blog. She implausibly pretended her blog had been “hacked” and got a free pass.

"But hateful bigotry still informs her every word. When talking about the Virginia gubernatorial election, for instance, she said Glenn Youngkin won because education is “code for white parents who don’t like the idea of teaching about race.”

"When Winsome Sears became the first black woman to win the office of lieutenant governor of Virginia, rather than acknowledge the achievement, Reid griped that Republicans “demand credit” for voting for black candidates. Then she nodded along vigorously as her guest smeared Sears as a “black mouth … who justifies and legitimates the white supremacist practices.”

"Reid has called black Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas “Uncle Clarence,” as in “Uncle Tom.' ” . . .

Israel’s 9-11: What Now? -

 Ironically, the barbarity of Hamas will — for a time — restore Israel’s image as an underdog under siege, not the “occupier” who oppresses. 

The Israeli government formally declared war and gave the green light for “significant military steps”

And now Hezbollah is attacking Israel – HotAir    . . ."But this morning, a new wrinkle developed in the ongoing war. Hezbollah began firing rockets into northern Israel from Lebanon. Rather than quickly moving toward any sort of ceasefire, the war appears to be expanding. And at the bottom of all of this, Iran is clearly either pulling the strings or at least providing a tacit endorsement of the attacks. (Reuters)" . . .

The American Spectator | USA News and Politics  

“On this day, Simchat Torah we must set aside our joy and mourn our losses. We must put our differences aside and unite and fight for our families, our homes and our homeland.” — Michael Oren, Israel’s Ambassador to the U.S. (2009-2013)

"Like America after 9-11, Israel is united.

"Yet, in both countries, nihilists question their nation’s moral legitimacy. They also favor radical judges who no longer interpret law, but make it. But Israel Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu overreached with his judicial reform plan. And his opposition also overreacted. A couple of weeks ago, even the brilliant historian Michael Oren seemed to suggest a connection between the Yom Kippur War a half century ago and “LGTBQ rights” today (he forgot the trendy “+” ).

"But Oren is also right. Although Netanyahu’s tenuous coalition relies on the growing ultra-orthodox parties, they must not force their religious observance or turn back the clock on women. This war reminds us that Israel is a small nation; its survival requires a universal military. Instead of refusing to serve, halakhic Jews should be inspired by their legendary rabbi and foremost Talmudic scholar, the heroic IDF General Shlomo Goren.

"Oren is the author, among his several books, of the definitive work Six Days of War: June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East. If you haven’t read it, get it. American born and educated, and the son of a U.S. Army infantry officer who served in World War II and the Korean War, Oren emigrated to Israel in 1979.

"In a later book Ally: My Journey Across the American-Israeli Divide, Oren described his frustration as Israel’s ambassador in dealing with President Barack Obama and his State Department sycophants, given Obama’s obsessive infatuation with the Muslim world and his alienation of moderate Arabs — amidst his destructive engagement with Iran. In 2015, when Oren was touring the U.S. to oppose Obama’s disastrous deal with Iran, he told me of his apprehension about the possibility of what we now know as “Israel’s 9-11.” Even then, he spoke of a Gaza attack in the South, perhaps coordinated with the huge number of Hezbollah rockets in Syria and Lebanon to attack the north, as part of Iran’s proxy war to destroy Israel, and the concern about what might be called “GPS arming,” and the doomsday scenario of an Iran nuclear capability. And we saw this weekend some form of “smarter rockets.” Oren also was concerned about the obvious — no matter the latest generation of Iron Dome or advanced tech, any defense system has its limit and can be overwhelmed." . . .

Retired NBA Superstar Eviscerates BLM Supporters, Politicians After Bloodshed in Israel (thefederalistpapers.org) Language: . . . “All you politicians who have something to say on the contrary. I see you. F*** you. All you Black Lives Matter people who always have something to say and always supported everything else and you quiet now. F*** you, too,” Stoudemire said, before praising Israel as the “[o]nly place in the world I can go and study Torah and eat Kosher food. Only place in the world.”

The six-time NBA All-Star reiterated his utter disdain for Hamas’ actions: “Some coward s***, dog, and all y’all support it. F*** you. On my mama, we don’t respect none of y’all for that. Peace.”

NBACentral on X: "“I woke up this morning with some disturbing news out of Israel that Hamas [are] kidnapping children, putting them in cages, killing women, killing the elderly. That’s some coward s**t. That’s cowardly. And for all y’all Black Live Matter [supporters] who ain’t saying nothing,… https://t.co/sQ9DBMow5J" / X (twitter.com)

pic.twitter.com/sQ9DBMow5J

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) October 8, 2023

UPDATED: The price America pays when we lose the respect of our enemies

Apparently Israeli young people are as naive and silly as those demonstrating for silly causes in America.

 Townhall

"Palestinian militants are reportedly using U.S. weapons left behind by President Joe Biden's botched Afghanistan withdrawal to attack Israel. 

"According to a high-ranking Israel Defense Forces (IDF) commander, U.S. weapons left in Afghanistan after Biden's disastrous withdrawal have ended up in the hands of Palestinian groups active in the Gaza Strip." . . .

This was a "Rave for Peace". These young people were dancing for peace & harmony between Israelis & Palestinians & Hamas responded by literally murdering & raping them. https://t.co/aRNyHJPYuq

— Izengabe (@Izengabe_) October 8, 2023

 And how did that all work out?

UPDATE: The Left Shows Their True Colors and Sides With Hamas (townhall.com)

Sunny Hostin's take on Hamas terrorism as bad as you'd expect – Twitchy

Ilhan Omar calls for opposition to ISRAEL following attack by Hamas 'human animals'

It Took This Long for Rashida Tlaib to Release a Statement, and It Was Just What You'd Expect (townhall.com)  "As part of achieving a just and lasting peace, we must do our part to stop this violence and trauma by ending U.S. government support for Israeli military occupation and apartheid," the penultimate paragraph read." . . . 

. . ."Leftist opinion makers from the ridiculous (Antony Blinken) to the absurd (Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) began calling for a ceasefire so quickly that the Babylon Bee zinged them with a riotous headline: “Emperor Hirohito Calls For Ceasefire After Bombing Of Pearl Harbor.' ”

CONFIRMED: Iran Planned and 'Green-Lit' Murderous Hamas Attacks on Israel – RedState   . . .Before the dust settled -- and it's about to get kicked up again in the Gaza Strip as Israel plans a retaliatory strike to behead Hamas -- mAany were wondering just how such an attack could have been pulled off. Clearly, intelligennd how did that all work out?ce resources were involved, and the multitude of weaponry, including thousands of rockets, was not produced by the Palestinians. 

Now, we have an answer. Despite denials from the Biden administration, Iran was behind the attack, to the point of helping plan it and giving the green light for it to proceed. " . . . 

US weapons abandoned in Afghanistan reach Palestinian resistance: Report (thecradle.co)

. . ."Just two months after the Taliban regained control of the country, the New York Times (NYT) revealed: "Dozens of Afghans have set up weapons shops in Afghanistan’s south, selling American-made pistols, rifles, grenades, binoculars, and night-vision goggles."

"Furthermore, disenchanted members of the US-trained Afghan army had reportedly been selling their service weapons to "roving gun merchants" in government bases for months before the US withdrawal.

"US weapons surfaced in Indian-controlled Kashmir earlier this year after they were reportedly purchased from the Taliban by Pakistani groups.

"The claim of US weapons found in Gaza comes at a time when the Israeli army has increased the frequency and intensity of its raids into the occupied West Bank."  . . .

"I have no expectations of the humanity of Hamas," she said, adding: "We all already know what they're capable of."

Elderly Holocaust survivor in wheelchair kidnapped by Hamas: Blinken (nypost.com)  . . ."Blinken then appeared to reference videos circulating online of an elderly woman in a wheelchair being taken by Hamas gunmen in the south of Israel.

" 'As we’ve seen so graphically, literally dragging people across the border with Gaza, including a Holocaust survivor in a wheelchair, women and children,” Blinken said.

“ 'So you can imagine the impact this is having throughout Israel, and the world should be revolted at what it has seen,” he added." . . .

                                                           "Hold this for me, Jew!"

UPDATED: ‘Repulsive’: Fellow Democrat Shreds Squad Members Tlaib, Bush ‘Glorifying’ The ‘Largest Single-Day Mass Murder Of Jews Since The Holocaust’

Democrats, MSNBC and Antifa: aren't Americans capable of righteous disgust at these wretched sources of evil?

‘Repulsive’: Fellow Democrat Shreds Squad Members Tlaib, Bush ‘Glorifying’ The ‘Largest Single-Day Mass Murder Of Jews Since The Holocaust’ (msn.com)

  "Rep. Ritchie Torres slammed fellow Democrats Cori Bush and Rashida Tlaib over “reprehensible and repulsive” comments they made on the current conflict in Israel.

"Hamas launched one of the deadliest attacks on Israel in decades on Saturday, a day after the anniversary of the Yom Kippur war and on a Jewish holiday, killing and kidnapping civilians, launching missile attacks, and committing an outright terror attack on a musical festival.

"Both Tlaib and Bush, along with other members of the group referred to as “The Squad“, have come under fire before over accusations of anti-Semitism.

"As the conflict unfolded over the weekend, Rep. Tlaib issued a statement referring to Israel as an “apartheid government” that created the “suffering” which led to the “resistance” by Hamas. Tlaib demanded the United States stop providing billions in “unconditional funding” to the key ally, and Rep. Bush released similar comments demanding the U.S. stop supporting Israel.

“I grieve the Palestinian and Israeli lives lost yesterday, today, and every day. I am determined as ever to fight for a just future where everyone can live in peace, without fear and with true freedom, equal rights, and human dignity,” Tlaib said. “The path to that future must include lifting the blockade, ending the occupation, and dismantling the apartheid system that creates the suffocating, dehumanizing conditions that can lead to resistance.”

Israel war: Tlaib still has a Palestinian flag hanging outside her House office | Washington Examiner

Democrats Hold Shameful Pro-Palestine Rally (msn.com)

"The Democratic Socialists of America announced a pro-“Palestine” rally in New York City’s Times Square.

Six U.S. House of Representatives are members of the radical left-wing group, including Democrat Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

The rally announcement came just one day after Palestinian Hamas terrorists killed at least 700 people." . . .

'Pure EVIL': Rep. Cori Bush releases the most REPUGNANT statement on Israel attacks of them all – Twitchy

Cori Bush mourns the death of the Palestinian terrorists and equates that to the brutalities and butcherings the Palestinians committed of Jewish civilians.

Palestinian terrorists murdered children and their parents in their homes, kidnapped women and children and a bunch of…

— Marina Medvin 🇺🇸 (@MarinaMedvin) October 8, 2023

Biden Admin Playing Damage Control After Deleted Tweet on Terrorist Attacks in Israel

Iran is not just Israel's enemy; it's ours as well, and this kind of show of weakness does not bode well for either Israel or the U.S.

 MSN   "The Biden administration's first response to watching the brutal attack on Israel by Hamas militants was, apparently, to tell Israel not to defend itself.

"In a now-deleted tweet from the account of the U.S. Office Of Palestinian Affairs, the State Department wrote, "We unequivocally condemn the attack of Hamas terrorists and the loss of life that has occurred. We urge all sides to refrain from violence and retaliatory attacks. Terror and violence solve nothing," the tweet said.

          Joe Biden DEMANDS Israel NOT Defend Itself From Terrorist Attacks

"In a now deleted tweet, the Biden Regime demanded Israel stop fighting after a brutal surprise attack on Israel by terrorist group Hamas overnight.

Hundreds of Israeli civilians have been killed/captured pic.twitter.com/rG0Mqk3F4R

— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) October 7, 2023

Hi @ABlinken! Why did the State Dept just delete this? pic.twitter.com/VsGCcEc5WL

— Jack Poso 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) October 7, 2023

Deleted, but the internet is forever. https://t.co/Y8uYJC0t3d pic.twitter.com/jzPOHIyXED

— Eitan Fischberger (@EFischberger) October 7, 2023

"It sounds like the Biden administration was asking Israel to just sit down and take it.

"According to the Times of Israel, more than 600 people were reportedly killed and 1,590 wounded in Israel after Hamas soldiers indiscriminately began shooting at people in border communities." . . .

There Is No ‘Moral Equivalence’ Now -

Hamas is the bad actor here, Palestinians who support Hamas are bad actors, and Iran is the worst actor of all.

 The American Spectator | USA News and Politics  "I try to write think pieces, things I’ve mulled over at length, rather than commentary on events as they are happening. But this afternoon (Oct. 7), as I contemplate the news from Israel, I’m too angry and heartbroken to retreat into reflection. The outrageous — no, that’s not strong enough — the utterly cowardly and contemptible Hamas attacks on innocent Israelis — the rocket attacks, the house-to-house massacres and rapes, the kidnappings — this is depravity, plain and simple. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has told his nation that this is war, and we can expect that the Israelis, once they recover from the shock and surprise of this morning’s attacks, will mete out a response animated by a righteous and entirely justified anger.

"Condemnation of the attacks has come from virtually every Western leader, including President Biden. One may note that Biden took his time, and that an earlier — and quickly deleted — post on “X” from the U.S. Office of Palestinian Affairs called on “all sides” to “refrain from violence and retaliatory attacks.” Since Israel had been the party attacked, the call to refrain from retaliation could only have been aimed at Israel. Deleted or not, an administration that tolerates this kind of thinking should be ashamed of itself, and a thoroughgoing house cleaning at this Office should proceed forthwith. We might go further and simply ask ourselves why we even need such an office. In this hour, what we need instead is to make it clear that the only Palestinian affairs that interest us are an end to Hamas and all its works, and a clean and total break between decent Palestinians and the monsters whose pretense it is to act on their behalf. Behind all this lurks the Iranian regime, the chief supporter of Hamas and, almost assuredly, the behind-the-scenes instigator of this morning’s attacks. These were carefully planned and orchestrated with precision, and the fingerprints of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard are likely all over them. In the days ahead, as the Israeli Defense Forces undertake to eject Hamas fighters from southern Israel and then to clean out the bases from which the attacks were launched, we should be prepared for a multi-front escalation.

"In particular, we should be concerned that Hezbollah will launch attacks on Israel’s northern border, confronting the IDF with a two-front war. We should be further prepared for further “pot stirring” on other fronts, such as attacks on shipping in the Persian Gulf, or Iranian-sponsored terrorist attacks even further afield. In the last few years, Iran has cultivated close ties with the regime in Venezuela. At a time when the Biden administration has welcomed something akin to half a million Venezuelan refugees — while deporting only a relative handful — how can we be sure that the flood of refugees hasn’t included some hostile agents?" . . .

Nor do we need the chirping of “Squad” members about moral equivalence, or the antisemitic rantings of many leftist academics and their followers. Frankly, we’d be best served if the Omar’s and Tlaib’s would, for once, hold their tongues, and if they insist on speaking up, perhaps, for once, our President might simply invite them to shut up. Hamas is the bad actor here, Palestinians who support Hamas are bad actors, and Iran is the worst actor of all. We are now paying a price for our lame response to a decade of protests against the Iranian regime, and our unwillingness to hold that regime accountable.

 Israeli student screams 'Don't kill me' as Hamas terrorists kidnap her from rave: horrifying video    From the comments to this post: Kinda` like living in blue cities throughout America.

"Blur videos and photos of terrorist victims, but show crisp, clear photos of a child wounded (and appearing deceased) by Israel's retaliation? What kind of "fair reporting" is this? Whose side do you all really favor? "

'Total Clown Show': Viewers Lash Out At CNN -

  Analyzing America

"CNN is accused of “burying” the explosive testimony of Joe and Hunter Biden’s longtime friend and business partner Devon Archer. Archer testified that Joe Biden was intimately involved in the foreign business schemes. Then-Vice President Joe Biden was on speakerphone at meetings with business partners at least 20 times. “Joe Biden was put on the phone to sell ‘the brand,'” Archer explained in his testimony.

"Despite these serious allegations, the story was nowhere to be found on CNN’s home page. Instead, CNN led with a story about “Trump’s legal woes.” It appears the network is doing a huge favor for the Biden family by avoiding coverage of their corrupt international bribery scheme that put the U.S. government on sale.

"Social media flooded with comments that mocked CNN’s coverage of Archer. “Total clown show,” one person remarked." . . .

Case in point:

Rep. Collins: New Panel Will Hold Rogue DA’s Like Willis Accountable –

 One America News Network (oann.com)

"Congressman Mike Collins tells One America News that Georgia’s new Prosecuting Attorneys Qualifications Commission could act to remove Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. One America’s John Hines has more from Capitol Hill."

A look at who's attacking Israel

Silence from ‘Squad’ in Congress on social media about Hamas attacks | JNS | clevelandjewishnews.com     . . ."The group of congresswomen, whose three most prominent members are Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), has long attacked Israel in a manner that Jewish organizations and others call antisemitic.

"None of the three has posted on X about the Hamas terrorist attacks.

“ 'Anyone hear from The Squad, or are they too busy celebrating?” wrote Esther Panitch, a member of the Georgia House of Representatives who is Jewish.

“The Squad usually lives on social media, rushing to judgment on every piece of news. Are they at brunch?” wrote Brent Scher, investigations editor at the Daily Wire.

"A founding member of the group, Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Ma.), wrote on X that “these devastating attacks on Israelis are deeply alarming and my heart breaks for the victims and their loved ones.' ” . . .

American Thinker

 Gazans should go elsewhere and contribute to the world economy.  Their role as bloody nuisance doesn't get the respect it once did.  With the current attacks, they earn contempt. 

"Why are there people in the Gaza Strip?   Here is some context for the question.  Canada is 16% larger than the U.S. but has only 11% of our population.  Australia is almost the size of the U.S. but has only two thirds the population of Canada. 

"Why don't people flood all that empty space? They can't make a living there.  Canada is too frozen and Australia is too dry to support large populations.

"How do the estimated two million residents of Gaza support themselves?  They don't.  They subsist on welfare from rich Arab states and Iran.  As with most pure welfare recipients, they have little incentive to improve their lot.  Their per capita income is $5,600.  They could join much of the Middle East and migrate to Europe or Turkey.  They could travel to Jordan (income $9,200) or neighboring Egypt (income $11,600).

"On the other hand, getting chump change to do little or nothing is a good gig for people acclimated to welfare.  They're also fed the propaganda that their poverty serves the greater purpose of inconveniencing Israel and killing Israelis.

"For those who think I'm being too harsh on Gazans, here are two interesting points that encompass manufacturing and agriculture." . . . 

Joe Biden's $6-billion war on Israel - American Thinker  . . ."Death is final.  But doctors believe there are good deaths — deaths that are swift and accompanied by scant pain.  Good deaths are contrasted with bad deaths — by a pain-filled long bout with cancer or lung ailments.  And then there are the horror-filled deaths, such as those the world witnessed when jihadists televised beheadings. 

"Then there are the horror-filled deaths that have not been televised or even much discussed: the deaths Palestinian terrorists heap on their Israeli and Jewish victims.

Israel takes great lengths to obtain the corpses of Israelis slain by Arabs.  Usually the corpses come back mutilated; besides signs of torture, bodies are returned with eyes gouged and penises in mouths.

Wiping Israel off the map - American Thinker   

Despite Joe Biden’s supposed pro-Israel words, I don’t know where he really stands on this issue because he lies so often, but this I can tell you: Those on the side of the Jihadists will not prevail. Perhaps drawing stark lines along this fault will weed out some of the more fulminating anti-Israel Jew-haters.

It’s still early, but there are patterns to what’s happening in Israel - Andrea Widburg

The Republican Party Must Become One - Conservatives need to overcome loathing and failure.

  The American Spectator | USA News and Politics   "I met with the self-appointed emissary to B. last week, and he met with me, the self-appointed emissary to B. Our mission: to breach the divide. What divide? Good question. However, we know it exists. We know it threatens the well-being of the Great Republic. We as a society cannot thrive if the reds and the blues are committed to each other’s destruction and cannot share bathrooms. 

"The rot has got to where it is not only reds and blues; the two sides are divided against themselves and cannot give a simple answer to what ought to be a simple question: What do you, as a red, believe, bedrock? And you, as a blue — I am referring here to American political organizations, not redcoats and patriots — what are your basics?

"Under the circumstances, I thought to begin with what I knew, however small and of little weight in the political world; to wit, the battle of ideas, the engagement with principles and ways of thinking about them. Even here, among both reds and blues, the thinkers — sometimes called intellectuals — whose job is to explain and define key questions cannot see eye to eye or concept to concept.

"Agreeing on positions is not necessary if you agree on principles. For example, the question of whether we are a democratic republic or a republican democracy does not preclude disagreeing on setting term limits for the peoples’ representatives.

"B. and B. are magazine men. As boys, they were enthralled at how William F. Buckley Jr. had launched a magazine that became the beehive of the conservative movement. They both drew inspiration from Irving Kristol, who famously said that if you have problem, start a magazine. Now nobody knew, or appeared to care, who was writing what where.

"My response: Go back to fundamentals. Otherwise, what? You want Matt Gaetz and Marjorie Taylor Greene to define what conservatism is?" . . . 

Why should the average citizen uphold what the judicial system from the very top is destroying?

 Dumb Jury: The Trickle-Down Effect of No Rule of Law - The American Spectator | USA News and Politics

  "Jury duty gets a bad rap and for good reason: It’s time consuming, disruptive, and often means being away from seemingly more important things. But juries are critical to the American legal system and to the concept of justice in America. The problem? The people making up juries are dumb. They have little civics understanding. Injustice prevails with biased juries. Injustice prevails when qualified jurors are so disgusted with the system that they try to avoid serving. Injustice prevails with dumb juries.

"How important are impartial juries? Just ask any Jan. 6 protester spending years in prison for walking peacefully, at a police officer’s behest, through the Capitol. Is there a D.C. jury that would find any right-leaning defendant not guilty?

"Some of the problems with juries are pure cynical malice on the part of prosecutors. Some are set up by biased judges. All the problems with juries have, at their root, ignorance of basic civics and the cascading effect that bad judicial outcomes cause a nihilistic belief that serving doesn’t matter. It does matter, though.

"Last week, I went through the jury selection and then, shockingly, got seated on a jury for a felony case.

"There were multiple reasons why people were excused from the jury pool. Some felt that they could not presume the innocence of the man based on past convictions. Some felt that the allegations alone made the man guilty. They did not believe that the prosecution needed to make a case. They believed that the defendant needed to prove his innocence. But the slate-clearing reason why people disqualified themselves: If the defendant didn’t take the stand, then, obviously, he was guilty.

"A friend of mine said of the bandwagoning that happened when this issue came to the fore that the jurors just latched on because they didn’t want to be on the jury. That might have been true of a few. Unfortunately, the vast majority of the 40 or so who disqualified themselves gave long, vehement explanations about how people who are innocent will defend themselves and want to testify.

"As I sat there, I could think of 40 reasons not to testify.

"The judge in this case dismissed them all. That left a small pool to choose from, and I was one of them. The remaining jurors were intelligent, attentive, and sincere. It was a brutal case with heart-rending evidence scrupulously compiled by a crack team of prosecutors. They made the jury’s job easy and proved their case beyond a shadow of a doubt, never mind beyond reasonable doubt. This was a case where justice prevailed.

"Leaving the courtroom, though, the responses of these jurors and the clear injustice being meted out in courtrooms across America because of dumb jurors brought disturbing thoughts." . . .